#student council radio station wave

[rolotouto]

Hokenshitsu to omukae

Finally, here's the translation of the 3-minute long track "Hokenshitsu to Omukae" (something like "The Infirmary and Picking Up [Someone]”, that “someone” being Rolo) from the 1st volume of the Student Council WAVE drama CDs! However, I share only the text and not the audio file at this time. The CD was recently released, and I feel it’s not right for me to upload any part of its contents online... at least until the CD becomes impossible to acquire through legal means. This track exclusively features the voices of Lelouch and Rolo, although there is an inaudible nurse present with them (which you'll notice they occasionally address during their conversation): Lelouch: Nurse, I heard Rolo has been taken to the infirmary!! Is Rolo okay?! What is his condition?! Have you contacted emergency services?!?! ... No, you might tell me to calm down, but my precious little brother is in the infirmary!! How could I not panic?! More importantly, where is Rolo?! Rolo: I’m here, brother. Lelouch: Rolo! ... Thank goodness. Just what happened? Rolo: It’s nothing major. I just tripped during P.E.. But everyone in class made a big deal out of it, so I was brought to the infirmary. Lelouch: I see... I was so sure something was wrong with your health. The other day you were clutching your chest too, remember...? Rolo: Ah... that was... I told you that was nothing, right...? Haha. You are such a worrywart, Brother... Lelouch: That’s not how it is! You are my only little brother, you know? Of course I worry! So, did you receive treatment? Rolo: Yeah, the nurse treated me a while ago, so I'm fine. Look! Lelouch: That’s good then. Nurse, I apologize for losing my composure earlier. When it comes to my little brother, I tend to get anxious... You say I’m "caring towards my little brother"? (TN: 弟想い) It’s not like that. It’s just that we live far away from our parents, who are in our home country, and I feel that I must take care of him. ... Oh. So that is what you mean by "caring towards my little brother". Well, it comes naturally to me, though. Rolo: Brother, you are too overprotective... Lelouch: I do not think of myself as “overprotective”. I mean, you used to have fever and stay in bed so often. Rolo: Those are stories from when I was little, right? Lelouch: What are you saying? Just the other day you caught a cold and had a fever. Rolo: T-That’s... well... Lelouch: Eh? You ask what happened? Ahaha. The truth is, the other day we washed the bedsheets together. As we were doing so, we splashed water on each other for fun, but since this guy got too cocky and stayed wet, he ended up catching a cold. Rolo: That’s mean, Brother! You didn’t need to tell the nurse! Lelouch: Haha! Sorry, sorry. But it's the truth, isn’t it? Rolo: Well... it is. Lelouch: Eh? What about me, you say? I did change my clothes, so... Ah, you are not talking about that, but about my health? I’m alright. Do I look that unhealthy? It’s fine. I eat enough, really. Rolo: He’s lying. He leaves the dormitory food uneaten too, you know. Lelouch: Hey, Rolo! Is this payback for what I said before? No, I truly am fine, seriously! I eat properly. You don't have to go as far as handling nutrition management and doing the work of a public health doctor. *Bell sound* Ah, time to leave school? Nurse, that’s the bell signaling the end of school hours. We have to return to the clubhouse now. Rolo: Oh. He ran away. Lelouch: I didn’t! More importantly, is your injured leg okay, Rolo? Do you think you can walk? Rolo: Yeah, no problem! I’m fine. Lelouch: Well then, nurse. Thank you for taking care of Rolo. ... Regarding the nutrition management matter? I will consider it. Well then, see you. --- Rolo clutching his chest... 😭 but I'm glad that Lelouch's anxiety was triggered by noticing something unique to Rolo, rather than projecting Nunnally's characteristics onto him. And when he mentioned the bedsheets, I thought for a moment Lelouch was going to reveal the mystery behind Pink Sheets™, but he talks about water, so I assume the memory mentioned here refers to a different day. Still, how clumsy is a trained assassin with ±10 years of killing experience that he allows himself to get a fever from consciously not taking care of himself?! Well, it’s good to see that he has relaxed that much! Speaking of which, I’m doing a lot of assuming here, but I assume Rolo picked up the phrase “You are so overprotective~” from hearing Milly say it (she calls Lelouch that on this CD as well), since I can’t imagine he had the chance to learn how playful teasing works at the Order. There’s more. The CD came with a booklet which includes the "Health Room Usage Record," detailing Rolo’s health:

Very interesting points here: ・“Fell during physical education class and scraped knee“. Nonetheless, the reason he was taken to the infirmary wasn’t just because of that injury, but because he presented “mild palpitations and dizziness”! ・The file states that “regarding palpitations and dizziness, they are related to a preexisting medical condition of his,” which Rolo himself, Lelouch (referred to as “his guardian”) and his homeroom teacher were already aware of, and which “does not affect his everyday life”. Meaning!! That when Rolo told Lelouch about his weakness during Turn 5, only the “so I can’t use my Geass for long” part was news to Lelouch. He already knew about Rolo’s heart being fragile, and Rolo knew that he knew (I wonder if, in those moments when Rolo clutched his chest after Lelouch's real memories returned, Lelouch instinctively remembered the anxiety he used to feel when Rolo did the same in the past...). ・ Rolo has no allergies.

Vol. 2 of WAVE was also released a few days ago, but I haven't come across any information regarding the extent of Rolo's presence in it. (EDIT: Asked over at the Lost Stories guild and was told “Rolo didn’t appear much this time”). Unfortunately, I think it will be hard for me to buy the rest of the Volumes, though... unless the Rolo content is so important that I’m compeled to, like in the case of Vol. 1, haha.

By the way, Rolo is also depicted in the illustrations of Volume 5, looking exasperated as Sayoko flirts with none other than MaiHani:

To end this post, I just want to mention that you can watch the Lost Stories 1st anniversary special program here. During the ending sequence, from 2:08:04 to 2:08:07, the focus is on Lelouch’s memories with Rolo, including Lelouch placing Rolo’s locket on his hand when he dies. Less than half a minute later, Vincent is shown together with the other most important KMFs, therefore so far I’m confident that Lost Stories will treat Rolo as a prominent character and not make him casually shoot Lelouch and be okay with it afterwards.

[mommymortuary]

Fight This - Steve Harrington (Chapter 2)

Chapter 2 of the Fight This fic.

October 19th, 1984. The next day comes, and you join Steve at his house for the first of your study sessions. You come to find that before you can even begin to study, you need to clean up the about mess that is Steve's school supplies. You also realize how easily distracted and bored he gets.

word count: 5,519

This part contains; smoking, slight cursing, no nsfw.

Special thanks to my friends, editor, @sody-pops , and my secondary proofreader @briiiiiiiiiiiiiiiwrites !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next school day had come and gone with relative ease; the hallways were getting decorated by the student council for Halloween, which was a week and a half away. Paper cut-outs of ghosts and bats swayed in the air conditioning. Halloween was always one of your favorite times of the year, even if you were “too old” now to trick-or-treat, you wouldn’t be caught dead without a costume.

You had seen Steve pass by in the hallway a few times, though neither of you stopped to speak to the other one. You were focused on making it to class on time, and he seemed to be a little more focused on his girlfriend Nancy. No wonder he was in desperate need of your academic assistance.

____________

When the final bell of the day rang, you walked to your locker. You put your code in and popped the door open, pulling out a few binders full of class notes and past homework assignments. You popped them into your backpack and zipped it shut. Making your way to the front door, you squinted as you left the building, the bright sun blinding you slightly.

You put a hand over your eyes to shield them from some of the direct sunlight, and after giving yourself some time to adjust, you swiveled your head to try and find where Steve was. You caught a glimpse of his familiar burgundy car, and he was sitting on the closed trunk, clearly waiting for you. Once you had made eye contact, he waved you over to him and hopped off of his car.

“Hey!” Steve grinned and you walked up to him. He walked around to his car and opened the passenger side door for you. “Please enter, my study buddy.”

“I’m a big girl, I know how to open a car door, Steven.” You jabbed at him playfully, shuffling into the passenger seat, placing your backpack on the ground between your feet.

“Ouch, Steven? I thought we were friendly now, why you busting out the full name?” Steve chuckled, closing the door behind you. He walked to the driver’s side and climbed in. After buckling himself in, he put the keys in the ignition and started the car up. The radio was tuned to a popular radio station in Hawkins, a generic Top 40 hits sort of deal. Footloose by Kenny Loggins was playing through the speakers, and Steve grinned. “Oh hell yeah, I love this song,”

He began to lazily sing along to the song as he put the car into drive, and left the school parking lot. A few songs cycled through the radio before you made it to the Harrington residence, but you hadn’t paid much attention to what they were. You had been staring out the window and nervously fidgeting with the tips of your fingers.

You weren’t sure why you were so suddenly nervous about the situation. You had never been to Steve’s house before, even with all the grade wide parties he had thrown. Sure, you were there to help Steve study, and his parents were never home, but there was always that awful gnawing feeling of going to a new house for the first time. Everyone’s houses had different rules. Would he ask you to take your shoes off? Tell you to keep them on? Were you allowed to have water outside of the kitchen?

Your anxious overthinking had taken over for the whole car ride, and suddenly you were at his house.

“Hey, we’re here!” Steve grinned, parking the car and turning it off. “Come on, let’s get inside and put your stuff down.”

You nodded and opened your car door, stepping out with your backpack clutched to your chest. Closing the door behind you carefully, you followed Steve to the front door of his house, which he unlocked with a small key. He pushed the door open and held it for you. “After you.” He gestured a hand towards the doorway, and you went in.

Your eyes went wide. It was a gorgeous house, and sure, it looked big on the outside, but it felt even bigger on the inside. Artwork hung on the wall, and a few family photos as well.

A young Steve stood in a button-up top between two older people, probably his parents, though you’ve never seen them, it was a safe assumption to make. You walked over to it as Steve closed the door behind him, and you pointed at it.

“Look at you! Dressed up all nice!” You laughed, turning to Steve. “You were so small in this picture, and you didn’t even develop your signature hair yet!”

Steve’s face turned a bright red as he rushed over to you and placed his hand over the photo. “Alright, alright. We’re here to study, not look at baby Steve and his horribly mismanaged haircut.”

“Fine, you baby.” You rolled your eyes and stifled back more laughter. “Where are we setting up, then?”

“Follow me.” Steve extended a hand and you hesitantly took it. He led you up the stairs and opened the door to a room. His room. “You can put your stuff on the bed. I’m going to go back downstairs and get us something to drink. Do you want anything?”

“Uhh..” You wondered aloud, walking slowly to the large bed and putting your bag on top of the wrinkled blankets. “If you have a Coke, I’ll take one of those I guess?”

“Sure thing. Be right back, okay? Make yourself at home.” Steve stuck a thumb up and then made his way down the stairs. Leaving you utterly alone in his room.

His bedroom.

You were alone in Steve Harrington’s bedroom.

You weren’t sure what you were expecting when it came to Steve’s bedroom. But it certainly wasn’t this. It was much tidier than you would’ve ever assumed, only one or two stray shirts lay in a crumpled pile in the corners. You sat down on the very edge of his bed, hands running across the soft bedding.

The whole room smelled of Steve. Well, of course it did. But it felt like it was wrapping around you, entering your nose and filling your lungs. Surprisingly, it wasn’t overwhelming. It was just the right level of fresh laundry and his signature Derringer cologne.

Your head perked up when you heard the creaking of the stairs, and you saw Steve’s smiling face come back through his door. He had a can of coke in each hand, and a family-sized bag of potato chips. He closed the door behind him with his foot, and made his way over to you.

“Here,” Steve extended his hand out and gestured for you to take the can in his hand. “I brought up some chips to snack on, but if you get hungry for something more.. real, we could always order on the phone.”

“Thanks.” You took the can from Steve and cracked the top open, taking a small sip from it. You looked around for a place to set it down, unsure of where you should set it down. 

“Just put it on top of the dresser.” Steve pointed, and you nodded, setting the can down.

“Okay, let’s get started.” You smiled, opening your backpack and pulling the binders out, splaying them across the bed. They were all a different color, labeled neatly on the covers and spines, dedicated to individual classes. “What classes would you say you’re struggling in the most right now?”

“Wow,” Steve sighed out at the sight of all of your well-organized binders. “A..all of them really, but I have a chemistry exam coming up at the beginning of November and I’m totally lost. We could start there, maybe?”

“Sounds good.” You replied, picking up the navy blue chemistry binder and opening it. “What chapter is your class on right now?”

“Uhm…” Steve stared blankly for a moment, racking his brain, trying to summon the thought, but the attempt brought up nothing. “I actually have no idea.”

You rolled your eyes at him, shaking your head. “So far, you are absolutely no help, Harrington. Show me your science folder, I can compare the recent notes to what I have and see where your class is at.”

Steve sucked in his cheek as he opened his backpack and pulled out the most disheveled folder you had ever seen. Papers stuck out at every angle, some crinkled from being jammed into it aimlessly. He handed it over to you, sparsely making eye contact with you.

“Jesus christ, Steve. No wonder you’re this lost. We’re is a month and a half into school, and this thing looks like you ran it over with your car.” You groaned, opening the folder. A few scraps of paper fell out and onto the bed. “So, I think we’re going to have to teach you how to take notes and keep your things orderly, first and foremost. Because this, Harrington? I cannot work with this.”

His face turned red as you said that, looking everywhere in the room except at you. “Yeah, I know.. I’m a natural disaster.”

“Well, don’t say that. This.. this is all fixable. But these flimsy paper folders you got are gonna have to go, Harrington. I know that this is supposed to be a study session and all, but I think we’re gonna need to run to the store to get you some better supplies, okay?” You closed the folder and set it down on the bed. “I’ll show you the good stuff.”

“Oh god, we have to go shopping.” Steve ran his hands over his face with a groan. “Maybe I’m starting to regret this whole thing already.”

“Knock it off, Harrington.” You swatted at his forearm playfully. “Let’s go.”

You both stood and made your way down his staircase again, leaving your backpacks and study materials up on his bed. Steve grabbed his keys, and once again held his front door open for you.

The ride to the store was relatively quick, Hawkins wasn’t exactly a bustling metropolitan center. You exited the car and approached the store, the automatic doors gliding open as the two of you went in. To your right, there was a stack of red hand-held shopping baskets, and you grabbed one. You held it in the crook of your elbow, and used your other hand to drag Steve to the school supply section of the store.

“Alright, Steve. These–” You picked up a folder similar to the ones Steve was currently using. “Are no good for long term use. They fall apart really easily, and don’t have a lot of space for later on in the year.”

Setting the folder back in the cardboard display box, you took a few steps down the aisle, and stood in front of some 3 ring binders. “This is what we want, hardcover, won’t totally disintegrate, a slot in the front and back, and a section in the center that we could even divide into sections.”

Steve picked one up and looked at it. “Are these the same ones you use?”

“Yeah. We’re gonna get you a different color for every class, to keep you better organized.” You said, pulling binders off the shelf and setting them in your shopping basket. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. “You can decide what color you want each class to be, that’s totally up to you.”

Steve nodded. “What else are we gonna get here? Or did you just make me drive all this way for binders?”

“Shut up, I’m getting to it.” You rolled your eyes and walked to another part of the aisle, which had clear plastic dividers with labeling stickers, meant specifically for 3 ring binders. “These are gonna go inside the binders, and help divide up the bulk of the papers in the rings, alright? We’ll have a homework section, classroom notes, and graded stuff you want to hang on to for studying from.”

“Is staying organized always this much effort?” Steve whined slightly.

“Don’t complain Steve. If you put even a quarter of the time you spend every morning on that hair of yours into keeping your stuff neat, we wouldn’t have to do a complete overhaul like this.” You retorted, wagging a finger in front of his face.

“I get it, I get it. You don’t have to mother me.” Steve scoffed.

“Ew, don’t say that. I’m being a good friend to you Harrington, but I’m definitely not being like your mom.” Him saying that you were acting like a mother to him made you cringe slightly.

“Oh, well you’re definitely nothing like my mother. If she was present for anything in my academic life to this degree, do you think I’d exactly be in this situation?” Steve stated and rolled his eyes. His arms crossed in front of his chest, his striped polo bulging at the sleeves ever so slightly.

You let your eyes linger a little longer than intended before looking back into Steve’s eyes and responding. “Sorry.. That really does suck Steve.”

Comparatively, you had a better home life. Your family certainly wasn’t nearly as wealthy as Steve’s, your home was smaller and your parents were barely able to keep up with payments between their two cars. Steve had his own car, paid for by his parents, and they even had untouched cars that were used only on the rare occasions where they were actually in town. But, your parents were both home every day. You fall asleep under the same roof together every night, and you all sit together for meals. Dad asked about your grades, and Mom asked about extracurriculars and boys (which was a topic that always died quickly.)

They were loving and kind, and you honestly felt bad about lying to them about smoking and the non existent clubs you attended. But hey, weren’t teens supposed to rebel a little?

“I’m used to it at this point.” Steve shrugged, and his voice pulled you back into reality and away from the thoughts that poked at your brain. “Let’s finish up here and get back to the house. Your Coke is going to go flat before we get home if we spend all day rainbow labeling the ways my parents have fucked me up.”

You chuckled at his comment, though you felt a little bad for doing so. The self-deprecating jab he made was probably supposed to be funny, but it was probably masking more true feelings of hurt than anything else. Maybe you were thinking too hard about it.

“Alright, King Steve. 2 more minutes, and we’ll go to the register.” You stuck a tongue out and turned away from him, walking a few steps further down the aisle, not seeing the pout on Steve’s lips at the nickname he hated so much.

The nickname he hated hearing from you.

The nickname that showed how you thought of him.

___________

After a successful shopping trip, you were back in Steve’s bedroom together, all of his new supplies spread out across the bedding. You were slowly working through his decrepit folders and putting his papers into the 3 ring binders. Each was labeled and filled with the plastic dividers you had grabbed.

Steve had turned on a radio in his room and it was on the same station that was playing in the car earlier. He danced around the open space of his room somewhat lazily, eating from the bag of chips as he rocked between his two feet.

“Glad to be doing all the work for you Harrington.” You commented, standing up from where you had been bent over the side of his bed.

“Oh come on, we’ve been at this for like an hour. It’s time for a fun break, before I lose my mind and pull all my hair out.”

You feigned a gasp, clasping your hands to your cheeks. “Your beautiful, perfect hair?! Do you really think you could handle being bald Steve?”

“Haha,” Steve retorted. “You’re so funny.”

“Fine, fine. If you need a break so badly, we can pop out back for a smoke. Then, straight back to work! You got it?” You pointed a finger at him accusingly.

Steve grinned and threw the chip bag on his bedside table, clapping once. “God yes PLEASE.” He grabbed your hand suddenly and pulled you down his staircase and out of his back door, leading you to a gorgeous patio beside an inground pool.

“Holy shit, you really do have a nice place here, Harrington.” You mused, pulling the cigarette and lighter out of your backpack, which you had just  barely managed to grab in Steve’s feverishly fast movement.

Steve motioned for you to sit in some white lounge chairs, and you gladly took a seat. He took up the one next to you, watching as you lit the cigarette between your fingers. You took a deep breath, the nicotine hitting your system and sending a calm throughout your blood. That, or maybe, it was how close Steve was sitting beside you, his knee brushing up against you as he waited his turn.

No, that is stupid. It’s definitely the cigarette.

“Here.” You smiled softly, passing the smoke to Steve.

“Thanks,” He had punctuated the sentence with your name, and it slipped off his tongue so smoothly. Your heart skipped a beat at the way he said it, but that is something you would refuse to admit, even to yourself.

“So how’s uh.. Nancy?” You asked him nonchalantly, leaning back in the chair and staring up at the sky. The sun was slowly beginning to set, and pinkish hues were starting to intermingle with the blue atmosphere.

“Good. We recently been uh.. Having weekly dinner over at the Hollands’ place.” Steve said, blowing a cloud out.

“Oh, that’s Barb’s mom and dad right?” You turned your head slightly to him, squinting as some low sun rays hit your eyes. “The girl who went missing last year, right? She was Nancy’s friend?”

Steve nodded, not saying anything for a moment. He looked lost in thought, an unreadable emotion passing his face. Taking one more drag before passing the cigarette back to you, he sighed. “Yeah, they were really close. It's honestly a lot of pressure going there every week, but Barb wa-IS their only kid. I think Nancy and I showing up is one of the only things keeping them together.”

“That’s really sweet of you two. I can’t imagine how they feel about it, not knowing what happened to her..” You smoked a bit more before continuing. “Do you ever, you know, wonder what happened to her?”

Steve looked away from you, obstructing his face from view with his dark waves of hair. In a low mumble, he said, “Yeah.” The waver in his tone was odd, but you thought nothing of it. His girlfriend’s best friend was missing, probably dead, and you were prying.

“Sorry, sorry. Let’s move on.” You shook your head, handing him the cigarette. “You can finish this, okay?”

He takes it thankfully and finishes the last few puffs worth, flicking it to the ground and stomping it out. “Welp-” He clapped his hands once more as he stood up from his lounge chair. “Back to it then, hm?”

“You know it.” You stood beside him, and the two of you slowly made your way back upstairs, your backpack slung over one shoulder.

As you entered the bedroom, you noticed that Steve had left the radio on. Tell Her About It by Billy Joel had started moments ago, and by the look on his face, you could tell what he was about to say next.

“Oh I love this song!” Steve mused as he started pulling off his shoes.

You shook your head slightly. “You love every song on this station, don’t you Harrington?”

“Somebody doesn’t know how to relax, does she?” He rolled his eyes at you. “You know what, come here.”

What happened next caught you by surprise. Steve walked straight up to you, and pulled your backpack off, setting it against the edge of his bed. He grabbed your hand next and tugged you into the center of his room, and started swaying around. You were in shock, standing utterly still other than the hand Steve was holding onto, which was bouncing to his movement. He frowned at your lack of enthusiasm.

“You really need to learn to let loose, seriously.” Steve eyed you, and it felt like his brown eyes were reaping straight into your soul. His intent eye contact kept you locked in, distracting you from the devilish smirk on his lips.

Suddenly, your arm was lifted above your head and you were spun around. Once, twice, three times, before you stood still again. Your hair was a mess now, falling over the side of your face and covering an eye. You felt a large, calloused hand brush it away and tuck it behind your ear. Looking up at Steve’s goofy grin as your vision steadied itself, a boisterous laugh rang throughout the room. “See, that’s better. You’ve gotta learn to feel the music. That’s not something you can study in your anal retentive little binders and flashcards.”

“Whatever, Harrington.” You jeered, wiggling your hand out of his tight grasp. “I’m not the one at risk of repeating their senior year, Music Man.”

“Ouch,” Steve put a hand on his chest. “I really thought we were becoming friendly. I see that I was mistaken.” The sarcasm in his tone dripped like a viscous honey, and you almost couldn’t help yourself when a laugh slipped from you.

“Oh, no not at all. In fact I really hate you Steve.” You quipped. “I’ve got a secret plot to get close to you and help you graduate so that you get into a college far far away and I never see you again. That’s why I’m putting in all this effort to help you out. Because I don’t like you.”

“I knew it!” He cried out dramatically, falling to his knees. “It was all a lie, I knew we couldn’t possibly need that many plastic dividers, it was a secret method of torture.”

“Alright Steve, alright. We seriously should get back to work now oka-” Your words ceased and your ears perked up as the song on the radio changed to one that you absolutely adored. Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen.

“You love this song, don’t you?” Steve poked your shoulder as he stood back up. He shook his shoulders a little, and swayed his hips, attempting to coax you into a dance. This time, you oblige, and you slowly begin to rock your body to the beat of the song.

You had danced to this song countless times in the safety - and more importantly privacy - of your own home, but you were never one to dance in front of others. So the slow movements weren’t from the pacing of the song, but your nervousness to be seen dancing.

“Loosen up, it’s like watching a scarecrow try to move with the stick still up their ass.” Steve laughed.

“Hey, be nice or I won’t help you actually study ever, Steve.” You warned him. “I don’t usually dance around other people. It's weird for me.”

“Not for me. What, do you think I’m going to go to school on Monday and tell everyone that you’re a horrible dancer? Not exactly my plan.”

“Whatever.” You flicked your hand at him, before taking a deep breath. You allowed yourself to move a little smoother now, shuffling your feet as you let your arms flow at your sides more freely. Steve beamed at you with his pearly whites, copying your little dance moves.

“Okay, maybe you’re not terrible.” He chuckled, before spinning himself around and jumping in place. “You just don’t know how to have fun.”

“I do too! I just don’t consider… more traditional things to be fun.”

“You know what? You’re going to teach me to study and be responsible, but I’m going to teach you to have a little more joy in your life.” Steve stopped moving now, walking over to his table and taking a sip of his drink. He turned the volume of the radio down a bit, before walking to his bed and sitting on the edge. “Let’s get this done so I can put it all away. It’s getting late and I don’t want you to miss dinner at your house or anything like that.”

“That’s the first thing you’ve said today that’s convinced me that you have a brain somewhere under all that hair, Harrington.” You responded, sitting beside him.

About 15 minutes passed, and with Steve actually putting in some effort to assist you, the task actually got finished. The two of you sat proudly besides a neatly stacked pile of binders, colorful and well-labeled.

“That took so longggg.” Steve huffed, throwing himself backwards into his bed.

“It wasn’t THAT bad Steve. It’s like, just 5 o’clock now.”

“Wrong. It’s actually closer to 6.” He said, pointing at the clock on his wall. Your eyes followed his finger and you read the time. 5:47. You groaned, smacking your forehead. 

“My mom asked me to be back home at 5:30 for dinner. She’s going to be worrying about me!”

“Pack your stuff up, I’ll drive you home. Just tell her it was my fault, okay?” Steve said, standing up and pulling his shoes back on.

“I mean, it was a little bit. You just had to have an unplanned dance party.” You retorted, getting your belongings into your backpack and checking that your shoes were tied. “But that I won’t mention.”

“Whatever you say.” He grabbed his car keys and swung them around his finger a few times, causing the metal to jingle as it hit into itself.

And with that, down the stairs you went, following closely behind Steve. He held his front door open for you as you walked out, before locking it behind him. He stood beside you on the passenger side of the car, before asking, “Want me to open the door for you like a gentleman, or can you do it yourself, big girl?”

“Again, I am a big girl, but just do it if you’re so damn insistent.” You teased back, allowing him to open the door for you. You climbed in, and he shut the door as you fastened your seat belt and positioned your backpack comfortably in your lap.

Steve entered his side of the car, going through the same motions before turning the key in the ignition and letting his car roar to life. He backed down his driveway carefully, head turned around and hand planted firmly on the back of your headrest. You could practically smell the cologne on his wrist, before he moved his hand back to the wheel and began driving down the road.

It wasn’t a long drive before you reached your house. You made sure to point out all the right turns to Steve, and he somehow managed to almost miss one, even with how small the town was. But you managed to make it home alive and unscathed, no thanks to Steve’s driving.

“This is the one.” You pointed Steve to the right house, and he pulled into the rocky driveway. The faded yellow paint of the house had a slight glow in the low light of the setting sun, and you could see the porch light was on. “My mom is waiting for me, I’ve gotta go.”

You fumbled with the buckle of your seat belt, releasing it after a slight struggle. You went to open your door, and your backpack managed to slip from your lap and hit the ground as you pushed the metal away from yourself. “Shit.” You groaned, looking down at your feet. Somehow, you had left your backpack partially open, enough for some of your things to spill out in the pebbles.

“You okay?” Steve asked, craning his neck to see what had happened. He twisted his keys and pulled them out of the ignition, before walking around the car. He leaned down beside you and helped you gather your things.

His hand brushed yours as you had reached for the same pencil case, and you pulled it away quickly. Steve picked it up, holding it close to his face as he blew some dirt off the bottom, before handing it to you. “You’re clumsy, hm?”

“I’m not.” You huffed, snatching the case from him and shoving it into your bag. “Thank you. Thank you for the ride, Steve.”

“Honey? Is that you?” A familiar voice called. It was your mother, who had walked out onto the porch when she noticed the unfamiliar car in the driveway. The sudden noise causes you to pop up from your squat rather quickly, and for Steve, it had the same effect. The two of you moved so fast, your heads smacked into each other.

“Ouch-” You hissed, holding a hand to your forehead as you squinted your eyes. A dull pain radiated from where your skulls had unfortunately collided, and your lip began to swell where your teeth had bit down on the flesh.

“Ah, Jesus, sorry.” Steve whispered, leaning in close to check for blood. “Nothing seems to be bleeding, if that helps?”

“Really, fantastic.” You jeered. “Super helpful, Harrington.”

“Hey, it was an accident, clumsy.” He chuckled, a new nickname slipping off his tongue with such ease. One that you didn’t like much at all.

“Darling?” Your mom called out again.

“Ye-yeah Mom! It’s me! I’m sorry I’m late.” You responded, closing the car door behind you and trudging up the driveway; keeping your hand pressed to your forehead, sucking your teeth in hopes to distract from the painful feeling. The sound of rustling rocks behind you made you realize Steve had followed behind you, all the way up to the front porch.

“Hello, ma’am.” Steve smiled at your mother, extending a hand to her for a polite handshake. “I’m Steve Harrington, the person your daughter is helping study. I’m sorry for her being late, we had lost track of time because of me. And I promise, the head injury only happened a moment ago.”

His voice was sickeningly sweet, much like honey, as he spoke to your mother. His charming smile had won your mother over rather quickly, and she had sighed with relief.

“I was worried about her when she wasn’t home on time, but I’m glad you just got caught up in your lessons.” She gleaned at Steve. “And I saw you guys slam your heads into each other over there, I do hope you’re alright.. Do you need to come in and have me take a look at that?”

“Oh, not at all ma’am. I’m alright, really. But thank you.” Steve shook his head. “Again, I’m so sorry for getting her home late, I didn’t know she had a curfew to be at home. We were going to work some more on Monday, and if it’s alright with you, I’d like to bring her back a little closer to 7. I’d make sure to feed her while she was over, I am just really desperate for her help. She’s a smart cookie, you know?”

You glared at him, and luckily your sour expression remained unseen by your mother, thanks to your hand blocking her direct view of your face. But he remained smiling, looking straight at your mom.

“Why, I think that would be quite alright, as long as you make sure she eats. She really is a bright girl. I’m glad she’s using her talents to help someone out.” Your mother mused.

“Mooom-” You whined, but she interrupted you before you could continue.

“Would you like to come in for dinner, Steve?”

“Oh, I can’t today, I’m sorry. Perhaps another time, I’ll take you up on your offer.” He stood there, rocking back and forth on his feet.

“Well, that’s too bad.” Your mother frowned, before turning to you. “I’ll see you inside honey. I’ll get your plate set for you.”

“Thanks mom, I’ll be right there.”

And with that, your mother went back inside, the screen door creaking as it shut.

“So I’m staying at your house until 7 on Monday??” You turned to Steve and swatted his shoulder.

“Hey, hey. I don’t plan on keeping you that late, but I’d rather your mom be pleasantly surprised when you show up early instead of worrying about you when you’re late.” Steve threw his hands up, nonchalantly.

“Whatever, Harrington. Thanks for the ride. I’ll see you on Monday, then.” You huffed.

“See you on Monday!” He said. “Have a good weekend, clumsy.”

“I’m not clumsy!” You called after Steve as he sauntered back to his car. He didn’t turn back to look at you, giving you a simple over-the-shoulder wave.

“Damn you, Steve.” You muttered under your breath as you opened your front door and walked into your house. “Damn you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

taglist; @bakugouswh0r3

comment if you would like to join the taglist!! xx

[lipid]

Student Council RADIO STATION WAVE! volume 4 samples!

Bonus: Lelouch talking with Suzaku while exercising~

[leakywright]

{ JONATHAN DAVISS, 21, CISMALE, HE/HIM } Is that MALIK ‘LEAKY’ WRIGHT? A SENIOR originally from CLEVELAND, MS, they decided to come to Ogden College to study ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES on a ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP. They’re THE TRUSTY SIDEKICK on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance.

been traveling these wide roads for so long...

NAME: malik ‘leaky’ andre wright NICKNAME: leaky, leaks, wright BIRTHDAY: october 16, 2002 ZODIAC: libra sun, sagittarius moon, virgo rising SEXUALITY: bisexual RELIGION: practicing christian (baptist) THREE POSITIVE TRAITS: generous, adaptable, playful THREE NEGATIVE TRAITS: flaky, scatterbrained, cheap THREE SKILLS: trained mechanic, jazz piano, math ENNEAGRAM: 2w1 MYERS-BRIGGS: istp EXTRACURRICULARS: varsity football team: tight-end. vp of recruitment pike, sports show host for student radio station, undergraduate student council.

AESTHETIC: gold rings, early morning runs, sunsets on the river, front porch sweet-tea, tailgating, kisses from grandma, cheers on top of tables, high fives, cheesy grins for photos, BeReal

CHARACTER INSPO: teddy flood (westworld), peeta mellark (the hunger games), matt seracen (friday night lights), pop tate (riverdale), charlie young (the west wing), sam obisanya (ted lasso), gregory (abbott elementary)

LIKES: making playlist, late night jams, fresh sunday mornings, making people laugh, warm summer sun, the changing of leaves, soft blankets, historical fiction, holidays DISLIKES: the past, winter, unsweetened tea, ripped jeans, cold weather, people talking during movies, doing the dishes

FAVORITE MOVIES/TV: ted lasso, friday night lights, new girl, atlanta, teen wolf, outer banks, nope, knives out, do the right thing, waves, if beale street could talk, abbott elementary FAVORITE BOOKS: the vanishing half, seven days in june, the hunger games, harry potter series, possessing the secret of joy, the fire next time FAVORITE ARTISTS: b.b. king, leon bridges, tank and the bangas, lizzo, zach bryan, lawrence, j. cole, abraham alexander, tierra whack

FAMILY: mother - adelaide wright (naomie harris) father - andre wright (omar sy) younger sister - haven wright (marsai martin) younger brother - amai wright (danny boyd jr)

pinterest here, playlist here

MOMMA’S WORDS REOCCUR TO ME:  

growing up in cleveland mississippi meant that leaky had access to the only grammy museum outside of la. but really it meant that leaky grew up with humble beginnings, in a one story house that was full of love, laughter, and inspiration. andre and adelaide wright had been high school sweethearts, with andre giving up his dreams of being a full-time musician when they found out adelaide was pregnant, to then instead be the town mechanic. she was a nurse, he a mechanic during the days and blues musician at night, and though life was hectic. it was good.

leaky was taught all the necessities by his father, piano, bass, basic mechanic skills. he wanted his son to be well-rounded and thrive in the world. to build him up. and, like every southern town, high school football became the heart of the wright household. and early on they discovered that leaky was talented. he was good, he had promise for the future. and that he had.

so between practices, gardening, picking on his younger siblings, jamming with his father, and everything else in between, leaky looked at the future with hope, with optimism. and it seemed promising.

junior year of high school, leaky committed to alabama for football, full-ride, tight-end. play time wasn’t promised for him as a freshman, but nick saban personally mentioned his name for future championships. and to make everything better, his best friend jackson and girlfriend iona were accepted their senior year. they had plans to make tuscaloosa their home.

SURRENDER TO THE GOOD LORD: (tw death)

his freshman year was exciting, and a bit overwhelming. the golden boy of the town lost his way, getting caught up in the culture of college and partying. jackson, iona, and him were having the time of their life. and sure leaky wasn’t playing as much as he wanted, but it was enough for the time being.

and then tragedy struck, beginning of second semester of his freshman year, the three of them had been out one night, leaky felt he was on top of the world. but soon it fell into darkness, he remembered sliding into the backseat of the car, pressing a sloppy kiss to iona’s neck, and the next thing he was waking up in the hospital receiving the worst news of his life. jackson and iona were dead.

and then things continued downhill, ogden had attempted to recruit leaky as well, and reached out with a new offer. full playing time, full ride, and a fresh start. leaky couldn’t turn it down. it might be kissing his chance of the nfl behind, but he couldn’t turn down the stellar education ogden was offering him.

so after finishing his freshman year, leaky moved to portsmouth, summer training and all, began his life at ogden, this time taking a side role in his life. no longer the big fish in a small pond like his life in mississippi, he found his place easily. but he doesn’t talk about his freshman year, he doesn’t visit home, and though he seems to be a vibrant and stellar young man, he holds his cards close to his chest.

AND HE’LL WIPE YOUR SLATE CLEAN:  

leaky is enjoying ogden, two years in he’s making friends, a star player, doing what he can. and yet there’s a nagging guilt, of not going home when he knows his family misses him, of not visiting iona and jackson’s families, of moving on. but he can’t face it, not yet. maybe one day he’ll be able to return home.

in fact that was the original plan, after his education, to return to cleveland and continue to build up his beloved city. like his father, leaky let’s his passions stay that way, it’s easier to keep the creativity without the pressure of it all. and instead he chose environmental science, something he hopes to be an asset for his community. leaky grew up gardening with his mother, and shares a deep love for the environment, and figures this is the best way to move forward.

GREER:

the two were casual friends. he’d see her at parties, and at school events. it’s hard not to notice the golden girl, especially with how visual leaky is on campus, always involved with an event or being seen in the advertising for the school. they got along fine, having friendships that crossed-over. he never knew her really well, but he respected her enough and enjoyed her presence. whenever she needed help or had a favor, leaky was more than ready to aid a hand. though it never seemed the two got below a surface-level friendship (to those who witnessed them anyway).

THE TRUSTY SIDEKICK:  

you need a wingman? leaky is your guy. he’s charming and pleasant and can talk anyone up. need a favor? leaky is there easily fulfilling it as if it’s nothing to him. the guy is a confidant, a hype-man, a volunteer, he can transform himself into whatever you need and it never seems to bother him. and despite being a gifted football player, and smart guy, and seemingly everywhere on campus, he doesn’t steal the spotlight. he’s not the one you think of when you think of ogden, he lets others take the popularity, the jealous looks, the whispers. despite always being there, you might sometimes overlook him, maybe because he’s always there. but he seems to be a good guy, always offering a kind smile and nod of his head on campus, willing to help tutor you in math, and then lets you have all the glory when you ace the test. it almost seems like leaky is making himself out to be the pedestal that everyone sits on. the support that uplifts the hero, and yet still disappears in the crowd, never seeking glory for himself.

extra:

previous tasks found here

he’s always wearing a jacket because he can’t stand the cold 

he wears a gold chain that was given to him by iona, he never takes it off

junior year recap:

found a note/torn out paper seemingly about greer during the haunted house

got drunk for the first time in years at the new year's party - holds guilt for penny ending up dead

found a bloody glove when looking for firewood

g told him to find penny's file in the dean's office

broke in with link and took a picture of it - haven't told anyone else

g put nova and leaky together before the rave and gave nova hints about leaky

surprisingly didn't sustain any injuries during the fire

logan confronted him afterward about the text she received about him

stayed in town for the summer to work at a farm and garden, left a few times to visit sassa

[ufohio]

Welcome to the University of Flight in Ohio (UFO)

Congratulations, future pilot. You've just been accepted into one of the most prestigious schools of flight in the country—and as if that wasn't enough, our 100-year-old institution is also known as the most thrilling, original, and experimental program in aerospace aviation and rocket power today. 

At the University of Flight in Ohio (UFO), you will have access to the best philosophers and flight instructors in the field, and you'll be able to graduate into some of the most lucrative flight contracts around—from special certifications with the U.S. government to any number of aerial licenses and/or in-demand rocket career paths. The best companies in flight and rocketry always prefer to hire from UFO.

"After all," says noted business magnate and spacecraft enthusiast Howard Hughes II, "a UFO graduate is not merely a gifted pilot, talented radar operator, or whip-smart engineer—they're also visionaries, explorers, and the inventors of American dreams."

For brave explorers who feel at home in the clouds or among the stars… 

UFO offers its students the very best in flight instruction, orbital hours, engineering, and philosophy, putting its students years ahead of other schools. Courses at UFO may be supplemented with core classes and electives offered at the local Armstrong State Community College. 

The following are just a sample* of the exciting classes and topics our students can explore…

Fall Semester Aviation Literacy and Fundamentals  Introduction to Plane Geometry Introduction to Air Laws Meteorology I: Earth Science Aerial Composition & Rhetoric (Sky Writing Certification) Instrumental Navigation & Avionics 101

Spring Semester Rocket Science 101 Introduction to Commercial Rockets Second-Wave Venusianism Meteorology II: Mercury through Pluto Meteorology III: Actual Meteorics Gravity Fields Forever: Orbital Mechanics in the 22nd Century

Winter, Spring, and Summer Break Programs:

Asteroid Belt Basic Training Course—This intensive two-week winter course will drill you on the navigational challenges of manually piloting the inner asteroid belt in both automatic transmission and stick. 

Terraforming Basics: Growing Roddenberries in Zero Gravity—Cohosted by the National  √4-H Council, this one-week Spring Break program will teach you the basics of space agriculture aboard the Historic International Space Station (HISS). 

Mercury Retrograde Field School—Mercury's scorching climate provides the perfect backdrop for logging high-heat rocket hours while also completing field research on the planet's unique radio signal interference in this four-week academic summer program. 

 

*This is by no means an exhaustive list, and UFO course selections and offerings are updated each semester.

SNEAK A PEEK AT ONE OF FOUR SUGGESTED STORYLINES FOR UFO-ALIGNED CHARACTERS...

David, Goliath, and the OFU... UFO has been rivals with Oklahoma Flight University (OFU) since before cars had wings. And recently, OFU has taken the rivalry up a notch by stealing UFO’s talented flight instructors away from them! Now OFU is poised to win all their famous aerial and astro competitions, like sky polo or the end-of-the-year ring race around Saturn. Without their beloved trophies—for synchronized skydiving, asteroid hurdles, the long hyperjump, the cloudathon, and more—how will UFOs ever fly high again?

[y-jw1]

things left unsaid

pairing. yang jungwon × reader

genre. fluff & angst if you squint

word count. 1.9k

synopsis. who knew taking apart of an annual school event could lead you to a silly, cheesy boy who loves you?

now playing. enhypen, " just a little bit"

note. this story idea was stuck for months ever since i thought of it </3 writing this was fun though it became rushed during the last parts and i always see jungwon as the character for this one ! have a great day ahead, everyone ! <3

THINGS LEFT UNSAID ─ COME SUBMIT YOUR THOUGHTS !

read the poster hung on the wall outside the broadcasting room. jungwon and the other members of the council cheered, admiring their hardwork for the making of the poster and of course, their efforts done to make this event successful.

things left unsaid is an event held annually by the school, aiming for students to have fun anonymously (or not, depends on you) and add a twist in confessing their feelings for a certain someone they like or even love, rant about their workload or their one-sided crush, submit their thoughts about topics, or request a song ─ anything is welcome! (some even give feedbacks about teachers ─ math teacher always get the worse feedbacks)

then there comes in the dj. the dj is the one to read out to the school the entries of numerous students ─ and even make his own. just like a radio station, they broadcast the entries and the speakers around the school blares their voice for everyone to hear.

jungwon was the dj for this year’s event. honestly, he didn’t want to be the dj at all. he felt like he wasn’t entertaining enough nor was his voice soothing to listen to yet in the game of rock, paper, scissors did he lose against the other members.

“ goodluck, won! we’ll be cheering for you tomorrow and bring you snacks” sunoo bids as you and the other members exit the school. it was dark outside already as the whole council decided to arrange everything for tomorrow’s first broadcast.

“ yeah, i know you’re not gonna let us down, jungwon” you say, flashing him a smile. the others join in agreeing and hums, making jungwon chuckle shyly as a brush of pink litter his cheeks.

“ thanks. i’ll do my best for the sake of our reputation” jungwon says as he bids the others goodbye, leaving the both of you outside the school’s gate. it was fortunate enough you and jungwon went on the same direction or it would be dangerous for you to walk alone at night without anyone.

it wasn’t that you and jungwon were really close friends. you could say you were friends since you both were working in broadcasting for two years so casually, jungwon would know you, and you would know him.

“ no pressure, won. you won for a reason” you tease, nudging him by the elbow and he jokingly shows a face of dismay. the both of you chuckle and a comfortable silence falls between you both as you waited for the bus.

“ dj one in the house!” riki hollers loudly through the corridors, making you turn your head towards the direction of his voice. there the tall boy was, walking towards the broadcasting room with his arm slung on jungwon’s shoulder. you greet them both a good morning to where riki replies with a ‘yo!’ and jungwon waving at you and muttering a little greeting too.

“ here, dj one. these are some snacks for your one hour shift today and some entries accumulated” you say, handing a paper bag and an ipad. riki was gone already, probably going somewhere to play, making you snicker and mumble an ‘aye, they left me alone to instruct’ under your breath.

“ oh, i’m okay already. i’ll get a hang of this” jungwon quickly says in the middle of you fiddling through the laptop and adjusting the settings. you figured he must’ve felt guilty but you shake your head and flash him a reassuring smile.

“ i was just joking, won! don’t sweat about it. anyways, it’s almost 9.30 so i’ll get going. goodluck for your first day, dj one! i’ll be back later to accompany you” you cheer, pumping you fists in the air before picking up your bag. jungwon looks up at you, smiling softly and nodding his head.

“ thank you!”

“ hey, dj one! you’re early today” you greet the boy, peeking your head through the door of the broadcasting room. he turns towards you, nodding his head and setting the headphones down.

a week in and jungwon was doing great as a dj for the event. the amount of positive feedbacks for dj one was relieving, making you proud for the said boy for doing such an excellent job despite him not aiming for the position.

“ i woke up early today so i thought i should set things up”

“ hey, that’s my job”

he laughs, patting the chair beside him, gesturing for you to sit beside him. in between the days you teamed up with jungwon, you both had gotten pretty close quickly. what can you say, though, jungwon was a fun person to be with.

“ want to stay here for today’s broadcast?” jungwon offers out of the blue, making you turn your head towards him, your eyes peering against his. he shrugs his shoulders at the lack of reply after a few seconds, scrolling through some entries.

“ sure, dj one. show me what you got” you challenge, making jungwon smirk and smugly brushed his school blazer before putting on headphones and starting the broadcast.

watching jungwon for things left unsaid was far better than just listening to him in your classroom or at the cafeteria. you would glance at him from time to time, maybe to stop and stare for a few seconds, before turning back to the ipad placed in front of you two. somehow, you loved jungwon’s company more than anyone else’s this past few weeks.

and jungwon knew you your little glances and stares. it made him nervous ─ you make him nervous, no matter what. not just because of his feelings but also because he didn’t want to let you down.

“ dj one, i have feelings for someone. he’s my friend for long already and i want to confess to him but i’m scared he’ll reject me. i know being a coward wouldn’t take you anywhere but i don’t want him to slip away from me, dj one. this entry is from student ri” jungwon reads an entry out loud and you were so sure the students were all cooing at such confession, even you did.

“ love is about taking risks, you know? how’d you know if he does like you or he doesn’t if you don’t find out yourself? getting rejected is fine, everyone. if you do get rejected, there is another person for you ─ and that person will be worth the wait, that person will make you feel more than you do now.”

“ so if any of you have feelings for someone, confess now. let’s not waste this chance and whether the outcome is good or bad, we should face it. love is ‘bout everything and love is about grabbing the chances to make someone yours” jungwon’s stare pierced through your own, his gaze deep and full of feelings you couldn’t decipher ─ your heartbeat pounds against your ears, deafening you, making you fear jungwon would hear it too.

is this what they call ‘catching feelings’?

yes, it was, and you never wanted to disappear faster than that day.

it had been two weeks already, signifying the end of things left unsaid event. today was the last day, making you a little sad. this event made you the happiest you’ve ever been throughout the school year, making you realize things and find new friends.

and especially your crush, jungwon.

it was hard to supress your feelings, especially when you see jungwon almost everyday for the event. and, also because he was such a sweetheart. you knew he was out of reach ─ jungwon was one of the well-known students. he was smart, he knows taekwondo, and he was pretty. it wouldn’t be a surprise if everyone had a little crush on him.

“ hey, dj one” you greet as the boy enters the broadcasting room. he smiles softly, waving at you before taking a seat on his place. you hand him the ipad, flinching a little when your hands brush against each other’s.

“ today’s the last day for things left unsaid and even if i said i didn’t want the position, i enjoyed it” jungwon suddenly says, making you turn your head towards him. jungwon held that smile of his, dimples showing and his eyes littered star-like glitter on them.

“ you did so well for the event, though. without you, this would be a flop”

“ i did well because of you, okay? without you, i wouldn’t know what to do” he says before reaching out to adjust his headphones and reading through the entries as you just stood there, cheeks a brush of pink and your lips pursed together.

as jungwon reads the last entry before closing, everybody seems to be listening to him speak. some students were just inside their classrooms while some went outside, leaning against the railings outside or either just walking around. you were one of them, letting the cool air kiss your face as you listened to dj one.

“ being this year’s things left unsaid’s dj is a one of a kind experience. as the dj who reads through entries, i had learn different things and i hope everyone had at least learned one thing because of this. i would be so happy if something’s had changed because of the lessons you had learned from this event” jungwon says over the mic, sighing happily with a tinge of sadness. truly, he enjoyed being the dj. without your and the members’ help, he wouldn’t be able to do well.

“ and for my closing, i’ll be passing my own entry for things left unsaid” he says, and everybody’s interest spiked up, wondering what jungwon has to say. some had bet he’d say some inspirational quote or saying, riki said he’s going to make a diss rap for their general biology teacher, and some said he’s going to confess to someone.

“ reading love confessions and entries about those were so fun to see. everyday, i would read alot of them and today, i will be confessing mine to the person i admired for long”

you raise your eyebrows, patiently waiting for the lucky person he’s going to confess to. you figured maybe he’d confess to someone in his class, or maybe a friend of his ─ and you had to move on from your feelings soon if he confesses today.

“ hi,” jungwon calls out, followed by your name, making everyone gasp and the people around you turn to your form. somehow, you still listen to jungwon’s words even if riki was there to scream in your ear about jungwon’s feelings for you.

“ i knew it! jungwon loverboy like you ─ “

“ before we got close, you were only a person i admired ─ nothing more and nothing less. i figured i shouldn’t like you without even knowing you and meeting you now for things left unsaid made me feel so happy i get a chance to talk to you,”

“ we became close pretty quickly, right? you were there to cheer for me during the first day and because of that, my nervousness had faded away. you’re one of a kind, you know? that’s why i like you and that’s why i want to court you. no matter how long it takes, i’ll be patiently waiting for an answer. even if you reject me right now, it’s fine because that’s how it works. i like you, and that’s that. i hope you also feel the same way and i promise, i’ll always be here for you too”

for the first time in your life, you had never ran that fast to the broadcasting room.

─ things left unsaid, signing off.

[strawbrrysun287]

Office Chaos #1

Hi everyone!! Recently I got into writing again and decided to cross post on here and AO3! If you take the chance to read it I hope you enjoy it <3 This will be part of a series of one shots! Happy Reading <3<3<3

If there was one thing Seokjin could safely say, it was that he was a confident gay. He would always throw a wink or a kiss to baristas, those who held the door open for him, or just anyone within the distance of him if he was feeling particularly playful.

That being said he was also openly gay. In no way shape or form was he afraid or worried about showing the person he truly was. Be it soft pink off-the-shoulder sweaters, a pair of heeled boots that made his bum look like it was carved by the gods (fun fact: it was), or even a black shirt with pastel lettering literally saying (I’m Gay, Suck It).

This was amazing for his social and love life because there was no confusion platonically or sexually. However, a certain middle-aged squat ugly fuckwad who was too dense to realize sooner Seokjin’s sexuality despite all the signs decided to fire him solely for Seokjin giving a customer, a fellow gay, his number.

In his defense, the customer was cute, was hitting on him, and was even interested and gave his own number to Seokjin as well. So all in all, who could blame Seokjin? He was young, horny, and single.

But back to the original issue. He was fired for being himself which led him to where he is now. Walking down the busy streets of Seoul heading to some gaming design company for an interview as a personal assistant to the CEO. It was a major jump from a barista to PA but he had experience… in high school, he was student council president, led three clubs, and even fixed their student budget so that way they could throw a fun concert/overnight party for the graduates.. Okay, maybe that one was a little selfish. It was still experience though! College didn’t exactly go as planned but he still was involved in the radio station and another club… although he couldn’t for the life of him remember what the club was about.

As he arrived in front of the building he could feel his heart beating against his rib cage just the tiniest bit more. He was confident though, he could do this. It would be a breeze. Throw a wink or kiss at whoever was interviewing him, talk about his experience, talk up himself and his abilities, then leave with the job and start the following Monday.

Walking inside of the building left him just the slightest breathless. Fuck. Who designed this building? Who PAID for the building? Or the interior decorating? As he tried calculating it in his head he vaguely heard someone clearing their throat but didn’t pay it any attention. After a few more minutes he finally snapped out of his calculations when the throat-clearing wouldn’t stop. He was two seconds from shoving a glass of water down the person’s throat only to look around and realize the throat-clearing had been directed at him.

With a guilty smile flashed towards the main receptionist, Seokjin finally made his way up to the desk gripping the strap of his bag even tighter.

“Kim Seokjin? I’m here for an interview with a Mr. Kim? For his personal assistant?” Despite the flash of nervousness when he was caught staring into space he quickly put the confident smile back on. The receptionist seemed less than pleased though.

“Elevator down the hall to the right. Floor 35. Park Jimin will help you from there. Try not to stare off into space again, yes?” With a sinister smirk, the lady lifted her hand just to point down the hallway and Seokjin took that as a dismissal which is exactly what it was. It didn’t stop him from mumbling down the hallway the whole time though.

“Honestly? With that kind of attitude, it’s amazing someone hasn’t dumped their coffee over her by… accident... “ Once inside the elevator he hit the button for the 35th floor and listened to the boring music as the numbers flashed above the elevator doors showing what floor it just passed. Once the doors opened for the 35th floor he took a deep breath and stepped out.

Immediately he noticed an adorable guy, younger than him with bubblegum pink hair and the cutest smile when his eyes crinkled. Okay, maybe this place wasn’t all bad. That was until he heard a deep voice shouting, seemingly the pink-haired man’s name if the way his head snapped over was any indication, and then there was a body colliding with his sending him straight to the floor with the other man on top of him.

“Kim Taehyung!! You need to watch where you are going!!” Pink-haired guy’s voice rang out. Seokjin wouldn’t be surprised if the entire floor didn’t hear the shrill yell. Which seemed plausible as there were four other heads that poked out from different rooms like little peeping parrots. Well, this was turning out to be quite the impression to leave on the people he would hopefully soon be working with.

“Sorry, Jiminie! But!! We got the house! I just got the email and we can close on the house today but we have to be there within the next hour!”

“Taehyung I swear on Yoongi’s new laptop th-”

“Don’t be swearing on my things Park Jimin! I will skin you alive!!” A voice seemingly coming from nowhere yelled in offense.

“... that you better be telling the truth or else I will make you sleep our on the balcony for the rest of the week.”

“It’s real. Like really real. The realest real you can really real kind of real! But we have to GO. NOW!”

“Okay okay! Fuck. I gu-.. Oh… Hello there. I uh… kinda forgot you got thrown to the ground in the process. I hope you aren’t injured? No injuries right? Taehyung can’t afford to be sued we are closing on a house today. Uh… if I make Namjoon Hyung give you the job would you be willing to forget this entire mess? He still owes me because of that ridiculous picture I took of him a few weeks ago when he decided to get shit-faced.”

It was official. Seokjin clearly hit his head too hard on the floor and now he was in some kind of dream drama. Shouldn’t the drama involve some super hot guy? A best friend who has his own issues but they support each other no matter what? What about the chaotic couple who he questions how they are still alive? Well… he might have found the chaotic couple. But that didn’t mean anything else. Once he realized he was being spoken to he had to blink a couple of times in order to clear his head and only vaguely caught the end.

“You… you would force your boss to give me the job just so I don’t sue the guy who knocked my ass to the ground? What if I tell you I wasn’t planning on suing him anyway? Although it did kind of hurt but if you could still get your boss to give me the job that would be fantastic and I would kiss the floor you walk on because this job is desperately needed and I’m too handsome to be walking from building to building begging for a job.”

Finally getting up from the ground he rubbed the back of his head where it hit the floor before fixing the wrinkles in his shirt. As he finished getting straightened (HA) out again another deep voice that was almost addicting echoed from down the hall along with heavy footsteps and deep down Seokjin just KNEW that the person coming towards him was the big boss. AKA the one who would hopefully be signing his checks if he got the job. Before he could utter a single word bubblegum hair spoke up again.

“Namjoon Hyung! This is Kim Seokjin, your new personal assistant. Long story short, Me and Tae got the house but in his excitement he kind of barreled into your new assistant here and sent him hurtling towards the floor, and because I’m a good honest person I told him I would assure him the job.”

Namjoon stared at bubblegum hair, Jimin?? In what seemed like absolute boredom like this was a daily occurrence. Well then again, it might be. Things were already more than a little chaotic but chaos is where Jin thrived.

“Jimin. You can’t just give people jobs because Taehyung knocked them down. You have so far given away a car, an apartment, a date, a fashion shopping spree, and part of your investment in the company which I was thankfully able to get back all because Tae didn’t watch where he was going. You know, apologizing in a HEARTFELT way will do the job nine out of ten times.”

“Okay you may speak some facts but I already gave the job to Seokjin and I already read over his resume. He seems like he can tolerate you well enough and you need an assistant to start ASAP because Tae and I have to go sign for the house okay hyung? Make sure you show him the ropes and don’t fuck it up! Bye!!”

With that Seokjin and Namjoon stared as Jimin dragged Taehyung along into the elevator with a cheeky smile and flirty wave before the elevator doors closed on the image that left the pair sputtering.

“Well… I guess they won’t be back till tomorrow afternoon. At least all my morning meetings are finished so I shouldn’t have to worry too much. Ah. Kim Seokjin-sii I apologize for the uh..”

“Chaos?” Jin supplied with a cheeky grin of his own.

“I suppose that is the best possible term for what happens on the 35th floor. Since Jimin already gave you the job I am in no way able to deny it and if I’m being honest I am in desperate need of an assistant as all my paperwork is piling up and I’m not sure where the mailroom is or where the place I normally get coffee from is and the coffee here is made by my director of media and he makes it as black as his soul is what he says at least and no amount of sugar makes it any better.”

And that’s when it happened. When Jin went from being the confident flirty gay to the shy flustered panicked gay that he always read about in stories. Namjoon smiled and he had dimples. Fucking dimples. There was no way the man standing in front of him was real. Tall, handsome, successful, understanding, kind, big hands, muscled if the fabric fighting for its life stretched over Namjoon’s biceps and thighs were anything to go by, and he had fucking D I M P L E S. Who did this Kim Namjoon think he was? God? Actually, that may be true. It wasn’t until he realized he was about to suffocate did Seokjin exhale the air he was holding in before stuttering out a hasty reply.

“Assistant? Now? Like now now? Me? For you? Coffee? I’m good with coffee and with paperwork. Yeah. I can 100% do that for you, Mr. Kim. And there is no need for formalities you can just simply call me Jin as I will be working closely with you. With you. Closely. Working. Yeah. Now?”

Seokjin knew the second the last syllable left his mouth that he was an idiot. A certified idiot who shouldn’t be allowed to be the personal assistant for a business of Namjoon’s caliber but like hell, he was going to give up the opportunity to get to know the taller man and completely wow him. Fuck was he even gay? It didn’t even matter. He could figure that out later down the line but first…

“Just tell me where to sign Mr. Kim and we can begin our new… partnership as boss and assistant. I promise I’ll do everything to learn the ropes quickly to help make your life a little less hectic.”

“Namjoon is just fine Jin. Even though I’m your boss I like to keep a close relationship with those who work close with me. You will find everyone on this floor is on a first name basis and the chaos is real and alive everyday.” And there were those fucking dimples again.

Maybe Seokjin needed to send a gift basket to his homophobic ex-boss because this new adventure at Kim. Co was going to be fun.

Chaos and all.

[soranihimawari]

Coltrane & Classics

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𝚂𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚖𝚞𝚛𝚊 𝙳𝚊𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚒& 𝙾𝚗𝚘 𝙶𝚒𝚛𝚒

Welcome back to another wonderful tale added to the Ono-sama Adventures. This is the third installment of the Hinata Natsu & Neighbor!Ono-san story. Suffice to say this story does have it’s official pairing in the script above.

Ono-san is my [y/n-san]

Word count 3.3k

Taglist: @tkags & @m0nstergeneration20xx @smolbludandelions

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𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐞 & 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬

Daichi Sawamura understood a variety of things in life: being a good older brother, having a good head on his shoulders, building a strong foundation for his team, being a virtuous senpai, and how his crush asked him out for a cup of tea after they exchanged phone numbers.

“Ono-senpai asked you out?” Hinata asked his captain during the walk to the gym. They had been talking more recently since Hinata’s neighbor had come to observe their practices twice before with Natsu. 

“Mmhm,” Sawamura said, a fleeting smile dashed across the captain’s face. “She did. You know more about Ono, I’d figured I’d ask you for some advice?”

Hinata blinked at his senpai unprepared for how bashful the third year actually was. It seemed like the captain was a bit thrown out of his element because for the first time, someone who wasn’t Shizumi-san actually liked him. Not that Sawamura would ever admit to this, but he daydreams about the first time they met when Natsu brought her bubbles to their practice. 

The captain of the Karasuno VBC often refers to being called out by Tanaka & Noya for flirting whenever they were beginning practice once Sugawara or even Hinata was within earshot. Teasing their captain was a pastime up until their coach along with Takeda-sensei arranged a private practice with the Nekoma team. Natsu quickly ran off into the gym as soon as her babysitter for the day went into the dark room to retrieve her bento. Sawamura-san wasn’t expecting this visit by you nor did he anticipate how his crush deflected the Nekoma captain’s flirty calls by sticking up for his team. Upon further inspection, that day was the day Sawamura knew he was infatuated by Hinata’s neighbor (& part time pastry chef). 

“Alright, captain,” Hinata said with a genuine smile. “Ono’s family runs the cafe down the street from Ukai’s shop, but I think it’s in the opposite direction. Wait, why am I telling you this? Shouldn’t you just ask her yourself?”

At this Sawamura let out a nervous chuckle. “You’re right, I’ll just contact her later.”

They unzip their ebony jackets, readying themselves for another day of training.

_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

[11:22]

I sat in my  class during break with a sewing set on top of your desk. In my hands was a small crow plushie that needed some repairing (Natsu had asked me to make one for her to take to preschool for show & tell. Unfortunately during recess, the plushie suffered a minor tear on the swing set. The Hinatas’ mother called my mom over the weekend asking to mend the toy since Natsu claims that it’s her brother on official game days).

My phone laid atop my desk with the headphones attached playing my most recent playlist of classical jazz giants as a radio station. Currently, I was listening to ‘Funny Valentine,’ and was so immersed in my mini-project that I didn’t hear my class representative say there was a visitor outside. 

The captain of the volleyball team asked if he could come inside instead and when he made his way toward my seat, he crouched down to meet my focused gaze. The needle in my hands was about to rethreaded until I noticed my personal bubble was being shared; the music was paused and headphones were removed (I rolled the wires away neatly next to the sewing kit container). Others in my class began whispering amongst themselves either silently wishing to witness a mutual confession or even envied how their fellow classmate enraptured the volleyball club captain’s heart from the rumors swirling around the two of us.

“Oh hey Sawamura-san, everything ok?” I asked. On occasion, I give him some advice about reeling in the high caliber members of his team making his job a bit less stressful. At one point, when Hinata and Kageyama consistently bickering, I mentioned that even siblings need to fight in order to strengthen their ties (on and off the court).  However, when I finish my last blanket stitch before giving any attention to him, I place my hands near his.

“Yeah,” Sawamura replies. He scratches his cheek with his right hand, but as soon as he does so, he feels his left hand being held onto by my own hands. I wears a warm expression on my face.

“Alright then, seeing that we’re on the same page, I wanted to let you know the answer is yes.” My voice was like a melody to his ears; that smile of his could kill his opponents, yet I think even he had hit his limit. Crushes are hard to ignore in general, but seeing that we brought to each other a sense of tranquility in the interim did have its charm. Sawamura is momentarily paralized by my statement before he finds his center of gravity when he stands up; a blush forming beneath his sheepish grin. 

“I see.” 

“Come by after classes are over for today, ok?”

Sawamura squeezes my hand gently before letting it go. He nods, making his way toward the door; a celebratory smile of pride on his face. Right when Sawamura leaves, I am suddenly surrounded by a handful of classmates cooing at the suave way I had handled that exchange (only if they could hear how my heart was beating faster than I’d like to admit).

A couple of hours later, true to his word, Sawamura found his way back to my emptying classroom. I didn’t have cleaning duty today, however I did manage to complete amending Natsu’s little plush. 

“Ono, Sawamura’s here!” the class rep announced. My eyes shot the rep a surprised look before meeting them at the doorway.

“Himari-san, don’t you have to turn in some forms to the student council office?” I reminded her in a calm manner.

“Thank you for reminding me, Ono-chan,” Himari the class rep says clasping her hands on both her fellow third year shoulders. She pushed us out the threshold of the door with saying, “You two should go and enjoy your date!”

The door immediately shut behind us after she pushed me through causing Sawamura to catch me in a soft embrace before either of us could formulate a proper reply. 

“Well, that went well, don’t you?” Sawamura asks me before breaking into a mirthful laugh.  The sound of his laugh was what caused my own actions to finally snap into focus on my end as he moved to hold my hand. By the time we had arrived to the cafe and much to my surprise, there was a steady hum of conversations mixed in with the ambiance of an espresso machine grinding coffee beans and the automatic citrus juicer doing their jobs efficiently. My coworkers waved me down once Daichi and I found a table to set our belongings down.

“I’ll be right back,” I say to him. “The menu board is above the cake displays if you’re interested.”

It takes me only a few minutes to head toward my coworker’s station who was delighted to know I had brought a classmate.

“You were holding hands with your classmate,” he teases. “Did he confess first?”

“That’s none of your business Shiki-kun,” I reply sticking my tongue out at him in a ‘blep.’ “Besides, I wouldn’t it past Sawamura to set aside a lot of time since the volleyball club is advancing to more prefectural matches.”

“Bet you a week’s worth of macaroons he would set any amount of time for you,” Shiki nods back to the table after saying this. 

“You think so?” I ask before I leave not really wanting to know the answer right away.

That was first date Sawamura and I had at the cafe where all we kept things simple because we both wanted to pursue whatever this was.  The funny thing about being bitten by a love bug when you’re seventeen is that now everything we both saw was starting to be blurred with a hint of pastel hues of pink. 

__ 

I was cornered one afternoon a couple weeks after the “Nekoma incident” as my tea party host called it. We sat down in her backyard mini garden, our tea set scattered around us. Hinata was out doing an errand with the team while Hinata’s mother was heading out to the store for a couple of hours. Since I had came home early from classes that day, I volunteered to watch Natsu again. I told her the story of the first afternoon at the cafe with Sawamura. Her capricious nature was an endearing quality throughout this ‘tea’ party.

“I think he ~likes~ you,” Natsu’s tiny hands grasped her tea cup. I took a sip from my own cup with a thoughtful hum. I had brewed a kettle of a friendship tea blend I purchased with my share of the tips that week from the cafe.

“I hope he does Princess Natsu. After all, I’m considered like family to your brother thanks to all the tea parties we have together, little one.”

Natsu pushed her cheeks together with a lovely smile that could move mountains. Honestly, I thought Shoyo was exaggerating when he mentioned that his sister would not stop asking him if ‘Captain Daichi’ really loved me like how princes do in fairytales.

“OHMYGOSH!OHMYGOSH!OHMYGOSH!OHMYGOSH!”

--

[20XX//15:42// Tuesday]

I found myself walking side by side with Daichi retelling the story from earlier that weekend with Natsu. I explained things as she saw them and if in the eyes of Hinata Natsu, the prince and princess all wind up together (whether they are friends or lovers, she doesn’t mind because ‘everyone needs a friend’.)

“I like your laugh,” I tell him.  I shook my head while combing behind a few stray strands of my bangs behind an ear shortly there after.

“I like yours too,” he releases me from his hold. “C’mon, I’ll walk you home.” 

Sawamura led the way with me next to him one-hundred percent of the way eventually holding my hand out of it becoming one of our habitual contact at this point. Funnily enough, he tells me a story about a few rowdy members of the team right before we are face to face with the door to my place.

“I didn’t think I’d be receiving advice from either my vice-captain and Asahi,” he says. 

“But you did, didn’t you? C’mon, Daichi,” I say. “I get my love advice from my neighbor’s kid sister every once in a while too. She does give pretty sound advice. Sometimes I think Natsu-chan’s advice is more solid than Shiki’s at the cafe.“

“I guess you’re right,” Sawamura has this bashfully amused look on his face before he takes a deep breath. When he exhales his voice is more lighthearted than I thought it could get, yet here we are. “Would you like to go out to the autumnal lantern festival with me?“

I nod excitedly before I know it, I feel his lips come into contact with the right side of my face before he tells me he’d pick me up on Saturday at five.  

--

[20XX// 18:25// AFTERPARTY CELEBRATION: 

KARASUNO ADVANCES to SPRING INTERHIGH] 

As far as dates were concerned, attending a house party at Noya’s house did have its charms: there was music, good food, and even better drinks. This celebration was a long time coming since Daichi and me had our first date that afternoon studying at the cafe I worked at. I made a few parfaits for him to try and in return, he took me to his favorite spot on his private jogging route (it was a field of violets and lavender that took over an abandoned lot not too far from his place).  Since those two dates, the crow captain and I have come together organically, but it was thanks to his best friend’s encouragement.

“I’m sure she’d say yes if you ask her. You’ve been dating her for a little over month. You took her to the lantern festival and half of the team nearly lost their minds because I’m pretty sure Yamaguchi and Yachi kept giving us updates in the group chat,” Sugawara had this stern look wash over his eyes during a short water break at practice. “Besides, Daichi, If you don’t ask Ono soon, I will. You’re not the only one she wished luck to when we had that little scuffle with Nekoma months ago.”

“Suga, I know. I just don’t—”

SMACK! Sugawara slaps his captain’s shoulder with an approving nod. 

“She likes you, you dumbass! Don’t overthink it man, hah. Her liking you is not going to change any time soon.”

Hearing the words spoken by Mr Refreshing, the captain chuckles. It was so simple yet he laughed at himself for over thinking the emphatic truth. 

--

The music blaring at the patio deck of Noya’s house echoed around to where Daichi and I were having a small discussion. Kisses between the two of us were rare and saved for pre-and post-matches; sometimes it was to give him an encouraging word during a hard loss, and other times it was to comfort me for surviving a busy day at the cafe. Spending time together was never taken for granted, just like this time at a party. I chose to wear my casual attire consisting of wide leg pants and a lilac long sleeve shirt to the party; Daichi had opted to wear a beige shirt and black jeans paired with an orange creamsicle dyed hoodie of his (slightly unzipped for the summer breeze to caress his figure). 

“Can I kiss you now?” I ask, wrapping my arms around his sturdy shoulders. His oak-colored eyes wandered down to my pout. My smile is apparent when I titled my neck teasing the lad as his meets mine , his arms snaking around my waist. 

“I thought you’d never—”

I finished his sentence for him when lips pressed gingerly on top of his. My lips were soft and alluring while his moved on his own to push back in similar fashion. Sawamura kisses me back with a hunger I knew was being fulfilled one encouraging chaste kiss at a time. The impact was enough to knock the wind right out from under us. With each inhale and exhale, both of us smiled at each other albeit our breathing was a little labored. 

Daichi pulled me closer to him, my head resting against the fabric of his hoodie like a comforting pillow. The sun’s fading warmth surrounded us away from prying eyes. The laughter and conversations murmurs from the party happening on the other side of the patio cemented the days of our youth.

“I’ve missed this,” my voice conveyed an aura of innocence. 

“Me too, baby. Me too.” 

Daichi rubs small circles on my back allowing me to arch my back to his touches. Yes, he may be an athlete, but it was honestly the subtle things like this or even the texts we send each other in good faith (to drink water and eat snacks before/after work or practice since we had agreed to work around our hectic schedules). 

[According to Shizumi, Hitoka, and even Azumane and Suga, they coordinated cute impromptu dates between their captain and his ideal match enough time to be there for each other. They saw first hand the affect of having me close by especially during grand wins and tough losses (we don’t mention the first loss to Seijoh because that in of itself was a lesson), yet I was one of the first people in the crowds Daichi sought out after the match against Shiratorizawa. 

“Ono-senpai!” Hinata’s voice exclaims with a wide toothy grin. Daichi and I were chatting amongst ourselves confirming plans for our much needed movie night.

“I’ll meet you at your place later, Daichi. For now, you should celebrate with your team,” I said before turning to where Shoyo was. “I’m proud you little tangerine. You played really well.”]

--

In the present-moment, we had our silent commitment to each other remain intact at the forefront of our relationship. Daichi and I were old enough to understand if we wanted this relationship to work both on and off throughout our third year, it was going to take work. Sure, we had a few disagreements sporadically, but we both made sure to talk things out and work through the difficult times because better things were to come. 

“I don’t know what I did wrong,” I explain to Shiki-kun during my break at the cafe. 

“One must be fire and the other water when there is an argument to be had,” Shiki-kun quoted a dead relative’s advice. “You and Sawamura are still young, but you know forgiveness is also a sign of love, Ono.”

“Learn from this and grow,” I said. I pulled my phone out of my apron pocket, thanked my coworker for the advice before I called Sawamura. I don’t think he had heard me sound as kind as I did on the phone before and when he realized I had apologized for misplacing our anger toward each other, I could hear him breathe a sigh of relief. 

“Ono, I do want this to work, but we need to get better at this,” Daichi stated matter of factly. 

“I know babe. Well then I’ll keep this brief,” I stared up at the ceiling of the cafe break room with my eyes closed. “We don’t have to explain everything right away. We can always cool down first before we say or act on impulse. Does that sound fair to you?”

“Alright. Text me when your shift is almost done.”

I laugh briefly, “Sawamura, you’re one of a kind and I’m lucky to have you.”

Once, Sawamura asked me once if it bothered me at all when he felt the responsibility to lead take a toll on him, to which I told him when he escorted me home after the club practice ended early one evening:  “Life isn’t a spectator sport. Hold on to this feeling for as long as you can, Sawamura.” 

That was the one statement he took to heart whenever he felt our relationship was becoming a bit one-sided: “If you’ll have me, stay here with me for as long as you need, darling.” 

“Always, you know that,” I said gently. “You’re emotions are valid. After all, I’d be more than glad to hold all the good whenever you need me to.”

It was nearly nine in the morning on a weekend, his hands were rough and calloused when he held my face in his hands before he kissed me the first time one morning when he spent the night at my place since my folks had to get their shopping lists ready for the farmer’s market we all were going to was a couple hours drive away. These were the days we both ideally missed and craved more of.

--

Back at the party, we realized that our fondness for the other was never an issue and neither was time given the fact that we may have disappeared for a few minutes already.

“I know we’re at Noya’s celebrating you guys’ advancement toward the spring tournament,” I started to say, slowly shuffling out of Daichi’s hold. “Albiet it’s been like a week and a half after all the make up exams you guys had to do…” 

“Do you want to get out of here with me?” 

Daichi takes my hand in his before walking ahead softly leading the way back to the main floor. I pause for a moment before we switch places and turning to face him, my voice decided to have its authoritative sarcasm slip through.

“My captain, I thought you’d never ask.”

Granted sleeping over at Sawamura’s place occurred during midterm exam all nighters (as well as on my end when he’d come to the cafe to escort you home on the weekends) was loads of fun, tonight was a little different. For starters, as soon as we arrived back to his place, he closed door to his room behind me, he made a sign to keep quiet. He took out his phone from his pocket and pressed play on his music streaming service. The legendary jazz artist Coltrane’s Giant Steps filled our ears, a decisive glint of mischief washed over Daichi. 

A wicked grin emerged on my face before I reached out to my partner for the evening. The abruptness of my actions caused Daichi to be caught off guard long enough for me to initiate this kiss: his warm lips pressed against mine. It takes him approximately three seconds to realize I was kissing him back with a vengeful vigor. My eyes have fluttered shut and in the darkness we envision the glow of the streetlights exploding. His lips are chapped from the change in temperature over our home city; he tasted of coffee grounds and dark chocolate compared to my “Lightning opal” tea leaves and peach blossom mochi. All of our focus that evening was going to be each other. More so to dispel any lingering waves of uncertainty. 

Upon the soft moan escaping my mouth traversed to his ear, made Daichi’s heart beat even more erratically than before. My hands made quick work of unzipping his jacket with the utmost haste; there was no time like the present.

“What are you doing to me?” I whisper against him when he rests his forehead against mine.

“Being loved by me gives you strength, while me loving you gives me courage.” his lips touch my cupid’s bow lightly, teasing me as I struggle to find my voice.

“Lao Tzu sounds so much better when you say it,” I stifle a laugh when his lips latch onto mine again.

There was an intoxicating feeling of diving head first into an erupting volcano and most of all, the way he tastes like cotton candy and midnights under turning galaxies caused me to lose myself over and over under his hold. This kiss is prolonged by his wandering hands finding their way stealthily to my face; my own sense of touch reacted like a forgemaster honing her skills of the trade. His mouth carries the weight of a burning star and I knew my heart is his. 

"Shh." I murmured, before moving my finger, and pressing a hand against Daichi’s cheek. The act of service gave him more support to push my body towards him, and connect our lips again. Daichi bows his head slightly before harshly whispering in my right ear to ‘jump.’ I reward his order by doing what he asked with a gleeful smile and approving nod. 

For the amount of time we have been together, Daichi had been known to pick up and twirl his girlfriend around a few times ever since Tanaka and Noya saw how smitten their captain had become. According to the managers, their captain’s demeanor had changed subtly whenever I was seen in the stands talking to Saeko, Akiteru, and Shimada at the official matches. Every day, on the train ride to the sports arena, it had become a ritualistic habit I developed with Natsu. She asked me to make a few more little crow friends to go along with her ‘little giant’ crow plushie and with the excess yarns, I had braided the colors of our school into my hair do. The orange strands really stood out and it was a subtle reminder which team I was there to support. 

Game days meant that Tanaka and Noya took notes at how their friend and leader treated the ground I walked on as though it were made of gemstones. Sometimes I would get a bit embarrassed, but if anyone asked me in private, especially when Natsu told her brother that I really did liked those lift hugs, it’s what I looked forward to post matches.

Daichi switched his center of gravity to give me the foundation I needed to jump. My arms rested atop his shoulders allowing us to momentarily catch our breath; on the other hand, he used both of his arms to hold me steady by the small of her back.

“You really are strong, have I told you that before?” I inform my date playfully when I place a chaste kiss on his brow.

“Once or twice, but so are you baby girl.” 

Daichi walks steadily to have a seat on his bed, upon which I currently readjust my legs to sit comfortably on his lap in a straddling position. My hands found comfort in holding the collar of his shirt in my hands. With a sturdy pull, our lips touch briefly, allowing them to bask in each other’s presence a little while longer.

“I missed you so much, you have no idea,” Daichi says in a raspy tone. He rests his head against my collarbone prior to shifting off to have his eyes wander about my face. A fraction of his strict tone had slipped out, which made me a bit curious. I chose to not bring any attention to it. I drag my bottom lip through my teeth to see if I could make him fall for the ruse. He quirked an eyebrow at me before they set their focus on the sides of my face, so instead I raised a  hand and turned his face upward toward me.

“If that is true, then Sawamura,” my breathy voice fans his face cooling the blush he had on his flushed cheeks. Daichi leans back farther than expected, allowing the laws of gravity to assist in us adjusting our bodies to be positioned in a much more forgiving cuddling manner as I succumb to how love-drunk he makes me. “Kiss me like your life depends on it.”

“OK, love,” Daichi says, peppering the sides of my face with his kisses. “OK.” 

Giant Steps finishes playing only to be replaced by the enigmatic Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis as soon as his lips brushes over mine in such a way that would leave my thoughts elsewhere because as it stands, we were old souls making up for lost time.

[brajeshupadhyay]

PARIS — As the two women sat in deck chairs enjoying the last rays of sunshine near the Canal de l’Ourcq in Paris on Sunday evening, nearby loudspeakers jolted them with a reminder that they were in a new mask-mandatory zone. “You’ve got your mask?” Safiya Zenag, unmasked, asked her friend, who replied: “No, I didn’t bring it. I hate wearing it.” Faced with a recent resurgence of coronavirus cases, officials have made mask wearing mandatory in widening areas of Paris and other cities across the country, pleading with the French not to let down their guard and jeopardize the hard-won gains made against the virus during a two-month lockdown this spring. The signs of a new wave of infection emerged over the summer as people began resuming much of their pre-coronavirus lives, traveling across France and socializing in cafes, restaurants and parks. Many, especially the young, have visibly relaxed their vigilance and have not followed rules on mask wearing or social distancing. In recent days, France has recorded about 3,000 new infections every day, roughly double the figure at the beginning of the month, and the authorities are investigating an increasing number of clusters. But 30 percent of the new infections are in young adults, ages 15 to 44, according to a recent report. Since they are less likely to develop serious forms of the illness, deaths and the number of patients in intensive care remain at a fraction of what they were at the height of the pandemic. Still, officials are not taking any chances. “The indicators are bad, the signals are worrying and the situation is deteriorating,” Jérôme Salomon, the French health ministry director, told the radio station France Inter last week. “The fate of the epidemic is in our hands.” Mr. Salomon warned that the virus would continue to circulate and that people would have to adjust their behavior. “We have to live with it,’’ he said. France suffered 30,400 deaths from the virus — one of the world’s worst tolls — and experienced an economically devastating lockdown from mid-March to mid-May. Thanks to the lockdown, however, France succeeded in stopping the spread of the virus and lifted most restrictions at the start of summer. Philippe Juvin, the head of the emergency department at the Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris, said he was not surprised by the rise in cases. “You lock down people during two months, putting a stop to infections,” he said. “Once people are again allowed to go outside, it is not surprising that infection quickly resumes.” The course of the pandemic in Europe has followed a somewhat similar trend, with Spain also reporting new local clusters. But important disparities exist among countries. In the past week, as France reported 20,000 new cases, Italy reported 7,000, and Britain, 3,000, according to data collected by The New York Times. Mircea Sofonea, an epidemiologist at the French University of Montpellier, said today’s situation had “nothing to do in terms of imminent health risk” with the situation that preceded the European lockdowns because the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients and deaths remains very low. In France, the daily number of deaths has hovered around 15 in the past week. By contrast, at the height of the epidemic in March and April, hundreds died every day in France, with the toll sometimes rising into four digits. In April, intensive care units were at 140 percent capacity; only 7 percent were occupied about 10 days ago. Mr. Sofonea said all European countries were expecting a rebound of the epidemic in the fall, when people who have been away on vacation come back to work and when social interaction resumes. The French authorities fear that the rising number of infections in young people, many of whom are asymptomatic, may contribute to the spread of the virus to older, more vulnerable people. “Young people felt a little more invincible,” said Olivier George, a 36-year-old baker. “That’s probably what made them the most affected group.” Across the continent, crowds of young people are flocking to illegal parties organized in outdoor areas, regardless of the risk of infection. While the number of new cases in France has been rising steadily, it is difficult to draw comparisons with earlier stages in the epidemic. The number of tests being carried out across France has increased to about 600,000 a week — or about six times the numbers performed during the height of the epidemic. At that time, France suffered from severe shortages of test kits, making it impossible for many suspected of having Covid-19 to get tested. Raphaëlle Escande, 23, a business school student, said she fell ill in March with symptoms of the disease, including the loss of smell, a sore throat and fever. “That lasted three weeks,’’ she said. “I stayed home because you couldn’t get tested.’’ The Coronavirus Outbreak › Frequently Asked Questions Updated August 17, 2020 Why does standing six feet away from others help? The coronavirus spreads primarily through droplets from your mouth and nose, especially when you cough or sneeze. The C.D.C., one of the organizations using that measure, bases its recommendation of six feet on the idea that most large droplets that people expel when they cough or sneeze will fall to the ground within six feet. But six feet has never been a magic number that guarantees complete protection. Sneezes, for instance, can launch droplets a lot farther than six feet, according to a recent study. It’s a rule of thumb: You should be safest standing six feet apart outside, especially when it’s windy. But keep a mask on at all times, even when you think you’re far enough apart. I have antibodies. Am I now immune? As of right now, that seems likely, for at least several months. There have been frightening accounts of people suffering what seems to be a second bout of Covid-19. But experts say these patients may have a drawn-out course of infection, with the virus taking a slow toll weeks to months after initial exposure. People infected with the coronavirus typically produce immune molecules called antibodies, which are protective proteins made in response to an infection. These antibodies may last in the body only two to three months, which may seem worrisome, but that’s perfectly normal after an acute infection subsides, said Dr. Michael Mina, an immunologist at Harvard University. It may be possible to get the coronavirus again, but it’s highly unlikely that it would be possible in a short window of time from initial infection or make people sicker the second time. I’m a small-business owner. Can I get relief? The stimulus bills enacted in March offer help for the millions of American small businesses. Those eligible for aid are businesses and nonprofit organizations with fewer than 500 workers, including sole proprietorships, independent contractors and freelancers. Some larger companies in some industries are also eligible. The help being offered, which is being managed by the Small Business Administration, includes the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. But lots of folks have not yet seen payouts. Even those who have received help are confused: The rules are draconian, and some are stuck sitting on money they don’t know how to use. Many small-business owners are getting less than they expected or not hearing anything at all. What are my rights if I am worried about going back to work? What is school going to look like in September? It is unlikely that many schools will return to a normal schedule this fall, requiring the grind of online learning, makeshift child care and stunted workdays to continue. California’s two largest public school districts — Los Angeles and San Diego — said on July 13, that instruction will be remote-only in the fall, citing concerns that surging coronavirus infections in their areas pose too dire a risk for students and teachers. Together, the two districts enroll some 825,000 students. They are the largest in the country so far to abandon plans for even a partial physical return to classrooms when they reopen in August. For other districts, the solution won’t be an all-or-nothing approach. Many systems, including the nation’s largest, New York City, are devising hybrid plans that involve spending some days in classrooms and other days online. There’s no national policy on this yet, so check with your municipal school system regularly to see what is happening in your community. France’s scientific council, a government body that advises President Emmanuel Macron on the coronavirus crisis, said in a report in late July that “the balance is fragile, and we can change course at any time to a less-controlled scenario.” The council warned that a second wave was “highly possible” in the fall, given the current trend. The sharp rise in cases has led the government to declare Paris and the region of Marseille as high-risk zones, effectively granting the local authorities power to impose new measures aimed at containing the spread of the disease. In Paris, mask wearing had been limited to public transportation and indoor establishments, as it was in the rest of the country. But the requirement was extended to crowded outdoor areas about a week ago, and further expanded across many more swathes of the city over the weekend. Prime Minister Jean Castex warned last week that the country had been going “the wrong way” for the past few weeks, and said he wanted “to extend as far as possible the obligation to wear masks in public spaces.” The government’s reliance on face masks as a main weapon in its fight against the virus amounts to an about-face in its strategy. Early in the epidemic, faced with severe shortages of masks, the government said they were useless against the virus — contradicting its own longstanding public health policies. “I didn’t find them coherent at all,’’ said Laura Castel, 31, a high school teacher. “In the beginning, it was, ‘Don’t wear masks, they’re not necessary.’ But that’s because we just didn’t have masks, in my opinion.’’ Now that France has more than sufficient supplies of masks, Ms. Castel said, the government was “singing a new tune.’’ Perhaps because of the government’s contradictory messages on masks, people were slow to start wearing them in newly mask-mandatory zones in Paris. Along stretches of the Seine over the weekend, only about half of pedestrians had their faces covered. The police will be enforcing the measures — which will be in place for at least a month — with a fine of 135 euros, or $159. In addition to masks and tests, France now has other tools that were unavailable at the start of the epidemic, including contact-tracing teams and a contact-tracing smartphone application — though neither have been fully tested yet. As the French learn how to live with the virus, health officials have adapted by quickly moving to extinguish local outbreaks and tightening restrictions as needed. The goal is to prevent local clusters from spiraling out of control and pushing France again into a national lockdown. Anthony Rasoloarimanana, 40, a travel agent who was walking under the elevated metro tracks of Boulevard de la Chapelle in northern Paris, a new mask-mandatory zone, said he was worried that the recent period of resurgence was similar to the one just before the lockdown in March. “Have the sacrifices we’ve made over several months been for nothing?” he said of the lockdown. “That would be terrible.” Théophile Larcher contributed reporting from Paris. Monika Pronczuk contributed reporting from Brussels. The post Beaten Back, the Coronavirus Regains Strength in France appeared first on Shri Times News. from WordPress https://ift.tt/3g0JpqQ

http://sansaartimes.blogspot.com/2020/08/beaten-back-coronavirus-regains.html

[hogtown-socialist-alternative]

East Germany 1989: The Berlin Wall Comes Down as Power Lay in the Streets

  By Ingmar Meinecke -November 9, 2019

On November 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall was pulled down in dramatic scenes. In the latest of our series marking the events of 1989 in Eastern Europe, Ingmar Meinecke of SAV (German section of the CWI-majority), who as a teenager participated in these events, explains what happened.  

“Dear friends, fellow citizens, it is as if one has opened the windows after all the years of stagnation, of spiritual, economic, political stagnation, the years of dullness and stale air, of phrase-mongering and bureaucratic arbitrariness, of official blindness and deafness. What a change!”

With these words the socialist writer Stefan Heym began his speech on November 4, 1989 in front of more than half a million people on Alexanderplatz in East Berlin. Just one year lay between the mass demonstrations in the former East Germany (German Democratic Republic -GDR) at the beginning of October 1989 and the unification of the GDR with the Federal Republic of Germany on October 3 1990. In this short time, the GDR’s government was overthrown, the Berlin Wall that had been erected in 1961 by GDR’s Stalinist rulers and had since served as a barrier between the two systems was opened and the then West German currency, the Deutsche Mark was introduced to the East.  

Initially, it seemed the whole GDR population was passionately demonstrating, with the aim of creating a new society based on real socialism. Yet just a few months later, a new government led by the conservative CDU set off down the road of capitalist restoration and the GDR disappeared from the map. How was it possible that the train of revolution was diverted off of the tracks into the direction of capitalist restoration?

Growing discontent

Following the defeat of Germany in the Second World War and the division of the country by the occupying powers, a new regime was formed in the East in 1949. Although the GDR rejected the capitalist form of economy, the state itself was modeled on the Stalinist bureaucratic dictatorship in the USSR. Calling itself socialist, it was far from being a socialist democracy, run instead by a group of elite bureaucrats. Their real nature was demonstrated by the brutal suppression of the heroic workers’ uprising in 1953. Even after 1953, society in the GDR was never completely calm. Yet the ruling elite did all they could to maintain control.

By the mid-1980s, there had been mass strikes in Poland, led by the trade union Solidarność. In the USSR itself, the new rhetoric of Perestroika and Glasnost had begun to appear and the news fell on fertile ground in the GDR. The GDR’s ‘communist’ leadership tried to stop this: when the Soviet magazine “Sputnik” criticized the pre-war Communist Party of Germany’s approval of the pre-war Hitler-Stalin Pact, it was banned in the GDR without further ado.

But three events in 1989 fueled the growing mood of discontent. It was widely disbelieved, when in May, the GDR’s ruling party the “Socialist Unity Party” (SED) claimed that 98.5% of the population had supported it in local elections. But people became angry when party leaders justified the brutal suppression of the workers and students protesting in China’s Tiananmen Square. And then, following the example of the Czechoslovak and Hungarian people, there was an accelerating wave of people fleeing the GDR. By the end of September, 25,000 had already left the country.

This wave of refugees started a discussion: why are so many people leaving? What kind of country is it that people just run away from, leaving their belongings, friends and family behind? The official reaction of “not shedding one tear for these people” disgusted many.

The opposition is formed

On Monday September 4, 1200 people gathered outside the Nikolai-church in Leipzig after the weekly “prayer for peace” for a demonstration. Their slogans were: “We want out” and “We want a new government”. Security forces intervened. This was repeated the next Monday. By September 25 there were already 8000 people and their slogan “We want out!” was replaced by “We stay here”!

In September the first opposition groups were formed. The New Forum issued an appeal, which 4500 people signed within the first fortnight, with the demand for a democratic dialogue in society. By mid-November, 200,000 signatures had been collected. But party leader Erich Honecker and the SED leadership did not want a dialogue. The demands of the New Forum were rejected. But that made the group even more popular.

The masses out on the street

When sealed trains of refugees from Prague travelled through Dresden to the West in October, there were serious clashes between demonstrators and the police at the station. On the evening of October 7, the 40th anniversary of the GDR, several hundred young people gathered on Berlin’s Alexanderplatz, before moving towards the Palace of the Republic, where Honecker and Co. were celebrating. Two to three thousand people chanted “Gorbi, Gorbi!” (referring to Gorbachev) and “We are the people”! By midnight, special units of the People’s Police and the State Security had started to attack, arresting over 500.

This raised the temperature. Two days later, on Monday October 9, all eyes were on Leipzig. Would the GDR experience its own ‘Tiananmen Square’? Three days earlier, a threat had appeared in the Leipziger Volkszeitung: “We are ready and willing (…) to stop these counterrevolutionary actions finally and effectively. If necessary, with weapons.”

But cracks appeared in the state power. Three secretaries of the Leipzig SED district leadership took part in a call for de-escalation, which was broadcast in the afternoon on city radio. As a result, Leipzig experienced the largest demonstration to date with 70,000 people. The call “We are the people” sounded powerfully over the Georgi Ring. The Internationale was also sung. On the same evening 7000 people demonstrated in Berlin and another 60.000 in other parts of the country.

Now there was no stopping the acceleration of the protests. The demonstrations continued throughout the week: 20,000 in Halle and as many again in Plauen, 10,000 in Magdeburg, 4000 in Berlin. The next Monday brought a new record: 120,000 in Leipzig alone! Now even the official GDR state newspapers started, for the first time, reporting objectively about the demonstrators, who, just a week earlier they had called ‘rioters, hooligans and counter-revolutionaries’. On the same day, employees of the “Teltower Geräte und Reglerwerk” company resigned from the FDGB, the official state trade union federation and announced the formation of the independent trade union “Reform”, calling for others to follow their example.  They demanded “the right to strike, the right to demonstrate, freedom of the press, the end of travel restrictions and official privileges”.

Erich Honecker resigned as General Secretary of the SED on October 18 and was succeeded by Egon Krenz. But this did nothing to calm the masses, rather they took to the streets in larger and larger numbers. Krenz was met with suspicion by the masses. On the Monday demonstration in Leipzig on October 23, attended by 250,000 people, the slogans were “Egon, who asked our opinion?”, “Free elections”, “Visa-free to Hawaii!” or “A leading role for the people”! But these were no longer just demonstrations. At the riot police barracks in Magdeburg, the conscripts elected a soldiers’ council. Pupils acted to annul disciplinary notes on behavior and timekeeping and abolished Saturday lessons.

The breakthrough

The demonstrations in Leipzig continued to grow – 20,000 on October 2, 70,000 on October 9, 120,000 on October 16, 250,000 on October 23, 300,000 on October 30 and finally 400,000 on November 6. There was also a demonstration of more than 500,000 (some say up to one million) in East Berlin on November 4. By the end of October, the protests had swept the whole country: in the North and South, large and small towns involving workers and intellectuals. The main demands included free travel, an investigation into the state violence of October 7/8, protection of the environment, an end to the privileges and monopoly on power of the SED. The government finally resigned on November 7. On November 8, the entire Politburo followed.

On the evening of the November 9, politburo member Günter Schabowski spoke to the press. Shortly before the end of his speech, at exactly 19:07, he announced that the GDR had opened the borders. Excitement spread. He explained that from eight o’clock the next day everyone could collect a visa. People, however, did not wait for visas, but began to besiege the border crossings to West Berlin. The border guards were surprised. By midnight, individual commanders were opening the crossings in the face of pressure from the masses. The Wall fell. Over the next few weeks the entire country travelled west.

The ‘Tug of war’ and the opposition’s hesitancy

Now a tug-of-war broke out between the masses on the streets, the opposition groups and the state bureaucracy. The question that nobody really dared to say out aloud, but which hovered over everything, was “who has the power?” The state and party apparatus increasingly lost influence, but the opposition groups did not take up the reins of power. At first, the masses expected that the leaders of the opposition groups, often accidental figures who ended up at the centre of attention, as well as some SED reformers, like the new head of government Hans Modrow, and well-known artists and intellectuals would do this.

When the full extent of corruption was revealed in early December, workers were more determined than ever to get rid of the whole of the old establishment. They had just seen how, in Czechoslovakia, a two-hour general strike quickly brought the Communist Party there to see reason. Now the New Forum in Karl-Marx-Stadt also demanded a one-day nationwide general strike on December 6. Immediately this call was condemned in unison by the FDGB, the official opposition parties and Bärbel Bohley, one of the national leaders of the New Forum. They were all afraid, that the situation could get out of hand. The call was withdrawn. Nevertheless, a two-hour political warning strike of workers in several companies in Plauen did take place on December 6 accompanied by independent strike actions in other places.

The Modrow government now tried to involve the opposition in order to stabilize the situation. On November 22, the Politburo of the SED spoke in favor of organizing a “round table” with the opposition. It met for the first time on December 7, issuing a statement which stated: “Although the ‘Round Table’ does not exercise any parliamentary or governmental function, it intends to address the public with proposals for overcoming the crisis. (…) It sees itself as a component of public control in our country.”

But control is not the same as governing. Surprised by the pace of developments, the opposition groups wanted to continue a dialogue with the SED and the state authorities instead of taking power themselves. Rolf Henrich, co-founder of the New Forum, said in an interview with the newspaper “Der Morgen” on the October 28 that for the time being the movement could do without a comprehensive program. Instead he advocated a topic-related dialogue that would no longer take place on the street alone.

This half-heartedness and indecision by the opposition evolved out of their failure to answer two fundamental questions. Firstly: how could the old top and the bureaucracy really be driven out of power? Secondly: what should the new society look like, especially its economic system, and what would be the role for the other part of Germany, the capitalist West-Germany? These questions were now permanently on the agenda and not always clearly defined, but interwoven.

Until November, the GDR revolution was clearly pro-socialist. This could be seen in the statements of almost all opposition groups, the banners, chants and speeches at the demonstrations. The writer Christa Wolf said on November 4: “Imagine a socialist society where nobody runs away” and got a huge applause for it. “Unlimited power to the councils” was written on a banner. But how was this “better socialism” or council rule to be achieved? There were no answers. Power lay on the streets. But the opposition of autumn 1989 left it there until it was finally picked up by the West-German Premier Helmut Kohl and Co., opening the way to capitalist reunification.

The economic situation proved to be decisive. From December, reports about the ailing state of the GDR economy began to accumulate. From then on, secret figures and facts about the country’s low productivity and indebtedness became known. Visits to the West made the GDR workers aware of the higher standard of living there. Social divisions in West Germany faded into the background. The mood grew against starting another ‘experiment’ after the ‘GDR experiment’. The self-confidence of the working class was severely weakened by the poor condition of the state-owned enterprises. Added to this was the lack of leadership as described above.

From December, the Federal government and the capitalist class in West Germany made a turn. Until then, they had been cautious about going too brashly in the direction of reunification. They had considered a slow transition of the GDR towards capitalism to be less dangerous. But it gradually became clear to them that a GDR with open borders could destabilize the Federal Republic. At the same time, they recognized the weakness of both the crumbling SED bureaucracy and the GDR opposition and saw an opportunity to enter this vacuum, integrating the entire GDR into the Federal Republic, and thus opening up a new market.

The majority of GDR workers did not want any more experiments in 1990. But then they were exposed to the experiment of capitalist counterrevolution, the smashing of a state economy that led to millions of unemployed as a result of factory closures, privatization and the devaluation of the currency. This has become an almost permanent state of affairs, in which the East is still disadvantaged in many respects in comparison to the West.

The missed opportunity

Until November 1989 and even after, many elements of the political revolution that the Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky considered necessary to implement against Stalinism, this bureaucratic distortion of socialism were to be seen in these events. But in the end, the other outcome that Trotsky had considered possible developed: capitalist restoration. The decisive factor was that no opposition force had developed strong roots among the workers and employees that could point the way to a viable concrete and truly socialist society.

Stefan Heym summarized this missed opportunity a few years later: “Don’t forget, there was no group, no organized group that wanted to take power. (…) There were only individuals who had come together and formed a forum or a group or something like that, but nothing you need to make a revolution. There was no such thing. And so it all imploded and there was no one to take power except the West. (…) Imagine that we had the time and opportunity to develop a new socialism in the GDR, a socialism with a human face, a democratic socialism. This could have been an example for West Germany and the development could have been different.”

[architectnews]

11 architecture projects from students at the University for the Creative Arts

A self-funded art bank and a community building aiming to support local fishermen through Brexit are included in Dezeen's latest school show by students at the University of the Creative Arts.

Also featured are a masonry school that aims to make use of stone as a low carbon material and a project that explores how brownfield land can be used to solve the housing crisis.

University for the Creative Arts

School: University for the Creative Arts Courses: BA (Hons) Architecture and Master of Architecture

School statement:

"From rebuilding devastated cities to servicing the needs of different social groups, design changes lives as well as landscapes. This year's final year, students reading architecture at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) have been encouraged to approach their design with an activist's mindset.

"Their work considers the environmental, social, functional and economic impact of buildings and spaces and presents new concepts that could help to shape a better future. Their work is the culmination of years of rigorous learning, refining of skills and a drive to put forward innovative ideas that can make a real impact in the world.

"Discover the work of UCA's graduating Architecture students on our website."

Maisie Bishop

"In their final project, Bishop explores the Fish Island in east London. With the old industries of east London rapidly being replaced by a growing number of new tech corporations, Maisie's proposal explores how AI, robotics and 3D printing can be applied in daily life to promote greater, more equal, and efficient health and wellness in the borough of Tower Hamlets.

"By exploring five pillars of life: health, shelter, fuel, transport and environment, their proposed institute is a hub for education, exploration and application.

"The design primarily focuses on five 3D printed research spaces, dedicated to exploring the potential AI, robotic and printing advancements in the above fields, organised around a central atrium. This public atrium provides opportunities to employ the technologies produced and for persons visiting to experience these advancements in real-time."

Student: Maisie Bishop Course: BA (Hons) Architecture, UCA

Thomas White

"White's work is a manifesto for sonic urbanism at Manston airport. The vacant void of Manston airport has disconnected the surrounding communities from each other, acting as an inaccessible zone separating them.

"The project uses six central pavilions to carve out four radial territories around them. The pavilions use sound to bring people to the site and weave existing communities together.

"These acoustic gateways re-link and neutralise the existing acoustic arenas, preparing an entry into urbanism fuelled by sound. The pavilions also act as sonic adjudicators in the politics of sound and become a testbed for what should or should not be heard.

"This is passed over to the inhabitants to contemplate through the many interactive sounds, installations and future development that are housed on and around the site."

Student: Thomas White Course: Master of Architecture, UCA

Keerthigan Thavaseelan

"Thavaseelan's project 'Manston Modulation' explores the uncertain future of Manston Airport and proposes Thanet's first deployable community radio station that helps redevelop the airport into a residential landscape.

"This project explores the relationship between temporary architecture and permanent architecture through modules and permanent community hubs. Thavaseelan integrated spectrogram visuals within his drawings to highlight the ever-changing frequency aspect of radio to the proposal.

"He also produced accompanying music and at project film, to give the project extra depth."

Student: Keerthigan Thavaseelan Course: Master of Architecture, UCA

Anna Reeves

"Reeve's project sets out a vision for a thriving community, bringing togetherness and independence to the small parish of Brandon. Each member is a guardian of protected land, working as merchants of the council, with an intrinsic relationship with the natural world at the very core of their lives at RAF Barnham.

"The protection of the Nightjar, the Curlew and the Woodlark bird species is central, their history and continued existence immortalised in the conservation efforts made by the community.

"This vision presents Reeve's perspective on how we can make the best use of brownfield land to solve our housing crisis, by designating space for people not only to live but to work self-sufficiently and harmoniously with the land, honouring its history."

Student: Anna Reeves Course: Master of Architecture, UCA

Ting Leung Henry Chan

"Hong Kong has been an international trading city since the 19th century but is now at a crisis point in its history. With all the changes in both the legal and political status of Hong Kong in recent years, the unique identity and reputation of Hong Kong, under the 'one country, two systems' framework agreed in the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984, are now at risk.

"Chan's Free Port is a complex consisting of the international embassy and congress buildings, as an extension to the cargo port of Hong Kong. With the uniqueness of this legal area, this could be transformed into an open ground for trade.

"With the Free Port, Hong Kong could maintain its position as a world-leading international trading city and retain its role as the window city of trade to the benefit of Mainland China."

Student: Ting Leung Henry Chan Course: Master of Architecture, UCA

Nicholas Strange

"Strange has designed a self-funded Art Bank in Hackney Wick, managed by local artists to benefit those involved in the arts, who are struggling due to the gentrification of Fish Island.

"Using the financial techniques of 'securitisation' and 'leverage', the narrative is achieved to use local artists' work as a liquidated asset to purchase and remortgage lost workspace for artists on the island.

"Whilst publicising and securing future profits for artists' liquidated work in the process, to further expand the circular economy of the narrative."

Student: Nicholas Strange Course: BA (Hons) Architecture, UCA

Hanna Makhoul

"Hanna's project explores building a fibreglass factory in Beirut to deal with the devastating explosion in the city in 2020. Approximately 7000 tonnes of glass was shattered from buildings, and around 300,000 people were left homeless.

"Glass can still be found almost everywhere around the city due to the blast's shock waves. Hanna's project aims to reuse this material as fibreglass. The fibreglass will rebuild damaged areas by mass-producing identical curved leaf-like modular components assembled on-site by locals in the act of hope and unity.

"This bespoke modular system, aesthetically inspired by local Arabic architecture, will include elements such as arches and vaults to form the megastructure. Following the fibreglass factory and workshops build, further phases include a market and a residential area."

Student: Hanna Makhoul Course: Master of Architecture, UCA

Jordan Panayi

"London School of Stone Masonry is a satellite stone masonry school in the heart of Fish Island that pays homage to 'Stonemasons Yard'. Stonemasons are the most recent makers to lose their place in Europe's creative capital due to the current Olympic regeneration scheme.

"The masonry school simultaneously serves London in its future construction the industry as we rediscover this age-old material and enter The New Stone Age, making use of this low carbon material and its cost-saving potential."

Student: Jordan Panayi Course: BA (Hons) Architecture, UCA

Alastair Wilkinson

"Harnessing urban development as a catalyst for the reclamation of valuable archaeological material, Wilkinson's proposal aims to create a centre for the analysis and archive of such objects as well as an educational institution for study in this field.

"The need for the building is propelled forward by the statutory assessment of archaeological remains as part of the planning process for development projects. Proposed building development plans across the London area mean there is a need for substantial archaeological work. The London Plan and its infrastructure links nationally and to Europe."

Student: Alastair Wilkinson  Course: BA (Hons) Architecture, UCA

Kimberley De Silva

"De Silva's project explores the UK fishing industry and the negative impact of Brexit on the livelihoods of hundreds of fishermen. To counter the problem, De Silva has designed Swan Wharf. This building offers a helping hand to local fishermen in the area, with the support of consumers and small businesses dedicated to aiding this small but hard-working population."

Student: Kimberley De Silva Course: BA (Hons) Architecture, UCA

Ian Wille

"Ian's project is a response to gentrification. It experiments with ideals of participatory democracy, social commons and protests to project a societal spirit of individuals as citizens, not consumers.

"Central to the project is a democratic hall where actors participate in creating specialised and specific legislation for the municipal area of Fish Island. This project aims to return ownership and direction of cities to the people who live in them, not investors who profit from them."

Student: Ian Wille Course: BA (Hons) Architecture, UCA

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and the University for the Creative Arts. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post 11 architecture projects from students at the University for the Creative Arts appeared first on Dezeen.

[rolotouto]

こんにちは。私はロロが大好きなので、あなたのブログとても楽しめました。見た事のない情報や画像も多くとても有意義だったです。ゲームでは「自慢の弟」を所有していますが残りの２つは未所持のため、これらのセリフを動画で見る事が出来てとても嬉しいです。生徒会ラジオWAVEの存在は最近知ったのですが、去年発売されたばかりなのに既にどこも完売で、中古品ですら見つかりません。可能ならばロロの出番が多そうなVol.1の内容を教えていただけないでしょうか。よろしくお願い致します。

こんにちは！日本語でご質問をいただいて嬉しいです！

生徒会ラジオWAVEはわたしもVol.1しか購入することができませんでしたが、英語訳と付属ブックレットの写真をこちらに投稿いたしました。→ https://rolotouto.tumblr.com/post/718481561530613760/hokenshitsu-to-omukae しかし、もうWAVEを入手する方法がないというのであれば、「保健室とお迎え」の音声だけをこのブログでアップしちゃっても大丈夫でしょうかね。制作会社に迷惑をかけるつもりはありませんが、ロロのかわいい声やルルーシュとの数少ないシーンがもう誰もが聴けないまま忘れ去られてほしくもなくて。とりあえず埋め込みリンクにちょっと隠してぐらいなら…。

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – News From Around The World

Tuesday 31st July 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader….  My day to go to Malaga so up earlier than usual, in an attempt to get everything that need’s doing.. Done…Today, I’m going to relax on the beach while I wait for Sandra to finish the cataracts operations, just me and the sound of the waves washing lazily against the shore, I don’t even bother with music, just the soft sound of the waves is enough while I recharge the batteries, what about Bella I hear you ask, she’s at home with my son David, who will take good care of her till I get home…

EGYPT ZOO ACCUSED OF PAINTING DONKEY TO LOOK LIKE A ZEBRA…. A zoo in Egypt has denied painting black stripes on a donkey to make it look like a zebra after a photo of the animal appeared online. Student Mahmoud Sarhan put the images on Facebook after visiting Cairo's International Garden municipal park. Aside from its small size and pointy ears, there were also black smudges on its face. The pictures quickly went viral, with experts weighing in on the species of the animal. A vet contacted by local news group Extranews.tv said that a zebra's snout is black, while its stripes are more consistent and parallel. Mr Sarhan told Extranews that the enclosure contained two animals and that both had been painted. When contacted by local radio station Nogoum FM, zoo director Mohamed Sultan insisted the animal was not a fake. This is not the first time that a zoo has been accused of trying to fool its audience. Unable to find a way around the Israeli blockade, a zoo in Gaza painted two donkeys to look like zebras in 2009. Another Gaza zoo put stuffed animals on display in 2012 because of the shortages of animals.

AIR INDIA BLAMES WEATHER FOR BED BUGS INFESTATION…. India's national carrier, Air India, has blamed the weather for a bed bug infestation on one of its recent flights from New York to the western city of Mumbai. Photos of a few business class passengers bitten by bed bugs were widely shared online in the past week. Air India has since apologised and ordered an inquiry. It also promised to "rigorously fumigate" the plane. Adding to its woes, the company has lost market share to new entrants and suffers a bad reputation of having poor service and cancelling flights. A few years ago, an Air India plane travelling from Mumbai to London was forced to turn back mid-flight after a rat was spotted on board.

IRAN GENERAL WARNS TRUMP WAR WOULD 'DESTROY ALL YOU POSSESS'…. An Iranian special forces commander has warned President Donald Trump if the US attacks Iran it "will destroy all that you possess". Major General Qassem Soleimani vowed that if Mr Trump started a war, the Islamic Republic would end it, Iranian news agency Tasnim reported. It follows Mr Trump's all-caps-lock tweet warning Iran's president to "never, ever" threaten the US. Tensions have risen since the US withdrew from the 2015 Iran deal. Maj Gen Soleimani - who leads the Quds Force of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards - was quoted on Thursday as saying: "As a soldier, it is my duty to respond to your threats. "Talk to me, not to the president [Hassan Rouhani]. It is not in our president's dignity to respond to you. "We are near you, where you can't even imagine. Come. We are ready. "If you begin the war, we will end the war. You know that this war will destroy all that you possess." He also accused the US president of using the language of "night clubs and gambling halls".

DUTCH GRITTERS SALT ROADS TO STOP ASPHALT MELTING….The Netherlands is going through a heatwave this week, like much of northwestern Europe, and several councils have chosen a novel way to stop roads from melting in the scorching sun - they've called the gritter lorries out. Road-users in Arnhem were surprised to see the gritters scattering salt at busy junctions this week, but it seems that salt can be used not only to provide traction in freezing conditions but also to stop asphalt from melting, according to the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper. The winter visitors have also been seen on the roads of Groningen, Hoorn and Geldermalsen in the last two days, especially at roundabouts where heavy traffic tears the softened asphalt from the road surface. The councils say salt helps by attracting moisture from the ambient air and cooling the asphalt. It also removes excess moisture from the asphalt, making it less sticky. Arnhem council has been monitoring the road-surface temperature with sensors, and decided that when it reached 50 degrees Celsius the moment had come to act. "That's the time for us to start spreading the salt. And if the heatwave continues, the gritters will be out and about more often", a council spokesman told the ANP news agency.

JAPANESE FIRM TO LAUNCH WEDDING PLAQUES INTO SPACE…. A Japanese company is offering newlyweds a novel way of showing that their love is eternal: by blasting wedding plaques with their names on into space. According to the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, the Warpspace start-up in the city of Tsukuba is working with Kibo, Japan's orbital science module, to launch wedding plaques from the International Space Station. The company, which is largely staffed by faculty members from the University of Tsubuka, says that it will engrave couples' names, messages, and other information on titanium plaques, measuring some 16 millimetres by eight millimetres. The plaques will then be loaded onto miniature cubic satellites, which can hold several hundred plaques, and be released into orbit. They will join the tens of thousands of satellites, man-made objects and space junk already orbiting the Earth. Astronauts will take photos of the plaques being released and send them to the couples. Explaining the reason behind the company, Warpspace's president Toshihiro Kameda tells Yomiuri Shimbun: "I hope couples will think about space and pledge their infinite love to each other." Warpspace says it will carry out its first launch in 2019. The cost of the service is 30,000 Japanese Yen (£205; $270) and is exclusively offered to couples who marry at Tsukuba's Okura Frontier Hotel.

Well Gentle Reader I hope you enjoyed our look at the news from around the world this, morning… …

Our Tulips today are wrapped and ready to go....

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Tuesday 31st July 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus #Tulips #Spain #Bella #Iran #Trump

[lipid]

Ashford Student Council Radio Station WAVE! Vol. 5 illustrations + translation of Lelouch's picture hehe ~

[leakywright]

{ JONATHAN DAVISS, 21, CISMALE, HE/HIM } Is that MALIK ‘LEAKY’ WRIGHT? A JUNIOR originally from CLEVELAND, MS, they decided to come to Ogden College to study ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES on a ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP. They’re THE TRUSTY SIDEKICK on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance.

been traveling these wide roads for so long...

NAME: malik ‘leaky’ andre wright NICKNAME: leaky, leaks, wright BIRTHDAY: october 16, 2002 ZODIAC: libra sun, sagittarius moon, virgo rising SEXUALITY: bisexual RELIGION: practicing christian (baptist) THREE POSITIVE TRAITS: generous, adaptable, playful THREE NEGATIVE TRAITS: flaky, scatterbrained, cheap THREE SKILLS: trained mechanic, jazz piano, math ENNEAGRAM: 2w1 MYERS-BRIGGS: istp EXTRACURRICULARS: varsity football team: tight-end. vp of recruitment pike, sports show host for student radio station, undergraduate student council.

AESTHETIC: gold rings, early morning runs, sunsets on the river, front porch sweet-tea, tailgating, kisses from grandma, cheers on top of tables, high fives, cheesy grins for photos, BeReal

CHARACTER INSPO: teddy flood (westworld), peeta mellark (the hunger games), matt seracen (friday night lights), pop tate (riverdale), charlie young (the west wing), sam obisanya (ted lasso) 

LIKES: making playlist, late night jams, fresh sunday mornings, making people laugh, warm summer sun, the changing of leaves, soft blankets, historical fiction, holidays DISLIKES: the past, winter, unsweetened tea, ripped jeans, cold weather, people talking during movies, doing the dishes

FAVORITE MOVIES/TV: ted lasso, friday night lights, new girl, atlanta, teen wolf, outer banks, nope, knives out, do the right thing, waves, if beale street could talk, abbott elementary FAVORITE BOOKS: the vanishing half, seven days in june, the hunger games, harry potter series, possessing the secret of joy, the fire next time FAVORITE ARTISTS: b.b. king, leon bridges, tank and the bangas, lizzo, zach bryan, lawrence, j. cole, abraham alexander, tierra whack

FAMILY: mother - adelaide wright (naomie harris) father - andre wright (omar sy) younger sister - haven wright (marsai martin) younger brother - amai wright (danny boyd jr)

pinterest here, playlist here

MOMMA’S WORDS REOCCUR TO ME:  

growing up in cleveland mississippi meant that leaky had access to the only grammy museum outside of la. but really it meant that leaky grew up with humble beginnings, in a one story house that was full of love, laughter, and inspiration. andre and adelaide wright had been high school sweethearts, with andre giving up his dreams of being a full-time musician when they found out adelaide was pregnant, to then instead be the town mechanic. she was a nurse, he a mechanic during the days and blues musician at night, and though life was hectic. it was good.

leaky was taught all the necessities by his father, piano, bass, basic mechanic skills. he wanted his son to be well-rounded and thrive in the world. to build him up. and, like every southern town, high school football became the heart of the wright household. and early on they discovered that leaky was talented. he was good, he had promise for the future. and that he had.

so between practices, gardening, picking on his younger siblings, jamming with his father, and everything else in between, leaky looked at the future with hope, with optimism. and it seemed promising.

junior year of high school, leaky committed to alabama for football, full-ride, tight-end. play time wasn’t promised for him as a freshman, but nick saban personally mentioned his name for future championships. and to make everything better, his best friend jackson and girlfriend iona were accepted their senior year. they had plans to make tuscaloosa their home.

SURRENDER TO THE GOOD LORD: (tw death)

his freshman year was exciting, and a bit overwhelming. the golden boy of the town lost his way, getting caught up in the culture of college and partying. jackson, iona, and him were having the time of their life. and sure leaky wasn’t playing as much as he wanted, but it was enough for the time being.

and then tragedy struck, beginning of second semester of his freshman year, the three of them had been out one night, leaky felt he was on top of the world. but soon it fell into darkness, he remembered sliding into the backseat of the car, pressing a sloppy kiss to iona’s neck, and the next thing he was waking up in the hospital receiving the worst news of his life. jackson and iona were dead.

and then things continued downhill, ogden had attempted to recruit leaky as well, and reached out with a new offer. full playing time, full ride, and a fresh start. leaky couldn’t turn it down. it might be kissing his chance of the nfl behind, but he couldn’t turn down the stellar education ogden was offering him.

so after finishing his freshman year, leaky moved to portsmouth, summer training and all, began his life at ogden, this time taking a side role in his life. no longer the big fish in a small pond like his life in mississippi, he found his place easily. but he doesn’t talk about his freshman year, he doesn’t visit home, and though he seems to be a vibrant and stellar young man, he holds his cards close to his chest.

AND HE’LL WIPE YOUR SLATE CLEAN:  

leaky is enjoying ogden, two years in he’s making friends, a star player, doing what he can. and yet there’s a nagging guilt, of not going home when he knows his family misses him, of not visiting iona and jackson’s families, of moving on. but he can’t face it, not yet. maybe one day he’ll be able to return home.

in fact that was the original plan, after his education, to return to cleveland and continue to build up his beloved city. like his father, leaky let’s his passions stay that way, it’s easier to keep the creativity without the pressure of it all. and instead he chose environmental science, something he hopes to be an asset for his community. leaky grew up gardening with his mother, and shares a deep love for the environment, and figures this is the best way to move forward.

GREER:

the two were casual friends. he’d see her at parties, and at school events. it’s hard not to notice the golden girl, especially with how visual leaky is on campus, always involved with an event or being seen in the advertising for the school. they got along fine, having friendships that crossed-over. he never knew her really well, but he respected her enough and enjoyed her presence. whenever she needed help or had a favor, leaky was more than ready to aid a hand. though it never seemed the two got below a surface-level friendship (to those who witnessed them anyway).

THE TRUSTY SIDEKICK:  

you need a wingman? leaky is your guy. he’s charming and pleasant and can talk anyone up. need a favor? leaky is there easily fulfilling it as if it’s nothing to him. the guy is a confidant, a hype-man, a volunteer, he can transform himself into whatever you need and it never seems to bother him. and despite being a gifted football player, and smart guy, and seemingly everywhere on campus, he doesn’t steal the spotlight. he’s not the one you think of when you think of ogden, he lets others take the popularity, the jealous looks, the whispers. despite always being there, you might sometimes overlook him, maybe because he’s always there. but he seems to be a good guy, always offering a kind smile and nod of his head on campus, willing to help tutor you in math, and then lets you have all the glory when you ace the test. it almost seems like leaky is making himself out to be the pedestal that everyone sits on. the support that uplifts the hero, and yet still disappears in the crowd, never seeking glory for himself.

extra:

previous tasks found here

he’s always wearing a jacket because he can’t stand the cold 

he wears a gold chain that was given to him by iona, he never takes it off

[marwahstudios]

World Radio Day Celebrated at 7th Global Festival of Journalism

Noida: The second day of 7th Global Festival of Journalism Noida 2019 attracted many more countries and their heads in India to be part of this great gala international event. United Nation has already declared 13th February as the World Radio Day to emphasis the importance of one of the oldest medium of media. A poster was launched by all the dignities to mark resect to World Radio Day. “We are lucky to have our own Radio Station and we are well versed with the pros and cons of the station. One million people of this belt is directly associated with us through radio. Now radio can be heard all over the World with radionoida.fm through net. The importance of Global Festival of Journalism rises with radio day falls within these three dates,” said Dr. Sandeep Marwah explaining the importance of GFJN.

“I congratulate all of you on this World Radio Day. Celebration journalism means celebration of freedom. It is very important to look for your rights in freedom society but also you should worried for your duties towards your country and society,” said H.E. Michael A A Oquaye High Commissioner of Ghana to India. “We need to bring change in the pattern of presentation of news. Positive news must be the major part of   mediums, negativity spreads a lot of negativity in the society. A balancing is required in todays journalism,” said K.L.Ganju Consulate General of Republic of Comoros to India. “Being journalist means the most responsible profession and you cannot take even one single event easy. They are the soldiers of the society and keep all of us alert of what is happening in the country,” added Ricardo A Berna Charge d’ Affaires Embassy of Panama in New Delhi. “After Sun rays it is radio waves which cover the surface of the world maximum. Radio has Played a very important inning in past and it has been revived      now in last few year,” said Kulwinder Singh Kang former Additional Director All India Radio, Ministry of Information And Broadcasting Government of India. Sunil Dang Editor in Chief Day After Magazine and member Press Council of India, Sayed Ansari Deputy Editor and Anchor AAj Tak, Paul Song Director International Youth Fellowship Korea and Onuel Ulka President Nigerian Students Association and CEO IIruka International also spoke from the dice. Later Dr. Sandeep Marwah President of the Festival honored all the dignities with the Life Membership of International Journalism Centre of ICMEI and memento of the festival.