#i was supposed to prepare for a national exam

[renzieluvsvt]

nice to meet you

pairing: jun x reader

genre: college!au, fluff (attempt at humour-)

word count: 2.6K

summary: your uni year cannot be more hectic after the announcement of your extra classes. what good on earth would it be to study more of chemistry? but who knew this would lead something more than the chemical chemistry until you asked mr.jun aka a-neighbour-type-friend for a favour!

a/n: valentine's and carat day special!

i was supposed to upload joshua's first but it got messed up and i cant really serve yall a story that got the writer herself bored. so here is jun's~

this work of mine seems a bit too lengthy but lemme tell you guys that the story is really sweet and will prolly give yall butterflies in your stomach ig....? anw, hope you enjoy!!

also, while i was writing this ff i was listening to- come inside of my heart by IV spades♪

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

"this is so hectic," you said to your friends. "like for real! who keeps a class twice a day of two to three hours each? as if we only have one subject to study," one of them ranted out of frustration. "but seven to nine in the evening? isn't it too late? also how are you planning to go back i mean you live distant," your friend asked you in concern. "umm..." you had no answer. it made you wonder for awhile.

usually your dad would drop and pick you up from the university if the classes were held too late but now that the both of your parents had left for a business trip, there was no one to do the same for you. you were confused and agitated by your situation because it was not like you could skip the class just because of transportation issue. they wouldnt accept this excuse. even if you missed it, it meant you would fail the upcoming exam because every class was important. moreover attendence mattered too. you had already taken alot of leaves due to your health issues. "is there no one who can drop you home? do no one live by your place?" your friend asked you.

you hated it more to realise that you live in such an isolated place. did your dad really have to decide on living in such a place? i mean it served you a great view from your room. it was a healing place as it let you live away from people, which you loved no matter whether you were an extrovert or an introvert. sometimes you need time to yourself right? but these were the type of days which made you hate the place you lived.

"hey you can ask jun to drop you," one of your friends took your attention as she suggested. "he can just drop you on his way back home. isn't it?" oh yes. jun lived nearby to your place. how could you forget about how you met him mear your place?

∘*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:

once you went to a nearby convience store in the most casual way as you didn't expect anyone to see you. you had tied up your hair in the messiest way. not the attractive messy but the messy messy. you were in your pajamas and wore pororo t-shirt. you surely had a great taste in fashion. as you were sucking onto your popsicle a male bumped into you. you dropped your popsicle. your heart broke. your just-bought-favourite-popsicle dropped. "hey! watch your steps," you said. "my popsicle!" you called out for it dramatically as you looked at it fallen on the ground. "im sorry i can pay you for it," he said. "they only had one of these. what about it-" as you turned to look at him, he seemed undeniably familiar.

he was jun. your laboratory partner. the guy whose authentic shirt you spoilt while doing a chemistry experiment. he was the guy whose finger you hurt due to your carelessness with the battery eliminator in the physics lab. you knew it was your fault but hey who wears an expensive item to the lab. but you were undeniably too clumsy. you knew it too. luckily, he was kind enough to let you go. he didnt ask you for anything in return.

"oh jun-" you said in surprise. "why are you here?" you asked. he seemed to be surprise too, "i live here but i didn't expect to see you here. especially like this..." there was silence then it clicked you how you were dressed up. "shut up! unsee that now!" you bite back. "anyways, i live here too. nice to see a familiar face around in this isolated place. i have been here since my childhood yet i havent seen you here ever before. how so?" you asked curiously while hitting his arm. he stared at the arm you hit and then your hand. his stare screamed 'how dare you touch me vibes.' you noticed and took two steps behind. "yo sorry mr.ice prince," you said as you raised both of your hands in the air in surrender. "um... i just shifted a few weeks back though," he replied. "but-" he looked at the direction to your fallen popsicle. "nevermind. it makes us even now that you caused a blunder for me or else i always felt guilty," you said. "i cant let that happen and you did seem to be too bothered after you dropped it." wait did you just see mr.ice prince smile? you clearly saw him smile slightly as if to laugh on your silliness but you overlooked it. "no, its better than ruining an authentic shirt," you replied. "it wont put me in ease to not pay you back for it and anyways i wanted to eat one too so come follow me," you tried to protest against it but he was too stubborn.

now the both of you were having a popsicle each, walking down the street while talking about school life. specifically it was just you ranting about your school life and jun listening and responding to it whenever required. you both parted ways after you reached your apartment first.

you told your friends about him and how you were happy to see a familiar face there. since then crossing paths with jun happened often but hey no one was complaining. but you two used to have only 'hi' and 'bye' exchange. that was it. nothing more, nothing less.

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:

"um...i don't really know. will he agree to it though?" you wondered. "just text him and ask him. it's simple. arent you guys friends?" asked the other friend of yours.

(later that day)

you: hey may I know how you will go back home after the class we have in the evening?

jun: bike

'wouldn't that be too weird for the both of you if he agrees. even if he doesn't, won't it make me look like I have some ulterior motive?' you thought to yourself. yet you had no option because you didn't want to travel alone because it was not safe. you mustered up the courage and texted him,

you: would you mind if I ask you to take the bus for few days? i am not so comfortable in travelling alone so late. also my friends can't drop me to my place as it's far so i thought if you were fine with it you could just accompany me

you pressed the sent button and waited for a response.

jun: okay

you:tysm!

you sent back a text while thinking of how coldly he texted you. but you excused him because what else would you expect from someone who was known to have the least interactions unless it was with his friend group of twelve other boys.

later that day, after the class ended, you caught up with your friends then went to the bus station nervously as you didn't know whether jun would be there or not. judging by the way he is, you asked yourself to be ready to go back home alone. but once you reached the bus station, you were surprised to see jun waiting. "hey", you greeted him. "oh hi", he wished you back. you sat there waiting for the bus. there was silence at the bus station but you were sure it wasn't the awkward one. the bus came. he let you get into the bus first then stood next to you. you asked him to sit on the vacant seat next to you but he refused. 'what? does he have a problem with sitting with you?' you thought to yourself but just realising that you had someone you know as your company on your way back to your home made you feel at ease, but again it will take you an hour to reach home now.

after a while, a drunk man had come into the bus. he was utterly wasted. he was looking for a seat. there were many but he chose the one next to you. why? because you were a young woman. this is what you were scared of, wasted men. as he was walking his way to the vacant seat right next to you, jun sat next to you. you were surprised at the sudden shift of weight on the seat next to you as you had no idea about that man making his way to the seat. jun turned to the man without any word. you understood and made an 'o' shape with your mouth. "that's why" he said in return. you thanked him and the gods above mentally to have someone by your side.

jun was really tired and had zoned out in his thoughts. probably thinking of disowning minghao as a friend because he went out for a dinner with the other boys of his friend circle without inviting him. or maybe how funnily the physics teacher dressed up today or maybe what he should eat for the dinner. but he was soon snapped out of his thoughts when he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. it was your head. you had fallen asleep. as he turned he could smell the fragrance from your hair. he thought to himself that probably you washed your hair just today.

a small snore like sound escaped from your mouth, from your nose to be specific. it made him laugh. "cute", he said to himself. he let you sleep on his shoulder knowing that you must have beem tired from the extra classes and extra naggings of the teachers while he thought of how clumsy you can be that you got yourself into trouble after you almost pushed the teacher as you got into the class when he was giving an earful to jun. thanks to you jun was able to escape the scoldings because now the teacher had an earful for you and your clumsiness. he recalled how you did the shortest long jump yet adorable one during the physical training class. your silliness cheered him up.

suddenly, he felt your arm lock onto his arm. it got him nervous. he looked at you and got nervous even more. "jun what is happening to you?", he said to himself aloud. "mom....", he heard you murmuring. you must be missing your mom. jun couldn't help but adore you even more.

after an hour, he shook you out from your sleep when you were about to reach your home. "wake up your station is already here." as you woke up with your head above his shoulder, you smiled at him. "ahh thank you so much jun. i will never forget the favour you have done for me", you said as you parted ways. he smiled warmly. jun smiled at you. It made you feel as if you reached a milestone because "jun" was the one who was smiling at you. mr.jun who is known to be cold. you waved at him as you watched the bus leave and so did he from the window.

as you reach home, you couldn't stop thinking of what had just happened. you knew you had made a friend out of the most unapproachable and mysterious guy today but for jun, he knew he was in trouble as he was falling for you more and more now.

for a week, you both went back home together making jun excited for every class but it was too bad for him as you were oblivious to his feelings or maybe he was just too good at hiding his feelings. whatsoever, you were happy to make a new friend and to know the other side of jun who always sat quietly without any interaction. and since then, he had been falling for you more and more. he loved listening to your rants about your pet dog being too active only when you were lazy on weekends or about how your parents asked you more about your best friend rather than you making you feel adopted. he loved it when you spoke about your favourite artists while listening to their songs through the same earphone. he loved to watch you click pictures of anything that you liked.

he started loving to go to the uni even more. he started to look for ways to see your face even during the school hours. his heart skipped a beat even when you smiled at him while waving your hands towards him when you both crossed paths in the corridor or lunch or in the campus. his heart craved for more than seeing you from distance in the class. he always looked forward for the extra classes to end soon. you made him want the night to end soon so that he could see you the next day.

you made him go crazy. you made him feel and know a different side of him. he knew he was in love with you. the next day while the both of you were in the bus as usual and as usual you kept on maundering about the most random things. "y/n", he said. "hmm?" you looked at him with puppy eyes as you were curious about what made him sound so serious but what you didn't know was that it was simply making it hard for jun to speak up as you made his heart skipped a beat again. he wondered how could you be so adorable.

"y/n... would you mind if i said that i would want to hear more of your stories over a cup of coffee?" shit. jun was asking you out. your breath hitched as you found it unbelievable. "you dont have to force yourself to say yes, it wont affect me i mean it'll make me sad but that's just a friend. if you want you can forget-" "i never thought of you to speak this much" you said and stopped his rambling. "huh?" he said in a confused manner. "i'll save my talks then."

was that a yes? jun looked for an answer in your eyes. in response you smiled at him and said, "tell me the time and place and i'll be there but i hope to hear more from you that day" you said. jun was sure that if it weren't for his self-control skills he would have surely hugged and kissed the bald head of the old man sitting infront of you.

your station came. you stood up but before you left you passed another smile and waved him bye. "bye mr.shy" he laughed at the nickname yet he waved back with the brightest smile. you felt something on seeing jun smiling like the happiest man alive just because a small yes from you.

surely the both of you spent good time in the coffee shop and then later on the both of you decided to watch a movie in the theatre. eventually making it hard for the both of you to part ways. the both of you started spending more time together and started to do homeworks together either at his place or yours and sometimes in a library.

as the both of you star gazed from his balcony you were thankful to your parents to leave you alone which made you ask jun to drop you which made him to be in your life but more than you, it was jun who was more grateful to the gods above for everything that led you to him, that made his life even more beautiful. "i love this" you said as you looked up the sky filled with stars. "i love you more" he responded almost in a whisper while turning his head towards you. he found the view too pretty not sure if it was the city lights in the night that made it even harder for him to take his eyes off from you as you enjoyed the starlit sky. he promised himself to keep you happy in this relationship forever and he made his promise.

---------------happy ending----------------

[nostalgebraist]

I feel like I've had the same experience several times now: someone does a new translation of a non-English literary classic, and all the critics praise it to the moon, so I go and try to read it, and it's turns out it's just . . . bad? Like, really bad? And weirdly bad?

A while back, I wrote about the case of Pevear and Volokhonsky. Here's another example, which I encountered while doing background research for my novel Almost Nowhere.

----

One of my novel's major characters is a literary translator, famous for his rendition of the Persian epic poem Shahnameh ("Book of Kings").

To help me write this character, I tried to read the Shahnameh myself. I started out – where else? – with the translation that seemed to be the gold standard, and which was certainly the most critically lauded.

Namely, the 2006 translation by Dick Davis, in prose with occasional shifts into verse.

Here's how the Shahnameh begins, in Davis' translation:

What does the Persian poet say about the first man to seek the crown of world sovereignty? No one has any knowledge of those first days, unless he has heard tales passed down from father to son. This is what those tales tell: The first man to be king, and to establish the ceremonies associated with the crown and throne, was Kayumars. When he became lord of the world, he lived first in the mountains, where he established his throne, and he and his people dressed in leopard skins. It was he who first taught men about the preparation of food and clothing, which were new in the world at that time. Seated on his throne, as splendid as the sun, he reigned for thirty years. He was like a tall cypress tree topped by the full moon, and the royal farr shone from him. All the animals of the world, wild and tame alike, reverently paid homage to him, bowing down before his throne, and their obedience increased his glory and good fortune.

And here is the same opening, in the 1905 translation by Arthur and Edmond Warner (which I only discovered much later in the process of writing Almost Nowhere):

What saith the rustic bard? Who first designed To gain the crown of power among mankind? Who placed the diadem upon his brow? The record of those days hath perished now Unless one, having borne in memory Tales told by sire to son, declare to thee Who was the first to use the royal style And stood the head of all the mighty file. He who compiled the ancient legendary, And tales of paladins, saith Gaiúmart Invented crown and throne, and was a Sháh. This order, Grace, and lustre came to earth When Sol was dominant in Aries And shone so brightly that the world grew young. Its lord was Gaiúmart, who dwelt at first Upon a mountain; thence his throne and fortune Rose. He and all his troop wore leopard-skins, And under him the arts of life began, For food and dress were in their infancy. He reigned o'er all the earth for thirty years, In goodness like a sun upon the throne, And as a full moon o'er a lofty cypress So shone he from the seat of king of kings. The cattle and the divers beasts of prey Grew tame before him; men stood not erect Before his throne but bent, as though in prayer, Awed by the splendour of his high estate, And thence received their Faith.

Now, I can't speak at all about the source text. I have no idea how faithful or unfaithful these two translations are, and in what ways, in which places.

Still, though. I mean like, come on.

This is an epic poem about ancient kings and larger-than-life heroes.

This is a national epic, half myth and half history, narrating the proud folkloric lineage claimed by a real-world empire.

There is a way that such things are supposed to sound, in English. And it sure as hell isn't this:

What does the Persian poet say about the first man to seek the crown of world sovereignty?

Excuse me? That's your opening line? I thought I was reading a poem, here, not taking a fucking AP World Literature exam!

----

Postscript

Some of the critical praise for the Davis translation, quoted on the back cover of my copy (emphasis mine):

"A poet himself, Davis brings to his translation a nuanced awareness of Ferdowsi's subtle rhythms and cadences. His "Shahnameh" is rendered in an exquisite blend of poetry and prose, with none of the antiquated flourishes that so often mar translations of epic poetry." (Reza Aslan, The New York Times Book Review) "Thanks to Davis's magnificent translation, Ferdowsi and the Shahnameh live again in English.” (Michael Dirda, Washington Post) "A magnificent accomplishment . . . [Davis’s translation] is not only the fullest representation of Ferdowsi’s masterpiece in English but the best." (The New York Sun)

[theofficialpresidentofmars]

here’s a little piece I wrote inspired again by @strifentines ‘s Zuko-Azula roleswap AU! i’m posting it here because I can’t be bothered proofreading and posting on Ao3 rn

anyway I did this as a little creative writing exercise while procrastinating my media and statistics exam preparation. it’s an excerpt from the start of the S3 E16 Southern Raiders episode, my take on how I think it might go :]

———

The Western Air Temple was burning.

The Western Air Temple was burning, and Azula had woken to the sounds of three military-class Fire Nation airships firing explosives at them.

She didn’t have much time to assess the situation before the doors were closing, the room was shaking, and debris was falling from the ceiling, right above Katara.

“Move!” She knew the word wouldn’t register to the water tribe girl as quickly as it needed to, so she accompanied her command with a side tackle. The rocks hit the floor where Katara would have been standing if it wasn’t for her, but her rescuee didn’t seem entirely appreciative. Instead, Azula received an elbow to the side for her troubles.

“What are you doing?” Katara ungratefully yelled.

“Saving your life, genius.” At that, Katara rolled her eyes, which Azula supposed was all the thanks she was going to get.

“Life saved, you can get off me now.” Katara pushed herself up and out of Azula’s arms, not so much as offering to help her stand up.

Azula scowled. “Next time I’ll let the falling rocks crush you,” she bitterly replied, only half-sarcastically.

Behind her, the earthbenders were carving some sort of escape passage through the wall. She considered it for a moment, before her mind circled back to the three Fire Nation ships out the front.

They’re here for me. Why else would they be there?

The others were starting to flee through the passage, but Azula turned back, preparing to jump through a hole in the wall.

The Avatar’s voice rang out from behind her. “What are you doing?” So concerned, as always.

“I believe this is a family matter,” she responded. “Stay out of it, and I’ll meet you once I’m done.”

It didn’t sound like a happy silence, but Azula could hear from his footsteps that the boy had joined the others. She was expecting more resistance, more concern for her well-being, blah blah blah, but it seemed he was getting more used to her methods. Good. It was more efficient this way.

She vaulted over bent metal and jumped through an explosion, wrapping her bending around her, making it to the front of the courtyard. A fourth ship rose from the fog, carrying atop it a familiar passenger.

Wrapped in the royal regalia of the Crown Prince, hands wrapped around the railing atop the war balloon was her brother, wearing that stupidly creepy theatre mask. His hair was half up in a finely-crafted topknot, but the rest of it blew about dramatically in the wind. Azula half-wondered if it was a conscious choice, for theatrics. That entrance certainly seemed planned.

“Zuko,” she spat, keeping her voice loud enough to avoid her words being lost in the wind. “What do you want?”

Her brother laughed lightly, like a lilting melody, carried across the wind. It was not a genuine sound.

“Don’t worry Lala,” he almost sang, “I’m not here for you.” His tone was gently condescending, as if he were talking to a child who simply didn’t understand. It was infuriating.

It had also taken Azula a little aback to hear that he wasn’t here for her. If she was in any way disappointed by this, she wasn’t going to admit it to herself.

“Answer my question.”

Zuko sighed, and although Azula couldn’t hear it over the wind, or see his lips move to form it, she could tell because he’d used his entire body to accentuate the gesture. It was a habit he’d picked up from their mother, even if he didn’t know it anymore.

“If you must know, I’m going to capture the Avatar. If you don’t want to get blown up, I suggest you move now.”

Azula planted her feet into a solid stance. If he wanted a fight, he could come and get one. In return, her brother only sighed again.

“You make these things so needlessly difficult, sister.”

Zuko raised his hands and sent a brilliant burst of dazzling white light at her feet. She sidestepped quickly enough to avoid it, but the move had been meant as a distraction- and an explosion on her left sent her flying into a wall.

The ground beneath her began to crack, and Azula pushed herself up as quickly as she could. Around her, supporting pillars began to topple and fall.

She ran towards the crumbling edge, up the side of a titled beam, and threw herself over the edge, landing on the side of the balloon. She hadn’t managed to get a good grip upon landing though, and it only took a slight tilting of the vessel for her to slide off the edge, spiralling into a free fall.

To her eternal luck, she landed on top of another balloon, hidden beneath the fog. Azula looked up to see that Zuko had jumped down from his post, and was watching her rise up through the air. Her balloon stopped level with his, and she watched him take a step back- and then make a running leap through the air towards her position.

Towards her. She wasn’t thinking quick enough- and there was another white flash headed towards her face. She dodged, tucking into a roll, and returned with her own blue flame in a series of quick shots.

Zuko deflected them skilfully, and seemed to be preparing another attack. Azula knew she was at a disadvantage- these war balloons weren’t hers, she didn’t know where her allies were, and she didn’t know if she could take her brother in the state he was in- so her mind quickly flipped through a series of possibilities on how to avoid imminent failure.

Get him monologuing.

“Capturing the Avatar? Seems… beneath you.” Azula didn’t have to say much else, the implication was clear.

Zuko took the bait. He dropped his stance slightly, shifting to instead give her his

attention. He positioned himself in a way that would allow for the best vocal projection over the wind, rather than the best range for fiery attacks.

Azula couldn’t help but feel pleased with herself. Too easy. Even like this, I can read you like a book.

“My honour was called into question,” he began, making no attempt to hide a certain flavour of contempt in his voice. “This is how I can restore it.”

Azula couldn’t keep the shock out of her own voice. “Your honour? Your honour? What could you possibly-“

Zuko held up a hand, cutting her off.

Wow. Rude.

“You want to know what I, Father’s favourite child, could have done to warrant his displeasure.” Azula didn’t like that his tone of voice conveyed that he obviously expected her to know what it was, because she didn’t. She also didn’t like not knowing things.

“I wonder…?” he added, unhelpfully.

Azula was at a loss for words, which was a position she despised being in. Zuko took this moment to advance, taking measured steps forwards, hands behind his back like he wasn’t mere metres away from a fatal precipice.

“Father wasn’t too happy that you lied to him about what happened in Ba Sing Se. And he wasn’t pleased with my compliance in said… what was the word he used again? Treachery.”

Compliance? Please. Azula had only said that Zuko had fired the killing blow against the Avatar, and if her brother had chosen not to dispute that, whatever reasons he might’ve had, not one of them was treasonous. As much as she might like them to be.

No, her dearest brother seemed perfectly incapable of treason thanks to her father’s unethical interventions. She wasn’t even sure if he’d known what the word meant, anymore. Ozai knew that. And if he was really concerned about treason, he certainly wouldn’t have let Zuko remember it, much less live with the consequences.

Which meant that their father had sent the Crown Prince off on this silly quest purely because he wanted his son to suffer, and he wanted his son to remember suffering. To remember not being good enough.

Because even with all the mind control and conditioning in the world, Zuko could never be cleansed, in his father’s eyes, of the crime of simply being himself. He could be perfect, and still not good enough. Azula had once been foolish enough to be jealous of the attention he received from their father- bitterly though, she wondered if after everything, she was still somehow the favourite.

That was probably why Zuko hadn’t spoken out against the lie. Even as the gem of the Fire Nation, he still had to prove himself.

It might have been funny to her if her father had been anyone else, or if there wasn’t a scar on her brother’s face that he thought he’d given himself.

“You’ve got nothing to say to me?” His voice cut through her inner monologue. Azula looked up again, eyes meeting the forceful white of the mask.

“Take that thing off. I can’t hear you properly,” she commanded. It wasn’t particularly true, but it might help her case.

The smile in his voice made it seem like he’d been waiting for her to ask.

“Of course.” Carefully, and with both hands, Zuko lifted off the mask.

Spirits, he looks so much like our father.

Azula was not proud of her first thought, but he’d inherited the same sort of wicked smile, and the strands of hair he’d left undone framed his face in an uncomfortably familiar sort of way.

His eyes had once belonged to his mother, but they’d been empty for some time now, any trace of Ursa scooped out over a circling flame and scorched.

Azula had smiled when her brother was branded, regretted it since, but at that moment, she was almost glad for the scar- it broke the horrifying illusion and drew her mind back to the parts of her brother that were just that- her brother, and nothing else.

The next thing she’d noticed were the bags beneath his eyes, and the creases in his forehead that even a smile stretched far too wide couldn’t disguise.

Zuko looked terrible. He looked like the product of restless nights, of endless stress.

Not for the first time, Azula felt a pain in her chest thinking about how she’d left him alone in the castle with their father again after the eclipse.

But even still, he’d seemed fine on most other occasions she’d seen him unmasked. This seemed… rougher than usual. Rougher than she might even expect from only parental disapproval, even if that parent was the Firelord.

The third thing she noticed was how his scar seemed bigger than normal, etching its way down into his neck, fresher in some places than others.

“Do you like it? It’s beautiful, in some strange way. And it’s mine to keep.”

His words shocked Azula out of her trance. There was something strange about the way he said them, and it wasn’t just the implications of what he was actually saying.

“He doesn’t often give me gifts but this one’s here to have forever.”

It was then the diction clicked- Zuko was quoting something. Azula wasn’t sure what, but the rhythm and the barely hidden disgust-dripping irony in his voice suddenly made sense. It gave her the mildest relief that her brother hadn’t become a full-on sadist as a result of her father just yet.

“You’re staring.” Azula snapped her eyes up to meet her brother’s own uncovered pair. The very eyes his distorted smile never quite reached.

“You seem shocked,” he innocently observed. “What, you weren’t expecting this to happen?”

“It’s not your fault,” Azula blurted out before she could stop herself. It was a slip of emotion, and she immediately regretted it. But if Zuko was surprised at all by the sudden vulnerability, it didn’t show at all.

“I know,” he responded plainly, and surprisingly. “When Father gave this to me, he said that it was merely a consequence of my own actions, and that in that sense it was my own doing. But I know better than that. It wasn’t my fault.“

And then, something happened.

Zuko’s mask fell. Not the theatre mask that was hanging on his belt, but the mask he’d worn in place of his face for years. The one that Azula wasn’t sure could come off.

But in an instant, the creepy, uncanny smile of the Fire Prince vanished and was replaced by a scowl that seemed to reach into the depths of the soul, an expression of emotion that was actually real. It was visceral anger that felt right to look at on his features, if only for the fact that the brutality of the scar finally slotted into facial harmony. It was an expression that Azula had known on her brother as a child, when she’d stolen his snacks, or burnt his toys, or pushed him over, or anything of the sort. It was the kind of emotional reaction that was tended to with love and care by their mother, punished by their father, and suppressed by years of brainwashing. It was achingly familiar, and it somehow felt like home in a way that nothing had for years.

Azula’s breath was snatched away by the sight of her brother, her actual brother.

“It was yours.”

The anger was, as always, directed at her.

“You told Father about Ba Sing Se. You turned him against me, and you left me alone to deal with it. This is the result of your actions.”

And then almost as quickly as it had left, the mask reappeared. But something was… wrong with the way it was put back on. Like it had been dropped, and Azula could still see something shifting through the cracks. Beneath the horrid sterility of everything else.

“I’m not going to hold it against you, if you were worried about that,” Zuko offered, unconvincingly. “I know you weren’t thinking about what would happen to me when you angered Father on the Eclipse.”

His eyes narrowed. “No, you weren’t thinking about me at all.”

Azula had no words to defend herself with. She was still stunned, and couldn’t bring herself to even so much as move. Her brother unhooked the theatre mask from his belt, and moved to put it back on.

“That’s why you’ll never be Firelord, Lala,” Zuko concluded, matter-of-fairly. “You don’t think ahead. You don’t think about anyone else, either. It’s all about you in your little world, and when you ruin lives, you leave, and never look back.”

Then he leant in, until his mouth was only a finger’s width away from her ear.

“Mom would be proud.”

Somehow, the very words she’d wanted to hear her whole life were twisted into something that cut into her with the same pain as a small knife to the abdomen.

For once in her life, Azula couldn’t even think straight. Her brilliant mind conjured blank after blank.

She didn’t even notice she’d been kicked until the balloon disappeared from beneath her and she was falling, falling endlessly through the clouds.

She hit something with a softer impact than should have been possible from that height. Her vision swam as the clouds continued to rush around her, as if she was still falling.

“Are you okay?” A young boy’s voice. There was a face and a name that she couldn’t place in the moment.

“She’s fine. She’s still breathing, right?” Snarkier, female.

“She’s clearly not okay.” A third, male, older. “She looks like she’s in shock. And she hasn’t insulted us yet.”

“With any luck, it’s permanent.” The second one again.

“Katara!” Number three. Number two was Katara.

Her senses began to come to her, and Azula wiped away a traitorous tear that she hadn’t realised she’d shed.

“Are you alright? Did you get hurt?” The Avatar. Aang. He was looking at her with big eyes. He’d given her the opportunity to leave with them, he’d been right, and he wasn’t rubbing it in her face. He was never going to.

Azula shook her head, numbness starting to give way to a self-inflicted rage at the next few tears to desert her eyes.

“My brother,” was all she managed to say.

———

and then I remembered my exams are the day after tomorrow and stopped there. 2698 words

[tiramisuucakeee]

8. LEAP OF FAITH

( sunflower, yang jungwon )

“ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh,”

the rhythm of the music kept you going as you ran laps around the national mall, pushing yourself to stretch each stride as far as you could. your legs burned a little, but you were used to it. the beat kept you moving.

"needless to say, na-na-na-na-na, she was all na-na... nevertheless, calling it quits now, baby..." you mumbled under your breath, your eyes scanning the area. families were scattered around, some taking photos, others just enjoying the day, but no one paid you any mind. it was normal for runners to come to this place.

"crash at my place... na-na-na-na..." you hummed, slowing down as your watch beeped. it was time for a break. you eased up, catching your breath, and let your legs slow, feet still tapping to the beat.

“ooh-ooh-ooh… can't refuse… she wanna… cruise, and i’m not trynna lose…”

carrying yourself towards a tree on the grass around the monument, you sat down carefully, not trying to open the wound on your side again, thanks to the prowler. it was bad, you knew you weren’t supposed to be doing this - not until after graduation, at least - but a few days wouldn’t hurt. besides, you had plans to take some pictures with the team afterward, a shot in some cheer formation. you needed to keep moving if you wanted it to look right.

your phone buzzed in your pocket, pulling you out of the moment. you grabbed it, seeing the caller ID, aunt may. you tapped to answer, bringing the phone to your ear.

“hey, sweetheart,” aunt may’s voice was warm but slightly worried. “could you do me a favor? i’ve been trying to get ahold of wonnie all day, but he’s not answering. i was thinking... maybe you could swing by and take his laptop to him? he’s at stark tower, but i don’t know what’s going on with him. i’ve called, texted, nothing.”

it was weird for jungwon to act like this, though you remembered you haven’t talked at all this past week. you two were both busy with final exams and graduation preparations. or atleast you were, and thought he was.

you glanced around, letting out a small breath. “yeah, of course, i’ll take it over. don’t worry, i’ll make sure he gets it.” you paused, feeling the familiar knot of concern twist in your stomach. “is he... okay?”

“he's probably just busy with that internship. you know how he gets, after all, it’s his future,” aunt may replied with a chuckle, though her tone was still tinged with concern. “just check in with him for me, okay? make sure that stark guy isn’t too hard on him.”

“i will,” you said, already standing up and stretching out your legs. the break had done you good, and now you felt ready to go. “i’ll head out soon to your home. don’t worry.”

after hanging up, you took a moment to look around again. the day was too nice to rush through. but, of course, there was no saying no to aunt may - or to jungwon, for that matter. you grabbed your stuff, deciding you’d finish your workout another day.

!

sliding the spare key inside the door lock, you were met with aunt may’s apartment, a place you’ve recently visited more times than you could count, your parents often let you crash here ever since you and jungwon started being a thing. even though they’ve met him three times, they could trust him with you.

you stepped into jungwon's room, and looked around. posters of the bridge, a few superhero sketches, and street art cover the walls. his bed's messy - blanket half-thrown, sneakers scattered at the foot, his backpack tossed nearby. there’s a mug of something half-drunk on the nightstand, and the laptop's open with a few tabs of research and news articles.

“there it is,” you spoke out loud, and headed over to the device, glancing slightly at what he was doing. “cross species genetics? lizard dna into mice? what the hell…” you shook your head, and closed it, slipping it on his backpack and taking it with you.

the city streets were busy, being almost lunch time, so you decided to take a cab to the stark tower, leaving a message for jungwon, to let him know you’d be there with his stuff.

you turned your gaze upward and spotted the towering silhouette of stark tower in the distance. it was even more imposing up close - its sleek, modern design gleaming in the sunlight, with a structure that seemed to stretch endlessly into the sky. it was one of the city's landmarks, and though you’d been here before once with your class in a tour, its scale always made you feel small, almost insignificant.

once paying and getting off the cab, you approached the entrance, greeted by the constant hum of tech and innovation that permeated the building.

“woah…” as you walked inside, the lobby was something else - clean, minimalistic, yet undeniably high-tech. glass panels and steel frames blended with holographic displays that floated in midair, showing the latest updates from stark industries. people moved with purpose - some in suits, others in casual wear - talking on their communicators or typing furiously on handheld devices. the whole place reeked of power and cutting-edge science.

your family had a tech company, for hospitals all around the country, but they couldn’t compare to the infrastructure of this place, it seemed from the future.

at the front desk, a sleek, well-dressed receptionist looked up as you approached, a polite smile on her face. you cleared your throat. “hey, i’m looking for the internship program, i have to drop a computer off. where do i go?”

she glanced at her screen, eyes flickering briefly over her monitor. “go through security, you make your way up the elevator. just swipe your ID card on the panel inside, and it’ll get you where you need to go.”

you blinked, a little taken aback. "i don’t-"

but she had already turned back to her screen, leaving you a little more confused. it seemed a bit strange, but you figured it out. after passing security check, you made your way to the nearest elevator, feeling a bit more like an imposter than you should’ve, as you slipped into the sleek, mirrored lift, praying that it would work without a card.

the elevator doors slid shut, and the lift moved upwards. you didn’t know how far you were supposed to go, and suddenly, the elevator came to an abrupt stop. the lights flickered slightly before they steadied. the doors slid open with a soft chime, and you stepped out into a hallway. but something felt wrong, this didn’t seem like a floor for internship.

this wasn’t where you were supposed to be. and now you were stuck on… some random floor.

before you could even process it, a blond, tall, muscular figure rounded the corner, dressed in a casual, yet worn-looking jacket. captain america. steve rogers.

he paused as soon as he saw you, his expression shifting from casual to surprised. “hey, i know you,” he said, his voice low and warm. he seemed genuinely curious. “you’re- uh- you’re with spider- jungwon, right?”

you brain did a quick flip, and the awkwardness hit almost immediately. “uh, yeah. i mean, yeah, i’m... i’m with him.” it was crazy enough you had met spider-man two times, now you met captain america.

steve chuckled, a warm, almost nostalgic sound. “that kid’s talked about you more than i think he realizes. seems like you’ve gotten yourself in trouble a lot lately, huh? spider guy also likes to run his mouth about the people he saves.”

you laughed nervously, your brain scrambling for something witty to say. "no, yeah, i guess i have… sorry, it’s really, wow, meeting two superheroes, you guys are like- celebs, or something. i mean like, it’s incredible."

he grinned. “it is. some old people still don’t believe the 65 years in ice thing,” his eyes crinkled with amusement. “we’re kind of old-fashioned, i wouldn’t have either.”

you smiled awkwardly, glad that the tension was melting away. there was something about steve’s demeanor that made you feel comfortable. a few moments passed, and the two of you started making small talk in the middle of the hallway, sharing old-man jokes. spider-man was right, captain america would like you if you ever met him.

it was weird, bonding with him, he seemed so young, yet so old. but he was easy-going, after all, he knew your late grandfather, who created the family medical-tech business, all starting in the war, selling it to military.

“so, what brings you here? i suppose you’re not here to talk to me in the middle of the hall, right? you’re looking for jungwon?" steve asked, still grinning.

“you’re funny, and yeah, i’ve got his stuff, uh- his computer," you replied, gesturing to the backpack slung over your shoulder. "but it looks like i got a little lost. could you tell me where he is doing the internship?”

he nodded, his smile still there. “no problem. i’ll take you to the science lab, you need to go find happy, he should be nearby supervising, he’ll help you.”

the two of you walked down the hallway, chatting as you went, until you finally reached a secure door with a card access panel. steve swiped his own ID, and the door clicked open. you waved him goodbye, thanked him once more, and stepped into the bustling office space beyond.

inside, the floor was filled with a steady hum of conversation and activity. corporate scientists, researchers, engineers, with interns following them around - all working on something monumental. holo-screens flickered, large projects sprawled across tables, and high-tech gadgets buzzed in the hands of staff members. you recognized some of the faces from the news or briefings. this was the real deal. and it was a little overwhelming.

you felt the weight of the backpack more acutely now, knowing you’d have to find jungwon or happy in this sea of highly skilled professionals. but you didn’t have time to hesitate.

you tried asking a few people where happy or jungwon were supposed to be, but no one seemed to know. or maybe they just didn’t have the time to help. every answer you got was a direction that led you to a dead end or deeper into a maze of hallways. at this point, you were starting to wonder if you’d accidentally wandered into one of stark's top-secret labs.

“this is so bad,” you clicked your tongue, finding yourself in front of a set of double doors. they were sleek and imposing, clearly leading to something important. you stared at them for a second, then reached out instinctively, pushing them open.

and that’s when you found yourself inside... mr. stark's office.

“no, no, no, this is really bad, they’re going to arrest me for trespassing…” your eyes widened, and your breath caught for a moment.

the room was vast and pristine-modern, almost intimidating. large windows stretched across one side of the room, offering an impressive view of the city skyline. stark’s desk was sleek, with various holographic displays of the iron suit flickering to life the moment you stepped inside. the room had a polished, almost futuristic vibe, a blend of luxury and technology. you could feel the weight of history in the room, like every inch of it screamed genius.

behind the desk, standing in front of a monitor, was a man, arms crossed, his usual guarded expression softening slightly when he saw you.

“please tell me you’re happy,” you breathed out, more nervous than ever.

“well, if it isn’t y/n,” he said, his voice gruff but familiar. “i am. aunt may told me you’d be dropping something off for jungwon.”

you blinked, surprised he recognized you so easily. "uh, yeah... i... kind of got lost, though."

“yeah, that’s easy to do in this place," happy said with a knowing grunt. “come on. let me take you to him.”

he led you down another corridor, moving quickly, but not rushing. after a few turns, he finally stopped in front of a large door, opening it to reveal a sleek conference room. it was clearly set up for serious business - glass tables, multiple monitors, and seating for a dozen or so people. you felt a bit out of place standing there, but happy just gave you a nod and gestured for you to enter.

“hang tight for a minute. i'll let jungwon know you’re here,” happy said, before slipping out of the room, leaving you alone.

you took a seat, glancing around. the conference room felt a little less intimidating than mr. stark’s office.

you barely had time to think when the door to the conference room suddenly slid open.

spider-man stepped in.

“woah- hey- hold on, y/n? w-what are you doing here?” jungwon spoke, trying to conceal his voice. he thought aunt may would be here to drop his computer off, that’s why he came in his suit, not bothering to change. but you were here.

“oh, hi,” you waved, hugging the backpack close to you.

“w-what, shouldn’t you be resting? uh, you know, with the prowler thing that happened?” he stuttered, and walked towards the other end of the room, trying not to be so near.

“no… i was dismissed from the hospital a while ago…” you said. “are you okay…?-“

he totally ignored your question, and spoke loudly. “you shouldn’t be here, what are you doing here?” he asked.

“excuse me?” you stood up, “what do you mean i shouldn’t be here? what i do is none of your business mr. spider-man, i’m not some kind of villain,” you told him.

spider-man looked away, forgetting he was in his suit and mask, and he wasn’t yang jungwon for you. all of this was making him tired from hiding.

he had just been tossed around and almost crushed by a gigantic lizard, and now he had to continue lying to people he didn’t want to lie to.

“i’m sorry, it’s not my place to question you. i suppose you’re here for that guy you’re with right? the one that was on your computer, the intern. i’ll let him know you’re here, i think i just passed by him in the hallway.” he spoke softly, calming down.

“thank you, spider-man,” you gave him a nod, and he turned to leave, not before you said something again “you were right.”

“what do you mean?” the masked hero turned around.

“captain america. he’s a cool guy,” you smiled, remembering the conversation.

“yeah, old man probably knows everyone and their grandparents by now.” spider-man chuckled, and then went to close the door of the conference room.

!

yang jungwon had never in his life changed clothes faster. he came out of the employee’s bathroom, jumping in one leg as he tied his shoelaces.

“shit, shit- ow!” he ran into a wall, and then opened the door of the room you were in, seeing you stood by the window panel.

“h-hey! y/n, they told me you came to drop something off“ he spoke, panting.

you turned to him, he looked absolutely messy. his labcoat’s neck was folded inwards, his shirt was crumbled and his hair pointing in every direction.

“what’s going on with you, jungwon?”

he knew this was bad. you two haven’t talked lately, since he has been busy trying to fight the prowler and norman osborn at the same time, and let’s not talk about his encounters with doctor octavia.

"i'm fine, w-what do you mean?" he laughed, running a hand through his messy hair, though his voice lacked its usual ease.

you stepped closer, instinctively reaching up to fix his hair for him. "jungwon, you're anything but fine. you look like you've been run over by a truck."

for a moment, his eyes flickered with surprise. how did you know about that?

he’d been fighting norman osborn in the streets just hours earlier, and after the battle, when the dust had settled, he barely managed to escape being flattened by a truck that barreled down the street as the lizard disappeared into the sewers.

he gave a half-hearted chuckle, trying to mask the exhaustion in his voice. "is that supposed to be an insult? because if i look this good after being hit by a truck, we should probably check on the truck instead."

he laughed, but the joke didn’t quite land. you didn’t find it funny, not when he looked so worn out, his eyes shadowed with something deeper. it worried you - more than you wanted to admit. it was like he was falling apart, right in front of you, and you weren’t sure how to stop it. graduation was only a few days away, and yet, it seemed like his whole world was unraveling.

jungwon let out a slow breath, his face softening as he dropped his head against your shoulder. "i’m sorry," he whispered, his voice strained. "can we talk? please?"

you wrapped your arm around him, holding him a little tighter. "we can do whatever you need, won," you said, your voice gentle but firm. "just talk to me."

jungwon took your hand, guiding you through the quiet halls of stark tower, moving with purpose but not rushing. the weight of the silence between you both felt heavy, but it wasn’t uncomfortable, just full of unspoken words. when you reached the elevator, he pressed the button for the rooftop, and the moment the doors closed, he sighed heavily, as if the burden of the day had caught up with him all at once.

when the doors finally opened, the fresh air hit you both like a wave, and you stepped out into the cool breeze. the city sprawled out beneath you in all its chaotic beauty, the hum of the streets below a distant, rhythmic buzz. the skyline stretched into the horizon. it was almost peaceful up here, far from the noise and pressure of the city.

you followed jungwon to the edge of the rooftop, leaning against the railing as you both took in the view. the moment felt intimate, like you were suspended between the sky and the earth, disconnected from everything but each other.

for a long moment, neither of you spoke. jungwon ran his fingers through his hair again, then rested his hands on the railing, his eyes fixed on the city below. he looked tired, drained.

finally, he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. “i wanna tell you something, y/n.”

he turned to face you, and for the first time, you saw him fully. his face looked rough, bruised, with faint marks of scars near his temple, remnants of a battle you knew nothing about. the sight made your stomach twist, the heaviness in his eyes telling you that something was weighing on him.

"okay..." you nodded, turning to face him as well, your voice soft and steady.

he hesitated, his expression conflicted, like he wanted to say something but the words were stuck, caught in his throat. the tension in the air grew thick between you, your heart beating faster in anticipation.

"i... i've been bitten..." he began, his voice shaky, eyes searching yours.

in that moment, everything in you froze. this was it. this was what he'd been hiding from you. you felt a sharp pang in your chest. he was confessing to you.

the last thing you wanted was for him to pull back now that he was going to tell you that word. you could feel the weight of the moment, and the desire to protect what you both had.

“so have i…” you spoke, voice barely above a whisper.

“okay…” he whispered, a bit dizzy. he seemed to realize what you thought this was, and even if he wanted to confess his love for you now, he was meaning to confess something else. he just wanted to close the distance between the two of you in that moment, seeing you so near and vulnerable, but he had to get it out before doing that, your love was too much for him.

"okay, okay, okay, i gotta tell you this one thing," he gulped, shaking his head slightly as if trying to ground himself. his voice was unsteady, like the words were building inside him and needed to come out. "i gotta tell you this one thing, and it’s about spider-man and everything that’s been happening, the prowler, all of it. alright?" his hands waved in the air, as if trying to grasp at the right way to explain it.

you blinked, suddenly feeling your heart drop a little. it wasn’t what you thought.

“oh. okay,” you said, awkwardly stepping back, feeling your cheeks flush with embarrassment. you hadn’t meant to read into things like that, and now you felt exposed, vulnerable in a way you hadn’t expected.

jungwon’s face dropped, his eyes widening at your reaction. “what?” he breathed out, watching you step away, the confusion clearly written across his features. “wait, no, no, no- okay, forget that, i won’t talk about that.” he shook his head, clearly frustrated with himself.

“no, it’s okay,” you insisted, though the words felt hollow in your throat. you didn’t want him to notice how embarrassed you were.

"no, it's not," he said, his voice firmer now, the urgency in it returning. he took a step closer, his eyes locked on yours. "i'm gonna talk about me, okay?"

you blinked, swallowing hard. "what about you?" you asked, your voice quieter now, watching him carefully as he searched for the right words. the air between you both felt thick with tension.

“it’s impo- i wish i could just-“ he blinked, as he struggled. “i- i can’t. it’s hard to say.” he looked at you again.

you watched him carefully, feeling a mix of concern and worry. the longer he hesitated, the more it gnawed at you. "just say it," you encouraged.

"mmm, i don't know..." he muttered, frustration clouding his face. he rubbed the back of his neck as if trying to shake the words loose, but they stayed stuck.

"say it," you whispered again, your voice soft but full of faith. you wanted him to trust you, wanted him to know you were there, no matter how heavy or difficult the truth was.

he turned back toward the railing, his head hanging low in self-disappointment. the way his posture slumped made something inside you tighten with worry. what was so hard to say? maybe it was something even worse than you thought.

"what? jungwon?" you called, your hand moving to rest on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "you can tell me."

he didn’t answer right away, but after a moment, he let out a long, quiet sigh. he seemed so small in that moment, so unlike the strong, confident person he usually was. you felt your heart tighten, the worry turning to a quiet desperation to help him.

“please,” you whispered, your hand still resting on his shoulder, waiting for him to look at you, hoping that whatever it was, it wouldn’t break you both.

he stood straight up, as if he was about to tell you, but his mouth betrayed him. his lips parted, but the words wouldn’t come. "i can’t..." he whispered, shaking his head, his eyes flickering with that same conflict, the one that seemed to push him down more than any fight ever could. he turned away from you, pulling away from your touch, like the very act of letting someone in was too much for him to bear. his back was tense, the way he faced the railing, staring out at the city, as if it held the answers he couldn’t bring himself to say.

you stood there, frozen for a moment, the heaviness of the silence swallowing everything around you. it was like you could feel the truth sitting between you, taunting both of you. you felt you were everything but someone he could trust.

"okay, then forget it," you said, your voice flat, emotionless, turning on your heel and beginning to walk away. there was a coldness in your tone, one you hadn’t intended but couldn't stop, it was your defense. "you have your computer now, i’m going home. call me whenever you can talk to me again."

with every step you took, you could feel his absence growing louder in the space between you, like a distant cry. but the hurt was there too, because in that moment, he wasn’t opening up to you, wasn’t trusting you even after you did. he was leaving you alone, just like how all the other people did whenever you got too close.

he now felt as if his whole world was crumbling apart, as if his mind was deteriorating. how could he be spider-man if he couldn’t trust the person he loves most. he wanted to, it was all he needed. you could comfort him in a way no one could, not aunt may, not his best friend, not stark. it was you.

in that moment, it was like the universe itself nudged him forward, pushing him toward you. he didn’t know how, but it was almost like you two were meant to be there for each other. a kind of destiny. it was the canon.

his instincts screamed at him to just trust, just do it. he could feel the weight of everything pressing on him, but this? this was the leap of faith he needed to take. it wasn’t just about being spider-man. it was about being with you. because you made him who he was.

if it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t be watching those cheer practices, admiring you from afar behind a school building, where a radioactive spider bit him.

without thinking, his hand shot out, his web-shooter firing the moment his fingers curled. the sticky webbing latched onto your wrist, and in a swift motion, he yanked you back toward him, pulling your body into his. your feet barely had time to react before he was standing there.

you gasped as you stumbled toward him, your eyes wide in surprise, but he held you firmly, his grip around your waist gentle but strong.

spider-man was standing right in front of you, and he was yang jungwon. the man who saved you countless of times was him. you swallowed, still trying to process everything, your heart pounding in your chest. he's been spider-man this whole time. it felt like the world was spinning a little. yet in this moment, standing so close to him, you could feel how real it all was. how much he trusted you now, how much he cared. and maybe that was enough to make everything else make sense.

“you…” the words came out of your mouth, still not being able to grasp what was happening.

“uh huh,” jungwon smiled, pulling you in. he closed the space between you, his lips finding yours in a kiss that was soft, but full of all the things he couldn't say out loud. you leaned into him, your hand resting against his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart beneath your fingertips.

his hand slid to the back of your neck, pulling you closer, and you let him, melting into the kiss as everything else was nonexistent. the only thing that mattered was him, and the moment, and how it felt like all the pieces had finally come together. the person you'd always known, the person who'd been protecting you, he was yours. and you were his.

when you both finally pulled back, breathless and looking at each other with that same wonder, you spoke, "you’re spider-man.”

jungwon had playful smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "shut up," he laughed softly, clearly amused by your reaction. but there was something else in his eyes-something needy and endearing. before you could say anything more, he pulled you in for another kiss, this one more urgent, more intense. it was like he couldn't help himself, like all the unsaid things were pouring out in that moment, and you couldn't have stopped him even if you wanted to.

there was no more space between you, no more secrets. just him, and the undeniable truth of this.

after the kiss, you both pulled away, as the quiet of the city buzzed around you. for a moment, you just stood there, trying to steady your breathing, the world seeming to spin a little slower.

finally, you broke the silence, your voice playful but filled with wonder. "so... how does it feel to swing from building to building everyday, mr. spider?" you asked, your eyes sparkling with curiosity. "i mean, doing that all the time has to be pretty amazing, right?"

“mr. spider? seriously?” jungwon chuckled, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he met your gaze. "you wanna find out?" he asked, his voice low and teasing.

you raised an eyebrow, a mix of excitement and hesitation bubbling up in your chest. "wait, you’re serious?" you asked, half-laughing, half-nervous.

he nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. "yeah, why not? i mean, you already know what i am. i already saved you too, might as well show you the real thing."

you blinked, stunned by how casually he said it, but the thrill in his eyes made your pulse quicken. this is it. this is insane, and incredible.

“come on, we can even listen to some music while we swing, that one song you really like, the sunflower one, okay? it’ll be awesome,” jungwon grinned.

"okay," you said, laughing a little in disbelief. "let's do it."

before you could even process it fully, jungwon’s hand slipped into yours, and he pulled you toward the edge of the rooftop. you looked down, the city below you sprawling out, but all you could focus on was him.

"hold on tight, spider-woman," he said, a grin spreading across his face as you hugged his body. without another word, his web-shooter fired, a thread of webbing shooting out into the night. you felt the familiar tug of the swing as he leaped off the edge, pulling you both into the air. the wind rushed around you, your heart hammering as you swung from one building to the next.

you couldn’t help but laugh, the sound echoing in the open air as the city’s lights blurred around you. this is real. this was him. you were flying through the city, with the boy you knew better than anyone, but who you were just beginning to truly love.

!

meanwhile, deep beneath the city, in the winding corridors leading up from the subways and beneath the looming shadow of fisk tower, something sinister was taking shape.

"how long will it take?" a tall, burly man asked, his sharp eyes scanning the room as he observed the scientists working tirelessly. they were building something enormous, a machine unlike anything seen before, encased in a translucent crystal that shimmered ominously in the dim light.

the woman in charge, her glasses perched on the edge of her nose, adjusted them with a flick of her hand. "we don’t know exactly," she replied, her voice steady but laced with a sense of urgency. "it could take years, but once complete, the collider will work. it’ll bring your family back, i promise."

the man, known only as kingpin, didn’t respond immediately, his cold eyes narrowing as he took a step closer to the massive machine. "it better work, doctor octavia," he growled, his voice low and menacing. "or you know what will happen."

just as the threat hung in the air, a figure emerged from the shadows behind him. dressed in all black, the prowler’s presence was both intimidating and lethal. the tension in the room heightened as he unsheathed his claws, their sharp edges gleaming under the dim lights.

"y-yes, mr. kingpin," the scientist stammered, clearly rattled by the appearance of the prowler. "i’m positive it will work. we’re making progress. it’s just a matter of time."

kingpin’s gaze never wavered from the machine, his expression cold and unreadable, as the prowler's menacing figure loomed silently beside him.

TAGS: @jiiyen @yjwxfxr

NOTE: raise your hand if you want whatever this is to continue, please please pleaseeeee, i’m way too invested in this, i rlly wanna include spiderman atsv

EXTRA:

masterlist.

prev chapter.

next chapter.

all chapters.

[mooechi]

..hey there y'all 😁

so it's been approx. a day since I found out exams have been moved to next week, and I may or may not have ended up dramatically sulking thus resulting in being inactive bcuz I prepared for nothing LMFAAOOOO

but then again, I couldn't find myself gathering the time to open tumblr at all tbh. this week's been a tough one, w all the bombarding of events and all

anyways, I fortunately had enough spare time today to add in a few drawings to make up for my loss (LOL) , and yes, that includes that lazy ass scrap above.

even though I'm most likely gonna be inactive for a little further while, I'd still like to thank my good ol' childhood bestie for taking me out of my whiny slacking shell even temporarily. that mfs definitely gonna reblog this again, so you'll know what I mean.

so first and foremost-- since I've gotten addicted to fbje all the more lately, I stumbled upon a very pretty artwork within the manga. it's official, and I wondered how it'd fare if I were to implement it in terms of demon slayer's gaiden artstyle.

here's how it turned out!

it's not the best, I think I ended up making her look fierce..I honestly wanted to give it komorebi--dappled sunlight, if you will--but my brush ended up not being as compatible with the chosen style of gaiden so...yeah, I ditched that and went for this idea instead!

moreover, I was pleasantly surprised to see the amount of notifs I've missed. I'm so sorry that I've just seen it, but I'm glad that I now did..@muitsuri , WHAT HAVE U BEEN UP TO⁉️⁉️..I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE ANTICS UVE DONE- FEEDING THE EVAKARI NATION⁉️⁉️ HELL YEA!!

I express my sincerest of gratitude's to all the appreciation too, thank you all so much! 💕

hence, I've done a lil smth...

I'm never designing wooden walls again cuz wtf did I do

remember that one idea where they snuggle (smth like that) back then? YEPPP finally got the motivation to bring that to life..somewhat.

you see, this was supposed to be in manga style..so imagine the truck that hit me when my dumbass finally noticed that I've been using THE WRONG BRUSH THIS WHOLE TIME

ofc, ended up questioning my life choices at that point. but hey, since it was late alr and I unfortunately couldn't afford to go back anymore, I forced through it 💪

well, that'd be all for now! I'm gonna go get some rest now--though not b4 I catch up to the updates 😘

i am not entirely satisfied yet displeased with the end product of all this..

I used fbje as reference, both anime and manga.

still, please refrain from stealing. you can take inspo tho!

[maagicmushies]

Naruto is a bad ninja. That's like baby’s first Naruto criticism. This is supposed to be a manga about ninja, yet its main character is a loudmouth clad in bright orange who has never even heard of the word subtlety. There are even large stretches of the manga where he is one of the weakest main characters, so he’s even failing at the manga’s specific definition of a ninja. He is just horrible at it. But one thing that I never hear a lot of people mention is that Naruto is a bad ninja by design, he needs to be.

The Land of Waves Arc serves two main functions. The first is easing the reader or viewer into the world of shinobi on a very “scientific” level. You learn what chakra is, what the three main types of jutsu are, what chakra control is, how ninja rank works, what kekkei genkai is and so on and so forth. Everything that would be in a textbook to be studied by entry level ninja is in this arc. The second function is a look into the world of shinobi on a more “ideological” level in the second half. Ninja take on jobs, but rarely do they take on jobs for other ninja. They mainly take on jobs for local feudal lords or crime lords who wish to use these strengths for political purposes. In this way, Naruto’s ninja are sorta like mercenaries. Ninja are expected to kill the people who they have culture and shared experiences with for the sake of people who really couldn't care less about them. Their intelligence is their most valued aspect and emotions can compromise that so a trained ninja can’t even cry. As Zabuza says, a ninja is just a tool to be used by their employer and anyone who cannot do that, is a bad ninja.

One of the most genius things about this arc is that almost every named ninja we see ends up breaking a vital rule of the ninja code. Haku and Sasuke sacrifice their lives for loved ones, compromising their mission in the process while Sakura, Naruto and Zabuza are reduced to blubbering crying messes by the end. They all failed at being ninja because to be a ninja is to cast away your humanity, something that isn’t really possible. By the end of the first arc, the series has planted the idea that being a ninja isn’t something to be desired. Ninjutsu and throwing stars are cool, but this ideal of a “real” ninja is so cynical and cold that anyone who could pull it off perfectly would be as miserable as they are abhorrent. Trust me, we’ll get back into that. The arc ends with Naruto deciding that he’ll find his own ninja way. A way to be a ninja that is not synonymous with pain and cruelty.

Following the Land of Waves we go to the Chunin Exams, the stock tournament arc of the series. One thing that sets Naruto’s tournament arc apart from a more standard one is that winning isn’t the primary goal. Anyone who has watched the show or read the manga might say “Of course winning isn’t the primary goal, Shikamaru lost, yet was the only Konoha genin to promote”, but becoming Chunin isn’t even the main goal of the Chunin exams. The main goal of the Chunin Exams is to show off a nation’s talent, both as an advertisement to would-be employers and as a flex to rival villages to show what they have in store for them if they try to start a war. It was created as a form of deterrence, a ninja equivalent to broadcasting a video of your nation’s rocket capabilities. Ironically, this “mock war” ends up turning into a real war as Orochimaru uses it as a smoke screen for his real invasion. Naruto comes into the exams pretty unprepared as a fighter, but very prepared emotionally. He speaks to the demons inside of Neji and Gaara, desperately wanting to ease the pain that they’re going through. He can’t stand the idea of losing them, just like he lost haku so he talks to them like they’re people and not weapons and it resonates. The two would end up becoming lifelong friends with Naruto as a result and it had jack shit to do with his skill as a ninja. He succeeded with them because he was a person to them.

The Search for Tsunade arc is not too important for this analysis, but does introduce an idea that will become important later where Jiraiya purports that a real ninja is “one who endures”. This isn’t just fancy waffling but how the literal kanji for the word “ninja” can be broken down. That’s why, in Jiraiya’s eyes, being a ninja is not about being the most efficient or knowing the most jutsu. It’s about never giving up even when everyone else wants you to. It is what he has done his entire life and what he teaches Naruto to do. However, this is far from the only interpretation of “one who endures”. Sasuke’s flashbacks of how he remembers Itachi is massively important to our understanding of ninja because Itachi is the perfect ninja. Remember that “One Who Endures” thing? Yeah, Itachi takes that to the extreme because he thinks that it is a viable path for a shinobi to be hated by all. If that lets them do their job to the best of their ability, so be it. That’s why he handles the Uchiha coup like he does. He becomes hated by his entire village, the entire world and hated most of all by the person he loved the most. But Itachi got his job done. He did it so well that no one ever knew he was doing a job at all.

If Itachi is what lies at the end of all shinobi, if all of them got to be "perfect", we’d have entire clans and communities getting slaughtered by well meaning people just wishing to prolong the existence of the village by a couple of years. Itachi’s partner Kisame has a very similar backstory. In fact, you could argue that all of the Akatsuki are perfect shinobi. All young prodigies who were allowed to exercise cruelty because that’s what their job called for and simply got cut off by the people who weren’t able to handle the monsters that they created. It’s no coincidence that this group of ninja who were all able to be better ninja at the cost of their humanity all show some form of body horror or inhumanity in their design.

This pertains most to Sasori, one of the main villains of the Kazekage Rescue Arc. Sasori was clearly traumatized but no one in the sand cared because he was able to channel that trauma into his incredible skill with puppet ninjutsu. And then when he became more and more broken over time, creating human puppets and assassinating Kazekage, they tried to act as if they had no hand in that. However, just like Zabuza and Gaara before him, Sasori could not fully discard his humanity. He tried to replace so much of his human body with puppetry but he was never able to get rid of his heart, poetically. The same goes for Sai in the next arc, who has been trained from birth to kill off all individuality. Even before his big turn, Sai constantly laments over the fact that despite trying so hard, he can never get anyone to truly like him. It’s natural that as humans we crave connection and want to love. The more you try to act like this is a lie, the more you end up like a Sai. And no one likes Sai.

A similarly unlikable character would be Kakashi during the events of Kakashi Gaiden. Another ninja capable of putting the job above all his personal connections and he constantly disrespects his friends and own father. Sakumo Hatake was incredibly strong, but far from the perfect ninja I’ve been describing. He decided to abandon a mission partway, which saved his allies but inconvenienced his employer. The derision he faced was enough for him to commit suicide. In Kakashi’s eyes, his father was a coward, but to Kakashi’s best friend Obito? Sakumo was a hero. He might have been a bad ninja, but if caring about people you love makes you a bad ninja, then good ninja do not need to exist. Obito holds this opinion not as a villain, but as a rather heroic child with shocking similarities to Naruto. When he later fights Naruto, Naruto ends up appealing to Obito by empathizing with his beliefs about the ninja world. It sucks! His best friend’s life was ruined by a “perfect” ninja, he spent his entire life being hated and used because the ninja code for Jinchuriki was to roll them out as weapons during war time and then shamefully hide them during peacetime. Naruto knows why Obito would want to tear it down because he also wants to. They just have differing methods of how to.

The same goes for Sasuke when he rises up to become the final villain of the series. Sasuke recognizes the poison on the ninja world, what it does to people like him, his brother his best friend, Hashirama and Madara, every ninja in existence. That is why he wishes to forge a new path, killing off the ruling class and uniting all against him. It’s essentially what Itachi did, but on a global scale. Sasuke’s plan is bad and fails because it relies on embracing a ninja truth and the antithesis of the series - severing one’s bonds. Every single arc time and time again we come to learn that this idea of “severing bonds” does not work, it cannot work. The pit of loneliness you’re left in will kill you or warp you to a point where you’re no longer human. Naruto’s answer is forming an unbreakable bond between all people. Disrespecting and blurring the artificial line between class, between village, between civilian and ninja. The Great Naruto Bridge from the Land of Waves is a little cheesy, but emblematic of his final role in the story. Through his kindness he becomes able to link all together and he didn’t do this by being a good ninja. He did it by being a pretty bad one.

[study-with-aura]

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Three more days, three more days! I have no idea what I am going to do with myself during my usual study hours next week. It isn't officially summer break until after that because I will still have ballet and piano (practical on May 28). I suppose I will start working on my music history studies. It's a self-paced course that I am taking for it, but I want to be prepared to take the exam in December. I could take it in August, but I am taking Music Appreciation next year for academics, so it makes sense to add that to my independent study before the exam. I simply have to take it before I sign up for any level 10 exams (if I pass my level 9 exams! I will pass them!).

My brother is coming home soon! My brother is coming home soon! Yes, that was meant to be repeated! I can't wait!

Tasks Completed:

Geometry - Finals review (focused on similarity and proofs today)

Lit and Comp II - Reviewed Units 18-20 vocabulary + read the news + completed first draft of non-fiction writing assignment and editing (due Thursday) + CLEP Test practice question + reviewed study guides

Spanish 2 - Reviewed Los Adverbios y Los Muebles vocabularios + reviewed present perfect + reviewed informal commands

Bible I - Read Matthew 25

World History - Took a quiz + answered question about conflict/wars between nations and peoples

Biology with Lab - Completed Invertebrate Survey Lab + continued germination lab

Foundations - Read more on wisdom + finished first draft of argumentative speech and editing

Piano - 60-minute piano lesson + practiced for one hour

Khan Academy - Completed High School Geometry Unit 4: Quiz 3 and Unit 4: Lesson 6 practice set "Prove theorems using similarity" + completed High School biology daily mastery challenge + completed World History Unit 6 test (80%, there were no Unit 4 or 5 tests)

CLEP - None today

Streaming - Watched Empire Games Episode 4

Duolingo - Studied for approximately 30 minutes (Spanish, French, Chinese) + completed daily quests

Reading - Read pages 184-206 of The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf

Chores - Laundry

Activities of the Day:

Personal Bible Study (1 Corinthians 4)

Ballet

Pointe

Journal/Mindfulness

[delawaredetroit]

I forgot that these fights were one panel each in the manga. It’s for the best probably. The anime extended versions just exacerbated the humiliation here for Aoyama and Momo.

Momo is a rigid thinker, especially early on, and she isn’t great in a one on one with no preparation beforehand. Shinsou and Aizawa complained about how unfair/illogical the entrance exam was, but the setup of the sports festival by design disadvantages quirks/skill sets like Momo’s that are best utilized with prior preparation and coordination with others.

Mina’s win here is particularly dishonorable. She takes out Aoyama by destroying his belt that is necessary for him to be able to live normally and keep his quirk under control. It’s basically an accessibility device. The anime goes even further and has his pants falling down on national television to add further insult to injury. Mina was more than capable of winning without doing this. She’s shown to be one of the most athletic members of class 1a.

For a supposed bully buster character, Mina sure seems to spend a lot of her early screen time criticizing/targeting those who require accommodations (Aoyama and the support students). Unlike Bakugou, even early Mina saw saving as part of her heroism. But she’s not much of a thinker and doesn’t think structurally. So unless it’s someone that looks like a villain directly attacking what looks like a victim, she won’t act. Which explains how she can be both a supposed bully buster and be friends with someone like Bakugou simultaneously

[david-goldrock]

Nationalism and the nation state - a song by Yuval Hamenuval (villanous Yuval)

Imma start by saying the fella is an extreme leftist and I don't like his opinions, but damn if it isn't a good song

It's supposed to help teens prepare for the citizenship exam

People they don't wanna be alone For if they will be alone, they'd be stuck with themselves only With the idiocy that is their share in life And the shame, the boredom, the cliché and the cream cheese And life is so small What a wonder that there are characteristics like...

Religion, language, history and culture Suddenly there's an illusion of meaning And that is not nationality yet It's just a group An ethnic group

But a group isn't enough In a bun there's a need for a sausage And the group dreams at night Of a country for itself With territory and population Governance and sovereignty and all the package

And when there is the wish Even if it hadn't yet been realized Then the group is now a nation An ethnic nation

Palestinians too, dream dreams At least in bombingless nights (oh shut up) In the nation state There (people) live in peace And buried on the mountain Are all the greats of the nation But there are countries with 2 nations On the scales are equal

Such it is in Belgium - there the Flemish fish in the river And on its other side the Walloons There are enough fish for them all in millions There won't be a shortage

And in Switzerland, you wouldn't believe 2 nations aren't even enough for them There live Germans, Italians, French And living there are, guess who? Swiss Nibbling Swiss cheese They have Swiss knives in their pockets And on the wall there is a Swiss clock That's a cuckoo clock

But there is, and a nation forms On the basis of a worldview They fly on high over the rainbow Not on the basis of skin color or blood type There nationality is given by the type of citizenship The political nation Yes and it's a critical difference

Thus far, far away In the USA that's over the sea Whites and Blacks and Hispanics Eskimo and also Indians But but They are no less racist In the basement they gather guns Preparing for another civil war

Like in 1860 The jolly days Imagine

Epilog

A story of Rabbi Lennon Who failed in imaginations And in the eyes of his spirit (in his mind's eye) Saw a world without countries And his end was to be murdered by gunshot And the maniac that shot him Read Catcher in the Rye And to this day he hasn't returned The booklet to the library And had gathered a terribly big debt

Silence silence my son, let us be silent

[diaryoftheloser]

100 Days to 2025 - (100DOP Challenge)

Tasks accomplished:

Added citations to the final draft of the Book Chapter using Mendeley.

Read the Academic Handbook for the Master's program.

Clarified doubts with a current student (she is awesome).

Goals for the Upcoming Week:

Submit the Research Paper Draft.

Start Preparing for the National Biotechnology Exam.

Start Data Camp's Statistician with R Career Track

Music & Media:

🎵 Sundays - Emotional Oranges

🎵 West Coast Love - Emotional Oranges

🎵 Distance - bixby

🎵 Spring Snow - 10CM

🇯🇵 Love is a Poison - Episodes 1-2

Comments: I couldn't do a lot of things I was supposed to do this weekend because I was feeling a bit under the weather. I will make a proper academic checklist for this week once I am done with the Research Paper and formalities for the Master's admission process.

[snooeycatwrites]

Character Voice Tags

Thank you @illarian-rambling for the tag! I’ve got five characters from Raising Gods for you as passengers in hired chariots.

My line: “Learn how to drive, moron! The left lane is for passing!”

Your line: “I’ll have you know I earned a perfect score on my exam.”

Epenimes: *Sends a pointed glance at the right lane and puffs up his chest to the perfect angle to display the rank on his amulet.* “The pedestrians are passing us. Tell me, how did you qualify to be a professional driver if you can’t comprehend the importance of delivering Lokyesser’s most important clergy punctually to the holy festival?”

Zaemes: “I’ve seen a chariot before. I know we’re supposed to be passing the pedestrians in this lane. What’s the point of breaking that rule if this is all the chaos you’re going to get from it, huh? If you’re going to stir things up, you gotta commit.” *Steals the reins.* “Gallop, horsey! Run as fast as you can!”

Kyetki: “The other chariots look like they’re going to cut through the right lane to pass us. Can’t you drive any faster?” … “You mean this is as fast as the horse can go. WHY would you make an injured horse pull a chariot? How did the gods not transform you into a monster? That’s cruel!” … “YOU SHOULDN’T BE IN THIS LANE UNLESS YOU’RE PREPARED TO PASS, AND YOU SHOULDN’T CUT THROUGH PEDESTRIANS LIKE THAT! Someone’s going to get hurt, and the both of you need to start thinking about other people right this moment!”

Lokyesser: “You weren’t jesting when you claimed you come from a faraway nation! Is it the right lane for passing in your country? I’m surprised you didn’t notice the difference locally. It seems a change any intelligent mortal would notice. Stop here. Disembark. I wish to capture the expressions of those traffic guards on canvas.” *Nudges the driver out of the chariot with the easel he is opening.*

Gitotzer: “Use. This lane. To pass. Don’t make me issue a citation.”

If you would like to write your line in your OCs’ voices, then tag, you’re it (no pressure), @cryptid-s-wips, @rbbess110, @ren-c-leyn, @mjparkerwriting, and @wmlittlemore-is-writing. Anyone else who wants to play is also welcome!

[posting-my-stories-here]

The Aftermath (Pt. 3)

Head heavy with thought, Aahan dragged himself back to his building, collapsing against the elevator wall then immediately straightening up as another woman entered.

He vaguely remembered seeing her during festivals and other social gatherings. He wasn't sure if his mother had been close to the woman personally but she probably knew her.

“How are your studies going?" “Fine.” He replied, smiling politely, hoping his floor would come soon.

“And you were preparing for…?” “NEET.” He responded automatically. “And IISER,” he added hastily.

She nodded empathetically. “Will you be going to Kota then?” He shook his head, suppressing a sigh of relief as the lift doors finally opened. Stepping out, he waved back at her, before briskly walking to his parents apartment and ringing the bell.

Maybe it was the disagreement with Ajay earlier. Maybe it was the shock and betrayal Aahan felt. Maybe it was the impromptu conversation with that woman.

Whatever the reason, Aahan had forgotten who exactly would open the door. And so when his middle- aged mother stood at the doorway, he felt his breath stop and his heart rate quicken.

------

NEET is the national medical entrance exam in India, taken by nearly 10- 12 million students every year. IISER is the Indian Institute of Scientific Education and Research.

Kota is the study hub of India where thousands of students go to prepare for entrance exams. A very depressing place, where tens of students commit suicide every month due to the immense pressure and competition.

I don't why but I am getting a huge writer's block on the next scene. This was supposed to be much longer, but I am just stuck.

[theivorybilledwoodpecker]

When Zahra Wafa thinks about what it took to put her daughters through school, her face hardens. She remembers the days she and her husband ate only bread to afford their children’s education, how it had all seemed worth it to give them a chance at a future beyond Nawa Foladi, a village in central Afghanistan with a single dirt track, hand-pumped wells and no electricity. Then Wafa remembers the new reality under the Taliban, and her voice falters at the thought that it might all have been for nothing. “We worked hard, spent so much money on this and they’re so intelligent. And now they’re supposed to just sit at home?” she said. “Every time I think about it I get a headache.” A year after the precipitous fall of the U.S.-backed republic and the Islamic militants’ ascension to power, Wafa and her daughters, like so many women and girls across Afghanistan, are grappling with the Taliban’s hard-line vision for the country and its plan to turn back the clock not only on their education but their very presence in public life. The group claims it has no interest in restoring its 1990s regime, when girls were banned from school and almost all jobs, and endured corporal punishment for violations such as not wearing a burqa in public. Yet every few months, new decrees are issued about which careers women may have, how far they may travel without a male guardian and what they may wear outside the home. One edict said the most devout women would not leave the house at all, unless there’s need. Earlier this month, the Afghan Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice — which occupies the building that once housed the Women’s Affairs Ministry — ordered women to be banned from entering amusement parks. A few days later, it banned them from gyms and hammams, public baths that were already segregated by sex. Secondary schooling has been an especially sore point. In the fall of last year, authorities allowed Afghan girls to enroll in primary schools and universities and promised to resume secondary education at the start of the new school year March 23. But that day, as high school girls streamed into classrooms, officials reversed course and postponed classes indefinitely until “a comprehensive plan has been prepared according to sharia and Afghan culture.” Last month, they allowed female students who were in 12th grade before the republic’s collapse to take the university placement exam known as the Kankor — but blocked off majors they deemed inappropriate for young women to pursue, including economics, engineering, journalism and veterinary medicine. .... Wafa now contemplates the loss of all that. Her eldest, 20-year-old Meena Ibrahimi, had finished 12th grade before the Taliban takeover; she planned to study law and aspired to become a member of parliament or a diplomat representing Afghanistan at the United Nations. “Of course none of that will happen now,” Ibrahimi said. She had waited for more than a year to take the Kankor, but didn’t bother applying for law or anything else not related to medicine, one of the few fields open to women under the Taliban. “The Taliban don’t care about the constitution or women’s rights. If the situation continues, those who study law won’t be employed,” she said. At least she wasn’t in limbo like her sister Zainab. A 16-year-old 10th grader, Zainab hoped to be a doctor, an achievable dream if it were possible to finish her secondary schooling. But with those schools shuttered, Ibrahimi’s class will be the last cohort of Afghan girls and young women to enter university. “The first time the Taliban took over, it was my mother who had to bear the consequences. Now, 20 years later, we’re suffering the same thing,” Ibrahimi said, glancing at Wafa, who looked at the floor, a tight frown on her face and tears slowly filling her eyes.

[accountcoaching]

What Is The Trend Among Indian CFA Applicants?

The number of Indian candidates applying for the Chartered Financial Analyst cfa level 1 exams has increased, which can only be described as an emerging trend.

Right now, India positions third with the most number of competitors taking the test. In June 2022, the cfa institute reported that 14,776 candidates appeared from India, China, and the United States. The worldwide number was 71,914.

CFA test in India

Specialists in the business accept that the pattern is a consequence of the development found in the Indian economy. The nation has turned into a trustworthy speculation objective guaranteeing an expansion in venture experts.

The CFA Sanction expects contender to breeze through three test levels, have a work insight of something like four years in ventures, and focus on the set of principles in proficient lead. Following this, competitors are supposed to apply to a CFA Foundation Society and become an individual from the famous CFA Establishment.

The program educational plan tests abilities and information expected in the venture business. Considering that the worldwide market is changing at an exceptional speed, the CFA test guarantees premium expert lead, moral norms, and global fiscal summary examination. The Level I test especially tests competitors on their capacity to associate their hypothetical comprehension with training. They must demonstrate their capacity for real-time analysis of the investment industry. Other significant ideas incorporate corporate money, abundance the executives, portfolio examination, protections investigation and valuation, financial aspects and quantitative techniques.

Candidates typically need more than three years to successfully complete the CFA Program. Each of the three levels requires determination and a commitment to at least 300 hours of study.

The CFA tests are held across the world in excess of 70 urban communities in December and north of 170 urban areas in the long stretch of June. Test centers are assigned to candidates based on where they prefer to be.

India’s metropolitan areas of New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Kolkata saw the greatest number of Level 1 test takers in 2022.

IndigoLearn is among the global leaders in international training for CPA, CFA,CMA, ACCA, Data Science & Analytics. It has helped over 500,000 professionals across the globe. With IndigoLearn, 9 out of 10 students pass their exams.

Article Source: cfa preparation

[alonsista]

Interlagos 2022, part 1: Getting to São Paulo... or how I *almost* met Fernando

I know I’m terribly late into writing this and everybody probably wants to leave 2022 behind, whether it’s about that depressing F1 season or life in general. However, after 16 years watching F1, I finally attended a race for the first time and of course it had to be the beloved Interlagos of my dreams!

Most importantly: I fulfilled my dream of seeing Fernando racing! I really never thought this would happen, given that he had previously retired from F1 before I could attend a Grand Prix and I was sure I would end up missing every chance to see Fernando before he retires again.

A lot happened leading up to Sunday, but I’m trying to keep my train of thought as coherent as possible... for now, let’s dive a little bit into what went on until I got to São Paulo, and I what actually mean with “almost meeting Fernando”!

As I’ve already said, I was never able to go see him race in São Paulo, and that’s because of me being a poor child living in the other side of a continental-size country. When Fernando left the sport, I had just turned 17 - still a minor with no money, and Interlagos 2018 was coincidentally held the same day as the national college entrance exam I took that year.

I passed the exam, and as a university student I was able to save some internship money, so I started planning to attend Interlagos since July 2020 - when Fernando announced his return to F1. Eventually, my plans for 2021 crumbled and I was very upset over not being there for Fernando’s first Brazilian GP since coming back to F1. However, I didn’t lose hope for 2022, all thanks to the two besties I met here on tumblr and who attended the race weekend with me: @dwaxi and @lewisleclerx.

Ticketing for Interlagos was and is always a bloodbath, a nightmare. They used to start selling it every April of the same year, but for the 2022 GP that changed to early December 2021. I was not confident in buying a ticket with an entire year in advance, but I’m glad I took the risk. They advertised the selling as a “pre-sale”, exclusive for those who subscribed for their newsletter and would later receive a code to enter the tickets website.

It turns out that the tickets went sold out during the pre-sale, which was reported on the news as a “mistake” as they somehow put ALL tickets on sale instead of a limited number. Obviously, this made a lot of people angry, as some had/chose to wait to buy later, as there were supposed to be additional sales being held throughout the year. A significant amount of people also had their orders cancelled by Eventim even after successfully paying and everything. That’s why I was very lucky to grab my tickets as early as possible!

From 2022, I was full on delusional mode when the season started. Ferrari winning races?! Charles leading the championship?? I thought this was going to be our year, everything seemed too good to be true. I was already dreaming of the WDC battle ending at Interlagos with Charles winning the title, but we all know what happened. Obviously, I was still extremely excited that I would get to see Fernando and all, but this season was so depressing to me that it threw me off a little, to the point I was expecting (or mentally preparing myself in advance) that Fernando would have a DNF there. Thankfully, Interlagos is always a star on its own - it’s the best race of the year, so I was holding onto that hope that I would not get disappointed because Interlagos always delivers. And boy, it did deliver.

Fast-fowarding to November, it was finally time to travel and of course I was freaking out with so much to do, yet still wanting to save my energy for the trip. I had plans for many handmade banners for Fernando, Pato, Drugo... but I had no time to work on that before leaving, as I packed my stuff as late as possible (spoiler: I did end up making the banners, but I’ll talk about that in another post). I printed a huge amount of pics and threw many paper sheets and other stationery into my suitcase and hoped for the best.

I did not want to give up on the ideas I had for a kpop style handmade tiara, but I also knew I would have no time for that in São Paulo. My mom helped and we made these tiaras in a hurry, I am not exaggerating - we finished these just an hour before I had to leave home for the bus station. Because yes, I had to go on a 4-hour bus trip before taking my 3-hour flight in another state.

I knew Fernando was going to host an event at his own circuit in Spain on Tuesday, so he would only have Wednesday or early Thursday to arrive in Brazil. I was definitely not counting on meeting him or the other drivers at the airport, but I was willing to shoot my shot in case there was a coincidence and I happened to arrive at the same time as any of them, in which case I would need to take the shuttle bus to the international terminal. 

In 2021, I heard that Fernando did not stop to talk to anyone, so I presumed he would do the same this year, which made me NOT stress over the small possibility of meeting him at the airport. I thought that was nearly impossible to happen, and even if it would happen he would simply not give a fuck, so I was completely fine and cool about it and had already accepted my fate with zero expectations. Except that he did arrive the same day as me, did talk to everyone there and even signed stuff for them.

Basically, I arrived at the airport at 1:30PM and Fernando arrived a few hours before, at 8AM or something. I’m so glad he was in a good mood and all, but I would be lying if I said I’m not dying of jealousy of everyone who was there. I guess it was really not meant to be. It’s just one of those things I’ll never get over, you know? It’s so unfortunate. If only I had took a different flight and arrived earlier...

So, yeah. You can imagine how I was going through all stages of grief at once, but I had to let that go and board the plane quickly, as I was already in the boarding gate when I found out about Fernando’s arrival. My flight seemed so calm until we got to the last half an hour and I swear those 30 minutes of turbulences scared the shit out of me. To the point that after arrival I spent the next hour still shaking a bit. Gotta love São Paulo and its bizarre weather.

As soon as I arrived at the airport in São Paulo, I was welcomed by this ad from Aston Martin & Drugo’s sponsors, XP, which reads “investing for Brazil to get back on the grid”. Let me tell you, that was such a good marketing that I got chills. It was the reality check I didn’t know I needed - I was there and it was going to happen, FINALLY. It really hit me that I was going to attend a race weekend for the first time. I also immediately thought, “Drugo has a plan!” and I need him in F1 so bad, so my delusional ass was more than happy to see that ad. Also, what a coincidence that that’s Fernando’s new team. IIRC AM now has 2 Brazilian sponsors, hopefully they’ll do some brand promotions with Fernando too.

Before I finish this post, I have a tip for anyone travelling to São Paulo, whether you’re from Brazil or not. If you arrive at GRU and want to save some money on transportation, take the Airport Express (Expresso Aeroporto). Look for the shuttle bus sign (see pic below) when you’re outside and ask the bus driver if they’re going to the train station or to another terminal (since there are 2 types of shuttle buses). Take the bus going to the train station (or CPTM) and you’ll arrive there in ~15 minutes, for free.

You can buy the train tickets at the station or by using this ticket machine (FYI, the machine accepts only debit cards). This special train departs every full hour (2:00PM, 3:00PM and so on), the itinerary and the hours open are very limited, so make sure to know beforehand where and when you’ll be going. You most probably will still need to ask for an Uber ride later, but it might be a lot cheaper as you’ll get closer to your destination (the GRU airport is far from downtown, I mean, it’s not even in São Paulo, it’s located in Guarulhos!)

Anyway, I definitely wrote too much but if you actually read all of it, I hope this “part 1″ was not a waste of time <3 I am also hoping that I’ll still be in the mood for writing, I do want to write about it all and not give up in the middle of it. The race weekend was really amazing and I don’t think I’ll ever shut up about it - it’s something I want to remember and cherish for a long time.

If you’re curious about something specific, feel free to let me know - I always get lost in my thoughts and end up writing or talking too much about irrelevant things, and I feel like this post was full of it, so it’d be great to know what you guys want to hear about.

[musicisforthesoul]

The "YEG" Experience (Summer 2023)

This is Part 1 of my 2023 Year-End Blog Series. Hope you enjoy the read! :)

Having visited Edmonton in the Winter of 2022, I was very eager to go back simply for the fact that there were just so many fond memories made the first time I was there. From all food adventures and starting a shared food IG account (which really needs to be updated since it be lacking food posts lately…), to the super fun (but often painful) attempts at learning how to downhill ski, cross-country ski, and skate, and everything else in-between, it was the definitive highlight of 2022 for me. While it was an eventual goal of mine to one-day come back, career goals and aspirations took precedence over planning a trip to Alberta. Since starting a Master of Financial Economics at the University of Western Ontario in the Fall of 2022, it has been a constant grind of studying, completing assignments, writing exams, preparing job application documents, applying for (co-op) jobs, networking, preparing for interviews… all for the hard work and preparation to end with a ‘thank you for your interest in this role, but we have moved on with other candidates… don’t forget to fill out this survey about your application experience!”.  As futile as it felt to painstakingly rinse and repeat the job application process, only to have 9 out of 10 of your applications get rejected, there will always be an opportunity out there. Even if it may be 1 interview out of 99 rejection letters, that 1 chance can be the golden ticket for you to achieve great things… so take the opportunities you get and prepare for them as if its your last.

Aside: Although this blog post was not meant to be some sort of inspirational TED Talk, may this small little tangent be a light of inspiration for those who are dealing with similar circumstances. Please remember to never give up and keep giving it your all! Your hard work and dedication will be rewarded 😊

The ‘one’ opportunity I had led me to a summer internship at a company based in Edmonton. Killing two birds with one stone, not only was this an opportunity to build my career, but it also gave me the opportunity to visit Alberta… this time, in the Summer. And so, this began my 4-week Alberta Adventure: Summer 2023 Edition.

Week 1: Calgary Stampede

The first week in Alberta started with a visit to Calgary to experience the Calgary Stampede. It definitely felt like a bigger, better, more extravagant version of the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE). The shows were quite nice to watch (such as the motorcross, dogs how, and miniature horse show) but I suppose the most interesting thing was seeing an EDM concert in the evening. I guess I can check-off seeing a bunch of attendees wearing cowboy/cowgirl attire vibing to techno music from my bucket list.

Week 2: Banff

One thing to note whenever you plan to visit Banff National Park is to plan ahead, especially during peak times when kids are out of school or when families are booking their vacations. Case in point? Not having the foresight to book the reservations needed to visit Lake Louise and Moraine Lake… since personal vehicles are no longer allowed to visit Moraine Lake and parking is now super limited at Lake Louise (to preserve and protect the surrounding wildlife). Major major major shoutout to Jenny and Stephen (who will be mentioned a lot in this blog because they are the most amazing people ever) for dealing with my shenanigans and be willing to wake up at 3am to drive all the way from Calgary to Lake Louise so that I can at least see Lake Louise. You guys are truly the best <3

Day 1 was spent in Banff Town (or the Town of Banff), since we could not go to Lake Louise or Moraine Lake (since a reservation was needed and everything was already fully booked the day-of when checking for availability while trying to get into the national park). Nonetheless, it was still a fun experience to hike around Bow Falls, bask in the surroundings of Tunnel and Sulphur Mountain, and feeling like a tourist by buying good deals at the now-liquidated Hudson’s Bay in the town. The highlight of the day had to be relaxing in the Banff Upper Hot Springs after a day of hiking… Nothing feels better than relaxing in a natural hot spring after a tiring day. Definitely wished I could have experienced the hot spring in the Winter, but I guess all the more reason to come back again in the Winter!

Day 2 was action-packed, starting at 3am with the hopes of getting one of the limited parking spots at Lake Louise. Despite arriving as early as 6am, we probably nabbed the 3rd or 4th available spot… so, if you ever decide to drive to Lake Louise, go early! (otherwise, you might be waiting a while for people to leave) Our efforts to beat the crowd was rewarded with a stunning view of Lake Louise during sunrise.

In an attempt to find better views (and to enjoy the area while we were there), we decided to embark on a hike that was supposed to be somewhat quick, not too difficult, and would end with nice scenery to take pictures of. Instead, my small brain decided to take the trail that said “Louise” not knowing that it went the OPPOSITE DIRECTION of where Lake Louise was.

A 3-hour, 6km hike in the wet marshes without hiking boots later… we were back to where we parked the car filled with as much regret as the amount of water that seeped through our shoes. Despite this blunder, we still ended up hiking the short but nice Fairview Lookout trail, where it gave a beautiful view of Lake Louise and the historic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.

Overall, ‘twas fun and rewarding visit to Banff National Park. Though the absence of snow may take away from the magical atmosphere of the Canadian Rockies, experiencing Banff in the Summer has its own unique charms filled with gorgeous sunsets and a plethora of fun and rewarding hikes.

Week 3: Chasing Summer

When Jenny had asked me a few months before my Alberta trip, whether I was interested in going to Chasing Summer, I didn’t even hesitate in my response. I simply said “Sure, I’m down” without even realizing what I was actually signing up for. Only after I got confirmation that tickets were bought and plans were being made, did I realize that I agreed to going to a 2-day EDM festival. Had I ever gone to rave before? Nope. Was I nervous about the experience? Not going to lie, yeah, I was a bit anxious. Do I have any regrets? Absolutely not. Would I do it all over again? Definitely.

Before the weekend of Chasing Summer, the rave crew got together to make kandi. Honestly, it was a fun night of making really unique and well-designed bracelets while also having the chance to get to know the people I would be raving with in a few days time. I really should’ve made more generic bracelets to actually give out since I swear, I put too much thought and effort that I felt obliged to keep most of the ones I made… the ‘SOJU’ one especially.

At this point, I was still a little nervous leading up to the weekend of the rave, but at least I knew who I would be going with… and knowing that they’re super chill and quite fun to be around, I felt quite at ease.

No blog is complete without some food pics. Here are some pictures of sushi taken from Ari Sushi the evening before the festival:

Day 1 of the festival arrives, and we all made our preparations. The theme of the day? Neon and black. After an hour or two of pre-drinking baijiu and vodka, we were ready to attend the festival.

The lineup for Day 1 included the likes of ARMNHMR, Gryffin, James Hype and Tiësto (the headliner). From when the sun was up to when it set, the atmosphere was electric. It really felt like how I imagined an EDM festival would be: people screaming, dancing, vibing to each and ever single beat and bass drop. The pre-drinking really did help as I don’t know if I would’ve felt the same vibes if I didn’t feel some sort of buzz. It definitely helped that we somehow ended up near the stage which made it all the more intense to be vibing while being blasted by the music in full force. I feel like the amount of cardio I achieved from one day of raving was equivalent to the amount I would normally get in a week… just pure jumping and dancing in sea of ravers who were looking for a good time. With the completion of Chasing Summer Day 1, I felt thrilled to do it all-over again the second day.

The theme for day 2 was Pastel and White. Compared to Day 1, I turned up my drinking game (since I opted out of doing weed or molly). In a 7-hour span, I left no opportunity to sober up as every chance I got, I chugged soju, Smirnoff Ice, or vodka, as if I was drinking water. It was probably smart not to chug the Baijiu since that thing burns you like any hard liquor would.

The second day was definitely a bigger blur for me given how particularly drunk and tipsy I was the entire time. Nonetheless, I know for sure that the vibes were at an all-time high with nobody slowing down even after an intense day 1. I probably can’t describe in words how amazing the experience was, but luckily the photos that were taken will hopefully suffice. As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

To cap off a weekend of raving, we visited an alpaca farm before heading home!

What made this experience so incredibly memorable were the people I had the privilege of going with. To Jeremy, Amy, Josh, Jasmine, Johhny, Jenny, and Chuulie, thank you all for making my first-ever rave experience one that I’ll never forget. Feeding off all your energy and vibes, I had the time of my life dancing, screaming, and shouting to the electric lineup of ARMNHMR, Gryffin, Tiësto, and Zedd. Thank you for also being so kind and super fun. I know that I was simply a guy from Ontario who was ‘just visiting’ but you all made me feel included and for that, I’m eternally grateful. I hope that one day we can reunite, and you would allow me to join you guys again to dance and scream the night away at another rave/EDM festival. Miss you all <3

Week 4: Drumheller

The final week of my Alberta Adventures took me to Drumheller, the Dinosaur Capital of the World! Visiting the Royal Tyrrell Museum and the Hoodoos, it was stunning to see how pretty the landscape was despite being considered an area where things scarcely grow.

As 2023 comes to a close and I reflect on the many great memories made this year (particularly during my trip to Alberta), I want to thank all the great friends that I was able to spend time with. To LJ, thank you for many sports talks and the one time we were able to play tennis… in the rain. To Jeremy and Amy, it was super nice to see you two again and thank you oh so much for the many fun memories! From being able to help out for the Delish Cup, to making kandi, to Chasing Summer and of course, the weeks of playing ultimate frisbee, a huge part of why my Alberta trip was amazing was because of you two! To Josh and Jasmine, thank you for being such kind-hearted souls and super fun people to be around! Playing ultimate frisbee and going to Chasing Summer will always be something I’ll cherish! To Johhny, thank you for your loveable energy and vibes and for making my first-ever rave experience one I’ll never forget (also thank you for keeping me alive when I was drunk out of my mind). Last but not least, to Jenny and Stephen, thank you so much for your amazing hospitality and the many great adventures we went on while I was in Alberta. Through all the good and sometimes not-so-good times, thank you for being such amazing amazing people. I hope to visit your new house one day!

With that, looking forward to what adventures await in 2024!