#had to pull 2 all nighters with like 1 5 hour nap in between I think I’ve been awake for 30 hours. my head hurts so bad

[francy-sketches]

I finished my stupid fucking final project at the last possible minute I never have to touch that thing again

[eveningstar1516]

Rise of the Demon King ~ Chapter 2

Rise of the Demon King

Fic: Multi Chapter Paring: MC x Everyone (Mostly Lucifer) Type: Angst with a Happy Ending Total Word Count: 26,758 TW: Major Character Death, Reader gets stabbed with a sword through their chest so..., Abusive Parents, Past Child Abuse, Demon Hunters, Loss of Control Summary: You’ve done it. You’ve finally done it. You’ve managed to anger the demon king. Now you hold your head high as he hands down your sentence.

AO3 Portal: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27065362

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Previously:

“Alright. Sorry, Solomon, I’ll see you tonight right?”

“Of course. See you tonight.”

With that, he said his goodbyes to both Barbatos and I, then left. I took a deep breath and followed Barb into the palace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 2 - Meeting the King (1,626 words)

“Barb?”

“Yes?”

“Why does the king want to see me?”

“Honestly I’m not sure..”

“Umm, what’s he like? I’m a little scared of meeting him.”

Barbatos turns to me cupping my cheek gently as if to reassure me.

“Honestly, he looks scarier than he really is. You don’t have any reason to be nervous. He may not be like Lord Diavolo but all he requires is for you to be respectful. I have the utmost confidence that you will be just fine. It’s not just you by yourself either, the brothers, as well as my Lord and I, will also be present.”

“Thank you Barb” I gently leaned into his hand cupping it with my own.

“As long as the rest of you are with me, I’ll be fine.” A small smile formed on my face as he let go and continued walking. We stopped in front of the west sitting room. After knocking twice Barbatos let us in. The king sat on a raised dais. Diavolo was kneeling on a cushion to his right. Lucifer was on his right with the brothers sitting in accordance to their rank with a spot free in the center. Not really knowing what to do, I decided to bow from the waist and address the king.

“Your Highness”

“Sit”

“Thank you your Highness” I walked over and knelt down mimicking the brothers' postures best I could with my gaze respectfully lowered as the king began speaking.

“Y/N, correct?”

“Yes my king.”

“I have heard a great deal about you from both my son and his Lords. Tell me Y/N, what makes you, a human with little talent for magic so special?”

Taking a breath, I thought about it for a little. Thought about how the brothers were when we first met. How overtime each one of them started to warm up to me. I thought about Mammon and the schemes we pulled off together. The all-nighters Levi and I would pull when he found a new game or anime to binge. The countless hours I would spend reading with Satan and the book talks we had afterwards. The spa days I’d have with Asmo. The number of times I’d try to stop Beel from raiding the fridge only to join him instead. The strange places I’d find Belphie napping and trying to get him to move, only to end up being pulled down and start napping alongside him. The endless genuinely terrible but always-proved-to-be-a-fun-time ideas I humoured Dia with. The times where Barb would make time to teach me how to make different Devildom desserts. How Lu started out being so cold. Only caring about me because I was Diavolo’s exchange student. Now though, he learned to accept me into his family. The late-night talks we had in his study, watching the fire and talking about everything and nothing. Our time to unwind. Away from his brothers. Away from Diavolo’s crazy ideas. Away from our responsibilities. Just Lucifer the demon and me, Y/N, the human who managed to wind their way into the hearts of 9 of the most powerful demons in the Devildom. Meeting the eyes of each of the demons in the room, I turned to the king.

“I’m not. I’m not special because of any abilities that I may have, or how strong I am as the weaker species. I’m nothing more than a human who was thrust into the world of demons, over time connecting with them and accepting them as the demons they are. As a family I never had and over time, they accepted me as well. Not as a weak human, but as the human that accepted them not for their status or power but for their personalities and love for each other. I’m not special, I just accepted them for who they are, flaws and all.” After I finished speaking I looked at each of the brothers noticing that some of them had tears in their eyes. Asmo who was seated next to me threw his arms around my shoulders in a hug. Dia looked so happy I thought he’d jump up and hug me at any moment, and Barb had the most genuine smile I’ve ever seen on him. I then turned back to the king.

“It seems you’ve made quite the impact here during your short time in the Devildom. I can’t say I approve of my strongest demons turning soft for a human, although it seems I can’t do much about that seeing as how you are pacted with 7 of them correct?” The king questioned with a hard look in his eyes.

“Y-yes that is true. I have made pacts with the 7 brothers.” I replied tentatively. At once, the atmosphere in the room seemed to change. The temperature dropped and the king was emitting a very strong aura. Had I not been used to Lucifers or Diavolo's aura’s whenever they would get upset I might have fainted from the king’s. Instead, I just felt a cold shiver and the gravity alter ever so slightly. Looking at the brothers, I realized they all had a look between fear and dread for what might happen next.

“Tell me Y/N, why should I allow you, a mere human to hold such power over 7 of my most powerful demons?”

“Father, there is no need for this. Those pacts were made with the consent of the brothers. They weren’t forced into them and Y/N has never abused them. They serve as protection for them and the symbol of a deep bond between them and the brothers. There isn’t a reason to -”

“Silence Diavolo. I have humoured you by allowing this program of yours. However, we are still demons. It doesn’t matter how things are now, humans have no place here nor do they have a right to hold this much power over this many powerful individuals. It doesn’t matter to me how close this human is to you or the Lords. In my eyes, the power they have pose a threat to the crown and the Devildom. I did not raise you to be soft hearted to something so weak!”

My face paled and I started feeling lightheaded at the implications of the king's words. Diavolo visibly winced at those words. Asmo held onto my hand a little tighter and before the king could continue, Mammon spoke up with a look of disdain on his face.

“With all due respect your Highness, none of that is true! Y/N may just be a human but that doesn’t mean they're a threat!” Lucifer immediately interjected, reeling Mammon in trying to save his brother before he dug the hole even deeper.

“My apologies your Highness. Mammon can get quite protective over Y/N. I assure you he won’t speak out of turn again.” The king narrowed his eyes at Lucifer then Mammon as if he was debating whether or whether not to punish them both here and now. Eventually, he turned back to me.

“Your pacts with the brothers will be dissolved and you will not be allowed back into the Devildom. I am showing you mercy and allowing you to keep one pact as the brothers have claimed your soul and they are entitled to at least that much. Be grateful that I’m allowing you to leave with your life at all.” He stared right through me as he said those words watching my expression change with his words. It’s as if a switch got flipped and every brother lost it while Diavolo and Barbatos looked at the scene then each other in what can only be described as impending horror.

“ABSOLUTELY NOT!”

“YOU CAN’T DO THAT!”

“WE MADE THOSE PACTS, YOU CAN’T TAKE THEM AWAY!”

“THEY CAN’T LEAVE!”

“NO WAY!”

Each of the brothers save for Lucifer who’s also looking at the scene in shock started yelling out trying to protect me.

“My Liege, the bonds we made with Y/N were our choice and we trust them with it. They have helped all of us time and time again. We cannot ju-”

“Enough” I activated my pacts and silenced him and the rest of the brothers with a whisper. I looked directly into the king's eyes.

“I won’t be dissolving my pacts. They were forged out of love and loyalty. I will not let them go unless they do first. They may be your Lords but they are my family. I will not be leaving them nor will I choose one over the rest. These bonds are our choice and not once have I ever abused them. It is as Lord Diavolo said, they represent the deep bonds I have made with each of them and no one can get rid of them!” I stared at the king with the most hardened gaze I could muster as I protected the brothers. “They are my family and you can not separate us!”

“Y/N…” Asmo said in disbelief as he wrapped his arms around me burying his face into my neck as the rest of the brothers slowly made their way over to me.

“Y/N is right. They became a part of our family. The pacts symbolize our deep bonds, ones that we will never break.” Satan said calmly though anyone who knew him would know he was anything but. The king smiled though it was anything but comforting as he slowly stood. Diavolo and Barbatos slowly backed up in shock.

“It seems you 7 forgot that you don’t dictate what goes on here. You are but a guest to the Devildom and the Sins, my subjects. MAKE NO MISTAKE! I AM YOUR KING AND YOU LOT ARE NOTHING!”

[taekooktimeline]

June 2 & 3, 2020 (filmed) - Soop Episode 8 -

That night it was Tae’s and Joon’s turn to cook. Shortly after they began, Jk made his way to the upper house in case they needed help. It was a common scene to see Jk in the kitchen during their stay, whether he was called upon or joined voluntarily - this occasion being the latter.

The first thing he asks is about how well they were handling themselves in the kitchen.

He continues by making a snarky / teasing comment as he lightly chuckles, jokingly. He’s alluding to the fact that both Tae and Joon are inexperienced cooks. He first looks at Joon and his pasta.

He then moves to observe Tae and changes to a supportive tone, letting him know he’ll happily eat it no matter what the results are. He’s being realistic but telling him to not be afraid to make mistakes.

Jk reassures him by saying one can’t mess up meat - it’ll always taste good.

Tae let’s his insecurities afloat by saying he would never cook again if he messed up such a delicious steak that was so difficult to botch. Jk was well aware of Tae’s lack of confidence when it comes to cooking & that was his way of encouraging him.

Since there is nothing to help them with, Jk silently watches his phone and stays close, waiting to see if he was needed. This precise scenario is actually unfamiliar - at least to Soop viewers.

Jk let’s out a couple more compliments about Tae’s meat before leaving to take a nap. He must not be too interested in the aglio e olio spaghetti since it’s a blander dish by nature.

Later on Jk literally held onto his bed as Hobi woke him up, but once on his feet he checked his phone and then began to run towards the kitchen as he tried to keep on reading his messages. He was apparently eager to eat steak because it appeals to his taste buds, which makes sense. “I really want to eat steak,” he sings.

He stops running to finish reading his messages before entering the kitchen.

Heavy speculation: Turns out Tae needed assistance and couldn’t leave the meat alone. Joon had left him around 5-10 minutes ago, depending on how long Hobi had to insist to Jk to wake up. Could or could not be related to Jk running while checking his phone as there is no way to know. Decide as you wish.

Hobi goes for paper towels while Jk asks what he could do to help - something he has done with other members as well. Tae says he only needed paper towels and plates.

Tae then expresses concerns about his cooking, seemingly having some trouble.

Jk stays as his cooking assistant from that moment onwards - a role he excels at. He first finds paper towels inside the kitchen and stays right by his side -

Then Tae asks him for some help with the seasoning. They cook in harmony -

Jk is the most wanted -

Full cooking scene:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LidgpCh7yKntT0_1VcUq-GhNKS4Wj-eN/view?usp=drivesdk

Later that night, Hobi and Jk spot Tae just as he started lighting fireworks so they make their way to him.

Jk quickly joins Tae, who hands him a firecracker, while Hobi asks about other members.

Taekook are too entertained to worry about the others whereabouts.

They pass the lighter between the two, heavily involved in the bonding activity. “When else will we ever get this opportunity?” they later said.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n2_p1Qd4wUt3qtwWjoatGchl9GWk_fD3/view?usp=drivesdk

Jimin joins them too and all four enjoy the spectacle.

Taekook are the only ones setting the fireworks off. They must be the most excited and daring, taking into account Hobi was pretty scared of getting near.

Tae lights three at once - quite courageously - and runs off. Hobi about Tae: “He’s so eager”.

Hobi and Jk dance in front of the sparks which Tae vocaly marvels about. They are surely having fun together.

Tae prompts Jk to do the same as him and light three at once - scary to do as it’s time sensitive, but with beautiful results. He tried to listen but ran off at 2. This is faintly reminiscent of “we always got scolded together, even back then”.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mUkfEzN38QYCXD1TrqV-ATBDD3_e4OSK/view?usp=drivesdk

June 3 (filmed) - Tae wakens Jk to watch the sunrise, which they later mention. He is seen leaving the floating house a little after the first rays of light start illuminating the sky. *There is debate about whether Tae spent the night in Jk’s room or not, but we think the footage is inconclusive. It doesn’t contradict the official story but it’s also compatible with Tae staying over so decide as you wish. Some think Tae must have stayed over because he wasn’t shown entering the room, but remember this was a 1 or 2 hour long sped-up timelapse with many missing frames (many cuts). It was only luck that a single frame of Tae exiting made it into the final footage. The frame can't be seen in the weverse app due to differences in resolution, compression and frame rate compared to weverse’s desktop version (which is where the illegal uploads came from) as a professional explained to us. We checked the official desktop version and Tae’s frame is still there meaning BH didn’t try to hide it. In layman’s terms - there is no conspiracy from BH to backtrack and omit Tae leaving the boathouse. In order to modify Tae out BH would have to reupload the one file, meaning those viewing via Weverse on a desktop computer would also not see Tae. Only one file is processed and encoded to work across as many devices as possible. This means different versions of the same video in different formats with different compressions - but all derived from the one upload (according to the below cited individual who works in tech). Disclaimer: this individual works in tech and had discussions with her partner, who is also in tech. Please fact check. 

Additionally, not turning on the light is respectful since Jk wasn’t obligated to get up. As previously said, anything is possible in this case (as far as if Tae stayed over / when he arrived at the boathouse).

https://twitter.com/tkgkurm/status/1316082109253996544?s=21 or https://twitter.com/borahaestreet/status/1316137683958329347?s=21 or https://www.instagram.com/p/CGS8Ub3IovM/?igshid=6ibd8ghe4ens 

The next we see is Tae walking with his selfie camera to Jk to watch the sunrise together. It seems like he was coming back from the main house.

Adorable, sleepy Hobi joins them. Tae says “you did it!” which implies it had been taken into consideration. The gathering might have been talked about the previous night or it could have been spontaneous where Tae woke him up without a warning and hoped he’d make it out of bed. Both Tae and Jungkook happily greet him.

https://twitter.com/flirtaeguk/status/1315991107562401792?s=21 

Jk is also sleepy and keeps yawning alongside Hobi, unlike Tae who is very much awake. They both made an effort to accompany him. Jk yawning -

Hobi yawning -

He asks Jk if he pulled an all-nighter.

Jk denies and explains Tae woke him up. *Personal opinion: Sara is inclined to think Tae was the one to pull an all-nighter while he hung out in Jimin’s room judging by his state of alertness (I’m used to doing it and they are too) and how there’s footage of vmin in Jimin’s bed from earlier that night. It’s not easy for Tae to wake up early. Anyhow, it’s not impossible he later hung out in Jk’s room. Regardless of what happened Tae chose & dared to get these two out of bed at such ungodly hours just because he thought the scenery was nice - lacking apprehension - which means he feels very comfortable with them.

Tae disappears and Jk immediately wonders where he went.

*Just for fun - the editors added an adorable caption for Tae canoeing:

Jk giggles when Tae reappears and asks him if he’s having fun - happy to see Tae enjoy himself.

He then compliments his rowing skills.

This causes Hobi to also comment. Jk agrees with an “exactly”.

Jk adds onto it pointing out more details about Tae’s good technique.

More of Jk yawning -

Jk films Tae with his selfie camera. At the start, he says “V” in a deep, playful voice - presenting him to the public (note the subtitle in the below pic - the English subtitle didn’t show “V” when Jk says it but it’s written in the Korean subtitle next to Tae).

When Tae softly asks them what they think of the scenery - looking directly at Jk - the younger sweetly replies with the following -

the original Korean text notes “GCF” (making reference to Jk’s filming skills):

https://twitter.com/borahaestreet/status/1316019584776826883?s=21

and https://twitter.com/flirtaeguk/status/1315996054337150978?s=21

and https://twitter.com/taekook1206/status/1316223828985487361?s=21

; Full sunrise clip:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18uvnNmmboRHRaITTpa98ZKfpCO48abiZ/view?usp=drivesdk

Later on - it seems the members went back to bed after watching the sunrise. Tae wakes up at 12pm and is surprised he slept so little.

He then walks from the main house to the floating house, where Jk is staying.

He doesn’t bother changing out of his PJs as he makes his way to the floating house.

It’s uncertain whether he checks his breath or simply rubs his face as he walks there.

We find out he is, indeed, coming to visit Jungkook.

Speculation - There is debate if Tae locked the door when he entered. Decide as you like.

Personal stances: Sara is basically sure that Tae didn’t lock comparing it to the distinctively different & loud sound it made when Jk locked the door while playing with Jimin (Ep 7 behind the scenes, Jk locking the door: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1729xJUd1fvff5MozK0J7meAj4tZEOZ0w/view?usp=drivesdk ; Hobi closing the door without locking which generates the same “clicking” sound as in Tae’s occasion: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ITikRqRtKYJjVEjCxrF3t42UBu1IcuB6/view?usp=drivesdk) combined with the unlikely context, while Kayla thinks it’s possible (since we don’t see what they are up to for those two hours - maybe Tae unlocks it at some point (not saying they were up to anything but maybe just wanted privacy) + three non BTS listeners seemed certain they heard the door lock when shown the zoomed in clip without context - who Tae is, what room he’s in, etc … but who knows). As we stated above, it’s debatable so please decide as you wish. 

Tae closing Jk’s door -

https://twitter.com/taetae_pteryong/status/1313898743939305472?s=21

It turns out Tae preferred to keep on resting with Jk rather than alone in his own bed, even if he had to go on a little walk. He throws his cap off and leans over Jk, his face close. 

Note Jk’s raised arm as he slowly turns to have an idea of their positions.

Here Jk’s tattooed arm is blurred next to Tae’s head - Jk still facing upwards.

Tae says “move over” while Jk sleepily groans in protest.

Jk groggily rolls to his side, an act that conveniently gives Tae the space he was searching for & that prompts him to climb over to be the “big spoon” in the cuddle. His foot skims over Jk’s as he latches a leg and arm around him.

some close ups of Tae positioning himself (mostly for their feet since it’s quite intimate) -

https://twitter.com/recorder331/status/1313910423075266566?s=21

  In a sweet moment that indicates closeness, Tae tries to pull the blanket up on him so he can be closer and warmer as he cuddles.

Jungkook appears to pull Tae’s arm closer - although it’s unclear. We have differing opinions. Decide as you wish.

https://twitter.com/loveforvguk/status/1314153041659125760?s=21 

Tae then playfully boops his leg against JK. He may have wanted him to wake up after all but stay in bed, calmly laying together for a while - although they both ended up feeling too cozy.

Full clip:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15UX3WLZ9jrNjHY5kNo876VQcLUc4-Ux6/view?usp=drivesdk

Hobi heads their way apparently two whole hours later with the intention of waking Jk up. The below images confirm the approximate timeframe.

Hobi says he’ll go wake Jungkook up, seemingly unaware that Tae had joined him in bed.

Once he gets there he first calls for Jk, pauses and also calls for Tae in a higher, slightly surprised tone. Goes to show it was unexpected for him.

Hobi is insistent, they have to eat and leave the cottage soon.

Jk stretches and gets up relatively quickly - although looks sleepy. Taking into account the cut, it must have been a couple of minutes since Hobi entered.

Hobi looks on and doesn’t leave until they get up. He had to make sure. This may be strongly subjective but he seems to have a somewhat wary demeanor, looking at them as if he was studying the situation.

Tae suddenly sprints out of bed.

Note Hobi’s face -

He pauses at the door for a bit before reminding them to hurry up. He might think they are capable of going back to sleep and miss lunch. Maybe that’s the only reason he looks faintly concerned, but that’s up for interpretation.

Publicly debated topic - There was a clear cut between Hobi entering the room and when he talks to Taekook, finally getting them out of bed. ARMY pointed out that the door was left more closed after Hobi entered, but when we see him again - after the cut - it’s wide open meaning someone crossed it in the meantime, which makes people wonder. Jk’s feet also change position which means there was substantial movement. This has led some to believe that Taekook were cuddling quite intimately and the cut was made to hide it. 

Skeptical stance: Please keep in mind all content is edited, with cuts, and we don’t necessarily believe this is a big deal. It’s just being noted since it was a widely discussed topic. 

Observations(both anticlimactic & open): Contrary to popular belief, Hobi did knock on Jk’s door in ep 7 when he was alone. The cut could’ve just been made to shorten the moment since TK didn’t want to get up. Maybe Hobi went back towards the door after getting a response from them, opened it, hesitated & decided to make sure they got up. Judging by their feet, Tae was already on his back before the cut - same as Jk who was even starting to turn towards the wall. Seeing that their positions weren’t compromising prior to the cut and that Tk were shown cuddling just moments before without a problem, I don’t think BH tried to hide anything with this specific cut. You can decide as you wish. Nevertheless, I think them cuddling before Hobi entered was very possible which is explained below. 

Door looks more closed -

As you see, prior to Hobi’s entrance it is indeed possible that Jk was hugging Tae if you observe his legs and how he starts to turn the other way around. His left knee is lifted and folded which would be the one folding over Tae (in the speculative case) while the other leg was straightened. Why the need to move right when Hobi enters? Also, in this action one of his legs is left without a blanket to cover him which could indicate he was closer to Tae just seconds before.

However - still prior to the cut - Jk had already turned towards the wall with both his knees facing that way, therefore, there was nothing to hide anymore - if there ever was.

Tae was also on his back if you look at his right foot’s toe facing the door (the foot with exclamation points is Jk’s facing the wall).

In the next scene, the door is wide open and Jk’s position has changed further - rolling more on his side, straightening his legs and fully covering them with the blanket (except his foot).

https://twitter.com/_k91230v_/status/1314470859361247232?s=21

or may view footage of this in Korean here -

https://twitter.com/hellotae_vv/status/1314213325505400832?s=21

; Full clip:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AVMFqki3PWhCcXlN-rKrEGloODWk9l95/view?usp=drivesdk

Taekook sit next to each other as they eat - possibly the last two to join. They grow impatient when they finish eating and get up. First it’s Jk and then Tae follows suit, surrounding the table to go where he is.

It seems like they cross a few words - although not heard - and for some reason Jk hands his phone over to Tae. We’ve noticed the editors can alter the volume of their mics as Jimin is heard muffled at some point during this scene.

Members urge the duo to sit down so they can say thank you.

Taekook then can be seen walking together towards the main house, but choose to engage in different activities.

Full lunch + tk walking:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qLT2eoYEy_HI8CIbv7Iti-C29io1wZ92/view?usp=drivesdk

While Jk quietly carved wood -

Tae searched for playmates for a water balloon fight - clearly still playful unlike what they tried to portray in ep 6. Tae is certainly calmer compared to his younger self, but he still likes to joke around. The pandemic affected his mood and this was a time for healing, but his core personality didn’t drastically change and it was a recent situation. In late 2019 (around early November) Tae said these words: “They say I’m restless, but that’s who I am. I think that’s why they gave me that nickname. I don’t think my personality will change no matter how much time passes or how old I get. I’d like to be considered a playful person to everyone”. As we said, we reiterate they must have used Tae’s recent mood as the perfect excuse to naturally justify the separation strategy they had been using to pretend they drifted apart these last years.

 Back in Seoul, BTS visit the studio to record the theme song for Soop. Even though there is an empty chair, when Tae comes back from recording his part, he proceeds to sit on Jk’s lap, who doesn’t protest. This is what Tae saw as he was entering the room -

He walked past Jk playfully smothering Hobi to leave the paper -

And turned around to look directly at them.

He hesitated for a second - standing still in front of them without looking around - and went for it, claiming his seat on top of Jk.

Jk was smiling, maybe about Tae or maybe about the silly singing he was participating in along other members. Regardless, he was in a good mood & unbothered.

Tae let himself fall flat against Jk, completely relaxed.

Jk started to feel a bit asphyxiated after a while so he gently incorporated himself, making Tae sit straight but with no intention of pushing him off.

Tae stays there for a considerable amount of time, both comfortable and smiling whenever something funny happened.

Note that the members seemed to play a sort of musical chairs. When a member returned from singing, he would take the seat of the person who got up to go record. Therefore, the argument that Tae avoided the seat for Joon isn’t very credible. No one else sits on a lap and no one else had an issue finding a seat when he wanted. (Tae sitting on Jk’s lap: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14UhAYnWI4YWrMNoK3wa69m_tod-X7c9m/view?usp=drivesdk) 

When all go in but Yoongi, Joon suggests the members sing in a breathy tone, to which Tae says it’s his speciality.

However, Vmin then show solidarity in hyping Jk’s voice. Right after they agree to an airy tone for the chorus, both Jk and Jimin start softly singing to themselves, but Tae doesn’t hesitate when he suddenly turns to Jk and grabs him by the arm to pull him to the center. As Tae is doing this action, Jimin asks the rhetorical question “isn’t he the best at it?”

Tae has a precious grin adorning his features -

Tae affirms Jk is the best at capturing the breathy tone BTS is striving for as he leads him to the center of the group. The younger shows modesty by questioning their decision as he says “why? why?”.

Notice Tae’s arm still pulling him -

Tae then gestures to the mic, insisting.

He briefly gives Jk’s arm an encouraging pat / light grab as he says again Jk should sing in the center.

Jimin agrees and says Jk is the chorus.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RqnHIjmLPjzxsBKaXbJEkbbiYZT7XQmK/view?usp=drivesdk 

Towards the end of the recording session, Tae goes in to record a solo soulful piece (Jk follows after). When Tae begins, Yoongi and Jimin immediately turn to Jk and start laughing loudly, with Yoongi clapping as he laughs (other members also laugh). Jk grins.

Speculative stance: Yoonmin may have turned to Jk because it was expected he’d go in after Tae and “duel” as Yoongi later says. Perhaps they turn to him to gauge his reaction at following in recording his soulful take after Tae. 

Jk introduces Tae with a “Here goes V” - raising expectations.

Yoonmin look at Jk as they laugh -

Members really want Jk to record the ad-libs he was doing while sited. They call it a “war” and an “ad-lib battle” (keep in mind neither Tae nor Jk uttered those words).

Once Jk is done and gave them all good laughs, Joon asks him to go back in to do a final ad-lib. Mirroring his prior actions, Tae excitedly hunches forward to get him off his chair and into the studio, very much looking forward to more of Jk’s hilariously soulful singing.

TK ad-lib battle:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x1JYtCG-bwBD6WZWwUQ2WaLpi7gw2-CG/view?usp=drivesdk

[shijiujun]

when the lights turn low

5 times Lu Yao is the smaller spoon, despite Chusheng being the shorter one 

===

5

The first time they share a bed together, it’s Chusheng who cleans him up with a cloth while he lays there bonelessly on his expensive silk sheets (a gift from Chusheng, now that he thinks about it). Lu Yao is marvelously exhausted and the satisfaction has his four limbs limp.

Inspector Qiao delivered way more than he promised when he said he would make sure Lu Yao couldn’t walk the next day — Lu Yao doesn’t think he’ll be moving for the next three days, much less be up on his feet and walking tomorrow.

Letting Chusheng take care of him just as he always does, Lu Yao is barely clinging onto consciousness. In the haze of drowsiness, he makes a soft noise, one hand reaching out from under the covers and flopping over them instead. His fingers make grabby motions, curling over the smooth material.

He hears Chusheng’s chuckle without seeing the man, and the next thing he registers is the bed dipping on his right side, before a warm body presses up against his. Instinctively, Lu Yao turns over and buries his face right in the juncture between Chusheng’s neck and shoulder, inching his way closer until he’s curled up almost entirely on Chusheng.

This time he feels the man’s laughs reverberating against his own.

“I can’t breathe if you want to sleep like this,” Chusheng murmurs low in his ear, but he makes no move to dislodge the detective. “You do know you’re taller than I am, right?”

“Hnn,” Lu Yao mumbles. “I like this.”

Bare skin against bare skin, and Chusheng’s body emits so much heat that Lu Yao is comfortably warm.

4

“You’re running a fever, stay still!” Lu Yao chides, his eyes wide as he looks accusingly at Chusheng.

The doctor said at least two days of bedrest and here the inspector is, trying to get out of bed and leave to go to work. Lu Yao has known Chusheng for a total of… almost eight months now, and he has never seen Chusheng less than fit and healthy.

The very image of Chusheng’s messy hair and his gray, sick pallor has Lu Yao worrying. Even You Ning mentioned earlier that she’s never seen her brother down with more than a sniffle in the years they lived in the same house.

Chusheng shakes his head, coughing once and sniffing, “There’s the Liu Hai case, I can’t just take a sick day off.”

“You- You’re about to fall on your face,” Lu Yao points out, feeling like a nagging mother at this point. “Just stay in bed, I’ll handle the case with Ah Dou and Salim.”

When Chusheng still tries to push himself to his feet, Lu Yao moves forward and forces him to lie back down, arranging the man until all his limbs and the tips of his shoulders are buried under the blankets again. It’s a testament to how unwell the man feels because Lu Yao easily manages to move him.

“Be good,” Lu Yao says, trying the gentle approach and hoping it works. “Stay put. You Ning will come by later and check up on you. I’ve already made chicken porridge for lunch, and look, I’ll be able to concentrate better if I’m not worrying about you at the station, don’t you think? I promise I’ll solve it before dinner and come back.”

Chusheng peers at him blearily, and snorts, “Of course you will.”

“I will!” Lu Yao insists. “I’ll- I’ll pay for my own baguettes next month if I don’t.”

When Chusheng only smiles at him, Lu Yao repeats, “Promise me you’ll stay put!”

The man makes a noise of resigned assent.

Hours later, Lu Yao does return after having solved the case as he promised, but he’s a few hours later than expected after the culprit put up some resistance at arrest. When he gets home, You Ning has already left, leaving a note for him on the dining table telling him that Chusheng has already eaten dinner and gone to bed.

Lu Yao quickly showers before going to bed, and seeing Chusheng asleep in bed on his side, he simply climbs in behind him, until Chusheng’s back is molded right against his chest. His hands go to Chusheng’s forehead, testing if the fever has broken yet.

Chusheng stirs at the movement, blinking awake.

“Everything okay with the case?” he asks, voice hoarse.

“Of course,” Lu Yao exclaims, pretending to be offended that his boyfriend thought otherwise.

Chusheng pats at the hand snaked around his waist, and together they fall back into slumber.

The next morning, however, Lu Yao wakes to a warm furnace at his back and arms hugging him tight. Exhales from the man behind him tickles at the hair behind his ear.

Lu Yao smiles, and goes back to sleep.

3

It’s very, very rare to see Inspector Qiao asleep in his office like this, Lu Yao thinks.

Before they moved in together, it was Lu Yao who was found on Chusheng’s office couch in the morning after a night escaping from You Ning or if there was a major case which required him to pull several all-nighters at the station.

This was another huge case, and they’ve been working on it non-stop for three days. Lu Yao left this morning to question another suspect with You Ning, and on the way back, stopped by the breakfast stall two streets away from the station to get food for them.

With Chusheng’s wallet in hand, Lu Yao decided on the spot to get breakfast for everyone at the station as well. He passed them off to Ah Dou at the door before sneaking back inside the office, ready to ask for a reward for being so considerate, when he saw the sight before him.

Chusheng, napping on his couch, looking as unkempt as Lu Yao has ever seen him.

It takes him all but two seconds to make a decision. Lu Yao opens the door and tells Salim, who’s standing guard outside, to not disturb them for the next hour. Salim looks entirely baffled, and a little suspicious, but nods anyway with a quiet ‘yes sir’.

Locking the door behind him, Lu Yao heads over to the couch and puts the food away, before wriggling his way onto the couch.

“… San Tu?” Chusheng’s confused voice rumbles behind him.

“I’m tired, let me nap for half an hour,” Lu Yao sighs, grabbing for Chusheng’s other arm that he’s not using as a pillow and dragging it over his waist so he’s nicely covered.

There’s a moment of tensed silence as Chusheng processes the situation in front of him. When it finally sinks in, Chusheng relaxes and adjusts them both so Lu Yao doesn’t cut off the blood circulation in his left arm, letting him pillow his head at his shoulder instead.

Chusheng’s three-day old stubble scratches at the tip of his ears and as Lu Yao drifts off, he wonders if Chusheng would let him shave it off later.

2

He knows he’s in trouble the moment he opens his eyes, his eyelids unusually heavy.

“San Tu?” a hand in his squeezes, and then a familiar face comes into his line of vision, “San Tu? Can you hear me?”

Then, “You Ning, go and get the doctor-“

The doctor? Why would he need a doctor-

Ah, that’s right, he’s been shot. Again.

As his memories right themselves in his mind, Lu Yao remembers seeing a gun aimed for Chusheng and You Ning during an ambush, and running straight for them. This time, the bullet wasn’t filled with sedatives. It was a real bullet, and it struck his chest. Funnily enough, Lu Yao has imagined that scene a million times in his head, and every single time he thought he would run away, or be too petrified to do anything.

He remembers coughing up blood as both Chusheng and You Ning tried to keep him awake and staunch the blood flow, and nothing much after that.

Raising his eyes from where he is looking at the doctor to Chusheng, who’s standing at the side against hospital protocol and looking at him intently, Lu Yao croaks, “You look like shit.”

“I should bring a mirror,” Chusheng replies, a small smile tugging at his lips.

When the doctors are done with their checkup and they’re finally left alone again, Lu Yao sees You Ning fast asleep on the couch in the corner. With Lu Yao’s impeccable memory, he knows that the siblings are wearing what they wore the night of the ambush.

“How long was I out for?”

“Two days,” Chusheng answers, his face ashen as he sits down on the bed carefully. “San Tu.”

Lu Yao knows him better than he knows himself sometimes, and right now, he knows what Chusheng is trying to say.

“I’m sorry, you must’ve been worried,” he musters a reassuring smile, though by the way Chusheng tenses, it must have had the opposite effect, “You’re both okay?”

Chusheng leans down and kisses Lu Yao’s forehead.

“You scared me, San Tu. I thought…”

They listen to each other breathe for a while, making sure the other is alive and well. Not so well in Lu Yao’s case, but he’s alive, that’s what matters.

Lu Yao tugs at Chusheng’s arm, and says, “Lie down with me. I don’t think you’ve slept much these two days.”

Chusheng doesn’t protest, and mindful of Lu Yao’s position and wound, he climbs in behind the taller man. Once Lu Yao has Chusheng right behind him, he sighs in satisfaction.

“Don’t leave me,” Chusheng says into ear, before pressing more light kisses there and at his neck.

“How could I?” Lu Yao huffs in amusement, just before sinking back into unconsciousness. “You’re stuck with me for life.”

1

Before they got together, Chusheng had seen Lu Yao asleep plenty of times and woken him up in varying, creative ways the same number of times. Lu Yao slept either ramrod straight on his back or curled up in a ball on his side, but he was largely unmoving and kept to the left side of the bed even if he had the whole space to himself.

It was only after sleeping with him for the first time that Chusheng realized how wrong he was. Unmoving was not a word that should be any sentence that has ‘Lu Yao’ in it.

Lu Yao, despite his tall height and long limbs, is the small spoon.

Chusheng loves the feeling of having Lu Yao that close, as if he’s relying on Chusheng alone to protect him from the rest of the world, and it’s a feeling he wants to have for as long as he lives. If Chusheng isn’t hugging or holding him at his back, the man will toss and turn in sleep, fidgeting about until he’s right where he wants to be.

He wakes up to Lu Yao’s hair in his nose more often than not these days, but it gives him easy access to the man’s ears and neck, and it makes for some interesting mornings.

San Tu is reading a book lying against his chest in bed, and Chusheng isn’t particularly doing anything but watching his San Tu, caressing at his hands occasionally.

So many years together, and they’ve been having more quiet nights in like these.

Suddenly, Lu Yao leans over him and sets his book and reading glasses on the night stand, at the same time switching the lamp off.

“You’re not reading anymore?”

“You’re falling sleep,” Lu Yao says, turning over to snuggle into Chusheng’s hold more comfortably, “I can read tomorrow.”

Warmth blooms in his chest as he’s reminded that Lu Yao, his San Tu, loves him too. They’ve been together for so long but it’s nice to see little reminders like these sometimes.

It makes him think he would like to stay just like this, Lu Yao’s weight in his arms, for the rest of their lives.

[oikawas-bae]

OHMYGOD I need a part two for Target with Akaashi!! It’s so beautiful and I need to know please? Like does he confess? Do they start dating? Does Bokuto suspect something!? Does she(?) like him back?! I NEED ANSWERS PLEASE 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Here’s the part 2! Ahah thank you for literally being my #1 hype man/woman/person since I started this blog like a week ago!! I’m really feeling the love :,) also here are answers hehe

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOKUBABEY!!” You whooped when you slapped the front door open. Bokuto came running down the stairs in only boxers with a paranoid look on his face.

“Calm down, we’re not burglars.” Akaashi walked ahead to set the snacks down on his credenza.

“HEY, don’t rule it out. I was watching this documentary the other day-“ You cut him off by grabbing his hand, earning you a surprised yelp from the owl boy.

“You really need to stop watching the videos Kuroo sends you, they all make you act some kind of way and we get to deal with the aftermath.” You frowned for a millisecond before flashing him a toothy grin and looking at Akaashi for reassurance. The latter nodded.

“It’s your birthday Bokuto! We’re doing whatever you like, we brought you snacks right at 12 o’ clock to experience your birthday for as long as it lasts.” Akaashi sighed, bracing himself for the incoming storm of excitement that would explode from Bokuto’s mouth in a minute.

“ALL 24 HOURS? WERE STAYING UP?” Yep, Akaashi was right. “I’ve always wanted my birthday to be longer...how did I not think of this sooner? Ah! What should we do? Good thing I took a nap! I LOVE YOU BOTH SO MUCH.” Pulling you both into an agressive hug, there was a synchronized groan.

“Well (y/n) and I didn’t nap all day so you’re in charge of keeping us awake with all that energy of yours.” The black haired boy grumbled into the hug. Bokuto let go and placed a hand on his hip, “Deal.”

“Speak for yourself, Akaashi. I’ve done countless all nighters.” You boasted, locking elbows with Bokuto and walking toward the kitchen.

“You’re literally a baby. You nap in every car ride where you’re not the driver.” Akaashi followed.

You stuck your tongue out at him and he simply rolled his eyes. Bokuto looked to you then to Akaashi, sighing but shrugging off the mini argument. His owl eyes shrunk in concentration as he tried to figure out what to do for the next 24 hours.

“Okay!” Akaashi and you turned at his call for attention. “I’ve decided that the best plan of action is to start off with the light stuff like watching movies or homework if you guys have any and then we’ll do the intense stuff when we’ve been awake for a couple of hours and feel the sleep kicking in.”

“It’s smart to do more interactive activities when we’re tired but I’m afraid to ask what you mean by ‘intense activities’’” Akaashi mumbled, Bokuto chuckled ominously.

“I have twister! And we’ll make an obstacle course...” He continued to ramble on about the ideas he had and Akaashi and you knew it was going to be a long day.

Hour 5

Bokuto put on a movie for and you pretended to be critics and pointed out all of its flaws. Bokuto and you chortled at how serious Akaashi got about critiquing the movie- he really should’ve majored in film.

Hour 10

The drowsiness began to kick in for you but you refused to show any sign of weakness. Your eyes were peeled and you blinked constantly to keep the dryness from reddening your eyes. Akaashi, being as observant as he was and just looking up to admire you every once in a while, noticed but kept it to himself since he had to admit that it was amusing to watch you battle with pride about being a ‘professional staying awake person’ as you put it.

Hour 13

Twister time! And Bokuto was feral. He pushed you out of your place, making you lose, when his hip was beside your face and he bumped you intentionally (and he lied about doing that when you accused him). Akaashi lost on purpose and went to use the restroom but not before mumbling incoherently about Bokuto being a cheater.

Hour 15

At this point, Akaashi and you were begging Bokuto to do something not so physically demanding so that you could sneak in at least a few minutes of sleep. Your head was on Akaashi’s lap and he was so frazzled by it that he stuttered while lecturing Bokuto about the dangers of driving with zero hours of sleep.

“AHAHA you stuttered, Akaashi!” The owl boy teased and Akaashi’s face heated up, even more so when you nuzzled on his lower thigh to get more comfortable. A wave of relief washed over him as he thanked the forces of nature and whatever was out there that Bokuto was so simple minded, “the sleep deprivation must really be getting to you.”

You shot up at Bokuto’s words, “IM NOT SLEEPY AT ALL. It’s Akaashi, like you said, Boku.” You were not about to even be vaguely assumed to be tired.

“If we can’t go out, let’s do karaoke!”

You and Akaashi looked at each other and breathed in like exhausted parents trying to appease their hyperactive child. And at this point, that’s what you were. Only nine more hours.

Hour 20

“Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. “ Bokuto alternated from you and Akaashi as he watched the two of you nod off every few minutes while he was bringing out his birthday cake from the fridge.”

He served the two of you your pieces and didn’t bother with the candles or the song. You had already sung a dubstep version of ‘Happy Birthday’ and awkwardly inserted Bokuto’s name in during karaoke.

“Eat. Sugar will keep you awake.” Akaashi heeded his friends orders and lifted the form up to his mouth but sleep sounded much more enticing. You and Bokuto both watched Akaashi’s head flip back and his mouth open just a few centimeters wide, his breath coming out slowly.

Chuckling evilly, you took a bite from the cake, “Weak.”

“I honestly thought you would be the one to go down first.” Bokuto said in between mouthfuls. It was really a mystery how this boy could have so much energy with so little sleep.

“Huh? I’m literally a god when it comes to not sleeping.” You slurred. Bokuto grinned, it wasn’t long before the sleepless drunk (y/n) emerged. You were fun when you were fueled by sleep but he could really mess with you when you were in the vulnerable state of almost-sleep.

It only took about half an hour before the two of you headed to the dining room to leave Akaashi alone in the living room to sleep.

“I’ve got a question.” He set his palms down flat on the wood.

“Yes, birthday Bokuto? Ahh I mean birthday boy...oh wait, it still weeerks...it’s even bettturr.” Your words tripped out of your lips and he couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.

“How come you haven’t made a move on Akaashi?” The question came at you like a canon ball. Your cheeks flare up and usually you and the wit to counter Bokuto’s ridiculous remarks but this was sleepy (y/n).

“Huh? Akaashi is lame, he’s literally a sleepyhead...” you denied.

“Cmon, (y/n). I’m dense but I know my best friends and you like him and he like you.” You wanted to smack the smirk off his face but you were just so lethargic.

“Yeah, he’s a cute sleepyhead.” You drew circles on the table with your index finger and Bokuto couldn’t help it compare you to a little girl with a crush. He smiled at the thought while you continued to breathy commentary on Akaashi. “He’s not even just cute, he gorgeous like I had a dream we were married and I woke up soooo happy , I cried. But it’s weird, no?”

Bokuto asked ‘what?’ With a flick of his eyebrows and you sighed and continued to exhaust yourself by talking. “Well, we’ve been friends since forever and it’s weird because he treats me so well and I love this him, I don’t want him to become someone else if we’re together. And don’t assume he likes me.”

“Are you kidding me? He’s love struck on you, he stares at you and he takes you places even though he hates driving. He keeps every dumb selfie you take on his phone. When he talks about you, it’s like he’s lost in his own world. And I get it, you’re really great, (y/n).”

“B-Bokuto...” You breathed out. The drowsiness was out of your mind and the only thoughts flowing through your head were those pertaining to what Bokuto was saying.

“Yeah, (y/n). Akaashi sees you just like I do but for him there’s just something extra there. Like he doesn’t just want to be with you, he wants to take care of you and for you to take care of him.”

“That sounds so-“

“Chummy, I know.” The black-white haired boy chuckled, his head falling on his wrist. “But it’s true and it has been for about...3 years now?”

“Three? HUH?” Your eyes opened wide. 3 years and you didn’t notice? Or maybe you chose not to see it because you were afraid of mistaking it for something it wasn’t.

Bokuto nodded, looking over to the curled up Akaashi on the couch. “You should tell him. If you wait for him, you’ll be waiting for six more years.”

“Maybe I will.” You confidently stood up, chest puffed out before grains of static filled you vision, that was too quick of a movement for someone who hadn’t slept in nearly a day.

“Actually, tell him after you get some rest.” Bokuto shuddered before getting up to help to balance yourself.

“But it’s your birthday...I’m not sleepy...” He lightly shoved you next to Akaashi on the couch and you r head fell to the armrest and almost instantaneously, you fell asleep.

Bokuto stood back and gave a satisfied nod at his sleeping friends. “You two made it farther than I thought you would.”

He looked down a his phone at the sound of a ding from Kuroo.

Kuroohohoh: I’m outside. Birthday dinner is on me!!

“Okay, gotta go!” He snapped a quick photo of the two of you sleeping beside each other before slipping on his shoes and continuing his birthday celebration. Akaashi’s eyes twitched at the sound of the door and he caught a glance of you next to him but he would save his freaking out to after he got his 8 hours.

[soysaucevictim]

Week 3. I’m... struggling.

-

May 1

I tried to get some sleep in after the all-nighter a bit before 9AM... “got up” around 3PM. This to mean I lied down and didn’t really get any proper sleep, because mind was racing about that project.

But resting was still okay. After I got back up and updated some logs, I did today’s exercise...

First, today’s DD. 50 squats with EC. Manageable, moderately aerobic work. One of the last things I did before things went pear-shaped...

I shortly after found out I lost a family member and I saw what happened. I’m not going to describe it here, for many reasons. But I’ve been dealing with the images and emotional pain since... I probably will in some fashion, for a long time.

Last, Day 13 of BREATH. “Feel“. Yoga was emotionally uncomfortable as hell... but I brought myself to the mat accepting that I was going in feeling extremely tender in that dept. Let’s just say there were some waterworks and a very real sense of survivor’s guilt. That’s all I’m going to say there.

I tried to deal with things with chatting and discretionary venting on Twitter...

I forced myself through another all-nighter to finish that sewing project. Fought against images and waves of intense emotions to keep going. I don’t think I would’ve succeeded at sleeping through the night anyways.

-

May 2

I tried to sleep again round 8AM - it was more just physical rest till like 10AM. Too restless.

Touched base on what happened with a family member. They were... all of us were... are distraught.

I had a more successful attempt at sleeping for a couple hours after that. Honestly, painful. But it was mutually beneficial and necessary. Probably made the nap easier.

Shortly after, I endeavored to get some working out done.

First, today’s DD. 50 climber taps with EC. Ngl, it took a little psyching myself up to get down and do this. As expected, really started feeling the abs in the last 10-20 reps.

Second, Day 14 of BREATH. “Space“. This was less emotionally fraught - even though there were moments wrapping up that I had twangs of sorrow. It’s too soon to let everything I’m going to need to go... but I imagine, there will be in the future. Too raw and in pain to manage that yet. I did like the back arch balance stands and toe stand moments, the most.

Last, Day 13 of 1′HIIT. Level 3, 1′ rest. Had phone on floor because it was all planks. My climbers ran at more of a jog than a sprint - but then again energy levels wasn’t up to that. The last 2 sets in particular that were the hardest.

Made dinner, did some dishes, chatted and started on that vent art of Virgil to help process things a little. I basically pulled another all-nighter.

-

May 3

I decided to let care team know about what happened with a local crisis unit/line, before trying to get some sleep.

I woke up proper around 3PM, I think this was modestly more restful.

After some of the usual... was both somewhat relieved and distressed when one of the family member’s friends called his phone. We were able to let his circle know what happened.

I then got to some exercise again.

First, today’s DD. 1′ elbow clicks with EC. I counted 74 reps by the end of the duration. Manageable and simple.

Second, Day 15 of BREATH. “Enter“. Despite walking into this having eaten a lot of wasabi peas - I  elected to do full planks and kept back knee raised for high lunge variations upon Adriene’s invitation to. It was nice getting into a sort of flow - gathering what we were going to do next before Adriene instructed a few times.

Last, Day 14 of 1′HIIT. Level 3, 1′ rest. The squat hops were honestly the brutal part, today. Was tempted to not shoot for Level 3, but decided to anyways. Just glad I completed it, today.

Did some of the usual, made some dinner, and finished up that drawing.

I stayed up obscenely late, but not another all-nighter.

-

May 4

I woke up around 11AM.

Touched base with therapist on the phone. Made a mortuary appointment and asked family to help get me (and Dad) to that appointment later in the week.

Hit the showers, met some more family in person.

Did some of the usual before deciding to add, sort, and transfer the contents of my Anxiety Box into Virgil’s jar. I also decided to start filling the Patton jar with some things I was grateful for. I think this was helpful.

I dusted off Facebook for the first time in like years. Saw that his friends have been pouring condolences onto his page. I was pretty disconnected from his circle of friends... wound up adding many of the ones I recognized hearing about. This was a painful straddle between gratefulness and sorrow.

Had to field another call on his phone. That hurt too. I kind of wished I could unlock it.

I then got going on my workouts, pretty late...

First, today’s DD. 1′ raised leg circles with EC (supine). I counted a total of 45 reps, reversing the direction at the 30″ mark. Doable despite needing to hold head up.

Second, Day 16 of BREATH. “Discipline“. This was an extremely chill day - focusing on extending and slowing down the breaths... definitely well-timed given how tiring/harrowing today has been.

Last, Day 15 of 1′HIIT. Level 3, 1′ rest. Just arm work, I’d say these days are amongst the easiest to get through. Again, good for energy levels.

I wound up in bed around the same time as yesterday.

-

May 5

I woke up around 11AM again.

I went to Seeking Safety Group again. I wanted and needed to be there. That’s all I’m going to say on that one.

Got home, almost dozing off. But spent all day and night hanging out with a local friend.

I did some dishes and made one of the Hello Fresh Meal. Creamy pesto grillng cheese ciabattas. Me and friend really enjoyed this one.

Among many things - I think sharing DWIT and the first half of “The Poisoner’s Handbook“ were some of the highlights.

We wound up talking the night away, despite it not being the best idea.

Oh well, the bed was made at that point.

-

May 6

So one of the first things I had to deal with was a morning dental appointment. It was a nice appointment, talked about things with discretion. I’m hoping it may get a tiny bit easier to talk about for it. (Obviously NOT oversharing to anyone and everyone.)

Grabbed some Starbucks and had to get frustrated with LogistiCare, in activating my return trip home. I was honestly getting close to collapse of exhaustion by the time it got to me. (Not going to blame anyone really... it was unfortunate for how bone tired I was.)

Got home and took a short nap, before the mortuary appointment.

I kind of didn’t want to - but after that, I was roped into seeing extended family. It  was nice but also further exhausting. But I will say that a highlight was being able to share with my great uncle a series about the Spanish Flu. He likes history stuff and learned a lot of new things about that situation - also was nice tying it in with his interest in stuff like the WW. (Also glad and was struck by all the observed parallels with, uh, what’s been happening with COVID. But I’ll leave it at that.)

Medical history and the like was a welcome distraction. Especially the fact that that great uncle was an interested party to share it to.

Got home again and spent some of the night on the usual and decided that I was only up for catching up on my DDs...

First, yesterday’s DD. 40 side bridges with EC. It was questionable, given sheer level of exhaustion. But I felt like catching up on SOME of my regimen anyways..

Last, today’s DD. 40 windshield with EC. Same thoughts about previous exercise.

Updated some logs and stuff before hitting the sack. In the green zone for once, yet again. I was just so profoundly exhausted at that point.

-

May 7

I woke up around 11AM.

One the first things I wound up doing was fielding a lot of phone calls to get other appointment-related affairs handled.

Spent some time on the usual and sketching an art idea out that I’m not sure I’ll flesh out just yet. It’s kind of detail-intensive.

Then, I decided to catch up on my exercise regimen.

First, today’s DD. 2′ bicep extensions with EC. I counted 155 reps by the end of it. Biceps felt pretty tired after that one, at that pace. But very doable.

(After watching some YouTube and whatnot...)

Second, Day 17 of BREATH. “Explore“. Man, was this intense on my quads for my energy levels today. But I tried my best to get through it as best as possible. I think the chair poses were especially intense.

Third, Day 18 of BREATH. “Center“. This was alright. I liked the calf raise hold stuff and a lot more of the chill stuff today. Warriors were okay. Still have a ways to go to pull off Crow Pose, but that is a challenging one, for sure.

(After a lot of usual stuff...)

Fourth, Day 16 of 1′HIIT. Level 3, 1′ rest. Intense, but I enjoyed the fact this was mostly jumping jacks. Think the twist jacks were the weirdest part. Got fairly winded by the end.

(After making/eating some dinner and watching some videos for that to settle...)

Last, Day 17 of 1′HIIT.Level 3, 1′ rest. A bit more strength-oriented leg work - what with the leg raises and lunges. Glad I didn’t have to worry too much about doing this in a semi-full stomach (butt kicks do some jostling but generally not as much as like high knees).

I spent some time watching/listening to videos and updating some logs after this.

I got to bed pretty late in the red again... but not an all-nighter.

[starstruck-xavier]

[4] 5 Times Someone Stopped Virgil From Self-Harming and 1 Time He Stopped Himself

it’s time for janus!! this one’s centred around getting good sleep and not pulling all nighters but there’s some discussion of other s-h methods so just still be warned. i’m finishing up the last chapter and i cant wait to finish this fic aa!!

1 - Logan || 2 - Roman || 3 - Patton || [4 - Janus] || 5 - Remus || 6 - Virgil

ao3 || wattpad || fanfiction masterpost

words for this chapter: 1001 ships: platonic anxceit warnings: mentions of cutting (not described or actually done within the chapter)

“Virgil, you are not staying up all night.”

Janus sighs, leaning on the doorframe as some distant church bells somewhere in the city chime midnight. Virgil is sat at his desk, donning his smudge guard, his pen gliding across the tablet screen tirelessly and showing no signs of stopping.

“Virgil.” Janus tries again to get his attention; this time, he’s met with a tired stare. "Is your deadline set for tomorrow?" He waits for a moment before Virgil shakes his head. "Then you have no reason to rush. You’ve had a long day, just try to get some sleep.”

There’s a few seconds in which they stare each other down, but then Virgil finally gives in, saves his files and shuts off the monitor with a sigh, or maybe it’s a yawn. "I wanted to just get it out of the way, not worry about it.”

"Yes, I understand, but you could finish your art at a much higher quality tomorrow if you get some good sleep." The corners of Janus’ lips tilt into a sympathetic frown as he walks over to Virgil’s bed and sits down, patting the spot next to him. "Come here, tell me what’s wrong.”

"But I—“ Virgil blinks confusedly and hesitates for a second but still complies, setting the smudge guard and pen down and moving to sit next to Janus. "How do you know something’s wrong?”

Janus hums nonchalantly. "I think I've spent enough time with you, I can just tell. You seem a little… mentally exhausted.”

“I'm gonna assume you can tell by being a psychology student and not by my outward appearance.” Virgil rubs at his eyes self-consciously, well aware of the dark shadows that are always there, but continues. "I guess it’s been a weird week. On Monday I got startled by some dumb driver in a sports car and nearly cut again but Logan helped me calm down, and later that day Roman told me that I shouldn’t be so hard on myself when I'm dancing and to take a break before I hurt myself again, which— I— I didn’t know I was even doing that. On Tuesday I didn’t do much except go to class, I guess I was feeling a little depressed that day, but then yesterday Roman and I were doing relays together and Patton came to watch. He brought me some food and then I realised just how hungry I was. I keep… realising that maybe I'm hurting myself in more ways than I first thought, and it’s making me anxious, so I was just trying to get other stressors out of the way, like this art project.”

As he’s listening intently to Virgil telling him about the week, Janus remembers those short moments that he’s seen in the past few days - like when Logan and Virgil returned to the dorms before their class was even over and Virgil took a quick nap between then and his dance class. When he returned again with Roman late that night, looking fatigued and dozing off on Roman’s shoulder while they both watched Youtube videos together on the couch. As well as that, while Janus was happy to see Virgil eating a full meal yesterday evening like the rest of the roommates, he did think that it was a little unexpected, and perhaps somebody had encouraged him to do so.

"I suppose me telling you that you look tired wouldn’t help with those anxious feelings, hmm?" He smiles faintly when Virgil shakes his head again. "Realising your unhealthy habits are just the first step to overcoming them. Maybe discovering many of them in a short amount of time is a little overwhelming, but you can work on them one at a time. You still have your timer going, right?”

Virgil reaches for his phone on the corner of the desk and opens it up to the timer; it’s a sobriety timer meant for people trying to quit drinking, but it works as a great ‘days since cutting’ timer as well. "Two months, fourteen days, five hours and thirty-one minutes.”

A look of proudness overcomes Janus’ usually neutral features. "That’s almost two and a half months, you’re doing amazingly. See, all you have to do in regards to trying not to cut again is to remind yourself of how far you’ve come, and to use those other techniques you’ve learned to lessen the urges." He places one arm around Virgil’s back comfortingly. "We can talk about those other habits you have some other time, but for now, it’s time to sleep.”

“I'm not tired, though.” Virgil attempts to protest, but Janus is already standing so he can pull back the bedsheets and wait for him to lie down.

"I can stay with you if you want?”

Virgil seems to think for a moment, fidgeting with his hands, but then sighs and starts to move. "Okay, fine.”

Once the two of them are underneath the heap of blankets and bedsheets that litter Virgil’s bed, Janus reaches to turn off the bedside lamp and then wraps his arms around his friend’s waist from behind so that he’s spooning him. "Just lay here long enough and you’ll feel tired soon." He mumbles into Virgil’s hair.

It feels extremely comfortable for Virgil to lay there with his back pressed against Janus’ chest; he feels the previous anxiety and tension draining from his shoulders and his breathing becomes softer, slower as he relaxes and sinks into the touch. Janus is right, he thinks to himself, sleep should be able to help him concentrate more on his art once he wakes up again tomorrow, or rather, later in the morning, as midnight has already passed. He’s about to question himself on why he hadn’t thought of that before, but then figures that the anxiety had his thought process set on other things.

Hopefully, he can try to feel this relaxed more often, for it only takes another few minutes for him to drift into a deep sleep.

~

(let me know if you want to be tagged for the other chapters!) @underestimatemethatwillbefun

[purplesurveys]

707

Do you think you're clever? I can be but I wouldn’t say it’s a dominant personality trait. Did you wear socks today? No, I haven’t worn socks since the last day I went to school :/ Can you remember how you celebrated your 10th birthday? I don’t remember how the whole day went but I do have a photo of me on that day. We were in our old house then and I was at the dining area smiling with my cake, surrounded by my mom and sister.

Know any magic tricks? Nah I can’t perform any of them. Do you sleep well most nights? These days I certainly do. They’ve suspended online classes, and acads is really the main thing taking up my time (and head) most days until recently. Without that I’m just sleeping, eating, and having random bursts of productivity everyday.

Are your nails painted? No. Is there somebody you know that you really don't trust? Yeah I have a couple of orgmates that are a little sketchy. I also dunno if I can trust my mom in the bigger scheme of things - we’re just not close like that. Is there music in your head right now? No need to have it playing in my head, I already have a lo-fi livestream playing on YouTube at the moment. When's the last time you baked a cake? Grade 6 when we baked a rainbow cake in home economics. What time was it half an hour ago? 7:26 PM. Did you ever play cowboys and indians when you were growing up? I have no idea what that game is. Probs an American thing? Can anyone confirm? When did it last rain? My dad said it drizzled earlier this afternoon, but I wouldn’t know because I was taking a nap. The last time it rained and I caught it was two nights ago. Would you like to become a dancer? I would love to be able to dance gracefully and call myself a dancer, but I wouldn’t want it to be my Number One Agenda, as in joining contests or have it be my whole career and stuff. It’ll be nice to simply have it as a hobby. What colour is the bathroom of your house painted? The top half of the wall is white, the bottom half consists of light brown tiles. Which country is to the north of your home country? Taiwan. Name one person of the same sex as you you wouldn't mind doing: My girlfriend. Haaaaah you thought. What is the most gory film you've seen? Evil Dead, but I’ve only seen the 2013 reboot. Is there anybody that you know that you just feel really sorry for? Yeah I guess, like my uncle for stubbornly never getting his life back on track. I’ve been done waiting for him to get better. Do you like the Austin Powers films? I’ve never seen any one of them, even the one Beyoncé is in.

Where is the worst place you have ever travelled to? All the places I’ve been to have been wonderful and it wouldn’t feel right to tag one of them as the ‘worst’ because all the trips have been paid for by my parents lmao. But the one trip that didn’t exactly turn out the way we would’ve wanted it to was Caramoan in Camarines Sur. It was raining almost the entire time, so the scenario was either 1) the rain messed with the cable signal and we only had one channel every time we were in the cabin or 2) we had to make do with being rained on whenever we wanted to go out to the beach. It was also in the middle of nowhere, so we didn’t have internet. Ever fallen down a hole? Nope. That’s one of the scenarios I’m particularly afraid of. Do you like to read poetry? No I hate having to. I’ve never understood poems. What's your preferred frozen snack? Other than ice cream? Idk, frozen fries maybe? Those hit differently. Is rap music overrated? I’d say some are, but rap generally has a rich underground culture as well so I wouldn’t say all of it is overrated. Do you work better in a clean or messy environment? That doesn’t matter to me. I care more about how warm/cold it is, because I can’t start working anywhere I find too hot or else I’ll feel too sluggish. Do you know any vegans? Only from the internet. Filipinos are big meat eaters so it’s hard to find resources for if you want to become vegan. There are vegan food stalls but they’re VERY few and far between, and they’re typically situated in hipper, more cosmopolitan parts of the city since veganism isn’t a known concept here. Earphones or headphones? Earphones. Do you like bananas? Eugh no. What's a film you've seen that confused you? Interstellar confuses me to this day. But I loved it a lot and I enjoyed the premise, and that’s what matters to me. Do you ever wear black lipstick? I don’t think I’ve ever worn it before. You can take any illegal drug without any bad consequences, which one? That’s a really dark question but uh... I’d go with meth because idk, Breaking Bad? I certainly wouldn’t want to try heroin though. What is next to your bed? I have a drawer with my clothes and other knickknacks on one side, and a chest with a bunch of memorabilia and old books I’ve had since I was a kid on the other side. Are your fingernails dirty? Nope. What would you change about yourself appearence-wise? I’d straighten my front teeth and make my teeth in general smaller. I’d also have some hair grow on my left eyebrow because I permanently damaged the hair growth there by plucking too much as an anxiety habit. How long do you normally spend in the shower? Depends on how relaxed I need to feel. If I’m showering for school it takes me 4-5 minutes. If it’s been hot all day like in the summer I’d take up to 15. When's the last time somebody called you "baby"? Sometime today, I don’t exactly remember when. Have you ever had to keep something important from your family? Like... my 4-year same-sex relationship? Yup. Don't you think things feel much better after a good cry? The things that made me cry don’t get better or automatically get fixed, but it’s always nice to give myself a break and to let everything out. Do you think the UK should keep its monarchy? I honestly don’t know enough about their system to confidently form an opinion about it. My only contribution to this conversation is that the royal family does interest me and I know more trivia about them than the average person should hahahahaha. True or false: you'd do Mila Kunis. I’d do her character in Friends with Benefits but like I don’t really feel that way for IRL Mila, mostly cos I’d rather do wholesome stuff with her hahaha. Which colour would you rather have your hair: pink, grey or green? Green > grey > pink. Don't you just hate the sound of people eating? NOOOOOOO are you kidding. Mukbang ASMRs are my faveeeeeee. What's your favourite music video? Meh I don’t really watch music videos. Is it your aim to be perfect? About the things I do, yeah. I’m not obsessed about having *everything* be perfect, even stuff I have no control over.. Ever climbed to the top of a mountain? No. That’s on my bucket list though. Have you ever fell for someone believing you could "fix" them? No. That’s never been a reason I’ve had feelings for someone. Someone's paying for a fancy dinner, where do you eat and who do you take? BLACKBIRD. I’ve wanted to try it for a while now but Makati is a bitch to get to + their food would literally take away two weeks’ worth of my allowance. I’d take Gab with me for sure. Can you honestly say you are truly happy with your life? Not right now, but I’m not hopeless about it either. Can you paint well? I can’t paint at all. Describe a picture of yourself that you hate: The candid ones are the ones I end up hating the most. If you could keep any animal as a pet, which would you choose? Just all the dogs would be fine, thanks. Something you did in the past that you're embarrassed about: I was bidding Gab’s dad goodbye because he was leaving to meet up with his friends or something. Anyway my shoes chose to be slippery that day and I completely tripped the whole way walking over to him and I even unconsciously grabbed onto his arm to keep myself from falling flat on my face. I AM WINCING JUST TYPING THIS OUT PLS SEND HELP Would you rather play a good or an evil character in a play? Evil. It’d be easier acting that way. Do you like porridge? It’s alright. I mostly avoid it because it was all I ate for breakfast from when I was 4 up to when I was 10, and I’m so so sick of the taste and texture by now.

Has anybody ever lied to you just to impress you? Idk, probably. Strangest gift you ever received: Don’t think I’ve ever received anything I was genuinely baffled by. But I try not to be like that - all gifts are gifts so I’m always grateful whenever someone gives me one. Do most people annoy you? Nah. But 14 year old Robyn taking surveys would probably say yes just to sound edgy :/ Don't you think you should really be doing something more productive? Idk man we’re in the middle of a global health crisis. I think being productive shouldn’t be a priority for once. Have you ever felt really out of place? Yesssssss this was me when I was trying to apply for AIESEC. The crowd was just too different and I didn’t last long in the application process. What's your favourite shade of blue? Royal and sky blue. Do you have any odd phobias? I used to be afraid of watching advertisements at night, but I think it’s mostly gone now. What's the longest you've gone without sleep? 18-20 hours maybe. I don’t let myself pull all-nighters. When was the last time you just wanted to be left alone? Earlier this noon when I felt disrespected by my dad. Do you believe in karma? Sure. Can you remember a world before iPods? Nope. Google says the first iPod came out in 2001, and I don’t remember being 3 years old or younger. When was the last time it was sunny? This morning. Would you like to be photographed by Terry Richardson? I’ve never heard of him but I checked Google just now and apparently he’s been an asshat to his subjects? So no. Smoke? Yes please I so have been needing one throughout this quarantine. I ran out of puffs for my vape pen which is even worse. Would you rather have a lazy day or a day of being really busy? I’ve had 31+ lazy days now. I wouldn’t mind a busy day. Do you like the way that spoken French sounds? I don’t get to hear it all that much but it was spoken so beautifully in Portrait of a Lady on Fire, so I guess I’m alright with it for the most part. I just don’t like the times it comes from the throat and it sounds a bit like hawking. D: But maybe it’s just a cultural thing - Filipino isn’t throaty at all so when we hear sounds like that we’re just not used to it. What's the best film soundtrack? As stupid as the storylines were, they really made sure the Twilight Saga soundtracks SLAPPED. Bon Iver, St. Vincent, Muse, Death Cab for Cutie, The Black Keys, Florence + The Machine, PARAMORE?????? They weren’t fucking around. Interstellar and Gone with the Wind also had amazing scores. Where did you go on your last date? My informal first date with Gabie was at a museum + this quaint Italian place in Greenbelt that has since closed. My legit first date with her was at a Bonchon LMFAOOOOOOOOOO Do people find you "cute"? Not really... only my girlfriend calls me that. Who does the best remixes? Eh not a fan. What is most of your money spent on? Gas, food, dates.

[idiopathicsmile]

any advice on how to get work done for college when the anxiety/depression/adhd cocktail is being absolutely horrid?

hi! um. oh man. i have to tell you, i mostly got through college by picking classes that i knew would be interesting-yet-relatively-light-on-the-courseload (what’s up, creative writing seminars) and by putting each paper off until midnight the night before it was due, using that sudden panic as focus-fuel, and then working on it all night, often finishing within an hour of the due date.

i would not recommend this.

ngl, i’m posting this in the hopes that this is one of those cases where other people comment with better advice than what i got, but here’s what i got:

1. take a deep breath. whatever situation you are in, with regards to stress and deadlines--even if you knowingly put off stuff way too long and it’s objectively your fault--remind yourself that there is absolutely nothing to be gained in this moment by beating yourself up. 

“but i procrastinated and now i only have eight hours to write an eight-page paper in spanish, a language i do not speak! i deserve to feel bad about this, i--”

nope. nope nope nope. this is kind of just how college goes, at least part of the time, for most people. hell, even neurotypicals, i have to imagine. (i’m gonna go ahead and bet that, if this post gets more than 3 comments, one will be “oh god, Smile, how dare you give me undergrad flashbacks like that”)

and because i’m gonna go ahead and give up any pretense at directing this at anybody but my younger untreated/unmedicated self: hey guess what, despite what your brain tells you, hating yourself is never virtuous. no matter how badly you’ve screwed up, there’s nothing ethical or just about sitting there deliberately thinking the meanest thoughts you possibly can about yourself, in order to punish yourself.

put aside whether you “deserve” to feel good or bad. that’s not your job anyway; you’re not Athena, and this moment is not about what type of judgment you need to lay upon yourself. 

it’s about finishing your work. 

(and if you try to get to the work-mindset, and then you hit a patch of self-hatred and slip back into that swamp for a second, don’t punish yourself for that either. this is also not useful to the task, which is to finish the work.)

(later, when the work is done and handed in, and you have some time to breathe again and reflect on how gross it feels to pull another near-all-nighter, that is the time to--not tear yourself apart, but calmly reflect on how you could maybe prevent or at least decrease these adventures. calm reflection will be easier when your brain isn’t screaming DANGER anyway.)

2. have you had any water recently? fill up a cup or a mug and drink some water.

3. pick whatever’s the most urgent. set everything else aside for a moment; give yourself permission to not even feel bad about that stuff. 

set a timer for fifteen minutes. tell yourself, “all i need to do is work on this assignment for fifteen minutes, and then if i need to, i’ll let myself take a five-minute break.” if the timer goes off and you’re in the zone, keep going until you feel your attention slipping, then reset your timer for that five-minute break. get up, pace around, stretch, make a cup of tea. when the timer goes off, set another 15 minutes of task-time and so on. 

(i stole the timer trick recently from a youtube channel about adhd stuff; it was not a strategy i had as a student, but it’s useful in adulthood. so much of the time with a panic spiral, the most important thing is just bypassing the fear-based avoidance and tricking your brain into getting started.

4. if this is about studying, and not about assignments, that the most efficient way to internalize information is to reinterpret it in your own words, as if explaining to someone unfamiliar with the concept, and then to write that out, by hand. also, when studying tonight for a test that’s tomorrow, please disregard item 5 about staying up all night. sleeping before a test is as important as studying before it. study efficiently as possible, and then allow yourself a decent chunk of sleep. never pull an all-nighter to study for a test happening the next morning. you will hate your own consciousness.

5. there comes a point, when you are working on a big paper due the next day, where you realize, ‘ah, okay, i will not really be sleeping tonight. tomorrow is going to be a tired day.’ don’t shame yourself for that, either. accept it. make your peace. you are not scum if you don’t manage any meaningful sleep tonight. tomorrow is a new day, and probably you’ll be able to find time in there for a nap.

also at this point, i think it’s okay to at some point allow yourself like a fifteen-minute break (between periods of being productive) to just blast a loud, upbeat song that is kind of tangentially related to what you’re working on* (headphones if you have a roommate or if it’s after quiet hours) and dance around your room like an idiot. sanity is a strange beast, managed in strange ways.

*ex. for a gender and the arts class, once i wrote a paper discussing the portrayal of Fantine being pushed by class and gender inequality towards a life of prostitution in the novel Les Mis, and comparing it in tone to the musical Les Mis, exploring how the music and staging did or didn’t seem to match Victor Hugo’s intent. (in the height of the most recent surge of Les Mis fandom, you could find better meta on the fucking sidewalk. but i got an A- i think.) anyway, my themesong that night was ‘the fallen’ by franz ferdinand. (which is ironic, because it’s much more of a bahorel song.)

if what you really need is some emotional hand-holding, you could instead opt to listen to the gentlest song you can find, while curled up in a ball. pick something personally relevant that will be soothing to you. if you’re blanking, there’s always the iron and wine cover of ‘such great heights.’ (you’ll still want to set that timer, because this can slide back into procrastination if you’re sad or tired enough.)

6. remember that the amount of work you have ebbs and flows. however bad it is right now, this too shall pass. 

7. more on the ‘general maintenance’ end, and not the ‘oh god everything is on fire’ end of stress--my life has gotten much easier since i started programming into my phone calendar everything i need to do and when i need to do it, AND setting alarms to remind myself like an hour beforehand.

8. one more reminder: don’t beat yourself up for those moments when it all feels like too much. there’s a reason why most post-graduation adults still have college stress dreams. 

[groupksop2024]

Virtual Learning Is A Whole New World

                                By: Jacqueline Rose Schwartz

In a little over a decade technology has managed to completely assimilate itself into the foundations of our daily living. Whether it be the alarm clock that wakes us up in the morning, the coffee maker that energizes us for the day, or our phones that allow us to connect with the people that we love. Technology is everywhere. And with the recent outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic not allowing us to gather together in the convential person-to-person way, we are relying on the advances of technology more than ever. Virtual learning has become common-place for many children in America and around the world still in their primary and secondary education as the rising growth rate of those infected from the virus is still trying to be controlled. Many college and graduate students are also experiencing this trend with the university system advancing much faster in trying to bring students back to campus due to the ease of the already present scattered schedules. However, while this change is taking place, many Pharmacy student degrees have had to suffer from the lack of person-to-person contact in the classroom. Health professional degrees rely heavily on the ability for the healthcare provider to be able to directly interact with their collegues and patients in order to learn how to communicate important medical information correctly. With virtual learning there is less of an oppurtunity for these interactions to take place before having to put into practice theoretical skill in real-life rotations. In addition to this, many healthcare professional students may be unfamiliar with the changes that need to be made from a real-life environment to a virtual one in order to be successful. In this article, I will provide tips for how to survive the transition from in-classroom learning to a virtual platform through two sets of practical DO’s and DON’Ts that will help health professional students have a head start in this new season of their lives.

DO’s:

DO make a weekly schedule of all your classes and assignments

Before the semester starts, students should make sure to access all syllabi for all classes and make a calendar with all relevant class times, assignments, rotations, exams, and projects so you have proper time to plan and study ahead. It can be easy to forget a deadline when they’re aren’t constant in-person reminders being given out.

DO assignments as close to the date when they were first assigned as possible

When taking a large amount of credit hours, it can be quite easy to be overwhelmed with the assignments that need to be completed for each class. By completing assignments as quickly as possible you give yourself time to focus on larger group projects or studying for exams and finals.

DO make sure to exercise regularly away from the computer screen

For those students who have experience relying on the caffeine rushes that come from energy drinks, you also have experience with the mid-day crashes that drain you of the energy you need when you need it. Instead, trying finding time in the day to do cardio exercise (running, bicycling, dancing, etc.) away from the screen once or twice daily to help reduce stress levels and remove fatigue. A study conducted by the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that workers that had participated in this type of exercise showed objectively better performances, gave higher job performance ratings, and completed a greater amount of work. This shows that if exercise has helped improve the performance of workers that have a 9-5 day job, it can also help students who are going to school during the day and work on assignments in the evenings.1

DO make sure you are aware of all resources and tools available to you

It’s important more than ever in times when you are not able to directly interact with your professors that you make sure that you are aware of all studying (tutoring or review programs) and connecting tools(email, Microsoft teams, technology help desks) that are available to you if there ever any questions you may have about assignments/projects, technical difficulties during exams, need to reschedule rotations, or need extra-help understanding topics covered in class.

DON’T’S:

DON’T pull an all-nighter the day before an exam

It can difficult sometimes not to be tempted to pull an all-nighter to study the day before an exam with all the assignments and projects that can come up in-between the new cycle of topics before an exam and the idea that online learning provides more time. But this is highly unrecommended not only because you’ll become incapacitated by the time your exam arrives, but you’re also less likely to remember everything you crammed into your brain. Studies from the University of Harvard Medical School have shown that proper sleep actually allows the brain to process, store, and retain what was learned executing tasks at a higher performance rate. However, if the situation becomes unavoidable, then make sure to take time to take a nap that is around 90 minutes allowing your body to awake from a full sleep cycle and boost your energy.2

DON’T take on too many stressors

Any professional healthcare degree will come with its barrage of stress related to deadlines for assignments, projects, rotations, or exams. However, in addition to the stress that going to graduate school provides, many students also have to manage stress from financial burdens, employer demands if they’re working, relationship issues, or personal or familial illnesses, etc. It is important for students to feel they have a comfortable handle on the stressors in their life before entering Pharmacy School or any other health-related profession, otherwise they will begin to bleed into each other and negatively impact overall performance. Implementing time management skills will an important asset moving forward in online-learning because procrastination until the last minute is even easier to fall into than with in-person learning.

DON’T skip attending online class lectures

It can be easy to fall into the habit of relying on recordings for online lectures but it can actually be detrimental to your work ethic and possible exam scores. By not attending lectures at the time they are held you are sacrificing the small opportunities you have to ask your professors questions about confusing topics or questions clarifying due dates or instructions for assignments. It also doesn’t allow you the chance to interact with your other classmates in team problem-solving, expanding your viewpoints on certain cultural issues, or developing your professional skills through class patient simulations. Watching the recorded online lecture time should mainly be used as a review of the material, not as a learning substitute, or in the event of a medical emergency that conflicts with the online class time.

DON’T forget to make all technology is running efficiently before an online final or exam

Computers or tablets are the main connecting resource between a student and their finishing an exam without any problems. Before you prepare to take any exam, it is a general rule that if you are taking any assessment online you want to first check that you have good internet connection to avoid being kicked out your exam while you are still in the middle of answering questions. Another important thing to remember is that if you are using a special exam distributor to download your exams well before the test date, as some professors require this to help prevent any type of cheating and can deduct points for late downloads from the final exam score. For those students who are being monitored live as they take their exam, make sure that you have a properly working webcam and that you show your surroundings before starting any exam to show that there are no reference materials nearby. Lastly, make sure to periodically update your software or schedule updates that are not on exam dates not avoid random restarts in the middle of a test.

These DO’s and DON’T’s only scratch the surface of what guidelines can be used in order to be successful in an online platform, but they are a good starting place for those entering students that don’t have much experience with this drastic change in learning environment. In addition to implementing this advice, Pharmacy students should also do their own research to find more advice that is better personalized to their unique learning style and professional identity. In the future if Pharmacy and other healthcare students are able to return to in-person classes, these tips will still hold useful in that environment or in future career paths that utilize more virtual tools and resources.

[firstyearstories]

6 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting University

http://anotherangle.eu/posts/the-stunning-architecture-of-the-university-of-alberta/

1. Studying in university is way different than studying in high school.

In high school, I used to be able to sit down at 7pm the night before a test, study for a few hours, still get my 8 hours of sleep, and go and get a pretty good grade on the test the next day. You’ll quickly find that in university, this isn’t realistic. If I tried doing that in uni, I would have flunked out by now. Try your best to keep on top of your readings (more on that later) and any little assignments or extra not-for-credit work that your professor may recommend doing. If you study even just for an hour every night, then by the time it’s midterms season you’ll feel significantly less stressed. The same applies for finals; a little goes a long way. When it comes to studying for the exams themselves, give yourself a week minimum to really make sure you know the content. If you have any questions or are confused on any topic, ask! Your profs and teacher assistants are there to help, and they want you to do well too. 

2. Keep on top of your assignments.

For myself, the biggest difference between high school and university is that in high school, I did the homework every. single. night. whether I wanted to or not. In university, it’s so easy to just decide to skip the readings or the assignments for class the next day. Nobody will be chasing you down, making sure you’re doing your readings and are prepared for exams. If you choose to not keep on top of your work, then that’s your problem. And trust me, once you decide to skip a reading once, then you will not feel like doing a single reading the rest of the semester. Once finals roll around, you’re going to be kicking yourself and asking yourself why you didn’t just suck it up and do the couple hours of reading every night. As for the major assignments like essays, don’t let them sneak up on you and all of a sudden holy cow; it’s the day before your 10 page essay is due and you don’t have a thesis yet. (Been there, done that. It’s really not fun.) Once the due date is a about month away, try to start forming an idea about what you’re going to write about, and start looking for any resources and articles you’ll want to reference. Do a little at a time, that way you won’t be stressing out the night before needing to pull an all-nighter to write a subpar paper when you could get have received a higher grade by taking it little by little, and really taking your time to read over your work and make edits. 

3. Explore your options.

Out of my group of friends that went on to post-secondary, I am the only one that finished in the program I started in four years ago. It’s okay to change your mind, and university allows for a greater degree of flexibility and independent choice than high school does. In sum, people change, and the university understands this. Nobody is going to stand between you and the experience you are trying to cultivate for yourself. As you grow and develop through your experiences at university and elsewhere, so do your interests and your dislikes. One of my friends made it to his third year of nursing before coming to the realization that his heart wasn’t truly in it. He said that he simply could not see himself working as a nurse for the rest of his life. A program that you thought was perfect for you when you first started post-secondary may not fit the person you become after you get some more life experience. Don’t be afraid to switch programs and study something that truly interests you, you’ll thank yourself in the end.

4. You can use Wikipedia as a reference.

Ok, so technically I did learn this in first year, but it’s such a good tip I can’t not share it with all of you. During my MUSIC 103 lecture one day, my prof was talking to us about our essays we had to write. My world was changed when she gave us this incredible piece of advice: she said “If you’re trying to find a good scholarly reference, go to Wikipedia, look up the article of the topic you’re writing on, and look at the reference list. There you can find plenty of acceptable, scholarly references and you’re good to go.” And there you have it. It works for pretty much everything since, you know, there’s a WIkipedia article for pretty much everything. I’ve carried it with me ever since and still use it to this day. That said, it’s not a great idea to limit yourself to Wikipedia for sources, and I’d really encourage you to learn how to use the databases available to you as a student. Campus librarians are really helpful if you’re having troubles figuring out how to navigate the databases, and may also be able to point you in the direction of some great books you could use for your assignment. If you’re still having a hard time finding an appropriate source after exhausting all of the options listed above, there might be limited information or research on the topic (something to consider if you’re interested in pursuing graduate studies), or your topic might be too narrow. In this case, I’d recommend visiting office hours with your professor or scheduling an appointment if you’re unable to make it to their office hours. 

5. University is not just a place where you go to get a degree

If you’ve decided to go to post-secondary, you are likely very serious about your education. First of all, to attain a high enough average to apply into your chosen program takes hard work. However, compared to the work you will have to put in to complete a university degree, high school will seem like a cakewalk. Cakewalk: a word which here means an absurdly or surprisingly easy task. University costs a lot of money and most people want to get their money’s worth. Speaking from personal experience, take your classes seriously, but don’t forget to enjoy your university experience. It’s all about having a healthy balance. If you don’t balance out hard work with some extracurricular activities, you will burn out fast. Take the time to give your body and your mind a break and your ability to keep up with the rigors of university education will improve drastically. Volunteering on or off campus, playing sports, or picking up a new hobby are great ways to give your mind and body a much needed break. And don’t hesitate to check out involvement fairs, mixers, or informational sessions. You just might find the thing you’ve been looking for all along. During Week of Welcome, there will be a massive tent set up in the middle of campus (Main QUAD), where many of the university’s 400 student groups will gather to talk to you about the various ways you can get involved on campus and with their club. Some of the clubs will change day-to-day, so feel free to visit each day if you haven’t found something yet.

6. You are not your GPA.

If there is any one thing that I truly hope you take away from this article, I hope it's this: you are not your GPA. At the end of the day, your first year really doesn't matter. Now I'm not telling you to slack off and not try, but you might find yourself enrolled in a class that no matter what you do, no matter how hard you study, you just don't understand the course material. And that's fine. It happens to everyone. For me, it was CHEM 101. When I got my final mark back, I was just happy to see that I passed. But I'm going to be an elementary teacher, and it’s highly unlikely that my future employer will care about my CHEM 101 mark from my first year. First year is hard. It's a huge transition from high school, and can honestly be a bit of a eye opener. Even if you're going to apply for a graduate program, they'll only look at your last 2-3 years, never the first. So don't be afraid to fail, experiment, or put yourself out of your comfort zone if it means you’ve learned something (even if it’s something about yourself). Try your best, but don't beat yourself up over one bad grade during your first year. We've all been there, and trust me, it only gets better.

About the Authors

Michael graduated from the U of A Faculty of Nursing this past year and is currently working as a Registered Nurse in the OR at the University Hospital. He has volunteered with the Week of Welcome/UAlberta Orientation program since 2015 as both a General Volunteer and a Team Facilitator. Michael’s all-time favorite spot on campus is the Butterdome where he and his classmates would go to play badminton between classes.

Sydney is going into her fourth year of a Bachelor of Elementary Education degree and will be doing her Advanced Field Experience (student teaching) this fall. This is her second year with the Week of Welcome program, and her first year as a Team Facilitator. Sydney’s favourite places on campus are the tenth floor education lounge and the arts lounge in the old Arts building, purely because they’re great spots to take a quick nap in between classes.

[mundanemelusina]

Get to Know Me 1. What is you middle name? Matthew 2. How old are you? 21 3. When is your birthday? Oct 12 4. What is your zodiac sign? Libra sun, Gemini moon, Taurus rising, Scorpio Venus and idk the rest 5. What is your favorite color? Yellow! It's always varied but I love a soft warm yellow. Like the color the sun paints the world at sunset. Like crayolas dandelion crayon. WHICH BY THE WAY CRAYOLA IS FUCKIN RETIRING. THEY ARE GETTING RID OF MY FAVORITE COLOR. 6. What’s your lucky number? 3 7. Do you have any pets? My moms house has a lot but I don't live there any more? Are they really my pets? Idk man. 8. Where are you from? Greensboro nc 9. How tall are you? 5'10" 10. What shoe size are you? 10 in both men's and women's. Idk how it works I don't make the rules I just work here. 11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? In the 20s probably. Maybe more. How many pairs do I wear on the everyday tho? Like two maybe. I'm terrible. 12. What was your last dream about? Honestly last one I remember I woke up with the distinct memory of eating out a trans guy. 13. What talents do you have? Knowing exactly where peoples belly buttons are, whistling like various birds, quoting movies, remembering useless info, coming up with ideas of things I'll never do, sleeping too much, not having motivation, puns and/or bad humor, being able to identify almost any color by its crayola name. 14. Are you psychic in any way? You're asking a witch. That's a loaded fucking question. 15. Favorite song? Nah. I got loads of playlists tho. 16. Favorite movie? BOI. Ok. Listen. Stardust The high school musicals Harry potters, also third specifically Moulin rouge Hocus pocus Thirteenth year Legally blonde Easy a Anna karennina Lion king Hercules Little mermaid Hunchback of notre dam Spy kids trilogy First three shreks but specially no2 How to train your dragon(1/2) Rise of the guardians Series of unfortunate events movie Sucker punch Weekend (2011) The new beauty and the beast movie Lord of the rings Indiana jones 17. Who would be your ideal partner? This is a strange question. Not what would they be like. But WHO ARE THEY. NAME NAMES. GO. honestly idk. If I knew who it was I'd be trying to sit on their lap right now. 18. Do you want children? Error 404 answer unknown. I could be good with kids. I love kids. But do I want to raise them? Idk. And I don't want to raise any unless I know for sure that I do. 19. Do you want a church wedding? What does this mean? I would never marry a church. 20. Are you religious? All religions are simultaneously true and false. Schroedingers religion 21. Have you ever been to the hospital? Yes. Terrible asthma. Last big attack was on my thirteenth birthday. I had my first indoor swim meet at my high school and it was a small steamy space with hundreds of people so the air got supper thick and I had the worst attack ever. 22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? Nope not do I plan to 23. Have you ever met any celebrities? I've met Julie Taymor! Famous director who directed the lion king on broadway and across the universe! 24. Baths or showers? Showers for physical cleaning, baths for spiritual 25. What color socks are you wearing? I don't wear socks I fucking hate them the stifle my creativity bc I can't think with them on. 26. Have you ever been famous? One of my selfie photo sets has 19,000+ notes does that count? 27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? Eh. I could handle it but that doesn't mean I want to 28. What type of music do you like? Musical, pop, indie/folk/americana, idk just whatever 29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? No. I get self conscious 30. How many pillows do you sleep with? 2 normal full pillows, a star shaped pillow, a moon shape, and a sun. 31. What position do you usually sleep in? Side curl? 32. How big is your house? 2 bed one bath apartment that has a living room and a kitchen. That's it. The whole place. Very small. 33. What do you typically have for breakfast? Harris teeter brand clusters and oats cereal with honey or bagel with cream cheese 34. Have you ever fired a gun? Yeah my dad taught me on his family's farm and my grandfather on my mothers side taught me some too. He loves hunting. 35. Have you ever tried archery? Ye with said grandfather. I didn't like it at the time but I love the idea of it now and want to again. I was pretty ok at it. Besides my terrible eyesight. 36. Favorite clean word? What the fuck is a clean word. 37. Favorite swear word? Fuck it's so vers 38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep? I pull all nighters all the time but never really more than 36 hours without a nap. 39. Do you have any scars? I'm sure I might somewhere but I can't really think of any 40. Have you ever had a secret admirer? I wish. Usually I am the one admiring secretly. 41. Are you a good liar? I'm a thespian. It's my literal job. 42. Are you a good judge of character? Loaded question? How the fuck would I know this? Who are you? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH JIMMY 43. Can you do any other accents other than your own? AGAIN. my literal job. 44. Do you have a strong accent? No. I actually have always been told o don't have one. Moms from New Jersey but grew up in the south. She doesn't have a thick one. 45. What is your favorite accent? ????? So many. Any U.K. Miami Cuban? It's specific but. Idk it's less about accents but I just love studying the way people talk. How they form vowels or little sayings they have. 46. What is your personality type? Enfp? 47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? I have no idea. I don't like to buy pricey clothing. I'm a goodwill hoe 48. Can you curl your tongue? Long ways sideways twist and clover! 49. Are you an innie or an outie? Innie 50. Left or right handed? FUN STORY I was originally lefty but then my first grade teacher thought I was gonna be a gay witch so she made me switch. But lefty staid for everything besides writing. So batting golf all that. Writing texting jacking bowling is righty. So. Mostly right. 51. Are you scared of spiders? 4/10 52. Favorite food? *softly* don't 53. Favorite foreign food? I love food 54. Are you a clean or messy person? Messy af 55. Most used phrased? Changes weekly 56. Most used word? Changes daily 57. How long does it take for you to get ready? An hour with a shower? 30 without? 58. Do you have much of an ego? Huge 59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? Suuuuck 60. Do you talk to yourself? Constantly 61. Do you sing to yourself? ALL DAY EVERY DAY. 62. Are you a good singer? I AM passable but I'm not gonna win a Tony 63. Biggest Fear? Myself 64. Are you a gossip? Did you hear about Samantha and Jim? 65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen? Check above 66. Do you like long or short hair? On myself? Idfk. On men? Short 67. Can you name all 50 states of America? Nope! Nor do I care. Fuck this place! (I can get most) 68. Favorite school subject? Transfiguration. Wait real school? Ok art, theatre, literature, science, marine biology was fun 69. Extrovert or Introvert? I need a balance of the two. Intro if I had to pick 70. Have you ever been scuba diving? Nah. Been snorkeling tho 71. What makes you nervous? Intrusive thoughts. Heights. Knives. Snakes and spiders. Fire. Mostly nervous I'll do something stupid and throw myself or my phone over the edge or into the flames. 72. Are you scared of the dark? Well I wasn't till you FUCKING MENTIONED IT. ASAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH 73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? Most of the time 74. Are you ticklish? Yes but tickle and I'll rip off your pickle 75. Have you ever started a rumor? Started? No. continued? Religiously. 76. Have you ever been in a position of authority? Often. I enjoy it. 77. Have you ever drank underage? Whaaaaaat????? Me????? No never. 78. Have you ever done drugs? Gasp 79. Who was your first real crush? Literally. Ok. Listen. Buddy. So many. Idk who was first. All were dumb. 80. How many piercings do you have? Just ears 81. Can you roll your Rs?“ Ye 82. How fast can you type? Snail^2 83. How fast can you run? Turtle^2 84. What color is your hair? Naturally dark brown. 85. What color is your eyes? Dark green and orange. 86. What are you allergic to? Medicines some type of cat/dog/fur 87. Do you keep a journal? A book of shadows but not a journal 88. What do your parents do? Dads a muggle. Mams a witch. Bitofanastyshockwhenhefoundout Honestly I'm tired and don't wanna explain 89. Do you like your age? Age as in era of history??? Years in which I have personally traveled around the sun? 90. What makes you angry? Unfairness. My jealousy. Disrespect 91. Do you like your own name? Yeah I love it 92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? Nah 93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child? Wtf is this gendered bs 94. What are you strengths? It's too late to have this crisis 95. What are your weaknesses? Seriously I'm tired 96. How did you get your name? I always forget 97. Were your ancestors royalty? Dads side had something 98. Do you have any scars? I already did this 99. Color of your bedspread? Gray 100. Color of your room? Between crayola jade and olive

[uchuutogo]

College Tips from an Adult (TM)

Hi there! Since I’m currently looking at returning to university classes while working full time, I was reminiscing about my college days. As an RA and the president of a club, I really had my hands full on top of trying to juggle my studies. I had some trials and tribulations, but I’m currently working at a laboratory utilizing my degree and I couldn’t be happier. But if I were to do it again, these would be some tips I would give myself. 

1. INTERNSHIPS

I won’t delve to far into this, but it is imperative that you start looking for internships immediately. Even one will give you valuable experience that will give you a better perspective on your career and education overall. I was too “busy” to apply for internships and that was a huge detriment to my job searching later on.

2. Pick at least one club on campus and stick with it

A club that let’s you utilize the knowledge from your major can be just as important as having an internship. Heck, it can even help you get an internship! There’s lots of clubs that can aid your major, but you can also start your own if you can’t find something that fits your niche. Freshman might not get the best work in a bigger club, but if you stick with it it will really help your career.

Don’t forget to join a fun club as well! Organized fun can help you keep your sanity when it seems like you’re drowning in schoolwork and it’ll help you gain friends as well! Most of my best friends in college I met because of the club that I joined, that I eventually became the president of! Your freshman year you can join a lot of clubs to try them out because let’s be honest, your freshman year will be you easiest year by far and you’ll have a lot of free time. But don’t sign up for every club on the planet either.

2. Don’t be afraid to talk to teachers/student aids/tutors

This is something I really should’ve taken advantage of more on my campus. Professors will post their open hours outside their offices and will even give you a copy with the syllabus sometimes. If you’re afraid that you’ll miss them, send them an email before you plan to visit them. They’re usually pretty understanding. I flunked a statics test once because of a super stupid mistake, but once I went in and talked to the professor, I showed him what I did wrong and he bumped my grade up to a C. They are also more than willing to help you figure homework out. Just don’t wait until 5 pm the day before it’s due. They’ll help you, but they won’t be happy about it. They’ll even help you study right before a test! Just don’t expect them to baby you. They’re there to teach you, not do the work for you.

If your professor is usually unavailable, most campuses have tutor schedules for certain subjects. I lived in the tutor lab for my MATLAB programming class, which is partially why I even passed that class in the first place! If you’re scared to go alone, a classmate or roommate might be more than willing to go with you if they’re taking the same class.

3. Don’t be afraid to talk to resident assistants or school counselors either

For those of you who don’t know, universities provide a student mentor in each building/floor/whatever of the dorm rooms to keep an eye on those students, known as a resident assistant. I was a resident assistant (RA) in college, and it was literally our job to watch and take care of the students in our building mentally and academically. Most even keep their doors open so that you��ll come in and talk to them. Talk to them about ANYTHING. They’re at least one year above you, so they already know what you’re going through. They’re not just your “landlord” of sorts. Especially talk to them if you’re facing problems with your roommates. If you’re unhappy with your rooming situation, they’re also trained to help settle dorm disputes as well. And trust me, dorm disputes will arise no matter who you live with. Talk to them when it starts especially

Most schools also have free student counseling services, that are held by confidentiality. So whatever you tell them they can’t tell anybody else unless it’s to keep you safe. RA’s aren’t held to confidentiality, so if you are facing a serious problem you can talk to the counselors. But you can also talk to them about anything as well. They have schedules and other students to talk with, so they’re not as readily available as like an RA would.

4. For the love of God DON’T SKIP CLASSES

I get it, there are just some subjects that you don’t enjoy and don’t want to sit through an hour+ lecture for information you feel you could get from a textbook. Just know that all your classes serve a purpose on your way to success, and you’re paying essentially for those professors’ knowledge. It isn’t quite the same learning the material through a middle man’s notes because you had better things to do then go to the lecture. It’ll hurt you down the road when you have classes that you like. You might love those subjects, but if you didn’t learn the earlier material, you’ll like it less as you struggle to succeed.

5. Your phone calendar is your friend

I would’ve been late to every class and to every meeting I had if I didn’t have my phone calendar. Yes, keeping a planner is important, but your phone has ALARMS and NOTIFICATIONS to let you know you might be forgetting something. I ran to a couple of meetings because I saw the notification 5 minutes before I was supposed to be there.

5. Check your emails CONSTANTLY

When I didn’t have a cell phone, I whipped out my laptop at the beginning of every class to check my school email. My university had a system that let us know if there was something on campus that I should avoid (ours were mainly things like flooded buildings. we did have a bomb go off in a parking lot once though) and professors will let you know if class is cancelled or not sometimes 5 minutes before class would start! So check your emails.

6. Eat some veggies and protein every once in a while

My senior year I was flat broke and could only really afford to eat rice (from a communal 10 lb bag my roommates had bought) and pasta. I ate almost literally nothing else, except maybe peanut butter on toast in the mornings. I felt terrible all the time because I was only living on carbs and caffeine. Do yourself a favor and make sure to eat protein and veggies at least every other day, if not every day. Eggs are super cheap and quick to cook, and huge bags of frozen peas are as inexpensive as veggies get. Throw those in with every meal and you’ll feel a heck of a lot better than I did in college.

7. Sleep as much as you can!! 

All allnighters are avoidable. They really are. Yes, operating on only 4 hours a day really sucks. But all nighters will only make you more tired overall and you’ll never really have the time to make up that sleep. And naps are wonderful to squeeze inbetween classes. I took many many naps on a couch in the library between classes. Without those naps I probably would’ve died from sleep deprivation. But still try to get as much sleep as you possibly can so that when you do have to pull that OCCASIONAL allnighter, you’ll have enough energy to get the assignment done.

College can be a daunting thing. I put a lot of tears, coffee, and wolfram alpha into my major, but i don’t regret the experience at all. At college, you get to explore who you are as a person, who you want to be, and what you want to do once you’ve entered the “real world”. Just remember that hundreds of thousands of students have gained their degrees and have gotten jobs, and all you have to do is put in the effort to join their success. 

If you’d like to ask any specific questions about what to expect from college or what you can do to make your experience better, like an RA my “door” is always open. :)

[marquisdelafayettc]

Sleepless Nights (Lin-Manuel Miranda x Reader)

Prompt: None. I’ve been stirring over this baby for weeks now. I’m not even proud of it. But you’re getting it anyways.

Summary: Sleep deprivation and pharmacies.

Word Count: 1,912 (why though. how though.)

Author’s Note: I did not proofread nor plan out this fic. I’m sure you’ll be able to tell as you read. (I feel my self-deprecation will prevent people from reading… Read anyways! Prove me wrong (or right!))

Warnings: Cursing (of course)

12:31 a.m.

Revving engines from the presumably barren roadways below had awaken you from your much needed slumber. A soggy, half-eaten turkey sandwich lay beside your mess of papers that lie askew. An empty styrofoam cup, once filled with Red Bull and caffeinated coffee, now rolls along the hardwood office floor as the warm stream of air from the heater sends it along. A computer screen illuminates the darkened bags beneath your eyes.

This was not a prime moment of yours.

For the past few days, you have been working non-stop on an incredulously urgent proposal needed to move forward with a research project. Your colleagues weren’t able to start on anything until this paper was finished in its entirety. Your ass was on the line, and your boss never took any shit. She was hard on you, sure, but you liked to think it was because she saw potential in you.

Maybe that wasn’t the case.

Either way, that paper needed to be finished before the sun peaked over the tranquil skyline of the city. Until the gigantic ball of gas and impending doom made its way into your view, you were determined to crank out some intricate, well-put sentences on a nearly blank sheet of paper. You made it clear to the office’s deafening silence that you were going to kick this paper’s ass. After another energy drink, that is.

1:04 a.m.

You were still a bit groggy from your inexcusable nap break; a quick trip to the nearby drug store was more than imminent. With the crisp New York City breeze slapping you across the face all along the sidewalk, an energy boost may not even be necessary. You grabbed ahold of your bearings, threw on your rust-orange peplum coat, and slung on your crossbody. You locked the office doors before heading out for a few moments. The subtle fiddling of the keys in your chilled hands kept your focus on something other than the significant winter’s chill.

The click, click of your heels on the pavement was accompanied by the faint screech of tires trekking across worn-out pavement. For the most part, the street on which your place of employment lied was quiet. Well, quiet for the city, you suppose. It was on a back road, an adequate starting point for drag racing, as you discovered earlier. Luckily, a corner store stood a block away, making refreshing simple, especially when you pulled all-nighters at the office.

1:23 a.m.

You muzzily shuffled into the store, rubbing your eyes while adjusting to the fluorescent lights. Makena, the cashier with whom you have grown close, smiled when she saw you walk into the store.

“Someone looks a bit out of it,” she commented.

You chuckled softly, adding, “To say the least.”

The small 5-hour energy bottle sat upon the front counter. You trudged over, grabbing one and placing it in front of Makena.

“You’re gonna have to wait in line, sweetheart,” she mentioned before beckoning her head to the right.

You turned, only to find a man holding a large, circular box of sweets and a pink card. He seemed just as worn out as you, though the bags beneath his eyes were overshadowed by his gentle eyes.

“Oh! I’m so sorry,” you said frantically as you stepped out of his way.

He smiled. “No worries, I’m in the same boat,” he stated as he placed the card and candy on the counter. “It took me three minutes to find the card aisle. Lack of sleep really takes a toll on the mind,” he mentioned. You laughed.

“Will this be all?” she asked the man. “We have nice plush toys in the back. There’s a koala that holds a balloon saying ‘I love you beary much!’”

He pursed his lips and nodded. “I am a fan of the idea, though koalas aren’t bears.”

Makena furrowed her brows. “Hmph,” she turned to you. “My life is a lie.”

You chuckled. The messy-haired gent grinned. “While my mother is a big fan of Australian creatures, I’m going to have to pass.”

Makena tilted her head. “Look, I’m not trying to pry or anything, but…” she gestured toward the items on the counter. “Does your mom have you in the dog house?”

His eyes widened as he raised his hands side-to-side. “No! It’s not like that, I just…” he scratched the back of his neck. “I forgot her birthday. I’m trying to make up for it,” he sighed, continuing, “with mediocre drug store products.”

“Mediocre?” Makena frowns. “That one hurts. Are my four dollar chocolates not up to par for your mother’s forgettable birthday?”

“One time! I forgot once,” he noted, eyes wide. “Okay, twice, but at least I almost remembered this time. I’m incredibly grateful for this store and its high quality products.” He smiled. It looked genuine enough.

Makena smiled back. “Mhm. Your total will be $6.03.”

“Would you add an energy shot for your fatigued friend back there?” He jabbed a thumb towards the place where you stood. “I’ve wasted enough of her time yakking on about my forgetfulness.”

Makena smirked and nodded. “Your new total is $11.36.”

He smiled as he paid and collected up the birthday gifts and the bottle of over-caffeination. He turned and handed you the 5-hour energy.

“I appreciate your putting up with my story,” he remarked.

You flashed him a smile. “My pleasure. I do enjoy a good story; the complementary energy drink was a nice touch. The name’s Y/N,” you mentioned, holding out your hand.

“Lin-Manuel,” the shaggy-haired fellow stated as he struggled to hold his purchases with one hand. “Though ‘Lin’ is just fine.”

The two of you head out side-by-side. You turned back and saw Makena wink at you, throwing in a thumbs-up. You playfully rolled your eyes and stepped out the door.

1:56 a.m.

“Where are you headed?” Lin asked.

“A few blocks west of here. I have to get back to my lab to finish a report,” you said, rubbing your temple, trying to inhibit your ineludible future headache.

“I’m off that way as well. Mind if I join you?”

“That would be nice.”

A silence swung between you both for a few minutes as you walked along, until Lin spoke up.

“May I ask what your research is about?”

You nodded while focusing on your footing. There were few lights along the road. “I’m set to start a study of the development of synthetic hormones, and I can’t start without this paper written to completion.” You let out a heavy breath. “Also, it must be completed,” you checked your watch. “…within the next six hours.”

“Oh, dear,” Lin whispered. “It’s too bad there isn’t a ‘six-hour energy’ drink. Tsk tsk.”

You let out a snort. “As of right now, I’ll take anything, as long as it isn’t coffee from a four-year-old machine,” you shook your head. “My last cup had grounds in the bottom. It was rather chewy,” you stated, shaking your head. “Definitely wouldn’t recommend it.”

Lin’s threw his head back in laughter. “The machines are already planning our demise; perhaps a robotic apocalypse is upon us.”

“If only,” you exhaled. “In that case, I would be worrying about how to correctly dismantle a rouge microwave rather than figure how to sort scientific words into insightful sentences.” Lin chuckled in response.

The silence shoved its way back in between the both of you. After a lulled few minutes, Lin turned to you.

“I’m an English major.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Congratulations..?”

Lin laughed softly. “No, I mean… I’m rather experienced in the paper-writing process. I teach seventh grade English classes,” he uncomfortably shifted his items in his arms. “If you find yourself in a jam, I’d be happy to help you put together a paper.”

“While I am a genius in the field of science, I am, to put it lightly, shit at writing. I’ll be sure to keep the offer in mind. If you need help putting together a genuine birthday present, I’m your guy,” you replied.

To that, Lin sniggered. “I’d need your number in order to take you up on that offer. Or an email. I’m flexible,” he smirked.

Damn. He was good.

You grabbed Lin’s arm to stop him with one hand while pulling a pen from your bag with the other. With numb fingers, you took Lin’s free hand and scribbled down your number.

“Next time, I’d suggest going with Hallmark,” you remarked.

Lin smiled, which, of course, in turn, led you to smile back. How was this guy’s smile so contagious?

You sighed, noticing that you were already at your building. “This is my stop,” you noted.

Lin frowned. “It was a pleasure to have accompanied you on your walk.”

You grinned subtly as you unlocked the doors and headed in. “I appreciate the company.”

“I’ll call you?” Lin called.

You caught the door closing behind you, replying, “I’ll pick up.”

He turned, bouncing a bit as he walked.

2:37 a.m.

You head to your computer, starting up the document once again. Surprisingly, you didn’t need the energy drink. You felt awake, refreshed even, after conversing with the shaggy-haired fellow. Less than seven minutes into your frantic typing, your cell rang, startling you. You grabbed it, noticing the words “Unknown Number” that flashed across your screen, and answered.

“Y/N Y/L/N speaking,” you said.

“Aha! I got it right this time,” exclaimed the voice from the other line.

“Is this Lin?”

“Yes! Sorry, I was a tad overexcited. I may have accidentally called a grumpy old woman just a minute ago. I had a little trouble deciphering your number,” Lin commented, adding a chuckle.

“What can I do you for?”

“Actually, I was looking to aid you in your scientific endeavour.”

“I’m in no need of a Prince Charming to save my ass, Mr. Lin-Manuel.”

“No! I mean-”

“Only joking. Now, how does one put together a coherent sentence?”

4:22 a.m.

Lin sped things up. Significantly. Within two hours, the two of you had strung together a magnificent paper. Not only would this please your hard-ass boss, but listening to a sleepy-voiced Lin was a plus as well.

“I can’t thank you enough for helping me. Not only am I actually prepared for work, I may get three hours of sleep in,” you expressed.

“Trust me, I understand the agony. I’ve been in the same situation several times too many. Now, I ought to leave you to get some much-needed rest. I hope your project goes well!”

You smiled. “Thanks to your help, I’m sure it will.”

“We’ll talk soon,” Lin stated, and you both hung up.

How the hell would this have ever gotten done without this guy?

1:13 p.m.

To: Lin-Manuel

No need for ass-kissing today - that paper did it all for me. Won’t ever be able to repay you.

Note: not skipping work to text. In the middle of lunch break.

From: Lin-Manuel

Instead of repayment, how about meeting me for coffee after work?

To: Lin-Manuel

Another caffeine-filled evening? No thanks.

I’ll see you at the pizza place on 41st. Be there or b² .

From: Lin-Manuel

A scientist with mad algebraic jokes? There’s no one else I’d rather join at a greasy pizza joint.

[gumiguta]

Being a top student at university

This post is based on my (and my friends) experience (second year student; sophomore).

I haven’t double-checked it, so I suppose there would be some mistakes. I miss articles all the time, sorry.

1. First year is the most important

Show your professors your capabilities. Let professors get to know you, their opinion will be significant later. Slog your guts out, get the best marks, show them you really care and you are intrigued in what they say. Later on if the next year/term is tougher or you are be able to fully focus on your education, professors will look kindly on you, they won’t be so strict, so your marks won’t be much lower.

2. Luck

Believe me, we are not always fully prepared. Sometimes our knowledge is incomplete because we don’t had enough time to learn, the topic XYZ is so shitty that we simply don’t get part of it. It happens that we have to count on our luck. The final test is coming in a few hours and you still know nothing about ABC or XYZ. You don’t have enough time and you know you won’t get it in half of an hour. Fuck this, fuck that – you hope you will be able to answer a questions. You’ve got nothing to lose, joke that it would be nice, if you got a question about QWE. If the professor knows you, remembers you and is aware of your knowledge, there is a huge possibility you’ll get this question.

3. Talk to people before your final exams

It’s partly connected with “Luck”. Talk to people who already had their finals (not only to your peers but also to older students). It’s not about questions, because you won’t get the same ones, that’s for sure. It’s more about getting to know the professor’s way of thinking, asking questions, choosing topics. Ask people how much you need to write/say in order to get a good mark. Ask people what topics are professor’s favourite, what do you need to know, how to impress them. Mark down what questions did your friends/other students get – learn them if you know that this professor likes to ask the same thing, pay less attention if you know they like to change them. But never left them aside, you have to know at least part of the answer to be save.

4. Know your professors

The continuation of “Luck”. Knowing your professors helps you a lot during preparing for tests, exams, finals etc. Give yourself a term or two to find out information about professors – what topics are their beloved, what kind of questions are most common, what kind of answers are they expect, how much you need to know.

5. Don’t be afraid of professors

Treat them like normal people, not someone who will fail you at your first exam. You can talk to them not only about studies – some of them are really interested in your life outside the uni (even my biggest fear – my phonetics professor – used to ask people why they had been absent and he was genuinely interested in it). I’m probably going to a concert with my professor, sometimes we smoke cigarettes with them, they give us medical pieces of advice – they are not monsters. Of course some of them have sticks in their asses and you have to treat them with much bigger respect. But remember – you’re a student. Don’t be unrespectful even if your professor is a great guy. Tell something shitty and you’re fucked up for the rest of your student life (it means – till the end of the term, because they definitely won’t let you pass).

6. Panic

*3 A.M., Facebook* A: FUCK, I KNOW NOTHING B: ME TOO, WE’RE NOT GOING TO PASS A: We can commit a suicide, that’s the only option B: I find this red bridge quite appealing…

Yes, we panic. A lot. Sometimes we’re so stressed we have to phone someone and talk to them for a longer while in order to calm down and continue to learn. Why? Because we had no idea how much we need to study, because we thought that 2 days of non-stop learning is enough (ups, it’s not!), because it turned out you don’t have this one important thing in your notes. Shit, shit, shit! But, man, calm down, you know you’re not the worst student at uni, you have some knowledge so you say/write something during an exam. So get back to work! Take deep breath, call your friends, check Facebook, Tumblr or whatever if it helps you. Then try to take a look at your notes once again. Step by step and you’re going to know more and more.

7.“I give up”

It’s a common phrase during preparations to exam session. You look at your notes with watery eyes and you say “I give up, I won’t learn anything more”. Take a longer break then, if you feel like a shit – an hour or two. Go to sleep, eat something, play your favourite video game, message your friends. Then go back to your notes. If it really seems like you won’t make any progress, don’t force yourself, focus on sth else, maybe later on you’ll try to revise this “little shit” once more. If it’s still too demanding – leave it. You only get more stressed and panic is your biggest enemy. Remember you still remember sth, it’s not like you’re totally unprepared!

8. Help others…

If somebody asks you about notes (because they were absent or sth), don’t hesitate giving them. You don’t know when you will need their help. Groups of your uni on FB where you can share and find information are also helpful – notes, example questions, links to PDF books or scripts etc.

9. …But don’t be a saint!

Hearing for the 5th time “Hey, can I copy your notes?” makes me furious. I’m willing to help, give notes, talk about previous lectures if this person was absent, had difficulty in understanding the topic or what was the professor saying. But I just can’t stand people who are not attending any classes because it’s too early, because the topic is boring, because they prefer to scroll Instagram etc. Don’t let other people preying on you. They probably won’t help you as much as you did.

10. People you can count on

Sometimes it’s hard to make friends during your first year at uni but try to do a kind of research… After first tests find out who has quite good marks. If you’re absent, you have no idea what’s going on and this lecture is totally not your cup of tea, ask them for help. But don’t be a dick! Constantly borrowing notes and asking for help is annoying. And please, don’t pretend friendship with this person if you don’t like them that much. You don’t have to love each other, go for a beer every Friday, gossip about others – if you’re nice to this person (and vice versa), you talk to them for a while at uni and of course you’re also willing to help them, it’s a good relation. Borrowing notes depends on a subject – XYZ I take from my best friend, ABC from the girl to whom I talk only at lectures and RSQ.

11. Attend classes

Doesn’t matter how boring they are, doesn’t matter how much you hate this professor – please, attend classes. First of all sit always closer to the lecturer (but don’t be obtrusive), participate in it, say something related to the topic, do your best not to miss classes. Professors will remember you, they’re going to think you’re be the best student at whole uni and your finals will be a little bit easier. Sometimes professors, if they know you’re always prepared, you’re coming even at 8 A.M. lecture and this subject is rather facultative, can give you a mark without any exam.

12. “Start learning at least a month before your final exam…”

Yeah. I’ve never done that.

Of course it would be much better to start learning earlier but it’s often impossible to do. You’ve got so many homework, presentations, tests and essay so you simply don’t have enough time (and motivation) to think about finals. One term in two days is not something uncommon even (or maybe especially?) when it comes to top students. But our advantage are: attending classes, listening to professors, being genuinely interested in the subject.

13. Presentations, essays and long-term projects

Start doing them as soon as you can. Step by step, you don’t have to make them in one night, your deadline is far away… It’s a big comfort, doesn’t give a single fuck about deadlines. Of course, sometimes you don’t make it on time and you have to pull an all-nighter, but it rarely happens when you start do this earlier.

14. Motivation

You can talk about this whole self-development, showing people you’re worth something more, dreams coming true but at uni you do it just for…

Money.

My scholarship is the only reason for learning that much. If not for my scholarship I wouldn’t pay any attention to subjects which are completely useless outside the uni.

15. Sleepless nights

We pull an all-nighter before our exams, it’s nothing uncommon. Sometimes we get 3 hours of sleep, sometimes 30 minutes. But do it once, not every night, because you won’t learn anything. And if you do this just before your exam, try to get at least 2h of sleep – you’re going to organize your studying during sleep. I usually remember more then, I find connections between facts faster.

16. Naps

They are your friends, not enemies. Just a 30-60 minutes nap will make you more lively, you will get more energy to study. Before my exams I take 30 minutes naps, twice a day. You’ll learn more and faster. Not having a nap is awful to me, because I feel so tired, so exhausted that I don’t know what’s going on around me for 2-3 hours.

17. Balanced diet

Instant soups, energy drinks, coffee, sweets – it was my special diet during the exam session. And it worked – for 3 days. Then my body gave up and I had to go back to normal food. Try to eat homemade dinners, don’t skip breakfasts – that’s the most important one. You won’t get rid of coffee (or energy drinks in my case), because it helps you to stay alive. If you can, eat something sweet – sugar also resurrects you.

18. An exam next day? Alcohol!

Don’t ever look at your notes just before your finals. You’re going to panic, you’re going to get disorganized. It’s better to do something you like. Before every exam I would for instance go to the concert, for a beer with my friends, watch a movie or play stupid games. It’s your time and university has no right to disturb you. Forget for a while how much you need to learn.

19. Party?

Yes, top students party and drink a lot, believe me. Vodka and beer are your double-faced friends.

[soysaucevictim]

Second week.

-

June 5

I basically took a 3 hour nap around noon, to recoup from the all-nighter I had.

I basically tanked the entire day playing PoE and Skyrim. Yeah. rain-checked on exercise.

I forget when I got around to it - but I also did dishes and made a Hello Fresh Meal. Salmon limone. I rather liked how it turned out. Enjoying the experience of trying zucchini raw in a salad like in this dish.

Got to bed obscenely late.

-

June 6

I woke up after 1PM, after some dreams that left me feeling mixed on.

After a bit of rambling about it in few places, I started playing more catch-up with my exercise regimen.(It’s definitely a red flag that the gaming has thrown a wrench in that schedule...)

First, yesterday’s DD. 15 tricep extensions with EC. Tough but doable.

Second, today’s DD. 1′ deep squat hold with EC. Breezy, essentially the Garland Pose in yoga and I dig it.

(After updating some logs... which required another period of just piecing together last week. Bleh.)

Third, Day 6 of the AoSP. Timer based sequence - four exercises 1′ each, 30″ rest in between. Lots of un/clenching fists while holding up arms in different positions. Definitely noted a slowdown in pace due to significant fatigue in forearm muscles. Upper arm muscles were more than okay with all of this. I do like this sort of exercise, given how it focuses on a group I don’t usually deliberately condition.

Fourth, Day 7 of the AoSP. A leveled workout, done at Level 3. I even shortened the rest periods to 30″. Fairly breezy, all things considered. Less intense in my opinion to the prior.

Fifth, Day 6 of the AC. 3x 10 bounces + 1 hop heel click, basically done in one superset. Pretty easy.

Last, Day 7 of the AC. 3x1′30″ bounces, 30″ rest. Yeah, no stim-chasing after that. Calves were pretty done. But I enjoyed this reasonably well.

(It kind of sucks admitting triumph in getting my productive stuff done before touching Steam... but here we are. Then again, I probably don’t need to undercut that achievement. All things considered, it is an accomplishment.)

I did however, pull another all-nighter.

-

June 7

I essentially gave myself only an hour’s nap/rest before doing a phone therapy appointment.

I’m glad I decided to play catch-up today... despite part of me being tempted to just game some more. I think that phone appointment helped me get to that headspace a bit.

(I will say that current situation has me straddling between really drawn to and scared of returning to writing on iZ!AU... mostly since some ideas hit more close to home... Though if I’m honest with myself... the coin is tipped toward “do it.“)

First, today’s DD. 20 back extensions with EC. Had a false start, misremembered and undershot the number I needed to do. But done and done.

Second, Day 8 of the AoSP. No specified levels, a push-ups to failure day. Numbers were 25-22-20. Manageable, but a little sloppy. Glad it was only 2 plank exercises. That said... I spaced out a bit longer than the specified 30″ after the push-ups part. Whatever, I’ll take it.

Third, Day 9 of the AoSP. No specified levels again, predominantly holds. Very doable work. Upper arms were good enough for the task at hand,

Fourth, Day 8 of the AC. 3x 10 bounces + 2 hop heel click, basically done in one superset. Still very breezy and manageable work.

Last, Day 9 of the AC. 3x1′30″ bounces, 30″ rest. Same as last time. Fun and burned.

I went straight into making today’s Hello Fresh meal. Chicken sausage rigatoni. Very tasty, appreciate the quick stuff.

I went to bed in the rd zone but not obscenely late.

-

June 8

Frankly don’t recall when I got up today... I want to say in ballpark of 2-4PM... I need to stop lapsing on my logging.

After spending a good amount of the day on Youtube/etc, went into my exercise docket.

First, today’s DD. 1′ pacer steps with EC. A reasonably fun one. Counted 186 steps by the end of it.

Second, Day 10 of the AoSP. Level 3, shortened rest to around 20-40″. Manageable work, noted that the elbows together circles was a uniquely somewhat taxing exercise - but interestingly so.

Last, Day 10 of the AC. 3x 10 bounces + 2 hop heel click, basically done in one superset. Very breezy.

Glad I managed to hold off on gaming until after that... and that I went to bed slightly earlier than yesterday.

-

June 9

I woke up around 10AM.

Hit the showers, took a brief nap, and went grocery shopping with Grandma and dad.

Got a really big DoorDash meal and was waiting on it to digest to workout... that WAS the plan.

But I nuked the rest of my day gaming, pulling an all-nighter at that.

-

June 10

I woke up after 4PM.

After putting away my laundry, I got started on today’s exercises.

First, yesterday’s DD. 30 boat fold with EC. Started to take some digging in at the halfway point forward. Fun and intense ab work, I held off on it yesterday, because I knew a few stomach would be a bad idea. (Granted, I got sucked into another gaming session for it.)

First, today’s DD. 50 get-ups with EC. I think the last ten or so reps per side were the most brutal to crank out, but still doable.

Second, Day 11 of the AoSP. Classic calisthenic-styled workout, no specified levels. Fairly breezy.

Second, Day 12 of the AoSP. Holds and lots of un/clenching fists again. No specified levels. Always makes it temporarily difficult to do stuff like typing after.

Last, Day 11 of the AC. 3x1′30″ bounces, 30″ rest. Got fairly intense by the end, but manageable. Going to deal with a step up in times nect time. We’ll see how I get along with that.

Last, Day 12 of the AC. 3x 10 bounces + 2 hop heel click, basically done in one superset. Very breezy, as expected.

Feels nice to be all caught up and on time here.

After a bit of time on YouTube and chatting, made a late Hello Fresh dinner. Caramelized apple melts. One of these days i will figure out how to not burn grilled cheese type sandwiches, today wasn't an exception. Despite charred sandwich - i did like this one. Nice play on sweet/savory.

Unsure if I’ve had arugula before in like a mixed greens salads before. But it felt novel enough that I mightn’t have tried it before... interesting flavor. Funny that i correctly pinged it as a member of the mustard fam. that pungent, slightly sulfurous bite was a clue to that added compatibility of flavors since the dressing was honey mustard.

Spent another all-nighter gaming, after that...

-

June 11

I woke up around 4PM.

Even though this was an active rest day... neglected to at least get in my DD today. Distracted by Skyrim.

There was a very brief moment of power going out. took it upon myself to deal with some bills by flashlight. Honestly should’ve taken the hint after that to get to bed. But nooo. I HAD to pull another damn all-nighter. orz