#it’s okay tho i just need to focus my history essay now

[isopodonanescalator]

dude the christ comparison. i thought you were reaching for the first sentence but damn you were right. it’s very well written :3

AAAGH OKAY THANK YOI SOMUCH I WAS SO WORRIED THAT I WAS MAKING SHIT UP LIKE I WORKED ON THAT THING DOR SIX HOURS EDITING AND FIXING AND WRITING AND I WAS GOING INSANE LITERALLY TAGNK YOU SO SO MUCH FOR READING IT 😭🫶🫶🫶

[blorbocedes]

okay, so. you love brocedes, you love lestappen. the arcs seem so polar-opposite so here go essay wild should you wish (mainly bc i would love to read it. and feel free to talk about carlando as well bc that too is a wildly different dynamic to brocedes and lestappen.)

what makes you love each?

do you have a favorite between the two (or three). does one pull on your heartstrings more than the other?

are there similarities?

<3

hi Xiao ☺️ here's my carlando essay so I'll focus mainly on the brothercedes and lest we stappens here. strap yourself, im about to maxplain

first thing about me: my favourite trope in the whole world is friends to lovers (crowd booing) it's having a shared history, the familiarity, how you can only truly hurt someone you love [and the possibility of reconciliation, to come back home insert seb clip about rbr]

brocedes is actually why I got into f1 fandom! i saw ONE (1) Richard Siken edit and it was over for me

literally. i have not used tumblr in 7 YEARS i used it just for lurking and that goddamn edit compelled me to write my first fic (during the writing of which I found out they still lived in the same building??? i lost my mind and have not found it since)

lestappen was a see it to believe it moment, I watched miami gp and saw these two championship rivals being Cute and Max's earnestness to talk to charl got to me. i was like oh yeah okay I see it. i don't choose anything I like, I either see The Vision or I don't -- and while brocedes is like I'm an archeologist excavating a fallen city trying to figure out what happened piece the lore, lestappen is happening In Front Of Our Eyes we're witnessing the stars getting crossed, the history in the making <3

I might have the most confusing layout cause I'm a max girlie whose pfp is charles, and header is brocedes named blorbocedes while I pray on merc's flop era 😭 (ending but never forgotten), while rooting for redbulls [sorry but I've seen my Ferrari girlies SUFFERING, I'll stick to my world champion 🥰]

in many ways, lestappen and brocedes are like a foil to each other (crowd booing, we get it u did literary analysis in highschool once) where brocedes were a childhood friendship gone wrong, lestappen are childhood rivals turned tentative friends. there's just something very compelling about a world champion and his main rival trying to keep a friendship alive while directly competing, and having years of shared history to get there. brocedes DREAMING of becoming teammates, world champions together; both max and charl saying how they have a mutual respect now that they'd both made it to f1. And that's before even touching the cut throat life and politics of getting into f1, the concept of being golden boys.

my favourite lestappen and brocedes parallel is that lewis and nico's first karting race nico led the whole race then on the final lap, lewis crossed him and won the race; and compare with the Inchident™️ but Nico & Lewis became best friends, whereas Charl held an admittedly one sided grudge against Max during their karting days.

brocedes is everything that went wrong, lestappen is how it can go right (we can learn from lovers past who didnt make it)

do I have a favourite? yes. brocedes. i, yeah. they light my brain on fire.

HOWEVER, I enjoy brocedes as a reader and consumer, whereas as lestappen I am compelled to write for them (also I'm the only one who gets them and everyone else is wrong 😤) I suppose it is a bit passé to say anything outside of "ahh I write for myself and inherent love for writing" fuck that lol I write for attention I like it when people read my shit and we can talk about it 🥰🥰🥰 I also disagree with popular fandom interpretation with lestappen (which is fine, it has a huge audience so it clearly works for a lot of people) but that's why I have to write my own food for them. I have so many lestappen wips 😭

(like I don't think charl is a soft fragile thing who needs taken care of, even tho I also mine charl pain for content so like I Get it but also no one else gets it, and don't fucking get me started on the 'jos verstappen's A+ parenting' tag that's another essay in itself)

[bangtanpromptsfics]

pyxis.

dialogue prompt #9: “Cheer up it's Christmas Eve, sweetheart”

pairing: jimin x reader

genre: christmas au, brother's best friend au, fluff, childhood friends to lovers

word count: 3,412 (oh no)

warnings: reader is a lil sad but nothing angsty tho

summary: christmas was always an eager wait. less for the tree decorations, family dinner and the fuss of toddlers. more for your childhood best friend who you kissed under a mistletoe years back.

a/n: ahhh!!! I'm not completely satisfied with how this turned out to be. the inspiration was from a few christmas themed fics I read here and the movie ‘It's Christmas, Eve’. anyway this was my attempt though it's nowhere near christmas time. one of my personal goals is to celebrate a christmas like the west, the snow, the fuss and the commotion ;-;. Also I lost sense of time and space and this turned out to be 3k ;-;

masterlist

“Cheer up it's christmas eve, sweetheart”, your mother chimes as she pours brown batter into little cupcake moulds.

You simply smile at her, the festive mood not really getting to you because of exhaustion. Uni was tough, and enjoying this Christmas when you know you have tons of essays due in a few days was hammering inside your brain every now and then.

“Is that chocolate?”, you ask, leaning your tired body on the counter where she is at work.

“And orange”, she smiles, turning around to preheat the oven.

“Where's Jin”. Though you hated the routinely flicks against your forehead, the absence of your big brother felt weird.

“He went with Jimin to get the Christmas tree”.

The mention of Jimin brings a smile to your face. His soft features and captivating grin filling your head. If there was one of the few things you enjoyed coming back to your hometown for holidays, it's chocolate cupcakes your mom bakes and Jimin.

His family are friends with yours after all. You, Jin and Jimin attended the same school until college and other priorities in life drift you apart. Though the bond must have rusted a bit, you can't deny the fact that you still have that crush which started somewhere in middle school, on a chritmas eve like this when he kissed your cheeks shyly under the mistletoe. Your friends and family, and even Jimin himself must have seen it nothing more than platonic, but you still find yourself relieving the moment in your head however crazy it may sound.

Standing up straight, you decide to fix your bed hair and complete the skincare routine before the said duo drops.

“Mrs. Y/L/n...”, Jimin softly kicks the back door. He is carrying one end of a huge fir, and your brother on the other end, grunting from the freezing snow outside.

“Oh dear place it right there”, you mother is quick to her feet helping the boys and doing her usual commentary on how well the tree looked.

Jimin looks more handsome than ever, especially with his nose and cheeks dusted in scarlet from the cold. He looks really huggable in his fluffy sweaters and red beanie. Jin is busy commanding around so you choose to sit back, a very typical sibling energy and the size of decoration boxes and the tree itself not really appetizing to your will to find any strength.

“Hey Y/n!”, Jimin stares back at your eyes in a split moment which has your lashes fluttering suddenly. You probably look like you are carrying a disease and right now you become very hyper aware of that.

“You alright? You look tired”, he comments. You feel his eyes carefully studying the black under your eyes and worrying his mind because that's what he is like. He cares about everyone and everything, has a heart so soft it hurts to even think about it.

“Jet lag...”, you say, “I'll be fine”. You shoot a little thumbs up on his way to reassure.

“Why didn't Jin get the tree earlier? It's Christmas in a few hours”, you dodge the focus around you and walk near in an attempt to closely examine the tree for no reason other than feeling Jimin’s eyes a little too long on you.

Your brother gets visibly annoyed seeing you start a very unnecessary talk. So he is completely obliged to shoot back with, “Because you were in charge of Christmas decorations this year but your lazy ass flew down here only yesterday”.

“You know I was busy with Uni!”

“Whatever”, he shrugs, getting back to the box of tree decorations. You feel a little bad seeing yourself not being helpful during a festive season. It felt like you were procrastinating on your responsibilities as always.

“Um...is there any way I can help?”, you ask softly, earning a mischievous grin from Jin and your mom fills in the answer.

“We need more baubles. Also I missed out gifts for Aerum and June, so maybe you can get them”. Now this was already tiring and you were not lying earlier either, the jet lag was still choking you alive. You wonder if the huge pile of stars and glitters beside your foot aren't enough but then maybe it's true because this is the largest fir you ever saw for Christmas in your house. And speaking of the five year old notorious duo, your cousins-- Aerum and June, you have no other option than to step out into the butt numbing cold and get something for the sake of not getting your brains eaten.

While you stand there doing these calculations, Jimin puts a two and two and immediately suggests to tag along with you.

“That'd be great! Thanks sweetie”, your mom chimes, her fine lines of face gathering around her eyes while she does so and you catch her throwing a wink to your side and you pretend you never saw that.

“Thank you Jimin”, you smile in all honesty while he reciprocates the same.

“No problem. I'll get my car. Will you be ready in an hour? I think you just woke up”

“Uh...yeah”, you fake a laugh, “Yes I'll be ready in an hour”

Jimin still lives here in your hometown, attends a community college nearby and his house is just a few steps away from your own. You remember how you had the same analogy in your mind as well. You like living here. You like Jimin’s company. The lake Park and the annual ice skating competition in December and the bookstores and coffee shops at the outskirts of the town. And you can't seem to clearly remember when and where that feeling started to become foreign. Maybe it was a teenage quirk to explore the world that you are now a three hour flight away from all of this. It wasn't a deep regret, but seeing Jimin, it almost felt like it. It felt like you betrayed him. Because he seemed to be keeping his word to this day.

This year, it's a few degrees lower than what it usually is and you find yourself chattering your teeth together as you walk to Jimin’s house.

His footsteps rush to get the door as soon as you ring the doorbell and he greets with the same wide grin as if he hasn't just saw you an hour ago.

“Let's go?”, he asks immediately, getting house keys from his coat pocket and locking the front door before stepping out making you confused.

“There's no one home? Where are your parents?”

“Oh well didn't Mrs. Y/L/n tell you?”, he studies your features and gets his response so he continues “They went to New York this year for Christmas. It's some elder people thing I think...so I'll be spending Christmas this year with your family”

“Really!?”, you chime, and then immediately notice a very childish jump you did with tiny fists and all, feeling a little embarrassed at yourself, “Ah... uh I mean that's great”.

“Yeah”, he giggles, sounding like a twelve year old who is still waiting for his growth spurt, “Get in the car it's freezing in here”.

Since it's been six odd months you've spoken to Jimin, you figured it would would be strange and awkward to be with him, but his demeanor states otherwise. He could effortlessly begin conversations and build momentum with you and by the time you are at a thrift store, he is aware of the little gist of student life and the dramatically exaggerated history research paper still due.

“What are you getting for the twins?”, he asks, seeing you checking out the kids toys section with absolutely no idea and that's exactly what you reply to him.

“How about this puzzle?”, he brings a big jigsaw to your glance and you figure it's a great thing to have their little brains engaged and give yourself time to breathe.

“It's perfect!”, you add, immediately placing it your cart with a few decors you picked up from earlier aisles.

Jimin places an extra pack of Christmas candies in the cart, and you send him a questionable look knowing it's his way of bribing the kids coming this evening. He puts too much effort into people's happiness, something you wish you were capable of as well.

The shopping went smooth. It was therapeutic to get hot chocolate with extra marshmallows afterwards like he insisted followed by that very cliche movie scene where one of them develops a creme moustache and the other notices and dabs it off.

You want this moment to linger a little longer, but your whole family arrives in less than two hours and the decorations were due. If Jin doesn't have you in the next thirty minutes he might as well eat all the cupcakes your mom is baking as revenge.

“I had a great time”, Jimin states as he stops the car in front of your house, stealing the words from your mouth and warmth hugs your cheeks immediately.

“Me too. It's been long since we spent time with each other”

You hear a lone sigh with white fogs coming out of his plump lips while he does so, as if he were suddenly sad when you mentioned that.

“Are you okay?”

His grips tightens around the steering, “I've missed you”, he says, eyes meeting slowly. And as if he was suddenly pulled back to earth he conjures another sentence to not sound so vulnerable.

“I uh... It's just--”

“I've missed you too”

Even with the gear box painstakingly blocking the way, you throw your upper half towards his body anyways and you find him hugging you back. His hugs still feel the same from years back; safe and warm and filled with love.

If it wasn't for the constant reminder that your brother is probably plotting a murder against you, you would've stayed much longer in his embrace. Maybe the hug was a big straightforward for a bond still gradually blooming, but it didn't feel weird at all and when you pull back he is smiling down at you.

“I thought you two lovebirds flew off”, a very annoyed Jin states from above you. He is balancing himself on a chair to attach the mistletoe to the ceiling.

“Sorry hyung”, Jimin says. And somehow now you are getting super aware of the way your family is low key shipping you both. Not that it's an irritating thing of course though you seem to act like it. But you have no idea what's going on with Jimin, what if he said he missed you as your childhood friend? It's a lot difficult to segregate his priority of giving affection. He seems to be giving justice in terms of care for every living being he knows.

“The circus is on its way so I hope you both hurry with putting up everything together”, the voice above states, now lowering himself to ground after putting up the twig.

Three of you giggle at the mention of your family as a circus. Well in a way it definitely was. You have a bunch if uncles who crack awful jokes, a trait Jin himself as picked up from a tender age of ten. Then their wives and kids who share certainly the same braincells in comprehending things. You bet they'll ask you again about your major and your dating history once they walk in through that door amidst clearly stating everytime that you are a history major and yes still very single.

In the hallway there is a half decorated tree. A thread of fairly lights wrapped around the green and very few baubles hanging here and there.

“I'll put up the star and join you”, Jimin says, digging out a golden star from the carton. Though now he doesn't know why it was a good idea for him to announce that when both of you were almost the same height. He is just a few centimeters taller than you and the top of the fir is still very much way above your heads.

So with a chuckle you both figure Jin has to do it.

“This is your final year right?”, Jimin asks stepping closer to you. He seemed nervous about something. Or was it anxious?

“Yeah...you?”

“Yeah...”, his sweet tone was drawn almost like a whisper and you sense you should ask him further about what's wrong. But before you had to deal with a starter he continues,

“Are you planning to work in Chicago as well?”

“Sweetheart help me clean up the kitchen please”, your hear your mom's voice overpowering through the house. Which is good. Because you don't know what you are supposed to answer. It was as if he was almost hopeful that you'll choose your hometown all over again. But you aren't sure. So you take the opportunity to step away from the situation excusing yourself.

And while you are clearing the blobs of batter stuck on the counter, your mind is a haywire. What are you going to do? Though you know your whole family wants you to stay, it's still a foggy place to be in. Four years apart in another city as a college student has not provided much, except caffeine addiction and sleepless nights. Things were not even as fun as everyone told you.

A few steps away Jimin silently prays that you stay, because he had truly missed you. Even though you have outgrown from the eighteen year old shell as he had known, he finds himself actively choosing to be with you. Even when other things in life occupies his mind, there's an element of it which goes back to you.

“They are here!”. You groan silently, while your parents are throwing their hands in air, giggles and chatter fills in as your uncles and aunts and the taunting toddlers welcome themselves in.

“Y/n! You have grown so much!”, the older aunt comments, and you supply a manufactured smile to tag along. Other comments follow by soon, about how tired you are, gasps about not having a partner and future plans, all of which are not completely answerable at the moment but you manage to get through them all and finally excusing yourself back to the garage convincing there are more decor supplies in there.

Families are nice. They make festivals brighter and lives less lonely. But yours was just hard sometimes. Not that you completely loathed the people now fueling themselves off the cup cakes your mom bakes, you were just merely lost, still yet to come up with an answer to what your stance is after graduation.

“Hey...”. Jimin has joined you now which you notice feeling a warmth against your shoulder when he sits, with an extra scraf knowing the garage is still comparatively chilly than the house, “you okay?”.

“Yeah...I was just...thinking”

“Is this about earlier? I'm sorry if I made you anxious”, he quickly adds.

“No!...I mean yeah but, it's high time I find a ground with this. What are your plans?”

“I was thinking about teaching at Jefferson High”, he shifts rather uncomfortably. He is talking of the school in your town, your school, where you have lots of memories with Jimin, “You know...like we said during Junior year in high school?”

“I'm sorry Jimin”, you feel the guilt inside you growing, “I never kept my promises”.

“Hey...that's okay! Everyone changes. I just want you to be happy. I...I hope you are happy Y/n”, he reassures, taking your hand from your side and squeezing it between his soft palms.

“I don't know about that either...”

As much as you hated showcasing vulnerability to another person, you know Jimin is an exception. You had cried to him about everything during school days and he had never invalidated a single thing, even when you were visibly dramatic over a downpour during a family picnic when you were five.

Jimin is frozen on his seat as if he can't find the words. He was never good with words so instead he hugs you, a little longer than the last time till he is sure you have calmed down. Grateful for not ending up crying, you smile up at him and remind yourselves to get back inside to avoid suspicion, especially from the kids who take humiliating people as an important milestone to achieve.

When you enter back inside and get immediately surrounded by a million questions and chores thrown at you, you find your answer. Maybe your heart belongs back to everything your younger self had blabbered about. Not to mention, this fairly good reunion with your crush feels nice, though, he might still see it as platonic. Maybe he makes things less daunting.

By the way Jimin was owning everyone's heart in the house, it felt like he was family. Well in a way he is. But to put more clarity, he bought things together and his actions bought so much peace and love within everyone. Even the notorious twins listen carefully to him and help the uncles and aunts in the kitchen.

He is again by your side, two cupcakes rests on his palms and you take it with a silent ‘thanks’.

Seeing no signs of him beginning a talk now, you think of coming up with something. Maybe a memoir from today? Or about how absolutely handsome he looks right now? Wait.

“They are under the kissing twig!”, Aerum screams like the house caught in fire, her sibling joining by the side to provoke the habit even more.

“It's called a mistletoe Aerum”, your aunt corrects before pasting a smug across her lips.

Nothing changed. They are the same people. Hyping you and Jimin to kiss just like when you were thirteen. If the factor of time is removed, this is the exact night. Both of you cemented to the flooring as if you forgot to exist.

Both of your necks snap together to the mistletoe Jin had attached to the ceiling earlier. And when you lower your gaze back, face gawks at each other eye to eye. It's the same. He has that blush, the shyness from years ago. It's going to be platonic. Yet again. And this moment will only ever be romantic and flowery in your head.

June was the first to squeak, and Aerum shuts her eyes the moment Jimin is leaning his mouth towards your lips. It was difficult to relax under the stares of many, but when he ghosts his mouth over your again and leans in for a second kiss, you are fixated on him. Hands holding each other, the plump of his lips so soft it felt like you were biting into a fluff of cloud.

Maybe he'll have an explanation to your family for this. Not like anyone in the audience was disappointed. Your mother was almost in tears? And Jin looked hardly surprised with any of this. As if it was all swell according to his plans.

“You both are so cute”, one of the aunts awes and your mother is quick by her side, completely agreeing to it.

“Jimin...”, you return your gaze to the equally flustered man who just kissed you and he sounded almost breathless,

“I'm sorry if this was wrong it ju--”

“I like you”, you immediately snap in and his face is a void for an instant. Fully processing the words, his eyes disappear when he grins, “I like you too...a lot”.

“Are you two dating?”, the twins haven't dropped the case yet, running to your feet to help their curious brains.

“Yes...”, Jimin responds, looking up at you for a reassurance, which you quickly supply with a nod, “Yes we are dating”.

When the kids are satisfied they go away snickering to themselves.

“I decided to stay”, you say.

“Really!?”, his disbelief was comical, yet wholesome considering how much he wished for this, “I'm...I'm so happy!”.

Giggling at him, this time you lean forward and peck the corner of his lips.

“You lovebirds better get a room”, Jin announces and thankfully not loud enough to catch everyone else's attention.

Usually Jin expects a punch to his arms from his sister, but he sees how grateful you are for his mistletoe decor. He leaves the couple, satisfied that there won't be any more ranting about how much Jimin likes you.

Thank you so much for reading!! ♡♡

Original Content of ©bangtanpromptsfics

[willowbird]

prompt: aaron had a slight ED that he developed as a kid and is now being noticeable to the rest of the foxes even andrew and nicky kinda knew he forgot to eat but the stress from school and exy makes it worse....

I could easily expand on this and maybe one day I will. It hits kinda close to home tho so I’m going to err on the side of brevity just for my own mental space. Thank you so much for the ask! I hope this is what you’re looking for ❤️ ❤️ Take care of yourselves!

Warnings for depression, eating disorder. 

Edit: this has been expanded and can also be found on my ao3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Ao3

-----

Wednesday | 6:04am

The alarm was screaming. 

Its cries crashed against his senses like sea-storm waves and Aaron was without shelter. The sound had been crowding him for four minutes now, and he still couldn't lift a hand to make it stop -- even though he was perfectly aware and wide awake. He wanted to stop the sound, he needed the quiet back, but for whatever reason his hand just wouldn't listen to his brain no matter how many times he willed it to move. 

Aaron hated days like this.

Wednesday | 8:43am

Nicky slung his arm around Aaron’s shoulders, a grin plastered on his face. His hair was slicked back like a low-budget greaser, halfway between wet and just damp. They’d just finished morning practice and he, Nicky, and Kevin were waiting out in the player’s lobby for Neil and Andrew to finish showering and changing so they could leave.

“Aw man, I am hungry. Please tell me that Andrew and Neil are gonna finish up soon so that we can go get a real breakfast.” Nicky's whining was easy enough to ignore most of the time, but today Aaron was tired and his patience was thin. He had three tests to study for, two essays to write, they had a game coming up on Friday, and Aaron didn't have the bandwidth for Nicky, too.

He shruged his cousin off with a snort. "I'm just gonna hitch a ride to the library." There were still a few hours before his first class of the day, and he needed to use that time for something productive.

"Aww, c'mon Aaron come to breakfast with us! We'll drop you at the library when we're done. It won't take too long!"

"What won't take too long?" When Aaron looked over, he saw Neil and Andrew coming out of the locker room, clean and changed.

"Breakfast!" Nicky announced. "Neil, tell Aaron to join us! It's a family breakfast -- he should be there!"

"You can't just label things "family" events as a way to require people to be there," Kevin said with a long-suffering sigh. Even so, Aaron noticed he already had the menu of their usual breakfast joint pulled up on his phone. The pictures of pancakes topped with glistening syrup and fluffy omelets made his stomach clench in an unpleasant way.

Aaron looked away.

"I've got a shit to do," he said. That would be his final word on it, and to demonstrate, Aaron turned to head toward the doors.

Except Andrew had moved to block him, though Aaron hadn't registered when his twin had circled them. Aaron frowned, lifting his chin in challenge.

Andrew just studied him for a long moment before looking just past Aaron, gaze darting over his shoulder to the others behind him. He lifted a hand and a second later a slim object snapped into it. When Andrew then held it out to him, Aaron saw it was a granola bar.

A quick glance over his shoulder exposed the granola bar thrower as Kevin, who was zipping his backpack shut. They matched gazes briefly and Kevin nodded toward the granola bar in Andrew's hand.

"If you aren't going to come to breakfast with us make sure you get something on your way to the library."

Aaron glared at him, then rolled his eyes and turned back to his brother. Andrew just looked at him, expression blank, and continued to hold out the damn granola bar like he could stand there all day without a care in the world.

A flash of resentment boiled through him. Of course Andrew could stand there so fucking unbothered. Barely anything affected him at all.

With an annoyed huff, Aaron snatched the bar out of Andrew's hand and shoved it into his pocket before stalking out of the building.

Wednesday | 1:15pm

Katelyn ❤️ (13:15): Hey baby! Prof Dixon bailed again ~ you free?

Aa. Min. (13:15): McCallister's?

Katelyn ❤️ (13:16): See u in 5! 😘

Wednesday | 1:23pm

Aaron stood inside the confused cacophony that was McCallister's, an on-campus restaurant that was the love child of a deli and a pub but four times too big, regretting his choices.

It wasn't even the noise that was bothering him the most. It was the smell.

Aaron took two steps into the restaurant and his stomach roiled. It twisted and tightened, curling in on itself in disgust at the sharp, slimy stench of cold cut deli meat cushioned on a waft of double-baked potatoes that filled the restaurant like wildfire's haze. He and Katelyn met here for lunch two or three times a week when their schedules lined up. They both liked the food and they had several corner booths where they could hide in and study together after eating. It was one of their favorite places. But right now, Aaron was fighting not to gag. 

“Aaron!” Relief warred with dread at the sound of Katelyn’s voice and he hastily plastered on an imitation of the smile he usually didn’t even have to think about, that always rose to his lips whenever she was around all on its own. It didn’t today, but for Katelyn he could make the effort. For Katelyn, Aaron could do anything. 

He turned around once that smile was fixed in place and wrapped his arms around her when she joined him, indulging in a quick kiss that soothed some of the nausea churning in his gut. When they broke apart, Aaron turned to lead them toward their usual booth but Katelyn stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“Babe is everything alright?” Worry painted a crease between her eyebrows, her mouth drawn down as she studied him. 

Most days, Katelyn’s concern warmed him. It made him feel seen and loved and cherished. Today it put a slash of anxiety through his lungs, breath seeping out through the cut and concaving his chest under the weight of her scrutiny. 

Aaron arranged his smile into something tired and unalarmed. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a long week, y’know?”

Katelyn hummed like she wasn’t sure she believed him but was deciding to trust him anyway, then she smiled and she released his arm only to take his hand, giving it a small squeeze. “Alright, then let’s get some lunch and shut out the rest of the world for at least a little bit, yeah?”

The smell of the restaurant was still choking him and even his skin felt tight. The absolute last thing he wanted to do right now was stay there another second, let alone the hour he had until he needed to think about heading to his next class.

“I’m so sorry Kate, I’ve got to meet with the TA for my history class. I remembered right after I texted you but I still wanted to see you so I figured I’d just tell you when you got here.” He offered an apologetic smile and did his best to ignore the way guilt was now mixing uncomfortably well with the sick already sloshing around in his stomach. Aaron did not like lying to Katelyn, it felt wrong. But he also couldn’t... he couldn’t explain what was wrong with him right now -- not because he didn’t know, but because he was sure explaining it was going to make him sound crazy and that was just the last thing he needed right now. It was better to slip away, go somewhere he could focus on homework or something and just... wait for it to pass.

Katelyn’s expression fell, flashing disappointment, then a sad understanding as she nodded. “Of course. It’s okay babe, really. I’m just glad I got to see you at all.” She smiled then -- that bright, warm, just-for-him smile that always had Aaron’s heart skipping. A small knot of tension loosened in his lower chest, just enough that he was able to take a small breath and offer a more genuine smile of his own in return. 

“I love you,” he told her. 

“I love you too, Aaron. Take care of yourself and I’ll see you later, okay?”

He made no promises before he made his escape, just a smile and a wave.

Wednesday | 3:37pm

The granola bar tasted like ash in his mouth. It felt like there were iron weights attached to his jaw, making it impossible for him to chew. A fist of repulsion locked around his throat, and it was a physical struggle to swallow. 

This was the worst part about days like this.

Aaron knew he had to eat something, because he knew what could happen if he didn’t and the only thing worse than having to put up with feeling this way, dragging himself through the mud of his own psychosis one step, one mile, at a time -- was doing it with everyone watching him struggle. 

So he forced himself through half the granola bar. He knew better than to push for more than that, or all his efforts would be wasted into the nearest trash can.

Wednesday | 7:51pm

Practice had been brutal. It had been so bad that even Nicky hadn’t been able to cheer himself through it and was just as bitter and on edge as the rest of them by the time they hit the showers. 

Aaron sat in the lobby and waited for the others, feeling old. He felt tired. He just wanted these stupid pissing contests to stop and everyone to shut up. He wanted the world to be completely silent, completely empty. Emptiness sounded nice. Sounded peaceful. Sounded right.

The sharp scuff of shoe-rubber against tile had him cringing so hard his shoulders ached and he peeled his eyes open to glare at the source. Andrew stood there, hands in his pockets, blank-faced and too knowing.

Aaron snorted and looked away. 

The couch shifted slightly as Andrew took the spot next to him. There was the soft shk of a blade cutting into something crisp and when Aaron looked over, Andrew was holding out a small sliver of apple. His brother wasn’t looking at him. Instead, the other Minyard was dispassionately staring at the tv, which was playing some sports channel that Aaron knew very well Andrew didn’t give a single shit about. 

For a long moment Aaron just stared at the side of his twin’s face, but it was impossible to know what, if anything, he was thinking about. Finally, he looked at the sliver of apple. It was pale, small, unobtrusive. Aaron’s stomach clenched, a mix between hunger and repulsion. All he’d had today was that half a granola bar -- which had been both too much and not enough. His throat tightened as he stared at that innocuous slice of fruit, but he was almost focused more on the hand holding it. His eyes burned and he looked away, but not before taking the slice. 

[lunebinnie]

(1/14)I am so sorry for taking so long! (I also had to spend a lot of time studying this week bc I had my first exam for my Anatomy Lab on Wednesday... And then we had our first exam for *Lecture* Thursday (which also was the day I had a bunch of powerpoints due for my very intimidating adviser...) and then I had to substitute teach all day Friday (and then I meant to respond sooner but I got so busy 😭) so yeah I completely understand about school getting in the way no worries abt it!)

And also sleeping in on a day off when you’ve been busy studying lately is completely valid hon 👌 I hope that your midterms go well and that you’re able to stay healthy and take care of yourself in the midst of preparing! (not that you wouldn’t, I just have a bad habit of neglecting things like healthy sleeping and eating habits when I get caught up studying, so hopefully you’re not like me in that way) And yeah me too! I mean on the one hand I understand *why* they have that limit

3)If u could just send as many as u want there would be so much more spam and ppl would definitely abuse that. But also?? Um? I have a chronic condition called ‘Can'tShuttheFuckUp-itis’? 🤷 This policy is so discriminatory towards people like me who suffer from this crippling condition! I feel oppressed honestly 🙄 tumblr rlly has something against ppl just trying to get to know each other huh? Lol, but at least now we know why it eats them I’ll be sure to try to prevent that in the future

4)And oh my gosh that’s so cool! I’m super jealous!! 😮 lol. I wish they hosted kpop nights at my local bar! 😭😭 But no, I’m here at my little state college in a little 2 mi2 town just under pop 5500 (and idek if that’s before or after counting college students) in the middle of the 'farm zone’ of my state. All we get is country night @Riley’s 😩 RIP. But ya I wish I had more ppl around me who were into kpop! So far I’ve only met 3 ppl who listen to it. One was that roommate I told you about

5)One is just a casual listener who isn’t really into 3rd gen groups and mostly just listens to Girl’s Generation but that’s valid, and one isn’t even rlly a fan of any groups in particular, she just puts the kpop station on when she studies bc she says she needs music but if it’s in English she gets distracted, lol And omg that is insane! $500?? And 5 copies of the same album? 😲 (Says the girl who’s been a Monbebe for a hot 2 months and has already bought three (3??) Monsta X T-shirts… 😂

6)in my defense tho one of them was only $10 bc it was Black Friday? And u can’t blame me, Hot Topic is my krypotonite lmao) but yeah I already feel guilty about spending 30+ dollars on one copy of an album (thx international shipping) That’s so wild. And yeah I don’t get why ppl feel the need go out of their way just to insult other ppl’s music taste. I’m also pretty self conscious abt sharing my music taste and obviously the way everyone around me talks abt kpop has made me even moreso now 🙃

7) I haven’t gotten into too many groups yet bc I’m trying to go slowly and focus on getting into one group at a time but I do have a long list of groups I plan on getting into eventually! NU'EST is one that I’ve heard some of their songs on my Spotify based on my listening history and they’re on the list haha 😂 And omg I feel really similarly about Got7! I tried to get into them after I got into Monsta X and right before I got into Astro and although I did really like some of their songs

8)I haven’t really been able to get into their music as much as MX and Astro’s yet. I do think they seem like a really fun group in terms of personality though. As for the comeback I know right?? I mean I know a lot of ppl were freaking out abt the comeback being a 'sexy’ and how it wasn’t gonna be the same cute Astro we all love anymore. But they filled the MV with flowers and glitter and still managed to make it sexy as fuck! This album has a very different vibe but it still felt like them

9) They managed to pull off a more mature and sexy concept while still staying true to themselves and I’m so here for it! I don’t know if I could really pick a favorite era because I love them all! I mean Spring Up was an excellent era and every era since then has been great. They really don’t know how to have any bad concepts or make any bad songs huh? Lol. Since I’m still pretty new I really love the title tracks since I’ve heard them the most. (I have listened to their full discography

10)But I haven’t listened to their Bsides enough to pick out my favorites from those) I also really love Again though! The first time I saw the dance practice I was super into it and then I looked up the lyrics and was like 'this is supposed to be sad/regretful song it has no reason to be this much of a BOP?!’ 😂 I have such a hard time picking favorites though. Since All Light is new though I actually have listened to it enough times to pick some 'non-title song favorites’ from there haha

11) Other than All Night (which is great, obvi) I also really like Starry Sky, Moonwalk and Role Play 😂 and Bloom is so pretty oh my god! 😭😭 the album is great and has no bad songs but those are the ones I particularly like. I feel u about the dances honestly. I think that’s actually what drew me to kpop initially. I mean I like listening to the songs ofc but it wasn’t until after I actually watched an MV/saw the choreography that I actually was like… Oh shit I’m gonna have to be a fan now

12) It was the visual aspect that really made me want to be a kpop fan bc I haven’t really seen that level of performance with any western music. Which isn’t to say I think all western music is bad but I think it’s really impressive to watch kpop groups singing and also doing really impressive choreography and performing at the same time. Plus that’s the part I can show my family and say 'even if you don’t like the music because of the language barrier you have to admit they’re talented dancers’

13)And yes! With Astro especially I think the dance practices rlly succinctly capture the reason why I love them so much. They are *super* talented but they also have such great chemistry and u can rlly tell that they just love each other and have so much fun together! I love a family of six hardworking dorks! 🤧💗 lol. And yeah it’s too bad that neither of are able to see them this cb ☹️ (I also did the 'hypothetically…’ research but it wouldn’t have worked out 😒) I hope you’re right though!

14)Hopefully the success of this comeback is the catalyst to Astro getting more of the attention they deserve and there will be many more opportunities to see them in the future! (Although it is too bad we won’t be able to see live performances from this cb, since it’s so pretty 😭 tho with their track record I’m sure future cb’s will be just as good lol) But what about you? Do you have any favorite songs from this cb in particular? Talk again soon! (I’ll try 2 b better @ responding 😭) -AHA

FUCKKK okay so after like a million years of midterms + 2 days straight of sleeping ya girl is BACK to answer these asks after getting through the hurdle of copying and pasting and italicizing 14 asks onto one response on my phone. Did I perhaps fail at least 3 of my midterms? Quite probably. Do I have the energy to care atm? No. Did I need to get away from everything and fly to Boston to visit my friend for reading week? Yes.

How did all your exams go? That sounds crazy though! I hope you got through everything ok!

Tbh I have the same unhealthy habits too, I essentially became nocturnal and lived on like one meal a day + snacks and coffee 😭 fr, I would be writing my midterm from 11:30-1:30, go home to eat, sleep from 4-7pm, then wake up to study all night for the next one, and repeat,,,,, I’m like an actual mess tbh

Honestly as much as I’ve enjoyed the Aroha secret admirer thing (it was sooo nice getting to meet new people) rn I’m just so glad that post-reveal we don’t have to deal with tumblr ask limits and writing entire essay responses all in one go.

Honestly 3 shirts isn’t even THAT bad especially if they weren’t all like ordered from overseas so they wouldn’t have been that expensive. When I went to the Myeongdong underground shopping centre I went craaaazy with Kpop merch despite stanning (at that point, pretty much only) BTS for a whole 3 weeks, so I ended up coming back with 2 albums, a bunch of stickers, a photocard pack (also bonus: got an Astro one too) and like a BUNCH of bt21 stuff. Speaking of, my All Light album finally came in!! I ended up getting a Moonbin, MJ, Jinjin, and Sanha photocard plus the a Rocky lyric booklet and ik I basically got THE best set for someone who loves all of them w my whole heart 😩✊ but I’m still sad I didn’t get any Eunwoo cards since he was my first Astro bias 😭 it’s soooooo pretty I love it sm and like lowkey I’ll probably end up buying more of their albums anyway oopsss

Speaking of Monsta X btw, I heard their new song and I thought it was really good! What did you think of it?

Regarding favourite songs, I swear my moods change so much, so it’s pretty common for me to not love a song at first and sort of rediscover it months later, and tbh that’s kind of what happened with Innocent Love, Baby, and Again. In this album though, I’d say my favourite Bsides are probably be Bloom, 1 in a Million, and Heart Brew Love.

And I toootally agree with the performance aspect of kpop being the thing to attract me it, even before I got really into it I’d sometime like to watch dance practices (and lowkey even learned a bunch of choreos a with my friend last term just bc we had access to a frequently empty dance studio). It’s just super impressive to see people singing and dancing at the same time mostly live, and for the same reasons I’m also super into musicals as well, which isn’t so say I think like lip syncing or just dancing/singing is bad, it’s just refreshing to see it done all at once, you know?

Also side story it turns out that I actually DO know another Astro fan irl!! Her older sister (who I’m closer to bc we’re closer in age) is the one who bought the million got7 albums. Even though she’s been a fan of Astro since before debut, her sister doesn’t even know she listens to kpop since she was afraid of getting roasted at first, but now she’s in too deep to say anything. I’d mentioned liking Astro to her before, but she didn’t say anything bc she didn’t want to expose herself in front of her sister but on Friday I saw her while her sister was out and she was like “oh btw here’s a secret I went to the Toronto fanmeet last year but my sister doesn’t know” I was SHOOK but tbh I’m just super glad now to have someone to talk about it and go to concerts with (I’m banking on the fact that they’re coming back)

Anyway, THANK YOU SO MUCH for waiting 2747287482 million years for my response, and it was so great to finally (officially) meet you Kjersten!

@kaptain-k-pop

[cucai-safespace-blog]

190519

Mình đọc hết những thứ em viết trên story. Và đây là quá trình reflect của mình.

Mình đã sai, đã hurt em, đã biết em kị nhất chuyện này mà lại phạm vào. Mình lại đang tiếp tục sai.

Em nói đúng, nếu chị yêu em chị đã không làm những thứ như vậy, đã nghĩ kĩ trước khi chị làm.

Chị đột nhiên hiểu rằng, em nói đúng, chị chưa bao giờ thật sự strive to be a better person in this rlts while you are moving forward. Và đúng thật sự chị đang chỉ dựng lên một cái brand sáo rỗng. Chị tự hỏi liệu sẽ có ai như vậy với chị không, sẽ point ra những lỗi sai của chị để chị grow như em làm?

Một phần trong chị thì nghĩ, ừ thì rlts có phải là tất cả đâu, không còn em thì sẽ có những người kh��c, và những trải nghiệm khác, có thể là tốt hơn.

Có lẽ chị chỉ đang tiếc những kỉ niệm thôi. Nhưng chị không move on nổi Phi Yến, chị làm không nổi. Đáng lẽ ra nên tập trung vào growth path của bản thân ha? Thay vì cứ mắc cạn với những suy nghĩ như vậy.

Cũng chẳng cần phải hiểu nhau nữa. Too many conflict as you said. Chị không thể muốn tất cả mà không trả cái gì, cũng không thể đòi hỏi ngta phải làm gì cho mình khi mình còn chưa cố gắng ha?

Chị xin lỗi. Vì lại chồng lên một vết thương nơi vết sẹo em còn chưa lành, vì cư xử như một đứa trẻ. Và chị thấy yên tâm vì em ổn. Chị mong mọi thứ tốt đẹp nhất sẽ đến với em. Chị hạn chế bản thân nghĩ về em quá nhiều bằng cách đi thật xa và làm thật nhiều.

Em nói đúng, this shouldn’t be all about you and us, but about me and my life ấy. But what can I say? This is the only place where I can type down my feeling for you. About my life? Well, I’m working on my final essay (finally about to done and will be submitted on the 3rd June) and I got a 100% scholarship to Germany about Sustainable Business (actually it’s quite easy to get so it’s not a yay). I also wish to work for nuclear power but soon realized that I don’t have enough health to do that (after listening to my auntie’s friend who is a Master of it & now having a million dollar job). I realize that I’m still far far away from what so-call practical experiences. 

I’m still so slow. Resisting the changes I supposed to take. I haven’t emailed Helly Tống and applied for her business yet (Lại Đây or Yên both fits my career path). Haven’t worked wholeheartedly on my essay. Still blaming it on you and my family drama for not having anything done while actually, it’s all about me.

I now figure it out that I’m just a small fish who loves to have more knowledge, about almost everything. About the architecture mostly. I love to travel with the locals. My gosh, they know everything, from the histories of every bridge in Paris to the small “cái giữ cửa sổ để nó khỏi đóng” in Switzerland. I will make an Insta account for that knowledge. Actually, I am writing a lot of drafts, but still needing to research some more on the Internet. But I am doing it. Yayy!

I still got myself flying among “gosh I want you in my life” and “let’s just focus on what I want”. And I think okay let’s just focus on me 1st, and if we are meant to be, then we will be. I don’t want you to be with the lack-of-constancy me right now. Please just do whatever you are happy to, and live your life the fullest. Move on. Give up on me, please don’t try anymore. I love myself for having this ability to accept life as it is, yet still, wish for the best of it.

But still, I want to share the small small “achievements” I got until now on my Europe trip! I was praise đảm đang and chu đáo (from my host in Germany) since I woke up soo early and cook the meals for everyone, everyday :D also get my auntie proud as I lead our “team” through the complex Metro system in Paris, even tho it was my 1st time also. I am happy and feel needed here. And I love to talk to the old people on the subway or the bus. I love stories, places they had been through, how they changed now, good and bad memories, opinions. Yes, I had to trace off a lot of things, my freedom, my self-priority, my privacy. But I meant, everything has its price hah?

Okayyy I know I should share all of these things to you but... I guess it’s my way of reflection? I’m good with words anyway. I got a headache and everything was so blurred. I’m sorry for blaming them all on you. It’s just me after all. I’m sorry for making you felt that way. But there is no way for me to undo the things I did wrongly.

Ccktlt, chị xin lỗi nha.

[scarecroweyes]

Sabe’s tips for Writing Essays

So idk about y’all but my university never gave me any good outline structures for writing essays and I was just talking to @magnusburnsidesvevo​ about this and helping them break down their essay for school. I’ve always been fortunate enough to be really really good with writing essays so idk I thought I’d share my basic tips for writing school shit aw yis bby let’s go - LONG POST UNDER THE CUT.

1. Outlines.

Super fucken important. Not everyone needs them and some people hate them but if you hate essays and get lost/frustrated with research easily, this will be your saviour. Your basic outline should look sth like this:

Intro to topic (what it’s about, history/background)

Thesis statement/Topic statement (what are YOU arguing, what is the scope you’re focusing on) [This is sometimes smushed together with your intro] Point/Argument 1

Point/Argument 2

Point/Argument 3

Conclusion (summarize your arguments and why they prove your statement, acknowledge any limitations, make suggestions if you’re discussing an issue that needs to be solved, link everything back to your original thesis and REPEAT the thesis here)

Outline Example: (this is all purely fictional bc it is 5:50 am here pls bear with me)

Intro: Cats have been recorded as human companions as early as over 9000 years ago - but scientific research has shown that even modern felines are only semi-domesticated. Despite this, cats are some of the most popular domestic pets in the world. Stats on pet cat ownership.

Thesis Statement: I maintain that cats are the best animals for human beings to own as a domesticated pet. In this paper I will be analysing the social and physical health benefits that cats provide to their owners, as well as the nature of their relationship with human owners. Pt 1. Toe beans are amazing and good for your health

Pt 2. They can’t be manipulated into loving you so their love is good and pure.

Pt 3. Owning one as a kid can make u less susceptible to allergies

Pt 4. They give u nose boops and hunt for ur useless smol butt.

Conclusion: Cats are best pet because of all of the above and also I think despite their bad rep they are really complex creatures.

2. Research

Ho boy. Ok, so now you’ve got your points. Time for your research. Most universities will have some sort of database of available research papers but do not be afraid to find non-academic sources to bulk up your points - if I’m writing about cats having a good relationship with humans I might also find examples of cats saving human lives in addition to research about their social behaviour. Do note that most universities will have a minimum number of academic sources require tho.

When searching for my research I like to google papers using Google Scholar first, then copy the paper titles and search for them in my university database - because Google generally has better search algorithms. If the paper is not available and you have the time to wait (and think the research is important and useful) please just submit a request to your school library to acquire it I promise you they will actually listen to your request.

Find research that supports your argument AND counterarguments - if you want to really prove you’re doing your work thoroughly, examine counterarguments to your points and break them down. You can acknowledge the other side without conceding your point; you just have to explain why the other side isn’t quite as right as yours tbh. (If your essay has a shorter word limit then you might not need to do this)

Read the abstracts. Look - a lot of academic papers are filled with a ridiculous amount of filler words and very very redundant writing to bulk them up and make them appear more ~*academic*~ which really, only serves to make them stupidly difficult to read and digest, especially for a layman. (no seriously, this is an actual problem with academic writing). The abstracts will HELP BIG TIME. The abstract is basically a summary of the research done - reading it will help you understand the points they’re trying to make so that when you go through the actual paper you can see which points are most important. It also helps you skim over redundant information. To this day I have not read a single research paper word for word I can tell u. ORGANISE YOUR RESEARCH. Please do this. Bookmark them into different folders for different points. Rename them. (Toebean research 1. Toebeans are bad. Toebeans are good 3.) You will thank urself later when you have 12 different PDF documents to go through and 1009348230492834 tabs already open. 3. Actually writing.

Okay, so now it’s time to actually fill our your paper. Here is the most important part - DO NOT START WITH THE INTRODUCTION. Start with your first point. Why? Because you can’t introduce sth you haven’t even written. Das right bby, we’re jumping straight into your arguments.

Now it usually seems really daunting but writing out your points is actually pretty simple - use the PEEL structure. What is PEEL? Point, Example, Explanation/Elaborate and Link back to statement. (These need not be done in order)

Example:

Toe beans are an amazing phenomenon in cats that exist in nearly all species. The pads on the bottom of cat's feet provide traction and act as shock absorbers for their bones and ligaments when they jump and run at high speeds. They are also adorable and provide numerous health benefits to human beings. Research has shown that looking at paw pads 3 times a day makes humans less prone to: anxiety, depression and general yucky feelings (T., Kitt. 2017.) As such, just by simply exposing their toe beans, cats are already doing a great job at calming a person down, and besides the superficial benefit of looking cute, can actually contribute positively to a human being's health - making their status as best pet all the more plausible. (Elaboration on toebeans, point about why they’re amazing, example of their health benefits, link back to my statement about why this makes cats best pets.)

Once you have your points fleshed out - write out your conclusion. It could potentially change from what you had in your outline and this is perfectly fine! That’s what researching your topic tends to do; it can change your opinion/stance or the way you look at something!

Example:

While there are still many people who will maintain otherwise, most research clearly points to cats being the superior domestic pet. From the numerous health benefits afforded through cat ownership, to the complex, meaningful social relationships they develop with human beings, cats have demonstrated their ability to not only positively affect their owner’s physical well-being, but also act as reliable support systems for those that require it. While dogs are seen as more affectionate and unconditionally loyal, cats who bond with their humans actively choose to do so, much like a human deciding who to befriend. As such, the relationship becomes that much more meaningful - held up by a common desire to be around one another instead of blind loyalty. This is why cats make better pets than any other domesticated animal. Aw yis you got that concluded. Now you can go back and write your introduction and thesis statement to basically prep everyone for what they’re about to read.

Example:

Cats have been recorded as human companions as early as over 9000 years ago - but scientific research has shown that even modern felines are only semi-domesticated. Despite this, cats are some of the most popular domestic pets in the world, with recent statistics putting the number of cats kept as pets at around 5 per person on average (Ow, Me. 2016). As a point of fact, cats are only outnumbered by fish when it comes to pet ownership, but this is likely due to the lower costs and responsibilities associated with fish ownership, and the popularity of fish as a ‘starter’ pet. In this paper, I maintain that cats are the best animals for human beings to own as a domesticated pet. I will be analysing the social and physical health benefits that cats provide to their owners, as well as the nature of their relationship with human owners. This paper will focus mainly on examples based in the United States, as this is where a majority of research into cat ownership has been conducted, and allows me to account for any cultural phenomenon affecting research data.

Holy moly you’re almost done!

4. Clean up and referencing.

You’ve got everything down - now all you need to do is just clean up your grammar, check your spelling and make sure you’re ON POINT. Check all your point paragraphs to make sure you have a link back to your thesis statement.

Now, for referencing - MOST universities will have a standard list of referencing examples. USE THEM. While Microsoft Word and some internet resources will claim to do the referencing for you, they may not always be up to date OR your university itself may not be using that particular format. Trust me on this - don’t lose marks just because you didn’t want to look up your university’s referencing formats.

As an example, here is Murdoch University’s standard for Chicago referencing.

Single author Nicholas, F. W. 2010. Introduction to Veterinary Genetics. 3rd ed. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

So for my paper I’d write:

T., Kitt. 2017. Toebean or Not Toebean: That is the Question. 4th Ed. Pawxford: Meowy-Furball.

Some information may not be available. If you really can’t find the edition of the book you’re referencing (google is not always your friend) this is OK - just put in what you have.

5. You’re Done! + Additional Tips

Now all that’s left to do is just number your pages, double space it or whatever standard formatting is for you papers. Submit it for plagiarism checks!!!! Edit accordingly. The general rule is to keep it below 10% and try to avoid long sentences being marked as plagiarised.

As an additional tip - if you’re allowed to choose a topic for your paper choose something you’re either a) passionate/excited about or b) really salty about. I guarantee you, you will have a lot to write about it. All my papers were either me salting about the racism in media and lack of representation or things like representation in video games, or that one shitposting essay I did on memes (I got a high distinction for it and basically got to do an entire presentation where I just rickrolled and john-cena’d my entire class).

If you can’t choose your topic find a way to analyse it from a point of view/angle you’re passionate about. (e.g if you have to write about the idk corn industry or sth maybe you can find a way to talk about how it tied in to race relations) - always check w your lecturer first tho. If you really can’t choose then you just gotta buckle down and use those tips up thar.

Go out there and write those papers bbys I hope you all do well /smoochies/