#i got to lessons 7-9 hence this post

[devilishdelights]

nightbringer is just lucifer’s evilsona

[bryhaven]

Top 10 Films

Thank you for the tag, @onigiri-dorkk! I've been tagged in a number of challenge posts, and I will try to get to them soon ahah 😅

This was supposed to be a discussion of films but then again, I managed to find AOT/SNK and RivaMika parallels while going through this list 😂

This challenge has been fun and it was hard to pick only 10, let alone rank them! But for the sake of the game, I tried 😌

10. The King and I (1999)

A musical animated adaptation of a Siamese (now called Thai) King who hires an English schoolteacher to have his country learn western modern ways. It was very amusing and enjoyable that the villain and accomplice here are written as comedic. And the added young love story between the crown prince and the servant girl is endearing. And I'm actually fond of forbidden love tropes ahaha. Plus the musical scenes are fun and brilliant! A great family movie! 🥰

9. Troy (2004)

A story focusing on the Trojan war and the heroes in it. I've always enjoyed historical and legend-type movies as they give a glimpse of life in ancient times. I appreciate Achilles (Brad Pitt) and Hector (Eric Bana) in the movie so much that I included them in my AMV tribute to heroes and legends. The Iliad, which is the battle between Achilles and Hector, is one of my favorite legendary fights. Plus one of Achilles' last scenes and the line, "You gave me peace, in a lifetime of war." is so heartwarming. And now that I think of it, it's something that Levi could say to a certain special someone during post-war. 😏

8. Unknown (2011)

An action-thriller revolving around seeking the truth, hence the title. Liam Neeson always delivers when it comes to action and suspense-filled scenes (plus he is the namesake of my Ackerchild OC 😌). The story progression will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you wondering until the plot twist turns into an answer with a shocking revelation. His character is also badass, brooding, and serious, while also suffering from injury and trauma. Reminds me too much of a certain someone in SnK. 😄 Plus the way that the two main characters develop from reluctantly working together to understanding and caring for each other is just *screams in RivaMika vibes*

7. Brother Bear (2003)

A story about literally walking in another's footsteps to learn a valuable lesson by seeing the other's point of view. It showcases brotherly and familial love in a lighthearted adventure. Watching the movie has a significant and special meaning to me for personal reasons. The plot twist is absolutely heart-wrenching and beautifully executed. Plus the original soundtracks gave me chills, were perfect for each and every exhilarating scene, and hold the rare honor of making me cry. 😭

6. Taken (2008)

Another one of Liam Neeson's action-packed movies. This revolves around the rescue of his character's daughter from human trafficking. As always, his character is badass, brooding, and serious. Some daddy issues, wherein his character struggles with fatherhood to a growing teenage girl. Fatherly love 💖 and gotta love the brilliance of how he tracks down his daughter and saves her. His style and strategies blew my mind, it's amazing! Plus that line in the GIF is iconic!

5. Entrapment (1999)

A story of two thieves, skillful in their own ways, working together to steal an ancient artifact. I love how they came up with brilliant spy-like strategies and synced together to accomplish the task. Recollecting this reminded me as well of @chaosisbeauty23's "Are you in?" two-shot spy story. It gave me similar vibes. Sean Connery's character trained Catherine Zeta-Jones' character, they had trust issues and conflicts, and they grew close through the duration of the preparation until they eventually got to trust each other enough to continue working together. Plus the age difference! Rings a bell? *screams again in RivaMika vibes*

4. Kiss of the Dragon (2001)

A story of a cop helping to crack a major drug ring and ending up having to save a prostitute and her daughter to ultimately resolve it. I guess I have always been fond of unexpectedly-working-together and damsel-in-distress tropes, and this movie has two of those tropes in it! 😂 Recollecting this reminded me of @nuri148's "Not a Pirate" where Mikasa has a child. I love the chemistry between Jet Li and Bridget Fonda here, you can feel the tension and awkwardness ahaha. Plus the height difference! *screams again and again in RivaMika vibes* ghad seriously why am I associating these films I watched years ago with the current RM fics I've read bahaha 😂😅

3. Con Air (1997)

A story of an ex-convict trying to get home to his family after he's been finally freed. I always go soft whenever strong, badass, brooding guys show tenderness and affection with regard to their families or the people they care for. Levi Ackerman as a father, anyone? 😌 This story hits with both the action and the feels. Plus the "How do I live without you?" performed by Trisha Yearwood is just *chef's kiss*

2. Brave (2012)

A story of a princess struggling with life as a royal and trying to find her own path. Merida is my favorite Disney princess and I find her relatable in ways. I enjoyed the adventurous-type songs here as well. I absolutely love her unconventional and strong character which deviates from the typical dainty and girly princesses. She's spirited, stubborn, and won't take any BS 😂 Plus she's great with a sword!

1. The One (2001)

And finally at the top 1 spot is coincidentally "The One" released in 2001 bahaha 😂 another one of Jet Li's action-packed movies which I love. And there are two Jet Lis in here ahaha. The story revolves around Yulaw (Jet Li) traveling across the multiverse hunting down and killing all his counterparts or other selves until only two of them are left. With each counterpart killed in every universe, the energy and power get divided between the remaining surviving counterparts resulting in them having increased strength, intelligence, and speed. I've mentioned this in a post before that this is similar to how Levi's and Mikasa's superhuman powers came to be.

I absolutely love the plot and story progression in this sci-fi setup, which makes you wonder, what if we actually have alternate personas in other universes (and we just don't know about it because there are people who make sure that we don't know in order to ensure peace and balance)? Plus Jason Statham's character as an ally here was unexpectedly funny!

I also appreciate the romance factor in the movie in the sense that, it is shown as trust, comfort, and care. Doesn't need to have all the kissy scenes or so to show genuine love. And one of Jet Li's character's lines about his love here is just 💖

Jet Li always delivers as well when it comes to action and suspense-filled scenes. Plus just look at the parallels below (The One vs AOT S3):

Using a dead person as a shield then obliterates everyone afterward.

Jet Li's characters in movies are usually brooding, badass, serious, and aloof from people. Plus he is charmingly handsome and rather short in stature IRL too! Yep, Jet Li is a real-life Levi Ackerman 🤣😌

I swear I watched all of these way before I even encountered Attack on Titan. I didn't mean for this to be too long and to include much RivaMika and AOT, but it was fun recollecting the movies and then associating them with my brain rot 😂

Now that I have this list, I realize I tend to gravitate towards action movies and familial ones. Plus most of these movies have that one badass, brooding, serious guy who is insanely skilled and strong, and has a reputation but also soft for their loved ones. Geez I already have a type way before Levi Ackerman bahaha 😂🥰😌

None of these movies are focused on romance but the couple GIFs are intentional bahaha 😏

Tagging: No one, no pressure. 😅

[wilsons-striped-ties]

march tc challenge (days 1-30 one shot)

Original post here!!

1. If you could change one thing about your TC, physical or personality-wise, what would it be?

mango: I would say his fashion sense but then I've grown to like it HAHA so I guess his obliviousness because seriously I'm staring right at you can't you see me? But it's cute sometimes

passion fruit: he's too soft on the horrible students of his he looks scary but he's such a cinnamon roll, for his sanity he should scold them sometimes

2. Are they “your type”, or was falling for a person like them completely unexpected?

mango: the total opposite of my type in terms of likes and personalities, hence it was entirely unexpected

passion fruit: his likes are more my type but it was also unexpected because I already had one tc I didn't expect to like another (albeit this one not as strong but still considered)

3. If they were an ice cream flavour, what would it be?

mango: butter pecan??? chocolate chip cookie dough????? or maybe just plain vanilla/chocolate since he isn't the most complicated of people but it's sweet and simple, possibly even a little more complicated the more you eat it

passion fruit: maybe something like rum and raisin or coffee chip something that needs an acquired taste and probably is more expensive

4. imagine you have a whole weekend to spend with your tc. what would you guys do?

mango: hmm probably something cliché like grabbing dinner and watching a movie, but maybe baking too because I know he's baked at least once, and maybe grab a morning run once or twice and maybe some other sports

passion fruit: I honestly don't know what he likes so maybe grab dinner to get to know him more, watch a movie and he can pick more activities? He looks like he bowls maybe we can go bowling

5. what's their biggest talent?

mango: running, sprinting and anything sports related

passion fruit: memorisation. His history memorisation is incredible

6. be honest: would you guys be a power couple or not?

mango: probably eh

passion fruit: maybe

7. if they knew about your feelings, would they confront you about it or ignore it

mango: I think he would be a little awkward around me but he's always sometimes awkward so

passion fruit: I think he'll ignore it

8. are they a good singer?

mango: have never heard him sing before

passion fruit: he's sang a line or two jokingly in class before and he's pretty good honestly

9. if you could choose an outfit that your tc had to wear every single day, what would it look like?

mango: oh goodness the red collared shirt of immense sexiness paired with khaki shorts/long pants that's the best of his looks red looks stunning on him all collared shirts look awesome on him

passion fruit: his usual black/dark blue dress shirts are wonderful

10. are they more academic, artistic, or athletic? what about you?

mango: definitely athletic he was a national athlete for crying out loud but he's also really academic

passion fruit: really academic and a little athletic

me: none LOL I am rather athletic but not as much as mango and academic but not really smart

11. do they inspire you as a person?

mango: YES

passion fruit: yes

12. are they an early riser or a night owl?

mango: feels like an early riser but all teachers have to report early to school

passion fruit: feels like an early riser too

13. have you ever made each other angry or upset? if so, how did you reconcile?

mango: when he confiscated my phone because I was checking the online timetable but he thought I was using my phone but lesson hadn't even started so I was super pissed and he was disappointed but we got over it

passion fruit: never

14. do you ever find yourself imitating them, either consciously or unconsciously?

mango: yeah a little in the way he sits LOL he manspreads a lot but its hot and he runs his hand through his hair so I do too

passion fruit: yeah in the way he explains stuff about history and teases people

15. what do you think their love language is? what's yours?

mango: I think he's words of affirmation? Maybe a little physical touch as well

passion fruit: words of affirmation for sure

me: quality time and words of affirmation and physical touch

16. have they taught you anything that isn't school related? valuable life lessons, insights on how you feel about yourself, etc?

mango: he's taught me a lot about resilience and to look inwards because he often asks how I'm doing and I have to give a legit answer

passion fruit: he's taught me to be confident in myself and always ask questions and answer his questions as well because he always points me out to answer questions that the rest can't answer and he's taught me that I do enjoy academic validation whoops

17. what would they have to do to make you lose feelings for them?

mango & passion fruit: goodness they'd have to like I don't know do something really horrible

18. are they introverted or extroverted? what about you?

mango: he's like extroverted but not overly

passion fruit: he's introverted but not overly

me: ambiverted

19. who's more likely to start rambling about their interests while the other listens?

mango: me rambling him listening

passion fruit: us rambling and us listening

20. do you feel guilty about having feelings for your tc?

Not really HAHAHAHAHA

21. are you insecure about them liking another student more than you?

mango & passion fruit: yes, duh

22. what kind of hairstyle would you love to see them in?

mango & passion fruit: I don't know man I love their hairstyles now

23. do you think they trust you?

mango: hope so man

passion fruit: most likely

24. what's the most comedic moment that's occurred between you two?

mango: probably us playing frisbee together in physical education class??? All the times we see each other and wave as fast as possible with huge grins probably, or the time all the teachers had a huge boring meeting and he spent like an hour texting me instead of listening, saying that he wanted it to end soon

passion fruit: that one time in lesson that he was pissed at them not handing in the homework so he slammed the entire stack of worksheets onto my desk and told them he'll make me mark all these worksheets later and when the lesson was about to end I asked him if I was supposed to really mark and he said no/the time he made me finalise an extra class during the holidays because he says they'll listen to me more

25. have you ever drawn them or written about them to vent your feelings?

mango & passion fruit: writing definitely and drawing last night I just started to LOL

26. how do you feel when you're around them? are you so nervous that you can't concentrate, or do you just feel happy that you get to spend time with them?

mango: I'm constantly nervous and genuinely super happy so happy that I always grin around him and I become slightly hyperactive around him and sometimes when he's talking I just stare at him and I always look forward to being around him

passion fruit: genuinely happy and I love the smell of his cologne LOL he's really chill and his humour is kinda dry but I love it not super nervous but sometimes awkward

27. do you guys have any inside jokes?

mango & passion fruit: we don't usually joke so no unfortunately

28. do their morals, principles, or political views align with yours?

mango & passion fruit: we're mainly the same

29. have you ever tried to get over them?

mango: tried, failed, never tried again

passion fruit: never tried

30. if someone nice your age showed up in your life and you caught feelings for them, would you move on from your tc?

sure

31. have you ever said or done something that, in hindsight, might have been hurtful to them? have they ever done the same to you?

mango & passion fruit: not really, I mind what I say and they don't really say anything hurtful

(this was fun)

[ayushtic]

25 lessons I learnt from the pandemic:

1. Feel grateful for every little thing that you have. Be happy because surving the pandemic itself is a luxury.

2. Your body's purpose was to keep you alive by fighting the infection. If it did, your body is perfect. Don't fall prey to body shamers. Ugly, fat, short, dark, skinny are terms designed to sell "self-care" body products. Many so called "fit, handsome and well build" bodies succumbed to the virus. YOU are perfect no matter what others tell you about your "looks."

3. Best healthy lifestyle is to have a sound sleep and staying happy.

4. Do not stress out. Life is a marathon, not 100m sprint. If someone won the sprint, you still have the chance at winning the marathon. Cheers!

5. Do not follow what they show at social media. It is fine if you do not watch movies and post cheesy quotes screenshot from it. Write captions and poetries. Click aesthetic photographs. Sing or dance Not everyone is good at everything. Not everyone is an artist. It doesn't make you inferior or them superior.

6. Keep a close watch on who shows up for help in your needy times. Those people whom everyone called "emotional fools", only they showed up for help, shared resources and what not. The "practical" ones only gave reasons as to "why" they cannot show up.

7. If someone helped you in tough times. It is not necessary you help only them in return. Carry forward the chain. Be a good human and help anyone in need. Good deeds go to and come from the most unexpected places.

8. Be most cautious of those people who distanced them from you in your tough times. They are the real mongoose you were feeding all along.

9. Consolidate the circle of those who genuinely cared for you. Don't say them on the face but always be grateful for their existence in your life. They are the real gems. Your true wealth.

10. Only your family stays till the toughest of your times. Respect your parents (without conditions.)

11. If someone is telling you their pain, you matter a lot to them. Listen patiently, without interrupting. It is the best therapy to people in pain.

12. Don't exhaust yourself following point number 11. Keep a check on your mental health before anyone else.

13. Do not take criticisms from those who never appreciated you.

14. Do not make big plans for life. Plan days. Weeks. Not months and years.

15. You are not allowed to make comparison with anyone else unless they are walking in the same shoes and treading the same path as you do. Everyone has got something better and worse. You are the only person who is living the same life as you do. Hence, you are your only competition.

16. Don't break friendships for ego. Ten years down the line, you'll be cursing yourself for not making that extra effort because your ego stood in your way.

17. If someone gives you false advice or don't follow what they themselves say, never ever seek their advice in life.

18. If you love someone, love them with all your heart. Never cheat a person who loves you truly. Karma hits back sooner than you think.

19. Tell your achievements ONLY to those who feel truly happy about it. You attract jinx and bad vibes from those who secretly hate to see you improving in life.

20. Spend some time in solitude. It always helps cleanse your mind.

21. Do not overthink about past. You cannot travel back in time to correct the wrong things. Learn from mistakes and move forward.

22. If you feel guilty about something you did to a person. Call them instantly or meet up to say sorry. It doesn't matter if they forgive you or not. Say sorry if you feel. That's the best you can do to do away with the guilt.

23. Spend time with your parents. Try your best. You cannot know how it may feel to parents getting older everyday realising life is short. They want to spend maximum time with people they love, which is you.

24. Cut those bonds right away which behave like crabs and try to pull you down in life.

25. Stay close to nature. Walk on the grass. Hear the birds chirping. Respect nature. Trees. Environment. Watch at the sun rising and setting. Be kinder to animals, they too have lives like you. Treat them the way you wish to be treated by fellow humans. The more you get in sync with nature, the more your level of well being alleviates.

(Save this post. You will need this in life.)

Sharing is free✌🏻

[dearophelia]

For the fic ask, would it be terrible if I asked for all of them for 'gonna set your flag on fire?' If that's too many, any and all of the ones that excite you the most.

HI NO NOT TERRIBLE AT ALL

gonna set your flag on fire

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

I didn't want to write an entire family history story that was required reading before anything for this story made sense, but also wanted everyone to know who the hell these people were and where they came from and what all the relevant history is. Hence, important flashbacks.

2: What scene did you first put down?

It's been a long long time since I started writing this fic, so I'm not honestly sure what the first scene was. Probably that very first moment, with Nora on her grandparents' porch, because I felt it was really important to show everyone from the very beginning that she was going to be okay.

3: What's your favorite line of narration?

Holding up his hands in defeat, Hackett gives in. “I will bring it up with the others,” he says. “But,” he softens his voice, and she knows that it’s now Steven talking to Olivia, not Admiral Hackett talking to Captain Shepard, “are you going to be able to give her up to us if something does happen?”

She squares her shoulders, looks him right in the eye, and lies. “Yes.”

4: What's your favorite line of dialogue?

bear (ha) with me here, but this interaction is fucking gold:

“Two o’clock,” Alle says. “Vakarian, check it out.”

She scopes in where Alle indicated. Nothing but trees. “I don’t see anything,” she says. But then movement catches her eye. “Wait,” she flips on her scope’s infrared sensors. “That’s…large,” she says, flatly. “It looks kind of like a bear.”

“Grizzly bear or black bear?” Carlos asks.

“It’s a bear,” Micah says, “what does it…?”

“They act differently,” Carlos says. “A grizzly would –”

“Neither,” Nora says, cutting off the incoming discussion on Earth-based bear behavior. “It’s got a long tail, for one thing.”

“Then it’s not a bear,” Carlos says.

“You have binoculars, you look at it.”

There’s a quiet shuffle as Carlos pulls out his binoculars. “That’s…Nora, what the hell, that doesn’t even look remotely like a bear.”

She glares in Carlos’ general direction. “Oh, you know what.”

Jonah coughs pointedly. “Let’s table the classification discussion and focus on whether it’s going to eat us.”

A few moments pass in silence, and then the shuffling noise repeats as Carlos puts his binoculars back. “There wasn’t anything about this in the planetary file, so it’s probably not an issue.”

“Because that’s not logic that hasn’t bitten us in the ass before,” Alle scoffs.

“I’m just saying, if the vorcha knew about the mutated pyjaks, the venomous snakes, and the extremophile bacteria that causes both, they would probably know if an eight-foot-tall predator was making its home in the jungle. They’re dumb, but they’re not that dumb.”

Nora practically hears Jonah rolling his eyes.

“Well, let’s hope that they’re dumb, but they’re not that dumb is an accurate analysis, but let’s go a little out of our way to avoid the bear anyway,” Jonah says. “Move out.”

“It’s not a bear,” Carlos starts.

5: What part was hardest to write?

Trying to write this rescue sequence has been the worst. Like I'm sure it'll turn out great. But right now it's a lot of tedium. I literally filmed the blocking with post-its and action figures on my phone three years ago (before we were anywhere near there in the plot) and have not gotten it written down.

6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

It's long. I normally write in the under-2k range but this is lengthier. It also noticeably has plot. Normally I write scenes or feelings or aesthetics. There's plot in this one, despite my absolute hatred of plot.

7: Where did the title come from?

my flag boy said to your flag boy, sittin' by the fire. my flag boy said to your flag boy, i'm gonna set your flag on fire.

Legit though, Phoebe Tonkin is Nora's faceclaim, and there's an episode of The Originals named "gonna set your flag on fire" and it got stuck on my head on loop until I decided it would be the title of the at-the-time-untitled Norafic. Serendipitously, it works as a taunt between Cerberus and the Alliance.

8: Did any real people or events inspire any part of it?

I'm sure that something or someone was inspired by real life interactions I've had with people, but I cannot for the life of me pinpoint anything specifically.

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

There are a lot of cut scenes and I've worked and reworked pieces to the point where the original isn't recognizable anymore, but that's just editing. There aren't any true alternate versions.

10: Why did you choose this pairing for this particular story?

Besides the fact that it's their daughter, no other pairing, and I literally mean no other pairing, that I write would be standing after this story. None of them.

11: What do you like best about this fic?

All the stuff I got to make up because this happens 30 years post-canon. Nora's squad, James as CO, galactic politics, several space stations, etc. World-building is the best part of fic, as far as I'm concerned.

12: What do you like least about this fic?

That I actually have to write it instead of just opening up my brain and dumping it out onto a page and having it magically create itself. I have the whole thing filmed out in my head, it's just a matter of writing it down and that's hard.

13: What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn't listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

It changes depending on what scene I'm working on. But here's the official soundtrack.

14: Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic?

Go absolutely wild with OCs, it's fine.

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

Plot is hard, which is less a lesson I learned from this fic in particular but more a lesson I learned several years ago that got even more cemented by this fic. I hate plot, but it really pays off.

[waejinyoung]

Can’t Swim - EP . 1

word count: 4.6k+

a/n: this is my first ever post. i hope you guys enjoy! since we recently found out that jinyoung has been learning how to swim, i wanted to write a fanfiction related to this new fact. enjoy! :)

warning: minimal swearing, a lil suggestive, nothing else

EP . 1 , EP . 2 , EP . 3 , EP . 4 , EP . 5 , EP . 6 , EP .7 , EP . 8 , EP . 9

You were a part time swimming teacher/coach at a small leisure centre in Jinhae. Many questioned why you moved from a city like Seoul to a small town, but you knew you needed a break from the city.

The pay was a little less but so were the bills. You were paying less than half your rent and had made amazing friends at your new centre. What more could you ask for?

A gentleman who would meet you when you arrived home would be nice but a man who would meet your high standards would be a miracle. You had closed the romance book a long time ago.

Now you devote your time to teaching people how to swim. A skill that’s regarded as vital. Your groups tend to be filled with children aged 5-10. A reasonable age for students to start learning a life-long skill. Until one day a new student joined your group. A bit older. Much older.

PRESENT TIME

“YA Y/N! YOU’RE LATE AGAIN”, Jooheon was screaming again for the 100th time since the start of your job.

“Sorry boss!”, you waved Jooheon off and went straight to your locker to change into your full bodysuit.

You and Jooheon were childhood friends so the worker-boss relationship was very light-hearted. Meaning being late wasn’t going to cut it for Jooheon to sack you, luckily.

You came back to the staff room to check up on which group you had for Monday’s morning group.

“Right, I have my 8 student group for the morning lesson.”

“Make that 9!”, shouted Jooheon as he exited the staffroom.

“Right, I HAVE 9 STUDENTS!”, you shouted back.

Hmm, 9 students? I guess I have a new student, you thought to yourself. Jinhae was a small town so your groups tended to be no more than 10-12 students. This was a plus compared to the place you worked in Seoul. Seoul’s population meant bigger swimming groups. It was hard having to supervise and teach 20 students at the same time. You would get paranoid every time you lost sight of a child only to find out they had gone to the bathroom without asking. In Jinhae it’s much more relaxed. You’re able to control all students and they seem to be more understanding too. That could just be your luck.

“Ahh, Y/N looking good!”

That’s Max. The swimming teacher of the teenage groups. He always came in early to fit in his own morning swim to then continue with his lessons. Also, top notch f-boy material. He’d take any chance to check out the females in his groups. If I’m honest though, they love the attention so it’s a win-win situation for both sides.

“Max cut it; you have an all-girls group in the afternoon. You can feed your eyes then.

Funny enough, you didn’t spend much time in obtaining that perfect body. Other than the swimming lessons you don’t really work out. You don’t diet either. But you were lucky. I mean that’s what Max says anyways. Apparently to him, your fat goes to the right places. You just take that as a compliment and don’t question it or he’ll get very… explicit?

“Come on, Y/N I’m just playing with you.”

“Take your games elsewhere, I have a group to teach. See you at lunch.”

“See ya!”

You headed down the hallways towards the pool. These short haul walks tend to be a bit… creepy? You realised the first time round walking down this corridor that there are many more guys just like Max. Thirsty. In other words, pathetic. Like damn, do you need to express everything that’s on your mind out loud? Most days it feels like you’ve just stepped foot into the Amazonian Forest surrounded by tropical parrots all whistling. But today was different. For you anyways.

There were whistles again but you caught glimpse of a parrot. A very silent one unlike the reckless individuals around him. He was new. You had been working in Jinhae for around 4 months now, so you knew more or less when you saw a new face at the centre. He seemed very… shy? You couldn’t tell since it was just a glimpse and you had come to the end of the corridor.

You were early for your lesson. In 5 minutes, you’ll have all 8 kids + the newbie running towards you with joy. You had an amazing bond with the kids in this group. They say you as their big sister who they saw weekly. Before they would arrive, you always fit in a quick 2 laps to get your heart pumping. Although, this time your little heart didn’t need the 2 laps. If only you had known beforehand that an individual would do the same job as those 2 laps.

“2 laps in 90 seconds. Not bad” You looked at your Fitbit.

“Y/N!!!”

“Y/N eunnie!!!!”

“Noona!”

You could see your little herd of minions running to the edge of the pool where you were. They greeted you with little waves knowing you don’t like it when they jump in the pool without warming up. We wouldn’t want someone having a cramp mid front stroke.

“Hello, everyone! How have you all been?” Hmm, weird you couldn’t see the 9th student that Jooheon had mentioned earlier on.

“Good!” They all replied back in synchronisation. Cute.

“I heard that there’s somebody new joining our group. Have any of you happened to meet the new student yet?”

“No~” another reply in sync.

Maybe they got lost trying to find the pool? Maybe they are shy? Shy. No… you thought maybe the silent parrot from earlier on could be the new student and realised the age group of your students. See the groups were not categorised through age groups it was just a coincidence that all the beginners ranged from 5-10 year olds. The groups are organised as beginners, intermediate and advanced. Parents tend to send their kids to swimming classes at a young age hence why the beginner’s classes consisted of young children.

“I heard from Jooheon Oppa that there’s a new student joining us today. Jaehyun could you please lead the morning exercise whilst I try and find the new student? Once you are all done make sure to sit on the ledge of the pool and wait for me to come back. Jaehyun you’re in charge until I get back. Understood?”

“Aye, aye Captain” Jaehyun saluted back.

Jaehyun was the lifeguard at the pool you taught your lessons at. He was a year younger than you. Exactly a year funny enough. Same birthday, what a coincidence. Also, something else to point out which you may have realised. All the staff besides the receptionist are male. Don’t know why, it just happened to be that I was transferred here upon my request to move from the city to a town.

You headed off to grab the register for the morning group. The new students name should be written there. Right? You entered back into the staffroom and grabbed the register of your desk. You ran your finger down the list and got to the last person of the list. Park Jinyoung. He must be the newbie. You fast paced it back to the group and mentioned the name to all the students again. Nope… they don’t know who it is.

“Jaehyun, any sight of a newbie from up there?” Jaehyun had returned back to his lifeguard dock after seeing you return.

“No captain, actually- “

“H-hi…”

You whipped your head round. Silent parrot? Wait no, Y/N he has a name don’t be so rude. Park Jinyoung.

“Hi, Park Jinyoung right?”

A subtle nod.

There’s a whole ass adult standing right in front of you. Note to self. He’s really handsome… and fit. Anyways back to reality.

“Just to double check. Beginners class at 10 am on Mondays?”

“Yes, Miss”

You whipped your head back round to the group of children whispering among themselves. Children. God knows what’s going through their minds right now. The new generation are a bit… advanced.

You had to keep yourself composed. Cheeks are not turning red this easy. Knees are going to be fully functioning throughout this lesson. Breathing. Right we need to keep breathing, duh. You let out a deep breath and turned back round to Jinyoung.

“Well. We are now set. We have all 9 students. Anyone want to teach Jinyoung our exercise routine before he enters the pool?”

All hands were up. Wow. When were these students this hyper Monday morning? Kids these days.

“Me miss! Miss please me! Miss y/l/n please can I?!”

And that was Woojin. An enthusiastic ball of sunshine. Can be mischievous at times but his smile makes up for it.

“Sure Woojin. Everyone else scoot along to give them space.” This was going to be funny.

You had this exercise + a song to go along with it that you prepared a couple years ago for when you had a kids group. Once you were assigned to these minions you have been using it since day 1. Some may say it’s… well… cringe? I don’t blame the older ones but honestly its fun.

“You’re in for a treat Mr Park. No ifs, buts, or ands. We students in this group participate in everything. We expect the same from you.”

“Understood.” One word answers. I guess he isn’t much the talker, you thought to yourself.

“Take it away Woojin”

“Baby shark dudududududu, baby shark dudududududu, baby shark dudududududu, baby shark…”

Yes. We went there.

Woojin was amazing. Jinyoung on the other hand. Well, you could definitely tell from his face that this exercise was more an embarrassment than a warmup for him. He wasn’t in the plan so he couldn’t blame you for it. You and the other kids were having the time of your lives giggling at the site in front of you all. You could also hear Jaehyun trying to keep his giggles in. One customer complaint and he could be dismissed, and he wasn’t going to throw away this job.

“Mr Park, for a new student that was an impeccable performance. Right everyone?”

A roaring applause came in response and Jinyoung realised you were trying to lighten the situation. But rules are rules and everyone in your group had to obey them. The slight blush on Jinyoung’s cheeks had died down a little by the end of the clapping.

“Now that everyone’s all warmed up. Grab your floats and enter the pool”

You helped everyone put on their arm floats and guided them to a spot in the water. Jinyoung being the grown adult he is was given a float board. The arm floats would have been the second stage of embarrassment.

You positioned everyone and guided Jinyoung to the last spot of the circle. Usually you would get straight to teaching but since you had a new student and introduction game was compulsory.

“Now since we have a new student, we’ll be playing a ‘get to know each other’ game to find out more about Jinyoung and for Jinyoung to know more about us. Understood.”

“Yes, miss” in sync.

You glanced at Jinyoung and he responded back with another subtle nod. Cute.

“I’ll begin and then we’ll continue clockwise.” This meant Jinyoung was going to go last. Exciting.

“As many of you know, my name is Y/N. I’m turning 25 in May- “

“So am I! But I’m turning 24…” Jaehyun had interfered into your introduction. Typical.

“Jaehyun. Nobody asked.” The kids started giggling again and you’re sure you heard a slight chuckle escape Jinyoung’s mouth.

“As I was saying. I’m turning 25 in May so remember to bring me presents. 6th May to be exact. You guys can also see that I’m a foreigner. Both my parents are from the Mediterranean hence the coloured eyes and unfamiliar name-“

“I like your eyes Miss” Classic Woojin with his cute compliments.

“I like your eyes too Woojin”

You could see from the side that Jinyoung had a smile on his face. I guess he’s fitting in? you thought.

“Have I missed anything?”

“Are you single?” At this rate from all the neck whipping you’ve been doing today you’re sure you’re going to dislocate it if you whip it one more time. Jinyoung being the source of the sudden personal question.

“Huh, Oh. Yes, I am”

“YA, No personal questions!” Jaehyun yelled down towards your group. I swear this kid has superman powers to hear us all the way from up there, you thought to yourself.

“YA, have some respect. I know where to cross the line. I’m willingly answering the question so mind your own business.”

Jaehyun sank back into his seat after realising he shouldn’t have been eavesdropping.

“Ignore him”, you directed towards Jinyoung. He just nodded.

The introductions went around, and you did the register simultaneously.

“Woojin, it’s your turn.”

“My name is Woojin. I’m 5 years old. When I am older, I will be Y/N’s future husband- “

“HUH?” You let out a loud gasp due to the aspiration the young one had shared with the group. The other kids started laughing.

“Woojin you can’t take away my future wife away from me like that” You hadn’t realised but Max had been sitting on the bench near the edge of the pool. Weird, he’s usually in a different pool for his morning workout.

“Max, your 6 other girlfriends would be distraught if they heard that they weren’t going to be the supposed ‘lucky’ one. Let’s not upset them.”

You heard a scoff from Jinyoung. He seems to be entertained and Max was not having it.

“Do you have something to say newbie?” The situation wasn’t moving in a good direction but Woojin stepped in before you could.

“Y/N is mine Max hyung. My favourite subject in school is colouring. I have a dog called Jae…”

Luckily, the situation died down as Woojin continued with his introduction. You thanked him in your head. That was close. Last but not least it was now Jinyoung’s turn but you felt uneasy since Max was still in the vicinity.

“Hello! I’m Jinyoung. I was born and raised in Jinhae. I am 26 years old. I like listening to music and reading.”

“What do you do for a living?” You were curious about what the handsome gentleman chose for a career.

“I would like to keep that private, if it’s okay with you all”

“Yh sure that’s fine. Right, now that we’ve gotten to know each other, I’ll be splitting the groups into two. One half will go with Jaehyun to that side of the pool and practice staying float without your arm floats. The other half will come with me to learn front stroke. Agreed?”

“Yes, Miss!”

He’s mysterious too. Newbie is becoming more and more interesting. Obviously, you purposefully put Jinyoung in your group. You swam to the end of the pool you had assigned to your group, completely forgetting you have a bunch of immatures that need to be here too. You named your method of teaching, “survival”. For the students to start learning how to swim they need to find a way of getting to this end of the pool as soon as possible. This will give them an inkling to try and swim and overcome any form of fear towards water.

Minutes later all 5 students had arrived at the point you were at. You had sent Woojin to the other group. As hard as it was for him, he finally agreed to join Jaehyun and the rest.

“Alright. As you all heard earlier, we’ll be learning front stroke today. It’s the most common and popular type of swimming style. I’ll first demonstrate with one lap what front stroke looks like. I want you guys to pay close attention to the movement of my legs and arms. After that I want to see you guys attempt front stroke from purely seeing what it looks like. I’ll then come around to all of you and individually tweak your weak points. Is everyone okay with that?”

Everyone nodded. You proceeded to push off the wall and drifted under water. As you surfaced you started kicking your legs and rotating your arms. You shifted your head sideways when you needed to catch some air. When you arrived at the other end, you flipped and kicked back off the wall again and swam back to your group. You arrived back to a crowd of clapping seals, including Jinyoung.

“Did we all watch like eagles at the technique and movements I displayed?”

“Yes, Miss”

“Great, now can we all line up to get ready for a race?”

“A race?” Jinyoung questioned whilst the other students positioned themselves.

“Is there a problem Mr Park?”

“Please call me Jinyoung, I was just a little surprised”

“I’ll quickly explain why it’ll be a race. As humans we all have our competitive sides. If we are competing, we all want to win right?”

Everyone nods.

“If we want to win, we’ll perform our absolute best to not come last. This means I’ll be seeing your optimum performance of front stroke. It’s your survival mode kicking in trying to avoid becoming embarrassed in front of everyone. Understood?”

“Yes, Miss. Can we start?”, Hyeji insisted with some confidence.

“Yes, sure Hyeji. If everyone’s ready, when I say go I want you guys to swim to that end and back. Remember, try to copy the same movement I was using when I swam. The closer you get to using the technique the quicker you’ll go. It’s not necessary to move quickly.”

Everyone takes their positions and you start to countdown.

“3… 2… 1… GO!”

All 4 of the beginner swimmers start swimming towards the other end of the pool. You watched them eagerly to see where each swimmer was struggling. To your surprise Hyungwon came first. He was a student you have been teaching for only 4 weeks so it was rewarding to see him improve in such a short span of time.

“Hyungwon well done! You’ve improved so much since the first time I saw you swim. High five!” You high five Hyungwon and then the rest of the students. Jinyoung was hesitant at first but was willing to comply.

“I’ll now come around to all of you and help you improve your front stroke, until then you guys can carry on practicing.”

You moved to Hyeji and explained to her how she needs to kick her legs. At first she was hesitant on how much her legs were splashing but you told her the stronger she kicks the better. Hyungwon had more or less nailed front stroke. You were with him for only a couple of minutes. You moved onto the other student and helped him out too. Then moved onto Jinyoung.

You were quite surprised on how good he was since he had mentioned it was his first ever swimming lesson. He was struggling with his hands.

“You’ve gotten the harder parts of front stroke. With your hands you need to capture as much water in it in order to move forward. To do this you need to cup your hands whilst you swim. Does that make sense?”

Jinyoung bit his lip. You could see he was pretty nervous. You couldn’t understand why but you didn’t push him out of his comfort zone unless he refused to swim. He moved away and started swimming, but something was off. His legs were kicking but they were completely submerged under water.

“Jinyoung!”, you yelled to get his attention. He stopped in his lane and swam back.

“You’ve understood what to do with your hands, but I’ve noticed something else.”

“What is it?”

“You’re kicking your legs which is great, but your legs are completely submerged under water. You need to make sure that you are kicking at the surface of the water.”

“How can I keep them lifted? They just seem to sink.”

You couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

“It’s nothing against you. Just the way you described your legs it through me off guard.”

There was an awkward silence. You realised that he may have taken the chuckle to heart.

“Let’s do this. How about you get into the front stroke position and I’ll lift your legs where they need to be? Then you can start lightly kicking and I’ll slowly move my arm away and you can continue swimming. Deal?”

“Deal.”

You hadn’t noticed but Max was still sitting on the bench watching your every move. Once he saw you make contact with Jinyoung’s legs, jealousy started kicking in. See Max wasn’t the type to commit to a relationship, but he always questioned himself, if he had to settle down with someone this very day who would it be? and you were the first option that would come to mind. He was using all his strength to not jump into the pool and pull you away from Jinyoung.

“That’s it, you’re getting it” You cheered Jinyoung to make up for the awkward encounter. Jinyoung continued to swim and you concluded that he was a fast learner. You felt sad though. You’ve had many students who got the basic hang of swimming and so progressed to the intermediate classes which meant you no longer taught them. You kind of liked having Jinyoung around as your student so seeing him go so soon will be a bummer.

It had marked an hour since the start of your lesson which meant it was the end of Monday morning for your students. Your group and Jaehyun’s cohort re-joined and everyone spoke about what they had learnt today. You hugged all your young ones and shook Jinyoung’s hand. It was awkward but hugging might push Max of the rails.

Everyone exited the pool. Once Max saw Jinyoung off site he rushed to your side. He was ready to confront.

“Who is he?”

“Max, watch your tone. He’s my new student.”

“Newbie seemed very excited when he heard you were single.” You flushed a light tone of red.

“And it seems like you’re a little excited by it too.” He snarked which started to piss you off.

“Who are you to be questioning my relationship between my student? Why do you even care?”

“Because- “

“Y/N?”

You snapped your head round to the direction of the voice. Worst timing Jinyoung.

“Yes Jinyoung. Was there something you needed?” He also realised that he had interrupted a heated conversation. If anything, this was your escape from Max.

“I heard that there’s some sort of form that I need to fill in for new students. I didn’t have the time to fill it in before the lesson, by any chance do you have one for me to fill in?”

“Yes, I do. It’s on my desk. Give me 2 minutes and we can go.”

Jinyoung dropped back and waited for your conversation between Max.

“Because? You were saying?”

“I- never mind. Just don’t mix your personal life with work.” And with that Max left the pool area.

“What is up with him?”

You turned to face Jinyoung and showed him the way to the staffroom. You opened the door to see an absent Max and a present Jooheon.

“So, did you find out who your new student is?”

“Yes, Jooheon I did.”

“You have another munchkin to teach now. Luckily for you, you actually enjoy your job.”

“I would exactly describe him as a munchkin per say.” You look at Jinyoung.

“Waaa, if you’re going to not describe him as a munchkin then he must be a real nuisance.”

You look at Jinyoung again and let out a small chuckle.

“Jooheon if you could give me a minute to explain- “

“If you want me to transfer the student to a different group I can happily do so.”

“Jooheon!”

Jooheon and Jinyoung both look at you with a surprised expression.

“Jooheon meet Jinyoung my new student.” You gestured towards the young man standing beside you.

“New student?”

“Yes Jooheon, new student.” You let out another chuckle.

“Now do you understand why I wouldn’t exactly describe my new student as a munchkin?”

“Yes, I do. I mean you could if you wanted- “

“Jooheon” You laughed his name.

“Was there something you needed?”

Before Jinyoung could answer you shifted back to what you were doing in the staffroom.

“Jinyoung asked for a new student form. You know the one with extra contact details for emergency needs.” You grabbed a copy of the form and a pen of your desk and handed it over to Jinyoung.

“Yes, sir. I wasn’t able to fill in the form before my lesson or I would have been late so I asked Y/N about it now.”

“What do you think of our Y/N, Jinyoung?”

You shot your head up towards Jooheon to try and translate his facial expressions into his intentions. What was he trying to do? You thought.

“I think she’s a really engaging teacher. You can tell she likes to teach and doing so her students thrive in swimming. I too improved so much in the span of an hour. I look forward to my future lessons with Y/N.”

You couldn’t help but smile. It’s always rewarding to hear students are glad a with your teaching. It’s also good for your boss to hear from your students first-hand.

“It’s only been one lesson and you seem to be very diligent in learning how to swim. I’m guessing this is the effect of Y/N’s amazing enthusiasm.”

“You’re correct.” Jinyoung placed the pen down and was quickly done with the form.

“Done?”

“Yep”, Looks like it was time to part away with Jinyoung. You were already beginning to miss his presence.

“I’ll see you next week Jinyoung. Continue practicing and you’ll be progressing up to the next difficulty level in no time.��� Even though this wasn’t what you wanted, the true reason he was here was so to learn how to swim.

“With your help, I’m sure I’ll do great”

“Bye Jinyoung” You waved.

“Bye Y/N, have a great week.” And just like that he was out the staffroom.

It was now just you and Jooheon.

“Jooheon?”

“Yes Y/N.”

“Max has been acting a little off today. Do you know if something’s up with him?”

“From what I know, nothing abnormal has happened. Why’d you ask?”

“We all know he goes for his morning routine on Mondays before his lessons. Today he was watching my lesson. Then he questioned my new student over a small matter. Not only that he thinks I’m mixing my personal life with my work. Can you imagine, me? You know how far away I am from even having a personal life let alone to mix it with work.”

“Do you really don’t get why he’s acting that way Y/N?”

You took a minute to try and find an answer, but you didn’t get it. You shook your head.

“He’s jealous Y/N.”

Jealousy and Max. Nope, I’m not buying it.

“You’ve got to be kidding me Jooheon. He has so many toys to keep himself busy with, why would he be jealous?”

“Y/N I don’t think you realise how many of the male customers and male workers would want to date you. You’re up there in top 3 hottest females they’ve probably seen in their lives. Such low standards.”

“YA Jooheon! Just because you’re jealous too don’t make rude comments.”

“Me? Jealous? Y/N don’t make me laugh. You’re like a sister to me. Brush Max off for now, he’ll get over it. I don’t blame Max though. You’re someone to be jealous over especially when there’s strong competition.”

“You guys are really hard to hack, honestly. He could have just said but instead he trys to play a masculine role trying to win me over. Hes not even my type.”

“You do you, Y/N.”

You and Jooheon hadn’t realised but Max was listening to your dialogue from the beginning. And he wasn’t the happiest.

———

That’s it’s for the first episode of “Can’t Swim”. I’m so excited for this series. I’ve already more or less finished writing up the second part too. I hope to fulfil your expectations with this series ahgases!

writer-nim x

[razberryyum]

Countdown to the new chapter of Gintama...Day -1

The 20 Most Momentous Moments (for me) in Lessons 601 - 698:

Wait, before I list them, I actually skipped a chapter in the last batch and then wondered why the hell didn’t I see the terminal blowing up in this batch. That moment was definitely one of the most significant images in the series so I am including it here now to make up for it. What moment would I have removed in place of it in the last bunch? I guess #10, little Nobume supposedly killing Isaburo’s wife and child. It was a very chilling image but since it ended up being misleading, it ultimately doesn’t have the weight of the freaking terminal blowing up which basically signaled the start of the extraterrestrial war against Earth.

Now to the 20 moments: in order of appearance, not importance. And again I couldn’t just pick 10 so I had to do 20. I was seriously giving myself a tension headache just deciding on these 20 so given that, I think I did good. As I’m posting this it’s like 4 pm in Tokyo...I’m sure the new chapter is already out and I’m trying to stay away from spoilers...cannot fucking WAIT for our wonderful amazing genius scanlators to get their hands on it and translate/share it with us so that a shitty Japanese illiterate dumbass like me can finally feast my eyes on the newest Gintama. 

1) The return of our Shinsengumi boys is of course an important moment for me.

2) The World War Z level destruction and invasion of Edo by the Liberation Army.

3) How the Kiheitai was started...though, to be honest, I could have just as easily chosen the moment when Takasugi first recruited Bansai, since that really felt like the true start of the Kiheitai to me.

4) I. STILL. MOURN. HIM. And I think Takasugi does too, hence, as much as it hurts my heart, I don’t think Takasugi is going to live in the end of the series because he would probably be happier reuniting with Bansai.

5) The end of an era.

6) In this moment, I felt real fear that our Jimmy-kun would not live through the war, and it would actually have been a logical sacrifice since up until then, none of our true “heroes” lives (since Bansai for the longest time was kind of the gray area of being a villain with a heart of gold) have been jeopardized. 

7) And I also felt real fear that we would be losing our precious puppy as well, for the same reasons as #6.

8) Kabukichou coming together and giving up their life essence to help Sadaharu...thereby making me think we might be losing the entire freaking town for a sec there.

9) I imagined a version of this team up against Utsuro, and while we were missing a few people (namely, the other 3 Joui boys and Oboro, whom I still thought was alive even then), this was still oh so epic. I just wish their fight lasted longer.

10) We ended the chapter on this...one of the worse cliffhangers ever.

11) I honestly was sooo confused and shocked that Sorachi-sama just pulled a timeskip on us right at the climax of the battle. That’s gutsy...albeit in a slightly cheating way.

12) For the glorious few minutes while this illusion lasted, I was euphoric that my KonTae dream had actually come true. Thank the gods Sorachi-sama didn’t completely kill my dream.

13) Not QUITE surprising but Zura becoming the Prime Minister was still a pretty momentous development.

14) Takasugi being slightly immortal. This has been my wish for Gintoki and a few others (KaguraShinpachiHijikataOkitaKondouOtaeZura), so the fact that it was possible for Takasugi was thrilling and pretty shocking.

15) I know it was all a ruse but for the short time that I believed Kanna WAS Kagura’s daughter, it was earth-shattering. 

16) One of the darkest images in the entire series. I put this up there with the first time Gintoki had to kill this being.

17) The poor terminal blowing up yet again. I probably should have been used to it by now, but it was still a deeply unsettling image. Not to mention, I just felt bad for the poor thing...it was just newly rebuilt.

18) The possibility that we might only have five more chapters left when there seemed to be so much left unfinished sent me into a panic mode for the next five weeks until we actually got to the last chapter.

19) TWO YEARS. HE LOOKED FOR GINTOKI FOR TWO YEARS. Don’t even tell me that’s not love because I will fucking FIGHT YOU.

20) HOPE AND JOY. PRAYERS ANSWERED. HALLELUJAH. AMEN.

Disclaimer: Gintama is not only about shipping. Gintama is hilarious, clever, exciting, poignant, heart-breaking, loving, brilliant, and just so freaking amazing.  It is only due to Sorachi-sama’s generosity that I can enjoy Gintama on yet another level, the shippy level, and I am forever grateful for that. GINTAMA IS LIFE AND LOVE.

[blazardragon]

A Spotlight on the English Grammar Lessons Taught by Class E in Korotan A

Since many of you enjoyed seeing what kinds of lessons the students of Class E teach the reader in Korotan B, I figured I’ll post some more lessons from the other books, starting with Korotan A, of course.

Being the first English book, most of the lessons in Korotan A are very simple. In fact, most of the pages are filled with English vocabulary which are occasionally accompanied by pictures from the manga. However, some pages feature special English vocabulary lessons from a student or teacher which aligns with their interests. Each character is also given a nickname! Some of them are even stranger than the code-names Class E came up with for each other. For example:

Page 1: Kayano Kaede’s (A.K.A Trans-Breastism) lesson

Kayano teaches the reader the English names for different sweets. She also tells us the ingredients she used for her giant pudding. Ritsu helps by telling us where Korosensei got the snacks he’s eating in each picture.  

Page 2:  Taiga Okajima’s (A.K.A. Eroticism Saves the World) lesson

Okajima teaches the reader English words that sound kinda dirty. It’s probably obvious why most of them are on his list, but “Monday” was not so obvious to me. Apparently, it’s on the list because it sounds like 揉んで (Monde), which means “Massage me”.

Page 3:  Gakushuu Asano’s (A.K.A. Hardcore Father Complex) lesson

Gakushuu teaches the reader English words fit for a king, like “zenith”, “majesty”, and “victory”. He also provides quotes from famous leaders, and his bullet points are shaped like freakin’ crowns.

Page 4: Hinano Kurahashi’s (A.K.A Zookeeper) lesson

Kurahashi teaches the reader the English names for various animals, paired with pictures from the manga. There sure are a lot of bugs in Assassination Classroom. 

Page 5: Tadaomi Karasuma’s (A.K.A. Super Insensitive) lesson

Karasuma teaches the reader English words and phrases useful for assassination, like “sniping” and “concealing of evidence”.

There are also lessons featuring example sentences from some of the characters. For example:

Page 6: Karma Akabane’s (A.K.A. Sophomore Disease) lesson

Karma teaches the reader fightin’ words. Imagining him saying “You foooooooool!” is pretty funny, though.  

Note: His nickname is a literal translation of “Chuunibyou”

Page 7: Irina Jelavich’s (A.K.A. Sex Symbol) lesson

Irina teaches the reader English pick-up lines. Her emphasis is on lines adult men can use on women.

Page 8: Rio Nakamura’s (A.K.A. Counter Sexual Harassment) pick-up lines

Nakamura teaches the reader more pick-up lines. Her emphasis is on lines young girls can use on boys. I guess that’s why those pick-up lines sound a lot more innocent than what I would expect from Rio ^^;

Page 9: Kotarou Takebayashi’s (He gets TWO nicknames! “Two Dimensional” and “Discipline”) lesson

Takebayashi teaches the reader English lines one can use at a maid café. This lesson is divided into three parts: The Fundamentals, The Application Stage, and The Training Stage, which gets pretty scary.

At the bottom of the page, Terasaka is yelling “You can’t say those things at a café!!” in response to the English Takebayashi uses during the Training Stage. 

Page 10: Korosensei’s (A.K.A Breastism) directions 

Korosensei provides English directions to some of his favorite snack places. Unfortunately, his directions aren’t very helpful if you’re not a Mach 20 flying octopus, hence Maehara, Kurahashi, and Okuda are yelling “You’re the only one who can do all that!!” at the bottom of the page.

[girlwithglasses1245]

Um so yeah.

I got a new chromebook which is legit one of the best investments I’ve made in quite a while. One problem, I don’t remember my newer tumblr password and email I had set up for my happy new account. So I am stuck here with an older tumblr I made years upon years ago. I was browsing through some of the archive posts and ugh was I whiny little pain in the butt complaining about such stupid things. Anyways! I thought it might be kinda fun perhaps to do a survey that I did in 2013, yes 2013 oh my that seems ages ago. My plan is to have my original answer on top followed by the 2019 answer below it. Because why not? Here we go!

1: Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? The closet must be closed! Still closed please.

2: Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel? Sometimes. Not as often as I used, because I honestly don’t ever use it. lol

3: Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? Out? In because that’s how Dan likes it. 

4: Have you ever stolen a street sign before? No. Nope. 

5: Do you like to use post-it notes? Sometimes. Sure, I leave Dan random notes in the morning if I wake up first. 

6: Do you cut out coupons but then never use them? I get coupons but sometimes I don't use them. Haha my above answer tells me two things I wasn’t worried about money in 2013 and I didn’t probably understand the question. So yeah, sometimes that will happen when they expire before I get the chance to use them.

7: Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees? Neither sound great so I guess a big bear sounds more interesting. I’ll agree with my 2013 answer. 

8: Do you have freckles? I have some. Last I checked I am the same girl, so I have some. 

9: Do you always smile for pictures? Usually. Sure, unless I am being told otherwise. 

10: What is your biggest pet peeve? I have two major ones, people snapping gum and not messaging someone back. Snapping gum is still up there and people slurping soup obnoxiously. 

11: Do you ever count your steps when you walk? Not really. Um not physically, but my phone does. Thanks Google Fit!

12: Have you ever peed in the woods? Nope. Still no.

13: What about pooped in the woods? Again nope. Still no lol.

14: Do you ever dance even if there’s no music playing? Yeah. Of course!

15: Do you chew your pens and pencils? Not usually, but sometimes I'll chew on a pen. Still sometimes I will chew a pen. 

16: How many people have you slept with this week? Zero. One.

17: What size is your bed? Queen. Queen, but now I share it with Dan. 

18: What is your Song of the week? Runaway- iio. Goodness I have no idea. 

19: Is it okay for guys to wear pink? Yeah.  Since when are certain colors unacceptable for certain people? I like that answer. Good job 2013 Christina. :)

20: Do you still watch cartoons? I don’t really watch a lot of TV. Nope. 

21: Whats your least favorite movie? I am not really big on the Hunger Games. Still accurate or scary movies would be an accurate answer. 

22: Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some? Wait…why would I want to bury hidden treasure. Dan’s safe?

23: If you’re a girl, bra size? If you’re a guy, pants size? 34 B 32-34 B depends on the bra. lol

24: What do you dip a chicken nugget in? Plain or honey mustard. I like those previous answers, but I do sometimes like BBQ. 

25: What is your favorite food? Some type of chicken with a bread coating. Chicken and dumplings from Cracker Barrel with carrots and green beans! 

26: What movies could you watch over and over and still love? Love and Other Drugs, Crazy Stupid Love, Easy A, Something Borrowed. So chick flicks I guess. Crazy Stupid Love is still in my top favorite movies ever. 

27: Last person you kissed/kissed you? Jeffrey. Eww I am sorry 2013 Christina that sucks. Anyways, Dan!

28: Were you ever a boy/girl scout? I was girl scout back in the day. Still a true statement. 

29: Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine? Eh I don't know. I am no model, so no.  30: When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper? On paper?  A while ago. I write Dan little notes in the mornings sometimes. Does that count? 31: Can you change the oil on a car? Nope. Still nope.  32: Ever gotten a speeding ticket? Surprisingly no. Warning, yes. lol 33: Ever ran out of gas? Close, but no. Nope!

34: Favorite kind of sandwich? Turkey and swiss with spinach toasted.  Grilled cheese!

35: Best thing to eat for breakfast? French Toast or Waffles. French Toast sounds lovely. 

36: What is your usual bedtime? Unpredictable. Still accurate, but now it depends on if Dan is around or not.  37: Are you lazy? More than some would think. I can be.  38: When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween? I don’t even know. Probably a princess.  39: What is your Chinese astrological sign? I believe I am a sheep. Correct.  40: Are you horny? No. Not really.  41: Do you have any magazine subscriptions? No. Yep, Cosmo. And it’s annoying they send out the following month way too early all the time.  42: Which are better legos or lincoln logs? I could care less. Still true. 

43: Are you stubborn? I some ways. Kinda.  44: Who is better…Leno or Letterman? Letterman. Still true hence why Letterman is still on the air? 45: Ever watch soap operas? Sometimes Spanish ones with Rach and her roommates. Nope. 46: Are you afraid of heights? Not as much. What kinda of answer was that back then? lol. Anyways, no height fear really.    47: Do you sing in the car? All the time. Duh, gotta keep it fun.  48: Do you sing in the shower? Not really. I hum though. Still true.  49: Do you dance in the car? Yeah. That’s probably not safe… Hahaha still guilty of that.  50: Ever used a gun? Nope, I want to do it sometime though just to say I shot a gun. Hahaha 2013 would never have thought I’d say I am pretty fucking accurate with an AR-15.  51: Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer? Does summer count? Jen took my picture. Christmas of 2015 lol. 52: Do you think musicals are cheesy? Some can be. Usually.  53: Is Christmas stressful? Not really, but this year I’ll be working the holiday season so we shall reassess. Nope. I love Christmas.  54: Ever eat a pierogi? Had to look that up.  Yes, I have I think my friend Elly introduced me to them. Yeah, not my type of thing.  55: Favorite type of fruit pie? Cherry or Dutch Apple.  56: Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid? Teacher. I don’t know anymore and I am 27. Oops.  57: Do you believe in ghosts? Eh debatable. Sure. 58: Ever have a Deja-vu feeling? Many times. I had one just the other day. Yeah I had one the other day. Wait that’s funny that was my reply before.  59: Take a vitamin daily? I take multivitamins. I still do, but currently out. lol 60: Wear slippers? Nah. Barefoot is preferred.  61: Wear a bath robe? Rarely. Unless I am super cold. Nah. 62: What do you wear to bed? Yoga pants and a t-shirt. T-shirt and panties. lol 63: First concert? Paramore. Still true. 

64: Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart? Target, but Wal-Mart is closer. Target.  65: Nike or Adidas? I don’t care. Under Amour? 66: Cheetos Or Fritos? Eh…neither. Haha still good answer.  67: Peanuts or Sunflower seeds? Sunflower seeds since I can’t do peanuts. Neither. 

68: Ever hear of the group Tres Bien? No? What? 69: Ever take dance lessons? I did a few times. Did I? Hmm sure okay. I did in the past.  70: Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing? Lawyer. Business owner.

71: Can you curl your tongue? Yes. Yep! 72: Ever won a spelling bee? Never participated. Nope I am not very good at spelling complicated stuff.  73: Have you ever cried because you were so happy? It has happened on occasion. Sure. 74: Own any record albums? No. Nope. 75: Own a record player? No. Nope. 76: Regularly burn incense? No. Nope. 77: Ever been in love? Yes. Yes.  78: Who would you like to see in concert? Matchbox Twenty, Google Dolls, Drake, Justin Timberlake, The Weekend, Linkin Park, The XX, and many more. I know weird mix there. Drake? 79: What was the last concert you saw? Grad night, Paramore. Same.  80: Hot tea or cold tea? I prefer cold tea. Ice tea!  81: Tea or coffee? Coffee, but I do like tea on occasion. Coffee 99% of the time.  82: Sugar or snickerdoodles? Yummy both please. Don’t make chose.  83: Can you swim well? Eh debatable. I’ve gotten better. lol 84: Can you hold your breath without holding your nose? Yes. Yes.  85: Are you patient? Most of the time. 50-50 depends on what.  86: DJ or band, at a wedding? Either would be fine, but a live band would be awesome. DJ, Cheaper, duh lol. 87: Ever won a contest? A few times. Yep! 88: Ever have plastic surgery? I am 22 so no. Nah, I am good.  89: Which are better black or green olives? Eww no thanks. *pukes* No no no. 90: Can you knit or crochet? My mom tried teaching me how to crochet. Still wanting to learn one day either one.  91: Best room for a fireplace? A living room? Still going to go with living room.  92: Do you want to get married? I don’t know anymore, I hope so. I do, lol. 93: If married, how long have you been married? (Not applicable) Same lol 94: Who was your HS crush? Mark fucking Andrew. Ugh that’s still true. But here’s a plot twist though he married someone I know and I see his picture on FB all the time because she posts pictures of them. I am not phased anymore. So victory? For me at least. 95: Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way? No. But I have though before though. Haha apparently.  96: Do you have kids? No. Nope.  97: Do you want kids? I would be ok not having kids for a while. No thanks. 98: Whats your favorite color? Purple! Purple!!! 99: Do you miss anyone right now? Yeah extremely. Yes. 

100. What do you hear right now? My Drake station on Pandora playing a Lil Wayne song. No Limit- G Easy ft Cardi B and A$AP Rocky

[abimckeag-blog]

In Detail, part one

now that I’ve identified the bulk of the experiences I’ve had throughout my life, I feel it’s only fair to explain how I’ve delt with them and what caused them to begin with.

I can’t always identify the roots of my issues, but I can normally come pretty close to knowing what triggered any self destructive behavior or negative mindset.

In this post I want to discuss my struggle with suicidal thoughts.

I know this is a topic that doesn’t get discussed as freely and often as it should.

according to an article written in May of 2017, over 9 million people in America alone consider killing themselves every year.

and to me, that number seems small.

I know several people who have also struggled with thoughts of suicide and unfortunately I knew several people who lost their battles.

I hope that if you are struggling right now you can draw inspiration from my story to seek out help, you should never have to deal with this alone.

before I continue I’m going to leave the number to the suicide hotline here, in case anyone can’t remember the name of that one Logic song, and because it’s a great outlet right at your fingertips, please take advantage of it if you feel the need.

1-800-273-8255, there’s an online chat option if you feel like a phone call would be uncomfortable, remember it’s anonymous, and NO ONE is ever going to judge you for taking care of yourself.

now onto my story.

until I was, around 9 I had no idea what suicide was, I didn’t realize that was an option.

I had a fairly standard childhood, I don’t remember that much to be honest.

I know my parents loved me and my siblings, but I also know they weren’t around much.

both of my parents worked full time and on call as anesthesiologists at the hospital in North Platte and we had a nanny to watch us during the day.

the bulk of my childhood memories revolve around time spent with babysitters and nannies and being forced to go to piano lessons and volleyball practice and dance lessons and the typical childhood stuff.

when I was young I didn’t want to partake in a lot of the stuff my parents signed me up for which I think is normal for young kids, I really wish I could go back in time and tell my younger self to suck it up and accept the blessings they were giving me.

but as a little 7 year old being forced to play soccer when all I wanted to do was build forts in my backyard, I couldn’t see how privileged I was to be given these opportunities.

to me, it seemed like the only time I saw my parents was when they were taking me to and from these things and even then my nanny took me to the bulk of the activities, so you’d think I’d enjoy going out and playing sports cause I got to see my parents, but that wasn’t the case.

I wanted to quit them so that we’d have time to stay at home and play hide and seek and just normal kid stuff.

as a little kid though you have no way of conveying that’s what you’re thinking, instead, all you can do is throw a fit and come off as a total brat.

so growing up with your parents not around is kind of rough and I think that really set me up for some not so great life experiences.

I never learned how to communicate with my parents, I never talked with them about important things like religion, boys, puberty, etc.

they sure tried to talk to me about it, but I never reciprocated that connection, I thought if I kept all my issues to myself then I’d seem stronger and more put together.

now all this detail about my childhood, which honestly was a great childhood, I am truly blessed, I know there are so many people out there with stories so so so much worse than mine, anyways, this just explains how I never learned to communicate or find a healthy outlet for my emotions because I only wanted to talk to my parents about all the cool stuff I did that day and not serious issues.

suicide had never crossed my mind until I was probably 11 or 12, I was a really early bloomer and my hormones basically turned me into a tyrant.

I was constantly mad at everything and I found that rebelling against my parents was going to be my new outlet.

I died my hair, I smeared black eyeliner on, I bought black lipstick, I wore all black clothes (still do, but it’s fashion), I listened to loud, angry music, I painted my nails black, I quit going to church, or when I did I was mad about it, I turned into the stereotype you’re already probably picturing.

but the thing is, I wasn’t just changing my outward appearance and physical state, my mental state was deteriorating.

it takes so much energy to be mad all the time and it was exhausting me.

I felt terrible about myself, I turned to starving myself and cutting myself and then eventually binge eating hoping it would somehow make me feel better.

I had a voice in the back of my head telling me it would all go away if I just ended it.

on several occasions I remember raiding our medicine cabinet hoping to find something I knew I could overdose on.

I remember holding a handful of ibuprofen up to my mouth hoping that if I swallowed it I would just disappear, but God was watching me.

he’d been with me this whole time no matter how many times I denied him.

something told me it wouldn’t be worth it, I told myself it wouldn’t work, I’d just end up getting my stomach pumped, and then everything would be worse afterwards.

I didn’t do it.

moving to a new town certainly saved my life in some aspects, for those that don’t know, I moved right before my eighth grade year, I transferred from a lutheran school to a public middle school.

it was quite the shock, it definitely was beneficial but also detrimental for my mental health.

I continued to struggle with the thoughts of suicide all throughout high school.

my junior year of high school was when everything peaked.

I’d made a dumb mistake that summer before without thinking about the consequences.

I lost a lot of friends and those that were once my friends were now the closest thing to bullies I’d ever experienced.

it made me sick to wake up in the morning knowing I’d have to go to school and see them everyday.

the things that were said to me were unbelievably cruel.

I remember driving around late at night just debating if I should drive my car into a light pole or a ditch, I remember considering driving head on into the oncoming traffic on many occasions.

but everytime I almost made the worst decision of my life, God intervened.

now I have never been an extremely religious person, I was raised in the church, my mom has always been on the worship team wherever we were, and my father is an extremely spiritual man, but it never translated to me until this summer.

so during this whole time, I never once sat down and prayed and asked God for advice, yet he somehow still got me through everything.

eventually, junior year ended, and there I was.

still standing.

I met a boy and I fell in love and we were together for my entire senior year, and then in late December, my self esteem dropped.

my mental health was beginning to deteriorate and thoughts of suicide rushed through my brain.

I tried to explain to him what was happening to me, but I couldn’t find the right words and he had issues going on in his life he needed to cope with, and eventually after struggling with thoughts of killing myself for 5 months, I couldn’t take it anymore.

I had a full mental breakdown in May and after months of living in a broken relationship, torn apart by my inability to love myself, we ended things.

it destroyed me for a few weeks, but I invested myself so heavily in my job and I changed gyms and started hanging out with friends whenever I could, I just sort of ignored it.

it was when nobody was around and I was home doing nothing that feelings of immense depression overtook me.

I struggled with the worst season of binge eating I’ve ever experienced this summer.

I wouldn’t get out of bed until 1pm on a good day, I’d stay out till 5am, and then repeat the cycle.

then I had my awakening, God was still watching me, he was hoping I’d find him on my own, but that wasn’t the case.

he sent one of my best friends to save me.

I spilled out everything, every bad thought, every raw emotion I’d been holding inside, and I felt free.

they told me about God’s grace and mercy and his never ending forgiveness.

they said “if God can forgive you, why can’t you forgive yourself?”.

I started to look in the mirror and instead of hating the person I’d become, I started appreciating myself for overcoming what I’ve been through.

instead of hating my body, I appreciated it for all the amazing things it’s capable of.

instead of living in regret for past decisions, I let them go.

I stopped dwelling.

but here I am today, laying on my bedroom floor, and I’ll admit that yesterday I wasn’t happy with myself, and the day before that, and the day before that, and even right now I know I’m not 100% content with myself.

and that’s okay.

I still struggle with thoughts of suicide, I have been for 7 years.

I will never be perfect.

I may never stop having dark thoughts, but I will never give in.

I know I have a purpose, I know I have worth, I know I am not useless.

and neither are you.

none of us are.

we are all beautifully and wonderfully made and God loves us so much, it’s completely unfathomable.

if you are struggling today and you need someone to talk, feel free to talk to me, I am here for anyone, but before you talk to me,

I want you to pray.

ask for guidance, ask for forgiveness, and know that you are loved, no matter how far you think you stray from the Lord, he is always right there beside you, just waiting for you to call on him.

now I know there’s a lot I didn’t cover in this, even though it’s very long, but I will continue posting these, hence why this is only part one.

each one discussing different issues I have dealt with and I’m sure some of you are experiencing.

I really hope this helped you, even if it didn’t, I hope you can understand for just a second that God loves you, he always has, and always will.

[optomstudies]

How can I save up/learn how to budget when I'm doing part time work in uni? I could be saving up for a holiday or planning to move out and/or planning to do my Master's after my Bachelor's. Let's say I'm earning $20/hr and doing 15 hours/week for the next 3 years?

Hi there! Great question! I’ve written posts about some tips for Saving Money 1 and Saving Money 2, so here they are for reference :) To more specifically answer your question

SPENDING MONEY

Change your way of thinking (if you haven’t already). We all need money to live comfortably; without it you’ll struggle on a daily basis. Hence, it’s very important to learn to budget. But at the same time, budgeting for budgeting’s sake can give you feelings of anxiety and frustration, and even lead to conflicts with others who are less thrifty. 

So, strike a balance. Don’t spend recklessly, but don’t constrain yourself so much that if you were to die tomorrow, you would not have spent a dollar of your hard earned cash on yourself or your loved ones.

A good way is to consider whether purchasing something is a good idea is to think whether it is going to give you a good experience. Some people say you should only purchase something if it’s an experience, but objects can symbolise things like accomplishment for sentimentalists, I recommend the Konmari method although it’s idealistic, but temper the advice with a bit of practicality and discretion. 

Never spend more than you earn!

BUDGETING

Have an emergency fund of at least 6 months’ living expenses before you touch anything. This is like a recommended rule of thumb from financial experts, just in case you suddenly lose your job or are unable to work. Save up more if you’re in an industry where it’s very competitive and hard to find a job straightaway. 

Use a budgeting tool! You can either use Microsoft Excel if you want something more flexible and suited to your needs, or you can find templates available online. These are very helpful when you’re just starting out and aren’t too sure what to do. You only need to pop in some numbers and it’ll make a suggested budget for you. 

I recommend this website for budget templates. They’ve got yearly/monthly/weekly budgets. 

Have both long and short term budgets - for large project saving and day to day living, respectively. 

Work out how much you are able to save in each dollar. If living at home/rent-free, save 50c in a dollar. If renting, save 20-30c in a dollar. 

HOW TO MOTIVATE YOURSELF TO SAVE MONEY

Have a calendar that you can put ticks or crosses on each week depending on if you met the budgeting goal - gives you an overview, and not wanting to break the line of ticks is motivating!

Have a separate Saver account. I find myself reaching to spend less if I have to consciously transfer money from the Saver account into the Daily Transactions account to use it. 

Use cash when you go out. When you’re holding $100 in notes, it feels a lot more expensive than seeing $100 in digitalised text; there were studies done showing people spend more using a card vs. cash. 

Break notes as soon as you can. Store all the spare change into your pocket and have a piggy bank at home where you’ll put the coins into as soon as you get home. Because when you withdraw from the bank you get a bunch of $50 or $100 notes, so seeing that stack at home deplete really quickly (even if it’s just being changed into coins) is also really motivating!

MY STUDY TIPS

My study tips directory (web only) for the full list (over 60+ original posts/guides!)

NEWEST STUDY TIPS

07/11 APUSH Masterpost 06/11 How Your ATAR is Calculated Infographic 04/11 Reading a Scientific Journal Article 📜 02/11 Tips: Tackling Assignments while Sick 🤒 30/10 Tips for Writing Faster 🖊️ 29/10 Self Study Tips 📔 26/10 Staying Productive No Matter How Much Time You Have 🕖

23/10 Studying When You’re Sick 😷 22/10 Interview Tips 👔 20/10 Studying with the Cornell Method 📝 18/10 High School vs. University 🏫 18/10 Chasing Dreams 💫 or Income 💸 17/10 Public Speaking Tips 🎤 17/10 Studying In Noisy Places

UNIVERSITY STUDY TIPS SERIES

Part 0 Choosing a Degree - what’s right for you? popular!!

> Things to Consider Before Switching Degrees!

> Changing Degrees

Part 1 Administration - choosing majors, available services, choosing class times etc.

Part 2 Getting to Class - pros and cons of attending class, when you should choose not to attend, advice about choosing a backpack and other essential equipment.

> Laptop Considerations and Recommendations

Part 3 Studying - differences between high school and uni, basic tips on how to keep on track, class types like lectures, tutorials, etc.

Part 4 Extra-Curriculars - what clubs to join, what to do outside class, and other great things to discover around campus.

Part 5 Exams - everything to know about examiners, how to prepare, what happens during the whole examination process.

Part 6 Social Life - differences between high school and university, some hard learnt lessons, etc.

Part 7 Part Time Work

Part 8 Four Secrets The Uni Tells You

Part 9 Best Study Spots On Campus

Part 10 Saving Money 1 - Food, Transport, Entertainment

Part 10 Saving Money 2 - Textbooks, Tax, Scholarships

Part 11 Adapting to Uni Study - 3 big differences from studying in high school popular!!

Part 12 How to Study From Textbooks in Uni

Dealing with Lazy Group Members - five options for what to do and how to do it! popular!!

OTHER POPULAR POSTS

Weekly Planner Printable with Extra Space for Sat/Sun  popular!!

Overcoming the Planning Fallacy

Study Spaces Masterpost

Studying and your Visual System

Catching Up with Your Studies  popular!!

Sleeping and Waking Up Early  popular!!

My 2017 Planner and Bullet Journal  popular!!

[bryanllamado]

22 Things I Learned by 22

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22! Yes, you read it right. I just celebrated my 22nd birthday so… Happy birthday, self! I’m officially in my early 20s. While there’s so much to look forward to, I know that there is a certain level of pressure that comes with getting older. I know I’m still considerably young, but at this age, society expects young adults to have their lives *figured out* already. So yeah, this is me succumbing to the pressure and pretending to know what to do, where to be, how to act, and when to take risks. *note sarcasm*

I must say it’s really awkward to start this entry with that greeting but there isn’t much that I can do about it. It’s the very reason I’m writing this one. *sighs* A month ago, I was thinking of a fun way to celebrate my birthday. We’re still stuck in quarantine, and even if some establishments are already open, I’d rather be safe than sorry. So, I thought of posting something on this site to sort of celebrate my birthday and share something to the people who might be interested. With that being said, let give you the 22 Things I Learned by 22!

Disclaimer: I am, in no way, an expert to giving tips and pieces of advice, but traversing through adulthood taught me a couple of lessons which I think are worth sharing. I only finished school last year, but my sudden immersion to the “professional world” a.k.a. work life allowed me to go through paradigm shifts I didn’t ever think I would experience. I’d like to say that I also saw the harsh realities of life 2 years into this path I’m currently taking. So my advice to you is to take everything you’re about to read with a grain of salt. *winks*

1.     Health is wealth.

Now that we’re experiencing a global pandemic, I realized how important health is. I used to eat whatever I want (hence, the weight loss and weight gain cycle) and deprive myself of sleep. Now, more than ever, is the time for us to take good care of our bodies. #panggap lol

2.     Work is hard, that’s why it’s called “work”.

My internship is Thailand gave me a glimpse of the life of a teacher (which I thought was fun) and I thought that it’s more or less how it feels in the real world. Not that it isn’t fun, it’s only now that I realized how heavy the responsibility is– that it even extends outside of the classroom.

3.     Small talk is boring.

I’ve always been one to enjoy lengthy, deep, and mind-boggling conversations. It bores me when I meet people and we just engage in small talks. Like come on, let’s talk about music, politics, religion, mental health, adulting, etc. I think it’s the reason why people get tired of the ���Kumain ka na ba?” narrative. *face palm*

4.     Social media is not real life.

I used to scroll through social media endlessly to know what everyone is doing, but after a while, I realized how it’s only a reflection of someone’s highlights. A person can look good and perfect on Instagram, but behind the filters and curated feeds are people who deal with problems and struggles on a daily basis.

5.     Happiness is a by-product of purposeful living.

To achieve happiness, you must live purposefully. It’s a matter of motion before emotion, so before you feel happy, you have to do something that’s good for your soul. Stop making excuses. Pursue your passion. Serve others. Find your purpose. Design a life that’s worth living and happiness will come to you.

6.     Change is inevitable.

I know this a cliché, but going through changes and shifts over the past two years taught me to acknowledge change. As much as the people, things, and feelings change, I also do. It makes me sad sometimes how I’m no longer the version of myself that I used to be, but I’d rather change than stay the same.

7.     Rejection is redirection.

People see rejection as a bitter pill, but I realized that it saves you from something (or someone lol) that isn’t meant for you. It sucks to be rejected but if anything, it leaves an open space in your life which you to acquire something. So pick yourself up and move forward.

8.     Jumping into conclusion is a bad habit.

I know it’s easier to just analyze things in your head but if you can, communicate. Scratch that, you MUST communicate. Don’t let your thoughts cloud your judgment on a person or a situation just because there isn’t an explanation for it yet. Clarify, then comprehend.

9.     Being busy is different from productivity.

Productivity means achieving the things that you have to do and being able to rest deliberately. If you’re just working all the time and have a lot of things on your plate, then you probably are just busy. Use your time well and work smart. Avoid spreading yourself too thinly and maintain your focus.

10.     Overthinking is a waste of time.

Oh, I can’t stress this enough. I am NOT an overthinker, but I’ve met some people who are. Thus, I’ve also seen how it takes up much of their time. Sometimes, your biggest enemy is your own mind. Stop overthinking, let it go, and give yourself peace. Pray about it and trust the process.

11.     People change and so do relationships.

It saddens me how I’m no longer friends with some people I once considered my “best friends.” People grow, and sometimes, we grow in opposite directions. I know I have my fair share of faults, but I choose not to blame anyone anymore. Perhaps, things are better off this way– distant, but at peace.

12.     Waiting seasons are not wasted seasons.

Finishing college, getting a job, earning my license– these are just some of the things I achieved last year. Trust me, I spent countless days and nights just waiting for these things to happen, and while I was waiting, I focused on the things I can do. The longer the wait, the sweeter the victory will be.

13.     Supporting others will not invalidate your success.

Support other people on their winning seasons because you don’t have an idea what they lost during their losing season. It’s all a matter of timing. If other people seem to be winning, clap for them. You’ll have your time soon, and when it happens, your success will be magnified.

14.     The biggest pains can come from our pleasures.

“If it feels too good, question it.” This is a quote I got form one of my favorite podcasts. Sometimes, we find delight in things without seeing through them. Watch out for the things that seem to be perfect. I’m not telling you to be suspicious. What I’m trying to say is that you should guard your heart. *winks*

15.     Baby steps are still progress.

Taking small steps towards the right direction is better than running fast heading to the wrong direction. Need I say more? Value your small efforts. Take it one day at a time. The rate that other people are operating at should not dictate your pace as long as you have your eye on the road.

16.     What others think of you is none of your business.

Whether you do good or bad, “some people” will always have something to say. I guess it’s just engraved in their identity to criticize and find faults. We may feel the need for validation to come from others, but if there is someone who knows you more than anyone, it’s you. Keep doing you!

17.     Save money wisely.

Adulting is not complete without money matters. In your 20s is the best time for you to save money wisely and by wisely, I mean: a) cut down unnecessary expenses; b) invest on the things that you can use repeatedly; and c) don’t put all your eggs in one basket– have various savings for different purposes.

18.     Don’t operate on high emotions.

Growing old teaches me not to be a slave to my emotions. I’m more of a rational person than an emotional one, but there are STILL times when my emotions take a hold on me, and when I do, I tend to say things that hurt people. Let your emotions die down before you say/do anything.

19.     There is a time to give up.

At some point, you will realize that some things aren’t mean for you and it’s totally fine. By holding on to ~those things~, you might be wasting more time. It’s about accepting the things that you can’t control, the things that aren’t for you, and the things that you can pursue. *fist bump*

20.     Growth can be painful.

When it’s scary is the best time to jump. Taking risks is just a constant part of adulthood. Going out of my comfort zone is one of the best decisions I have made. You’ll grow even more when you are in unfamiliar places and new environment. Have it in you the courage to take that leap of faith!

21.     It’s not your job to fix people.

Even if you give them all the love in the world, people will still remain the same if they refuse to be helped. They will keep doing the same things and acting the same way despite your best efforts. Hence, you can only be there for them and teach them how to heal themselves.

22.     Put yourself first.

Last but definitely not the least, prioritize yourself. This is one lesson I learned the hard way as I constantly put other people before me. While I still struggle with this, I now take self-love more seriously and value my mental health above anything. You have to save yourself because everyone is busy saving themselves. #harshtruth

And that wraps up the 22 Things I Learned by 22! Again, I’m not an expert and I’m just a mere young adult wading my way through this crazy world. I just hope these things made sense to you as much as it did to me. There are still a lot of things that I want to include but I only wrote the ones that resonated well with me– think I can reserve them for another blog entry. What else do you want to see here on my blog? Let me know by sending me a message and I’ll try my best to post more entries.

Don’t forget to check out my social media pages!

Till the next entry!

Bry. x 102420

[winky-the-alcoholic-elf]

@perenelleflamelle tagged me in a thing! Thanks, lovely human :) 

Name: Cindy

Nicknames: Cizzo, Cindy-pants, Cindy-cent 

Gender: cis woman 

Star sign: Libra (but like i’m early in that and i kinda feel like i’m 50-50 libra and virgo, tbh) 

Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff 

Height: 5′ nothin” 

Time: Like almost midnight

Birthday: oct 3 

Favorite Bands: Fall Out Boy, Imagine Dragons, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Doobie Brothers, Eagles

Favorite Solo Artists: Nicki Minaj, James Taylor, Kesha

Song Stuck In My Head: i have an odd mix of songs stuck in my head and they’re all playing in my head at once and it’s giving me anxiety

Last Movie I Watched: uuumm i watched some early 2000s Denzel Washington movie with my parents a couple weeks ago? it was good he like was a cop suspected of killing his girlfriend and he’s trying to solve who really did it while staying one step ahead of his estranged wife who works in the FBI and is starting to get suspicious of him

When Did I Create My Blog: like junior year of high school at some point, so around 2011 or 2012. jesus i’m old.

Last Thing I Googled: selita ebanks 

Do I Have Any Other Blogs: nope. i used to have a blog with some HP fanfic, but i only posted like one chapter and then i stopped bc like 0.0 people actually cared to read a fluffy fic about McGonagall and Trelawney...so yeah..hit me up if you would actually read that. maybe i’ll bring it back by popular demand, or something 

Do I Get Asks: not really. every once in a blue moon, i’ll get one. but i get so excited that someone asked me a thing that i think i must scare them off

Why I Chose My Url: Winky is an underrated character, first of all. But also, I started thinking a lot more about Winky like a year or so ago because I have a history of drinking too much, and I wanted to try and quit. Plus I got a car, and I knew I’d have to be careful not to drink and drive, and I was really nervous that I would break that resolve and drive under the influence, so I named my car Winky first because like duh HP references are great, but also because I wanted to be reminded every time I saw my car that to drive, I had to be sober. So from there, I thought well maybe I should make Winky my URL, because I spend so much time on this shit website, it might be a good general reminder not to drink too heavily. And yeah it’s worked out pretty well. I’ll have a glass of wine here and there, but I have not gotten drunk/exceeded my therapist-imposed 2 drink limit since I believe June? So like 6ish months. Sorry that was a SUPER long answer but yeah. That’s the story on that. 

Following: 606 (60 more and the devil laughs :p )

Followers: 445 (but let’s be real, half of them are porn bots or deserted blogs that haven’t been active in like years)

Average Hours of Sleep: ugh i’m shit about sleeping regular hours so i don’t even know. but if left to it, no alarm, no other factors, my body usually just goes for 9 hours 

Lucky Number: 20? I dunno, i wouldn’t say it’s “lucky” but like when i’m exaggerating or estimating I go for 20 or 20 million or something like that

Instruments: I took piano lessons from age 7 to 15, and I played trumpet from 10-14. I’m not very musically gifted, hence nothing in the last 8 years...

What I’m Wearing: fleece leggings, a fall out boy sweatshirt, and big fluffy socks (it’s literally zero degrees here and my heater is blowing cold air. honestly about to put a coat on inside...)

Dream Job: High school social worker

Dream Trip: listen. i know i’m weird but. i don’t like to travel. show me pics from your vacation, i love that, but i’m a homebody. maybe i’d stay in a log cabin, alone, in the middle of a forest, but honestly that’s more like my dream lifestyle rather than like where i’d want to go on vacation

Favorite Foods: all the dessert stuff, and the breakfast foods that are really just dessert for the morning like chocolate chip pancakes and cinnamon rolls and waffles, but then also anything involving bread + cheese, so like grilled cheese, mac n cheese, broccoli cheddar soup with bread, pizza, all that good stuff

Nationality: American

Favorite Song: ohhh god. Um, a lot but my go-to answers for this question are usually Secrets by Mary Lambert, Fire and Rain by James Taylor, and People by AJJ

I’m tagging: @doitforgranger @rainbowsaw @cyanide-smoothie @heart @libertysir @looneybeth  and anyone else who wants to! also please don’t feel you have to do this, i know not everyone enjoys these as much as me

[waejinyoung]

Can’t Swim - EP . 8

Can’t Swim 8

word count: 3.2k+

a/n: you might be questioning where I have been for the past couple of months. I have one word to say that should be a good enough answer. College. I’ve been studying none stop and found no time to write the next episode after university started. The posts will no longer be regular so just keep yourselves updated. Hopefully I will have another 2 episodes up between now and the end of the year at least but don’t quote me on that. I hope you enjoy! 

I’m deeply sorry for my absence again x

warnings: nothing

EP . 1 , EP . 2 , EP . 3 , EP . 4 , EP . 5 , EP . 6 , EP . 7 , EP . 8 , EP . 9

THIRD PERSON POV

The afternoon continued with Y/N and Jinyoung discussing life and getting to know one another whilst Y/N replied to her emails.

“It’s mind b-boggling how you and J-Jackson may have crossed paths back in 2012…” Y/N had just mentioned how she was training for the London 2012 Olympics to compete for swimming.

“Similar to Jackson, I switched career paths and decided to study architecture. Dad wasn’t the biggest fan until he saw the passion and success I had gained in the industry. He soon came to terms with everything.”

“Wow… do you r-regret it at all?” The clock marked 10:30 pm. You guys had been talking for the past 90 mins, getting to know each other.

“I think I regretted not swimming after deciding to study architecture. I didn’t choose to not compete in the Olympics because I no longer liked swimming so I do regret not continuing although I must say, studying architecture might be the most time consuming degree out there. That’s why later on I decided to apply to become a licensed swimming teacher to undergo lessons. I’d be teaching people how to swim whilst fulfilling my love for swimming.”

“Best of both w-worlds, r-right?”

“Exactly.” Y/N had now placed all her work to aside with her back against the wall, legs crossed enveloped into the conversation.

Some seconds went by and Y/N wanted to know about Jinyoung’s initial dreams.

“What about you? Did you always want to be a singer?”

“Always. I took up d-dance lessons when I was around 15. Then went to a-audition and got in to JYPE. That was when I met J-Jaebeom. We actually d-debuted together as a d-duo group called JJProject to later on d-debut with the r-rest of the g-guys as GOT7. Since t-then they’ve been my f-family rather than just my m-members. I think it’s g-getting to the p-point where I might have spent m-more years of my l-life with them then I did without. Time flies…”

“I could definitely sense the brotherly love you guys all have for each other. So how did becoming an actor happen?”

“I r-requested from the c-company to find roles I could take part in a couple years b-back. First it was small roles in small d-dramas and then being c-casted by more known d-directors to p-play bigger roles. All of that has l-led me to play s-second male lead for ‘When My Love Blooms’.”

“When do the episodes start airing?” Y/N had grown eager about Jinyoung’s talents.

“Hold your h-horses… we haven’t e-even started f-filming yet and won’t be until I r-recover… The original airing d-dates will probably be p-pushed f-further.” Jinyoung’s words drifted into a sudden realisation for his career.

“If only-“ Y/N was about to blame herself again.

“We’ve been through this m-multiple times Y/N. None of this is your f-fault so s-stop blaming yourself for t-things you have no c-control over.”

Y/N had her mouth open ready to retaliate but if she had to be honest… she couldn’t be bothered to fight back considering it was now coming up to 11:00 pm.

“Fine.” Y/N yawned and covered her mouth. Work had been extremely busy today especially with all the news floating around now.

“S-someone’s tired.” Jinyoung eyed Y/N’s tired state and decided to call it a night.

“I still have so much to do. I can’t fall asleep now.”

“C-could you n-not spare an e-early n-night just for t-today?” Y/N recollected her thoughts weighing up if she could possibly sleep early tonight and get all the work done tomorrow.

“I could…”

“Problem s-solved then. Clear up your b-bed and get your pjs on. I d-don’t want to f-face a t-tired Y/N tomorrow m-morning.” Y/N eyed your mean comment and huffed to your orders.

“Yes, sir.”

2 WEEKS LATER

Y/N’s POV

“Miss, Jinyoung has been recovering quicker than expected. He should be perfectly fine to attend the event. If anything unsettling happens you can give me a direct phone call.”

“Thank you so much Doc.” You gave the doctor a large smile and she reciprocated a reassuring smile.

You entered Jinyoung’s room with your outfit for the architecture awards festival along with you.

“Am I allowed to come?” Jinyoung asked as soon as you entered the room. You gave him a nod.

Jinyoung’s voice was more or less back to 100% and his eye had completed healed by the end of last week. There wasn’t much left until being fully recovered. Possibly parting from the hospital quicker than the original 2 months the doctor had estimated.

“I knew I’d get the green light. I even prepared my outfit because I was so sure I’d be able to come.” You hadn’t seen someone so ecstatic for an awards festival.

“As expected… I’m not even surprised. Will you be able to get dressed? Need any of my help?” Jinyoung was still a little instable since he’s been lying in bed for the past 2 weeks. His legs tend to give out for the first 30 mins.

“I think I can manage. I’ll get dressed quickly and then the bathroom is all yours.” You chuckled at his assumption that you’ll take really long in the bathroom for the event.

Jinyoung heads towards the bathroom and you are left there practising a speech you’ve written for all the awards you and your company have been nominated. This isn’t because you knew you were going to win any of them but… the unprofessional scenes if you guys were to win an award and to not have a speech ready daunted you. There was nothing wrong with being prepared.

15 MINUTES LATER

You must say… I don’t think you had ever laid eyes on someone so handsome in your life before. You could swear that this man was carved by God himself.

“How much deeper are you going to fall into my looks?” You hadn’t realised but you had been staring Jinyoung up and down for the past 30 seconds of him leaving the bathroom. Hair all styled. The suit was literally made for him. His cute bow tie was a little wonky leading you to let out a chuckle.

“What?” Jinyoung’s face turned serious thinking something was wrong with how he looked.

“Your bowtie is wonky.” You stood up from your seat and reached out to fix his bowtie. Your eyes were fixated in straightening the bowtie and all Jinyoung could do was analyse your face and how focussed you were.

“There you go. Looks better now.” You lightly let go off the tie and looked up at Jinyoung who was already staring right back at you. Those bambi eyes were going to be the death of you.

“Thank you. Now go and get yourself ready.” He pinched your nose and then you entered the bathroom with your dress, makeup bag and accessories.

20 MINUTES LATER

“Jinyoung~~” You called out for Jinyoung. You were done with everything but couldn’t reach the zipper on the back of your dress. You had been procrastinating on what to do and just gave up. There’s no way you could zip the dress up alone.

“Yes, Y/N. Is everything alright?” You could hear his footsteps come closer to the bathroom door.

“In a bit of sticky situation… could I ask you to do a favour?”

“Sure, what is it?” You went ahead and unlocked the door for him. He took a step back and couldn’t contain the sight in front of him. You were in a red bandeau strapless dress which had a structured skirt that was shorter at the front and longer at the back with. A very slight trail. Unsurprisingly your makeup was the bare minimum and you had left your natural hair out. His mouth was agape as you stepped out of the bathroom.

“How much longer are you going to stare for Mr Park?” He had been in the same awe you was when he had stepped out of the bathroom earlier on.

“Yes…right… the favour?” His soul re-entered his body trying to compose himself. You could only smile on the effect you had on the prince himself.

“I can’t reach my zipper, could you zip up the back of my dress for me?” You saw his cheeks blush a light pink below the thin layer of bb cream he had on. Without the zip done neither of you were going anywhere so he had to do it.

He wasn’t able to give a verbal response and just nodded. You turned around to have your back facing Jinyoung. He moved your hair to aside exposing half of your back to him. He was blushing so hard right now and was happy to have you facing away from him even though in a matter of seconds you’d be facing him seeing the shades of red planted on his cheeks. Jinyoung gently placed one hand on the zipper and the other hand on your back holding the fabric of your dress still. His fingers grazed your skin and they were a little cold leading you to jolt a little by the surprising cool touch. He notices.

“Did I hurt you?” His voice was a little worried. The slightest worrying reaction you make, and he’s so concerned. He’s too sweet.

“Nope, your hands are just a little cold that’s all.” You say whilst you chuckle.

He apologises with his soothing voice and zips up the dress, letting out a quiet done when finished.

You turn back round and thank him for his kind gesture. You also noticed the flush of his cheeks. He’s so cute, you thought. You quickly put your heels on and left Jinyoung’s patient room and entered the hall of the hospital. Expectedly, you guys received some stares and some whistles by the old women sitting outside their patient rooms. The event manager had organised a limousine to pick up each nominee for the awards hence why there was a lovely jet black limousine parked at the entrance of the hospital. The driver spotted you two and guided you the way and kept the door open for you two to enter the fancy vehicle. He ran back to the wheel and started driving towards the venue.

“Anything I need to know beforehand? Who should I present myself as?” Jinyoung had started with the questions during the car drive.

“Who’d you like to present yourself as Jinyoung?” You wanted to fish out his intentions from him.

“Preferably your boyfriend in order to stop those punks from hitting on you but I’d never want to force you into a relationship with me…” He side eyed you as he kept looking out the window. You so wanted him to be your boyfriend.

“Logical. Agreed. If anyone asks, you’re my boyfriend.”

“What an honour.” You slap his thigh due to his sarcastic tone.

“Whatttt? I’m serious. I’m going to be the boyfriend of an amazingly talented architect who’s bound to receive an award tonight. It’s a genuine privilege.” You could only look at him in awe as he described the so called ‘privilege’ he was taking part of.

“If you say so…”

The humming noise from the motor of the limousine was really calming but Jinyoung broke the silence once again.

“Are you nervous?” His tone was much deeper and serious compared to how he was a second ago.

“A little. These awards happen once a year and we’ve progressed so much as a company but so has everyone else in the industry. It’s hard to tell if we’ll be receiving the major validation from the institute. With or without the award tonight I’m so pleased with my company, but it would be nice to get a recognisable achievement for all our hard work.” Jinyoung listened to you as you let out your insecurities for the upcoming night.

“In the little amount of time I’ve met you, I think you’re the only person who deserves all the awards you’ve been nominated for this year. No one can change my thoughts and it’s going to be a pleasure to witness your achievement first hand. I can’t wait.” He rubbed his thumb over your knuckles trying to calm your nerves down. It was going to be a long night.

30 MINUTES LATER

Your limousine had rocked up to the red carpet laid out on the floor outside of the venue of the awards. You took a deep breath as the driver ran around to Jinyoung’s side of the limousine to let him out. Jinyoung agreed to open your door for you so he exited the vehicle first. Like he had planned, he went around to your side and opened the door for you to step out. The cameras started capturing every single moment as you wrapped your arm around Jinyoungs, and he gave you a reassuring nod. You gave him a smile and the two of you walked towards the entrance of the building slowly as you waved to the cameras and press greeting the two of you. The cameras were close to blinding, but you pulled through until reaching the entrance where the bodyguard escorted the two of you to your spaces in the main hall.

The building was full of white and gold decorations. You could definitely tell that the theme was highly influenced by Greek culture. The budget of the awards keep growing as the number of sponsors increase. The bodyguard escorted you to the table that Beck was already sat at with his fiancé. Beck realised your presence as well as Jinyoung. He stood up to give you a hug and shook Jinyoung’s hand. Beck’s fiancé shook both of your hands too and took your seats.

“The famous Mr Park. It’s nice to meet you in person. I’m Beck, the other shareholder.” Beck gave Jinyoung a warm smile.

“It’s nice to meet you to Beck. It seems like you already know of my name, but I’ll reiterate for the norm. My name is Park Jinyoung, you can call me just Jinyoung.” You let out a scoff because of how formal Jinyoung was being with Beck.

“He’s younger than you so you can ignore the formalities.” You said to Jinyoung and then Beck and him opened the conversation about age and their Chinese zodiac signs.

The evening began at 7:30 pm with the award winners due to be announced at 9:00 pm. Until then there was butterflies in your stomach ready to be set free any minute now.

Jinyoung came closer to your ear and whispered, “Loosen up a little. There’s no need to be this tense. Here hold my hand.”

Jinyoung offered his hand and you took it immediately as he gestured his open palm. Your hands were tiny compared to his manly hands. They encompassed all your digits giving you’re a sigh of relief because of the security they exerted. You let out a large sigh and continued with the discussions on your table with the new clients that were interested in your company. Having Jinyoung at the event really helped scare away the useless men who would only be interested in your physique and nothing more. His presence filtered out all the nonsense that would usually be taking place at the table.

The clock finally struck 9:00 pm and everyone went back to their designated seats in order for the awards to be presented. The event holder went through all the minor rookie awards to then move onto the company categories.

“Here are the nominees for Best Project of the Year.” The event holder signalled to the larger screen behind him as the nominees including your company are mentioned in no specific order.

“I was personally really fond of this project myself too. The meaning behind the design and the immense detail put into the façade really makes me excited for the future of this company. I’ll stop blabbing on and open the envelope.” You looked at Beck and then back at Jinyoung who was really eager to know the result.

“The award for Best Project of the Year goes to…” The event holder lifts the flap of the envelope and takes out the white sheet of paper inside. You hold your breath waiting for the result to be spoken.

“The Chamberlain project, designed and constructed by Chevrel Architects.” The whole community around your table started roaring and cheering for you and Beck to claim the award. That was one award written down in the books for Chevrel Architects, a company you and Beck had started years back. You and Beck had decided that if this award was given to you guys then he’d give the speech for it. Beck was the reason for the Chamberlain project happening and hands down you could state it was because of him the project turned out well. You, Jinyoung and everyone else in the hall stood up clapping as Beck walked up to the stage and shook hands with the event holder along with receiving the award. He then walked up to the mic and started his speech.

“I’d like to first start off with a large thank you to everyone at Chevrel Architects. The amount of hard work that was put into the Chamberlain project is indescribable, without everyone’s help it wouldn’t have been possible to achieve such a great outcome. I’d like to also thank Y/N for coming on this journey with me and trusting in me when I said that this company will create its own legacy. This is only the beginning…” Beck continued to thank more or less everyone he knew and came to an end with another roaring applause by everyone.

He jogged back to your table and you admired the award he placed on the table. You felt Jinyoung squeeze your hand in encouragement for you to realise how much you guys are capable of although he still knew you were a little iffy because the individual architect awards hadn’t been announced yet. You couldn’t help but smile at the gleaming object right before your eyes. Having received this award you doubted that another award would be given to someone of the same company.

Minutes went by and the event holder had reached the most awaited award of the night. Architect of the Year. You were surprised that you hadn’t left to use the restroom to throw up all this anxiety already. You were so ready to go home and relax. You wanted your normal heart rate back. You looked at Jinyoung and he gave you a look that melted your heart in seconds. He started massaging your knuckles with his thumb again and you could feel your body ease into his touch. The event holder for the last time of the night directs our attention to the screen for the listing of the nominees. Beck unfortunately wasn’t nominated so he was rooting for you to win the award.

“I know for many of you this is probably the most important part of the night. I’d like to first mention that to be able to be nominated for this award is ana achievement in itself so, you architects should all be proud of yourselves. It was a very hard decision that the committee made but we were able to make a decision. The award for Architect of the Year goes to…”

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

I think it was mean of me to have ended this episode here, but it is 2:30 am right now as I write this episode. I hope you guys liked this episode. I shall be back somewhat soon so make sure to come back to check if an episode has been uploaded. Like always let me know your opinions on the story line and check out the other episodes if you haven’t. It would be nice to get some feedback :)

See you next time

writer-nim x

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #160 - Star Trek Into Darkness

(GIF originally posted by @forquicksilver)

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: Yes.

Was it a movie I saw since August 22nd, 2009: Yes. #227

Format: Blu-ray

1) The opening scene for this film is a lot of fun. It is a nice isolated adventure which reestablishes the world and the dynamic of the crew while also setting up some character interaction/arcs to come.

2) Hmm, wonder which Star Trek film this is going to take reference from...

Spock: “Doctor, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

3) Remember this question:

Kirk [when he has to either save Spock’s life or follow the prime directive]: “If Spock were here and I were there, what would he do?”

Bones: “He’d let you die.”

4) London.

The opening scene with Noel Clarke in London - with his obviously sick daughter, elevated by Michael Giacchino’s subtle and somewhat haunting score - does well to set up the titular darkness the film features. It is somber, slower paced, and much more clawing than what we’ve seen before.

5) Sassy Spock returns!

Captain Pike: “You givin’ me attitude, Spock?”

Spock: “I am expressing multiple attitudes simultaneously, to which are you referring?”

6) Kirk’s key conflict throughout this film is how he deals with mortality. Outside of the death of his father, it is not something he is familiar with. And even that was something which occurred literally the day he was born, meaning he has no memory of it. Yet it still guides his actions. Everything he does - letting the indigenous species from the beginning see the Enterprise to save Spock, attempting to save the species in the first place - is striving to prevent what happened to his father. Kirk plays god not out of ego but because he doesn’t wish anyone to feel the emptiness he knows from that kind of conflict. But he has to learn to let it happen. He has to learn to deal with it, otherwise he’ll go on a bad path. Look at what he almost did when Captain Pike died. He almost let himself get played and go against the core beliefs of Starfleet just to make sure no one else got hurt. But death is a part of life. And he will come face to face with death in a way in a similar-yet-unique way as he did in Wrath of Khan.

7) The whole “Kirk loses his command, has to go back to Starfleet academy, only to become a first officer and immediately get his command back” thing feels sort of frivolous. I feel it would have been much more effective to have him just be on probation or something, because this sort of undermines the lesson he was meant to learn. There’s not much of a consequence to it.

8) The bar scene between Kirk and Pike (calling back to how they met in the first film) is something I have mixed feelings about.

Kirk: “How did you find me?”

Pike: “I know you better than you think.”

Kirk [in reference to the bar fight from the first film]: “Yeah, that was a good fight.”

Pike: “A good fight? I think that’s your problem right there.”

For the most part I think it is a nice piece of the film. It gives us one last good look at their relationship, Pike’s mentorship, and the respect Kirk has for Pike before Pike’s death in a little bit. However - for me - it doesn’t feel like it matches up with when Pike was railing on Kirk earlier in the film. At all. There is this dissonance there I just cannot remedy.

9) The key conflict between Kirk and Spock in this film is interesting. We’ve moved past the place of sheer conflict they started out in the 2009 reboot to a place of respect but there’s still this dissonance between them. They’re not the strong pair that we are used to yet. The best friends. That’s what they become in this film, but they’re not there yet.

Kirk: “Do you understand why I went back for you [to save your life]?”

[Spock does not have an answer.]

10) Hey look, Robocop!

11) At the meeting of the captains, Kirk - even though he’s been disgraced - still says his piece. Yes it took some convincing but he notices something no one else could and stood up for it. And so continues the tradition of Kirk standing up for himself.

12) Spock’s mind meld with Pike plays into his own arc of dealing with death (similar to Kirk’s) very well, but more on that later.

13) Alice Eve as Carol “Wallace”.

With one noteworthy exception, I truly enjoy Carol’s presence in this film. Alice Eve has always been a favorite of mine and I think she does well in the part. Carol Marcus was an interesting character in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and it’s fun getting to see this younger side of her. She is probably one of the characters with the most underused potential from the original series of Star Trek feature films and I’m glad that - at least for this film - they decide to explore that potential more. More on that one exception later though...

14) It is good to see that Kirk, Bones, and Scotty - while all loyal to Kirk - care more about making sure he is okay than following him blindly. They all act as voices of reason to their captain and their words do set in, it is just a delayed settling.

15) I think Scotty resigning was a nice surprise. I honestly was not expecting it and it lends itself to a few things:

Kirk realizing just how sketchy some of this stuff is.

Kirk being pushed/pushing himself to places he’s never been before.

An organic & unique way of including Scotty later in the film.

16) Love this.

Kirk [about Spock]: “Sometimes I want to rip the bangs off his head. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me.”

Uhura: “It’s not you.”

Kirk: “It’s not? [Beat.] Wait a minute, are you guys fighting?...Oh my god, what is that even like?”

17) Even Chekov knows what a red shirt in Star Trek means.

Kirk [giving Chekov’s Scotty’s old job]: “Go put on a red shirt.”

Chekov [nervously]: “Aye sir...”

18) So one thing that sort of confused me was the fact that Carol is British in this film while in Wrath of Khan she was American. My theory is that the results of the Kelvin made Admiral Marcus (her father) a much more paranoid man, which we know lead to his wife leaving him. I feel like his wife is British and since Carol takes on her mom’s maiden name I have a feeling she grew up more with her than in the original timeline. Hence her British accent. But that’s besides the point...

19) I like that Uhura knows and uses Klingon in this film. In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Nichelle Nichols objected to a scene where Uhura had to hurriedly learn Klingon since she felt her character should already know it. In this film, she does! Yay! Progress!

20) According to IMDb:

When calling down to the shuttle bay, Sulu commands the crew to prepare the transport captured during the "Mudd incident last month", a reference to the same character who appeared in Star Trek: Mudd's Women (1966) and Star Trek: I, Mudd (1967) as a rogue trader. He also appeared in the comic prequel "Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness".

Last I heard, Rainn Wilson (of “The Office”) would be playing Harcourt Mudd in the upcoming Star Trek TV show “Star Trek: Discovery”. Moving on...

21) I feel like I’d be Kirk in this scenario.

Kirk [as Uhura and Spock start arguing on a dangerous mission to the Klingon home world]: “Are you - are you really going to do this now?”

22) This is so important to Spock’s arc throughout the film:

Uhura: “At that volcano, you didn't give a thought to us. What it would do to me if you died, Spock. You didn't feel anything. You didn't care...”

Spock: “Your suggestion that I do not care about dying is incorrect. A sentient being's optimal chance at maximizing their utility is a long and prosperous life.”

Spock [later]: “You misunderstand. It is true I chose not to feel anything upon realizing my own life was ending. As Admiral Pike was dying, I joined with his consciousness and experienced what he felt at the moment of his passing. Anger. Confusion. Loneliness. Fear. I had experiences those feelings before, multiplied exponentially on the day my planet was destroyed. Such a feeling is something I choose never to experience again. Nyota, you mistake my choice not to feel as a reflection of my not caring. Well, I assure you, the truth is precisely the opposite.”

That’s it. Right there. I don’t think there’s any more analysis needed. Spock is dealing with death in a similar way Kirk is, except he is dealing with much more relevant and painful memories he is trying to avoid. Kirk has to learn how to deal with those kinds of experiences as opposed to death as a concept.

23) Remember how I said I love that Uhura can speak Klingon now?

Uhura [convincing Kirk to avoid a fight with Klingons]: “You brought me here because I speak Klingon. Then let me speak Klingon.”

I love that she takes such an active role on Kronos of trying to avoid conflict. I love that she puts herself out there for her crew and her team. I just love it all.

24) Here we have Kirk just beating the shit out of “John Harrison” and “Harrison” not doing anything about it because it doesn’t really effect him. Or the plot. I get that Kirk is dealing with how “Harrison” killed Pike, but can’t we just have him hit him once, see it does nothing, and move on?

Also I will talk about Benedict Cumberbatch as “John Harrison”, just not yet.

25) I love Carol Marcus in this film. I think she’s smart, competent, is able to hold her own with Kirk well, and just works really well. However, I hate - hate hate hate - this moment:

So according to IMDb:

Writer Damon Lindelof apologized on Twitter for the seemingly gratuitous and much criticized scene where Alice Eve strips down to her underwear. J.J. Abrams would counter the criticism later when he appeared on Conan O'Brien's talk show and premiered a deleted scene featuring Benedict Cumberbatch showering. For her part, Eve staunchly defended the scene, and stated that she was very proud to show her her body after working out intensely for the shot. She has maintained that doing the scene was not forced upon her, and that in no way she felt exploited by this.

I like that Eve herself was comfortable with it, that makes me a bit more comfortable with it. However, gratuitous is totally the right word. It literally serves no purpose other than to objectify Marcus when she is so much more than her body. It’s eye candy for Kirk in a film written by guys, directed by a guy, and produced by a guy. And at the end of the day the filmmakers DID cut the scene with Khan, they did not cut this scene. I just...do not like this moment. At all. It feels pointless and makes me sad every time I see it. Again, I like that Eve was comfortable with it. But from a storytelling standpoint it just does not need to exist. At all.

26) I do enjoy the scene immediately following Carol’s strip down, which is where she and Bones take a torpedo to a nearby safe space to try and open it up only to risk blowing it up. It’s a simple, short, yet tense scene which I think is an elegant piece of conflict. It also plays into something which was a regular occurrence in the first film: the idea of if something can go wrong it should go wrong.

27) Alright, Benedict Cumberbatch as John Harrison.

(GIF source unknown [if this is your GIF please let me know].)

Cumberbatch as Khan is a very mixed bag for me. Like I have a lot of different feelings about it. I like that he is able to play the intellect/physical prowess of the character well, but obviously no one will ever be able to touch Montalban’s performance so there’s not really a point in trying. Since this is an earlier version of Khan, he’s a lot less wrathful than what we’re used to. He’s also less poetic and greener (as is the rest of the crew, in relation to the later of those two). But Cumberbatch is also able to give Khan a brief vulnerability we are not exposed to in Wrath of Khan, specifically in his care for his crew. So in terms of the performance alone, I think Cumberbatch does a nice job. He is a terrific actor so I’m not surprised. But...

I don’t think they should have gone with a white actor, if I’m being honest.

For one thing, Ricardo Montalban is Mexican. And based on what I’ve read about the character’s episode in the original series (I’ve never seen it myself, so I might not be totally right here) he was a ruler of Asia and the Middle East before being deposed and cryogenically frozen (I read on Wikipedia that he’s Sikh, but it still is Wikipedia so there’s a chance that’s not 100% accurate). None of this really screams, “white british guy,” to me. This is a criticism of the casting, not Cumberbatch or his performance.

In an interview with Trekmovie.com, cowriter Bob Orci said:

"Basically, as we went through the casting process and we began honing in on the themes of the movie, it became uncomfortable for me to support demonizing anyone of color, particularly any one of Middle Eastern descent or anyone evoking that. One of the points of the movie is that we must be careful about the villain within US, not some other race"

I do understand the issue there, but Khan is not meant to be representative of all Middle Eastern people or a certain ethnicity. He is a visual representation of himself but he is an individual. It’s not like you are writing him to be the big bad Middle Eastern bad guy. You’re writing Khan, and in the past Khan has been non-White.

Again, this is not a criticism of Cumberbatch himself but of the casting decision. I think Cumberbatch does a fine job in the film, I just think a non-white actor should have been cast. Now that I’m done talking about that...

28) This is Kirk at his most frightened.

He see no way out right now. Admiral Marcus is going to blow his ship out of the sky with his crew, so he pleads with Marcus to just take him and spare his crew. He knows what it feels like to lose a loved one in a situation like this, he knows the hole it leaves in your heart even if it isn’t one he can’t define in the same way as Spock. He wants to spare them so they can go home to their families. Just like he wished his father was spared. And when he can’t do that...

Kirk [to his crew]: “I’m sorry.”

I think Kirk’s emotional conflict in this film is one of its standout elements (possibly its strongest), and whatever other issues this film may have I’m glad it does that well.

29) Fans of voiceover actors will recognize Nolan North as a member of Admiral Marcus’ crew.

North is most famous for his role as Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series of video games, but also has voiced Deadpool on a number of occasions and even the Penguin in the Batman: Arkham video game series. He’s one of the most prolific and talented voice over actors there is and I believe JJ Abrams included him because he’s a fan of his work.

30) Similarly, Bill Hader voices the computer on Admiral Marcus’ ship and would collaborate with JJ Abrams again on Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens as a voice consultant for BB-8 with Ben Schwartz.

31) I think it’s nice that the tribble (a fan favorite from the original series) is included, but it’s sort of just awkwardly placed while Kirk is talking with Khan just so it can establish a way to resurrect Kirk later in the film.

32) The dive Kirk and CumberKhan make from the Enterprise to Marcus’ ship is a great set piece in the film. Supported by strong visual and great action, it has the potential to be considered iconic Trek a few years down the road.

33) It makes so much sense that Zachary Quinto Spock would call Spock Prime to ask about Khan.

(GIF originally posted by @tomfooleryprime)

Spock Prime: “Khan Noonien Singh is the most dangerous adversary the Enterprise has ever faced...”

Spock: “Did you defeat him?”

Spock Prime: “At great cost, yes.”

34) I like that Kirk is not stupid enough to actually trust Khan.

Scotty [after Kirk tells him to stun Khan when he’s given the signal]: “I thought he was helping us.”

Kirk: “I’m pretty sure we’re helping him.”

35) Wow, the ego on this guy.

Admiral Marcus: “If I’m not in charge our entire way of life is decimated!”

That does not justify the horrific crimes, attempted murder, or extortion you’ve committed. This guy pisses me off way more in 2017 than he did in 2013.

36) Khan crushing Marcus’ head is very strong for me. It feels like it’s straight out of a horror film and really shows just how dark this character is willing to get in the fulfillment of his wrath (see what I did there?).

37) The preceding mental chess game between Spock and Khan is very nice, though. It shows just how smart each is, how they’re intellectually matched, and see to succeed Spock must use Khan’s ego (a flaw he has always had) to his advantage. Khan underestimates Spock and just how crafty he can get, to his own disadvantage.

38) Remember note #3? Where Kirk was wondering what Spock would have done if the roles were reversed? Well Trek fans know what Spock DID do when the roles were reversed in the past (alternate timeline? I don’t know). We know Spock very willingly sacrificed himself to save the crew, and so does Jim.

Spock [about the trick he pulled on Khan]: “It’s what you would’ve done.”

Kirk: “And this...this is what you would have done.”

Kirk admits that he’s afraid and that has been his conflict all along. He’s afraid of death, or mortality. Not just for him, but for his crew as well. For his loved ones. But his need to keep them safe outweighs his fear for himself. And this is how Kirk learns to face mortality, by sacrificing himself (as opposed to dealing with Spock’s death in Wrath of Khan). As I said before, a similar-yet-unique way of facing that conflict.

39) Of course this had to be somewhere in the film.

40) When the Enterprise crashes into the San Francisco bay it destroys Alcatraz. JJ Abrams had a 2011 TV series on Fox named/surrounding Alcatraz that was cancelled in its first season. Hmmm....

41) I like the final chase between Spock and Khan through San Francisco but I always feel its sort of extra. Fun to watch but maybe a little long. The real climax was Spock/Khan’s mental chess game and then Kirk sacrificing himself, this just does not carry the same amount of conflict with it.

42) So Khaan’s blood can...cure death?

Whatever you can do to keep James T. Kirk alive, I guess.

43)

Kirk: “Dr. Marcus, I’m glad you could be a part of the family.”

Okay, I actually googled why Carol Marcus was left out of Star Trek Beyond and the reason I found I actually REALLY like. This is a quote from Simon Pegg, who cowrote Beyond in a somewhat rushed amount of time.

“With this it felt like we would under-serve her if we included her, she might end up feeling like she hadn’t been given the amount of screen-time she deserves, so rather than bring her in and just have her be a supporting role, like, have her not be in this one, and when the time comes [bring her back], the worst thing to do would be to have her in the film and have that character be killed, and that felt like a cynical thing to do. We thought rather than have Carol Marcus not be used to a reasonable capacity, let’s just not include her, have her be alive, in canon, and ready to come back at any time.”

I’m actually REALLY glad they went that route, because more often than not characters are included out of obligation and killed off because they can’t think of anything better to do with them.

While I do enjoy Star Trek Into Darkness, it is a mixed bag for me. I think the acting is still topnotch and the conflicts each character deals with (ESPECIALLY Kirk and Spock) make for incredible storytelling. Sometime it can feel a bit extra and convoluted however, I’m disappointed in the whitewashing of Khan (even if I do think Cumberbatch did a nice job), and I find the underwear shot of Carol gratuitous. Overall I think it’s a good film just not a great one, and occasionally a problematic one. I do enjoy it. It’s not like I feel like I waste 2 hours of my life whenever I put it in, and this is about the third time I’ve seen it. I just am very aware of its flaws. I hope some of that makes sense. If you want to watch it, watch it. If you are more of a fan of it than I am, fantastic! It’s still a good Trek film (there are much worse Trek films out there), but if it comes down to watching this or any of the rebooted Star Trek films I’d go with any of the other two. Or even better, Wrath of Khan. Maybe I should stop talking now.

[thebestplltheories]

PLL 7x13 Hold Your Piece - thoughts (confirmation Charlotte is alive in this episode?)

Overall, a general step up from last week’s episode which was one of the worst of the series. Still disappointing, and I still want to know when the love letter to the fans begins.

We started off interesting and then it went straight to filler. Ffs.

HERE’S AN IDEA... WAIT FOR THE IPHONE TO DIE AND DON’T CHARGE IT??? 

The Hanna doll was creepy! I loved that. And cutting into the doll was a clever interpretation of appendix. Even I didn’t think of that Hanna, nice!

Making Aria, out of all the liars, be the tech genius was definitely fan-service to the Aria is A theorists. And I love that the writers did that. They respect the fans. It’s the final season and they want to satisfy everyone; Aria won’t be A, but it’s about time they showed Aria be stronger than usual (both physically - pushing Sydney and also in terms of how smart she was by planting the GPS tracking chip in Sydney’s bag).

I like that Sydney got some clarification but my gosh - will we ever find out who was the fourth person to the picnic in 505?

I’m going to cop hate for this. But I LOVED not having Alison around. I’ve always been a firm believer that this show started going down once Alison came back alive, mainly in season 5. With just the simple absence of Alison, it felt like a good old season 3 or 4 episode. And I loved those vibes. I love seeing the group of 4 without Ali, sometimes.

Yvonne dying honestly shocked me! It happened out of nowhere! Good job writers, for shocking me. I definitely knew it was coming, I’m not shocked that she died, but more so the way and time she died. One second she’s confessing how happy she is, next second, literally, she’s gone. I really felt so terrible for Toby.

Fury and Spencer. Get absolutely lost. Couldn’t care less. I can’t believe how much time they wasted playing ping pong. I understand fillers. But THAT much is just stupid.

I liked that short, cute Spaleb scene. “I like how easy that was”

Caleb helping with the board game.. thank god. If they waited until episode 9 to enlist Caleb, I would’ve been so frustrated. At least we can get some sort of satisfaction that the girls are somewhat trying to beat the game.

“Hey Loser” ... try harder AD. Sounds like a threat the kids on the playground use. And stop using the Spongebob Squarepants font, please!

The final scene had me so so so disappointed. I initially thought it was a betrayal scene - Fury is working for AD! They had him in black, with gloves, an A package, everything! But no. It was him as a police officer opening a package from AD. Bummer. I would’ve LOVED a betrayal there (Fury working for AD).

LUCAS MADE THE BOARD GAME. I still stand by this. It’s what PLL does - they make the characters fall in love with each other (not literally in love) only for a massive betrayal to happen. Right before Toby was revealed as A in 312, Spoby hooked up. Right before Ezra was revealed as “A”, Ezria spent the entire episode together. And now, right before Lucas is going to be revealed as working for AD, Hanna says all that lovey-dovey stuff about being a great friend. It’s a normal tactic used in TV: let the character confess their love so that the betrayal is even more shocking.

I can’t help but think that AD gave Spencer a soft/easy task because AD is Spencer’s sister (a Drake). I mean, the writers went out of their way to highlight that Spencer got it easier. Maybe this is important.

The finger is surely Rollins’. 5 years later??? It can’t be Jessica’s. I think this is the beginning of AD revealing what the girls did.

Can I get a hell yeah for no new characters!! It’s almost like the writers learnt their lesson from 712, yet obviously they didn’t because this episode was made months ago. But still. No new characters = at absolute least 4/10 on my scales. Hence last week got a 2/10, and didn’t even get a reactions post like this. My screen did not get a brick through it tonight because Addison wasn’t in it. Thank god. My screen is safe.

And finally. This episode, for me, almost confirmed that Charlotte is alive. I haven’t seen anyone else say this which is surprising me because it’s the very first place my mind went. Like, instantaneously my mind went there. Sydney said there’s an Anonymous Donor paying for Jenna’s surgery. Ummmmm... last episode, Jenna literally told us that Charlotte agreed to pay for another surgery for her eyes! I pray to god Charlotte is not AD but she could just be an anonymous donor without being AD, if that makes sense.

And wow, the promo for next week!! No way are we actually going to find out who killed Jessica in a random, non-finale episode. I don’t expect to get solid confirmation. We won’t hear the explicit sentence “X killed Jessica because Y”. We will find out more clues, but I am 98% sure we won’t get solid confirmation. It’ll be another Sara Harvey. Heavily implied it is someone, but not 100% confirmed. (But all the clues will point to Peter. He’ll be the one this reveal will base around.)

Overall.. 6.5/10. For the final episodes, I’m still somewhat disappointed, but it was a step up from last week. I can’t give it more than 7 because we missed our queen Mona.