#lately all my drawing has been done on notecards or in my notebook for class

[treecakes]

it’s been ages since i’ve done digital art

[jasminehoneytea]

cuddly ~ n.s

i never understood why they were called “study dates” until i met newt scamander.

freshman year of university, and i had found myself flung into a friendgroup of people a year older than me. people who, in the span of three months, became my favorite people in the whole entire world. people like newt scamander.

my roommate, queenie, had introduced me to the friendgroup on move-in day and we all compared majors and schedules. newt was fascinating. his passion for creatures was absolutely breathtaking. we didn’t have any classes together, but he always insisted on walking me to as many classes as he could.

we decided to start studying together. we both had our weekends free, and sunday mornings spent in parks, cafes and libraries were my favorite part of being at university.

then i understood why they were called study dates. sitting across from him, sneaking glances as he sipped coffee from whatever obscure mug he had that week, watching him do that little thing where he bit his lip and ran a hand through his curly hair whenever he was confused, all of it was the perfect formula for a date. except neither of us ever called it one. we were just friends, after all.

one particular sunday study date changed it all.

we decided to meet a nearby park. we hadn’t seen each other in a while, and i so desperately wanted to be near him.

i stood among the oak trees, inhaling the scent of autumn. i waited for newt to arrive, shivering slightly in the brisk wind. i heard footsteps from afar, and looked up to meet eyes with a familiar tall sweater-clad boy.

“newt!”

“hello.” he said with a smile.

i didn’t even think about it, i just slung my arms around his neck and stood on my tip toes to reach him. newt seemed a little confused and stiffened before relaxing. his arms enclosed around me and he pulled me tighter. neither of us moved for what felt like hours but in reality was only seconds. for some reason, it just felt so right to be close to him.

i finally pulled away, letting one hand rest on his shoulder while the other fell to my side, fingers just centimeters away from his own. i brushed my thumb across his shoulder, drawing figure eights over and over. “how’ve you been?” i asked, realizing that neither of us had said anything since ‘hello’.

“a little stressed, you?”

“me too.” i said with a giggle. i looked down and realized newt had interlocked our hands. he followed my gaze and seemed almost shocked that he had done it, like it was some sort of subconscious action. he released my hand slowly, murmuring a quiet apology. “i’ve had a lot of exams lately, which is strange; we’re nowhere near midterms.” i continued on, staring at the ground as i spoke. i always got nervous around him, never wanting to look newt in the eyes, even though his eyes were so captivating. i could feel him watching me and my face heated up slightly. “i know you have work to do, too, but i could really use your help studying. would you mind?”

“i’d love to.” he replied. i looked up at him, observing his small smile and his eyes that gazed back down at me. he smile was so contagious, i couldn’t stop myself from beaming at him. he squeezed my hand before letting go and sliding his arm around my waist. “where to?” he asked, starting to walk ahead, leading me along with him.

i tucked a strand of hair behind my ear nervously. something about the fact that he had his arm around me made me feel so faint, but i couldn’t figure out why. “uh, my dorm? i think the others might be in there. we can all study together.”

i glanced over at newt and he seemed slightly dejected. he caught my eye and quickly flashed me a tiny smile. “anything works.” he replied. i nodded, feeling a little guilty. why wouldn’t he want to come to the dorm? does he not want to hang out with the others?

i decided to compromise. “we could stop and get coffee first. there’s that cute café across the street.”

he seemed a little happier at this proposition. he nodded in agreement and we walked over to the coffee house, admiring the colorful autumn leaves falling gently from the old oak trees. i always loved those trees. newt would occasionally spout facts about the trees and the creatures that lived in them before turning red and apologizing for talking too much. i didn’t mind. i actually liked it when he talked about animals, he’d get all excited and his soft eyes would gleam with adoration. i thought it was adorable; he thought it was embarassing.

at the newt went up to the the register to order first, then asked what i’d like. “oh, you don’t have to pay for me.”

he mumbled a ‘nonsense’ and ordered me a pumpkin spice latte. leta and tina had caught me drinking one about a week ago and refused to let me live it down, calling me basic for hours on end. newt had told me to ignore them. it was sweet of him to order me one. “actually, make that two, please.” he said, pulling out his wallet and handing the barista some cash. “are these as good as you say they are?” he asked, turning to me as we waited for our coffee.

“what? you haven’t had one?” he shook his head. i feigned a gasp. “you’ll love it! it’s your kind of thing.”

“my kind of ‘thing’?” he asked, grabbing the two to-go cups from the counter and handing one to me

“uh, yeah,” i replied, immediately regretting every word that came out of my mouth. he gave me a look that said ‘go on, explain what that means’. and i sighed quietly. “your ‘thing’ is like, knit sweaters and drinking coffee or tea out of strangely shaped artisanal mugs, or like reading strange books about fantastical creatures in front of a fireplace on a fluffy old rug.” i blushed intensely, realizing i had gone too far. the only way i could think to end my explanation was by saying, “or whatever, i guess...” my voice faltered with embarrassment and trailed off.

newt looked down at me with an expression that i couldn’t read. “that sounds a lot like your kind of ‘thing’, too.”

“yeah, maybe we have similar tastes.” i responded, but what i really wanted to say was ‘’or maybe you’re my ‘thing’”.

we both took a few small sips of our coffees, not minding that it burnt our tongues, and made our way back to my dorm. the air was brisk and the wind turned my already blushing cheeks redder, i couldn’t help but sneak a few glances at newt to see if he looked the same way. he did. his nose looked so cute all red like that. pushing open the heavy wooden doors to my dorm hall, i breathed a sigh of relief at the warm surroundings. the crackling of a fire in the common room fireplace, faint laughter and the joyous sound of a slightly out of tune piano playing filled the building with a lovely feeling of fall and happiness. “god, i’ll never get over the fact that i live here.” i told newt, leaning into him a little. i signed us into the logbook and took newt’s hand, guiding him up the moderately creaky stairs.

“you know,” newt began from one step below me. “we usually just hang out with the others in the common room. i’ve never actually been in your room before.”

i looked over my shoulder at him, taking a sip from my latte. “it’s actually really pretty up there! queenie’s a great roommate, she brings back all the leftover pastries from the bake shop her and jacob work at, and she has the nicest scented oil diffusers.”

“well, if you’re living up there, i’m sure it’s lovely.” newt said, causing me to smile.

“you’re cute.” i mumbled in return, just quiet enough so he couldn’t make out what i had said. he hummed in response and i giggled to myself.

after a couple flights of stairs, which newt complained about several times under his breath, i knocked on our door to notify queenie i was coming in. “you both better be decent in there!” i called out with a laugh. a muffled ‘oh, quiet, you!’ came from inside. i opened the door and motioned for newt to follow me inside. “i brought newt! are the other girls coming?” i asked, setting my bookbag down on the ochre colored fluffy rug queenie had bought from a flea market a couple days ago, newt following suit. i hopped up on the bed, hugging my pillow. newt stood awkwardly by the door until i patted the duvet next to me, gesturing for him to sit down.

“tina’s on her way, leta should be finishing her economics class any minute now.” jacob replied while flipping through his notebook. “i figured we could study until let’s gets here, then play that new card game tina’s been talkin’ about.”

“sounds fun! that alright with you, newt?” i asked, nudging newt gently with my arm.

“anything works.” he said, repeating what he had said earlier. he was such an easygoing person, i couldn’t help but wonder if he truly wanted to do whatever it was our group ended up doing. what if he was bored with us? what if he was bored with me?

for around half an hour, the room was filled with the sound of pages turning, pens scribbling, notecards flipping, and quiet murmuring. it was almost peaceful, i usually loved the silence. however, for some reason, i wished for the loud bustling sounds of the coffee shop or the slightly busy street’s ambience. maybe i just wished to hang out with newt again, alone.

i couldn’t figure out why i wanted to spend so much time with newt. it felt like i always clung to him like leaf to its branch. but every leaf has to fall eventually, doesn’t it? in that moment, i hoped not every leaf left the tree. especially if that tree was a tall, cinnamon haired boy in a scarf.

a sudden knock on the door interrupted my train of thought and tina entered, followed by leta. “sorry we’re late!” tina exclaimed, plopping down on the carpet. “i saw leta across the street so we took a detour to grab coffee and mail a letter to theseus.”

“ooh, letters! ain’t that fancy!” queenie teased. leta’s cheeks turned a darker shade of rose and she took a sip of her coffee to mask her smile. “someone’s a little head over heels for the eldest scamander!”

“keep an eye on him, leta.” newt said, not looking up from the textbook he was helping me take notes on. “he may be a wall street man, but he’s not as mature as he seems.” a tiny smirk played on his lips.

leta rolled her eyes. “he’s plenty mature, newt. don’t be jealous.”

“i am not!” he objected. leta giggled and set her coffee down on my desk.

i pointed to the cup. “newt and i just went to that café! it’s adorable! we got pumpkin spice lattes.”

“speaking of that,” newt said, standing up and stretching. “i can throw our cups away, is there a garbage bin in here?”

i shook my head. “it’s downstairs somewhere. queenie took it out one day and never thought to bring it back up. i think the front desk workers gave it to the common room.” queenie shrugged nonchalantly, acting like she didn’t mind that we had no place to through away our teabag wrappers, when in reality she complained every day.

“oh, alright, i’ll bring it downstairs.”

“anyone up for cards?” jacob asked, pulling out a deck.

we all chimed in our approvals and jacob began dealing them. “you and newt have gotten awful close, haven’t you?” tina asked as soon as newt closed the door, turning to face me.”

i looked down at my fingers as i nervously played with the hem of my sweater. “you don’t mind, do you? we’re just friends, but if you’re uncomfortable...” i trailed off, thinking about tina’s past infatuation with newt.

“no, no! i was just saying, i’ve never seen newt be so welcoming to a new member of the group before. he’s usually reserved.”

“yeah, we all know newt’s a little more then shy,” leta added. “in fact, i lived next to the scamander brothers almost my entire life and i don’t think newt has ever hugged me. i’ve hugged him, but he’s never hugged back.”

jacob chuckled. “he’s my best friend and we’ve hugged like, three times in three years, it’s-”

“what are you guys talking about?” i interrupted. “newt is, like, the most cuddly person i know!” the entire room went silent for a moment before my friends burst into laughter. i was extremely confused. newt had always been affectionate to me, especially today.

“honey, you can’t be serious.” queenie said in between fits of giggles. her glittery eyes met my own and she quieted down. “oh, honey, you are serious!”

“i am! just today, i hugged newt and he even had his arm around me for a bit.”

“well, maybe he’s just taken a liking to you.” leta replied, looking me up and down. “you are the newest addition to the group.”

jacob smirked and added, “or maybe he has a crush on you! he’s never acted this way around someone before, i’ll bet anyone that newt is into you.”

my face felt like it was on fire. could newt possibly like me? why was i feeling so jittery and nervous all of a sudden? could i like newt?

just then, newt rapped gently on the door and entered. “cards?” he noticed, looking at the piles on the floor in front of him. jacob nodded, handing newt his hand. newt flashed me a gentle smile before sitting down on the rug next to me and leaning back, his arm touching mine ever-so-slightly as his fingertips brushed against my own. the other four in the room noticed this series of actions and all exchanged knowing looks. “you alright?” newt whispered to me, obviously noticing my tomato shaded face. i nodded, my mouth suddenly feeling very dry while my stomach was filled with butterflies.

i definitely had a crush on newt scamander.

one game of go, fish turned into two, which turned into four more card games, each getting louder than the rest. i missed the quiet conversations and longing glances i had shared with newt a few hours earlier. i decided i was done with cards for the day.

“do you want to get out of here?” i mouthed to newt, catching his eye over the shrieks of laughter that otherwise would have overpowered my words. he looked overwhelmed and exhausted. he gave me a small nod, took my hand, and pulled me up from off the carpet. “newt and i fold, he’s gonna help me study.” i told the group.

a series of shouted responses filled the room and i managed to push newt through the doorway before he heard jacob call out, “have fun, lovebirds!”

the second we stepped back outside, i felt better. the fall evening was almost too good to be true. there was just a slight breeze, enough to tint newt’s nose that adorable shade of pink, and the air smelled of bonfires and petrichor as little raindrops splashed softly around us. “god, i love october.” i murmured aloud, more to myself than to newt.

“me, too.” newt smiled as a squirrel skittered across the cobblestone road and stopped just inches away from him. he bent down to let the squirrel study him before it scrambled up a nearby oak tree. it was incredible how close he could get to animals, any animal seemed to love him. i could see why.

newt cleared his throat quietly, something he had always done when he was nervous. i turned my head slightly to study his rosy cheeks and darting eyes. “i, um, was actually meaning to talk to you, alone.”

“yeah?”

“yeah.” he replied. i looked down at our shoes, each step taken perfectly in sync. newt didn’t say anything for a while. i snuck a glance back over at him. he looked like he was having trouble finding the right words to say. that happened fairly often for newt; he was also so careful about how he worded his sentences. i opened my mouth to ask whatever it was he wanted to talk about, but he finally began to speak again. “i...do you maybe want to get a coffee? together? some time?” again, i started to speak but he cut me off. “i, er, i know we just had coffee a little bit ago, but i-i...” he stopped dead in his tracks.

“i don’t know what other best way to say this except for the fact that i think i might be falling in love with you.”

“oh.” was all that left my lips. it was all i could physically say. i felt frozen in place, my heart was beating so loudly that i swore he could hear it pounding in my chest. he almost seemed to wince at that ‘oh’. like it hurt him. he gave a slight nod and looked down at the reddish stones beneath him. “newt?”

“yes?” he looked back up at me, his eyes sparkling in a way i had only seen once or twice. he only looked like that when he was about to cry.

“kiss me?” i breathed out in the softest tone possible, so soft he probably could barely hear me. newt’s eyes widened as he processed what i had just said. he took a step closer to me towered over my frame a little. one hand reached up to cup my face, tilting my chin up ever so slightly while the other took my hand. i watched as his eyes studied my lips. he leaned down and brushed his lips against my own, light as a feather. he then pulled back and gazed down at me. neither of us said anything for a moment, just stared into one another’s eyes.

newt’s hand suddenly clutched my wrist and pulled me closer to him. instinctively, my hands laid flat on his chest to brace my fall, but one newt’s arms had caught me and laid around my waist securely. at the same time, his lips crashed down on mine. i tangled my hands in his hair, tugging at strands slightly enough to illicit a tiny gasp out of him. newt’s lips still tasted like cinnamon and pumpkin spice and i found myself lost in the kiss. i was thankful he had his arm around me or i might have collapsed as i pulled away, practically gasping for air.

his lips were red and his cheeks were flushed. i could only assume i looked the same way. “i’m...sorry, i don’t know what came over me.” he said. newt let go of my wrist and was about to stuff his hand in his jean pocket but i caught it instead, interlocking our fingers.

“no, no, i uh...i liked it.” i squeezed his hand.

“yeah?”

“i kind of want you to do it again.”

he gave me this smile, this perfect smile, as he looked down at me. it was so full of love and something distinctly newt. it was almost intoxicating, i couldn’t resist that wonderful feeling again. i grabbed the collar of the grey shirt he had peeking out over his sweater and pulled him down, kissing him like there was no tomorrow. i murmured his name against his lips and felt him smile as i carded my fingers through his curls.

he broke away and i giggled as i twirled one of his cinnamon locks around my finger. i bit my lip to hide the enormous grin on my face. he didn’t even bother trying, his smile was radiant.

i hid my blushing face in his chest and listen to his heartbeat. it was faster than it should have been. “do i make you nervous, newt?”

“completely and utterly. i’m surprised i’m still standing right now.” he replied.

i wrapped my arms tighter around him and relished in the sound of his laugh. “i’ll catch you if you fall.” i murmured into his sweater.

“darling, haven’t you heard? i’ve already fallen.”

[this-new-me]

Note taking tips

Okay so...not exactly a lot of followers on here, but I'd like to share my tips, if not for anyone else than for me bc I am taking a break for summer & don't want to forget all of my strategies. SO! I personalize my note taking strategies for each & every classroom. For example... -in my classical music study class, I use OneNote & my laptop to record the class because it's an audio class, but my teacher (most of the time) gives out guided notes, so I mark, write, & highlight all over those. Then, when it comes time for reviewing, I make a Quizlet of the practice test he gives us. Try to use the cornell method to revise important info after class. -I don't take notes in my comms class -I kept spacing out in my bio class when I was trying to just type my notes into onenote bc the class is 2 hrs 20 mins, so I got a notebook & still record the class, but I also make my own notes. I don't really have time to revise a lot in between classes. I also mark the time I'm out of class to walk around a bit, stretch, use the bathroom, fill my water bottle, etc because I won't be able to concentrate when I don't. When it comes down to studying, he gives out a study guide but it's usually heckin long & maybe 35% of the info is actually on the test so I'll look at the topics I don't remember/know & write down info about these. Other than that, I look at the chapter review at the end of the chapter, ignoring the topics we didn't talk about, & my labs- especially if it involved drawing some sort of diagram or if it was related to the chapter. I would read all of the book, but I simply don't have the time (working full time & going to school full time) plus he doesn't really care about a good deal of the info, especially the detail the book goes into. There's a lot of info but I don't have a lot of time to review & revise between classes so I go into a lot of detail in my notes during the lecture (I once drew out a rough sketch of the brain & went through & highlighted everything); however, the only reason I can do this is because my professor stammers/stutters & repeats the same info a lot. That's the only time I'd ever recommend doing that, because you're supposed to spend 80% of your time/attention listening. -for my psych class, he uses nothing but a PowerPoint so I just type my notes directly into onenote while recording the class. I already know a lot of the info from my high school psych class, so I write down the new info & mention any changed definitions for his class but otherwise don't stress about it. Some things I have learned while working full time & going to school full time: 1. You really need to be good at managing your time. I am not the best. On my days off, I procrastinate doing my work because I want to sleep, do fun stuff or, on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, have the luxury of doing absolutely nothing all day. 2. Sometimes, it's best to just turn an assignment in late. There have been a few times where I could choose to sacrifice the little sleep I have to try to get an assignment done- & if I can sleep the whole day the next day, I do it. However, it's usually not my best work, & that's usually not what happens, so I just send it in late- because I usually have a day off in between my class days, so if it's due Tuesday I send it electronically Wednesday or turn it in Thursday. Speaking of... 3. Sometimes, I try to load myself up on Mountain Dew before I go home so I can ~get stuff done~ later at night (I get out of work at 1:30 am, at the EARLIEST). I'd say that 95% of the time, that turned into me procrastinating on my phone for an hour, getting tired, & going to bed- only to be kept up by the Mountain Dew. I've learned to combat this by cleaning my apartment so I work off the caffeine while also doing something remedial (not requiring much brain power so I'm not waking myself up even more) & productive...but it probably would've just been better if I went to bed so I could get up at an earlier time. 4. Communicate with your boss. I work in fast food, & telling my boss my schedule way ahead of time has helped me, ESPECIALLY writing it down somewhere. Sometimes it gets lost, but if I already told him verbally as well he usually remembers & asks me again if he needs to. I'm really lucky- my boss knows how important my schooling is for me & does his best to not mess with my hours, although if he forgets, I can usually remind him & just get it altered slightly. However, a big part of this is being flexible in return. On days I don't have classes, if I see a certain part of a shift is short, I offer to work a split. He cut my hours a little so I could study for finals, but I've still been picking up extra hours on short shifts here & there- & offering BEFORE he has to go asking around. I've told him I don't really mind only having one day off opposed to two days if two of my shifts are half-shifts (4 hours) anyway. It's all about being flexible in return :) 5. Let your professors know! They're usually a little lenient (or at least sympathetic) when they know, & may cut you some slack. I'm not saying go crying for attention, but just offer some explanation for some of your behaviors. Just saying "I'm sorry, my paper was late because I'm working full time & I have classes [time to time] & my next day off wasn't until [today/yesterday], I didn't realize it was due this day, etc." may not get you any points back but at least they'll understand that you're not just being lazy. 6. Study when you can! Sometimes I make notecards so I can look at them while I'm order taking at the drive through (because customers often "need a moment" but you don't know when they're going to start talking again so you stay near the order-taking bubble) or paying out at the drive through so I can duck out of sight of any customers & study during a particularly long order. That being said, I usually try to help bag up everything, but if they already have a bagger, there's not much I can do. Don't let this hinder your job performance (AKA don't do this if there's more to be done like making drinks), & if your bosses get mad at you just study on your break, but if they don't mind or don't say anything then do it. Hope this has helped some of you!