#like y'all this is a university level course! just do the work

[billowyy]

.

[reveluving]

Sweats nervously...

Erm..obesesive stalker! Graves x reader...🧍🏻‍♀️

Drops this and runs away

(headcanon by call.me.c0k3 on tiktok//)

WAIT COME BACK

WHO’S GONNA READ THIS THING I MADE NOW!!!!!!!!

Includes: mentions of s~mut; voyeurism, dubcon, mutual masturbation (minors DNI!), allusions to taking out those who wronged you, lovestruck!Graves takes it one step further in this one.

COD x shy!wife thots closed! Thank you, everyone, for your time & amazing minds! I sincerely hope I can do this again with y'all soon! 💌

Come & check out my COD m.list!

Good news, we can go about this with both shy!reader or operator!reader wise. So, STRAP IN.

Generally, just know that he has the means to learn about you with a few clicks on his computer, and he will use that to his advantage. That doesn’t mean he won’t be able to catch every little bit about you just by talking to you, of course. No doubt he’ll learn more than enough surface-level information about you within the first five minutes of you talking. 

Way more than the average strangers meeting each other for the first time, only to forget the other’s name within days. Plus, the Phillip Graves knows how to talk, but this isn’t some lady he’s trying to sweet talk for the night and then be on his way hours later. No, those days are over, and he never particularly enjoyed them anyway. 

You, on the other hand, were a spice of life. The darling he never thought he’d find, the dream he had locked in the back of his mind years ago because he thought with how tainted the universe is, including himself, it was just false hope at this point.

So, for you to just suddenly appear before him, be it as the unassuming beaut next door or the stunning force to be reckoned with, oh, he is going to make sure you know that he’ll treat you the way you deserve.

Even if how he goes over them behind the scenes can be a little… extreme. 

He wants to make the best impression on you. Will he totally change his personality and appearance just for your approval? Well, no. If you find out the guy who’s been trying to impress you isn’t really being himself, then he knows it’ll be an immediate turn-off. 

And as excessive as the things he does may be, he also wants this to work. For the relationship to bloom, to flourish as best and as genuine as possible. He’s never cared for anyone like this since… ever! 

He knows the name of the guy, no, the kid that broke your heart years ago. Growing pissed the longer he read the conversation you had with your girlfriends, about his cheating and even fault you for his ‘last resort’, all because you had dreams to chase, priorities to focus on. 

Apparently, he’s now a big name in his town. Perfect. Nothing a little exposure of his company for money laundering and inhumane working conditions to the press couldn’t do the trick. 

Or in terms of the shy!reader, the bogus buyers who never paid you for the floral arrangement you made the entire day. Easy, he’ll just anonymously transfer all of their savings to charity or some pet shelters nearby. You adore pets, and those teens clearly didn’t need the money anyway. 

He made sure to take note each and every one of them, of anyone who wronged you for future reference. 

Other than private parts of your life, he enjoys scrolling through your social media; fixated on pictures that had you in it, even imagining future photos or videos you’d take together once you two get together. No matter how many people were in it or what it was about, his eyes go straight to your figure. Screenshots aren’t uncommon, either, especially cherishing the genuine joy in your face. 

Then, there are the things you love.

He knew you’d adore the things he bought for you, regardless of what suited your fancy, like dresses, lipsticks, books, random knick-knacks. Anything. He traced the history of you scrolling through the store’s website on your phone via his system, buying the ones you lingered on the longest. He knew you’d like the restaurant he brought you to on one of your dates, not necessarily because it was fancy, though that was the icing on the cake, but what made your eyes sparkle was the fact that it specialized in your preferred cuisine. There were the little things too; your favourite songs, how you prefer the cake from bakery A to bakery B because the latter’s more dry, or even the irresistible smile on your face whenever he looks over at you with an amused raise of his brow. 

Hell, even quirks that you never knew you had!

Then, there were the… nasty ones. Absolutely filthy.

The kinds where he wished he wasn’t just the tiny camera on your vanity table or the tampered lens on your phone when you tossed it to the side, frustrated as you tried to chase after the peak of your orgasm. Yearning to help you, to give you what you were aching for when your fingers, pillows or toys weren’t enough. He’s never been so frustrated, his cock pulsing in his hand for more, even if he was handling himself a bit rougher than usual as he watched your gorgeous body arch and thrash on the sheets. 

The tiniest last grain of shame he had vanished the second he heard you moan out his name, and oh, how the stars have aligned in his favour. 

If he wasn’t sure before, he sure as hell is about his ways now.  He’ll make sure he’s the man of your dreams, if not, better.

˚ · . f i n . · ˚

[bunnliix]

"Did I look hot in it?"

I saw this prompt by @creativepromptsforwriting and immediately thought of Wooyoung. And so, two weeks later after I found said prompt, here is a Wooyoung x reader one shot.

This kinda took on a mind of its own, and this was the result of that, so I hope y'all enjoy! Also totally not considering making either more oneshots in this universe, or a series. If that would be something you'd be interested in, dear readers, please let me know.

Prompt:

"I had a nightmare about you."

"Did I look hot in it?"

word count: 1.2k

warnings: Wooyung being loud and a bit of a brat, piss in cereal joke once, I think that's it? Not really much to warn about in this one

You slunk into class, tired beyond belief, before sitting down at the back of the classroom to try and hide said tiredness. You pulled out your books and laptop, laying them out on the desk, after which you rested your head in your hands, trying to stop yourself from falling asleep but failing to do so. With sleepy eyes, you observed as people strolled into the room and sat down as it came closer to the start of class. As the last group of students rolled into the classroom, of course it had to be the loudest group, you couldn’t help but cringe at the noise level. 

There were times you hated your classes, because you had to share them with Jung Wooyoung. Of course, his friends were just as bad, disruptive as all hell, and way too noisy for anyone’s sanity. His presence had plagued you in your classes since first year, and whenever you were able to escape a class with him, you always fared so much better. Normally, since they got there so late, they usually had to sit in the front of the classroom.

But not today. Of course the seat right in front of you was open, and of course Wooyoung spotted the open desk like a hawk. The loud boy strolled all the way to the back, as his friends found spots up front. He sat down at the desk, facing towards you as you looked anywhere but at him.

“Hey bestie, why are you all the way back here?” He asked, a teasing lilt in his voice.

“Why don’t you just fuck off, Jung.” You replied, not having nearly enough sleep to deal with his bullshit. 

“Awww, come on. Don’t be mean. And I told you, call me Wooyoung!” He whined, a pout on his face that just made you want to slap him instead.

Thankfully, you were spared from having to answer the boy, as the professor walked in at that exact moment. He started class right away, so Wooyoung had to turn back around, lest he get kicked out. This professor was pretty strict about classroom etiquette, which for today, worked in your favor.

Class was actually interesting for once, the topic today being something that you were interested in, which helped keep you awake. It also meant it passed by quickly, to your disappointment. Soon enough, everyone was packing up, including yourself. You quickly pulled out your headphones, hoping to avoid the boy in front of you from starting up another conversation. Popping them on your head, you turned on the noise cancelling aspect, as you put your books and laptop back into your bag. Sliding your bag on your back, you leave the classroom in a hurry. 

To your distaste and ire, Wooyoung followed behind you. The man couldn’t help but haunt you at all times, even in your dreams. Or rather, the nightmare that you had last night, which kept you from sleeping. And now it seems that he’s intent on talking with you today. You steadfastly ignored the man, focused only on getting to the library to study in silence. 

Wooyoung got tired of chasing you, instead moving in front of you to try and force you to stop walking. You just moved out of the way, trying to continue walking, but Wooyoung grabbed your elbow, pulling you back.

“Why are you so insistent on not talking to me?” He demanded to know. 

“I’m not up to talking with you Jung. Fuck. Off.” You said through gritted teeth. You were exhausted and the only thing you wanted was silence, not Mr. Loudmouth here talking your ear off. 

“No. Why are you such a grump today? Did someone piss in your cereal?” He joked.

“I didn’t sleep well last night. So sorry that I’m not up to talking. Now let me go.” You said tersely, ready to push him into the wall, just so he’d get out of your way.

Wooyoung cooed, “Awwww, why? Were you having daydreams about me so you couldn’t fall asleep?”

"I had a nightmare about you." You said, fire in your eyes.

Wooyoung smiled cheekily, "Did I look hot in it?" He asked, delight in his eyes.

This was the limit for you, and you pushed the taller man into the wall. “Jung Wooyoung, shut the fuck up.” You said.

He chuckled. “Make me.” Was all that he said.

You groaned, “You fucking brat.”

Wooyoung wasn’t a patient man, and all the patience he had left his body the minute you pinned him against the wall. He placed a hand at the back of your neck and pulled you up to kiss him. Your lips connected, and he took control of the kiss, his other arm coming up to wrap around your waist, keeping you close to him. Your hands came up to grip onto his jacket for some sense of stability, as you were taken by surprise by his kiss.

You didn’t really mind kissing him, it just shocked you that he actually did it. As much as you found the man annoying, it was more annoying how attractive he was. Like he didn’t need to be that hot, nor did he need to be that annoying half the time. You found yourself kissing him back after the shock wore off, and he smirked into the kiss as he felt you return it. He still was in clear control of the kiss, but he was happy to feel you kissing him. He had finally gotten to you, and all it took was grabbing you. He should have tried that sooner.

Finally, the need for both of you to breathe won, and you pulled away as he leaned his head back against the wall. Your cheeks were flushed, and by gods did he love the look on your face, lips slightly swollen and a bit of a dazed look in your eyes.

“I really should have done that sooner.” He commented, chuckling at your lack of response.

“You’re still a fucking brat.” You told him, after you came back to your senses, to which he burst out laughing. 

“But I’m a brat that you kissed, so really, how much of a brat can I be?” He replied. 

You just groaned in response, pulling away from him and resuming your journey to the library. He watched you leave, before running after you as he yelled for you to wait up. You didn’t of course, but he managed to catch up, slinging an arm around your shoulders.

“So are we gonna do that again? Hmm?” He questioned.

“In your dreams, Wooyoung.” You said.

“You called me Wooyoung, finally!” He celebrated.

“Jung, shut up.” You ordered him, to which he deflated at the use of his last name once again.

“Come onnnn, please use my name again. It sounds like heaven when I hear it fall from your lips.” He whined, to which you smirked.

“Beg me then.” That was all you told him.

Everyone they passed looked at how much of a puppy Wooyoung looked, trotting after you and begging for you to call him by your name. More than a few chuckled, as you looked intent on making him continue to beg, only for him to perk up as you finally called him by his first name once again. And yet, you somehow didn't mind him following you around if he acted like that, it was cute how you calling him by his first name made him act like such a puppy.

[helenstudies]

These are my language learning timelines and how long I've studied to get to that level!

English: fluent C2 > about thirteen years. I started learning when I was 5 (in kindergarten). I got to this level by age 18, when I started working as a professional English - Burmese translator.

Korean: fluent TOPIK 6 level > eight years. I taught myself how to read hangeul at age 15 and achieved TOPIK level 6 in 23. It should be noted that I attended a language program in Korea for nine months to accelerate the process. I started from level 1 and ended in 4/5 in nine months.

Chinese: advanced HSK6 level > eleven years. I started learning chinese when I was 13 and now I'm 24. And no, my chinese ancestry didn't help because no one in my family speaks Chinese.

Japanese: Intermediate JLPT N3 level > nine years. Like Korean, I taught myself how to read hiragana and katakana at age 15 but I prioritized Chinese and Korean. It should be noted that I really struggled with Japanese and had to attend basic classes three times to get to an N5 level. And then twice more to get to N4.

I think this is important for all langblrs to realize! I am not "gifted" at all. I just started studying a bit earlier than y'all because I knew my life long interests are in language, literature and translation. I learned all these so that I could read books in their original language.

It should be noted that in Myanmar, I graduated high school at age 16/17. Since then, I've been attending a distance education university (before I dropped out in 2021 of course) and I've been working freelance or part time jobs. So this is an actual realistic timeline as an adult who also has a life outside of studying.

If you work full time, study full time or have responsibilities in your life that you have to prioritize, you might need to take a few years longer than me. You might even need to retake classes and fail a few tests. And it's okay.

I can't emphasize this enough so I will do this again and again: not being able to quickly learn language is not a failure on your part. Don't fall into ageist traps because you really do retain your brain functions well into your years. You can keep learning and keep improving as an adult. Look up neuroplasticity and stop listening to "polyglot" influencers.

Another thing I want to mention is in my last post, I wrote that language learning takes years and you'll just have to make these years bearable and I mean it. Just sitting down and studying for hours is annoying to me. So, I personally make it bearable by reading stories and translating songs or poems because that's what my brain likes. I like writing chinese characters but it's boring to just sit down and write them. So I write them while watching tv because I have adhd and I need to fidget anyway. My goal is to read books in their original languages so I read, read and read. You have to figure out why you want to learn these languages and see how you can make it bearable.

[technically-a-kiwi]

Time to develop some story for the cosmic au y'all

Nah 'cause let's be honest to this day this au was just "ooooh look italian man and crazy gremlin with stars and pwetty colors OvO". Besides I promised I was gonna develop on this au's world, so let's get to it :D !

So, in this AU, Peppino and The Noise are beings known as "Cosmic entities", extremly powerful individuals above all laws of physics capable of shaping there environment as they pleases and travel between universes, they're mostly located in their own plain of existence know as the "Cosmic realm".

Cosmic beings are born out of mortal souls (dead people) who've been exposed to a lot cosmic particles and stars*(not stars like giant lumps of flaming gas but in the cosmic entity definition, wich is roughly huge amounts of high emotions)

Peppino and The Noise caused eachothers death. By punching him on the skull, Peppino killed The Noise triggering the "Bye bye italian man" system he placed inside Peppino's kidney, causing a particularly gruesome and unpleasent death. But due to the ABSURDLY high cosmic particles exposure both had as well as insane levels of high emotions (mostly anger), these two became cosmic entities and the newest cosmic duo of the cosmic realm .

Cosmic duos have the immense resposability of making sure that no universe breaks the established laws of physics, for exemple by fixing universes that lacks a law or by stoping beings from that universe to break the laws of physics*(by creating a time machine, a device that travels between universes etc).

Of course neather of them actualy wants to work with eachother, especialy on something as delicate as managing the cosmos itself, but hey they literaly have nothing better to do and they just have to occasionally stitch back the fabric of reality or stop a lunatic trying to stop the flow of time, it's not as if they had much of a choice either unless they want to answer to the cosmic court (and yes cosmic entities have a court, and they look absolutely horrendous, like a lump of eyes and stars, it's awful) wich they rather not.

And so, a newest and one the most unstable cosmic duo was born

This is just a first draft giving out the bases of this AU such as the presence of multiple universes, different plains of existance etc. Sorry it's ATROCIOUSLY wacky due to my lack of skill in basic writting and my latency in english...

But anyway I want to know what YOU think ! Do you like this draft ? Did you expect another kind of story ?

If you have any question on anything I've said so far please feel free to ask I'll be glad to answer any of them ! Okay see ya :D

[sageistri]

How many people outside of the kpop sphere can tell you how seven sounds? Before i joined stan twitter I used to hear bts songs like dynamite, butter, and my universe playing without knowing those songs belonged to bts. jungkook isnt being played anywhere. These spotify streams have your minds so warped up without even realizing what they even did to pull those numbers.

ALOT I mean it really was everywhere 😭 When you have groups performing your songs in award shows- that's impact. Artists covering your music in shows that's supposed to be about showing vocal talent- that's impact. Your songs being used in survival shows- that's impact. Top names in the industry name dropping and saying your music is their current favorite- that's impact. This is what I mean when I say people underestimate his solo debut. And like I said no one outside of akgaes cares how those numbers are achieved even akgaes themselves don't care to an extent because they use it against eachother or to drag BTS as a group. And sure BP stans were not the best example but there are multis who stan other groups who were in agreement. A good amount of Ariana Grande stans also like him as well as Justin Bieber stans- jungkook has pull. And on top of that he has majority of the biggest fandom in the world on his side. He has the best chart stability and longevity, he still has multiple songs charting on global and that's not just armys work if we compare him to other members.

And Sage I really hope he won't be the one to breakout completely from BTS but to be the biggest there has to be a level of selfishness involved and I don't know if Jimin has that in him.

Just as I assumed, a jikooker. Y'all are the ones always lurking in pjm spaces.

Also I've gotten this exact ask before, someone claiming he got idols singing his songs. I would like to know the top names in the industry first of all, unless you're talking about The kpop industry because I've already talked about this.

Y'all think these people don't listen to other BTS members' solo songs or jk's songs were so good that they couldn't help mentioning them? All these things you named happened for the same reason kpop artist name drop every trendy TikTok song or join a TikTok challenge. And everything you just named is still within the kpop bubble, the k industry. You're deluding yourself if you believe jk has broken beyond that just because western Stan accounts who most likely also listen to kpop talk about him. Also let's not pretend like jk hasn't tailored his entire self around justin and everyone including Justin's stans know that, he also made Ariana his personality at one point and has a picture with her, some other BTS member could also decide to do all that too and Justin and ariana stans would like them too.

Some random person who doesn't Care about kpop at all could listen to a jk song because they came across it on one of the gazillion ppl playlist they're on, doesn't mean they care about him or his album. I assure you that these idols who name-dropped jk or performed his songs could drop their Spotify wrapped and you would not see any sign of jk, but instead other artists that they never talked about on social media.

Impact is different from some people talking about you or covering your songs because it s trendy to at that point in time. Impact is people covering and talking about those songs years later because the choreography and song is considered peak art not just because it would get you attention on social media that day or because the song is at the top of Spotify global.

Yes Jungkook had a lot of people talking about him no one's disputing that, but when Spotify wrapped dropped Jimin came up on a lot of random people's wrapped despite him not making as much noise as jk as y'all claim, because of course he wouldn't after his debut was stifled and cut short. Jk had to release 3 western collaborations, months of promotion and positive media and headlines being pushed by hybe so of course people were talking about him.

No one cares about how these numbers were achieved, maybe the k industry don't and all they see is headlines and they are floored, but the western industry knows and that's why no one took it seriously and most of his streams still came from armys in Asia Running x160 playlists and that is why we say there was no impact. It didn't break through into the market it was geared towards and was still reliant on weekly remixes to stay stable.

Yeah, golden was big in the kpop space but you're not going to convince me it did much outside of that. Just like every other BTS member, his success is still reliant on armys and is confined to people who listen to kpop.

[rottingfern]

sweetened breath, tongue so mean || a Bad Omens fanfic

Pairing: Noah x nonbinary OC

Summary: They're screaming at each other. They're throwing hands. They're half a second away from a violent hatefuck. And at the end of the day, they'll still call each other friends.

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: ANGST, toxic relationship, language, heavy consumption of alcohol, degradation kink if you squint, brief discussion of body image, OC gets deadnamed, depiction of a panic attack, choking, cunnilingus, penetration, hair pulling, slightly dubious consent, spitting.

A/N: Wow do I love angst. But be warned going into this: THESE BITCHES IS TOXIC. Noah is not a very nice person in this, and neither is OC. This fic does not depict a healthy relationship. This is a work of fiction depicting a fictionalized version of Noah and does not represent him in real life.

A MASSIVE THANK YOU TO @signs-of-ill-portent AND @the-way-of-words FOR BETA-ING THIS FIC AND SCREAMING ABOUT IT WITH ME, for getting on my characters' levels with me and for egging me on to delve as deep and dark as I needed for this fic, for not allowing me to mince words and for listening to me catastrophize about the story beats as I figured out how to convey all the nuance this fic needed. Y'all really did the most when you didn't have to, and I AM EXTREMELY GRATEFUL TO YOU FOR THAT! My heart eyes are laser focused on you.

Brainrot Club: @meekahy @foliosriot @badhedonist Theme song is Hatef--k by The Bravery. I actually made a whole playlist! Click here to listen. Masterlist here.

Title taken from Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene by Hozier; banner made by me; dividers by @saradika

Lee’s just about done with this show (though it hasn’t even begun) when their shoulders hit the poorly finished wall of the back hallway of the venue. 

His lips are searing, supple and wet and clingy as they suck to their own. They clench their teeth shut at the insistent push of his tongue past their lips, demanding entry into their mouth. Maybe this whole moment - the hands on their shoulders, the thigh between their knees, pinned between drywall and a solid mass of body heat and want - would be hot, desirable even, had it all not belonged to the one shithead they’d been hoping to avoid tonight. 

Of course, Lee would have more luck surviving a plane crash into the ocean than avoiding a shithead when said shithead is Noah Sebastian Davis. This whole situation is vomit-inducing. Embarrassing, honestly. They push on his chest, hard, like their life depends on it. 

“God, knew you’d want it,” Noah pants when Lee finally manages to separate his suction cup of a mouth from theirs, his shit-eating grin planted firmly like he’d done something - whether he meant to be sexy or purposely disgusting, they’re not sure - and it doesn’t help he hasn’t learned to be less cryptic since they’d seen him last. “What, no ‘hello’, no ‘how are you’?” Lee shoots back. They’d backpedaled out that green room as soon as the members of their entourage were occupied by conversation, though they really should’ve expected this. Noah following them down dimly lit hallways with dishonorable purpose is par for the course. “Didn’t think I’d need one. Once a slut, always a slut.” His chuckle is like shattering ice, each shard aimed at Lee. “Isn’t that right, Leanne?” 

Noah hasn’t changed in the ten years since they’d met, and Lee isn’t about to let the persistent press of his thick, hard cock against their stomach through layers of denim and terry cloth (or the way an engine downstairs springs to life when they feel it) change their opinion of him: that he’s a shithead through and through, cocky in the worst kind of way, hell-sent the day he was born when the universe decided not only to make him a bigheaded fool but also to let him win the genetic lottery in one fell swoop. 

Doesn’t stop the clench of their cunt that they struggle to suppress. Doesn’t prevent the mental scolding they’re forced to give themself: the chaos monster that is Noah Davis’s entire being isn’t worth dealing with for even a hookup. It’s pathetic, tacky even. 

Something primal, old and hungry flashes in the glassy gel of Noah’s eyes when he forces Lee’s gaze to his, fingers hooked firmly round their jaw; something uncontrollably soft in the way his jaw trembles to mirror Lee’s own when he grazes their hip with his free hand, when he presses his thumb firmly to their clit through the denim of their shorts. 

There are a million things Lee could’ve picked from the Rolodex of elaborate insults soaked in a decade of contentious acquaintanceship they’ve stored specifically to knock Noah off his self-appointed pedestal, if only the butterflies insistently bubbling below their gut would just shut the fuck up for a single second. Could’ve, had Noah’s propensity to always control every situation so it goes his way not also applied to their own bodily function, apparently. Instead, they lower their chin, defiantly forcing his grip on their throat to tighten. 

Dangerous mistake. Stupid fucking mistake, because their hips buck forward along his thigh at the pressure, just an inch, and Noah’s smile widens dangerously, and oh. Oh no. They know this look, and the words that are bound to slip from his mouth in three, two -

Like a miracle from God or whatever the fuck other omnipotent being lives in the sky, a shout of their name echoes through the corridors. Noah’s hands find Lee’s shoulders again, head dipping once more as their own hands push desperately against his chest in a mad scramble for dominance and escape. They will not be caught - will not be seen - kissing Noah fucking Davis in front of their coworkers. No fucking way. Gag. Although… 

It does feel nice to be wanted, and it’s been so, so long since they’ve allowed themself this - no strings, mindless, just a quick way to get theirs. How long has it been? Since before they got sick, since before they put on the weight, surely. And Noah throws them around so effortlessly, they didn’t even feel that hot sting of insecurity as his hands ran down their body just minutes ago. And it’s not like they aren’t attracted to him, as long as he doesn’t speak. He’s always been hot - even Lee’s freshly-eighteen mind had been excited by the idea of snapping his scrawny little bones with their bare hands back then. And he’s only gotten hotter, with that fucking haircut and the way his once-concave pecs now ripple with muscle under their palms. 

So, what’s the holdup? It’s not like the two of them haven’t done this before. It would be so easy: they give Noah what he wants, they get theirs, then they never have to see each other again (at least not for another three years or four years, likely). Why shouldn’t they just let him kiss them again?

“Lee!” comes another shout, snapping Lee from their reverie. It’s closer, the sound of footsteps to match echoing just around the corner now. 

Their wandering mind had loosened their push on Noah’s chest to a caress, but now they use his momentary distraction to force him from them with all their might once again, schooling their stance into a casual side-lean against the wall just seconds before their friends round the corner. 

“There you are,” Mike sighs. “C’mon, bitch, we don’t wanna miss the openers!” As Lee follows Mike and Noor out to the floor, they toss a playful smirk over their shoulder, but Noah’s already replaced his mask of impassiveness, arms crossed sternly with clenched fists. His loss.

Noor’s laserlike gaze scans Lee as they collect their drinks from the bar. “Have a sweet reunion?” she asks.  

Lee huffs. They get enough of this shit from her at home, at work, basically everywhere. They love Noor, truly, but she’s impossible to fool and Lee really doesn’t need her picking around their brain when they themself don’t have a full understanding of what’s brewing in there.

“Sweet as fucking vinegar,” they instead reply, eyes rolling demonstratively. Noor’s lips purse in suspicion, so they turn away before she can do that fucking clairvoyant inspection of details thing she does, leading them back through the crowd to their coworkers. 

It’s not that Lee is stupid enough to truly believe they’d manage to avoid Noah at a Bad Omens show - rather that they’d have elected to straight up Not Attend were the outing not made mandatory by their boss. 

Mercury Hall is the largest venue in Burlington - a mid-size club with two balconies, standing thirty years with a stellar reputation to boot - but behind the scenes, despite a revolving door of staff, Mercury regularly employs a group of college kids who collectively have the common sense of a single person. Not that it’s surprising, really, considering Burlington houses two universities and both offer a “music business” major. Lee thinks Mercury should be hiring communications majors instead - maybe that’d fix their massive communication problem. 

Ouroboros - Lee’s place of gainful employment - is a smaller club on the other side of Downtown, and has absolutely no affiliation with Mercury… except that the owners of the two clubs go way back, oldheads who’ve been buddies since school and all that, and Lee’s boss regularly makes any problems down at Mercury his problem. 

Or, the problem of his long-suffering staff, to be precise. 

Just like last week, for example, when Lee was just trying to sort out next month’s scheduling while jamming to some ABBA, and was interrupted by their boss Roy roping them into solving the issue with Mercury’s scheduling instead, on only a week’s notice.

Really, the solution was a no brainer. One band was not local and on a tightly-scheduled tour; the other - from just three hours south in Boston, were playing just a one-off gig. Ask the Boston guys to move to the following night - they’d get a Friday spot anyway, way better deal. Enlist Mike and Noor to assist with rescheduling the hired crew to Friday. It helped immensely that the Boston guys only recently graduated to playing Mercury, that Lee knew them from their years of traveling up to play Ouroboros. The other band was Bad Omens. So, really, Noah should be thanking Lee.

Thanks only came in the form of Hank, Mercury’s owner, interrupting their pre-show planning meeting two days ago to inform Ouroboros staff they’d been guest-listed for the Bad Omens gig. Lee thought better thanks would’ve come in the form of Hank hiring staff capable of doing their jobs, and stands by that opinion. 

Excited chatter had erupted the minute Hank shut the door behind him - it’s a rare occasion that a decent metalcore act rolls through Burlington - but Lee could only focus on the cold pit that opened in their stomach at the thought of seeing Noah again. Later that night, they’d get disastrously wine-drunk with Noor on their ratty porch couch and lament on the absolute asshole that was Noah Sebastian Davis, but in that moment they only sat blank, nodding along obediently, as Roy instructed them to attend Hank’s “extremely generous offering”.

The issue isn’t going to the Bad Omens gig, because if there’s one positive thing they can say about Noah it’s that he really hit his stride with this project and Lee respects the grind. Nor is it the idea of being in the same room as him; it’s not like they haven’t been around him plenty and willingly over the past decade between touring through RVA with their college band, and in the multiple shared friend groups they’d amassed over the years. 

Noah’s annoying as all hell: the kind of person who says and does whatever, whenever the hell he wants, who doesn’t know when to shut the fuck up, who will unapologetically push forward if it pleases him. And, apparently and unfortunately for Lee, his biggest pleasure is making them absolutely fucking miserable whenever they’re in proximity of one another. And especially unfortunately, he knows exactly how to push Lee’s buttons, which ones to push, and how to drive them to absolute breaking point. 

And, his greatest pleasure is knowing Lee will just hatefuck him when they get too fed up. Lee would bet their life savings (spoiler: not much) that he was one of those kids who pulled all the girls’ pigtails on the playground. 

Going into the evening, Lee’s biggest issue was just that: that they’d snap at him in front of their coworkers, that Roy or Hank would clock the familiarity and fire them or something, that they’d get overwhelmed and just fucking cry. Dealing with Noah’s antics was even a knife’s edge in the past, in casual environments where their friends would laugh it off as “Noah and Leanne bullshit”, when they’d had security in their identity and image. 

In the now times however, with their confidence dropped to near-zero, with meds that make them burst to tears at any strong enough emotion, with a fragile half-decades acceptance of their queer identity (and Noah’s inability to fucking catch on and stop misgendering them), Lee wasn’t certain they’d be able to handle the pressure of the battle of wills Noah insisted on having each time they met. 

Now, as the giant party of the Ouroboros staff, the touring party, and those of the Mercury staff who are legal to drink head to the Archives for after-hours drinks, Lee’s issue is that they’re actually enjoying themself because Resident Shithead Noah Sebastian Davis is being actually fucking pleasant. And they’re really not sure how to deal with that. It’s new territory. A no-person’s land, if you will. 

He’d slowed down to where Lee trailed behind the rest of the group, likely sick of tripping over Church Street’s uneven cobblestones trying to keep up with Joakim’s (they refuse to call him Jolly. What the fuck kind of grown man calls himself Jolly?) speed racer pace. “Hey,” he says quietly. 

Lee releases a long-suffering sigh. “Hi, Noah.”

They walk silently beside each other for a few minutes. From the corner of their eye as they tilt their head back to admire this year’s lighted arches, Lee sees Noah fidget uncomfortably. They’re seconds from spitting out an out with it, already when he finally asks, “So, archaeology was a bust, huh?”

Here we fucking go. They’ve decided their Rolodex of insults is useless and resort to just tossing him a nasty look, a roll of the eyes, and to speed up to walk with Mike, Noor and Folio when he hurriedly follows up with, “Only you seemed so excited about your degree.” He sports an unfamiliar expression Lee has never seen him wear (is it sheepishness? abashedness?), head dipped low. “Y’know. Back then.”

Lee’s brain is short circuiting. That’s the only explanation for the wall of static and dial-up tones smashcut with thirty different trains of thought that occupies it and allows them to respond only with a blank look and a dumb-sounding “oh” because, did Noah actually just ask them about their life????? 

Since when did he give a flying fuck about anything but making their night hell? All Noah Sebastian Davis cares about is his boys, his music, and getting his. But, it makes sense, right, since the last time they saw each other was at a holiday party and barely spoke at all - maybe he is just curious. He’s being pleasant, but to what end? When does the other shoe drop?

Or, a small part of their brain whispers, maybe he’s finally grown up. He does look awfully sincere, chocolate eyes wide with concern. “Just didn’t work out,” Lee shrugs, electing to open up. “For a lot of reasons. Mostly because, I guess I didn’t love it enough to work up to the fun stuff once I started getting hired.” A bitter, self-deprecating chuckle escapes their throat way too loudly for comfort. 

The group has reached the Archives now, and Lee sends a short nod in response to Noor’s concerned glance as she hesitates behind Mike at the bar door. They light a cigarette and lean against the wall, shuffling their foot along the pavement awkwardly. Lee tosses their gaze back up when Noah’s shoes stop before them. He’s open, inquisitive, and they can’t help but relax into it, dumping the rest out: “It’s a lot of travel. And my aunt was sick…”

They choke on the rest, and are suddenly enveloped in possibly the most comforting, needed hug they’ve received since she died. 

“My mom, too, recently,” Noah eventually lets out, voice matching Lee’s choke. He presses them harder to his chest, holding them, clinging, letting Lee soak his shirt as they rock back and forth. 

They break away from each other after a few minutes, Noah turning to let Lee try to wipe their tears without ruining their eyeliner as he swipes his own away with the heels of his palms. They turn back to each other with tight, abashed closed-mouth half-smiles, letting out matching embarrassed chuckles. 

He slumps against the wall and they stand, shoulders grazing, gazing at the night sky. “Y’know, it’s strange to see you here, because I associate Philly with you first, Leanne,” Noah ponders lazily, “But Vermont strangely suits you.”

There’s that bitter feeling again. Lee lights another smoke (having lost their previous to the hug) and follows the smoke trail as it draws circles around the distant stars above, shining bright as though they’re watching from somewhere far, far from civilization. 

There’s something you don’t get in Philly - that feeling of awe, of being just a molecule amidst the inconceivable mass of this universe, of every worry and problem being an ant to a continent, and you’re just trying to live your life to survive to the next and the most you can do is just live and love it. There’s something they’d missed for years being away from the far Northeast, something they take for granted until quiet, gentle moments like this. They don’t share any of that with Noah. Instead, they reply: “Noor’s rich parents bought her a house here, and she took me with her.”

“How long?” Noah sighs. He sounds dreamy, on the verge of sleep, eyes closed, body leaning firmly against theirs. 

“Nearly five years, now.”

Noah’s eyes snap open, a smirk spreading his face like wildfire, words flowing faster than Lee can even brace for the hit. “Five years of Vermont Cheddar’s done wonders for that ass,” he snarks. 

There it fucking is, the other fucking shoe. Leave it to him to open his stupid fucking mouth at a moment like this. Here they are, opening up about shit they’d barely even told their best friend, crying about their dead family together, and he’s making caveman-brain comments about their body. 

Lee kicks off the wall, dislodging Noah’s resting body, flicking their unfinished cigarette at the ground. If there’s a God, he’ll make the ash ruin Noah’s squeaky-clean white Vans. 

They feel an absolute idiot for trusting this idiot, for choosing these feelings to entrust to him. Should’ve known better. “With as much disrespect as possible: fuck you, Noah,” Lee spits at Noah’s stumbling form before jerking open the bar door, slamming it shut behind them. 

Note to future self (which will inevitably be forgotten and ignored): beware the Archives after hours - it’s completely shot and always devolves to the same bullshit. Yes, every time. Do not be fooled by the arcade machines - they are half broken and will not save you.

Hank and Roy left after chugging their first and only beers in under a minute the way Frank and Charlie shovel down cat food before bed on Always Sunny. Mike’s sniffed out that one gruff DL crew guy that’s seemingly copy-pasted onto each tour that comes through town and is working on enticing him to go back to his place above Ouroboros with that fucking slick grin of his (“It’s only around the corner, they’ll be none the wiser”). Nobody’s behind the bar, because it’s easier for Donny to just let people serve themselves - not like afterhours is official or legal here, anyway - so why would he bother serving? 

Everyone’s broken off into small groups or pairs, and Lee? Lee’s nursing their fourth whiskey, stuck finishing the shitty fries Noor always orders after she’s had her first drink, the same shitty ones she eats like, five of before pushing them away in disgust. 

The floor is sticky, left to be cleaned by the opening staff, and more than half the bar’s got their wax pens out, making the whole place smell like wet dog. Like the top note of a sick perfume resting above the heart note of the sweat of thirty slightly-too-warm people. Eau de metalhead. They really oughta turn off the heat in this place already - it’s fucking June.

It’s not the heat that’s got Lee absolutely boiling, though, no, that would be too simple. It’s that among this absolute hellscape, Noah is ten feet away, laughing like all that shit outside just didn’t happen. He’s fucking with the glitchy Ms. Pac-Man machine with Nicholas. He’s shotgunning beers with Mike and Mike’s newest conquest. He’s not looking at Lee. 

“- and after all that, like we had a moment, and after all that -” Lee laments to Noor, “For fuck’s sake, bitch, will you quit making eyes at Folio for one second?” 

Greta Van Fleet’s “Heat Above” is playing over the tinny speaker, and Noor’s distracted “uh huh” as she bops along is tell enough for Lee. The bitch is gone. 

“Fuck’s sake, Noor, you really gotta fuck the drummer every time?” Lee hisses, reaching blindly behind the bar for the whiskey they’d set in arm’s reach. Noor doesn’t hear them. Noor is too busy being her beautiful self, flicking a chunk of perfect raven curls behind her shoulder. Lee watches in horror as Folio presents the other tell that Noor’s one-hundred-percent gone for the night, something Lee has only seen happen genuinely, unironically in two situations - one in movies, and the other when Noor flirts with men: Folio fucking wiggles his eyebrows at her. 

There’s the whiskey. Goddamn, do they need another drink. Somewhere behind them, Noah cackles. Nails on a fucking chalkboard. 

Can you hear that dreadful sound? Fire still burning on the ground, Josh Kiszka screeches. You, or the other one, Josh? thinks Lee as they pour themselves another drink.

They turn, ready to shoot Noah a dirty look, and the fucker winks at them. They down their three fingers in one go and push off their stool towards the toilets. 

Their vision swims, not from the five whiskeys, not from getting up too quickly, but from the pins and needles of bitter fury tearing at their chest. 

It’s not that Noah’s enjoying himself. Good for him. It’s not that he’d been a vulgar dick, either, because they’re pretty sure that wasn’t the first time they’d gotten the “wonders for your ass” dig from him before. 

It’s that they’d allowed him a single moment of benignant sincerity for probably the first time ever, let him in, showed their tender belly, and then he’d gone and stabbed them where they’re most vulnerable. That he’d pissed on any genuine connection they’d been building up to then. 

It’s not that Noah was an asshole tonight, that will never change. That’s the sky blue. It’s that this time, Noah actually hurt their feelings. 

Lee shuts the bathroom door with their back, melds themself against the metal, digging the heels of their palms into their eyes as they let out a dry, heavy, tear-less sob. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale -

The second sob drags up with it hot spittle, sending them coughing and gagging into the sink. It’s that it’s all their own fault for letting him in, for getting comfortable in the first place. That’s what you get when you let Noah in. 

How fucking shot in the head do they have to be to expect anything less than this bullshit? Because this isn’t how someone with an ounce of sensibility would handle this, right? RIGHT?! Hey, let’s go trauma dump on this dude who’s never had a kind thing to say to you. Let’s go talk about our feeeeeeelings with the guy who still deadnames you FOUR years after you changed it everywhere. Oh, he gave you a hug? Oh, he shared his little emo feels with you too? Awwww. Ohhhh. Cute. Fucking. Idiot. 

Their eyeliner is smeared, their skin blotchy and red, and their hair absolutely refuses to lay well despite all their efforts to make it behave. Under the overly-bright fluorescent lighting, they can see the blue of the vein bulging in their forehead. They look like they’ve been beaten, or fucked, or both at once. Lee swears their reflection grins at them then.

They need to clean themself up and get another drink, and then they need to punch Noah in his stupid, smug, sexy face. Another dry heave works up their throat. No, no, this isn’t right. This is neither healthy nor productive. They can’t keep going on like this, can’t keep allowing themself in situations where the rage literally makes them sick.

Lee sighs, rubbing a hand over their tired face, presentability be damned. They need to go home; just crawl into bed and sleep it off and avoid any gatherings Noah might be at forever. They should probably cut off their mutual friends, too and never step foot in Richmond again, or L.A. for that matter, though they’d never willingly end up in that helltown, anyway. 

Home. Bed. Sleep. Never see Noah again. 

But when they swing open the bathroom door, he’s on the other side.

There’s a beat as he takes them in, and a small part of Lee thinks, hopes, prays he’ll grant mercy this time. Just this once. Look at me. Please. Mercy.

But prayer’s so unreliable, and Noah is so, so consistent. “Lookin’ good, doll,” mocks the physical manifestation of No Sense Of Time And Place. “Whoa -”

This is it. Their chest is exploding, they can’t breathe, they’ve lost their eyesight. This is how they die. 

Noah catches their wrist inches from his face before Lee even realizes they’ve swung.

They let out a hysterical laugh, ripping their arm from his like it’s a third-degree burn, backpedaling so fast from his advance they nearly trip over their own legs. 

He’s all, “hey, whoa,” he’s all, “hey, Leanne,” but they’re too busy contending with the fact that each breath feels like a leaf blower full of nails tearing their windpipe. “Leanne, what -” he says, but they knew this wasn’t normal the moment Noah started grabbing at their shoulders, at their face, the moment they couldn’t hear him pleading for them to get themself together. “Leanne, c’mon, Leanne, please,” he’s begging somewhere, but they can’t stop fucking laughing.

God, but doesn’t he sound so tender, so pretty when he pleads?

This isn’t normal, right? Like, what’s that saying about doing the same thing over and over? Right?????? And now there’s godforsaken tears pricking at their eyes and they can’t stop and - 

They need him to stop. They need him to shut up, and they need him out of their field of vision. But he keeps getting in front of them, putting his hands on them and Lee wants them off but they can’t feel their hands - 

Someone’s released an anguished, animalistic scream somewhere. Everything’s too tight. There’s arms caging them in, they need out, they need escape why are there arms fucking everywhere - 

“Fucking, ow!” Noah’s left hand flies up to nurse his jaw where they’d managed to catch him, but the right finds purchase in their hair immediately, like it’s an instinct, like it belongs there. He yanks, hard, forcing their face to his as he crowds them against the sink. 

There’s something grounding, calming in the pain at the back of their head, something reassuring in the way he’d tear their hair out at a moment’s notice. He’s so close they can smell the spearmint of the gum he’d been chewing under the liquor and smoke, nose nearly pressed to theirs. His hair tickles their cheekbones like a balm, like a promise.

He’s a vision of fury, all tightly clenched jaw and steely eyes, scrunched nose and furrowed brows. “What the fuck is your problem?” he sternly asks, voice quiet, chillingly flat.

An involuntary, scornful bark of a laugh escapes Lee’s throat. “You wanna know my problem? YOU’RE my fucking problem! I haven’t known a moment of peace since I met you!” they shout through their sob-torn throat. The dam bursts, there’s no stopping this train now, whichever metaphor you prefer. “You’re absolutely insufferable! No regard for anyone but yourself! You wanna know why people leave you in the dust and never look back? Because you’re the fucking worst! You’re a fucking mistake!”

Noah’s mouth twists that smirk again, the one Lee has been on the receiving end of too many times tonight, but there’s no joy behind it; his eyes are empty and cold and tinged red, omnipotent in the weight of his gaze. He doesn’t even need to say it. That cruel twist of his mouth is enough. Takes one to know one.

His lips are on Lee’s in an instant, barely connected for a second before he forces his tongue past their teeth, his free hand wandering anywhere he can reach. His hips push them into the porcelain, fingers brushing up the exposed skin of their belly, hand sliding overtop their binder. A harsh breath huffs out his nose as he passes a thumb over their hard nipple through the thick fabric, pulling a tiny, pathetic whine from Lee’s throat. 

There’s a beat when he pulls their head an inch back, hovering by their ear once more, hips giving a miniscule, barely there roll. Then, in a movement so quick Lee can barely acknowledge it happened, he rips their arm round their back, flipping them so fast they’d faceplant into the mirror were it not for the grip he keeps steady on their head, fingers tangled in their hair, nails digging at their scalp. Hips press them into the edge of the sink, fingers pull their head to his shoulder, the arch lighting a tight burn in their spine. 

Mirror Lee looks like roadkill, and Mirror Noah looks like the vulture circling round their corpse, towering over them voraciously.

He rolls his hard, clothed cock into the small of their back. “Look at what you do to me,” he croons. A hand trailing fingers dangerously slow up their bare leg. “Look at what a mess you are.” His hand trails lazily from their hair to their throat, nestling there like a puzzle piece fit into place, forcing their gaze on the mirror. “Look at you.” He trails kisses behind Lee’s ear, down their neck, the trail of saliva he leaves behind chilling in the stale air. “Look at you.” His fingers brush their belly. “Look at you.” A kiss on their pulse point. Lee lets out an anxious shudder at the fingers dipping below the waistband of their shorts.

His eyes snap to meet theirs in the mirror, and Lee’s screwed because Noah’s just caught them soaking wet. They can’t force themself to blink, to look away from Noah’s piercing gaze as he slowly, predatorily brings his mouth to their ear. Punctuated by a single flick of their clit, through barely-parted kiss-bruised lips, he whispers: “Slut.”

It’s then their mind catches up to their body, and as their face hits the cold, wet porcelain of the sink bowl, they realize they hadn’t fully caught their breath. They heave as the stoneware digs into the bottom of their ribs, muscles spasming over their whole body as they consciously force them to relax. 

The heel of his palm pushes at the base of their skull, his fingers tangling tight in their hair once more, and a single, foreboding finger whispers assurance as it runs down their spine. Cold air on their bare ass as he unceremoniously tears down their shorts and underwear in one fell swoop. His cock prods at their hole and they, body before mind, back against him. 

For the warmth, of course.

Nothing more. 

That’s definitely not their whine when he slides home with a single snap of his hips, when he pulls out nearly completely, when he snaps back home again with twice the force. 

Mercy. What a silly thought to entertain, what a silly plea to beg when you’re begging Noah. Noah doesn’t do mercy. That’s not his modus operandi. Noah winds you up, then puts you down. Like Lee is now. Down. Face down in the sink bowl. Like the stupid, stupid slut they are, in Noah’s own words. 

They’ll never get used to the stretch, they think, no matter how many times they fuck Noah. It might be the size of him (though they’ll never admit it to his face, lest it make him grow a second head for sheer lack of space from his already overly-inflated ego), or maybe it’s that he’s just there to get his, and no matter how he fucks - slow, fast, hard, gentle - he’s never thinking about them. And despite that, despite that he’s just jackhammering, shoving their face into the porcelain with force which will surely leave a bruise, the roll of his hips tells them someone cooked here.

There’s no tenderness in the dig of his short, blunt nails into the flesh of their inner thigh, woefully close to where they need him, nor in sticky snap of his hips against their ass, and certainly not in the merciless drag of his heavy cock against that rough patch in them which serves to topple them like a Jenga tower, slowly, shakily, then all at once. They’re so full. So empty. They’re a coin-operated doll, helpless to be broken down and sold for parts on the whim of a single man. 

They’re a wet mess, clit so swollen they think it might burst, hands a mess of numb pins and needles. They’re gonna be covered in bruises tomorrow, they’re gonna be so fucking sore when they pee, and for what it’s worth, this shouldn’t feel good at all, but Lee is so fucking close.

Embarrassing. 

When Noah’s hips stutter, when his grip releases their head just enough for them to turn their head, he’s got his bottom lip in his teeth and his eyes are squeezed shut and he looks so, so gone (or maybe it’s Lee who’s gone) in the flush of pink running from his cheeks down into his shirt. 

That’s not Lee moaning. They’re just trying to catch a breath. But, god, they’re right there, they just need something, they just need more - 

Noah freezes, collapsing on them with a short, quiet groan, burying his face in their neck. 

His breath is hot, wet, the weight of his heaving chest pressing their ribcage into the porcelain. There's barely a moment of peace before the fingers in their hair tighten once more, pulling their face up to meet his eyes in the mirror. 

All it takes is a miniscule shake of Lee’s head for his blissed out gaze to turn stormy once more, for him to drop to his knees.

It’s a race to the finish line the second Noah’s tongue touches Lee’s neglected clit. Quite possibly all their synapses fire at once, all their focus single-mindedly on the way he sucks them, on the calluses on his fingertips as he pads at their hole, on the vibration of a moan they can’t hear. 

Lee is jelly. They don’t need to be held down any longer, compliantly staying slumped in the sink, but the soothing scrape of Noah’s nails on their scalp as he presses two fingers in grounds them, turning any distracting thoughts to a static hum tuned to the note of fuck, Noah. 

All it takes is a single curl of his fingers, like the press of a button before they’re falling, trembling on an overdose of oxytocin into oblivion. 

With a final suck, Noah rises to his feet, bringing a deer-legged Lee with him. They’re dizzy, vision blurred as he turns them gently in his arms. Arousal-coated fingers pry their jaw open, and Noah comes into focus when his hand settles at their throat in an inky-fingered necklace. He forces Lee’s jaw open wider and spits, using the same hand to then cover their mouth. His eyes are wide and wild, rapt as he soothes the saltybitter spend down Lee’s throat. “Look at you, look at that dirty mouth,” he’s mumbling feverishly, voice still deep with arousal. “Look at you swallow that cum. Who else does it for you like this, hm? That’s right. Nobody. Only me.”

Lee chokes out a heaving breath, willing the tears that prick their eyes to not fucking fall, and he deflates, collapsing into their shoulder, arms dropping to circle their waist. “God damn, Leanne,” he sighs after a beat, dulcet and spent.

They glance down uncomfortably. His face is calm, unmarred by the everpresent lines and tension it usually carries, nose buried in their neck. “It’s Lee,” they say. 

At least he has the sense to look embarrassed. “Right. Lee.”  

They don’t clean themself up, they haven’t the energy. They let Noah pull up their shorts, shuffle them out the bathroom and out the back door, and walk them home. 

The streets are quiet, streetlights haloing the street corners in gold, everyone with any sense of decency long-retired to their homes. Lee wonders what they look like from a bird’s eye view, or from outer space, alone together in a grid of light. What do the stars think - would they shame Lee? Would they judge them? 

They stroll lazily, Noah’s arm draped round Lee’s shoulder. He looks so at peace, between the half-smile playing at his lips and the way the streetlights illuminate the lashes of his half-closed eyes. Something acrid bubbles in Lee’s chest. At least they get him like this, blissed out and pleasant before they never speak to him again. Before they never - 

No. They won’t think about that. Just remember this. 

Lee is halfway up the porch stairs before Noah yanks them back by the wrist, catching them from their awkward tumble into his chest. “Give me a call sometime, alright?” he mumbles, grazing the exposed skin between their shorts and shirt. “Don’t be a stranger.” 

Their heart stutters. It’s too sweet. It’s too nice. This isn’t right. “Whatever, asshole,” they say. Weakly. Unconvincingly. With the weakest push they’ve got, with no resistance from Noah, they start again on the stairs. 

He doesn’t pursue. 

“Call me whatever you like,” he laughs. “‘Long as you call me.” 

In the morning, through a blinding headache and a metric fuckton of hangxiety, Lee rushes to check their phone the second they pull their face from the pillow. 

Among the sea of texts from Noor and Mike, work emails, and bullshit app notifications, there it is: Stupid Silly Man: hey, asshole. My number is still the same, btw.

[lutiaslayton]

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

ＰＡＲＴ　１９

〚ＦＩＲＳＴ〛〚ＰＲＥＶ〛〚ＮＥＸＴ〛

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation for the Japan-exclusive novellisation of the movie Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. The original novel was written by Aya Matsui under the supervision of Akihiro Hino, and belongs to Level-5.

This translation only aims to be a pleasant read for non-Japanese fans, nothing more: I made a few deliberate changes while translating in order to get the writing style closer to what is usually found in English fanfictions, as the Japanese storytelling can sometimes be different than what we are used to.

── London・Present

＊ Reunion

After Janice’s voice faded away, I remained pensive for a while.

Three years ago.

The moment I met her, I was left in awe.

She was a beautiful woman, much older than me…

But at that time, was it Melina that left such a big impression on me?

Or was it Janice…?

This is one of the puzzles that I have yet to solve.

This had been my first adventure with the professor, and it was a very special one for me.

‘Mr Future Gentleman’

I thought I had just heard her voice again.

“Look, Luke.”

The professor’s voice brought me back to myself. He had two tickets to the ‘Eternal Kingdom’ opera in hand.

It really was just like that time from three years ago.

Though of course, the name of the venue on the ticket was not the ‘Crown Petone’ this time.

Mr Whistler’s face came to my mind.

According to Inspector Grosky, he sometimes plays the piano in prison, bringing tears to the eyes of his fellow inmates.

I heard through the grapevine that Captain O’Donnell and Mr Marco Brock have hit it off since the incident, and often travel together.

Amelia is currently studying abroad at a foreign university.

The letter I received the other day said that she was still very grateful that the professor and I had attended her grandfather’s funeral.

Nina sometimes comes to visit us here, at Gressenheller. She has a very good memory and studies very hard, and I think she might be admitted to college before me…

But I won’t lose to her. Look out for the Future Gentleman and puzzle master, Nina!

Oh, that’s right, Mr Starbuck and Mrs Raidley had their wedding just the other day. The gossip magazines made it a really big deal.

And I’m currently reading Annie Dretche’s latest mystery. I’m so excited, I can’t stop reading it!

Annie once told me that she has been writing mysteries much faster than before for the sake of Mr Bargland. That way, he would have something to read while he spends his spare time at the hospital…

And then…

There was a knock at the door. Who could it be? Perhaps a client for some new exciting mystery to solve.

The professor and I got up from our chairs at the same time and headed for the entrance.

But as soon as I opened the door, my heart skipped a beat.

“Janice…”

I was dazzled by her smile. It looked just like the one I had seen three years ago…

　⇚　　　　　　　↛

And this completes the fan-translation of the official Eternal Diva novel, everyone! Man, this sure was something. A lot of work, a lot of tears and sweat, a lot of good surprises. Who knows what the future has in store for us now!

...Hm? What's that? Another novel? Let's see...We've seen a lot of blue lately, perhaps a change of colour would do us all some good. How about green? Green sounds nice, right?

Yup. Illusory Forest it is, baby. See y'all next week for a brand new adventure, and one that most of you never have gotten to experience before at that 👀

Oh, also, I'm just going to say before we let Ambrosia go back to its eternal sleep: this thing has followed me up until the very end of my PhD. I defended my thesis, like. TODAY. Just A FEW HOURS AGO.

At the exact time this post is coming out, I am likely going to still be stuck at the lab managing the mini-quiches for the party or something of the like, hahaha. So... yeah, I guess I'm a doctor now? In theoretical chemistry, that is. Yay? Yeah, let's go with yay :D

(and I hope that future me won't happen to be told a random "actually no ur work sucks you failed lol" on that very day and the party prevents me from editing this post in order to bring the bad news, that'd be awkward lmao)

[sayitaliano]

I was thinking at how someone reminding us of our worth can be fundamental at times (or us doing it) and I suddenly remembered my high school English teacher: she's been with us for 4 years, guiding us through from middle school to high school. I'm still pretty sorry she had to change school on our last year, I would have really loved to thank her properly for all she did (for me specifically ofc) and salute her… but that's how things go sometimes.

Anyway, during that 4th year our school gave us students the chance to take the exam for the FIRST Certificate in English by collaborating with the Cambridge University. They held afterschool courses as well to prepare us properly, but in all honesty… it all was pretty expensive. I thought: "I want to give it a try. If I pass well that's great, and if I don't… whatever, I tried. But it would bug me a lot to spend all those money in case it won't go well". So I decided to sign in for the exam but avoid the courses. My parents basically agreed 100% with my thought (they didn't show too much enthusiasm about the exam either: I think they didn't even know what it was about), while my teacher immediately told me: "If someone can make it this way, it's you" and she told me this in such a confident way that I had to believe her. She also helped me a lot, giving me further homework and making me work a lot more in class as well (I was the one in charge of reading, chatting and solving most of the exercises during lessons).

What you may not know is that during middle school (3 years) I had only studied French, and the few months of English I had done during the last 2 years of primary school, had basically entirely vanished from my mind (except for a lullaby I still remember? lol). I basically had to start all over. And by this I mean that even pronouncing "business" has been a big deal during my first year (especially the first 6 months: I kept using french words/accent here and there). But she had been so patient and helpful, suggesting me to listen to music (with lyrics/translating them and singing), and making it all easier and better, putting me at work without having me notice it or feeling the weight of it all/feeling targeted. And encouraging me a lot also with grades. And you know, in my 4th year I made it. I took the FIRST exam and passed it with C1.

Funnily enough my friends, who had joined the courses too, passed with A2 and B1: this for a while confused me and made me think I made it with the bare minimum (I wrongly considered A the top level LOL)… it was only after few years that I realized the truth. And yet I couldn't say thank you to my teacher for believing in me and in my potential so badly. But at times we realize what happened and what we did only after years and that's okay. I hope y'all had/have/will have someone like her in your life too.

And just in case... I'm here with this story to tell you that you can make it too: don't give up. Keep working and experimenting with the best way for you to study/learning, keep practicing and you will make it (ofc this works also for other aspects of life, not just languages ;) ). I really really believe in you.

[junkbbykow]

💎🎠🎀 𝒫𝒜𝒞 - 𝒞𝒶𝓇𝑒𝑒𝓇 𝒜𝒹𝓋𝒾𝒸𝑒 & 𝐹𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓃𝒸𝒾𝒶𝓁 𝒰𝓅𝒹𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓈 🎀 🎠💎

Collab with @daarlingdatura! This PAC is all about the current state of your finances and what is coming just around the corner for you love bugs 💐

Visit my newest reading ‘Ur That B*txh’

Please like, reblog, follow me and @daarlingdatura for more 🤑

PILE 1 - Knight of Wands | Queen of Pentacles

Pile by @junkbbykow

There’s obviously something you want. Bad and you are move towards it with speed. Don’t forget your manifestations are already yours and it is okay to rest, have fun, and so on.

Doors are opening and it’s up to you to walk through them! I made a post about this that I think y’all should check out here!

This project ignites passion, spontaneity, and creativity in you that people can only dream of. Like I said before REST and also evaluate the opportunities with the rose tinted glasses off. Rushing into things can have consequences down the line.

With the queen following this energy, this venture is your BABY. Put your love, energy, and time into this, but I don’t need to tell you this. This opportunity is bringing in stability and security which is probably why you’re going so hard for it. Send gratitude out into the universe and share this stability in the present. Being kind and loving always comes back ten fold. But before you nurture others, nurture yourself!

I see this project leading to A LOT of abundance and coming into your power. Y’all are entrepreneurs, artists, or something. You have an incredibly forceful energy and you are busting down doors and making this world (or industry) yours for the taking. Trust yourself. Believe in who you are and what you have to offer.

I pulled a song for you and all I have to say is don’t let people leech off of you or your success. Sometimes people have to do work for themselves in order to reap the benefits. You probably love these individuals but me mindful of needing to create your own abundance and manage it for longevity. ALSO, please reevaluate some of these relationships. They may not be as loving as you think, but that’s for you to decide. Nobody has the power to stop your success you can only give them the power to. (I an OF COURSE not meaning in a systematic oppression way more on a 1:1 basis) Have a mind of matter perspective 🐬

Visit my masterlist for exchange and paid readings 🪩

PILE 2

Pile by @daarlingdatura

There's a lot of information here. It seems like a lot of you have felt overwhelmed and bogged down by your current job or financial situation. Hold on tight though, it's time to start preparing for transition. I see here that although your current situation may feel drab or unlucky there is some kind of abundance hidden amongst it all. It's clear to me some of you can be rather ungrateful for the stability you've developed for yourself, you may forget to appreciate everything you've cultivated. Constantly living from a mindset of lack and disadvantage. When in reality your situation is just going through a change rn. I know the stagnance has been intense, and I feel like some of you could get a job offer from a parent? I'm gonna say really rationally think through if that's healthy for you. Some of you should take the offer and other's shouldn't. Don't put yourself or your livelihood at risk any further. A lot of you may not realize but if you just hold on a little tighter and keep pushing some form of recognition is coming for you. I really do feel like someone could've done work on some of y'alls money and livelihood? If you seem to have horrible luck with money and always be in a situation then it might be time to do an uncrossing and reflect on your relationship with money. Anyways, a lot of you have been feeling a need for public recognition and I do feel it's coming. Whether it be praise for your change in work ethic and taking things more seriously. Or on a more personal level with art and creativity. If you're in hot water at work you may be able to appease to a grandmotherly type figure by taking things on very seriously and just being sure to upkeep a calm home environment. Many of this pile is in big need of personal responsibility and accountability. There's a tendency to blame others or not want to be real with oneself. all in all, know that everything happening right now can and will get better. If you have been the main breadwinner a bit of stress may be relieved off of you. You need to put more energy into recognizing and releasing your flaws so that you can become a better version of yourself. The star popped up in this reading, but it seems like you are lazy and don't really recognize or put energy into this star power. What you may not see for those of you in a relationship is that a continued better attitude towards your connection on both ends will bring in more money, success, comfort, and even artistic recognition. Collaboration may be a key here, someone could end up making a mixtape or album that goes viral or gets very popular under some kind of moniker with their partner.

Okay so the Financial advice part I am going to channel. Please do an uncrossing, because someone is really betting on your financial downfall right now. For some of you it could be the aforementioned parent who wants to give a job offer. If you do this money uncrossing, you may find there is a great amount of hidden abundance and even some lenience popping up for you guys. Many of you may run across an even better job offer or opportunity that pays you properly and is significantly less stressful. It's just really important here for you to put protections around your money, finances, home stability, and relationship.

If you'd like a more personalized look at this situation hit me up for a 15$ branch off reading.

PILE 3 - Chariot | Ten of Cups

Pile by @junkbbykow

Your career or the next level of it is on its way to you! I feel like maybe you feel as if there was a certain inheritance or something you worked extremely hard for that you never received the fruit of your labor for. It was either delayed or something much more abundant than the typical inheritance is going to come to fruition.

You are special and that comes with hardships but also great abundance. I know your tired. Rest, conserve energy so that when the moment strikes and that opportunity knocks on your door, you’ll be ready.

Lmao I just heard a gunshot and it seemed kind of like an off to the race’s energy. You’re in the energy of carboloading, stretching, and mentally preparing yourself for this next race. Be prepared for obstacles but nothing obscene or out of your capabilities 🐅

Remember this is a race, not a chase. What you are manifesting is already yours. You’re waiting on your moment to act on it.

The race leads to HEAVY abundance. You’ll be able to rest and enjoy the the beauty of the universe. Connect with this energy by meditating in nature or reflecting daily on the aspects of your day that brought you joy in peace.

You’re tired I get that but don’t quit when you’re so close spirit is right there with you to make SURE you pass the ‘finish line’ 🍁

You’re going to recognize you have power for a different reason ‘See I’m fiercer now. I got a job. I got an education, and I got someone waiting at home for me gahd damit.’ You hold your power nobody or anything else use it as you see fit babes 🥮

Visit my masterlist for exchange and paid readings 🪩

PILE 4

pile by @daarlingdatura

Hello Pile 4, I'm seeing these are my people who may own their own business or be spiritualists/readers. You're on fire right now, and I see that you've been making a lot of moves and advancements towards a better future. An offer is still coming, many of you may have gotten downloads about this offer or opportunity. It's just on hold for a bit, there are circumstances around you that are kind of creating a situation in which you need to go into hermit mode right now. There could be someone actively trying to meddle with you Pile 4. Many of you could also be drawn to pile 2 or have a partner experiencing what is happening for pile 2. You're being asked to shed what keeps you from bringing n the abundance you're really seeking. The water is hot right now, but by making sure not to share your plans, ideas, motivations, or energy with anyone outside of yourself, your relationship, and your obligations you should be okay. It's important to keep fighting, just have faith in your future and know that you will be okay no matter what. You don't need to do an uncrossing like pile 2. As much as you need to posting nothing personal on socials, up your protection, and if you also relate to pile 2 or your partner gets pile 2 they need to do an uncrossing like seriously badly. Balance is coming, the fruits of your labor are paying off. Don't worry, just keep fighting and pushing.

Try not to give money to other people right now or share money. It's important you hold onto everything you've got. Don't share your finances or your situation with anyone, keep it all extremely private. Consider not even telling anyone in your direct vicinity including partners. You are trying to make something blossom, transmute the shit other people send your way. It's really important that everything is kept private and well put together. You may need to bite off more than you can chew rn to make ends meet. So if that means temporarily lowering prices or coming up with new and improved methods of making money then do that. There is abundance on the other side, I realize you've been hearing this for so long. You just have a few more things to be put in order. I'm sorry it keeps getting delayed pile 4. Best of luck, please keep faith and know that in the end you will be happy and blessed.

Thank you for reading! Please follow @junkbbykow and @daarlingdatura for more :)

[anotherpapercut]

College Resources

hey y'all so I have a degree in math, and have been tutoring college level math, stats, physics, and study skills for a few years now and I have several certifications as a college level tutor and in my years tutoring I've picked up a lot of absolutely essential things you NEED to know to pass math classes (and others!) if you have a hard time in math class, which unfortunately most schools will not teach you

so if you're in college (or high school, but some of these will be college specific) and you would like to hear my Professional Tips for how to survive math in college I have compiled a list of things I think you should know below the read more! I'm going to put a couple general tips at the top though for people who aren't taking a math class

alright, welcome to the read more! let's start with some general things

ok I'm starting with a kind of tip before the tips: if you are disabled, talk to disability support services at your school. a lot of times they provide services to attain a diagnosis if you don't have one, but if you do it's typically pretty easy to get accommodations and if your teachers try not to follow them, they will get in A LOT of trouble (I'm in the us so idk how disability laws are in other countries but here this is a big deal for universities bc public funding etc and if you make a complaint they will be FORCED to comply). I'm not saying bad experiences never happen, I've not been to every school in the us and I'm sure there are places that suck abt this, but I literally would not have been able to get a degree in math without accommodations (I'm autistic and have dyscalculia + memory issues) so it was worth every annoyed sigh by a dumbass teacher (which honestly rarely happened. most of them were cool). some possible accommodations include, extra time on tests, separate testing locations, formula cards, ability to use notes etc etc

I work in a free tutoring center at my local community college. while I won't say these are definitely universal, every college I have encountered (in the US, where I live) has one of these. Google the name of your school with tutoring. there is a very high chance you have free tutors available in a variety of subjects who are ready to help you. you should utilize the fuck out of this bc ur already probably paying for it in ur tuition

my favorite resource ever is one you may have heard of but I'm reminding you of it anyway. the Crash Course YouTube channel! it has free comprehensive videos about various subjects (including anatomy, physics, biology, economics, statistics and lots lots more). the videos are about 10 minutes each and they're incredibly easy to understand. they're an amazing way to study for finals. trust me on this one. they actually now have real introductory college courses that you can take for credit (tho I think you have to pay for that?) through YouTube so check into that!

take notes!!!!!!!! for real. seriously. even if you've never had to before. trust me. and don't just copy exactly what the board says, write what your teacher says out loud as well, that is often the most important stuff. I highly recommend investing in a few colored pens and/or highlighters. anytime the teacher says something important (such as formulas in a math class or a grammar rule in an English class) either write it in another color, or highlight it. color coding your notes even the tiniest bit will help you tremendously when you're studying and doing homework later. this doesn't mean having a color code so elaborate and strict that you're spending more time and energy figuring out the right color than listening and writing. I usually do the bulk of my notes in black then things like formulas or whatever in one bright color and extra bits of info from the teacher in another, this way it's easier to find the important stuff later on

if you've got a couple extra bucks, invest in a mini stapler. you'll be shocked how often those lil bitches come in handy

DO NOT EVER purchase your text books before the classes start (unless you get like an email before class starts telling you you need the book, but this is pretty rare tbh). half of your teachers are going to tell you on day 1 that they don't use the book at all. and honestly almost all of your books can be found by googling the name + pdf. just triple check that you have the correct edition!

speaking of emails, CHECK YOUR FUCKING SCHOOL EMAIL. I am so dead serious about this one. set up notifications on your phone. if you do not check your email you are going to show up for cancelled classes, miss assignment corrections, and generally not do nearly as well in your classes. I know this sounds fake but holy fucking shit please for the love of all that is good and holy check your fucking email. seriously.

the best way to study for your finals is to look at past tests and homework! if your teacher isn't a total dick they'll give you back your tests and homework. when studying for your final, go through and redo any that you got wrong, and look over the ones you got right. teachers usually take final questions from old tests and homework so if you do this it's very possible you'll study your exact finals questions. if they won't give you these back, reread your notes (in a way I'll describe in a moment)

reread your notes the same day you take them or very soon after so the lecture is still fresh in your mind! when you do this, grab a colored pen and take notes on your notes. I know this sounds ridiculous but it's actually a very important study tool. if you come across something you wrote that is confusing, write out an explanation. write down extra things that will help you understand the material. if there's something that you don't understand or don't remember PLEASE ask your teacher. some of them won't answer email so catch them in office hours or after class if you can. at the end of the semester when you're studying for finals, do this all over again but through your whole notebook for the semester (not all at once. pls take breaks lmfao)

if your teacher doesn't offer it up at the end of the semester, ask "can you please tell us some of the topics we should emphasize when studying for our finals?" (you can also say this in a far less pretentious way but I've found that professors are more likely to give you a real answer if you talk like this ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) I'm ngl, some of em will be assholes about this. they may laugh at the idea and snarkily say "look at your homework" or some shit equivalent. roll your eyes at these old bitches and move on. but many if not most will at least give y'all some idea of what to expect. and crucially: write down what they say and use it as a study guide

okey dokey!! that concludes the general section. now I'm gonna talk about some math specific stuff that will help you a lot if you struggle with math!

starting with an easy one: get a good calculator. please for the love of GOD do not get the TI-30X IIS unless you love it and are EXTREMELY familiar with all of the different operations. I'm sorry but this calculator sucks ass and it will hold you back. for about the same price you can get my personal favorite the Casio FX-115ES Plus (1st edition only, I haven't tried the 2nd edition bc I don't like change) or an FX-991 EX. if you're a Texas instruments guy get a TI 30XS or if ur doing calc and shit I'd get a 36X pro. I just prefer Casio personally lmao. in all likelihood your math teacher will be a calculator nerd who can teach you how to use any of these but there are also lots of videos made by calculator nerds on YouTube as well

so next I just want to emphasize how important your notes are. you cannot pass a math class without good notes unless it's a class you've already taken or something, and honestly even then I'd recommend you write some stuff down because the thing about math is there are a lot of different ways to do the same thing. which brings me to my next point

pay attention to the process your teacher uses to solve problems (I'll give an example in a sec) and especially to how they write the process down. if you're like me and you have trouble with the whole "show your work" thing this will help a lot, because you can use what your teacher writes down as a guideline for what you should write down. for instance, you may have learned about a math concept like permutations and combinations in high school one way, and then be taught a completely different way of performing the calculation in college. if this happens, ask your teacher about your way. sometimes their way is better for a specific reason and it's really important that you learn it. sometimes they'll say it doesn't matter just do what makes the most sense to you. sometimes you will also not get full credit if you do things a different way too so be careful and pay attention to what your teacher says abt it. you may have also been taught to show some steps in an operation but not others and your new teacher may want all of them. or none. or different ones. unfortunately math has a lot of variations

similarly, if there's a concept you don't understand, start by asking your teacher about it first bc they may want you doing a specific thing. if they're not helpful and you don't have access to a tutor turn to the internet. here are my recommendations for resources: Khan Academy has videos and examples explaining concepts in pretty much all types of math. usually really helpful because they'll show you several different methods and use different explanations, MathWay for classes that come before trig/calc. you can use it for those but it's a little more annoying lol specifically in regards to graphing and solving integrals and shit. this tool has A LOT of stuff in it but is best as a calculator to check your work on stuff and for showing you graphs that have transformations and shit like that from college algebra. it's got settings for different math types and even chemistry tho!, for more complicated graphing I'd use Desmos. you can use this in all classes but it's just a bit more complicated imo and it's more made for complex operations so I prefer to use MathWay as much as possible bc it's just more user friendly., there's also Symbolab which a lot of my fellow tutors really like but I personally tend to use the others more, Wolfram Alpha is a pretty well known one. tbh I find it kind of hard to use sometimes so i usually use it as a last resort lmfao but it is really good!, this last one is calculus specific (including things like calc based physics ofc) but derivative calculator and integral calculator are everything to me. could not have gotten through calc 2 and 3 w/o these mfs

OK THIS PART IS REALLY IMPORTANT!! we're going to talk about how you can make your math tests WAY easier on you and massively improve your chances of passing. here's what you're going to do for every test

1. when studying for your test, go through and find ALL formulas that you used in the unit(s) your test is over (this includes formulas you learned previously but used in this unit as well!!)

2. commit them to memory. easiest way to do this (besides practicing using them!!) is to rewrite them a few times including what you use them for and what all of the symbols and letters stand for

3. when you go in to take your test, spend like 5-10 minutes beforehand, right up until they make you put everything away, studying and rewriting these

4. the SECOND the test hits your desk, flip it over and write down every single formula immediately (including as much extra info like when to use and variable definitions as possible). now you won't have to try to remember them 30 minutes in when your brain is frying!!

5. go through the test and read each question carefully. if you can't remember how to solve it within 30 seconds skip it. you might only do 4 or 5 questions (maybe less depending on the length of your test) after the first pass, but just go back to the beginning and do it again, giving urself a little more time w each pass. this will ensure that you're not spending 45 minutes on problem 4 and having no time to get to the rest of the test. additionally with math it is extremely common to basically find the answer to how to do one problem while you're doing another problem. doing the ones you know first will also boost your confidence and help prevent anxiety from wiping ur brain. this is a really really important part of math tests

6. before you hand your test in, make sure you've written SOMETHING down on EVERY SINGLE QUESTION. even if you have absolutely 0 idea whatsoever what to do, there is always a chance for partial credit. a lot of times, you also know more than you think you do. so even if you can only do half a step of the whole process, half a point is better than 0!! if you really have no clue what to do, make something up. I know this probably sounds ridiculous but I'm so deadass. once I was taking a physics test and could not for the life of me remember what formula to use so I just made one up based on my vague idea of how it worked lmao. I wrote off to the side "I know this isn't how physics works, but I can't remember that so just pretend I'm god for a second" and I got like 75% of the points bc the teacher appreciated the effort!! there were fucking countless times when I was taking a test and I got to a point where I knew the steps of what I was supposed to do but could not figure out HOW to actually DO the math. so I wrote in words my understanding of what the next steps were. even though I didn't finish answering the question, I always got points for trying. this is what teachers are wanting from you. effort. so PLEASE write literally anything even if you're just making that shit up (just explain your reasoning in words to the side, as long as you're using logic you're really getting the essence of math anyway). you would not BELIEVE how fast your grades will improve by doing this. I tutored a girl who went from Ds to Bs within literally 2 weeks of starting tutoring just because she stopped leaving any questions blank and started getting partial credit

that's all the important stuff I can think of for now though I'm sure there's much more so I may update this in the future!

of course everyone is going to have a different experience and relationship with math. so adjust all of these tips to fit how you learn best. please try to remember that learning math is a very important part of developing your critical reasoning and logistical analysis skills. these are essential to understanding and interacting with the world and math is just a way of exercising those muscles. trust me when I say I know how infuriating math can be. I have dyscalculia and a math degree. I've spent so many hours crying over math you probably wouldn't even believe me. but it's worth it! and frankly, if you're in college, you're paying a lot of money for this class. you deserve to get everything you possibly can out of it

above all, if you're having trouble ASK FOR HELP. ask your teacher, ask your classmates, ask the head of the department, ask student services, ask Google!! and if you need help you can always ask me! :) I love helping people with this stuff and even if I don't know the answer to your question I'm pretty good at knowing where to look for them!

[sankariia]

ONE-WOMAN ARMY.

indie, selective, single-muse and canon divergent blog for a MULTIVERSE // POKEMON OC. read the rules below before interacting. no password required. mutuals only.

ATTENTION: this blog follows from @darkestaken.

                  penned by NØX.   (   + 20.   she // her.   cinematography student.   )

ABOUT HERE.

✧  o1. asks & threads.

If you want to make a plotted thread, y'all just need to hit me up ! Be it on my DMs or Discord ( that I only give to close mutuals ), if you send something I should answer it pretty fast. And if you want to continue a thread based on an ask, there is no problem with that, no need to ask !

✧  o2. roleplay memes.

I do reblog karma here ! This means that I would prefer that you reblog a meme on my blog from the source ! I do not like the notification clogging it does ! I am BEGGING you to reblog both memes and musing posts FROM THE SOURCE. It’s such a pet peeve of mine.

Since many people tend to do that, I have decided that after 3 times someone reblogs a meme from me ( instead of the source )  without sending any, I will softblock said person. This rule does not apply if the source of the meme is broken.

✧  o3. language & grammar.

English is my third language, so be ready, there might be some spelling errors and mistakes, heck, there might be some on this page only ! You might find some posts in italian or french.

✧  o4. godmodding.

is of course non-authorized. Killing my muse without so much of a warning and us plotting beforehand will make me automatically drop the thread. METAGAMING unless warned or talked about before is also non-authorized.

✧  o5. art & credits.

The art used on this blog ( icons & graphics ) will come from both my art & commissioned art.

✧  o6. crossover & ocs.

Both are great ! Usually if you have an about page, you’re already halfway good to go. For crossovers, I have to know the universe your muse is from / you gotta have a verse I can work with, as for OCs, I love OCs to bits and I’ve been an advocate for ocs since 2016.

✧  o7. shipping & nsfw.

I am more than okay with shipping, if of course we’re both on the same page about it. One-sided crushes can happen, both from your character and mine, but if the feelings are unrequited I will not push you for a relationship nor should you expect yourself to do the same towards me. i experience shipping anxiety due to past trauma; for that reason, i prefer to ship with friends, people i vibe with, and people i can go to for reassurance.

NSFW will happen only in the form of violence, dark themes and sexual content, and anything will be tagged. For specific triggers, please shoot me a message.

✧  o8. Battle threads.

For any pokémon battle thread, I will be using the PWT battle system. Please give these a good read, and understand that I demand communication during these types of threads. For rolling the dices, we will be using roll dices with friends. Levels of Felicity's team may be adjusted depending on the timeline of events, or simply to make the battles more fair if there is too much of a level disparency. We can also use Showdown.

✧  o9. Blacklist & triggers.

I have very little squeaks, however I understand that others do. If you need anything tagged, tell me so ! I will not interact with The Amazing Digital Circus, other Glitch Production works, as well as any Vizpop Production muses. If you are a multimuse or have a verse that connects to those, please have a tag I can block.

✧  1o. AI art & other stipulations.

I WILL BLOCK YOU IF I SEE YOU USING AI-GENERATED ART. if you are unaware of the problems ai-generated material causes for the art industry, be it illustrators, writers or animators, i implore you to educate yourself on the matter. as someone who would like to enter the industry one day, THIS IS A DEAL BRAKER TO ME. i understand the curiousity and wanting to do it recreationaly, however, BE AWARE that those do cause harm too and feed the machine.

PLEASE TAG YOUR INTERACTIONS WITH MAE // FOXTAIL // SERA // GORE // ANTICUTES AND PAPAYA // AXOLOLT // GLORY. Their presence is pretty triggering for me. Thank you ! Their URL is enough. I WILL ALSO NOT INTERACT WITH PROSHIPPERS. if we're friends & i find out you're a weirdo, i don't care how long we've been friends, IT'S ON SIGHT AND I WILL NOT BE COVERING YOUR ASS EITHER. i'm a recovering survivor of grooming and abuse and i do not wish to be exposed to that kind of content nor people who actively get off it, and that is my right.

I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR LACK OF COMMUNICATION. as a roleplay partner and friend, i try to be as communicative as possible, and i believe that enjoyable interactions, be it ic or ooc, reside on all parties communicating their needs and wants. IF YOU FAIL TO DO YOUR PART, THAT IS NOT MY FAULT. don't be wishy washy about it, i take things at face value; give me CLEAR STATEMENTS.

[just-a-little-unionoid]

Okay y'all new soulmate AU just dropped!

disclaimer: realistically I'm probably no the first who came out with this concept, I've just never seen it before and thought about it for quite some time now; that said if you know a story with this concept i'll be delighted to hear about it! (please)

Now that it's said, the AU itself!

I'm calling it "Dreammate AU"

The concept is very simple: people who are soulmates share their dreams in a way or another, it can takes different forms depending of what you, as a writer, decide to do:

soulmates can share dreams "since birth" or only after they meet for the first time

they can dream from the same pov (both the same "character") or from different perspectives (both have their own character, or one dream as a character (main on or not) and the other is just an observer...)

if they need to meet first for the link to form, it could be instantaneous (the next night they can share a dream) or takes some weeks (or more)

or it can be something else entirely, that one only dream of what the other actually do irl if they're not asleep (that's the one I use in one of my original works)

or really anything that you want, like that's the point of creation, right?

What do I like about this AU particularly? And what kind of things can be explored in it?

wow so glad you asked bc I'd say it anyway

on a personal level (I know this one will not be universal) I love soulmates AUs but I always struggle a little with the idea of a cosmically predeterminated mate (I'm very unconfortable with the concept of predetermination as a whole irl), and this concept as opposed as more "visible" soulmarks can at least let some place to interpretation

I LOVE sharing my dreams with people irl, partly because my dreams are absolute bonkers and super fun to tell, and learn about other people dreams, so obviously this concept appeals to me

interesting ideas to explore in this AU include:

worlbuilding: how does a society in which sharing what you dreamed of could lead you to discover your soulmate(s)?

are dreams standard small talk? because you never know?

or is it the opposite? is "sharing your dream" something very intimate because that means/suppose you see your interlocutor as a potential soulmate and partner?

maybe both option cohexist in the univers you're creating, depending of origin or social backgroung, could be an occasion to explore differences in socialization

probably in this universe it's common to note everything you remember from your dreams as precisely as possible

I can totally see a whole profession (dreamkeeper?) which point is to collect, read, classify and trying to match dreams for people to find their soulmate(s)

modern version of this job could include some kind of Internet site/social media with this purpose, and probably AI

and of course, your fav blorbos finding each other but being absolutely clueless about being soulmates

If you have other ideas, please share!

What do you think about it?

I would probably have some other things to add but the point is also to see what we can all create on this concept, it's not fun to do it alone, so please add your own ideas, tell me for which fandom you would write or read this AU, and how (please), reblog if you like the idea or if you think your followers may like it!

[foulflames]

TROUBLEMAKER !!!

indie, selective & single blog for AMIRA RASHID, OF THE MONSTER PROM FRANCHISE. super cross-over friendly. read about & rules below before interacting. no password required. mutuals only.

              penned by NØX.   (   + 20.   she // her.   cinematography student.   )

INFO.

✧  o1. asks & threads.

If you want to make a plotted thread, y'all just need to hit me up ! Be it on my DMs or Discord ( that I only give to close mutuals ), if you send something I should answer it pretty fast. And if you want to continue a thread based on an ask, there is no problem with that, no need to ask !

✧  o2. roleplay memes.

I do reblog karma here ! This means that I would prefer that you reblog a meme on my blog from the source ! I do not like the notification clogging it does ! I am BEGGING you to reblog both memes and musing posts FROM THE SOURCE. It’s such a pet peeve of mine.

Since many people tend to do that, I have decided that after 3 times someone reblogs a meme from me ( instead of the source )  without sending any, I will softblock said person. This rule does not apply if the source of the meme is broken.

✧  o3. language & grammar.

English is my third language, so be ready, there might be some spelling errors and mistakes, heck, there might be some on this page only ! You might find some posts in italian or french.

✧  o4. godmodding.

is of course non-authorized. Killing my muse without so much of a warning and us plotting beforehand will make me automatically drop the thread. METAGAMING unless warned or talked about before is also non-authorized.

✧  o5. art & credits.

The art used on this blog ( icons & graphics ) will come from both my art, commissioned art, and fery's Parties Are For Losers character's Anya, which is Felicity's face claim.

✧  o6. crossover & ocs.

Both are great ! Usually if you have an about page, you’re already halfway good to go. For crossovers, I have to know the universe your muse is from / you gotta have a verse I can work with, as for OCs, I love OCs to bits and I’ve been an advocate for ocs since 2016.

✧  o7. shipping & nsfw.

I am more than okay with shipping, if of course we’re both on the same page about it. One-sided crushes can happen, both from your character and mine, but if the feelings are unrequited I will not push you for a relationship nor should you expect yourself to do the same towards me.

NSFW will happen only in the form of violence, dark themes and sexual content, and anything will be tagged. For specific triggers, please shoot me a message.

✧  o8. Battle threads.

For any pokémon battle thread, I will be using the PWT battle system. Please give these a good read, and understand that I demand communication during these types of threads. For rolling the dices, we will be using roll dices with friends. Levels of Felicity's team may be adjusted depending on the timeline of events, or simply to make the battles more fair if there is too much of a level disparency. We can also use Showdown.

✧  o9. Blacklist & triggers.

I have very little squeaks, however I understand that others do. If you need anything tagged, tell me so ! I will not interact with The Amazing Digital Circus, other Glitch Production works, as well as any Vizpop Production muses. If you are a multimuse or have a verse that connects to those, please have a tag I can block.

✧  1o. AI art & other stipulations.

I WILL BLOCK YOU IF I SEE YOU USING AI-GENERATED ART. if you are unaware of the problems ai-generated material causes for the art industry, be it illustrators, writers or animators, i implore you to educate yourself on the matter. as someone who would like to enter the industry one day, THIS IS A DEAL BRAKER TO ME. i understand the curiousity and wanting to do it recreationaly, however, BE AWARE that those do cause harm too and feed the machine.

PLEASE TAG YOUR INTERACTIONS WITH MAE // FOXTAIL // SERA // GORE AND PAPAYA // AXOLOLT // GLORY. Their presence is pretty triggering for me. Thank you ! Their URL is enough. I WILL ALSO NOT INTERACT WITH PROSHIPPERS. if we're friends & i find out you're a weirdo, i don't care how long we've been friends, IT'S ON SIGHT AND I WILL NOT BE COVERING YOUR ASS EITHER. i'm a recovering survivor of grooming and abuse and i do not wish to be exposed to that kind of content nor people who actively get off it, and that is my right.

I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR LACK OF COMMUNICATION. as a roleplay partner and friend, i try to be as communicative as possible, and i believe that enjoyable interactions, be it ic or ooc, reside on all parties communicating their needs and wants. IF YOU FAIL TO DO YOUR PART, THAT IS NOT MY FAULT. don't be wishy washy about it, i take things at face value; give me CLEAR STATEMENTS.

[skullzapped]

CATCH ME LATER BABY, YOU CAN CATCH ME ONLINE.

indie, selective, single-muse and canon divergent blog for a TEAM SKULL ADMIN, POKEMON OC. read the about and the rules below before interacting. no password required. mutuals only.

a study in ― sheading your old life behind. nature and technology, forever one and only. a monster in your own skin. transhumanism, the humanity of machinery. cowardice and survival, necessary means. love, tearing you apart. guilt and how to move on from it.

graphics blog: @noxcave

                  penned by NØX.   (   + 20.   she // her.   cinematography student.   )

about & rules.

✧  o1. asks & threads.

If you want to make a plotted thread, y'all just need to hit me up ! Be it on my DMs or Discord ( that I only give to close mutuals ), if you send something I should answer it pretty fast. And if you want to continue a thread based on an ask, there is no problem with that, no need to ask !

✧  o2. roleplay memes.

I do reblog karma here ! This means that I would prefer that you reblog a meme on my blog from the source ! I do not like the notification clogging it does ! I am BEGGING you to reblog both memes and musing posts FROM THE SOURCE. It’s such a pet peeve of mine.

Since many people tend to do that, I have decided that after 3 times someone reblogs a meme from me ( instead of the source )  without sending any, I will softblock said person. This rule does not apply if the source of the meme is broken.

✧  o3. language & grammar.

English is my third language, so be ready, there might be some spelling errors and mistakes, heck, there might be some on this page only ! You might find some posts in italian or french.

✧  o4. godmodding.

is of course non-authorized. Killing my muse without so much of a warning and us plotting beforehand will make me automatically drop the thread. METAGAMING unless warned or talked about before is also non-authorized.

✧  o5. art & credits.

The art used on this blog ( icons & graphics ) will come from both my art, commissioned art, and fery's Parties Are For Losers character's Anya, which is Felicity's face claim.

✧  o6. crossover & ocs.

Both are great ! Usually if you have an about page, you’re already halfway good to go. For crossovers, I have to know the universe your muse is from / you gotta have a verse I can work with, as for OCs, I love OCs to bits and I’ve been an advocate for ocs since 2016.

✧  o7. shipping & nsfw.

I am more than okay with shipping, if of course we’re both on the same page about it. One-sided crushes can happen, both from your character and mine, but if the feelings are unrequited I will not push you for a relationship nor should you expect yourself to do the same towards me.

NSFW will happen only in the form of violence, dark themes and sexual content, and anything will be tagged. For specific triggers, please shoot me a message.

✧  o8. Battle threads.

For any pokémon battle thread, I will be using the PWT battle system. Please give these a good read, and understand that I demand communication during these types of threads. For rolling the dices, we will be using roll dices with friends. Levels of Felicity's team may be adjusted depending on the timeline of events, or simply to make the battles more fair if there is too much of a level disparency. We can also use Showdown.

✧  o9. Blacklist & triggers.

I have very little squeaks, however I understand that others do. If you need anything tagged, tell me so ! I will not interact with The Amazing Digital Circus, other Glitch Production works, as well as any Vizpop Production muses. If you are a multimuse or have a verse that connects to those, please have a tag I can block.

✧  1o. AI art & other stipulations.

I WILL BLOCK YOU IF I SEE YOU USING AI-GENERATED ART. if you are unaware of the problems ai-generated material causes for the art industry, be it illustrators, writers or animators, i implore you to educate yourself on the matter. as someone who would like to enter the industry one day, THIS IS A DEAL BRAKER TO ME. i understand the curiousity and wanting to do it recreationaly, however, BE AWARE that those do cause harm too and feed the machine.

PLEASE TAG YOUR INTERACTIONS WITH MAE // FOXTAIL // SERA // GORE AND PAPAYA // AXOLOLT // GLORY. Their presence is pretty triggering for me. Thank you ! Their URL is enough. I WILL ALSO NOT INTERACT WITH PROSHIPPERS. if we're friends & i find out you're a weirdo, i don't care how long we've been friends, IT'S ON SIGHT AND I WILL NOT BE COVERING YOUR ASS EITHER. i'm a recovering survivor of grooming and abuse and i do not wish to be exposed to that kind of content nor people who actively get off it, and that is my right.

I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR LACK OF COMMUNICATION. as a roleplay partner and friend, i try to be as communicative as possible, and i believe that enjoyable interactions, be it ic or ooc, reside on all parties communicating their needs and wants. IF YOU FAIL TO DO YOUR PART, THAT IS NOT MY FAULT. don't be wishy washy about it, i take things at face value; give me CLEAR STATEMENTS.

[42flower]

WHAT'S UP DANGER

#42FLOWER. — an independent, selective, sideblog for MILES MORALES of EARTH 1610, as told by the spiderverse movies. depicted by NOX. cross-over & oc friendly. read rules below before interacting. no password required. follows exclusively from @novaragno.

DISCLAIMER: if you don't love me at my oc, you don't deserve me at my canon. mun is of age, muse is a minor. therefore, there will be no smut on this blog. any sexual content will be restricted to dumb teenager jokes. keep fl*werpunk and fl*werfang away from me.

✧  o1. asks & threads.

If you want to make a plotted thread, y'all just need to hit me up ! Be it on my DMs or Discord ( that I only give to close mutuals ), if you send something I should answer it pretty fast. And if you want to continue a thread based on an ask, there is no problem with that, no need to ask !

✧  o2. roleplay memes.

I do reblog karma here ! This means that I would prefer that you reblog a meme on my blog from the source ! I do not like the notification clogging it does ! I am BEGGING you to reblog both memes and musing posts FROM THE SOURCE. It’s such a pet peeve of mine.

Since many people tend to do that, I have decided that after 3 times someone reblogs a meme from me ( instead of the source )  without sending any, I will softblock said person. This rule does not apply if the source of the meme is broken.

✧  o3. language & grammar.

English is my third language, so be ready, there might be some spelling errors and mistakes, heck, there might be some on this page only ! You might find some posts in italian or french.

✧  o4. godmodding.

is of course non-authorized. Killing my muse without so much of a warning and us plotting beforehand will make me automatically drop the thread. METAGAMING unless warned or talked about before is also non-authorized.

✧  o5. art & credits.

The art used on this blog ( icons & graphics ) will come from official art, screenshots, and concept art. in the cases fanart is used, all artists will be credited properly. if an artist wishes their art to be removed from their blog, i will do so immediately.

✧  o6. crossover & ocs.

Both are great ! Usually if you have an about page, you’re already halfway good to go. For crossovers, I have to know the universe your muse is from / you gotta have a verse I can work with, as for OCs, I love OCs to bits and I’ve been an advocate for ocs since 2016.

✧  o7. shipping & nsfw.

I am more than okay with shipping, if of course we’re both on the same page about it. One-sided crushes can happen, both from your character and mine, but if the feelings are unrequited I will not push you for a relationship nor should you expect yourself to do the same towards me.

NSFW will happen only in the form of violence and dark themes. For specific triggers, please shoot me a message.

✧  o8. Battle threads.

For any pokémon battle thread, I will be using the PWT battle system. Please give these a good read, and understand that I demand communication during these types of threads. For rolling the dices, we will be using roll dices with friends. Levels of Felicity's team may be adjusted depending on the timeline of events, or simply to make the battles more fair if there is too much of a level disparency. We can also use Showdown.

✧  o9. Blacklist & triggers.

I have very little squeaks, however I understand that others do. If you need anything tagged, tell me so ! I will not interact with T.he A.mazing D.igital C.ircus, other Glitch Production works, as well as any Vizpop Production muses. If you are a multimuse or have a verse that connects to those, please have a tag I can block.

✧  1o. AI art & other stipulations.

I WILL BLOCK YOU IF I SEE YOU USING AI-GENERATED ART. if you are unaware of the problems ai-generated material causes for the art industry, be it illustrators, writers or animators, i implore you to educate yourself on the matter. as someone who would like to enter the industry one day, THIS IS A DEAL BRAKER TO ME. i understand the curiousity and wanting to do it recreationaly, however, BE AWARE that those do cause harm too and feed the machine.

PLEASE TAG YOUR INTERACTIONS WITH MAE // FOXTAIL // SERA // GORE AND PAPAYA // AXOLOLT // GLORY. Their presence is pretty triggering for me. Thank you ! Their URL is enough. I WILL ALSO NOT INTERACT WITH PROSHIPPERS. if we're friends & i find out you're a weirdo, i don't care how long we've been friends, IT'S ON SIGHT AND I WILL NOT BE COVERING YOUR ASS EITHER. i'm a recovering survivor of grooming and abuse and i do not wish to be exposed to that kind of content nor people who actively get off it, and that is my right.

I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR LACK OF COMMUNICATION. as a roleplay partner and friend, i try to be as communicative as possible, and i believe that enjoyable interactions, be it ic or ooc, reside on all parties communicating their needs and wants. IF YOU FAIL TO DO YOUR PART, THAT IS NOT MY FAULT. don't be wishy washy about it, i take things at face value; give me CLEAR STATEMENTS.