#class 313

[mjalford98]

Another final farewell as class 313 PEP units 313201 & 313208 glide out of Brighton station, having worked the Branch Line Society charity railtour around their final stomping ground along the South Coast.

Been out chasing not one but three special railtours today, and of course I ran my camera battery to the ground and had to capture this last scene on my phone. At least the upshot is that I was able to edit & share it the same day (well... kind of...) even as the rest of my footage is stuck on my camera.

[isjasz]

Stellar death

[lonestarbattleship]

USS WOOD (DD-317), USS LA VALLETTE (DD-315), USS SHIRK (DD-318) and USS ZEILIN (DD-313) on maneuvers, laying down an intermittent smoke screen off San Pedro, California. USS TEXAS (BB-35), USS NEW YORK (BB-34) and USS OKLAHOMA (BB-37) were involved in the exercise

Photographed from USS IDAHO (BB-42) on January 11, 1928.

U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command: NH 109938, NH 109906

[strawburry01]

She Blinded Me With Science

Summary: You and your college bestie Ford go hunt for the Mothman

AN: 2.6k words, there's some flirty friendship moments

Part 2

Hope you enjoy :)

“Forddddd!” you shouted as you slammed at his unfortunately closed dormitory door, “open up Pines I know you’re in there you haven’t left all day!” you continued as you kept knocking louder.

“For god's sake how do you know that?” his muffled voice came through the door.

“Your desk light has been on all night and all day you dork, I know you’re neurotic about turning that light off!” you huffed as you finally stopped knocking. You heard some shuffling of books and chair legs on the ground as Ford eventually opened the door a crack. For supposedly having the nicest dorms in the east coast, you and Ford were both guilty of turning your respective rooms into chaotic mixes of museum, library, archive, and photo studio, in your case. You could see the precarious stacks of textbooks and notebooks behind Ford’s bespeckled face. He looks like he didn’t sleep last night, evidenced by his glasses at a slant and his brown hair mussed up around his forehead.

“Can I…come in?” you asked as you attempted to poke your head in closer, which caused Ford to nearly shut the door in your face. The two of you had met in your first week of university, both sitting in the back of the Physics 101 class, noticing halfway through the class that you were both muttering the correct answers under your breath. Since that class, you had both been the closest of both study partners, and friends. With you being the charming talker, and Ford being the logical brains, you had both moved up the ranks in Backupsmore University. On a drunken night at the end of the first year you’d both revealed to each other that this was never your first choice. For Ford, his project to get taken in by West Tech was sabotaged, keeping him on the east coast. For you, your family couldn’t afford anything else. With 3 younger siblings you knew that your needs were met, but you also had to compromise on a lot of things- for the rest of the family. Ford kept a lot of his own family secretive, only mentioning in the middle of a spring break trip to Canada that he had an identical twin brother which nearly caused you to flip the kayak you were both in. But you were never one to push Ford too far out of his comfort zone. You recognized he was a private person, but also an incredibly bright and witty person. Someone you really liked hanging out with and spending time around. 

“No!” Ford said, “I mean uhm…what do you want?” he corrected himself, still keeping the door only open a sliver. You raised your eyebrow and leaned against the doorway yourself. He was hiding something, and poorly.

“Is there a girl in there Ford?” you whispered with a smirk, knowing there’s no shot in hell it would be the case. His face turned red as he shut the door and unchained the locks before swinging it open fully. You knew he rarely ever hung out with other people, aside from his Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons gaming group and fellow student Fiddleford. 

“No, no females in here, just a damn letter,” he sighed as he ran his hand through his hair as he turned, “it’s the grant letter,” he said as he pointed to it on his desk. You stepped in and sure enough, his desk was somehow cleared, most of the mess being moved to his bed now, with a white envelope addressed to him. 

Stanford Pines, Room 313, Backupsmore University.

“Well shit have you opened it?” you asked, standing besides him as you both stared at the envelope. He applied for a large grant for research months ago, and after tedious interview after interview, this could be it.

“No, I can’t bring myself to. It’s Schrodinger's envelope. Until I open it I could’ve won it or not. I can’t do it. I can’t face the certainty of opening it- either one,” he sighed as he pinched his glasses on his nose, going through the same logic he’d been grappling with for the past hours.

You slowly nodded. He wound himself up like this often. Paralyzed with choice. You personally were the type to make a choice and force it to be the right one- somehow make it correct or at least work out for you. Ford on the other hand needed to know that it was going to be the right one from the beginning. Once again, the logical one.

What had worked before though was you distracting him. Getting him out of his head. Or at least his room.

“Want to check out Point Pleasant? Been reports of some unusual behavior from there recently,” you mused, breaking the silence. You could practically hear the gears in his head turning. “My camcorder’s all charged, I just need your car,” you grinned at him. He couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as he sighed.

“Okay, okay, fine,” he said as he took one last look at the envelope before grabbing his coat and keys. You silently pumped your fist as you fished your camcorder out of your bag. It was covered in random stickers you’d gotten over the years of owning it, from fruit stickers, to band stickers.

There was another thing that brought you and Ford together. An affinity for the unexplained and weird. It had always piqued your interest since you were a child living in the forest, seeing things that practical textbook science couldn’t explain and going headfirst into the unknown. Ford grew to share your passion for this after getting his skepticism proved wrong after tagging along for a few of your drives out to cryptid and weirdness hotspots. Bigfoots, ghosts, aliens, fairies, you’d hear a rumor and you’d grab your camcorder to go check it out yourself. Ford himself realized that he’d been viewed as something different in his own life having six fingers on each hand. The way that you got so excited and enamored with weirdness though made him feel less self conscious about his own quirks. You thrived on the unexplainable, and it eventually began to rub off on him. He could explain most equations and experiments, but he loved the challenge of not knowing how to explain something, which he seemed to always find when he followed you. 

You slid into the familiar passenger seat of Ford’s red 1960 Popular 100E, which was a little car that suited his personality well. He began the engine as you instinctively began flicking through radio channels trying to find some good music. 

The sun was starting to set which was turning the sky a pinkish yellow hue. You turned your camcorder to the sky and started filming.

“Tonight I come to you with a breaking case joined again by my dearest companion Ford Pines,” you begin as you dramatically squirm in your seat to zoom in on Ford’s face who blushes and laughs, but doesn’t take his eyes off the road. He prided himself on his safe driving, which often bored you. “Let’s take a step back my friends into a time before humans, a time before these roads meant anything, a time of empty forest and beautiful lands untouched by buildings,” you continued as you turned back to the sunset, “imagine soaring above this beautiful area one day and then BAM!” you shouted, twisting back to Ford trying to catch him off guard. No luck though. “A billboard! A damn city has popped up in your turf! Where you were just chilling one day. Unbelievable,” you sighed as you turned back to the now darkening sky. “That my friends is the story of today’s search, the elusive and illustrious Mothman,” you said, which caused Ford to scoff,

“You’re kidding me Y/N, Mothman?”. You stopped your recording and put your camcorder back down. 

“You’ve already started driving, it's too late to turn back now,” you hummed as you went back to clicking through channels, “just trust me Ford I’ve never let you down,”. 

The two of you kept driving into the night, discussing recent classes and homework, and you trying to fill Ford in on recent gossip. The car rolled into Point Pleasant around 1:32 am, which is where you sat up again and turned on your screen. Slowly directing Ford down an overgrown path outside of town. Stopped by a closed gate warning to turn back you grinned maniacally as you jumped out the car practically before Ford could stop it. You climbed over the gate with Ford trailing behind you, muttering about tetanus and safety. 

“We start here, on an abandoned road,” you said as you panned around the forest “where this Mothman has been reported to be seen earlier this week,” you continued, “once again with my trusty partner Ford,” you added zooming in and out on Ford who was crouched down looking at the mud.

“Seems fresh,” he said as he pointed to a large claw prints on the ground, with what looked like a walking pattern of a human. Ford pulled out his notebook, which was a precariously put together collection of notes and drawings he started once he started going out on these adventures with you. You had your camcorder, and he had his notebook. It was a spiral notebook you’d gotten for him after getting tired of seeing him lose his sketches he’d done earlier on napkins, although the amount of wear and tear it got was already causing the spiral part of it to get stuck in some spots.

You zoomed in on the footprints and kept your camcorder down as you followed them farther and farther until you felt a strong gust of wind. You slowly brought your camcorder up to a tree in front of you, where a pair of glowing red eyes looked back down at you.

“Whoah,” you said softly as you marveled at the size of the creature in the tree as your saw the 7 foot feathered? furry? thing sitting in the branch, staring back down at you. You kept your camcorder and eyes on the creature, bewildered as you felt two familiar hands on your hips slowly pulling you back.

“Y/N we gotta go,” Ford whispered in your ear as he kept trying to scoot you back.

“Ford wait-” you protested as you tried to shoo him, which only tightened his hold and urgency.

“Y/N this thing does not play friendly,” he urged again, grabbing your head and forcing it to the pile of deer and other forest animal skeletons nearby that you had missed before. To seal the deal the two of you both heard the creak of the branch and flapping of wings as the Mothman jumped off the perch. 

Very quickly you grabbed Ford’s hand as the two of you began hauling ass back to his car, knowing it would supply a little bit of safety from the claws of the creature. Above there was a screech similar to a bird as you both dove into the car with you flopping on top of Ford as he started to fumble for his keys and scooting to the drivers seat. 

“A show folks! We have a show!” you shouted to the camcorder as you tried to get a view of the Mothman through the window, “we’ve discovered that our Mothman friend is NOT a vegetarian I fear!”. Ford frantically started the car and began reversing back the way the two of you had come. 

There was a loud thump onto the top of the car as you both looked at each other. It was on top of the car. Shit.

Ford continued trying to reverse down the overgrown trail as you resorted to honking the horn for him to try and get the Mothman off the top of the car. The car jolted as the Mothman jumped off the car, letting the both of you take a breath as you rejoined the paved road. 

“Damn that was crazy!” you said as Ford turned the car back into the road. He opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by both of your screams as the behemoth of the Mothman slammed down onto the hood of the car, metal screeching beneath the claws as it gripped on. 

“YOU SPOKE TOO SOON!” Ford shouted as he attempted to honk the horn, which only seemed to peeve the creature off more as it attempted to hit the windshield. You fumbled with your camcorder once again trying to film this scene as Ford continued to let out a string of curses. 

“Try and throw him off!” you shouted as you grabbed the side of the wheel and yanked it right, very grateful nobody else was on the road. The Mothman certainly wasn’t expecting it as it lost its balance careening off the side before Ford narrowly dodged it to not run it over. He pressed the accelerator all the way down as he tried to put as much distance between the car and the temporarily stunned Mothman.

You were out of breath as you laid your head back onto the seat, taking in the avoided danger. Grateful it wasn’t any worse. The tinny of the radio was the only noise in the car as the two of you stared at the mangled hood of the car.

“Ford I’m-”

“I got the grant,” he said before you could apologize, “I got the full 100 thousand dollars,”. You punched his shoulder excitedly.

“STANFORD PINES!” you shouted as you continued to hit his arm which made him grin and look over at you, “HELL YEAH YOU DID!”. You were overjoyed for your friend. He was the hardest working student and person you knew and truly deserved the cash to make his dreams happen. “I can’t believe you opened it! You had me going! Why didn’t you tell me?” you asked as you settled back down. He shrugged,

“I don’t know- I couldn’t think of how to tell you. I opened it at midnight last night and I’ve been trying to think of how to since then-” he said, “You’ve done so much to help me get it and- I just needed to do it justice,” he sighed. 

You gripped his arm again and gently shook it,

“I’m so fucking happy for you Ford this is going to change everything!” you smiled, “what are you going to do with it all?” you asked.

He let out a sigh, “I want to do this. Full time,” he said, “There’s a place, in Oregon, over in the Pacific Northwest- there’s something supernatural happening there based on my research and I there’s some land available already,” he continued, “I want to make a lab, a honest research lab, to do this sort of cryptid, oddities, weirdness hunting full time,”. 

The car was silent as he sat with himself.

“Damn that was the first time I’ve really said it out loud,” he laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“I think that sounds great Ford,” you nodded with a smile as you continued to gently rub his arm to make him feel a little better.

“But I need you there,” he said, confidently, “You got me hooked on this stuff, and you have a real knack for it. It’s only right if you come with,”. 

“I would be honored, Ford are you kidding me!?” you said excitedly as you squeezed his hand quickly on the wheel.

“It’s going to be really messy, and I don’t know how I’m going to move everything, but I need you to be there with me to make this work,” he said with a firm nod.

“And I’ll be there,” you nodded back as you sat back into your seat, looking back out at the dark road. You couldn’t help but feel giddy at the future Ford had just invited you to.

[dazedandconfused-15]

Heaven's in your eyes (Part 4)

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who took the time to comment and reblog this story, I'm really glad you're sticking with me on this journey!!

If you're enjoying it, a reblog would mean a lot to me and really helps get this fanfic out there! 🫶

Enjoy...

Summary: Life in Hawkins is dull and lonely, especially after your mom abandoned your family, leaving you even more isolated amidst school rumors. Already shy and with few friends, you find solace in your solitude—until Billy Hargrove, the intriguing new boy from California, comes into the picture. To your surprise, Billy seems to seek you out, finding ways to talk to you despite the odds. Never in a million years would you have imagined forming such an unexpected bond with someone.

Link to: Part 1 Part 2, and Part 3

@tatumrileyslover @littlenosoul @nocturnest @the-freak-cassie-313 @rainy-darling @nina-from-317

From then on, you become much more observant. Billy and you meet up after school to do homework, go for walks, grab some food or just hang out. You start noticing small details, like how sometimes his shirt is buttoned up a bit higher than usual, even in warm weather. Occasionally, you catch sight of a bruise on his skin. You refrain from bombarding him with questions, but it's challenging to stay silent when the wounds are obvious. Thankfully, it's never as severe as that night he showed up battered. You quickly understand that this topic is off-limits for him, so you let it go, hoping that someday, he'll feel comfortable enough to open up to you.

For the first time in what feels like ages, happiness seeps into your days. Suddenly, the world seems brighter, nights feel less daunting, and even the mundane surroundings regain a hint of color. But deep down, you know this fragile balance won't last. 

And just like that, everything shifts during a Wednesday afternoon gym class. You're deep into a basketball game. A teammate passes you the ball, and with quick reflexes, you snatch it and charge towards the basket. It all happens in a blur, catching you off guard, until a sharp pang shoots through your knees as they collide with the unforgiving, polished wood of the gym floor. Your heart races as you instinctively extend your arms, just in time to protect your face from the impact. Amid the chaos, the coach's whistle cuts through the noise, and through the fog of pain, a pair of trainers come into focus right before your eyes.

“What happened?” 

“She tripped, Coach,” says the voice belonging to the person in those shoes. Your gaze shifts upward, meeting the mocking eyes of Tina Williams. She stands with one hand on her hip, casually chewing her gum. A moment later, she steps aside as the coach kneels in front of you.

The contrast is stark—where there was once the commotion of squeaking shoes and shouts, there's now a hushed stillness. Half the class has gathered around, watching in silence.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?" the coach asks you, resting his hand on your arm. 

deliberately tripped you, sending you crashing to the floor. The pain in your knees isn't unbearable, but your skin is clearly scraped. The sting from where they hit the ground and slid across the floor is still sharp.

"Oh man, we need to disinfect these," the coach remarks, examining your peeling, reddened knees where raw flesh is visible. "I'm taking you to the nurse's office."

"No, no. It's fine." you say, your voice slightly shaky as he helps you to your feet. "It's not that bad."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah," you murmur, catching the faint snickers of Vicky Muller and Carol Perkins as they whisper to Tina, their voices low but filled with amusement.

The coach makes you sit on the benches for the rest of the hour. As the game continues, you become a spectator in every sense—watching the game and the entire situation unfold, feeling completely disconnected from your own body. Your mind drifts, detaching from everything around you. You’re certain Tina tripped you on purpose, but the reason eludes you. Anxiety gnaws at you, leaving a pit in your stomach. When the game finally ends, you follow your classmates into the locker room, keeping your eyes downcast, avoiding any confrontations. All you want is to leave, to escape this uncomfortable situation.

But as you open your locker, you hear footsteps approaching behind you. Reluctantly, you turn, only to find yourself face-to-face with Tina. Vicky stands beside her, arms crossed, with an expression that clearly shows she's anticipating some entertainment, barely able to contain her laughter.

Tina nods toward your knees. “How are your knees?”

You want to snap back, to demand what her problem is, but instead, you choose the path of least resistance. Maybe if you play along, this will all blow over.

“It’s nothing serious. It’ll pass,” you say, forcing a small smile before turning back to your locker.

Tina snorts, and there’s a brief, tense silence. “What’s your deal with Billy?”

Your hand freezes in mid-motion as everything suddenly clicks into place. Slowly, you turn back to her, realizing there’s no avoiding this conversation.

You decide to play dumb. “What do you mean?”

“Did I stutter?”

You swallow, taking in her mocking expression. The locker room falls silent as your classmates stop what they’re doing to watch the scene unfold. In the background, Carol wears a wicked smile.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I barely know him,” you say, trying to diffuse the situation, not wanting any trouble.

You know that Billy had gone out with Tina a few times not too long ago. It was supposedly nothing serious and ended as quickly as it began. Rumor has it that after they’d hooked up in his Camaro, he drove her home and never called her again.

“Please. You think we’re dumb?” Vicky chimes in. “We’ve seen you hanging with him.”

“I…”

“Listen, honey,” Tina cuts you off, unfolding her arms and stepping toward you. Her tone is anything but sweet, almost aggressive. “I don’t care what the hell you’re up to. But stop it.”

“Wha…”

“You really think he’d be interested in someone like you? Take a good look at yourself,” she sneers, her gaze sweeping over you, making you instantly self-conscious. “Make sure you’re not carrying fleas before you get near guys like Billy. God knows what’s lurking in that cesspool you call home.”

“Or STDs,” Carol chimes in with a smirk. “Like mother, like daughter.”

The comment hits you like a punch to the gut, the pain in your knees forgotten as a deeper ache settles in. The room is filled with your classmates, yet you’ve never felt so alone. Some stand in silent shock, others hold back amused grins, enjoying the spectacle.

���So yeah, stay away from him. Got it?” Tina snaps her bubble gum, her eyes daring you to respond.

They don’t wait for an answer, turning away and leaving you frozen in place. As you open your locker and reach for your clothes, you realize with a sinking feeling that they’re soaked. Water drips onto the floor, soaking your sneakers, and panic rises in your chest. You quickly grab your backpack, hoping it’s unharmed, but find it just as wet, the contents inside ruined.

Murmurs and giggles fill the room as Tina’s voice drifts over again, soft but cutting. “Sorry about that. Maybe next time you’ll know your place.”

You leave school wearing your damp clothes, shivering as the rain falls down on you. The thought of enduring two more hours of English literature is unbearable. Despite your efforts to dry your clothes and backpack, the dampness clings to you, making the weight of it all feel heavier. The mile-long walk home feels endless as your mind replays the scene in the gym and locker room. You wonder how you could have been so naive, so foolish to think you could find a bit of happiness without something going wrong. The cold air stings your wet cheeks, and you wipe them with the back of your hand, your eyes fixed on the ground. Your knees burn, but nothing compares to the deep, burning shame inside you.

When you finally reach home, you’re grateful your father is still at work, sparing you from having to explain why you’re home early or why you look so miserable. You retreat to the shower, letting the hot water pour over you until the steam is so thick you can’t even see the tiles. Later, you curl up on the couch under a blanket, staring blankly at the TV, your mind far away. The phone rings, breaking the silence, but you don’t have the energy to answer it. Whoever is calling is persistent, though, and the ringing continues.

Taking a deep breath, you finally pick up the receiver, trying to keep your voice from sounding hollow.

“Hello?”

“It’s Billy.”

His warm voice is like a balm, soothing your frayed nerves, but it also brings back the harsh memories of the day. The ugly events replay in your mind, and guilt washes over you as you imagine him waiting by his Camaro, only to realize you wouldn’t be showing up.

“I’m sorry. Sorry about that,” you croak, clearing your throat. “I wasn’t feeling well.”

“What happened?”

“I’m just under the weather. That’s all. I think I’m getting sick.”

A heavy silence hangs between you as you twist the phone cord around your fingers, the tension in your grip turning your skin white. You can only hear your own breathing, and you hope desperately that he believes you, that he won’t push for more.

“You sure?” he asks after a moment.

“Yes, I promise. I just need to rest.”

“Alright,” he sighs. “See you tomorrow then.”

“Hey, Billy?” you blurt out, stopping yourself before your voice cracks. The knot in your throat tightens as you struggle with the urge to be honest with him. It doesn’t seem fair to lie, knowing this might be one of the last times you hear his voice. “Thanks for calling,” you manage to say once you’re sure your voice won’t break.

“Don’t mention it. Bye, sweetheart.”

You hang up before you can respond, the warmth of his endearment slicing through you, leaving you on the verge of tears. It’s not just him—it’s everything. The whole situation weighs on you. You glance at the picture of you and your mom on the hall shelf, taken when you were just two years old in her arms. Your dad still keeps it, a reminder of the past. Billy has managed to make your life easier, not by making you forget, but by showing you that happiness was still possible. But today, all those old wounds are reopened. The void left by her, and now by him, feels deeper than ever. That’s the risk of letting people into your life—they eventually leave, and all you’re left with is the emptiness they once filled.

You stay home for the next two days. On Friday, it still hasn’t stopped raining. The day drags on endless, each hour feeling like an eternity. You struggle to find the strength to peel yourself out of bed, your stomach tied in knots, rendering breakfast an impossible feat. As rain continues to patter against the window, casting a dreary backdrop, you find yourself lost in a numb trance, gazing blankly at the vivid greenery outside. Only in the afternoon does your hunger finally overpower the turmoil within, prompting you to rustle up a simple cheese toast to appease your growling stomach. Settling in front of the TV, you attempt to distract yourself from the weight of the day's events. By the late afternoon, as your dad arrives home, you force yourself to summon a facade of composure, determined not to burden him with worries. Then the doorbell rings, snapping you out of your trance, and you get up to see who's there. 

As you open the door, Billy is standing here, his hands on his leather jacket pockets, his gaze wandering off to the side, but turns to look immediately at you. He’s as pretty as the last time you saw him. His eyes lock with yours, making you weak in the knee. 

“Oh. Hey.” you softly say, completely taken off guard by his presence on your front door. 

“Hey.” 

“Uh, what are you doing here?” you ask, trying your best to not sound rude. You’re just confused. 

Billy shrugs. “You didn’t answer when I called. Figured I would come to you instead.” 

His response leaves you speechless. You’re struck by his persistence, amazed that he hasn’t grown tired of you, given his tendency to quickly lose interest in people. He says it so casually, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world, and it stirs something inside you that you can’t quite put into words.

Amusement flicks over his face. “You gonna let me in, or what?” 

You excuse yourself by straightening up from your position against the door, opening it wide to let him in. Billy wipes his shoes on the doormat before stepping in. A strange energy seems to be unleashed when your bodies are close to each other. It makes you feel electric. You’ve never believed in those things, but it’s almost like your auras are touching.

You look up at him, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as you look at each other.

“Sorry, my dad’s here,” you say as you see him look up behind you toward the living room.

Although very subtle, you notice how his body tenses up when your father approaches him and you introduce Billy to him. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

Your dad shakes his hand, a warm smile on his face. “Ah, so you must be Billy. She keeps talking about you.”

Billy lets out a nervous chuckle, briefly glancing at you. You find yourself looking at the ground, cheeks flushed. "Hope she said good things."

“All I can say is that you’re good to her, son. Haven’t seen my daughter smiling this often in a long time. She never talks to me about her friends.” he rests his hand on your shoulder, squeezing it softly. 

“I’m glad to hear that.” you can feel Billy’s eyes on you, boring a hole through your skin. “She’s good to me too.”

Your dad gestures toward the kitchen. “Have you had dinner yet? We made some roasted chicken tonight, it’s delicious.”

Billy shakes his head. “Thank you, sir, I had dinner earlier.” 

“Come have a drink then.” your dad already walks backward to the kitchen. “What can I get you?”

“Dad…” you softly say at his enthusiasm. You never have people over. It’s been a long time since you had them. Not since…well. And you understand your dad lights up as a candle with joy. He’s getting too enthusiastic already.

“You look over eighteen. Beer? Some red wine?” 

Billy glances at you, his hand in his pockets, then slowly follows him to the kitchen. He looks like a wary animal taking in his surroundings.  “Beer is fine. Thank you, sir.”

You follow behind Billy, feeling suddenly so uneasy in your own house. Your eyes follow his broad back as he enters the kitchen, the air already smelling like leather. Like him. 

Your dad, with a casual wave of his hand, says, "Ah, don't bother with all those formalities around me.” 

Billy leans against the counter as your dad extends an uncapped bottle of beer, clinking it against his own. You notice how he stiffens slightly again when your dad mentions remembering his last name, knowing his father. His attitude becomes more reserved, and he answers with small sentences. Especially when your dad mentions how despite having talked to him only a few times at Melvald’s downtown and the bank, he looks like a tough guy. However, your dad is easygoing and his attitude warm, and slowly, throughout the conversation, Billy seems to ease up too. His shoulders relax, and a real laugh escapes him a time or two. You knew they shared some interests, but you didn’t expect them to talk about California for so long. Your dad recounts his younger years living in there, how he spent his days surfing and working in a garage for his own dad’s friend to get some money. Billy did the same back there. He tells your dad how you mentioned some of it to him, then how many more people there are since the 60s, how Will Rogers State Beach is now crowded with tourists. 

“You’re sure you don’t want anything to eat? Hell, there’s plenty of that chicken and it’s only the two of us.” you dad offers again. 

Billy settles the empty beer on the counter. “Oh, I’m fine. Thank you. I was hoping to take her on a ride, to get some fresh air if that’s alright with you.”

Your dad looks at you and you give him a small smile, though you didn’t expect or plan any of it. He nods in approval.

“Sure, kids. Be careful, yeah? It was nice to meet you Billy.”

“Same. Thank you for the beer.”

Your dad winks at him. “Anytime. You’re always welcome.”

At first, silence hangs between the two of you. Billy doesn’t mention it as he drives you toward downtown, and your mind is elsewhere. You’re there physically, but your thoughts are consumed by how wrong it feels to be in the car with him. Your plans to keep your distance have been shattered by his unexpected presence. His decision to come to you makes everything ten times harder. You’re unsure how you’ll find the right words to express yourself without offending him—or worse, hurting him. But then again, maybe you’re overthinking it. Perhaps he doesn’t feel as connected to you as you do to him. Chances are, you’ll be the one left hurting in the end.

Billy casually suggests getting a milkshake at the diner, then lapses back into silence, leaving you unsure whether to thank him or ask him to break the quiet. He doesn’t make it easy. When he parks in front of the diner, he opens the passenger door for you. Physical contact has become second nature between you two—small, almost unconscious gestures, especially on his part. But they always send your heart racing. This time, as he touches your back, gently guiding you inside while holding the diner door open, your heartbeat spikes dangerously.

You usually have a sweet tooth, and the milkshakes at Starlight Grill are delicious, but today, your thoughts have robbed you of your appetite. Billy insists you get something, and when you hesitate, he suggests sharing a milkshake.

When the waitress brings the milkshake along with the bill, Billy takes the first sip. You reach into your pocket for some coins.

“What are you doing?” 

“Just, paying.” You murmur absent-mindedly, counting the coins. Billy's hand appears in front of you, putting them aside.

“Put that away.”

You sigh, meeting his gaze. "Billy."

He casually slides the milkshake in front of you, his half-lidded eyes locked on yours, completely unfazed by your feeble attempts to resist. The purple lights of the diner cast a soft glow, highlighting his features and making his mustache stand out more than usual. You can't help but marvel at how effortlessly handsome he always looks. Meanwhile, you feel out of place in your loose jumper, with no makeup and your hair barely combed.

You notice that there is only one straw in the milkshake. “Oh, they didn’t bring another one.”

“It’s fine. Drink it,” his features shifting to an amused look.  “Unless it grosses you out.” 

“No, no! Of course not.” you hastily assure him before bringing the straw to your lips. The rich taste of chocolate floods your senses with a pleasant sensation, despite your lack of hunger. You resist the temptation to indulge in a bit of the whipped cream from the top of the milkshake.

“Feel better today?” he asks as he watches you, leaning back against the bench.

“Uh, yes. A bit better.” you lie, your eyes on the table. You’re unable to look at him.

You instinctively tighten your grip on the cold glass of the milkshake, startled by the sudden warmth of his palm on your forehead. 

“Yeah. No fever, anyway,” he says.

“How did you do on the test yesterday?” you ask instead, eager to change the topic.

Billy leans forward, resting his elbows on the table as he brings the milkshake closer to himself, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Eh, not bad. I think I passed," he replies before taking a sip from the straw. “Jesus, this shit is sweet as hell.” he mutters, peering down at the milkshake as if it personally wronged him.

You let out a soft laugh at his expression. When you sat down, he asked you what flavor you liked and ordered it without hesitation. You realize with a pang of guilt that you hadn't even bothered to ask him if he liked it. 

“Sorry… too much?”

“Nah, it’s fine. Just a bit sweet.” he pushes the milkshake toward you, your fingers brushing each other as you take the glass. “I’m more of a savory type of guy.”

"Oh," you sheepishly respond, brushing your thumb against the cold glass to clear away some moisture. “I’m more of a sweet type of girl.”

"You are," he says, his voice carrying a subtle warmth that catches your attention. 

You lift your gaze toward him, struck by the underlying tone in his words. Billy dips his pinky in the whipped cream and brings it to his mouth. Red lips suck around the skin, his tongue licking the whipped cream away. You take a sip of the milkshake to distract yourself from the stirring movement in your lower belly. 

“So what’s your favorite?” he then casually asks, as if he didn’t just do the most provocative thing ever. 

“My what?” you ask as if coming back to reality. 

“Your favorite dessert.”

“Oh uhm, I guess my mom’s tiramisu,” you stop to think about all the summers spent eating your mom’s tiramisu in the back of your house in the garden, the happy memory becoming bittersweet. “I didn’t like it when I was younger, I used to make all of those faces when I tasted the coffee.” Billy snorts a soft laugh as he looks at you. “She used to make it all the time when it was warm outside.” you say as you play with the straw.”

“You know how to make it?”

“Yes. She taught me.” 

“You’ll have to make me one, someday.” 

You meet his eyes, still intently on you, and you lower your gaze while stretching your lips into a small smile that doesn’t quite reach your eyes. How you wish there was a chance to do this. 

“What’s yours?” you ask instead, ignoring how your heart is aching.

Billy hums thoughtfully, dragging the milkshake toward him. “I’d say the tacos from the Mexican joint in Mission Beach. Hands down.”

“What do they put in them?” 

Billy sucks on the straw before setting the glass aside. “Okay, so picture this,” he leans his elbows on the table. “They have this way of cooking the beef, it’s tender and juicy ‘cause they dip it in the stew, and it’s seasoned just right." 

A smile slowly spreads on your face without you realizing it as he gets enthusiastic about it.

“Then they sprinkle some lime on it.” he mimics the sprinkling, his eyes squinting a tiny bit. "And then there's the crunch of the shell, just crispy enough to contrast with the beef. Then they top it with cheese and jalapeños. Man,” you giggle as he lightly slaps his palm on the table. He turns his head to the side, momentarily lost in thought as he contemplates. “It’s something else.” 

“It sounds delicious.” you nod, a laugh escaping your lips.

As Billy looks back at you, his face is closer to yours as you leaned on the table too. His blue eyes bore into yours. “It’s five-star type of food, babe. Unmatched.” 

His voice is warm like dripping honey and your stomach flips, his half-lidded gaze trapping you there is both charming and dangerous. You’re scared of the things your body is feeling.

“I wish I could try it.” 

“You will. Told you I would take you there.”

He scans your face, catching each of your reactions from up close as your breath hitches in your throat. “I thought you were joking.” 

“I never was.”

You wonder what would happen if you just listened to your instincts right now. If only he lifted the sleeves of your sweater, he’d see the goosebumps on your arms. If he could press his ear to your chest, he’d hear your heart racing. But following your instincts feels too risky. A little voice inside reminds you that all this chemistry between you two might just be in your head. You're building castles in the air; your deluded heart is playing tricks on you. Tina’s voice chimes in too: “What would a guy like him want with someone like you?” So, you pull away, and as you do, your heartbeat slows down a little.

You clear your voice, grabbing the milkshake. “Anyway, I better get home soon. It’s almost ten.” 

With only a little milkshake left, you finish it without meeting his gaze, deciding to switch the topic to how you caught up with homework while staying at home. He doesn’t comment on it, biting into it and telling you about the history test on that Wednesday.

“Are you gonna tell me what’s going on?” he asks you once on the drive home.

He lowers the volume of the radio, Eagles’ ‘Take it Easy’ reduced to background noise. You hesitate. You don’t know how to tell him. You’ve never been good at cutting ties with people. You’ve never been ready. You never will be.

“I’m just not in a good place right now.”

"Yeah, I gathered that much," Billy responds, his voice low and steady. "But what's got you feeling this way?"

You figure that the best way is to be straightforward, though. 

“I know this might sound weird," you begin, already feeling a pang of regret for how you're about to phrase it. Your nails press into the palm of your hands as you twist them together, your eyes locked on the shifting scenery outside. “You’ll probably don’t understand it. But I think we have to stop seeing each other. Hanging around together.”  

At first, your words hang heavy in the air, met only with silence that feels like a weight on your chest. You can't help but replay what you just said in your mind, wondering if you came off too harshly. It's a familiar feeling, the aftermath of saying something you can't take back, and in this moment, it feels far too aggressive.

As you battle with yourself, searching desperately for the right words to soften the blow, you find that every script you rehearsed in your head falls short. Billy's silence only adds to your internal turmoil, leaving you mentally slapping yourself for the brutal way you phrased it.

Billy licks his lips. “If I did something wrong,” he starts.

“No, it’s not that.”

“...Or if I made you feel uncomfortable, you gotta tell me.”

“No. Billy, please don’t think that. You haven’t done anything wrong.” you interject quickly, reaching out to touch his arm in reassurance.

He glances at you briefly before returning his gaze to the road, his expression unreadable. The tension in the car is palpable as he waits for you to explain further.

“I just…” you begin, running a hand through your hair in a nervous gesture. “I don’t think it’s good for you to be around me."

"Huh," he responds, his tone indicating he finds your reasoning perplexing. "What does that mean?"

You begin cautiously, choosing your words carefully, "I'm just not... I'm not exactly the embodiment of happiness, you know? And I don't want to bring you down with me."

"You think you're gonna bring me down?" 

You nod slowly, unable to meet his gaze. "I just don't want to drag you into my mess," you admit quietly. “I have a lot to deal with myself. Please believe me when I say that it’s not a good idea.”

"That's it? That's why you think we should stop hanging out?" Billy's voice carries a blend of disbelief and skepticism as if he's attempting to peel back the layers of your explanation.

His response catches you off guard. Shouldn't your reason suffice? After all, it's what led to the end of friendships with Nancy and Claire. They understood and let you go. And deep down, you understand that too.

“No, it’s not just that…” you feel increasingly frustrated with the situation, it feels harder than you anticipated.

"Hey, if I'm not your cup of tea, or if I'm making you feel awkward, just say the word. No hard feelings. We can't all be everyone's favorite flavor. But let's keep it real, yeah?"

"No, it's not that at all, Billy!" you blurt out, your voice rising slightly with surprise. "I like you. I really do," you continue, your voice softening as shyness creeps in at the urgency of your confession. As you speak, Billy pulls the car to a stop in front of your place. "More than anyone else in this whole town."

Billy doesn’t talk for what seems like an eternity. You don’t dare to look at him. After almost a minute, he finally breaks the silence. “Okay, what is it, then?”

“It’s just…wrong.”

“Wrong?” he says. “Look, it’s not like I have a girlfriend and I’m ditching her to hang out with you or something.”

“Well, Tina doesn’t seem to be on the same page,” you mumble to yourself out of instinct. 

Billy frowns. “What?”

That’s when you realize you talked out loud. You sigh, looking out of the window. You really hoped to avoid this conversation. It just feels wrong to use a lame excuse. You don’t wanna do that. It’s not working, anyway. You figure the best way to put it without having to unravel the whole thing. 

“I don’t know what you guys are to each other-…”

“I fucked her once. That’s it.” 

You wince at his words, carrying on. “...but she made pretty clear that I should stay away from you.”

At first you’re met with silence, but then Billy's reaction is a mix of disbelief and irritation. He scoffs, shaking his head in disbelief. “She's nuts," he mutters, his tone laced with frustration. "Can't believe her. Jesus."

As you fidget with your hands in your lap, a sense of resignation washes over you. That doesn’t change things. You made up your mind already. They succeeded pretty well in making you see things for what they are. In a very sadistic way, that’s for sure. It is the reality nonetheless.

“Listen, don’t pay attention to her.”  

You let out a bitter chuckle. “It’s kinda hard, she’s really committed to making my life a living hell.”

Billy's expression shifts, his gaze now fixed on you with newfound seriousness. “What do you mean?” 

“Nothing, just…” you sigh. “It’s just what I said. Bottom line is, I’m not good for you, Billy. I’m messed up and I can’t give anything good. You should be spending time with people who are stable, who have something to offer.”

Billy turns his attention back to the trailer ahead. You can practically see the gears turning in his head as he pieces together the puzzle. Before you can prepare yourself, he's already connecting the dots.

He scratches his chin, then looks back at you. “Does it have to do with you ditching school for the past days?” his tone calm but unwavering.

Your answer is instinctive and almost too immediate. "No, that's..." you start, but Billy cuts you off with a knowing look.

“Don't lie to me.”

You know if there’s one thing he doesn’t like, it’s when people lie to him. He told you that before. There is no way out of this. If anything surprises you about Billy, it’s his emotional intelligence. His ability to understand what you feel just like that. How he easily and often picks up what’s on your mind. You explain everything that happened to him, noticing how his face hardens progressively as you recount the events that have weighed heavily on you. From that moment Tina deliberately tripped you up in gym class, sending you sprawling to the ground in front of everyone, to the tense confrontation in the locker room. You feel drained after talking, the weight of your words hanging heavy in the air. 

“Fuck those bitches.” he growls, his voice thick with anger. 

“They’re right though. We really are different.”

“Different in what? I’m a guy, you’re a girl. But then?” 

“It’s not about that,” you mumble, your eyes fixed on the window.

“Well, tell you what, I like spending time with you. That’s all I know,” you turn in surprise at how bluntly he said those words. “Did we ever argue or anything?”

You think back on all the times you've spent together. Whenever you were with him, it felt like everything else faded away, and it was just the two of you against the world. There was never any arguing or discord between you; instead, he had a knack for making you forget about any troubles or worries you had. Being with him was like finding a safe haven, a place where you could just be yourself and feel at peace.

“No,” you admit, feeling a knot form in your throat.

“Do you feel any different when it’s just you and me?”

“No.”

“Are you ever bored when we hang out?”

“No, never.” you breathe out, shaking your head.

“Me neither. So it’s sorted.”

“Billy, I’m…I’m complicated. My life is complicated.” 

He shrugs, shifting in his seat. “I like complicated.” 

Billy's stubbornness despite the doors you're trying to close between you is overwhelming both in the best and worst way.

“I just don't think you really know what you're doing," you protest weakly, unable to shake the nagging doubts that linger in the back of your mind.

“Pretty sure I do.”

“Billy,” heat rises in your cheeks as shame gnaws at your insides, your heart weighing heavy. It's hard for you to acknowledge it, let alone put it into words. “Look at me,” you point at yourself, your throat burning.

Billy's eyes scan your face, a hint of amusement dancing in his features. “I am.”

You shake your head, your throat feels ready to burst from how much it hurts. “No. Look at you, then look at me. Look at this,” you gesture toward the darkened trailer.

“You serious?”

“I am. Trust me, you don’t want to…”

“Hey, hey. Sweetheart. Come on, now. Look at me.”

You realize Billy has leaned over the console as he gently grasps your chin. “I don’t care. All I know is that I like you, alright? I don’t give a shit about the rest.”

His words cut through you, threatening to shatter the fragile barrier holding your emotions at bay. His thumb delicately traces the curve of your chin as his piercing blue eyes search yours. Frozen in place, you dare not move or speak, afraid that the slightest exhale might betray the storm of emotions raging within you.

“You hear me?” he drops his head slightly, as he softly shakes your chin to get your attention, his eyes finding yours. “I don’t care.”

You content to nod, a tear breaking free and running down your cheek. Billy licks his lips, his face inching closer to yours. “C’mere.”

He leans in, his lips meeting yours in a kiss that feels as ancient as time itself, as though you've shared this in a thousand other lives. It's tender, lingering, filled with an unspoken longing that resonates deep within you. As you lose yourself in the kiss, his breath dances with yours, and you taste tobacco, mint and something distinctly him on his tongue, sending a wave of euphoria through you. Your hand instinctively rises, fingers curling gently around the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer, yearning for more. Your heart is beating so fast you swear it’s going to explode. As you break the kiss first in search of oxygen, you’re vaguely aware of his mouth seeking yours, his face tilting forward, his half-open eyes unfocused. His fingers travel on the back of your neck, curling around it and pressing your lips more firmly against his. It’s so good that it doesn’t feel real, your body is the only thing you're aware of. It's ablaze, your heart thundering in your chest, your breath resonating in the car. But he’s here too, he’s real. Real as one can be when you feel his hot skin against your fingers where you’re holding his shirt, as his mustache tickles your mouth, then your cheek, your neck.

He’s certainly real when his voice comes as a muffled and open-mouthed whisper against your skin, buried between your neck and your hair between kisses.

“God, baby.”

It’s a soft plead, a gentle need that swells your heart. Your fingers are tangled through his curls at the nape of his neck. They’re as soft as you imagined them. You could’ve never imagined one day your fingers would run through them. His mouth finds yours again, your senses filled with the scent of him and you can’t help yourself and rest your hand on his cheek, wanting to feel him more. Time is not something tangible anymore. You don’t know how long elapses. It may be minutes, it may be hours. You just can’t seem to get enough of each other to finally break apart. Nothing has ever made you feel so good in a long time. That’s why you don’t question your tongue tangling with his, his hand searching for skin as it ventures beneath your jacket and settles on your waist, warm and big. 

The loud thud of thunder outside makes you jump slightly on the seat, and with the realization that you must get inside, you slowly but finally break apart from him. 

“I have to go.” you manage to say as his lips kiss your cheek and the corner of your eye instead. 

His breath fans against your skin, a gentle caress that makes you shiver. Billy's eyes, still glazed with desire, slowly refocus as he registers your words. There's a flicker of disappointment, but he nods in understanding. 

“Yeah. Yeah, you better get inside,” he replies in a husky voice, his eyes roaming over your face. 

His lips are red and swollen with your kisses, you can’t help but steal another kiss which her eagerly accepts, planting a couple more against your mouth. They’re not as deep but full of meaning, resonating in the air. 

“Call me tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yes, I will,” you mumble, your cheek feeling red as you internally wish you could stay with the boy forever.  

As you leave the car, the cold rain immediately envelopes you, sending shivers down your spine. The rain soaked through your clothes as you navigated through the darkness. As you reach the door, you steal one last look at Billy's car, watching as he drives away into the night, the memory of his touch still lingering on your lips.

[zhounauts]

PAIRING nrk x hall monitor!fmr WC 313 WARNING cursing, 'kill'

"NISHIMURA?" when the familiar boy turns around, all you can do is sigh, no longer surprised to find him roaming the halls during class hours. "what the hell are you doing?"

"walking," he smiles, walking over.

"wrong answer," you deadpan, "you're late"

"give me a hint next time," he answers, now standing in front of you. he laughs as you pull out tardy slips, half of the stack gone because of him, "really?" "yes really," you glare, "what'd you expect? for me to let you go?"

"it wouldn't hurt you to do that, would it?" he sighs. you ignore him, jotting down his name on the slip again, slashing the unexcused box and handing it to him.

"get your ass to class," you mutter, "i'm sick and tired of seeing you, what's it gonna take for you to go early?" you watch as he shifts, tilting his head to think. he smiles.

"a date with you?"

"oh hell no," you exclaim, much louder than you had meant, before slapping your hand over your mouth. niki bursts out laughing in front of you, and you feel your cheeks burn red as a result. "are you psycho nishimura!? stop making stupid jokes like that,"

"it wasn't supposed to be a joke," you roll your eyes in response, shooing the boy with your hands.

"gooo," you groan, attempting to shove the boy. yet suddenly he grabs your hands, holding them in his own.

"hey," he says, leaning down to your ear, "i'm being serious,"

"oh get to class already nishimura!" you screech as you jump away, face burning. the sound of niki's laughter fills the hallway, but he listens to you, turning away from you and heading down the hall. and as he does, you place a hand over your chest, your heart pounding, unable to stop.

oh how you were going to kill nishimura riki.

a/n saw a comment on tiktok talking abt how her dad was always late cs her mom was the hall monitor. . .im SICK + they don't make them like that no more. . .it's always 'wyll' or an intense jaw pic networks: @a-dream-bookmark

copyright © zhounauts 2024

[nebulamorada]

B-Rabbit x PapaDoc!girlfriend "pt 2"

• After the kiss it was difficult to keep in touch discreetly, you had your Motorola StarTAC, but he didn't even have a landline at home, so after exchanging a little information you both agreed to meet at your house and in the morning there were days when you had early classes, you took him to his work.

Your parents aren't so happy when he shows up for the first time, the clothes, the looks, the tone, the accent… they don't judge (oh, they do) but they worry that he might lead you into bad things (without being aware that you would be worse off in the relationship with "Papa Doc")

You start spending time with his friends with some doubt, having the idea that they would be like your ex's, receiving the difference pleasantly; they were still something and, but they were respectful towards you, Dj was someone quite cultured who you enjoyed talking to, Sol was funny, Cheddar Bob seemed very sweet to you and it didn't take long for you to notice how close Future was to Rabbit.

You were at the Shelter the night Rabbit went vs. Free World, closer to the entrance than the stage until it was Papa Doc's turn, when you walked over to 313 for a better look, smiling at Rabbit to assure him it was okay that he mentioned you in one of the rhymes he threw down on the beat.

Take care of his friend's girl, Cheddar lets you stand in front so you don't get pushed around and Sol and his prominent body create a barrier between anyone who wants to "accidentally" ground their crotch against your ass.

Your parents started to like Rabbit after a summer when he brought Lily to use the pool in your garden with you two, a cute scene of the three of you playing with the water, the little girl and you pushing Rabbit off the floats when he lays on them, sitting on a lounge chair at snack time and so on…his looks are different, but you trust that he's a good boy.

You end up telling your parents about what the environment was like when your ex was in, how he made you feel or the times he did little to stop the behavior from his friends against you.

It wasn't like you were planning on doing it, but you're not allowed to get close to him anymore and Rabbit knows your parents see it differently in a good way when your mom starts giving him tupperware with groceries to take to Lily or to work and your dad helps him with his car.

As soon as they become official you start calling him Bunny.

it was a private thing but you went to the trailer once not knowing Future was with him and he overheard it, if you think he didn't share it with the rest of the guys, you're wrong.

Rabbit pretends to be annoyed but always makes sure it's not serious by putting his arm on your waist or winking at you.

I already made a little post about quickies with Rabbit, that it's something that's definitely on the table here too.

Rabbit avoids it as much as he can but some socioeconomic differences and your nice family dynamics make him a little jealous, nothing that can't be talked about and worked on as a couple during some deep talks during the night.

You make Rabbit happy, that makes his friends happy because they appreciate him and want to see him good, makes his mother happy (when she's lucid and sober enough) makes Lily happy because her brother takes her to nice places when he's out with you and he has more time to play with her.

Rabbit makes you happy, which makes your friends happy and makes your parents extremely happy cause they love you more than anything

Everyone it's happy.

Except Papa Doc :)

[seaglass-and-string]

more regulus pining for james before they’re officially together | 313 words

in regulus’ opinion, there was nothing quite like an english lesson last thing on a thursday- god that’s pathetic isn’t it. but honestly, when you’re sat next james potter who can blame you. and today was gonna be a good one. he just knew it.

something had come over regulus that day, probably over exposure to a certain potter, but somehow he found himself swaggering into the class. most people were already there so he sauntered over to his seat at the back and dropped into it, lolled his head to the side and drawled, ‘well fancy seeing you here’.

ready to start laughing, as seemed to be customary for every moment in their conversation, regulus was even more shocked when instead he was hit with a metaphorical frying pan.

‘how is it that every time you enter the room my heart rate increases?’

what.

‘is, uh, i can’t even decide if that’s good or bad??’

finally they were laughing. he was back on familiar land, and had a second to process that before he had to talk again. 

‘i don’t even know’ more laughter.

‘but like, do i stress you out that much?’

‘i dunno, i guess i never know what you’re gonna come out with next’

‘oh.’

‘but i don’t think that’s bad, in fact it’s probably more from excitement than anything’ 

‘oh?’

but that’s as far as they got, he couldn’t think of anything more to say and clearly neither could james because for a good half an hour nothing more was said. luckily then james leaned over and breathed into his ear ‘i’m boreddddd’ and everything was yippity yay once more. apart from the complete lack of space between their arms and warmth of his breath and feeling of being top of the world and on the same page together like they could defeat anything like-

so yeah, yay.

[hirocimacruiser]

JUN R33 Skyline GTR at Bonneville.

JUN Suka did it 375km/h!

49th Bonneville Speed ​​Week

Enjoying the pleasure on the salt was Susumu Koyama, managing director and driver of JUN Auto Mechanics. A new record was a given, and with the goal of beating the 260 miles set six years ago with a 300ZX, he brought his 1,200 horsepower R33 Skyline GT-R, which he started building in May. The fastest challenge on Lake Bonneville, Utah, USA will be held for one week starting August 16th. As expected, the GT-R broke the class record with an average speed of 233.217 miles per hour. Photos&Report/Shogo NAKAO ●Interview cooperation/Travel Alice 06-341-1201

JUN is Bonneville's home run king.

When he first came here in 1990, he failed with a 300ZX, but the following year he used the same machine to hit a bullet liner of 260.809 mph and 419 km/h. In 1993, I brought an R32GT-R, but it rained.

The tournament was canceled due to standing water. Moving to Dry Lake in El Mirage, California, he set a class record of 194.961 mph and 313 km/h on a 2 km straight short course.

The aim this time is F/BGCC class. In the blown gas competition coupe, supercharged gasoline engine category below 3L, the previous record of 219.107mp/h was set by Thunderbird last year. First of all, Managing Director Koyama. The road surface was extremely rough due to the previous week's thunderstorm.

Even though I said, "I won't run straight," I ran 221 miles. Qualify now.

Normally, after this, I would run the 7-mile course in reverse and record the average value of the two runs, but on the evening of August 17th, when I qualified, it rained heavily and the course was closed until the afternoon of the 19th.

The rainwater did not dry up after the 3rd mile mark, making it an unusual record run in the same direction for 223 miles. At this point, I have achieved a class record. ``When I was a sophomore, there wasn't a big bench.

It was estimated that it had 1000 horsepower. This time, we have 1,200 horsepower, so according to calculations we should be able to cover over 260 miles,'' said Mr. Yoshida, the JUN public relations officer, with a red-hot face.

``The car was bouncing around so much,'' he says, so he loaded eight 18-kilogram salt bags into the trunk, for a total of 144 kg, aiming for even more speed.

However, the rain on the 17th did not dry up quickly and there were sloppy and slippery conditions.

Daijiro Inada, who is well-known for OPT magazine, rides the boat and pulls it an average of 233 miles.

On the second and final day, Managing Director Koyama aimed for a homer with the bases loaded by removing the salt bags and using thicker tires and maximum boost pressure, but he could not beat Daijiro.

I ended up spinning around in circles.

The members of JUN looked a little disappointed.

PIC CAPTIONS

The weight of the vehicle is 1500kg. It had been converted from a 4WD to a 2WD, but apparently ``a 4WD would have been better on this road surface.''

Traction was improved by placing 144 kg of salt bags next to the gas tank in the trunk.

A twin-turbo engine with 1200 horsepower measured on the bench. Great, you have a bench.

On the road this time, he was not able to tell how the aerodynamics were compared to the Z.

[british-rail-official]

caught the intern googling "just saw a picture of a class 313 and instinctively thought "good girl!" what does this mean for me?" and now we're having to have the talk with them. the birds & the bees etc

[thishadoscarbuzz]

313 - The Menu

Keeping things horror adjacent for your October viewing schedule, this week we are discussing 2022's The Menu. Originally announced as a collaboration for director Alexander Payne with Emma Stone, The Menu centers on a psycho chef and his high end clientele, who all take part in a super exclusive dining experience from Hell. The film ultimately lost that twosome but inherited Succession's Mark Mylod and the in-demand Anya Taylor-Joy, with Ralph Fiennes staying on as the chef. The film was a minor hit with audiences and received critical praise for its ensemble, but distributor Searchlight didn't get it into Oscar's good graces.

This episode, we talk about the film's flimsy "eat the rich" satire and Taylor-Joy's sudden ascent to stardom. We also talk about Hong Chau's perfect line readings, other recent successful films satirizing class, and Mylod's work on Succession.

Topics also include Fiennes in villain mode, fan culture as represented by Nicholas Hoult, and our current Halloween viewing.

The 2022 Academy Awards

Vulture's Movies Fantasy League

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[iwritewhump]

"Oh come on, you can take more than that"

day thirty of whumptember (!!!!!)

313 words

warnings: ?? i don't think so?

a/n: holy shit everyone i made it all thirty days! i really didn't know if id be able to do it with classes and everything but no matter what i got a fic posted each day! here's to next year too!

~

Caretaker looks up, neck aching, at Whumper. Blood drips off her chin onto the floor and her head rolls forward. 

Whumper chuckles and uses his boot to lift her chin up, “Oh come on, don’t give up already!” 

She looks past him and stares at Whumpee, his arms and legs tied to a chair. She shoots him a quick, weak smile and pushes herself up to her feet.

“I’m not done yet.” 

Whumpee shakes his head and tries to say something behind his cloth gag, but nothing makes it past. 

“Good,” Whumper replies, smiling cruelly. “Because I’m just getting started with you.” 

With a small dramatic flair, he flips the tail of his shirt up and uncovers a small dagger, embellished in gems. 

“A gift from my mother. She gave it to me right before Whumpee killed her.” he knocks Caretaker to the ground and hovers the blade above her eye. 

“How fitting that I kill you with it?” 

Whumpee screams behind the gag and thrashes against the chair, it wobbles and falls on its side. With a sickening CRACK when his head hits the floor, Whumpee’s eyes close and he falls silent. 

Whumper scoffs and turns his attention back to Caretaker, inching the blade ever closer to her eye. 

She whimpers and pulls away, holding her hand up in surrender. 

Whumper lowers the blade and rolls his eyes, “Oh, come on! You can take more than that!” He bellows, but he looks back at Whumpee and sighs. He puts the blade back in its sheath and pulls Caretaker to her feet by her collar. “Fine. You can have a rest. Only because Whumpee isn’t here to watch me kill you.” 

He drags her behind her and drops her next to Whumpee, their heads almost touching. “As soon as he wakes up…” Whumper starts, voice icily chill. “As soon as he wakes up.”

[sluttywonwoo]

instead of you [part five] || l.mh

pairing: [best friend’s brother] lee minho x college!reader ft. han jisung

summary: you didn’t expect to spend your summer pretending to be your best friend’s girlfriend- then again, you didn’t expect to fall for your best friend’s brother, either. 

warnings: swearing, mentions of sex (18+ mdni)

word count: 3.4k

a/n: revamped my tom holland series from my main blog ( @wazzupmrstark ) to try and motivate myself to finish it!! ; i know minho is the chef of the group but just suspend your disbelief for this series and pretend it's jisung

series masterlist | early access to the next chapter on ko-fi

“This would be a lot easier if any of us spoke French,” Felix grumbled, lugging his suitcase awkwardly down the cobblestone street. 

“I took a couple of classes in high school,” you offered.

“Can you read this map?” Jisung’s dad asked, handing you the comically large sheet of paper.

The only reason they weren’t using their phones’ GPS was that the international data plan wouldn’t be activated until the next day, leaving the six of you to fend for yourselves without technology until midnight. It had been a small oversight, but it had left you wandering around the streets of Paris for over half an hour already. 

You held the map in front of your face and examined it closely, trying to decipher where you were in relation to the buildings and landmarks on the page. You knew the hotel was on the corner of Place de la Concorde, but you weren’t sure where you were.

“I know ‘rue’ means street,” you said nervously. 

All of the Hans were looking at you expectantly. You felt like the responsibility of getting everyone to where they needed to be was on your shoulders now, and the pressure was making you sweat. 

“Do you know what ‘rue’ we’re on?” Felix asked impatiently. 

“Do you see a street sign?” you countered, trying not to come across as frustrated as you felt. 

“We’re on Rue Saint-Honore,” Jisung said gently. “And the intersection of this street and Rue Saint-Florentin is a few meters in front of us.” 

“Oh, then our hotel is just a few blocks up the street! We were just one street up from the one we needed to be on.”

You handed the map back to Jisung’s dad who tucked it into the pocket of his backpack and smiled. 

“Perfect, you lead the way, y/n.” 

-

“Your dad and I will be in this room, 313. Minho and Felix, you’ll be right next door to us. And Jisung and y/n will be on the end in room 317,” Nikki explained as she distributed the keys to each pair. 

“You know why they put us in between them and Jisung,” Felix muttered to Minho under his breath as he made an obscene gesture with his hands. Minho chuckled quietly and nudged Felix’s shoulder with his own, earning identical glares from you and Jisung. 

“Yeah, we’re the buffer,” Minho agreed, subtly sizing you up from beneath his gaze.

“Behave.” Nikki warned her sons

“No promises.”

“Listen to your mother, boys,” Dom, their father, piped up from behind his wife. 

And that was it. They departed down the hallway towards their own room and left the four of  you standing in the hallway by yourselves. 

“Well, we’ll let you two… settle in,” Felix said pointedly with a raise of his eyebrow.

“I hate you,” Jisung grumbled. 

“What are older brothers for?” 

“We’re twins. And I was born first.” 

Felix just shrugged. “Like I said.” 

Jisung turned away from them to face you. The boys’ voices faded into the background as they retreated down the hallway to their own hotel room. 

“Sorry about them.”

You smiled reassuringly. “You’ve been gone for too long. They have to make up for lost time.”

“Yeah, but I wish they wouldn’t make gross jokes in front of you.” 

“That’s sweet, but have you forgotten that I used to make those same jokes about you and your exes?” 

“I wish I could,” he groaned. 

“Some of my best comedic work.”

“That’s not saying much.”

You ignored the jab and took the room key from his hands. 

“I know they don’t mean any harm,” you reasoned. “One day, when you meet someone for real, the three of us will never give you a break about it.” 

Jisung blinked. “Can’t wait.”

“Me either,” you hummed in agreement.

You turned and led the way to your room with Jisung trailing on your heels. The door unlocked on the first try and the two of you stumbled into the room together, immediately dropping all of your belongings onto the carpeted floor. 

You gasped at the sight before you, barely registering the click of the door behind you. 

The room was gorgeous, but you were focused on the view outside. The curtains on all of the windows were drawn and the windows themselves were ajar so that the natural light and fresh air could filter in. You had seen dozens of movies that took place in Paris, but none of them captured the true beauty of the city. Haussmanian buildings stretched as far as the eye could see and the tip of the Eiffel Tower peeked out behind the gray roofs in the distance. The entire city looked like it had been wrapped in tea-stained parchment paper, balanced on the line between film set and history. You could hear the bustle of traffic and vendors from the streets below, reminding you that this was not some sort of dream and that you were actually there. 

Behind you Jisung was setting your suitcases on luggage racks against the wall, having already had his fill of the view apparently. 

You threw yourself onto the bed and sighed loudly, shifting your attention onto your best friend who was organizing the contents of his backpack. 

“What’s the plan?” you asked

“You didn’t read the itinerary, did you?” 

“I skimmed.” He shook his head in exasperation. “You can’t expect me to have memorized everything on there!”

“No, but I thought you would at least read today’s schedule!”

“You didn’t read it either, did you?”

You both stared at each other momentarily before Jisung broke out into a grin and you threw a pillow at his head.

“I knew it!”

“We’re a mess, aren’t we?”

“I’ll look at the schedule,” you offered. “I still have the email.”

You rolled over to reach for your backpack and fished your phone from the front pocket. Jisung waited in silence while you scrolled through your inbox and read over the itinerary. 

“We’re free until tomorrow morning,” you said. 

Jisung’s shoulders sagged in relief and he plopped his body down onto the bed next to you. 

“Thank god.” He gave you a defeated look. “It hasn’t even been a whole day and I’m already exhausted of my family.” 

You liked spending time with the Hans, but you understood Jisung’s sentiment. They weren’t your family, and so you didn’t have to use much social energy or patience with them. But family vacations were familiar events to you. And there was only so much family time a person could take. 

“I know the feeling.” 

“I’m glad I have you with me,” Jisung admitted. “I love them, but I couldn’t spend two months alone with them.” 

“Is that why you picked a school abroad?” you asked, realizing you had never really talked about it with him before. 

“Kind of.” He rolled onto his side to face you. “Felt like it was the only way I could become my own person.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Just that, without being dramatic, it’s a little hard to escape my family’s influence- especially where we live.” 

You were still lost, but your eyes were beginning to feel heavy so you just nodded. 

“Have you ever felt like that?” he asked, voice starting to sound distant.

“I think so…”

It felt like you had just blinked when you opened your eyes again, but the room had turned dark. You couldn’t tell what time it was, but the moon was hanging low in the sky, casting light onto the water beneath it. Jisung was still beside you and he had fallen asleep as well. The sound of his gentle breathing filled the silence. You both had dozed off on top of the bed without any blankets which had caused you to roll yourself into a ball in your sleep. You stretched out, groaning at the stiffness in your muscles, and reached over to the nightstand to check your phone. 

It was well past dinnertime by now, but you knew that you and Jisung needed to eat something. You shook his shoulder gently to wake him.

“Hm?”

“It’s after nine, Ji,” you whispered. “Are you hungry?”

He nodded. “Is anything open?”

“I’m sure we’ll find something. Do you want to ask your brothers if they want to go with us?”

Another nod. 

-

Fifteen minutes later, you and all three of the Han boys were downstairs standing on the street just outside the lobby. No one in your group knew Paris well enough to know where they were going so Jisung just pointed in a direction and shrugged. 

“Did you fall asleep too?” Minho asked as you walked along the sidewalk next to the Seine together. 

Felix and Jisung were a few strides ahead, leading the way in front of you. You could faintly hear them bickering about directions, but were trying to tune them out as best you could. 

“Almost immediately.”

“Me too.”

“I wanted to get out and see some of the city today, but my body had other plans I guess.”

“You’ll see plenty of the city tomorrow,” Minho assured you. “And the next day and the next. Trust me, you’ll be sick of this place by the time we leave.”

“How can anyone get tired of Paris?”

“Once you get over the art and the scenery, you remember all of the colonization and it becomes a lot less special.” 

“Well when you put it that way,” you mumbled under your breath, ignoring the way Minho laughed at you.

“It’s still a cool city. France is just…”

“The worst.”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“How many times have you been?” you asked.     

“To Paris, or France in general?”

“Either.”

“A few.” He said it casually, but you had a feeling he might have been lowballing it. 

You were about to ask him another question when the two of you were interrupted by a man in a black vest with a stack of menus in his hands. 

“Madame, vous et votre petit ami- voudrais-vous manger ici?” 

“Oh, he’s not my boyfriend,” you said instinctively, “uh, but I guess that doesn’t matter. Do you guys want to eat here?”

It was the only restaurant open on the whole block and everyone was hungry so it was an easy decision. You let the man pull you inside with Minho on your heels and Jisung and Felix trailing not too far behind. 

Once all four of you were seated he distributed a handful of English-printed menus before returning to his post outside where he could drag more wandering tourists into the café. 

“Do you want something to drink?” Jisung asked you, flipping the menu over.

“What do they have?”

“Here,” he said and leaned over to show you. “They have a lot of wines, a few domestic beers, oh they have a tequila sunrise-”

Across the table, Minho raised an eyebrow and smirked at you. You averted your gaze immediately, cheeks burning. 

“We can share one,” you suggested meekly.

“Sounds good. What are you guys getting?”

“Beer,” Felix and Minho replied simultaneously. 

Jisung shook his head. “Predictable.”

“What about food?” Felix continued, unphased by his brother’s remark. “All I’m seeing is fondue.”

“It’s a fondue place,” Minho pointed out and turned the menu around to show Felix the title. 

“Thanks, mate, couldn’t have figured it out without you.”

“What does y/n want? She’s the guest.” The three boys turned and looked at you expectantly. “No pressure,” Minho added. 

“Um,” you paused and glanced over to your fake boyfriend. “JIsung knows what I like. And I’m sure he knows what you both like. He can choose.”

You mouthed a sorry to your best friend, but he brushed it off with a smile and nodded. 

“I can do that.”

The food came out almost immediately after it was ordered, as nearly everything was meant to be prepared by the diners, and the drinks followed shortly after. Jisung had ordered a white wine and swiss fondue for the table along with a red wine broth to cook the meat and potatoes in. 

The restaurant was relatively empty. Your party and one other were the only people in the entire place, aside from the servers and the bartender. The man who had pulled you inside was still working the sidewalks underneath the red and white striped awning hanging over the door, but the night was visibly winding down for everyone in the neighborhood. 

Vendors had started folding their sandwich boards and latching their shutters. Every time you looked across the street a couple more lights in windows had gone out. Inside, servers began folding tablecloths and stacking chairs on top of each other, all while encouraging you to take your time eating. But as soon as Felix noticed the first table being cleared all four of you started shoving food into your mouths as fast as possible. It didn’t matter that everything was being doused in scalding hot liquid, you would just have to deal with the first-degree burns later. The time pressure had also caused everyone to attempt to “flash cook” their food- which just meant turning up the intensity on the Sterno and cooking everything for half the recommended time. tom

“We’re not going to get food poisoning, right?” Felix asked as he cut into a piece of what could be classified as maximum rare steak. 

Jisung shrugged. “Probably not.” 

“What do you mean ‘probably not’?”

“How am I supposed to know?”

“You’re the one with a degree in culinary arts!”

“I don’t have a degree yet,” he clarified, correcting his twin. 

“Okay, but you’re studying culinary arts.”

“Yeah, and there’s a reason you’re supposed to cook meat for a specified amount of time so let’s just not think about it.”

Felix pursed his lips, but didn’t say anything else. 

“How’s your sunrise?” Minho asked with a grin. He had stopped eating just to ask you that question. You were half-tempted to stomp on his foot. 

“Good, why?” Jisung answered for you. 

“No reason. Just curious.”

Minho paid the bill without a second thought. He pretended not to hear you when you offered to pick up the tab while Felix and Jisung gave you dirty looks. They even yelled at you when you tried paying for yourself. God forbid you ever tried to get any of them a Christmas present. There was no winning with these boys. 

Jisung held your hand on the walk back to the hotel. His entire body was warm from the alcohol, but his hands were especially warm because they always were. It was one of the little things that made him your favorite person. Whenever you were cold you could just grab one of his hands. Even if you weren’t particularly chilly, the warmth still was still comforting and familiar. Felix wasn’t wrong when he said you and Jisung were always all over each other. You were always holding hands, which is probably part of the reason so many people thought you were dating. 

Your thumb circled the small scar on the back of his hand absentmindedly as you strolled along the river. He’d had it since before you met, but you knew the story. Something about learning how stoves get hot the hard way. 

The walk took a little longer than it should have because you had aimlessly wandered around to find dinner and didn’t keep track of your route, but you picked up on familiar landmarks eventually and used your best judgment to lead the way. You said your goodnights to the boys in the elevator and parted ways in the hallway. 

“I hope you’re ready for tomorrow,” Minho said as he held his keycard up to the sensor on the door next to yours. It sounded more like a warning than anything else. 

You turned back to Jisung. “It won’t be that bad, right?”

He shrugged noncommittally and squeezed your hand. “It’ll be fine.” 

-

“How do I look?” you asked and turned away from the mirror to face Jisung. 

It was the next day, and the sun had barely risen, but everyone was scheduled to be downstairs at 7:00 for the days’ activities. Today was the first day that you were required to wear a matching shirt with the rest of the Hans and while you hadn’t been excited about it, it wasn’t so bad now that you were actually wearing it. 

Jisung’s mom had designed shirts for each leg of the trip, which had taken up a considerable amount of room in your luggage but saved you the hassle of having to pick out an outfit every day. Today’s shirt was a bright red, Nikki’s favorite color, and it had a picture of the Eiffel Tower on the front. On the back, it said ‘HVC’ which apparently stood for Han Family Vacation. The shirt was a little big on you so you had tucked it into your jeans so that it wasn’t completely swallowing your figure. 

Along with your t-shirt and jeans, you were also wearing… Nikes. The tennis shoes and jeans combo really completed the tourist aesthetic, but you were taking comfort in the fact that everyone else would be wearing the same thing too. You’d tied a red bandana into your hair to keep it out of your face which made you look kind of like a Girl Scout, but you already looked like an elementary schooler with your ensemble so you figured you might as well keep it.

“I feel like this is a trick question,” Jisung admitted.

“Wrong answer.”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  “We’re all wearing the same thing, y/n, we’re all going to look stupid.” 

“Yeah, but I still want to look cute!”

“You always look cute.”

You gave him a look. “You know what I mean. I’m supposed to look girly and feminine and put together!” 

“Says who?”

“I just… assumed you would want me to,” you said with a shrug. “I thought you’d want me to be, you know, cutesy and- for your parents?”

“When have I ever been into those kinds of girls?”

You rolled your eyes. “Oh right, I forgot you have a ‘not like other girls’ complex.”

“You know what I meant. I just want you to be yourself.” 

“I don’t think you mean that.”

“Well, the PG version of yourself.”

“Okay, I can do that.”

“You’re already acting like you’re in love with me, I don’t think your talents extend past that.”

“Ouch.”

“I’m just saying, our entire act would fall apart. You’re barely believable as it is now-”

“What part of ouch did you not understand?”

“Sorry.”

You blew out a breath and put your hands on your hips. “Should we go downstairs?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Nikki and Dom were already in the lobby when you and Jisung got down there and Minho and Felix followed shortly after. Everyone looked blindingly bright with their matching shirts on and you were already getting looks from other guests. 

Dom announced that everyone would get breakfast somewhere close by on the way to the sights so that you’d save time. No one was in much of a mood to talk since it was so early, so you just followed Jisung’s family quietly as they made their way out of the hotel together. 

The sun was peeking out from behind the skyline now, casting a soft glow onto the cobblestone streets. The park across from where you were staying was already bustling with the day’s activity. Nearly all of the benches were occupied by people enjoying pastries or coffee. Picnickers were speckled throughout the grassy areas on blankets they had brought from home, some reading books, some playing fetch with their puppies. Others were busy walking their dogs or going for their morning runs. 

Observing everyday life in the places you visited was one of your favorite things about traveling. Inserting yourself into the rhythms and routines of each city, watching small interactions between strangers, something about it made you feel at home even though you were an outsider. 

The feeling crept up on you as you watched a jogger stop to pet a dog, calling it by name and bending down to scratch it behind the ears. Jisung had resorted to pulling you by the hand each time you got distracted, tugging whenever you paused for a second too long so that you wouldn’t lose his family walking ahead of you. 

You thought he must be getting annoyed with how many times he had to remind you to keep moving, but every time he pulled you caught him smiling at you out of the corner of your eye. He’d shake his head in exasperation or make a point of sighing loudly but kept whatever he was thinking to himself. It was weird not to be sharing every little thing you were thinking with each other, but you had the feeling that you’d have to get used to that from now on.

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[hyog-blog]

The Ingenious One

Pretty, but kind of... lackluster? I'm still trying to put my finger on why this drama isn't really working for me, but I guess it's a multitude of factors.

It's visually pleasing, and quite well-made in terms of aesthetics and the overall plot is far from boring - the ML is supposed to be the king of planning and unprecedented backstabbing, and he kind of lives up to his name, but things just don't... click.

Maybe the chemistry is lacking between the ML and FL, or maybe they were just written a bit awkwardly for my taste. The guy just left his sect going for the REVENGE OF HIS LIFE for the deaths of 313 men and women killed in his village for no apparent reason, and a few minutes later he meets this girl and boom... Instant falling in love, heart eyes instead of a steamy revenge that's been supposedly poisoning his heart for more than a decade. Well, you can't really blame the guy after 15 years of abstinence while living as a monk, but still. Priorities?

And you can't really make what the show is about - the drive for revenge is simply not there, nor are the emotions that would make you believe the ML's agenda (it could be the acting or simply that he's written like that). The ML's emotional restoration arc (going from cold and calculative to 'now I actually want people around me to be happy' is also kind of meh...). And it's also what I can say about the main couple - just meh. Watchable, but far from engaging.

On the other hand, there's a plentiful of supporting roles that really stood out and were quite delicious to watch. Su Mingyu, the young master of the silk business empire, is a wuxia fighter wannabee, who, upon getting into an actual fight, having his first kill, and going all bloody, has a strong PTSD afterward, and it's played around beautifully (it was such a realistic touch, I loved it). His love interest, Ke Menglan, a 'slave' girl who works at the gambling house, is smart, considerate, and likes him a lot, but tries to stay away as she's from a super lower class. Their story is endearing and quite romantic.

Jin Biao, a loving and caring assassin who works to support a bunch of homeless kids, is one of the biggest highlights of the show. Along with Mo Bufan, an extravagant banker, who loves money more than anything else, but adores his adopted son even more. He's kind of a friend/mentor to ML, but his reasoning and character are much clearer, hence, you can connect to him more.

Heck, even the bad guys are quite understandable in their agendas, unlike the ML and FL, playing out the old as-the-time itself trope of Romeo and Juliet - two souls from two opposing sects who fall madly in love with each other. This is such a tragedy for a show - it should've been about vengeance, but instead, they put all their money on romance, which couldn't carry it all the way through.

But if you can get past all that - the supporting characters make watching this show worthwhile. The ending is also satisfactory and our boy gets to win over the main antagonist in a smart and cool way, and still get the happy ending he deserved. Which isn't something you can say about many cdramas, really.

All in all, it's a 7/10 for me, the show gave me close to no depth, and you kind of expect that because it's not advertised as something lighthearted, silly, and romantic. I guess now I'm just spoilt by the brilliant plot writing and character development of JOL and expect all directors to treat their viewers like they actually have a brain XD Well, that's just me)))

[daily-kohane-azusawa]

Day 313! Hmm… you know a Kohane goes to Kamiya au would be pretty cool.

Her chance encounter with An would probably still happen and she might even recognize An (depending on which class she’s in) though that would also mean that she wouldn’t have met Minori at all (or any of the girls at Miya girls).

She’d definitely develop an odd admiration of Tsukasa due to how much confidence he has in himself (joining Toya in the “Tsukasa is cool actually” club).

I like the idea of her being in 1-B with Toya and Nene it would be the quiet kids class. Her getting voice lessons from Nene would also be pretty cool (she’d have those on top of practicing with vbs).

[stagefoureddiediaz]

911 and the number 3!

I haven’t had time to rewatch just to find all the 3′s and I know there are lots of other 3’s lurking in season 1-5 (and probably some I’ve missed in season 6), these are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head so if you know of any drop me a message and I’ll update this post. I’m going to add it to my pinned post so it will be easier to find going forward!

Season 2

2x01

Buck hasn’t seen Maddie for 3 years

we see 3 photos of Eddie for his calendar submission

2x09

Hen is one of 3 women to graduate from the fire academy

Season 4

4x05

3 other Evans in Bucks class at ht fire academy

3 years of Daniel being in and out of hospitals

4x14 

3 minutes out from the hospital

Eddie now has technically got 3 gunshot wounds (its 4 if you count the shooting as two separate wounds - front and back but as they are from the same gunshot I’m counting it as 1!)

Season 5

5x06 

Buck calls Eddie 3 times when he run out of the hospital to find him doing compressions on Mitchell

5x08

kids mistakenly thinks he’s in room 318 on the 3rd floor

the room he’s actually is the 3rd one on the left

5x17

Ramon has 3 stents in his arteries and had the surgery 3 years ago!

Then we go to town in season 6 where there are 3′s wherever you look!!

Season 6

There is also the fact that in season 6 all the families in 911 are split into 3’s - Athena Bobby & May, Hen Karen & Denny, Chim Maddie & Jee-Yun, Eddie Buck & Chris, (and Michael David & Harry off screen) and we have been seeing lots of families of 3 on calls.

6x01

girl at stadium has 3 on her shirt

Eddie counts to 3 with the pilot of the blimp

Buck asks to be lowered 3 feet

330 square feet to the cabin on the cruise

3 tries for Buck to get Bobbys lasagne recipe right

3 times the charm for Maddie (3rd time is not the charm) watching a film with Chim

3 girls that may is roomed with

Athena gets to Hens at 3:15

3 shifts that Hen will be covering or Bobby

6x02

3 red flags in the garden

3 tomato plants

the finals Hen takes determine if she gets into her 3rd year

Eddie counts to 3 when they separate Angelo and Ron

Lev dies at 16:43

its ‘almost 3’ when Karen wakes up Hen

6x04

‘on 3’ when they pull the tree off the birdwatcher and then again when getting him on a backboard

3 pictures on the Diaz fridge

unit 313 are chasing the car Chim is in

Buck hasn’t seen Connor in 3 years

the sorority was founded in 1963

6x05

when saving Vincent from the purple foam there are 2 ‘on 3’s’

3 times Maddie accessed the call log shown on screen and all accesses have 3’s in there time stamps

6x06

18 July 1983 was the date Karen knew she wanted to work in space exploration

Karen works on the 3rd floor

63-31 is the vote to repeal DADT

6x07 

Speed demons 3 poster on Felisa’s wall

the web search has a whole bunch of 3s - 3 items found, all 3 bracelets have 3’s in their descriptions

3 chairs on the beach - in Eddies scene with Felisa

Shannon died 3 years ago

the date is the 3rd on Bucks watch when he looks at the time

6x08

get 3 turkey legs - Hen at the Ren Faire

Christophers dance is going to last 3 hours

6x09

fireworks fight boys - 3 of them lost parts or their hands

triple homicide at the murder house! - 3 girls who actually died in a car accident

chim looks at 3 blogs

Josh is ‘pranked’ for 3 days and George had his appendix out 3 years ago

6x10

family of 3 with 3 beach chairs

The Buckley-Hans arrive in 3′s as the Buckleys (Buck Philip and Margaret) and the Han’s (Albert and Mr and Mrs Han) and then there is Maddie, Chim and Jee-Yun

3 minutes until the baby is brain dead

oct 3 on poster on Denny’s wall

3 red belts (on Chim, Eddie and Buck)

Buck is hanging for 3 minutes

3 minutes out from the hospital

there is also the more general one of Chis having nearly lost a parent 3 times (Eddie twice and now Buck) - not including Shannon as Chris actually did lose her!