#math was my favorite until there were engineering classes available for me to take

[closedafterdark]

Beginning

Kwon Eunbi x Male Reader

9703 words

categories: smut, oral, mommy kink

Read on AFF

The first week of classes was always a struggle. 

You weren’t much of a morning person, preferring to sleep in until early afternoon. But life doesn’t always work the way you want it to. So, you had no choice but to get out of bed at the asscrack of dawn and drag yourself on campus.

You tapped your pencil to the rhythm of your foot as you looked around the classroom. A lot of bright, young faces. Mixed in with them were people you could align yourself with. Seasoned veterans, those who knew to cheat the system by doing the minimum amount of work possible in order to pass. You sat in the very back of the lecture hall, making sure your seat was as close to the doors as possible. Since most people chose to sit in the front, you had the entire row to yourself in the back. Your backpack was plopped on the seat next to you.

Sitting in the back meant you had a great view of the entire lecture hall. You were able to see most people’s laptop and phone screens. Many were focused on the current class or one of their others, while others were texting friends or browsing random videos. Since you have finished almost all of the classes required for your major, this was just to meet a graduation requirement.

“One last quarter, let’s get this over with.” you muttered to yourself as you closed your eyes.

“Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?” a soft voice called out.

You tilted your head up, opening your eyes. You were a bit annoyed, having almost fallen fully asleep. Looking up at the beautiful face smiling at you, your facial expression quickly changed. Her long, black hair flowed neatly down her shoulders. Her large, dark brown eyes could be seen even through her heartwarming eye smile. Her face was extremely symmetrical, milky in color and complemented by full, pink lips. You’ve never met someone so easy on the eyes.  But what really got your attention was her large chest, her bra outlined by a skintight white shirt that showed off her toned tummy. She completed the look with a pair of light blue jeans that highlighted every curve on her body. Wide full hips, powerful looking thighs, and a cute round butt that was begging to be spanked.

“Is anyone sitting next to you?” she repeated, pointing at where your backpack was.

“Oh… n-no.” you replied, taking your backpack and putting it behind you.

“Thank you.”

The beautiful woman takes off her bag and sits next to you. As you watch her take out her laptop and notebook, you can’t help yourself from smiling. She truly was attractive. At the same time, you looked down the row and the one across your left side. Both were completely empty, save for the two of you.

“I don’t mind but why did this beautiful woman sit next to me, of all places? Every other seat here is unoccupied.”

The woman sees your face deep in thought and smiles shyly.

“I sit in this area every time I have a class here, had at least one in the past three years. In this particular lecture hall, it’s my favorite spot. Don’t worry, I don’t have a crush on you or will follow you around campus like a lost puppy.” she teased, having seemingly read your mind.

“This is my favorite spot too. And I wasn’t trying to say you were-”

“Unless…”

“I uh-”

“I’m just kidding. Hi, my name is Kwon Eunbi.” her big, bright eyes shined as she extended her hand out to you. You take it in kind, introducing yourself as well.

“So, what’s your major?” Eunbi asked you.

“Biomedical Engineering, how about you?”

“Wow, you’re so smart! I’m in Broadcasting and Entertainment.” she replied.

You smiled. You just met her and she already made you feel comfortable. Talking to strangers was never your strong suit. Before you could ask her more questions, the professor entered the lecture hall.

“Welcome, all. This is Physics 136, Particle Physics. I’m your instructor for this course. Those of you who expect an easy A or are taking this class as a graduate requirement, I encourage you to leave now.”

The moment the professor stopped speaking, several students got up from their seats and began to exit the lecture hall. You and Eunbi looked at each other, both feeling uneasy.

“I take it you’re not a physics kind of girl?” you whispered to Eunbi.

“I’m not even a math kind of girl. I barely passed Calculus with a C-.” she whispered back. “But you’re good at physics, right?”

“Regular physics and a little bit of quantum for conversational purposes. I have no idea about particle physics” you replied.

You saw Eunbi’s momentarily shocked face before she smiled.

The only reason you took this extra class was because your academic adviser told you you needed a few more units in order to graduate. As it was only a few weeks before the quarter began, most classes were already full. You looked up all available options with open vacancies and ended up choosing this course. You learned Eunbi did the same thing.

The next few weeks came and went rather quickly. Particle physics was the only course you had to try in, all the others were general ed courses that you could have slept in and still passed. You and Eunbi continued to sit in your unofficial assigned seats in the back of the lecture hall. Sometimes she would switch it up and sit in your corner seat. Whoever arrived early would have a snack or drink ready for the other. Her warm smile was something you always looked forward to seeing in class. While you two kept your talking during lecture to a minimum, walks after class were fun as you two complained about the lesson or talked about what was going on in other classes. On a random Friday after class, Eunbi asked for your phone and inputted her number. You then received a text from an unknown number, seeing a simple smiley face. She smiles as she reminds you to save her number. The two of you got to know each other even better through texting. She was extremely witty and fun to talk to, often sending you multiple short messages at once. Most were about how boring her classes were or a photo of what she was currently eating.

The quarter has now entered the halfway point and as such, you no longer dreaded your morning class. Starting your day off seeing Eunbi’s pretty smile and her beautiful face were a great beginning to the school week. Experimental particle physics and the Large Hadron Collider didn’t even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath of air as Eunbi’s weekend beach trips with her friends or the new poses she learned in Pilates class.

You found yourself waking up at the usual time for the morning class, but leaving your apartment earlier so you could be the first one to the lecture hall. You wanted to talk to her a bit more, even if it was just a few minutes. You and Eunbi would meet up after class as well. Study sessions in the library or grabbing a quick bite to eat in the campus dining area. The more you two spent time together, Eunbi began to open up. You learned her mother was hesitant about her major since she wanted Eunbi to choose marketing instead. She worked several part time jobs every summer before a new school year in order to have some money saved up. During this time Eunbi became more physically affectionate, choosing to link arms with you often or finding excuses to softly hit you.

“I’m telling you, there’s no way you’re older than me!” Eunbi whined as you two were sitting under a tree at the on campus park.

“I told you, your brother is only a year older than me!” you said, laughing.

“Prove it.”

You handed her your campus ID. Eunbi smiled, seeing your photo.

“Nice picture..”

“Hey! My friend was with me. He made funny faces which caused the photo to look like that.” you replied.

She looked at your ID and gasped.

“Y-You’re… older…”

“You make it sound like it’s a bad thing. Plus, we’re only a year apart.”

Eunbi puffed her cheeks and pouted. She was convinced she was older, making you call her noona and being a tsundere when doing nice things for you.

“Awh, is my little Eunbi mad?” you said, pinching her cheeks.

She pushed your hand away. You laughed, Eunbi was always so cute when she sulked.

“I’m sorry, I thought you knew.” you said, looking at her sincerely.

“It’s just… it was nice being called noona for a change.” she said quietly.

“I can still call you that, you know. Nothing has to be different between us. Noona”

Eunbi looked into your eyes. You smiled, causing her to do the same. What you didn’t expect was for Eunbi to raise your hands and eat the remaining bite of your sandwich.

“What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is noona’s.”

You weren’t willing to admit it out loud, but you began to have feelings for Eunbi.

At long last, finals season arrived. The campus libraries and study centers were filled with students who looked like zombies, not caring about their appearance as the tables in front of them were littered with textbooks and other course materials. One person in particular dozed off with a coffee cup still in hand. You used to be one of these people, feeling like you had eyebags that made you look like a raccoon. You thought of the caffeine fueled all nighters that were pulled, cramming notes and binders full of work that ended up being more of memorization than actually studying the material. Those days are thankfully long gone. Now you only have the physics finals left to take, all you have to do is pass with a C. It’s safe to say, you were hardly under any stress.

Your professor scheduled a comprehensive review session the day before the final. Most finals weren’t for another week, but the entire class powered through the material which benefited both the students and the instructor. You decided to go, figuring you might actually learn something instead of coasting by like you have the entire quarter. Assuming your regular seat in the lecture hall, you look at your phone. It was only a few minutes until class began. You looked around, trying to find any sign of Eunbi. Thirty minutes into the review and she still hasn’t shown up. Never one to be late, you thought of all the possible scenarios for why she wasn’t currently next to you. Did she oversleep? Maybe she decided to just study at home. Is she sick? Maybe you should bring her some food. Or is she on a date? All these thoughts played out like a large film strip. You unlocked your phone and decided to text her.

“Everything okay? The final review is going on right now.”

“Ahh, yes I’m almost there! I’ll see you in a bit!”

As if on cue the moment you locked your phone and put it down, the lecture hall doors swung open and the woman you have been waiting for entered. Eunbi looked different today from her usual outfits. You knew her as someone who would wear tight fitting crop top tees and jeans, showing off her cute midriff and the tiniest bit of love handles. This time she wore a tan cardigan top with a black undershirt, one you were hoping was a spaghetti strap. She complimented the look with a gold bracelet, and rosy red colored nails that matched her tint of lipstick. The outfit was finished with a gray short pleated skirt and black thigh highs with sneakers. But what really caught your eye was her new bobbed haircut. Having grown used to Eunbi having long, beautiful hair, this was a pleasant surprise for you. It gave her even more of a mature and elegant vibe. You also could never get used to how beautiful she looked with and without makeup. Maybe she had an important date after class? You remember her talking about how one of the guys in the broadcasting club was extremely handsome. Jealousy welled inside you, you hated the thought of Eunbi being interested in someone else.

“Sorry I’m so late, slept past four alarms.” she whispered to you as she put her bag on the empty chair next to her and pulled out her notes.

“You’re dressed even nicer than usual, got a big date today?”

Eunbi looked at you and laughed softly before hitting your shoulder. “No, silly. The weather is nice today so I thought it was the perfect time to wear a cute outfit. Haven’t worn any of these since I bought them over the summer.”

A part of you wished you didn’t text Eunbi at all. The review that doubled as a final lecture had everyone’s attention but yours. Most of your time was spent stealing glances at your beautiful seatmate. You eyed the way her powerful thighs looked under a relatively short skirt and how the black thigh highs she wore were your weakness. But what you were really looking at was Eunbi’s large protruding breasts, especially when she removed the cardigan. Most of the time she wore tight fitting crop top tees or long sleeves, only showing the outline of her boobs. But now you are finally given a wonderful view of her cleavage and milky colored skin. You began to fantasize about burying your face with her breasts, or even how your penis would look sandwiched in between her soft flesh. Your eyes remained on her body like a high powered laser, scanning every inch of her body as possible. She’d probably be burned from how intensely you were eyeing her.

Thankfully, the class was finally over. You were happy you didn’t have an erection that had to be covered. You and Eunbi both sighed the moment you exited the class, both of you stretching your arms and bodies. You pulled Eunbi in for a hug, surprising her temporarily before she smiled and reciprocated. Letting go, you pinched her cheeks and waved at her. As you turned to leave, she called out your name.

“Are you doing anything after this?”

“Uh, probably going to the library and studying a bit. How about you?”

“I was too… but noona has a better idea.” she said, skipping towards you as she takes her arm in yours. “Why don’t we study at my place? I know you live on campus but my apartment is only ten minutes away by bus. It’s much quieter and I could really use my best friend to help me out.”

You looked unsure, you liked Eunbi and hanging out with her is always fun. But you wanted to actually do well on tomorrow’s exam. Eunbi tugged on the sleeve of your jacket, causing you to look down. Her bright beautiful eyes were watery as she pouted her lips and gave you the cutest sad expression you’ve ever seen.

“You can’t keep giving me those sad eyes every time.” you teased, pinching her cheeks.

“Please… I’ll even buy you dinner! Please. Oppa.”

Your eyes widened hearing her call you oppa, knowing she only reserves that word for when she really needs to. You were whipped for Eunbi, even if she was just your best friend. The truth was, you weren’t going to study at all. You were going to grab a meal and maybe a few drinks with friends before you went home and browsed through tv shows until it was time for bed.

“Fine. But I expect a really fancy dinner.” you teased, squishing her cheeks together as Eunbi pouted.

Eunbi squealed, happy you could never say no to her. Her stomach had other plans, making loud noises. She placed her hand on it, as you both looked at each other and laughed.

“Why don’t we eat something first?” you said.

“C’mon let’s go, noona knows a wonderful cafe we can hangout at for a bit.” she said as she held onto your hand and dragged you along. As Eunbi hummed and talked about how happy she was the quarter was about to end, you couldn’t help but notice how short her skirt really was. Every step she took showed off her well sculpted thighs and the tiniest bit of her round butt cheeks from where her shorts ended. You felt like they were teasing you, asking to be spanked.

The two of you reached the cafe. It was very modern, a minimalist approach to the interior and shiny countertops and machines scattered throughout. Eunbi’s arm was linked with yours as you two found a cozy table and sat down.

Eunbi pouted at you the moment you two sat down.

“What’s wrong?” you asked.

Eunbi remained silent, watching you intently. You looked down and saw her holding her phone.

“Does noona want me to take her photo?”

She nodded, smiling brightly at you.

“I really should be asking payment for being your photographer.” you said, laughing. You decided to take several photos of her, ensuring that she would like at least one. As the two of you scroll through the photos, you hear someone approaching your table.

“Welcome to our cafe, here are your menus. You two look like a lovely couple-” The slightly deep voice of the waitress caused you to look up.

“Oh, oppa!”

“Ting…”

Eunbi looked at the waitress and then you, slightly confused.

“Ahh, this is Chong Tingyan. She’s an old friend from when I took cooking classes a few years ago. We got really close after and her name amongst our friend group is Elkie. Ting, say hi. This is an unnie from oppa’s university.”

“Really? Hello, my name is Ting. Or Elkie as oppa likes to call me.” Elkie says with a laugh. Her husky, deeper sounding voice was a pleasant juxtaposition to her beautiful face and model-like body.

“Ah, yes. Hello.” Eunbi said timidly. She tucked several loose strands behind her ear. You could have sworn you saw the slightest hint of jealousy in Eunbi’s face, but decided not to say anything about it.

“How have you been, oppa? We never see you anymore! The girls always talk about you… and I miss you.” Elkie said, the last part in as quiet of a voice as possible.

“What was that?” you asked, a bit confused on what you just heard.

“I meant… Yeeun misses you! You know how she always hung around you whenever we all met up after class.”

“I miss you guys too. Ask the girls know when they are free, we need to catch up like old times.” you said, laughing softly.

“I will.” Elkie said, laughing as well. “What would you guys like to drink?”

“I’ll take a mocha frappuccino. What about you-”

“Your favorite drink still hasn’t changed, oppa.”

“With everything else changing, it’s nice to have something constant.” you replied.

“I’ll take an iced americano.” Eunbi simply interjected.

“Sure. I’m usually the barista but since one of the girls called out, I’m doing both today. I’ll be right back with your drinks.” Elkie said as she gave you a fist bump and walked away.

“Iced americano? You don’t normally drink coff-” Turning to Eunbi, you saw her nostrils flaring as there was a glint of anger in her eyes.

“Oppa. We’re going home after this.”

The two of you drank your caffeine filled beverages in relative silence before you went to the counter and thanked Elkie. This was quickly cut off, as Eunbi dragged you away. The walk to and wait for the bus was filled with more silence. You weren’t sure why she was so jealous of Elkie, deciding you would ask her about it when you were at her apartment.

“The bus is here.” Was all she said as she finally broke the hour long silent treatment. Eunbi boarded without a second glance at you. You sighed, tapping your phone at the digital farebox at the front. Since it was the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, there were no empty seats available. The ride from the cafe to where she said her apartment was wouldn’t take too long. But with each stop, more people got on than those who would get off.

The ride to her apartment was extremely bumpy, filled with steep hills and pothole laced asphalt. As fate would have it, you had an unexpected erection that would unintentionally rub against Eunbi’s butt through the fabric of both of your clothes. Internally cursing yourself for wearing joggers, you looked down and let out a silent scream as you saw a visibly noticeable bulge. Trying to move your hips sideways and not draw even more attention, you were temporarily successful until the bus running over a giant pothole caused the person behind you to push you onto Eunbi once more.

You were extremely nervous, the tip of your cock repeatedly pressed against Eunbi’s ass through her skirt as the bus continued to toss people around unforgivingly.

“Oppa…” Eunbi whimpered, nervously. “Oppa, I think someone’s poking my butt with their thing.”

As she reached behind to try and find out if it really was a pervert molesting her in public transportation, she swiftly turned around once she gripped onto something. Looking up, she found you extremely embarrassed, your face a beet-colored shade of red. Eunbi was right about someone poking her butt with their penis, but not that it was you accidentally doing so thanks to the rough bus ride. It took her a few seconds to register what was going on, before she released her tight grip on your penis and quickly turned around. Eunbi’s face reflected the same shade of red as yours when you both made eye contact.

Coughing slightly, Eunbi turned around and remained silent for the duration of the bus ride. Both of your faces felt warm as neither of you could do anything about your cock rubbing against Eunbi’s ass. While you were slightly turned on, you were mostly embarrassed of the entire situation.

Fortunately, this only lasted several more minutes as the automated recording message announced Eunbi’s stop. You thought about exiting several times, but worried about leaving Eunbi by herself. How were you supposed to face her now?

“Oppa, it’s our stop.” she said to you.

As the both of you got off, you wore your backpack in front while carrying her bag. Normally, Eunbi would have put her arm in yours by now. But after what happened at the cafe and bus, you weren’t surprised she just walked next to you. Eunbi knew what you were trying to do, but remained silent in order to save you from further embarrassment.

“Is our class the only final you have left?”

You looked over and were surprised, yet thankful she took the initiative and started a conversation after the incident on the bus.

“It is. I already finished my other two a few days ago. What about you?”

“Ours will be my first.”

The two of you smiled, happy to put the awkward situation behind you. Eunbi hit your shoulder softly as she returned to linking arms with you. You ended up laughing the entire walk over until you reached the outside of her apartment door. With one simple press of her passcode that you found out was her birthday, you entered Eunbi’s apartment.

It wasn’t much, but for a young single woman like Eunbi, a cozy one bedroom apartment felt like a house for a university student who relied on part time jobs and a bit of allowance from her parents.

“Make yourself at home, oppa.” She said to you, placing her bag on the couch and went inside her bedroom to change.

This was a foreign experience to you, having never been in any woman’s apartment or dorm room before. You admired the simplicity of her home, the bright colors and minimalist art pieces were a reflection of her personality.

“Let’s get started.” You heard her say from behind. Looking up, you mentally cursed yourself. Eunbi returned to wearing a tight fitting top, showing off her toned tummy as you noticed the words “Unknown Heroes” printed on the shirt that you desperately wanted to rip off. She changed into jean shorts, which still gave you a good view of the bottom part of Eunbi’s buttcheeks.

Her hips swayed with each step before she finally sat on the cool wooden floor. Patting the adjacent empty space, Eunbi invited you to accompany her. You took your laptop out of her bag and placed it on the low table in front of you both.

“Why don’t we study by ourselves for half an hour? And then ask each other questions afterwards.”

“Oh, sure. Sounds good.”

The truth was, you have already been studying throughout the week. You used it as an excuse to spend more time with Eunbi outside of class. Unfortunately, your plans for a wonderful day with her were ruined from the awkward meeting with Elkie and the dreaded dry humping that was still fresh in your mind. Slowly, you began fantasizing about Eunbi and her wonderful body, which caused your penis to become erect once more.

“What, why is this so hard! Oh my god!” you heard Eunbi scream, causing you to stop daydreaming.

“W-What happened…”

“This question is so hard! Can you show noona why she can’t solve this problem to completion?”

You sighed, thinking another incident was going to happen even though you were both sitting next to each other side by side. Eunbi handed you her notebook to review the homework question.

Reviewing what she had written down, you felt Eunbi leaning closer to see. Unfortunately, you felt her large, soft breasts firmly pressed against your arm. She placed her left arm on your upper thigh, rubbing it unconsciously. You were afraid she was going to touch your erection again. Eunbi’s body was so close to yours, you could smell the intoxicating scent radiating from her body. It was a beautiful floral fragrance, one you thought to be cherry blossoms which were a nice compliment to her natural body scent. Your heartbeat began to increase rapidly as you felt a lump start to form in your throat.

“So how do I complete it?” She asked, rubbing your thigh once more.

“To solve the question, you first… uh… get rid of the m on the r-right side and then divide by… uhh… uhm… V.”

“Really? That’s so easy! Thanks, oppa.” Eunbi said with a cheerful smile, returning to her side of the table.

You finally were able to catch your breath again, thankful she didn’t place her hand on your crotch once more.

Eunbi really wasn’t lying when she told you she wasn’t a Physics kind of girl at the beginning of the semester. She had no problem hosting the university’s radio program or talking to strangers, but finding the force at which an object drops was not her thing. She had many more questions for you as the two of you continued studying, and each time she placed her hand on your thigh and rubbed her pillowy soft tits on your arm.

After the first few times, you weren’t sure if Eunbi was doing it on purpose or not. You constantly questioned if this was her way of flirting with you. It was already a bit strange how she liked being physically affectionate with you, but you wondered if she placed her hands on thighs and rubbed her breasts on the arms of other guys before. You wanted to confess to Eunbi, but all the worst case scenarios played through your mind. How would she react to it? Would she think you were getting close only to get in her pants? Trying to decipher every word she was saying and her actions were doing you no good, it gave you more stress than the actual final at this point.

“Oppa, are you okay?” she asked.

“Huh? Oh y-yeah, I’m fine.”

“Why don’t we take a break? I’m tired of studying.” she said, leaning in close to you. Her soft voice tickled your inner ear as you felt the familiar sensations of her hand on your thigh and her breasts rubbing against your arm.

“That sounds great!” you replied, quickly going to the kitchen and opening the refrigerator. The sudden cold rush of air felt wonderful on your hot face and body.

There was no denying it at this point. All of Eunbi’s hints and innuendos pointed to one thing. And although you have fantasized and touched yourself at the thought of fucking Eunbi, you constantly told yourself someone like her was way out of your league. The worst part was, you’ve never been intimate with a woman before. Spending almost all of your time in college cooped up in the library or going straight to work after classes gave you little time for meeting girls at all. You enjoyed fantasizing about her, since it was the only way you could feel like you wouldn’t disappoint her in bed.

“Want anything to drink?”

“I’ll take another iced americano. Thanks, oppa!” She called from the desk, not bothering to look at you. Foraging around her refrigerator filled with various half eaten meals, you managed to find some and create drinks for the both of you.

“Hopefully this is strong enough for you.” You said to her as you handed her the drink.

The short coffee break was enough to re-energize you two to finish studying. Another half hour later, you did just that.

“Thank God, I’m so done with physics. I don’t want to look at another formula again after tomorrow.” Eunbi said, stretching her body as she leaned onto the couch.

The two of you began studying in the middle of the afternoon, looking outside the window to see it is now nighttime.

“Oh man, we studied for that long? Guess we should get some dinner.” you said.

“How about chicken and some beer? I know a place that delivers really quickly. I’m basically on their speed dial.”

“Sure, whatever you’d like.”

Eunbi took out her phone and began scrolling through, asking for your input to make sure she ordered the right flavors.

“Food should be here in about 15 minutes.”

The doorbell rang, indicating Eunbi’s order had arrived.

“Oppa, here’s my wallet.”

“Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be too expensive.”

Thanking the delivery driver, you grabbed the two plastic bags and placed them onto the study desk that Eunbi had cleared out.

Eunbi turned on the television and explained to you how she watched the program being aired every week, not wanting to miss a single episode. This was the first time the two of you shared a meal together. You tried your best to eat quickly while being clean, not wanting to show her how fast you could finish your meal. Eunbi on the other hand had other ideas, aggressively biting the chicken drumsticks and not bothering to wipe her lips.

“Ahh, that isn’t ladylike.” You said, wiping her lower lip with your thumb. Eunbi replied with a mischievous smile, telling you she was at home and as such, didn’t need to worry about others seeing her eat this way. Her cheeks were stretched as she stuffed copious amounts of food into her mouth. Her beautiful smile was pleasant to look at, it always made you smile back in response.

Just then, both of your phones dinged and your lockscreens were brought to life. Both of you had preview messages hidden, the only thing displayed was a new email notification. Eunbi leaned in closer to you, her breasts pressed against your shoulder. You sighed, trying to wipe your fingers clean before opening the message.

Dear Physics 136 students,

Apologies for this email reaching you all so late. It seems I have accidentally reserved the exam hall for this week, and not tomorrow like originally planned. As such, the exam will take place in exactly one week from tomorrow. I’m sorry once again and will look forward to seeing you all.

“I guess we have one more week to study then, huh.” she said.

“It seems so… why don’t we have more beer since we don’t have class tomorrow.”

Eunbi looked at you in pretend shock. “What happened to the oppa who only wanted to focus on studying?” she teased before swaying her hips and going to the kitchen. She returned with two ice cold cans of beer.

“I have a lot more so you don’t have to worry about drinking them quickly.”

As the two of you popped the tabs open, you raised the cans into the air.

“To particle physics!” you proudly stated.

“To particle physics.” Eunbi replied, giggling.

The two of you clinked cans and each took a sip. The cold alcoholic beverage mellowed your tense nerves. Dinner continued on as you both took bites of chicken and alternated pieces of pickled radish in between. The two of you shared stories from when you both first started university. The night was filled with embarrassing moments and fun filled laughter. Eventually, all of the things she ordered were consumed; many empty styrofoam packages were sprawled all over the desk.

“Thank you so much for dinner, noona. I really should be heading home though before the last bus arrives.”

“Awh, don’t leave. The night is still young! And you haven’t finished telling me the story about your roommate. One more beer. Just one more. Please… oppa.” She pleaded, using her giant, sad filled eyes to convince you to stay. You looked at the clock.

“I guess one more can wouldn’t hurt.”

Eunbi squealed in excitement, grabbing two more cans of beer as she listened intently about how your roommate got locked out of your old apartment when you went home one weekend to visit family. She managed to squeeze the truth about the beer only being one can, as the one can soon turns into two and then three.

“Eunbi, I really should get going.” You finally said, slightly slurring your words.

“Hmm… I don’t think you can, oppa. Look.” She said, holding out her phone and showing you the last bus just departed for the night.

“Don’t worry though! You can spend the night here!”

“A-Are you sure?” you asked. The both of you have consumed so many cans of beer, it was starting to affect your decision making.

“This couch is pretty comfortable. I’ve fallen asleep here many times when watching shows late at night.”

Besides being slightly intoxicated, you thought sleeping on the couch would be the best thing for both of you since it meant nothing you both would regret the next day would happen.

“Oppa, let’s have one more can!”

You sighed, before sitting back down and chugging the fermented beverage.

Crushing another can in your hand, the drinking moved onto the sofa as the two of you were feeling uncomfortable sitting on the floor. The alcohol certainly helped you feel more relaxed around Eunbi. The two of you changed topics and suddenly began telling each other secrets.

Leaning her head onto her fist, she turned to you slightly.

“So, oppa. How many girls have you fucked?”

You coughed, almost spitting out your beer. Her tone was a mix of joking and serious. You couldn’t take her seriously as she slurred her words and her cheeks were a deep shade of red.

“I think you should say how many guys you’ve fucked before.”

“That’s not fair! I asked the question first!” she whined.

“And I told you I failed my permit test the first time I took it! No one knows that.”

“Fine.” she said, rolling her eyes before sighing. “I’ve slept with four guys. And one girl, but that doesn’t really count since we just did oral stuff. Now it’s your turn to tell me.”

“I’ve slept with so many girls, I can’t remember off the top of my head.” you said arrogantly, laced with a hint of uncertainty.

Eunbi sensed this in your vocal tone.

“You’re lying!” she said, waving her can of beer in the air.

“It’s true! I can’t remember how many women I’ve bedded. I’d say close to a few hundred!”

She laughed, clapping her hands as her face turned even redder. “You? Sleeping with hundreds of women? There’s no way.”

“But it’s true.”

She suddenly gasped, her facial expression changing from laughter to genuine shock.

“Oh my god… Oppa. Are you still a virgin?”

“N-No! Psh, of course not!”

“Oh my god… my oppa is a virgin! Oppa is a virgin!” she teased, laughing rather loudly at this newfound knowledge.

“Fine, okay! I’m still a virgin! Is that what you wanted to hear? I’ve never fucked a woman before.” you yelled out in anger, annoyed at her teasing.

Eunbi was caught by surprise as you turned away from her and sulked. She felt bad for teasing you so much.

“Awh baby, I’m sorry. I took things too far.” she said, turning you around as her hand rubbed your upper thigh.

“Why don’t we change that tonight?” she whispered in your ear seductively, rubbing your cheek before leaning closer. Your lips pressed against each other as you felt her straddle your lap. She playfully bites your lower lip, giggling when you return the action. Her tongue slipped through her parted lips and into yours, forcefully exploring your cavern past your teeth. She eventually retreated, allowing you to reciprocate. The two of you enjoyed giving each other passionate kisses as Eunbi started to move her hips, grinding against your crotch as you bit on her tongue gently. The both of you could feel your cock becoming erect.

Eunbi continues kissing you lovingly, her hand trailing down your neck, past your chest before finding its way down to your tip and crotch area once more. As she slowly forms a claw with her hand on it, you grab her wrist with enough pressure so that it wouldn’t hurt and release her hold on your lips.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” she asked.

“Look, Eunbi. I’m really scared. I don’t want to disappoint you. I really like you and I’m just scared that if we do this, you won’t ever want to see me again after tonight.”

She laughed softly, her rosy red cheeks prominent.

“Baby if I didn’t like you, why would I invite you to my apartment? I really like you too and no, it’s not the alcohol talking. I tried to make it so obvious. I even put on a girly outfit because I planned on today being our first date. But then I ruined it by being jealous of the barista at the cafe. You won’t disappoint me. I think it’s sweet you’re still a virgin. Mommy has a few tricks up her sleeve.”

“Mommy?” you questioned as she pressed her lips against yours once more. She deepened the kiss while simultaneously playing with the tip of your erect cock through your pants, tracing her finger around it.

“Take off your shirt, baby.” she said after breaking the kiss. You quickly do so, tossing it near the kitchen. You helped her remove hers, revealing her black laced bra. Her breasts were even larger than you imagined, a pleasant view which complimented her extremely fit body. Eunbi held onto the waistband of your joggers as she pulled them down to your ankles before removing them fully and tossing them into the void of the living room. Your cock stuck out through your cotton boxers, wanting to be freed from its fabric imprisonment. Eunbi giggled, biting on your tip gently as she noticed a dark stain soaking through.

“Someone seems to be horny.”

“Who wouldn’t be when the woman they like titty fucks their arm during studying.”

Eunbi giggled as she grabbed onto the waistband of your boxers and roughly pulled them down. She is met with a slap to the face of your cock as it sprang free. You were completely exposed in front of her. Eunbi eyed your naked body like a predator who has its sights on its prey. She looked at your cock with hunger, dying for a taste.

Her mouth inched forward, getting closer to your cock. You mentally prepared yourself for her to take you in her mouth, only for her to smirk mischievously as she deviated course and went for your balls. Eunbi’s warm hand gripped onto your shaft as she sucked on each of your full balls. Her strokes were agonizingly slow, trying to draw as much precum out of you as possible. She painted long stripes of saliva from base to tip, swirling her tongue in a counterclockwise motion. Eunbi took her time, wanting to torture you by occasionally stopping and restarting from your base, never fully taking you in her mouth. You tilted your head back on the couch, trying your best to endure the pleasure.

“That’s what you get for not asking me out first.”

Precum continued dribbling out of your tip as she made her way up one final time. As she parted her puckered lips from your shaft, you noticed her lining them up in front of your tip. Giving it a deep kiss, she began taking your cock inside her mouth slowly. You felt her soft, red velvety lips wrapped around your head as she plunged lower and lower onto your shaft. The warmth of her wet mouth and the strength of her suction sent waves of pleasure flowing through your body. She sucked your cock slowly, bobbing up and down at a snail’s pace. Eunbi was testing your limits, never breaking eye contact as she intently watched your facial expressions.

Once the two of you got more comfortable, Eunbi picked up the pace. Her lips started descending lower and lower with each bob of her head. Although your eyes were closed, you felt Eunbi reach for your hands and place them on either side of her head. You followed along to the rhythm she was using to suck your cock. You let out a loud moan as you felt your tip reach the back of her throat. Her eyes started to water as you began pushing her head deeper and deeper. You forced your eyes open, watching as the girl you liked was on her knees and giving you a blowjob. You mentally punched yourself for not having the courage to ask her out.

Eunbi released your cock with a loud pop, traces of her saliva connected to your cock and her mouth. More flowed down her chin and onto the floor below. She smiled, proud of the work she has done. You whimpered, wanting to feel your cock in her mouth even more.

“Don’t worry, baby. This is your reward for being my friend… and soon to be boyfriend by the end of this night.”

Eunbi reached behind and loosened her bra, her soft tits jiggling with each movement. Even though they were covered, you wouldn’t mind staring at them for the rest of your life. She moved slightly towards you. Creating an opening between her bra and tits, Eunbi captured your cock. Both of you moaned as you felt her pillowy soft flesh sandwich your cock in between them.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

She slowly grinds her chest against your lower body, your shaft that was covered in her saliva provided easy access in and out between her breasts. You watched as your head and upper half of your cock appeared and disappeared repeatedly from between the mounds of warm, soft flesh.

You were in awe by the sheer amount of pleasure this brought, all of your desires about Eunbi slowly being fulfilled. She tries to lick your head each time it appears from between her breasts, but is unsuccessful as only her tongue is temporarily able to make contact. This doesn’t bother you at all, as it sends waves of pleasure coursing through your body. You sat on the couch, completely under Eunbi’s spell as she continued to take your hard cock in between her warm, now wet breasts. Her hands squeeze her bra and flesh tightly around your cock. As she continues to try and suck your cock, the both of you alternate between tilting your head back and making eye contact as she looks at you with heavy, seductive eyes.

“Fuck… mommy, that feels so amazing.”

“It does, doesn’t it baby?” she replied, so absorbed at having your cock between her breasts she can’t focus on anything else.

“Oh fuck… mommy is going to make me cum.”

“Cum for mommy, baby.” she said, her full attention still on your cock but now also on the pleasure she is giving you. She increased the pace, squeezing her breasts even tighter around your shaft as it appears and retreats between her soft mounds of flesh. Eunbi pumps her chest faster and faster, smirking in satisfaction as she sees you about to reach your breaking point.

“Mommy… I’m cumming!”

“Cum, baby. Cum for mommy. Shower mommy’s face and tits with your hot, sticky cum. Cum for mommy!”

Your orgasm causes you to groan loudly, as you feel every single semen from your balls erupt from your shaft. The first shot releases while your head is still covered by Eunbi’s large breasts. It sent hot, thick semen into her cleavage and lubricated her breasts with each consecutive thrust. Eunbi tilts her face down as you feel the rest of your semen paint her chin and face, drawing streaks across her cute and innocent features. Some even managed to get in her hair.

You were a bit sad your first ejaculation wasn’t inside her mouth or pussy, but the pleasure she gave you could not be described with enough words. You were awestruck, staring at Eunbi’s cum stained face as the last few thrusts of your cock between her tits released leftover amounts of semen on her upper chest and neck. She grinded her chest on your cock as your orgasm slowly winded down.

Eunbi regretfully releases your cock from her warm, wet cleavage. She returns to her knees, running her tongue on the underside of your base until she reaches your tip. This causes your body to shiver as she pleasures your cock post-orgasm. As she sucks the last few dribbles of your cum, she stretches her body and lets you fully see your artwork on her body. Your semen was sprayed all over her breasts, the soft milky colored skin the perfect canvas for your sin. Her giant, beautiful eyes smiled sweetly at you which contrasted you defiling her face. She smiled, rubbing your cum into her skin, giving it a shiny appearance from the light coming from above.

“Good, you’ll be able to last longer when you fuck me.” Eunbi said, licking her lips as she traced your cum on her face with her fingers before consuming it.

Holding onto you by your cock, she led you to the bedroom. Removing her bra, you were finally blessed with her massive breasts in all of their glory.

“Take off mommy’s shorts, baby.”

One swift unbutton and unzip later, you were met with a matching black thong. She had a noticeable wet spot like you did earlier.

“Someone seems to be horny.” you teased, repeating her words from earlier.

“What girl wouldn’t be when the guy she likes dry humped her on the bus. Now enough, take this useless piece of cloth off mommy.”

You chuckled, the vulgarity of her words a pleasant yet welcomed juxtaposition to her sweet and innocent face. As you slid the poor excuse of fabric off her creamy, wide hips as you were presented with her bright pink pussy. You couldn’t help but stare at how beautiful she was.

“Baby… why are you staring? Aren’t you going to taste mommy?” A hint of neediness in her voice as her juices began to flow out of her cavern.

You rubbed her thighs gently, massaging her before spreading them apart. As all of this is a new experience for you, the only frame of reference you had for performing oral sex on a woman was from watching porn. All the male, and sometimes female, performers would like the receiving woman’s pussy like it was freshly scooped ice cream. Using that mental image, you sank your head into her wet pussy and stuck out your tongue. Parting her lips, you licked her slit from bottom to top, gradually increasing the pace. You looked like a dog that had been dehydrated for weeks. Expecting to hear moans, you were surprised that Eunbi giggled from you attempting to pleasure her pussy.

“Awh, baby. You really are a virgin, aren’t you?” she joked, still giggling. “My pussy isn’t a popsicle or ice cream. Why don’t you try this. Try drawing the letters of the alphabet with your tongue. Try to guess when to change the speed and pressure as you go along.”

Wanting to pleasure her the same way she did to you, you started off slow. Your tongue went between and all around her warm and wet folds. You even managed to kiss the inner creases of her thighs. As you began drawing the alphabet with your tongue, Eunbi giggled as you recited each letter. A-G was Eunbi still laughing but the further down you went, those giggles turned into moans, especially when you drew the letter V. Her skin started to dampen as you heard her breathing become heavier.

“Baby… oh my god. Baby…!”

Her right hand squeezed her tits, massaging them as she pinched her erect nipples. While her left hand pressed against the back of your head, pushing you deeper as you tasted the juices escaping her dripping wet pussy. Eunbi’s moans evolved into soft screams as you felt her back arch and her toes curl from the heightened pleasure you were giving her. Feeling her orgasm was fast approaching, she pulled on your hair to withdraw your head from her pussy.

“I want you inside me…” she moaned when you gave her a confused expression.

Your cock recovered from your intense orgasm earlier and the act of performing oral on her as well as Eunbi constantly yelling out your name caused it to become erect once more.

You rubbed your cock against her outer pussy lips, feeling her juices stick onto your tip.

“No foreplay, please baby. Just stick your cock inside me.”

Eunbi moaned as you spread her legs and pushed yourself inside her slippery cavern. The sheer warmth and tightness of her pussy felt a thousand times better than using your hand to stroke yourself. Her pussy lips wrapped around your shaft as you slowly thrusted inside her. Eunbi was painfully tight, as the nerve endings on your tip light up in delight from the new sensation.

Eunbi played with her nipples, as her left hand stimulated her clit. You massaged the breast that she wasn’t currently fondling as you thrusted deep inside her. Her tits jiggled from the motion as her body moved up and down. Eunbi was moaning out your name, but her facial expressions weren’t giving the impression that she was enjoying it. Noticing this, you slowed down your thrusts.

“Are you okay, mommy?” you asked.

“I’m really glad you gave me your virginity and I’m happy we’re finally having sex.”

“But?”

“But it doesn’t feel as good as I want it to be.” she panted, trying to catch her breath as you continued slowly fucking her. “Maybe we should try a different position. What do you think?”

“Why don’t you lay down on your tummy?”

Eunbi giggled, giving you a kiss as her back was now facing you. Her elbows and knees were on the bed as she pressed one side of her face onto a pillow. Arching her back high, she gave you a clear view of her perfectly round ass and strong back muscles. As you slide your cock inside her once more, this newfound position allowed you to enter her even deeper. Starting off slow before gradually increasing in rhythm, Eunbi’s moans became louder and more intense.

“Oh fuck, baby… this feels so good.”

You rammed your cock as hard and deep as her tight lips would allow, making sure to cover every inch of your cock with her warm and wet cavern. You joined her, moaning from the pleasure as she panted, trying to catch her breath as her ass smacked against your body repeatedly.

“B-Baby… slow down. There’s a-another position I want to try.”

Removing herself from your cock, Eunbi gently pushed you down onto the bed. You anticipated her next move. Watching Eunbi straddle your legs, she knelt over your cock before using her hand as a guide to slowly lower herself onto your cock. A loud, satisfied moan escaped her lips as your tip once again parted her warm, tight pussy lips. She firmly planted her hands on your chest for support as she began riding your cock.

In this position, Eunbi had all of the control. Not that it made any difference from the rest of the night. Eunbi got more confident the longer she rode you, increasing her pace and going faster than you did. You watched as her large tits bounced up and down along with her, hypnotizing you in all of their fleshy glory. Her moans became louder and louder as your cock disappeared into her slit.

“Mommy, that feels so good.” you managed to moan out when you feel her unconsciously tighten her muscles around your cock, providing you with a euphoric feeling.

“Oh fuck…” you exhaled. “Do that again, mommy.”

Eunbi listened to you, clenching her vaginal muscles hard. She is rewarded with your cries of pleasure.

“Baby, mommy’s going to-” Eunbi is unable to finish her sentence as her orgasm takes over her body. She tilted her head back as the waves of pleasure coursed through her body and into her core. She squeezes your thighs tightly as her toes curled from the ecstasy she was feeling. Eunbi’s body violently shakes as her pussy juices flood your cock. She continues bouncing on your cock as she rides her orgasm down.

“B-Baby, that was amazing. Now it’s your turn to cum. Can you do that? Can you please cum for mommy?”

This time, all her attention and energy was focused on you. She continued riding your cock, looking you straight in the eyes as you noticed a seductive and lust filled gaze as well as a naughty smile. Every bounce of her body on your cock provided you a tingling sensation as you felt your shaft entering and exiting her tight, wet walls. It didn’t take very long for your own orgasm to arrive.

“Mommy, I’m going to c-cum.” you panted.

“You can cum in my pussy later. Right now, I want you in my mouth.”

Eunbi dismounted you, causing you to whine at the loss of her pussy. She made you stand up on the edge of the bed as she got on her knees. Taking your throbbing cock and slapping her tongue with it several times, she alternated between sucking your tip and stroking your shaft in order to get you to cum.

“Baby… cum for mommy. Give mommy all of your hot cum.”

As you grabbed onto Eunbi’s head and forced her to take your cock all the way to its base, you repeatedly bobbed her head up and down as she eagerly awaited your hot load. Unable to hold out any longer, you let out a loud groan as you felt your cock exploding inside her mouth. Your body shakes with each spurt you release, your orgasm filling Eunbi’s wet mouth. You opened your eyes and looked down, seeing the pure enjoyment in her face that she was able to make you cum so much. Eunbi hadn’t swallowed any of your load yet, opening her mouth to show you the abundance of the creamy white present you graciously gifted her. She playfully gargles your cum in her mouth before tilting her head up and swallowing it all, letting you see it travel down her throat and into her stomach. She smacks her lips together and lets out a loud satisfied hum as you collapse back onto the bed. Your entire body was exhausted after Eunbi gave you one of the most intense orgasms you have ever had.

“You taste so good, baby.” Eunbi hums as she wipes the remaining traces of cum and saliva from her chin and mouth. You gather the last remaining bit of energy and raise your head, watching her clean her hands and fingers as her gaze returns to you. As you struggle to catch your breath, Eunbi climbed back onto her bed and rested her head on your chest.

“H-How did I do, mommy?” you asked.

“Well…” she said, cutely pouting as she placed a finger on her temple. “You definitely made mommy feel good. But since it was your first time, you were still lacking in certain areas. I’ll give you a C+.”

“Awh, a C+? I wanted an A.” you pouted, pretending to be hurt.

Eunbi smacks your chest softly, asking for a kiss.

“It’s okay, baby. You know what they say, practice makes perfect.”

Eunbi plants kisses on your chest before swinging her legs on your lap, leaning down to give you passionate kisses once more. The newfound relationship that blossomed between you two was made official on this night. And as Eunbi guided her pussy back onto your cock once more, the two of you moaned as she planted her hands on your chest and began slowly riding you. 

It’s a good thing the final was next week, you were certain the two of you wouldn’t be able to make it to class the following morning.

[aboutthemponies]

How we watched the show

The show that brought us all together has ended. Today is the first Saturday after the finale, and I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking about what we’ll now do on Saturday mornings since there will no longer be new episodes to watch. It is the dawn of the next era of the fandom, and with that dawn comes a surge of content into the fandom as the creatives all make a final tribute to show how much the show has meant to them all these years. I know I’ve made one, but one tribute alone is not enough to encompass how much I appreciate this show, and ideas continue to bounce around my head as to what I’d like to make next.

This post is not a final tribute to the show because 1. I’m not ready to make one, and 2. I want to reflect on something else in this moment. The show may be over, but the fandom is not; it is merely adjusting to a new reality without the Saturday ritual of watching a new episode. This ritual is something everyone in the fandom experienced, but each their own way.

Since I started watching in 2014, the first ritual I experienced was the binge. All four seasons of the show were available on Netflix for me to watch as fast or slow as my heart desired. In those early days, watching the show felt like a secret, so I would stay in my room until my parents were asleep, then sneak across the entire house to the TV room and watch an episode or two. Other times, I would watch an episode after school, like the day I wore my first pony shirt to school when I watched “A Canterlot Wedding” for the first time. So many episodes so quickly fueled such an obsession that I remember more about pony that year than other things during that senior high school year. When the binge finally ended with me watching “Twilight’s Kingdom” one night, I remember lying in bed thinking, ‘I wish I could die right now’ because I was so satisfied, so fulfilled by the show that I couldn’t imagine how the ride could get any better. Silly me. If I had died back then, I would have never watched so many great episodes, met so many new friends, or gone to so many conventions!

The second ritual began around a year after the first one ended. Then, I had started my freshman year of college and discovered that the guy I sat next to in math class also watched the show. From then on out, we watched the episodes together usually on Sunday right after each episode came out. In the fall we’d watch them in my dorm room, in the spring we watched them in his dorm room, and during the hiatus we’d still meet up to watch new or favorite fandom content. The next year when another tracked me down because I had a Fluttershy keychain, we started reserving rooms in the library to watch the new episodes every week, and an MLP club was born! We were never a numerous bunch, but by my senior year of college, there were four of us, and a subset of us would get together fairly regularly. Even after I graduated, I still got to meet up with the whole gang when I returned for homecoming, and though some had to leave early, two of us still got to watch the fourth to last MLP episode together.

Watching pony with friends took on a few different forms over the years. For example, sometimes I would be with my family during school breaks when a new episode came out. Occasionally, some of them would watch the new episode with me. Other times, I’d connect with friends through a voice client like Discord or Skype so we could watch it together. But the idea was always the same: pony with friends is better than just pony alone.

The third ritual is similar to the second, yet different, because meeting up with a bunch of people you’ve never met before to watch a new episode is different than watching with a few close friends. However, when I was abroad in Washington DC as part of an engineering co-op, I either had to watch the show alone, or venture into the real world. I chose the latter, and that’s how I met the lovely D.C. Bronies! Even though I only watched a small portion of all episodes with them, those few times stand out. I will always remember taking the metro across all of DC to meetup in the basement of a library where we gathered to play Twilight Sparkle’s Secret Shipfic Folder, watch the season 7 finale, jump back onto the metro to head to China town and eat dinner together at the Hard Rock café.

But when the series finale came, I was yet again in a new town where I didn’t know anyone who watched pony, so for the last time, I experienced the fourth ritual: tuning into to a fan hosted live stream to watch the episode with fans across the world. It’s not the same as watching it with others in person, but for the many who know not another fan, this is the way they watched the show together. I always tuned into Bronystate because of a youTube poop (nicknamed the anthem) which played before every new episode. Dancing to that strange, weird, song while the chat constantly spits out their favorite dumb lines from that five minute clip every week provided a sense of consistency and tradition that pulled the experience together. I always enjoyed staying for the Bronystate after show when the chat was less explosive and people stayed an extra half hour to chat about the episode, frame by frame. For the series finale, they even invited those in the regular chat to join the discord, which was quite fun despite everything being completely out of sync with the discord call a few seconds ahead of the stream. Four hours after the finale, the stream finally shut down, and we all went our separate ways.

Now that the show’s last episode has aired, we will still have the episodes, the characters, the entire fictional world, and we’ll still have the fandom, the fan fiction, the art, the animations, the music, the conventions, and most importantly, the friends, but we will no longer have that weekly ritual. That’s what’s really gone now, and I know I’m holding back tears as I write this. However, it also reminds me of just how many different ways I experienced the show while it aired, and I’m so glad that I got to experience it all.

How did you watch the show?

[the-canary]

The Meaning of French Toast - B.B

Summary: It meant a lot of things, including what you felt for each other. (Modern AU! Reader/Bucky Barnes).

Masterlist

A/N: This came out of a smaller drabble from @just-add-butter ‘s request. It took a lot longer than I thought it would, but I hope you enjoy it!

Feedback is always welcomed. 

“And if we’re both single by 30, I’ll ask you out on a date. Hell, I’ll even marry ya.”

Is it stupid to cling to a drunk’s words from your college years? Yeah, you’re pretty sure it is, but you couldn’t help it when it came to him -- that bastard, James Buchanan Barnes. You were a little too sober and he was  little too drunk, at least you think, when he said those words back at the college graduation party and because of your teeny-tiny crush you clung to them. You waited patiently, though your own failed romances and his own, and now here you were -- two days after your 30th birthday, a couple of months after his own, in your favorite brunch place on a bright Saturday morning.  

It was what you guys always did in order to take a break and catch up. You had been doing it as long as you could remember, however there were also exceptions to the rule, though James always made sure to tell you ahead of time, not the morning of.

Bucky: Had a late night. Could we meet up later instead?

You type an “okay” and pretend that you have forgotten about the whole thing, the whole stupid notion that has been swirling in your head over the past 6 years because it’s only seems to be you carrying this makeshift battle wound. You’re sort of glad you didn’t go all out today on your outfit like you were planning to, it seems to ease the blow. So, when your usual waitress looks at the empty seat next to you and your watery smile, she can’t help but frown a little and you know what she wants to say, but you bite your lip and simply order.

“French toast to go, please.”  

 Freshman.

You first meet a young and nervous James Buchanan Barnes during that stupid freshman orientation because you were stuck in the same group with him and some other girls. Even then, James knew he could steal the crowd with a smile and an easy joke, maybe it had something to do with those hypnotic blue eyes or charming Brooklyn accent that filtered through a crooked smile. You hate the whole day because the girls won’t stop giggling whenever he talks -- it also doesn’t help that you have little sleep due to your flight and even now, you’re starting to feel a little homesick, even if you are at your dream school.

It doesn't help that you get lost along the way after orientation because your parents had thought it would be nicer to rent you a hotel and you had never been able to read a map.

“Hey, are you lost?” a familiar voice causes you to look up to see blue eyes and a crooked smile. You almost want to say no, but your stomach growls instead. He laughs and you want to be buried alive from all the embarrassment you are suddenly feeling.

“If you want, I could should a good diner and help find your place,” he remarks with his hands up, showing that he means no harm at your sudden glare,”Only if ya want.”

“Ok...I guess,” you mumble in defeat as he grins.

“The name’s Bucky Barnes! You were in my orientation group right,” he starts asking as you guys cross the busy New York street, “What are ya studying?”     

Oh, if your younger self knew what 5 years would change, she would surely hate you.

 One week. Two weeks.

Bucky hasn’t contacted you in that amount of time, but you sort of understand. You can see it in the social media you share -- the pretty redhead he seems to be smiling with and while it hurts the center of your chest. You take a deep breathe and choose to ignore it. You’ve had your work cut for you as deadlines starting coming up along with more work and even a business convention. Hell, your family on the West Coast even wanted to see you, so another birthday passed you by and while you tried to convince yourself that it would all get back to normal soon, yet somehow it feels different -- like something important has passed you by.

Maybe, that's why you were making  french toast from Youtube videos at 2 in the morning. You just couldn’t sleep, thank goodness that Peggy was willing to lend an ear --though you didn’t give her all the details-- from her current trip in London as she had always been an early riser.

“I don’t know how long I am planning on staying,” you pause between looking at the video and pan at hand,”But, maybe it will be a good break, ya know?”

Peggy hums at the end of your blabbering, “Well, I think you deserve a break and you have the hours for it. Just make sure, you know that you’ll that this is all just temporary. Life changes to quickly, even if you’re trying to run away from it.”

“That obvious, huh?” you question, while transferring the finish toast from the pan onto the plate. Various syrups and jams are on top of the kitchen countertop, alongside some cooled coffee. Peggy laughs, as you sit alone in the complete stillness of your apartment.

“Since sophomore year,” she declares with a laugh that you can’t help but join in, even if a bit bitterly. And in that moment, the french toast in all its sugary goodness tastes like utter defeat.    

 Sophomore.

In the year and half that you had known Bucky Barnes, you realized that you were sort of wrong about the fella. Yes, he could charm the panties out of almost any girl, you had seen it happen multiple times, but he was also a lot of other things as well. You saw him work to help his sisters and mom, saw him study until early morning after getting out of his work, you saw him breakdown because he was frustrated with the material of his math classes. However, when he triumphed, when something went his way -- the boy was pure gold with that smile of his.    

“All on me promise,” you declare, as the two of take a seat in the familiar red booth from a year ago. It wasn’t often, due to the money available as a college student, that you guys came here but Bucky had passed his last final, the one that he nearly spent two days without sleep  for, and was officially part of the Engineering program. It was just gonna get tougher from here on out, but you wanted to celebrate with him for a bit.

“You really didn’t have to,” Bucky smiles at the waitress who gives you the menu. You shake your head, already knowing what you want.

“We need to celebrate your accomplishment,” you empathize since Steve and Sam had already taken him out drinking two nights ago, “Besides, who knows when we’ll time for this again.”

“What do ya mean?” he asks almost hesitantly, as you order the french toast and he gets the grand slam breakfast. Blue eyes watching you with purpose, as you simply shrug.

“Well, I’m studying abroad next semester and you’ll be building shit,” you let out a nervous chuckle, not sure how Bucky will take the news that you’re traveling abroad. He was the only one you hadn’t told, though you aren’t sure why.

“So, it’s a little busier,” it’s his turn to shrug, “You’re always gonna be just down the hall and we can always call each other. Nobody’s moving away, doll.”

“You should have been an English major, Buck,” you laugh at his sentiment, only for him to smile as the waitress comes and brings your drinks.

The rest of the time is spent eating, sharing stories and plans -- yours on what you plan on doing in Lisbon and his over his latest conquest. Time seems slower than usual and at the sight of him spitting and laughing orange juice out of his mouth over your comment on sexual skittles, you try to ignore that your heart skips a beat.   

“So, your cousin finally left?” Steve asks as he takes another sip of his beer. It was on of those rare times that the two childhood friends manage to catch-up in between work and Peggy coming home, and that was totally ignoring Bucky’s major problem of the past couple of weeks.

“Yeah, said she wanted to see Toronto,” Bucky laughs. Natasha, his favorite Russian cousin, and her sort-of American boyfriend had come last minute to enjoy the short break that they had from work, which had coincided with a certain birthday, “Those two are cute together, though.”     

“And have you talked to her yet?” Steve questions, as Bucky turns to look away. The blond had been there all those years ago when Bucky declared what he would do on your 30th birthday. Steve had dickish but friendly tendency to remind him that each year he was closer to finally confessing what he really felt, on the year of it finally happening he had finally left Bucky to do what he had planned. It didn’t turn out so well, and Steve had give him hell for it.

“I’ve been busy,” Bucky gives as a weak excuse, as Steve decides to throw it all in once and for all. Peggy might get mad at him later, but he was tired of Bucky --with all his charm and know-how-- to be so indecisive when it came to one of their closest friends. I mean, how couldn’t he see it while everyone else did?

“You know she’s leaving, right?” Steve questions hesitantly, as blue eyes widen. Bucky’s mouth hanging open like a fish mid-drink, unsure of what to say next.

“ W-What -- How do you know?”

“She told Peggy that she was heading to the West Coast, back home,” Steve explains, as Bucky just sits there taking all this new information in, “Doesn’t know when she’ll be back.”

Bucky sits on this for a long time, as Steve gives him a regretful smile. He gets up, leaving his beer halfway done, before telling Steve he has to go, nearly running out the door -- a thousand of mistakes rearing back in his head.

She can’t leave. I have to tell. Should have told years ago, you fucking idiot.

Junior.

It’s a couple of weeks after the couch incident and as much as you want to ask Bucky if he’s all right and how is it going with his secret crush, but midterms come around and you get stuck in the library with a lengthy research paper. While, Bucky had gone to a robotics competition, and for some reason you missed him terribly. You briefly wonder if this is how he might have felt when you were gone the first half of the year, though you doubted it -- Bucky always had a catch at hand.

It isn’t until you’re in a drunken stupor with Peggy, watching the couples dance from the upper level of the bar that it hits you like a freight train.

“Pegs,” you hiccup terribly, tears forming in the corners of your eyes. She sighs, you had always been a sentimental drunk, “I think I love Bucky.”

“That took you long enough,” she states as she drags the two of you away from the flashing lights, probably to call a cab back to your apartment building, “Think about it and tell if you really feel that way in the morning.”

“Okay, mom,” you murmur sleepily on her shoulder, as she shakes her head.

And with a sober mind, the next time you see Peggy, you just confirm that aching feeling in your heart. 

   It takes him a whole day to put everything he wants to say to you together, to gain the courage to go up to your front door and knock on it. However, what Bucky wasn’t expecting was you with a watery smile while folding up some clothes and a rolling bag in your living room, though it still seems all your furniture is in tact -- at least for now.

“Bucky,” you question softly as he turns to look at you. Your eyes are wide and questioning as he pulls your body into his. You grow stiff for a moment and Bucky starts babbling before he loses all his well-crafted confidence.

“ I love you ,” he exclaims, as you let out a barely audible what but he keeps going, “I’ve been such a fool for so long, but if you’re leaving -- I--I just needed to let you know. I know I left you hanging on your birthday, but I was scared...so scared you would have forgotten. I don’t think my heart would’ve taken it.”

He stops talking and you’re still in the middle of your doorway, but he doesn't seem like he’ll let you go anytime soon. Thus, you decide that you need some answers in this horrible mess.

“Forget what, James?” you wrap your arms around his, as he places his forehead next to your cheek knowing what the use of his first name --that you want the complete truth-- means between the both of you.

“Okay, I think we need to back up and talk about this,” you explain pushing him away, but making sure that he comes inside so that you can have that long talk. It seems to be needed between the two of you.

 Senior.

Graduation party .

You’re both drinking a little too much, while sitting the balcony as the party continues inside. The both of you are lamenting a lot of things at the end of the road, as the two of you smile and laugh at ending this chapter of your lives -- you staying in New York and Bucky moving to Florida for awhile.

“I’m gonna miss ya, Bucky,” is all you manage to say in a whine breaking the silence, as blue eyes never seem to stop looking at your face.    

“I’ll be back. It’s just a summer program,” he tries to calm you down, while rubbing your back.

“But, it won’t be the same,” you cry out,“We’ll get jobs, barely see each other, and one day have a significant other -- hell, maybe even kids and then well ask: What happened to that chick I knew in college.”

“That might not happen,” he explains, as you lean into his body, humming softly so close to believing him, but really not, “ And if we’re both single by 30, I’ll ask you out on a date. Hell, I’ll even marry ya.”

“Ya promise?”

“Yeah.”

 It takes all night to explain just exactly what is going on between the two of you. The mistake of who Natasha really is and why Bucky had ignored you for three weeks. You explain where you are going to for the next couple of weeks, simply see some family and attend a conference for the company that you work with. There is still one unanswered question between the two of you, though all that is left unsaid for sleep and in the morning for food. You’re smiling and he is too, and doesn’t seem to want to let go of your hand at all as you take a seat on the other side of the booth, only for him to scoot closer to you than usual.

It’s a familiar type of clatter, but your head is somewhere else as you grab Bucky’s hand, rubbing your thumb over his knuckles. Your heart speeding up in your chest, as you stare at anything but him.

“I’ve got one last question,” you whisper softly, moving your eyes to stare at the table top, Bucky tells the waitress if she could wait a bit longer.

“Did you mean...when you said…,” your voice stops as Bucky moves your chin with his free hand so that you’re starting at him completely.

“Yup,” he says with a wide grin without missing a beat, “Have for a long time now, doll.”

“Then, you owe me a birthday kiss, big boy,” you giggle out in excitement and relief as his blue eyes sparkle with something else completely. The table makes it awkward, but be manages to have enough room to move you into his body and give you a peak on the lips, but as he moves away you grab his cheeks and drag him back into a longer, more desperate version that has the both of you smiling.

“Finally!” a female voice declares, dragging you and Bucky away from each other with nervous chuckles as your usual waitress just shakes her head, “Took you guys long enough.”

She smiles, as you order your usual and for once, the taste of the french toast had never been sweeter.

[evnoweb]

The Easy Way to Teach Internet Skills

Education used to focus on the 3 R’s — reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic. Without a doubt, those remain critical subjects but these days, they are just the beginning. What about history (because those who don’t understand history are forced to repeat it) and civics (so we understand how government works)? And the STEAM subjects — science, technology, engineering, arts, and math? No wonder it takes eight hours a day — and more — to learn what is required to thrive in the 21st-century world.

I need to add another topic to this list, one that is used daily and misunderstood just as often, one that intimidates some and confuses many, one where an introduction feels like drinking from a fire hose. If you haven’t guessed it yet, it’s the Internet. Let’s be honest: The Internet is a monster. You felt that way — probably called it worse — the last time you were hacked. Having your personal information stolen feels like your life swirling down the drain. In your lifetime, you will spend more time on the Internet than sleeping. It doesn’t care about your career, your favorite subject, or life goal. If we are defined by the choices we make, the Internet provides the biggest chance for an oops with the most devastating consequences.

Teenagers spend average nine hours a day on the Internet. It seems irresponsible to adopt the SODTI attitude — Some Other Dude Teaches It.

That’s the bad news: Internet safety must be taught and if not by you, by whom? The good news is, teaching about the Internet is easily blended into almost any subject, any topic. Let’s start with the biggest Internet topics most schools want to cover and I’ll show you how to do that.

Internet Safety

I teach a lot of education grad school classes and always ask who teaches Internet safety at their school. The answer almost always is someone else. I’ll amend that slightly to say that the dying group of technology lab teachers do address it, but most of them self-report to me that it is treated like a unit of study — one and done. They teach it during the one day a week they have students and then move on to something else.

But Internet safety can’t be taught that way. It must be reinforced every time students use the Internet until it’s a habit. I have lots of tricks for making that happen but a favorite is to create an avatar. Students go to one of many online websites to build their personal avatar and then use that with any online registration, webtool, or even appended to documents (to remind them of Internet safety). It will look nothing like them, have nothing personal, yet be recognized by friends “in the know” as being them.

There are lots of avatar builders. Avoid those with ads, that require a registration, or are surrounded by enticing websites. Two of my favorites are Voki and Storyboard That!

Voki is a traditional avatar builder with lots of options for characters, background, audio, and extras. You might already use Voki to enhance reading and writing, showcase student work, and review historical events. When used to create avatars, the free version is fine. Once students complete the character, take a screenshot and save it. Now it’s available as a versatile image file to add to profiles, blogs, and anywhere else an avatar spices up an assignment. Mine looks like this:

Storyboard That! is an excellent digital storytelling tool that uses the vehicle of comics to create visual stories. It’s a drag-and-drop format that is intuitive to learn and easy to use. Teachers incorporate it into lesson plans to explore historical events, build timelines, understand the sequencing of ideas, and more. For our purposes, students need only create one frame in the storyboard, add a character that they’d like to use for an avatar, and then take the screenshot. Once saved, that standard image file can be used anywhere an avatar fits. Here’s an example:

Legal use of online media

This is one of those topics that is oft misunderstood and rarely taught (because it is so confusing). Most adults realize that text can’t be copied from the Internet without citation and music is only free if the website says it is (even then, download at your own peril), but few adults know that all online images not in the public domain are protected. Many think that because pictures are online, they must be in that “public domain” thing (whatever that is) so represent it so to their students. This is just not true. In fact, American copyright law (check some of the links below for the evidence) says the creators’ work posted online is protected. It is up to the future user to determine what those protections are. Many non-American countries (like the European Union) are stricter, not even honoring the American doctrine of  “fair use” for education.

This, like Internet safety, is considered part of SODTI — Some Other Dude Teaches It. Which rarely happens. As teachers, we must ask, if not us, who? And then accept the responsibility for teaching how to legally use online media.

Luckily, it’s not as hard as it sounds. The basics are pretty clear and can always be blended into any subject that requires images. Like Internet Safety, teaching the legal use of online media isn’t a one-and-done activity. Start by devoting some classtime to discussion. Use one of the websites below, depending upon the age group you teach:

Copyrights – BrainPop video

Copyright and Fair Use – Common Sense Media video

Copyright Law Explained — fun, thorough video

Copyright law curriculum — a full curriculum

Take the mystery out of copyrights – by the Library of Congress

Teaching Copyright — a high school curriculum

Videos on licensing, copyrights, more — from Creative Commons

Then, every time students use online media, remind them of the appropriate way — or have them remind each other. Eventually, proper use will become a habit, just like handwriting and math tables. Repetition begets learning.

Netiquette

Once students are interacting with online websites, they need to learn the etiquette associated with those actions. It’s pretty much what they already know as etiquette but adapted to the Internet ecosystem. Of all the topics, this is the most likely to be covered by teachers I talk to.

Basic netiquette includes:

respect other’s privacy

be forgiving of other’s mistakes

be aware of your digital footprint

share your knowledge

don’t cyberbully

Get students started the first time you talk about blogging or online forums with a quick review using one of these websites:

Discussion Board Netiquette — a video

Netiquette —  a comical story made in Powtoons

Netiquette Basics — a short video with no sound

Netiquette for beginners — a video

Netiquette: Playing Nice on the Web — a video

Netiquette Rules — a video by 4th graders

You Can’t Take it Back — a life story from Netsmartz

Preview these first and then pick the ones best suited for your student group. Here’s a good poster you can tape to your classroom wall:

Digital Search and Research

Until students are told otherwise, most search the Internet by plugging a term into the search bar and clicking on the hits that populate. They think that the higher up the search page, the more reliable and more suited a hit is to the search. That’s simply not true and here’s why: 1) Most search engines offer paid websites priority over others, and 2) the more hits a website gets, the higher up the search engine it appears, which has nothing to do with veracity and appropriateness. This is why teaching the nuances of digital search is critical. It starts simple, probably in second grade, for their first web-based research project, and becomes more sophisticated every year after that.

Without a doubt, you will have lots of opportunities in any class to blend this learning into core projects, without taking time away from other lessons. Once students know the right way to search, they will do it much faster with less frustration.

Here are favorite websites that teach online search. Pick the ones best suited to your student group:

Basic search tips – from Google

Berkeley’s Library Page – search tips

Internet searches — a fun video 

Power Search — a full course in Internet searches from Google

***

That’s it — four critical topics that aren’t usually covered in core classes but once learned make a big difference in student learning.

–published first on TeachHUB

More about Internet safety

A long list of websites that teach Internet safety

Teaching Digital Rights and Responsibilities

How to Pick Reliable Websites: The Infographic

Plagiarism: What it is and how to identify it

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice reviewer, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today and TeachHUB, and author of the tech thriller, Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

The Easy Way to Teach Internet Skills published first on https://medium.com/@DigitalDLCourse

[endevia]

The Easy Way to Teach Internet Skills

Education used to focus on the 3 R’s — reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic. Without a doubt, those remain critical subjects but these days, they are just the beginning. What about history (because those who don’t understand history are forced to repeat it) and civics (so we understand how government works)? And the STEAM subjects — science, technology, engineering, arts, and math? No wonder it takes eight hours a day — and more — to learn what is required to thrive in the 21st-century world.

I need to add another topic to this list, one that is used daily and misunderstood just as often, one that intimidates some and confuses many, one where an introduction feels like drinking from a fire hose. If you haven’t guessed it yet, it’s the Internet. Let’s be honest: The Internet is a monster. You felt that way — probably called it worse — the last time you were hacked. Having your personal information stolen feels like your life swirling down the drain. In your lifetime, you will spend more time on the Internet than sleeping. It doesn’t care about your career, your favorite subject, or life goal. If we are defined by the choices we make, the Internet provides the biggest chance for an oops with the most devastating consequences.

Teenagers spend average nine hours a day on the Internet. It seems irresponsible to adopt the SODTI attitude — Some Other Dude Teaches It.

That’s the bad news: Internet safety must be taught and if not by you, by whom? The good news is, teaching about the Internet is easily blended into almost any subject, any topic. Let’s start with the biggest Internet topics most schools want to cover and I’ll show you how to do that.

Internet Safety

I teach a lot of education grad school classes and always ask who teaches Internet safety at their school. The answer almost always is someone else. I’ll amend that slightly to say that the dying group of technology lab teachers do address it, but most of them self-report to me that it is treated like a unit of study — one and done. They teach it during the one day a week they have students and then move on to something else.

But Internet safety can’t be taught that way. It must be reinforced every time students use the Internet until it’s a habit. I have lots of tricks for making that happen but a favorite is to create an avatar. Students go to one of many online websites to build their personal avatar and then use that with any online registration, webtool, or even appended to documents (to remind them of Internet safety). It will look nothing like them, have nothing personal, yet be recognized by friends “in the know” as being them.

There are lots of avatar builders. Avoid those with ads, that require a registration, or are surrounded by enticing websites. Two of my favorites are Voki and Storyboard That!

Voki is a traditional avatar builder with lots of options for characters, background, audio, and extras. You might already use Voki to enhance reading and writing, showcase student work, and review historical events. When used to create avatars, the free version is fine. Once students complete the character, take a screenshot and save it. Now it’s available as a versatile image file to add to profiles, blogs, and anywhere else an avatar spices up an assignment. Mine looks like this:

Storyboard That! is an excellent digital storytelling tool that uses the vehicle of comics to create visual stories. It’s a drag-and-drop format that is intuitive to learn and easy to use. Teachers incorporate it into lesson plans to explore historical events, build timelines, understand the sequencing of ideas, and more. For our purposes, students need only create one frame in the storyboard, add a character that they’d like to use for an avatar, and then take the screenshot. Once saved, that standard image file can be used anywhere an avatar fits. Here’s an example:

Legal use of online media

This is one of those topics that is oft misunderstood and rarely taught (because it is so confusing). Most adults realize that text can’t be copied from the Internet without citation and music is only free if the website says it is (even then, download at your own peril), but few adults know that all online images not in the public domain are protected. Many think that because pictures are online, they must be in that “public domain” thing (whatever that is) so represent it so to their students. This is just not true. In fact, American copyright law (check some of the links below for the evidence) says the creators’ work posted online is protected. It is up to the future user to determine what those protections are. Many non-American countries (like the European Union) are stricter, not even honoring the American doctrine of  “fair use” for education.

This, like Internet safety, is considered part of SODTI — Some Other Dude Teaches It. Which rarely happens. As teachers, we must ask, if not us, who? And then accept the responsibility for teaching how to legally use online media.

Luckily, it’s not as hard as it sounds. The basics are pretty clear and can always be blended into any subject that requires images. Like Internet Safety, teaching the legal use of online media isn’t a one-and-done activity. Start by devoting some classtime to discussion. Use one of the websites below, depending upon the age group you teach:

Copyrights – BrainPop video

Copyright and Fair Use – Common Sense Media video

Copyright Law Explained — fun, thorough video

Copyright law curriculum — a full curriculum

Take the mystery out of copyrights – by the Library of Congress

Teaching Copyright — a high school curriculum

Videos on licensing, copyrights, more — from Creative Commons

Then, every time students use online media, remind them of the appropriate way — or have them remind each other. Eventually, proper use will become a habit, just like handwriting and math tables. Repetition begets learning.

Netiquette

Once students are interacting with online websites, they need to learn the etiquette associated with those actions. It’s pretty much what they already know as etiquette but adapted to the Internet ecosystem. Of all the topics, this is the most likely to be covered by teachers I talk to.

Basic netiquette includes:

respect other’s privacy

be forgiving of other’s mistakes

be aware of your digital footprint

share your knowledge

don’t cyberbully

Get students started the first time you talk about blogging or online forums with a quick review using one of these websites:

Discussion Board Netiquette — a video

Netiquette —  a comical story made in Powtoons

Netiquette Basics — a short video with no sound

Netiquette for beginners — a video

Netiquette: Playing Nice on the Web — a video

Netiquette Rules — a video by 4th graders

You Can’t Take it Back — a life story from Netsmartz

Preview these first and then pick the ones best suited for your student group. Here’s a good poster you can tape to your classroom wall:

Digital Search and Research

Until students are told otherwise, most search the Internet by plugging a term into the search bar and clicking on the hits that populate. They think that the higher up the search page, the more reliable and more suited a hit is to the search. That’s simply not true and here’s why: 1) Most search engines offer paid websites priority over others, and 2) the more hits a website gets, the higher up the search engine it appears, which has nothing to do with veracity and appropriateness. This is why teaching the nuances of digital search is critical. It starts simple, probably in second grade, for their first web-based research project, and becomes more sophisticated every year after that.

Without a doubt, you will have lots of opportunities in any class to blend this learning into core projects, without taking time away from other lessons. Once students know the right way to search, they will do it much faster with less frustration.

Here are favorite websites that teach online search. Pick the ones best suited to your student group:

Basic search tips – from Google

Berkeley’s Library Page – search tips

Internet searches — a fun video 

Power Search — a full course in Internet searches from Google

***

That’s it — four critical topics that aren’t usually covered in core classes but once learned make a big difference in student learning.

–published first on TeachHUB

More about Internet safety

A long list of websites that teach Internet safety

Teaching Digital Rights and Responsibilities

How to Pick Reliable Websites: The Infographic

Plagiarism: What it is and how to identify it

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice reviewer, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today and TeachHUB, and author of the tech thriller, Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

The Easy Way to Teach Internet Skills published first on https://medium.com/@greatpricecourse

[statrano]

The Easy Way to Teach Internet Skills

Education used to focus on the 3 R’s — reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic. Without a doubt, those remain critical subjects but these days, they are just the beginning. What about history (because those who don’t understand history are forced to repeat it) and civics (so we understand how government works)? And the STEAM subjects — science, technology, engineering, arts, and math? No wonder it takes eight hours a day — and more — to learn what is required to thrive in the 21st-century world.

I need to add another topic to this list, one that is used daily and misunderstood just as often, one that intimidates some and confuses many, one where an introduction feels like drinking from a fire hose. If you haven’t guessed it yet, it’s the Internet. Let’s be honest: The Internet is a monster. You felt that way — probably called it worse — the last time you were hacked. Having your personal information stolen feels like your life swirling down the drain. In your lifetime, you will spend more time on the Internet than sleeping. It doesn’t care about your career, your favorite subject, or life goal. If we are defined by the choices we make, the Internet provides the biggest chance for an oops with the most devastating consequences.

Teenagers spend average nine hours a day on the Internet. It seems irresponsible to adopt the SODTI attitude — Some Other Dude Teaches It.

That’s the bad news: Internet safety must be taught and if not by you, by whom? The good news is, teaching about the Internet is easily blended into almost any subject, any topic. Let’s start with the biggest Internet topics most schools want to cover and I’ll show you how to do that.

Internet Safety

I teach a lot of education grad school classes and always ask who teaches Internet safety at their school. The answer almost always is someone else. I’ll amend that slightly to say that the dying group of technology lab teachers do address it, but most of them self-report to me that it is treated like a unit of study — one and done. They teach it during the one day a week they have students and then move on to something else.

But Internet safety can’t be taught that way. It must be reinforced every time students use the Internet until it’s a habit. I have lots of tricks for making that happen but a favorite is to create an avatar. Students go to one of many online websites to build their personal avatar and then use that with any online registration, webtool, or even appended to documents (to remind them of Internet safety). It will look nothing like them, have nothing personal, yet be recognized by friends “in the know” as being them.

There are lots of avatar builders. Avoid those with ads, that require a registration, or are surrounded by enticing websites. Two of my favorites are Voki and Storyboard That!

Voki is a traditional avatar builder with lots of options for characters, background, audio, and extras. You might already use Voki to enhance reading and writing, showcase student work, and review historical events. When used to create avatars, the free version is fine. Once students complete the character, take a screenshot and save it. Now it’s available as a versatile image file to add to profiles, blogs, and anywhere else an avatar spices up an assignment. Mine looks like this:

Storyboard That! is an excellent digital storytelling tool that uses the vehicle of comics to create visual stories. It’s a drag-and-drop format that is intuitive to learn and easy to use. Teachers incorporate it into lesson plans to explore historical events, build timelines, understand the sequencing of ideas, and more. For our purposes, students need only create one frame in the storyboard, add a character that they’d like to use for an avatar, and then take the screenshot. Once saved, that standard image file can be used anywhere an avatar fits. Here’s an example:

Legal use of online media

This is one of those topics that is oft misunderstood and rarely taught (because it is so confusing). Most adults realize that text can’t be copied from the Internet without citation and music is only free if the website says it is (even then, download at your own peril), but few adults know that all online images not in the public domain are protected. Many think that because pictures are online, they must be in that “public domain” thing (whatever that is) so represent it so to their students. This is just not true. In fact, American copyright law (check some of the links below for the evidence) says the creators’ work posted online is protected. It is up to the future user to determine what those protections are. Many non-American countries (like the European Union) are stricter, not even honoring the American doctrine of  “fair use” for education.

This, like Internet safety, is considered part of SODTI — Some Other Dude Teaches It. Which rarely happens. As teachers, we must ask, if not us, who? And then accept the responsibility for teaching how to legally use online media.

Luckily, it’s not as hard as it sounds. The basics are pretty clear and can always be blended into any subject that requires images. Like Internet Safety, teaching the legal use of online media isn’t a one-and-done activity. Start by devoting some classtime to discussion. Use one of the websites below, depending upon the age group you teach:

Copyrights – BrainPop video

Copyright and Fair Use – Common Sense Media video

Copyright Law Explained — fun, thorough video

Copyright law curriculum — a full curriculum

Take the mystery out of copyrights – by the Library of Congress

Teaching Copyright — a high school curriculum

Videos on licensing, copyrights, more — from Creative Commons

Then, every time students use online media, remind them of the appropriate way — or have them remind each other. Eventually, proper use will become a habit, just like handwriting and math tables. Repetition begets learning.

Netiquette

Once students are interacting with online websites, they need to learn the etiquette associated with those actions. It’s pretty much what they already know as etiquette but adapted to the Internet ecosystem. Of all the topics, this is the most likely to be covered by teachers I talk to.

Basic netiquette includes:

respect other’s privacy

be forgiving of other’s mistakes

be aware of your digital footprint

share your knowledge

don’t cyberbully

Get students started the first time you talk about blogging or online forums with a quick review using one of these websites:

Discussion Board Netiquette — a video

Netiquette —  a comical story made in Powtoons

Netiquette Basics — a short video with no sound

Netiquette for beginners — a video

Netiquette: Playing Nice on the Web — a video

Netiquette Rules — a video by 4th graders

You Can’t Take it Back — a life story from Netsmartz

Preview these first and then pick the ones best suited for your student group. Here’s a good poster you can tape to your classroom wall:

Digital Search and Research

Until students are told otherwise, most search the Internet by plugging a term into the search bar and clicking on the hits that populate. They think that the higher up the search page, the more reliable and more suited a hit is to the search. That’s simply not true and here’s why: 1) Most search engines offer paid websites priority over others, and 2) the more hits a website gets, the higher up the search engine it appears, which has nothing to do with veracity and appropriateness. This is why teaching the nuances of digital search is critical. It starts simple, probably in second grade, for their first web-based research project, and becomes more sophisticated every year after that.

Without a doubt, you will have lots of opportunities in any class to blend this learning into core projects, without taking time away from other lessons. Once students know the right way to search, they will do it much faster with less frustration.

Here are favorite websites that teach online search. Pick the ones best suited to your student group:

Basic search tips – from Google

Berkeley’s Library Page – search tips

Internet searches — a fun video 

Power Search — a full course in Internet searches from Google

***

That’s it — four critical topics that aren’t usually covered in core classes but once learned make a big difference in student learning.

–published first on TeachHUB

More about Internet safety

A long list of websites that teach Internet safety

Teaching Digital Rights and Responsibilities

How to Pick Reliable Websites: The Infographic

Plagiarism: What it is and how to identify it

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice reviewer, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today and TeachHUB, and author of the tech thriller, Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

The Easy Way to Teach Internet Skills published first on https://seminarsacademy.tumblr.com/

[corpasa]

The Easy Way to Teach Internet Skills

Education used to focus on the 3 R’s — reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic. Without a doubt, those remain critical subjects but these days, they are just the beginning. What about history (because those who don’t understand history are forced to repeat it) and civics (so we understand how government works)? And the STEAM subjects — science, technology, engineering, arts, and math? No wonder it takes eight hours a day — and more — to learn what is required to thrive in the 21st-century world.

I need to add another topic to this list, one that is used daily and misunderstood just as often, one that intimidates some and confuses many, one where an introduction feels like drinking from a fire hose. If you haven’t guessed it yet, it’s the Internet. Let’s be honest: The Internet is a monster. You felt that way — probably called it worse — the last time you were hacked. Having your personal information stolen feels like your life swirling down the drain. In your lifetime, you will spend more time on the Internet than sleeping. It doesn’t care about your career, your favorite subject, or life goal. If we are defined by the choices we make, the Internet provides the biggest chance for an oops with the most devastating consequences.

Teenagers spend average nine hours a day on the Internet. It seems irresponsible to adopt the SODTI attitude — Some Other Dude Teaches It.

That’s the bad news: Internet safety must be taught and if not by you, by whom? The good news is, teaching about the Internet is easily blended into almost any subject, any topic. Let’s start with the biggest Internet topics most schools want to cover and I’ll show you how to do that.

Internet Safety

I teach a lot of education grad school classes and always ask who teaches Internet safety at their school. The answer almost always is someone else. I’ll amend that slightly to say that the dying group of technology lab teachers do address it, but most of them self-report to me that it is treated like a unit of study — one and done. They teach it during the one day a week they have students and then move on to something else.

But Internet safety can’t be taught that way. It must be reinforced every time students use the Internet until it’s a habit. I have lots of tricks for making that happen but a favorite is to create an avatar. Students go to one of many online websites to build their personal avatar and then use that with any online registration, webtool, or even appended to documents (to remind them of Internet safety). It will look nothing like them, have nothing personal, yet be recognized by friends “in the know” as being them.

There are lots of avatar builders. Avoid those with ads, that require a registration, or are surrounded by enticing websites. Two of my favorites are Voki and Storyboard That!

Voki is a traditional avatar builder with lots of options for characters, background, audio, and extras. You might already use Voki to enhance reading and writing, showcase student work, and review historical events. When used to create avatars, the free version is fine. Once students complete the character, take a screenshot and save it. Now it’s available as a versatile image file to add to profiles, blogs, and anywhere else an avatar spices up an assignment. Mine looks like this:

Storyboard That! is an excellent digital storytelling tool that uses the vehicle of comics to create visual stories. It’s a drag-and-drop format that is intuitive to learn and easy to use. Teachers incorporate it into lesson plans to explore historical events, build timelines, understand the sequencing of ideas, and more. For our purposes, students need only create one frame in the storyboard, add a character that they’d like to use for an avatar, and then take the screenshot. Once saved, that standard image file can be used anywhere an avatar fits. Here’s an example:

Legal use of online media

This is one of those topics that is oft misunderstood and rarely taught (because it is so confusing). Most adults realize that text can’t be copied from the Internet without citation and music is only free if the website says it is (even then, download at your own peril), but few adults know that all online images not in the public domain are protected. Many think that because pictures are online, they must be in that “public domain” thing (whatever that is) so represent it so to their students. This is just not true. In fact, American copyright law (check some of the links below for the evidence) says the creators’ work posted online is protected. It is up to the future user to determine what those protections are. Many non-American countries (like the European Union) are stricter, not even honoring the American doctrine of  “fair use” for education.

This, like Internet safety, is considered part of SODTI — Some Other Dude Teaches It. Which rarely happens. As teachers, we must ask, if not us, who? And then accept the responsibility for teaching how to legally use online media.

Luckily, it’s not as hard as it sounds. The basics are pretty clear and can always be blended into any subject that requires images. Like Internet Safety, teaching the legal use of online media isn’t a one-and-done activity. Start by devoting some classtime to discussion. Use one of the websites below, depending upon the age group you teach:

Copyrights – BrainPop video

Copyright and Fair Use – Common Sense Media video

Copyright Law Explained — fun, thorough video

Copyright law curriculum — a full curriculum

Take the mystery out of copyrights – by the Library of Congress

Teaching Copyright — a high school curriculum

Videos on licensing, copyrights, more — from Creative Commons

Then, every time students use online media, remind them of the appropriate way — or have them remind each other. Eventually, proper use will become a habit, just like handwriting and math tables. Repetition begets learning.

Netiquette

Once students are interacting with online websites, they need to learn the etiquette associated with those actions. It’s pretty much what they already know as etiquette but adapted to the Internet ecosystem. Of all the topics, this is the most likely to be covered by teachers I talk to.

Basic netiquette includes:

respect other’s privacy

be forgiving of other’s mistakes

be aware of your digital footprint

share your knowledge

don’t cyberbully

Get students started the first time you talk about blogging or online forums with a quick review using one of these websites:

Discussion Board Netiquette — a video

Netiquette —  a comical story made in Powtoons

Netiquette Basics — a short video with no sound

Netiquette for beginners — a video

Netiquette: Playing Nice on the Web — a video

Netiquette Rules — a video by 4th graders

You Can’t Take it Back — a life story from Netsmartz

Preview these first and then pick the ones best suited for your student group. Here’s a good poster you can tape to your classroom wall:

Digital Search and Research

Until students are told otherwise, most search the Internet by plugging a term into the search bar and clicking on the hits that populate. They think that the higher up the search page, the more reliable and more suited a hit is to the search. That’s simply not true and here’s why: 1) Most search engines offer paid websites priority over others, and 2) the more hits a website gets, the higher up the search engine it appears, which has nothing to do with veracity and appropriateness. This is why teaching the nuances of digital search is critical. It starts simple, probably in second grade, for their first web-based research project, and becomes more sophisticated every year after that.

Without a doubt, you will have lots of opportunities in any class to blend this learning into core projects, without taking time away from other lessons. Once students know the right way to search, they will do it much faster with less frustration.

Here are favorite websites that teach online search. Pick the ones best suited to your student group:

Basic search tips – from Google

Berkeley’s Library Page – search tips

Internet searches — a fun video 

Power Search — a full course in Internet searches from Google

***

That’s it — four critical topics that aren’t usually covered in core classes but once learned make a big difference in student learning.

–published first on TeachHUB

More about Internet safety

A long list of websites that teach Internet safety

Teaching Digital Rights and Responsibilities

How to Pick Reliable Websites: The Infographic

Plagiarism: What it is and how to identify it

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice reviewer, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today and TeachHUB, and author of the tech thriller, Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

The Easy Way to Teach Internet Skills published first on https://medium.com/@DLBusinessNow

[imawritinginprogress]

The Feminist Princess and the Unexpected Warrior

June 12, 2089, Ithuriel

Princess Cleo: I’ve lived all my life being trained as an independent and courageous princess. Since my father died, I don’t believe I need a man to tell me how to lead the kingdom of Ithuriel after what mortality did to what the people call Philippines. I studied the history and government of that country for years and I’ve learned that when a woman rule a country, she is usually claimed to be a devil advocate, a puppet, or worse, people might advice you to “just leave it to the men,” like most men rule the country. I did not say that the leadership of men was wrong, I admire few men leaders who weren’t selfish on their good intentions to lead, but most of men were corrupted by the influence of money as well as the recognition of the people, notably the poor and the commoners.

That was long time ago, since angels came and conquer this beautiful country to correct history and to improve humanity on Earth. My parents led the revolution since most of the corrupt politicians died of our powers since the battle of angels and humans happened on what was now known as Ithuriel.

Their government was what the people call a utopian, ideal, you could say. Religions were now unified, yet people were given a free choice to express their diversity, be they wanted to be a Catholic, Christian or whatever you wanted to believe in, even in being a part of the rainbow community too. Everyone is given equal rights to study their level of expertise; of course there were schools for each profession. I could mention more about how beautiful Ithuriel is, but according to the people my parents talked to, it was like heaven on Earth.

Until, I witnessed my father being slain by someone he considered to be his ally, his best friend. Since then, I furiously become determined to be a worthy leader for the people of Ithuriel and to take revenge of those behind the assassination of my father.

Since then, I won’t let anyone tell me I’m just a girl, that I’m just another pretty face but considered worthless in history, especially by men who tried to revolt against my mom because she is just a woman. My study on international culture and leadership has been helping me to be what fate wanted me to be. I’m now more than ready to be the next leader of Ithuriel, father. So help me God.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

“So Ms. Jemima, how do you write this compelling story?” a reporter from The Manila Bulletin named Christian interviewed in her first ever press conference promoting the book.

“About the story of Princess Cleo, which many women wanted to emulate like the famous heroine too. What are your reactions that your book has been worshipped by your fans not only on Philippines but also worldwide too?” said another from Philippine Star.

“Will you consider the rumor that Shine Network will televise your book into a primetime series,” commented another from Inquirer.

Me and my classmates in Creative Writing under Sir Carlou’s class were watching the live simulcast of Palanca awardee and best-selling author behind “The Feminist Princess”.

“Personally, I like Ms. Jemima Angeli. She’s been known and well loved not only on the present times, but also on social media too. She’s been responding to her growing number of ladies whom she encouraged to be true to themselves and also been reaching out to men to be not afraid of what society dictates us to be. Yet she did not consider herself wise, she is also cracking jokes via her official Twitter ever now and then when she’s not in writing mode.

She’s my inspiration. That’s why I wanted to be a writer like her one day. I will write as dauntless like her,” gushing Cristine, who is a big fan of her writings. As expected, I had to get myself be overwhelmed by her idolizing such a writer like Ms. Jemima Angeli.

Truth is, I cannot blame Cristine. She’s also an aspiring writer too, she needs someone to ignite her writing skills but sadly, I’m an Engineer. I don’t usually involve in things such as literature and arts, unlike my girl classmates and I don’t even care.

“Feminists suck”, says my mind while enduring the live press conference. “She claims she reaches out to men, but that is still women superiority complex disguised as women empowerment”, that is what I believe in. Sorry Emma Watson, I would rather prefer her acting rather than her advocacies, I even commented to stop her fangirling obsession.

Man that kills me. Girls, when will you learn that you still needed men too?

To which Cristine replied, “You know what, you’re just being insulted because she achieves way better than you did. I hate this to tell you, but if you don’t have something nice to say, you better shut your mouth okay?”

“There you go, Cristine. You won. I am worth nothing, and you go ahead with your shitty writing if you wish,” I sighed in my defeat when suddenly her book opened without a second, and since Sir Carlou shut the lights dark, the blaring light shocks everyone. Later I didn’t realized I was devoured literally into a book.

I screamed with all my might but even my classmates and Sir Carlou were almost paralyzed into inaction, unable to help me.

“This is crazy. I just saw these on anime, but well, welcome to an adventure, Arthur”, as in minutes I am now surrounded by people attending the congregation of Queen Esther and her daughter Princess Cleo. I looked at my shabby university uniform and felt alienated by the outfit of the people around the city.

A big white arrow, with a sign labeled in all big capitals, “Ithuriel” was seen before my very eyes dusted by sand.

“Ouch”, I exclaimed, “This isn’t real”

“Hey, “a knight-clad warrior approached me and tied both my arms, about to arrest me without even knowing me. “What the hell are you wearing? Are you one of the revolutionist Magicians who even dared time travel to Ithuriel?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I almost shouted in pain before I gazed at the knight who even dared to even argue with me. “Oh what a nice welcoming”, I sarcastically sighed to myself when he pulled me towards the prison cell.

“You better come with me, no objections, Mister, if you wanted me to keep you alive, you” as the knight led me to the prison cell with everyone staring at me.

A few minutes later, I was in the prison cell, just like what he wanted of me.  I’m still thinking of escaping from this fictitious place when a beautiful woman approaches me.

She was wearing a gown just like the typical princess on the fairy tales; her straight shiny black hair caught my eye. Maybe she was Princess Cleo, the way Ms. Jemima writes her to look like, but I never thought that novels could be this real. Just like her beauty.

I never fall in love with a fictional character written in the book. Nah, that’s insane.

“Are you even hungry?” she even asked.

And she has a lovely voice. Oh dear me, am I in love?

Days passed and I began befriending the knights who appeared to be amazed at my smartness to construct the castle of Ithuriel using my knowledge at Engineering. So I learn how to narrate tales of what the Philippines look like during my time, since I already told them I’m a student at one of the prestigious university in Manila and they look very interested in where do I grew up and if word was true that men were treated fairly during my time.

Cool. I was now here in the future of the Philippines. Well, if only I memorized by heart the history, I would even give up my Engineering degree to pursue politics and governance and study in Ithuriel. No, I don’t mean that. Engineering was cool, yet one must be patient if you wanted to be like me. Just kidding again; please laugh.

Heck, I would even ask if I could study something related to Engineering, or whatever they might call right now. Even with all the knowledge I study at heart, all I cared at this moment to get to know this beautiful woman. I don’t care if Cristine spoiled me that she’ll soon die at the end of this story, I just wanted to.

If Cristine were here and she saw my face gushing, she’ll surely be laughing at me to no end.

But I don’t even bother, except for my feelings every time Princess Cleo visited the prison cell to feed me and talk to me, if she is not in a bad mood. Even if all I received sarcastic humiliation and countless rejections from her, I just wanted to hear her voice, daydream I would touch her angelic face, and.. just her presence made my day.

I waited and waited and hoped for her, to no avail. Has she never seen a man like me before, I don’t know. Even I showed her my wisdom, I cracked jokes with her, I tell my stories to amuse her; damn this woman’s heart is as cold as stone!

I never felt so miserable in my whole existence. Maybe my charming appeals do not work in my favor, nor has she ever fallen in love before with a man and later left her too?

These questions haunted my mind every night whenever the knights stayed behind me in bars to watch me. I’m in this prison cell, staring at my cell phone, missing my college professors, Cristine, Ivan, Abby, Laven, Denver, and everyone until I immediately fell asleep in my immeasurable grief.

* * * * * * * * 

The next morning, a knight whom I mostly befriended named Joseph invited me to free me from my miserable days on the prison cell, in exchange for my training to be expert in swords just like I’ve seen in the movies.

Less than weeks passed since I’ve been given this freedom I owed to Joseph, and in no time, finally I mastered sword fighting. Joseph taught me how to ride a horse and everything I need to learn in combat.

I never felt like a hero in my whole life, aside from my classmates knew me as a Math wizard. Finally, you’ll see what you lost, Princess Cleo.

Joseph lent me his favorite horse named Viceral. At first, I laughed for his quick sense of humor in nicknaming horse names, but he told me that it’s his lucky horse and wishes me well in the battle I’m going to face in. “You’ve already mastered quickly what I’ve learned in knighthood for years. I’m so proud of you, Arthur. Go and save the Princess, the world needs her existence!” as I left with Viceral on the way to what was previously called Mt. Apo.  

I am more than ready to rewrite your history. Sorry, Ms. Angeli, but your story is long gone. You need quick revisions, or whatever editing you might proofread after all, for I am to prove Princess Cleo that she doesn’t need to face leadership alone, she needed me.

Which is to no avail because she won’t let me either after the night I saved her from the angel-slaying dragon who is about to imprison her. I cut the dragon split in two, and Princess Cleo did not even acknowledge me for saving her life.

Why did she every time she sees me, her eyes looked at me sweetly too? I don’t understand that night when I saved her, she hugged me in her fright, as if she needed my help? And yet every time I do care, which is I never did for my past loves, she even won’t give me some slacks?

I stood with my hand-me-down night armor Joseph borrowed me on the night I helped her, helplessly and exhausted in my battle, my eyes swollen in heartbreakingly pangs of rejection as she commanded me to stay away from her. I turned my back, gazing one second towards this ice princess who claimed she was a feminist. Or maybe she is.

“My love, can’t you see how much I’ve changed me since I met you. Why you’re making me crazy thinking about such wasted beauty like you? I wasn’t like this before, but why? Is there someone before me who hurts you? I will protect you from the boys who will do things I wanted to do with you, please hear my heart” I desperately screamed at the top of my lungs, damn my almost victory no one ever knows.

Except that my pleas were finally heard at the author itself.

Jemima Angeli.

She stood at me quickly, asking me of my intentions to save the princess. I quickly replied that “I may not be a fan of your works, but I loved her since the day I saw her when I was wrongfully imprisoned those weeks, but she never do care about me, even on the day I risked myself to save her from her tragic fate.”

“So you already read my book,” replied Jemima. To my surprise, it took me seconds to notice of her maroon coat she’s wearing to.

“So you’re one of the revolutionists who killed her father?” I blurted out my damn hypothesis, which I’m afraid she might have said it worse.

She replied politely to my surprise, “Yes, I did. But thank you for doing great in my story, which I heard you screaming at the mountains just earlier in my dreams.” She took a step forward, “Already looking for revenge towards her indifference?” which she brought up someone I did not see coming.

Princess Cleo was stunned to be back after she proved her victory that her feminist theory could be won, but in the end, whatever good it might seems, if done in bad intentions, it would fail anyway.

“Why are you bringing me to this man; you murderer!” Princess Cleo screamed horror as Jemima Angeli is not your usual writer; she has the gifts of time travelling, precognition and clairvoyance, which is declared illegal magic by her present government.

In instant, the author in her pity shared her tragic story, “I once become like you, I lost my dad before which is why I become a feminist. But I never tried hurting any man of good intentions like Arthur to feel what grief your father left of your soul. It’s a waste to continue you becoming an unworthy heroine to thousands of ladies who knew your story very well, even they know your life would be tragic anyway”, the Palanca awardee I just watched long time ago muttered in her breath.

Life is one big adventure of mishaps and learned lessons. Believe me or not, the next few words she says gives me sense of justice over my recent heartbreak.

“From now on, you’ll been recognized not your title of being a Princess but live your life being this guy” she commanded, her powers drew towards the ice princess.

“Until you finally learned how to appreciate what this guy did for you, for love, “as Princess Cleo was swallowed into the book, her angelic face was being transformed like Arthur’s resemblance as a punishment.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

PRESENT-DAY at the UNIVERSITY, TWO DAYS AFTER ARTHUR IS BEING SWALLOWED BY THE BOOK..

“Waaaaaaaaaaah!” as the princess woke up and find herself in the mirror as soon as she got up. Espedillion’s abode, to her surprise!

From now on, the princess was forced to look like the man she crushed his hopes for romance. Her tears started to fell down too as she stared back at her handsome reflection.

“Arthur”, she sighed. “I’m sorry I broke you. But this is my fault. You always said that you love me, but I’m so scared because I’m so heartbroken, I used to hate men and preach the wrong meaning of feminism but I was wrong. I should get to know you instead, oh please.”

“Hey, Arthur, why you’re crying” Cristine approaches him, giving her handkerchief at him.

“Sorry”, I apologized to the girl, “Were you a friend of Arthur?”

“Of course, you’re Arthur right? My god, friend, you’ve been absent since 2 days! You have missed so much time. Laven, Abby, Walker, Angel, and everyone misses you so much, we never stopped contacting you via Messenger but seems that you shut your mobile phone not to make us feel worried. Where have you been all these days?” as I noticed the book she’s holding to, besides her black bag.

She owns the book I’m been looking for, so I would know if I would be in damn tragedy like what she said she originally written as my death. I asked Cristine if she could lend me her book so I could study what my life would be as well as my future, to avoid my fate, if proven I would die, as being written.

“How come, I thought you’ll never be interested in Jemima Angeli’s writings because you only cared for your Engineering degree? On one condition, I’ll accompany you at the gazebo. Looks like we have so much time to talk to, “

I hesitantly agreed as she pulled me playfully to the gazebo. It was peaceful outside the University, as the cool breeze swept as us. We were sitting on a bench nearby, and she told me things that like me, despite of his amazing intelligence, lies a man longing for someone who could he be himself around, and things Arthur never shared things with me about. I then admitted that I wasn’t Arthur and pleaded Cristine not to tell her classmates about the curse, and everything Arthur did for me, which she laughed to no end.

“I’m just his friend, c’mon, I never liked him,“ Cristine admitted. “If you really love him, let me help you. Feel free to contact me just in case you wanted someone to talk to,” as she waved herself goodbye for her next class.

Days passed and I was adjusted to the university life Arthur is experiencing through. Cristine helped me cope with whatever weird nuisances my Engineering classmates were slowly noticing, so thank God I wasn’t caught.

The Espedilion family has been my second home to me. Abby and Wesley were good friends, they’re nice college buddies even they did not recognize I wasn’t Arthur after all. Sorry guys.

The day of submission of Prof. Carlou’s assignment regarding Jemima Angeli’s interview has been drawing near. And we have to read our reactions in front of my class.

God, I hate oral recitations.

“Mr. Espedillion?” Prof. Carlou called me after Cristine and Wesley has finally done reading their pieces.

Cristine tapped my shoulder, wishing me good luck. “It’s time.”

I read the paper I’ve been thinking about Arthur the whole time. I realized writing could make you powerless, but above knowledge, love is the strongest power in my whole existence.

I forgive her for killing my dad. I finally learned to love Arthur, the man I lived within days of discovering the life he’s accustomed to.

I stared at everyone who’s been waiting for me to even open my mouth. My train of thoughts snapped back to reality as Prof. Carlou repeated his instructions, “Mr. Espedillion, are you with us?”

“Yes,” I immediately replied and nodded to read my essay again. I just make sure the night before the presentation not to reveal my true identity in my essays as well as my growing feelings for Arthur.

“What I’ve learned from Jemima Angeli and her heroine Princess Cleo Maxine were adventures I’ve never travelled to, but from an Engineer’s perspective, I’ve learned a girl can be hurt and insensitive because she thought love can be restrained not taught not to feel it. I’ve tried, believe me, I realized you can be the most knowledgeable and the most successful Engineer, or writer, or an author, or even be anything you wish, but if you’re doing it out of vengeance, it wouldn’t only resolve anything, it would make things worse. I realized these past few days reading her novel and realized Jemima Angeli is not your typical feminist but Princess Cleo is, blinded by her anger and hatred towards the people responsible for her father’s death, if someone might call her heartless and insensitive. News: Princess Cleo is in love. Jemima might not mention to you guys yet, but she is in love with the unexpected knight she met in the prison cell. That stranger she thought he was a time traveler who’s threatening her safety, but heck, he doesn’t know whatever I denied, I smiled. I blushed, but I never dared to utter, for I don’t believe in such nonsense. That she’s a feminist and I won’t fall in love with the man that might betray my trust later on, just like what happened to her dad. Sorry, but, I do love---

Meanwhile in Ithuriel, Jemima and the real Arthur watched behind her speech using the water in the well to witness such change of heart for the once called ice princess so she let Arthur return back to his true form and live his normal life.

“She has loved you back, Arthur. Go back to your life and I’m sorry for bothering you” Jemima started to apologize me.

Oh no, I did not even wanted her to apologize the one responsible for why we met.

I smiled at the author slash magician I would never forget, the kingdom of Ithuriel, Joseph, and his knightly comrades as I was swallowed by the book.

Love takes you to places you’ve never been of, feels of the things Engineering never taught me, but I learned that anyone can be a hero for someone you’ve consider to grow and marry for the lifetime, should I?

I reached the University in no time, in a woman’s dress. I remember.

I do look like Princess Cleo, so keep calm, my darling. I’ll rewrite our love and your fate, I sighed as the book take me to where Cleo admitted her feelings to me. She was surprised as our eyes met, and I can say she missed me too, even if she doesn’t admit it.

“My Cleo,” I kissed her with all my might the moment I saw her. I don’t care if my classmates saw us, for all I care as her existence makes me feel alive. Her confession was enough for me to taste her love, and what she deserves for a simple college geek like me.

Our bodies start to exchange in front of the whole class, and finally I hugged her tight, with the essay paper she wrote for me. Professor Carlou and the whole class clapped for us out of their shock a few minutes later. They must have felt like they’re watching a televised love story. Or maybe it is.

She finally grew feelings for me, as I cupped her angelic face. Damn, I could stare at her face for a lifetime. I’m not at my dying years, but am I already in heaven with her. Wish I would rather die right now and marry her right away, but I guess this is me happy. I really did, and I’m sure of it myself.

Jemima nowadays must have been playing Cupid now, I’m honored.

Years past since I’ve gotten myself a degree in Mechanical Engineering and I’m now a professor in my alma mater. Even it took me years since that day Princess Cleo kissed me; she never died in my heart. And even they never believed in me except Cristine who is now a famous spoken word artist, Ithuriel still holds a special place in my heart.

Even if the story no longer became the trend unlike way before did, I’m still holding on fate that we’ll soon meet, if we’re really destined to be with each other. Only time could tell, I just need to trust her to forget her fears.

Just kidding though, I hate tragic endings. Oh, did I forget to tell you, we’ve been married in Ithuriel days after I got my licensure in Mechanical Engineering?

--END--