#like it's not completely out of the picture bc elderly are Allowed to talk to random people

[esper-aroon]

i see pictures of big cities abroad sometimes and feel almost anxious seeing the streets packed full of people in every direction. i do not want to go there.

This may be an urban legend and I will preface this by saying that I don't even remember where I heard it, but going to bigger cities in Finland always reminds me of it nonetheless, so I'm telling you now.

There was a student group from either China or Korea - I can't recall which one, but Asian nonetheless - who were in student exchange to Finland, in Helsinki. The finnish hosts did their best to make them feel welcome, touring them around the city on the first day out and about, but they noticed the asian students seeming uneased by something. Not in a way of just being timid about being in a foreign country, but glancing at each other like something was off, and looking at each other with this air of "you're seeing it too, right?" but none of them wanted to be the first to bring it up to their finnish hosts. Both cultures are the high-context type, so they had clearly concluded that since the finns didn't point out the obvious unpromptedly, the subject might be too sensitive to talk about.

Eventually one of the exchange students decided to brave against this potential taboo, and delicately asked: "has something... Happened here?" And there was mutual surprise when the finns had no clue what they were talking about. This was pre-covid, nothing bad had happened there. And one of the exchange students - who still weren't sure whether they're breaching a taboo of something One Does Not Talk About - bravely elaborated. The streets are empty. It's eerie. They're in the central of the capital city and the streets are almost deserted. Has there been some calamity? A plague, an earthquake, have the people fled or been evacuated somewhere? Is it safe to even be here?

And they were just as baffled when the finnish hosts confirmed that no, this is a normal amount of people to see on the street on a normal day. Finland just looks like this. And for the sake of clarity, this is what Helsinki city centre looks like on a normal saturday morning at 10 am:

Both pictures taken by me, this morning.

[epouvantes]

❛ willa fitzgerald, cis woman, she/her ❜ was that charlie brodeur? the twenty-six year old nurse has been in town since birth. the human has a reputation for being kindhearted & quick-tempered. you know they’re around when you get flashes of ( messy buns, deep breaths, cracked iphone screen & fairy lights strung all over ). rumor has it, they have no affiliations. { samu, est, 25, she/they }

( OOC: TW: ANXIETY MENTION AT THE END OF THIS PARAGRAPH. hi! i’m samu, i’m 25 and i use she/they pronouns! i’m so so so so so excited for this rp and for you all to meet my babies!!!!! i wanted to make this lil ooc section just to let y’all know that i’ll be posting longer and more detailed intro-like posts for my charas eventually, but i wanted to be able to give lil summaries and connection ideas before then so!!!!! there it is!!!!! thank u sm for reading!!!!! also if i ever message you to plot, which i’d like to do with everyone if my social anxiety allows it, pls don’t feel obligated to plot with me at all!!!!! i love connecting with other writers and stuff but i’ll completely understand if you’re not up to plot with me and my charas <33 ) ← this is the same ooc paragraph in all of my first three intros, so pls feel free to skip it! <3

brief introduction.

charlie’s mother was born and then spent all her life in ottawa, ontario, until she got pregant with charlie (original name is charlotte but charlie legally changed it as soon as she legally could after turning eighteen). isabelle, charlie’s mother, had a double citizenship (canada/usa) thanks to her mother (who she had a very complicated relationship with) being american, so when she basically ran away from home (although not really because she was twenty years old at the time), the move to the states was somewhat easy (or well, as easy as it could be).

charlie and her mother are very close!! kind of similar-ish to lorelai and rory in gilmore girls when it comes to closeness, except that they’re more like... soft, i guess? very intelligent and curious like the gilmore girls, sure, but not necessarily as quick-witted, humorous and energetic. well, isabelle sort of is a bit more so than charlie, but yes! basically, charlie and her mom are super close!

charlie’s mom (isabelle) made herself quite the stable home in blackthorne, and it’s been a home to her and charlie ever since they arrived (whilst charlie was still a fetus, of course)! nowadays, the two of them don’t live together anymore, but they see a lot of each other and get along rlly rlly well! i don’t want to set isabelle’s job in stone since i’ll probably make a wanted connection for her, but i’m picturing her doing something either really artsy or people-focused! or even both?

charlie has known she wanted to be a nurse since the age of thirteen. back in her pre-teens, isabelle and charlie’s elderly neighbour, mrs. cunningham, got quite sick and though charlie obvi didn’t do physical tasks to help out, just holding mrs. cunningham’s hands and being there for her felt right. charlie has always felt best when she's helping or caring for others, and that doesn’t seem close to change any time soon!

she was honestly a bit difficult to get along with when she was younger? bc as kind as she tended to be, she got angry VERY easily, especially when it came to other kids being careless and not paying attention to others. like, since childhood, there’s nothing that frustrates charlie more than people not taking others into consideration. also, um... when she gets mad, she gets MAD. she’s a fire sign (zodiac wise) and it really, REALLY shows lmao!!!!! she also tends to be quite dramatic and theatrical when it comes to her anger so idfjlkdjlkfdj it can lowkey be entertaining for those not involved in whatever is going on!

rn she’s living in a two bedroom apartment with two roommates! i picture charlie sharing a bedroom with one of her roommate (and can they PLEASE have bunk beds iM begging sjdljfdljfdlkfdj), and for the other roommate to have their own bedroom! i feel like both bedrooms would be REALLY small, but that actually all the other rooms would be quite roomy? and that it’d be a super well lit apartment? and like definitely not high class or anything, but DEFINITELY homey!

can be a bit reckless when it comes to her own safety, especially if others are in danger (she does have a bit of a hero complex), which is DEF not ideal right now lmao dflkjdlkfjlkdfj

loves partying btw!!!! she works rlly rlly hard as a nurse and is generally quite chill outside of work, but she feels the need to let loose, like really loose at least once every two weeks or more!

connection ideas.

CHILDHOOD BEST FRIEND: along with her mother, this is the person charlie trusts and cherishes the most. and also lbr she can be a TINY bit more of herself with her best friend than with her mother, bc no matter how much she loves her mother, she’s still her mother. and this best friend would actually probably get along with isabelle really well too! i didn’t necessarily picture charlie’s best friends as one of her roommates, but if you’d like to go for that too, i definitely wouldn’t be opposed! ( 00 / 01 )

ROOMMATES: as described a lil bit above, charlie shares a two-bedroom apartment with two other roommates! the rooms are all pretty spacey, except for the bedrooms which are on the small size! still, charlie shares one of the bedrooms with one of her roommates (probably with bunk beds!!!!!! the adult-y kind?? where the bottom bunk is like a bit bigger??), and the other roommate has a room of their own!! the apartment is also really well-lit, with a lot of well-placed window, and though it’s definitely not luxurious, it 100% has a very homey feel to it! ( 00 / 02 )

COLLEAGUE(S): people who charlie works with! other nurses would definitely be interesting because they can unwind together and understand each other in a way that other people can’t? ooooh, although there could also maybe be a “rival” nurse to charlie for whatever reason we can work out together (bc charlie is caring af so maybe if your character is more ambitious and has a different way of dealing with patients - which is probably just as good as charlie’s but only different - so maybe they clash about that?) but also!!!!!! dOCTORS PLEASE!!!!!! knowing some people in health services, the way doctors act with nurses can vary quite intensely (from what i know which ofc is only a small sample tho so!!), but like....... mayhaps a doctor who really respects nurses and understands how they can have a unique point of view when it comes to what’s happening to the patients, and who tries to work with the nurses as a team!! therefore a doctor who charlie probably really admires and appreciates!!!! on the other hand, though...... a doctor who seems to think they’re above nurses (whether they really are or not is up to you, but it could be the impression that charlie is getting!) like maybe a doctor who doesn’t take kindly to being questioned, especially not by people who aren’t doctors and like...... lmao charlie doesn’t care!!!! she’ll question you!!!! (also lowkey..... this is FAR from necessary but i just stumbled upon a list of enemies to lovers novels and this seems like such a cliché plot but slfkjlxjfkljdf i wouldn’t be opposed to that if it works out with the chemistry and all of that? i’m not into planning long term romantic plots bc i feel like it hinders things and what not, but! it can be a possibility if you’d like that, maybe?) ( 00 / ?? )

EX-FIANCÉ(E): charlie’s high school sweetheart!! they started dating when charlie was fifteen (and your chara was in the same year as charlie but ig depending on the time of year they might have been the same age or a few months older or younger sflkdfjlkjfd), and they got engaged when they were twenty-one years old! charlie’s mother actually didn’t really approve of the union, even though she loved your chara, as she thought they were too young, but back then, charlie didn’t care about what others said about she and your chara’s relationship! they were actually engaged for two years before they both realized that they kept on pushing off the wedding. and it wasn’t just because they were scared; they just weren’t sure they actually wanted it anymore. then, they decided to take a “break”. that was around three years ago, and the two have barely talked to each other since, avoiding each other’s stares when they walk by each other on the street, something that happens much too often to their taste. they both still have their rings, but i feel like they’re probably just holding on to them out of nostalgia, because it seems quite clear that their relationship is over. problem is, they were close friends before they started dating, and they honestly miss each other’s friendship. also!! i don’t have a gender preference for your chara tbh!! at the age of nine, charlie loudly announced that she liked girls after climbing on the tallest tree in the park during a special school outing (to the park a block away from their school..... ok it wasn’t that special of an outing, but most of the school was still there in the park!) and at the age of fourteen she officially came out as bisexual! ( 00 / 01 )

EDIT: i wanna post this now so i won’t make a lil paragraph for it right now, but!!!! party friends is def an idea that would work very very well!

i can’t think of anything else right now, but i’m definitely open to many many more ideas! these were just the few things i could come up with right now!

[icharchivist]

The organization around this quarantine thing is such a disaster tbh. 

About two weeks ago, two of our teachers were the ones who were especially worried. 

There was the first case of covid19 in the nearby high school, and our uni, being a linguistic one in a region nearby the Italian border, has a lot of connection with centric pandemic regions in Italy, before they even shut down themselves.

Two of our teachers were concerned bc, as we just came home from holidays, a lot of people connected to the Italian branch came back to the uni as well, and nothing was really done about it. 

One of my teacher was especially mad bc there was no soap in the bathrooms of the uni for a week at that time. She told us then that she will no longer note our presences for classes (mandatory esp for those with scholarships), and encouraged us if we were scared, knew we would be weak to the virus (asthma and such), or if we knew people who were, to not go to school anymore. Told us specifically to take pictures of the soapless bathroom so if the administration bothered us, we’d send them picture going “you’re endangering us”

I’m asthmatic. I have a lot of breathing problems in general, due to a nose malformation that makes it hard to breath and flow normally. and i have allergies. Hell my seasonal illness involves coughing, headaches, nothing flowing from the nose, and lung pains, feeling tired, all those stuff. I can’t even bring up how paranoid i am. Latest cycle of said sickness kicked in with a fever which worried my mom and I had to go see a doctor in urgence a couple of days ago. I’m fine. But i feel extremely paranoid. (and it’s not like France is getting us tested wth bloodtest or something - hospitals are overbooked with the pandemy so they only take in people with very urgent symptoms. Even if you get the virus unless you’re going very bad you’re encouraged to stay at home. There’s probably a lot of cases that we don’t know of because of that.)

But anyway school still didn’t stop back then, two weeks ago. We had two teachers who took the time to sit us down and discuss it with us. How the uni was not prepared to handle it. How they both thought the uni should have closed by now, that they’re discussing it, but they don’t want to yet. 

For two weeks all we got as info was that everything was fine. Only need to clean your hands and cough in your arms. But we also had massive announcement just 5 days ago about how it was not even thought of to close schools. To close places with high work going. That we can’t let it stop us and all.

Last Wednesday, there were still clear announcement that there will be no stopping schools or work or anything. Last Friday, we were issued with a message announcing the massive closing of every schools and we were encouraged to stay at home.

Our uni, is, of course, not prepared for it. We got a few homeworks or class by mails with clear messages from our teachers telling us they’re not prepared and we will need to improvise - us students involved. Our exams, that were to happen in April, will be pushed back to May or June. For now.

On Saturday, they encouraged us to still go vote for the Mayor Elections on Sunday. Obviously, more than half of the population didn’t show up. But we were encouraged to do it still.

On Saturday, we were told to no longer go in groups in places. Something that is obvious of course, but a couple of days ago was not even issued. People stayed up late, disregarded the announcement. In the same breath we were told to not go out anywhere with many people, but to go out to do the election on Sunday still.

Mid Sunday, i get a mail from my uni residence saying that people living in those are encouraged to leave their room, whenever definitly or temporary to return to their family during the shut down of the schools.

I didn’t want to, considering my relationships with my family, but this was getting scary. We were still /encouraged/ but not obligated yet. 

I had seen my mom on the Saturday for the doctor so we discussed the possibility, and while not obligated yet, i was a bit scared. I ended up askign my mom to come pick me up. I couldn’t move out *everything* obviously, but i took already 7 bags with me. My mom originally wanted to help me move out on Monday, but the announce scared me enough i wanted to get it done then immediatly.

Sunday evening, they announce they’re going to restrict moving around. Every shops would close. My mom works in administration soe she had to go work monday still. 

Monday my mom’s employer basically tells her to take “holidays” so she doesn’t have to pay her, all while planning to pass all the mails and phonecalls to the agency to my mom’s phone. She’s sent home on Monday.

Monday evening we got the announcement from the gov that we were in complete lockdown. No longer allowed out without a permit. Only allowed to be out for reasons like grocery shopping, going to the pharmacy or doctor, or if you have jobs that are obligated for the good functionment of the country and crisis. (although they did issue you’re allowed to take your dog out but not for long)

We have to go on the gov’s website to ask for a permit. Like Italy i’ve heard. 

We also have a curfew, no longer allowed out until a certain hour.

So now, today, Tuesday, the whole thing is in place. I’ve heard policemen in my street earlier today ask for people’s permit for being out. 

And my uni residence just sent us a mail saying they no longer even tolerate people being inside the residence for the quarantine. We are obligated to move out ASAP, to a family member or such, or leave definitly.  Today, while the gov has issued you can no longer be out without a permit you printed - while, also, we don’t have printers in our residences. 

I feel glad i followed my gut feeling on Sunday to move out bc i have no idea how i could have asked help to move out today with those measures in place.

What i’m trying to get accross is how quickly those measures were taken in the past few days while it’s been a few weeks we’ve been many to worry enough to think dispositions should have been taken earlier. We’ve been thinking about it for weeks at the uni, but suddenly in less than 5 days we went from “we’re not changing a thing” to “quarantine yourself at your parents’s”.

Not to mention our President doing lots of lectures about how we’re At War, A Health War Sure, But At War And We Have To Consider It As Such. Obviously extremely reassuring to hear while you hear about the amount of death and sickness on TV.

Not like the sickness is any better either. I have a friend who’s a nurse in a part of France that is badly affected. Cases with young people starts to degenerate very quickly, even if they had no prior reasons for it to happen. 

We discovered ibuprophen worsen the virus and it brought people who would have no prior situation into critical states to be taken care of.

/young people with no prior situations/, which i think is important to mention since so many people are brushing off the virus in a “it only affect the elderly or people with weak immune system”, as if this wasn’t reason enough to worry, as if we don’t all know multiple people like that around us, as if the 14days incubation period wasn’t terrifying, as if even if we get minor symptoms we don’t get to spread around a sickness that can be deadly for people with a weaker immune system. Well, if it’s so bad to understand the issue yet, i guess thus “young people with no prior situation get into critical situation” should be a wake up call. We don’t know that virus. It’s frightening. 

People get recontaminated too. Which means we don’t get an immunity from healing. We can catch it again. Who knows how that may even go.

My friend, the nurse, says people keep stealing their equipment. They’re shortstaffed, short in materials, they can barely handle the crisis, not helped by the fact it’s been years that the gov keeps cutting health center’s ressources down. We’re not prepared for  a pandemic that way.

Like... I read everyone talk about the panic buyer making it much more of a problem than it is. And while it’s true, it’s overshadowing that this is a Bad Situation, that we know nothing of that virus and it’s scary, and that the gov’s quarantine had been rushed into so much no one knows how to organize themselves around it. 

For now it’s planned for 15 days. god knows how long it will take.

I, asthmatic currently sick with issues breathing, am stuck back with my mom who smokes all the time at home. Both quarantined. I feel lowkey cursed tbh. For years i tried to escape my family, dealing with all the issues that goes with it, and when i finally manage to do so, i get two lawsuits up my ass bc my dad is a douche and then my residence closes up bc of a massive sickness forcing me to go back to my mom’s. 

I don’t know how to focus on my classes bc the organization is chaotic. I’m scared hearing the news. I have trouble breathing all day and while i know it’s nothing, i remain anxious. I don’t know how long i’m gonna stand my mom. Internet gets slower bc of the influx of people locked home to work. 

i don’t care much for being quarantined itself, i can spend days in my home without problems. I don’t like being stuck with my mom and i just don’t like how we’ve been pushed into it in a complete lack of preparation for it. 

I miss my home. 

And it’s just France. Italy and Spain have been in those situations for a while too. 

In a way that makes me even more angry that they didn’t take precaution before while the Italian gov had been warning us for weeks to be careful and take stuff into account before it’s too late. And we still waited, and we still rushed, and now we will blame everyone who is not understanding how thhe gov went from “it’s only a little flu don’t worry, keep going with your life just wash your hands” to “how irresponsable are you not to be in quarantine” in two days. You wonder then why people are panic buying, it’s not like the gov did any work to be crystal clear about the situation. You wonder people are being careless, a couple of days ago they were still told they had no reason to worry and to look down on those who panics.

EDIT: and lmao, i have been saying those stuff for weeks, for about two weeks i say it should have been taken into account, and my mom was pro-keeping-the-mayor-election-going (bc she wuld perhaps get a job out of it) and i told her then i thought it was a very bad idea to keep them going. My mom tried to convince me about how noooo, it was fiiine, we had to have those municipals anyway, “if people can go grocery shopping they can go vote” as our prime minister said, which i found horrifying (buying good is vital, electing a mayor can wait). And my mom kept insisting that it was important. And now, everyone says it was a bad idea to carry them on. Our own election house didn’t take any health precaution. Even my mom is saying “it was a bad idea.” Call me Cassandra bc i Keep Telling Them This Is Gonna Happen and no one ever listen to me and Too Bad. Ffs.

This is a mess of a situation. It’s making me extra anxious. 

But well that’s how it is now I guess. Sighs.

[ctl-yuejie]

Cat Got Your Tongue (read on ao3)

TayNew Part 2 of Cat!New (Part 1) twitter prompt by @.taynewstuff:

au where new is a creature that turns from human to cat form, he’s lost on the streets when tay finds him and takes him home inside his hoodie bc it’s freezing outside, next thing tay knows there’s a whole man sleeping on his sofa where he left the cat the night before.

3.1 k

Almost a month has past before they see each other again.

It’s the grand opening night of the Iconsiam shopping mall and Tay pushes through the crowd that has gathered in front of the big central stage. The owners didn’t shy away from expenses, having invited several k-pop stars to headline the event. Now he knows why Alice told him to arrive early. Having to fight for a good spot against squealing teenagers will take its time. The girl standing next to him seems to get dragged down by the weight of her photography equipment, some of it looking so professional that Tay almost feels inadequate for bringing only one of his cameras. At least the silliness of it all already promises great entertainment.

With polite bows but determined steps he makes his way through the crowd opting for a spot closer to the speaker’s desk. Satisfied with the view he has of the stage Tay turns around to see if Alice has already arrived at the venue. Luckily everyone around him is much shorter, but neither Alice nor her manager are to be seen. Although... Far in the back a familiar head stands out to him from the crowd. With a shake of his head New tries to bring his bangs in order, using his fingers to push some unruly strands of hair to one side. Tay sends him a smile, but he knows it’s in vain. They’re too far apart, New not looking into his direction and he himself unable to move without giving up his spot. They had exchanged numbers that day, but after they had parted they’d only messaged each other once to set up a date for New to return the clothes he borrowed.

However they both had been busy and the exchange never happened. Additionally to being swamped with work Tay thought that it was only appropriate to give New the time and space to figure out his situation so he didn't press on with the matter. In the end they had gone a month now without talking.

Before he realises it New’s head vanishes into the crowd. Tay dejectedly turns around and decides to take some practice shots of the stage. If he’s lucky, New might stick around long enough for them to meet after the event.

The opening itself is grand to say the least, Alice routinely leading through the evening announcing one star after the other. After the last concert is over everyone pours into the surrounding stores and soon the space around the stage is completely cleared out. Taking a look around Tay is searching for what must have been New but none of the faces around him look familiar. A sudden thought comes to his mind. He lowers his gaze and takes another look around. Looks like New hasn't turned into a cat again. At least not tonight.

A hand on his shoulder startles him and he turns around do be greeted by the blinding smile of Alice. A group of elderly men waiting in the distance, most likely to guide her to the after party. "Will you join me?", she asks and without waiting for an answer pulls him over and introduces him to what must be the sponsors of the event. Tay politely introduces himself. His "just a photographer" earns him a playful slap, Alice correcting him immediately. "His name is quite well-known in the business, although his work focuses on landscapes." More people join and soon Tay is surrounded by investors, celebrities and politicians who all can't leave the chance out to be seen. The after-show itself is quite tasteful despite the grandeur and he finds himself enjoying the evening, taking the chance to network and connect with old work colleagues. He politely turns down a glass of champagne and the waitress moves out of the way when another distinguished man joins his group. Tay wais to the elderly man who turns out to be a professor of his alma mater. Despite having graduated from a different department, they're quite quickly engaged in exchanging the latest news on Chulalongkorn. After all the business talk the conversation is like a breath of fresh air. The camera around his neck piques the man's interest. It turns out that his department does research on food engineering, 'more of an art than a science' the professor says and he's quite eager to see the pictures Tay took during the event. Humming in satisfaction he offers Tay to hire him next time. "We do cooperate with food companies to not only enhance the products themselves but also to make them more aesthetically pleasing. Art is a science but science is also an art. For the aesthetic aspects we need a professional eye." Tay nods politely. The elderly man gives him an understanding look. "You said your focus was on landscapes, but I quite like your style and your friend told me you do different orders as well. One of my doctorates is focused on sweets and looking for someone to take pictures. If you don't mind I'd like to share your info with him." Tay smiles. "Sure. It is true that I have my professional scope, but it's always fun to branch out. Make hay as the sun shines*." The professor gives him a pleased nod, patting his breast pocket where he put his business card holder with Tay's contact information.

"Professor!", a baritone voice calls out and Tay's ears tingle at the sound. Turning around he sees New, dressed in a simple suit wai-ing respectfully to his professor and in turn towards the other people in their group. Tay has to suppress a laugh at the expression New makes when he finally lifts his head after the last bow to find himself looking at Tay. New's eyes widen and he seems lost for words, nevertheless pleased to see Tay.

The professor however seems to be adamant to finish his conversation with Tay first, beckoning New to join the other men and to make new contacts. Tay doesn't really listen to the rest of what the professor is saying, eyes flitting to New, who seems very awkward and clumsy at making small-talk, the conversations around him slowly but surely quieting down. One after the other the group disperses, leaving New no choice but to half-dejectedly stand on his own, not sure whether it is okay to interrupt Tay and his professor. Their eyes meet, New immediately looking down, evading him. "I was about to set you two up but now that you're here you can ask him for his number yourself." The professor encouragingly waves at New to step closer. "He's a photographer.", he explains, says his goodbyes to Tay and vanishes into the crowd. New visibly relaxes.

"I thought he was about to set us up." New sighs. "What are you doing here and how did you get to know my professor?" "I'm here to take pictures for a friend. The professor is someone I just met. I had no idea he was your doctorate supervisor?" "You just met him?" Tay raises his eye-brows. "You seemed to be quite chummy." "Maybe you're just not good with small-talk." Tay isn't sure whether their relationship is at a stage where he's allowed to tease New. New sighs again. "He said that you're in need of a photographer?" "Ah, that's what he meant with setting us up. Yes, I do. But I can always ask someone else." Tay feels dejected even when he knows it probably wasn't meant that strongly. "My thesis is on the nutritional issues of consuming fats and sugars. My work is to present general strategies for substituting fats and sugars in baked products. For my paper I need pictures of finished products." "I could...unless...", Tay doesn't know why he isn't able to just offer his service. Or why he feels like he wants to do this job despite it being out of his scope, making him most likely not the best candidate. Instead he opts for a question. "Do you know many photographers?" "I'm not really close with any, but I model as a part-time job so I could definitely ask around." New's eyes look unsure. As if he caught himself boasting and is now embarrassed. Why would he feel embarrassed in front of him? New is quite tall. Maybe not runway tall, but Tay could definitely see him as a model. In his mind he thinks about what angles New would look best from and what light would compliment his skin the most. Maybe he models for swim-wear. Tay fidgets with the strap of his camera. "Is that the reason you do your research on healthy sweets? So you can eat them even when modelling?" Half-curios, half-teasingly. "Not really. I work-out enough to compensate for all the calories. I'm more interested in the health-aspects." New finds it surprisingly easy to talk to Tay. "I'm quite the expert on healthy foods." "Then do you want to try some of my cake some time?" "Not much of a sweets person." Now it's New's turn to feel rejected. "But, I'd try some." Tay quickly adds. "It must be nice to do your research on such a fulfilling subject." New laughs at his bad wordplay. Tay is pretty sure by now that he’d likes to hang out more with New. "I like the math's aspect of it. But I'm not sure if I want to work in that area. The cake is a plus though." New smiles at him, eyes vanishing and Tay can feel his heart beating against his chest.

"Then you should try some of the cake that's making the rounds right now!" Alice hollers, joining their conversations. She seems to be quite tipsy. Tay introduces them and after getting nagged to send her the pictures of tonight's event first thing in the morning she curiously eyes New. "We're getting cake", she yells back before pulling New with her. When Tay catches up New is sitting at a big round table surrounded by several people their age, plate full of different small pieces of patisseries. He's happily munching on one of the pieces but Tay can see that he's slightly uncomfortable being surrounded by the group of unknown showbiz people. Before he can head-over to save him someone grabs his arm. Looks like all drama and theatre graduates have joined the event and soon Tay gets swamped by old school-friends, everyone excitedly discussing their newest works and throwing fits over pictures Tay still owes them. One look over his shoulder and he can see that New has vanished.

The Chula crowd moves on to the next table and Tay exhaustedly sits down on the chair New has left vacant. "He'll be back." Alice encourages him, but New remains nowhere to be seen.

Tay is about to get up and leave, angry at himself for leaving New alone and losing him when a small cat jumps into his lap. After recovering from the initial shock, he nudges the cat’s head reprovingly. "I’ll put a collar on you, so you don't run away next time." Cat New has amazing instincts when it comes to finding Tay’s weak spots and it head-butts his neck in retaliation. “Don't touch my neck.”, Tay hisses, but he carefully cradles the cat in his arms, making sure that they’re not getting too much attention and starts to look for New's clothes. New’s small paws tap his hands on occasion to steer him in the right direction and finally he can make out New’s suit, his shoes, and a clutch underneath a group of bushes. Luckily the light is dimmed and no one pays attention to the photographer with a cat and a suit in his arms. Tay, guided by New, takes them both back to the garage. Fishing the keys out of the pocket of New’s pants he places cat New on the back seat, arranging his clothes around him. Not knowing what to do he opens the passenger door, sits down and goes through the pictures he has shot, hoping that New will turn back soon. Tay is sorting the pictures in his head, thinking about how to edit them later on when human New puts his chin on his shoulder. Tay jumps at the contact and New laughs.

It seems like the time has come to broach the subject. “Are you okay?” New puts his chin back on Tay’s shoulder, looking at the pictures on the display in Tay’s lap while he talks. “Hmmm. I don’t turn that often into a cat anymore, most of the time it’s after I’ve taken a nap. Recently I’ve even been able to turn back into a human at will.” The puffs of his breath tingle against Tay’s neck with each word that leave his lips. Tay finds himself unable to concentrate on much of what New is saying. “I still have no idea why I turn at all.” New leans back after a long sigh escapes him which sends Tay into overdrive. “Can I drive you back?”, New asks while stuffing his shirt back into his slacks. Tay hums in affirmation, still trying to calm himself down. After fixing his outfit New gets into the driver’s seat and starts the engine. The air from the air-conditioner is on full blast and Tay gets a face full of stale air into his face. He knows he must have looked funny when New tries hard not to smile. Going into a giggling fit about his own stupidity he finally calms his heart down. They decide to head for Chidlom first to fetch Tay’s clothes from New’s apartment. Tay relaxes against the backrest, glancing at New on occasion who seems to be immersed into driving. "Do you know who sang at the opening? The American? She has a great voice." Tay tries to remember the name. The car comes to a halt in front of a red light. "You mean Alecia Key's? She's really famous." New looks back at him and their eyes meet. Without saying anything they just sit like that. Tay feels like he’s losing ground, staring into New’s round, dark eyes. A car honking behind them alerts them to the light turning green and Tay turns his head to look out of the window. "Well, her music was nice." New reaches for the stereo, blindly entering the letters and a song from today’s evening fills the car. They spend the drive singing her songs, Tay not quite confident in his voice humming under his breath. New seems to have forgotten all awkwardness between them, singing louder with each song. His voice is low and a warm feeling spreads through Tay’s chest.

New’s apartment looks like a mess. Tay wades through convenience store bags filled with trash and piles of clothes before settling on the only empty spot on the sofa. New doesn’t seem to be embarrassed at all, making his way to the bathroom to retrieve Tay’s clothes. It doesn’t take long, but when he comes back Tay’s head has lolled against his chest and he’s fast asleep.

“Tay, Tay...” New shakes him softly by the shoulders. Tay’s scrunches his face when he fights to open his eyes. The clock on the wall tells him that it’s already way past midnight. He has been up and working for most of the day, his energy finally seeming to have run out. “I’ll get a cap.” He yawns. “I’ll drive you.” Tay shakes his head, both to get rid of the sleepiness and to stop New from grabbing his car keys again. “You’d have to drive back and forth and it’s already late.” Instead of standing up he remains seated on the edge of the sofa in a daze. He’s not fully awake and despite the messiness New’s apartment makes him feel at ease and oh so tired. “You can sleep here, if you want to.” New’s voice sounds unsure. Tay tries to lift his head to see if the look on New’s face is sincere, but he can already feel his eyelids getting heavier and it takes up all his energy to stay awake. He nods and turns to lie down on the sofa. His head collides painfully with a pile of books. Newwiee laughs at his misery, pulling him back up again and guiding him to his bedroom.

The room feels much warmer than the living room. Not caring about anything in his sleepy stupor Tay strips down to his underwear and faceplants onto one side of the bed. The sheets smell nice and a satisfied grin forms on his face. Tay is about to drift off when the bed dips on the other side, New carefully lying down. Tay cracks one eye open but in the darkness he can only make out the general outline of New’s body. However the puffs of air on his forehead make it clear that New must lie down facing him. “New?” New grumbles in response, feeling quite sleepy. It gets silent in the room. Just the short puffs of air against his skin. New’s minty breath is tantalizing. Tay reaches out with one hand, fumbling in the dark until he reaches New’s chin, carefully framing his face with his hand. It might be the sleepiness. Or the fuzzy feeling that still lingers after unexpectedly seeing New in the crowd today. Whatever it is, for a moment it sweeps away all his restraint. Tay’s thumb draws slow circles on New’s cheek. Head devoid of any rational thought and his nose full of New’s scent he stretches his neck, their noses bumping into each other before he softly kisses New’s lips. Tay draws back and waits, hand still holding onto New’s face. In the distance he can hear the minute hand of the clock moving to the next line. Then there’s a hand on his back, pulling him closer and New’s lips on his. He breathes in a mouth full of mint, his lungs hurting as New insists on not breaking their kiss. It’s chaste but expectant and Tay slowly moves his lips against New’s savouring the sweet taste. New whines when Tay breaks away so he places a few soft kisses to the corner of New’s mouth before he lets his head sink right next to New’s into the cushion. Before he can register that New’s breathing has evened out Tay has already drifted off to sleep.

Tay wakes up to a cat sleeping on his face and effectively blocking his airway. He jolts up, the fluffy white ball getting flung to the lower end of the bed. “New!!”

*(น้ำขึ้นให้รีบตัก) - When the water rises, hurry to get some

[gootjuuh]

How to survive the boredom of corona

So, we’re young, most of us aren’t gonna die from corona, but we might die from the boredom of staying at home by ourselves or the stress of becoming your own teacher/ following up on online classes. These are the things I could come . up with to survive. 

1. School and learning

So a lot of universities and schools are closed now and are implementing distant learning. For a lot of university students, online classes are a thing but for me, they just want me to do it myself (aka become my own professor somehow?) 

It involves reading texts on my laptop which I find hard because I need to be able to add some kind of structure to my text. For that, I use the extension called Weava Highlighter for Chrome, which allows me to highlight in PDF-documents and on most websites 

Another problem I often run into is being distracted by other websites or my phone while trying to focus. For my phone, I use an app called Forest, which I’m sure a lot of people already know, but you can also just use downtime on iPhone, which is already implemented. (I don’t have any knowledge on android devices, sadly). For my laptop, I use StayFocusd to block sites I usually go to to distract myself, which is tricky as I often Google random facts that don’t have anything to do with my classes.

For people who are now at home and don’t have any classes to keep up with, or have some extra time, this is also a great opportunity to learn new things.

You can learn to code with Codecademy 

You can watch TedTalks 

There are lots of sites that offer great courses, like Khan Academy, Udemy, Skillshare, etc.

Learn a new language using Duolingo 

Disclaimer: I haven’t used any of these sites except for Codecademy so don’t come for me if they suck!

2. entertainment

Some of us aren’t allowed to leave the house anymore, but some still are. I’ll divide these things into two categories: first I’ll talk about the ones you do have to leave the house for, next I’ll talk about the ones you can do inside (using materials most people have lying around in their house). To finish off I’ll also do suggestions on things you can watch.

outside

Go for a run. Extra challenge: you’ll have to maintain a distance from everyone on your path. 

Buy some hair dye and dye your hair. Who cares if it sucks, you’re mostly stuck at home anyway!

Write your information on a piece of paper and offer your service to older people or people with children who need babysitters. Do it for free!

Go on a walk and take pictures 

Disclaimer: When going outside, wash your hands before and after, and if you offer services to elderly people, try to do things you don’t need to be inside for as much as possible, only if they really need help inside the house you should go inside, but groceries, for example, can be dropped off at the door.

Inside

Paint with whatever you can find. If you don’t have paint at home, use that make-up that you never use, food coloring,... be creative and maybe you have a new painting by the end of this!

Try on all of your clothes and clean out your closet. Extra fun if you do this while on FaceTime with your friends. 

Open that bottle of wine you’ve been saving for that special occasion and FaceTime with friends or watch a movie (considering you are of legal drinking age!) 

Try learning TikTok-dances. Again, fun guaranteed if you do this on FaceTime with friends

Write a story, might I suggest a lockdown situation because of a virus called Covid-19 as the plot.

Read a book 

Movies and other recommendations 

Completely free:

Starkid musicals: there are 12 in total and they are all uploaded on YouTube. You might know them from the Very Potter Musicals or the ‘I don’t really wanna do the work today’-vine. Darren Criss (Glee and American Crime Story), Devin Lytle (Former Buzzfeed employee) (both were mainly in the older musicals) and Joey Richter (Petey in Jessie, is in almost every Starkid Musical) are also Starkid members. Their musicals are funny and silly but I love them a lot. Disclaimer: their first musical (A Very Potter Musical) was recorded over 10 years ago, so the quality isn’t the best. Also they use a lot of explicit language...

Brat TV is a YouTube channel that has shows with young actors (read Dance Moms kids, TikTokkers, etc.) which they upload on YouTube. Younger kids seem to enjoy it a lot, but when I watch it, I watch it to laugh at how bad it actually is. 

Your local broadcasters might have free to watch shows that you maybe haven’t seen before. In my country, I was able to watch the first season of Killing Eve through the public broadcasting company. 

Netflix:

Watching new things on Netflix can be kinda hard, so here are some suggestions of shows you might’ve missed

Crash landing on you: What can I say, it’s Korean, I wasn’t really sure at first but once I got into it I couldn’t stop. It has 16 episodes that usually last over an hour. 

Inception: I thought everyone knew this movie but apparently lots of people don’t. It’s cool, watch it.

I actually don’t have more. There isn’t that much content on Netflix that is actually good and people haven’t already heard about. 

Other platforms, I don’t even know where bc I watched these illegally:

Modern love: 6 episodes, each a different story about love. 

Fleabag: Phoebe Waller-Bridge is really funny, and in this one, which she wrote herself, she plays an unnamed character who goes through some shit. Especially season 2 is wild. 

Into the wild: emotional story based on the experiences of  Chris McCandless. Yes, this story really happened... You’re gonna cry.

Radius: I can’t explain this one without revealing the plot. Just watch it. 

What Happened to Monday: 7 kids are born in a world with a 1 kid-policy so naturally they are all named after one day and take the identity of one person 

And if you’re really, really bored, might I suggest watching movies that just look like they’re gonna be bad, and they are bad and you just have a fun time laughing at how bad they are lol.

Good luck! Stay safe! Wash your hands!