#mama has college debt to pay off

[brucewaynehater101]

I have a really soft and cute au for Lesbian Janet that could work in any universe but I think works best in the Young Justice TV Show Universe.

See, everyone gets really confused when Tim talks about his Mom, sometimes referring to her as Mama. Tim thinks that using two different titles like that should make it Obvious that he has Two Moms but well. The Bats may be Super Geniuses but they are still Idiots. Tim is also an absolute Mama's Boy with Both his Moms. He loves them both So Much.

Oh, where is Jack you ask? He doesn't actually exist. He's the fake name and personality that Tim's Mama came up with and used Magic to disguise as so they could get Legally Married For Tax Benifits. Also to get his Mama a legal identity. Why would she need one of those? Well... as was mentioned, Tim's Mama has Magic with a Captial M. This by extension means Tim is Magic With A Capital M as well. Totally has nothing to do with Janet and his Mama sculpting him from clay and breathing life into him. Woes of pregnancy who? Not Janet that's for sure.

Also Tim does Not tell anyone that he has Magic and he doesn't show it off. The only reason the Bats found out about it is because Tim came to a meeting with Bruce and Diana went "you. Your Magic is Familure but I don't know from where." And Tim was sweating while saying, "Magic? What magic??" And after getting questioned by Diana and Bruce he Caves and tells them a half truth, "fine. I was made from Clay, like you. My Mom didn't want to go through the struggles of Childbirth but still wanted a child. Instead of adopting like any sane and rational person, she made a deal with a God or Godess. I don't know all the details but she owed them something in exchange for Me. I do know the debt has been paid already though."

The debt was simply a tea spoon of blood for the ritual and A Kiss. Janet over paid the second part by a lot.

As for how Janet met and wooed A Goddess? Well, she was on a dig in Greece when her boat she was using to get to another island was caught in a storm and washed up on a different island. The Goddess was expecting violence or anger at being stranded, perhaps even Sorrow. But no, Janet took one look at the Temple in the distance and was pushing past her saying she needed to get to the Temple because it's clearly in *amazing* condition and could bring So Many insights into Ancient Greek culture and building practice. For the first time in decades, as this Random Woman ran her hand along a pillar and started rambling about the design and what the type of collums were called, Circe felt herself blushing.

CIRCE?!?!?

FUCK YEAH.

Anyways, this is absolutely adorable. Fuck. I would love an entire fic of Janet. Here's a general plot line:

Janet hasn't ever really been interested in romance. She's tried dating a few guys in high school for appearance sake, but she usually broke the relationship off when they became too affectionate.

This is when others started referring to her as "cold." She wasn't, but few people got close enough to her to listen to her rambles about ancient civilizations, archeology, and sociality impacts of culture. She enjoyed other stuff, but nothing quite lit her up like those topics did.

In college, she did find and make a few friends with similar interests. This is where she figured out she was into women and not men. The relationships lasted longer, but she was single by the time she graduated with her bachelor's.

Her master's ends up as some sort of work study where she travels the world. She's more invested in her studies and work than relationships at this point. She enjoys learning about people's lives and cultures but doesn't seek out more than friendship.

I'm not sure if Janet has already or is working on her doctorate by the time she ends up lost on an island (or really how archeology even pays bills).

When she arrives on the island, there's a beautiful woman there as well. Janet notices this, but doesn't give a flying fuck in comparison to the architecture.

And Circe? Finds herself amused and confused by this woman who, although is into women, doesn't care about Circe's looks. Janet just keeps asking questions about Circe's life, the temple, the plants, the culture, etc. It becomes endearing watching her work late into the night with her research.

Janet is so enthralled in all that is going on that she doesn't notice Circe's continuous flirting. It's so fucking frustrating for Circe, but makes her unbearably fond as well. Janet starts to consider this drop dead gorgeous woman a close friend of hers as they "work" late into the chatting about ancient Greece, their past experiences, and their lives. Janet, who has some experience with romance but not much, even flirts back. After all, women call each other beautiful all the time and hold hands and shit. Surely Janet can platonically cuddle with her friend while Circe compares Janet's eyes to the night sky.

It's only when Janet is ready to leave that she realizes that she's willing to give up everything she's worked for, all of her findings and education, to have more time with Circe. Janet is in love with her best friend.

Also, Circe is able to get a fake ID as "Jack" due to magic and Janet's connections

[puntastic-artist]

Figured I'd share my Scout OC here as well as my other class OCs :]

Robin (He/They) : A normal Scout dude who accidentally got curse-ified because his demo and soldier pissed merasmus off, so now he's part octopus and can shape shift (He's only here to pay for college debt)

Francis (He/Him): Robin's adopted Dad and once BLU Spy now RED Spy. Used to be a workaholic until his best friend's wife died and he had to raise a baby, now he's trying to keep a healthy balance between his work and family life, especially now that he has a husband and his son has grown up

Eddie (He/Him): An engineer and physicist who adores his job but is also a big ol' mama bear, he's protective of his team more than his sentrys, he's Francis' husband and Robin's step Dad! (Robin likes to shape shift into him)

Levi: (He/It): a RED sniper who is actually TERRIBLE at sniping, he can't aim, but somehow always ends up hitting someone or something important/objective related. He's more of a worry wart but is also more outgoing than OG sniper and actively makes surprise plans with his boyfriend

Some of these characters I don't quite have the full story yet for them, but they'll come!

[marshmallow--shark]

Oh, I love my girlfriend so much. It feels like nicotine everytime we get to have a date together. And what we did on this date, I shall tell you! I showed her Voyager and Ds9 characters and had her nickname them and give first impressions. And now I share her wonderful insights with you lot:

Janeway: Mama Maria, a renowened chef who owns a cooking brand of butter where the bottle is shaped like herself. Became a Star Trek to promote her brand.

Chakotay: Joey-David Hasselhoff, lost his legs in the great star wars as is now very short. Became a Star Trek to pay off his outstanding gambling debts. The marking on his face is a barcode to immediately kill him if he tries to escape.

Kes: Mama Maria's evil twin, not a true Star Trek and just has the visitor's pass. Has the power to return everything to its base components. She is always under attack so she wears an indestructible vest.

Doctor: Uncle Steve, do not trust around children. The blue is a warning and he's very bitter about it. Pretends he's a genius but he's very stupid. He has an ankle bracelet which keeps him from leaving the ship which he bothers everyone about.

Neelix: A criminal mastermind tattoo artist that destroyed his homeworld with a tattoo machine, not a true Star Trek but came along to be amused. Talks like a gangster. I.. don't remember the name she gave him..

Tuvok: Great Value Spock, bought at the store on a discount during a clearance Vulcan sale and they needed a Vulcan to complete their ship. His eyebrows are drawn on.

Paris: Milk toast, the whitest white to ever white. He goes to space church which he himself built and his favourite food is white bread. Just a guy, he has no reason to be here.

Torres: Laquisha, a plant that knows absolutely everything. Does not like Uncle Steve. Goes to space church but because she knows its fake, and the world is actually on a cracker with hummus that will eventually be eaten by the one true space god.

Kim: Mark, a part timer that's just there. He does a bit of everything but he isn't actually good at anything. A temporary Star Trek but eventually he'll quit and follow his dreams to go to space college.

Sisko: Carl, owns a vintage George Foreman grill and makes space hotdogs for everyone on Hotdog Friday. Uses his baldness as a weapon to blind his enemies.

Kira: Karen, a typical Karen who is rude to everyone around her. Complains about being on Ds9 but doesn't do anything about it. Hosts a radio show to sell her trademark cement purses, which she always carries around at all times.

Bashir: Dominic (named by the two of us), participated in the space sex offender shuffle. He is very creepy and no one likes him, don't trust around anyone. No one can stop him. Probably really into bondage.

Odo: Gorp, created by the Kardashians to be a clone but made wrong. Banished for being a failure of a clone. He has no feeling in his left hand and cannot feel pain. His ears are glued on.

Dax: Monica, a furry that believes she is a leopard. Also a sex offender but they forgive her because she's so good at her job. If you see her walking around in a fursuit, let her be. Do not anger her because there will be no escape. Sells pancakes alongside Mama Maria and they are dating.

O'Brien: Loppy, it's his first day! He's so happy to be here, he's having a grand old time. It's always his first day as he is actually a mind parasite that makes everyone believe it is his first day and they will never know how long he's actually been there. Never.

Dukat: Zorath/Zorag (We both forgot it so it changes to something else with a z) -Melty Candle Face, an obsessive yandere Klingon that's very mentally unstable. He was first in love with Dominic until he found he could not be trusted. He targeted Loppy next because its his first day. Currently dating someone else, but it's undetermined who it is.

Garak: From the Shining Jack Nicholson, a scizophrenic who causes problems for everyone. His daily hobby is crawling through the vents and he can show up anywhere at anytime. He is an unpredictable menace that likes to scare the ship.

Mirror Kira: Ds9, the ship itself embodied as a half robot. Abuses her power to sleep with everyone on the station. What happens to the ship happens to her and forces everyone to protect her under the threat of death. She will not hesitate to throw you out of the airlock if you disobey her.

[shoutwiththedevil]

Send me feet pics pleez babedoll, me love you long time babegirl just show me feet and open bobs

These are literally the funniest asks I’ve ever gotten. WHO IS THIS???

[seasonsofeverlark]

Panem Hunger Center

Author: @norbertsmom​

Prompt: How about for November Peeta and Katniss meet while helping out at a food kitchen on or around Thanksgiving. [submitted by @endlessnightlock​]

Rating: T

Author’s Note: Happy Thanksgiving to all of our American readers. Special thanks goes out to my beta and bestie @mega-aulover​.

_________

  I’m getting too old for this stuff, but here goes nothin’. The room is full of laughter as I make my way up to the podium to begin my speech. The room quiets as I take the microphone.

Some of you might not know me, but my name is Sae. Most folks around here call me Greasy Sae, and I’ve been working at the Panem Hunger Center since we started it up back in the day. I’d like to tell you a little something about our wonderful Katniss.

All eyes in the crowd turn to Katniss and I can see the blush on her face.

Katniss came to the Panem Hunger Center as a client when she was just a young girl, only 11 years old. Scrawny thing, she was too. Dripping wet from the cold and rainy night that would chill most folks to the bone, but our dear Katniss was determined to find a way to feed her family that late April night.

You see, her father had passed away 3 months prior and her mother was doing poorly. Katniss took it upon herself to take care of not only herself and her distraught mother, but her younger sister too. Katniss traded and sold off what little belonging she could, but once the cupboards were bare, she headed out to trade what had to be the last of her worldly possessions, some old baby clothes her sister had grown out of. Unfortunately, no one was buying.

Somehow, Katniss managed to stumble into our doors. I like to think it was the smell of my soup cooking that brought her in. She was so small, shivering and wet, but fierce just the same. Katniss wandered over to the serving table, but was reluctant at first to take anything for free. I took the baby clothes as a trade, but she didn’t think it was enough. She was adamant that she had to pay her way, so I gave her a promise that she could earn her food by coming to work for the center when she wasn’t at school. We packed up 3 meals and Katniss was on her way.

I tell ya, I wasn’t really expecting to see her again, but bright and early that next morning, there was Katniss waiting on the stoop ready to work off her supposed debt. But at the end of the day, I’d send her home with more food and she’d be back again the next weekend.

Eventually, Katniss brought her mother and baby sister with her. I praised the Lord that day, because to me that proved that Katniss really trusted us. She knew we wouldn’t try to separate them. We got her mama some help and eventually the whole family was on the mend.

Katniss kept coming back, though. She really came alive when she worked here. Katniss was always the first to step up, whether it was helping serve folks in the dining room, washing dishes in the back, organizing stocks, or planning to go out fundraising door to door. Katniss was all in. I think she really found her calling, her purpose in life when she walked through our doors.

Katniss would bring in her friends every now and then to help out. She’d bring in that tall fella she hung around with, but she didn’t seem to see him as anything more than a friend. Even our old director’s grandson, Finnick Odair didn’t turn our girl’s head. And all the girls liked him. Katniss paid him no mind. I thought maybe she was into girls, or wasn’t into anyone, but one day, I found out different.

One day about a week before Thanksgiving our dear Katniss was on break from college, working the phones to drum up help from around town. She had been calling up restaurants, coffee shops and bakeries to get them to lend a hand for the holiday. Sure, folk are hungry all year ‘round, but we get an influx of clients on Thanksgiving. A potential new bread supplier walked in the door that day, and she hasn’t been the same ever since.

This fella, Peeta Mellark, from Mellark’s Bakery walked in with broad shoulders and blond hair and Katniss stopped dead in her tracks. Katniss was stumbling all over herself trying to talk to him. I’d never seen the girl flustered before. She had no trouble talking to the likes of Plutarch Heavensbee, the chairman of the board of Panem’s television networks, but in walks this humble baker and Katniss turns to jelly. When I asked her about it later, she’d told me she hadn’t eaten yet and it was the smell of the food he brought in that made her stomach rumble. 

She eventually pulled herself together and gave him the tour and took him to her office to make the partnership official. We could hear laughter coming down the hall. Katniss is usually all business. Deep down, she’s a sweet passionate person who dedicates her life to make sure everyone is taken care of, but the girl hardly ever laughs. 

That laughter was music to my ears. Day after day, a smile would brighten Katniss’ face whenever Peeta walked in the door. Every day he brought her something new, samples of the recipes he was trying out, he said, but her favorite was always the cheese buns. She said that his cheese buns were to die for.

Peeta even came in and helped serve clients on Thanksgiving. Most of our suppliers are satisfied that they did their part by providing food, but he was here handing out plates of turkey and dressing, clearing off tables, and bumping elbows and sharing smiles with Katniss while doing the dishes at the end of the night. 

I really loved seeing Katniss so happy, but that son of a gun Finnick Odair had to go and tease her about it. The next day, Peeta brought Katniss a bouquet of yellow flowers, but Katniss said she couldn’t accept them for herself. She thanked him and put them on a table in the dining room and walked back to her office. After that, he unloaded his delivery and set the bag with her two cheese buns on her desk and walked out. I’d never seen a sadder man than him that day. How Katniss could resist those big sad puppy dog eyes, I’ll never know. To tell the truth, I didn’t think he’d come back after that, but the man lived up to his commitment to serve the community. 

It went on like that for a while, both of them being professional and distant, staring at each other when the other wasn’t looking.  And being down right stupid. I could see the girl was miserable too. I caught her more than once glancing at those flowers longingly. I just couldn’t take it anymore. So I sat her down and we had a chat. Somehow she got it in her head that to be taken seriously she couldn’t let her guard down. This place came before everything except her sister and her mother. But what kind of life is that? She worked so hard when she was just a girl to keep her family afloat, only to give up on a possible future now? Balderdash!

I told her she was torturing herself, denying herself the thing that she wanted most. I told her to go for it. So the next time Mr. Mellark came in to drop off bread for the center, Katniss quietly asked him back to her office once again. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was very quiet. I snuck down the hall to see what was going on only to find Peeta, with his back pressed against the door, engaged in a passionate kiss with our very own Katniss. 

I hated to do it, but got their attention, by knocking on the window to Katniss’ office. They jumped apart like the other was on fire. Both glassy eyed with red lips and pink cheeks. Oh to be young again. Anyway, I told them to get out of there. I’d take care of things for the day. Take some time to get to know each other. 

That was two years ago. Katniss has since graduated from her program at Panem University, and now that Mags has retired, I’m proud to raise a toast to our newest director of the Panem Hunger Center, Mrs. Katniss Everdeen-Mellark. 

I raise my glass and look over to a smiling Katniss who mouths “Thank you,” through her teary smile. Peeta is seated next to her grinning with his arm wrapped around her.

After a sip of champagne and cheers all around I finish with my speech. Remember folks, indifference breeds indifference, but kindness breeds love.

[madcatmady]

Wanted Ad

CW: sex work, coercion, human trafficking, drug use/addiction

If you’re in the right circles in Alderhelm, you’ve heard about the good time to be had at the Beachwood Yacht Club. The liquor runs generous and the girls are beautiful. Come to party and more. The crowd that finds their way to this particular business establishment varies from the sons of well off families (and their fathers), to the drug dealers who know they can get an easy sell here.

But like so much in Alderhelm, there’s more than meets the eye. Managed by some of the Sons of Sea Alum, a prostitution ring out of the yacht club runs on fear and control. The poor souls who get trapped in this web find no easy escape. Whether they get pulled in by promises, drugs, loans with hefty interest rates or more often, combination of all three, the more they struggle the deeper they go. Leaving is an option only in the theoretical sense because the ring demands a sacrifice of funds too high for most its workers. The pay is bad after being gouged by those at the top.

While from the outside it looks like all fun and games, a nightmare rages within.

This ad is for some of the members of the local prostitution ring. The faces and some of the ages are flexible. This ad is open to original characters as well! (For all levels.)

Feel free to DM with questions/thoughts/reserves or hmu on discord (mady#5462).

TOP DOG 50s - Reserved for Mira

A proud 91’ graduate of Alderhelm College and Sons of the Sea Alum and President of the Alum charter, TOP DOG  has always a knack for less than legal enterprises. His family gained their money with oil and real estate, both fronts he still has his hands in. He’s been involved in more unsavory endeavours for about as long as he can remember. The crown jewel of these being his prostitution organization. A keen business man with an eye for beauty, he has protected the ring from law enforcement involvement and has ruled it with cruel precision. It doesn’t matter he’s married with daughters, he sees the sex workers as tools for his wealth and treats them as such. Known for showing up at the operation on the docks without warning, everyone beneath him has a healthy fear.

Suggested FC: Javier Bardem

SECOND 41 - Reserved for Wanda

TOP DOG and SECOND met through a Sons of the Sea event when SECOND was still in school but unlike TOP DOG, SECOND was on scholarship. He spent many a night after that on the yachts with TOP DOG’s  girls. Burdened by student debt, he tried to make a legit living before he eventually gave into TOP DOG’s offer to make a little more. SECOND  handles the books for the ring and is also a member of the Sons of the Sea alum charter. He’s looked into the depths of depravity and decided he’s fine with it if it gets him the life he believes he deserves. When he was 24, he and a friend caught a teenaged Elena Martinez spray painting yachts in the marina and propositioned her in exchange for their silence. He’s about to be (un)pleasantly surprised to find she’s back as a federal detective and that she definitely has not forgotten him.

Suggested FC: Jaime Dornan

MAMA Late 30s - Open

Long time favorite of TOP DOG. MAMA has done just about everything to get where she is. Starting off as just another one of the girls, MAMA worked her charm and wits on TOP DOG and got his attention. Maybe she once thought he’d leave his wife for her if she was good enough for him but such illusions are long gone. She’s cut throat but fair and will stand up for the girls to anyone but TOP DOG. Despite a devil may care attitude, she knows her position is precarious and she won’t go down without a fight. Although she’s done with the game she makes an exception for TOP DOG who’s  somewhere between client, boss, lover and friend. She’s all too aware that she’s had as big a hand in running things as SECOND, if not more. Throws a mean punch but if her girls, as she calls them, do good work for her, she’ll do what she can for them.

Suggested FC: Erin Wasson

SECURITY 1 30s - Open

A high school dropout, SECURITY 1  was about as far from the Sons of the Sea as you could be until MAMA saw him in a bar fight and convinced TOP DOG to take him on as security. SECURITY 1 is effective if nothing else. He knows the girls talk shit about him behind his back and takes pride in their hate for him. He gets along with SECURITY 2  but think’s the man’s heart is weak and understands that their role is just as much about keeping the girls trapped in this world as keeping them “safe.” Also works security at the Casino. SECURITY 1  is an opportunistic first and foremost and is just waiting for a better opportunity to come along.

Suggested FC: Rami Malek

SECURITY 2 30s - Open

SECURITY 2  fell in with TOP DOG  like so many women before him. He took out a loan to help cover some family bills in exchange for working security for the yachts. Little did he know when he took the money that what would be happening on those yachts. SECURITY 2  almost quit the first night but with a hand on his jaw, TOP DOG  reminded them of their deal. Having done his fair share of fighting in high school, he was well equipped physically and has had to push his misgivings down. But two years later and his loan has barely diminished and he’s feeling further from freedom than he’s ever been. Even if he can’t get himself out, he’s been covering for WORKER 1 out since he’s learned she’s trying to get out of town and past TOP DOG’S reach.

Suggested FC: Scott Neslage

WORKER 1 Mid-Late 20s - Reserved for Che

WORKER 1 has a secret trapping her in TOP DOG’S web. One he’s used against her for years to keep her in his clutches. Fed up but unwilling to face the consequences if TOP DOG were to bring her secret to life, WORKER 1 is working side jobs whenever she can to save up enough money to get herself out of Alderhelm and far away TOP DOG and his friends. More recently, TOP DOG has started stealing directly from SECOND and TOP DOG directly. SECOND catching wise to the missing funds but WORKER 1 is willing to risk almost anything to get out of this life, including reluctantly trusting SECURITY 2  after he caught her stealing.

Suggested FC: Pooja Mor

WORKER 2 25 - Reserved for Mady

An Alderhelm native, WORKER 2’S father was the old lighthouse keeper. Always running with the wrong type of people, WORKER 2  got hooked on drugs young and owed too many dealers to count when TOP DOG  found her. He offered her a generous loan if she would come work for him. Desperate, WORKER 2 has been trapped since. The interest on her loan keeps building and WORKER 2 has lost sight of freedom,  especially after her boyfriend was found drowned. TOP DOG  has a soft spot for her which cuts both ways and has caught MAMA’S attention, putting a bit of a target on WORKER 2’s back.

Suggested FC: Josephine Skriver

WORKER 3 Early to mid 20s - Open

Recruited by SECOND and MAMA, WORKER 3  is the newest recruit to the ring. For her, it looked like salvation and a life on the yachts with obnoxious rich men and boys still feels better than the horror she left. WORKER 3 believes she’s in control and her drive has made her a quick favorite of MAMA. WORKER 3 hasn’t decided yet where her loyalty lands, with the women she’s working with or MAMA, SECOND and TOP DOG.. But she’s a master of getting people to trust her and will let everyone believe she’s on their side until she makes a decision.

Suggested FC: Aya Jones

[mon-dayragingslut4monstaxday6]

This is the first episode of a Drama titled Korean Boyfriend.

Cast:

Park Mi Sook: (reader/ reader’s interpretation)

Lee Chan Young: Park Seo Joon

Euhn Jeong Ja: Park Min Ji

Choo Dae Hyun: TBD

Word count: 3k

Warnings: none(?)

I’ve been in Seoul for a week now. The biggest move of my life. I lived in the United States since birth, but I’ve vacationed here before. Got an opportunity of a lifetime from my job, to transfer to the South Korea location. A good friend of mine and I got to find a place together, but the expenses got a little much, on top of paying off my student loans. 

To clean the slate of my debt, I got into sugaring. I got the suggestion from my friend, who juggles between a few Sugar Daddies, to afford going to school for another bachelor's degree. Out of all my options, I only stuck to one, a restaurant mogul in South Korea. I kept things smart, keeping things strictly online. He offered to fly me to visit him, but I kindly declined the offer. I’m not ready to get physical with him. I’m not a virgin, I’m just not ready for the sex. For declining the visit, I had to really make it up to him. He hasn't been aggressive to me, but I could see the potential. I wouldn't necessarily say I'm afraid of him, but his wealth is intimidating.

After moving to Seoul, and after completely paying off my expenses, I kept contact with him, but I refused to tell him I moved. If he knew I moved, he would want to meet. I want to cut things off with him, but with the contract, I have to live with this for another few months to fulfill the year long commitment.

Staying in hiding is getting old. Jeong Ja and I have been spending too much time unpacking, we deserve a break. Changing into our best outfits, we head out into Itaewon to go clubbing. Time to get our drink on! 

The first club feels like a drag, couldn’t vibe with the music. A second club, the drink selection was too limited. Then naturally, the third one was just right. The music was hype, the drink selection is full, and the people look more approachable.

We pound some drinks and head to the dance floor. We dance like idiots, we’re not appeasing to these people, who cares.

I feel like there’s eyes on me. Is it because I’m dancing like an idiot or because I’m dressed more American? 

I sign to Jeong Ja, telling her that there are some guys who are looking at us. She looks around and jokingly signs about her disgust. Using American Sign Language outside of the United States has its perks. I let her know I’m going back to the bar to get another drink.

At the bar, I order some water. I can’t have this alcohol hit all at once. I lean against the counter while I sip my water. Phew, I’m getting warm! Someone freakishly tall stands beside me and orders a beer. He must be at least six feet tall!

“Are you American?”, the man asks, in a thick Korean accent. I roll my eyes from the assumption. I look up to meet his eyes and holy shit he’s handsome! A delicious jawline, high cheekbones, a fucking sexy adam’s apple, straight full brows, and sweet eye smile.

I point to myself to see if he was asking me. He nods. His lips are full, his bottom lip tempting me to pull it between my own. His lips would feel beautiful on my neck or chest. Snap out of it! I can’t be this touch starved!

“How did you know?”, I bashfully look away.

“I recognized a sign you did with your friend”, he rubs his thumb along his beer bottle.

“You know American Sign Language?”, I gasped excitedly.

“Only a few signs that I picked up from coworkers”, he elaborates. So, he works with people who spent time in the states. Probably is in the business industry.

“Have you ever been to the states?”, I start small talk.

“Myself, no. Have you been to South Korea before?”, he raises his eyebrows before sipping his beer. I feel a sweat droplet fall down my forehead. How am I so warm? I dab the sweat off with my knuckles.

“Every few years I would come here to see relatives, I recently moved here for work”, I drink more water to cool myself down. I’ve been out clubbing before, I should be used to the body heat.

“Congratulations”, he nods, holding up his beer to cheers. We clink our drinks. I see the size comparison of our hands. Am I really imagining his hand wrapped around my throat or squeezing my breast or ass? I shamelessly am.

“But I’m still new to Itaewon, maybe you can show me around?”, I propose. Oh goodness, did I just nonchalantly ask him out? He’s surprised by my abrupt question, but is impressed by my gumption. He shouldn't be shocked, American girls can make the first move.

“Really?”, he wonders.

“To be honest, I’m feeling really warm and would love some air”, I sigh, fanning myself. I stumble from being a natural cluts, he doesn’t hesitate to grab my arm to keep me from falling. His strong grip only enhances the fantasy of his hands on my body.

“Are you ok?”, he worries.

“I am, I just need some air”, I laugh it off. Damn, I never was this much of a lightweight. He escorts me out of the club, leaving his beer behind, and immediately sitting me down on a bench. I need to text Jeong Ja! I grab my phone from my pocket.

“How are you feeling?”, the kind, handsome stranger continues to worry.

“I’m feeling fine right now”, I inhale sharply.

I’m outside of the club for some air. Don’t worry, I’m not alone, I’m with someone. I’ll see you at home! - Park Mi Sook

“What’s your name?”, I stuff my phone into my bag.

“Lee Chan Young”, he smiles. Shit, his Korean sounds sexier than his English.

“I’m Park Mi Sook, but people call me Sookie”, I grab onto my purse, nervous about sitting so close to this man.

“Sookie? How cute”, he chuckles. There’s little wrinkles that fan his eyes when he smiles. Seeing him illuminated by the streetlights and neon lights from the various bars and restaurants gives me a new perspective of him. His white dress shirt perfectly hugs his body. I could tell he has defined pecs under that shirt. The touch of pink from a neon sign above us gives him a softer look. I can feel the depth of his eyes. I can see my reflection vividly in the dark pearls. The sparkle from the string lights across the street add something special to his eyes.

“Tell me about yourself, Chan Young”, I rest my elbow on my knee, holding my head up. That's when I knew, I'm fucked up.

“What do you want to know?”, his face relaxes.

“What do you do, what was your life like, where do you see yourself in five years, what’s your biggest regret, blah blah blah”, I list.

“Why me?”, he continues.

“You approached me, remember?”, I tease. He gives me a cheeky grin, leans back onto the bench.

"I work in architecture under my family's firm, expected to take over in ten years or so when my father retires. A lot happened in my 27 years of life, but I don't really have any regrets", Chan Young confesses, running his fingers through his hair. A man of mystery, huh? No worries, he might be reserved, I can respect that. I'd love to learn more about him.

"What about you?", He changes direction of the conversation.

"I studied journalism, got here to be an editor for a magazine. I was pretty average growing up, nothing too special. I hope to be chief editor of the magazine in five years. My biggest regret is dying my hair green my first term of college, I should've gone with blue", I reveal, giggling like a drunk idiot. The neon lights are getting blurry, my mind is getting fuzzy. I sway in my seat, helplessly. Chan Young holds me by my shoulders to keep my back straight. I whine from my lack of control.

"I never was this much of a lightweight", I groan. Chan Young bites back a smile.

"I'm stronger than this", I mumble, fighting back tears. He notices my quivering lip. Scooting closer to me, Chan Young rests my head on his shoulder, patting my back. Don't cry, don't cry! Mama didn't raise you to cry in front of strangers! I miss mama. I wish her and dad moved to Seoul with me. Dammit, I'm happy that I wore waterproof mascara tonight.

"Excuse me, what are you doing to my girl!", Jeong Ja shouts from afar. Chan Young flinches, but keeps my head still.

"I'm sorry?", Chan Young panics. She runs to us, holding up a hand, threatening to slap him. I wave at her to stop.

"Jeong Ja, don't", I babble. She finally gets a good look at him and stops her temptation of wrath.

"Sookie, a-are you ok?", She notices the tear streaks down my cheeks.

"Did you do this?!", Jeong Ja points to Chan Young.

"No, I'm just drunk. We were talking", I pat his chest. Damn, it's firm.

"Hope the talk was good, I'm taking you home", she grabs my hand.

"No!", I shout.

"Please don't move me, I don't feel so good", I warn her. Chan Young immediately balls up my hair and feels my forehead.

"You're warm, let me take you to an open area", Chan Young murmurs. He lifts me, bridal style, and keeps my head elevated. Surprised by the sudden movement, I take a deep breath to prevent myself from hurling. Chan Young takes diligent steps, finding a nice open space for me to breathe. Jeong Ja follows us, worried he'll drop me.

"How are you feeling?", He smiles. His face looks better up close. I give him a thumbs up, I'm too scared to talk. He finds a nice secluded bench outside of the crowded neighborhoods. He lowers me down so I can stand up, holding my hair in a bundle so I can have a breeze on my neck.

"You will feel better if you throw up", Chan Young advises. How is he so nice to me? Why?

"Why are you so nice?", I mumble.

"Are you trying to fuck me?", I blurt out, making Jeong Ja burst into laughter. I never saw anyone blush faster than Chan Young. I grin from cheek to cheek.

"I'm kidding!", I cackle. He's so tall that my head is eye level to his chest. He's choking on his words. I'm swaying side to side, almost tripping on my feet. He grabs my shoulders to keep me still.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry. I overstepped. This isn't me", I ramble. Chan Young notices my anxious plea. He cups my cheek and lifts my head to meet his eyes. There's a chuckle under his breath. His smile is so charming, I almost forget I'm on the verge of throwing up.

"Mi Sook, how are you this cute?", Chan Young whispers. Fuck, don't puke, don't puke. I cover my mouth, heaving.

"I'm cute?", I ask, muffled.

"I'm going to go get some water", Jeong Ja got the hint to leave.

"You think I'm cute?", I hiccup.

"You're very cute", he compliments.

"Even though I'm going to throw up?", I exhale.

"Yes", he chuckles. I want to kiss him. I grab his hands off my shoulders. His hands are firm, but soft to the touch. Nope, nope, I'm going to puke. Where can I go, I can't puke on him! There's a bench, no. A lamp post? No. A tree? A tree will do! I lunge to the tree. Holding onto the trunk, I vomit the variety of colors that I drank tonight. Chan Young soothingly rubs my back with one hand while the other keeps the hair away from my face.

"This fucking sucks", I dry heave.

"You're doing great, Sookie", Chan Young comforts.

"I shouldn't have drank", I groan before hurling once more..

“It’s ok, aein”, Chan Young softens. Did I hear him correctly?

“I’m sorry you’re here, Chan Young”, I apologize, wanting to wipe my mouth.

“Don’t be sorry, I’m happy to help”, he continues. Why is he so sweet? We just met. He has no reason to be nice to me. Unless he’s that desperate for a hookup. Would he be desperate enough to hook up after I vomit? Gross. Am I interested in seeing him after this? Absolutely. Would I consider...having him stay the night tonight if I didn’t vomit in front of him? Yes.

“You can go home”, I cry out.

“I don’t want to leave you alone”, Chan Young refuses. I hurl one more time and I'm confident that I'm done. I feel a lot better. I spit out whatever is left in my mouth. I got some strength back. I straighten my back and stretch.

"How are you feeling?", Chan Young wonders, still holding onto me in case I'm not as strong as I feel.

"I feel better. Not great, but I feel better", I assure. Jeong Ja comes back with a bag full of water bottles. She hands Chan Young and I each a bottle. I gargle a mouth full of water and spit it out, washing out my bad choices.

"Chan Young, this is Euhn Jeong Ja. Jeong Ja, this is Lee Chan Young", I introduce. Jeong Ja squints her eyes, suspicious of Chan Young and his intentions.

"Listen, boy. I'm her best friend, hurt her and I won't hesitate to kick your ass", Jeong Ja threatens.

"He's not hurting me. He's a very good guy", I scoff. Chan Young is flattered by the compliment.

"And how do you know?", She asks me.

"I have been puking here for like five minutes and he held my hair up and rubbed my back. He's a gentleman", I point to him.

"You look like you needed help", Chan Young defends himself.

"And thank you", I thank him. Jeong Ja hands me a tissue from the grocery bag to wipe my mouth.

"Let me take you home. So I know you got there safe", Chan Young offers.

"Fine. No one would try to snatch us if they saw you with us", Jeong Ja rolls her eyes, accepting the offer.

"Hey, be nice", I shoo at her.

"Oh please, he wants you. I don't have to be nice", Jeong Ja teases. Chan Young gets bashful and runs his fingers through his hair.

"I'm just joking, you're fine", Jeong Ja laughs. I get a buzz in my purse, must've gotten a text. I swiftly check to see the notification.

It's been a while, darling. I expect to hear from you soon, wearing that robe I got you. -Choo Dae Hyun

Fuck. He's going to catch on that I moved.

I'll make it up to you. - Park Mi Sook

I have to think of something. I can't keep this lie.

"Are you ok?", Chan Young catches my attention. I hide my phone.

"Me? I'm fine, the light just hurt my eyes", I laugh it off. Chan Young reaches out his hand, inviting me to take it.

"Let's go, you seem tired", he smiles. Maybe things can be different. I want to know more about this man. What made him so caring? Does he do this often? Was it his family that raised him to be good or was it on his own accord? Is he single, is he in a relationship? Not that I could see myself dating him, he's too good for me.

I take his hand and lead the way to the closest bus stop. We make small talk while we wait for the bus. I learned he's an only child, same as me. Although he never visited the United States, his parents often have. I told him I'm left-handed, but my parents were in denial for the first five years of my life, he got a kick out of that. We talked about college and funny stories we had from the parties. The bus picked us up and the conversation continued, laughing at funny embarrassing stories. Jeong Ja sadly was more of a third wheel, but she participated in the conversation. Although I'm learning quite a bit about him, there's still a lot missing.

The bus ride was brief, but we took him to our apartment, gave him a little tour. He commented on how cutely decorated it was. Jeong Ja and I have a thing for cute animals and soft pastels.

Jeong Ja immediately heads to her room, waving goodbye to Chan Young and I.

It's just us now. What do I say?

I go to the kitchen, hoping to find a good snack to munch on.

"Would you like something to eat?", I offer, opening the fridge.

"No, thank you. The water was enough for me", Chan Young declines. I close the fridge, wondering how I could get him to stay. Chan Young wanders to the kitchen, leaning against the counter, crossing his arms.

"It's pretty late, you can stay on the couch for tonight if you want", I continue, my voice shaking.

"I'm fine", he shrugs.

"Do you want me to stay?", he mumbles.

"If you don't want to stay, you don't have to", I choke.

"You just need some sleep", Chan Young whispers. I do. I do need some sleep.

"If I didn't throw up, would you have kissed me tonight?", I bow my head, looking at our feet. A soft chuckle hums in his throat.

"I would have", he assures. My hands tremble from the thought.

"I guess another time then", I turn to hide my growing smile. Chan Young steps in front of me and lifts my head by holding my cheeks in his palms.

"Till then", he whispers. He leans in, leaving me speechless. The tips of our noses touch. He shakes his head to give me a nose kiss. I could see the terror on my face in the reflection of his eyes. What I would give to kiss those lips. Just once.

Without sharing another word, Chan Young kindly leaves my apartment. Dammit, I realize now we didn't exchange numbers before he left! I guess if we see each other again then it'll be meant to be. Seoul is a big city, I doubt I'll see him. At least we'll have tonight to reminisce on.

[goforwardgreenwriter-blog]

The Worm Reads: Empire of Storms, Ch 32 - 33

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Aedion had been up half the night, debating the merits of every possible place to meet his father.

I am such a sucker for good parent/child relationships in fiction (extra bonus points if it’s adopted parents/child relationship) but honestly Assdion needs to stay the fuck away.

Beforehand Assdion put Lysandra to bet after she shifted back from some other form.

[Aedion] flipped back the crisp cotton sheets with one hand and then laid [Lysandra] down, her once-again long hair covering her high, firm breasts. So much smaller than the ones he’d first seen her with. He didn’t care what size they were—they were beautiful in both forms.

Uhhh does SJM not get how creepy this sounds? Lysandra is asleep and Aedion is staring at her boobs thinking about how beautiful they are?? God damnit SJM just stick to erotica if your characters are gonna be horny 24/7.

Lysandra made [Aedion] change out of his dirty travel clothes, barged into Aelin and Rowan’s room wearing no more than her own bedsheet, and took whatever she wanted from the Fae Prince’s armoire. Aelin’s barked Get out! was likely heard from across the bay, and Lysandra was smirking with feline wickedness as she returned, chucking the green jacket and pants at him.

This sounds like the beginning of a college fic where all the characters live in the same dorm. Not a fucking epic fantasy series constantly compared to LOTR. Tolkien must be rolling in his grave.

Dorian stirred, a cool breeze fluttering in as if his magic awoke as well, squinted at them both, then at the clock atop the mantel.

WHAT. Is this a medieval settings or not? The characters all use swords and bow and arrows and there’s hints of medieval Britain monarchies everywhere but the characters have clocks? What is this word building?

Gods, the females in his court ate more than [Aedion] did.

This is prompted after Lysandra eats breakfast. After we have already been told she burns a lot of energy with her shape shifting. Go fuck yourself, Assdion.

Aedion opened the door, finding the cadre precisely where he’d guessed they’d be at this hour: eating breakfast in the taproom. The two males halted as they entered. And Aedion’s eyes went right to the golden-haired man—one of two, but … there was no denying which one was … his.

I am actually so stressed. Either A) Aedion is gonna act like a dick to his poor father and be treated as right for it, or B) SJM is gonna turn Gav into a dick just so Aedion can angst over his daddy issues. Place your bets, folks.

“You look … ,” Gavriel breathed, sinking into his chair. “You look so much like her [Aedion’s mom].”

HHHHH SJM STOP I HATE THIS SHITTY BOOK AND ASSDION I DON’T WANT THESE FEELS....

“They could have cured [mama Aedion] in the Fae compounds, but she wouldn’t go near them, wouldn’t let them come for fear of Maeve”—[Aedion] spat the name—“knowing I existed. For fear I’d be enslaved to her as you were.”

I wish Assdion’s mom could’ve been a character, but nope, gotta kill off potentially awesome characters for the sake of main character pain. I know that’s just a thing that happens in 95% of stories at this point, but SJM literally only brings these dead characters up once or twice and it has no other impact on her main characters or the plot.

“I’m sorry,” his father said, those Lion’s eyes full of such grief Aedion wondered if he’d just struck a male already down. “I’m not the one you need to apologize to,” he said, turning toward the door.

Am I a dumb dumb, or... who the fuck is Assdion talking about? Is he talking about apologizing to.. Assdion’s mom? I’m so confused.

Assdion stomps out after his little tantrum. I mean, I understand why he’s upset, but... I need context? Was Gav forced to take the blood oath to Maeve, or was it his own choice? ‘Cause if it was the latter yeah he’s kinda a shitty dad, but if it’s the former, it’s not his fault??? This series is batshit confusing.

“We need them to work with us. I might have made an enemy of him.” [Lysandra] tucked her hair over a shoulder. “Trust me, Aedion, you have not. If you’d told him to crawl over hot coals, he would have.”

HHHH FUCK IT GAV IS A GOOD DAD..... I just feel so so sorry for him. He’s just a punching bag for everyone else. Protect Gav 2k18

He laughed, surprised he could even do so. “He’s a handsome bastard, I’ll give him that.” “I think Maeve likes to collect pretty men.” Aedion snorted. “Why not? She has to deal with them for eternity. They might as well be pleasant to look at.”

I mean a lot of those men have confirmed that they were forced to take the blood oath and are now basically slaves to her but sure, tee hee oh Maeve that slutty bitch, collecting only the hottest young men to enslave! Fuckin’ end me.

Bearing both Goldryn and Damaris for once, Aelin walked into the Sea Dragon two hours later and wished for the days when she could sleep without the dread or urgency of something pulling at her.

Greaaat, back to Alien’s POV.

A grand total of five minutes before Lysandra barged in, Rowan had awoken—and begun the process of awakening her, too. Slowly, with taunting, proprietary strokes down her bare torso, her thighs, accented with little biting kisses to her mouth, her ear, her neck.

EWWWWWWW if I wanted to read this shit, I’d go look up fanfiction. Preferably fanfiction with characters I’m endeared to and actually ship. Skip!

Gavriel and Fenrys were now sitting with Rolfe at the table in the back of the taproom, no sign of Aedion, both a bit wide-eyed as she swaggered in.

This is a nit pick but Gav/Fenrys always being described together irks me. They have the literal same reaction to everything. Like, are they doing this all in unison? Actually, that’s a pretty funny mental image.

Rowan took up a spot beside [Aelin] his knee brushing hers. Like even a few feet of distance was unbearable.

GDI. It’s a meeting. With a Pirate Lord. And all Rowboat can think about is getting his dick wet inside of Alien. I’m almost ready to tap out.

“What is this,” [Aelin] said, stabbing a finger near the main line of figures stretched across the middle of the continent. “It’s the latest report,” Rolfe drawled, “of the locations of Morath’s armies. They have moved into position. Aid to the North is now impossible. And they stand poised to strike Eyllwe.”

Ooo, action scene? Please action scene, I cannot handle any more scenes of these assholes being horny around one another.

Next chapter!

“Eyllwe has no standing army,” Aelin said, feeling the blood drain from her face. “There is nothing and no one to fight after this spring—save for rebel militia bands.”

Starts right where the last one left off, as per SJM’s protocol

Rowan said to Rolfe, “Do you have exact numbers?” “No,” the captain said. “The news was given only as a warning—to keep any shipments away from the Avery. I wanted their opinions”—a nod of the chin toward the cadre—“for handling it.“

??? Is it me or is this expression really fucking weird? Was “a nod of the head” not good enough?

“Why attack Eyllwe, though?” Fenrys asked. “And why move into position but not sack it?” [Aelin] couldn’t say the words aloud. That she’d brought this upon Eyllwe by mocking Erawan, because he knew who Celaena Sardothien had cared for, and he wanted to break her spirit, her heart, by showing her what his armies could do. What they would do, whenever he now felt like it. Not to Terrasen … but to the kingdom of the friend she’d loved so dearly.

Once again, we’re about to witness the destruction of a kingdom and all Alien cares about is her stupid feelings. Go fuck yourself Alien.

“You are the heir of the Mycenian people,” Aelin said. “And I have come to claim the debt you owe my bloodline on that account, too.” Rolfe did not move, did not blink. “Or were all the sea dragon references from some personal fetish?” Aelin asked.

SJM JUST USED THE WORD “FETISH” IN HER EPIC FANTASY SERIES. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

[Aelin] allowed a flicker of her magic to rise to the surface then, allowed the gold in her eyes to glow like bright flame. Gavriel and Fenrys straightened as her power filled the room, filled the city. The Wyrdkey between her breasts began thrumming, whispering.

I’m sorry, lovely readers, I keep ragging on about this, but holy fuck. I hate it so much. SJM wants this scene to be all epic and show what a special snowflake badass Alien is but then she undercuts all that supposed tension by drawing focus to her boobs I just. ajhdafdfagfds dj hdsa im b rea kin  g

Alien lets loose some of her power that literally shakes the world and rings bells or some shit? idk i guess its 2deep4me

“What the rutting hell was that?” Rolfe at last demanded. Fenrys and Gavriel became very interested in the map before them. Rowan said smoothly, “Milady has to release bits of her power daily or it can consume her.”

ROWBOAT CONFIRMED FOR NICE GUY HOLY SHIT

Aedion and Lysandra arrived after some time—and her cousin only spared Gavriel a passing glance as he stood over the map and fell into that general’s mindset, demanding details large and minute. But Gavriel silently stared up at his son, watching her cousin’s eyes dart over the map, listening to the sound of his voice as if it were a song he was trying to memorize.

Gav deserves a better series than this. I want to take him, Manon, Darrow, and Rolfe away so they can be at peace. How does Darrow/Gavriel sound to everyone? Pure old dads who rule their kingdom fairly, bringing peace and prosperity forward. What a lovely image.

SJM described the meeting rather than shows. It’s basically 90% everyone gushing over how powerful Alien is. Skip!

“You once said I would pay for my arrogance. And I did. Many times. But Sam and I took on your entire city and fleet and destroyed it. All for two hundred lives you deemed less than human. So perhaps I’ve been underestimating myself. Perhaps I do not need you after all.” [Aelin] turned again, and Rolfe sneered, “Did Sam die still pining after you, or did you finally stop treating him like filth?”

Dick move, maybe, but I mean... he’s not wrong. The Assassin’s Blade is literally just Alien being pissy towards Sam for no reason and then he gets angry when their master beats lAlien’s face in (you know, what any normal functioning human being would react like) and she’s suddenly frothing at the mouth to fuck him. Maybe I should review TAB next.........

Rowboat chokes Rolfe and throws him down, and everyone smirks. How are these characters adults? They’re all written like immature teenagers. Anyways, a bell rings out, signifying something bad.

Aelin watched as black - darker than the ink that had been etched there - spread across [Rolfe’s] fingers, to his palms. Black such as only the Valg could bring.

Please action scene I can’t handle one more “witty’ “banter” conversation between these assholes

The door banged open, and Rolfe’s towering figure filled it. “You.” Aelin put a hand on her chest. “Me?”

Pfft. I hated that I snickered at this, but I always laugh at the “dramatic hand on chest” joke.

“And what of your idealism—what of that child who stole two hundred slaves from me? You’d leave the people of this island to perish?” “Yes,” she said simply. “I told you, Rolfe, that Endovier taught me some things.” Rolfe swore. “Do you think Sam would stand for this?” “Sam is dead,” she said, “because men like you and Arobynn have power. But Arobynn’s reign is now over.” She smiled at the darkening horizon. “Seems like yours might end rather soon as well.”

Sam deserves better than this. He was an okay guy to my memory - not a poisonous fuck boy like Rowboat.

“Eight warships teeming with soldiers —at least a hundred on each, more on the lower levels I couldn’t see. They’re flanked by two sea-wyverns. All moving so fast that it’s like storm winds carry them.”

FUCK YEAAAH SEA DRAGONS LETS GO

Rolfe finally breaks down and agrees to join Alien’s war effort. Love it when one of the few good characters is kicked and beaten down to prop up the despicable protagonist. Then we swap to Dorian’s POV.

Aelin was insane, Dorian realized. Brilliant and wicked, but insane. And perhaps the greatest, most unremorseful liar he’d ever encountered.

Dorian, honey, you okay? Blink twice if Alien is holding you captive.

This war would not be won on smiles and manners. It would be won by a woman willing to gamble with an entire island full of people to get what she needed to save them all.

Yeah, doesn’t that make Alien likeable! I know war involves sacrifice and death but Jesus, could she feel even a little remorse? Innocent people may die today but Aelin’s head is so far up her own ass she doesn’t even care.

Fenrys kept at a distance from the others, but Gavriel remained close, his gaze still fixed on his son. Gods, they looked so much alike, moved alike, the Lion and the Wolf.

Stop ittttt Gavriel deserves better.....

Aelin tells Dorian to stay behind and the chapter ends. God, that was a lot of bullshit in two chapters.

[illycanary]

Anne’s, “I was right,” is such a great, deeply satisfying line and a perfect bookend to this story, and here’s why:

The modern-day equivalent would be 16-year-old Anne’s boyfriend Fred trying to persuade her to have unprotected sex. Anne has some misgivings and asks for advice from her closest adult female role model. Auntie tells her, “That’s a bad idea. You could get pregnant, have to drop out of high school, and end up an uneducated single mother who has to work minimum wage for the rest of your life. But you already knew that because you’re a smart kid. Remember what you owe yourself and stand your ground.”

Anne could be more measured in how she interprets and follows through on this advice. She could say, “You know what, Fred? I think we should graduate, set up our careers, and get married before we have sex.” Or she could go for a more middle-road approach such as, “Let’s do the sex, but use protection.��� Instead she opts for, “I don’t want poor Freddy to have to deal with the discomfort of blue balls or a rubber. He’ll be happier if I just cut him loose.” That’s 16-year-old black-or-white thinking for you.

Then Anne graduates, researches a practical career path that has a modest pay scale but a high degree of stability, and sacrifices most social pleasures and personal comforts in order to work her way through college without going into debt. She finds herself secure, but somewhat unhappy with her job because she’s got a crappy boss who sits above her on the career ladder with his foot on her face, underpaying her and denying her deserved opportunities to move up. 

Then Fred (who took the riskier route and didn’t go to college, but managed to work out a successful, high-paying career for himself through a moderate amount of talent and a lot of luck) comes back around. He starts rubbing his happiness and success in the face of the overworked, undervalued girl who had the audacity to dump him and fools around with his adoring entourage just to spite her. “See, Anne? Look at all the fun I’m having without you! Don’t you wish you’d put out for me now?” Except, one of those sorority girls gets pregnant. Now it’s, “Oh, crap. If I don’t marry this groupie I had no intention of having anything permanent with, I’m going to be an absentee, deadbeat dad and relegate this not-too-bright girl to life as an undereducated single mom. WhatdoIdo?WhatdoIdo?WhatdoIdo?!” Fred’s bacon gets pulled off the fire when his baby mama miscarries a few months into the pregnancy, at which point he realizes what an absolute dick and butt-hurt moron he’s been for eight years. He finally dredges up the sense to crawl back to Anne with his tail between his legs to see if he’s got a chance, because suddenly, a woman with a lick of sense and enough self-control not to let the whims of the moment make all her major life decisions doesn’t seem like such a bad deal. 

So it all works out for them because circumstances are different now. They’re not sixteen. Their future is far more secure. They still agree on every other point that cultivated their initial attraction. And Anne, looking back on how different their happiness and feelings for each other might be now if they had been forced together by a teenaged pregnancy and trapped in a lifelong cycle of scraping by paycheck-to-paycheck, is more than entitled to a well-placed, “You’re lucky you’re cute. Also, I was right not to let you knock me up in high school, you dumbass.”

I've just finished rereading Persuasion and at the end Anne says that listening to lady russell was The Right Thing and it seems really forced. Isn't the whole book about making your own choices and taking some risks? How is submitting to the persuasion right? she was young when she did, of course, but the fact that she says, after eight years of sufferings, that she did the right thing always leaves me confused. what do you think?

I think with Anne it’s not so black and white. We tend to think in terms of “this wasn’t wrong” to then mean “it must have been right” when Anne also elaborates and points out that in her case, it turned out to have been the wrong choice. My reading of it is that she’s saying in the moment, aged nineteen, she did make the best decision she could have made at the time, with the information she had available. Also recall that had Wentworth swallowed his pride a couple of years later and renewed his offer, she would have had the certainty she needed to accept him. So of those eight years of misery, in hindsight, two of those years could be blamed on her choice, and six of them could be blamed on Wentworth’s choice.

Lady Russell’s place in Anne’s life can’t or shouldn’t be minimized. In adaptations, where characters are kind of broken down into their basic note-hitting points, Lady Russell’s position as a neighbourly adviser kind of takes center stage, and in order to highlight Anne’s isolation and unhappiness, she’s often shown as being very lonely. Which she is, in a sense, but she is not alone, nor is she without love. Her family is ridiculous, but Lady Russell is her lifeline, and I don’t think either adaptation really shows that–she’s played off as a meddling but well-intentioned older woman with no perception for Anne’s true feelings. But the text tells a different story. At nineteen, Anne is only five years on from having lost her dear mother, and Lady Russell has stepped into that void and cherished and loved Anne as nobody else has done. Lady Russell has been the next thing to a mother Anne has had as she matured into a young lady, and certainly the best friend in the whole world. Lady Russell is noted as having been a sensible and deserving woman, who helped to guide Lady Elliot, while she lived–and Anne is noted as being very like her mother, in many respects. A superior creature, yes, but everyone can do with a sensible and worthy friend to talk things over with when times are hard.

So here is Anne, at nineteen, with her one consolation and emotional outlet being Lady Russell, who is halfway between a mother and a best friend to her.

[Lady Russell] was a woman rather of sound than of quick abilities, whose difficulties in coming to any decision in this instance were great, from the opposition of two leading principles. She was of strict integrity herself, with a delicate sense of honour; but she was as desirous of saving Sir Walter’s feelings, as solicitous for the credit of the family, as aristocratic in her ideas of what was due to them, as any body of sense and honesty could well be. She was a benevolent, charitable, good woman, and capable of strong attachments, most correct in her conduct, strict in her notions of decorum, and with manners that were held a standard of good-breeding. She had a cultivated mind, and was, generally  speaking, rational and consistent; but she had prejudices on the side of ancestry: she had a value for rank and consequence, which blinded her a little to the faults of those who possessed them.

So from this we can determine that Lady Russell has her faults–as does anybody–but she is certainly no evil meddler, and a very worthy friend to have. Her objections to Wentworth as a match for Anne are indeed material–that he has no high connections, and no fortune, but even were Lady Russell not on the snobbish side, these would still be valid concerns. Lady Catherine’s objection to Elizabeth Bennet’s low connections is true snobbery–Eliza has no career to speak of. But in the case of a professional man, particularly in the Army or Navy, a single connection in the right place could be the difference between a life of hard graft and no promotion, and access to wealth and rank. Though the Navy in war-time certainly allowed for more merited promotion than the Army and peace, it is acknowledged that young Captain Wentworth can offer no guarantees for Anne’s support and comfort, and as a gallant young officer, will run the very real risk of injury or death throughout his career. We see the Harvilles living very poorly, though they strive to be happy enough, with the support of Benwick and other brother-officers…and that is with Captain Harville alive, on reduced pay, and still able to do gentle work in mending nets. They are getting by, but only just, and in the best-case scenario. Any crisis–another child born, Harville’s health worsening, some accident or unforeseen cost–can still be the tipping point into abject poverty. This is the uncertainty which rather rightly terrifies Lady Russell on Anne’s behalf, who perhaps has not even thought of these things until Lady Russell points them out to her. Anne has never been married, or really known a married couple other than her parents; Wentworth is a bachelor, and has saved nothing to support a wife and family, though he’s confident enough to propose, anyway.

Anne, being genteel and elegant and high-minded and young, Lady Russell cannot bear to see risking all her happiness on a man who is barely known to any of them. This was very much a whirlwind romance, and now Wentworth is that boyfriend from the other side of town saying “What do they know, babe? Trust me.” If Anne is not persuaded by Lady Russell, she is to be persuaded by Wentworth…so this is less her making up her own mind independently, and more her having to decide who to trust to ensure her future happiness. And Wentworth…Wentworth is not unbiased, here. Sure, Lady Russell has her blind spot of snobbery (but note she doesn’t object to Wentworth the man so much as Wentworth’s career being uncertain and risky and her fears are for Anne’s material style of living being adequate and consistent, rather than believing Wentworth is some stupid peasant who isn’t worthy of a daughter of Kellynch. That’s Sir Walter’s view.) But Wentworth’s blind spot is that he’s deeply in love and all he wants is to be married to Anne. Which, fine…but at what cost? Could his love and his hopes have over-inflated his belief that Everything Will Be Fine well beyond what is reasonable to expect? Lady Russell sees his confidence as foolhardy, perhaps even tempting fate, and it worries her deeply. That Anne eventually sides with Lady Russell causes deep resentment in Wentworth, and rather than understanding Anne’s position and feelings, he leaves the country in a fit of pride which lasts long enough to prevent him renewing his offer two years later.

Now hindsight is 20/20 and we know it’s Wentworth and Anne and true love and all will be well (kinda sorta the risk of injury or death is still there but hey he’s fine for money now) but what kind of mother/best friend figure wouldn’t step in at that point with teenager Anne to be like

Lady Russell, whom she had always loved and relied on, could not, with such steadiness of opinion, and such tenderness of manner, be continually advising her in vain.

So when, in the end, Anne says “I don’t think I was wrong to listen to Lady Russell” it’s a defense of the deep bond and respect she has with her closest friend, and the trust she had placed in her. In the time to come, Anne would learn the value of relying more on her own judgement, yes, and admits that she made the wrong choice in doing precisely as Lady Russell advised (why not settle for a long engagement, instead of breaking it entirely?) she must admit that, given the circumstances, Lady Russell’s caution was entirely reasonable, and that *in general* young people could do much worse than heed the well-meant guidance of older people who have some perspective and loving concern for their well-being. In this particular case, yes, it’s not so simple, and Lady Russell was proven wrong by what, in time, happened…but that’s not proof anybody could have whipped out in 1806 to support Anne and Wentworth’s arguments in favour of the marriage. Wentworth can only hope to make his fortune–he cannot claim with any certainty that he will. His personal convictions are strong enough that he feels able to rely on them, but that’s not enough for Lady Russell, and ultimately, Anne’s doubts work to persuade her, as well. Wentworth resents this, of course, and Anne regrets it…but Anne is doing her best with what she’s got. Should she have ignored her best friend? Specifically, yes, because Wentworth’s gamble prevailed. In general, no.

It was, perhaps, one of those cases in which advice is good or bad only as the event decides…

If Wentworth had died or sunk into poverty, Lady Russell’s point would have been proven. Luck was with him, however, (yes, he is brilliant and brave, but in such a profession one cannot wholly discount the hand of fate,) and he has been raised to wealth and power enough to make Anne and their family secure.

The book, I think, is about weighing risks, rather than simply taking them, and how to best judge and allow the influence of others. Louisa Musgrove is our cautionary tale from the other end of the spectrum–no one can persuade her to do anything she does not wish to do, and ultimately she suffers for it when she is too headstrong and the advice of her sensible friends goes unheeded.

[java-induced-daymares]

I feel like you get a different perspective when you were the 'mistake'. The 'oh my God she's only fifteen', baby. My mom was the preacher's daughter, and very eighties. I'm the preacher's granddaughter, and extremely nineties. My mom is more like my sister-friend, while my five year junior sister tells everyone I practically raised her. I just feel responsible for everyone. For everything. I was the tester baby. The starter grandchild. Everything I did wrong, it was the worst, most unexpected thing. I paved the way for all the shrugs and acceptance every sibling and other grandkid had doled out practically for free. And got slammed with all the guilt and the shunning.

To be fair I was quite rebellious. I smoked, drank, experimented with drugs. Skipped class, and barely passed high school despite aceing every test and final they threw at me. Scored a solid 29 on the ACT, didn't even study. In fact, I left half the math portion blank. I hate math. I frustrated my parents to wits end. I had all the potential, none of the ambition. I wanted to smoke pot, write whatever popped in my head and just make enough money to get by. So in idealistic youth I flipped the bird to college tuition debt in favor of entering the work force.

Somehow along the line I ended up thirty years old as a entry level temp at a factory. The disappointing burnout my parents painted me to be. My mom once threatened to paint that word on my bedroom wall, to call me out so to speak. She wasn't impressed when I encouraged her to. Between mom and me, it's all emotions. I know her as well as best friends do. Like...all of it. Sex life. Financial strife. The works. It's sort of like you don't realize your mom discussing your dad's porn addiction with you when your thirteen is out of line until you grow up. And meet her meth head boyfriend at age twenty four.

He threatens to rape and kill you both but good old mom won't kick him out because she loves him. Not when he starts stealing everything in sight to sell for drugs. Not when he kidnaps her for a few days over Thanksgiving and meths out in a paranoid freakout keeping her in the hotel and not letting her leave. Or when he choked her until she was unconscious. Or raped her so loud you could hear her scream but she denied it and her screams are so frequent that you're learning to tune them out and that disturbs you on every level. Not even when he hits you, right in front of her, the first time and she yells at you for fighting back. Or when she chases your little sister into another state to live with a internet boyfriend who no one but she has met because Ducky fears living in that house more than living with strangers.

My sister was only nineteen. The week before she left my mom called her a selfish bitch for not supporting her relationship. I stood between them, outraged, explaining to my mother that she shouldn't call her child a bitch for being scared. When the meth head finally leaves, having drained a cool 20k from my mom's retirement fund in meth and tools and a Harley ect... my mom claims all these memories are a blur. In her world she is the ultimate victim, and she even blames me for standing by and letting it all happen. My brother, who showed up two months before I finally convinced my mother to get the eviction notice she needed to get the meth head out, gets all the credit for his absence.

He showed up, did meth and herione with the boyfriend and ignored my mom. She still ran to my room, daily, begging and pleading for me and my fiances protection. Some days we would wake up to her huddled by our bed, crying silently, because my fiance was the only thing this asshole feared. Because Heinzy certainly didn't stand by when she or I was threatened or hit. But he wasn't always there. And his probation kept him from throwing a first punch.

Still, my brother, who dodged all the previous months of abuse by disowning her for cheating on her husband with this guy. My brother was living in South Dakota, and calling her a bitch and a whore until he needed a bail out and suddenly he's Mama's little boy again. He gets the title of hero. Savior. Showing up last second and fucking everything up, and being loved for it. That's my brothers modis operandi. And he can't even spell those words.

People flinch when I call my mom a crazy bitch. Glad for them, in their Hallmark homes. Judging me. I still love the woman to death. Would kill for her. Suffered untold horrors just to keep her safe. Yet I can't help but feel this loyalty is a bit one sided. All things considered. And besides. Bitches be crazy.

My dad is her polar opposite. I get my cynical, mean sense of humor from him. I call him a passive aggressive teddy bear. And I feel two sides of my dad. First there's the guy that worked twenty two hours a day to support his family. No, that's not a exaggeration. And shit jobs too. Barely making it, piss on you, fast food, menial shit. It's hard not to respect that. Plus he's never touched or condoned so much as a cigarette or more than two beers that I've ever seen. Getting the shit beat out of you by a druggie alcoholic does that to you. Once, Grandpa "Buddy" even used a horse whip to beat him. Him and grandma talked about the two years they did speed at a Chili's dinner.

But they're rich as hell. Or they were. So it didn't matter. Still doesn't, as far as their putrid minds are concerned. Buy I'm off topic. His evil as fuck adoptive parents aside... My dad's not too bad. He taught me to write DOS code when I was six. How to write a household budget in Microsoft Excel when I was twelve. How to set up a wireless network for a entire office when I was sixteen. Basically he prepared me for the real world. And all it's shitty points. And probably saved me some pain for the effort.

For example, dad tip 101: Don't lend out money and expect or need it back. Only lend what you can afford and be surprised if it's ever repaid. Good tip. Seriously. When I flunked classes and needed summer school, he made me get a job and pay it back. I hated him for it. But after I worked off over a grand in summer school debt at a Chinese hole in the wall restaurant with no working AC, I understood what a dollar was worth. Hence no slavery bond. I mean, as you call them, student loans. Been there. Done that.

But then there's the other side of him. The side that never really wanted kids. The side that accused me of knowing my mom cheated when I actually didn't. My next door neighbor, a herione addict who tagged along on my mom's Easter visit to my brother did. He was there as she stopped, both on the way to and the way from, to fuck the meth head. He didn't tell me. I woke up to my sister alone in the living room crying. Because she had never seen my dad cry before. Neither have I. The only time in known history and I missed it. Poor Ducky, she saw it all.

Sometimes I wish I could erase it all. The Divorce. It happened when I was twenty four, and I thought my parents had fallen into the age old 'i hate you but I'll be with you forever trap'. The fact that they both remarried a year after divorce proves I was either naively hopeful or utterly delusional. Considering the fact that I knew they made each other utterly miserable I have to side with the latter. I just wanted to believe they loved each other in secret. Hell, thanks to my mom I knew they fucked three times a week. I thought that meant something.

Maybe that's why I think sex is pretty meaningless and too important all at once. First off. I won't fuck anyone unless I really want to. Second off. I've only fucked one guy. It wasn't intentional, the one guy thing, it's just the first guy who earned my trust was the first guy I let have me and I fell in love and ten years later he's still never betrayed me. Ever. And he makes me feel like a kid. And we fight. And I hate him sometimes but we never go to bed angry. And I have no kids. I won't be my mother. I don't want her mistakes. I'm creating my own whole new ones. It's both my privledge and my goal to defy everyone's expectations of me, even to my own detriment.

Everyone thinks I aimed low. He even says stupid stuff like how he thinks I'll leave him for someone else. Sometimes. And maybe my mom helped that paranoia along. You see, pre meth head boyfriend divorce, I was pretty found of telling people my mom and I were best friends and so alike. Post fallout, those words came back to haunt me in a big way. I supported her when EVERYONE turned away. Her father. My siblings. They all said she deserved the meth head. They didn't get it. If I left her alone he was going to kill her. Literally. And they turned on me for 'supporting her behavior'.

Go fuck yourselves. I couldn't speak to you all in the moment, and afterward everyone wanted to brush this shit under the rug. But damn it. It fucking scared me. Excuse the fuck out of me for panicking. I was twenty four, sure, a adult by all measures and standards. People don't pity adults. My dad taught me that. Figure shit out and handle it. So I did. And I took zero credit. Letting my mom crown my brother king of all the land, her savior. So in the end I was nothing.

And I didn't say shit. Let my extended family think what they liked. Not in that exact intention. In my head I was like, this.famiky situation is so fucked and so nasty I couldn't bear to tell them. And that left me awkwardly over formal in responses. I should have guessed no one else in my family was that shy. They told all...of their bullshit. And I know that sounds so one sided.

If I were you, I wouldn't trust my perspective on the matter either. After all, perception is defined by experience, and my experience is sure to lead me to be self serving and exploitative. I don't pretend otherwise. This is simply how it felt to me. As I received notices from my pastor grandfather telling me I was living in sin because I hadn't married or gone to church regularly. First off. YOUR only daughter had three kids out of wedlock by three different men. Totally beating the odds here. Thanks. Secondly, and yes I said this, bet your ass I did, I have only had sex with one guy and I promised God he was the one. Law is not religion. All a wedding is, technically, is a profession of exclusivity with your partner before God. I did that. Proved it for ten years. Living in sin? How so? By what biblical standard? Handfasting was a accepted marriage ceremony, Heinzy and I have declared devotion before each other and all else hands held before. It counts. So what is I don't have the legal document? Judge not least ye be judged and all that.

As for church. Ah the constructrial artifice of faith devoid of all passion. Going to church with my grandparents is different. There's something about my grandpa being a pastor, people instantly recognize it and respond to it. I have never, not once, stood in church with my grandpa and not had ten people know someone he knew from congregation or teaching job (he was a private school teacher and even principal too). He doesn't get what it's like, poor as fuck, to show up for service and be mocked by so called Christians. How I disdain their fake pandering. I love God. His houses are often beautiful, the scent of fresh wood and the art of stained glass. But the people inside are ugly and don't reflect Him at all. They just want to puff up their own self worth and indulgence and I hate them for it. But maybe that's just Illinois Lutherans for you.

They ruined church for me. Haven't been since I was in my twenties and I turned thirty two whole weeks ago.

[mysafehaneul]

BTS as the kdrama Characters i want them to play

Kim Seokjin :

Doctor!!

Nurse

Idk i want it to be medical related!!!!

Jeez.... Like the flirty one who hits on rather say compliments everyone

Has dated most of the nurses but cuts them off in the sweetest way possible!! #noharshfeels

Even Granny's like him....

Him Being Himself he'll flirt with them... amazing with kids

Prince for young girls...

"hey *looks at the name tag* Christy! What a beautiful name just like the person *makes her blush* can u pass this file to the female ward in charge *walks away after handing the file* and ya *turns* your eyes tell me a story i could hear over and over again wanna grab coffee sometimes *winks*

WhAt An A-hole..... (But i love him)

Min Yoongi :

Mystery writer

Or an architecture firm Ceo

If a mystery​ writer always hanging out the police station to get more information and flaws in his fic character

Silent majority of the time

If architecture, boi oh boi.. man he gonna be a perfectionist af!! #igaurantee

His assistant would have a crush on him (whom M i kidding all of the employees even the men who are confused would have a crush on him)

When he is in a party....... Man if he sets an eye on a person he is going home with them #nostringsattached

Jung Hoseok :

Duuuudee!!!! He gonna be teacher!

DANCE TEACHER!!! Damnn boi.... G2g i have to screame first....

Those hips don't lie boi....

Every female dancer/student in the college may hava crush on him... Sometimes work harder to get his praise, if u mess up! Dude if its minor it's ok

But mess up bad you're totally sure u dont wanna attend the next few classes feeling abit embarrassed

When u go back after the class he will try to apologise n make a good teacher student relationship

He just doesn't likes imperfections!!

Had an unappreciating family...

But still in contact with his omma

Appa idek.... But I'm sure he misses him

Good in bed... But doesn't fucks around that much as his passion keeps him busy!!

Had a affair with the yoga teacher in the past.!!

Kim Namjoon:

"Detective kim on duty sir!"

Analyst mind

Good on solving mystery crime

Joins 1+1 within matter on mins (1+1 means one hint + other= solving case) (phsss i can also join 1+1 its= giyomi)

" I think the driver is the killer...as he had all the valid reason to kill the man.. *after introgation* You were right Kim! Keep it up"

Doesn't sleep around...

Broke up with his girl to keep up with work commitments...

Most of the times busy!!!

Proud parents

Mother pushing for marriage lol basic!

Has a German Shepherd!! Rescued one! Always attentive!!

Clubbing but only grinding or even blow job.... but no.sleeping

Park Jimin

Single dad!

Beautiful daughter

When he was a college fuck boi! He knocked up someone bad, which ended up giving him the reason to wake up every single day

Ceo

CEO!

C-to the-E- towards the fucking- O!!

Chief Executive Officer

U gotta make way for a jibooty in those suit pants even his assistant couldn't help himself and checks him out forget the female workers!!

His mother may not be a fan of his daughter that much but as the time passes she loves her... Even if she tries she is her grand daughter! The babygirl is already grandpa's princess!

U don't wanna get on his nerves!

He may be small but his body is enough to make anyone feel under his dominance

Never fuck him over... For sure

He may not be with that many women!

But when he sleeps he never! I mean never brings the women over his place it would have a bad impact upon his daughter!

Hottest Ceo dad of the year! Tho!!

Kim Taehyung

Bitch keep ur dick inside ur pants

The fuck boi of the year goes to him #nodoubts

Playboy! Enjoys his fathers money! Gonna take over his Daddy's empire! Soon....

Mama's Boy! That's why he lives the fullest.... Only Son!

Woo's everyone

Gold heart! But not for everyone!

Everybody loves u bae

But! Who's your daddy in the bed

*smirks*

Tounge disrespect

Yet to fall in love... Cos he cuts ppl off before they start catching feels

Spoils his sugar babies

Jeon Jungkook:::

Boxer!

Fight for my way u muscle pig!

Illegal fight cos he wants to pay off his fathers debt

Fucks one girl!! But no feel for her he just wants to take out his frustration

Was an orphan! Taken in at the age of 12 by a trained boxer who ended up as a alcoholic gambler

Have u seen the upper cut he gives before finishing off the fight. Shesus!!

A+ student

Quiet

Goal oriented

Rides. A. Bullet. Bike

Leather is his shit!

He invented black jeans!!

[thats-pucking-amazing]

Cost *Requested* (T.J. Oshie)

@wildlivingdreamland requested a T.J. Oshie imagine! The cost part is what I’m dealing with right now...college is expensive dudes.

Warnings: The cost of college

Requests are OPEN

Up Next: Willy Nylander

This has not been edited! Let me know what you think!

“Oh my gosh!” You moaned, placing your head in your hands. “There is absolutely no way that is right!”

You were looking at the amount owed for school. Going back to get your master’s degree was something you had been determined to do. Sure it had taken a little longer, but that was okay...your “setbacks” weren’t exactly setbacks. You cruised through both the undergrad and the associates degree, but had taken a year off when you hit 21 to travel. The added bonus of that travel was it was free travel. Part of the program you were in had offered internships abroad and you were all for it.

When you came back to the states you had intended to get right back to working on getting your bachelor’s degree...but you had gotten a smidge distracted. You had begun work at the Scottrade Center since it was just a few miles down the road from your school. You managed the VIP and Press Boxes and kept the locker rooms tidy. It was fun and you got to meet a bunch of people...what more could an almost 23 year old want?

But that wasn’t what caused your distraction...no that happened to be a player on the Blues team...T.J. Oshie. After running into each other multiple times, you decided to be bold and ask him out for coffee. He accepted and the rest was history. But as the relationship reached it’s year and a half mark and your summer semester was getting ready to kick-off, T.J. got traded. And he asked you to go with him.

So as the end of your 23rd year ended, you moved to D.C.. You worked for a company that was in your field of study, to get on the job experience, while you searched for a school that would accept all of your transfer credits and was still nearby. Another benefit of working was you were able to pay off the rest of your student loans. It was a great feeling to be debt free thanks to scholarships and hard work.

Then, on the day of your 24th birthday, T.J. took a leap and proposed. Which you heartily accepted...after passing out. Not that it was recorded and constantly held over your head or anything.

So you placed getting your bachelors on the back burner while you planned a wedding, looked for a house that the two of you would live in together, and worked. Not that you minded a bit of it. T.J. had been so involved in house hunting and wedding planning. The two of you had become closer than ever and it just solidified that you were with the right person. You were promoted to the head of your department at work, and overall life was great.

At age 25 for you and 27 for T.J. the two of you tied the knot. It was arguably the best day of your life. And you finally got back to school, finishing two years of work in one, thanks to your job experience. So you were a proud holder of not only a bachelor’s degree in the field you loved...but a MRS degree as well.

Then you found out you were pregnant, but that wasn’t about to stop you from finally reaching your goal of possessing your masters. So you still attended school full time. But as the pregnancy progressed, so did complications. You were placed on bedrest at your fifth month, forcing you to drop the classes that couldn’t be completed online.

It was all worth it though, because a few months after you turned 26, you got to hold your baby boy in your arms for the first time. Your family was tiny, but it was yours and your heart was full. Being a parent was something you absolutely adored. And watching your husband with his son was a sight nothing in the world was worth more than...not even getting your master’s.

But your little boy was almost two, your five year anniversary was coming up...it was time to finish your degree. But, you were going to do it all online. You had less than a year left and could finish all courses online.

Which brings you back to today...stressing over a computer screen. Well, not really over the computer screen, but what was displayed on the screen. You had registered for seven courses...the only ones standing between your and the finish line. As you went to the screen to pay for them, you balked.

“How in the world do seven classes...all online...cost over $6,000?!?!” You raged. “That’s ridiculous! Who just has that type of money laying around?? Not me!!” Sure, you were yelling at your computer and that was generally something crazy people did...but it was making you feel a little better. You opened your mouth to continue raging, but you heard your son calling from his room down the hall. So you gave the computer one last glare and headed for your son.

“Hi baby.” You cooed, lifting him up from crib. You were cherishing it while you could, because sometime within the next few months he would be getting a bed. Your baby wasn’t really a baby anymore.

“Mama!” He shouted excitedly. He wrapped his chubby little arms around your neck and smacked a kiss on your cheek. You nuzzled him in return before heading downstairs. “Play Mama? We play?”

How were you supposed to say no? “Yeah. We can play.” He wriggled around once you reached the living room, so you reluctantly sat him down. He toddled (his version of running) over to his toy chest. Once he had successfully removed all the things inside, he began to bring things over to you.

You were fawning over his favorite stuffed bear when T.J. walked in.

“How are my two favorite people?” He dropped down to his knees as your son rushed over to him.

“Daddy look!” He shouted! “Mama play and you, too!” He grabbed his hand and tugged him over to where you were kneeling, handing him the toy truck that was in his hand. “See Daddy? Truck.”

“Yeah, Buddy. It’s a truck! What other toys do you have?” He ran back over to his pile of toys and T.J. turned to you. “Hi Y/N. How was your day?”

“It was….interesting.” You gave him a quick kiss. “I’ll tell you about it after he goes to bed.” You played with your boys for another hour before deciding it was time to get started on dinner. “Do you wanna help Mama cook, Baby?” You asked standing up.

He nodded his head excitedly before leaping into your arms.

“I’m going to shower. I’ll be down in a few to set the table.” T.J. pressed a kiss to both of your noses before heading upstairs.

You placed your son in his high chair and gave him the package of tortillas. “Can you open that for me?” While he tackled the plastic you turned on the stove and started on cooking the meat and chopping veggies for tacos. While you moved the meat around the pan you turned to watch your son. He had his tongue partially out of his mouth as he focused on annihilating the plastic.

“Mama! Done!” He held up the package, proudly displaying the hole he had created in it.

“Good job!” You gave him a piece of tomato in congratulations. He absolutely loved them...which was odd because you despised them. As you finished up the meat and put it in a bowl you heard your husband making his way down the stairs.

“Smells good.” He kissed your cheek before reaching around to grab some plates. Once the table was set, you transferred the food over and once the tortillas had rested on the grill for a few minutes, dinner was ready.

You placed some food on your son’s tray before sitting across from your husband. Taco night was arguably your favorite night of the week.

“Daddy!! I did! I did!” Your son was proudly pointing to his tray.

“You made this? It is so yummy!” T.J. took a big bite to prove his point and you couldn’t hide your smile. He was such a good dad.

“Such a good job buddy! Mama’s so proud of you!” He smiled at you in return. Life was good.

After dinner you watched a movie and as nine rolled around your son was ready to go to bed. So after helping him brush his teeth and put on his pjs you tucked him into bed, but then you sat in the rocking chair in the corner. T.J. read him a story every night and you always stayed to listen. Once the book was over, you both pressed a kiss to his head and quietly closed the door.

“So today was interesting?”

“Oh yeah. Your son,” You emphasized the ‘your’, so he would know that in this particular scenario it was definitely dad’s fault. “Decided that we needed to leave the doors open because the birdies would get hot outside.” You narrowed a look at your husband. “Because somebody told him that Slapshot likes the rink because he gets hot.”

He gave a sheepish chuckle. “How about that?”

“So I spent the better part of an hour chasing a bird out of our living room. And then there was the lunchtime meltdown because the mac n’ cheese wasn’t in dinosaur shapes like at Uncle Andre’s house.”

“It’s not my fault that Andre likes dinosaur shapes! It was your idea to let him babysit last Friday!”

“That’s because Braden, Ovi, and Tom were there, too!” You rolled your eyes. “But it wasn’t the end of the world. I mean, he ate it. During his nap I started to register for my classes online.”

“Get everything set up?”

“No! It was ridiculously priced!”

“Explain?” He inquired.

“I have seven classes left. They want over $6,000 dollars! For SEVEN classes!! It’s ridiculous! Who just has that type of money??” You demanded.

“Y/N…” He trailed. “We do.”

“No!.....You do.”

“I thought we were past this,” He sighed. “We have a joint bank account. The money is yours, too.”

“I want to be able to pay for school myself. I managed to pay for everything else. It’s important to me that I prove I can do this, too!”

He held your hands and forced you to look in his eyes. “And you can. But there’s no harm in using what we have. If it makes you feel better, you can keep track of the exact amount and when you start working again, put that into a college fund.”

You sighed. “I guess...it just seems so ridiculous. It’s no wonder that people choose not to go to college or struggle so much. It’d cost even more if I took the classes on campus.”

“But...you’re only seven classes away from getting that final degree…” He pointed out.

You smiled and rolled your eyes. “Yeah, I know!” You smirked slyly. “If I work hard then I’ll probably have it done before the baby arrives in April.” You kissed him and then stood up. “I’m gonna go shower.”

“Ok.” You walked towards the bathroom and waited for him to process. “Wait!” He shouted. “Baby?!”

As always, let me know if there are any blazing errors!!

[vosebin-blog]

AAAHHHH *insert my longest yeah boy ever here* HOWDY i’m sophie, the writer for this cute lady here. i haven’t....watched twin peaks cause im lame but i did grow up watching the twilight zone and i think true detective is in the same vein of concept of dark and creepy so!! all about having a good time here my friends🍸✨🍸 

u know the drill: plots and tldr after the jump, app jic, stats.  send me a dm if u wanna brainstorm or give this a like and ill get to u asap! xoxo

26 y.o muhan native that had moved to seoul for college, then work. "day" job was an accountant and its only v recently that she revealed herself 2 be the ~mysterious~ writer thatd been topping the bookseller lists w her rlly icky nasty writing

to make it easy, if u want to get a good idea of her content, think gillian flynn and crank that up by 10. writing is also quite similar: blunt, unapologetic, meant 2 make u uncomfortable. cults. religious mania. murder. unpleasant women for characters galore. wrote 3 books: scratch marks, hunger of the woods, split wide

also y no one would have guessed that a face like hers wouldve written about shit so unnerving + horror / mystery genre dominated by male writers!!

has been accused over the yrs for misogyny and misandry thats apparently “present” in her work. if u bring this up to her she will probably laugh u out of town 

only had 1 press conference, and that was 2 announce a sudden retirement + reveal her identity ( tho its rlly an.....indefinite hiatus but anyway ) and thats really that for seoul

but to those at muhan, shes probably just known as the girl who returned right when her mothers gone missing. coincidence??? i think not

except theyre not entirely wrong lol but with how carefree and relaxed shes been theres been a certain reputation thats been tacked onto her since game start

which she fully embraces, stereotype by stereotype, bcus its funny. creepy writer aesthetics? shes got it buddy, from the rickety rocking chair on the front porch near the mouth of the woods 2 that anne sexton ~flair~ for storytelling. 

keeps a pleasant exterior, but lmao the bitch vibes r thereeeee 200%. nice to talk to, but not a nice person i can promise u that. maybe makes up for it a little for being self aware and not being fake about it???

if u were in highschool wit her or were of acquaintance, then u most likely got a taste of it loool. was that 1 friend ( frenemy?? enemy??? ) who held nothing back, insults or otherwise

real reason y shes back here is only to pay back wtv huge ass debt mama accumulated and ran away from....but no one knows that except those friendly debt collectors thatve been coming around lately. shes working on it, but the bigger issue is having to face the demons of living in ur childhood home where youve left buried in the yard till now

long story short: sebin and mom had an extremely, extremely dysfunctional relationship. complicated history of envy, hatred, emotional abuse, vicious fights, gaslighting, understanding and family love. ultimately shit happens when ur left as a single mom banished to the side of the woods and have 2 give up everything to raise a kid u didnt even want. its not pretty, its not cute but its the 1 thing that shes known to be real all her life and it means something. writing ( obscured as it may be ) has helped her deal with it and in a way, its almost confessional. she hasnt disclosed any of this with anybody and doesnt plan to

given that, shes turned out ok?? as in, she kind of embraces the person shes been shaped into rather than reeling from shame

pet peeve is when ppl think they have her ~all figured out~ to which shes like.....ok....its not that deep lmao pls kindly fuck off sherlock holmes

should probably add that mom ran a little apothecary that raked in a decent amount of money but not enough. sebin just recently sold it 

thinks church is pointless, isnt all that aware of the cult but would prob think its stupid as fuck too. someone, be it god or satan or anyone else, pls save her...or dont LOL

dresses all ~casual chic~ ankle boots, lightwashed jeans, loose dress shirts. lotsa cute scarves

drinks too much. smokes too much. its a problem but she dont think so

find her @ the casino playing bridge or at college being a guest lecturer when shes not chilling at her house 

some plots / prompts

someone to have clever banter with

fan or admirer of her work that wont pipe the fuck down or relax and kinda makes sebin snap

bible thumpers who think shes a disgrace to the ~esteemed~ image of her mom

cult members who think that she’d be a good addition to their crew

mutual sexual ~tension~ or the classic will they wont they with a twist

her writing hit hard @ something rlly personal and it makes u rlly uncomfortable and u rlly just cant feel easy around her as a result

friends, exes, frenemies, classmates, childhood playmates

u thought her mom was an absolute darling and got along with her well so when sebin comes along and sells her shit right after the lady’s disappeared it strikes a nerve

someone shes met in seoul and / or uni

sebin just highkey scares u and she gets a kick out of messing witchu

let me show you my darker half, and i’ll show you mine. intense. honest. maybe even a little frightening. not so idle conversation late at night

u try to hit on her but shes just not gonna let u in so easy buddy

rainy night and u need somewhere to stay so u come by her house

‘why do u have.....all those knives........and guns.......and taxidermy......’

[sleepyfan-blog]

first bit of the nano fic below. please tell me if it’s dumb or not

When Connor was a kid, he hadn't really understood why his mom had been so insistent that he keep most of his magical abilities a secret from the other kids. Many of his fellow students enjoyed showing off their abilities, and everyone had several magical courses, along with such things as math, geography and language classes. But she had insisted that he be very careful while using his magic, and not reveal the full nature of what he was... Which was also confusing, as far as the young man had known at the time, that most magical beings didn't bother to hide what they were - even dark or previously thought evil beings, such as Vampires and Wendigos.

But he promised her every day before classes - or when he was invited over to a friend's house to play or for a sleepover, that he would be careful using his magic, and to not reveal the type of magical being that he was. Once every other week, his mom would take him on a road trip, to one of the nearby National Parks, where there wasn't anyone around, so that he could practice his magic in full - and when he had finally been able to get rid of the last of his fledgling down as a teenager - practice to learn how to fly. By then he had figured out why it was necessary to hide his abilities, as Connor had no wish whatsoever to be taken away from his human mother.

Connor hadn't realized that certain kinds of magical beings were thought of as myth - such as Angels... Or rather, those who had wings, such as he did. In addition to having bird-like wings, he had healing magic... And he had figured out as a teenager, that he seemed to be a great deal more powerful than most if not all of his classmates.

Connor was aware that, as per the laws, he probably should have reported himself when he was fifteen, and after finding a dead mother cat - whose kittens were mewling and pawing anxiously at, had broken down into tears and pushed as much of his magic into her as much as possible... And finding out that the mother cat - who had been very clearly dead - was alive and she seemed to be well. Connor had taken the mama cat and her kittens to a local vet clinic, just to double check, and when telling them the truth - that he'd found them out in the street, the little family of felines had been sent to a local animal shelter, and all of them had been adopted. He should have gone to the local authorities and reported that he might be of an arch-mage class and tested, to see if he needed to be sent away for more intensive training... But Connor hadn't wanted to leave his mom.

Besides, he would have also been pressured into revealing his magical heritage and Connor was distinctly nervous about anyone finding out that he had wings. Connor was grateful that they drove out to the middle of nowhere every other week, so that he could fly as much as he wanted, as the young man always got incredibly restless towards the end of the two weeks. It didn't matter if it was a beautiful, cloudless sunny day with blue skies as wide as the horizon... Or pelting down rain that froze once it hit the ground. Connor wondered if he needed to fly a certain extent - if that was an instinct that those like him possessed, or if it was simply that he had the ability to fly without needing to use a spell or a spelled object to fly.

His eighteenth birthday had been in March, and he had just graduated high school. Connor wanted to become either a veterinarian or a doctor - and not simply because he had healing magic. He genuinely wanted to make a difference, and had been hard at work at school, taking all of the Advanced Placement classes that he could manage to get into, so that he had some college credits under his belt as he searched for colleges to apply to. He'd done very well in his classes - magical and mundane, and had graduated as the valedictorian of his year. A deep, uncertain sigh left his lips and the  young man rubbed his face a little, still uncertain as to what to do.

There were a couple of local community colleges that offered courses that would let him take the undergraduate courses he needed in order to qualify to get into a veterinary school... Btu the best veterinary school was on the far side of the state, several hours' drive from home. All of this additional schooling would cost money, and though he could apply to financial aid, the young man was wary of getting into financial debt of any kind - as he had heard... Stories of what happened, if you were far behind on your financial aid. That a government representative would find where you were living and in order to pay back the debt, a Contract would be forged, and you would have to do... Something for years, if not decades, in order to pay off the debt - and it didn't matter how much money you made in the meantime, they wanted magical spells and potions and any items you could craft, once the Contract was forged... Or so he'd heard the rumors. There was another rumor that you might just disappear into a government funded lab, as though there were a significant number of magical beings, there were far more non-magical humans in the world, and though humans tended to live much shorter lives than most kinds of magical beings, they were clever and could be more ruthless and terrifying than any magical being.... Or so Connor had heard.

Connor wasn't sure if he believed those rumors or not, as he lived in a small magical community, at the edge of one of the Fae claimed forests, so they didn't see non-magical humans very often... Apart from the occasional curious tourist, who would be carefully assigned a guide, lest they get snatched up by one of the more... Capricious or old-fashioned Fae who didn't care much for the pretty pieces of paper that the four courts had officially signed, in order to avoid their borders from being cold Iron Bound and salt sealed. There were online classes... But again, it depended on whether or not he would be able to afford classes, on the fast food job that he was working. A deep, unhappy sigh left him as he clocked out, shaking his head a little and frowning.

"Why the long face, young one?" An elderly looking person asked, their finely lined face crinkling further as they peered at him.

Connor smiled politely and nodded at them. He could practically taste the magic around them, besides he'd met this person before - though their face changed every time they came into the burger joint he worked at. It was rude to recognize a Fae, unless they revealed themselves as someone you'd met before - even if you could recognize their magical signature. Apparently that was a difficult task for a lot of people to do, although why, Connor honestly couldn't imagine. Then again, it seemed as though most people didn't have an innate sense of who and what the beings around them were "Oh... It's just I graduated high school a little over a month ago, and I'm trying to decide if I want to go straight into college, or wait a couple of years... I kind of want to go backpacking across the states, to see the sights but... I've never been away from home for that long and... Yeah." It was also unwise to share too much of yourself at once to a Fae, which was why he stopped himself.

They hummed a little, a small smile appearing on their face "You're still so young yet, and despite the hustle and bustle of the humans with their lives that come and go so quickly... I wouldn't worry about such things. You have many years ahead of you, little one. Enjoy life as it comes, and knowledge will come to you as you need it."

"Wise words, I will make sure to keep them in mind." Connor responded, also knowing better than to thank a Fae. There were laws against a Fae taking advantage of a human slip of the tongue... But he was far from human.

They chuckled at that, their eyes shining in amusement - going from a soft brown to an electric purple "You always do have a sweet tongue, cast in silver. You are also the most cautious little one that I've met in some time... Then again, Â you do have reason to be. If you do go wandering, I would suggest that you stay away from the large cities - full of humans and a watchfulness you've never encountered. Some like to see birds captured in gilded cages - but I'd rather you fly freely."

Connor choke, all of the air in his lungs leaving him. His hands were shaking as he sputtered out "I... I have n-no idea... W-what do you..? I..." He took several steps back, a decidedly anxious expression on his face, reaching into one of his pockets for several packets of salt.

"Peace, peace. I mean you no harm, little one, although your caution does you credit. There is more than one way to bind powerful young ones like you, and there are those outside of this small village who will be more than happy to clip your wings and put you on display. Tread lightly if you are to walk in large cities - where there are many humans with little to no magic. Greedy and vicious, while not being bound to the same rules as we are. This advice is freely given, for a young one who has always been kind and warm - and whose food warms and heals these old bones of mine." The Fae murmured, sounding vaguely amused at how wary Connor was, a small smile on their face - though it didn't seem to be a malicious one, only entertained.

"I... I will definitely keep that in mind. Stick to the path, ignore the floating lights in the forest and don't cross without looking both ways." Connor murmured, reciting several common sense safety phrases. They helped him calm down.

"Just so." The Fae responded, a laugh in their voice. "For the entertainment, I will tell you this; when your second set of wings comes in, your magic will double. Once your third set come in, you won't be able to hide your magic, no matter how you try. You will have either needed to have found someone who has the strength to protect you, little healer, or one will be assigned to you. Or you can always come into the forest and stay with us. Healers are celebrated and welcomed always."

"I... Will think about that..." Connor responded, not wanting to turn down such an offer, but not wanting to sound as if he was going to accept it, and thus be whisked off and trapped in Fae service for the next fifty years.

The Fae chuckled softly at that, their eyes a shining amethyst color now "Good luck, and remember, fortune favors the bold but punishes the brash." With that, they vanished from sight, leaving Connor to ponder what they'd just said.

~

[preserve-or-raze]

(my reblog is only loosely related to op’s post and very rambly but i feel like i need to share anyways)

this somehow is the most important thing that’s extremely relative to my existence that i’ve never thought about. i was raised in the quasi-suburban environment that exists between “the country” and “in-town”, in the middle of the atlantic south. my family currently lives in the same part of the country they grew up in 100+ years ago.

my dad grew up in the middle of nowhere and was the first person he knew of who ever went to college. when he went off, he was gonna go to vet school because he liked working with animals and wanted to know how they worked. it was 1980. he had never heard of chemistry. he didn’t go to vet school. his bachelors in animal science earned him a place on a hog farm where he rose to be manager. it took years to pay down his college debt.

mama wanted to be a “book lady” as far back as she can remember. she thought books were the neatest things and couldn’t get enough of them. because they couldn’t afford many. the day she found out about libraries she all but cried with joy. her bi-weekly trips to the branch library became sacred. she became an elementary school librarian at a rural school of about 200 students, most marginalized, many disabled. she has a masters degree in library science.

neither of my parents really knew how bad they had it while they were growing up for one big reason. my grandparents quietly sacrificed nearly everything to make their children’s lives better. my dad’s parents chose to suffer financially to send him and his 4 siblings to a poor country private school, which offered a slightly better education and transportation to and from their house. dad’s brother drove the bus. my mom’s family did everything they could to move into town to put her and her brother in the “city school” which was a bit better funded. the city school had a marginally bigger library. my grandparents are all but penniless because of what they felt it took to provide opportunities for their kids that they themselves never had.

and you know what? my parents never really thought about being different or worse off because the people they knew all felt the same way and did the same stuff. sure, we knew about rich city folk who bought new cars and lived in two story houses and had paved driveways and wore collared shirts tucked into khakis at school. but that just wasn’t the way we did things. it wasn’t a way the family could do things. they used granddaddy’s old truck until it rusted out and then got another one from a used lot which was typically a neighbor’s yard. they replaced the roof of their 900sqft house every seven years by themselves. they parked anywhere they could in the parts of the yard that weren’t flooded. they wore jeans to school any time they didn’t wear overalls. and so did everyone else.

so what about me. well, mom has taught for over 30 years with her masters, so she’s making decent money. after over a decade with hogs, dad was able to land a natural resource job with the federal government and has worked about 20 years with them. together they’ve just made it to upper-middle class by nearly 60–having started just at or above the poverty line. i’m currently in pharmacy school. if i finish, i will be the first, and for the knowable future, the only Doctor in my family. i have earned scholarships to keep the loans at arms length, but my parents have made sacrifices to get me this far. not a day goes by that i don’t feel guilty about it. i easily could have been content with a bachelors in something which largely would’ve been covered by scholarships. but pharmacy school is doubled tuition and my scholarships end soon. provided i’m able to graduate, the debt shouldn’t be too much, but i’m not certain that’ll happen because i feel wildly unprepared for the task ahead.

i graduated from one of the largest public high schools in the state, ranked bottom 16% of state high schools in funding and even lower in safety. most of the student population is marginalized, about 20% live in poverty. most of my teachers were compassionate toward their students despite their own abysmal working conditions: 30-40 students in a class is a lot for one teacher, who may or may not be entirely qualified, but was willing to do the job anyway. doing that for several different classes each day and covering someone else’s classes during your free planning hour? criminal conditions. and not much time for lesson planning or deliberating over what material to cover.

and a lot of people like to talk about what material gets taught in schools and what politics it supports—and it is important that adults know what’s being taught to their kids and that the truth is what’s taught—but no one seems to be concerned about schools that serve more as daycares or detention centers than as institutions of education. i was fortunate enough to test into the g&t program, so i was with students who could learn and teachers who knew how to teach, but most of the other ‘teachers’ in the building either didn’t have degrees, didn’t have kids who wanted to learn, or both. those teachers ended up staving off brawls and keeping kids awake, often unsuccessfully on both counts. we had monthly fire drills and monthly gunman scares. everyone qualified for free lunch. the building we were in was designed to be a prison, but got converted to a school at the last minute due to desegregation. you can see it in the classrooms arranged like cell blocks and the courtyard surrounded by the two-story inner corridors that run between them.

i look back on my high school days with blood red-tinted glasses. i remember late nights in the auditorium, alone finishing sets for the musical and programming lights. i remember our walk-out against gun violence being disregarded as the month’s fire drill. i remember celebrating one of my best friends winning homecoming queen senior year. i remember being banned from pep rallies and assemblies freshman and sophomore year because of “behavior issues”. i remember senior prom being themed hollywood nights and having strict, conservative dress codes. i remember hiding in the chemistry closet with my classmates because we thought the shooter wouldn’t hear us through the cinderblock walls.

high school in the south, especially in rural america, isn’t an experience to be proud of. foreigners are surprised to find out that american high schools really do have spirit week and hoco and friday night football and senior skip day and pep rallies and school spirit in general. in my experience, students from well-off and metropolitan areas are also surprised to learn these things are real. why do schools in rural/poorer areas have these traditions? in short: if we didn’t, kids would have no reason to go to school at all. these little fun traditions serve to prevent us from acknowledging that, for us, school is only a monotonous routine designed to monopolize kids’ time so we aren’t on the street or doing crime. so many of my classmates dropped out legally at 17 to start their careers as tradesmen or farm hands or parents or criminals. school spirit is just the filter applied to the student’s lens that keeps the present fun and future optimistic. we weren’t proud to be a part of the school, we were proud to be a part of each other.

that’s the thing city folk don’t realize. rural life, especially in the south, isn’t about being part of an institution: there aren’t any worth joining. it isn’t about having stuff: it’s all bound to fall apart and one day you won’t be able to fix it. it’s not even about working the land: it’s only profitable when it is, sometimes it’s a death sentence. the rural life is about who you do it with; the people you haul out of a ditch; the people you invite for thanksgiving; the people you notice missing from church; the people you get excited to talk football with; the people you hide in the chemical closet with. life doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and when you learn that, it doesn’t suck as hard either.

people in cities stop ignoring the existence of marginalized rural people challenge

[evil-writer]

#kdramawomensweek || day eight: Happy International Women’s Day

⤷ Yoo Eun Jae (Park Hye Soo), Yoon Jin Myung (Han Ye Ri), Jung Ye Eun (Han Seung Yeon) , Kang Yi Na (Ryu Hwa Young), Song Ji Won (Park Eun Bin) ↦ Age of Youth (2016)

“Others are just like me. Other people are people, just like I am. They feel as uncomfortable as I do, and hesitate, just like I do. There are plenty of people who are as nice as I am.”  - Eun Jae

“Everyone has their own circumstances to deal with. And until you know the circumstances they’re in, you can’t tell people how to live their lives. I’m sure you have something like that about you, too. Something that others can’t understand about you, but you can’t help. That’s why you can’t judge people.” - Ji Won  

“I hate you because I want to become like you, but can’t. So I can’t help but hate you. That’s why it smells. There’s a rotting smell coming from my envy.” - Yi Na

“Sometimes, I want to cry out loud. I want someone to hear me crying. I want them to hear me cry, and tell me everything will be okay. I want someone to pat me on the back, and tell me that it’s not my fault.” - Jin Myung

“Lies may be similar to makeup. Just like one puts on makeup to hide their naked face, people use lies to hide the truth. I tell more and more lies as my makeup gets thicker. Since when did I start feeling that going out with no makeup on was embarrassing? Since when did I become so ashamed of the truth?” - Ye Eun

Each of the Belle Epoque girls is meant to play some sort of female archetype. Eun Jae is the painfully shy introvert, who would sooner walk over hot coals than willingly enter into conflict with someone. Ji Won is her near-perfect opposite, loud and bubbly, the perennial friend. Yi Na is the femme fatale, dangerous and seductive. Jin Myung is the Good Daughter, putting herself through college while paying off her mother’s debts, incurred while her brother lays comatose in a hospital bed. Ye Eun is the quintessential girl. The one who dresses just as she’s supposed to, the one with the frat boy boyfriend, with equally perfectly-dressed girlfriends to link arms with and walk around campus, giggling over the latest gossip. 

Yet, they’re so much more than these skeletal stereotypes might’ve forced them to be. 

Eun Jae swallows her anger until she can’t anymore, until she boils over. She tosses Ye Eun’s designer handbag out the window and screams at her housemates. When we dig a little deeper, we see that she has nightmares. That she’d been brave enough to protect her mother when she’d suspected that her father might kill her.

Ji Won knows everyone, making friends is as easy for her as breathing. She is the glue that holds the Belle Epoque girls together. And she’s a pathological liar. Falsehoods slip out for her as easily as the truth does. She tells tall tales, spinning them until she can no longer take it back. Yet, even as she spins her web of lies (with the ghost inside the apartment), she holds the girls together. Though her “ghost” is a made-up story, each of her roommates has heaps of baggage. That little lie in the end allows them to come to terms with their pasts and face their problems. She is the anchor; without her, they drift.

Yi Na suffers from a serious case of survivors guilt, to the extent that she carries the little girl who died when she lived, around with her like baggage. She looks after her housemates like a mama bear, protecting them (see: Ye Eun) even when they don’t wish to be. She carries heaps of self-loathing along with her designer bags, flashes her luxuries at her friends even as she envies them. 

Jin Myung stretches herself fifty different ways trying to do it all. And she wishes her brother would die, and put them all out of their misery. She wishes her mother would choose her, for once. She wishes she would stop having to be the one to sacrifice. She provides for them still. But she resents and she loathes, and it tears her apart.

Ye Eun shows off her perfect life, her perfect love life, while suffering through an abusive relationship. Through a petty, small, excuse of a man who puts her down at every opportunity. He is her captor, and though she knows what he does is wrong, she can’t help but crave his affection. She let’s go, eventually. She begins to overcome the abuse, one day. She’ll carry on with her life, because it’s what they do.

Every single one of these incredibly special girls has a spine of steel.

The media, society has a horrible track record when it comes to forcing women into boxes, restricting our actions. Yet Age of Youth takes hold of these archetypes and shows us all that there is no “one size fits all”. That one shoe fitting doesn’t mean it’s the only one you can wear.

Happy International Women’s Day, everyone!