#SHE HELPED ME HUNT FOT IT

[purpleskelet0n]

thank you all so much for participating! this was so much fun and really makes me want to start a blog, Elvis sends love to all of you, but for now, he's got a friend to meet up with. (based on rps!)

(Stanley owned by @visillantopng ! STRICTLY PLATONIC, NOTHING ABT SHIPPING PLS IT MAKES US RLLY UNCOMFORTABLE.)

[arbitrarycogitation]

Kafka On The Shore

By Haruki Murakami

Age Rating: 18+

SPOILERS AHEAD!

I honestly have no idea why it took me this long to read my first Murakami book. I was always under the impression that his books are either for adults, which is true, are hard to digest and have difficult plots/language. Evidently, I love this book because it is super easy to get lost in the narrative. I don’t think there were any parts that drags on forever. It was the first time this year that I stuck with a book. Usually I would jump between a few narratives because I am easily bored. It took me 2 weeks to read this book, I did not skim any parts, and slowed down when the plot became tangled in my mind. I re-read a few pages because the storyline finally connected and it was too satisfying to just let go.

The book follows 2 main characters, a 15-year-old runaway boy called Kafka Tamura, a name he gave himself, and an old man that can speak to cats that goes by the name Nakata. They never met, but their stories are intertwined with each other. As much as I love the main characters, I think the book appealed to me until the end because the supporting characters in this book are all awesome and deep. They don’t feel like NPCs. I can relate to some of them and they carry as much wisdom as everyone else in the book, of course in their ways. There are adults themed topics in this book and I would not recommend it to younger teenagers and I would advise older ones to make sure that you can talk to someone if you are planning to read this book because I’m sure it will make you question some things about yourself and life. I know that sometimes it is not the norm to talk to people about certain things but I feel like in the name of knowledge and self-discovery, we can push the boundaries a bit (or a lot). I’d also love it if anyone wants to discuss or ask more about this book (or any other books) with me.

The plot itself was trickier than your average book because another dimension and weird-looking imposters were involved. Dare I say that this book sometimes feels more supernatural than philosophical. Of course, being from south-east Asia I know how our narratives are often laced with mythologies, superstitions, and folklore. I think if I were to read this book for a second time, I would pick up on more things that are related to local culture and beliefs. I would say that each side of the story presented different feelings for me as a reader. While reading Kafka’s parts, there is always a bit of wonder mixed with worry about the well-being of this character. He is 15 and I know when I was that age I felt like I can get away with everything that I do. There will always be a way out of a problem. These are moments where I could connect to the character. Not caring for the outcomes of something and living one day at a time. While Kafka is admirable for having such resolute to leave home at such a young age, he is still young. He doesn’t know much about the world and panics when faced with minor inconveniences because he was not in the right mindset yet. I couldn’t say that he grew by the end of the book, but he was positively not an idealist as he was at the beginning of the book. He was more perceptive of his surroundings and I bet the whole experience brought a whole set of questions that he will be asking himself as he grows old.

Reading Nakata’s part of the story was like going through a series of mini-episodes. The things that happens to him are always from one extreme to another. From cat hunting, to meeting a strange man that collects cat souls, to traveling far away with a vague purpose. Sometimes I have no idea what is happening because his world is tightly laced with unusual wonders that the character summed up as ‘how the world works’. I can easily say that his character is the opposite of Kafka’s but that would be innacurate. They are vastly different, but little comparison can be made. Although Nakata is old, he Reading Nakata’s part of the story was like going through a series of mini-episodes. The things that happen to him are always from one extreme to another. From cat hunting to meeting a strange man that collects cat souls, to traveling far away with a vague purpose. Sometimes I have no idea what is happening because his world is tightly laced with unusual wonders that the character summed up as ‘how the world works’. I can easily say that his character is the opposite of Kafka’s but that would be inaccurate. They are vastly different, but a little comparison can be made. Although Nakata is old, he has this child-like aura around his narrative. His journey resembles an adventure more than anything, and his companion on this journey feels like a caretaker destined to accompany this main character to his trophy. And boy did this caretaker, a young truck driver, delivered. Frankly, I can sense why a young guy like him would jump head first into such a bizarre journey. Sometimes you just have to roll with life. This is the kind of guy who doesn’t fight fate, doesn’t question things, and believes in the gods. He was the perfect companion for Nakata. I think this duo is one of those instances where I can say that opposites do attract. Maybe this is because Nakata is a senior member of society, but I can’t help but notice that the conversations that he has with everyone he met were somehow off-beat, and a tad bit awkward and/or weird. When I was reading the book I thought “maybe that’s just how adults are” but as I write this, I am not sure. Nakata’s narrative would not have gone anywhere without the help of the people around him, and in some ways, Kafka’s story was like that too. I think reading Nakata’s various interaction was a good change from Kafka’s narrative that tends to be more isolated. has this child-like aura around his narrative. His journey resembles an adventure more than anything, and his companion on this journey feels like a caretaker destined to accompany this main character to his trophy. And boy did this caretaker, a young truck driver, delivered. Frankly I can sense why a young guy like him would jump head first into such a bizzare journey. Sometimes you just have to roll with life. This is the kind of guy who doesn’t fight fate, doesn’t question things, and believes in the gods. He was the perfect companion fot Nakata. I think this duo is one of those instances where I can say that opposites do attract. Maybe this is because Nakata is a senior member of society, but I can’t help but notice that the conversations that he has with everyone he met was somehow off-beat, and a tad bit awkward and/or weird. When I was reading the book I thought “maybe that’s just how adults are” but as I write this, I am not sure. Nakata’s narrative would not have gone anywhere without the help of the people around him, and in some ways Kafka’s story was like that too. I think reading Nakata’s various interaction was a good change from Kafka’s narrative that tends to be more isolated.

There were a lot of things that I took from this book. Some I understand more than the others, some I feel more connected to than the others.

On page 24 there is a Japanese proverb mentioned by one of the characters. “In traveling, a companion, in life, compassion.” The meaning provided in the book was “that chance encounters are what keep us going”. This exchange happened when Kafka was first heading to Takamatsu, on the bus or station where he met Sakura, an older girl that wanted a bus-buddy so she feels safer while traveling. I have always liked the idea of befriending someone while traveling and maybe have a spend some time together. Meeting someone by chance and befriending them for life is an alluring concept too. I guess I have not lived long enough to have any say in this matter, as everyone I meet was either from school or random people I have a small conversation with wherever I am. There were some interesting experiences here and there, but that’s for another time.

Another one that is sort of the follow-up to the quote from page 24 is “Even chance meetings are the result of karma” on page 35. The explanations provided by the book is “that things in life are fated by our previous lives. That even in the smallest events there’s no such thing as coincidence”. Coincidences are not coincidences, they are meant to be. I think this is what it meant. Every time I come across a quote like this, I always feel conflicted, and more often than not, I would find myself in a paradox. If fate decides what largely happens to us, does that mean our destiny is set in stone because it’s decided beforehand, through my past, my ancestors, and my luck? But we still have to be good to people, and ourselves, to make sure that we leave good footprints behind, to better our chances of receiving good karma. Am I still hopeless, if I look at it this way? Or the other way? Life is truly a queer thing to think about.

And the last one is pretty long. From my understanding, it was a conversation between Kafka Tamura and his conscience, the boy named Crow. It has been a while since I finished the book but if I am not mistaken there was also a part where the boy named Crow took a physical appearance and attacked the man in the funny hat. This probably happened on “the other side”. Anyways, I am not going to write the whole thing here, but what happened was the boy named Crow was telling Kafka Tamura that he can still recover from this pain caused by his Mom. That he can live while healing himself of the trauma, but that was not an option for his Mom. For her, the feeling is inevitable. She will probably regret her decisions every day, until the end of her time. He told Kafka that it is true that things can never be new again, that there will always be something missing, something wrong. But he has to accept the decisions of the people around him that affected him greatly, that even though he was hurt the most, he has to understand the other person’s feelings at the time. Not for them, but for himself. He will never get over it if he doesn’t accept the way things are. He will never fathom the pain, fear, and suffering that the other person felt at the time. He will only feel anger and resentment, and that will hinder him from forgiving her. His Mom. The quote resonated deeply with me, not because I have lived through it, but because I can empathize with his confusion, pain, and anger. I know how it feels like to not understand things that your heart feels like should be important and crucial. I cannot imagine that feeling befalling someone else, at a greater or lesser magnitude.

This book reminded me of some essence of human lives. How we need people to live, that solitary living is just not the way. How it is not hard to connect to people, to get to know someone. We don’t need a lot of things in common, one would do. Sometimes, a common destination is all you need. Life does not always have to be fast-paced and with a definite purpose. It’s okay to linger around and fall into a more relaxing routine. Ah and this is a recent observation I made but I noticed that everyone seemed to have a routine in this book, unconscious or not. It’s like the author is telling us we are a creature of habit. And maybe there is an explanation to this, maybe it is just to show that these people are indeed ‘real’ people. This story reminds me that people are deep beings with multiple layers to their personalities. With a past, present, and future that we don’t necessarily understand. Sometimes, we don’t need to understand, because maybe it’s not our time to yet. There are things that I have yet to grasp in this life, in the books that I’ve read and things that I’ve seen. As a reader, I have always sucked at seeing foreshadows and little premotions in stories but in this book, these elements seemed to stick out the most, but I still have a hard time connecting the dots. Sometimes there are those in-between-lines conversations that I can’t hear. I enjoyed this book nonetheless and will probably read it again sometime in the future.

[ladyemberswrites]

Writing request: Lotor and Allura experiencing Earth carnivals for the first time plz

Lotura + Shiro

~

Awestruck, there is no other word for it. The lights, the colors, the whirlwind of noise and people.

"Wow" Allura murmured eyes aflame with curiosity. The brightness of the carnival decorations dance along her bare skin drawing emphasis to her crystalline gaze, and ivory curls pushed over her shoulder in a intricate braid.

"Definitely, though I can't seem to find anything else in my vocabulary to describe-well this"

"It's beautiful" Lotor squeezed her fingers between his larger ones "and sparkly!" She eyes the large skyscraper like establishments with interest.

"Are you guys going to stand there or what" Shiro smiled at them "come on, I'll show you around" Allura nods enthusiastically, pulling Lotor eagerly along.

~

Lotor knew that Earth is a highly populated planet, but given that his time here had been spent in the dull, white colored rooms of the infirmary and the grey halls of the Garrison base, places mostly isolated and secluded, he hadn't much time, until now, to enjoy what Earth and its inhabitants had to offer.

The happy cries and shouts of children and their families reminded him of his days spent traveling in exile baring witness to many different cultures and festivities of other planets untouched by the Galra Empire's path of mindless destruction.

"So, what do you guys what to do first?" Shiro's voice broke him from his musings.

Lotor's eyes darted around from stall to stall. Theirs many of them, too many to chose from "what are the booths for" he points, Allura follows his line of sight.

"Some are for games and the others for food" he answers "what do you guys want to do first?"

"Games! Let's do the games" Allura bounced on her heels.

"Lotor?"

He shakes his head "anything's fine with me"

"Alright, this way"

The first booth they approached earned them a few stares.

"Mommy, that man has purple skin" a child looked upon him in wonderment, the mother on the other hand casted him a wary smile, she pulled the child away as discreetly as she thought possible.

"It's not nice to stare, honey"

"But, he's huge! Super huge!" The child emphasized by rising his hands until the mother simply dragged him away "and that guy has a metal arm!"

"What's her problem" the princess muttered.

"It's nothing to worry about" he brought her hand to lips.

"But"

"Don't let it get to you" Shiro assured "earth just needs time to get use to you guys. Us." He noted the odd glances towards his scar and white hair, and more importantly his cybernetic arm.

Allura also received some odd looks, but nothing that lingered for far too long, besides her ivory hair, pointed ears and pink markings she didn't stand out too much, she could definitely pass for a Terran with few problems. He on the other hand is a different story altogether, as he towered over everyone here.

The booth keeper is an elderly man wearing a strange hat of sorts "Good Evening!" He waves " Y'all interested in a game or two" he didn't comment on either of their appearances, much to his relief.

"Three please" he noted a pyramid of white-what he believed to be pins of some kind, Shiro payed the man 5 pieces of currency called dollars if he remembered correctly, and in return the man gave him three bright, red balls.

"Does the pretty lady want to go first" he tips his hat with a wink.

"Me?" Shiro gave her balls which meant his hand is vacant for the time being "oh, well if that's alright"

"Lady's first" Shiro moved aside.

"Okay, than what is the objective of this game"

"You just have to knock over these here rows of pins, all ten, in three gos, if you do, ya get a prize"

"Oh!" That piquet her interest "what kind of prize"

He nods up, gesturing to a large net filled with stuffed animals. Earth animals to be exact, Allura beams, squealing in delight "their so cute! Alright, your on" determined, she picked her first ball, the man moved out the way. Biting her lip, she rose her arm and tossed with all her strength.

Meaning it rip right through the pins and through the wood of the stall. The old man's brows shot right into his hair line, as all ten hit the floor with a clank.

Shiro grimaced slightly at the display.

"Yes!" She jumped, oblivious to the hole in the wall. And the next rows went down with quick ease. The older man whistled, impressed.

"You gotta mighty nice hand there, little lady."

"Thank you!" She hopped "now, what prize do I get"

"Any of your choosing"

"Um" she pressed a finger to her lips as she scanned the assortment of stuffed creatures "oh, oh that one-with the long neck"

"The giraffe?"

"Yes" she bobs her head that one "that one, please"

At the end of ordeal. Shiro offered to pay fot the damages, but the man just laughed it off and said that looking to renovate anyways. No troubles.

All in all it didn't turn into a disaster, as he watched Allura rub the stuffed animal against her cheeks "it's so fluffy"

It certainly is a strange animal, but Allura seemed to adore it. After, the pin booth, they tried one with floating fruit. Apparently, the point is to fish as many out the water using only your mouth.

Lotor found it ridiculous and a idiot's guide to almost waterboarding oneself, not to mention unsanitary. But, the night is young and Allura's bustling with vigor, apparently being incarcerated at the Garrison has left to hype on energy that needed to be funneled somewhere. And Shiro's only happy to join.

Lotor twisted his face away; watching people sticking their mouths in a tank of water, swapping bodily fluids without a single thought that this could be a breeding ground for contamination.

Allura beat Shiro by twenty to his measly 5 in one minute, and he ended up carrying the paper bag full of fruit. From there they visited another water based game this time with fish.

He grimaced "don't tell me we have to catch them with our mouths"

Shiro chuckles "No. No. We use these special nets to catch as many as we can in a certain time frame."

"Ah."

"Wanna try?" Allura offers him a net adorn with a handle.

"Very well" it seemed easy enough.

~

It was not. The fish kept jumping out his net and escaping, or in their rush towards freedom kept splashing him in the face. By the end of it his shirt is splotched with water. Shiro ended up winning this round with Allura pouting, as she only caught 2 by the time finally came to end.

"No fair" she mumbled walking away dejectedly.

"It's not as easy as it looks"

He agreed silently, picking at the long sleeved black Shirt he had bought when the Green Paladin's mother helped everyone not from Earth buy clothing.

"But, you made it look so easy" she whined.

The former gladiator rubbed the back of his head self-consciously "experience, actually. I use to play this game all the time in my hometown."

"I see" she murmured "suppose that explains a lot. What was it like?"

"Huh?"

"Your home town I mean?"

"Nothing much really. Pretty small, mostly farm land and rice fields. But, my parents don't live there anymore, they moved into the city for the benefit of my father's health years ago"

"How come you didn't introduce us"

"They live halfway across the world, plus, we haven't actually talked in years, long before I went to space"

"What?" Why, wouldn't they?" She snapped her head towards Shiro brows furrowed "did you get into a fight?"

Shiro peered away from her concerned gaze uncomfortably "Shiro?" She said softly.

Lotor cleared his throat. Loudly "Allura."

"Huh?"

He shook his head.

"Um" she tried reaching for his shirt.

"Look, candle apples. Stay put, I'll get some" he made haste through the crowd leaving behind a confused, bewildered Allura.

"I said something stupid didn't I" she repiled after a moment.

"Your not stupid" he placed a hand on her head guiding her away from the crowds with little effort "but, I believe it's best if you don't bring up his parents"

"Yeah" she rubbed her arm "I'll apologize when he gets back"

"I don't think that'll be wise."

"Why not!" She snapped indignantly "I've clearly done something wrong. I have to apologize"

"In this case it's best if you don't."

"Why?"

"It might come off as pity"

"Oh.." her ears wilted tad.

"Just let it be"

"Alright" she mumbled.

"Mommy! It's those alien people!"

"Let's find a seat shall we" he grumbled.

~

It takes awhile for Shiro to find his way back through the sea of people. In the meantime he and Allura found a pinic table laying on the outskirts, away from human traffic. Still the wayward looks and glances wouldn't end. Some were even brave enough to approach.

One being a little girl who came up to Allura dressed in little dimples "I love your hair! It's so pretty and curly!"

"Why thank you! That's sweet of you to say"

Another were a group of men of many sizes, though none of them rivaled him in height, despite some being burly or muscular. Unlike, the girl they alarmed him as the green colored clothing and hunting gear caused his suspicions to arise as they made their way to them.

The smallest of the group spoke "you the aliens we've been hearing about?"

"Why do you wish to know"

"Just wanna ask some questions" he answered vaguely.

"Interview" one with braided blonde hair blurted out, nudging his friend with his elbow"we wanted to interview y'all if that's okay"

Allura simply gave him an odd glance and shrugged.

"Forgive me asking but what's with the heavy gear?" Lotor nods his head towards the trapping equipment hulled on their backs.

"Oh, this-we're bigfoot hunters"

Lotor rose a brow.

"Bigfoot?" Allura inquired.

"Yeah, the missing link between man and ape"

"Oh!" Allura said in a way that she clearly didn't understand "I see. Well, then what is it that you wanted to ask us?"

The short man pulled out a rectangular device that appeared to be falling apart, as it is amatuerly stuck together with tape, the other men gathered closer.

He hit a button and a red light blinks on "is it true, that your aliens from outer space?"

Allura tucked a few strands behind her ears, straightening her shoulders, and lacing her fingers together on top the table "Technically, speaking yes. But, to be more specific I'm Altean from the planet Altea and Lotor, here is both Altean and Galra"

"Ah!" They all said in unison, nodding their heads.

"How many alien species are out there in the universe"

"Billions upon billions"

Another unsion of ahs, some them even whipped out their own recording devices.

"Is it true that your a princess, little lady"

"Yes, that is correct"

"And this guy's really an Emperor"

"Indeed" he answers shortly.

A few more questions were asked before they asked for a picture. Lotor declined, but Allura had no qualms about taking any with the strange men. Before they took their leave they left a number they could contact them with.

"What was that about?" Shiro came back looking far more calmer and less ill.

"Bigfoot, hunters apparently"

"Those guys. They didn't cause any trouble did they?"

"Strangely, no"

"I liked them"

"I got the candy apples" he hands one to Allura who eyes it with wonder, and takes a bite.

Lotor takes one from his and found it way too sweet for his taste. Allura gobbles it up like a man starved and in complete bliss. He takes a few more before bestowing his to her with she accepts without hesitation.

~

Their next destination brought them out further where the rides were hidden. Again so many to choose from, though the errant screaming is off putting. Mostly, to his ears.

"Don't worry, its not what you think" Shiro assuages their worries.

The first one they tried is a spinning teapot. Allura had fun spinning them around as fast as she cound possibly make the machine go. They went twice before vertigo set in and he had to stop. The other were the bumper cars. Not exciting as Shiro made it out to be, that and he had to pass because he couldn't fit.

Next, were the rollercoasters. An endless cascade of loops and spins, twists and turns.

Basically, a standing safety hazard in his opinion.

"It's safe, Lotor"

"Is it really?"

"They have safety measures and guidelines"

"Mh"

He didn't want to get flung fifty stories from a flimsy carnival ride.

"Come on, Lotor. Please" Allura begged.

"Very well"

Once again looks are trained in their direction. The courier of this so-called Doomsday Coster, didn't exactly inspire hope in him in anyway, nor did the courier's figdeting and stammering as he pulled the harness over his head, locking him in place, and hastily rushed away from his line of sight.

The experience is needless to say-quite dull when you compare it to his sicline ships, Allura had the time of her life and she and Shiro went for an encore.

Gidy and energized, Allura had coaxed them in to trying a few more rides, by the time they had reached the one that slowly rose to the top than dropped out the skies; he had enough excitement for the night. Upon sitting down, they found the rest with Hunk puking abd heaving onto the ground as Pidge consoled him.

Of couse Allura wanted to try the walking safety hazard. Though, she didn't try and rope him into this one, she and Keith decided to give it a go while Lance kept a distance. From him to be exact. Not that it bothered him in the slightest, as Shiro also decided that it was enough excitement for the day.

Watching Allura climb onto that contraction did little to ease his nerves, especially when she came barreling down many feet from the air. Only this time, she joined Hunk as she came shakily down the ramp and vomited into one the garbage cans.

It seemed she had finally met her match.

~

This was a fun request! I might add some more later.

Thanks for the prompt @beautifulmonsterseverywhere !

[tumblunni]

Okay the BIG TODAY THING

It seems i might possibly be gone for six months

I've been talking with my support worker about taking a course at this place thats uhh apparantly gonna help me get better with the depressions and stuff. And we had a meeting to go look around the place and make introductions and stuff but i had NO IDEA it would be all such short notice! I might have to move in IN TWO DAYS FROM NOW, what the fuck!!! And like if its not that its gonna be at the end of the week or next tuesday at the latest. Im so fuckin unprepared and im really freakin out!!

..uhh...how to describe it..well i guess its literally a mental asylum? But it's absolutely NOTHING like the horror movie stereotype! Its not a hospital with cages or locked rooms, its just like a big comfy cute shared house. Like a bunch of completely normal small apartment rooms but they just happen to be all connected to a shared kitchen and stuff and have on site nurses and a big schedule of therapy sessions and group activities like pottery class or bowling. You have the freedom to come and go as you please if you're on "voluntarily admitted" status (that's me!) and even if you're on what they call "sectioned" its still not scary loss of all your freedom. The highest level of sectioning is just like "requires an escort"? You're still allowed to go outside but you have a higher level of supervision from your key worker because you could potentially be a danger to yourself. But that's very rare and most people are only on maximum sectioning for a few weeks at the start of their treatment, if they've come straight from a situation of self harm or other concern factors. Most of the "sectioned" patients just have a time limit on how long they can spend on unsupervised outside activity. It's a pretty generous 8 hours apparantly!

So yeah i was getting worried about nothing, thinking i was gonna be in big scary solitary confinement and locked inside a tiny broom closet or jabbed with brain lazers. It honestly just seems like a summer camp resort for adults! And everyone there seems very nice, and im excited for being able to learn life skills like cooking and potential steps towards getting educational qualifications someday. And to have the help of a more specialist support worker who can assist me with even the smallest little problems. Like this nice lady Tazmin (who might be the one i get?) was saying how they've had other people with social anxiety before, and how we could plan "gradual exposure" to all the things that scare me. Like she said she'd be able to come with me and we'd take the bus and them get off at the next stop. That'd honestly be really helpful to help me get over being scared of the crowded spaces on buses, but i'd never be able to do it normally cos i'd be too embarassed taking such a short bus ride. Plus well itd be a waste of money,but if i'm a patient here i would get a free bus pass so it wouldnt be a problem.

Oh and the area seems really nice! Its so different from my stupid house right now in a crowded neighbourhood with NOTHING but houses everywhere for a mile! Its seriously almost a mile's walk to the ONE SINGULAR SHOP IN THE AREA and they close on sundays and dont sell vegetarian food. :( This area around the shared house thingie is a really nice bustling shops place but not super shops? Like i mean its a lovely village that has all the small shops you need, not a huge skyscrapers busy tourist place. The perfect balance of conveinient and not scary! They have a library and a park so close to the place, and a bazillion charity shops holy FUCK im so excited to have charity shops again!! I think you call them thrift shops in america? But i just always really love bargain hunting and finding nice surprises in places like that! And there's places to do pottery classes and group trips sometimes to do stuff like cinema or bowling or just having your big ol scary therapy meeting at the nice coffee shop at the end ot the road.

So yeah dont worry about me guys, im not trapped in some horribke hell place! I'm sure it'll be as non threatening as an Intensive Therapy Boot Camp can possibly be, im just still nervous as hell cos well yeah I Have Social Anxiety And That Is Why I Am Here In The First Place. Im scared im not gonna be able to succeed at this. I really wanna leave at the end and be all mentally buffed up and ready to make all these nice nurses proud!

Oh and man Richard has been so nice about this?? He was super freaked out and apologetic about it being Scary Short Notice, we had a bit of a dumb misunderstanding where he clearly told me and i clearly said yes but i somehow completely misunderstood what he was saying and thought i was saying yes to something else??? So im so fuckin glad that at the very end of the appointment right when i was gonna get out the car he was like 'oh so remember your suitcase on wednesday' and i was like WHAT. Like man can you imagine how much more terrifying it would have been if i just turned up on wednesday with no supplies but the shirt off my back and was like 'wtf where is he driving me OH GOD NO'. Bunni why you so bad at the good of talking!! Seriously richard thanks so much for clearing it up but also AAAAA i accidentally agreed to the shortest of short notice and i dont know if he's gonna be able to reschedule it!!!

And man i was there crying in his car about how i dont wanna be in hospital on my birthday, and babbling all the different things i had planned fot the next few months. And GOD DAMN MY DUMB BRAIN i ended up blurting out that i had a preorder of a videogame that i was gonna miss. And i straight up started explaining pokemon to my mental health counseller who is also a dj, how damn fake does my life sound?? Anyway he said that i'll still be able to keep him as my support worker when i get back out of this, and we'll still have weekly or monthly meetings while i'm in there. And he keeps reminding me that i'm free to leave if i feel uncomfortable, but i know that i'd feel like a failure if i did! So he legit fuckin goddamn said (THIS SOUNDS SO FAKE) that i could take a day off when the dumb game comes out, and he'd play co op pokemon with me. HOLY GEEZUS RICHARD YOU'RE LIKE THAT HOLY GRAIL OF THERAPISTS! And man he even said it wasnt embarassing for me to sleep with a teddy bear and he'd help me pack it up safe and ensure nobody saw it while we move my bags into my new room. And then i was like "uhh but also the teddy bear is a giant lifesize embarassing pokemon merchandise" and he was like "okay so we need DOUBLE STEALTH". Apparantly the new sequel to Pokemon Go is Pokemon Sneak! God he helped calm me down from this freakout so much, he's always great with lil jokes and motivational sayings. And i talked about how i first started being interested in Obscure Deep Sea Slug Facts because pokemon has some characters based on weird real life animals, and like its Very Educational Honest, And Has Appeal For Both Kids And Adults. How on earth did this turn into Motovational Pokemon Blabber Time??? Anyway thats how i ended up texting a professional psychologist pictures of gastrodon at 7.30pm.

SO

Yeah

In summary

I'm mostly just worried cos this is short notice! And cos its such a big commitment that being short notice is Super Bad. I need to friggin clean the whole house top to bottom in two days, so it doesnt get all gross and attract flies while im gone. And i need to toss out like a hundred bucks worth of frozen food that aint gonna keep for 6 months. And i need to wash all my damn clothes. And i dont even have a suitcase and this is at a terrible time where i dont get paid for a week so i cant buy a new one right now!! And damn i DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT TO TAKE AAAAAA

And the BIGGEST PROBLEM

Is that i wont be able to talk to you guys for half a year!!!

They dont have wifi and im not allowed to take my computer anyway. They only allow laptops and all i have is a desktop and AAAA its too short notice to save up enough to get a laptop mannnnn! Fuck man i didnt even think about that, i need to go pause my broadband internet for six months, do they even allow you to come back after that long?? And man part of me wants to ask to borrow money from friends to get a laptop but i know this time i cant promise to pay you back within the month cos AAAGH ALL OF THIS SHIT!! Like damn man if anyone is willing to let me pay back a hundred and fifty quid in 6 months??not bloody likely!! And man the only place to get a laptop in TWO GODDAMN DAYS is stupid fuckin Amazon :( but god im gonna go stir crazy being unable to do art or gamemaking or friggin anything to occupy myself!! I can bring my 3ds but i barely have any games for it and ive already finished all of them except harvest moon a new beginning which i quit cos it was bad. And the screen is broken anyway gahhh. SO MANY THINGS I NEED MONEY FOR IN SUCH A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME THAT IS NON CONDUCTIVE TO MONEYING

So anyway GAHH i wont have an internet connection in the house, and i'll be able to walk down the hill and use the library computers hopefully at least weekly, but they forbid all social media sites. So like can i get the emails of everyone who wants to keep in contact? Man i dont know how im gonna manage this AAAAA!!! i will send u loads of pics of scenic asylum beauty and dumb updates on my stupid life of probably very little progress.

And AGGGHHH i dont even have the time to plan a blog queue or anything fuck man geez aaaaaaaa

I NEED TO BUY A NEW PAIR OF TROUSERS WITHOUT HOLES IN THE KNEES man i cant live on singular pantage in a shared house

[easnuppa]

When it is written in the stars Chapter 2

It was early evning and all the guest have had some time to clean up and rest before they had to get ready for the evnings banquet. Mirkwood was well known for theire partys, Faenith looked her self over in the Mirror and straightened out her light blue gown With silver embroideries, her platina blond hair was braided Down her back, she usually braided it, even if the facion these days was to let it hang loose With only a few smal braids along the sides. How can a royal Family who seemed so serious and stiff throw such Wild partys, this had puzzeld her meny times, she had heard all the storys from the times Elladan and Elrohir had been to Mirkwood. “Oh arent you a sight for sore eyes!” Faenith twirld around and saw her brother walk in the large woden door, he walked over to the bed and slumped down on it. “Who are you trying so hard to impress this fine evening? “ Faenthors Brown orbs messured Faenith from head to toe, she walked over With a Heavy sigh and slumped down on the bed next to her brother. “ Lord Elrond told me to try and make a good impression on the ellons that are invited to the festivities, you know, that goes for you too, he really want us both to find someone this year” Faenthor and Faenith both leaned back on the bed and stared up at the intricate carvings on the bedframe. “I know, he had the same talk with me before we left Imladris” They both sigh in unison once more “I wish we where home patroling the borders” Faenthor said in a low voice, his sister hummed in agreement. “But no use in dreaming abut Imladris when we are stuck here, might as well make the best of it.” Faenthor got a playfull look in his eyes and poked his sisters side, “ This might be Your New home if you win the Prince over and bond With him, you might be stuck here forever, while i get to go home and enjoy the sun and the fresh air” Faenith growled at her Brothers joke and punched his sholder playfully. “ you know the Prince and i will have nothing in common. You have heard Elrohir and Elladan have talked about him. Besides you are here to find an suitable elleth too, you might end up stuck here in the forrest too. “ Faenthor  couldnt help it but to continue to tease his sister “If you dont bond With the Prince then you will always have Elladan, he worships the ground you walk on and have for several hundred years. “ Feanith shook her head but could not help but to laugh, “ You know he is almost like a brother to me, nothing more. And the Prince does not seem to want this marriage hunt either, did you see how lost he looked as we entered earlier, he was a million miles away. “ Faenthor nodded and got out of the bed before he pulled his sister up, on the way over to the door he started singing With a smirk “ Faenith and legolas sitting in a tree.......” Faenith punched his sholder and glared at him, Faenthor laughed at his sister temperament, they loved to tease eachother, they continued to theire little game as they walked down to the banquethall.

The banquethall was already crowded and was buzing with excited elves from all over when Elanoreth entered, her golden orbes searched the great dining hall for a familiar face, she spotted Lady Galadriel conversing with the elven king and his son, Lord Elrond and his sons joined them, she took a couple of deep breaths to try to calm her self before she made her way over to them. Before she could reach them she felt someone bump into her and she lost her fotting and was about to trip when two strong arms cought her and wraped themselfs around her, she turned after she had found her balance to thank her saviour when she suddenly stared into the most amazing soft Brown eyes she had ever seen. “Are you alraight my lady?” The Young ellon holding her tight in his arms asked her, she was so taken back by his eyes that she couldnt find her voice to answer, so she just nodded, she took a step back and straightend her soft green dress with her thrembling hands, “thank you my lord”, she managed to say finally. The ellon bowed before her and gave her a winning smile, “ Lord Faenthor of Imladris at Your service, my lady” his voice was dark and soft like velvet, it almost gave her goosebumps. She smiled back at him “Thank you Lord Faenthor, i am Elanoreth of Lothlorien”. Another Young elleth had joined them, and Elanoreth gave her a friendly smile, the elleth smiled back, but it didnt quite reah her eyes, Elanoreth thought the elleth seemed Cold and very guarded.. Faenthor cleared his throat and introduced the elleth “ This is my twin sister, Lady Faenith” Elanoreth looked at both of them with questioning eyes, “Twins?” The twins faces cracked into smiles, this was sertanly not the first time someone had questioned the fact that they where twins since they looed so different. One was dark and the other light. Three ellons joined theire little Group and Elanoreth saw lady Faenith roll her eyes before the neutral mask was back on her delicate face. The Three ellons introduced them selfs as lord Elladan, Elrohir and Prince Legolas, who everyone knew. The Three and lord Faenthor quickly surounded Elanoreth and complimented her beautiful hair, her dress and her golden eyes. Lady Faenith quietly steped back to not get overrun by the eager ellons in theire competition to charm the Young Maiden. After a while a servant proclaimed that dinner was served and that the guest could take a seat at the meny long tables.

After the grand dinner was over it was time for dancing and mingling, the Young ones paired up two and two and as the Music played all you could see was an Ocean of  beautiful colors and fine fabric. Thranduil stood by the meny open doors and watched as Galadriel and Elrond joined him. “ Yet a succesful first night of the festivall, you must be pleased that there are so meny subject for Your son to choose from” Lord Elrond nodded towards the meny dancing couples, Thranduil just grunted and took a sip from the goblet he was holding in his hand. Lady Galadriel had a secretive smile on her lips as the king turned his icy blue gazee towards her. “I would appreciate if you could stay out of my head, my lady” Elrond tried to mask his laughter with a cough. “ Well my lord, if you had been more open i would not have to read Your mind, but not to worry, it seems like Young Legolas is doing fine, he have been conversing with lady Elanoreth all night.” Thranduil nodded, but had noticed that his son was not the only ellon who had theire eyes set on the lady. “He will have some competition from Your subject lord Elrond. He have been staring at the lady like a love sick puppy all night” Lord Elrond followed Thranduils gaze until he saw Young Faenthor and his sister. Lord Elronds smile grew bigger, he had hoped that he could pair up the twins this year, that would deffently tame the two. “Alittle competition is always healthy my lord, and if Faenthor should win Elanoreths bond, then his sister is always available” Thranduils exprecion grew more anoyed, he chuged down the rest of his wine and quickly waved a servant over for a nother glass. “And why is it that lady Faenith is not wed already? Is there something wrong with her perhaps?” Lord Elrond almost choked on his sip of wine as Thranduil talk, he cleard his throat and looked at Galadriel who just shook her head. “No my lord i assure you, there is nothing wrong with lady Faenith, she will make the right ellon very happy. “ Thranduil looked questioningly at Elrond, there where something Elrond was keeping from him, sure the elleth was a true beauty, he could hardly keep his eyes off of her as he saw her in the throne room, he  convinced himself that he was only looking for after his sons interest. Thranduil rolled his eyes when he met Galadriels knowing smile yet again. “Go torture Your husband Galadriel, and leave me alone”. He turned his back on them and walked into the crowd. Galadriel and Elrond watched the king leave and Elrond turned  to Galadriel “ Our king is really in a good mood this year, dont you think my lady? “ Galadriel laughed, and placed her hand gently on his arm and gestured for him to take a walk around the big hall with her.”Atleast he is not yet drunk.”  Elrond placed his hand over hers “indeed my lady”.

[missjackil]

My Season 10 Opinion

Of the post Kripke seasons, Season 10 is my least favorite. There was some good stuff, so i do still watch it, but even if I overlook my obvious issues with it, like dealing with Crowley’s mommy issues, which taught me storylines for side characters, apart from Sam and Dean, really suck, and Sam’s haircut was awful most of the time (though sometimes it looked good, which just makes me pissed they didnt just style it the good way and leave the Jackie Onasis style in the trashcan) There was a lot of sloppy story telling in this season.

The whole Mark of Cain arc was a clusterfuck. I knew the second Dean got the Mark in S9, that it would lead to him having to kill Sam at some point. I mean, that is what Cain is famous for. However,Biblically, it wasn’t given to Cain as a curse per se, but Cain killed Abel, and God exiled him from his home, and Cain was afraid others would kill him as soon as they saw him, and God gave him the Mark to protect him. However, on the show, Cain tells us a different reason. Cain told Dean that he didn’t kill Abel because God liked him more, but because he was talking to Lucifer, so Cain made a deal with Lucifer, Abel’s soul in Heaven, for Cain’s soul in Hell, but he had to be the one to kill Abel. This right here, could have been the foundation for a good storyline for Sam and Dean. We all like to see the boys bust their asses and sacrifice themselves to save each other, but the writers didnt go that way, and here are the problems:

For one thing, even after Cain tells Dean about how he got the MoC, Dean accepts the Mark with no question just “You had me at ‘kill Abaddon... lets dance!” Really though? If anyone knows that such things cause huge problems, it’s the Winchesters. Dean isn’t dumb, he wouldn’t normally just jump into it. 

With how much knowledge of Religion and Magic Lore, these 2 highly intelligent men have, and the amount of literature they were reading about the MoC, neither would have figured out that it would eventually cause Dean to kill Sam? Dean doesn’t know this until Cain tells him just before Dean kills him somehow. 

In the episode About a Boy, Dean gets zapped into his 14 yr old body and the MoC is gone. Why wasn’t The Darkness released then? Did Cain have The Mark back during this time? Death tells us in Brother’s Keeper, that the MoC cannot be removed lest The Darkness be released, sooooo where is it? 

For some reason, Sam isn’t willing to have Dean younger, to free him from the MoC. Okay, I joked along with many of you that Sam doesn’t like it because he can’t make out with a 14 year old (wink) but really, WHY? Dean still had his adult mind and could still hunt, and jeez it would even extend his life expectancy, so there’s not logical reason why Sam would want Dean to be safe, even if he had to deal with a younger body. 

Then we have Sam later, willing to do anything no matter the cost, to get the MoC off Dean, was he now regretting not letting him go back to being young? I know they couldn’t/wouldn’t have Dean stay young, for obvious reasons, but they could have had the Mark still on his arm when he was 14, or, later have Sam, vocally, regret that decision. 

When Dean sees that the MoC is making him more violent, he decides to try to live healthier. He tries to eat healthy foods, gives up drinking (which was looking like it was becoming a problem when he started sneaking his drinks, and shaking when he saw the liquor bottles at the bar) but he eventually, somewhat reluctantly, takes a shot at the bar, all intense looking like something bad is gonna happen, but nothing does really. He’s back to eating and drinking the same as always. 

Dean finds out from Cain that he will first kill Crowley, then Cas, then the big one will be killing Sam, and he wont ever recover from that. Now, not only does Dean never tell Sam, this, nor did Sam ever figure it out, but Dean never even tries to kill Crowley, he does try to kill Cas but backs off, so, why does he still have to kill Sam? 

Sam begs Charlie to help him translate the Book of the Damned without Dean knowing, She agrees, because she loves Dean, but then decides to leave on her own, behind everyones back, after Sam warned her she isnt safe out there, and gets herself killed. Sam gets blamed for her death. That he “bullied” her into getting herself killed. Does anyone writing know what bullying is? Well it’s definitely not asking a friend for help. And yet, we have Sam accepting this as something he did wrong. 

Sam tells Cas that he has to save Dean no matter what it takes. He gives this emotional speech about how its been him who has been out there alone and scared, and Dean saved him, and it’s become “his thing” but can someone tell me what he’s talking about? If he’s going back to S4 and the Demon blood thing, Dean didn’t save him, he locked him in a room alone to die. The Trials maybe? Ok, we can think at the end, in the church, Sam might have been scared and alone, and Dean saved him, but that’s enough to make it become “his thing”? I dont know folks... seems like a bad line to me. 

Since the MoC carried itself into S11 with Amara, Dean should have known Sam’s visions were coming from Lucifer, or Sam would have known, if Dean had ever told him Abel was talking to Lucifer and thats why Cain killed him. 

Not telling Sam about the MoC will cause Dean to kill him, isnt a problem, in and of itself, because its completely in character that the brothers hide important things from each other *side eyes the boys* but that it’s never actually made an issue. Dean never says “I can’t tell Sam this” nor does he ever debate if he should, and even to this day, Sam doesn’t know. 

Sam also never gets his own storyline throughout the season. It’s all about Dean and the MoC and Sam’s story is just basically how he handles it. Now, this season, the boys dont have theyr own storylines either, but thats alright, because they’re sharing storylines on the same side of it. In the case of S10, he whole first half is just Sam trying to Deal with Dean, and then later he has a lesser storyline of secretly trying to find a cure behind Dean’s back. In either case, it’s really just Dean’s story and theyre not really on the same side. 

Now, I dont think S10 sucks so much that it needs to be forgotten, and like I said, I still watch it (I do love Demon Dean) but I havent seen writing this sloppy any other time in the series. Well, except fot the last few episodes of S11. 

[haonity08]

Choices

member : dk - lee seokmin and vernon - hansol vernon chwe

genre : fluff, angst (?), happy dk and vernon day!, happy 1000 (carat) day!

“BOTH OF MY BESTFRIENDS ARE GOING TO HAVE THEIR BIRTHDAY AND I NEED YOUR HELP GUYS.”

You literally yelled to the phone as your friends winced by your voice. You were on a group call with your friends and Seungkwan, Hoshi, Minghao also Mingyu. “Aren’t we bestfriends too?” Hoshi asked and you took a long time to answer.

“We’re not.” Seungkwan cried that instantly but quickly recollect his feelings. “Are you that oblivious, (Y/N)?” One of your friends said and you turned confused, “What?”

“The things is, just help me get ready for their surprise party?”

A Week Ago

You cheerily skipped to the hallways of Pledis’ practice rooms. You were going to pay them a visit and your other friends were already there.

Vernon sat against the mirror wall tired from the dance they did. For upcoming music shows, Hoshi didn’t stopped their practices but still having fun in the way. Seungkwan and Dokyeom were doing the usual, hyping out their teammates. Vernon stared, he definitely look up to them. Despite the tired atmosphere that everyone was giving, they were still standing.

Then the thing that made them more hype, you and your friends just barged in bringing a big plastic bag with you and the others. You had asked your friends to help you. “Alright! Brake time boys.” Your friend who’s the mother of the group yell and they all stand to they’re feet. You were called as the sunshine of the group, the one who brighten up the mood.

Vernon grinned looking at you, you were his best friend and also crush. “This is a surprise, you didn’t tell me anything that you’re coming.” He said, walking to you as you laugh freely. “It is a surprise, isn’t it?”

From a far, his smile wavered. Dokyeom stare at you and him, he takes glances to not be noticed by anyone. He likes you, you brighten up his day. But it still hurts doesn’t it? To see the one you love with someone else, he knew he has to stop it and you were just friends with Vernon and him.

The thing that is sure, there is an airy competition between the two boys. No one declaring it, it started. Who will win your heart?

You’re not really aware of your surroundings, that’s why you’re called the oblivious one. You never knew the tension between Vernon and Dokyeom when you hang out with the both of them, you were just being you, having fun and not worrying anything.

Dokyeom talked to one of your friends, what do you like?

“(Y/N)? Do you have a crush on her, Seokmin?” She giggled as Dokyeom shushed her. “She would love anything you give to her, as long it’s sincere.”

You heard the giggling and you faced them. Vernon followed and bit his lower lip, looking at Dokyeom.

"Hey (Y/N)… Would you to watch that new movie?” He offered, you smiled widely and nodded. He got his courage just to ask you and sighed in relief. “The new comedy movie? Come on! We need to hunt fot new memes!” You filled your voice with determination as he laughs, finding you’re cute.

It’s a date?

You went with him the next day, Coups convinced Hoshi to have a break for a day and can continue the next day. You fidgetly standing there, looking for signs of the boy. You went for your casual hoodie attire, an animal hoodie.

Vernon spotted you that easily, in your cute animal hoodie, he thought. “Ready?” He asked and you grabbed his arm, nodding. You never mind skinship, you’re a free and easygoing girl for the ones you knew so well. Of course you wouldn’t do it to strangers, you’ll be embarrassed. Gripping your hand lightly, he smiled a bit before being dragged by you.

Was it progress?

You and him make jokes like always, stopping by the popcorn stall for the snacks. “You don’t really like soda right? I bought slushie instead.” He said when you just came out from the restroom. You smiled gratefully, accepting the tall glass filled with the cold beverage. “I’ll buy the tickets.”

"No! I’ll buy it, you’ve bought the snacks already.” You said as he shakes his head, popping a piece of popcorn into his mouth. “What if I say it’s on me today?”

“Are you sure??” You asked once again, he rolled his eyes, knowing this would come. “Since when I was not sure with you?”

You secretly smile, feeling warm inside. You don’t know why, it just feels warm. “Let’s go.” Vernon came back after a few minutes, you grinned and tell all of your expectation for the movie. He laughs and follow along.

He just want to see you happy, smiling with all worry set aside. He didn’t want to see you sad ever again, the last time, you won’t talk to anyone and that just made him worried. You were always running in his mind, whether about to sleep or when about to eat. Have you eaten? Are you already asleep? Those questions danced in his mind many times.

You sat on your seat as he sat beside you. The movie started, you relaxed in your seat.

“Have you ever notice my feelings?”

"What are you talking about? We’re best friends right?”

“Do you only think of that?”

You really don’t know that it’s a romcom genre, Vernon also didn’t notice. You felt yourself teared up at the scene as Vernon was nervous, would he be like that?

You let out a small cry as you lean back to your seat, Vernon glanced at you, widening his eyes. Those things always makes you teared up either joy or sadness.

He chuckles before instinctively grab your hand, making circles to the top of your hand as a sign of calming you down. You feel grateful of him doing it, it does calm you. You let out a small ‘thank you’ before watching the movie again.

You admired his face quietly, his sharp features that you might just notice. His concentration and laid back expression, can that even be combined? He laughes at the scene, you just knew his happy face when he laughs now. “(Y/N), did you catch that? He fell-”

He raised his brow at you as you shake your head, he let out a small smile before continuing to watch the movie with a happy feeling inside of him.

You went for dinner after the movie, you felt happy. “Thanks for today Sol, it was fun.” You grinned as he ruffled you hair slightly. “Anytime, you want to do it again sometimes?” You pretend to think.

"Why, of course! Who wouldn’t?” You laugh out, he felt great. “Let’s head back now, I’ll take you home.” He said, grabbing your hand and you intertwined you hand with him. You sent him a cheeky grin as he felt his face heated up. He look away before you had a chance to look, “You okay Sol?”

The next day, you were at the park, all alone sitting on the bench. Your friends had other things to do, it was kind of boring. You can’t get into their dance practice too, it was too far from your house. You sighed, watching the ducks swimming around.

“Why are you all alone?”

A familiar voice said out as you turn around to see Dokyeom. You grinned, urging for him to sit beside you. “I thought you had practice?” You asked as he gave you his wide smile, “Just ended and I’m getting fresh air!” He said and you nodded.

Today, you were in a white sundress with your hair flying freely in the wind. He thought you look beautiful, your eyes shined as you look what’s around you. “I’m getting ice cream, you want to come?”

You nodded, jump up to stand up. He laughs, following you in suit before pulling you to the ice cream truck that was not actually far from where you at. “What a cute couple you are dear.” The lady inside said as Dokyeom chuckled. You smiled shyly behind your hair, it’s just that, you’re not a couple.

“Ahah, we’re not miss. Can we get…”

Dokyeom changed the topic as you avert your attention to another thing, that didn’t sting right? Dokyeom was hurt to say that. He hoped to be.

But what did you think of it?

He smiled, accepting the ice creams as he gave you your favorite flavor. You grinned, diving in to the ice cream after he pulled you to a shady spot to save the both of you from the sun.

“Really a hot day, nice for ice cream!” He said, eating his own. His stare was at you, eating your ice cream messily. He chuckles, pulling out a napkin as he wiped the sides of your mouth. You took in surprise as you raised your brow at him.

“You’re pretty messy.” He points out and laugh, you laughed too as you blushed in embarrassment. You eat your ice cream carefully, still thinking on what just happen. It was like in the movies?

He loves it when you show your other sides without being too much worry. You smiled, feeling a familiar warmness. You didn’t know, why are you like this?

You took a glance at his face, his warm and calm face which is gazing out to the scenery in front of him. He shuts his eyes, feeling in the wind as his hair was blown slightly. You tilted your head, it’s the first time you saw him that relaxed. He was relaxed with you on his side, just being by his side. “The wind feels so nice, don’t you think?”

He turned to you as you look to the front, nodding. You gave a small smile at him, don’t want him to know that you’ve been staring at him. He chuckled a bit, shaking his head at his running thoughts.

Both boys have done it, have you thought your answer?

Present Day

You sat on your bed in dilemma which outfit should you go with? Don’t you always go for a casual outfit? Or this spring themed outfit?

Why for once it’s so hard to pick, who do you want to impress actually?

You pulled out your final decision, the onisie you once wore with the both of them. You brought the both of your presents before skipping out to your friend’s house which is beside yours, “Cake? Got it here.”

You went to the practice room with her since that was where it was going to be held. You didn’t think of any place other than the practice room, it was the place where you met them as well where great memories were made.

You weren’t sure, what’s the feeling in the pit of your stomach.

Arriving at the building, Seungkwan and Dino quickly lead you and your friend in. Minghao and Mingyu were doing their thing as the distraction from the party, they lead them far.

You gasped at the decorations that was already set up, “Great work guys!” You and them worked the day before, resulting for them with no practice but a rest in the dorm. No one can enter so Dokyeom and Vernon were not suspicious, it’s all fair that the 13 of them can’t enter.

That was also taking a long time of convincing since the maknae needs extra practices.

Hearing squeaky footsteps outside the door, you urged them to go behind the table where’s the cake is. You’ll be the one who turns on the lights.

The door clicked and the confetti pops,

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

You hugged the both birthday boys, laughing. Dokyeom laughs as Vernon smiled, the both of them hugged you back. The both of them were thinking the same thing,

what if I confess to her today?

You pulled them in and Mingyu, Dino and Hoshi hold the cakes with different colour candles. “Why are there three cakes? I only asked for two, did I?”

“It’s your birthday too silly!” Coups laughs, putting an arm around you and you widen your eyes. “How did I forget?!” You furrowed your brows. It was also the day when you met the two, where they were having a birthday in the park thtat Seungkwan arranged and you came to say, “Hey! it’s my birthday too!”

That was all what you remembered for this day. You smiled at the memory before clapping, “Well let’s celebrate!”

Video calls from your parents, Dokyeom’s and Vernon’s. You felt happy. Games, snacks, everything you and they planned were all there.

You felt a tug at your sleeve, turning around to see Dokyeom who smiled. He signaled you to follow him as you and him went through the crowds of your friends to go out, a certain boy saw it.

“You need something, Minnie?” You asked, smiling like always. You smiled everywhere you go, radiating your energy, that’s why everyone loves you.

“I don’t know how to confess but I love you, (Y/N).” He breaths out and you widen your eyes, you didn’t see this coming.

“I-”

“What if I do too?” Vernon came out and Dokyeom pursed his lips, didn’t want anything to interrupt. The both of them look at you as you were confused. You don’t want any them to hurt because of you.

“I… need time guys, I’ll try to think about it….” You gave them a smile before walking away.

Dokyeom sighs as he look at Vernon. “I didn’t know you would see us.” He chuckled and Vernon smiled, “I’ve been watching her when she came to our party a few years ago. Do you remember?”

Dokyeom laughs, nodding. “Why wouldn’t I remember that moment?”

“Let’s wait for her answer for now…”

The party ended a few days ago and you were busy thinking about it. Slapping the both of your cheeks, you have never feel this confuse. Your friend sent you a sympathetic smile, she knew the two had confessed to you already or you wouldn’t be like this.

“What to do Yoonee? I don’t want to hurt any of them.” You put a hand over your eyes as you laid back to her bed. You were playing a visit to her house, she was indeed the one who Dokyeom asked for your interests.

“Maybe you can start from here? I know there’s someone in your mind..” She gave you your phone, grinning as you sit up to accept it. Scrolling through you contacts, you sigh and look between certain contacts.

Just between Hansol or Seokmin…

–

DOKYEOM’S ENDING

VERNON’S ENDING

[andersonxaoc163-blog]

Who Else Wants To Know The Mystery Behind Legal Services?

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Like a lot of people, I joined Facebook in an effort to interact with an old friend and make new friends/connections. I populated "my page" with information regarding where I live, my gender, my marital status, my want to meet new people, my date of birth, hometown, political views, religion, my favorite activities, favorite TV shows, favorite films, music preferences, contact information, plus a simple bio. All the stuff is perfect for my "friends" of whom I have hundreds, nearly all of whom I have known from work.

In much the same way, I have made use of LinkedIn where I have greater than 500 friends with this more "business-like" network. My work history, references, job duties, etc. are openly displayed and all you must do is seek out my name and you also too can know a lot of about me. Several colleagues have my recommendations and they are generally openly posted for the world to find out.

I did the identical social website relevant activities on MySpace and Twitter also. After some time I got a trip from the recruiter who viewed my social websites "public" profiles and wished to talk with me of a CEO position in a new startup business. The truth is I am not searching for a job and I am very happy with my portfolio of entrepreneurial activities like writing, consulting, teaching, etc. Yet, this call is see-through evidence that social media marketing networking works.

Yes, you are able to say that I am a real player in the social websites universe. But, right here is the rub. The employer already knew all about me, I mean he knows almost everything about where I have been in past years, what are my interests, about the co-workers who recommended me (he referenced me from their store for cross-check), he knows my current activities.

Candidly, I realized that he knew a lot of about me and it's also my fault. I disclosed all the information for this social networking websites-yep, I am a player or, should I say, I am a chump!

Listening fot it story, you can now understand that employer and recruiting agencies are peeking to your social media networking profiles and activities, whether your share a picture, commented on friends note, shared videos, etc. They are seeing everything and anytime your employment they will unveil each of the facts, negative or positive, in front of you.

Social media employment background checks have grown to be an infectious nowadays as every employer would like to screen his prospective employee from every nook and corner of his life to make the top hiring decision.

For job hunters, it can be becoming another hurdle between their employment successes. Recently, The Federal Trade Commission in the United States of America ruled that your particular postings on any social media marketing site may be saved by online background screening companies for about seven years. It may not sound so bad a high level teen, but those postings could return to haunt you within the future when you are job hunting.

Existing workers are at the same time in the row that is hit by strict monitoring through continuous social networking employment background record checks for several activities; their seven a lot of social media history can be checked for compliance to company laws.

Social media employment criminal record checks are compiled in to a report with examples of professional honors and charitable work, together with negative information that fits specific criteria, like online proof racist remarks; references to drugs; sexually explicit photos, sms or videos; flagrant displays of weapons or bombs and identifiable violent activity.

How to Resolve the Situation - Let Me define the 9 Simple Ways to Survive a Social Media Employment Background Checks:

Concluding with another interesting anecdote:

My dear friend Robert smith said about inappropriate picture sharing can hurt, he explains, "A former employee of mine along with a "friend" just sent me a Facebook "news feed" showing pictures of her at a bachelorette party stuffing dollar bills down a male stripper's thong. She seemed to be using a terrific time, but what image does this portray to a potential employer doing a criminal background check? Might it eliminate the job offer? I think it might."

My Recommendation:

Make sure your social networking public profile on such sites is purged of the information that may be controversial or extreme since your next employer may be viewing it for social websites employment background checks.

[mrmichaelchadler]

The Art of Sales Hiring: Sell Me This Pen and Show Me Your W-2!!!

Silk suit, black tie, I don’t need a reason why They come runnin’ just as fast as they can ‘Cause every girl crazy ’bout a sharp dressed man

 –ZZ Top ______________________________

(Editor’s note – for a deeper dive on hiring salespeople, join KD as he hosts HR Mind Games next Thursday, June 28th at 1pm ET, Noon CT – click here to register)

If you’re an HR or Recruiting leader tasked with making sure your organization has the talent it needs, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds.

But don’t fool yourself – some positions matter more than others.  Need an example?  Let’s talk about hiring Salespeople.

Hiring Salespeople is not for the weak of heart.  It’s an exercise full of myth, positioning and hype, which when you think about it, are all tools a great sales pro uses to close business on monthly basis.

Need some examples of the myths and hype including in the process of hiring an elephant-hunting, business-closing machine?  I thought you’d never ask – here you go:

1—Sell me this pen! Believe it or not, people still think that asking a sales candidate to market an analog instrument in the digital age is a great indicator of future success. Last seen in the closing minutes of The Wolf of Wall Street, if you have sales leaders asking this question, you’re asking for a sales force with the cognitive abilities of Fred and Barney Flintstone. Real sales pros would laugh at the question and simply start messing with your interviewer, confident that they will never take a job at your company.

2—Show me your W-2!  Now we’re getting somewhere! The ability to earn $150K (let’s assume that’s the total comp payout at 100% quota level in your company for an AE) HAS to be linked to the candidate’s ability to earn $150K at their current/previous company, right? Asking this question is the equivalent of the caveman grunt (Fred and Barney approve) asking you to “prove it.” Never mind that 40% of the candidate’s commission at her current/previous company came from a “manna from heaven” email referral that she closed by making a single call and literally taking an order.  W-2 matches the earnings claim though, so you got that going for you – which is nice.

3—Tell me about a time you’ve closed a difficult sale!  By now, all of you know that your sales managers don’t have time to update Salesforce, but we totally trust them to ask behavioral questions and follow-up/probe as needed to properly vet what’s real and not real in a behavioral interview. Perfect!

Before I give you my Glengarry list of ways to behavioral vet sales talent, let’s be clear about what we’re searching for.  There are basically two types of sales pros out there to choose from:

A–Hunter/Elephant Gun Carrier. This is the type of sales pro you want to drive revenue at your company. Generally fearless and as impossible to kill as a family of cockroaches living by a dumpster bin behind a Chinese buffet, this sales pro lives for the thrill of adding new customers and clients to your company. #YouWantThisOne

B–Farmer/Non-Closer. WARNING. This is the type of sales pro you hire when you miss.  They worked for the right companies, they say the right things and they look good.  But when you really dig underneath the covers, they have different behavioral motivations than the hunter. 90% of your sales hiring misses are because you hired farmers rather than hunters. Farmers are often great people, they’re just not salespeople.

Myths and hype dominate the traditional sales hiring process.  So, what’s the best way to determine whether the candidate in front of you is a hunter or a famer?

In my experience, the quickest way to separate great sales candidates from average ones is to rely on a quality behavioral assessment.

Here’s the four behavioral dimensions you can bank on to know if someone could truly sell ice to a resident member of native Alaska peoples:

1–Team Dimension. Known by different names, the team dimension doesn’t mean good teammate/bad teammate. It instead provides a reading on how people want rewards, feedback and recognition.  Low team people under this definition want individual rewards and scoreboards, high team people want those items delivered to them in a team setting.  Hunters are – duh – low team.

2—Assertiveness.  One of the greatest dangers in your sales recruiting process is that you’ll accept a candidate who’s had relevant sales experience but are mid-range when measured on Assertiveness.  Run, Forrest, Run – you’re looking at a Farmer and it’s all going to hell within a year.

3–Rules Orientation.  Low Rules candidates love chaos and figuring out their approach on a case-by-case basis (hunter!).  High rules candidates want to know what the operations manual suggests they do (farmer!). Guess which candidate equates to new revenue over time? Hint – It’s not the one who’s looking to set up a meeting to talk about process.

4—Sensitivity. Account Managers (another name for Farmers) need more recovery time from rejection than true salespeople, who generally have skin as thick as rhinos without access to shade and believe that someone saying no is actually an invite to follow up with them in 21 days as ask again.

The whole key to finding great sales pros is understanding that predictive success can be determined though a behavioral assessment – probably more so in Sales than any other area.  Find a tool that you’re comfortable with, make it a non-negotiable part of your process and you’re on your way to better sales hiring.

Or you can do what the much of the world does and hire the best-looking and smoothest-talking person.  Let me know how that works out for you if you go that way!

FOT Note: This post is brought to you by the good folks at Caliper (a leading provider of employee assessment and talent development solutions) – who like us enough to be an annual sponsor at FOT for all content in our assessment and development track (and don’t expect that we run any of this by them ahead of time). Check them out, friends. Use them to help you select the right person, then maximize performance once they’re on your team.

(for a deeper dive on hiring salespeople, join KD as he hosts HR Mind Games next Thursday, June 28th at 1pm ET, Noon CT – click here to register)

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