#still needs to be dusted and i gotta rearrange my books and clean off my desk

[pcktknife]

cleaned up my tv stand finally ^_^

[katieurah]

Screening Hearts Part 4

We’ve got at least two more parts after this one to go, dearies!

 But, I’m so sorry (I think) for this.

............................................................

Saturday morning was gorgeous. Bright blue sky. Sunshine. Birds chirping. Lorcan had gone for a run and was now doing sit ups. Working off all his frustration from the week seemed like a good plan. Better than brooding, he thought.

Elide had been closed off since Sunday night. She focused only on the project and never let their teasing or banter get anywhere. He’d even tried to get her to stay on a call one night to ask her what was going on, but she snapped at him and cut the feed. He ran through everything he’d said for the thousandth time. So much for not brooding.

His music cut off as a ringtone started up. Lorcan reached for his phone, groaning as he sat up straight. Wiping the sweat from his eyes, he swiped to answer the call.

“Hey, man. What’s up?”

“Right now, sneaking outside for a minute. Lady Elspeth of the Staghorn range has decided that nothing will make her happy and no food is good enough and no one is doing as she wants. She finally deigned to take a nap, so I’m getting a moment to myself,” Rowan said, dryly. Lorcan could hear a mix of exhaustion and amusement in his voice.

“Fatherhood is the greatest adventure, yeah? And sounds like a case of ‘like mother, like daughter,’” Lorcan teased, earning a huff of laughter from the other man. He ran a hand over his face, then said, “You didn’t sneak off for a minute to shoot the shit with me. What’s up?”

“Hey, I could have. I remember some great conversations starting with the need to escape,” Rowan defended. Then he sighed. “You’re partly right though. I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone. How’s the project with Elide going?”

Lorcan stiffened. After their Sunday evening conversation where she threw up walls, the rest of the week had been all business. They had gotten a lot accomplished, but Elide was distant.

“The project is great. We’re good to go, if this ban would ever just lift so the whole team could meet in person at least once,” Lorcan replied, hedged. Rowan knew it.

“And you and her, project aside?”

“Fine.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, why?”

Rowan hesitated. “This is a heads up, I think the travel ban will be lifted in a week or so. Then, the summit will be back on, just rearranged slightly. But, that means you two will need to be together a lot. As in, solely heading up your area and running the initial support together.”

“Rowan, are you seriously asking if I can be professional?” Lorcan asked, temper rising. Of all the people to second guess him, he wouldn’t have thought it’d be Rowan. “I have been for two weeks now. I’ve been courteous and stayed within boundaries. I’ve not even pushed despite not knowing why the hell this runs so deep! I screwed up and asked her out while drunk right after she was dumped. I don’t get it, man…”

“Lorcan, I am in no way questioning your ability to handle your job or be professional. You excel at what you do,” Rowan calmly stated. Then hesitated again. “Do you remember anything from that night, after Ellie’s dedication?”

“She and I talked, had fun like always. I had a few drinks and finally decided that liquid courage gave me what I needed to ask her out… But, that’s it…” Lorcan said thoughtfully. Then, something niggled at his mind. “The next day, I tried to talk to her, to apologize, but she stonewalled me and got in her car. I went to say something to Aelin, but she just patted my arm and walked away. That’s it.”

“Nothing else? Nothing from that night?”

“No. Why?” Lorcan was pretty suspicious by now. Why was Rowan being so cagey?

“That day at the temple, your allergies were acting haywire. You were miserable. Aelin had some antihistamines in the car she gave you so you could at least get through the ceremony. But, because you’re twice her size, she gave you twice the amount. But you ate and hours went by before you had any drinks, so we thought you’d be safe for a scotch or two. Not five, man.”

Lorcan felt his heart jump in his throat. He’d always been great at handling his liquor. He could drink any of them under the table and be fine. But… “What happened?”

“We figured it was a reaction of the medicine and the alcohol. You’re the best of us with drinking. But that night, you acted like a 15 year-old who raided his dad’s bar.”

“Wh-what happened?” Lorcan asked, even as that niggling thought in his brain threatened to come back. Dread coiled in his gut.

“You went to ask Elide out. Finally, we’d all thought. But…” Rowan took a deep breath and pushed forward. “When you saw her crying, you asked what was wrong. She told you about the guy and you said there was no way she had a boyfriend or you would have known. Then, you decided to tell her you’d make it better if she’d join you for dinner and dessert at your place. You told her she wouldn’t be crying out of pain when you were finished.”

Lorcan couldn’t breathe. That niggling thought in the back of his mind came through in a broken memory and he knew everything Rowan said was true. Every curse word Lorcan knew, plus a few that hadn’t been invented yet, flew out of his mouth. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?!”

“When you woke up the next day and had no memory of what went down, we all collectively decided to not tell you yet. Elide needed a chance to calm down. You needed to recall it on your own. We all thought it’d blow over in a week. When it didn’t and we still hadn’t said anything…. Well, no one knew where to go from there…”

“Who is we?” Lorcan asked through gritted teeth.

“Aelin, Fenrys, Aedion, Lysandra, Gavriel. They were all there for it. Look, man, I’m sorry. You needed to know, and I’m sorry it came to this.”

“It’s fine. I’ve gotta go.” Lorcan hung up. He reached for his water bottle and downed it one go.

He had a call to make.

………………………………………………………………

Elide was spring cleaning her apartment. Everything felt stuffy. She’d opened every window, wiped every cabinet, changed the sheets, washed the curtains. She was dusting and organizing her shelves when her music stopped. An automated voice announced Aelin was calling.

“Answer call,” Elide said to the voice assistant. “Hey, A. What’s up?”

“Getting a break from my womb gremlin. Did you know that a toddler can love toast one morning, then decide it’s poison the next? And that for weeks, one book is the best bedtime story ever, but one night it is terrible and scary?” Aelin’s exhausted voice came through the speakers. “I love Ellie more than life itself, but I’d think I’d sell my soul for a nap right now.”

Elide laughed at Aelin’s dramatics. “You’re obviously mistreating my goddaughter up there in the mountains. Auntie E should launch a rescue mission.”

“I’m the one who needs rescued here. Ellie wouldn’t even miss me. Rowan is her favorite,” Aelin grumbled. Aelin took a deep breath. “Speaking of Rowan, he’s on the phone to Lorcan right now.”

Elide paused midswipe of her dust cloth. “So?”

“E, the ban is gonna be lifted soon and the project moved up. You guys are going to have to work together face-to-face, in the same room for three days soon.” Elide’s breath came shallower. “And your point?”

“He needed to know. So, Rowan’s telling him what went down. It’s obvious by now he wasn’t going to remember on is own. El, you’re going to have to talk to him.”

“I - I can’t,” Elide said quietly. “He was my friend. And then he was more. And I wanted him to ask me out so badly. But, he didn’t even pay enough attention to me to know I had been seeing someone. And then that crude pass about sex? What if he’s not the man I thought he was?”

“Lorcan is that man you thought. He’s good and smart and as much as I want to punch him in the face, he cares about you. I’ll kill him if he ever really hurts you. I think Rowan would, too. And it’s not just about the job, E. You two are Elspeth’s godparents. How is that going to work if you never talk, huh?”

Just then, Ellie started wailing in the background. Aelin sighed. “Gotta go get her Royal Majesty. Just… think about it? Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Elide agreed reluctantly.

The call cut off and Elide sat on the floor. She knew that she needed to speak to Lorcan. But, she didn’t know if she could actually do it. He’d hurt her that night. Alcohol and antihistamines or no, her funny, sarcastic, oblivious friend had turned crass, rude, and arrogant. It shook her. And he didn’t even remember it. She couldn’t process it, not without thinking about how she had wanted him to take her to bed. How she wanted him to soothe her tears, how she wanted him to make her cry out in pleasure and not pain. He had never known, but somehow used that very fact against her.

She started to go back to cleaning, hoping to work out her thoughts and feelings through physical labor. Just then her phone rang again.

An automated voice rang out, “Lorcan calling.”

....................................................................................................

Again, apologies for Lorcan’s behavior. Our boys just tend to be idiots and the worst, sometimes.

@nalgenewhore @hizqueen4life @whyyoumakemesadstahp @the-dark-swan

[wheremytwinwatches]

[Where My Twin Watches]: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 32

[Tephi]: Finally.

Last time: Ed set extreme debt repayment terms, Kimblee gave a gift, and Scar dabbled in facelifting. Onwards!

The search for Shao May continues, although all the Elrics have found so far are little black and white pugs, not pandas. Meanwhile their quarry is with the person they’re actually trying to find for lessons, grabbing supplies for the road trip north. Episode 32 - “The Fuhrer’s Son” Ooh! An episode around the Fuhrer’s kid? We’ve seen a him a few times when Bradley’s with his family, I’m down for an episode that explains how this all works. We know that he’s adopted, but not why the Fuhrer’s gone and gotten married as well. All just a cover to pose as human? At the train station once more, Conductor’s sending off an East City train. May runs through the crowds, slowing down by some MPs who are discussing Scar. Meaning she’s distracted and bumps into someone, dropping her groceries and Shao. Whoops. Nothing to see here, officers? ...uh… So we aren’t actually supposed to buy this disguise, right? I mean, I’m fairly certain that’s a dude in a paper-thin disguise as an old lady. Keeping track of the Xing princess? If so, for who?

Wow, for a princess in a faraway land May is really free with her information, saying that she’s transferring to a North-bound train. Then again, she decided Yoki was a person of good repute. Disguised Old Lady notes… whoops. Apparently she actually is a lady, seemed confused at such an odd cat following May. Later that night, down in the sewers, a cloaked figure is supporting another. Wait, Scar is here? Then who was the cloaked figure that May guided onto the train? I’d thought that it was Marcoh still recovering from his Hand of Rearrangement, but for some reason they’re down here in the sewers and not on the outbound train. How do they expect to get to the North, then? Cops are chasing the duo with flashlights and guns, until the duo becomes just Scar pulling a Creepy Clown at them. Rockslide, and escape through the dust. Later, coppers! In Central Kimblee’s going over the case files, noting that the Scar Sightings are trending towards the West. Buddy, I get leaving a false trail, but how far are you going to go before turning right? Kimblee’s on the case now, takes his entourage of Blue Shirts to a large marble building… and passes an old lady with a cane and shawl on the stairs. Once at the train station could be brushed off as odd, but seeing her here now? Old Lady, what are you up to? Kimblee even picks up on it despite this being his first interaction, calls her suspicious but then turns back to pursuing Scar. Methinks you’re going to regret that later. A church bell is ringing on a clear day, we’re UUUUUGH we’re at Maes Hughes’ grave. Stop reminding me of his fridging, show. Roy is paying his respects as YOU. Ok, who is Old Lady? She shambles up and makes small talk with her, do you… … … WHAT GENERAL GRUMMAN?!

Wow, just… wow. Ok, back to serius biznis. I know that it’s difficult, Roy, but keep it together. Dude may be eccentric, but he is a General. You called him for a reason. The Elrics are taking a break from the fruitless panda search to look up Alkahestry in the library. Oop, back to the Colonel and the General. Grumman’s been updated on Central being controlled by the Goths, and his minions scattered/held hostage. Grumman talks about how he himself was asked about his opinions on immortal soldiers, when he dismissed the idea as ridiculous he found himself transferred to the East. On the plus side it means he was free from the Goth’s corruption, but unfortunately it’s left him off to the side cleaning up messes. Even the small successes he’s earned, like pacifying the Liore riots, were undone when Central forces were deployed to replace his own. And here he is, so close to retirement welp he’s dead. Nice knowing you, ya kooky general. Alright, so the General’s in on the plan. But more immediately important to our heroes, he recognises the panda sketch that Roy is carrying. Quick, to the library! No luck for the Elric brothers, in all the library they can’t find anything about Alkahestry. Guess they’ll have to head to Xing- HE RETURNS! ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY ARMSTRONG!

Towering over the bookshelf, he easily pushes them aside to reach the shocked Ed, then shushes him for being loud in a library. Never change, man. Well, I dunno if I’d have send The Mighty Armstrong to ‘quietly’ tell Ed about his target moving North, but you gotta use the tools at hand. Ed’s got a path now, time to- A letter of introduction? For ‘her’? Someone past North Command, at a spooky looking black wall-

-an officer nicknamed “The Northern Wall of Briggs” Major-General… … … … Major-General Armstrong Tank-Lady is Major-General Armstrong … … YYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS Move over mid-ep character cards, I no longer care about Mrs. (?) Grumman or even the Fuhrer’s adopted kid Selim Bradley. You think that you can tell me that there is another Armstrong in this setting, who’s basically in charge of the Night’s Watch?! Fudge that, push those nobodies aside and get moving north!

Wait The new Armstrong… how is she related to our current version? She didn’t look old enough to be his mother, and sharing the same name… Tephi. Tephi. So help me, if you knew that we would be getting to a sister of The Mighty Armstrong and didn’t make me watch this show faster- Screw it. Calling it now, I need to see The Powerful Armstrong as soon as possible. I am now updating at least twice a week, Wednesdays for sure and whenever I can fit an episode in elsewhere. I need this character! Ok, freakout is mostly over. Moving on! Scar and Marcoh are still heading the wrong way, although as they’re on a bridge over a bunch of train tracks I think I know their plan now. MPs are catching up Scar and now-obviously Yoki, the two are cornered on the bridge… just as a train whistle blows! Now, as long as the cops just stand there and don’t try to move forward and restrain you, this should work. Oh yeah, smoke from the train! That’ll help, the cops just stand uselessly as the train passes and the two fugitives are obscured, and are shocked to see them gone after the train passes. A+ job fellas, I’m sure your boss will be happy with your performance. Wait, train for West City? Why? Don’t you need to go north?

Poor Al is still pouring over the books for any hint on Alkahestry, remarking May’s use of long-range transmutation. Huh, so Alkahestry differs in being more capable of medical uses and in ranged abilities? I wonder if Alchemy has any advantages over it? Sudden shorts? Ah, it’s you. The kids who I was initially excited to learn more about but now view only as an obstacle from The Powerful Armstrong. Go on, shoo! Ok, fine. I’ll give you points for recognizing Al as the Fullmetal Alchemist’s brother, not Fullmetal himself. But as exciting as it is to meet a Main Character, watch the volume; this is a library after all. Selim/Fuhrer Jr. asks about all the books Al has piled around, Al wishwashes about researching medical techniques when Ed runs up, yelling about heading out of town. Aw, Selim’s a fan of Ed, too! Doesn’t know enough to not call Ed short, though. Ed is angry rrright up until Selim’s Secret Service put guns up to his head. What, you two didn’t know this was the Fuhrer’s kid? Awkward… No, scratch that, this is awkward. Getting invited to the Bradley household for tea? How did that happen? I get that Selim is a fan of the Elric Brothers, but still… smalltalk has turned to Selim talking about learning Alchemy and working with his father. Ouch. They can’t know what Bradley is really up to, of course, but it’s hard reconciling what we know with this little family, a son in awe of his father and a mother wistfully remembering their first date. Um. Papa Bradley’s home. And he is NOT happy to see the Elrics. He’s already been established as their enemy, holding the threat of harming Winry against them. To walk into his own home and see those two sitting across from his wife and kid? Simple cover or something more, he’s clearly taking that as a threat.

The awkwardness increases! Ed struggles to reconcile this peaceful little family with the truth, and Bradley makes a veiled reference to Ed’s own family before heading back to work (Selim pouting at the briefness of the visit), with Riza following behind Eventually Ed and Al make their goodbyes, promising Selim that they’ll visit again later. I wonder, will that be before they at best arrest or at worst kill his adoptive father, or after? Regardless, time to move on. North! Scar and Yoki are still hanging out in their train car, as Kimblee’s goon squad searches others. Kimblee looks over the map, notes the rocky mountains. Train slowing down at curves, with a person who can change the ground for a safer landing? They jumped off way before West City, and Kimblee sees something to the north that makes him grin. North, north, north, everywhere we look people are heading north. Let’s get there already! Post-credits scene! Ed and Al are on the train, looks like Ed’s added some winter padding to his regular red coat outfit. The brothers remark that it might be neat to see some snow, they never got much back home. Weak midwest winter weather, am I right?

[minniemonu-reverie]

SRK Part Five - What’s A Hobi?

~Super Rich Kids~

Master List in bio

Part Five- What’s A Hobi?  Genre: Humour, Fluff, Smol Angst

Pairing: Namjoon x Reader

You woke up in an absolute panic, faintly remembering that you had not only invited Jimin to stay the night, but you even cuddled up to him?! You turned over, expecting to meet his face, but he wasn’t there. You bolted upright, looking around your room and listening for any motion. Nothing. Relief flooded your veins, your posture softening. Either last night had been a dream, or he snuck out early as if you had a one-night stand. You rubbed your forehead and laid back on the pillow throwing your hands over your head. What was last night even? Ugh, I’m going to have to face him sometime. I don’t even know what’s going on… The door creaked as the knob turned slowly. “W-who’s there?!” You stammered, grabbing every blanket for protection. The door opened slowly, and a wave of food smell entered the room. “Y/N! You’re awake!” Jimin’s cheerful voice sang through the doorway. You dropped the blankets, a questioning stare on your face. Jimin walked into the room carrying a tray with plates and orange juice. “I hope you don’t mind, but I made us breakfast.”

             A smile spread on your face and a small giggle left your mouth, flustered was an understatement to how you felt. What a sight to behold. Jimin handed you the tray and climbed onto the bed, sitting beside you, his hair still tousled from sleep. “Thanks. Chim, this is really sweet of you.” Jimin beamed at you, taking a plate of food and a glass. He held the glass to you, and you clinked yours against his. “Cheers to a new friendship.” He said before taking a sip. Your heart panged painfully hearing him say friendship, and you weren’t quite sure why, but you kept the smile on your face. “Cheers!” The two of you had barely started eating before you heard your phone going bananas. “Who’s messaging you this early?” Jimin questioned, watching your phone vibrate across your nightstand. “Probably Remi… And with this number of messages, it sounds like she’s in crisis.” You grabbed your phone and checked your messages, Remi was indeed in a crisis. Hoseok was at the coffee shop. “Shit, Jimin, I’m sorry but I have to go.” You jumped off the bed and went for your closet throwing clothes left and right. Jimin continued to sit on your bed, fork in his mouth, eyebrows raised. “What’s going on?” “Oh, you know. Hoseok is at Remi’s coffee shop and she’s having a mental breakdown.” “Hobi? What’s he doing there?” You turned around, an outfit hanging haphazardly off your arm.  “Hobi?? What’s a Hobi?” “Oh, that’s Hoseok’s nickname.” Jimin laughed, jumping off the bed. “Well if he’s there, then I’m coming with you!”  “Jimin, you still have yesterday’s clothes on…”  “Well my place is on the way, so we can stop by really quick and I’ll change! Besides, I feel like you’ll need me as backup.”

             You pondered this for a moment before agreeing. The two of you cleaned up quickly before heading out the door. Jimin didn’t live too far from you, which surprised you. Apparently the seven of them shared a house. Jimin invited you in, saying the guys were probably still asleep anyway. He went off to his room to change and you decided to sit in the living room, ready for an escape at any time. A couple minutes went by, and you started shifting uncomfortably. The house was rather silent, which made you even more wary. Even though a bunch of rowdy guys lived here, the house was very well-kempt. Not a speck of dust, and the furniture didn’t look like it was infested with disease. You could even smell a vanilla candle burning? Thoughts continued to overwhelm you as you quietly studied the objects in the room, trying to decipher who these boys really were. Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the hall heading your way and you prayed it was Jimin.

Namjoon appeared in the doorway, half asleep. He was rubbing his eyes, and his white t-shirt hung loosely on his lean, toned frame. Your mouth dropped open at the sight.  He looked so different without that cold exterior. He looked, dare you say, cute. “Jimin, jeeze I didn’t expect you to get back from Y/N’s this early. Did she kick you out? I mean with the way you’ve been tailing her around like a dog I wouldn’t blame her…” Namjoon blinked a couple times, realization dawning on him. “Aw, shit.” He muttered, his face reddening. “Uh…” You paused, not entirely sure how to continue your sentence. “So… You’re not Jimin. I assume he asked you to wait for him?” “Yeah, sorry for intruding…”  “You’re not intruding.” You looked down at your hands, trying not to make eye contact. Namjoon hadn’t moved from the doorway, his shoulders hunched as he crossed his arms. Awkward silence filled the air. He continued staring at your small form on the couch, his eyes unreadable, his mouth a hard line forcing his dimples to pop out.  Your mind spun so quickly that fainting seemed like it would be in your near future if you didn’t figure something out, so you opened your mouth again. “So, uh, our first partner assignment is this Friday. Are you finished your piece for editing?”  Your voice came out a lot higher than you had hoped, and you prayed he didn’t notice. School was a safe conversation. It was easy, you’d be able to talk to him about this. “Yeah, I finished it last night actually.” “Oh, cool. I’m still unsure of what I want to write about.” Silence. He coughed.  Great. You were both conversation killers, or maybe he was making you uncomfortable on purpose. “What made you go into English? Do you enjoy writing? I heard you, Hoseok and Yoongi were working on something, does it have to do with that?” Words poured out of you, grasping at anything to fill the dead air. 

             Namjoon grumbled, making you look up. His expression had changed from unreadable to downright terrifying. His eyes had darkened, his jaw was clenched. “S-sorry, I didn’t know…” “Don’t worry about it.” He cut you off and straightened his posture, his eyes finally leaving you. “Why are you so cryptic, I was just trying to keep a conversation.” You felt a little attacked by the way he had responded. “It’s none of your business.” You jerked back, eyebrows raised. “Well it’s not like I’m a mind reader, Namjoon.” “God, you’re so annoying. I don’t need this.” “Then why are you still standing in the doorway if I’m bothering you so much?” “Hey guys! What’s going…on…” Jimin entered the room cheerfully until he noticed you and Namjoon giving each other dagger eyes. He wrapped his arms around your shoulders from behind. “Come on, Y/N we gotta go see Remi and Hobi.”  You didn’t take your eyes off Namjoon as you leaned back into Jimin.  “You’re right. Let’s go. I was just finished with this conversation anyway.”  Namjoon sneered in your direction, turning around.  “Pathetic.” He murmured as he disappeared down the hall.

             Jimin grabbed your clenched fists, rubbing them softly and you looked up at him. “Don’t worry about Namjoon, he’s having a hard time right now.” “Why does everyone keep defending him and saying that lame ass excuse?” Jimin gave you his puppy dog eyes and you rolled yours. “Fine. But that doesn’t make treating me like I’m some sort of parasite appropriate.” “Soon Y/N, I hope you get to see the real Namjoon. He isn’t like this normally I swear. He’s a kind and thoughtful guy.” “Yeah, whatever. So kind. Come on, let’s get to the coffee shop before Remi jumps through my phone and kills both of us.” You got off the couch and stormed out the door, Jimin following close behind.

             The two of you got to the coffee shop rather quickly. Jimin had been jogging to keep up with your angry walking pace. Why was Namjoon always such a jerk? What did I do? You kept mumbling to yourself as you walked inside. You quickly looked around, trying to find Remi. Sure enough, she was in her usual hiding spot: behind a bookshelf. You looked at Jimin. “I don’t know how Remi’s going to respond to your presence…” “She’ll be fine, I mean it’s just lil ole me.” He responded, cupping his face and pushing out his pouty lips. The uwus attacked you and you allowed him to follow you over to where Remi was stationed. She was rearranging the same 3 books, trying to make herself look busy. “Hey. Rem. What’s up? Where’s Hoseok anyway?”  Remi squeaked, throwing her hands over her face.  “Don’t say his name. What if he HEARS YOU?” You looked behind you and found Hoseok sitting at a corner table beside the window. He looked entranced in whatever he was working on, eyes scrunched, pen tapping, papers scattered. He definitely didn’t hear you quietly say his name. “Girl, he’s clearly working on something, he won’t hear me.” “Yeah, Hobi gets really into his work. You should see him at the dance studio.” Jimin piped in. Remi squeaked again.  “WHAT IS HE DOING HERE? Also dance studio? Hobi? What the hell is a Hobi?”  You threw your hands up, stopping her before her head spun off into another dimension.  “It’s fine, we’re both here for you Remi. Besides, how can we deal with Hoseok without having some sort of backup? We both know neither of us would be able to get out more than three words before dying.” Remi’s eyebrow shot up and she looked over Jimin. She started nodding her head. “You’re right. We do need him. Okay then, welcome to the team Jimin. Last time we met I didn’t really introduce myself properly, so I’m Remi. Y/N’s best friend and protector, so don’t fuck with her or you’ll be dealing with me.” She held out her fist for a bump, but Jimin being Jimin he giddily ran over to her, embracing her. Her face flushed and she looked to you for any sign of help. You shrugged your shoulders. “That’s Jimin. You’re gonna have to deal. There’s nothing any of us can do. He’s out of control.” “Heyyyy, I am not out of control!” He whined, crossing his arms defensively. “Come on Jiminie we have things to do.”

             He gave you two a thumbs up, spinning on his heel and walked over to where Hoseok was sitting, leaving your and Remi trailing behind him sheepishly. “Hobi-hyunggg. What are you doing?” Hoseok looked up, surprise written on his face. “Jimin? What are you doing here? And why are you alone?” “Hey, I asked first and I’m not here alone, I’m with Y/N and Remi.” Jimin looked behind him and gave you a look to come closer. You froze in place, replaying the last time you had talked to Hoseok. Jimin scrunched his face at you. Remi pushed you forward. “Ah, yeah. Hey Hoseok.” You blurted out awkwardly. He immediately broke into a grin and sat up straight. “Y/N! Come sit down! Order some coffee!” He quickly gathered his papers, shoving them into a black folder. Scribbles adorned the pages, some things had been crossed out and it made you wonder yet again, what in the world was he working on? The three of you sat down, Jimin taking a seat beside Hoseok. “Remi, are you okay to sit with us?” Jimin inquired, remembering that she was working. “Hmm? Oh, yeah I’m on my break so I have freedom.”  “Oh, who is this?” Hoseok, turned his attention to Remi, causing her to sink back in the seat.  “R-Remi…” She mumbled. “You know what, maybe I need to get back to work…” Jimin frowned and grabbed her hand from across the table. “Remi, you just started your break, relax with us!” “Relax? How can I relax?” She sputtered out. You looked over at her worriedly. “Don’t worry Remi, we’re cool! I’m cool!” Hoseok held out his fist, smiling brightly. Remi gave him a shaky fist bump and retreated into her seat. “So, you work here? Do you like it?” “Yeah, I love it here. Y/N and I used to hang out here a lot as teenagers. I love the smell of books and coffee. It’s really relaxing.”  “Yeah! It’s really cute here and the coffee is great! I think I’ll come by more often, so you better get used to seeing me. I won’t let you get away without saying hi.” Hoseok was leaning forward on his hands, his eyes disappearing as his smile widened. Remi returned his smile, but couldn’t meet his eyes. “Oh, Hobi, I was telling them about how you dance!” Jimin interrupted, bouncing in his seat and you laughed at his cute antics. Remi’s shoulders relaxed slightly as she felt his attention shift from her.

             Hoseok beamed as he explained that he was a hip-hop dancer and did some instructing on his spare time. “Oh? You teach? You should show me some moves sometime!” Remi spoke excitedly, relaxing further and Hoseok nodded enthusiastically. “I would love to show you! Oh, I almost forgot. Are you in school as well?” “Yeah, I’m in Psychology. I have an obsession with the way the brain works. I grew up watching CSI, so I figured why not take my interest and turn it into a job?” “Oh wow, that’s so cool. Have you seen a brain? I don’t think I could handle that.” Hoseok’s face twisted at the thought of blood. Remi giggled. “Naw no real-life brains, yet.”

             The four of you talked well over Remi’s allotted break time, but she didn’t care, she was finally enjoying herself. You had noticed that Remi and Hoseok were getting along quite well, and he hadn’t stopped watching her. You and Jimin exchanged glances, knowing your work here was done. Just as you two were going to get up to leave, you heard a couple voices, one of which you recognized all too well. Jimin’s face paled as he watched yours turn red in anger. Remi and Hoseok looked between the both of you before noticing the two walking over to your group. “Unbelievable. You’re here too?” Namjoon complained, running a hand through his hair out of irritation. Yoongi stepped beside him looking at your group with his eyebrows raised. “Having a little party here without inviting me? What’s up with that?” He joked walking around Namjoon and towards the seat where Hoseok and Jimin were.

“Yoongi!” Hoseok slid over allowing him to take a seat. Namjoon continued to stand, posture unapproachable, sending a death glare at you. You felt your annoyance bubbling into rage. The amount of dislike he had for you, for no apparent reason, made your skin burn. Having enough of his disgusted face, you stood up and walked over to him, hands on your hips. “Y/N, uh…” Jimin squeaked and Remi shook her head at Jimin. She knew once you were on a roll you couldn’t be stopped. Everyone could feel the tension rising between you two and Yoongi looked around like he had missed an important detail. Namjoon towered over you, but that didn’t stop you from staring him down. You wouldn’t let him intimidate you. Not this time. “What. Is. Your. Freaking. Deal.” Your teeth clenched as you seethed. Namjoon rolled his eyes and went to walk around you, but you moved in front of him again.  “You’re in my way, step aside.” “No. I demand an answer. What did I ever do to you?” “Can you just move?” His voice came out exasperated as he continued to try and shift around you. “I’m already having a shit day and you’re just adding to it.” “Well maybe you wouldn’t be in such an awful mood if you knew how to take the stick out of your ass.”  

             Jimin audibly choked and Yoongi burst into a fit laughter, stomping his feet. Your eyes bore into Namjoon’s now surprised ones. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. You crossed your arms, arching an eyebrow, daring him to say something back. Hoseok was looking for something to help ease the situation but wasn’t having much luck. “Hey guys, why don’t we all just relax and grab a cup of coffee?” He suggested, raising his mug. Namjoon snorted, and turned around. “Come find me when you’re ready to work.” “You don’t need to leave Namjoonie…Y/N and I were just on our way out.” Jimin stood up and grabbed your hand, giving it a light squeeze. You breathed out some of your frustration, your shoulders easing back down. “Yeah, please don’t let my presence get in the way of your precious work.” Namjoon glared at you before turning his attention to Jimin. “Why are you taking her side Jimin? You’ve only known her for like five seconds. She seems like a world-class wreck. No manners whatsoever. This isn’t good for your modelling image.” You ripped your hand out of Jimin’s and pointed your finger in Namjoon’s face. “Are you still going on about me interrupting you? Is that why you don’t like me? It was an accident you Neanderthal. I embarrassed the shit out of myself and you couldn’t even show one ounce of empathy. Instead you bring out the victim card. This world doesn’t revolve around you, asshat.” “Ah, the words of a well-educated woman who wants to be a writer.” His words dripped with sarcasm, and you almost ripped your hair out due to frustration. “I don’t know why I even bother. Come on Jimin. Bye guys, bye Rem. Sorry I couldn’t hang out with you Yoongi.” “You are the coolest girl I have ever met Y/N. Putting Joon in his place like that, I applaud you.” Yoongi had a smirk on his face as he casually stretched out in his seat. Namjoon sighed loudly, ignoring Yoongi. Suddenly, a thought crossed your mind. You walked over and handed Yoongi your phone.  “Thanks, give me your number and we can hang out some time. I would love to get to know you better.” If Namjoon didn’t like you around his friends, then you were going to do everything in your power to get as close to them as possible. Hoseok, Remi and Jimin’s jaws dropped. Yoongi put his number in, that grin never leaving his face. He gave you a wink as he passed your phone back. Your face blushed automatically. “I’ll text you later Yoongi. Alright Jimin, let’s get going.” You shoved your way past Namjoon who watched you silently, and out the door of the café, Jimin trailing behind you, shoulders slumped and a pout on his face.

             “Y/N how could you?!” Jimin whined as he followed you down the street.  “How could I what?” “Give Yoongi your number before meeeee!” You paused and looked at him with a puzzled expression.  “Oh, shit. I didn’t even realize I never gave it to you. Sorry Jiminie. Forgive me?” He shoved his phone in your face demanding your number. You laughed it off and gave it to him. “Feel better?” “Much. Also, do you have class today?” “Nope. I do have to work on an assignment though… Not sure what to write about to be honest.” “Ah, why don’t we go down to the water front then? Maybe you can get some inspiration!” “Actually, that’s not a bad idea. While we’re there we should get some ice cream! Ice cream gives me the most inspiration.” The two of you laughed and headed to the water together, your mind finally wandering away from Namjoon.

[thestudyfeels]

As I’m writing this, I legit have just three days left till my winter break ends. However, by the time this post goes live on my blog, I’m hella sure that this challenge will be completed on my side and I’ll be ready to slay at school. With that said, if you want to know the secret of how I get ready for school after a break, then keep on reading. Next semester? Get ready to be conquered.

I would recommend downloading and printing off the PDF file of this challenge if you want a proper checklist that you’re about to slay.

To note:

This is a challenge. Don’t simply read through this post. I dare you to get all of these things done before your break ends.

It doesn’t matter if you’re reading this while it’s your spring/summer break. Just because this post was made during my winter break doesn't mean that you gotta wait till winter to try this out. All your need for this challenge is a few days to get your shit together and a break gives you the time to do that.

I’ve purposely put a few more things than needed in this list because - a) It’ll encourage you to get your lazy ass off the couch and hustle more (I see you) and b) Long Is the New Black (ok, I stop).

Obviously, if your break ends in like two days and you legit have no time, go ahead and get those tasks done which look important to you.

I’VE  DARED YOU! Let’s do this (always remember, actions speak louder than your words).

clean the living crap out of your room

I mean it. Look around and you’ll probably find your test papers from 3 years ago. You can play the clean up song while you do this, I won’t judge you.

Change your bedding.

Do the damn laundry.

Sort out all papers - assignments, test papers, maybe even old grannie letters to your homie, all go to their places.

Dust yo’ desk, cupboards and drawers - I know you have like one inch of grime on every math book because you haven’t touched them in years, lmao.

Give! Your! Space! A! New! Look! So important. I’ll hands down say that this one is the game changer. You can go ahead and give your room an entire makeover (shift your music to Mr. Kate’s theme song now, lol) or just simply rearrange the pen stands on your desk.

Bathe in the glory of having a clean room, like, yay you.

clean the living crap out of your computer

Downloads folder. Holy heck, sort that ish.

Delete files that are not needed.

Make sure your screen isn’t full of small files. Folders were created for a reason.

Make new folders for the next semester’s classes. Go further by making sub-folders for different units too, so that the next time you gotta save something, you don’t leave it in the downloads folder next time (hasn’t that folder suffered enough?).

clean the living crap out of your online stuff

Clean your inbox down to zero.

Reply to emails, if any.

Social media accounts. Delete the unnecessary ones. You probably still have your vine account, lmao.

Reply to social media messages and delete those pesky spams while you are at it.

If you run a blog, clean out the inbox and messages too.

You just killed it! Let’s move on now.

kill your academic work

ah, the good ol’ learning.

MAKE YOUR NOTES, YOU DUMBHEAD.

Check your school’s website to see if Miss Honey sent any surprise (so annoying, I know!) assignments.

Complete your homework on time because you probably just chilled on the Friday school closed and left it for the weekend (and didn’t do it then too, lol)

If you have any exam coming up, start prepping!!

Make sure everything’s ready, whether it’s your notes, assignments, whatever. Realizing you have a mock test on the last day (also probably set by Miss Honey) is the quickest way to get a heart attack, scientifically proven. (And you thought your ex breaking up with you was bad? Oh, hun).

other stuff to try out

Try learning new things! Being off from school gives you a lot of free time (seven hrs, precisely) so instead of playing Mario Kart, use it well.

Try out projects you’ve always wanted to try out. Maybe it’s a crazy idea like starting a YouTube channel or just beating your friend at Mario Kart (I mean, a lil Mario Kart does no harm..), it’s worth a shot.

Make a badass playlist! (btw, you can also check out my soundcloud account, #plug).

Do a booty pop! You’ve conquered this challenge, and boy, you should be damn proud. Conquer your next semester and make yourself even more proud.

Well, that’s it, it’s a wrap! If you have any questions/suggestions regarding anything I said up there, feel free to send in a message! My other og posts are here and to request one, leave your question in my ask box!

I hope you all are well, stay strong and conquer life, you conqueror.

- nandini (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡

[scatteredenthusiasm-blog]

24-hour Tech Break: Reflections and Realizations from a Screenless Day

For 24-hours this weekend, I joined up with Imaginarium and took a tech break. Starting at 6pm on Friday and going until 6pm on Saturday, I turned my phone off – not “do not disturb” or airplane mode, but just completely off. I closed my computer and iPad as well and zipped them up in my workbag and put them in my closet, out of sight and relatively out of mind. During my time away from screenland, I had a few realizations that I want to share.

Before that, I do want to acknowledge one thing.

I understand that people have actual hardships in life, and that taking a 24-hour tech break is not one of them. And I know a 24-hour tech break sounds like something that would be recognized at the Millennial’s Choice Awards.

“Oh my god, is that the guy that did the 24-hour tech break?” “Wow, I can’t believe it’s him!” “I thought he died at hour 13.” “No, the doctors actually rushed in and were able to resuscitate him after the 24th. That’s why he’s the guest of honor at this year’s MCA’s.”

Anyway, you get the point. But here’s what I learned.

Silence is Golden (for real)

I didn’t realize how much of the day my attention and thoughts were being guided by noise. My typical daily routine consists of nonstop noise. 

When I wake up I put in headphones first thing and listen to a podcast while I make coffee and breakfast, then I take out the headphones to write my morning journal of three pages by hand, then the headphones go back in and I clean up breakfast. Next up I swap out headphones for Spotify to play on my phone while I shower and get ready for the day, then I go headphones again and get my stuff together to head out the door. As I get in my car, I switch from headphones to my car audio, so I’m either listening to music (SiriusXM Fly channel 47, 90′s-00’s hip-hop and r&b, to be precise), or I’m making calls. My workday then consists of either interviewing people, training, staff meetings, or doing in-home sales presentations, which is pretty much me talking 80% of the time, which is just more noise. During a lunch break, or anytime between appointments/meetings, I toss the headphones back in and pick back up on a podcast. Eventually I hop back in the car to head home, so it’s back to music or phone calls. When I get home, the headphones go back in as I cook dinner, and then they come out as I eat dinner while catching up on the previous night’s Late Night with Seth Meyers (and other shows) on my DVR. As that finishes, I’m mindlessly scrolling through social media, just refreshing stuff waiting for the next little dopamine hit that is a new post, story, article, etc. To end the day, I toss the headphones back in while I do dishes, I still have them on as I get ready for bed, and then I pop them out only to fall asleep to Netflix on my iPad that is a foot away from my face, which I then wake up to 30-minutes later to find it still playing, so I close the case and go back to sleep.

Whew. That looks WAY worse typed out. From the moment I get out of bed to when I fall asleep (for the second time), it’s just noise-noise-noise-noise-noise-noise-noise-noise, with zero breaks.

My first realization during the tech break was how vital the silence was. I needed it desperately. The silence revealed to me exactly how much noise I fill my day with.

I like to think of clarity of mind as a mirror that I’m looking into. Every bit of noise throughout the day adds a little fog to it. Podcasts – fog, phone calls – fog, texts – fog, every refresh of social media – fog (and fog and fog and fog and fog). These things aren’t inherently bad on their own, but my relationship (or addiction, really) to them is unhealthy, because I let them fog the mirror all day.

The silence, however, is the only thing that would clear the mirror. Each hour of silence during the tech break was a small wipe across the mirror, until finally the fog was gone, which happened maybe at hour 17. The more fog you put on the mirror, the longer it takes to clear it.

When the mirror finally cleared, I was reminded of who I am and what I want to do with my energies that particular day. My creative juices started to flow, I had three or four short story ideas come up, and I was able to look in the mirror and see what the next right thing to do was. When the mirror is foggy, I don’t have a chance at seeing the next right thing. I’ll get an idea, but then a Facebook notification will completely derail that train of thought. With a clear mirror, I was able to think through a story idea completely uninterrupted, even sketching out a quick outline so I could return to it later.

Silence is vital, and it brings clarity along with it. I don’t mean that you have to treat your tech break like a silent retreat – you can talk to anyone you’d like in person – but when I say silence I really mean just a break in the noise of screenland, whether the screen is making noise or not. The silence recharged my batteries.

Productivity

Without the constant interruptions of noise, I was able to accomplish more tasks in my 24-hour tech break than I had done in the first two months of the year. I always have a running list of things I’d like to get done around my house on a day off, but then stuff comes up and those things get pushed aside, or I’ll start one project and then come back the next weekend and try to finish it, usually leaving it 75% done.

Over the 24-hour tech break, I did laundry (sheets, towels, clothes), reorganized my bedroom, cleaned out my car, deep cleaned my entire house (not just dusting and cleaning the floors, but like the scrubbing the shelves of my fridge kind of deep cleaning), raked leaves, pulled weeds, trimmed all my hedges, bought new succulents for inside, moved everything off my front porch, swept the floor, wiped down the furniture, and then rearranged the layout of the porch, I read 50+ pages of a book, I wrote my three morning journal pages, wrote 50% of this post (by hand, of course), I cooked, and I got rid of (donated) two trash bags full of clothes I haven’t worn since I moved into this house in 2016.

All done in 24-hours, with ~8 of those hours spent sleeping.

I don’t mind a good day or two of cleaning and organizing because I would usually catch up on podcasts or listen to music while I did those things. But without any distractions from noise or screenland, I was able to accomplish each task in about 60% of the time they would normally take because I was solely focused on that particular task.

For example, if I have headphones in while trimming hedges, I’ll come across a song I don’t want to listen to on a playlist, so I’ll get my phone out of my pocket to change songs, but then I’ll see an Instagram notification, and when I open Instagram I’ll see some new stories pop up, then I’ll comment on a friend’s story, which will remind me to text another friend back about something else, and then 10-minutes go by and I’m standing on a ladder with hedge clippers in one hand and my phone in the other, all while my playlist is now 5 songs past the one I wanted to skip in the first place. When finally get back to work on the hedges, another song will come on that I don’t want to listen to, and the cycle starts over.

(Exhale) I told you my relationship to screenland was unhealthy.

Without my phone in my pocket, I was not only able to complete the tasks much quicker, but I was also able to do them better because they had my full attention. Instead of just buying new succulents and putting them in new pots, I cleaned out all of the old pots and mixed in new dirt for the succulents I already had. At the end of the day, I was tired, but it was that good kind of tired, where you’re proud of your work.

I was at my most productive when the mirror wasn’t fogged.

Constant Contact

Last point, so I’ll make it quick.

I was stunned at how many times I would think of something that would make me reach for my phone to text a friend. The smallest thought would pop in my head, and I’d reach for my pocket for a phone that wasn’t even there because my first instinct is, “Oh, I gotta text that person about that.” I do that ALL DAY, which puts me in constant contact with so many different people. The reaction to reach for my phone was Pavlovian like.

The shirt I wore yesterday was one I bought in Encinitas last year when I was visiting my friend Luke, and I thought, “Oh, I need to send him a picture of this shirt.” Later on I was getting my golf clubs out of my car and thought, “Oh, I need to see if my friend Patty wants to walk 9-holes tomorrow because the weather is so nice.” Then I found an old jacket from college that made me think, “Oh, I need to send a picture of this to my friends because it reminds me of this thing we did back in 2009.” This routine happened over and over and over and over.

Again, texting my friends isn’t a bad thing – in fact, it may be a nice pick me up for both of us in the process. But the quick reaction to reach for my phone anytime those thoughts popped in my head scared me. It was like I was desperate to be in constant contact with a bunch of people all day, and that constant contact is going to add more and more fog to the mirror, distracting me from writing, cleaning, reading, or whatever I want to spend my energies on. Plus, each time I open my phone to send one of those texts, I’m more likely to come across something else on that shiny, 5.5” screen that will take me down a different rabbit hole, which will, in the end, make me forget to send the original text.

The break from constant contact was incredibly calming.

If you read one part, let it be this

As the clock approached 6pm, I started to get a little sad. I wasn’t ready for the tech break to be over. I wasn’t ready to return to my old way of doing things. Texts, calls, social media, emails – I knew it would all come flooding back with the press of one button. Or even worse, what if no texts came flooding in? OR, what if only one text came in and it was from the pharmacy saying that my monthly prescription was ready for pickup? That wasn’t the case, but I digress…

I loved my time off of the grid, and quite frankly, I liked no-tech Jeremy a lot better than screenland Jeremy. It reminded me of being a kid, when I could jump from task to task, pursuing whatever interested me at the moment, free of anything buzzing or lighting up in my pocket, and solely focused on what was right in front of me at that exact moment in time. I got out of my own head. The mirror was clear.

A power shift had taken place – one I was dying for and didn’t even know it. For the first time in probably a decade, I owned my phone instead of my phone owning me.

So going forward, I’ll make some adjustments to my routine: I’m going to limit the amount of time headphones are in my ears, I’ll swap out Netflix for a book before I go to sleep (because I know I don’t need to watch all of The Office for the millionth time), I will leave my phone in a different room of my house when I want to get stuff done, and I’ll continue not checking social media before noon, which I’ve been doing for Lent this year.

If you’d like to try a 24-hour tech break, here are my suggestions:

1. Do it over a regular weekend at your house, because it’s easier to analyze your habits when you are in your typical routine. If you do it outside of your routine, then you’ll have other distractions to keep you away from technology in the first place, which won’t reveal your tech instincts enough. It’s best to have as little planned as possible.

2. Get someone else to do it that doesn’t live with you, because it’s a nice little encouragement to know other people out there are doing it as well.

3. Keep a notepad with you and write down your accomplishments every time you complete one. By the end of the day, you’ll be shocked at what all you’ve done.

I know one tech break isn’t a cure all, so I’m planning on doing this once a month for the rest of the year. In the meantime, I’ll be working hard to keep the mirror clear.