#idk the name of the ski instructor

[ai-higurashi]

Dropping my Undergu Empire OC before tomorrow, when it's revealed the whole empire was just those five weirdoes all along or something.

Anyways, her name is Caprikon and she's a recruiter and an instructor for the Undergu Empire's army.

She doesn't usually directly attack weaklings but, unlike Minoton, it's not out of some sense of honor or anything like that. She simply doesn't feel like they're worth going all out if they can't put up an interesting challenge.

Regardless, she finds amusing to humour them, pretending to be more on par with their abilities, just so she can watch them build themselves up and then inevitably crash once they get way too over their heads. This makes her appear kind and friendly, especially to younger recruits, even though she's usually condescending and deep down doesn't really respect them much.

When she finds strong opponents she's more than thrilled to actually throw hands herself though, and you know she actually respects someone when she doesn't hold herself back.

[amid-fandoms]

idk if this makes sense but dan is jealous in a dad way and phil is jealous in a mom way. gender roles arent real but their different jealousies remind me of my parents, dan’s jealous when people are actually flirting with phil (mollie from the saturdays wanting to move in with phil) or when phil acknowledges someone else’s hotness or fatedness (sam the surfer, hypothetical sim ski instructor) but phil’s jealousy is rooted in him being insane (dan befriending someone else with his same name)

😭😭😭 the fact that this makes sense is making my head spin

something specific with dan is he always gets jealous over real people and never over imaginary stuff or in-game relationships, which is important to differentiate

with phil, he’s a lot more chill most of the time but you never know where and when the jealousy is gonna come and it’s always over something completely stupid

[stranger-park]

This was fun to do c:

www.spandme.com

[drewstarkey]

après ski - r.c.

in which y/n is a ski instructor who loves to party and rafe is the one she parties with. part one

après ski - noun, the social activities and entertainment following a day's skiing.

authors note: canon rafe? idk her. also the appearing pogues and the kooks don’t know each other in this. there will be a part 2, this is kind of just them getting to know each other and playful flirting!! mentions of harsh language, alcohol.

—

When he first spotted you, you were teaching a class of little kids to go down a beginners slope. You weren’t exactly hard to miss with the red ski outfit all instructors had to wear. A little of your hair peaked out underneath the helmet, and you were yelling at a little boy to stay with the group. Rafes eyes followed you as he skied past, not knowing if he’d made eye contact because of the reflective glasses you had on.

Oh, you had spotted him, you’d spotted him the day before at the spa. He and his friend were pretty hard to miss being loud Americans in Switzerland. You and your friend Kiara were chilling in the hot tub after a cold day when they walked in. right then and there you decided that the one with the broad shoulders and coral colored swimming shorts would not leave without a make out session, or at least a little flirting. When you spotted him turning his head while going down the mountain, you knew you had to make this happen.

“Hey you two blondes, come over here!” She said while flashing a stunning smile. You gave her a look that said “oh my god what are you doing” but she only put her hand open under the table for a high five, and you didn’t leave her hanging. Truth be told, you and kie were each others best wingmen and she wasn’t letting this moment go by. The others, JJ, John B and Pope, all rolled their eyes at the situation, as this happened at least weekly.

You learned that their names were Rafe and Topper, which you and JJ definitely made fun of, not realizing those are apparently normal names in the South where they are from. “So, shots?” John B offered.

When you came back from the bathroom it seemed like some sort of drinking game was going on. Kie and Pope were screaming at eachother and you soon discovered that they were playing 30 Seconds. “Looks like you’ll have to team up with me, Y/N” Rafe said while moving over to make room for you on the bench. You sat down, it was a tight spot and you and Rafe legs were definitely touching. “You better not let me down, Cameron”.

Okay, singer who has red hair!" you looked at Rafe with a puzzled face, "...from the UK, sings love songs!?" at this point he was yelling. "Ed Sheeran!" you laughed. "Yes!!" You gave eachother high fives and a half hug, that surprised you. "For fucks sake, they are too good" JJ said while chugging his 4rd beer because they lost. 

Two hours and a bunch of drinking later it was time to go. "Okay guys I think it's time to go down a slope if we wanna take the lift up to the right mountain and not climb to our condo" Kie said. At this point everyone was tipsy or even drunk and it was only 7:30pm. What didn't help was that none of them had had a proper dinner.

Two hours and a bunch of drinking later it was time to go. "Okay guys I think it's time to go down a slope if we wanna take the lift up to the right mountain and not climb to our condo" Kie said. At this point everyone was tipsy or even drunk and it was only 7:30pm. What didn't help was that none of them had had a proper dinner.

Two hours and a bunch of drinking later it was time to go. "Okay guys I think it's time to go down a slope if we wanna take the lift up to the right mountain and not climb to our condo" Kie said. At this point everyone was tipsy or even drunk and it was only 7:30pm. What didn't help was that none of them had had a proper dinner.

Once everyone got their gear on, they were ready to go. You and the other ski instructors were pretty used to going down slopes tipsy or even drunk. It wasn't necessarily safe, but because you were professionals, it wasn't dangerous either. While walking to the slope Rafe dropped his ski's multiple times which slowed you both down. "I do not have the time for this Rafe oh my god!" "Sorry, I just keep getting distracted" He laughed. You rolled your eyes. Kie turned around and gave you a look, asking if it was okay to leave you with him, and you just gave her a thumbs up.

"So, what are good places to go clubbing tonight?" He asked. "Depends, what is your definition of good?" You looked up at him, god he was tall. "You being there would be a good start" He smirked while putting on his goggles. “We’ll see about that” You smiled and blew him a kiss while going down the mountain.

tagging some mutuals: @maybankiara @kaceyjost @angellissy @honeyycheek @sunsetholland @whyjaskier @jellyfishbeansontoast @stfukie @babytkachuks @ilovejjmaybank @annab-nana @spilledtee @northernstarkey @pixelated-pogues @luke-alvez @surferkie @maddiecline @rosylinn @starrystarkey93 @myshalifoe @kiedhara

[battylite]

uma @thatbluelight​ tagged me and imma do it right now because I woke up super early! 

name: DQ

starsign: libra  

hogwarts house: reluctant slytherin (i hhate that I know this)

favorite animal: horses. otherwise bats.

dogs or cats: probably dogs because I only have a dog right now but I really want a cat (though honestly my next pet will probably be another whippet related to my current dog) 

when you made your blog: I’ve been on tumblr since like 2009 (i think) and I had a crew. And then there was beef and I deleted and this one in like 2014 maybe? honestly idk 

why you made your blog: I think it was like a diary...? no idea

reason for your url: it’s a cheap college beer pun. i just think it’s clever.

what i am wearing: joggers and a bra 

dream vacation: probably skiing w/ friends somewhere fun.

instruments: bass, drums, and piano. guitar but badly.

celebrity crushes: Gillian Anderson. Jake Johnson is boyfriend material. dave bayley...

what’s your job: solar energy engineer, dressage trainer/instructor

if you could go back to school would you: literally no fucking way I think my three college degrees are gonna do it for me

a job you had that would surprise people: I used to work at a bat rehab? 

do you think aliens are real: statistically, yes. 

what’s your guilty pleasure: pissing off my friends and veep 

tattoos: seven maybe? none that are notable

any phobias: I’m a complete hypochondriac does that count?? otherwise wasps 

do you talk to yourself: no, I’m really quiet when I’m alone. I do laugh really loudly tho

what movie do you adore: I, Tonya 

the first thing you remember you wanted to be when you grew up: it was definitely a dog trainer. and now my dog is completely untrained because she never does anything 

hmm tagging @wrapyourselfinpetals andd @toorational :) 

[lcywcllce-blog]

❛ phoebe tonkin, 28, cisfemale, she/her ❜ ― was that lucy wallace? the ski instructor got into town on november first. rumor has it they can be ambitious + bossy, and you get flashes of round sunglasses, the smell of hot cocoa, soft curled hair, and chapstick when they walk by.

hey everyone what is UP my name is kiki and this post probably ain’t showing up in the tags but yolo. i’m bringing y’all a trash bag named lucy wallace. everyone hate her.

she’s originally from asheville, nc.

her fam owns a ski resort down there and she attended app state university.

she really didn’t need to bc she’d always have a job working at the resort but she did it anyway cause it was expected.

girl loves the snow and cold weather. summer? ew. she loves to teach people how to ski, especially kids. idk why.

lucy decided she needed a change of scenery bc she had her heart broken by a dumb boy so she applied to the ski resort and here she is in blackfrost since nov 1st.

she’s BUBBLY. she’s ANNOYING. she thinks y’all northerners are foolish.

she will have a crisis if she loses her burt’s bees chapstick like, it IS armageddon.

she’s a capricorn so do with that what you will.

i mean ngl she can be a lil petty at times especially if she doesn’t like you or something but hey, aren’t we all?

idk what else to add? she’s new?

plot with us.

[elizabethsharmon]

*shows up a couple of days later with 6 random facts about me*

So I was tagged by @srodvlv, @lepetitepeach, @surrealsunday, @eliottdemaurys, @lallemanting and @oheliotts oof that's a lot of people, thank you all so much ❤️❤️❤️

Post 6 random facts about yourself and tag your 10 favorite followers

1. I had quite hectic first half of the year because I had to write my master's thesis and let me tell you that writing, going to classes and keeping up with skam france is NOT a good combination. It would either take me 1h to write 2 pages or 6h to write 1 sentence, there was no in between, and clips would usually drop right when I was about to start writing (jeudi 17h32, I'm looking at you in particular) so I guess you're welcome. Then, finally, just as I was nearing my supervisor's deadline it was time for 4x10 so NO CLIPS FOR 3 DAYS which meant to me no distractions which resulted in 18 PAGES IN 3 DAYS and I could finally finish it 🤧 what's the best thing about that is that those 18 pages were exactly about skam and remakes because my whole thesis was about television 2.0 and about the impact of technological progress and social media on tv show and fandoms and one chapter was focused on transmedia storytelling and what's the best example of it??? SKAM. I also had to make a survey and I had 600 responses and overall like 450 REALLY LONG answers to open questions because at the time I thought it's a good idea ha ha hahahahah but yeah, 6 months and 95 pages later I was finally done and my supervisor decided to email me that he accepts the final version and I can upload it and print it right when I was in Paris waiting for the end of school skamfr party sdgkkjdsd (I didn't tell him that I added a paragraph later after talking to David but I think he wouldn't care) and basically after flying back home I had a few hours to edit the document, print the whole thing, and go to him to sign some documents and then a week to learn 90 topics from 5 years of studies so ugh this was such a mess but I survived (this got so long I'll try to keep the other points brief afhkhdsfh)

2. I've learnt French for 11 years (I stopped 2 years ago) but I'm really struggling with writing and talking cause my brain provides English words and I'm just afjssfkkgssfhk but I understand like 90% from what I read and hear so that's good at least... and it helped me a lot, especially with grammar and other rules, when I was learning Spanish and Italian so that's something (though I only remember how to say "unfortunately I can't, I have to study" and "could you peel off the potatoes?" in Italian adgkhfadgk)

3. I self-taught myself basics of vector graphics in 24h so I could edit a template and design a more Pro resume, hoping that it would finally help me get a job and since I now know a little bit about it, I also added that I know how to use this programme on my CV sdhkjvssfjkvssgkncss I'm such a disaster, let's not talk about it

4. I absolutely love swimming but I hate indoor pools and going out with wet hair so I usually have to wait a year or so to finally go on holidays somewhere Mediterranean to just swim for a whole week and chill and read books

5. When I was 10 or something, I went with my parents and family friends and some other people on an organized skiing trip to Italy. I was never a skilled skier and I was young and didn't really had ANY real skills but somehow those idiots (aka instructors and organizers) put me in the INTERMEDIATE group and they took us to red slope which was basically ICE and well, I fell off the safety net and luckily there was a part of some rock or sth, idk the terminology, sticking out of the mountain which was basically the only thing that saved me from falling down the abyss... anyway luckily my brain was working and I remembered how to call for help in English and someone noticed me and called for help so I was saved (and I got to ride on the snowmobile!!! Literally the only thing my brain registered then) and I went back to skiing the next day and I was skiing for the next couple of years until my brain finally registered that I almost died and trauma took over so yeah, I'll probably never ski again. That's something I don't usually tell people because they either don't believe me or start joking about it

6. I was cyber bullied recently to leave the groupchat I spent a lot of time in practically every day for the last couple of months. For a couple of days my heart was beating so fast that I thought I'd have to go to hospital, I was feeling like I was floating over my body, and my insomnia hasn't been that bad since high school... yet those people say they did it because they "care"... I don't see how calling names, pulling out screenshots from few months ago without the context, stalking my blog and blocking me on every social media could be called "caring" but I'm glad they at least showed their true face when I was nothing but straightforward with everyone from the beginning. So if you're still stalking my blog and reading this: think of the consequences of your actions and fuck you

I'm really late to the party so I think everyone already did this so I'm not gonna tag anyone 

[changji]

Wow you really went off the other day but at least it was worth it 😪 I normally look at the scenery when I’m on a road trip, but then I get bored of it and decide to sleep bc there’s nothing else to do. Motion sickness must suck :(( do you take gravol or something to help with it? Coffee literally drains the life out of my funds it hurts me

Yes omg pls make me cookies I love them. Maybe you can even open a bakery with pastries and sell some good /cheap/ coffee. Ilyt my dear baker 🥺 ye I’m not the biggest fan of my bday either but gotta celebrate anyway!! One year closer to death woohoo 🎉🎉 your birthday is the most important day of the year!!! You can’t fight me on this I’m right

Pearls are so good. Like most places I go to don’t add anything to the pearls so it’s just bland squishy balls but the place I frequent adds I think honey to sweeten them. It gives the pearls life istg. It tastes so good 🤤 hollering is a funny word. For some reason I always associate it with yodelling which makes me laugh

Ksks you must be op if you can make a joke in the wall with a door slam. I can’t relate my arms are literally sticks and I have no strength in me. Chrome books are terrible in general. Add my schools terrible wifi and you get one big recipe for disaster. I’d never fight u either (unless it’s for your bday) ily too much for that 🥺🥺🥺

Hahah I think it’s me. I haven’t heard anyone say “go ham” except for the people who go to my school. I find it really funny tho so I try to incorporate it whenever I can LOL easily burnt? Can’t relate but apparently I easily tan. There’s this one diagonal stripe on my shoulder that separates pale me and tan me which ??? How did that happen and what was I wearing for that to happen??

It’s all fun and games until you go outside and see a mountain of snow waiting for you to be shovelled. But there are some good aspects to winter, like skating and skiing and all that fun stuff. Snow is so heavy?? Or maybe I’m just weak but after I finish shovelling I’m beat. Gardening is not my thing. There’s too many bugs involved flying around 🥴

Kind of? I always thought it was short for cappuccino but I could be wrong. They don’t taste like fraps tho, they’re sm better. I was always a frap hoe until I discovered lattes. My old elementary school was close to a Starbucks so whenever frappy hour was happening, my friends and I would go almost every day LOL

I heard that dunkin coffee is really good. Oof there’s so many things that the us have that Canada doesn’t. But apparently you guys don’t have ketchup chips?? How can one live without them? You know that’s what soulmates are, we’re stuck together forever and I don’t mind that. I’d never leave you 😌😌

YES OMG LATTES ARE SO EXPENSIVE. I pay around the same amount and my wallet cries every time. If you ever yeet yourself off a bridge I’d come visit u in hell and bring u iced coffee 💖 we really are soulmates wtf I get almond milk in my lattes as well!! I used to get normal milk and was like “I’m a bad bitch milk can’t hurt me” but that didn’t really work out. Sigh what we do for coffee 😔

Washing dishes is disgusting. I hate doing them but yk someone’s gotta do it and that someone is me 😤 I’m acc lazy when it comes to smoothies, I usually ask my mom to make them LMAO. Pancakes are pretty much made of flour if you think about it so technically when u eat one plain ur eating cooked flour,, how barbaric. Waffles are Built. Like. They have a 20 pack 😪😪

I love angst personally so pls go ham but not too ham I’d like to keep my heart. Honestly at this point my last brain cell has given up on me. But yes I love angst and I love torturing myself with heart wrenching angst that leaves me crying into my pillow at 3am (I’m talking about this one haikyuu fic that I forgot the name of. I was literally dying inside jalsjwo)

Pls do send me peet’s I’ll send you an iced capp in a cooler so it’ll be somewhat melted and probably spilt everywhere 🤪 tumblrs probably gonna block me again, I’m looking at how much I’ve typed rn and it’s a lot lmaoo. Yes I managed to save myself. I redid the whole last with less detail bc I was not Having It but it turned out better?? How is ur drawing now?

I start after labour day in September. But starting in 3 weeks?????? On a Thursday?? I could never wtf. When do you end? I’m so confused with these ap and honours thing, like there’s none offered in my school nor majority of the school district. Are they just advanced classes or something? It is 7 classes a semester or the whole year?

Stan talent i think you meant yourself??? Jsjsksk I am not only ur coffee soulmate I’m not #1 fan as well and I support u bc ily 🥺🥺 the read more tag had me laughing for a hot minute. Like we really could make an essay out of all of our replies. I don’t have any pets (besides fish does that count?) unfortunately bc my moms allergic to fur 🥺 hbu?? (I can’t believe tumblr blocked me again they can fight me)

-

i didn’t even pay LOL i freeloaded off my cousin 🤧 i like to look @ scenery sometimes but like i can’t bc my head hurts LOL and the scenery is always the same for me, mountains and fields with cows. i try to take dramamine but it makes me so drowsy that i’m just basically dead,,, i live off of my cousins money so i’m okay 🤪

tbh i use nestle toll house pre made cookie dough, like that shit actually slaps. it’s the best it’s so good omg, perfect for lazy hoes 🤧 death here we go ! the order is ur bday, then skz debut date, and then christmas i don’t make the rules sorry sis 😤

pearls are Dangerous, i once drank a smoothie and there were pearls in it and i couldn’t see them bc there were like. only 3 and they were Buried under the smoothie but i choked and almost died but i chewed one of them and it’s like. so weird. HOLLERING AND YODELING IM- i once went to some public yodeling class and left in 2 seconds bc it was a bunch of white boys dressed like the kid from walmart 😪

it’s not even strength i’m actually rly weak,, i always think the doors are closed but they’re not and so i like slam them open and the walls are thin so it’s just. a sad hole. terrible wifi,, my school has pretty good wifi tbh but we have like three connections, one for the chrome books only, one for the teachers & staff, and one for students and guests. like it works rly good but everyone has a VPN bc of stupid social media restrictions 😤 & ilyt 🥺 u would probably win in a fight tho LOL

go ham is so interesting. the first time i heard it i thought it meant go pig and i was so confused but ig,,, i live lathered in sun screen whenever i go somewhere with the sun. ppl are like “i smell sun screen” and im just there like 🙃 it’s me u got a problem u burnt chicken nugget ??? i wish i tanned easily, i have a tan friend and when i showed her when my legs got tan she was so confused. i thought i was tan tho? bc during marching band season my sock tan becomes So Bad i’m basically white. she said she was blinded when she saw me pull my sock down and i laughed so hard LOL & i hate those dumb random tan lines like. where u @ bro? where u come from??

snow is fun for like a day and then i get tired LOL i csn only handle wet socks and a red nose for so long 😔 i tried skiing one time and i did so bad that the instructor had to hold me down and walk with me down the slope. i fell so many times i think he hated me 😳 i’m also rly bad at skating? i went w my friends once and i held both of their hands and still managed to bring both of them down when i fell. a cute guy once helped me when i was struggling to walk so 🥴 not my brightest moment tbh,, trying to walk in skates while on ice. do u enjoy skiing/skating? also gardening is. gross. worms and dirt and the sun i’m not here for it.

u: cappuccinos! me: ...ice bergs,,, now that i think about it fraps kinda suck,,, i used to think i was So Cool for drinking starbucks but now i’m like. wow. i used to think there was coffee in a frap but it’s just. sugar and ice LOL also speaking of tmrw is bogo fraps here,, idk if it’s all over the world but myb u should check it out 😪

dunkins okay it depends on what you get, i once got an iced latte and it was good but my dad got an iced coffee and he like. hated it so we had to switch and it was so bad like. it was coffee crime. it was horrible and not strong it was basically milk 😤 also,, ketchup chip? i just googled what that was and. that’s literally so weird. fun fact i hate ketchup and all other condiments i can only eat bbq sauce and i tolerate steak sauce

UR LITERALLY SO CUTE OKAY UR MINE NOW HHHH

i mentioned this in the other ask but. we going broke bitches club 😪 when u come visit me it’ll be old town road the one w mason ramsey on a loop. nothing will top the og remix but no, i’ll be stuck listening to some 5 year old rap for all of eternity

I USED TO BE SUCH A GOOD KID AND DRINK MILK EVERY MORNING ever since i got to middle school i preferred sleep over waffles and milk and i hardly drink milk but when i do. my stomach does not have it.

my mom made me wash dishes today and she just stared at me when i put ziploc bags on my hands bc we didn’t have gloves but i just painted my nails and i’m not abt to put myself thru chipped nails. not yet 😤 waffles are so good like i love waffles and lattes only 🤧

well i’ll go very ham (am i doing it right LOL) 😤 the angst ending is a lot better than the open ended or happy ones LOL i’m so excited for it 🥺 i’m rly tryna get it out before the end of this month bc the edit says july and it’ll make me Mad if i don’t get it out before the end of this month

i wanna start in september 🤧 and i usually end in the first week of june. also on a wednesday LOL it’s gross. stupid. ap means advanced placement so it’s just. a college level class. lowkey mad bc i’m taking ap euro (as a sophomore 😒) and other schools take it in their senior years? apparently this is normal? and honors are just faster paced classes with more weighting so,, idrk oops 😬 some people take 7 classes in a semester but i took it for the whole year! this year i’m dropping orchestra i’m Not for that spit in the carpet life

the only talent in this house goes by ada and jisung. i don’t make the rules. i’m ur #1 fan 🥺 as soon as u post anything i automatically smash that rb button LOL also put a read more here bc like. we’re really out here writing a whole ass essay. i’ll look @ all our convos bet it’ll be like. a lot. i don’t wanna say smth and be off so i’ll just not. i have a dog! he’s the cutest in the world and i love him sm 🥺 tumblr can fight me first like. what’s this ask limit bull hhhhh

[percyjcksn]

i was tagged by @pipermcbadass, thank you!!

Name: natalie or nat

Star Sign: taurus

Gender: female

Height: ....5 feet

Sexuality: straight

Wallpaper: my lockscreen is a picture of my dog, and my homescreen is a picture of the hong kong skyline. the wallpaper on my laptop is just one of the yosemite wallpapers the computer already has haha

Where you see yourself in 10 years: hopefully in new york city

If you could be anywhere else right now, where: in hong kong

What was your coolest Halloween costume: i never really liked halloween tbh but in fourth grade, i wore hannah montana’s sequin dress from the movie and at the time i really liked wearing it so

What’s your favourite 90′s TV Show: ...... i don’t have one

Last Kiss: haven’t had my first kiss yet

Have you ever been stood up: nope

Have you ever been to Las Vegas: yes!

Favourite pair of shoes: my over-the-knee black boots

Favourite fruit: mangoes 

Favourite book: forever and always, The Last Olympian

Stupidest thing you’ve ever done: when i was learning how to ski in like fifth grade, i was supposed to cross the width of the ski slope (so not down), but i accidentally ended up actually skiing down the slope and crashed into the legs of a ski instructor (idk if this makes sense lol)

Favourite gif: i don’t really have one so i just chose this one nsjsjdjd

I tag: @percyvannabeth @ethanakamura @demigodslife and anyone else who wants to do it!!

[builder051]

I adore prompt number 22

Nice choice!  Here we’ll have Jason shivering his way through finals week with a fever.

I am running into a tid of a timeline problem, though (and it’s totally my own fault).  I’m doing my best to write these in the order the asks come in, but for whatever reason, I really mixed up the prompts with gen, Thanksgiving, and winter themed ones (seriously, I’m not sure what I was thinking there.)  Since finals week is usually something like the first week of December, I’m really stepping into the future here with this story, seeing as it is currently not yet Halloween.  There have been a lot of Colby requests, and I’d like to write something about the Deangeles kids at Thanksgiving, so I think I’m just going to own up to the time fuck up and say yes, this is the future, and I will eventually get these guys back into the present.  So, I’m really sorry.  Ignore me.  Enjoy the story.

And I’m so sorry for the tease at the end!  It just…felt like the right place to wrap up.  And this is supposed to be a fever one, not an emeto one anyway.

___

The library’s silence is soothing.  Jason lowers his forehead to the open textbook in front of him and shuts his eyes for a moment.  It’s only 4:30 in the afternoon.  He shouldn’t be this sleepy.  But then again, he shouldn’t be shivering with his coat on in a heated building, either.

Jason’s phone vibrates, jolting him back into paying attention.

Colby: Are you done snotting all over your tests?  Come home!

Jason wishes he could just jump in his car and drive home.  He’s been at it since morning, and the finals week block schedule is kicking his feverish ass.  It’s been two hours on, one hour off since 8 this morning, and he still has one more exam to sit today.  And two more tomorrow.

Jason: At 7.  I have one more to go.

Colby: That’s cruel and unusual punishment.  It’s already dark outside!

It’s an exaggeration.  The library’s picture windows frame the beginnings of a twilight sunset, orange touching the undersides of grey clouds and contrasting with the dusky blue sky.  Jason can’t look for long, though, because his nose starts dripping and demands attention from a Kleenex.

Colby: Feeling any better?

After holding in sneezes and shivering in his seat through the first three tests, Jason’s feeling the worst he has all day.  He’s out of cough drops, low on tissues, and doesn’t trust his stomach enough to get a bowl of soup or a cup of coffee from the student union.  He’s beyond ready to start complaining.

Jason: No!  I’m burrowing down for all 12 hours I get before this starts again tomorrow…Fuck this schedule!

Colby: Yeah, idk how u won the lottery with that one.  A 2-day week, but 4 exams in one day…might want to complain to admin.  Maybe that’s what’s making u sick.

Jason: Who knows…  Just hope I don’t die in the next couple hours.

Colby:  Please don’t.  I’d be v sad.  There’s a crying emoji face at the end of the message.

Jason sniffs and wipes his nose, careful not to soak through the precious tissue.  The clock is showing 4:45, which means it’s time to hike across campus for the last exam period of the day.  He’s loath to step into the frigid winter evening air, and even less excited for his final.

The test is in creative writing, which is usually one of Jason’s favorite classes.  The big final story projects have already been completed, but per the university’s policy, each class has to sit for an exam as well.  The instructor’s promised it’ll be just a brief multiple choice test on terms and techniques.  Plus a short writing exercise.

And that’s what he’s worried about.  With three other tests taken today, Jason’s fried.  Not to mention the fact that his fever is literally cooking him in his own skin.  He has no idea what the exercise will be:  Tell a story about this photo?  Write a story about this character? Put this random scene into context?  He hasn’t had time to plan out anything, stow characters and random pieces of plotline in the depths of his overheated brain.  Creativity is about the last thing on his agenda at the moment.

Jason plods diagonally across the grassy courtyard and through a maze of sidewalks to the Humanities building.  As expected, the outdoor temperature bites through Jason’s clothes makes him shiver.  The scent of hot food hits him as soon as he’s through the doors.  The little ground-floor café is serving dinner to a long line of students.  It’s rare for Jason to pass by without stopping for a bag of chips or a vanilla latte, but just the scent is turning his stomach.  He does pause near the trash can to forcefully blow his nose and dispose of the soggy tissue.

The classroom is open, and a few students have already taken their seats.  Jason takes his usual desk near the front of the room, but wonders if he should retreat to the back corner instead.  He hopes the gentle tremor to his hands and shoulders isn’t noticeable, but he’s sure to be the center of attention if he lets loose with a loud sneeze or has to blow his nose.  Considering how things have been going, it’s likely going to be both, one right after the other.

Jason elects to stay put, especially since more students are pouring in now, most clutching warm cups of coffee.  He huddles into himself, jamming his stiff fingers into the armpits of his coat and pulling his chin down below its collar.  Jason’s joints hurt.  He feels ancient.  The warp-speed flicker of the fluorescent lights overhead makes his eyes burn and increases the intensity of his headache.

He’s on the point of shutting his eyes, but the grandmotherly PhD candidate of an instructor bustles in and declares the exam period begun.  The clock still reads 4:59, but if starting a minute early means finishing a minute early, Jason’s all for it.

Test papers are distributed, and Jason uses his favorite blue roller ball pen to scribble his name in the upper right-hand corner.  His sloppy writing is even messier than usual because nerves and illness push champagne bubble quivers down through his fingertips.

The multiple choice section is easy enough.  Four pages, front and back, only amounts to 25 questions or so, and Jason breezes through.  A few require him to pause and consider for a moment, and a few more have him re-reading the questions because his boiling brain is missing things, but all in all, he feels he’s doing well.

Then he flips to the final page in the packet and begins to read the directions for the written section.  Calling it open-ended would be an understatement.  There’s close to no guidance on anything; length, subject matter, characters, it’s all up for grabs.  Any other day, Jason would consider it a nice opportunity to experiment.  Today, though, it just means his mind’s completely blank.

Jason drops his forehead into his empty palm as he taps a series of dots into the top of the page.  He doesn’t have a name for his character. Or a gender.  Ellen, maybe?  He writes about girls a lot.  But wait, is Ellen the name of the girl on Daredevil, the one who’s the secretary? No, it’s something else…

Ellen who lives in Antarctica because it’s so goddamn cold in here.  What’s he going to make her do?  There’s not enough time or space on the page to create much.  Christmas is too obvious a situation, since it’s hanging right around the corner.  Maybe she slams her head into a tree while downhill skiing.  That’d end the story with a bang.

Great, now he’s getting morbid.  Jason shakes his head, bringing vertigo into the mix.  Just pick something and write it down, he tells himself.  He’s wasting time.

“Are you doing ok?”  The elderly instructor is at his elbow, peering down through her thick spectacles at his blank page.

“Hm.  Yeah.  I don’t know,” Jason says all at once.  Too quickly.  There’s too much spit in his mouth.

“Need an idea to get you started?” she asks.

“Just, nothing seems right,” Jason admits, setting down his pen and burying his face in both hands.

“Now, is that you or the fever talking?” the instructor posits, a knowing look in her dark eyes.

“What?”

“This is very unlike you.  I know you’re not feeling yourself right now, or you’d have half the page filled up already.”  It’s more or less the truth.  Most of Jason’s assignments came out longer than required.  And he still handed them in early.

“Yeah, my head,” he says.  A wave of dizziness crawls down from his hairline.  “Kind of, like, nauseous…”

“Then get on out of here, son,” the instructor says.  “Send me an e-mail before the end of the week.  But word on the street is you’re passing with an A regardless.”  She winks at him and takes away Jason’s exam paper before he can do anything to respond.

Finally it sinks in that he’s free to go.  Free to go home and take drowsy medication and go to sleep.  Though he’s feeling more like he’ll have to stop and find somewhere to throw up first.

“Thank you,” Jason says, lifting his backpack and rushing for the door.  “So much.”

[heyhey-heyward]

get to know me tag game

rules: answer 17 questions and tag 17 people 

tagged by: @obxlife and @rudyypankow

name: patricia!

age: 18 but I turn 19 in a month 

favorite food: pasta salad bby

zodiac sign: leo

height: 5′2 on a good day (which used to be my tinder bio ngl)

song stuck in my head: Into the Mystic by Van Morrison

dream job: kindergarten teacher (or first grade)

wearing: grey sweatpants and a black sports bra

aesthetic: beach bum / outdoorsy hippie kinda 

favorite animal: black bears ! 

favorite color: yellow or like a dark pine green

favorite author: Patrick Ness goes hard but I also like Jane Austen (call u tell I almost was an English concentration)

random skill: uhhh I ski and have been an instructor for five (??) years now lol take me back to Vermont 

lucky number: 13 or 15

instrument I’d like to learn to play: ukulele !! it seems so fun and cute 

piercings: I have a nose ring and my upper helix pierced

last impulse purchase: I bought four tubes for river rafting yesterday. gonna make my own lazy river 

tagging: no one bc idk who hasn’t done it and I don’t talk to a lot of people on here! if you want to do it, do it and tag me!