#also an econ student which says it all really

[cutiromer0]

a guy I was talking to just ended up insulting Kane and calling him trophyless and worse than Haaland and the need to block him is HIGH

🚫🚫🚫 do not slander mother Kane anywhere near me 🚫🚫🚫

[theologyy]

Review: “My Investing Journey and Learning” by Carmen Mundt

Qualifications: I’m a journalist reporting on business, economics, and defense who’s been in the industry for 7 years — the last 3 have been at, debatably, the #1 business publication in the world.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Thoughts: I cannot believe I spent 39 euros on this.

This 39 page ebook provides incredibly basic information that can all be found in this article.

First: while the ebook is about 40 pages, it probably has about 10 pages of actual information in it, interspersed with inspirational quotes from Sheryl Sandberg and Warren Buffet, with some pictures of Carmen in Monaco.

There’s about 1 page of “introduction” from Carmen that talks about her upbringing and journey to university in London. I won’t comment too much on her personal story, but an important thing to note is that she says she came from a “traditional Spanish household” where her father was the breadwinner and her mother had no access to family finances. After the 2008 crash, her family couldn’t afford to send her to college. She moved to London, applied for a student loan, and began studying finance at a university while working part time.

Carmen very, very briefly mentioned her regrets as to her mother’s inability to access higher education, work, and family financial planning; she says she’d never want to be in that position. While literally only one sentence, I think it makes it clear who the audience for this ebook is: someone who has absolutely, positively, no idea about money.

(She also very, very briefly mentions “big changes in her personal life” that made a full-time job in finance “not sustainable,” leading to her move to Monaco. This is her only reference to George.)

The rest of the book very simply explains how to make a budget, set financial goals, invest in the stock market, and mitigate risk. The information was kinda factually correct, and was written in a coherent manner. I think that’s the highest praise I can give it.

Here’s the thing: like other reviewers have called out, I am pretty certain that Carmen didn’t write anything besides the introduction. Whole sections (and indeed the entire format of the ebook) were clearly ripped from the Female Invest introductory courses. (I spent 3 hours clicking through each course so I could find direct wording comparisons to make this claim. I really wouldn’t recommend it.) I do think she edited these sections, and she interjected a few personal sentences; but I believe that’s where her involvement ended.

From an expert perspective, a lot of the information is so simplistic as to be almost incorrect. This isn’t a “first day of Econ 101” ebook — this is a “freshman year of high school home ec class” ebook. (Did anyone else’s home ec classes teach budgeting, or just me?)

Here’s an example. In a section on stocks, Carmen/Female Invest writes: “Investing in stocks allows you to support companies and causes you care about while still making a profit.”

On a basic level, this is correct. Purchasing a stock technically means you’re buying a little bit of a company, and I guess therefore supporting it. But unless a company is IPOing, you’re buying those stocks from another investor — which means your purchase has no effect on the company. So it’s a little disingenuous to claim you’re somehow helping the company. The ebook is rife with this kind of thing.

Carmen pushed in her advertising posts that the Female Invest courses were a key supplement to her book. So obviously, I had to do those too. And holy shit, they were so much worse than the ebook. Some parts were blatantly incorrect on basic information (they claim markets are open 24/7, when most are only open 9am-4:30pm on weekdays) and have some of the most patronizing metaphors I have ever read. (One of the most egregious was comparing your investment portfolio to a pizza because “stocks, bonds, and ETFs” make up different “sizes of slices to make a whole pie”. This isn’t even an accurate equivalent — maybe a calzone, pasta, and pizza make up a whole meal? I don’t even know.)

I would not recommend buying this ebook unless you, too, were barred from even thinking about a stock by your traditional father. Even then, consider free sources.

A Disclaimer on disclosures: So, after @ohblimeygeorge sent me a reddit post also reviewing Carmen’s book that mentioned ad disclosures, I decided to dive into the regulations. In the U.S., influential advertising is regulated by the FTC — in the EU, it’s regulated by the EU Commission, which I believe Carmen would qualify under since she is a Spanish citizen who lives in Monaco. First, I looked at this legal brief on content monetization business models, and concluded that that the ebook likely falls under “affiliate marketing” as Carmen likely receives a percentage of each ebook sold through her link.

(An additional disclaimer: obviously, I don’t know the details of the deal Carmen has with Female Invest, but I’d think it unlikely that she isn’t getting paid for their collaboration. She mentioned in an Instagram story under her Female Invest highlight that she “tried purchasing equity but they were already too big for what I could afford” but “did buy a bit of their crowdfunding.” Since she doesn’t have equity, i.e. doesn’t own a piece of the company, it’d be weird if she was doing this for free.)

Back on topic. I next looked at this legal brief on advertising disclosures. It states that affiliate marketing must be disclosed: “you need to make sure your audiences understand that it’s advertising.” Disclosures can include hashtags and “mentioning” advertising in the caption. Carmen has not disclosed advertising in any of her Female Invest posts, and appears to be violating this regulation. (Interestingly, her only posts that follow disclosure requirements are her Tommy posts.)

It’s apparently not uncommon. An EU Commission study showed 80% of influencers in the EU do not properly disclose ads.

So, there’s that too.

[kookslastbutton]

Too Late to Dream ༓ jjk (m)┃ch. IV

✑ Summary: You did it. You married your college professor. You even bought a house together. Against all odds, everything had fallen into place. But after two years of marriage, you begin feeling something was missing. You want a baby but your husband can’t say the same.

Pairing: economics professor!jungkook x fem!artist!reader

AU/Genre: angst, smut, fluff, marriage au, age gap, series

Rating: M, 18+

Word Count: 4,174

Warnings: 8-year age gap, professor-student relationship (oc was a Masters student), jungkook snaps, lots of family drama, mommy issues, oc being accommodating, fighting, pent-up issues/desires, jk has daddy issues but trying to be good hubby, jk gives oc more hope!

Now Playing: Make It Right, Tryna Be, Infinity, It Will Rain, Heaven+

A/N: this week's flashback hint–nothing like a little dilf rivalry! Also, this chapter gives more of a reason why jk is adverse to parenthood 😶 My closing notes offer some explanations. Let's go! 💞

<< ch. III ༓ ch. V >> | series masterlist

For the first 22 years of your life, you had zero partners.

Most people labeled you as being jaded, stuck up, or having too high of standards for it. But fuck it. Why couldn’t anyone accept that you weren’t about to settle down with the first interested guy just 'cause of peer pressure?

Of course, you'd likely end up with someone eventually. You have gone out on a couple of dates before. Yet they were never that promising. The men, or excuse you, boys roughly your age did nothing to woo you. They just wanted a late-night fuck at 1 a.m. or a nice, cute girl to take home to their mom.

Not that you gave a hell what others were into or anything, but you had other agendas. Getting married and birthing children before kick-starting your adult life was not in your playbook. Neither was jumping into bed with random guys every week.

So you haven't had much luck in the romance department. Good riddance to it!

What you were waiting for was a gentleman. Someone that was responsible, mature, and experienced. Bonus points if they were into the arts. But it was rare to find a suitor of such quality–who wasn't ridiculously off-limits that is. Obviously, some other strong-willed man or woman sunk their claws in before you got the chance. Drats.

4 years ago

“I can’t believe you,” your best friend giggles. “You’re going to that fancy new art exhibit downtown just to run into Dr. Kim! You’re so shameless __.”

You roll your eyes and stick your plate in the dishwasher. You’re best friend Na-Rae has been one of your closest friends since your second year of undergrad. Now into your third year of friendship, you consider her as close as a sister.

Unlike you, Na-Rae is utterly fascinated with all things STEM-related. She’s currently in med school aiming to become a surgeon, which is one of the many reasons why you and her are currently roommates.

“I’m telling you one more time, I’m not going for him. I actually want to see the paintings which should come as no surprise to you. Dr. Kim just happens to be going too.”

Na-Rae leans against the kitchen island, tongue in cheek. “If that’s what you wanna tell yourself, babe. But how, may I ask, did you know he’d be there? Are you stalking him online now?”

“Of course not. I’m not a creep Na-Rae.” You throw her a dirty look. Honestly, she really thinks you’re some obsessed fangirl. Like yes, Dr. Kim is really hot for an older guy, and the fact that he’s basically the second dean of the art department? He may or may not visit you in your dreams. Especially after studying for Dr. Jeon’s fifteen million econ exams.

Now there’s a guy who definitely knows how to stick it to you.

“Besides,” you continue. “Dr. Kim doesn’t have social media.” You don’t notice how contradictory that statement sounds until your best friend lets out a sinister cackle.

“Looked him up did you?” She hits your arm, wiggling her eyebrows tauntingly. “I knew it! I knew you were stalking him!”

“I–I am not! Stop that!” You ignore her looks, seeing it best to avoid eye contact altogether.

"Iovmererdhimalkingintheallway."

"C'mon, you know I can't understand that. You did what?"

"I over…heardhimalkingintheallway," you repeat, skirting most of the sentence again.

"For the love of might __! Why are you being so–"

"I overheard him talking in the hallway!" Once you blurt the words out you scurry out of the kitchen. "Gotta get my laundry, bye!"

"Uh-__!" Na-Rae races to catch up to you. "Explain to me how that's not being stalkerish!"

You grab your laundry basket and set it next to the dryer. "It wasn't intentional alright? I happened to be passing by at the right moment." You pop the door open, stuffing your clothes in the basket. Na-Rae casually watches you from the doorway.

"Right," she says. "Just happened to overhear Dr. Kim's whereabouts on a Friday night and just happen to be going to the same place. But definitely not planned because the dress you're currently trying to hide from me isn't meant for him to coincidentally see. Oops, my bad."

You release said dress from your hand aggressively. "Dr. Kim is at least a decade older than me and he's a high-level faculty member of the university. I'm not seriously trying to present myself to him in any romantic sense. That would be so inappropriate! And as far as the dress goes, it's the grand opening tonight. Everyone's wearing these kinds of things. So no, you're wrong."

"Very well, if the lady persists," Na-Rae shrugs, checking her phone. "Shoot, I gotta get to work in fifteen but I expect a full report later!" You watch as she hustles to her room.

.

The exhibit's doors open at 7 pm sharp. The line to the entrance runs about three blocks which is far longer than you were expecting. Most people came in groups or pairs, making you wish Na-Rae didn't have to work tonight.

But you're right about this being a formal affair. Everyone is dressed to kill. Some lean more towards black tie while others choose to show off their highly expressive, avant-garde nature.

You look down at yourself, suddenly feeling quite underdressed. You're wearing a simple black dress that's cinched at the waist. If one were to look close enough they'd see hints of gold throughout but no one would get that close.

The artwork itself is stunning. Varying from abstraction to impressionism, you get a sense of pleasure in taking in others’ inspiration. Many of these works are from locals in the area which is one of the main reasons for the number of interested guests. You wonder if anyone here knows the artists directly.

You make your way to the next set of pieces, studying the first in line. You immediately recognize the particular style as post-impressionism. It's clear the artist has great influence by Van Gogh evident from the similar large yet controlled strokes.

As you continue observing the work you feel a second body, looming close beside you. Naturally, you shift your eyes over to see the source. His hair brushes past his face as he leans closer to the painting.

After about three seconds you quickly dart your eyes away, careful not to stare. The man appears to be equally as focused on the work in front of him, as you were. It'd be a bit embarrassing if he noticed your gaze and snapped at you for it.

The man next to you slowly straightens his bent-over posture. He moves to the other side of you, viewing the next painting on your right. You barely catch the slight glance he gives you in the process, now able to see his full face.

It's not Dr. Kim–it's Dr. Jeon.

This isn't weird, you try convincing yourself. It's perfectly normal for you to see your professor in public. Besides, who knows if he actually recognized you yet. No need to make this awkward if you simply pretend not to notice him.

You think about whether to sneakily slip away or continue to feign ignorance until…

"Are we going to keep side-eyeing each other or can I say hi?" Dr. Jeon lightly smiles at you with playful eyes. His glasses are different today–thinner design. And oh, is that a...lip ring? Is that new or has he always had it? You don't remember seeing it before. "If you keep staring at my lips like that I might get shy."

"Ahha, Dr. Jeon!" You fight the stirring of your nerves. "Hi! Sorry, I didn't mean to stare or anything. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Please, __. Outside of class, Jungkook is fine. Though I understand if that's a little out of place for you."

A little?! You've been calling Dr. Jeon, well, Dr. Jeon for the past two weeks. It's unlikely that will change. "If it's alright with you," you start, hands restless. "I'd like to stick with the usual."

Jungkook nods, giving you a brief once-over before replying. "Sure, no problem. I'm hoping you'll warm up to the idea though. Dr. Jeon makes me feel old." He lets out a throaty chuckle. "I'd ask what brings you to this art exhibit but I think I have the answer, given the amount of sketches I see you doing while I'm lecturing."

Oh god. Your professor calling you out for both gawking at his lips and doodling in class under the span of five minutes? You've never wanted to disappear more. The sketches you do aren't meant to look like a distraction and honestly, you didn't mean to gawk at the tiny ring, it was just there!

"Sorry," he continues. "That wasn't intended to be passive-aggressive. I really don't mind as long as they don't hinder your learning. Dr. Kim does the same thing whenever I'm talking to him too. I've summed it up to an itch all you artists have. I've come here in support of him actually." He gestures to the collection of paintings next to you; the post-impressionism ones you were intent on studying earlier.

"Oh wow," you gasp stupidly, following his gesture. You didn't even clue in to read the artist's name.

Stigma by Kim Taehyung.

"I had no idea Dr. Kim had some of his work displayed here. I feel so foolish. I was viewing his pieces for I don't know how long just a few minutes ago."

You were sure Dr. Kim was attending the exhibit for the same reasons as you. But while it was partially right, you obviously missed the biggest point.

"Don't fret," a deep, honey-coated voice comes from nowhere. "Any admirer of my work is a friend of mine." He strolls up to your left, Jungkook still on your right. "I don't believe we've met yet. Dr. Kim Taehyung." He tosses a hand out for you to shake.

Oh no, no no no. You hope to death you won't start sweating. You've never been this close to Kim Taehyung before and he wants you to hold his hand! "Pleasure to meet you Dr. Kim. I'm __," you say, struggling not to burst inside.

Okay, so it's not exactly holding hands but it's close enough. His fingers are so long and elegant. You can't wipe the grin off your face.

You're squeezing it now, stop stop stop. You mentally slap yourself and retract your hand as naturally as you can. Thank fuck no one can read your mind.

"I'm sorry your name is __?" Dr. Kim freezes as if suddenly needing to remember something. When you think he's recalled whatever it is he needs, he flicks his head over to Jungkook with a twinkle in his eye. "__," he repeats aloud.

"Uhm, yes..." You're definitely missing something. You look between the two men, apparently both intent on keeping you in omnious silence. What's so facinating about your name?

Taehyung whips his head back to face you, flashing a blinding grin. "You're the little artist in Jungkook's class aren't you?"

That's what this is about? He looks far too proud of himself for connecting those dots.

"Yeah I take ECON 602 with Dr. Jeon." You make the mistake of looking at Jungkook mid-sentence. For some odd reason, his previous mirthful expression has changed to one of bitter distaste.

"She isn't little," Jungkook intrudes, nearly snapping at the older man. "Little is what you call a child and it's inappropriate for you to call her that."

What the hell....? How is Dr. Kim calling you little bothering your professor more than you?

"My apologies," Taehyung says. "But she's your student, right? The one drawing during your lectures? I think she drew you once. Exquisite may I add. You captured his pissed-off look so well." He gives you a pleased look but you're too sheepish to form a reply.

"Yes, I wasn't having the best day. Can I talk to you a moment Dr. Kim? We'll be right back __, just a second." Jungkook grabs the older's arm, yanking him out of your earshot.

"What the hell are you doing, Taehyung?" Jungkook spits. "You're making my student uncomfortable."

"Aha, so she is the artist. Look I admit that using the term little was a misstep but I think she's alright. I apologized didn't I?"

"Yeah sure, but she's not alright." He makes air quotes. "Since you've also made it seem like anything she does in my class, I spill to you! Don't you see how uneasy that would make someone feel? Especially me being her professor. She could be thinking I tell you weird things too! See what you've done?!"

"But Jungkook," Taehyung drawls, face scrunching. He's not sure what's gotten Jungkook so worked up. "You do in fact regurgitate everything to me. You've been talking about her for the last week just to one-up me that she's an artist. Now I get to have a face to the name. I'm kinda tickled about it but also, what weird things are you referring to?" Taehyung pauses, eyes going as big as a saucer. "Oh my god, bro. Are you–"

Jungkook grunts firmly, shutting the man up at once. "Absolutely not Tae. Whatever you were about to say, it couldn't be a bigger no. All I'm asking is for you to keep the private things private. I don't want you blubbering everything to her."

"Very well," Taehyung hums, stealing a glance at you behind Jungkook's shoulder. From where he stood, he had an easy view of you moving down the line of paintings. You stop in front of each one, curiously examining them the best you can. "However, she's quite intriguing. I can't make any promises that I'll hold myself back."

"You better be talking about her mutual interest in art. She's my student and we have an obligation through the university not to fraternize with any–"

"Yes yes, your student. I don't need a reminder of where my boundaries are, but perhaps you do....bringing up fraternizing and all." Taehyung moves past Jungkook, striding back over to you. "Whatever else can there be besides professional or academic affairs? Of course, we're keeping our witts about us Kookie."

Behind him, Jungkook huffs and follows his lead. Then wipe that stupid smirk off your face, he thinks.

Present

Dinner is rough.

Jungkook's parents showing up unannounced and uninvited throws you both in a very quick, downward spiral. How can two people have so much time on their hands? Retirement, that's how.

You try your hardest to keep the conversation light throughout dinner, but it's obvious the air has grown thick between your husband and his mother.

"Why didn't you come to the reunion last year?" your mother-in-law presses for the second time tonight. She clutches the napkin in her hand, anxious for his response.

Jungkook sits across the table. His posture stiffens at the question. "I'm sorry, I had a lot to do. The reunion is always so close to when I have to go back to the university that I just didn't have the time."

A loud, impatient sigh comes from back across the table. "You didn't have the time or didn't make it? Honesty Jungkook, you expect me to believe that?"

When Jungkook doesn't answer, you and your father-in-law exchange troublesome looks. "Honey," Mr. Jeon speaks up, placing a hand on her shaky one. "You know how full the school year is for Jungkook. Don't blame him. Maybe he can come this year if we reschedule for a more convenient time." He pleads with his son, hopeful eyes.

"Stop helping him." She looks at Mr. Jeon and then back to Jungkook. "I don't think I'm asking for a lot. I just want you there, you and __."

At that, you find yourself gripping your husband's arm from under the table. Jungkook shifts in his seat and stares dead straight into his mother's eyes. "Funny you say that," he seethes. You tug on his arm in desperation to calm him. "Seeing that you keep dropping by at random times throughout the year, I'd say you expect a great deal from us."

Mrs. Jeon immediately snatches her hand from your father-in-law's. "Maybe I wouldn't have to if you'd come to the reunion. Or called, texted, or even emailed at this point. If it weren't for my efforts, I wouldn't hear from you at all."

"Please," Mr. Jeon pleads again, this time to both parties. "We're having dinner. Let's continue this later." He reaches for the bowl in the middle of the table but he's quickly ignored.

"You're right." Jungkook cuts. "Maybe I should come. Because it's one more way you can get what you want, isn't it? All those years of hard work so you can show me off to everyone."

"Don't you talk to me like that," Mrs. Jeon grits. "If I wanted to show you off it'll be when you give me a grandchild! I'm lucky to even have a daughter-in-law by now."

Chair legs scrape against the hardwood floor and your arm snakes out from Jungkook's arm. Your husband stands at the table, Mr. Jeon follows suit. "Okay, okay, let's just–"

"Dad," Jungkook interrupts. "Can you please take Mom home for the night?"

"Are you okay?" you pop the question once your in-laws leave for the night, a queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach. Mrs. Jeon looked completely bewildered, whereas Mr. Jeon looked deeply troubled; conflicted between wife and son. You have a feeling he has a better understanding of what happened than you do right now.

"I wish she hadn't come today," Jungkook plops on the bed. You sit beside him. "I'm sorry about what she said about you....I knew she was here for something."

You won't lie. When Mrs. Jeon mentioned being lucky to finally have a daughter-in-law, it stung. You detest being seen as an achievement. "I'm sure she didn't mean it like that since she said it out of impulse. It was a tense moment," you say. "As far as what she was getting at though, it was for you to go to the reunion."

"No." He shakes his head and then glances at you. "It's not about the reunion. She only wants me to go so she can show everyone how smart and successful her son has become–all her doing of course. It's been like that since high school. And she wants you to go for a similar reason."

"I knew your mom had a bit of a thing for status but I thought that mostly revolved around her profession. Also, when she was talking earlier about you not keeping in touch she seemed more hurt and sad than mad. I think she really just wants you there."

"If she seemed hurt it's because she didn't get her way," Jungkook says, nonchalant.

"Jungkook."

"I'm sorry but it's true" He adjusts his position, angling himself to face you. "Mom's used to calling the shots– at work, at home, even with our neighbors growing up. You've seen how dad is around her. Yeah, he pushes back a little but at the end of the day, he does what's asked of him."

Frightened to ask the next question, you swallow hard. "What aren't you telling me Jungkook?"

He gently takes your hand from your lap, rubbing small circles on the knuckles. "Growing up, she was hardly around or involved in my brother and I's life. Most weeks, she and Dad would be at work, and we'd be with a babysitter or nanny. Dad did what he could to take care of us but Mom? All she would do is prune us to be just like her...smart, successful, and a dash more to make up for all the achievements she couldn't make."

"Jungkook...I don't know what to say," you murmur, trying to take everything in. "But your PhD–"

"My decision but her influence. Though she wasn't pleased when I said I'd be relocating ten hours away."

You remember him telling you this part before. His mother had a hard time coping with his reluctance to stay nearby. Maybe she did want him to follow in her footsteps. "Your brother didn't have as much pressure on him did he?"

"He did, but he still bends to her will. Except for the grandchildren part." Jungkook grimaces, averting eye contact. "I guess we have that in common."

"Hey," you urge him to lift his head. "Please don't feel bad about telling me any of this. If your picture of parents has largely been their absence and desire for self-fulfillment, then I understand your grounds for not wanting children. And as far as tonight with your mom, I'm so sorry. I feel like it's partially my fault for agreeing to host them for two days."

A pair of soft eyes rest on you in the dim room. The sun was near set now and all the light previously shining into the room had come from the window. If this wasn't a serious moment you might take a candid shot of your husband.

"You're the best thing that's happened to me __," Jungkook coos. "Don't ever think your kindness is a fault." He pauses then continues. "I still want both my parents in my life but I need to draw boundaries or I will completely snap and that's not something I want to happen. Especially since we have a possible baby to make one day."

"Hu–huh?" It's the repetition of the last sentence that makes you utterly dumbfounded.

Baby? Baby with Jungkook. One day?

Your husband draws his hand up to barely caress your cheek. "Why does that always seem to stop your heart?"

You catch his wrist mid-movement and throw yourself into him. Your arms link around his neck, chest flat against his. "It doesn't stop my heart," you say, playing with his hair. "It makes it beat faster."

"Wow." Your husband hugs you closer. "So cheesy." He leans back after, pressing a soft kiss to yours.

The two of you continue making out like teenagers again; Jungkook tumbling on his back.

"Kook." You lay on top of him, straddling his sides. "Have you ever thought about seriously talking to your mom about you know, everything you told me?"

Jungkook hums, before answering. "Somewhat but, I'm not sure how that'll go."

"It might be worth it instead of having little pieces slip out when you get into conflict...like tonight for instance."

"I suppose it's not a far-fetched idea. I'll consider it but it might take some more time. For now, I think I'll start by calling her tomorrow. I'm still mad but I don't wanna leave things the way they are now. Plus, I'm sure they don't have plans to go back home early. I'd hate for them to stay in the hotel the rest of these two days."

"Sounds like a plan," you say, snuggling into the crook of his neck.

"Mom." Jungkook holds the phone to his ear. "What are you and Dad doing today?"

"Oh, I–," his mom stutters from the other end. "We're not up to too much. I think your dad wants to swing by some bookstore around town. Uh, what about you?"

"__ at work and I'm home by myself. Are you hungry? I thought maybe we could go out for brunch."

Jungkook hears his mom's tone lift. "Are you sure? I mean that would be lovely but if there are things you need to do then we don't want to...impose."

Mrs. Jeon's sudden willingness to check in is unexpected. Jungkook still senses traces of guilt but at least she's making somewhat of an effort.

"It's my treat," he assures, a little shaky. "I'm sorry about yesterday, mom. Maybe we can talk about it more in person."

"I think that would be good," she agrees simply. "Where and what time do you want to meet up?"

"Drive over here in twenty minutes. We can pile in my car and head over."

Once finally agreed, Jungkook ends the call. He opens his messages and shoots you a text.

Jungkook: Well I did it  😬 [sent at 10:42 a.m]

__: Proud of you ❤️ if anything happens, call me. [sent at 10:44 a.m]

Jungkook: I will. Also, sorry to bring it up but I gotta give Yoongi hyung an answer by tomorrow. Are we babysitting his twins Saturday? [sent at 10:47 a.m]

__: Ahm, it'll likely be the evening, right? [sent at 10:48 a.m]

Jungkook: Probably [sent at 10:49 a.m]

__: I guess, sure. We're going to need to put some stuff away though 😅 And get something fun for them to do! [sent by 10:51 a.m]

Jungkook: Noted but I'm sure they'll bring lots to do. Yoongi hyung is a big sofie for his girls. He buys them everything–literally 🫠 [sent at 10:52 a.m]

__: True. I have to get back to work now but love you xoxo [sent at 10:53 a.m]

A/N: Surprise! jk has mommy issues and they've has been triggered. Was hoping how he talked, thought, & acted towards her in the last chapter gave hints. On the brighter side, jungkook is another step closer to babyville! And next flashback will be something exciting! Lmk if you wanna be tagged or have thoughts in comments or asks! 💞

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no reposting, copying, or translating my work– © kookslastbutton

[l6ndrys]

Could you do a oneshot where reader is around 18-19 years old and they're ghostface and jill roberts younger adopted sibling, and they basically did it for revenge for what happened to Jill (and they wanna carry on her legacy by getting famous off this), and they plan on going after everyone sidney knows, which means they're after any survivor of ghostface. So basically instead of having a whole reveal and quinn and her dad being ghostfaces, it's just ethan and reader that are ghostfaces and they frame Quinn and Bailey but the core 4 and gkirby and gale don't know because they had arrived after ethan and reader were done setting up the "aftermath" of the reveal (yk like they injure themselves purposely, and make It look like quinn and Bailey did it). So flash forward a week or two ethan and reader gather the core 4, kirby, and gale at readers house or apartment, and ethan and reader reveal themselves as ghostface (you can decide whether they lose or not, also can reader and ethan be dating secretly but reader betrays him like Jill did Charlie)

a/n : thank you for the request anon!! i hope you enjoy :D

this fic contains : cursing, mentions of death, stabbing, g*ns, blood, murder, violence, etc!! pls stay safe <3

better than revenge

ethan landry x reader

you sat next to anika, eyes glued to the television screen. the news reporter talking about the film students who you just so happened to have a little, chat, with. you weren't really listening, only hearing a panicked sam telling tara to pack her things. a phone starts ringing, making everyone's heads turn toward the noise. it was quinn's.

"it's my dad" she says, picking up and leaving to go into her room. you looked over to ethan, who was already looking up at you. the plan was working. soon enough quinn was speed-walking around the room, grabbing her coat and keys. she pulls the phone away from her face, "hey i've gotta go down to the station, i'll be back in a bit"

before anyone could say anything, she slams the door shut, clearly in a hurry. soon enough, a photo of quinn's drivers license flashed up on the tv, covered in blood at the crime scene. voices started to murmur around the room, you took this as your sign to leave.

"hey, i'm probably gonna head back to my dorm. make sure my roommate's okay." you say, gathering your stuff. "woah wait, no you're not leaving. we need to stay together." mindy says, leaving anika's grasp by standing up. ethan stands up too, "i'll walk them there, plus we both have econ tomorrow. we can be each other's alibis."

mindy looks at us, suspiciously eyeing us down before sighing, "fine, but if you go missing any other time, i swear to god–" chad cuts her off with an 'okay calm down', turning to the both of you with an apologetic look on his face. you turn to leave, letting ethan grab his stuff, before opening the door and leaving the apartment.

you both walk down the dimly lit sidewalks towards campus, occasionally bumping shoulders. ethan clears his throat, which makes you turn to him, "so what's next?" it makes you wanna roll your eyes, but you turn to him, "next, we frame quinn and her dad. i thought we already went over this?" he just nods, turning back towards the sidewalk ahead of you.

he understood why you were doing this, all for your sister's legacy. but why did you need him? he didn't wanna think too much about it, he was just happy to help you get revenge.

--

tara had told you quinn was out hooking up with some guy downtown, you didn't really know. all you knew was she was out, and could only imagine her dad was trying to solve the case of the murders. you told—no—sent ethan to pay a visit to your friends. since they knew you and ethan were both at 'econ', they could only assume it none other than quinn.

you, on the other hand, were getting ready for your part of the plan in your dorm. you had followed your sister's steps with this one. you plunged the knife into your thigh, grimacing while you twisted it. you just hoped ethan would be on time before you actually died.

you hit your limbs into different types of furniture, making sure bruises would form, breaking anything you could to make it look like you were attacked. you added a slash or two on your stomach and arms, before stumbling to your kitchen. you placed the knife in the sink, making sure to wash your blood off of it before going to lay in your spot.

you honestly didn't even have to fake cry. with how much pain you were in, your tear ducts did the job for you. just then the door slams open, revealing ethan. he looks like he's worried, despite him knowing the plan before hand, as well as putting on the whole nerdy act. you could hear him on the phone, probably calling kirby or someone, saying that you were both being attacked. everything faded to black before you could say anything.

--

it had been a couple weeks since the "incident". with ethan planting all of the evidence pointing to quinn and her dad being the murderers, kirby and gale were having a little 'survivor get together' or so they called it. you offered to have it at your place, since it was already fixed and pretty spacious, considering your roommate moving out after you were attacked.

you were the recent talk of blackmore university, and you were loving it. jill was right, you didn't need friends. you needed followers. and you'd be damned if you gonna let it stop. you needed to be sure to keep her legacy alive, you just had to get rid of the other woodsboro massacre survivors. and your little boyfriend in the process.

which you didn't even know if you could call him that. sure, in another life, another timeline, he'd be your dream guy. but that was another life. not this one.

you held up your glass of what was not wine, but you toasted anyway, "to the survivors," you fake smiled, looking to ethan, who was at the back of the room. he had a look that only you'd seen, and to be completely honest, it was hot.

"though," this caught people's attention, "i don't know if i'd call you that after tonight." confused looks shot over everyone's faces, "what do you mean y/n?" tara asked.

"oh its simple, really. i was tasked with a dying wish. my sister, jill," a look that you couldn't decipher wiped over kirby's face, "was murdered. she wanted to be famous like our cousin sidney. she would've loved social media these days and how easy a sob story can make you famous. too bad she never got to see it."

"jill never had a sibling." kirby said, clearly mad she'd been tricked again. "oh but she did. i came around right before her death. i was adopted and she just so happened to leave behind notes upon notes about herself. a guide, if you will, to go by. don't you think it's time for a little revenge?" you say, looking toward ethan, nodding.

kirby reaches for her gun, realizing it wasn't there. you wave it around, acting like a little kid mocking the other kid after stealing their toy. ethan stabs her, multiple times, leaving her to fall on the ground. ethan knew you had to act like you both got attacked again, putting his arms in the air, letting you know he was ready.

"sorry but there can only be one sole survivor" you whispered in his ear, stabbing him in the chest. you were really following in your sister's footsteps. he looked defeated, having been betrayed but you didn't really care. you needed to find the rest of the fuckers that snuck away.

you dropped the gun for a second, pulling the knife out of his chest. you reach for the gun, realizing it's not there. you turn to see tara holding the gun, "say hi to your sister for me." she says, pulling the trigger, shooting you in the chest. at least you could say you fufilled your older sister's legacy.

--

a/n : THIS TOOK SO LONG BUT I HOPE ITS OKAY IM NOT THE BEST AT WRITING ACTION LMAO ITS DEFINITELY SOMETHING I NEED TO WORK ON!! BUT THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING

[g4yforethan]

ethan landry x male reader

plot: reader is anxious about the news of the ghostface killings after surviving the events of scream 5 and ethan decides to cheer him up!! (ethan is not the killer in this story btw!)

note: this is my first fanfic ever so please don’t judge just doin something fun for the summer :))

ever since you heard about the murders of two students from Blackmore University, you’ve been a little bit on edge. you’ve only been attending classes once a week and in the meantime, you’ve been isolating yourself from society. some days are easier than others but some days are filled with never-ending anxiety and worry over if you or your friends are next to be attacked. it also doesn’t help knowing that you and your friend group are survivors of the 2021 ghostface killings as well. it was a random day and this time you decided to attend your classes for the first time in a week. while in econ, you sat next to ethan landry who was also your roommate and friend although you two seemed to be flirting with each other at times. during class, a random asshole runs into class with a ghostface mask and pretends to stab some of your classmates. you turn to ethan in fear and he starts to hold you tight. the rest of the class takes this prank as a joke but soon the laughter begins to die down after your classmates start to notice you hyperventilating. ethan walks you out of class and you two go to a nearby park to calm down.

“i’m sorry for freaking out on you like that. after everything that’s happened, it’s really hard for me to go back to normal.” you say eating your ice cream that ethan got for you and him. his favorite flavor is mint chocolate chip.

“it’s okay it’s not your fault at all. i know it’s been hard for you these past few days after what happened last year but i want you to know that i’m always here for you.” 

“thanks ethan. i don’t know if i’m ready to go back to class for the rest of the day now to be honest.”

“that’s fine. we can go back to our room and put on a movie and relax. would you like that?”

“i would love that” you notice him start to blush after you replied and you found it as the cutest thing ever. 

the two of you walked back to your apartment which was pretty close to sam and tara’s apartment as well. you decided to take a shower and put on some pj’s since it was already turning nighttime. you go to the dining room and see ethan sitting down in the living room. 

“i ordered some pizza not too long ago so it should be here in a few minutes. i was thinking we could watch a disney movie to lighten up the mood if you want.”

“sounds like a date. i like it.” you sit down next to him which makes ethan blush even more. 

after eating some pizza and watching halfway through ratatouille while ethan rants about how remy is a better chef than gordon ramsay, you start to fall asleep. you rest your head on ethan’s shoulder and he notices and puts his arm over you. he starts to admire you and finds your sleeping face the cutest thing on earth. when the movie ends, he wakes you up and asks you if you want to go to bed. 

“sorry for knocking out on you like that. i was just really tired from today.”

“nah it’s all good i get you. do you want to head off to bed?”

“yeah but i was maybe wondering if you could sleep with me. i’ve been kinda scared sleeping by myself the past few days. only if you’re okay with it you know.”

“yes of course anything to make you feel more safe.”

the two of you go to your bedroom and head into bed. you notice ethan get a little nervous about getting into bed with you but you reassured him there was nothing to be nervous about. you two talk for a while about life and plans after college and then it soon turned into talks about crushes.

“so any crushes since the beginning of the school year? you start to ask ethan.

“i mean not really but there is someone i got my eye on.”

“oh really? who is it? tara? sam? cha-?!”

he pulls your face towards him and kisses you. you start to kiss again and again until you pull out to breathe for air. 

“you.”

“me too ethan.”

you get on top of him and lay your head on his chest. he puts his arms around your waist and starts to play with your hair. you start to fall asleep again and ethan watches you and gives you kisses on your forehead. 

“sleep well pretty boy.” he gives you one more kiss and falls asleep holding you tight in his arms. 

[sunnyie-eve]

Fab Five(pt.9)

Series: Fondness | Scream

Paring: (Chad Meeks-Martin x OFC Hicks! Ethan Landry x OFC Hicks!)

Word Count: 1734

Warnings: Death, jealous Chad,

Last | Next

"Okay, so we'll all stay at the apartment tonight to stay safe in groups." Sam tells everyone.

"I have Econ tonight. There'll be 100s of students there so…" Ethan tells the group.

"Can't you skip?" Lexi asks worried about not everyone being together.

"I can't. I need to go. I'll call or text you when I get there and leave." He squeezes her hand while Chad rolls his eyes which everyone else catches.

"Be safe." Lexi sighs.

"I will be." He sees the look Chad had so Ethan gives Lexi a kiss before walking off.

Mindy laughs at her brother who backhands her arm, "Shut up."

Later when everyone was at the apartment, Lexi was waiting for the text from Ethan saying he was at Econ.

"Why don't you just call him your boyfriend?" Chad sits next to Lexi on the couch seeing she was staring at the messages.

"Because he's not."

"Why not? You like him. He likes you." Chad tries to get an answer out of her.

"I'm not ready. Especially now with a killer out there." Lexi leans back looking at the ceiling.

"Scared if you get too attached you'll lose him?" Chad asks so Lexi nods her head.

"Him being killed or being the killer. I don't believe he could be but he wears plaid. Richie wore plaid, Jill, Charlie, and Billy. Also blue: Billy, Mickey, Roman, Jill, Charlie, and Richie." Lexi says the theories she caught onto.

"So if someone wears blue or plaid they could be the killer? Really, Lexi?" Chad laughs.

"Do the research."

"So Tara could be the killer?" Chad points at Tara wearing blue and she looks at him confused.

"No, because it's Tara." Lexi laughs getting up to go help Tara in the kitchen.

"What's the real reason you aren't ready with Ethan to be promoted to boyfriend? Does it start with a C and ends with D?" Tara smiles at her.

"Slightly."

"I knew you still liked him." Tara smiles bigger, "You should tell him."

"No, he's my best friend and I still do like Ethan. Plus C doesn't like me like that." Lexi tells her.

"You sure about that? He tried kissing you Lex…Don't play dumb." Tara gives her a look.

"What about you two?"

"What about us? We are infinitely just friends." Tara says making that.

"Quinn said she interrupted you two when we got home from the party." Lexi tells her making her laugh.

"We were talking about you, Lexi. And him realizing he missed his shot with you." Tara explains to her.

"You told him?" Lexi whisper shouts.

"Yes, and I told you he likes you." Tara huffs as they stay quiet as Chad joins to help them out.

After long minutes of nobody speaking Lexi speaks up, "I think you should get out of the city. You know, considering how you were stabbed seven times last time. And I really don't want to put you being unkillable to the test now."

"I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to go." Tara adds.

"That's very thoughtful of you, but I'm not going anywhere without you going with me. So I think I'm staying here." Chad gives her a smile and Tara motions for him to keep going as Lexi's back was towards her but Mindy fake gags.

"Will you two just make out already? It's not like you're in a closed relationship." Mindy speaks up.

"Mindy, that is so inappropriate, dude." Chad tells his sister.

"Oh, whatever. Get it over with!" She shouts walking away from their view then joins them and so does Sam. "You know we don't exactly have to stay here. Lexi and I room together so. Mindy adds.

"I know but safety in numbers, remember."

"This will be so fun. A little slumber party with the Fab Five!" Chad smiles.

"Fab Five?" Sam asks.

"Yeah."

"Did you just give us a nickname?" Tara adds.

"I sure did. I mean we've been through a lot together, and it's a pretty cool nickname." Chad explains to the four.

"That's debatable." Sam says.

"That's very debatable." Lexi laughs.

"That's extremely debatable." Tara adds.

"You can't just give yourself a nickname, dingus." Mindy tells him.

"Of course, I can, dingus, because I just did. Fab Five, up top!" Chad puts his hand up.

"No." She tells him:

"Down low." He turns to Tara.

"Get that away from me." She shakes her head.

"Please, for the love of God." He turns to Sam now.

"Don't do it." Mindy makes everyone laugh.

"Lex, come on for me, please." Chad begs her so she just laughs at him, "I would like a little more respect and support from my fellow members of the Fab Five."

"You're making it worse." Tara tells him.

"Listen to the women." Mindy says before Anika calls them to look at the news saying the prime suspect was Sam.

Sam turns off the tv pissed off going to sit at the table so slowly everyone joins her to comfort her. "We all have been through some fucked up stuff, and we are coping with it differently. I mean, we moved here together for one very specific reason. We are a team." Chad lets Sam know.

"We are the Fab Fucking Five." Mindy adds.

"Thank you very much." Chad gets happy.

"Ah, I hate myself." Mindy says and they all laugh then joke around when Sam admits to sleeping with the guy across the hall because they all knew it.

"I feel like we should all high-five or something." Tara suggests.

The Fab Five High Five- may we, please?" Chad puts his hand up so that all join still laughing about the name.

"I gotta admit… it has a ring to it. I think I like it now." Lexi admits making Chad grab her hand shaking it.

"I told you." They all laugh.

When Sam's phone rings from Danny they all joke around more till they all get a pic of Quinn getting attacked.

"Help! Stop!" They all hear Quinn and jump up rushing to the living room. Tara runs towards the door but Lexi pulls her back not wanting her getting hurt so Chad pulls Lexi back with Tara.

It was silent till the door opens and a dead Quinn falls on Anika. Chad pulls Lexi with him so she grabs Tara making him take her while she stays back to help Mindy.

Sam ran to get a weapon while Lexi grab the closest thing throwing it at the killer. He grabs Anika looking over at Lexi and she freezes for a second thinking about her mom and Wes.

The sound of Anika's screams snaps her back so she changes at the killer so Anika drops to the ground bleeding out while Ethan tries to get Lexi off his back. He backs into the wall hard so Lexi falls off of him. As he looks down at her Sam comes up hitting him in the head so she helps Lexi up and they get Mindy and Anika running to Quinn's room locking the door. Ethan bangs on the door for a while before remembering the bathroom door connected.

"Lexi, bathroom, door." Sam whispers so Lexi rushes and sees Quinn's guy dead in the tub.

"Fuck." She goes for the door and screams seeing the killer there.

She goes to slam the door but he swings it back hitting her with it so she tumbles back. Ethan bends down picking her up by the throat and puts his knife light against her face until Sam rushes over to help with Mindy. They get the door shut and lock it but Ethan was determined to get in. They push the dresser against the door and Mindy and Lexi lean against it while Sam goes towards the window. Danny puts his ladder across and Sam goes first.

"Mindy, I'm the only one not hurt. Go!" Lexi shouts at the dresser nudges so Mindy kisses Anika. "Anika, you need to go." Lexi tells her.

"I can't. I'll go right behind you. You'll be faster than me. If I go first and he gets through, you're dead. Please, go." Anika begs her so Lexi goes to the window seeing Mindy make it across.

"Anika, when I get about halfway you start okay." Lexi tells her so she nods her head.

Lexi just keeps her eyes on the others as they kept saying keep going and looks back to see Anika already started to crawl and the killer at the window.

"Move so I can get off faster!" Lexi tells the three as they leaned out the window.

Both girls start to scream as Ethan picks up the ladder then slams it down and back up.

Lexi gets across then gets slightly back in the latter, Anika, you gotta keep moving." Lexi tries to grab her hand and the others grabbed a hold of Lexi's legs/feet.

Ethan knew Lexi was in part of the latter that barely moved so he starts to tilt the latter to get Anika to fall off. Lexi got her legs hooked and held down while she grabbed ahold of Anika's hand. Ethan finally gets it to tilt a good angle and jerked it enough for Anika's hand to slide out of Lexi's as her body weight pulled her down.

Lexi stares down at her with tears running down her face then looks back at the killer who was just starring at her getting his life back before walking away so Sam helps Lexi back in.

When Chad and Tara rejoin the group Tara hugs her sister while Chad sees Lexi comforting Mindy so he joins them.

"Your cheek." Chad see the little cut on Lexi and she didn't even realize it because of all the adrenaline.

"Oh, must have happened when Sam shoves the killer away while he held his knife against my cheek." She says in a monotone deep in her thoughts. "I can never save anyone…" She closes her eyes so Chad pulls her into his chest.

"You tried Lexi. You got back on that latter when the killer was shaking it around. You could have fell too." Mindy speaks up.

"I should've been the one to fall. She told me to go because she would've been too slow." Lexi cries into Chad's chest.

"You tried. That's all that matters." Chad kisses the top of her head.

[khodorkovskaya]

21.04.23

two things!

1. i got accepted into the masters program i applied for!!! no more maths! im gonna be an econ major now lol. to be fair, ive complained about not wanting to do this for so long. but now that ive been accepted, im relieved. sure, im not passionate about economics, but at least im gonna have a masters degree.

also the funny thing is, i thought they didn't even consider my application bc on the website it said that if your application is incomplete they're not even gonna get back to you. and for mine, i didn't provide any proof that i speak english (i don't have like the toefl or the cambridge exam or whatever it's called that's required) and they asked for a logic text (gre) to which i replied with "umm i do maths 💅". so my application was very much incomplete. but i guess my cv and cover letter blew them away lol. i have to say, my career does look quite impressive on paper.

but now the next question is, do i really want to do this program? because on one hand, yes, it's very prestigious. like it's very much lse vibes, like rich kids in polo shirts and moccasins kinda vibe. and it probably will look good on my cv. but at the same time like it's really not my vibe and it's super theoretical so idk if it's gonna be useful to me personally. like from an outside perspective, yes, it's great to have a masters degree from this school. but is it gonna provide me with the skills im looking for for my dream career in particular?

(but at the same time most people who have my dream career are engineers. but i feel like im too superficial to be an engineer. so idk.)

another school im looking at is not prestigious at all, but it has a very practical approach that's gonna be more useful to me specifically. but also is it gonna be more useful? because the practical approach is basically you have to learn everything yourself + they require an internship as a part of your diploma. so there's very little theory at all and i do need theory. so idk. lot's of questions.

2. im getting my very own ice skates tomorrow from the super professional skating shop in a different city! we're going on a road trip with my student and my bestie and we're also gonna get like all the accessories necessary and maybe even costumes lol. im so excited!!! like i literally couldn't sleep because ahhhhhhh !!!!!!!!

i'll show you guys the skates im gonna get! they're gonna like measure my feet and customise them for me and everything, like im gonna be a professional skater! i wanna get the brand that sasha trusova has so that i can boast about it to my cousin but i'll see what fits me best.

also we had a really interesting meeting yesterday and it made me think a lot about like... how do different types of people present themselves and is the way you present yourself a sort of dogwhistle for certain groups of people. idk it was quite eye opening. like if im an econ major is it gonna give off a certain kind of message to the people i meet? what is it that i want to signal to people?

also i went to the back doctor bc my parents think that my back is crooked and i need to wear a corset. but shocker, my back is completely fine! the doctor said that im a bit asymmetrical, which is natural for most people. but i have good posture, no tension and everything's looking good. and the exercises i do for figure skating (because of course i told him that i skate lol) are good for me. my mum still doesn't believe it lol.

i had a dream about B. i was going to the rink (can you tell im obsessed with skating yet lol) and i got out of the tram and he was there on his bike. and he grabbed my hand like "i miss holding your hand" and i was like aww and he felt very warm. and then i got on the bus but it started going backwards. and i called B like "i still have some time before skating, wanna grab a coffee together" and he was like "jacky, it's not the same as before, do you understand? we can't have coffee together". and was like ouch. and then i went skating (in my dream i already had my new skates) and then i woke up.

[jwecon]

Economics and Online Shopping During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Jocelyn Wu

Econ 20A Discussion Friday 11:00am - 11:50am

Student ID: 78723980

During the pandemic, myself and many others became very immersed in online shopping. Stuck at home, with no access to shopping malls because all stores were practically shut down, online shopping became a way to satisfy one’s shopping craving while finding enjoyment in something outside of the home. You could say that online shopping was a substitute for in-person shopping or going to malls, so the decrease in in-person shopping led to an increase in online shopping. 

My individual demand for online shopping increased greatly during this time period due to a few different reasons. Before the pandemic, I had never really shopped online much before and I wasn’t particularly interested in fashion. But during the pandemic, TikTok blew up and I was surrounded by all these new trends and wanted to try them for myself. Some of these trends included the “indie girl aesthetic”, which featured baggy cargo jeans and vibrant clothes, and y2k fashion, which included low rise jeans, mini vests, and fuzzy tote bags. Thus, you could say a change in preferences helped to increase my personal demand for online shopping. Additionally, to some extent you could say that TikTok acted as a complementary good to online shopping because the increase in exposure to these trends and different brands helped to increase consumer demand for these products. Additionally, you could say in some sense that my increased demand was a result of “increased income”. Although I did not technically receive more money, I was staying at home and was spending money on buying food and using transportation, so in terms of online shopping I had an increased disposable income to spend on it.

However, market demand and supply was a bit different than my personal demand. Because many businesses had to close down their in-person locations, they lost many sales and as a result many firms exited the economy due to struggling financial conditions. This resulted in a reduced supply or reduced number of firms total available to supply products for online shopping. Other factors also influenced supply, such as labor shortages and supply chain issues. Demand is a little more complicated. The pandemic left many jobless and this decrease in income would lead to a decrease in demand for online shopping. Although some people, such as me, had increased demand and preferences for online shopping, overall that doesn’t necessarily translate to an overall market increase in demand. Thus, this factor for demand was likely much more influential than other influences on demand, such as increased clothing advertisements on social media, because employment surged to extremely high rates during the pandemic. In the end, while consumers can have preferences, their actions will mostly be dictated by budget constraints. This meant there was an overall decrease in demand.

In terms of the market graph, when supply and demand both shift at the same time, there will be a decrease in quantity, but the effect on price is unclear. There are many factors and more specific numbers that would be needed to determine whether price increased or decreased during specific phases of the pandemic, such as the initial onset in March 2020, surges in cases during 2021 and 2022, and declining cases in 2023. During these different phases, it would be interesting to think about how factors like income, social media advertising, and substitutes changed.

[sshbpodcast]

Tales from the Holodeck: ENT Fanfic: Jake’s Teleplay

Celebration! We’ve luckily finished Star Trek: Enterprise here on A Star to Steer Her By, and good riddance. There’s only one thing left to do in our typical style: show the writers how it’s really done by writing up our own fanfic stories and teleplays with carefully selected characters from the series. Will they end up better than most episodes of Enterprise? Low bar, folks.

We’re wrapping things up with Jake’s teleplay in our “Tales from the Holodeck” fanfic series, which shines some light on what we all know about humanity’s first contact with Vulcans. Follow along below and/or listen to the cold reads on this week’s podcast episode (this one starts at 1:24:42). Get ready to get prank’d!

[images © Paramount/CBS]

“The Greatest Prank Ever Pulled”

By Jake

Random Main Character Pick(s): Mayweather Character Draft Picks: Mestral, Zefram Cochrane

SCENE 1 - INT. STANFORD PROPULSION AND SPACE EXPLORATION GROUP LAB, AFTERNOON

Fade in to reveal the advanced propulsion laboratory at Stanford University, California. The lab is in a state of disarray with boxes of papers and envelopes marked "TOP SECRET" scattered about. Graduate student LILY SLOANE flutters about hastily sorting through piles of papers and placing some into boxes while others go into the trash. Her husband, TRAVIS SLOANE, also a graduate student, stands in front of a whiteboard covered in equations and engineering diagrams, seemingly oblivious to the chaos around him. LILY picks up an envelope, opens it, and considers its contents for a moment.

LILY (reading): Antimatter Conversion Ratio Test Results, Group B. (to TRAVIS) We shouldn't need these any more, right? (beat) Travis?

TRAVIS: Huh?

LILY: The results for the group B antimatter conversion ratio tests?

TRAVIS: Right. Uh… Trash it.

LILY sighs

LILY: I spent four weeks modeling the reaction chamber dynamics for this test. Seems a shame to just shred it. Oh, well…

She throws the envelope into the trash. She continues going through documents; most go into the trash. After a moment:

LILY: You know, this would go a lot faster with two people.

TRAVIS: I'll stop. I'm sorry. It's just… This is fucked up. We're close. Like weeks away close. They can't just shut us down now.

LILY: They can. And they have. The Department of Energy has declared the entire area at-risk of potential invasion.

TRAVIS: I know, but let's be real, though. If the ECON attacks, they're not going to storm the beaches of Half-Moon Bay. They're going nuke us from orbit and we'll be reduced to ash in the blink of an eye.

LILY (sarcastically): Real, nice, Travis…

TRAVIS: You know what this research could mean. For humanity. Virtually limitless energy. Access to off-world resources. There'd be nothing left to fight over! (Sighs. Takes Lily's hand) And maybe we could leave this rock and all its bullshit behind.

LILY: (Laughs) And go where, exactly? From where I'm standing this is the only rock we've got. Even if this thing works we're still decades away from a practical engine, let alone a space ship.

TRAVIS: I know.

LILY: Look. I know how important this is to you… To us… And it does feel like we're close to something big. This isn't the end, T. When this whole thing blows over we'll build your space ship.

They embrace.

ZEFRAM (O.S.): Woah, get a room, you two!

ZEFRAM COCHRANE enters. While the same age as TRAVIS, years of drinking and drug use has taken its toll and he looks significantly older. He's wearing a stained Led Zeppelin T-Shirt and is wearing sunglasses. He's carrying a case of beer, and looks ready to party. LILY rolls her eyes when she notices him, clearly fed up with his shit. TRAVIS seems excited to see him.

TRAVIS: Zef!

ZEFRAM: The one and only!

The two friends approach and execute a complicated handshake. LILY is not impressed.

LILY: Wow, Zef, it's only 3 PM, seems a little early for you to be up.

ZEFRAM: (sarcastically) I love you, too.

TRAVIS: It's good you're here. Prof says we need to be fully cleared out by Friday night. All the drives have been wiped, and we just have the hard copies to deal with-

ZEFRAM: (interrupting) Don't sweat it. I'll chat with The Meister, buy us some more time.

LILY: Good luck with that… This comes from the government.

ZEFRAM: Pfft… They've got bigger fish to fry. Besides, I've taken care of everything.

LILY: What's that supposed to mean?

ZEFRAM: Lily, my dear, I've got two words for you: Bozeman. Montana.

TRAVIS: (confused) Bozeman, Montana? What's there?

LILY: (under her breath) You know, besides nothing?

ZEFRAM slams the case of beer down on a table and cracks open three cold ones. He hands one to TRAVIS. He tries to hand one to LILY who instead crosses her arms. Unfazed, ZEFRAM decides to two-fist it.

ZEFRAM: Salvation.

FADE TO BLACK

SCENE 2 - INT. THE OFFICE OF PROFESSOR PAUL J. MESTRAL, STANFORD UNIVERSITY - EVENING

PROFESSOR MESTRAL sits stoically behind the desk in his sparsely decorated office. Outwardly he appears to be a man of about seventy, but in reality he is a Vulcan who is nearly one hundred and fifty years old. Not even his students are aware of his true identity. TRAVIS and LILY are seated across from him, while ZEFRAM stands, having just pitched his Montana idea. There is a long pause before MESTRAL speaks.

MESTRAL: These people… They are criminals?

ZEFRAM: NO! No no no no. No. They're in the militia. You know, like George Washington or Sam Adams. Freedom fighters.

MESTRAL: (skeptically) I see. And they have access to an advanced aerospace propulsion laboratory with facilities for antimatter experimentation?

ZEFRAM: Not yet… but they're working on it. I mean. we'll have to help them. You know, tell them what you buy. Maybe, uh, borrow some equipment from the university on the down-low. But they're committed.

MESTRAL: And how are you connected to these people?

ZEFRAM: I've known them my whole life. I grew up out there, remember? Plus, my cousin is a member. He put in a good word, and made some introductions.

LILY: (unimpressed) Tell him what they expect in return.

ZEFRAM: Right. Yeah. So I may have had to tell a little white lie about what we're-

LILY: (interrupting) He told them it was a bomb!

MESTRAL raises an eyebrow at this and leans in.

ZEFRAM: Not a bomb, exactly. I just explained the basics of antimatter theory and implied that there could… Potentially… be some military applications.

TRAVIS: It's crazy, Professor. We shouldn't have even brought it up. Just silly, really. We're sorry to have bothered you.

TRAVIS starts to stand.

MESTRAL: Tell them we accept.

LILY: (shocked) WHAT?!

MESTRAL: Contact the people in Montana and make the necessary arrangements.

LILY: I'm sorry, professor, did you miss the part where these nutjobs want us to build them an antimatter bomb?!

MESTRAL: I did not, Miss Sloane. You are all well-aware of the importance of this research, and its potential impact on the future of this planet. Terminating the warp program at this time would be illogical. Mister Cochrane's contacts in Montana have presented us an opportunity to continue this work. Logic dictates that we must accept their offer.

LILY: (quietly) Faust said the same thing…

FADE TO:

SCENE 3 - INT. THE OFFICE OF PROFESSOR PAUL J. MESTRAL, STANFORD UNIVERSITY - NIGHT

Later that evening. MESTRAL is alone, packing boxes. A figure appears in the doorway. MESTRAL notices, but doesn't look up.

MESTRAL: If you are here for office hours, you'll have to come back tomorrow.

The figure takes a step into the room.

SOTEK: I've come to take you home, Mestral.

MESTRAL looks up as the figure steps into the light. It's a Vulcan man, SOTEK. He appears quite a bit younger than MESTRAL. MESTRAL knows the jig is up.

SOTEK: The high command has determined that your mission on Earth has concluded and you're to return with me to Vulcan immediately.

MESTRAL is taken aback… as much as a Vulcan can be taken aback.

MESTRAL: My mission ended ninety years ago. I have decided to remain here of my own volition.

SOTEK: The high command chose to allow you to continue your mission indefinitely to more closely monitor the development of this civilization, otherwise you would have been retrieved long ago.

MESTRAL: Then I wish to continue monitoring this civilization.

SOTEK: That is no longer possible. Continued observation would serve no logical purpose as we have deemed Humans unsuitable for contact. We now believe that their self-destruction is imminent.

MESTRAL: (snaps, Vulcanly) I disagree with that assessment. I believe the humans are on the verge of an awakening.

SOTEK approaches MESTRAL, assessing him. He notices that MESTRAL's ears have been surgically modified to appear more human.

SOTEK: You have altered your appearance. Perhaps your affinity for these people has affected your judgement. The high command is confident that the current political tensions will escalate into a global conflict within the next six months. Given the Humans' capability for destruction, it is highly probable that their annihilation will soon follow…

MESTRAL: The high command hasn't been here. While it is true that war appears likely, there is still hope for this civilization. They are a resilient and resourceful people. The work being done in this lab is proof of that. I estimate they are only a few years away from a functional warp reactor.

SOTEK: It is only through your interference that they have made any progress at all.

MESTRAL is becoming visibly frustrated.

MESTRAL: That's simply untrue!

SOTEK: I see that this conversation has distressed you. You will return with me to Vulcan.

He produces a small data pad from his cloak and places it on the desk.

SOTEK: The location of my vessel is encoded on here. If you do not come willingly within two days, I have been authorized to coerce your return by any means necessary. It is time to come home.

SOTEK leaves. MESTRAL stands motionless for a moment before he violently throws the box he was packing across the room, scattering its contents.

FADE TO BLACK

SCENE 4 - INT. STANFORD PROPULSION AND SPACE EXPLORATION GROUP LAB, MORNING

The next day. The lab has been mostly cleared of clutter. Only a few neatly-stacked boxes remain. TRAVIS and LILY are standing at the whiteboard having just sketched out a diagram of a warp reactor. ZEFRAM is seated at a nearby workstation with his feet up on a lab table. He's sipping from a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag.

TRAVIS: I think it'll work.

LILY: It'll probably work.

TRAVIS: It might work.

LILY: Definitely.

TRAVIS: You think?

LILY: I do.

TRAVIS: Me, too.

ZEFRAM: JEEESUS CHRIST!

LILY: Oh, fuck off, Zef. This is big!

ZEFRAM: You've been staring at that diagram for twenty minutes! (mockingly) "it'll work" "no it won't" "yes it will" "I know it will" SHUUUT UP!

TRAVIS: You're the engineer, do you think it'll work?

ZEFRAM: I think it's got equal chances of either working or creating a fireball visible from Mars.

TRAVIS: (smiling) I'll take those odds.

ZEFRAM gets up and takes a closer look at the diagram.

ZEFRAM: The coil is too small.

ZEFRAM starts writing out equations on the whiteboard. He narrates as he writes.

ZEFRAM: I figure the reactor has to be putting out… let's say… one point two-one petajoulses per second. Roughly. Best case scenario we maybe capture seventy-five to eighty percent of that as plasma.

TRAVIS: You're overestimating it. The warp bubble should be able to form at around point seven PJ per second.

ZEFRAM: Sure, if we were dealing with only superconductors. There's going to be a lot of copper in this thing-

LILY: He's right.

LILY grabs the marker from ZEFRAM and finishes the equations he was writing.

LILY: It'll need to be at least thirty percent bigger. Any smaller and it would melt within seconds from the heat. Your space ship would be stranded a few million miles from Earth with no warp coil.

ZEFRAM: (self-satisfied) As I said, too small.

ZEFRAM goes back to his seat and takes a celebratory sip of whatever poison he's been drinking.

ZEFRAM: That's what I like about you, Sloane: you get it. Travis: you're all theory.

TRAVIS: Yeah, well, we would've figured it out anyway.

LILY finishes the calculation, erases the number that had been written on the diagram and plugs in the new value.

ZEFRAM: Now it'll work…

MESTRAL enters, looking somewhat perturbed

ZEFRAM: Morning, prof. Look at what your star pupils did.

MESTRAL: Have you spoken to your contacts in Montana?

ZEFRAM: Yeah, it's all set up. Even gave them a shopping list.

MESTRAL: Good. We will leave tonight.

TRAVIS: Tonight?! I thought we had until Friday.

ZEFRAM: Kind of short notice.

MESTRAL: The situation has changed.

LILY; What about all of the equipment? We haven't even finished packing up the lab.

MESTRAL: We will take as much as we can.

TRAVIS: What about the antimatter?

ZEFRAM: Yeah, it's not like we can just throw it in the back of a pickup. The entire containment vessel will have to come with us.

TRAVIS: Even then it needs constant power.

MESTRAL: We will have to produce more on-site.

LILY: That's going to be difficult unless Zefram's militia friends happen to be hiding a particle accelerator in their survival bunker. It took us half a year to produce two grams of antideuterium and that was with a state of the art collider.

MESTRAL considers for a moment.

MESTRAL: There may be another way.

FADE TO:

SCENE 5 - INT. STANFORD PROPULSION AND SPACE EXPLORATION GROUP LAB, MORNING

The next day. A small, brown capsule about the size of a watermelon sits on a table in the lab. ZEFRAM, LILY, and TRAVIS are standing around the table studying it intently. MESTRAL is seated nearby.

TRAVIS: How is this possible? There must be over a kilogram in there…

LILY: One point three seven kilograms. Approximately.

TRAVIS: And it's completely stable. I just- I don't- Just- How?

MESTRAL: A contact at the DOE who… owed me a favor.

ZEFRAM: Must've been some favor. This is some next-level area fifty-one type shit. There's no way we're supposed to have this.

TRAVIS: There's enough antideuterium here to sustain our experiments for decades.

ZEFRAM: Or build one kickass warp reactor.

The three students look up at each other, realizing that this is real. MESTRAL stands, looking somewhat forlorn.

MESTRAL: Indeed, Mister Cochrane. The antimatter in that pod should be more than sufficient to fuel the engine prototype.

TRAVIS: So that's it, then, the rest of the equipment is already loaded into the truck. We can leave tonight.

MESTRAL breathes a heavy sigh.

MESTRAL: I'm afraid I will not be joining you in Montana.

LILY: What?! Why?

MESTRAL: In exchange for the antimatter, I have agreed to work for the government.

LILY: Then give it back! We can't do this without you.

TRAVIS: She's right, Professor. We'll find some other way to synthesize the antimatter. There's no way we could build the prototype without your guidance.

MESTRAL raises his hand to stop them speaking. He walks over to the whiteboard which still has the prototype design sketched out.

MESTRAL: You do not need me. I have every confidence in your skills as engineers and scientists. The design is sound, and you now have all of the resources you need to build it. But you must do it on your own; I cannot help you further.

LILY: Will you join us later? Will we see you again?

MESTRAL: That I cannot say. Know that I am… proud… of the work you have accomplished, and that I have every confidence in your skills as scientists and engineers. Your work, I believe, has the potential to usher in a new era for humanity.

A long pause. ZEFRAM realizes something.

ZEFRAM: Hold that thought.

He runs over to a cupboard labeled, "Office Supplies", opens it and fishes around inside for a moment before pulling out a bottle of whisky and four shot glasses. The others stare at him.

TRAVIS: Is there anyplace in this lab you haven't hidden booze?

ZEFRAM: What? It's my Rainy Day Fund. Besides, this is the good stuff.

ZEFRAM returns and places the shot glasses on the table. He uncorks the bottle and haphazardly pours the shots, spilling quite a bit in the process. Finally he picks up one of the shot glasses and raises it. TRAVIS and LILY follow suit after a moment.

MESTRAL: I do not imbibe alcohol. (beat.) But exceptions can be made.

MESTRAL picks up a glass and holds it up with the others.

ZEFRAM: I've never been one for speeches, so I'll just say: To a new era for Humanity.

TRAVIS: To the warp program.

LILY: To you, Professor.

All three students nod to this. MESTRAL appears close to tears.

MESTRAL: To peace… and long life.

ZEFRAM: Hear Hear!

All four raise their glasses and down the spirit. ZEFRAM flaps his arms like a bird and lets out an audible "woah". LILY and TRAVIS try to suppress their reaction to the strong alcohol and almost succeed. MESTRAL looks at the empty glass as if to say, "not bad". They all stand in meaningful silence for a long moment.

ZEFRAM: (soberly. ish.) We, uh, should get going if we want to make Reno by nightfall.

ZEFRAM holds out his hand to the professor.

ZEFRAM: It's been real.

MESTRAL shakes ZEFRAM's hand, who promptly pulls him in for a "bro hug". As ZEFRAM steps back, LILY comes forward and wipes away the tear forming in her eye.

LILY: We will build it, Professor.

MESTRAL just nods. He holds out his hand to shake, but LILY ignores it and goes straight for the tender hug. It's then TRAVIS's turn.

TRAVIS: I don't know how to thank you for-

MESTRAL: Thank me through your work. Take humanity to the stars.

TRAVIS nods, holding back a deluge of emotion. He embraces MESTRAL strongly, and holds for a long moment. As he backs away he sees something he'd never seen before: tears welling up in the Professor's eyes.

ZEFRAM picks up the antimatter pod and makes his way out of the lab followed by LILY. TRAVIS takes a final survey of the lab before turning to leave. MESTRAL stands in the empty lab, completely overcome with emotion. After a moment he composes himself and begins erasing the reactor diagram from the whiteboard.

FADE TO BLACK

SCENE 6 - INT. ENTERPRISE MESS HALL 6

HOSHI, TRIP, T'POL, and MAYWEATHER are seated in the mess hall. All attention is on MAYWEATHER as he finishes telling his story.

MAYWEATHER: After that, the rest is history.

HOSHI: I just can't believe the professor didn't go with them!

TRIP: I just still can't get over the part where you're actually related to Lily and Travis Sloane! I mean, they're basically legends! I went to Lily Sloane high school, for chrissake! How have you not told us this before!?

MAYWEATHER shrugs.

MAYWEATHER: I guess it just never came up.

HOSHI: It's an amazing story, Travis.

T'POL: Indeed, but a story nonetheless. The details seem… implausible.

MAYWEATHER: I mean, it's a family story, so I'm sure some of it has been lost to time, but that's how it was always told to me.

T'POL: It seems highly unlikely that humans of that period would possess the technology to construct an antimatter storage pod of the style you described.

TRIP: Do you know what ever happened to the professor? Did they ever see him again?

MAYWEATHER: Not that I know of. I think everyone just assumed that he went missing during the war. So many did back then.

TRIP: He was so instrumental, yet history doesn't even know he existed.

T'POL: (incredulously) If he existed.

HOSHI rolls her eyes.

HOSHI: Well I, for one, believe it. (Beat.) Anyway, I'm late for bridge duty.

MAYWEATHER: Me too.

They all stand and start to leave. As they walk out…

TRIP: You got any other family stories about the Sloane's or Cochrane?

MAYWEATHER: A few've been passed down. Remind me later to tell you the one about when Zefram Cochrane entered a hotdog eating contest…

TRIP: No kiddin'…

FADE TO BLACK

SCENE 7 - EXT. SOMEWHERE DEEP IN THE WOODS - NIGHT

A small Vulcan starship rests in a clearing. A vehicle approaches. The door to the spacecraft opens, and a walkway slides out to the ground. SOTEK steps out. The car stops and MESTRAL emerges.

SOTEK: I am gratified that you have chosen to return willingly.

MESTRAL says nothing. He starts up the ramp into the ship. SOTEK turns to go back in, but just before they enter the ship, MESTRAL neck pinches SOTEK, who collapses unconscious.

MESTRAL: I am truly sorry, friend. I will return with you, but there's something I must do first…

MESTRAL enters the ship.

FADE TO BLACK

THE END

—

For more Enterprise fanfic, check out Caitlin, Chris, and Ames’s stories from this year’s “Tales from the Holodeck”! Be sure to keep listening to new episodes every Thursday on SoundCloud or wherever you podcast, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and why don’t you come with me, little girl, on a magic carpet ride.

[jason-jungreis]

Nicholas Mays, Michelle Hoang, Diana Martinon Villasenor, Jason Jungreis 

Professor William A Branch 

Econ 20A

3/9/2023

Opportunity Cost: Introduction 

Opportunity cost is the loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen. A simpler way to describe this is by using examples. For instance, if you choose to pick a certain decision over the other, then that is an opportunity cost. Say you pick donuts over coffee, and if you pick one, you lose out on the other. Moving on from examples, this group project involves people from multiple discussion groups and all tells of our personal experiences with opportunity cost, and how it affected our lives. From the pandemic and sports, to managing time with work and school, our group collected all our personal traits and memories with opportunity cost and combined them here. (FOR REFERENCES ON HOW TO PUT YOUR NAME, DISCUSSION DATE/TIME, AND PARAGRAPH CONTENT, LOOK AT OTHER PEOPLE’S WORK)

Michelle Hoang 

56089168

Discussion: Thursday 7PM

During the pandemic, there were many choices I had to make that would not only affect the present but also my future. An opportunity cost is defined as a “loss you take to make a gain.” For example, I really wanted to participate in my team’s soccer tournament. However, due to the pandemic, I chose to stay at home and practice social distancing. The opportunity cost would be being able to play soccer. If I had chosen to go to the soccer tournament, the opportunity cost would have been my health. Opportunity costs help people rationalize decisions.

Nicholas Mays

82012848

Discussion: Wednesday 4:00-4:50 PM 

A great example of opportunity cost for me, would be during the pandemic. During my junior year in high school I was presented with a choice which I made on my own. That choice was to continue doing schoolwork and enjoying my off-days during the weekends, or start becoming more productive and finding a job so I could utilize my abilities as much as I could and learn all I could. I decided to find a job, and shortly after searching for about 1-2 months, I found an entry-level retail job, which any junior year high schooler could find. However, since this was merely a retail job, I was given many work days and hours. I was not only stripped of my off-time during the weekends, but also 3-4 days during the weekdays also. This was the decision I made over relaxing and being unproductive when I didn’t have school work to do. This opportunity cost for me challenged me more than I expected, however I emerged more knowledgeable about how working a job feels, and it is tough if you don’t learn to manage your time early on, and that experience during my junior year taught me a little bit about that. 

Jason Jungreis

83293786

Discussion: Thursday 7:00 PM

I will graduate from UCI this spring, and I plan to go to law school after I graduate.  A year ago, my plan was to start law school right after I graduated from UCI, however that would have required that I take the LSAT in 2022, which would have required that I study for it during the summer of 2022, as I am too busy to study for it during the school year.  However, during the summer of 2022, I participated in the UCDC program.  This is where students from all UC campuses go to Washington, DC, live in a building called the UCDC Center, and find an internship in Washington DC.  Before I left for the program, I had planned to study for the LSAT in Washington while I was not interning.  Once I got to Washington however, I realized how many fun things there were to do.  I became close friends with the other people in the program so I spent a lot of time with them.  There were also a lot of cool museums and sites to see.  I realized that if I studied for the LSAT that summer, that would mean much less for me to explore the city with the people I met in the program.  If I didn’t study for the LSAT however, that would mean I would have to wait a year to start law school, as I wouldn’t be able to start studying for the LSAT until summer of 2023.  This was therefore an example of the principle of opportunity cost.  The opportunity cost of studying for the LSAT during the summer would be spending less time with the other people in the program and less time seeing the various museums and landmarks in DC.  The opportunity cost of spending time sightseeing with the other people in UCDC would be studying for the LSAT and starting law school right after I graduate in 2023.  In the end, I decided to wait a year to study for the LSAT so I could enjoy my time in Washington.  I figured that I would never get an opportunity like UCDC again.  Being able to explore the nation’s capitol with people my age was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and certainly one I would remember forever.  There was also no harm in waiting to take the LSAT.  Yes, I was excited to start law school, however I would likely have a similar experience regardless of whether or not I started in 2023 or 2024.  I think this example perfectly illustrates opportunity cost.  I had to make a difficult tradeoff between two things, both of which had their own benefits.  Looking back, I definitely feel I made the right decision.  I had an amazing experience this summer in Washington, DC, and I’m still in touch with a lot of the friends I made, even the ones that go to other UC schools.  Also, I don’t think it will be that bad to work for a year before starting law school.  

Chart illustrating the trade-off between the time spent studying and the time spent in DC:

Pictures from the summer in DC:

Diana Martinon Villasenor

20145863

Discussion: Thursday 7:00 PM

Diana Martinon Villasenor

20145863

Discussion: Thursday 7:00 PM

I was born and raised into a football family. Because of this, I have been playing flag football since I was little, and I have become very good with practice and time. I currently play in a league in Newport Beach, and it has a couple of scoring rules in order to make the game more equitable for everyone. One of these rules is the number of points gained when a woman scores, which is 8 points, compared to the usual 6 points of when a man scores. Therefore, every single game me and my teammates are forced to deal with the topic of opportunity cost. Sometimes when we are losing, the faster way to catch up on points with the other team is to throw the ball to the girls so we can get more points for girl touchdowns, however we understand that is not always the easiest choice for our quarterback, since the other team understands the point system as well and therefore has us girls more covered. It would be easier for us to score boy touchdowns, however we understand that the opportunity cost would be lower if we risk the ball and throw it to the girls. I have attached some pictures of me and my team.

Opportunity Cost: Conclusion 

In this group project, we combined all our experiences of opportunity cost, which range from our time during the pandemic with sports, to figuring out time management skills with work, and even the cost of studying for an important exam. Nonetheless, opportunity cost has had an impact in all our lives, and is the key concept we all took away from Econ 20A this quarter. Opportunity cost is merely the definition we figured out this quarter however, it has been an impact in our lives for as long as we could remember. Such as picking what college to go to, what friends to meet along the way, and even as simple as choosing our diets. This concept has been in our lives far before we were introduced to it in Econ 20A nevertheless, we all managed to learn from it and adapt with it to better our lives and impact the decisions we made. 

[friday11econlive]

Economics of Online Shopping During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Jocelyn Wu

Econ 20A Discussion Friday 11:00am - 11:50am

Student ID: 78723980

During the pandemic, myself and many others became very immersed in online shopping. Stuck at home, with no access to shopping malls because all stores were practically shut down, online shopping became a way to satisfy one’s shopping craving while finding enjoyment in something “outside” of the home. You could say that online shopping was a substitute for in-person shopping or going to malls, so the decrease in in-person shopping led to an increase in online shopping. 

My individual demand for online shopping increased greatly during this time period due to a few different reasons. Before the pandemic, I had never really shopped online much before and I wasn’t particularly interested in fashion. But during the pandemic, TikTok blew up and I was surrounded by all these new trends and wanted to try them for myself. Some of these trends included the “indie girl aesthetic”, which featured baggy cargo jeans,and vibrant clothes, and y2k fashion, which included low rise jeans and mini vests. Thus, you could say a change in preferences helped to increase my personal demand for online shopping. Additionally, to some extent you could say that TikTok acted as a complementary good to online shopping because the increase in exposure to these trends and different brands helped to increase consumer demand for these products. Additionally, you could say in some sense that my increased demand was a result of “increased income”. Although I did not technically receive more money, I was staying at home and was spending money on buying food and using transportation, so in terms of online shopping I had an increased disposable income to spend on it. 

However, market demand and supply was a bit different than my personal demand. Because many businesses had to close down their in-person locations, they lost many sales and as a result I’m sure many firms exited the economy due to struggling financial conditions. This resulted in a reduced supply or reduced number of firms total available to supply products for online shopping. Other factors also influenced supply, such as labor shortages and supply chain issues. Demand is a little more complicated. The pandemic left many jobless and this decrease in income would lead to a decrease in demand for online shopping. Although some people, such as me, had increased demand and preferences for online shopping, overall that doesn’t necessarily translate to an overall market increase in demand. Thus, this factor for demand was likely much more influential than influences in demand, such as increased clothing advertisements on social media, because employment surged to extremely high rates during the pandemic. Consumers can have preferences, but will mostly act in line with their budget constraints. This meant there was an overall decrease in demand. When supply and demand both shift at the same time, there will be a decrease in quantity, but the effect on price is unclear. There are many factors and more specific numbers that would be needed to determine whether price increased or decreased during specific phases of the pandemic, such as the initial onset in March 2020, surges in cases during 2021 and 2022, and declining cases in 2023. 

[iusedtousemyrealname]

I don't think that it's correct that the modern Left is influenced by Marxist economics, per se. I think that groups in a very broad group of people who only interact with Marx through very skeptical and selective lenses (e.g. Leftists who are based in Continental Philosophy, Critical Race Theory (which is highly critical of Marxist thought on every level) and its proponents, and the Environmental/Green folk.) While there may be some broad agreement on accepting certain Marxist sociological terms, they're more foundational for the discourse and not broadly accepted as true in the original intent of the terms (I think a parallel can be drawn between Freud and psychology which uses Freudian terms and ideas but overtly rejects significant parts of Freudian thought.) Having hung around in Leftist circles for sometime I'll also say that the people who are true Orthodox Marxists in so far as quoting Marx by chapter and verse tend to get treated as bizarre weirdos who are tankie adjacent if not secret tankies waiting to show Stalinist colours (whether or not that's a fair assessment of their beliefs, I'll leave up to you.)

I also think there's three sort of things that prevent Modern Leftist/Marxist Economic Thought from getting more widely circulated in the public consciousness.

Most academic Economics departments are wildly hostile to Marxist thought and ideas, and engage with them in only the most barebones ways. (Put a gun to your average Econ PhD's head and make them try to explain the Labor theory of Value and they'll get it wrong. If you press them on if they've ever read any OG Marx they'll flail. This is an experience I enjoy inflicting on Econ Grad Students. A little treat of Sadism.) There are, and I have received this second hand, maybe five or six Marxist friendly Econ grad departments across the US, and they have a very very hard time getting their grads placed. As such the vibrancy of Marxist economic thought in English is rough, and while it's much more widely discussed overseas (Europe and Asia, notably, approach Marxist thought through a much more modern lens, but little of that gets through the language barrier.)

Those that do write about Marxism in English are either super technical and frankly uninteresting to broader discourse (I have read a couple books on financialization from a Marxist perspective, it was rough) or are fucking odd-balls who it's difficult to understand holistically (looking at you, Yanis Varoufakis.)

Finally, there's been an inversion in political thought over the years. The original OG proponents of the MARKET and its POWER from an ideological bend in the 19th century basically made an argument that there was a limitation on resources and the market was necessary to efficiently allocate resources in a time of scarcity, while Marx and the OG Left (as we'd understand it now) said there was an abundance of resources and the Rich were hogging it all. To riff on something that Deleuze and Guattari mention in passing, if you believe in scarcity there is, in fact, an underlying logic to capitalism and the market that's hard to deny. However, modern thought essentially posits that scarcity really isn't a thing anymore. 21st Century capitalist dogma says that Capitalism causes massive abundance that is potentially infinite, while Leftist dogma (and I paint with a very broad brush here) all agrees more or less that there's fundamentally a dangerous overproduction (or overconsumption) of goods and services and that there needs to be a societal level paring down of at least certain forms of economic activity.

The takeaway from that is once you accept that we live in a time of abundance then dealing with major Leftist concerns like inequity and climate change are fundamentally questions of redistribution and limitations, in other words they are problems of politics and discussing them in the context of economics doesn't make a lot of sense. However, Marxist sociological thought (notably class analysis) becomes super useful for the terminology to both explain why political solutions to what appear to be obvious problems like climate change, poverty, illiteracy, etc. are ignored and also useful to explore past failures of the Left (one of CRT's core questions: Why is it that whenever the Proletariat organize Black folk are left out?)

It's genuinely really odd how fixated modern leftism is on writings that are like 150 years old now. Like...economics is different now! Marx can only tell us so much about a world he never saw, and which operated by fundamentally different means.

[aqenn]

also apparently it's hip with the kids to lie about your age so you can use tinder. who knew

[wxshing-aep]

“We were not eye-f*cking!” (pt 1)

Andrew Garfield x famous! reader

One Rule Series

In which Y/n and Andrew were, in fact, eye fucking

Rating: PG 13 (swearing, sexual themes, drinking, two oblivious and horny dumbasses in love, cliche costars falling for each other)

all characters are ages 20-22.  Andrew is 21, Reader is 20. In this universe only Tobey’s spider-man movies have been made so Tom and Andrew are not spider-man. I also use current young Hollywood actors as characters so it’s basically present day except Andrew is the same age as them if that makes sense!

a/n: I’m thinking of making this a series? or like a collection of one shots or something idk this is also my first time ever writing a fic I normally just read them so feedback is def appreciated! 

It was your first legitimate acting role: a Netflix show somewhere between a Euphoria and Friends set in college

One rule. The director, Mindy Kaling, literally gave you one rule before you even started filming. She was pretty aware of how things among a bunch of young actors would go so she gathered together the main cast for her grand speech

“Don’t date your costars” It was pretty straight-forward. Something about ‘keeping the chemistry alive for the integrity of the series’ blah blah avoiding a ‘potentially horrible breakup so you don’t hate each other’ blah ‘I’m serious’ blah blah blah

The warning was warranted. I mean if you have a bunch of hot college aged people working on a set together for months something’s bound to happen eventually. And you wanted to pay attention, you really did. You take your work seriously, but he had these stupid cute brown eyes and stupid cute hair and stupid dimples and stupid cute face and-

You get the point

so in the midst of your daydreams you’re not really paying attention to her warning… and neither is Andrew

At least you were trying to make it look like you were listening and had your eyes focusing one Mindy while your mind was elsewhere. Andrew simply either did not give a fuck or was a complete dumbass because unbeknownst to you, his eyes were fixed on you through Mindy’s entire speech only looking up after hearing Mindy clear her throat to find that she was looking directly at him

She finishes with an “I mean it, keep it in your pants” without breaking eye contact with him and he nods aggressively along with the rest of his cast mates and tries his best to act as if your pretty face wasn’t engraved into the back of his mind 

You were super excited for this job, the show was expected to be huge, Netflix’s next big hit and to be honest you were a bit surprised when you got a call from your manager saying that you booked the job. It wasn’t that you didn’t think you were a good actress: you were and you know that. There were just a lot of big names on this project.  The show followed the lives of 4 main girls as they navigated college: the drama, the schoolwork,  the relationships, the parties;  and you were cast alongside Zendaya, Florence Pugh, and Hunter Schafer so it’s understandable that you were a little intimidated

You weren’t aware of this but the casting directors loved you since they saw your first audition: a self tape sent in from your tiny New York City apartment. And they were absolutely sold after your screen test with Andrew Garfield who had already been cast and your character was a potential love interest for his so they wanted to see how you two paired together

You played Ashlynn “Ash” Douglass: an impressive student with impressive fashion sense, high school valedictorian and debate team captain with a smart mouth but the intellect to back it up. You were really excited to explore the different facets of this character and see what’s lying behind her somewhat icy exterior

Andrew played Max Kingston: who seems like he’d be a typical daddy’s money Econ major frat boy, but he’s actually one of the only people on campus that had the intellect to challenge Ash (a nickname he refuses to call her, always opting for the full ‘Ashlynn’ and always accompanied with a teasing smirk that drives her up a wall, she can’t stand the douchebag… for now

Because of the potential enemies to lovers dynamic that the directors were looking for with your characters they thought a chemistry read was necessary. It was the first scene where your characters meet: the script comprised of a lot of snarky and witty banter back and forth and a lot of underlying sexual tension. You two were electric on screen and it was no wonder that you got along so well off screen.

It didn’t take long for you to develop a crush I mean have you seen him?And he’s not just hot, like he’s definitely hot, but you think you could listen to him talk forever and you simply just really liked being around him.

After a while on set you two were nearly inseparable and it was rare to see one of you without the other. You were positive that Andrew only saw you as a friend (you’re generally a bit oblivious to these kinds of things) and never really noticed his longing stares or the way his eyes would light up when he spoke about you to anyone else

You tried your best to be as inconspicuous about your crush as possible because you think you’d die if he found out. You were clueless to the fact that he harbored feelings for you and you’d be beyond embarrassed if he knew you were into him and it was one sided so you kept it to yourself

Or at least you thought you did

Eventually you wrapped season 1 and did, in fact, successfully keep it in your pants even though Andrew had a few shirtless scenes that definitely tested your self control because damn you wanted to run your tongue down his abs

Thank god the relationship between your characters was still mostly enemies because if your lips had touched his you’re pretty sure all self control would be out the window

After filming season 1, you thought it’d be nice to host a pool party at the house the show directors had put you up in in LA which you were incredibly grateful for, it was much nicer than anywhere you’d ever lived with a huge pool outside and plenty of rooms for guests.

The show premiered on Netflix tomorrow and since the main cast (consisting of you, Zendaya, Florence and Hunter as well as Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Timothée Chalamet had gotten very close during filming you wanted to throw a little rager get together to celebrate.

Hunter offered to bring the drinks since you were still 20 and therefore couldn’t buy the alcohol. The girls came over a bit earlier just to have a bit of girl time before the guys showed up. You guys had basically become a girl gang in real life similar to the way your characters were. You texted in the group chat, because of course you have a group chat, that the front door would be unlocked.

You were in the process of trying on a new bathing suit, a red bikini, you’d just bought when Hunter and Zendaya burst through the front door, Hunter holding a bottle of tequila in one hand and vodka in the other.

“I’VE GOT THE DRINKS BITCH- holy shit you look hot! Andrew’s gonna lose his fucking mind” she says nonchalantly while placing the bottles on the counter alongside some snacks and mixers that you had set out for everyone. You laughed nervously followed by a “what’s that supposed to mean?” while you put on your cover up

Without missing a beat Z responds with “girl don’t act like we didn’t see you two eye-fucking each other everyday on set”

“We- I- we were not eye-fucking” you respond just as Florence had arrived and without any other context besides your previous statement joins the conversation with an “oooh are we talking about Andrew and y/n’s super obvious eye fu-“ 

“WE WERE NOT EYE FUCKING!” you said incredulously only to met with an “mhmm sure keep telling yourself that babe” from Hunter. “You guys are delusional” you defended. “mm I’m not sure that we’re the delusional ones” Z answered.

“We’re just friends” “See no one who is actually just friends with someone has ever had to say that statement” Flo countered. You huffed “Guys I’m serious, there is absolutely nothing going on between me and-“ you’re interrupted by the sound the front door opening.

You had your back turned toward the door and it nearly hit you as it swung open and you’re greeted by Tom followed by Andrew and Timothée who had also decided to bring drinks “Sorry love” he apologizes for nearly taking you out with your front door

“There’s nothing going on between you and who?” Timothée asks curiously. nosy little shit

“Yea I wanna know” Andrew adds. Your eyes widen slightly as you turn back towards the girls looking for any help out of this situation only to see them all looking at you humorously “yea y/n”, Z adds teasingly  “Andrew wants to know” which earns her a chuckle from Flo and a discreet flash of your middle finger

You grab the nearest bottle of alcohol and turn back towards the boys “There’s nothing going on between me and this bottle of-“ you squint to read the label “tequila! And we should fix that immediately! Shots anyone?” which was met with a chorus of yes’s

After a couple rounds of shots everyone headed to the pool and you threw your cover up onto one of the lawn chairs and just jumped in with the other girls and Timothée who had already been in the pool for about ten minutes yelling something about wanting to “destroy literally everyone in a chicken fight” (that pool game where you have a partner and are on their shoulders trying to push the other person off)

Little did you know, Andrew was in fact losing his mind over the red bikini you were wearing

It’s not that he didn’t know you were hot, he definitely knew, but fuck seeing you in that bikini was enough make him weak in the knees

In his defense he’d never seen that much of your skin before and that bikini made you look oh so tempting

And he considers himself to be a gentleman, he really does, but now he’s a little tipsy and your tits, god your tits (and he’s not even a boob guy. he considers himself an equal opportunist and at this point he might just be a you guy) are decorated in this beautiful red fabric that stirs something low in his stomach. He’s trying his best but he can’t help it and his eyes wander and end up glued to your figure watching as the water drips down your body and now he’s thinking about how it would feel to have his hands explore every inch of you and- fuck he needs to look away before his swim shorts suddenly become far too tight so with a shake of his head he muttered a “keep it in your pants, Garfield” to himself to snap himself out of it and forces himself to look away from your beautiful face and equally beautiful body that made him want to take you against the nearest-

Keep it in your pants, Garfield

He looked away and hoped he hadn’t been too obvious but judging from the way that Tom was smirking at him, arms crossed and shaking his head adding a cheeky “need a cold shower bro?” he’d been a bit obvious. He turned a little red in the face and responded with a “Fuck off mate” throwing his shirt at him while Tom laughed and Andrew made his way to the pool

Oddly enough the guys had a similar conversation with andrew in your driveway to the one you’d had with the girls before they’d come inside where basically bullied teased him about being absolutely whipped over a girl he’d never even kissed

“I’m not whipped, I just really like hanging out with her. She’s just one of my best friends” which made Timothée scoff. “No dude I’m ‘just one of your best friends’. Y/n is your favorite person on the planet and also you want her to have your children. There’s a difference” “Even if I was into her which I’m not” yeaaa no one was buying that “it’s not like I could do anything about it. Mindy made it pretty clear that she doesn’t want us dating cast members” “Right but she never said anything about hand stuff so you could probably at least get to second ba-“ Tom was cut off by Andrew smacking him in the back of the head. “I’m pretty sure the phrase ‘keep it in your pants’ also applies to hand stuff you git”

Andrew had been in the pool all of two seconds and was immediately brought out of the memory by you splashing him in the face and you honestly might as well have just declared war against him and questioned his honor because he retaliates instantly earning a giggle from you and god that is his favorite sound in the world. Your little water fight ended with him grabbing both of your hands and pinning your wrists together so you’d stop splashing him. “I’ll take that as you deciding to surrender” you quipped and he laughs. “I’ve literally pinned your hands together love”. You take a half step towards him “Yea but maybe that was my goal” You didn’t mean for it to come off as flirty as it did but hey you were several shots in and now this adonis of a man was shirtless and inches away from you. Andrew had to blink a few times to make sure he hadn’t just fabricated that entire encounter in his mind

Your little moment was interrupted by Florence demanding that everyone take more shots: an idea that Timothée decided to turn into a game by having a chicken tournament in the pool where every time you and your partner lose you take a shot.

After a good amount of rounds and a good amount of shots, the only person you hadn’t been partnered with yet was Andrew. Hunter and Flo had abandoned the game in favor of of some nearby pool floatie and Timothée just about sprinted into your kitchen when you told him you had mini corndogs in the freezer that he could make if he wanted

“Alright Daya lets kick some ass” Tom says to Z as she’s perched on his shoulders and she laughs which she’s been doing at almost everything Tom has said during this entire endeavor (like we get he’s funny but he’s not that funny) but right now you’re not sober enough to care so you store that information away for later and turn towards Andrew. “Alright you ready?” “Hell yea”

Andrew is an absolute ray of sunshine but he’s also extremely competitive and would also never pass up an opportunity to have his head between your thighs so he’s very excited for this game. He submerges himself so you can get on his shoulders and comes back up. You move his hair out of his eyes for him as he steadies you, anchoring you to his shoulders with his hands on your thighs and god do his hands feel nice on you.

“Ready-“ Timmy decided to return to the poolside with a plate of mini corn dogs to officiate and record this momentous occasion on his phone. “Set. Go!” Now the thing is you are also competitive as hell so if there’s one thing you’re gonna do, it’s win and after about a minute you manage to push Z off of Tom’s shoulders earning cheers from your friends. Andrew lowers himself to let you down but hooks his arms back around your legs when they drop near his waist so he’s now giving you a piggy back ride. He rubs small circles on your leg with his thumb and you rest your head on his shoulder but no one is sober enough to make a smart comment about the slightly more than friendly nature of your current behavior. A new conversation starts but neither of you are really paying attention. Andrew turns his head towards you causing you to look at him. No one’s paying attention to the two of you but you still decide to send him a playful “stop staring”. He just smirks, his face inches from yours. “M’not staring” He dares to nudge his face a little closer to yours “I’m admiring” he says in a whisper so low that you think you’d miss it if you weren’t this close to him and you’re now nose to nose and with your body still pressed against him and with the way he was looking you- okay maybe there was some occasional eye fucking between you two- you were about to throw all caution to the wind and just fuck it (or more importantly fuck him) when-

“GUYS TWITTER IS SAYING THEY’VE PUT CARS 2 ON DISNEY PLUS! EVERYONE GET YOUR ASS INSIDE WE’RE HAVING A MOVIE MARATHON RIGHT NOW” Flo yells from the poolside chair that she’s claimed and you and Andrew are pulled from your little moment as he sets you down to follow the others inside

“I’m not sure if two movies counts as a marathon Flo” you comment. “Well, good thing it’s 3 movies then” “Mm cars 3 is more of a spin off-“

As you grab you towel and dry off by the pool before heading inside you sneak a glance and Andrew who’s drying off a few feet away only to find that those brown eyes are already on you, both of you thinking the same thing: god I’m fucked.

-

read part 2 here!

god that was way longer than I expected lol but andrew x costar reader so true!

[icysab]

~ badboy!jungkook x smartass nerd!reader ~

genre/what to expect: e2l ft. sexual tension, college au

warnings: swearing, bad grades lmao

wordcount: around 1k

a/n: alr so although this idea might be incredibly overused, i will be using it anyway cuz this fic is v self indulgent lmao. also, this has been sitting in my drafts for like,,, almost a year now, so i just decided fuck it. if ppl like it, maybe ill turn it into a whole fic? idk lemme know what y’all think. but for now, i am not planning on prioritizing updates for this.

also random disclaimer: i don’t know a fuck ton about how korean college works so i’m basing this on the experience in my country. if i screwed somethin up please that’s totally different in korea correct me so i can fix it </3

college had really been a bore lately.

you had been berated by your high school teachers, claiming that "college is harder, professors don't care about you, you have to study," and whatever other bullshit they liked to spew. but unsurprisingly, college was never particularly difficult. and now, halfway through your junior year, you still don't even really bother studying. as long as you don't flunk out, why does it matter? just suck up to the profs a bit, and you're set. who gives a shit if you're a teachers pet when you're on track to graduating top of your class? you never really cared what others thought anyways.

there was only one catch: when you got bored, you tended to slack off. and now, you—top of your class poli sci major—currently has a c- in your behavioral econ course.

and that is certainly not acceptable.

"you know, you're one of the best students in my class. i'm very disappointed in your recent grades".

you force yourself to keep a serious look, and refrain from rolling your eyes while forcing a nod.

you plaster on an expression of false understanding and tell the professor, "i'm very sorry. i really do want to excel in this class," while bowing your head slightly.

he hums to himself, clearly contemplating something.

"just because i know how much effort you put into this class, i'll offer you an opportunity to earn extra credit," he says after what feels like an eternity. "i have a student in econ 101 that needs extra help. if you were to tutor him twice a week, and his scores were to improve significantly, then i'll raise your grade to an a".

you have to prevent yourself from smirking. it really does pay to be a suck-up.

"i'd love to!" you lie between your teeth, giving the poor professor your best faux smile. "i'm so thankful for this opportunity, and i'll work my hardest. thank you!"

well, you certainly dodged a bullet there. or you hoped. as long as the kid you're stuck tutoring isn't a little bitch, then you should have no problem securing your a.

the professor had emailed you the students contact information, and told you to set up meetings with them. all you knew was that his name is justin seagull or something, and he's completely flunking econ.

which, how do you even manage to do? that's like, the easiest class.

not that you're complaining; it works out all the better for you. and hey, maybe you can make a new friend!

earlier in the week, you had coordinated with the dude you're tutoring via email to meet on thursday at 3pm for an hour and a half, which so happens to be today. at around 2:45, during your long break in between classes, you head over to the agreed upon location for your first tutoring sesh: the undergrad library. at precisely 2:55, you take a seat at one of the benches near the entrance of the library, deciding to wait so you don't miss him.

even if you really didn't want to be stuck tutoring, you were still going to put in an effort; you really did want to help whoever needed it. just because you'd rather not spend your thursday afternoons teaching econ doesn't mean you wanted to screw the dude over and waste his time.

you pull out your phone and begin to mindlessly

scroll on instagram out of boredom.

at 3:04, you begin to wonder where he is, and if he's okay.

at 3:11, you start to get a little annoyed, but you try to remind yourself that maybe he got held up somewhere, or somethings wrong.

at 3:32, you shoot him a text.

at 3:57, still no response.

at 4:13, you say fuck it and decide to head home.

at 6 fucking pm, he has the audacity to send you a text.

jk: sorry. i was busy.

what could he have possibly been so busy with that he couldn't of even texted you beforehand, only god knows. all you know is that you're pissed. you had prepared a whole plan for this first session, made a list of important topics to cover, and even did research on the best ways to teach. all for you to be ignored, cast aside like you were unimportant.

you quickly shoot him a text back.

you: whatever it’s fine, let’s just schedule for another day

you: when works?

your phone dings.

jk: idk i have to check with my schedule

god, what a fucking asshole.

you swallow your pride as best as you can and type out a response.

you: well, lmk when you’re free ^-^

your phone dings after a moment.

jk: do we really have to do this?

jk: i mean idk abt you but i don’t really want to spend my time getting tutored

you roll your eyes and grit your teeth.

you: mm that kinda sucks for you but yea we do have to

you: so like i said, when works?

and you know what he fucking does??

he fucking leaves you on read.

that asshole.

you take a deep breath and attempt to calm down before all hell is let loose.

[isaacathom]

im gonna elaborate bc i can only say the same thing on xitter so many times so :)

the core of the HS au is the study group - Kirsty, Delia, Filip, Noelle, and Zachary. these 5 come to be friends through a rambling chain. Noelle and Kirsty have been best friends since primary school, though only started officially dating recently. Through Noelle being a very academic-minded student, she befriends Zachary, a younger student in an advanced program that has seen them doing higher year level classes for a bit. Through Zachary, they're introduced to Delia, who is not in an advanced pathway but is doing a variety of fairly cerebral classes, like eng lit and physics, and so sharing a few of them with both Zachary and Noelle depending on context.

Filip comes in through Kirsty - the above chart is inaccurate, as both of them are on the school basketball team/s, and have been for a few years.

the study group is hosted at Kirsty's uncle's house, which is located pretty close to school. It started late the previous year and has continued into the final year for Noelle/Kirsty/Filip, with the latter only really being there when he's doing nothing else.

basic bit:

Noelle is a trans lesbian who recently came out to her family and got kicked out over it, now staying either with her girlfriend or with her aunt, who lives a decent train ride away. Her twin brother Quentin is very chiil, but her two younger siblings (Olivier and Marie-Louise) are nightmares in their own way. Noelle likes History and Physics, with a particular love in her heart for space and the stars.

Kirsty is a lesbian, staying alternatingly with her lovely family or with her uncle, largely because her family lives a decent clip away and her uncle is happy to host her and her friends. She's a social butterfly who makes friends easily, and loves to help. Study group was her idea, even though she's not remotely the most studious in the group. She's going business and econ.

Delia is a cishet woman who is, for lack of term, minmaxing her grades. She's deliberately taking the harder classes to bolster her percentages, and is putting in the work to make that successful, with varying results per class. She is also a deep lover of music and the arts, and so to make up for not taking near-any humanities classes (bad for percentages), she takes music lessons outside of school (piano and violin) and has performed in every school musical since she got here. English lit is the class she does best at.

Zachary is an enby who is the definition of a nerd. in an advanced pathway as well as balancing various extracurriculars, zachary adores learning more than most things, and loves to share their knowledge with their friends whenever possible. They work at their parent's secondhand bookshop, and like to volunteer for library events. They specialise in Eng Lit in particular.

Filip is a hot mess bi man who barely wants to be at school at all. He's at least a year older than his cohort due to having been kept down a year, and is very much trying to get the damn thing over with. He's on his P plates and drives an old Nissan Navara he got fifth hand off a guy. Clearly does not and has not lived at his parent's house in over a year, bouncing around wherever he can. Is doing an apprenticeship as a building carpenter, and only really enjoys sports classes.

The plot, such that it is, revolves around the year that N/K/F are in their final year. Over the summer Noelle came out to her family and got kicked out, and Filip came close to simply not returning to school at all, only being convinced to do so by members of the school basketball team (which includes Kirsty).

Early in the year, when the school holds auditions for that years musical, they get a disappointing turnout. To save the show, which Delia so adores doing, she works to convince the study group to all audition. Kirsty and Zachary do so eagerly, though its noted that Zachary is quite a wooden performer whose main strength is script memory. Noelle takes quite a lot of convincing, eventually agreeing on the proviso she gets a minor role with few lines. She tries her best, and Kirsty insists she has great stage presence once she forgets she's on it. Filip refuses doggedly, despite Kirsty and Delia insisting he greatly suits a particular role and would make a competent singer and dancer.

It takes the intervention of Ms Calliope Desmond, the musical's choreographer (and possibly director) to convince him that, okay, if you don't want to be on stage, you could help with suit building or as a stage hand? He agrees to that. He still ends up attending a lot of the rehearsals to support his friends, when he's able.

a few more people join the musical in some capacity off the study group - Zachary invites their younger sibling Paz to audition, and Paz's twin Shani will be involved in the orchestra as a member of the school band. Noelle's twin brother Quentin also auditions, "for fun", he says.

During the school year, Delia gets into an "incident", which she broadlt refuses to detail but evidently involves her, her dad, and her dad's car. After missing a week of school, she ends up in a very similar situation to Filip - crashing on whoever's couch is available. At some point, the two end up doing this together, leading to a widespread rumour that the two are dating. this is a change of pace from the two's usual dating rumours, which involving the leading man in the play and the center of the girl's basketball team, respectively. Filip, incidentally, is utterly unaware of any of these rumours and is decidedly NOT dating Delia.

there's also a sense that, over the course of the year, that things are not great in Zachary's house, but because of their age its a lot harder for them to simply 'fuck off' like 3/5s of the study group have done.

it probably sort of comes to this idea, for the group, that the way to make the year 'good' is for the musical to go incredibly well. its not even like they need to save a community theatre or whatever, there are no material stakes, its about what the kids need, cathartically. Filip even probably says at some point that he's mostly sticking around to see the musical through.

i think it does go well for them, ultimately. the sorts of issues happen that you expect with amateur theatre, people forget their lines and mess up their placements, miss their cues, whatever. delia possibly nearly misses the first night entirely until filip takes that busted navara and goes out of his way to pick her up or something. noelles sister marie-louise tries to sabotage the play is some orchestrated and nonsensical way that is ultimately self-destructive/gets others hurt, whichever is more interesting at the time. but things turn out alright. the musical goes well. by final night noelle has relaxed enough to be a better performer. zachary has had some specific 'liveners' introduced to their performance to make it less stiff. filip spends most of the show backstage helping people costume change and preparing set pieces for getting sent on stage. it goes well. its nice.

:)

my friend pondered a highschool au for their ttrpg ocs, and then i went 'hmm. interesting. what if my ocs?' and then, well,