#it's a well known shortcut to the dorms that students take all the time

[moonfromearth]

- I didn't get this ripped just to die with a bunch of dorks. I'll fight my way out if I have to.

Day 2 - The Jock

"A douche. They're arrogant, irresponsible, and usually on of the ones to die first."

from @windbrook's Slashed Challenge.

[rahuratna]

To you, young sorcerer

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads, including anime Dads. And Nanami Kento, of course.

Nobara hated this. For most other girls, it was a natural process, a part of life to be embraced, an inconvenience you groaned about to your girlfriends as you rummaged through your bag for a tampon. For her, it interfered with training. It might even be a hindrance on missions, where she might not be in the best physical condition, where every little ache and pain her body inflicted upon her could mean the difference between life and death.

Gritting her teeth, she made her way into the hallway of the main building of Jujutsu Tech, taking a shortcut to the student dormitories, even if it meant tracking mud and debris from her training session with Panda all across the pristine wooden floors. Her abdomen had been plagued with discomfort all afternoon, and now, after that particularly rigorous regimen Panda had put her through, the cramps were returning with a vengeance.

Even worse, another side effect, one she detested the most, was making itself known. Frustration, anger, resentment against her own body for failing her in this way, were all boiling up inside her in a way that made her throat tight and her eyes sting.

One hand on her belly, squinting slightly as another wave of pain assailed her, Nobara shuffled through the hallway, hellbent on reaching her room where a nice hot shower, some painkillers and the soft embrace of her blankets awaited her.

There were voices behind her now. It sounded as if Yuuji and Inumaki had completed their own session and were returning to the dorms as well. Nobara could hear Yuuji enthusiastically outlining his new method of deflecting attacks to his quiet companion, punctuated by the occasional "salmon", "fish flakes" or "salmon roe". Yuuji spotted her and she groaned internally.

"Hey, Kugisaki! Wanna hear about my new technique?"

"Not right now. Read the room."

"Whoa, you look ... not so great. You okay?"

She grunted as a way of reply.

"What's up? You not feeling too good?"

As well-meaning as Yuuji was, he really didn't know when to step back from a situation. Nobara didn't have the energy to whack him upside the head like she usually did, though. To her horror, the constricting sensation in her throat was coiling like a vice, the burn behind her eyes growing stronger. A single, fat tear slipped traitorously from her lash line, tracking down her cheek.

Yuuji looked horrified, and Inumaki, eyes wide above his collar, was rooted to the spot, neither boy sure what had brought this on. Hands flapping helplessly, Yuuji took a step towards her.

"Uhh, Kugisaki? Was it something I said? I'm really sorry if -"

"It's not you, idiot," Nobara muttered, hands scrubbing furiously at her eyes.

"What's going on here?"

Oh, for the love of God.

She had learned to recognize that clipped, smooth baritone from the time the sorcerer in question had been designated as Yuuji's mentor on some missions when Gojo wasn't available.

Nanami Kento, grade one sorcerer, wielder of the seven : three ratio technique. Nobara didn't know much about the man, having interacted with him only a few times. She knew that he was strict, no-nonsense, a stickler for propriety and good conduct, rather dour and gloomy if what Gojo described was accurate. Used to be a salaryman. He certainly looked like the kind of man who could blend into any boardroom, with his tan business suit and perfectly parted blonde hair.

He was now eyeing her from behind those reflective shades, taking in her bedraggled appearance, the leaves and mud on her clothing and hair, the hand clutching at her abdomen, the tear-streaked face. She wondered, momentarily, if he was going to dismiss her as yet another weak, female sorcerer with aspirations far higher than her ability. The thought made a fresh wave of frustration rise in her chest, moistening her eyes once again.

Nanami turned, expression unchanged, and addressed the boys.

"You two go and get supper at the canteen. Kugisaki, with me please."

He began to make his way out towards the student dorms, not bothering to check if she was following. Grumbling slightly, Nobara complied.

"Don't need an escort," she muttered.

"I'm aware."

"Then - "

"How bad are the cramps?"

She stared at the back of his head. Nanami paused and turned towards her slightly, one eyebrow raised.

"Well?"

"Uh ... pretty bad."

"Hmm."

He resumed his walk, and she followed, almost in a trance. Nanami spoke again, voice quiet and measured, before she had a chance to put words to her query.

"I had a friend, when I studied here at Jujutsu Tech. He had a sister who he was very close to. He used to visit her in the countryside, and they looked after each other. He could always recognize when she needed help of this sort. He told me everything. I had no choice but to listen. He was ... a talker."

"Oh, I see. What kind of stuff did he mention?"

"Many things. The kind of tea that eased her pain. The stretches she liked to perform. The bath salts he used to purchase for her from the store at the shrine. The food she liked to eat."

In spite of herself, Nobara quirked a small smile.

"Sounds like ... a pretty good guy."

"He was."

She was silent for a minute, taking in the tense with which Nanami had referred to his friend.

"Did he - "

"Yes. Many years ago."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"No need. We all know the dangers of this profession. Haibara knew too."

They'd reached the dorms and Nanami opened the door, motioning her through. Somehow, coming from him, the gesture didn't seem condescending. She stepped through and he followed, moving off to the side into the small kitchenette that was reserved for the students' use.

Nobara hovered awkwardly in the doorway, wondering what she was supposed to say next. Nanami was busying himself with the cupboards, boiling water and pulling open the fridge. He glanced over and she realised that, at some point, he had removed the shades that normally concealed his stern gaze.

"Go and get yourself cleaned up. Then come back to the kitchen when you're done."

"Um, sure. Goodnight, Nanami."

"Oh, and Kugisaki?"

"Yes?"

"You're a strong and capable young sorcerer. We all have moments of weakness. From time to time, remember to let yourself be. We are sorcerers, but we're also human. Sometimes, recalling that simple fact is enough to hold your mind together when nothing else will."

Nobara's throat was tightening once again, but this time, she felt little to no shame. She was beginning to realise that the sorcerers who were responsible for them knew exactly what they were talking about. No wonder he had come across as so perceptive. How many nights had he spent, alone, in pain, wishing he were stronger, better, wishing that the boy who once smiled alongside him was still amongst the living? How weak had he felt, back then? Had he wished an adult had said these very words to him?

"I'll remember that. Thank you, Nanami."

"Goodnight, Kugisaki."

After a long, hot bath, Nobara changed into her most comfortable pyjamas and slowly made her way back to the kitchen, as Nanami had instructed. As ridiculous as it sounded, she felt a small sense of nervous anticipation. What had he done in there?

Entering, the scent of something delicious made her mouth begin to water. There, on the stove top, bubbling merrily in a small cast iron dish, was a cheese and corn, green onions snipped neatly as garnish over the top. Covered dishes of miso soup and rolled omelette with diced vegetables stood to the side, still steaming slightly. In a pot on the stove, next to the cheese and corn, Nobara sniffed out something warm and herbal, some kind of tea blend.

Mood lifting immediately, Nobara set the table and dug into the food. As simple as the fare was, it was exactly the kind of comfort food she had been craving. Right then, it tasted like a five-star meal to her.

As she polished off the last of her food and gathered all the dishes together to wash up, she noted that her cramps had eased considerably, probably due to the warm bath, the medication and her satiated appetite. Soap forming soft suds under her fingers, Nobara surprised herself by humming slightly.

Nanami had certainly turned out to be different than she'd expected. From the little she'd seen of his interactions with Yuuji, she had assumed that he was quite a cold person.

She remembered, in that moment however, that Yuuji had never had a single bad thing to say about Nanami. Granted, Yuuji was one of the most accepting and easy-going people she knew, but there was a certain admiration and respect evident in his voice when he spoke about Nanami that she hadn't noticed in his descriptions of other people.

She was beginning to see why.

Leaving the dishes to dry on the rack, she poured out the remaining tea and carried the cup to her room. The porcelain was warm, steady and comforting between her fingers, like his eyes had been in the dim light of the kitchenette. She had never seen him without his glasses before.

Growing up in that small village, Nobara had learned to prize a particular quality above all others, one that she would now add to the growing list of words she could use to describe Nanami Kento.

Kindness. 

[jjuwuni]

shortcut to heaven | yang jungwon x oc

pairings — yang jungwon x reader

genre — fluff, angst, college!au, fake dating trope, drama, occasional smut (minors dni please)

summary —  Two strangers seemingly cross paths, everywhere they go. 

Would they find their heaven among their chaotic lives? 

“ That’s right, I’m talking to you, ” Jungwon, THE Yang Jungwon, with his arm, outstretched, index pointing right at me, “ Do you want to be my girlfriend? Fake girlfriend, that is, so make sure you don't end up falling for me. ” With his right dimple in full view, he smirks at me. 

And that was the day my whole life turned upside down.

warnings — a SOCMED AU but with heavy narrations, fake dating trope with some twist n' turns, compared to my other stuff this one is definitely more on the cute, fluff side hehe so not much warnings in terms of content ! OT7 enha is present, as well as probably other 4th gen idols, will use nwjns minji as the faceclaim for y/n, alcohol, drunken mishaps, profanity, there might be slightly dark themes surrounding family and love, no mnc i assure you, making out, smut etc. will happen so minors 👀 watching you !

[ preview (w/ character list) here ! ]

A/N: this is the first part of the STH series!! hope you like it!! it's quite a jam-packed chapter ^^ do let me know what you think and let me know if you want to be added into the taglist as well.

taglist: @jwnghyuns

MEET THE POWER RANGERS & THEIR SHENANIGANS

WON GETS SULKY AND TAKES TO TWITTER 😆

NARRATION — YJW'S POV

Jungwon fixes his hair in place under his beanie that morning, spraying a good amount of his Dior Sauvage perfume and heading down a long flight of stairs toward the foyer of their estate. Yes, estate. 

Some would describe his life as being born with a silver spoon. Or in the Yang’s case, a diamond-encrusted spoon. His life was everything but normal, with their family being one of the most well-known families belonging to the 1% of society. 

The best part? He was bound to inherit this all. 

Him, Sunghoon, Niki and Heeseung have been friends for as long as they all can remember. Though varying in ages, the four of them have hit it off since they were all in diapers, with their parents being friends since their childhood days as well.

To put it simply, the three other guys’ families were also a part of the same bracket of society. 

Some would also describe Jungwon as having everything in life. 

But one thing was missing. 

The one thing that he’s been working hard for the most. 

Han Sooyoung. Jungwon has had a crush on her since they were classmates back in high school. She was everything he could ever, ever want. If he were to be the king of the world, he would want no one else but her to be his queen. 

Here’s the catch though, she doesn’t want him. 

Or at least, that’s what she says every time. But deep down, Jungwon knew that she was only trying to play hard-to-get, and who was he to deny her of that? If it meant that he would get her in the end, Jungwon was willing to move mountains for her.

WELCOME TO JINAE'S LIFE !

NARRATION — READER'S POV

Jinae was fucked, to say the least. After coming back to her dorm at 4am, she didn't realize that she passed out on her bed out of pure exhaustion. As much as she didn’t want to work nights, she knew she needed the extra money for her daily expenses. 

Ever since she set foot into her university journey, she told her parents not to worry about her anymore. She no longer wanted to be a burden to her family. After all, her family was chest-deep in expenses and debts.

Which is why she resorted to becoming a working student - juggling two jobs along with her academics. Hard as it was, Jinae thought this would be for the better.

This is why she studies hard and works hard. She desires to one day give back to her parents, after all the sacrifices they've made for her and her older brother, working tirelessly for them to be able to put food on their plates and a roof over their heads. 

Luckily, she made it in time, just in time, as the second group just finished their presentation. 

When Jinae entered through the back door of the classroom, all she heard were resounding cheers and woooo’s! all around. Sitting next to her best friend Sunoo in the back row, she couldn’t help but scowl. 

YANG JUNGWON was front and center, with a rather cheeky smile on his face, as if taking in all the cheers from their classmates and relishing in the moment. Of course, he would get that kind of reception from their peers. He was well-loved, no, scratch that, worshipped - no matter where he went and no matter what he did. 

But to someone like Jinae, it was all so superficial. Everyone is just being nice to the guy with the money, the guy with the clout, the nepo baby. Even though she was certain that he didn’t know nor even had the slightest inkling of her existence, Jinae abhorred people like him. 

Because people like him come from families who take advantage of people like her parents. 

She’s seen it all firsthand.

She watched as affluent families demolished their houses and told them to move out, she’s seen her dad beg on his knees, wishing they wouldn’t take their house away just so they could build big buildings around the city as a display of wealth. 

And so, no one could blame her for harboring such feelings around people like Jungwon.

Not that she would say it out loud though, because this university is his. He and his friends had everyone wrapped around their fingers. Even their professor, who can currently be seen smiling and clapping for Jungwon’s group.

"Yo, good luck out there." Remember when she just said that Jungwon probably didn't know who she was? Well, maybe she was wrong on that end because she heard him say that next to her ear as they passed each other on the way to the front of the class, coupled with a little tap on the shoulder and the smile he had on earlier still in place.

Jinae could only sneer, it sounded so condescending coming from him.

EYES EMOJI @ THIS TBH

WELCOME TO THE RANGERS HIDEOUT ! (a visualizer)

NARRATION — YJW'S POV

Going down from his Audi R8 silver vehicle, Jungwon makes his way toward the back area of the Yang estate. A couple of years ago, this part of the estate was pretty much a forest. But the four friends decided that as they were getting older, they needed their own mancave-slash-hang-out place.

A place where they could all just meet up after their long days, talk, drink, and hang out. 

The entrance to the hideout looked unassuming, you wouldn’t think that there was anything there, just a mound of soil and grass and a cave opening, but as you head down a flight of concrete stairs and walk up to the steel door to open it, you’re greeted by a different world. 

The four of them built this idea from scratch. And no one knows about the passcode to the cave except the four of them (and the people who are tasked to clean it every so often, of course). 

As Jungwon enters the rangers hideout, (yes, it’s what they call it, as the four of them were OBSESSED with power rangers growing up), he spots Ni-ki playing pool in one corner, with a sullen Heeseung standing at the other end - clearly giving us an indication on who was winning.

Sunghoon, on the other hand, was set up in the bar area, laptop and books open, with a glass of scotch in his hand. 

Jungwon decides to join Sunghoon by the bar, grinning at him whilst sitting down on the bar stool next to his, “Are you seriously doing homework? Hyung come on, will you live a little?” 

The older only chuckles in response. With that, Jungwon doesn’t pry, he knows the kind of immense pressure Sunghoon is in. His dad and his family were part of a long line of lawyers and prosecutors, and if he were to aim for Harvard Law School, he needed a flawless transcript. 

“Yo, Jungwon hyung, how'd it go with Sooyoung this morning?” The younger Ni-ki asks, making his way over to the duo by the bar. 

The older between the two had to stop himself from cringing, “Eh, you know. The usual.” Rubbing his nape, he could only shrug his shoulders. “I brought her tulips. Have them flown in from Europe. She took them, said thank you, kissed me on the cheek then left me to go to class.” 

Ni-ki inhaled through his teeth, it was tough seeing his best friend like this. “Bro, seriously, I know we make fun of you a lot but are you ever planning to give up? Clearly, Sooyoung doesn’t like you like that. And you know what? It’s so sad to see THE Yang Jungwon getting rejected over and over.” 

It wasn’t like he wasn’t aware of that, Jungwon knew he looked like a fool at this point after relentlessly pursuing her for years. But he couldn’t help it. “The heart wants what it wants, Niks.” 

“Oh puhlease, save the cringe sayings for someone else, hyung.” The younger replies, his face clearly showing a look of disgust. “I admire your persistence. That's all I have to say.” 

The other two older guys watched on, donning sad smiles, knowing that they both couldn’t talk Jungwon out of it either. The three of them know him well enough to say that once he sets his mind to something, he tunnel visions.

[twstheadcanons]

Any hcs for pomefiore, like how its students interact socially. Or hcs on the etiquette lessons?

this is long

·         I stand by what I said about Savanaclaw – Night Raven College has a bunch of stupid high school boys in its student body.  Being in Pomefiore does not erase your dumb high school energy.  It is just redirected.  As the oldest dorm, Pomefiore has some antiquated decour, and its own pride in maintaining them, including its gratuitous amount of candles strewn about.  Are the candlelit flames real?  Yes.  Can students touch them and light them themselves? Absolutely not.  They’re enchanted to light up and extinguish on their own. Vil’s seen firsthand how hotheaded and confrontational Pomefiore students can be.  He finds enchanted candles reasonable.  

·         There’s a garden in the back of the dorm building.  As the dorm known for its prowess in poisons and potions, it’s important for Pomefiore students to be able to identify specific types of flora commonly used in formulas, alongside their potential benefits and dangers.

·         Gardening can be grueling, especially when dealing with tricky, difficult flora. Vil has extensive instructions under his belt when it comes to making sure all students do their part (there is no avoiding gardening duty).  As such, alongside gardening itself, he’s put a lot of time and effort researching and specialising methods to minimise/mitigate the amount of mess and physical involved – and that’s without cutting corners.  Every new year brings in new students with their own personal strengths, so he has to make sure no stone goes unturned.

·         That said, absolutely no one shares gardening gloves.  Crowley is crying at the expenses of just damn gardening gloves but Vil is Not going to budge.

·         Of course, the apple trees are ones Pomefiore plants as well.  It’s their signature after all.  Rook hawk eyes both the trees’ growth and makes sure no one’s snagging them beforehand.  Ever since Epel enrolled, he’s lowkey more instructive of the process whenever Vil’s not around.  He’s also got his own shortcuts and tricks for general gardening.  Having a more hands-on approach since birth, it comes naturally to him.

·         Like, no offence, but the Pomefiore apples are not as good as the ones the Felmiers grow.

·         Epel is constantly on the verge of going apeshit when something he KNOWS he’s good at and knows his shit about is getting nitpicked, so for Vil’s safety I am making the executive decision that Vil’s noticed Epel sometimes taking charge in helping other students and just lets Epel do his own thing when it comes to helping out with Pomefiore’s plants and apples.

·         Honestly, having the two different approaches work in Pomefiore’s favour.  Some students need/want more structure and guidance, making Vil a better option.  Others benefit from Epel’s self-assured, informal approach since it makes it seem less daunting for beginners.

·         Rook likes to indulge himself when it comes to apples.  By that I mean he likes to ‘help’ students ‘slice’ their apples by doing the classic arrow-through-the-apple thing.  A lot of students think it’s actually pretty awesome.  

·         Right up until Rook asks for a volunteer to have the apple on their head.

·         The science club actually has its fair share of Pomefiore students apart from Rook.  Some are simply following the example of a generally respected vice-leader, whilst other took it for their own interests.

·         The same goes for film appreciation.   While small and mostly Pomefiore students under Vil’s lead, it’s a close circle of students working together.

·         The ballroom, like gardening, requires its own care and maintenance.  Keeping floors, windows, and mirrors clean.  This actually goes for the entire dorm, but the ballroom hosts a lot of Pomefiore’s recreational and group events (makes for a good place for film appreciation rehearsals).

·         Another reason it’s important to keep the dorm itself clean overall: absolutely no one wants perfume and cologne just lingering in furniture.  That is not the life anyone wants.  Ever.

·         This is something Rook’s especially quick to get on others’ cases about (in his own Rook Hunt way that is).  He’s a hunter, so he doesn’t want to risk even the most wonderful of scents blowing his cover.

·         Speaking of Rook, if you’re familiar with French in Pomefiore, but don’t use it often.  You Do Now for the sake of your fellow dormmates that want to know what the hell Rook is saying.

·         Students in Pomefiore tend to grow up into more hands-on careers.  Of course, there’s the ones in professions like show business, fashion, and cosmetology, but other common careers they gravitate to are generally science or fine arts related.

·         If you know what’s good for you, and you’re interested in fashion, start learning about the ethical issues and dangers of fast fashion ASAP.  As someone surrounded by aesthetics and designs, Vil knows his shit and idealistic views that overlook the shady business practises of even big-name groups get under his skin fast.  In general, as passionate as he is in his line of work, Vil’s still disillusioned to the glitz and glamour of it, which is why he takes such an aggressive stance on his own management.

·         Since first years share four students in one dorm room, Epel’s roommates will never escape the apple smell.  It’s gone from charming, to a bit sickening, to being plain desentisised to the scent. While all three are kind of over having an apple or apple juice every time Epel’s family sends them, they’ll happily accept them from time to time.  The apple juice especially is popular since it makes for a refreshing change from water.

·         Makeup brand debates.  They’re a thing.  Vil mostly thinks they’re dumb on a surface level since people just gravitate to what works for them and is within their budget but if you ask he’s got dirt on which brands have the worst practises that don’t need Anyone’s money.

·         Considering his ‘villain’ typecasting the guy has no fear using his platform to be outspoken on those types of issues which is why a lot of Pomefiore students end up actually respecting him outside his acting and modeling career.

·         For the record, it’s not like Epel’s the only student from a rural background in Pomefiore. There are plenty of others, it’s just that they didn’t literally get into a fight with a dorm leader during the opening ceremony.

·         The way he acts with Epel early on, however, does leave a rather unflattering impression on said rural students.  Epel doesn’t really keep his background a secret, so it’s easy to hear Vil scold Epel’s informal, direct way of speaking as him disliking the actual accents a country person may have.  So like. Vil’s gotta work on clearing that up with them, lol.

·         This is a “Vil’s done a good number of things wrong” zone regardless of his background and actual intent and also a “Pomefiore isn’t only about beauty but considering the way its students act and speak in general Uhhhhh” so as focused as Vil is on image and Pomefiore on seeming ‘proper’ I am Forcing him to reevaluate his approach to educating less experienced students on westernised and Eurocentric etiquette expectations.   You’re going to have students with staunchly different mannerisms and ideas of etiquette that do not affect their work ethic whatsoever sweetie.  

·         In a similar vein, older Pomefiore students that happen to be beastfolk (I’d like to imagine the Mirror of Darkness doesn’t magically toss Savanaclaw into some unholy ‘this is the beastfolk ghetto’ hell.  Do not burst my bubble I won’t listen) usually end up being tightknit with first years.  Honestly how else are first-years going to survive Rook Hunt being their vice-leader.

Vil also takes his own measures to minimise how up in their business Rook gets with Pomefiore’s own beastfolk.  

Being a detail-oriented dorm, Pomefiore has the most amount of students experienced in hands-on work and crafts.  If the individual students get along, Savanaclaw and Pomefiore students can get a lot done when they put their minds to it.

“Absolutely Beautiful” blasting from the ballroom at 5am so the less morning-inclined can wake up properly for the next three weeks.

·         Look Vil and Rook have particularly polarising personalities you cannot expect the entire dorm to worship them nor their way of doing things.

·         Master Chef, although a small elective, also has its fair share of Pomefiore students.  Something about a practical skills class appeals to them, and it actually makes for relaxing classwork.  

·         First dorm that sorts out people’s allergies.  If you think it’s excessive Pomefiore has forms prepared for new students to fill out regarding any extenuating circumstances and conditions think again. No health accidents happening in this dorm.

·         Mentions of students struggling tend to result in other students helping each other out. Study groups are pretty encouraged within the dorm if it works out for the people involved.  The lounge aside, the ballroom’s surprisingly popular for study groups when it’s not in-use for anything else.

[jasminejc4525]

It’s never too late

A little fic that I decided to put out after keeping it in my drafts for a year :) thank you @cygnetofthesea for your help and inspiration!

Nadia giggled as Guzman kissed her neck ever so slowly. They were supposed to be making breakfast, but instead Nadia was sitting on the countertop with Guzman in between her legs kissing her with his whole heart.        

“I like being with you like this,” Guzman said with the biggest smile. He and Nadia had officially been dating for 3 years. They enjoyed most of their time in their little apartment or in Central Park where Nadia would read materials for her classes and Guzman would look up at her and play with her hair. They also liked to enjoy late night slices of pizza.

“I’m glad you waited for me,” Nadia said looking deeply into Guzman’s eyes. She knew that when she made her promise to him she wasn’t going to break it. Long distance was going to be hard, so they decided to stay close friends while figuring themselves out for a year. After Guzman graduated from Las Encinas, he went to NYU for a business degree and that’s when he and Nadia reconnected their romantic relationship.

“It was worth it mi amor,” Guzman said as he got from between her legs and opened the cabinet to look for some ingredients. Nadia liked Guzman’s breakfast but she was the best at cooking dinner. “Do you ever miss it?” Nadia asked “Las Encinas?” Guzman asked and Nadia nodded her head. “Well there are a lot of traumatizing memories, but there are also amazing ones...like meeting the love of my life.” Nadia smiled and got up from the counter. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I am so grateful.” She said wrapping her arms around Guzman’s neck. As they were about to kiss, they heard a knock on the door. “I’ll go get it.” Nadia said before giving her boyfriend a quick peck. Nadia opened the door to see her sister May standing before her. Nadia wasn’t sure how to react when May wrapped Nadia in a hug. “Hi Nadia, I’ve missed you so much!” May said as she stepped back from their hug. “May what are you doing here?” Nadia said still shocked. “Well I heard you were in the city from Omar and I decided it was time to reconnect with my family.” Nadia took a deep breath, “It’s a lot to process but I think that would be great” Nadia relaxed and said “Come in.” May stepped into the beautiful apartment that Nadia and Guzman called their home. “This place is amazing.” “Thank you. Guzman and I have been here for a year after we got tired of the college dorms.” Nadia smiled as she thought of a nervous Guzman asking her if she wanted to move in with him. He didn’t want to feel like they were rushing the relationship but Nadia gladly accepted because she was tired of being interrupted by Lu or Guzman’s roommate when they would have those private moments. Guzman parents helped him out with the rent along with his new job. He insisted that Nadia didn’t work so she could focus on school because her major was very hard. May gave Nadia a confused look, ”Guzman?” Nadia smiled, “My boyfriend. We’ve been together for 3 years but we’ve known each other since I started school at Las Encinas.” “Las Encinas? Like the school for the richest kids in Spain? How did you get to go there?” May asked Nadia with wide eyes. Nadia laughed, “It’s a long story, but I’ll explain later.” They walked into the kitchen to find Guzman starting some eggs. “Guzman I would like to introduce you to my sister May.” He looked just as surprised as Nadia did when he first saw her. “Hi nice to meet you, I’m Guzman.” May smiled and was a little shocked because she never thought her little sister would date a white guy. They all sat down and started eating. Nadia looked at her sister and said, “May what happened after you left home?” May took a deep breath and said, “A lot. After I left, I went with some friends to Barcelona and from there I got a job at a bar even though I was underage. I lived there for some time until I met a guy and he broke my heart so I decided I should try to reconnect with the people that really mattered to me.” She looked at Nadia who had a small smile on her face. “I’m really sorry by the way Nadia. I should have never left like that. And I didn’t even try to stay in touch. I’ve missed so much in your life.” Nadia took her sister’s hand from across the table and said, “It’s okay, I understand why you did.” Nadia paused and looked at Guzman, “If you hadn’t, I would have never been with Guzman.” May smiled at the two love birds and asked about their history, “So how did you two meet?” Nadia said, “Well the school I had been going to collapsed and since I was the top student in my class, I was given a scholarship.” Guzman interrupted and said, “Paid for by my father because he was the executive of the company that built her school. He made shortcuts while building it, so when it collapsed, he knew it was his responsibility to pay for their scholarships.” Nadia nodded and continued, “I initially saw Guzman when he got out the pool and I thought he was so hot.” Guzman smiled and said, “ I thought she was really pretty in her hijab and couldn’t stop staring at her as I got out the pool.” “Even though he had a girlfriend,” Nadia said laughing. “Yea well Lu was never really my girlfriend until she helped me after my sister died.” Nadia rubbed his back as he recalled the memory. He gave her a reassuring look and continued, “But when we got back to school for senior year, I knew I wasn’t over Nadia.” Nadia said, “Junior year we were friends and we started developing feelings for each other but decided not to explore it because Baba was gonna take me out of Las Encinas. He thought I was changing too much.” Guzman looked at May and said, “So I made a deal with your father and said I wouldn’t speak to Nadia if he would let her return to school the next year.” May smiled, “Wow, you really did that for her?” “Yea, for the summer at least. It was horrible not being able to talk to her on how I was doing with my sister being dead and all. But when I saw her on the first day of school, I knew I couldn’t keep ignoring her.” Nadia and Guzman told May about everything that happened in senior year. How they kissed and slept together while Guzman was still with Lu and even how they had sex in the locker room. May’s eyes were wide as she looked at them and asked, “What were you guys thinking?That was so risky.” “Yea we didn’t care at the time and I was really horny, but it was all messed up when someone recorded us and shared it to the whole school.” Nadia said. May looked concerned, “That must have been awful Nadia” “Yea it messed up a lot. Guzman and I were going to try a relationship but that video scared me away. But it also messed with me getting scholarships until I earned a scholarship to Columbia.” They continued to talk and Nadia felt completely comfortable being with her sister.

***

They decided to go shopping and spend some one on one time together. May smiled at Nadia and said, “So Guzman huh?” Nadia laughed and asked, “Yea so what? “I don’t know, I never thought you would date while in college, especially a white guy. And you gave me a lot of flack when we were younger for the boys I liked.” Nadia smiled, “Well Guzman was different. He knocked down all the walls I put up to guard my heart. I didn’t need to be scared of loving him. I knew I could trust him with my heart and he wouldn’t destroy it. Yes there have been ups and downs but we’ve always found our way back to each other.” She paused and turned to May, “ And I’m sorry I was so judgmental of you when we were younger. I was just trying to be the perfect daughter for Baba, but that wasn’t truly who I was. I should’ve tried to be there for you more.” May hugged her sister and said, “It’s okay we all make mistakes, I’m just glad those mistakes lead us to here.” Nadia wiped away the tears in her eyes and asked May about her life now. “I’m working on opening my own Palestinian restaurant in New York.” “Wow that’s amazing” Nadia said with the biggest smile. “Have you reached out to Mama and Baba?” “Yes, I talked to them last week and they weren’t mad...I’m very excited to be talking to my family again.” They started walking again and May asked, “So what are you up to now?” “I’m in my last year at Columbia and I’ve started working on certain internships.” May nodded and asked, “Are you happy?” Nadia responded, “Yes, very happy...and you?” May looked at her sister who she loved so much and said, “Now I am.”

[m-y-fandoms]

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu x reader (fluff + angst) - (COMMISSION)

When I get a commission that isn’t Danganronpa related, I keep the client’s name private and switch names and some paragraphs around to fit a Danganronpa character so you all can enjoy it. This commission best fit Fuyuhiko’s personality, so here you are - Admin Kokichi

SFW, gender-neutral reader

     I walked through the halls of Hope’s Peak Academy, still toweling off my scalp after a shower in the gym’s locker room. Heavily I sighed, thankful for the much-needed sustenance that was soon to come when I finally reached the cafeteria. Sport after sport, activity after activity, it really wore the body out. Hope’s Peak really stressed the importance of the Ultimate-level students honing their skills. That’s why we were there, after all. Yes, we took general education classes like any normal student, the basics like the many different types of mathematics, general art, history, government, sciences and all that, but each student in the Main Course had several hours a day blocked out of their schedule dedicated to their specific talent and that talent only. It was rigorous, obsessive, and exhausting. 

     At times like this, I envied those who sat down for their talent, like animators and gamers, for I, the Ultimate Athlete, was always on my feet. Not that I’m saying art and gaming don’t take a lot out of those students, I just wanted a break from physical exertion once and awhile. My brain wasn’t stimulated quite as much as I’d like. Even the other athletes, like Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimmer, and Akane Owari, the Ultimate Gymnast, had one set training area, and trained one sport for long sessions during the school day. As the all around Ultimate Athlete, the administration of Hope’s Peak had me training lots of different sports and exercise methods in short bursts. This meant running across campus from the pool to the dojo, from the gym to the baseball field, from the wrestling mat to the biking trails. Every day, a different muscle was sore, but I suppose I can’t really complain. It is an honor to be selected to attend Hope’s Peak. I mean, there were hundreds of regular students paying extraordinary rates to attend, just to be mocked and berated for being Reserve Course students anyway. I was lucky to have been chosen as the Ultimate Athlete at all, considering they already had so many types of athletes here. I think the appeal of my talent was that instead of being the best at one sport alone, I was above average at every single sport there was. Well, there was no use wasting time dwelling on my burnt-out body, because immediately after lunch, I was expected back at the gym with no delay. The longer this walk took, the less time I had to eat.

     Picking up the pace, I sprinted - something I excelled at - through the courtyard that connected the Reserve Course and Main Course wings for what was a well-known shortcut to the cafeteria. Reaching the other side, I slowed my pace, my eyes landing on a curious scene that caught my attention. Three Reserve Course girls - distinguishable by the ash-black of their identical uniforms as opposed to the customizable (and optional) Ultimate uniforms - were whispering in hushed tones in front of one of the cream-colored pillars of the courtyard surrounded by some well-tended flowers. They trembled slightly, a bit jittery it seemed, and were clearly gossiping profusely like the gaggle of hens they resembled. There was malice and fear in their expressions as they looked back and forth from the object of their scrutiny then back to each other to deliberate and discuss. My eyes followed their line of sight to the opposite side of the courtyard, where the pond and benches sat. Of course, it was him. How did I not notice him as I passed by from that end? I must have been in some hurry.

     Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, the Ultimate Yakuza, sat on the ground leaned up against a wall on the opposite side of the courtyard, scrawling notes into a notebook in his lap. His brow was creased, fairly engrossed in his studies. I could tell he heard the girls chattering, they weren’t being subtle and weren’t very far away, but Fuyuhiko was paying them no mind.

     “Do you think his dad threatens the teachers if they give him a bad grade?” A blonde gasped, as if the thought had just occurred to her.

     “Probably, I wouldn’t put anything past that clan of brutes,” another plain-looking girl whimpered in reply.

     I stopped to watch the situation play out, hiding behind a nearby pillar and ready to step in if it continued, as rumor-spreading bullies were something that I just couldn’t stand by any means. I knew Fuyuhiko could handle himself… err… maybe I was just being a bit nosey to be honest.

     After a few more minutes of the clique getting louder and bolder with their insultingly toxic babble, I saw Fuyuhiko’s head snap up, throwing them a pointed glare. The flock gasped in unison, with looks of horror on their faces, and scrambled away past me and into the hall. I smirked merrily: now that reaction was the more typical one. I was just thinking how brave these girls must have been to be provoking a Kuzuryuu in the first place. Many people in the school, and just the country in general were terrified of them. I myself felt a bit indifferent about Fuyuhiko. He was in my home room and never caused trouble. 

     The Kuzuryuu Clan was the largest and most powerful Yazuka clan in the country, with ties to national governments, huge drug rings, and a hand in many influential corporations throughout the country. People knew to fear them and not to mess with them, like any gang. Fuyuhiko was the only son of the head of the clan, and next in line as its leader, but if you’d spoken more than two words to the guy, you’d see that it was wise to respect him, but there was no need to fear him. In fact, his little sister Natsumi, who terrorized the Reserve Course girls, probably was the reason Fuyuhiko’s reputation around the school was smeared by association. People saw her bitterness, her jealousy, her need to harass or threaten anyone who she felt inferior to, her horrible attitude, and probably transferred that fear over to her older brother, thinking the siblings must be similar. It was just ridiculous. If anything, he was an asshole at times, but not dangerous.

     Plus, how could someone be afraid of a guy who looked like that? Fuyuhiko was both adorable in some ways, and handsome in others. His cute side came out through in his meager height, the way his pale skin blushed easily when flustered, the softness of his blonde hair, the small pout he wore at times. He didn’t even have ink yet like most Yazuka. His skin was milky and untouched. On the other side of the spectrum, he was handsome and manly in the way he spoke, the elegance of his expensive suits and ties, his intelligence, the way he carried himself, his sharp and intense gaze. I always thought it was more reasonable to be attracted to him rather than afraid.

     He did have a bit of an attitude problem, but I often felt bad for him because of it. The quipping, feisty exterior he presented was clearly a coping mechanism, a method of self-defense after years of pressure to be a pillar of his family and being misunderstood by his peers. It probably wasn’t easy to be expected to watch or even perform drug deals, interrogations, or even murders - who knows? Then after all of that, you come back into normal society and get judged for being tiny with a baby face behind your back while people are scared of you to your face.

     He projected the anger he was taught was normal, and used the years of being raised in the Yakuza to adapt and mold his personality. He often cursed out or blew up at others, was stubborn and hard to work with, did his own thing, and despite how well he thought he hid her, his personal bodyguard being around the corner ready to kick someone’s ass at a moment's notice deterred many potential friendships. Most of our home room were friends with him, but I rarely talked to him. I really only made myself known to a few of the quieter kids in our class like Komaeda and Tsumiki, even Peko herself at times… but other than them I mainly kept to myself.

     I just wished…. he’d talk to me first. I was desperate to get to know him without the fear of feeling like I was bothering him.

     Ok, so maybe I wasn’t as indifferent as I let on before. Now that I’ve given myself away, I suppose I’ll just say it:

     Yes, I was a bit biased on the topic of Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu because… I had a massive crush on him.

     And it was hard, so very hard to see him in class everyday, at the dorms, around campus, and not be able to make those feelings known. I couldn’t tell if it was fear of judgment, fear of rejection, fear of him just cussing me out until I pissed myself, maybe a mix of all three? But now we were alone… save for Peko, who was undoubtedly spying from somewhere close by. Why should I care what anyone thinks? I was sure he’d never tell anyone if he rejected me anyway. He wasn’t the gossiping type, and he only told people what he needed them to hear. Steadying myself, I took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the decorative colonnade. As I shakily stepped across the grass, lunch became the last thing on my mind, and I approached him. He didn’t even look up until I began to speak, cowardice lining my tone.

     “H-hey,” I mumbled, towering above him like some weirdo. He squinted in suspicion, a small pout settling onto his lips as he silently acknowledged me. “Are you studying?!” I yelled more than spoke, my nerves taking hold. He rolled his eyes, holding the notebook up with one hand. I couldn’t help scanning him, taking in the way the sun bounced off the yellow fluff of his buzz cut, the way his chest heaved slowly, the cute little mole under his bottom lip. I was sweating, wondering if Peko would knock me out for getting too close, but also entranced in his hazel eyes.

     “What does it look like?” He huffed, irritated by my very presence. He probably came out hime to be alone, after all. Now he had to deal with me right after those insufferable girls.

     “Ah, haha, yeah, well anyway, I wanted to say that those girls were obnoxious and wrong. You shouldn’t let their words get to you. They’re meaningless. Y-you shouldn’t care about what they think. I-” I spoke quickly, nervously, and he parried my words instantly, tired of me wasting his precious time.

     “I don’t give a shit what they think. Since you’re such a fuckin’ creep and were apparently watching the whole time, you must have seen me scare them off, yeah? I obviously don’t care, and I don’t need some rando to come give me a fuckin’ pep talk! What do I look like to you, some fuckin’ kid that got his feelings hurt by some bullies? Fuck those bitches and fuck you! If that’s all you had to say, get lost,” he spat, and I flinched backwards. He was feeling vulnerable, and biting back was the only thing she knew, like an abused dog lashing out at its rescuers. I knew not to take it personal, that Fuyuhiko sometimes said things he didn’t mean out of anger. I knew all of this, but I was still taken aback and thoroughly intimidated. Almost as soon as he’d snapped at me, he settled back into his calm studying, opening the notebook again. That was Fuyuhiko, a little ball of rage that could be turned on and off like a switch.

     “Well, I, um-” I cut off my own words, swiftly turning on my heel and marching out of the courtyard, clutching my bag like it could save me from this humiliation.

~

     “Fuck… I’m such an idiot.” I shook my head, involuntarily replaying my blunderous attempt to ask Fuyuhiko out in my head over and over again. Could it even be called that? I mean, I didn’t even get to the asking out part before I made a complete fool of myself and pissed him off. I was now rushing through the corridors of the first floor, trying to make it to what was my last class of the day after a very short lunch and some extremely demanding training. The gardening class was mainly unsupervised and casual, but I hated the feeling of being technically late nonetheless.

     The term “class” is used loosely hime. At Hope’s Peak, each student was required to choose an elective course that “gave back” to the community or school in some way. It was thought to boost the school’s reputation, along with the student’s resume. That was the sentiment the school held, anyway. Some students volunteered at local retirement homes, some, like the eccentric Gundham Tanaka, lead clubs that tended to rescue animals and raised them. Others tutored exchange students in Japanese, some did maintenance around the school to earn the credit. I chose the gardening club, where students would break up into little groups and tend to all the plants, flowers, grass, vegetable gardens, and courtyards on and around campus. Sometimes we even took “field trips” to tend to other local greenery. I found it to be the most calming and quiet option of all the electives. There was very little human interaction, and it was satisfying to see the (literal) fruits of your labor grow.

     Today I would be tending to the garden in the secondary courtyard behind the school. This one was more hidden away, rarely ever used, and that’s what I loved about it. But… as I turned the corner, my box of gardening supplies in hand, I froze dead in my tracks, shuffling back to hide behind the cover of the wall.

     Fuyuhiko was sitting there on his hands and knees, pruning weeds from the garden. The coat of his uniform was discarded, and she sat in only his slacks and a button up dress shirt with a tie. He had little towels folded up as make-shift knee padding, green gloves on, and was leaning into his work with such fervor.

     What?! I screamed internally, panic taking hold of me. I had been a member of the gardening club for months, and not once had I seen him on the class roster or in rotation. I’d been to every station, been assigned every task at least once, and I’d never been paired with him. So of course, on the day I was thoroughly humiliated in front of him, here he was, ruining what was supposed to be the most relaxing part of my day. I considered leaving, simply lying about my hour of gardening time on the school’s check-in portal, but something in me told me to stay. I sat there, fighting with myself, nearly collapsing with anxiety, and then he began to speak, tearing my from my thoughts:

     “Now now, how are you gonna grow big and strong if you keep lettin’ these little punks fuck you up like this…?” He huffed, almost fatherly in his tone. I peeked around the corner, wondering who the hell he was talking to. Maybe this shift wouldn’t be so awkward with a third party to distract me from him, I thought, but when I hazarded a glance, not a soul was in sight, save Fuyuhiko. Taking a closer look, I noticed his calloused hands nestled around the leaf of a plant, and he tsk’d, observing the bite marks left by pestiferous insects and small animals. He was talking to the plant?! My cheeks started to warm up, my heart melting at the realization.

     Fuyuhiko began to hum, then to sing softly, a lullaby of sorts for this injured little green darling. Holding my breath, I nearly crumpled against the wall, feeling my flush spread from my cheeks to rush throughout my entire body. This is so fucking cute, I thought to myself, glancing once more, perhaps a bit riskily. I was getting greedy, greedy for even a glimpse of seeing him in the state of happiness I knew he deserved. I couldn’t care less if Peko was sneaking up behind me with a bamboo sword at the ready.

     When I looked, he was smiling, truly smiling. I’d never seen him smile like that before, a smile birthed out of an innocent and serene joy, and now I never wanted it to stop. There was no way I was turning back now.

      I took a few steps back down the hall, then stomped loudly toward the courtyard, allowing him to save face by thinking I had only just approached. I knew I would be in for quite the sour retaliation if he knew I had caught him singing. He may have even gotten up and left. He looked up, still leaned over his plants but now dead silent as I entered, and when he realized who I was, his breath caught in his throat. Another expression I rarely saw from him: one of being caught off guard.

     “Hey… so, I didn’t know you were in the gardening club? I’ve been in it since the start and I’ve never seen you.” I set down my box next to him and pulled out some gloves. I was hoping that acting like earlier never happened was the best course of action. Something can’t be awkward if it doesn’t exist, right? Luckily, he played along… or rather, just didn’t bring it up, either.

     “Uh, yeah. I was hoping to avoid all the bullshit of the whole, volunteer-but-not -actually-because-it’s-a-requirement class thing altogether. I just don’t have time for this shit, but my academic advisor caught on and forced me into gardening. It was the last one with spots left open…” he grumbled, as if he weren’t absolutely loving it mere moments ago.

     “Huh… and they aren’t penalizing you for, you know, losing all those points from the first few months you missed?” I inquired bravely. Maybe those girls were right earlier about his father threatening professors…?

     “Nah, I guess not. My advisor is super chill. She worked something out…”

     “That’s lucky…” my words trailed off, and we both got to work. The longer the silence grew, the more the awkward energy imposed itself on both of us. I could tell that he was thinking back to our earlier encounter by the way he made eye contact and quickly snatched his gaze away, the way she would open his mouth then close it without a hesitant word.

~

     Half an hour passed, and my nerves were beginning to stand on edge. What was more daunting than being alone with your crush? Being alone with your crush who verbally ripped you a new one that same day.

     Now mere inches away from him, focusing in on the same patch of flowers, we both reached for a small watering can at the same time, and our hands touched briefly, fleetingly before he snatched his own back, a shade of pink dusting his soft cheeks. He turned away, embarrassed, but I couldn’t have been more excited by the small interaction. Still, for both our sakes, I felt the need to break the silence.

     “You… you seem happier - now, I mean… as opposed to earlier today…” It was time to bring up the elephant in the room. I saw his body tense up, his spine stiffen, and he turned to face me, dirt staining his forearms and a swipe on his cheek where he’d scratched an itch earlier.

     “Yeah… I should probably apologize for that, bein’ a dick and all. I was just, really pissed and stressed. I shouldn’t have attacked you like that… it’s just… those stupid, loud-mouth, air-headed-” I saw his fists clench, his gloves squeaking a bit under the pressure. I continued where he left off, not wanting him to force himself to relive the gossip or the anger attached to it.

     “It’s fine, seriously. I get it. There will always be assholes like them in the world. I don’t blame you for being upset. Besides, I’m sure it was weird to have a stranger just approach you like that, trying to give you unsolicited advice and bothering you by-”

     “Well, you’re not really a stranger, are you? I’ve seen you around plenty of times… and you’re in my home room.” He spoke reluctantly, clearly fighting against the compulsory need to deflect and defend.

     “O-oh, yeah, you are. I didn’t think you’d notice.” I felt my heart rate speed up. Of course I’d seen him many times in the back of the classroom, but I had no idea he’d given me even a first glance, much less a second one.

     “Of course I noticed. Sports, right? Exercise, fitness, an’ all that?” He nodded, smirking. God, he was so hot… I didn’t know how to contain my excitement. I was trying my best.

     “Yeah, exactly. Sports, exercise, fitness. That’s me.” I chuckled a bit, finding myself more and more drawn to him with every second spent in his presence.

     “Shit’s cool. I can respect someone who’s disciplined and keeps in shape. I’ve seen a few of your games,” he let slip.

     “You have?” I immediately picked it up, a shiver of anticipation running over my skin and setting my pores on fire. Fuyuhiko wasn’t on any of the teams I played for and his Ultimate talent had nothing to do with sports. He wasn’t the type to go watch a sports game for fun, and didn’t have the free time for it anyway.

     My eyes widened slowly, and I’m sure he could see the moment I made the connection deep inside myself almost as soon as I’d made it. 

     That was the day I realized that Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu liked me back. 

     An obscene shade of red flooded onto his face and his nose scrunched up, his voice cracking as he spoke:

     “Stop starin’ at me like that! The fuck’s wrong with you?!”

[slytherinprongs-writing]

At Long Last

Chapter 2 – Dinner, Comfy Chairs, and the Secrets behind Masks

Being in a carriage at the back of the train meant the little band of girls were among the last to disembark. This meant less curious pairs of eyes on Maddie as she waited outside of the Great Hall, since most of the students had already entered. While she couldn’t hear anything clearly, she knew, when a sudden hush fell over the Hall, that the Sorting had begun.

Throughout, the noise level steadily grew, whispers turning into muttering, then hushed voices, and by the time the last first year had been sorted into Ravenclaw, Maddie could only just hear the cheers and clapping from the house members over the general rumble from the rest of the students.

The rumble was soon silenced again by Professor McGonagall. Maddie pressed her ear to the crack in the door for this speech, after all, this was the one announcing her, and she couldn’t very well miss her cue.

She drew her wand from her pocket, heart thumping, features schooled into careless arrogance. She was better than them, and she definitely knew it.

She left three counts, after McGonagall finished speaking. One, to brush her hair back from her face, the second, for a little confusion among the students, and the third? Well that was for her entrance.

With a small flick of her wand, the gigantic oak doors burst open. Whispers flew among the hall as she strode down the long aisle towards the teachers, her heeled boots (soon to become known as her signature piece) clicked loudly against the stone floor.

There were at least five wolf whistles, all of which she pointedly ignored, except one from the middle of the Gryffindor table. She climbed the steps up to the teachers' table, and turning to sit on the stool, grinned and winked at Marlene, who with her whistle had caused an outbreak of laughter among the group of girls and a few others at the table.

Marlene swooned at the wink and pretended to faint, falling into Dorcas on her right, all to more laughter. A faint but noticeable blush rose on Dorcas’s cheeks as she gently pushed Marlene back up, her hands lingering on the girl's shoulders as Maddie sat down.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, loudly and all attention snapped back to the top of the hall. Just before the whispers began again, she placed the hat on Maddie’s head.

“Gryffindor please." Maddie thought primly. She knew exactly how this worked and she had to be Gryffindor. Maddie didn’t look down upon Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, but she knew they would not be quite the right fit for her.

“Hmm... not quite what you seem are you girl?

Gryffindor is perhaps possible, but with that ambition and cunning, why, all of your life has led up to this, and you have done so much to be sat here! You would achieve greatness, beyond greatness in Slytherin.” The hat slyly countered.

“But surely,” she thought back, “it takes bravery to deny that?”

“What a clever one we have here. Ravenclaw may be an option for you yet!” it joked, and Maddie rolled her eyes.

“Very well, very well. I shall put you where you request; but not the place you may do best...

GRYFFINDOR!” the hat announced aloud, and for once, Maddie didn’t mask her emotions. Her delight was clear on her face as she half walked, half ran to the table and slid in between Emmeline and Alice, and opposite Marlene.

The table cheered and clapped for her, before the hall quietened yet again, however this time for Professor Dumbledore, who spoke a few words about welcoming everyone and food, or something to that effect. Maddie was paying more attention to the quiet conversation between her newfound friends.

Soon, the speech was over, and they could talk at a more normal volume. Though the girls weren’t too loud, the boys a few seats down certainly were. It seemed that Lily hadn’t got her wish after all, for not too far away sat James Potter, along with the Black boy, Sirius, she had been told his name was. They sat laughing with a few others, but only the two on the other side of the table seemed to be in their ‘inner circle.’

‘That must be Peter Pettigrew’, Maddie thought, cringing as the small, mousy haired boy stuffed an inconceivable amount of food into his mouth.

The boy next to him was a stark contrast: he had brown hair, but was much taller, and only picked at the small amount of food on his plate. Maddie decided that he must be Remus Lupin, the one who completed the infamous quartet she had been told about on the train.

The Marauders, they were called. It was supposed to be cool, she assumed, but in her opinion, it was more than a little ridiculous.

“Looking at anyone in particular?” Marlene asked, leaning across the table to help herself to another Yorkshire pudding.

“Me? No, just scanning faces” she replied. Apparently a little too unconvincingly.

“He is a looker, that’s for sure. And a good kisser, but believe me, you do not, want to get into a relationship with Black. It never ends well.”

Maddie snorted, “well maybe, I don’t want a relationship with him. Maybe I think he’s hot, but an arrogant sod that I wouldn’t waste my time on.”

Marlene appraised her for a few moments, before raising her eyebrows with a matching shrug. Well whatever that meant, Maddie wasn’t sure, but her words had been true. She wasn’t here to chase boys, even strikingly handsome ones. She definitely didn’t need that kind of attention and would never stoop to the level of the adoring girls she could see, each gazing at Sirius, hoping he were about to spontaneously declare his love for her and only her.

It might not be now, but if she wanted to be with Sirius Black, she would have him, and it would be on her own terms - she didn’t chase boys, no, they chased her...

XXX

After the meal, the students retreated to their respective common rooms, and Maddie followed Lily as they raced up countless flights of stairs. At least twice, she stopped and threw out her arm to prevent Maddie from climbing onto a set about to move.

Apparently, it was a race of sorts, to claim the best seats by the fire. Against the Marauders of course. Last year, the girls had won, but since then both they and the boys had found new shortcuts and secret corridors. While Lily gave the impression that she was a model student, Maddie soon found out that her competitive side was brought out by even the smallest things. It was a little scary (and a little too familiar,) how the girl would stop at nothing to win.

This drive was what brought all six girls, flushed and sweaty, having crawled through two small hidden passageways and brushed through what felt like miles of spider web, to finally flop down on the cosy chairs before the fire. Not that they needed the warmth after their exertion, but it was a matter of principle. They had won after all, and would claim their rightful prize. So when the Marauders came tumbling through the portrait hole a few minutes later, covered from head to toe in soot, the six smugly sank back into the cushions.

“Wondered where you boys had got to.” Marlene said, to laughter from the rest.

“Fall through a chimney by any chance?” Dorcas grinned, inviting irritated glares from three of the four and more giggles from the girls on the sofas. Remus didn’t look particularly bothered by their claiming the seats, and was the only one to wave goodbye to them as he followed the other, more disgruntled boys, up to their dorm room.

XXX

After around half an hour in front of the fire to make their presence known, the girls headed up to their room.

Luckily, the six of them were sharing one of the two Fourth Year girls dormitories. Maddie took a bed between Dorcas and the window, and opposite Lily.

The conversation and laughter continued as they unpacked, and Maddie joined in, only to stop suddenly, as Marlene unfurled a poster to pin beside her bed.

It was her, Kat! She was dressed in her Bulgaria Quidditch robes, and posed on her broom. For the first time, the girl was glad she was Maddie and not Katerina. When she had wanted to join Hogwarts, being recognised for her Quidditch in Bulgaria hadn’t even crossed her mind!

Marlene noticed her staring and lit up.

“Kat Dumbledore! She’s my absolute favourite Quidditch player, although Gwenog Jones, you know, the new captain of the Harpies, is a close second.”

The other girls sighed. They seemed to be sounds of tired amusement more than anything else. As Marlene babbled on about Quidditch, Maddie regained control of her mouth. “Oh, yeah. Kat’s a friend of mine.”

Immediately after she spoke, she cursed mentally, as Marlene's wide eyes fixated on her. Now she would have to come up with some excuse of how she knew her alter ego. Shit.

“Merlin's pants! You know Kat Dumbledore?” Marlene exclaimed.

“Yeah, erm... my parents were friends with hers. I mean, before... and before we moved to America too, so I knew her a little when we were young.”

She hoped that would be enough to get Marlene off her back, and after a few questions ranging from Kat’s favourite sweets to the type of toothpaste she used, Marlene seemed satisfied. Thank Merlin.

Maddie made a mental note to from then on talk as little as possible about Katerina. By the time Marlene’s interrogation had ended, it was eleven o’clock, and the girls had mostly finished unpacking.

Lying in her four-poster bed, Maddie realised she would have to be a lot more careful in the future. Not even a day in and she had already slipped up. Imagine how bad it could be if her secret got out!

Her thoughts drifted from herself to the Marauders. They were an interesting bunch. James, from what she had seen and heard, was almost completely obsessed with Lily, although reportedly was also a decent Seeker for the Gryffindor team, and not too shabby in Transfiguration.

Remus, she had been told, was the nicest and most tolerable. Partly because he didn’t hit on anything that moved, like a certain friend of his. He was a model student, sometimes referred to as a male Lily, but if Lily was anything to go by... Maddie thought that the rule abiding exterior, may be a facade just like her own.

Peter, in contrast, didn’t seem to have a fake bone in his small body. He didn’t have many friends outside of the other Marauders, and was apparently nice enough, but very average.

And Sirius... he seemed the most complex. He came from a Pureblood family of Muggle and Muggleborn haters, a family of Voldemort supporters, and yet had defied said family by being sorted into Gryffindor.

Then again, if Remus were a male Lily, that would make Sirius Marlene. His reputation included not only his racist family and ‘blood traitor’ status, but also his many conquests and admirers. In a way he was James’s polar opposite.

In all honesty, Maddie already knew most of what she would be taught in the next four years. She may have told her Grandfather she was here to learn, but why not have a little fun whilst she was doing it?

It was a fact of life that everyone had secrets. Everyone had their masks...

But a mask could only ever stay on so long.

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

a/n: haha a little foreshadowing here (with Peter), and yes, still more setting the scene and description *sigh* I'm sorry but I gotta.

So there was a bit more flirting... what do you think about Marlene? Especially with her being Kat's number one fan (I had to put that part in there lol).

Next chapter will probably have a little more setting of scene but then we'll be underway with the main story. Can't wait!

Hope you liked it! Chapter 3 will be up soon.

[rippergiles]

Our Time, Part I: Oxford

        Rupert jerked awake the moment before his face hit the open book.  He spun around for a second, disoriented, then relaxed as he recognised his surroundings. The Oxford library had been slowly emptying out for hours, and now there wasn't a soul in sight. He glanced at his watch, a gift from his father when Rupert was sent off to the Academy. Having worn it for eight years now, the band was a bit tight, and the face a bit battered, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to replace it.

         2:47 am . Rupert pushed his glasses up to rub his tired eyes. Time to call it a night. He put on his coat and repacked his bag, wincing as the weight of heavy books made the strap dig uncomfortably into his shoulder. He made his way lopsidedly down the stairs, waving to the librarian behind the circulation desk on his way out. The severe-looking older woman allowed a small smile to pass Rupert's way, then returned to her work. Some of his fellow students treated the librarians as if they were a different species, but Rupert found them to be a wealth of information, if you knew how to ask nicely. In any case, his long hours here nearly every night seemed to have endeared them to each other.

         Cold air whipped his face as he exited the front door, pulling his collar up around his neck. He started toward his dormitory at a fast trot, both to get out of the elements quicker and to warm himself up in the process. He ducked between the ancient brick buildings, taking his well-known shortcuts like a criminal in the night.

         As he approached the final alleyway between himself and the dorm,  Rupert glimpsed two shadowy figures and heard murmured conversation. He quickly backed behind the corner of the building, peering at them and cursing his vision, far from perfect in the daylight but even worse in the dead of night. The figures appeared to be two men, one about his age and one several years older, maybe even nearing thirty. They were smoking cigarettes ( or possibly something else , Rupert thought- he wouldn't know), and the older man, now with his back to Rupert, seemed to be the main source of conversation. The younger man- barely more than a boy, really, though Rupert shuddered at being thought of in the same way- was straddling the line between elegantly thin and just plain scrawny. His eyes were focused on the older man as he took a drag from his cigarette then let the smoke float unaided out of his slightly open mouth. A raised eyebrow, a pursed smirk… Rupert got the unexplainable but distinct feeling this guy's reactions to whatever the other man was saying were contrived somehow, like he was performing them rather than experiencing.          The older man shifted slightly and was caught in the light of a streetlamp at the end of the alley. Rupert furrowed his brow as he now saw the man's facial hair- thick mutton chops connecting to a long, curled moustache. He took in the rest of the man- were those coattails? -an instant before the man launched himself forward, pinning the younger man against the brick wall.

          Shit. Rupert’s blood ran cold. He had some practice with vampires from the Watcher Academy, but those tests had always been rigidly controlled. This was the first one he'd come across since arriving at Oxford two months previously, and for a moment he found himself immobile. A strangled yell from the victim in the alley brought Rupert to his senses, and he began digging for his stake. Of course I've just put all this rubbish on top of it , he thought with a bite of frustration as he struggled to reach the bottom of the bag. His fingers found the edge of the stake just as the largest book slipped out of his bag and landed on the ground with an enormous THUNK. He froze, then slowly looked up to meet the eyes of the bumpy-faced vampire and its victim, both staring right at him.

 (Read More)

[softboywriting]

Sugar, I’m Goin’ Down// Bad Boy Shawn // Chapter One

(*shows up two weeks late with Starbucks* anyways here’s college!badboy!shawn and yes, it’s going to be a fic because I can’t control myself and yes, the title is from the fallout boy song.)

TW:fighting TW:pushy creepy guy

The library is quiet, it’s after 8pm after all and you open up your folder with your notes to get started on an outline for an assignment for your mythology class. You’re about ten minutes in, just getting into the flow of it, really feeling your notes start to come together and you hear him. That loud, open mouthed, head thrown back, laughing jackal of a human being that you shared three classes with. Fucking Shawn.

Lord only know what he’s laughing at but it’s probably something his stupid ass friend Andrew has said or done. You wish he would just shut up because now you can hear him /talking/ and you’re just not in the mood to listen to him. Wasn’t it enough you had to listen to him chit chat with every girl who asked him about his stupid fucking black denim jacket with the stupid logo on the back that nobody cared about? Or maybe the way you had to share a worktable with him on the days showed up late because you were the only one without a table partner. He would always forget a pen, always fuck with the instruments on the table, ask stupid questions, and text while the professor was teaching. He was the absolute worst.

“Ha, yeah, anyways I told her to fuck off if she thought I was gonna-” Shawn stops mid sentence and you dare to look up, shocked by his silence, curious to know what caused it. Unfortunately when you do look up, he’s standing right there at the end of your table that’s tucked into the back corner of the library.

“Oh who is this?” his friend, Andrew, asks with a lilt.  He’s as bad as Shawn and doubly annoying if that was possible. “We got ourselves a little late night mouse?”

Shawn sits at the end of the table, legs dangling off and Andrew leans against the end of the bookcase at the entrance of the alcove. You shoot a glare at Shawn because he leans back and, since he’s so goddamned big and takes up so much goddamn space, his hand comes down on your notes about Zeus’s children at the edge of your work area. “Can I help you?” you ask, sugar coating your voice to the point you know it sounds bitchy.

“Mmm,” Shawn hums deep in his chest and then picks up the papers under his hand. “Not really.” His eyes scan your notes and you sit up straight in your chair. If he tried anything, if he even left a fingerprint on those notes you like to think you’ll punch him. “Do we need anything Andrew?”

Andrew shrugs and you look between them, as if saying, “Well go away then?”

Shawn hops of the table and hands you the notes with a little smirk. Why did he feel the need to smirk? Cocky piece of shit. The two of them wander off into the library to terrorize someone else, probably Andrew’s ex girlfriend, and leave you in peace.

Your paper practically writes itself because you’ve taken such good notes. Half an hour passes with minimal interruptions, a few students get books from the shelves behind you, and one professor pops in and sees the area is in use. It was going smoothly until a guy with long hair and glasses sits down at the end of your table and pulls out his laptop. You don’t mind him at first. He probably just wanted some quiet time like you did. You didn’t mind a bit up until the point where he said, “Hey, beautiful.”

At first, you don’t look up to see if he was talking to you. Why would he? You looked pretty far from beautiful today. Not having showered for a few days and worry over your homework left you pretty run down. But he repeats himself and you look up. “Huh? Did you need something?”

The guy smiles and slides his chair down a bit, close enough that you have to pull your notes closer to yourself to avoid a mix up with the few he had on the table. “I don’t want something. I need something,” he says and looks you over. It makes you uncomfortable and you immediately look down at your work and decide not to say anything else to him. “Are you shy?” he asks after a minute or two and you keep your head down, trying to muster up the best ‘Fuck Off’ vibe you could because seriously, could this guy fuck off?

Minutes tick by and you are on your final paragraph and you can feel his eyes on you. It feels like he’s staring at you as if it was going to make you talk to him. You spare a glance up and you’re spot on. He’s literally eye fucking you over the screen of his laptop. Disgusting. You start to gather your notes up and he grabs one near him, holding it hostage with a little smile. So fucking proud of himself. What a dick.

“I’ll give this back for an equivalent exchange,” he says and looks over the paper. It’s your notes on Hera and Zeus and you really needed those because it was the only thing you hadn’t fully worked into the paper yet and you were waiting to get a little more information on. Why did he have to grab /those/ notes?

“Um, no thanks. Give me my paper,” you hold your hand out demandingly.

He grins big and taps his nasty little chin with the paper. You think you might just burn it if you ever got it back now. “Give me your number, I’ll give you the paper.”

“No. I don’t even have a phone.” It’s a lie. Obviously. What college student didn’t have a phone or some sort of communication device in this day and age? His face falls, gross smile gone and replaced with a look of annoyance. The feeling was mutual. You curl your hand a few times, signalling for him to give you the notes.

“That’s a little ridiculous that you don’t have a phone. How bout your email? I know you have one of those, we all get ones as students.”

This guy was pushing it and you were getting very very uncomfortable. “No. I don’t want to talk to you anymore then this moment. Now give me my notes.”

The guy snorts and rolls his eyes. “You’re being quite a little bitch, y’know that? I ought just /make/ you give me your number.” He stands up and starts walking around the long table. You push your chair out and stand up, saying fuck it to the notes and your paper sitting on the table. That could just be redone. Your stomach is turning and he bunches the stolen notes in his hand before tossing them on top of your others. It’s early in the evening but you don’t think there are many people in the library still. If you yelled, would someone come for you? He gets closer, prowling toward you like a cat, “Listen, I’ll give you one more chance before I-”

You bump into someone as you step backwards out of the alcove. You’re trembling, scared that this creep was going to hurt you over a damn phone number. The second you hit the person behind you, you’re relieved, but only for a second because your brain switches from “oh someone who could help” to “someone who could be working with this guy”.

“Babe, what’s wrong? Is this guy bothering you?” You know that voice. You hated that voice. Shawn. Why was he calling you babe? Why was he even still at the library and why....why was he near the alcove again?

You swallow thickly and stay standing with your back pressed against Shawn’s chest, your whole body actually shaking. The creep looks like he’s going to shit his pants and from that look you know he isn’t in cahoots with Shawn. He hurries to gather up his laptop and notes but he doesn’t have much time before Shawn is stepping past you, pressing a coffee cup into your jittery hands, and slamming the creep against the nearest bookcase, hand around his throat. “If you ever bother her again, I’ll break your fucking neck,” Shawn seethes and the guy turns red, his eyes watering. You can’t tell if he’s crying or if he just can’t breathe. Shawn releases him and he scrambles to his get laptop and runs for the doors.

You stand still, rooted to the floor, staring at Shawn. He pushes his hair back and lets out a disgusted noise befor he looks to your notes on the table. “Did you need to finish?”

“Y-yeah...your coffee?” you look down at the cup and offer it to him tentatively. It really hasn’t sunk in that Shawn happened to show up and play the hero. He was such an annoying asshole, and so full of himself, it was a bit shocking. He was known to start fights, finish them too, and crash parties. Overall he wasn’t good news and you didn’t particularly want to be associated with him or his friends.

Shawn mumbles, “Keep it...” as he passes you and leaves the alcove. You pull the drink tab back, finding it had still been sealed. The coffee was hot as you sipped it, fresh too. Shawn must have gotten it and was cutting through the library as a shortcut to the dorms where a few of his friend’s stayed. He didn’t seem the type to drink coffee though, so you wondered if it was actually for someone else. You set the cup down and clean up your papers, tucking them haphazardly into your folder. The reality of what could've happened with that creep doesn’t set in until you’re in bed,  mulling it over and you start crying, shaking, thanking god that Shawn showed up.

[thesassybooskter]

GOOD GIRLS LIE by J. T. Ellison: Excerpt & Spotlight

AVAILABLE DECEMBER 31ST 2019/ MIRA

Goode girls don’t lie…

Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, The Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond. But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous.

In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder. But when a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide.

But look closely…because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.

J.T. Ellison’s pulse-pounding new novel examines the tenuous bonds of friendship, the power of lies and the desperate lengths people will go to to protect their secrets.

  Buy Online: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple Books

Add to Goodreads

  Excerpt

8

THE WARNING

The room next to ours looks exactly the same, like it’s out of a sleek, modern hotel. The “something” Piper offers is a black satin sheath with a black lace overlay. Simple. Elegant. An Audrey Hepburn movie costume. She hands it over, the price tag still dangling from the collar. Rents can be paid with such a sum.

“You can keep it. I have another almost identical,” Piper says.

I demur and hand it back. “Thanks. I’ll take my chances with the dean.”

 Piper shrugs and hangs the dress back up in the wooden wardrobe. “Suit yourself. If you keep your robe tight, maybe she won’t notice. It’ll be in your wardrobe with your uniform skirts—standard issue, everyone gets them. The seniors’ stoles are black with a white stripe, we lowly sophomores are blue. Freshmen are red—they stand out, trust me, I felt like I had a target on my back all last year—and juniors are dark green. Graduation stoles are different, multicolored based on your area of study, just like a college. I’m ready for the black-and-white stoles, they’re so much easier to match. Our blue—” she pulls the stole out of her gown; it is a sickly pewter blue and doesn’t work with her coloring at all “—is a pain, I look terrible in it. Though you can imagine how I clashed with the red last year. You will need to get some dressy clothes, though, we have a lot of formal events.”

She closes the wardrobe and faces me, looking me up and down with cool, inscrutable blue eyes. She would look severe if it weren’t for the freckles. They ruin the seriousness of her demeanor. She will always look like a girl, not a woman, even when she’s fifty.

“You might as well stick to black. It goes with everything, looks good under the robes, and your coloring is perfect for it.”

“Black. Right.” The color of mourning. I’ve been in black a lot recently.

“I’ll take you shopping if you want. There’s a nice little boutique around the corner. Next to the laundry, which is part of the restaurant where we eat on the weekend, Jacob’s Ladder. It has a pool table, too. It’s not exactly couture, but they’ll have a skirt or two that will work. What else do you need to know? Oh, stay away from the handyman. He’s a creeper. And remember not to walk alone along the back path through Selden Arboretum if you take the shortcut.” Her voice has taken on the warning edge I’ve already heard several times this afternoon.

“Not another ‘I won’t graduate’ legend?”

“Oh, no. The arboretum is haunted.”

“Haunted. A path? Ludicrous.”

“Seriously. It cuts through the woods, and a girl was murdered there.”

“How horrible. When?”

“Ten years ago. That’s when Dean Westhaven—the current Dean Westhaven, I mean—took over from her mother. It’s why she’s so young. She was only twenty-five when it happened. The board sent Westhaven the elder packing over the bad PR. The student, Ellie Robertson, she was the heir to some massive New England fortune, I don’t remember whose. Her dad has serious pull and, after the whole incident, got the dean removed.”

“The incident? That’s a mild word for a murder.”

“The school’s verbiage. They’re always in publicity mode. Ellie had been complaining to anyone who would listen, the dean, school security, teachers, about a townie who was stalking her and the dean didn’t do anything about it. One night, late, the guy followed her home from the laundry and killed her behind the dorms. Raped her, too. There are varying stories about the damage he did to her face, but supposedly, he carved out her eyes and took them home with him. They found them on his mantel. Really freaky shit.”

An intense shiver goes down my spine. “I’ll say.”

“So seriously, you never walk the arboretum path alone. Even if it’s not haunted, it’s creepy and not safe. It’s outside the walls.” This last is said with such earnestness I simply nod.

“Outside the walls equals not safe alone. Got it.” “And stay out of the attics. They’re totally haunted. Supposedly, one of the secret societies found several sets of infants’ bones up there a few years ago, in between the ceiling and the wall. I don’t know what they were doing there.”

“The society?”

“The bones. They were probably the children of some of the girls who lived here, stillborns and the like. You’d think they’d bury them, the graveyard is actually pretty cool.”

“Brilliant. Haunted attics with infant bones in the walls. This sounds like a stellar place.”

“Well, Goode is old, and when you get old, you get weird. Oh, I almost forgot, be careful in the tunnels.”

“The tunnels?”

“There was an Underground Railroad through here. You know what that is, right?”

“Vaguely. To do with slavery, yes?”

“We were a safe haven from the plantations down South to the free North. Pretty cool. The grounds are littered with tunnels and old cottages, but they’re totally off-limits. They’re dangerous, and most of them have collapsed in on themselves.”

“Where would I find one?”

“I don’t know, actually. I’ve only been told to stay away.”

The deep, resonating peal of a very old bell shudders through the building, making me jump nearly out of my skin.

Piper intones, “For whom the bell tolls… Don’t worry, Ash. You’ll get used to it. Even when the hauntings happen, the bells toll and chase away the ghosts. They don’t like the noise.”

She smiles, and I feel a spark of hope. She might be a friend, eventually.

“I can’t imagine why not. It’s unbelievably loud.”

“It’s really not to chase away ghosts. It’s so we never try to use not hearing the bell as an excuse for being late.”

“Right. Brilliant.”

Camille sticks her head in the door. “Are you two coming? You heard the bells, we’re going to be late. Ash, why haven’t you changed yet? Hurry! I don’t want JPs on my first day!”

“JPs?”

“Judicial points. It’s like demerits. Get five and you’re stuck in Saturday school. Hurry!”

Mum’s voice rings in my head. Pride goeth before the fall…

“Hey, Piper? Thanks for the warning, and the offer of the dress. I would appreciate borrowing it. But just for today, until I get some of my own.”

“Sure thing,” Piper says, handing it over. I run back to the room, strip, and throw the dress over my head, careful to make sure the price tag is tucked into the collar. I fully intend to hand it back after dinner, though I should probably have it cleaned. The trainers I’m wearing will not do. I have a pair of black flats tucked away in my bag, shoved into the shafts of my beat-up Dr. Martens. I dig through the bag; the boots are at the bottom. The second dong of the bell shakes the building, and by the third, I’m out in the hall, fully clothed, gowned, and shod, and we are racing down the stairs with the rest of the stragglers, out the back of Main Hall toward the chapel.

  About J. T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison began her career as a presidential appointee in the White House, where a nuclear physicist taught her how to obsess over travel itineraries and make a seriously good pot of Earl Grey, spawning both her love of loose leaf and a desire for control of her own destiny. Jaded by the political climate in D.C., she made her way back to her first love, creative writing. More than 20 novels later, she is an award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with thrillers published in 27 countries and 15 languages. She is also the EMMY-award winning cohost of A WORD ON WORDS, a literary interview TV show. She lives in Nashville with her husband and two small gray minions, known as cats in some cultures. She thinks they’re furry aliens.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

  GOOD GIRLS LIE by J. T. Ellison: Excerpt & Spotlight was originally published on The Sassy Bookster

[coleymari-blog]

Cyber Space is Always Sweeter : Chapter 3

Summary: Lucy is a down to Earth, studious, responsible runaway attending Magnolia College. Natsu is a rambunctious, intelligent, pyrophilic fraternity boy going to the same school. They don’t exactly run in the same circles and they have one hell of a history. What happens when the names and facades disappear and all that’s left are words blinking on a screen? Modern day, College/Pen Pals AU. I’m sorry I suck at intros. Rated M for Language, Adult Situations, and future sexual situations.

Chapters 1 | 2

Just five more minutes 'til freedom.

Natsu was almost ready to erupt from his seat. As much as he didn't mind being a Teacher's Assistant for Makarov, he was itching to get to the party. He knew the rest of the brothers would be pre-gaming while the old geezer was still rattling on about the importance of utilizing his office hours (especially if they were a cute, barely legal co-ed, but they didn't really talk about that). Every other professor let out early on the first day of classes, but the grad student should have known better than to expect that from Makarov. He watched the clock on the wall tick down to 7pm and his alarm was a room full of college sophomores running towards their own escape.

After checking in, and being lectured again on 'being late', Natsu took off towards the Fairy Tail house like a bat out of Hell. He knew he could have taken the campus trolley, but with his motion sickness? He wasn't that desperate to make it home. Knowing he could shave a couple minutes off the run, the pinkette made a mad dash through the bottom floor of the library, colliding with a caffeine-wired senior who chewed him out for sending his work flying across the carpet. He helped clean up the mess, apologizing for the struggle. The time he'd saved on the shortcut he'd ended up spending twice as long dealing with the consequences. Story of his life.

Natsu was running up the fraternity house’s front steps when he could hear the mayhem that was already ensuing. The block hadn’t opened up yet, all the front doors to all the houses still being closed. The Row was set up in more of a horseshoe really, with Fairy Tail anchoring one end and Sabretooth on the other. Honestly, they were probably doing the same exact thing as his brothers were doing, preparing. His cheshire grin was ear to ear when he burst through the door and was immediately greeted by raucous laughter and a fresh can of beer. Everyone was already on a decent buzz, Gray challenging Loke to shots off the bar, Laxus and Bickslow were currently racing against Gajeel and Romeo in their own game of Flip Cup, everyone seemed to be gearing up for a fantastic night.

“Yo! Flame Brain!” Gray called out, shaking his head after his most recent shot, Loke bending over the bar groaning quietly. “Did you bring the provisions?” Natsu made his way over and immediately dropped the glass bottle on the table, cracking it open at the same time. Luckily he’d been able to go off campus to procure it between his seminar and his last stint in Hell. If he hadn’t, Gray probably would have killed him. It was a time-honored tradition between the two of them, Loke sometimes if he was on their good side at the time.

“Calm your tits, Ice Dick,” Natsu replied, grabbing two glasses and pouring about two fingers worth for the both of them. They knocked it back with practiced skill and went for round two without a second thought. The raven-haired man dropped the bottle behind the bar on the ‘Brother’s Only’ shelf. Hopefully, the sacredness of the shelf would keep their semi-private bottle safe. They both knew the only exceptions were dates or pledge brothers.

Before long, there was shouting from the street outside the house indicating the beginning of the block party. Reedus, being closest to the door, was commanded to open theirs so that people knew they were participating. Luckily this wasn’t a campus-wide event so it was limited to other greeks and their dates, meaning way less foot traffic through the house. As far as atmosphere, Fairy Tail had decided to go with a casual bar feel with popular dance music. Mermaid Heel was doing a “Slow and Sexy” party, playing nothing but sensual, partnered kind of music. Lamia Scale was utilizing all their party lights and had two rivaling Techno DJs, one inside their house and one on the front lawn to supply the block with music as well. Quattro Cerberus went absolutely wild, Natsu able to hear them while he was running home. From what he could tell, they were playing nothing but energizing music and supplying copious amounts of booze. Sabertooth was throwing a costume party, each of them dressed in all sorts of elaborate (or scandalous) outfits. Blue Pegasus chose a much more elegant theme, their members all dressed to the nines like they were straight out of a movie premier. Lily Heart had thrown a bubble party, their house and lawn covered in technicolor foam. The other, smaller, organizations were throwing smaller parties but all in all, there were twelve houses opened up and ready for party goers.

A couple hours of passed by and Natsu was ready to give the other houses a shot, especially after Gray had found his company for the evening in a woman with striking blue hair, continuously referring to herself in the third person. A few minutes of that mess and Natsu was ready to pull his salmon hair out by the roots. He was on his way out when he ran into Gajeel and his girlfriend, Levi or something. Unfortunately, he was also greeted by a familiar blonde who was already trying to run away.

Grinning to himself, rubbing the back of his neck, Natsu looked down at her and tried to ease the ever-mounting tension. “Hey, aren’t you that Lily Heart girl?"

Gods the library could be boring at night.

The afternoon had flown by as Lucy worked the book depository, filing them into different categories before making her rounds of the floors to return them to their rightful place. Unlike some of the others, she actually enjoyed the busy work. She loved losing herself in the stacks, her earbuds firmly lodged in her ears as she listened to her rather eclectic playlists. She’d even managed to find a couple of spots that she knew would be good studying spots for her and Levy.

The freshman had been enjoying herself so thoroughly that she didn’t realize it was time to switch over to her front desk shift until she heard her name over the library PA system. The only downside to that task was the fact that she couldn’t listen to her music. However, she was allowed to work on her homework which was a huge plus. It was almost like getting paid to study! Granted, after paying for her school expenses, she only received about five dollars an hour but it was still more than nothing. She’d heard of other on-campus jobs, like the Catering team, and had made a mental note to check it out when she had the time. Her Chemistry class already had homework so she began that while sitting at the desk, answering the random people that would appear before her.

It was about five minutes until the library was supposed to close when it happened. In he ran like a pink blur, immediately colliding with one of the students that had been glued to his seat for the past couple of hours before finally heading home. Lucy couldn't help but giggle as Natsu got told off but nonetheless watched as he helped clean up the mess he’d caused. She couldn’t help but smile softly at the nice action. And just as quickly as he’d appeared, the frat boy was gone.

Lucy shut down her laptop, cleaned up the desk, and put the ‘Closed’ sign out on the desktop before heading out with the rest of the library staff. She sighed remembering that Levy had wanted to go to that Greek Row party. Both she and her new boyfriend were affiliated somewhere and Lucy shuddered at her memories of her own attempt at joining the brainless automatons. She was glad things hadn’t worked out...right? All she’d wished is that things had ended way differently.

The blonde, upon reaching her dorm, texted her friend and agreed to go out that night. She immediately went to her bag (as she hadn’t fully unpacked yet) and pulled out some of the hottest clothes she had. They were some things that her ex-stylist Aquarius had picked up for her when she’d first gotten accepted to M.C., causing the girl to smile at the memory of the mostly-vile woman. While she missed her life back in Crocus, the life of an heiress, Lucy was beyond grateful for her independence. It hadn’t all be sunshine and flowers but she could definitely say she had learned a thing or two about more than just school.

After about an hour and a half, with one last text message and a final application of lipstick, Lucy felt ready to take on the world. She was ready to face the people that had been so very cruel to her and show them that they hadn’t broken her down. Part of her wished to run into Minerva and her minions but a majority wanted to avoid her like the plague. Her phone made a soft, twinkling, bell-like sound to indicate Levy’s alert that she and Gajeel had arrived outside her dorm to drive her to the party.

It wasn’t a long drive but it felt like an eternity while the freshman grew more anxious in the backseat. She remembered something that Master Scorpio had told her once, that even if she was afraid that she was never to show fear. She was to funnel whatever energy it was into her attack. This was no different. A drink at the six major houses and she’d head back to her dorm. She’d start with Fairy Tail and make her way to Sabertooth where she was already friends with one of the brothers. Plus, she figured it’d be nice to see Sting if he wasn’t “otherwise occupied”.  Once they parked Gajeel’s Mustang in the parking lot of Fairy Tail, the three of them walked inside, only to be met by none other than Natsu Dragneel himself. It certainly didn’t help the situation when he brought them up.

“No, I’m not affiliated with those girls,” Lucy hissed, her grip tightening on her handbag. Flashbacks of the party kept swirling in her head, the worst ones causing her heart to race uncontrollably. “Apparently I wasn’t their brand of ‘witch’”. That earned her a glare from Levy and a grin from Gajeel. He liked the blondie, she definitely had spunk.

Natsu sputtered, the alcohol obvious on his breath. “I- uh--” he murmured, grabbing a shot from a passing tray and downing it swiftly. “Sorry, had no idea. I just remembered that you and Minerva used to hang. My bad.”

The fact that he even insinuated that he didn’t remember what else that had transpired between them before drove Lucy crazy inside. With a huff, she apologized to Levy and broke away from the group, making her way to the bar. She didn’t even look back, she just focused on the prize, hoping she’d have the strength to make it to the other five houses.

[straightoutabusan]

A Chronic Love

A Chronic Love

Reader x Yoongi

Fluff-ish, Implications of Smut, Maybe a Second of Angst

Words: 6,544

Request: Could I request a scenario where Yoongi and the reader hate eachother, but one day in college they're paired up for a group project, and then when they go to Yoongi's house something happens? I'd prefer a lot of fluff and if you want you can do smut at the end or something. Thank you !! I never get over cliche fanfictions <3

High school was hell. Everywhere you went, you couldn’t escape your nuisance of a neighbor Min Yoongi. It was bad enough that every night, that should have been silent, was filled with the rap music that floated from his open window into your tightly shut window, but your time at school was also disturbed by his treacherous presence.

Everyday was the same. You woke up to some classical music coming from Yoongi’s house, which was arguably the best part of your day, and began to make your way to school. At school, without fail, you would be in the middle of second period when Yoongi would laze his way through the unlocked classroom door and take a seat right behind you, reminding you of the day when you were in third grade when Yoongi cut a chunk of your hair off. It was safe to say every time he sat behind you, you felt a shiver go down your back.

Somehow, probably by the counselor, she never liked you, you had nearly every class with Mr. I Don’t Care himself. The majority of your life was spent with the bane of your existence, so naturally when you were accepted into your dream college, very far from home, you were excited to finally leave this part of your life behind you. Unfortunately, dreams rarely come true.

The fall semester of your senior year at your self-proclaimed University of Paradise was about to begin. Your life was finally turning out like you had always wanted it to. It was peaceful, you had actual friends and you could truly focus on your studies, something that would have been far-fetched back home.

Today was especially  beautiful, the crisp air blowing through your hair and your favorite sweater adorning your figure. All that was on your mind was how amazing you had to make your last year of college. Everyone who passed you was sure to feel the joy that was being emitted by your entire body as you made your way to class with a slight skip in your step. You rounded corners and took secret, vacant hallways and other shortcuts you had discovered during you time at the university until you came to the room you were looking for.

You gripped the straps of your bag while taking in a deep breath, the weight of the importance of the year finally settling down on you, and as you found yourself walking through the open door of the lecture hall, you were surprised to see just how many students had found their way out of their beds and into one of the many chairs of the room. So many students in fact that it was hard to find a seat at all and as you shuffled around the aisles looking for an empty spot that wasn’t being saved, your eyes went wide at the sight of one completely open chair. It was as if God had answered your prayers, but moments after you sat down you remembered that God did in fact not favor you, at all. It took but mere seconds for the best day of your life to come crashing down.

It had been years since you’d seen that face, but you hadn’t forgotten it. The dark eyes and sharp jaw were all your mind focused on as you stared horrified at his profile. Min Yoongi. The name repeated itself over and over in your mind, taunting you. He glanced over at you briefly causing you to whip your head down not wanting to make eye contact, but you soon discovered he had looked away just as quickly as though he didn’t remember you. You were slightly hurt to think so, but you also knew it wasn’t far-fetched. You had lost weight, and you dyed your hair, and you had started wearing more makeup, in fact maybe you looked nothing like you had in high school., nevertheless it still stung a little.

Soon, your professor was walking through the door and dropping his bag on the table, snapping you out of your Yoongi-filled thoughts, and soon after that he was talking, a welcome distraction from your not-so-friendly seat neighbor. His words came out blindingly fast and you would be lying if you said you could recite what the teacher had just said, but before you could ask someone what was going on, your heard names being called out, grouped together in fours or fives. “-Jessy Kim, Lee Jaehyun, Y/F/N, Kang Jinho, and Min Yoongi.”

You all but choked when the names that rolled of the professor’s tongue made their way to your ears. Your face was probably a few shades paler, and you could already feel his eyes burning into your skull and it was then that you realized that your professor hated you as well.

After all the groups had been announced, everyone in the room moved to sit next to their fellow group mates… for the remainder of the year. There would be absolutely no switching as made clear by the professor multiple times.

When you made a motion to move, Yoongi grabbed your arm and pulled you back into your seat before motioning for the other three who had already sat down to come to him. Unsurprisingly, they did.

Silence settled around the five of you and you had the brief thought that you were definitely going to fail, but surprisingly the man next to you opened his mouth to say something that was only half horrible. “Look I’m not going to lie to you all, I’m not going to do much, but I will sacrifice my apartment for this damned project because I will not enter any of your disgraceful dorms and there’s no way in hell that we are going to do it in public. Also, I would like to volunteer Y/N, as the person with the final say  because I have no doubt that she is the smartest person in this room and I fully trust her to use the bossiness that she has cultivated over the many years I’ve known her to keep you all in line.”

When Yoongi was done speaking you didn’t even have time to feel flattered, which you were. Yoongi had said you were smart after all and everyone’s jaws were slack, their eyes boring into you, but their attention was taken when a piece of paper fluttered onto your desk. Written on the torn notebook paper was Yoongi’s phone number and address which you promptly added to your phone before passing it to others. When you glanced over at Yoongi he had earphones in and his eyes were shut as if he were asleep, but you knew him well enough that you knew he could hear what was going on and was in fact awake because Yoongi’s music was always audible and every time someone opened their mouth you could see his eyes roll beneath his thin lids. You chuckled slightly and smiled before bringing your attention back to the project and the others who were currently drawing up plans as per your request.

Class ended before you were ready to leave. Honestly, you had enjoyed working with your group members, they were intelligent and determined and restored your faith in the year, but right now there was a mess all over the floor and you could see how frantic they were to get to their next class. You didn’t have another class for a few hours, so you let them go, telling them you would handle it. You waved at them as they left before bending down to organize the scattered papers littering the ground all the while fully aware of Yoongi’s eyes staring at your back, and though you would never admit to it, you kind of liked having his attention.

You stood up slowly, making sure you had everything securely before turning around to grab your bag, but instead you ran straight into a chest, knocking the top of your head into his chin. He let out a groan at the same time you let out an “Oh!” and took a step back while rubbing his stubbly jaw before refocusing on you. You stared down at your fingers as they picked at the nail polish on your nails, a nervous habit. You regained a more confident stance and looked Yoongi in the eyes, but they still held the same cold intensity that still sent a shiver down your spine.

You had thought that the black-haired man had wanted to say something, but he only stared at you, like he was memorizing your features. If anyone had seen the two of you, it would have looked like a pair of reunited lovers, but you were far from that. As more time passed, it started to get awkward and just as you were moving to pick up your bag again, he stopped you. You stood up straight and opened your mouth to scold him for wasting your time when you felt his fingers brush your cheek and then curl behind your ear as he pushed your fallen hair out of you face effectively shutting you up.

“So this is where you’ve been as this time…” His voice was so soft and low that you weren’t sure he actually said it. However, when the next words slipped past his lips you were left even more confused than before.

“I missed you.”

Yoongi had left first. He had told you he missed you with that voice, and he looked at you with those eyes, and then he left you to stand there, your brain going to mush with the sheer confusion leaking from every crevice of your mind. You physically shook your head in an effort to remove the thoughts from your head, but it had little success. Somehow you managed to collect enough sanity to grab your bag and shuffle out of the classroom and into the barren  hall. You felt as if you were being suffocated. Everything around you, the patterned tiles, the doors with their small windows, they all brought you back to high school.

When you had first moved, nothing felt the same. It was so unfamiliar, and it felt nothing like home, but you had grown accustomed to the differences. Min Yoongi’s  presence however, had ruined that. He had single-handedly shaken up everything you had thought you felt about this new city and handed it to you rearranged in a way that looked just like the street where your houses sat side-by-side, your window so close to his that you could reach out and brush your fingertips against the cool glass.

Many thoughts from the past flooded in with your memories. It was all too much at once, so many suppressed feelings making their way to the surface, fighting for the spotlight. You could feel the way your feet were moving, one foot in front of the other, tripping yourself in your memory-drunk state. You saw the stares, the stares that screamed at you to get a grip, as it was barely  noon and you knew you looked like a wasted day drinker. You however, continued walking, all the way until blinding rays of sun attacked your eyes instead of the artificial lights of the building.

The air outside was sobering. It was cool and crisp, and you filled your lungs with the sweet oxygen until you couldn't hold anymore, then released it in a deep sigh. Finally, you gained control of your body.

You found a spot and lounged yourself in the grass shaded by the large oak tree, and permitted your body and mind to relax. You allowed yourself to succumb to the peaceful atmosphere and rid your mind of its stresses, but before you could close your eyes, someone had plopped their belongings down next to yours. A soft “Ah,” escaping their lips as they sunk their head into their bag, their hands rested on their stomach. You didn’t know why, but for some reason, you felt the urge to punch them… so you did.

She shot up with a loud shout, shaking some of the dead leaves off of the tree above you before turning to face you with the series of huffs and puffs, her exasperation evident in her features. “Why’d you do that?!” Her voice came out with a slight whine, bouncing faintly like a child about to throw a tantrum. You rolled your eyes at her antics.   

“I don't know. I just felt like it.” You said with a shrug, eyeing your best friend, Jisoo, for a reaction. She just shrugged as well, laying back down on her bag and tapping the spot next to her. Understanding her message, you settled in beside her.

“So Y/N, anything new and exciting happen today?” She asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows. You didn't even have to think of response to her question, but you hesitated before speaking anyways.

“Actually… yes. I think something did happen today.” You started, not really knowing how to describe your experience perfectly, your mind struggling to stay focused. You tried to find the right words, but nothing came to mind. There was a dull pain radiating from your abdomen, but it didn’t take long to discover the culprit. Jisoo had elbowed you right below your ribs, not only to get you to continue, but as payback for earlier, it was all the same, you still got the hint. Your mouth fell open and words immediately started rolling off your tongue. It was surprisingly easy to talk about, seeing as nothing big had actually happened, but it had shaken your whole world.

Somewhere between explaining how your mind was betrayed by your memories, and sixth grade Min horrors, you realized you had started to ramble, yet when you looked over at Jisoo, she was patiently waiting. She’d always been the best listener. Unsuppressable giggles bubbled past your lips as your eyes followed a leaf as it floated to the ground. Jisoo’s eyes shot to yours, looking at you as if you were crazy, and right now you probably were. However, she couldn’t stay serious for long and soon joined in with your loud, body-shaking laughs.

Her voice cut through the spaced out, airy chuckles as you both came down from the high. “Y/N, seriously, finish explaining when you kissed Min Yoongi, because even though I can’t forgive you for never telling me in the six years I’ve known you, it was actually entertaining.” When her words hit your ears you went crazy, quickly sitting up and pounding your fist into the ground.

“IT WAS SIXTH GRADE! IT DOESN’T EVEN COUNT!” Your screamed words surely startled the other students in the courtyard, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. Your friend looked at you judgingly before screaming as well and throwing you both into another laughing fit.

The little sit down you had with Jisoo had really given you time to contemplate how you were going to handle your situation, and you came to the conclusion that if Yoongi could let it go then you could at least try as well.

You thought that you were going to struggle through your remaining classes, but you were able to concentrate quite well. Surprising really, seeing as just an hour ago you were sure you were going to pass out from the sudden onslaught from the past. Maybe, just maybe that was due to the fact that your new mindset was functioning correctly.

It wasn’t.

Just as you were packing up to go home, you felt your phone buzz in your back pocket, effectively startling you. You pulled it from your pocket and read the tiny words printed on the screen, and suddenly the feelings you'd shoved down were back, raging, gnawing at your brain.

Yoongi: I want to see you.

Yoongi: Tonight.

The beating of your heart ceased. You were dead, and nothing was going to be able to revive you. That was until the next message came through some two minutes later.

Yoongi: For the project.

Even though you could feel your heart start its thump, thump, thump, pattern again, it was still at a much accelerated rate. Despite that, you managed to pull yourself together well enough to send back a reply.

To Yoongi:

Sure. When?

It seemed almost immediately that the next text came in, as if he was waiting, staring at his screen just as you were at yours, anticipating the words that would follow, already forming a reply.

Yoongi: “Whenever. I be home all night.”

You read the message, but didn’t bother sending a reply. With a heavy sigh you tucked your phone back in your pocket and decided to head to Yoongi’s apartment, hoping it would be easier to just get it over with.

When you arrived at Yoongi’s apartment complex you were annoyed by the presence of a locked door, and though you clicked the buzzer with the faint M.Y. scrawled on it, no answer came. You resorted to clicking all of the buzzers, but they only returned the same resolute silence. This led you to the conclusion that the whole system was broken, and though you had called Yoongi, there was no answer at the phone either. You tossed around the thought of just returning home and explaining the situation to him later when someone rattled the door handle and walked out of the building, glancing at you before sending you a slight smile and holding the door open for you. You quickly slipped through the door nodding at the polite stranger before scurrying up the stairs to the door with the numbers 202 nailed into its wooden surface.

You reached out towards the door, hesitating before rapping five times, an awkward number, but the same number of times you used to knock on his window what felt like so many years ago. There was a moment of silence before a series of curses slipped under the door. The door was thrown open to reveal a very wet Min Yoongi, a sight you were quite embarrassed to admit that you’d see on a small number of occasions before this particular one.

You just couldn’t stop yourself, as you tried to divert your eyes from his pale chest you couldn’t help but allow yourself to watch a drop of water drip from the strands of his freshly washed hair and glide down the side of his neck until it pooled in the dip of his clavicle. You honestly didn’t know how long you would have stood there staring if he hadn’t made a noise while clearing his throat. In a beyond flustered state, you quickly whipped your eyes away. It was so far in fact, that you ended up turned 180 degrees around, face to face with the wall, the only witness to the grimace that graced your face before you were composed enough to turn around and face the instigator of this mess. However, there was only an open door to greet you when you turned back around.

You stuck your head past the threshold, just enough to cautiously eye the inside of the room before you stepped a single foot into the apartment. You threw a glance to your right, jumping back when your nose brushed Yoongi’s.

“What the hell, Yoongi!?” You shouted, thoroughly startled. He simply shrugged then crossed the room to sit on the couch, and from somewhere he had procured a shirt, from where, you had no idea, but it was something you were grateful for.

You roughly slammed the door shut before stomping to the seat as far away from Yoongi and throwing yourself into the surprisingly soft plushness of his beige couch.

You reached towards your bag, bringing out your notes and the sketches from class earlier, arranging them on the table so that Yoongi could easily reach them if he so wished to.

“Wow…” You glared at Yoongi, ready to be offended by whatever was about to leave his lips, but surprisingly his face was painted with a genuinely impressed expression. His eyes spoke out to you while he stared at you through an ear-shattering silence, spiking your heart rate. It seems like I feel this way around him constantly now. You thought, your hand coming up subconsciously to rub at your chest, He stared at you before speaking, diminishing only a fraction of the tension surrounding the pair of you. “I’m sorry Y/N, I just think your notes are beautiful.”

You knew what he was saying was not what he meant by his words when he looked into your eyes, looked deeper into you than anyone had ever before.

I think you look beautiful.

Somehow you hadn't noticed how close the two of you had become because you hadn't moved. You were still planted on the far cushion of the couch, but Yoongi must had taken the time you were distracted to inch closer to you, little by little so you wouldn't realize. It was startling, the feeling of his hands winding behind your back and pulling your body closer to his. The warm feeling budding inside of you became even more present when you felt his hot breath shudder out onto your neck, your name escaping from his lips in a airy whisper before you felt the slickness of his wet lips connect with the skin of your neck and move towards your throat.

“Yoongi…” his name left your mouth involuntarily and you sensed him hesitate, waiting for the end of your words to flow out. He didn't move his head, and you felt relieved because you were sure the battle your brain was having with your heart and body was evident on your face. You brain pleaded with you to tell him to stop, to end this right here before you got hurt, but your body betrayed you. You knew you were enjoying this, and so you let your heart speak for you. “Yoongi, it’s okay.”

At your words he pulled away, gazing into your eyes, probably wondering if you were being honest. He stayed that way for a while, cultivating the silence you’d grown accustomed to in his presence. You watched as his eyes fluttered shut, his deep, relieved sigh reverberating in your ears. His body relaxed, a small smile tugged on his lips, all the while his warm irises stayed hidden behind his pale lids.

“Y/N, I’m sorry for everything I’ve ever done to you.” His chocolaty orbs made an appearance again as he began speaking words that seemed to have been on his mind for a while.

“All those years, I made you hate me, and I annoyed you to no end. I was snarky and insincere and a pain in the ass, and I’m sorry.” You felt all the feeling you’ve ever felt in regards to Yoongi resurface, felt tears gather, blurring your vision, but you listened with no intentions of interrupting.

“I couldn’t ever bring myself to tell you the truth, to ruin any relationship I had with you, even if it was one based on lies.” His voice wavered with every word that left his lips, his resolve crumbling. “Y/N, I love you and I always have. All these years, I’ve looked at you, torturing myself because everything I did caused you to openly stare at me with distaste, and everything I did that pushed your buttons and drove you crazy was a product of my own selfishness. I couldn’t approach you genuinely because you’re too damn good for me, but I can’t stop myself from wanting your attention, so I used sarcasm to protect my heart because I felt that having you hate me was better than being invisible to you.”

His cheeks were wet by the time he finished bearing his heart to you, allowing you to pick him apart piece by piece as he sat before you, his eyes downcast in shame. Again silence pervaded the air that surrounded you, but this time you welcomed it, took it as an opportunity to surprise Yoongi the same way he had to you so many times.

You brought your hands up, your palms coming to sit atop the cool wetness left from his tears as your thumbs brushed under his eyes, stopping the salty drops from rolling over the swell of his cheeks. He flinched back when you touched him, and you don’t know if it was because he was startled by the action, or the sheer coolness of your nervous hands.

Gently, you angled his head upwards so that you could see his face, and more importantly, so he could see yours. You wanted him to see you accept him, for everything he was because somewhere in between the string of words Yoongi used to confess to you, you’d remembered every instance in which he’d looked at you with what you had thought was sheer contempt, and realized that you had seen it, the hesitation, the want, the love. This revelation made you see yourself as well… forced you to notice that the only reason you allowed Yoongi to get so deeply under your skin was because more than anything else you wanted him to be nice to you, not just nice, you wanted him to want you the same way you had wanted him since that kiss in sixth grade.

Never in your life had you been so intrigued by another person, so unable to keep your eyes off another. By now, all of Yoongi’s attention was invested in you and you took the opportunity to restate your earlier sentiment, “Yoongi, really, it’s okay.”

This time there was no hesitation. Yoongi spared no time in pressing his lips to yours. Every ounce of lust he bottled up came out at once, evident in the way he devoured your mouth. You let his hands roam, the tips of his fingers eliciting goosebumps wherever they touched. Your hands were in his hair, tugging gently on the strands. He groaned, pulling you towards him, tugging your legs around his waist. He buried his head in your neck, whispering praise as he stripped you and himself of your shirt and pants. He was gentle and caring, two words you'd never thought you would associate with the male, but here you were doing just that.

He kissed your swollen lips, nibbling at them before soothing the sting with his tongue. You were in complete bliss, too far gone in his sweet touches to comprehend anything but the sudden need you had to be inexplicably one with the man it seemed you’d always loved. You broke the connection of your lips in order to take in his current state, his skin dewy, pupils blown, lips swollen and red. You could see the worry wash over his face. He pulled his hands away from you, “Y/N, did I do something wrong? Do you want to stop?”

“No, no, I just… Yoongi…  I think I love you.” His jaw went slack at your words and his eyes were shining, but the smile that slid its way across his face made your heart swell. He pushed you onto your back. Hovering over you, he ran his hands up and down the sides of your body until you got too impatient and tugged his hands to the clasp of your bra. He laughed, but pulled the constricting thing off of you anyway.

You felt his lips press against yours again before they began to wander downwards, and for a brief moment a thought crossed your mind, this was it, there wasn’t going to be anything to go back to, and you were shocked by just how excited the prospect made you.

It had been two weeks since you and Yoongi had confessed to each other and did some other things, but the only time you really got to see Yoongi was when you were working on the project, aka, when you were surrounded by other people. However, the project has since been turned in and returned with a dazzling A scrawled across the cover, and you were hoping to finally spend some time with him.

You were debating whether it would be better to send him a text, something short and to the point, or to call and be forced to talk to him.. You chose the latter believing that Yoongi would rather talk to you then have to stop what he was doing to type out a reply if he was busy.

Just as you finished hyping yourself up to call Yoongi, your phone buzzed in your hand. Glancing down to read the notification, you noticed it was just who you had been thinking of.

Yoongi: So… do you think you're going to be hungry at like 7??

A smile stretched across your face as your eyes ran over the words repeatedly.

To Yoongi:

I think that can be arranged.

So should I expect to see you at 7?

Yoongi: I’ll have someone pick you up. Dress nicer than usual please!! ;)

It seemed that Yoongi had been having the same thoughts as you. Somehow, everything was coming together just how you wanted it to.

You started getting ready at around 5, a time you thought was reasonable, but apparently you were mistaken because staring straight at you was your bedside clock blinking a very hostile 6:15. You had very meticulously planned your evening up until  when you would probably be  picked up in order to have dinner at 7. You assumed that time would be around 6:30, which meant you only had 15 minutes, and as you caught a glimpse of you appearance in the full length mirror hanging on the bathroom door you wanted to pull your hair out. The fluffy socks, the cotton shorts and ratty tee that you currently adorned was second only to the bird’s nest that was presently resting atop your head.

Where had all the time gone, you ask? Well your room spoke for that very clearly. Every item of clothing you own had been ripped from its hanger in search of the nicest dress you owned, the dress you’d bought especially for a moment like this. It was head and shoulder above the rest of your clothing, but it was nowhere, and so as time dwindled down, you picked a subpar dress and threw it on. You swiftly moved into the bathroom, muttering an impatient “Come on, come on!” as you waited for the hair straightener to heat up before quickly running it through your tangled mane. It actually came out pretty well. Your makeup wasn’t completely ruined, so you only touched it up, throwing on some blush that you didn’t usually wear to make it seem like a little more effort had been put into it. Just as you finished grabbing your bag and tugging your black pumps on, your phone rang signaling you to the arrival of the driver.

You gracefully stumbled down the stairs and into the open door of the sleek black town car that sat outside of the building. After you caught your breath, you were struck with an odd feeling that had your stomach doing flips. You checked the time on your phone before flipping it over in your lap then not even 10 seconds later checked the time again, continuously. You forced yourself to get a grip and so you closed your eyes, focusing on nothing but your own breathing until you felt the car come to a stop and wind gush across your face as the door was swung open.

You stepped out into the hazy glow of the city, the sun already setting behind the tall buildings that surrounded you. You hadn’t looked at the name of the building in front of you, but you walked in anyway. For a moment you thought you had the wrong place, because it seemed to you that you were in some sort of reception hall. However, your sights soon fell on one Min Yoongi, who far out-dressed you, and for one last time that night you cursed yourself for somehow misplacing that dress, but the smile never left you face as you walked up to him.

His eyes scanned over your figure before he pursed his lips and shook his head, “Y/N, I told you to dress up and this is what you decide to come in? Your face falls. It was just so hard to tell if he was being serious or not, and just as you were about to spill the evening’s occurrences as an excuse, he pulled something from behind his back. “You should have came in a dress like this.” He said with a smirk gracing his face.

You jaw was on the floor, “Yoongi, how did you get that?! I was looking for that for like an hour!”

“A little birdy named Jisoo brought it to me after I ran into her at the library and spilled the beans about my plans for the night.” His eyes were glowing, he was so happy. You couldn’t be mad looking at that, however you’d made a mental note to murder Jisoo for making you believe you’d lost the most expensive article of clothing you owned.

“What are the plans for tonight anyway?” You asked, hoping he would give you an answer.

“You’ll just have to find out as we go, won’t you? Now go change.” That smirk on his lips seemed to grow the longer you talked to him. You pursed your lips, but took the dress anyway, sure to let out a series of huffs and puffs on your way to the bathroom.

When you returned, Yoongi stood up from the table, smiling down at you. “Now this is what I’m talking about. You look beautiful.” All of a sudden you felt shy, a slight heat building in your cheeks, but you didn’t have to endure it for long because Yoongi was soon ushering you into the chair, lightly pushing you down into the wooden seat.

You picked up the menu in front of you and read through the options, settling on some chicken dish quickly, however, you kept the menu up and pretended like you were still reading it so you could steal glances at Yoongi, from behind the safety it provided.

When the waitress came to your table, Yoongi let you order first, his eyes burning your skin as he looked you, more specifically , your lips. The way they moved as you spoke to the young blonde server in front of you. When it was his turn, he cleared his throat and straightened his back, seeming far more composed than he was actually feeling..

Without the safety of you menu, you were left to awkwardly stare around the room, and it wasn’t until Yoongi cleared his throat that you made eye contact with him again. He took a moment before he spoke, and when he did it was quietly, low and soft, “Do you want to know why I brought you here?” You silently shook your head, honestly curious as there was no one else there dining with the exception of the two of you.

“Well, back in our last year of highschool, I spent about a week building up the courage to ask you to the dance, but when I got to school you weren’t there, and then the day after that you still weren’t and it was three days until I heard you were sick, I think Jisoo said, and I quote, “She’s dying! She really is. My best friend is dying and my mom made me come to school today as if this weren't her last hours. I should be at her deathbed!” And then she rambled on some more, but I walked away, but I did find out that you couldn’t have gone to the dance with me even if you had wanted to… I brought you here because it looks like how I imagined the place where the dance took place looked like so, yeah.”

It was your turn to smirk now, “Yoongi, did you do all of this just so you could live out a high school dream?” And as if on cue, the lights dimmed and a disco ball descended from the ceiling as music began to float and echo throughout the vast room.

Yoongi stood up and made his way to you, stretching out his hand. “Y/N, may I have this dance?” You placed your hand in his. He wasted no time in dragging you out into the middle of the room directly under the spinning, mirrored ball, and you couldn’t help but laugh at how wonderfully sweet and innocent the boy in front of you was.

Your head rested on Yoongi’s shoulder as you swayed back and forth to the music, and when he began to slow down you pulled back to look at him.

“What’s wrong?” You asked as he stared at you from above. He seemed suddenly quiet and it made you nervous.

“It’s nothing, I was just thinking about everything that’s happened up until now. It’s just so surreal, everything I’ve ever wanted is finally coming true… I’m here dancing with you, and I get to call you mine… What more could I ask for?” His voice was dripping with nostalgia, not at what was, but what could have been. “I just can’t explain how I feel, you know? Everything is just-”

“- perfect.” You said together. The words flowing from his mouth explained exactly what you were thinking too. You both let out a slight giggle before you eyes met again and everything went silent. You closed your eyes as Yoongi leaned towards you, and as your lips met in a slow kiss, you felt like you were eighteen again, a less guarded version of yourself, slightly more innocent. You felt the fireworks and the warmth, and in that moment nothing else mattered but you and Yoongi. When he pulled away, and the lights from the disco ball struck his wet lips, you were rendered speechless by his beauty.

You danced until dinner was served. Sitting across from each other, you shared laughs and joyful tears as you reminisced on your intertwined pasts.

The dark-haired man in front of you was utterly different from the boy you had grew up with, but at the same time so completely the same. He was now a flower in full bloom, showcasing his bright petals for the world to wonder at. No longer was he a tight bud hiding its beauty from the world. His smile out shined the sun and made your heart swell. He looked different, and he made you feel different, but in everything he did from the way he walked and talked, to the way he would jut his bottom lip out when he thought too much was the same, and it opened your eyes once again to what you’d always known: Min Yoongi had wiggled his way into your heart long before you entered his home mere weeks ago. You were, and for years had been, chronically in love with your greatest foe… and that was okay.

[germainetrittle86]

Of Buses, Pasalubongs, and Fiestas: My Laguna Years

So while I have been writing much about my childhood memories of Ilocos, a big portion of my youth I have been meaning to write about were my college years in UP Los Banos.

I was only 15 years old when I went to the “distant” campus of UP Los Banos in College, Laguna. When I applied for the UPCAT, we only put Los Banos as an alternative campus upon the advise of my older brother, Manong Snokum, himself a graduate of BS Architecture from UP Diliman. He said at least we had a good back-up plan should I not get accepted for my first choice of Diliman campus. In fact, it was only our eldest brother Manong Butch who was able to get in immediately because he was an NSDB (now NSTA) scholar in BS Mathematics. Manong Snokum had to transfer from UST on his second semester, while both Ate Marie and Ate Annette ended up trying out and qualifying for UP Baguio and UP Manila, respectively.

Like the rest of NCR students, majority of my batchmates in high school tried out for UP. But when the UPCAT results came out, only 12 of us qualified or were wait-listed. I remember my classmates saying, “May isang Leonin na nakapasa e…d lang namin sure which one”, referring to me and my cousin, Edlyn. Meanwhile, like the rest of them, I also covered my bases and applied for other universities and colleges. By that time, I had already passed the entrance tests for CEU, Miriam College, UST, Ateneo and was in the process of applying for St. Paul. But of course, UP IS UP, and I quickly jumped at the chance to go the State University be it in a “faraway” campus.

Fortunately, my Mom soon realized that a second cousin of hers was married to a UPLB professor and was living in Los Banos. She reconnected with Tita Cora Pe Benito and made arrangements for me to stay with them. Later would I find out that Tita Cora’s husband, Tito Ruben Villareal was actually the Dean of the College of Agriculture and was pretty well-known and respected in the UPLB community. My affiliation with them would eventually influence my future in UP Los Banos.

* * * *

Our first visit to Los Banos became one of many regular treks to Laguna. Once I began studying in UP Los Banos, this routine became a cherished day trip for my parents and younger siblings, and a sort of bonding activity too. They would drive me over for the next schooldays after I spent the weekend with them in Manila.

Back then, it would be an easy 2 hour drive from Quezon City, traversing EDSA and SLEX to Los Banos. Still not much heavy traffic after Magallanes through Taguig-Bicutan-Paranaque area. As you leave Alabang, the long stretch of SLEX would still be lined by rice fields, and after some time, Maria Makiling’s outline would already be visible. That Southern Tagalog mountain range really looked like a giantess lying in repose; from the soft curve of her breasts to her forehead sloping into her long hair. Mt. Makiling with her accompanying Mt. Banahaw and Cristobal was truly majestic.

As we turn into Calamba, the only other slightly “urbanized” area besides Los Banos, we pass by a few fast food restaurants before the hot spring resorts begin to sprout from all sides. Since Mt. Makiling is a dormant volcano, they say those hot springs served as useful vents to let her steam out. Without those hot springs, some scientists claim Makiling could just wake up and become an active volcano again.

Entering Pansol before Los Banos Bayan area, all you can see are hot and cold spring resorts, and that ubiquitous red-brown quarry at the distance. Through the years, I would observe that natural tower-like feature get eroded both by man and by nature’s forces. We pass Camp Eldridge and PCARRD, which now has that shortcut mountain pass into the UPLB campus, I wonder if this is the same shortcut used by incarcerated Los Banos townsfolk when they were evacuating in World War II and needed to cross over to the other side of Laguna de Bay.

Before long, you reach Brgy. Anos where most buko pie, fresh milk and other pasalubong outlets are, and then comes the famous “Crossing”, that landmark intersection which passes as UP Los Banos’ commercial area. Turning right at the corner Mercury Drug at Crossing, you enter into College and the gateway to UP Los Banos.

Unlike the wide, awe-inspiring University Avenue at Diliman, UPLB’s main gate is narrow and simple. The first thing you see upon entering is not the statue commonly known as the “UP Oblation”, but the carabao heads, the symbol of the UP College of Agriculture first established here prior to World War II. Oh, we do have our own Oblation, albeit much smaller in stature, and it’s located at the center of the campus, in front of our Humanities building. But like Diliman, it would please you to know that scattered around the UPLB campus are some artful sculptures too – like the Mariang Makiling which now stands at the bottom of the road going to Forestry, or the “flying” carabao at the Main Library, the Pinay lass with her banga at the Palma bridge pavilion, or the notorious “the Graduate” at the Social Garden (these last two having some weird tales surrounding them, but that’s another story.)  

Tito Ruben and Tita Cora’s house was actually off-campus, in a subdivision near the International Rice Research Institute (IRR). Getting to their place, you can take either the long route via Ipil Drive and IRRI, or the steep hill at the back of the Animal Husbandry side which takes you directly to their village after coming downhill. Due to the distance, we had to coordinate rides to and from campus. But with two of my cousins still in high school and my other cousin busy with his fraternity activities, it was quite difficult scheduling rides, especially since I started having my own extra-curricular activities. A few times I had to get rides from friends – the very popular Luistro brothers, Kim and Gianni, of the UPLB soccer fame, or my sweet and very kind kabatch, Noel Cuyno ‘86.

There were days I caught the free shuttle to IRRI then took that wooden trolley contraption locals ride along the train tracks, and walked the rest of the way to Pleasantville. You go from the long line of trees along Ipil Drive to IRRI, then get a very good panoramic view of the experimental rice fields backdropped by the mountains of Mt. Makiling and Mt. Banahaw, and even Mt. Cristobal. The trolley ride was truly an experience – novel and innovative as it is, it was quite fun to have the wind in your hair. That is, until a train comes along and you all have to get off the tracks to let it pass since the train does have the right-of-way. The real challenge is managing not to get sucked in by the train rushing by. You have to cling to the tall grasses at the sides for dear life until then.

Either way, whether I take the Animal Science route or the long IRRI road, those walks usually treated me to the wonder of flying exotic birds, a rabbit crossing the road, or an occasional snake during rainy season. It was also there I learned to navigate by the weather…watching out for the dark clouds hovering above to decide which route I would be taking so I won’t be soaked by the sudden rain. Until now, I still watch out for cloudy days and time my trips accordingly because I hate getting caught in the rains.

Those days you could still hitch a ride from the vehicles going to and from IRRI, when we used hand-signals to indicate to jeepneys where we want to go, when UPLB was a close-knit community where most people are connected and know each other from somewhere, somehow. We were safe and secure, and the worst that could happen was getting recruited to become NPA rebels…that, or experiencing those notorious paranormal incidents UPLB is so famous for. Yes, those were the times when there wasn’t any Mayor Sanchez and his goons, or drug-related rape cases.

After my first year, deciding that I had adjusted well enough, I opted to move to an on-campus dormitory. I managed to get a slot at the foremost Co-Ed dorm, then-called “Men’s Dorm” because it used to be solely for male students. Of course, there were all-girls dorms on campus, like the neighboring Women’s Dorm and St. Therese dorm run by the local parish nuns. But I really wanted to experience the whole Hollywood teeny-bopper college campus life for real and luckily when a sorority sister graduated, I got her token space in the so-called Sigma Deltan room at Men’s.

When I was at my relatives, all I had to worry about was budgeting my weekly allowance and getting home after classes. But at the dorm, I had to budget my allowance for food, my transportation back to Manila, getting to my classes on time, and managing my extra-curricular hours responsibly. I was really on my own, and had to act like a mature adult. During the 1987 and 1989 coup d’etats, we got stranded in UPLB because Metro Manila was in chaos. We had to do our own laundry, scrounge enough extra cash to feed ourselves, and manage to home to Quezon City.

Prior to UP Los Banos, I didn’t know how to commute using public transport. Now, I had to learn to take the bus to and from Laguna. Back then, the premier busline was BLTB (Batangas, Laguna, Tayabas Buslines) of the Potenciano family. Eventually the company folded, and my alternatives were Kapalaran and Superlines plying the whole Laguna and Quezon route. While there were a few aircon buses, mostly it was ordinary, open-window commuters that you catch from Crossing. In summer, it was either you suffocate in the heat inside the bus or keep the windows open and let your face take all the G-Force of SLEX.

If not for the BLTB Pasay route, I sometimes had to take the Lawton trip and get off at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila for a Project 2-3 jeepney. Otherwise, I get off at Alabang for an EDSA bus transfer to Quezon City, usually a Monumento or Fairview-bound trip. Once in QC, I either get off in Cubao or at the corner of Kamias-EDSA. I had to learn these routes and transfers the hard way, because I made a few wrong rides too.

But I remember the Dairy Training and Research Institute (DTRI) milk I used to drink on those long bus trips. The shing-a-ling (local fried noodles) being peddled by vendors hopping on and off the buses, along with an assortment of commercial buko pies, espasol, banana or kamote fritters, etc. My sister, Giselle soon learned about kwek-kwek, those orange-covered eggs that you dip into vinegar, deep-friend day-old chicks, and pansit habhab at those bus terminals too.

Getting around the CALABARZON area with our friends, my sister, Giselle and I were soon introduced to the tradition of fiestas in these parts. Besides parish-led activities, most towns have other festivities that include feeding majority of visitors to their place. As s guest, you are invited to most homes even if they don’t know you and you are obliged to sample their dishes. One thing we noticed during these “culinary rounds” was that most houses served the classic pansit bihon, menudong Tagalog, and fruit salad.

These local delicacies and simple fare soon grew on me, and without the fast food cuisine we got so used to in the city, these were welcome changes. I learned to exchange my favorite Coca-cola for fresh milk, began to like buko pie and local breads from the bakery instead of burgers and pizza, and those long, necessary walks actually did wonders for my legs and gluteus maximus.

But the thing I really loved the most about my Laguna days, was the clean, fresh air, the amazing greenery surrounding you, a closeness to nature that I will always have an affinity for. Nowadays, I take the opportunity to drop by UP Diliman for a regular dose of nature. Sometimes, I get lucky enough to have the time to visit La Mesa Ecopark or the Parks and Wildlife Park of QC.

Every so often, I still trek to Los Banos to reconnect with my past, commune with nature, and to simply ground myself. For it was there I did a lot of growing up. It was there I found, and keep finding myself, when I feel lost and in need of some peace. Most of all, in that valley by Mt. Makiling, I keep finding focus and direction.

[vanna-ch]

Auteur Theory about Mike De Leon Films: Batch 81´ & Kakabaka Ka Ba?

Auteur Theory about Mike De Leon Films: Batch 81´ & Kakabaka Ka Ba? A Movie review for Film Language, Midterms part 2

 Introduction & Auteur Theory

 Mike De Leon a Filipino film director whom also made an amazing amount of recognitions as well as several types of film that becomes outstanding later on at the awarding because of how he was able to handle and manipulate his own imaginations and ideas that he tried to express silently that shows the interactive oppressive side of our society with his creations to provide deep meaning, intention and was they were later showed on as a movie also especially during the Marcos era too, later then proves what he is trying to tell President Marcos back then on how Filipinos are being pained during the days of his regime. From his films he then latter inspires the youths as they keep watching the films that he made, watching films again and again can let you see that the movie he makes is trying to explain or tell you something. He was an intentional, and creative as a film maker when he experimented on his films and you can tell from the way he directed his films with meaning and there are actors that are only prescribe to his films over and over again starring his films without any difficulty designating them and the repeating patterns from the casts to who it dedicates to could be seen from every part of his films. His films created in the 90’s are the types of films that has several dictations and they each have their own flows in their parts, not just your ordinary series meaning, that the film he creates has hidden agendas and he completely has control over the variables in each of the scenes and literally you just do not stare at the cinema just to see how the movie comes and goes, you somehow become intrigued and questioned that what if you were in their shoes what would you do, how will you survive in those situations. It’s one of those movie directors that gives emphasis on what reality can do to you and how your mindset will be evolving of, but that is if you had not watch the film he makes yet. You’ll end up beguiled and unexpectedly want to change the fate of the protagonist’s choices and ended up doing it for them in your seats. The way he writes his scripts are with the ordinary, harsh, reality life that anyone goes through and you will understand what will happen next but you won’t actually get the right concept that it will shock you and you will think that the characters will obviously do that, but only ending up doing other decisions that you have not thought of. You never expect a Filipino to get these kinds of achievement in life, a wise and cunning tactic he had created to hide the root of his intended target for his films. Mike De Leon creativity does not often appear much like the creators of this generation, yes some current directors can satisfy the wants of millennial youths with their genres but the agenda to that is how the directors will be able to actually satisfy the mind of the youths into understanding the factual truth of today’s actualization like how he was able to confidently hide his true message to the masses much more to the President Marcos back then which he was attacking the system of President Marcos because of how he was handling the country and it’s fellow citizens with communism, the difficulty of being able to provide and be provided is thought to be simpler with Marcos as the leader thinking that he’d do great things, which in some ways President Marcos did but the citizens were never satisfied with anything for the pain and suffering were the cries and that made Mike De Leon think that maybe he’d create something for fun but with realization of the countries situation that is how amazing Mike De Leon was and his mindset for every film remained the same and still sane for all he could use his skills was to announce to the public that are qualified enough to understand his films to shout the prejudice of many Filipinos. Moreover, the films that was chosen for us to watch and critique were that of the contently the same that of Lino Brocka films that was also chosen and watched then critiqued with all the creative idea of the society in general within the Philippines no hidden secrets but actually showing the brutal side of those people with power of how much they are able to do.

 Batch 81’

 Philippines of today never changes from the old times during the reigns of many Presidents that either created a havoc or do a small change of something anew in the eyes of the Filipino community way back then and it was never placed into a consideration to the heads of many members of the nation that to never forget their own rights as a human living for the betterment of their family or for themselves  to keep up to the ever growing community standards that the society gives to the people who are trying to grind their way to survival and could finally be able to catch up without anyone in peril but all we can say to see that there have been shortcuts to victory that leads the necks of others in need to their demise and despair that thought to give them a free ticket to the good pathway of the pyramid. Society the sole root of burden to those many unwanted human needs of the hierarchy where it claims to be the number one leading standards for a human to normally live and survive without any troubles and diving in to the sins of the many citizens that have sacrificed many parts of their life and soul just to be a part of the invitation to good life to get to the best service that they can experience and be at to know which ones can be the best choice for them. Hardships are seen to our every daily actions in this rugged country that was once beautiful and acknowledgeable to the eyes of foreign and local people, to work through the very top one must endure the harsh environment that they are set up on once born onto this world unless you’re one of the lucky random generated human being that has all the cheat codes enabled and got everything without doing oh, so, much to step up on the ladder of society. Issues of politicians handling these damned system is also one of the cause of hardships that we Filipino’s are facing altogether because of the greed from the entire face point of papered accumulating finances that runs the whole wide world crazy to be rich to afford all of the materialistic totems in the manmade world we are at right now. Family a word, sentence, phrase describe to ensure the strength of trust and love placed in that word so that all will face the harsh trials without anyone dying and leaving the world beforehand while oaths are becoming an ordinary rule to let sure that everyone stays in their path and to not get lost from the road that their family leads them to be. The film Batch 81’ or from its full name Alpha Kappa Omega Batch 81’ sets its title from a fraternity established at a certain unnamed college university to be of assistance to incoming new students that require the need of relationship as a hood altogether to get through many tough times and ensure that all will be able to graduate and finish all the task that is given to them by the fraternity leader. The story begins with the protagonist named Sid Lucero who studies from an untold university taking the course recommended by his mother and lives near the university by boarding alongside his friend. Sid who is struggling from his daily school activities, to tardiness, from low grades and the daily struggle of an ordinary college student stigma until now and does not know what would he do just to make up for all the missed and low grade classes and can’t tell his mother that he is having a trouble breaking down all the necessary goals to become studious once more to be able to finish and graduate without any problems. Alongside with his dorm mate and the best friend that he can always count on in which they both dreamt to succeed without any hardships in their path and tried to find alternatives so that they can graduate with a sweep clean and free of trouble, as they try to survey the different organizations handed out and approved by the university and there Sid ended looking up to the so called fraternities as described by the Webster’s dictionary a fraternity is a group of people associated or formally organized for a common purpose, interest or pleasure such as becoming a future leader to the organization, or someone looking for a guild, and all fraternities is a men only student organization formed chiefly for social purposes having secret rites and a name consisting of Greek letters, and a student organization for scholastic, professional, or extracurricular activities like debates, sports, etc…more indication of its meaning is the quality or state of being brothers or so called brotherliness and finally about the hierarchy as stated of a person in the same class. Profession, character, tastes, etc…and a fraternity can also be synonymy indicated as ‘brotherhood’ more or less. Moving on to the film, as Sid was looking for a group there he was handed out a paper of the ALPHA KAPPA OMEGA printouts and made a realization to see if he will decide to let this fraternity group be of aid to his academics, although innocently Sid doesn’t know the true horrors behind joining a fraternity that entitles you as their brethren, yet. Unafraid and strong willed, Sid Lucero also invited his roommate best buddy to join together in the Alpha Kappa Omega fraternity so that it may be an advantage to them both academically to be known all the while in the school and enjoy the life of someone with brothers looking out for them mindset, but unknown to the horrors about to befall them just to ensure their life in the campus. The fated day for the applicants for Alpha Kappa Omega fraternity to be gathered and tested in the same day immediately, for the new applicants they are called the neophytes as stated by the Webster’s dictionary a neophyte is a novice, a new convert, fresh from the university alternative synonym for neophyte is an abecedarian or apprentice. As the neophytes gather and went inside the designated room for the application to start Sid begets and nervously went ahead like the others did, as they enter everyone lined up and was ordered to be blind folded to test their confidence and attitude in the midst of shame and trials. Many have failed and feared the ongoing tests that will later on fall upon them, letting only a few remain like Sid and his roommate buddy. Further onto the film, the new recruits along with Sid and his roommate buddy ended up in a horrible tragedy where the gang war between Alpha Kappa Omega and Sigma Omicron Sigma, another fraternity group that was angered because of Sid’s roommate friend had an affection towards the sister of the leader of Sigma Omicron Sigma but besides that another reason why the gang war actually preparedly happened because someone from Alpha Kappa Omega member died and it was Sid’s best friend that was drowned in front of him on a toilet in an abandoned place, making Sid furious and initiated their fraternity leader to start a fight to get revenge to what Sigma Omicron Sigma did to their brethren. Finalization of the film is that Sid ended up being a ‘master’ of the new recruits and handled the brother’s rituals for new neophytes and ending up finishing his college work and many more.

 Kakabakaba Ka Ba?

 Ever wondered what a broken film looks like but holds a deeper intention to the Filipino nation back then? Well, as addictions were later introduced into the industrial life of Filipino apart from the chaotic world that was given to use by adding systems that later on disrupt the many living patterns of all the people living in this county. Different race, identity, uniqueness, personality, attitude, world, interest, and many more mixing our cultures and identities sculpting our traits to be what we are being invaded on. Finding your purpose and meaning while growing into the person you want to be without any one stopping you. Having a mindset of relying to others on a higher levels like of the government to expect them to do something about this problematic chaos that everyone is expecting in which they should, which Filipinos are putting their hopes onto them and becoming more lazy that maybe someday the government will actually do something for them manually. Placing their hopes onto someone else but finding out that they will literally do nothing and deal with the nation’s political problems instead of the state the country is in. Persuading people who are unfriendly and being unaware that the environment that they are currently in endangers them to only be noticed when realization appeared and change to be more obvious to become a motivational act. Losing passion to work, not achievement your dream because of some unseen able force that makes you question your entire purpose in life because of the obscure and confusing actions that many people do to you physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally in which makes you become unstable and unable to create a beautiful difference in this country. Cults a secretive organization that hides their selves amongst the faces of many different people masking their true identity for a single objective or purpose to either oppress and process a destructive yet creative thinking that makes their mind become a dangerous weapon for the politicians or the government in general, exposing the different experiments and actions truer than words that speeches are shown in televisions from the press making the people confused and think that they are in the position to think that we are all living a great life where in fact that it was already stolen from us, our very existence and actions monitored as it is getting sold to the heads of the powerful people without our mentions and approval to as they continue to obstruct the very loud voices of the mass to be closed and unidentifiable forever. This is where the four protagonist from the film involved themselves into a shady people and business with an unseen trouble coming ahead of them because of a single cassette tape that was secretively placed into the first protagonist’s jacket in the airplane boarding to Manila from Japan. All the while the four protagonists that ended up meeting altogether within the plane became buddies and went to dinner, have fun, etc. Suddenly weird people from the Japan branch of cult as well as the Chinese cult wants to get their hands on the cassette tape making their lives in danger as two of the cults tries to pursue the four protagonists unknown to what the cassette hides inside its tasty melody. The four protagonists ended up to certain sites near their areas just to find clue as to what the cassette tape includes and questions why they are after this single tape when the two tried to listen to it at their home they just find a few notes but then goes blank afterwards making it a very mysterious tape for all of them who are both trying to help them and find what it truly holds inside. As they search for clues they ended up in places they thought that were safe and free of touch from the society, a church in the hills of their village and so they decided to explore the sides by disguising as nuns and pastors in practice, unknown to them that the nuns are immediately conspicuous of them and tries to get away with a scent of glare in their eyes to the four protagonists, there they explores the sides to see if one gets to find something like a hidden switch or something that could access into another spot within the vicinity of the church inside or out. No more, no less further along in the film they ended finding a secret door leading to an elevator giving a secret code for the members to enter, spying there they knew the code and went to the elevator going to the basement along with the Chinese cult. There they saw the mastermind of all their troubles and screams, it was a Japanese master the head of all troubles that they’ve been facing and to their addition knowledge it was he who created the cassette tape that holds the ingredients in creating an unending source of opium more likely drugs and other paraphernalia for them to never stop indulging and continue to process and send out by selling making them rich and in control of all the business happening around Asia, like trading pointing out that they are powerful and will continue to reign. But in the end of the invitation of choirs and comediatic pauses the evil doers are always caught and jailed for the crimes and wanted images that they are with their sentenced spoken and the four protagonists ended up helping with a great term and all of them ended up having the nice time of their lives once more and the four of them got married where the action and catching happened, under the hidden area of the church.