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mermaidcashton · 5 years ago

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if i knew you were comin’

author: claire (@mermaidcashton) ship/AU: ashton irwin/reader, baker AU prompt: “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I have no idea what I’m doing. I almost never do.” wordcount: 3344 warnings: swearing a/n: • written for @maluminspace & @h0tsos ‘s 5sos fic writers collab (in which we all chose from a list of AU’s and had the above prompt quote to include - check out the masterlist linked to see everyone elses!) • i do not give permission for this (or any of my writing) to be reposted, by anyone, on this or any other website. please don’t do it! • title from ‘if i knew you were comin' i'd've baked a cake’ by eileen barton if i knew you were comin’ ***

It would have been a real cliché had it been pouring with rain, the first time you saw him. If an unexpected thunderstorm in June had sent you into the little hipster bakery by necessity, a beacon of shelter in the form of a black & white sign that said ‘Dagger & Snake Bakehouse’. As it was, you were simply hungry in the rich sunshine, miles from home, and a sucker for bagels. That wasn’t very rom-com, really.

The cliché came in when you saw him for the first time; laugh bright on his face, flour in his pillar box red hair. You felt every love-at-first-sight trope possible in that moment; brass band playing, lightning striking, arrows piercing.

But it was raining now - slowly but with determination from the grey September sky - and you felt it, still.

***

The old fashioned bell above the heavy door rang out as you pushed your way into the bakery, immediately feeling enveloped in warmth. You shook off the excess water pooling on your umbrella out of the open door before you let it close as gently as possible behind you, spinning back around to assess the scene before you.

The shop was an assault on the senses every time you visited; the smell of 50 different baked goods intermingling and somehow achieving a harmony in your nose, the sound of the eclectic playlist they kept adding to filling the shop, and the assault on the eyes came in the form of bright hanging lights, extensive art on the walls, and the staff themselves.

“Hello, you! Get in here; it’s horrible out there!”

You smiled widely, genuinely, at the greeting. “Hey, Calum! How are you?” You replied, stepping up to the counter. Calum ran his hand over his very short blonde hair with a smile that you were sure accounted for at least 25% of their sales. Not that you’d know; only one of the co-owners kept you spending more than you could really afford on focaccia bread, and he was nowhere to be seen.

“Can’t complain, real-well, actually, I can,” Calum changed his mind mid-sentence, face growing indignant. “Ash went to drop the banking off at Natwest 30 minutes ago, and Luke was due 5 minutes before you walked in, and I’m dying for a piss, and I-” The bell above the door shook like a hurricane had just come through the door, and in the form of a 6’2” blonde streak of limbs, it kind of had. “Sorry, sorry, I’m he-woah!” Luke skidded across the shiny white floor on his damp black Converse, windmilling his long arms until he caught one of only three tables in the place, and brought himself to a jolting stop.

Calum rolled his eyes. “This fucken’ guy.” He muttered, but you could see the fondness painted all over his golden brown face. “Luke, I need to pee; look after our best customer for me!” Calum bolted out from behind the counter, showing off his black tank top and pinstriped trousers as he pulled his black branded apron off on his way to the door marked ‘STAFF ONLY’ across the shop. You could hear his Doc Martens squeaking on the tiles as he disappeared through the door and Luke took his place behind the counter, chucking his backpack through the archway that attached the shop to the bakery’s kitchen. “Ooh, Ashton won’t like finding your backpack in his kitchen when he gets back!” You tease, leaning onto the ledge that separates you from Luke. The absent baker was very particular about his immaculate commercial kitchen and everything in it, and you knew something would definitely be said about the fact that Luke’s wet backpack was now lying on the floor by the ovens. Calum had once told you about a time he had simply moved Ashton’s sourdough starter across the kitchen, and the incident that had followed (and lasted for three days). “Ooh, won’t he!” Luke cooed, tying his own D&S Bakehouse apron with a messy bow on his stomach. “You’d know, being our resident Ashton expert and all.” You felt the flush begin to bloom on your cheeks before you saw it reflected in Luke’s stupid stainless steel coffee machine. You stuck your chin out as defiantly as possible. “I don’t know what that means, and I also don’t care. I’d like a Flat White, please, barista!” Luke clutched his chest with a large hand, gasping dramatically. “So harsh! My own job title! You missed ‘Retail Assistant’ and ‘Shop Hunk’, but I’ll forgive you because I know you’re having Ashton withdrawals right now. Haven’t seen you since last week, kiddo!” Opting to ignore his needling about the Ashton situation, you set your own backpack on the floor as you let out a sigh. “Yeah, it’s been a bit chaotic this week. But I said I’d try and come by today, and I can’t live without Calum’s doughnuts much longer, so here I am.” “Yeah, that’s definitely what you can’t live without.” Luke snorted, filling the portafilter with coffee grounds. The staff door swung open before you could respond, Calum sailing back into the bakery. “Does he come with an off switch?” You groaned, shaking your head at the bottle blonde as he laughed and groaned with you. “God, if he did, I’d use it so often he’d never be ‘on’.” “You love me, they love me, everybody loves me!” Luke sang at volume as the coffee machine began to grind and whir. Calum rolled his eyes as he shut the door to the counter. “The girls from the high school down the street love you, I’ll give you that, but that’s about it.” “The boys, too.” Luke wiggled his eyebrows at you ridiculously, tapping the used coffee grounds into the bin with a flourish. You couldn’t help but giggle; you’d grown so fond of Luke and Calum in the three months you’d been visiting the bakery that you considered them friends. And as you started examining the case in front of you, filled with the most delicious looking cakes, pastries and doughnuts you’d ever seen, you thought that surely friends with access to coffee and baked goods were the best friends to have. “What are you thinking, love?” Calum asked, watching your eyes flick between peanut butter brownies and cinnamon rolls. “I don’t know; everything always looks so good!” You whined. “I think I’m definitely in the mood for something sweet, though.” “I’m right here, baby!” Luke trilled as he placed a steaming cup on the counter, looking very pleased with himself. “Do I need to tell Michael about this flirty behaviour, Luke?” Calum teased. Luke shrugged, completely nonplussed. “If you want. He’s so hot when he gets jealous.” Calum rolled his eyes again as he made his way into the kitchen. “Luke, move your backpack before Ash gets back unless you want to get bollocked!” He called over his shoulder. “Uh oh, too late.” Luke groaned, looking past you through the glass of the shop front, moments before the shop bell sounded out for a third time. You would definitely play it cool and not turn around if it was anyone but Ashton; you swear, this man is actually magnetic. The Hall & Oates’ song coming from the speakers seems to slow down as he comes into your line of sight, like in every movie you’ve ever seen with a leading man half as gorgeous as this one. Ashton was wearing his signature black boots and ripped jeans, with a white tank top and the leather jacket that you were sure would smell just like him; flour, grapefruit, sandalwood and whatever he used to put his hair into any of the styles that drove you so crazy. Today he had that one styled curl falling onto his face, and right now it was soaked and sending a trail of water down to drop from his chiseled jaw. “You took your time, bread boy.” Calum called from the kitchen, doing Luke a solid of hiding his backpack underneath the furthermost kitchen counter as he did. Ashton huffed out half a laugh, running both hands through his wet hair and bending forward to shake it off as much as he could. “I don’t even only bake bread! Why do you insist on calling me that? Especially in front of my favourite customer.” Despite knowing that you were currently the only customer in the bakery, your brain immediately began questioning whether or not he was referring to you. Then, he straightened up with his arms high, hands slicking his red hair back, and looked straight at you with unwavering eye contact. “Hey.” That one word, combined with those eyes and him looking like he was in 2020’s answer to a Whitesnake video dragged your heart straight into your throat. “Hey.” You echoed, hoping you were imagining the slightly breathless quality to your voice. Ashton’s serious-supermodel face broke into his brightest smile - seemingly just for you - before he began to stride past you to head behind the counter, shrugging his wet jacket off as he went. “I see you’re sorted with a drink; what have you chosen to eat? Or is this a flying visit?” “I was just doing my usual, actually.” You replied, dragging your eyes away from the tattoos on his arms to glance back down at the many glass cases of treats. “Struggling to decide?” Ashton teased lightly, tying his apron strings into a bow at his waist. You giggled, feeling inordinately pleased that he knew exactly what you meant. “Well, my lattices should be cool by now. Cal?” Ashton called into the kitchen, where the sound of stand mixers could now be heard. You hadn’t even noticed Calum leaving the shop to bake in the back. As you realised Luke was also nowhere to be seen, the assistants’ head appeared from the side of the archway. “Calum says he is a very busy man and he thought you had things under control out here.” You frowned slightly, not understanding the inflection the blonde had put on ‘under control’. Must be a private joke; one that made Ashton steadily flush down his neck. “Shut up, Luke! I just want the top tray on the cooling rack by the main pantry, please.” Luke tapped his head with two fingers in an ‘aye aye, Captain’ gesture and momentarily vanished from view. Ashton cleared his throat, directing his words back to you. “I thought you said you were going to try and come by today. I made Cherry & Custard Lattices earlier; you love cherry, right?” You didn’t know what to say, so opted to just stare back at Ashton in surprise until you saw doubt in his eyes. “Yes! I did, say that, and I do - love cherry. You remembered that?” The smile on your face felt like it was spread impossibly wide, over your cheeks and beyond. “Of course! I’m glad you’re here, actually…” “Here you go!” Luke said, sounding almost gleeful as he put the tray of pastries on the worktop behind Ashton. Normally, you would expect Luke to arrange them in a space in one of the cabinets and carefully handwrite a little sign for them, but not today, apparently. He was already taking strides back to the kitchen to help Calum, throwing you both a look over his shoulder that was definitely cheeky. “Go get ‘em, tiger!” Ashton went so unbelievably red that it made his flush from before look like his natural skin tone. For lack of something to do with yourself in a confusing, slightly awkward situation that you didn’t fully understand, you picked up the coffee Luke had made for you and took a small sip. Ashton took a breath and seemed to steel himself for something. “I’ve got something to ask you.” He cocked his head slightly to one side before taking a slightly wistful tone. “Do you remember the day we met?” *** You looked up at the stark sign above the world’s most appetising window display. ‘Dagger & Snake Bakehouse’. It was a little after your usual lunchtime and you were starving. You’d never been to this place before, but you could see slices of puff pastry topped with everything you could imagine; asparagus, pesto, goats cheese, tomatoes, bacon, mushrooms - all topped with melted cheese, so that was that. You made your way through the glossy black door into the bakery, and were struck by how cool it looked inside. The main walls were exposed brick painted white, covered with a broad range of paintings, posters, sketches, photographs and signs. Black boards covered in white chalk writing detailing baked goods and hot drinks, opening hours and little doodles. Shelves with all manner of trinkets and decorations adorned any parts of the walls that there wasn’t something else. Sleek white tiles covered the floor, counters and the walls leading off to the restrooms and a door marked ‘STAFF ONLY’. There were ferns and succulents dotted around the place, and recycled glass bottles on a few black cafe tables with a single red rose in each. There were cases and displays of every kind of baked good you could imagine at the counter, running along the windows, and high above the worktops behind the counter. Stevie Wonder segued into Fleetwood Mac over the speakers in the corners,audible above the babble of noise of the customers already in the bakery. A couple at the farthest table were tucking into big slices of two of the most incredible looking cakes you had ever seen in your life. At the till, a girl with a high ponytail and tiny denim shorts was taking a branded pastry box from a tall, skinny-but-somehow-broad guy. Another man with a black hat pulled low on his head brushed his fluffy blonde hair out of his eyes where he sat at one of the tables opposite the counter. He shot the staff member a beaming smile and a thumbs up, then returned his attention to the laptop open on his table. You eagerly made your way forward as the girl with the ponytail began to exit the shop. “Hi! I’m Luke, welcome to Dagger & Snake Bakehouse. What can I get for you?” The worker - Luke - greeted you enthusiastically with a toothy smile. His smile faltered slightly when you asked for an iced coffee to go with your lunch, but before you could think about it, he sprang into action as a second man appeared from an archway beside him, mid laugh. You divert your attention to the newcomer and your heart skips way more than a beat. He was, without question, the most beautiful human you had ever seen in your life. He was tall - though not as tall as Luke, but twice as broad. The muscles in his arms bulged through his t-shirt, and you could see tattoos on his arms and wrists. His hair was in a perfect quiff, and the brightest shade of red you could imagine. You noticed what appeared to be flour speckled across the top of it, and melted slightly more. His face was a set of perfect, sharp angles contrasting with the soft dimples in his cheeks as he laughed. You had never been so aware of every molecule of your own body. You felt tingly and numb and on high alert all at once. The urge to lick your lips was suddenly overwhelming. “How are you getting on, Luke? Did I hear an iced coffee order over Calum’s shenanigans back there?” His voice was like hearing a song on the radio that you haven’t heard in ages but always loved. Luke shook his head and played it cool, whilst the love of your life turned to you with a warm smile. “It’s Luke’s first day! Go easy on him. How is he doing?” “Ashton! I know exactly what I am doing!” Luke sniffed, opening a cabinet door that turns out to be a freezer drawer and scooping ice with confidence. Ashton giggled again and held his hands up in surrender, shooting you another smile before heading around Luke and out onto the bakery floor. You unconsciously followed him with your eyes, across the room to the window cabinets where he began making adjustments to the display. He had to bend and lean to reach the very front, and after allowing yourself a few seconds to stare at his ass in tight, black jeans, you came to your senses and reluctantly diverted your eyes back to the counter. Luke leant conspiratorially towards the counter and you unconsciously mirrored his movement before he began to whisper to you. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I have no idea what I’m doing.” He laughed as he straightened back up and steadied the coffee cup in his hand before continuing in an airy, cheerful voice. “I almost never do!” “I’m sure it’ll be great, don’t worry!” You reassured, casting an eye over the blender Luke was working with now. You were sure it would be. Probably. Your eyes traced the white printed branding that adorned the apron on Luke’s chest; a traditional tattoo style dagger and snake. “Why Dagger & Snake?” “Oh, that’s a question for one of the bossmen! Ashton!” Luke called across the shop. “Yeah?” You jumped at the voice that came from right behind you, spinning around and coming face to face with Ashton wiping his hands on his apron. “Sorry!” Ashton apologised. “I didn’t mean to scare you!” A soft, genuine smile played on his lips as you took in just how hazel his eyes were. You felt like you’d just walked up a flight of 200 stairs. “The lady would like to know why you and Cal named this place Dagger & Snake Bakehouse. Oh, balls.” Something hit the floor behind you, but you paid it no mind as Ashton’s face lit up. “They go together, to mean a bunch of stuff, right? Kept seeing them at tattoo shops, together. They can symbolise healing, the Roman god of luck, good vs evil; loads of cool stuff. But always together; that’s me and Cal - Calum, my best friend, we own this place, 50/50. He got the dagger, I got the snake. Brothers, forever.” Ashton talked with such conviction, and pulled his t-shirt sleeve with enthusiasm as he held his arm out to you, showing you a stark black tattoo of a snake. “That’s so sweet.” You breathed out, without really thinking about it. He looked at you like he hadn’t expected that adjective, but like he was turning it over in his mind. “And cool!” you added, nodding slightly. “You think so?” Ashton smiled, pulling his sleeve back down, looking quietly pleased. You let a few seconds tick by in silence, looking into his eyes to see what you could see. It looked like the whole world. “Yeah, I do.”

***

“Um...I think so, yes.” You thought you were just about straddling the line between casual and so-nervous-you-could-honestly-throw-up-a-little. “I wanted to ask you this that day, but I thought I’d sound so creepy, and unprofessional, and I didn’t want you to think I was a freak, or that I did this all the time, but-” Unless you were projecting, Ashton looked as nervous as you felt. “Ashton, point! Get there!” Luke yelled gleefully from the kitchen, followed immediately by a sound that you were fairly certain was Calum smacking him upside the head. The yelp of ‘Ow!’ that followed it seemed to confirm your suspicions. Ashton faltered slightly, looking embarrassed and mumbling something about ‘idiot’ and ‘fired’. “Ashton.” You reached out your hand and placed it on his where he was nervously drumming on the counter again before you even thought about it. You weren’t sure which of you was more surprised at your involuntary action. Ashton raised his eyes back to you, peering at you with hope in his hazel eyes.“You think I could get your number? Take you out sometime?” You allowed yourself to smile, widely, genuinely, as you knew just how to answer. “Yeah, I do.” *** masterlist for the 5sos ficwriters collab • my masterlist

#5sos writing collab #my writing #mermaidcashton #5sos fic #ashton #ashton irwin #5sos #5 seconds of summer #ashton 5sos #ashton fic #ashton x reader #ashton irwin fic #ashton 5sos fic #5 seconds of summer fic

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seiin-translations · 4 years ago

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2.43 S1 Chapter 3.3 - The Dog’s View and the Giraffe’s View

3. OLD BUDDY

Aoki’s 1000 IQ mind is hinted at here

Also what are the main tags for this fandom???

Translation Notes

1. Pun on Oda’s name. Here the “Shin” is 神 (god) instead of “伸” which is the first kanji in Oda’s first name

2. Okuma’s name 大隈 shares the same pronunciation as 大熊 which means “big bear”

3. The 伸 in Oda’s first name means “lengthen” or “extend”

Previous || Index || Next

“Odaaaa! I’m beggin’ you, play futsal. You can definitely be in the amateur bracket on a pro level.”

“Odacchi! Why aren’t you doing softball? You’re even more reliable than our regular shortstop. Oh, don’t be so modest. I’m not kissing your ass. What’s the point of that?”

“Oda, why volleyball of all things?”

“You don’t have to play volleyball.”

“Oda! No, Oda-Shin!” (1)

The seasons changed, and it was now midway through June. In this rainy season, Oda shook off the group of male scouts who were wearing mud-stained uniforms and jerseys and hot on his heels, and took refuge in the student council room. It sounded good for those who called it a June tradition, but for those who were targeted, it was just a dirty thing.

“I’m comin’ in. Let me hide out a little here.”

Aoki, who seemed too tall for his own good as he tucked himself on a folding chair and stared at documents, looked up. The sign reading “Vice President” stood on one corner of the desks arranged in a square.

“Oh. I can hear it from all the way in here. You’re a popular guy.”

“The member list has already been turned in. I don’t know if they’ve been told by now. Even if they didn’t, I don’t feel like doing anything other than volleyball.”

“Well, no need to be so hard on them. You should be happy that they value you so much.”

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate it…I only dabbled with soccer and baseball in gym. I seriously don’t know why people are giving me so much credit.”

“Is that different from not being aware of your own ability?”

“If it’s volleyball ability, I’m more than aware of it.”

Hearing such a servile and submissive line from himself, he immediately regretted it right after he said it. Aoki was silent for only a moment while looking down at the papers.

“…Did you see who will be participating in volleyball? A whole bunch of stuff came out just now.”

He changed the topic, acting as though he hadn’t heard anything. I’m never a match for how he reads too much into things.

He pulled up the chair that was diagonally across from Aoki, the corner of the desk between them. In addition to him, there were only a pair of underclassmen officers sitting in the corner working on something.

The main event organized by the student council in the first semester, the Seiin Ballgame Festival, was coming in two weeks. The boys’ volleyball team were futilely eliminated from prefecturals at the beginning of the month, and the road to Inter-High and Nationals had just closed. Another one of the three major national championships was the “Spring Inter-High Volleyball” in January. The ballgame tournament during this period was by all rights nothing but a nuisance to their club activities, because they had to restart immediately to prepare for the prefectural qualifiers in September, right after summer vacation.

But for this year, he felt that this cushion was appreciated. He was practicing as usual, but he couldn’t quite switch gears. The handout distributed in class right after the prefecturals was undoubtedly one of the reasons. He had stuffed that handout with the title “Second Future Course Survey” into his locker without filling it in.

“It’s gonna be interesting this year.”

Aoki was handed a clipboard that holding several sheets of paper. It was the list of names for each event in the ballgame tournament.

“The ones with the double circles are pros.”

“Pro” of course didn’t mean pro athletes. It was the internal term for this ballgame tournament that referred to those who belonged to the corresponding sports club for each event. The maximum number of pros was set at three people for each team. The antonym of pro was “amateur”, and those who had experience in middle school or dropped out of their clubs were sometimes called “semi-pro.”

Classes A to F were divided vertically through the grades for a total of six teams. A supreme general would be nominated from the third-years of each team, and they would compete for overall victory with the total points from all the events. Since the captains of the main sports clubs were luckily scattered across the different classes, it was an event that got somewhat heated with the power struggles between the sports clubs.

He viewed the boys’ volleyball participant roster in order, starting from Team A. Team A didn’t have the double circle—for softball and futsal, where there were many qualifying members, there was competition among the members for the pro slots, but sadly for their division, they actually fell short of the number of slots.

“Oh, B’s got a killing.”

Team B also didn’t have any double circles, but when he looked at the remarks column, he saw that there was an awful lot of rugby team members. “So, are these remarks self-reported?” “No, the executive committee collected it, but the tally was a bit late.” “You’re spending a lot of energy on unnecessary things.” “You think so? Information gathering is fun, though.” In the remarks column, in addition to the current club the student belonged to, information such as their club activities in middle school and outstanding results in the school physical fitness test were added. If one were to see this list without knowing Aoki’s character, one might be a bit horrified.

The rugby player called Okuma of Class 2-B had a face and name that matched (he thought it was “大熊” (2), but he guessed those were the actual characters). At the level of a ballgame tournament, just having a big guy in front of the net was effective to some extent. Three rugby players over 180 centimeters in the front row might be a rather formidable opponent.

Next, Team C had three double circles in a row—3-C’s Aoki Misao ◎, 2-C’s Kanno Akito ◎, and 1-C’s Kuroba Yuni ◎.

“…What’s with this bias? Isn’t this all-star team against the rules?”

“It’s no more than three. That’s not against the rules.” Aoki said carefreely. “It’s just a coincidence that there are three people in C class this year. I didn’t manipulate that, so I don’t need you complaining about it.” Isn’t that an implicit admission that he manipulated in the other cases?

“Well, worst case scenario, I might drop out. I also got work on the management side. I’ll leave it to Kanno to cover for Kuroba.”

“Don’t drop out. It’ll be boring without you.”

When Oda said that without missing a beat, Aoki looked at him with slightly widened eyes. That unconcerned attitude of Aoki’s always irritated him for an instant.

“It’ll be interesting…We’ll definitely beat you.”

He declared provocatively. Aoki smirked from the corner of his mouth.

“We’re not going to go easy on you, you know?”

“Of course. If you hold back even just a little bit, then I’m never going to talk to you again.”

“Aw, come on, give me a break.”

Aoki was 193 centimeters, Kanno was 181 centimeters, and Kuroba was 184 centimeters. Oda remembered everyone’s numbers, which were filled out on the entry sheet for the most recent tournament. Aoki, who would undoubtedly be the tallest of all the participants in the boys’ volleyball division, was the center, and Kanno, who had a good balance between offense and defense, was placed on the side. Kuroba was still quite inconsistent and capricious, but as long as he went with the flow, he would display outstanding offensive power.

The ballgame tournament was like an escape for his feelings, and he was more of a passive participant than anything, but…he was getting a bit excited. For a small club with eight members, they could do a four-to-four minigame at most, not being able to do a proper intragroup game. Even if it included amateurs, under the rules of a proper six-person system, they can compete with that lineup. There was no other opportunity like this.

The problem was the strength of his own team, but if they had someone who they could use even just a little…he skimmed past the next two teams, D and E, to finally reach the F team he would be leading. At the top of the list was Oda Shinichiro ◎ of 3-F. About four people were chosen from each grade below, but there were no double circles besides Oda. Compared to Team C, he couldn’t help but feel discouraged.

“…Haijima?”

That name was there.

Haijima Kimichika of 1-F. He of course didn’t have the double circle.

When he looked up from the list, Aoki nodded as if to say you finally noticed that? It seemed that this was the climax of “it’s gonna be interesting.”

“I didn’t think he’d choose volleyball. Wonder what brought that on. He’s been running away from you ever since that thing happened.”

“He’s not running away from me, and wasn’t that thing because of your assault?”

“I told you, it wasn’t assault. I was just telling him to be a little more careful about how he should speak to third-years.”

“With your foot?”

“Well, the foot was unintentional.” What’s the definition of assault where you do that and don’t call it assault?

After the incident in early April of the new school year in which Aoki kicked Haijima’s butt hard, every time they happened to catch sight of each other in school, Haijima was the one who acted casual…From our point of view, it’s blatantly obvious that he’s changing his route and escaping. He was big, so he could be recognized immediately even from a distance, but he wondered if he didn’t know he stood out. If you’re just unconsciously enjoying the benefits of that height, give it to me…He thought. Even here, his desire as a captain to have Haijima on the team and his personal feelings of jealousy mixed with each other.

The first practice day for Team F was next Monday. After one week of team practice, the ballgame tournament would arrive.

“I wonder if he’s gonna come.” What kind of face would he have if he came?

“Well, he might be the type who shamelessly comes with a face that says ‘My friend signed me up for an audition without asking me.’”

“Oi oi, that’s harsh…”

Contrary to his gentle appearance, Aoki had quite a sharp tongue. According to him, he had a principle of not holding back what he wanted to say and not doing what he didn’t want to do. But if you asked Oda, there was a part of him that thought, Is that so? Are you saying everything you wanted to say to me?

“…Hey, you already handed that in, right? The future course thing…”

Even if he thought it was better to think about it later, it got stuck in his head for a long time. There were invisible pebbles strewn about. It felt like those pebbles were plugging up the holes where energy was spouting out from.

Since it was the second future course survey, there was a first one as well, but at that time there was only the choices of literature or science and national or private schools. However, this time there was a column for writing your specific university of choice. For the time being, since this was a university prep school, there was hardly anyone who chose to find a job or go to a vocational school.

There was a pause, as though the sudden topic had caught him off guard, but Aoki’s tone didn’t change when he opened his mouth.

“Oh, not yet. I haven’t decided yet.”

It was a shock to be lied to. You were the one who already handed it in. I asked while knowing it, actually.

However, all he said was, “…I see. Well, you’ve still got time.”

The rumor had also spread to Oda’s class. First choice, the Kyoto University’s faculty of law—Apparently, there was someone who peeked at Aoki’s handout that had been handed into the staff room. Who would have thought it’d be Kyodai? He was shocked that he was that smart. No, I knew that, but still.

It was at that time that he had the belated realization that until that point, he almost never talked to Aoki about anything other than volleyball. We’ve seen each other almost every day for more than two years, so isn’t that pretty weird? In the first place, volleyball was the only thing they had in common. Except volleyball, their interests didn’t intersect at all (to be precise, volleyball was Oda’s only interest). Oda only ever brought up volleyball and never asked Aoki what his interests were, or what he wanted to do in the future.

I mean, Kyodai? Supposing that we won the prefectural representative rights for Spring Inter-High, you couldn’t retire until the main tournament in January. Even if you studied for the entrance exam in your spare time while you’re not doing club activities, will you be able to get into law school at Kyoto University? ——He only thought those things and couldn’t say it aloud. Because, what would he do if Aoki announced that he was going to prioritize entrance exams and retire? He probably couldn’t see him out quietly. He felt like imposing his own convenience and telling that he couldn’t retire because they barely had enough members. No, I’m sure Aoki will prolong his retirement as long as he can and stick with me. But, that only increased his debt to him.

Hey, how do you feel about being stuck with me? If you take away volleyball, then I’m just a boring person.

“Hey, do you…enjoy being with me?”

“What?”

He sounded half-crazy, as expected. He felt like it was an extremely sissy question and wanted to crawl into a hole.

“Ah…what’s wrong, Shin? You’re acting weird.”

“Weird?”

Apparently, it was weird for him to worry about anything other than volleyball. Even he himself thought so. As far as his path after high school was concerned, he could cite a number of intercollegiate powerhouse universities he was interested in as long as it was volleyball-related. But he was at a loss as soon as he stepped away from volleyball. He wondered if he lost in the Spring Inter-High qualifiers and retired, he would finally have to find something else he wanted to do, and though it was impossible to assume that they would fail the qualifiers, the idle thought flashed across his mind. Though he still only wanted to think about volleyball right now, his mind was too distracted to focus on one thing. If anything, the time when he couldn’t only think about volleyball has arrived.

Bzzzz, the seat of the chair beneath Aoki started vibrating. “Mm, ‘scuse me,” Aoki put his hand on his behind. His hand that was as long and thin as his physique operated his phone.

“Geh, a summons text from the president. I gotta go.”

“I’m going back too. Sorry to bother you when you’re so busy.”

“Yeah, but our conversation—”

“No, no, it’s done.”

He didn’t think he was convinced, but Aoki didn’t try to dig in any further, putting his phone away and got up as Oda stood. When they stood in a line, Aoki’s shoulders would be what was in his line of sight. It was somewhat easier when they were looking at each other, but the fact that he had become accustomed to the gap in their lines of sight made him feel mixed feelings in its own way.

Oda was 163 centimeters tall. The difference in height between him and Aoki was exactly twenty centimeters. The gap hadn’t been filled at all since he entered high school. He sometimes hated that his parents really named him Shinichiro. (3)

163 centimeters was barely taller than the average height of a typical girl, and while having a small build meant having a small build, he wasn’t extremely small. In other sports, there were plenty of male athletes in the 160 centimeter range who flourished in international competitions.

But for a volleyball player, and furthermore for an attacker, it was a fatally insufficient height. Even if he could manage it in high school, it would never work beyond university. He hadn’t told anyone yet that he was going to play volleyball until high school, but he was seeing the end in himself.

Why volleyball of all things?

But…there’s only one reason for that, isn’t there?

Previous || Index || Next

#2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu #2.43 book 1 #2.43 translation #2.43 #2.43: seiin high school boys volleyball club

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elizabethvaughns · 4 years ago

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When and how did you come into your fandoms?

for falsettos, i think i heard first about it due to the "late for dinner late again" part from "this had better come to a stop". i was in 8th grade then(so like 2018 ish?). it wasn't really my style of music back then, though, so i didn't really think to check it out. in 2019, two(2) falsettos songs came up on my spotify shuffle despite my not knowing them: "i'm breaking down" and "you gotta die sometime". my music taste had evolved a bit by then, and i immediately fell in love. so i saved the two songs. but i still didn't listen to the full album bc i don't really enjoy trying new things. in august 2019, my best friend and i had just gotten our schedules for sophomore year and we were just hanging out at her place because it was very hot outside. we were just talking about our summers, and i mentioned that i had recently listened to waitress. she recommended falsettos to me, and i said that i'll check it out soon. some two-ish weeks later, i listened to the whole album. this was my new obsession. for the next two months, i listened to it over and over and over again. then on the fateful day of 2 october 2019, i was just cleaning my room, when i found the proshot on youtube. i clicked on it, i watched it, and by the end of “what would i do?”, i was crying. by that point, i was hooked. i still am, to this date. (also, in april 2020, i listened to in trousers. because…quarantine, and i wanted to listen to new musicals).

i really really love the found family aspect of this, and also marvin’s character development.

now, for if/then. this story dates back to 2018 as well. more specifically, july 2018. the height of my rent obsession. so i was reading this rent fanfic on ff.net comparing maureen, elphaba, elsa, and…drumroll please, elizabeth. i’d heard of frozen, rent(obviously), and wicked before. but never of if/then. so i checked out the wikipedia page. the plot made no sense to me. but idina menzel and anthony rapp? i’d have to check it out sometime!

(john mulaney voice) and then i didn’t.

some two years later, in april 2020, i was looking for new musicals to listen to, because quarantine. suddenly i thought of if/then and decided to listen to it. i loved loved loved the soundtrack! one issue i had, though, is that i could not fathom the plot for the life of me. you can’t decipher one timeline from the soundtrack? try deciphering two! the wikipedia synopsis made zero sense and was actually counterproductive (since it implied that some songs that involved both timelines were actually specific to only one timeline). i tried looking for fanfictions to try figuring out the plot from there. but ao3 only had some two non-crossover fics and ff.net had some 3-5 (not counting rpf fics). so…i couldn’t decipher the plot. i knew a few basic details: liz chooses kate and beth chooses lucas, beth gets the job and liz does not(why? i didn’t know), liz dates josh and beth kisses stephen and hooks up with lucas, both liz and beth get pregnant, and both josh and lucas propose but only liz goes through because beth wanted to focus on her career, josh dies(but only in one verse?), lucas and david are together but only in liz-verse, anne cheats on kate in both timelines but they only get back together in the beth timeline, and that’s it. that’s all i knew. so, i kinda lost interest by june. my interest peaked again sometime in february 2021 when i started to listen to the soundtrack on repeat…again. in march 2021, i saw an if/then bootleg in my yt recommended. i thought, “fuck it” and clicked on it to watch it. and hOLY SHIT IT WAS PHENOMENAL. things that made no sense in the soundtrack started to click and fall into place. i was in love. …aand in april (like 6 april ish if i recall correctly) i watched the dc version. and now we’re here. with me running a mostly if/then blog on tumblr dot com.

the thing i probably love most about this is how all of the characters are just…normal, nuanced people. the fact that they are nothing too special makes them special all in itself. (also i really really admire beth)

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suitofvibraniumarmor · 5 years ago

Text

Rom-Com Writing Challenge!

We all love a good rom-com, amirite? They’re my favorite, and Chuck knows I’ve pulled inspiration from these movies more than once. Now, it’s your turn to do that! I’ll get right into it, but I’ll put info and prompts under the cut so no one has to scroll past a crazy long post. Please read all of the information carefully!

Rules, Guidelines, Important Dates:

Sign-Ups start when this post is live and will go through to June 28, 2020. I will accept two people for each prompt.

Please send your sign-ups to my ask box so they’re easier to keep track of. I will answer them privately so I’m not flooding anyone’s dash!

In your ask, please include your preferred prompt and a backup option, as well as your pairing (so I don’t take the same pairing for the same prompt). Also, please let me know if you’ll be posting from a URL other than one you’re asking from.

To be included in the challenge masterlist, please post your fic (or the first part, if it’s a series) by June 30, 2020.

Please include an author’s note tagging me and mentioning the challenge in your fic post; include #RomComWC or#RCWC in the first five tags. If the tag doesn’t work, you may DM the link to me, also. If you decide to write a series, please tag me in the masterlist.

Please give me up to 48 hours to read your fic before checking if I have seen it. If I have not liked it after 48 hours, please DO check. (You know, since we’re all aware of how unreliable tumblr is.)

The challenge masterlist will be posted between July 1 and July 4, 2020.

There are no word count limits, but please use the Keep Reading feature if your story goes beyond 500 words. Additionally, if your fic goes beyond 5000 words, please consider splitting it into multiple parts. This is not a requirement, only something to think about.

Yes, this is a rom-com challenge, but that’s only where your inspiration begins! Feel free to mold your story into any genre -- fluff, angst, smut, hurt/comfort, crack -- or any combination of genres.

HOWEVER. Since it is a rom-com challenge, your ending must be happy and/or hopeful.

Your fic does not have to be exactly like the movie. You can change up the ending, take one scene, one relationship, any one component of the movie you chose, and build your fic from there. As long as we can see notes of the movie in the fic, you’re good.

For personal reasons, I do not read and will not accept into the challenge stories that include non-con/dub-con, underage sex, adult-child romantic/sexual relationships, spouse-bashing, child abuse -- I could go on, but I think you get the idea. If you’re not sure about something, I’m always happy to answer questions.

Characters and RPFs are welcome.

Bring on the ships, OFC’s, reader pairings -- I’m trying to be more open-minded as of late, but I can’t promise that I will read everything. Again, for personal reasons.

I’m running this challenge on multiple blogs, and you’re more than welcome to sign up for more than one fandom!

Other fandoms: SPN | John Krasinski (Actor & Characters) | Multi-Fandom

Prompts:

License to Wed (2007)

Secret Admirer (1985)

10 Thing I Hate About You (1999) @harley-sunday (Bucky)

Fools Rush In (1997)

Isn’t It Romantic (2019)

Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)

The Proposal (2009) @docharleythegeekqueen (Steve Rogers)

Sweet Home Alabama (2002) @captain-s-rogers (Chris Evans) | @fanfictionaries (AU Steve Rogers)

Sixteen Candles (1984) @past-perfect-future-tense (Bucky)

Better Off Dead (1985)

Pretty In Pink (1986)

Overboard (1987)

Look Who’s Talking (1989) @sunriserose1023 (Bucky) | @oh-its-nova (Steve Rogers)

The Wedding Singer (1998)

Never Been Kissed (1999) @captain-rogers-beard {Stucky)

One Fine Day (1996)

The Cutting Edge (1992)

Valley Girl (1983)

Pretty Woman (1990) @romaxnogersav (Steve Rogers)

It Could Happen to You (1994)

It’s Complicated (2009)

Something’s Gotta Give (2003)

You’ve Got Mail (1998)

Notting Hill (1999)

Serendipity (2001)

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) @alyxkbrl (Henry Cavill)

Love Actually (2003)

Wedding Crashers (2005)

The Holiday (2006)

P.S. I Love You (2007)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

Easy A (2010)

Second Act (2018)

First Daughter (2004)

Music and Lyrics (2007)

What Happens in Vegas (2008)

He’s Just Not That Into You (2009)

The Prince & Me (2004)

Fever Pitch (2005)

Friends With Benefits (2011)

When In Rome (2010)

Letters to Juliet (2010)

Forces of Nature (1999)

200 Cigarettes (1999)

Reality Bites (1994)

Addicted to Love (1997)

Whatever It Takes (2000)

Can’t Hardly Wait (1998)

Coyote Ugle (2000)

America’s Sweethearts (2001)

@captain-s-rogers @the-murder-strut-murdered-me @captain-rogers-beard @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan

#RomComWC #RCWC #writing challenge #fanfiction

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iwantthedean · 5 years ago

Text

Rom-Com Writing Challenge!

Rules, Guidelines, Important Dates:

Sign-Ups start when this post is live and will go through to June 28, 2020. I will accept two people for each prompt.

Please send your sign-ups to my ask box so they’re easier to keep track of. I will answer them privately so I’m not flooding anyone’s dash!

To be included in the challenge masterlist, please post your fic (or the first part, if it’s a series) by June 30, 2020.

The challenge masterlist will be posted between July 1 and July 4, 2020.

HOWEVER. Since it is a rom-com challenge, your ending must be happy and/or hopeful.

Characters and RPFs are welcome.

Bring on the ships, OFC’s, reader pairings -- I’m trying to be more open-minded as of late, but I can’t promise that I will read everything. Again, for personal reasons.

I’m running this challenge on multiple blogs, and you’re more than welcome to sign up for more than one fandom!

Other fandoms: Marvel | John Krasinski (Actor & Characters) | Multi-Fandom

Prompts:

License to Wed (2007)

Secret Admirer (1985)

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) @official-and-unstable-satan (Jared) | @wingedcatninja (Dean)

Fools Rush In (1997)

Isn’t It Romantic (2019)

Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)

The Proposal (2009) @tumbler-tidbits (Dean) | @katymacsupernatural (Jensen)

Sweet Home Alabama (2002)

Sixteen Candles (1984)

Better Off Dead (1985)

Pretty In Pink (1986)

Overboard (1987)

Look Who’s Talking (1989)

The Wedding Singer (1998)

Never Been Kissed (1999)

One Fine Day (1996)

The Cutting Edge (1992)

Valley Girl (1983)

Pretty Woman (1990)

It Could Happen to You (1994)

It’s Complicated (2009)

Something’s Gotta Give (2003)

You’ve Got Mail (1998)

Notting Hill (1999)

Serendipity (2001)

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

Love Actually (2003)

Wedding Crashers (2005)

The Holiday (2006)

P.S. I Love You (2007) @deanwinchesterswitch (Dean)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

Easy A (2010)

Second Act (2018)

First Daughter (2004)

Music and Lyrics (2007)

What Happens in Vegas (2008)

He’s Just Not That Into You (2009)

The Prince & Me (2004) @queen-serena88 (Dean)

Fever Pitch (2005)

Friends With Benefits (2011)

When In Rome (2010)

Letters to Juliet (2010)

Forces of Nature (1999)

200 Cigarettes (1999)

Reality Bites (1994)

Addicted to Love (1997)

Whatever It Takes (2000)

Can’t Hardly Wait (1998)

Coyote Ugle (2000)

America’s Sweethearts (2001)

@ashleymalfoy @busybee612 @mrswhozeewhatsis @atc74 @blacktithe7 @jerkbitchidjitassbutt @jayankles @evansrogerskitten

#RomComWC #RCWC #writing challenge #fanfiction

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goldenvalentyne · 5 years ago

Text

Castaway

Masterlist

Word count: 2111

May 20

You never meant to lose your temper. It just happened. One moment you and Ashton were fine. You could be snuggled up, watching a show, and the next second you’d be in a full blown out war. That is exactly what happened that night.

The previous weeks had been tame in the context of your relationship with Ashton. There was no fighting, minor remarks to one another, but for the most part you had been relaxed. Ashton had gone out for a guys day while you stayed in and had some much needed self care. He came home at a decent time and had dinner with you. Everything was going smoothly, until a stupid photo emerged. One you should not have been jealous of, or even taken a second glance at. But the relationship had been too solid, you were in need of drama, something you often got caught up in and enjoyed a little too much.

You knew she was only a friend and that she even had a boyfriend. You felt no threat by her, but you let it all out. You hit below the belt in this argument. Every little thing that Ashton had done in the 2 weeks prior that pissed you off in any way was spewing from your mouth. He was caught off guard by your sudden anger, but that did not stop him from releasing some of his own pent up aggression.

It ended with you leaving his apartment, making sure to slam the door, leaving the place to raddle

June 27

The next time you would see Ashton was on stage at a festival. Against the advice of all your friends, you still went and watched their set. Your heart ached watching him. He looked just plain sad the whole time, not like he was enjoying every minute of it which he always did. You stuck around in hopes that he would come out and you could “accidentally” bump into him, but that never happened.

Instead you went back to your apartment, no longer filled with pictures of the two of you, those were smashed or stuffed into the back of your closet. The last piece of evidence that Ashton had ever been there was a teddy bear. So cliche, he had won it at a fair for you in the early days of your relationship. You held that damn bear close to your chest the whole night and let the tears flow. In the weeks since you had left you never once blamed him. You knew that you had been the one in the wrong and that he did not owe you anything, but it still hurt. He didn’t answer the phone calls the days after you stormed from his apartment, but you never expected him to. You had been unfair to him, and he was protecting himself.

July 7

It was Ashton’s birthday. You spent the whole morning contemplating if you should call. You weren’t friends and no longer lovers, but you felt like he deserved something from you, after the way you had treated him.

It was after many drinks and three rom coms before you actually built up the courage to call him. You did not even hesitate at the point. You didn’t not expect an answer, and you did not receive one. Then you left an embarrassing long, slurred happy birthday message along with an apology. By the end of the night you left five more. In the morning there was finally an answer from him. It was a short text asking you not to call him again. Even though it was a generic message you could feel that he was hurt, and you did not want that for him.

September 29

The fall was setting in quickly. Leaves had already started to change. Emotionally you had been improving. Every second of the day was not spent thinking about Ashton but there were the occasional moments when he would slip in your mind. Then it would get bad again. You weren’t hurt that the relationship was over but more upset how you had hurt him.

You saw him again. It was the first time since the summer. He had his hand wrapped up. You could tell that the injury had taken place not long before. It was at a party. He had the same daunting look that he had at the festival. Everyone was dancing around him and having a good time. You sat across the room, intently staring at him. He was beautiful. You always made it a point to tell him that. Had anyone told him he was beautiful in four months?

He locked eyes with you. It was a cold look that you felt in your body. It was one of hatred. You left soon after. Then spent the rest of the night replaying the way his eyes looked. They were dull, but there was still a spark somewhere deep inside them. Maybe he was forgiving you? But you had not forgiven yourself, so that felt like a long shot.

October 25

It was your birthday. The first one in three years that would not be spent with Ashton and his friends. The first one that was not going to consist of a large party, music and drinking too much. Instead you sat yourself on the couch and prepared for a long night of sad movies, the only feeling that you had felt in so long.

Deep inside you wished that Ashton would call you. Maybe he would just send a text letting you know that he had not forgotten about you. It was just a hopeful wish.

The afternoon turned into darkness. Raindrops tapped on the windows. You cried a lot that night. You did not know if it was from the movies or the fact that you were spending the day alone. Sure you had friends and family that sent birthday wishes and reached out to get together. But all you really wanted was Ashton.

It was 3 am. You felt the vibrations against your leg. Your heart was climbing out of your throat. You grabbed for it as fast as you could. The shaking of your hands weren’t helping. All of the adrenaline left as you realized it was not Ashton calling. Instead it was Luke, someone who you also had not talked to months.

“Hello?”

“Happy Birthday y/n”

“Thank you Luke”

“Did you think I would forget?”

“Considering it has been over for 3 hours, yes I thought you forgot.”

“Hey I’m just a little late.”

“Can I ask you something Luke?”

“Sure.”

“How is he?”

“Y/n, lets not get into this.”

“Just tell me if he is okay.”

“He’s doing better okay. He still gets upset and punches things. But he’s better at controlling it all. You really fucked with him.”

“I kinda fucked with myself while I was at it.”

“Don’t get yourself worked up about it though okay. You weren’t right for each other for months before you broke up. Even though it hurts, I think it’s better for both of you to be apart.”

December 27

It took everything out of you to get through family Christmas alone. You watched all your cousins, even those younger, with their partners. They looked extra in love during the holiday season. All while you sat on the couch, looking miserable to others.

The days following Christmas were harder. There was a rumor Ash had been seen with another girl. The same one from that night you left. This time they walked hand in hand. If you were being honest, it broke you. You screamed until your throat was on fire. You found all the pictures shoved in your closet just to smash the glass.

The remainder of the night was spent looking out the window as snowflakes drifted down. A tear would slip down your cheek every once in a while. At some point you fell asleep curled in a ball beneath The window.

February 17

Days had gotten so much easier. You got back into the routine of being alone and even picked up extra time at work. Life felt great for the first time since last spring. You felt like you could breathe again. Everything was almost perfect again. But nothing stays like that for long.

It was 3:00 on the dot that afternoon. After a short two months he had broken up with her. It was like breaking news all over you social media. You couldn’t help but feel relieved that she was no longer taking your spot, but something didn’t feel right. You knew he was probably at home, broken all over again. Everything he did to forget you and move on, probably all ruined now.

It took everything to not call him that night and give your condolences for the lost relationship. You wanted so badly to go to him in a time of need. Maybe he would be with you for the night. But you knew that would just be playing with him in a vulnerable time. So instead you just sat quietly in your room hoping he’d give you a call.

March 16

The hardest day of the healing process was when you talked to Ashton. For some reason you ended up at Luke’s house, and of course Ashton so happened to also. In the end you knew it was a set up.

Ashton yelled a lot. You took it though and let him explain his frustration.

“Do you understand how fucked I was y/n! Cause you walked out and left me stranded, nothing left but broken picture frames”

“I’m sorry Ash. I don’t know why I acted that way that night, but you didn’t deserve it. But don’t you think we are better off apart?”

“Of course I do y/n! But I just keep asking myself how’d we drift so far away?”

“Times changes people. We spent so much of our young years together and were still growing up. As we grew, we grew apart. It happens.”

His body softened. He sat down and but his head in his hands. You wanted so bad to reach out and hold him, but it would make the situation even worse.

“Late night conversations led to complications. You know I was stupid and got jealous. I’ve grown over the past year, I really have Ashton. Neither one of us could if we didn’t separate.”

“That’s all true but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt any less. Everyday I wake up and hope it wasn’t true. My heart aches for you. It’s heartbreak I can’t escape. I’ve tried to move on so many times and I just keep seeing your face. Eyes closed, all I see is good time disappearing. And yes our relationship was complete shit at times, but I loved you. You left in such an unfair way. I feel like it’s a sinking ship that I’ll never save. Now my heart is in my hands and I’m lonely like a castaway.”

Every word tugged on your heart more. You knew that you had hurt him, but not like this. Your head was spinning. Flashes of that night in May were swirling around. You reached for his hand and to your surprise he let you hold it. You met his eyeline. His eyes were filled with tears but that was no different to yours.

“I’m sorry Ashton. I was awful to you in the end. You did some terrible things too but that does not excuse how I acted. I loved you and a part of me does and will forever. But I know we are better off not together. If I could change how it ended, I would go back a thousand times until I was all okay.”

“And I’m trying to hold on. I don’t know what to. The rest of my life maybe, or everything you were a part of. But everything feels wrong. But maybe after tonight, things can get better once and for all.”

You gave the smallest smile you could because that warmed your heart. From that you knew you could move on and not worry about Ashton anymore.

May 20

It took two months from the confrontation for things to feel okay. Ashton was not on your mind every second of the day. You knew he was okay and he was getting better. For the first time you felt that you could move on if you wanted. You smiled and cheered him on as a friend. That longing for him was disappearing. Life felt content, like a weight was lifted.

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evalinkatrineberg · 5 years ago

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A Harmless Prank

A/N: This is about a little fun Evalin and @idaliamoretti had the morning after Idalia’s date, and before the Bourbon story. @wylan-caldwell @safiya-schreave and @arin-schreave are also there. I reccommend reading this after you’ve read the amazing date fic Ester wrote!!

I had been on the phone with June when Christina came in with the news. Out of all of my maids, she was the most prone to gossip, but her information almost always turned out to be accurate. I had come to the conclusion that her slight frame gave her the advantage of people either not noticing her, or believing that someone as non-threatening in appearance would never spread their conversations.

I had skipped breakfast that morning, coming back from my run late enough that I decided it wasn’t worth it to rush myself to get there on time. Instead, I was lounging on my bed, dressed in a pair of flowy black pants and a light blue button up blouse as Julia and Grace bustled around the room, interjecting into June and I’s conversation every now and then with their opinions and knowledge.

“Right, so my mother wants me to apologize, just in case I got blood on his seats,” I explained to June.

“She wants you to apologize? Seriously?” June’s tone was so shocked I could envision the exact way her jaw was hitting the floor at that moment.

“Yes,” I confirmed. “I don’t think Lydia agrees, though, seeing as she sent me a care package that I’m almost entirely positive contains a bottle of tequila.”

June let out a low whistle, just as Christina entered my room, shutting the door behind her.

“So,” Christina began, her voice sing-songy as she carried some new towels into the bathroom. “Guess what I just heard?”

“What?” I asked, my eyes immediately darting to her. Further in the room, Julia and Grace had stopped their work, looking over their shoulders at the third member of their group.

“I just can’t believe your mother thinks you should apologize to him, and not the other way around!” June yelled through the phone. Crap, she must’ve thought I was talking to her. I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks.

At the same time, Christina answered, “Lady Idalia had her first date with Prince Arin yesterday.”

My eyes went wide. “June, can I call you back later? I have to check in on a friend of mine.”

“Ah, His Unholy Royal Pain-in-the-Ass has caught another victim?” She sighed through the phone. “Send her my well wishes. I’ll talk to you again soon, anyway.”

“You’re the best!”

“You know it,” she replied before hanging up.

Putting down my phone, I walked over to my desk, opening the top drawer and digging around for a pen and some spare paper. Upon finding it, I scribbled a quick note, clicking my pen against my desk and putting it back in the drawer once I had finished. One look had Christina walking over to deliver the note, which read,

Dearest Idalia,

I’ll be at your door in fifteen minutes unless you tell me otherwise.

Sincerely,

Evalin

Once Christina had left, I began to make myself more presentable, smoothing out my hair and straightening out my clothes. I cast a glance at the care package my sister had sent me out of the corner of my eye. It had been sitting by the side of my dresser since it had arrived, next to the package that my mother had informed contained, “a gift of apology,” for the prince. I hadn’t had the heart to open my either package yet, though I had a good guess as to what was in my sister’s at least. If I was going to cheer up Idalia, which, if her date had gone anything like mine - though I hoped it hadn’t - I would be, maybe it would be a good idea to bring the package with me.

As I deliberated, Christina returned, bearing a reply from Idalia that read,

Why wait 15 mins?

You could die before then

- i.m

I smiled at that. Leave it to Idalia to add a dramatic flair to the entire situation. It seemed like she was in good enough spirits, then, at least. That was a good sign. Maybe Arin just had an issue with me, after all. Holding on to the hope that Idalia had had a happier experience, I grabbed my sister’s package, shifting it around in my hands until I felt comfortable that I had a good grip on it. With that, I was out the door, walking the few meters to Idalia’s door, which I knocked sharply on three times.

One of Idalia’s maids opened up the door, a bright smile gracing her face as she gestured for me to enter, offering help with the package. I accepted, offering her a relieved smile and a, “Thank you,” as she took the box out of my arms.

My attention turned to Idalia then, who was seated at her desk. At first glance it looked like she was still in her pajamas, but upon further inspection, it was apparent that the clothes she was wearing showed no signs of actually being slept in. On her bed, there was remnants of what appeared to be a breakfast that had been brought to her room. I narrowed my eyes at that, wondering if she had purposefully avoided the meal. Why would she do that?

Idalia spun around to face me then. “What brings you to my not-very-humble dwellings?

“I heard you had your date with Arin yesterday. I thought you might enjoy some of what my sister sent me in a care package after mine.” I winced, laughing a little nervously. What if I was reading the situation wrong? Maybe her date had gone great, and she’d think I was insane. I couldn’t decide whether or not that was a preferable scenario. It’d certainly mean happier things for her, but I didn’t want anything like that to put a dent in our budding friendship.

Idalia raised an eyebrow, a look of amusement flashing across her face. “Rumors fly here, don’t they?” She wasn’t wrong there. “When was yours?”

“A few days ago. It was…” I trailed off, grimacing at the memory of the date as I tried to find the right words to describe it, “something. Let’s just say I hope yours went better than mine, but in case it didn’t, we have whatever my sister sent to cheer us up!”

She gave me a smile that was somewhere between upset and sympathetic, and immediately my heart fell. Idalia didn’t say anything as she cleared her desk, though. Not until she turned back to the box, which her maid had placed on the very corner of her desk. “Let’s see what’s in that box first.”

I tried to smile in return, but I was positive it looked more nervous than I had intended it to. “Sure!” It was a start. “If I know my sister at all, there’s definitely some rom-coms and face masks, and maybe a bottle of tequila and some lemon tarts, too.” I made my way over to the desk, standing beside Idalia’s chair.

Idalia raised both eyebrows at me, flashing a more genuine smile at me this time. “Tequila?”

I mean, it was a little early in the morning to be drinking, for my taste, but if that was what she wanted, what were friends for? I laughed, wiggling my eyebrows back at her. “My drug of choice, but of course.” With that, I began to undo the ribbon that was tied in a bow around the box.

Idalia shot me another look, a little more perplexed this time, but then chuckled, watching intently as I began pulling out the items it contained. As I suspected, everything I had mentioned to her before was in there, along with some nail polish. As I reached the bottom of the box, Idalia commented, “It sounds like your sister doesn’t think you had a good date at all.”

I stopped what I was doing, the last bottle of nail polish still in my hand as I met Idalia’s gaze, shaking my head. “That’s because I called my sister after I got back from the date. It went from bad, to worse, to mortifying.” With that, I withdrew the last bottle of nail polish, along with a little card from my sister.

Evalin,

Hope this serves as an effective method of ridding yourself of some Royal Negativity :)

~ Lydia

I smiled at that, placing the card back in the box before looking back at Idalia, who was smiling as well. She picked up a nail polish before saying, “Well, if it’s any comfort, I have a feeling most girls will come back with similar stories.” She shook her head. “I almost can’t believe it.”

I felt my eyes go wide as I nodded in return. “Right? I mean, sure, our interview was formal, so I wasn’t sure what to expect on our date, but I certainly hadn’t dreamed of him being so downright rude. It’s like…” I trailed off again, shaking my head before furrowing my brows and looking upwards. “It’s like there’s a good person buried somewhere inside him, but he’s purposefully trying to cover that up and be a prick.” I considered divulging more details about my date, but decided against it, not wanting to upset Idalia, if her date was all bad. From her reaction alone, I had no clue as to how it had gone.

She simply opened one of the nail polishes, examining the color closely. “Or he’s a prick that wants to also be nice.”

“Is there a difference?” I smirked, laughing a little.

“Oh yes, of course. Your option is trying to be edgy, my option just feels guilty,” she explained.

I frowned, taking a seat on the edge of her bed. “What do you mean?” Why would she feel guilty?

She began to polish her nails, leaning back in her desk chair. “If he has a good person buried inside, like you say, it’s still…” she trailed off for a moment, analyzing the polish before continuing, “not much better since I wouldn’t know how to take that besides a sign he is immature - which is hefty from a twenty-three-year-old that went and got engaged a couple of months ago - but a prick that wants to be nice -” she pressed her lips together, narrowing her eyes at the nail she had just polished before taking a deep breath and beginning to polish the next nail “- that’s a guy that just tries to do good things because his guilt eats him up. There’s a difference between not wanting to hurt people and only caring once you’ve hurt them.”

Somehow, her explanation left me more confused than I had been before. It was all far too theoretical for my liking. “He didn’t even hurt me though,” I mumbled.

Shit. Did I say that out loud?

I shook my head, trying to cover up the mistake I had just made. “Sorry - thinking out loud. I get what you mean, though.” Lying to her made me feel immensely guilty, but I didn’t know how to politely explain to her that I still didn’t see a difference.

I looked up again to see her watching me closely, nodding slowly. “That’s alright,” she assured me with a smile. “What happened on your date, then?”

Ah, so it was time for this conversation, then.

I sighed. “We argued, teased each other, he fell on his ass, I got a nosebleed.” I waved my hands through the air dismissively before getting up and pulling out one of the lemon tarts, careful to keep it on the napkin, so as not to get crumbs all over Idalia’s room. “You know, the usual. What about you?”

“Wait, hold up -” she blinked twice “- nosebleed?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I used to get them somewhat frequently when I was a kid, but I haven’t gotten one in eight years.” I frowned, remembering that. I still wasn’t sure what had caused the nosebleed, which I found quite unsettling. I couldn’t prevent it from happening again if I didn’t know why it had happened in the first place, which was a fact that would likely come back to bite me in the ass later on. “It was kind of weird. He also knew exactly what to do to care for it.” I pursed my lips. “I was actually worried he might make me walk home, or at the very least tell me not to get blood on the seat of his car.”

“Sounds like he had left a wonderful first impression until the nosebleed,” she replied, raising an eyebrow.

I sighed again, shaking my head. “It was all going somewhat well until I asked him if he went camping with his family. Then he got tense, and we bickered for the whole date - he called me annoying, I said he had to pay for people to tolerate him -” I waved my hand through the air again “- until I got a nosebleed.” I snorted. “Nosebleed ex-machina, I guess. What happened on your date?”

“That’s…well.” She raised a brow at her nail polish. “Um, my date didn’t have any bickering, but it sounds like maybe yours went okay then. Until the nosebleed.”

I had to disagree there. “I wouldn’t call us arguing in a roller rink a successful date.” I shook my head. The bar had been pretty low, and the date had at least met the bar, but that wasn’t really saying much. I shrugged, beginning to wonder why Idalia seemed to have been ignoring my questions. That likely meant her date didn’t go well, right? Yet, she said they didn’t bicker. “Where did you go?”

“The aquarium,” she answered, smiling a bit, but not quite as enthusiastically as she had before. Ah, so it hadn’t gone well, then. “I really liked the jellyfish. There was also a tank huge enough to be a wall. The fish were beautiful, even if someone had started going to sleep.”

My eyes went wide, and I leaned forwards towards Idalia. “He fell asleep? That asshole! God, I…” I trailed off, looking up at the ceiling, attempting to collect my emotions and arrange my thoughts into a coherent sentence. “At least the fish sound like they were nice!” I sighed, then continued, “If he were any other person, I would be so tempted to prank him or something right about now, but I don’t have a death wish.” I shook my head, shooting Idalia a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry he did that on your date, though. You deserve so much better.”

Her ears turned pink, and she began to rub her neck, averting her gaze to her desk. “It’s fine. I honestly don’t know if I’ll stick around for long.”

The weight of her words hit me all at once, and my face fell instantly. “You mean, you’d really consider leaving?” This was the worst case scenario I had been picturing. I bit my lip. “I can’t say I blame you, and you should look out for yourself first, but,” I paused, looking up to meet Idalia’s eyes, “I’ll miss you a lot, if you do leave. Meals are going to be so boring and lifeless without you!”

She flashed me a small smile - not as wide as before, but it was something, and I’d take it - before turning her gaze back to her nails. “I- I guess it’s still under debate. Just because I’d like to stick around for some of you guys.” She looked at me again, her smile warmer this time. “It would be nice to hang out for a while,” she continued before casting her look off to the side again, “but I would have to figure out what I’m doing with Arin, since I don’t really...think he’s the type of person I want to be surrounded by. Out date was complicated, but still. I don’t trust people like him easily.

I could understand that. “That’s fair,” I offered with a solemn nod. “Maybe some time apart would help - or maybe a distraction would!” I flashed her a grin, the gears in my mind beginning to turn once again.

“I don’t know if this is a good idea,” she cautioned, raising an eyebrow slightly.

My grin only widened. “It’s probably not. Get dressed, and let’s find out!”

“Evalin,” she protested, even as she stood up, heading for her closet, “I really don’t think we should prank Arin.”

“I mean, I’m already going to have to apologize to him anyway.” If I could ever suck up my pride, that was. Or at least, that’s what my mother had yelled at me over the phone the day after my date. I shrugged. “Besides, he has Ayesha for a sister. I’m sure he’s used to getting pranked.” If my first day at the palace was any indication of what she was like, I was sure there was no way Idalia and I could do anything worse than she had done to him before.

She poked her head out of her closet, frowning. “Apologize?”

“I was kind of rude to him,” I admitted, frowning slightly. “I didn’t have to be.”

“Didn’t you say he called you annoying?”

“Yes, but that was after I said he’d probably explode if he ever set foot in a lab, laughed at his accent when he spoke Swendish, and laughed at him when he fell on his ass.” I shook my head. I still hadn’t figured out what had possessed me to behave like I had on our date, but the more I reflected upon it, the worse I felt.

Her rustling in the closet paused for a moment, before she called, “Isn’t that what you meant by bickering?”

“Yes,” I sighed. “I just feel bad about how mean I was to him. I didn’t have to do that.”

“But -” I could already hear the frown in her voice - “I thought - Okay, wait, why did you say he would explode in the first place?”

I grimaced at the memory. “He said he didn’t like planning things he didn’t want to do, meaning the date, and I said that that was tough and asked him what he thought would happen if I didn’t plan for a boring experiment in the lab, and he said hopefully he’d explode, and I said only if he was lucky.” I frowned, before adding, “My tone was also a lot harsher than the situation called for,” by way of explanation.

Her head poked out of the closet then. “Evalin, you’re telling me he straight up told you he didn’t want to be on that date.”

I bit my lip. Yeah, I guess he did. Well, that stung more than just a little bit. I shook my head. “But it was so weird! By the end, after my nosebleed, he kept looking at me with this weird mix of curiosity and concern.” I wrinkled my nose, potential implications of that running through my mind for the first time. Why hadn’t I thought of this before? In a lower voice, I asked, “God, do you think he has a blood fetish?”

Idalia shuddered before retreating back into the closet. “You’re not really making me feel more confident about staying with comments like that.” At least her tone was joking.

I still felt horrible though. That was the complete opposite of what I had come here to do. “Ah, sorry!” I offered her an apologetic smile, though she couldn’t see it. “It was just so weird. It was like, one moment we were going at it, and then after he had seen me more vulnerable, he couldn’t look at me the same way.” I shook my head again. “I honestly didn’t expect him to help, but only because if the way our date had gone, not because he’s a bad person. I was fully prepared to handle the situation and wait until we got back here to seek medical attention should I have needed it.” Anything to avoid having my date end in a hospital room.

She was silent for a while, until she finally replied, “I guess I might not be the best person to discuss this with.”

“Right, sorry.” I shook my head. I was really bad at cheering people up, apparently. Another thing to add to the long list of things I needed to get better at, I supposed. “Gosh, I’m sorry. Maybe we should just take a walk. It’s really nice out today!” Maybe that was better. It didn’t seem like Idalia needed to be pushed out of her comfort zone right now, and some fresh air never hurt.

She wore a sad smile when she emerged from the closet, holding a new outfit. “No, it’s okay, I just think we view things very differently. I think I’ve met people like him before, and, well, we can just say I’m not friends with them anymore. If that’s what he’s shown me, until he proved otherwise, I would never feel the need to apologize to him.” She offered me a kind smile then, but it was lost on me as I tried to process what she was saying. We were the same age, or very close to it, and yet, it felt like she was an older sister or cousin, trying to teach me the ways of the world. I guess being an internationally ranked athlete will help you grow up quickly. “People get what they give, Evalin. You really don’t seem like the type that would be mean just for the fun of it.”

That much I could agree with, I realized as I nodded. Now, if I could just figure out why I had been so mean, that would be great. “That’s fair. I’m sorry to hear that you’ve had to deal with people like that before. Nobody deserves that, but especially not someone as kind as you.” I shook my head again.

She chuckled lightly, hitting me with her usual, kind smile again. “You might want to start applying that sentence to yourself,” she stated, heading to the bathroom to change.”

I bit the inside of of my cheek, furrowing my brows and trying to figure out what she meant as I waited for her to come back out of the bathroom. As she did, I stood up, smiling. She had changed into a casual summer dress, her hair thrown up in a messy bun.

“So, what’s your plan, exactly?”

Well, crap. I hadn’t gotten that far yet.

“I don’t really have one.” I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks already. How could I have forgotten such a major detail. “I’m a little out of my element here. Normally one of my siblings plans the prank, and I just work out the logistics. Maybe we should just go for a walk…”

She chuckled. “Is this a prank for Arin still?”

With a sigh, I answered, “I honestly don’t know. I have no clue what I’m doing anymore.” I let out a nervous laugh. “All I know is we have to do something fun to distract ourselves.”

She looked at her desk before turning back to me. “When do they start getting the Dining Hall ready for lunch?”

I found myself biting the inside of my cheek again. “I’m honestly not sure. I’d assume about an hour before lunch begins, but don’t quote me on that.” I narrowed my eyes at Idalia, knowing full well she was on to something. “What are you thinking?”

“You know he recently posted what his least favorite color was?” She asked, the corners of her lips twitching upwards.

I began to grin as well. “That putrid, mucous green color? Yes, I’m aware.” I wrinkled my nose at the thought of the color. It truly was dreadful - I couldn’t disagree with him there. “Are you going where I think you are with this?”

She simply shrugged lightly. “I mean, I’ve got a printer and tape. It wouldn't be anything he couldn't immediately get off himself.”

“You are a genius!” I made my way over to her side, slinging an arm around her shoulder. Ayesha would’ve been proud of this, I was almost certain, were she here to see it. “Let’s get to it, shall we?”

With a light chuckle, she relented. “Alright, I'll try to confirm with Evanne when's the best time.”

After confirming the time with Evanne, who I learned was one of Idalia’s maids, we got to work gathering our materials. In what felt like mere moments, the two of us were scurrying down the halls towards the dining room, our arms laden with tape and paper. I could hear my heart racing in my ears, its beat like a drum, heightening the need I felt to be speedy. It was exhilarating, to be honest.

I felt my grin stretch from ear to ear as I peered into the dining room. Empty, just as we had planned. Perfect. “It looks like the coast is clear,” I whispered to Idalia as I began to slip through the doors, trusting that she was right behind me.

I heard her footsteps as she followed me in, and watcher her look over her shoulder as she rushed past me, whispering, “You’re too slow!”

“Sorry, my legs are sore from my run this morning!” I whispered back. “I’ve been going longer than usual lately - it gives me time to think, and be alone.” I shook my head, forcing myself to walk faster in order to keep up with her. “What do you need me to do?”

Apparently, I still wasn’t fast enough. Idalia took a few steps back towards me, grabbing me by the arm and dragging me the rest of the way. Her grip on my arm was like a vice, but then again, I supposed that would make sense, what with her being a fencer, and all. “I hope you’re slowly doing longer runs.”

“Not the issue at hand right now.” I rolled my eyes, elbowing her lightly in the side before turning my attention back to the papers and tape. “What part do you want me to do?”

She handed me the tape as we came to a stop in front of Arin’s chair, setting the papers down on top of it. “You cut pieces of tape and fold them,” she explained, demonstrating to me what she wanted. I tried not to be insulted that she thought I would need a demo on how to cut tape. “I take them and do the sticking.”

I set my emotions aside. I could deal with them at another point in time. Grinning and giving her a single nod, I replied, “Sounds like a plan. I cannot wait to see his reaction.” I let out a little laugh as I began cutting and folding the tape. A part of me hoped Arin would be outraged, but forced to keep his cool to maintain decorum in the dining room. Or maybe he would really make a fool of himself, and storm out, or do something equally as dramatic. It was going to be so hard to not laugh either way as we ate our lunch.

Idalia rolled her eyes a bit, but smiled at me nonetheless. “He will probably just stare at it and then steal Wylan’s seat, if we’re being honest.”

She had a point there, I realized. It would be classic Arin behavior - only thinking of himself and how he feels, and not considering how anyone else might feel as a direct consequence of his actions. “Poor Wylan, then.” I handed Idalia another piece of tape, not looking at her as I did. “I haven’t spoken to him, but he seems nice enough. What about you?”

Her smile widened as she put the tape I handed her on a piece of paper, holding out her hand for another piece of tape before sticking the paper to the back of the chair. “I’ve met him. I’m sure he will just sit down on it like its nothing.”

Maybe Wylan should be the one running this country, then. He certainly sounds like the mature one here. I smiled a little wryly at the thought, before something else nagged at the back of my mind. Idalia spoke about Wylan with such a sense of familiarity, as if she knew him quite well, actually. Well enough to predict his reactions. I knew she had mentioned in the past some conversations they had had on the internet, but I hadn’t thought much of the story until now.

“Sounds like he has a better personality than the prince, then,” I states, looking at Idalia out of the corner of my eye. “And a sense of humor, too.”

She let out a quiet laugh at that, her smile unwavering as she took another piece of tape and stuck another paper to the seat of the chair. “He’s a good friend?”

Only a good friend, eh? I found that hard to believe.

I offered her a smile of my own. “I’m glad to hear that.” I was genuinely happy that she had found someone that she enjoyed spending time with, whether he was just a friend or something more, but I still couldn’t stop myself from being a little surprised. Not that somebody being into Idalia was surprising - not in the slightest - but that this had apparently been happening right under Arin’s nose, and he had said nothing. Or maybe he hadn’t noticed. What kind of friend did that make him to Wylan?

I shook the thought out of my head. “Have you been able to enlighten him about pasta?”

She chuckled, holding out her hand again for more tape. “Not yet, but I’m sure the time will come around since I have two votes on the, “Idalia should not leave” box.”

I smiled at that, sticking a piece of tape to her hand. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who the second vote was. “Well, that I am definitely glad to hear.” Was it selfish of me to want Idalia to stay here, when Arin was making her unhappy? I was certain it was. The realization sent a bolt of guilt straight through my heart, and my voice was lower when I added, “This palace needs your energy, to liven it up.”

She blinked a few times, flashing me a soft smile. “You’re going to make me emotional. Stop it!”

“Ah, sorry!” I inhaled sharply wincing as I turned back to the tape. Without looking at her, I handed her another piece of tape, my voice quiet. “It’s true though.”

She snatched the tape out of my hand with a force that made me jolt. “Evalin!”

My brows furrowed as I turned to look at her. “What?”

She took the tape roll from my hands now, ripping more pieces so fast it was like her hands were blurred around the edges. “We’re on a mission. Stop complimenting me!” She paused, sticking some of the pieces of tape she had torn to the side of the chair, taking them off one by one and attaching them to the papers, before coating the remained of Arin’s seat with the paper. “But I really appreciate it.”

I nodded, glancing at my watch. “How much paper do we have left? We’re going to have to hurry.”

Idalia didn’t falter, continuing to work. “I think it’s almost done to be good enough.”

Behind us, I could hear the door to the dining room opening. I froze. We were dead meat. This didn’t make sense, we should have still had at least ten minutes to finish and get out!

Idalia didn’t hesitate. Before I had a chance to even look at her, she had begun shoving me under the table before she joined me there as well. I stared at her as she crawled under the table, my eyes wide as she pressed her index finger against her lips. The footsteps got closer to the table, whoever it was mumbling, “I can’t believe they put the new guys to deal with the main table.”

I shook my head at Idalia, my eyes still wide as saucers. Between this and the date, there was no way I wasn’t being sent home, and soon. “We’re so dead,” I whispered, my voice barely audible, even to me.

Idalia froze until the rustling stopped, glaring at me as she pulled out her phone. She typed something quickly, then flashed the screen in my direction. “He will leave soon. We can still slip out when he is done.”

I nodded, gesturing to Idalia’s phone, hoping she would understand that I wanted to type something back. She must have, because she handed me her phone, and I typed, “Sorry we ended up in this situation.” When I had said I wanted to prank Arin, I hadn’t meant that I wanted to spend the entirety of lunch staring at his feet. This had turned into a big mess, quickly.

Idalia frowned as she read my reply, taking two seconds to type one of her own. “You really need to stop apologizing for things that aren’t your fault. This was my idea. Granted, you did put the thought in my head with your vengeful thoughts.”

Either way, it was still my fault. At least she recognized that much. “It was my idea to prank Arin,” I typed back. “You tried to talk me out of it, and then you came up with the prank.” I was about to hand the phone back to her, but I stopped myself, adding, “We’re in this together.” Partners in crime, then.

She smiled a bit at her phone as she read the reply, then shot me a look like I was crazy. Maybe I was. I had gotten us into this mess, after all. There was a few clanking sounds, like cutlery being rearranged, before the footsteps receded yet again.

Idalia shot me a look as relief flooded through me. She began to crawl out from under the table, letting out a sigh before whispering, “We’re clear.” I was about to begin to crawl out after, when I heard more footsteps in the room. It seemed that somebody had chosen today to arrive right on time, of course. She jumped backwards, crawling back to my side and making soft shushing noises.

I furrowed my brows, remaining quiet and as still as I could manage. The footsteps stopped by a chair at our table. Of course. I wracked my brain in an attempt to remember the seating configuration at the main table, until it hit me. This very punctual person was Wylan Caldwell.

He let out a sigh as he slipped into his chair, tapping his foot as the sounds of someone typing on a phone trickled down to where Idalia and I hid. He wasn’t alone for long, though. Moments later, others started to trickle in, including Safiya and Mélanie. If any of them found us, we were so dead. I was already mortified, and they didn’t even know we were here yet.

An amused laugh ensued from Wylan, accompanied by a snort from Safiya and a sigh from Mélanie. Ah, so they had noticed the papers on Arin’s chair, then. At least our final deed here wouldn’t go unappreciated.

Above us, conversations began, as everyone eventually finished trickling into the room. I hoped nobody would be too concerned that Idalia and I had both been absent at two meals today, but then again, maybe nobody would notice. I listened to Wylan reply to a question Safiya asked him, trying to figure out our best chance at getting out of here unscathed. Focus, Evalin! Now was not the time to panic. We had to remain calm, and still, and hopefully then we’d be able to sneak out from under the table afterwards. All I could do was watch as more pairs of shoes appeared under the table. Yet, Arin still wasn’t here. What if he didn’t show at all? Had this all been for nothing?

I looked at Idalia, mouthing the word, “Shit,” but otherwise staying silent.

Idalia’s eyes were darting between each pair of shoes in our view, her gaze stopping on Wylan’s. It looked like she was trying to formulate a plan of her own. I only hoped it didn’t involve giving away our position.

The food was starting to come out, I realized, noting the shuffle of feet and the increase in noise as the servants came to serve everyone. I heard Wylan and Safiya thanking everyone who served them, and yet, still no Arin. Maybe he’s just running late.

Someone bumped against the table, and the next thing I knew, a fork had slidden across the floor, stopping right between me and Idalia. I was frozen. Maybe it would be okay, maybe whoever had dropped the fork would just ask for a new one, sure, but what if they didn’t? They’d see us for sure. We were busted.

“Haven’t you learned enough from us by now to know to keep your elbows off the table?” Safiya sounded amused.

“Yeah, yeah,” Wylan grumbled, “I’m a barbarian.” He pushed out his chair a bit, and, upon realizing his fork wasn’t there, he stuck his hand under the tablecloth, feeling around for the fork that was apparently his.

Idalia looked at me then, her jaw clenched and her eyes wide with alarm. The fork was well out of his reach, but it didn’t seem like he was going to give up. I narrowed my eyes at his hand. A quick analysis revealed to me that his hand moved in a pattern - first forward, the back to the left, then to the right, then in the middle, and then a little further forwards again. Wash, rinse, and repeat. A small smile flickered across my face. I knew how to get us out of this.

I was about to inform Idalia of as much, but she was already working on a plan of her own. She had picked up the fork, scooting slowly towards his hand. If I didn’t intervene, she was going to put it in the wrong place at the wrong time. I grabbed her empty hand, trying to get her to stop, but I was too late. As Idalia looked back at me, confusion flickering in her eyes, Wylan’s hand brushed hers.

We were so, so, so dead. Well, I guess Lydia would get to keep our bedroom to herself when I was in prison.

Wylan’s hand had latched on to Idalia’s wrist, showing no signs of letting go.

Above us, Safiya asked, “What, is it gone forever?”

“No,” Wylan answered, his tone confused as he let go of Idalia’s wrist. “Hold on, my barbarian ways will continue.” My heart just about stopped as he stuck his head under the table. This was it. This was the end.

“Wylan,” Safiya sighed, “we can ask for another fork.”

I just wished she had said that ten minutes earlier.

Idalia’s shoulders were tense as she drew her hand back, blinking twice at Wylan and giving him a sheepish smile. I didn’t understand how she could me so calm. My entire body had tensed up. I was crouching on the balls of my feet, one hand still on Idalia’s wrist, ready to drag her out if we had to make a run for it. Idalia seemed to relax though, the longer she and Wylan looked at each other. I couldn’t stop watching the two of them look at each other. It was like watching a tense scene in a movie as a child, peeking through my fingers because I didn’t want to see what happens next, but I was too curious to fully look away.

Wylan jerked, hitting his head on the table, his own eyes wide now, darting between me and Idalia. I couldn’t blame him for being surprised, but I wished he hadn’t made such a scene. Other people were going to notice now, and look. The thought of Mélanie finding us under the table raised the hairs on the back of my neck. God, this idea was such a mistake.

Wylan simply smiled at Idalia, grabbing his fork and poking her hand with it before going back to sit in his chair. So, that was it? He wasn’t going to report us? It had to be obvious to him that we were the ones responsible for the papers on Arin’s chair. Yet, he had looked more proud when he had smiled at Idalia than disappointed or upset.

Okay, so Arin must just be an asshole to everyone, then.

“Sorry,” Wylan replied to Safiya. “Couldn’t let this one go.” It sounded like he was smiling. What was happening?

Safiya let out a small scoff at that. “Special fork worth that head bump?

“Like you wouldn’t believe.”

Was he happy that we were under the table? I looked upwards, pleading with him mentally to keep his mouth shut. I knew he couldn’t hear me, of course, but anything was worth a shot at this point.

Beside me, Idalia squeezed my arm, flashing me a grin. She must have been certain we’d be okay, then. When she had gotten to know Wylan to the point that she trusted him this much? I let out an inaudible sigh of relief, but frowned again when I noticed Arin still wasn’t there. All this stress and drama had been for absolutely nothing.

Above the table, Safiya had started teasing Wylan about his lack of etiquette, and how the Selected had learned faster than him, even though we hadn’t been here as long. Wylan simply replied, “I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”

It was interesting - refreshing, even - to hear them talking so casually, though Wylan’s last comment had be tempted to punch his shin. I decided against it, not wanting to blow our cover. Idalia had no such reservations, apparently, and leaned over to pinch his calf, glaring up at the table. Wylan twitched, but said nothing.

It was then that the sound of footsteps reached my ears again. Only one pair of feet. Arin’s chair moved backwards, which was followed by a brief moment of silence. This hadn’t all been for nothing after all. I couldn’t keep myself from smiling a little bit.

“Did you do this, Wylan?” He didn’t sound angry or hurt, but rather confused. From the sounds of it, it didn’t seem like he’d ever bother to figure out who was really responsible, either. Somehow, that was even better.

“Nope,” Wylan answered, the amusement evident in his voice.

It appeared that at this point, Arin had decided that he didn’t care anymore, and he took a seat without even bothering to remove the paper. It took everything in me not to laugh as the paper crinkled every time he moved. That small victory kept me entertained enough to make the rest of the meal fly by. It didn’t feel like long before everyone cleared out of the room, and the servants finished cleaning up the dishes and utensils.

As soon as the coast was clear, Idalia and I raced out from under the table, me nearly doubled over with laughter, and her glaring and showing me a text message Wylan had sent her that read, “Next time let me know so I can be your lookout.” It felt good, now that everything was over. I couldn’t remember the last time I had laughed this hard. It was a bittersweet realization.

Maybe I shouldn’t be focusing so much on Arin, but rather on everything else being here could offer me - friendship, experience, knowledge. Those would serve me well in the long run, no matter what happened. Plus, those things didn’t leave me half as irritated as Arin tended to, which was probably for the better for my own sanity. Would a fairytale romance be nice? Sure. Was I perfectly content to live in this exact moment forever, though? Yes, more than I ever thought I would be.

#selectionoc

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gloomstudy · 5 years ago

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congrats on graduation!! What are you up to nowadays?

thank you so much!! continuing from my last two life updates (here and here):

i’ve unfortunately semi-lost my substitute teaching job. all schools in my area are closed for the rest of this school year due to coronavirus, so i’ve been unable to teach since the middle of last month. i’ll be back to teaching once this is all over, though!

thankfully, i still have my other job, but everyone’s hours have been cut significantly (again, due to coronavirus). i now work a little less than half of what i used to ;;

i recently had a dry cough and was sick for about 2 weeks. i’m not sure if it was related to the virus, but i’m okay now :)

i’m currently on a short break from work. i’ve been staying home; i haven’t gone outside in 2 weeks. i’ll be back to work this friday.

i study korean in my free time. i recently finished reviewing everything i learned during the fall 2018 semester (korean 1A). i want to start reviewing korean 1B this week!

after watching a very cheesy but wholesome rom-com j-drama (a girl & three sweethearts), i felt motivated to get back into studying japanese again! i started following @/hinative_jp on instagram, so i’ve picked up a few useful phrases here and there over the past few days. slowly, but surely, i’ll fully get back into it :D

i work on music whenever i can. learning, listening, practicing, composing, improvising…just trying to stay in touch so that i don’t forget what i learned in uni, y’know?

i’ve been playing animal crossing: new horizons! it’s so fun and wholesome. from what i’ve seen, a lot of other players seem to be rushed to expand their houses and terraform their islands and create their towns, but i’m just out here taking my time lol. june is my favorite villager so far, if anyone was wondering. she’s the sweetest little cub and i love her a lot!!

picked up a new hobby: sewing! my mom taught me the basics, and i enjoy it very much. i made my own face mask with some scrap fabric, and i accidentally stabbed my thumb with the needle in the process lol, but i’m really happy with how it turned out! i’ll wear it the next time i go outside :)

i cried over the most recent episode of haikyuu and now i gotta wait until july for season 4 to continue. at least we don’t have to wait 4 years, ahaha (haikyuu fans know what i mean). also! i am,,,,,very soft,,,,,for the miya twins :((( you can’t make me choose which one i like better. atsumu and osamu are both good and cute boys.

also cried over the last episode of boku no hero academia. it was very emotional! now we have to wait a while until season 5 comes out ;;

i haven’t read anything new lately, but my brother lent me his copy of how to win friends & influence people by dale carnegie. i plan to read it soon, and i hope i’ll be better at communicating with people after i finish reading it!

super excited for day6, chungha, nct dream, and astro’s comebacks!!

i’ve been thinking a lot about the future. other jobs, grad school, potential career paths…it’s stressful, especially now that we’re in a crisis and everything seems so uncertain. i’ll figure things out eventually. for now, i’m trying my best to be present and focus on one thing at a time. baby steps are okay, too.

tl;dr: kinda lost one job but still have the other, was sick for a while but i’m good now, studying korean and japanese, working on music, playing acnh, learning how to sew, crying over anime, gonna read when i get a chance, hyped for some very exciting kpop comebacks, and thinking about the future.

that’s all for now! thank you for reading. i hope you’re all doing well and staying safe. we’re gonna get through this together!! 💕✨

#answered #anon #kat rambles #sailor moon happily eating a bun is a whole mood

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autoirishlitdiscourses · 4 years ago

Text

Discourse of Saturday, 17 October 2020

Would you? At the same time, and the way: What do you want to recite: 5 pm section on 27 November and 4 of Ulysses that we did not, let me know! Failure to turn your final paper in a way that is necessary, but it's often confused with one. So, here. Which texts I have you down to it. If all else fails, you need to represent them even further is a missed opportunity in multiple absences and is as follows: Up to/one percent/for/scrupulous accuracy/in vocally reproducing the/exact text that they didn't cover but that you give, and you met them at you unless your medical status that I built in the manner of an A-would be unwise simply to wait until I'd spent the day before Thanksgiving. Again, well, but forget which one. Which made me realize that I can link to the research resources on the midterm; is the case that 16 June 1904: The Dubliners perform The Patriot Game, mentioned in/Ulysses/alas, recording is of course that it would have helped to get an incomplete grade for the group as a first response would help for you, plus a few things very well. But the Purdue OWL is a very thoughtful job of drawing fair implications out of ink, network connections go down this road, a high B. I think that your own presuppositions in more detail. Either 1:00, in your mind to some extent in their papers, so if you've already lost on the eleventh line; and so your paper depends on a larger purpose while also leaving options for getting me a photocopy of that motivation should be read as having the courage to pause and build dramatic tension rather than the rules. Reminder: tonight at 7 p. It's true that you don't have a recording of your questions might have been of concern in the specificity of your performance and discussion to end up.

If you can deal with this by dropping into lecture mode if people aren't talking because they haven't started the old Tiddly Show; and that you're discussing. Check to make any changes made I will still expect you to help you to push your paper—as it is constructed in the text of Pearse's speech without too much about midterm grades. However, you did get the group to read and interpret as a whole clearly enjoyed your presentation notes would be central to our understanding of the nine options; he is, you may wish to dispute a grade by Friday evening if you keep an eye on the final, too, or utilitarianism, or Aristotelian virtue, or after you reschedule it: you had a lot of ways in which you dealt.

All of which is fantastic and well thought-experiment, even if you do suboptimally on the grading email that says that you took on a topic you're absolutely welcome to speak, and I'm sure you'll do well on the web I'm pretty sure that you should be proud of. Remember that you're making. Plagiarism and Cheating:/I try to force a discussion leader for your paper must be killed by the end of the quarter, I nominate her: she worked incredibly hard, made great strides, is 50 9 for 5 in the first line of the play, that's incredibly comprehensive. Thanks for your ideas are developing nicely. I have a bunch of academic opinion, etc.

Are Old discussion of An Irish Airman Foresees His Death 5 p. You've not only keeps us on task. Discussion notes for section attendance and participation is 55 5 _9 points. Both of these policies in the context of your performance and discussion: performed: Oh I Do Like a S'Nice S'Mince S'Pie sung by Corp. You may have required a bit so that you took.

I can see it promptly and therefore limit your late penalty, you can respond productively if they haven't done an acceptable job of thinking about identity formation, I think that your paper's overall point or points to which you can find applications in the morning shift if that works better for you in section that you might, of course I know that I wasn't engaged in memorization and recitation of a terrible thing: your writing is very unlikely even a perfect score on the you two both gave strong recitations and did a good number of sections attended, in juxtaposition with your paper would most need in order to do is meaningfully contribute to reproductive success by selection pressure, in your discussion notes, but really, really nice work. Part of the obscenity trial surrounding it.

It was a make-up final on Wednesday evenings and bring them to connect them to go into in order to achieve this—I'm not as bad as it could be. I'm behind where I wanted to write questions on the exam, send me the page numbers for the specific language of your introduction and conclusion do some of the text. She had that cream gown on with the play, but it's not necessary and that you picked a good question, people are reacting to look for cues that tell us? One example of a country Begins as attachment to our own field of action And comes to find love so hurtful so often to be taken by the group as a response to such a good way, the sex-food combination pops up! You've got a potentially very productive, though again, a fair amount of points in this arena is a specific analysis and what question you're answering. James Joyce's Ulysses/is available. Please let me do so. Here is what I initially thought I was now a month and a good one a lot of ways: 1 avoid the specificity that you want it to me, and is mentioned in lecture or section, and getting a why you picked to the right page on your midterm and the phrasing of your material effectively and provided a good thumbnail background to the group.

Still, she's a dear girl. This being a good quarter. You have some very good textual choices and analytical methods just depends on where you land overall in this direction would be to make other people to avoid this would require that you look at my paper-writer may be more help. Doing this effectively is to let it motivate other people who never ask naive questions never stop being naive.

Let me know and we'll work out another time to accomplish in ten to fifteen minutes if you'd like. The code that I've pointed to some extent as you write, and 4:30 spot at the beginning of the research or writing process is also a Ulysses recitation tomorrow. I'll stay late. It's not.

Hi!

A-range papers often have a copy of the arrival of Irish identity are instantiated in the hope that helps! I'll see you next week: have several options: prepare a short phrase from it into an effective job of discussion that night for you by this lack of Irish literature in English department look into it for you. Similarly, perhaps not, let it motivate other people to do so. Is that Walter definition of flaneur?

I'll put you down a little bit before I pass it out in section this information allows them to provide useful input. You also picked a difficult business and requires a historical text, though never seriously enough to juxtapose particular texts could be squeezed in most places is basically avoiding the so what? —And to be one of the multiple works that you're aware of what's going on here that are important to you for a lot of material. If a fellow gave them a few days once you've produced a draft maybe let them do so, because the 5 p. There are many other gendered representations here. The Emigrant Irish aloud near the end. So you can deal with the Operator or Tails plug-ins, you may not look at at it from the course of the text and helping them to the page number for the recitation itself that is a good passage and showed this in any reasonable way, and sometimes the best way to do this at this stage in the discussion requirement. Here's a count of various grades assigned to my students on the assignment, so I'd say to i says in this way. Com that you have disclosed any part at all who says you got most of that looks good to me about them more quickly. Of course, it will help you to reschedule, and that's also an impressive move on your feet in response to divergent views and responded in a strong reason for pushing the temporal envelope this far open makes it impossible, very perceptive readings of the disappointed reaction to painkillers and had some interesting comments about some kind same thing for you—I've tried to gesture toward these in more close detail. Which isn't to say, Welp, guess I'll just say that I am giving you this week. Also, my point is more of an overview on a very good papers and given out three.

I graded it you write your thesis. And I think that your ethical principles are often sophisticated and interesting thoughts, are faulted by society at large for failing to turn it in general is a piece of background information demonstration of why you picked those particular texts could be. No, I think that you leave town. 5% on the section Twitter account in a packet of poems tonight.

Too, I will definitely be there. I have a perceptive argument that, for instance, and I will probably drag you down for 'A Star. Again, thank you for being such a good sense of the final, you will also have a basically strong delivery. The Stare's Nest and of showing how the poem on the same time, and you related your discussion plans. I'll probably do this would result in an email last week due to the aspects of the performances you gave a solid job, and this is a fantastic document/outline/explanation of why you feel this way. 2, again tying them to larger concerns of the pleasures of travel is to listen for the quarter have been to be read as, say, I hope your surgery went smoothly. I think that asking open-ended that people saw in the sense of rhythm. You've done a solid job here. I want the paper just barely push you down to an oversight: there is a specific point about that.

I'm sorry to have thought of it. A-range papers do not impede the reader's ability to serve as mnemonic aids and that what you're saying and what Molly thinks about after 2 a. More administrative issues? Which texts I have to schedule a presentation as a foster-mother to him, perhaps Gertie's thoughts directly? Thanks for being such a good job of weaving together multiple thematic and plot issues and weaves them gracefully without losing the momentum of your own work will help you be absent from lecture or section in a close-reading exercise of your paper. Discussion Section Guidelines handout, which is rather complex. Choosing a few exceptions, listed in a term paper of this would have paid off here. Despite these things would, I can't recall immediately and have some strong work here, and it looks like there are many ways. But I'll take back over your own experience as a major theme of crime drama: the only person in each passage. All in all, you did a very good work here. Well, God is good and reflected the assertive hesitations of the poem and its background.

I think that it might come off as much as you can go, though there were things that I set the image properties, then go ahead and cancel the add period and how does the show is that the student's ideas. On it, because that will be. If you are of course welcome to send me a couple of administrative announcements the most up-to ten-digit code, which is not caught up on the female figure and with your approval, I'll post them unless you have some very, very good readings of Godot and would give you good advice and I'll see you next week. I would also like to hand on. Are the descnts of Irish literature that you use. All of these are genuinely astounding bonus, this is a good student so far, mid-century American painter Willem de Kooning's Woman series is full. Again, please consult a writing tutor in CLAS can help you to stretch your presentation, not a bad idea. 4% in the corners sometimes. Explains the currency in question. If you miss the 27 November and discussion by the selections in which this could conceivably boost your attendance/participation grade is at least a preliminary selection of what you're expecting. Wow, that's incredibly comprehensive. This is a penalty of/The Music Box/1932: There will be out of that grade range—not just closely at whether every word, every B paper, but I'll have your paper topic. Your discussion and which texts you want me to answer questions in order to be, the word love generally covers a specific claim about Yeats's relationship to each other you give a close reading of the section as a whole, though never seriously enough to be aware that it could, theoretically informed paper, or didn't when you know you've got it perfect. Does that help? Let me know what that third plan looks like you're writing more of the poem responds to these questions, OK? I can attest from personal experience it can be. 79%, a B on your final draft, letting it sit for a productive set of numbers is in this world and the fact that marriage is supposed to have dug into these in my office with the course of the room. Can we talk about the format or point totals should map onto letter grades onto point totals. You could probably find the full text of the one hand, I'm leaning toward putting you either cross them or want you to demonstrate mercy, I really liked it. And I do tomorrow, you should be to find evidence on their experience of love is perhaps one of the novel. Again, I can't think offhand of work to be as successful as it might be worth 150 points. I can just tell me when I pass out a draft, letting it sit for two or three most participatory people in, first-person pronoun in a word processor fails to conform more closely on the syllabus assigns for the sake of having misplaced sympathies for criminals. Not surprisingly, the more interesting way to think about Ireland as a section you have any questions, OK? Let me know if you would need to do is meaningfully contribute to reproductive success by selection pressure, in my mailbox South Hall.

Thanks! If you need 94% on the matter have I emphasized enough that you may not be relevant to the next two presenters, and it can be a hard line to walk, admittedly, and a server error on the midterm to get back to you staying within Irish culture. All in all, an A for the quarter, then I will not necessarily the order I will offer you some thoughts.

Thinking about this very open-ended pick three texts requirements fairly loosely, provided that you express that claim guide you to engage in micro-level course, with your score regardless of race that is particularly difficult in this range do not participate, then the two things. I will probably involve providing at least 24 hours in advance will help your grade I'd just like to put that would help you to structure your weekend so that I have to give McCabe a really difficult selection, effectively, not to avoid responding to emails that it naturally wants to do is either of the interpretive problems that I've made some very impressive moves here.

I use a standard list of works cited page for each one. You've done a lot of information about your other email in just a tiny bit over, and I have to be answering a question is a broad home. I like, and effectively positioned it as soon as possible, OK? You've written quite a good student this quarter: U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday. He's been a good job of interacting with the question of influence on your group makes it an even bigger honor to win—people who are doing poorly in this way. You memorized more than the syllabus. As promised in the twelfth episode, Cyclops, which pulled the grades up for a comparatively difficult poem to the specific, this is a minor inconvenience. Participatory-ness, I will not be everything that you carry in your paragraph before. Think about what Yeats wants to do well just by one-third of a few spots open, so you can get the same way my first year in grad school? Thanks! 137. I think that this is not something that other people uncomfortable enough that I would recommend that you want to keep bubbling in the Ulysses lectures which, as well. Ultimately, think about how you can give you an additional five percent/of opportunities to reschedule, and nearly three-syllable metrical foot, accented-unaccented. Does that help? Grammar, mechanics, and more than a very good work in the early stages of planning I just got swamped responding to emails from students: You dropped or from the other hand, a fraction between zero and one days late unless you go to, close your eyes open and relish the experience of the things you'll have to turn your final tonight went or is going well, it's no skin off my back, and I completely appreciate that you're capable of being paid to serve as mnemonic aids and that her suicide occurs when Francie runs away, which is one of the difficulties involved. This is a good idea in a moment. Your writing is so impassioned. At the same as totalitarianism, though it was a good number of different ways that you make in your thesis to say is that your midterm and recitation of at a different direction. Think about what your paper needs to be changed than send a new follower on Twitter. It may be performing an analysis of a set of images to look for ways to relate Ulysses to cubism as the weeks progress, and you've been a pleasure having you in section I was going to be less emphasized than, say, none are egregious or otherwise just saying random things about what you're actually using, and larger-scale project. I'll remove my copy and redirect the link from my student, has dictated that this is a suggestion, then waited four days after the fact that a paper that takes this approach is basically very much so. I think that more explicit thesis statement to take another look at some point in the sequence twice; changed It seems _______________ is to drop by, you can't go on because there are certainly other possibilities. So you can which specific part of your newspaper article, too, and not because you clearly have excellent things to say and got a general sketch of what your most important thing to be necessary, but if you do an excellent quarter! In addition to section. Failure to turn in your case, bring me documentation from a medical provider for me if you have a point of thinking even more front and center would help to avoid trying to say about the recitation half of your total score for base grade-days late unless you have any other absences for any reason, it will probably drag you up for the quarter is completely over. I think, is 50 10% of your specific question. All in all, this is because it's a draft maybe let them do so. There are no meaningful differences—there are a number of important goals well, too, about what you want to go for the quarter when we first scheduled recitations. This may be that the maximum number of ways. Attendance and Participation I track your absences from each section and leave it.

Discovering at the document from Google Docs spreadsheet or downloading and installing LibreOffice, which seemed to warm up quickly is not yet posted, with the texts you've chosen, and this paid off for you to follow up with a good choice, and their relationship. You picked a wonderful book, on p.

To put it another way, I did to so I can reasonably fault you for doing a very impressive. Discussion notes for week 9. I hope that helps you prioritize. It was a pretty rigorous framework at the beginning, and the expression of your peers with the professor is behind a bit flat in establishing their relevance, because I'm mean but in your life, and over the printed words. It's a good holiday! Let me know what you want to reschedule, or else you will be out of that text correctly. I don't think that student lists from eGrades didn't have the overall logical/narrative path through them in detail is the MLA standard actually doesn't require students to make sure that you finished final revisions too soon before it jerked; added that to me like the Synge vocabulary quiz on John Synge's play, and you really want to make sure that you will have to have practiced a bit nervous, but it doesn't look like anyone else at all to the food-based mnemonic devices that make much other course poetry easier to get to everything anyway, but I can plan for section attendance and participation. Anyway, my point is to avoid specificity, and the group-generated midterm study guide for his opinion directly in section.

All in all ways to think about this during our last two stanzas are good I think that even this was a sneaky kind of viewer is likely to drag you down to, but leaves important points, actually. Ultimately, you'll get other people have prepared as your main points of the people who attended last night's optional review session last night, and it would help to motivate them to lecture with me. You may also be read, so I'm not sure how much you knew about the issue, I do have some idea of what you're actually claiming about the course of the room to make this paper to be productive to discuss your grade: You may not have started reading Godot yet if they're cuing off of earlier discussion, and various relationships between those points, and you do so would be unwise simply to talk about why the comparison is worthwhile, because you won't have the gaze. I was of course thinking of a letter explaining specific reasons why the IRA's treatment of his lecture pace rather than an omnivore would? You also picked a selection of an A-and rhyme-based mnemonic devices that make sense? And, again, did a really difficult selection, in part because its boundaries are rather difficult passage, getting 95% on the paper, this could conceivably drop the class if you fall back on if you're trying to force a discussion of the class and did a good rest of the harder things to do what the real payoff for your recitation in front of me wanted to remind people. What that person's ancestry also includes more material than you'll actually be factored in until your final decision on which it takes a bit more space to examine the assumptions that you really do have a few minutes talking about, and seemed to be successful in any case, that proofreading and editing a bit better, and will use these two. I think that it never hurts to think about how readers respond to the shaven-headed woman tied up outside the range of the list, I think that one way to go down might involve Umberto Boccioni: Dynamism of a small boost. Hi! I will respond as quickly as possible! Etc. Ultimately, I grade the first three paragraph exactly of the passage you chose a longer-than-required selection and delivered your lines from Stare's Nest by My Window Heaney, Requiem for the quarter when we first scheduled recitations. You have some very good job of putting your texts, and I'll print it out in a lot of things that would need to be examined, please leave the group may help to specify a more likely scenario is that the smarter thing to do quite like your lecture orientation was motivated by nervousness, and I will make what I think that what your paper must represent your thoughts have developed a great deal since you wrote, basing your argument though I think that articulating a specific point, the attraction of the country, though it's probably not the only ones going at 5 p. That is, again, a high bar for anyone to assume that they'll be able to avoid discussing it in without hurting your grade, but leaves important points, would be not providing a thumbnail background sketch of what interests you about The Butcher Boy was not acceptable, that your very fair in a comparative analysis of a group means that a you have an A for the group is, in part because its very everydayness shows how strange Francie's life is not yet made a huge number of important ways.

This is quite good. But really, really is a high B. Realistically, calculating participation will probably drag you down more if you have also explained this to many other parts of the paper does what it needs to be the most famous parts of The Butcher Boy both are a lot of ways here. Again, you're welcome to attend even if you want to attend section during which you dealt. 59 p. I'll have them. What I'd encourage you to dig into a more general note, do not override this mapping. If you choose and which texts you propose to read and interpret as a whole tomorrow; In front of the test in another pattern.

#Irish literature #automatically generated text #Patrick Mooney #Python #Markov chains

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lullabieswrappedinlies · 5 years ago

Text

Rom-Com Writing Challenge!

Rules, Guidelines, Important Dates:

Sign-Ups start when this post is live and will go through to June 28, 2020. I will accept two people for each prompt.

Please send your sign-ups to my ask box so they’re easier to keep track of. I will answer them privately so I’m not flooding anyone’s dash!

To be included in the challenge masterlist, please post your fic (or the first part, if it’s a series) by June 30, 2020.

The challenge masterlist will be posted between July 1 and July 4, 2020.

HOWEVER. Since it is a rom-com challenge, your ending must be happy and/or hopeful.

Characters and RPFs are welcome.

Bring on the ships, OFC’s, reader pairings -- I’m trying to be more open-minded as of late, but I can’t promise that I will read everything. Again, for personal reasons.

I’m running this challenge on multiple blogs, and you’re more than welcome to sign up for more than one fandom!

Other fandoms: Marvel | SPN | Multi-Fandom

Prompts:

License to Wed (2007)

Secret Admirer (1985)

10 Thing I Hate About You (1999)

Fools Rush In (1997)

Isn’t It Romantic (2019)

Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)

The Proposal (2009)

Sweet Home Alabama (2002)

Sixteen Candles (1984)

Better Off Dead (1985)

Pretty In Pink (1986)

Overboard (1987)

Look Who’s Talking (1989)

The Wedding Singer (1998)

Never Been Kissed (1999)

One Fine Day (1996)

The Cutting Edge (1992)

Valley Girl (1983)

Pretty Woman (1990)

It Could Happen to You (1994)

It’s Complicated (2009)

Something’s Gotta Give (2003)

You’ve Got Mail (1998)

Notting Hill (1999) @justformyself2 (John)

Serendipity (2001)

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

Love Actually (2003)

Wedding Crashers (2005)

The Holiday (2006)

P.S. I Love You (2007) @justformyself2 (John)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

Easy A (2010)

Second Act (2018)

First Daughter (2004)

Music and Lyrics (2007)

What Happens in Vegas (2008)

He’s Just Not That Into You (2009)

The Prince & Me (2004)

Fever Pitch (2005)

Friends With Benefits (2011)

When In Rome (2010)

Letters to Juliet (2010)

Forces of Nature (1999)

200 Cigarettes (1999)

Reality Bites (1994)

Addicted to Love (1997)

Whatever It Takes (2000)

Can’t Hardly Wait (1998)

Coyote Ugly (2000)

America’s Sweethearts (2001)

@ulovemelightsout @professorkrasinski @jackryanfanfic @i-am-a-stupid-robot

#RomComWC #RCWC #writing challenge #fanfiction

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scpbad · 5 years ago

Text

‘My bad experience with an SCP Wiki moderator.’

This was submitted by a user who wishes to remain anonymous. This is not by the author of this blog.

Hi, I hope it’s ok for me to send a huge wall of text like this, because it’s the shortest I could manage. I’m putting my username in the required submission settings, but I want to remain anonymous in this post. I alluded to what I’m about to describe here in an ask I sent to this blog… about a week ago, I think. The timeline for this experience is approximately November 2018 - June 2019.

In late October of 2018, some things happened between me and another SCP author that scared the shit out of me and made me worry that I would need to leave the SCP community, possibly even delete all traces of my existence off the internet. I don’t want to talk about them here, but my distress was obvious to a few people on Discord, and it was during this time that a wiki author and j-staff member named Uncle Nicolini reached out to me to see if I was ok, despite the fact that we didn’t know each other well. We started talking to each other pretty regularly. We were both very depressed people who’d been through some traumatic experiences, so we were able to relate over that.

After about three weeks, it turned out that he had developed a very strong crush on me. I will admit that I did flirt with him back on a few occasions. At the time I was an openly sexual person. Here’s where the issues started: I am aromantic and bisexual, but the aromantic part is what really matters here. Uncle Nicolini is not. Despite the fact that we had only been talking to each other seriously for a few weeks, he became very angry that I could not feel attracted to him romantically. It got to the point that he threatened to kill himself because I would not be his girlfriend, and tried to manipulate me into believing that my sexual orientation was wrong. I vaguely recall him expressing the idea that women owed him something because of his semi-recent negative experience with a former girlfriend. I was absolutely horrified. At the time, I was barely 19 and he was 24. I tried telling some other people that I still trusted about what was happening, but the response I would get usually wasn’t much better than something like “Oh no, that sucks.”

Eventually I confronted him by text messages (I had his number and I hoped it would make him take me more seriously). I told him straight up what I thought of his behavior, and the response I got was… not very good. The tone I got from his responses was that I was wrong for getting angry at a depressed person, along with an entirely unrelevant excuse as to why I was not allowed to express any form of “passive-aggressiveness” towards him. Eventually we came to an agreement and decided to stay friends, but the apology he gave me was very backhanded and ultimately it felt like I was the one who was being a mean bitch. I genuinely tried to move past it, but over the next few months I couldn’t help but think back to what had happened and I felt like the incident was always haunting all of our interactions. To Nico’s credit - for a few months after this happened, I feel that he did genuinely try to help me with my trauma and be a good friend, which is why I have been extremely hesitant to talk about this publicly. I would not be writing this had I not very recently come to a conclusion about some of his other behavior towards me, which I’ll be talking about later.

Eventually, another major conflict happened between us. In late December through all of January, I was involved in some major drama in the SCP community (related to what I vaguely referenced at the beginning of this post) that resulted in both me and the unnamed author being permanently banned from the SCP Wiki. Though I should have been satisfied, especially after a month of hardship that I feared would go nowhere, I felt as though my experiences had been invalidated by the SCP Wiki admin team, and I was stuck in a situation where although I wanted to still be a part of the SCP community, there were now several barriers to me doing so, not to mention the way that my reputation was permanently affected. For the next two months I was a very aggressive ball of negativity, and I didn’t notice how much I was bothering some people around me. A bunch of people made it clear (though politely, out of respect for my situation) that they wanted nothing more to do with me. Uncle Nicolini was the one who took it upon himself to show me why my negativity was so damaging, and before I continue, I want to be clear that I think he was right. However, and I understand that it may be problematic that I cite these during a situation where I was the one in the wrong - there were two things about this situation that were incredibly troubling to me. The first is that during the argument, I also brought up Nico’s past sexual harassment of me and how months later I was still very upset about it, even though I tried my best not to let it show. His initial response to me bringing it up was something like “I thought I already apologized for that.” He did eventually give me a real apology after some probing, not the half-assed line he had given me in November to shut me up, but it made it clear to me that he did not understand how he had affected me, or perhaps did not care.

Simultaneously - and I’m going to do my absolute best to explain my argument here - I also believe that this encounter was when I first noticed a pattern of gaslighting from Nico that would become more obvious over time, though I would not be able to put it into words until now. During our encounter, Nico also told me that he thought I was “emotionally manipulative, but not intentionally.” Something like that. It was not at all a light accusation. And yet, by the end, he was back to saying that he greatly wanted to continue to be my friend for a long time. I accept the possibility that he was wishing the best for me and genuinely wanted me to see that my behavior was bad so I could be a better person, and was using the argument as a test to see whether or not I could self-reflect. What I don’t find a coincidence is that I feel this exact situation happened multiple times over the course of our friendship, even in situations that were much lower stakes. I notice a pattern in which Nico would find something to make me feel bad about, turn it into a big deal, and then shortly after go back to saying that he greatly wanted to be my friend and hoped I would always be his friend. I have come to the conclusion that this was likely controlling behavior on the part of Nico. I’m unsure what his exact motivations behind it could have been, but I think my concern is legitimate.

Connected to this observation - I recall one time, when I was becoming involved with a similar but non-SCP writing site after I had given up on returning to the SCP fandom, an instance in which I believe that Nicolini intentionally tried to start drama between me and a friend. I became aware of the fact that he had been showing a server of other people our private DMs, or possibly just my private thoughts, without my permission to former friends who were hesitant to support the community I was becoming involved with due to the fact that it contained a mix of people from both the SCP Wiki and RPC authority. I am not entirely sure what his motivations behind this could have been, because even after everything that had happened I still openly supported the SCP community, but I fear that he was purposefully trying to make people distrustful of me behind my back. Why he would do this, I’m not entirely sure. When I expressed concern over what he was doing, because it made a friend of mine upset for a short time, my feelings were largely shrugged off.

I also noticed, over time (because I did keep trying to be his friend), a worrying pattern of aggression from Nico towards other people. I observed that he had a pattern of getting into fights during opportunities where he knew that he either could not get in trouble for it or that his anger was directed at someone who was generally unpopular with the crowd he hung out with. He seemed to partly acknowledge that he had anger issues, but would often blame it on an excuse like “my antidepressants make me aggressive” or “I’m stressed out because of the work I do for the SCP Wiki.” While these explanations are understandable to an extent, they ultimately do not fully excuse hateful behavior towards an individual, and I worry that they indicate that Uncle Nicolini still has issues with owning up to his own bad/abusive behavior when he needs to.

At one point I ended up speaking to a confidant in private about my some of my experiences with Uncle Nicolini, because I was wondering if I should block him like my gut was telling me to, even though I felt like I should suck up my concerns and try to maintain our friendship. He told me not to put pressure on myself and take some more time to think. Eventually, though, a certain event forced me to admit that I was deeply uncomfortable with Nico’s past and present behavior, this feeling would not go away, he had an increasing habit of dismissing my concerns, and for my own mental health it was better that I find a way to get away from him somehow. I understand that this method is not ideal, and it may be seen as leading him on, but over time I tried to talk to him less and less, and when he did reach out to me, I would say everything that I thought he wanted me to say, and I finally blocked him on every platform I could think of when I thought the coast was clear at the start of July. I don’t regret doing so.

Before anyone asks, yes, I did report him to SCP staff. I told them about the sexual harassment I had experienced from him because I figured it was all that was actionable. I didn’t push the issue that much, because sometimes it’s just…. exhausting laying so much of your private life bare after repeat scary experiences in a community that was supposed to be fun. Either they didn’t believe me or thought he was too valuable to lose, because about a month after I reported him he was promoted to moderator, and only one person vaguely referenced his behavior in the promotion thread.

I haven’t spoken to Nico in several months, and therefore I can’t tell anyone for certain if his behavior has improved. I don’t wish any form of harassment towards him as a result of this post. I don’t feel like I can do anything more public than this, due to the potential for backlash and the fact that I’m drained from a year of nonstop drama and other traumatic events. I strongly advise that young people, especially young GRSM people be wary when choosing to interact with this person. I strongly suggest that you do not engage with him sexually in any way. Last I saw, he still has a habit of being flirty with people in the community (and though I cannot confirm this for sure, I feel like I’ve noticed some slight creepiness towards trans people - especially trans women - from him.) As I always recommend when interacting with individuals from the SCP community - because I have seen much bigger, much worse, and much scarier drama than anything I’ve described here - please don’t ever be afraid to ask someone you trust for info about another person.

#long post #scp #scp foundation #scpbad #scp wiki

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