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smimon · 4 months

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The other promised personal post, this one about my self-discovery that I completed last year and in the result gained a weirdly powerful feel, like when Eragon found his true name if you know what I mean

Three main paths: art, brain training, isolation.

1. Art

Art was something I always loved, of course all kids do art but I never stopped. I kept making up characters and settings and stories and theme songs and game designs. I did my first zine at like 6 years old lol.

Living in capitalism meant that the most attractive stories were beyond my reach for financial reasons, so out of disappointment I decided to start telling my own stories, as if that was hard. This was all very early in my life and I believe I was always meant to be an artist and storyteller, and the skills I gained only helped me later.

Like when things started to get more difficult around middle school. When family started demanding and gave nothing back anymore. When the only protector I had left me alone to pursue a career, repeating that if they can handle it, I can too - but I was still a child.

When it was forbidden to talk, feel and hurt, I kept creating. Losing myself in fiction, which years later turned out to be much less fictional than it seemed. Most of my writing was about myself this whole time. I was scared someone might find out so I concealed the message so deep that I alone couldn't see it anymore.

And new stories kept coming, I kept drawing, the XP I gained brought improvement. Never completing anything but always creating something new, finding endless joy in rotating the blorbos in my head. And this continues until today.

Many many times I had doubts if it's all worth anything, a devil telling me I should drop art. And always some inner force pushing me back to the drawing desk. So many times I had to ask myself the question: why do I keep making art? And finally, very recently, I have found the answer.

I am an artist. Artists make art. It's that simple.

2. Brain training

Similar to other body parts, brain can be trained. Solving puzzles, finding patterns, learning, math, there are many ways.

For me it was trying to understand my family.

Recognizing patterns level hard. Predicting what will happen. Inventing ways to protect myself. Teaching myself to do things no one would explain to me but everyone demanded me to know.

School was easy compared to this. Studying gave results in a short term, sometimes it was even fun. Teachers noticed and behaved as if it was their success. Other kids' parents noticed and started bullying their children to get the same results, because if I can do it, why can't they? They were not abusive enough to trigger a similar mechanism, but abusive enough to make their children hate me.

But I haven't noticed. I had a few friends and did not even notice everyone else was against me. This was my elementary and middle school, and then at high school the level was much more even so I could be more invisible.

All the time I tried to figure out my family, and they kept surprising me. All the time I could get good grades, and felt like this is the only thing I am good at.

But as Master's degree approached, I had to accept this can't continue forever, that I am not smart enough to get a PhD. That after graduating I will have to start a job, live a normal life, do things I never learned. I was sure I will die within months, but hey, it's been years already and it only gets easier!

My true victory came just a few years after. I have finally realized there is no way to understand my family because they are simply irrational.

That's it! I am free now! High-fiving all the mathematicians who proved a problem to be unsolvable because hey, that's an accomplishment too!!!

3. Isolation

Introverted by nature, I don't like to spend too much time with people, especially the same people over and over again. Especially my family. Three days is my limit.

And I was tied to them all my life. So when I finally moved out, the sudden experience of freedom overwhelmed me. I did not want to give it away until I get saturated with how good it feels to be alone. Also, gaining distance feom my abusers allowed healing to start. But before that, long hours of remembering and understanding and grieving. Gaining courage to finally meet myself, discover who I am. Forget who I was supposed to be. A journey of self-discovery that brought peace and hope and skill and confidence.

But I am still human. Humans are social animals. I need some contact every now or then or I go insane.

For a few years, I used pokemon go. Going to raid hour every week. But everyone was busy playing so the contact was very shallow.

I started going to fandom conventions trying to relive the same kind of wonder I felt as a teenager. It is different this time, of course. I got used to the fun parts. Nothing seems as impressive as earlier. But even then, I felt like this is my place, and my kind if people. I only needed a way to connect.

Then Käärijä happened, of course. Suddenly I had a thought: the biggest fandom convention in the country doesn't have much to offer for me, but maybe I can do something crazy, maybe I can make this event a bit more me-friendly. I returned to fb after years of break to ask on groups if there are any Käärijä fans willing to meet up.

And they were. It only gets crazier from there.

I started talking to some of them. One suggested a Frank fanclub because we all had some Frank gadgets. I designed a sticker. I designed another one. I organized three meetups, day after day. People came. I made friends. A group chat was founded. Was it me who did it?

Then another crazy idea. Make more stickers. Repeat this at other conventions. And so my convention tour started. With many many stickers.

And then I start a daily Käärijä sketchbook. And then I find friends through the stickers. And then I find friends throught the art. And then the friends warm my heart and break it open and put a foot inside so it doesn't close back too soon.

And I realize I am not alone.

Okay?

So I am an artist, I stubbornly forced my way through my early years and ended up with a pretty cool job, and now I get just enough money and independence to decide how to spend time with people who are in general pretty amazing after all ✌️ still no idea what I want next but I am really happy I made it to here

#diary post #vent post #yeah it's. it's all connected #my biggest accomplishment is figuring it all out #truth does hurt but in the end gives freedom #semira origin story

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lovetaroandtaemin · 27 days

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All I Wanted

Chapter 2: Are You Satisfied?

Osaki Shotaro x Reader

Word count: 872

Content warnings: None for this chapter

Thank you again to @wonbons for beta reading! Your feedback has been a huge help and I'm incredibly grateful.

Fic is under the cut

Shotaro was more nervous than usual for his first statistics test of the year. He had a good enough grasp on the material, but there were a few things he was shaky on. He did spend a lot of time studying, but he just didn’t understand certain concepts. He knew that he had to focus today though because he couldn’t let his grades suffer. If he did, he would never hear the end of it from his dad.

You, on the other hand, were filled with confidence. You refused to let anything get in the way of passing. Studying was your entire life for a week before the quiz. You didn’t talk to anyone for the first few days, which resulted in several angry voicemails from Karina because she hadn’t heard from you. You apologized for ignoring her and made sure to talk to people while still studying as much as you could. Your degree was far too important to you to fail.

As you were making your way to class, you saw Wonbin. He smiled and winked at you, and you gave him a small smile in response. He continued walking as you silently prayed that you wouldn’t fail.

You walked into class and smiled as you saw Shotaro. He was wearing his bright purple beanie, which you had learned meant that he had overslept and hadn’t had time to brush his hair. Initially he looked upset, but as soon as he noticed you his expression changed to that signature smile that made you feel all giddy inside. You took your seat next to him and started to discuss the upcoming quiz.

“How do you think you’re gonna do?” he asked.

“I know I’m gonna pass,” you replied, “I was up until 3 AM studying last night.”

“I wish I had your confidence, (Y/N).”

“I’m sure you’ll do great, ‘Taro. You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for. Plus, I know how much you’ve been studying.”

“Thanks, (Y/N),” he mumbled, with a barely noticeable blush starting to appear on his face.

Your conversation was cut short by Ms. Kim passing out your tests. You once again silently prayed to whoever would listen that you would pass and began to work as soon as you received your test. As you answered the questions, you couldn’t help but wonder how Shotaro was doing. He had looked upset when you walked into class, but you hadn’t been able to ask him why before the test started. You made a mental note to ask him about it after class.

The second the test was placed on his desk, Shotaro started answering questions to the best of his ability. He wasn’t confident in all his answers, but that didn’t stop him from giving everything he had. Once he finished answering the questions and handed in his exam, he spent the rest of the class period doodling in his notebook. The drawings of animals and flowers may have looked like something silly to pass the time to someone that saw them in passing, but for Shotaro art was his escape. And with stress from school and his dad’s daily lectures about not wasting his potential, he needed it.

After everyone finished their tests, class was dismissed. You tried to follow Shotaro to ask him why he seemed upset earlier, but he ran out the door before you could catch up to him. So, you sent him a text instead, letting him know that if he needed to talk about anything you were there for him.

The rest of your morning classes were a blur, with papers being assigned and more tests being taken. You had been rushing to get things done all morning, so you decided to go to the library to take a break in a quiet environment before you had to continue your studies.

The last person you expected to see as you entered was Wonbin. You knew that it was rude to assume from the limited interactions you had with him, but he didn’t really seem like the type to spend free time at the library.

“Hey, Wonbin. How are you?”

“I’m doing ok, I just wanted a quiet place to study. What’s up with you?”

“I wanted to take a breath before my next class, tests all morning.”

“Yikes. By the way, next time you see Karina would you give this back to her? She left it at my place last night,” he said as he handed you her makeup bag.

“Will do, thanks.”

The two of you chatted for a few more minutes before you left to continue your day.

The next day at the end of class, Ms. Kim gave everyone their tests back. You looked at yours, and you saw that your score was 93. Excited that you passed, you showed Shotaro. He seemed a little bit less excited, however, as he wordlessly showed his paper. It had 86 written at the top in bright red ink. Even though he was a little upset, he jokingly promised to kick your ass when it was time for the next test. You laughed and said you wished that he would.

“Well I guess I have to, now,” he said with a wink.

Thanks for reading!! Sorry about the lack of update last week, Preparing for Easter was a bit chaotic. I promise chapter 3 will be out next week. Stay tuned!

If you'd like to be added to the taglist, either comment or dm me with the username that you'd like tagged. Once again, thanks to @wonbons for beta reading!

#riize x y/n #riize fanfic #riize x reader #shotaro x reader #academic rivals to lovers #rivals to lovers #college au #non idol au #kpop fanfic

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high-voltage-rat · 10 months

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Welp, with the encouragement of my dear sweet enablers, I've done it. I posted what I had sitting in my docs of the RvB university AU onto AO3.

The basic gist: Blood Gulch Hall is a student residence of the local university. It has a red hall of students, a blue hall of students, and a purple hall meant for the Residence Assistants. Sarge, of course, is one RA- convinced the two halls of students are separate and rivals- and so he's moved himself in amongst the students there. Flowers was the other RA until he suddenly died, leaving the blue hall with no real oversight.

After a prank gone wrong, the university decides a new RA needs to be assigned. Wash, a student who's distinguished himself to the school through the Project Freelancer student research placements, is given the job- much to his relief, as it's a sweet deal that saves him from his crushing student debt. Naturally, the local residents do not take kindly to his attempts at enforcing rules, and tomfoolery ensues.

Church is a history major finishing his final year of undergrad. As the member of Blood Gulch Hall that's been there the longest, he's especially tired of everyone's shit, but knows exactly how everyone seems to operate. He's also the son of the Director of the university, and has one of the biggest grudges against him and the school. In general, he's jaded and cynical, but likes fucking with the other residents and shooting the shit with Tucker.

Tucker is a political science major- after going on a student exchange program in high school with the intent of just getting away for a while so he could slack off and "pick up chicks who think foreigners are hot", he ended up accidentally adopting a role as an unofficial ambassador of his home country-and decided to try and pursue it as a career. He also minors in human sexuality- which he thought was going to teach him about how to be a sex god, but actually ended up making him re-evaluate himself and realize his constant talking about chicks was covering up his insecurity about his bisexuality.

Caboose is a mechanical engineering student in his third year. Though no one knows it, he's actually only been at the school for two years- he overloaded courses and passed them with surprisingly strong grades. He doesn't spell very well, which is mostly me leaning into the classic "engineers can't spell" joke, but he's extremely gifted in math and robotics, thinking in numbers and spacial reasoning- baffling his professors and classmates alike. Caboose is accustomed to a large family, which naturally comes with a lot of bickering. He views the group at Blood Gulch Hall like a surrogate family that way- and is happy to just smile and nod when they argue amongst themselves, more concerned with his latest robotics projects.

Kai is a business major- she's been running side hustles most of her life, it seemed natural for her to take it to the next level using the savings she'd made. She knows people don't typically view her as smart, that they look at her as a bimbo- and doesn't care. She sometimes even leans into the role if it means she can turn people underestimating her to her advantage. She throws awesome parties, knows all the cool people on campus, and has all the best self-care tips and tricks. She also delights in embarrassing her older brother at every opportunity.

Grif is a chemical engineering student- at the time, it seemed like a good idea. He had a dream, you see, to develop a banana flavouring that actually tasted like bananas, a grape flavouring that actually tasted like grapes. By the time he realized it would be a lot more complicated than that, it was too late- he was committed. He now spends his time suffering through and scraping by in all the core engineering classes, learning about motors and thermodynamics and waiting for the light in the tunnel. He passes his free time by developing a tier list of all the pizza joints across campus, and perfecting his own brownie recipe (with and without weed).

Simmons is an electrical and computer engineering student. He was always a nerd, but until he gained a bionic arm, he'd been leaning more towards the theoretical side of the sciences. After that, though, he was constantly studying in his own time, learning how to tinker with it and improve its performance- which naturally brought him to engineering. He's the kind of keener who does all the readings well in advance, visits every office hour even when he doesn't need help just in case there's interesting discussion, and stays after class to chat with professors. He pretends to be tired of Grif leaning on his to study for the things he doesn't find interesting, but he secretly enjoys being the smart one who can lecture his friend on a topic.

Donut is a vet sciences student- he grew up on a farm, surrounded by and caring for a myriad of animals, and kept the passion for it throughout his whole life. He plans on specializing in bovine and equine medicine, which means he doesn't get grossed out by much anymore. It throws people off when he cheerfully discusses sticking his arm inside a cow's ass- but he's so desensitized he doesn't even consider it, much to the dismay of Grif and Simmons. He and Kai are the residence's biggest supporters of self-care regimens, regularly getting together to discuss skin care while they give each other manipedis. He also enjoys wearing novelty themed earrings... when there isn't a concern of a patient biting them.

Sarge is the RA for the red team... and while very few people know it, that's actually the umbrella term over his true role as Faculty in Residence. He's a member of the engineering faculty, specializing in combustion modelling. After developing the Stagnation And Radiation Generalizing Equations method of computation and modelling (SARGE method for short), he was granted tenure and celebrated as a pioneer in his field. However, over time, he was left in the dust as the field was largely dropped in favour of more environmentally friendly things like electric vehicles. Very few people remember his contributions to the field now, and he's never really asked to teach classes, so he was appointed RA so the pay wasn't going to waste... and he's thrown himself quite cheerfully and passionately into his work.

Wash is a walking disaster- and by that, I mean he's in his third year, has no declared major, and is still trying to figure out what he wants to do with himself. Formerly part of the university's Project Freelancer, a research placement that recruits undergrads into a high-pressure work environment for very little pay, he's found himself burnt-out and exhausted. Being given a work-study position as the peer mentor RA of Blood Gulch Hall is a relief- it doesn't pay, but it's free housing and a waived tuition fee for the year that gives him time to figure his shit out. Unfortunately, his reliance on the job ends up becoming another source of stress... and it's a while before he learns the motions of living and working with his fellow residents.

...Obviously there's way more to it, more characters, more lore tidbits that I've yet to sprinkle in, et cetera. But this post is already long enough, so if there's interest, I'll probably post that another time.

#not video games #late nights with ali #ali watches rvb #rvb #red vs blue #is it well written? perhaps not. is it fun? oh yes.#I enjoy writing and reading it. I crack myself up and I suppose that's the important thing #rvb university au #<- in case I make this a series of posts that'll be the tag #ali's writes #rvb fic

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ecobro-rvm · 9 days

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EcoBro- Reverse Vending Machine: 1st Final Blog-Journey After Pitching

At the beginning of every journey, there is a destination. An outline of the purpose, goals, and anticipated results should also be included in the opening of a venture proposal. Beyond a set of procedures, the venture proposal is a life-changing experience that puts our abilities, fortitude, tenacity, and self-assurance to the test.

When we last conducted interviews, we asked students at Central Mindanao University for customer validation for our product. Our product is a machine designed to collect empty plastic bottles and cans in exchange for coupons or money as a reward and will make use of the collected plastics.

We utilized the activity to get people's opinions on our proposed project and find out if they plan to use the machine when it is introduced on campus. We gathered data and made use of the collected data to work on our business model canvas for our midterm pitching. Prior to the proposal, we generate ideas by analyzing our target market, soliciting advice and comments from others, and enumerating the benefits and drawbacks of our offering. As we worked to align the project goals, teamwork and communication were very productive during the planning and preparation of our proposal.

A crucial step in the process was showing the panelists our goods during the pitching. Presenting the project's details was necessary, but so was clearly conveying its value proposition. In order to prepare for any possible worries or objections regarding our product, this meant emphasizing the advantages and strengths of our machine. During the pitch, our position was not favorable. They stated that our startup would not be profitable for both parties if we planned to sell the entire machine. When we proposed running the machine ourselves as our business model instead of direct selling, they replied that it's not a lucrative startup. They mentioned that it would require a high initial investment, that maintenance costs would be significant, and that it's not a money-making business.

We attempted to defend ourselves, but all they could say was that you should focus on making more money in business. Even our instructor helped us defend our pitching. Our first initiative in this journey involves interviewing people about the issues they are having on campus and then coming up with a start-up solution based on our findings. Our intention is to provide our projects to academic institutions and the government in order to reduce plastic waste and ensure that plastic and cans are disposed of appropriately. Yes, we considered our profits, and yes, we are aware that running this kind of business has many drawbacks due to the large initial investment and ongoing maintenance needed because we prioritize the sustainability of our product, which is what a civil engineer would do, not as a business-minded person.

We got the lowest grade in our pitching. It hurts, actually, with all the efforts we provide for this project. It hurts to see everyone in our group have regrets and feel bad saying that they didn't do their best. I know we really did our best to interview people in our free time, spend sleepless nights brainstorming ideas, providing solutions, and doing research about our project. But we can't do anything about it anymore, so we chose to move and promised ourselves to do better in finals.

Our instructor and the panelists provided us with feedback on how to improve our business model. After pitching, our instructor asked us to revise and improve our business model. Then, interview at least 10 people again for customer validation. Setting out on an interview is like entering someone else's universe; it's an exploration and learning process. In order to learn more and comprehend our project better, the trip begins with the first stirrings of curiosity and the need to hear other people's perspectives. It is incredibly beneficial to us that each interviewee has unique perspectives and thoughts. By adjusting to other personalities and communication styles, we develop our empathy and listening abilities. We are deeply affected by the interviewee because they provide a distinct viewpoint.

We got to interview 15 people, and 13 of them did say that they'd definitely use our product and give us positive opinion, and 2 of them disagreed with our ideas. This person is concerned about us, saying that it is not a profitable business since it needs a high initial investment and maintenance cost, just like what the panelist told us.

When we inquire about their opinions of our initiative, some of them provide us with constructive feedback. "One issue that worries us as prospective engineers is sustainability. Your inclusion of an eco-report is commendable. It's a good concept. If this is put into practice, I will definitely utilize it since I will feel responsible for making sure that my trash is being correctly separated. Furthermore, getting coupons or cash in return is a great way to encourage people to recycle more. You may sell your recyclables without having to visit stores or waste shops, and it also benefits you to be aware of what you throw away."

Although someone made a negative remark, it makes sense what he said. We benefited from it since we discovered our project's weaknesses with this method. We identified our areas for improvement. Because of the high expenses associated with labor transportation, electricity, and maintenance, a reverse vending machine at CMU would not be profitable. The vending machine is not able to make much money on its own because recyclers purchase the bottles. To obtain additional profit, the business should consider manufacturing a new product utilizing the resources gained from the vending machine, which would be marketed to the public.

The data we collected is somewhat similar to the first customer validation interview we last conducted. We received the same feedback as our start-up. We evaluate our performance and make necessary improvements to deliver a high-caliber product in light of their responses. We have broadened our perspectives and gained a deeper understanding of our reverse vending machine project overall, making the voyage a life-changing experience.

#entrepreneurialmind #EcoLng2Bro

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study-like-you-mean-it · 2 years

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New Year's Resolutions for People who Already Have Too Much on their Plate

Something I've learned over the past few years, but particularly this year, is that I have a habit of taking on way too many projects when they don't seem to be that time-consuming, and then getting pulled under completely when they ramp up. Knowing the motivation of the people who follow my posts (big hello to all my baby Oxbridge undergrads from someone who's now out the other side and doing a Cambridge MPhil), I thought some resolutions for people who don't have the time to take on any more habits or projects might be of use!

Take time every day to be in the moment It's really easy to get stuck in a routine where you get up, power through the things you need to do, stick yourself into work, eat your lunch as quickly as possible, and then go back into work without giving yourself a time to just be. Find a moment during the day, and just take that moment to completely disconnect from everything and just focus on that one thing. Some people really enjoy doing this at mealtimes- I personally can't do this because I really don't like just focusing on eating for various reasons, so I choose instead to just make sure that every time I shower I just focus on the ritual of getting myself clean, and then moisturising and taking care of my hair. It's not because I'm particularly bothered about my appearance, but because showering won't go faster if I'm thinking about work or letting my thoughts wander. Sometimes (not always) I also just think about a handful of things I'm grateful for while I'm doing this, to remind myself that although I'm constantly chasing new goals, I've achieved a hell of a lot along the way. Have an experiment for when a good moment is to do this in your own routine (either when showering, eating, exercising, etc)

Stop adding things to your to do list! I'm absolutely criminal about this- when something new crops up, I just go "oh I'll add it to the list of things I need to get done today," and I never end up getting everything on my list done. Either have a master to-do list and a separate daily to-do list (it's important that it's separate!) where you take things off the master list to do each day, or just put that thing to do on another day and keep yourself to a maximum number of things to do. If you finish your list, great! Enjoy the free time. You don't have to be doing things nonstop to be worth something, and often setting boundaries like this will help you be more productive.

Set yourself working hours It doesn't matter if you have an actual job or not- I started doing this when I was 19 as a second year by giving myself a starting time that accounted for either getting back from training or having a small lie in, and it meant that I actually had time to do the things that I valued- now I'm just doing a master's thesis, I can also give myself weekends off, which is massively helpful for my motivation during the week

Make that date with that friend You know you've been putting off loads of coffees or drinks or whatever with individual friends because you're too busy with work. Newsflash (which I think everyone has learned or will learn the hard way): if you say you're always busy, people will stop asking. Likewise, if you spend your entire time waiting to be asked, you'll find yourself disappointed- what is the person on the other end doing but reaching out instead of waiting? Don't be passive- do it, even if it takes an hour of your time. If someone you've been meaning to see asks to hang out, make it a priority. Your life is just as important as your work, and you need to feed both soul and mind (not to be too cliché)

Sort your projects into tiers Previously, I've been very guilty of assuming that everything I do is equally important, but that's never been the case. Coursework submitted for a grade, for example, is more important than work that you've just submitted for a supervision that will be marked but not submitted for a grade. Things shift priority, but having a mental tier list is super useful in terms of thinking about where you're going to be allocating your time and energy. For my thesis, I've broken it down into a group of things (literature review, experiments, stats, machine learning, writeup) that are shifting priority- experiments was super important for me to get finished before Christmas so the lit review took a backseat, but now I've finished them I can focus back on the lit review. I've also got my side-projects in a tier as well- my tutoring job rose a bit over the holidays because I needed a bit of cash, and so did one of the two books I'm editing because we needed to prepare to go to print; now both are done and any further work on those is back on the lowest tier. Not everything needs your whole heart and soul thrown into it at all times.

Find a non-competitive hobby I think busy people are absolutely the most guilty of finding ways to spend their free time that involve pushing themselves to their absolute limits, just not for work. I've been rowing since 2018 now, and my focus for it has always been to push myself and compete, and that's fine, but it can't be the only thing I do with my free time. Choral singing is something I also do in my free time, and from 2011-2018 I was competitive as I was being prepped to potentially go to a conservatoire. The current choir I'm in gives me space to grow and improve, but I'm not pushing myself to my limit every week- I enjoy the new pieces, but ultimately I just like being musical. Same goes for the odd times I play the cello when my college orchestra or a student musical is looking for a spare cellist- it's not something I'm looking necessarily to be the best at, it's just something I enjoy. On top of that, there's the things I do without the intention of ever trying to improve (with the assumption that the improvements will just come the more I do them)- this category includes cooking nice things, doing crosswords, and running. I'm not built as a runner- I have terrible knees and I'm built like someone who spends their spare time carrying around boats. I'm not looking to race anyone, and I'm not really even looking to get faster- I just enjoy getting out and running sometimes. Point is, you can have things outside of work that you compete in, but you need things that you enjoy doing and can improve in, as well as things you're not good at but enjoy. Don't let everything be ruled by perfectionism (sometimes it's ok to be crap at things!)

My mantra for this year is going to be how you do anything is how you do everything - think about what this means for you, and what you'd like to achieve. Do everything deliberately, and make sure you leave space for yourself in there.

Happy New Year!

#2022 #resolutions 2022 #new years resolution #studylikeyoumeanit #studyblr #studyspo #studying #university #gradblr #motivation #mindfulness #mindset

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the-lone-witch-and-secret-room · 3 years

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The Blight children and toxic behaviors

Some poor soul on Instagram made the mistake to ask me a couple of questions on the Blight siblings that got me to finally write out what’s been on my mind for a very long time about the Blight children and their relationships and behaviors.

The Wrong Antagonist

Up until she meets Luz, Amity tries her best to be the “ideal” child their parents want all of them to be, gets amazing grades, spends her free time studying, picks the friends her parents want her to have.

She does this because she wants her parents to love them, but in doing so, by being everything their parents want her to be, the twins think she raises the expectations for everyone. She even gets the twins in trouble by telling on them for skipping to look better, because she’s so frustrated of them getting away with things, with being told it’s a shame she doesn’t have her siblings’ magical skills, while they don’t have the same insane expectations to meet.

Thing is, this actually isn’t true. They’re under the same amount of pressure, they just handle it differently, and their parents are INTENTIONALLY making it seem like the other siblings have it easier to serve their purposes.

Their parents tell the twins they want them to be more like Amity, and Amity she should be more like the twins. No matter what they do, it’s never good enough, because their sibling is better.

This achieves exactly what it’s supposed to: provide “motivation” to improve by making the kids try to one-up each other with their skills, and point out each others flaws to their parents. This way, they learn of things the kids are doing that they’re not supposed to, while also getting them to target each other, rather than having each others backs and teaming up to call their parents out on their bullshit.

They resent how much “easier” their siblings have it, and this prevents them from finding comfort in each other and figuring out how messed up this situation is as a whole. It’s not difficult “because the others make it more difficult for me by being better than me”, it’s a shitty situation because their parents treat all of them as not good enough. Even “ideal” child Amity isn’t enough for them.

This isn’t a competition they are ever meant to win.

The only way out is seeing through it, rebuilding bridged with each other and continuing to play by their own rules—but that’s exactly what their parents are trying to prevent.

Once the Blight siblings start communicating with and supporting each other rather than antagonize each other, the whole system falls apart.

“Tough love”

During Lost In Language, the exact wording the twins use in reference to their diary revenge plan is “Amity NEEDS this” “It's for her own good” rather than “Amity DESERVES this”, which is very interesting.

To an extent, this is just them trying to get out of responsibility for what they’re doing... but they also genuinely think this is right. That they’re doing what’s best for Amity by embarrassing her and revealing her most private thoughts to the entire school. This is of course utter bs, but lets get into why they’re doing this.

That it’s not genuinely malicious actually makes it so, SO much worse. They’re trying to get Amity to “loosen up” because how she’s behaving currently is, as previously stated, making all of their lives more difficult, and also just isn’t good for her. But posting her diary all over school IS, because it will get her to finally see things their way.

They just decide what’s best for Amity without taking her feelings into consideration, and without realizing how hurtful this is, because that’s how they’ve been raised to believe these things work.

Their parents probably did similar things, framing severe punishments as “necessary evils” to help them grow more responsible, etc.

Even when Ed and Em think they’re being rebellious (and deciding Amity would be happier if she was, too), they’re still stuck in their parents mindset.

What’s interesting about this is that to an extent, Amity actually does this, too, but with Willow.

Her patronizing words of encouragement in I Was A Teenage Abomination are more than just that—Amity isn’t just needlessly cruel, at the same time she’s telling herself she’s “helping” an old friend get better grades. It’s tough love, yes, but tough love works, right? Ultimately this will be GOOD for Willow. She’s also “helping” Willow by putting her down in Hooty’s Moving Hassle—“it’s not her fault she was born without talent” gets the others to move along and not bother Willow anymore in that scene. But coming from Amity, it also hurts a million times worse than it could coming from Boscha or Skara.

Amity genuinely still thinks what she’s doing is what’s “best” for Willow—but without ever actually taking Willow’s feelings into consideration.

She can’t actually encourage her, so instead she does it in a way that really hurts Willow, but at least she’s still encouraging her and telling her she believes in her! She can’t actually stand up for Willow, but at least she’s “protecting” her by making a jab that renders her so worthless the others don’t even bother teasing her anymore! That’s so much better than it would be without her intervention!

Except it isn’t.

Amity isn’t helping Willow. The twins aren’t helping Amity. They’re executing the same “though love will motivate you/make you happier” and “I know what’s best for you” bs their parents are pulling on them.

That’s how they were raised to believe the world works.

Others know what’s best for you, and you know what’s best for others, and if they don’t see it your way, you make them see it your way.

I also have a bunch of theories concerning Edric’s and Emira’s relationship, but that’s for another post.

The message here is that I really, really want to kidnap the Blight kids and remove them from the environment that taught them these behaviors.

Also, to be very, very clear here, in case that for some reason is misunderstood: Edric, Emira and Amity aren’t terrible people, and they’re in no way to blame for thinking this is appropriate behavior. They’re abused kids that were raised to think this way and are only slowly being confronted with different mindsets. Amity was intentionally removed from a healthy environment (Willow), and from what we’ve seen of the twins, they don’t seem to have many friends, either.

They are in no way to blame for the beliefs their parents taught them, and fighting your way out of toxic behaviors you’ve been raised to see as right all your life can be really, really difficult.

Also, since this is something that apparently needs to be said… please stop hoping for redemption arcs/giving the benefit of the doubt to abusive parents of all people. “The abusive parents were actually just terribly misunderstood/didn’t realize their behavior was bad the entire time” is not a story anyone ever needs to hear.

#not spoilers!#the owl house #toh character analysis #toh #emira blight #edric blight #edric toh #Emira toh #amity Blight #Willow park #blight twins #blight siblings #edric and emira #amity toh #long post #analysis #eleena talks blight siblings

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costellos · 3 years

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a/n: I almost titled this “the things they do exclusively for their partner” but “the ways they say ‘I love you’” has a much sweeter ring to it :’) anyway, this wasn’t a suggestion! just something fun to take my mind off of work for the evening. enjoy!

tw: none.

disclaimer: I’m anime-only, so apologies if my character interpretations aren’t accurate!

❥ ┋ ❝ gojo, nanami, itadori, fushiguro & the ways they say “I love you!”

gojo satoru.

Gojo says “I love you” by always texting you first.

talk to any of the faculty at the school and they’ll tell you that Gojo is awful at responding to texts. even after sending him a calendar invite for meetings a week in advance, he still manages to be 20 minutes late. and it’s not that he doesn’t check his phone — no, quite the contrary. it’s just that in this day and age, with notifications pinging every five minutes, he gets distracted quite easily. Gojo simply likes to focus on whatever’s on his mind at that moment.

which since you started dating, so happens to be you. every day at 3:30 PM, right after the final bell rings, you feel your phone vibrate in your back pocket.

sometimes it’s texts asking how your day was. other times it’s little messages about his thinking of you. most of the time it’s stupid memes he stumbled upon that day. ↳ satoru🤍 said: hey hey hey check out this new video that’s been going around.

he always checks in on you when he’s on work trips. he likes sending you pictures of the places he visited that day. opening your Insta DMs is always a gamble, though. there are two types of pictures waiting for you: a snapshot of a pretty sunset, captioned “thinking of you!” or a dumb selfie.

your favorite interaction was from when he travelled to the U.S. for work. your phone rang just minutes after you woke up for the day, with Gojo there to say good morning. it sounds mundane, but what made it special was that he was almost 12 hours behind you. it was easily past his bedtime when you picked up. when you asked what warranted the call, he said (as if it was the simplest answer in the world): ↳ “don’t laugh, but... I wanted you to be the last person I talked to for the night. it makes my day feel complete.”

nanami kento.

Nanami says “I love you” by spending most of his free time with you.

he’s the kind of person who prizes his time above everything else. hell, part of that is embedded in his personal binding vow. he spends so much of his day at work, completing mind-numbing tasks, that being alone is his safe space. it’s where he can escape from Gojo the headaches around him.

you knew that before entering a relationship with him. anytime you had asked what his plans for the weekend were, joking if he’d go out and party, he’d reply that he would be spending it alone matter-of-factly.

to be honest, you were a little worried that your relationship would see him prizing his free time above you, but... you were pleasantly surprised to find that wasn’t the case.

in fact, not a lot of your time is spent at home. Nanami enjoys showing you his favorite spots around Tokyo. they’re all places that are so him: neatly-organized yet eclectic bookshops, trendy yet affordable restaurants. he’s not as much of a homebody as you took him for.

and it’s something that he shares with you and only you. Gojo’s tried inviting himself on more than one occasion, to which Nanami quickly shuts down. ↳ “I’m not being callous, [Name]. I’m acknowledging what's fact: there was never a chance he would come with us. this is our time together.”

but not all of your time has to be spent actively. Nanami just enjoys being in your company. you could be in the same room, doing your own thing, and he would be perfectly content with that. ↳ “you’re one of the few people I don’t get exhausted of. everything we do together is time well-spent... I, ah- hope you feel the same.”

itadori yuji.

Itadori says “I love you” by including you in everything he does.

he moves fast and he moves without thinking. outside of his promise to his grandfather, Itadori is someone who runs by his own code. he hates being bound in; after all, rules were meant to be broken. it doesn’t help that his life only lasts as long as the search for Sukuna’s 20 fingers.

hence, he likes following whatever catches his attention first. typically it’s some new movie out in theaters, where he can sit down and enjoy for two hours, only to read more about it on IMDB. he hyperfixates from one thing to another, his interests ever-changing.

he normally does this by himself. it’s easier this way; he can focus on his interests at his own pace. that is, until he starts dating you.

Itadori includes you in everything. it doesn’t matter if it’s his two-week obsession for convenience store sushi or the Marvel cinematic universe. he wants you to be there for it all. ↳ “did you know Chris Evans had to wear a fake chin for the end-credits scene in the first Avengers? ...hey, do you think I’d look good with a fake chin?”

he can go on and on and on about his interests. and you don’t mind — he knows you don’t. that’s why he shares them so willingly. you don’t judge him or tell him to shut up. you absorb everything he has to say, smile on your lips, with questions at the ready.

you’re his better half, the person who’s there to weigh in on every bad idea he’s had. which, unfortunately, varies in intensity. “bad idea” can mean his getting a mullet or facing off against a grade 1 cursed spirit without help. ↳ “I never really felt like I had control of anything. but when I’m with you, things feel... easier. does that make sense?”

fushiguro megumi.

Fushiguro says “I love you” by accepting your clinginess.

he’s so hard to read. for the longest time, you assumed that Fushiguro only saved Itadori to avoid complicating paperwork, not out of the goodness of his heart. likewise, you took him for an avid cook after he made you meatballs. you didn’t learn the truth until Panda explained it was actually Itadori’s recipe; that this was Fushiguro's dumb attempt to impress you.

that’s why you’re so cautious at the beginning of your relationship. you don’t want to step on his toes. the last thing you’d want to be is a burden. so you keep your issues and your hands to yourself. ↳ “[Name]. knock it off. I know you’re holding yourself back when you’re with me. just... act like yourself, okay?”

he tells you that two weeks into your relationship. caught red-handed, it seems. it’s almost unfair how well he can read you, and you... just can’t do the same.

but you relent. you start by venting to him about the minutiae in your day-to-day life. and surprisingly, he’s not terrible at comforting you. he listens and offers simple advice. when that doesn’t cut it, you find your favorite dessert on your desk later in the day.

you try testing how far you can go by holding his hand in public. Fushiguro hates it when people touch him without his permission. you’re scared to see how he’ll react and... he glances at you for a moment, shoulders stiff, before turning back ahead of him. his cheeks are pink but he doesn’t stop you.

in fact, he doesn’t stop you from doing anything. he honestly does want you to rely on him. because between you and me, he’s awful at expressing the more vulnerable parts of himself. doing these little things for you is the best way he can show that he cares. ↳ “what? of course you can stay for another hour. err— actually, do you want to just spend the night? no reason, it’s late and... I don’t want you walking back at this hour.”

like this piece? here are some similar works! 🌑 🌒 🌓

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #gojo satoru #nanami kento #fushiguro megumi #itadori yuji #headcanons #toya whisks u away #long post #I had a hard time w the dialogue in this one....#lemme know if it sounds kinda redundant #I kept reading it over and over again that it all sounds the same now hhh

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59writes · 3 years

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SEVENTEEN- SCENARIO: HAVING AN ALT PARTNER (PERFORMANCE UNIT)

VOCAL • HIP HOP • PERFORMANCE

Last but most definitely not least, the boys with the moves 🙌🙌

again! don’t be shy, feel free to reach out or request!! I’d love to have some anon buddies lol. I promise I’m nice haha!!

also hi Jun’s is about kandi I had to self indulge a little lol (which is why it’s so long omg) I make kandi and it’s literally the best pastime and the culture around it is super cool too so I had to add it in haha!!

🌈🌈🌈!!!PLUR!!! 🌈🌈🌈

tw: food maybe (?)

JUN

• you guys met on complete accident

• he was walking to the company, you on your way home

• and he bumps into you and one of your bracelets hooks onto his bag and it snaps

• you’re both shocked by the sound, watching the beads bounce into the street while people shoved past you both, glaring at you both for blocking the way

• and even though Junhui is late he stoops down to pick up the beads

• you stop him quickly

• “don’t worry, I have more beads at home”

• and he’s like “wait woah you made this” because it’s intricate and pretty and a little pixel art cat that he accidentally ruined ):

• but he feels so bad, and wants to pay you back somehow cuz the bracelets are so cute and he broke one!!! he cannot get over it!!!

• even when you assure him it’s fine he looks so concerned you have to give in

• so you give him your number, telling him to text you when he can and you can work something out

• and at the company he considers it all day

• he, an idol, just got a number from someone on the street. all because he messed up and then insisted to be in your life

• was this a good idea?

• Seungcheol hears about it eventually, and says to give it a chance

• “your friends are in another country, Jun. make some here too. plus you’re stressed, and it’s probably best to get any weight off your shoulders you can.”

• and so he texts you

• and plan to go to a cat cafe (his treat) on his next day off

• when he walks into the cafe you greet him with a beaming smile

• “I have a gift for you.” You grin, pulling something out of your bag

• and like, Jun almost disagrees, like “no I’m supposed to be apologizing to you” but then be sees what you’re offering

• a little cat bracelet just like the one he broke the other day

• he reaches out for it but you shake your head

• “there’s a special way to do it, here.”

• you give him a rundown on the style of bracelet, called kandi

• and you explain they’re meant to be traded

• “and there’s a secret handshake to trade with, ok? just do what I do.”

• peace, love, unity…

• and he’s suddenly holding your hand

• you slip the bracelet onto his wrist before letting go, grinning as he examines his new accessory

• “I’m y/n, by the way.”

• “Junhui.”

• you chat and play with the cats that come to visit your table

• you take off one of your kandi rings at one point and gently loop it around one of the kittens’ paws

• Jun hasn’t had this much fun in a while, much less been in such a positive environment

• as you were bright and cheery as you made kissy noises at the cats to offer them snacks

• always had something new to say or observe

• and when it was time to leave he really didn’t want to go

• you don’t either, but you have an appointment you can’t miss

• so you promise to do it again soon, giving Jun a quick hug and a wave before dashing off

• Jun can’t keep his eyes off the bracelet as he goes back to the company, running his fingers along the peyote weave

• he spends the rest of the night reading about kandi and kandi kid culture

• and everyone involved is so happy, and their bracelets?? like holy shit.

• he thought yours was good but some of these people had massive and intricate kandi

• the next time you meet, he asks if you can teach him how to make kandi

• and your face lights up!!

• the next few meetups he learns, little by little

• passing the bracelet to you if he can’t get part of it right

• and he just keeps getting surprised by your patience when you have to undo rows, your bubbly spirit calming a bit as you focus on a pattern

• and one day you invite him to a rave

• and yo he’s so nervous ??? but he wants to go so bad ???

• you promise him you guys can leave it early, because eventually you get overwhelmed too

• so he agrees

• you meet at your apartment, Jun shy as you flit around and drape him with more kandi

• you ask him to sit still as you paint a tiny design on his face in UV paint, hand resting on his jaw to keep him still

• and when you gleefully spin him around to look at himself in the mirror he’s just. wow.

• a line of heart stickers on his cheek, a necklace made from kid toys draped around his neck, and of course, endless bracelets

• this was so cool.

• the rave was even better.

• Jun got used to the flashing lights and eccentric music very quickly, mostly following behind as you greeted people and traded bracelets

• and then you turn and pull him out to the dance floor

• and that shit is like a fever dream.

• adrenaline, glitter, and neon lights fill your veins as you both dance for hours

• eventually too tired to keep up, you fall into Jun’s arms, laughing

• and he’s grinning too (:

• you leave shortly after that, walking home in the dark

• you stop to sit at a park bench, and Jun says he has a surprise

• he holds out his hand

• peace, love, unity, respect

• and slips a bracelet onto your arm

• he did it completely himself, as you’d never seen the design before

• it’s of a cat with a rainbow tail, along with his name spelled out in pixels

• and you look up at Jun, whose eyes are filled with anticipation

• and you give him a huge hug

• and he thanks you for showing him this diverse underground world full of color in the night; a way to break out of his shell a little

• and damn I guess you can’t help but hold back an “I love you”

• and he feels the glitter surge back into his veins

• and the feeling never leaves again (:

HOSHI

• Soonyoung always thought photographers were more likely to stay out of the lens’ view, but you proved him wrong

• when you introduced yourself as his photographer for the magazine shoot you were working on, he couldn’t help but feel like you should be in front of the camera, not him

• like holy shit. the beads and chains that engulfed your arm and shimmered in the dim lights. the clips nestled in your hair that were shaped like cartoon spiders. the patches for bands he’d never heard of on every square inch of your camera bag.

• he’s polite and energetic the whole shoot, and to be honest maybe you take a little longer than usual to line up closeups of his face

• after all he deserves the best photos (:

• once you’re finished you agree to meet again at Pledis the next day, just to review the photos

• and Soonyoung spends the whole night hyping himself up lol

• you look just as cool as the day before, if not better, and he manages to compliment you without a problem (practice pays off!!)

• he wants to see more of your photos, and you offer him a ticket to a portfolio viewing you’re having

• he shows up without telling you, taking his time to walk through the gallery and examine each photo

• and they’re so dynamic, perfectly balanced, mysterious. he can’t help but get lost in each one, not even noticing you staring at him

• you, heart warm from his wonder and genuine interest

• he was soon a common subject and reviewer of your photography

• and you were soon a common staple of his, Soonyoung trying to be with you at every opportunity

• he invites you over for movie nights with the other guys

• if you show up in your usual outfits he whines about how you’re all pokey and he can’t lay on your arm without getting stabbed ):<

• luckily you own soft sweatshirts that still look super cool so it’s a win/win

• he’s so adoring of everything you do omg

• every interest of yours is now his interest too

• and he’ll always be by your side, curious and wide-eyed, always ready for the next adventure with you

• whether it be through clothes, or photos, or even just the park

• you’re what makes it special (:

MINGHAO

• dude. he’d lose his shit in the best way possible.

• have you seen this man??? his sense of style??? he’d be drooling in seconds lol

• you’d catch him watching you as you intern at Pledis, sketching up scenes in the corner

• finishing your degree required film to turn in, and you managed to snag an internship with the production crew for Seventeen

• a successful music video for a major group would definitely save your grade lol

• every dance practice, you’d be in the corner, wedged against the mirrors, huddled over your sketchbook as you designed

• and of course you watched them dance, you had to encapsulate the emotion somehow

• during a water break, one of the members plops down next to you and introduces himself as Minghao

• his hair is damp with sweat, sleeveless shirt clinging to his chest

• and he asks to see your ideas

• the concept is focused on the ideas of identity, and your current plan was sketches of each member as the background

• you could animate them slowly turning into each member, and you explain the idea to Minghao as he very gently flips through the pages, fingers hardly touching the pages

• he lingers on his own page

• “you didn’t sketch anyone else’s face this detailed.”

• “you’re pretty.” You say simply, reaching for the book back

• he grins at his lap.

• he sits next to you every day now, always eager to see your designs

• but more often he wants to see your other works

• and when you tell him you and your friends made most of your clothes he’s dumbstruck

• “can you make some for me?”

• you laugh and he apologizes for being so straightforward

• but the next day you bring in a trench coat you’ve been illustrating

• cutting diamonds into the sleeves and lining them with neon thread

• the half-finished painting on the back your friend started working on

• and as you proudly explain the coat’s background Minghao can’t help but want to join in too

• the way your face lights up when you speak about it, how gently you fold the fabric, how you adjust the collar on him so it looks just right

• eventually you begin to hang out outside of the company

• and you take him to craft stores when you need supplies or new clothes to ruin

• and he has such a good eye oh my god

• and his long fingers pick up sewing so easily

• and many hours are spent on your apartment floor quietly snipping, painting, lacing

• minghao wears his clothes with pride, especially the ones you make for him

• you go out one day, both of you completely dressed in your own designs

• and Minghao has never felt this beautiful before

• and when he sees your outfit he can’t help but wrap you in a huge hug

• he’s proud: of himself, of you, of the creativity and passion and hours put into these clothes

• and he admits he’d like to keep that feeling around a lot more

• and so your time in the city becomes a date

• and behind the music video sets becomes a spot to hide and snuggle

• you still sketch him sometimes

• when he doesn’t notice

• when he’s too focused on choreo, or reading a book, or laughing at the other boys goofing around

• because you’re proud of him, too

• and when he sheepishly admits he’s been doing the same, pushing over his own sketchbooks filled with endless drawings, improving page by page

• you know he’s your other half.

DINO

• Dude he’d be so flustered

• he straight up would just. not know what to say and would probably be defensive whenever you talk to him so he might come off as rude ):

• it would take time for him to warm up to you

• but when he does it’s clear he can’t get you out of his head

• as a choreographer, you had to spend a lot of time with the performance line

• and in this case, specifically Chan, as he has a solo

• and just seeing you look so damn rad even when you’re slowly walking him through potential choreo,,,, homeboy is gonna break down and try and defend himself

• the first few days are awkward because he’s drawn back and a little hostile

• but you force him to get lunch with you after a particularly rough morning, just to try to have a better relationship

• you guys didn’t finish the choreo that afternoon, choosing to sit on the studio floor and talk

• the next day he’s still quiet, but shyly rather than defensively

• and he can’t seem to get his arms right, and you have to go over there and straighten his arms for him, rings digging into his biceps

• and even though he tries to hide his grin you know it’s what he wanted

• eventually your job is done and you’re ready to head to the next performer, or go plan choreo for another group

• and Chan shuffles up and even though his cheeks are red he manages to ask you out

• and how could you say no?

#svt #svt fic #svt scenarios #svt reactions #performance unit #jun #Junhui #hoshi #soonyoung #minghao #myungho #dino #lee Chan #svt x reader #x reader #kpop x reader #alt reader

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troped-fanfic-challenge · 3 years

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TROPED: JATP MASTER LIST

And for our encore, the Master List of all 53 (fifty-three!?) fanfics written for our FIRST Julie and the Phantoms TROPED event!! It was such a treat for us to see how a new fandom took on our prompts! We, here at TROPED, love it when our authors push the limits of what a trope can be, and this fandom kept us on our toes, and we loved every word! We hope you enjoy these trope bending, phantastic fics as much as we did!

New rockstar writers joined us for the first time for this event, which is the coolest thing for us! We love getting to see how different fandoms interpret our prompts and how you see these stories through the lens of different characters. We learned a lot about how to run an event this round, with new voices helping us to make TROPED better, which was so exciting. We came out of this event with new ideas, and we’re pumped for what’s next! We hope you’ll join us again soon ;)!

*Some summaries have been edited for length. Tumblr has a max post length. Who knew!

ROUND 1: ANGST FICS

The Tropes:

Character discovers they’re not human

Coffee Shop AU

Poorly Timed Confession

Character A catches Character B crying

————

the sky was gray and white and (cloudy) (Rated T) [Alex x Willie] by @screamin-amuseum

Summary: “I’ve got you,” Willie’s whispering over and over, panic creeping into his voice. “Alex, I’ve got you, okay? Come on, baby, come on, it’s okay, I’ve got you, you’re gonna be okay, I love you–”

Alex spits out what feels like a clot of blood and gives Willie a tired grin, probably looking completely insane.

“That’s pretty gay of you,” he says, just as his vision clouds over and he passes out.

Honey, You’re Familiar (Like My Mirror Years Ago) (Rated T) [Julie x Luke] by nik_knows_nothing

Summary: Luke works at a coffee shop, which is normal, quietly pines after his coworker, which is normal, and also occasionally steals people’s faces without really meaning to.

It’s probably that last part that moves him pretty solidly out of the “normal” territory.

But that’s fine, that’s totally cool.

He’s handling it super well.

You Can’t Value People Less Than a Good, Hot Cup of Bean Juice (It Just Seems Rude) (Rated T) [Julie x Luke] by nik_knows_nothing

Summary: Julie gets a job at a coffee stand in the middle of nowhere.

It’ll help to pass the time, if nothing else.

And if there’s a cute guy who works the shift after her and sometimes leaves her ridiculously endearing messages on an ancient tape recorder?

Well, that’s just a bonus.

honest to god I’ll break your heart, tear you to pieces and rip you apart (Rated T) [Julie x Luke] by @tonightthestarsalign

Summary: the siren!Julie AU no one asked for

new instincts (Rated T) [Luke x Reggie] by @comeonpeters

Summary: Reggie is fine with being the only human member of his band, Julie and the Phantoms (tell your friends!), just like he’s fine with being the only single member. It doesn’t make him feel lonely, and he’s only picking up more shifts at the coffee shop because he needs more money, not because he’s avoiding being alone. And picking up more shifts at the coffee shop is making the work easier! He’s only a little confused by the fact that he can now touch the espresso machine mid shift without burning himself… must be all of the experience.

you look like you’ve just seen a monster (is that what i look like to you?) (Rated T) [Bobby x Alex x Luke x Reggie] by @aroacethetic-shitpost

Summary: it’s angsty tiefling bobby time, folks!

We Are Monsters, We Are Proud (Rated G) [Flynn x Carrie, Julie x Luke] by @americanhoney913

Summary: Carrie finds herself at a college like no other in search of her dad and some answers. Julie’s not feeling good and maybe staring at roses wasn’t the best idea.

Monster College/Coffeeshop AU

sending forth their beautiful voice, and my heart was fain to listen (Rated G) [Julie x Carrie] by @madeline-kahn

Summary: Months after the death of her mom, Julie prepares to sing again and makes an upsetting discovery.

rise from the ashes (Rated M) [Alex x Willie] by @willexxmercer

Summary: At a time when everything was going wrong for Alex, the one bright spot in his life was the charming barista at the coffee shop he frequented. At least, it was the bright spot until everything went up in flames. All he could do was hope that they could rise from the ashes and figure things out together.

Siren’s Song (Rated T) [Ray x Rose] by hufflebibin

Summary: The Scopuli was never meant to be a permanent arrangement. Rose had taken the job straight out of school just looking to make a little extra money before the tour kicked off.

That was four years ago.

After a string of bad luck befalls Rose and the Petal Pushers, she can’t help but wonder if she is the problem. Or is there something more sinister at play?

Yellow (Rated T) [Julie & Reggie] by @tmp-jatp

Summary: Reggie just wanted to get some new guitar strings. A shapeshifter!Reggie au

Angels Like You (Rated T) [Luke x Reggie] by @sunsetcurveofficial

Summary: Reggie is having a bit of a weird day. It gets worse when he figures out that it’s because he died in his sleep and has somehow been walking around as a ghost without realising it. Meeting Luke helps. Luke says he’s a fellow ghost, and there is something about him that Reggie just feels drawn to. Falling for him is the easiest thing Reggie has ever done, but Luke is a little more than he lets on, and it turns out that their story actually started long before Reggie thought it did.

look into my eyes (it’s where my demons hide) (Rated T) [Flynn x Carrie] by @fanfics-she-wrote

Summary: Hiding out from demons was never a desirable nightmare. Of course, Carrie would much prefer a run-for-my-life nightmare than actually running for her life. Having Flynn around is a very welcome soothing balm, though.

Bring All The Monsters Out To Play, Let All The Red Erase The Grey (Rated T) [Bobby & Reggie] by @kennysbirthday

Summary: Mythologicals, Reggie realised, were kind of like queer people. Sometimes your Token Human friend turns around one day and admits that actually, there was something they were suppressing all along, and they hadn’t realised.

–

Reggie’s final exam has been pushed forward at the most inconvenient time. Bobby is sick, Alex is missing, and now he needs to help a selkie get their ‘Happily-Ever-After’ in order to scrape a passing grade. Oh, and if his boss catches him handing out more free coffee, he’s gonna get fired.

————

ROUND 2: FLUFF FICS

The Tropes:

Exes

Time Loop AU

Camp Counselors

Prank Wars

————

Okay, Campers, Rise and Shine! (Rated T) [Julie x Luke] by nik_knows_nothing

Summary: The Groundhog Day meets Gravity Falls meets Summer Camp meets The Author’s Own Distaste For Prank Wars AU that no one asked for. Ever. At all.

Starting To Forget (Just What Summer Ever Meant To You) (Not Rated) [Flynn x Carrie] by bi_magic

Summary: Last summer didn’t end on a positive note for Carrie Wilson - she and her girlfriend broke up on the last night of camp, and she’s been miserable since. But it seems that the universe is intent on having her fix that this summer. Even if that means she has to live through the same day over and over and over again until she does.

Creative B.S. Was No More, Was No Less (Look Around, You’re Gonna Miss What You Found) (Rated T) [Alex x Luke, Flynn x Reggie] by @americanhoney913

Summary: Alex and Luke go undercover on a mission to a summer camp in order to find a talisman that could endanger the camp and all the kids. While there, they bond with the kids and make peace with the fact that they broke up.

While Alex and Luke are away, Flynn accidentally fucks with time.

bitch but like romantically (Rated T) [Flynn x Carrie] by @screamin-amuseum

Summary: or: flynn gets stuck in a time loop. {for troped jatp round 2}

down by the bay (Rated T) [Alex x Willie] by @sunsetcurbed

Summary: Over time, Camp Phantom has simply become known as a selective summer camp: one that took only the kids that Caleb saw promise in. And Caleb wasn’t exactly lying. He really did take only the ones he saw promise in, he simply looked for different traits than others might.

For example, say, hypothetically, a boy who could see the future. Or, hypothetically, a girl who could interact with ghosts. Or, hypothetically, a boy who could summon objects to him with a simple thought. Or, and this is completely hypothetical mind you, a boy who could manipulate time.

Those might be some traits that Caleb saw promise in. Just, like, as examples.

Time will tell (But only if you do it right) (Rated T) [Flynn x Carrie] by @malecacidd

Summary: Carrie had been acting a little off for a week or so, but Flynn was pretty much known for seeing something in nothing, and that was probably what they were doing then. If something was going on, Carrie would tell her eventually.

Who knew all it took was a little bit of miscommunication to mess up time itself?

and so it begins (Rated T) [Bobby x Reggie] by @comeonpeters

Summary: It’s the first day of their second week at Camp Carolling (they’re spending an entire month, and they’re getting paid to be there!) when Reggie gets a little lost in the woods. During this misadventure into the woods, he finds an egg shaped rock, an inhabited cabin that may or may not be riddled with signs, and something that might be magic. He probably doesn’t get paid enough to discover magic.

or, when they were thirteen years old, four boys met at camp carolling and eventually became a band that almost became something legendary. now, all four boys are coming back as counselors, three boys in one band and one boy in his own solo act.

so begins the reunion, though it doesn’t go how any of them imagine.

Porcupine Day (Rated T) [Bobby x Ray x Rose] by @wr0temyway0ut

Summary: It’s been fifteen years since Trevor broke up with Ray and Rose and they’re… not fine, but managing. But when Trevor to adds insult to injury and buys the camp across the lake from the one they once owned together, the two camps become locked in a bitter rivalry. With neither side willing to set aside their pride and work out their issues, the universe decides to settle their fates itself.

Day After Day (After Day After Day) (Rated T) [Alex x Willie] by hufflebibin

Summary: When Alex met Willie just after their senior year of high school, they spent a wonderful three months dating before their relationship ended in a blaze of glory. Now, four years later, they meet again as counselors at a summer camp. The only problem? Alex keeps reliving their first day together. The day that Luke had declared “Prank Day.”

This is not how Alex pictured his summer going.

clocks move faster (it’s all we’re after) (Rated G) [Julie x Luke] by @willexxmercer

Summary: Julie likes it when her friends are happy, so when she realizes she’s stuck in a time loop, she uses her knowledge to make sure everything works out for everyone… except she conveniently forgets to factor herself (and Luke) into the mix.

Touch of Magic (Not Rated) [Alex x Luke] by @williexmercer

Summary: When everything stands in Luke and Alex’s way of getting to be with the people they love, they have to repeat the day over and over until they can get the happily ever after that they want.

the play’s the thing (that goes wrong) (Rated T) [Alex x Willie] by @madeline-kahn

Summary: Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace from day to day for Macbeth, but not so for Alex and the production of Hamlet that he is directing and starring in. And while he’s stuck repeating the day of the performance over and over, mishaps of all kinds befall the cast.

anything, anything (for another run with you) (Rated T) [Alex x Willie] by @aroacethetic-shitpost

Summary: the camp counselor/exes/prank war/time loop fic of your dreams (unless you read all of the other troped round 2 fics lmao)

there’s a glorious sunrise, dappled with the flickers of light (Rated T) [Julie x Luke] by @tonightthestarsalign

Summary: ex-best friends Luke and Julie, working as camp counselors at rivaling camps, find themselves stuck in a time loop

the daughter of apollo (Rated T) [Julie x Luke] by @the-most-beautiful-broom

Summary: the JATP x Camp Half Blood AU that nobody asked for

maybe the world isn’t ending (maybe it’s been postponed) (Rated G) [Julie x Luke] by @tmp-jatp

Summary: It’s the last day of camp and Julie has one more prank planned for Luke. He just doesn’t know what it is.

Here We Go Again (Rated T) [Julie x Luke] by @kybee1497

Summary: Julie blinked as she stared at the place Euterpe had disappeared. What did that even mean? What journey? Old places and lost faces? What was she talking about? But before she could dwell on the questions swirling around in her mind, the sky full of stars began to move, shifting in place and descending until they were all around her. Julie felt her feet leave the ground as she rose up and up. One star in particular was burning brighter than the others, growing bigger in front of her.

It grew and grew, until the light was blinding and Julie had to throw a hand up against the harsh light. She closed her eyes as the light surrounded her and then she was falling. Falling down, down, down.

————

ROUND 3: CANONVERSE FICS

The Tropes:

Secret Places

Neighbors

First Kiss

Time Jump

————

Just say you won’t let go (Rated G) [Julie/Luke] by @fanfics-she-wrote

Summary: Hey, Julie

You're the heart and soul 'round here, it's plain to see

in which Julie has a second chance with her boys, and then a third

we will fight to shine together (bright forever) (Rated G) [Bright Lighting Guy/Rob from the Orpheum] by @screamin-amuseum

Summary: the rob/bright lighting guy fic literally nobody asked for but i wrote anyways. enjoy gays, bring ur tissues

what happened when (Rated G) [Alex/Luke] by @janaikam

Summary: Before Julie and the Phantoms, before the guys became ghosts, before Sunset Curve – they were Luke and Alex. Not 5 feet apart cause they’re totally gay.

who cares if one more light goes out? (in a sky of a million stars) (Rated T) [Ray/Rose] by @tonightthestarsalign

Summary: The first and the last time Ray ever kissed Rose.

we can forget the world (just you and me) (Rated T) [Alex/Willie] by @sunsetcurbed

Summary: “This was the first place I ever came out to someone,” Alex says, spinning around and taking in the tree house.

together we can take on the world (Rated G) [Alex/Reggie] by @comeonpeters

Summary: Alex Mercer meets Reggie Peters on October 8, 1983, which means that two days have passed since Reggie’s sixth birthday, because Reggie is a Libra according to the magazines that his mom reads when she gets Reggie to paint her toenails. He’s also just moved to Los Angeles, California from his hometown of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, a small town in the mountains, and he’s told Alex Mercer about all of this in the three minutes that they’ve known each other, and he might be the loudest, most obnoxious boy that Alex has ever met, and he absolutely has to be Alex’s new best friend.

The Peters family moves in down the street from the Mercers in 1983, and so begins the rest of their lives.

Long Live (Can I start another life with you?) (Rated T) [Julie/Luke] by @smolfangirl

Summary: It’s all too much for one day: first a muffin, then more heartbeats. Julie just needs some time to think. If Luke runs after her to sit by her side so she doesn’t lose it, she won’t complain.

Except afterwards, he starts acting weird. Very weird. And months later, she’s tired of letting him keep his distance.

She can’t do this. Not right now. Not today.

She jumps back on her feet.

The excited grin falls from Luke’s face. She doesn’t try to catch it.

“I – I think this is too much. I need some time. Alone. Sorry.”

Then she runs. She runs past the calloused fingers reaching out to her. Past Reggie and the door, past carved pumpkins on porches and Cornelia Street.

She just runs.

Roses (Rated G) [Emily & Luke, Alex/Luke] by @americanhoney913

Summary: It becomes a sacred place she shares with her son. Mitch is usually off at work from dawn until six o’clock, but Emily’s working from home for now. She works as a florist’s shop right outside the neighborhood. So she brings home seeds and little flowers and other cuts from the store; she and Luke will spend hours out in the dirt, planting seeds and making mud pies and Luke will babble about whatever happened in daycare and make up stories about the different flowers.

Somewhere Only We Know (Rated T) [Nick/Carrie] by hufflebibin

Summary: A journey through Nick Danforth-Evan’s life as experienced in the safety of his backyard hide away.

The Itty Bitty Details (Rated T) [Alex/Willie] by @williexmercer & @futurearchaeologyprof

Summary: 5 times Willie knew Alex and one where Alex knew Willie

you’re the only one who makes me (my wildflower) (Rated T) [Bobby/Reggie] by @willexxmercer

Summary: The tree was Reggie’s safe space, and Bobby was his safe person. He could escape all his troubles there, except for one nagging thought - did he have feelings for his best friend?

Dying complicated things.

because i’ve known you so long, i know every cadence and what they mean (Rated G) [Alex & Julie, Julie/Luke] by @tmp-jatp

Summary: the Juke 5+1 fic from Alex’s POV.

Someday (I’ll See You Again) (Rated T) [Alex/Willie] by @kybee1497

Summary: They’re wrong. Alex, you are not a failure. You’re incredible. You’re smart. You’re funny, and the best friend I could ask for. You’re a wicked talented drummer and you have a beautiful voice. And more important than all of that, is that you’re you, Alex. And the you you are is wonderful, and lovable and perfect. If your parents can’t see that, that’s their own fault. But I swear, Alex. If you’re afraid of them, I need you to tell me. You have to be safe.” Willie’s voice had gone desperate by the end. Alex deserved to know how freaking amazing he was and the fact that his parents didn’t bother to tell him, and actively worked to tear him down instead, was infuriating.

But Willie also worried about him. He’d worried about Alex since the first time he heard Mr. Mercer shouting through the window, a worry that never really went away. Not with the way Alex automatically straightened up when his parents were mentioned, as if he could hear his dad lecturing him about appearances from miles away. Not with the way Alex looked when he was with them, perfectly pieced together and falling apart at the seams, eyes distant and shoulders tense. Willie was pretty sure he had worrying about Alex etched in his bones by this point.

The Energy Never Dies (Rated T) [Gen Fic] by @americanhoney913

Summary: Four moments across time in the loft of the Molina’s garage.

————

ROUND 4: FINAL!

Theme: Author’s Choice

Tropes:

Royalty AU

Soulmate AU

“Long Story Short…”

Author’s Choice

———

Look, Steal From the Rich. Do It. (Rated T) [Julie/Luke] by nik_knows_nothing

Summary: A Julie and the Phantoms Star Wars AU that kind of looks into the ramifications of soul marks in a turbulent society, but mostly just focuses on the gang infiltrating a fancy Core World party.

take my heart (and take my hand) (Rated T) [Alex/Willie] by @sunsetcurbed

Summary: The stranger smiles. “I’m Willie,” he greets.

“Alex,” Alex nods back.

“Sir,” Willie says pointedly, and smirks up at him as he bows exaggeratedly.

“The word sir is coming out of your mouth directed at me, but I don’t feel like you just addressed me as a sir at all. And please, call me Alex.”

“My apologies,” Willie hums, straightening back up. And then, pointedly, he lowers himself back into the same bow and makes deliberate eye contact with Alex. “Sir.”

Alex blinks. “You’re not going to call me Alex, are you?”

“Absolutely not, Sir.”

the princess and the lord (Rated T) [Julie/Luke] by @the-most-beautiful-broom

Summary: a JATP x Princess Diaries 2 AU

Diamond in the Rough (Rated G) [Julie/Luke] by @tmp-jatp

Summary: The JATP Aladdin AU

Okay, So You’re Interrupting the Political Guy Again, So Think About That (Rated T) [Julie/Luke] by nik_knows_nothing

Summary: Julie and the Phantoms meets The Goblin Emperor meets a soulmate AU meets the author’s stunning lack of what I assume is basic knowledge on how monarchies work.

i had the time of my life, fighting dragons with you (Rated T) [Julie/Luke] by @tonightthestarsalign

Summary: luke gets hired by some noble to bring back the princess that was kidnapped by a dragon

born to be yours (Rated G) [Alex/Willie] by @willexxmercer

Summary: “Hello. It feels strange, resorting to notes like this, but I couldn’t think of any other way. I know you’re here, somewhere. At the ball. I’ve tried to find you for the past few nights. My parents always told me never to believe in looped days and soulmates, but I think this just proves that they were wrong.

My name is Willie. I don’t know how to find you, but sometimes I feel like I’m drawn to you. Like I can just sense you nearby. I don’t know if you’ll find this, but if you do, I’ll try to wait for you on the balcony.

Until we meet.”

our best days are yet unknown (Rated T) [Alex/Reggie/Willie] by @aroacethetic-shitpost

Summary: When Prince Alexander of Sacuria meets his fiance, Prince William of Coterra, he’s astonished to discover that he recognizes his daemon. He recognizes it as one of the other shapes that his own daemon is able to take… as his soulmate. The only problem? Alex already has a soulmate: Reggie Peters, his childhood best friend. What should he do about finally meeting his second soulmate?

Panic and run away? Yeah, sure.

Little does he know he’s about to have a bigger problem than that…

————

Please take the time to read of all these incredible fics! Leave the authors some kudos/comments! They worked so hard this whole event. Thanks so much!

Just as a reminder, our non-anon collection is always open and we are always so excited to receive any submissions! The TROPED: JATP official collection has been CLOSED but if any of our prompts inspire you, please share your fics with us in our non-anon collection! Simple put ‘TROPED_Non_Anonymous’ where it asks for the collection name, and be sure to put what round you are writing for in your notes so we can be sure to tag it appropriately when we share! Also, just as a note, fics submitted to the non-anon collection do not have to follow the word limit and do not require the same strict adherence to the tropes, though we do ask that you comply with our other rules regarding no rape, incest, negativity, and things like that! Happy writing!

TROPED JATP AO3 Collection: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/TROPED_JATP_1

TROPED Non-Anon AO3 Collection: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/TROPED_Non_Anonymous

#troped: jatp #jatp fanfiction #troped: masterlist #julie and the phantoms #long post

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rjhpandapaws · 3 years

Text

Will Never be Boring

Ch 3: A Weekend in Blue

Once they made middle school being a grade above everyone wasn’t s bad. They had a little more control over their classes and the electives were all mixed grades so he still had a chance to be with his friends. Understandably they all tried to match up. He wound up with a lot more creative type classes than he originally planned for. Connor wasn’t particularly creative. He preferred numbers and provable things, but getting to spend a little of his time with Markus everyday more than made up for it. Over the years Markus had added painting to his talents, and Connor was always blown away by the sheer amount of feeling in them. He always seemed delighted when he got to see Connor’s child like messy drawings in turn. Personally, he despised them. Middle school brought more work with it so it became more difficult to hang out as an entire group. They began to section off a little and it left Connor feeling strangely. He had always thought the group of them would stay close. It wasn’t like there was fighting or anything, they were just drifting. His dad said these kinds of things happened sometimes, and that they would come back together eventually.

Markus made a few of his own friends, but in all of that he tried not to leave Connor behind. He knew Markus’s birthday was coming up and Connor was trying to figure out what to do for it. He wasn’t very creative so a homemade card or poem was immediately out of the question. That left using his saved up allowance to buys something, or giving up. He did his best to come away with something that wasn’t overly predictable, and failed horribly. He eventually decided on a book of advanced painting techniques and a new paint set to go with it. Better than the sketchbook he’d originally been debating, but not great. In the end it didn’t really seem to matter much because he wasn’t invited to the birthday party. The only people that got to go were the friends from his various art classes, which Connor found strange. Connor tried to be reasonable about it. He wasn’t very comfortable around Markus’s new friends. Maybe he had been trying to respect that. It didn’t lessen the sting, but this made it easier not to be upset. He was sure Markus had a reason. In the years they had been friends he had never been to Markus’s house. The most of he knew of it was that he lived up on the hill where all of the nice houses were with his brother and his grandpa; though Connor had never met either of them.

It was about a week after the party, and after the gifts had made their home at the top of Connor’s closet, that Markus approached him about it. He looked just as uncomfortable as Connor felt. They hadn’t really talked since Connor’s birthday, and he had been trying his best to make peace with the fact that Markus was drifting away from him. Just like everyone else. “Hey Connor?” He asked once they were settled in their art class, “Can. uh, can we talk please?” He looked down and tapped his fingers against the table to try and get rid of some of his nervous energy, “Are you sure you want to talk to me? Why not talk to your other friends?” Markus was quiet for a long moment and Connor realized that he might have been a little harsh. “Because,” He said eventually, “They aren’t the ones I hurt without meaning to. I’d like a chance to explain myself if you’ll let me.” It was is turn to be quiet this time. In part because their teacher was talking and he didn’t want to draw attention to himself; and because he wasn’t sure he was ready to learn that Markus had outgrown him too. “Okay.” He said quietly, “If you want to.”

“Will you listen, or are you still upset?” He asked and waited for Connor’s tentative nod before he continued, “I know I probably should have said this before the party and I’m sorry for that; but I didn’t invite you because I knew you would be uncomfortable. As much as I wanted you there, I couldn’t invite you knowing you would be miserable if I did.” He explained, “My plan had been to have that party last weekend, and one for just the two of us this weekend. Um, if you, well if you still want to anyway.” Connor could have cried, but he wasn’t about to have a breakdown in class, “Of course I still want to.” Then, after he had collected himself a little more, “I’m sorry for being rude.” “It’s fine. I’m just glad you aren’t upset with me anymore.” He smiled. Just like that, things were back to normal. Markus had his other friends, but he also didn’t seem to have plans to leave Connor behind. The weight of wondering where he had gone wrong that had been threatening to bury him was finally off his shoulders. He could breathe again. When he got home the first thing he did was try to wrap the presents he had bought Markus. Just this once, his homework could wait.

A single interaction with one of Markus’s art friends was all the proof Connor needed. While Echo was very kind, she was also very touchy and Connor was immediately uncomfortable. She stopped when he asked her to, but he still chose to excuse himself from the interaction. He was glad now, that Markus had thought to keep him away from this. As he headed to the library he heard one last thing. “I don’t think your seventh-grader friend likes me much.” Echo told Markus, “Did I do something wrong?” “No.” Markus said kindly, “It just takes him a while to warm up to people.” He supposed that was true enough. He was just wary. Kids his age were loud for whatever reason and it got to be too much a lot of the time. It was just easier to keep his distance and wait for someone to come to him. He still felt a little guilty though, Echo had only been trying to be nice. Maybe on a day when he had more spoons he could try again, and just try and stay out of arm’s reach or something. He hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings and he wanted to fix it.

Friday he came to school with an extra bag. Inside were the things he needed for the weekend and the presents he had gotten for Markus. He was equal parts excited and nervous. He hadn’t gotten to meet Markus’s family and he was worried they might not like him. The plan was to ride Markus’s bus at the end of the day and then again on Monday morning. Of course, if he got uncomfortable he could always call his dad to come get him, or walk home if it came to that. Perks of living in the same neighborhood he supposed. It wasn’t that he expected things to go wrong, it just eased his anxiety to know that he had a way out if he needed one. Markus seemed to understand which was nice. Since it was their first big weekend like this, Markus had helped him come up with a color system. Blue meant things were fine; yellow meant that he needed a moment to himself to try and get it together; and red meant it was time to go home. He hoped he wouldn’t have to use red, but just like his exit plan, it was a nice thing it have in case he needed it.

The day passed faster than he would have liked and he wasn’t ready for the sheer number of the kids on the bus. His bus was usually pretty crowded, but never like this. It made a little more sense why their neighborhood had three different buses now. “Color?” Markus asked s they settled in one of the seats toward the back. “Blue.” He replied. He hadn’t been expecting this many kids, but he was okay for now, “I’m alright.” Markus took his hand and squeezed it, “You can always listen to your music if you need to, that’s what I do sometimes.” “I might.” He replied, but for now he wanted to try and stick it out for as long as he could. He managed about half of the ride before he had to put on his noise cancelling headphones or risk having a panic attack. It wasn’t that anything in particular had happened, the constant chatter had just grated on his nerves more than he planned. His bus wasn’t exactly quiet, that was categorically impossible for middle schoolers, but he was used to his bus and not this one. Markus only squeezed his hand again and then let him be until it was time to get off. He was thankful to be free of all that noise.

“How do you deal with that every single day?” He asked after he had taken his headphones off. Markus gave a nonchalant shrug, “I’ve lived with Leo my whole life. They aren’t any louder than him on any given day.” “I suppose that helps.” He said distantly, he wasn’t ready to deal with more noise so soon after the bus. “You don’t have to worry about him though.” He replied, “He’s got plans tonight at least. It’s just going to be the two of us and my Grampa tonight, so the house should be pretty quiet today.” That was reassuring at least, “Okay. Is your Grandpa nice?” Markus actually laughed at that as they turned up a long walkway, “Yes, he is. You don’t have to worry about anything Connor, I promise.” “Got it.” He said, but he still took Markus’s hand. They were quiet the rest of the walk to the door. Connor was trying his best to relax. Markus said there was nothing to worry about, and Connor wanted to believe him, but his anxiety wasn’t as easily swayed. “Color?” Markus asked when they got to the door. “Blue.” He replied after a long moment, “I think.”

That seemed to be a good enough answer because Markus turned his key in the lock and pushed the door open. Along side being the biggest house Connor had ever seen, it was also the fanciest. Despite all of that, as he stood in the entry way with Markus’s hand in his, he didn’t feel at all out of place. “Grampa,” Markus called into the house, “We’re home.” “Okay kiddo,” Came the reply from further in the house, “I’m in the gallery.” Connor took off his shoes out of habit before they went any further into the house. Markus didn’t, but waited for him before he lead him up the stairs. They set their stuff up in Markus’s room before they headed for the gallery. The more he saw of the house, the more in awe of it he was. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting Markus’s grandpa to be like, but it didn’t include him being covered in tattoos or wheelchair bound. He did his best not to stare, and instead tried to look at the paintings that were scattered around the room. Some were properly placed on the walls, but most were leaned against the walls, furniture and even other paintings. Every single one of them took his breath away. He knew now at least where Markus’s sheer talent came from.

“You must be Connor.” He said with a smile as he wheeled himself closer, “I’ve heard great things about you. I’m Carl.” “It’s nice to meet you sir.” He replied and shook the hand that was being held out to him. Carl laughed, “Sir makes me feel old, just call me Carl, or Grampa if that’s easier on you.” “Okay si - Carl.” His trip up earned him an amused smile, “Did you paint all of these?” “Most of them.” He replied, “Some of them are Markus’s.” “Grampa,” Markus cut in, “He doesn’t know.” “I don’ t know what?” Connor asked as he looked between the two of them. “Grampa is the famous painter Carl Manfred.” He clarified. “Was.” Carl corrected with a sternness to his voice that left Connor a little rattled, “I haven’t done much public work since my accident. I’d like to keep it that way, so this knowledge stays in this room. Okay?” Connor made a zipper motion over his lips and both of them smiled, “Okay.”

They stayed in the gallery for a little while longer and Connor wandered around to get a better look at the paintings. After that the night was pretty normal. They had dinner, worked on homework, and talked about their classes with Carl. It was almost like being at home. This wasn’t nearly as nerve wracking as he thought it was going to be. After they had gone to Markus’s room for the night Connor got the presents out. He didn’t miss the smile that came to Markus’s face. “Before you worry,” He started when he noticed Markus was starting to look uncomfortable, “I bought these before your birthday.” He relaxed noticeably, “Okay, that’s what I was worried about.” “Anyway, happy late birthday Markus.” He picked up the two wrapped presents and held them out to him. Markus took them and Connor watched the joy spread across his face when he opened the reference book and thumbed through it. His smile only grew when he got yo he small paint set. He set the paints on his desk then put the book in a very specific place on his shelf. When he finished he settled beside Connor still beaming. “Can I hug you?” He asked.

“Yeah.” Connor had barely gotten the word out before he found himself caught in an embrace that was tight enough that it bordered on painful. “Thank you so much.” Markus said into his shoulder, “These are the only art related present I’ve gotten that weren’t from Grampa.” “What can I say” He replied as Markus pulled away, “I know you.” “You panicked didn’t you?” He asked. “Maybe.” He agreed. The weekend after that was spent with Connor sitting very still. Despite the fact that he was coerced into modeling for the two of them by Markus, he found himself hoping that Monday never came. Or at the very least, they could have a weekend like this again soon.

#Will Never be Boring #WNbB #Growing Old with You au #GOwY #RK1K #Conkus #dbh Markus #dbh Connor #dbh fic #dbh

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introvert--weeb · 3 years

Note

Hello, sorry for the inconvenience and for my English-I'm Italian-, I would like to ask you if you can match me with one of the tokyo revengers characters. I am 14, I have black hair and I am 1.49/50. I am a cancer and my MBTI is an Infj ad regarding my orientation, I am a bit confused, however, having been attracted to both females and males maybe I am bisexual (I have never been in a relationship and am not attracted to from wanting it) pronouns are she / she. As for my character, I am a calm person and others define me as kind, perhaps a little too much (like Tohru from Fruits Basket or Falco Grice from Aot).

In class I turn out to be one of the most scholars and I have high grades, others call me nerd, I am a particularly curious person so knowing is one of my favorite hobbies along with reading books / manga / comics (my favorite genres are science fiction and Psychological but I also like shoujo you are talking about manga) and listening to music. I'm insecure, but when I'm with someone who makes me feel complete and at ease I open up much more.

I tend to apologize very often which sometimes tends to annoy others and I tend to underestimate myself.

I like to skate, I dress in black / or equally dark clothes or - like skirts, pants or sweaters and shirts - and loose fitting and I wear all stars like shoes.

I really like cats, all kinds of food and video games.

I really like outgoing and self-confident people. -Sorry for my inglish, and sorry if the message is too long-

Your English is really good so don't worry 😊

I am going to be matching you with...

Keisuke Baji ❤️

You had been assigned as Baji's tutor as the teachers did not want to have him repeat another year. While you didn't particularly want to be tutoring anyone since you had a life outside of school, you agreed due to not wanting to let anyone down. Definitely too nice for your own good.

And so, you had taken one of the tables that were free within the library. Pulling out all the textbooks you felt you would need, all that was left was to wait for Keisuke Baji to arrive. Which wasn't that long after you had set out the materials.

You weren't going to lie, he definitely wasn't who you were expecting to see. You were expecting someone who looked like they carried trouble everywhere they go. Instead, Keisuke Baji looked like someone who would be called a nerd by others. Glasses, slick tied back hair, and his uniform was almost immaculate even after a full day of school.

After tutoring him for 45 minutes, you started to turn the conversation to more personal topics like interests and hobbies. It was a comfortable conversation and you were beginning to quickly warm up to the boy.

The tutoring sessions continued for a month and you were quickly falling for Keisuke. And unbeknownst to you, he had quickly fallen for you. So after the last tutor session had ended, this boy was quick to ask for your number and if you would go on a date with him. You were surprised yet agreed just as enthusiastically.

Your first date was at a cat cafe and you can fight me if you think any different. This boy adores cats and so would believe that all first dates should be held at a cat cafe. And because you also really loved cats, you had to agree wholeheartedly. The both of you would coo over all the kitties that came over, Baji saying how he wished he could have his own cat but his mother wouldn't let him.

As you were dating Baji, you would quickly come to know that he was the First Division Captain of the infamous biker gang, Toman. You were surprised as you had thought of him as the nerd you met, but once you saw this boy dressing casually, you almost had a heart attack. You really couldn't believe how attractive he was when he was out of his school clothes.

Being with Baji meant that you had come to meet Chifuyu and the other Toman members. You and Chifuyu would become close friends due to the shared love of Baji, cats, and shoujo manga. Don't tell me you wouldn't want to swap recommendations with this cute blond. This proved perfect for Baji because it meant you didn't mind spending time with both of them.

If you ever show that you're insecure in front of Baji, you best expect him to shower you in compliments and affection until you start feeling better. It would become a routine of getting affection because Keisuke really doesn't want you to ever feel insecure again. He just wants you to see how perfect you are to him and he will rest at nothing to get to his goal.

Baji would get super excited when he found out you skate. He thought it was super cool and would come with you whenever you want to skate. Might even think about learning to skate himself so it could become a new.fun date idea. Would also offer to teach you how to ride his bike if you would teach him how to skate. Whether you take up this offer is on you.

This relationship went from safe and sweet to spontaneous and adventurous. Dates would start to become rides on his bike or going to amusement parks together just to ride the rollercoasters when he could afford it. I can see this boy trying to win you the prize at stalls when you both go to festivals or even try and win a plushie for you at a claw machine in the arcade. He wants you to feel loved and will spoil you when he can.

#tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo revengers match up #match up requests #match up event #100 followers event #keisuke baji #baji #baji keisuke #requested

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last-necromancer · 3 years

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((Soon this blog will be switching to my new AU where their stories will change but since there are still many asks about their past I want to put their backstory out. Here is a complete 'speedrun' of their past until the 'present'. Hope this will answer all your questions~ ))

James and Ari backstory:

- Jameson was born on another Hyperion station but his family moved to Helios when J was very young to remember that, Ember was born when J was 4 years old

- J spend 4 years in the special program due to his behavior problems. So he joined the first-grade class 4 years old than others.

- Ari was born on Eden-6, father Sebastian - hunter, mother Maria - cook in their family restaurant. They moved to Helios with their restaurant when they got the chance and few other hunter families working in the restaurant moved with them. Mr. Serino was visiting Eden-6 to hunt regularly selling food to rich and to provide to their restaurant

- Ari had to take care of herself a lot, her parents insisted on her to be strong and independent from a young age. Creating a big feel of loneliness in her from an early age

- Both Ari and J entered the same class, teachers knew about J’s troubles so they sit him with the calmest kid in class. That’s how J ended up sitting next to Ari and how they met

- J annoyed Ari and they fought a lot daily. They eventually bond over the fighting and became best friends. Ari was helping J passing school a lot and often came over to Blacks to help J with homework and learning. Due to their close bond of them, J and Ari form a very sibling-like relationship and started calling each other sis/bro

- When Ember got older she showed huge intelligence and talent for explosives and complex machinery. Unlike J she kept on studying aiming to make weapons for Hyperion

- Ari and J’s high school years were again spent in the same class. J had a crush on one of the most popular girl in school which lead him to his doom. He got invited by her on a sleepover with her friends. The entire thing was staged to get him there and made fun of him. Their fun took a very dark turn. J managed to escape but he never told anyone what happened there that night

- Since the incident, J became very hostile towards women and started seeking attention from males. His behavior was worse than ever and he barely finished high school without getting kicked out. J got in a major fight with his parents to the point they kicked him out. J and Ari moved in together

- Ari worked at game shop building computers and J started selling drugs to provide enough money so they can live on their own. Ari started going on hunts with her father to learn how to hunt and to earn some money on top of her job.

- J started taking the drugs instead of selling them, the dealers told him to pay or they will get the money other ways. Again J told no one about this and didn’t pay since he had no money to do so. The dealers ended up killing his parents and taking all their money. They left J a message that they are even now

- Everyone thought it was a basic robbery, no one knew about the money J owned them and J never told anyone his parents were killed because of him. Poor Ember tried to understand why would anyone pick her parents while J could not look her in the eyes

- Unable to come with the fact his parents died because of him J overdose himself in an attempt to kill himself. In his high state J wandered into Helios labs. The docs there knew he will die so they decided to try their experiment on him to not let this free test subject just go unused. No one survived the experiment, they took him as a joke knowing twig like him will never make it. But the drugs that infected his body over a long time of using them made the acid experiment successful

- Ari went to find J right after finding he is missing. Asking people if they saw him, they told her the labs took him in. Knowing no one leaves those labs alive Ari went for Ember to form a plan how to get him out fast. Ember went to steal a ship, Ari recorded a message for her parents that they will flee to Eden-6 where they will all met. Ari took her father‘s gun shooting guards and lab workers to get to J fast. Despite J’s horrible state of acid pouring out of him, they managed to get away from the labs

- They all get into the stolen ship and fly away. None of them knew how to drive it so they crashed on Pandora. They left all their belonging and Echos on Helios so no way to call help. They started wondering on Pandora trying to survive by raiding and stealing from small bandit camps

- Mr. Serino went to Eden-6 hoping to find them there but they never came. Stayed there since then still waiting and searching for his daughter and her friends. Never losing hope despite his wife not believing Ari is still alive

- Ari and J blend ‘well‘ and were good at surviving but Ember was too scared and innocent for it. Eventually she tried to help only to step on mine trap and lose both her legs. Hyperion declared all three of them as criminals, if they ever get close to Hyperion again they will be arrested. Seriously wounded Ember and exhausted Ari made J decide they need to join a bigger group. COV was the only one accepting almost anyone as long as you swear to be loyal so they went there

- J used his showman skills and charisma to get into the liking of many higher COV parts, making his way to Troy. He got Troy’s attention with his skills so Troy take him as his right hand and both girls to live and work for COV. Ember was meant to be working in workshops and Ari at the kitchen.

- Ember’s health was slowly getting worse every day, J plead Troy to take her to safety, promising his life and infinite loyalty in exchange. Troy sent an echo to Maliwan that an important Hyperion engineer is on Pandora willing to work for them. Maliwan came for Ember and took her with them, offering Ari to come too but she stayed on Pandora with J

- J did as he promised and did everything to show his loyalty. Troy refused to trust him for so long despite J being so protective and caring for him. Whenever anyone tried to call Troy sick again got it bad from him. J tried to befriend him many times but Troy was so deaf to it. Troy started trusting J after many times J risked his life for him, after J proved to listen to orders no matter what, slowly over time they started becoming friends. Both boys bond over their manipulative and smart tactics slowly becoming even closer

- Helios crashed and with it Ari’s hopes are gone. Her mother was dead since she never left the station, it was sure she died there. She doesn’t know her dad is still waiting for her so she believes she lost everything. She stopped coming out of the cathedral and never hunt again out of depression whenever she sees the ruins of Helios or remembers that hunting is the trade of her family that she lost.

- The whole time Ari wasn’t so happy as a cook but she wasn’t one to really complain since working outside of the cathedral was way WAY worse. J pressured Troy to make her an editor since she would fit the position. Troy listened to his advisor and give Ari a place in his editing team. This made her a very high rank in the cult and give her even better living conditions.

- Very often Ari was coming to work late just to sleep longer and then working to late hours. Troy caught her there once and they finally had their first proper chat. They meet up there sometimes and they always chat a lil bit making Troy feel she can be his friend…

#borderlands 3 #Jameson Black #Ariana Serino #Necrotizing parasite AU #original character #borderlands

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thebrownssociety · 3 years

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Hi, so I was wondering about the toons getting an education. You said that they didn't know how to read or write at the begining. First of all, when did they learn to read and write? And second of all, when they started learning those things, how did they do it? Did all of the toons go to school, you know, like kids do? Did they have classes and classmates, different subjects, different teachers? Or did they have private tutours?

So, first things first, thank you Ana for giving me one of my most complicated asks yet! That's why it's taken me so long to answer, I need to first of all sort through the strands of my brain in order to find the answer, and then translate it so it can be understood by normal people.

This headcanon is LONG, I hope you lot enjoy.

the majority of the toons [about 90 percent] are NOT created with the ability to read and write. In the olden days it was generally assumed that they didn't have the ability to learn either.

The other ten percent DID. They tended to be toons that were created to be doctors, lawyers or other professions that need the ability to read and write. Or members of royalty because the creators made the decision that royals would have been taught to read and write and so incorporated that into there designs. This is why Porky Pig is unusual, because he has the ability read and write, but he's not royalty and he doesn't have an official profession. Technically Porky is an anomality, it just happens that his anomality has helped him more than hindered him.

Moving onto the villains, it tends to follow the same rules as above. Grimhilde [wicked stepmother] has the ability to read and write because the creators assumed that as the now queen she had to be a princess before, therefore fit the rules.

Maleficent however, couldn't read or write [much to her frustration] because she was a villainous fairy and although she was [I think?] royalty of some sort within the fairy world the creators decided she didn't need the ability.

You might be getting an idea of the timeline from the movies I mentioned. I headcanon that the toon began campaigning to get an education during the 60's. They did this largely via peaceful means [mainly because one thing that has always been acknowledged by humans is that Toons are quite powerful and they aren't to keen to annoy them massively. The toons for their part don't want to cause massive distress to humans - they want to make them laugh! - so it actually works to a degree. During the 60's though the Toons decided something needed to be done.

The directors and other higher-ups had been promising to change the rights for the last decade and it hadn't happened. In 1965 the Toons decided enough was enough, they would start peacefully protesting. They adhered to the riles of there contracts to the letter. The LT's contract for instance says they have to arrive at least five minutes before filming starts, so they arrived five minutes before filming started when previously they'd been arriving half an hour so the director could run through everything with them.

They also left straight after seeing as there contract said they were free to go after the filming ended.

The LT's were also contracted to be available should WB ask them to do anything like help in the kitchens, but they only gave to do that for a set amount of hours each week. They worked those hours to the letter and went straight after. A few of the more devious toons even reasoned the contract just says they have to show up, not do any work, so they didn't. At first the studio got round that by asking toons who they knew would do the work properly, but it didn't take the toons long to figure out that was happening and then the 'good' toons wondered why they should bother when the 'bad' toons were being allowed to get off scot-free?

Eventually no toons was doing any work to help the general running of WB at all.

The above, I should mention, did not happen overnight. It took around 18 months, and it wasn't just happen at WB. Although Disney didn't have the exact same contract, they ran on the general principle of arriving at a set time and leaving straight after, so the toons just adhered to there contracted times.

18 months later and the companies decided enough was enough. They were having to go overtime to film the cartoons/movies now the toons weren't doing extra [previously unpaid] hours. [Which they did because the majority of them are perfectionist when it comes to the cartoons and wanted them to be the best they could be.] They were also having to pay the Human employees extra to cover the hours, often at extremely short notice. And unlike the toons they weren't contracted to come in just because the company wanted them to.

So anyway, the point of me detailing this is to explain the circumstances that meant that the companies were at there wits end and ended up petitioning the president to give the toons rights. Mickey Mouse also helped out enormously here as well. Walt Disney had died a few months earlier and Mickey was now running Disney. Which also meant control of the theme parks. Mickey decided that seeing as Toons clearly weren't valued enough to bother educating [despite being proven as intelligent] they shouldn't bother providing entertainment at the parks either.

The Disney toons also had it worked into there contracts that they had to make periodic appearances at Disney's parks [kinds like the people dressing up as the characters do now, except it's the actual toons] and are on a rota basis. Unless they're doing an events [like Halloween for the villains or valentines day for the princes and princesses] then each toon does at least one 12-hour day at Disney per year. It was this bit that Mickey was putting a stop to.

It had a real knock-on effect as, as well as the rides, most people went there hoping for a glimpse of there favourite toon. Without that...

As much of an absolute business-killer as this idea was, Mickey was more than happy to explain to anyone who would listen [read: most of the world news] exactly WHY he was doing it. With all this pressure it was really just a matter of time until the laws changed and the toons were able to gain an education. This was in 1968.

Now as fast as things work in Toontown, this was such a complicated area that it took a full 2 years for the various schools to be built, staffed and a curriculum drawn up (which followed the same basic guide as human education, but with some added stuff and some stuff taken out. It basically followed a 'would a toon actually need this in future life?' and went from there.

Here's were it gets slightly complicated. Because I mentioned before that toons age in a weird way. But the main thing is they go up and down in there age on a day to day basis until they are about 20. This makes educating them quite difficult, to say the least.

The studios solution to this was to bring in Human teachers to teach them at the grades human children would go through. So Kindergarten, Grade 1 ext. The thing was that a lot of the toons had learn some of th education already, like identifying shapes and coulors and things. And of course the ones who were professionals [Like Ludwig Von Drake and Gus Goose] already had a college-level of education, they just needed to prove it to the teachers.

The end result of this was that it wasn't unusual for a toon to be in a class for only a few months at a time while they did the work [don't forget, they only need 4 hours of sleep as well, so they could study for longer if they wanted]

It did eventually even up though and the toons ended up spending 9 months if the right class. For example, Porky Pig aced Kindergarten all the way up till 4th grade and then found he was struggling with 5th grade. This was a shock to him after spending 21 months in education [excluding holidays], to suddenly need help. Porky was forced to realise that he had centred a lot of his identity around being 'the one who can help his friends/family read.' and hadn't expanded his personality much beyond that.

So yeah, as an average most toons took about ten years to complete Kindergarten - end of high school.

Then a few of them took college courses, which lead to them getting degrees, which led to a couple of them getting teaching degrees. The majority of the LT's you see in Tiny Toons [excluding Foghorn, who decided he didn't want to be a teacher, and Elmer who took a undergraduate degree in law until 1992] did their teaching degrees from 1988 - 1992.

There's a couple of you who might had realised that they were filing Tiny Toons at the times and learning how to be parents at the same time. That was partly why they wanted to do it then, they realised that after Tiny Toons had finished the kid would need educating. Although the human teachers had been alright, they'd found it slightly difficult to cope and the LT's didn't want their kids to go through that particularly. Also, what's the point of building a school just to got rid of it after?

So here's the main schools: (After the toons gained teaching degrees)

Disney Elementary - Kindergarten- Grade 5.

Hanna-Barbara Middle School - Grade 6_8.

The Looniversity (the name stuck after the TV show) Grades 9-12.

So the Tiny Toons finished filming in 1992 and had it promptly explained to them that they would be attending school the next August [Tiny Toons were created in 1987, so were 6 by the end of filming.]

Toons don't do pre-school because there doesn't seem to be any point. Loads of Toons have coped without preschool for decades now, why would they start now?

So the TT's started Kindergarten at Disney Kindergarten, run by Snow White and helped out by Cinderella and Fairy Godmother. Kindergarten is the only school year where the toons have to do an entire year in it, the logic being they'll have longer to get adjusted to school if they're there for a year as opposed to three months.

Then it was decided which was the toon would go. Would they move upwards into Disney Elementary school, run by the Three Good Fairies? Or would they be taught by human professors? Or - the final option - they could be privately educated. [It's mainly royalty or the children of famous toons like Micky and Minnie that go down this option. The TT's were unusual in that all the LT's opted to send there kids to Disney Elementary with the hope it would help them make friends with other toons outside the LT bubble. Whether it did or not remains up for debate.

Anyway, they then go to Hanna-Barbera Middle School, which is then followed by the Looniversity. Now, despite what was shown in Tiny Toons, The Looniversity does not focus solely on Toon Physics and the like, the kids have to study the curriculum. They have options to take Toon Physics class if they wanted to, but they don't have to.

The Toons technically don't HAVE to finish High School, but they're strongly encouraged to. College is another matter, it's quite hard so only Toons who the adults know will stand a chance of passing are encouraged to do it.

Toontown University focuses primarily on The Performing Arts and Toon Physics. As well as those subjects, it offers Art, Physical Education, separate courses of Dance, Drama and Music and LAMDA.

If a Toon wants to study the likes of Maths, English and Science they can either be privately educated [A lot of the adult toons have ridiculous amounts of money due to there cartoons and the fact that until the 50's Toontown didn't exist and all there expenses were being covered by there respective directors/studios] or they could join one of the smaller colleges that specialised in what they want to do.

Push comes to shove, they find a Adult toon [over the actual age of 25] with a degree and try to mentor under them. This happens a lot.

#Looney Tunes Headcanons #Looney tunes headcanons #Looney Tunes #Asks #Education #Porky Pig #maleficent #Grimhilde #tiny toons #Mickey Mouse #Minnie Mouse #Kindergarten #Education is so complicated #Education is so important #Disney Parks #Education is highly valued by the toons #It took them long enough to get it

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beldroxramscal · 3 years

Text

Sway ~ Part 3

Javier Pena x female!OC

Word count: 3.493

Summary: After their training Javier meets Natalia In a very unexpected place and things het a little heated.

Warnings: language, badly written stripteas (2x), mentions of guns, slightly drunk Javi

A/N: I wanna thank @pedrocentric for being the absolute best and a great cheerleder :D

English is not my first language and I have no one to beta for me. That is just a very long way to say: sorry, my English sucks.

Part 1//Part 2//

They met at least once a week for a month, and they didn’t talk much during the sessions. Mostly because of the headsets, but she also seemed less talkative. He didn’t know if it was because of the night in her kitchen, or it was something else completely, but he was glad she was putting some distance between them.

He himself almost didn’t call her back. There was just something about her that felt like trouble, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to find out what the trouble would turn out to be. Then again, he was a grown ass man with some common sense. He knew he was on thin ice, but he would just have to tiptoe his way along the shallow ends.

It was much easier than he expected. She was not trying to find out anything about him. One time she asked him about growing up in Texas, and he thought that’s where he’d have to hit the brakes, but after he told her some general information about his childhood in the US, she didn’t ask any follow up questions.

Despite the lack of talking, they got comfortable around each other. He wasn’t sure when it happened, but somewhere between him showing her a proper grip on a gun and adjusting her stance when she couldn’t hit what she wanted, he stopped second-guessing himself every time he had to touch her.

After the third time, she even started bringing him coffee. He mentioned how much he liked the coffee she made him that one time and the next time he saw her, she silently handed him a big bright blue cup. She obviously didn’t want it to be a big deal, so he said his thank yous and didn’t mention it again, but he learned not to have his late night work coffees every time they were scheduled to meet.

Point being, the last session couldn’t come soon enough.

“You know, Pena,” she said and turned down the car radio, so he could hear her. “I had fun with you.”

It was an innocent enough statement, but it sounded like she was genuinely surprised to have a good time with him around. And there he was, thinking that despite the teasing and overall unfortunate circumstances of their meeting, she enjoyed his company.

What he didn’t expect, was the sudden void of calmness in his life. Which was ironic, because she was anything but. The thing was, neither of them outright said their goodbyes, but he knew, after she called him about her successful test, that was the end between them. And it’s what he wanted. After all, there was no beginning to anything, but, for some reason, he thought it would be harder to get her out of his life, that even if she was not interested in it, she’d wanna be a part of it.

It didn’t matter. She was out, and he felt steadier on his legs because of it.

----- 3 months later -----

Javier looked around the room, wondering why the fuck he agreed to come and why would they even invite him in the first place. It wasn’t a secret that most of his coworkers thought he was a grade-A asshole, so why invite him to a stag party? He had a suspicion it had something to do with Murphy.

“Stop sulking.” Steve dangled a bottle of beer in front of his face and Javier caught it, bringing it to his lips. “It’s not so bad.”

“I guess.”

The alcohol was practically free since everyone chipped in and no one really paid him much attention. Still, it was kinda boring. He expected to go out into a bar or something, not spend the whole night stuck in someone’s apartment with a bunch of men. Some of them already drunk enough to even stand in one spot without tripping over their own feet.

“Lightweights,” Steve smirked, clinking his bottle against Javier’s.

As time went by, Javier noticed more and more people came to talk with him and Steve. The conversation went from polite chit-chat to, of course, sex and everyone seemed to be interested in Javier’s escapades. He didn’t realize how much gossip there was about him and the women he slept with, but he successfully dodged all the questions without telling anyone to go fuck themselves. As drunk as he was, that was quite an accomplishment. Seeing as he was not about to give up his secrets, they thankfully moved on to brag about their own prowess.

“They are here!” The groom’s best man yelled as he came into the room. Both Steve and Javier looked at each other, brows raised in question, as the men around them stood up and stared at the door excitedly.

Before he could ask what was happening, two huge men came into the room with a group of scarcely clothed women waiting just outside the door. Javier could see Steve close his eyes in defeat as he realized what was going on. “Connie is gonna kill me.”

“You are gonna be fine,” Javier absentmindedly comforted him, trying to see past the men. He didn’t really have the mind to pay him his full attention. Not with the swarm of emotions, he felt every time one of the men moved, and he thought he could see her. He barely listened as the bodyguards explained all the rules they had to follow.

That would be too much of a coincidence, right? Natalia showing up the one time he decided to hang out with someone from his office… there was no chance. There couldn’t be.

-----

She hated doing house calls. The men always felt more entitled when they were comfortable, which meant more trouble. Not just for her, but mostly for Felipe and Antonio, who had to deal with the customers. Thankfully, with the money she made for the club she didn’t have to go out unless absolutely necessary. Like when someone asked for her by name and had the right amount of cash, or when one of the girls broke her leg…

Natalia walked into the dimly lit room with the other girls. A sweet smile plastered on her face as some men circled her and started talking over each other. She didn’t understand any one of them, but they all seemed determined to get her to dance for them.

“I’m flattered, gentlemen, but my priority is the man of the hour,” she pouted and batted her eyelashes at them. They all groaned, but the man who greeted them at the door shushed the whole room and told them to sit down.

Natalia noticed a chair in the middle of a circle where everyone else was sitting. Turning her back to the room, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Even after so many years, she was still nervous performing in such an intimate setting.

She heard some more rustling and when everyone quieted down, one of the girls put on the songs.

Hearing the first notes of Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing, she turned around. Her eyes immediately falling on the groom, who seemed both excited and nervous and couldn’t stop moving on his chair.

She let her hand slide up her thighs, and over the white see-through mini dress, to her hips. Revealing just enough of the white thong underneath, to make the whole room groan as she released the material to cover herself again. She continued on her path along her sides and to her breasts. She squeezed them together, her back arching and turning into a roll of her hips.

Natalia walked slowly to the center of the room rocking her hips to the rhythm, her eyes not leaving the groom’s. She traced his jaw with her fingers as she walked behind him, pressing her breasts into his back and letting her hands fall down his chest to his thighs and back up into his hair and making him look over his shoulder at her. She threw her leg over his shoulder, letting his head rest on her lower stomach as she swirled her hips.

Natalia walked back into his line of vision and bent down to put both hands onto his thighs, covering his own, and making sure she arched her back to let the bottom of her ass peek out from under the dress. Lowering herself even more, she breathed over his clothed crotch and then rolled her body until she was face to face with him. She smiled sweetly at him, taking his hand and guiding it to the strings between her breasts that kept the dress tight around her shoulders. She winked at him as he tugged at them and stood up.

With a perfected swirl of her hips and roll of shoulders, the dress fell off her body and pooled around her feet. She kicked it to the side without giving it a look and turned around. Leaving her only in her thong and bra, she bent at the waist, circling her hips in his face before sitting down on his lap. Her hands on his ankles, dragging them up his legs as she straightened and pressed her back to his chest, grinding against him. With one hand around his neck, she took the other one and guided it from her neck down between her breasts and to her panties where she let it fall to his side again.

Arching her back off of him, she pressed her ass into his crotch and could feel him harden under her. It happened more often than not, and she was used to it but was glad the song was coming to the end nonetheless.

Natalia turned to face him with both knees on either side of him, rolling her hips against his chest before sitting across his lap and pushing his head in between her breast for just a second. As the song ended she laid down on his legs with one leg on the ground and the other one in the air, a straight line with her body, and her head dangling over his legs.

She heard whistling and clapping as she opened her eyes.

Javier was tilting his head as he looked down at her, a sharp smile on his lips and her dress in his hand. It took her a few seconds to realize she was still laying on the poor man with all her weight and quickly stood up. Trying not to appear as shocked as she felt when she kissed the groom’s cheek. She took a little awkward bow, while different song started to play and the rest of the girls started paying attention to the men there.

Natalia turned to Javier, who was now standing right by her side and handing her her dress. “Thank you,” she croaked as she took the dress from him.

“Didn’t expect you here, but I’m not gonna pretend it’s not good to see you.” He looked appreciatively down her body, licking his lips.

She knew he had to be drunk. She couldn’t imagine he’d look at her like that otherwise. “I--I need to-- need to change,” she stuttered, still unable to properly grasp what was happening.

“But you will come back right?” he asked, gazing into her eyes so intensely she wouldn’t be able to say no even if someone held a gun to her head. She nodded in response and walked out of the room and to the hallway. The bright lights there making her close her eyes as she tried to remember where the room with their things was.

First, she opened a door to a bathroom, but the second door was a bedroom with her bag. Grabbing it, she walked back to the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

Seeing Pena so drunk and leering at her like she was a 5 course meal was somehow hilarious to her. She knew that the month they spent together, he was trying so hard to keep her at an arm’s length. Never looking at her too long, never speaking more than necessary, but she didn’t mind. She simply adapted to his behavior and implemented simple don’t ask rule. It never occurred to her that maybe he was attracted to her, until then.

She took off the white underwear and put on a pink number she packed. Natalia reapplied some make up and put on a little more perfume before throwing everything in the bag. She walked back to the bedroom, leaving the back by the bed, and returned to the party.

Right in the door, the best man caught her and started thanking her before putting some cash into her hand. “Thank you so much again,” he patted her hand and went back to his friends. Natalia looked down at the money and was more than surprised by the generous amount he gave her.

She turned to Felipe and gave it to him for safekeeping so she wouldn’t have to go all the way back to the bedroom.

“Took you long enough.” His voice shouldn’t feel as familiar as it did, especially after she hadn’t heard it for months.

“Beauty takes time,” she smiled as she turned to him and noticed he had two glasses of whiskey and handing her one. “I’m working, Pena.”

“Come on, just one, with me.” He tilted his head again, and it was like looking into the eyes of a golden retriever. He had this drunken smile that never seemed to completely disappear.

“Just one,” she agreed and took the glass from him.

“Also, I saw you in your pajamas. You need absolutely no time to look beautiful.”

He’d never say something like that in the right state of mind, so she didn’t put any real weight behind his words. Still, it made her smile at how corny he sounded.

“You don’t have to flirt to get a dance, Javier,” a guy shouted from behind him, making her laugh.

Pena rolled his eyes flipping the guy behind him and turning back to her. “I should go help the girls.” She knocked down the rest of the whiskey and put the glass on a table.

His fingertips touched hers, caressing them with his own. She looked down, her skin tingling like she was touching a live wire and not his hand. They felt rough, calloused, but it only heightened the sensation.

“Give me a dance,” he whispered. Her head snapped to look at him, knots forming in her stomach and she swallowed dryly.

“Javier, I shou--” He squeezed her fingers in his hand, making her jump. It seemed more like a reflex or a twitch because he released her just as quickly, but it still left a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“Just one.” He talked through gritted teeth and the sound made her fight off the shudder she felt coming up her spine.

She could see the hunger in his eyes, the veins on his neck, and his other hand flexing by his side. And selfishly, she wanted to see if she could make him look even more desperate, aching for more. She couldn’t wait to call him the next day and tease him about it.

“Just one,” she repeated after him. Taking his hand she led him to one of the more comfortable looking armchairs and teasingly pushed at his chest to get him to sit down.

She felt as if her whole body was on fire just by the way he was looking at her. His eyes were searing holes into her, his fingers digging into the soft leather of the armrests and his hips shifting impatiently, and she realized that maybe she was out of her depth.

She couldn’t back out now, even if she knew that would be the better choice for both of them, but then... It felt like she’d lose, like she cared more than he did and that was not something she was willing to accept. No matter the consequences.

Natalia took one deep breath before moving her hips to the Bon Jovi’s song that started playing. Letting the rhythm take over her upper body, she stuck out her breast with her hands in her hair.

She watched as his eyes followed them down the side of her neck and her breasts.

With a whip of her hair, she turned her back to him, bending at the waist and relaxing her knees so she could easily rock her hips as her hands moved up her legs and to the back of her thighs to slap her ass.

She wished she could see his face because from between her legs she could see one of his legs twitch and almost kick up as if he banged it against something. It encouraged her enough to sit on his knees and wiggle until he parted them so she could sit between them. Resting her shoulders against his chest, feeling his heart beating rapidly, she sneaked her hand to the back of his neck and into his hair. She tugged at it at the same time she looked up at him, and she swore she could feel the groan that escaped him vibrate through her. She would never do that with a normal customer, but she felt the boundaries here were a little blurred.

His eyes were open wide like he was scared to miss even a second of her writhing body between his legs. She tugged again and could feel him suck in a deep breath, but, finally, he looked into her eyes. They were blown, pitch black, desperate. It made her feel so good.

She slowly slithered down his body, on her knees and turning to face him, not caring that she’d probably have a bruise. Looking up at him from between her legs she rested her hands on his knees and sliding them up his thighs, with her thumbs pressing to the inside of them and stopping only inches from his crotch, where an impressive bulge was beginning to form.

He looked from her hands and at her, watching her lick her lips. She could see his hips buck at her simple gesture, which in turn, made her cunt clench around nothing.

Not wasting any time, she hiked her knee up on the armchair and literally climbed on top of him, making him chuckle. Natalia lowered herself enough to feel the heat between their bodies, but not enough to touch. She could feel the muscles in her thighs and knew that she’d curse herself tomorrow. But looking down at him, God, it was so worth it.

He looked down between them as she moved her hips just inches above his hard cock. She was so tempted to sit down and feel it, get some relief for herself, but she saw how tense he was, how hard it was for him just to sit there and take it, and it was way too exciting to give in.

Javier seemed more impatient than her, and she felt his hand move from the armrest to her shoulder, his fingers tracing invisible patterns down her back.

“No touching,” she whispered into his ear teasingly.

He turned his head to look at her, their noses touching, breathing each other in before he spoke. “Come home with me.”

Natalia stopped moving, her breath caught in her throat, and searching his eyes for any indication he was joking, but he seemed dead serious. His eyes were almost pitch black pools of hunger, sucking her into their depths. It was almost hypnotizing.

She made herself smile like it was all a big joke, but it somehow made the whole situation more serious than she anticipated.

“You are drunk.” She started moving again, looking away from him.

“No, I’m not.” He buried his hand into her hair, cradling the back of her head and forcing her to lean her forehead against his. “I wanna feel you.” He squeezed her butt cheek in his other hand, making her arch her back and ball the front of his shirt in her hands. “All of you.”

“Javier...,” she sighed, closing her eyes just to escape his intense gaze. She tried to find the right words to say no only to find out she didn’t want to say no.

“I wan-- I need to fuck you,” he continued, making her whimper at the words.

“Javi,” she put one hand on his cheek to make him focus on her, “you are drunk.”

“I’m not as drunk as you think I am, Natalia,” he spoke firmly, but calmly. “I’m just drunk enough to let you know what I want.”

Her resolve slowly crumbled under his words. The cold spot in her panties and the pulsing pressure that was steadily building between her legs decided for her.

“Just a fuck, right?” she raised an eyebrow.

He smiled wickedly at her.

What could go wrong.

#Javier Pena x female!OC #Javier Pena x reader #javier pena #pedro pascal #narcos #Pedro Pascal x reader #mine

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imaginationintowords · 4 years

Text

Folklore [song series]

the last great american dynasty

Modern Day AU! Bucky Barnes x OC!Reader; Steve Rogers x OC!Reader

Plot: Inspired by Taylor Swift’s new album Folklore. The story follows the timeline of Bucky and Elizabeth’s life throughout the years.

Word Count: 4658

Warnings: maybe some swearing (don’t really remember), mentions of deaths, sadness, loneliness.

Previous Part

Series Masterlist

Age: 17

Year: 2012

Location: Brooklyn, NY

The last few months haven't been the greatest for Elizabeth.

She never did get to run for Student Body President during the months of October and November. Steve ended up running and winning. Elizabeth had even decided to leave student body council once campaigning started. She found no point in staying, everyone in the club didn't like her.

She had kept to herself. She no longer felt the need to make new friendships or continue the ones she had. The rumors made sure of that.

This was not how Elizabeth had thought her senior year would be. She thought she'd be crossing out he dates in her calendar feeling sad with each passing day, but now she's counting down to when she will never see these faces again.

She had also been approached by the principle right before school was dismissed for Holiday break. Principle Alvarez had told Elizabeth that she was the front runner for valedictorian. Elizabeth politely declined the offer, but Principle Alvarez told her to take the next three week holiday to think over it.

Elizabeth promised she would, but that was a lie. There was no way she would go in front of her classmates and give them a fake speech on comradery.

These people wouldn't know the first thing about that.

Instead she focused on anything besides school.

Her parents weren't oblivious to Elizabeth's sudden change in personality. At first they thought it was because of her breakup with Bucky. But Elizabeth had told them it was a mutual decision. They wanted to believe her, but they knew their daughter. They knew it was not what she had said.

They knew something must've happened, especially with the way Bucky has been actively avoiding running into them. Even going as far as running inside whenever he saw Mr. Sanchez get home from work.

Even Steve stopped coming around. That was another red flag.

Then they had found out from Sarah Rogers, Steve's mom, that Steve would be running for student body president, after Elizabeth stepped down and left the club.

They were shocked to hear the news.

How could she not tell them. Her parents had debated back and forth whether or not they should have a conversation with her.

She had been keeping this a secret for months. Whenever they would bring it up, she told them it was in the works. But she had lied. There was clearly something bigger going on.

They then received a phone call from Principle Alvarez the day before winter break started. She told them about Elizabeth becoming valedictorian but turning it down. Another secret her parents had heard nothing about.

"Mrs. Alvarez, we had no idea," Caterina, her mother, said.

"I figured which is why I called. I told Elizabeth to take the break think it over."

"Thank-you, Mrs. Alvarez," Brandon, her father, thanked, "Actually we were just discussing Elizabeth and her sudden personality change. Do you have any idea what might have happened?"

"Well," she cleared her throat, "I'm assuming you both know about her breakup with James."

"Yes, but she told us it was a mutual decision, somehow we don't think she's telling he truth," Caterina explained.

"I suppose she isn't. Unfortunately, I don't think it's my place to say. Her grades are not falling behind, she hasn't done anything that would create a cause for concern," she half lied.

"But she quit student council. She isn't even talking to Steve," Caterina explained, slightly frustrated with the situation.

"Yes, well," Principal Alvarez pauses, "There was some rumors going around at the beginning of the year, surrounding James and Elizabeth. Sadly those rumors favored James."

"Why are we just hearing about this now?" her father asked.

"I have spoken to Elizabeth, she had asked me not to say anything to you. In order to keep this a safe place for her and other students, there's some things that need to stay confidential.

"I didn't sense any danger and the rumors died down. Yes, she did quit student council, but you wouldn't be surprised by the amount of students who leave a club senior year." she explained to them.

"We have had no idea any of this was happening," Caterina, sighs softly, her eyes getting teary. Her husband softly rubs her back.

"What do you suggest we do? Should we confront Elizabeth about all these lies?" Brandon asks.

"I think Elizabeth is trying to protect you guys and herself. I can't tell you what to do. This is your child. But I can offer some advice," she says, "Give her some time. When it comes, I'm sure she'll open up, it might not be now, but it will be when she is ready. I've seen this a lot with seniors who get thrown a massive curve ball and it just throws them all off.

"It's what I like to call their first taste of the real world. How they get through it shows how they will handle these kind of stressors in the future. Some just go right off the handle and turn to some bad things to cope. Some repress their feelings, and let it all boil until they have some sort of snap. Some, learn and grow from it. Those that learn and grow, take it quietly, figure out what's to come afterwards. They stop worrying about what's happening now, and are ready to move on. The reason I haven't reached out is because I can see how Elizabeth is handling it. Yes, maybe she has changed, grown up a bit, but I still haven't gotten any major danger signs from her that say she isn't handling this in an unhealthy manner.

"Elizabeth has been meeting with our guidance counselor, about once a week. And that was something she had chosen to do on her own. We aren't necessarily obligated to tell parents that because of confidentiality reasons. If there was any cause for concerns you would've heard by now."

"So we should just wait?"

"Yes," she sighs, "I know it's probably not what you wanted to hear, but just know you have a wonderful daughter, who seems to know how to take care of herself in a healthy mature manner."

The conversation they had with Principal Alvarez brought some peace to their minds. Not completely, but enough to know that if Elizabeth really was in trouble she would go to them.

They had decided that it was probably best to get away for the winter break. Brandon and Caterina were able to work remotely during the holiday season, so they decided to take a trip to the family's cabin.

Elizabeth was excited to head to the cabin for the holidays. It meant that she wouldn't have to worry about running into anyone from school. And any reason to spend more time with her grandmother was exciting. Especially since she would be heading off to college soon.

Elizabeth had decided that Christmas to break the news to her parents that she had decided on the University of Stanford. She would be going as a Pre-Law student. The school was on the other side of the country. When she and her parents visited this past summer, Elizabeth fell in love with the campus.

Her last two choices were Stanford and Columbia.

With some talking to her guidance counselor and some major thought, she decided she desperately needed a change in scenery. A change in people.

For the first time since returning home, she had never felt more free. She was excited about the possibility of the future. She could no longer worry about what the hell was happening in Brooklyn.

Her parents were excited to hear about her choice. They were glad that she wasn't keeping this from them. They had decided that Principal Alvarez was right, Elizabeth was becoming such a strong woman in front of their eyes, and they had to trust that she knows what's best for herself.

Elizabeth and her grandma stayed that third week of break, while her parents were sent away by her grandma so she could have some quality time with her only granddaughter.

Elizabeth and her grandmother were currently sat in the living room going through some old photos. Elizabeth was helping her grandmother put them in some new photo albums she had gotten for Christmas.

"So, any new boy in your life?" her grandma, Sophia, asked.

"No, I'm done with high school boys," Elizabeth said, carefully going through the old photos.

"Good, high school boys are nothing but trouble."

"You're preaching to the choir," Elizabeth joked.

While grabbing another small box of photos, Elizabeth opened it up to reveal some very old letters and photos.

"What are these grandma?" she asked softly turning the box over for her grandma to see.

"Oh, I've been wondering where those went," she softly smiled, going over to sit next to Elizabeth on the couch.

Elizabeth handed her the box, and she pulled out a light yellowish envelope, the color from old age.

"Who are those from?"

"My old friend Rebekah," she said looking over at the letter.

"Rebekah? You've never told me about a Rebekah before.

"Well she was an old friend," her grandma said, handing Elizabeth a black and white photo of two young girls. One was her grandma and the blonde next to her must've been Rebekah. The photo was dated 1965.

"How did you guys meet?" Elizabeth asked.

"In junior high, we were both 12," her grandma handed her a photo dated 1960, it was of two even younger versions of the young teens.

"Oh, wow."

"From 12 to 21 we were inseparable."

"Woah, what's this?" Elizabeth asked, showing her grandma a photo of a quickie style wedding.

"Ah, that was Bex's first wedding."

"First?"

"Yup. Right out of high school, freshly 18. Adam Grant. Bex's high school sweetheart. Prom King and Queen."

"What happened?"

"Young love doesn't always last forever. Why do you think I was always so insistent with you not to worry about marriage until after you've graduated college and started your career."

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders, "Just thought you thought I was too young, and you were right."

"Aren't I always," she winked playfully.

"What happened between them?"

"Adam wanted Rebekah to be a stay at home wife, to start popping out babies. That wasn't Bex at all. Bex was always the life of the party. She was a social butterfly, but she had dreams of making it to Broadway. Adam was set to take over his dad's mechanic shop.

"The marriage had only lasted a year, before they pulled the plug. After the divorce, Bex started to go on more auditions, while she waitressed part time, and once a month she would sing at a lounge in Manhattan. Now when I say she could sing, I mean she could sing. I believe she really could have made it," her grandma reminisces.

"What happened?"

"Bill happened," her grandma said, handing Elizabeth a photo of a man who appeared to be in his late 40s early 50s.

"Who's he?"

"Bill Carter. The richest man I have ever met. His family had oil money. He and his colleagues were in attendance at the lounge on one of the night's Bex was singing.

"From what Bex told me it was love at first sight. After that night Bex couldn't talk about anything but Bill. They were both so smitten over each other. I don't think I've ever seen Rebekah act like that. She started to clean herself up a little bit, to try and appease his family. But Bill loved her just the way she was when he met her."

"They were engaged two months later. This was both of their second marriages. Bill's parents desperately wanted him to have a prenup, but he was completely against it. He said that unlike his first marriage he knew this was the one. Plus Rebekah didn't care about all of that. She had had many opportunities to make some heavy cash by being a few married men's mistress, but that's not what mattered to her."

Elizabeth glanced down at the photo. It was a photo of the bride and groom surrounded by their friends, all of them have drinks and cigars in their hands, with big smiles on their faces.

Rebekah's hair was a everywhere, doesn't look like she bothered to comb it for the big day. Bill's tie was undone, along with his shirt being halfway unbutton, no suit jacket in sight. Her lips were dark in the black and white photo, which meant she probably was wearing a darker lip, judging by the lipstick marks on Bill's lips, cheek, and neck.

"Was this at the end of the night?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, this was just after the ceremony," her grandmother smiled, "Bex and Bill started the party after they said I do."

"The limo we all rode in together were filled with laughs, drinks, and cigars," she laughed.

"You guys knew how to party," Elizabeth smiled at her grandmother.

"Hey it was the late 60's," she shrugged her shoulders, handing Elizabeth another photo from the wedding.

"This looks small," Elizabeth remarked.

"Yeah, Bill's parents decided they weren't going to pay for the wedding when Bill refused to have Rebekah sign a prenup," she said, "So Bill and Bex decided to have a small wedding. Free of judgment. Just those that loved and supported them."

"That's nice," Elizabeth smiled at the thought of a small intimate wedding.

Elizabeth had never really given much though of how her wedding would be. I mean she and Bucky used to talk about getting married, but that was it. No plans were every truly made. Elizabeth also never truly saw herself as a big ballgown type of gal.

All that had mattered was her and Bucky. Now that's no more.

She felt her eyes get a little teary, she cleared her throat.

"So where did they go to after?"

"Rhode Island."

"Rhode Island?" Elizabeth looked at her grandmother, "Why Rhode Island?"

"They took a trip out there when they were dating, and fell in love with it. Plus Bex has always wanted to live on the sea. She said it made her feel free."

"Did his parents ever accept their marriage?"

"Sadly no," her grandma said, "Especially not after Bill's doctor told him to settle down with the party."

"Did he get sick?"

"Yes, around year 7 of their marriage, his doctor told him if he continued down this path he wouldn't live a long life."

"What did he do?"

"Bill told him he'd rather live the rest of his short life filled with happiness then become a boring old man who lived forever."

"Did he die?"

"Yes he did. He lived another three years, he and Bex were able to spend their ten year anniversary before he passed a week later. The summer of 1979."

"A week later?" Elizabeth asked shocked.

"Yeah," her grandmother sadly remembers.

"Rebekah was never the same after that," her grandmother says, "She never fully recovered from Bill's death."

"Did they have any kids?"

"Not together. Bill had two kids from his first marriage, but the kids only cared about their inheritance, that they never got."

"What?"

"Turns out Bill had changed his will when the doctor had first told him to slow down. He left everything to Rebekah," her grandma says, "That did not help Rebekah after his death either,

"Rebekah wasn't a heartless person, she made sure his children were taken care of, she created a fund for both kids. She never wanted Bill to do that, she didn't even know until the will reading two days after his funeral. All Bex wanted was her Bill. She would've given up all that money just for him."

"That's so sad," Elizabeth commented.

"Very. Even though Bex acted like none of the rumors bothered her, it did. Because that town was painting her to be this horrible woman. Calling her the most shameless woman they had ever seen, saying she enjoyed ruining everything. So she gave them what they wanted. She gave them the most shameless woman they would ever see. From what I had heard the partying got worse. She had parties every day, the house was filled with people from the city. She even got in a feud with one of their neighbors and stole his dog and dyed it green."

"What do you mean 'from what you heard'?" Elizabeth asked confused.

"Well, Rebekah and I weren't close anymore. The last time I had seen Rebekah was the week of Bill's funeral. Before then we hadn’t seen each other in almost 8 years.”

"What happened?"

"Well after I graduated in 1970, your grandpa and I decided to get married and settle down in Brooklyn," her grandma said, handing her a photo of their wedding day, "We were done with the whole party scene. We were ready to begin our own lives. Grandpa and I had already had good jobs lined up. We were ready to be adults. We were ready to start our family.

“Rebekah never understood that. She claimed ‘kids ruined everything’. She and Bill were living this extraordinary life. Kids didn’t fit the picture.”

“What about his kids?”

“They’d visit once per season. Their mother didn’t think that lifestyle was for them, and Bill never fought it,” she told Elizabeth, “And after I had your Uncle Eric in 1972, Rebekah couldn’t put her own feelings for children aside. It put a strain on our friendship, causing me to realize that I couldn’t be her friend if she couldn’t support what made me happy.

“I had supported Rebekah in every aspect of her life. When she wanted to marry Adam right out of high school, I supported her, hell I drove them. When she wanted to divorce Adam, I was there to hold her while she grieved her first failed marriage. She wanted to become a Broadway star, I was right there cheering and supporting her. When she met Bill, and everyone was against their relationship, I was their only support. When they decided to get engaged and married only 5 months after meeting each other, I was there, every step of the way. Did I have time? No, I was busy with school, but I made time.

“I was there for everything. I supported her through everything. But when I was ready to begin my own life, Rebekah couldn’t be there,” her Grandma sighs, “It made me question everything about our friendship.”

“It wasn’t until Bill’s funeral that I fully realized, she was just scared of being alone,” she says, “His funeral was filled with people. But not one of them was there for her.”

“How sad.”

“Rebekah and I finally talked that night,” her grandma says, “She told me all about the nonstop adventures she and Bill had.”

“Did you guys makeup?”

“Yes and no,” she says, “Rebekah was still against kids. She apologized for what she had said, but at that point I had already had three kids. We knew that our friendship would never be the same. We knew that the only way we could be in each other’s lives was if we kept our distance. If any one of us needed each other we knew we could call. But sometimes people come into your life only to be a small part of it. They don’t stay forever, but they make an everlasting impact.”

“Do you know what ended up happening to her?”

“She died, 9 years after Bill’s death. She was only 40 years-old,” she tells Elizabeth with a glimmer in her eye, “She died alone. While on vacation in Italy.”

“I’m sorry Grandma,” Elizabeth sympathetically says, she places her hand softly on top of her grandmother’s.

“It’s okay sweetie, time has come and gone. We all have to go through it someday.”

“What happened to that big house of her’s?”

“It’s still there. It never sold.”

“Why?”

“People claim it’s cursed,” she says, “so now it sits empty on that hill in Rhode Island.”

“They claim a crazy woman lived there, that anyone that were to live there would end up in the same fate as she,” her grandma says, “She wasn’t crazy. She was heartbroken. That whole town exiled her. Blamed her for everything. Made her out to be someone she wasn’t.”

“I get the feeling,” Elizabeth mumbled, looking down at her hands.

“She wasn’t crazy. She was a woman who lost the love of her life. She traveled the world to find anything to fill that void in her heart, and she never did. So she made sure to give that town everything she had.

“She was a very scorn woman. Filled with hatred, and anger to those that did her wrong,” her grandma says, clutching Elizabeth’s hands, forcing her to look into her eyes, “I don’t want you becoming like that Elizabeth.”

“I know whatever is going on in school, is not the easiest. But please, don’t let your heart be filled with so much hatred. I don’t want you becoming like Rebekah. She never learned to forgive.”

“It’s hard to forgive,” Elizabeth sniffled.

“I know, but it’s even harder to carry around so much darkness in your life,” she explains, “You should be able to go to college with nothing weighing you down. Not having anything negative reminding you of back home. You shouldn’t dread going back home, you should be filled with joy. Don’t exile those around you, just because they haven’t figured out that part of their lives.”

“Don’t let these last few moments of your high school life be filled with what those kids are saying,” she squeezes Elizabeth’s hands, “You know who you are. Those closest to you truly know who you are. We love you and support you. And are so incredibly proud of the woman you have become.”

“So please find it in yourself to forgive,” her grandma pleads.

“It’s hard being the bigger person,” Elizabeth sniffles again, silent tears streaming down her face, “they hurt me so much.”

“I know sweetie,” she pulls Elizabeth into her arms, “But let them regret what they have done. Don’t let them win by seeing you become this mad woman. Let them look back in their life, regretting the way they treated you.”

————————

Once Elizabeth went back home, the weekend before she was due to return to school from winter break. She had a lot to think about.

Does she listen to her grandma and forgive everyone for everything they’ve done. Or does she continue down the path she started on months ago.

She had to admit to herself, the path she was on was lonely. She didn’t like it one bit. She didn’t like what they made her become.

She decided to take her grandma’s words, and promised that once she returned to school on Monday, she would go back to being who she was. Not entirely, but at least not filled with so much hatred. She had to move on. For her own soul.

The first step, forgiving Bucky.

She knew that that was the only way to start. She wasn’t ready to talk to him in person, she’s not sure if she ever will be. So she sat at her desk and wrote him a letter:

Dear James,

(Yes, I called you James). I don’t know how to begin this. My grandmother told me I should forgive those that hurt me. You know my grandma, filled with nothing but wisdom. She told me a story about a friend she had, one that let the rumors consume her with hatred. She died alone.

I don’t want to be that person.

I know you don’t believe me to be that person, even after the things I’ve said to you.

But, I do feel myself becoming that person. Hating everyone around me, aside from my own family. (They still have no idea what’s going on with me)

So my first step in letting go, is forgiving you.

Letting all the pain and hate you’ve caused on me go...

I forgive you James.

I forgive you for everything you’ve done.

I don’t think I’ll fully understand why you cheated on me.

I know that’s not who you truly are. So I hope, that whatever you’re going through you come out on the other side.

This is harder than I thought it would be...

I loved you so much. I really thought we would end up together. Maybe that was just a childish thought.

Does anyone even make it out alive with their high school sweetheart?

But I want to thank you. For being my first love.

We were best friends to begin with, so falling in love with you was the easiest thing I’ve ever done.

Being in love with you was the easiest thing I’ve done.

It was just so effortless. And now I’m starting to wonder if that’s not how love is supposed to be...

But thank-you, for loving me the best that you could. You might not think it was the best, but it was.

You’re a part of my life forever. Even if you’re not physically a part of it.

You, James Buchanan Barnes, have left a forever imprint in my life.

So for that I want to thank you and forgive you.

I will always remember you as the 7 year-old boy who taught me how to ride my bike.

-Elizabeth “Betty” Sanchez.

Elizabeth walked across the street and placed the sealed letter in the Barnes’ mailbox.

As she walked back to her house, she felt this heavy weight lifted off her shoulder.

Come that Monday morning she was going to accept, Principal Alvarez’s valedictorian offer. She was also going to talk to the student council and see if there was anyway for her to rejoin student body. She was also going to apologize to Steve. He was just an innocent bystander that got caught in the crossfire. She couldn’t blame him for standing by his best friend’s side.

Monday, her life will officially be going down a different path. One filled with less hatred, and more understanding and forgiveness.

————————-

Age: 35

Year: 2029

Location: Rhode Island

“We haven’t had any interested buyers in decades,” the relator tells the happy couple, “Because of that, the house is basically a steal. The family that owns it just wants it out of their possession.”

“Now, it is a bit of a fixer upper, since no one has lived here since the late 80s. But that shouldn’t be any issue for you since you’re married to the youngest recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize.”

The couple shares a brief smile with each other.

“But if I might ask, no one has every showed interest in this house, especially not a young family like yours. Why do you want to buy this house?”

“I think this house has been empty long enough. It’s time someone filled this house with lots of love and happiness. Like before,” Elizabeth smiled, small crows feet forming around her eyes.

“Well what better way then a family like yours,” the relator smiled, “There’s plenty of space for lots of kids.”

“This one is out last,” Steve smiled, putting his arm around Elizabeth, placing his hand on her growing belly.

“Three is enough for us,” She playfully poked Steve’s side.

They followed the relator to the back where two young children are running around playing.

“So what do you think?” Elizabeth whispered to Steve, looking up into his eyes.

“It’s definitely a fixer upper, but I love it,” he smiles, “Like I said before, wherever you go. I’m there.”

Elizabeth presses a soft kiss to Steve’s lips.

“Diane,” she calls out to the older relator who is running around with mini-me’s of Elizabeth and Steve.

“We’ll take it,” she smiles broadly.

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