#a class act ny

[paigebueckersmommy]

guilty as sin? pt. 1

part 2 here

paige bueckers x fem!reader

warnings: gay awakening?? toxic relationship, slightly suggestive if you squint

a/n: bc this song is the only thing i think abt and it’s so paige coded

you grew up not religious, but in a religious family. you were told that being gay was wrong, and ignoring the voice inside you, you told yourself you were straight.

you were in a toxic relationship which you knew was toxic beucase of the things people had told you. when you started classses at uconn in 2021, you boyfriend was also attending uconn. you knew about paige, but had never been much into basketball although your boyfriend was.

he took you to a uconn wbb game and sat there as you waited for the game to start. and suddenly, you saw paige. you never seen her looking so beautiful, and felt like soemthing about you had been changed when suddenly you and paige made eye contact as you were sitting pretty close to the court.

uconn won the game, and you acted you payed attention on the ride your boyfriend gave you up your dorm knowing you only had eyes for paige the entire game. “yea i had fun,” you say tiredly.

the next day you had a 11 am class, and as you walked into the lecture hall you spotted someone across the hall from you. paige. you looked over to her in the crowded hallway, and quickly looked back. you walked into the lecture hall before paige, as you sped up the pace of your walk in the hallway.

you sat down closer to the back in the middle of a empty row. you sat down and got your computer out of your bookbag, when you heard someone. “hey, can i sit here?” you heard a deep voice say, it was paige. “oh uh yea that’s fine.” you say with a smirk, paige sits down also with a smirk. while you wait for the professor to arrive to class, you and paige had conjured up some small talk, when suddenly paige turned to you, “wait, were you at my game last night?” paige says with a grin curling in the corner of her mouth.

“oh yea i was. you did good out there.” you say with slight panic. “oh thanks, who was that guy with you?” paige says leaning back. “that was my boyfriend.” you say with slight embarassment.

“ohhhh.. okay.” paige said with a slight giggle. you heard her murmur something under her breath, “i could change that.” you heard. “what was that?” you say with even more embarassment than before. “oh nothing sorry,” paige said as the professor started talking.

you and paige didn’t talk the rest of the class since you were taking notes. as you two stood up and started packing up to leave she looked at you, “hey what’s your name?” paige said. “oh ny name is (yn),” you say with a smirk. paige starts away with a smile. “well it was nice talking to u see you later.”

as you walk back to your dorm, your mind is overstimulated with thiughta about paige. was she filming with you? what did she muffle under her breath that i couldn’t hear? and is paige my gay awakening?

later that night you lay in your bed watching instagram reels when suddenly you see a small ‘1’ appear on your notification box. you tap on it,

“@paigebueckers started following you”

you smile and quickly follow her back. when you get a notification from dms and you assumed it was paige.

P: yo

Y: hey how’d you find my instagram? lmao not complaining just wondering.

P: ma you told me your name

ma. the word paige typed sent chills down your spine and wetness in between your thighs.

P: what’s ur number?

Y: *** *** **** :)

*over texts*

P: do you have any classes tmrw?

Y: yea one at 9

P: wanna come over at 5?

Y: yea that sounds good :)

P: see u then ma good night

there it was again. ‘ma’

you smile into your pillow and when your done, you pick up your phone, scrolling in your phone app to find your boyfriends contact and press call.

B: hey ba-

Y: hey yea we’re over

B: what the fuc-

you hang up.

[lupinqs]

hi hi hi!!!!!!! with the end of take me to church right around the corner, i want y’all to vote on which upcoming series you’d like to see first. imma be honest my favorite is the second one but i have so much lore for all of them that it would be easy for me to write any!!! vote pls!!!!

WNBA Paige x Upper East Side Princess OC:

paige plays for the liberty; she’s in her rookie season

oc is in her last year of college at columbia—her parents are very rich (like billionaire type rich) and she’s grown up on the upper east side

enemies to lovers hella because oc is a bitch lowkey and paige def matches that energy towards oc

despite being so young, oc also already has a fiancé that she’s kinda been expected to end up with her whole life because he’s a family friend and the son of another rich millionaire/billionaire but they’re more just friends if anything

oc’s finacé’s parents are huge funders towards NY sports (including the liberty) which is kinda why oc and paige see each other a lot

oc’s parents def don’t approve so angst there too

oc is also an ex basketball player who was forced out of the sport at a young age despite being talented and paige kinda helps her get back into the sport and start loving it again because at the beginning oc HATES basketball

very reminiscent of gossip girl

UCONN Paige x Teammate OC:

paige is in her junior year, oc a freshman (only a year and a half age gap yall don’t be weird)

oc was the number-one recruit in her class coming into college just like paige was so she’s got a lotta pressure on her

paige and oc are roommates

oc tore her ACL her junior year of high school so when paige tears her, oc is there for her because she’s been in that position before—paige and oc have had a lot of similar experiences which makes them really understand each other

paige really channels her inner coach p into oc because oc is gonna have to have a huge role in this season due to paige’s absence and then even more so with azzi’s injury

oc also has had a bf for like ever and i’m saying she’s been in love with this boy since she was a kid because they lived next door to each other—that type of thing. so oc has never even really thought about being gay or liking girls because she’s always been so infatuated with that boy but when she and him start having problems because he’s at a different college and when paige starts comforting her through that and she and paige start spending more time with each other, oc starts… realizing lots of things about herself and her feelings

lots of self-discovery

end goal is for paige to basically coach and encourage oc and team to a natty

WNBA Paige x Ex-Bestfriend Actress OC:

paige plays for the sparks; she’s in her rookie year

oc is a well-known and successful actress

paige and oc were childhood best friends (yes ik i just did this with tmtc) and had a hella homoerotic friendship that ends up falling apart paige’s first year of college after …. certain events

oc is more open about her sexuality but paige has always been very overthinking about it and has severe internalized homophobia which helps lead to the crumbling of their friendship before

oc has been really really successful these past few years in the acting industry; her first movie came out in paige’s sophomore year of college which was sort of a wake up call for her then because she hadn’t even known that her best friend was actually legit in acting now

paige’s junior year college is when she realizes that yeah, she is gay and she was in love with oc basically her whole childhood but she’s ruined it and she doesn’t even think she has a chance anymore

paige is completely chill and confident within herself and her sexuality by her senior year of college

anyways in the present oc and paige meet again at some after party in la and it’s so weird for paige because oc seems so confident and at ease and she’s with all these famous people now but she used to be so shy and reserved

cameron brink and oc’s best friend are good friends and since paige and oc’s closest friends in la are good friends, they start running into each other a lot more

lots of angst fs and learning the new versions of each other vs remembering the ones they grew up with

[parkminijiminie]

AYS - Jeju trip /my recap/

Now that all of the Jeju episodes have aired, I've come back to quickly share my opinion. Disclaimer: This is just my opinion and speculation, you are more than free to disagree with me.

Overall, I managed to enjoy the episodes despite my initial hesitation. I was 50-50 about the first episode and I liked the other two. It wasn't a full love because while watching, I couldn't relax completely knowing how certain things would be twisted later on, but overall I enjoyed Jeju much more than I anticipated.

Let's start with the obvious difference between Jeju and NY, namely "the guest". TH's presence didn't add anything of value for me, apart from some cute Vmin moments and very few but still cute Vminkook ones. His being there didn't show me any new insight into their relationships, and there was no major change in either Vmin or Taekook. Even though Tae and JK spent a lot of time together in the first half of 2023, I didn't see any change in their dynamics or any new emotional depth to it. As many people have already said, JK and Tae together are two kids bouncing off each other's energies. They really bring out the immaturity in each other, and even if I tried, I could not get any romantic vibes from their interactions. Jk made it abundantly clear that TH being there was something he didn't choose and even seemed mildly annoyed by it the first day.

When it comes to JM and JK, this trip also didn't show anything new for me, but rather things I've always associated them with - their own private jokes, their being in sync with each other at all times, just existing in their own little world. They really do click. I loved their scenes at the pool, both days, I loved that JK is JM's personal chef, I loved that JM always pays attention to what JK is doing, even when driving, I loved their little joint routine at all times of the day. This really was JM and JK's trip through and through, and even a third party being there didn't really change anything. The only time we didn't have the signature JK and JM interactions was when JM was feeling unwell, after that they were back to their usual antics.

Jeju to me showed them being as close as ever. None of the tension and awkwardness from NY was present, which means that whatever issues they previously had, it was all resolved between the two trips.

As for them individually, I would say I am more and more and more amazed with Jimin with every new footage of this man I see. Firstly, he is just so naturally uniquely gorgeous. I kept staring at his bare face and wondering how one person could be so pretty even when sleeping, driving, and feeling sick. It's just like magic to me. More than that, he is just a class act through and through. He is polite, fun, considerate, energetic, just the whole package.

When it comes to JK, I would say he is a special person and probably a lot to handle in real life. He can be really sweet and his love language is definitely acts of service, but he also has an immature side to him. Maybe that comes from being the youngest and I think it was especially amplified because he was with the youngest members who always let him off easily. I think he is very kind-hearted, definitely not mean-spirited like some people make him out to be, but he is also a little bit impulsive at times. Personally, for me, he would probably be a little too much to handle in real life, but I can see that JM for sure knows how to handle him really well. As for JK's feelings towards Jimin, I think this boy lives and breathes for Jimin's attention. When JM is near, he is downright obsessed with having his eyes on him. He truly is like a big energetic, sometimes unruly puppy, wanting to be played with, praised, and loved upon. I can't really blame him, though. I, too, would turn into a clown or a personal chef, if it meant having Park Jimin's love and attention directed at me. In my opinion, nobody could truly deserve Jimin, but it is clear that Jimin truly adores Jungkook.

Jeju definitely showed that Jm and Jk have a very special type of relationship. The vibes between them were as weird as ever and it left me with more questions about the nature of their relationship than answers, but then again, this is also nothing new. 2023 Jikook remains confusing to me, but I am okay with that.

In conclusion, I liked the Jeju trip and I am not afraid to admit I love the solo parts between Jm and Jk the most. After all, this is what I paid for and wanted to see from the beginning and I am glad there were still plenty of JM and JK solo interactions. While these three episodes were better than what I expected them to be, I am the most excited about the upcoming Japan ones. I must admit I dreaded the Jeju episodes a little bit, which is why I actually didn't watch the first two right away, but I am fully, and 100% excited about Japan.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

One of America’s most corporate-crime-friendly bankruptcy judges forced to recuse himself

Today (Oct 16) I'm in Minneapolis, keynoting the 26th ACM Conference On Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing. Thursday (Oct 19), I'm in Charleston, WV to give the 41st annual McCreight Lecture in the Humanities. Friday (Oct 20), I'm at Charleston's Taylor Books from 12h-14h.

"I’ll believe corporations are people when Texas executes one." The now-famous quip from Robert Reich cuts to the bone of corporate personhood. Corporations are people with speech rights. They are heat-shields that absorb liability on behalf of their owners and managers.

But the membrane separating corporations from people is selectively permeable. A corporation is separate from its owners, who are not liable for its deeds – but it can also be "closely held," and so inseparable from those owners that their religious beliefs can excuse their companies from obeying laws they don't like:

https://clsbluesky.law.columbia.edu/2014/10/13/hobby-lobby-and-closely-held-corporations/

Corporations – not their owners – are liable for their misdeeds (that's the "limited liability" in "limited liablity corporation"). But owners of a murderous company can hold their victims' families hostage and secure bankruptcies for their companies that wipe out their owners' culpability – without any requirement for the owners to surrender their billions to the people they killed and maimed:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/11/justice-delayed/#justice-redeemed

Corporations are, in other words, a kind of Schroedinger's Cat for impunity: when it helps the ruling class, corporations are inseparable from their owners; when that would hinder the rich and powerful, corporations are wholly distinct entities. They exist in a state of convenient superposition that collapses only when a plutocrat opens the box and decides what is inside it. Heads they win, tails we lose.

Key to corporate impunity is the rigged bankruptcy system. "Debts that can't be paid, won't be paid," so every successful civilization has some system for discharging debt, or it risks collapse:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/09/bankruptcy-protects-fake-people-brutalizes-real-ones/

When you or I declare bankruptcy, we have to give up virtually everything and endure years (or a lifetime) of punitive retaliation based on our stained credit records, and even then, our student debts continue to haunt us, as do lawless scumbag debt-collectors:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/12/do-not-pay/#fair-debt-collection-practices-act

When a giant corporation declares bankruptcy, by contrast, it emerges shorn of its union pension obligations and liabilities owed to workers and customers it abused or killed, and continues merrily on its way, re-offending at will. Big companies have mastered the Texas Two-Step, whereby a company creates a subsidiary that inherits all its liabilities, but not its assets. The liability-burdened company is declared bankrupt, and the company's sins are shriven at the bang of a judge's gavel:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/01/j-and-j-jk/#risible-gambit

Three US judges oversee the majority of large corporate bankruptcies, and they are so reliable in their deference to this scheme that an entire industry of high-priced lawyers exists solely to game the system to ensure that their clients end up before one of these judges. When the Sacklers were seeking to abscond with their billions in opioid blood-money and stiff their victims' families, they set their sights on Judge Robert Drain in the Southern District of New York:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/23/a-bankrupt-process/#sacklers

To get in front of Drain, the Sacklers opened an office in White Plains, NY, then waited 192 days to file bankruptcy papers there (it takes six months to establish jurisdiction). Their papers including invisible metadata that identified the case as destined for Judge Drain's court, in a bid to trick the court's Case Management/Electronic Case Files system to assign the case to him.

The case was even pre-captioned "RDD" ("Robert D Drain"), to nudge clerks into getting their case into a friendly forum.

If the Sacklers hadn't opted for Judge Drain, they might have set their sights on the Houston courthouse presided over by Judge David Jones, the second of of the three most corporate-friendly large bankruptcy judges. Judge Jones is a Texas judge – as in "Texas Two-Step" – and he has a long history of allowing corporate murderers and thieves to escape with their fortunes intact and their victims penniless:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/07/hr-4193/#shoppers-choice

But David Jones's reign of error is now in limbo. It turns out that he was secretly romantically involved with Elizabeth Freeman, a leading Texas corporate bankruptcy lawyer who argues Texas Two-Step cases in front of her boyfriend, Judge David Jones.

Judge Jones doesn't deny that he and Freeman are romantically involved, but said that he didn't think this fact warranted disclosure – let alone recusal – because they aren't married and "he didn't benefit economically from her legal work." He said that he'd only have to disclose if the two owned communal property, but the deed for their house lists them as co-owners:

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24032507-general-warranty-deed

(Jones claims they don't live together – rather, he owns the house and pays the utility bills but lets Freeman live there.)

Even if they didn't own communal property, judges should not hear cases where one of the parties is represented by their long term romantic partner. I mean, that is a weird sentence to have to type, but I stand by it.

The case that led to the revelation and Jones's stepping away from his cases while the Fifth Circuit investigates is a ghastly – but typical – corporate murder trial. Corizon is a prison healthcare provider that killed prisoners with neglect, in the most cruel and awful ways imaginable. Their families sued, so Corizon budded off two new companies: YesCare got all the contracts and other assets, while Tehum Care Services got all the liabilities:

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/prominent-bankruptcy-judge-david-jones-033801325.html

Then, Tehum paid Freeman to tell her boyfriend, Judge Jones, to let it declare bankruptcy, leaving $173m for YesCare and allocating $37m for the victims suing Tehum. Corizon owes more than $1.2b, "including tens of millions of dollars in unpaid invoices and hundreds of malpractice suits filed by prisoners and their families who have alleged negligent care":

https://www.kccllc.net/tehum/document/2390086230522000000000041

Under the deal, if Corizon murdered your family member, you would get $5,000 in compensation. Corizon gets to continue operating, using that $173m to prolong its yearslong murder spree.

The revelation that Jones and Freeman are lovers has derailed this deal. Jones is under investigation and has recused himself from his cases. The US Trustee – who represents creditors in bankruptcy cases – has intervened to block the deal, calling Tehum "a barren estate, one that was stripped of all of its valuable assets as a result of the combination and divisional mergers that occurred prior to the bankruptcy filing."

This is the third high-profile sleazy corporate bankruptcy that had victory snatched from the jaws of defeat this year: there was Johnson and Johnson's attempt to escape from liability from tricking women into powder their vulvas with asbestos (no, really), the Sacklers' attempt to abscond with billions after kicking off the opioid epidemic that's killed 800,000+ Americans and counting, and now this one.

This one might be the most consequential, though – it has the potential to eliminate one third of the major crime-enabling bankruptcy judges serving today.

One down.

Two to go.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/16/texas-two-step/#david-jones

My next novel is The Lost Cause, a hopeful novel of the climate emergency. Amazon won't sell the audiobook, so I made my own and I'm pre-selling it on Kickstarter!

[herejusttosufferalong]

I've been a Lukola shipper since last year, and I've been reading all the male POVs. So, I decided to ask the dudes in my life about this whole situation. I talked to some of my male BFFs and my brother. I'll start with what my brother, who's 15 (I'm 19), had to say.

Over the past three days, I showed him most of the interviews, especially the unhinged ones, all the hand-holding clips, Tif's edits, etc. Then I introduced him to the GF and gave him a brief rundown of all the antics - Instyle, NY and London premieres, Deuxmoi, pool pics, Milan, GQ.

Here’s what he thinks:

Luke and Nic LOVE each other. Luke probably loves her more, or maybe she's just better at hiding it. Nic is affectionate towards everyone, so it’s not as apparent. My brother thinks Nic is really funny and obviously beautiful, especially after watching her solo interviews like "9 Things I've Never Tried Before," ASMR, and accents.

Luke is being hot and cold. After I told him about the break after Brasil, he said that makes sense. It seems like whenever Luke goes back to his friends, he comes back acting like a dick. I showed him Luke's hot boy summer phase and the NYE video of them dancing. He said Luke acts like a dick when he's with his friends, especially Rory, who seems like the leader. He even noticed Tom and said Luke should hang out with him more. When I mentioned Rory breaking up with his GF and now dating Sienna (who's 23), he immediately clocked it and said, “Wow, Lukey did the same.” In a very not impressed tone. I couldn't stop laughing.

Nothing happened in Brasil. My brother thinks Nic would never do anything shady. The interviewers and overall vibes of Brasil were super chill, so Luke let himself loose a bit. However Nic seemed the same, maybe a little more giggly.

NY and London premieres:

NY: They looked fine, but Luke seemed pissed for some reason. The hand moment was insane. He thinks the GF blindsided Nic and set up the videos of them hugging, because why aren’t there videos of others?

London: Nic seemed a little wary, and Luke looked downbad. Luke T and Nic either need to work together or date, or both, because they're cute. Simone is definitely a shipper. He also thinks Golda might be a shipper, but she seems to have clocked Luke’s shit and is side-eyeing, which he is too. The Deuxmoi stunt was dumb and embarrassing.

About A, R, and S:

Rory: Luke hangs onto Rory’s every word, so the GF might not be going anywhere as long as she's in the friend group. My brother hates Rory and thinks he's Luke’s constant during the hot boy summer phase. Rory wasn't seen much before that. Other Anons, is this true?

A: A is in the relationship for the perks. The Hailey Bieber cosplay is gross. My brother almost puked when I showed him the thread comparing A and HB’s outfits. A is obviously trolling the fans, which is boring.

S: He doesn’t think there’s anything nefarious going on with S, and it’s good for her that she’s going to Jack M's classes, but it’s weird that it's only happening now.

In conclusion, my brother thinks this whole thing is going to drag on for a lot longer, but that’s a huge maybe since Luke and Nic are coming back for S4. If Luke's friend group manages to infiltrate the sets, it won't matter much because everyone adores Nic and seems protective of her. A is going to stay as long as she can. Right now, my brother hates Luke and thinks he screwed up royally, even as a friend. It’s a bigger deal if there are non-platonic feelings involved. He wants to see Luke make a thank you post for S3, because that's the least he can do. Luke needs to figure his stuff out, and it seems like whenever he's on vacation, things just get worse. Basically, he needs to GET A JOB and things will sort themselves out.

Wow, that was a lot. Never thought my brother would be so mature!

Also can someone clarify if R was still such a huge part of L's life before his HBS?

Damn the 15 yo is smarter than some grown ass folk in the fandom lmao

LOVE x

[covid-safer-hotties]

A Long Island County Banned Masks, and Disabled People Are Suing - Published Aug 23, 2024

Last week, Nassau County, on New York’s Long Island, became the first county in the US to ban the public wearing of masks—with very vague health exemptions—since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Nassau ban follows a similarly controversial statewide mask ban in North Carolina that took effect in June.

Several concerns have been raised about Nassau’s mask ban, including that police officers—not experts in public health or medicine—are tasked with determining whether an individual is wearing a mask for valid health reasons. But another is that the pandemic is not over, and wearing medical masks while grocery shopping or even at a protest is meant to limit exposure to the disease—and some residents expect a ban to lead to harassment by local anti-maskers.

The county’s move has prompted the first class-action lawsuit against a mask ban, filed Thursday in federal district court by Disability Rights New York against Nassau County and county executive Bruce Blakeman on behalf of two anonymous residents.

“This mask ban poses a direct threat to public health and discriminates against people with disabilities,” said Timothy A. Clune, the group’s executive director, in a press release.

One of the residents, who lives with cerebral palsy and asthma, said they were stopped and questioned by other residents after the ban was passed—even before it was enacted—and, according to the complaint, now “fears that they will be arrested…because there is no standard for the police to follow to decide if they meet the health exception.”

The other resident represented in the complaint, who masks due to various immune conditions, the complaint says, is now “terrified to go into public wearing a mask.”

Both complainants say that masking has enabled them to participate in public life as disabled people during the ongoing pandemic. Disability Rights NY argues in the suit that the ban as written is unconstitutional, and violates both the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, both key items of federal civil rights legislation, by denying disabled people access to their own communities.

“Local laws that abrogate or curtail rights conferred by federal law are…rendered invalid,” the complaint reads.

Given that Covid can itself disable people, Jason Cohen, a neurologist who lives in Nassau, has major concerns about how the mask ban will play out.

“I care for many patients who have brain fog from Covid and many more who are at higher risk of brain damage from Covid,” Cohen said. “Anything that discourages masking among those who want to mask is a travesty and public health disaster.”

Cohen also says that governments “should not force people to disclose their personal medical information to police in order to negotiate their way out of being accused of a crime.”

Some disabled people nevertheless have concerns about the suit itself. Ngozi, a Black disabled person who lives just over the county border in Queens, is concerned that it will end in “some type of negotiation with the state that results in keeping the law intact,” which would maintain the risk of racial profiling.

“I do not have faith in the state,” Ngozi said. “A lawsuit will not resolve the threat of mask bans anytime soon.”

Disability Rights New York is requesting a declaratory judgment that Nassau County’s mask ban violates federal law, as well as a restraining order. (read the complaint in full at the Mother Jones website linked at the very top of this post)

[lemoncrushh]

Seven Six Five - Part Three

Summary: They met once seven years ago. Now music has made them cross paths again.

Warnings: smut, body image issues, angst. 18+ ONLY!

A/N: Enemies to Lovers. This was originally written and posted in 2020, right before the pandemic, so the story takes place then with flashbacks of 2013. Harry Styles x Plus Size OC, written in third person.

Part Three Word Count: 3.5k+

STORY PAGE

27 February, 2020 - New York, NY, USA

Bronwyn had tossed and turned all night. After returning home from her meeting with Harry, she’d started feeling a pang in her gut. She’d worried that perhaps she had been a little hard on him, and maybe even downright cruel. She’d thought about the look in his eyes when he’d asked her about that night, and how he’d sincerely sounded clueless. Perhaps she’d had it all wrong, or maybe he’d just been a different person then, seven years ago. People do grow, in fact. And maybe...just maybe, he’d been looking for a way to apologise.

When she’d sat at her computer with a glass of wine, hoping to distract her mind and get some work done, she’d soon found the attempt futile. Instead, she’d opened the website where her article was published. She reread it, looking at the photos she’d taken and scanning through the comments. They were all positive, many true, die-hard fans giving their thanks and input. A few were also from newer fans, people who’d only recently discovered him and kicked themselves for not listening to him sooner.

Nobody called him fake. Nobody said he was a phony. It was all just the opposite. Everyone honestly adored him, and called him things like “genuine”, “a class act” and “the kind of man I hope my son turns out to be.”

Setting her laptop aside, Bronwyn walked to her tiny kitchen table where she’d left the tote bag Harry had given her. Slipping her hand inside, she pulled out the vinyl record and unwrapped the cellophane. Surprised to find it was a gatefold, she examined the fish-eye photos on the cover and the inside. When she pulled the record out of the sleeve, something else fell out and onto the floor. Picking it up, Bronwyn saw that it was a folded poster which she quickly opened, letting out a cackle.

“Oh my God, you’ve got to be joking!” she exclaimed, looking at the photos on either side.

Shaking her head, she placed the record on her turntable and dropped the needle. She recognised the intro to the first song, having listened to it a handful of times that weekend on Spotify. By the middle of the song, she found herself singing along to the lyrics. Then sitting down on the sofa, she inspected the poster again, the side where Harry was laid out on the floor...naked.

“For fuck’s sake,” she muttered to herself.

She realised nothing was really showing. It was a tasteful pose, and his hand and thigh were covering his unmentionables. It was art, and she could respect that. But she didn’t like the way it made her feel.

Or maybe she did.

Folding the poster back up, Bronwyn slipped it back into the album sleeve and grabbed her glass of wine.

Perhaps it had been the chardonnay, or maybe the half a dozen listens to Harry’s album that had kept her awake most of the night. But nevertheless, Bronwyn was determined to do some actual work when she finally got out of bed and brushed her teeth. No thinking of Harry Styles today, nor her history with him. No listening to his music. His album was tucked away in her vinyl collection, along with that ridiculously enticing poster…

It was mid-afternoon when Bronwyn finally showered. After getting loads of work done - thanks to the promise she’d kept to herself - including some housework such as cleaning her bathroom, dusting and watering her plants, she took a nice, long, steaming shower. Slipping into a striped tee and a pair of denim overalls, she pulled her hair up into a ponytail. Deciding it was time for tea, she was just about to walk to the kitchen when she heard the buzzer for her building. She wasn’t expecting company, nor a package, so she was curious who rang.

“‘Ello?” she called into the intercom.

“Hi Bronwyn. It’s Harry.”

Shocked, she blurted the first word that came to mind. “Who?”

“Forgot me again already,” he laughed. “It’s Harry Styles.”

Clearing her throat, Bronwyn tried to get her bearings. “What can I do for you, Harry?”

“Well, I’d like to come in, if I may.”

“Um…” she pondered for a moment, looking around the room. It wasn’t as though he was going to walk into a mess and think her a slob or anything. She’d just cleaned, and her flat was tidy as a pin. “Okay.”

Bronwyn hesitantly pressed the button to buzz Harry into the building. Opening the door, she stepped out into the hallway, just in time to see him enter and look up at her from the bottom of the stairs. This time, he wasn’t trying to be inconspicuous in all black. Instead, he’d gone a similar route to his Tiny Desk performance, choosing a striped sweater vest, pinstripe shirt and brown trousers. He was again carrying a tote bag.

“Hi,” he smiled.

“Hey...how did you...find out where I live?” Bronwyn asked.

“Same way I got your number.”

“Oh. Well, um...what are you doing here?”

“Well, after we parted ways yesterday, I got the feeling that something was wrong. I just couldn’t shake it, wondering what I’d done,” Harry explained, taking the stairs to meet her. “Then it dawned on me.”

Stopping at the second to top step, Harry was nearly eye level with Bronwyn. She swallowed hard as she got a hefty whiff of his cologne.

“What’s that?” she mumbled.

“One of the things I remembered most about you, when we’d originally met all those years ago...was that you loved vinyl. It was something we had in common in fact, as I was just starting to grow my own collection. So my initial thought had been to bring you a vinyl copy of my album. But I see now that that was very presumptuous of me, if not a little pretentious. Of course you wouldn’t be interested in that. You like the old stuff, the classics.”

Her knitted eyebrows relaxing, Bronwyn’s expression softened as Harry handed her the tote bag.

“Brought these for you. Thought you might like them.”

Taking the bag, Bronwyn stared incredulously at Harry before peeking inside.

“Why did you-?”

“I offended you. Clearly,” said Harry, holding up his hand. “And I apologise. It’s my peace offering.”

If you only knew…

“Um…” Bronwyn faltered again, “I don’t suppose you’d like to come in for a cuppa.”

“Can’t stay long,” replied Harry, his lips slowly stretching into a smile. “But...that would be nice.”

With a short nod, Bronwyn turned for the doorway of her flat, Harry following. Then shutting the door behind him, she watched as his eyes perused her tiny studio apartment. There was a half wall separating her bed, a beaded curtain used for the rest of the wall. A small desk sat in the corner beside the window which was lined with plants. Beside the sofa stood her turntable, her record collection underneath. Harry took a moment to inspect it all, taking it all in whilst Bronwyn headed for the kitchen to start the kettle.

“This is really lovely, Bronwyn.”

The sound of her name from his lips made her insides jump. She looked up from the counter to see Harry walk over to the large window and gently touch the leaves of a plant.

“Thanks.”

His long legs strode across the room where he stopped and pointed to the beaded curtain and grinned.

“That is very you,” he said.

“It is?” she asked, feeling herself blush.

Harry nodded. “I reckon if I had to imagine your place, I’d picture it exactly like this.”

“Um...I’m not sure how to take that.”

His audibly pleasing laugh echoed as he walked over to the turntable.

“Do you mind?” he gestured.

“No, sure, go ahead.”

Harry grabbed the tote bag from the counter where Bronwyn had left it and pulled out the records. Choosing the Donny Hathaway Live album, he placed it gently on the turntable. As the music started, the familiar light crackling that only came from listening to vinyl, Harry turned for the kitchen, an easy smile on his face.

“I like live albums, don’t you?” he inquired.

“Sometimes.”

“It’s great because you feel like you’re there. Even when it was recorded forty years ago.”

“Hmm, yes,” Bronwyn nodded. “Except when it’s not really a hundred percent live.”

“Whaddaya mean?”

“Like I heard somewhere that KISS Alive! wasn’t actually all live. The producer or engineer, or maybe Gene Simmons decided some of it wasn’t clear enough, so they overdubbed it with studio clips. I don’t think some of the audience sounds were even real.”

“Well, that’s disappointing,” Harry pouted as he leant against the counter.

“Yeah. Still a good album though.”

“Have you listened to this one before?” he asked, pointing to the record player.

Bronwyn shook her head. “I haven’t. I like Donny Hathaway, but haven’t listened to very much of his stuff.”

“You’ll like this,” Harry declared with a nod.

Though the first song wasn’t even complete yet, Bronwyn somehow knew he was right. Not because she already liked it so far, but because she knew Harry had good taste. She remembered the scattered conversations about music they’d had that night…

The kettle whistled then, bringing her out of her reverie, and Bronwyn busied herself with preparing the tea.

“Um, how do you take it?” she called, seeing as Harry had made his way back to the turntable and was browsing through her record collection.

“Just lemon if you have it,” replied Harry, his head down as he studied an old jazz album.

Moments later, Bronwyn announced that the tea was ready and set Harry’s cup on the counter.

“Thanks,” he said. Inspecting a Linda Ronstadt record, he held it up. “This is one I need for my collection.”

“Yes you do,” Bronwyn agreed, carrying her cup and leaning against the edge of the counter. “It’s one of my absolute favourites.”

“I just fancy her in those roller skates and socks.”

Bronwyn couldn’t help but laugh. “Then you’ll also need the one where she’s on the beach and her nipples are showing.”

Turning his head, Harry gave a smirk. “Oh, I do have that one.”

“Figures.”

“Oh, here’s a gem!” Harry exclaimed, holding up a Bill Evans record. “I have this, too.”

Biting her lip, Bronwyn felt the heat rise on her neck as though Harry had just discovered a special secret.

“That’s my writing album. I play it a lot when I need inspiration. Or when I’m reading.”

“Wonderful,” Harry commented softly before returning it to the pile.

Last, he picked up a sleeve of Stevie Nicks’ album The Other Side of the Mirror.

“Another brilliant choice,” he said, noticing the item was light. “Where’s the record?”

Bronwyn frowned. “It got damaged in the move to New York. I have all of hers except that one. I’ve been meaning to replace it, but never did.”

“A shame,” Harry muttered. Then he rose from his spot on the floor. “Sorry, I guess I should drink that tea now.”

“It might be cold, do you want-”

Harry shook his head after taking a sip. “It’s fine.” Then he smiled. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied, unable to tear her eyes from his face. “Um...I don’t reckon I’ve ever had anyone in here who dove straight for my vinyls.”

The dimples dipping deeper in his cheeks, Harry looked down at his cup. “We have quite a lot in common.”

“Hmm…” Bronwyn nodded.

“Of course, I knew that when I met you.”

Grinning slightly, Bronwyn set her cup on the counter. She’d been wanting to say something, the feeling that she’d had the night before whilst listening to his album. Now with him stood in her flat, she knew she needed to say it face to face.

“Harry, I’m afraid I wasn’t very nice to you yesterday.”

“Wha’?”

“When you gave me your record...I thought you were just being an arsehole celebrity plugging his work.”

“I understand, what’s why I-”

Bronwyn held up her hand. “I read the comments on my article, and so many people are fond of you, some even saying that they’ve met you and you’re the nicest person. I’m sorry that I jumped to conclusions.”

“I can see how you would think-”

“Harry, just accept my apology so we can let it lie.”

Pursing his lips, Harry nodded. “Apology accepted.”

“Good.” Bronwyn brought her teacup to her lips and took a slow sip as she watched Harry step around the counter to meet her.

“Now tha’ that’s done,” he said, his voice suddenly deeper, “can we address the elephant in the room?”

Lowering her cup, Bronwyn widened her eyes. “What elephant?”

“What’s still left unsaid between us…” Harry gestured.

Bronwyn shook her head. “Doesn’t matter.”

“How can you say that?”

“Because...it was seven years ago. Let’s just forget it.”

“Maybe I don’t want to,” said Harry, his face expressionless.

Bronwyn rolled her eyes and turned for the stove, but Harry grabbed her arm.

“Why’d you leave?” he asked softly. “I thought you wanted...me.”

Taking a deep breath, Bronwyn blinked slowly. “I thought I did, too. I mean...I did.”

“I had a great time, didn’t you?”

“Yes. You still remember?”

“Of course,” Harry grinned, stepping around to stand in front of her. “I remember everythin’. Your musical knowledge that could rival anyone else’s I knew, the way you could hold your own and drink everybody under the table, your infectious laugh…”

Her lips spreading, Bronwyn let out a hearty chuckle.

“That’s the one,” Harry remarked. “And most of all I remember the kiss.”

“You do?”

For years that kiss had continued to haunt her dreams. It had been the most amazing, perfect kiss. Right before he’d asked her to leave with him. Before…

“Hold that thought!” Harry held up a finger before rushing into the living room.

She watched him take the record off the turntable and place it on side B, letting the needle drop. She hadn’t even noticed the music had stopped, she had been so caught off guard by Harry’s kiss comment. With a satisfied grin, he made his way back to the kitchen and stood before her again, just where he’d been.

“Where were we?” he beamed.

“Um...I dunno…” Bronwyn said, running a hand through her curls. She noticed his cologne was making her a bit dizzy. “You were saying how you remember…”

“Ah, right, the kiss.”

“You smell really nice.” It was involuntary. Word vomit. Still, Harry chuckled, making her feel warm all over.

“Thank you.”

Harry leant in, his lips nearly brushing against her skin. She could feel his breath on her. Awkwardly, she touched his wrists as he rested his hands on either side of her on the counter. He searched for her gaze as she looked down, focusing on how his hips were pressed against hers. She was certainly trapped, just as she’d been that night in the alcove. The rush of adrenaline combined with the memory, as well as his intoxicating aroma, made her light-headed. Bronwyn slid her hands up his arms, and just as she lifted her head, his lips found hers. They kissed soft and short kisses at first, until he pulled her closer and darted his tongue inside. Grabbing a fist full of his sweater, she let out a tiny whimper before releasing herself from the kiss and pushing her palms against his chest.

“No. I mean...sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” Harry breathed.

“I just...I can’t.”

“Why not? Boyfriend?”

“No.”

“Girlfriend?”

“No. It’s not that. I just...can’t be that woman.”

“What woman?” Harry inquired, furrowing his brows.

“The one who wakes up alone in your hotel bed after a shag and you’re nowhere to be found because you couldn’t handle saying goodbye.”

“We’re in your flat, love,” Harry giggled.

“You know what I mean.”

“I’m not sure I do.”

With a sigh, Bronwyn pushed against him again, trying to wriggle herself free from his body. Stepping back, Harry allowed her space as he stared at her incredulously.

“This...it can’t happen, Harry,” declared Bronwyn. “I realised some things that night...that I just can’t get over.”

“What things? What happened?” Harry reached for her, but she waved him away.

“Please. I really would rather not talk about it. It would just...it’s too painful.”

Harry tilted his head. “But love, if we don’t talk about it, how can I-”

“I think you should go.”

“Bronwyn-”

She lowered his head, trying her best not to cry. “Please.”

With a heavy sigh, Harry shoved his hands in his pockets. “Alright.”

Bronwyn stood frozen in the kitchen as Harry made his way toward the door. Donny Hathaway continued to serenade, punctuating the scene when Harry stopped and turned around.

“The number I called you from...that’s my personal cell,” he offered. “If...you decide you wanna talk, you can call me. Or text me. I’ll be all ears.”

Bronwyn nodded, looking down at her hands. Harry opened the door and held it open as he looked at her again.

“I really hope you do, Bronwyn. I mean...no pressure, but…” Harry paused with another sigh, “I’d really like to finish that kiss.”

With that, Harry stepped out and shut the door behind him, leaving Bronwyn in the kitchen with the first of many tears to wet her cheeks.

20 August, 2013 - London, England, UK

Her entire body was on fire. She didn’t remember ever being this turned on. Not that she had a lot of experience, but...well she’d had enough. But this...this was different.

His lips had moved from hers to her neck, nibbling seductively as she tried to keep her balance against the wall of the alcove. His right hand that had been at her waist had made its way to her bum where it cupped her and urged her to lift her thigh.

“Harry…” she breathed.

His wet mouth traveled to her ear then where he whispered her name.

“Leave with me,” he requested.

“What?”

“Come with me to my hotel. Stay with me tonight.”

With a quiet yes and moan of agreement, Bronwyn turned her head to meet his lips once again.

“Let me um…” she stammered, “I need to get my bag and camera. Meet me...by the lifts? Fifteen minutes?”

“Yeah,” Harry nodded as he stood straight, adjusting himself. “Yeah, sounds good.”

Tugging on her dress, Bronwyn gave him a sexy smile before a quick peck on the lips.

“See you soon,” she murmured, heading down the hall.

Finding her camera quickly, she took a trip to the loo to freshen her makeup and get her bearings. Looking in the mirror, she saw a right mess staring back at her.

“Oh Bronwyn, look at you,” she tsked. “You already looked absolutely fucked.”

Applying just a touch of cosmetics, she finger-combed her hair the best she could, trying to tame the frizzies and lift the flat parts. Then after a tiny spritz of perfume, she stood back and examined herself.

She’d never been terribly fond of her body. In fact, she’d always thought herself fat. But tonight...she felt pretty, beautiful even. Harry made her feel that way. He’d even whispered how he found her sexy whilst they’d made out in the alcove. And if someone like him wanted to sleep with her...well, she couldn’t be all bad.

Dropping her lipstick in her bag, Bronwyn slung it over her shoulder and pushed the bathroom door open. Halfway down the hall, towards the lifts, she heard voices. Slowing her steps, she came to a large door that was ajar. Peeking inside, she saw a circle of boys, and quickly recognised them as Harry and his bandmates. Harry seemed to have his back to her, and she couldn’t make out their words. That is, until she heard her name.

28 February, 2020 - New York, NY, USA

12:13 AM. Bronwyn kept clicking the button on her phone to check the time. She’d been doing that for the last forty-five minutes. Perhaps it was too late to call. He might be asleep.

But maybe not.

She didn’t like the feeling in her stomach. It turned and flipped like one of those children’s toys with the water inside. After Harry’d left, she’d let herself cry on her bed until she’d fallen asleep. When she’d risen, she’d barely eaten a few crackers and cheese before settling on a glass of wine and some tunes.

Eyeing the tote bag on the counter, Bronwyn had pulled out the other vinyl Harry had brought her. It was Wings - Back To The Egg. While she was a fan of Paul McCartney and had several of his albums, this was one of a few she’d been missing. The notion that Harry would have known that was ludicrous, but it warmed her heart just the same.

After listening to the entire album, and then the Donny Hathaway one again, Bronwyn had resolved that she might have been an idiot. Maybe Harry wasn’t a phony. Maybe she didn’t hate him anymore. And maybe...just maybe...she actually kind of liked him.

Pressing the button one last time, she unlocked her phone, finding Harry’s number easily. Her head and heart pounded as she heard it ring.

“Hi.”

Bronwyn thought she might throw up as she swallowed hard. “Hi.”

“Didn’t think you’d call.”

“I didn’t either.”

Eeeek! What do you think happened??

Please like, comment, reblog or send me a msg!

MASTERLIST | KO-FI | FEEDBACK

[mrs-bakugou]

After the class

afab, fem!reader x bakugou, long haired female

⚠️ reader seducing bakugou, dirty! talk, dirty bakugou, ho!ny bakugou, smutty bakugou ⚠️

Something about you, the way you walked and moved, made the rough and tough, almighty 'Bakugou' lose his sense. It seemed like you cast a spell on him. It had been almost 2 years since you guys were in a relationship and still, he would fall over and over again for you, each day, every day.

When you entered the class, Mina came jumping towards you and hugged you in excitement. You were unsure what made her this happy and enthusiastic but you just loved the way she greeted you every morning. While your boyfriend just sat on his bench, observing every inch of you with a soft smile that he had put on ever since he met you. It was his way of showing that he loved you and is welcoming you to the class warmheartedly. " Hey, someone sure seems smitten" Denki commented while nudging Bakugou whose happy smile was now turned into his signature scowl.

You just laughed softly along with Mina while you both noticed the bickering between Denki and Bakugou and how Kirishima and Sero tried to stop Bakugou from beating the pulp out of Denki.

Mina returned to you. " you look so pretty today bestie, that new hairstyle sure suits you a lot" she said. you smiled so politely yet gently and said "Thank you so much bestie".

Bakugou finally calmed down and returned his gaze to you which immediately seemed to soften at your sight. He noticed that your usually neatly kept and clipped-up side bangs were hanging down on your face today. Your hair, which was usually up in a bun was in a medium ponytail. Your skirt is a little higher than usual and the stockings missing.

His heart seemed to be running a marathon by how stunning you looked today but Mr. Aizawa had already ruined the moment by assigning everybody with different tasks in the class itself. You, along with Mina, Momo, and Jirou were assigned to clean and decorate the class, while Bakugou, Kirishima, and Sero were assigned to make the decoration material out of origami.

You immediately got to work. While you worked, Bakugou kept staring at how your hip-length hair along with your thigh-length skirt, swayed side to side when you moved. Though you did not show it, you did this only because you wanted your man to get all red.

He knew it

His face started to heat up at the sight of your skirt moving along with your silky, soft and straight hair. His face started to heat up and turn pink at the sight of YOU.

It seemed like that thin thread of his patience had snapped. He got up leaving the work he was doing and reached for you. Sero was confused, Kirishima knew it.

"What happened suki?" you had a smirk on you and didn't even try to hide it. This was it. He was not a big fan of creating drama in the class but he pulled you closer and whispered in your ear " My dorm, after class".

You got what you wanted.

"You sure were acting bratty today, seems like my teddy bear demands a punishment." He says. "But I don't think I did anything wrong or dirty to make you this flustered Suki." innocent puppy eyes changed to a smirk. " Tell me, honey, did I?" you whisper in the most seductive voice you could. To your surprise, you thought his face would turn red and he would just look away. You were so damn wrong. What even made you think that?

Instead, he pinned you to his dorm room door, your skirt already down. The situation was turned the other way around. He should be getting flustered, not me! you thought to yourself.

"Earth to teddybear~"

He threw you over his shoulder and a yelp escaped your parted lips when he threw you on the bed. "let's finish what you started Teddy Bear ~"

oh boy, you were in trouble.

comment for part 2~

[mochinomnoms]

okay... so I'm watching the little mermaid 2 for the first time quite literally as I type this when i remembered a certain short merman named Tony. Is it possible he's based on Undertow? I just noticed the tiny shark guy and spotted some similarities!

if this is dumb you can just ignore it lol

-🦷

Yes! He is!!! I wanted to reference that Undertow was originally a shark before being turned into a piranha, so Tony is very very small but broad and very strong like a shark! For correctly guessing Tony's inspiration, here's some fun facts!

Tony Lombardi

“An unconventional man with a detached sense of humor but a soft heart. He is laid-back and easy going, making him an excellent mediator. He is surprisingly detached from others despite being friendly. Is often referred to as Aspen’s ‘keeper’.”

Quick Facts

Birthday February 15th (Aquarius)

Grade Freshman

Hobbies Stargazing

Age 18

Class C (No. 30)

Pet Peeves Cold weather

Height 155 cm

Club Spelldrive Club 

Favorite Food Stingray machaca

Dominant Hand Right

Best Subject P.E.

Least Favorite Food None

Homeland Coral Sea

Talent DIY-ing

Family Unnamed father and mother

Other Names(s) Jaws (himself)

Appearance

Tony is a young looking man with tanned skin and is a considerably shorter height than his peers. His hair is black, often slicked back and sporting a gray undercut. Despite his short stature, he is rather muscular. His eyes are dark brown and narrow, and he is often seen sporting a sharp-toothed grin. 

Personality

Tony is a relaxed, sociable, and surprisingly flirty man. He is often seen as someone unbefitting of his dorm’s traits, as he is less intellectually inclined and capricious than his peers, rather being “coquettish and foolish”. He makes for an exceptional mediator however, and often defuses situations on behalf of his friends. Tony is also called on often by Azul to mediate between himself and discontent clients because of this. He has a rather detached sense of humor, is often sarcastic, witty, and ironic; he enjoys suggestive humor, but isn’t very tactful when sharing it with others. He tends to act unconventional, doing what he feels is best for himself and his friends, and would rather deal with the consequences of his actions afterwards. 

He does find his Ramshackle peers' antics humorous and is happy to go with the flow of their activities, though won’t take the fallback for them unless Aspen is also involved. Much to many students’ horror, Tony interacts with Jade and Floyd in an incredibly friendly, occasionally coy way, which they return tenfold. 

Tony is insistent on being referred to as “Jaws” by everyone he meets, referring to his predator traits as a tiger shark. However, no one refers to him as such, much to his disappointment. 

Trivia

Tony is inspired by Undertow from The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea

Tony’s name is pronounced Tow-ny, as a reference to the ‘tow’ in Undertow (this is a stretch, let the author have this they just wanted to make him an Italian mafia-esque character).

Tony likes to be called “Jaws” by others in reference to his many rows of sharp teeth.

No one calls him Jaws besides himself

Tony’s family and the Leech family are well-known in the Coral Sea, and often work together.

Tony grew up with Aspen, Azul, and the Leech twins

[ash5monster01]

Goes On Chapter Seven

Pairing: Charlie Dalton x OC!FemReader

Warnings: 18+, depression, mentions of suicide, heavy topics, eventual smut, slow burn romance, fluff, gender themes/stereotypes.

Summary: Against his best efforts Charlie has to start at a new preparatory school after the tragic events that took place at Welton. The very events that led to the loss of his best friend and getting expelled in the first place. He has no plans to make friends let alone get close to anyone ever again. That is until he meets Evelyn and her interesting group of friends. No matter how hard he tries to push them away he finds it to be impossible. So he caves and in the end learns that life can still be enjoyable even if it feels like everyone is against you.

word count: 3.5k

Six ←→ Eight

Masterlist

Ridge Academy, NY

2/10/60

Once classes ended Charlie found himself walking to the schools pay phones, excited to call his friends, and see what they had been up to so far this week. It was the one thing he looked forward to. He wasn’t sure if it was because it made him feel closer to Neil or if he had gone so long without talking to them it was all he wanted to do. Either way he finally felt a semblance of happiness since the whole mess had happened and Charlie was just gonna have to make do, one phone call at a time.

Yet when he rounds the corner to find the line of pay phones he also finds the familiar girl with brunette hair cascading down her back and a soft smile on her face. He takes a moment to admire her, the way she acts fondly about the person on the other end, how her fingers curl around the coiled wire, as if the rest of her body was on autopilot. She was so God damn beautiful and Charlie was such a fool, a fool for not being able to let the old him out. The old him that would do everything in his power to charm her.

“Hey you” his voice is sultry smooth, arms caging her in, and landing on either side of the pay phone. She’s so close he can smell the strawberry shampoo in her hair and the faint smell of her rose perfume. She turns with a wide smile, eyes glimmering with amusement, face so close that if he moved forward just a few more inches he could kiss her.

“Oh that’s just some classmate of mine, thinks he has a chance or something” she says into the phone, devious grin flashing back at Charlie. He figures whoever is on the other end asked who he was and all he could do was roll his eyes at the girl.

“I know. If he bothers me I’ll let you know” she says with a soft chuckle and Charlie raises his eyebrows, glancing at the girl.

“Me? Bother you? No way” he mouths, a hushed whisper coming from his mouth and she bites her lips to suppress a laugh. The sight of it alone makes Charlie’s heart clench. After eating dinner with her that one night he had somehow let her in. Not close enough to bare his soul like he had with his own friends but enough to finally feel comforted by someone around here. He regretted not staying strong but Evelyn somehow was the exception.

“Alright, I’ll talk to you later. Love you” she says into the phone and Charlie raises his eyebrows in questioning again. Watching as she turns back around to hang up the phone, still caged in by the boys arms.

“Boyfriend?” he questions and she giggles out loud this time, warming Charlie over.

“Brother actually” she tells him and now he actually is more confused than before.

“He doesn’t go here?” he asks and Evelyn shakes her head.

“No he practically begged my parents to go to public school, plus he’s only eleven, so I don’t think they had it in them to mind. Babies of the family, they get away with everything” she says with amusement glimmering in her eyes and Charlie wishes he had grown up with siblings. It might’ve made growing up with his parents much more bearable.

“So if I bother you, you’re gonna sick an eleven year old on me?” he teases and Evelyn crosses her arms, shrugging.

“Possibly, he does have a mean swing. As his only sister, I would know” and that has Charlie laughing loudly, mentally cursing himself for still not asking the girl to the dance.

“I’ll take your word for it” he tells her and Evelyn grins right back.

“What brings you to the pay phones on this fine Wednesday afternoon?” she questions and Charlie smiles.

“Calling Todd, today’s his day” he says and Evelyn snorts which Charlie finds adorable.

“They have designated days? Is Knox only Fridays then?” she teases right back and Charlie shakes his head, brunette hair swinging.

“No Knox is Tuesdays. Friday nights he spends with his girl” and Evelyn doesn’t miss this way his eyes glance down at her lips when he says ‘his girl’.

“Convenient” she teases and he rolls his eyes at her once more.

“If you don’t mind waiting doll we can go grab some dinner after this” he tells her and Evelyn smiles, still basking in the feeling Charlie was willing to spend time with her.

“I was actually going to meet Nate for trivia on campus but you’re welcome to come” she says and Charlie chuckles, thinking of his room mate who had seemed very on edge lately. If he knew him better he would know why but he figured it was just school.

“I’ll walk you to it, trivia isn’t for me” he says and now Evelyn is the one rolling her eyes at him. Charlie just finds it cute though as he finally pushes himself up off the wall and reaches for the pay phone in front of her. She watches as he drops a few coins in the machine and dials a number familiar to only him.

“Yes, I’m calling for Todd Anderson” he says, raising his eyebrows at Evelyn who watches fondly. After a few minutes of waiting, Evelyn trying to poke Charlie and urge him to finish up already, Todd finally answers.

"There he is" Charlie grins when the familiar voice comes through the phone.

"Charles" Todd greets back with a grunt and Charlie can't help but laugh. He was sad his friend had come out of his shell after he was no longer there to see it. The things he would do to see Todd stand on that desk and stick it to Nolan like that. So much better than a phone call from God.

"How are you, turning in all your assignments on time I suppose?" Charlie teases, knowing Todd was still a goodie two shoes no matter how out going he had become. He could practically see Todd rolling his eyes now.

"Well yeah considering my punishment is to work study under Nolan for the rest of the year. I do all my homework in his office" and Charlie almost winces from the punishment because that must be horrible. That meant no study group with the guys and when you had a question you had to ask Nolan.

"The rest of the year, man all I got was my ass beat and pots and pans for two weeks" Charlie says recalling the punishment he recieved for his own big stunt. He couldn’t sit in his chair properly for a week but at least he had tried to make change. Evelyn just wears a confused look as he hears him say this.

"I guess outwardly disobeying Nolan is much much worse than asking for girls to attend Welton" Todd says which has Charlie laughing again.

"Yeah well much to Nolan's dismay, him kicking me out landed me in a school with girls. Joke's on him" Charlie jokes, looking at the only girl in this God forsaken school that he had somehow gotten close too. She wears a smirk, hearing him mention girls and she hopes more specifically her.

"I'm pretty sure the joke is on those poor girls. Charlie Dalton and his miserable flirting" Todd picks on the boy and Charlie doesn't have the heart to tell him that he had given up the flirting and confident act. That he was just as miserable as the rest of the world if not more.

"Miserable flirting, me? Never" Charlie tells the boy, and Evelyn gives him a confused look because this guy talking on the phone right now is still one she hasn’t gotten to know. Yet a flash of him appears when he spots the look on her face and reaches to grab a strand of her hair, curling it slowly around his fingers.

"Yeah right- Oh, here's Meeks" Todd says before the phone shuffles around.

"Hello Sir" his red headed firends voice floods through the phone and Charlie can't help but crack a smile.

"Meeks, where have you been? My Latin grade is rapidly dropping and my teachers are starting to wonder why" he says referring to all the times Meeks spent hours making sure Charlie not only finished his homework but at least understood it.

"It's a dead language Charles, they'll never question it" he says and Charlie feels that familair clench around his heart. The one that happens everytime he misses being at that school and with his friends.

"I suppose you're right Meeks, it must just be that I miss you bossing me around" Charlie says and he watches as the brunnete girl perks up in front of him. He actually still couldn't believe he told her about all of them. He just hadn't told her what happened to them quite yet.

"We all miss you Nuwanda” the boy says and Charlie smiles, losing his cool and confident act with his friends. Especially when they got sentimental like this.

“Yeah, I miss you guys too. We’ll try and make plans soon” and Evelyn doesn’t miss the sad look on his face and she realizes just how much he misses his friends.

“Okay, bye guys” he says one last time before hanging up the phone and flashing a smile her way. Suddenly he’s distracted, no longer the boy who was just teasing her.

“You got your ass beat?” Evelyn questions, hoping to bring back that smile on his face. When he chuckles softly she realizes it just might’ve worked.

“That’s a story for another time, let’s get you to trivia” he says, arm falling over her shoulders and ready to escort her throughout the school. Evelyn smiles softly at him and shocks Charlie when her hand reaches up and laces with the one hanging off her shoulders.

“You’re different with your friends you know?” she tells him and Charlie nods slowly.

“Yeah well, they’ve known me for my entire life. Never got a chance to hide who I was from them” he tells her and Evelyn sighs, loving her new friendship with the boy but hating entirely that he wasn’t himself with her still.

“Is that you admitting how you hide your true self from us?” she questions again as they round the corner, eyes on the rec room set up for trivia this week.

“It was never a secret Ev, I just have a lot going on” he tells her as they push through the door and before she can question him even further they both realize fairly quickly trivia is not what’s happening here.

Alone beside a table is Nate holding a poster. A bouquet of flowers and some balloons sit on the table beside him, his eyes are hopeful until they land on Evelyn with Charlie’s arm wrapped around her shoulders and fingers laced with her own. Evelyn takes a moment to register exactly what’s happening but when she reads ‘Ev, will you go to the Valentines Dance with me?’ she’s quick to remove herself from Charlie.

“Nate, what’s going on?” she questions and Charlie takes one look at him and realizes what he should of when he first started here. Nate is in love with Evelyn.

“Uh, I’m trying to ask you to the dance” he mutters, eyes darting between the two and Evelyn is approaching him, almost in a way to not scare him.

“Why?” she questions and Nate’s eyes are quick to dart to Charlie, embarrassed that the boy was here to witness this.

“I’m gonna go” Charlie mutters and is out the door lighting fast as Evelyn searches Nate for answers.

“I just, I assumed no one had asked you yet” he says, arm gesturing to where Charlie had just made his great escape. Yet Evelyn doesn’t get what he means.

Nate means that he had assumed Charlie hadn’t already beaten him to it but based on the way the both of them walked through the door he assumed wrong. Evelyn takes it as him being good old reliable Nate. Her dear friend who doesn’t want her to attend a dance on her own. Her friend willing to give up his own date to help her. She still doesn’t get that he’s in love with her.

“Nate that’s sweet you don’t want me to go alone” she starts, trying to reach out for him and Nate realizes quickly his mistake.

“No I-”

“But I’m hosting the dance, I can’t take a date. It’s kinda business for me, not pleasure” and Nate snaps his mouth close. There was no use fighting, he’d already humiliated himself enough. At least this way he knew Evelyn wasn’t going with Charlie either. In fact she wasn’t going with anyone.

“Oh, well in that case” he says, arms starting to wrinkle the poster in his hands that he felt stupid for holding.

“It was such a sweet gesture though. I’ll save you a dance even” she tells him and Nate shakes his head with a chuckle, tossing the now mangled poster in the garbage.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about me” he says and Evelyn gives him a soft smile before pulling him in a hug.

“You’re a good friend Nate and the next dance I don’t plan, I’m all yours” she says and Nate feels his heart shatter once more because maybe everyone was right. He had waited far too long and now he never stood a chance with her.

“Sounds like a plan” he says pulling back, trying to hide the sadness written all over his face. Evelyn just smiles before looking back at the door, he assumes for Charlie.

“Well since there really isn’t any trivia, I better be off to do some homework” she tells him and Nate nods, collecting the roses and balloons on the table.

“Okay, I’ll see you later” he bids her and she smiles and waves before scurrying back off. Nate sighs and looks at the flowers and string of balloons in his hands. With a swift movement he dumps them in the trash right along with the poster and officially gives up.

Not wanting to face his room mate knowing the rejection he just faced from a girl they both liked, he starts for the doors to the outside. Determined to spend the rest of the day moping in his self pity alone.

It’s dark by the time Nate makes it back to campus. Any later and it would’ve been past curfew. He still hadn’t gotten over what had happened and worst of all he no longer had a dorm to himself. He shared it with the very guy that was stealing the girl he loved whether he realized he was or wasn’t. Yet when he reaches the door and doesn’t see any light flooding out the bottom of it, he sighs a sigh of relief.

Slipping inside as quietly as he can he changes into some pajamas and crawls into his bed. He still feels the heavy weight of crying from behind his eyes but he wouldn’t risk Charlie hearing him. So he tried to get comfy, erase the image of Evelyn denying him and friend zoning him all in one go. There was no way now he could ever prove to her his feelings, he was already in too deep.

“You said you were just friends” Nate stiffens at Charlie’s voice filling the dark room, assuming he had been asleep this whole time.

“That wasn’t a lie” Nate responds after a moment and he hears Charlie sigh.

“You should have told me you liked her” and Nate wears a confused look even though Charlie can’t see it.

“Why, you clearly like her too?” Nate says, his voice clipped and holding an anger he didn’t want to take out on the boy because Evelyn wasn’t his property.

“Yeah but if you had said when I asked, I never would’ve gotten close to her. You don’t do that to friends” and Nate feels his heart break once more this afternoon because before Evelyn and Charlie, he was hopeful for a best friend and he had let that get away from. He had spent so much time resenting him to even realize Charlie might’ve finally let him in.

“We’re friends?” Nate can’t help but ask and Charlie chuckles in the night air.

“Yeah man, as much as I hate to admit it. I feel like a real shit one right now for falling for your girl like that though” and it’s finally out there. A confirmation and in the open for Nate to hear. Somehow it’s more comforting to know then harmful.

“I don’t blame you, I’ve loved her since I was thirteen. She’s one in a million” Nate says staring at the ceiling he can barely make out in the darkness.

“Why didn’t you tell her then? All those years ago?” Charlie questions and Nate shrugs into his sheets, thinking of thirteen year old him too scared to say something to her.

“I felt silly. We had been friends so long and I thought it’d be weird. After a while I just didn’t want to face rejection” Nate admits, knowing how lame he sounds. Charlie wished he could understand that, considering he told everyone exactly how he felt about them his whole life.

“This is coming from your friend, not the guy going after your girl, but you waited too long man. You became someone trustworthy to her, someone to always fall back on, reliable. Once a girl starts seeing you like that you become the guy she goes to when other guys hurt her” Nate knows it isn’t a bad thing but Charlie is right. You either become reliable in a relationship or reliable to the point of a brother, and that’s why getting out of the friend zone was so hard.

“So I shouldn’t have waited around?” he asks curiously, realizing Charlie was wiser than he expected.

“No man and you shouldn’t wait around for anything. We have one life, why waste it? You never know when it’s going to end so everyday spent waiting is one that’s lost! Carpe Diem! Seize the day!” Charlie rants, excitement hitching in his voice, and when his words resonate within him he freezes. For the first time since Neil had died that burning passion had found its way out of him and in its midst he realized exactly what he had been doing. He hadn’t been seizing the day, he was wasting it. Wasting it because he was heartbroken and if Neil could see him now he’d be pissed.

“It sounds like you know” Nate tells him, feeling the statement rattle around in his brain and hearing Charlie’s heavy breathing from across the room.

“I do Nate and no life is worth living if you can’t get the things you want out of it” he says, finally realizing exactly why Neil might’ve made the decision he did.

“Have you Charlie?” Nate asks and Charlie starts to laugh. Laugh at his own pure stupidity for wasting all this God damn time.

“No but I plan on starting tomorrow if you want to start with me?” Charlie asks and Nate grins from ear to ear. Evelyn may never see him the way he wants him to but he finally had a friend. One he made on his own. He could get over her with a friend.

“Yeah, plus I’d like to finally see you getting out there” Nate tells him and Charlie wears a matching smile that the boy cannot see.

“Can I tell you something Nate, something you won’t tell anyone until I’m ready? I just need to hear myself say it” Charlie asks, his voice desperate and pleading. All around sad and Nate can tell from across the room.

“Yeah man, whatever you need” and Charlie feels the tears pool in his eyes. He stares at his own ceiling and takes a moment to breathe.

“My best friend Neil died. He was just seventeen and when something like that happens you find life isn’t really worth living for if they’re not around” Nate freezes at the words, the truth hidden deep within the boy who had seemed so broken. Now he knew why.

“I’m so sorry Charlie. No one should lose anyone that young” Nate offers and Charlie smiles, his tears sliding down the sides of his face and into his pillow.

“Yeah but if he was here right now he’d be telling you the same thing. He didn’t want to waste a second of his life and even if he died so young I can promise you he didn’t” and for the first time in months Charlie feels a weight being lifted from his chest. The suffocating feeling he had lived with for so long.

“Carpe diem then” Nate says, finally resonating with Charlie and the truth that he carries. He was a broken man who was just trying to find his way. It can’t be easy to lose your best friend and be expelled all at once.

“Seize the day”

Taglist: @eden-punk @linmichea1 @pursuedbyamemoryy @mynameisjxlia

Comment if you want to be added to the taglist :))

[palesweetscherryblossom]

Honestly I love that.

I would just put a twist on it that Shigadabi actually own the land and are a lot "kinder" than the people give them credit for. Like sure they still are vampires who had gone on murder sprees and all. But then again they also make sure that the village has livable wages and little taxes (not just so that more people move there)

And while they do demand sacrifices it's only because the humans from like 500 years ago didn't believe in like science and blood banks and therfore misinterpreted their contract and thought instead of something like "blood letting or blood banks" they wanted sacrifices. And yes, they o still kill people, but it's mostly ones that had wronged them and that are sort of ill minded. Amd definitely in wars they killed a lot of underlings from other vampire lords.

Amd once reader ends up with them they are horrified and surprised that these creatures actually have some class (and they are basically like Morticia and Gomez with Dabi worshiping his beautiful vampire pureblood lover because Dabi is only a half blood and sort of inbreed [due to Endeavor wanting to find out how to make "pureblood" vampires from humans without a vampire bite])

And Tomura carries his child through the halls and all and shows them everything and is like "look at this ancient portraits from 4000 years ago, that's me when I still had NY baby fangs, look how chubby faced and adorable I used to be," and reader is just terrified at how old both are (Tomura definitely more then 5000 years older than Dabi)

Shigadabi are basically the type of people who loom over your shoulder to make sure you’re not doing anything sketchy. I could honestly see Shigaraki requesting for criminals and those guilty of treason to be sent to him. At the end of the day, all death row prisoners from all the surrounding villages and cities be delivered to him. Dabi was turned into a vampire by Shigaraki as an act of mercy after Enji got a bit too ambitious regarding his experiments of making his kids strong. Would’ve died if he hadn’t ended up on Tomura’s doorstep begging for assistance. (Also the image of Shigaraki slowly coaxing him into drinking blood) Poor Reader is at an absolute loss when ending up in their care. Because the flip you mean that you’re over 2100s years old?

(Cute idea: Reader petting Shigaraki or Dabi in their bat forms as a means of comfort)

[princess-of-the-corner]

So glad you liked this https://princess-of-the-corner.tumblr.com/post/751753011437682688/also-sorry-last-ask-xd-but-remember-that-alt-3 :D Thanks, plus some fun facts:

1: In the original idea I tinkered with Lila being present as Volpina/Chameleon fighting Fu. She's still being exploited by the villains like Chloe but is either less aware of it or the method is slightly different.

2: I ended up going with the Lila-Kyubi-Chimera mostly because I recalled a neat post arguing S3's climax wasn't excited and should have had Chloe try to use all the Miraculous, do so, be a huge threat, then go comatose for the drama. Basically it felt more dramatic and clear cut as an ending, even if part of me liked the idea of expanding the villain team.

3: The other reason I went for it is because I think Season 3 can be arguably called Gabriel's true 'fall from grace'.

Like, even ignoring the later seasons, before season 3, Gabriel could at least make some wiggle room for himself to be "Not that bad" or "redeemable."

Sure, he unleashed monsters on Paris, but that was to get a wish that would undo that/be worth it. & he can argue they didn't do too much damage, that if he won he could use Miracle Cure, that he didn't make them try to murder his son's childhood friend out of spite, ETC.

He even considered dropping the whole thing when Adrien was endangered,.

Even the Lila situation could be argued as just keeping an eye on her to see if she's still angry at Ladybug and nothing else. Invasive but not permanently harmful as actively grooming her for it.

But in season 3, even if we ignore the time travel episodes... oh boy.

He actively endangers Adrien's life to see if he is Chat Noir.

He uses Lila as basically a child soldier/sleeper agent & even dangers her in the process with Oni-Chan.

He has said sleeper agent actively harass, undermine and threaten another teen for the express purpose of Akumatizes her & her class.

He also uses said agent, himself, his adult partner, and multiple monsters to actively threaten, manipulate, gaslight and traumatize another teen to sufficiently break her that she'd join his cause.

These are very much intending to cause trauma and groom children as tools to act as his soldiers. This is very much crossed the moral event horizon where deniability of being a bastard was plausible.

Thus any remaining 'redeeming' features he has are squashed beneath that weight. & while redemption is always possible, it becomes a helluva lot harder her than it was even a single season ago.

mm

Honestly I say that disregarding Chat Blanc that Gabe is only in the start of being in the 'oh no he needs his ass kicked' level. Because his purposeful endangerment of Adrien is controlled, and not much worse than the rest. And even Lila and arguably Chloé still fall into the category of all the other Akumas of 'hey they have problems might as well use it to my advantage'. Like it's a step up because he's being more directly involved in the situations, but it's not full horrible and he's just building on things that are already there.

I think the NY Special where he threatens WWIII is the definite 'oh you're FAR gone' line.

[lemmylemons]

I don't even have the energy I just feel terrible

Currently about to sob, I feel like garbage

[mybeingthere]

TYRONE GETER b 1945, USA)

In a career that spreads across two continents, Tyrone Geter has built an international reputation as a world-class artist, painter, sculptor, illustrator and teacher. Presently an Associate Professor of Art at Benedict College in Columbia, SC, Geter grew up in Anniston, Alabama, a site of numerous acts of racial violence during the Civil Rights Era which informs and shapes his work.

Geter received his Master of Fine Arts from Ohio University in 1978. An exceptional draftsman, his portraits are sensitive, timeless and masterfully executed. Their power, displayed through their expression, gesture and adornments, seem often suspended in an other-worldly environment. Equal to the history his figures embody, they also speak of a spiritual world overflowing with compassions and empathy. In this regard his work is uniquely distinctive.

In 1979, Tyrone Geter relocated to Zaria, Nigeria, a move that proved to be a turning point in his development and growth as an artist. For seven years he lived, drew and painted among the Fulani and local peoples of Northern Nigeria.

He returned to the United States in 1987 with a teaching position at the University of Akron. He is the recent recipient of the Yaddo Residency in Saratoga Springs, NY.

[fairxxy]

A Han Jisung FF

CTI !!! (Pics from Pinterest)

CONTENT: Han jisung x f!reader, fluff,kissing,enemies to lovers,academic rival,Tox!c parents.

(Inform me if I missed any :3)

-> Jisung and you have been rivals since forever. Yall are enemies and absolutely hate each other.(or do yall ;3). The both of you are also academic rivals...and your parents always compare you to Jisung and are quite toxic because you can never beat Jisung...One day in class..jisung is sitting next to you while you're sketching something in your book....

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

"Ugh I'm sitting next to you? There goes my day" Jisung comments and sits next to you. "BE happy. You will never get a chance to sit next to me again" I reply back with a scoff.

The teacher enters the class.

Teacher: ok class...I have your results..they're quite surprising this time considering Y/N and Jisung always come first..but..looks like jisung beat Y/N. Jisung is 1st while Y/N is 2nd..Jisung with a percentage of 98.4% and Y/N with a percentage of 98.2%...Please congratulate tge both of them.

The whole class cheers...

I was in shock.. nononono my parents are gonna kill me....fuckkkkk

We sat back down and the teacher starts teaching.I was distracted the whole time..I started to randomly sketch trying not to be worried about how my parents will react...I was soo distracted I didn't even realise I was drawing jisung..he looked over to me and looked at the the sketch...a small blush crept up his face "Damn..you really don't have anything else to draw..?" He said.I snapped out of my thoughts and looked to what I drew..

(CTI !)

"Fuck sorry...I was just.."...I said trying to give an excuse. He looked at my face and noticed the stress "Hey..you good?" He asked me as he held my hand and rubbed circles at the back of my palm. "Ya..it's just..my parents are gonna kill me knowing I've ranked lower than you this time...ugh". He just smiles "it's fine you know..? A difference of 0.2 in percentage doesn't mean you're dumb..". I looked at him "Tell that to my parents...ugh I'm gonna dieee"

~~ bell rings~~

The teacher exits the class and jisung turns to me. I just look at him and say "Well today's prolly the last day I'm alive..". He looked at me and smiled "it's gonna be fine.."

___________________________________________

AT HOME

Mom: Y/N.! YOUVE PLACED 2ND THIS TIME?! YOURE SUCH A DISSAPOINTMENT...I WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN *SLAP* I WISH JISUNG WAS NY CHILD INSTEAD..ATLEAST HE ISNT A DISSAPOINTMENT.

Y/N: but..mo..m.i tried my.. bes..my best..

MOM: TRYING ISNT ENOUGH..JUST GET OUT OF MY FACE I DONT WANNA SEE YOU!

I ran out the door and went to the park. It was about 7pm...it was slightly dark.i was in my thoughts when I saw...Jisung...? "Jisung..?"

I said and he looked at me.."oh y/n...hey..how did your parents react..". I looked at him while holding in my tears "They said I was a dissapointment and how they wish I was never born..they said they want you as their child since you're so..perfect.. *scoff*..and then calk themselves parents.." jisung just looked at me and pulled me into his embrace and rubbed my back "it's OK....you don't deserve that..You're perfect...and I love that about you." I just hugged him back and chuckled "Whats gotten into you? Perfect? Are you ok..? You're acting as if you like me.. " I joked and he replied with a chuckled "Ya.. acting..." I pulled back and looked at him "why did you say it like that..jisung" He just looked into my eyes "I just..nothing..". I looked at him for a second as realisation hit me "jisung...I don't know what to say..how can you like ME out of all the pe..people" He looked at me as he tucked a strad of hair behind my ear "Youve just..caught my interest more than the others...for about 2 years I've been hiding these emotions.i know you probably don't feel the same..but I just want you to know..I would walk through fire to see you smile..I would do anything even if it is something as nearly impossible as bringing you a piece of the moon..". I just looked at him shocked "jisung...2 years..? I never though you'd feel the same way.. " I replied. He looked at me with a shocked expression "same wa-" I cut him off by smashing my lips onto his.Lets just say it escalated into an intense make out session....<3

___________________________________________

Yall-

This is sooo bad. Super super super short aswell...my inbox is open..give me any suggestions if you can <3

[racefortheironthrone]

Re: housing, I agree with your ideas but I just read that NYCHA needs like $78 billion for repairs. From a national budget standpoint that is trivial but that's still a lot for the city budget, so my question is do you think it is possible to build public housing at a robust rate considering the costs and usual political opposition (see recent housing failure in NY state gov)? Also do you think there is a way to get costs down?

In public policy, the devil is always in the details.

So I read the same articles that you've read, which mention that NYCHA just reported that they need $78 billion to repair and renovate their buildings, and that figure is almost double the $45 billion estimate from 2017. And then I read the actual report, which explains that $78 billion is how much NYCHA will need to spend over the next twenty years.

$78 billion divided by 20 is $3.9 billion a year. Now I don't want to minimize the problem: NYCHA's operating budget, which is separate from the NYC municipal budget, is about $4 billion a year and its capital budget is about $8 billion a year, so these repairs represent a significant additional cost burden for NYCHA. However, the NYC municipal budget is $107 billion a year - financing these repairs is not beyond the fiscal capacity of the City of New York, especially if it can get some assistance from the State Budget and HUD.

Counter-intuitively, I actually think this issue is an example of the costs of not spending money when it comes to public housing. As I've said before, trying to build public housing as cheaply as possible is actually counter-productive, because cheap construction runs down faster and increases maintenance and repair costs. In part what we are seeing now is the long-term consequences of the Federal Housing Acts of 1937 and 1949 and New York's state and city level housing laws requiring public housing to be built as cheaply as possible, as well as budgeting decisions made by NYC and NYCHA since the 1970s that have downplayed building new housing to replace the older stock and sought to save money from maintenance and repair budgets.

If instead NYCHA housing had been built to and operated at the same standards as similarly sized private apartment complexes that house New York's middle class and affluent residents, the buildings would be looking much better for their age - and NYCHA's repair bill would be much, much lower.

But to answer your question: it is absolutely possible for New York to build large amounts of high quality public housing, if it's willing to spend the money to do so, and the governor doesn't massively alienate the same progressive legislators and labor groups whose support they'll need to overcome suburban resistance to affordable housing.

And in terms of bringing down costs, I'd recommend that the state directly construct the housing rather than going through the traditional private contractors. (Also, if the state wants to really save money and be sneaky, instead of negotiating set-asides that merely designate a percentage of units as (temporarily) "affordable" in return for tax and regulatory benefits, have those negotiate a percentage of units as publicly-owned. Scatter-site housing via inclusionary zoning!)