#Icebreaker Speech

[nem0-nee]

Rev has no time to draw😭😭😭🤯🤯🤯🤯🧐🧐🧐

ADGAHVA PLSSS- I CAN WORK WITH THIS DW DW

Apologizing right now for whatever the mcfuck I wrote DHBFDSKFSDKJF

Nemo tries to stifle her laughter. Saga's so-called Weezer blue orbs just never seem to fail to make her laugh, especially considering the look of distraught on his face whenever it's brought up.

But... what was peak comedy to her was the act she had in mind.

"Me? SUSPICIOUS?!?! Y-You're more suspect than me, you...you... yOU..."

Nemo can't seem to get her act up. This complete mocking mischaracterization was just that funny to her.

"YOU SUSSY BAKA!!"

That was it. Saga!Nemo was now completely OOC, as she was rolling on the ground, laughing.

...Now, If Saga himself were to see this... E. Hopefully he's not nearby (he probably is)

(very intrigued to see how he'd react PFFFT)

[ ASK GAME ]

[alliceolivia]

7 Minutes in Heaven ✿ - Lee Minho | Lee Know x reader

requested by @skz-crumbs

Sorry it took so long babe (/´Д｀)/ I have no excuse i'm just lazy...

Anyway, I hope you like it <3

word count: 1620

(how many hidden stray kids song titles can you find? ;) )

masterlist

You waited outside the classroom door for the teacher to call you in. To say you were nervous would be an understatement: a whole new school, new class, and new teachers. You didn’t know anyone here… How would you survive?

You took a deep breath, listening to the teacher's words, waiting for your cue to come into the class.

When you heard the teacher call you, you stepped into the classroom and introduced yourself quickly. The teacher told you to pick an empty desk, but it wasn’t much of a choice as there was only one vacant seat.

You ended up sitting beside a guy at the back. He was reading a manga under his desk. Cute.

(You wondered what he was reading. It looked like ‘Haikyuu’, and you felt the fangirl in you wake up. Maybe that could be an icebreaker?)

—

Lee Minho didn’t pay attention to the teacher's speech about how there was a new student joining today. He was too absorbed in his manga. But that was until you stepped into the room. He looked up as he heard the door open, and Minho felt his heart drop to his stomach. He had never seen a more beautiful creature.

He felt himself staring when you started to walk towards him and forced his eyes back down to his manga. You sat down beside him. He should talk to you, right? This was the perfect opportunity to start a conversation… but he didn’t know how to talk to girls. Fuck. What to say? What to say?

Minho used the rest of class trying to find out how to start the conversation with you, and when he’d figured out the perfect opening line and hyped himself up enough to look at you… It was too late. As lunch began, you were swarmed by the rest of the class. You were new. Making you automatically popular. Minho huffed and walked over to Han Jisung, his best friend, and started to eat his lunch.

—

But as lunch came, you got swarmed with people. Everyone wanted you to sit with them, and be their friend, and share their food. You had not anticipated this. What was happening?

You ended up sitting in the middle of a big circle in the middle of the classroom. Not really, but it was what it felt like. You nodded and smiled as people talked over themselves. You didn’t catch a single name.

You craned your neck to look through the sea of people, trying to find your deskmate. You wanted to talk to him. See what he was reading. Catch his name. You saw him sitting by the window, chatting with a friend.

“You’re gonna come, right?” A voice snapped you out of it.

“Huh?” You ask

“To my party tonight. It’s going to be so much fun! Oh, you have to come!” She begged

“O-oh, um.. sure,” You smiled

Everyone around you cheered. This felt weird.

—

Minho was staring at you while he ate, he didn’t pay attention to what Jisung was saying.

“Hey!” Jisung snapped in front of his face, “Stop looking at the new girl and listen to me,” ”Nah,” Minho answered lazily

“Come to Sana’s party with us. Chan got invited, and he can sneak us in,” Jisung said, “We can become relevant.”

“Nah..” Minho muttered, taking a bite of his sandwich. He looked at you again, you looked a bit uncomfortable. “I don’t care about being relevant,”

Jisung groaned in annoyance and let his head fall to the desk. “C’mon, man!”

“Be for real. We’re just going to end up standing in a corner anyway,” Minho sighs and looks back at you. “Why bother going?”

With his head still resting on the table, Jisung turns and looks up at Minho. He follows his gaze, landing on you. Jisung immediately understands.

“She’s probably going to be there,” He coos

“W-what?” Minho stutters back, feeling his ears go red

“The new girl. You think she’s pretty right?” Jisung smiles teasingly at Minho, “She’s probably going to be there.”

“N-no, I-”

“You could talk to her,”

“Don’t be stupid-”

“Come oooooon” Jisung whines and begs

Minho sits there and grumbles for a while. He knows Jisung won’t quit until he’s got his way.

“…fine“ Minho groans in defeat, “But only for an hour,”

Jisung punches the air in victory.

—

Time skip. At the party.

“Come on, y/n!” A girl you didn’t remember the name of called out, “Play with us,” She held up the beer bottle

You hovered near the edge of the group, your cup of soda already warm in your hands. The room was packed, music loud, bodies crammed together on mismatched cushions and couches. You hadn't expected the party to be this much. You smiled awkwardly.

“What’s the game?” you asked.

“Spin the bottle!” she sing-songed. “Seven minutes in heaven rules.”

Oh. Oh.

Before you could think of a graceful way to back out, someone tugged at your arm and pulled you down into the circle. The room spun a little as you sat. You felt every pair of eyes on you for a moment too long.

You weren’t sure if it was the party or the nerves making your skin feel too warm.

And then, out of the corner of your eye, you saw him.

—

Minho was about to turn around and leave. He regretted that he didn’t pretend he’d been ssick.

“This was a mistake,” he muttered under his breath as he stepped into the too-loud living room. Chan closed the back door behind him. He scanned the crowd, awkward and stiff in the oversized hoodie he’d thrown on last-minute.

“Don’t be dramatic,” Jisung said beside him, practically buzzing with excitement. “Look! This place is stacked.”

Minho didn’t respond. His eyes were already drifting toward the circle forming in the middle of the room. A bunch of people on the floor. A bottle in the center.

And you. Sitting right there, looking half-lost and like you wanted to vanish into the floorboards.

His heart dropped somewhere into his stomach.

“You’re welcome,” Jisung said smugly, following Minho’s gaze. “Now come on, hyung. We’re joining.”

“I’m not sitting there,” Minho grumbled. “That’s stupid.”

But he was already being pulled by the sleeve of his hoodie. Jisung shoved him gently into an open spot on the floor and plopped down beside him, beaming like he’d just orchestrated a K-drama plot twist.

Minho caught your eyes. You gave him a small, unsure smile.

His ears went red.

—

Someone shrieked as the bottle landed on two people who clearly weren’t expecting it. Laughter followed. The two were pushed down the hallway to the closet while the rest of the group counted down obnoxiously.

“I hate this game,” someone muttered.

You were starting to agree.

But then, a few rounds later, the bottle was handed to Minho.

—

Minho stared at the empty bottle in his lap like it was a live grenade. He should just spin it. No big deal. Totally random.

Except it wasn’t. Not really. Because all he could think was what if it lands on you.

He spun.

The room went quiet.

The bottle spun faster than he meant it to. Then slowed. Slower. Slower...

It stopped.

Pointing straight at you.

Oh, fuck.

Minho’s entire brain blanked. He didn’t even hear the noise around him. People cheered (mostly because you, the new girl, had gotten chosen), laughed, and someone started to chant “Closet! Closet!”

He didn’t move until Jisung smacked him on the back and whispered, “Dude. GO.”

—

Your heart was thudding painfully as you stood up. People were pushing you gently toward the hallway. You barely made eye contact with anyone, least of all Minho, who followed behind you with the stiff, stunned walk of someone heading to their own funeral.

The door opened. Someone whispered something like “Who invited that loser anyway?” and then the door shut.

Dark.

—

The closet was small and kind of smelled like detergent. You didn’t know where to stand, so you leaned awkwardly against the wall. Your head bumped into a shelf.

“Sorry,” Minho mumbled beside you.

“It’s okay,” you said quietly.

A beat passed.

Another.

If this awkward silence kept going, you were going to combust.

“I, um… do you- I saw you reading Haikyuu earlier. Do you like it?” You asked.

“Yeah, I-it’s my favorite,” He answered, relieved they you broke the silence. He’s also relieved the room is dark, so you can’t see how red his ears are.

“Really?” You kept the conversation going, “Mine too! My favorite is Hinata.”

“Mine too,” Minho answered shyly, “Have you read all of it? I just started re-reading it.”

“Yeah, I've read it maybe three times,” You chuckle, the awkward tension clearing up.

You don't notice it at first, but as you continue to talk, you both lean closer. And closer. And closer…

The awkward tension was slowly turning into a different kind of tension

—

The conversation stopped. So close now he could feel your breath on his face. He looked at your expression. The red light from outside is pooling under the door and illuminating your face. He doesn’t know where the courage to ask came from, but before he could think it over, his mouth started to speak.

“Can I…” he started. “I mean… if it’s okay… Can I kiss you?”

You didn’t even hesitate.

“Yeah... yeah, you can”

And then he leaned in.

It was soft. Hesitant at first. His lips barely brushed yours, like he was waiting for you to pull away. You didn’t. You leaned into him instead.

It was short. Sweet. Not perfect, but it didn’t have to be.

[chicago-geniza]

Gd I have to make small talk at physical therapy AND do the usual icebreaker introductions at ADHD support program tomorrow and I am all out of novel speech. It is echolalia all the way down and not even useful echolalia. We're going to be doing name, age, One Interesting Fact in the Zoom room and I'm going to say "Chicago be careful, the Challengers wind that makes you cheat is blowing through the city rn"

[mana-jjk]

i keep looking through the college au and coming up with more questions.

does geto teach a philosophy Gen-ed that everyone has to take?

are nanako and mimiko there? what are they up to?

I have to know more about ijichi's suffering

how close does toge get to dropping out? how often? will he ever actually do it?

do gojo and geto do that thing where they both casually mention their husband but nobody puts together that it's the other professor? (are they together in this au or is there more angst?)

i’m loving the questions !! <3 thank you for taking such an interest ! 🥺

getou’s philosophy:

• so getou has a PhD in philosophy and does research on the side of his position as a professor.

• he’s one of the few philosophy professors, so he teaches up to 4 - 5 classes a semester. this can include higher levels, major-specific, sub-categories, etc. but he always specifically requests a introduction to philosophy class, a requirement in most majors.

• it’s either that, or they take a speech class with Yuki Tsukumo and her teaching assistant, Aoi Todo. Who, yes, as an icebreaker, make you proclaim your type in men/women/other.

• yuuji took that class lol and now they’re trying to recruit him as a TA, no one could believe he would be the first to be recruited for that

• anyway, back to philosophy, getou has way too much fun being as evil and instigating as possible. you have to speak to get a grade in his class, and he will purposely misinterpret what you say.

• student: i just think in the case of the trolley problem, i wouldn’t hesitate to save more people.

• getou: oh? so you assign value to numbers? are human lives stastics to you? if they throw their money out will you also change your mind? i bet you don’t even care if there was a child on the other side huh? murderer

• you leave his class traumatized lol

nanako and mimiko:

• they are here and are still adopted by getou! they didn’t have the best home life, and moved around foster care for a lot of their lives until they accidentally bumped into getou while they were running away.

• he helped them call their social work and were moved into a better situation, though they begged him to stay in contact.

• a complicated and usual amount of time later, enough for adoption process in japan, he has officially adopted them.

• in present day, nanako and mimiko insisted on transferring colleges to the one getou got a job at so they could stay together.

• mimiko is currently a fashion design major and nanako is her biggest inspiration. she exclusively makes clothes for her or inspired by her and because of that she’s struggling a bit in college, despite being the top of her class.

• nanako is a digital marketing and social media major and part-time model who loves showing off mimiko’s designs. she also likes to bicker with nobara by saying her sister is on a whole different level than her. mimiko doesn’t care but likes the support her sister gives her lol

• mimiko will eventually change her major to graphic design, to someday design toys for children. she likes making clothes because it makes nanako smile, but she loves making toys that she and nanako used to cherish while hiding in the closet from their bad foster parents.

• like i said, nanako likes fighting with nobara, but actually has a lot of fun around her. she also loves panda and thinks he’s so fun and would be a great model. they always get chaotic around each other and turn into instigators.

• mimiko ended up finding an unexpected friendship in toge, he was quiet and she couldn’t understand sign but he always carried a little notebook that he would write notes in for her. they would watch nobara and nanako bicker, and toge would make her laugh by making doodles of them in the pages, and then clap when she drew a better quality version in turn. the way he ruffles her hair reminds her a bit of an older brother. (this is my agenda and i’m dying with it)!!

save ijichi:

• poor ijichi is an education major trying to get his master’s degree. being a teaching assistant was one of the requirements for him to graduate, and being gojo’s teaching assistant is the only position available.

• gojo did not want a teaching assistant, he likes to talk like a squirrel, go on tangents, and essentially not follow a schedule or explain to anyone. having a teaching assistant contradicts that so.

• lol

• gojo enjoys going on a tangent, losing everyone and then pointing at ijichi to answer a trick question.

• he also enjoys playing pranks on him, think of jim from the office. but his pranks are so nonsensical and childish that it gives everyone whiplash. once gojo accused him of passing notes and made him read a note out loud that gojo wrote, it only had a picture of a cat wearing sunglasses on it.

• the students feel so bad for him, when yuuta took the class, he always stayed after just to bow as deep as he could to apologize for his cousin’s behavior.

• every day ijichi tells himself he’s going to get a backbone, then gojo starts laughing and a cold chill runs up his spine

• gojo also leaves all the grading to ijichi but routinely complains about how lenient he is as a grader

• this man is fighting for his life

• in truth, gojo plans to give him a glowing recommendation that’ll guarantee him a high-paying, prestigious job, but he can’t let ijichi think he’s too nice, right?

toge drops out:

• so i think that toge would end up dropping out at the end of his second year in college. he’s just started his major courses, so the majority of his credits are transferable should he choose to come back.

• but it’s after yuuta comes back, and toge expects his mental state to get better. in some ways it does, he’s happy when he’s with them, but when it’s time to go to class he’s right back where he started.

• it’s probably kusakabe, one of his professors, that puts the idea of dropping out in his head. just a passing reference to how the professor dropped out several times before finding what he wanted to do.

• and the idea stayed like an infection, it was all toge could think about when he was finishing up his semester. even worse when their past upperclassmen, who did drop out to open their own bar, came for a visit.

• hakari was so open to questions about it, and kiara looked so happy talking about their business. and all he could remember was how bored and unhappy they were, and how they were thriving.

• and then gojo suggests it.

• “i never really cared about your grades,” he said, “you looked lonely, but you aren’t anymore. but somehow, you’re just as unhappy as the day i found you. all i want for you is to be happy, and i don’t think you’re finding it here.”

• the man was always so uncanny in how he could read anyone’s mind. this time in particular, he offered a solution that toge had never thought about.

• “have you ever thought of culinary school?”

• ‘my parents would never - they’re already threatening to disown me -’

• “let them, i always figured you’d take his last name anyway,” toge chose to ignore that, “but you aren’t alone anymore. so why don’t you try being happy?”

• when toge told yuuta, similar to only a year ago when they were in opposite positions, yuuta asked him softly, “what do you want to do?”

• the answer came easier than he thought

• by the start of the next semester, gojo had helped him enroll in a culinary school nearby.

gojo and getou:

• so these men are the most annoying people to exist at this university, and the board regrets hiring both of them everyday.

• both of them are alumni of the college, and this matters because they had been dating when they were students, but broke up very dramatically just before gojo graduated early.

• they went their separate ways for almost a decade and only really started talking again when getou got hired at the university.

• they only started talking again when shoko forced them to meet her, she wanted her friends back.

• she regretted it only a few months later when they started dating again lol

• so they’re still dating, but everyone thinks that getou is dating manami suda because they were often together.

• but no one mistakes gojo trying to flirt with getou so he has a reputation as a homewrecker. even worse is that getou flirts back so everyone thinks they’re terrible people

• and they think it’s so funny so they only enable people into thinking so, yuuta couldn’t look gojo in the face for a month

• only nanako and mimiko know what’s actually happening and they’re both disgusted and not ready to have gojo as their step-father. megumi knows too but he’s suffering so much that everyone just leaves him alone

• yuuji is so distraught that his gojo-sensei is a horrible person, he and nobara do a confrontation and find out that they were dating the entire time.

• everyone suffers after that because now they find amusement in PDA

• but yes after everything, they do a different storyline every new class like theater kids do

[fizzyfizu]

Accursed in the Lake’s Depths

THE ARCHIVES ₊˚.༄

(MASTERLIST)

Prolouge:

      It is common knowledge that at the start of every term in Hogwarts, a short speech is held by the headmaster to welcome back students.  But one thing that the students have noticed is that ever since Armando Dippet was headmaster—it is always mentioned that if you're looking for a place to study or hang out, the Black Lake is a great place to do such things; since then the Black Lake has become even more littered with students.  But the sudden mention of the lake caused the rise of rumours related to it on why the sudden interest, courtesy of bored students.  One of the most popular rumours involves a girl who disappeared from Hogwarts grounds in her 4th year decades ago.  The tale goes that the girl has been bound to the bottom of the lake as punishment for something she had done, what she did is still speculated though, and that Dippet encourages students to congregate around the Black Lake to further punish her—as if to show her what she is missing out on if only she didn't do what she had done.

Chapter 1.1 - A Late Start

Summary: - After being woken up by Dobby 10 minutes before the start of the 2nd task, Harry finds himself rushing to get to the venue. The venue being the Black Lake, otherwise known as the Great Lake. Once again thanks to Dobby, Harry is now in the possession of more than enough gillyweed to last him the full 1 hour limit.

Chapter 1.2 - A Cold Reception, Literally

Summary: - Professor Moody approaches Harry to ask for an update on his game plan, and much to his pleasure, Harry has one. After Bagman's count, Harry enters the cold, freezing waters. For a moment he panics, but after a few moments he finds himself mentally thanking Dobby profusely.

Chapter 1.3 - An Odd Discovery

Summary: - Harry finds himself in a thick grove of seaweed and murky waters. Yet, even with low vision, he saw glimpses of multiple merpeople who were clearly guarding something. Wrongly assuming the merpeople to be guarding the task, he ventures deeper, eventually finding himself in a clearing. What he found made him question the clue given to him, but he pushed those thoughts aside and went to retrieve his discovery anyways.

Chapter 2.1 - The Taste of Freedom

Summary: - You have finally been freed from your temporary prison. While being carried by Harry (who thinks you are still unconscious), you decide that you cant wait to feel what it feels like to move again anymore and stop the act. The two of you exchange incredibly awkward greetings for the first time.

Chapter 2.2 - Thanks & Introductions

Summary: - After Harry helps you to your feet once more, you find it within yourself to be the icebreaker between you two as the situation gets increasingly awkward. After exchanging names, you offer your thanks, during all this you notice the student-packed stands in the near distance. Harry is immediately surrounded by his friends and Dumbledore requests that you make a visit to his office soon.

Chapter 3 - Fawley? F-A-W-L-E-Y

Summary: - After being dismissed, you finally get to buddying up with Harry's friends. After a short introduction from Ron, Hermione bombards you with questions, some being concerningly..close. She decides to wrap up her ramble after Ron's interruption, and it's decided that the four of them will make their way to the great hall for lunch. Guess you'll have to postpone the meeting with Dumbledore..

Chapter 4.1 - Navigate Through Hogwarts

Summary: - You excuse yourself from the group as the four of you near the great hall, you start to navigate yourself through Hogwarts, during the process you run into Peeves (and get drenched). You also run into the Fat Friar, who helps lead you to Dumbledore's office.

Chapter 4.2 - Discussions with Dumbledore

Summary: - You are finally going to smoothen things out with Dumbledore. After admiring his office for a few moments, you start discussing future plans now that you are no longer restrained in the Black Lake.

Chapter 5 - Trouble with the Caretaker

Summary: - After taking your time to freshen up in your new dorm room, you decide to roam around the school to refresh your memory. You end up getting caught by Hogwarts' caretaker.

[silkenbutterfly7]

We will see the North American Mainland within a fortnight...

How could Sir Franklin so confidently say they would see the North American Mainland within a fortnight in the show? Thoughts on what they were going to do when they found the Passage.

I find it so difficult to imagine that Sir John could be impossibly overconfident to promise the North West Passage within 2 weeks of sailing when they had already spent a year just getting to the top of Prince William Land (Island.) I mean, didn't their basic Canadian maps have some sort of distance scaling on them? There were scenes of Fitzjames and Crozier trying to calibrate distance with compasses. It showcases Sir John's "act of hubris they may not survive" and feels like such an instance of plunging headlong into disaster (it makes me FEEL the CRINGE.)

And what did the crew think about that rousing speech at the end of episode 1, only to be stuck in the ice for another winter. That seems like it would have bred deep resentment and the first stirrings of distrust in leadership and thoughts of mutiny.

At the last scene when Sir John is ordering the officers to be "all good cheer" there is hesitation until Fitzjames nods in agreement and looks at the officers as if they are still in disbelief at Sir John's proud, stupid blundering. Then the last glance at Crozier (obviously too far away to see his face from Erebus) but the zoom-in for the viewer, showing that he knows he was right and the worst is yet to come.

In the real-life letters mailed from Greenland, Fitzjames mentions sailing to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) or Valparaiso on the coast of Chile. Hickey says he thought he was getting a trip to Hawaii! That's like 2000 miles from the Bering Strait across the open Pacific. Terror and Erebus were icebreakers, heavy & slow, not built for long voyages across the ocean. They had to be towed up past Scotland to Greenland by barges. By what miracle did they expect to sail through the Bering Strait, past the stormy Aleutian Islands, and down to Hawaii?

Crozier sailed (in real life) with James Clark Ross from England to Tasmania (where Sir John was a governor) and then to Antarctica on the previous expedition and it took them an 11-month voyage. So how did the Admiralty think that 3 years' provisions were enough to see the Franklin Expedition through the North West Passage, down to Hawaii, and then across the globe back to England again? They must have some plan to stop and take on fresh provisions and resupply (I would hope.) The whole logistics of the expedition seems ill-planned and just doomed from the outset. Even if the Goldner's cans had not been tainted with lead or spoiled, would they even have had enough provisions to get to Hawaii or Valparaiso without starving? Were they just hoping to shoot enough birds and seals on the coast of Alaska to feed 129 men for months?

The hubris of the leadership, and the trust of the crew following them, just destroys me. :(

[princesssarisa]

Autism headcanon: Runt (Animaniacs)

Maybe this is cheating. Maybe this is less of a headcanon than it is canon in all but name, because Runt's voice and verbal tics are based on an explicitly autistic movie character: Dustin Hoffman's character Raymond Babbitt from Rain Man. This is probably why he and Rita were left out of the 2020 Animaniacs reboot, since it's not very PC to have a goofy cartoon dog caricature an autistic movie character's speech patterns.

Still, I've always liked Runt and I still do. Until I saw someone else point it out, it never occurred to me that his autistic-seeming mannerisms could be offensive. As a person on the spectrum myself, I've always found him relatable.

Here are the reasons why:

*He compulsively repeats sentences and words – especially his favorite word, "definitely."

*He often talks out loud to himself.

*His physical actions can be compulsive too. For example, when someone throws a ball, he has to chase it. Or when he sees a dangling tablecloth, he has to charge at it and tug it with his teeth. And almost every time he hears the word "cat," he goes into a wild, snarling rage, threatening to tear it to pieces... yet never once realizing that his best friend Rita is a cat.

*While he doesn't usually show the savant skills of his Rain Man counterpart, he does show a hint of them now and then. For example, when he points out that a rock pile contains 147 rocks, or when he instantly identifies a dish of fish as Mahi-Mahi.

*He's very literal-minded and doesn't understand sarcasm. This causes headaches for Rita, since he constantly misunderstands her sarcastic remarks.

*He tends to be oblivious to the world around him, and he often doesn't recognize danger or notice when a seemingly friendly person is behaving suspiciously. This is why Rita needs to look out for him. That said, he's not completely clueless, and rises to the occasion whenever Rita or someone else he cares about is threatened.

*His debut episode implies that he's never responded to normal training methods. Despite being an adult dog, he's still not housebroken and still chews things, which is why his owner abandoned him at the pound.

*Despite his sweet nature and devotion to Rita, he sometimes shows an innocent lack of empathy and obliviousness to Rita's discomfort. For example, when he shakes rain water onto her, or eats food that she was about to eat, or doesn't notice when a human is mistreating her as long as he's being treated well. This is all naïve and unintentional, however, and in the rare moments when he realizes he's upset Rita, he's always contrite.

*Sometimes in scary situations, when the obvious thing to do would be to spring into action, he freezes up instead. For example, the first time Rita fights the Nazi dog in "Puttin' on the Blitz," or when Ross Perot almost falls over the waterfall in "Icebreakers." That said, he always comes through and takes action when it matters most – namely whenever Rita is in danger.

*He seems to particularly like music and find it comforting, especially Rita's songs. He can even hear the word "cat" without going into a berserker rage as long as Rita sings it. But then, who wouldn't be soothed by her beautiful voice?

[lovevalley45]

#fictober24 day one

"That was good work"

original fiction (power payback)

word count: 1405

tw: slight body horror

Chester Holt was so screwed. 

It was a cliche to have a crush on your coworker. He knew that, yet Fernando was just… perfect. 

Maybe that was extreme. No one was perfect. Yet, he was near perfect. He was handsome, clever, funny, and so nice. 

Chester should have known better than to catch feelings. Especially after his incident in high school. 

Seeing Fernando was the only reason he didn’t outright hate their weekly team building meetings. Often, the two of them would make snide comments about their boss Jerry. He loved trying to get a glimpse of his slightly crooked smile. 

But today, he’d been in charge of running their icebreaker. That always felt disastrous. He would get too nervous, or people wouldn’t be engaged. For once, it went well for him. 

As Jerry stepped up to give some vague, inspirational speech, Fernando leaned in. This close, Chester could feel his body heat, warm against the scant inch of his neck exposed by his turtleneck. 

“That was good work. You made me not want to pull my hair out,” he said softly. His breath smelled like fresh mint. 

He could scarcely breathe as he replied, “Thanks.” He was aware that his cheeks had heated up and hoped his blush wasn’t too obvious. 

That certainly made it hard to focus on Jerry’s stupid speech. Seriously, they sold dentistry equipment. They weren’t saving the world. 

Chester was feeling uncharacteristically brave as the meeting finally concluded. Before Fernando could go back to his cube, he caught his shoulder in what he hoped was a casual manner. 

“Hey. You got any plans tonight?” 

“Oh, yeah. My girlfriend wants to check out that new steakhouse that just opened at the Silver Spade, so we’re having dinner there tonight,” Fernando said. 

The tight feeling he got in his chest around him seemed to squeeze the air out of his lungs into a single word answer. “Oh.” He coughed, trying to ease the pain. And maybe make this whole thing much less awkward. “That sounds fun. I’ve heard good things about that place… Ace of Steaks?” 

“Yeah. It’s real classy. Even though I think Neon Avenue is tacky.” He chuckled. “The things you do for love.” 

“Totally.” Chester forced a smile. “Well. Have a good time. I’ll see you around.” 

He ducked out of the conference room before Fernando could respond. At first, he was just going to go back to his cube, but thought better and headed to the bathroom instead. 

He was a grown man. He was not going to cry over getting his feelings hurt. Except his eyes did feel kinda moist. 

God, he was such an idiot. Of course Fernando didn’t have feelings for him. Of course he was straight. Of course he had a girlfriend. 

Chester started running the faucet to splash water on his face. But it felt like there was something stuck in his throat. 

He cleared his throat, trying to get it out. No dice. Then he dipped his hand under the water and brought it to his throat, trying to suck it down. 

As whatever was in his throat sent him into a coughing fit, he leaned against the counter. God, that hurt his chest. Maybe he was coming down with something. He had felt the onset of… something. A bad chest cold, perhaps. 

Sickness always hit him hard. After the surgery, they’d told him that expected. His lungs had taken a toll from his burnout. If it got bad, he’d just stop by Urgent Care.

Maybe it was good Fernando had turned him down. 

Chester went back to his desk, putting his headset back on. He just had to make it through today. 

The rest of the day was slow. He kept his water bottle full and tried to keep his throat hydrated so he didn’t sound too terrible on his calls. It didn’t help much, but it was the thought that counted. 

By the time he could clock out, he was thankful. His turtleneck didn’t help the pain in his throat, almost like it was choking him. All he wanted to do was retreat back home.

The universe had other plans. 

Fernando leaned into his cube just as he was gathering his stuff. “Hey there.” 

“Yo.” His voice was still scratchy, which was uber embarrassing. He shouldn’t have cared. But seeing Fernando sent his heart fluttering again. Or maybe that was just infection setting in. 

“Woah. You good?” His eyebrows knit together in concern. 

“Yeah. I think I’m just coming down with something.” Chester coughed. “I’ll probably be fine after some sleep and a little chicken noodle soup. The great medicine of Chef Campbell.” 

Fernando grinned. “Campbell’s is no miracle cure. Now my abuela’s soup, that’s a surefire thing. The spice will kill that infection better than any antibiotic. I’ll bring some by.” 

“Oh, tha-” Suddenly, his throat seized. Chester could barely breathe as he hacked, hiding his face in the elbow of his sweater. “Thanks,” he continued weakly. 

“Yeah, you really need some rest,” Fernando said. “Are you gonna be okay to get home?” 

“I’m good. Promise.” He smiled up at him. 

“Alright.” He started to pull away. “Call me if you need anything. You know, other than soup. Because you’re definitely getting soup.” 

“Will do.”

Despite the fact he felt like shit, Chester had a grin on his face the whole drive home. Sure, every step up to his apartment seemed to make his chest seize. Sure, he was struggling to take in a breath as he unlocked the door. But he could sleep that off. 

The moment he was inside, he pulled off his turtleneck. Bright City never got cold enough to require such warm clothes, especially when the spring weather was finally starting to defrost. But scarves made him look douche-y. 

He knew it was unlikely that Fernando would stop by that night, but he still wanted to look as put together as he could. Chester snagged a clean-ish t-shirt and ducked into the bathroom. 

In the mirror, he checked his hair. It wasn’t too bad; taking off the turtleneck had rumpled it in a sorta sexy way. But his eyes dropped to his neck. 

The loose collar revealed the top of the long scar that stretched from his Adam’s apple down his chest. There was no way to hide it in this. He sighed. 

His fingers traced over the sensitive skin. That surgery had been necessary to save his life. It had also removed the last vestiges of his Talent. God, he didn’t need Fernando knowing. No one at work knew that he’d ever been a Talent, nor that he’d suffered a burnout. 

If he was lucky, they never would. 

He pressed too hard into his throat and coughed once, before it set him off again. Chester wheezed, and started hacking again. It hurt like hell, like his throat was being torn up from the inside. 

As he tried to catch his breath again, he tasted the metallic twinge of blood in his mouth. He spit into the sink, then wiped his mouth. 

Maybe Fernando’s abuela’s soup couldn’t fix this one. Especially not when he spotted a touch of unusual color among the red drops in the sink. 

Chester picked up the petal from the sink. It was slender, purple - geranium. The edges were starting to wilt. 

"No," he breathed out. "No, no." 

This wasn't a chest cold. This was something else. 

He'd been seventeen, priming to ask his crush to prom. He had put together a grand, floral display. 

For the week beforehand, as he waited for his moment, the flowers had stayed vibrant in his room. He'd felt sicker and sicker until the day came. But she had turned him down. 

By the time he got home from school, he could barely breathe. The flowers that had been germinating in his lungs were dying - and trying to take him with him. 

Chester didn't understand. Dr. Merlo had said that the chances his botanokinesis was still active was low - only five percent. Every attempt he'd made to keep a houseplant alive for the past few years had ended in disappointment. With his Talent, he could have halted their growth. Or at least, he could have tried. She had also warned him that they couldn't remove all the plants, that it would have been too risky. 

How long had that chest cold been coming on, again?

[diabeticdingus]

Art dump part two! full effort stuff this time :)

Kahlen, my Dragonborn OC, Infernite sharpshooter with a bionic arm, totally not copied off the one Snake has in MGS 5 :3

Moja Vill Vastitium (the dragonborn) and Hainji Yokottsi (Puma Felisus, more worldbuilding shenanigans) Kinda like a breaking bad (Walter and Jesse) relationship, since I made these two for @defectummetalhead, a total breaking bad nerd (I love him for it)

Catgirl based on my IRL cat :3

Older version of the reference, before a mild redesign that made him just better in every way (Thank you @driptaculardragonborn for that :)

The aforementioned redesign, thanks again @driptaculardragonborn! Also includes @defectummetalhead's dragonborn! (Not my art)

A dragonborn for @crocutacanidae, very funky creature if i must say

Tik, a copper Kobold with a speech impediment (hence the name) who is a bomb slinging, chemical wielding madlad!

Michael, a human hacker with bionic legs and a cool ass robot dog! Part of a gang set in the worldbuilding the dragonborn are from

"Sloppy Joe", a Felisus (catboy) stuck in a concrete block, and left in a chemical slop pit to die. He's still alive today, funnily enough.

A much more 'standard furry' fursona my beloved @defectummetalhead designed for me :3

Along with his version of it! (This one's also not my art)

A pair of thingies for a project i got dragged into by another friend! Elven icebreaker ships, and Cassandra, a particularly vicious human leader.

Catalea Lapilis, do NOT fuck with a 7'4 Large Lizard Lady with an extreme amount of hidden violence. For @driptaculardragonborn

A bit more of a doodle but my OC working on his bionic arm. Gotta have regular maintenance or it's gonna get all squeaky.

A Zithrin, a funny alien raptor thing from a project another friend is working on.

A friend of mine has a dog that sometimes stances not unlike a souls game boss, and he wanted me to draw this for him. Mister bones was NOT ready.

Kahlen in MGS 3 attire. Mixing series is fun. WARNING FOR NEXT IMAGE: GORE/DISMEMBERMENT Ok you ready?

@snek-stuff's character Sadie Milton, a possum with the ability to be (painlessly) dismembered and reassembled easily. Might just be dead? Anyway, she's fine, even with an arm off.

And a Dragonborn for the same @snek-stuff! END DUMP Next up: A big fat pile of images of just me and @defectummetalhead being in love! I was not kidding when I said I love him :3

[snowflakechallenge]

Fandom Snowflake Challenge #4

Introduction Post* Meet the Mods Post * Challenge #1 * Challenge #2 * Challenge #3

Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.

( Fandom Snowflake Challenge #4 )

So far we’ve asked you to share your fandom profile, your goals, your wishes and later we’ll be asking you all about your fandom, what makes it special, what makes it important, but first--let’s talk about you. Who are you?

Challenge #4 IceBreaker Challenge! Tell us about yourself. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so. Think of it as an elevator pitch, or a manifesto; give us bullet points or lyrical prose. Want to make a game out of it? Tell us things that are true and things that aren’t and let us guess. Don't know what to say? Hate elevator speeches, but don't want to skip a day? Try this Random Question Generator and make yourself a meme all your own.

Whatever you want to do is grand. After all the best thing about fandom really are the people you share it with. The rest--the fic, the art, the vids and meta--is just gravy.

Check out the comments for all the awesome participants of the challenge and visit their journals/challenge responses to comment on their posts and cheer them on. (And because we were gifted with paid time for the month of January, you can search comments! So don’t forget to list the fandom(s) in your comment so people can search for it.)

And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.

[mad-rdr]

August Reads

6 books this month!

The Kingdom of Copper by S. A. Chakraborty (★ ★ ★ ★/5): If I could summarize this book in one sentence it would be: a war where neither side is right and everyone dies. If you can’t tell, this book was INSANE. There was so much happening the entire time and everytime I thought my opinions on a character were certain, they did something that completely changed my mind again. There were so many loyalty changes and assassination attempts and self-righteous speeches. My only complaint is that I feel because there are so many characters to keep track of and develop, there’s not really any huge character arcs that should have happened.

The Duchess War by Courtney Milan (★ ★ ★/5): cute and basic regency-era romance. Gotta love a revolutionary duke who realizes he's unmatched when it comes to the woman he loves

Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver (★ ★ ★/5): Butcher & Blackbird works because it's one of a kind and this sequel is obviously trying to capitalize on that success. Not to say this book wasn't enjoyable, it just wasn't as fun as the first one. The whole fake marriage thing barely makes sense, I really don't get why Lark would bother to try and save Lochlan's life. But anyways, cheers to enemies to lovers ig

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace (★ ★/5): While not a good book (which I knew going in), I was finding it relatively entertaining until the last 20% of the book. Anastasia is honestly so annoying and Nathan gets gross and controlling towards the end. The conflict with Aaron was incredibly drawn out and super repetitive and don’t even get me started on her being pregnant in the epilogue. Anyways- it was fun till it kinda wasn’t but eh, I wasn’t expecting quality.

Raven Rock by Nichole Louise (★ ★ ★ ★/5): A historical fiction book placed right in the heart of the American Revolution, it explains the origins of the legend of the Headless Horseman. And let me just say, wow. It started off a little slow, but by halfway through I was fully engaged in the story. Wolfram was such a compelling character, with his internal conflict regarding his uncle, a man who had been like a father to him, and his ruthlessness during the war. He defies him and ends up saving a child from a burning building, becoming a traitor in the process. His time in Sleepy Hollow with Hulda (resident healer that is seen as a witch and therefore outcasted) was so fun to read about and makes the tragedy of it all that more devastating. I am glad that Wolfram got his revenge against his uncle for not only killing his father but also killing him. I like to think Hulda and Wolfram are haunting Raven Rock together and have found each other in their afterlives. This truly was such a great read and I’m glad I pick led it up. Shoutout to Herkules, the best horse companion a man could have.

The Empire of Gold by S. A. Chakraborty (★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5): I take back everything I said in the last book about there being too many characters to give them proper arcs. This series finale proved me wrong and I am so, so glad. This series has only gotten better with each book and this was definitely the best one. Nahri and Ali cross the world, find allies in ancient beings, come into new powers, discover family secrets, overthrow a mass murderer, and are rebuilding Daevabad from the ground up. They are such a fun pair and I’m truly glad they’ve found their way back to each other. For Dara, I just feel an immense sadness for him. His story is a tragedy and so nuanced and complex- the author did a really good job of handling it and giving him a fitting ending. There’s so much more I could talk about but just know that this was such a good ending and, in one way or another, everyone is working towards their own peace.

[smolwritingchick]

The Bangtan Gal Chapter 15- Going to SOPA

Chapter Summary: After auditioning successfully for SOPA, Jennie attends school for the first time in South Korea as she goes with Jungkook to the opening ceremony

Words: 2,000+

Genre: JenKook fluff! I dare say this is the start of him growing feelings :)

-----

Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Jennie took a deep breath and smoothed down her school uniform. Today was the day. She was going to High School in South Korea with Jungkook. She enjoyed going to school. She missed going to school when she was back in America, performing with her old group.

She was nervous, yet excited for the day.

How different was the school system here?

The audition back in February she had was even more intimidating than her Big Hit audition and she was grateful she was able to pass with her vocals.

Now the day was here for the entrance day.

Hearing her phone ring, she answered it to reveal her two older sisters, Alani and Vienna in a Facetime call. They looked like they were back in their dorm at college.

"AW~" They coo.

"Look at her~" Alani squealed.

"So adorable." Vienna smiled.

"Oh shut up..." Jennie grumbled, rolling her eyes at their banter.

"Nice school uniform~" Vienna teased.

"We're in college while you're starting high school in South Korea. This is too cute. Don't focus on any boys! That's my only rule. I mean it, JW." Alani said in a serious tone, narrowing her eyes.

Shoving her sister away, Vienna took the phone. "Don't listen to her. DO focus on boys."

"Whatever you do, don't be like Vienna. We came from a party and she was grinding up on this one guy. I'm the better role model."

"It's not like I slept with him, I was just dancing! Grinding is dancing!" Vienna disagreed. Jennie agreed with her statement.

"Yeah, you're overreacting with that Alani," Jen replied

"See! Best older sister is me," Vienna cheered

"Oh, be quiet!" Alani started bickering with her.

"Would you two quit it!" Jennie lets out a short laugh.

"Girl, you're 16. Tell me all the details when you start finding some cute guys." Vienna requested.

"Ah, I bet they'll start coming after her. Have you seen her butt? It's getting bigger." Alani added with a laugh.

"Stop~" Jen groans. "It's not big..."

"Sure it's not Serena Williams big but you have something back there." Vienna declared

Jen shrugged. "I don't think I would be anyone's ideal type around here, though. I don't fit their beauty standards here. At least I don't think so. But it's all good. If I catch someone's eye, cool. If not it's fine,"

"I hope you know that you are beautiful."

"I do, I do. Even the guys always tell me."

"Well, they're not lying." 

"We just wanted to call you because we hope you have a great day! Our baby JW is growing up so fast. Some advice for the first day, remember that communication is key. Do icebreakers. Approach people and introduce yourself. The rest should go well after that." Alani advised. "Even with the K-Pop idols. They're normal people, just like us but they're just really well known for what they do. Should be no problem to say hi as you grow in the industry,"

Jennie nodded at her advice. "I'll keep that in mind. There are a lot of idols I want to meet. I'll see what I can do. So how's college for you?"

"Acting is fun. Been preparing for the spring play. It's going to be lit! I'll send pictures. And guess who's the lead?" Vienna beamed.

"You?" Jennie replied like it was an obvious answer but out of nowhere Vienna started sniffing and faked a sob.

"NO. But I will try harder next play."

"I know you can do it."

"My communications class is going great. I have to prepare to make a persuasive speech. I should get a good grade on it." Alani informed with a bright smile.

Vienna shook her head. "I still don't know how she convinced mom to get her belly pierced when she was just 16."

Smirking, Alani cleared her throat and flipped her hair. "I got skills."

"Yooo my English professor is a bitch, though!" Vienna started getting riled up, clapping her hands.

"I swear, I was about to lash out at her for yellin' at me. I really hate when people yell at me, like get out face!"

"She also almost got into a fight at the party. THANKFULLY I dragged her away."

"Because some bitch was trying to say that her hair was better but she didn't even have any edges. So obviously, I had to set her straight. She was so close to catching these hands...the Lord was testing me!"

"You can always ignore the person?" Jen slowly said, trying to calm her down.

"NO! You got me fucked up! I'm not going to just let someone just say that to me! And you bet not let anyone walk over you either, JW!"

Alani sighed. "As you can see, Jennie, you are the most civilized sister, here."

"For now. Once she ever gets mad, she'll understand. But she has dad's cool, calm, collected genes while we got mom's anger genes." Vienna pointed out.

"So why did your English professor yell at you, Vienna?" Jen asked

"I was Facetiming." She answered like it was nothing wrong.

Jennie deadpanned. "Well obviously! And that's so rude! Dude!"

"What?" She laughed.

"Jennie~ are you almost done? Breakfast is ready!" Jin called out from her door.

Looking up at her door, she replied in Korean, "Coming!" and turned back to her phone.

"I still can't get over how quickly you can shift from Korean to English. I'm really happy things worked out for you in K-Pop. Keep making us proud. You're going to do big things with BTS. We love you." Alani smiled.

Jennie blew them a kiss, replying in English, "I love you, guys, too!"

"Remember! BOYS~!" Vienna started laughing when Alani shoved her to the side.

"Vienna shut the hell up! Don't listen to this bitch. Focus on school!" Alani encouraged.

"Who are you callin' a bitch?"

Laughing, Jen said her goodbyes and hung up. Grabbing her packed school bag with her books and pencils, she walked out of her room and headed to the dining room.

Hobi was the first to see her and gasped. "AHH! My Munchkin~" He squealed and rushed up to her. "You look so adorable!"

Looking up from eating, Jungkook glanced over at Hobi. He spotted Jennie smiling nervously at Hobi's excitement as a smile crept up on his face. "Morning, Jennie!"

Turning her head, she grinned at him and sat next to him. "Morning, buddy. I guess today is the day. School...SOPA...all righty..." She started eating fast.

Jungkook let out a low chuckle. "You sound and look nervous."

"Nervous? Who's nervous? I'm not nervous at all!"

"Slow down. It won't be that bad. Don't worry."

After eating, they start filming for a Bangtan Bomb. "Hello, it's the day I get to wear my uniform. Jennie and I, are going to school for our entrance ceremony! My mom and dad will be coming, too." Jungkook smiled at the camera.

"My mom and dad are in America right now but they sent in all the papers that we needed. They told me they were with me in spirit." She chuckled. "I Skyped them yesterday. They told me to take lots of videos and pictures." She sighed. "This is normal."

"Jennie is so nervous." Jungkook teased her.

"Quiet! It's a new experience, I just hope things go well."

"Come on guys, hurry up! I want to go there soon!"

"He's so eager."

After they were dropped off at the school, Jennie put on her bookbag and made her way to the building. 

"Oh dear...oh dear..." She murmured.

"For crying out loud. Jennie if you don't relax." Yoongi patted her shoulder.

As they tried to find where the entrance ceremony was, Jin commented about how it had been so long since he'd been to school.

'Hyungs who are even more excited from being in a school after a long time'

"I think I'm in a school again after three years?" Hobi said as they made their way upstairs.

When she met with her form teacher, she was grateful for how patient and calm she was with her. Her schedule consisted of having Algebra first, then Biology, Korean class, history, lunch, and English. She just had to pick two more classes.

"Music seems to be your best choice." The form teacher advised with a sweet smile.

"I'll take a singing class." She watched as the form teacher wrote it down. "Um, do you happen to have a guitar class?"

"Yes, we do."

Her eyes lit up and she sighed out of relief. "Awesome! I would love to take that as well!"

After both Jen and Jungkook were done speaking with their form teachers, they headed to the assembly hall. From the top, Jin pointed out where they were standing.

"It's really cute seeing them standing there." Namjoon grinned

"Jungkookie and our Jennie~" Hobi cooed.

"I want to attend school," Yoongi spoke up.

"Me too! All of a sudden." Hobi reminisced

Looking up, Jennie saw Namjoon and the guys waving at her, so she nudged Jungkook and pointed them out.

"I don't know why but it's really fascinating." Jin grinned

"Jungkook is so handsome...seriously. And our beautiful Jennie...she's so precious." Hobi grinned

"For real!" Namjoon agreed. "I'm proud of them."

While Yoongi took pictures, Jennie decided to use her sister's advice and do some icebreakers to make a friend or two. Looking around, she managed to find a girl standing nearby and made her way to her.

The girl had long straight black hair and looked timid as she was looking down.

"Hi!" She greeted kindly.

Looking up, the girl was startled that she was talking to her. "H-hello."

"My name is Jennifer. What's yours?"

"H-Hayoon."

"Hayoon." She said her name the right way. "Well, it's very nice to meet you. Are you nervous to be here?"

"Yes, I really am."

"Same. It's my first time going to school in South Korea. What classes do you have? Maybe we have some together." She compared classes with her.

"Jennie is making friends while Kookie is just standing there. He's just standing there, not speaking a word!" Jimin laughed with the rest of the hyungs.

"Go talk to others!" Namjoon said when Jungkook looked up at them.

"Go talk to your friends!" Tae laughed. 

Back to Jennie, she found a few classes that she shared with Hayoon. "Oh cool! Looks like we Biology, lunch and singing!" Jennie beamed.

"R-really? That's great!"

"Are you a trainee?"

"Yes, I'm a trainee for Source Music."

"Wow, that's amazing. I'm from Big Hit Entertainment. Let's exchange numbers!"

After they finish, they head out to eat as Jungkook and Jennie agree to split the bill to pay for the whole meal.

'Stress relieved since its all over and they're going to eat'

"We're here to eat Jja-jang noodles. Jennie and I are going to treat everyone." Jungkook said.

"Yep! It's the least we can do." she smiled.

"Ahhh I'm so proud of you, Munchkin~" Hobi hugged her tightly

"I can't breathe~" She groaned before he started giving her big kisses on the cheek. "Cut it out, jeesh!" She laughed

Once inside, seated, and orders taken, they take a group photo. Jen sat next to Jungkook, while they all threw up peace signs.

"Food~" She happily dug in.

"So what do you think of the school so far Jennie?" Namjoon asked.

"Um...I just hope I don't get lost." She laughed nervously over the guys' laughter from her statement.

-------

The next day was the first day of school as both Jungkook and Jennie were dropped off and walking together with the manager. Already were the paparazzi taking photos of all the upcoming idols walking to attend the school. Smiling, she waved at the cameras. 

"I'll walk you to your first class." Jungkook volunteered as they walked through the crowd. 

Jen grabbed onto his arm to not get lost. "You don't mind walking me? Thanks, I appreciate it."

Once they went inside, she widened her eyes. "Is it even bigger than yesterday? How am I going to survive this?"

Jungkook let out a laugh and grabbed her hand. "You'll get the hang of it. Come on." He guided her and walked to her first class. As soon as they arrived, she thanked him. "I'll wait for you outside when school is over."

"All right, I'll text you. I hope this goes smooth sailing. Good luck in your classes." She was about to leave but he continued to hold her hand, stopping her from going to class.

Turning back to face him, she watched as he looked down shyly. "You really don't want me to leave, huh?" She let out a small chuckle. "You're still shy? Jungkook, you're so nice and polite. Anyone would love to be your friend. My mom and sisters always told me to do icebreakers. Maybe if you feel comfortable and ready, you can do the same here at school,"

"You're so outgoing, though." He murmured.

"Ha! That's a lie. I'm very nervous but I'm trying to keep it in. My stomach is in knots. I'm not used to this school system like everyone else is. So, I'm gonna have a harder time. I'm not happy about that." She frowned.

Looking up at her frowning, he let go of her hand and pinched her cheeks. 

"Hey!" She laughed and pushed his hands away.

"There it is. Keep that smile. Good luck with everything. I'm sure you'll be fine. I know I will too." He grinned.

"Thanks. I'll see you later." She headed on to class.

Her classes went smooth sailing. An introduction to the classes. When it was time for her Korean class, she walked in to see Jungkook sitting at a desk and stiffed a laugh. Sitting next to him, she cleared her throat.

Looking up, Jungkook cocked his head to the side and widened his eyes. 

"J-Jennie! What are you doing, here?!"

"What are YOU doing here?" She teased.

"Ha! We have class together?"

"Looks that way! I guess we forgot to compare schedules yesterday."

Korean class may be the most distracting, she could tell she may be goofing off with Jungkook in the class. But she also knew he would be able to help her out with her Korean and she could help him with his English work.

While the class was in session, they paid attention to the teacher going over what they were going to do in the class.

Watching her pencil roll to the edge of the desk, Jen went to stop it from falling but ended up touching Jungkook's hand, having the same intention. When their hands touched, he felt something cold on her finger and grabbed her hand to look at it.

"You..." He examined her hand to spot the black ring, he had given her, on her right index finger. "You're...you're wearing it." He whispered happily to himself.

"Huh?" Looking at what he was staring at, the realization hit her. "Oh, the ring! Yeah, of course. I wear it every day, actually...ever since you told me you cherished me and our friendship, it got me thinking. I couldn't help but wear it every day. I guess...it's because I'm truly lucky to have a friend like you in my life." She blurted out. Widening her eyes, she covered her mouth.

Her words warmed his heart as he slowly revealed his bunny smile. She didn't know how moved he was just from her saying that to him.

"Sorry, sorry, too much? I can take it off if you want." She took her hand back and was about to take it off but his warm hands stopped her.

"No. Don't." He said softly, pushing the ring back on her finger. "It-it makes me...very happy to see you wearing it. I wear my ring every day, too. Let's continue wearing our rings every day." He showed her his ring on his right index finger.

Smiling, she turned her attention back to the teacher. Meanwhile, Jungkook couldn't help but continue smiling. Little did she know, wearing that ring made his day much better.

[commiekinkshamer]

I do actually have a problem with over-apologizing (some of it bc of trauma and no doubt, gender socialization) but I wonder if some of it isn’t cultural - bc as I’ve paid more attention to this, I think the stereotypes about certain “people” (ie Canadians, or mid western Americans) are kinda true? Like I can think of examples of very direct and unapologetic people irl that say “sorry” a lot, and it’s pretty common practice to say sorry as means of being polite or even initiating an interaction or icebreaker. Rarely is it a sincere expression of apology.

I’ve also had what I felt to be very standard, non self effacing interactions and people (often Americans) would be like “omg stop saying sorry!” And I’m like… this is just a normal interaction?

Like, it’s somewhat normalized and even expected to pepper in “sorries” in everyday speech, at least in Atlantic Canada. In my experience anyway.

I also think this might play into the stereotype that Americans are blunt or rude - they aren’t necessarily behaving in a way that’s “rude” to them, nor do they perceive themselves as “blunt”.

It’s common here to soften yourself or be indirect, but I think that’s more a cultural norm than it is an indicator we are polite and x group isn’t.

[shakespearenews]

Now the famous writer offered the cowed students an icebreaker. “I have a game I like to play,” he said. “I like to edit, or revise, Shakespeare.” On long flights or when he was bored, he would take Shakespeare’s speeches and try to improve them. He gave an example of a line he’d adjusted from King Lear. “Isn’t it plainly much better?” Borges asked.

Whether it was better was not what interested Kirn. Borges was revising “some of the greatest pieces of oratory in the English language,” Kirn recently told me. He was still, 40 years later, amazed. The lesson he drew was that no authority was beyond question.

[sakebytheriver]

superstore × abbott elementary really the superior left-leaning sitcom crossover (quirky rainbow copaganda whomst? i don't know her) cheyenne, mateo and ava standing in the same room would produce enough gossipy trash talk contempt to power the sun, bo and tariq would either be bitter rivals or a bro-match made in hell, amy would probably know the legendary charter schools guy from a conference or something and hate him on principle. and there are so many semi-realistic options for how the shows could exist in the same universe, like maybe janet moves to philly after cloud 9 closes and her nerdy son transfers in to abbott, or an abbott student becomes pen pals with parker sosa or carter simms

Lol 😂

I do think Ava, Cheyenne, and Mateo would get along so well, like they'd give each other the skinny about all their coworkers as an icebreaker. I also think Ava and Garrett would get along surprisingly well, but when she finds out he's dating Dina the look she'd give that man, hoo boy 😭😭

Bo and Tariq would be bitter rivals at first sight before becoming a total bro match made in heaven and then talk about making collab together, but they'd argue so much about the content of the song that they'd be bitter rivals again and then write distracks about each other before once again making up and being bros and finally writing that collab they talked about

Amy knowing legendary charter guy from a business convention definitely makes a lot of sense, no way he didn't give a speech about how corporatizing schools will make them all a bunch of bank that just ruined her entire day 😂

As for the reason for the crossover I'm always gonna be partial to bi!Jonah and partial to this post I made being a reality

Like Jonah and Jacob being friends from college and being in the same GSA and having had a terrible one night stand is now everything to me 😭😭

Maybe they stayed in touch and Jacob invites Jonah out for some big school fundraiser event or something and Jonah working his way through the political ladder thinks that getting his rich corporate wife to donate to a struggling school system would be a good move as well as the fact that he just cares a lot about education and underprivileged schools like Abbott as well as Jacob being a good friend he also wants to support and he ends up making it a big family vacation event that the Cloud9 family tacks themselves onto by proxy, because there's no way Cheyenne isn't obsessed with Gritty and would try to tack herself onto the trip just to get a TikTok with the mascot and she'd drag Bo (who also is obsessed with Gritty) and Mateo along and Dina would probably have some kind of weird feud or fight club type thing going on with some people in Philly that would then drag Garrett along to make sure his girlfriend didn't get herself put on some kind of list or end up in jail and Glenn would just get overly excited when he hears about the trip and add him and Gerusha to the list of guests because they haven't had a vacation out of state before and this vacation that was just supposed to be Amy and Jonah's family has snowballed to include half the employees from Cloud9 😂

Anyways I've prolly talked ebough about a crossover that will never happen, hope you enjoyed it lol

[gothamstreetshq]

Every few months, Gotham's bumbling mayor Aubrey James likes to put on a charity event for the bigwigs of the city. The theme is whatever the latest trend of social causes is -- it doesn't really matter, as long as the important people of Gotham are happy and drinking champagne, and the ordinary citizens think things are being improved in the city. This month's theme is improving the city, rebuilding some of the rundown old blocks and repaving the sidewalks. No matter the cause, every one of these is essentially the same. Aubrey James makes a speech about whatever the cause or charity is, and everyone claps politely. Then the real fun begins. Expensive items are auctioned to raise money for the cause, rich citizens pledge large sums of money (which may or may not end up going towards whatever the cause is!) Importantly, food and drink is served for free, and it's a chance to mingle and rub shoulders with the high and the low. Who knows who you might meet, in this city? Sometimes these events are private affairs for a select group of people, but this one is open to the public. It'll be held at Gotham Town Hall, from 6pm until whenever! So come along and have a bite to eat. Maybe you'll meet up with old acquaintances, go head to head with enemies, or break the ice with strangers.

Admin note: This is basically a run-of-the-mill icebreaker event! Everyone is hanging out in the Town Hall, having just listened to the mayor's speech. Waiters are wandering around with trays of food and wine, and the doors are open to just about anyone. If you can't think of a reason why your character would attend this event, please get in touch with the admins on the Main, and we'll sort something out! We just want everyone to have fun and see where first interactions go. In real time, the event will run from Friday 11th of August to Tuesday 15th of August. It may be cut shorter or extended, depending on everybody's preferences! Don't forget to tag any potentially triggering content, and to tag your starters with #gothamsevent.