#these geography quizzes have had me thinking

[howtobeamagicalgirl]

Yanno....

[darkmatilda]

𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐢𝐫 | 𝐬.𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐝

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: a trip to the amusement park was supposed to be fun. and fun it was — especially the surprise of running into an old friend, seaver. at least, for spencer. because her appearance makes a certain someone start acting…strangely, casting a tense shadow over the rest of the evening.

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬/𝐭𝐰: spencer reid x diva!chemist reader, trip to the amusement park with morgan and garcia, reader’s wearing heart-shaped sunglasses for the vibe, ashley seaver (but shes not portrayed as a bitch lmao she doesn’t deserve that) reader adopts some random guy like a stray dog off the street, both of them are jealous idiots like omg shut up and kiss already (they almost do lool)

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 4.5k

𝐚/𝐧: request | no idea why it turned out so long i really enjoyed writing the dialogues here <3 marathon masterlist

"Remind me, babygirl, how did we end up here?" Derek asked, walking to the left of Spencer in a tight gray T-shirt and motorcycle sunglasses perched on his nose.

He was, of course, addressing the two women a few steps ahead of them, who were walking arm in arm and chatting so intently that they hadn’t even noticed how far ahead they had gotten. Only his question pulled them out of the giggling trance they had fallen into. It was impressive how, despite being completely focused on each other, they still managed to weave through the hundreds of people gathered that early evening at the amusement park with a model-like stride.

Penelope turned around over her shoulder, adjusting her ponytail.

"Because I wanted to try something new with you," she announced in a tone full of a certain warning — that she expected nothing from them that day but pure fun and, in the end, a tearful thank you for coming up with the idea to go there. "To plant sweet kisses on the foreheads of your inner children because, no offense, you all deserve it. I'm going to win a giant teddy bear. You, handsome, will have the chance to show off at the High Striker. Spencer...well, I'm sure you'll find something for yourself. Maybe they have a little geography quiz corner for especially naughty kids?"

"But geography quizzes are pure pleasure, why would they be for naughty—"

"And you, gorgeous?" she interrupted, turning to the woman right next to her. "Is there anything you'd like to try?"

Her eyes were hidden behind red heart-shaped sunglasses, but even so, Spencer sensed that her gaze landed on him. It frustrated him internally that he couldn't read her intentions or even the intensity of her look through the dark lenses.

"Run Reid over with a go-kart," she replied without hesitation. "then grab some cotton candy."

He sighed.

"With those sunglasses, I can't tell if you're joking or not, so allow me to just ignore you," he suggested.

She slowed her pace slightly, letting him catch up. Meanwhile, Garcia and Morgan beside them had launched into a conversation that somehow slipped past Reid’s attention once he found himself closer to the woman. Her head was tilted ever so slightly, arms folded across her chest, and he could feel the sensation of careful analysis on his profile — oh, he didn’t need to see her whole face to perfectly picture that expression. 

"So you're saying that normally my eyes give away my sarcasm?" she asked.

He shrugged.

"I was more thinking that deadly serious threats coming from a woman in heart-shaped sunglasses have something unsettling about them. I’m staying on high alert."

Her elbow against his ribs. Intended as a jab, but without real hostility, so he felt it more like a light, harmless brush.

"Calling it a threat already," she muttered, wrinkling her nose slightly. "You're so sensitive. All these years in this job and you still haven't gotten used to people trying to kill you?"

"The thing is, I did get used to it," he replied, letting out a short laugh a moment later. "Got used to it very well. But today’s my day off, so... it’d be nice to get a break from it."

He threw the words out without much prior analysis. They weren’t having a deeply intellectual conversation; his mind was relaxed. In fact, he was surprised himself by how good he felt, considering he usually didn’t go to places like this. The sheer number of people around was compensated for by the crisp weather, the noise at a manageable level. What helped the most was focusing on a conversation with just one person, which made all the unpleasant stimuli around him lose their intensity.

In any case, Spencer Reid felt good.

And he certainly didn’t expect his colleague to turn slightly towards him, moving with grace and effortlessly walking backwards, looking as though she was considering something.

"We'll see," she said with a slight shrug. The half of her face not hidden behind the sunglasses looked rather soft.

To Spencer’s surprise, it didn’t strike him as suspicious. It didn’t make him uneasy, or send him spiraling into psychoanalysis over what might be lurking beneath it.

Then suddenly, one corner of her mouth curled upward.

"But not because I feel sorry for you. I'm just having a good day”

And it got better after she got her cotton candy. At least the threat of getting run over by a go-kart had faded into oblivion.

Still, Spencer was about to suggest they start with something else, even beginning to glance around, when he accidentally caught someone’s gaze. It had clearly been fixed on him for a while, as if trying to confirm whether it really was him.

“Spence?”

A surprised voice came from a woman with long blonde hair draped over her shoulders, already making her way toward them.

A slow smile began to form on her lips—one that widened considerably when she spotted Penelope and Morgan as well.

“Hi, guys! Oh my god, I can’t believe this!”

Garcia’s ponytail bounced against her back as she came to a sudden stop, clutching a freshly acquired swirl of yellow cotton candy in both hands.

But she wasn’t the first to speak. It was Derek, arms spreading wide in greeting.

“Seaver, who would’ve thought!”

Running into a former member of their team was a very pleasant surprise. So much so that Spencer even let her hug him in greeting—something he usually tried to avoid. Briefly, over her shoulder, he noticed the woman slowly lifting her heart-shaped sunglasses to rest them atop her head.

Seeing her eyes uncovered for the first time that day, Reid found himself falling headfirst into the trap of her gaze—where he unintentionally held Ashley a second or two too long.

“I’m so happy to see you guys,” she said, pulling back with a smile.

“You here on your own?” Penelope asked. 

“With friends, but they all went on the Ferris wheel. And me and heights—” she waved a hand dismissively.

“Great! I mean—not great that you're scared of heights, but great that it means you can hang with us until they’re back. What do you say?”

“Really? That would be awesome!”

That’s how their little group grew by one. A lively conversation sparked up right away—it had been quite some time since they’d last seen each other. Reid, though genuinely glad about the reunion and curious about her new job, only took part for a moment.

Shortly after, before he even realized what he was doing, he drifted away from the group to fall into step with the woman who still had her heart-shaped sunglasses perched on top of her head. She was walking with them, but not quite with them, casually studying a theme park map in one hand, a tuft of pink cotton candy in the other. Technically, she looked focused on it, but Spencer doubted she’d be too upset if he interrupted her a little.

Besides, he needed to ask where the nearest bathroom was.

Before he could open his mouth, she noticed him approaching and gave him a brief, not-so-subtle (and not particularly interested) glance. Then let out a short snort.

“What?” Reid asked.

“What what?”

“What…” he echoed her earlier snort.

She rolled her eyes but didn’t answer right away. After a short pause, she went on.

“Call me nosy,” she said, “but I’m genuinely intrigued. A pretty blonde calling you Spence—who’s not JJ. Something going on there? Or used to?”

Completely caught off guard, Spencer blinked twice.

“Seaver?” he asked unintelligently.

And he already knew what was coming.

“No, Marilyn Monroe—”

“That was seriously a bit nosy.”

“I’m taking that as confirmation.”

“No-” he started, but immediately cut himself off. First of all, maybe, just maybe, a long time ago, something had happened on his end, but not enough for it to matter in this moment. Second of all, even if it had, he wasn’t about to explain himself for her curiosity. He shrugged. “Not seriously. It’s just Ashley. You should recognize her. She was with the BAU for a while.”

She shook her head.

“First time I’ve seen her.”

“I’m sure you’ve met her before.”

He felt mildly irritated by her bold stance. Because as he said, he was sure that they’d worked together on a case at least once. Of course, they hadn’t been close, as evidenced by the fact that Seaver greeted her with a mere hi, skipping any hugs. Which Spencer wasn’t surprised by at all. Her resting face and overall aura weren’t exactly inviting for hugs. Well, for most people. For the rest, sure, but in the way that beautiful, poisonous fruits tempt you to taste them.

“I must’ve just not remembered her face,” she replied dismissively. Then suddenly, she looked at him, her brows furrowed slightly in thought. He couldn’t tell whether it was genuine or fake. “Oh, wait, I think I remember now, when you mentioned her name. Ashley Seaver. She’s that daughter of the serial killer who helped you guys with the investigation.”

Spencer wanted to say something, just to interrupt her, but couldn't decide on the right words, so an unidentified sound escaped his mouth instead. She had said it so loudly that he immediately turned around to see if the woman they were talking about had overheard. He wasn’t even sure how she knew about it, but he didn’t want Seaver to think he had casually shared her past behind her back in an amusement park.

“You didn’t have to add that,” he said defensively.

“I didn’t? So, it’s not true? She’s not—”

Anticipating what she was about to say, he looked around desperately, unsure how to shut her up. A very simple idea popped into his head, one that didn’t require any props, but it was so absurd that he dismissed it immediately. Then, he thought of something else—he reached for the cotton candy in her hand, tore off a piece, and shoved it into her mouth, brushing his fingers against her lower lip.

She swallowed the sweet because, well, she didn’t have much of a choice. Spencer, watching her do so, found himself pondering what quote he might put on his gravestone.

“I’ll run you over with that go-kart,” she said with unsettling calm.

The sunglasses no longer covered her eyes, so he could clearly tell she wasn’t joking.

*

“Ooh, what if we tried competing in pairs?” Penelope suddenly suggested, clapping her hands, already excited by the idea.

Then she turned toward them, her gaze landing first on her own obvious partner (Morgan, of course), and then shifting to the remaining three—an uneven number.

The remaining trio also looked at one another. To make the situation painfully sitcom-like in the most awkward way, Spencer happened to be standing directly between the two women, whose heads turned toward him in perfectly synchronized motion. Then, toward each other. In silence.

“I don’t have to join,” Seaver broke the silence with a light shrug. “I mean, you all came here together, and I’m just waiting for my friends.”

“Or you could just go as a trio,” Derek suggested with a casual hand gesture. Then he threw a quick glance at Garcia. “Might actually make the teams a little more balanced.”

His gaze drifted to the woman in heart-shaped sunglasses, subconsciously sensing that if he said it out loud, she’d probably back him up—what with her unwavering belief that she could do anything better on her own.

But she wasn’t looking at any of them. Her eyes were fixed on some point in the distance as she lowered her sunglasses slightly down her nose. Combined with a brief, beckoning wave of her hand, it had such a hypnotic effect that Reid, entranced, didn’t even realize she was actually calling someone until a completely random guy appeared in front of them—a guy wearing a cap that suggested he worked at the amusement park.

He walked over with a step so light it was as if he were gliding, his dopey gaze locked on the woman who had summoned him.

“Are you off your shift?” she asked, arching a brow at his cap.

Spencer exchanged a confused glance with the rest of his friends. Derek’s mouth was pulled into a crooked grin, like he couldn’t wait to see where this was going—and was clearly entertained. Spencer, personally, was not.

“Yeah, like, five minutes ago,” the guy replied, swallowing hard. “Oh.” He looked up at the brim of his cap and quickly took it off. 

“Great,” the woman muttered, with absolutely no genuine enthusiasm in her voice. “You’ll be my partner, then.”

Morgan couldn’t hold back a snort of laughter, shaking his head in disbelief. The other women looked amused too, and Ashley was honestly a little impressed by how effortlessly she wrapped a complete stranger around her finger. It was obvious the guy wasn’t going to object.

Spencer didn’t find it impressive. He found it terrifying—but what did he know?

Watching the park employee drop his cap and awkwardly bend to pick it up, Spencer let out a sarcastic huff—directed not at the guy, but at the woman.

“Good luck winning, then,” he muttered in her direction, leaning in just enough so it’d be for her ears only.

Completely unfazed, she took off her sunglasses and hooked them onto the neckline of her top—which, of course, lowered slightly. She didn’t notice. She wasn’t looking there.

She was slowly turning her gaze toward Reid.

“After I kissed you, you acted like you were having a stroke for three days,” she noted, her voice quiet but unmistakably clear. “So try to be understanding with my new partner.”

She gave his shoulder a pat after saying that and walked off first to join the ring toss game.

And as Reid watched her go, a very, very treacherous warmth crept into his cheeks.

*

Maybe he should be more understanding of her new partner (Steve, as it turned out) (a genuinely nice guy, as it also turned out).

The combination of his knowledge of every game they tried and the demon of competition that seemed to possess her body (she was still merciful to Morgan and Garcia, but he and Seaver had no hope of anything more than being brutally chewed up and spat out) meant they won every single round.

And well, Spencer had originally planned to treat the whole thing as a friendly pastime where everyone ends up feeling like a winner—because hey, they were all clearly having a great time together—but he couldn’t quite swallow the bitter aftertaste of watching Steve hand her the massive duck-pond prize: a stuffed bear so huge that when she hugged it, it folded in half, and as she walked away, it looked like she was dragging an unconscious, fluffy body behind her.

“Spencer, what about getting something to drink?” Seaver’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

He turned to her, her question reaching him with a slight delay. He noticed she had mentioned only his name—so she meant…just the two of them.

He didn’t really want to split off from the friends he came with, but he glanced over at Garcia and Morgan, currently locked in an intense battle with the claw machine, and at the other pair…who were, apparently, talking. If you could call it that.

Steve was saying something, a little nervously, with shy hand gestures, while the sunglasses were back on her nose and it was hard to tell if she was even listening.

But Spencer knew she was—he recognized the tilt of her head, ever so slightly to the side. She looked the same way earlier, when he had been explaining something to her just after they’d arrived at the amusement park.

“Actually, that’s not a bad idea,” he replied after a moment of silence.

As they walked away, he caught a glimpse of the heart-shaped-sunglasses face subtly turning in their direction.

It seemed like Ashley wanted to bring something up, but she stayed quiet until they had walked off and bought brightly colored lemonades in clear cups.

“Your friend is…”

Spencer let out a quiet sigh, already knowing where this was going. It’s not like she’d been openly rude to her, but she had ignored her with a certain…passion.

“Annoying?” he suggested.

 “Intense,” Seaver finished at the same time, giving him a slight smile. Spencer raised his eyebrows, surprised. “She has a bit of a thing for competition, right?”

“I think it’s more about proving she’s the best of the best in every possible field,” Spencer muttered under his breath, not even sure if his colleague had heard him.

She took a sip of her drink through a straw. She seemed slightly amused.

 “And above all, better than me. She didn’t really like the fact that we ended up on the same team. I mean, you and me.”

Reid even stopped walking for a moment, completely failing to grasp her logic.

“No, I don’t think that’s it,” he said. They were nearing the rest of the group again—he saw the subject of their conversation standing with her back turned toward them. “If I were with her, she couldn’t compete with me or prove that I suck, which she just loves to do,” he added with a snort.

“Oh, I’m not saying she wanted to be with you,” Seaver corrected, and Spencer looked at her in confusion, because in his reasoning, that’s exactly what she had just said. But she shook her head. “I’m just saying she doesn’t like that you ended up with me. Oh, look, my friends are back. Time for me to go.”

She raised her hand to wave goodbye but hesitated for a second, her gaze drifting to the side as she gently bit her lip. Then, carefully not to spill her lemonade, she gave him a light hug. Over her shoulder, past the loose blonde hair falling across it, Spencer met someone’s gaze—one so intense that, if it weren’t restrained by sunglasses, it might have set something on fire.

Once again, he let it take hold of him, and once again it caused him to hold onto Ashley a moment too long, not breaking eye contact with the woman.

At some point, she took a visible breath, after which her posture relaxed into something resembling indifference, and she turned back to her new companion.

Spencer remembered he was holding a cup in his hand. Taking a sip of the lemonade, he thought to himself that this whole situation was really starting to mess with his head.

*

“What a shame Steve had to leave,” Spencer said.

They’d been standing in line for the Ferris wheel for a while now—since dusk was falling, the ride promised to be particularly scenic, and quite a lot of people had signed up for it. Each gondola could only hold two people, so the four of them had played a particularly intense round of rock-paper-scissors, in which Morgan was clearly cheating. But when Reid pointed it out, he got yelled at, since apparently, according to the others, it was impossible to cheat at rock-paper-scissors.

The woman stood next to him with her arms crossed over her chest. Quite close—something the line required of them—yet a visible distance had still opened up between them. They were talking, but it felt more like an exchange of cold updates, so he’d rather just stay quiet, not really sure why that was.

“Who?” she asked.

 “Oh, don’t pretend,” Spencer rolled his eyes, glancing at her with a scoff.

She responded with a dismissive shrug, which in turn drew a grimace from him.

“Don’t try to tell me you don’t even remember his name. You two were having such a great time together.”

“Why do you care so much whether I remember the name of some random guy or not?”

“He won you a teddy bear…wait, what did you do with that bear?”

He had only just noticed the giant stuffed animal had completely vanished and gave her a suspicious look.

Her tired sigh, her eyes rolling upward.

“I doused it in gasoline and danced an occult ritual around the bonfire it created I GAVE IT TO SOME LITTLE GIRL what else was I supposed to do with it?”

Her voice had the sting of a bite, and Spencer quickly backed off—God, he had only been asking. 

“I don’t know, take it home maybe,” he mumbled the suggestion, which she dismissed with nothing more than a mocking snort.

Their turn to board the yellow gondola came. It had a single long bench inside. He let her go first, and in silence she took a seat right in the middle, rather than sliding into a corner. Which meant he had no choice but to sit so close their shoulders almost touched.

"What a shame your friend Ashley had to leave," she said, crossing one leg over the other and keeping her gaze firmly away from him.

There was sarcasm in her voice. The kind of sarcasm that made Reid pause, openly studying her profile, analyzing it the way only he could. Slowly, he drew in a breath, something in his mind starting to click into place.

"I think so too," he said with a small nod.

"Obviously you do," she replied flatly, her words carrying a cool breeze of indifference.

He rested his elbow on the back of their seat so he could stay turned toward her. Her posture remained straight—she always took up a bit more space than she physically needed—there was an alluring aura around her, a boundary over which one could lose their senses, unless they were immune. Spencer considered himself to be.

“I think I know why you’re more unbearable than usual today,” he began, swallowing. She didn’t notice—she wasn’t looking at him. Not because she felt intimidated or anything like that, but simply because her gaze was something one had to earn.

“Go ahead, enlighten me.”

“You didn’t like Seaver being there.”

She turned her head toward him and even pushed her glasses up to the top of her head. Spencer slightly tensed his shoulders—this had a stronger effect than he’d expected.

“You really think that the addition of someone I’ve never interacted with, whose face I wouldn’t even recognize in a crowd, could seriously affect my mood? That’s something only unhappy people do.”

The Ferris wheel started moving, lifting them slowly, and Spencer had no intention of backing down from his theory. In fact, with each passing moment, he felt even more certain of it.

“That’s exactly what I think,” he said. “Because it meant less attention was on you.”

“Less attention on me?” she repeated, raising an eyebrow. “The teddy bear I got was bigger than you.”

"You can’t stand the fact that I was paying you less attention," Reid finally blurted out. "Because, well, you don’t even have to like someone or treat them decently—but you still want them chasing after you. And it’s way more satisfying for you when it’s me doing it, not some random guy looking at you like you’re a masterpiece."

She turned slightly more toward him, their knees brushing—something she didn’t seem to notice. Spencer did, but only registered it fleetingly—his focus was entirely on her expression. Alert, chin tilted subtly in his direction. Her lips had a faint shine to them, likely a sugary trace of cotton candy.

“And what, in your opinion, sets you apart from those random guys?” she asked challengingly.

“I literally just explained that.”

She looked at him for a moment in silence, her expression unreadable—before letting out a laugh. Spencer smiled too, though it was a smile edged with clear irritation, almost mocking her in return. Of course it was easier to laugh him off than actually engage with what he said.

But then his smile faded into a deep inhale as he realized he was staring at her—the way she laughed with her head turned slightly away from him, not looking at him at all—like she was the masterpiece.

“Spencer, please,” she said, rolling her eyes.

She met his gaze again. The only thing that crossed his mind was how humiliating it would be to kiss her then. To give in to the impulse creeping into his nervous system. To act like a complete hypocrite—probably the exact word her lips would leave imprinted on his skin. But he’d only notice it after the cotton candy sweetness had faded. Sweet sweetness. A distinctly human trait—choosing small pleasures and following desire instead of thinking about the long-term consequences of one's actions.

Like the typical human he was, he leaned toward her lips, ready for their meeting—when suddenly the Ferris wheel jolted and came to a stop, their gondola pausing at the very top. They heard a single frightened scream, but neither of them were the type to panic easily. They just glanced around.

Forgetting entirely what had just been about to happen.

Spencer nervously licked his dry lips, taking advantage of the fact that she wasn’t looking at him. He hoped no one had actually fallen out, but if someone had—he was fucking grateful to them, because they’d unknowingly stopped him from doing something incredibly stupid.

But a person falling out was actually the rarest reason for Ferris wheels to stop.

 “It’s most likely a power outage,” he explained.

The woman leaned forward with interest to peek out gently from the structure. And she chose to do so on his side, which meant leaning over him—bringing with it third-degree contact with the scent of her hair and her entire presence. Closing his eyes in exasperation at himself, he continued,

“Could be an engine issue, or a sensor malfunction. Or…could you please just go back to your seat?”

He addressed her firmly, that familiar anxiety flaring in him when someone did something risky right in front of him—even if she had only leaned out slightly. She gave him a somewhat amused look.

“I don’t want to be accused of pushing you on purpose,” he added.

She sighed, but did as he asked. Sat exactly where she had before, while Spencer pressed himself a little deeper into the corner of the seat to increase the distance between them. Thankfully, the machine started moving again shortly after—because if they’d been stuck up there any longer, he would’ve been completely lost.

There was nothing he needed more in that moment than the touch of solid ground beneath his feet.

After a moment, Morgan joined them—along with Garcia, whose legs were visibly trembling.

“Guys, I was sure we were all going to die…”

Everyone collectively allowed her to release the panic that had clearly built up in her chest. He, for one, was grateful for the chance to stay silent for a while.

It was then that he caught, for the last time that evening, the woman’s gaze—lingering and piercing, plainly indicating that she wasn’t stupid and knew exactly what he’d been about to do.

Moment later, she slid her heart shaped sunglasses back down onto her nose.

[cardi-c]

GET TO KNOW YOUR MUTUALS

Thank you for the tag @sucharide !! This was so much fun! <3 and i wanna try ur pasta!

What's the origin of your username?

surprisingly wasnt taken!

OTP(s) + shipname:

I'm not really a passionate shipper i just like reading fics tbh fdfhkdfs i think ill have to put AziraphalexCrowley and i believe its ineffable husbands

Favourite colour:

Blue almost Turquoise !

Song stuck in your head:

That awful german cover of the awful cover of stumblin in

Weirdest habit/trait:

i have a few that are too embarrassing to share but probably making lists for everything and noting down every single step i just like crossing things off this is totally not related to my mental state

Hobbies:

I like to do quite a few things im not really good at anything tho. I like crochet, baking, doodle or draw a bit, i play video games and lots of dnd, i love board games and trivia quizzes!

If you work, what's your profession?

Im a phd student and i work in microbiology

If you could have any job you wish, what would it be?

I guess what i do right now without the financial pressure? working in diagnostics. or baking for a living would be cool? but realistically a boring office job might actually be the easiest for my brain hdahdas

Something you're good at:

Memorizing random shit! It helps with the trivia quizzes! I just decided to memorise geography facts

Something you hate:

That people cant think in nuances online. Its incredibly frustrating. Also sudden plan changes.

Something you collect:

I dont collect anything really... maybe succulents?

Something you forget:

Names. Like i can remember lots of things but during the introduction phase my brain is in panic mode so i tend to forget immediately

What's your love language?

Quality time (i think thats one of them)

Favourite movie/show:

Good Omens (although its tricky right now) The LOTR movies. Dungeon Meshi.

Favourite food:

Sushi. The family Casserole. Spinach Salmon Pasta.

Favourite animal:

Dogs. Pandas. Quokkas.

What were you like as a child?

Quiet, well behaved and already displaying concerning amounts of anxiety

Favourite Subject at school:

Math and Chemistry

Least Favourite Subject at School:

Those where i couldnt write exams and had to raise my hands during lessons to get better grades

What's your best character trait?

Quick thinking maybe? this is difficult

What's your worst character trait?

my anxiety makes me a difficult person i think. I'm also currently working on how to deal with criticism in a good way. Negative self-talk.

If you could change any detail of your life right now, what would it be?

No more pain. Or stop my brain from spinning in circles

If you could travel in time, who would you like to meet?

I think someone like my great great great grandma? like in the 1800s? just to have a chat. Marie Curie would be great too or Rosalind Franklin and tell her she was robbed

Tagging: @jimothybarnes @troubleghoul @creeplet @ghelullu @circle--of--confusion @major-fukkup @lilspacewolfie @hyperobsession @kissingghouls @nocturnal-birb if youd like to!!

[theoldsouls]

What is it like to have memories of a past life? ( Sorry if I sound rude; I'm genuinely curious.)

Thank you for your ask, it's not rude at all!

Honestly, it differs day-to-day, but most of the time it just feels like 'normal' memories with a nostalgia factor that you can't satisfy. It's like you've gone to college and left your childhood home, only this time you can never go back - like your childhood home has sunk under the waves, pulling all your friends and family with it, never to resurface again (with some miraculous exceptions). Not only that, no one around you sees this tragedy or knows of it, and you carry it with you constantly, seeing faces and hearing fleeting melodies or smelling old smells and this pang of hurt in your chest because it's just that - a fleeting thing, no longer tangibly real. It's like visiting your and your wife's grave and standing rooted to the spot, unable to cry because - well, that would be silly wouldn't it - staring at all the coins and flowers left on the grave from people you can never thank.

Because I've remembered things from a very young age (2004, I was nearly 8) it's hard for me to disentangle the two me's - me then, me now. Did I pursue law and economics as a study because I am now currently interested in that? Or because I, then, had a career in these things? Do I like singing and practicing the piano because it's something intrinsic to my character, or because I miss playing on it with my children? Did I start writing when I was 8 and not stop because I always had wanted to write - or because I remembered doing it and missed it then?

It's also something to philosophize about I suppose. Do I do similar things sometimes, because we just are creatures of habit? For example, I married when I was 25. Now, and then. Is that just a coincidence? I'm frequently promoted ahead of more experienced/older coworkers and no one bats an eye. Is my work ethic, despite very differing circumstances and backgrounds, still the same?

Remembering does many good things, don't get me wrong. It's given me so much wisdom in many things, more than my actual years would've gotten me, and it's kept me from going down similar rabbit holes because now I remember what it used to have done to me. (For example, I will not be going into politics.) On the other hand, it gives me much grief, as I don't think many other of my 12-yo classmates were trying to grapple remembering losing their child while doing geography quizzes, too.

I don't know if this was the answer you were looking for, or if you wanted specific memories and what it is like carrying those with me. I apologise for getting all philosophical. I cannot pull apart the spirituality and weirdness of reincarnation from the tangible impact it's had on my life and person, and how it occupies my mind a lot in what is me, what is me repeating things unconsciously, and what is just intrinsic on my soul.

I guess my short answer to your question is that it confuses me to have past memories, it blurs memories and habits and hobbies from now and then - for if who we are is made up of memories, am I two people or one? - and it, ngl, leads to many a night of insomnia.

I hope you have a good day or night, wherever you are.

[wondrluv]

୨୧ happy days ; nh13

➪ summary: when y/n gets her brothers and her boyfriend to visit her class, word comes out that nico wants to marry her

➪ warnings: none

➪ word count: 2.9k

➪ emma's notes: repost

© wondrluv ; do not copy, repost, or translate my work and designs on any other website or here

It wasn’t the first time the kids had talked about hockey, in fact, it was probably like the millionth time they’ve talked about hockey. She didn’t even know this many kids were fans of the Devils, but low and behold, of course, she could get a class full of hockey fans. On ‘Meet the Teacher’ night, she was pretty sure every kid had asked her if she was related to the Hughes brothers.

On the first day of school, she introduced herself, “Hi everyone! My name is Miss. Hughes and I’m so excited to teach you guys this year!”

“Miss. Hughes?” A hand popped up immediately after the words and she looked over, “Yes?”

“Do you know Jack and Luke Hughes?”

She smiled, “I might, why?”

“Because they are so cool!” All the other kids agreed.

“Are you guys Devils fans?”

They all nodded excitedly, smiles plastered on their faces. She then looked at them seriously, “Do you guys think you can keep a secret?”

They all nodded again, “Jack and Luke are my brothers.”

“No way!” The kids all let out gasps, almost starstruck by her words.

She nodded, “Oh yeah. You guys want proof?”

She pulled up a photo of her, Jack, Quinn, and Luke, showing it to the kids, “This is us from this past summer.”

“Are they older than you?”

“Just Quinn, I’m older than Jack and Luke.”

“I have a younger brother too!”

“I have a sister!”

“My brother’s older than me!”

“That is so cool, you guys! How about at the end of the day you can ask me anything you want about hockey or my brothers, but for right now we need to learn about some classroom rules and other things. I might even have an activity for you to do.”

Ever since then, the kids loved to ask her questions about it no matter what. If they were supposed to be working on counting their numbers, they would ask her about them, if they were supposed to be learning about planets, they asked her about hockey, if they were supposed to be working on spelling, they asked her about the game last night.

She had adjusted some things to incorporate hockey and the Devils while learning. She would give them bonus spelling quizzes about hockey teams, she would use their numbers to help them add or subtract, and she would use the teams as help for colors. Sometimes she even gets them to start learning a bit of geography and memorizing where each team is from.

Then she was begged to keep track of every game they lost and won. So each month she would set out a little portion of the whiteboard and write out the schedule, writing a ‘w’ or a ‘l’ next to it the following day or on Monday.

Come, January, the kids were super excited when they found out Quinn and Jack were going to the all-star game. It was all they were able to talk about. And after that, she decided she wanted to do something special for them. They had never even thought of the idea and she was glad that they didn’t. It took a lot of sweet talk from her to get all of the boys to agree, and when they did she gave them hugs, practically squeezing them to death. She also was planning on a bonus surprise, knowing how much they would love it.

It was the week of the All-Star break, Quinn had flown to Jersey yesterday. She had decided to cut out the science portion of their day because the kids hated science, it was their least favorite thing ever. So she got the kids to sit in a circle on the carpet. The boys were standing outside the classroom listening to everything that she said, “Okay, you guys have been so good lately and I wanted to give you guys a surprise.”

Excited giggles and small screams echoed through the classroom and the boys outside started laughing a little. She shook her head and sat down on her chair, “You guys have to behave okay because no other class is getting a surprise. You promise?”

They all nodded, “Okay, so you guys know how it’s All-Star break this week?”

“Yeah!”

“And you know how on Thursday Quinn and Jack are drafting their team?”

The kids once again said yes, excitedly nodding their heads, “Miss. Hughes?”

“Yeah?”

“What’s the surprise?”

“I’m getting there! Well, they were talking about how much they didn’t get to see me and how much they missed me.” All the kids giggled and one girl popped up, “You’re being silly, Miss. Hughes.”

“You’re right, I am. They didn’t say that to me. But I asked them a little while ago if they wanted to hang out and if they wanted to ask me for a favor.”

“What’s a favor?”

“It’s where you ask someone to do something for you.”

“What did you ask them?”

“Do you guys really want to know?”

“Yes!!”

“Okay… I guess I can tell you.” She got up and walked out of the classroom, the kids looked at each other confused, and started to whisper.

When she walked back in, Quinn, Jack, and Luke followed her, the kids immediately letting out screams of excitement, “Hey, what did I say about being loud?”

The kids quieted down a little but still were bouncing with excitement, all of them repeatedly saying their names over and over again. Y/n got the kids to settle down and told the three of them to sit in their seats, “Okay you guys. Do you know who these people are?”

One boy raised his hand, practically begging her to call on him, “Yes Liam?”

“They’re your brothers!”

“That’s right. Do you know their names?”

“Luke, Quinn, and Jack!”

“Do you guys have any questions for them?”

For the next ten minutes, they answered questions until one of the kids softly called out her name. She got up and walked over to her, kneeling down to be at her height, “What’s up kiddo?”

“Why is there an extra chair?”

“Oh, that’s a good question. Should we let everyone else know the question because I might have an exciting answer?”

She nodded and y/n sat down next to her, having everyone stop speaking, “Okay guys. Belle has a question.”

“Why is there an extra chair?”

“Well, that’s because I have another surprise for you!”

“Another surprise?”

“Yeah, you guys wanna know?”

They all nodded, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

“Alright. Neeks, come on in!”

Nico walked in at the sound of his name and y.n could’ve sworn that the kids were more excited to see him than her brothers. A lot of them ran up and hugged him, y/n laughing a little bit at the interaction. She watched in awe as she watched her boyfriend interact with the kids, her heartwarming a little bit. Belle, the girl who had asked her the question initially, turned around from where she stood and asked loudly, “Miss. Hughes, is he your boyfriend?”

All the kids looked at her expectantly and she blushed, “Yes. He is.”

All of them gasped in excitement, “No way! That’s soooo cool!”

She laughed at their comments and allowed them to continue asking questions to the four of them. When twenty more minutes had passed and it was time for them to go to lunch she had them sit back down on the carpet, “Now what do we say to Quinn, Luke, Nico, and Jack for coming?”

“Thank you!”

The four laughed and said ‘you're welcome’ in unison. As another surprise, they all gave them a puck with their signatures on them. The kids gushed about it on their way to lunch and until the rest of the day. She was able to have lunch with the four of them in her classroom, eating whatever food they had bought for her.

The joy on their faces was something she would never be able to reciprocate even if she tried, it made tears spring in her eyes, “Thank you guys for coming. It really means a lot.”

They all smiled at her, Quinn wrapping her in a hug, “It was really no problem, y/n/n.”

“Yeah, I know but it’s your guys’ all-star break and I know that you two have to be in Toronto soon. And Luke and Neeks probably want a day off.”

All four of them shook their heads, Nico coming to sit next to her, “If we wanted a day off, we would’ve said no schatzi.”

She nodded, still unable to control the few tears that formed in her eyes. She leaned her head on his shoulder and reached for his hand, “They literally never shut up about you guys.”

It was silent for a moment before a little voice startled them from the entryway, “Miss. Hughes?”

She jumped and wiped the tears from her eyes, “Hi, Victoria. What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

She got up and walked over to her, hearing her sniffle, “I’m not feeling good.”

“Did you go to the nurse, honey?”

She nodded back at her, “She told me that I was going home.”

“Okay, you want me to help you pack up your things?”

She nodded again, going to grab her folder from her cubby. Meanwhile, Nico was watching her with complete adoration in his eyes. Quinn noticed this and moved over to sit next to him, “You want kids with her don’t you?”

Nico looked at him with wide eyes, “What?”

“You want kids with her. It’s kind of obvious, dude.”

He nodded, “Yeah, I guess. I mean, we’re still kind of young.”

Quinn smiled, “Yeah, but when you know you know, man. She loves you, though. I know she does.”

Nico looked at him with a small grin, “You know, she didn’t even want me to come today. She said that the kids would be happy with just you guys and that she didn’t want to ruin my break.”

“That sounds like her.”

“When I told her I was coming no matter what she said I was pretty sure she was going to cry.”

“Trust me, Nico. Y/n could never go a day without you no matter how much she tries to deny it. One day when you guys had this little fight, it must’ve been when you guys just started dating, she called me crying and told me she wanted to marry you.”

“She did?”

“Yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this happy.”

Victoria was finishing up putting the last thing in her bag and she looked at her teacher, “Mr. Hischier is looking at you.”

“Oh, he is?” She looked over her shoulder and saw him looking directly at her. Both of them blushed when their eyes locked and looked away, “He was wasn’t he?”

She nodded and smiled, “Miss. Hughes?”

“Yeah?”

“I think he loves you.”

“You think?”

“Yes! And I think you two are going to get married.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah. Okay, bye, Miss. Hughes!”

“Bye, honey. Feel better!”

ﾟ+*:୨୧:*﹤

Later that night, Nico laid in bed with y/n, arms wrapped around her tightly as they looked at each other. Y/n lightly traced his tattoo, sending shivers through him. It had been a quiet night, the two had eaten dinner and watched a movie. It was comfortable between them, no words had to be said. Both of them, however, were thinking the same thing, back to earlier. Quinn and Victoria’s words had an impact on the respective two, both of them coming to the same conclusion of wanting to marry the other. 

Nico looked up at her through his eyelashes, she was looking down at his arms as she ran her finger over the ink. He smiled and couldn’t help himself, “Do you wanna marry me?”

She paused, her finger stopping and her mouth opening just a little in shock. She looked up at him, “What?”

“Do you wanna get married?”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah. 100 percent.” He got up and walked over to his bag that sat at the foot of the bed, reaching in and grabbing something out, “You always told me you hated the way my bag smelled and that you wouldn't even take a step near it.”

She giggled a little, sitting up so her back was against the headboard. He walked back to the bed, sitting down by her legs, “I bought this for you a couple of months ago. It was the beginning of the season and I had just gotten back from a game. You were telling me about your day and how the kids wouldn’t stop talking about the team's win the previous night. I saw the way your face lit up when you talked about them and the game. You were so excited that they were interested in hockey. I don’t know. There was just something about the moment that made me realize that I needed to buy a ring for you. I always knew I wanted to marry you but I guess that moment just solidified it for me.”

He took a deep breath and risked a glance at her, she had tears in her eyes again, “Don’t cry, schatzi.” He held her hand before continuing, “Jack and Luke came with me the next day while you were at school. They kept pointing out random rings but none of them seemed right. The three of us were just about to give up and then I saw this one and I thought it was perfect.”

He opened the box and showed her, causing her to gasp in awe, “Oh my god, Neeks.”

“I love you, y/n and I want to be with you forever. I want to grow old with you and I want to have kids with you. I want to do it all with you.”

She nodded her head, almost screaming as she said yes. She launched herself into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

A couple of moments passed, both of them basking in the moment, “Victoria told me we were going to get married. When she came back in during lunch earlier.”

“Oh, she did?”

“Mhm.”

“That’s funny, Quinn was telling me about how much you wanted to marry me earlier too.”

“He did?” A blush rose to her cheeks, “Yeah. He said that you called him after one of our small fights one day and you cried to him, saying that you wanted to marry me.”

“Oh god, that’s so embarrassing.” Her head fell into his chest and he laughed, moving his hand to run through her hair.

“Don’t be embarrassed. I think it's adorable.”

She shook her head and looked up at him, “I love you, Nico Hischier.”

“And I love you, y/n Hughes.”

ﾟ+*:୨୧:*﹤

The next day, y/n showed up to work and immediately thought about how she was going to tell her kids. When Victoria walked in she knew what she had to do. They went through their whole routine, no one suspecting a thing. At the end of the day, she beckoned Victoria over and she skipped to her, “Yes, Miss. Hughes.”

“You know how you told me that Mr. Hishcier and I were going to get married?”

She nodded confidently, “Yep!”

“Well, can I tell you a secret?”

“Yeah!”

“He asked me to marry him last night.”

Victoria gasped excitedly, a smile gracing her lips, “Can I see the ring?”

Y/n nodded, grabbing the ring from her pocket, “It’s so pretty!”

“You wanna do me a big favor?”

“That’s when someone asks you to do something for them right?”

“Yep. You wanna tell everyone?”

She nodded excitedly, “Yeah!”

“Alright go on.”

“Hey guys! Mr. Hsichier and Miss. Hughes are getting married!”

All the kids ran around getting a huge rush of energy. They all came up to y/n and started asking her questions, “When are you getting married?”

“Sometime during the summer. Maybe next year?”

“But you hate the summer!”

“Yeah I know, but Mr. Hischier has to work during hockey season, remember? He plays from October to April every year. So I have to make a sacrifice.”

“What’s a sacrifice?”

“When you give up something for something else.”

“I’m so happy for you, Miss. Hughes.”

“Don’t you mean, Mrs. Hischier?!”

Y/n laughed and made them pack up to go home. When she got back to her and Nico’s apartment, she smiled when she saw him making a pre-dinner snack. She wrapped her arms around his torso from behind, “Hi Neeks.”

“Hi schatzi, how was your day?”

“Good. Told the kids what you asked me last night.” He turned around in her arms and smiled down at her, “Yeah?”

She rested her head on his chest, “Mhm. They were really excited.”

He wrapped his arms around her, “I’m not surprised.”

“I still can’t believe this is happening.”

“Me neither. But I’m so excited.”

“Me too. I love you.”

“I love you.”

NH13 MASTERLIST ; NHL MASTERLIST

TAGLIST ; NAVIGATION

[thesingingrevolution]

i miss my classmate and friend since 2011. i miss him so much i miss him all the time. one of the people i genuinely love the most in this life, i will always be so grateful for knowing him. he is so uniquely himself, i rarely come across guys who are so principled and unique and do what they want and act how they want, so i always really admired him for being his own person through and through. he is so smart but was never pretentious about it, he always complimented other people’s intelligence. we used to play these geography sporcle quizzes together and the happiness i felt when he was impressed by my trivia skills is truly one of the best feelings ever. sometimes i feel like i have yet to meet another person i resonated with like that. obviously we had differences and i know he’s not perfect (like everyone else) but genuinely such an incredible guy and like i said i love him so much with my entire heart, i was so stressed out thinking about how it’s going to be so hard to see each other in the future, but i’m making a promise to always try to stay in touch. i might text him and ask him how he’s been, i saw him very briefly over the summer but we barely talked…. 🥲 i will never forget all of our memories literally growing up together, he is one of the few classmates i had i genuinely miss, he always treated me with respect and kindness and understanding AND his very unique type of sarcasm lol, even when almost everyone turned on me he stood by my side and i will never forget that. i am actually so grateful everyone in my class was drinking and partying during our senior trip because he didnt and i didnt so we got to peacefully hang out and talk and play games and observe everyone else and he made so much of a difference in my life even in the small moments. i just really admire him so much and i only wish him the best. i am so serious when i say i love him. one of the best humans. And i cant stop repeating myself but i miss him and i want to catch up and i hope he doesnt forget me ever because i never will forget him !!!! im cryinf rn i miss my old friend group and all my friends and our memories but hopefully we will all be reunited again sometime soon. In the meantime i will make a more concious effort to stay in touch with everyone

[m-ercutios]

we took a map quiz in world politics yesterday (which i’m pretty sure i aced btw) and it got me thinking to the last time time i had to do map quizzes, which because geography isn’t a mandatory class in my state, was seventh grade social studies. the most memorable thing about those quizzes was my teacher greying out all of eastern europe and most of the balkans on the map we were given, saying that we didn’t have to know those countries.

like seriously, what the fuck?

[leschanceux]

"Fun's better than boring, though. Everybody likes fun." And no, hearing that Dad doesn't think he's boring doesn't really help things ( privately, Gordy sometimes thinks that his parents might need to buy an updated dictionary so they can look up the modern definition of fun ), but he appreciates the thought all the same. Sure, his own definition of fun probably didn't line up with theirs either sometimes - setting wrapping paper on fire in the back garden to see the different colours the flames would burn comes to mind - but nobody could ever accuse his idea of fun of being harmful to people or animals or deliberately destructive to property. Gordy's ideas of fun things mostly involve science and methods of finding out how things work --- and honestly, his parents only really have themselves to blame for that.

He'd be lying if he said he hasn't thought about a career at UNIT, though he's definitely looking for more science-based jobs than a military career. It's not a subject he's broached with either parent yet, though, simply because he doesn't know what their response will be. Best leave that until after uni, anyway, just in case.

"But... every job pays, dad." Maybe not as well as UNIT or the army, but a job is a job, so... "why those ones specifically?" Neither really seems like a job you'd find in your local paper, or something you apply for on a whim - no prior experience needed! - so there must've been some draw that wasn't just money, surely? At least Dad's honest about his motivations, though. It's a lot more than he can say about most people he's come into contact with over the years. "We've been having careers talks at school recently." There was most likely a letter sent home to parents about it, but Gordy had forgotten until the assembly where it had been announced that they'd be starting to chat to advisors and take quizzes and other such 'fun' activities to determine their 'true' place in the working world.

Gordy, it turned out, was apparently ideally suited to become a policeman or a geography teacher.

"Yeah, I think I'd like to stash it away for now," he agrees, bumping his shoulder lightly against Ed's. "Have I also earned an extra biscuit, d'you think? Only all that hard work's made me hungry. Or is our tea break over for now?"

“Not everything’s gotta be fun. An’ I don't reckon you’re boring - but I s’pose hearin’ that from your Dad doesn't really help, does it?” A small shake of his head again and a hint of a chuckle to his words. No, he was still sure that hearing you weren’t boring FROM YOUR PARENTS wasn’t a compliment at Gordy’s age. But it was still the truth. While Gordy had done some things he didn’t quite agree with, he had never broken their trust in him – and wasn’t this much better than a short shot of adrenaline you might get from shoplifting or whatever BRILLIANT thing his peers could come up with these days? They had been warned at the parent evenings. The things kids got up to now. – Smoking, drinking… At least he had stopped the first and always had made an effort not to drink in front of the kids, too. He wasn’t sure if this had any influence on Gordy’s behaviour, or if it was just the way his son was.

Always honest. – Even if the answer to the question, Gordy asked him a moment later, wasn’t filled with wisdom or some hidden, deeper meaning, he had found in his work. At least it wasn’t why he had started working for UNIT.

“I joined UNIT for the same reason I joined the army as soon as I’d finished school and could sign up. ‘Cause it paid, you know? It paid well, and I wanted to send some money to your nan, your aunties, and uncle. Working for UNIT was better pay than what I was on before, and at some point, I didn’t wanna stop ‘cause I thought it was important what I was doing. Can’t lie and say it was some heroic reason, though…” Wanting to provide for his mother and siblings wasn’t some heroic motivation for him. IT HAD BEEN HIS RESPONSIBILITY. His mother had of course disagreed, but he had always been stubborn. A family trait, he had inherited from her.

– Smiling at his own thoughts, he was just glad that money wasn’t such an issue any more for them. Kate and him earned well enough for their little family. So, he also just shook his head at Gordy’s objection. “I think you’ve earned an extra fiver for this week. If you don’t wanna spend it, you can always stash it away.”

[eyevansworld]

school entry #4 (opinions on classes)

I have been delaying it for a while but now that it's fall break and the end of the first quarter. I'm going to write about my thoughts on this school and the teachers. Starting with Geography, my opinion is that this class is pretty chill, although sometimes there is an assignment that I can't finish in class but I think this is due to the fact that I put in more work than everyone else. The next class is Earth and Space Science. This class is my least favorite because the work is very repetitive and easy; also, for some reason, I got paired up with two of the most annoying people twice in a row. Stem 1 is my next class and this is my second favorite because it involves a lot of design and attention to detail, which I really enjoy. My last class on Tuesdays and Thursdays is visual art and this is probably my favorite class because I love art. We recently finished our artist trading cards, which I had a lot of fun making. Ms. Farkas is a great teacher; even though she's a hippie, she doesn't smell bad like hippies usually do, so it's great. Starting Wednesday is Lifetime Wellness. I've already done an entry on this class but it's great and Coach Deangelo is a lot of fun. Next is Computer Science. This class is very easy, which I like. However, I feel like we aren't learning any coding and are just memorizing terms or doing presentations. This is fine with me because I hate coding. My next class is this class, English, which I'm not going to write about because that will be in the 500 word post-write. The last class is Math. This class is very strange for me. I'm doing pretty well so far with a high B but it was better until I flunked the first test even though I did well on the quizzes. But I think I'm understanding the coursework pretty well; I'm just worried I'm slowly going to get left behind. Ms. Armsworth is funny (sometimes) and explains the problems very efficiently. In conclusion, I think all my schoolwork has been relatively easy so far and maybe this is because my previous school prepared me for it, the punishment for not keeping up is greater than my last school, or both. I hope I can get better at the work, keep up in the future, and maybe even graduate with all A’s, that would be cool.

[i-like-sparkly-things]

Right in front of you

A Halstead!sister

Jay held a strong grip on your upper arm as he led you out to the school hall. "What the hell was that Y/N? Are you happy now? God.... I can't believe you cheated!" he sneered, "EYES UP HERE Y/N!! "

"I'm sorry" you sighed, locking eyes with Jay, silently praying that he would let this go. It was only one time anyway. It wasn't a big deal.

But he let out a hollow laugh, "Thirty percent, Y/N, THIRTY PERCENT. You're going to have to do better than a half-ass apology. What exactly are you sorry for? Huh? For cheating? Or being caught?"

Requested : Yes by @study-coffee-chicago : They found out she cheated on a test in high school...and Jay's the one who has to pick her up.

Warnings : angry!Jay (lots of it), alcohol, swearing, anxiety attacks

Note : I am so so so sorry this so longg 😭 I ended up so far away from the actual request kayela please don't block mee 😭 butt I've learned alot in writing abt active and passive voices and using more imagery Yayy!! I'm so glad that yall are ok with my grammar thank uu🥺

MASTERLIST HERE

The piles of homework and flashcards you needed to memorize had no end in sight, and now that Will was taking nightshifts along with his usual double shifts, and intelligence was tracking down an underground drug cartel, you spent most days alone, allowing your mind to engulf you.

Every time you sat down to study, you felt a striking pain in your chest. In mere seconds the air was sucked out of your lungs and you found yourself panting, desperate to get oxygen back into your body.

You would be surrounded by books and worksheets and you could swear the walls of your room were closing in towards you, trapping you in a sea of incomplete work.

You failed to follow the schedules and to do lists you had made for yourself. Staring at them, hoping the essays would write themselves.

All you needed, was a break. A moment to relax from anything and everything.

So when your best friend mentioned that her brother used to drink a little before he appeared for an exam, your mind was quick to catch on.

Last night you had borrowed a little bit of beer from Jay's stash of alcohol and took a few sips of it as you studied.

The more you drank, the less bitter it became. It was a weird, new sensation, but it worked nonetheless.

Except now, you were sitting in the girls bathroom at school, ramaging through your notes, trying to recollect what you had learned yesterday.

You saw what you had underlined and highlighted— names in pink and important dates in yellow—but your mind came up blank.

Flipping the pages you saw people in wigs, and castles burning to the ground —None of which you recognized.

A wave of anxiety rippled through you unable to comprehend your next thought —you were going to fail.

Your head was throbbing as you ran a hand down face, massaging your temples trying to calm yourself down.

You took out your water bottle that you had filled with beer and swallowed a few gulps, hoping that it would help you think straight.

You groaned, feeling the sting of alcohol at the back of your throat, popping some mints into your mouth, you ran towards the exam hall.

***

Your foot bounced on the polished wood floors as sweat pooled on your forehead.

You thought you were careful —only taking a peek from your friends answer sheet when Mrs.Ling's back was facing you.

Everything would have worked out if it wasn't for that kid sitting behind you. In a split second your teacher turned around, when he dropped his pen, to see you peering over your partner's desk.

Now you were sitting in the principles office praying that Jay wouldn't be the one picking you up.

You could already imagine his anger at you for pulling him away from his case, only to find you cheated.

Unfortunately luck was not on your side today.

You dare not look at Jay as he entered the office, letting out a huff as he sat down. You could feel the rage emitting him, tension filling the room, as he burned holes looking at you.

"I'll get straight to the point" Your principal started.

"Please" Jay growled, struggling to contain himself. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, when he got the call saying that you had cheated on your midterms.

You and Will were alike,at least he thought so, both good at science and math but weak at geography and history. Nonetheless you continued to secure good grades for the most part.

"Y/n here, was caught cheating from a classmates answer sheet. Our teacher caught her red handed. I truly did not expect this from you. These midterms cost thirty percent of your grade..... "

Pretty soon his voice was muffled like he was getting farther and farther away from you. His figure swayed in front of you as you squinted your eyes to keep him in the center of your vision.

" You are suspended, Mrs halstead"

Your eyes widened , your body choosing the perfect time to bring out what little beer you had taken when you heard those words, letting the alcohol mix with the adrenaline.

"WHAT??!! " Damn, alcohol really bought out your courage as Jay stared at you in shock at your audacity.

"Y/n, your lucky I'm letting you retake the exam. That's only because you've had a clean record so far. I strongly suggest you start preparing early Ms. halstead" your principal said in a firm but monotone voice that left you speechless.

Jay held a strong grip on your upper arm as he led you out to the school hall. "What the hell was that Y/N? Are you happy now? God.... I can't believe you cheated!" he sneered, "EYES UP HERE Y/N!! "

Oh god. Every now and then, the ground would sway beneath you, tiles shifting in your vision. But you counted your steps, carefully putting one foot in front of the other, not wanting Jay to find out what else you had done........ until now.

You tilted your head, only to be met with your brother's piercing stare but little did he know, now it made it infinitely harder to concentrate on your walking.

"I'm sorry" you sighed, locking eyes with Jay, silently praying that he would let this go. It was only one time anyway. It wasn't a big deal.

But he let out a hollow laugh, "Thirty percent, Y/N, THIRTY PERCENT. You're going to have to do better than a half-ass apology. What exactly are you sorry for? Huh? For cheating? *Or being caught?*"

***

You rested your head on the seat as Jay entered the truck, flinching, when he slammed the door shut. Your pounding headache was getting worse by the minute, as your ears started to ring.

You blinked a few times squinting to focus on the road ahead of you but the fast-moving cars and the loud horns made you feel like your head was going to explode.

"Y/n," he addressed you, much calmer now.

You forced yourself to turn to your brother, who wore a confused expression.

But the moment he saw your deshelfed hair and your cracked lips, a wave of worry crashed over him. What the hell?

The truck came to a stop at a red light and Jay immediately scanned you over "Y/n?" he grabbed your chin, his jaw dropping, as he came face to face with reality.

"Are you drunk!!?" he barked , steam basically pouring out of his ears.

But your pleading eyes and empty silence gave him the answer he needed. "Are you kidding me??" he snarled as he slammed the steering wheel.

Oh God no. A blinding pain ripped through your head when Jay's palms made contact with the hard plastic. You winched turning your head away from your furious brother, letting out a whimper.

Jay's eyes widened at the sound, his heart breaking, realizing the pain you were in.

If he was going to be mad at you or at least punish you, you needed to be sober.

He stepped on the pedal as the light turned green taking a few breaths, trying to calm himself down.

With the vice lords reclaiming their territory and selling uncut fentanyl, bodies were dropping all over the city most of them being kids.

Kids..... your age.

Every kid at the morgue, just reminded him of you. He saw parents sobbing, begging for their kids to come back but Jay new better. They were never going to come home. Ever.

So he made it a priority to catch these ruthless creatures. He made it a priority over his sleep, over nine hours shifts and unknown to him, over spending time with you.

"Hey , hey" he whispered, not wanting to hurt you again, "We'll talk about this later ok? for now...... just..... it's ok..... I've got you" here reached out his hand, the other still on the steering wheel, to slowly rub your back as you tried to breath through the pain.

" I got you"

***

Jay wrapped a hand around you allowing you to hold onto him for support.

Silently, he deposited you on the couch, laying you down. He knew that he wasn't in any state to talk to you. He needed to clear his mind from his racing thoughts and rueful images of dying teenagers.

His phone rang, indicating that the district was awaiting him. "Here" he reluctantly shook your shoulders "Y/n, I need to go ok? Will will be here soon"

***

Almost half an hour had passed and you were waiting for Will to get out of the shower. You'd heard Jay explain everything to him over the phone.

You thought about how disappointed he would be.

Will —being the nerd he was— always helped you with your projects and gave you pop quizzes during breakfast, before your exams. He taught you how to organize flashcards just like he did in med school.

Even through your blurry thoughts, the image of Will's betrayed face and embarrassed eyes, knowing you cheated, lingered on your mind.

Your body was all over the place. Tiny noises echoing through your ear. Your muscles simultaneously aching and loose.

You were shivering as you tried to curl up into a ball. Your body trying to hold what little heat it had within itself.

But nothing stopped your tears.

You felt water drops make their way down your cheeks forming small splotches of water on the cushion you laid your head on.

And you didn't bother to wipe them away.

Will more or less was in the same state you were in. There was a multi-vehicle accident on the highway and victims were piling in the ED. He was running from one treatment room to the other, waiting to get back home and crash.

Will walked over to you with a huge glass of water and an advil, gently  nudging you to sit up.

Your head still pounded, your eyes zoning in and out of the figure in front of you "Y/n, here drink the whole glass and take this" Will soothed, placing the glass and the pill in your hand "I—I'm sorry" You whispered, distracting yourself from Will's eyes.

Will knew he should be angry. Just like Jay was but he couldn't bring himself to blaming you, not until he had the full story anyway.

You looked so petite on the enormous couch, your legs folded on top of each other, arms shaking as you drowned the glass of water along with the Advil.

Your red puffy eyes and tear strained cheeks,were a contrast from your usual self. or he thinks. He's been pretty busy lately, so he's not too sure. " We'll talk about it later. I'm not angry. I promise"

He assured and was about to head to bed himself when you grabbed his wrist.

If he wasn't angry at you then maybe— just maybe—he would help you.

"Stay" You pleaded , the word falling from your lips just as easily as it had, many, many times before.

And just like before, you were met with Will's soft brown eyes filled with sympathy, ready to help. Ready—to be by your side.

He's slowly nodded climbing onto the couch, next to you. He wrapped an arm around you and you nestled into him, laying your head on his chest.

You found some comfort as he embraced you, talking you under his arm and encompassing you in his warmth.

Holding on to him, you hoped that he would take your pain away, just like he did when you were little.

***

Will woke up to an uncomfortable feeling of something —or someone—   tugging at his shirt.

He slowly opened his eyes allowing them to adjust to the light as he felt another a tug at his side. He looked over to you, but your eyes were shut, brimming with tears, your arm laid across his chest.

You were holding on to Will , using him as a lifeline, grounding you from the pain.

You felt a hand squeezing your own, stopping you from gripping the fabric "Y/n?" You opened your eyes to look up at will who had tears of his own, staring at the state you were in "it's okay, I'm here, I'm right here"

He encircles you, tighter than before, whispering soothing assurances into your hair.

***

With Will's help, the pain slowly subsides, allowing you access to your thoughts again.

You step out of the shower, into the living room and your eyes widen seeing Jay and Will sitting at the kitchen counter.

You didn't even hear Jay come in, but right now taking in his hardened glare, you didn't dare ask.

You knew what was coming and you didn't fight. You couldn't.

"So apparently we're cheating on our midterms now, huh?" Jay's calm voice made shivers run down your spine, starting to take rapid breaths.

"And apparently, someone thinks it's ok to steal alcohol from my stash" He gritted, never breaking I contact with you. "Do you think that's how the world works Y/n? DO YOU? BECAUSE LAST TIME I CHECKED YOU'RE STILL A FUCKING TEENAGER!!" He spat, his thoughts fuming towards your trembling body.

It was every dieing body flashing before his eyes, as the past months' agony slipped off his tongue.

"Jay" Will's voice was stern, giving a knowing look towards his younger brother and didn't bother to give Jay time to argue with him.

"Y/n, we need to know what's going on"

"With school, with tests with....... everything" he stated giving you a solemn look meaning every word he said, promising himself that he would do whatever it takes to figure out what had been going on.

You sucked in a breath weighing all your options. You didn't want them to think that you needed a babysitter or  that you couldn't take care of yourself.

You knew that they had their own problems to worry about but you couldn't take it anymore.

You hated it.

The feeling of your lungs collapsing, struggling to find air for your body, your stress skyrocketing anytime you sat down to study, never getting any thing done.

All day long you would constantly tell yourself to do your work. Every spare second is spent in making a list of things you want to do but when it was time to actually do those things, your mind wandered and emptied.

You took another deep breath, looking up from your feet, your eyes meeting your brothers.

You spilled the past months events from how alone you were all the time and not being able to concentrate to how you ended up drunk at school and cheating on your midterms.

Tears rolled down your cheeks as you your hands trembled. You stood crying in the middle of the room until you felt a pair of arms around you.

Will placed his hand at the nape of your neck as he stroked your back with the other "Breathe Y/n, just Breathe" He slowly pulled away leading you to the couch.

God, how he wished he could turn back time. Then he'd been more vigilant to notice the changes that had come over you.

You felt the couch dip on both sides but you intently studied your fingers, fumbling with the hem of your shirt and wiped the tears off your face. They were mad. No, they were furious. You knew it.

But for some reason, they weren't showing it. Maybe they were waiting-

"We're not mad"

You without your head around to look at Jay, furrowing your eyebrows in disbelief. Jay? Not mad? HA.

"but I am disappointed though, but that's only because you didn't tell us......

but stealing alcohol was bad too" he added, earning him a glare from Will.

"Y/n, what Jay means is— we could've helped with school . Homework . Tests . Anything, you name it. We will help" he assured, "But how do we know you need help, if you don't tell us?"

You sighed, taking in the weird turn of events that had happened before you. You had wasted all this time, trying to figure out all your problems out, when the answer was right in front of you.

A mountain of guilt now sat on Jay's shoulders, weighing down on him, pushing him deeper into a wormhole of 'if's'.

Maybe if he'd just been a little more careful, this wouldn't have happened.

Maybe if he'd stop and listen to you once in a while, this wouldn't have happened.

While trying to save kids out on the street, he forgot to care for the kid at home. You were his sister, and yet, here you are in front of him, barely keeping yourself together.

But that would change. Right here. *Right now.*

"Y/n," Jay started "If you would have told us how alone and stressed you were feeling.....I would've taken some time off... Maybe we'd watch a movie or something. All you had to do was ask...... And we'll get you the help you need, y/n. You good with that?" he questioned, his anger and frustration dissipating.

You saw your brother, the workaholic detective, wanting to put his job aside, for you .

You were more important to him, than his job—You realized.

" Yea... Yeah, I am"

Will stood up and got another advil with another glass of water. "and maybe you wouldn't end up drunk and cheating on your test" he smirked, crouching in front of you.

"God, I didn't think it would hurt this bad. I am never drinking again!" you smiled , as you drowned the pill.

"See now that's what I like to hear!!" Jay exclaimed, wrapping his arms around you, squeezing you into his chest. You squirmed, trying to get out of his grip, laughing, when you were joined by Will.

You know what? Maybe, things are going to be okay? Ya know?

__________________________

Read more of my fics here!!

Tagging : @girlandthemoon @herecomesthewriterwitch @megaliciab @meyocoko @alkadri-layal

[wackybuddiemewbs]

WIP Wednesday Buddie Edition

What can I say? Buck is one of my fave wump characters and I kinda dig this idea of him having his "oh" moment on the verge of dying. More so since of what we saw in season 6 thus far. Still don't know what I'm doing. Won't ever. But I'm rocking it, for better of worse. Cheers!

Working title: Reenact My Pain of Losing You

Basic idea: When the 118 is summoned to a field with actual trenches and not at all real soldiers of a world war, everyone is in for a bad surprise when the play turns dead serious. And it’s not just time that’s ticking for Buck and Eddie.

Find out more here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

“… I still wonder what the odds are,” Buck blurts out, asking.

“Odds for what?” he can hear the frown on Eddie’s face even down in that trench, looking at the stars above.

“To nearly die in a bombing, only to end up on a bunch of grenades. Like, what are the odds?” Buck heaves a small sigh, reminding himself not to move too much. “I mean, not that you would know. You suck at math, after all. I guess we both won’t ever know. But yeah… what are the odds, right?”

Buck is aware that he’s been battling the odds long before the bombing, long before he ever tried out as a firefighter. As he learned some time back, his life started against a great many odds. And while he dares to think he came to terms with it for the most part, there is no denying that he battled the odds, tested their limits, and sometimes even went well beyond them.

Still, it remains his shit luck to seemingly lose against the odds unintentionally. Because some guys wanted to play at war. Well, at least that proves him right about not having gone through with the SEALs training. Buck is not cut out for war either. Or rather, he doesn’t have the nerve for any of this.

“Well, maybe that means the odds are on your side,” Eddie argues. “Because someone who survived a bombing might just as well survive a second. Like people winning at the lottery who’d won before.”

Buck snorts at that. “You know that whole thing’s a scam, right?”

“Tell my abuela that.”

“I might jinx it.” He smirks. “Like, if I go tonight, she won’t get to me.”

“Buck.” Eddie’s tone is a warning.

“I’m kidding,” Buck assures him quickly. He knows he should cut that out. Eddie is clearly not taking well to his gallows humor, and that is likely the appropriate reaction. But Buck can’t seem to stop himself.

What’s the point anyway, right? If I don’t laugh about it, I might just as well cry about it. And what’s gained from that?

“Alright…,” Eddie mutters, then pauses. “You’ll have to pick a new category for quizzes, though. We’re through with geography, biology, and astrology.”

“I don’t wanna quiz anymore,” Buck whispers, feeling his chest tighten.

No, he isn’t going to cry. Not yet, at least. But he doesn’t want to think about lakes or constellations or weird animal facts anymore, either. Because they tend to make him think about Chris. And then he is this close to choking up after all.

“Sure, whatever you want,” Eddie answers quickly. There is another pause on the other end of the line.

Buck screws his eyes shut. Truthfully, he is more than grateful that Eddie has been keeping him preoccupied this whole time. It takes his mind off of the obvious. And Buck always found something particularly deafening about silence. Lying in that trench all by himself when Eddie is not there to fill the silence nearly makes him lose it every time.

“So, ugh… What else do you wanna talk about, then?” Eddie asks, his voice soft, almost too soft for Buck. But that’s just Eddie.

Buck licks his lips.

What do you want to talk about before you die? Might die?

Loaded question, he supposes. One he maybe should have taken to Dr. Copeland before. After all, it’s the kind of question that may come up on any call. But it never came up for Buck until now, oddly enough. Because it’s not his first time dancing the dance of death. He had close calls before, very close calls.

Like the bombing, the ladder truck. But back then, he didn’t think about that. He was scared, downright terrified. And in pain. Lots of pain that even the adrenaline couldn’t wash away. It happened too fast for him to start crafting a speech or whatever else. He just dug his nails into the gravel and tried to stay awake, grappled on to life in a desperate attempt that somehow went in his favor at long last.

When he did that rescue by the construction after Eddie got shot, Buck didn’t think about any last words as well. Sure, he didn’t have much time either. But the climb was long enough to think of something, had he put his mind to it. But back then, he tried not to think at all. Because thinking lead to feeling. And he didn’t want to feel what he felt. Buck didn’t want to feel like he had when Eddie got shot. Then he rather would have died. Literally. If only to make that stupid life matter somehow. Anyhow. To keep his loved ones safe.

Not that he has a death wish, he really doesn’t. Contrary to what some people think, Buck isn’t chasing death. He isn’t chasing a glorious exit from this world. Some time back, Maddie said that they are opposites, the fugitive and the settler. Settling means wanting to stay. So Buck doesn’t have a death wish, he has an undying will to live, and perhaps a certain talent not to jump the knife despite the close calls he’s had.

But now he is lying here, he can’t move, there is not enough adrenaline left in him to keep all thoughts and feelings out of his head, away from his heart. They are spinning freely, round and round, taunting him, just to spin another time. Which means he may have to answer some of the questions he’s managed to dodge for quite a few years by now.

He had been thinking about some of it, following Lev’s death. He tried to find the answer to his own happiness. And Lev only found it the second before he left this world. And no again, Buck didn’t chase death after that either. Despite a certain stunt he pulled involving a bike. But Lev’s death got him thinking about the things Buck tends to push away.

If you had just one more day to live, what would you do? What would you say? And to whom?

“Buck?” he can hear Eddie’s voice call out.

Buck blinks. “Oh, ugh, sorry. I… drifted off.”

“That’s okay, just making sure. I bet you’re exhausted, but we can’t have you doze off. So you gotta hold on tight, remember,” Eddie tells him.

“Right. Yeah, of course. Holding on.”

He’s accustomed to that. Has done that for the better and worse part of his life. He held on tight. He clutched, clawed, clung. Because he was desperate to be left behind. Because he was desperate to stay, so others may stay with him.

And has anything truly changed about it since then?

“So what do you want to talk about, if not random trivia?” Eddie questions.

“You.” The word comes to Buck with unexpected ease, even less expected resolution.

Maybe the universe is answering at the worst of times yet again, huh? Which might be just about the shittiest sense of humor anyone could possibly have.

“Me?” Eddie asks, confused.

“Mhm,” Buck hums, settling into the feeling spreading throughout him. Because it’s comforting. It’s not cold and damp. It doesn’t taste of dust. It doesn’t make his ribs ache from having to remain in that awkward position. It’s warm and bright and makes his stomach flutter in a most pleasant way.

Maybe it really works like that. Maybe that’s how Lev found his answers. When you find yourself in an everything-or-nothing kind of situation, it creates a certain clarity that you lack in normal life. Normal life is muddied by a lot of things. There is just so much noise.

So much is going on, so much life happening, all at once and very loudly. And Buck loves that about life. How full it is, how much it is, how loud it is, never once being sorry for it being there. But sometimes, it makes it hard to see that one single thing you want to look at, hear one voice you want to hear above all else. Because life keeps happening around you, pulling you all kinds of directions, so you lose focus.

Like spinning in a circle too many times and then trying to walk in a straight line.

But in situations that are either or, nor or neither, you don’t have that. It’s this way or the other, left or right, back or forth. There is no staggering, no escape. It’s very still, very timid, and in that way, absolutely clear.

If you had just one more day to live, what would you do? What would you say? And to whom? Whose voice would you want to hear? Whose stories would you want to listen to till last?

“What do you want me to say about myself, then?” Eddie asks.

And Buck can’t help but smile. “I don’t know. Like, plans for the weekend or how breakfast was today. I didn’t ask.”

There are so many things he didn’t say, didn’t do. There are things Buck could have added to his memories. Like how Eddie’s day was before he got to the station. But they had a call early on, so he didn’t have the chance to ask. It’s mundane, he knows, but Buck loves the mundane. Because even the quiet life is loud in his head, in his heart, small treasures he’d want to preserve. So maybe he can add some more, as many as he can.

“You know you’re being odd right now,” Eddie comments.

“So?”

He gets to be, right? Buck can leave being sensible to the rest for now. He just lies here and he feels. Lets the feelings bleed out of him, ready or not. And Buck is done shutting those emotions out, no matter how many questions and troubles they may add to a life that lies on the knife’s edge right now. The sky is clear above him, and so seem some things that normal life tends to leave in the fog and constant noise of its recurrence.

Maybe, had he stopped and stared some time ago, it would have come to him sooner. But the matter of fact is that it’s coming to Buck now, slowly creeping up his spine. And against the odds of the situation, it’s not that scary.

“Fine. Breakfast talk… Ugh, lemme think. I wanted to have cereal, but I forgot to buy a new package, so I had a PB&J sandwich instead. Plus coffee, of course,” Eddie tells him. “There, happy?”

Buck smiles. “Very.”

If you had just one more day to live, what would you do? Who would you want to be with? What would you say? And why?

“So I’ll have to get a new package of cereal on the weekend. I… we should go together, you know? Coz I was thinking about having a picnic in the park. Chris is aching to skateboard again, because he’s apparently not too old for that yet. So we could pack some things and head straight there. He’d sure have a blast.”

Buck smiles, feeling his eyes water. “That… that sounds great.”

He knows what Eddie is doing. Because Buck has done it plenty of times, talking to people on calls in an effort to calm them down. You don’t promise that you get them out, but you leave them hoping, so long there is as much as a slight chance they might make it. You help them visualize the future after the event. Sometimes, they get to it, and it serves as motivation to reach it. Other times, Buck supposes, it’s a small comfort. Not a lie, really, but a way of escape from an otherwise frightening and horrid situation. To a future that may never be, but at the same time just might.

“Then we’re gonna do that,” Eddie says, nearly choking on the words.

“We should, yeah.”

If you had just one more day to live, what would you do? What would you say? And to whom? And why? Why?

Buck has a feeling he knows at long last, glancing at the stars above him. If they are mocking him, he has no care in the world for it. Because he has the answer right in front of him, despite the universe’s bad sense of humor to only have him hear it.

A day in the park with Eddie and Christopher. Smiling and laughing with them. Be with the people who are most important to him in his life. Live with them, happy and loud and unashamed.

A day in the park with Eddie and Christopher. One more day to say what’s been bubbling underneath the surface of a fast-paced life that didn’t leave Buck the room to fully comprehend until now that this was a truth he’s known well before. His way to happiness all along.

A day in the park with Eddie and Christopher. One more day to chance it, throw the dice, steal a kiss, and see where it leads him. He’s kissed guys before. Some time back, even dated some. So that’s not what would have him scared. Just Eddie saying no thanks. Eddie withdrawing. But he’d try anyway.

After all, it’d be his last day. If tomorrow isn’t promised to him, then, doesn’t that set him free to follow his heart no matter what? Because he’d only have one more day promised to him. So why wouldn’t he use it? To steal a few more seconds than were granted to Lev before he found his answer?

If Buck had just one more day to live, he’d want to spend it with the people he loves, that’s what Buck knows without a shadow of a doubt. Because it is those people who are his happiness.

If Buck had just one more day to live, he’d say how he truly feels. To Eddie. For Eddie.

But that’s the treacherous thing about it.

Buck may not live another day to do it.

Still, he should.

Maybe.

Probably.

“We definitely should.”

I have to.

[cinematicnomad]

Weird asks! 11, 12, 28, and 49

011. bass or drums? drums! as a kid i wanted to learn how to drum?? and like, the summer between 8th and 9th grade my parents wanted to come up with something for me to do to occupy my time so they signed me up for a couple weeks of tennis camps, and then swimming lessons, and then eventually were like "what about music?? what instrument do you want to learn?" to which i promptly answered DRUMS and my mom went "that's impractical, we're going to buy you a guitar instead and sign you up for those lessons" ...the result is, i do not play the guitar

012. favorite tv commercial? here's something obscure: growing up and moving around with the state dept, we got access to the armed forces network when we were in certain places? which is like, govt provided television available to us personnel abroad. and it would have tv shows and movies and things that were "donated" to the govt so i watched a lot of like, nick-at-night type programming (the brady bunch! leave it to beaver! the 1960s batman!) and then sporadically there'd be something contemporary (gilmore girls! american idol! everwood! lizzie mcguire!). ANYWAY, bc it was govt programming they couldn't air commercials.

so iNSTEAD they'd air govt or non-profit created PSAs in its place. stuff that was clearly geared towards the 18–24 year old male military demographic. so it was a lot of stuff like "don't shake the vending machine", "if you marry a local, there are a lot of steps you'll need to go through", "eat healthy", "here are the signs of a gambling addiction/suicidal ideation/drug addiction/domestic violence/etc", and "make sure terrorists don't steal your uniform or listen into your conversations" etc. there was also always some info-mercials about like, whatever -history month it was, or like, random historical facts about the US, or geography quizzes ("what's that city??")

but my FAVORITE had to be the series of commercials geared towards these clueless men that was like. chewing tobacco is bad for your health, but we know you don't care about that, so let's make clear that it is Unattractive™ to women you want to flirt with.

like there was one of a dude walking out of a gym at the same time a hot girl was walking in and they made eyes at each other. but then as they passed she did a double take and saw the outline of his chew tobacco tin in his back pocket and was DISGUSTED and he was confused. or the other one where a guy's flirting with some girl on like, a ferry? a river boat? whatever, and whenever she's not looking, he's spitting his chew tobacco into his cup. but then when HE'S not looking SHE GRABS THE WRONG CUP AND DRINKS HIS SPIT and the commercial ended on her almost throwing up and him looking mortified and the PSA telling them something like, "don't spit. quit." 😅

028. an unusual song that’s your favorite? i don't think there are any unusual songs that i like??? i mean, what counts as unusual?

049. what scents do you like? for like, shampoo and things, i love coconut fragranced products. or peach is also good. but for candles and things i prefer them to have gentle scents like...fresh rainwater, or ocean spray, or clean linens, etc etc.

weird asks

[raoutd2511]

#7 Research and Innovation Week

Prompt: Research doesn’t exist inside a bubble, and neither should you. For this assignment you are required to attend at least one event of the Research and Innovation Week Conference. In your blog post, you need to identify the topic being researched, outline the challenges and successes of the methodology, connect it directly to course content, and provide your opinion of the effectiveness of the research approach(es). Note that not all presentations will go into detail on this. 

Answer:

There were a few presentations that I was interested in attending from this week but I was not able to make the time frames they were presented in. (FYI: if you email events.research@lakeheadu.ca you may potentially be able to get a recording of a presentation) I attended one and asked for the recording so I could better understand the content. As Jill said, I found the presentations quite complex and had difficulty in understanding the world of academic research and jargon. I was also told that all the presentations would be available to watch as recordings by mid-week next week. 

I watched the presentation Strength-Based Strategies for Parents and Educators to Promote Mental Wellness and Resiliencies in Children and Youth by Dr. Ed Rawana. As a teacher candidate it was actually very insightful to listen to what Dr. Rawana had to say about the topic and his comparison of teaching and parenting. 

Identify the research topic: The research topic of this presentation was promoting the development of strengths and resilience in children and youth through parenting and educators. One of the key points he kept coming back to was the idea that adults are role models. As a teacher, parent, caregiver, they have to demonstrate the strength and skills they want these children to grow up to possess. He references it much like an apprenticeship program. Training and preparing children to have the strength based skill they need as an adult. 

Challenges and success of the methodology: Unfortunately this presentation did not go into much depth regarding how this research was done and mostly a research overview. However, I did find a lot of really interesting points of information that were made. I have come up with some challenges and success ideas although not directly discussed in the presentation. Some challenges I saw were in the measure of success, how do you measure if leading (teaching/parenting) with a strength based model is effective? I am having difficulty wrapping my brain around this. I think it is qualitative research as Dr. Rawana said something along the lines of: it is not about the amount of time you spend with the children but the quality of the time spent. I am not sure how you measure the factors that make someone resilient as this could come from a lot of different factors. My grade 9 geography teacher had us take an online survey to see how much grit we had but I do not think online tests and quizzes in these ways are accurate representations or good ways to conduct research. One of the successes of this methodology is it forces people to choose and think about their decisions to make a conscious effort to use their strengths and not just choose randomly. 

Connection to course content: A few areas that I thought connected to course content where in relation to an ethics approval as this research is focused on children and Dr. Rawana even mentioned you are not really supposed to do research on children so this would require a strong, thorough plan to be able to follow these children to see the effects of adults in their lives using strength based approaches to promote resilience.  Additionally, I thought of a literature review and review of sources and planning the research you are talking about. He mentioned a few times the work of Dr. Epstein and personally I have never looked at his research so it could very well be fundamental but the negative connotations around that person himself threw me off into listening to those connections. Lastly, I made a connection to sampling. I do not know the sample size or the demographic of people chosen but I think this would definitely affect the research as these kinds or role models look and appear differently in a low income neighborhood vs a high income neighborhood and geographic location, etc. 

Opinion on effectiveness of the model: I had a hard time pulling out the information to answer these questions from the presentation but I did gain some interesting parenting/teaching tips. Honestly after writing all of this I am not sure what the model of this research was but I think it was effective as there was information that I thought was strong and believable. It was a well done presentation. 

Rawana, E. (2022). Strength-Based Strategies for Parents and Educators to Promote Mental Wellness and Resiliencies in Children and Youth . Lakehead University Research and Innovation Week. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://lakeheadu.zoom.us/rec/share/CvEGT2sn108nYfd77T9WjXpsiB3elJmsueO_viqlNVxItts1eHTZY2-WRZZAddkJ.xzD3U6Z7gs_Zcm9a Passcode: 3E6+QYJ+.

[cali-holland]

Risky Quizness- Tom Holland One Shot

Pairing: Tom Holland X Reader

Requested by Anon: meeting tom at one of the pub quizzes he goes to at his local pub, he and his mates need more people on their team to sign up, so they asks you and a couple of your friends to join, you and him connect. Xxoo

Prompt: When you meet Tom at a pub quiz, sparks fly between the two of you.

Word Count: 1800

A/N: Huge shoutout to @saysomethingspiderman​ for being a major help with this one. I’m hella American and never experienced a pub quiz before lol aka brits dont hate me for this

Masterlist   Tom Holland Masterlist

*Gif is not mine*

~~~

“Damn it.” Tom muttered, looking at his phone with a frown.

“What?” Harrison asked, sitting next to him at the table with their two pints.

“Harry just texted me. He’s sick.” He replied. “And Sam’s with his girlfriend and you know mum would never let me take Paddy.”

“So it’s just us then?” The blond let out a sigh.

Pub quizzes weren’t much fun with two people. Normally, they’d go with Tuwaine, Harry, and Sam- sometimes even Sam’s girlfriend would tag along, but Tuwaine had a family thing come up, and now the twins had bailed.

“We could always try to find someone to join our team? Right?” Tom offered weakly, and his friend shrugged.

“We’d have to find people willing to actually join us.” He stated and Tom nodded. The pub was already filling up with hopefuls for the pub quiz, there was no way they’d find others to team up with them-

“You can’t do a pub quiz with two people! It just doesn’t work like that!” You let out a frustrated groan as you passed by Tom’s table with your friend. And just like that, a light bulb went off in Tom’s head as he jumped after you.

“Hey, wait!” He called out and you and your friend paused, turning to him skeptically as you held your drinks.

“You only have two people for the quiz? My mate and I are also a team of two. Did- did you want to, maybe, join us?” Tom asked, realizing how stupid it sounded to ask that out loud- to ask a couple strangers to be on his team for a pub quiz. Your friend looked at you and you contemplated it for a moment.

“Sure, but we better win.” You stated, following a triumphant Tom back to his table (much to Harrison’s surprise). You sat down in an empty chair, leaving one open between you and Harrison, and Tom slid into it. 

“I’m Tom, and this is Harrison.” He introduced the two of them.

“Y/N, this is Jess.” You replied with a smile. The quizmaster quickly made his way around the pub, handing out a sheet of paper to each of the teams.

“What should our name be?” Tom asked, looking at the paper in front of him.

“Risky Quizness.” You said simply and Jess let out a laugh beside you.

“Risky Quizness?” Tom and Harrison both repeated, and you nodded.

“Every time we’ve used that name, we’ve won the pub quiz.” You stated.

“That’s because the only time we’ve won it was our name!” Jess added, and you rolled your eyes at her.

“We still won. Maybe we wouldn’t have been second last time if our name was Risky Quizness, not Universally Challenged.” You picked up the pencil from the table and grabbed the paper from in front of Tom.

“Risky Quizness, like the Tom Cruise movie?” Tom asked you, a small smile on his face.

“I’m writing it!” You announced and Jess groaned, but the boys just laughed.

“In case you couldn’t tell, she runs the quiz.” She teased.

“Shove off.” You groaned, “I’m competitive.”

“How many of these have you won?” Tom inquired. He honestly wasn’t sure how well he and Harrison would do with their usual team; by the end of the night, he would have always had enough beers to be a bit hazy on how many he actually knew on his own. He wanted to do well though because who didn’t love winning? And he also may have wanted to impress you a little.

“Just the one.” You mumbled, not wanting to fully admit it, “But we keep coming in second. There’s this group at our usual place called Let’s Get Quizzical and they win every single time. So we’re here in hopes that they won’t be.”

“What about you two?” Your friend asked.

“We’ve won a few times, but honestly, I don’t remember if I got any of them right.” He laughed.

“So, it’s up to you then, blondie.” You joked, and Harrison smiled with a grimace. “You two are lucky you’re attractive.”

Before either could respond, the quizmaster began to speak, announcing the general knowledge round. Some were easy questions like name the longest river in the U.K., complete the line from Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” (which you knew immediately), and how many hearts does an octopus have (that one you and Harrison got in a heated debate about whether it was two or eight, when Jess stepped in as the marine biologist to tell you it was three). 

The next couple rounds went by smoothly, the four of you working together to make sure you got the right answers. By the time you were on the final round, the movies round, you felt fairly confident that your answers were like 90% right (you still weren’t sure if you trusted Tom and Harrison in saying that the DeLorean in Back to the Future had to hit 88 to time travel because you definitely thought it was 85 like the year the first movie came out).

“Which Star Wars character gets namechecked in Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom?” The quizmaster asked, making the four of you pause.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that movie.” Harrison stated.

“Yoda?” Tom suggested, thinking it was a fairly iconic Star Wars character.

“It’s Obi-Wan.” You said as you wrote down the answer. “I just watched the movie like two days ago, and trust me, you’re not missing out if you haven’t seen it.”

“Two hours I’ll never get back.” Jess shook her head with a sigh.

“That bad?” Tom asked and you both nodded.

“The worst.” You shuddered just thinking about it. 

Though that question stumped Tom and Harrison, it wasn’t until the last question of the round that you really didn’t know the answer.

“Last question. This sequel film is the 10th highest grossing superhero movie of all time.” The quizmaster read off the question, and you turned to the rest of your team, unsure of the right answer.

“I don’t know? Captain America?” You asked, wracking your brain for any good superhero sequel films you’d seen. You watched Harrison try to nudge Tom inconspicuously, who was blushing beside you. He mumbled something to you, but you couldn’t hear it at all. “What movie?”

“Uh, Spider-Man: Far From Home.” He spoke up louder, the blush on his cheeks darkening as he shot Harrison a glare.

“Oh, right, never saw that.” You replied, and Tom laughed nervously.

“You really never saw it?” He asked.

“Nope.” You shook your head, “I don’t even think I saw the first one, honestly. Not that big of a Spider-Man fan.” As you wrote down the answer Tom had given you, you missed him sending a look back to his friend, trying his best not to be slightly offended by your words.

“You should watch them. They’re really good movies.” Tom said with an encouraging smile when you looked back up at him, ignoring Harrison’s kick under the table. It wasn’t until then that he realized you had absolutely no clue who he was, and it was the best thing ever for him; you were treating him like just another random guy who invited you to join his pub quiz team.

The quizmaster announced the end of the quiz, and everyone went over their answers. Much to your familiar disappointment, your team ended up second again.

“Maybe, it’s just you.” Tom teased you as Harrison and Jess went to go get more drinks.

“Rude.” You playfully scoffed, though you were still a bit upset by the loss. “Maybe if you had known that Wisconsin was the dairy state then we would have won.”

“You didn’t even know that one!” He refuted. It was true- the American geography round just about wiped your team out. Tom shifted a bit closer to you, leaning on his arm, flexing it almost, “So you think you’ll be back at this pub for next week?”

“I think I could be convinced to return.” You replied slyly. Before Tom could ask for your number, you already had your phone unlocked, sliding it over to him. “Here.”

“You already knew.” He chuckled, handing you his phone in return. You both typed in your numbers and switched phones back.

“That one Spider-Man question. How did you know that?” You asked, thinking back to all the sigh’s the erupted throughout the pub when the answer was revealed- most had gotten it wrong, so how did Tom know so quickly that he was right?

“I just know.” Tom shrugged in an effort to play it off.

“You know off the top of your head the 10th highest grossing superhero movie of all time?” You eyed him suspiciously.

“They said it was a sequel, so it had to be either that or Incredibles 2.” He joked, but you weren’t too amused. He leaned in closer to you, creating an intimate distance between your two faces, “Can I tell you a secret?”

“What, are you Spider-Man or something?” You asked teasingly, but his smile never faltered.

“Yeah, I am.” Tom replied. You laughed before you realized the complete seriousness in his voice and his face.

“Seriously?” You managed through a fit of laughter.

“I really am! And you said you didn’t like my movie.” He teased.

“I said I never saw it.” You corrected him. “That has to be cheating for it to be your movie as the answer.”

“No, it definitely isn’t.” He shook his head with a laugh.

“How much did it gross? How much?” You asked, wiggling your eyebrows at him jokingly, “You check the box office daily, don’t you?”

“I do not!” He protested, chuckling, “And it made over a billion, thank you very much.”

“Did you drop your pants for that to happen or something?” You quipped, and his face heated up. You gasped, “You didn’t!”

“It was just for one scene and I had my underwear on!” Tom insisted, “You’d know that if you saw the film.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll watch it- both of them.” You laughed.

“How about I quiz you on them next week?” He joked, and you groaned.

“No, that means I’d have to pay attention.”

“Fine, I won’t quiz you on them on one condition.” Tom rested a hand on the back of your chair, leaning in closer to you. You raised your eyebrows at him, telling him wordlessly to continue, “Go on a date with me?”

You nodded, laughing as you spoke, “Yes, but I gotta say, I really thought you were going to make me watch your own movie with you.”

“Trust me, darling, we can do that, too.”

~~~

Tag List: @viagracex​ @theamazingtomholland​ @hellomoveonby​ @heyitsshrez

Tom Tag List: @quaksonhehe​

[lollercakesff]

And They Were Strangers

Jyn Erso has been prepping for this for months. Years even, if you count the endless hours she'd spent running pools and hosting watch nights with her college roommates. She'd choreographed hundreds of dollars in auctions for remaining teams and had led multiple nights where her and her friends cooked their way around the world with the country of the week. The memories were great, sure, but to say she didn't feel a connection with this path in her life would be a lie. Something drew her in, tied her up, and convinced her that this - this - was the thing she needed to do before she died.

And now it was time. She was ready. Mentally… Physically… Hopefully.

AN: Will I finish writing this? I have a plan... But is it worth my time?

But the path to her next adventure was currently being blocked by some too-tall goon with haphazard hair and piercing dark eyes who kept getting in her way. First at check in, then in line for security, and now at the boarding gate. They’d practically been together, crossing paths and crashing each other, since she entered this damn airport and it was starting to really get to her. 

"Are you planning on getting on this plane or just standing in the way?" Jyn growls under her breath when the man doesn't move forward with the gate agent's call.

"What - Oh," he leaps forward a step and hustles towards the woman, pulling his passport from his pocket as Jyn sighs and checks her papers again. 

Her new American passport feels heavy in her hand, its empty pages a sign of things to come. She was on her way to Los Angeles where she was scheduled to show up at her first and only briefing for the next season of the Amazing Race. The producers had promised a full day of orientation covering the rules of the race and how the team match up would work before the "trip of a lifetime" began the next day. She was trying not to stress about it but she didn't quite know what she was getting into. 

This was the first season where every team in the race would be a set of strangers. They'd all meet at the briefing but it wouldn't be until the start of the race when they'd learn who their partner was. The producers had billed it as the season of 'fate' where they tried to pick a winning team by pure dumb luck with names drawn from a hat. Or so she'd been told. Who knew how it would really work.

"Next!" The agent calls and Jyn scurries forward, passing her documents over and brushing her bangs from her face. In another second she's motioned through and she's heading down the gangway and onto the plane. 

When she gets to her seat her frustration returns tenfold as the man from before has settled himself in her seat by the window, his seatbelt already clipped and his attention turned towards the action on the tarmac. 

"Hey, you're in my seat," she greets, stuffing her duffle in the overhead bin.

"F? Window?" He answers with an almost-accent and a quirk to his lips. Jyn frowns and steps into the row to let the people behind her pass.

"Yes. That's my seat, can you move please?" 

"I was sure I had the window, I feel claustrophobic if I can't see out - "

"Yeah, I'm sure. Can you check your boarding pass?" She asks, cutting his sob story off before it can even get started. 

"Can't I just have it this one time? It's a short flight," he answers, making no move to relent. Jyn sighs and drops into the seat next to him, her eyes closing tight as she urges the irritation to ease. 

"Fine. But this is bad karma and I hope it comes back to bite you in the ass, asshole," she grumbles the last part, determined to insult him but not loud enough to cause a scene. The man coughs as if to hide a laugh and Jyn hates him even more, pulling up her hood and taking out her headphones.

She was going to spend the next two hours in a music haven, mentally far from this man and the constant bumping of her elbow that came from sitting in the aisle row. Soon she'd be in LA at her hotel and then she'd be on to a new country, with a new language and culture that she'd have to work with to get her team to the finish line. Then she’d do it again and again until they won. Or they lost. She didn't like to think about that last possibility so instead she closes her eyes and hits play.

---

The hotel bed is more luxurious than anything she's ever slept in in her life and when she wakes it's with a curse as she realizes she's almost late to the briefing. Hustling around the room, she nearly crashes onto the floor when her pants get tangled and she loses her balance. Cursing out her alarm, her beautiful sleep, and the time difference, Jyn pulls on her t-shirt just as she pulls open her door and slams into someone walking past her room.

"Shit, sorry!” She gasps as she rights herself and pulls back. When she looks up it’s to find the man from the plane. The one who wouldn’t give her back her seat. The one who’d been a pain in the ass all day. “You!” The man’s eyes widen and he looks around him like he’s being Punk’d, surprise in his brow. 

“From the plane?” He counters, as if he was still struggling to place her. 

“Yeah. What, are you following me? How did you know to find me here?” Jyn growls, crossing her arms. The man cocks his head and furrows his brow, looking at her as though she was crazy. 

“Follow you? I’m here for… A thing that has nothing to do with you. If anything, I’d think you’re stalking me,” he adds sharply. Jyn scowls and shakes her head, her watch beeping with her five minute alarm. 

“Sure. Fine, whatever. I won’t be here long enough to have this happen again. Have a good life!” She shouts as she hurries off down the hall, her hand flung up into the air and her middle finger pointed towards him. 

She takes the stairs down to the conference room because getting stuck in the elevator with that jerk would put her nerves over the edge, their already frayed status from the late wakeup making her more punchy than usual. By the time she barrels into the room and grabs a plate of the breakfast, the producer is calling everyone to a seat. 

Jyn moves towards an empty chair and begins measuring up her fellow racers, her eyes drifting over one person and then the next as they settle in a semi-circle around the speaker. Some of them were incredibly fit, others a bit paunchy but she figured they could probably take her in a memory challenge or two if it came down to it. Most of them were on the younger side, maybe in their twenties or thirties, though there were a few who easily slotted into their fifties at the very least. She didn’t want to be ageist but she secretly hoped she’d get paired with someone who could keep up with her at the very least and she didn’t really peg any of these older folks as marathoners. 

“Welcome, good morning everyone!” A young woman calls out, drawing their attention to the front of the room. Jyn sits up and nimbles on a muffin, trying to look intimidating to the others around her who she assumed were doing the measuring up as she had just been. 

“You’re in my seat,” a voice says over her shoulder. Jyn’s stomach drops and she frowns, looking back to find the man from the airplane and the hallway standing behind her. “Don’t worry though, I’m not going to make you move, I’ll just take this empty one here.” 

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Jyn hisses, clenching her hands and nearly crushing her muffin to pieces. 

“Nope,” he responds as he sits in the chair next to her. An insult is on the tip of her tongue when the woman calls out again and really takes control of the room, beginning with a welcome spiel before moving right into the security briefing. After the team has explained every terrifying aspect about the world in explicit detail, Jyn looks around the room and finds half of the contestants with a concerned look on their faces, the other half grinning wickedly at the challenge. Beside her the man keeps his expression reserved though his eyes are calculating, the look making her guess whether he was regretting his choice or simply bored. 

After the welcome session, they’re broken up into groups of four and are led to a table in the corner of the room. Jyn sighs a breath of relief as the man is placed in another group, his presence finally dissipating and allowing her to focus on the tasks at hand instead of the prickling skin she felt whenever he was close. 

Hours pass and the contestants are moved around the room to different stations where they focus on different aspects of the game. There’s logic tests and geography quizzes which she passes with flying colours but when it comes to the language skills and memory games she flounders, her attention twisting towards her fellow contestants. She spends half the time trying to measure up where they stand on these activities, who would be best suited to the way she wanted to run this race. 

Her strategy - based on years of watching the show - was to run with brute force. She would power through on the physical challenges and when it came to figuring out a puzzle she was set. She just needed a partner who would be able to keep up and rush into everything just as hard. Smarts weren’t what won you the race, it was being able to push your way through anything and she had trained to do just that. 

“Everyone now has an hour for lunch. Feel free to get to know each other and remember, these folks might be your competition or they might just be the person you cross that finish line with!” The producer from earlier calls as the stations are closed and the participants are left to loiter in the room. 

Jyn feels like she’s in a social experiment as she beelines towards the food table to take a plate. She loads it up with everything she’s going to miss for the next few weeks - caesar salad and french fries and pasta salad that looked too delicious to miss. When she settles at a table she’s quickly joined by a handful of others, the conversation easily picking up from the morning activities.

“I’m Bodhi Rook, you?” The man sitting next to her says around a forkful of salad. Jyn looks him over quickly and notes his tall frame and long hair, his thin frame and open expression. He could be a good partner - she’d seen him race through some of the challenges with an efficiency she admired. 

“Jyn Erso,” she answers, lifting her hand to offer a shake. Bodhi takes it and squeezes it before turning back to his food, diving in as she looks around the table at the others. “You heard anything about how we’re going to be assigned teams?” She asks after a few minutes, her water lifting to her lips. 

“Not really. My group thought maybe the stations were to see where our strengths were so they could match us up better. But I was also told it would be a name in a hat, so who knows what they’re planning.” 

“Yeah, I heard the hat thing too. I hope there’s a little more thought put into it,” she responds with a shrug. Bodhi nods and lets a laugh escape. 

“Either way, I think I’ll be okay. I just like the adventure of it, you know? Don’t really need to win the whole thing,” he says around another bite. 

Jyn frowns and looks at her food, debating internally whether she could be paired with someone who didn’t want to win the whole race. If she had to admit it - though she’d never say it on camera - she wasn’t here just because she liked the show and wanted to see the world. 

She was here because she needed the prize money. 

The thought creeps up on her and she pushes it back down, stuffing it into her chest like too many clothes in a carry on bag. She didn’t have time to think about it now, not when she should be sizing up her competition and thinking about U-Turn and Yield strategy. No. She needed to focus. 

“What about everyone else?” Bodhi asks the table when Jyn still doesn’t respond. She turns her attention to the people around them, listening as first a bright eyed Luke Skywalker and a gruff Baze Malbus explain their motivations before moving on to Leia Organa, a beautiful but strategic thinker, and her cocky puppy-dog-tail for-the-day Han Solo easily admits he’s only here for the money. Jyn can’t help but think he might be her real competition if they don’t get paired together, the gleam of a quick buck in his eyes adding to his boisterous energy. 

Taking another glance around the room, Jyn weighs the rest of her competition as they sit at two other tables. Sixteen racers in total, all with different motivations and experiences that they bring to the table. They’d be eight teams and the producers had all but guaranteed it would be a tough race with all of them having secret strengths that were admitted in their bio videos. Jyn can’t remember what hers ss but by the time she turns back to the conversation at hand, she already knows one thing is for sure - she’s going to win, even if it kills her. 

After lunch they’re broken off into individual briefing rooms where they’re given their racing issued equipment and a final check in with the producers before they’re sent off to their rooms to pack. In the morning they’ll all be meeting in the lobby to hand over their backpacks before heading to the starting line. 

When the race starts their first activity will be finding their matched backpack with a coloured bandana tied to it. The racer with the matching bandana will be their partner for the duration and it will either be a successful match or a story of just how quickly Jyn can crash and burn their team. 

Throughout the evening she tries not to think about it - pushing away thoughts of how hectic tomorrow would be, how much adrenaline is already rolling in her veins and just how is she supposed to sleep tonight? To distract herself she focuses on potential strategies depending on who she paired with in the morning. Baze could work, or she’d even probably be successful with Han if they didn’t rip each other's heads off. Bodhi would be a great candidate - he seemed relaxed and competent, but Jyn didn’t like that he wasn’t driven by the final prize so much as he just wanted to have an adventure. 

No, she could pair with most of the people she’d met that morning. With the very real exception of the man from the plane who she’d learned was named Cassian Andor. There was no way they would be able to work together to even get out of the States, their partnership tanking before they even took their first flight. She was sure of it. And so when she falls asleep that night it’s to the thought that she had a one in fifteen chance of failing and those were pretty good odds. 

---

Morning comes in a rush of excitement and insanity and a paranoia that she’s forgotten something even though she’s checked her bags at least a dozen times. When she gets to the lobby, the assistants take her old bags and mark them with her tags before collecting her race bag and shoving it onto a luggage cart with the other packs. She’s directed to a holding queue where the racers mill about, snacking on the continental breakfast and filling their water bottles. 

Twenty minutes later and they’re piled onto a bus. Thirty minutes later and they’re being placed around an empty field with only the production crew circling them and a pile of luggage in the center of the field. Jyn thinks she spots her bag with a blue tag and she grins, looking around at the nervous faces she was up against. 

“You’ve got this,” she whispers to herself as Phil Keoghan begins his speech from near the luggage pile. Adrenaline spikes in her blood and then there’s a horn and she’s racing forward, scrambling for the luggage pile and her bag with its bandana looped through the arm. She pulls it free and stumbles back, looking around at the other racers as they take in their own colours, desperately looking for their partner. 

Not Bodhi. Not Baze. Fuck, not even Han. She scours the faces and colours until she sees it - blue, like hers! She steps forward, her smile widening having finally found her partner. 

But then she looks up. And her eyes meet her partner’s. 

Dark brown meeting green.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Guess you’re stuck with someone with bad karma,” he says evenly, the nerve of it making her want to pull her hair out. She curses again and grabs for his arm, dragging him towards the clue box for their next instructions. They didn’t have time to waste on pleasantries and witty comebacks, not if they wanted to win. 

She could do this. Brute force was all it would take, right? 

[cosmiclatte28]

Way Back Home (Bro!Taeyong x you)

BRO-SIS relationship here. not incest but pure sibling story! 

I hope you enjoy them. Stay safe and healthy and happy everyone! 

Cosmic loves you 💖

here we go!

In this pandemic time, starting first year in college is something different. Yes it was challenging and it was not so fun, especially since you have been waiting for this time of life to really feel what it's like to be an international first year student. You have prepared yourself to meet new roommates, living in a dormitory, and meeting people from different part of the world. Sadly, everything must be postponed because of COVID-19, and for your own safety, you're not allowed to go. Other than that, you are lucky you got accepted to the school you want, but surprise surprise you have to take the classes online. Online means using Zoom meetings and attending it like the scheduled time. This will be okay if you live on the same time zone, but here you are living 14 hours ahead, not to mention they have daylight saving thing your country never has! On November the time had changed to 15 hours difference, and you are still going strong. "Morning Taeyong," you peek your head from the door, your bed hair and pillow face greet your brother and he laughs on your puffiness. "It's almost eleven, come on wash your face." He says as he walks around the house, running a vacuum cleaner with the TV on. "Last night I can't directly sleep. Someone wants to check their Math homework with me, and I just slept at three." you yawn as you make your way to the bathroom and freshen up a bit. "Yes I know it is hard to study midnight, but that is why I didn't wake you up." he turns the vacuum off, stores it nicely in the small room and launches himself on the sofa. "I myself is enjoying the lack of sleep I cannot have during the promotional time." Taeyong leans into the soft couch and breathes a sigh of relief. "Yeah yeah yeah, I want to watch Mtopia but works are still chillin in my bedroom." you grin when you brush your teeth. Taeyong chuckles, "Do you have many things to do this week?" You shake your head, "Research for my Geography and maybe the ALS, and the upcoming Math quiz." Taeyong nods his head, "That is quite a lot." You shrug your shoulder, "Where are you going?" you have washed your face and brushed your teeth and hair. Calmly you walk to the sofa and sit beside him. "I'm thinking of visiting mom, wanna join?" he brushes his long hair away from his face. "Sure! Of course I am joining you. I can bring my laptop with me." you punch him playfully and he laughed, "Ah yeah my bad, You cannot attend college face to face, hahaha yes you can take your laptop!" You want to pinch him, but you remember the last time yo did that, you got scolded by his make up artist noona because they have to cover it up with foundations. "I want to pinch you so bad... Why are you more annoying after meeting Baekhyun sunbae!" you clench your fist.

As much as you love EXO and Baekhyun, you still sometimes wonder if your brother knows he is affected a lot by Baekhyun and you're kind of thankful for it. Taeyong looks happier now. "Hey if you can bring the works to home, we can go Friday and go back Sunday, what do you think?" You excitedly nod your head, "Yes! We can do that. I am so excited!" Well he has to ask you because he cannot drive himself home. So the adventure begins. Friday, you wake up around eight pack your things and with Taeyong. the two of you drive safely in the highways to go back home. "Must be hard eh? Studying online and everything." He looks to you for a while and focuses back on the road. You are the one driving the car, your brother can't really drive one, so he just helps you watch the road and navigates you although you know how to go home. "Brother, you need to learn how to drive like as fast as you could! Imagine if later I am away and you still cannot drive." He lets out a crisp laugh "That is why I am happy when you said you are still taking the winter term online, I am super happy. I need to make more memories with you before you're gone!!" he punches the air. "Well you're busy I cannot blame that. Well we can make memories now, in this pandemic time... we can bake cookies and cakes but I am busy with my classes. We can do that on the term break!!" you also suggest things to do with him. "Well yeah, it'll be hard for me to see you later." "I'll try and see you on your concerts and tours." You send him a comforting smile. "Focus on your studies, I don't want you to fail quizzes because you attend concerts and tours." he lovingly flicks your arm, you ouched but just laugh it off. "Yes yes mother," you taunt at him and he pinches your cheeks. "Naughty!" The two of you take a break in one of the rest area and after a heartful meal from Taeyong's credit card, you are ready for the rest of the journey. "We're almost there!" Taeyong roots for you, well he really understands you are tired but what can he do other than cheering you and feeding you snack and drinks while jamming to his playlist. "You remember that time you followed me secretly and Doyoung to get ice cream?" he starts his memory lane talk and you are already laughing when you play the scene back in your head. You laugh and hit the steering wheel, "Of course! I cannot forget you and Doyoung screaming so loud!" Taeyong laughs too, well back then, Doyoung offered Taeyong a ride to get ice cream, and when you heard that you sneakily jumped into the car and no one knew you were there. "What are you going to have?" That question was proposed by Doyoung and you popped in between them, "I'm thinking of getting a milkshake." Taeyong jumped like he had just seen a ghost and Doyoung screamed. You laugh heartily and they scold you on the way back because you scared them, but you're happy since you got your milkshake. "I swear you made the two of us looked like an idiot." Taeyong grins You clicked your tongue, "Best milkshake story ever!" You two exchanged more stories and suddenly the world has changed. The highway has changed to a village sceneries and oh the flowers and trees are nice candy orange! "hey hey stop here for a while!!" Taeyong taps your shoulder. You hit the brake and question him,"Huh? Why? We're not homed yet." He unbuckles his seatbelt and opens the door, 'I want to take pictures." he grins and hands you his phone. You roll your eyes, "Fine. Quick I am not taking too much. I am tired okay we better arrive and eat lunch." "Yes yes I know." he carelessly answers you, his hand is already busy fixing his clothes and hair. You wait for him to pose and you take a quick snap of him in his all white attires. Well he really looks good in white and the background flowers are in a nice contrast. Orange and yellow flowers. He changes position and poses and you just calmly take his pictures, later he will choose it by himself. "Alright you're getting better in taking pictures!" he messes your hair when he is satisfied with the results. "Want me to take you one too?" he asks in a mannerly way, you shake your head, "I am good thank you, so shall we go?" He nods happily and when you're back in car Taeyong is already busy picking pictures to upload in Instagram for his fans to see. "Thank you for driving me here, the way back home is always the best ride!" He kisses your cheek and hugs you when the two of you already settle your feet in mother and father's backyard. "Welcome home!" you whisper and grab his hand to knock on the door. "Mother! Your two sweet bad dreams are here!" the two of you mischievously knock on the door and wait for your mother to open the door. "Look who's here! Welcome home honey!" she greets the two of you with a big hug and a surprised happy face. "What a great surprise!" father also hugs you two and ushers you in. "Food is ready in the table, wash your hands and eat." You and Taeyong smile, well after all home is always the best place to rest and eat. "You must be tired from driving here?" your mother runs a hand on your hair. You shake your head, "It's okay. I am glad to be back here! Taeyong shall we eat?" And with that you two are back at home.

END. please his insta pic is sooo pretty!