#and next semester she'll actually take that class with her

[abluehappyface]

Thinking about how so much of my younger sister and cousins' lives are going to revolve around all of us that came before them, but in a positive way.

[translatemunson]

when my depression works the graveyard shift • ttfd

chapter five of the tortured firefighters department

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cw: fem!reader, afab!reader, no descriptions of reader, struggles with depression and anxiety, intrusive thoughts, reader is definitely not having a good day (but she'll be fine)

It was a bad day. Actually, more like a fortnight of bad luck, headaches and terrible days. You were running behind your PhD schedule, probably risking an extra semester or two to take all the obligatory classes. Your shifts were taking everything from you. Major events were terrible, but when the whole floor was focused on three pile-ups on major roads, two major fires and one minor power outage because of an illegal truck snapping all of the power wires instead of one major event, the overload of information was the first symptom of burnout. You’d leave your table and work all over the area and the white board to give the best instructions and estimates for your colleagues. But in the end of the shift, the feelings of mission accomplished would be turned into stratospheric levels of exhaustion.

No surprise you were worn off to the bone. Your place was a mess, you were too tired to cook and you stopped ordering take outs two nights ago — maybe three, you couldn’t tell —, you couldn’t sleep for more than three hours in a row because closing your eyes meant being close to reliving the last few days in form of nightmares. With the curtains closed, you couldn’t even tell if it was day or night.

When someone knocked on your door, they were lucky you were in the kitchen, drinking some water before going back to bed for the night. Or day. Not sure of it anymore.

“Brains. Open the door. Maddie is worried.”

And of course it was him.

“I told her I’m fine. Go away, Buckley.” You closed yourself inside your blanket.

“C’mon. You haven’t left your place since wednesday. What is going on?”

“Nothing. Leave me alone.”

You got closer to the door, hoping to hear him walking away, back to his own place, just down the hall.

“Ok, you know I can use the balconies to get in there, right?” 

“Have you heard of trespassing?”

“I’ll say you were in danger. Also, I’m a firefighter.”

“I don’t care. Leave. Me. Alone!” You punctuated your words with the pauses. He had to get the clue and get the hell out of there, before things started to get too messy.

“Hey, I really have no idea what’s going on with you,” he kept his voice low this time, “but everyone noticed you didn’t show up to family lunch, didn’t reply, even skipped Hen’s birthday celebration. You better open this door, or I’ll find my way inside your place.”

“I’m gonna call 9-1-1.”

“And tell them what?”

“That there is an annoying firefighter at my place, threatening to risk his life to commit a felony. Goodbye, Evan!”

All that talking made your legs feel like jello. You slowly slid to the floor just right beside the door, holding your remaining pieces together. With all the curtains drawn closed, and lights off, you were starting to find the floor a little too much more comfortable than your bed.

“Hey, Brains. I’m concerned about you. Can you please open the door and let me check if you’re ok? I promised I’ll be in and out very fast, and I’ll tell everyone not to worry.” It felt like he was, even on the other side of the door, so close. “Please. I don’t wanna be the one having to take down the door to rescue your dead body.”

“I’m not dead, asshole.”

“Not right now.” You could hear him smirking as he spoke. “I promise I’ll get out of your hair, for now. Open the door, please.”

You lifted your arm to reach the door key and turn it. “Give me a second,” you requested as you moved your legs away from the door. He waited for your signal to open it.

“I don’t care if your place is messy. You should’ve seen mine after the tsunami, I had no energy to do anything.” He entered your place too focused on everything else to notice you were right beside him. “Brains?” He called once he didn’t find you standing.

“Down here, Buckley.”

Buck was on his knees the moment he saw you were on the floor, asking you “Are you hurt? Do you feel anything?”

He looked around your place: maybe not messier, but a lot darker than his own. He removed the blanket from your shoulders, checking for any visible wounds or anything that would potentially kill you. 

“Have you eaten today? Any water?” For sure the first responder’s instinct would kick in as fast as a racing car.

“You got your proof of living, now leave.” You turned your head, refusing to look him in the eye.

“Don’t make me bring Hen all the way here to check on you. Food?”

“Don’t remember. But I just drank water.” You weakly pointed to the empty cup.

“Good, but you should save your energy.” He gave you two pats in your leg. At this point, you’re not even sure if he’s still checking for injuries or just making sure you are still made of bones and tissues, not just some ghost. “Why are you on the floor?”

“Annoying neighbor wouldn’t leave me alone.” You smirked.

“Not funny. I’m gonna take you to the couch, ok?”

Your eyelids were starting to get heavier by the minute. You gave him a nod, and Buck passed his arms under your back and knees. Maybe it was a bad idea to lay on the floor, now the slightest movement made you sick and weaker. He moved past your dining table, and set you on the couch. 

“Do you have any symptoms? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?”

“No, no hospital, Buck. I’m just sad. And tired. And probably looking like I was held captive for hours.”

“More like weeks. What?” If you had the energy, you would’ve slapped his arm, but all you could do was roll your eyes at him. “Ok, what do you have in your fridge?”

When the answer to his own question came in the form of an empty fridge — beside two water bottles, a rotten apple and some leftover food you were sure had been there even before the beginning of his nightmare, you saw him put his hands on his hips, wondering what he should do next.

“I’m gonna go to my place, grab something for you. Don’t move, ok?”

“Where else could I go?”

“And I’m taking your keys. As a precaution.” He jiggled them, and your head pulsed. Now a headache? You never wished to disappear that much.

“Whatever!”

He closed the door and left you alone with your wondering thoughts. Well, it wasn’t a surprise you had a full mental breakdown, having a few in the past decade kinda suited your workaholic and overachiever persona. Was it avoidable? Maybe, sure, everything is with a regular sleep schedule, therapy sessions and some ‘I need help’ talks. Were you ready for that? No, not at all.

Your mom was always the first one to clock your “I’m gonna lose my head anytime now” moods, and now she was the last one to know about them. Your dad was always too busy with work to care about those, and being a single child meant there was no one sneaking into your bedroom to check on you. You always fought those alone, you shouldn’t be having trouble pulling yourself out of the slump.

But maybe it was scary this time because it was your first time having one of those after bringing people close to you. Life was lonely during college, your dispatcher coworkers didn’t get too much into your life, you made sure to keep the trouble out of the icebreaker topics when you were on the dating scene.

And now you had the whole 118 crew asking for you, because you were M.I.A. for days, and avoiding them even before that. That for sure was a recipe for a certain firefighter, who just happened to be your neighbor, knocking on your door and dozens of unanswered calls on your phone.

“Gave Chim a call?” You asked Buck as soon as he was back.

“Am I that predictable?”

“My phone rang upstairs, and I bet 20 it’s Maddie.”

“Busted. Ok, I need you to eat this,” he gave you a plate with a slice of bread, “before you eat proper dinner.”

“Ok.”

“I’m gonna…” he pointed to the apartment, a complete chaos. “Small clean up, ok? I just wanna help.”

“Suit yourself, Buckley.”

He opened the curtains, threw the empty takeout bags away, did the dishes and changed your bed sheets. He did all of that while you were your couch, trying to eat the slice of bread without vomiting.

“Do you think you can shower?” He leaned on the railing, checking if you were still on the couch.

“Maybe?”

“Ok, I’ll get you some clean clothes.”

“Already going through my stuff, hm? At least pay me dinner first.”

“Dinner’s gonna arrive any second.” He got down the stairs and stopped in front of you. “Ok, how are we feeling?”

“I can’t eat more than this now. Makes me sick.” You left the plate on the empty seat to your left. He checked it and didn’t look too satisfied with your efforts. “Can you help me get to the bathroom?”

“Sure. Do you think you need a stool or something like that?”

“No, I just need some help to go up.”

“Say no more.” He picked you up, just like minutes ago. As you opened your mouth to complain, he whispered, “Just like you said that day, I’m the muscles”

He carried you, bridal style, to the bathroom upstairs. He got you a chair, just in case you needed a pause. “Scream if you need help, ok?”

“Ok.” Before he left you alone with your thoughts, you called him back.

“I thought you’d prefer some dinner before,” he joked and motioned as if he was implying you needed help with your clothes.

“No, it’s not that. I—thanks, Buck.”

“Anytime, Brains.”

You kept the door a little ajar. Finally getting rid of your pajamas, you opened the shower and enjoyed some freshness. While you were busy taking care of yourself, Buck told you that he’d be finishing cleaning up your apartment. He tried to find the right places for your stuff, got the clothes in the basket, and made the kitchen look pristine. Dinner arrived as you were closing the shower.

You brushed your teeth — couldn’t even remember the last time you did it — and combed your hair. You looked miserable, but that would have to do. Maybe this would convince Buck that you were better. You left the bathroom and walked to your nightstand to get your phone.

“Brains, dinner’s here!” He announced once he saw you moving upstairs. “Wanna eat in bed or…”

You got close to the stairs and froze. No, you couldn’t do it.

“Buck.”

“Hey, hey, hey.” He took two steps at a time to reach you as fast as he could. And just in time to wrap his arms around your body, tears and muffled words taking over. “What’s going on, Brains? You can tell me, it’s ok.”

“I’m exhausted. I’m… I can’t take this. I am… failing. Everything.” Your hold tightened around his shirt. “I’m failing my classes. I can’t take the calls without long breaks because even a small complaint makes me cry. My life is a whole mess, and I can’t… I am tired.”

“I promise I’ll stop asking questions. Just… Did anyone hurt you?” You nodded negatively. “Are you having any alarming symptoms?” Same thing. “Do you need help?” A positive nod. “Ok. I’m not going anywhere.”

Buck did actually go somewhere. After helping you sit in bed, your back against the headboard for support, he went downstairs to get you some dinner. He ordered Thai food — some noodles and soup — and brought you more water.

You two sat side by side, and he started telling you about the lastest calls on his shift. A couple went way too hard on experimenting, a car crash with no deaths, a rescue on a cliff. You listened to him quietly, taking small sips of your soup until the bowl was empty. He left your dishes on your bedside table.

“You have been feeling like this since that day, right?” he asked, changing the subject of the conversation. While you were done with your food, he took his time with the cold noodles.

“Yeah, and I didn’t even tried to change things. It was easier to stay on the same track. Look where it led me.” Your hands traced irregular paths on the clean covers. “I’m sorry I made everyone worried. And that I missed Hen’s birthday.”

“It’s ok. They get it, we also have bad days,” he tried to take the guilty off of your shoulders.

“I promise I’ll do better by the morning. I’ll be better,” you repeated those words until they felt real. Because the thought of changing a ruined routine wasn’t enough anymore. Buck could tell you just needed some decent rest, so he let you go quiet, and he didn’t push you for more details.

You hate how you fell asleep too fast, too easily. This close to someone that felt real and human, and not some damn disaster like you were feeling. With one of his arms around you and pulling you closer, his voice talking about something random about his sister, you were too far gone to pay attention.

+++

He noticed when you fell asleep. He thought of leaving you there, but he was too afraid all progress would be thrown out of the window. So he got comfortable in your bed, with you close to his heart, and promised himself he would move to your couch in a few hours. He didn’t want to make things weird, but he managed to kiss the top of your head, very lightly, just so he could know the feeling.

When you woke up the next morning, he was on your couch, and you could barely remember much of anything after he arrived.

a/n: hi loves! how have you been doing? i'll have to admit this is the most self-insert chapter i'll write in my life bc something similar happened to me a few days ago. and it sucks. but i'm fine now. hope you liked this chapter. see y'all soon!

[trailingdusk]

so i'm taking german and it's on mondays and wednesdays at 6pm so it's a teensy tiny class of like 12 people, and there are two tables. and at the start of the semester there was this girl at the other table and she seemed very cool and chill and fun, but like, i wasn't about to talk to her! everyone really only talked to the people at their tables.

anyways, we got paired together for the first project (i was delighted lol) and at the end of our first meeting for that project, she goes, "hey, i just wanted to say that i'm so glad we got paired together - you seem really cool and i was hoping the professor would put us together so i could get to know you better!" girl - me too!

and we got the same pairs for our second partner project! we were equally as delighted. and then for the third project we were initially paired together and then the department decided to make it an individual project but the project was to plan a dinner party and so we decided to do it together anyways and we planned a dinner party and now we're actually going to host it next week :)

but she is just SO cool. she's a vocal performance major and has just the most gorgeous smile. i've been driving her home since it's a bit of a trek and it's minnesota cold out, and she'll queue up three songs every time (the approximate length of the drive) depending on her mood but it's always fun to hear new music and she loves having the aux and being able to crank the volume and sing along (and i love listening to her!). these days we'll just park outside her building and go back and forth on song recs until she has to go inside.

and today was the last day of class, and i dropped her off for the last time this semester, and i'm just so glad that by a stroke of fate our professor put us together. it's always wonderful to make new friends, but she's just such a cool person and just. so nice, and very genuine, and cares a lot about her friends, and is very smart, and is always very interested in what she's talking about, and i think she's just the bees knees, to be honest. i'm so glad i've gotten to know her this semester and i really hope we stay in touch.

[rainboq]

As someone who has ADHD, I really love speculating what Chloe's experience would be like the first time she takes Adderall.

She'll be calmer for sure, but what she does while she's calm is another thing. Like she might be extremely productive while the effects last or she might just lie down for a bit and think 'This is hella better than weed'.

Though because ADHD is ADHD, she'll probably accidentally drink a whole thing of coffee after taking her meds, forgetting that you're not supposed to do that. That's a mistake you only make once. XD

But yeah, the support system and hyperfixation being the difference between doing well and not is something I know well. Especially the latter, because in a single semester I can do well in all but 1 class and completely bomb the other, just because of interest alone. It's such a double-edged sword for me, especially once combined with dyslexia T-T

It would definitely weird Rachel out if she's all hyper and Chloe's suddenly the calm, collected one. Rachel wants to bounce off the walls and party, and Chloe's like "Hang on I gotta clean my room, this place is a mess." The next day Rachel's furiously researching what it means if you react to it that way.

Yuuuuup, although my biggest concern with Chloe and stims is her not eating. She almost definitely skips meals to avoid having to sit at a table with David, suppressing her appetite might actually be downright dangerous.

Yeaaaaah, school is brutal when you have ADHD, especially if it's un or poorly treated. Best of luck!

[mattzerella-sticks]

Totally spies crackship prompt: Sam x Mandy. Set in either college or early/late 20s Au; but NOT the same as Seasons 5-6. General gist is that they fall in love for… some reason. For college option; Sam is puzzled by Mandy acting… different towards her; she’s not the same mean girl from high school. For the early/late 20s option; do you what you wish; but Mandy is kinda like Lois Lane in this except with a more fiery personality. Either way, Mandy only pretended to like boys back in HS here.

So in this I'd have to say that there's been a rivalry there between Sam and Mandy from high school. Instead of having her be Clover's rival, she's Sam's, and they compete for grades. Mandy gets an A, Sam gets an A+. Sam's first chair on violin, Mandy second. Sam wins presidency of the student council, Mandy vice president so on and so forth. Once they graduate, Mandy thinks she'll be able to be her own person because she always felt like she was never enough - and all the boys she dated only felt like because she was competing with Sam's boyfriends. However on her first day on campus she sees that Sam has transferred to her school and she soon starts falling into old habits again. But at some point she makes a good friend who tells her that focusing on Sam is toxic and she needs to forget about her and her friends, to which Mandy agrees. Then we see that Mandy works on herself and comes to the conclusion she never hated Sam, in fact she was jealous of her and actually sort of liked her and was always trying to take Sam's boyfriends though not wanting them was because she wanted to be with Sam. That settled, she makes peace with her feelings and moves on.

Sam notices this change in Mandy, of being ignored, and kind of misses her. Then one day they're both in the same class and have to work on a semester long project together and they actually start to become good friends. However, because she's not hating her, Mandy starts to realize Sam (as well as Alex and Clover) start disappearing a lot. So she does some digging and thinks there's something supsect about the girls and cuts ties with Sam once the project is done because she doesn't want to risk her future on whatever shady business Sam has gotten involved with. But Sam doesn't want Mandy out of her life so she tries to speak with her. When she finally does get the chance to, Mandy is kidnapped by... Mac Smit Tim Scam!

So Sam has to rescue her and the secret comes out and Mandy enrolls in an internship position within WOOHP, in training to be the next Jerry, and her and Sam continue their flirtationship.

Hope you liked it!

[torahtot]

so it's the last digital media & society class of the semester and the prof is not coming back next year so she decided instead of a final we'll do a fun activity. i show up to class & she's fiddling with some VR headsets. (irrelevant sidenote this prof has a track record of making us do unhygienic or just gross stuff like all play games on one person's laptop, multiple person thumb war [i had to thumb war 4 sweaty jocks at the same time last class], & her weird insistence that we stand very close with our shoulders touching while we play telephone despite that not being necessary for the game. so i knew we would be taking turns wearing the same VR headsets without cleaning them in between)

anyways she starts the class by showing us this TED talk by a black woman who created a VR experience of racism. i thought it was a powerful talk & i liked it although i was a little weirded out at the concept of white people LARPing as black to understand racism better. well. you will never guess what happened next

for context as of 2021 my college was almost 73% white and in this class of around 25 there are only 2 black girls and maybe like 2 other POC. the professor is asian. guess what class we r actually going to do this VR experience!! anyone who doesn't feel comfortable doesn't have to as this can be very traumatic :))

we got put into groups so one person from each group could do 1 of the 4 simulations and i ended up sitting right next to the group that one of the black girls was in. the prof goes up and asks who in that group wants to do the simulations (something i dont think she asked the groups that did not have black students), someone offers to go first & the black girl passive-aggressively says she'll do it too. prof does not respond just continues walking around smiling like a fucking idiot like she doesn't know full well what she's doing. after their group is done she asks for feedback on how it was. white girl is tripping over herself trying to explain how the VR didn't really change anything bc she already knows these things happen & are bad but obviously she feels very bad that this happens & it's not okay and wow i just wanted the floor to swallow me up i couldnt handle it. the black girl is visibly upset & prof continues to do nothing.

after that girl said her piece i told the prof that even tho i hadnt done the VR yet, just the fact that we're doing this already taught me something because it's a very clear example of how many of our experiences are catered to white people which is something that can be easy not to realize when it isn't literally a case of something made for white people being offered to a class that has black students who do not need it & are being insanely marginalized bc of it. we wouldn't be doing this if a significant portion of the class was black & would potentially opt not to participate. i had to repeat this 3 times bc she wasn't understanding. then i said we wouldn't be doing this if our class wasn't extremely white & she just went yeah, absolutely :D

after the other black student went she told the prof how it didnt change anything for her because she experiences real racism not virtual & she explained more of how in high school they were taught how to prepare to enter a predominantly white space. she was being really nice & sweet & she's kind of shy in general so the prof still was not getting the point that this girl is trying to tell her she's insane for doing this. meanwhile the white jocks doing the VR are laughing and saying it's dumb, the girl who was sitting near me is getting more and more upset & almost left the room. prof never said anything when class was over she was just like bye have a great summer!!1 this was so normal and great and educational😊 when i tell u i was fuming

had the most insane class today i cannot process that it was real

[blog-name-idk]

Everything Falls (Into Place) | 07

*Banner by the incredible @bangtansmauyeondan

Pairing: OT7 x Fem Reader

Genre: College!AU, Roommate!AU, Fluff, Humor, Smut

Summary: Your new roommates are unbearably nice and unbearably hot. Good thing you're an adult who is fully capable of platonic friendships with the opposite sex, right?

Word Count: 624

~~~~~

Jimin What movie are we watching for Festa night??

Hobi Nothing scary please 😥

Jungkook Be a man, hyung

You What is Festa night?

Jin Only the most wonderful time of the year! Namjoon, did you not tell her?

Namjoon Sorry [y/n], I can't believe I forgot We try to designate one weekend every semester to a full group hang Friday is dinner + movie night Saturday is boozy brunch + recovery Sunday is responsible stuff

You Huh, that's actually a really cute tradition. I hope you guys have fun!

Jungkook Do you already have plans this weekend?

You Not yet, but I can figure something out! Don't worry, I won't crash bro night

Yoongi you're invited dumbass

Jimin You're one of us now, silly!

You Aw you guys, I'm so happy to be an honorary bro <333 Jin, are you gonna cook? Do you want any help?

Jin I am blessed with a kind, beautiful, considerate wife-bro Guys, take note

Namjoon I can help!

Jin Thank you Namjoon You can help the most by staying out of my kitchen But I appreciate the consideration

You Wait, does Jin do all the cooking for Friday AND Saturday? That's kinda fucked up

Namjoon I could help…

Hobi Brunch is on the rest of us!

Jimin We're not THAT selfish :(

You Hey you can't blame me for assuming, it's not like anyone else ever cooks around here

Jin [Y/n] <3333333

Jungkook I can cook I just choose not to

Jin Wow

Yoongi let's be real, hobi and i make the food tae makes coffee and jimin and jk make mimosas and margaritas

Namjoon I want to help… Am I useless?

Jimin What?! No, of course not!

Jungkook Of course not hyung, there's a reason we call you our leader

Namjoon But you guys never let me do anything to help Do I really ruin everything?

Yoongi fuck guys we made namjoon sad

You Joon, I'm having problems starting my art history paper It's on the juxtaposition of traditional and postwar Japanese culture and how the dichotomy is still portrayed in contemporary art today I need you :(

Namjoon OMG I have the perfect reference book for you! Let me go find it!

You Oh! If it's not the photobook you showed me before, could you bring that too? … Namjoon?

Yoongi i think he's gone

Taehyung You didn't tell me you were taking an art history class!

You That's because I'm not

Hobi [Y/n], have we ever mentioned how much we love you? Because we love you soooo much <33333

You Not enough ;)

Taehyung We love you [y/n] <3

Jimin [Y/n] you're the best! <3

Jungkook [Y/n] you're almost as amazing as me <3

Jin [Y/n] you're almost as beautiful as me <3

Hobi Ahem, Yoongi-hyung

Yoongi … fine <3

You … I'll take it

Jungkook Yeah you will

You JEON JUNGKOOK! You did NOT just say that to me

Jimin Oooooo Kookie's in trouble

Taehyung Oh, we almost forgot the most important thing! [Y/n], do you own any pajamas?

You Uh, like sweatpants?

Jimin Rule 1 is that festa is a weekend-long pajama party They have to be legit pjs

You I love it, it sounds adorable I don't have any though :( If I even wear anything to sleep it's just like a shirt

Jungkook klojl

You ?

Jungkook I dropped my phone

Hobi You can borrow some of mine!

Taehyung Or mine!

Jin Back off ovules She's MY wife, she'll borrow mine I have the best selection, anyway

Jimin Hyung, she'll drown in your clothes You can borrow mine! You'll look perfect!

Jungkook Yeah bc you're the same size

Yoongi lmao

Jimin Jeon, let's take this offline

Taehyung RIP Kookie

~~~~~

Next | Masterlist

Tags: @singukieee

[missarchivistdoodles]

I have been in a funk.

And not a fun funky funk like Saturday Night Disco, but a regular 'my brain chemicals went on vacation and forgot to contact the temp agency' funk. Most of the past few months have felt like I've been in a fog. My mom had surgery (and is completely cancer free - after she finishes radiation in two weeks, she'll be officially in 'remission'! And her hair is growing back!), I finished my spring semester and signed up for summer classes, and I've been working extra hours at one of the other libraries in our system. I've also started volunteering at our county museum and have been roped into three separate programs that all have to do with archiving, which is great but also takes up a lot of time. It's all been done through a sort of brain fog, which has been killing me creatively. Luckily my doctor and I worked out a plan and I have now started an ADHD medication called Vyvanse! Do you know what Vyvanse does to a brain that has ADHD?

Dopamine.

All. The. Dopamine. (Okay, an average level of dopamine that non-ADHD people experience but still, that's more than what I usually have!)

Holy FUCK does it make a difference! I'm able to think clearly, I'm able to keep tasks at work straight, I'm able to remember to return my library books (which is an amazing feat seeing as how I work at the library). I've been drawing a ton, some of which I plan on uploading in the next little while. I've started non-fanfiction plot bunnies! I've worked on my fanfiction plot bunnies! I feel motivated to work on Warning: Battery Low again! I've actually managed to sit down and read a book - okay, part of a book.

1/3 of a book.

It's still an improvement.

ANYWAY thank you to those who have sent me well wishes, and to those who are still eagerly waiting for the next chapter of Warning: Battery Low - it's still gonna be a bit. Remember how Swatch just kinda burst in and threw off all my plotting? Yeah, still working on fixing that. The next chapter is going to be a bit Crimson-centric as I work on better establishing their past relationship in the mansion. Then there will be good stuff! Then a fire. Then bad stuff. Then past stuff will come into play and someone will get their ass kicked!

Then the phone will ring.

Don't want to wait that long for more of my writing? Check out my other story, House Arrest, on AO3. It's Addison-centric and ponders what would have happened if the Addisons were forced to take Spamton back after their estrangement...

Anyway, thank you for your support as always, lovelies! I'm going to work harder on being more active on Tumblr again, since I love this wild and crazy place so much. Feel free to send me any questions you may have, I'm happy to answer them! Even if it's about the medication, I don't mind talking about it.

(Also figured out last month I'm not ace/aro, I'm just a really, really introverted lesbian, so finding that out after 10 years of being super 'I'm Ace!' has been weirdly stressful but also kind of freeing...? My life is a mess...)

[17caratssi]

Wonwoo! Will you stay

Jeon Wonwoo! First short series pt one | two | three | four Wonwoo is a new student of Sejong High. Coming from a low-status family, he always keeps himself aloof, isolated and cares less about anyone. However, his effort to lie low during the first day goes down the drain.

10th July

The chill breeze greets the morning, awaken the sleepy eyes. Cars are in the line to drop the students at the entrance. The young faces radiate with smiles as they chat about what's filled their summer holiday.

New semester and the entrance of highly anticipated new students into Sejong Elite High School.

Every year, Sejong High will take in new students in the second half. While the school only accepts kids with upper-class family backgrounds in the prefecture, the special students are usually first-class newcomers or scholarship privileged.

Everyone knows when a new student is enrolled with a scholarship. They are distinct from others who are registered under their family's status. They just know.

These smart students are the minority, and more often than not, their voices would not be heard by the higher-ups when they are bullied. It's like these few people have to walk on the icy pond. Everything is at stake.

Jeon Wonwoo is a lucky guy. He made it to the school, albeit coming from a poor family in a rural area. He has 6 siblings, and he is the oldest. The breadwinner in the house has disappointed them and left the family 2 years ago, leaving everything in Wonwoo's hands.

However, the only good thing about his father is his peculiar gene, and that's how Wonwoo ends up getting all A's despite all the external shortfalls.

He lacks time at school, and he would sleep during lectures. Having no friends, he is always a step behind the others. He makes no effort to befriend anybody, and he cares less about it.

Wonwoo walks to his class that is on the highest floor and only at the top. He learns that there's transportation, called the elevator, to bring students between the levels.

"Isn't summer just ended? Why is he sweating in this air-conditioned environment?" a girl with her friend makes a remark as they arrive at their class. The friend chuckles and scans Wonwoo and quickly realizes.

"No wonder, it's a nerdy~."

"Oof. I hope he's not our classmate," the two of them laugh girlishly.

Wonwoo listens but pays no heed to them. He continues to search for his class until he finds the match.

Damn, this stupid school is big...

Wonwoo's solitude would have him go unnoticed the whole day. As such, he uses the back door to come into the class. He looks around before he grabs a vacant chair. As he tugs the chair, the screeching sound stimulates the other's interest. Suddenly, the class gets heated up by the behaviour of the new student.

Murmurs here and there. Boys and girls are all talking about him.

There are only 3 new students; a girl from overseas, a boy whose father is a 'sangsa', and an ordinary boy who benefitted from a scholarship.

[Sangsa is a Korean military rank equivalent to an American master sergeant.]

The talk goes on for so long that Wonwoo gets sleepy from the attention he received. It's probably half an hour later, the sliding door is slammed open.

Wonwoo startles due to the loud noise made by you. He squints his eyes and watches as you walk to your desk, which is nowhere to be found. You are a new student as well.

It's normal for the new face to directly go to the back of the class, so you can instantly tell that the lonely, cute guy is a newcomer.

"You new?" You ask.

Fox is your first impression of him.

Wonwoo nods slightly. You also nod in acknowledgement and takes a chair next to him to sit. You extent a hand for a handshake but get no response from him. You take it as him being timid to new people and brush it off.

"I'm Y/N. You?"

He frowns. 10 seconds later, he speaks. "Do you talk to strangers?"

"You don't?" You ask in curiosity. "Oh, maybe cultural difference?"

Probably, but Wonwoo has no experience dealing with a girl. A bold one in specific.

"So, what's your name?"

Did she get it or not? She'll stop if I ignore her, right? Just like the others...

You don't stop looking at Wonwoo. He is handsome, and you admit that his nose is quite adorable.

"Can I touch your nose?" you ask with your finger already touching the thing.

Wonwoo's surprise look entertains you. He glares at you, and that alone makes you withdraw your finger.

"Are you dense or something?" Wonwoo comments and realizes that his accent is exposed.

You, a Korean practically spending most of her life in America, can't fathom his scolding but take in that he is angry. Sheepishly, you purse your lips and apologize. "Sorry, I sometimes act on impulse. It's just that your nose is boopable..." your voice slows down in volume in the second half.

I'm sorry, but not really...

However, Wonwoo suddenly stands up and drags his chair away from you.

Being treated that way, you impudently raised your voice, asking. "Where are you going?"

And yet, he still pretends to be deaf and shun you off.

Wonwoo settles down at the opposite corner. Noticing the non-existent desks for you and him, you voice out.

"Is there no desks for us? I thought you guys are prepared to take the new students but I guess not," your hands akimbo and lips mumbling complaint.

The whole class turns their heads to you, except Wonwoo.

"The new kid is sure cranky. It's not anyone's job to prepare you a desk," a guy in the front seat retort as he turns around.

His seatmate laughs and agrees without speaking.

The guy deliberately speaks out loud, but it seems that you don't catch at it. The former snickers and resumes playing with his phone.

Thank goodness, the desks are being delivered just before the class by the clerks. They arrange for the two desks to be placed side-by-side at the far left of the class.

You choose the left side since it's beside the window, and Wonwoo cannot help but pick the remaining. You like the positioning, but it goes for the opposing to him.

You smile as you watch Wonwoo creates a gap between their desks. He then continues to persistently act like you aren't there pestering him.

The lesson soon begins.

Actually, you find it difficult to adapt to the new environment. During the math class, you're the only one that takes out a calculator, and during the interval, it's also you who takes a nap.

It makes you pout. There's nothing to keep you excited apart from the person next to you.

You look to your right and see Wonwoo studying with his glasses on. His glasses are of the old model, but it looks good on him. You don't know why this guy just attracts your attention that you blurt out the next second.

"Hey, do you want to be my boyfriend?"

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

If you like this story, you might as well check out the others here !

[kaibutsushidousha]

Witch, Picture, and Red-Eyed Girl (Sagrada Reset 2) - Chapter 1: The girl in the picture (part 2)

[INDEX]

The same day - 3 PM

After taking the bus back to Sakurada's downtown, Kei had fast food for lunch and went shopping for books and CDs. He was thinking about the same thing the whole time.

The girl in the background of Sasano's photo. He thought about her while biting his cheeseburger. He thought about her while flipping through the pages of logic puzzle books in the bookstore. He thought about her while listening to the new single of a band known for their eccentric lyrics in the CD shop.

A little past 3 PM, he got home.

He took a cold shower, turned on his AC, and sat on his bed. It was the time the sun left the top of the sky, so the tone of the blue above was deep like a pack of mint gum.

Without taking his eyes off the sky, Kei took his phone. He went to his contact list and called pressed call on the name Murase Youka.

Ten rings later, she wasn't answering. Kei hung up after the 11th ring.

Immediately after it, she called him.

He picked up the call and greeted her.

After a moment of silence, Murase asked why he called. The displeasure was audible in her voice.

"We haven't talked in a while. Do you have the time?"

"Obviously. I wouldn't call you if I hadn't."

She asked what he wanted. Her voice was cautious.

"I have a favor to ask. Can we meet in two days?"

He wished it could be earlier, but he and Haruki had to meet a Bureau bigwig the next day. He wasn't going to defy the Bureau for no reason.

Murase was silent for a while before answering.

"If it's in the evening, I think I can."

"It can be another day if you already have something planned."

"I have supplementary lessons every weekday."

(Oh, right, she's been absent for the whole first semester. She didn't pass any of the tests she wasn't present for.)

Murase continued.

"I think I can still pass to the next grade, though. Turns out I've been taking the exams without knowing."

"Not a phrase you hear every day."

(You usually have to consciously go to the school to take a test.)

"Remember how Tsushima often came home and forced me to answer tests? Apparently, those were the makeup exams."

(Oh, I do remember that being mentioned. He made the absentee take a test and she aced it.)

She spoke in an even more annoyed tone to hide her embarrassment.

"The school wouldn't want a dropout sullying their reputation."

"Whatever their reason is, all is well when it ends well."

"Sure, but I still have to take supplementary lessons my whole summer vacation to fill my attendance days quota. In one of the classrooms that somehow still doesn't have air conditioning. Tsushima has a real talent for pissing people off."

(I'll take that as her way of thanking him. I need to hold myself from laughing while she can hear me.)

"I'm available pretty much any day. And there's no need to hurry with this."

His feelings rushed him to take the earliest opportunity, but there was no time limit.

"I just got off my classes. You can call me pretty much any day from this hour.

Kei checked the alarm clock by his pillow. It just got to 4 PM. The days are longer in the summer, so starting at 4 wasn't a problem.

"Then we keep the original plan of the day after tomorrow."

"Ok. What are you planning on making me do?"

"I have two favors, actually."

The first one:

"Murase, can you erase an ability cast on someone else?"

Murase had the ability to erase anything she touched. Perhaps she could erase the ability sealing Sasano's ability.

After hearing Sasano's condition, Murase spoke.

"There are a few problems."

"What would they be?"

"As you know, the things I erase only stay erased for 5 minutes. I can keep using it multiple times with no cooldown, but I obviously can't stay by Sasano guy 24/7."

"Right. But being able to restore Sasano's ability even temporarily is already worth something."

(At the very least, we'll know if our abilities can counter the red-eyed girl. And if she learns we recovered Sasano's ability, she'll have to do something about it. If we can force the opponent to move, we can get closer to her identity. It's worth a try.)

"Sure, if you say so."

(Feels good to be trusted.)

"What are the other problems?"

"Right, next one. I never erased an ability cast on someone else before. I can only erase what I can touch. Would touching Sasano count as touching the ability?"

"Good question."

(If you don't know, how would I know?)

"Well, that one doesn't matter. I'll know when I try."

"Yes, thank you. Any other problems?"

"Yes. This was the last one."

"Tell me."

Murase's voice was stiff.

"I can't use my ability on people anymore."

Kei didn't know what to say.

Abilities were full of restrictions. And there was precedent for them gaining more later on. Kei knew other examples firsthand.

(It's not the ability itself that changes. It's the will of the user. Abilities can only activate if the user wishes for them. That's the premise. That means users can't rely on their abilities to achieve goals they abandoned.)

Murase no longer wished to erase people.

"Sorry.", said Kei.

Kei was most certainly the reason why she can't use her ability on people anymore. Kei gave her a permanent scar the previous month.

"Don't be.", Murase answered with a soft voice. Intentionally soft. "It was for the best."

Kei could agree. It was for the best. Losing the power to erase people was a change in the direction of peace. In simpler terms, she matured. But she was still in deep pain, which is why Kei couldn't take her words at face value despite agreeing with them.

Kei wounded her deep. He didn't regret it, but he had no intention of convincing himself he did the right thing.

"I know there was a better way to solve the problem. I just couldn't find it."

He wished for the best conclusion, where nothing sad happened and no one had to suffer. What he was asking for was closer to a dream than reality, and he knew it. That's why he took an imperfect answer that was among his options.

"That was a little unexpected.", Murase giggled on the phone. "I thought you were always confident in everything you did."

"Trust me, I'm not."

(I'm not confident. Never have been. I only pretend I am when I need to.)

Murase whispered from the phone, in a quiet and soft voice.

"Do you need me to console you? To tell you did the right thing?"

Kei laughed.

"I'm very tempted."

(I really am but making Murase herself say it is way too sick of a joke.)

Murase answered in a quiet voice.

"I was kidding. I know you'd never want that, would you?"

"I absolutely would. I love being treated well."

"Then just be with Haruki all the time."

He was at loss for words again.

"Good point."

(But I can't. I have to keep a necessary distance from her.)

"Well, getting back on track, I can't use my ability against people anymore, but I don't think that will be an issue now, as I'll only be erasing an ability. But being honest, I'm against the idea of touching others with my ability activated."

(Oh, I should have seen this coming.)

"Then you don't have to."

That wasn't necessary. Kei had two favors to ask Murase, and the second was the important one.

But she responded.

"I'm not saying won't do it. I'm just telling you why it might fail."

After some indecision, Kei agreed. He couldn't imagine what was in Murase's heart, but he felt like she truly wanted to help him.

"Thank you. By the way, the second favor."

"I already know what you want. I have to find the girl, right?"

"Yes, exactly."

Murase's ability had some unorthodox uses.

The definition of an erasable object was very broad. For example, if she named "what's between me and someone", she could check if things disappeared to learn in which direction the person was. In this case, she could locate the culprit by naming "what's between me and the person who sealed Sasano's ability".

"Can you do it?"

"Of course."

Murase responded in a curt and almost emotionless tone.

"Despite everything, I'm grateful to you."

"Don't, it was all Mr. Tsushima's plan."

"True. That's why I'm taking these supplementary lessons seriously."

Murase and Kei quickly confirmed the time they'd meet in two days and then hung up.

Kei could feel the heat of his phone battery with how long the call was. It was the same warmth he felt when holding her hand.

He put the phone on the table and took a deep breath. At least it wasn't a sigh.

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

(Ok, what do I do next? Now that I think about it, there's not much I can do at this point.)

Kei had just called Sasano and told him the time they would meet Murase. The only thing left was waiting for Unknown Caller's call with the results of the investigation on Sasano.

His phone rang at 4:47 PM. The monitor said it was an unknown caller. The sun slowly set, generating long shadows that dyed his house in a dark, shallow orange.

He pressed the green button.

"Hi, Asai here."

"Good evening. It's me."

Unknown Caller's robotic voice.

Kei said good evening back.

"Did you find anything on Sasano?"

"Not much. But what I got is interesting."

(I was hoping for uninteresting info. How is he making the machine voice sound this boastful?)

"Sasano Hiroyuki. He worked for the city hall until he retired 3 years ago. At the average retirement age."

(Nothing strange so far.)

"Was that the interesting data?"

"Haha, no. Anyone could discover that in 2 minutes. It's info more instant than cup noodles."

"Then what else do you have?"

"Ok. He got his city hall job 28 years ago. So what could he be doing before that? ... Time's up, the answer is working in the Bureau. He's an ex-Bureau member."

(Ok, I'm kind of surprised.)

"Is that any relevant?"

(Bureau members are public servants like any other. I have no need to be suspicious of him for it.)

But Unknown Caller raised his voice.

"Very relevant. Extremely relevant. What matters here is the period he stayed in the Bureau. He worked there for 10 years."

Sasano got his job in the city how 28 years ago. Assuming that happened the same year he quit the Bureau, he joined 38 years ago.

(Wait... 38 years ago? That's when Sakurada became special.)

Unknown Caller still used the robotic voice of a woman, but his excitement was still audible from it.

"38 years ago. That's when our mysterious abilities were first observed in Sakurada. And the year the Bureau was founded. Sasano Hiroyuki is a founding member of our dear Bureau."

Sakurada's abilities first started occurring about 38 years prior. Their spread was faster than any epidemic and more dramatic than any natural disaster. People with nothing special about them suddenly became special and gained all kinds of powers.

And yet, the world didn't come to panic. No one even noticed the huge change, aside from Sakurada's own residents. Naturally, many problems arose within the city's space, but the chaos generated by such an enormous change was minuscule. On a scale that a small town could solve on its own.

The reason for it is clear. One office had an overwhelmingly swift response to the unexpected change.

The Bureau. An organization established the month after abilities started being observed, and effective immediately after its foundation. Assuming they weren't already in operation before they were publicly announced.

Unknown Caller spoke.

"The Bureau is an abnormal organization. They assembled funds, personnel, and a system, all at an impossible speed. Impossible is not a figure of speech here. Founding a public office as fast as the Bureau was founded is literally undoable. It's like their final form was already completely decided before abilities started being observed."

How could this happen? Very few knew the answer. In fact, only the founding members of the Bureau did.

"Does Sasano know the details of the Bureau's foundation process?"

"That I don't know. He worked for the city hall a few years before joining the Bureau. After that, abilities started appearing, and he joined them as a founding member."

(He could be just someone they picked at random to fill the numbers for the foundation. The city hall and the Bureau both employ public servants, so there's nothing suspicious on that part. But the other possibility here is that he had a central role in the foundation. I really can't ignore this information.)

Unknown Caller continued.

"And that's the first thing making the MacGuffin's story believable. I mean, a founding member of the Bureau wanted it. Sasano Hiroyuki could potentially have information that confirms the MacGuffin rumors."

(Does he? The chances aren't zero, but...)

"Tsushima told me the Bureau's investigation concluded the MacGuffin was worthless."

"Hmm. The MacGuffin you have might be a fake."

"Then what would be the point in taking it from me?"

(If the Bureau cared about the MacGuffin, they would collect the fakes too. Whatever is happening here, I trust Tsushima as a teacher. I can't imagine him putting a lit bomb on a student's hands.)

"Well, I don't know. I have to look up a bit more on the MacGuffin."

That was what Kei wanted to hear.

"Please do. Thank you for what you found on Sasano."

"Gotta serve well to serve always. Bye."

Unknown Caller hung up.

Kei wanted him to also investigate the ability to seal other abilities, but he uses his ability to convert information into nutrition. He didn't ingest anything other than water. Unknown Caller's life was at risk if the enemy sealed his ability. It was best not to get him involved with the red-eyed girl.

Kei took a big stretch. His room was already dark. The darkness of a summer night is profound.

He then laid down and closed his eyes. He recalled everything that happened that day. Every second, in detail. Many pieces of information entangled. The MacGuffin, Sasano, the Bureau, the red-eyed girl, the girl in the photo.

She had a black stone in her hand. Identical to the MacGuffin.

(Why?)

He felt like a crude marionette. Every part of his body was pulled by thin, invisible strings in directions he couldn't see. And while invisible to the eye, the strings still dominated and manipulated him.

With unquestionable and absolute power.

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

He spent most of his night thinking.

About the MacGuffin. About the girl in the photo. About a conversion he had with her that no one else can remember. He partitioned and expanded these thoughts until they took him to all sorts of ideas. One example of strange thought that crossed his mind is the tale about the man struck by lightning in the swamp.

A long time later, when he was about to fall asleep, Kei remembered what happened 2 years prior. Specifically 2 years and 122 days. The day he first met her.

It was a slightly chilly afternoon in late April.

It was Kei's first month as a 2nd-year middle schooler. He was sitting behind the pile of tetrapods by the river, where no one would find him.

He didn't feel like seeing anyone. Talking, walking by the river following someone else's pace, and faking a smile were hassles. He decided to stay there until it got dark. However, he noticed a quiet sound of footsteps on the other side of the tetrapods. He was hoping the person wouldn't find him.

Eventually, the steps stopped right next to his ear. The person was diagonally behind him, on a tetrapod taller than the one he was sitting on.

He heard a girl's voice.

"Hey."

Kei kept silently watching the sunset reflected on the river.

"I'm talking to you."

(I don't care who this is. I can get away with looking the other way until she leaves.)

"Are you crying?", she asked.

(Couldn't have guessed wronger.)

He instinctively turned around. He saw a thin girl on the tetrapod above, illuminated by the sunset.

"What makes you think so?"

Like a fearless, lonely, and whimsical stray cat, she looked at him with wide eyes and smiled.

"No reason. I just imagined that was the question that would get you to answer."

Kei smiled with his mouth but not with his heart.

"What do you want from me?"

"I have a question."

"What a shame, 'cause I don't feel like talking right now."

"Why not?"

"I just don't."

(No reason. Some days talking is just a hassle.)

Kei flipped the question.

"Why do you think I don't want to talk?"

She took some time to think before answering.

"Because the sunset is gorgeous today."

(What kind of answer is that?)

"Yeah. Well guessed."

Kei nodded and turned back to the river without much thought.

He heard her sitting on her own tetrapod. And so the two came to watch the scenery in silence. The night's navy blue slowly wiped off the sunset's madder red.

Kei didn't know why she sat next to him, but he didn't want to start a conversation, so he just kept looking at the sunset. He was thinking about the girl sitting behind him trying to hide the sound of her breath because he didn't want to hear her even breathing.

(I have no idea who this girl is. Well, not exactly. I've seen her in school dozens of times. Even now, she's wearing my school's uniform. But this is the first time we talked.)

The sun slowly sank. When its last fragment disappeared behind the buildings on the horizon, she spoke.

"Now you lost your reason not to want to talk."

Kei sighed.

He could argue back but wasn't in the mood for it.

"True. What do you want?"

Kei looked directly at the girl. She had the innocent smile of a prankster.

"I have a question. Why did they fill this place with tetrapods?"

Tetrapods are normally set to neutralize the force of the waves. There was no reason to install them by a calm river.

"That's the question you waited all this time for?"

She nodded like what she did was completely normal.

"Yes. I mean, aren't you curious?"

He never noticed the issue before.

After some thinking, he answered.

"Because you got this river here, where the sunset is gorgeous."

The girl tilted her head.

"How is that a reason?"

"I don't know. I just think the lakeside tetrapods look great during the sunset."

(Maybe an important politician was impressed by the sunset seen from here and decided he really needed to install tetrapods.)

Hearing that, the girl widened her grin.

"I also loved the tetrapods lit by the sunset. They feel like part of a scene in a story. Imagine a boy and girl making a promise right here in this spot. Wouldn't it look wonderful?"

"Hm. Yeah, it'd look nice."

"So, wanna promise something?"

"You missed your chance, the sun is already set."

"I also love the tetrapods under the moonlight, though."

"It'll take a while before the moon is up."

"So? We just have to wait."

"I'll get yelled at if I'm late for dinner."

"Ok, so I did miss my chance."

Kei only started living alone when he got to high school. He was staying in a person's house until then.

"I gotta go."

He got off the tetrapod and stood on the normal ground.

Looking at him from the higher ground, she spoke.

"We'll meet again, Asai."

(I didn't imagine she knew my name...)

"Was that a promise?", Kei asked.

"Only if you agree to it.", she answered.

This event happened 2 years, 122 days, 8 hours, and 45 minutes ago.

It was the moment when the sun was set but the sky wasn't dark yet.

Under that pale navy sky, a girl like a stray cat smiled at him.

[catcze]

Oh, Catte, my beloved... The bracelet is so beautiful. Goodness, did I cry when I took it out of the envelope. It's almost as beautiful as you are, I love it so much! I'm never ever taking this off. Oh starlight I'm so happy, you may as well have just proposed! I love you so so much, thank you💜💜💜

I'm glad Cyno is doing well for himself these days! It's not really that complex of a spell, simple transmutation really, but I'm sure he didn't want to overwhelm you. He may not talk a lot but trust me; he cares. I should write him sometime, if only so the next time an emergency arises he won't think I only remember he exists when I need his help, hehe... I'm joking of course, he's not the kind of person to care. I do still owe him a favor though. Two, now that he's gone out of his way to teach my girlfriend magic, and specifically for helping you make me this wonderful present. Send along my thanks please, but please don't mention that I said I'd write him, just in case I somehow forget to. You know me, heh..

Also I'm a little surprised to hear that name again! Collei was quite the visitor when she was here a few years ago, it's a long story, and one I doubt very much she'd want me to tell. Suffice to say she and Amber are good friends, but I'm sure she already asked you about her as soon as you mentioned Mondstadt. I'm so relieved to hear she's safe, and studying medicine no less! Tell her I'm proud of her. She'll do great things in her life.

I must admit I'm slightly bothered to hear that so many scholars accosted my poor babygirl to ask if I'd return, I'm so sorry darling. If they give you any more trouble, oh I'll come visit alright. To dispense punishment(although I'd definitely grab some food on the way as we left). Speaking of food, that's so sweet of you to offer to learn the local cuisine just for me~ you're so thoughtful, it's one of the many many things I love about you. My reputation around the school is honestly the only accomplishment you'll find though sweetheart. I wasn't really all that social there, aside from talking to the professors and scholars. I couldn't afford to procrastinate if I wanted to learn everything I could. Funny, that sounds completely unlike me, now doesn't it~ Those lectures can be tiresome at first, did they provide you with the appropriate reading materials, or are you only listening? I still have my copy of the first semester alchemy textbook--it's only about 800 pages, but they're packed to the brim with knowledge. I still reference it sometimes.

Like I mentioned though, most of my time in Sumeru was spent at the Academy or at the local restaurants. If you wanted food recommendations, those I can provide, but unfortunately I won't be of much use otherwise. Sorry cutie~

[the next page of the letter is a list of local restaurants, many with recommended dishes written next to them. There's also a fair number of heart shapes and "I love you"s doodled around the edges of the paper]

I hope you'll try at least some of those and tell me what you think. The more you talk about it honestly, the more it's beginning to grow on me. I do want to go back and visit with you, my love. I miss it, even if I don't want to admit that. It would be so much fun to sight see with you, being able to just meander aimlessly through the city, not a care in the world, and with you by my side... That sounds amazing. I'd want nothing more. Perhaps for our honeymoon~? [the last sentence of the paragraph is crossed out with a single streak of ink cutting through it]

Your photos are all amazing, darling. I just wish I had as many to send you in return, but unfortunately I don't own a camera, nor can I afford to leave the library long enough to travel to Liyue and buy one. That being said, Albedo does have one, and he already took that first photo. Darling, I'm curious, and please, *please* say no if it would bother you even slightly. If I... Perhaps wanted to take some... Pictures, just for your enjoyment~ ...would you mind if I had Albedo continue to serve as the photographer? I want my baby to be thinking of me, especially since I'm not there to pleasure you myself~💜 again, PLEASE say no if you'd have any problem with that. Or I could ask Jean if that would be better. I just want to treat my princess to some candy~

That line is going to have me up all night, I swear. I do wish I was there for you in every sense, but goodness does my heart ache for you. I miss the way you taste so much, my precious little munchkin~ you're not going to sleep at all the first night you're back in my arms, I hope you know that. I'm going to edge you so hard you'll cry for me, hehe~ I'm a little peeved you didn't take notice of my comment about punishing you! There will be ropes involved when you return to me. Just the way you always like it, cutie~ tell me, how bad do you miss me? Miss my tongue you love so much~? Don't worry baby--you'll get everything you could ever want for when you come home. I can't wait to taste you~ goodness, excuse me a moment baby... I need to scratch an itch before I finish writing this letter, hehe...~

Okay, I'm back. That was quite the itch, it just kept coming back~ that picture you sent with this letter may have helped with that... Celestia, you're so so beautiful, my rose..~ I love you so much.

Where was I... Ah yes. I'm very glad you've been eating and sleeping properly. Such a good girl you always are~💜 and don't worry; I'm taking care of myself as well. I've been becoming more adjusted to the late nights lately, since your letters often arrive around this hour(it's 11:30 right now, although up until a page ago it had been 10:15, hehe...). I don't mind it at all, since you know I love to sleep in anyway. I love reading your letters sweetheart. They truly do carry your love across the distance. I'm so happy that you're my partner. I love you so so much. I reread your letters every day, they put such a smile on my face.

Also, what's this about ideas you're having ever since I mentioned the uniform? Tell me!! Pretty please~? 💜

I'm going to call my letter to a close here, before I end up needing a bigger envelope, hehe~ I love you so much, starlight. Please take care, and I hope you're well rested when you read this. Hopefully I can put a smile on your beautiful face. I just wish I was there to see it. I love you so much, take care and write me back when you can, promise~?

Yours Always,

- Lisa 🌺💜

Milddd nsfw here muaH <33

Hi, love, I’m so happy that you like your gift! I love you very much as well— hopefully it can give you comfort on some particularly hard nights where I cannot be with you, dearest. Sort of like a reminder that although I cannot be there with you in person, you always carry a piece of my heart with you, you know?

I’ll be sure to relay your message to Cyno and Collei! They were rather surprised when they found out I was your girlfriend, haha! In a good way, of course— they’ve been great company so far.

And don’t worry about the other scholars, Lisa dear. I can handle them plenty fine. I’m sure they’ll go running if I even so much as imply that you wouldn’t be pleased with them for their behavior, my love. They wouldn’t want to mess with one of the best sorcerers to ever roam those halls, you know?

Regarding the lectures, they offered to loan me some textbooks actually, but I had to turn them down since, well, I am just an observer, and carrying so many books with me to and fro would weigh me down. Still, although I sometimes get confused while I observe, It’s such a fun and interesting experience! I can’t say I’m remembering every bit of knowledge I hear, but I’ve definitely learned at least a thing or two.

Just yesterday, there was a bit of a lull in lectures that I was attending— something about one of the scholars who had agreed to host me taking their class out to fieldwork, and I was unable to accompany them. So I took the time to check out some of the restaurants you listed for me! I went to just one of them for lunch, since I didn’t want to get too full throughout the day, and I enjoyed it very much!! I included a picture of one of the dishes you noted for me (a best seller of theirs, apparently) and I didn’t regret purchasing it at all. It was so good! In my free time, it’s one of the recipes that I hope to familiarize and bring back home to you— I think you’ll rather like it, especially since there’s no meat. Hopefully I’ll get good enough at making it that you’ll be able to savor the flavor too!

Though, I don’t mind either if you’d rather return with me next time, and we can have a dinner date here? I really like the ambiance of the place— its both romantic and private. And the view from the balcony here is absolutely magical. Or we can maybe visit a couple of the other restaurants you’ve recommended to me? I doubt that I’ll be able to try all of them this time, and being able to experience it with you would make the experience a million times better.

Also, regarding the photos you mentioned— well, I’m fine with it if you are. As long as you’re comfortable with whoever is photographing you love, then it’s perfectly alright with me. Besides, I know that we’re devoted to each other, so there’s no cause for me to be uncomfortable 💞 If you so wish to grant me such photos, I eagerly await them, love! They’re not the same as you being here, of course, but I’m sure they could help me with how much I miss you.

And ah, sending such things only makes me miss you more! Perhaps I should take a good, long rest before I come back to Mondstadt, if you plan to keep me up all night. And who says I didn’t notice your comment? Perhaps I was just teasing you by keeping quiet about it, especially if I know what’s awaiting me back home. And yes, I miss you so so much, I miss your tongue and you lips, your touch on my skin, the way you hold me and make me feel so good each and every time— Love, really, if your intention with that letter was to get me all worked up, then safe to say you’ve succeeded. My, I doubt I’m going to be getting any sleep tonight, thinking of you.

And regarding that bit about the Academy uniform… well, I might have found a local seamstress who was willing to make me a version of it, tailored to my measurements. It’s not ready quite yet, but hopefully I can send you some photographs soon 💞

By the way, love, there’s no need to have to wait up for my letters, not if you’re not getting enough sleep! I don’t mind waiting a bit for your reply as long as I know you’re sleeping on time. I worry about you as much as you worry about me, so for both your sake and mine, promise me you’ll get enough sleep? Either way, though, I’m glad you’re taking care of yourself, dearest. It makes me happy, knowing that you and the others are doing well. I love you very, very much you know? Please continue to stay safe, dearest, and know that I’m always missing you.

And, well, regarding a proper proposal, though I can’t say I haven’t thought of it before (how could I not? I can fully envision spending the rest of my life with you) I would much prefer if I were able to give you the ring and ask you in person, love. That being said, take the bracelet as a promise that I’ll return to you soon— and hopefully with a ring that I think you’ll like and a question that I plan to ask you.

All the best wishes, dearest. I love you very much 💞

—Catte 💞

[its-captain-sir]

Alright, so, kinda need an opinion on something.

My English teacher.... is really not the best teacher. Seriously. There are a lot of things wrong with the way she conducts her class.

I have friends in two other periods besides mine. All the same level class, with the same curriculum and everything. At the end of every day, we have to talk to each other to figure out exactly what is happening in that class. What our homework is, when projects are due, when the next test is, everything. Because she doesn't tell us any of it. Or sometimes she'll tell one period, but not the others. We all have the same assignments that are expected of us, but half the time we don't know what they are. Just today, one of my friends had to go back to the teacher after school was over, ask her what the homework due tomorrow was, and then relay all the information to us because none of us knew.

It's not just homework stuff, it's in-class stuff too. She'll tell us we're doing one thing on one day and tell another class we're doing that thing on a different day. Or she'll just change her mind about it completely.

Now yes, we understand that plans are subject to change, but this happens all the time. This week alone she has said we would be having a discussion in class today that we needed to do all this work to prepare for, only to get to class and do something else entirely different. And when we asked when we would be doing the discussion, she only said "maybe sometime next week". Then she told us today that we're having a test on the book we've been reading tomorrow. She has mentioned a test before, but never gave a date or said much about it until now. (It should also be mentioned that she told none of us what will be on the test) Then she told my period that Friday will be a free reading day since she won't be there, but she told another period that she's gonna have us do essay prep for an in-class essay we're doing on Monday next week. (My class hasn't even heard anything about an essay.)

This is just the stuff that has changed this week so far, and this has happened every week, all year.

And it's not like we can check this information anywhere. She never writes stuff on the board (the few exceptions being pages we need to do for vocab, which half the time doesn't get put up till a day or two before it's due, even though it's often 25+ pages and she has said she'll give us a week to do it). There is a calendar she can put up on the online page for our classroom, but it's almost never updated (in fact, the March calendar is still up right now).

That's another problem too: keeping us updated on grades. It's a toss-up as to when we will actually get a grade for something. Currently, I still have 6 grades that have not been entered in from various points of the semester, including an essay from February 15. Seeing as I may or may not be doing another essay on Monday, I sure would like to get a grade back for that so I can see if I'm doing it right, especially considering I've only done one other essay this year. That one we did in first semester, first week of October, and she didn't grade it until the Thursday right before our winter break (it started the week of Christmas). I had already taken my final for the class when she finally put it in.

Our school actually has a policy on grading and one of my friends has gone through and pointed out instances where she isn't following it:

This is only the surface. There are so many other things like this that happen and honestly? we're kinda of fed up with it. The sheer amount of anxiety and panic we get from this class alone? It's bullshit, and we think we might want to try doing something about it.

None of us want to report her or anything (not yet at least), but we would like things to change. We don't want to personally confront the teacher, but we have a friend not in her class (and who has been witness to our conversations about what is happening in class and multiple freak-outs over this class) who is willing to send an email to her "on behalf of some students in your classes" and maybe address some of the concerns we have? We sort of have the draft of an email started, but there's a lot of uncertainty about if we should actually go through with this, or if it's the right course of action for us to take. Maybe we're just overexaggerating about how bad this because we're feeling annoyed, maybe we should be doing more and taking further steps beyond this, we really don't know.

So please, if you have an opinion about this or an idea for what we should do, please tell us. We could really use the help.

[quiveringdeer]

EEEEEEEEE!!!! MORE PERFECTION!! I have so many thoughts and feelings!!!

Jeeeeeeze Petra, honey please I hope she takes times for selfcare!

What I would give to be a fly on the wall of Ymir having a sass back competition with her students. lol If this were college professors I could see her giving like three big assignments through the semester cause she hates grading but yet somehow it's nearly the end of the year and you still haven't gotten a grade from the first one. But if you've gone to her office hours she'll look it over and give you immediate feedback on what was done well and what you could do better on the next one.

ANNIE!!! My love. Her students desperately trying to be the one to make her laugh or crack a smile is so good! And then when they do it's such a big badge of honor they wear with pride. And you're so right that she may be aloof outside class cause, socializing ick, but will still be so kind to her students. regardless if she had them that year or previous year.

OH! Just had another thought about Ymir. Historia is in charge of pulling together many of the big school dances and events and Ymir is always the first to volunteer. Then Ymir offers extra credit to students who pitch in to actually help so she can be sure to always have time to be specifically helping Hisu on whatever she's doing.

Aww Hitch. Giiiiiiirl I feel you with those teacher work days (not that I've ever been a classroom teacher) as if you don't already give enough!

Gosh Pieck's classroom would be so amazing. I dunno if I saw an tiktok or dream or some kinda somethin else but I have a vague memory of seeing a teacher's classroom that had various types of chairs with hard surfaces near by to use while in class. Like she recognized how awful standard desks were and had cushions for students who liked sitting on the floor, or big plush couch for those who wanted to relax in something super soft while paying attention, etc.

I can totally see her and Nanaba as the two with classrooms many kids gravitate to hanging out in during lunch hours or free time. Just cause they both give off such lovely energy.

Sasha has her own snack drawer but also keeps a big bin/bookshelf full of different foods/snacks and an open door policy that anytime a student wants to walk in and grab one--like even when she's actively teaching other students-- they're allowed to. She knows everyone has different home circumstances and wants to make sure any student in the school has good food to help them focus through the day. And also that some people just aren't hungry during designated meal times so taking a hall pass to go grab a snack from Miss Braus' room is A-Okay. (literally know a teacher that did this and also always called his students some version of, Glorious Students, when addressing them in class 🥺 wish I'd had him as a teacher back in highschool)

A follow-up to this post. Thanks for the suggestion, @quiveringdeer! 😁

Mikasa: never talks about her personal life // on the quieter side, but she opens up with close friends // teaches self-defense classes after school // downright chilling when she’s angry

Sasha: the excitable teacher // always thinking of ways to talk about food // petitions for classroom potlucks // has a whole snack drawer in her desk // Connie’s right-hand partner in pranks

Historia: sweet and bubbly, but don’t break her rules // takes off points when students are late // but she offers lots of extra credit // encourages creativity // knows all the best teacher shoes

Ymir: will out-sass any student, hands down // nothing fazes her // hates having to repeat herself // only says yes to helping with activities if Historia asks // notoriously behind on grading

Petra: the over-achiever teacher // advises two clubs and coaches volleyball // regularly bakes treats for her coworkers // friendly but firm // looks like a cinnamon roll, could make you cry

Nanaba: the mom teacher // always wants to make sure everyone’s okay // very understanding but not a pushover // coaches cross country // secretly enjoys chaperoning school dances

Keep reading

[thesignsdaily]

the signs as people from my university

Aries: That girl who loves partying and socializing with people, she's a fangirl of so many buffed-up singers and she's so pretty. She's kinda judgmental and she's homophobic but she follows so many gay people and likes their posts and nobody in my generation really understands why. She can be really impulsive sometimes and she hates classes but she's a good friend and a funny person

Taurus: That girl who is always late, she has social anxiety and she's silent af. Grades are not her forte'. She tries to socialize very hard and everyone is annoyed by the fact that she tries to discuss things that she really doesn't know shit about. She is afraid of some professors, she is christian af and she is kinda lost, but she's a good girl who believes in the supernatural and she always invites us to coffee at her place

Gemini: The girl who loves spending time with people, she always loves to discuss about every topic, she knows so much about many things, she's doing great with her grades and she's among the top 5 students in the entire generation. Also, she has PERFECT, sonorous American accent and everybody loves it. She always initiates coffee gatherings but nobody really comes because she's not that much of a leader and her voice is so soft so nobody could really hear when she's talking. She's also a passionate gamer AND in the same time she finds time to maintain her grades and social life

Cancer: That (jock) guy who's the tallest one, he's blonde, buffed-up and he's the definition of a straight white boy. He's childish as fuck and he can become very boring sometimes. Once, my colleagues have shooed him out of the cafeteria because he was bothering them. He also tells so many stupid dad-jokes and laughs at his own jokes, flirts with some professors, has been single since forever (not that he's ugly - he's average looking but he's so much boring sometimes because he doesn't have any real friends and he gets excited about people so he doesn't know WHEN to stop). He literally flirts with every single female human being that he can find and he pushes them all away because he's pushy af. He's also introverted and doesn't really know his way with girls

Leo: That girl who's one of the top students in the generation. She's always smiling, she has the best grades, she always tries to present this "perfect" image of herself. She is very intelligent and she loves reading, she gets drunk like every second day but that doesn't stop her from maintaining her perfect grades. She's very successful and she's a good leader, she knows all the fresh gossip and she always sits in the first row with her best university friend. In fact, she and her best uni friend are hated by everyone because they're just so successful and everyone's jealous of them. She also secretly hates everybody and gossips with her best uni friend. She and her friend have tons of screenshots ready to blackmail people if anyone says anything against them lmao. But everyone (every zodiac sign) in this generation pretends we like each other so...

Virgo: That professor who's VERY detail-oriented and she's a big perfectionist but she can't fix her awful handwriting. She's very successful and she has TONS of potential, she literally KNOWS EVERYTHING about her subjects but sometimes she can really drain us physically and emotionally. She gives us tons of assignments and homework and she always gives us lectures on the most difficult courses. Jfc she behaves like we study in Cambridge / Oxford. But don't get me wrong, she's NOT a bad person. She's actually a VERY good person and at the end of each semester she buys us coffee and tea, she talks with us about our experience with the course and she just wants us to learn some things that we should learn, that's why we perceive her as "difficult" and "problematic"

Libra: That girl who loves hugging, has great communication skills and is a social justice warrior. She thinks that she's everyone's friend and she always tries to criticize everyone's opinion, thinking that she'll seem and sound more intelligent. She also listens to rock and metal, she loves children and she smokes a lot, she's very sensitive and she's very friendly. Once, on the Facebook group of the university, she tried to accuse Pisces of something he didn't do and he literally ruined her in front of all those people, that was one of her biggest mistakes she's ever done in uni because she didn't know that that guy can be pretty evil when someone tries to insult/hurt him. The next day in uni she was on the verge of a mental breakdown because that guy really hurt her with his words, making her look stupid and pretentious, and everybody stopped talking to that guy for like, a month or two

Scorpio: That girl who's late in class 90% of the time, and those 10% she's not present in class. She is very quiet and she doesn't show particular interest in anything. She doesn't have a taste in fashion and style, unlike most Scorpios that I know. She just wants to go home all the time and nobody knows what she's doing in her life, she's so mysterious and she's not a good teamworker because she doesn't really care about her grades

Sagittarius: That girl who can't stop talking and she's always arguing with someone but we all love her. She's very communicative but she's insecure at the same time. She has tons of likes on Facebook and Instagram. She's a VERY open-minded girl, she hates racism, homophobes, nazi scum and racists. She's a really good friend with Leo and Pisces but Capricorn is her bff and her roommate. She has an excellent taste in fashion, style and music and she has S_L_A_Y_I_N_G eyebrows. I think that she's bi/lesbian but maybe she's closeted. She always hugs Capricorn and gets beaten by Capricorn because Capricorn can't stand people touching her

Capricorn: That girl who loves vintage notebooks, loves taking studyblr photos and uploads them on tubmlr and Instagram, she loves journeys and we haven't heard her talking for THREE GODDAMN YEARS. She is very antisocial and introverted but she has excellent taste for art, film, music and she's like 24/7 on her phone because it's obvious that she can't stand most of us but she's always sweet and supportive when someone approaches her. Sometimes she doesn't want to talk and she just smiles as a response. She's Sagittarius' best friend and roommate and they've became really close friends. She also loves journeys and she's a daydreamer but she's very intelligent. Her grades are not that good, she's not an attention whore and she tries to be "invisible" but she simply can't

Aquarius: That guy with his cockney accent who has insane memory and loves football. He's actually a loner, he's a bit creepy and weird, le loves britpop and indie nd he was one of the best students in the first two years of uni but his grades dropped. He's like, very secretive and he can be pretty arrogant and you just can't sit next to him because he's telling jokes all the time which takes your attention away. He is a loner and once he publicly told us that he used to have cyber sex with his girlfriend because she lived in another country and they've never met in real life (I mean, who tells such things omg Aqua get your shit together). He tries to insult people and he tries to be sarcastic but he can only be sarcastic with the stupid ones. He also thinks that he's a know-it-all and that he's the most intelligent person in the world. He can be really judgmental sometimes and he pushes people away with that

Pisces: That guy who always sits in the first row with his best university friend and is one of the top students in the generation. He's also a model, nerd, gamer, works out and whatnot. He is sweet to everyone and talks to everyone but he can be very sassy at times. He was the one who had a verbal fight with Libra because Libra triggered him and he destroyed her verbally. He's really skinny and dreamy and he has a very deep voice and an excellent taste in fashion and style. His style is kinda dark and he's so aesthetic. He listens to some music that no other people in the world listen to but he also listens to some mainstream music. In fact, he listens to whatever he wants and he doesn't really think about what other people think about him. He tends to roll his eyes a lot and he cares about his physical beauty more than he cares about his love life. He's too egotistic and self-centered and he's extremely picky, which makes him single most of the time.