#this is extremely sound science

[existennialmemes]

[oxygen atom voice] I'm essential to survival! I keep your cells healthy! But if you're not careful, I will also rip those cells apart looking for stealable electrons. Tee Hee! Best of luck, bitch.

[silusvesuius]

N*loth is literally prime NPD representation and that's just how it is. Dat's just how i feel . if iiiiiii hear anyhing ab him needing to be humbled or put in his place i'll just tear my hair out right here and match his look. not even trying to lift him up or defend him i'm just defending the mentally ill skajrim characters nobody wants to understand,

[strixhaven]

“that’s a normal human behavior/thought that basically everyone has” not in a “you’re mentally normal and dont have any problems and are lying about whatever’s going on with you” way but instead in a “the degree to which you’re pathologizing human behavior and ascribing it to xyz disorder/syndrome is making you feel disconnected from other people and ignores the messy reality of mental well-being and how human beings function. viewing the world with such a clinical lens is ultimately detrimental to your health and also gives far too much credence and authority to psychology and mental health professionals and fails to understand how our entire idea of mental health is steeped in very human biases and is ultimately something that is subject to change and constant interpretation and reinterpretation”

[anxiously-sidequesting]

Okay Girlies I need you all to answer this one question for me. I haven't played through Karamelle or Novus yet and I've only seen and heard snippets of Dasein so I don't know all that much ahout him. Reblog/tag why y'all want to fuck him- I mean marry him (or just something you really like about him)

[hotsugarbyglassanimals]

online brainrot and academic brainrot are the exact same thing to me. in my opinion

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

There always seems to be one kid who just screams like a tornado siren, all day long, at any given opportunity. Like, kid, I love you, you are precious and deserve all the happiness in the world; but please for the love of god shut up. There are people trying to learn here and you’re not helping them or yourself.

[centi-pedve]

hiiiiiiiiiiii!! Did Joseph choose the design of his wings? i guess they were linked to genes and mutation so maybe he couldnt choose...

regardless, do Joseph's parents like . babyproof the claws on his wings? Those bad boys are POINTY and not really suitable for 10 year-olds methinks ... i dont want my boyo to get hurtie sniffles

yess he did! the way their society has developed it, aesthetic changes can be performed like how we do normal surgery, just much more advanced, or genetically, but that typically has certain limitations (easier to change certain aspects of already existing traits than create entirely new ones). joseph's aesthetic alterations were surgical, so his body was manually remade where necessary to enable the construction of wings that also function (aka he can move them and they're an extension of his body with nerves and shit rather than just something taped on.) we imagine he'd probably need some sort of additional help when it comes to growth though because his body can't do that by itself. aka expensive both initially and for upkeep oughh 🤕 meanwhile five has an aesthetic alteration in his hair that's more genetic, so he wasn't born with hair like that or had anyone in his family which would allow hair like that, but since his actual genes have been altered his hair now naturally grows white/black and it can be passed on to any kids he might have. if joseph did gain wings through more natural means so that any genetic traits he had prior would determine color, he could also choose to have those traits altered so that his wings would look different.

he specifically chose his wings to appear the way they do because of the connection to a highly respected group revolving around justice that considers themselves modern day knights, whose members all take care to resemble green dragons. it's both formal and informal i.e. there's an actual organization of proper members who are fully connected to each other, and people who aren't a part of the actual org but subscribe to their beliefs and align with them both in appearance and behavior. other aesthetic changes come with certain associations by result of people being people, so while it's entirely possible and fine to just want the green dragon vibe while not caring for the org, people will still assume you're associated. stuff like that would probably manifest in a lot of different ways, like people assuming you're a fan of a celebrity because you have a similar added trait that a celebrity has, or thinking you're annoying because you have pink hair and everyone who gets pink hair is annoying duhh, etc etc. but in this case it's an association joseph wants, even though some people might see it as a bad thing.

and they do not 😇 he'd probably go crazy if they tried babyproofing it and would just remove it. tbh he'd probably accidentally hurt other people more than he would hurt himself... kind of just one of those things he has to be aware of so he probably knows how to watch where his claws are atp.

[kanyniablue]

it's tempting to blame tiktok for bad literary opinions but some of you were this bad before tiktok

[omegasmileyface]

do you think the object cartoon fans know that the guy who made their blorbos has a planet named after him

[phantomrose96]

Thinking about Edward Elric as the Amestrian Military's specialest little unfireable boy

State alchemists can be fired for underperforming. We know this up front from the likes of Shou Tucker. And this makes a ton of sense from the homunculi's standpoint since the state alchemists are sacrifice candidates, and the homunculi would want to cull the weakest candidates and focus only on cultivating the strongest ones who stand the best chance of opening the portal.

........Then there's Edward. Who's already opened the portal.

There's no need to cultivate him. No gamble taken on whether he's good enough to open the portal. He passed the final test already. Graduated 4 semesters early.

And as such, has a free pass to do Absolute Fuck All.

And I'm imagining how funny this is from like an outside perspective.

Some newish state alchemist who'd only ever read up on the stories of Edward Elric, ready and excited to start their career of being paid handsomely with endless freedom to research and travel and do anything they want in the pursuit of science... surprised and confused to find themselves put on probation their first month for things like "ignoring orders." Which is, as best they had thought, a famous Edward Elric pastime.

Roy showing a slight bit of stress about his yearly state alchemist report, and Ed just snorting and rolling his eyes at Roy because every year HE just hastily does his on the train ride over (canon in the manga, a travesty it was left out of the anime) and it gets rubber stamped. Ed not realizing that other alchemists' reports get genuinely scrutinized and torn apart while Ed is free to turn in whatever absolute bullshit he thinks of 36 hours ahead of time. One year his report was about whether alchemy could be done via dance (conclusion: no it can't) and no one cared. Roy WANTS to tell Ed there's some kind of unknown favoritism around Ed making him literally bullet-proof but Roy has no way to phrase this that doesn't sound like he's just in denial and mad at how good Ed's train-reports are.

Guy from the Internal Amestrian Affairs sector who's responsible for auditing other internal military personel for any suspicious activity hitting about 1 million red flags for Edward Elric, issuing a STRONG and URGENT recommendation to suspend the alchemist pending further investigation into things like "literal bunk-buddies with two members of the Xingese royalty (enemy nation)" and "spent $10,000,000 of his stipend on a librarian to make her re-copy (what he seemed to interpret as?) military records in some extremely transparent effort to unearth state secrets (it was a recipe book but he was literally asking her about state secrets)" and "literally has never once obeyed an order, ever, not even once in his career, and is on public record having said 'I do not care about the goals and protections of the Amestrian Military. I am in fact only pursuing my own interests several of which are diametrically opposed to the safety and well-being of the governing body of Amestris'"

The issued recommendation is intercepted before it even reaches its intended desk. President Bradley himself has taken issue with it and denies it before a single set of eyes has seen it. The President's veto stamp is a terrifying hammer, used rarely, and it is now sitting on the auditor's desk.

The auditor sleeps with one eye open from then on out.

[aethersea]

another thing fantasy writers should keep track of is how much of their worldbuilding is aesthetic-based. it's not unlike the sci-fi hardness scale, which measures how closely a story holds to known, real principles of science. The Martian is extremely hard sci-fi, with nearly every detail being grounded in realistic fact as we know it; Star Trek is extremely soft sci-fi, with a vaguely plausible "space travel and no resource scarcity" premise used as a foundation for the wildest ideas the writers' room could come up with. and much as Star Trek fuckin rules, there's nothing wrong with aesthetic-based fantasy worldbuilding!

(sidenote we're not calling this 'soft fantasy' bc there's already a hard/soft divide in fantasy: hard magic follows consistent rules, like "earthbenders can always and only bend earth", and soft magic follows vague rules that often just ~feel right~, like the Force. this frankly kinda maps, but I'm not talking about just the magic, I'm talking about the worldbuilding as a whole.

actually for the purposes of this post we're calling it grounded vs airy fantasy, bc that's succinct and sounds cool.)

a great example of grounded fantasy is Dungeon Meshi: the dungeon ecosystem is meticulously thought out, the plot is driven by the very realistic need to eat well while adventuring, the story touches on both social and psychological effects of the whole 'no one dies forever down here' situation, the list goes on. the worldbuilding wants to be engaged with on a mechanical level and it rewards that engagement.

deliberately airy fantasy is less common, because in a funny way it's much harder to do. people tend to like explanations. it takes skill to pull off "the world is this way because I said so." Narnia manages: these kids fall into a magic world through the back of a wardrobe, befriend talking beavers who drink tea, get weapons from Santa Claus, dance with Bacchus and his maenads, and sail to the edge of the world, without ever breaking suspension of disbelief. it works because every new thing that happens fits the vibes. it's all just vibes! engaging with the worldbuilding on a mechanical level wouldn't just be futile, it'd be missing the point entirely.

the reason I started off calling this aesthetic-based is that an airy story will usually lean hard on an existing aesthetic, ideally one that's widely known by the target audience. Lewis was drawing on fables, fairy tales, myths, children's stories, and the vague idea of ~medieval europe~ that is to this day our most generic fantasy setting. when a prince falls in love with a fallen star, when there are giants who welcome lost children warmly and fatten them up for the feast, it all fits because these are things we'd expect to find in this story. none of this jars against what we've already seen.

and the point of it is to be wondrous and whimsical, to set the tone for the story Lewis wants to tell. and it does a great job! the airy worldbuilding serves the purposes of the story, and it's no less elegant than Ryōko Kui's elaborately grounded dungeon. neither kind of worldbuilding is better than the other.

however.

you do have to know which one you're doing.

the whole reason I'm writing this is that I saw yet another long, entertaining post dragging GRRM for absolute filth. asoiaf is a fun one because on some axes it's pretty grounded (political fuck-around-and-find-out, rumors spread farther than fact, fastest way to lose a war is to let your people starve, etc), but on others it's entirely airy (some people have magic Just Cause, the various peoples are each based on an aesthetic/stereotype/cliché with no real thought to how they influence each other as neighbors, the super-long seasons have no effect on ecology, etc).

and again! none of this is actually bad! (well ok some of those stereotypes are quite bigoted. but other than that this isn't bad.) there's nothing wrong with the season thing being there to highlight how the nobles are focused on short-sighted wars for power instead of storing up resources for the extremely dangerous and inevitable winter, that's a nice allegory, and the looming threat of many harsh years set the narrative tone. and you can always mix and match airy and grounded worldbuilding – everyone does it, frankly it's a necessity, because sooner or later the answer to every worldbuilding question is "because the author wanted it to be that way." the only completely grounded writing is nonfiction.

the problem is when you pretend that your entirely airy worldbuilding is actually super duper grounded. like, for instance, claiming that your vibes-based depiction of Medieval Europe (Gritty Edition) is completely historical, and then never even showing anyone spinning. or sniffing dismissively at Tolkien for not detailing Aragorn's tax policy, and then never addressing how a pre-industrial grain-based agricultural society is going years without harvesting any crops. (stored grain goes bad! you can't even mouse-proof your silos, how are you going to deal with mold?) and the list goes on.

the man went up on national television and invited us to engage with his worldbuilding mechanically, and then if you actually do that, it shatters like spun sugar under the pressure. doesn't he realize that's not the part of the story that's load-bearing! he should've directed our focus to the political machinations and extensive trope deconstruction, not the handwavey bit.

point is, as a fantasy writer there will always be some amount of your worldbuilding that boils down to 'because I said so,' and there's nothing wrong with that. nor is there anything wrong with making that your whole thing – airy worldbuilding can be beautiful and inspiring. but you have to be aware of what you're doing, because if you ask your readers to engage with the worldbuilding in gritty mechanical detail, you had better have some actual mechanics to show them.

[transmutationisms]

like in general if someone making a political argument is claiming their opponents are less evolved or evolutionarily regressing that should just immediately set off your bullshit alarms like that's extremely naive scientism at best and more likely specifically grounded in blatant anthropological racism. there is something to be said for cultivating a sceptical kneejerk response toward lots of different 'science-sounding' justifications of things you already believe but these evolutionary psychological sorts of cultural comparisons in particular are really just bad. wrong across the board and openly reactionary. using the terms of evolution etc should not make you more credulous toward them. the opposite in fact

[drchucktingle]

devils moaning on detransitioning

wild that conservatives trot out stuff about detransitioning when many studies show numbers around 1 percent. then you look at how many people regret ANY cosmetic surgery and its 60 percent. so trans people are SIXTY TIMES more likely to understand body and NOT regret change

they will say things like ‘1000 people regret’ which SOUNDS big until you see that is out of 100,000 transitions and then realize the average of regret for ANY ccosmetic changes would be 60,000 people. they frame it how they want but honestly these numbers are EXTREMELY PRO TRANS

what the science says is ‘wow trans people really put a lot of care into this and know what they are doing SIXTY TIMES MORE OFTEN’. honestly even if it was twice as much it would be a big deal but SIXTY TIMES. anyway something to think on while the goofball devils moan and groan

here are some sources but you can look this up yourself: HERE and HERE

[honneythatsgay]

Death metal singers have a vocal counterpart in bats : NPR

[long-live-astronerd-ghost-king]

DPXDC prompt. Ghost King uses Uno Reverse Card

Ghosts are not a race of evil creatures that most people think they are. And Danny was really happy when the Infinite Realms were able to make peace treaties with most countries of the human world. Ghosts, however, are a very vindictive race. At least that’s how young Phantom explained himself to Batman afterwards.

It just so happens that a couple of hours before the event aimed at expanding intergalactic unions most of the JLeague members due to an emergency call went on a mission. Which means people who had any authority in Phantom’s eyes became unavailable for a while.

So Shazam and Phantom as the most known outside the Earth were assigned to greet the guests and most importantly to entertain the visitors until the founders of JL return.

According to Phantom, Batman, being such a good detective with a bunch of backup plans, should have known that Danny’s favorite cereal ran out this morning, that he was late for first class, and that after school he had a fight with his parents. No, seriously, aren’t so-called scientists supposed to be able to admit mistakes in their own judgment? Danny got tired of being constantly ashamed of their behavior near other ghosts. It's bad enough that his authority as a ruler is sustained only by the support of those Ancients with whom he maintains friendly relations. Average citizens still doubt that he is a is sufficient to claim the throne. He’s had enough of being accused of not being a full-fledged ghost.  He’s not ready to hear rumors that he supports his parents' racist judgments too. In short, his day sucked. And all his ghostly nature now wanted to do something nasty to his neighbors to get rid of the tension.

Alien leader stretched out a hand to Phantom and Shazam. “Your Majesty Phantom, Champion of Magic. It’s an honor to meet you. I hope I learned the proper greeting gesture of the local intelligent race.”

And with that Danny’s reserve of conscience ran out. It’s a perfect moment to feed his need to be a little shit.

“The local intelligent race?’ Danny had this extreme bewilderment on his face. “Which one do you think..? Earth was the home of the Gods and of various inhabitants of the galaxy but it was a long time ago.”

Woman is clearly confused. Great. “E-Earthers. I think they’re called that.”

“Earthlings, intelligent race? You must be mistaken.” Danny faked a giggle. “Who told you that crap?”

“Phantom, what are you doing?” Batman hissed at him from an earpiece. Danny turned the sound off with a clear conscience. “I mean, seriously, there’s not a single serious study in the science library in this galaxy or any other galaxy that says humans are intelligent. Shazam, do you think they’re..?”

For some reason, Billy immediately remembered watching a man spend his entire salary on lottery tickets last week. And of course he was careless enough to shake his head and snort. That was all Phantom needed.

“Exactly. Earthlings don’t have to be intelligent to mimic the behavior of more evolved species. Surely you are well aware that Martians and Kryptonians, and many others have visited Earth at different stages of human development. My supervisor Clockwork and I have long been observing this strange species. In many ways, their behavior resembles a mixture of instinctive reactions of specimens from the 126 sectors of the nearest SBc Galaxy and several other creatures from planets of the galaxy KV59. However, even I, as an anthropologist with extensive experience of observing human species in their natural habitat, still have to explore and discover many of their secrets.”

“I do not understand. According to the documents among the delegation that greets us there are Earthlings. I mean I don’t question the scientific evidence of a respected Chronos or you, but why then..”

“Of course you don’t! It’s really quite simple. For the purity of the clinical experiment, which we are conducting now, it is necessary that Earthlings feel themselves ostensibly full participants of the «society» consisting of members with developed intelligence.”

“So, any luck, colleague?” Shazam, who realized that Batman would now skin them anyway, decided to at least participate in this theater so that the punishment would be at least deserved.

“Well, we’ve certainly come up with some interesting preliminary insights about the adaptive capacity of the human brain in limited contact with Martians. Of course, humans do not have real emotions to be full participants in communication, but their attempts and zeal are very inspiring.”

~~~~~

Meanwhile, Fentons watching a live broadcast of what was supposed to be an interplanetary friendship encounter are beginning to realize that if trying to punish a rebellious human teenager has always been difficult for them, the attempt to control the behavior of the 14 y/o half-ghost may become a nightmare not only for them.

Jack: Honey, I think Danny’s still a little upset about our old theories about the ability of ghosts to feel or think.

Jazz, sitting between them with the face of a man resigned to the chaos around her, could not restrain the sarcasm: Really? Why would you think that?

[benjinotes]

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐲 - jacaerys velaryon

jacaerys velaryon x fem reader

summary: a clumsy encounter causes you to swap backpacks with jace.

warnings: too much fluff. curse words. modern au. cregan is the wing man. (he’s 18). loser jace (kinda?).

wc: +4K, english is not my first language.

Rain poured almost violently over Jacaerys’ face, streaming through his already damp curls as he moved with heavy, quick steps across the crowded high school parking lot, rushing toward the entrance.

As he entered the main hallway, he was enveloped by a mix of disconcerting sounds—broken conversations, scattered laughter, and low murmurs—mixed with the distant echo of thunder that rumbled loudly outside. The bad weather made the halls seem even more crowded than usual.

The dampness he had picked up from the bad weather seeped into his clothes, gradually heightening his irritation, which already felt nearly extreme. He felt as though everything was against him that morning and struggled to keep his mind from drifting to the day's disasters, especially the tantrum Joffrey had thrown at the kindergarten door.

He could barely remember the last time something like this had happened, which made the situation even more unbearable. His anxiety, usually under control, seemed to spread throughout his body, causing his muscles to tense anxiously beneath his damp sweater.

Adjusting the strap of his soaked backpack on his shoulder, Jace felt his heart beating with a force that, though small, seemed disproportionate for the start of a typical day. Glancing at the small clock on the hallway wall and seeing that he still had fifteen minutes before his first class began, he let out a sigh of relief, realizing that not everything was lost, though his body remained slightly tense.

However, when he turned and saw some of his classmates carefully carrying their science projects, his stomach dropped. His eyes widened as he realized that his own model was still in his father’s office, in the gym building on the other side of the school, forgotten amidst the morning's chaos, with today being the final deadline.

The brief relief he had felt moments earlier was quickly replaced by a wave of panic and anxiety. Jace’s heart, which had just started to settle, began pounding again with renewed intensity. Once more, he felt his feet hit the ground heavily as he braced himself to face the rain outside again.

He could feel the judging and confused stares of the students filling the hallways as he ran. Yet, he paid them no mind as he sped towards the door on the other side of the corridor, picking up the pace as the heavy raindrops were heating his face once again. This time, he couldn’t help but mutter a curse under his breath for forgetting his umbrella.

He was certain that his mom would give him a lecture about it as soon as she found out.

As Jace dashed out of the main building, he quickened his pace despite the rain drenching him. Instead of being distracted by the storm, his anxiety grew as he worried about getting even dirtier from the rainwater and how his glasses were now smeared and obscured by the droplets.

Upon finally arriving at the school gym, tired from the frantic running, he approached the main door with quick and urgent steps, trying to turn the handle with force due to the rush caused by the delay, and to make his growing irritation worse, the door was locked, and upon discovering this, frustration overwhelmed him. In a moment of anger, he kicked the door in irritation, pulled off his glasses, and threw his black backpack on the floor in a frustrated and frantic gesture.

That day was going poorly, and Jacaerys was certain he was going to miss his first class.

“Really? Are you that upset with the poor door?” Your voice, tinged with sarcasm, startled him, making him flinch and jump slightly at the unexpected sound. With his face flushed, he hesitated, too embarrassed to meet your gaze due to his earlier outburst and the noise he’d made that clearly drew your attention.

Jace’s breath caught in his throat as he turned towards the source of the voice, wiping his fogged-up glasses with a trembling hand. Standing a few feet away, you watched him with an arched eyebrow and a small smile playing at your lips. He couldn’t help but notice how comfortable you seemed.

However, what made him look at you with a confused and slightly alarmed expression was the fact that you didn’t seem to care about the rain at all, appearing unusually confident with your umbrella that seemed too flimsy to withstand such a downpour.

"I’m sorry," Jace said, forcing a smile as he put his now-clean glasses back on, trying to mask his embarrassment and confusion. "I didn’t realize anyone was here." He admitted, clearing his throat awkwardly and avoiding your gaze, which seemed to track his every move.

You gave a sweet laugh that made Jacaerys swallow hard. He watched as your lips parted with each burst of laughter, the sound growing louder and more charming. For some reason, he found himself unexpectedly drawn to it, liking it more than he expected.

"I noticed," you said with a small, apologetic smile. You then reached into your black backpack and absentmindedly set it near the edge of his. He raised his eyebrows in confusion. "It's my turn to open the door today. Sorry if I took a bit longer," you murmured, giving a slightly embarrassed smile as you watched him blink slowly, clearly surprised by your words.

Jace looked at you with an understanding, even slightly soft expression, while mentally scolding himself. He knew that if anyone else had been late on that disastrous morning, he would have likely lost his temper over their mistake and irresponsibility. However, with you, he simply cleared his throat and brushed off the issue with a casual gesture, as if he couldn’t bring himself to be mad at you. He wanted to slap himself.

“It's okay,” he said, pulling away slightly as the rain fell on his wet back, realizing he had stuttered, and quickly regaining his composure once he saw your mocking look. “At least you showed up,” he added with a dry laugh, internally cursing himself when he noticed your change in expression. He really wanted to slap himself.

Jace hesitated, ready to say something, but you just shrugged and quickly started opening the gym door. He felt a small sense of relief, though guilt still lingered for rushing you. He watched you with a conflicted mix of gratitude and discomfort, unable to shake the feeling that he had been too hasty.

“What are you looking for in there anyway?" You asked with curiosity, holding the door open and stepping aside to let him pass. He offered a quick “thank you” before walking through.

“My science project,” Jace said, and you looked at him, confused, wondering why his project was in the gym of all places. “It’s in my father’s office,” he explained, trying to hold back a laugh as he saw your astonished expression.

“So you’re Coach Strong’s son?” you asked. He nodded and headed toward his father’s office, with you following closely behind. He seemed to enjoy your interest, and for a moment, he was so caught up with you that he almost forgot he was running late.

“So, do you know my father?” He asked, glancing over his shoulder as he pushed open the office door and stepped inside, slightly surprised to be talking so comfortably with a stranger.

You let out a light laugh as you watched him carefully pick up his science project, and you couldn’t help but blush when he flashed you a shy, awkward smile.

He was too cute to be true.

You shook your head. “He coached my team when Coach Erryk got sick,” you explained playing with your hair, catching his curiosity as he approached the door. “I’m on the swimming team,” you added for clarity. He nodded, closing the door while glancing at you from the corner of his eye. He mentally chided himself when his gaze inadvertently lingered on your lips, confused by the sudden hormonal outburst.

Feeling his face flush, Jacaerys scratched his throat, trying to concentrate on the rhythmic sound of rain tapping against the gym windows. Although he was still slightly flustered, he found himself less nervous than he had been when he first arrived this morning.

However, his peace was interrupted as soon as the school alarm sounded, causing him to be startled and turn to you with an apologetic look, as if he had caused some trouble or was responsible for the interruption. At the same time, his eyes showed a trace of gratitude, as if you had done something good, which left you a bit confused, though you didn’t mention it.

“Well, I have to go,” he said softly, adjusting his glasses and giving you a quick, grateful smile. “Thanks again.” As he expressed his thanks, you noticed his anxiety increase after the alarm went off. His earlier composure seemed to slip away, leaving him visibly flustered and, despite his hurry, looking quite sad about leaving you there.

"You're welcome, I guess," you murmured the last part, watching as he gave you a final, hurried smile before rushing towards the gym door again. His science project was firmly tucked under his arm, and he moved with such urgency that he didn’t notice the amused look on your face. The scene seemed oddly amusing compared to his frantic energy.

Jace dashed outside, grabbing one of the soaked backpacks left near the door. He continued his frantic rush towards the main building, his mind focused solely on making up for lost time.

In his distracted state, Jace didn’t realize he had picked up the wrong bag. The backpack he now carried had a red pendant with your name on it, rather than the superhero charms he usually had. His preoccupation with catching up and the image of your face likely contributed to his mistake.

─────── ─────── ───────

"You haven't seen her since that day?" Cregan asked, his words slightly muffled by the food in his mouth, his eyes twinkling with amusement. He gave his friend a knowing look, far too entertained for someone who had heard the story at least five times. "So, this is why we've been having lunch here for the fifth time?" he added with a smirk, his gaze sweeping across the field near the gymnasium. Jace shrugged in response, trying—and failing—to hide the flush of embarrassment creeping up his neck.

The truth was that, yes, Jacaerys had been trying to find you for the past five days, hoping to exchange backpacks. He knew that the mix-up was entirely his fault; in his rush to get to class on time, he had barely noticed his mistake. It didn’t help that he had been distracted by you, the pretty girl he’d seen near the school gym. It seemed like everyone around him had already picked up on his sudden preoccupation, which made his attempts at subtlety feel almost pointless.

Baela had been the first to tease him after spotting the pendant on the backpack with your name on it, while Luke had turned the whole thing into a spectacle, loudly exaggerating the significance of it all. Jace could tell that even his mom had noticed something was up, probably suspecting that he had a crush. And then there was Cregan—always quick to find amusement in anything that promised a bit of entertainment even if he already knew everything, and in this situation he was no different. Jace wanted to kick him.

"I just want to hand over her backpack." Jacaerys replied defensively, leaning his back against the tree behind him while trying to ignore his best friend's gaze.

“So tell me why you didn’t just give the backpack to your dad?” Cregan asked with a wry grin, his voice dripping with irony. He pulled out a cigarette and a lighter, casually igniting the cigarette with a practiced flick. As he took a slow drag, he kept his eyes fixed on his friend, who was clearly struggling to keep his cool. 

Jace blinked slowly, struggling to reconcile his friend’s reasoning with the excuses he had made to avoid embarrassment. Despite his efforts, he couldn’t come up with a solid answer. Your image was so vividly imprinted in his mind that he felt paralyzed, unable to think about anything else, and even though he was reluctant to admit it, he was actually thankful for the backpack mix-up. It seemed like a chance to strike up a conversation with you, and he found himself caught between feeling a bit foolish and pleasantly surprised by the opportunity.

“Stop it,” Jacaerys said, clearly irritated after a moment of silence. Stark just laughed, letting out a stream of smoke from his cigarette. “You don’t know anything,” Jacaerys continued, pointedly ignoring the teasing look his friend gave him.

“That’s where you’re wrong!” Cregan said provocatively, lying down on the damp lawn, still soaked from the rain of the past few days. "You have a crush on her!" He hummed softly, propping his arms behind his head and slowly closing his eyes, oblivious to the upset and confused look on his friend’s face.

"I don’t!" Jace retorted quickly, adjusting his glasses as he spoke.

Cregan scoffed and rolled his eyes. Jacaerys might be smart in class, but when it came to his own feelings, he was totally clueless. Cregan even thought that he was friend was quite stupid.

“I’m not saying you’re in love with her!” Cregan said, clearly exasperated, as he stood up, giving his friend an intense look.

Jace’s frustration grew. “So what are you saying, then?” he snapped back, matching his tone.

Cregan threw his hands up in frustration. “I’m saying you think she’s pretty enough to kiss!” he exclaimed, placing a hand on his forehead as he let his cigarette fall into his lap.

Jace blinked slowly at the blunt accusation, his throat tightening. Cregan’s words hit home; he couldn’t deny that he found you incredibly beautiful, perhaps more than he’d ever admitted to himself. It made sense why you’d been on his mind since the day your paths crossed and why he found himself watching you so closely, drawn to your lips more often than he’d like to admit.

He blinked once again when he realized that his best friend was in fact, right. In fact, he had made his friend look up your name on every social network, realizing all the while that he hadn't exactly helped himself.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Cregan asked with a casual hum, lighting another cigarette. "It’s not a big deal to have a crush on someone. I had a crush on Aly," he shrugged, clearly unbothered by the distressed look on his friend’s face.

"And now you like her!" Jace said, his voice edged with desperation as he grappled with his feelings for you. "Are you telling me I might come to like her?" he asked, his tone betraying a hint of fear, though he wasn’t entirely upset by the idea.

"Yes," Cregan said simply, taking a drag from his cigarette.

"You’re not helping me, man!" Jace hissed, pushing his hand under his glasses and rubbing his eyes in a futile attempt to clear the image of you from his mind.

"I know." Cregan shrugged again, watching Jacaerys with mild amusement as he continued to frantically rub his eyes. “You should ask her out!”

“What the fuck are you trying to say?” He pulled his hand away from his eyes and stared at his friend in disbelief, as if he had sprouted three heads.

“Relax, it’s just a thought,” Cregan said, a playful smirk on his face as he glanced behind his friend. “Actually, today might be your lucky day.” Without giving Jacaerys a chance to respond, Cregan dashed off, nodding toward the figure behind him and making heart shapes with his hands. Jacaerys baffled, turned around, and froze, holding his breath as he saw you standing right there hugging his backpack.

He could hear his best friend’s laughter fading into the background, but the moment his eyes met yours, it felt like time slowed down and his heart lodged in his throat, as if he had been swallowed by your presence. Everything around him seemed to vanish as he took in the sight of you standing there, your eyes meeting his with such an adorably confused expression that it made his chest tighten.

Jace was certain that breathing had suddenly become more difficult, his mind racing with thoughts of how beautiful you looked in that moment and how your eyes seemed even more pretty in the sunlight. He had to blink slowly just to refocus and prepare himself for the conversation that was about to begin.

“Hi!” you began, noticing Jace blink again at the sound of your soft yet cheerful voice. “Jace, right?” You tilted your head slightly, watching as he nodded with his mouth slightly agape, which made you let out a soft laugh. “Well, my name is—”

“I know!” he interrupted, his eyes widening slightly when he realized how loudly he’d spoken. He quickly cleared his throat, his cheeks flushing a deep red as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. Despite his embarrassment, you responded with a light, amused laugh. “I saw your name on the pendant of your backpack,” he explained more softly, giving a small, forced cough to mask his embarrassment.

Thank goodness Cregan wasn’t there; Jacaerys knew he’d never hear the end of it.

“Oh, right!” You gave another soft chuckle, feeling a blush creep onto your cheeks as well. “I brought your backpack. Sorry it took me so long,” you added, your voice quieter now but still carrying that same cheerful tone. You watched as he stood up, a bit flustered, as he reached out to take your backpack.

“Everything’s fine,” he said awkwardly, now standing right in front of you as he stretched out his arm to hand you your backpack. You quickly mimicked his action, passing him his own backpack in return. “Did something happen?” he asked, his voice tinged with concern as he noticed the way you hugged your backpack tightly. His expression softened as he looked at you. 

You sighed, taking in the lingering scent of him that now clung to your backpack, a satisfied breath escaping as you savored the familiar trace. You met his brown eyes with an awkward smile. “I was sick the last few days, so that’s why I missed school,” you explained, your voice tinged with dissatisfaction. Jace responded with a soft, nasal laugh, his concern easing as he realized that you were now okay.

“Well,” he began, moving closer without realizing it, making you hold your breath. “I’m really glad you’re feeling better!” he said, his eyes showing he truly meant it.

“Thanks,” you said, trying to ignore the warmth on your cheeks and the closeness between you. He seemed oblivious to the proximity of your bodies in that moment, which made you clear your throat awkwardly. When he finally realized how close you were, his cheeks flushed as well. However, both of you felt a certain discomfort when that closeness came to an end.

“Well, I think I should go,” you said, taking a hesitant step back, not wanting to distance yourself any further. Jace’s eyes followed you, his expression showing concern and reluctance, as if he too wished the moment could last a little longer. Though he wouldn’t admit it, he didn’t want this to be the last time you both spoke.

As you turned to head back toward the gym building, he reached out and gently grabbed your wrist, making you look back at him in surprise. The touch was warm and comforting, and despite your confusion, you found yourself unwilling to move away from him.

“Is something wrong?” you asked, noticing how Jace swallowed hard before looking at you with a touch of distress, as if he were on the verge of doing something he’d never done before. His hesitation only made you tilt your head in curiosity. For a moment, you could have sworn you saw his gaze flicker to your lips.

“What time do you finish swim practice?” he asked, his eyes fixed intently on your lips. The question hung in the air, charged with a lingering, almost nervous energy as he struggled to keep his gaze steady. You were stunning in his eyes.

“Around 7:00 pm,” you replied, tilting your head slightly as you tried to ignore the blush creeping onto your cheeks. “But why do you want to know?” you asked, your voice filled with intense curiosity and a hint of excitement.

Jace swallowed hard, his gaze briefly falling to the ground as he gathered his courage.

“I wanted to ask you,” he began, his voice trembling slightly yet firm as he looked up at your flushed face. “If I could walk you home today?” He finished the question quickly, as if fearing he might lose his courage. Despite his evident nervousness, his gaze stayed fixed on yours, full of anticipation, and when he saw your face light up with a broad smile, a visible wave of relief washed over him.

“I’d like that,” you replied with a soft smile, your eyes shining with genuine enthusiasm as you watched Jace’s face light up in response.

“Great! I’ll see you outside after practice,” he said with a smile, gently releasing your wrist and waiting for you to head into the building so he could return to Cregan. However, as you turned to enter the school gym, you paused for a moment.

With a playful glint in your eyes, you turned back toward Jace and leaned in, pressing a light kiss to his cheek. The touch was brief but enough to leave Jace momentarily stunned, his cheeks flushing an even deeper shade of red.

“See you later then,” you murmured, your voice carrying a playful tone. Jace watched you walk away, his heart racing and a smile tugging at his lips. Cregan was right, he definitely had a crush on you.

─────── ─────── ───────

Jace stood in front of the school gymnasium, the sun beginning to set on the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. He could barely control his anxiety as he waited. Swim practice hadn’t ended yet, but Jace was already there, ten minutes earlier than planned.

He leaned against the gym wall, his hands in his pockets, trying to appear calm. But inside, his heart was racing, and he kept glancing at the gym doors every few seconds, hoping to see her come out. His thoughts kept drifting back to the kiss you gave him on the cheek, and for a moment, he wished you had kissed him somewhere else, though he wouldn’t dare admit that out loud.

He tried to push the nerves aside, but it was impossible. The idea of spending more time with you, casually talking as night fell, left him restless, and he couldn’t help but feel excited about it. He’d never felt anything like this before, maybe because he had never talked to a girl for more than five minutes, and that made his nerves spread so much that he had been unable to focus in class all afternoon. Cregan, of course, didn’t help at all, making jokes about how Jace was ‘head over heels.’

Just as he was beginning to lose himself in his thoughts, the gym door finally opened. Jace’s heart skipped a beat when he saw you step out, your hair still slightly damp from practice but with a radiant smile on your face. And as he saw you from a distance, he couldn't help but smile back as you walked toward him.

“Hi,” you said softly, still a few steps away, your voice carrying the usual playful tone that made his cheeks flush involuntarily and his heart pound disproportionately in his chest. He didn’t quite understand why he was feeling this way; after all, you barely knew each other, but he was almost certain that whatever he was feeling, you were too.

“Hi,” Jace replied, trying to sound casual, but his voice faltered slightly, betraying the nervousness he felt. He stepped closer to you, a smile spreading across his face as he tried to find the right words. “How was practice?” he asked, offering you his arm, which left you momentarily confused, but the confusion quickly turned into another smile when he took your backpack and offered to carry it for you.

He was the perfect gentleman, and you couldn’t help but be charmed by it.

"The practice was pretty intense, but I'm glad it's over," you said with a smile, reaching for your backpack. Jace gently held it just out of your reach, giving you a playful nudge as he started walking, with you quickly following him.

"I'm sure you did great," he said encouragingly, glancing at his car as you both passed by it. He considered offering you a ride, but the thought of cutting short the time both of you could spend together made him hesitate. He wanted to savor every moment with you, so he decided to walk with you instead, making the most of the time you two had together.

As you continued walking side by side, a comfortable silence settled over you. Jace noticed the curiosity sparkling in your eyes and couldn't help but smile. With a playful raise of his eyebrow, he looked at you, clearly anticipating the question he knew was on your mind. It wasn’t long before you broke the silence, eager to speak. 

“So...” you began, humming thoughtfully. Jace’s amused gaze intensified, though he found it hard to keep his eyes from drifting to your lips. He had never wanted to kiss anyone as much as he wanted to kiss you.

“What’s it like to be Coach Harwin’s son?” you asked without hesitation or embarrassment. He burst out laughing at your question, leaving you momentarily embarrassed, but he quickly regained his composure and began to answer. 

The next few minutes were spent with you and Jacaerys talking about your parents, exchanging stories and a few harmless jokes about them, and you couldn’t help but notice how Jace’s face lit up every time he mentioned his parents and siblings. He was definitely close to his family, always speaking about them with a tenderness that was impossible not to notice, and in a way, it warmed your heart.

Yet, you couldn’t help but notice that in the middle of the conversation, his eyes kept drifting to your lips and then back to your eyes.

Around 7 p.m., you and Jace arrived at the front door of your house. He struggled to keep his composure, fighting the urge to kiss you as you pouted, clearly reluctant to part ways. The thought of saying goodbye seemed to weigh heavily on both of you.

"That went by too quickly," you said with a sigh, picking up your backpack with a slight frown. Jace laughed softly, his amusement evident despite the shared sentiment. He nodded in agreement, feeling the same reluctance.

"Well, it’s not like we won’t see each other again," he said, his cheeks tinged with red as he noticed your hopeful gaze. "If you want, I can walk you home again tomorrow," he offered. His smile grew wider as he saw the bright spark of satisfaction in your eyes.

"I’d like that," you murmured with satisfaction, your eyes sparkling with excitement. As you both stood at the door, he couldn’t help but notice how the streetlights made you look even more beautiful.

Taking a reluctant step back, Jace’s gaze softened as it met yours. "Great, then I'll see you tomorrow," he said, his tone light but sincere, trying to mask his nervousness and excitement for the next day. He took another step back, unsure of what to do next, trying to keep his gaze away from your lips.

"See you tomorrow," you replied, bringing him out of his brief trance with your voice laced with anticipation as you opened the door. Jace watched you enter, his smile lingering as he turned to leave.

Jace turned to leave, reminding himself that he still needed to retrieve his car from the school parking lot. Yet the image of you—your smile, the way your lips had lingered in his mind—made it impossible for him to focus on anything else. He walked a few meters, his heart racing and his mind swirling with thoughts about what had just happened and what would happen tomorrow.

The idea of going back felt almost impossible. Abruptly, he stopped in his tracks, struggling against the urge to go back. He bit his lip hard and muttered, “Oh, to hell with it,” to himself.

Without thinking twice, Jacaerys turned around and walked back to your house, his heart pounding with the adrenaline of each step and the sudden, almost reckless decision he had made. As he reached your front door again, he sighed and hesitated for a moment before knocking firmly.

“Jace, what are you doing here?” you asked, your voice a mix of surprise and curiosity as you opened the door. Your heart raced at the sight of him there, his gaze fixed on you. “I had to come back,” he said, his voice trembling slightly, still out of breath from running back.

“I need to kiss you. Please, let me kiss you.” His eyes, filled with sincere longing and a hint of vulnerability, searched yours for a sign of approval. Seeing how anxious he was, you nodded without hesitation, feeling his soft lips gently press against yours.

Your lips are pressed against his, and you cling tightly to the fabric of his hoodie, pulling him closer, which makes him smile slightly, satisfied. The kiss is gentle but filled with an intensity that makes the world around you both almost disappear. When you finally pull away a bit, your eyes meet as you both try to catch your breath.

Jace smiled, his cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and delight. “I really needed to do that,” he said softly, his voice brimming with sincerity and a touch of nervousness.

You smiled back, feeling a warm flush on your lips from the kiss. “I’m really glad you did,” you replied, your voice filled with genuine appreciation.

He took a hesitant step back, still holding your gaze with a look of endearing affection. “I should go now,” he said, his tone laced with a subtle hint of reluctance. “But... can I still see you tomorrow?” His eyes, still fixed on yours, conveyed a mixture of excitement and nervous anticipation.

You nodded, your heart fluttering with a smile. “Definitely. I’ll see you tomorrow, Jace,” you responded warmly.

His face lit up with a contented smile, and he began to walk away, turning back once more to give you one last, lingering look. “See you tomorrow,” he said softly before he finally turned and walked off, a satisfied expression on his face.

And even though your first meeting had been far from ideal, Jace couldn’t help but feel it had turned out perfectly, especially since you were his first kiss, with him being excited to get to know you better.

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