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yoongii-ah · 2 years

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Spring Day (Chapter 1)

Chapter 1: The Cafe

You’ve been stressed out from your job and finally have your first day off in over a week. Loneliness has been your constant emotion as you try to enjoy the time you have left working in Seoul. On your day off, you decide to spend the morning sitting in a quiet café, when you run into a stranger who you can’t keep your eyes off of… Warnings: N/A Word count: 2,345

Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 Alright, I’ve been dreaming about this scenario for the past week so I thought I would fill in the details and finally make a fanfic. It’s my first one, so please be kind! I’m open to all sorts of constructive criticisms. I’ve always enjoyed the thought of aloof Yoongi finding a romantic interest who doesn’t know just how famous he is. Who better than a foreigner?

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Light peaked through your bedroom curtains on a calm and sunny Wednesday morning. From your 12th story apartment, the world seemed quiet. You laid in bed for a few minutes before rolling over and reaching for your phone on your nightstand. You unlocked the screen and promptly turned off your e-mail notifications for the day. It was your first day off in 10 days. The consulting firm you work for had you putting in double time to finish closing a deal with a high priority client. You had moved to Seoul almost 6 months ago, and in that time, you had climbed the corporate ladder and found your place within the company. Your boss was impressed by your work ethic, but it was only because you didn’t have much of a social life as a foreigner in a new city. You had taken Korean language classes at the local library in your hometown for 6 months before accepting a new work contract, but you still felt hesitant about your new language skills. There were a few other people who worked at your office who had moved from other English-speaking countries, but you didn’t seem to have much in common with them anyways.

You rolled out of bed and grabbed the satin robe that laid on the armchair in the corner of your bedroom. After slipping it on, you opened the curtains to let the full sunlight in. Today will be a good day, you sighed to yourself as your walked to your kitchen to make a cup of coffee. Even though you should be excited to have the day to yourself with no distractions, something still felt like it was missing. You knew you were happy with your decision to move across the world to a new country, but you didn’t expect this kind of loneliness. After your coffee finishes brewing, you sit at your kitchen counter to sip it while checking social media on your phone. Photos of your friends from back home immediately flood your screen. They were sad to see you leave but understood why you felt the need to get away for a bit and start fresh. After all, the work contract was only for 1 year. ‘I’ll be back before you can even miss me’, you told them at your going-away party.

After finishing your coffee, you walk back to your bedroom and open your closet doors. Since you didn’t need to be work clothes for the day, you took your time picking out an outfit that suited your true personality. You grabbed your favourite pair of jeans, a black turtleneck sweater, a belt, and your best high heeled boots. You looked at yourself in the mirror hanging on the wall as you tucked the sweater into your jeans and decided simple was the best thing to wear for the day. You grabbed a pair of silver hoop earrings from the top of your dresser and finished your hair and makeup in the bathroom. Your stomach grumbled, reminding you that coffee was not enough for breakfast, so you decided the first mission of your day was to find a café to eat breakfast at. Grabbing your book bag, coat, and a scarf, you left your apartment. As you walked outside, the brisk spring air hit your face. You inhaled deeply, thankful that you could take a break from your stuffy office. Your stomach grumbled once more, reminding you of your hunger, so you started to walk down the sidewalk in search of breakfast.

After walking for 15 minutes, you found a small café located on the corner of an alleyway. You paused, hesitant since it looked closed, but sure enough the neon sign in the window assured you otherwise. A bell dinged as you opened the door, announcing your entrance. Out of the 10 small tables available, only 2 were taken by people tapping away at their laptop keyboards with their headphones in. Faint classical music played in the background, and you could hear small chatter from the workers behind the counter, discussing their plans for the upcoming weekend.

“Hwangyong hamnida” you hear from one of the baristas behind the counter. You nod your head and reply “Annyeonghaseyo” and approach the counter. After scanning the menu, you quickly order a Korean style breakfast sandwich and another cup of coffee. You turn to scan the café and see a small table for two in the corner by tall floor to ceiling windows. People watching is one of your hobbies. You rest your book bag on the ground against a table leg, unwrap the scarf from your neck, and place your jacket on the back of the chair as you sit facing the entrance door. Sunlight and shadows lay across the surface of the tiny table, reminding you to take advantage of the quiet space while you enjoy your meal. After finishing, you return the small plate to the counter, walk back to your table, and pull out your journal and a pen.

Taking another sip of your coffee, you stare at the black leather cover. It had been so long since you’ve put your thoughts to paper. Truthfully, it felt like you had nothing to say about the contents of your current life. Your thoughts start to drift as the faint classical music becomes more noticeable. You stare out the window and you don’t register the bell attached to the café door dinging again, welcoming its newest customer. Your mind registers a calm male voice at the counter ordering an Americano, but you don’t dare turn around to see who the voice belongs to. Staring at the black journal cover again, you flip open to your most recent entry. February 14, 2022, it reads, as your cynicism is plastered in black ink on two pages. You cringe, recalling just how lonely you felt on Valentine’s Day. It was stupid really; you knew it was a commercial holiday full of corny advertisements and insincere bouquets of flowers. You shook your head as you turned to the next blank page and wrote down the current date, April 6, 2022. You tapped your pen, thinking of where to begin and what could be important enough to write down.

You sigh as you glance up from your table and lock eyes with a man sitting on the other side of the small café. You find it hard to break eye contact. There’s something about his gaze and dark eyes that prevents you from pulling your own away. You feel flush and give him a small fleeting smile as you return to your empty journal entry. Embarrassment rushes over you as you realized you stared at him for far too long. Taking a deep breath, you force the picture of this stranger out of your mind and start to pour your thoughts onto paper.

You find yourself quickly complaining about your busy work schedule, boredom, and loneliness again. This is so counterproductive, you think, I’m supposed to be enjoying my day off and instead I have nothing to write but complaints. You cross out the few sentences you wrote with the black pen, leaving streaks of pressed lines on the paper. You pause to gather your thoughts and try again. Underneath the black lines, you start to make a list of the things you want to do in Korea before ending your work contract in 6 months and returning home:

- Hike the Bukhansan National Park - Spend a day at Jeju Island - Take the train to Busan - Cycle along the Han River and stop for a picnic - Spend the day at a beach *note to self, look up beaches* - Visit a themed café - Learn how to cook one staple Korean meal

Satisfied with your ongoing list, you pause to look out the window again, but your thoughts are interrupted.

“Hello” says the calm voice who ordered his coffee only a few minutes ago. You hold your breath as you look up to meet the dark, familiar eyes of the stranger approaching your table.

“Hello” you reply, feeling as if your voice is caught in your throat. His face is hard to read since black hair touches his brows and he wears a black paper face covering over his nose and mouth.

“I couldn’t help but notice the constant scratching of your pen” he says with a hint of humour in his voice. You imagine a sly smile under his mask.

“Sometimes I’m not sure if my pen can keep up with my thoughts” you say, as warmth spreads to your cheeks and down to your chest. You slowly close the cover of your journal, returning the cap on your pen.

“Do you mind if I sit?” he motions to the other chair at your table.

“No, not at all, please” you say as he pulls the wooden chair back to sit across from you, crossing his legs. Suddenly you’re aware of just how small the table is, as both of your coffee cups and the journal take up almost the entire surface. He removes his face covering, revealing a small smile as he sticks the mask in his jacket pocket. He reaches for his coffee cup and takes a sip before continuing the conversation.

“I’ve been finding my thoughts difficult to write down as well” he says. It surprises you that you both have shared such personal thoughts with each other so soon.

“What do you write about?” you cautiously ask, taking a sip from your coffee cup. You wonder if you’ve crossed an invisible boundary. How could there be any boundaries, you think, he’s sitting just a couple feet away from you.

“A little bit of everything” he shares. “Lyrics, poems, fears, dreams…” he lists off casually. “What were you writing about?”

“Oh”, you pause, wondering if sharing your vulnerability will be as easy as it seems for him. “Well, I started to write down all of my complaints”. He holds your eye contact, waiting for you to continue. There doesn’t seem to be any judgement in his expression. “After realizing that complaining wasn’t what I wanted to write about, I crossed it all out and started to make a list instead.”

“And what’s on your list?” he inquires, waiting for you to keep sharing details of your morning.

“Things I want to do while living in Korea” you answer. He shares a warm, closed mouth smile. You take an opportunity to break his gaze and take another sip of your coffee, collecting yourself. Why would I ever share this information with a stranger? You question, but quickly dismiss the fear of being vulnerable. Afterall, it was innocent conversation.

He leans back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. “What’s the first thing on your list?”

“Hiking the Bukhansan National Park.”

“Ah, do you like being in nature?”

“I do, I find it calming” your hand rests on the cover of your black leather journal. “What was the last thing you wrote?”

“Mmm, I’ve been trying to finish a verse of a song I’m working on” he says plainly, waiting for your response.

“Oh, so you write songs?” you ask genuinely. He expression changes as he smirks, uncrossing his arms and resting his forearms on the table as he listens, leaning even closer to you. “Is that your hobby?”

“I suppose you could say that” he nods, breaking eye contact to glance behind your shoulder at the barista who took his order. You could hear her small giggles and whispers from behind the counter, but you paid no attention. You hear a notification sound come from his jacket pocket while he mutters “Excuse me” as he pulls out his phone. He stops to read the message that’s appeared on his screen, quickly sends a reply, and places his phone back into the pocket.

“I’m afraid my ride is here to pick me up” he says. Disappointment rushes over you as your conversation is cut short. You glance over his shoulder to see a black town car with black tinted windows pull up in front just outside of the café’s glass entrance door. He pulls his mask out of the opposite jacket pocket and pauses before placing the loops back over his ears. “I hope you’re able to visit Bukhasan Park soon” he says, catching your gaze across the small table. “It was nice speaking with you” he nods.

“Oh, thank you. It was nice speaking with you too” you nod back, trying to hide the disappointment in your voice. Your conversation had been the most interesting thing that had happened to you in months that didn’t revolve around financial reports. He placed the mask strings over his ears and his face became hidden again. Except for those eyes, you thought. He pressed his hands into the table as he stood up and started to leave the café. Just as you thought he was about to open the door to leave, he turned around and walked back to your table.

“Can I have your phone number?” he asked, pulling his phone from his jacket pocket once again.

Caught off guard, your heart hammered in your chest. He handed his phone to you, your fingertips lightly touching each other. Neither of you seemed to mind the faint contact of your skin.

“I – yes.” All other thoughts seemed to leave your mind as you typed your foreign full name in English, added your number, and pressed ‘save’.

“Y/N First name, Y/N Last name” he repeated as he glanced at his new saved contact. He looked up from his phone and his eyes smiled.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Min Yoongi.”

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Ahhhh thank you for reading this! Is this part 1? Maybe? Who knows... Writing this gave me such motivation and reminded me when I was a young kid and used to make up stories. I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed writing just for fun.

#suga #yoongi #agustd #minyoongi #minsuga #bts #fanfic #sugafanfic #yoongifanfic #agustdfanfic #btsfanfic #kpop #springday

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george-mackay-macfine · 4 years

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Dear Diary Prt.10

November 17th, 2011

Dear Diary,

Or rather, future Y/N,

You should remember to be proud of me, I’ve been sticking to my new life rules, as hard as it has been. Especially when it comes to staying away from guys, especially when those guys names start with G… Especially when that one guy is under the impression we are best friends, and only friends, and nothing is wrong, and you don’t have a steaming hot crush on him, and you aren’t actively going out of your way to try and ignore him…

Especially when the boy whose name starts with G joined Henry, Harry and I’s study group, and sat beside me for a full three hours making adorable goofy faces at me every time I uttered a complicated word.

Overall it’s been fucking peachy.

Let’s hope when Henry teaches me to cook I don’t burn down the flat,

Love, Y/N

November 19th, 2011

Dear Diary,

I think my brain is going to overheat from the amount of studying I’ve been doing lately. Every night Harry has been making sure I keep on track and sits with me at the living room coffee table and helps me study, I don’t know how he does it, helps me study and does his course work,

Henry, Harry and I are still doing our group study sessions, Dean sometimes joins, George often joins…

For future reference Y/N, the crush on George… yeah, it hasn’t gone away.

November 21st, 2011

Dear Diary,

A MONUMENTOUS OCCASION,

Dean-Charles Chapman has asked a girl out to dinner… Okay, so he asked Charlotte out to dinner… And, yes okay he asked Harry, Henry, Jordan, George and I… but he still asked a girl out.

I think he wanted to ask her out alone, but he chickened out, for the tough boy whose not scared of anybody, he sure seemed to pale when he stuttered out,

“D-d-d-o you want to go to dinner… with me…”

Harry looked like he was going to pass out from shock, and well I think I did blackout for a minute there.

Either way, I know am being forced to take a night off from the books and enjoy a dinner with my friends.

Do they not know how hard it is to become a doctor?

In case you forget future Y/N,

It’s hard!

November 23rd, 2011

Dear Diary,

I want to mark down a ‘normal’ week in my life for future Y/N, you know when I’ve lost my marbles and think I’m going mental with how busy I am.

Here goes,

Monday

Mondays are rough. I have a lecture from 8 am until 10 am, followed by a lab or small groups (Which some of the guys, like usual don’t help out) from 10 am until 12 pm.

Exams also usually land on a Monday, by God’s punishment - which always makes Monday’s just that tiny bit worse.

On days when the exams are on Monday, our lecture is generally followed by a two hour, yes TWO HOUR lecture of the next block we’re about to study.

Monday’s generally wear both Blake and me out, so Harry bless his soul has taken to cooking dinner every Monday.

Once a month George knocks on my door well past midnight, he pretends to be drunk but I can’t smell any liquor on his breath, and when I turn him away he makes the most irresistible face. The next day he pretends he did nothing… It’s infuriating.

Tuesday

Tuesday is a little more relaxed. A lecture from 8 am - 10 am, followed by problem-based learning (PBL) case - This means attempting to diagnose hypothetical patients based on provided signs, symptoms and labs. PBL concludes with the assignment of look-ups, based on the case.

Tuesday is great, my classes are generally over by 1 pm, which is when I meet Henry and Harry at the library, (sometimes joined by George, sometimes by Jordan or even Dean) and I catch up on the weeks lectures, complete by PBL lookup, and then Henry comes home with me and is teaching me how to cook, I’ve learnt to make lasagna so far, or at least the oven has…

Wednesday

Wednesday’s start the same, morning lecture and small group or lab occupy 8 am - 12 pm.

Every other week we meet for the Practice of Medicine (POM) sessions from 1 pm - 5 pm. Where we’re led by a dynamic psychologist and physician duo, we learn patient interviewing techniques and practice our physical exam skills.

After POM I go to the library, study until 6 pm then it’s time to go meet the guy’s at their flat where they make dinner for us (Yes, George can cook)

Thursday

Thursday’s, the same as the rest of the week, You’ve probably remembered out the morning pattern, but here it goes again. Thursday mornings start with a lecture followed by lab/small groups ending at noon.

During non-POM weeks, I visit my Ambulatory Care Apprenticeship from 1- 6 pm, There, I have a chance to practice my fledgling physical exam skills and work on resecting the awkward from my patient interviews under the guidance of a primary care physician.

Thursday nights are another night where Harry, Henry and I meet at the library, and you guessed it, sometimes the other boys are in tow, sometimes Charlotte is there too, generally, if Charlotte is there it means Dean is normally… Dean has a crush…

Friday

Friday, 8-10 lecture, followed by day two of PBL where we give short presentations of our lookups, covering topics from disease etiology to physicians’ legal rights and obligations.

If I don’t have a text the next week I’ll usually let the boys talk me into playing at least one round of beer pong, or even going to one of the campus parties… probably not though, most of the time Charlotte comes over and we laugh at the boys,

I also mostly flirt with George.

Saturday

Saturday’s… I’m at the library, nearly all day, sometimes George can pull me out for an hour to have a picnic, which I’d never say no too.

Sunday

I do nothing, expect think about George and how I’m ruined for life, and how stupid I am for allowing him to control so much of my time.

Y/N, If you do this in the future with other guys. I’m going to make you regret it.

Love,

Y/N (2011) (Still in love with George)

November 25th, 2011

Dear Diary,

I remember when I was fifteen I’d dream about my future and how amazing it’d be when I was in university, spending nights out with friends, drinking and dancing the night away, having breakfast at two in the morning because we could, going to all-night diners and drinking over the top milkshakes, well it finally happened.

“My brain hurts,” I moaned to Harry as I rubbed my temples pencil dropping against my notebook.

“Do you want to get breakfast with me?” I opened one of my eyes and looked at him. “We’re getting breakfast,” He nodded his head packing up both our things. “It’s late, and we’re going to have breakfast together.” Harry grabbed my books and bag motioning for me to get up.

“Harry, it’s like midnight,”

“Perfect time for breakfast then,” He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the exit. Bursting out the doors. “The very first hour of the morning, nothing says midnight better than pancakes.” I let out a giggle shivering as a gust of wind hit me.

“I’d love to get breakfast with you.” Harry looked both ways down the road, checking for any oncoming traffic grabbing my hand tighter, pulling me so we ran across the road. I shivered again as we walked down the block the wind whipping my hair around my face.

“You’re cold?” I shrugged another shiver hitting me. “Here,” He put our bags on the ground shrugging off his topcoat, leaving him in just his denim jacket. He held it out to me, nodding his head towards it.

“Harry…”

“Take it,” He turned me helping me shrug the coat on. “C’mon,” He held his hand out to me again, a smile on his face. I grabbed his hand and walked with him down the street again until he pulled me to a stop. “Here we are,” Harry smiled pulling the door open ushering me inside. As soon as we entered and the small bell above the door chimed a middle-aged woman appeared. Her blue waitress uniform covered by a white apron.

“Well good morning you two.” She pulled two menus from her apron, handing them out to us, we both took one from her. “How’s your night gone? Good, I hope.” Her smile never left her face as Harry shook his head ‘yes’ smiling back at the lady. “Well, you two take a seat, I’ll be over shortly to take your order.”

“Thank-you.” Harry pulled me away from the woman and up to the far end away from the door. Apart from another group of students we where the only customers in the diner, so it wasn’t a fight to find a private place. “Here’s good, Right under the heater so you won’t be cold.” He smiled pointing above his head to where one of the vents was sending warm streams of air down onto us. I smiled at him before sliding into the booth, watching him as he did the same on the opposite side.

“So.” We said at the same time, stopping and laughing for a second.

“You first,” I insisted.

“I just wanted to check you were warm enough.” I felt a blush come to my cheeks as I looked down at the table. “But your cheeks are giving you away,”

“I’m quite warm thank-you, Harry.” I ignored his comment. “Do you think you’re ready for the exams?”

“Yeah, I think so,” He nodded his head. “But I don’t want to be too cocky, in case I fail…” I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Can’t have MacKay beating me again,”

“You two are too competitive.” I smiled picking up the menu and flipping over the pages, looking over the different type of meals. “Hmm bacon and eggs, pancakes, what the hell is a pancake tower,” I spoke aloud reading from the laminated pages. “Is it like the tower of Pisa made from pancakes?” Harry let out a deep chuckle. I put my menu down and looked at him. He was watching me amused. “I’m serious. If I order the tower of pancakes is it going to come out here as a replica of the tower of Pisa or am I going to be very disappointed?” Harry shook his head still watching me, the smile never leaving his face. “What?” I questioned, he shook his head again.

“Nothing, Nothing,” He smiled his eyes going back down to his menu, I smiled and did the same.

Do I really want pancakes?

A milkshake maybe?

Why do I love food so much?

“Are you two ready to order?” I jumped in surprise as the waitress from before snuck upon us. “Oh dear, I didn’t mean to scare you sweet pea.” She chuckled deep in her belly.

“It’s okay.” I brushed off closing my menu. “I’m ready when he is.” I looked across the table to Harry who’d shut his menu and placed it on the table. He nodded his head affirming he was also ready. I turned to the waitress smiling. “Can I please have the scrambled eggs and bacon with a glass of pineapple juice.” The woman nodded scribbling down my order before looking up from her pad to Harry.

“And I’ll have a tower of Pisa.” He cut himself off with a chuckle. “I mean the tower of pancakes.” The waitress chuckled writing down the order. “And a cup of coffee will be fine for me.” He added on. She nodded her head and walked away muttering how it wouldn’t be too long.

“Tower of Pisa huh.” I giggled, Harry shook his head and threw a packet of sugar at me. “How about twenty questions?”

“Isn’t that one of your dreaded party games?”

“Maybe,” I sat up straighter in my chair. “Okay, me first.” I thought about all the things I wanted to ask him. I decided to start small. “Who is your favourite author?”

“Stephen King,” I nodded my head, smiling wider. “IT was the first book that made me scared of the dark for a month straight.” He laughed at himself. “My turn… Are there people you don’t like?”

“Elle… Oliver…” I shrugged my shoulders. “Just to name a few,”

And that girl who George kissed at the first party.

“Why?”

“I believe it’s my turn,” I smirked. “What are the most important things in your life?”

“The truth,” He nodded his head. “I don’t like being lied to.”

“That’s an important thing,” I agreed smiling. “But I did say things.” I wagged a finger in his face.

“Ask me in a couple of months.” He shrugged coyly.

“Here we go, a glass of pineapple juice, and a coffee.” The waitress placed our drinks in front of us. “Food won’t be too long.”

“Thank you,” Harry smiled politely before grabbing his coffee and taking a drink. “Darkest period in your life?” I took a deep breath.

“Right after my boyfriend cheated on me with my best friend” I felt myself slump in my seat. “I was in this dark pit… I’m just glad school was over, I don’t think I could have dealt with that.” I laughed in self-pity.

“Y/N, if you don’t want too,” I shook my head.

“No it’s good to talk about this.” I smiled again. “It wasn’t all bad… I met George,” I cleared my throat. “He helped me,”

“And that’s why you like him?” I nodded my head.

“Pancake tower, and bacon and eggs.” The waitress sat the food in front of us. “Enjoy kids, let me know if you need anything else.” I smiled at the waitress as she walked off.

“Have you considered trying to date anyone else?” Harry asked suddenly from across the table.

“Harry, I am insane.” I picked up my fork. “No one should have to deal with me. I’m a mess I have George showing up to my bedroom door once a month trying to get me to kiss him again, and then the next day he pretends he doesn’t do it…”

“You’ve got to tell him,”

“What,”

“I can’t do that Harry,” I groaned. “You have no idea how much I wish I could because Y/N, She likes her sleep and he is interrupting it… too often.”

“Y/N,”

“What if he doesn’t pay me any attention after that?”

God Harry, if only.

#george mackay #georgemackay #george mackay fanfic #george mackay imagine #george mackay smut #Harry Styles #Harry Styles x Reader #HarryStyles #Harry Styles Imagine #Harry Styles Fanfic

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rezdogsyonder · 4 years

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Need (4)

Pairing: Professor!Rogers x reader

Summary: the reader is doing a fantastic job and she finally feels as though she’s doing better. That is until something happens.

Warnings: blood, attempted rape, injury, mugging

**********

It has been 6 days since Steve has asked you to be his TA. Since then the two of you have gotten significantly closer. you’re starting to see him as a friend and he couldn’t be happier with that progress. Going from small talk to full blown conversations. He walks you home too, you don’t even go to the library anymore. Opting to stay and work in his presence.

He has been able to keep his desires in check. So far.

**********

You woke up with your alarm, 6:00am. You decided to take the early shift so you can manage the classes you now go to. Every Tuesday and Thursday you stay in Steve’s classroom from 12pm-10pm the first two classes are back to back, then the third class you participate in then the fourth is the last class of the day.

You’ve also been staying till dark to do your school work, Steve said he doesn’t mind you working in the office with him so your basically all caught up in everything. Even coming in Wednesday’s go help him prepare anything he needs, when he is all done he helps you with homework.

It was really nice of him to offer you this “job”, because of it you are getting great grades in your classes. You just needed his little push.

You get up without hitting snooze, hardest thing to do. Rushing to shower and get dressed. You left your makeup at work in the office so you’ll just get there early and do you’re make up there.

You decided on a black and white corduroy skirt and a black long sleeve. A pair of dark grey knee high boots to go with it.

You’re out of the apartment at 6:15, completely ready, even carrying your purse, wallet, and some tampons cause you know it’s coming up one of these days. Even your laptop and flash drive to work on your thesis. Barely anybody comes in before 7:30.

Opening isn’t so bad, you just weren’t a morning person. Luckily you work at a coffee shop. The walk was quiet, peaceful, the smell of dew on the grass is calming. A kinda slow pace so you can enjoy the morning in your way to the coffee shop.

You think back to Steve. Not Mr.Rogers. You remember the conversation of him acting you to call him Steve.

“—it makes me feel old when I get called Mr.Rogers.”

You giggled, “But you are old, weren’t you born in 1920?”

“1918, but yeah you’re right, but I should say it makes me feel like a crotchety old man.”

“Ok... Steve. Only cause you’re not crotchety. Yet.”

He smiled at you, “Thank you?” Unsure of how to respond.

You smile at the memory, kinda realizing your slowly growing crush on him. Too deep in thought to notice the figure behind you.

Passing by an alley, you suddenly feel a pain of hands pull you into the alley.

“Give me your purse and nobody needs to get hurt. ‘Kay pretty girl?”

“No! Get away from me.” You tried to back up, on key managing to get youself further into the corner he put you.

He brandished a knife, “Yenno you could’ve made this easier on yourself, darlin’.”

You bring the strap over your shoulder, “Fine, then take it!” You say loudly hoping someone will hear, then toss the bag to the other side of the alley.

He looked at the bag then kept creeping towards you, “Since ya caused me so much trouble, I think I deserve a little somethin’ extra.” He kept walking towards you.

You begin to panick but you couldn’t move, why can’t you move? He has his hands on you, you try pushing him off, finally regaining control of your limbs but it’s too late. He’s too strong.

You scream. “HELP! WA—” you were cut off by his filthy hand covering your mouth. You claw at his arm trying to get it off, but he uses his elbow to pin your to the wall, his bone digging into you. No doubt leaving bruises. The other arm stuck behind you in the corner.

“Shh now darlin, don’t want anybody interrupting us, now do we?”

He drags the blade from your cheek bone to your jaw, and it’s very sharp, bleeding even though he did it lightly. He licks where he just cut.

“You’re just sweet all over. Can’t wait to feel ya.”

You feel tears coming but you don’t want to give him that satisfaction so you hold them back, and you try to kick him, do anything, but he has you completely pinned. His hand holding the knife goes down and cuts your skirt. You slide down about 4-5 inches so you can bend your legs preventing your skirt from falling further. The brick scraping the back of your head, and your arm staying in the same place causing your shoulder to pop.

“Hey don’t try to get away.” Him emphasizing “away” by pushing you hard against the brick corner. Closer than you already were, another louder pop comes from your shoulder, the force of him slamming you paired with your oddly angled arm caused you pain you haven’t felt before.

You cry out in pain, muffled by his hand.

“Don’t worry girly,” he smiled. “Gonna make you feel all better.” You hadn’t noticed that your skirt had fallen the rest of the way. Leaving your underwear bare. He groped your breast before getting lower. Slightly cutting your belly since he was still holding the knife. Wen he got to your underwear he put the knife between his teeth, and was unbuckling his belt and pants.

That’s when you hear it. You’re about to cry in joy when somebody yells, “Hey! GET OFF HER!” You hear running footsteps get closer.

You see the man holding you down panic. “This is your own fault girly.” And he runs away. You slid down to the ground. You feel a burning in your side. You look down and the knife he had was sticking out, right above your right hipbone. The back of your leg feels warm almost immediately. You’re bleeding. Fast.

You see the man come flying back, and he hit the wall landing in the garbage. Unconscious.

You look up and Steve is running towards you.

“Y/N! Hold on I’ve got you!” He pulls out the knife, you barely feel it. He takes off his jacket and ties it around you, tightly. You just hold onto his arms.

He pulled out his phone, “I need an ambulance a squad car to—” you tune out his voice starting to feel everything.

Your shoulder. The back of your head. You’re face. You’re side. You’re becoming aware that Steve just saved you. You start crying the tears that you wouldn’t let fall before.

“Thank you. Thank you.” You can’t stop saying it as you sink into his arms. He’s hung up now.

“You’re alright. You’re gonna be fine, just listen to me Y/N. You’re going to be just fine.” He held your face in his hands as you start to fall unconscious. “No! Y/N I need you to stay awake for me alright? Y/N?” He strokes your hair. “Y/N? Fuck!”

He picked you up and begins running you towards the opening of the dead end alley. He hears sirens from his left and begins running towards them. “You’re gonna be fine Y/N. I need you to be ok. Ok?”

He spots the ambulance and starts running even faster. They’re stopped in traffic. Damn New York. The driver sees him running and the two responders run to open the back. He placed you in their care, “please make sure she’s okay, please.” Tears trying well in his eyes but he won’t let them. He needs to be angry.

Three cars down is the police, he knows they aren’t going to get there before the man leaves so he runs to the alley. He’s still there laying face down in the trash. He looks around, grabbing your skirt (more what’s left of it) and a purse he recognized as yours.

He grabs the man by the collar of his shirt and starts dragging him in the direction of the police. The man groaning most of the way.

They weren’t any closer than where he left them, ambulance included and his heart aches. His mind thinking the worst now that he knows you’re not getting to the hospital fast enough.

He keeps going the police get out of their vehicle.

“This man tried to rape my student and she is now sitting in that ambulance.” He pointed in your direction, using the hand holding your tattered skirt. “Make him pay.” He tossed him in their backseat, slamming the door.

He runs back to the ambulance, one is back behind the wheel and the other is putting pressure on your wound.

“How far is the nearest hospital?”

“What?” The responder asked, confusion clear in her voice.

“Where is the nearest hospital?” Steve spoke through gritted teeth.

“Three blocks north, and 2 blocks east.” The responder began giving you a makeshift abdominal tourniquet. Steve picks you back up and runs in the direction the woman gave him and began running as fast as he could.

He got there in 5 minutes and rushes into the emergency room.

“Somebody! She’s been stabbed.” Two nurses rush over with a gurney. He laid you down gently on it, and they start wheeling you away. “Her names yn!” He wanted to follow but a security guard stopped him.

“I know you want back there but it’s just doctors last this point. Go to the waiting room.” The guard gave a sympathetic smile, walking him back out to wait.

**********

It’s been nearly 2 hours but it felt like days. He can’t stop staring at his hands. He washed off you blood probably an hour ago when he noticed but he can’t stop staring. So much blood. He can’t help but think back to the past. The war. Everything. This time he lets the tears flow.

“Miss Y/N family?” Steve stood up and immediately went to the doctor.

“Is she alright? Is she awake? How is she doing?” He stumbled out quickly.

“Are you a family member or spouse?”

“family member.”

“Come with me.” They began walking together to you. “She is stable. The knife didn’t hit anything important. Just barely missing her large instestine. The loss of blood however made her go into hypovolemic shock. She has abrasions on the back of her head, and a dislocated shoulder. The cut on her face will not need stitches but may leave a scar. She will need to stay overnight for observation and while she is receiving a transfusion and is on an IV.”

Steve just nods, knowingly as he’s heard this all before while in the initiative.

“She’s also on a lot of pain medications, we believe he may have struck her illiohypogastric nerve. She may feel pain in her lower abdomen and inner thigh until she heals.”

They get to your room and his heart breaks even further. It’s not even noon yet and you look wrecked. Pale. Fragile. He realizes now that he is the only one that knows you’re here.

He digs in your bag for your phone, it’s a fingerprint lock. You’re right here so it’s no problem. He goes to your emergency contacts and calls your roommate and boss. He also noticed no parents in your contacts, but didn’t pay no mind. Both of them didn’t take the news well, but who could blame them. Now all he had to do was wait.

**********

He was just staring at your form in the bed. He should’ve gotten there sooner, he was on his morning run. But he woke up a little late. If he just was in time she wouldn’t be here. He leaned his forehead on the bed, hands clasped together informs of him, nearly touching your leg.

He was almost about to cry again when he felt cold fingers run through his hair. He looked up and saw you smiling down at him sleepily.

“Is this real?” You asked kinda slurred.

“Yeah Y/N. It’s real.” Your hand travels from his hair down to his cheek. He puts his own hand over yours and kissed your palm. He doesn’t think you’ll remember this, you seem too out of it because of the drugs.

He grabs your hand and puts both of his hands around it, trying to warm you up. He can’t drop smiling. You’re ok.

“Oh my god Y/N!” Maria comes running in along with your boss, a short woman with long graying hair. I believe her name is Lottie. They both look as though they’ve been crying. Eyes a little puffy, faces flushed, and with a little blush around the noses.

“Thank god you’re ok!” She gave you a soft hug. Your unoccupied hand going around her. She let go and let your boss hug you.

Steve put your hand on the bed and stands up, “I believe I’m going to go now.” He grabs her bag, “She dropped this in the alley.” He hands Maria the bag, and showed the folded up fabric of your skirt. “And I should bring this to the police.”

He was going to walk out the door when he felt a small hand on his arm. Lottie grabbed him. “Thank you for saving her. Is it too much to ask you what happened?”

“I’m not sure if Y/N would want me telling you, but you seem like you care for her very much.”

He led her out into the hall and closed your door, “I don’t want to upset her by reminding her why she’s here. But I only got there at the end but I was running and I heard struggling down an alley. I went to see what it was and this man had her pinned to the—the wall.” He’s beginning to grow angry again. He clenched his fists. “He has already cut her face and her...” he looks down at the fabric in his hands. “Her skirt... I got there before he did anything.” He sighed feeling tears in his eyes once again, “I don’t know I think I scared him. He stabbed her when he heard me coming.” He kept his head down, talking so quietly due to his shame, the tears freely falling. “He’s with the police now ma’am. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure he doesn’t get away with this.”

Lottie is crying once more, “Thank you for saving my girl.” She hugged him, catching him off guard. But her being almost 5 feet tall dragged him down till he was halfway kneeling. He hugged back, understanding why you like this woman.

“Now go get him.” She said with such hatred in her voice that he didn’t expect from her.

He nodded, and was on his way.

**********

It didn’t take him long to find the precinct that man was at.

His name is Chester Straite.

He was fuming, opting to walk instead taking a ride in a cab. He hopes it’ll calm him. It doesn’t work though since he just gets kore angry every step that leads to the entrance.

“I need to give a statement. Who is the officer that made the arrest on Chester Straite?”

The receptionist behind the desk typed away on her computer, “That would be Detective White. Here is your visitors pass and his name is on the door.”

“Don’t I have to fill out a visitors form?”

“I’ve done it for you, have a good day Mr.America.” She said in a slight monotone voice.

“Yeah, uh thank you.” He took the pass and walked past her desk, seeing cubicles. Looking at each door. He feels the eyes on him, but he needs to do this. He finds White and knocks, probably too hard, he even startled himself with the strength he used unexpectedly.

The door opened to reveal a short tired man. He sighed and took a step to the side allowing Steve entrance.

“Who are you here for today Captain America.” He groaned out.

“I’m under the impression that you arrested Chester Straite? I am here to give you my statement.” He wondered why the detective was the one to make the arrest. He didn’t remember seeing him at the scene. That didn’t matter though, Steve had already talked to Tony and he’s getting Straite transferred to one of his cops. The kind that cares.

Steve already has a lawyer in mind.

“We will need to move to the interview room, that alright?” It was a question but there is no tone in his voice. He’s burnt out, he can tell.

“Yeah, lead the way.”

They get to the room, he get out his notepad, and Steve prepares himself to tell the story. Hopefully without destroying anything or crying.

**********

Steve wants you to be okay. He knows your awake and you’re healing but he will do anything in his power to make you feel safe again.

Anything.

#steve rogers fic #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers #professor!rogers #avengers fic #avengers #need #marvel fic #marvel

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alindakb · 4 years

Text

Letters to my Parents - Wednesday 6 November 1991 - by Alinda

Wednesday 6 November 1991

Dear mom and dad,

Sorry, it’s been a while since I wrote to you. Malfoy keeps staring at me while I’m in our dormitory, making it hard to take out my notebook and write to you. I don’t want them to know about this. I’m afraid they will read it or steal it and burn it, or something. But I have to tell you about the troll that was in the school around Halloween, so I’m hoping they will stay away for a little longer.

The staring started after our fourth flying lesson. I was just spinning around on my broom, it was good fun. I teased Hermione a little, who still struggles to stay upright in the air. I don’t think she likes flying that much. She’s much better in charms and transfiguration. Oh and she’s brilliant when it comes to history of magic, she seems to know all the names and dates and she really is a big help with my essays. It’s a shame the others have started teasing her as well. It’s not as bad as with me, but they keep asking her if she likes being the poof’s girlfriend. And with the poof they mean me. And the Gryffindor’s aren’t much better. Ron just glares at her every time she knows the right answers in class or when she’s the first one to master a spell or charm. She’s the best in every class, except for potions, where Malfoy beats her every time.

But, like I was saying, I was just flying around, spinning upside down and enjoying myself when Malfoy started staring at me. And he didn’t stop. He just kept staring at me all day. And when he was lying in bed he didn’t close his curtains all the way, so he could still stare at me. I closed mine as soon as I was ready for bed. Ever since then, he stares at me a lot, but only when the others aren’t around or aren’t looking at us. I don’t know what to think of it. It isn’t like anything else changed. He still makes fun of my inabilities whenever he gets a change and still insists on sitting next to me in most of our classes so he can bump his arm against mine when we’re taking notes.

And I still have to work with him during potions. Well, he still does all the work and I just make notes. And somehow that’s better than the other classes because during potions he’s not making my life miserable. I wish Nott and Crabbe would also get the memo that says I should be left alone during potions. But they still manage to point out I’m a horrible wizard, not capable of doing my own potion because I would make poison instead of potions.

On the morning of Halloween, we had Charms and Hermione was partnered with Ron for that lesson. I was stuck with Malfoy as for usual. And we both suck at charms; we’ve both been unable to make our feather fly. It only flies off the table when Draco pushes it away. Hermione is the only one that has been able to make it fly until now. And I’m not sure what happened during class on Halloween, but I know that Hermione was trying to tell Ron how to pronounce the incantation and showing him how it’s done, and Professor Flitwick was clapping and praising her for her good work. Malfoy snorted next to me, calling Hermione a know-it-all mudblood. He turned around and told Nott they should do something about her attitude. I don’t want to know what they are planning to do to her, but I’m going to make sure I’ll find out so I can warn her or help her stop them. It’s fine if they want to go after me, but they should leave Hermione alone. I hate it that they are picking on her as well now just because she’s my friend.

After class I walked out with Hermione, she was very quiet. Ron walked in front of us and was complaining to Neville about her. He said it was no wonder no one can stand her, that she was a nightmare. Hermione took off after that. She was crying and I ran after her.

Hermione had gone to the girls’ bathroom and was crying in one of the stalls. I didn’t follow her in at first, because it was the girls’ bathroom and I’m not supposed to go in there. It just made me feel like a bad friend, waiting for her in the corridor. Another Gryffindor girl went in and I asked her to check on Hermione. She reluctantly agreed and when she came back out she told me that Hermione was crying. She said nobody else was in there and that I should go in to help my friend since Hermione had no-one else but me. I thanked Patil and sneaked into the bathroom. Hermione had locked herself inside one of the stalls and I just sat down in front of it, telling her I’m sorry that they are mean to her. I felt really bad because I felt like it was my fault she hasn’t any other friends but me and on the other side, I was glad that she is my friend because I’ve no one else. I started to cry to and then Hermione unlocked the stall and came out. We sat there together on the floor, crying and telling each other we will stick together no matter what. I’m really fortunate to have a friend like her.

We stopped crying after a while and just sat there talking; we both didn’t feel like going to the Halloween banquet. It was already too late to go to any of our other classes of that day. Sorry about that, but Hermione needed me more than that I needed to sit to more boring classes. And I’m not sorry I missed DADA, really professor Quirrell is horrible. We don’t learn anything in that class at all. If we ever face a monster we will be lost.

And we kind of were when it happened. It was just when Hermione asked me if there was any truth in the other boys saying that I’m bent. And I was kind of glad I didn’t have to answer that because I’m not really sure. I’ve never liked any girl, but I’ve also never felt anything for a boy, so I just don’t know what I like. Maybe I don’t like any of them. And that’s fine too, right?

So Hermione asked me that and then the most foul smelling monster walked into the bathroom. It was twelve feet tall and very lumpy. Its head was bald and looked like a coconut on top of its granite grey body. The smell was really horrible, it was a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean. And it was holding a huge wooden club, which he dragged along the floor, because of its long arms. It spotted us on the floor and started making its way towards us. We jumped up and tried to move around it to get to the door, but it got slammed shot before we could get past the troll. And then it swung its club at us. We both jump out of its way and Hermione screamed. It was a high, petrified scream that took me and the troll by surprise. She scrambled to the wall opposite the door and she looked like she was about to faint. The troll moved towards her and smashed up the sinks on his way. I threw a part of a broken sink at the troll trying to stop it. And then the door opened again, Ron and Neville walked into the room and I felt relieved we didn’t have to fight the troll alone. I threw some more things at the troll and Ron joined me from the other side. It confused the troll, he looked around and then he came for me. Ron yelled ‘Oy, pea-brain’ at it and threw a metal pipe at it. But the troll didn’t seem to notice and just kept advancing on me. I yelled at Ron and Neville to go get Hermione. Ron ran around the troll and grabbed Hermione’s hand and pulled her on her feet. But Hermione wouldn’t move, she just stood there, back against the wall and her mouth was open with terror. Neville was still throwing things at the troll, making it turn again and go for him. Neville yelled in fear and then Ron kept yelling at Hermione to move. I had to do something to stop it, so I did something that’s very brave but also very stupid. I jumped on the troll’s neck from behind, accidentally sliding my wand into its nose. It made the troll howl in pain. It started twisting around and moving its club up in the air looking for something to hit. And what Ron did next was amazing. He shouted Wingardium Leviosa and the troll's club flew into the air, turned over and dropped on the trolls head. The troll went down, falling on his face and I jumped to my feet, just in time to see Hermione throw her arms around Ron and kissing him on his lips. Ron his face turned almost as red as his hair. I laughed and Neville asked with a shaking voice if the troll was death. He wasn’t surprised at all that Hermione just kissed Ron. I pulled my wand out of the troll’s nose and wiped it on the troll’s trousers. It was then that Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape and Professor Quirrell came running into the bathroom. Quirrell almost fainted and Snape inspected the troll. McGonagall looked very angry and she shouted at all of us, that we could have been killed and she wondered why we weren’t in our dormitories.

I was surprised to hear Hermione take the blame for it all, saying that she went out to look for the troll and that we had all come to save her. I had never heard her tell a lie in all the time I had known her. And then professor McGonagall took five points from Gryffindor, but she awarded the rest of us each five points for defeating the troll. I was proud that I had finally won my house some points. And then she told us to go to our dormitories, where the rest of the students were finishing their feast. It was hard walking to the dungeons by myself, knowing my friends were going up together to the Gryffindor common room to celebrate.

Things got better after that. Ron and Neville started joining us in the library after classes, or we would spend time in the great hall with them. Ron and Hermione started holding hands a lot and smiling at each other. And on one afternoon I told Ron and Neville about the three-headed dog and the trapdoor it’s guarding. Ron was fascinated and felt bad that he hadn’t been there. First of all he would have kicked Nott’s ass for threatening a girl, he said, and secondly, he is just as curious as me about the possibility what is underneath it. I told them I think it’s the package that Hagrid has collected from Gringotts, and we spend some time speculating what it might be. But we have no idea, only that it must be really valuable or really dangerous, needing protection like that. Hermione and Neville both think we should forget about it, Neville because he’s scared of the dog and Hermione because she’s afraid it will get us killed or worse, expelled. I don’t think she knows that getting killed also means she won’t be able to go to school anymore, but I haven’t told her that, it will only upset her. And then Ron told me, that he and Neville saw professor Snape go up the stairs to the third floor when all the other teachers were on their way to the dungeons to fight the troll. And that made me think of why Snape would go to the trapdoor? Was he after the package? And if he was, why?

I’m eating most of my meals now at the Gryffindor table, so I can finally enjoy the food. Dean and Seamus have even given me a Gryffindor tie, saying I’m one of them now. The only problem is that I still have to go down to the dungeons to sleep. I always sneak in now, hoping no one will see me, but somehow Malfoy always seems to sense when I come in. He looks very angry when I do, I don’t know why. And Nott has managed to beat me twice since I started hanging out with the Gryffindor’s again. First last Saturday, when I came back after dinner. He hit me in the stomach while Crabbe held me in place. And today, in between classes in an empty hallway, he pushed me over and kicked my head with his feet. I had to go to the hospital wing to make sure I was okay. But I am, and I can deal with it. I won’t let them scare me away from my friends any longer, even if the bullying gets worse. I can handle it. I survived ten years with Dudley, I can survive this.

I have to go now and get ready for astronomy at midnight. I promise to write sooner again.

Love Harry James Potter.

(find the entire story at https://archiveofourown.org/works/15351042/chapters/35620452)

#Harry Potter #harry in slytherin #bullied harry #fanfic #letters #Draco Malfoy #drarry #hermione granger #hermione x ron #AlindasStories

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kl-writes · 5 years

Text

Part 2 of the story thing thats part of the other story thing. This is as far as I am at time of queueing, if you are still for some reason interested in the fic, I’ll be posting updates on AO3. I’m like halfway through chapter 7 which is probably part 3/4 or 3/5 of the substory in the story

Chapter 6: October 9th, 2047

Chapter 6 Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence

The first thing Bull had to do was get access to the traffic system in the Noose. CTAS, the Chicago Transit Authority System, had guest access to public-facing cameras throughout the Chicago Sprawl. That was all on paper, anyways. In reality, CTAS was contracted out to Fuchi, which meant that if they wanted cameras from, say, Renraku, they would either face a backlog of corporate bueracracy or just be told to fuck off. The megas wanted all the intel they could get on any crimes or other threats to their power, but they weren't about to hand over access to each other. And what access they did give was token. Fortunately, Aztechnology put up a good face, and always gave access to StufferShack systems. Not that those shops had much Matrix protection in the first place. But the important thing there was that Bull and Johnny 99 ran past a StufferShack when they were first returning to the Shattergraves. Inga's deck was connected to the Trawgs' console, which itself was on the Chicago LTG. She must've set up some sort of microwave dish on top of the bar to get access this far into the Shattergraves. It was slow, but Bull was able to enter into VR. He flicked through his user files on the Trawgs' console quickly, and pulled up his own “address book.” CTAS kept its system address hidden from interlopers like him, and assuming they hadn't changed it since last Wednesday, he'd have an easy in. He connected to the address, and came up with nothing. Dead space, and a placeholder to register your own system. Drek. Time to do things the hard way. Bull transitioned to the UCAS-MW RTG, and moved to the directory node. This was all public access so far, no ICE. The clever part was finding CTAS's address without disturbing the system. Bull glided through the directory, arriving at the government sector. All the addresses here were stored like books on a library shelf. He checked to make sure the other patrons weren't looking for him, then scanned for one with a Fuchi logo. They only had about seven systems associated with the Chicago government. He floated up towards one, and edged it out slightly. If they hadn't changed the VR graphics, the address's “cover” would still be light blue. He only had to try a few before he found it. Still, he saw nobody looking at him. A good sign, but not perfect that he hadn't alerted CTAS to the search. Bull entered in the address, and was sent to the system access node. Only CTAS's address had changed. Fuchi was still using the dorky road barrier graphics. Whatever poor wageslave Fuchi had programming CTAS was spending too much time on appearances. Bull smirked a little, then produced the same faked access credentials he used last time. The barrier turned green, then opened. Maybe Fuchi geeked the wageslave, this security was embarassing. Two ICE in 1920s cop uniforms stood on guard in the next node, a sub-processing unit. But they saw him as a technician from Eagle Security. Technicians from most of the security companies around Chicago had access to check cameras near their areas, and Eagle Security was small fish to Fuchi. The mega wouldn't monitor an A corp as closely as they would Lone Star, or (Ghost forbid) Knight Errant. Trying to come in as a KE tech would get ICE on his hoop quicker than a dragon going through a real-meat buffet. The camera node was still in the same place. And even though it was an orange node, the same fake credentials still got him full access to the CTAS camera feeds from the last 24 hours. He navigated to the Noose video data stores. Bull turned back the video a few hours, until he saw Johnny and him running down the alley. Ten-oh-eight PM was when they passed the last StufferShack, before hitting the security dead-zone in the Noose. And then it was maybe twenty minutes before they found a good alley, and an hour of sleep. Bull pulled in one of his homemade processing agents from the Trawgs' console, and fed it search parameters: MIN TIME: 2215 MAX TIME: 0030 CENTER: SHATTERGRAVES RANGE: 2KM HIGH PROBABILITY TAGS: {VEHICLE,BLK,2041_BMW_REI,*},{SUIT,4} LOW PROBABILITY TAGS: {SUIT,*,MAGE},JOHNNY_99,{WEAPON,*,*,{AMMO,STICK}} ACCEPTED. WAITING FOR ACCESS... Bull transferred over his own access to the agents, then slipped out of CTAS. The agent was all data, no stealth. If he stayed in with it, it'd get too loud. The Trawgs would turn him out on his ass if he brought pigs down on the bar. Bull sent a command for the agent to notify him on a hit, then jacked out of the Matrix. Tried to, anyways. He checked his status, and he was locked to the CTAS node. A neon white meter maid body slammed Bull into the ground. Its attack surged through him, with enough force that he was sure his meat body felt some of it. He deployed his attack program to start breaking the ICE, then sprinted for the node's exit. Another meter maid stood by passively, running some sort of tracer on him. Bull launched his attack program at the node exit, then crashed back into the main sub-processing unit. Another half-dozen ICE were waiting for him, and locked him before he could jack out. They started to scan him again, and blocked his path back to the system access node. He kited around more attack ICE, then broke into a different node. He hadn't been in the central processing unit last time. He didn't want to cause too much noise in a system like this, it was asking for trouble. The CPU was plain, and only had about three ICE. That would change in a nanosecond. The system alert finally went off. It was a bit belated- if he had been automatically detected, it should have gone off back when he started to search the camera data stores. Come to think of it, it should have gone off back when he tried to access the old system address! He should've asked one of the twins to pull the plug on him if he started seizing. There was too much ICE for him to fight his way out, and they wouldn't let him jack out of the system. So the only logical thing to do was get rid of the system. ICE from the sub-processing unit came through the connection behind him. Bull deployed his ChinaShop program. The attack rampaged throughout the CPU. Attack ICE slammed down on him, and he could see their trace ticking up into the eighties on his monitor. ChinaShop finally cracked the CPU, and the virtual space shattered. The ICE vanished, and the virtual floor disappeared beneath him. As Bull fell through the void, he saw his legs and arms fade to black, and then he closed his eyes. Bull opened up his meat eyes, and then a large metal fist slammed into the bridge of his nose. He spit blood onto the ground. The console pinged, and he looked up. His processing agent found the van that had Johnny- parked outside some warehouse. “MacAllister, I think youse got some explaining to do.” A severe, ten-foot troll with massive cyberarms looked down at Bull. Shark and Spill's dad, Tank. The twins sheepishly avoided eye contact with Bull from behind their father.

#shadowrun #writing #fanfiction

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astrogeoguy · 5 years

Text

The Moon Sends a Happy Easter and Passover, Limited Lyrids, and Peering at Polar Objects!

(Above: The globular star cluster Messier 3 imaged by Adam Block at Mount Lemmon SkyCenter - University of Arizona, is located 37,000 light-years from our sun.)

Hello, Stargazers!

Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of April 21st, 2019 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics. I repost these emails with photos at http://astrogeoguy.tumblr.com/ where all the old editions are archived. You can also follow me on Twitter as @astrogeoguy! Unless otherwise noted, all times are Eastern Time. Please click this MailChimp link to subscribe to these emails. If you are a teacher or group leader interested joining me on a guided field trip to York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory or the David Dunlap Observatory, visit www.astrogeo.ca.

I can bring my Digital Starlab inflatable planetarium to your school or other daytime or evening event, visit DiscoveryPlanitarium.com and request me. We’ll tour the Universe together!

Public Astro-Events

Every Monday evening, York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory runs an online star party - broadcasting views from four telescopes/cameras, answering viewer questions, and taking requests! Details are here. On Wednesday nights they offer free public viewing through their rooftop telescopes. If it’s cloudy, the astronomers give tours and presentations. Details are here.

At 7:30 pm on Wednesday, March 27, the RASC Toronto Centre will hold their free monthly Recreational Astronomy Night Meeting at the Ontario Science Centre, and the public are welcome. Talks include The Sky This Month, alien landscapes, and a do-it-yourself telescope project. These meetings are also streamed live on RASC-TC’s YouTube channel. Check here for details. Parking is free.

On Tuesday, April 23 from 6 to 8:30 pm, the Lillian H. Smith Library will present a free public event called Chasing Exoplanets: Stories from the Centre of the Universe, which will feature several wonderful women scientists and authors. Details are here.

On Thursday, April 25, starting at 7 pm, U of T’s AstroTour will present their planetarium show Grand Tour of the Cosmos. Tickets and details are here.

On Friday, April 26, starting at 7 pm, U of T’s AstroTour will present their planetarium show The Life and Death of Stars. Tickets and details are here.

The next RASC Family Night at the David Dunlap Observatory will be on Saturday, April 27. There will be sky tours in the Skylab planetarium room, space crafts, a tour of the giant 74” telescope, and viewing through lawn telescopes (weather permitting). The doors will open at 8 pm for an 8:30 pm start. Attendance is by tickets only, available here. If you are a RASC Toronto Centre member and wish to help us at DDO in the future, please fill out the volunteer form here. And to join RASC Toronto Centre, visit this page.

Happy Easter and Pesach (Passover)!

Easter Sunday and Paesach (Passover) have an astronomical connection to the moon, with the Jewish Passover pre-dating the Christian Easter. Some believe that the full moon allowed for safer travelling by religious pilgrims of the time.

In 325 AD the Council of Nicaea determined that Easter should be observed on the Sunday following the first full moon that occurs after the vernal equinox, officially known as the Paschal Full Moon. The council fixed the equinox at March 21, but the astronomical timing of the equinox actually varies a little bit, and even occurs a full day early on Leap Years. This year, the equinox took place on March 20 at 6 pm EDT, and the full moon occurred that same day, at 9:43 pm EDT!

So why is Easter being observed on April 21 in 2019, instead of Sunday, March 24 (the Sunday after March’s full moon)? It’s because, as I stated above, the Council of Nicea fixed the equinox on March 21 – and that was the day AFTER the full moon this year.

In an added twist, if the post-equinox full moon falls on a Sunday, the following Sunday becomes Easter. The earliest that Easter can ever occur is March 22, which last happened in 1818, and won't happen again until 2285! If a full moon happens before March 21, Easter will be delayed by a full lunar month, plus up to six days – on April 25. That will happen in 2038.

Passover is celebrated from the 15th through the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Nissan in the Jewish lunar calendar. It began with sundown last Friday night, which coincided with the first full moon after the spring equinox. In years when that full moon occurs early, Jewish religious leaders delay Passover by a month to ensure that spring-like weather conditions (warmer temperatures and flowers in bloom) have arrived in Israel. Last year’s Passover began about three weeks earlier, on March 27. The earliest that Passover can occur in our Gregorian calendar is March 25, which will next happen in 2089.

In Western Christianity, Easter sometimes precedes Passover by several weeks. The Eastern Orthodox Church uses the older Julian Calendar, and schedules Easter using the precise moment of the astronomical equinox and full moon as measured in Jerusalem (where the crucifixion and resurrection occurred). This ensures that Easter always occurs after Passover, since Jesus had traveled to Jerusalem to observe Passover. This year, Orthodox Easter will be observed on Sunday, April 28.

Lyrids Meteor Shower

The annual Lyrids meteor shower, derived from particles dropped by comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher), runs from April 16 to 25 every year and peaks before dawn on Monday morning. This shower can produce up to 18 meteors per hour, with occasional fireballs. True Lyrids will appear to be travelling away from a point in space (the shower’s radiant) near the bright star Vega, which will be high in the eastern sky before dawn. Unfortunately, a bright, gibbous moon will wash out all but the brightest meteors this year. I posted a diagram here.

You can start watching as soon as it's dark. Even when the peak number occurs before dawn, some meteors will still be visible before midnight, too. Don't bother to watch the radiant, since any meteors near it will have very soft trails. Bring a blanket and a chaise to avoid neck strain. And remember that binoculars and telescopes will not help; their fields of view are too narrow to see the long meteor trails. If you have friends or family along, don’t look at each other while chatting. Keep your eyes to the skies!

(Above: After midnight on Monday night, i.e., Tuesday morning, the waning gibbous moon will pass close to bright Jupiter, as shown here at 5 am EDT. Two mornings later, the moon will land near dimmer Saturn (top left))

The Moon and Planets

After Friday’s full phase, the moon will wane and rise later (after midnight) with each passing day this week. As it moves into the latter stages of its monthly orbit around the Earth, the moon will become visible in the eastern pre-dawn sky and will pay a visit to some of the bright planets that currently reside there.

When the bright planet Jupiter rises in the southeastern sky at about 12:15 am local time on Tuesday morning, it will be positioned 3 finger widths to the lower left of the waning gibbous moon. The moon and planet will cross the sky together for the rest of the night, eventually moving to a point in the lower southwestern sky at sunrise. The duo will make a lovely photo opportunity when composed with an interesting foreground landscape! Jupiter will follow the same schedule, even after the moon moves away from it.

In the southeastern pre-dawn sky on Thursday morning, the almost last quarter moon will land less than 3 finger widths to the right of yellowish Saturn, which will rise after 2 am local time. If you are outside a little earlier, look for the Teapot-shaped stars of Sagittarius (the Archer) positioned about a fist’s diameter to the lower right of the ringed planet and moon. The pairing will fit nicely into the field of view of binoculars, and make another nice photograph. Half a day later, at 13:00 GMT, observers in Eastern Australia and New Zealand will see the moon pass over (See what I did there?), or occult, Saturn.

On Friday evening, the moon will officially reach its last quarter phase, when it will be half illuminated, on its western (our left-hand) side. Remember that phases of the moon are controlled by the angle in space made by the three objects – sun, Earth, and moon. The rotation of the Earth, and who gets to see the phases when they happen, is on a separate schedule.

(Above: As shown here at 9 pm local time on Sunday evening, April 21, Mars remains the only bright planet in the evening sky this week. For the next several weeks, Mars will sit above Aldebaran, which is a similar in colour, but slightly brighter.)

Mars will continue to be easily visible for an hour after dusk every evening this week. But the later spring sunsets mean that Mars will set in the west just before midnight local time. Once the sky has darkened, look for Mars as a medium-bright, reddish pinpoint of light sitting less than one-third of the way up the western sky. Mars has been slowly shrinking in size and brightness as we increase our distance from it little-by-little. The bright reddish star Aldebaran will be sitting about a palm’s width below Mars this week. Don’t confuse them - it’s brighter than Mars.

On Friday evening, Mars’ orbital motion will carry it closely past a clump of three open star clusters (NGC 1746, 1750, and 1758). If your sky is dark enough, your binoculars might show a concentration of stars just to Mars’ lower left. A backyard telescope will show them better, but your optics will probably flip or invert the view – so check all around Mars for them. The best time to view should fall around 10 pm local time, when the sky is darker and Mars is higher.

(Above: On Friday evening, April 26, Mars’ orbital motion will carry it closely past three open star clusters (blue labelled yellow symbols). Use binoculars or a backyard telescope at low magnification before about 10 pm local time.)

During this week, the very bright planet Jupiter will rise over the southeastern horizon a little bit after midnight local time. By 6 am, Jupiter will remain visible in the lower part of the brightening sky, over the south-southwestern horizon. Starting next Sunday, Jupiter will begin to rise before midnight – on its way to become a prime target for star parties this summer! Yellowish Saturn will be sitting about 2.5 outstretched fist diameters to the left of Jupiter from 2 am local time until dawn. It, too, will add to your summer stargazing fun!

Mercury and Venus are together in the eastern sky just before sunrise this week, but they are surrounded by the dawn twilight, making much dimmer Mercury a challenge to find. Venus will rise at about 5:30 am local time. To help you find Mercury, Venus will be positioned about four finger widths to the upper right of the swift innermost planet. Both planets are swinging towards the sun and will soon disappear in solar conjunction.

(Above: The two innermost planets Mercury and Venus will shine within the eastern pre-dawn twilight this week, as shown here at 6 am local time.)

Observing Ideas for This Week

If you missed last week’s note about what to see in the mid-April sky, I posted it here. Here are some more suggestions to look for, with unaided eyes and binoculars or telescopes.

Here’s an easy target in the northern sky. Polaris marks the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper, the asterism we also know as the constellation Ursa Minor (the Little Bear). In late April after dusk, the rest of the Little Dipper extends sideways to the right from Polaris, and curves strongly upwards towards the Big Dipper.

(Above: The circumpolar stars inside the large blue circle, include both dippers and the winding constellation of Draco, the Dragon, as shown here at 9:15 pm local time. The bright star Arcturus sits just beyond the upper right corner of this sky chart.)

The magnitude 2.06 star at the outer edge of the Little Dipper’s bowl (and closest to the Big Dipper) is slightly dimmer than Polaris and fairly easy to see. This medium-cool, reddish star is named Kochab. The other five stars of the constellation may be too dim to see from the city, but binoculars will reveal them. Don’t forget that Polaris has a dimmer companion star tucked in close to it. A backyard telescope can see them both. As the sky rotates due to Earth’s spin, that little star revolves around Polaris.

The two dippers flank the tail of the long and winding constellation of Draco (the Dragon). It really looks like a dragon when you follow its stars!

Shortly after the sun sets in the west, the very bright star Arcturus will appear in the eastern sky, heralding the summer stargazing season. Arcturus is the fourth brightest star in the entire sky. Its name means “bear watcher” because the star follows Ursa Major around the northern sky. (The word Arctic, home of the polar bears, comes from the same root, the Greek word arktos.)

(Above: Arcturus, the very bright, orange star that shines in the northeastern sky during mid-April evenings, can guide you to four globular star clusters (yellow symbols) and beyond them to the realm of the spring galaxies (coloured ellipses), as shown here for 9:30 pm local time.)

Four globular star clusters, spherical balls of millions of stars, populate the sky above Arcturus. At visual magnitude 6.2 and within reach of binoculars, Messier 3 is the brightest, and sits nearly 12 degrees (a generous fist’s diameter) above Arcturus. The dimmer NGC 5466, sometimes called the Snowglobe Cluster, sits less than a palm’s width to the upper left of Arcturus. Another bright globular designated Messier 53 sits 1.5 fists to the upper right of Arcturus and only a finger’s width below the star Diadem, the brightest star in Coma Berenices (Berenice’s Hair). NGC 5053, the dimmest of the four globulars, is located 1 finger’s width below Messier 53.

Above those globular clusters is the realm of the spring galaxies, in Virgo (the Maiden.) But that’s another story…

Keep looking up, and enjoy the sky when you do. I love questions and requests - so, send me some!

#astronomy #stars #constellations #lyrids meteor shower #Mars #Jupiter #Easter #Pesach #Passover #Polaris #Draco #Arcturus #Globular Clusters #stargazing

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listing-to-port · 6 years

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The interlibrary loan

1. Hattie was the one who made marks on the back covers of books. At least, I think it was Hattie: I have no memory for faces. But I knew that Hattie was the one who didn't wear a hat (that was Connie, who was balding). She came into the library on Wednesday mornings. I knew why she did it, of course. That is part of the library legendarium, along with the book that was returned with a slice of bacon in. My own grandmother did it, once upon a time. She was marking which books she had read. Her mark was a box with a line through it, and it was far from the only mark in the back of those books.

2. Except that one quiet Wednesday I sat and watched her do it. She went through the shelves methodically, one book at a time. She'd look at the book, turn a page or two. Sniff it. Give it a shake. You might have throught she was opening a present. Most of the time she'd put them back untouched. But occasionally she'd get her pen out and make her mark in the back. Then she'd return the book to the shelf.

3. Of course I asked her about it. "Just being helpful," she said. "These are the ones on interlibrary loan, I thought you'd like to know." "We don't have any books on interlibrary loan at the moment," I said. "You do," she replied, "Just not the usual sort." I didn’t know what to say. Hattie has never worked at the library. "Tell you what, check how long it is," she said on her way out. "Measure the library. Then you'll see."

4. At the time I was mostly wondering if she had a carer who I should mention my concerns to. But later on I had a look at one of the books she'd marked. It wasn't on the system at all, though it had some unidentified library's security sticker on. Maybe, I thought, Hattie is stealing them and putting them on our shelves. The book was an otherwise unremarkable hospital romance. Except for one thing: flicking through it, the language was a bit odd. Someone waited anxiously under a lightpost. Autos drove past. Later on, the doctors sat together under a beatiful sunfall.

5. The next morning I measured the library. It wasn't hard to do: it's only a single room with the office stuck on at the back. I wasn't sure what I was looking for. Something numerologically mysterious, perhaps? As if I could stick my thumb on the tape at 6 metres 66 and Satan would come smiling out of the stacks. But it seemed unremarkable. I didn't have any blueprints to compare it to.

6. But the next day (Hattie and Connie absent, Maud and Dottie arguing knitting patterns and swapping clandestine biscuits and vodka at the large print table) I measured the outside of the library. And it was shorter than the inside. Not by much - maybe 30cm - but still so on repeated measurements. I couldn't work out where the difference came. Somewhere between the windows, perhaps? Maud came up to ask me did I need help? I said no, we're just having carpets fitted.

7. Perhaps I should have called the central library. But I didn't know what to say. All weekend and through the start of the next week I was thinking about it.

8. Next Wednesday I watched the doors for Hattie to come in. She didn't. But she was in the library at 11 anyway, like usual. Later on I went to look for her and she was not there. I asked Maud if she had seen her go out. "Oh yes," she said. "She's very stealthy about it," I said. "Well she used her own door," said Maud. And she showed me where there was a shelf that could be shifted to one side, revealing a 30cm gap into a space that was not there on the other side.

9. Maud offered me her hip flask and so help me I drank from it. Through the gap I could see a long, book-lined corridor lit dimly by stained-glass lamps hanging from the ceiling. There was nobody in sight in there.

10. That evening, I stayed behind. I locked the door with me inside and went through every book in the library, separating out the ones that Hattie had marked. Then I posted every last one of them through the gap. For good measure I added a note: 'no more loans please'. Then I put the shelf in front back. I did not dare look for three more days. But sometime in that time the gap closed up.

11. Connie knocks on the wall sometimes. I have not seen Maud or Hattie since. But then there are some people who enjoy mysteries and adventures, and they are usually the ones who end up telling the stories. I hope they are doing well, wherever they are.

#lists #adventures #libraries #stories #roads not taken #incidental characters

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for-gold-and-glory · 5 years

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Weekly Events for Jan 28th - Feb 3rd

Here are some events G&G Members will be involved in during the week. Or just events that I think are really cool and you should definitely go to. If you’re interested in joining these events show up or send a message to Aegir Hlerson or Lirilith Maellan. Or join our discord: https://discord.gg/dCRSWTx Monday - The Grand Tilt of Coerthas - Jousting Tournament - 9:00pm EST - Camp Dragonhead Tuesday: The Kestrel Run Part 2 - Ridin’ the Storm Out @ 8:00pm EST - Sagolii Desert, Southern Thanalan Wednesday: Knights of the Oasis - Follow that Sword! @ 9:30pm EST - The Binding Coil of Bahamut Thursday: Amidst Bending Boughs Pt 1. @ 7:00pm EST - Goblet W6, P5 Friday: Allagan Colloseum: Mi’ihen’s Pit Prologue @ 8:30pm EST - Azys Lla Saturday: G&G Weekly: Sins of the Mother Pt 6 @ 3:00pm EST - Dravanian Hinterlands Saturday: Je T'aime - 4 Plays about love @ 9:00pm EST - Mists W7, P15 Saturday: A Dance of Dragons and Diremites PT 8 @ 9:30PM EST - The Ruby Sea Sunday: Garlean Weekly: The Final Purge, Pt 1 - Castrum Aquilonis

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Monday - The Grand Tilt of Coerthas - Jousting Tournament - 9:00pm EST - Camp Dragonhead http://tuftananke.tumblr.com/post/175483077178/housedebayle-the-grand-tilt-of-coerthas - Presented by the venerable House De'bayle and hosted by Ser Basile Feurieux, and their Knights in Camp Dragonhead, the Grand Tilt proves to be a glorious event involving all manners of Ishgardian culture. Lords, Ladies, Squires, and Men-at-Arms all flock to the tilt in order to win glory for one’s heraldry, acquire the favor of a Lady or Lord, to witness illustrious spectacle beyond belief, or to practice mounted combat in a vicious trial by fire Status: Open RP, please check link for rules! Type: Tournament GM: House de’Bayle

Tuesday: The Kestrel Run Part 2 - Ridin’ the Storm Out @ 8:00pm EST - Sagolii Desert, Southern Thanalan It's finally race day at the Kestrel Run, but it doesn't look like things are as easy as Cassian was claiming. Several looming threats look to make the first leg of the race, a short jaunt to Ala Mhigo, a stormy one! With the crew of the Phoenix be able to recover and survive?! Stay tuned! Status: Looking to fill 2 or 3 more spots! (Contact Cassian (Keio)) Type: Action-Adventure, Airships! GM: Cassian Mercer Wednesday: Knights of the Oasis - Follow that Sword! @ 9:30pm EST - The Binding Coil of Bahamut "After the Knights dealt with the Pretender, through a shocking turn of a events, they were left with but a Void-tainted Blade the Pretender used. In an effort to destroy it, all they did was send it elsewhere, beneath them... Now, to clean up their mess, they must make their way in the heart of the ruins of Dalamud to secure and destroy the relic." Status: Open, please join us! Must have the first coil of Bahamut unlocked Type: Action-Adventure GM: Dato Koeklin Thursday: Amidst Bending Boughs Pt 1. @ 7:00pm EST - Goblet W6, P5 - A strange elderly woman whom carries the credentials of a representative the Conjurer's guild, has given the adventurers of Gold and Glory a task of perilous proportions... The task to venture into the depths of the shroud, to recover an artifact known as the Blade of Mirrors. The task will be perilous, and those adventurers whom agree to undertake the task, are advised to leave their fanciful armors and weapons at home... Instead taking hand made weapons and armor into the depths of the shroud, to follow a cryptic message to their goal. To venture deep into the shroud is a risky action... But one that can oft be rewarded in riches from empires long past. Status: Open, please join us! Type: Action-Adventure GM: Aedwen Tyrer Friday: Allagan Colloseum: Mi’ihen’s Pit Prologue @ 8:30pm EST - Azys Lla - It starts as a normal mission, rumors of vast treasure and hidden knowledge draw our adventurers and mercenaries to investigate unearthed ruins discovered in Mor Dhona. But it will turn into a trial for survival.. MI'IHEN'S PIT The Audience is Dead, But the Show Must Go On! Status: Open, please join us! Type: Action/Tournament GM: Lirilith Maellan Saturday: G&G Weekly: Sins of the Mother Pt 6 @ 3:00pm EST - Dravanian Hinterlands - Armed with new information regarding the Weapons of Light, the adventurers head to the Hinterlands to find the location of the land known as Xarcabard. The Great Gubal Library is likely to have the answers they need, but there’s more to learn along the way. Status: Open, please join us! Type: Adventure-Exploration GM: Aegir Saturday: Je T'aime - 4 Plays about love @ 9:00pm EST - Mists W7, P15 https://palazzoaldenard.tumblr.com/post/181853099660/love-is-in-the-air - Palazzo Aldenard presents a night exploring the different aspects of amour. Come enjoy four short plays written and directed by Oleandre Torchier, Elphanse Silmontaix, Rhaya'li Mhakaracca, and T'ahlia Chelewae that delve into the complexities of love in all forms. Cuddle close with your date and be prepared for laughter and tears. Saturday: A Dance of Dragons and Diremites PT 8 @ 9:30PM EST - The Ruby Sea - TBA! Status: Open, please join us! Type: Action-Adventure GM: Akechi Mitsuhide Sunday: Garlean Weekly: The Final Purge, Pt 1 - Castrum Aquilonis https://fustuarium.tumblr.com/post/182236806651/its-a-new-year-and-its-time-for-new-beginnings - The ████, the █████, the █████. The Fustarium was created to ██████ ██ ███████████ ████ ████. But what will happen when █████ ███████ ██████? ███████████ ██████████████ ██ █████ █████████████ ██ █████████. ███ ██████ ██ ███ ████ █████ is the target. This will be our Final Purge. Status: Open to members of the Fustarium and IIIrd Legion, accepting new members Type: Investigation GM: Aegir

#weekly

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30-day-consumption · 2 years

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Monday 1.31.22

SLEEP

I fell asleep without my apple watch (my sleep tracker). To specify, I thought I was going to take a 10 minute nap. I did set around 20 alarms for 1-3AM and 6-9AM. However, although I fell asleep on the floor of my room, hoping I would wake up, I relocated myself in my sleep to the couch. I do remember waking up a few times to my alarms, but I was feeling tired, I think I fell asleep again. I believe it to be less than 8 hours of sleep though because I slept past 12AM and woke up a few times until I eventually woke up before 9AM.

I guess somehow I took a screenshot of my alarm app at 6 in the morning, when I semi-woke up to log for the journal. 😂

WEATHER

It was 14ºF when I woke up. It was colder than the past few days, but I’m glad that it’s not in the negatives. I wore two layers of pants, a cropped long sleeve, a thin jacket, and a thin puffer jacket. Surprisingly, (although it was still cold) it wasn’t too cold, and I could still walk around without feeling extremely cold.

LOCATION

Like my regular Monday, Wednesday routine, I went to Anderson, Wilson, Blegan, Kolthoff, and HSEC Library.

Anderson Hall (Linear Algebra Class): I couldn’t focus too well in class. I was just feeling exhausted and stressed by the amount of homework. Also, I realized, I always make a list of groceries to buy in this class. My notes from this class today below. I guess I really was out of it because I wrote the wrong date!

Wilson Library (Study in between classes): The seats in my usual spot was taken!! I sat down in a spot that was facing my usual sitting area to keep a look out on empty seats. However, I fell asleep soon after watching educational videos, once again. Luckily, I saw this coming and I set alarms on my computer where my airpods were connected to.

Blegan Hall (Statistics Computing Class): I always lose confidence and focus in this class (maybe because I dropped this class last semester and I’m not sure if I can get through it). Like always, I could not focus too well in the class, although I tried my best to take notes and follow along. I think it’s also because I missed last Friday’s lecture and didn’t catch up on it over the weekend.

Kolthoff Hall (Writing Class): At this point in day, I was exhausted due to lack of sleep and busy schedule. On top of that, I was hungry! I was debating between getting a Starbucks sandwich and Hong Kong Noodles’ Beef Chow Fun. Then, the professor assigned us into groups and gave us a new project to work on. We had to create an instructional text/video on making anything which sounded fun. I was thinking about what we should make the text/ video about, and the class ended.

Hong Kong Noodles: I went to HKN with my two friends and ordered food to-go. However, it took such a long time for the food to come out that I opened my ipad and started planning out my week. After my order came out, we waited for my friend’s order for another 8minutes. The total for my dish (Beef ChowFun) was $18.

Starbucks: I online ordered my drink at HKN, so I could pick up my order on the way to HSEC library. My order was out by the time I arrived at Starbucks, so I got in and out in about 20 seconds!

HSEC Library (Study): Well… I was going to study alone from 4:30-8, but my two friends and I ran into another friend that was at the social over the weekend. We talked and talked about things that happened over the weekend, and when I checked my phone, it was almost 6!!! I rushed up to the 5th floor (quiet loung) with one of my friends while the others stayed in a group-study room. I wrote some things down for journaling and made some sketches for my design class. When it was 7:45, I headed back down and headed over to my Korean club with my friends. We recently accepted 9 new members, and our club grew to 24 members. It felt more like a lab section than a club now, and I missed the old vibes. However, the room was way more lively than it was before, so I guess you win some, you lose some. After that, I stayed at HSEC Library a bit longer until I gopher chauffered home.

FOOD

Beef Chow Fun (Hong Kong Noodle): One of my top two favorite dishes from HKN, the other being Eel fried rice. I ate some for late lunch around 4pm and saved the rest for later.

Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso (Starbucks): I wanted to try a new drink at Starbucks to add to my list of food & drink reviews. The coffee tasted like cinnamon and I hate cinnamon. I gave it a 4.9/10.

After my club meeting, I was so hungry that I microwaved the Beef Chow Fun and had more. I usually HATE leftover food, and always end up throwing them away, but I thought that 2022 me would save money and make smarter decisions!

OVERALL

I’m feeling quite exhausted. I just want one day where I can sleep and rest without stressing about school work. I also really want toplay tennis, so I hope to catch-up on the school work and make time for tennis!

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thebluesideofmyworld · 6 years

Text

I Like Me Better (Chapter 10) - A Solangelo Fic

Chapter 10: Is it alright if I come 'round? Is it too late if I come now?

(Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 || Chapter 7 || Chapter 8 || Chapter 9) || Read on AO3

Chapter Summary: The one where Nico came around, and stayed for a little while

Leo was the one who called his name from the counter when Nico’s order was ready. Despite the slight strange disappointment, Nico gave Leo a small smile as he grabbed his drink.

He took a sip from the carton cup as he went back to the chair that he was sitting. He checked his phone. The small digital number at the corner of the screen showed that it was barely 5 minutes after 7. He probably should head back to his apartment.

Then he heard an almost melodious laughter that made him lifted his head up, glancing at the counter. A small part of his mind vaguely wondered why that voice was now something almost terrifyingly familiar.

Will was standing behind the counter with Leo. Leo was telling something that made Will laugh, and hit him with the checkered cloth that he was holding. Leo said something else, before walked away and disappeared behind a door.

Nico watched as Will shook his head, an amused smile gracing his lips as he wiped the surface of the counter. Nico was absently thinking about the way Will’s hair looked like softly glowing in golden color under the orange light when Will turned his head. Their eyes met, and Nico caught off guard.

Nico’s heart skipped a beat.

Will flashed him a small, shy smile, then continued wiping the counter. There was a funny pull in Nico’s chest.

He took another sip as he checked his phone again.

Maybe he could stay for just… a little while. Just a couple of minutes.

Besides, maybe today is his lucky day to win that level in Candy Crush.

***

That couple of minutes turned out to be almost an hour.

It was not like Nico did not want to leave or anything. But every time he thought of leaving, there would be a customer coming in, which meant that Will would greet them. A warm voice that would made Nico turned his head to the counter, as Will talking with the customer with that bright smile. Then suddenly he thought, well… maybe he’d stay for just another 5 minutes.

He lifted his cup to take another sip, then he realized that he almost finished his drink. He absently tapped the cup, thinking maybe it was really the time for him to leave the coffee shop. But maybe… Just maybe he could get another drink? Not coffee. Maybe hot chocolate? Surely they hav-

“Bye, Will!”

Nico’s head snapped to the counter, and he saw Leo waved at Will. Will waved back at Leo and pushed the swinging panel that separated the counter from the customer area of the coffee shop.

“Bye, Leo!” Will said. He no longer wore the light blue apron, but there was a green backpack on his shoulder now.

Nico decided that yes, it was really time for him to leave.

Not that it was because Will was about to go. He had been here for longer than he expected anyway, so really, it-

“Hey, Nico!”

“Oh, hey,” Nico replied, unconsciously grabbing his cup.

Will smiled. “So, you like it?” He asked, gesturing with his chin to the cup that Nico was holding.

Nico nodded. “Yeah. It’s really good.”

Will’s smile got wider. “I know you’re going to like it.”

“So… uh… You’ve finished working?” Nico asked, trying his best to sound as nonchalant as possible.

Will gave him a single nod. “Yeah. My shift today ends at 8.”

Nico quickly glanced at his phone that was lying on the table. It’s almost ten minutes past 8 now.

“Oh, I am also about to go now,” Nico stood up. “Want to walk together?”

Nico blinked when he realized what he just said. He cleared his throat and tried to ignore how the back of his neck was heating up.

“I… I mean,” he said, rubbing the back of his head. “We’re heading the same way, right? Uhm, neighbors?”

How on earth he suddenly became someone who was incompetent in making a sensible sentence???

A surprised expression flashed on Will’s eyes.

“Uh…” he said, looking hesitant. “I.. I mean… I’d love to. But I… I need to go to the library now.”

Nico’s brows furrowed down. “To the library? At this hour?”

“It’s not that late yet,” Will said, fiddling with the strap of his backpack. “Besides, it’s open until midnight. I still have some time to work on some stuff until they close.”

“Oh,” Nico said. Strangely his stomach felt a bit heavy. “Uhm. Okay.”

“Maybe next time?”

Nico chuckled. “Why are you so sure that I will come here again?”

“Well…” Will said. “You are here now. And I mean… who knows…”

Nico could not decide whether Will was really blushing or it was just the light playing tricks on him Before he could really think about it, Will cleared his throat.

“So… Uhm… Yeah… I… I guess… I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah,” Nico said, trying to ignore the weird disappointment in his stomach. “I’ll see you.”

“So,” Will ran a hand over his head. “Uh. Bye, Nico.”

Nico nodded. “Bye, Will.”

Will turned on his heels and made his way to the door. He pushed the door open. But before he walked out, he turned his head to Nico, and smiled at him. Nico didn’t even realize that his lips were tugging up to return the smile as he waved at Will, rather awkwardly.

Then Will disappeared.

Nico bowed his head down, staring at the tip of his black combat boots.

He sighed. It was really really time to go now. For real. Nico grabbed his cup, and threw it to the bin as he walked out to the door.

***

A few hours later, Nico was lying on his bed, his with his phone on his hand. Nico stared at Will’s profile picture on Facebook. Wearing an orange shirt, Will was smiling so bright. Orange was not Nico’s favorite color but damn, it looked good on Will Solace. And it was almost ridiculous that even through a frozen picture, his smile could still look so warm like that.

Nico chewed his lower lip again, scrolling down the screen. There was not much information about Will that he put up for public. Just that he was a student at University of Delphi (Nico knew that already. Duh). He is in the pre-med program (Nico didn’t know that before). He came from a small town in Tennessee (Oh, so that’s where that slight accent come from). And that’s all. There were some pictures of him with some other people. Nico recognized Leo in one of the pictures. From the background, Nico could see that the picture was taken in The Oracle. Besides Will and Leo, there was also another tall guy with black hair and green eyes, who had his arms resting comfortably around the shoulder of a blond girl.

Nico scrolled back up. He and Will only had one mutual friend, Jason.

Nico’s eyes darted to the small “Add Friend” icon as he chewed his lower lip.

Then he sighed and shook his head. He tapped the home button that brought him back to some pictures and status updates of his friends.

He tapped his screen again until his wallpaper of his phone’s main screen showed up. Nico placed his phone on his nightstand and turned off the light.

***

Author’s Notes:

Chapter title is from the song Coming Over by Dillon Francis, Kygo, James Hersey

As always, comments and feedbacks are always welcomed :)

I know that the chapters that I post are relatively short. I am just wondering, which one that you guys prefer: longer chapter but more sporadic updates (like maybe every two weeks), or this kind of short chapter (1000-1300 words) but updated regularly (every Friday for sure and maybe on Sunday or Wednesday too)?

Thank you for reading :D

#Solangelo #Nico di Angelo #WIll SOlace #Solangelo fanfic #solangelo fanfiction #pjo #pjo fanfic #I Like Me Better

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ikonxmx · 7 years

Text

No Happy Endings | Wonho [M]

Warnings: Strong language and implications of sex.

word count: 3,718

“Hey, what ya’ reading today?” The librarian asks with a smile.

Part 1: The Thing About Keeping Schedules

All love novels are the same. Boy meets girl or boy knows girl, one of them has a crush on the other or they both have a crush on each other and are too chicken shit to admit it. Some bullshit struggle goes on in their life and they ultimately come to the conclusion that they love one another. Problem is, shit like that doesn’t happen in real life, and it gives hopeless romantics like you a false sense of security. “Everything will work out for the best. It’ll all turn out okay in the end.” BULLSHIT.

Truth is, happy ending only exist in novels and tv for a fucking reason. And anyone who’s ever known or experienced “love” can tell you it’s all fake. They won’t though. They’ll laugh in your face and let you go on believing that everything will be okay when it won’t. Happy endings don’t exist in the real world. You’ll find that out the hard way, though. Prince Charming isn’t real. And neither is love.

As a student, the library is your safe haven, somewhere you can go and be completely to yourself… well as to yourself as you can be with 300 other people walking around. It stays quiet, though. The librarian makes sure of that. She’s actually quite young if you had to guess you’d say early to mid-thirties. Late twenties if you wanted to stretch. She’s nice. One of the only people besides your next door neighbor to hold a conversation with you. Sure it was usually just a “Hey, what ya’ reading today,” followed by a short answer and some awkward eye contact, but it was a lot more than what most people were giving you these days.

Your mom blames it on what she likes to call your O.T.W, “Own Little World.” There, human interaction comes to you as naturally as it does the characters in your books. When it comes to real life, however, you’re stuck. There are no quotation marks to show you where dialogue begins and ends, and absolutely no way to know what’s going on in someone’s head. Real life talking to people sucks. And that’s just one of the many reasons you have filed in your “Why I Don’t Interact Like A Normal Human Being” folder.

You don’t mind for the most part. Sure you felt lonely every now and then but it’s only been so long since you moved out of your parent's house so you chalk it up to homesickness. And like mentioned before, you have a neighbor. She refuses to let you be too anti-social and drops by to check on you twice a week. It’d be weird to call her a friend, but she’s the closest thing you have to one right now so that’s exactly what you’ll call her.

Back to the library. You come every day at the same time. You’re a creature of habit, so you do pretty much everything at the same time every day. Generally. You don’t freak out if you’re 5 minutes behind schedule, but you like to keep everything in the same hour if you can. Up at 7 o’clock, showering at 7:15, breakfast at 7:30, newspaper and comic reading until 8, then you’d head to the library, making it there at around 8:45. On Monday’s and Wednesday’s, you have a 9:30 psych class so you’d study up until then and head to your 11:15 kinesiology course after psych was done. You’d get lunch when kinesiology was through and head directly to your 3:30 English course. By 5 o’clock you were back in the library finishing work for Tuesday and Thursday’s business technology and international relations classes. You’d read a few chapter of a book once you were through and head home at around 10. You more or less did the same thing on those days too.

Anyone looking from the outside would say your schedule is a mess. Your classes don’t really coincide with your major and you have a shit ton of coursework to complete on a regular basis. This was better for you, though. Staying busy kept you focused so you never really worried about little things like… your nonexistent social life! More than that, you took classes that piqued your interest. English is mandatory but psych and kinesiology were both things you’d gotten into because of books.

In “Seeing Past Pasts” the female protagonist was a psychologist studying a schizophrenic 6-year-old boy and his depressed 12-year-old sister. She ends up falling in love with their biological father although he doesn’t have custody of the two kids. The story was sweet and endearing. It made you more curious about psychology than anything else, though.

“Heal to Make Whole” was all about a physical therapist and her hidden relationship with a star athlete who tears his ACL during a game and has to be treated by her. They hate each other by the end of the physical therapy but somehow end up working things out to live happily ever after. It got you thinking, you should know how to take better care of your body. It’s the only one you’ve got and it won’t stay be in great shape unless you keep it in great shape. You’re generally active, though. A 45-minute walk from your apartment to the library every day made sure of that. Walks to and from classes could be counted as well since some of them were pretty far apart. Other than that you were pretty much clueless.

They’re pretty useless classes for an international business major. You enjoy them, though, and that’s all that matters.

“Hey, what ya’ reading today?” The librarian asks with a smile.

“Careful.” You answer and hold up the recently released book. It’s a story about an introverted college student and the guy who tries to break her from her shell.

“Forever the romantic.” The librarian teases.

You laugh and make your way toward your usual table at the back of the library. It’s 6 o'clock at night so it’s not very crowded. In fact, the place is kind of empty. Of course, you don’t mind. Less noise makes for a better reading environment.

You finish your classwork relatively quickly and move on to your book. It’s not as dramatic as most other love novels you read which you can appreciate. The simplistic approach was very risky. Some people love the drama involved in romance novels. You, however, are completely content with reading about the being domestic as fuck for the majority of the book.

You close your book and look down at your phone to see it reads 11 p.m. You look around and see that you’re the only person left and lights had begun to turn off. You sheepishly walk toward the exit. The librarian sees you and perks up.

“Finally finished?” She questions.

“Yeah,” You chuckled. “Sorry for keeping you here so late.”

“It’s no problem. Not like I had anything planned. The only thing waiting for me at home is Chinese takeout.” She smiles.

You laugh and wave your goodbyes.

Walking home late at night is dangerous. A 45-minute walk at 11 at night… now that’s deadly. Maybe you’re a bit of a daredevil? Anyway, you don’t think twice as you set off on foot instead of grabbing a cab. The walk is you time, and you time is necessary. School is stressful! This is the time you use to breathe and enjoy the simple things… like trees and shit.

You've never walked this late before, though. In fact, you'd have been home for about an hour on a regular basis. A two-hour difference can't add that much more danger. For some reason your exceptionally terrified, though. Every leaf crunch and snapping twig sound you’d usually find relaxing send an unpleasant shiver down your spine. Maybe it's because after you do it, you hear another set of feet doing the same. It started about three blocks back, and they've continued through every turn you've made… Maybe it's a coincidence and you're just headed the same way. But you're a reader, and as a result, your imagination runs wild. In your head, this person is following you. For what you're not sure, but you're positive it's nothing good.

You quicken your pace and make a small detour. The feet behind you seem to quicken too. So you make a mad dash. You're not sure where you're going at this point but you don't look back.

The door to some apartment complex opens and a girl rushes out. You don't think twice as you run into the open door only to crash into a hardened chest.

“Are you okay?” The stranger asks as he put his arms on your shoulders to steady you.

You nod slightly embarrassed and try to catch your breath.

“Are you sure? You seem a little out of breath.” He notes.

You look up at the stranger finally… the shirtless stranger. He's got blonde hair, and his kind worried eyes are looking directly at you.

“I was just…” you start but your mouth goes dry. He's gorgeous. You're not sure you've ever seen a more perfect human being.

“Just… what?”

You shake your head slightly trying to pull yourself together… What were you doing? Why are you in this stranger's arms instead of walking home? That's right, the stalker!

“Ahh.” You say snapping your fingers. The stranger looks at you confused and so you explain. “I heard footsteps. I thought someone was following me, so I ran.”

He nods and lets go of one of your shoulders to look from the glass walls into the street.

“I don't see anyone… you should be safe. I'll call you a cab just to be sure, though.” He says and pats your shoulders again.

You nod, still dazed by his attractiveness. It's not fair for one person to be so good looking.

“Shit” Hoseok cursed as he came back into his living room to see the girl he'd just finished sleeping with and one of his favorite t-shirts gone. He doesn't think twice as he rushes at the door after her. She couldn't have gone that far. It took him five minutes to pee and put back on his jeans. She was obviously quicker, though. He took the stairs, sure the elevator would take too long and ran toward the street entrance of the apartment building. He watches as she runs down the last flight of stairs and out of the door, and he quick on her trails. However, he wasn't paying attention and ran straight into a woman. He gripped her shoulders to steady her as she almost fell.

“Are you okay?” He asked quickly looking out if the glass complex and watching the woman disappear from view before turning his attention back to the one in front of him. The woman nodded slightly and kept her head down. That's when Hoseok noticed her breathing. It's what he sounds like after running for 30 minutes straight on a treadmill. “Are you sure? You seem a little out of breath.” He notes.

She finally looks into his eyes, her lips parting slightly in what seems like awe. Hoseok is touched but still worried. Had she hit her head against his chest that hard? He has a pretty solid chest. Maybe he should check for a concussion? He searches her eyes worriedly.

“I was just…” She started but stopped suddenly, and instead opted to stare at Hoseok more.

“Just… what?”

she shakes her head slightly but still stays silent as if she's lost her train of thought.

“Ahh.” She says snapping her fingers as if she's just had a Eureka moment. Hoseok looks at her expectantly, waiting for an explanation.“I heard footsteps. I thought someone was following me, so I ran.”

He nods and lets go of one of her shoulders to check the streets.

“I don't see anyone… you should be safe. I'll call you a cab just to be sure, though.” He says and pats her shoulders again.

He takes her hand and leads her outside. Flagging down a taxi is relatively easy. After making sure she's situated inside he heads over to the driver and hands him a few bills from his back pocket.

“Make sure she's safe.” He tells the driver and looks back at you to smile.

The smile you return is a bit awkward and you're dropping your head to break eye contact seconds later. Hoseok chuckles and backs away from the cab waving it goodbye.

He checks the street again for any sign of the girl he’d been with before heading back in. She's be long gone by now. What could she really do with a shirt anyway? He lets it go and shivers. He shouldn't have gone outside without a shirt on.

“Wake up.” A voice calls to Hoseok in his sleep. He grumbles a bit and turns away from the voice. 5 days have passed since the incident and he's still mourning the loss of his favorite shirt.

“Up,” the same voice calls again, this time right next to his ear. Hoseok scrunched his face and swats at the nuisance.

“Hey dumbass! Wake the fuck up.” A voice Hoseok recognizes as Kihyun calls. Seconds later he's being doused in very cold water.

Hoseok sputters awake and makes eye contact with a very amused Kihyun. Although he's still half asleep and his eyes haven't adjusted very well, Hoseok can see the smugness written all over Kihyun’s face.

“What the hell was that for?!” He questions angrily.

“You're in big trouble.” Minhyuk answers from beside him.

“Big trouble, how?”

“A dating scandal?! A freaking dating scandal?! Out of everything you could've done to get yourself into some shit… this takes the cake.” Hyungwon says as he paces the floor.

“I already said it's not true!” Hoseok defends himself.

“Then why the hell were you shirtless and hugging the girl? Why were you holding her hand, hmmm?” Hyungwon asks.

“Well, that's…” Hoseok says and scratches his head. If he told them he'd ran into the girl after chasing one of his conquests, they'd only give him more shit. Only one way out of this. “Hey, don't speak informally to me! I'm still your hyung!”

“He was sleeping with someone.” Changkyun sighs and shakes his head.

“No!” Hoseok yells. The boys look at him in disbelief. He sighs, “Okay, so I was.” They all groan and throw their hands up in defeat. “But no one knows that! They all think I'm dating this girl! We’ll just have her clear up the misunderstanding.”

“That'll only have people asking why you were really outside,” Kihyun says as he rubs his temples.

“A dating scandal is bad but having people find out you sleep with anything that walks is much worse,” Hyunwoo says.

“Hey!” Hoseok pouts. He doesn't sleep with anything that moves. Just the things with nice legs.

“You've got to date the girl,” Kihyun suggests.

“What? No! I don't want to date her!” Hoseok protests.

“Too bad! You should've thought about that before allowing pictures of you holding her hand to get taken.” Hyungwon yells.

“I don't even know her name! Or how to get in contact with her!” Hoseok says. He's a bit relieved that he doesn't know. He's not ready for a relationship. Let alone a public one.

“You'd better find out how.” Hyunwoo says glaring at the younger boy.

Hoseok drops his head. Once Hyunwoo gives a command it's pretty much law. Everyone should follow it. He sighs and searches the internet hoping someone has found anything on the woman.

To his luck, they've found a lot. Candid pictures of her have flooded the internet, “Wonho’s Secret Girlfriend” making up a majority of the titles.

He goes to the comments in hopes of seeing anything about your personal life. The top comment, like by more than 3,000 people reads:

“Wow! I didn't know she was dating an idol! She's a student at my university PLMU! We share a Psych class. She's nice but extremely quiet, and from what I've heard she spends most of her time in the library.”

Bingo.

“You're looking for?” The librarian asks Hoseok as she gives him a once over.

He nervously grips the bouquet of flowers in his hand tighter and swallows before reciting the name he'd found on the Internet.

“Who are you to her?”

“Ummm…” Hoseok starts, not really sure how to answer. “Her boyfriend?” He says but it comes out as more of a question.

The librarian’s eyes turn into slits as she glares at him disbelievingly. “Shouldn't her boyfriend know her class schedule?”

“She never told me… just that she's usually here.” Hoseok chuckles and gives his best smile trying to win over the woman

“I don't believe you.” She says bluntly making Hoseok’s smile drop. “And without a student ID, you'll have to wait outside the library.”

He silently curses the librarian before exiting. Knowing your schedule would've been a big help. He barely found your name, though, so he's thankful for what he can get. Hoseok stands for the majority of his waiting but after an hour he realizes you probably won't be back anytime soon and cops a squat.

Your international relations class ticked by. And people seemed to be staring at you for the majority of it. You'd seen the article so you knew why they were staring, but at the same time, it baffled you. Was the concept of a rumor foreign to them? The pictures were taken completely out of context and had you known he was an idol, you would've never spoken to him. Sure, forbidden love sounds interesting when you're reading about it, but to you, being in a secret relationship sounded as appealing as watching a 90-year-old man peel oranges with his bare hands for 6 hours.

Not to say that just talking to him would've instantly lead to a relationship… but you had thought about what dating the kind stranger would be like. Once the article had been released you'd berated yourself for entertaining the thought.

Your teacher finally dismisses the class. You're the first one from the door. Next stop: the library. A peaceful place where you could emerge yourself in a good book and avoid the gazes of curious onlookers. But as you come to the entrance you see it a bit crowded. Girls are gathered around trying to get a glimpse at whatever. Curiosity gets the better of you and you decide to take a peek as well. What you see makes your eyes turn into saucers. The stranger from Thursday night, or as you’d recently found out, Wonho of Monsta X.

He's smiling and happily interacting with his fans. The two of you make eye contact and his smile turns brighter. You find yourself smiling back. He rushes through the crowd of girls and comes to your side. He wraps his arm around your shoulder and ushers you into the library.

“How was class? You paid attention well right?” He asks loud enough for the people around you to hear. He quiets down once he's out of earshot.

“What ya’ reading today?” The librarian questions as you come into view. She looks at the arm draped around your shoulder and scowls at Wonho. He tauntingly sticks out his tongue.

“Something tells me I won't be reading today.” You sigh.

“Hold my hand as you speak, keep direct eye contact, and smile. Even when you're saying something mean. Just keep smiling” Hoseok whispers as he pulls out your chair and sits in the one opposite of you.

You don't say anything as he takes your hand in his and presses a chaste kiss to your knuckles. “What the hell are you doing?” You ask with a forced smile.

“Play along.” He smiles back. “I confirmed our relationship this morning.”

“We aren't in a relationship.” You hiss the fake smile still plastered on your face.

“We are now. I can't have people knowing the real reason I was out.”

“And you couldn't have thought of literally any excuse? Seeing off a friend. Asking for help from maintenance. Hell, you could've said you were checking your mail.”

He goes quiet. The mail excuse was good and decently believable. Why couldn't he have thought of that? Why couldn't his members have thought of that?

“What's done is done know.” He says leaning toward you. “Dating me isn't so bad, right?”

He's cute but you refuse to acknowledge it at this point. You're furious. Why do you have to be dragged into his lie?

“6 months. That's all I need. Then we’ll break up and when people ask what happened I can say going public affected your private life negatively.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Come on, please? I'll make it worth your while.” He says with a sly eyebrow wiggle.

“There is absolutely nothing you can say that will make me keep up with this charade for 6 months.”

Wonho’s smile brightens. “I'll pay you $10,000”

“Except for that.” You say smiling once again. “Wonho, right?”

He chuckles, “It’d be a bit weird for my girlfriend to call me by my stage name right? Hoseok. Shin Hoseok.”

You nod, “My name is-”

"I know your name." He smiles, "I'm gonna need to know your class schedule, though."

Part. 1 FIN

A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed. I think I’ll have a lot of fun writing this series so I hope you’ll support it. Feedback is always appreciated so please stop into the inbox and let me know how you’re feeling about it so far.

-AJ

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thelillykane · 7 years

Note

A/N: whatever i felt like being a lil angsty about my kids, so, hello, it’s me.

A/N 2: ANYWAY this is like an AU where Veronica doesn’t leave Hearst after freshman year and she still works at the library and Logan wanders in during one of her late night shifts after they haven’t talked in like over a year. also in my mind hearst has a fancy 24hr library w/ a 24hr clerk there at all time and veronica got stuck with like the sucky 10-6 overnight shift.

Veronica’s on the verge of looking up from her forensic science homework and fully acknowledging his presence – maybe throwing a quip for old times sake – when she sees a fresh hickey at the base of his throat, clumps of red lipstick clinging to the edges of his collar.

“You’re bleeding all over my carpet,” she grits through her teeth instead because it’s Logan and she knows him like the back of her hand and doesn’t doubt for a second that he’ll be bleeding for no reason at 10:36pm on a Tuesday.

“It’s not that bad,” Logan shrugs, flashing her a quick glimpse of his palm, sliced open from thumb to pinky and stained a dark, wet red. “Besides,” he steps closer and his voice gets lower, going for flirtatious, cutesy, don’t-be-mad-at-me. “This carpets got more than my blood in it.”

She snaps her book shut and stares at him, really stares at him, drinking him in for the first time since I just want to get to a place with you where we can be really intimate. They haven’t spoken since his fight with Gory in the cafeteria, almost had a class together sophomore year– four hours trapped in a room with just seventeen other kids every Wednesday – but Logan transferred into a different class last minute. She gets all her news about him now from the incessantly frustrating rumor mill, which surprisingly has next to nothing to say.

He’s got a new scar near his cheekbone, about the size of a fingernail, and a handful of freckles beneath his ear. He looks like he hasn’t slept since they broke up the first time.

“Why are you here, Logan?” She keeps her voice tight, tries to keep her eyes off of the purpling hickey, tries not to think about who’s kissing him these days, who’s going to drive him to the emergency room to get stitches in his hand.

He steps away from the desk and his eyes lose their warmth. “It’s the Hearst library, Veronica. I wouldn’t have come if-”

He cuts himself off, visibly frustrated, running his good hand through his hair before turning and walking away, disappearing into the rows of books.

At half past one when Veronica almost falls asleep at her desk and Wallace has yet to respond to her texts begging him to drop off coffee, she decides to do a walk-through of the building and make sure none of the freshman have set the books or themselves on fire.

She’s not looking to check up on Logan. She’s stepped away from her desk plenty of times since he arrived, which has given him numerous opportunities to leave. She doesn’t expect him to make it a point to say goodbye beforehand, especially not since they are no longer capable of speaking to each other in full, non-hostile sentences.

She berates herself for being immediately relieved to see him sitting at one of the tables not too far from where they once had sex – the fucker –, his left hand covered in wads of blood-red toilet paper.

“It looks worse than it is,” Logan says as she walks towards him, her arms folded over her chest. “Hand wounds just bleed a lot because of the nerve endings.”

Veronica sits across from his, keeps her eyes trained on the table, in the small neutral space that isn’t covered by his textbooks or bite-mark ridden pencils. He glances at her quickly but doesn’t pause in his writing, rapidly filling the page of his spiral notebook.

She sits there longer than she should, considering that she’s working, considering that he won’t even look her in the eye.

She sits there longer than she should, thinking about how lonely and small he seems under the fluorescent lights, thinking about reaching out and touching his hand, asking how he cut it.

“What are you doing?” Logan finally whispers and this time it’s Veronica who gets to walk away, her footsteps sounding loud and abrupt on the staircase.

As shitty luck would have it, Logan comes downstairs to leave right when Wallace and Piz have finally arrived to bring her belated, sorry-you’re-stuck-here-for-two-more-hours coffee and donuts.

“It’s a public library,” Veronica rushes to explain to them, even though they know that her and Logan don’t talk anymore and neither of them asked.

There’s a beat where Logan’s thrown off by the sight of all three of them at once and his eyes flicker between her and Piz (unhappily, he can’t hide that) and she wants to start screaming we broke up and I miss you and stay, i’ll share my coffee and who gave you that embarrassing hickey, asshole? and remember when we fucked upstairs by the books on vanished civilizations and we couldn’t stop laughing and it was good– we were good.

His hand wound isn’t bleeding anymore, but there’s a size able gap between the two sections of his skin that definitely looks like it could benefit from a trip to the hospital. She’s on the verge of doing something stupid and pointless – like offering to take him – when Logan exhales and gives her a small smile, not quite sad just: this is how things are. this is how things ended.

She takes a deep breath and mirrors the smile back.

#imkait #jennie interacts with people #logan and veronica #why??? won't i let them be happy?? wht even is THIS #also i //should// be writing angsty rory & jess but noOOo i had to do this to myself instead #fic*

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astrogeoguy · 5 years

Text

An Evening Moon, Asteroid Juno Jumps Out, Leonid Meteors at Maximum, and we Tour the Lucky Water-Bearer!

(Above: This image of a Leonid fireball was taken by Lorenzo Lovato on November 17, 1998. NASA APOD for November 12, 1999)

Hello Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for this week (from November 11th, 2018) by Chris Vaughan. (Feel free to pass this along to friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics.) I post these with photos at http://astrogeoguy.tumblr.com/ where the old editions are archived. You can also follow me on Twitter as @astrogeoguy! Unless otherwise noted, all times are Eastern Time. Please click this MailChimp link to subscribe to these emails. If you are a teacher or group leader interested joining me on a guided field trip to York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory or the David Dunlap Observatory, visit www.astrogeo.ca.

I can bring my Digital Starlab inflatable planetarium to your school or other daytime or evening event, visit DiscoveryPlanetarium.com and request me. We’ll tour the Universe together!

Public Astro-Events

Taking advantage of the moon, Saturn, Mars, and other bright objects in the sky this week, the RASC Toronto Centre astronomers will hold their free monthly public City Sky Star Party in Bayview Village Park (steps from the Bayview subway station), starting around 7 pm on the first clear weeknight this week (Mon to Thu). You don’t need to be an RASC member, or own any equipment, to join them. Check here for details, and check the banner on their website home page or Facebook page for the GO or NO-GO decision around 5 pm each day.

The Allan I. Carswell Observatory at York University will also be open for free public Leonid Meteor Shower viewing on the first clear weeknight this week. Details are here.

At the Deer Park Library on Tuesday evening, November 13 at 2 pm, Dr. John Percy, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy at U of T will present The Amazing Universe. Details are here.

At Roy Thomson Hall on Thursday evening, November 15 at 8 pm, notable Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield will present Generator, an evening of comedy, music, and ideas. Tickets and details are here.

On Friday, November 16, starting at 7 pm, U of T’s AstroTour will present their free planetarium show entitled Grand Tour of the Cosmos. Details are here.

Leonids Meteor Shower

We’ve now entered meteor shower season! Over the next few months, we’ll experience a wave of several showers. The Leonids Meteor Shower, which is derived from material dropped by repeated past passages of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, will peak on November 17/18. The maximum number of Leonids will appear before dawn local time, because that is when the sky overhead will be plowing directly into the cloud of particles that produce the shower.

The meteors can appear anywhere in a dark sky, but true Leonids will be travelling in a direction away from a location (the radiant) just above the stars that form the head of Leo (the Lion). You can watch for meteors in the evening, too – but many of them will be hidden from view below the Earth’s horizon. This week’s meagre moon will keep the sky darker – ideal for seeing fainter meteors.

To see the most meteors, find a wide-open dark location, preferably away from light polluted skies, and just look up with your unaided eyes. Binoculars and telescopes are not useful for meteors – their field of view are too narrow. If the peak night is cloudy, several nights on either side will be almost as good. Happy hunting!

The Moon and Planets

This is the best week of the lunar month to pull out your binoculars and telescopes to look at the moon. Each evening, the moon will wax fuller and shift farther from the sun. While this is happening, the sun will be slowly rising over the moon’s surface. Its low-angled sunlight will illuminate peaks and crater edges while casting deep black shadows between them. It also reveals subtle topographic features, such as ridges and cracks on crater floors, that are otherwise invisible. New sections of the moon are highlighted every night. And, the moon will be visible right after dinner – how convenient!

(Above: Venus will appear below Spica this week, as shown here at 6 am local time on Monday.)

Tonight (Sunday), the moon will appear as a beautiful crescent, shining like a Cheshire Cat’s smile over the western horizon after twilight. It will also be sitting a few finger widths to Saturn’s upper left. From Tuesday through Thursday, the moon will cross Capricornus (the Sea-Goat), landing just three finger widths from Mars on Thursday. The duo will set in the west at about midnight local time. (Observers in most of Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, and southern South America will see the moon pass in front of, i.e., occult, Mars at about 06:00 Greenwich Mean time.) The moon will also reach its First quarter phase on Thursday, when it will appear half-illuminated until it sets at midnight local time.

Turning now to the planets, very bright Venus is now shining in the morning pre-dawn eastern sky. This week, the planet will pass only a finger’s width to the lower left of the bright white star Spica in Virgo (the Maiden).

(Above: Jupiter and Mercury are embedded in the western evening twilight this week, as shown here at 5 pm local time on Sunday, November 11.)

In the evening sky, Jupiter and Mercury are both located very low in the southwestern sky after sunset, embedded in twilight, leaving Saturn and Mars as your best planetary targets.

Even though it is gradually dimming as Earth pulls farther away from it, reddish Mars will continue to dominate the southern evening sky this week. Only the moon is brighter. Look for a bright, reddish, star-like object shining in the lower half of the southern sky after dusk. It’s among the stars of Aquarius (the Water-Bearer), which we’ll describe below. Mars will set in the west at about midnight local time.

(Above: The moon will land near Saturn on Sunday, November 11, as shown here at 6 pm local time. Mars will be five fist diameters to the upper left.)

Dimmer and yellowish Saturn is located five fist diameters to the lower right of Mars this week. After the sky has darkened, even a small telescope should be able to show you some of Saturn’s larger moons, especially its largest satellite, Titan. Using a clock’s dial analogy, Titan will move counter-clockwise over the course of this week – starting from a position at 4 o’clock (to the lower right of Saturn) tonight, and ending up next Sunday at 11 o’clock (to the upper left of Saturn). (Remember that your telescope might flip and/or invert the view. Use the moon to find out how your telescope changes things and keep a note of it, since that will always be the case.)

(Above: Mars has been sliding towards Neptune, and more easterly Uranus, as shown here at 6 pm local time this week.)

Mars’ orbital motion has been carrying it eastward towards distant Neptune, which will be located about 1.5 fist diameters to the left (east) of Mars this week. The blue, ice giant planet is visible from dusk until just after 1 am local time. Using a decent quality telescope you can see the magnitude 7.8 planet sitting about two finger widths to the left of the modestly bright star Hydor (Lambda Aquarii). Neptune will highest in the southern sky (and best viewing conditions) at about 7:30 pm local time.

Blue-green Uranus (“YOU-ran-us”) is farther to the east than Neptune. It’s still close to its peak brightness (magnitude 5.7) and size for this year. You can see it without optical aid under very dark skies, but binoculars and telescopes will work better. By mid-evening, Uranus will be high enough in the eastern sky to see it clearly. Look for it about 2 finger widths to the left (east) of the modestly bright star Torcular (Omega Piscium). That star sits a generous palm’s width above the “V” where the two starry cords of Pisces (the Fishes) meet. The planet will be carried higher in the sky until 10:30 pm local time.

(Above: The main belt asteroid Juno will reach opposition on November 17, as depicted here at 9 pm local time.)

On Saturday, November 17, the major main belt asteroid Juno will reach opposition. At that time, Earth will be passing between the asteroid and the sun, minimizing our distance from Juno and causing it to appear at its brightest and largest for this year. The magnitude 7.45 object will be visible in binoculars and small telescopes all night long after it rises in the east at 6:30 pm local time. Juno will be positioned about equally distant from the bright stars Aldebaran in Taurus (the Bull) and Rigel in Orion (the Hunter). It will reach its highest position, about halfway up the southern sky, at midnight local time.

The Water Constellations – Aquarius the Water-Bearer

Evenings in late autumn feature a grouping of constellations over the southern horizon that share a common theme – the Sea. Collectively known as the water constellations, they aren’t very prominent, composed mainly of modest and dim stars, but this week’s moonless sky will offer an opportunity to see them better. Over the two weeks, I’ll talk about each of the watery constellations. Last week, it was Capricornus (the Sea-Goat), which I posted here.

(Above: Aquarius, the Water-Bearer, is located just to the east of Capricornus the Sea-Goat, and north of another water constellation, Piscis Austrinis. All three are in the southern evening sky during November.)

This time, we’ll look at the sea-goat’s eastern neighbour.

Straddling the ecliptic, immediately to the east (left) of Capricornus is another zodiac constellation, Aquarius (the Water-bearer). This is one of the oldest recorded constellations, probably because of its place on the ecliptic / zodiac and because it re-appeared in the morning sky at the time of year that brought the return of desperately needed rains, and the flooding of the Nile, in ancient Egypt. It’s certainly not because of its stars. Its pattern is made from about 14 modestly-bright stars with visual magnitudes near the limit for suburban observers.

Aquarius spans an area that measures about 3.5 outstretched fist diameters wide by 2 diameters high. It is traditionally depicted as a kneeling figure, facing east, who is pouring water from a vessel. A crooked horizontal string of stars represent his right arm outstretched towards the west, his bowed head and shoulders, and his left hand, which bears the jug. This is the most easily seen part of the constellation. Descending from this line is a loose chain of stars representing the flowing water and another representing his torso and legs. In some stories, he’s Zeus pouring out the water of life upon the world. In others, the waters are those of the biblical flood, a story handed down from the Sumerians. As we’ll soon see, the stars of Aquarius are “lucky”.

By the time the sky has darkened enough to see it, Aquarius is due south, positioned about halfway between the southern horizon and the zenith. To help you find it, you can use the great square (or baseball diamond) of Pegasus, which sits much higher and to the left (east). With “home plate” as the bottom star, extend an imaginary line from third base to first base, and continue in the same direction by the same distance (about two fist diameters) to Aquarius’ highest and brightest star, Sadelmelik.

In a dark sky, up to 100 stars can be counted in the constellation, but only a few are easily seen near city lights. Try to spot the four stars that extend a wide palm’s width from Sadelmalik eastward to the left. One of the four stars sits a couple of finger widths below the line formed by the other three. At the eastern end of the four sits a modest star designated Eta Aquarii. The radiant of the springtime Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower is located close to this star.

Jumping 1.5 finger widths to the right of Eta brings us to a closely spaced double star that’s only 91 light-years away from us named Sadaltager "Luck of the merchant". Two finger widths to the lower right of Sadaltager is the white star Sadachbia, which comes from the Arabic phrase sa'd al-akhbiya "lucky stars of the tents". Then we hop higher again and westward to Sadelmelik, meaning “Lucky stars of the Kingdom”. Sadelmelik is a very mature, yellow supergiant star located about 520 light-years away. It’s a bit cooler than our Sun, but about 60 times larger in diameter, making it much more luminous.

Ten degrees (a fist’s diameter) to the lower right of Sadalmelik, at the water-bearer’s elbow, sits another of the constellation’s brighter stars, Sadalsuud “the luckiest of all of them all”. This is another yellow giant very similar to Sadelmelik and about as distant. Finally, Aquarius’ western hand is marked by a fainter blue-white star named Albali “Good Fortune of the Swallower”, which sits a fist’s width to the lower right of Sadalsuud. The rest of the constellation, descending in two crooked lines from the lucky stars, is fairly dim. About halfway along them, both lines take a jog to the left (east).

Aquarius contains only a few significant deep sky objects because it is situated away from the galactic plane, the Milky Way. The bright globular star cluster designated Messier 2, which can be spotted in binoculars or small telescopes, is only 4 finger widths above Sadalsuud. It’s 37,000 light-years away! A planetary nebula named the Saturn Nebula (and also designated Caldwell 55) is located below Albali. At 650 light-years away, it’s among the closest such objects to us. Another planetary nebula, the Helix Nebula (or Caldwell 63), is near the bottom of the constellation. These two stellar corpses are visible in decent backyard telescopes. A second, dimmer globular cluster named Messier 72 sits below and between Albali and the Saturn Nebula.

Fittingly, Neptune has been situated in Aquarius since 2011. At present, it sits just to the left (east) of the fairly bright star named Hydor. Neptune won’t leave Aquarius until about 2022! Meanwhile, Mars is presently sitting near the western boundary of Aquarius. It will steadily travel eastward through the constellation until late December.

Keep looking up, and enjoy the sky when you do! I love questions and requests - so, send me some!

#Aquarius #First quater moon #Leonids meteor shower #stars #planets #Venus #Mars #Ice Giants #Juno #water constellations

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biofunmy · 5 years

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Puja Patel’s Pitchfork Work Diary: ‘Our Staffers Decidedly Own the Dance Floor’

Puja Patel listens to a lot of music. The volume has gotten so overwhelming since she was named editor in chief of Pitchfork, she’s had to create a system to manage it all. “I’ve decided to keep my new vinyl purchases to things that I know I’ll keep for the rest of my life,” Ms. Patel said. She puts unreleased albums into a folder on iTunes and streams everything else on Spotify. She also acquired an old iPod Touch to use solely for work, but that turned out to be fruitless when she learned it wasn’t compatible with the latest MacBook.

Pitchfork, with its authoritatively decimalized album ranking system, is one of the most influential music publications in the United States. A favorable rating has the power to propel a below-the-radar artist into the mainstream, while a negative one can sink a well-known performer’s latest effort. “As someone who was obsessively reading the site in college, to imagine running it one day was absurd,” Ms. Patel, 33, said. “And now that I’m here, it feels extremely powerful and correct.”

A child of immigrants — her father was from Zimbabwe and her mother is from India — Ms. Patel worked for a number of outlets, including Fader, The Village Voice and MTV, before joining Pitchfork. “My specialty was really showing that music was about community,” she said. “And how music is an immediate reflection of the tensions of a city, whether that be political or social, or even the way that tech was changing and inducing the way a genre moved.” In 2016, she was named editor in chief of Spin — becoming one of the few women to lead a large music publication — and she reveled in the opportunity to push its boundaries.

Pitchfork was founded in 1996 and acquired by Condé Nast in 2015. The Pitchfork Review, the site’s quarterly magazine, was shut down two years later, and last September Condé Nast asked Ms. Patel to take over from Ryan Schreiber, Pitchfork’s founder and longtime editor. We spoke in March, as she was producing the publication’s first “digital cover.”

Monday

6 a.m. I have this obnoxious tendency to wake up early in the morning and beat my alarm. I couldn’t sleep because I was thinking about our digital cover story, which I was up late editing with our features editor. It’s about the singer Sky Ferreira. I eventually open up the story to see what tweaks were made and do some tweaking of my own. It covers some sensitive subject matter — like her friendship with Michael Jackson when she was a kid — so I think all of us are trying to take some care with how we deliver that.

7:30 a.m. Log into Slack and see that the singer Scott Walker has died. I talk to a news editor and assign an obit. As a music fan, I think one of the really difficult parts of the job is tabling your sadness and grief to be able to react and inform your readers as quickly as possible.

10:30 a.m. Staff meeting. We talk about Scott Walker, and our managing editor updates us on what to keep an eye out for today. I bring up our launch party, which is on Wednesday night, and gently remind the staff to be on their best behavior. I like these meetings — it’s useful for the staff, and it’s nice checking in with everyone, since we have so many sprawling parts of the magazine and all that comes with Condé Nast.

1:30 p.m. More party prep. I’m answering all kinds of questions like: Is this person on the guest list? What artwork should we display? Can you approve these finances? Can we get approval on this partnership thing? These things pop up all day, and I forget how much time they take up. It comes with the territory of being the editor.

3 p.m. I realize I haven’t written my editor’s letter, which is set to run tomorrow at 8 a.m.

4:30 p.m. I started blocking off this hour on my calendar without telling everyone why. I let everyone believe I’m in a meeting so I can do things like write my letter or check up on emails.

9:30 p.m. Running on fumes and finally writing my editor’s letter. (I take breaks to cook dinner, chat with my cousin and try on some clothes that I had ordered online.) The question I get most frequently from reporters and friends is what it feels like to be a woman in charge of a publication that’s been helmed by men until now. I try to speak to that in my letter.

12 a.m. Everything has been filed, typos and final copy-edits have been made. It’s time for bed.

Tuesday

6 a.m. Woke up before the alarm again. Text my mom and brother good morning, and scroll through my international family WhatsApp group thread. There are 30-plus people on it, and it regularly shifts from family updates to Gujarati or Hindi memes or videos.

7 a.m. Make scrambled eggs and check in with editors to make sure we’re set for the cover story rollout.

8 a.m. The cover story is live! I’m so happy that it’s finally out. I’m honestly a little emotional and very proud of how so many people, who hadn’t previously worked together, collaborated to make this come to fruition. Big projects like these always create trust and excitement about what else we can do as a staff — it’s a good sign of what’s to come.

12:30 p.m. I pop in to say hello to Vanity Fair editor Radhika Jones and ask about a Condé meeting scheduled for later today. (We moved floors recently and now share our space with her magazine and Wired.) We end up chatting for 30 minutes.

3:30 p.m. One of two weekly reviews meetings, where we go over our album review schedule, scoring, Best New Music designations and assignments. This is usually the easiest or knottiest meeting of the week, depending on the releases and how strongly the editors in the room feel about them. We try to have at least four people on staff listen to every album reviewed before landing on a precise score. Today, two editors have differing opinions on the score of a smaller album, and we talk about some existential issues with scoring against the legacy opinions of Pitchfork past.

6:30 p.m. Left the office earlier than usual because I need to eat dinner and figure out what to wear to tomorrow’s party. Make a salad and throw a quarter of my closet onto my bed, land on two or three things that could work and kick myself for always procrastinating on shopping.

8:30 p.m. Meet up with an old music friend at Zablozki’s in Williamsburg. We talk about the surge of reporting on sexism and assault in music — the journalist’s duty to the story, and then how women at labels and PR firms do their own reporting and assessments from within.

9:15 p.m. Head across the street to National Sawdust to see Yves Tumor, an experimental electronic musician who has played an after-party for Pitchfork Paris and our Chicago Midwinter event, a music festival in partnership with the Art Institute of Chicago.

9:45 p.m. Pitchfork is hosting an event with Tidal down the street at Music Hall of Williamsburg for Women’s History Month. I drag my label friend with me with the hopes of seeing the duo Girlpool, but we miss them, unfortunately.

10:30 p.m. In a cab home, texting with Pitchfork’s publicist. She tells me an on-camera interview scheduled for tomorrow got moved. I’m thrilled — one less thing to think about.

Wednesday

7 a.m. It’s a normal morning, which means I can spend the first few hours of my day listening to music and albums we’re slated to review.

1:30 p.m. My weekly meeting with Anna Wintour, the creative director of Condé Nast. Anna is a sounding board on anything big or small. We talk about everything: new developments on major editorial plans for the site, design updates, artists who are releasing new music, ideas around covers, the staff, navigating every kind of business change or hurdle while being true to the site’s spirit and point of view.

3:30 p.m. Head out of the office early to meet my mom and brother, who are in town from Baltimore. I spend the travel time going over the syllabus and reading materials of a New York University journalism class I’m speaking at tomorrow.

4:15 p.m. My mom and I get blowouts for the party. I lost my dad to lung cancer a little over a year ago, which was unexpected and sudden and has been very hard on all of us, especially my mom. Sometimes I wonder if I stay so busy so that I don’t let my mind wander into the deep sadness that comes every time I think about him. I miss him every day, and especially during times of celebration.

6:20 p.m. Arrive at Kinfolk for the party. The venue is covered in images and video from the cover shoot and it looks amazing. Events like this always move in a blur, but some highlights: Nancy and Rayna from LCD Soundsystem DJ. Anna Wintour chats with my mom for a while, and it brings me so much joy to see these two singular women in my life in conversation. Sky Ferreira and I talk about the release of her new single and what it feels like to have something new out after so long. The band Empath and two of our staffers decidedly own the dance floor.

9:30 p.m. The staff moves down the street to the Turkey’s Nest after the party. Everyone has their biggest smiles on. I want to take a snapshot of the moment and commit it to memory forever.

Thursday

12:30 p.m. My mom and brother come to our office at 1 World Trade Center for lunch. It’s nice to be able to show them what I do and where I work, especially since online media is an unconventional career path in some ways. The view from the office helps, too.

3 p.m. Weekly senior editorial meeting with team leads.

7:30 p.m. At N.Y.U.’s Bobst library to speak to students at the Clive Davis Institute about “Race, Gender, and Music Writing” for a class on writing about popular music. The students are great. They’re avid readers of Pitchfork and big music fans, and they ask sharp and very specific questions about our editorial process and where we fit in the digital media landscape. This is my favorite part of the day, easily. It reaffirms that, in a different life, I’d like to be a teacher.

9:15 p.m. The professor of the class is the executive editor of Billboard and a friendly acquaintance. We decide to grab some sushi at Lure Fishbar and catch up on industry gossip and media news before calling it a night.

Friday

12:30 p.m. Meeting with our design director, art director and photo director to discuss the big-picture styling and timeline of some new visual projects.

1:30 p.m. Our video lead tells me that Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers are on their way to the office studios to shoot for our “Over/Under” series. Last week we ran into the “Queer Eye” cast in the cafe and taped them for the series, too. It’s one of my favorite franchises because of how genuinely funny and random it tends to be.

5 p.m. A label rep and friend of the staff comes in to play new music from the U.K. rapper Slowthai in our Listening Room. You can tell when the staff are especially excited to hear something, because they all try to cram into a room made to seat eight. The music leaks into the hall and through the walls and is welcome next to the usual sounds of typing.

8:45 p.m. My friend Jia comes over to my apartment in Williamsburg with a bottle of wine. We became friends years ago when we were both bloggers and now she’s part of a close-knit group of women I don’t know what I’d do without. Another writer friend stops by, too. We listen to Solange and Jessica Pratt and eventually let Spotify take over as we recap our weeks and hang. When I go to bed, I don’t bother to set an alarm.

Interviews are conducted by email, text and phone, then condensed and edited.

Sahred From Source link Fashion and Style

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