#anyway this is me dabbling into figurative language lol

[ramonag-if]

hullo! um- this is my first time sending an ask so sorry if i just start rambling lmao. i really, really love your IF it’s amazing (also, irus has me straight up cackling at the worst times lol) <3

anyways, i love creative writing and stuff like that and i’ve only recently found IFs so i was curious about what it would be like to make one. i didn’t think it’d be that hard 🥲 it is a struggle. i’m still trying to figure out coding, then my laptop broke. so. yeah :)

anyways (i feel like i’m saying that too much…), i had two questions. sorry if you already answered them already -v-‘

how do you do the music? do you create it yourself or download it?

do you have any tips for coding? little nuggets for beginners or something?

thank you! i hope you have a nice day/night! :3c

Hi Anon 😊 There is no right way to send an ask, and the way you've asked is perfectly fine 🌼

Thank you so much for playing and I'm really happy to know that you're enjoying Irus 💖

Gosh, writing IF always seems easy at first then you start writing one and you think, crap, I was so wrong.

1. For music, I download it from Pixabay - the music is free and you can use it for commercial use as well - mix it, edit it etc and it's fine. What I've done is search through the different songs available and went for atmospheric music (rarely do they contain voices) and stuff that pertains to the story (a lot of the songs for Crown of Exile have Middle-Eastern or Indian themes).

2. As for little tips, I'm not nearly as experienced in coding as others - I only started in June last year to use Twine Sugarcube and I did dabble in Choicescript a few years before that 😅 But I'll try my best to help.

Choose the coding language that fits you best. There are a ton of different ways to code an IF game - I use Twine Sugarcube because it let me customise the way the game looks (and I've always wanted to learn how to use it).

Learn to code the basics. It's quite daunting to start off when you're new to coding (I didn't even know how to offer custom names to players or figure out why I kept getting errors when testing the game). If you're using Twine Sugarcube, i suggest this guide. It explains everything quite simply and it's what helped me a great deal when I started using Twine.

Do a test game - learning to code means actually using the code in a game. Start with small things - creating a link or stats and then testing them. It doesn't have to be fancy, but once you get the hang of basics, you quickly realise it's not nearly as hard as you think and you'll slowly build your confidence up to actually figuring out how to add music to your game 😅

Don't be afraid to ask for help. There's a ton of people online who are willing to help or have already put up guides. Also don't be afraid to do a search online for answers - the internet can save you hours of time because someone out there has already had the same question as you and it's been solved.

I hope this helps you and if you do have anything specific in mind you need help with, you can always ask 😊 I'll do my best to help.

[guardevoir]

this is gonna be fun

So, my second one (English) was mandatory, because that's how it goes in Germany.

I picked my third one (Latin) because I didn't want to do French (I'm shit at enunciating anyway, I don't think French would've done me any favors) and I also like history. I was always shit at it but I'm also currently finishing up a masters degree in Medieval Latin, so... oops, lol

I "picked" my fourth one (Spanish) because I had to pick a fourth one and wasn't offered an alternative. Unfortunately I was also mentally deeply befuckened at the time and remember none of it. Though I picked some of it back up accidentally by falling down a Juan Gabriel rabbit hole???

I picked my fifth one (Italian) because it was the one I was most confident about not getting a shit grade in (college wanted a Living, Non-English additional language with certifications), because I somehow gained some comprehension skills through osmosis and several hyperfixations. Also I end up in Italy a lot more than in any of the spanish-speaking countries.

I also dabble in a sixth (Esperanto, because I majored (and minored I guess) in linguistics and am a nerd about conlangs) and seventh (Mandarin; fell down a c-drama rabbit hole and got invested) language occasionally, but that's on my own time and honestly just masochism or something, idk.

Mind you, I'm kinda shit at all the languages I have ever touched and I forget stuff again even faster than I pick it up; I just think languages are neat and I figure it never hurts to know something about the way other folks talk.

[cytarabi]

For the guessing game: smile?

Thanks, Firesign23! Last line of Chapter 10 of Deep Fried Drinks!

Her smile was a bright balloon, lifting and lifting.

[sciogli-lingua]

Hiii , hope you're having a great day and staying hydrated. Im thinking about learning italian and french at the same time. Im a complete beginner in both and i have only 1 year to spend on learning languages. I need advice lol.

Hi! My day has recently started, but it's been a good one so far -- I hope that the same is true about yours! 😊

As for learning Italian and French at the same time, know that you're setting yourself a challenge. It's by no means impossible (I, for one, started learning French and Spanish at around the same time), but you must understand that, them being both Romance languages, it might be easier for you to mix them up if you don't have a solid background in any of the two. In this case, I'd go for a comparative approach: as you gather new knowledge, try and see what the two languages have in common and what, on the other hand, differentiates them (for example: pronunciation is very different in most cases, try to get that down right away. Or: both languages have many verb tenses and mode, which work similarly for the most part, but not all the time -- try to figure out when it is that they don't). It's important to let the two interact, but only to a certain extent: at the beginning, you'll always always have to bear in mind what I just told you, or in most situations you'll just get a French-Italian hybrid.

This might take some more effort than studying the two languages separately, but it's definitely feasible! If I have to be honest with you, though, I'm a bit perplexed by the one-year deadline. Having only one year to devote to intensive and exclusive language learning is one thing (which I don't think I've ever managed to carve out for myself so far, so props to you if that's the case! 😉), learning a language in one year (and in one year alone) is a different story. I belong to the school of thought that we never stop learning throughout our entire life, and that's especially true when languages are concerned: leaving one aside for too long is enough to forget quite a lot of things, even more so if your knowledge of it was a bit shaky to begin with. This has happened to me with modern Greek: I'd dabbled in it for a couple of months last year, and then didn't use again what little I knew until last month. Needless to say, things that used to be clear didn't seem that straightforward anymore; and it's been taking some brushing up to get back even to a beginner level.

I guess that the point I'm trying to make is that while it is entirely possible to build yourself a knowledge base (and even get to a satisfactory level) in two languages in a year, retaining and expanding that knowledge will definitely take some more time, at least in my experience. Which doesn't mean you'll have to slave your way through grammar and exercise books forever, and might simply require you to read or write or watch/listen to content in your target languages on a semi-regular basis; you do you!

Anyway, if you need specific resources for Italian and/or French, just send me a message and I'll be glad to provide them 😁

[metaphorical-love-for-a-car]

Written In The Stars-- Brian May x Reader (2)

Part One

Summary; An astrophysics student had the bright idea to form a band. He always had a passion for music and wanted to share that very same passion with others. Brian put up flyers on notice boards around campus, hoping that he could find other students to join him. After a couple of rather unsuccessful auditions, Brian found himself in a pub, during open mic night no less. That’s when he stumbled across you, a bartender who could play the piano. (Based on the movie A Star Is Born)

Warnings; specified fem! reader, some language, and crappy writing

Word Count; 1.8k

Notes; crappy, filler chapter but I just needed to get it out of the way before I could get more into the storyline lol

It was getting late, and most of the customers had already left. Much to your surprise, Brian sat in the same spot, nursing the same drink you had fixed him earlier in the evening. You poked your head into the kitchen and shouted something to one of the cooks. A couple of minutes later, you reemerged. You slid a small basket of food in front of Brian. He furrowed his brows at you. “Oh, I didn’t order anything.” You smiled, shaking your head. 

“You waited all this time to talk to me with nothing but a single margarita. The least I can offer you is some chips.” Brian thanked you and ate one. You leaned on your elbows, resting your head in one of your hands.

“So, Mr. Music Man, what did you want to talk to me about?” you asked before taking a bite. Brian cleared his throat.

“Do you play anything besides the piano?”

“No, not really. I sing once in a blue moon, but I prefer to sit in the background and play than to be in the spotlight singing.” Brian nodded in understanding. ��What about you? You said that you were a musician.”

“I play the guitar. I’ve dabbled with the piano, but the guitar’s more my forte.” His eyes sparkled with curiosity as he leaned forward. “Can you write songs?”

“Well, I’ve tried to. Don’t think they’re very good, though,” you said with a shrug. Brian hummed, taking another bite. You snorted, trying to conceal your laughter. He raised a brow at you. “What is this, an interview?” The corner of Brian’s lips quirked into a smirk.

“Sort of, yeah. I’m starting a band, and I wanted to know more about your musical capabilities. You know, to decide whether I should ask you to join or not.” Your posture straightened.

“And what’s the verdict?”

“Oh, you’re more than qualified to join if you’d like.”

“I’ll have to think about it,” you teased. Brian let out a soft chuckle. He dug through his jacket pocket, and his face lit up when he found what he was searching for. He pulled out a crumpled up flyer, attempting to smooth it out on the counter. His face had flushed pink as he sheepishly handed it over. You gave him a smile, gladly accepting the colorful flyer. 

“My contact information is on it, should you decide to join.” Brain glanced at his watch and grimaced. He returned his gaze to you, clearing his throat. “Well, it’s getting late. I better head out,” he stated as he stood from his seat. You nodded with a hum. Brian gave you a little, awkward wave before disappearing out of the door. 

You stared at the door for a moment, trying to wrap your head around the whole interaction. You glanced down at the flyer. Brian May. He seemed like a decent guy. Stuffing it in your back pocket, you made a mental note to give him a call. 

The next morning, you were sitting on the foot of your bed in your tiny, studio apartment. You stared at the telephone and debated on calling Brian. You were skeptical about taking part in a band. It would, no doubt, be a huge time commitment. You knew that Thomas would support you. He was always like an uncle to you. But you didn’t want to abandon your shifts. You worked hard for every paycheck, and you needed them. Flopping down onto the bed, you buried your face in the pillow with a loud groan. After a few more minutes of debating, you finally came to a decision. What the hell? Might as well give it a shot. You could always quit if need be.

You glanced at the flyer and dialed the number. Chewing your lip, you waited for a voice to come through the receiver. After a few moments of incessant ringing, the other end finally sparked to life. “Hello?”

“Hello, Mr. Music Man. I’ve decided to take you up on your offer.” A soft laugh crackled through the receiver. 

“Wonderful! I’ve already found a bassist slash singer. Now, we just have to wait for a drummer to turn up.” 

“Smile’s gonna take the world by storm. I can feel it in my bones,” you joked. Brian hummed in response.

“Don’t know ‘bout that. We should probably have a few rehearsals before we start claiming to be the next Beatles.”

“Oh, ye of little faith. We’re going to be stars, Brian.” 

As it turned out, it didn’t take long for Brian to find a drummer. He called you right after the audition ended. You couldn’t help but laugh as Brian gushed about how talented the drummer had been. He sounded so excited that the band was finally coming together. Brian asked if you had to work that evening because he wanted to rehearse as soon as possible. Luckily, you had the day off.

You adjusted the strap of your messenger bag, which held various folders of sheet music. You weren’t sure what you all would be doing, but you decided to bring it just in case things got boring enough for you to just randomly start playing something. Pushing the door open slightly, you poked your head into the wide room. You had never been to Imperial College and weren’t sure if you were in the right place. There was only one person in the room. He had shaggy, blond hair and was setting up a drum kit. You stepped into the room and cleared your throat. The man looked up and flashed you a smile. “Hello there, beautiful.” You held back the sudden urge to roll your eyes.

“Is this the jazz club room?” He nodded. You pulled up a chair and set your bag down. 

“What’re you doing here? I mean, I don’t mind having your pretty face around, but we’re about to have band rehearsal.” He paused, motioning towards the drums and flashing you yet another cocky grin. “I’m the drummer.” This time, you didn’t fight the urge. You rolled your eyes and scoffed.

“I could figure that out on my own, dipshit. I’m in the band too.” His eyes widened, and he was taken aback by your comment. “I’m (Y/F/N), the pianist.” His face flushed, probably from embarrassment, as he cleared his throat.

“Roger Taylor,” he mumbled. 

When Brian entered the room, he found Roger sulking near his drums and you sitting across the room with a smirk. He met your gaze and raised a brow at you. You merely gave him an innocent smile and shrugged. “I take it you two already introduced yourselves to each other.” Roger muttered something under his breath, but you couldn’t quite make out what he said.

“Yeah, Lady Killer over there tried to flirt with me, but I shot him down. He’s still pouting over it.” Roger gave you the middle finger, and you stuck your tongue out at him. Brian watched you two interact and silently prayed that the two of you weren’t always going to act so childish. He was glad when someone else walked in, meaning that he could change the subject.

“Guys, this is Tim. He’ll be our bassist and singer. Tim, that's (Y/N). She’s our pianist. And that’s Roger. He’s our drummer.” You waved at Tim when Brian introduced you, and he gave you a slight nod. 

The rehearsal wasn’t very eventful. The four of you got to know each other a little better before discussing music. It was decided that you would all practice various covers then later get into original music. The band needed chemistry before making their own sounds. 

As time went on, you found yourself spending more and more of your off days with the band. They quickly became your closest friends, and Roger would still occasionally flirt with you-- but more so to get on your nerves than anything else. Your little ragtag group debuted at the pub you worked at. Thomas had insisted on it. It turned out to be a large success. Smile was the hit of the night. From then on, the four of you would often find yourselves performing in different bars and pubs around London. 

You were lounging on your bed, reading, when someone started pounding on your door. For a brief moment, your heart stopped. You couldn’t think of who it possibly could be. Various scenarios ran through your mind as you crawled out of bed, wracking your brain in an attempt to remember if you had paid rent for the month. When you swung the door open, you let out a sigh of relief. The curly-headed man beamed down at you. “Sorry for dropping in unannounced,” he said in a rush. You shook your head.

“No worries. Come on in, though I don’t have much room.” You motioned him into your tiny apartment. You suddenly became self-aware of your little home. Your face heated as you scurried about, tidying up. You straightened out the comforter on your bed so he could have somewhere to sit. Brian watched you with amusement in his eyes. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” you asked after you finally stopped bustling around.

“I’ve got great news!” You raised your brows at him. “I... I would have just called or waited until next rehearsal to tell you, but I just got excited,” he explained, face flushing. You smiled up at him, patting his arm.

“It’s alright. I wasn’t doing much anyways. What’s the great news, then?” Brian blinked at you for a moment before shaking his head in an attempt to straighten out his thoughts. He took a deep breath, and his bright smile returned.

“Mercury Records wants to sign us.” Your jaw dropped, and a disbelieving laugh escaped. 

“You’re kidding.” Brian shook his head, and a wide smile spread across your face. You laughed again, then wrapped your arms around his neck in an embrace. Brian almost stumbled backward from the sudden action. “Oh my god, Brian! This is amazing!” you squealed. He laughed, wrapping his arms around your waist. 

“They want us to go to Trident Studios and record next week.” You pulled away, searching his face.

“Holy shit...” Brian laughed at your reactions. You ran a hand through your hair, smiling up at him. “Have you told the boys yet?” He shook his head.

“No, I stopped by here first.”

“Well, go round them up. We need to get our shit together before we go into that recording studio.” Brian snorted and nodded an agreement. As he was walking out, you called his name. When he stopped, you shot him a smirk. “Told you we were gonna be stars.”

Tag List; @mothermercuryy @fatbottomedboi @geek-and-proud @intrrverted

[prettyyoungtragedy]

Writing meme

Thanks to the amazing talented @bitsandbobsandstuff for tagging me!

Q: What is your coffee order?

Black with simple syrup for when I feel dead, otherwise Americano, two shots of hot milk and one sugar.

Q: What is the coolest thing you’ve ever done?

Survived cancer (once)

Swam with whales in the Atlantic 

Hiked the Arctic Tundra

Had dinner with Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya

Had one of my fanfics picked up by Penguin Random House to be published into a novel. 

Q: Who has been your biggest mentor?

Career wise? My mother, she’s a trauma surgeon, works 18 hour days and has 5 kids, in my eyes, she’s God. 

For writing? Stephen King even though he doesn’t mentor me lol. 

Q: What has been your most memorable writing project?

It’s a toss up between It’s all fun and games, until you catch feelings and Tear in my heart. It’s all fun and games it what really put me on the map as a tumblr writer and Tear in my heart is the story that got picked up to be made into a novel. Both of them are my heart and soul because I poured so much of myself into every chapter. 

Q: What does your writing path look like, from the earliest days until now?

I started writing in middle school, most of the time it was my English teacher named Sasha (who till today I credit my creativity too because she helped me so much) who encouraged me to take up creative writing to help me speak better English, as it’s not my first language. 

I would write short stories on anything and everything (Mostly Jonas Brother fanficion lmao) and that became Goosebumps fanficiton etc. 

I stopped writing for a while even though in high-school I tried to outline a novel a few times but failed at doing so because I had other things like boyfriends at getting engaged at 18 on my mind lol. 

I only got into Marvel Fanfiction I think in 2016, I dabbled in reading a few chapters of this and that, mainly Steve Rogers and when I was finally comfortable with it, I posted my first sorta canonically correct fic titled Nothing like home. which is just hot garbage lol 

But over time I guess I got better. 

Q: What is your favorite part about writing?

Getting feedback from my Beta. 

Q: What does a typical day look like for you?

Wake up at 5AM, go to the gym work out for 45 minutes and convince myself I am getting skinny, 

Eat breakfast and tell myself I’m fat, 

Go to my boring finance job where I get yelled at and cry behind my desk twice a day, work work, work,

Some day’s treatment where I convince myself my hair isn’t thinning and I look fabulous, this never works. 

Then lunch, drink a healthy smoothie,

Work again, see clients, move money around, pretend I am Billionaire Tony Stark and I am so cool (jk im not), 

See my therapist, talk about how I don’t want to kill myself just bc I’m sick. 

Go home, make dinner, annoy my roommate, sit down and write for a few hours, publish some average fanfiction and hope people like it. 

Go to sleep and repeat this hum-drum process again for another 40 years. 

Q: What does your writing process look like?

I have the following steps when I write: 

Get an idea, jot it down. write out the ending or the outline for the ending. So I have a vision of where I am going with this. 

Bounce these ideas around with my beta and make a moodboard, those always help me figure out my plot. 

Figure out who my characters are going to be eg. Happy Steve? Sad Steve? Angsty? Fluffy? My inspiration depends a LOT on where the idea comes from. 

Once i have my characters, I write down who dies, who lives, who ends up sad, happy, what changes their characters will go through and most importantly, how am I getting to the ending I see in sigh. 

I write and write and write then bug my beta to make sure the idea is fine, no plot holes etc and I take it from there. Usually the editing process deletes half of the fic but yeah. 

And that’s my process haha. it’s hot garbage. 

Q: What’s the best advice you’ve gotten?

"You might as well say fuck it and do it anyway because if you die, you die” - My mother

Q: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned?

It doesn’t hurt to be kind to someone, even if they are shitty to you. One nice word to a stranger can change anyone’s life, your’s included.

Q: What advice would you give someone who wants to start writing?

Don’t stress it too much, don’t over think what you are writing. Just put your idea onto that document/paper. If you feel like it’s not good enough let someone else be the judge of that, hence the idea of a beta. 

If you don’t get feedback immediately, don’t be discouraged. it doesn’t mean your work isn’t good enough it just means you haven’t found your audience. 

Lastly, If you want to start writing, three things to remember. 1. Don’t get into your own head and discourage yourself. 2. Every idea is great, you just have to find your audience. 3. Creativity starts with an idea. 

Tagging: @sgtjbuccky @jaamesbbarnes @tropicalcap @all1e23 @moonbeambucky @notimetoblog @teamcap4bucky @buckyofthemyscira @lokissoul @kentuckybarnes @suz-123

[lucozdes-blog]

finally !! here’s the intro guides to my children !! blease....plot with me. 

(lee taeyong, he/him, bisexual)  HEY, ISN'T THAT  [KIM JEONGMIN]? YEAH, THE [TWENTY-THREE] YEAR OLD [CISMALE] FROM [SOUTH KOREA]! YEAH, I HEARD THEY'RE THE [FASHION DESIGN] STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM  NOW! LET'S HOPE THEIR STAY HERE IS AN ADVENTUROUS ONE! (dani, twenty, she/her, pst)

jeongmin is a fashionista, from designing original pieces to styling. 

his current aesthetic: goth street looks. think seoul fashion week. 

he loves nothing more than styling his friends or anyone who asks for help; he works within your budget and closet. he knows how and where to find deals and just overall very resourceful. 

he’s all for the environment too, the studio is filled with a variety of recyclable bin from plastic to old garments. 

he works as a part time visual for a retail store, it’s only a couple hours three mornings a week when he doesn’t have class, it’s good to have some sort of income. plus they pay him well considering his major and eye for new campaigns. 

he’s the guy with a variety of hook up numbers on his phone, never by name but with an emoji and number next to it. he’s a hoe (no jk i love him) and finds validation with the amount of people he sleeps with honestly it’s sad i don’t think he’s ever been in a genuine relationship. it’s just angst n heartbreak so he’d rather just sleep with ppl. 

anyways, his goal? design for the met gala and BE IN the met gala to show all those celebrities how it’s TRULY done. 

hic current look: taeyong in the chain mv. 

(nam joohyuk, he/him, bisexual)  HEY, ISN'T THAT  [MOON HANJAE]? YEAH, THE [TWENTY-FOUR] YEAR OLD [CISMALE] FROM [SOUTH KOREA]! YEAH, I HEARD THEY'RE THE [PERFORMANCE] STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM  NOW! LET'S HOPE THEIR STAY HERE IS AN ADVENTUROUS ONE! (dani, twenty, she/her, pst)

my son whomst i BIRTHED 

part of the fuccboi squad...SHOUT OUT..shout out..aahhhh..was popping ooooo

he’s obnoxious and loud and dramatic and YET people love him thank you very much. doesn’t know when to stop honestly someone kick his ass. 

he’s been to school everywhere, studying abroad for high school, doing a year in england, a year at julliard and finally amsterdam, i’m just going to say he’s been here for 3 years and he’s going to graduate next semester. 

he’s a performance/composition major and the LEAD of the orchestra because he’s just that talented that vivaldi is shaking in his grave. a prodigy if you will because it’s not the only instrument he can play but his favorite. 

he comes from a home of socialites back in busan, his family dabbles in the arts. his family also decided his fate: arranged marriage. it’s a secret though, only haebin and haneul know about it. 

cue why he’s part of the squad, he went through people so fast, indulging himself in variety knowing that after he graduates he’ll be tied down and he hates the very idea of it. which is why he’s an ass and wont accept that he maybe really likes misun more than a hook-up, also the reason why he’s BEEN OUT OF THE GAME that the lads are noticing lmao 

anyways he’s a disaster but he loves his friends so much he just wants to Protecc

(kwon jiyong, he/him, bisexual)  HEY, ISN'T THAT [AHN DAEHYUN], THE [TWENTY-FIVE] YEAR OLD [CISMALE] FROM [SOUTH KOREA]? YEAH, I HEARD THEY'RE THE [ENT. BUSINESS] STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM  NOW! LET'S HOPE THEIR STAY HERE IS AN ADVENTUROUS ONE! (dani, 20, she/her, pst)

he is the mom friend probably idk he’s always dd when the lads go out and does a run down of who’s where and if they’re ok before calling it a night when they go out 

he doesn’t party often, it’s honestly rare for him to go ALL OUT unless he knows he can handle it and he’s with minji who knows about his chronic fatigue syndrome 

it’s back and forth, getting rest doesn’t help him at all and so he’s taken up dancing as a hobby again, just one class where he can a good amount of exercise without stressing himself too much when he has too much on his plate

he’s all good now though, it’s part of him but it wasn’t as bad as when he used to be a trainee; daehyun was gonna become an idol if it weren’t for his health issues.

he moved to cali for a while to go to school there and check out an american industry but decided that entertainment business might be better for him, less stressful and he gets to manage and help people who wish to be part of it. 

anyways he sounds like a monotone dad when he texts but in person he’s more into conversations, a good time, and he really loves the lads. 

he’s also lowkey dating taemin’s sister but no one knows that lol.

(kim minseok, he/him, homosexual)  HEY, ISN'T THAT [CHOI JISOO], THE [TWENTY-THREE] YEAR OLD [CISMALE] FROM [THE US]? YEAH, I HEARD THEY'RE THE [PERFORMANCE] STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM  NOW! LET'S HOPE THEIR STAY HERE IS AN ADVENTUROUS ONE! (dani, 20, she/her, pst)

BOY, JISOO PROBABLY IS MY ONLY CHAR WITH A WILDT BACKGROUND

he’s from san francisco, ca. comes from a wealthy family, his dad was the ceo and founder of a large company ( dont ask me abt what yet tbh i’m thinking about it ); however the company only became big because they launder money. maybe deal with extortion but you know. 

jisoo had it all though, he had the luxuries, he had the city, the parties, everything. only child, he was next in line to take over and actually? he didn’t mind at all if he kept living the way he was, and bonus points? his dad didn’t give a fuck about his sexuality. it was a dream. 

until his crazy ass mom destroyed everything. she killed his dad but was found innocent in court because she bought the judge, and the jury? all hired by her. he was in that very courtroom when she was found innocent and before he knew it, he was being dragged out by his dad’s old lawyer and best friend. he needed to get out of there fast. 

jisoo is the only one who’s allowed to touch his inheritance, his dad made it very clear that everything was to go to him. his mother still had a joint account and she still has enough to live off until she’s dying from old age but her new boy toy, 10 years younger than her kinda wants the company. 

jisoo knows his mom killed his dad, he doesn’t have the evidence but he���s going to bring her down through the law or without the law because she took everything from him and he’s still reeling over it, he still has nightmares of finding his dad’s body. 

and also, choi jisoo is an alias. no one knows his real name. (lol not even me, i’ll get back to you on that). 

he’s in witness protection right now, undercover as a student from florida. he figured he might as well take some fun classes aka acting, dance, and studio arts. he doesn’t care for it knowing his life is set out but might as well. 

(kim namjoon, he/him, bisexual)  HEY, ISN'T THAT  [ZANDER YU]? YEAH, THE [TWENTY-FOUR] YEAR OLD [CISMALE] FROM [THE US]! YEAH, I HEARD THEY'RE THE [PHOTOGRAPHY] STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM  NOW! LET'S HOPE THEIR STAY HERE IS AN ADVENTUROUS ONE! (dani, 20, she/her, pst)

well, well, well if it isn’t the jack kerouac wanna-be. jk. he’s really not a bad person. maybe.

zander is a photographer, never staying in one place too long. he actually just arrived from mexico city and amsterdam is going to be the place he finishes his second degree. 

he’s basically that indie boy from all the coming-of-age films, an enigma if you will. simply because they way he presents himself is charming, fun, friendly. he’s the type of guy you get a crush on just because of how attentive he is, how he makes you feel so interesting, how he looks at you and touches you. and he knows it. 

he can read people’s emotions, he knows exactly how someone will feel before they feel it simply because of logic and tactic. 

he’s incredibly smart, pretentious even but that’s part of the charm. he talks about music, books, movies. his travels. he makes people fall for him because it’s fun, it sends a rush through him knowing someone is willing to do anything for him and then...he’s gone. because he can’t do the same for you, he doesn’t feel anything for anyone. he likes the concept of being with someone, idolizing them and then leaving them and he does it in a way that you can’t really point your finger at him and blame him. 

he’s really good at pretending to be someone he’s not tbh. like i want to emphasize that because i want to play him in a way that you really fall for it you know. anyways YEAH. 

(josefine frida pettersen, she/her, pansexual)  HEY, ISN'T THAT  [LEONIE SCHÄFER]? YEAH, THE [TWENTY-ONE] YEAR OLD [CISFEMALE] FROM [GERMANY]! YEAH, I HEARD THEY'RE THE [SOCIOLOGY] STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM  NOW! LET'S HOPE THEIR STAY HERE IS AN ADVENTUROUS ONE! (dani, twenty, she/her, pst)

remember what i said abt a drunk josefine fc who ends up ranting abt how toxic capitalism is and why communism isn’t the answer like all those tumblr folk like to say? WELL HERE SHE IS 

she’s not a drunk lmao but if she’s at family dinners with the conservative side of her family, she GOES OFF she probably wouldnt go off at parties here unless she bumped into some asshole who wanted to mansplain something to her or whatever 

she’s no poli-sci major, she takes a class but it’s only for her to get educated and accumulate more knowledge to back her up in her actual major and just to be prepared for arguments 

i hate to say this bc wow cliche ! but....definitely noora vibes akhkjh i’m SORRY 

she really enjoys going to the weed cafes though, catch her in there with a book just enjoying her free time 

she has an accent !! considering english is her third language and french is secondl german obviously being the first. it’s cute rlly i was watching accent videos akljdhfj

still shes fluent in all three because it’s leonie why not 

her aesthetic would probably be better described by donna tartt but i’ll give it a go: cigarettes in her own special metallic case, long coats, boots, very formal/casual, billie holiday records, period drama movies as well as empowering movies, beige/dark browns and black, the smell of coffee beans, aesthetic instagram 

anyways uhh idk what else to add tbh if i think of anything i’ll mention it in the hc server on discord aklsjhdk

[thepsychicclam]

Could you talk a little about what being a professor/getting your PhD has been like? Do you have to constantly do research and publish, is it hard to find jobs, do they pay enough to relieve the doctoral debt? I know you’ve moved at least once and I wasn’t sure if it was to follow a job, or if it was for personal reasons and then, was finding a new job hard? Did you start teaching while getting your PhD? I’m just fascinated by it and you seem like the best to ask!

Yes! I can share my experience. Everyone’s experience is different, and mine is unique for a few reasons I’ll discuss below. It may also vary from field to field. My PhD is in literature/English, and from what I’ve gathered, your concentration can influence a lot of stuff, too. So, under the cut, I’ll try to share my experience as much as I can! This is VERY LONG, so be warned, nonny! :D

Before I decided to get a PhD, I got a MAT - a master’s in secondary education with a focus on English literature. My BA is in creative writing/english lit. I taught high school for three years, and for a lot of reasons said FUCK THIS NOISE and quit. I lived with my parents and they told me they’d help support me. I ended up with a college teaching job (you can teach adjunct in the states with a masters) and they told me to get a PhD if I wanted to do it full time some day. I love teaching, and I’m good at it. I especially love teaching literature. So, I decided to go get my PhD.

Choosing my specialization was kinda interesting bc I decided to go for medieval literature, which I hadn’t really studied up until that point. I had always done Victorian and Shakespeare/Renaissance, with a bit of dabbling into Native American and postcolonial literature. But I taught Dante’s Inferno to my seniors my last yr at HS and fell in LOVE. So, I thought, “Hey, there aren’t a lot of medievalists. Everyone gets a PhD in Shakespeare/Victorian lit, so I’ll do that. Maybe it’ll make me more marketable.” I have always loved medieval lit, so I figured lets go for it.

My original plan was to do something with romances, so late medieval stuff. I ended up with two professors in the dept, one who focused on Anglo-Saxon/Old English and one who focused on Chaucer/later medieval. I took multiple classes in both, and my second or third semester, I took intro to Old English. I fell in LOVE WITH IT. It was a linguistics course where we learned the Old English language (which is completely different than modern or even middle english) and translated. I was GOOD at it and took to it unlike anyone else in the class. It just made sense. I think probably bc I had a background in Latin and German (I was a German studies minor in undergrad until I realized I couldn’t speak German to save my life :P) and I took like 3 or 4 yrs of Latin in hs. Anyway, I was hooked and switched to Old English. I took a lot of postcolonial literature courses, like Indian lit, lit of SE Asian, and Native American lit courses, and through this I met another professor who I adored. I ended up working with her to do my minor/secondary specialization, which is literature of the indigenous peoples of America (Native American, Chicano lit, etc - mostly Native American). I ALMOST wrote my dissertation with her bc I loved her so much and I love Native American literature so much. However, as a white woman, I didn’t feel that I would make a good postcolonial/Native American scholar, so I stuck with Anglo-Saxon lit.

I used my class papers to start working on my dissertation ideas. I got obsessed with monstrosity and the narrow definition in AS lit, and connected that to ideas of reason, which I also became obsessed with, and ended up writing all my papers about some type of monstrous transformation and how it connects to the reason of the punished. Thus, my dissertation topic was born, which currently has the working title of Transformative Bodies and their Punishments as Social Control in Anglo-Saxon Literature. It’s a terrible title, but right now, at least it states the overall topic lol

My comps, which are the comprehensive exams you have to take, took me a year to read for. Most people take one semester, I took 2. I took mine in the spring and just read for two semesters. Now, to put it into perspective, the English dept standard was 40 primary texts and 20 secondary texts, so 60 texts. Mine was WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY over that. I ended up with over 16,000 pgs of texts to read. Hint: I DID NOT READ THEM ALL. And remember, half of mine were in Middle English, so they took 3 times as long to read, and half were translated OE texts. But I read a lot, read the secondary stuff, and took my comps. Comps were supposed to be 2.5 hrs. The director of graduate studies handed me my comps and said, “You’re the medieval one, right?” And I was like, “...yes...” and he looked at me and said, “You get 4 hrs.” THAT’S HOW FUCKING LONG MY ADVISOR MADE MY COMPS. I HAD TO GET EXTRA TIME. So, 4 hrs I did nothing but type. There were questions on there that were not part of my 16k words, but I answered everything. I wrote 9 fucking thousand words in 4 hrs. I was PUMPED. Then, he gave me just a PASS not PASS PLUS. I’m a straight A student, valedictorian, graduated cum laude and magna cum laude, mortar board, scholarships, etcetc. I WAS PISSED :|||| I MEAN I HAD 4 HRS AND WRITE 9K ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?? It didn’t matter bc I still passed, but it was a pride thing lol

Okay, so that August I moved to Boston. My diss director was PISSED. I was ABD (all but dissertation, ie I had passed my comps), so I was going to work on my dissertation remotely. Many ppl do this. Well, he basically looked at me and said, “Yeah most ppl don’t finish who do this.” I cried for like 2 weeks. Then I got pissed and told myself I WILL FUCKING FINISH THIS IF IT KILLS ME. I regretted not doing the Native American diss with the professor I loved. My dissertation director is a dick. Hands down. I would be finished if I had a better director. I have had no support. Now, I did move to Boston, I procrastinated and took my time and had a lot of anxiety, but he didn’t help me at all. He made it worse. If you’ve followed me for awhile, you know I struggle with depression and anxiety, and at times it’s basically debilitating. So, it increased tenfold with the dissertation process. It took me a year to get my proposal submitted, finalized, and approved. 

I started working on my dissertation, which thankfully I had drafts of chapters from my class papers. As of right now, I have drafted 4 full chapters of average 40 pgs each and am revising. My director takes forever to get back from me, and my comments give me MAJOR anxiety. Part of the dissertation process is being told “yeah this needs work.” It’s like, hey, your ideas are great! You have a good point! But here are 100 ways you suck. Or that’s what it feels like. So, it became a major source of crippling anxiety for me. When I was in therapy, it was like all I talked about. I have to spend a week or two just pumping myself to check my fucking email. I have been trying to make an inface mtg with my advisor for a freaking yr. He blew me off to go to the bar with his friends at a conference we attended last yr (I only know this for a fact bc I SAW HIM AT THE BAR WITH THEM when he texted me and said he had “fallen asleep.”) So, needless to say, that has been a huge struggle and conflict. However, I don’t think that’s normal. lol I’m just cursed.

Right now, I’m trying to learn how to push myself as an academic writer and researcher to the next level. Something I need him to teach me, but still trying to meet face to face! I’ve gotten to the point in my drafts that I need to improve the arguments and research in a few places, but I’m not sure how to break through my wall. I need guidance, you know? Bc I don’t live around the campus, I’m doing this alone. I don’t have a writers group or any friends in the program. I’m pretty alone and isolated, which sucks. It’s also not the norm either, I don’t think. So, I have to push myself and keep myself going and write in a vacuum. I’m the only medievalist in the Eng dept getting a PhD, so there’s not even someone else writing their dissertation in Anglo-Saxon lit or even Middle English. The medieval dept is small.

So, that is my PhD schooling experience. Let’s talk about work and loans. I worked at a different college as an adjunct while doing my classes. I did not do a graduate research or teaching assistant job at the university, which means I paid for my schooling out of pocket/loans. I had someone tell me once, “If you’re paying for your own PhD, you shouldn’t be getting one. If you’re not being paid to get it, you’re not worth anything.” Pretty much, I feel like I was told the entire way I was doing everything wrong. I couldn’t get a GRA/GTA while teaching at the other school. I was an adjunct with a 3 class load, so I made decent, though not much. I lived at home w my folks, so I was okay with money. I was extremely lucky bc of that bc most ppl live on their own and have to work multiple jobs. When I moved to Boston, that’s when I got the 239847239 jobs. (also why I used to write a lot of fic and now I don’t write as much lol real life, man). When I moved to Boston, I taught adjunct, 3 classes. I also did freelance writing and worked at a farm, mainly bc rent was$2000/mth and I didn’t get paid during the summer. When I moved to SC, I also ended up with a 3 class adjunct job, but continued with the freelance writing. I have always been incredibly lucky with getting jobs. I think it’s bc I have a lot of teaching experience (this is my 10th yr teaching) and I have a background in English literature instead of education. I also wasn’t picky where I taught. I wasn’t teaching at Harvard, Boston College, or even something like the University of South Carolina. I taught at a small state school to start with, a community college in Boston, and now another small state school. But all experience is good experience. One thing that will make you marketable is your teaching experience. Everyone I’ve every talked to who hired me was interested in my teaching experience. 

For my career, right now I do a lot of conferences. I am doing 5 this semester, and I have done a ton of them. Graduate conferences, medieval conferences, lit conferences, pedagogy conferences, even library conferences. I give presentations/papers at each of them, bc I don’t see the point of going to a conference if you aren’t going to give a paper. I haven’t done any publishing yet. I have a few ideas for articles, but I’m terrified. It’s very hard to get published, so I haven’t tried yet :/ it is an expectation of all professors/phds to get published. At my current job, where I just got hired full time as an Visiting Assistant Professor, if I get a tenure track position, I have to have at least 1 publication within 5 years. That is a peer reviewed journal article or book. Getting published in English is SO MUCH HARDER than the sciences. I have a friend who works in Atlanta as a research assistant/lab technician/scientist (I’m not sure the title tbh) and she has like 3 publications bc she helped with these studies that they publish online that get published within like a month. My sister has a chapter in an art history essay collection, and it took 2 years to get published!! Academic publishing is the WORST. I’m hoping at least one dissertation chapter gets accepted as an article. I also did a project in my 102 class last semester that I have given multiple conference presentations and teaching workshops about, and I’m starting to work on turning it into an article. I want to be a teaching professor, not a research professor, so I’m trying to focus on the teaching aspect of my career. I just got a Brit Lit class for next semester instead of a sea of composition, so I’m trying to come up with a unique topical angle that I can use on my CV to show my teaching skills. So, part of my job is trying to find ways to increase my CV. Like, I run a panel at a regional literature conference (I kinda lucked into it bc my mentor used to run it, and now I do lol), so that looks good on my CV, too. So, it’s not constant publishing, but you are expected to do SOMETHING, conferences, publication, things like that.

Is it hard to find jobs? I’d say yes. Like I said, I have been incredibly lucky to always have a job. My dissertation director told me last yr after I got my job in SC, “Well, I guess you’re doing something right. I mean, you always seem to find a job.” (thanks asshole for that BACKHANDED COMPLIMENT) I am not picky. Experience is experience, and you’re not going to find your dream job immediately. That sense of entitlement limits you and keeps you from finding a job to start. Right now, I teach 5 fucking composition 101 classes. I was bitching to my sister today about how I was teaching fucking TOPIC SENTENCES and my students don’t get it!!! It sucks!! But, it pays a full time salary, and it gives me experience. Do I want to teach how to write a FUCKING TOPIC SENTENCE?? NO!! I can translate Old English and have studied medieval and early British literature for almost a decade. THAT’S WHAT I WANT TO FOCUS ON. But, I’m not an entitled asshole and realize I have to work my way up. When I finish my PhD, will get the perfect medieval/early British job? NO. I hope to get a job as an early British person somewhere (not my current school, who has no need for a medievalist really), but I know it will take one to two jobs before my dream job. Everyone I know has done 1-3 jobs before their perfect tenure job. Of course, there are always people who have the magic CV or whatever who will get that perfect job right out of grad school. I have no delusions. That’s not gonna be me. I’m an okay researcher and scholar and a damn good teacher. The first part means more than the last part for colleges. I just hope to eventually find somewhere I can teach Medieval lit to undergrads, and maybe do a course on monsters in pop culture.

Money wise, professors make okay but not mega bucks. I make pretty good for my area. But, I grew up poor, so having a full time job is like WHOO. I’ve learned how to live a great life on a lower salary. If money is what you want, this is not the career for you unless you’re teaching business or accounting at an MBA program. However, I go to work at 10 am, I leave some days at 1 and others at 3, I get from May-August and all of December off, and I make a full time yearly salary. So...I chose my profession for the time off. lol That’s exactly why I became a teacher XD I’m in a lot of student debt, but I worked out a payment plan with the student loan ppl and pay my loans every month. I’ll be dead before they’re paid off, but oh well :P 

What other questions did you ask...yes, I worked the entire time teaching while getting my degree. At one point I was working 5 jobs lol but not while taking class, during comps/dissertation stuff. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask! Like I said, I have a unique circumstance, with a dick dissertation advisor, moving between 3 states and teaching at 3 different places, though I finally have landed a full time college teaching position lol When I finish my dissertation, I will be very happy with my career path. Right now, with it looming over  my head and making me feel like the fucking biggest idiot and stupidest person on the planet, I regret my life decisions XD But really, I don’t bc, you know, I work like 20 hrs a week XDDDDDD

[noelsilvas]

MEET NOEL ADRIAN SILVA !

(IN)CORRECT QUOTE

“ i’m way too sleep deprived to deal with your negativity right now ” - jake peralta or noel silve u tell me

BASIC

NAME: noel adrian silva NICKNAMES: nada AGE: 25 BIRTHDAY: december 23 SPECIES: he’s like 90% acrylic paint at this point GENDER: cismale PRONOUNS: he/him

FAMILY

MOTHER: biological , unknown FATHER: biological , unknown PARENTS:  celeste & malachi “mal” silva who love him more than they love themselves FAMILY:  v much chosen SIBLINGS: younger sister, 20-21 unnamed JUST IN CASE but super into music and v much a pain in his ass, actually came up in foster care together ; nicholas “nicky” silva , 5 , celeste and mal’s only biological son , kind of a miracle and the love of noel’s LIFE

PHYSIAL ATTRIBUTES

FACE CLAIM: tommy martinez RACE/ETHNICITY: venezuelan NATIONALITY: american HEIGHT: 6′2 WEIGHT: idk whatever a healthy bmi is BUILD: was once an athlete, hasn’t lifted a weight in 2 years HAIR: curly and in desperate need of a cut FACIAL HAIR: stubble, at the moment, will likely grow it out as winter comes  HAIR COLOR: dark dark dark brown EYE COLOR: light brown SKIN COLOR: also light brown DOMINANT HAND: right ANOMALIES: freckles mostly on his shoulders and chest SCENT: patchouli and vanilla ACCENT: nada PHYSICAL DISABILITIES: nada LEARNING DISABILITIES: nada, just really bad at math ALLERGIES: peanut butter :( DISORDERS: nada FASHION: stripes! mismatched socks, cuffed jeans, knit sweaters, band merch, black denim, owns one (1) pair of overalls, beanies in the fall NERVOUS TICS: rubs his bottom lip in thought a lot QUIRKS: wears a broken watch, socks never match, almost always has paint on his fingertips, owns 38274 notebooks full of handwritten lyrics and has 3298427 untitled unsorted voicenotes of melodies he’s made up in his lil brain

LIFESTYLE

HOME ADDRESS: east side RESIDES: east side apartment BORN: west side of victoria RAISED: west side of victoria VEHICLE: 2015 toyota SOCCER MOM SUV PHONE: iphone x LAPTOP/COMPUTER: macbook air, massive desktop in his room PETS: orange tabby w 3 white paws and 1.5 ears named JIM 

HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION: graduated COLLEGE EDUCATION: graduated but ... not quickly and not happily lol ... will be Going Back once he figures himself out MAJOR: business  MINOR: music theory CAREER: currently works at a tattoo place on the west side EXPERIENCE: had odd jobs growing up, sold some artwork every now and then OTHER: dabbling w the thought of going back to school to be a hs music teacher

POLITICAL AFFILIATION: independent RELIGION: read a lot about wicca bc he thinks it’s ‘dope’ but doesn’t practice anything BELIEFS: WHOLLY believes in art for arts sake , ‘time is a manmade concept, an illusion’ DRUGS: eh, maybe once or twice SMOKES: gets high every sunday but cigarettes are GROSS  ALCOHOL: occasionally DIET: literal black hole will consume anything

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: heteroromantic SEXUAL ORIENTATION: heterosexual MARTIAL STATUS: *sweats* CHILDREN: absolutely not AVAILABILITY: loves love LOOKING FOR: a muse

LANGUAGES: english, spanish

PHOBIAS: heights HOBBIES: plays like 10 instruments including french horn, writing, painting, sketching, smoking, taking jim for walks TRAITS: + charismatic, kind, ardent, nurturing ; - kinda dumb sometimes, flaky, no sense of self SOCIAL MEDIA: instagram, tinder, snapchat, twitter, myspace still active

FAVOURITE

LOCATION: in front of a blank canvas SPORTS TEAM: ....... nah GAME: a bitch probably loves cards against humanity and actively plays any video game that isn’t grand theft auto MUSIC: indie pop, independent rappers, would DIE for j. cole SHOWS: community, bob’s burgers, great british bake off MOVIES: dazed and confused, remember the titans, everybody wants some FOOD: will literally eat anything but particularly likes his mom’s oatmeal cookies :\ BEVERAGE: chocolate milk :\ COLOR: forest green

CHARACTER

MORAL ALIGNMENT: chaotic neutral ENNEAGRAM: four, the individualist ZODIAC: capricorn HOGWARTS HOUSE: hufflepuff TV TROPES: jake peralta, nick miller, SCOTT! MCCALL!!!! SONG: fuck, i’m lonely — lauv 

IDEOLOGIES: it costs $0 to be a decent fucking human being, brad

INFO

grew up in foster care which really prevented him from having any sense of permanence. he bounced around a lot but never outside of victoria. his childhood was spent constantly sharing a room and not really knowing who he was or where he came from or if he’d ever ... know lol. was literally left on a doorstep on christmas eve, hence the name noel

was always a messy kid, always getting into something. never really any REAL trouble but he was a handful and no one seemed to want to adopt the bouncing kid who drew on walls and wouldn’t stop singing the fucking arthur theme song. he was fine with it, didn’t mind the company, didn’t really know anything else though

otherwise was fairly,... normal as a kid. was v average in school but excelled in creative arts, spent a lot of time in an after school program that allowed him to learn music and further his art skills

this is where he met celeste and mal, as they sort of ran this little non-profit after school program and boy oh boy did they love noel

they married young, very much in love, and they’d been trying for a while for a child but... unfortunately had too many problems conceiving. the only issue with adoption was they really just ... loved this noel but weren’t sure if they were ready to take a full on pre-teen into their home, being in their early 20s themselves

it took about three years ,... agonizing but ... worth it .. to be fully ready to adopt noel (and unnamed sister) and when he was 14 he moved to the east side and officially became a silva. they weren’t super wealthy, but they had more than enough and gave him everything he could’ve asked for. they’ve always been... nurturing and encouraging and despite the fact that noel doesn’t really know who he is at his core, he knows that he got patience and kindness from his parents

and they are ... his parents ... and he has nO desire to find his biological parents. like literally zero. he can figure himself on his own and as far as he’s concerned celeste and mal are mom and dad

anyway ... dude’s an artsy soul through and through. his first love was music but he’s... not the spotlight type, not a front man, literally retches at the thought of being on stage bc it lowkey frightens him so mostly he just writes music, plays it for the sake of relaxation

his second love is art. sketching, painting, most specifically: street art. he’s careful with it, though, considering he’d never want to put his parents through the STRESS of having a delinquent son

feels a lot of pressure to be something great because he’s ... just.... idk he has this fucking weird complex where he KNOWS he knows his parents love him but he kinda feels a need to prove that choosing him was The Right Choice

anyway he’s currently working at a tattoo shop, living his best life, considering going back to school and dreading it

it’s just really important that you know

that his socks?

they never match

thank you

[ciscoshairconditioner]

Texts Between Strangers

Note: female/woman ‘reader’

---

Hey, it was really nice meeting you last night. Maybe we can grab lunch tomorrow? This is Cisco btw.

The text pops up on your phone screen as you're scrolling through social media. You've been lounging in bed on this rainy Saturday morning planning on doing absolutely nothing for the rest of the day but binge watch The Walking Dead and order thai take out later. You just stare at the text for a minute, blinking.

You definitely didn't give your number to anyone last night because all you did yesterday was pull a double shift at Jitters because they've been short staffed lately. A long day at work usually left you looking a bit wrecked so you're damn sure there wasn't anyone slipping their digits your way either.

This person has the wrong number.

You frown a little bit for them because you wonder if the wrong number was intentional. You've had to give a creepy dude the wrong number on purpose before just so he'd leave you alone. You finally reply after another minute.

Hi I didn't give my number to anyone. Sorry dude, they gave you a wrong number.

You figure that will be the end of that and roll out of bed only to shuffle your way to your comfy couch for some TV time. The notification on your cell pings again and you glance at it, brows raising when you see it's wrong number guy.

For real? This isn't [Girl's Name]? And you weren't at Stanley's Bar last night?

You've actually been to Stanley's a lot over the past couple years since you moved to Central City but last night was not one of them.

My name is definitely not [Girl's Name] and even though I love Stanley's for the sole fact drunk me can make peanut shell confetti rain everywhere during karaoke and not get in trouble, I for real wasn't there last night.

You felt like you were a tad on the sassy side with that text but he was a stranger who apparently one girl had already blown off so you figured he must not be worth much niceties anyways. You were always for girl power so even though you had no idea who [Girl's Name] was, you were going to go with her assessment of wrong number guy, what'd he say his name was? You scrolled up in the message feed, ah—Cisco.

Best peanuts in CC, read his next text which came with a peanut and praise hands emojis.

You laughed and said aloud “Agreed.” as you typed the same reply.

You're flicking through saved episodes of Walking Dead on your DVR, trying to find where you left off when another text comes through. You already have a suspicion its him again before even looking.

I must have heard her say the wrong numbers, it was so loud in there last night :(

Your brow furrows at this one. You remember why you avoid Stanley's on Friday nights. It's usually two for ones and they aways try to get local rock bands to come play. It tends to get too crowded, too hot and yes—too noisy, in there. You read over the text again and find yourself frowning along with his sad emoji.

Next time, you gotta just hand her your phone. No mistakes can be made then. Unless you have an embarassing wallpaper.

His reply is immediate, Pfft no way. It's followed by a screenshot of his actual phone background and a typed No shame along with it.

You're not sure if its a Harry Potter lightning bolt or a reference to Central City's local hero, The Flash. Either way, you're impressed. Wizards or Superheros, a cute guy could totally score your number if you peeped that wallpaper on his phone. Well, the jury is still out on if this guy is cute, you think.

You're right, that is legit. Maybe you did just hear the numbers wrong.

Of course I did. You make it sound like something else. You can't tell if his text was meant to sound cocky or confused.

You bite your lip and reply. Well...

??? is shot back instantly and you sigh.

You decide to just keep it real with him. Guys tend to be overbearing when picking up women. You sure you weren't reading her wrong?

I happen to read people's vibes quite accuratley. She totally was feelin all of this. There's even a smirking emoji.

Alight, cocky it is. You laugh and decide to challenge it. All of what? You send the eyes emoji along with it and wait patiently for him to chicken out.

That's when he sends a picture. Your phone drops into your lap and your mouth hangs open.

It's him.

It's the Jitters customer you've been crushing on for the past year. And that's his name? Cisco?Everytime he places an order to go he always thinks it's hilarious to use the name of a famous fictional character. You've been trying to psych yourself up for months just to work up the courage to ask him for his name and maybe out on a date.

Your mind races with all the daydreams and fantasies you've had starring him. They range from adorable ones where you accidentally bump into him, coffee spilling all over him and you both blushing profusely while you attempt to clean him up; to downright explicit ones where you're the only one on closing shift and he's the last customer so you lock the doors and ravish him right there in one of the plush accent chairs.

You take a smooth five minutes to freak the hell out.

What finally pulls you away from your panic is the muffled sound of your cellphone. You hurridely dig it out from the depths of the couch.

You pass out from all the hotness huh? Lol

You just stare at the message. All language escaping you in that moment. You hadn't attempted flirting since coming to live in Central City. You left a pretty toxic relationship behind and wanted a fresh start. You had spent the past couple years focusing on finishing your MA but now that graduation was right around the corner, you suppose you could actually start dabbling in that real life stuff again. How many hours had you spent making unrequeited heart eyes at a stranger in a coffee shop? You weren't too sure about the mechanics of fate and destiny or whatever.

“Of all the wrong numbers in all the towns in all the world he texts mine,” You blink, “Err, or something like that.” You say to your phone.

You're startled out of your dramatic monologue by another text from Cisco. My self confidence is increasingly deflating  :|

Crap. You realize you haven't sent anything back to him in fifteen minutes. You just type fast and without much thought because you're scared if you think too hard on it you'll back out. Being behind a screen is supposed to make people a little more fearless, right?

Haha no it shouldn't. Its just that I've actually seen that handsome face before. :)

“That's only mildy creepy.” You say to yourself upon rereading your message.

That's... not creepy at all. Is his response, follwed by a How?

Well, we do live in the same city and I work at a popular hang out. You decide to tease him.

Oh, are you that redhead from Big Belly Burger? I told you the offer was flattering but I don't date high schoolers.

You have a good laugh at that before replying, Um, not a BBB employee or a high schooler. I assure you, you're texting a grown woman.

Oh yeah? A grown woman who can do whatever she wants? ;)

You think there's a Beyonce reference in there. Yes is your simple reply.

Idk. I could be getting catfished rn.

You scoff at that. If anyone could be getting catfished, it's me. You texted first.

True, but I genuinely did think you were someone else.

It's followed by another text. Hold up. On reinspection, I've actually have been incredibly generous. Ive given you my name, wallpaper AND my picture. The only thing I know is one place you don't work and that you're karaoke friendly. I think you have to pay some dues miss.

You scoff for a second but then realize you have withheld more than what he's given up in this conversation. You're nervous as you type back, What do you want?

Simple. Even trade. Name, wallpaper, and picture. Gimme.

Another text bubble appears, Please :D

You text him your name and hold your breath wondering if it will spark any memory. You have taken his order countless times at Jitters.

:D One down, two to go!

You sigh and nervously smile to yourself. You snap a screenshot of your phone background, which is just a quote thats partially obscured by your apps. You picked it to ground yourself, to make you never forget your self worth again. You haven't changed it since you moved to Central City. It simply reads 'I am too full of life to be half loved.' You send it on it's way and then go scrolling through your recent selfies to find a picture of yourself looking somewhat decent.

That's some sage advice. You should send me the actual pic so I can pin that to my quotes board on pinterest :)

You smile while sending over the original for him.

Thanks! Now last but not least...

You've picked a picture you took right before going out to a show a couple of weeks ago. You felt confident that night because of your new show stopping outfit and the fact that your hair did absolutely what you wanted it to do. You held your breath as you sent the picture, knowing that for sure he'd have to know who you were. The awkward, babbling barrista that often times tripped over her own two feet.

A minute went by without a reponse. Your nerves were catapulting all over the place while you just sat there and stared at your phone.

Finally a new message notification pinged and you swallowed hard as you opened it. Then, your heart stopped for a second.

Its you. The text simply reads.

What's that supposed to mean? You think. Before you can form a reply, he's sent another text.

I mean, you work at Jitters. I've definitely seen that beautiful face before. :) He mimics your reply to him earlier.

You feel a blush blooming across your face along with what your sure is a goofy smile. Yeah, surprise haha

Would it be weird to say my original question still stands?

You blink in confusion. Excuse me?

It's just that, I've always thought you were cute and you laugh at all my made up names when I order. It's a beautiful laugh btw. You're mouth has dropped open and you just reread the message a few times and then reply.

Hold up. Why haven't you asked me out before?

I've um... had some bad luck in the past with Jitters barristas. Figured I'd steer clear for a while.

And now?

Well now fate has given me your number so I figure I should just go with it :D

You bite your lip to try and control the goofy smile that's forming. Lunch sounds great.

Your phone slips free of your graps and you look up to stare out the window. The sky is clear and bright.