#《 like from 5:00 this afternoon to 1:00 in the morning 》

[ilovespec]

A loving but dangerous winter ~

Y/N: your name

Y/L: your last name

|Yandere! Fem Serial killer × shy reader| part 1

warnings (although who has ever paid attention to them) : age difference , size difference , theft of things , illegal entry (into an apartment) , GL , light or not obsession.

4938 words.

Y/N Y/L this is an ordinary average girl, plain appearance, neither short nor tall, quiet character and no differences from all other girls on this globe. She works (barely making ends meet) and lives in a rented apartment. Every day is the same , getting up early at 5:00 in the morning , brushing teeth , showering , a meager breakfast and sometimes its absence, putting on clothes, taking the subway to the coffee shop where she worked, a long day at work and finally, the way home, a short sleep and everything is like new ....

. ｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆

But everything changed a little bit, as she thought, when she came to the coffee shop where she worked.... Slim.. No, even masculine muscular, unusually tall for a woman.... She had white hair with a black tips , blue eyes, beautifully serious facial features, and slightly pale, not tanned skin...She is wearing a grey turtleneck and black trousers.. They look quite expensive. It can be seen that they are made to order..

｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆

Y/N blushed slightly when a beautiful stranger came up to the checkout, but she's just a customer.... Maybe she won't even remember it, and won't come here next time.. yeah...? How wrong she is.

Beautiful stranger: Good afternoon, please give me a ristretto.

She has such an unusual accent! Russian or something... It makes her even more beautiful, and the ristretto.. This is a very strong coffee! Well, okay, a client is a client....

Y/N: Y-yes...how do I sign your cup, Miss..?

Beautiful stranger: Agafya, my name is Agafya. Дорогая.

DAMN, WHY DO I STUTTER EVEN WHEN I'M NOT LOOKING AT HER?!??! And what did she call me...? I do not understand what this word means, but I hope that it was not liberating..

Y/N prepared a ristretto, and brought it to Agafya's table

Agafya: Thank you very much.

Agafia finishes her ristretto without even wincing and pays for the coffee, leaving a BIG tip and leaves with a barely noticeable grin

｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆

Y/N finished her shift and went to the subway but... When she ran to his station, it drove away right in front of her nose. She missed the subway and she would had to call an "Uber"... To do this, she went outside, taking out her phone on the go, and abruptly! She heard a couple of horns from the side of the road next to her , she turned around uncertainly , and found a DAMN MERCEDES THERE IN WHICH AGAFYA WAS SITTING !!

Agafya: Good night, can I take you home?

After a little hesitation, she nodded slightly, and hesitantly got into an expensive car. And she immediately started moving...

｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆

The girls were silent all the way, and I was able to see Agafya... She was beautiful... And she's definitely 8-9 years older than her. Perfect face, without a single flaw and Russian facial features...White hair , with black tips on each strand, that was perfectly styled... A grey turtleneck and black trousers without a single crease.. Everything about her was perfect , it was strange that she was interested in such an ordinary girl like Y/N...

｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆

When they arrived at her house, T/I quietly thanked the kind new acquaintance, and went to her apartment, wishing her a good night in advance.

Agafya: Good night to you too, and don't thank me. Кролик.

She said another word again , in Russian ... And I hoped with all my heart that it wasn't offensive. And because of her fatigue, she did not have an idea why Agafya knew her exact address.

｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆

The whole next week was, to put it mildly.... Amazing. There were fewer and fewer rude customers every day.. The boss started paying his salary more often... And even her previously noisy colleagues have become much quieter! What surprised and pleased her ! But the gifts and notes were even more surprising and frightening.... IN HER FUCKING APARTMENT !!!! Every morning when she woke up, she found a bouquet of flowers (your favorite color) on a random surface of her house (different every day), and romantic notes written in calligraphically precise handwriting... And the same thing happened late at night when she was returning home from work. And that scared and confused her even more... She began to lose her underwear , a pair of lipsticks , and even her and even her T-shirt was missing ! It was still flowers..

｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆

Today was an ordinary day, and today there were not even flowers and notes in her apartment, and even her things stopped disappearing! She was already overjoyed, and as usual, she entered the coffee shop where she worked... Her love.. Agafya, and already out of habit. Even when Agafya had just started to go to the checkout, she had already started preparing the ristretto. Agafya chuckled softly

Agafya: Yes, you already know me like a flake.

Y/N: Y-yes..... How can I not know my regular customer? Haha.. haaa....

Agafya: By the way, Y/N... Are you free after work today? I want to ask you out on a date.

WHAAAAAAAAT !!???! Y/N couldn't believe her ears, and blushing , and she stared at Agafya like a deer in the headlights

Y/N: What...? Uh... A date...? I think so... I'm free after work... me... I'm always free! Ha.. Haha...

Her head is in a complete mess, on the one hand she was over the moon with happiness, and on the other, why was it so straightforward, and so unexpected....

To be continued ;)

please write reviews about the first chapter of this "story" in the comments, please 😅 This is only the second time I've posted anything like this ...

translations:

Дорогая : darling

Кролик : rabbit

[apothecaryscript]

Japanese words about "time"

< second : 秒（びょう/byo) >

one second : 一秒（いちびょう/ichi-byo)　→More!

for one second : 一秒間（いちびょうかん/ichi-byo-kan)

several seconds : 数秒（すうびょう/su-byo)

5 meters per second : 秒速５メートル(びょうそく5メートル/byo-soku go-mētoru)

< minute : 分（ふん/fun) >

one minute : 一分（いっぷん/ippun)　→More!

several minutes : 数分（すうふん/su-fun)

for one minute : 一分間（いっぷんかん/ippun-kan)

Wait a minute. : ちょっと待って（ちょっとまって/Chotto matte.)

*Because Japanese people are very punctual, if you say "Wait 'a minute:ippun'", maybe we think you'll really come back within 2 minutes. So it's better to say "ちょっと(chotto)：a little”.

< hour : 時間（じかん/jikan) >

for one hour : 一時間（いちじかん/ichi-jikan) →More!

several hours : 数時間（すうじかん/su-jikan)

How many hours does it take from Tokyo to Osaka by Shinkansen？；

東京から大阪まで新幹線で何時間かかりますか？

とうきょうから おおさかまで しんかんせんで なんじかん かかりますか？

Tokyo-kara Osaka-made Shinkansende nan-jikan kakari-masuka?

It takes 2 and a half to 3 hours: 2時間半から3時間かかります（にじかんはんからさんじかんかかります/Ni-jikan-han-kara san-jikan kakari-masu.)

< time : 時刻（じこく/jikoku) >

one o'clock : 一時（いちじ/ichi-ji)

two o'clock : 二時（にじ/ni-ji)

three o'clock : 三時（さんじ/san-ji)

four o'clock : 四時（よじ/yo-ji) 　×よんじ

five o'clock : 五時（ごじ/go-ji)

six o'clock :六時（ろくじ/roku-ji)

seven o'clock : 七時（しちじ/shiji-ji or ななじ/nana-ji)

eight o'clock : 八時（はちじ/hachi-ji)

nine o'clock : 九時（くじ/ku-ji) 　×きゅうじ

ten o'clock : 十時（じゅうじ/ju-ji)

eleven o'clock : 十一時（じゅういちじ/ju-ichi-ji)

twelve o'clock : 十二時（じゅうにじ/ju-ni-ji)

a.m. : 午前（ごぜん/gozen)

p.m. : 午後（ごご/gogo)

morning : 朝（あさ/asa)

noon : 正午（しょうご/shogo) 、昼の１２時(ひるのじゅうにじ/hiruno ju-ni-ji)

*We say "昼（ひる/hiru)" for around noon - afternoon.

evening : 夕方(ゆうがた/yugata)

*It depens on the person, but I mean around 16:00 - 18:59 by 夕方（ゆうがた/yugata).

night : 夜（よる/yoru)

*It depends on the person, but I mean after 19:00 by 夜(よる/yoru).

What time is it now? : 今は何時ですか？(いまはなんじですか？/Imawa nanji desuka?)

It's 9:30 at night. : 夜の9時半です(よるのくじはんです/Yoruno kuji-han desu.)

It's 7:45 in the morning. : 朝の７時45分です（あさのしちじよんじゅうごふんです/Asano shichi-ji yonju-go-fun desu.)

*We usually say "shichi-ji" for 7:00 and say "nana-ji" only when we want to emphasize that it's 7:00 and not 1:00.

< day : 日（にち/nichi) >

one day : 一日（いちにち/ichi-nichi)　→ More！

half day : 半日（はんにち/han-nichi)

everyday : 毎日（まいにち/mai-nichi)

today : 今日（きょう/kyo) or 本日（ほんじつ/hon-jitsu)

tomorrow : 明日（あした/ashita or あす/asu)

the day after tomorrow : 明後日（あさって/asatte or みょうごにち/myo-go-nichi)

two days after tomorrow : 明明後日(しあさって/shiasatte or みょうみょうごにち/myo-myo-gonichi)

yesterday : 昨日（きのう/kino or さくじつ/saku-jitsu)

the day before yesterday : 一昨日（おととい/ototoi or いっさくじつ/issaku-jitsu)

two days before yesterday : 一昨昨日（さきおととい/saki-ototoi or いっさくさくじつ/issaku-saku-jitsu)

three days later : 三日後（みっかご/mikka-go)

five days before : 五日前（いつかまえ/itsuka-mae)

< date : 日付（ひづけ/hizuke) >

1st day of each month : 一日（ついたち/tsuitachi)　→More!

January 1st : 一月一日（いちがつついたち/Ichi-gatsu tsuitachi)

What is the date today? : 今日は何月何日ですか？（きょうはなんがつなんにちですか？/Kyowa nan-gatsu nan-nichi desuka?)

＊You can ask just ”今日は何日ですか？（きょうはなんにちですか？/Kyowa nan-nichi desuka?)" if you don't need month.

*You can ask "今日は何年何月何日ですか？（きょうはなんねんなんがつなんにちですか？/Kyowa nan-nen nan-gatsu nan-nichi desuka?)" if you need year, too.

When is your birthday? : あなたの誕生日はいつですか？（あなたのたんじょうびは、いつですか？/Anatano tanjobiwa itsu desuka?)

It's December 30th. : 12月30日です（じゅうにがつさんじゅうにちです/Ju-ni-gatsu san-ju-nichi desu.)

< week : 週（しゅう/shu) >

one week : 一週間（いっしゅうかん/isshukan)　→More!

every week : 毎週（まいしゅう/mai-shu)

every two weeks : 隔週（かくしゅう/kaku-shu)

this week : 今週（こんしゅう/kon-shu)

next week : 来週（らいしゅう/rai-shu)

the week after next : 再来週（さらいしゅう/sa-raishu)

last week : 先週（せんしゅう/sen-shu)

the week before last : 先々週（せん��んしゅう/sen-sen-shu)

the 2nd week of next month : 来月の第二週（らいげつのだいにしゅう/rai-getsuno dai-ni-shu)

< day of the week : 曜日（ようび/yobi) >

Please remember kanji "月火水木金土日” and the pronunciation "Getsu-Ka-Sui-Moku-Kin-Do-Nichi" in the right order. "ようび(Yobi)" is also said as just "よう(yo)", like "げつよう(Getsu-yo)", and we often even omit ようび(yobi) when we talk, like "土日(Do-Nichi):weekend" or "月水金(Getsu-Sui-Kin or Gessuikin):Mon, Wed, Fri".

Monday : 月曜日（げつようび/Getsu-yobi)

Tuesday : 火曜日（かようび/Ka-yobi)

Wednesday : 水曜日（すいようび/Sui-yobi)

Thursday : 木曜日（もくようび/Moku-yobi)

Friday : 金曜日（きんようび/Kin-yobi)

Saturday : 土曜日（どようび/Do-yobi)

Sunday : 日曜日（にちようび/Nichi-yobi)

Weekday : 平日（へいじつ/hei-jitsu)

Weekend : 週末（しゅうまつ/Shu-matsu)

What day is today? : 今日は何曜日ですか？（きょうはなんようびですか？/Kyowa nan-yobi desuka?)

Tomorrow is Sunday so I have the day off: 明日は日曜日だから、私は休みです（あしたはにちようびだから、わたしはやすみです/Ashitawa Nichi-yobi dakara, watashiwa yasumi desu.)

< month : 月（つき/tsuki) >

one month : 一か月（いっかげつ/ikkagetsu）or ひと月(hito-tsuki)

two months : 二か月（にかげつ/ni-kagetsu) or ふた月(futa-tsuki)

three months : 三か月（さんかげつ/san-kagetsu) or み月(mi-tsuki)

Beyond that, we usually use ”かげつ(kagetsu)" and hardly use "つき(tsuki)" which is the old way of counting.

→More!

January : 一月（いちがつ/Ichi-gatsu)

February : 二月（にがつ/Ni-gatsu)

March : 三月（さんがつ/San-gatsu)

April : 四月（しがつ/Shi-gatsu)

May : 五月（ごがつ/Go-gatsu)

June : 六月（ろくがつ/Roku-gatsu)

July : 七月（しちがつ/Shichi-gatsu or なながつ/Nana-gatsu)

*We usually say "shichi-gatsu" for July and say "nana-gatsu" only when we want to emphasize that it's July and not January(Ichi-gatsu).

August : 八月（はちがつ/Hachi-gatsu)

September : 九月（くがつ/Ku-gatsu)

October : 十月（じゅうがつ/Ju-gatsu)

November : 十一月（じゅういちがつ/Ju-ichi-gatsu)

December : 十二月（じゅうにがつ/Ju-ni-gatsu)

< year : 年（ねん/nen) >

one year : 一年（いちねん/ichi-nen) 　→More!

for one year : 一年間（いちねんかん/ichi-nen-kan)

half a year : 半年（はんとし/han-toshi)

every year : 毎年（まいとし/mai-toshi)

this year : 今年（ことし/kotoshi)、本年（ほんねん/hon-nen)

next year : 来年（らいねん/rai-nen)

the year after next : 再来年(さらいねん/sa-rainen)

last year : 去年（きょねん/kyonen) or 昨年（さくねん/saku-nen)

the year before last : 一昨年（おととし/ototoshi or いっさくねん/issakunen)

*When you say きょねん/kyonen, don't say きょ��ねん/kyo-nen although it looks almost same in romaji, because we have the word kyounen（享年/きょうねん）which means the age when the person died.

in 2024 : 2024年に（にせんにじゅうよねんに/nisen-niju-yo-nen-ni)

[vannilac0ke]

How to study like Rory Gilmore

Have you seen Rory Gilmore from "Gilmore Girls"? She's, like, this super smart and book-loving girl, and I'm totally obsessed with her study vibes! If you wanna study like Rory, here's what you can do

Create a Structured Study Schedule

 Rory was known for her disciplined study routine. Set aside specific times each day for studying, and stick to a consistent schedule. This helps create a sense of routine and makes it easier to manage your time effectively. So something like every single day after school you study. Or every other day. Some examples 

      Weekdays:

Morning (8:30 AM - 12:00 PM): Attend classes and take thorough notes during lectures.

Afternoon (1:30 PM - 4:00 PM): Focus on reading assignments, research, and note-taking.

Late Afternoon (4:30 PM - 6:00 PM): Review class notes, clarify doubts, and work on assignments.

      Evenings:

Early Evening (6:30 PM - 7:30 PM): Dinner and casual downtime to relax.

Evening (8:00 PM - 10:00 PM): Engage in focused reading, exploring new books, and taking detailed notes.

Late Evening (10:30 PM - 11:30 PM): Wrap up the day with a review of the day's accomplishments, plan for the next day's tasks, and unwind with light reading or leisure activities.

      Weekends:

Saturday (9:00 AM - 1:00 PM): Use the morning for in-depth reading of complex subjects, working on long-term projects, or catching up on any missed assignments.

Saturday Afternoon (1:30 PM - 3:30 PM): Take a break for a leisurely lunch and engage in a social activity or hobby.

Saturday (4:00 PM - 7:00 PM): Explore different genres of literature, research topics of personal interest, or engage in discussions with friends and family.

Sunday (10:00 AM - 1:00 PM): Attend a study group or engage in academic discussions with peers to exchange ideas and perspectives.

Sunday Afternoon (1:30 PM - 4:30 PM): Visit a library or bookstore to discover new books, gather resources, and continue reading.

Sunday Evening (5:00 PM - 7:00 PM): Reflect on the past week's progress, review notes, and plan for the upcoming week.

Remember, you should tailor your own study routine to your personal preferences and what's the most comfortable for you.

Minimize distractions:

Find a quiet and clean space where you can concentrate on your work without interruptions. OK, first things first, let's tackle that phone situation. Put it on silent mode, flip it face down, or even, like, put it in another room. Trust me, Instagram can wait. After that, find a spot that's cozy but not too comfy. You wanna be focused, not napping. Clear your desk or table of anything that's not study-related so you won't hyper- fixate on those things. Try playing music, but make sure it's not, like, super distracting. And if you catch yourself dancing, maybe it's time for a new playlist. Also Have some snacks and water ready, so you don't have to get up every five minutes. But, stay away from messy stuff that'll ruin your notes. Make sure to break it up. Set a timer for your desired amount of time  of focused study Then take a short break and get back to it. Get cute and organized stationary

Organized Stationary

Rory's organized approach to her studies is evident in her well-kept notebooks and study materials. Use binders, folders, or digital tools to keep your study materials organized and easily accessible. Having cute stationary ask increases your likelihood to study since it aesthetically pleasing to look at and enhances creativity. You can also add personalization which is always fun.You cant get cute stationary at stores like MUJI, Paper Source, Stationary Pal, Society6, Kikki.K and from retail stores like Aliexpress, Etsy and Temu.  And Finally Review Regularly.  Periodically review your notes and materials to reinforce your understanding. This spaced repetition technique can enhance your long-term retention of information.

[phoenix-downer]

I Really Could Stay Chapter 3

I Really Could Stay: ~1150 words. Sora and Riku's mission drags out, and Sora is exhausted and lets his guard down.

Story Info: Sora/Kairi. Set Post-Canon. Alternating POVs. Established Relationship. Light Angst, Romance, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Hurt/Comfort, Healing, Christmas.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Why did Radiant Garden have to have so many dang Heartless?

“Enough!” Sora shouted as he tore through another wave of them on the old castle grounds. The longer this went on, the longer it would take to get home to Kairi, and his anger over that was fueling his fighting.

“Sora, watch the rage.” Riku signaled to him to move into a different formation that would allow them to shield each other’s backs as they attacked.

Sora glimpsed black smoke wafting off his arm and sighed. Using his rage to help him fight was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it made him unstoppable. On the other hand, his control was reduced and he couldn’t heal himself.

He moved into position, and he and Riku successfully executed a rapid-fire joint attack with their Keyblades that wiped out the remaining Heartless with a flurry of alternating light and darkness beams. They took a few moments to ensure their victory was complete, then let their Keyblades disappear.

Sora’s breathing was heavy, and he forced himself to take deep breaths to calm down. His face and hair were drenched in sweat, and when he checked the time on his Gummiphone, he swore.

“It’s 5:00 already?” Where had the time gone? The sky here was never a good indicator because it had two shades: violet and pitch black. He and Riku had been fighting since late yesterday afternoon with only a few breaks for eating and sleeping here and there. He’d probably only gotten about three hours of sleep total since yesterday morning, and once the adrenaline wore off, he knew he was gonna crash and crash hard.

“There were more Heartless than we expected,” Riku pointed out.

“Why couldn’t the Restoration Committee handle this?” Sora growled, searching the empty gardens as if that would help.

“Their defense system is down.”

“It’s not like they can’t fight.” Sora kicked a nearby turret. Wrong move. The Restoration Committee still had some restoring to do, clearly, because the turret crumbled further, dropping loose pebbles on Sora’s head. He sighed and plopped on the ground, running a hand through his damp, dusty hair. Until the defense system was back online, they couldn’t leave.

“They can,” Riku said, infuriatingly calmly, “but our Keyblades are more effective.”

“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Sora muttered. He pulled out his water bottle and took a swig. Why did Riku have to be so dang reasonable? Sora knew Riku was just as frustrated and drained as he was. He was just better at controlling his emotions. It drove Sora nuts sometimes.

“You’re welcome, Lieutenant Sarcasm,” Riku snarked back, an eyebrow raised. They took a few moments to recover from this latest fight, and Sora could already feel the weariness start to settle deep in his muscles.

“We can’t keep doing this forever,” he said, resting his head against the turret. “Our bodies will wear out eventually.”

He was already constantly exhausted at nineteen. He was in good health now, yeah, but what happened if an injury never healed right or he got seriously hurt or crippled? Then what? There had already been a few close calls, and it wasn’t like Keyblade wielders were exempt from injuries. Eraqus had been a Keyblade master, and he’d still gotten scarred by the darkness.

And Sora, well, he’d already died once. Twice if you counted the whole turning-into-a-Heartless stuff as a form of death. What other torments would his body go through before he couldn’t take it anymore?

“I know we can’t,” Riku said, leaning against the turret. “I guess at that point we’ll have to start training someone else to take over.”

“Who, our future kids? I don’t want to sign them up for a life of this.”

“Me either,” Riku admitted in a rare moment of unveiled honesty.

There were a lot of amazing things about being a Keyblade wielder, but after five years of this, Sora was getting burnt out. He was always on the go, always traveling, always fighting, never able to fully relax. It was worth it helping other people and working with his friends, but he desperately needed a vacation. With Kairi, uninterrupted, for an entire month. At least.

Maybe Master Yen Sid would have mercy if they did get married. Surely the guy would let them have a break for their honeymoon, right?

And there was no denying that their childhoods had ended the moment the Heartless had arrived on Destiny Islands. Sora didn’t want that for any kids he might have. He was this strange, messed up combo of way too mature for his age in some respects and emotionally stunted in others. Today’s outbursts were proof of that.

“Riku, I’m a mess,” he mumbled, covering his hand with his eyes. People made excuses for him now, but what about ten years from now? Twenty? He’d have no excuse for being emotionally stunted then. He wanted to get this under control before it was too late.

“Given the circumstances, I think it’s understandable.”

“I meant in general.”

Riku gave him a meaningful look. “I know.”

Sora sighed again, this time from the bottom of his heart. “I just want to be with her. Just for a month, uninterrupted. That’s all I ask. No, not even that. I just want to be with her for one day. One single day. But it’s already Christmas Eve, and here I am, fighting Heartless again instead of spending time with her—”

“That’s not your fault,” Riku replied, echoing Kairi’s text from earlier.

“Isn’t it? I could’ve said no.”

“You care about helping people too much for that.”

“That’s what Kairi said.”

“Well, we are the people who know you best.”

“My mom would disagree with you there.”

That got a chuckle out of Riku. “Okay, along with your mom, we’re the people who know you best.”

“Do you really think we should get married?” he asked. Riku’s words from earlier had stuck with him. What was stopping him? In some ways, marriage seemed a lot less serious than sharing the paopu fruit. The former was “till death do us part,” the latter was an eternal commitment, and they’d already done the latter.

“Yes,” Riku replied, “but I think you’re going to need to have some long, honest conversations with her before you do. Just so you’re on the same page about stuff.”

Sora smiled. “You know what? I think I—”

Riku hissed and whirled around, his Keyblade appearing in his hand.

Sora sprung to his feet, likewise summoning his Keyblade. “Another wave of them? Where did it even come from?”

Didn’t matter. Everything else melted away. All that mattered right here, right now, was winning this battle and eliminating the dozens of Heartless swarming around them.

Still, Kairi’s face flickered in and out of his mind as he fought. If only—

A Heartless sprung on him from behind, its claws tearing into his back, and it all went black.

[marzmeltdown]

Familiar Taste of Poison - PT 2

⌦ Pairing: Wonwoo x Reader ⌦ Genre(s): series,, angst,, fluff ⌦ chapter specific genre: fluff,, angst ⌦ Warning(s): !!TW:Drug Use, Alcohol Abuse, mentions of depression!!, reader kinda uses Wonwoo, a lot of this will be in multiple pov's(I will clarify when it changes pov's), some mention of being sick, swearing, ⌦ Word count: 1.39k ⌦ Summary: You and Wonwoo have been friends since childhood, though you're both a little estranged from one another, the only contact being when you call Wonwoo for help. ⌦ A/N: If there's anything you feel I should improve on in the future, don't hesitate to let me know! You can find progress updates on this story and everything else I write in my pinned post every Wednesday.:) ⌦ I have attached a link to a website with help hotlines around the world, this series has heavy themes of mental health and substance abuse. This link will be added to every chapter.⌦ International Mental Health hotlines ⌦ Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6

⌦ (Wonwoo's POV) Wonwoo hadn't heard from you for a few days after you had called him for help, and to be honest, he wasn't too upset about it. Not that he didn't enjoy your company, or your friendship for that matter, but because he'd finally accepted his worth when it came to your relationship. So to say he was surprised to hear from you on a Wednesday afternoon before 5:00 p.m. was nothing short of an understatement.

Wonwoo glanced down at his phone when it began to ring, seeing the caller ID of the two of you in some goofy pose with your name at the top being displayed on the screen. He paused the video game he was playing and answered the phone, leaning back in his gaming chair, preparing himself to have to roleplay as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

"Hey, y/n, what's up?" He asked, pushing his keyboard farther up the desk so he could play with the corners of the mouse pad he used to decorate his desk.

"Hey, Wonwoo, are you busy?" You asked. It was odd that Wonwoo's packed schedule had suddenly become a cause for concern, but for once he was free. Wonwoo had to move the phone from his ear to double check who had called him, and just as he suspected, the caller ID was his childhood nickname for you.

"Uh, I'm just playing a video game at the moment; why?" He asked once he had placed the phone back to his ear. His heart began pounding like a drum as his mind began to wander to the multiple scenarios that you could have found yourself in. Most, if not all of them, were related to being cross-faded and stranded at some party in the early hours of the morning. At one point, he almost asked you to move in with him because he had picked you up so much.

"My parents have pissed me off, and I just need to get my mind off things." You sighed, and he chewed on his bottom lip as he thought, should he get involved this time? Or should he let you fall on your face? Who was he kidding? He was always going to be your knight in shining armor.

"Okay, I can be there in like 30 minutes," he said, knowing he would be getting an earful from you about how your parents don't know what you're talking about and that it's 'not alcoholism until you graduate college.' Which is probably the most confusing thing Wonwoo has ever had the displeasure of hearing; obviously, you as well as everyone else knew that wasn't how that worked. But he wasn't there to be your therapist; his job was to be the shoulder you cry on regardless of the time of day, or night, rather.

"Awesome, I'll be in the backyard when you get here. If I have to hear my dad compare my lifestyle to one of his patients one more time, I think I might combust," you said, the sound of a sliding glass door opening and shutting following shortly behind your voice.

"I don't think you'll combust," Wonwoo laughed, turning off his PC as he got around to leave.

"I just might," you joked, making an explosion noise with your mouth to emphasize your point, to which Wonwoo replied with another laugh.

"Whatever, I'll be there soon," Wonwoo said before hanging up the phone.

⌦ (Reader's POV) Waiting for your best friend to show up had to be the longest 30 minutes of your life. You had decided to occupy yourself by pulling pieces off gras out of the ground only to toss them right next to where they had once lived unprovoked. It was barely 5:00 pm and you were already buzzed, if you had to be honest, there almost never was a time where you were sober.

That was a thought you pushed out of your head as soon as you heard your mother's screaming voice announcing Wonwoo's presence. You snapped your head up from the patch of grass you were ruthlessly attacking and to your childhood best friend, he smiled softly and sat next to you.

"Are you okay?" Wonwoo whispered, knowing your mother was only an ear shot away. She had always been within earshot of the two of you from the day you two met in the fifth grade and he had come over for your eleventh birthday party.

"I'll be better when we get out of here," you whispered back, wiping any stray pieces of grass and dirt from your hands as you stood and doing the same to the back of your pants. Judging by your glossed-over eyes, uneven balance, and slurred words, Wonwoo could tell that your parents concerns were valid.

"Alright, do you have any places in mind?" Wonwoo asked, following your actions. You didn't have any plans in mind; you almost never did. Everything you did was spontaneous, which is part of the reason why you had only one reliable friend. If you could call him a friend, for that matter.

You weren't sure why Wonwoo had insisted on holding your elbow as he walked you to your car, you were perfectly fine to your knowledge at least.

"We should get ice cream and then go back to your house," you suggested after Wonwoo had started driving.

Wonwoo didn't say anything as he drove to a small ice cream parlor in town. The parlor had been open since you two were knee-high to a grasshopper. Your order had been the same since you were five: a small twist with a cone in a cup and sprinkles. Wonwoo always gave you a funny look when you ordered such a childish form of the desert, but you'd rather order what you enjoy than a plain chocolate shake.

You were on ice cream-holding duty, following Wonwoo to a picnic table that sat under an old oak tree.

"So, are you going to tell me why your parents made you upset, or am I supposed to guess?" Wonwoo asked as soon as the both of you sat down. You looked at him for a moment, almost taken aback by his bluntness. He sipped on his milkshake for a moment, awaiting your answer.

"Uh, my parents' are concerned about how much I party." You said it softly, looking down at your rainbow-sprinkled ice cream and moving the spoon around to mix the sprinkles in with the ice cream.

"And?" He asked again.

"I told them I didn't need to go; I don't have a problem," you said, looking up from your ice cream and back to your best friend. "Do you think I have a problem?"

"When has my opinion ever mattered?" He asked, and his words felt sharp against your chest. You'd grown used to having friends that encouraged your destructive behavior, so the honesty was a shock of reality.

"What's that mean?" You asked, and your body started to tremble with irritation.

"I'm just saying, ever since we decided to go to separate colleges, my opinion holds no value to you anymore," he shrugged, poking his straw around the inside of his cup in order to loosen up some of the ice cream that was still too thick to flow through the straw easily.

"I care about your opinion!" You said you were offended that he thought that. Why would he think that? His opinion has always meant so much to you.

"When it's what you want to hear," he said, his voice still so calm, which only irritated you more. How could he be so calm in this situation?

You decided you had enough of Wonwoo's third degree, furiously standing up to storm off. You'd gotten halfway to the parking lot before stalking your angry self back to the picnic table. You snatched the ice cream cup from the table and turned around without a word, continuing your journey to, well, wherever you ended up.

You grabbed your phone from your back pocket, opening the messaging app and then the group chat you had with some college friends. You already had a message from them.

⌦ Yejun: Wanna go out tonight? (read 4:29 pm)

⌦ You: Yea, we can get ready at my place (read 4:30 pm)

⌦ Yujin: Great, we'll meet you there. (read 4:32 pm)

[bywons]

hii can i know your daily routine from morning to night. i also want to know how you manage writing and how you manage your tumblr. i want to know what major you study. i want to know because i am new to tumblr and managing time is hard for me. if you feel this ask uncomfy, you can ignore me.

afraid you asked the wrong person for this cuz my daily ( mostly evening & night ) routine is VERY different from each other throughout the whole week because of my tuition classes/study schedule TT but no probs, i'll try to give u my routine in the best way possible ^^

𖹭 MY DAILY ROUTINE

MORNING & AFTERNOON （≧∇≦）

6:00 — 6:30 am : wake up time boooo. although this time varies during exam season or when i pull an all nighter/ sleep late cuz i was watching a series, this is the usual time i wake up, or at least try to every single day ><

6:30 — 7:30 am : brushing teeth/skincare etc + morning workout & pilates. i usually try to do the first part is lesser time so that i have more time to workout & stretch ^^

7:30 — 8:05 am : break/creativity period. here i give myself a 35 minute break for relaxation or checking social media / practicing my italian lessons ( im vv beginner >< ) or draw or write short essays/poems or plan out my day which is the MAIN task i usually do

8:05 — 9:05 am ( 30 min gap 4 chai + breakfast break ) , 9:35 — 10:35 am, 10:35 — 11:45 am, 12:05 — 1:05 pm : with breaks, these timing are for my studying, and i follow my study routine for the day >< [ WHEN I DON'T ATTEND SCHOOL ]

1:05 — 3:15 pm : shower + lunch >< [ WHEN I DON'T ATTEND SCHOOL, i return at 3pm from skl ]

EVENING （≧∇≦）

3:15 — 5:00 pm : relaxing & writing for blr/watching shows ( or i sleep TT ) >< ONLY IF i don't have tuitions, when i do, i head out for them around 4:30 — 5:00 pm according to the timing of my classes.

(after break 4 evening snacks/chai) 5:30 — 6:30 pm, 6:30 — 8:30 pm, 9:00 — 10:00 pm, with breaks again, i follow my study schedule ><

NIGHTTIME （≧∇≦）

10:00 — 10:30 pm : have dinner

10:30 — 11:00 pm : ghost around my home / free time TT

within 11:30ishpm : finish skincare,brushing, and take my meds

after that o clock : 😴 but if i pull an all nighter or watch a series with my mum that's another story lol

𖹭 MY MAJOR/STREAM

well i'm still in school so i don't have any major, but we indian students are given to choose between 3 streams — science, commerce & humanities. as for me i am a science student ^^ i have bio, chem, phy, maths, psych, eng !!!

𖹭 TIME MANAGEMENT

again, a hard question to the wrong person cuz my schedule is not constant TT but as u can see there are breaks between my study sessions! i tend to manage my time and do stuff between those breaks, and when life gets too hectic, i take hour long breaks and write for blr! keep in mind, that you NEED TO BALANCE life & social media. find the right time for each of your important sectors like studies, work, hobbies & schedule them out equally! that also doesn't mean you have to follow them blindly, make sure to take breaks, do things that you enjoy & love life & most importantly, your precious self ^^ MWAH. hope i helped ya <333

[sammyunhinged]

I fixed Hermione's 3rd year schedule

To preface this, I am a scheduling nerd. Making and figuring out how to make people's schedules work is one of my favorite pastimes.

So I bet myself that I could fix the Hogwarts schedule work to completely get rid of Hermione's need for a time turner and I did. The schedule would be very busy but definitely not impossible like it is during the Prisoner of Azkaban.

I think the abbreviations are fairly self explanatory but here's the key:

H- Herbology

HM- History of Magic

P- Potions

DA- Defense Against the Dark Arts

AR- Ancient Runes

T- Transfiguration

C- Charms

MC- Care of Magical Creatures

AM- Arithmacy

MS- Muggle Studies

AS- Astronomy

My thought process if you're curious:

Hogwarts students have seven required courses from their first through fifth year:

Astronomy

Charms

Defense Against the Dark Arts

Herbology

History of Magic

Potions

Transfiguration

During third year they can add any of the following electives:

Ancient Runes

Arithmacy

Care of Magical Creatures

Divination

Muggle Studies

I put the following requirements on myself:

elective courses included all 4 houses due to the naturally smaller classes sizes

core classes for 1st through 5th years must only have 2 houses like in the books, keeping classes sizes reasonable

no classes could happen at the same time (aka 3rd year Arithmacy cannot happen at the same time as 3rd year Divination)

a single professor must be able to teach every one of their classes (aka 1st year DADA cannot overlap with 6th year DADA)

There must be time between classes so students can get from classroom to classroom

Classes must start at the same time every morning (9:00am), afternoon (1:00pm), and evening (6:30pm)

There must be a break after morning and afternoon classes so students have a time for lunch or dinner if they have a busy schedule.

I made the schedule using a timetable used by many universities. Classes occur on Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday for a total of 150 mins per week, so 50 min classes on M/W/F and 75 mins classes on T/R. The only exception is a 75 min class on Monday/Wednesday from 4:00-5:15 which ensures all classes are done by 3:50pm on Friday.

Quidditch practice could easily take place on weekday mornings before 9:00am, weekday evenings between 5:30-9:00 when Astronomy classes begin, Friday afternoons, or weekends.

If anybody wants to see the complete schedule for all seven years or particular professors, I have those as well.

[redheadspark]

April Prompt Session

Hello, my lovelies!!

We are well into April and some warmth coming back! I appreciate the love and support I get in making these sessions and writing these prompts, so I can't thank you all enough! You guys are amazing and wonderful and I feel the love here!

Since it's getting warm again and the flowers are blooming, what better prompt theme to write for than Spring.

This theme is: Spring

Here are my rules for this prompt session:

1.) You maybe chose ONE character from the list that I have Here. It’ll have the list of characters that I write for or have written for in the past.

*(If you have a character not listed that you wish for me to write, PLEASE MESSAGE ME AND CLEAR IT WITH ME FIRST TO SEE IF I CAN OR WILL DO IT!)*

2.) There is only one Prompt list for this session since the list is rather large. Please provide BOTH the number you would like AND the character to pair it with.

Example: Can I have Aziel from ACOTAR with #5?

*I write out the requests as first come first serve. I will try my best to fulfill every request that comes my way, but please bear in mind I work full-time as a teacher. Because of that, I’ll be busy most of the day so please be patient and I’ll write in my spare time as much as I can :) *

3.) If I get two requests that are exactly the same, (same character and same number) I will only write it once! Please don't be afraid to ask if someone had already requested the character and number, I don't mind answering that for you :)

4.) You can request in my ASK box neither as yourself or anonymously. Although I would LOVE to give you a shout if you request as yourself, anon is perfectly fine!

5.) I will stop taking requests for this prompt session on Sunday, April 23rd, at 3:00 PST. I wish to be done with my requests before I travel to see family for Easter!

6.) Have fun and enjoy!

Prompt List created by @lavenderotpprompts

Making flower crowns and weaving flowers into one another’s hair

Jars of fresh jam

Dinner with friends

Listening to the sound of thunder with a cup of tea in hand

Morning sun

“What are you staring at?”

Thrift shopping

Birds nest

Afternoon Picnic by a stream

Lavender kiss

Freshly baked bread

Walk through the woods

Fairies

A new pair of boots

Blowing bubbles

Working in the garden all day and curling up together that night on the couch

Caught in a sudden rainstorm

Sleeping with the windows open

A warm plate of cookies

Jumping in puddles

Bunnies

Royalty au

Spring cleaning

“I didn’t mean it like that”

A yellow balloon

Cherry blossoms

Allergies

Spring cottage

A bike ride down the lane

“I really missed this”

Once again, this prompt session will end on Sunday, April 23rd at 3:00 PST. Thanks again for the support and happy requesting!

Tagged: @heartofwritiing @a-lumos-in-the-nox @botanicalbarnes @pemuasnafsu1-blog @hotboyproblems @virtueassassin @heliosphere8 @vinvantae @basicrese @saradika

[mikimeiko]

To the East! Day 1&2 - from Milan to Puglia

It's time to go visit the easternmost train station in Italy, the last one!

Since Italy is really slanted the easternmost station is also pretty far south, so I decided to leave immediately after work, go as far south as I could in one afternoon, and then cover the rest of the distance on Saturday. I'm once again using regional trains with the 3 days train pass, so it's gonna take a lot of trains and a lot of time, but it's also gonna be pretty cheap.

So first train is Milano>Bologna (pretty chill, not too crowded; kind of a boring line that I've traveled a thousand times but it's a windy sunny day and you can see the mountains near lake Garda from Parma which is... impressive).

So many people in Bologna station! I don't have enough time to find something to eat ;_;

Train 2: Bologna>Ancona is packed (I thought the train started from Bologna but it actually came from Piacenza), I had to stand for about the first hour D: When the train gets to the coast is already dark, and I'm a little sad that I can't see the sea (the rail is SO CLOSE to the sea in this part!)

My hotel is literally on the other side of the road from the station XD very nice since it's kinda late and I'm very tired.

(view of the station from the entrance of my hotel that I took the next morning)

~~~

The train I'm supposed to take from Ancona leaves at 11:45, but checkout from the hotel is at 10:00, so I get on an earlier train shares the first half of the line with the one with Pescara, and stop somewhere along the line (Ancona is a big city, and the city center is quite far from the station - also I visited it last summer, and I might as well take a look at somewhere else!).

So train 3: Ancona>Ascoli Piceno (but not really).

(See what I meant? The sea is JUST THERE)

I decided to stop in Grottammare, mostly because I've never been there and the station is pretty close to the sea. The old town is up the hill and it looks very pretty, but I don't have much time so I just stay in the seaside area.

(It's almost November and I wish I brought a short sleeved t-shirt. Most things are closed because the season is over but actually it feels like mid September and the effect is jarring)

Train 4: Grottammare>Pescara is a bit fuller, and I end up in a backward facing seat with only half a window. It doesn't look that different than when I did this route in August, but it is a little greener, and the beaches that were covered in beach umbrellas are now properly visible.

I have a very short time in Pescara to change trains, no time at all to visit anything, but honestly I didn't like it that much last time so that's fine by me. From here I'm basically tracing back the journey I made on the first day of my third leg of the Grand Tour of Italy last summer: same stops, same trains, very different time of day.

Train 5: Pescara>Termoli. The sun is on the other side of the train now, and the sea is SO blue.

I have about an hour in Termoli before the next train, so I get something to eat later and go looking for an ice-cream in the center. In the entire corso there was not one gelateria open. I get that it's the end of October but... Really? No ice cream?

Train 6: Termoli>Foggia. The Molisan coast south of Termoli is one of the wildest, least "developed" in the entire Adriatic coast. Lots of pines, just very long stretches with no building in sight. Beautiful and interesting, compared to everything else (or maybe I should say - compared to what's north of it. Because now that I think about it Puglia also has similar coastlines I think).

And yes, it is not summer and it's SO CLEAR! All the green intermingled with the dark terrain it's just amazingly beautiful. If you want to visit Puglia autumn might be the best season (not if you want to swim in the sea though XD)

All I know about Foggia is that it's been mostly destroyed during WWII and rebuilt hastily, and it's considered one of the ugliest cities kn Puglia. Sadly the train station is quite far from the city center proper and I don't have a lot of time, so I only see the entrance of the Villa (the biggest municipal park) and a bit of a promenade.

Train 7: Foggia to Bari. I'm starting to feel the travel fatigue. I'm ready to be at my destination, but I won't be there for at least another 3 hours probably more. Also it's dark, and the train is older and not very comfortable so meh. Train 7 morphs into train 8 when we get to Bari central station (of course the least comfortable train would be the one that I have to take twice XD). Just an hour, plus 10 minutes waiting for the bus, plus ten minutes on the bus and I'm finally at my uncle's house. It's been A Day. Can't wait to go to sleep XD

[daisiesonafield-blog]

Info for Faith In The Future World Tour New York, NY - JUL 29 2023

With special guests GIANT ROOKS & ANDREW CUSHIN!

Important Times:

5:00PM - VIP Golden Apple Doors Open

6:00 PM - General Doors Open

7:00 PM - Andrew Cushin

8:00 PM - Giant Rooks

9:00 PM - Louis Tomlinson

Times are all approximate and subject to change.

General admission (pit tickets):

General admission ticketholders may arrive at the front gate no earlier than 9AM on Saturday to receive a sequentially numbered wristband signifying their entry group on a first-come, first served basis.

ANY PERSON WHO CAMPS OVERNIGHT OR ARRIVES AT THE VENUE BEFORE 9AM WILL BE DENIED A WRISTBAND AND SENT AWAY

Wristbanded guests may return to the front gate no earlier than 4PM to begin lining up in their entry group by the number on their wristband and will be permitted to enter in order once general doors open at 6PM.

Security will honor wristband arrivals from 4PM-5PM.

Any ticketholder without a entry group wristband will be allowed in after all wristbanded guests in line have entered.

Only general admission ticketholders are eligible to receive priority entry wristbands, and all guests in a party must be present with a GA ticket to receive a wristband (one wristband per ticket).

Guests are not permitted to hold places in the line for other guests. Loss, removal or tampering of an entry wristband will result in loss of place in the entry line.

FOR THOSE WITH THE GOLDEN APPLE TICKET PASS:

Golden Apple ticketholders may arrive at our VIP Check In in the West Side Tennis Club parking lot no earlier than 9am to get a numbered wristband.

They may return to begin lining up in the lot at 4PM

Golden Apple ticketholders will be allowed entry into the venue at 5PM

Reserved seat ticketholders are ineligible for priority entry wristbands and may begin to line up no earlier than 5PM.

Check the venue’s socials for updates!

🔆⚠️HIGH TEMPERATURE ADVISORY ⚠️🔆

HIGH TEMPERATURES expected in NY!

Temperatures will reach 91ºF/ 33ºC

Chance of rain 70%. Scattered thunderstorms in the morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Scattered thunderstorms before midnight.

Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency, call 9 1 1.

YOU MUST Hydrate before the show, while waiting in line and during the show

Wear sunscreen!

💧⚠️ HYDRATION ADVISORY ⚠️💧

YOU MUST Hydrate before the show, while waiting in line and during the show

For optimal hydration drink something with electrolytes such as Gatorade or LiquidIV

Eat well!

Here are important things to know:

Reserved seat ticketholders are ineligible for priority entry wristbands and may begin to line up no earlier than 5PM.

The venue is cashless! Pay with card and mobile pay! Cash-to-Card Kiosk located between portals 7 and 8, free of charge.

Parking: Parking is not available at Forest Hills Stadium or on the residential streets near the venue. The best way to get to Forest Hills Stadium is via public transit on either LIRR (to Forest Hills) or MTA Subway (at 71st Forest Hills) *Board one of the first six cars of the train when taking the LIRR to Forest Hills Station in order to exit at Forest Hills Station. For your own convenience, please do not plan to drive and park. For pickup and drop off by taxi, Lyft or other ride sharing services you will need to be dropped off or picked up along 71st Avenue. All info here.

ADA info here and here

Cameras: SLR’s, DSLR’s, mirrorless cameras or any camera with a detachable lens is not allowed at Forest Hills Stadium. Please feel free to bring small point and shoot cameras.

Water: One EMPTY non-glass water bottle ALLOWED. There will be Water Refill Stations available inside The Stadium.

Seat cushions ALLOWED

NO outside beverages

NO Cans, Bottles and Glass

NO Glass Containers of any kind

NO coolers

NO Outside food, beverages, and alcohol

NO stadium chairs

NO chairs

NO Attachable Seat Backs

NO blankets

NO umbrellas

NO pets

NO Controlled Substances

NO smoking or vaping. Those found smoking at The Stadium may be subject to surrendering their cigarettes or vape devices or removal from the venue.

NO Cigarette lighters / vaping devices 

NO Fireworks or sparklers

NO Incendiary devices

NO knives, firearms, Brass knuckles, Tasers & mace/pepper spray or weapons of any kind

NO chains of any kind

NO Glow Sticks

NO Spray Paint, Markers, Sharpies, and Paint Pens

NO Frisbees

NO Recording devices

NO Selfie sticks, drones

NO Laser Pointers/flashlights

NO Strollers

There is NO RE-ENTRY!

Bag Check is available to all patrons. You may check your items there for $5 per item. Suitcases and large bags must be checked. Bag Check is located near the Box Office (corner of Burns and Tennis Place).

Lost & Found info here

VIEW VENUE MAP  here and here

VIEW SEAT MAP

*This list is not exhaustive. Items not appearing on the list may still be prohibited at the discretion of Security.

For more details click here

Bag Policy:

The maximum allowable bag size is 16″ x 16″ x 8″

NO Camelbacks

Hard-sided containers including coolers, briefcases and ice chests are prohibited.

If you have an item that does not follow these requirements, you may utilize our Bag Check ($5) at the corner of Burns and Tennis Pl.

All persons, bags, and other items may be subject to security screening. We reserve the right to not allow any bag or other personal item to be brought into the venue. Any unattended bag or object will be dealt with in such a way as we consider appropriate.

If you see any suspicious unattended bag please alert venue staff immediately. Please remember if you see something, please say something and do something.

Banners, signs and flag policy:

Signs must be no larger than a standard sheet of paper

Contact:

For additional questions please reach out to the venue directly. Contact them here. You can also access their website. Check their Twitter and IG for updates. Address: 1 Tennis Pl, Forest Hills, NY 11375. Venue: Forest Hills Stadium

[obeyme-lost-thought]

The regret of a Father

Damn Lucifer, what do you want from her?

What if Lucifer had a child with Mc, and for some reason he neglects them ? And if the child die? What will do Lucifer?

Always remember: the ending isn't what we want, but what she need.

Good reads

1126 words all chapters , previous part

Chapter 2: Second life

I wake up in the medical room of the school, with Ro'ze and Samael around me. They talk, they talk a lot. They fill me with questions: How am I, why did I fall, what happened, etc.

I don't care what they say, I don't listen to them. My head keeps spinning and my eyes hurt. I want to cry but I certainly can't.

At some point the principal also arrives. The representatives are touring the school with the girls, so I'm relieved of my duties. He advises me to go home for today, which I gladly do.

As I walk the sound of the cars is a distant noise. I can't even feel where I'm stepping; I'm probably going home by muscle memory.

This trans state disappears as soon as I sit on the bed.

Memories I never wanted to have resurface; sensations, now gone, return. My biggest secret is that, for some unknown reason, I was reborn. I have lived 2 lives of which the years add up make 33. Not long ago the memories came back to me. 14 years and during one night, like a tornado, that damned life comes back to my mind. It took me 5 months to recognize what was real and what was a memory, and another 2 months to accept that I died once. I have never been able to tell anyone about it. My grandmother, seeing me in trouble even without knowing why, advised me to go and talk to the priest of our community about it, which I didn't do. I haven't been near a church for 4 years... hypocrisy is not a quality that belongs to me.

But in the end, I got over it, I was able to keep going. I built my life from scratch and I even succeeded. I was moving forward.

Then, however, the "exchange students" arrived; a continual reminder of what I was in the past. Yet, I was able to bear them for 1 year.

But he is too much. I can't him. Whether it's 1 week, a day or 1 hour… I don't want to see him.

I stare at the ceiling. It's white, but it's also black. I no longer recognize whether my eyes are open or closed, but I think they are closed, because I only know that I fell asleep.

The next day I arrive at school with only one plan in mind: to avoid him. Which I manage to do so far, the pause.

???: "Good morning, you are the girl who was supposed to guide us yesterday"

My blood freezes in my veins and I hold my breath the entire time I turn towards the interlocutor. Luckily, it's not him, but Simeon.

Aurora: “Yes, I'm sorry for what happened. I already felt bad in the morning, but I didn't pay much attention to it, which backfired with me passing out"

Simeon: “You don't have to apologize. I only care that you are better now"

As he talks to me, he continues to have an angelic smile to reassure me. He doesn't know it, but all this brings back bitter memories.

“Uncle Simeon, does dad hate me?”

"But no, little girl. *** he loves you, he just doesn't know it yet”

That white lie he always told me was one of the reasons I couldn't see the truth. Maybe I would have preferred him to say yes to my sad question.

Simeon: "I have to go soon, but remind me once again your name"

Aurora: “Aurora; Aurora *****”

Simeon: “Good Aurora, hope to see you again before the end of the festival. The other person who was with me also wants to get to know you and know how you are.”

….

Aurora: "Goodbye"

I get up from the bench where I was sitting and go back to class, leaving him behind.

The biggest problem is the afternoon. I have to help organize the festival and supervise us students there will be some teachers and school representatives.

I wish 4:00 pm would never come, yet time does not want to do me any kindness. As a member of the school council, I have the duty to help all the groups, but as a person who participates in the festival, I have to divide myself between band rehearsals and council activities. Right now, I'm with the others rehearsing for the final night. While everyone tunes their instrument, I start making chords on the piano.

Damn my tendency to always start playing before other people.

???: “I heard someone playing the piano, is it from here?”

Dantha: "Sir. Lucifer! We were rehearsing for the final show.”

Lucifer: "It looks like a good concert based on what we heard from outside"

Are you referring to me? Is a compliment?

…

Aurora: “You are exaggerating. I'm not that good at piano."

Lie

Aurora: “I can only do the basic chords”

Lie

Lucifer: “You're yesterday's girl, right? Simeon informed me that you were sick”

Aurora: “Yes, we spoke this morning. I'm better now"

Lucifer: "Good for you"

This little discussion of ours ends quickly, with him leaving the music room to go somewhere else.

Thus ends the day and I can go home. Hate or sadness I don't know what it is, but I fill my pillow with tears before I can fall asleep.

-------------

3rd person POV:

Simeon: "Lucifer, did you meet the girl from yesterday?"

Lucifer: "Yes"

Simeon: "Do you think it's her?"

Lucifer: "Yes"

Simeon: "What do you want to do now?"

Lucifer: "..."

"I do not know"

Memory Fragment 1: Uncle Simeon.

I run down the street to meet Uncle Simeon. This situation reminds me of a movie I saw with my grandparents, in which the protagonists ran towards each other to hug each other. Uncle's hugs are warm and calm. Today he promised to take me for ice cream and then we would play with Luke all evening. As we walk, I tell him how I won the running race. The best part is that he already knew because he had seen me. Apparently, this day is a reward for the victory and for the excellent grades I got in the exams. When we get to the bar, I see Uncle Beel with Uncle Belphie at the counter. They too see us, but they don't come close; in fact, they go away quickly. Simeon says it's because they have to do something at home, that is true�� Today is the anniversary of when mom arrived in the Devildom, which is why Uncle Simeon is taking care of me, keeping me away from home, but I don't tell him I know the truth… it would be sad to him and I don’t want it.

Memory fragment= Mornigstar family is shit

Next chapter

[hellogirlslikegirlslikeboysdo]

And the lights are not fluorescent, and there are no words on the page. - Form Essay

Author's Preface and Ch. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7

Description: My final portfolio for one of the creative writing courses I took based around exploring the creative nonfiction essay in its many literary forms, with any and all identifying names or signifiers censored out.

To do list!!! Ignore how silly, irresponsible even, you feel about including this part. Adding “To do list”, complete with a grammatically incorrect number of exclamation points with little hearts in place of the dots. Reserving its top billing, the extra big lined space at the top of a little baby sticky note where it’s just gonna take up pretty pink space, space you could be saving for one of the myriad of things you need to get accomplished tonight. Like the douchey lead actor taking their sweet time down the red carpet, the entirety of the camera crew already getting rushed into their seats offscreen.

Suppose, if you can, that it's “whatever”. Rationalize that it probably gives the note a sense of urgency or something (you need that, god, you need that tonight) and that it's already too late to start worrying about losing yourself in all this attention to detail, about what fulfilled word count or pieces of unfolded laundry you’re already sacrificing with this adamant sticking to form.

This is a to-do list, after all. Who even needs these, really?

(Dear lord, this is a very elaborate burst of anger for the first line of a makeshift to-do list. Are you sure you even have the strength to do this? don’t answer that, do NOT answer that, if you try to answer that, it’ll automatically become a “no” by default, do NOT answer that

[✓] Take your meds. Do not convince yourself that you will not need them. You will.

[✓] Regret writing this list in pen.

[  ] Finish reflection. Put this at the top of the list because it's the one you expect to complete first. Not because you have confidence in your ability to do so, but because it’s due tonight and you’ll need to peer pressure yourself enough that the shame and academic anxiety override your executive dysfunction.

[✓] Do creative writing assignment. Make this second on the list because you actually do think you can finish this one on time (you probably can’t) and that it’ll be the easiest to breeze through (it absolutely will not), letting you ride off the high of a job well done and attack the rest of this list feeling like your workload is significantly lower than before. Conveniently forget that late-stage ADHD comes with time blindness and a dopamine deficiency that makes you literally incapable of feeling any sense of accomplishment after finishing a task (Acknowledge that it also comes with a side of autism, on the house. ONLY acknowledge it, though. Do not delve into why you are frantically scratching out this list at 5:00 in the afternoon, all because you’re convinced that establishing some sort of routine is more important than actually tackling what feels like near-death deadlines. Do not start pacing around your room while unconsciously gesturing along with the extensive imaginary conversation between you and your roommate that starts with you making a comment and his response that essentially boils to “Think that might just be the ‘tism, bud :P ”, ending in an elaborate discussion of your symptoms and concerns, as if Luc didn’t almost laugh when you suggested he consider majoring in psychology.

Do not open this goddamn can of worms, because you WILL spill it like a can of beans, and everything will get everywhere, and you already have to clean all the gunk off the floor, and you don’t even know how the heck you’re gonna manage that, and this whole debacle can wait until the morning, really, it can-

[  ] Open it anyway, because you are a coward, and natural selection will gather you first.

[✓] Submit everything at 11:59 and give yourself whiplash getting out of bed, dizzy from the nightmarish chemical cocktail that is Adderall and not enough water. Be dramatic about stumbling to your feet and leaning against the bedpost, because self-pity is an evolutionary survival tactic to comfort ourselves once our parents stop doing it for us. Pace around the room once the hot flash fades.

[  ] Clean dorm.

[✓] Elaborate on the last checkbox because something ungodly thing possessed you to think that “Clean house” was specific enough for your brain to understand on five hours of sleep and prescription speed.

[✓] Do laundry. Tell yourself you will do it as soon as possible, to leave yourself as much time as possible to make all the different trips to the laundry room. Leave it until it's dark out, the image of you getting jumped and stabbed to death poking at your brain like a wet toothpick you keep absentmindedly fiddling with.

The fear will make you walk faster.

[✓] Take out the trash. Leave this for nightfall, because your father’s monthly warnings and the lyrics of the song you performed for your ISP, of femicide and government priorities and how no one goes looking for little brown girls who go missing in the dead of night, and, heck, even the memory of being trapped outside your dorm with the raccoons somehow can’t override the anxiety.

[  ] Wash the dishes. Leave this for last, despite the smell hitting you as hard as the common area hits you each time you turn your key and yank.

[✓] Decline your roommate’s offer to hang out tonight, despite all the time you’ve been wasting and will continue to waste for the rest of the night. Claim you’re too tired in the morning.

[✓] Wipe down all the counters. Waste time every five, ten minutes. Sit with the tension between how mortifying it would be for one of your roommates to walk in on you wasting all this time vs. your insistence that keeping up with mindless chores is SO much easier, really, it's just the schoolwork that takes you forever.

Cut through said tension with a switchblade, if you have to.

[✓] Spend ten minutes trying to figure out how to attack the floor situation.

[   ] Attack the floor situation. Drive yourself crazy with the shoe scuffs you waited too long to deal with.

[✓] Pick up any extra trash. Muse about the time your mother and grandmother caught you in between a month-long academic and the mourning of your childhood dependence, and proceeded to scold you for the rest of the night. Muse about hiding the absence of bra straps and fighting for the hair stylist’s attention and “I don’t want you to get mad when I say this, but sometimes, there are things that we don’t like, but we have to to do them anyway, so…[insert the most horrific, victim blaming, powerless thinking you’ve ever heard in your life]”. Muse about the meaning of the word “presentable”, the antonym of skin and sentence structure and wandering, glassy eyes that give you away every time.

[✓] Play the sound of mother’s fretting over the state of your roommate's bed sheets over the sound of your explaining, of what depression does to the art of your cleaning skills, somewhere in your head, old syllabus crinkling between your fingernails. Wonder if his tarot prediction of a depressive state will come true, if your mother will complain about your room then. If it’s different when it’s you.

[  ] Finish resenting her by the time she arrives to come get you in the morning.

[  ] Pack your stuff for tomorrow. Forget one thing you actually need and one thing you don’t, but your mom wants you to bring anyway.

[  ] Do the billions of things you’re supposed to do sometime during the semester (preferably a month ago), but will probably end up stuck with during finals week.

[✓] Set an alarm. Wake up before it goes off.

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Christmas Reruns 2023 Day 16: The Yuletide Challenge (3/3)

Merry Christmas if you celebrate it and happy holidays if you don’t!  One of the things I love about Christmas is watching reruns of all the old classic Christmas movies–Christmas is a big time for nostalgia.  A few years ago, I decided to incorporate that tradition into my fandom life and post my CS holiday reruns.  So here you go!  Enough holiday (mostly) fluff to get you to New Year’s Day. (With a new story posting on Christmas Day.)

Rating: G

Word Count: 2818

Other chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Emma heard her phone ding, announcing an incoming text, and she smiled to herself.  She’d bet money she knew exactly who was texting her; they’d been texting back and forth more or less every day since she’d helped him decorate his place.  She certainly didn’t want to think about it too closely, but she found herself looking forward to Killian’s texts.  He was funny…and thoughtful…and an idiot all wrapped up in one smoking hot package.

If the idea wasn’t so completely ludicrous, she’d say she was starting to fall for him.  But, of course, that was ridiculous.

Emma glanced down at her phone and read her waiting text.

Killian: Morning Swan! Tick-tock.  Nearly Christmas week, and I’ve yet to receive my third act of kindness. ;-)

She quickly sent off a reply.

Emma: Um, actually I just did you an act of kindness.  You texted me at 7 in the freaking morning, and I didn’t threaten murder.

He responded with a series of emojis that made her bark out a laugh.

Emma: Fine.  I’m free this weekend. What (PLATONIC) good deed do you want this time?

Killian: You had to tack on “platonic”, didn’t you? :(

Emma: Lol, I know you, Killian Jones, and I’m not walking into any more innuendo.

After a bit more nonsense in text message form, Killian asked her to stop by his apartment on Saturday afternoon, and they could decide from there just what her third act of Yuletide cheer would be.

Accordingly, at 2:00 pm sharp, Emma knocked on Killian’s door, waiting with more anticipation than she would have expected for her new…whatever he was…to answer.  When he finally did, she was not disappointed.  Her stomach swooped at the sight of those deep, blue eyes, the delighted smile that lit up his face.

And then she noticed what he was wearing and barked out a laugh.  He’d covered his normal jeans and button down with a large apron that said “kiss the cook”.

“So are we baking today?” Emma asked as she stepped inside and let him help her off with her coat.  “Because if we are, I can guarantee you my contribution will not be an act of kindness.”

He chuckled.  “Nonsense, darling.  Anyone can bake Christmas cookies, and I could desperately use your help.  I must have four dozen completed before tomorrow.”

“Four dozen?” she asked with a grin, “sounds like someone’s chasing a sugar high. What the hell are you going to do with four dozen cookies?”

“They aren’t for me, Swan,” he said, looking curiously uncomfortable.  “I’ve made rather a tradition of baking cookies for the children at the group home each Christmas.”

That was…really sweet.  “I didn’t take you for such a philanthropist.  What made you start that tradition?”

“Seemed only good form,” he said, busying himself with grabbing sugar and flour and the other assorted ingredients he would need.  “My brother and I lost our parents quite young and we were in and out of establishments of the sort for years.  Perhaps I see this as a small way to give back for what Mother Blue and her nuns did for us.”

“I didn’t know you had a brother,” Emma said, taking the apron he handed her and pulling it over her head.  “You gonna see him for Christmas?”

His face fell.  “He…died. In the same accident that took my girlfriend and my hand,” he said thickly.

The pain radiated off of him in waves, and Emma felt like a terrible person. Stepping toward him, she laid her hand atop his on the kitchen island.  “I’m sorry, Killian.  I didn’t mean to open old wounds.”

He turned his hand over and laced it with hers, giving a little squeeze, before finally meeting her eyes.  “No need to apologize, love.  The truth is…I wanted you to know.  Perhaps if I talk of it I can finally, truly heal.”

Emma looked down at their joined hands, feeling the oddest sense of belonging at the simple gesture.  Her heart turned over, humbled at the idea that he’d entrust her with one of the worst memories of his life.  “Well what are Yuletide good deed doers for?” she asked, her voice far breathier than she’d anticipated.

“What indeed?” he asked softly, looking at her with such a look of tenderness it made her want to run away…or fly into his arms, one or the other.

“Anyway,” she said, taking a quick step back, “what about all those cookies we need to bake?”

~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~

Killian pulled the last sheet of cookies from the oven and set it on the potholder on his counter before turning back to his guest.  Her hair was a mess, she had a light sheen of sweat on her forehead, a smudge of flour on her cheek…and she was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen.

There was no denying it anymore.  He was falling in love with her.  He didn’t know what stroke of good luck convinced her to choose him for this challenge of her family’s, but he was profoundly grateful she had.

“That the last of them?” Emma asked as she finished decorating the last sugar cookie.

“Aye,” he answered.  “We’ll give them a few moments to cool, and then we can give them a few finishing touches.”

Emma turned to face him.  “You know, Killian, I’ve never had any success in the kitchen, but this afternoon has actually been fun.”

“It has, hasn’t it,” he said with a tender smile.  “However, it seems you’re wearing nearly as much flour as went into our cookies.”

He reached up before he could stop himself, cupping her cheek and smoothing away the flour with the pad of his thumb.�� Time seemed to stand still for a long moment, neither of them saying a word, both staring intently at the other.

And then she moved.  Grabbing his lapels, she pulled his lips down to hers, kissing him as though her life depended on it.  He hesitated for less than a heartbeat before matching her kiss for kiss, letting all his pent-up feelings have free reign as their mouths melded, their tongues tangled.

The heady feel and taste of Emma Swan was intoxicating, and Killian would have gladly spent hours kissing her, but much too quickly for his liking, she pulled away, breathing hard.

“That was…” Killian whispered, not sure there was an adjective in the English language powerful enough to describe what had just happened between them.

“A one-time thing,” Emma said, quickly stepping back.  

Killian looked up, surprised, and found in her eyes not the awe and wonder and love he was feeling, but something akin to fear.

“Swan…” he began, hardly knowing what he meant to say.

She’d already taken off her apron and was moving toward the door as quickly as she could.  “I have to go.”

~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~

“I kissed him,” Emma said quickly, hearing the panic in her voice, unable to control it.

She hadn’t known what to do, where to go, how to calm herself, so she went to the only people she trusted, her family.  Mary Margaret had taken one look at her, ushered her inside, and then promptly made her hot chocolate with cinnamon.  It was only after a few sips of the sweet, comforting brew that Emma was able to relax enough to breathe again.

“Um…who?” Mary Margaret asked.

“Killian,” Emma said.  “I kissed Killian, you know the guy I decided to do the good deeds for?”

Emma could see the excitement Mary Margaret was desperately trying to hide. “Why?” she asked, affecting a casualness Emma knew she didn’t feel.

“I don’t know!” Emma said with a shrug.  “I was feeling good.  It’s been a while.  I don’t know why I did it.”

Mary Margaret took a deliberate sip of her cocoa before responding.  “Did it mean anything?”

“No!” Emma was quick to reassure.  “It was just a kiss!  It was nothing!”

Mary Margaret deliberately set her mug on the counter and focused her full, almost motherly attention on Emma before decisively shaking her head.  “No, it wasn’t nothing,” she said.  “You wouldn’t have brought it up if it was nothing. You wouldn’t have that deer in the headlights look if it was nothing.  Talk to me, Emma.  Do you have feelings for this guy?”

“No!” Emma said, getting up and starting to pace.  “Yes…I don’t know!  I don’t know how I feel other than wanting to hop in my bug and drive as fast and as far away as I possibly can.”

Mary Margaret let her pace for a few moments before getting awkwardly to her feet and pointing Emma in the direction of the sofa before the big, magnificent Christmas tree.  “You’re falling for him, but the thought scares you, am I right?”

Emma sighed, defeated.  “Mary Margaret, I can’t do this again.  I can’t.”

“You can’t do what?” Mary Margaret said with a gentle smile.

“Fall for someone,” Emma said.  “Neal, Graham, even Walsh, they’re all gone.  There must be something wrong with me, something that drives people away.  I can’t fall for Killian only to have it all fall apart in a few months.  I don’t think I could stand it again.”

Mary Margaret leaned over and hugged her tightly.  “Oh Emma, I know you’re scared,” she said, pulling back, “but it’s worth it.  Love is so worth it.  Don’t give up what could turn out to be the best thing in your life just because of fear.”

“But…I barely even know this guy,” Emma said.  “How do I know this isn’t just the magic of the holidays talking?”

“No one’s saying you have to go off and propose to the guy, Emma,” Mary Margaret said with a grin.  “Take it slow.  Let things develop naturally.  If he’s the one, I promise he’ll be there with you every step of the way; he’ll take things as slow and deliberate as you want.”

Emma was silent for a long moment.  Was her sister in law right?  Was it possible there could be something real, something substantial, something magical and lasting between her and Killian?  The fear gradually began to recede to be replaced with something she hadn’t felt in quite some time.  Hope.

“Maybe you’re right,” Emma said finally.  “Maybe I owe it to him…to myself…to at least be open to the possibility.”

~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~

Christmas Eve was a cold, dreary day for Killian, much like it had been for the past five years.  He’d begun to hope this year would be different, that this year he’d have someone to spend the holidays with, but after that last encounter with Emma on the day of the cookie baking, he’d started to lose hope.

Killian frowned as he sat before the tree they’d spent so many happy hours decorating.  He scarcely knew what had happened.  One moment they’d been having a pleasant afternoon, the next she kissed him as though her life depended on it, and then she was gone, running away from him like being in his presence was the most loathsome prospect she could imagine.

What had he done wrong?  How had he so royally cocked up something that was turning into one of the most beautiful, meaningful relationships of his life?

Killian took a sip of the rum he’d bought in honor of the holiday (the rum he’d hoped to share with a certain gorgeous blonde).  After the disastrous way the evening had ended, Killian had decided it was best to give Emma her space, let her determine the course of their…whatever it was that they had with each other.

Perhaps it was a good idea, perhaps it wasn’t, Killian didn’t know.  All he knew was that he missed her, more than he’d ever thought possible.  He missed their daily text conversations, their banter, their flirting.  He missed her. What if that kiss had driven her away for good?  What if he lost her?

Killian took another sip, not even wanting to consider the possibility.  A man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets.  He would give her the holidays, give her a chance to get some perspective, and then he would plead his case, let her know how he felt. He’d never forgive himself if he neglected to do even that much.

There was a knock at the door.

Killian looked up, confused.  Who the bloody hell would be disturbing him at 7:30 on Christmas Eve night?  He was hardly fit for company, no matter who it might be.  “Go away,” he growled, not even bothering to get to his feet.

“Um…if that’s what you want, but I was really hoping we could talk,” came the voice he thought about, dreamed about, daily.  Emma!

Killian jumped to his feet and fairly sprinted to the door.  “Swan,” he breathed as the door opened, “at last.”

She grinned, looking a bit uncertain at the same time.  “So, are you going to invite me in, or what, Jones?”

Killian stepped back hastily, sweeping his good hand out in a gesture of invitation.  “Of course, love.  You’re always welcome here.  Always.”

She smiled shyly up at him as she shed her coat and took a seat on his sofa, patting it in invitation for him to join her.  “The tree looks really good, Killian,” she said awkwardly.

“Thank you,” he said, scratching at the spot behind his ear.  Why was this so awkward?  From the first they’d been comfortable with each other, but now…now it was like there was a wall up between them.  Perhaps it would be best to clear the air.  “Swan, why are you here?”

She met his eyes, attempting a bright smile.  “Well, I still owe you one good deed, right?  I had to do four before Christmas, and tonight’s my last opportunity.”

His face fell.  “Oh, aye, the good deeds…”

Emma reached over and put a gentle hand on his arm.  “Maybe that wasn’t the only reason I came.”

“Aye?”

“Yeah,” she said, suddenly dropping her eyes, picking at the tassel of the afghan he had draped over the back of the sofa.  “I just…I wanted to apologize for the other night.”

His eyebrow raised.  “The other night?  Swan, if you mean to apologize for that kiss, please don’t.  I assure you it was both very much wanted and very much enjoyed.”

He watched as a tinge of pink colored her cheeks.  “I wasn’t gonna apologize for that.  Not really,” she said, finally meeting his eyes.  “It was what happened afterwards.  The running, I mean.  I’m sorry I freaked out on you like that.”

“Swan, you don’t have to…”

“Yeah, I think I do,” she interrupted.

“Emma,” he tried again.  “If you don’t have feelings for me, you need not apologize.  I never wish to pressure you or take advantage…”

“That’s just it,” Emma said with a hint of impatience.  “It’s not that I don’t have feelings for you.  It’s that I do.”

Killian felt his heart pick up it’s pace as his stomach swooped pleasantly.

“That’s why I ran away,” Emma continued.  “There’s this…I don’t know…connection between us that I can’t deny, and it scares the hell out of me.  In my experience people leave.  People always leave.  If I let myself feel for someone, I just get my heart broken, and…Killian, I can’t lose you too.”

Killian smiled tenderly, reaching up to cup her face, to let soft tendrils of her hair slip through his fingers.  “Swan, you need never fear that.  If I win your heart, and I have every intention of winning it, it will be because you want me.  If I win your heart, it will be the most precious treasure I’ve ever had, and I’ll guard it with my life.”

Emma smiled gently at him, leaning into his touch.  “That kind of statement should sound so sappy it’s almost laughable, but coming from you, somehow it doesn’t.”

He grinned.  “It’s a gift, darling.”

“Killian, I can’t guarantee I won’t get scared again,” she said, after a soft chuckle, “but being away from you this week made me realize something.”

“Aye, what’s that?”

“I missed you,” she said.  “I don’t want to let fear keep us from exploring what might be a really good thing.”

“Nor do I, love.”

“Just…” she said.  “Do you mind if we take things slow?  I’ve always kind of rushed into things before, but, I don’t know.  I want to make sure we do this thing right.”

He smiled, letting his thumb gently caress her cheek.  “We can take this as slowly as you like, darling.  We’ve our whole lifetimes before us.”

“Good,” Emma said.  “How about we make it official by testing out that mistletoe you’ve got hanging by the fireplace?”

NEXT CHAPTER->

[sirenjose]

Night Patrol & the Navy "Watch System"

So, this is a skin that may potentially connect with Atropos' Ropes, considering the event does directly mention a "night patroller", and it was released on the Chinese server in May 2020, soon before Atropos' Ropes, which began on the Global Server in June 2020.

It may more specifically relate to Sheriff Jose, a reoccurring character in the Truth & Inference series, someone who is "friends" with Mr. Inference. They've apparently known each other since long before Inference ever started his detective agency (as Beneath the Truth says Golden Rose Theater was his first case). We know they've known each other even before that, not just because they are "friends" but also because Sheriff Jose reveals that Inference owes him a "favor", and that he helped him in the past. It is currently unknown what transpired between them previously, how they first met, or how Sheriff Jose helped him.

It is also possible this may not be tied to Truth & Inference. Stonemason was released at the same time as Night Patrol, which is (to the best of our present knowledge) not in any way tied to the Truth & Inference series. In which case, that could mean Night Patrol is a skin not really tied to any essence or series (like Norton's Troubadour skin).

Another theory I've had in the past is that Night Patrol could potentially relate to the main story and/or to a theory of mine (which I'll rediscuss at length later, but it's mainly based on the essence trailers for Season 18 Essence 3 and Season 19 Essence 1, both of whose stories are closely tied to the main story) where basically the incident described in Jose's deduction 3 and 4 involved Jose and his father (with the rest of the crew) being shipwrecked then soon after Jose's father participated in the tragedy that led to Alice's parents being killed. What I want to note from this is that, in this case, Jose may be familiar with Alice. Or more specifically, "Little Girl", which may parallel how Night Patrol mentions meeting a "little girl" during his patrol.

But besides all these, the main reason I made this post was because of some information I happened across while researching that can somewhat connect to the idea of a "night patrol" or night watch.

In the navy, ships always have a patrol to check everything and everyone on board to ensure all issues are identified and resolved swiftly. The entire crew, depending on the size, is divided into 2 or 3 "watches" (traditional royal navy used a 2 watch system) and assigned 1 of 2 watch groups: port and starboard. These were then split into different divisions and assigned a different area of the ship.

(With the 2 watch system, sailors would work for 1 four-hour watch, then rest for 4 hours before working the next watch. So sleeping patterns would be very different to those on land. The 3 watch system was more popular as it gave a much longer rest period between shifts.)

Each watch fulfilled its tasks in its 4 hours. The 24 hours in a day (a naval day started at noon) was divided into 5 four hour watches and 2 two hour watches.

Afternoon Watch: noon to 16:00 (4pm)

First Dog Watch (2 hours): 16:00 to 18:00 (6pm)

Last Dog Watch (2 hours): 18:00 to 20:00 (8pm)

First Watch: 20:00 to midnight

Middle Watch: midnight to 04:00 (4am)

Morning Watch: 04:00 to 08:00 (8am)

Forenoon Watch: 08:00 to noon

One bell (for those without the benefit of a pocket watch) signified a half-hour, so eight bells denoted the half-hours in a four-hour watch and the Last (second) Dog Watch.

The reason for the dog watches was to swap the crew over so the same people weren't always on duty at the same time (it helped reduce the monotony while on board ship, so it's a little less of the same thing over and over). It also allowed the entire crew to enjoy the evening meal.

1 theory for why it was called a "dog" watch had to do with the slang "dog sleep", which basically referred to a light nap.

Not super important, just interesting contextual information sort of stuff I couldn't help wanting to note in any case.

[tairona-is-taken]

Thanks so much for the tag, @pursuitseternal! I, too, had to dig into the archives for this, haha (although sadly, I have written zero Tolkien fics, so these are all from other projects/fandoms).

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway ❤️

1. The last house on the island had not sunk yet after all, though the waters of the bay stretched in all directions from its stone foundation to the distant horizon, glittering like crinkled tin foil in the afternoon sunlight. (Original fantasy novel)

Next up, all my Star Wars fics on AO3:

2. The comm came through just as Vader entered the moon’s atmosphere, a red blinking light indicating that it was of the highest priority. (The Boy Who Lived)

3. As soon as her last debriefing with NR Intelligence was over, Mara hurried to her temporary quarters in the Imperial Palace, threw her bag on the carved four-poster bed and started packing. (Killing You Softly)

4. Beru would always remember the first time she saw Darth Vader. (Worthy of Love)

5. Luke hasn’t thought of Old Ben in ages, but one morning he wakes up and just knows he has to go see him. (I'm Here to Rescue You)

6. “Son, how much longer are you going to waste your time on these pointless language lessons?” (Beyond Measure)

7. It started innocently enough, with Solo and Skywalker trading stories about stupid things they’d done while drunk. (What Happens on Hoth)

And now we've got to start digging into my DCU Livejournal fanfic from 15 years ago O_o ...

8. "All right, boys, come and get it," Lois grumbled as she set a cardboard tray holding four cups of coffee down on her desk. (A Lead)

9. On hands and knees in the ruined Fortress, with fingers beginning to blacken from frostbite, Clark claws at the snow, scrabbling to pick up the green Father Crystal from where it lies. (The Memento)

10. 6:00 PM. It was already 6:00 PM, Bruce realized with a start, and he had only finished reviewing the first unit of his fluid mechanics class. (In Arms of Undertow)

Anyway, what a fun trip down memory lane! And I was amazed that I managed to pull together this list without including any of my oldest fics (from Howl's Moving Castle fandom). I've written more than I thought over the course of my extremely sporadic fandom career!

As usual, I'm late to the game and nearly everyone's already been tagged, but here are a couple no pressure tags for folks I think haven't joined in yet :) -- @hikarielizabethbloom, @haladriel, @greenskyoverbluemountains

And anyone else who hasn't been tagged and wants to play, feel free to jump in!

[weeducaresblog]

Life as a Student

Daily Routine as a Student

Rinnel F. Salazar

Many people rely on daily routines to help them accomplish tasks and maintain a satisfying personal life. If you want to create a balance time management between your school life as a student and personal goals, you might think to create your own daily routines as a student. The way to maintain a healthy daily routine is to have discipline, consistency and hardwork. So let’s begin.

As a student everyday, I wake up early in the morning at around 5:40 a.m. After I wake up, I do start my morning with getting changed and a little bit of stretching to fully enliven me up and starting to put my bed in place. Before, I usually wake up 5:30 a.m., do jogging for 30 minutes and perform a light workout before going to school. But now, because of so much activities and a lot of time I spend in school, it makes me tired and exhausted so I have to manage my time and give myself an adequate rest. If I would have to choose between exercise and rest, I’ll probably choose to rest because sometimes you must have rest to recover your body from the stress and pressures of life. So, moving on to the next thing I usually do, is drinking two glasses of water while taking my vitamins. Afterwards, I start preparing my breakfast meal and that is plain healthy oatmeal. Next, I take a bath and after is getting changed with my uniform clothes. I will then eat my meal and go to school. As every time I go to school, I do walking because it helps me to be calm and gain concentration on which also, I have that habit that I like inspecting my surroundings.

I study at Malangas National High School that currently, I am a grade 12 HUMSS student. I walk 10 minutes to get to school. My class starts from 7:30 a.m. in the morning and ended at 5:00 in the afternoon. We have 4 hours class in the morning with our 4 subjects; Philosophy from 7:30- 8:30, World Religion from 8:30-9:30, followed by 15 minutes recess, our Media Information Literacy from 9:45-10:45, and our last morning subject, Practical Research from 10:45-11:45. After our morning class, is I used to walk in distance to go home and as I have to reach our house is I immediately go to our kitchen to prepare and eat my lunch meal. Giving worth to my next lessons is I used to give myself a 15 minutes time to scan my notes and review for my lessons; also giving myself time to play videogames. As the clock would reach 10 minutes before to 1:00 p.m. is I also used to do walking again to reach my school destination. Our class in the afternoon is also 4 hours accompanied with our 4 subjects; Piling Larang that starts from 1:p.m. to 2:00 p.m., UCSP from 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., Creative Nonfiction from 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. and Entrepreneurship from 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

After class is I usually walk again to go home and doing my evening routine is my priority. My daily routine serve as my disciplinary guidance for me to avoid getting late and avoid disrupting myself with unnecessary things to neglect my study. Daily routine boost our capability as a student to pursue mindful behaviour, mentality, and serve as a pattern on how should we manage our daily life being a student.