#unfortunately i had to use my motivation to do class reading :(

[malewifegradyruewen]

they should invent a me who is motivated to write

[octuscle]

Teacher's curse and blessing

Mr Thayer was a picture book teacher. He was a passionate teacher. He loved science and he loved spreading knowledge to young people. He didn't work for the money. He had enough money. His grandfather had been born with a golden spoon in his mouth and, with creativity, hard work and the necessary genius, had managed to make an impressive fortune. The money that had founded the school where Mr Thayer taught came from Mr Thayer's grandfather's wallet. Hardly any of his colleagues or students had any idea of his wealth. He was always immaculately dressed, but you couldn't see how many thousands of pounds one of his suits cost. He drove a 20-year-old Jaguar, which was regularly restored at horrendous expense. But most people saw an old used car. And that was also in Mr Thayer's mind.

Mr Thayer didn't really care whether someone was aristocratic or a snob, whether someone was rich or poor, whether someone was descended from William the Conqueror or had arrived in the country three months ago on a rubber dinghy. He differentiated between industrious and lazy and between disciplined and undisciplined. And those who were lazy and/or undisciplined found no favour in his eyes. He had done well with this for decades. He had moulded captains of industry and ministers out of spoilt brats. But now he was confronted with a new enemy: People dumbed down by social media, effeminate and comfortable consumers of state and other services. People who saw it as his duty to ensure that their children got good grades, even if they were stupid, lazy and effeminate. People who put the word ‘resilience’ in every other sentence without knowing what the word meant. Mr Thayer took note of this. Worried. But he didn't change his strategy. ‘After my son came home with a grade five for the fourth time this school year, I'm asking you for a detailed strategy on how to make sure he passes this school year.’ There were five or six mistakes in that one sentence. For that alone, Archibald deserved every single five. Even if his mum had made the spelling mistakes. Mr Thayer called Archibald in. Archibald was a declared enemy. An unathletic young man who was conspicuous for his disastrous academic performance and for the crazy things he spread on social media. Mr Thayer asked why Archibald hadn't explained to his mother that there were no good grades for not knowing anything and being ignorant in class. Archibald only said that he wasn't adequately motivated and encouraged. A phrase he had obviously learnt from his mother. Mr Thayer rolled his eyes. ‘Lecture on the role of the German Empire in colonialism, 45 minutes, next week Friday. If you do well, I won't fail you.’ Archibald stood up, rolling his eyes, and left the office.

The next Friday, Archibald stood at the blackboard and read out something obviously copied from Wikipedia, not even edited by ChatGPT. No use of other media, monotonous lecture, not even correct in terms of content. ‘Due to catastrophic performance in several subjects, I am unable to support your son's promotion to the next school level.’ Hardly any other email had given him so much pleasure recently. Unfortunately, he had messed with the wrong one. That very evening, Archibald's mother cursed Mr Thayer. And the curse hit him hard and immediately.

A murmur went through the class when Mr Thayer stood in front of the teacher's desk the next day and leaned casually against it. He had never shown so little body tension before. But that wasn't the reason for the murmur. Mr Thayer was wearing white tennis socks! The man who had never shown any sign of imperfection! And that was just the beginning. The more alert of his pupils counted three grammatical errors in his remarks by the end of the lesson. And had he seriously said goodbye with a ‘Have a relaxing afternoon!’? After a few days, Mr Thayer was wearing jeans and sneakers. After a week, half the school flinched when he drove into the teachers' car park a quarter of an hour late with a roaring engine in a souped-up BMW. His language became more brash and rough. His lessons seemed increasingly ill-prepared. Now the few sensible parents began to complain about him. The headmaster, who was supposed to take over from Mr Thayer next year, summoned him several times. And finally they were forced to suspend the teacher who had embodied the spirit of the school more than anyone else. ‘Fuck you!’ was Mr Thayer's reaction.

His car, which simply stood out in its neon green paintwork, was seen outside boxing clubs, shisha bars and betting shops. From time to time there were rumours that Mr Thayer had also been seen in these places. But nobody could really prove this. Shortly before the start of the new school year, the school authorities received an email in which Mr Thayer wanted to be transferred. To a comprehensive school in a problem neighbourhood. He wanted to teach technical work and PE there. The letter was full of mistakes. But his wish was granted. It had been no problem to fill his old position. And finding a teacher among the anti-social Scallies had been a challenge. Whatever had got into him, he was supposed to be preparing the half-strength children of immigrants and the unemployed for a future as a bouncer or car tuner.

‘Mr Thayer, nice to have you at our school!’ the headmistress greeted her new colleague in an uncertain voice. ‘Is your new office good enough for you!’ ‘Mr Thayer was my old man, call me Kieran!’ ‘But according to my file, your first name is…’ Kieran scrunched up his nose and snotted on the floor. ‘Bitch, what to call me is my business, got it!’

His boys went through fire and water for Kieran. He taught them everything he knew about tuning and repairing high-powered cars. And about mixed martial arts. And Kieran was damn good at both. And he was convinced that you didn't need to know more than that. Damn it, one of his students was supposed to write a paper about the Krauts and their time with the Kaffirs. Ey, he showed him how to quickly copy it together on the internet. And then they both went to smoke a shisha.

Inspiration by @sdonovan-new

Pics by @ki-kink

[x--sinner--x]

Thinking about being your cute little girlfriend who’s normally book smart and passing all her uni courses until last semester she started to get a lil distracted by your cock and unfortunately her grades started to slip. So like any dumb cock hungry slut would do, she hid the fact she failed 2 classes from you but mistakenly forgot to sign out with her school logins on your computer. You eventually found out and of course you gave her a chance to confess truthfully but she’s already too deep in the lie to back down so she keeps going until you show her the proof. I feel like the most suitable punishment for a lying slut like your girlfriend would be of course to fuck her brain silly but also force her to memorize her lectures while simultaneously repeat them out loud as you slot your dick deep inside her dishonest pussy, drilling so hard in her tight hole to the point of almost breaking her and having her scream loudly for forgiveness but deep down she loves every second of it because she just can’t get enough of her daddy’s thick cock🤍

After reading this, I really wish you were my cute little girlfriend. I would love to take advantage of you after learning the fact that you have been lying to me about your grades.

I was so proud of you, telling everyone about how you are the top student in your class and I had this sense of pride as your boyfriend that I quite relished. We had been having a lot of celebratory sex as a way to motivate you. But somehow, you had become addicted to my cock, and I sensed a shift in your behaviour. It felt like you were hiding something from me, which you have never done before. I kept insisting you for answers, but you kept feeding me the same lie over and over until I got fed up.

I found my own answer and confronted you about it, but you still lied right to my face. So I did what any sadistic boyfriend would do to his cute lying girlfriend, and concocted the perfect punishment.

Of course the plan was to fuck your brains out, but that wouldn't be a great idea this due as you had failed your classes. So instead I took the path of torture, making you read out your lectures out loud and memorize it so many times that you were pushed to tears, all while I was pounding so deep into your pussy, and spanking your ass so hard that it had become red from all the hits I just gave you.

Oh and that's not all. I would tie you up and leaving you hanging in mid air, and then I would proceed to ask questions so I can test your knowledge. For every wrong answer you give me, I will use this huge stick I have and spank you anywhere on the body. You will also be blindfolded so that you can't possibly know where I am going to hit.

I'll even go as far to get you upside down, and shove my dick down your throat and suffocate you if you get any answers wrong. I'll slap your face hard, and I'll cum so far down your throat that you can't even taste it, even though you practically beg me for it.

I'll have you walk on all fours with ice cubes placed on your back and you would need to keep walking until all the ice cubes melt on your body. If you give me wrong answers, then I'll hit you and you will pray that the ice cubes don't fall, because that would incur even more brutal punishments.

This will continue until you always give me the right answers and you ace your lectures and reinstate your status in your class. But don't worry, once you achieve your goals, it will be all sunshine and rainbows and I'll treat you like a princess. But only if you don't let me down, or I'll drag you down into the depths of hell with me.

[miss-tc-nova]

S/O with Sleep Apnea - Leona, Jade, Floyd, Malleus

Okay, so this one kinda threw me for a loop. Sleep apnea is weirdly vague treatment wise, so I had to kinda...guess how to go about this. But I hope this lives up to your expectations, Anon!

Sorry about Jade and Floyd, this is actually my first time writing them. Lol

Premise: The boys find out their s/o has sleep apnea

Words:

Leona: 594

Jade: 610

Floyd: 689

Malleus: 702

~~~~~

Leona

Leona is no stranger to daytime drowsiness, having his own wrecked circadian rhythm. Seeing you tired and maybe grumpy is like having a kindred spirit. Hell, he doesn’t even mind the snoring. It’s kind of cute; plus he can always tease you about it later.

However, the seriousness of your sleep malady becomes all too real when the lion drowsily rises to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. On his return, rounded ears note a distinct, unnerving silence. His gaze immediately honing in, Leona sights you still fast asleep on his bed—suspiciously still. A shock of adrenaline floods his system as Leona snatches your shoulders. The jostling is just enough to remind your unconscious mind to adjust your throat muscles and asleep you remain.

But Leona will not be getting anymore sleep that night. Grumbling, he tries to shrug it off and get back to bed, but the moment he suspects it’s been too long since he heard your snore, his head promptly leaves the pillow to check on you.

Whether you’re aware of the apnea or not, Leona confronts you the next day, exhausted and irritable.

This sparks the first motivated study session Leona’s had in a long time. He reads up on the condition and treatment, even during class time. He’ll be damned if he loses sleep over having to worry about you while he sleeps. No, he does not worry about you.

First off, he gets one of those mandibular splint things. Being part of the SpellDrive club…Never mind, he finds Ruggie—being part of the SpellDrive club—to help shape your new mouthguard to fit. If that doesn’t work, he’ll consider the more expensive options. Do you get a say? No. Which is why he’s starting out small.

Unfortunately for Big Kitty, other non-surgical treatments include routine and healthy habits.

Fuck.

Suddenly, alarms are much more important. On his phone, on your phone, and even on Ruggie’s phone, there are two to three morning alarms. Goodbye sleeping in. It is now mandatory for BOTH of you to attend morning SpellDrive training. Doesn’t matter that you can’t fly nor does it matter if you’re any good, Leona’s up, so you are too.

Probably the most killer part is the nap regulations. No longer are you allowed to have random naps throughout the day. They must be before 2 AM and no longer than 30 minutes. Maximum. He hates every bit of it.

By the time evening comes around on the first day, both of you are suffering, so abiding by a new bedtime is no problem. But for a while, things get worse from the exhaustion. Admittedly, Leona considers kicking you out, but the thought of losing his favorite body pillow easily throws him off that idea. So the lion sticks it out.

And his efforts pay off. As the two of you struggle through a new routine, the grogginess and irritability gradually fade. Hell, even Leona has been less grumpy as he settles in, but don’t push it. Of course, the sleep apnea never truly goes away, but you sleep better with a proper routine. And Leona sleeps better without that nagging worry ticking in his brain.

“Oi, wake up. Nap’s over. I don’t care that you’re still tired; so am I. Get up. If you don’t get up right now, you can forget about sleeping in my room tonight. I ain’t putting up with your jacked up snoring. No, I’m not lying. Wanna try me? Hey! Don’t roll back over! Ugh, stupid herbivore. Shut up.”

Jade

Jade was very surprised at the snoring. He’d heard of the phenomenon, but never heard the sound first hand. He didn’t know what to make of it, but eventually attuned and accepted that this is how you slept.

He was not aware that your brand of sleeping was…wrong?

Having ventured into his beloved mountains, Jade ends up returning from later than expected. Well informed, you’re already fast asleep upon his return. As he unpacks and gets cleaned up, a small smile etches onto his lips as he listens. Then it stops. His attention turns to find you perfectly still. Alarm quickly grows, spurring him to your side. An arm beneath you and your name on his lips is enough of a shift to clear your throat. The snoring resumes.

And Jade will not be getting any sleep. The young man resolves to observe you for the remainder of the night. His late night investigations lead him to sleep apnea. The symptoms check out: perpetual exhaustion, a smidge of insomnia, headaches, and yes, he had to concede that you could be irritable at times. Oh, and look at that, your particular snoring isn’t that normal.

From that moment on, the eel begins formulating a plan. From what he could conclude, sleep hygiene played a considerable role in the management of sleep apnea. He starts with monitoring your daily routines, taking notes on the things that need to be corrected—you know, the things you do just trying to survive the day.

After a week, he finally begins implementing his little tricks. It starts with a morning routine. It’s not jarring alarms that wake you in the morning, but Jade’s gentle coaxing until you’re up and ready. At the same time, every day. He ensures you’re too distracted for any afternoon naps, asking for your assistance with his work or perhaps doing some little activity together.

And you don’t even notice him starting to regulate your caffeine intake. Post 2 PM and you’re cut off. Whatever tea and/or coffee you drink comes decaf. Alternatively, he preempts your caffeine craving with something without the addictive substance. He knows your tastes well enough to provide something to make you forget about your caffeine deprivation.

About thirty minutes before your new, undisclosed bedtime, Jade, himself, becomes a distraction. This could be reading a book, listening to music, preparing for tomorrow, or just having an entertaining discussion with him. Whatever it is, it involves no screens for you.

In addition to your new, wind-down routine, Jade prepares the room to perfection. The bed is comfortable, it’s not too hot or too cold, no light permeates the darkness, and even a pleasant scent lulls your sleepy mind.

Thanks to your fastidious boyfriend, it’s quite easy to conform to this new routine. It helps alleviate some symptoms of your sleep apnea and does wonders for your mood. While the sleep apnea won’t be cured, Jade makes them easy to endure, even on the worst of nights. And honestly, it takes months before you even put together what he’s done.

“My dear, shall we start on the next chapter of our story? I’m quite invested in what will happen next. Hm? I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean. You think I would manipulate my lovely partner in such a way? I see. Your suspicion wounds me. Oh? Hm-hm. You got me. I wondered how long it would take for you to notice. It’s only been three months. No, no, I’m flattered you would be so comfortably oblivious around me. I’m glad you’re feeling better. That’s all the payment I need. Well, I wouldn’t say no to a kiss.”

Floyd

For like a solid week, Floyd thought snoring was the funniest thing. He’s not sure if snoring can even happen underwater, but he’s never heard it before. So needless to say, that part didn’t bother him at all. It did get him all miffed when you would get snippy with him, but he had to relent when you would complain of a headache.

One night, there’s a disaster in the Lounge and Azul keeps all the staff late until it’s clean—Floyd included. So when he gets back to his room rather late, it’s no surprise that you’re there, already fast asleep and snoring away. Just as he finishes changing and is about to get into bed, he pauses.

It’s quiet—too quiet. Lazy eyes fall across his sleeping partner. The usual snoring he’d come accustomed to is gone. You weren’t breathing. His first reaction is to reach out, calling out to you. By the arm, he shakes you enough to jump start your breathing, yet somehow not wake you. Suspicious, he watches you for a moment, waiting for it to happen again. But it doesn’t take long for Floyd to get bored and join you in bed.

He mentions the occurrence to Jade and Azul. The snoring is fine, but he’s not particularly fond of the not breathing thing. That’s kind of important for land-dwellers, right? The trio quickly discovers what sleep apnea is.

At first, Floyd lets the whole thing go. But the longer the information lingers in his brain, the more the symptoms begin to eat at him until he finally admits that this sleep apnea thing really sucks.  

The sophomore gets Azul and Jade to help him figure out how to fix this. Honestly, there’s not much he can do, let alone with his own erratic behavior. But he starts with little things that he remembers.

He’s not very nice about it if he catches you napping, immediately waking you up, consequences be damned. Though he does try to make you less grumpy for it with favors and snacks.

And these snacks HAD to be Floyd-approved. Anything after dinner is confiscated and caffeine is off the table after 2 PM. And so dedicated to his task, Floyd will recklessly devour any treats unable to be saved for later, but only because he got in trouble for hurling them across the room. By multiple people. No, it doesn’t matter if it screws him over—chugging something too hot or wired and wide awake later. He’s being chaotic, but he’s doing it for you.

Lastly, Floyd is aware that how you sleep can help keep your airways clear. He acquires an extra pillow—from Azul’s room—to help elevate your head. If you weren’t a side sleeper before, you are now. Sometimes, in the dead of night, the eel just sits up like the living dead. Bapping hands assess your situation, pushing and pulling until you’re sleeping on your side, head propped up on your new pillow.

These new habits soon alter your own. You give up on naps, fed up with being violently rattled awake. You stop wasting money and effort on food and drinks you know you’re not supposed to have. You can’t even sneak any of those things because Octavanelle is full of snitches. Actually, it’s full of people afraid of Floyd, but same thing. With these regulations, your sleep schedule slowly stabilizes—it’s not perfect, but better. Even the grogginess and headaches are significantly more manageable. And Floyd is rather proud of himself about the whole thing, knowing that he’s the reason you’re doing better.

“Heeeeey, what’s that you got there? Looks like something loaded with caffeine. I don’t think you should have that. Gimme! Huh? Gross. This isn’t caffeine. Man, I was hoping for something good. Huh? Yeah, looks like you’re being good. And you have been sleeping better. So, do I get a reward? Whadya mean what for? For fixin’ your jank sleep. C’mon, at least give me something better than this decaf crap. Mmm, I guess a kiss will do—but like a million of ‘em. You better get started.”

Malleus

Malleus is fully aware you’re a rough sleeper and he adores it anyway. He knows of your general disdain of being awake and is sensitive of your frequent headaches. This man thrives on learning about you: the good, the bad, and the noisy.

As a nocturnal fae, he’s often awake well after you’ve gone to bed. It takes mere days for an incident to occur. Content in the presence of your sleeping form, he listens and takes in the confirmation that you’re here with him.

So it comes as a startle when he realizes the room is dead silent.

Fear immediately overtakes his rationale when he turns to find you perfectly motionless. Swiftly dragging you into his arms, he rushes for the door. Then freezes. In his arms you lie, still fast asleep, now snoring again.

He does not join you in bed this night, far too afraid that you might slip away while he sleeps. It nearly makes him sick, but he’s filled with relief when you awake the following day.

That’s the day Malleus learns about sleep apnea. He doesn’t like it at all. He thought he loved everything about you, flaws and all. But this is detrimental to your health and happiness and he must do something.

He seeks guidance in books and his friends. Lilia is of little help with his recommendations of hare-brained remedies. Silver and Sebek are quick to shut those down for the sake of an innocent soul. Still, with their help, they’re able to come up with a plan.

Malleus would readily fund any treatment you’re willing to try, from the smallest medical device to the most extensive surgery. As the issue at hand is not currently life threatening, he won’t push too hard for surgery—for now.

Still, other lifestyle changes are an option. This turns into a very difficult time for him as he loathes denying you literally anything. Waking you from cozy naps nearly breaks his heart. Taking away treats you’re preparing to enjoy makes him feel like a villain. He’s invariably torn between his guilt and adoration of your pouty face. Only his wishes for your well-being keeps him going.

However, his favorite part of this whole thing has to be the new bedtime routine.

It starts with closing the curtains, blocking out all outside light from coming through. The temperature of the room is adjusted to comfortably cool while the scent of sweet briar roses wafts through the air. Songs fill the silence while a gentle interruption of whatever task you had at hand brings your attention fully to him. There’s no arguing with him, not this late. And you dance. Just peaceful swaying as you talk of anything and everything. Whatever you have to say, he’ll hear it. Because this is your time together.

Just as your eyes begin to flutter and the first yawns interrupt your sentiments does Malleus send you off to brush your teeth, put in your new mouth splint, and get dressed for bed. If for some reason, you fend off sleep long enough, he’ll coax you from bed to sway again. Or perhaps you’ll sit at the window while he tells you fairy tales he was taught as a hatchling. Once you start nodding off again, he returns you to bed. He’ll repeat this as many times as he has to until you’re truly asleep.

If you opt to accept surgery, your sleep apnea is practically cured and you’ll be incredibly pampered through recovery. If not, Malleus’s efforts still pay off. Not only has your health significantly improved, but so has your mood. And any new incidents are practically non-existent. While Malleus feels your bond has become significantly stronger with these changes, he pleased that, above all else, you’re feeling better.

“Come now, my love. It’s time to put the pen down. I’ll help you with the rest tomorrow. How was your day today? I’m glad. You haven’t been having any headaches lately, have you? Hmm, I suppose that’s still better than it was. I’ll have to ensure we have more painkillers tomorrow just in case. Of course I’m going to. I have to take care of you after all. I always will.”

~~~~~

Nova's Twisted Wonderland Masterlist

[milkoomi]

coming out of academic burn out. ᥫ᭡

burn out is so real, and unfortunately it affects too many of us. burn out feels like every fiber of your being just gave up on you; it feels like you’ve lost every single ounce of motivation and inspiration. it’s draining. you feel exhausted, bored, frustrated, and lost. but let’s take a deep dive into getting out of academic burn out and work on bringing back that spark you once had for your education.

୨ৎ — give yourself a break

this is, in my opinion, the most important thing to do when you start experiencing some kind of academic burn out.

while we’re in school, we feel so much overwhelming stress from the workload, the hours upon hours of studying we have to put in for big exams, the overthinking we do on a regular basis because we worry about maintaining our grades— just so much stress, and it feels suffocating.

let yourself breathe. take a moment to just focus your mind on something else that isn’t academic related. step away from your notes, papers, and textbooks and take a breather. go do something else and let your mind rest. even if it’s just for 10-20 minutes, just take a break! you need it more than you realize. you don’t have to over exert yourself, and honestly? you shouldn’t over exert yourself.

things to do during a break:

breathing exercises/meditation

watch an episode of your favorite show

watch an entertaining youtube video

read a chapter of your favorite book

go for a walk

grab yourself a snack/make yourself a meal

stretch/do a small workout/get your body moving

take a shower

take a nap (no longer than 30 minutes)

chat with a friend/loved one

journal

you can set a timer for yourself when you decide to take a break so that you can keep yourself on track, but i highly encourage you to just take a moment for yourself. do something that makes you happy, do something that relaxes your mind, just do something else. redirect your mind onto something else that isn’t related to studying or finishing an assignment.

you might also be a newly grad from high school or an undergrad program or whatever it may be, and you might feel like you need a semester off from school. or even a gap year. if you feel that way, then listen to yourself and listen to what your mind and body needs and take that semester off or go on a gap year.

i, personally, took two and a half years off from school. when i tell you that it was one of the best decisions i ever made for myself, i genuinely mean that. don’t get me wrong, i did have those thoughts of worrying that i’d fall behind my peers and friends, and it did really stress me out. but my mental health needed that break. i needed that break. i learned that school will always be an open opportunity for me and that this is my academic career and my own journey, not anyone else’s.

don’t focus on what everyone else is doing with their own lives, focus on your own. what other people are doing shouldn’t matter to you because your own journey and your own life should be your main focus.

take a break.

୨ৎ — ask for help

burn out might be coming from lack of support, and sometimes we forget to ask for support because we might feel like we have to do this whole thing on our own. let me reassure you that you don’t have to do everything on your own.

your teachers/professors/mentors are there to help you, so don’t hesitate to ask questions or reach out for guidance. if you feel like you can’t go to your professors for help, then search for a tutor! tutors are great to have because most times they might be fellow students who have had similar experiences as you in similar, or the same, classes/courses! it’s also nice to have someone who understands your frustrations and stress to help guide you or answer your questions.

reach out to your loved ones. your family, friends, or partner(s) are there to love, care, and support you in any way that you need. don’t be afraid to reach out to them if you need an extra boost. you might just need a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear, and that’s okay! your loved ones are there to support you, and even if they might not be able to help you with your studies, they can still offer you help and support mentally and emotionally.

you aren’t a burden or an annoyance to those who are there to help you, i promise. you are allowed to ask for help! don’t try and take on hard challenges on your own.

୨ৎ — work in portions

i mentioned this in a post on stopping procrastination, but it’s really important to work in sections rather than trying to finish everything all in one sitting.

the more you try to take on, the quicker you’ll feel that burn out. take it day by day, or even hour by hour. set a goal of completing one class’ assignments before you set another goal of completing another class’ assignments.

example:

let’s say it’s a wednesday night and you have two assignments that need to be completed for the next day in your biology class, an essay due next week on friday night at 11:59pm for your english class, an exam for your chemistry class this coming friday, and one packet of homework for your math class due monday morning next week.

start with your biology class! the assignments are due much sooner than the rest of your classes. focus on those two assignments first as they take priority.

after biology, take a 15-20 minute break and then work on that math homework packet and implement the pomodoro method and work on it for 25 minutes and take 5 minute breaks.

great! you finished those tasks, but dang, it’s already 7pm and you haven’t had dinner yet. take a break and go eat dinner. after dinner, for maybe another 25 minutes, work on that math packet. after those 25 minutes, stop working. go shower, do your skincare, and get ready for bed.

now that your wednesday night is coming to an end, focus your mind on relaxing. you’ve completed enough for today and your hard work has paid off! wait until the next day to continue more work.

୨ৎ — final notes

if there’s one thing to take away from this, it’s prioritize yourself. i say this all the time, but you are your top priority. always. you need to remember to take care of yourself before you go and take care of other tasks like schoolwork. you can’t do your best when you aren’t at your best.

if you are currently experiencing burn out, i promise you that you’ll get out of it. just be patient with yourself! i know burn out sucks. when i was experiencing it, i really struggled to find my love for learning again, but i can assure you that you’ll find it again. you’ll know when you’re ready!

don’t let burn out stop you from achieving your dreams. burn out is just your body telling you that you need a break, and it’s 100% okay to take a break. you’ll still succeed even if you take breaks. we all need one from time to time!

with lots of love, faustina 🌷

[ramblingsfromthytruly]

the pages are turning~

a months old pic of my desk

29th august 2024

day 4/50 - productivity challenge

🕒 6:00 a.m.

sleep deprivation is hitting. eating leftovers and coffee for breakfast.

checked notifs

actually ate some goddamn breakfast

not me realizing that i barely eat 2 meals every school day..

revised psychology: ch-1: what is psychology

here's a (self) reminder to actually go study instead of procrastinating 30 mins by watching study motivation videos.

also i recommend listening to non-lyrical music while studying. i personally listen to classical piano music. this is what i was listening to today morning.

showered

morning skincare

extended duolingo streak

aaand off to school. thought i would be late but honestly i've been reaching at the correct time all these days. if i leave my house by 8:05 then i'm good.

at school i first had physics and then 2 continuous chemistry classes (the teacher is good but her classes are so draining ugh).

completed physics classwork (the stuff i missed when i was absent on tuesday)

did the OCEAN test in psychology class! idk why but i love personality tests. i'll discuss my results with my teacher tmr hopefully but what i gathered is that i'm an ambivert leaning to introversion and ok emotional regulation & stability. my other classmate was very much an extrovert with higher tendency to take others' words to heart. we bunked the last 2 english classes together in the library lol. also want to say that i'm so ashamed for having formed an image in my mind of her, without really knowing her that well. i cruelly judged her prematurely and though we didn't really talk about our lives and stuff, we did get closer (maybe even friends?) today and i regret my judgments. ik i would be crushed if someone thought up an image of me in their head like that and i try not to do the same but sometimes i make mistakes. i'm trying to be more aware of that.

studied psychology ch-6: human memory (in the library when i skipped english)

lightly rained the entire trip home and got much louder as i ate a hearty lunch 😋

started a word doc for biology investigatory project

started a word doc for chemistry investigatory project

me and my bestfriend have been much more honest with our feelings recently. the saying "distance makes the heart grow fonder" was actually made for us. she's in a new college all popular with new pretty friends and boys probably crushing on her and she says i'm her favourite person. i'm at a new school slowly making new friends and she's my favourite person. i told her i love her. she deserves to know that. and i meant it totally platonically and that doesn't make it any less. if anyone ever asks, "who's your first love?" i'll say her name. it'll always be her.

practiced playing keyboard 🎹

read newspaper 📰 (some of those cases make me feel sick)

post for studyblr weekly prompt

dinner. yum. noodles and cake.

made notes psychology ch-1: what is psychology?

night skincare

🕒 nope! pulled an all-nighter.. yes i have school tmr 😃 listen i do not recommend doing this shit at all. why did i do it you may ask? i don't really have any crushing deadlines as such, but i've tricked my mind into thinking my own plans are deadlines. this week my sleep has been astronomically fucked up. the weekend will be a reset (i have school on saturday 😭) and i will prioritze sleep. i need to at least manage 6-7 hours everyday.

edit: actually i fell asleep around 2 a.m. and did no other studying..

🎧 i love you, i'm sorry by gracie abrams

her songs are actually just excerpts from my journal but minus the romance unfortunately like where's my gf ugh we're wasting time

a months old pic of my desk

[1moreff-creator]

Trying to figure out the DRDT chapter 2 murder method, with evidence! (Theory)

CW: Murder, mentions of suicide, hanging, general brutality.

So, I’ve noticed a lot of people have given their predictions for the second case murderer, the motives and all that. This is obviously what most people care about, and I love reading predictions for it!

However, I am not most people. I also am really curious about the exact murder method.

You see, DRDT has consumed my brain mercilessly, and thus I have decided I can’t wait for the hiatus to end, and want to see if I can figure out the murder mystery with the clues we have. As a warning, this doesn’t actually help much with the culprit, but I will give my thoughts on that at the end.

I think a decent job! It’s not perfect, and I’m fully expecting to get a lot if not most of this wrong. I will be happy regardless of whether I’m right or wrong, so what matters is that I had fun thinking about it! Right? :D

This took me hours.

Spoilers up until Chapter 2 ep 11, and… further? Maybe? It’s just a prediction, but with evidence, so, you decide if you wanna read it.

Where we left off

The cliffhanger currently consuming me, as you may recall, happened just after David started his Tumblr sexyman arc, with Charles cutting in with just a fantastic line (“You’re out of your element!”). He says that, while trying to prove David’s innocence, he realized something bigger, before proclaiming he and Teruko fucked up.

As many have pointed out, Charles cuts in when David mentions the time of death, meaning he’s likely realized something about that.

What Charles has probably noticed is that the note Arei received never mentioned if she was supposed to go to the playground at 7:30 PM, as the characters had assumed because of the fish and the nighttime rule for the Relaxation Room, or AM. The fish could have easily been kept in the water jugs found outside in a trash can, so it’s pretty feasible that the murder actually happened at 7:30 AM. Unfortunately, Nico, the only one keeping track of the fish, likely fed them before David went there, and thus before 7:30 PM, so we can’t tell for sure when they were taken.

(This is because Nico mentions they fed the fish after dinner, and they likely ate before David. Whit mentions having a ‘late dinner’ when he and the gang meet with Suspenders Man in the kitchen and send him to the fish, David even mentioning he wasn’t expecting anyone else to be there. Assuming Nico ate dinner with most of the class, they would have eaten before David went to the Relaxation Room, which we know was around 7:30 PM)

However, if Charles is only bringing the possibility up now, it’s likely the right answer. Also, as you’re gonna see, the murder method I believe was used requires quite a bit of setup that would have been easier to do at nighttime, without potential witnesses showing up out of nowhere.

Now, this is where I’ve seen most people stop. Content with knowing what the cliffhanger itself is about, they don’t think further into the murder method. But I will, because my life is extremely empty.

Let’s get to the evidence!

“Truth Bullets” (let’s pretend)

-First, the layout of the scene.

(Ultimate Artist coming through-)

The exact position of things doesn’t matter, but it helps to visualize. The seesaw, to the dismay of Korekiyo stans, is unimportant and can be disregarded. Here are the takeaways:

•The ground near the entrance is scuffed. This heavily implies something went down in the playground, and we probably aren’t dealing with a crime scene switch.

•The fish, you should be acquainted with.

•The spinny thing will be important.

•Not pictured is a sand pit without sand. This isn’t important, but I do find it funny.

•Then, the swing set. I’d like to point out that the rope attached on one end to Arei has nothing on the other end, and rather remains there via a knot at the top of the swing set. This is important because of:

-Broken Neck: Arei’s neck is broken, alongside:

-Veronika’s Account: Although a hanging can cause someone’s neck to break, it wouldn’t happen to Arei if she were to be hung from that height. She would either need to weigh more, or fall from higher. Because the rope Arei’s corpse hangs from is tied with a knot, it can’t extend further than what we see, meaning she was likely hung from somewhere else (if that’s even her cause of death).

-Bound Wrists: Arei’s wrists were bound with duct tape at some point.

-Duct Tape on Spinny Thing: There is duct tape covering every handlebar the spinny thing has.

-Longer Rope: There was a longer piece of rope bundled up below the spinny thing. Teruko claims it’s a couple yards long. I don’t use that unit of measurement, but it sounds like it’s large.

-Flickering Lights: According to MonoTV, one of the lights in the playground was flickering. The way he acts when inquired implies this had something to do with the murder.

Going away from the playground now, we have the trash can.

-The note: You know this one.

-Eating utensils, food, painting tools. Unimportant.

-Water Jugs: Likely where the fish were kept overnight. Notably, the handles are snapped in the middle.

-Needle and thread?: I’ve seen some people mention there’s a needle with a bit of black thread that none of the characters address when dealing with the trash. Personally, I think this isn’t going to be important, but I do have a place for it if it ends up coming up. That is:

-Ball of clothes: Charles takes this from the dress-up room. It’s apparently held together with starch (not an adhesive, just sticky, but sure), though I wouldn’t be surprised if it was actually created with the needle and thread. Again, I don’t think it’s important, but you can choose to believe it was used here if you want. It’ll make sense later.

-The gym. I’ll be honest, this is the one thing I don’t know how to fit in. During the investigation, Teruko makes memory to how the gym looked before and after the Nico incident. I’m not great at Spot the Difference, but for the life of me the only thing I could see change was the missing fan and the missing ‘grippy thing’ on the pull-up bar. I don’t know how that would fit with the mystery, so I’ll be glad if anyone can figure something out.

-The motives: Not important for the method, obviously important for other reasons.

So, with the evidence laid out, what can we figure out?

Theory Time

When I said I spent hours thinking about this, I mostly meant running through several theories at once, trying to see which one made the most sense. I went to some weird places: from a crime of passion disguised as a suicide, to drowning her in the Relaxation Room, to somehow getting from the Movie Screening Room to the Playground (MonoTV had mentioned punching through the wall would get you there), to Arei herself being the one originally trying to murder…

But in the end, it was simpler. There are three important facts which help narrow down the options.

-Arei’s neck was broken. This eliminates simpler killing methods such as strangulation. Something happened which broke her neck, yet:

-Her wrists were bound. A broken neck is instant death, but Arei’s bound wrists imply the killer feared she would struggle. This eliminates a crime of passion. This thing was premeditated.

-The murder happened in the playground. The scuffed floor, broken light, duct tape on spinny thing and the other rope all make it clear. There’s no crime scene switching here. This eliminates stuff like the drowning in the Relaxation Room I mentioned.

All of this makes me believe that Arei was hung from somewhere in the playground, likely after the killer bound her wrists to stop her from struggling. The scuffed ground serves as evidence of an initial struggle. It doesn’t quite look like that, but frankly I just don’t know what could have caused the exact shape in the ground, so a struggle it is.

However, how? If Arei’s neck broke from her hanging, as per Veronika’s Account, she would need to be hung from somewhere else first, in a way that she either weighed more or fell from higher. Now, at first, you might assume that she had to be simply hung from higher, since it’s impossible to make Arei weigh more than she does. But what if I told you, there is a way to achieve that?

Enter: the water jugs.

I don’t know about you, but the way those handles are broken looks to me like they were snapped too cleanly for human hands. It almost looks… like someone tied a knot around them, then exerted a bunch of force on the rope.

(WARNING: Geometric depiction of a hanging a bit below)

We know for a fact there are at least two pieces of rope: one longer, one shorter. It would be possible to tie the two ends of the shorter one around the handles of the water jugs, then tie the middle around Arei. Water’s pretty heavy, so the extra pull of the water jugs would exert an additional force to her body once she stopped falling, one which could serve as one of the reasons her neck broke.

…Now’s probably a good time to mention, I have no idea why the killer did half the shit they did. I cannot explain to you why they would do this with water jugs. I’m just telling you how my brain’s interpreting this evidence.

However, this doesn’t exactly solve the height problem. You still can’t hang Arei from the swing set directly, as the jugs would hit the ground. It’s still necessary to hang her from higher up, although thankfully it’s easy to see where that would happen.

Yeah, the railings of the playground. The problem, naturally, is how to get there. Or rather, how to get the rope there.

Well, here’s a question. How would you do something like that if it was lower down, but still unreachable? One answer is to try to throw the rope over the railing, so that one end stays near you, and the other, on the other side of the railing. Of course, that’s impossible with a rope of this length and a railing of this height, but the concept can still be used in conjunction with something else. Thinking about the other pieces of evidence we have, there is one that stands out as particularly strange, doesn’t it?

Exactly. The ball of clothes. Because throwing a ball, especially one as light as this one would be, is much easier than throwing a rope, you can set up the hanging spot by tying one end of the rope to the ball, and throwing that over the railing.

You might think it’s still too far up, but think of it like this. How far can you throw a basketball straight up? Probably enough to clear two floors, at least given enough attempts. The ball of clothes would have more drag, yes, but it would be lighter. Keep in mind the killer had all night to get this right, and they could have even climbed on the swing set if they needed a bit more height. It’d be awkward, but possible.

There is one more piece of evidence that makes me think this is the case. That is, the flickering lights.

The lights weren’t broken, but they did get fucked up. This is by far the clue which gave me the most trouble when thinking about this, since it just seemed so impossible to achieve. However, this ‘ball of clothes’ theory gives us a solid answer. On the way up, the ball of clothes may have hit the lights:

This wouldn’t break the light, but it could displace it, causing it to flicker… or something like that. I’m sorta banking on J giving a proper explanation with her pre-established expertise, since I’m no electrical engineer. However, I see no other way this could have happened, so it’s the answer I’m giving for now.

So now we have the long rope on both ends, all that’s left is actually pulling Arei up. Except, that’s still quite complicated, isn’t it? Already pulling her up would take quite a bit of strength, but the main problem is the ‘going down’ part.

For Arei’s neck to break, she needs to enter free fall, then abruptly stop halfway. That would mean you need to stop the rope from moving on the way down, but how? Just using your hands is impossible, because you’d get burnt.

Enter: spinny thing.

The duct tape tipped me off that this thing was important, and once the use of rope is factored in, my first instinct was to use it for a sort of pulley system.

Weave the rope through a few of the handlebars, then tie a knot around one of them. That way, if you make the thing spin, it will drag the rope with it, sort of like a roll of film in reverse.

Then, once Arei reaches an appropriate height, you spin the thing the other way, letting her fall at full speed for a bit. When you want to stop her, you would just need to stop the carousel from spinning, which may take a bit of strength, but it’s perfectly doable.

Now, this explains how the murder could have been done, but where does the duct tape come into play?

…

Yeah, good question. My best answer is that the rope somehow burnt a friction mark into the spinny thing, which the killer feared would give away their trick. After all, even if the duct tape is more noticeable, it’s harder to make a connection between that and the murder than a friction burn, which while harder to notice, would point more directly to the pulley idea.

Yeah, it’s not a great answer, and it’s frankly the part which still puzzles me the most, but it’s an answer, so I’m going with it for now. Open to change, though.

Notably, this is also the part of the crime where I feel the gym may come into play. Again, I have no idea what the relevance is, but if it has something to do with this crime and not just the Ace - Nico incident, perhaps the grippy strap of the pull up bar was somehow used to better grip the spinny thing’s handlebars for the pulley trick? Again, this is one piece of evidence where I could use the help.

And so, we’re done! Practically all of the important evidence was used, and I can’t find any contradictions in the reasoning!

Closing Argument

The killer first put water from the Relaxation Room, fish and all, in some water jugs before nighttime.

At nighttime, they stuck together Teruko’s and Hu’s old clothes with either starch or the black string. Going to the playground, they tied a long rope they got from storage around the ball of clothes. They repeatedly threw it up, until they managed to get the rope over one of the railings in the playground. However, on the way up, the ball of clothes hit a light and displaced it, causing it to flicker. MonoTV would later remove this light.

After that, they tied one of the ends of the rope to one of the carousel’s handlebars, possibly looping it around some of the other handlebars to make sure it would work as a pulley. The killer left the water jugs in the room, first tying a shorter piece of rope around their handles, and took the ball of clothes back to the dressing room.

After that, the killer wrote a note. They had overheard the Eden-Arturo-Arei situation, and used that to lure Arei out to the playground at 7:30 AM. She potentially arrived just before the killer, based on the scuffed ground being a bit far from the door, but the killer got there just a moment after, before Arei could understand the situation.

The killer overpowered Arei, scuffing the ground near the seesaw in the process. They eventually bound her wrists together, and wrapped the middle of the rope attached to the water jugs to Arei’s lower body. Possibly around her waist, as to prevent rope burn injuries from giving the trick away.

After that, they tied the unused end of the longer rope around Arei’s neck, and moved to the spinny thing. Using the grippy strap they got from the gym (maybe), they grabbed one of the handlebars and spun the spinny thing so that the rope was pulled in and around its handlebars. This also had the effect of pulling Arei up towards the ceiling.

Once Arei was high enough, the killer quickly spun the carousel the opposite way, then abruptly stopped it just a few moments later. This caused Arei to free fall shortly, before suddenly stopping. The force of that stopping broke both Arei’s neck and the handles of the water jugs. Arei died here, if she hadn’t already asphyxiated beforehand.

All that was left for the killer to do was cleanup. Retrieve the longer rope and hide it under the spinny thing; set up Arei’s body to look vaguely like a suicide; empty the water jugs on the ground; throw them away, alongside the duct tape and the note. The killer’s trick had also left marks on the carousel, which they decided to cover up with duct tape. Finally, the killer reconvened with everyone at around 8 AM for the motive announcement.

And with that, all questions are answered. Well, except for:

What the fuck

Like, why would the killer do this? It’s so unnecessary cruel, when they could have just hung her. I was honestly worried, as I thought about the method, that the killer would end up being Veronika, just because it’s so fucked I genuinely can’t see anyone else doing this. But Veronika doesn’t have a motive to do this: she’s talked about wanting to enjoy the trials for as long as possible, and it’s been set up if she murders, it would be of boredom. Doing that before a motive announcement which would make things interesting doesn’t fit her at all. Or maybe I’m coping.

The answer to the question of why the killer chose this method is only part of a larger question, though. So, knowing the method, how does that change the final question?

Who did it?

EDIT: DISCLAIMER: The following part of this blog is outdated. Go here to read a revised version of the method, with a different culprit. It's a reblog of thebadjoe's reblog of this post, as they pointed out a lot of flaws in my original theory (adult content warning for Arei's corpse). I'm leaving the rest of my original post up, but just know I now believe the killer to be Eden, with an accomplice.

Let me start by saying that I can’t definitively say anything about anyone, even knowing the murder method. However, this *does* paint some of the theories in a different light.

Smaller theories

I’ve seen a few people suggest everyone from Charles to J or even Arturo. A lot of these theories are decent, but some rely too much on certain assumptions which may or may not be disproven if this method is accurate.

Charles is ruled out. The murder required moving the corpse around postmortem, and while there wasn’t any blood around, Charles’ necrophobia would make it impossible for him.

A theory I saw was that J may have used her remote to open secret trapdoors and move around rooms, taking advantage of the placement of the playground in relation to the Movie Screening Room. However, while that theory is interesting, the murder is perfectly possible without these trapdoors, so the main argument kinda goes out the window. Although I guess it’s possible her remote could be used to make the carousel go spin, but that’s kinda ridiculous if you ask me.

Arturo was ruled out from the beginning because the handwriting in the note is too pretty to be a doctor’s. That’s a joke, and Arturo would actually be quite capable of the crime. In fact, he’s sort of become my second most likely culprit, even if he was accused early in the trial.

Hu / David manipulation, in shambles

A popular theory states that the killer was manipulated by David to do the deed. The most common victim of this manipulation theory seems to be Hu Jing. However, in my opinion, the sheer brutality of the method pretty much rules this out. David may be a good enough manipulator to get somehow to kill Arei, but I really doubt he’d be able to convince them to do… all this.

Especially since he has no reason to order the specific method, which would imply it was born from the killer’s own mind. So, even if David actually told them to kill Arei, they decided to use this insanely elaborate method all on their own. And, listen, I don’t care how you feel about Hu, she wouldn’t do this.

Is it still possible? Sure, I guess. Does it look a lot weaker under this method? Absolutely.

The surprisingly strong Whit/Eden allegations

I didn’t make this theory considering these two the killer, I really didn’t. I still don’t think they are. And yet, they are the only ones who could benefit from this method. How? The BDA.

You see that loophole, right? I noticed the moment I saw the rule. The way it’s written seems to imply the BDA only plays when three ‘spotless’ see the body, ruling them out as the murderer. Except, that’s not how it’s worded. It doesn’t say ‘three non-murderers’, it says ‘three people who didn’t witness the murder’.

So, pray tell, what happens if the culprit has their back to the victim when they die? Simple; they didn’t witness the murder, so their eyes count for the BDA.

How does this help? Well, imagine if Teruko had been the one to kill Arei. By making a contraption where she can be sure Arei dies instantly upon something happening (in this case, abruptly stopping the spin of the carousel), she can make sure her back is turned the moment Arei dies. Of course, the moment she turns around, the count for the BDA goes up to one, but it doesn’t trigger, since you need three.

Then, when Teruko ‘discovers’ the body alongside Eden and Whit, the BDA plays; one person (Teruko) had already ‘discovered the body’, so Eden and Whit seeing it would increase the BDA count by two. That makes three, BDA plays.

And yet, during the trial, if the murder method hasn’t been found out, Teruko could claim she isn’t the murderer because of the trickily worded BDA rule.

Now, we obviously know Teruko didn’t do it, but Eden and especially Whit are common theories. This could be used as evidence, except…

There’s a pretty obvious problem there. It’s not them, but Teruko who asks to team up in a group of three for the BDA, and it’s also her who suggests going to the second floor. Then, the playground is the last place they check, and Whit even questions Teruko when she suggests going there (the infamous ‘hanging out there’ line).

I wouldn’t rule out Teruko’s bad luck making her pick the absolute worst possible partner possible, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that neither Eden nor Whit were proactive in the search method, which goes against this potential ‘BDA alibi’ plan.

As for the rest of the theories, I don’t quite believe them. Yes, Whit definitely has more issues than he lets on, but he has no motive to do this (remember; he asked an entire group of people to reveal his secret if they had it, so the only reason his secret lasted until the trial was Rose throwing it away). Eden even less so.

And in the end, it really is the motives which points us to what I believe to be the killer.

Yeah, it’s Levi

As does what I believe is most of the fandom by this point, I think Levi is probably the killer.

Many have already theorized about the remaining motives, so I’ll spare you the ordeal and tell you: Just with the information all the characters have access to, it’s possible to narrow down Levi’s secret to ‘murdered someone’, ‘poisoned competition’ and ‘dead family’ (I know the last one’s Xander’s, but the characters don’t really have access to the Bonus Episode).

However, Eden can eliminate the ‘dead family’ one, as Levi has talked about his family with her, and they’re not dead (He also mentioned having brothers in the present tense during the trial, but just in case).

Min’s Bonus Episode makes it likely her secret is the ‘poison competition’ one, though how the characters are gonna figure that one out is beyond me. The point is, Levi’s secret is the ‘murdered someone’ one, the one Arei had. And, listen, in-game logic aside, you don’t just give that secret to the victim of the case and then have it mean nothing for the murder.

Other suspicious behavior has been noted, such as him wanting to start voting time quickly when David did his thing, him quickly checking the motives when they became public (keep in mind, as some characters mentioned, it’s possible the killer thought just killing someone before the motive reveal would be enough to prevent it), etc. Also possible foreshadowing such as Ace claiming Levi could ‘snap [his] neck with his bare hands’ and Levi promising to protect Eden in the trial, which is exactly what Arei did before dying.

However, something I feel people overlook is that not only did Arei get Levi’s secret, but it was also Levi who got Arei’s secret. A secret which, keep in mind, wasn’t public knowledge until the trial, when Levi finally revealed it. Sure, David and Teruko knew, maybe Eden at best, but other than that, only Levi knew of that secret.

And this is where the murder method may come in. I’m still unsure. Because the only reason I can find for this amount of elaborate planning and brutality, beyond the BDA thing which I mentioned likely isn’t important, is the killer having a deep grudge against Arei.

Levi is a guy who cares about his family. Sure, he was disowned, but he claims it was good, because he and his family were ‘bad influences on each other’. He seems like he genuinely wants the best for his brothers, it just so happened that the best thing was going their separate ways.

So, how do you think he feels when he learns that Arei, someone who had already insulted and belittled him, calling him a pushover and stuff, did horrible things to her sisters? If he doesn’t have the full picture, it’s not impossible to see how that may make him angry at her, especially with his already established anger issues.

Not to mention, keep in mind the setup for the crime was done one night after the Nico - Ace incident, one which ends with Levi grumbling ‘why do I even bother?’ as he locks himself in his room. This could imply a complete loss of faith in the group in general, which could lead to him deciding to kill.

Of course, that theory has more holes in it than Swiss cheese. Levi’s outbursts of anger don’t really last long enough for it to explain such a long and elaborate murder scheme. Not to mention, if he really did react negatively to the motive, he’d have done it the moment he received it, not several days later. He has murdered without remorse before, if his secret is to be believed, but until we get the specifics, we can’t know for sure how okay he’d be doing something like this.

However, the important question Levi as the culprit answers isn’t the ‘why?’, but the ‘how?’.

I’ve sorta glossed over it until now, but it would take quite a bit of strength to stop the spinny thing in the trick. I don’t think Levi’s the only one capable of it, but he’s certainly the most capable, if that makes sense. Not to mention, actually overpowering Arei in the first place wouldn’t exactly be easy. Plus, the ball of clothes being involved implicates him in a meta-sense, as it could technically count as his talent being involved in the murder.

The problem, of course, is that I have no definitive evidence. His custom weapon, brass knuckles, wasn’t involved at all, and there’s no way to place him at any of the important scenes. No one has an alibi for nighttime, no one has an alibi for 7:30 AM, and pretty much no one has an alibi for the Eden - Arturo - Arei incident (afternoon of the day of Nico’s attempted murder, when for now we only know Hu, David, Nico and Teruko where talking in the Relaxation Room. Though of course, the exact time is impossible to know).

I suspect he’s going to be suspected for the motive and the strength thing, and either someone will come up with something incriminating, or he’ll make a slip-up a la Mondo. I have no idea.

So… what did we learn?

Kinda nothing. As you can see, the murder method doesn’t really point to a killer in any definitive way, so we’re just back where we started, basically. But hey! It was fun! I guess.

Now, back to crying over the hiatus. See you!

[hjparisian]

make a wish- harry j potter x reader

p: harry j potter x reader (she/her pronouns) w: kinda deep, mainly fluffy, not proof read summary: it's (y/n)'s birthday but it doesn't feel like it. she doesn't want to celebrate it as it is a reminder that she's growing up and is getting older. boyfriend harry (and the rest of her friends) are determined to remind her it's still a special day. a/n: its my birthday today and this is based on my own feelings of getting older. sorry for not actively posting as much, i haven't had much motivation but will hopefully get back soon as i have so much planned out including a harry x reader book for a different platform

It was a special day, and no, not Christmas. It was (Y/N)'s birthday. But to (Y/N), it just felt like any other day. As the years keep going by, her birthday just felt less special. With the end of the school year slowly coming, (Y/N) realized that her youth is slipping away, nearing the stages of adulthood but not feeling prepared.

(Y/N) walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, fellow students wishing her a happy birthday as she walked towards the Gryffindor table where she'd eat with the rest of her friends. She began piling some fruit onto her plate when she saw Hermione and Ron sit down in front of her.

"Happy birthday (Y/N)" the two said to her. "I can't believe you're getting older," Ron points out

"Thank you," she said with a sour smile. "Where's Harry?" She asks wanting to divert from the reminder that she's another year older as well as wondering where her boyfriend is.

"He's still getting ready, he overslept a bit," Hermione told the girl.

Right after she said that, the subject in question rushed over to the group, taking a seat next to the birthday girl.

"Sorry I'm a bit late," Harry told his friends as he piles food on his plate. He looks over to his lovely girlfriend and kisses her cheek. "Happy birthday love!"

"Thank you Harry," (Y/N) says.

"How does it feel to be another year older?" asks Harry. "Are you planning on doing something big today? Fred and George could probably get food over to the common room and we can have a big party for you?"

As interesting as it sounds to (Y/N), she really had no plans. The day no longer felt special now that she's getting closer to adulthood. What was the point of celebrating something that no longer makes her excited?

Losing her appetite from these thoughts, she decided to leave, wanting some alone time. "I think don't wanna do anything. I should go now, I need to grab something from my dorm." She quickly left the hall, leaving her half filled plate behind.

Ron looks at her fading figure, slightly confused. "That's kind of odd," he points out. "Is she okay?"

"I hope so," Hermione says. "But she usually isn't like this. She was so excited last year. I'm worried."

Harry was worried too. He always wanted to ensure the happiness of his lover. He had to find out what was clouding (Y/N)'s mind and try to cheer her up.

"What if we throw her a surprise party?" Ron says. "Everyone likes surprises."

"Not everyone enjoys surprises, Ronald," Hermione huffs out. "It isn't a bad idea though. And like Harry said, we can use the twins help. We can invite her friends to the Gryffindor common room. What do you think Harry?"

"It's not a bad idea. But I want to check on her to see if she's alright," He says.

"Well you're going to have to wait until later. Class is going to start soon," Hermione said.

Unfortunately Harry had to wait til after classes to have a proper chat with (Y/N) since all the classes they had together decided to be busy so there was no time for them to chat. Didn't help that in half of them they don't even sit by each other.

The moment classes ended, Harry went to find (Y/N), dragging her to his dorm.

"Harry where are we going?"

"My dorm."

Harry opens the door to his shared room, closing it behind (Y/N). He drops his stuff beside his bed and goes over to his girlfriend and gives her the biggest hug, which she returns.

"Are you okay love? You don't seem excited today." He hears her sigh, cracking open her true emotions. He brings her to his bed to lay down, wrapping his arms around her as she lays her head on his shoulder.

(Y/N) began to speak."I don't know, its just, its kinda of dumb."

"Whatever you're feeling is not dumb (Y/N)," Harry tells her.

(Y/N) could feel the tears trying to build up in her eyes. "Well my birthday just doesn't feel special anymore, it just feels like another day. I feel like it's just a reminder that I'm almost an adult now and I have to start figuring my life out. Graduation is coming closer and closer and after that, we're all going to go chase our dreams and who knows if we will be in contact. I just wish we were still first years exploring Hogwarts for the first time. I miss being a little kid and having no worries. I'm not ready to get older Harry."

Harry shifts his body to face her, and giving her a kiss on her lips before responding.

"(Y/N), it's okay to feel like this. What you're feeling is completely valid. Growing up is scary, but it means new experiences to try. We still have a lot of time. You don't need to grow up yet and you don't have to have your life situated right now. Sirius told me to live in the present. If we spent too much time worrying about the future we will forget to live in the moment." Harry pauses for a second. "I promise you that we will all still be in contact together. Hermione and Ron could never forget you. I could never forget you. If anything, Ron and I already planned to get houses right next to each other so we will always be together."

Harry leans over and opens his bedside table, pulling out a small box and hands it to (Y/N).

"This is one of your gifts. Open it," Harry tells her.

(Y/N) removes the wrapping and opens up the small box. Inside it was a ring. It was simple, but it was beautiful. She puts it on her ring finger. It was a perfect fit.

"It's a promise ring," said Harry. "To prove that I will always be right by your side. That I promise to love and take care of you even after Hogwarts. I see a future with us (Y/N), and I don't plan on letting go of you."

The tears in (Y/N)'s eyes filled up again, but for a happier reason. She wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and pulled him into a big kiss.

"I love you so much Harry," She tells him. "You're the most amazing person ever."

Harry smiles at her. "I love you too (Y/N). Don't make your self grow up yet. You're perfect just how you are."

(Y/N) smiles back at Harry. The one man who validated her feelings, telling her it's okay to feel what she feels, who comforted her. Birthdays don't have to be a reminder that she's getting old, rather, it should be a day to celebrate life. She doesn't have to force herself to be an adult yet. Will these thoughts continue to plague her head from time to time? Yes, but it will all be okay. She just has to remind herself to live in the moment and enjoy life.

"So," (Y/N) began. "You said this was one of my presents. What about the other?"

"Oh we'll come back right here for it." Harry winks at (Y/N) causing her to blush. "But first, there's something else waiting for you." Harry takes (Y/N)'s hand and brings her out the dorm.

"Gonna need you to close your eyes," Harry tells her.

"Why?"

"Just do it. Please? I promise I won't let you trip and fall."

(Y/N) closed her eyes. Harry held her hand as he guided her down the stairs to the common room.

"Alright, you can open your eyes now love."

As (Y/N) opened her eyes, she sees a bunch of people jumping out from behind furniture.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY (Y/N)!"

The common room was decorated in streamers and confetti. A sign hanged in the middle of one of the walls saying "Happy Birthday (Y/N)!" All of her friends from every house was here, to celebrate her.

Hermione and Ron came up to her and gave her a hug. Fred and George were right behind them with a big cake with candles.

"Make a wish!" The twins said.

(Y/N) thought for a moment. I wish to just enjoy my life with the people I love the most.

She blows out her candles, everyone cheering.

"What did you wish for?!" Someone in the crowd asks.

(Y/N) chuckles before letting her answer slip. "This!"

Fred and George helped pass pieces of the cake around. Harry went closer to (Y/N), placing his arm around her waist and gave her a kiss.

"Happy birthday (Y/N)."

[socstudies]

Hi, as someone who is going to be in their first year of college this fall, I'm curious about the note taking part

Is physical or digital note taking easier?

Is spending money on a laptop nessesary?

What is something you wish you would've done differently during your first year?

Do you have any advice?

If by any chance you see this, your blog and your aesthetic are amazing!

I'm wishing you a wonderful day/night.

If you do decide to reply, thank you in advance <3

helloo! sorry for the late reply & thank u for the ask! :)

ive tried both and i think i prefer handwritten notes, however they both have their pros and cons:

handwritten pros

proven to be better for retaining information

can't get distracted by other tabs

lighter to carry

costs less than a laptop

i've had some classes where we weren't allowed to use laptops so it's good to already be used to taking notes this way

cons:

much slower. sometimes i find im missing stuff and i have to go back to it at the end

have to print out diagrams etc if u want to include them

could possibly lose them, spill something etc

not enough space on desk for both laptop and notebook so u can't get slides up or google something

digital pros:

much quicker

easier to organise & pull up different notes at any time - u don't need to carry around or find older notebooks to be able to study or refer back to past classes

some people make notes directly onto the slides which u would have to print out if u wanted to do by hand

can also use for research and writing essays which u will need a computer for at some point so might as well do everything in one place

cons:

expensive

more stressful if u lose or break it

if u forget to charge it and u don't have paper .......

this upcoming year, im using a combination. most of the time i'll handwrite my notes, but for classes where they talk too quickly i'll type them (it's not worth the stress & extra time having to go back to recordings after). my notes for readings will be annotated straight onto the pdf. i'll be taking pictures of notes to put them all together.

---

unfortunately, i think it is because you'll need computer access to research and write ur essays, as well as to find course information etc. HOWEVER some universities (most?) have laptops that u can borrow and computers in the library, so if u know that you'll be motivated enough to get up and do all of ur work on campus, you could save this cost - bare in mind when u move off campus after first year it might be even harder. definitely look into this if cost is an issue for you! it doesn't need to be a fancy one if u do buy a laptop though, just remember u'll be carrying it around so don't get a super heavy one!

---

as for something i wish i'd done differently: as a sociology student, none of my classes have exams where i have to memorise things, instead it's all essay based. this led me to not 'study' i guess ??? like the stuff that i wrote my essays on, i knew like the back of my hand, but everything else i couldn't remember well. so if ur taking an essay based subject, remember that u still need to study a little & remember these things !! i was so overwhelmed tbh that i forgot about this oopsie!

---

extra advice:

when people say that after u skip one class, u'll skip the rest THEY. MEAN. IT. literally try so hard not to miss class bc you will never go again if u do. my classes would start off with not enough seats for everybody and end up with just a handful of us by the end of term.....

make time for urself !! it can become all consuming, especially if u live on campus, but pls make some dedicated time away from studying !!

u will find ur friends eventually. pls remember that it won't last or be that fun if u stick with friends who u don't have that much in common with just bc they were the first u met. tell me why i was going to bars and clubs with people in first term bc that;s what they wanted to do ????? it's ok to move onto different people bc u will eventually get tired of doing these things u don't like just to be able to hang out with people !! now i go to bookstores and cafes with my new friends and i love it!! don't settle !!

[sabrecrane]

Feedback

By far the hardest thing I have ever had to do and experience in my uni degree is workshopping. It's needed of course and certainly incredibly helpful but when you're a very reserved person who prefers keeping things to yourself it can feel like a nightmare. Unfortunately, it's something I'm having to face as much as I hate to do so.

I attended a lecture today ran by a lecturer who is also a fiction writer and she brought up many good points that I'm going to share here. During the lecture she had us access a website where we were asked to answer a couple of questions and I'm going to share a few of them and my answers below.

What motivates you to write?

Reading stories that don't necessarily focus on a specific subject I wished it focused on such as dragons, etc as a main plot point. Knowing I have the ability to make the stories I wished were out there encourages me to develop my skills as a writer.

Describe what it's like for you to sit and write something

It's a chance to wind down and reconnect with fragments of myself that I gave to my characters. An odd sense of therapy I guess.

Do you have a daily writing practice? What does it involved?

I write a bit as soon as I wake up even if it's just outlining a chapter. Then after I've done my stuff for the day I sit down and write from 6pm to 12am sometimes later. I like to get at least seven A4 pages written.

Now you're probably wondering why I shared these questions from my lecture with you and the short answer is, I think it's important to reflect on your skills as a writer. Writing means different things for everyone and every writer has their own motivations, dreams, and stories they wish to get across. But to even be able to do this you need to be able to accept criticism and feedback in general.

Something I found incredibly reassuring was when we were asked how confident we felt about sharing our writing with others ninety percent of my class had admitted they didn't feel confident at all. We were also asked how confident we felt about giving feedback on other people's work and these results were more mixed. Some were afraid they would be too critical and hurt the writer's feelings while others were confident in giving criticism but not receiving it themself.

In response to this my lecturer brought up some really helpful points:

When I had a beta reader they were so scared of telling me what they thought I should improve on that they ended up complimenting a lot more than giving criticism. This helped me feel confident but at the same time I wasn't getting the criticism I think I needed. Eventually though, they brought up a section of my story where I dove into a backstory of a character. Instead of saying it wasn't necessary, they asked if I thought it was necessary. And I thought about it and ultimately decided that it was fundamental to the story and insisted the plot wouldn't make sense without it otherwise. As a writer you know your plot in and out and ultimately, criticism is there for you to pick and take. While my beta reader thought the book was strong enough to work without the backstory, I disagreed and felt it was necessary to add. After I explained my reasoning, they understood and let it be.

Feedback is necessary as a writer. Without it, you can't sharpen your skills and your beta readers are more likely to capture little plot holes or odd sounding paragraphs than you would be because they are reading your work for the first time.

At the end of the day, this is your story. Try your best to not let criticism discourage you. You know your plot and your characters, feedback is there for you to pick at and either accept or dismiss.

I can't believe I didn't cover such an important topic sooner. Unless I already have and forgotten. Anyway, I hope this helps all of you! Happy writing!

[system-of-a-feather]

Re-establishing Baseline Plan

Since moving, I've (completely understandably and expectedly) had my baseline kinda fucked (did not help by with financial stress + job incompatibility + ear infection + really bad post ear infection cold + probable norovirus in literally one month) and so I've been really overloaded, stressed, and just in a place of mostly survival mode where most of my energy is focused on maintaining my mental and physical state in the easiest manners possible

I have been holding up well all things considered and have set up for a probably more compatible job + my fiance has managed to get a job again that he feels will probably work out well for him and I have at least like a week off between jobs to reorientate myself

So to take a good and active effort to make the best of this time, I want to make a plan to set myself up for success. I actually do this every so often when I really need to pick myself up (historically Lucille would usually do it but pros of being basically fully integrated is that I am Lucille as well as me) and I figured it would be a neat thing to display and demonstrate here cause I'd end up making it *anyways* so why not share with the class

If anyone likes this, yall can borrow it ^^

-----

Question One: What current coping skills and hobbies am I currently doing and trying with my time? Are they affective and would I like to change them?

Art, Drawing, Character Design, Art Fight Prep, Story Planning and Writing

This is one of the easiest and most reliable positive coping mechanisms and has gotten me through the majority of the month mostly on it's own. Compared to other coping mechanisms, this one is almost always something I can drag myself to do or at least ask someone to supervise me to make sure I do it when I feel I need some sort of self care. It serves greatly as an alternative when I find that I am doing maladaptive coping that I would rather not do and when in doubt, it has access to some level of social engagement should I feel I need that. With that being said, having relied largely on this for a month, this is suffering diminishing returns and starting to lead to general lack of inspiration and so diversification from this coping mechanism would be ideal

Weekend Gym Trips

This is actually a really good way for me to release energy, give myself space and time to think, and just feel better moving and existing in my body. It also mandates time for me to listen to music and serves a meditative purpose. That said, I have only been doing this on Saturdays and only once on Sunday and I would like to expand that to be at least 3 times a week or at least more spaced out.

Reading Semi Regularly

This is a new habit and coping I picked up and its actually really good! It provides a unique sense of calm when I need it. Unfortunately I've started to drop off the past week due to general stress and illness, so I think its important to return to this. Perhaps set a general goal of "every other day" rather than every day to lessen the pressure.

Video Games

This was helpful but lately I have been not motivated to play anything and I believe its been burnt out. I think it would be good to resume this but it is currently impractical to force at the moment until overall wellness has returned.

TV with Boy

This is helpful but unforunately nothing seems to interest either of us to watch right now. (cri life is hard /lh)

Board Games with Boy

This is a new one and has actually been very nice. That said, it isn't always available and dependent on my fiance's ability to have the energy, time and interest to play them, particularly since I know he is less interested in board games than me. It is good to maintain the interest and offer, but not a coping skill to become reliant on.

Question Two: What sorts of things that I am currently not doing do I know tend to define behaviors, habits, hobbies, and interests that are done when I am out of survival mode and genuinely enjoying life?

Regular Birding, Particularly with Peers

Interest in watching anything on my own, youtube, TV shows, etc

Engagement in Music, Particularly my Musical Instruments

Engagement in Exploration and just independent travels without individuals

Engagement and interest in occasionally reaching out to Buddhist environments

Producing art work for the story that is more developed and inspired rather than "quick" or "reference" focused - actually focusing on the creative and artistic expression rather than the practical expression

Increased social circle communication irl beyond my online bestie, fiance, and online friend group chat; reaching out to individuals and developing new irl friendships

Question Three: Which of those hobbies do I think could be the most reasonable and easy to meet sooner than later (even better if I can make steps to start that right now / today)? In what ways could I make steps to make those first changes and help set myself up for success on expanding my engagement with life beyond survival mode?

Interest in watching anything on my own, youtube, TV shows, etc

While I am not extensively motivated in any manner to watch anything in particular, I am starting to randomly get a lot of bleach related stuff on my youtube and I have been meaning to watch TYBW arc. I have been postponing it because of arbitrary "I wanna read the manga first" and just general other excuses, but realistically those are putting up barriers that I may not get to at this rate and currently I could just use something I'm somewhat interested in to give me some independent relaxing engagement. I think I can set the goal of actually watching Bleach TYBW at least an episode a day starting either today or tomorrow and see if that can bring a momentum and habit into actually being able to watch things that interest me on my own.

Engagement in Music, Particularly my Musical Instruments

I can probably actually take my violin back out. The guitar would probably be better but for whatever reason I feel that my brain thinks that would require more - for a lack of better word - work, so I think I can at least try to find time this week to at least play a little bit of my violin.

Regular Birding, Particularly with Peers + "increased social irl connection [...]"

I can reach out and text my new irl birding connections to see if they are interested; if not I can at least plan to take a birding trip later

Engagement in Buddhist Stuff

I know there is an area I've been thinking of visiting that has free english services on Tuesday, I can make plans to go there that day, particularly since my Fiance should be working for the first day then anyways.

Question Four: What are additional goals and check points that we would like to try to bring us closer to the life style that we know tends to support a thriving mental state and life satisfaction rather than one of survival?

Independent Travels

During the time I have, I can keep in mind this goal and if I have down time think of potentially interesting and alternative places to go to explore; additionally I can plan birding trips to places I have not yet checked out.

Increased Social IRL Connection

It is dependent on if my now-ex-coworker still is interested, but I can follow up and see if we want to still play board games; if not I think potential more ways to reach out will be more viable to plan once a higher level of baseline is established; potentially see if there are any in person DnD groups around that I could make a habit of going to or any martial art dojos that we can afford

More Inspired Art

I think this is something that will come with time between lessening the burn out of my current art-as-a-coping mechanism goal as well as actually engaging in more media and independent interests as to gain more inspiration.

Question Five: Summarize the Key Points and Plans Discussed in This into a Bullet Points of Take Aways

Modifying Current Coping:

Diversify and lean off of using art as a main coping mechanism; give that one a break

Attempt to go to the gym more frequently or at least space it out more throughout the week

Continue reading; lessen the ideal to every other day in case demand pressure is adversely affecting it

Keep an open interest in playing board games with fiance

Changes I Want To Make Soon:

Start watching Bleach TYBW w/ at least one episode a day

Bring out my violin and try to at least play with it for one hour this week

Reach out to new bird peers to see if they want to plan a birding trip sometime, if not then plan one independently

Make plans to go to that place on Tuesday for the open Buddhist service

Changes to Keep an Eye Out For:

Opportunities to go somewhere new randomly for no particular reason or goal in mind other than to just see whats around us

Spoons and time availability to see out places to expand our irl social circles

Inspiration for art in general

Question Six: Set for Regular Follow Ups to Check Progress

Isn't tumblr's queue / schedule function super neat for this

[hongluboobs]

book reader i have a copy of dream of the red chamber (volume 1) that ive been trying to get through for over a year how do i motivate myself to finish it

I'm recently coming out of a half a year ish period of not reading very much so trust me when I say the lack of motivation comes for us all. I think I have some tips for how to motivate reading in general+ some for DOTRC specifically :)

(Real quick, I assume because you mentioned a volume 1 you're talking about the Hawkes-David translation published by Penguin in five volumes under the name 'The Story of The Stone'. This is the translation I read through, and it's the one I see recommended most to english speakers looking for an enjoyable reading experience, so to any other prospective readers of this novel I HIGHLY recommend reading this translation as opposed to any other ones. I don't know if I need to say this or if it's well-known to seek out that version, but because Hong Lu's canto is coming up I want to make sure anyone interested in reading through the source material can have the best experience possible with it👍)

It's important to remember that reading is a hobby, and the best way to keep going with it is to make it a habit. Unfortunately, this means forcing yourself to read sometimes, but it comes easier the more you do it. The trick is: it doesn't have to be a lot of reading.

The hard part for me is really just picking up the book and starting to read. Normally with books I like to set a goal of a chapter or so per day, but because this book has longer chapters that wasn't always feasible for me, especially if I had stuff to do. But once I had the book in my hands and started reading I would usually go above my goal I had set :)

Last year a lot of my DOTRC reading was done while I was waiting in line for things, getting/eating food, waiting on the bus, or killing time between classes/during boring lectures (I don't know if I'd advise that last one). This is moreso once you get in the rhythm of things, though.

Another tip is sometimes the format is the thing to stop me. I don't know if you're reading from a physical book or an ipad/kindle/etc or a computer or what, but sometimes I read better on my laptop than other things because it's Always Around. Sometimes I don't feel like grabbing a book or I don't have it with me, but my laptop's already open and I'm bored so maybe I'll do a little bit of reading instead of scrolling social medias. Lately, i've been jumping between my laptop and kindle for reading (laptop for convenience, kindle for portability and reading before bed at night) but I've gone between physical books and digital devices before. (If you want the epub versions of dotrc, I'd be willing to share them as well. The only difficulty is page numbers change between reading formats so I can only really switch at the start of chapters or if I skim to where I last was.

Something that saved me while reading DOTRC specifically (as well as other sinner books) was having a place I could discuss/"liveblog" the book. These books can get LONG and the reading experience varies from "really interesting and compelling" to "oh my godddd I do not need 20 pages of Outdated Whale Facts right now". (no offense to Moby Dick. I'm only slandering that one because I read the whole thing and in spite of enjoying it I understand why there are SO many abridged versions around.) It's kind of just the classic lit experience to deal with these types of things, but it's a lot more tolerable to me if you can talk to other people about it.

When I read DOTRC I didn't have anyone else reading with me, but just having a place to tell people about all the things that happen in this book helped me to keep track of events and characters. It also motivated me to keep reading so I could tell The People what happened next. Having someone else read with me would probably have helped as well, but it's hard to sell people on reading a 5-volume behemoth of a novel with so much stuff in it it has it's own field of study dedicated to it.

You can really yap anywhere. I have a channel in my Limbus Discord dedicated to the books so I don't drive everyone insane with my rambling and it seems to have helped some of my friends get through some of the other books as well so I think this method is a pretty solid success? You could also pretty easily do it just in someone's DMs if they're already familiar with the book (this has the bonus of them potentially being able to clarify things for you and help you get a deeper understanding of the book) or even yapping on a tumblr sideblog or empty notes doc or something.

So TL;DR:

Picking up the book is the hardest part. Reading a little is better than not reading at all.

Subjecting your friends to this book will make it easier to keep going :)

Also: for Dream of the Red Chamber specifically: the book starts slow. I don't know how far in you are, but so many people drop it early. I started reading it during a 12-ish hour car ride and that might've been the play because i can see people getting bored during the first few chapters. It definitely picks up though, so trust me when I say it gets a lot easier to read as you keep going. Chapter 5 is an incredibly interesting chapter, and from there I find things pick up and start going faster. (It helps that chapter 5 is pretty relevant for the direction I think Limbus is going to take canto 8 in!) The later volumes were able to go by a lot faster for me than the earlier ones as well.

This is a long ass book, but it's gonna be a while before Hong Lu's canto drops and we get to Witness that Surrender. Or Surrender that Witness. I'm not actually sure. But regardless, you've got plenty of time to get through it, even if you're a slower reader or don't have much time to dedicate to reading. Steady progress is the name of the game for stuff like this.

Worst case, you've killed a bunch of time during the wait for Hong Lu's canto (because oh boy, I have a feeling this one's gonna be a wait) and you are able to gain a better appreciation for canto 8 by understanding some of the nicher bits of how it adapts stuff from the source.

Best case, you really enjoy reading it and end up like a bunch of the Hong Lu fans I know who were permanently changed by reading this book and started reading scholarly analysis of it for fun (or start seeking out every adaptation of it you can find, or read the book 5 times over... I am coming to realize this book does something to people.)

This book is legitimately incredibly good, even outside the context of me reading it because I was very invested in that beautiful cyan freak from a game I like. I might not have been able to get through it without Limbus providing me the push to keep going on days where I really didn't want to read, but it's a legitimate interest of mine now I will seek out information on regardless of its connection to Limbus! Trust me when I say it's worth getting through even if it feels hard or tedious.

(and if it helps- a solid amount of the stuff I feel is most likely to be Limbus relevant happens near the end of the book. There's so much in this book so things that could be relevant are scattered throughout almost all of it, but I've been picking up so many end of the book vibes from stuff we've seen lately. so you've got to get there!!)

[simpforjesus]

The Wizard’s beloved Bard

Rolan x my Tav

Please forgive any grammar or spelling mistakes, the brain rot is demanding I get this out now! Lol

I really want Rolan to be romanceable eventually, he has so much potential for an awesome romance story!! It’s probably not going to happen, unfortunately, but I still want to share the character I’d use. Hopefully, I’ll motivate myself to write a full story about these two, I love them so much!

This is Ella, short for Eleanor, she is a Tiefling bard who is very kind and VERY dramatic and lover of fairy tales, like the classic knight saves the princess stories. She is always thinking of new ballads to write in the style of those fairy tales. There are times where she’ll get a bit too caught up in the story and do or things that in the moment would make for a good story, but later she sometimes regrets because, well real life doesn't work like fairy tales. She really is very kind and wants to help as many people as she can though, she's been working on saving that dramatic side of her for performances.

Her parents are human Nobles in Baldur’s Gate, two of the few humans who don't care at all that their daughter is a tiefling, she's their daughter and they love her very much. When she discovered her love for music and storytelling and expressed her desire to be a bard, her parents fully supported her! Yay! She went to the College of Lore.

Just before the events of the game, she had just finished her bard education and decided to start traveling the world looking for adventure. She was just saying goodbye to her parents when the Mindflayer ship attacked.

I'd imagine when she first meets Rolan she immediately wants to get to know him and his siblings. (She’s really good at reading people, so she can tell he’s a nice person underneath that grumpy face )

She’d greatly admire his intelligence, ambitions, and fierce love for his family.

When they meet at the Last Light Inn, she feels guilty for Cal and Lia getting taken to moonrise and promises to get them back but of course Rolan is ticked and having none of it, he does his angry rant on how it’s Ella’s fault for getting Cal and Lia to play hero. How she is a noble, who got everything handed to her on a golden plate so how could she possibly understand their suffering and how to help them and he will be the one saving his siblings! Ella of course is hurt by this but goes to save Cal and Lia anyway.

I imagine Rolan being a bit jealous of Ella’s childhood, not only does she have human parents that love her despite being a tiefling, but she was also born a noble. Meanwhile, him possibly abandoned by his human parents(my favorite headcanon). Then Him, Cal, and Lia have to deal with the struggles of being lower-class Tieflings in Elturel(personal headcanon) the descent and the aftermath. Ya, I can totally see him being jealous.

Anyway, after she saves Cal and Lia, he actually begins to think of her as a possible friend but he really starts liking her when she gives Him and his siblings a letter that will not only get them into the city super quickly(she knows how the city will treat refugees) but is also her asking her parents if they can stay at their manor for awhile if needed. Rolan is shocked by this! A noble using her power to help common folk and not for her own gain?!😦

Not only does it work when they get to Baldur’s Gate but Ella’s Parents work behind the scenes to get the rest of the refugees in the city and offer jobs to any that can't find any!

While he’s “studying” under Lorroakan, he finds he can't stop thinking about her, or what it would be like to kiss her. Wait what?!

When they meet again at Sorcerous Sundries, they are delighted to see each other (Rolan secretly so) but Ella’s smile falls as soon as she sees the bruises on his face. Screw political consequences! Grab Dame Aylin, Lorroakan is dying tonight!! After Rolan becomes the Master of the tower, Ella makes sure to stop by often just to spend time with Rolan(and Cal and Lia but mostly Rolan), Rolan looks forward to her visits and he finally starts to fall in love with her.

When the battle against the elder brain draws near, Rolan confesses his feelings for her, which she reciprocates, and begs her to promise to come back to him alive! Ella, promises to come back to him, but only if he promises to save their first kiss for after the battle, because the story always ends with true love's kiss. Rolan, both annoyed and amused, agrees.

So when she walks through the doors of Sorcerous Sundries, supporting poor Astarion, Rolan gives her a happily ever after by running toward her, picking her up, spinning her around and finally the two share their first kiss! They say soon after everyone in Baldur’s Gate heard the tale of how Lady Eleanor found her Prince Charming, her one true love, Rolan!

And Cal and Lia won a bet against her companions on how long it would take for them to get together!! XD

[hoes4hoseok]

how you get the girl part i: nightwing’s guardian angels

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your neighbor, heeseung, gets on your nerves. he’s full of himself, makes more noise than all of your neighbors combined in the middle of the night, spreads anti-superhero propaganda in your political science class, and, unfortunately, is the most attractive man you have ever laid eyes on.

pairing :: lee heeseung x fem!reader featuring :: jake sim, jeon somi, kim sunoo, and more! genres/au’s :: superhero au, neighbors to lovers, enemies to lovers, college au, fluff, angst if you squint, nightwing!heeseung chapter warnings :: mentions of and references to sex, minor violence, suggestive chapter word count :: 3k tag list (open!) :: @thejjrl @grace1852 @tsunchani @hanniiesuckle17 @mjr4fnaf1997 @goldenhypen @3nh4luvr @hobistigma @ditzy-e @nomy0520 @woniewhite @koroktsuya author’s note :: prior knowledge of nightwing and DC comics is not necessary to read this work! also ty to @lethekoo for all your help :) playlist :: here’s to you

so…long time no see ('_') honestly i really never thought i’d return to this as of a few months ago, but my new writing class really has me feeling motivated! so i’m back :) i find it really funny that this chapter was supposed to come out march 31st of last year but HEY at least i’m back 🤧 anyways, i changed the prologue a little bit so you might wanna look over it again before reading this but TY TY TY FOR READING LOVE YA

1. Sincerity It matters what you do when you don’t think she’s looking. She can tell whether or not your heart is in the right place.

TWO DAYS LATER…

Heeseung was tired. It was 6 am. He had only just gotten home. His body ached from the particularly strenuous night, and yet all he could think about was 1. having to go to class again in a matter of hours and 2. the fact that someone was knocking on his door at the crack of dawn. “Be there in a second,” Heeseung groaned, peeling his suit off before quickly pulling on his pajamas.

Heeseung winced a little seeing Y/n standing at his door from the peephole. He was in no mood to be reprimanded, let alone interrogated. The whole ‘pretend you’re having sex’ cover was Jake’s idea, of course—and it was not working. It just gave his prickly neighbor a reason to be mad at (and potentially suspicious of) him. 

Seriously, he had stamina, but not that damn much.

Which is why he needed a new cover as soon as possible. And why he needed to open the door right that second.

“I know, I know, no sex, no fun, whatever,” he puffed as the door swung open.

Y/n smiled, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “Oh, it’s alright, I slept fine,”

He could tell she hadn’t slept a wink. The circles under her eyes were the biggest giveaway. Nevertheless, she was fully dressed, woolen hat in her hand. Why was she lying?  

She wanted something. 

Heeseung had two options: turn her away and get some sleep, risking being reported (as she threatened every night but never seemed to do), or help her. He chose the latter. His brain would hate him for it later.

“Okay…so what do you want? Why are you knocking at this hour?” He asked, rubbing his shoulder.

Y/n met his gaze. Heeseung could tell from her hesitance that he was the last person she wanted to talk to right now. But alas, here she was.

“Do you happen to have a printer in your apartment?”

Heeseung heaved a sigh of relief upon realizing that the task didn’t require leaving his apartment or donating a pint of his blood (it’s happened before!) “Yeah, I do,”

“Do you mind if I use it real quick?” Y/n scooted straight past him, “The print center doesn’t open for an hour and I need to get this draft to the Scoop before then,” she explained, looking around the room cautiously. Honestly, for a woman who thought her neighbor was a sex addict, Heeseung didn’t blame her for expecting his place to be something of a sex dungeon.

“Sure,” he closed the door behind her, “just send me the file on my school email,”

“Thanks. I already did,” Heeseung tilted his head in amusement at her confidence, “I was really counting on you letting me use your printer, I knew you had one. Figured you owed me a night of your sleep,” Y/n grinned as she walked around the room.

“Well, I can’t argue with that,” he replied, opening his laptop as he stood by his desk, “I’m sorry, it’s just that we usually can’t meet at her place.”

Y/n froze in place, turning her head toward the man with a smirk on her face. “Hold on…‘her’ singular?”

“Yup, my girlfriend,” Heeseung looked up briefly to confirm before looking back to his computer, “she lives with her dad, so that makes it kind of hard to spend time at her place,”

Heeseung’s jaw tensed up. He didn’t like bending the truth, but it came with the job.

“Ooh, exciting! What’s her name?” Y/n inquired, scurrying over to Heeseung as he received the printout.

“None of your business, hon’” Heeseung sneered, placing the freshly printed article against her chest. “Anyways, debt repaid. Take it,”

Y/n groaned, “you’re no fun. It’s like our late-night exchanges mean nothing to you,”

“Yeah, yeah,” Heeseung sighed sarcastically, “I appreciate it so much when you look for an excuse to talk to me every night!”

Y/n blinked repeatedly in surprise. Fuck. Heeseung messed up. Was she offended?

To his relief, Y/n just scoffed as she walked past him. “Well, thanks anyways,”

“Anytime,” Heeseung replied as he turned around, “...but not really. Don’t come again unless I owe you another favor,”

“I don’t plan on it. See you in class. And please, don’t leave right at the beginning again, or else we’ll have to hear the ‘importance of attendance’ speech for the second time in the week,”

It took every shred of Heeseung’s willpower to not make a smart remark about how Y/n wanted to see him again, but he resisted. It would have been overcompensating.

Y/n was thrilled to hear about this new development in the Lee Heeseung saga—he had a girlfriend! This meant he had sex with the same girl for hours every night and this mystery girlfriend managed to arrive and leave without being seen by the neighbors. Impressive! She couldn’t wait to tell Somi. So, she didn’t. 

“He has a girlfriend?!” Somi exclaimed, sipping her morning coffee, “That’s insane!” 

The two of them met at the coffee shop outside Y/n’s building before class whenever they woke up early enough. Honestly, it wasn’t a common occurrence.

“Well, it’s not that insane, considering that the moans sound pretty similar every night,” Y/n reasoned, taking a bite of her bagel, “I guess I thought he had a super specific type? Now that I say it out loud, I’m surprised the girlfriend thing didn’t cross my mind earlier,”

Somi shrugged, “nope. The man seems like a fuckboy. I don’t blame you for jumping to conclusions. It’s not like you spread rumors about him,”

“True, I’m innocent,” Y/n let out an awkward laugh.

“So,” Somi rubbed her hands together in anticipation before picking up the small packet on the table, “how’s your advice piece going?”

“I came up with an idea!” Y/n beamed with pride, “I’m gonna write about five ways to win a woman’s heart. Or ‘get the girl’. They both sound a little misogynistic, but I’ll make it work,”

Somi waited a moment before replying, “...is that all you’ve got? A number?”

“Well, I have one idea that I wrote about for the first draft that I submitted today,” Y/n explained, “I tried to make it as universal as I could,”

“Go on, read it,”

“Sincerity,” she summarized the page she had typed, “none of the following tips matter unless you’re sincere. Women can tell if you’re just trying to do something to get in their pants—it’s imperative that you do these things because you care,”

“Well, it’s certainly true,” Somi nodded, “wording needs some adjustment, but good work,”

“My essay is already kicking my ass, having you in the mix will not help,” Y/n threw a playful punch at her friend’s shoulder. “Now tell me about the real article here. Got any new stuff on Nightwing?” 

“Nothing from the source himself, obviously,” Somi sighed, “I was kidding myself to think I could get a word in with him. I’m not even awake when he’s out. He was patrolling this morning from 3 AM to 5 AM according to the Nightwing subreddit,”

“You should pull an all-nighter next weekend,” Y/n joked, “maybe then you’d get him,”

“I really would if I didn’t have responsibilities to take care of during the day,” Somi groaned, “this article could make or break my career,”

“Well, what do you have?” Y/n asked, “We can start somewhere other than his personal account,”

Somi straightened up, opening her notebook on the coffee table, “I did find some info on the guy who wrote the slander article,”

“Ooh, okay,”

“Apparently, ‘Patrick Lumbard’ isn’t his name—I can’t find his real one yet, but I looked him up in the city records and there was nothing,” Somi wiggled her eyebrows, “but, according to the Scoop’s records, he got fired from his last job, yet he’s writing front-page articles after four months of being here!” 

“Watch out Lois Lane, here comes Jeon Somi,” Y/n giggled. “Nice job!”

“And here's the kicker—I looked up a digital archive of a 2003 article about our new boss, Mr. Kim, last week,” the blonde explained, “I took notes on it, but that doesn’t mean much because the article is gone. It isn’t in the records or online,”

“What?” Y/n furrowed her eyebrows as she took the last bite of her bagel.

“Yeah, I can't see why,” Somi continued, frustration seeping through her voice, “the article was pretty neutral; it just described his acquisition of an abandoned Wayne Enterprises project,”

“Weird. Wayne Enterprises is a little fishy if you ask me,” Y/n lied back in her chair, finishing off her drink. “Keep me posted. Good luck,”

“Of course,” Somi smiled, grabbing the trash from the table and tossing it in the bin beside her, “But I think you’ll need the luck for class with Heeseung,”

“You see, these vigilantes, particularly this Nightwing guy, is doing nothing for Bludhaven,” the professor claimed, removing his glasses, “they spread fear and undermine our police,”

Y/n took pride in the fact that typically, her professors liked her. Sure, sometimes her grades wavered, but she was a well-favored student. But then, in a way-too-hot room with 30 students all facing the center, that track record was at risk.

“I disagree,”

Jake. Before Monday, Y/n had never expected him to be in this class—but she had never been happier to hear his voice than now.

“Well…this is a discussion,” the man replied, “explain your stance, Mr. Sim,”

“I think he’s helping us out,” Jake shrugged. “Sure, ideally, we wouldn’t need him to save us every night, but we do. Before Nightwing got here, this city wasn’t safe for any of us,”

Whew. And Y/n didn’t have to say a word! 

“How do we know that he has our best interest at heart?”

“That’s a good point, young man,” Professor Jung pointed towards the seat adjacent to Jake’s where…Lee Heeseung sat. Of course. As if Y/n didn’t have enough reasons to dislike him. Screw him and his t-shirt for knowing the professor would crank the heat up way too high. What was even worse is that he did have a point.

“We don’t know,” Y/n piped in, the already hot room feeling even more stuffy as she stared lasers into Heeseung, “But look at Gotham and how much Batman has improved the overall safety and morale of the city—maybe it’s worth the risk if Nightwing could do something similar here,”

“People being above the power of law enforcement is dangerous,” Heeseung countered, staring right back at the woman across from him. 

‘Hold on…was that a condescending smirk on his face? Right now?’ Y/n was pissed. The lack of sleep was catching up to her.

“Yeah but—” Y/n cut Jake off before he could even start.

“The rich already are,” Y/n scoffed, “and if law enforcement can’t serve us all, maybe heroes that do are exactly what we need,”

“And with that, our discussion comes to a close,” Professor Jung interjected, “we started too late to have a full-blown debate, sorry about that. Great job, everyone,”

Y/n was proud of herself for countering the word of the professor and formulating her argument so fast. She could not, however, understand what she did that was so worthy of ridicule that Jake started giggling the moment class was dismissed.

The nap. It was the best part of Y/n’s day ever since Lee Heeseung and his girlfriend started having sex in her building. Even if she wished it could restore her life free of consequences, it could not. 

The first problem it brought was that she always woke up feeling like she had just gotten off a 10-hour flight. The better the nap was, the more this rang true.

And, as expected, the second consequence was that it made her sleep schedule even more irregular than it already was. Usually, when she couldn’t sleep later in the night because of Heeseung, Y/n would put in her earbuds and hope for the best. But on the nights that she snuck in a nap? Hopeless.

Tonight was one of those nights. The lights were off, the moans were louder than ever, and she was wide awake. Somehow, knowing Heeseung had a girlfriend made the noise even more unbearable. A little. She wouldn’t be able to tell you why if you asked. Regardless, she needed air.

Usually, Y/n would have been smart enough to not go walking alone in the middle of the night in Bludhaven. She’s no idiot. But she had pepper spray and a fairly strong taser on hand. She was going to be fine. (I promise!)

There’s something about nighttime in Bludhaven that Y/n found so special. It was unsafe in areas, certainly, but every once in a while, the night felt like one that a synth-pop album would be written about. Somehow, it made her miss her family and friends back home while making her feel glad to be right where she was at the same time. On nights like these, she would get a coffee and go for a short stroll—usually with Somi.

“Hi, can I get a small decaf coffee? Two sugars, two creamers?”

Brenda’s Cafe. Best coffee in New Jersey. Open 24 hours (now that Nightwing is around).

“Sure, coming right up,” The barista smiled, taking the cash from your hand and heading to the back.

“RING, RING!”

Y/n scrambled to reach her phone, “Hello?”

“Y/n! How’s it going?”

“Sunoo,” the woman grinned as she paced around the cafe, “hi! How’d you know I was awake?”

“Eh, figured it was worth a shot with the whole neighbor problem I keep hearing about—you have the sleep schedule of a cat who works full-time now,”

Sunoo and Y/n had known each other since middle school. Now, Sunoo was working on a movie on the opposite coast. It was difficult to time their calls with his packed schedule, to say the least.

“Yeah,” Y/n replied with an amused tone, “How are you? How are your fancy schmancy show-biz friends?”

“Well, I certainly made some more,” Sunoo began, “the cast of this movie is hilarious and they take me out to dinner all the time, so we’re getting closer,”

“Yes, I love to hear it!” Y/n exclaimed, grabbing her coffee from the barista’s hand and giving a nod of thanks before heading toward the exit.

“And how’s the hot snickerdoodle neighbor?”

Y/n’s eyes widened as she pushed the door open, “I called him hot one time. And that was before I knew he was a jerk…that had a girlfriend,”

“Girlfriend, huh?” Y/n could hear Sunoo’s misplaced pity through the phone. “That sucks,”

“No, it does not suck,” she insisted, adjusting her scarf, “I’m fine. Besides, you know that I’m trying to graduate this semester. That’s the only reason I haven’t reported the guy,”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sunoo dismissed her, “still sucks,”

Y/n rolled her eyes. He was not going to let this go. “Anyways, how is your sist—WOAH!”

Y/n’s phone and coffee flung out of her hand as she was firmly pushed towards the road, nearly falling to the ground if it wasn’t for another force pulling her back by the jacket.

Y/n paused for a moment in disbelief. What the fuck just happened? 

“Y/n?” the woman heard Sunoo’s voice coming from her phone quietly between the sounds of footsteps getting further and further away. 

Her phone was safely lying on the side of the road. Her coffee? Not so much. It had spilled everywhere. Including her new coat. But as thoughts raced through Y/n’s head, her coat was the furthest thing from it. ‘Someone pushed me because they were being chased…by someone who took the time to save me,’

Her disbelief quickly turned to excitement as she put the pieces together. Could the person who saved her have been Nightwing? 

“Y/n, what happened? Are you okay? Do I need to call Somi?”

Y/n scrambled to her retrieve her phone, “I’m fine! I’ve gotta run, but I’ll explain everything tomorrow,”

“Wait, hold o—”

“Bye!”

She thought about calling Somi right that second, but she needed confirmation. So she made the questionable decision to follow them. Somi’s reporter instincts were clearly rubbing off on her.

After walking with a comical level of caution for a few minutes, Y/n decided to turn back. As I said before, Y/n is not an idiot. She makes educated choices. 

What. A. Night. She was eager to tell Somi—despite the fact that she’d criticize Y/n’s poor educated choices, she would be happy too. 

All of a sudden, interrupting her train of thought, Y/n heard a whistle from across the road. 

There he stood, in all his blue and black glory—Nightwing.

A skin-tight black suit with blue accents adorned his tall frame and he had a pair of nunchucks in his right hand, which he tucked away before placing a cup of coffee on the ground next to him.

This was a moment that Y/n would remember for years to come. But right now, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Nightwing, the man responsible for taking down the biggest supervillains and mobs in Bludhaven…bought her a coffee. She waved to him in gratitude, to which he waved back with a smile on his face before disappearing into the shadows.

After he left, Y/n rushed over to retrieve the coffee cup, her heart racing with elation.

Brenda’s Cafe Start your day with a smile! decaf coffee two sugars two creamers

1. Sincerity Do things she appreciates because it’s the right thing to do for someone you really like as a person. It matters what you do when you don’t think she’s looking. She can tell whether or not your heart is in the right place.

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[thelastidiot29]

Katsuki Bakugou

Part one- Fake Dating

Part one of twisting Clichés with the MHA characters. Tell me what I should write next!

WC- 4,271

"Hearts, kisses, and golden roses." You read aloud. The paper in your palms felt so thin, so delicately luxurious, you almost trembled holding it in your hands. Your fingers slid the paper back into the golden coated envelope. You held the envelope like it might catch on fire if you held it too hard.

"It's a couples event." You looked up at Endeavor. He was giving you those gleaming red eyes that captured everyone's respect. Respect that was well earned when it came to the work of his heroics and battle skills, his personality on another hand you found to be a bit challenging. Just because his eyes gained respect, it failed to collect your understanding.

A snort came from behind you, the only other person standing in the room with you. You twisted a glance over your shoulder.

Bakugou was slouched against the window that spilled light into the wide room and illuminated you and everything in it. Not a single spot was untouched by the sun, still Katsuki's snarl casted a shadow over his features.

"A couples event?"

"Yes, Bakugou. That's what I said."

"Then try again, because there is absolutely no way in hell that you are saying what I think you're saying."

You kept your mouth glued shut and glanced between the two men.

Katsuki challenged Endeavor with his tone, and the man seemed unbothered. Him and everyone was used to the blonde's audacity by now, especially now after recently graduating from UA.

You found him funny, it wasn't often you took him seriously. Frankly, a strange connection of respect and admiration had grown for him over the years of knowing him.

You would admit you couldn't stand him at first.

"A Villain is targeting couples, with little connection but attending this event." Endeavor closed his arms over his chest and stared Katsuki down, he waited until the scowling man was back slouching against the window before he continued, "I want the two of you to go undercover. Odds are more promising with a younger couple, and you two are the best choice for this."

A breathy closed-mouthed scoff rang from Bakugou again, "That's a load of BS, why me? Ask pretty-boy Shoto to do it!"

"Unfortunately, my son lacks the emotion to pull this off."

"Then, Deku!"

"He's terrible at lying and undercover work. You know that."

He tried again, "Kaminari!"

You almost snorted when Endeavor raised a brow, "Really?" He shook his red hair with a sigh, waving his hand through the air, "This will be your first real mission as a pro-hero, Dynamight. It puts you well above your peers, and I know that's motivation that oughta drive you."

You expected to find Katsuki's stubborn grimace when you turned back to him. No, his eyes softened and his posture rose. He looked like he was considering it, like just the thought of being ahead was enough to alter his mind.

Then he looked at you, and you had to make yourself push down a grin, "Why the hell are you so quiet?!"

"I'm getting information, King Explosion Lord Dynamight."

"It's Great Explosion Murder God DynaMight." He scoffed, making a chortle leave you.

"Are the two of you in, or not?" The irritated tone made your head flip back to the pro. The light tapping of his foot drowned out Katsuki's grumbling.

Just the knowledge of you being the first call for this, next to Bakugou— one of the top students in your class —made it a little easier for you to straighten your spine, and a little harder for you to humble yourself, "I'm down."

"Fine." Katsuki mumbled, sulking up until he was standing beside you, "What's the plan?"

This time you did laugh. You gave the most taunting grin you could manage, and jammed an elbow into your comrade's side.

"Be disgustingly adorable."

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

The beat of the high pitched clicking of your heels made a few people turn and stare. The bodycon dress wrapped around your body did everything to bring out every bit of curve you had and exaggerate it. The webby abstract colored dress was different tones of desaturated red print pattern.

You stood out in a way that made you hold your head higher than you ever had.

"I swear to God, Endeavor's agency is dust once this is over."

Katsuki's exasperated pout was a sight you could never truly get over. He was wearing a suit and tie, the jacket matching the print pattern dyed into your dress. You hooked your arm through his and smiled at the people giving the two of you looks.

You whispered through your smile, words only you and him would hear, "Oh, don't be that way, Dynamight. Put on a smile, your face is making us look less cute."

"We are not cute."

"The people staring disagree."

His lips pressed into a line and he didn't say another word. You felt the fabric of Katsuki's suit jacket rubbing against your arm with each step you took closer to the large dressed-in-black man guarding the entrance of the lively building.

His skin was dark, his head bald, eyebrows and jaw sharp, and his body large and firm. Yeah, you wouldn't want to mess with the guy either. He seemed like a good selection to be placed at the front door. You caught a glimpse of a spiral-cord microphone connecting to his ear, you nudged Katsuki a little to make sure he saw it as well.

"Invitation." His voice was deep and large and made you shiver.

Your own words rung through your head, Be disgustingly adorable.

You slapped on a sloppy grin, and poked your lips out. You felt the boy you held stiffen when you turned to his body and clung to him with loose arms that strung over his chest and gripped at his shoulder.

"Katsua~" You pulled down a grimace at the terrible attempt at a code name, you cooed the name off your tongue. It was almost amusing to watch his face turn bright red, "Did you bring the invitation, my love?"

"Ye-" He cleared his throat, "-Yeah L/n... just–"

You didn't wait for him to finish. You reached down, stretching your arm behind his back and digging into his back pocket. You pulled the filled envelope out and handed it to the wide-eyed security guard who wore something close to a grimace.

Bingo, you thought as the widely built man took the invitation and unhooked the golden tape separating the crowd from the entrance.

Katsuki's arm shifted as he put his hand into the pocket of his suit. When you looked at him, the humiliation that he was so usually unphased by took over the color of his skin and replaced it with something bright, flushed, and vibrant.

You waited until you were further into the building, and the slow faint music was drowning out anything you could say. The hallway, otherwise, was silent.

You tugged lightly at Katsuki's arm, "Are you alright, Bakugou?"

From his silence you thought he was ignoring you. He kept walking with a clenched jaw and his arm locked around yours. You'd given up, your arm loosened around his and your body inched away.

His voice surprised you, "Mind your own business."

You left it there.

Golden valance lighting hit your face, waiters' black tuxedo's and golden cuffs seemed suiting in the rose toned room. The party was not that of a teenage rave, or a junky bar. It took the shape of fancy slow paced parties, the ones rich people dreaded but showed up to anyways.

"Where to first?" The question was sarcastic, and Katsuki's eyes were skimming over the crowd.

Some were seated with silver trays of gourmet food, some were stationed at the bar near the back. Two bartenders hassled, putting on a show as they served already drunk couples. Others were clapping along and frolicking to the Jazz selection.

What cuter than a couple dancing?

"Can you dance?"

Katsuki's face grimaced, but it looked like a pathetic attempt to hide the red that still brushed his cheeks and ears, "Eh? Yea' I can dance."

"Great, teach me." You tightened around his arm, starting to pull him in the direction of the galloping movements of the couples.

The ground clapped around in renditions of the fast paced Mambo partner dance. The in sync steps of the crowd's side stepping echoed through the floor. You frowned, but only because you realized something.

"We aren't gonna stand out like this." You said. The goal was to draw the Villain out and become their target by matching the cheesy sickness that they obviously grudge against. They weren't going to do that while dancing In a crowd of actual sickeningly adorable couples.

"This is so beneath me." The familiar grumbling of Bakugou was something you didn’t even blink at. His arm slid from yours and he moved away, "Stay here."

And then you were left standing between a crowd of a hundred dancers. Being left alone you suddenly felt self conscious of every part of yourself, the heels on your feet, the dress fretting off at your lower thigh, your hair tickling your ear.

Zoning in, the smiles of the present couples were almost calming. Until it wasn't anymore, since the sudden realization that if you didn't pull this off, any one of them could be picked off. To think at least one of them had plans with each other, to go home and light a candle and fall in love all over again.

You were determined to make sure their plans were kept.

The music faded, the ricocheting echoes becoming nothing but a whisper. The dancers stopped frolicking. They turned their heads and whispered questions to each other knowing they didn't have the answers. You almost did the same thing, but you kept the question in your head; What was going on?

Static replaced the music in the wide room, yours and everyone else's heads darted around to find the source. Your eyes found a head of blonde spikes, he stumbled forward, pulling the cord of a microphone after his feet. Small curses were heard through the speakers.

Where did he find that at?

More importantly, what was he doing?

You shuffled past a few idle couples, peeking over shoulders while moving to the front of the crowd to get a better look at your comrade. Surely enough you found a pair of red eyes, grimacing, scowling. Honestly, he looked like he might throw up.

He pulled at the collar of his suit, pulling the microphone up to his mouth, "Listen. I thought this event was stupid, and idiotic. To be honest, I still think it's stupid, and idiotic."

Oh my god, you almost said out loud. You caught the words before they left. You glared at Bakugou in hopes he saw the glint in your eyes and you know he did, because he made the smallest movement of his hand, telling you to back off.

"Well, uh… here's to doing things ya' don't wanna for the people we love." Katsuki threw his hands onto the pockets of his slacks, tapping his other fingers along the microphone.

Your heart sped up and after a second it wasn't there. You could have sworn that it stopped. That if you were attached to a monitor it would be screaming that high, monotoned hum.

A few chuckles echoed in the room, specifically the men who vacated their spots, while the women gave small smiles. All eyes were on Bakugou now, all eyes. If this didn't catch a Villain's attention, you honestly didn't know what would.

"I honestly didn't think I'd be lucky enough to find someone to accept me. All of me. To accept that I will never be the kind of person to climb on a stage and– well do what I'm doing now, humiliate myself." He growled the last words, earning more laughter from the crowd encircling you. His eyes fell on yours, and there your heartbeat was again. Why was it doing that? "I don't feel like someone who needs to be fixed when I'm–" He stopped, you watched a swallow climb down his throat. He parted his lips and he moved his eyes off of yours, "Any… anyways- So as compensation to her, I'm embarrassing myself like a loser. Enjoy it, you'll never get it again… Hey, Y/n? Can I have this dance?"

Suddenly, the crowd's eyes were on you. You weren't even aware of your eyes darting around the room, and by time you were, the crowd had already started cheering encouragement and the music started ricocheting off the walls again. This time it was slower, softer.

You gave a small shake of your head, stepping forward and separating yourself from the crowd. Katsuki helped you up on the platform and you made yourself force away whatever feelings were attacking you.

You smiled at the blonde once you were on your feet, "Do you really love me?~"

He whispered, only for your ears, "Oh shut the hell up. Be disgustingly adorable? Right?"

"Admit it, you love me. That was too good to be a facade, I thought you don't like lying?"

"I don't. I never said I wasn't good at it."

"Too good."

"Well, a lot of it was true."

You stopped. Full on froze right there. You ran through his monolog in your head, trying to pick apart which parts he was talking about. Your thoughts were sliced, cut off when a hand grabbed you by your waist and pulled you forward.

Katsuki gave a glance to the crowd, "Bear with her, she can't dance."

They laughed. You swallowed.

Katsuki turned back to you. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, he placed a hand on your back, he grabbed your other hand. Then he smiled, actually smiled, it was more of a cocky grin, but a smile nonetheless. "You're red, and quiet. Guess that means I win."

"Wha- win what?!"

"You don't know? You started a war outside, L/n."

"Bakugou-"

He shook his head, "Shut up and dance with me."

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

"Did you have fun?"

"Eh, I'm not passed out at a table.."

"To think you didn't want to come at first, see? I know what I'm talking about."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, L/n."

"Excuse me, can I help you?"

A few decreasing feet in front of you, a tall golden-skinned man took short steps down the hallway in your direction. He wore a blue suit jacket and matching slacks, the button polo underneath was jet black. It contrasted the white hair that was elegantly swept to the back, and with the help of hair gel; it had a radiant shine.

Your arm tightened around Katsuki's, "Oh, we were on our way out. Are you the host?"

"No, I am not. I manage the parlor, that's all." He said. Now that he was closer, you could make out the blistered scar covering the right side of his face and neck. His right eye was completely white, glowing and terrifying compared to his other ocean blue eye. You gave a smile and tried to hide the chill that collected on your spine. He continued, "The exit is on the other side of the building, you seem a little lost."

"Nope. Pretty sure it was this way." Katsuki shrugged. You gave him a glance, and any other person would have missed the slight twitch under his eye, or the way the corner of his lip bucked downwards.

"I've been working here for almost two years." The man pulled at the cuff on his jacket, pulling it up and folding it back on his arm. "I can assure you, the exit is nowhere over here. Here, I'll show you the way. I insist."

He moved past you two. A strange wind itching your skin when he floated on by. He stopped at a door. The way you and Katsuki were heading was not the right way, but you knew that was not either. He slid the door open, and scooped his hand towards the dark room behind it. You took in a breath.

"You first." Katsuki said, nodding forward. For a moment you thought he was talking to you, but his red eyes were challenging the scarred man without shame. You prayed he didn't blow your cover, you prayed your heart would stop pounding.

The man's eyes narrowed. A frown curled into his lips and for several moments he and Katsuki stood there. Frowning at each other.

Finally he gave a small smile. He bowed his head, "Very well."

And he disappeared behind the corner of the threshold.

Katsuki leaned down, he mumbled in your ear, "Let's not end this before it starts. Stay close to me, don't let go of my arm."

"I don't need your protection—"

"Don't be an ass right now. I mean it. I'm not protecting you, I'm trying to cover both of our asses."

You breathed out, "Fine."

You and Katsuki both went through the door together. Your eyes started adjusting to the darkness, but soon the room was dimly lit by a lamp. The room was basically empty except a few sheetfed couches and tables.

The man pulled his arm away from the string on the lamp and nodded to another hallway behind another door, "This way."

You touched the side of your waist, feeling the fleece to make sure the wire attached to your dress was still there. You gave a small breath when you felt the small hard shape of the device.

Katsuki pulled you forward, tightening his arm around yours and trailing after the man.

"You are the one who put that show on earlier, yes?"

Katsuki stiffened, "Yeah. That's me. What about it?"

"Nothing, I suppose. You must really love the little lady."

You huffed, "I am hardly litt–"

"Yeah, whatever." Katsuki spoke over you, his red eyes glaring at you for a moment. You rolled your eyes.

Silence echoed abong the three of you, it was silence that made your breathing sound deadening. Katsuki's eyes never left the man for even a moment. He glared at his back. And you let him.

The man started again, "I am sorry if my presence is bringing any uncomfort. The two of you are awfully quiet."

"Long night." Katsuki said quickly, tilting his head backwards and gleaming. "I'm sure you get that, eh?"

"More than you will ever know." He responded, stopping at another door. His hand reached for the door knob. His eyes paused on you, "You got really lucky with him."

You felt a knot in your throat. You couldn't speak so you just smiled and nodded. You watched as he disappeared through the door and waited for Katsuki to take the first step forward before you did the same.

"I was once with someone. We were inseparable, quite like the two of you…" His voice got low. You looked around the room. Another empty room but this one had a fireplace near the wall. There were no other doors in this room, none at all. Just the moon's light peering in through a barred window. You looked back at the man, looked as he slowly turned to face you two, "Unfortunately, it didn't last."

"I thought you were showing us an exit?" You mumbled.

Katsuki pulled away, he let go of your arm and turned on his feet. He crouched down, and with a heavy scoff he spat, "Yea' this freak show has gone on long enough."

You did the same, crouched down and got ready to defend against any attacks.

The man seemed unphased. He didn't seem to care that the two of you seemed pretty capable of warding him off. He was still, his arms folded behind his back, his blue eyes still on something that didn't seem to be in the room.

His lips parted slightly, "I stand by and watch as these folks smile and laugh, and all I am reminded of is what was taken from me. You don't deserve to be happy. Not when I never got the chance."

"So this makes you happy?" Katsuki seethed, "Ruining other people's lives?"

"Nothing makes me happy. This? This makes me sane."

"Well, if that ain't a lovely pile of bullshit—"

"What happened?" You said, moving a little further from Katsuki. His red eyes snapped towards you, as if he forgot you were in the room. Your voice wasn't harsh, it was soft, you stepped closer to him, "Was she killed? Did she leave?"

"Killed." He said, taking an unsure step backwards. "She and our unborn child were slaughtered."

"By who?"

"By… by wh- by a maniac!"

"Who killed her?"

"I don't– what is wrong with your eyes- what are you doing to me?-"

Your eyes were glowing, indistinct shades of orange and blue. You felt every nerve in his cerebrum, traveling memory after memory, your own consciousness sliding through nerve after nerve.

You found the one you were looking for, the memory you were looking for. The memory of a death. The memory of a wife carrying a child. You knew he was reliving that memory, feeling it. You know because you were. You saw fire. You ran into it. You held a girl in your arms, not yours– his arms. Her lifeless eyes. You felt his pain as if it were your own.

"Get… get out of my head!"

You did. You blinked and you were back in the empty room. The man— who's name you found was Kagome —was on the ground, clutching his head. He gripped his hair. He was wheezing air filled sobbes and he sank in his own self pity.

He moved, looking up only to glare at you. You saw his glassy eyes and almost felt bad, "You are–"

Katsuki kicked his gut. Kagome rolled over, falling on his back with a gasp. You expected him to kick him again, but he didn't. Katsuki crouched down and grabbed a handful of the Kagome's polo.

The blonde spat in his face with merciless words,

"You are gonna rot behind bars, freak."

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

You watched from the stairs as they ushered the Villain into the police car in quirk resistant cuffs. His white hair ducked into the car and the door locked him away.

"Good job."

You looked up at Endeavor. He offered you a small cup of coffee, his otherwise burning stern features, soft. You'll admit you never liked him. You still don't. Not after everything you heard he had done to Todoroki, who was your comrade and friend. You couldn't like him. But he's changed, and that you could respect.

You grabbed the cup, felt it warm your palms, "Thank you."

"Bakugou said this was all you." He looked over to Bakugou, who had your eyes for several minutes now. He was ducking away, dodging, and scolding All Might who was offering hugs and praise.

You shook your head, "I didn't do much."

"You caught your first serial killer. It's something."

Then he walked away.

Katsuki shoved All Might away for the final time. He wore a snarl as he left the retired hero and started walking towards you. You pulled the coffee cup towards your face. You tilted your head and let the warm taste fill you.

"Where the hell did you get coffee from?!" Katsuki shouted.

You pulled your hands down to your lap, "I pulled it out of my ass."

He raised a brow. You shook your head.

"Endeavor gave it to me."

"That flaming piece of shit, gimme that!"

Bakugou snatched the coffee from your hands. He lifted the lid and fell to sit on the seat next to you. You watched him as he took a few sips from the cup and handed it back to you.

You wiped your hands on your dress. Once they weren't sweating anymore you grabbed the cup. You gave Katsuki a small smirk, "Ya'know? I think you might be finally growing a beard. I see a stubble coming in."

Katsuki knitted his eyebrows together. He rubbed a hand to run over his chin and he grimaced, "God, I didn't shave this morning."

"Wow. You shave? I didn't think you had any reason to- Ow!"

Katsuki threw a punch at your shoulder. You almost dropped your cup of coffee. You turned to glare at him but stopped. Another knot formed in your throat when you saw a smile resting on his lips.

It dropped and he rolled his eyes, "Don't mess with me."

"No, of course not… you're a force to be feared." You mumbled, trailing off.

"What's up with you?"

"Mm, nothing."

"You know I hate liars."

You shoved the coffee into his hands. He gave you a look. A questioning look that you ignored while you stood up. You turned back to him, your heart doing that thing where it beated and you wished it would stop.

You gave Katsuki a pathetic smile, "Remember that war you started?"

"Hah?! You mean the war you started?!"

"Yeah, well… I won."

"Eh?!"

You leaned forward. Quickly, you grabbed his face and pulled him so his lips were against yours. He stiffened. He made a confused sound that sounded very close to a grunt. Then, to your surprise he relaxed, rested a hand on your arm and relaxed.

You pulled back. His eyes fluttered open and stared at you. He was silent, as if waiting for you to say something.

You didn't.

You walked away.

[audreydoeskaren]

Hello, could you please do a review of Chinese Dress: From the Qing Dynasty to the Present Day by Valery Garett? Or at least give a perusal? It looks really good to a naked eye. There's clothes for different occasions, ethnic groups, and social classes. But it was also written by a white British woman, and from what I can tell her research comes from (stolen) collections in UK museums.

Also, I am confused about a passage on wedding dresses; she says Cantonese peasant women wore dark blue or black cotton for their weddings (pg 172), but I thought Chinese wedding dresses were traditionally red. (I am Chinese; I am an adoptee researching my culture; on a personal note, if it's true then I'm bummed because nobody deserves a boring wedding dress and red is so gorgeous)

Many thanks!

(Here's a pdf of the book for reference)

In my opinion, any book on Qing Dynasty fashion that uses a court dress laid flat as its cover image should be immediately dismissed, and that is exactly what I would say about this book. Unfortunately it's yet another ethnographic account coming from a white anthropological perspective, as you've identified, and is only useful if you want a caricature of your culture. Like most authors on Qing Dynasty fashion, Chinese or not, Garrett takes the 19th century as the starting date of the dynasty and offers absolutely no information on anything prior to that. This is because of both the lack of resources available to her from before western colonialism and the general framing of Qing Dynasty fashion; a common mistake, but not an excusable one. The erasure and misrepresentation of fashion in the PRC is disappointing. The book is from 2007 though, and it reads like other books from the same time, so it's not even bad in a unique way. I cannot stress this enough but please use recent literature wherever possible.

About the wedding dress thing, I wouldn't say there is one single 'traditional' color since formal wedding dresses of the Han upper classes during the Qing had multiple pieces and were not monochromatic. In the first half of the twentieth century, wedding qungua had a black jacket and red skirt, but were also embroidered with gold or silver. Blue and black were common colors for the working class in the 19th century, and it makes sense for peasant women to wear what was economical. Having fancy weddings that were a special occasion was, really, an aristocratic and bourgeois custom, and I assume working people often just couldn't be bothered.

This reminded me, I really should finish that series on Qing Dynasty Han women's fashion. Seeing published white authors be cringe with such audacity kind of motivates me.