#bad education chapter 23

[angerofangels]

Largely because of my inability to read quickly I went from honors and college level english classes to being in the english class with all the football players which I am still kinda upset about in terms of academic pride because reading and writing are always things I've been good at but I think its been very healing to me to now have read a lot of English literature on my own, usually through audiobooks.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Erum Salam at The Guardian:

The wave of book bans sweeping the US, typically reserved for works of fiction deemed controversial, has hit textbooks used in public schools, marking the next step in Republicans’ war on education. The board of trustees for the Cypress Fairbanks independent school district in Houston voted 6-1 earlier this month to redact certain chapters in science textbooks, including those about vaccines, human growth, diversity and climate change. The motion to remove the chapters was made by the board’s vice-president, Natalie Blasingame, and almost unanimously supported. Blasingame, who has served on the board since 2021, did not give a specific explanation for the decision, but said the subjects go beyond what the state requires to teach and creates “a perception that humans are bad”. Last year, the Republican-controlled state board approved textbooks for the schools’ science curriculums, rejecting several books on climate, so the local school district’s censorship of these textbooks is even more restrictive.

Education experts say the move could have far-reaching consequences, prompting similar decisions to omit information in other subjects, and by public school districts across the country. The board’s decision drew the ire of local parents and education groups. Bryan Henry, a local parent and founder of the non-partisan group Cypress Families for Public Schools, said he was concerned about the precedent this decision sets. “Will trustees at the local school board level be able to just delete chapters about civil rights because they just mentioned the history of same-sex marriage?” Henry, 37, said. “It’s really kind of alarming what this could mean for ideological influence and control over what is taught in schools.” Henry describes Cypress, a sprawling suburb of Houston with a population of nearly 200,000, as an increasingly diverse community with a loud minority of political extremists.

“A lot of Republicans in the Cy-Fair area, who are very conservative but are pro-public education, are having to now grapple with the fact that [the] governor, state representatives – they’re really not pro-public education,” he said. “And so people are struggling with how to reconcile that, because they don���t want to vote for Democrats.” Henry added this “level of oversight, micromanagement and interference” was “scary.” The Texas Freedom to Read Project, an organization that fights book bans, swiftly condemned the decision. “To ban entire chapters of textbooks and withhold that information from students is not only unconstitutional, but it is taking away their access to real-life ideas that exist in this world,” said Laney Hawes, co-founder of the group. “Access to a diverse and wide range of information is what prepares students to navigate this world successfully. When we ban books and limit students’ ability to access ideas, we are closing doors to their futures.”

[...] PEN America found 3,362 instances of individual books banned in public K–12 schools for the 2022-23 academic year – a 33% increase from last year, with Florida and Texas leading the way. These books mostly include novels with themes of race or sexuality, not core academic material.

Meehan said the censorships of textbooks is “a further escalation of this movement”. “Texas is no stranger to book bans or censoring other educational content areas or materials. The idea that we’re redacting chapters from state-approved textbooks is almost unheard of. It’s so outlandish,” Meehan said. Book bans have become a core element of platforms of well funded far-right politicians, who have tried to win a larger presence on school boards across the US. “I’m almost worried about a concerning trend where far-right Republican candidates are replacing moderate Republicans on school boards, not because citizens believe they are better suited for the job, but because rightwing billionaires and Pacs [political action committees] are starting to pour money into these local elections,” said David DeMatthews, an education professor at the University of Texas at Austin, who previously worked as a public school teacher and district administrator.

Public school textbooks are the next battleground item in the right-wing’s dangerous and censorious book-banning crusade in schools.

[juvenillia]

~ Death of Peace of Mind ~ Masterlist

Simon 'Ghost' Riley x fem!Reader

photo credits go to very talented @ave661

Summary: After the traumatic past that comes with the job of being a soldier, you change your aspects and ideals. The only bad thing is that there are suddenly four men that totally turn your point of view and things starting to get out of your so well beloved control. Especially one masked man to be honest.

Disclaimer: NonCanon! Even when a few things from the remake timeline did happen. Things can easily get changed or carried away through the story or seem a bit off. If I step a line pls reach out to me and educate me. English isn't my first language, and almost nothing here will be beta read.

A/N: I’m just a needy gremlin for this man, and my weakness is damn slow burn strangers/enemies to lovers 》 Concept post 《 This will be mostly reader inserted but also contains aspects of OC. You'll get a last name, a past and stuff. Hope you don't mind. If you have any idea of improvements and stuff, just reach out. Won't bite.

CW/TW: I'll always give proper warnings before each chapter, but to mention a few: canon violence, mentions of death, loss, guilt, cursing, ptsd, trauma, jealousy, toxic relationships, angst, self-harm, smut, noncon, and more

Songs: Sleep Token - Rain | Bad Omens - Death of Peace of Mind

Status: ongoing | started 13.09.23

Read on AO3 | Last update 11.04.2024 | new chapters irregular, but I keep updating

chapter index:

00: tired [prologue]

01: news

02: too close

03: friends

04: bonding

05: defeat

06: start

07: names

08: dreams

09: change

10: time

11: silence

12: wait

13: call

14: weak

15: teasing

16: lieutenant

17: complicated

18: casual

19: luck

20: cold

21: broken

22: shadow

23: trust

24: lie

Tba

taglist: open

@yyiikes @saffronimagines @originaldeerhottub @illuminwtesz @killergoddess97 @kaelaiscool @spiritndrain @anothersimpsblog @backupgal @hungryhungariann @victoriazynui @ohworm-writes

[mx-heinous]

El Filibusterismo: Poorly Summarized

Chapter 1: We're on a boat and here are the bad guys! :D

Chapter 2: Eyyyy Basilio! You wanna make a school? (Internally: This will not turn out well)

Chapter 3: Short stories with symbolism. That Ibarra guy? Pffft he's dead. Don't worry about him

Chapter 4: The government ain't shit. Something about crocodiles. Juli would rather be a servant than sell a locket

Chapter 5: Coach Driver Has The Worst Christmas Eve Ever

Chapter 6: Basilio Backstory Time

Chapter 7: Simoun Backstory Time (but you already knew he was Ibarra, didn't you?) + Two weirdos have a philosophical debate in the middle of the woods

Chapter 8: Unmerry Christmas

Chapter 9: People Responsible For Why Juli's Life Sucks

Chapter 10: Simoun sells stuff, and oh yeah, Tales killed 3 people or something idk.

Chapter 11: The government ain't shit pt. 2

Chapter 12: The most relatable guy in the book

Chapter 13: The education system sucks

Chapter 14: Meet the students. You're probably gonna forget about them by the next chapter

Chapter 15: Isagani argues with a guy named Spaghetti or something

Chapter 16: Chinese Guy's in debt

Chapter 17: Woohoo, we're at a fair! Wait a minute, where's Simoun?

Chapter 18: Ah, there he is

Chapter 19: Simoun reveals he's a terrorist to a college drop-out

Chapter 20: Turns out, Don Custodio ain't shit

Chapter 21: The friars make a fuss about a French play, backfires horribly

Chapter 22: Relationship Dramaaaaa. Also, yay! The new school got approved! Nvm, we can't direct it anyway

Chapter 23: Hey kid, wanna be a terrorist? Wait, WDYM MARIA CLARA'S DEAD?!

Chapter 24: Relationship Dramaaaaa pt. 2 (This isn't gonna end well, will it?)

Chapter 25: Eating food and making fun of the government

Chapter 26: The government ain't shit pt. 3

Chapter 27: Wait, a decent priest? No way

Chapter 28: People Are Scared, Tiago kicks the bucket, and oh hey, Placido, there you are

Chapter 29: Tiago's Funeral (that's pretty much it)

Chapter 30: Juli can't catch a break

Chapter 31: Look! A decent government official! Nvm, he resigned

Chapter 32: Literally everyone is out of prison except for Basilio because the government ain't shit pt. 4. Also, Juanito's a girlfriend stealing bitch

Chapter 33: Basilio has an emo arc

Chapter 34: Wedding planning ensues, and look, a pretty lamp that's definitely not a bomb

Chapter 35: Your ex just crashed your wedding but dw, it's a good thing

Chapter 36: Ben-Zayb finally gets his own chapter

Chapter 37: The people finally got some braincells

Chapter 38: Remember Selo? Well, he's dead now

Chapter 39: Simoun finally crokes and Tiburcio's there ig

[voxofthevoid]

Posting Schedule: April & May 2024

I'm merging the months since the April anniversary project has outgrown April rather egregiously. It is funny how I said just last month that I'm cutting down my updates to four a month, and now we have eight each for these two months. But to be fair, the word count is pretty much the same because these are shorter fics (...mostly).

April:

2. Chapter 1/1 of the history book on the shelf is always repeating itself

JJK; goyuu; When Yuuji’s fifteen, Gojou Satoru dies; when Yuuji’s seventeen, Gojou Satoru is born.

6. Chapter 1/1 of (it wasn't hard to realize) love's the death of peace of mind

JJK; goyuu; When a blip in time lands sixteen-year-old Satoru in the future, he finds himself in possession of a cursed object sporting his own eyes and a grieving boy who can’t look away from those eyes.

12. Chapter 1/2 of because the negative sex was born into a bloodline

JJK; kenita; Yuuji makes reasonable assumptions about the handsome man stalking him. Kenjaku gets to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

14. Chapter 1/1 of caught the teacher giving his eyes to a student

JJK; goyuu; Megumi finds out that Gojou’s been giving Yuuji some hands-on sex education.

19. Chapter 1/1 of will we remain stuck in the throat of gods

JJK; sukuita with past!goyuu; A bad breakup isn’t a good excuse to fuck the monster rotting your soul, but Yuuji’s made worse decisions—probably.

23. Chapter 1/1 of this was something you incited, you opened up and invited

JJK; goyuu; Satoru learns why most alphas don’t fuck other alphas.

26. Chapter 1/1 of we can be anything we want to be (make shit up and live it completely)

JJK; goyuu; An offhand comment leads to Yuuji discovering the dubious joys of pet ownership.

30. Chapter 1/1 of this is the wrong story

JJK; goyuu; In a faraway forest enclosed in Brahmic barriers, there’s a boy who loves and hates the world in equal measure.

May

3. Chapter 1/1 of vulgarity (the glory and the virtue died so long ago)

JJK; goyuu; Yuuji’s hormones battle his morals while his half-naked teacher sleeps on his lap.

8. Chapter 1/1 of somebody ought to corrupt you on the dance floor and take you home

JJK; hiita; A wardrobe malfunction drastically alters the aftermath of Yuuji’s fight with Higuruma.

10. Chapter 1/1 of never seen such a pretty wicked thing

JJK; goyuu; Satoru has a late-night philosophical discussion with the King of Curses.

15. Chapter 2/2 of because the negative sex was born into a bloodline

JJK; kenita; Yuuji makes reasonable assumptions about the handsome man stalking him. Kenjaku gets to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

19. Chapter 1/1 of i'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies

JJK; goyuu; Satoru’s ward is in that peculiar purgatory between puberty and presentation. He tries to help.

23. Chapter 1/1 of you're like a goddess in disguise (i'm drowning slowly in your eyes)

JJK; fem!goyuu; Yuuji finds religion in her teacher’s tits, violently.

26. Chapter 1/1 of but lover, you're the one to blame

JJK; goyuu; Yuuji acquires a doll that’s sympathetically connected to Satoru. It’s innocent until it isn’t.

31. Chapter 1/7 of i can offer you a black-lit paradise

JJK; itagofushi; Satoru plays favorites with his students in the worst way possible. Megumi suffers, while Yuuji’s oblivious—and horny.

The dates are tentative, the order isn't set in stone, and I am about to become void soup.

If anything's repeated or mismatched, ignore for now. I'll look over this again when these fic titles/dates aren't at risk of setting my eyes on fire.

[liminalpebble]

Eddie's Education (Masterlist)

Synopsis: 15 years after the events in the upside-down and Eddie's unlikely survival, he's still left with scars and an uneventful life working at his uncle's garage and as a part-time bartender. Although he planned to get out of Hawkins like a bat out of hell, he's still there and feeling stuck. At Uncle Wayne's suggestion, Eddie goes to night school to finally get his GED. Little does Eddie know that his life is about to get a lot more interesting when he meets his tutor, Leia, and realizes staying in Hawkins might not be so bad after all.

A/N: Eddie Munson x OFC, slow burn to eventual smut, multi-parter. Cannon divergent. Eddie's a sweetheart, Eddie Lives! Minors DNI

AO3 Link

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16 (Finally! The big ol' chunk of smut! Enjoy!)

Chapter 17 (My friends, I come bearing smut.)

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

[raccoon-eyed-rebel]

Part 22 - Geralt

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Part 21 -- Part 23

Summary: The guys throw a New Years Eve party at 179th Crescent Street...

Warnings: Drugs (weed and alcohol), senslry issues.

Word count: 2.1k

A/N: Geralt is up! It's a shorter chapter than the other ones, because he didn't have a lot to say... I'm also happy to announce that all the NYE chapters are finished as of right this g'damn second! So: YAY ME! Enjoy!

Let me know what you think! 🥰

@deandoesthingstome @geralts-yenn @summersong69 @peaches1958 @fvckinghenrycavill @keanureevesisbae @livisss @sillyrabbit81 @ellethespaceunicorn @ylva-syverson @poledancingdinos

I’m barely aware of the things that are happening in the kitchen, going on auto-pilot, until Leon asks where Sherlock is. 

“In his room,” Mike replies, “he wouldn’t last five minutes tonight if he had to deal with all of this, too.” He’s not the only one. For starters, it’s not ideal for Mike, either. 

“We’ve got it from here,” I say. As far as I’m concerned, he’s done his part in setting up for tonight by getting the internet to work. My words come out harsher than intended. Fuck. I know he’s not mad - he’s Mike. It would take a lot more to upset him, and he knows as well as I do that I’ll be running on reserves, too, before the evening is over. 

Unlike Mike, I don’t envy Sherlock. Hiding from the fuss surrounding these preparations wouldn’t do me any good. I’d still hear everything, and I somehow find it easier to ignore a noise I can see the source of. My eyes involuntarily move to the little plastic bag on the table. At least I’ll be able to sleep. Sol follows my gaze, and her eyes go wide when she sees what I’m looking at. We’ve had a few long conversations - at above average volume - about the fact that I occasionally get stoned - or, as she’d rather call it; ‘my drug use’. The last of these arguments happened while she was holding a glass of wine. She didn’t appreciate my pointing out that alcohol is a hard drug. No one ever does. With time, she’s grown used to it, but she isn’t exactly comfortable with how open we are about it here. I still don’t understand the fuss. It’s not like we’re doing anything illegal. 

The hand on my back belongs to Sol. I don’t have to look to know that. I don’t even have to think about it. I just know. That knowledge doesn’t stop me from shaking it off nearly immediately. Usually, her touch calms me down, but not tonight - not right now, at least. It’s just another sensation to overwhelm me even further. There just isn’t anything she can do for me right now. When she looks at me, there’s a sliver of sadness in her eyes - a sadness I don’t immediately connect to my instinctive rejection of her touch, and with that, her intentions to comfort me. Until I do connect the dots, and end up feeling worse 

“It’s just a bit much,” I say, unsure of who I’m trying to convince I’m alright, her or myself. “I’ll be alright.” 

That last part isn’t a lie. No matter how exhausting this can be, it hasn’t killed me yet. At this point, after all this time, I think it’s safe to say that it won’t. 

When Sherlock steps into the kitchen with Elena, he looks just about as miserable as I probably do - and he hasn’t spent a second downstairs yet. Thanks to the noise downstairs, I couldn’t be completely sure about why they’re so late, but I can make an educated guess. Sol is still standing next to me. I know she feels bad because she can’t help me, which means it’s time for me to suck it up and at least try to have a good time here until she can help me. I take her hand and pull her along to where August and Sherlock are standing. At least I can reasonably count on them enjoying this nonsense as much - or as little - as I do. 

“Should I be glad Elena gets along with Anjelica so well?” Sherlock asks August while side-eyeing the girls and their animated conversation. The benefits of this party being so tremendously noisy is that everything turns to white noise nearly automatically. Normally, it would be a chore to tune out a conversation taking place so close to me, but right now, I don’t have to hear what the girls are talking about at all. Sol joins the conversation without too much effort, and I can see a faint smile on her lips when she sees me with the guys.

“Oh, we don’t get a say in these things.” I manage to very slightly startle August when I come up behind him. It’s never my goal, but always a nice bonus. He’s perceptive, tough to sneak up on, and his reflexes are insane. It’s what makes him a good boxer. A very good boxer. “I’m fairly sure we’re already doomed.”

Sherlock raises an eyebrow, clearly confused by my words. As much as I think we shouldn’t laugh or make fun of him because of it, his lack of experience can be quite endearing. “What do you mean?”

“I heard that they’re planning a girls night.” Gossiping isn’t something I enjoy doing, but I think the poor man deserves to know at least a little of what is about to hit him. August groans so softly I almost miss it. He’s damn right to, honestly. I like to think Sol isn’t the gossiping type, either, but I know better. When in Rome… 

I’ve accidentally overheard plenty of these conversations between women. They’re completely exhausting to listen to, and that’s only in part due to the fact that during a twenty-minute conversation, there’s maybe a total of three finished sentences. What continues to surprise me most, however, is the amount of detail these discussions contain. I know very few men who would be as specific. Sure, the jokes around the house can be… somewhat graphic, but they’re absolutely far less informative. Something I’ve always found striking about these conversations is that there doesn’t always seem to be a clear point to them besides purely the exchange of information - no problem to solve, no question to answer, nothing to gain from these talks other than curbing their annoyingly insatiable curiosity. Women. I’m sure I’ll never come to understand them. And I promise it’s not for lack of trying. 

“That usually means that all of them are going to be told every minute intimate detail of your relationship, so they can… I don’t know why they do it, just that they do.” August seems to be as lost on the reasons behind this interesting yet insufferable ritual. 

“How intimate?” Sherlock asks. As previously mentioned, I believe we shouldn’t make fun of his inexperience, which makes me hell-bent on controlling my face upon hearing the alarm and astonishment in Sherlock’s voice, and all the more glad that August does the smirking for me. 

“Yes, that intimate,” I answer, my voice significantly more strained than I had initially planned on, both from my efforts to keep my composure as well as my own mild terror at the thought of having my sex life painstakingly dissected by a group of girls. 

“We’re not looking forward to it, either,” August adds. 

“Not looking forward to what?” Elena asks as she wraps her arms around Sherlock. I can’t help but smile when I see it. They’re good together. 

“Nothing,” the three of us say at the same time. It’s suspicious to say the least, but I doubt we’ll hear much more of it. 

Something happens in the living room that we decide to ignore. Things settle down quickly, there’s no need for us to get involved in that. My head is pounding from the noise so badly that I barely notice Sherlock and Elena taking off. Good for them. Part of me wishes I could call it a day as well, but I can’t bear to spend time without Sol yet, and she’s still having a good time catching up with Anjelica. I know we won’t last much past midnight, so I just have to make it until then - a task that might just be made much easier by Ange’s discovery of what Mike has been up to in the living room. Solveig doesn’t even roll her eyes when she says it, either because it’s worse when I get high than when others do it, or because she realizes I could use a little peace and quiet. 

The cold and fresh air help tremendously, and although the windows are hardly enough of a barrier to completely block the sounds from inside the house, they drown out enough to make it more manageable. Sol stays close, which I appreciate now that I’m not ambushed by a hundred sensations per second. She’s not cold - she’s used to harsher winters than the ones we get here. It doesn’t stop her nose, hands or feet from freezing. It just doesn’t bother her. Bothers me, though. It’s like sharing a bed with an icicle. 

“Did you guys step outside when you saw me leave the living room?” Mike asks. August, Anjelica and I shrug - a clear admission of guilt. We know him a little. If one of us had so much as for a second suspected that our intended leeching would piss him off, we would have stayed inside. But it’s Mike. He grumbles something semi-annoyed while handing a joint to Dani and sits down to get to work on another one. 

“Thanks, Mikey.” It’s always Ange. Mikey and Anjelica have something in common I can’t put my finger on, exactly. A certain way of understanding each other that’s very difficult to explain. Something so innately platonic that even August isn’t threatened by it - which is quite rare. She sounds tired, I notice, and she does a very good job of not looking the part. Anjelica thrives around people. Pressure. Pain. Although I completely understand why Sy questions the nature of Ange and August’s relationship, I  never did. It makes perfect sense, it always has. In a way, they remind me of me and Solveig, though we have a more flexible dynamic. For a short moment, my thoughts jump to Sherlock. He had the same control issues we do. August and I. Part of me wonders if his preferences will turn out anything like ours, and I briefly wish I could be a fly on the wall during that girls night… I dismiss the thought instantly. Gossip. Despicable habit. 

Mike hands me a joint, which I take from him gratefully. If I can just get my thoughts to calm down, the noise may become manageable enough to sleep later. I’m only vaguely aware of the conversation about the unrest in the living room earlier. There seems to be quite a lot of guilt there that Mike can’t seem to shake. It’s understandable, but I feel it isn’t necessary. Danielle seems to understand what he’s like better than anyone I’ve ever met - including us, and we’ve been living with him for a year and a half at this point. I hope they make it. 

The six of us barely make it twenty minutes past midnight before we decide to call it quits. Mike makes a break for the stairs, leaving Dani with me and Sol. When we step into the hallway, Mike is already halfway up the stairs. 

“Where is he?” It’s tough to be sure from the side, but it looks like Peter, Marshall’s best friend. “Mike, I swear, get the fuck out of my way.”

I can’t say I appreciate the amount of drama I’m getting caught up in tonight. Charles - of all people, ironically - would likely suggest we leave these things to the girls, because they’re better at it than we are. After tonight, I am inclined to believe that both sexist and - as it turns out - a lie. Men are more than capable of causing a scene. Sol is standing next to me, Dani is right in front of me. I can see August, but not Anjelica. I’ll just have to trust that she’s okay. Knowing her, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. I hear footsteps on the stairs that belong to Marshall - clearly the person Peter is looking for to begin with. Despite the alcohol and weed - maybe even due to them - I’m alert. Tense. This probably isn’t a fight I want to get caught up in. Marshall wouldn’t want any of us to, anyway. 

“Peter, leave him alone.” Mike tries to stop Marshall as he walks down the stairs, stubbornly staying exactly where he is. It’s clear he trusts Peter about as far as he can throw him right now. We’ve all met him multiple times, and he’s a good guy, but we’ve never seen him angry. And those hockey guys can fight… “Mike, it’s okay. He’s after me, not looking for trouble. It’s cool, back off.” 

[mysterious-moonstruck-musings]

Hej,

please…please tag me in the list I nearly overlook you next chapter 23!

I praised you work before and i really freak out about it, because it’s so dam good.

I have a little request!

If you have the time 🙏 Tell me a little bit about the inspiration for the story? You create such an deep and real universe and brings the characters to life.

Both Dieter and Talia… I can’t get over it….think about the backstory/you description about Dieters behavior about relationships and it’s haunt’s me.

How did you start with the story in the first place? Is there some personal experience you weave into the story? And it’s this your first posting a story like this or did you write other story before?

Sorry, I have so much more question’s to you, but these haunting me the most!

And I know the story between these two lovebirds isn’t over…but i personally hope to read much more from you in the future ☺️

Praises, praise, praise… for you talents!

And thanks for tell about the good and bad parts of life! Where there is darkness, there is also light 😍 ah i love Happy Ends!

I move over to chapter 23 now…can’t wait to read his finally!

Best wishes and thank you!!

Thanks for the ask and kind words! 😭💜

More after the cut because it got kind of long…

This is indeed the first fic I have written on Tumblr. I used to write a lot when I was younger. I wrote a lot of poetry. I even did a horror trilogy once in high school for creative writing, which several of my teachers loved and others thought I was off my rocker…but I digress. ���

Once I started college and got my big girl job in higher education, I pretty much stopped writing for fun. I just didn’t have the time or the mental energy to do it. I finally gave up on higher education work after 16 years for a job that has a better work/life balance and I’m finally getting back into writing again. It’s been hard to get my mind reprogrammed from writing data driven reports and evidence based research, to this. It’s two very different things that uses very different language and I feel sooo out of practice. I am, however, slowly finding my way back.

I have mentioned little tidbits about my personal experiences in the Today’s Musings Extras for this fic. I’ve not gone into too many details because I don’t want to inadvertently spoil anything. I am indeed drawing heavily from life experiences for this fic unfortunately.

Everything I have witnessed, I wasn’t always directly involved in. Some of it was just the nature of my job. I did spend three years working in student conduct and behavioral intervention. A lot of the conduct issues really came down to students who were having personal troubles and really just needed help. A lot of it was mental health struggles or problems at home related to mental health struggles of family members. I worked closely with our counseling center during this time. I gained some amazing friends and learned a lot in the process.

With that said, A LOT of this is coming from things I have dealt with directly. There is a lot of me in Talia…the high functioning anxiety, the self doubt, the compartmentalization and rationalization. I work in IT and I’m a big crafting nerd too. So all those parts of her, do come from me. The other parts like the PTSD, history of emotional and psychological abuse, and drinking come from people I’m close to and have witnessed the affects of firsthand.

Dieter is one of my favorite Pedro boys and I felt like he was a great vehicle for exploring these topics. This version of Dieter is inspired by people in my life as well. The experiences he is having are very much pulling from multiple real life situations. They were and still are hard to deal with some days. I feel like it’s important that readers get to see all sides of these types of situations. Especially the side of those who are affected by the mental health struggles of those closest to them. That is something that is often overlooked and those people suffer in silence, just as much as the individuals who are experiencing the mental health crises themselves. That’s all I’ll say for now to avoid spoiling anything. Check back with me after we find out what is going on with Dieter and I might share more about what inspired his journey.

As far a the actual storyline goes, it’s all made up based around the traits I have created for these two and Dieter’s character in The Bubble.

Thank you for the ask and no worries about all the questions! I love that you want to know more about the story!

And lastly, I tried adding you to the tag list, but it won’t let me tag you. Do you possibly have your visibility settings turned off? I’m not sure what else would cause that. ☹️

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Christmas Reruns 2023 Day 7: The First Snowfall of Winter

Merry Christmas if you celebrate it and happy holidays if you don’t!  One of the things I love about Christmas is watching reruns of all the old classic Christmas movies–Christmas is a big time for nostalgia.  A few years ago, I decided to incorporate that tradition into my fandom life and post my CS holiday reruns.  So here you go!  Enough holiday (mostly) fluff to get you to New Year’s Day. (With a new story posting on Christmas Day.)

 Rating: G

Word Count: 3880

Other chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

​

This story was written for my CS Secret Santa giftee in 2016, I believe. It’s a Lieutenant Duckling story about best friends Princess Emma of Misthaven and stable boy Killian Jones and their tradition of always spending the day of the first snowfall of the year together.

~~~~~~~~~~

There was an ancient saying in the kingdom of Misthaven that the first snowfall of the winter was a magical thing, that those who first met beneath its soft flakes would share a lifelong bond…

~~~~~~~~~ 

Nine-year-old Killian Jones slumped down on a large rock outside the stables, biting his lip to keep it from quivering, blinking rapidly to keep the tears at bay.  He wasn’t a baby!  He wasn’t going to cry! 

Liam said this was a good thing; that he would be well cared for; that they’d be able to make a life for themselves now, and Killian believed him.  Of course he was grateful to be away from Capt’n—he still had bruises from the last beating the tyrant had given him, the beating that convinced Liam that they needed to make a run for it.  And King David and Queen Snow seemed quite kind and gentle. 

Aye, he was grateful for the turn their lives had taken, but he couldn’t help the lump in his throat when he thought of what happened yesterday.  Was it not bad enough that Papa had left him?  Did Liam really have to leave too? 

“I’m not leaving you, little brother,” Liam had said patiently when Killian had objected to the arrangement.  “I’m merely going to sea.  You know what an opportunity it is that King David gave us.  A cabin boy in the Royal Navy!  Me!  I’ll soon earn enough money to get us our own home and an education and everything we could want.”

“But we’ll be apart for three whole months, Liam!” Killian had wailed.  “We’re all the family we have left!” 

Liam slung an arm awkwardly over his brother’s shoulder.  “I’ll miss you too, but the three months will fly by like the wind.  You’ll see!  King David has promised to care for you; employ you as his stable boy.  You’ll be so busy learning and working with his magnificent steeds you won’t even have time to miss me!  And then I’ll be back.  Besides, in a few short years you’ll be old enough to be a cabin boy too, and then we’ll be together always.”

 But a few short years felt like an eternity to a little boy who felt all alone in the world.  A stubborn tear he couldn’t quite hold back tracked its way down his cheek, and Killian wiped it away hastily.

 “Are you crying?”

 Killian startled at the voice, and looked up to see a little girl with blonde ringlets and compassionate green eyes.

 “No,” he said in a thick voice.  “I’m not a baby; I don’t cry!”

 The little girl sat on the rock beside him.  “It’s not just babies that cry; even my papa cries sometimes.  Are you sad?”

 “Aye,” he said with a sigh, realizing it would be useless to lie.  “I miss my brother Liam.  I wish he was here with me.”

 The girl was quiet for a moment, just looking at him.  Killian shivered and pulled his coat closer around him as the winter wind began to blow.

 “You’re the new stable boy, aren’t you?” the little girl said suddenly.  “Mama said we have a new one and that I should be nice to you ‘cause you’re lonely.  I’m Emma, by the way.”

 The little girl stuck out one tiny hand, and after a moment Killian shook it.  Then her name and what she said struck him.  Hastily he got to his feet and sketched a bow.  “Emma…you’re Princess Emma aren’t you?  The daughter of King David and Queen Snow?”

Emma grimaced.  “Yes, I’m the princess.  But I want to be just Emma; not princess Emma.  Everybody calls me ‘Your Highness’ and bows and treats me like I’m some kind of breakable doll.  I don’t want people to be my subjects; I just want someone to be my friend!  I’m lonely too.”

 A few stray flakes of snow began lazily drifting down, coating their hair and shoulders.  Killian sat back beside the little girl and offered his hand in turn.  “A pleasure to meet you ‘just Emma’.  My name is Killian.  Perhaps we can be friends; then neither of us need be lonely.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~

 …that a vow made during the first snowfall would never be broken…

  ~~~~~~~~~~

Emma pulled back her arm and then threw with all her nine-year-old might.  Her aim was true, and a moment later Killian dropped to the ground, felled by the snowball that hit him squarely in the back.

“Just you wait, Swan!” he growled, getting to his feet and scraping the snow together to form his own ammunition.  “I will get my vengeance!”

“Not if you can’t catch me!” Emma said, giggling and running as fast as her legs would carry her in the opposite direction.

A year had passed since Killian came to work in the stables, and the two of them had formed a fast friendship.  They were nearly inseparable, spending every free moment they had together, talking, playing, getting into so much mischief her nursemaid Johanna often threatened to ban Killian from the royal nursery altogether.

To be fair, it was normally Emma that got into mischief.  Killian usually attempted to talk her out of it.  “It’s rather bad form to give the king and queen so much grief, Swan.”

He’d taken to calling her “Swan” last spring, when they’d caught sight of one such bird on the lake.  He’d commented that she was just like it; soft and graceful at some times, but a fierce and deadly fighter when she was angered.

Emma hurried behind the snow fort she’d constructed earlier that afternoon, knowing a moment of triumph.

The next thing she knew she was sprawled out on her back looking up into impossibly blue eyes and floppy black hair, the remnants of Killian’s snowball seeping beneath the collar of her warm winter coat.  “No fair, Killian!” she said with a frown.  “I’d reached my fort.  You can’t tackle me behind my own fort!  You know that’s not ‘good form’ as you like to say!”

“Apologies, my lady.” The laughter in his voice belayed his apology.  Killian got hastily to his feet and then offered her a hand.  “I suppose there’s nothing for it; I must concede defeat.  You have bested me.”

“And just you remember it,” Emma said, grinning once again and attempting to brush the snow from her skirt—a hopeless task as it was still falling fast and hard from the heavy clouds above.  “What should we do now?” 

Killian thought for a moment.  “How about we go inside?  We’ve already made a snowman and snow angels and snow forts and had a snowball fight.  I’m starting to get cold.”

“Okay,” Emma said with a nod.  “Besides, Mama promised to make us hot cocoa when we returned to the castle.  I hope she remembers the cinnamon this time.”

Killian chuckled.  “How could she forget?  You remind her every time you see her after that one afternoon she left it off.  C’mon; let’s go!”

Emma stood still for a moment, and Killian looked back, his dark brow raised in confusion. 

“Killian, you’re my very best friend,” Emma said abruptly.

“Aye,” he answered “And you’re mine.”

“Let’s make a promise that we’ll always be friends.  Forever.”

 He smiled.  “I promise.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~

 …that no distance can truly separate two hearts bound together by first snowfall magic…

 ~~~~~~~~~~

Fifteen-year-old Killian stood at the rail of The Jewel of the Realm and watched as Misthaven slowly disappeared on the horizon.  Liam clapped him on the back.  “It’s good to have you with us, little brother.”

“Younger, brother, Liam,” Killian said, brushing off his brother’s hand.  “I’m nearly as tall as you now!”

Liam laughed.  “That’s ‘Lieutenant Jones’ to you, cabin boy.  Show your officers a little respect.”

Killian grinned and then snapped to attention and presented his brother with a perfectly executed salute.  “Aye, aye, Lieutenant!”

“It’s finally here, brother,” Liam said, putting a hand back on Killian’s shoulder, “the day we’ve been waiting for.  We’re finally able to sail together once more.”

Killian grinned, then turned back toward the rapidly disappearing shore as snowflakes began flying through the air.  He felt a pang in his chest.  This was the first time in six years he’d miss spending the first snowfall with Emma.  He was grateful beyond words to be reunited with his beloved brother for more than just a few weeks at a time, but he couldn’t lie.  He missed his best friend already.

“Something the matter, Killian?” Liam asked, leaning against the railing next to him.

“No…” Killian said quickly.  “Well, perhaps a bit.  I’m accustomed to spending the day of the first snow with Emma; that’s all.”

Liam chuckled and ruffled Killian’s hair.  “Emma.  Ah, so that’s what it is.  Has cupid’s arrow pierced my little brother’s heart?”

Killian felt his face flame.  “Leave off, Liam, you’re being ridiculous!  You know she’s just my best friend!”

“Um-hm,” Liam hummed, maddening grin firmly affixed.  “I have eyes, you know.  Don’t think I didn’t see the princess kiss your cheek as you bid her farewell.  Don’t think I missed the adoration in your eyes.”

Killian sucked in a quick breath, his mind returning to that moment an hour ago.  Emma had looked like an angel in her long, pink gown that brushed the ground, her hair pulled back into a gentle braid.  There’d been so much affection in her eyes as she wished him a good trip and promised to write him every day.

Then she’d ghosted her lips against his cheek.

It had sparked something in him; something he couldn’t explain.  His heart beat faster, and he felt as though thousands of tiny butterflies were fluttering through his stomach.  He could scarcely understand what was happening to him.  Emma had kissed his cheek before, many times, in fact, and it had never affected him like that; it had never been anything more than a gesture of affection between friends.

But today…today everything had been different, and he hardly knew how to process it.

“Perhaps,” Killian said slowly, “perhaps my feelings have begun to change for Princess Emma, but Liam, I know my place.  She’s the princess and I’m naught but a cabin boy.  Best I not even allow myself to dream.”

Liam turned Killian to him with a gentle hand.  “Brother, you know as well as I that the princess is no respecter of persons.  Should she come to fancy you, your station will be of no consequence to her.  Should your fancy turn to love one day, never fear to fight for her heart.  A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets.”

~~~~~~~~~~

 …that love awakened among the first snowfall will never fade…

 ~~~~~~~~~~

Emma twirled before her floor-length mirror, admiring the way her deep-red ball gown flared out with the movement.  She couldn’t wait to wear the dress tonight at Misthaven’s annual ball celebrating the start of the Yuletide festivities.  At twenty-years-of-age, Emma had been attending the ball for a few years, but this year felt different.

This year Killian would be there. 

For the past two years, he’d sat out the ball, still an enlisted man in the navy.  But with this year’s promotion to Lieutenant, he was expected to not only attend the ball, but dance with the ladies of the aristocracy and nobility.

Emma felt her cheeks heat at the thought, and it was ridiculous!  Killian was her oldest and dearest friend, these…new feelings, newly awakened desires…well, they were just stupid.  He’d likely laugh until he was blue in the face if he knew what she was currently thinking.

It was all Captain Liam’s fault, really.  Didn’t the man know it was his job to teach his brother how to dance?  What was he thinking giving that task to her? 

Emma had the sneaking suspicion the oldest Jones man knew exactly what he was doing.  The smirk he’d worn when he asked her to teach his hopeless little brother to dance had made little sense at the time, but now….now that things had changed, she couldn’t help but wonder if Killian’s brother had been attempting to play the matchmaker.

Emma let her mind wander back to the events of the afternoon that had changed everything.

She’d been sitting at her bay window, reading—a thrilling tale of adventure on the high seas—when she was interrupted by a quick rap at her open door.  She looked up, and her heart stilled before racing faster than her father’s thoroughbreds.  Killian stood dressed in his brand new lieutenant’s uniform—looking more than a bit bashful, she might add.

There was no other word for it; he had grown into a beautiful man.  With his impossibly blue eyes, his dark hair, pulled back neatly into a ponytail at the back of his head, his skin tanned from weeks at sea, and his smile that could make the angels weep for joy, he was easily the handsomest man she’d ever laid eyes on.

“My princess,” he said, in a soft, deep voice as he executed a perfect bow.

She’d felt her heart flutter, her stomach swoop, her jaw drop.  She doubted she could say a word if her life depended on it.

After a moment, he grinned, his old familiar grin—two parts joy and one part pure mischief, and suddenly the spell was broken.  She leapt to her feet, ran to him and enveloped him in a hug.  “You’re home!  You’re finally home.  And look at you!  I’d heard about the promotion, but I had no idea you’d have your uniform yet.”

Killian looked down at his attire and then scratched behind his ear.  “Aye, well…it was something of a requirement.  I must be properly clad for the ball tonight.”

“Oh that’s right!  You’ll be at the ball.”

“Aye,” he said with a deep sigh.  “I gather Liam told you of my current predicament?  My utter inability to dance?” 

“Oh, that’s no problem,” Emma said, pulling at his arm and heading for the stairs.  “Dancing’s easy.  All you need is a partner who knows what she’s doing.  I’d be more than happy to teach you.”

They reached the great hall doors, and Emma continued on, not stopping until they’d reached their favorite forest clearing.  It was then that Emma realized the snow had begun to fall.

“First snowfall of winter!” she exclaimed in delight, spinning in a circle like a child, sticking her tongue out to catch the delicate flakes.  “Killian how long has it been since we shared first snowfall together?”

“Far, far too long, my Swan,” he said in a soft voice, laden with an emotion Emma couldn’t place.

She looked up quickly, and he was looking at her strangely, as though she was a precious jewel.  Emma felt her cheeks flame, wondering what on earth had come over her childhood best friend.

In a moment he was back, her Killian. The friend she’d known for years.

“It’s quite simple, really,” she said, stepping up to him.  “Take my hand, and place your other at my waist, like so.  Now follow my lead.”

For several moments Emma was occupied with the intricacies of teaching Killian to dance, but he was a quick study, and soon he was moving as competently and gracefully as she was.

That’s when she noticed how very close they were.  She felt the weight of his hand on her waist, the way his breath tickled her face, the warmth of his body pressed close to hers, and for a moment she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything but stare into those eyes, deep and blue as the sea.

She’d never felt anything like this.

He seemed to be afflicted with the same madness.  He held his breath for a moment and then, oh-so-slowly bent his head toward hers.  She had the strangest sensation he meant to kiss her.  Even stranger was how much she wished he would.

A moment later a raucous cardinal trilled out his song and the spell was broken.  Killian stepped hastily back, his cheeks flaming as red as the bird who had disturbed their tete-a-tete.  Emma felt a moment of loss, but the warmth in her heart; the warmth that suffused her entire being remained.

And now, two hours later, it had yet to cool.  What was happening to her?

And even more…how was she going to manage to dance with Killian tonight without making an utter fool of herself?

~~~~~~~~~~

…that a kiss shared between sweethearts during the first snowfall can’t fail to be True Love’s Kiss…

~~~~~~~~~~

Killian stood nervously beside his brother as the music began to play, as they waited for the arrival of the guests of honor.  He tugged at his collar, remembering the afternoon when he’d almost lost his head and kissed the princess, when all his careful work to keep his feelings hidden had nearly crumbled.

But he’d missed her.  He’d missed her with all his being, and when he saw her gracefully sitting in her window seat, he thought his heart would burst with emotion.  He loved her; there was no other word for it. 

He loved her, but she was the princess, and he was naught but a sailor.  His love was doomed from the beginning, and he’d best remember that.

Killian felt Liam’s hand on his shoulder.  “Relax, brother,” he said.  “We’re attending a ball, not an execution.”

“Easy for you to say,” Killian groused.  “You’ve been attending these balls for years; you know just what to say and how to act around the ladies.  I fear I’ll make a damned fool of myself.”

Liam grinned.  “From the looks Princess Emma is sending your way, I’d wager you could fall on your face, and she’d think you were brilliant.”

“What?”

“Look, little brother.  The royals have arrived.”

Killian whipped his head around and then promptly felt the breath leave his lungs in a whoosh.  She was a vision in her red ball gown, her blonde hair delicately twisted up upon her head.  Her eyes sparkled, and…Liam was right…she was looking at him like he was the only man in the room.

“Go on, lad,” Liam said with a gentle shove to the shoulder.  “It’s time you show her majesty that the Jones family charm didn’t skip the younger son.”

Killian’s feet took him forward until he was within two feet of the princess.  Then he took her hand and brought it to his lips.  “You look stunning, Swan.”

She blushed, the color only adding to her radiant beauty.  “You look…”

“He knows,” Liam offered helpfully, leaning in and grinning wide enough Killian thought his face would split in two.

“Leave off, Liam!” Killian shot over his shoulder.  “I’m perfectly capable of talking to the lady on my own.”

“As you wish,” Liam said with a shrug, grin still in place.  “I just thought I’d lend my aid should you wish it in asking her majesty for a dance.”

Killian felt his face flame for probably the millionth time that night as he guided Emma a few steps away where they wouldn’t be disturbed by his embarrassing brother.  Why was this so difficult?  This was Emma; just Emma.  They’d known each other for more than a decade now, and never had their interactions been so…awkward.

“Would you care to dance, my princess?  If your first dance hasn’t already been claimed, that is.”

Emma dipped into a graceful curtsy and then shot him a shy smile.  “I thought you’d never ask.  There’s no one else I’d wish to share my first dance with.”

And as Killian took Emma into his arms and moved to the music, everything around them fell away, the people, the overheated room, the nerves.  This feeling, dancing with the woman he loved, this was the closest to heaven he’d ever been.

As the night continued, the princess danced so often with the lieutenant that people began to talk—and more than once Killian caught the king shooting him looks that no doubt could kill.

Emma caught the direction of his gaze and the way he swallowed hard, and her eyes narrowed.  Taking his hand, she led him to a balcony off the ball room, where the first snow of the season was still resolutely falling.

“I’m not sure this is proper, Swan,” Killian muttered, nevertheless letting himself be led.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Killian,” Emma said shutting the glass doors behind them and then turning toward him.  “We’re still in plain sight…this just gives us a chance to have a moment alone.”

Killian shuffled nervously for a moment—and then he looked down at her.  The snow landed on her hair, on her dress, on the gentle curve of her cheek.  He reached up, cupping her face, wiping away the offending flake with a swipe of his thumb.  Emma reached up and held his hand in place, her fingers tangling with his.

And then he lost his head altogether.  Leaning down, he captured her lips with his own.  She sighed his name and then wrapped her arms around his neck and enthusiastically returned his kiss.  Killian pulled her to him, holding her even tighter, just as a pulse of rainbow-tinted electricity shot from between them, spreading out to cover the whole kingdom.

“Was that….?” Killian asked, pulling away slightly, eyes wide.

Emma smiled radiantly, cupping the back of his head, bringing him down for a second—and then third—kiss.  “Yeah.  I don’t think there can be any doubt; that was True Love’s Kiss.”

“But there was no curse to be broken…”

Emma cupped his cheek, reaching to rest her forehead against his. “Perhaps we have a love so strong a curse isn’t necessary to prove it.”

~~~~~~~~~~

…and that the couple who pledges their troth beneath the gentle fall of the first snow will live happily ever afterwards.

 ~~~~~~~~~~

The first ball of the Yuletide was a turning point for Princess Emma and Lieutenant Killian.  If they’d been close before, they were positively inseparable after sharing True Love’s Kiss.   It was generally considered to be a romance worthy of fairy tales, and there wasn’t a soul in Misthaven who was surprised when the couple announced their engagement some six months later.  (It was, however said, that King David threatened the young lieutenant within an inch of his life should he ever cause the princess a moment of pain.  It was further said the lieutenant laughed long and heartily at the very notion, after which he and the king became fast and forever friends.)

And so it was that the first snowfall of the following year found Princess Emma of Misthaven and Lieutenant Killian Jones of the Royal Navy exchanging their wedding vows in the large, palace chapel, the curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows thrown wide to show Mother Nature’s blessing on the happy couple.

It was said that there wasn’t a dry eye in the entire kingdom as Captain Liam Jones proclaimed the couple husband and wife, and Killian kissed his bride.

They, of course, did live happily ever afterwards.

NEXT CHAPTER->

[create-with-afp]

Bleach Fanfiction Master Post

Figured I would make a fun little catalog of my years of Bleach fanfiction. (Jeez, I am so old.) All of it is ByaHisa because that is my special kind of brain rot. My favorite romantic set-up involves a firm stoic falling hard, and we know like… five things … maybe? … about the other half of this canon pairing, which leaves a lot open to interpretation/artistic license. Also, contextualizing or reframing the woman character whose sole function in a narrative is to serve as characterization for a male character is a Fine Undertaking* in my opinion, and Bleach has so many interesting dead wives to choose from….

So, without further ado, here we go (in-progress or completed stories only):

Mortal Devices: Part III of the Maid!Heist/Dark Academia series with The Darkest Black as Part I and An Education as Part II. This WIP departs from both Maid!Heist and Dark Academia, as it's more of a political slow burn with espionage and clan politics taking up most of the breathing room. It's still firmly ByaHisa (as the politics of their marriage is explored in depth), but the main plot revolves around locating stolen documents and research from the Twelfth before they can be used to devastating effect in the WOTL. [a03 exclusive]

An Education: Part II of the Maid!Heist/Dark Academia series with The Darkest Black (described below) as Part I. This is finally complete and is the “Dark Academia” portion of the tale. The chapters are broken up into seasons for each year (Year One: Autumn, Year One: Winter, etc.). Accordingly, the chapters are largely episodic with a few themes woven into each “Year.” I’m not quite convinced I’ve nailed Dark Academia with this one; it seems more “Slice of Life” than anything else, which I think is partially owing to the dual POVs with Byakuya (the other POV character) not attending the Academy. (He’s actually banned so… yikes….) [ff.net (discontinued on ffn, but there are a few chapters there so I'll link it) │ a03]

A Thin Red Line: This is my longest work to date, as it’s basically the length of four traditionally published fantasy novels (400k+ words). To be fair to me, this is a retelling of Bleach where Hisana does not die so it covers the Byakuya and Hisana origin story, the major arcs, plus that whole 40-year period where canon Rukia was basically living in a gothic novel. Mind the tags. Still in progress after like 10 years…. Edit 6/19/23: And she’s DONE! Bonus content on AO3 for registered users. [ff.net │ a03]

The Darkest Black: While stuck with writer’s block on ATRL, I wrote an entirely different “how did Byakuya meet Hisana” story that is… bleak? Bleak for me, at least. Probably not bleak objectively. Hisana is a thief who agrees to steal a priceless piece of art from the Kuchiki family posing as a maid. Hijinks ensue. Byakuya is particularly unlikeable as a character in this one, but that’s probably more of a side-effect of Hisana being the main POV character. This was my way to make a “Hisana as a maid” meet-cute between these two characters make sense in my head. Complete. [ff.net │ a03]

Smoke and Mirrors: A dark ByaHisa origin story with Hisana as an oiran. It isn’t particularly graphic in terms of sex or violence since that isn’t really my style, but the text and subtext are definitely there that terrible things happen to Hisana, and her mental state is understandably not great. [ff.net │ a03]

Without Frontiers: Like the Peter Gabriel song! (Yes, that song was the inspo. I write to music just like probably 95% of anyone who writes.) This is a pretty fluffy one-shot where Byakuya and Hisana are childhood friends. There is like 0 romance. They are legit kids just making up stories and being goofy. There are some hints that Hisana may be exposed to Bad Things that she is trying to process through story-telling because, really, who doesn’t want a little Adult Fear injected into an otherwise light-hearted story? [ff.net │ a03]

Charcoal Hearts: This is my very tame attempt at a reincarnation fic. The story is about Byakuya taking Rukia to a ballet during their off-time. He is there basically to ogle the reincarnation of his dead wife as a ballerina performing Serenade. It has a flirty ending, but, since I don’t particularly love Hisana reincarnation fics, it ends ambiguously. [ff.net │ a03]

So Far Away: A pretty depressive one-shot where an injured Byakuya recovers in Hisana’s hovel in the deep Rukon. Here, Hisana is a barmaid who scavenges and does side jobs to support herself, and Byakuya is… well… sort of an asshole? Like I think writing this one-shot was where I had an epiphany about Byakuya’s character (or at least my attempt to write his character): That “epiphany” being that because he lives in a rich people bubble, he (1) is extremely entitled and (2) struggles to understand and connect with others. These two traits create a feedback loop that makes him come off as simultaneously arrogant and stiff/awkward. I don’t think Byakuya is canonically on the spectrum, but I could entertain that theory, especially in light of the CFYOW books. Instead, I think there is a point when someone has so much privilege that they never learn how to read the damn room because all rooms, at that point, are basically designed to cater to them. Everyone is artificial with them so genuine concern or emotion seems inconvenient, at best, to alien, at worst. All that said, in this story he very much trips all over himself, but he improves. Slowly. Over the course of like years. [ff.net │ a03]

Stages: A short ByaHisa origin story that incorporates the five stages of love challenge that was popular on LiveJournal back when LJ was a thing. (Is it still a thing?) Hisana is a courtesan. It isn’t the best, and I sort of hate it, but it is part of the plot bunny that prompted me to make a version of Hisana as a courtesan that would be interesting, or more interesting, and better researched in keeping with the Edo Period sensibilities of Soul Society, which led to Smoke and Mirrors and A Thin Red Line. [ff.net │ a03]

White Flowers and Red Hearts Trilogy: These stories are the earliest of my ByaHisa brain rot, and they probably read exactly like that. I have not done a re-write (or, hell, even a re-read) of any of these in like a decade or more so… yikes… But, from what I recall, the first story, Dissidence is the meet-cute, where Byakuya meets Hisana while on a mission. Hisana is a Rukon local working as a host performing tea ceremonies, and Byakuya sort of winds up in a “you broke the thing, now you must buy the thing” situation with Hisana, explaining his decision to marry her. Dimuendo is the middle child, and it chronicles their first year of marriage. Both Dissidence and Dimuendo are pretty fluffy with some light angst. Dolente is like super depressive because… well… death is pretty sad, and it is the final year of their marriage. Would not recommend any of these, and, like Stages, I would probably delete them if not for the sentimental value. [a03]

The Rites of the Dead: It’s a weird story. Technically, it’s a one-shot, but it has a few “movements” that break the story into parts. It has no romance. The subject matter is dark: Hisana is a member of the Fourth and is tasked with preparing the funerary arrangements upon Ginrei’s death. And, I like it? Still. For some strange reason. Sure, there are things that I would go back and fix on a technical level if I were to re-edit it (which I have no plans to do), but the idea of Hisana and Byakuya’s first meeting being on a tragic occasion seems poetic? Also, the idea of a bunch of “dead” people having to mourn and “bury” their dead is so on the nose, that it seems right. I found the wordplay in some parts of this story to be pretty clever. (No one else did.) [ff.net │ a03]

A Suggestion of Marriage: A light fluffy one-shot where Byakuya asks Hisana to marry him. She says, “yes.” Shocker. I know. I do kind of like the backstory for Hisana in this one, which is that of an Academy flunkie who goes on to work at a tea house. I think this is the story where I got the idea to finally take the plunge and make her an oiran; although, she isn’t technically one here. [ff.net │ a03]

Fan Dance: A one-shot where Byakuya and Hisana meet during a sparring match. She is the Lieutenant of the Fourth, Byakuya is the Lieutenant of the Sixth, and they get matched to spar during an event where all the fancy pants Shinigami are supposed to release their zanpakuto for public spectacle. Byakuya gets more than he bargains for when Hisana winds up not being a total powder puff. No hugging or kissing, which seems to be a theme among like half of the one-shots…. [ff.net │ a03]

*On a tangentially-related aside for anyone who comes across this random post and who wants recommendations from an internet rando on actual literature where real, serious authors reframe women who got the short end of the narrative stick, see Wide Sargasso Sea, The Penelopiad, or The Problem with Susan (Jane Eyre, The Odyssey, and the Narnia series, respectively).

[sunisnotok]

☁ I'm Still Here ☁

Hongjoong/Everyone | M | 377k words | 33/33 chapters

Tags: Angst, Dystopia, Found Family

Summary: The Seoul Academy of Computer Engineering and Science, more commonly referred to as ACES, or the Academy, is South Korea’s hotspot for educating and employing the smartest, most innovative minds in a huge array of different subjects and professions. People like computer engineers and scientists, as the name suggests, but also physicians, technicians, psychologists, the list goes on, are all gathered in this highly technically developed place to work together for a brighter future.

Driven people from all over Korea apply for a spot at the Academy, where they can make their ideas reality to push technology forward in all fields, develop medicine for everyone, save the planet, end world hunger, achieve world peace. The ultimate opportunity for so many people.

The ultimate opportunity for Kim Hongjoong.

Chapters: 

1. Prologue 1.1k words

2. When twilight turns to dark 4.4k words

3. A friend is a friend 11.6k words

4. You’ll have me 8.7k words

5. So be free by be mine 12.6k words

6. Not a word of how much it hurts 10.5k words

7. Don’t ask me where I’ve been 10.5k words

8. Let me run dry 10.9k words

9. If this moment passes 11.1k words

10. When you were there 12.4k words

11. They don’t speak for us 11.8k words

12. The flames are all long gone 9.5k words

13. Before the sun is rising up 9.7k words

14. All the bad dreams that you hide 9.6k words

15. All I hear are stories like mine 10.1k words

16. Take your wings and go to bed 14.8k words

17. If we met for the first time 10.6k words

18. Let me in from the cold 10.8k words

19. Maybe I’m a fool 18.4k words

20. Back to zero 9.8k words

21. Gravity always wins 10.8k words

22. Do I care if I survive this 9.5k words

23. I had good intentions 15k words

24. Time’s a finite thing 13k words

25. Let me feel free 12k words

26. It's us against the world 13k words

27. The end is near 11k words

28. Tapping roads that lead me home 9.2k words

29. Silently sharing the same fears 12.3k words

30. Time passes us by 12.1k words

31. It ends all the same 20k words

32. With the sun slowly rising 17.k words

33. Epilogue: I'm still here 5.8k words

Spotify playlist

[shokoraa]

photos of the past, videos of the future

photos of the past, videos of the future

By: Music_Feeds_My_Soul

Summary: During the sports festival, a General Education student loses his gloves. He ends up using his Quirk on Midoriya Izuku. While not a bad thing, given they are allowed to use their Quirks right then, it's not the best thing either given what his Quirk is. Matchmaker has anyone he touches being compared with anyone they have already met in order to show their potential partners.

It's just his luck that Midoriya Izuku has a lot of people he's compatible with. As in 23 people in total.

Status: Complete

Words: 18,358  Chapters: 6/6  Language: English

Fandom: ���のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: Multi

Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Shinsou Hitoshi, Ashido Mina, Monoma Neito, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Todoroki Shouto, Class 1-A (My Hero Academia), Class 1-B (My Hero Academia), Hatsume Mei, Amajiki Tamaki, Toogata Mirio, Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko

Relationship: Midoriya Izuku/Shinsou Hitoshi, Ashido Mina/Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku/Monoma Neito, Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto, Kaminari Denki/Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku/Sero Hanta, Iida Tenya/Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku/Uraraka Ochako, Hatsume Mei/Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku/Ojiro Mashirao, Hagakure Tooru/Midoriya Izuku, Kirishima Eijirou/Midoriya Izuku, Jirou Kyouka/Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku/Yaoyorozu Momo, Midoriya Izuku/Tokoyami Fumikage, Asui Tsuyu/Midoriya Izuku, Kouda Kouji/Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku/Satou Rikidou, Midoriya Izuku/Shouji Mezou, Midoriya Izuku/Toogata Mirio, Amajiki Tamaki/Midoriya Izuku, Aoyama Yuuga/Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku/Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko

Additional Tag: OC hits Izuku with a quirk, now they're watching like ALL of his future possible partners, I have writer's block, and this is how it works, slightly bitchy towards Bakugou, can be ignored, tagged ALL THE PAIRINGS, me wishing I twisted the quirk to include Rody..., I have zero regrets, well mostly, now I have to think of multiple cute scenarios..., ahhhhh, bakugou redemption, Fluff and Angst, i try to aim for more fluff, but someone mentioned it got angsty in chapter 2, which fair, fuyumi kind of critical, in the sense that her pushing for her brother to forgive their dad, isn't healthy, The futures shown are various ‘worlds’ that no longer will happen, various characters are shown in negative lights, in particular Inko Midoriya, and like… Nighteye, its plot, ih and the Asui parents, But it’s all for plot, characters are redeemed, In other worlds/in story, Izuku has a quirk, dad for one

[booklovingturtle]

PJO: TLT Reread Braindump

First time I read it: Middle school 2013-ish

Times I’ve read it prior to tdoday: 3 (I think)

Current reread: Fall of 2022 (I’m 23)

Method of reading: First time I borrowed it from my school library, every time after that I’ve used my personal copy and audiobooks rented from my library.

Thoughts while rereading CHP 1 - 3

This is the first time I’ve done something like this. Why am I doing this? IDK. I just decided I wanted to reread PJO before season 1 drops in 2023 so here I am. If you are curious about what my jumbled thoughts are here ya go!

Chapter 1

Mrs. Dodds had Percy being punished until MIDNIGHT?? Nah uh no way that's so illegal I can't believe she made it long enough as a fake teacher to try to kill him later with that attitude

Yes, Chiron Mr.Brunner! Love real-life application of “useless” curriculum material!!!!

Where did you get that Roman armor Chiron Mr.Brunner??? Did it come with a purple t-shirt???

Yes, Mr. Brunner! Push your students!! Percy feels like he’s being hard on him but that’s bc Chiron Mr. Brunner won’t let Percy’s talent go to waste just bc of his diagnosis (also cuz he’s a Demigod yeah but Rick wrote this from the perspective of an educator so that’s what I’m sticking with)

Global warming = Pan is dead

Chiron Mr.Brunner WOULD BRING A REAL SWORD IN ON TOURNAMENT DAY?

Chapter 2

Love the way they’re gaslighting Percy (except my boy Grover who adorable and a horrible liar)

As an elementary school teacher, hearing about Percy’s behavior and honesty makes me so sad. I know that this is just a fictional story but I can’t help but picture my own students in his shoes. The ones who also engage in disruptive, impulsive behavior because they can’t regulate themselves and because the adults in their lives failed them. It honestly breaks my heart. Percy is a fictional character but again, Rick based him on the real-life children I teach every day in an American public school who time and time again are not given the support, love, and care that they need

Percy is studying SO FREAKING HARD all because Chiron Mr.Brunner believes in him. He doesn’t want to fail the only teacher that has ever given him high expectations while also positively affirming him. In CHP1, Percy mentioned how Chiron Mr.Brunner will punish him AND Nancy. it’s not that Chiron Mr.Brunner is making things easier for Percy or letting him coast by because he’s a kid with an IEP. It’s that Chiron Mr.Brunner believes that Percy can succeed and will do his best to support him academically. This gives Percy the motivation to strive for that standard. (No i’m not saying his method is perfect. I’m saying its a step in the right direction)

annnnnnndddd.... few paragraphs later Chiron Mr.Brunner ruins it. All by making the mistake of discussing a private matter in front of other students. i can’t even judge him because been there done that. Teachers are humans too. Sometimes we say the wrong thing or at the wrong time or in the wrong way. It SUCKS because it’s so hard to back peddle. I feel bad for Percy in this scene but I feel just as bad for Chiron

Love that even the yarn for his sock is blue blue blue blue blue

I wanna hear the snip shake the screen in the show

Chapter 3

JEEZ...I don’t remember Sally’s life being so sad my goodness

PLS LOOK AT CHILDREN WITH KINDNESS! I MEAN THIS SO SRSLY!!! Kids can be annoying and hard to deal with sometimes yes but all of us were kids at one point. All of us are hard to deal with even as adults. Be like Sally. Look at the children in your life (family, students, neighbors, etc) with kindness

DADDY ISSUES

Love that Percy has an entire list of terrifying events that prove he’s not safe where he is and in the same breath goes “What do you mean I’m not safe?”

Am I dumb? Yes. Do I know what the horse (P-Daddy) and eagle (Zaddy) represent? I think.

o zeu kai alloi theoi = Zeus and other gods (my guess is Zeus = zeu and theoi = gods)

[voxofthevoid]

1

5

18

23

5. First sentence of the fifth paragraph of an unpublished WIP

Haha, I ain't lacking unpublished fics, but only two count as WIPs—from the role reversal fem!goyuu I'm currently tackling:

What she does have are stories.

Full passage here.

18. If you keep them, share a deleted sentence or paragraph from a published fic

I do keep them! Got a whole folder unflatteringly named "Trash" lmao. The scraps file is nearly 7k right now, which I guess isn't bad when it's out of nearly 1 million words. Here's a scrapped scene from the time-travel adult!Gojou/teen!Gojou/Yuuji fic; this was in my initial outline, between Chapters 3 and 4, and I got some 1k into the chapter before I decided to take a different approach.

“You’re good kids,” Yuuji says eventually, gamely ignoring the offended noise Satoru makes. Suguru wrinkles his nose too, safely away from Yuuji’s line of sight. “But honestly, I prefer this to teaching. It’s fine in the field, but I’m always worried in the classroom. I’m not really qualified to be a teacher.” “I don’t think the interloper is either,” Satoru points out. “Or most of our teachers. Even the windows and managers seem to be winging it half the time.” “I’m sure they’re still better,” Yuuji says. “I didn’t even finish my first year.” Satoru knew this, and he did tell Suguru the bare bones of what Yuuji and Gojou told him, but he must have skimped on the details because now, Suguru looks vaguely horrified. “You didn’t?” he asks. “But—how? Why?” “Well,” Yuuji says, voice calm but very, very dry, “halfway through my first year, there was no school. And then the world kind of ended.” “Ah,” Suguru says delicately. “That would…interfere with one’s education.” “Our seniors and other sorcerers helped out later, when things were a bit calmer,” Yuuji says. “But it was never particularly organized. We learned what we needed to.” “Bet the other Suguru enjoyed that,” Satoru says; it’s a little too easy to imagine Suguru lecturing a bunch of baby sorcerers in the middle of an apocalypse. “He likes to preach. Teaching should come naturally to him.” “Satoru,” Suguru says through gritted teeth. “Suguru,” he returns sweetly. And he almost doesn’t notice how quiet Yuuji is—almost. It’s nothing. It could be anything. They’re in the forest now, heading in silent agreement toward the seething mass of cursed energy they can feel to the west. There could be any number of things occupying Yuuji’s mind. But Satoru’s always had good instincts. “Yuuji,” he asks, “you’ve never said what Suguru did in your time.”

23. Pick three keywords that describe your writing

Hot. Emotional. Humorous.

Those should cover it!

And 1 is here! Thanks for asking, Joey 🤍

List of questions here

[missypup]

I posted 2,842 times in 2022

That's 2,842 more posts than 2021!

157 posts created (6%)

2,685 posts reblogged (94%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@calkestiis

@mandosmistress

@obi-wobi-kenobi

@beroyas

I tagged 713 of my posts in 2022

#codywan - 58 posts

#❤️❤️ - 55 posts

#kenobi spoilers - 47 posts

#star wars - 40 posts

#bobadin - 33 posts

#the mandalorian - 26 posts

#ao3 fanfic - 24 posts

#din djarin - 24 posts

#wolf 359 - 23 posts

#ao3 - 20 posts

Longest Tag: 136 characters

#but also would bend double weeping at his lack of proper education on in-depth mandalorian history and culture that were denied from him

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Din Djarin having an absolute crisis over his identity now that he’s “Mandalorian no more” by the Tribe’s Creed is honestly such a good parallel to Boba Fett who doesn’t doubt for one second who he is despite being a literal clone.

(No wonder they’re made for each other)

116 notes - Posted March 16, 2022

#4

Being a fanfic writer means: telling yourself you’ll write 10 chapters MAX, just to make it short and sweet, then realizing in chapter 8 that you lied.

264 notes - Posted March 16, 2022

#3

Imagine Din “no thoughts, head empty” Djarin going to leave Tatooine and Boba “emotional instability” Fett just pouting for weeks because he’s pretty sure they’re married by right and his husband and new son just flew off.

This is why Fennec Shand drinks so much.

264 notes - Posted March 6, 2022

#2

BobaDin (plus clan mudhorn) headcanons that just make sense:

Boba Fett would let Din take as long as he needs to take his helmet off in private

But if Din were dying from an injury he would rip it off without hesitation

They’ll speak Tusken in the streets of Mos Espa to freak people out

(But they’ll speak Mando’a in the bedroom)

Grogu is kin. Period. Boba and Din probably said the adoption words together

They’re both bad at asking for attention - but both really good at giving attention so it evens out

Keldabe kisses

Sometimes they’re sharp as tacks, sometimes Fennec swears they share one brain cell. There’s no in between

Grogu is spoiled (they argue over who is worse: Boba or Din. But it’s Fennec.)

Din calls Boba King of Tatooine to annoy him

—Boba retaliates by calling Din princeling

There’s bets over what Grogu’s first words will be (it’ll be a swear, they’re all sure)

313 notes - Posted March 7, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

When Obi-Wan tells Cody he was chained to a pole and Cody hesitates to say “entertaining”— that is definitely ‘I want to see you chained to a pole’ subtext.

722 notes - Posted April 16, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Being Subject to Authorities

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of him who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be subject, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.

Love for One Another

8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

An Urgent Appeal

11 Besides this you know what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; 12 the night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13 let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. — Romans 13 | Revised Standard Version (RSV) Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved. Cross References: Exodus 16:8; Exodus 20:13-14 and 15; Exodus 20:17; Job 29:14; Proverbs 3:27; Proverbs 8:15; Proverbs 23:20; Proverbs 24:21; Ecclesiastes 8:1; Matthew 7:12; Matthew 17:25; Matthew 22:39; Mark 13:36-37; Luke 21:34; John 13:34; Romans 9:19; 1 Corinthians 7:29; 1 Corinthians 10:11; 2 Corinthians 6:7; Galatians 5:14; Colossians 2;23; 1 Thessalonians 4:6; 1 Peter 2:13-14; 1 Peter 2:19

Romans Bible Study, Chapter 13

Key Passages in Romans 13

1. Subjection, and many other duties, we owe to the authorities. 8. Love is the fulfillment of the law. 11. The acts of darkness are out of season in the time of the Gospel.