#so just. off map country that i haven't named yet

[skyfallscotland]

Ok so Rebecca did a one hour panel today in Sydney with Lynette Noni hosting, where she asked questions and then they opened it to fans. I've kind of summarised the things I haven't seen mentioned over and over, but I don't frequent the subreddit anymore or use TikTok, so there might be overlap. In any case, it's long. Settle in. I've sectioned it into plot/character relevant first, then themes and interesting facts about her and her writing. Basically, you all came with me. 💗

• In book three (and every book thereafter) we'll be going to more and more new places. She specifically worded it as "watching the map expand" whether that's significant or not, I don't know. (I was thinking Isle Kingdoms for OS, but maybe that's just my wishful thinking).

• She implied Jack will have a reason (explained) for uh...being a power-hungry prick? lol

• She's hella defensive of Dain, which I love. #DainApologistsClub 😌 Some highlights include:

"You guys give Dain so much shit for the same thing Xaden does. You really do and you're so fast to forgive Xaden and not Dain. Why? Is it because he's hot?"

And, "when push comes to shove, all Dain did—yes he violated her boundaries, as does Xaden—but all he did was trust his dad when his best friend no longer spoke to him. That's it."

"When Dain looks at her (in the interrogation chamber) and says 'if you had just told me, none of this would have happened', he's not just talking about the interrogation, he's talking about Liam, he's talking about if she had just trusted him (in Fourth Wing) it never would have happened." 😢

• She was asked about Liam's appearance in the interrogation chamber and definitively put to rest any signet theories involving that. "She's so alone in that moment and...I don't read fan theories but sometimes they reach my ears; she's completely disconnected from her magic in that moment, she can't even reach out for Tairn or Andarna, which are the bonds that are actually most important to her. She can't reach out for Xaden. And that's the one person who would have prevented that from happening the last year, so it's natural that's who her mind would summon."

• She's thought about a spin-off series, but she's just trying to survive this series.

• Someone asked her if there'd be any redemption and romance for Jack Barlowe and honestly, thanks guys, I don't think she's ever coming back to this country 💀 ("Are you getting enough sleep? Uh...I mean, from his prison cell maybe? No.")

• Someone asked "what is Garrick's signet and why hasn't it been shown yet?" (shoutout to this girl, she's the real MVP) to which Rebecca said "it's very much in book three, I love it."

• Someone asked about the orange dragons and unpredictability re: Amber, Jack, Varrish and then Imogen and Brennan. Rebecca said some dragons might look for traits like their own and some look for balance because it's a partnership; and that Brennan as a strategist needed that little bit of unpredictability in his life (lol, I think he got it).

• She didn't always plan for Violet to have two dragons. Originally it was going to be one (Tairn) and the editor had hoped that she would sway towards a weaker, smaller dragon and she thought that was a little too close to Abraxos in ToG, and so they compromised and gave her both. She also went on to say she doesn't like overpowered heroines and since Tairn is extremely powerful, Andarna balanced that out. (I'm not...I'm not sure how that works out? But that's what was said.)

• We are definitely going to find out more about the original six (and Lynette asked if that was a spin-off possibility and was shushed, so she's thought about it at least, but I get the idea she's thought about a lot of possibilities 😂)

• There's no timeframe for the release of the final two books.

• Someone asked if Violet's dad was Malek to which she was kind of shocked. He's not a god, guys. And low-key I JUST WANT TO KNOW HIS NAME. 😤

• On Sgaeyl: "You do (get more of her) but holy crap is she pissed. So—I'll tell you that about Onyx Storm—she is really, really mad at Xaden and she's not exactly speaking to him at the moment. So it's hard for her to speak into that bond when she's not speaking to him." 💔

• She was asked about the Violet dated Halden theory (which was fucking hilarious because the poor girl misspoke and asked if Xaden dated the prince and we were all really confused about which TikToks the poor thing had seen (note to self: consider cam/xaden), anyway after we got to the bottom of that, Rebecca replied, "I think you should read the third book." Which I'm taking to mean, the man is making a damn appearance and we're gonna find out for ourselves 👀 Hey, if I'm lucky maybe we'll even find out his surname

• Finally she said she has EP on the Amazon series, they've all been exceptionally protective of it and that she's happy with how it's going (they're not near casting yet and she doesn't want to really comment on that ever, to leave each role open to as diverse a cast as possible). She said the production team has come to the signings in LA to meet readers and see what they love and are passionate about when it comes to the series to make sure that's honoured.

"Like I mean, I've seen certain...like what can I say without getting tackled to the ground? Let's just say they've already taken steps to make sure that what you guys love about the story is envisioned and that it's not run amok. And I'm very happy with it, they're super protective of it." Which could just be me reading into it, but the first place my brain went was the dragons 👀🐉 and the CGI or whatever.

• She was asked about where the inspiration for the universe came from and she said that when her Entangled decided they were going to do romantasy they asked her for five pitches and Fourth Wing was one of them (she won't say what the others were because she might still write them someday). She said she likes the fated mates trope but she wondered what that would look like if the dragons were the ones mated, not the humans and the humans who couldn't stand each other were forced to be around each other because of this. 

• Her first ever book was romantasy but it didn't sell

• She's never really written enemies to lovers before.

• She likes found family themes because she was raised in a military family and moved around a lot, so that makes it hard to keep in touch with your extended family, and after she married her husband and became a military wife, it was their found family that was there for her—it was her found family who helped her move her house, who sat with her when her husband was injured in Iraq, etc, so she thinks it's very important to show that your family is also the people you choose and that can be just as strong as any blood tie.

• She was asked (by Lynette) why she wanted to show death and the reality of war and she said, "I've been surrounded by it. My husband's been at war since 2003, he spent 22 years in the army, first as a 19 Delta cavalry scout and then ten years as an apache pilot and we buried our friends. And I saw what it did to him, and I saw what it did to our friends, I saw what it did to our children, to us, and I love being able to examine it from a fantasy perspective just because I think fantasy gives us a unique environment from which to critique our own world by viewing it through the lens of another. And I've always delved into those themes as to why we do this to each other and where is there hope to stop it?"

• As an author her favourite scenes in Fourth Wing were the dagger stealing scene (very important to their chemistry and romantic development—"she's the only person he's taught ever, how to actually kill him") and the first kiss scene.

In Iron Flame it was the interrogation scene and how that ends with Dain and Xaden and everything coming together.

When asked about a similar scene from Onyx Storm that elicited the same strong emotion from her she said "you're not gonna like it" and that's it 💀

• She would consider writing fantasy again after she's done with the Empyrean world, maybe one of her other pitches, but she won't truly think about it until she's survived this one.

• She spoke about the "kill your darlings" writing advice and how if you love a scene but it doesn't move the plot, you've gotta cut it, and how she did that with the final scene in Fourth Wing, which was originally 7k words of Violet POV pulling information out of Xaden.

• When asked about fan theories she actually said something I found a little sad. "I don't listen to fan theories. One, I'm not on TikTok—it's a little bit more important for me to be alive than to listen to what other people think they know about me, and two, I don't ever want fan theories to bleed into my writing."

〰️ And that's it! If anyone's going tomorrow, please voice record the whole thing and report back lmao 🙏 🫶🏼

ETA: part two is here, x

[thexie-and-stars]

Intro!

@tazmaboxed

I acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this country. In particular, I acknowledge the Indigenous Elders of the Wurundjeri people, part of the Kulin nation, where I live and learn and pay my respects to their Indigenous Elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty has never been ceded. It always was and always will be, Aboriginal land. [credits to @elliewasaghost for the template]

dni: general dni criteria, MAPs, paraphiles [not people with paraphilic disorder], nazis, Radqueers, Radfems, porn bots. if you piss me off, i will block you

FUCK JKR. TERFS, SWERFS AND FARTS CAN GO DIE

THIS USER HAS INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS, PLEASE BE MINDFUL

I do not support Neil Gaiman, Always support the victims.

JOIN THIS: GAY DISCORD

IT'S GAY

I do vent posts a lot. If i'm actually in crisis it will be either untagged or tagged with #crisis. if not, please disregard because im just dealing with shit.

I will make moodboards on request SEND ASKS

WILL ALSO GIVE ADVICE

I edit wikipedia and fandom pages, lemme know if there's something wrong on a page and i'll take a look!

I run a tumblr community about special intrests and hyperfixations. If you want to join, DM me or send an ask!

HALLOWEEN SECRET SKETELONS: Asks sent

The theme on my website/tumblr page is not mine, I customized it. the credits are on the website.

art blog: @theo-th3-trans-art-b01

emergency ray toro bc i am mentaly silliy

reasons not to kill yourself: Link :3

RIP @venomvolts-deactivated20240803 I hope you re-join tumblr someday, you will be remembered

@xxx-ang3l-w1th-a-sh0tgun-xxx

I realised I haven't done one of these so:

Name: Theo

Nicknames: Thexie, Thex, Bean

Attraction shit: Bi oriented Aro/Ace.

I don't feel like a human, i feel like a silver fox w antlers. If u don't fw that, DNI

Pronouns: He, It, Rot, Vamp, [Ask as my prefernce changes daily, full list of prns on my pronouns page, go to the bottom of the post]

Gender: Rounded version for cis people. Boyflux transmasc, which means my gender fluctuates on the slidy scale between agender and boy.

Actual full decimaled gender: galaxforieliminalfluxboy. made by me!

Demi-verbal and silly :3

Tags i use:

#me and my posts, theo posting, beans posts : my own posts

#my starry angel: interacting w my best friend @a-perfect-imitation

#bean answers an ask: asks

#i can feel a ghostly prescence: interacting w @elliewasaghost [not used much but holy shit it's a great tag name]

#the lurker's here: @touch-starved-lurker

#beans come to visit: @lots-of-lesbeans-2

#cheeky fucker: @cheekyboybeth

#my chappel town and chemical cave: music tag, mainly my own lyrics, poems, talking about my instruments and occasional songs/covers.

#bean's brain: anything about the stuff listed in my TW area.

#theo spoils: used if a thing im ranting abt has not been widly seen yet, for example, a new season of a tv show.

anything to do with bean/theo: read the other bit of the tag

Triggers: Human balls, anything to do w gen alpha lingo, jokes about rape, talking about sexual assault.

General: I am Irish-Australian and I fence. I have a dog and two cats! I am fine for people to send asks or dm me! I do swear a lot but I don't post nsfw. I do sometimes reblog nsfw, nothing too severe. I AM a minor so please be mindful. . I love it when people send me asks! You can also dm me. I will give out my discord on request. I am polyamorous

Diagnosed: ADHD, Anxiety [all 3 types], Asthma, Autism, Chronic fatigue, chronic pain, Deppression, Hypermobility, Long covid, POTS, Scoliosis, Strabismus, Vision impaired

Probable I have it but not diagnosed yet : BPD, Fibromyalgia

Special interests: Heartstopper, MCR, Art, Autism, general knowledge.

Current Hyperfocus: stardew valley, dayflower

Fandoms: Dead Boy detectives, Helluva Boss, Hazbin Hotel, The Osemanverse, dead end paranormal park, Nimona, stardew valley, MCR, witherburn afterschool news, GRAVITY FALLS

Interests: Trivia

Likes: Cryptids, Books, My laptop, My friends, Watercolours, Drawing, Eating raw onions, Art, Mushrooms

Dislikes: Jam and butter together, Nausea, bad textures, the popular girls

Music i like: Bears in trees, Cavetown, chappel roan, Dayflower, Evanescence fall out boy, girlinred, Mcafferty, MCR, MotherMother, Penelope Scott, Ricky Jamaraz [i'm gay, what do you expect].

My spotify playlist: Trans Tism songs :3 by Theo The Mothman.

Trivia: I play clarinet, guitar and the drums and I have a pair of mechanical wings I use for cosplay

Trigger warnings for things i might post: self harm, mental illness, suicide, family stuff [my mum's abusive], unreality [weirdcore and dissociation],

Mobility Aids I have: cane, crutches, wrist splints, back brace, wheelchair

Meds I take: ADHD meds, Salt Tablets, Melotonin

@frogofalltime is my dad :D

USERBOXES AND LINKS DOWN BELOW \/

credits going left to right, from top left!

@xxx-ang3l-w1th-a-sh0tgun-xxx, @system-box

@lgbtq-userboxes, @lgbtq-userboxes,

@sweetpeauserboxes, @burntoutuserboxes

@burntoutuserboxes, @xxx-ang3l-w1th-a-sh0tgun-xxx,

@esotericalqueer, @esotericalqueer

@xxx-ang3l-w1th-a-sh0tgun-xxx, @cardboard-userboxes

@arcanecollective, @decemberblue

@another-userbox-blog, @sweetpeauserboxes,

@puppyuserboxes, @xxx-ang3l-w1th-a-sh0tgun-xxx

@alterhuman-userboxes, @whats-a-human

@xxx-ang3l-w1th-a-sh0tgun-xxx, @burntoutuserboxes

@mogaispiderpunk, @blood-moon-night-coining

@totallypumpkin, @frogsforthefrogwar

LINKS \/

pronouns page

posts I wanna keep

last relapse: 4/11/24

haha idk if i'm gonna make it to graduation

tw for that btw

[severeweatheralert]

Things I learned while writing two novel-length fics in the space of nine months

Or, advice I hope might be of someone use to someone out there, but all brains are different so YMMV. Ironically, this is probably the longest tumblr post I've ever written. Do let me know if you got something out of it!

Planning

You don't need to know every single plot detail at the start. It DOES really help to know roughly where you're going, plotwise and thematically, so it feels less like you're running straight into the great unknown and more like you're headed to some destination. Even if you don't quite know how you're going to get there, yet.

You don't need to know every single character detail, either. Favourite song? Favourite food? I couldn't name my own, let alone my characters'. What is important is a general idea of what makes them tick. What do they want? Why are they here? How do they think? (and if you do introduce details, save them in a notes file someplace, so you can easily find them later).

Outlines are great. Outlines are not the law. If you come up with something that works better than the thing you'd originally planned? Change it.

Scene setting

Remember that you're writing fic, not a movie script. That means you don't have an effects team to pay and you can make the entire environment do whatever you want. Forest fire on the horizon to match your characters' mood? Do it.

Trust that your readers' imagination works. You don't need to describe every single detail to set a scene effectively. Just pick out a few that give off the mood you want, and leave it at that. (Setting dependent, of course- a scifi setting will need more description than a classroom or a hospital room, where most people will have been in their life at least once). This goes for character descriptions too.

Sprinkle scene descriptors through the dialogue/action instead of starting with a whole paragraph of exposition. You'll pull people in quicker.

Research: if you're setting your fic in an existing place, it helps to do (some) research and incorporate that in the work. Simple things like incorporating the name of an existing retail chain or a highway makes your setting feel a lot more real. Google Maps is great if you're writing in a country you've never been to. Just hop on streetview.

Drafting

If you're trying and failing (multiple times) to write a scene, ask yourself if there might be a pacing reason for that. Is the scene necessary at all? Are you trying to start too early in the scene? What are you trying to establish with it, and could that maybe happen elsewhere in the story?

If you get stuck on a phrase/name you haven't picked/word you can't think of/detail you haven't yet researched: put something like [NAME] in brackets. Then keep going. You can come back to it later and you don't need to disrupt your writing flow.

Turn grammar and spell check off. Run a spell check when editing but don't get haunted by the little red line while drafting. A lot of the time its suggestions are bad anyway.

When writing dialogue-heavy scenes, it's sometimes nice to get the actual dialogue out of the way first, then come back later and add actions or descriptions in between to pace the dialogue.

Sometimes you'll have to draft a scene multiple times before it feels right. This is painful, but ultimately okay.

Feel like you should write but don't really want to? I like to set a timer for like 20-30 minutes, give it a go, and if I'm not into it by the time it goes off I'll go do something else.

Editing

Let a section sit for at least a day before going back in to edit. Give your brain some time to forget some of it. You can still draft the next bit in this time!

Sometimes it helps to set the text to a different font or to paste it into a different text editor. Trick your brain into thinking you haven't seen it before, basically. If you're brave, you can even use the editor of whatever website you're posting to.

This is when you run the spell check. But remember: you're allowed to mess with grammar and use words that the spell check says don't exist. "He deadpanned" is a perfectly understandable dialogue tag, for example.

Use a thesaurus! I like powerthesaurus.org because it has a dark mode. The main thing to remember is that you're using it to find synonyms that may fit your meaning/the mood better, not to find more complex words. Especially useful if you find yourself using the same word over and over in a section.

Practical things

Brainstorming on paper works WAY better for my brain than brainstorming digitally, for reasons unknown. Plus you get the fullfillment of using up a notebook.

Have a scraps folder for deleted scenes. Don't actually delete them! You can scrap them for good lines later.

Especially for longform work, keep notes. Things like repeated lines, relevant plot details, things you want to incorporate in future chapters: keep them somewhere where you can find them.

For writer's block: sometimes you need to let a story simmer for a bit. I like going for hikes or chewing on my plot in the shower.

I like having two WIPs with vastly different moods at the same time. One in posting stages, one in drafting stages. That way if I don't want to work on a very moody WIP, I can switch to the other and still get something done.

If you're writing longform work: you'll improve over time. Try to resist the urge to go back and edit the first chapters once they start grating at your perfectionism. Especially if you've already posted them.

Don't write the whole thing in one document if it's longer than ~10k. I like SmartEdit Writer to organize my fics. It's free.

Uploading

I'd recommend having a few chapters' backlog before you start posting. This way you a) know you like the fic enough to keep working on it for more than one chapter; b) have some backlog in case writer's block strikes or life gets in the way of writing; c) can go back and edit in foreshadowing or edit out plotholes as you discover them.

If you have (and want to give) a lot of content warnings, keep a list while you're writing the chapter, so you don't have to figure it out last minute before uploading.

Your works' stats (kudos/hits/subs/comments) say nothing about the quality of your work. This one is hard to internalize.

[thegreatyin]

arcturus religious arc?? do say more

arcturus is funny because i haven't actually talked about them and the rest of the MCM cast on this blog very much (in fact i don't think i've even namedropped leus?) but they occupy so much of my brainspace. at least 1/339274th of my singular braincell. and lemme tell you that's more than any one OC frankly ever should

anyway! arcturus is religious. like. in the freak sort of way. in the they're Really Fucking Normal about this sort of way. they're so fucking normal right now. you can trust them. they swear. they are soooooooooooooo normal.

to elaborate further would be getting into MCM (and some hints of APF) lore as a whole, which i will do anyway, but under the cut because i like to pretend to respect my follower's dashboard scrolling time

so. the thing about APF and MCM is that they are two wildly different stories taking place at wildly different times in fantasy world history. but they are taking place in the exact same setting with the exact same shared fantasy world history.

this is the full mimue geographical world map, sans cities, primarily made for APF purposes but also featuring MCM's two (unnamed as of right now) focus continents off to the far left. MCM's story mostly spans the northern part of this duo. unlike what i affectionately refer to as "the APF plot triangle" (or eastern mimue, if you wanna get technical) country names are not synonymous with continent names and this is weirdly way more important to MCM lore than you might think.

this is an extremely rough mockup of a "mimue political map". green designating arboret, gold designating sanctus, blue designating requies... and brown designating medeis, with icy blue designating sulia. grey designates a cluster of various smaller border countries that definitely exist but i haven't worldbuilded them as of yet and don't really plan to go in-depth with them because they're mostly irrelevant to anything ever.

MCM focuses on medeis and sulia. and only these two. another crucial element of MCM is that everyone living there is completely disconnected from the other side of the world. the map makes them seem relatively close to arboret but in actuality it's way more like a mutual undiscovered new world situation. the folks in western mimue have absolutely no idea there's an APF plot happening in the first place, much less a cluster. similarly, everyone in APF is unaware of western mimue's existence and they all consider arboret to be the furthest edge of the known world (with just ocean laying beyond that). christopher columbus hasn't attacked mimue yet is what i'm saying.

however. they do share a world history, and setting, and magic system, and hey wasn't there a whole thing with eastern mimue and an angel blessing the world a thousand years ago that encompassed the entire planet in scope and you can go read about it on Ao3 if you feel like it right now?

y'know. that mildly significant part of mimue history that basically overturned the world forever and inspired a new religion in eastern mimue dedicated to following the angel like it's a god. that mildly important minor detail.

yeah, the MCM crew has no idea about any of that. but they were still affected by it. they just... interpreted it slightly differently.

magic in the world of mimue is an anomaly by mimian standards. something New and Weird and Unnatural. eastern mimue, with the context of the blessing angel as a bringer of peace and forgiveness and prosperity, treats it as something to be valued and admired.

western mimue does not do this. western mimue basically got blasted with magic with zero context of what was going on across the ocean, and everyone is CONFLICTED about it. some believe it's a favor from their gods, others believe it's a curse from those that scorn them, and still others shun anyone with "too much" magical ability in the first place.

by-the-by, completely totally definitely unrelated to that above statement, who are those western mimue gods?

well.

while those in eastern mimue have largely abandoned mimue's old ways and barely anyone has any real recollection of The Before Times, western mimue is desperately clinging to those exact same old beliefs. to its old gods, for lack of a better word.

no, seriously. who were these old gods?

dragons, of course. they're the primary subject of worship in western mimue- and a dying one, at that. in modern-day MCM (and by extension modern-day APF, though it takes place a long while before MCM) most of the median and sulian population haven't seen a real "godlike" dragon in centuries.

but they are still very much around. just. hanging out. being worshipped and served by mortals. fully sapient talking dragons held up as gods. are they actually? that's debatable, but also a debate topic that'll get you a lot of stink-eyes in sulia and some especially devout sectors of medeis.

speaking of.

arcturus! remember when this was an ask about them and not just a mimue theological history lesson? yeah i don't either. but lets discuss them anyway.

a lot of what y'all can know about arcturus (without spoiling MCM too much) can be found in their point-of-view story, wherein they admittedly don't spend a lot of time ruminating on their faith but do namedrop their draconic overlords at the very end all dramatic-like.

they briefly allude to their backstory though! that's something!

to keep an even longer rant about medeis political lore short, arcturus is in a position roughly equivalent to the president. their official in-universe title is Honored Exemplary, but in terms of real-world-analogy it's essentially just being president of the united states.

y'know. if the US was an expansionist empire with technology far surpassing anything else in the world and was also powered by a monster kept in the basement that has to be fed live sacrifices weekly or else the entire thing goes to hell. and also the president and the head of parliament had a weird toxic yuri situationship going on and it's probably inevitably going to end in either murder, a double suicide pact, or both.

so, just the US, really.

the funny thing about arcturus is that they aren't actually native to medeis. parallax is! they aren't. their original home was conquered early-on in their youth, and they've basically grown up surrounded entirely by median society and technology.

and they've adapted like a fish to water. they're like if the country mouse discovered cars exist and became an absolute sicko over it. meanwhile parallax is like if the city mouse just really yearned to be eaten alive by moss (neither of these fucks are normal or honestly entirely sane)

worship of the great big questionably-deity lizards was a BIG part of what little they can remember about their old life. and they're like. REALLY into it. they're the guy who insists you have to pray before every meal and spends an hour daily kneeling in front of their dedicated God Shrine asking for repentance. they latched onto dragonology like a dying man in the desert latches onto a water bottle. they're very very very big on punishing themself for the whole technically-being-a-serial-killer-by-feeding-the-basement-monster thing and they see religion as an outlet for exorcising their own sins. which is really normal behavior, im sure.

and also magic tends to be viewed in a really negative light by Hardcore Traditionalist People™ and they were raised in that environment and as a mutant with zero magical ability to speak of they were basically uplifted as a savior and a favorite of god from day one and they've got an absolutely horrible case of hyperempathy + religious savior complex because of it. so y'know. that's also a mildly important factor. just a tad bit.

TLDR;

arcturus does this. but like. for dragons.

[jekinabox]

@mapalsyrup

You haven't finished Scarlet yet but fuck it imma tell you shit and just try to leave out as many spoilers as I can because DLC bois

-Basically: Riddler Khu (well known pokemon game data-miner and teaser) posted stuff about the DLC having some pretty cool mechanics

-RK says something about the hexagon w/ eyes on tera jewels having to do w/ the third legendary

-RK talks about mega evolution being different from z-moves, dynamaxing & terastallizing in a way that seems to suggest that the difference it that all are caused by pokemon except mega evolutions

-You know how Paldea is Spain? The connecting area between Spain + France appears in maps in-game but cant be accessed in game.

People assume that this is where the dlc will take place.

Kalos is based on France, and also doesn't contain that area, so its not off-limits to use/make

-The thing many people assume to be linked the third legendary, mentioned in the scarlet/violet book and some lab entries, has a hexagonal pattern and/or shape

People have theorized that this could point to Zygarde (Kalos legendary)

No one else has mentioned this (as far as I know) somehow but the image in the scarlet/violet book does kinda have a Zygarde-ish shape

the letter amount it has in the name in the lab is 1 off, but it may have some different nick-name or the letter amount might not just fully correspond, since the scarlet/violet book has that issues. People are thinking it might get a mega-evo w/ a 6 letter name but idk

-someone talked about how Area Zero has the same initials as the guy behind the story of X&Y, and RK responded with a reference to the guy's floette that was in the code but never the game., which may or may not have to do with floette and/or AZ being in the dlc

That guy's evil scheme was apparently a giant crystal cannon

Floettes can be spotted in Area Zero

-Delphox (a Kalos starter's final evo) is once of the pokemon I saw was going to be transferable to S/V from Home in 2023

-Diance & Carbink (crystal pokemon w/ links to Kalos) will also be transferable

-2023 will be the 10th anniversary of X & Y coming out in 2013

-Dex entry of Roaring Moon (Scarlet Paradox Salamence) references mega salamence

-While the first impression I got was that the hexagon legendary was behind the paradoxes, if Zygarde is in the game, it may be under control or trying to stop the paradoxes(bcuz order pokemon) and would be helped during the game

Perhaps Zygarde cells could be found around the world like roaming gimmighoul

-I really wanna see Yveltal, the LIFE DRAINING pokemon that can WIPE OUT AN ENTIRE FOREST, in an open world game. Imagine the dystopia.

-Volcanion's (Kalos legendary that people have been complaining didn't get to do anything) move was removed/replaced for S/V pokemon.

It does look very mechanical.

-Paldea is mentioned "defending against neighboring countries" or smthn similar in the history, and a war was mentioned in Kalos lore

-This could just be for profit & loving Charizard's sake but the OP Tera Raid Charizard might be a secret teaser (since its one of the few pokemon with 2 mega evos)

-idk exactly what this means, but Geeta's final pokemon has been laughed at bcuz its meant to be a set-up pokemon for the beginning of battles, but its the species you need to farm in order to get the Tera Blast TM & is found deep in Area Zero, which is specifically called out by the game (idr who, but Penny and/or Arven ask about wtf it is) + RK also mentioned her as an option when he made a poll about who people thought would be the dlc villian

-Another option was Heath; he has a cyclizar(like how Miraidon + Koraidon are paradox cyclizar) and with the lore+theories so far, it kinda makes sense but not really so idk this either

-also may or may not do anything- but the scarlet book has a drawing of a paradox pokemon that looks like a mix between Suicune, Raiku, & Entei, and the violet one is a mix between Virizon, Coballion & Terakion. The book claims it was drawn by one of the explorers based on paradox pokemon because the ones they saw inspired him, but idk, some of the current knowledge and theories (that I can't say bcuz spoilers) may suggest not

edit: the war mentioned in Kalos was stopped w/ the ultimate weapon crystal cannon that AZ brings back, and Area Zero is also called Ground Zero(area below/above an exploding nuke), so the post about "THEY NUKED MADRID" might've been right

[sumakha]

new sumakha maps just dropped!!! (and already added to the intro post)

random ramblings + previous maps under the cut

whew! third version of the sumakha map! if you saw the previous one in the intro post, you may think it looks pretty much the same, and youd be like, half-right. i used the previous map as a base still, but edited the proportions quite a lot (the old version was much more horizontal because i traced over the supercontinent rodinia for it and thats what rodinia was like)

what i think i really improved on is biomes! i finally took an ecology class (so far my favorite class ive taken in college) and i finally know the proper names of the common biomes AND where they should be (i actually got inspired to finally remake the map because i hated how i put the desert right on the equator on that one). also learned about RAIN SHADOWS!!!!! rain shadows my beloved ohhhh they saved my ass irt making the biomes make sense and also making the map look cool. i know a lot less about rivers and where they flow though, so the rivers i put on are tentative, but i think they look mostly fine. i think it'll be a while before i tweak the map again

just for fun, here's the old maps i had before (just the biome versions b/c the countries are still in the same relative place):

this map is from... exactly two years ago actually. i didn't really know what i wanted or how to make a landmass that looked natural, i just knew that it was gonna be a supercontinent with one island branching off. also didnt realize that arid grasslands and savannahs are The Exact Same Thing LOL

this one is from 7 months after the previous map, so august 2021. im REALLY glad i decided to look into earth's previous supercontinents because learning how to draw unique landmasses would have been... kind of a hassle since rodinia ended up looking so similar to what i wanted. it's kinda funny, i didn't know what rain shadows were yet but i still put them in accidentally. only things really wrong with this one is the desert right on the equator and me still not realizing that arid grasslands and savannahs are the same thing

okay that's all the old maps but holy shit here's a BONUS map!!! i thought it'd be fun to map out where the ocs i draw the most are from.

shikann and goddska are guys i have yet to post (they're part of eki's story), and kenzhe is a guy i have posted before in a doodle dump but haven't expanded on. i would've put tehmikh on here but tbh i haven't figured out exactly where he's from, just that he tours around annoshik

okay that's it! i think! i hope you guys enjoy the political map as well, i know it's a bit busy but i didn't expect to write all over it. in the next few days i'm finally gonna add a 'history' section to the intro post that'll give more context :-3 anyway enjoy

[author-of-kimyona]

the reason as to why i haven't posted on this blog in so long is because i decided i wanted to redo everything in terms of the world building of this story. the fact that the world was based upon real life made things extremely complicated, and the fact that we are living through several moments that will be put into history books makes it even more so. along with important characters being from countries that are doing...rather awful things at the moment, making me feel kind of guilty (which i know shouldn't even really matter since it's my story, but i just can't help but feel this way).

additionally, a big part of the history of this story had a global event where the entire world became polluted to a point where it became almost unlivable (Wall-E style). while this is interesting, i feel like this just leaves a lot of plot holes in the story (like, "if the magic system lets people do basically anything, why don't they just un-pollute the world?" and stuff like that). plus, although i believe my audience to be intelligent, i don't want too much information to be forced upon them...and the world that i came up with is complicated enough already and keeping track of it is rather annoying haha. i have a lot of plans for the world building of this story, and i love all of it, but if i had to cut one thing, it would have to sadly be this.

instead of the world being a mirror to real life, i decided to make my own world. i haven't come up with a name for it yet, but i already named all of the countries and their capitals, and i even named the seas! i even made a world map for it (although I'm still working out the kinks lol)! i did base the countries off of real places for that extra spice, but I'm not making them a one-to-one for reasons I've already stated.

Here it is! pretty cool, right? i used this website to help me get an idea for the shape of the map:

i then created the biomes for the land and created my borders to make it look like a real map

as i said before, the world will no longer be a polluted landscape, so the world is rather colorful, which gives me several good ideas of what i want to do for the world. some of the names for the places i came up with are rather silly I'll admit, but if i come up with a better name, I'll change it immediately (coming up with names for fictional places is very difficult I've discovered, but it's also very fun).

also, i think i want to make the magic system a well known concept for the world, but still only a few people posses the ability to control it. i don't think that any government could realistically keep powerful dimensional magic a secret from the world, especially in a world with the internet. it's still a rather special thing, however, and i also want there to be a country that is built around this magic (preferably Moftuni Republic since i made the country and it's capital so big. the fact that it's separated from the rest of the world makes things rather interesting as well...).

that's kind of all the news i have for now. my first full year of college is almost over for me, so i might have time to actually think about this world I've created.

catch y'all on the flip side!

[resistanceheirarc]

@pevunyol​ liked for a lyric starter

“these things take time to travel, it would seem.” he stands casually, his shoulder against the hard wood of the dock. the water is calm for the moment, though if the way his hair stands up is any indication, it won’t be for long. he feels better out here, under the sky, near the water, than he ever does when he’s inside. “it took me a while to get out here, it’s getting harder for me to move around freely.” a shrug, like that isn’t the most stifling thing in the world to him. 

“haven’t managed to find a good disguise yet.” 

[dragon-kazansky]

Made with love | Helmut Zemo

Chef Zemo AU! 👨‍🍳

Gender neutral reader!

Collage by @realremyd

[Next chapter]

Part 1

You had always wanted to travel through Europe. You wanted to see those streets at least once in your life. Meet the people, attention the languages, taste the food, and maybe even do a little shopping in certain cities.

Your friend, Wanda Maximoff, came from a rather unknown country called Sokovia. When you had told her about your trip, she had brought it up. She hadn't been back home since she left, but she remembered it well. She suggested some places to go if you ever stopped by. You made a mental note to drop by her home country for her sake.

Sokovia was a declining country. It had its fair share of issues and problems, but it was still out there waiting to be discovered. The least you could do was visit on your travels.

You had passed through Spain and France, spent a few extra days in Gemany, stopping by the Netherlands to see Amsterdam. You have lost count of the photos you had taken in Austria, and it was as your stay in Poland was coming to an end when you remembered about Sokovia. The other countries you had planned to pass through would have to wait. You spent your last night Poland planning the flyover to Sokovia, luckily finding a flight that will take you to the capital.

In your pocket you kept the list of places Wanda and suggested, her hoping most of them were still there. You would of course take pictures for her.

The plane landed and you exited the airport. You wanted to see the city. A cab station near by grabbed your attention, so you hurried over. You asked the driver of the nearest cab to drop you off in the city centre. He did.

Looking around Novi Grad, you were taken in. The city was old. People were going about their business, but some even turned to smile at you as you walked along. You took in the area, admiring the buildings and the people. You were impressed and in awe with the city.

You keep an eye out for somewhere to stay, checking Wanda's list as you go incase you spot one of the places on it.

You're not sure how long you have been strolling the streets when something catches your eye. It's not a very big building, but it stands out. A restaurant. A Spanish restaurant. You smile. Spain was one of your first stops when you got to Europe, the food was one of your favourite parts.

You realise just how hungry you are. You hadn't eaten anything since before your flight. The door is open and it looks like a good place to stop.

You look up at the sign as you get closer to it. Gold letters on a purple background. There was something elegant about it.

Escorpión Morado

You look at your list quickly. It's on there. Purple Scorpion. Wanda knew about this place. You put away the list, grab your camera, and stand far enough away to get a shot of the exterior. You smile at the outcome.

Outside there were a few tables. Four, to be exact. They had a nice view of the courtyard just in front of the restaurant. The entrance was two narrow double doors, opened wide to let air into the shop, and allowing easy access for the customers to come and go. The shop being on the corner of the street allowed a view on either side theiugh the large windows. On each window was the name of the restaurant in faint lettering. You could see inside, but decided you could admire it better by going in.

Entering the restaurant, you were welcomed with a certain warmth. It wasn't too busy, but there was still several people here, enjoying themselves. You took a picture of the inside.

The inside was nice and open, plenty of room to move around. A bar was situated at the far end, a couple of people sitting at it. You walked over the polished floor and made your way to the back. You pick a stool and sit down, looking up at the menu. There were plenty of options.

"What can I get for you?" A voice asks, coming over to you. You turn your head to see who was speaking, your voice suddenly doesn't want to work.

The man comes to stop in front of you. Brown hair swept to the side, dark brown eyes, sparkling with amusement, a smile tugging at his lips. His shirt sleeves were pushed back up to his elbows, and apron was around his waist. He had very clearly just been in the kitchen.

He tilts his head to the side slightly. You had yet to answer him.

"Are you alright?" He asks. "English?"

Oh, he thought you didn't understand.

"Um, yes. I speak English. I'm sorry, I'm fine," you feel embarrassed, shuffling on the stool slightly.

"That's alright. What can I get for you?" He asks, offering a friendly smile.

You glance up at the menu again. "What do you reccomend?"

As you glance back, you see his smile widen. You had eaten tapas while you were in Spain, but you found yourself wanting to hear him speak again. There was something about his accent that was satisfying.

"Since I haven't see you around here before, I'll make a special for you. How does that sound?"

"That sounds lovely, thank you."

He smiles and leaves you to go and make it himself. You look around the restaurant again while you wait.

On the wall just off to the side, there was a plaque. You get up and walk over to it, wanting to read what was on it. There was a photo above the plaque that caught your attention first. An older gentleman, dressed smartly and looking proud. You read the plaque to find out who he is.

Or was.

Heinrich Zemo

Founder of Escorpión Morado.

He died a few years ago, leaving the restaurant to his son, Helmut Zemo. There was no photo of his son, but you assumed he was here somewhere.

Actually, looking at the photo, you could awe some semblance with the man who had served you. Was he the owner?

You look at the plaque once more before going back sit down. The atmosphere in here was nice. You could see yourself coming here every day just to pass time. It certainly seemed like a favourite spot for these people.

You smiled as you glanced over the few people gathered here. A couple by the window, just looking out at people passing by. A man sitting at the bar talking to one of the staff members, they seemed to be enjoying themselves. There were a couple of families taking up tables here and there.

It was very relaxing here.

You turn back around when the man returns, he puts the dish down in front of you and smiles. It looks delicious, just like the one you had back in Spain.

He stands there as you take your first bite.

You stop and look at him as soon as the food touches your tongue. It's amazing. You smile as you eat it, nodding at him, impressed.

"This is the best tapas I've ever eaten."

He looks really pleased with himself.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, especially since I was Spain not that long ago." You go for another bite.

"A traveller?"

"Yeah. I always wanted to see Europe, so I've been saving like crazy and here I am."

He leans against the counter, seemingly interested in this information. You're not complaining, he is definitely attractive company.

"And you found yourself here of all places."

"I have a friend who comes from Sokovia. She had mentioned it to me before I left for my trip, the least I could do was come and see," you told him, still enjoying your meal.

"Sokovia isn't exactly a popular destination, but I welcome you all the same. I also welcome you to my restaurant."

"Ah, so you are Helmut Zemo? I was reading the plaque over there," you said, nodding over at the wall.

"The one and only. Do I get the honour of your name?"

"So you ask all your customers for their names?" You ask, smiling at him.

"Only the really interesting ones."

"Interesting? I've been here all of five minutes. What makes you think I'm interesting?"

"When you work in a business like this, you get to know who is interesting or not. It comes with the territory. Also, moat of my customers are locals, so anyone from outside the country has to be interesting in some way," he crosses his arms and looks at you smugly.

"I see," you chuckle.

"Is that a no, then?"

"Y/N. My name is Y/N," you reply rather bashful.

"Y/N, lovely."

The way he says it with his accent makes a shiver run down your spine. You had a sudden need for him to say it again, but you also had to remember to be a normal human being who isn't going to freak out the lovely man they just met.

"Your meal is on the house."

You look up at him sharply.

"Oh no, please let me pay," you say urgently.

He shakes his head.

"No, this one is free. Only this one."

"You say that as if you know I'm going to come back," you look at him with a narrowed gaze.

"I trust that you will," he smirks.

"Why?"

"Well, you ate everything, complimented both my food and establishment, and I'm far too interesting, myself, for you only to come by once."

You laugh softly, shaking your head at him. His eyes lit up at the sound.

"Insufferable," you say, sliding off the stool.

"I'm aware, you get used to it."

You smile as you make sure you don't leave any of your belongings behind and thank him for the delicious food.

"Come again," he says.

"I'll think about it."

You leave, knowing he was smiling as you left the building. You make your way across the square, resisting looking back through the window to see if he was still there.

You pull out your phone and bring up a map. You needed to find somewhere to stay for a few nights. You didn't have to look far. There was a small hotel up ahead and around the corner. You decided to try there.

Finding it wasn't too hard. You only had to go down a small backstreet. It was out of the way and hidden, a nice peaceful place to stay for a while.

You enter. The lobby wasn't too big and it was nice and quiet. The building was old, but the inside seemed well looked after.

You walk over to the desk and smile at the man sitting there.

"Hello."

He smiles, "hello."

He spoke English too. That was good. Your Sokovian was... nonexistent.

"I would like a room for a few nights."

He nods and opens a big book information front of him. He grabs a pen and flicks through room numbers.

"How long are you staying?"

"Three nights? Yeah, three should do." You still had countries to check off your list.

He nods and asks you to sign the book. While you do so he grabs a key from the wall behind him. You pass him the book back and take the key.

"Enjoy your stay."

You nod and take the stairs up. Your room was nice. Big enough for one person and on the main street side, where you came up to get here. You could just about see the square from the window.

You sat on the bed. Perfect. There was a TV, but something told you it would be Sokovian television. Maybe you could watch it just for the sake of it.

You lay back on the bed and took our your phone, calling Wanda.

She picked up almost immediately.

"Y/N, where are you?"

You smile, "Sokovia. You were right, Wanda, it's very pretty here."

You hear her little gasp down the phone.

"You're actually there? You're making me homesick now."

You chuckle softly.

"I'm sorry, Wanda. It's a beautiful city though. I even stopped off at one of the restaurants you listed."

"You did? Which one?"

"Escorpión Morado."

"Escorpión Morado? Oh my gosh! It's still there? Did you meet Heinrich? I remember him being so wonderful to his customers."

"Actually, Wanda, Heinrich passed away a few years ago. His son runs it now, but I guess you could say I did technically meet the owner."

"My heart is saddened to hear of his loss. I do vaguely remember his son. Though back then he worked in the kitchen and very rarely came out."

"Helmut is rather lovely. He stayed and talked to me while I ate."

"Is he cute?"

You roll your eyes at her question.

"He might be," you chuckle.

"Perhaps a romance will spark and you'll be left heartbroken because you'll have to come back here and maybe never see him again. I'll be here watching you drink wine straight from the bottle and gobble down ice cream because you're utterly in love with this man you met once while travelling."

"Wanda, I need you to stop watching those chick flick movies and come back to the real world. I'm not going to fall in love with him. His food, however, is to die for."

"Oh, you're in love with the food. Spain exists, you know."

"I know, I was there, remember? Kind of missing the sun, if I'm being honest, but my God Wanda, this man can cook."

"Marry that man, Y/N. He can cook."

"Wanda, shut up," you laugh with her down the phone.

"Never. Enjoy your time in my home country, Y/N. It honestly means the world to me that you're there."

"In taking photos, don't worry! I'll be home soon, Wanda. See you."

You end the call.

You drop your phone on the bed beside you and stare up at the ceiling. So far you really liked Sokovia, very different from places you had been to so far.

You smile as you think about Helmut. He was certainly the most memorable part of your stay here so far.

Maybe you would visit him again tomorrow.

For the food, obviously.

@namethathasnotbeentaken @belle82devart @cathrin2405 @lieutenantn @wilder-fangirl @latenightartist-author @lucky-luck-lucky @hb8301 @charistory @thatoneartgalsstuff @thesuitkovian @malkaviangirl @zemosimp420 @realremyd @the-chaotic-cow @lostghostgirl94 @zafiro-draco @lazygurl05 @pinkcutiepiee @goddessofmischief03 @whovianayesha @myybebe @awesomesauce-abbie @that-stupid-head-tilt-thing @zemo-is-my-muse @nonamec0s

[ilovejevsjeans]

HOW DANIEL RICCIARDO STARTED MY JOURNALISM CAREER

For a longtime fan of any sport, meeting one of the athletes that they are forever looking up to can be a lifelong memory. We spend our weeks working and saving our money to see these people in person and what they do, while our weekends off are occupied by following their every move on television and social media. Formula 1 is no different, but when I managed to meet a person I dearly admire in the sport, it was an experience that would change my life, for the absolute better.

In case we haven't met yet, my name is Coilin and I am from Ireland. When I finished school at seventeen, I felt at a dead end. My friends all went off to college and university to new beginnings while I felt so lost in figuring out what I wanted to do, I was sort of left behind. I took up a job in the local furniture factory where I still am today, and despite being forever grateful to hold that job, I always aspired to be more.

In 2018, I and a mate from work took a trip to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix. For a person who only left Ireland once before for the previous year's British Grand Prix at Silverstone, I was both nervous and very excited to experience a new country and knew I would instantly feel at home once I got within the confines of the Circuit de Catalunya.

The following morning was a Friday, and I set off into the city to find the bus station for the bus to the circuit. My mate fancied a few more hours in bed with the intention of meeting up later so I headed out alone, not afraid by the unfamiliar streets and customs.

Barcelona is like pretty much any other city, a main road in the middle with smaller streets surrounding it. When I got to this main street, my google maps suggested crossing the six-lane wide street, which obviously I couldn't do. Walking down the street in an attempt to find a crossing, I spotted a dark blue Aston Martin DB11 in the traffic beside me. I didn't really stop to look until I noticed the decal on the side of the car. 'Aston Martin Red Bull Racing' and the all too familiar figure waving at me out the window. Surely not...

It was Daniel Ricciardo on his way to the circuit with his trainer Michael Italiano, who had noticed I was wearing his Red Bull cap. I took a breath, knocked off the google maps app on my phone and chanced my luck. The moment I approached the car he let down his window and greeted me with that familiar accent. He then comically told me he didn't like my Ferrari shirt and I was to change it when I got to the circuit. A solemn remark to the rumours of a move to Ferrari at the time. I couldn't believe it.

I asked for permission for a picture to take a picture at which the traffic light went green. Michael, who was driving went to take off when both of them noticed my instant disappointment. Daniel then insisted to wait and took my phone from me in order to get a proper picture of us together. I was in shock, they took off and it was over. I honestly could not believe what just happened.

Long story short, we returned home after a great weekend the following Monday and I couldn't stop talking about the encounter, or how good Dan was to me. I spread it all on social media, told anyone I could, everything. That's when I encountered Drivetribe, and decided, without trying to gloat, to share this amazing story.

I didn't think much of the article, and it was full of your typical spelling and punctuation errors, but did it take off. Soon, the article was full of comments both praising my work and sharing their own amazing stories of encountering Daniel, each as special and unique as the next.

Thanks to that first article, motorsport journalist Rob Burnett, who was head of the F1 tribe on Drivetribe at the time, got in touch and suggested I continued article writing as he felt I had a real promise for it. Then, it all hit me. My favourite subject at school was English, writing stories and essays, and I never had anywhere or anyone to properly share my love of F1 or motorsport, why not fuse the two together and give this a proper shot?

Three years to the day, I am now studying to become qualified in freelance journalism, met and interviewed the likes of David Coulthard and Nicky Grist on behalf of Drivetribe, as well as write for a number of different news sites and agencies. I have yet a long way to go, but I know what I want and for one of the only times in my life, I've got a proper end goal to work towards, to become a proper motorsport journalist in the future.

It was all thanks to Daniel's kindness that day, that simple encounter changed my life for the better and gave me a purpose and something to work for. Part of my ambition is to someday meet Daniel again in better circumstances, and explain just what he did for me that day. I owe it to him to say thank you.

For now, I will continue to work hard and not stop reaching my end goal. I adore this sport above anything else, and I am determined to work hard and make it someday. It's something I never thought I would be interested in, but thanks to that simple five minutes of decency and the effort to spend time with a starstruck fan, Daniel put somebody who felt a little lost in life on a road of pure determination and desire to chase a career I didn't think was possible. Thanks Dan. (X)

[nanominyo]

Did some worldbuilding. Drew the general population of each country in my world + the nomads :'D

More details under cut!

Temporary world map:

please ignore city names they haven't been fixed

-----

People and lands:

Hello everyone!

I’ve been working on my world a bit more. Went from 6 countries to 14!!! So obviously I had to show the “main” traits off from the people in the different lands :D

My lands are still very much work in progress, but most cultures have inspiration from irl cultures!

A note: I’m only presenting the humans for now :’D

I also have Elven, orcs and Beastmen in my world. Before any confusion though: Humans originated from the Elven, as of why humans have pointy ears :D Basically humans are failed Elvens.

My Elven has sharp teeth, and humans have inherited the “bigger” canines. Some may have more sharp teeth too! More in the explanations!

The map is still under construction but please survive with the temporary map!

Fraycië and the Frayciën:

Clothing style: Norwigian

The Fraycië is a country placed towards the northwest. The people – while still having the traits of the Elven in the ears and teeth – has smaller and more rounded ears. The ears are not completely round as some of their more northwestern neighbors.

The population also has lighter hair colors reigning in from platinum blonde to browns. Darker browns and black hair are more on the uncommon side though. The people also sport eye colors there is typically blue, grey, or green in the lighter end of the scales. Occasionally lighter browns may appear.

They welcome the nomads with great joy as a lot of the population is indeed magicless and therefore takes in the knowledge that the nomads bring to improve their lifestyle.

I’m still figuring out the land as of now. This is one of my newly added countries! So I’m reading up on norwigian culture and gonna mix it up with my world’s many cultures of course!

Qutetish and the Qutetish

Clothing Style: ???

The Qutetish people have darker tanned skin and straight pointy ears, though a little droopy on the top which may have originated from their neighbor Ardelia. The people usually have very curly hair, and some may sport afros and dreads. The common hair colors are darker browns, reds and black. The eye colors range with Dark grey, blacks and brown of any kind.

The people are a taller population and are said to be half Elven. This also often give night vision and sharper teeth to the population than usual.

The Qutetish Empire has for a long time tried to win land from Ardelia but has yet to succeed. The people are purists and believes that other humanoids other than humans and Elven are tarnished and the Devil’swork. They also believe in the death of the nomads for having round ears and vast knowledge of survival without “magic” (Magic is seen as a sign of purity if humans and Elven can use it. If they can’t do the Qutetish say the people made a pact with the devil).

This is one of my 6 OG countries.

Donchase and the Donchatish

Clothing style: Swedish inspired

Donchase is a small country there has found it’s spot right below Fraycië. They are pretty good friends with Fraycië as of now and the people seem to share many common traits like the lighter hair and eyes.

Their ears are of the smaller kind but are quite pointy. Their canines seem to be slighter bigger than the average.

Unlike the Frayciën is there more magical users in Donchase, though the percentage is still lower than the average. They do still like to invite the nomads in to get the stories and medicine of the south.

Just like Fraycië is Donchase a newer country. A lot is still to be made up for.

Kanakaria and the Kanakarians

Clothing style: Romanian/Bulgarian

Kanakaria is a country there is right below Qutetish. They often try to be neutral ground but does often have problems with Qutetish. Ardelia often gets to their rescue but overall is the country not in the best state.

The people’s skin varies from lighter tans to darker tans. Common eye colors are in grey and brown tones and common hair colors are browns and blacks. Their ears are mostly straight but has soft tips which points upwards.

Kanakaria is one of the newer countries. Country still in works.

Shuirin and the Shuirinian

Clothing Style: A mix-match of middle eastern styles.

Shuirin is a country there is not good friends with the Ardelian Kingdom due to a few hundred years back where Ardelia took over some land from them. They are neutral towards their other neighbors as of now and are neutral towards Nomads.

The people have long pointy ears and sharper teeth. They are often seen with extremely curly hair, afros or dreads. The common skin colors are in the darker range and their eyes are usually darker browns to black.

Shuirin is one of the 6 OG countries but is one of those I ever hardly worked on beyond ‘they are enemies with Ardelia’…

Raeyeria and the Raeyerians

Clothing style: Arabian-Egyptian- Sahara Desert areas.

Raeyeria is a warm and sandy country in the middle. It’s usually considered mostly a desert but does have Savannas and tropical forests the closer to sea you come. The most common dressing styles are usually big ropes to help against the sun and sand.

The people sport darker skin colors and usually have black eyes and hair.

Political are the wary of Nomads and keeping an eye out on their neighbors. They do have good relations with Ardelia and usually hold an annually warrior arena where the countries compete for fun about who has the strongest warrior. They have a Queen as their ruler, and she seems to be respected by most of the country – maybe mostly because she is quite the strong warrior herself but has yet to win against the King of Ardelia.

Reayeria is one of my 6 OG countries.

Ardelia and the Ardelians

Clothing style: German-french

Ardelia is a giant country place towards north. It land itself between lots of other countries like Qutetish, Fraycië, Kanakaria, The Vitian Empire, Paskarë and Noshuriel. It’s on top of Shuirin and Dachacine. As of right now has the King of Ardelia gone missing and all political orders are in the hand of the Master Priest. This has begun creating further conflicts with neighboring countries like Qutetish, Vitian, Shuirin, Dachacine and Paskarë.

The population has small droopy ears and a normal set of teeth that you would find at us humans irl. They are of many skin colors but lighter to darker tans are most common. In the north and west part of Ardelia they may have lighter haircolors but else the population mostly sport brown, dark reds and blacks. The eye colors are usually any shade of grey or brown but doesn’t go black. Blues, green and occasionally purple may be found towards the northwestern area of Ardelia.

Ardelia were the first country I ever worked on. The only change in the update is the layout lol

Dotish and the Dotish

Clothing Style: Japanese-Korean

Dotish is an island nation there finds itself having a great power. Their political choices directly impact their neighbor Beizen who fears the Dotish army.

The population has smaller and more rounded ears (Just like the Frayciën). Their eyes are slimmer and the usual eye colors are darker browns and blacks. Common hair colors are darker browns and blacks as well, but the population is pale to light tan.

Despite being far away from Ardelia do they regard Ardelia as a friend.

They are against nomads though and don’t want them on their land.

Dotish was one of the 6 OG countries.

Vitian and the Vitians

Clothing style: Danish

The Vitian population has big straight and pointy ears. The common hair colors are ranging in the brown, but blondes may show up. Common eye colors are blues and grey while they are usually pale. Lighter tans may be found occasionally.

The Vitian Empire is the dominating political force towards the west, but despite that is the population quite poor. They rely on the nomads for survival against several disaster like the magical plague and handling of extreme weather conditions.

The Vitian Empire is enemies with Ardelia but friends with Donchase and Fraycië. They are neutral towards their neighbor Noshuriel.

They are one of the new countries.

Noshuriel and the Noshurielien

Clothing Style: Hungarian-Romanian

Noshuriel stands out in the westerns countries for having tanned skin and darker hair colors. Their eyes come in all sort of colors like blue, browns, black, green and occasionally purple. They got similar earform to their neighbor Vitian just pointing slightly more upwards.

Politically are they enemies with Ardelia but no one is 100% sure why though it seems to be over religion. Mainly due to the if one is magicless, they bring bad luck.

One of the new countries!

Also fun fact: The two characters illustrated is actually the parents of the male nomad. Story-wise they abandoned him because he had round ears and were magicless.

Paskarë and the Paskarian

Clothing style: Turkish???

Paskarë has a weird history, but it comes down to how Ardelia separated them from their neighbors which had a closer culture to them since Ardelia took over the neighboring countries towards south throughout hundreds of years. The Paskarians take great pride in their culture and in keeping it around despite none of the current neighbors sharing same culture. The only thing they share with a neighbor is their distaste for nomads that they share with Qutetish. The religion which plagues Qutetish seems to have taken origin from these southern lands there is now gone.

The Paskarian has big pointy ears which points slightly downwards. Common skin colors are in the tanned range and common eye and hair colors seems to be brown and blacks.

It’s one of the newer countries :’D

Dachacine and the Dacharen

Clothing style: Mixmatch of several African styles

The Dacharen has medium sized pointy ears which point upwards. Common skin colors are in the darker range and dark brown and black is common for hair and eye colors.

Dachacine is not great friends with Ardelia because of what happened long ago when they took over the neighboring countries. There is a fear that Ardelia will once again attack the neighboring countries and take over them.

IDK new country :’)

Meiis and the Meizen

Clothing style: Indian

Meiis are currently neutral towards all their neighbors, but they do carry a fear that Reayeria wanna take over them. They are slightly wary of nomads but overall live their lives as the end of the main-lands where they get the great riches from both the islands and main-lands to see and earn upon.

The Meizen has medium sized pointy ears. Common skin colors are medium to darker tans, and they have dark brown and black for both hair and eye colors.

Repeat repeat new country, still figuring it out…

Beizin/Silverroot and the Beizenian

Clothing style: Chinese

Beizin is known as Silverroot by the world for their mountains of silver and irons which is their biggest earnings of international trade. They currently work as an “own country” but are following orders from their neighbor Dotish. A revolution is on the way though.

Their current leader is a teenage girl who unfortunately is shy and afraid meaning the advisor is the ruler and take the charge. The only thing the teenage girl got going is trying to start a war against Dotish to get free from their grab.

The Beizenian has small and more rounded ears thouh still pointy. They rock pale to lighter tanned skin and darker hair colors like dark brown and black. Their eyes are usually black.

One of the 6 OG lands wow

Nomads

Clothing style: All over

The nomads are a mixed people and usually the outcasts. They usually have rounded ears unless they are from a certain nomad clan. This also means their traits are all over and they can technically look like anything just with round ears. People usually abandoned their round eared children due to the superstition that round eared people bring bad luck. These superstitions are dying out in the countries towards the northwest but are style plaguing the rest of the countries.

Nomads usually save abandoned babies and children which is how there come new nomads. Their other job is helping people where help is needed, spread stories, and stay safe. When they meet each other, they usually spread each other’s stories about how many new nomads there are or who died. They warn each other and teach other whatever they have learned on their journeys which can be useful for survival. While most of the nomads has magic are there indeed also many there doesn’t which is why they teach each other better survival without magic. Basically, they are walking lexicons.

Nomads has always existed so I always knew what they were…

[shannendoherty-fans]

In Touch, 2nd February 2015

I'm 43 and More Confident Than Ever

Hollywood's original bad girl on her former co-stars, kids and plastic surgery

Shannen Doherty was 19 when she burst onto the scene in the '90s TV phenomenon Beverly Hills, 90210 – and she quickly developed a "wild child" reputation, thanks to her turbulent love life and party girl ways. At 43, however, Shannen has settled down: She's been happily married to photographer Kurt Iswarienko for three years and tours the country with best pal and fellow Charmed alum Holly Marie Combs in the road trip series Off the Map With Shannen & Holly. She's also in the best shape of her life. "I feel amazing," Shannen tells In Touch's Rick Egusquiza. "I think in your 40s there's a confidence. You've done it, you've been there and you know what you want in a calm, peaceful way."

You're 43 and look amazing. How have you managed that?

SD: I was the girl who said, "I don't work out. I eat what I want." Then I turned 40 and my metabolism slowed down. Plus, after my father passed away [in 2010], I got depressed and didn't take care of myself. But now I embrace exercise.

What's your workout routine?

SD: My trainer, Kevan Watson, owns a gym called Box'N Burn. We do boxing and cardio, four times a week. And I'm trying not to eat such bad food. I've definitely become a healthier Shannen.

Now that you're in your 40s, have you considered plastic surgery?

SD: I haven't done anything yet. [Laughs] But I never say never.

In June, you told us you were considering adoption. How's that progressing?

SD: I can't even believe that I put that out there! Doing interviews on red carpets are tricky, man – they put this spotlight on you, you're like a deer in the headlights.

You travel around the U.S. in Off the Map; is itfun road-tripping with Holly, or has ittested your friendship?

SD: Actually, we've traveled a lot together over the years. We have small arguments about going here or there. But we work it out.

Have you also remained pals with some of your 90210 castmates?

SD: Yes, I ended up making some very good friends – Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Brian Austin Green.

What about Tori Spelling?

SD: Well, we have the same publicist, but I'm more social with Jennie.

Any regrets from those days?

SD: It was so long ago. I just look back and think, Wow, that was an amazing experience.

Are you open to a 90210 reunion?

SD: Possibly. But doing the new version [it ran from 2008 to 2013], I think I've already given some closure to fans who loved the show.

--

ON A LIGHTER NOTE... Shannen answers our silliest questions!

What's your porn star name (childhood dog + childhood street)?

Curious George McVay.

What's your go-to karaole song?

"Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

What's your guilty pleasure?

Truffle fries.

What did you have for breakfast this morning?

Coffee.

Who's your biggest celebrity crush?

Martin Scorsese. He's a director more than a celebrity but I love him.

What's one fact about you that would surprise us?

I am very sensitive.

Biggest splurge purchase ever?

My house,and then my house again since I'm redoing it from the studs up.

Which celebrity hasmade you most starstruck?

Harrison Ford.

What was your childhood nickname?

"Sugarplum" – but only my dad could call me that!

[msmarvelouswinchester]

Lost in Translation

Summary - Jensen comes to India and falls in love with a fan who accidentally sees him while he's lost and saves him cause she knows Hindi.

Pairing - Jensen Ackles x Indian!Reader

Warning - swearing

A/N - The idea was given by the lovely @devil-in-my-boots . Hope you like it!

Jensen's POV

Crap! I should have listened to Jared. This place looks like a maze. I feel my phone going off in my pocket.

Shit! Jared is calling.

"Hey, man".

"Hey, are you okay?"

"You are the one with the stupid migraine, Jare".

"I know that. I meant are you-you are not lost, right? You should have taken Clif with you or wait till the whole gang arrived".

"Jared, I'm fine and what if your condition worsens, you need Clif with you. And Misha, Rob, Richard, they are all arriving at night. Even if I get lost, I'll find a way out. I just saw this beautiful church called St. Paul's Cathedral".

This was the last location of our con tour of India and I really wanted to see the city.

"Seems like you're enjoying yourself but Jay, this is a foreign country, just don't be a smartass. Call me if anything goes sideways".

"Jared, this is not the Amazon. I won't get lost. I'm on my way to Victoria Memorial. Did you know that this place has so much of history? Woah". I hear Jared muttering something and the call disconnects.

Won't get lost, my ass.

I open up the map app on my phone and try to locate my place. What is this place? I look around. Everything looks exactly the same. So where is this Victoria Memorial? I start walking forward. Maybe I can ask someone. But I don't know their language. This is a bad decision. A really bad decision. Huh? Is he an officer? Maybe he can tell me. I start walking faster towards the officer.

"Fuck!" I say as I crash into someone.

Y/N's POV

"Dekh kar nahi chal sakte? Dhyan kidhar hai aapka?" I yell to the man I just crashed into and fall down on the road. (Can't you see while walking? What were you thinking?)

"Um..I-er.. I'm so sorry. It's my fault. Sorry!" I hear a really familiar voice. I look up to see a pair of green eyes staring at me. Is that-is he-

"Jensen Ackles?" My eyes widen a bit. I look around to see some people approaching us.

"You know me?" He asks with a sigh of relief.

I get up and start to dust my jeans. "Madam, aap thik ho?" A man starts to walk towards us.(Madam, are you okay?)

"Haan, meh thik hun, kuch nahi huya, aap log jah sakte hai". I assure the surrounding people with a smile and they leave us standing at the side of the road. (Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing happened. You guys can go now)

"Sorry for that", the gorgeous man in front of me smiled sheepishly.

"It's okay", I smile at him, "I'm Y/N", I extend my hand to shake. I can't believe that I will meet him here! I tried to keep my fangirling under control because I can see something is bothering him.

"Uhm..are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. It's just-I was trying to explore the place."

"And?"

"I got lost, okay?"

I chuckled. Jensen's face was red and he was so embarrassed to admit that he was lost.

"I'm so sorry but where is Clif? Shouldn't he be with you?"

"Jared's got a nasty headache so Clif is with him back at the hotel. Can you tell me where I am right now so that Clif can pick me up?"

"Sure but there is no stoppage area here. You have to walk a little bit. That yellow building-do you see that?" Jensen nodded, "That is the stoppage area. You can tell Clif to come pick you up from there. That place is called the Exide Crossing."

"You're-wait-are you leaving? Come on. Don't leave me alone here. Please. I don't know anything about this place. What if I have to tell Clif about some name or address? You know me, Y/N. Y/N, right? But it's okay if you have work and need to-" Jensen was rambling on and I literally had to yell to make him stop.

"Jensen, JENSEN! I'll stay until Clif comes", I laugh, "come on, let's go and wait there."

We both start walking towards the stoppage. "So you're here for the con, right?"

"Ye-yeah", Jensen said and fell silent. I didn't try to bother him anymore by making small talk. Maybe he was nervous. I've heard he is shy around people he doesn't know much.

"We're here", I declared and saw Jensen pull out his phone and tell Clif about his location.

We kept quiet for some time with Jensen typing furiously into his phone.

"So Y/N," Jensen cleared his throat, "you're a fan of the show?"

"Yeah. Been a fan for almost ten years. Never thought they would organise a con in India let alone in all the major cities of India", I smile at him.

"Are you going to attend the con?" He looked at me with an expression I couldn't really read.

"Yes, I've waited to go to a con and meet you guys for a long time now. I just never thought I would help you to guide through the city".

"Don't get me wrong, but this city is a maze but a really beautiful one", he laughed.

"Yeah, Kolkata is a charming city", I smirked. "How much did you 'explore' by the way?"

"I went to the Church and I was on my way to the Victoria Memorial and I got lost", Jenen chuckled.

"So you didn't even see the city. There are so many other places to go."

"I didn't exactly have a beautiful tour-guide with me because I'm sure she would have helped me", he said flashing me his famous smile.

I was blushing furiously. Was he flirting with me? No. Of course not. He is Jensen Ackles. Why would he flirt with me?

"Well, you could have asked the tour-guide. She would have gladly showed you around the city".

Jensen didn't say anything more but I could feel his eyes on me. I looked up at him and opened my mouth to speak but a car stopped in front of us.

"Jay!" A window of the car rolled down, and Clif strained his neck out calling Jensen.

"Clif's here. Thank you", he said it looking right into my eyes. "Oh it's no problem at all", I smiled.

"Hope you had fun roaming around the city", Clif said with a hint of amusement in his voice and looking between Jensen and me.

"I sure did. This city is beautiful", he replied and winked right at me. He closed the door of his car and mouthed the words 'hope to see you at con' to me and the car drove past me leaving me standing at the side of the road blushing furiously.

At the convention

It was really a dream come true. I was having the best time of my life at this con. I already attended the panel of Jensen, Jared and Misha and they were hilarious as usual. I was grinning like a fool the whole day but as the evening was approaching, I was feeling a little sad because the con was ending. Now the only thing left were the photo ops. I had already purchased a photo op of Jensen and Jared. I stepped into the line for the photo ops. I was really nervous to meet Jensen again. Will he remember me? Probably. We just met yesterday. What if he doesn't?

Finally after standing in line for sometime, I was told to go into the photo op room.

"Hi! How are you? What's your name?" Jared asked me a smile on his face.

"Y/N?" Jensen wrapped in a hug. "I didn't see you the whole day so I thought you weren't going to come to the convention".

"So this is Y/N?" Jared smirked at Jensen. "You know my name?" "Of course!" I looked at Jensen and saw him shooting daggers at his friend. "So what pose do you want?"

"Will you please wait outside for a while? I need to talk to you", Jensen whispered to me once the photo was done. "Su-sure".

I waited outside for another fifteen minutes before I saw Jensen walking towards me.

"Hi, sorry to keep you waiting", Jensen nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's okay. So what did you want to say?"

"Um..I-er..So yesterday I told you how I needed a tour guide?" "Do you want me to be your tour guide?" "No. Not exactly. I mean yes, a tour guide but maybe we can grab a dinner afterwards?"

"Are you asking me out, Ackles?"

"Yes. I really like you and wanted to ask you yesterday but I was really nervous. It's fine if you don't want to, I understand", Jensen smiled.

"Jensen, you gotta stop rambling whenever you talk to me. I will go on a dinner with you. You probably won't know my address so I'll meet you at the hotel you are staying. And uh...Give me your phone so I can put my number in. Mind you, I'm hard to impress", I said. Jensen gave me his phone.

"Oh sweetheart, you haven't seen my charming side yet. You will be thoroughly impressed. See you at seven. The Bengal Taj". I gave him back his phone and he hugged me once again.

"What people say about India is so true - a truly magical and mesmerising country ", Jensen whispered in my ears and kissed my forehead.

"A truly magical and mesmerising country indeed", I whispered back with a smile.

[mymemoirs]

Unrecorded Memories and Missing Taiwan #8

This is gonna be my last post for this series because I am left with only one week worth of story. Yes, my 2018 summer exchange story is coming to an end. I'm so glad it's going to be over because there's so many things I want to write in my next post.

32) Monday came and each groups presented their presentation in front of the class. My groupmates and I presented our presentation. It went smoothly and there were no real pressure compared to my AI presentation. Unlike the AI presentation, there was no grading for our presentation and thus no recognition of who's the best presenter in our class. Well, I think this way we can just be neutral and enjoy everyone's presentation. Although, to be honest, I can't remembered any of the presentations during this class compared to the AI class.

Okay, this is really out of context, but I have to admit that the Indian students I met are confident and good presenter. One presenter in particular presented like Steve Jobs. His talk is inspiring and full of hope (well, his expressions especially) even though he's just explaining about an AI that creates lyrics for music.

Now, back to topic *laughs*. So, after everyone in the class finished their presentation, I think we were dismissed quite early. I don't really remember what I did that day. The only clue I have of that day is a photo of the 7-Eleven near the campus. I think knowing well that I will miss that place, I just took a photo of it for my memorabilia. Well, sure enough, I do missed that convenience store. They have everything! I always bought my breakfast there. Sometimes I even have my lunch or dinner there. It's such a memorable place. I really love how the convenience store really depicts 'convenient' very well. It's very different from the convenience store in my country. Oh, and I think it's open for 24 hours. Like, seriously, this is too convenient!

7-Eleven store besides Asia University Campus. Look at that infinite supply of foods with chairs and tables. I just love so many selections of foods to choose, I really miss Taiwan's 7-Eleven.

33) On Tuesday, our professor suddenly told us that we were going to have a campus tour. So, off we go around the campus with our professor as the tour guide. It's not like we don't explore the campus but after the tour, I realize how big the campus is and how little exploration I did. There were so many places, BEAUTIFUL places around the campus. But the only thing I did whenever I finished classes was to go back to my room and rest. I don't really explored much except when I get lost. I also didn't visit other friends in different dorm buildings which is located quite far from my own. Now, that I think back, it's really too bad that I don't do much exploring but that's also one of the reason why I would still want to go back to Taiwan if I had the chance. I'm only in Taichung before and there were a lot of cities in Taiwan I haven't explored yet. I'll love another chance to explore the country.

The first half of our class (before lunch) was spent on touring the campus. After that, on the second half of our class, we went to an art museum in Asia University. I think our professor was out of ideas on where to take us and since most of us never visited the art museum that was actually located in the campus. He suggested that and we all went along, although, we must pay for our own entrance fee to enter the museum. However, I think it was discounted. I vaguely remembered paying 100 NTD for that.

The museum itself is called "Asia Museum of Modern Art" located in Asia University's premises. I actually had to pass through the museum every time I went back to my dorm. It have this amazing architecture that's also one of its selling point in my opinion. The architect of the building is a Japanese man named Tadao Ando. I just have to go gaga on him after searching more about him and his works. What a talented man he is! It even shows in the museum I went.

He's a King of Concrete because his works mostly uses concretes and the museum I went was made of concrete. It was also not painted and that's really interesting to see a building not painted but still exudes such a classy and modern look. There's also one spot in the museum that's very popular. Since the building is triangle, the corner of it have this eye fish effect if we took a picture from that corner. Just take a look at this picture below!

In one of the corners in Asia Museum of Modern Art.

As you can see, being in the corner allows people to see both sides of the wall, making an effect of using a wide lens or fish eye lens. I saw Tadao Ando's other work too in the internet and I am officially a fan of his work now. He really have piqued my interest in the world of design. I'm in love. *laughs*

Since it was an art museum, there were a lot of art works ranging from pottery, paintings to very abstract object. According to the guide, the museum have different arts displayed there depending on the exhibitions. I don't really remember what exhibition or what theme I am seeing when I went there but I was mostly focused on the architecture of the buildings. Walking around and seeing people taking pictures. I don't really take pictures which is kind of a bummer but I don't think I feel comfortable asking people to take a picture of me. Most of my pictures are taken in a group or by my classmate's initiative.

I took a picture of this because of the meaning behind the words which is very simple but deep. You read it downwards and from right to left, it would be translated as: "In Beauty, there are great pain and ecstasy"

34) After our trip to the museum, we can go back to our dorm. That Tuesday was actually the last night for my roommates since their classes had finished. So, we decided to eat outside and find a cafe where we can chill near the campus. The campus is actually very convenient since there's a lot of shops near it. I actually enjoyed eating around there to be honest. Ah, now I really miss my student's life. Hahaha.

When we went to the cafe, we ordered waffles and shared it among the four of us. While we were eating, the cafe owner suddenly approached us and offered another serving of waffles for free. That is actually quite surprising for us but we received it with delight. Who wouldn't like a freebies right? However, I had a feeling the reason we got that free waffle was because my roommates were attractive. Or maybe it's just because we were new customers and he wanted to gain repeating customers. Which is me *laughs* cause I brought another friends to that cafe again but we weren't lucky to receive a free waffle again. Oh yeah, the name of the cafe is 唯享时刻 (Enjoy Moments) which have a very cute exterior. I think that's the reason why the four of us is interested to try out that cafe.

Anyway, while being on the topic "being treated/ getting freebies" cause you're attractive, it's only when I went to Taiwan that I do saw this kind of thing. I mean back in my country, it's really rare to see my friends being treated or offered by strangers 'cause we're really scared if that actually happens. Heck, I even saw it twice happening with my roommates since one of my roommates were especially attractive. Aside from the cafe, there's this one time when we went to a minimart to buy our breakfast for tomorrow. The cashier actually didn't charge one of my roommate for something she brought it was as if he was treating her. It was actually amusing for me to witness that, their conversation goes like this:

Cashier: *scans barcode of the stuff, leave out an item and then says the price*

Roommate: Um, you forgot to scan the banana.

Cashier: Oh, no, it's alright. It's for you.

Roommate: Um, okay... *while giving the money* Thank you.

This is not really the exact conversation since I forgot if the cashier even said anything at all about giving it to her. I am not beside or behind her when this happened and I remembered the cashier being meek but he was definitely attracted to my friend. Because after going out of the minimart, the rest of my roommates who also went to the same class with her, tease her and said that this is not the first time the cashier treated her. And I think that's also part of the reason why they chose to shop at that minimart.

Last picture together before my roommates leave Asia University.

Anyway, back to to the cafe moment, I was really sad that we had to part ways tomorrow. Iris and Karen were going to stay in Taiwan for a while but they will go to a different cities tomorrow. Vincy, on the other hand, will be going back to Hong Kong. I can't remember every conversation we had, but I do miss them from time to time. I don't know if they feel that way towards me because our meeting is really such a short period of time and I actually rely on them as my roommates. We still had the WhatsApp group chats but it's always me who initiate the conversation in the group but even if we're not close, they really leave behind such a deep impression on me. I do hope I can meet them again.

35) The next day, on Wednesday, we have our class as usual. Our professor invited other lecturer to teach us about Fintech that day. There weren't much to mentioned for this day except that my roommates all went to their respective destination and we parted ways. I did have the chance to eat my lunch with Vincy before I sent her off in front of the campus. Aaaah, now I really miss them and the moments I had with them but life must go on and that's the thing about making friends across countries. You need to go back to where you belong.

On Thursday, the professor told us that we're going to have a farewell party and ask us to gather in a cafe near the museum. The cafe was actually managed by an alumni of the university and I think that's the reason why our professor wanted us to go there. Although, I don't know if the cafe still exists since it doesn't show up in google maps. With the pandemic that's happening, I felt it cause businesses to go bankrupt but at the same time new kind of businesses went viral during the pandemic.

During our farewell, everyone is having a light snacks and coffee, conversations, picture taking, etc. I don't quite remembered how the event unfolds in the Entrepreneurship and Creativity class farewell compared to the AI class farewell. I think the professors only gave some short speech and we also watch some videos before we received our certificates. The owner of the cafe also gave her speech about the cafe which really fits our class.

Receiving the certificate of completion from the professor.

After the farewell party, everyone is free to go. I usually hang out with my Thai friends when I'm on this class but instead of going out with them, I went out with my classmates who came from the same university as I am. It's funny that I only get close with them on the last day. I think they've told me that they felt I was not really approachable especially since I always hang out with my Thai classmates. I don't really deny that because I personally felt the time is so short to be friends with everyone and I'm the type to focus on one group of friends rather than getting along with everyone which I think is impossible for introverted me.

It's a good thing that I do get along with them eventually. I am also grateful that they invited me to go out with them 'cause I don't think I'll go anywhere that day if they didn't invite me. Although, initially I think they just invited me to get a picture together in front of the campus as the representative of our university. After that, they find me approachable enough to ask if I had any plans and would like to join them. Since I love travelling and am not the type to plan most of my days, I gladly accept their offer.

So, off we go to their dorm since they had to take care of some stuff (like preparing to go out, do a little packing, pray, etc). Since, I'm ready to go out and have done most of my packing, I don't mind going along with them to their dorm. It's also the first time I visited other dorm buildings aside from my own. Their dorm rooms are actually quite different compared to mine. They had inner toilet in their rooms while in my dorm the toilet is outside of our rooms. While I am there watching them, one of the classmates actually offered to do some makeup on my face and I let her do it. Although, I don't really have a picture of it unfortunately.

Me and my classmates from Airlangga University

After that, we went downtown to get our lunch since the food in the cafe is just light snacks. It was quite late when we grabbed our food, I think around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. We went to subways since they're craving for it and I also think it's halal for them. I actually enjoyed talking with them, they're funny and expressive. However, in terms of a travel buddy, I don't think I can get along with them because they only visited shops and more shops to buy the stuff people ask them to. Of course, they charge for it which is very business minded of them but I can see they're struggling with their baggage too.

We were outside for the whole day. Since, I had no makeup remover, I had to follow them to their room to use it. Afterwards, I left their dorm because I had prior plans with two of my Thai classmates (Phoom and Benz) to eat together since this is our last night in Taiwan. I remembered only eating with both of them even though there are other Thai classmates who didn't joined us that night.

While walking to our meeting point, I actually thought how beautiful the night view is around the campus. There were couple of places I went during daylight but it looks so different and beautiful with the lights. The moon was very bright that night too. Tbh, those kind of moments actually reignite my desire to travel again and even during that time I already missed Taiwan. I'm sure people who travel or on a holiday have those kind of moments where they miss holidays even before it ends.

Now, back to our dinner. We ate our dinner in a beef noodle shop near the campus which is actually very popular because it's close to the university and it also tastes quite good. Although, I don't think we can eat that everyday because it's quite costly compared to other available options (around 100 NTD). But when's the perfect time to eat a bit costly dinner than the last day, right? I personally enjoy talking to both of them even though they are much older than me since I knew they were a master's student around their 30s. After eating, we went to a minimart where they bought beers and then we walked back to our respective dorms since my dorm buildings aren't the same with them.

36) Friday, my last day in Taiwan! Everyone who's going back that day went to the meeting point in front of the campus where we will board on a bus that's heading to the airport. We say our goodbyes to the remaining friends who's going to stay, taking pictures together and just spent some time chatting before the bus arrived. Most of my classmates are going back directly to their countries but I was heading to Singapore instead because I have relatives living there.

The moon is so tiny but trust me, it really caught my eyes. Seeing it with your own eyes does feels different.

We all went home that day. It was really a memorable month for me and I am grateful that I get to experience all of this. I have always wanted a student exchange experience while still balancing my college life and this opportunity came through. Having this summer exchange on 2018 was one of the best highlights I had during college. While on the plane back home, I sat near besides the window and I was able to see a full moon shining brightly and beautifully. Although my phone didn't do much justice to the grandeur I saw, I really wanted to share with everyone the picture of it to end this series.

- Reina

PS. Thank you for reading this series, if anyone ever read it. I really appreciate it. Even though there are certain events or timelines that I'm not completely sure of, I find writing and sharing about the memories I had in Taiwan as a fond thing to do because it's really a memorable one that I just had to write about it. I also find this process - digging up past memories - to be a good exercise for my brain.

[mycatshuman]

A Risky Mystery

This is heavily based on an ask on @the-officially-kat 's blog about how prinxiety got together in their Scooby-Doo au. You can find that ask here

Art by @the-officially-kat

Colored by me

Masterlist | More

Warnings: There is a moment when the others think Thomas and Virgil have gotten seriously hurt, so look out for that. Let me know if I missed any.

Thank you to @icequeenoriginal for reading through this for me!

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A lone van drove along the twisted road into the town of Letchworth. The people of the town watched the van through their curtains as it passed by while on it's way to the town's only hotel, Brooks Inn. The town was on fear induced lockdown during the night. But the people in the van couldn't possibly know that. 

The people in the van were actually kind of professional sleuths. They had handled countless different mysteries before. Each one ranging from predictable to bizarre with various different monsters as the cause of each one. Of course, the townspeople couldn't possibly know that. So they watched with fear-filled eyes as the van pulled into the Inn's parking lot. 

Out of the van came a small odd little group consisting of two glasses-wearing figures, a princely looking fellow, a fellow with dark eyeshadows under his eyes, and a dog. Together, they walked inside the Inn and the townspeople lost sight of them. 

-------

An older woman sat at the front desk to the Brooks Inn. The inn was empty, not a guest laid in her rooms. It was to be expected, the recent events have scared away any previous guest and most others left after one night. The old woman, whose name was Agatha, sighed. She wasn't sure why she didn't just close the inn. After all, it was late and recent circumstances provided a bit of a risk in staying open at night. Just as she decided to close the inn, a small group walked in. She quickly put on a small, reserved smile and greeted them. "Hello, welcome to Brooks Inn." 

The one in darker blues and glasses stepped forward. "Yes, hello. We would like two rooms for the night please." 

The woman nodded. "That will be $75," she said as she moved to grab two keys for each room. She placed the keys on the counter and took the money the man in front of her had placed down. "Can I have a name for the records?" 

One of the others spoke up, "Virgil Rogers." 

The woman frowned a little before filling out the information on the computer. "Alright," she said. Let me take you to your rooms. She led the group up the stairs and then to their rooms. "Here we are." She handed the keys over. "Rooms 2B and 3B." 

"Thank you!" One of the group called. He had glasses and lighter colored clothes. 

The one from earlier, Virgil, spoke up as he glanced around suspiciously. "This town seems awfully empty."

The woman bit her lip. "Oh, that." The group became alert and they all turned their attention to her. "Um, recently, we've been having some trouble in town." 

"What kind of trouble?" The last human of the group asked. His look seemed to consist of colors one would associate with a prince. 

"Well.." The woman hesitated. She didn't want to sound crazy but she decided to just tell the group, it wouldn't be right to keep it from them, they were at risk too, even if they didn't know it. "A phantom has been terrorizing the town recently. They scared off my last paying guest." 

The bubbly one's eyes lit up as Virgil groaned. "Well gang, it looks like we've got a mystery to solve!" The woman's eyes widened in surprise. The first one of the group, the one wearing the ascot, spoke up. "We are sleuths. We've solved a few mysteries before. This one will be a breeze. And I assure you, there is most definitely a logical explanation for this." 

The woman nodded slowly, not quite believing them. "Well, enjoy your stay," she responded before turning and leaving to go shut down the Inn. 

The group watched her go before turning to each other. "Alright, we'll see you tomorrow. Sleep well!" The bubbly one exclaimed and took one of the rooms with the other glasses-wearing figure following him after giving his own good night. 

The other two and the dog turned to their own room and closed the door. 

--------

The next morning, the gang gathered in the inns dining room to discuss their next move to begin their investigation. "Alright, let's start by looking around for any clues and if we find anyone willing to be interviewed, we'll interview them," Logan explained. 

"Sounds like a plan," Patton agreed. 

 "We're not going to split up, right?" Virgil asked as he scratched behind Thomas's ear. 

"Not, yet," Logan answered and pulled a journal out of his bag. "I've written down a few questions and things we should look out for while we're investigating." 

Roman rolled his eyes. "Come on, Logan we've been through this a million times. We know what to look out for and what kind of questions to ask. Let's just get going already." 

"Be nice," Patton chided. 

The group got up and left the Inn and began walking around town. They found it a little weird that the town now seemed so lively. When they had arrived last night, it was still fairly early, far too early for everyone in town to be all locked up in their homes. After walking for a fair amount of time, the gang noticed a few people walking around as if they were on eggshells. Virgil bit his lip before jerking his head at one of them. "Maybe we should ask one of them." 

"Alright." Logan walked over to ask if they could interview them while the rest of the gang waited. Soon Logan waved them over. The gang approached as the person before they inspected them carefully. "You said you saw the Phantom," Logan started. "Would you mind telling us about that?" 

The person bit their lip and glanced around. "Well," they started. "I was just taking my evening walk. When I started to hear this loud wailing." The person before them shivered. "It was really unsettling, so I turned to go home only to run into the Phantom. It looked like they had stepped straight out of a scary movie. They had pale bluish-grey, ghastly skin and it terrified me." The person sighed. "Ever since then, the Phantom has walked around every night. And two nights ago, they nearly pushed someone off the roof of the library." 

The gang shared a glance, they had never dealt with a mystery like this. Sure there were some terrifying monsters they had to deal with but none of them ever put people’s lives at risk. "Did the Phantom say anything to you?" Patton asked.

They nodded. "Yeah, they told me to leave and never return before I regretted it." 

Roman's nose wrinkled. "That's interesting. Is there anything else you can tell us about the Phantom?" 

The person shook their head. "Nope, I'm sorry." 

"That's okay, thank you for your help," Patton said and the gang walked away. 

"Do you guys think whatever this phantom wants is something that involves getting all of the people in town to leave?" Roman asked. 

Virgil shrugged. "I mean, it seems like it, but why?" 

"Let's head back to the Inn for lunch and then I'll do some research on the town and see what I can dig up." 

"Sounds like a plan," Virgil said as he ruffled Thomas's head. The gang head back to the Inn. Patton ordered a pizza while Logan went to get his tablet. Roman, Virgil, and Thomas wandered into the dining room to wait for their friends. Soon they were joined by Logan who immediately began working on pulling up the town records, recent articles, the most recent town map, and an older town map. By the time Patton came in with the pizza, Logan had about three different theories about why the town was being haunted and a few different suspects. 

"So, what have you discovered, Logan?" Patton asked as the group ate. 

"Well," Logan began. "I have found that recently, a wealthy business owner had offered to buy the whole town. But they refused. So he offered to buy single bits of land at a time." 

"I thought it might be something like that," Roman piped up. 

Logan nodded. "Yeah, I think our most likely suspect is Carl Livingking. He's the business owner. Although why he would want to buy up the town, I haven't a clue." 

Virgil bit his lip, "I have to agree, that seems like the most likely situation. But why would he go to the lengths of risking people's lives to get the town? I mean, it seems like he's trying to scare people off, and you can do that without putting people's lives at risk so why is he doing it?" 

Logan shrugged. "That's what I can't seem to find anything on. The land isn't even that good. But something tells me that we're missing out on an important clue."

"Hey, L," Virgil started. "Can I borrow your tablet for a minute?" 

"Sure."

Virgil quickly opened a new tab and did a quick google search. Soon he found something that looked promising. "Maybe you can't find anything, because this town is fairly new." He spun the tablet around to face the rest of the table. Thomas hopped up on a chair to get a closer look. "It says here that apparently, the land that this town sits on is part of a larger area that is said to be the hiding grounds of the legendary Sanderson Gang." 

"Oh, I've read about them!" Logan exclaimed. "They were train robbers. They stole over two million dollars worth of coins and precious stones. But they were never caught. No one knows where the loot went. Rumors spread that it was somewhere in this area but most people thought the gang had fled the country with their treasures and settled down on a remote island somewhere in the Pacific. Eventually, the rumors died down and some people settled down here and started a town. Since then, the Sanderson Gang faded into legend and most people forgot they were real people." 

"So Mr. Livingking must be trying to find the treasure," Patton exclaimed. 

"And what better way than to buy up all the land, evict the town and start a massive expedition."

"He could keep people out and avoid anyone trying to steal the loot." 

Logan nodded. "Yes. It seems so, he isn't doing a good job of covering his tracks. He was actually able to buy a nearby abandoned factory." 

The gang went silent as they looked between each other. "Should we set up a trap?" 

Roman asked. 

Logan bit his lip. "It would be wise. During my research, I found that the Phantom has put two people in the hospital with near-death experiences. Even if it's not him, the Phantom is clearing trying to scare people out of the town so they should still turn up if we are out at night." 

"Yeah, I'd rather have a trap for the most likely culprit already then not have one and risk someone else getting hurt," Patton agreed. 

"Alright, so what's the plan?" Virgil asked as Thomas hopped up on the chair beside him. 

Logan quickly opened the drawing app on his tablet and began to sketch out a plan. 

"Okay, Patton, Roman and I will set up a trap in the town square-"

"Oh don't tell me," Virgil started. "Thomas and I are gonna be the bait." 

"Well, you two are the faster runners out of all of us," Logan explained. "It's only logical." Virgil and Thomas pouted. Logan rolled his eyes. 

"Would you do it for a Thomas Treat?" Patton asked Thomas. The dog's ears perked up a bit but he stayed still. 

Roman poked Virgil with his foot. "Do it or you're straight." 

Virgil sputtered. "Don't threaten me!" 

Roman snorted. "Then do it." 

Logan rolled his eyes at the two childhood friends. As Patton finally convinced Thomas. And it only took ten Thomas Treats. "Okay, I need you two to go on a walk around town. Virgil, I need you to talk out loud about buying the whole town with Thomas. It'll be like you surveying what you're going to buy while taking your dog for a walk." Virgil cringed, not likely the idea of acting like one of those rich people. "I want you to eventually end up at the abandoned factory and if you happen across the Phantom, lure him back to the square. Okay?" 

Virgil groaned. "Yeah, I guess." 

"Great," Logan said and the gang continued to flush out their plan. In the end, they came up with an elaborate trap, one of the few things Logan allowed himself to be elaborate in, that included the entire town square. They were to block off all other entrances into the square except for the one leading to the factory. Virgil and Thomas would lead the Phantom into the square where they jump on a trampoline in front of the town hall and jump up onto the balcony and when the Phantom tried to jump on it, Logan would click a button to release the mechanism which would cause the trampoline to be pulled along a track and drive him right into a giant ball out in front of an apartment building where Patton and Roman would drop a large net over from the top of the building. The plan was flawless.

-------

Virgil and Thomas walked through the old factory apprehensively. "I don't know about you, Thomas, but this place is really too scary." Thomas nodded his head in agreement as they walked. "Like, I think there's no one here, so let's go." Just as Virgil and Thomas turned to go, a loud wailing sounded throughout the factory, bouncing off old machinery and creating a terrifying echo. 

"Get out!!!!!" Virgil and Thomas froze. The wailing got louder until the Phantom stood right in front of them. "GET OUT!!!" It screeched. 

"Don't worry, we are!" Virgil shouted and he turned tail and ran with Thomas running along beside him. The Phantom chased after them with a terrible that grated at their ears. They raced through town but ended up getting turned around. Eventually they scaled up a fire escape and ended up on the roof of Town Hall. They skidded to a stop as they got to the edge. They gulped as they looked down at the trampoline below them, a jump from this height would still be risky. But soon the Phantom was behind them. And before anyone could blink, Thomas and Virgil jumped. 

--------

Roman groaned as he waited. "Where are they?" He asked Patton. The other shrugged. Just then, as he glanced around the square, he noticed Thomas and Virgil on the opposite roof with the Phantom close behind. Roman's eyes widened in fear. Before he could say anything, the two jumped off. "Virgil!!" Roman screamed. 

It all happened in a blur. The Phantom jumped off too and bounced right back into the air after landing on the trampoline. They flew in an arch and landed into the ball pit. Roman and Patton dropped the blanket in shock and raced off the building quickly as they could. Meanwhile, Logan raced over to the ball pit with the police. The Phantom was indeed trapped. "Just hold on," Logan told them before meeting up with Roman and Patton. "What exactly happened?" 

Tears streamed down Roman's face as he answered. "They jumped off the roof!" 

"What?!?!!?" Logan exclaimed. "Where are they????" Roman went to answer only for a shout to draw their attention. 

The gang turned to find Thomas and Virgil stumbling out of the doors of town hall. The world around Roman stopped. The noises and flashing lights of the police cars fading into the background. Images flashed through Roman's mind. They have been best friends since birth. This was the boy who dyed his hair neon green on a date, the boy who ran to his house to show him his new dog, the boy who continuously jumped into terrifying situations willingly for his friends despite his fear. And suddenly the realization that he was so irreversibly and incredibly in love with. 

Roman marched as fast as he could to Virgil without running. His hands cupped Virgil's face as soon as he reached him. He slowly leaned in and kissed the other softly. Virgil returned the kiss without hesitation. It was so much better than either could have imagined. 

Thomas howled approvingly as Patton and Logan clapped. Eventually the two pulled away. "How did you-" 

"I found some rope and tied it around my waist and a hook on the roof before I jumped and we swung down into the open window." 

"I was so worried." 

"I'm okay. I'm okay."

"I think we should just hurry up and wrap this mystery up and get out of here," Patton said. 

"Agreed," Roman and Virgil said in sync. The gang moved over to where the police handcuffed the Phantom. Roman clung to Virgil, which made it a little difficult for them to move, but they managed. 

Logan walked over and grabbed the mask. "This is none other than Carl Livingking!" He exclaimed. 

"What?" The sheriff asked. 

"Carl had learned about the legend of the Sanderson Gang's loot and decided to look for it. So he offered to buy up the town. But when he was refused he decided to try and scare everyone out so he could begin looking for the treasure."

Carl huffed. "Yeah, and I would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for you meddling kids and your dog." 

----------

Roman sighed as he laid in the back with Virgil, clinging to him like a kola. "I'm sorry again, Thomas." Thomas turned his head back to face them from his spot in the front seat as if to say it was okay. Roman smiled and nudged his face into Virgil's chest. Virgil pulled him closer and they slowly fell asleep. Content being in each other's arms. 

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Taglist: @spxced-oxt @superwholocked-for-life @mirror2thespirit @aroundofapplesauce @lyditist @little-euro-girl @unicornofdarknessstuff @maryann-draws @odette-ssbu

[everydaychaotic]

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. "

Charlie x Reader Fic

a/n: i used a writing prompt here because there were some prompts i found on my phone. they're from creative-writing-prompts on tumblr (?) omg enjoy 💕

Word on the street is all about this Charlie Dalton. All the girls in your school can't seem to shut up about him, this guy from Wellton who pulled an infamous stunt in front of everybody.

"Have you heard about what happened at Wellton?"

"God, that Charlie has guts."

"He's single right?"

All this gossip annoyed you. Either they applaud his not-so-daring feat, or they suddenly fancy him. Apparently, this boy has become popular here and you never understood why he would do something so stupid.

You're a real stickler for the rules, future mapped out and planned for, and you always had this thing where everything should be in order. Charles Dalton, that jerk, just disrupted the peace and order you have been accustomed to by turning these girls into boy crazy and lovestruck little girls. His name made your blood boil and it made you lose focus. They never seem to get enough of him, and that's probably because there aren't really a lot of options in boarding school.

Wherever you went, his name would always pop up. Whoever you talked to would ask if you knew. You would roll your eyes and tell them they're wasting time on someone who isn't even worth it. This boy was getting into your nerves, and (rumor has it) another girl's knickers.

There came a time you just couldn't take it anymore. Even your best friend was talking about him with a mix of amusement and disappointment. She thought this boy had potential but wasted it on a foolish prank. Both of you shared the same sentiments, although your friend was obviously intrigued.

You had a lot of homework to do, and with everything that was going on, you decided you didn't have time for this. You sigh loudly and throw a pillow at your friend, exasperated. "Hey!" she said as the pillow hit her face. "What was that for?"

You turned to her, annoyed and stressed from all the homework and drama. Your roommate raises an eyebrow, waiting for an answer. "I'm getting tired of this— this boy!" you tell her and she stifles a laugh.

It wasn't funny, and then she replied, "Who knew that the great y/n would lose focus over a boy?" You ignored her and went back to your homework. There was still so much to do with calculus, and you haven't checked on your science project yet. Your French essay is due tomorrow and it isn't near perfect. You didn't let the idea of Charlie Dalton get to you.

Days went by and the chatter started to lessen. You smiled to yourself, everything was slowly going back to normal. Your focus was back, and nothing else seemed to interrupt it. Right now, everything is perfect for you. Back on the right track to be one of the country's most esteemed lawyers.

Everything was almost back to normal, you hardly even thought about him, and no one

had any more stories to tell about the infamous little pick who caught St. Agnes' by storm. One fateful day, he was once again the talk of the town. Rumour has it, he went out with one of the girls from her class. People kept on talking, asking this girl to tell him about Charlie. All of them would pile around her, and ask if he was what they dreamed he would be like.

You thought it was all rubbish. Charles Dalton? You bet he got under her skirt. Your classmate's story about him being the perfect gentleman was too good to be true. There's no such thing as a gentleman, and you believed Charlie was far from that. People see what they want to see, and you thought this girl just let heard what he wanted her to hear. Quite stupid, you thought.

One day as you were walking around the courtyard, book in hand, you caught sight of him. The infamous Charlie Dalton, in the flesh. You couldn't deny he was handsome. There was an air of arrogance around him, and a hint of brilliance to which you were so. curious about. He was with a different girl, and he gave a smirk you knew all too well that he was up to no good. He dropped her off at the dorms, and you shook your head in disappointment. You saw this coming, but in the back of your mind you always hoped it wasn't true.

He passed by you, and smiled. His brown hair all messed up, with eyes that always twinkled with mischief and chaos. "Hi," he said to you. You gripped your book tighter and ignored him, walking away. Charlie always liked girls who played hard to get. He found the chase to be rewarding. He turned around, "I didn't catch your name."

You muttered something, and continued to walk towards the dorms. There were footsteps following you, and you tried your best to ignore him as he tried to get your attention. "Did you just say your name? I didn't get it the first time." He caught up to you and went ahead. There he was, facing you: Charlie Dalton of Wellton Academy.

You decided to be blunt and said, "I didn't, and no, I'm not telling you." You sighed, "I was asking you to leave me alone." He wasn't taken aback by this comment, after all, it was part of the chase, and Charlie enjoyed every second of it.

"If you say so," he said sarcastically. He is so infuriating, you thought. You looked him in the eyes and you were inwardly fazed by how beautiful he really was up close. You always hid your emotions well, and you certainly didn't want to break that wall in front of this jerk.

"Did I stutter?" you replied coldly. You took a deep breath and once again told him to leave you alone. He chuckled and told you, mocking defeat, "Whatever you say, sweetheart." He waved at you and went on his way. Charlie was amazed, and decided he was gonna try harder than usual. That meant he absolutely had to, because most of the time they just came onto him.

You thought about this encounter for a considerable amount of time, and sometimes wondered if you were to see him again. You were working on your english homework until someone on the phone asked for you. You hate being interrupted, and it annoyed you to drop whatever you've been doing for something so irrelevant. Begrudgingly, you grab the phone and put it to your ear, rolling your eyes. "Hello?"

"Hello to you too, y/n," the sound of his voice made you mad. You tried to keep it together, your friends were watching. You couldn't lose control now, it would guarantee him victory. You whispered, "You're not supposed to call."

"Well sweetheart I did, now y/n, tell me, what are you doing Saturday night?" You ignored the question and said, "How did you get my name you jerk?" You heard people laughing from the other line, who were teasing Charlie. "I asked for a pretty girl and they led me to you," he slurred. For a moment, you felt flattered, but mostly embarrassed. That was officially the worst line you have ever heard.

"Shut up. Now if you don't have anything important to say, I'm hanging up now." You put down the phone and went back to your schoolwork. You can't afford to have any more distractions, especially a Dalton-shaped distraction.

Almost every night, he would call, and like always you would give the phone back, telling everyone you absolutely had no time for this. This boy was persistent. You tried your best not to lose your temper in front of your friends and classmates. That rarely happened. You're y/n, and he isn't your Waterloo.

The day you've been waiting for came. Charlie stopped calling. You thought he got bored and latched himself onto another pretty thing. You were a bit hurt, to know he was exactly what you thought he was but it worked best that way, and you were starting to feel normal again. He wasn't the talk of the town anymore, and that alone gave you the motivation to do everything on your to-do list.

You went out to the courtyard for a stroll and brought your favorite book along. Your eyes widened when you saw him. Messy brown hair with everything undone. There he was again, and he looked like he was waiting. You continued to walk towards your favorite spot in the courtyard, made yourselg comfortable and started to read. "Hey y/n," Charlie said. At that moment, you wanted your soul to leave your body. You closed your book and looked up, "To what do I owe this unwanted encounter?" There was sarcasm dripping in your voice and Charlie raised an eyebrow in amusement. He ignored your comment and asked, "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

You didn't answer. He sat down next to you and looked at what you were reading. "Shakespeare, huh? You've got good taste," he commented. You smiled a little, and felt better that this boy, even for a moment, stopped pestering you. You were a bit glad you at least had something in common, and relieved he wasn't just a prick. He was a brilliant prick who knew his stuff, and you were somehow attracted by this.

You just sat there in silence for the whole afternoon. You were immersed in your book, and all Charlie did was stare at you. The silence was endearing, and you stopped only to find him sleeping. You swore he became more attractive. This boy is beautiful, and when it hit you, you started to think about everything you worked for only to be disrupted by him. You pat his arm gently, trying to wake him up. It was getting late and you had to catch up on your study group tonight.

He blinked a few times and stood up, offering you his hand. You took it and he smiled, looking away. He earned it, you thought. "My friend Neil's performing tomorrow at Henley Hall, and since you love Shakespeare so much, bet you'd try to take a look at it," he said finally.

Shakespeare was your favorite poet, and it's been so long since you've watched a Shakespearean play. It was a hard offer to consider. If you accepted, you would be going with him, and that would make it seem like a date. "I guess you can call it a date," he drawled.

You pondered over it as he walked you back to the dorms. Annoying as he was, he knew how to get a girl's attention, and you were no exception. You didn't answer him, and told him how you were running late instead. You felt his hand on your shoulder, turned you around, and once again there you were: face to face with Charlie Dalton. This time, you couldn't help but feel flustered, and it was evident. He smirked a little bit, and that alone shifted your mood. One moment he was charming, the next one a jerk. You moved away and muttered a curse under your breath. "Come on, I saw that, y/n," he pointed out. "Admit it, you like me."

Once again he was this conceited bastard. You didn't know which was more annoying: his behavior or the fact you were attracted to this boy. You pursed your lips and tried not to lose your temper. Charlie just stood there, waiting.

"Silence means yes, you know," he smiled. You rolled your eyes, and started to lose the cool façade you had going on. "You know what, Dalton? Do whatever you want."

"You're insufferable, and I can't believe I spent an afternoon with you! You're a jerk, and you're too conceited for your own good," you said with so much frustration. "I'm not someone you just plan to fool around with, and I'm sure there's another girl waiting for you to sweep her off her feet. And just so it's clear, I'm not that girl, and I don't want to be that girl." Charlie just stood there, listening.

"You know it's a shame. You've wasted so much time and energy on me, and it's endearing and flattering, and I'll admit you're quite attractive, but you're so goddamn infuriating! And guess what? I could kiss you right now." You ran your hands through your hair, frustration and annoyance rushing through you. His eyes widened as he heard the last thing you said. You realized it was too late, and it's undeniable. Charlie Dalton was so damn attractive and you can't believe it worked on you.

He put his hands in his pockets, and smiled at his feet. You were a blushing mess, and his smile wasn't helping at all. He pulled you in and finally replied, "You're very welcome to do it."