#work like three hours outside of class every week' which is like. a lot

[fifty-ten]

i just went out with a bunch of people i just met to a local arcade????? And despite this being a landmark in socialization for me the main thing i keep thinking about is how they had VS excitebike. I genuinely never thought I'd see a VS nintendo arcade cabinet in my life

[andhumanslovedstories]

The critical care unit is where the sickest people in the hospital go. Those patients need a nurse completely dedicated to them, and the unit needs to keep "code beds" open in case a patient in a different part of the hospital urgently needs a higher level of care. That means critical care is always under pressure to decompress (i.e. to turf their less sick patients somewhere else so they can take even sicker patients.)

In the last weeks before we went on strike, I was floated repeatedly to the critical care unit to take care of boarders. That's what we call medsurg patients who have graduated from critical care but don't yet have a bed on a medsurg floor. Personally, I hate floating to critical care. On the floor, you would (ideally) never get a patient assignment of three patients who were critical care status an hour ago. That's going to be a very heavy assignment. But that's how many I can take when I'm helping out in critical care. And it's dangerous. It's SO dangerous. The scariest shifts I've had have been with patients who should be in critical care but aren't. People with massive strokes, or GI bleeds, or respiratory failure, that are technically able to be downgraded because if you say they're less acute, you can give more of them to the same nurse.

Last June, Oregon passed a law mandating certain nurse to patient ratios on units. While critical care is ideally a one to one ratio, medsurg (where I work, which is the general hospital population that isn't maternity, emergency, maternity, or behavioral health--so, almost everyone) has more patients per nurse. This is good and makes sense! Most people in the hospital do not need dedicated one-on-one care with someone outside their door. As a night-time medsurg nurse, I expect to take four patients a night.

And by the way? There are a lot of medsurg nurses in America who would KILL for four patients a night. I know some nurses reading this are like "four??? are you kidding me?????" Night shift nurses in states with less protections can average seven or eight patients a night. I've seen some go as high as twelve. When I have five patients, I feel like I'm running like crazy. I truly cannot understand how I could possibly give good care to more people than that.

What this means in an understaffed hospital is that patients who should be critical care get classified as medsurg instead, so instead of needing another nurse to treat another ICU patient, you can give that patient to a medsurg nurse instead. This is so common. I'm in float pool which means I work in almost twenty different units in the hospital. I have seen this happen on every single unit. Critical care patients become medsurg patients. Medsurg patients become observation class. Whatever it takes to maintain the legally mandated ratios without actually increasing staffing.

One of the major things ONA (the Oregon Nursing Association) is striking for protection against decisions like this that put patients and their caregivers at increased risk so that the hospital can save money. Even when laws are put in place protecting workers and patients, companies will work as hard as they can to circumvent those requirements. It's not enough to get legislation passed. We need the power to enforce that legislation. And baby, there is power in a union.

[sandersstudies]

You have THREE jobs!! How on earth do you balance all that. And what did you mean by only one pays your bills if you dont mind me asking? Are the other two more like volunteer work?

Yeah I’ll just actually be totally transparent for a second.

My job working at a youth arts nonprofit is paid hourly for my classroom time, which is three hours a week, three weeks a month, at 15$/hr, so effectively 135$/month. I’m looking to add one more weekly class next semester so this amount could increase.

My directing time for the same nonprofit is paid by a grant, which means I am paid in one lump sum for all the work on the project, regardless of hours committed. The time commitment varies widely but usually accounts for 6-9 weeks of rehearsal time, 2-3 hours a day 4-5 days a week, and 6-12 performances, depending on demand, plus time committed outside of rehearsal. This is effectively volunteer work, because if I were to break it down hourly, it would come to less than 5$/hr. (Sometimes significantly less)

My work for the school is also paid in a lump sum — actually two lump sums: one for directing two plays yearly, and one for directing large-group and individual competitive speech. This amounts to about 3,000$ over the course of the school year. I’m typically committing 1-3hrs after school for 3-5days/week, but not year-round, just during the play and speech “seasons,” which do overlap.

My third job is early-morning barista work. I previously worked as a supervisor and was making ~23/hr 30-40hrs a week so effectively a full-time paycheck, but as my other work and also my husband’s recent illness have consumed a lot of my time, I demoted to a regular barista at ~18$/hr ~25hrs a week. This is my most regular, bill-covering paycheck, and this is the job that provides my healthcare.

My husband and I have talked a lot about how my schedule will continue to work after we have kids. Ideally we are in a financial state where I can just do my passion-work and drop my morning job.

I am also working on a novel manuscript that I would love to publish eventually, but it is slow work with such a busy schedule and I don’t know if I will ever make real money publishing.

So some days my schedule looks like a 4:30am-1pm shift at the cafe, 3-5pm at the school, and 6-9pm at the theatre. It’s not like that every day, but many days are like that.

[asterifish]

Hello~~

Can i request a NCT Yuta who is a dom top with a bottom reader with a huge ego where Yuta basically not only humbles but feminize and makes the reader submit to him with his cock

Hi hi hello! Ty for requesting!!

I think I've done smth like this with a diff member, so I hope this one doesn't turn out the same 🙏

Hope you enjoy!

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░

You're a mess.

M/n was pretty popular in college. NCT Uni was pretty well known, which is why more people knew m/n. But what most don't know is that m/n has a boyfriend. A really protective boyfriend.

Yuta Nakamoto was a Dance major, a good one at that. He does a lot of shows with his class, NCT 127, and they usually travel all over Korea for it. When m/n and Yuta started daring, Yuta didn't take m/n with him, because he didn't know how m/n would act backstage without him.

A few weeks after Yuta decided that m/n was trustworthy, he invited m/n to one of their venues. M/n agreed, happy that he was finally allowed to go with his boyfriend.

The morning of, m/n woke up alone. He assumed that Yuta had gone to the venue with his class, and got ready per usual. The time of the performance came around, so m/n finally headed to the building. Meeting Yuta outside, they exchanged a quick kiss before Yuta let m/n backstage.

"Behave, m/n." Were Yuta's last words before he headed onstage.

Every time Yuta risked a glance backstage, m/n wasn't looking. He was offtalking to se staff member, or looking at himself in his pocket mirror, or on his phone. Most of the time, m/n was talking to a staff member, flaunting his outfit or seemingly flirting with staff.

Fast forward (by SOMI) to after the performance, Yuta was furious. Beyond furious. He wouldn't talk to. M/n the whole way back to their shared apartment. He went straight to the shower and didnt come out until an hour later.

"Yuta, hun, are you okay? You havent been talking to me at all since your performance." M/n tapped his boyfriend, but got shrugged off.

Yuta continued to ignore m/n until 2 hours later. "Yuyu.... Please talk to me. Whatever I did im sorry..."

▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸▸

A few minutes later, M/n was underneath Yuta. He was gripping the bedsheets so hard his knuckles turned white. He was currently being spread open and eaten out. His legs were twitching, and he was moaning really loudly, lost in extacy. "You think you're so oretty, huh? I'll show you.. " Yuta flipped m/n over so he was on all fours before continuin, "...just how pretty you are. You dont need..." Yuta paused again and slapped m/n's ass. "..other people to tell you that... I can prove it to you myself."

Minutes later, Yuta was gripping m/n's waist, grunting ans he slammed in and out of the smaller. Yuta was groaning compliments to m/n, calling him a princess, and the prettiest girl im the whole world.

"Fuck baby... Your cunt is just sucking me in.. Ngh~" Yuta slapped m/n's ass harshly, earning a moan out of the smaller. They kept at this until m/n was begging for forgiveness, with three loads of cum in him.

∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘∘

Hey!! Sorry this was cut short, ppl keep looking over my shoulder on the bus 😭😭😭

Also!! Heads up guys! Most of my fics will be non idol au unless specified :)

Works belong to @asterifish | reblogs help me a lot!

2023 | © @asterifish

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #421

Ohhh... I am in rough shape right now. I will show you why:

In the background, my friend, is a giant balloon. And in front of the balloon, which I am holding, is a green, hand-operated pump.

I filled 9 balloons of similar size and shape with this pump.

...My arms are limp wet noodles. I'm sure you understand the problem. I am caught pretty deep in the throes of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, and it's enough that it's kind of hard to think, even with ibuprofen and taking a very hot bath. M is out right now, in search of some stuff called Tiger Balm; I have a friend from the internet who has been in the Marines (these folks are from one of the toughest branches of the American armed forces; these are our equivalent of First Class SOLDIERS, I guess), and he said I should get that. Given his experience with crazy physical and mental training, I'm inclined to take him at his word.

Ah! M has just returned with the stuff!

...I have put it on. Now we wait.

Anyhoot! Though my upper body was definitely overworked (oh my goodness...!!!), I had a lot of fun!!! Because you know what!!! I didn't have to wear a bun!! Buns are good for keeping my hair out of the way, but they get REALLY uncomfortable after awhile, especially with hair as long as mine. Also, they let me keep wearing my long, warm, black cardigan!!

And the best part!!!

THEY LET ME KEEP THE PLUSH OF YOU I CARRY INSIDE MY CADIGAN POCKET!!!!

...So... it's almost as though you were with me, the whole 5 hours I was there, working in the floral department of an ordinary grocery store. This sort of thing... it's exactly the kind of “ordinary life” you wanted... isn't it...?

...Thinking about the fact that I could carry you with me while I did such beautiful ordinary things is almost enough, in this moment, to make my eyes leak a little bit. I'm really looking forward to being able to carry you in my pocket tomorrow, too.

...I really do love you, you know. In case that somehow still isn't clear.

I mostly inflated balloons (either with the air pump or with a helium tank), but I also got to put some flowers away in buckets or in cases, and that was really nice. I was also sent to the dollar store next door to purchase some heart-shaped tins with the floral department credit card! Here are the pictures I took within the dollar store; there's only two, but I like them!

I also got so many pictures for you while I worked in the area of my department! Let me show them to you!!! I think you're really gonna like these!!!

It smells so good in there. Though admittedly, I do think that the practice of chopping off a plant's genitalia and sticking them in a vase for the purpose of watching them wilt over the next few weeks is... strange. I'd much rather have something I can plant outside or keep in a pot. But I'm not especially inclined to keeping indoor plants in pots; I have too many cats who like to chew on green things. It'd never work.

I'm looking forward to going back tomorrow, even though I'm in a lot of pain right n-

…!!

Actually. No I'm not...???? My skin feels tingly and cold and weird, but... the ambient muscle pain is just about gone. It still hurts if I move them around, but... they don't hurt just being still.

...Fuck yeah!! The stuff works!!! Holy shit!!!!

Actually, too, I expected the rib injury to flare up as a result of blowing up all those balloons. But it didn't. I guess the exercises I've been given are really doing the job. I feel pretty stoked about that, too!!!

...But still, I'm uncomfortable. All the same, I used to do mermaid training in the water for three or more hours, pretty much every day or every other day. I am no stranger to Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. I know that I'll be stronger when I grow back. And when I do, the next time I gotta pump up balloons like that isn't gonna kick my ass nearly as hard. But it'll be a few days before I grow back, haha... and I'm sure I'm gonna hafta do it again tomorrow...

...Lend me a bit of your strength tomorrow, won't you...? Because although I've taken as many steps as I can to help my body heal, I'm sure I'm still gonna have a hard time of it tomorrow.

When I got home, I was very hungry because I hadn't eaten all day. So I ordered in some beef and some vegetables and some yummy Brazilian cheese breads!! But I was so hungry and in so much pain that I pretty much wolfed it all down right away without thinking to get a picture for you. I'm sorry about that.

Today is also the day I was supposed to switch to a new set of braces! I'm on set number 13 now! Let me show you how they compare to my original set!

Here's the lower jaw; the new set is above the old set. Though I imagine by now, the difference is so stark that I don't even have to tell you which set is the new one anymore:

And here are some of the upper jaw. My snaggletooth is almost not a snaggletooth anymore. I doubt I have to tell you which set is old and which one is new:

After putting my braces back in, I took some ibuprofen, and then I put myself into a really hot bath, which then morphed into a really hot shower. I started writing to you after that.

...I wrote to An, too. An seemed to really enjoy the picture of the tie-dye roses...

…

...I'm tempted to get them for him. But... I don't know if such a thing would be welcomed. And I don't know if my intention would be misunderstood. The intention is, ��get thing that person likes so person can enjoy”. I don't want it to be misinterpreted as an indirect ask for partnership, or an indirect declaration of romantic intent.

...I enjoy An a lot. But I don't know him well enough to know that I could properly tend to him in a way that is befitting of lifepartnership. And, given that I am a strange and derpy little gremlin, I doubt he wants anything to do with me in that capacity anyway.

And that is okay!!! I do not feel entitled to his time, energy, or interest. But still, I really like when he talks to me about all the interesting plants he knows about, and all the interesting chemicals he knows about! I am perfectly happy if interactions between us remain just like this, indefinitely! There are several close friends of mine with whom I would enjoy a lifepartnership, but either our needs are incompatible, or they simply do not want that with me, and that is perfectly okay! I enjoy my relationships as they are with the closeness that I've been permitted! It is good!!

The best way to love someone is to love them how they need to be loved. And that is something I am more than capable of doing.

...Well, I guess that's it for today. I'm getting pretty tired, and I need to wake up earlyish tomorrow to make sure I have enough time to fill my belly and scrub out the inside of my face before work. I'll bring my weird crafty project with me, and just work on that during my hour of break-lunch-break, whenever that occurs. I imagine I'll do it at around 1. So then, I'll have 4 hours of work, then an hour of crafty time, and then another 4 hours of work. Minimal transitions is a very good thing for my autistic brain.

Wish me luck, yeah...?

I love you so much. Please stay safe out there in the world so that maybe you can be in a place with lots of flowers, too, without it being just a dream.

I'll write again tomorrow.

Your friend, Lumine

[wantonlywindswept]

fox & rex ficbit

finally wrote some tcw! whoo.

tbh not entirely sure where this is headed (a lie: i know exactly where i want this to end up, and it is with alpha-17 storming coruscant in a fit of protective rage and also murder) and atm it’s just a lot of exposition ideas because...i still have no real solid feel for the characters?? so i’m kind of working through that.

it is exhausting. star wars fanon you are exhausting. why can my brain not just write with the tropes and be done with it

anyway basically rex and fox are alpha-17′s feral children/brothers/students/?? because all three of them are competent chaos gremlins. set vaguely after geonosis but before the GAR is actually properly structured, bc if star wars doesn’t know what its timeline is then why the hell should i

---

Growing up on Kamino, Rex and Fox had three things in common: a taste for the popularly-loathed blue carbohydrate cubes, an unstoppable compulsion to always be the best at anything they did, and the extremely dubious honor of being Alpha-17's favorites.

Fox was one of the earlier Command Class clones decanted, the eldest of a batch that boasted Wolffe, Gree, Bly, and Cody: possibly the strongest CC batch that Kamino would ever produce. He came out with a massive chip on his shoulder and left his tact in his tube, and made a sport of talking back to every single trainer in the Cuy'val Dar--which was why he once spent two weeks in Medical with broken ribs, a punctured lung, and Dred Priest's bootprints on his chest.

On the other hand, Rex came from a CT batch that was nearly flushed for genetic deviation, and of the original five, only he and Crys made it past cadet training. He clawed to the top of all his training modules fueled by fear and spite, and did everything by the book to avoid any kind of attention that might further mark him as defective: he kept his head down and his mouth shut, no matter what he actually thought about things.

Alpha's ARC training was good for the both of them, in the end: it taught Rex how to speak his mind, and it taught Fox how to shut the fuck up.

"15 - 5," Alpha announced cheerfully, leaning on his training staff without even the slightest indication of being tired. Fox, flat on his back at Alpha's feet, wheezed something that might have been a curse.

"I'm starting to think that those 5 were a fluke," Rex said blandly. 

Fox's next growl was definitely a curse, and he lifted trembling hands to sign something insulting and anatomically improbable in Rex's direction.

"Go on, stop whining into my mats," Alpha said, nudging Fox in the side with his foot. "It's time for me to beat the other little brat into the ground."

Rex watched, snickering, as Fox very clearly struggled to keep from offering Alpha a similar insult. 

It was good that he was finally developing a sense of self-preservation.

It was just the three of them left in the gym, long after most sane troopers retreated to lick their wounds and get some kind of rest before they did the same thing all over again tomorrow. Even Fox's certifiably unhinged batch had abandoned them after a couple hours of extra training; most of the CCs had been tagged for the ARC classes, but some were taking to it with a little more enthusiasm than others.

Fox peeled himself off the floor, using his staff as a crutch as he staggered to the deceptive safety outside of the training ring. He passed Rex along the way; his encouraging pat on the shoulder turned into more of an uncoordinated smack to the side of the head, which Rex magnanimously decided to forgive on account of knowing he'd probably need Fox's help standing up later. 

Alpha was brutal, and relentless, and more than a little bit of a dick, but he wasn't cruel. He pushed them hard, taught them everything he knew, and if sometimes Rex caught him looking at them like he was worried they'd vanish the moment they left his sight, well. 

The campaign on Geonosis had been a hell of a debut. They'd lost thousands of brothers, and now they were all on edge waiting for their official postings. There was no telling where they'd end up next. 

Fox would undoubtedly be deployed where the fighting was the heaviest; he came off Geonosis with a dossier of accolades and a near-spotless string of victories. The rest of his batch had done equally well--all save Cody, who'd been unwillingly left behind on Kamino with a grade three concussion and a broken orbital bone, courtesy of one of Isabet Reau's battle circles.

Rex was probably destined for something similar. He'd performed well enough that he was guaranteed an officer commission, and he'd been all but adopted into the Command class after taking control of a battalion that had lost their commanding officer. It would be an absolute waste to not send him to the front lines.

Once ARC training was over, once they got their assignments and shipped out, it was entirely possible this would be the last time that Alpha saw them both alive.

With that cheery thought in mind, Rex spun the staff in his hands, met Alpha's grim expression with a sharp nod, and launched himself into the ring.

(Later, after Alpha dumped them both in the showers and ordered them not to drown, Fox gave him so much shit for only managing to win three matches out of twenty. But he also hauled Rex into the closer barracks that he shared with his batch, shoved him into the empty bed, and immediately passed out on him, which was enough of a comfort that Rex figured he could put off his vengeance for later. 

Maybe in the morning.

Maybe after they came back from the war, and they could prove to Alpha that he hadn't just sent them off to die.)

[fishfingersalad]

big post of all my random rvb au ideas and some hcs, decided this was more reasonable than making like 20 different posts.

Hc the freelancers who die are like submarines that go missing, officially still out on patrol. Florida is the only freelancer that is officially gone from the program. A rumor starts that the freelancers suits are in some way connected to the us states so people think that when florida (state) blew up, so did Agent Florida's armour killing him in the process

 (I'm an ace Tucker believer) Y'know how Tucker gets charged child support for a bunch of kids post chorus? I don't think he has any kids outside of Junior. I think a bunch of people who got pregnant post temple of procreation were like shit idk the kids other parent. Uhhhh. Let's just say it was the rich famous planetary hero guy who claims to have slept with everyone. He probably doesn't even remember the people he's slept with. And then Tucker, asexual who has had sex one (1) time and realised he didnt like it very much, is stuck between revealing to the whole goddamn planet that he doesnt actually fuck, and paying a billion dollars of child support.

In an everyone lives no one dies type au I think Donut gets Maine, Locus, South, and Wash to come to his wine and cheese hour and he does their makeup and their nails.

Au where Sigma is just so fucking invested in getting Maine and Wash to date that he doesnt do anything evil. "Agent Maine, I think you will find this course I have signed you up for quite informative" Sigma this is a couples wine and pottery class "Oh look, is that Agent Washington over there? you should go say hi."

Au where Wash and Epsilon bond. It still fucks Wash up and shit, cause yknow. Epsilon issues. But Wash goes like "I am going to fucking kill the director he fucked you ai over so much" And Epsilon is so taken aback bc of Alphas view of Wash from an outside, heavily filtered perspective made him seem happy go lucky, innocent, and a bit naive.

Au where the freelancers find out that the director is Linas dad and behind her back they're all like "hey is she okay? why does he talk to her like that?" but then whenever she's around they just accuse her of nepotism. Gamma and Sigma team up to hack the leaderboard and change her name to nepotism baby.

I love South. I wish she existed more. I wish her and North and Theta could have gotten along. I wish Theta could suit jump like Omega and Alpha. I wish Theta could spend time with South. Like yeah South wouldn't like having to share an ai with her brother but like. He's their littlest brother.

Junior and Theta could autism bond. I think they'd both like comics. Also Junior teaches Theta basketball and Theta teaches Junior to skate. Skateboard kid plus scooter kid. I think Palomo would like to skateboard too. Wash and Palomo both helped teach Theta to skateboard. Wash bc he's friends w North, Palomo bc he's at the skatepark frequently. Jensen roller skates, she's... okay at it. not good. but okay. She broke her tailbone trying to impress Palomo. Andersmith would work at a youth center that the teens hang out at. Matthews works at a movie theatre, Bitters watches a movie there every week, maybe just to see Matthews.

Sarge werebear. Simmons vampire. Grif faun. Donut Light Elemental. Lopez is a ghost that got stuck in a shitty robot Sarge built. Church and the ai are ghosts, Tex is a vampire, Caboose is a werewolf (big doggy :3). Siren Tucker. Deep sea mermaid Junior (glowing octopus type stuff). Faun Kai (same as Grif). Carolina’s a Phoenix. Wash some kind of big cat thing. Florida Shapeshifter (he prefers being reptiles). The twins are demons. 479er is a harpy. York poltergeist (throws stuff at people). Wyoming's some kind of “answer my riddles three” type of imp. Ct is also a shapeshifter. Maine’s just a regular guy with a lot of weird friends. Felix and Locus are a fire elemental and a dryad respectively. Siris is a water elemental. In my au Donut’s a light elemental which makes it so fucking funny if Church pops up and says "boo" Donut just fucking decks him. and through Church being a ghost (a form of light) and Donut being a light elemental, Donut’s fist connects. South is the demon people are more likely to fear, but North is the one you really need to look out for. When South loses her temper people get frightened, when North loses his temper people die. If there's like. a group of kids exploring or something North’ll hold South back from doing anything more than scaring them. If there's a priest attempting an exorcism or someone with a cross threatening South, their organs will be found separately from their bodies. 

It's kinda funny when people make Church and Lina siblings and then Tex is just some random girl that Church likes. Like I fully understand why and the only other alternative i can think of is like. Church is the director's younger brother who was raised alongside his daughter after their parents died. and Tex is Allison's younger sister. Only way I could put together Church kinda being the director and Tex kinda being Allison but also Church and Lina being siblings without there being any relation between Tex and Church.

Florida and Ct have a coworker friends relationship i think. When they first met I think Florida said something vague and threatening to her so she pulled a knife on him. They've been sort of friends ever since.

[indigostudies]

Hi! I'm 17 and will be going to uni next year. I'm desperately in love with learning languages (Exams passed in French/Spanish/German but I self-study others). I've just decided to take Japanese for a multitude of reasons. I was wondering if you could give me an idea of how your workload is divided and what kind of people you meet studying languages/linguistics at university. Most of the uni experience/guides etc. where I live are targeted at STEM students so I'm trying to gather info through other means:)

Thank you:)

hi anon! i'm honoured you're coming to me with these questions! (and congrats on passing fr/spn/deu exams!!! that's a really big accomplishment!) also, i fully get your concerns—everyone around me also almost exclusively talked about STEM tracks when i was applying for uni haha, so a lot of what i've learnt about being a humanities major has been through personal experience (after i dropped out of the STEM portion of my initial dual STEM-humanities mixture track). i don't have any personal experience with taking japanese, but if the uni you're planning on attending is anything like mine, we should have some similar experiences taking language course.

first off i should probably say that my schedule is a little wonky and always has been because i've been doing uni things since i was...14? 15? i want to say? and currently i'm doing...a triple major..., and besides german (which i studied in high school), most of the languages i've taken officially have been ones i took starting either intermediate or advanced levels (chinese and turkish to improve my reading and writing, because i didn't even finish my primary education in either of those languages due to moving TT.TT; qazaq is the only intro language course i've taken in uni for a language i didn't already have a basis in (that i stuck with; i also took about a week and a half of intro bangla but had to drop due to being overwhelmed with the course load i was taking)).

that said, i don't think that higher level language courses are necessarily more time-consuming than lower level ones? once you're at an intermediate or upper level language course, you're advanced enough to keep up with things more or less at a pace.

i usually take between 15-20 credit hours per quarter (so, three or four classes, depending on how things work out), generally with one class being a language class, one being a linguistics class, one being a middle east studies class, with occasionally a fourth class being independent study (usually language as well). this works out to roughly 3hrs-5hrs of class per day, with ~2hrs of coursework outside of class on average per class per day of instruction, somewhat variable depending on how long a class period lasts (usually my courses don't meet every day—the most common course structures i've had are classes being either m/w/f or t/th; language courses tend to meet three times a week at minimum unless they're independent study for <5 credits, intro courses may sometimes meet every day of the week; the standard class length at my uni is 50mins, but in upper level courses, seminars, and more technical courses may be either 1.5hrs or two 50min blocks with a 10min break in between).

as for the people i've met while studying languages in uni—since where i am, students usually come in with their foreign language requirement already completed in high school, even though my uni doesn't require it anymore, even in the intro level courses, the students tend to be ones who already have experience studying languages, and are usually there because of a genuine passion. i suspect this might be different if i were to take a more "popular" (indo european) language like spanish, french, etc, but i only have experience with smaller class sizes—which tends to be really good for connecting with other students! i'm very introverted and rarely take the initiative to talk to people, but if you're in a small course and everyone's passionate about the subject, chances are good that someone will start striking up a conversation with you.

linguistics is a bit of a more mixed bag in my experience, at least in the intro/basic reqs levels—my intro to linguistics course was 200 students, and my two required syntax courses were both 50+ people. the students tend to have less opportunity to speaking to each other, since the professors tend to be on a fairly tight schedule to get through the course material. but that said, everyone i've ever met in a linguistics course has been there because they were passionate about languages and language learning—and in the more niche/specific topic courses (asian linguistics, turkic linguistics, psycholinguistcs, being the three more specific course i've taken, ranging between 5-25 students), you'll probably be with professors and students who are deeply enthusiastic about the subject on a personal level, rather than just as a larger part of their major/research.

i hope this helps! i realise how scattered this is haha, but if you have more questions, feel free to ask me!

[idontplaytrack]

Backfired

Capri Donahue x fem!reader(college/living together AU)

Warnings: accidental consumption of prescribed medication, smut- kissing, fingering(both receiving), spanking(reader receiving), use of pet names(both receiving), a bit of degradation(reader receiving). Reader discretion is advised.

In which Capri’s prank on reader backfires when reader accidentally grabs the wrong water bottle on her way out one morning

Requested? Yes / No

Capri’s curiosity was piqued a couple weeks ago when she passed by a rowdy group of guys saying a whole bunch of shit about their friend who couldn’t get it up. And how that guy used Viagra. That guy, was in one of her classes. Before Capri knew it, she was looking up facts about said medication to see how it works, but more so how and if it would work on women. And if it could work on women. After a week of scouring the internet, Capri went up to the guy to ask to buy one off him. Capri thought the money would keep him from saying anything- it did. Besides, it’s not like anyone knew Capri was dating someone.

While you were still sound asleep, Capri woke up early to work out- but also to put her plan into action. The guy told her this was a sublingual type, which she could dissolve in water. Though it wasn’t a sure-thing that it’d even work, Capri still decided to go for it, she drops half a pill into her water bottle after flavouring her water to help with the supposed bitterness. She screwed the bottle shut and gave it a bit of a shake, then Capri drank some of it before putting the bottle down. Awhile later, you were up to get ready for class. And before she knew it, you were ready to go. “Babe, I can’t find my bottle. Can I just take yours?”

She heard while she was on the toilet. Her eyes widened in shock as she scrambled outside to stop you but it was too late. You’d already drank the water. Typically of course, she wouldn’t mind if you used her water bottle. And you wouldn’t mind of she’d used use yours. But of course right now, it may pose you a bit of a problem if it worked on you. “Sure.” She tries to answer as calmly as possible. “Hey, how long’s your class again?”

“Three hours but we usually get to go early. I just have the one class today.” You told her.

“Okay.” Capri nodded, “I don’t have class today so I’ll be home catching up on some sleep.”

“Good for you.” You giggled, “See you in a few hours, babe.” Capri smiles, pressing a kiss to your cheek before you left.

Capri could only hope that you could get through your class, feeling the way she does right now, she felt bad she subjected you to the effects of the medication when she was the one supposed to be getting all of it, so that it would come in handy for after you got back from class. She didn’t hear anything from you for the full three hours so she assumed it went by alright. Until you came home and she saw you. “What the hell do you have in your water, Capri?”

Uh oh.

“I was supposed to be at the library for at least two hours after class to study. I couldn’t because I’m feeling like horny fucking bastard.”

“I didn’t expect you to already take a sip out of my bottle. I was supposed to be the one drinking all of that to prank you by hopefully being clingy.” She explained, “I’m sorry. You have every right to be mad at me. That was too much.”

“Actually, it’s about time I let myself relax.” You shushed her.

She arched a brow, squinting at you, “Are you saying-”

“Aren’t you?” You looked at her the same way.

“Alright, baby.” She motions for you to sit on her lap, and you complied. “Do you think I can make you come just with my hands, y/n?”

“I dunno, let’s try.” You shrug while cupping her face and kissing her softly. Capri practically attacks you with a rough kiss and invaded your mouth with her tongue. The intensity of it makes you moan already, since you have been feeling the effects of the water all morning. It wasn’t hard for you to make you feel like you needed a lot more, a lot faster. In fact, her kisses alone had you grinding on nothing as your ass sat on her lap.

Capri laughs, shifting you onto the couch as she instantly sat in a butterfly stretch pose. Holy fuck does she know how to make you feel like a touched-starve little slut. You saw the look in her eyes as she reached down the front of your shorts and started to stimulate your clit. She was very gentle, so as much as it felt good, it wasn’t nearly enough stimulation to make you get closer to your high. However, she was now having her legs wide open to give her own clit some attention while you watched. Seeing Capri biting her lip drove you nuts and you soon found yourself doing the same to take a bit of the edge off. “No, no, no.” She smacked your hand and you whined, “I’ll do that for you. So why don’t you do that for me instead?”

You nodded desperately, giving her a quick ‘okay’ while you reached for her. Her simple gesture had you whining unendingly as your body reacted to let you know you needed more than that. “My god, y/n. You’re so needy, you know that?” She laughs lowly, her hand smacks your cunt causing a yelp to erupt. Which…quickly turned into a cry. The ache you felt while your arousal skyrocketed was terrible- you needed Capri to stop it. To give you the relief your body has been begging for since early this morning. Your actions on her, matched hers for you. But seems to be more in control of herself than you were due to the amount of that specific water that she’d consumed.

“Hear that, love?” She grins, “You’re so wet, aren’t you? Take a look at yourself.” And so your eyes looked down at yourself, feeling more slick forming in that forsaken area. “Don’t stop, baby.” She looked at your fingers that were rubbing her clit as it swelled. You intentionally went harder for a second or two, drawing out a gasp from her mouth. Which sounded like she was teasing you to make her be more noisy, but either way, you picked up your pace and she begins to match up your speed. “Fuck, yeah. That feels so fucking good.” You pursed your lips together. Capri stops suddenly, and you smacked her cunt, displeased. An absolutely obscene moan flew out from her lips, making you smirk. “Who said you could stop.” You locked eyes with her, your actions slowing down. “Do you want me to stop too, Capri? Because…I sure can. And then I can make you watch me fuck myself while you can’t touch anywhere, at all.”

Capri bit onto her lower lit to stop herself from moaning, to not show you that she needed your touch as much as you needed hers. But, she kept teasing your folds, which allowed you find her answer to your demand. “Good girl.” You flashed a smug smile, bucking against her hand. That movement of yours made her moan, like actually- she’d nodded in approval asking you to keep doing that. Well, you did. Anything to get the two of you over the edge at this point. By basically riding her hand, her fingers were pushed way deeper into you and you were having a fucking good time hearing her whining and also the stimulation you were getting. Shockingly, right as you pulled your finger out of her, Capri unravels. She unravels first, whining your name repeatedly. You kept pushing your finger in and pulling it out though, to see just how much she could take before becoming an overstimulated, squirming mess right in front your eyes. When it became harder and harder for her to keep her fingers on your cunt, you take it as your cue to stop while she continues to bring you closer to the edge. Your clit was throbbing, and you beg her for more. “Capri, oh fuck, oh my God- please I-”

“Please, what, honey?” She licked her lips, looking at you up and down, “Use your words.”

“Please…” Tears brim at yours eyes, feeling yourself growing wetter and wetter. “Please, Capri I need your fingers inside me. Please…?”

“That’s my girl.” She got up, kneeling now so she could kiss you while her busy hand stayed working. She dips a finger into you and you gasped, “Fuck. Oh, God. That feels so good, Capri.”

“Does it, baby? That feels good?” She practically spoke into the never ending kiss, as her action became rougher and every time her finger poked your g-spot, a whine would fall from your lips without fail. “You close, princess?” She asks as you feel her finger retreating. You nodded eagerly, bucking your hips so her finger would return to its spot. “Woah, you’re feeling a little bit too eager today, aren’t you?” She teases, biting onto her lower lip yet again.

“All thanks to you.” You rolled your eyes.

“Fine, fuck yourself with my hand then.” She arched a brow, her eyes darkened along with her attitude.

“Fuck. That’s not what I-”

“Say that again?” She held onto your face by the chin, “What’d you mean then? Tell me, or are you just gonna be a needy, angry little slut?”

You shook your head at her last few words, “I already had a fucking bad day, Capri. Please, please- make me come. I need it.”

Giving you a little shrug, her fingers enter you in a pair. “You should’ve just told me that, sweet girl. Now I’ve made you sad.” Capri kisses the crook of your neck, then biting and sucking to leave some marks which drew blood. You seethed, she soothed the areas with her tongue. Then, she trails back down to lap at your cunt, to make you come. She’s decided to give you a little treat after only making use of her hands. With your head thrown back, you felt your climax approach at a steady pace. “Why are you-?” You panted.

“Shh.” She shushed you, “Just let go, babe. It’s okay, I know what I said, but I just wanted to do a little something to make it up to you.” She vigorously rubbed your clit, causing to nearly scream as you reached your peak. You nearly fell onto your back but she caught you. “Shit, shit, shit.” You cursed, “We did not lay a towel-” She didn’t care, simply attacking your lips once again, wanting to hear you cry for her as you continued to ride out your orgasm.

“Oh, that’s so hot, baby.”

“I- oh, god. Okay, okay. That’s enough for today, yeah.” You managed to say, laying down completely now.

“Okay.” Capri presses a kiss to your cheek, “Okay, honey. You’re alright, you’re alright.”

[thisantithesis]

sort of jegulus, just an idea i randomly wrote out at three in the morning. open ending??? pt 1, 1.2k words (pt 2)

Regulus sighed as he placed another book on the shelf, his attention far away from whatever shelf he was restocking. Snow was drifting down slowly outside, the late-afternoon dark grey sky making the library seem much gloomier than usual.

The golden lights cast an orange-tinted hue across the shelves and tables, and the fireplace crackled gently in its hearth against the wall of the lounge area. The combination of both gave the large and ornate room a warm and comfortable feeling, but didn’t do much in terms of providing sufficient light. Each table had its own lamp, many of which were currently being used by students as they crammed to study for their finals.

Regulus would usually be one of the people sitting at a table in quiet panic, spending so much time there that he would surely be the last one to leave, but instead here he was, slowly making his way through the cart of books that needed to be returned to their rightful place.

He didn’t dislike his job. He really didn’t. If anything, it was the best job he could have right then as a university student, what with its flexible hours and low demands. He popped in four days a week, from noon until six p.m., then left and went back to his apartment. It was an easy schedule, one that allowed him to take his classes in the morning and do whatever he wanted in the evening, which was more than a lot of working students had. It’s just that, as he watched the first snowfall of the year through the large windows of the library, he found that he would much rather be outside, letting the flakes land in his hair and touch his skin with little pinpricks of cold.

Someone had once told him that the snow in his pitch black curls made it look like he had his own little galaxy swirling in his hair. He thought about that quiet observation every day.

So, every year when Fall slowly turned to Winter, when the weather started getting colder and the world started losing its colorful warmth, Regulus waited with bated breath for that first snowfall. He always made sure to be outside when it happened so he could let his little galaxy form atop his head and reminisce on what he thought were better days.

Placing the last book on its proper shelf, Regulus quickly put the cart away and steadily walked toward the front desk of the library.

“Ms. Pince,” he said as he put his hands flat on the desk in front of him.

“Yes, Mr. Black?” she replied almost tonelessly, her back to him and her head bent over whatever she was working on.

He steeled himself, not necessarily expecting being denied at his request but still preparing for it. Ms. Pince wasn’t known to be lenient. “Would I be able to leave a bit earlier today? I need to study for my finals and I’ve already finished unloading the returns cart.”

She slowly turned her head towards where he had placed the cart, lifting an eyebrow as she checked the watch on her wrist. “All right. The library closes in an hour, so I don’t see the harm. Will you be here tomorrow?”

The library closed at seven p.m. on the weekends, and given that it was a Saturday Regulus was right to think that it would work in his favor. He tried to suppress his little smile of triumph. “Yes, same time as today. My class ends at noon so I should get here at around quarter past.”

The librarian nodded and turned back to her project. “Have a good night, Mr. Black.”

“You as well, Ms. Pince. And thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow.

She simply hummed in acknowledgement and Regulus all but sprinted towards the closet deemed as the “break room”. It consisted of wall to wall shelves filled with ancient and dusty tomes, with a newer addition of a small table, a chair, and some pegs haphazardly tacked onto the back of the door for coats and bags. The room was big enough to walk around in, even with the table, but it was so dusty back there that spending more than fifteen minutes in the room made Regulus’ throat run dry.

He shoved the door open, grabbed his things, then quickly walked towards the library’s side doors. No one really knew about them, given that they were hidden by some of the shelves, so you either found them by looking or accidentally stumbling upon them—which is exactly how Regulus had found them.

He put his coat on as he walked and looped his scarf around his throat tightly, then readjusted the strap of his bag as he opened the doors and stepped onto the freshly fallen snow.

It had been snowing incessantly for the past three hours, and Regulus had hoped it would be one of those first snowfalls that kept going for hours and hours, or at least until there was a decent amount sticking to the ground, and he was glad to see that this year was exactly like that.

Regulus smiled softly and tipped his head back, enjoying the quiet sound of snow falling on his face and the stillness the world around him seemed to adopt whenever winter arrived.

The side doors of the library opened up to a hidden area beside the building, a place Regulus liked to call the Statue Garden. The patch of grass was filled with statues of Greek gods and goddesses, all covered in green branches and moss as a result of the passing of time. Now though, now they were covered in a faint dusting of white, somehow making them look that much more regal.

Regulus closed his eyes against the falling flakes, a serene feeling spreading throughout his chest and slowly unknotting the anxiety that always resided heavily there.

A crunch of footsteps broke through the quiet making Regulus whip his head in the direction of the sound. The thick trees blocked him from seeing whoever was approaching, but soon enough they came into the clearing, causing Regulus to scowl when he saw who it was.

The person continued walking, completely unaware of Regulus standing mere feet away and making Regulus’ blood boil. Why couldn’t he have one moment of peace?

“Potter. What are you doing here?” Regulus snapped, hoping his expression conveyed how unhappy he was with what was happening.

James Potter staggered in his steps as he looked up, eyes and mouth wide with surprise. He looked like he'd seen a ghost—which, to be fair, he basically did. Regulus hadn’t seen James or his brother or any of their friends in almost a year and a half now, not since his birthday party last June.

Regulus scowled even harder at the memory, surely exuding waves of anger and bitterness. He raised a brow when James kept gawping at him, already tired of the conversation. The idiot hadn’t even spoken a word and Regulus was done. That had to be a record.

“Potter,” he repeated, this time more sternly to snap the other boy out of his stupor.

“Oh,” James breathed gently, “it’s you.”

[rustycottoncandy]

Dude, the improvement that I've made since last year is huge, now that I think about it.

Last year, I'd cry at least three times a week, perhaps four. Daily, even, and there wasn't a week that I didn't cry in class, almost. If there was, it felt really weird.

I couldn't bring myself to go outside for a long time in fears that I'd be looked at or even that I'd walk the wrong way - like it sounds stupid now but I genuinely believed that I walked badly and people would notice that.

I couldn't answer a question in class without ending up trembling before I did and a lot of the time I had a classmate ask stuff for me or say something when I got asked to because it was a struggle to SPEAK with other people.

At the start of the year, I had to ask the teacher to be seated in a spot next to a wall or the window because I couldn't handle sitting in the middle of the class or I thought I'd be looked at and made fun of.

I'd easily break down if anyone pointed out something wrong - even if it was an answer I'd given or just something small that I did (...which I still kind of struggle with but it's not as bad anymore).

I couldn't even IMAGINE being alive at this date, or 2024 generally.

Fuck, my parents didn't even trust me alone at home and when they were here every door had to be open at all times because they didn't trust me, and tbh neither did I.

At some points I even thought I was losing my mind and HEY. HEY LOOK. HEY. IT GOT BETTER. IT FUCKING GOT BETTER I AM BETTER I AM WAY BETTER

SURE I'm still not 100% okay and YES there's still things to work on but I've gotten better.

More than once have I gone outside on my own for walks that may've lasted two hours or longer, when one year ago (technically some months too) I wouldn't even have been able to walk from home to the nearest bakery.

I can fucking TALK to people. Like, normally. I can talk and I can even make jokes and they turn out fine because not all interactions have to be bad yk?? people aren't gonna yell at you if you say hi

I've been able to play the piano and sing in front of a bunch of people. SING. How much of an improvement is that

Sure I do feel like shit every now and then but HEY. HAVE I CRIED TODAY? NO. YESTERDAY? NO. THE DAY BEFORE? NOT THAT I RECALL! WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT THREE DAYS IN A ROW WITHOUT CRYING?? A WEEK PERHAPS?? MORE THAN A WEEK??

THAT'S IMPROVEMENT. AND I'M PROUD OF MYSELF. AND I CAN BE HOME ALONE WITH EVERY SINGLE DOOR CLOSED AND I KNOW NOTHING BAD WILL HAPPEN I'VE GOT REASONS TO LIVE AND KEEP GOING

FUCK YEAH DUDE

[buttonloops]

About a year ago, I moved into a low-income affordable-housing building.

Honestly? I love it.

Renting a single room by the month makes me feel like a sensible bachelor making his way in the world, some story protagonist who spends a lot of time walking along night time city streets in the rain.

It's the first place I've had that's been wholly mine, no roommates, where I can lock the door and remain perfectly alone for days on end

But I also see a lot of my neighbors. The building is old and well-built, so I can usually hear them moving around faintly, which I think is the ideal. Hearing your neighbors talking, but not what they're saying.

The front desk is staffed 24/7 by residents. Front door stays locked and they buzz you in, which means there's always someone to sign for packages and tuck them safely away until I get home from work.

Also means there's someone to say hi to, going and coming.

I've been thinking a lot about that, "wants to start a commune but won't even put a new roll of toilet paper on" or however it goes.

The idea that community isn't a carefully curated inner circle, but all the people you live and work and interact with.

My community is my coworkers AND the guy across the hall who loaned me the first Earthsea book AND the lady who sits down in the lobby all day long playing her phone games AND the checkout clerk I see every week at the grocery store AND my classmates at the woodworking class AND the woman who talks to herself constantly in Polish AND.

Anyway, tonight I was gonna ride my bike four miles to this queer bar I want to check out ... but i got outside and it started raining.

So I came back in and lingered, chatting with the lady on duty for almost an hour. Apparently her brother has THREE bikes cause he keeps winning them in raffles at work. His wife keeps hoping for an air fryer but nope, another bike.

This, too, is socializing

[elaine-abroad]

Volume 2 Part 1

Week One

Okay…a LOT has happened this past week so this might be long. Tuesday was the first day of classes for everyone. Everyone has to take at least two classes and I’m taking Korean Traditional Painting and something called Visual Journal which I found out is an illustration drawing/creative class. I knew Alyssa and my friend Bianca (from STAMPS) were going to be in my painting class, but I knew no one else. Bianca had two friends with her (Zoe and Grace) and I kind of tagged along with them for lunch. Luckily Grace is in my Visual Journal class so we’ve stuck together since then and I can officially say I have a new friend.

Naengmyeon which are cold buckwheat noodles (that’s why there’s ice)

Anyways the takeaway from this week’s painting class is that my teacher is unorganized because the school is unorganized. There are probably about thirty or so students in my class, and my teacher was very surprised because she usually teaches classes with a max of twenty students. She was unprepared as apparently the school didn’t let her know of the class size. 

We found out that Ewha is like UM and doesn’t help out with art school materials. While my teacher could’ve sent an email or message to us before the program, she waited till the first day to tell us we had to buy over 100,000 won (over $90) worth of materials. I don’t know if she saw the unimpressed looks of everyone, but she insisted we could take out/add whatever we wanted. The art shop we went to was in a different area and she assumed we all knew how to get there, but after some communication she said we would go the next day as a class. The art shop was very small and the materials did look pretty good. Unfortunately the man pre-packaged all of our stuff so we basically were forced to take what he put together. 

Traditional brushes from art shop in Insa-dong

My friends and I were one of the first people to pay so the teacher told us we could stand outside and walk around while the others got situated. We were only gone just long enough for three people to get drinks, but when we returned to the shop, no one was there. So of course we were all freaking out, thinking they took the bus back without us, but we found out they went to an art gallery nearby. We spent some time there and after a while, the second group arrived. Basically a section of our class didn’t have money loaded on their T Money cards (cards used for public transportation and convenience stores) so one of the Korean speaking students took them to figure that out first. 

Extra pics

Class is supposed to end at 11:30 so that we’d have an hour for lunch, but we were still there as the ending time approached. I don’t think our teacher was aware that we wanted to go back, but she eventually “dismissed” us and the first group including Grace and I left. Some upper class STAMPS kids were trying to be the leaders but led us the wrong way and then blamed the map, but we eventually managed to make it back to campus at 11:50. We weren’t very happy, but at least we made it in time. I later heard from Bianca that she and Zoe went to use the bathroom when everyone was there, but when they came out the first group was gone. They chose to take the subway thinking it’d be faster but apparently arrived at 1:15. 

Gallery

My visual journal teacher is chill and speaks good English. She’s a children's book illustrator and said she used to work in San Francisco which was cool. 95% of the class is from STAMPS so it was kind of weird when we were all introducing ourselves. I like the class though.

Bottom floor of visual journal class building

Unlike UM though, Ewha has an underwhelming amount of tables/chairs to sit in. It’s become a challenge to find a spot during lunch as students literally sit on every step of the stairs just for a seat. 

Here we are sitting on the ground like bums two lunch days in a row

Since Tuesday, I’ve hung out with Grace a lot and she’s just like me. We’re both nervous to use public transportation by ourselves and go into restaurants without English translations or kiosks. So we’ve gotten along pretty well and have gotten food with each other every day since.

We also both like going to the convenience store on campus even if it’s to just get a drink or ice cream. I’m pretty sure the guy that works there knows us by now.

Part of the ice cream collection (I tried my first Melona bar!)

Oh yeah and before I forget, I have a messed up fun fact. So the Ewha campus is a series of uphill and downhill walking which is extremely tiring in the hot temps. Even just the thought of the walk up the hill to the art buildings and then the 6 floors we have to walk up because of the nonexistent elevator makes me sigh. Anyways during our welcome tour, they told us that the reason why it’s such a journey all around is because Ewha is an all girls school. Back in the day when the school was made (over a hundred years ago), women pursuing an education were so looked down upon that they purposely didn’t flatten the land to try to make it harder for them to go to school. The school next to us, Yonsei University, was just like any other school which is why their land is completely flat.

Another fun fact totally unrelated to anything other than Korea is that there are absolutely no public trash cans on the street. I’m really sure why, but it’s kind of annoying because we have to hold onto our trash a lot of the time.

Moving on, I signed up for several Friday field trips. This past week was a Seoul city tour. We took a double decker tour bus around and stopped at a few notable sites. 

The first stop was the Namsan Tower, also known as the Seoul Tower. Unfortunately it was a rainy cloudy day so we couldn’t see much of the land below. 

It cost extra to get to the top of the tower, but it just wasn’t worth it with the weather. We did go into the tower plaza for a little bit though.

There were mostly refreshments for tourists. At the top there was a wide space with stores and traditional looking buildings.

Korea has a lot of life-size models of characters just standing around shops and stuff. Restaurants and cafes often have animal mascots and sometimes they just throw a statue outside to attract more people. I’ve noticed it around shopping areas too.

Penninah and I posing with Haechi, a Seoul mascot. Apparently he is some kind of mythical lion creature

The next stop was to Changgyeonggung Palace. I don’t know much about the history, but it was built back in the mid 15th century by the 4th ruler of the Joseon dynasty for his retiring father. It often served as residential quarters for queens and concubines. It was a pretty wide space with many buildings and pathways. 

Front gate

By the end of this stop everyone was hot, sweaty, tired, thirsty, and most definitely hungry. We went back to where I had gotten my painting materials from for lunch and a break. Insa-dong has had quite a few people walking around both times I’ve gone there. The street shops were cool too and less focused on trendy items.

We all sort of went our own ways for lunch but Penninah and I joined a big group of people for food which made the process much easier.

Spicy beef jjigae (jjigae is a Korean stew and there are many variations)

Go to part 2 because I ran out of photo space for this post

[starlightingmysims]

100 Baby Challenge - Lena Joins The Gym

The sunlight woke her before anything else—an unfiltered, blinding stripe of it cutting across her face from between two slat boards over the window. Lena groaned and rolled onto her back. For a few seconds, she lay there in the quiet, letting herself pretend she was anywhere else. Then the smell hit her again: stale air, mildew, garbage, and reality settled over her like a wet blanket.

She sat up, blinking against the morning light. Her sleeping bag was rumpled in the middle of a room that barely looked better for all the sweeping she'd done the night before. Trash still clung to the corners. The walls were still cracked and peeling. Somewhere nearby, something buzzed faintly—electrical and wrong. There was so much to do, so much broken and destroyed, she was becoming overwhelmed.

She pulled herself to her feet and crossed to the kitchen. The stove was sparking, little angry pops of blue light shooting from the burners whenever the wind rattled the windows. Definitely a death trap. The bathroom was worse. No working plumbing—just a wooden structure over a bucket, a wooden excuse for a tub, and a sink stained orange from god knows what. And the kitchen cabinets? Completely empty, except for a half-used can of moldy beans.

No food. No water. No way to clean herself up.

For a second, panic clawed up her throat. It would be so easy to crumble here, to throw her hands up and scream that she couldn’t do this, that she wasn’t built for it, that they were wrong to think giving her this place could ever fix anything. She began to hyperventilate before she took a few deep breaths.

"One thing at a time," she whispered to herself. First: find a working bathroom and shower. There was a gym next to the library, so maybe they would let her shower there. Second: food. Third: Get back to the library and find a way to fix this stove because she did not have money for a new one.

It wasn’t a plan. Not really. But it was movement, which was better than panic. With that in mind, she moved to change, packed fresh clothing and her toiletries, and made her way down to see if the gym would let her clean up.

Stepping inside, Lena's nerves prickled under her skin. She spotted one of the staff members and made her way over, clutching the strap of her bag for courage. In a low voice, she explained that she'd just moved into her house, but the water wasn’t hooked up yet—both technically true, if not the whole story—and asked if there was any way she could take a quick shower here.

The woman, who introduced herself as Tessa French, looked genuinely sympathetic. "I'm really sorry," Tessa said, her voice regretful. "But I can't allow non-members to use the facilities. I'd lose my job." Lena nodded, resigned; she'd figured as much, so she did not fight it. Instead, she murmured a thank you and was already turning to leave when Tessa seemed to have a sudden thought.

"Wait," she said, brightening. "So, I can’t let you in as a guest... but we just had a new promotion start last week. If you sign up for our classes, you’d be considered a member. Then you can use everything whenever you want." Lena hesitated. "How much would that cost?" Tessa smiled encouragingly. "It’s §20 to sign up, and each class is §15. You only have to take one class every three months to stay active." She added, almost conspiratorially, "There’s actually a beginner yoga class starting in an hour—out on the back patio. First-timers love it."

Lena’s skepticism softened. She could afford §20, and she had no idea how long her plumbing situation was going to take. Plus... she'd always wanted to try yoga. A real smile tugged at her lips. "Okay," she said. "Sign me up." Tessa led her over to the front desk and quickly got her registered, leaving Lena just enough time to dash home for some workout clothes. She made it back just as the instructor was setting up outside, the early sun warming the patio stones.

The yoga class turned out to be a lot of fun—and a lot harder than it looked. By the end of it, Lena felt more pretzel than person, very Bent out of Shape. Her muscles were protesting in places she hadn’t even known existed. Still, she was grinning as she rolled up her borrowed mat. The best part? With her §20 membership paid and her first class completed, she was now officially allowed to use the gym’s showers whenever she needed. It was a huge relief—especially since, as she headed upstairs, she realized her timing couldn’t have been better.

Her period had decided today was the day to start. Without somewhere to clean up, it would have been an utter disaster. Instead, she stepped into a steaming hot shower, scrubbing away the grime, sweat, and the lingering weight of the past few days. Fresh clothes clung to her clean skin, and for the first time in a while, she felt almost human again. As though waiting for a cue, her stomach growled loudly as she laced up her sneakers.

Next on the agenda: food.

She stashed her bag in one of the lockers and stepped out into the bright midday sun. Scanning the neighbourhood, she realized she didn’t know many places nearby—until she remembered the food stand by the waterfront. Last time, the fish tacos had been incredible. Today, she decided, she’d try the popcorn shrimp. It was almost lunchtime anyway.

Perfect.

Enjoying her meal on a bench near the food stand, Lena let herself relax for the first time in what felt like forever. The soft breeze, the warmth of the food in her hands, the fullness in her stomach—it almost felt like a normal day. She knew the reality was that a disaster was still waiting for her at home, and she still needed to grab her things from the gym, but at least this day wasn't a complete write-off.

She tossed her trash and made her way back, slipping through the glass doors into the lobby. As she crossed the room, she caught sight of someone and froze mid-step. One of the most handsome men she had ever seen was standing near the punching bags. He had the lean, strong build of someone who lived at the gym, and it showed. His tank top clung to broad shoulders and an easy confidence that practically radiated across the room.

Then he turned—and it was over.

He had that strong jawline and cheeky smile that made her knees weak. He spotted her almost instantly, as if he’d been expecting her. Before she could decide whether to keep walking or duck behind a potted plant, he smiled wider and walked straight toward her.

"Hey," he said, his voice warm and easy, like they already knew each other. Lena blinked, caught off-guard—but smiled back, feeling her cheeks warm despite herself. "Uh... hi?"

He introduced himself as Roy, flashing her a grin that could probably light up the whole gym. "I’m here all the time," he said easily. "But I know I’ve never seen you before... I’d remember." Lena ducked her head, smiling shyly. "I, uh... just joined today." Roy’s face lit up even more, like that was the best news he’d heard all week. "No way! Well, if no one's given you the grand tour yet, I volunteer."

Before she could overthink it, she found herself following him around the gym, listening as he pointed out the equipment, the best places to stretch, even where the vending machine had the "good" protein bars. He was charming without trying too hard, and every now and then, he tossed her these sideways smiles that made her stumble over her own feet. He asked her questions about herself here and there, and she knew she answered, but could not tell you what she said.

Eventually, after a few minutes of easy banter, he paused by the exit. "I know this is kind of fast," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, looking somehow both confident and a little nervous, "but... would you maybe want to grab a drink tonight?" Lena blinked, caught off guard. Part of her brain shrieked 'What are you doing!?' but another, quieter part—the one tired of lonely nights and harder mornings—spoke up louder. "Sure!" she said, surprising herself.

Roy beamed like she'd just made his whole day. They quickly sorted out the details—an easygoing bar downtown, nothing fancy—and as he leaned in to say goodbye, he brushed a warm kiss against her cheek. "See you tonight, Lena," he said, before striding off like he had the whole world at his back. Lena stood there for a moment, stock-still, trying to remember how to breathe.

Lena arrived at The Blue Velvet just after six, her nerves jangling beneath her skin. Roy was waiting out front, flashing that same easy, heart-melting smile. He swept her into a warm hug before stepping back to look her over, a spark of approval in his eyes. She was very glad she decided to dress up a little instead of wearing jeans. He looked even more handsome tonight, casual but sharp in a fitted polo and dark slacks. "Glad you made it," he said warmly, guiding her inside.

He insisted on buying the first round—a fruity cocktail he promised she’d love—and they settled into a small table near the bar. Conversation came easy; Roy was charming and attentive, laughing at her jokes, asking questions that made her feel interesting, important. When the music picked up, he offered his hand with a grin. "Come on. Dance with me."

They moved out onto the dancefloor, and Lena lost herself in the music, the lights, the heat of his hand on her waist. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so carefree. The drinks kept coming, too—Roy always ready with another round before she could finish the last. Sweet drinks, light drinks, but they stacked up quickly, making the room tilt pleasantly around her.

Somewhere between a laugh and a spin, she realized she was more tipsy than she intended—but Roy’s arms steadied her, his voice murmuring reassurances she couldn’t quite process through the warm fog in her brain. Later, they collapsed together on one of the upstairs sofas, Lena’s head resting trustingly against his chest. She giggled at something he whispered, feeling drowsy and safe, a little buzzed and a lot happy.

She didn’t notice the way Roy’s hand lingered on her hip longer this time, or how his smiles had sharpened slightly at the edges. To Lena, it just felt like a perfect night. She didn’t see the darker intentions hidden behind those warm, patient eyes...

---------

Well, I wasn't expecting mature themes to happen this quickly, but here we are...

⚠️⚠️⚠️ Upcoming Content Warning: The next post will involve themes of alcohol use, impaired consent, and the aftermath of sexual assault (handled with care but potentially upsetting). Please prioritize your well-being and feel free to skip the next post if necessary. If you don't want to read but still want to know what happened, there is a very basic TL;DR at the top. ❤️

---------

Nightclub: The Blue Velvet Nightclub (reno) from Myszykiszki

[itartarus]

How I'm Feeling Today | ep.2

It's after hours at school, it has been for the past three hours. Rehearsals are over, and people are going home. It's only 73 degrees outside, but people say it feels below 50. It's the wind, the sun that's hidden behind the clouds. We won't get to see it set just yet, not for a while.

I'm alone in this classroom. It's as silent as possible - no voice, whisper, or breathing. Only the faint hum of the air conditioning and my typing. Of course, the music in my headphones too if you counted that. If my volume was up just enough, you could hear what I was listening to: A Fragment of My Soul, Invadable Harmony. It's a piano piece, one I've listened to enough times to recognize if played in front of me. It's beautiful, one of my favorites.

On the board is the work left over from fourth-period class, something I don't recognize enough to explain. The lights in the hallways go out due to lack of motion, and I wonder if anyone else knows I'm here. The doors are closed, the teacher is probably home, trusting the custodians to do a sweep and make sure every door is locked.

Today wasn't perfect, but it wasn't bad either. Another blur, another day to cross off the calendar before Spring Break. Before all of the other things, I have to do. I laughed, I smiled, I spoke. It's nothing new, but sometimes, I do those things a lot less than I want to. I know it cant be helped - faking or forcing emotions is something I simply cannot do, I don't put much effort in doing so.

It's almost six, and my mother isn't here yet to pick me up. She works an hour, maybe two hours away. We moved sometime last month, perhaps in the beginning. I could be wrong, it could've been sometime in mid-January. All I remember was how long it took to settle, not even that, though.

I feel like I'm in a liminal space. It's dark outside the classroom, light outside just barely creeping through the one window I see through the window of the door. There is one light on in the entire classroom. Should it die out, there'd be nothing else but just that little window. Sometimes, I stare at it, expecting the hall lights to suddenly flicker on because someone walked by.

It's peaceful, not anything to mope about. Just an observation. Most of my observations are made when it's quiet when I'm alone. Which recently, has been the case. Perhaps in the confines of my room or sitting alone in the house because my mother is out doing whatever.

I'm curious. Scared but curious about how tonight will go. For the past week, everything has crumbled, not crashed. I'll know when things have truly torn apart. For now, it's just crumbling. Even when things crash though, it's fixable. I'm hopeful, I always am.

My mother is 10 minutes away. With traffic, who knows how long she could actually be.

Time feels still here. Unreal, weird. I mentioned liminality, but very few times in my life have I experienced it. At least not recently. This song is nice: Hozuki - Snowfield. I'm listening to it on You Tube, but I bet it'll take mere seconds to find it on my Spotify. It's beautiful. Most of what I listen to is piano. Nowadays, at least.

Maybe when I go home, I'll take that nap I've been needing. I doubt it, almost. I say this often.

Just maybe.

[theforestknowsmydreams]

fuck it, i'm actually gonna go through my dream jobs right now and think about this. because it's easy to get stuck thinking "well I just can't"

not really relevant to anyone other than myself tbh

my main issues right now are lack of stability (in my mental and physical health, mostly due to disability) and some specific back issues. both of these can or already are actively being worked on, so what else is stopping me?

author: was my dream from early on, but in reality i haven't written a single sentence in probably years. mostly an anxiety and motivation issue, and with how long i've dreamt of it, there's a lot of pressure i've put on myself. definitely something i could start working towards literally whenever i want, but not with the expectation of it being easy or profitable. ideas are something i have plenty of. next would be looking into and practicing different styles; i like feeling secure in my actions.

librarian: i used to help run my school library from age 12 to age 15. i spent over 20 hours there every week (outside of class). organized stuff, worked the entire check-out system, chose what new books to get and helped put them into the system. so i'd say i have a lot of experience in some way, but nothing official. getting the qualifications needed to work the job would take three years and requires minimum grades in some classes that i don't know if i got because i was severely depressed and struggling at that time. things i would need to do: check those grades and see if i would be qualified, look into where the training is offered

professor: i sincerely want to study either german or general linguistics for the fun of it, but later teaching it is still on my list of dream jobs. despite the amount of work, sometimes lacking pay, and general frustration of teaching anyone anything. main issue? over here you aren't allowed to go to university unless you graduated from a specific school. as mentioned before i was struggling real bad, which resulting in me leaving that school before i graduated. meaning i need to go back to school and get my a-levels first, taking another three years. studying is definitely my goal though, even if i don't end up a professor.

translator: probably one of the more realistic options on my list? i speak english and german fluently, and don't think i would have issues getting a certificate in both if i took some time refreshing my knowledge on grammar rules (when speaking to people or posting on tumblr i of course don't go through ensuring everything is correct on a technical level. fuck that). however, though i could get work as a translator even right now and without official qualification, many places do require it. some ways of doing that are going to college (with translation not being offered by my local one) or becoming part of an association and being tested by them to receive a certificate. associations also help a lot with actually getting work, since long-term employment is unlikely when working as a translator. what i could do right now: decide on a direction i would go in (games, comics, novels, etc), study up on grammar and writing in general, practice translation i'm actually in contact with the creator of my favorite webtoon, which might help a lot. especially since they already know i want to translate if for myself

anything musical theater: literally just a dream, i do not plan on pursuing it whatsoever. do want to get voice lessons someday when i learn to handle my anxiety better but that's just for funsies

If you're currently a student studying in the relevant field to pursue your dream job, that counts as "I don't have the education required," as you're still in the process of obtaining it.

–

We ask your questions anonymously so you don’t have to! Submissions are open on the 1st and 15th of the month.