#the last graudate

[ellora-borealis]

Has anyone drawn Galadriel Higgins and Orion Lake as that Barbie/Ken meme? I would do it myself but I am untalented please

[screenshotsforthelovelies]

Watching the world burn from my little corner of the internet

[noizchild]

Friends on a Beach Trip #1

This was going to be the last summer you will all spend together before you go off to college. You and your friends have graduated yesterday. Now, you are all about to go your separate ways. It’s going to be Noel, Jamie, Ryan, Jay, and you. This trip was all Ryan’s idea. “This will be great for all of us,” he said. “I even have the RV and everything.” You all give him a strange look. There he…

[lunarbuck]

sorry for the lack of posting!!! i've had a busy week since my graudation lol

i'll be posting my last few sleepover requests asap <3

[apollowritesstuff]

thank you so much for tagging me! i really fell off tumblr lately but this notification made me smile a lot honestly. let's go!

Last Song: Baby Queen by Gorrilaz

Favorite color(s): I'm one of those olive-army-sage-deep forest-green people, and I have an unreasonable yet thriving obsession with Ireland (can someone get me there like, now?)

Currently watching: honestly I'm not a movie/show type of person. i tend to bingewatch youtube a lot tho :D

Last movie: last thing i watched was the new Percy Jackson :)

Currently reading: i'm graudating this year, which means i have a lot of book i just have to read. currently Alcohols by G. Apollinaire

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: savory all the way! EVEN THO i'm kind of getting into spicy stuff too.

Last thing I googled: "kawasaki warehouse kowloon" - writing a novel inspired by kowloon so yknow. research instead of writing

Current obsession(s): filling my room to the brim with plants, daydreaming about moving out, youtube video essays, brutalism

Currently working on: a novel inspired by kowloon walled city, which means rewatching Stray playthroughs aaaaaaaand a lot of daydreaming. trust the process

unfortunately I'm kinda a loner here and don't have people to tag, so thank you a lot for tagging me @angelasscribbles and anyone who sees this, please join in too!!!

Getting to Know You Better

First of all, thank you so much to @peonierose, @queenmiarys

@dcbbw and @bebepac for the tag!!!

Second of all, I apologize for how utterly late I am in my response.

Here are my answers:

Last Song: Another Level by Oh the Larceny

Favorite color(s): blue

Currently watching: Found and Irrational (I do love the crime procedurals!)

Last movie: The Creator

Currently reading: Spare

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: Savory all the way! I don’t like spicy food generally (unless it’s cream cheese stuffed jalapenos) but I love Mexican food. My husband tells me this is an oxymoron, but I stand by it. And though I like savory food, I cannot live without my sweet tea! (That’s the Texas girl in me, Yee Haw!)

Last thing I googled: “Hell or Highwater Walkthrough” (it’s a romance club game and there is a free diamond rush event going on right now)

Current obsession(s): 1. My playlist for Insurrection. 2. historical research on King Louis the 14th and prominent members of his court, emphasis on the openly queer folks (despite it being against the law, but if you were a prince then hey). 3. LGBTQ stickers. I have them on everything…my laptop, my water bottles, the back of my car…..

Currently working on: A Valentine’s Day one-shot from The Agreement. It’s a flashback to when Riley and Drake’s marriage started to become real.

Clean copy:

Last Song:

Favorite color(s):

Currently watching:

Last movie:

Currently reading:

Sweet/Spicy/Savory:

Last thing I googled:

Current obsession(s):

Currently working on:

Tagging some peeps under the cut, but please, anyone and everyone who wants to is welcome to play!!!!

@karahalloway, @harleybeaumont @alj4890 @aussiegurl1234 @nestledonthaveone

@walkerdrakewalker @kingliam2019 @bascmve01 @twinkleallnight

@lovingchoices14  @tinkie1973

@secretaryunpaid  @irishgrl2022

@kristinamae093 @tessa-liam @gabesmommie1130 @queenmiarys

@differenttyphoonwerewolf  @jared2612  @belencha77

@dcbbw  @amandablink @indiacater 

@bebepac @twinkle-320 @mattiematt1234

@queen-arabella-of-cordonia

@emersyn-in-cordonia @lunaseasblog  

@hollygirl1269 @mainstreetreader

@ladyangel70 @ohmyeightpastlives  @gardeningourmet

@sillydg @phoenixrising0308

@3pawandme @21-wishes @73geenalove @jennieausten

@princessleac1 @kachrisberry @tornbetween2loves

@fangirling12566  @pinklipsandmasonjars @savannahdix

@jerzwriter @petiteboheme @storyofmychoices

@thetruearchmagos @talesofsorrowandruin @apollowritesstuff @eli-writes-believe-it-or-not @little-mouse-gardens @brieflyinfatuated @justafunctionalmess @writingpotato07 @hannahsrambles2

@aallotarenunelma @inlocusmads

[thelassoway]

@weekendsareforwhiskey aww, thank you! 🍻

Congrats to you this weekend!  🎓

[larathia]

I realize a lot of the fandom doesn’t really want to think about this, but it’s very important to remember that at all times, all times, Hanako never once, not for one instant, forgets that he is dead. That he is not just the ‘weird classmate with cool powers’ or some kind of neat secret friend, the way Nene and Kou often treat him as. He. Is. Dead. He went through the experience of dying. He has long been aware of what being a ghost means - that he will never change again, while all around him students will laugh and learn and grow up and grow away and classes will change and uniforms will change and technology will change and music will change and he will never change again. He will never grow up. He will never be married, he will never have kids, he will never even graudate from that school. He’s watched entire classes of students enter the middle school door and walk out the high school door, the whole process. He’s seen that several times - kids younger than Kou, becoming kids older than Teru and just...disappearing out into the world, while he stays exactly the same.

A big part of understanding Hanako is understanding that he never forgets this. Ever. Nene can forget it, Kou can forget it...Hanako never forgets it. He tries to remind them of this fact - most recently in the last chapter we saw him in - but he’s also seen this happen enough that he knows that Kou and Nene can’t really understand what it means. 

But Hanako does. When he’s acted to protect them, or even when he’s acted to cage them, there’s a kind of temporal panic behind that. They will grow up. They will, like every generation before them, eventually grow beyond him. They will change. I think it’s what keeps him from being attached to Kou, and it’s also what sends him into a panic with Nene. Because he can’t grow with her, and he knows it, but he would give anything to give her something that she can take with her into the world of him. And while he knows her fate is to die soon - that she is in effect fated to be just like him, never to grow up, never to change - you can see how much he hates it in just how hard he fights for that not to be her fate.

[spaceoddball1969]

Falling for the Freak - Eddie Munson Fix-It Fic Chapter 13

Hi friends! I have couple of things I’d like to talk about before we get to the chapter. First off, of course, thank you all for reading and sharing and commenting. It makes my day when I see new interactions with the story.

 Next, I would like to ask a question. As a reader, for you personally, how important is the inclusion of smut in this fic to you? I have no problems writing it, but I’m gonna be honest and say I much prefer writing cute or silly interactions between the reader and Eddie and explicit sexual situations. If you do not enjoy reading smut, or shouldn’t be reading it due to your age, let me know! Feel free to leave a comment or send me a message. I just want to get an idea of what you all feel like you’d like to see in this fic. I want to write something that everyone can enjoy. If it turns out most of you aren’t too interested in having smut in this fic then I’ll keep it to a minimum. I was even thinking if there’s people who really want to read that type of thing, that I could release the regular chapter without it and then release an explicit version where it will be included. Let me know what you think! I want to write what you all want to read! 

Ok, another thing. Some of you have asked to be tagged and when I go to tag you, your account doesn’t come up. If you have asked to be tagged and are not getting notifications about being tagged please let me know. I have been trying to troubleshoot why I might be having issues with tagging you and have been unsuccessful. If you wanna be tagged and haven’t been getting notifications let me know and I’ll be happy to let you know when I post.

I’m getting off my soap box now.

CHAPTER SUMMARY: It’s getting way close to the time that ST4 takes place cannonically so we’re getting to the major stuff here. Eddie and the reader find it difficult to find time to be together as school, work, and Hellfire keep them both quite busy. However, spring break is coming up fast and they both are anxious to have the time to spend together. Just as things seem to be lining up them, things take an unexpected turn.

WARNINGS: Fluff, language (I just realized I’ve said fuck several times in this fic and never put a warning), mentions of murder.

Chapter 13

The next few weeks truly tested Eddie and I as a couple. We barely got to spend time together that wasn’t spent studying. He was and I quote, “army crawling” his way towards graudation and I was what felt like army crawling through piles of homework. My second semester was going well, but it was definitely killing me a little inside. I had to drop my hours at Family Video just so I could stay on top of my work. I worked when I could and had to grin and bare my cut in pay.

Eddie was also now incredibly busy with Hellfire as they were well into the Cult of Vecna. We had spent many hours discussing it so he could develop a proper cult for his evil wizard antagonist. The boys had spent several Friday nights making their way through the campaign and still were going to have to meet one last time to play through the end of it. When I could, I would sit in on the meetings and watch. Eddie often begged me to join the campaign, but the more I watched, the more confused I got. Besides, with my classwork and work at Family Video, I barely had enough time to breathe.

Luckily, spring break was coming. We had five days to get through and then we were all free for a week. It was a miracle that my spring break lined up with Eddie’s. I was desperate to be able to spend time actually hanging out with him instead of just doing homework together. It had been a rough few months. Between everything Eddie and I, Dustin was also quite busy. He had been struggling with not being able to see Suzy and his classes were starting to give him troubles. It didn’t help that issues had started to crop up between him, Mike, and Lucas. Back around Christmas, Lucas had been dumped by his girlfriend, Max. I didn’t know the whole story, but whenever I interacted with Max she always seemed to have something seriously eating her up. Lucas had been trying to get back together with her ever since. He dug into his place on the basketball team, giving her tickets to every game in hopes that she would come to one. Unfortunately she never did. 

Mike and Dustin were committed to Hellfire, but it seemed that Lucas was getting wrapped up in his own interests. I was scared to say it, but I feared the boys had finally hit the point where they would grow apart. I hoped it wasn’t the case, but I feared the worst. 

Their friendship was put to the ultimate test the Friday before spring break. 

“We have major problems,” Dustin said on the phone that afternoon. He called the house right after he got out of school.

“What kind of problems?” I asked.

“Problems of every kind,” Dustin said. “You wouldn’t happen to be able to suddenly pick up Dungeons and Dragons would you?”

“Are you kidding me?” I asked. “How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not joining the campagin?”

“Well, we need a stand in,” Dustin said. “Your boyfriend gave me and Mike another one of his outrageous assignments. We need somebody to stand in for Lucas tonight at Hellfire,”

“Where’s Lucas?” I asked, though I had a feeling I knew the answer.

“His stupid basketball team won the game last night,” Dustin said, “so now they’re in the championchip game tonight. Eddie refuses to postpone the conclusion of his campaign so he’s making us find a stand in,”

“Well,” I said. “I’m sorry. I can’t help you out there,”

“It’s fine,” Dustin said. “I gotta go find Mike. We’re going to search the school for someone willing to come play tonight,”

“Ok,” I said. “Good luck,”

“Thanks,” Dustin sighed, “we’re going to need it,”

He hung up the phone and so did I. I sat for a minute and then decided to call Eddie. The phone range several times and then his uncle picked up. 

“Hello?” he asked.

“Hi, Mr. Munson,” I said, “it’s Y/N, is Eddie home yet?”

“I’m sorry, Y/N, he’s not back from school. He said he might be late though. Said he had some business to take care of,” Wayne said.

“Ok,” I said, whenever Eddie had a deal to make he would always refer to it as “business���. “Could you tell him I called when he gets back?”

“Of course,” Wayne said. “You have a good day now,”

“You too,” I said and hung up the phone.

An hour or so passed and then the phone rang. I picked it up and Eddie answered. “What’s up, babe? Miss me?” he asked.

“You wish,” I laughed. “No, I was calling because I’m not sure about you making the boys find a stand in for tonight. Can’t you just postpone?”

“Absolutely not.” Eddie said firmly. “This is too big. We postpone this and I swear we’ll never finish it. I just have this gut feeling. And if they want to be true members of Hellfire, this is what they’ve gotta deal with, recruitment,”

“Are you sure you aren’t taking this too seriously?” I asked.

“I’m certain of it,” Eddie said. He paused and then spoke again. “Hey can I ask you something?”

“Go for it,” I said.

“If a girl was one of my clients and she wanted to get something stronger from me to deal with her issues how would you feel about her coming to the trailer?” he asked.

I thought about it. “Is she pretty?” I asked.

“It’s Chrissy Cunningham,” Eddie said.

“The cheerleader?” I asked.

“That’s the one,” Eddie said.

“What the fuck?” I asked. “She does business with you?”

“As of this afternoon,” Eddie said. “I tried to give her a good deal too and she asked for something stronger.”

“I trust you,” I said.

“Ok,” Eddie said. 

“You better not do anything to break that trust,” I said.

“I would never,” he said. “You coming to Hellfire tonight? Gonna see the end of the Cult of Vecna?”

“I’ll try, but no promises,” I said. “I have a lot of work to do.”

“You’ll come,” Eddie said. “I know it,”

---

He was right. I went. I couldn’t resist. And it was the best time I had ever had at Hellfire. Mike and Dustin had come through and somehow gotten Lucas’ sister, Erica, to stand in for her brother. I watched as they made their way through the end of the campaign. Eddie was truly on fire as the dungeon master. I had watched him do this many times now, but he was legendary that night. I watched as Vecna came back from the dead and the choice was made to stay and fight him to the death. It was a little silly how seriously they all took it, but I was happy to see everyone enjoying themselves. After such a strenuous week, it felt like it was well deserved.

Especially when in the last few moments of the campaign, it seemed like all hope was lost. The only hero left standing was Lady Applejack (Erica) and she had to roll to place the final blow on Vecna. If her roll came up short, the entire party would be demolished. It was as if the whole world went into slow motion as Erica, with her American flag tied around her neck, shook the die in her cupped hands. I watched as it flew from her fingers and across the table. It rolled several times and we all watched it carefully. It moved slowly closer and closer to Eddie at the other end of the table until it landed on the desired number 20.

The party all froze and then we errupted into cheers. Dustin hugged me tighter than he ever had before. Even Eddie couldn’t help but cheer and bow to the brave Lady Applejack who had slain Lord Vecna. I went to congratulate Eddie on the epic conclusion of his campaign. 

He pulled me into a tight hug and kissed me on the mouth. “You’re joining the party for the next campaign, I’m making you,”

“We’ll see about that,” I said.

“You’re gonna do it,” he said.

---

The party cleared out not long after that. I stayed behind with Eddie to help him clean up. As I finished packing up the game board, Eddie slumped down into his dungeon master thrown. He looked like royalty sitting in that chair. I put the lid on the box and made my way over to him.

“That was a fantastic night,” Eddie said as I sat down on his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my shoulder. “Thank you for being here,”

“Of course. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Especially when I get to see you looking like a king in this chair,” I smirked.

“So if I’m the king...” Eddie said, looking up at me. He rested his chin on my shoulder. “Does that make you my queen?”

“It can if you want it to,” I said, smiling.

“Can we have crowns?” Eddie asked.

“Most definitely,” I said, a small laugh coming out.

“Good,” he said. “I think you’d look spectucular in a crown,”

“You’d look better,” I said.

“Nope,” Eddie said, “No way I could look better than you,”

“You are a sap,” I said, letting my hands slip behind his neck.

“Guilty as charged,” Eddie said, pressing his lips to mine.

We were tangled together for a moment and then he pulled back and looked at his watch.

“Shit,” Eddie said, “shit, I’ve gotta go. Sweetheart, God, I’m so sorry. I totally forgot, I gotta do the deal with Chrissy,”

“Oh,” I said and stood up. “Yeah, I forgot too,”

“Babe,” Eddie said, cupping my face with his large hands, “babe, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. How about I come by later? I’ll be at your window in like an hour tops. I’ll make it up to you,”

“Ok,” I said. “I like that idea,”

“Thank you for understanding,” Eddie said, kissing my forehead. “I’ll see you soon,”

“I trust you!” I called as Eddie gathered his things and ran out the door.

I collected my stuff and walked outside. I found my bicycle and peddled home in the dark. I felt odd, like I was being watched, or like something was off. My stomach felt uneasy and I couldn’t stop thinking about Eddie. I tried to tell myself that I wasn’t anxious about him being in the trailer alone with Chrissy Cunningham, but I must have been deep down. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wrong was going on.

I ignored the feeling as best as I could once I got home. I got into my pajamas and got ready for bed. I made sure to lock my bedroom door and to leave my window open a crack for Eddie. 

I waited for an hour. He didn’t come. I waited for another hour and he still hadn’t shown up. I tried to fight off the awful feeling that he had decided that Chrissy was much prettier than I was and he would much rather spend the night with her than me. I hardly slept that night and whenever I was asleep, I was riddled with terrible nightmares.

---

When I woke up the next morning and turned on the news, I realized the nightmare was just beginning.

Falling for the Freak Taglist

@dilophosaurusatenewman

@efvyqrs

@babeyglo

@aestaethicvante

@kbakery

@kaqua

@aereth

@starryeyedkoko

@lorrainlikesprivacy

@possiblyexisting

@cryuki-patootie

@beepisbeep

[colbertmmunist]

i'vve got a 101 degree feverf and my two semester exams are in the next two ddays and yyou can't make thm up i wanan die

[gallifreyborn]

( this post is intended as a quick guide for any doctor rpers who aren’t familiar with either classic who or big finish, just going over the absolute basics of the doctor and romana’s history. i’ll try to keep this short and snappy; if you want more information about anything you’re always free to drop me an ask or im, and i’ll also be writing meta posts that go more in-depth into romana’s feelings about the doctor and certain adventures.

the basics: romana travelled with the fourth doctor in her first and second incarnations. this blog also accepts the apocalypse element, featuring romana ii and the sixth doctor, and shada, neverland and zagreus, featuring romana ii and the eighth doctor, as blog-canon

romana i started travelling with the doctor under the instruction of the white guardian, who sent them on the quest to collect the pieces of the key to time, a thing of immense power

romana i was a bit of an ice queen (her nickname in the academy was actually ‘the ice maiden’). she was a time lady who had recently graudated from the academy, and hadn’t spent much time away from gallifrey. very much not a renegade. she saw herself as more competent than the doctor (and, to be fair, she generally was, lol), and she often butted heads with him due to disapproving of his way of doing things.

all of that being said, she wasn’t a stick in the mud. she was more than capable of matching wits with the doctor, and while she’d be the first to criticise him, there wasn’t real hate or anything to that effect.

after finishing the key to time mission, romana regenerated. the reasons why are complicated and i won’t get into it, but the reason she gave to the doctor basically amounted to ‘lmao idk i just felt like it’

romana ii took the face of princess astra, the living embodiment of the last piece to the key to time. the doctor disapproved of romana using the face of someone else, but eventually accepted it. compared to her previous self, romana ii was far warmer. she would still happily criticise the doctor, but she would also openly compliment him and was (generally) not shy about showing affection towards him. you could say that her regeneration was very much influenced by the doctor.

after a while of travelling together, romana was called back to gallifrey. she didn’t want to go back, but the doctor argued that she would have to (because the only other option was to officially become a renegade, without the excuse of the key to time left). before she couldd return, however, they got stuck in e-space, a pocket dimension outside of regular space/n-space

romana decided to stay behind in e-space with k-9 to help a race of time-sensitive former slaves (and to further delay her return to gallifrey)

eventually, romana did return to gallifrey, and was elected as president. it wasn’t a role that she sought, but it also wasn’t one that she was willing to turn down

while at a peace conference, the daleks attacked, capturing and enslaving everyone present on etra prime, romana included. romana spent 20 years in dalek captivity.

after escaping, romana and the sixth doctor helped prevent the daleks from taking over gallifrey, before parting ways again. romana returned to her role as president and pretended that everything was fine and she hadn’t just experienced severe trauma

the eighth doctor sometimes took romana on adventures, one notable one involving them finding a time lord prison, shada.

one of the eighth doctor’s companions, charley pollard, was meant to have died, but the doctor saved her. this disrupted to web of time and caused a lot of things to go badly. romana had charley and the doctor brought to gallifrey to fix the mess, and due to her remaining loyalty to the doctor, made sure that charley would be safe.

due to the fallout of this adventure, the doctor was infected with anti-time, and rassilon attempted to exploit him. a lot of things happened here, including charley turning into a giant mouse, romana writing real-person fiction of the doctor, and the tardis cosplaying as the brigadier. but the details aren’t the most important, because the important part is:

this adventure was concluded by the doctor leaving the universe ‘forever’, not allowed to ever return. one of the last things the doctor said to romana was a particularly damning speech about time lord society, explicitly including her, and wondering how long it would be before she, too, would be corrupted.

romana and the doctor’s adventures continued separately. romana remained as president of gallifrey (until she didn’t), and the doctor eventually sorted out his anti-time infection and returned to the main universe. if they met again after this i haven’t got there yet, so it’s in schrodinger’s blog canon. this will be updated if/when this changes

so! tl;dr:

romana traveled with four but also had notable adventures with six and eight

romana is a time lady and traveled with the doctor in two of her incarnations

romana and the doctor hunted down the key to time together

after leaving the doctor, romana became president of gallifrey

romana spent 20 years in dalek captivity

when they parted ways, the doctor had fully given up on time lord society and expected romana to fall to corruption (though he had just gone through a traumatising ordeal, so his frame of mind wasn’t the best)

and some bonuses because i’m nice:

the adventure with the doctor that romana remembers most fondly is when they went to paris. it’s on her mind so much that when she thinks she’s been exiled from gallifrey with leela, her first suggestion is to go to paris

speaking of leela! romana’s bodyguard is fellow fourth-doctor companion leela. leela is romana’s best friend and she loves her very much. those gals sure are pals

romana gets attached to former companions pretty easily due to their shared experiences with the doctor. even in a timeline where she has regenerated into a form that is more distant from friends and manipulative, she’s still willing to stick her neck out for ace exclusively due to the fact that ace is the doctor’s friend (she is also willing to have ace killed if she’s betrayed gallifrey, but hey, she doesn’t want that to happen and ace didn’t betray gallifrey, so it’s all fine)

even after the doctor has seemingly given up on her, she trusts him so much that when she meets an alternate version of him, she is 100% willing to trust him and work with him and tell him everything. this turned out to be a terrible idea and he tried to kill her. poor romana

one of romana’s closest friends is the doctor’s brother, braxiatel. he’s also her personal assassin. sort of.

despite everything, romana holds the doctor in very high esteem. she cares about them a lot, and while she’s going to put gallifrey first for as long as she is president (and also will not be shy in voicing her criticisms of the doctor, lol), she very genuinely wants them to be happy and safe

[zukalations]

Flower Troupe Top Musumeyaku Hana Yuuki's retirement press conference - 'I was given so much love'

This article about Hana Yuuki’s retirement press conference was published by Nikkan Sports on November 17, 2020 and can be found here (no credited author). Please click through to see photos!

Flower Troupe Top Musumeyaku Hana Yuuki's retirement press conference - 'I was given so much love'

Takarazuka Revue Flower Troupe's Top Musumeyaku Hana Yuuki, who held a press conference about her retirement this July at the company's headquarters in Takarazuka on the 17th, said that though she had resolved to retire ahead of the long pause in operations caused by the coronavirus, her decision did not waver.

"Being in this position, I was able to be in a production bursting with love, as well as being given so much love by everyone. Until the day I graduate from the company, I will continue to devote myself.”

She wore a white dress, and did not cry during the event. She discussed her feelings towards her retirement with a refreshed expression, though she sometimes hesitated.

Hana became former Top Star Asumi Rio's partner musumeyaku in April of last year, and after seeing off Asumi Rio in her own retirement, she became partner to current Top Star, Yuzuka Rei.

She resolved to retire during rehearsals for her first show as a couple with Yuzuka, DANCE OLYMPIA. She said that she told Yuzuka about her decision on January 30th at the beginning of rehearsals for their debut in the main venue, Here Comes Miss Modern.

In Takarazuka, as soon as someone is appointed to the position of Top Star or Top Musumeyaku, the countdown to their retirement commences. Hana said that while "when I was told of my appointment I was overjoyed at this huge honor," she also recollected that she felt "at the same time, since I would be in a position of such responsibility, I needed to also consider when I would graudate."

After seeing off Asumi came the first day of rehearsals for the debut show in Takarauka's main venue for her and Yuzuka as partners. When she told Yuzuka how she felt, she said "she was so kind, and heard me out until the end, and then told me 'in the time we have left let's be even closer than before'."

However, after that, due to the effects of the new coronavirus, their debut show, which was originally scheduled to open in April, was delayed. The postponement extended until July. During that time, Hana revealed "I wavered. I started to feel lonely." However, she became determined: "(at the same time), since I was given the change to make this decision, I feel I want to do everything I can personally (in preparation for retirement)."

The current show, Miss Modern, is full of memories for her, as she performed in it together with Yuzuka in 2017, before Yuzuka's ascension to Top Star. "I met the person (role) called Hanamura Benio three years ago and she encouraged me. I feel like in this time (of coronavirus) also, we got through it together," she said.

Carrying out her original resolution, she announced her retirement after Miss Modern closed in the Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre three days ago, on the 14th. She was thankful for the warm words from the other troupe members when she told them. Though she is leaving after 3 productions in the Grand Theatre, her feelings towards the two Top Stars she was partnered with are intense.

"Being able to be the partner of two such wonderful people has given me so much happiness that I can't come close to using it all."

She said she was awestruck by Asumi, who was already Top Star of Flower Troupe when Hana was assigned to the troupe—"She was just too outstanding a person, (but) poor little me was able to be by her side as her partner, and it made me so happy to be onstage."

Regarding Yuzuka, who she was partnered with even when Yuzuka was still a junior actress, she has great respect. "She accepts all of my strong points and weak points and gives me guidance. She's such a deeply loving person. She understands me even better than I understand myself." They promised to rely on each other completely as they accompany each other to Hana's final day in Takarazuka.

Hana's retirement production, Augustus - The Majestic One / COOL BEAST!! will open in the Takarazuka Grand Theater, Hyogo, on April 2 of next year. She will retire with the close of the Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre run, on July 4 of next year. Her career after retirement is undecided.

[phyrexian-without-a-cause]

Back from convocation, I guess I have an undergrad now.

Also, hey, now you all know what I look like! Yaaaaay!

[americasarse]

favours

ginny weasley was running laps on the track, because that was what she always did. she ran and ran and ran until her lungs were burning and her legs were about to give out and she didn’t know what time it was but she still kept going.

ginny’s fists grew tighter, and she could feel her nails digging into the skin of her palm, only urging her to keep going. harry was graudating that year, and ginny knew well enough that the captain position could be hers - if she was good enough.

there was once a time, when ginny was okay with not being the best. when being the captain’s girlfriend was enough for her. when both her brother and boyfriend were on the team and everyone just assumed she got on because of favouritism.

not anymore.

ginny weasley was determined to prove to everyone that she was good enough. she played football better than anyone at hogwarts, including her ex-boyfriend. 

“weasley! what’re you doing out there?” ginny glanced up, sitting on a hill, looking as pristine as always, was blaise zabini.

ginny sighed, jogging off to the side of the track, continuing to run in place as she waited for zabini to come down. the pair had an interesting relationship to say the least.

zabini had tutored her the year previous, when she had been failing maths. she couldn’t ask hermione, cause she’d tell harry and ron, and it would eventually go back to the rest of her family. ginny couldnt have that.

so instead, ginny had gone to draco, who was best in their year, who had referred her to blaise. and blaise had then helped her actually pass. 

“hey.” ginny offered, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. she grimaced as she wiped it against her shorts, she was sweating. a lot.

“what are you doing?” blaise asked lazily, glancing at her up and down. if anyone else did it, ginny would feel disgusted, but whenever blaise does she just feels like she’s never good enough for him.

“running,” ginny said, ignoring how blaise was making her feel, “do you not do that back home?”

“well maybe, but i don’t like sweating, so...” blaise trailed off, probably noticing just how much ginny was sweating herself.

“some of us need to work hard to get what we want zabini,” ginny replied, sighing as she finally let herself sit down on the grass next to the track.

“you don’t think i work hard?” zabini asked, tilting his head, his eyes twinkling in a way ginny hated so much. like he knew more than her.

“i know you don’t.” 

“touchy touchy.”

zabini yawned, rocking back on his heels as he stared at her. like she was a pet that was amusing him at the moment. zabini was an enigma that ginny had no yearning to solve.

“so? what are you really here for?” ginny asked him, refusing to break eye contact despite what she was feeling inside.

“i need a date for a party. someone to show my parents,” blaise replied, waving his hand about like he was telling some great story. bullshit.

“you know just as well as i do that they won’t like me.” ginny deadpanned.

“that’s the idea, little weasley.” blaise grinned, the sharp points of his teeth poking out.

“so what? i’m going to some party to get hated? that doesn’t sound like something i’d want to do.”

blaise grinned even wider, moving to stand closer to where ginny was exhausted and sweaty, layed out on the grass. they were quite the pair; blaise all poised with tight collars and a jawline that could cut, and then of course her.

“you know you owe me one from last year.”

ginny sighed. loudly, to make sure blaise could hear. 

“fine. but i hope you know i’m not going to be enjoying it.”

“oh i’m counting on it.” and with ginny’s approval, zabini walked away the same direction he had come from. leaving ginny tired, panting, and most of all dreading what was to come.

[yyxgin]

I think jisung’s existence on its own is a cultural reset. That man is amazing I swear.

Also same with exams, I graduated last year and was doing this program called the IB (sucks btw I freaking hate it) and I learned NOTHING bc of online classes, they felt optional as hell and luckily enough I had no exams so I received the diploma without having to do any of those. That was the only win I swear.

Selena the series is really nice! I think a lot of people compare it to the JLo movie. I havent seen it so I wouldn’t be able to say. The ending of the series was a bit odd imo but I understand why they did it the way they did!! AND yes it’s officially my comfort show 🥳 It’s been a while since I’ve watched any dramas, I’m currently watching Love Alarm (slowly bc I procrastinate watching things too oof). Which dramas are your fave?? Any recs are welcome 😅

Romcom dreams are gr8, often times they involve a club and the same setting all the ikr BUT with a bit of sleep deprivation I can change the setting into a dystopian romcom nightmare-ish atmosphere 😎

ALSO OKAY FELIX WITH A MULLET DUDE I CANT!!!! WHEN HE HAS BROWN HAIR I SWEAR I DIED BC IT LOOKED SO GOOD ON HIM :,) The way I feel about renjun’s current hair style is how I felt abt Felix’s Brunet era 😔♥️

Jisung's whole existence,,,fr he is too powerful.

Omg i am so jealous 😩😩 this year's and last year's seniors graudated without the exams as well bc of corona but i doubt i will be this lucky💔😔

I haven't seen the JLo movie either sjsjs i'm bad w movies😭but i'll make sure to watch Selena !! Also you are like the third person telling me they're watching love alarm and i am so concerned bc i literally despised that drama. As for recs, i LOVED EXTRACURRICULAR and i wont ever stop talking about it. its the best kdrama i've ever watched😩 i also liked itaewon class bc i am basic, sky castle and alice in the borderland (japanese) !! And if you're into webdramas, which i personally am bc they are shorter,,,i can recommed a-teen, pop out boy and the way i hate you !! 💕

A CLUB ?? THAT SOUNDS SPICY DJSJSK my dreams usually make zero sense. I literally had a dream tonight that i was in an alice in borderland universe but instead of playing cards i got kpop photocards at the end😭😭✋

FELIXS BRUNETTE MULLET AND RENJUN'S CURRENT HAIR ARE THE TOP OF MY KPOP HAIRSTYLES LIST AAAAAH

[stoplookingupforheaven]

6&15? :)

6: When’s the last time you felt like you were floating?

my last ski trip was in january and i had so much fun, and being up above treeline always makes me feel floaty

15: Talk about something exciting or good that happened to you this year.

there isn’t a lot because CORONAVIRUS 😤 but i graudated high school so that’s pretty exciting!

ask me!

[uncivilengineering]

What Kind of Two Years Has it Been

At the end of an experience, and therefore a blog, I usually write a reflection on the experience. The Master's programme ended six years ago and due to life and procrastination and other excuses, I'm finishing this blog only now. But this delay has its advantages, because I know how the story ends and I can tell you what happened to the characters. So maybe, for the first time, this is truly an epilogue.

The journey to this program started in 2012. I was living in Germany and working as a consultant. I always knew I wanted to work first before continuing with any kind of education, because toward the end of undergrad, I had classes with grad students and the ones who had work experience before going back to school seemed to bring more to the experience from applying what they learned from the real world. As I researched Master's programmes, I focused my search in Europe because I was still paying off the loans for my Bachelor's degree. I Googled another program when the MIND programme turned up in the results. After a process of applying, obtaining references, phone interviews and traveling to Munich from Stuttgart to take the GRE in Germany (really), even though this is Europe, the choice came down to Humboldt University in Berlin, with a scholarship from the DAAD, and the MIND programme, with a scholarship from the European Commission. (Lappeenranta University of Technology in Finland takes a close third because I had a really, really pleasant scholarship interview with a very pleasant young man and sometimes I think about how my life might be different if I went there and studied Innovation Management instead.)

I'm sure there was a long decision process and I'm sure I spent a lot of time thinking about it, like most decisions. This all took place eight years ago and I cannot remember the salient details. But I can imagine that I felt like it was time to leave Germany, even though I love (LOVE) Berlin, and the appeal of having an adventure in two countries (I didn't yet know that Asia was on the table) was great. So I gave notice at the consulting firm, said goodbye to my friends in Stuttgart, (wrapped up my last performances as a roller skating Greek muse in the local military base's production of Xanadu - that's real) and moved to Sweden.

In the two years that ensued, I met the best people, took wild risks, had the best time, made my dreams come true and had the adventure I sought. I lived.

I lived in Sweden for a year and was inspired by their example of how to treat guests in your country. I had a job interview in a sauna in the winter and learned what gender equality in society might actually look like. After an application process, I had the opportunity to spend a semester in Thailand. In Thailand I learned how to get from the university to town (Bangkok) and back again. I hosted a cultural show that lasted for eight (or more?) hours. I felt closer to my mom than I had ever understood before. C pointed out that after the midterm exams, I have sat for exams on three continents. I celebrated my birthday at a German brewery in Bangkok. I saw Angkor Wat after the semester ended. I went to all the Disneylands in the world (at the time...back then, there were only 11 parks). I didn't stay long in Austria, but I was there long enough to experience a Buschenschank and run into visa problems. I also saw Carousel and Cabaret in German, and puzzled as to why it was an hour longer than Cabaret in English, which I saw soon after on Broadway. In Glendale I lived in a conference room turned into an ad hoc intern bullpen for four and a half months writing my thesis. I saw things I had been nearby my entire life but never dreamed of seeing in reality.

Blogs are cheesy and navel-gazey but I am glad I did it. I am glad that this and the Germany Part I blogs exist. Sometimes I will look at an old post because someone asked for a travel recommendation (for example), and I will discover something that I forgot. I didn't remember that I was contacted by Swedish public radio to talk about the 2012 United States election. I forgot I had this conversation at NASA JPL about living in Germany. So what's the moral of this paragraph? If you can't blog, at least journal. You think you will remember the exciting things that happen in your day to day life but the truth is, you won't. I am proof!

What happened to everyone? Some stayed in Europe. Some went home. Some went home in Europe. Some got married. Some had babies. Some moved to Amsterdam. Many stayed in Sweden. When I left C, she wanted to stay in Italy. She has since worked her way up to an awesome job at a major company and had a baby! A has moved and is engaged to be married! I was happy to attend C's wedding in Ankara in 2015. I was happy to attend Z's wedding in Czechia last year, and to see my friends again at both.

What happened to me? I accepted an internship in Florida where I spent about five years (and made a bunch of new friends and had a bunch of good times) before moving back to the country where I left when this all started. To be honest, I never expected to be back. Not in this country. In 2017, I was fortunate to attend my class reunion in Leiden; it was also the celebration of the closing of the program. They invited all alumni back to watch the last class graudate. I met the newest generations of the program and saw a lot of old friends. It was just like old times. I came to the first afternoon of the organized program. I thought we would observe the new kids doing their work. No. We kicked off with a case exercise and divided into groups to discuss and then present our results. Our groups consisted of current students, alumni, professors and mentors. In Europe, we are all equal. It was just like old times.

The rest of the program consisted of lectures, discussions and watching the final presentations of the graduating class. Before I left for this trip, I joked that my master programme was ending because it lost funding (truth) from the European Commission because of Brexit (also true but I didn't realize it until I got there and they confirmed that Brexit was one of the factors that cut funding to the programme). There was a party the final evening. In the way that we do. I remember telling all my friends that it would be a very long time before I will see them again. I couldn't foresee an immediate excuse to get to Europe and hang out with them. The day I returned to work in Florida from the trip, I received an email about joining a project that is based in Germany. If I chose to accept this mission, I would have to move to Germany for a period of time. What.

I learned later that, basically, someone found out that I know German. (I promise that I have other skills.) When I was in high school, if you told me I was going to move to Germany, I would have said that you're crazy. I was just this nerd who went to Space Camp and really liked The West Wing and Saturday Night Live. If you told me I was going to move to Germany twice, I would have said, "Then why did I spend all this time learning Spanish?" (among other questions) I know that's true, because I did ask myself that in the first two months of intensive language school in 2010. But the truth is, Germany made things happen for me. When I talk to young people who (for some reason) ask for my advice, in addition to telling them to "follow your dreams," I also tell them the story of how moving to Germany (the first time) changed my life. (And then I tell them why so they know I'm not exaggerating.)

I couldn't refuse. I'm back in Germany. I'm working on getting better at German.

I should have seen this coming. The fall I moved to Sweden in 2012, I came back to Germany to celebrate Thanksgiving. During my Swedish spring, the squad from Germany came to visit Sweden and I put in my tea and hairspray requests (from dm, of course). After my thesis defense in 2014, my first destination was Nuremberg to see E, then on to Quakenbrück to wait with C who was finishing her defense. I attended S's wedding in Leipzig in 2015. I went to Oktoberfest in Munich in 2016. The point is, I cannot stay away from Germany. This is evident and not a surprise.

So far, I have been fortunate that this opportunity has allowed me to meet up with so many friends. A and M are in Amsterdam and have introduced me to Y and T, who are also in the MIND network. S is back in Oslo from Thailand. A is in London. S has moved from Stuttgart to Berlin. A and P and B and K and E are in New York. I still cite the meal in Haarlem (note that's Haarlem in the Netherlands, not Harlem, but I can see why you might be confused because I just mentioned New York) as the best I've ever had and J told me that the restaurant has received a Michelin star since 2014 when we were there so now it's overpriced and overrated. So funny! At Z's wedding in Czechia last year I was happy to reconnect with A, B and M. Everyone else, I'm coming for you! (And I mean that in the creepy way!)

What's going to happen next? Let's find out! Thank you for reading and joining the adventure.

Good night, have a pleasant tomorrow and see you in the future!

Lauren