#i lived a 15 minute bus ride from campus and had a free pass so it wasn’t a problem at all for me to get myself there

[fingertipsmp3]

That last post just reminded me of something honestly mind-boggling that that friend did

[dumblydork]

Dying Embers

Her hair swished wildly in the wind, as if it were leaves swaying from the onset of a cyclone- flowing down to her waist, head thrown back. Fiery red, just like the dying embers of what was formerly a warming furnace. He could hear her laughter, slow and melodic, almost as if it were empyrean. She was the love of Harry's entire being. The soul to his body, the mind to his brain. She turned around, and all Harry could glimpse was her mouth- full, and pulled into a large smile. Her eyes were a bright hazel, shining with happiness, as she ran towards Harry, fitting easily in his arms.

They had met at the ball thrown by his parents that summer, exactly so that their son could meet a suitable young woman to marry. Harry had been extremely bored with the festivities, instead wishing he were out practicing archery with his friend, Neville.

His eyes flew around the room, passing from and then returning to a young woman who had just entered the gala. She didn't seem familiar, and was chaperoned by who seemed to her brother, judging from their hair. Harry was mesmerised- her yellow dress floated around her as if it were made of the finest, lightest silk to exist, and her hair was pulled back elegantly, exposing the milky column of her neck. He walked towards the pair.

"Forgive my intrusion, but will the lovely lady here consider dancing the next waltz with me?" Harry bowed slightly, his hand pulled tightly at his back.

The girl eyed him shyly as his brother did a more open appraisal. "We would like to first make your acquaintance, sir." He finally spoke.

"Of course, forgive me. I am Lord Harry Potter, Viscount of Little Whinging." He said, an automatic confidence seeping into his voice, one which only came from being the son of a duke.

"Forgive me, my Lord, I did not know. I am Ronald Weasley, and this is my younger sister, Ginevra Weasley. Our father is the Baron Weasley of Burrows." The pair bowed deeply, something which made Harry slightly uncomfortable.

"Please, I take no offense. It is my pleasure to make an acquaintance of Lord Weasley's children. He is my father's close friend. My question, however, to Lady Ginevra here remains unanswered." Harry steered the topic back to more important things from mere formalities.

"Of course, my lord." Ginevra said softly, placing her hand in Harry's outstretched one. As they walked towards the center of the floor, Harry's eyes met the identical ones of his mother, who stood to the side, flashing her son a soft smile.

"I adore you. And so does every thread of my existence, until my breath ceases." Harry spoke, bringing himself back from the night at the ball.

"I simply reciprocate, my Lord. And shall do so until death pull us part." She spoke softly, meeting Harry's lips with her own.

At the brink of twilight, a day before their wedding, the two of them wove their lives together, sealed by golden vows.

---

"Harry? Get on up, it's time to go!" His mother, Lily's voice flitted through the room, and sunlight poured inside as well, casting a bright glow all over. Harry sat up in bed, stretching excessively, getting rid of the multitude of pulls and pains he seemed to acquire over the night.

His parents swore he did not sleepwalk and fall down the stairs.

"Harry, honey, come on. You'll be late for uni otherwise." His mother peeked inside, her reddish brown hair pulled into a knot at the top of her head, green eyes shining with motherly affection. Seeing his mother's hair, Harry was reminded of his dream- recurring dream, he should say. Even though it was simply a few minutes old, seeing the 'girl' in his dream, he felt as if it were quite some lifetimes ago.

He had been dreaming of a girl quite frequently lately, and not in the lewd way his best friend Ron seemed intent on. Harry would always simply spot her hair, the curve of her waist and as soon as she turned around, he would be jolted awake.

When he was a child, his mother used to tell him tales in which princesses would dream of faceless men, a golden bond tying the two people together. The faceless person you dreamt about was whom you shared your golden thread of life with. But those were just fantasy- woven to make a dull reality exciting. At least now, at the age of 19, was what Harry believed. He hopped out of bed, and walked off into the bathroom, getting started on his morning routine. It was half past eight when he went downstairs, his first class of the morning at 9:15. His father, James, was stood in front of the kettle, pouring himself a cup of his morning Earl Grey, and his mother was setting down the plate of pancakes on the table.

"Breakfast?" She asked, sitting down, his dad joining her to the left. "Morning Haz." His father grinned lopsidedly, a grin much like Harry's own, glasses steaming up from the hot mug. Harry recited a greeting in return and was about to refuse breakfast on the account of well, running late, when the smell of butter floated up to him and he found himself seated in front of his parents.

"Did you get sore again?" Lily asked, concern lacing her low voice.

"Yeah. I just don't seem to know how." Harry noted, voice muffled from a mouth full of pancakes.

"Slow down, you'll choke." She admonished lightly, shooting James an exasperated look when he snickered a low 'That's what she said' into his morning Daily Prophet.

"He probably needs a new mattress. Let's get one on the weekend." His mother said, earning an affirmative hum from James who was busy with his newspaper.

"I'll get going now. Bye mum, bye dad. See you in the evening." He spoke after having had his share of pancakes and a chat with his mum. He bent down for the customary top-of-the-head kiss from his mother, something she had been doing since Harry started school. And although he wouldn't admit it, he adored this little sentiment. His dad shot him another grin as he walked out of the door, putting in his earphones.

Fortunately for him, the university campus was quite a short bus ride away. However, he still found himself running across the campus from the bus stop to his lecture theatre- he forgot to factor in the fact that the hall today was all on the opposite end of campus.

"Shit," He glanced at his phone, currently glowing 9:21. It was Professor Binns' lecture, and he wasn't too fond of latecomers. Harry counted on his excellent grade in the module, hoping that would pull him through. As he ran across, his peripheral vision noted a mane of red momentarily, but before Harry could turn around and see, he was already in front of the class, digging through the bag for his ID card.

---

"How is it that Binns' lectures keep getting worse through the term?" Ron, the aforementioned best friend groaned.

"Because your attention dwindles further as term moves on." Hermione, the other best friend noted. Harry grinned between the two of them. They were so in love, those oblivious idiots.

Binns' was the only class the three of them took together, and Ron departed for his Victorian Literature module. Harry and Hermione walked to the open amphitheatre, choosing to spend their free half hour which coincided together.

"Oh right. My friend from school is joining today, I was supposed to go show her around. Fancy coming?" Hermione spoke, eyes focused on her text messages. "Sure, I have the rest of the morning free." Harry pursed his lips. Hermione simply nodded and they set off across the campus again after the brief interlude at the theatre.

"Your friend is from school?" Harry asked.

"Yeah- she's a year younger but we were quite close when I was in year 12." She replied, eyes scanning the crowd at in front of the Lifesciences Lab, which was one of the main buildings on campus. "Who are we looking for again?" He imitated the search.

"Redhead, shorter than you." Hermione did not look up from the hoard of people, before her mouth set into a wide grin.

"Ginny! Here!" Hermione waved her arms around, jumping up and down in tandem. Harry couldn't see who Hermione was waving to, but the crowd was being roughly pushed aside as someone made their way towards the pair.

"Hermione! So good to see you!" The woman said, grabbing the older girl into a tight hug and letting go, placing the three of them in a triangular formation.

"Oh my god, I almost forgot to come see you." Hermione said somewhat sheepishly, but Harry wasn't listening. He was staring- no, gaping at the newcomer. Her hair was the exact shade of red as the girl in Harry's dream, and it cascaded down her back in a half up half down style. Her waist was encased in a light yellow sundress, complimenting her red hair. All in all, she was beautiful. Not because of her hair or slender figure, but also because of how her eyes shone as she spoke to Hermione.

"Have I seen you before?" Tumbled out of Harry's mouth before he could stop (or reason), and a pair of bright hazel eyes bore into his own moss green, before glittering again. Ginny simply smiled.

~~~~

And here it is, another AU! I definitely did not plan for this to be a multiple lifetime AU, but Regency!Hinny seemed too good to pass up on. I apologise for what is probably a very poorly written Regency era conversation, my knowledge of it is simply from Bridgerton and Google haha. I decided to keep the end open, just so that you guys can envision your own romance for them! Also, can I just say how I loved writing Lily and James?? It's their little debut in my one-shots yay!

Also, you can find my Ao3 here, where I post quite fluffy Wolfstar one-shots, if that's your thing!

I hope you enjoyed this as usual! Please interact with my pinned TAGLIST post on my account if you wish to be notified of whenever I post Hinny one-shots! Thank you for reading, and big hugs to everyone who loves what I write! Please keep going, it truly makes my day (or week??) xxxx

TAGLIST: @amy-herondale-chase // @purplepygmypuffskein // @ginnypxtter // @alwaysmagica1 // @norakelly // @coffee-fandoms-and-chaos //

[muwur]

haikyuu x otome: masterlist | rules

prologue

» synopsis:   a haikyuu x reader au where you, the player, are bound for university in a metropolis several hours away from home. hope and excitement are replaced with dread as you come to realize that juggling life as a student and a part-time employee takes a toll. from demanding classes to a ruthless manager, life just can’t seem to give you a break. that is, until you meet a certain someone who reminds you how to live and follow your dreams. somehow, when you’re with them, time stands still. maybe things are finally starting to look up. if only you could stay in those moments for just a little longer.

» gn reader

» ngl came out longer than i expected but thats ok LMAO,, them otome intros be unnecessarily long too mb; 3.1k words

» note: if u rllyy want u can kinda skip or just skim this, the gist is that you move in n meet like 3 ppl LOL

The train hummed as it zoomed through the landscape, leaving behind the familiar people, sights, sounds, and smells. Yawning, you rubbed your nap away from weary eyes and peered out the window. Just hours ago you had waved a bittersweet farewell to your town, friends, and family, who woke at the crack of dawn to send you off with tight hugs and teary-eyed wishes of good luck. 

Your heart lurched at the memory. You’d miss them. In an effort to part happily, you promised to come back for the holidays, call often, and hook your friends up with any cute people you just knew would match them. Glancing down at your phone, you smiled at the excited text messages from your friends. Your fingers tapped away at the keyboard in response.

‘Just woke up from my nap. I think I’m here!’

Outside, buildings scraped the clouds and their windows shined in the light of the afternoon sun. Cars honked, bikes swerved, crowds bustled. On one end of the block, a man on a ladder was painting a sign for his store, while on the other end , a street performer danced energetically in her black shoes. Smoke emitted from a food vendor’s stand, where a man skillfully flipped some meat and vegetables on a stove, even throwing his spatula into the air to entertain his customers. The city was alive. 

Stepping off the train, you clutched your belongings and felt a sudden rush of exhilaration. You were finally here. You intended to take a deep breath, in order to take in your first taste of this city’s air, only to stop halfway in a short hacking fit to expel train exhaust from your lungs. 

‘That was pleasant,’ you grumbled to yourself, still coughing as you made your way off the platform towards the street. Luckily, Lyft existed. And it was cheaper here! Within minutes of your order, a black Toyota pulled up in front of you. The driver smiled and stepped out of the car, their wavy brown hair bouncing against their shoulders. “Let me help you with those,” they smiled as they offered to take your bags and put them in the trunk. 

“Oh, thank you so much!” What a kind person, you thought as you opened the backseat of the car. Ooh.

On second thought, maybe you were too optimistic. Who knew a 10 minute ride could feel so long? It seemed at least twice that much when you were squished in the backseat with some handsy couple. Just your luck, someone was already occupying the passenger seat. Oh well, a minor inconvenience in the name of saving money. All you could do was shift closer to the door, fix your gaze outside the window, and try to ignore the strange purrs coming from your seatmates. A familiar building caught your eye and you let out a sigh of relief when the car came to a stop. You thanked your driver as you stepped out and pulled your bags out of the trunk. Looking back and forth from your phone to the townhouse before you, you had to admit the real thing looked a little more worn down than how it was advertised, but you couldn’t blame them. I mean, your pictures on instagram aren’t exactly the everyday representation of yourself, either.

Aged wood creaked as you hoisted your bags up the front steps. You tapped  your knuckles three times against the brown door and rang the buzzer to the landlord’s office. 

“Hello? Miss Q?” you asked, hoping the landlord you’ve been contacting for the last two months would answer. “It’s me, y/n, I let you know I’d be coming in today.”

No answer. 15 minutes, a few text messages, and a phone call later, still no response. You groaned. Were you at the right place? Looking back at the address of the building and your location, you were sure this was it. Did Miss Q happen to be out? Or was she napping and just happened to be a heavy sleeper? Maybe her phone died. Whatever the reason, you were stuck out here for the meantime. Shrugging it off, you took a seat on a dusty patio chair and started to scroll mindlessly through your phone to pass the time. Hopefully she’d reply soon. 

The screech of a vehicle coming to a stop caught your ear. You looked up to see that the mover’s van you ordered pulled up across the street. Well, at least your things arrived. You stood up and waved to the man driving the vehicle. Making your way to greet and thank him, you helped him unload your things and set them down on the free space in front of the complex, making sure to keep the pathways clear. Placing down the last of the things onto the ground, you wiped the sweat off your brow, tipped the man, and watched him leave.

20 minutes of that and still you remained stuck outside. The late summer sun was beginning to get unbearably warm. Sitting amongst your pile of things, you couldn’t help but groan inwardly at the thought of all the unpacking you had to do. On top of that, classes begin in a week, and you needed to search for a job as soon as possible to help pay the bills. 

“Erm, hello? Are you y/n l/n, by any chance?” a gentle voice asked.

Lost in your thoughts, you failed to notice anyone had approached you. He was a fairly tall boy with dark hair half pulled back into a messy bun. Freckles adorned his face, complemented by his soft brown eyes and warm smile. He wore a pair of white shoes, slightly distressed lightwash jeans that were rolled up at the bottom, and a loose fitting, olive button up half tucked into his jeans. In his arms was a brown paper bag with a loaf of bread peeking out. 

(I STAN LONG HAIRED/HAIRBUN YAMS SO HARD SO HE’S GONNA HAVE IT OK)

“Yeah, I am! Do you live here?” you responded eagerly, getting up to your feet.

He nodded with a smile. “I do! Apparently Miss Q’s sick and staying at her daughter’s place for now, so her daughter messaged me to help you get settled in. Let me put these groceries away and get your key.”

He disappeared into the townhouse, then returned a few moments later with a key dangling between his fingers. “Miss Q needs a better hiding spot for her spare office key. The plant pot is way too obvious. Anyways, I can show you to your room, now. I’ll help you carry your things up,” he offered.

“That would be great! Thanks again for all your help, otherwise I’d probably have been stuck out here all night,” you said, gently handing him a box to carry.

“Y-Yeah, no problem! Though, Tsukki might’ve let you in if he saw you out here, too. Oh, and my name’s Tadashi Yamaguchi, by the way. Some people call me Yams. It’s nice to meet you.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Yams,” you huffed in amusement at his cute nickname. “Call me y/n.” Carrying some boxes, you followed Yamaguchi into the building. Luckily you were on the first floor, second door on the lefthand side. He fumbled with the key, searching for the keyhole before turning the unlocked knob and opening the door. 

Much like the outside, the interior of the place was also outdated. You both stood in front of the quaint living area connected to the kitchen. In the back, you could see the hallway leading to the bathroom and your single bedroom. The plain, white walls of the room were illuminated by daylight coming in from the windows on the rightmost wall. You could overlook the worn couch and scuffed dining table, though, considering the place was fully furnished and leased at a great price. Miss Q had even told you both the kitchen and bathroom had actually been remodeled recently. 

Going back and forth to take your belongings inside, you thought to get to know your new neighbor. “So, how long have you lived here?”

He pursed his lips in thought and stacked the box he was carrying on top of another one. “Mm, only since the start of summer, actually. My friend and I came here to start university, and one of his favorite museums also happens to be in this city. We come from about 2 hours north of here, though. What about you?”

You set down a particularly heavy bag onto the floor with a grunt. “I’m from a place several hours west of here. I came here for school, too! Are you going to Central University, by any chance?”

“Yeah, I am!” he responded with pleasant surprise and wide eyes. “I guess we’ll be seeing each other on campus, too. Remind me to show you the closest bus stop you can take to get there.” A soft smile formed on his lips.

After finally taking in all your belongings, you collapsed onto the couch in exhaustion. Your eyes flickered over to the brunette, whose chuckle you could hear from across the room. “Long day?” he asked, settling into a spot next to you. 

Groaning, you replied, “I’ve been up since 5 am to do some last minute packing and catch my train.”

“Yikes. Sounds early.”

“Tell me about it.”

A comfortable silence hung in the air for a few seconds. Curious, he piped up with another question. “So, what made you decide to move all the way out here?”

“Hmm,” you began. “Well, I wanted to settle into a new, unknown place, y’know? Explore the world a little more and see what it’s like out here. Be on my own for the first time.”

Yamaguchi nodded thoughtfully in understanding. “I get you. My best friend and I kinda came here for the same reasons. We wanted to expand our worlds a bit. I’ve only been here a few months, and already so much has happened. You’ll definitely get to explore and experience a lot in this city. Things are always busy around here...” he trailed off, checking a notification on his phone that just dinged with a new message. His brown gaze flickered back to you. “Ooh, would you like to have a drink with my friend and I at my place? I live in the room right across from here. You seem like you need a break.”

You could feel your lips curve upwards. “I’d really enjoy that, actually.”

Thus you found yourself in your new friend’s apartment, sinking comfortably into his black beanbag chair, a bottle of cold lemonade in your hand. Taking another refreshing swig, your eyes traveled over to the blonde seated next to Yams on their tan sofa. You could hardly feel welcome when the first words that came out of his mouth after seeing you was a disgruntled “you brought someone here?”, which made Yamaguchi smack the back of his friend’s head.

“They’re our new neighbor, Tsukki! Be more welcoming,” he chided with a roll of his eyes. “Y/n, this is Kei Tsukishima. Tsukki, this is y/n.”

He rubbed the back of his head and glared at Yamaguchi. The blonde sighed, extending a hand out towards you. “Tsukishima. Nice to meet you, I guess.”

“Erm,” you tried to smile, “nice to meet you, too, Tsukishima. Just call me y/n.”

‘How is someone as sweet as Yams best friends with this dude?’

He couldn’t be all bad, you reasoned. Maybe he was just having a bad day,,, or always having a bad day. Regardless, even if your first impression was kinda substandard and underwhelming, you hoped you’d get along. He seemed like the type to need to get to know someone before warming up to them. 

You set the empty bottle atop their maple coffee table. Two hours had creeped by, consisting mostly of lighthearted exchanges between you and Yamaguchi, with a brief, occasional response from Tsukishima. He spent most of the time flipping through the pages of a novel and lightly tapping its hardcover to the beat of whatever he was listening to on his headphones. Yamaguchi suggested getting delivery from a Thai place he liked a few blocks away, and even insisted on covering the cost for you. 

“No, you really don’t have to..! I appreciate the offer, though,” you pleaded.

He shook his head, smiling as he tapped away at postmates on his phone. “Don’t worry about it.” He logged in both your orders and nudged Tsukishima with his elbow. “What do you want?”

Pushing up his glasses, Tsukishima leaned over to look at his friend’s phone screen. A few moments passed before he pulled away and said, “Pad Kee Mao sounds good.”

30 minutes later and there was a ring at the front door. A voice on the buzzer sounded. “I have a delivery for, uh.. Tadashi!” 

“Looks like they’re here,” Yamaguchi said as he stood up. You followed him out to the main entrance. Behind the door was a boy with tousled orange hair and bright brown eyes, carrying a plastic bag filled with takeout boxes. “Here you go!” he exclaimed as he handed you the order. He peered at the brunette beside you, his face scrunching in thought before lightening up with clarity. “Hey, you were with the guy I crashed into the other day! I-Is he okay by the way? Sorry, I was in a really big rush...!”

Eyebrows shooting up in surprise and eyes widening with familiarity, Yamaguchi nodded, “Oh yeah, I remember that! Don’t worry, he’s alright, just bitter and annoyed. I’m glad you seem to be okay, as well.” 

The redhead scratched the back of his neck sheepishly and looked down at his scuffed shoes. “Ah, thanks! Um, is he around? I’d like to apologize for yesterday...”

Yamaguchi smiled. “I’ll go grab him,” he said briefly before heading back to his apartment. 

The delivery boy sighed with relief. “Man, I felt really bad about that yesterday...” he muttered. He looked back up, his eyes brightening when they met yours. “My name’s Shoyo Hinata! People usually call me Hinata.”

“I’m y/n, it’s nice to meet you,” you smiled, offering your hand. He shook hands with you a bit too vigorously, and you nearly dropped the food held in your other arm. “Are you new around here?” he asked.

“Hah, is it that obvious?” you joked.

“Nahh, just a wild guess. You’re just really refreshing, is all! Most of the people I meet seem burnt out, but I don’t blame them. We’ve all got busy lives. Talking to you is nice, though! I haven’t learned any customer’s names, well, since I started working! Then again, it’s only been two months... Anyways, where you from? I was born and raised here.”

If anything, you thought Hinata was the refreshing one. A tad talkative, but refreshing nonetheless. He effused a radiance that matched his vivid hair. “I’m from *insert place here*, a few hours west of here. I just arrived today!”

Before he could give you a response, however, you both heard footsteps approaching. You could recognize Tsukishima’s voice muttering a low “let’s get this over with” from behind you. Now standing at the doorframe, the blonde towered over Hinata. His countenance displayed obvious annoyance. However, he maintained his composure, pressed his finger against the bridge of his nose, and sighed out, “What do you want?”

Hinata bowed. “I’m sorry I crashed into you with my bike the other day! I was rushing to volleyball practice and I wasn’t looking. It was my fault.”

Eyes narrowing, Tsukishima allowed several moments of silence to achingly pass before letting out a small huff. “Fine. Apology accepted.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, he turned around to return to his room. “Watch where you’re going next time, idiot. You’d better hope you don’t run into me again.” A door shut.

‘That was quick.’

Hinata looked up to watch him leave and straightened his form again. Lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed, he crossed his arms across his chest. “Geez, what’s his deal?” Yamaguchi cast him an apologetic look. “Ah, he’s just like that. He appreciates the gesture, though.” 

A high-pitched ding caught your attention. “Ah, I gotta go make another delivery! It was nice to meet you all!” 

Quickly grabbing a bill out of your pocket, you stopped Hinata mid-step. “Wait! Here, please take this. Thanks for the food!”

He accepted the tip from your hands, looking back and forth between you and the money. “Wow, thank you so much! I really hope to see you around. Have a great night!” With a final smile and wave, he bounded off the porch steps towards his bike, hopped on, then disappeared down the street. 

After having dinner and exchanging contact information with Yamaguchi and Tsukishima, you thanked them for having you over and retired back to your room. Drained, you only had enough energy to make up your bed and unpack your bathroom essentials. You trudged into the bathroom. Looking into the mirror, weariness was evident in your dull gaze. ‘Ugh, I can’t wait to sleep,’ you thought as you turned the sink on. The cool water felt refreshing against your skin and livened your senses. You brushed your teeth before retreating to your bedroom and changing into a comfier pair of clothes. 

You checked the time on your phone. How was it only 11 PM? The darkness, coupled with your exhaustion, made it seem at least three hours ahead. You plugged the phone in to charge and set it down on the bedside table. ‘No need to set an alarm,’ you thought, ‘I just wanna sleep.’ 

You took a few minutes to stare at the dark ceiling overhead, thinking about all the new changes coming your way.  New faces, cool food, and exciting places. Hopefully you had some time these first few weeks to explore and familiarize yourself with the city. Excitement mixed with a prick of anxiety as you thought about how you could manage on your own. However, you had faith in your independence. You would be okay. Besides, there were friendly people out here like Yamaguchi, Hinata, and maybe Tsukishima who you could trust if you ever needed help.

It didn’t take long for you to drift off into a deep slumber. You lazily woke up the following morning, yawning with outstretched arms. ‘That was the best sleep I’ve had in ages,’ you thought as you sat up. It was half an hour before noon. The sun shone brightly through your windows, whose curtains were left undrawn. ‘Surprised that the light didn’t wake me up sooner.’ A loud honk made you jump in your seat. ‘Or the noise.’

You drew your legs over the side of the bed and took in the state of your room. Surrounded by stacked boxes and luggage, you were reminded what you came here for. Anticipation collected in your chest. This was the start of the life you’ve been waiting for the past few years. 

‘We’re gonna make the best of this, y/n.’

[yoon-ssi]

They Were Rommates

Series w/ Sehun & Junmyeon (EXO)

PART THREE

A lot of time has passed. And you've been feeling so much happier and good about yourself. Strange thing has happened, you started to ask them both out too. It would be an ordinary Saturday and you would ring Sehun up for a movie date or a Sunday morning and you'd text Junmyeon to go to a themed park. You had such amazing friends.

Today, even tho it was your birthday, wasn't any different. Sehun already arranged for the two of you to go out and have fun. When you woke up, it wasn't naturally. You were hit in the face by a gigantic plushie and your roommate's laugh. "Aish. Sehun I will choke you." You said with a hoarse voice. He managed to stop his laughter to answer with a small groan, "Choke me, mommy."

Next thing you threw the plushie at him which continued in you two having a pillow fight in your bedroom. You most surely wasn't going to go easy on him. Pillows were getting torn, sheets were thrown around, both of your hair was getting messier... Rolling around on your bed trying to get ahold of the last pillow in one piece, you managed to get him of guard. In one swift move you turned him upward and straddled his hips. "Give up. I won this fight." You said grabbing his wrists and keeping them next to his hips. This was a game and you were both having so much fun. But the moment you straddled him the smile on his face was gone and he was staring at you, not you like your eyes, a bit lower than them. You couldn't understand what was wrong until your own view got a bit lower to his plush lips. A thought of how it would feel to be able to kiss those lips everyday and lay pecks on those soft cheeks filled your mind making you tighten your hands. While staring at his lips you could've swore you felt one of his hands twitch in a need to move up. Quickly realising what the fuck was actually happening you released his wrists and began to unstraddle him with the excuse that your phone was vibrating. You tried your best to push that damn sexual thought out of your head. He is only your friend and he stopped smiling because he is a man with a goddamn dick and you fucking straddled him. Great job.

Your fake ass excuse actually worked, because at that moment Junmyeon was calling you. Sighing in relief you answered the call and heard Sehun leaving with a small "Happy b-day, Ms. Bear!" offered as a goodbye. The phone call was to congratulate you a happy birthday and to inform you that he got so damn busy that he will only be able to meet you tonight around 9 pm at the campus. You knew if it wasn't serious he would get rid of all of his plans for you, thus you didn't think anything bad about it. In the past few months you've got to know him a lot better than you think you already have.

You were walking around with Sehun, who put his denim jacket over his head to protect him from the sun, which made you think of how shameless he actually was. Although, at the same time it made you wanna do the same thing. And you did. Just two weirdos walking around. You two spent the day visiting random coffee shops and trying their muffins and cupcakes and bubble tea. Your tall friend lived for that drink. He was complaining the whole time; about the food, the weather, life, politics, anything you could possibly think of, he already complained about it. Nevertheless, you knew he was enjoying this by the smile on his face everytime he thought you weren't looking. Soon enough he got tired of carrying his jacket and dragged you into a store to buy him some sunglasses. It was your birthday and he was asking you to buy him something. This is the exact reason you adored him. He is shameless and sarcastic and basically the Satan's son and you loved him for it. He asked for some random red sunglasses which you of course bought.

Time went on, you both goofed around harassing some children's playgrounds and laughing around because you two were too big for any of it. Lastly, you ended up by a river and a beautiful sunset. Sehun even took his sunglasses off to look at it. As you walked next to the shore, the sunset went from a warm orange, bloody orange, piercing red all the way to the soft lilac color. You were loving today. Your friend was making you feel so amazing and you were thankful for it. He suddenly stopped next to a random tree without saying anything.

"Sehun, are you okay? Did you get tired of walking already?" You asked with a smile on your face.

The tall boy turned around looking down, putting his hands on your hips and raising his view up to your own eyes. He pulled you closer and you were startled by his actions so much that you couldn't react. He locked you with his eyes. You felt like you couldn't move, like you couldn't breathe. His hands got up, cupped your face and pressed his lips against yours. And for a second, he looked even more beautiful than the sunset. His lips felt soft, full with a soft need for yours. You automatically reacted to the kiss, kissing him back even tho you didn't know why. He tasted like your favorite candy and the way he moved his lips against yours had you wanting to kiss him forever. You slightly nibbled at his lower lip, but the kiss was nothing more than a peck and it was short lasting. He ended the kiss, his hands slowly leaving your body, his body moving slightly away from yours and his eyes softly looking at yours. You removed your hands from his chest that you didn't realize you put there and you were so confused by all of this. And to make it harder, he wasn't saying anything. A spark of joy and hope in his eyes told you how much you mean to him... But you had no idea how you felt and what was going on.

At that moment your phone rang.

Giant teddy bear

"I have to go." You said to Sehun and he nodded whispering a happy birthday before you left. In the corner of your eye you could see a small smile on his lips.

The call was just a reminder to meet up with Junmyeon. You decided not to tell him anything, just to meet him.

Walking around campus, you saw him standing near a random building slightly tapping on place. He must've been so busy today.

"Hi Junmyeonie!" You greeted him while approaching him slowly. The boy seemed to be happy out of this world to see you. He hugged your waist, pulling you close to his warm body and nuzzling your head into his neck. He always smelled so nice. He whispered at least ten happy birthdays into your ear, which made you smile. He let go of you and you grasped a better look of his face. He was smiling. No worries. No stress. He seemed delighted to see you.

"Did you have fun today?" He asked excitedly.

"Yes! I was running around with a friend and eating all the muffins." You made it sound as simple as possible. Unlike his looks, he indeed was exhausted and very busy. You knew he maybe had only five minutes of free time.

"Y/n..." He sighed. "...I'm so sorry that I wasn't free the whole day, I truly-" You put a single finger on his lips silencing his apology. You leaned your forehead against his and closed your eyes. "It's fine, Junmyeon." You smiled. "I am an adult like you, I completely understand what's it like to have rushed days." You made a step back and looked at him. "I'm glad I managed to see your face even if it's only for two minutes. I don't care for presents, with the exception for plushies-" He laughed at that. "-, I care for seeing the people I love most... The whole day or just a few moments, it doesn't matter. As long as I get to see them, you know?" He nodded smiling and looked down to his wrist. His watch didn't tell him good news, you guessed by the tired expression he made. You got ready to say goodbye to him, when he said; "I have a gift for you." You raised your eyebrows in surprise.

Junmyeon came closer, picked up your chin and, for another time that day, a boy pressed his lips against yours. Once again you felt frozen and confused. Although, his lips felt nothing like Sehun's. His felt a bit harsher, rushed and needier. It wasn't a peck. His lips felt like they were dancing with yours. And you were responding. To your and his suprise you opened your mouth, allowing him inside. Losing his fingers in your hair, he felt like you will destroy him. You had so much power over him and you didn't even know it. Junmyeon moaned into your mouth making you go crazy from how good it felt and then he pulled away.

His lips swollen, his cheeks a soft red color and his eyes blurry, was a sight to see. For a moment you compared them; they both would look amazing like this. Instantly, you pushed that thought away. In a hoarse voice he whispered happy birthday and went away, leaving you stunned and more confused than ever.

This was all to much. How were you supposed to... What was even going on? Were you blind this whole time?

Too many thoughts were running in your head and you knew you couldn't go back to the dorm right now. Hence, you went the only place you knew you could stay and sort out your feelings.

A 15 minute walk and one bus drive later you showed up at another dorm building. Riding the elevator to the third floor, you knocked the door under the number 317. You already texted them saying you had to talk and needed a place to stay. No comments, no questions, just one text: Come over.

The door opened revealing a tall boy, even taller than Sehun. A puppy like face and soft curls framing his face felt like home.

"Y/n-ah!" He spoke in a deep voice pulling you up to his height in a hug. You smiled at your friend. You greeted him back, happy to see your childhood friend on your birthday.

"Hi, Chanyeollie."

[sophie-summer]

All I need

Universe : Endless Summer

Pairing : Jake x MC

Prompt : Travel

Tagging : @hollyashton and @angelschoices

Author’s Note: I hope I’m still on time for the prompt. I didn’t have too much time in the week, so I had to do this as fast as I could. Sorry if you find some misspell. Enjoy it.

When the cell phone vibrated the second time, I was awake. When the music started, I was about to turn off the alarm. 5:30 am. I wasn’t a morning person, rather I was just the opposite. Everything that was before 10:00 a.m. seemed to me too early and my mood depended directly on the time I got up, the later, the better. But since the night before I was anxious about the trip, suddenly I was the 8-year-old girl who was unable to sleep because of the excitement of what awaited her the next day, and in the few moments of sleep, the only thing present in them, were related to the trip, what would happen and in all the scenes that my mind had imagined being awake. Checking in the calendar the days waiting for the one marked with red letters. So when the time indicated by the alarm arrived I was more than willing to leave the warmth and comfort of my bed.

It seemed incredible, but somehow everything returned to normal, returning only a week had passed, the same time we had to spend there. As it is logical to suppose, we decided to keep the secret, anyway it’s not as if someone would believe anything we said. Time travel, mythical and prehistoric creatures, a tribe of blue people with exceptional abilities? No, I don’t think so, that would definitely have bought the 11 of us a trip to the insane asylum, but not one back.

We didn’t see each other as regularly as we thought, but sometimes I gathered with the girls to catch up, went to games to encourage Sean and Craig, attended some parties together, we managed to have each other class in common. We even had some slumber parties in the apartment where Michelle and Quinn now lived.

But that day was different. The group was never complete, not really. Ever since we came back to the USA, it was always missing a person, someone with blue eyes and a crooked smile. Whose absence always dimmed a little the brilliance of such quietness.

Upon our return, Aliester and Grace, with the help of their influence in belonging to the Rourke and Hall families respectively, were trying to prove Jake’s innocence. However, things were not so simple, it had taken time and still had not been achieved. If he tried to return to the country he would be arrested immediately … as long as the authorities find out. I was not the only one tired of not getting results, and although it was fun to go to Costa Rica in any vacation period, it wasn’t enough, we all wanted things to be resolved.

Jake struggled to hide everything under a lopsided grin and with his unequaled sarcasm, but every time it was time to go home, the fun of his smile wasn’t reflected in his eyes, the glow of them was softened and his sarcasm it became empty.

But that day, that day was different from the others. That day we would finally meet the 12, there in our home. I don’t know how, but Aliester made arrangements so Jake could come a few days undetected, because what was the use of power if you didn’t use it in your own convenience from time to time.

I loved the beach. Everything in it made me feel safe, happy, free … the sand on my feet, the warm breeze caressing my skin, the saltpeter sticking in my nose, the sound of the waves breaking on the shore, the way the water changed its color depending on the sky. Not even all the craziness we went through at La Huerta could change that. So when Aliester gave us the news of Jake coming to the country, one thing led to the other and plans were made.

When I was ready and had assured myself for the tenth time that nothing was missing, I took my things and left the dorm. We’d been meeting in the apartment that Quinn and Michelle shared, there, the bus that we rented would pick us up.

7:15 am. I hurried forward, that 15 minutes late was ensuring a good reprimand from Michelle. The place where they lived was near the campus, so it wouldn’t take me more than 10 min to get there on foot.

“Do you want a ride?” A car pulled up beside me, and in the driver’s seat I recognized Sean.

“Oh! you’re my lifesaver, if I come with you Michelle isn’t going to murder me.” I smiled at him and approached the car. “Will you help me with the door?” I lifted the container.

“Sure.” He reached back to open the door, and I managed as best I could to sit in the back seat.

“Hey Princess.” Every hair on my body reacted before the sound of him voice. Sean and Craig were together everywhere, so I assumed who was in the passenger seat was him, but Jake was the last person I was waiting for.

The last time we saw each other, we had agreed not to continue with our relationship, it didn’t do us any good. I only lived in the few days that we spent the one in the arms of the other, the other days were a blurred intermediate between the times that I went to Costa Rica. He told me that he wanted me to have a normal life, to go out with kids of my age, who go to college just like me. But when he said that he didn’t know that my life without him was not life, that I didn’t care for any other man than him, and that I spent a whole month crying after that.

“Hey Jake.” And I couldn’t say anything else after that.

Almost all of them were there, except for Craig. And we had to wait for him to arrive during two hours. We spent the first 20 minutes joking … after that, well everyone began to despair. In that time we were able to prepare the food that was missing, to go and buy breakfast for everyone and to put our things in the vehicle. There was even time to go and buy the domino game that the boys had forgotten. Finally after half an hour more waiting, Craig showed up with in the apartment with a huge cooler.

“Why the hell did you take so long?” Zahra shouted at once.

“I was looking for something important, babe.” Craig replied.

“What is so important to have us all morning waiting? … and do not call me babe”

Craig’s face brightened with a smile, as if he had been waiting for that specific question. He opened the cooler and out of it he took out a six-pack of beer.

“Booooooze!” He yelled.

“Beer, Craig? Really? “Complained Michelle.

“Don’t worry Meech, I brought everybody’s favorite.”

“You’re already forgiven.” Jake said, patting Craig on the back.

With Craig finally there, there was only one thing to do. We all settled into the seats. I was one of the people who believed that if you went somewhere, the fun started from the time you got up, and that was just what we did. The trip was full of laughter, Craig had to put up with jokes at his expense for being late, and Zahra took care of much of it, we sang at full lungs the songs out of tune, there were many stolen kisses and silly giggles. And many, many photos. Although none of that compared to the looks that Jake and I were throwing during the entire journey. Some things never changed.

The sheen of the sea greeted us when we arrived. The view was incredible. Miles of white sand that contrasted perfectly with the water. Blue and white. And around that, there were numerous palms giving away their shadow here and there. The sky had been stripped of any cloud to let the sea reflect its color with great intensity. I could almost feel the water surrounding me. I just had to take a few more steps and I would be there. Best of all, that part was completely empty.

The boys were in charge of accommodating the heaviest things, chairs, table, the cooler. And we took the food, though Aliester as always didn’t want Grace to raise her own purse. If it hadn’t been for my control, my feet would have led me to the water immediately.

We finished fixing what was missing and did what we most wished, at least I was wanting it more than anyone. I took off my clothes as fast as I could and didn’t resist the temptation any longer. The others soon joined me in the water, except for Estela and Zahra. Each of them looked as happy as I felt.

After a few minutes arguing, Sean, Jake, and Craig headed to the waterfront. Though only Craig could take over of Zahra, it was a good idea that two took over Estela, because despite twisting, fighting and protesting as much as she could, they both ended up in the water.

We spent a lot of time playing, sprinkling water on us and we also tried to make a pyramid, and I say we tried, because on the third attempt Craig thought that maybe I needed a little push to go up, and that’s how Quinn, Grace and I fell on the others in a mixture of hair and limbs. Aliester almost had a heart attack and from that moment he didn’t let Grace take more than two steps if he wasn’t beside her anymore. Raj received a poke in the face from Quinn. And I was the one that had better luck, most of the impact of my fall was caught by Jake, but I knew it wasn’t luck at all. After checking out no one had broken any bones, Michelle made sure Craig thought twice before doing any other nonsense that day.

Afterward, no one had the courage to continue in the water, and with the roaring stomachs we decided to take a break to eat. The food was delicious. And surprisingly, my part wasn’t so bad. When everybody had eaten, some of the guys installed the domino game.

The rest of the afternoon passed the same, for times we went back to the water, went out, played, or just basked in the sun.

Craig fell asleep face down on the sand. And Zahra, believing that no one saw her, laid down on him and stayed like that for a long time. Of course nobody missed the opportunity to make a million photos of that scene. Sean and Michelle disappeared for two hours, and only God knew where they had gone, and what they were doing. Estela and Quinn defeated me and Grace playing Volleyball but it was a lot of fun anyway.

At the end of the afternoon, the bus picked us up again and we prepared to leave that piece of heaven on earth. The return trip wasn’t as energetic as the one out. We were all tired and those who hadn’t fallen asleep already, soon would. Curled up against each other, Michelle and Sean, Craig and Zahra, Quinn and Estela, Grace and Aliester. Raj was sprawled in a single seat, snoring like a tractor.

While it was comforting to feel Diego’s arms encircling my shoulders, I would have given anything for feeling Jake’s instead. To cradle me in his chest. Let him rest his head on mine. And stroked my hair until I fell asleep with the sound of his heartbeat as the only cooing.

“How long do you plan to keep the farce?” Diego whispered in my ear. “Because honestly, the sexual tension between you and Jake is almost visible. Did you see how he undress you a little while ago? Besides, now that you were looking at him you had those eyes of lamb.”

“Diiiego!” I pushed him trying to hold back the laughter. “First, you’re not supposed to say that sort of thing, you’re my friend! Second, it’s already too difficult for me to have to pretend I don’t notice those things and third, I wasn’t looking at him like that.”

“No, that’s exactly the kind of thing I should tell you. When do you think to stop pretending that you’re not dying for each other? And let me tell you that you are not better than him faking. ”

“It’s just that …” I could not find the words to describe how I felt at that moment. “It’s just that we both agreed, and we knew it was not going to be easy for any of us when we saw each other again. Besides he was the one who wanted to finish this, it’s not like having sex is going to fix things, and if he wants everything to be like before, isn’t he supposed to be the one who tells me?

"So, you’re telling me that the only thing that stops you from make it right here is you pride?” He said after a few seconds.

“I’m a fool, ain’t I?”

“Definitely.” His eyes flashed with mischief. “But that’s why you got me.”

“What-” He didn’t even let me finish the sentence. Before I know it, he was on his way to where Jake was. “Wait Diego.” I whispered in vain. From my place I saw them exchange a few words, but I couldn’t understand what they said.

But what happened to these guys? First Michelle and now Diego? Did they want to make my life more miserable than it already was?

A raised eyebrow from Jake and a nod from Diego was all my heart needed to pump blood faster than it’d ever been able to.

Jake stood up. I closed my eyes. I could feel every part of my body vibrate with anticipation. Breathing became a very complicated task suddenly. Air in. Someone settled down beside me. Recognizing his warmth was not difficult for me. Air out. He turned to me. Air in. We weren’t touching. I hadn’t even opened his eyes. But for goodness sake! I knew his eyes pierced every inch of me. Air out.

“I know you’re not asleep, Princess.” I forgot how to breathe. I opened my eyes, but didn’t look at him. “How long are you going to stay this way with me?”

“Like what, Jake?” I turned to look at him.

“Like that!” He said and pointed at me. “I know I’m an idiot.” He ran a hand through his hair as if he did every time he despaired, “You know there’s no way I can be away from you for so long, that the only thing keeping us apart is that I’m still a wanted man. We don’t know when it’ll be solved, damn it, we don’t even know if it’ll ever be solved. That’s why I said what I said, I don’t want you to spend your life waiting for something that may never happen. But I can’t bear a second without touching or kissing y-”

"Then do it.” I said in a slight voice, almost begging him to do it, and It was like he knew the words that were going to go out of my mouth, because when I pronounced them he wrapped me in his arms and kissed me.

I put in that kiss each of the seconds of torture that I had to spend during the day wishing it and his lips responded with the same intensity. At last we became one. This time, nothing would separate us again.

In Jake’s arms, the dream was slowly invading me, with that pleasant fatigue that provides so much fun. A warm tingle gripped my chest. I guess happiness felt like that. And I couldn’t help smiling at that thought before falling asleep.

[safasaf2018]

Day 7 - 6/8/18

9:36 AM

SO MANY ANIMALS EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!! I woke up early this morning to pack for our weekend trip, and went to the café to get a quick breakfast. The worker there recognized me from going in so often, and this morning asked me in French how I was today, starting a conversation which is pretty rare and a huge milestone for me, but I wanted nothing to do with his French because now I know how to order in Arabic! So I looked at him and said "bghit…" which means "I want" and his eyes lit up as he realized that I was going to attempt to order in Arabic for the first time!!! "Ahhh!!! Shnu bghiti?" (What do you want?") he asked me with a huge smile. "Bghit… khawa." (coffee) "l’ma" (water) he got those for me and asked if I was French or American. "Ana Amrikia!" I responded. He then told me in French that he couldn’t tell because my French accent was very French, so I explained that I had lived in France for 11 months. Then my friend Victor came up and also ordered in Arabic. He wanted the same thing I got (an espresso, a water bottle, and a croissant) so he said "hahta ana" (Me too) and the worker taught us how to say "the same thing". The worker was in such a good mood and so happy because we were ordering in Arabic, it was so great!! We’re leaving until Sunday right now and I’m already going to miss the campus while we’re gone. Anyways now we’re on the bus, and our professor told us we may see some monkeys on the way to the hotel. Well guess what! We not only saw monkeys, but were able to pull over, get out, buy a bag of peanuts for 10 dirham ($1) and feed the monkeys!! There were a bunch of mother monkeys carrying newborns either on their back or hanging from their chests, there were younger monkeys independent of their mothers but still smaller than the rest, there were obviously alpha males, monkeys fighting in trees, monkeys coming up to us on the ground, it was an insanely great surprise. The students joked that I should pick them up and see if they bite me, but I was seriously considering it! Kidding. But I did pet a few. After about 15 minutes of a group of 13 kids from around the world in absolute bliss and bewilderment, we’re not back on the bus passing by herds of sheep, donkeys, cows, wild birds, dogs, huge markets, people riding horses with packages on their backs, it’s amazing. Herders gathering their animals, mothers leading their children through the fields, beautifully vibrant yellow, purple, and red flowers, rugged mountains with gorgeously soft looking valleys, rocks covered in some purpley moss that for some reason makes me think of the trolls in the movie Frozen, huge storks nests on every telephone pole and roof, rock formations that make me think of the inukshuk at our family lake, it’s breathtaking. Tonight we’re staying at a hotel, and then tomorrow we overnight in the desert!!!!!! This is the first year the program has done a full on overnight in the desert - most years the students go to the desert, eat, go back to the hotel, and then wake up super early to go back to the desert to see the sunrise, so this year the professor is just letting us overnight (although he said we probably won’t be sleeping much) while he goes back to the hotel.  As I’m writing this we’re passing by so many more sheep, goats, donkeys, it makes me so happy to see so many animals - some wild, some with their owners, we’re seeing small makeshift nomadic type shelters alone in vast valleys with two people tilling land a short distance away from them. I’m listening to my traveling playlist looking out the window imagining I’m in a travel movie/vlog, as my friend and I used to say when we felt completely at peace and happy, "I’m set".

2:50 PM

About an hour and a half left of driving! We stopped at a restaurant in the middle of nowhere for lunch, which was in the most beautiful restaurant. The outdoors were full of colorful mosaics and green trees, and the inside was beautifully furnished with upholsteries and chandeliers, all of equally impressive color. All of the small towns we drive through are filled with color. I ordered my meal in Arabic and said "thank you very much" in Arabic which made the waiter smile, and afterwards the professor asked where the bathrooms were so we could go before we got back on the road. Even though he’d already asked I said "Wait I want to ask in Arabic!" and asked the owner who smiled and told "to the right" in Arabic. Across the street from the restaurant was a man selling "meteorites", aka cool rocks, geodes, and fossils so I ran across with two other students. He brought out a special case with perfectly fossilized snails and spiders that were beautiful, and those were 170 dirham. So I asked him what I could get for 10 dirham which is all I had, and he gestured towards everything on the bigger table. I picked up a black rock with purple crystals inside, and he agreed to let me have it for 10 dirham, and then gave me a plant fossil for free. Then we got back in the car and I fell asleep for a quick nap. When I woke up we were in one of the vast valleys with very little plants. Then we went up another mountain where trees started reappearing, but only very small ones. We passed a small river that was absolutely gorgeous - there trees and flowers, grasses, bushes, green and colors everywhere, surrounded by dry barren yellowy rock and sand. A little later on we saw a pretty small lake, but very big for its location, with surprisingly little greenery around it like the river, but still an impressive body of water to see in the middle of the dry mountains. Then we stopped at a convenience store where we bought water and snacks, stretched our legs, and got back in the bus onto our next destination. One thing I’ve noticed about Morocco is that almost everyone you see seems to be working - painting a wall, throwing bricks up to someone on a roof, repairing a sign, working in a field, etc. We’re getting closer and closer to the desert now which means that it’s becoming harder and harder to see things far away because of the sand in the air, and we’re seeing less green except in towns wealthy enough to afford sprinklers and irrigation, and near natural bodies of water, but it’s very spotted and spread out. But everywhere we drive there are people sitting on the side of the road, napping in the shade, for fear of appropriating anything, it’s really cute.

5:17 PM

After quite a drive through mountains and valleys we finally stopped above the oasis where we’ll be staying tonight. We all got out and met two guides who live in the oasis village, with a population of about 350 people. The bus drove down one way and we took another route - about an hour long walk through palms, wheat, bamboo, alfalfa, over irrigation and the Ziz river which is the source of this oasis. We found frogs and turtles and one donkey who one of the guides tried to catch so I could pet his ears, but failed so we moved on. The walk itself was absolutely crazy. Imagine some fake safari you’re walking through with natural palm tree canopies, wide open fields, winding creeks you have to jump over, wild flowers, it’s exactly like that only it’s NATURAL it’s real and made naturally, not made up out of the imagination. Pictures I took while walking today resemble so closey pictures I’ve taken at zoos and theme parks who try to imitate it. At the end of the walk we finally came to the very small village where the guide invited us into his home where he and his entire family live. They served us tea, dates, and bread with fig sauce and olive oil. We met his very young children, sat on the couch, and ate and drank for a bit. The house had a flat roof made of bamboo and a dirt floor with a beautiful rug, and thick dense clay walls with only one window to keep the heat out. We all talked to the very young girl who was very shy, asking her what her name was, telling her she’s beautiful, etc. and we finally took a picture and now we’re back in the bus on our way to the next location! The village seems very peaceful, little boys riding donkeys to the river to swim, a father teaching his son to ride a motorbike, daughters with their mothers making scarves. Oh shoot we’re getting out of the bus, gotta go!

5:37 PM

Back, we just got off at an older part of the village to see where our guide and his family used to live. We saw a donkey! He was tied to a tree so this time I just went up to pet it and everyone watched from a safe distance. They’re so weird about animals.

6:10 PM

Arrived at the hotel! The boys are on the second floor and the girls are up on the top floor which is essentially a roof with rooms coming out of it. The view is absolutely beautiful - we can see the tops of the trees of the oasis and the mountains behind them. We were told there’s wifi but it’s really weak so hopefully I’ll be able to publish my blogs still!

10:23 PM

After unpacking we had a few hours until dinner which was at 8:30 so that those who were fasting could eat with us. We spent that time in the lounge on the second floor playing cards, talking about racism and colorism, some students were teaching each other how to stretch certain muscles, it was a nice time. Then we went downstairs for a "fashion show" at 8:00. The women who run this hotel also run a weaving business where they make scarves, pillowcases, rugs, tapestries, etc. so they dressed us all in traditional marriage/post-wedding dress which consisted of an ornate underdress that went down to our feet, a huge piece of fabric wrapped around us like a shawl tied with a belt, a head scarf with bells around the border, and an additional small black shawl to put around our shoulders. The black shawl had a colored checkered border that she explained was the specific colors and order of colors of her tribe so that in public if they come into contact with another tribe, they’ll know immediately what tribe they belong to. They then marked our faces with saffron oil to mimic tattoos that tribal women used to get before they converted to Islam where tattoos aren’t allowed. The men then got in a thin overdress type thing with a small turban looking scarf on their heads called a "tarbush". We then all lined up girls on one side guys on the other, and the mother of the hotel’s owner led us through a traditional wedding dance while her grandson filmed us. After that we all peeled off our layers and sat down to eat a delicious meal of a traditional Moroccan salad and rice and vegetables. The traditional Moroccan salad consists of cooked or raw vegetables all at room temperature separated on a plate, each one with its own unique subtle spice or sauce added to it. After dinner we all went to the common area and sat down with the owner, a woman. She explained to us that in her tribe women have always had more freedom than men. She explained that if a woman is sexually harassed, her abuser has to take his family and move out of the village - no council or anything, if a woman says something happened, people take her word for it. Because the consequences are so severe, false accusations are practically nonexistent. She told us that men can’t have more than one wife, that in a divorce the women can remarry, that men take care of children during marriage, that they’ve historically had women leaders, etc. And since converting to Islam they’re disappointed to see that women have less freedom. The owner is on her tribal council, has been for 9 years, and she’s the first and only woman ever to do so! She said that even now, 9 years later, they’re constantly analyzing her every move, trying desperately to find something she’s doing wrong so they can kick her off, but that she has a lot of supporters who encourage her which she will never forget. When she was younger she went to university and studded Moroccan politics and law, and when she came home she didn’t want to sit idly by waiting for the government to find her a job, she wanted to start her own business, so she started the weaving and then eventually opened the hotel and worked in tourism, where the English and French she polished in college came in handy. She was really so impressive, and said that she and the other women of her tribe are working hard to share the ideals of their tribes in terms of women’s freedom and rights. After that we all went upstairs, and since the girls have the third floor which is just a roof, we all laid down and looked at the stars. After a while we invited the boys up to join us. We challenged ourselves to five minutes of silence which was tricky at first, but eventually we got it and then decided to stay silent for longer. The light was on and we couldn’t figure out how to turn it off but the front desk worker, the owner’s son, came up and turned it off for us. After a while people started to go downstairs, and three of us decided to sleep up on the roof. We brought our blankets and pillows out and made a bed on the roof. I was worried we’d get in trouble for that, but the owner’s son apparently offered to bring us up a rug! So he brought one up, I practiced introducing myself in Arabic which he apparently thought was pretty funny, and now we’re all lying under the stars on a rug underneath the thickest softest blanket I’ve ever experienced. The breeze is the perfect temperature, there’s almost no noise except for the occasional dog bark or donkey in the distance. I wish I could capture the exact feeling of sleeping on this roof like you can capture a picture. I even wish I could just take a picture that accurately portrays what I can see here, but my camera can’t capture the subtle light differences like my eyes well enough to show anything but a black screen. Oh well. Tomorrow we ride camels!!!

[postcards-to-home]

Aussies Are Wild

2/14/17

How funny it was I thought, to be outside at sunset wearing evening wear, holding champagne and laughing with all my friends while we celebrated the beginning of the rest of the term. ICMS throws a celebratory cocktail party every term in Honor of the new students. Picture live music with “Castle on the Hill” by Ed Sheeran playing by some surfer hipster kid, a classic aussie stereotype while people pose for pictures in ritzy dresses, wine drunk just living our best lives.They were handing out  FREE BOOZE like water. What a step up from the slums of Plattsburgh. I have absolutely no shame in talking shit about my home university as it really is completely outdated. Anyways I personally spent most of the night meeting and engaging with all sorts of individuals from across the globe. I met Aussies who wanted to know what a real frat party was like, I had  to tell them it was a bit less than everything you see in the movies and more nitty gritty. I met people from Switzerland, France, Germany, India and even a guy who said he moved from Canada to play Ice hockey in sydney. What a wild world we live in. In Particular one German Girl prompted me with the question, ‘Why do Americans love my home country so much, its nothing special?” I had to laugh and I said it the best I could in that Americans are deeply infatuated with the idea of war, as it is so much apart of our culture even if we try to shy away from it. I think she was really taken aback by that because she didn’t really say anything for a few minutes after that. The Vietnamese girl to the left of her was a bit shocked I think, but of course I had to inform her I thought her country was lovely, ( Even if it did scar me), and she just beamed with joy. The people of Asian culures have such a hard time assimilating with the English speaking and I feel for them. I am just impressed they know two and even three languages while we only know English. It really has me thinking about how weak our education system is.

Later that night four, maybe five glass of wine deep we just kept sending it, down to courso, which is like a plaza that holds all the bars, particularly the shark Bar, an ICMS staple. It ended with my roommate and I traveling the mile hike back up to the castle, One I deeply regret every single time I have to do it. No exaggeration either it is actually a mile. My phone has been tracking my steps and the past three days I’ve had record breaking 8 mile hikes.

2/15/17

Today I was thrown out of a restaurant, or more politely asked to leave. Why you might ask? The guy across from me was wearing no shirt, no shoes and was still getting service and here I was just sipping water and told me I couldnt be there. Apparently it’s against the law to serve anyone anything if youre under 18 and I happened to forget my ID in my room. My apologies to my friends since we had to take our already ordered food and eat it on a park bench outside.

So I was royally pissed off. But the day did get better.

I am happy to Announce I received an internship with a company in the suburbs which is a short bus ride from school and a bit of a walk. I won’t say exactly what company yet but it includes a logistics position with an events ware company. I am very excited to start in the coming weeks and grow my knowledge on the industry. Between an internship and class only two days a week I am very excited to find time to travel and enjoy the beach.

The rest the day was sort of comical. The girls, Sabrina , Kay and Alexis had been so kind enough to travel with me to the internship interview. The mall was just across from it so on the way home we decided to take bus 139 instead of 169. Well that ended up being a really cool mistake because instead of taking the express bus we took the residential bus. It stopped at the local schools and drove through the areas where people lived and it even drove along the coast. So far out along the coast we could see our little home away from home sticking out like a sore thumb on the crest of the hill. It honestly looked entirely too surreal.

2/16/17

The following day, Friday, was the big day on campus where all the students came together to do student activities and continue to meet students. In reality my squad just went for the free food and free bar drink vouchers down in the Corso. As students it’s important for us to remember our budgets, and nothing makes me happier knowing my friends are cheap fucks too, in the best way possible.

There were a few activities that we all skipped but the best that we actually went to had to be the color run. Nothing beats getting disgustingly dirty in the dead heat of summer, no sarcasm there. It was a good laugh and we definately had a blast.

The best part of the day wasn’t until the sun fell below the sea. It wasn’t in any of our plans to venture across the harbor into Sydney after dark but when an Aussie invites you out its hard to say no. Our group of four girls linked with six other new friends, some funny enough are from New York State too, and we decided to take the ferry from Manly to Sydney. For those of you that don’t know Manly suburbs is on a peninsular sort of that is a bit of the ways away from the actual city of Sydney. So in order to get to the bar we had to cross the harbor, a first for some of us. I will be honest I was extremely surprised that no one was as shocked to see the Sydney Opera house at night as I was as if it was just casually something we drove past.Keep in mind I only had two beers max from the campus bar by the time we passed it and it was one of the coolest things I ‘ve ever saw. It’s one of those far out things your teachers tell you about in elementary school that you think you’ll never actually see in your life. When I was little I had this postcard from Australia from my mom’s friend’s sister who went there,(Darcy or Nadina if youre reading this  you are the ones that inspired me to come to Australia all those years ago) and ever since that moment I just kept telling myself one day I’ll be big and smart enough or whatever enough to go there and see that place. Soon enough I’ll pose in front of it but instead here is what we got..

Some of us are planning on seeing a concert or two here at some point.. more news to come on that..

Sydney from what I saw at night was oddly clean and similar to the big apple but again I was stuck with the  feeling I was in a parallel universe of sorts. Everything was so much cleaner here than at home, the metro was even tidier than that in the states.What surprised me more was that the navigation to and from our destination was easy as hell. My 15 year old self could of done it no problem. Our group was just lucky to have a guy who lived here and wanted to show us around. Our destination for the night was the Scary Canary Bar/club. I won’t go into details but that was easily one of the best places I’ve been and that doesn't say much since the only thing I can compare it to is downtown Albany and Plattsburgh Fraternity houses. The youth culture emits this really unique energy thats just a good time. People are so much happier here. Sure not everything here is awesome but the the aussies know how to have good time.

This was probably the best drink I’ve had so far. Probably not the most alcoholic but we all downed them like water. Side note I ripped this picture off the internet but I figured it was important to show you these jars. Lots of the popular places serve drinks in jars its kind of just their thing. I almost regret not taking any pictures here but it was probably best to just live in the moment.

To round off the nights festivities we took a classic uber ride home to skip the bus since the ferry closes at 1145, ( thank you Kay for convincing us to do this).The whole of the city no longer swallowed us as we venture out of the city’s limits to our home away from home once again.

Lastly heres a pic of the goon squad messing around on the ferry.

2/17/18

Many of you are probably wondering what the beach is like. There are two main beaches near me , Manly beach and Shelly Beach. Alexis, Kay Sabrina and I decided to hit both today. Everyday the weather has been fairly similar with high winds of 10-20 mph and tempaturetes ranging from 70-85 degrees through out the day. Manly beach is the largest one with  roughly a ½ mile of coastline. Here one can spot an abundances of curley, ultra tan long haired surfer guys who look and sound like every stereo typical Aussie man a girl would dream up, (Don’t worry jay no funny business here). This is the beach that straddles the corso or plaza with lots of shops and cafes. I personally prefer  Shelley beach because its in a sort of cove where theres no waves, the beach is made of shells and its perfectly a-ok to swim in. For the first time in light years they saw a shark out in the bay and the life guards were literally screaming at people along the shore line to get the hell out. Mind you we found this information out after we had already started our pursuit back up the hill, through the forest to the castle. But anyways shelly beach is the beach that sits beneath this large hill that overlooks the entire bay and surrounding area. Its breathtaking to hike the trail and watch the trees thin to the ocean’s cliffs. Soon I shall take a decent picture but again I forgot to.

I wish my thoughts were more organized to put out more depth to these posts.It truly is an information overload on the daily. Part of me just turns off a lot of my brain and just absorbs all the information with out processing it until I lay up at night at some random time remembering things I forgot to say or how i should of worded this or that differently. If there is anything anyone want s to know specifically please feel free to ask away, I love answering things and hearing suggestions.

Peace, Love and Enjoy the Adventure xoxo

[bonduniversity]

Living in the land of the free

I applied late and to my amazement I was offered a position to embark on a journey of a lifetime. Exchange was something that I never really gave much thought to upon starting my journey at Bond University and I can now say that I am glad that I took this opportunity, which, overall, is too good to pass on.

Prior to starting my semester abroad at Northeastern in the student abundant city of Boston, the only real idea I had about American university culture was fuelled by American Pie and Blue Mountain State. Although Northeastern is quite different to most commonly known big State Universities in regards to its dynamic and structure. It is one of the oldest and one of the very few Co-op Universities in America, hence lending a more of a focus on academia than a huge football program (which they actually don’t have anymore). Yet aside from all of that, my experiences here have been nothing short of amazing!

Northeastern University is situated just outside of the CBD in Boston, Massachusetts and home to 16,000 students from all over the globe. Northeastern is gigantic when compared to Bond. Having been here in Boston for almost 4 months now I have grown to absolutely love this city. Boston has a thriving student culture with Northeastern being one of 35 colleges within the city, the social scene here is constantly abuzz.

Navigating Boston, much to my amazement, was very easy and efficient, although I had a handful of times getting completely lost and having to backtrack my steps. With train and tram stations surrounding the Northeastern campus you are always 15 minutes from everywhere, much like the Gold Coast.

Boston can guarantee to fulfill all your musical and spectator sport needs in one go. Home to the famous Red Socks, Celtic’s, Patriot’s and Bruins, as well as a hot spot for music gigs and performances from huge international artists week in week out, it makes Boston an even more attractive city to live and study in. Budgeting is especially important for almost every student partaking on a study abroad semester, as attending events like these can be very expensive, but websites like Stubhub has allowed me to witness all these amazing events without breaking the bank.

Throughout my semester, I have been using my weekends to travel and explore, not only the city of Boston, but also other parts of the country including trips to New York, which is only a 4-hour bus ride , Montreal, which is only an hour flight, as well as Colorado Springs, a 4-hour flight from Boston. Being in Boston is perfect for a semester abroad especially if you want to see more of the US and even duck up to Canada like I did. Given how close you are to the destinations, getting there won’t put a huge hole in your pocket either which is definitely an added bonus!

Using my elective units to complete my semester abroad is a perfect way to expand my breadth of knowledge and do something completely different, and it made the process of application so much easier. I am a Finance major at Bond, yet through using my elective units I am taking a World History course focusing on the world post Cold-War. I am also taking a sociology class about drugs and their effects on society, an anthropology class of Native American Indians and Native Africans, as well as an economics class. Aside from classes, I am also a member of Northeastern’s Waterpolo team and their Ultimate Frisbee Team.

As a student at Northeastern I have, without a doubt, expanded my educational horizons, connected and made life lasting friendships with fellow students, friends and teammates all across the globe.

One thing that I would recommend to those who are aspiring to partake in a semester abroad is to plan early! Don’t be like me and apply late, ensure that you are able to go exchange and see the Student Business Centre to plan out your course structure, keeping in mind that holding onto your electives are the best way to maximize your exchange experience!

Open yourself to a whole new world of new experiences, friends and memories you’ll never forget!

Written by Jack Colquhoun, currently studying a Bachelor of Commerce.

Studying internationally provides opportunities for you to create a global network of friends, expands your cultural awareness and ensures you will make lifelong memories of your university experience.

Discover more about going on exchange as a Bond University student.

[cataloniadventures]

First post in Australian Eastern Time Zone

The flight:

I finally have the time to sit down and post. What a wild past few days have been for me. After about 30 hours of traveling to the other side of the world, very little sleep on the plane, and getting edema in my feet (swelling in the feet); I have finally settled into my new home for the next 4 months. It took me and Kirsten (My travel partner from home) about 45 minutes to go through customs and find the people who would bring us to our home called campus east. Wollongong is an hour and a half south of Sydney. I was getting a little dizzy on the ride there due to the fact my brain had to process the driver on the right side of the car while we drove on the left side of the road. The drive through Sydney was jaw dropping. My neck started to hurt because I was constantly turning it left and right looking at all the new sights around me. Once we got out of the city and into the Royal National Park I was in complete and utterly shocked. We were driving through what felt like Jurassic park. I just couldn't believe how beautiful the country was. The driver told us to look out to the left and we could see Wollongong and the ocean. This sight from the highway was just something I cant put in words. It was truly a magical moment. As time went on, we started getting closer and closer to our destination. Kirsten and I were the second stop of the group. The first girl was staying at a host family's house outside of the city. I wish I knew how to explain what these houses looked like. They were all like houses that I never usually see around my home. I turned to Kirsten and said I never want to leave and we have not even arrived at our destination yet. 

The arrival:

The time came when we were just minutes away from Campus East, the beautiful place that I am calling home right now. We arrived and I stepped outside of the van my senses were so overloaded. The smell of the ocean nearby, the cool ocean breeze running on my face and through my hair, the sound of the exotic birds I’ve never heard before, I honestly thought it was a monkey screaming. The first thing I saw I looked up into the bright blue sky was blue and yellow things in the sky. Those blue and yellow things I saw were parachutes of people sky diving. I knew I had picked the right place to live in Australia. We carried our bags into the office and began the checking in process. They took my picture (not really sure why) but, I was so self-conscious because you probably can smell my breath through the picture because I didn't get to brush my teeth after 30 hours of traveling here. We were greeted with a Man named Adam. Adam was a student leader and he went over all the information that we received about our new home. He talked kind of fast and I had a hard time understanding him at some points due to his accent. But all was well after that and he showed us to our rooms. Carrying all my bags up three flights of stairs to find out that Kirsten and I are unit neighbors.

The room:

I opened my unit with a scan key. I immediately fell in love with my new home. There was a small common room with a couch and tv. But the best part of the unit.... the balcony. I love being able to go sit and enjoy the view out there. I can feel the beautiful breeze whenever I want to go sit out there. My room as at the very end of a long hallway. As I walked passed all my suitemates doors I read everyone's names. 3 of the 4 I couldn't even pronounce or knew if they were a boy or girl. Over time I learn how to pronounce their names. I am living with 2 girls and a boy (still not sure if the last suitemate is a boy or girl). I didn't realize that my unit would be mixed with girls and guys. OK, back to my room. When I opened my room I fell in love all over again. There is a huge desk in the corner so I am able to spread out but still have room to work. Above the desk is six built-in bookshelves. I don't have that much stuff with me but I just love having them to be able to put my stuff up there and not on my deskThe closet is pretty big. There are two sliding doors and one of them is a full-length mirror which couldn't be any cooler. The bed is smaller than mine at home but its not awful. Next to my bed is the window. The view I have is pretty decent. I can see the mountains off in the distance, some parts of the other campus east, and some pretty trees as well. Now, finally, the best part of my room is the ceiling fan.....yes I think the best part of my room is the ceiling fan. The breeze that comes from it during the day and at night is just amazing. 

The people:

The people I’ve met the past 48 hours are amazing. They say don't just be friend with the other Americans. I have a boy from Hong Kong, a girl from Norway, a girl from Australia all in my unit. Talking to them is pretty cool. Just comparing things that are similar and different about our cultures is really eye opening. One of Kirsten's suitemates is American as well. She came over with 5 other Americans from all different states. We have found 4 really good Australian friends as well. Its just amazing hanging out with everyone interacting with them and getting to know more about the Australian culture from Australians. Everyone here is so friendly. Our little group took a trip into town. We took the free shuttle bus. After 3 seconds of being on the shuttle, a guy was like a tourist... like really how could you tell? I guess they think Americans are really loud...they’re not wrong. But we talked to this guy and his friend on our way to the shops. He gave us helpful information about places to go and food to try. I started a conversation with the cashier at the grocery store and I think he was genuinely happy he was talking to us, in a way he found us fascinating and interesting. 

And more:

I’ve spent a lot of time walking everywhere. I walked to the grocery store (and back with arms full of heavy groceries). I walked to the bus stop to get to the mall (then back again with heavy bags). Last night we walked into town with a group of 11 people to the bars. We walked along the beach at night. It was really cool they have a pool in the ocean... like the high tide fills it and there's a small concrete wall and ladder to get into it. I thought that was so cool and can't wait to check that out during the day.  We went to 2 bars last night (sorry mom) but it was just cool going there with my new friends and experiencing all this. The interesting fact the club played a lot of American songs, like we all knew the words to songs being played, until, this song came on and our new Aussie friends started singing all the words while the Americans kind just awkwardly danced because we had no idea what song was on. Also, fun fact they call McDonlads Mackies. The weather has been beautiful even though it has rained every day. It actually hailed yesterday. but its still 25 degrees Celsius(77 degrees Fahrenheit). a week ago it was 18 degrees Fahrenheit and snowing now its 77 and clear sunny days. Something I'm still getting used to is the different measurements. This morning my Hong Kong and Norwegian suitemates were talking about how its 30 degrees or 0 degrees out and I'm thinking in my head “I wish I knew Celcius” Lol but I created a note on my phone with some comparisons to memorize them so I know about how cold or hot a certain temperature is. I have my first of many mandatory meetings to go to today. Its called Res-fest and I guess its to meet everyone at Campus East and go over the rules. I'm really hoping the “they are giving us free dinner” rumor is true. Speaking of food ( I'm always hungry with food on my mind) last night our friend group ordered dominos but don't let that fool you. The pizza tasted so different and a LARGE here is like a small pizza back at home... Like I could have eaten that large all by myself. Also I tried some TimTams and OMG they are so good! They kind of taste like chocolate covered Snackwell’s creme sandwiches. I’ve also had some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and they taste different but good. They jelly actually tastes like good homemade strawberry jam. Also it took me 15 minutes in the grocery store to find a can of tomato sauce that would be relatively similar to the tomato sauce back at home along with parmesan cheese, its not as common as it is back home(my Norwegian friend had never even heard of it before!) All in all so far its been a cool learning experience so far just talking to my new Aussie friends and find what words we say that mean something different or words that are like the same thing but we call differently. So there you have it, a little brief summary of my experience in Australia so far. I will post some pictures in a second post for you to enjoy! G’day mates!