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sunlight-moonrise · 4 years

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Sugar, Spice, and Everything (Not So) Nice (Reid Imagine)

Summary: Being a Barista and falling for a regular is as cliche as it gets. Having that customer become your new professor? Not so much.

A/N: *Peeks head out* Hello everyone. I have come back from my unannounced hiatus to show off this baby. Major thanks to @definitelynotkatesblog and @clean-bands-dirty-stories for helping me put this fic together. This was written for the lovely @httpnxtt for the secret-fic-swap in the Discord (thanks @imagining-in-the-margins.) I hope you all enjoy this smutty goodness.

Category: Smut

Content Warnings: Face Slapping, Degradation, Slight Hair Pulling, Oral Sex (male receiving), Fingering, Spanking, Penetrative Sex, Unprotected Sex/Creampie

Word Count: 6.4K

Masterlist

Being a barista is pretty awesome. Sure, there were bitchy customers and super early mornings but it had it’s redeeming perks. We got free coffee, tea, and snacks during our shifts, which served the caffeine addict in me. I also learned how to make popular lattes, mochas, and frappes that I ended up making at home for myself one too many times. While there were the occasional assholes who couldn’t appear human before getting their hands on some caffeine, there were the regulars who made it worth it. Most of the regulars were so sweet, I appreciated a familiar face when they came in. Some.. more than others.

“He’s baaaaaaaaack,” my coworker Hazel whispered to me in a sing-song voice as she scribbled a customer’s name on a cup. I turned to see who she was talking about, but I already had an inkling about who it was.

My suspicions were correct. I turned to see one of our kindest regulars, my personal favorite customer, Dr. Spencer Reid. Is it weird to know the full name -including the honorific- of a customer? Possibly. But when I’d asked for his name to write on his cup the first time he came in, he accidentally gave me his full name.

“Dr. Reid- uh, Spencer. Sorry, work habit.” He stuttered, avoiding my eyes after the mistake.

“No worries! What can I get started for you?”

As a Criminology major, I learned to study the people who catch my attention before indulging them. Call it an old habit.

Dr. Spencer Reid had earned his title and then some. He’d joined the FBI at only 22, having six degrees under his belt by the age of 27. He’d written several dissertations and co-wrote novels with his colleague, David Rossi. Someone with his reputation could be a pompous ass and have a leg to stand on, which is what made his humbled demeanor so much sweeter. He was also incredibly easy on the eyes, which was a nice little bow on top.

Hazel liked to joke about how we’d make a cute couple but I know she only did it to watch me get flustered.

I walked towards the counter to take his order, leaving Hazel with the task of refilling the caramel syrup. I’m always the one to help him since he very aptly pointed out that I’m the only one who makes his coffee just how he likes it.

Some days, he’d let me surprise him with a random creation. I’d confirm if he wanted caffeine (he always did), iced or not, and any flavor requests. He’d take his drink, tip me handsomely and let me know his thoughts on the drink the next time he came in. So far, his favorite was the almond milk honey latte I’d concocted. It was nice to have a little bit of fun, especially with regulars who were as consistent as him.

“Hey Doc, what can I get ya’?” I asked.

“The usual, please,” he said with a smile. I nodded and set off to make his drink: a venti dark roast with a shit ton of sugar, a dash of nutmeg, and a tiny bit of cinnamon.

“Of course!” I quickly go to fill his order, making sure to put a complimentary treat in a bag for him. I know he had the ultimate sweet tooth so I try to sneak him a confection whenever I can. At first, he was a bit reluctant to take the free pastries, but nowadays he usually smiles when he sees the small bag.

“Here ya’ go.” I handed him his steamy cup of caffeine along with the little treat, seeing him smile at the small pun I add to his cup, “Have a BREW-tiful day, Doctor!” I watched as his lips landed on the rim of the cup, taking a long sip of the hot coffee. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, the sight making my cheeks promptly flush. I cleared my throat before asking, “Is it good?”

“It’s always good when you make it,” he stated matter of factly, a small smile touching his lips. The heat in my cheeks rose again. “Will you be taking a course this summer?” he asked, taking another sip of his coffee.

“Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it. My first day is actually later today. I’m surprised the class section was open, to be honest.” Super surprised actually. I’d been trying to enroll in this class for the past couple of semesters but it was always full by the time I was able to even load the registration page.

“Well, I’ll wish you luck, but I’m sure you won’t need it.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I can just tell.” He stated calmly, like it was common knowledge. I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to explain. Before he could respond, an insistent cough caught both of our attention. I peeked over Spencer’s shoulder to see a customer waiting for his order to be taken. I turned my attention back to the Doctor, an annoyed look painted on my face. He nodded, taking a hint from the impatient mouth breather behind him.

“Thank you for the coffee. Enjoy the rest of your day. I hope that class goes well.”

“Bye, you too.” I waved, watching as he exited the door. I turned to the waiting customer, a bit miffed that he interrupted our conversation. But because I was at work, I plastered a fake smile on my face so that he wouldn’t see just how annoyed I was. “Welcome, how may I help you?”

●●●

After clocking out at 2:30 PM, I made a dash for the building where my class would be held. It’s not supposed to start for another half-hour, but I wanted to be sure to get there in time to choose a good seat and settle in before the rest of the class arrived.

Luckily room 301 was relatively empty so I was able to score a perfect seat by the window. I decided to kill some time by listening to some music and doodling randomly in my notebook. Some time had passed when I felt someone take the seat next to me. I turned to see a young man occupying the chair beside mine. He looked to be a frat boy based on the Greek letters he was sporting. Who wears a cap and hoodie in this weather? I really hope he didn’t expect to cheat off of me- although these types of guys always seem to do so.

I was about to return to my doodle when I felt a poke on my shoulder. I turned to give the offender my full attention, removing one of the earbuds from my ears.

“Hey, I’m Tony,” frat boy said, with a wide smile adorning his face. I must admit, his boyish grin melted the slight annoyance I had begun to stir toward him. I returned his greeting and introduced myself as well. “I don’t mean to be a bother,” he continued, “but I like to have at least one buddy in each of my classes. In case we need help or miss an assignment or something.”

I nodded my head - a friend in a class was always useful when it came to studying and swapping notes. We chatted a bit more, learning about each other’s major and why we both decided to take a summer course. Tony is a double major and this course will satisfy the credits he needs for his psychology requirement. This is why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

It wasn’t until I heard the hush of the classroom that I realized the class was about to begin. I turned back to my notebook, preparing to jot down some important information despite it being the first day of class.

“Good morning class.” Wait. That voice... I didn’t even need to pick my head up to know who had spoken. “This is Criminal Psychology and I am your instructor, Doctor Spencer Reid. Unfortunately, Professor Monroe could not cover this course so I’ll be his permanent replacement. Now…”

I raised my head, watching as he continued to talk about what is to be expected in this course while a TA handed out the syllabus. He went on, able to capture the attention of everyone while speaking of the experiences he had with an array of criminals. His eyes scanned the room and for a brief moment I thought they would land on me, but they continued to take in the mass amount of students before him.

My concentration was broken by Tony passing me a copy of the syllabus. I scanned it over, making sure to highlight all the important dates. I didn’t want any exams or projects conflicting with my work schedule. I also made note of how the overall grade system is broken down. The whole thing seems pretty fair and everything was spaced out enough where I wouldn’t feel too overwhelmed with the workload.

“… and that pretty much wraps it up. Does anyone have any questions?” I tuned in just as he was pulling the first class to a close. No one raised their hands, so he dismissed us with a reminder to read the first chapter of the textbook and to check for any emails.

“So do you want to grab lunch?” Tony asked from beside me. I contemplated whether or not to go with him. He must have seen the hesitation in my face because he quickly added, “Not as a date or anything, I just wanted to grab a bite and I didn’t want to do it alone.”

“Sure,” I smiled, “Let me just ask the professor a quick question about his office hours and I’ll meet you at the food court.”

“Sweet, I’ll see you in a bit.” With that, Tony gathered his stuff and exited the back door.

I focused my attention on the podium, seeing a gaggle of girls surrounding him asking redundant questions. From what I could hear, their questions could have been answered if they’d read the syllabus. I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt, they were probably more focused on him rather than what he was saying during class. I waited a few more minutes for them to finish up before I made my way to him.

“So do I call you Doctor or Professor now?” I laughed.

“From you, I’d respond to either,” he replied warmly. The comment made me blush. If he looked into my eyes at that moment, he’d see more stars in them than the night sky. I bit my lip to stop the idiotic grin from spreading across my face.

He’s your professor, get a hold of yourself.

“How can I help?” he asked, bringing me back to the original reason as to why I was standing in front of him without a cash register between us.

I cleared my throat. “Um, I was wondering if it was possible to see you outside your normal office hours? I usually work the morning shifts and I don’t want to flood your emails with my questions.” I asked.

“Of course,” he said. “You can come to my office at whatever time works best for you. I know balancing a work and school schedule can be hard. Besides, I’m usually there handling paperwork anyway.” He gave a small shrug, pushing his hands in his pockets.

“Thank you so much. I look forward to the rest of the semester Professor Reid.” I liked the way his newfound honorific rolled off my tongue.

“Goodbye, Y/N.”

“Goodbye, Professor.” With that, I left and headed out to meet Tony.

I was able to find him at the food court. We got some food and chatted more about our classes as well as life outside of school. He made it easy to be his friend, and it was nice having someone to talk to. He works as a waiter so we shared our customer service horror stories and tales of sneaking food at work. It was a nice distraction that took my mind off of Dr. Reid and the ongoing battle of calling him Doctor or Professor. As Tony rambled, my mind wandered about other things I’d like to call Spencer instead.

●●●

In that short span of two weeks, we already had an exam, an oral presentation, and a report on the psychoanalysis of serial killers. Not one day had been wasted, but this is what to be expected from a summer course. The essay was due the day before. Now we had to wait for our grades which gave us a moment to take a breath.

I was worried that my paper was subpar; especially since I chose to write about Andrei Chikatilo, a serial killer from Ukraine. He wasn’t as popular as those in America, so I ended up spending hours on deep research to find substantial information about his crimes. It also didn’t help that some of the original reports weren’t in English. I had worked hard, and hoped Professor Reid would see that, even if my writing could sometimes be a little weak. I was worried about the grade as our research papers held the weight of 20% of our final mark.

“Hello? Earth to Y/N! Anyone in there?” Hazel’s voice pierced through my worry bubble, her hand waving in front of my face. I shook my head, trying to focus on restocking the coffee beans.

“Sorry Haze, I’m thinking about this class.”

“Funny you say that; your favorite professor just walked in. Thought you might want to take his order.” She wagged her brows at me, making kissy faces as I hurried to the front register, trying my best to not let my eagerness be so glaringly obvious.

There he was, in his usual handsome glory, patiently waiting for me to take his order. He greeted me with a small smile that I happily returned.

“Hey Doc, what can I get you today?”

He debated for a moment before saying, “Surprise me.”

“Gotcha.” I already had an in my head; it’d been a while since he asked me to make him a random drink so I’d had plenty of time to plan. We got an early shipment of ingredients for our fall-themed drinks and I figured he would appreciate some pumpkin spice in his caffeine. “How are the papers coming along?” I asked casually as I rang him up.

“Pretty well. I’m almost done, so you’ll all receive your grades later today.” Wow, that was fast. I wondered if he stayed up reading all those papers to be done by today. Probably not, a TA must have helped him.

“I am a bit nervous about mine, especially since it’s worth a huge part of our final grade.” I really wanted to get an A in this course, but it was hard juggling everything in such a short amount of time.

“Don’t worry about it too much,” he reassured. “I haven’t properly finished yours yet but it looked great just from what I’ve seen thus far.” His words gave me a little reassurance.

“Thanks. I put a lot of effort into it. Let me grab your coffee now.” Spencer walked towards the pick-up station while I grabbed a venti cup for his drink. Just when I was about to make his order, I saw another familiar face come up to the register. “Tony, hey!” I shouted, placing the cup back down, “What can I get you?”

This was the first time he’d been here, despite him saying for the past few days that he’d stop by for a visit, even with the promise of a cake pop if he did. It was nice to see another familiar face.

“Hey coffee girl, how you doin’ today?”

“Just peachy. My feet are killing me, though.” Just saying the words caused the ache on the soles of my feet to spike higher. I thanked my lucky stars I was almost done with this eight-hour shift.

“Give me the chance to sweep you off your feet, I promise you won’t regret it.” he offered boldly. It wasn’t the first time he’d joked about taking me out. I laughed, especially since he had a girlfriend. She met us for lunch one day and we became fast friends- she was an incredibly sweet and intelligent girl, polite and elegant as well. It is a wonder how his frat boy charm won her over but opposites attract, I guess.

“Shut up, Casanova. What are you gonna have?”

“I’ll have a grande iced matcha latte, please.” I should’ve known. He told me that he loves matcha flavored food and drinks the first time we grabbed lunch after class. He had complained that there was no good place to get one on campus.

“Coming right up.” I quickly filled his order since it was faster to make compared to the pumpkin spiced latte. I handed him his bribe-cake pop, matcha flavor of course, while he waited for me to finish making his drink.

“By the way, we’re still studying at the library for the exam later tonight, right?” Tony asked.

“Yup, I’ll meet you at 8.”

“Copy that, see you later coffee girl.” He turned to leave while I turned to make Professor Reid’s order. I put extra whip cream and a bit more syrup to satiate his sweet tooth. I grabbed a fresh chocolate muffin from the display case and popped it into a bag for him as well, drawing yet another pun on the good doctors bag. “Thanks for being such a TEA-rrific professor!”

“Here ya’ go Doc,” I called out before placing his drink and muffin on the counter. I looked up to see him no longer smiling. “Is everything okay?”

Ignoring my question, he said, “I wasn’t aware you were so close to Mr. Montgomery.”

“Oh yeah, we study together once in a while.” I could have sworn I saw his frown deepen before his features became void of any emotions. He shifted his eyes downward, his hand moving rapidly to grab the cup.

“I should get going.”

“Oh, okay” Before I could say goodbye, he was already halfway out the door.

That was weird. I looked at the counter and noticed that he left the cupcake behind. Maybe he was in a rush?

I shook my head. I needed to concentrate on making it through the last couple of hours of work.

●●●

I made my way to the classroom, smiling at Tony as he pulled out my seat for me. Professor Reid walked in a few minutes later, his tall figure drawing all the attention to the center of the small stage. He let us know he already graded the papers and that they would be distributed by the TA before the end of class. I had a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach but decided to brush it off and pay attention in class. Despite my attempts to focus on his lecture, I found my mind wandering every so often anyway.

I couldn’t help but think he was less animated today. Usually, he taught with such passion that the class couldn’t take their eyes off him. But today, it felt as if we were all in a boring seminar with an ancient professor. Tony kept glancing at the clock, probably also wondering why time felt like it was going by so slowly.

I couldn’t shake the unsettled feeling the entire class. It didn’t help matters that every time I would raise my hand to answer a question, he would call on another student. What the hell did I do?

I decided to tune out the rest of the class. There is no point in being an actively engaged student if I wasn’t going to get treated like one. I’d just get the notes from Tony later.

Thirty minutes before the end of class, the TA handed out our essays while Professor Reid wrapped.

“Some of you did very well, while a few others struggled with the assignment.” His eyes landed on mine as he said that. It was the first time he had glanced in my direction the whole class. He moved on to the other side of the room. My mind was probably just playing tricks on me. “If you have any questions you can see me at my office hours next week or send me an email. You are dismissed.”

The TA finally made his way over to me, handing my essay in a slight fold. I looked at the grade on top and almost dropped the paper. My heart sped up as I stared at the letter in bright red ink. No way, no way this could be my report. I looked at the right-hand corner and saw my name at the top. I read through the first page and saw they were indeed my words.

How the fuck was it possible that I got a D on this paper? I knew my writing wasn’t the strongest, but a D?

“How you’d do?” Tony asked. For a moment I forgot I was in a room with other people.

I cleared my throat, trying to relive the lump so that he didn’t hear the croak in my voice. “Umm, not what I expected. I’m going to try to speak to him about it.” Tony was a smart kid, so I was sure he could see how tense I was. Luckily he didn’t question me any further and instead told me he’d text me later before leaving the classroom.

Fortunately, there were no other students in the classroom to slow me down this time. I walked right up to the podium, watching as Professor Reid placed some papers in his satchel.

“Professor, I need to speak with you.”

“Not now, I’m busy,” he replied, not even bothering to glance in my direction. This can’t be real. The sweet, kind Doc could not be the man acting like a total asshole right now.

“I really need to discuss with you my paper,” I pressed, raising my voice a little louder in an attempt to get his attention. That was wishful thinking on my part since he continued to fiddle with his satchel.

“I said I’m busy,” he uttered once again, his voice void of any emotion. He was about to walk past me, ignoring my whole being. His blatant disregard made my cheeks burn, and not in the usual way they usually did when I was around him.

“Spencer,” I barked, “We need to talk. Now.” For a few moments, he stood in front of me, his back facing my direction.

I was about to speak again before I heard him say, “My office. Half an hour.” He exited, leaving me alone in an empty classroom. The only things keeping me company were the fuming feelings swirling inside me and the failed paper clutched at my fist.

●●●

I knocked on his office door ten minutes earlier than he’d told me. The anger in my gut brewed hotter the longer I waited. As soon as I heard a “Come in,” I rushed through the door, slamming it behind me. He regarded me coolly, but didn’t comment on my actions.

“What can I do for you Ms. (Y/L/N)?” I walked up to his large desk, not bothering to take a seat in the chair in front of me. I took a moment to calm myself down before replying.

“Well, you can start by explaining to me why I got such a low score on my paper.” I guess he didn’t like being the only one of us sitting down because he stood up and leaned against the wall behind him.

“It did not meet the requirements for a passing grade as outlined in the rubric. The information given was boring and the overall topic was uninteresting. It was tedious to get through,” he responded nonchalantly, like he was giving me a weather report.

“You said that you enjoyed it so far.” I rebutted, placing my hands on the desk. I needed something to offer me stability so that I wasn’t visibly shaking.

“I’d mistaken your work for another student’s. Maybe Mr. Montgomery,” he dryly clipped.

A bitter laugh escaped me as I put the puzzle together. Was- was he serious? Was this man acting like this because of Tony? The audacity! The laugh that bubbled from my lips must have unsettled him. He left his position from the wall in favor of standing in front of me.

“You want to know what I think?” I didn’t give him a chance to respond before continuing, “I think you’re jealous that I have another guy that isn’t you getting friendly with me at the shop and because of your inability to keep your---“

“That is enough,” he grounded out, shaking his head. But I didn’t stop talking.

“--private feelings away from your professional ones, you decided to give me a failing grade. Do you know how hard I worked in-” my voice rose up higher and higher until I was yelling.

“I said that’s enough,” he said again, louder this time. But I wasn’t done.

“-this class? This is my life, my fucking future on the line. I’ve told you how important this all is to me and you don’t even give a shit! You’re going to let your interpretation of my relationship with another student influence the way you do your job? And here I thought you were a decent man, Professor.” I hissed, “Do you even give a damn abo-”

“Enough,” he roared, slamming his hands on the desk and caging me against the wood. His breathing was matching the upbeat pace of my own. His quick movement and the sheer volume of his voice caught me off guard, effectively silencing me.

“I don’t deserve to be punished over your envy,” I whispered, locking eyes with him in a steady gaze.

“You want to see a real punishment, darling?” he hissed, the heat of his words almost breaking my glare, his breath fanning along my face.

We stared at one another for a while, neither of us willing to be the first to back down. The tension between us kept rising and rising until the inevitable happened. I couldn’t be sure who made the first move but before I knew it, our lips collided with a mix of rage and desperation. My arms draped around his neck as he pressed me on to the desk. He placed his hands on the back of my thighs, lifting me up high enough until I was perched on the cool wooden surface.

Spencer’s lips were soft, a stark contrast to the harsh way he was kissing me. His tongue parted my lips, gliding over mine with fervor. I couldn’t help but moan as he rolled his hips into me. He continued his rough grind, keeping my legs open as we moved as close together as our bodies would allow. He overwhelmed my senses- the smell of him, the taste of him, the feel of him. Everything was making me absolutely feral for this man.

I never expected the gentle Dr. Reid to be so fervent, so sensual. The kindhearted, sweet professor who regularly drank his weight in caffeine never gave me this impression. But then again, I’m sure he was shocked by my attitude as well. He knew me as the friendly, bubbly barista, now student, who enjoyed his class. He was about to meet a whole new side of me, just like I was going to for him.

Spencer pulled away from me, our mouths making an audible ‘pop’ sound from the sudden separation. I tried to catch my breath as he stared at me, our chests rising and falling together. If I were to move a bit closer to him, we would be touching once again.

He took a few steps back before motioning me to step in front of him. “I want you to get down on your knees. Now.” I wasn’t going to argue with him, mainly because I wanted the exact same thing he did. I kneeled down, keeping my eyes on his face.

“You going to shut me up, Professor?” I teased, feeling powerful, even though he was looming over me. He didn’t reply, just continued to look down on me with those honey colored eyes- full of lust and rage.

I watched as he slowly placed his hands on his slacks, undoing the belt and buttons. He drew down his pants and boxers at the same time, just low enough to reveal his impressive size. My mouth salivated at the sight of his bulge as he came closer to me.

“We’re going to put that smart mouth to better use. Open.” He said, gripping my face between his fingers, forcing me to follow his orders. I opened my mouth slightly, not giving him exactly what he wanted. Instead of ordering my mouth to open further like I expected, he placed his thumb inside. He pushed the digit deep, pressing it against my tongue. I moaned around the finger, softly nibbling at the skin. He continued to slide his finger within my mouth before dragging it out completely. He wiped the excess spit on my cheek before lightly smacking it. The small shock of pain sent a shiver down my spine.

“Open, and do it right this time.”

I obeyed, opening wide enough to accept him into my mouth. My lips were stretched almost uncomfortably in an attempt to fit around him. He was so hot and thick, I couldn’t help but hum at the taste of him on my tongue. The soft “fuck” that fell from his lips had me purring around him. I went to place my hands on the remaining portion that couldn’t fit, but he batted them away.

“You’re using only your mouth.”

Fine, have it your way, Sir.

I placed my hands behind me as I bobbed my head, hallowing my cheeks with every rise. His shallow thrusts encouraged me to suck harder. I slowly pulled away to run my tongue against the vein protruding on the underside of his cock. I was rewarded with a groan escaping his lips.

“I should have known that you would be so good at this, darling,” he said, his voice slightly hoarse as he tried to control his grunts.

I made sure to look in his eyes as I swirled my tongue around the head of his cock. The face he made was purely angelic. The muscles of his neck protruded more evidently and his breathing became more labored. I placed him back in my mouth, this time taking my time to go down on him.

“That’s right, Princess. Show me what a good girl you are for me.” He moaned as I felt his hands weave in my hair before he pushed my head down on to him, causing me to gag around him, tears pricking my eyes. He continued his thrusts into my mouth, barely allowing me a chance to breathe. My nose repeatedly touched the base of him as I swallowed around his hard length.

Spencer tightened his fingers in my hair and I knew he wasn’t going to last much longer. The pace was brutal, but I enjoyed the rough treatment. Knowing that I was the one making him feel good was such a turn on. He buried himself deep in my throat after a few more thrusts to finish. I swallowed his release like the greedy brat that we both now knew I was.

He eventually pulled out, a satisfied sigh leaving his lips. I swiped the back off my hand across my mouth to clean off any leftover spit and cum.

“Get up,” he ordered, his voice hoarse.

I did so, rubbing the ache in my knees as I slowly rose. “I want you bent over the desk,” he continued.

“I want you to answer my previous question.” I quipped.

“You’re not in the position to be making commands,” he growled. He wrapped his fingers in my hair again, pulling just roughly enough so that I was looking up at his face. “If you want this to end well for you, I suggest bending over my desk before I stuff my cock in that bratty little mouth of yours again.”

He released me, eyes still on my face waiting for me to follow through on his order. I turned to his desk and did as he asked, bending over the wood until my chest laid flat against the surface. I waited as patiently as I could for him. It felt as if I was in this position for an eternity before he touched me. He pushed both my underwear and skirt down to my knees before placing his hands on my hips. I heard it before I felt it- the smack on my ass that caused me to yelp.

“Fuck, Spencer. What the—” I was cut off with another resounding smack.

“Did you really think that I wasn’t going to give you a real punishment, darling?” I took a deep breath as another shiver went down my spine. He had no business sounding so hot right now. Another smack, this time on my opposite cheek, had me biting down on my lip to stop myself from crying out.

“This” *SMACK* “Is” *SMACK* “What” *SMACK* “Happens” *SMACK* “To” *SMACK* “Bratty” *SMACK* “Little” *SMACK* “Girls” *SMACK*. A sob ripped from my chest as the last blow landed. My ass was on fire and surely littered with his hand prints.

“You’re lucky I’m in a good mood since you sucked me off so nicely, or I would have made that worse.”

Gee, thanks.

“You look like such a dirty slut like this.” I felt a finger enter me easily, the wetness gathered there making my entrance ready to take him. “So wet. Was it the spanking that got you like this, or your mouth around my cock?” A moan was my only reply as he added another finger, the two digits moving in a scissoring motion.

“Are you gonna be my sweet girl, now?” He asked as I moved my hips along his fingers, desperately trying to seek some more relief for the fire burning between my thighs as his mouth littered marks along my thighs. I closed my eyes, focusing on the pleasure he was giving me as he curled his fingers, a slow moan falling from my lips. He pulled them out of me, wiping the slickness against my still burning ass. Fucking bastard. I wiggled my hips against him, hoping he would grant me a reprieve and put his fingers back inside me. Instead, he spanked my ass one more time- one quick, sharp blow against the bruised cheek.

Just when I was about to yell at him, he placed the head of his member against my entrance. He moved up and down my drenched entrance before penetrating me in one full thrust. I took a short breath in, trying to get used to feeling so full. He was stretching me out in the most amazing way.

Spencer waited until I was grinding against him before he pulled out and pushed back into me. “Look at you, such a wanton little bitch aren’t you?” He could call me whatever he wanted, as long as he didn’t stop fucking me.

He kept a steady pace, making sure to grind into me every time he slammed back in. The obscene sound of our skin smacking against one another’s and the moans escaping our throats was an erotic symphony that had my body heat raising the temperature in the room.

He hitched my leg on top of the desk, entering in an angle that made the pleasure so much better. I couldn’t stop the whines that kept escaping my mouth every time he pounded into me. His hand stayed upon my leg, holding me down and limiting my movements. His nails dug into the skin so harshly I was sure there would be bruises left in their wake.

“Fuck, you feel so good wrapped around me,” he hissed under his breath. “Should have known you just needed to be fucked like the cheap whore you are.” He sped up, hips snapping at an almost punishing pace. The desk creaked every time he slammed into me. I hoped no one was nearby to hear what was going on. A whine left my throat when I felt his fingers rub against my clit. I was so close now.

“Should I stay inside you? Fill you up so you walk around campus carrying my child?” He growls, his pace increasing with each passing moment. “Knock you up so the whole campus knows what a whore you are for me?” He asks, earning a cry ripped from my throat.

“Who’s fucking you?” he grunted. I don’t know how he expected me to form a coherent statement at this current moment. My eyes could barely stay open at this point.

“Spencer, please.” He smacked the outside of my thigh.

“Try again, who’s fucking you?”

“You are, Doctor.” Apparently, that was the wrong answer too, because it earned me another smack on my thigh. I had tears streaming down my face from the pleasurable pain he was giving me.

“You have one more chance or else I’m not letting you come. Now, who’s is fucking you?”

“Professor Reid!” I cried out.

“That’s right darling. Now come on my cock.” A harsh bite on my neck was the ultimate push that had me seeing stars. Spencer thrusted a few more times before fully sheathing himself within me.

He slumped over me, the feel of his breath against my neck causing me to shiver once more. We took a moment to have the high leave our body before he pulled out of me, a gasp leaving the both of us. Spencer was the first to break the silence between us.

“Would you like to have dinner with me?” he asked, his voice a bit shy.

I giggled at his demeanor. A few moments ago, he was fucking me senseless and spanking me over his desk like a porno, and now he was asking me out to dinner.

“Absolutely,” I smiled. “But I should probably cancel my study plans.” I quickly added.

He led me to the faculty bathroom so I could freshen myself up. When I emerged, he was back to being the prim and proper professor I knew him to be. Just before we left his office, he leaned down and whispered, “By the way, you got an A.”

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comehomeducklings · 3 years

Text

Past [Part 2] (Obsession)

A/N: Some chapters will be named with either “Past,” “Present,” or “Future,” then their numbered part coming right after it. This is to confuse you less when flashbacks or anything happens. As you have probably noticed, it says “Past” for Part 2. This is going back near when Tom and her just met. Thank you for reading! <3

Tom Riddle's Moodboard

Main Character's Moodboard

~////////////////𓆙////////////////~

1940 - 3rd year

“Potions is not that bad, I swear. You just have to be good at measuring.”

At the table, my friends and I are discussing our classes this year. Potions being one of my favorite topics. Devyn absolutely loathes that certain class. We have to drag her there to make sure she doesn’t skip. Poor girl tries her best to not mess up but the cauldron always ends up blowing up. I even watched her do every step once, never missing a beat. The potion still ended up failing, even though she did everything correctly. She gave up after a while, who wouldn’t. I help her do extra assignments for extra credit to keep her grade up. She also studies with me to make sure she can memorize everything and pass her tests. Amelia is pretty good at the class, she’s luckily paired with Devyn most of the time. Carrying the potion to success, with a little bit of my secret help. It’s not cheating, it’s using your resources.

I’m resources.

“Potions is not that bad,” Devyn mocks me. “If it weren’t for you two I would have gone insane in that stupid class.”

Amelia just laughs at her while eating her hash browns on the plate. She reaches her hand out to take some more eggs.

“You were able to do it before. Not the way you were supposed to, but it worked,” Amelia says.

“Exactly, just start doing it your way at this point. I don’t think Slughorn will care how it’s done, just how it comes out.”

Devyn nods her head and points at me with a fork. Her mouth full of food so she settles for that response. My plate doesn’t have much other than some bacon and fruit. I’m not usually a breakfast eater. I get my appetite at lunch and dinner time. It’s just too early for a bunch of food smells, the smells make me kind of nauseous. I’ll eat though, enough to hold me off till lunch.

The chatter in the lunchroom rises by the minute. Everyone refilling themselves before their busy day. All energy levels rising while everyone wakes up from their groggy morning mood. While my friends finish eating we continue to talk about our classes and share the schedules for this year. Most classes we had were the same except for our electives. I tried taking as many electives as possible. My family back home never really did magic. I actually came a year and a half late since my family wanted me to have a normal school experience. I learned to do everything without the use of magic, the only thing my mom taught me was the floo network, creatures, and plants. I would often accompany her to Diagon Alley when she shops. I got an Owl for my 10th birthday. A cat would have been amazing if I wasn’t allergic to it. My owl is a brown and white-furred barn owl. Don’t ask me why I named it Bartholomew. I was ten okay, give me a break. Speaking of the floo network, my mom had to chase me through it quite often because I kept teleporting everywhere. I once ran into the Ministry of Magic’s building and got lost. They had to take me home to my parents. Their faces told me everything I needed to know about the punishment waiting for me.

Halfway through the second year is when I came to Hogwarts, a second letter coming that year asking my parents to let me learn more there. So when they finally let me attend, everything was pretty new to me. My mother was the magic one in the family. Her grandmother, my great-grandmother, before her had the magic gene. Going to school was the same experience as going from a muggle-borns perspective. The difference is, I knew more about its existence. I would look at yearbooks my mom had from when she went here. She earned a lot of titles, all the achievements being recorded down. I always wondered why she never wanted me to come here. Did something happen to me, to her? I’m guessing she just wanted a normal life with dad. He has always supported her through everything. A love, a bond like that is hard to come by. He would also learn about magic right next to me. At least, the stuff my mom allowed to let us know.

That’s why I want to learn as much as I can, of what’s available. Why learn math in the muggle world when I could be learning divination. Spells of all types, potions for everything of inconvenience. My chores could be completed with just a flick of my wand. I’ve lately been learning wandless magic, on my own. Albus has helped by providing me with material to study that type of magic. The only thing I’ve managed so far is a spark coming from the tips of my fingertips. Sparking hope that I could actually, maybe, achieve that level. Now I won't get my hopes up, but that can lead me to a certain advantage in dueling. That being one of my weakest skills. Always panicking, saying any spells that pop up in my mind, and making random movements coming from my wand. Often confusing who I’m up against, although they recover from that confusion fairly quickly.

Riddle, met him once. One too many if you would ask me. I dissuade ever wanting to speak to him. Arrogance and pride flow through his tongue like second nature. I do take pride in succeeding above him in 3 classes. He is 2 classes above me but, that’s not the point. I do admit, he’s attractive. Only a little though, how else would he charm his way through the professors and students.

“Alright, I’m ready to go. You guys done?”

“Yeah,” I say. Devyn and I start leaving our seats and heading towards the huge doors.

Amelia hurried from her seat, a few steps behind since she took some fruit with her to eat on the way. More and more students also started making their way towards the first period. Not wanting to be blamed for the loss of house points. This system causes so many fights, everyone’s competitive side getting the best of their common sense. I would be lying if I said it didn’t get the best of me before. Amelia being her usual bubbly self skips backward while chatting with us. Before we could warn her to stop, she pushes someone ahead of her. Both falling down, hitting the floor. She spins her head extremely quickly, her hair sticking in her mouth from the force of the wind.

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention,” she explains. Quickly trying to digest her situation. I make my way towards her and pull her up. I fix her robe and dust off any dirt on the cloth from the floor.

“Clearly idiot, can you not use those bug eyes of yours to see?”

Devyn and I make eye contact. We understand that there are witnesses here, and one of them is bound to snitch on us if we fight. A huge scene would probably make Amelia feel even more embarrassed as well. Instead, I guided Amelia by her back. We continue on to class while I comfort her. Devyn is staying back to “talk” to the guy. Lestrange is in for it now, any poor soul would be when in the fiery path of her anger.

Devyn’s loud yells could still be slightly heard when entering the potions classroom. First class of the year, and day. On Slughorn’s table, I can see a vial with the wideye potion contained inside. I set Devyn’s textbook on her station, turning to the page that contains information on the potion. Hoping to save her confusion and time.

“Welcome, welcome! Nice to see some old faces, and new ones,” he says with the biggest grin on his face. “Today we’ll be learning about the Wideye potion. Can anyone tell me what this potion does?”

I quickly raise my hand, rather eager. I did some reading about a lot of potions during the summer. Trying to get a headstart on my studies. This potion being one of them. Only 3 students raised their hand, one of them being me. The other, well, Riddle.

“Yes, go ahead and answer,” the professor looks my way.

I smile, “The wideye potion prevents the person consuming the liquid the ability to fall asleep. Which is often used in the medical field to wake someone from a sleep caused by a blunt force or drug.”

“Precisely! 10 points.”

I look back rather smugly at Riddle, rather happy I got chosen instead of him. I know, he could have easily answered that too. I’ll let myself bask in the small achievement for now. 30 minutes of class is just spent writing down notes, preparing us for the potion we will make. Note-taking is my favorite, especially the little doodles I get to make. We use a feather instead of the regular pen. I found it rather amusing and liked the certain feeling of writing with it. The dipping noise that the point of the feather makes when hitting the liquid ink is a very profound sound. No real writer’s bump forming on my fingers.

“That’s enough writing, I need you all to prepare your cauldron, gather the materials you need, and start your potion. If done correctly, tomorrow when we add the finishing touches and check on it the potion should be a blue/green color,” Slughorn comments. “You have 10 minutes to study your notes, then the rest of the class to make your potion. No looking back at your notes after those ten minutes.”

After scanning my notes, I stand up and walk towards the ingredients on the shelves. If I remember correctly my potion requires snake fangs, standard ingredient, and wolfsbane. I gather all that in my hand and set it down near my cauldron. Before I start, I take a moment. I’m missing something, I’m sure there was another ingredient.

Wolfsbane, check.

Snake fangs, six of them.

I have the measures of Standard ingredient.

There’s one more, I try to look around the room. Then I remember that we get an automatic failing grade if caught cheating. There’s no way I’ll let my grade drop like that. Over something so small and inconvenient too. Making my way to the shelves, I scan over the ingredients over and over again. Trying to see if any of the names pop out to me.

No.

Definitely not.

That’s an ingredient?

I don’t even want to know how that one was obtained.

This one, of course it’s this one. I even remember putting a star next to the name in my notebook. Dried Billwig stings, I believe six of them were needed. All that time wasted. Hurrying to my seat I get to work. The time goes by quickly, all that could be heard was the sizzling and whooshing of our potions. I almost knocked down my vials a couple of times. Someone actually did, their time spent on cleaning the glass off the floor. After heating the first three ingredients, I crush them together in the mortar. Then stir clockwise from what I recall, three times specifically. Finally, I wave my wand over then leave it to brew.

Just in time from the looks of it. I glance at Devyn to see how it went for her, and she looks pretty proud of herself. I take that as a blessing that it didn’t blow up this time of round. I’m guessing she took our advice and did it her own way.

A student raises his hand, “May we leave?”

“Oh yes yes, go ahead. No assignments for the first day, only the potion you made in class.”

Before I leave the classroom I examine Riddle’s station. He already left the room. His potion looks similar to how mine turned out, his workspace thoroughly cleaned. Everything used properly placed back to where it should be. Perfectly spotless, not a single speck of dust in sight. All done without magic too, surprising for someone born into the wizarding world. When I mentioned that I met him once, it wasn’t much of anything. The only way I know how he really acts is through other people. Much admire his intelligence and strong will. Others are jealous of the potential he holds for the future.

Girls are already trying to slip love potions into his drinks. I would feel bad if he wasn’t so rude to them. Only just before touching the disrespectful line. He almost drank one of their attempts before. Wouldn’t want to imagine how that turned out. Tom riddle, in love. That man probably doesn’t know the feeling of happiness, let alone love. I feel bad for his future girlfriend, she’s going to have to deal with a handful of baggage.

~////////////////𓆙////////////////~

“How much do you want to bet Nott will demolish him?” A Gryffindor girl to my left whispers.

Nott, part of Riddle’s group from what I’ve seen. They all eat lunch together and talk to one another so it’s a reasonable guess. Very talented duellist, one of the bests here.

“I hate to admit it, but he’ll definitely win this. I’ll still have hope for the other guy though,” I whisper back trying not to sound mean.

Nott and the other Slytherin boy are up right now. It’s a courtesy for the audience to stay quiet until someone casts the first attack or defense. From then on all you will hear is shouting of encouragement and the opposite. Nott’s eyes are focused, zoning in on the opponent before him. His wand is steady, mouth slightly parted to breathe through better. Whole-body alert and tense waiting for something. From what I'm getting, I believe he’s waiting for the Slytherin boy to go first. Nott casts spells quickly and thinks them through decently. Sometimes you're not able to create a counter-spell quick enough to defend yourself against him.

Riddle’s group and himself are near the corner of the platform. All seemingly analyzing every breath he inhales and exhales. I finally hear the whoosh of a wand and a whiz of light fly past the platform. The glow from the spell lighting our faces for a millisecond. Nott quickly counters that spell and moves to cast his own. Magic flies across the platform, all of our eyes going back and forth like a ping-pong match. The Slytherin boy starts breaking a sweat. He’s only been able to get a couple of offensive spells in there, most of his plays spent throwing off Nott’s. If he doesn’t turn the battle soon, the outcome will become very clear.

It is a little less exciting since we only know a handful of spells. So whatever you know from your own studies you use in these duels. When we move up the years the class will become more serious and dangerous. Right now it’s just to teach us how to counter and cast quickly. The proper etiquette and movement. You use spells that you know, they aren’t supposed to harm someone. Either stun them, make them fly back, or disarm. Most of those spells require a little of a higher level, most of us not even knowing of its existence yet. So what’s mostly cast between competitors is a basic spell to exert force. That force should be aimed for the legs, or the wand to disarm that way. The way someone can win here is to make their knees or hands touch the floor, or disarm their wand. As I mentioned, it will get more intense as time goes by. We're only just starting 3rd year right now, a lot more charms will be learned later on.

I shake my head to get rid of any lingering thoughts. My attention goes right back to the duel taking place in front of me. Nott quickly aims a spell at the knees and manages to bring the other boy to his knees.

“Mr. Nott wins this duel! Please step off the platform, we will evaluate your performance.”

During the practice duels today, you watch it, think of ways to help the person improve, and point out things they might have done wrong. At the end, the professor picks people raising their hands to allow them to give their feedback. Participating is part of the grade you get in here. I personally prefer giving feedback then dueling. I’m not the best at casting, I do give out good defense spells though. That should mean something, I hope.

“Let’s start with Nott, does anyone have feedback for him?”

A couple of people spread apart raised their hands. One by one they all ask questions and give feedback. They mention his feet and posture when he stands. Arms fully stretched out where it would have been more flexible to bend it slightly. When he casts he shouldn’t be walking backward. They shortly switch to the other boy’s questions and feedback. The way he never gave himself the opening to cast an offensive spell often. He would move around his area a lot. Almost slipping off the stage during one of those movements. Tom and his group privately discussed with one another. They’re probably giving Nott their own feedback and suggestions privately.

“Now, Riddle I want you to come up and…,” he scans the room for another student. After some time he points his finger at me. “You.”

I could have had a smooth sailing class. I was so close to not having to go up there. My hands start sweating a bit, my anxiety jumbling my thoughts together. Riddle’s already up there and soon to be on his side of the platform. Taking his wand out and wandering his fingers over the design. I gulp, a big toad stuck in my throat. I wipe my hands on my robe and start up the stairs. Riddle seems as unbothered as ever. We bow, turn, then walk ten paces back. During this time I try predicting who will cast first. I don’t know him very well, I’ve also never seen him duel.

I take my dueling stance and wait for the signal to start. Hoping, praying, that I don’t embarrass myself. Slipping up is not allowed, not when going against him.

~////////////////𓆙////////////////~

Taglist:

@empath-bunny

#tom riddle x oc #tom riddle imagine #tom riddle x reader #lord voldemort #death eaters #voldemort #horcrux #hogwarts #harry potter #wizard #post wizarding war #enemies to allies #enemies to lovers #angst #oc #poc #Oc is any race #moldy voldy

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tiny012 · 3 years

Text

The Manga- Fast paced but consistent More Plot Driven

90’s anime- Slow paced but not consistent More Character Driven

PGSM - Nice Pace Consistent A Balance of Plot and Character

With the 90′s anime it always feel like this

You know your teacher assign you a 20 page research paper that is due at the end of the semester and instead of start researching the paper and start outlining it to give yourself time to it as the semester goes, you wait to the day before it’s due to do everything and you pull an all nighter.

Or as I put it with my different versions of Sailor Moon as college courses/instructors..

The first day of class will be the most material you will get from the whole class and disregards the textbook. The next class periods, the instructor will talk about their daily life with a few of things you need to know. You probably take up to one paragraph of notes from those classes if that much. Probably a few sentences at most. Most of of the time it’s a fun class for you not to really to pay attention to but talk to others. Then in the last class time before the finals, they will tell you a whole semester worth of material in 20-30 mins time and expect you to know this for the finals. You study all that and come to find out that was just the first half of the test and the second half they didn’t even cover because it taken from the textbook they disregard.

They sprinkle like a couple lines of plot in 20 plus episodes and then the last 6-7 episodes is where they put the plot of almost a 10-14 act arc in those episodes.

I already used SuperS for example but I’m going to Sailor Moon Classic episodes 33-36.

Episode 34 is Act 6 -7 and the end of 8 and the beginning of 9

Episode 33 is the end of Act 7 and the Beginning of Act 8

Episode 35 is Act 9

Episode 36 is Act 11

Episodes 33 -36 is essentially acts 6-9 and 11 cram into four episodes.

Episode 44 is Act 10

I had to throw that with Episode 44 in how we don’t even get full Moon Kingdom backstory on how it actually fell until before the final battle.

It’s even more weirder is this

Act 11Reunion - Endymion 12/6/1992

Episode 36 Usagi's Confusion: Is Tuxedo Mask Evil? 12/12/1992

Endymion Act drops on Dec 6th and the next week we got our first episode of Mamo being Evil Endymion..

But we totally skip Act 10 until the last episode before the two episode season finale like I mentioned...

I have to specially talk about Episode 34.

You literally put Usagi finding out Mamo is Mask ( End of Act 6), Mamo find out Usagi is Moon ( Act 4), Mamo telling Usagi about his past ( Act 7), Mamo taking a stab for Usagi ( end of 8) and finding out Usagi is the Moon Princess ( beginning of 9)

That’s 5 acts worth of content crammed one damn episode!

Then in S you have one episode covering 5 Acts in the manga as well..

Episode 125 is Acts 34-38...

But we are going to talk about Manga pacing being too fast meanwhile the 90′s anime has so many episodes worth of filler that they have to cram like so much plot in one episode.

People can say all they want when it comes to character development but when it comes to plot pacing in the 90′s anime….

The Manga is more Plot Driven which is nothing wrong with that. In which sometimes the Character Development becomes interconnected with the plot. Like if you forget this plot point you may lose some character development ( case in point the Golden Crystal being apart of Mamo’s character development) In which sometimes Yes with so much shit going on with the plot the characters do get lost in the shuffle.

Also that’s the reason the side stories are important becasue you do get that Character development and the girls have time to be silly in those stores.

With the side stories you can read it along side the manga because they do happen in the Manga timeline.

Like Casablanca Memory happens a little after act 3.

Exam Battle stories happen during Infinity since they were getting ready for Exams.

Snow Kaguya happens during Infinity as well.

Also with Chibiusa Diaries I know the last one happen before Mamo goes to Harvard and right after Dream arc because they shopping for stuff for Harvard and the fact Usagi is her eternal form. So it’s right before Stars.

Essentially the side stories act like your filler for the manga but people don’t get that.

The 90′s anime is more “Character” driven but totally forgets the plot until the last min. The plot gets lost for the the characters but sometimes like I said you need the plot to help farther along the characters.

Like there is nothing wrong with filler if it is used right. Filler can be a wonderful tool to expand certain things like a character or a certain plot more even more.

Like it’s nothing wrong with learning about your characters more if it is used right.

Like learning the backstory of one character that the reason why she’s afraid of planes is because her parents died in one of them and she trying to overcome her fear of hearing planes and riding in one.

Like one character is on bad terms with her father becasue he’s never around because his career since her Mom died and trying to come to terms with each other and try to built a realtionship.

Like learning one character is still dealing with her parents being divorced and how it effects her living with one parent and barely seeing the other. Also having the pressure of following the footsteps of one of the parent's career.

That’s why I’m hard on the 90′s anime. The 90′s anime could been an prefect tool to expand certain things that Naoko couldn’t get o if they worked hand and hand.

Example

She didn’t get a chance to fully talk more about the Moon Kingdom like she did in act 10 so the 90′s anime could spend like two or three episodes talking about the Moon Kingdoms more.

A great example of a balance between Plot and Character is PGSM.

Plot and Character was both present in PGSM which makes it arguably the best version of SM to me.

They work in tandem with each other which is important.

A episode may have been a filler/Character driven episode but you still get some plot.

The plot just don’t stop because you want to focus on this character more in which the 90′s anime did that a lot.

It keep going.

You can structure filler in many ways:

plot filler plot filler

Plot filler filler Plot

Plot Plot filler filler Plot Plot

not

filler filler filler filer Plot filler filler filer filler

Plot Plot Plot filler Plot Plot Plot

If it’s structure really well it can enhance the story not dragging it down which to me some of the filler in the 90’s anime did.

Yes the manga maybe a runway fight train when it comes to pacing but the plot is consistent. It’s not a sudden shift in tone because your are slowly getting darker as the arc progress. So by the time shit really start hitting the fan you are prepared for it.

The Plot never stopped in the Manga which made it consistent. Even when the acts that where focused on each senshi.

or as I say with the college course

Where the instructor tells you out at the gate the course will cover at lot in a short period of time and try to keep up as best as you can. In which sometimes it just good to listen and not take notes cause you going to miss something if you do. That you can read the material after class at your pace which you’ll be good. Also finals is open book and everything covered in class is on there.

#tanya rants about SM #Sailor Moon #Sailor Moon Manga

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solllaris · 4 years

Text

retrograde — 01

↳ here.

PAIRING: Frat!Tom / Fem!Reader

SUMMARY: It takes some convincing, but you ultimately agree to go to a frat party and are pushed out of your comfort zone in more than one way.

WARNINGS: language, underage drinking, anxiety/panic attacks, & insecure thoughts

WORDS: 5874

NOTE: This series is my baby so please be nice. The reader’s fears and anxieties are basically a reflection of my own, so posting this makes me feel super vulnerable. There were many moments I seriously considered deleting everything I had made for this series because I was too afraid to put myself out there like this, but obviously I didn’t. I really want the reader’s story to help someone or make them feel like they’re not alone because anxiety can make you feel so isolated at times. So to the person reading this right now, to the person with anxiety or depression or whatever: You are not alone. You will never be alone. And I hope this story shows you that somehow.

series masterlist — masterlist — add yourself to my taglist!

Tortoise shell glasses the color of honey inched their way down the bridge of your nose again and you would’ve been greatly annoyed if your glazed-over eyes weren’t focused on the large plastic cup of coffee on the table. Fingers still tensed and poised over the laptops keyboard, your attention had shifted for the millionth time to the dark browns streaking through the blonde colored liquid at the bottom and your fried out brain was mesmerized by it. Anything was more intriguing than the open, half-way completed book review on your computer screen where the blinking cursor taunted you from the corner of your eye. At your wits end, you turned away completely with a groan that you stifled with a hopefully motivating gulp of your iced cold brew swirled with caramel.

Shoving the frames further up your nose where they belonged, you nursed the straw of your coffee between your tongue and teeth and glanced briefly about the room. The Learning Commons was fairly full for ten in the morning, but you weren’t too surprised; it was the go-to place to go — not only to get coursework done, but also to just unwind and mess around. That Friday morning hadn’t been any different from the rest and bleary-eyed college students milled about, drinking their caffeine from the God-sent Starbucks in the building and chatting to their friends through sleepy slurs. For a person who really enjoyed people-watching, the Learning Commons was the prime place for you to spend most of your time. You blended in and fell into the shadows just as you liked.

Blinking twice, you realized you had zoned out again. Your vision focused and you saw you had been staring blankly across the room at a boy drooling all over his open textbook. His slackened grip around his mechanical pencil kept allowing it to fall over in his hand, rousing him each time for only a few seconds and then he was out cold again. The sight made you laugh under your breath and you impulsively tipped your head back onto your roommate’s thigh from where she was sprawled out on the couch behind you. Just as you wanted, Scout’s fingers that had been raking through your hair stilled to let you know you had her attention.

“Look,” You said loud enough for her to hear over the raucous youths around you and discreetly pointed across the way at the sleepy boy. “That’s about to be me if I don’t get this paper done soon, I swear to everything Holy.”

A snort exploded through her nostrils and your head jostled with the movements of her leg kicking the guy whose lap they rested in.

“Jude.”

Another harsh nudge to his thigh and the frustrated boy mashed a button on his video game controller, a ‘paused’ message appearing on the flat screen TV. A harsh, pointed look urged her to continue so he could get back to his game.

“That guy over there looks just like you.”

When you glanced back over, the drooling guy had completely given up on at least attempting to remain upright to look like he was getting work done. His cheek was smashed against the pages of his book, pushing his lips out in a pucker face, and his wrecked hair stuck up at odd angles on his forehead. An unbridled bubble of laughter threatened to come up your throat and you had managed to contain it — until a little string of drool puddled on the paper his cheek rested upon. Both you and Scout shook with the force of your giggles and you briefly found yourself thinking that it probably wasn’t that funny, but to a sleep-deprived university student it was comedic gold.

Jude must’ve shoved Scout’s legs off his lap if the loud ‘thud!’ of her feet hitting the floor beside you were any indication. They came dangerously close to knocking over your cup of caffeine — the only thing getting you through the early hours of the morning — and you were quick to snatch it up, cradling it to your chest like a protective mother. Your look of disgust towards your two friends was completely ignored, overlooked by Scout’s cry of protest and Jude’s annoyed, but slightly amused, glare at the girl.

“That’s what you made me pause my game for?” He huffed, tugging his fingers through his dark tufts of hair.

She shrugged, a shit-eating grin on her face as she plopped her warm toned legs back onto his lap. “Y/n said it first, not me.”

You were mid-sip, a mouthful of bitter coffee coating your tongue when you squealed a close-mouthed noise of protest, widened eyes flickering between your friends.

“I did not!” You cried once you’d successfully swallowed without choking. “I said that would be me if I didn’t finish my paper soon.”

“Lies,” Scout muttered.

Twisting your body to face her, the back of your hand smacked against her bare outer thigh, a loud and satisfying ‘smack!’ emitting from the harsh flesh on flesh contact. Your puppy dog eyes turned to Jude, bottom lip jutting out just slightly and he laughed, the action making his irises twinkle and scrunch closed.

“I’d never say that about you, J,” You said cutely.

He bumped his knee against your right shoulder lightly, jostling you to the side, and rolled his eyes but the tiny upwards lift to the corners of his mouth told you he was far from annoyed.

“Alright, alright, I believe you.” He groaned, quickly flicking his gaze back to the TV and unpausing his game. “Fuck you and your puppy eyes.”

Grinning triumphantly, you sipped your coffee happily and flopped back against the front of the couch. The sleeping computer screen on the coffee table immediately put a pin in your bubble of contentment, an instant frown replacing the bright smile on your lips. You set aside your half empty cup with a heavy sigh and swiped a finger along the smooth track-pad, waking it from its automatic sleep to tuck back into the four page book review for your U.S. History class. The cursor blinked approximately five or six times before you began to type, but you had barely written three words when the glass doors of the Learning Commons burst open and a group of rowdy boys piled through the entrance.

Well, you thought. Maybe just one more day of procrastinating won’t hurt.

A muffled groan sounded from Scout. “Great. Your frat brothers decided to grace us with their presence, J.”

Your fingers went slack over the lit up keys and you slouched defeatedly; at the rate you were going, the outcome of your paper was beginning to look more and more dim, but the fraternity boys couldn’t care less that some people were actually attempting to get their assignments done by their due dates. They joked and jostled each other and you kind of hoped they could feel the blazing burn of your laser-beam glare you shot their way, but their oblivious grins stuck a pin in your wishes. You watched them for a moment longer as they split off, some falling into the snack bar or coffee line while others drifted towards a vacant table or couch; you took that as your cue to pack up your things and traipse across campus to the library. (Why did you pick somewhere so loud to write a whole ass paper anyway?)

Scout managed to tear her attention from her phone long enough to notice you zipping up your bag and beginning to stand.

She quirked a perfectly shaped brow and asked, “Where are you going? It’s only 10:30; our Psych class isn’t until 12.”

“Thanks for the reminder. I wasn’t aware that the class I’ve been going to every Friday for a month now doesn’t start until 12,” You bit back with the most deadpan tone you could muster.

Jude snorted without taking his eyes off the TV, his fingers never ceasing their rapid movements between buttons on the game controller. Scout responded with a swift kick to said controller (which earned her a string of expletives as he fumbled to retrieve it off the floor) and waggled a chipped nail-polished finger at you.

“First of all, the ‘tude is not appreciated and second, both of your friends are sitting right here so my question is very valid.”

“Okay, rude.” You pouted sulkily as you gathered your hair to tie it up into a bun with the velvety pink scrunchie on your wrist. “And if you must know, I’m going to the library because it’s way too loud in here to write a paper.”

“Ugh.” Scout groaned and threw her legs off the side of the couch, rolling off onto the floor in the most ungraceful maneuver you’d ever witnessed in your life. “I guess I’ll go with you. I still haven’t finished that Biology worksheet due today.”

“Really?” You inquired absentmindedly as you fiddled with your messy bun in the reflection on your darkened phone screen. (She was taking forever and you needed something to do so you didn’t look like a complete moron.) “I finished it like the day she handed it out last week.”

You didn’t even have to look over at the caramel-skinned girl to know that she had rolled her eyes hard enough to get stuck inside her head. “Literally no one asked,” She retorted.

“Mmm, and to think I was actually going to give you all the answers..”

Just as you watched her expression morph into a sickly sweet one, a shrill whistle cut through every conversation in the room. The loud chattering of college students died down to muted whispers until the only distinguishable sounds were the whirring of the old air conditioning unit in the building and the clambering of shoes against wood; once you turned away from Scout you saw that the latter had come from a blonde boy in basketball shorts standing on a table in the center of the room. Kappa Sigma was emblazoned proudly across the chest of the scarlet colored hoodie he wore and you fought the urge to roll your eyes because of course he was in a fraternity.

The blonde frat boy’s voice faintly resonated in your ears, but you turned away from his dramatic display anyway to latch onto the sleeve of Scout’s over-sized Harvard University t-shirt. You insistently tugged on the crimson colored material because you really just wanted to get a head-start on your paper. Instead of relenting and following you, she simply shrugged you off and it was then that you got distracted with one look at a stupidly attractive guy in a stupidly, tight t-shirt.

If you had ever seen someone who was truly poured into a shirt it was this guy. The gray material was stretched taut across his pectorals and abdomen, dipping and curling into each chiseled line on his body. The stitching around the short sleeves looked two seconds away from ripping open as his biceps bulged from the way he stood with his arms crossed over his chest. You didn’t think the view could get any better until your eyes slid further up to a jawline that could probably cut straight through glass and to top it off, a head full of effortless curls—your ultimate weakness. You were pretty sure you were gaping open-mouthed at him at that point, but it wasn’t everyday that you saw a real life fucking angel on campus.

So yes, you gaped at him. Proudly.

Until you were caught...which you were seconds later.

Your heart dipped dangerously low in your chest and for a moment it felt like the warm blood in your veins had turned to ice. That feeling of sudden panic from such a cute guy looking at you prompted you to swiftly turn away; the cold you had felt literal seconds prior shifted to an uncomfortable warmth as the shock of being caught staring shifted to embarrassment. Your brain raced almost as quickly as your heart and you tried to pretend to focus on the blonde guy standing on a table to calm down, but then you made the dumb decision to sneak another peek.

Big, big mistake on your part.

Insanely hot frat guy was still looking at you. Not only was he still staring, but the beginnings of a smirk were forming on his pink lips and maybe he was not-so-subtly flexing his biceps. Seeing the corded muscles ripple and bulge under his tan skin truly was entrancing and if Scout hadn’t grabbed you by the material of your sweatshirt you would’ve stood and stared for a little bit longer.

Fingers snapped in front of your face and you blinked once, twice, three times before she really came into focus. She shot you a funny look and asked, “Seriously, what were you staring at?” She followed your gaze when your eyes instinctively shot back towards the insanely hot frat guy—who had thankfully looked away. “What is wrong with y—ohhh.”

A shit-eating grin stretched across her face and you immediately groaned. “Don’t start, okay?” You grumbled and finally managed to pull her towards the glass double doors. “He’s stupid hot and I was respectfully looking.”

Scout snorted from behind you as you held the door for her, both of you stepping outside and beginning the trek across campus to the library.

“You were point two seconds away from drooling,” She teased, bumping your arm with her elbow.

You felt the heat tickling at your cheeks and ears again, so you quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway,” You said pointedly, shooting her a look that could kill. “What was that whole ‘getting on the table’ display about?”

“Right. I forgot you were a little... preoccupied.” She smirked and dodged your incoming fist, giggling like a maniac. “Okay, okay! There’s a party at the Kappa Sigma house tonight.”

Scrunching your nose up at the mention of a party, you tossed your empty cup of iced coffee in a trash bin as you passed.

“Well, I have a hot date with Doctor McDreamy and I can’t miss it. You know how much I love me some Derek Shepherd.”

Just as you reached for the door handle to the library, she smacked your hand away with a serious expression.

“C’mon!” She whined, her bottom lip jutting out like a child. “You’ve never been to a party with me. It’ll be fun!”

“My definition of ‘fun’ is very different from yours, Scout.”

A sly smile turned her full lips upwards again. “Tom will be there…”

Your brows furrowed as you wracked your brain to put a name to a face. Tom. Did you know a Tom?

“Um. Am I supposed to know who that is?” You asked cluelessly.

Scout groaned. “Tom Holland. The guy you were ogling in the LC,” She explained with a ‘duh’ tone in her voice.

Absentmindedly you fiddled with the strap of your shoulder bag. You were already growing tired of the conversation and wished she’d just drop it; if anyone knew your anxiety situation, it was her and you thought she’d learned by now that you would never set foot in a party. Attending a frat party of all things was sure to bring on a panic attack and you’d rather not hyperventilate in front of a bunch of testosterone-filled college guys. No way in hell.

Exhaling an exasperated sigh, you shifted on your feet tiredly and let your head fall back towards the sky.

“Is that supposed to convince me?” You shifted around your friend and managed to snag the door open before she could stop you. “Because it’s not working.”

Save for a girl lightly snoring on one of the couches and a guy wearing glasses slaving over his keyboard, the library was practically barren. You immediately felt comforted as you traipsed along the outskirts of the large room, like a warm hug after coming home from a long day; except it was barely after eleven in the morning and you were ashamed to admit that you already needed comforting. Whilst another large exhale huffed past your lips at the thought, you dropped your bag down on the worn cushions of a couch pushed under a window and plopped yourself next to it rather ungracefully.

A rather loud thump resounded through the room as Scout carelessly deposited her own things on the floor by a comfortable looking arm chair; she simply shrugged at your warning glance, mumbling “those two are dead to the world anyway” under her breath and turned to pull a black binder from her backpack.

Soon, the silence between you two was filled with the clicking of your fingers across the keys on your laptop and the scratching of her mechanical pencil on paper. It was nice—relaxing even—and you sunk further into the soft couch that hugged your body, your mind only filled with the words you needed to get down to finish your stupid book review.

What kind of history class has to write a book review anyway? This wasn’t English.

You should’ve known it wouldn’t last.

A small wad of balled up notebook paper hit your left cheek, bouncing off and into the crack between the cushions. Before you could retort, she was already whispering vehemently.

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about the party.” She stabbed her pencil in your direction as she spoke. “You’re going. Plus, I’ll be with you the whole night. Promise.”

Arguing with Scout was like arguing with a brick wall—pointless and you’d never win and you honestly just wanted her to shut up at this point; so even though the idea of standing in the Kappa Sigma frat house while the plaster walls vibrated and bodies jostled around you almost made you want to throw up, you reluctantly agreed to go with her. You tried to convince yourself it wouldn’t be so bad, that your best friend would be at your side the entire night, but you still couldn’t shake the butterflies in your belly the entire day.

Just as you’d expected, you were pretty sure you were this close to blowing chunks in Kappa Sigma’s bushes.

The lawn was crawling with college students bearing drinks and you were thrown into the middle of them, one hand clasped in Scout’s as she led you up to the porch and the other anxiously fiddling with the hem of your gingham printed shorts. You were hyper aware of everything happening around you: knocking shoulders with a short, blonde girl, the loud shouts over a game of flip cup, the bass of the song playing in your chest, and a putrid, skunk-like smell that caught in your lungs no matter what you did. Already you wanted to leave, but one look at your best friend’s excited face had you willing yourself to suck it up and try to have fun.

Clutching onto Scout’s hand like it was your only lifeline, she guided you through the foyer and an expansive dining room before reaching the kitchen and the pressure in your chest lifted enough to calm your racing heart; it was significantly less crowded, only inhabited by a small group of girls and a guy with his head stuck in the refrigerator. You watched as Scout paid none of them any mind and instead helped herself to two red solo cups, pointing the nozzle to the keg in one and letting it fill with the sepia toned beer before doing the same with the other cup.

You had just opened your mouth to protest, but the look she shot you had the words dying in your throat.

“Just trust me, alright?” She said and you let her shove the full cup into your hand. “It’ll help with your nerves.”

For a brief second your gaze flickered to the group of three girls seated at the kitchen island, all huddled together and speaking in low tones. It made your skin prickle and heat up and you wondered if they were talking about you—how out of place you seemed.

The white brim of your cup slotted between your glossed-up lips and you took a hefty swig. You immediately scrunched your face up in disgust at the bitter, watery taste of the ale but you were willing to down it if it drowned out your impending anxiety for the night.

“Ugh.” You cringed and peered at the frothy beer in distaste. “How do you drink this shit?”

Scout just grinned and raised her beer in the air.

“Cheers bitch,” She hummed and downed a gulp big enough to puff out her cheeks with the liquid. “Now drink up.”

So, you did cautiously while she retrieved her phone from her back pocket; you distantly heard her say the words “text” and “Jude” but you were more focused on the guy leaning against the counter a few steps away. It was the same guy who’d been rummaging in the fridge when you came in and it appeared he’d found what he wanted: a bottle of Michelob Ultra that he held by the neck. His other hand was occupied by his phone, his head tilted downwards as he scrolled with his thumb, but then he tipped it back to sip his drink and your heart plummeted.

You wasted no time grabbing Scout by her bicep to get her attention.

“Don’t look now but super hot frat guy, Tom, is literally right there,” You whispered frantically through gritted teeth and tugged her towards the exit.

Of course, she resisted. The “don’t look now” part of your sentence slipped in one ear and out the other because she turned back to glance at him with the subtlety of a hand grenade. Her small squeal had you yanking her back around, your stomach rolling with enough nerves to make you vomit for real this time.

“I literally just said—”

Just after the words left your mouth, Jude sauntered into the kitchen, loudly exclaiming: “Tom, man, how long does it take to get a drink?” Then, his six-foot-three hulking physique lumbered towards you and Scout—which effectively made Tom’s dark brown irises lock onto you. “And why have you guys not answered my texts? We’re about to start another round of flip cup.”

Recognition flashed in his eyes and you wished you were dead. You knew you should’ve stayed in the safety of your dorm with Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd. Why didn’t you?

Maybe it was because you were the biggest pushover on campus?

Yeah, that had to be it.

“Sorry, mate.” Tom didn’t glance away from you as he spoke. You noticed a smirk playing at his thin lips before it was covered by the open top of his beer bottle when he took a drag. “I guess I got a little... distracted.”

His little jab at you didn’t go unnoticed.

Yep, he definitely recognized you from earlier in the day when you practically undressed him.

Deep down you knew he was just messing with you, but you couldn’t help feeling humiliated—like you were the center of a joke and not the kind of joke where he was laughing with you; suddenly overcome with a need to escape, you ignored his remark and turned to Scout and Jude instead.

“Hey, I think I’m gonna go to the bathroom or step outside really quick.”

You barely heard her concerned voice asking if you wanted her to come with you before you were high-tailing it out of the room and up the dark wooden stairs in the foyer. You took them two at a time and in your haste to ascend them, the smelly beer in your still-full-to-the-brim cup sloshed over the rim and saturated the front of your black shirt and flowy shorts. Your face contorted in discomfort at the feeling of your wet clothes sticking to your skin as you slowed down, reaching the top floor at a more careful pace. The paranoid feeling that everyone was watching you make a fool of yourself began to set in and just as your breathing started to escalate, you ducked into the first bedroom you saw and quickly shut it with a click.

Absentmindedly, you sat your now half empty beer cup on the dresser by the door and slumped back against the wood. The cold doorknob pressed into the bottom of your spine but you didn’t care because all you could think about was the soaked fabric clinging to your front, Tom’s subtle mocking comment, and the feeling you’d felt coming up the steps.

In the back of your mind you knew how dramatic and blown out of proportion you were acting; your anxiety, however, didn’t get the memo. So there you were, panting and quivering in some random frat guy’s room with tears pooling at your lash line. You were beginning to feel nauseous lurches in your stomach and all you wanted was to go home.

You’d never wanted to be here in the first place.

An uncomfortable warmth bloomed in your chest around your heart—a feeling you were all too familiar with. If you had to guess, you assumed it was the way a heart attack might feel. You were panicking for absolutely no reason at all and all that you knew was that you needed to get out of here.

With shaky hands, you pulled your phone out of your bra and wiped away the sticky residue from the beer before composing a new text to Scout.

Sent at 11:33 PM: i feel sick. i think i’m gonna head back to our dorm

Then, feeling inexplicably guilty for not even trying, you typed again as your tears left splotches on your screen.

Sent at 11:33 PM: i’m really sorry

The click of your phone locking sounded like a blaring horn to your over-sensitized body and you slumped tiredly into a desk chair, shoving your phone somewhere on the desk carelessly. You were still shaking and you didn’t know if you were cold or hot and bile had started to burn your throat and in your hazy mind you swore you heard the doorknob turning but who knows?

“Uh, what the fuck are you doing in my room?”

If you thought you were going to throw up before then you definitely were now.

You grabbed the trash bin beside the desk and hung your head over it, the contents of the day emptying from your anxious stomach.

“Christ,” The guy grumbled in annoyance. Didn’t you know that voice from somewhere? “Of course. A drunk girl chooses my room to throw up in out of all the fuckin’ other rooms in this house.”

Shame crept up your neck and made you feel even hotter than you already were. You felt like such a mess—you reeked of alcohol, your hair was damp from a cold-sweat, and a stranger had just witnessed you puking your guts out. Great.

You couldn’t speak. All you could do was take shaky, staggered breaths and sniffle through your tears but you did manage to see who the mean guy in the room with you was. Just as your luck would have it, the guy whose bedroom you’d taken hostage in was none other than Tom Holland.

Your stomach twisted and again you ducked your head back in the bin to puke some more.

“Look. I’m sorry you feel like shit and drank too much but you’ve gotta get outta here.” You felt his large, strong hand curl around your bare bicep to tug you up out of his chair. “C’mon. Time to go.”

It was at that moment Tom finally noticed three things: that you were the girl from earlier in the LC, then again in the frat’s kitchen, that you were shaking like a leaf against him, and that you were struggling to breathe normally. It was clear to him you weren’t throwing up because you were drunk; you were throwing up because you were having a full-blown panic attack.

In his bedroom.

And he’d been nothing but a dick to you so far.

“Woah, hey, hey,” He murmured softly, his voice taking on a much gentler tone. Delicately, he brushed the sweaty hair from your warm cheeks and allowed one of his palms to meet the small of your back. “It’s okay. You’re alright, darlin’.”

You focused all your attention on the quiet hum of his voice in your right ear and the silver cross necklace rising and falling on his chest with each breath. You tried to sync your breaths with his even, steady ones and although it took awhile, you managed to calm yourself down to a non-hysterical state.

Tom’s fingers, however, never faltered in their dance along your spine. “Good girl,” He hummed soothingly.

Tingles tickled at each of your vertebrae.

Good girl. Was he trying to kill you?

Clearing your throat, you set the trash bin beside the desk where it lived and stood up to move closer to the door and away from Tom. You were pretty sure you’d embarrassed yourself in front of a hot guy enough for one day and didn’t want to do anything rash...like jump his bones for calling you a good girl.

You felt yourself getting hot again.

“I’m sorry.” You fiddled with the damp hem of your shirt, unable to meet his gaze. “I just...needed some air and then I spilt beer all over myself and—yeah.”

“Hey, it’s alright.” He shrugged like a girl having a panic attack in his room was normal, then gestured to your ruined outfit. “I’ve got some stuff you can borrow if you want.”

“Oh! No, it’s okay, really—”

“C’mon. That can’t be comfortable,” He said with a raised brow. He was already rummaging through his dresser drawers before you could protest anymore. “Let me help you out, alright? I’ve already been the biggest dick to you tonight.”

You couldn’t argue with that, so you took the clean clothes from his outstretched hand and sent him an awkward smile.

“Thanks. I’ll, um, get these back to you. Sometime.”

He grinned at how awkward and fumbly you were. It was cute. He liked that he was the cause of it.

“Sounds like a pretty good plan to me,” He agreed cheekily, unable to hide the smile on his lips. “Gives me an excuse to see you again, huh, darlin’?”

Oh.

This boy was definitely trying to make you explode and you were two seconds away from doing so, sweat pooling even quicker in areas you didn’t even want to fathom.

Thankfully, before you had the chance to embarrass yourself any further, Tom turned his back on you, chuckling lowly under his breath and urged you to get changed.

As you toed out of your high-tops and peeled your sticky, black shirt from your torso, your attention wavered just as you reached for his heather grey t-shirt. You distractedly grasped the soft material to put it on, but you were too entranced by Tom’s back muscles through his own shirt to follow through.

The fabric was stretched taut over the expanse of his broad shoulders and every little movement allowed you to see the rippling muscle that was underneath it. Your fingers itched to slip under his shirt and feel his toned back for yourself, to lightly dig your n—

“Jude said your friend is waitin’ for you on the porch.” His English twang had you throwing the clean clothes on hastily before he turned back around. “I’ll walk you down.”

All you wanted was to get out of this frat house and into your shower as quickly as possible so you agreed even though you felt like your insides were on fire.

You gathered your dirty clothes and hooked your fingertips into the canvas backs of your shoes before you were ushered out into the corridor. The party seemed to have thinned out a considerable amount with only the occasional person loitering about on the second floor; the thought of someone seeing you with Tom’s baggy clothes on made your cheeks flush and you tilted your head down towards the floor, avoiding anyone’s curious eye. To your anxious mind, it felt like everyone was watching you and Tom descend the grand stairs in the fraternity’s house so you held your gaze with the dark hardwood floor the entire trek to the porch.

His warm palm met the small of your back for the second time that night and you cautiously glanced up into his dark brown irises. You were surprised to see the incredibly soft edge they had taken on and even more surprised by the way your spine instinctively arched against his hand.

A guy had never touched you like this before—it felt intimate and tender and you were a stranger to it.

“Hey.” He had to stoop down towards your ear so you could hear him over the still-blaring music. His breath tickled your neck and his bottom lip brushed the tip of your ear. You couldn’t stop from shivering. “Are you alright?”

No, you weren’t. He was really, really close and your heart was beating dangerously fast again.

“Yeah,” You breathed in reassurance, pushing what you hoped was a convincing smile. “I’m okay. Just tired.”

He didn’t look completely convinced. However, he didn’t push the subject further and you were grateful.

“Alright.” He nodded and it was silent for a split second until you both reached the front door. “You look beautiful in my clothes by the way.”

And then Tom was pushing open the door and there on the porch like he said was a worried Scout. Thankfully, she was way too preoccupied with hurtling questions of “are you okay?” and “what happened?” for her to notice the way your skin was flushed and how you couldn’t quite look anyone in the eye.

The weight of the fingers splayed along the base of your spine disappeared as Scout swept you away from Tom and into her crushing embrace.

“Oh my God!” She shrieked as she hugged you to her, your bundle of clothes and shoes between you digging into your stomach. “You scared the hell out of me. Did you fall in the toilet or something?”

For the first time in what felt like forever, a small snort of a laugh left your throat.

“I’m fine,” You reassured and tangled your digits with hers, tugging her down the porch stairs with you. “And no, I didn’t ‘fall in the toilet.’ I just want to go home and drown myself in the shower.”

“Good. You smell like shit.” Her nose wrinkled. “And please enlighten me on how you ended up in Tom fucking Holland’s bedroom.”

You laughed again and spared a glance over your shoulder.

Tom still stood on the porch, readjusting his backwards hat over his brunette curls. You caught the little smirk on his lips and you swore he winked before Scout was tugging you further up the sidewalk and you were forced to turn back around.

Every inch of your body tingled.

It wasn’t until you stood under the shower head’s chilly spray of water back in your residence hall that you realized you’d left your phone in Tom’s room.

TOM TAGLIST:

@xoxohollands ♡ @outshineallthestars ♡ @pcterparxer ♡ @worldoftom ♡

RETROGRADE ONLY TAGLIST:

@softholand ♡ @sushiinmidnight ♡ @stuckonspidey ♡

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dalanmendonca · 3 years

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Internet native learning

If we can assign humanity a purpose, it would human development itself. There's no point inventing or discovering anything unless it helps us in some way. One of the crucial inputs to human development is education/learning.

While large parts of the world don't have access to learning systems, even those with access are seeing spiralling costs and questionable outcomes. The internet has come in like a wrecking ball to the university education system that's been prevalent since the 1100s, with many precepts being questioned.

There are now ongoing attempts to (re)create the university online. These attempts are a replay of our attempts to make written knowledge electronic.

First, there was the analog phase, where all of knowledge was in books, people's notes and brains. Then computers and networks arrived, and we entered a hybrid phase. We started digitising things. It was common to scan documents into the computer for storage / transmission and print documents out for usage. The tools we used were constructed around analog concepts. Even today Microsoft Word and Google Docs default to an A4 page as their interface. Now we're finally entering the digital native era. Most of human knowledge is share via social media posts, files, dashboards, etc. Few of those are meant to be printed. Production and consumption is digital. New tools like Notion and Coda, are essentially webpage authoring tools,

How is this playing out in education?

The analog phase is the university; not a product, but a bundle. The university bundle gives you a courses for learning, access to labs & libaries, a certification for employment, opportunities to secure some jobs, expensive daycare for teenagers/adults and a chance to make friends and socialise.

When the computers and the internet hit education, it most manifested itself in the form of digitised textbooks and recorded lecture videos.

This was the hybrid phase. These digitised components made learning more efficient and scalable. Famous initial experiments were video playlists like Khan Academy and MOOCs on Coursera and MIT"s OCW. While these were very famous, MOOCs had an abysmal graduation rate of 3%. Something was missing. Without peers, accountability, and fun; these felt like a buying a book instead of taking a course.

In the meanwhile, we saw a lot of technological change. Thanks to the smartphone, quality of networks, quality of displays, access to cameras went up . Making payments online is remarkably easier than 10 years ago. Tools like Slack, Discord and Facebook groups emerged allowing digital congregations.

All of these meant we had the building blocks for (re)creating the university experience online.

We have two interesting digital native education trends popping up: CBCs and Educational Short video.

Cohort based courses are a first step towards that digital native education, and the beginning of the terminal phase.

The atomic unit of learning is media consumption, whether it is reading a page in a textbook or listening to a lecture. The next steps in truly learning are applying that knowledge, whether in practice problems, assignments, or exams. After that it is validation, whether is a fancy degree or even a small course completion badge. The ultimate thing a person wants of course are a cascade of learning outcomes - a certified skill, a job, an identity, and a better life.

CBCs are exactly like university courses except online. They are paid, have fixed start and end dates and are done with peers; constraints that introduce a sunk cost, prevent slacking off and add social accountability. Assembling learners is not geographically constrained, people can watch lecture videos anytime as per their chronotype. Completion rates for CBCs are in fact higher than college, probably because they are new and there's massive self-selection bias.

Another interesting tool is TikTok/short video content. People think short video content is just teenagers dancing to trending sounds but there's whole lots of new interesting niches of TikTok emerging. I watched marketing case studies there and was wowed! It's amazing how quickly you can convey things you get straight to the point! The more interesting thing about short video is that it reduces the activation energy need to start something. It easy to watch a 30 second, then another one, and then ... until you find out you've been sitting there for an hour. If an hour long video was presented to you instead, you'd balk! The short video medium is forcing us to acknowledge what we knew all along, long droning lectures are boring. Chop em up. This consumption pattern is great way for people to get started, as it needs less motivation. It's also great for revising things.

We will see an inevitable bundling of hundreds and later thousands of CBCs somewhere. The university of the future will provide tons of short video content for free, monetise it via CBCs, access to alumni groups and in-person events.

#30daychallenge #education #university #tiktok #CBC

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ambersky0319 · 4 years

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My study group that doesn't do too much studying really and we're only just now talking about dividing the work is complaining about said amount of work and im just glad im not the only one who is behind and hates the amount of work-

Like for this class alone, our teacher:

Assigns hour long lectures, which we can't go through quickly and every few minutes there are more notes we need to write so pausing the lectures every few minutes. This ends up making the lecture portion about 2 hours

Daily lectures

Expects us to do a daily cover page for whatever section we were assigned. These can generally take 30 or more minutes each

Has us read, annotate, and answer questions from the textbook which, although understandable, can add an extra hour or two

So in total that's about 4 and a half hours of work for this one class

And we have other classes too and I just hhhhggghghghfhfgchchchchc like-

#amber's shit you can ignore

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taeken-my-heart · 5 years

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Independent {f} Chapter 14

Summary: Your mom calls you stubborn, your friends call you wild, and the boys you’ve left in your wake call you a frigid bitch. You’ve built a life of independence and you like it that way. Kim Taehyung, however; seems to be able to change your mind.

Pairing: Taehyung x Reader

Genre: fluff, mild angst

Word Count: 4648

Warnings: This chapter is just an angst fest, I’m sorry! Next chapter gets better, I promise!

**There is a read more linked but it doesn’t seem to be working and I don’t know what to do about it. I’m sorry! TT

*************

Spring semester was a misleading name. It indicated that it was going to be warm; flowers blooming, rivers and streams melting and warming, getting ready for the impending summer swim parties

But this, no this was not spring; not yet, at least. A fresh 6 inches of snow greeted you on your reentry to university and after warm greetings to your housemates and giving Charlotte the gifts you’d brought her from Paris, it was back to campus to buy your textbooks and seek out your classrooms in preparation for classes the next day.

Campus was busy with life, chatter from winter vacation high and the four of you trekked up to the center of campus where the bookstore was, syllabus and book lists in hand. Charlotte asked you all about Paris, insisting that you show her all your pictures and pouting after she’d seen them all.

“I want to go!” She complained, stuffing her mittened hands into the pockets of her oversized grey coat. “I’m so jealous you got to see all those amazing things.”

“I thought of you the whole time,” you smiled, wrapping your arm around her shoulder and pulling her scowling face next to yours in a side hug as you walked.

The heat of the book store was almost sweltering compared to outside. There were too many bodies and not enough space, but you all needed to be here so there wasn’t much that could be done. Stomping your boots on the carpet and removing your gloves, you began weaving your way through the isles in search of the books listed on your phone.

“I can’t believe I’m taking Molecular Biology this semester. I’m going to die.” Anna sighed beside you and you turned to raise an eyebrow at her.

“No one told you to go be a forensic scientist.” You teased and she stuck her tongue out at you.

“You know what, I don’t need your logic.” She sassed.

“So, what’s going on with Jin?” You asked, turning to glance at Sarah over your shoulder. She smiled; blush high on her cheeks.

“He’s actually on a plane right now. He spent most of the vacation in California, but he got to spend a few days back home with family.”

“You know that doesn’t answer my real question,” you grinned, “you guys dating or what?”

Sarah laughed, shaking her head and sliding her fingers along a nearby book as a distraction. “Yeah, we started officially dating about a week ago.”

“Well finally!” You huffed, “everyone could see that coming from a mile away.”

“Oh stop!” Sarah blushed and you chuckled, scanning the row of books for the one you needed. H.B. Hawthorne, check. Grabbing the book, you tucked it under your arm and looked back at your list.

“Go get your books, we’ll chat about this at home.” You waved Sarah off and she smiled, walking around the isle.

Your class load this semester was a little more intense than last. It wasn’t that you had more classes than before, but that the credit hours were higher. You’d also added a few classes that were required of your major, but if you were being honest, you weren’t sure exactly what they were meant to cover. Like Virtual Form and Space. What even was that?

After scoping out the rest of the books you needed (and finding a basket to put them in because you were foolish enough to believe you could carry them all in the first place) you made your way to the front of the store to wait for your friends.

Anna came back first, flipping through a page of one of her text books and you grimaced when she showed you the Solving Cold Murder Cases book in her hand. “Can’t believe you actually want to work with dead bodies.”

“To be fair, I want to work more in the lab with test results, but I’m keeping an open mind. Who knows what my true calling with be?”

“Not working with dead people; that’s mine.” You said, nodding firmly and Anna chuckled.

“Good thing you’re studying Visual Arts.”

Just then you spotted Jimin and Jungkook walk through the door, shaking the snow from their hoods and your heart jumped into your throat. “Jungkook, Jimin!” You called and they both turned to look at you, Jungkook bounding over with a smile and a hug.

“Y/N!” He said, pulling back and Jimin followed behind him, rolling his eyes at his younger brother and chuckling.

“Hey Y/N.” He said, giving you a quick hug.

“How was Paris?” Jungkook asked, pushing into your personal space and you laughed as Jimin smacked him away. He pouted over at him, rubbing his arm, before turning back to you.

“It was absolutely amazing.” You said, a little shy from all the eyes on you now that Charlotte and Sarah had also returned. “Biggest adventure of my life. I learned a lot of really valuable lessons.”

“About photography?” Jungkook asked and you looked over at Jimin briefly before turning your gaze back on his over eager younger brother.

“Yes, and about life.”

“Are all the same guys living together?” Sarah butt in, moving to stand beside you.

“Yeah,” Jimin nodded, shaking some hair from his eyes, “but this is Jin’s last semester with us so we’re gonna have to find a new roommate next year.”

“Well you guys should come over for dinner sometime this semester.” Sarah continued, “feels like forever since we’ve all hung out.”

“That sounds like fun!” Jungkook nodded enthusiastically. “This time we could bring something, too, like desert.”

Anna grinned, nodding, “I like the sound of desert!”

Jimin glanced down at his phone as it beeped noisily, lips stretching into a frown. “Ah, sorry to interrupt, but Kook, we gotta grab our books and hurry. We’re on a bit of a deadline.”

Jungkook nodded, eyes widening with understanding. “Ok, yeah. Well we’ll all have to plan something when the semester gets underway.”

You all nodded, exchanging goodbyes before the guys walked quickly into the rows of books to search for the textbooks that would rob their bank accounts of life. “Did everyone get everything they need?” You asked.

At your friends nods of confirmation, you all worked your way up through the line, paying for your things and bundling back up for a cold walk back to the house.

*************

The first day of classes were brutal. One, because you were used to not going to classes and restarting an old routine was like whiplash. Two, because you’d made the terrible mistake of choosing an 8am class. There had been later times for this particular class, but they’d been with teachers you didn’t really like or they just didn’t fit into your schedule properly.

Still, despite the fact that you’d chosen the class that was best timing wisely…it was a terrible decision. Your eyes were screaming from how tired they were as you made your way to the top of campus, scarf wrapped warmly around your face and the wind whipped slurries of snow off the ground and around your head.

The campus was mostly barren of life, just a few freshmen trudging bitterly to their classes. The joys of being underclassmen. By the time you got to the top of the hill, you were sweating, an interesting juxtaposition to the winter storm raging around your cocoon of coat and scarf.

You’d worn your coat from Paris wanting to look cute for your first day of school, but now you were realizing the errors of your ways. The peacoat was definitely more fashionable than practical.

The warmth of the digital arts building was like a welcome hug and you breathed a sigh of relief, unwinding the scarf from around your neck and unbuttoning your coat as you made your way through the empty hallways and into your classroom.

The professor was already there, unpacking her bag and swishing around the mouse to her computer, and so were a handful of other unfortunate souls. A.K.A, your classmates.

You chose a seat relatively close to the front in an effort to encourage your attention. It would be more difficult to slack or doze off if the teacher could see you. You nodded a few bleary hellos at some friends you recognized from classes before, before unpacking your bags and getting ready to take notes.

The class was mostly boring, but it was a quota you had to fill and led you to your 9:30 am photo workshop class, which was far more exciting. Lots of hands on, practical activities that got you into the nitty gritty of what you were even in university for. Because it was just the first day, you spent most of the class going over the syllabus and being introduced to the darkroom and equipment you’d be using over the semester.

Your last class of the day, an 11am class, was a little more sedated, but you could see it picking up in the weeks to come, once the semester was really underway. The syllabus, at least, promised some exciting material you could work with.

Your first week followed much the same way; settling back into routine and getting used to the teaching styles of new professors. You had noticed with a sinking feeling in your gut, that you had yet to see Taehyung and for a moment you worried that maybe he’d decided to drop out after all and stay with TTIG in California’s corporate grounds.

A week to the day after school had once again begun, you found yourself back in the library. You finally had your first real assignment to do and you needed a quiet that your apartment wasn’t currently able to offer. Jin and Sarah were both in the living room, TV blaring while they studied together. You weren’t sure how they did it, but studying with that kind of noise made your ears bleed.

You chose a desk near the stacks in the back, pulling your laptop from your bag and setting up comfortably behind the comfort of the wooden privacy the desk offered you. Popping in your earphones, you turned on your phone, switching to a station that played the sound of rain for 5 hours straight. A little monotonous, but it soothed you.

You’d only been studying for around 30 minutes before suddenly needing to pee. You stood up, stretching your legs and making your way to the bathroom. After heading back out once you were done, you paused to glance down at your phone. Sarah had texted to ask if you wanted to go out to eat tonight and you smiled, replying quickly that you’d be done in the library around 4:30 and you’d be up for just about anywhere.

Sighing, you slid your phone back into the back pocket of your jeans before glancing up and freezing. Across the room and standing with a few friends you recognized from his study group last semester, was Taehyung. He’d clearly gotten a tan out in California, the honey glow of his skin making him look even more handsome than you’d remembered him.

You wanted to go and talk to him, but with all the people around, you knew it wasn’t really the right time. You’d likely just have to go to his house at some point and ask to speak to him. Just as you were about to unstick your feet from the floor and head back to your desk, you watched, almost in slow motion, as Beth walked from around the corner, smiling and running to his side, linking her fingers with his.

You felt like your heart was going to shatter as you watched him smile down at her before leaning in to give her a quick kiss. Your throat was burning, heavy with emotion. You’d waited too long.

It had never occurred to you that maybe he would move on. You chastised yourself for even feeling this way; he wasn’t a possession and you were the one to shut him out in the first place, you didn’t really have a right to feel this way. Your heart wasn’t a great listener, though.

Your eyes were blurry with tears and your throat felt like it was constricting around fire. You walked quickly to your desk, packing your things to go. Screw studying, there was no way you could allow him to see you like this. It felt selfish to cry over him when you’d been the one to ultimately give him up. The walk back to your house was frozen and miserable, your tears leaving icy streaks against your cheeks. If you’d told yourself 6 months ago that you’d be heart broken and crying over a man now, you would have wanted to throw up. Now you really did want to vomit, the emotion so intense as it clawed at the cavern around your heart.

Slipping into the front hallway of your apartment, you could hear Jin and Sarah’s voices in the living room and you tried to compose yourself before going in. You really weren’t in the mood to divulge how much of a loser you felt you were.

You tried to slip passed unseen, muttering a quick hello with your gaze focused on the door to your left, but you should have known better. Sarah knew you too well.

“Y/N?” You could hear the alarm in her voice, hear the shifting of her clothing as she stood from the couch, “what’s wrong?”

You paused in the doorway to the kitchen, shoulders stiff as you willed yourself not to cry again. “Nothing.” You croaked, squeezing your eyes shut in frustration and clearing your throat. “I’m fine.”

“Don’t give me that.” Sarah scolded, coming to stand in front of you, pulling your chin up to look at her. “What happened?”

You couldn’t hear him or see him, but you knew Jin was sitting behind you on the couch and you wanted more than anything to not blubber your eyes out in front of the roommate and good friend of the guy who’d unintentionally broken your heart.

“I saw Taehyung.” You mumbled, shrugging, and you could feel rather than see Jin’s eyes on the back of your head.

“Did you talk to him or something? Was he rude?”

“No,” you shook your head and despite your best efforts, you were crying again, “I’m too late.”

“Come sit down!” Sarah insisted, fussing around you as she sat you on the couch, going to the kitchen to grab you something and you dropped your bag by your feet and buried your face in your hands.

“I feel so stupid.” You cried and Jin scooted close to you, wrapping his arm around your shoulder and Sarah came back into the room, kneeling in front of you with a glass of water. “Did you know?” You asked, glancing over at Jin and his face fell.

“I’m guessing you’re talking about Beth?” He asked gently and you nodded, wiping the sleeve of your sweater across the top of your lip. He nodded, sadly, “I’m sorry, Y/N.”

“How long have they been together?” You croaked.

He sighed, pulling his hands back into his lap, lacing his fingers together awkwardly. “Probably around 2 weeks now. She texted him all throughout his internship and they just really clicked.”

You felt like your heart might give out. It was like you’d been dumped, but you can’t really break up if you were never together, could you? “I just feel so sad.” You admitted, taking the glass from Sarah and twisting it idly in the circle of your hands.

“It’s normal to feel sad.” Sarah said gently, “it’s not easy to let someone go when you care about them.”

The idea of letting Taehyung go made you feel sick to your stomach, insides churning. You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath through your nose to calm the nausea. You turned to look at Jin and he looked so sad that you almost felt angry. You didn’t want to be the type of person who incited other people’s pity, it only made things worse.

“Is he happy?” You asked and Jin squeezed his lips together, like he was trying to keep the words inside.

“Yeah,” he admitted, “he’s pretty happy.” You nodded, standing and grabbing your bag, pulling it over your shoulder.

“Good. I want him to be happy more than anything; he deserves it.” You walked quickly towards the kitchen before pausing and turning to look back at your friends. Sarah was still knelt on the floor, one hand resting on Jin’s knee as she kept her eyes trained on you. “Please don’t tell him you saw me…you know, crying.”

Jin nodded, smiling softly up at you. “Promise.”

You spent the next few hours holed up in your room. Between the attempts at study and a few sessions of wailing into your pillow, you were exhausted. Mostly, you were upset with yourself. This was your own fault; you hadn’t been ready or willing to let him in and he’d moved on. You really couldn’t blame him for that.

At the end of the day, you really did mean what you’d said to Jin. You wanted Taehyung to be happy. He was such a good guy, so deserving of the love he’d been seeking, even if you couldn’t be the one to give it to him.

You wanted to be able to look him in the face one day and tell him you were happy for him. You weren’t there yet, but you knew someday you could be. He would just have to be a bittersweet memory that you learned from. Growth was pain and sometimes you really did just burn your bridges.

Around 5:30 there was a knock at your door and you called softly for whoever was on the other side. Sarah opened the door, leaning against the doorframe.

“Hey.” She said softly.

You smiled up at her, index finger bouncing against the surface of your desk with nervous energy.

“We were thinking of going to Harvest tonight, grabbing some soup or something. You wanna come with?”

You shook your head, staring down at the carpet, toes digging into the time worn patterns. “I’m not really hungry.” You said.

“Ok,” Sarah sighed, “you want me to bring you back something and just leave it in the fridge?” You shrugged, scratching your fingernail across the top of your wooden chair. “I’ll get you your usual.”

You nodded and she walked across the room, kneeling down in front of you and pulling you into a hug. “I’m so sorry you’re sad.” She whispered, “the pain does go away, I promise. Try and focus on doing things that make you happy.”

You nodded, smiling down at her. “Thanks Sarah.”

After your roommates had left the house, you grabbed your camera, bundling warm into your coat, gloves, and hat, and making your way out into the evening. You needed a distraction. You wandered around aimlessly for a while, unsure of where to go.

Small roads led to picturesque neighborhoods, icicles hanging from rain gutters and porch railings. You hated the winter, but it sure was beautiful. You snapped pictures here and there, fiddling with the settings and trying new angles.

The sky was mostly dark, but where the sun had set was still a shadow of light blue and purple. You station yourself in between trees, aiming to capture the lighting just right. The stars above were shining despite the pocket of sunlight still left at the horizon and the picture itself was so beautiful that your heart throbbed a little. If only everything in life could be as awe inducing.

The slush was beginning to seep uncomfortably into your shoes, but your feet had a mind of their own and you followed their guidance, making your way into a small clearance surrounded by trees, quiet and blocked from the lights of the school around it.

The snow was pristine, beautiful in its natural state and you realized belatedly that this was the clearing Taehyung had brought you to back in November when you’d gone sledding. It was beautiful, fir trees lining the entire enclosure and you lifted your camera to take some pictures, breathing fog into the air.

It was amazing the power a cluster of trees could have, blocking out the sounds of the outside world. You felt so far removed from civilization, despite being only a tree line away. It was likely a mistake, but you weren’t really thinking straight so you immediately let your knees buckle under you, plopping in the snow and laying back, letting your camera rest on your chest.

You were wet and you were cold, but the sky was magnificent. Stars winking down at you from their spots in the universe. You sighed up at the view. It couldn’t fix any of your problems, but somehow, it gave you peace, allowing for a sense of hope to build in your chest.

You weren’t sure how, but you knew things would be OK. Right now, your heart was aching, but you would move on. You’d missed your shot with Taehyung, but that didn’t mean that there wouldn’t be a shot with another guy somewhere down the line. You’d be ready for him when the time came.

You stood slowly, shivering as your clothing, now wet with snow, sopped through to your skin. You needed to get home quickly and get warm before you caught a cold; it was maybe already too late to prevent it anyway.

After returning home and taking a nice warm shower, you cuddled up into bed, listening to the sounds of your roommates returning from dinner. It wasn’t that late, but you felt too tired to stay up, so turning to your desk light, you flipped the switch off and allowed yourself to drift into sleep.

*************

The next morning you woke late. The sun had long been risen and the house was quiet; you supposed your roommates had already gone to class. You only had 2 classes today and your first didn’t start until 1pm, so you took your time, making breakfast, showering, and getting ready.

You decided to look your best today. Even though you didn’t really feel that confident on the inside right now, you didn’t need to look the part. There was something to be said for building your confidence in other ways, and though you didn’t think it was smart to always put so much stock in the way you look on the outside, today you needed a little pick me up and a cute look was gonna be it.

After finishing a very lazy morning routine and even watching an episode of your favorite show, you made your way back to campus and into your cinematography class. In general, your entire schedule this semester was pretty promising and you settled into a brief explanation of what to expect in the class and then a video showcasing work done before, some of the famous names who’d taken the class before stardom, and some movie trailers from movies that the school had worked on directly. Last class you’d merely gone over the syllabus and done introductions, so this was a fun twist.

By the time you’d left the classroom you were buzzing with excitement, chatting away with a classmate and friend about your expectations for the semester.

“My dad said that Mike Posner took this class when he was here, and look at him now.” Your friend, Adrian, remarked and you smiled lopsidedly at her.

“But isn’t he a singer? What does cinematography have to do with that?”

Adrian shrugged, checking her phone before sticking it back in her backpack. “Don’t know, still famous, though. I gotta run to class, only got 20 minutes to make it there and it’s across campus.”

“I wish you luck!” You called, giggling as she waved and bounced off in the other direction.

You yourself had another class in 30 minutes so you stopped by a vending machine quickly to grab a snack before bundling up again and making your way out into the snow to head to your digital art history class. You were really looking forward to this week because now your classes would actually start to get interesting.

After class you made your way back to the library to catch up on the work you’d avoided yesterday. Honestly, it was the beginning of the semester so it wasn’t like you were behind on anything, you only had that one assignment, but you liked to feel prepared and ahead of the game.

You shoved your granola bar in your mouth, staring distractedly at your phone as you made your way down to the first floor of the library. You needed a little peace and quiet that the social atmosphere of the 3rd floor couldn’t afford you. Just as you were stepping through the doors to the first floor, you collided with someone, nearly dropping your phone and gripping the bar between your teeth before looking up, apology dying on your tongue.

“Taehyung.” You breathed, pulling the bar from your mouth.

His dark hair was fluffy, like he’d just blown it dry, flopping messily across his head. He looked cute.

“Uh, Hey, Y/N.” He replied, scratching at his chin.

“How are you?” You asked, looking up at him, watching as his dark eyes darted from your face to the walls around you.

“I’m ok; I’m good. How’re you?”

“Yeah, I’m OK.” You nodded, shifting your feet as the two of you plunged into awkward silence. “I heard you had a good time in California.”

He looked down at you, eyebrows rising in surprise. “From Jin?” You nodded and he continued, “yeah, it was a really cool experience.”

You paused; tongue heavy with the words you wanted to say. I miss you, I’m sorry, I was scared. Nothing felt right, but you should have known your mouth would run before you could really think it through. “I also heard about…you know, about Beth.”

Taehyung frowned, jaw ticking as he clenched his teeth. Perhaps Jin wasn’t supposed to say anything about that, but you’d been the first to see them after all.

“How long have you guys been together?” You asked awkwardly, the words uncomfortable in your mouth.

“A little over two weeks.” He said and he sounded annoyed with you. Your heart wilted at the thought.

“Oh.” You nodded.

“Why oh?”

“I guess it just feels kind of fast.” You commented softly, shrugging.

“It’s been over two months, Y/N, it hasn’t been that fast. We were never even together. How long do you expect me to pine for someone that doesn’t want me?”

“It was never a matter of not wanting, Taehyung.” You insisted.

“Whatever you want to call it, it doesn’t matter; you rejected me so why are you acting like this?”

“Why her?” You asked.

“Who, Beth?” At your nod he frowned, “I’m sorry, but it’s honestly none of your business. I offered up my whole heart and you didn’t want it so now it’s time we both move on.” He looked into the distance, nodding at someone over your shoulder, “Look, I gotta go. Have a good semester, ok?” He reached up to pat your shoulder but stopped suddenly, staring at you in discomfort before fisting his hand and dropping it to his side, walking around you.

You wanted to be sick all over again. You’d really messed up. Not only had you lost out on a guy you’d really liked, but you’d destroyed a friendship. Your bottom lip trembled at the thought, but you refused to lose another night of studying to an all-night cry session. You rounded your shoulders, making your way to a desk at the back of the library and sitting down.

Your broken heart would just have to wait.

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Only two more chapters left in this story and I promise they are MUCH happier than these last few! Thank you so much for sticking around. Please let me know what you think. I’m so curious! xx

Chapter 13

Chapter 15

#taehyung scenario #taehyung fluff #taehyung angst #taehyung x reader #taehyung fanfic

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lizziestudieshistory · 5 years

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Study tips for new undergraduates!

I was going to write the final instalment of my Oxbridge application guide for postgrads today - but then I realised it was the first day of university for most students here in the UK (I am jealous, my lectures don’t start until mid-October.) So, as I have an undergraduate degree, I thought I’d give some advice to new students for academic success.

Check your emails. You won’t believe how many students rarely (or never) check their academic emails. You MUST read them EVERY DAY! Information is regularly sent out about events, timetable changes, mandatory reading, and so much more. Failure to check your emails is never a valid excuse for missing something important. Personally, I check my emails several times a day, including weekend, however, I would also recommend setting your academic account up on your phone.

Do your readings. This seems like a silly piece of advice, especially as it seems so obvious. However, in your first couple of weeks you’re going to be eager, enthusiastic, and worried about coming across badly to your lecturers and fellow students. By week four or five these feelings will have faded and you’ll want to skip that 70 page article on Kennan’s containment policy (I speak from experience here), but it’s best if you read that article and make sure you have something to contribute to a seminar - you’re doing yourself a favour here... However...

Learn to scan texts and skim read. In regards to that 70 page article, you really don’t want or need to read the ENTIRE ARTICLE word for word. Learn how to read selectively so you pick up the relevant information without spending 4 hours on it. You need to read the introduction and conclusion, then scan the rest of the article for the relevant points and the general argument. (Feel free to ask if you want more detailed advice on this!)

Read critically. Don’t just accept an argument! Ask why the author is making this point, does their evidence support their argument? Are the author’s sources being twisted to fit their argument? Are they source-mining? Do you agree with their point? If so, why, or why not? What does the rest of the literature around the topic say? You need to ask questions of any journal article, monograph, or essay. Form your own opinions on a topic, don’t just regurgitate someone else’s argument! (Again feel free to ask for more detailed advice.)

Prepare for a lecture. If you can write down the information on the slides beforehand and use the lecture time to record down the information you’re given that’s not on the slides - a lot of people miss this because they’re writing notes from the slides...

Shorthand notes. Write lecture notes in shorthand - never write sentences out in full. Whether this means you use actual shorthand, bullet points, symbols, or any other form of short note taking method. You miss more information when writing out notes in full (even on a laptop). Take as many brief notes as possible and write them up in full afterwards (if you want, I never bothered because I understood my notes.)

Turn up to lectures/seminars. Sounds obvious, but I once had a first year seminar for 30 people, only 5 turned up, and a major part of our exam was on that topic... It may be tempting to skip, but unless you have to just go to the lecture/seminar. It often takes twice as long to catch up with what you missed, so the time spent in the lecture is not a waste. (You’re likely paying for the privilege to be there as well so take advantage of that!)

Don’t compare yourself to other students. It causes so much unnecessary anxiety to compare your grades, essays, seminar discussions, and so on to your class cohort. It’s easy to do, and I think all of us compare ourselves at some point. However, remember you are your own person, making your own study, and as long as you’re trying you shouldn’t compare yourselves to other. I spent most of my first year comparing myself to everyone in my seminar groups because I had a ridiculous desire to be the best student in the year. It led studying for nearly 12 hours a day, I was deeply unhappy, and suffered severe burn out. It wasn’t worth it. Enjoy your studies, work at your own pace, and you’ll thrive!

Speak in seminars. If you have something to say, say it. We’ve all been in painful seminars where no one will speak and two or three people are carrying all of the discussion. No one is going to care what you say, no one is going to remember it in a few minutes anyway. Voice your opinions, debate arguments you disagree with, and learn! This is what seminars are for! If you’re really uncomfortable speaking then don’t, however, most seminars are safe spaces to explore ideas (or they’re supposed to be) take the opportunity to explore your ideas and perhaps push yourself out of your comfort zone.

Ignore that Guy. This is not necessarily a bloke - but it’s that person in your classes who speaks out of their arse, knows a little bit about everything but nothing in detail, and has an opinion they MUST express. You know the one I’m talking about. It can be hard but don’t take everything they say as gospel truth, don’t let them make you feel inadequate, and challenge them if you disagree! 99% of the time they don’t really know what they’re talking about, the lecturer/seminar leader will know they’re speaking out of their arse, and they WANT you to argue with them. If you’ve done the reading and have a genuine reason to disagree there’s no reason to let them dominate any discussion.

Tutorials! Go and see your lecturers and ask them questions. They are a resource as much as any textbook, monograph, or article. Don’t be afraid to arrange a tutorial with them to discuss a topic, essay, or even get feedback. I was constantly arranging tutorials and I got some of the best guidance of my undergrad degree in these meetings. Use the office hours when you need to and talk to your lecturers.

Read assignment briefs/exam questions thoroughly. Make sure you understand what to do before you start planning answers and conducting research. It will save you time and pain, it will also mean you actually do what you’re required to do rather than writing an answer to a different question/brief.

Proof read everything. Please proof read your essays/PowerPoints/exam answers. Catch as many silly mistakes or gaping holes in your argument as much as possible, otherwise your answers will look sloppy. A great way to catch grammatical/spelling mistakes is to read your answers out loud, if possible. It’s even better if you have a study buddy or friend to swap essays with to SPAG check. I swapped all my assignments with my lovely friend Danielle - we even swapped our dissertations - and we helped each other so much with SPAG and arguments. (Do be aware of plagiarism though! Make sure you trust the other person to write their own essay, and ideally write answers to different questions. The best way to guard against this is to swap essays at the same time.)

Take care of your mental and physical health. Don’t let your life become solely studying. Take care of yourself and learn habits that help you deal with stress. Make sure you keep up with your hobbies and take time off studying. You’ll be much happier for it!

I’m sure I’ve missed a lot of other bits and pieces of advice, but I hope some of this helps someone out there! If you have any other advice please add it!

#studyblr #undergraduate #study tips #university #college

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daybreak-academy-fanfic · 4 years

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Daybreak Academy: Chapter 09

Multitasking Macarons

Summary: In which Skuld tries to bake macarons and study for a test at the same time. Word Count: 1,244 First | Previous | Next ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ �� ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆

She didn't know the recipe by heart, but she knew it well enough to assume that she could bake and prepare for a quiz at the same time. The macarons needed at least a day to properly 'rise' once they were sandwiched together, but she also had a quiz due in a classic literature course. It made sense to do them at the same time- there had been plenty of opportunities to review her course work while working on the macarons.

It started out pretty well, honestly. She hummed as she mixed the dry ingredients together, glancing over at her textbook every now and again to review her notes. When it was time to mix the wet ingredients, Skuld timed each beat of the mixer with the names of the important characters in the assigned story.

The recipe eventually instructed for you to drop the tray a few times to release the air bubbles, or else the macarons would come out too flat. Skuld let the pan drop to the counter top with a very loud thud. She flinched at the impact, but something wicked sparked within her. She picked up the tray again and let it fall once more. Then she did it again, and again, and again. Skuld wasn't even aware of when she started to grip the tray at the ends to purposely slam the tray into the counter. It got to the point that it looked like she was trying to beat a small ant with the whole tray. Each clang of the tray inspired another- she didn't even notice that she was starting to inch the tray closer and closer to the counter's edge.

To say Skuld cursed when the tray went flying through the air, slamming right into the ground with a worse clatter than before, would have been an understatement. Oh no, Skuld was sent into a flying rage. She cursed, she screamed, she even kicked the counter before quickly doubling over in pain. Slowly, all but grumbling the entire time, she gathered herself back up and started to mix the wet ingredients again.

It took another twenty minutes to get back to where she left off. The entire time she didn't dare look at her text book. This time, after dropping the tray five times, let it sit on the counter. Skuld sighed as she reached for a timer. She set it for 30 minutes, then she walked over to the oven and turned it on for preheating. The school's ovens took forever to properly heat up anyway, it would be the perfect time to study.

Skuld pulled up a bar stool to the counter and started to read through her text book. The chapter she was going through was about the setting of the story. 'The main setting of Robin Hood takes place in the township of Nottingham, a real world location that predates the Anglo-Saxon era. Nottingham Castle, built in roughly 1068, is used during the climax in many versions of this classic tale. Prince John's occupation of the castle coincides with King Richard's real world absence during the Crusades.'

The words on the page started to fade out as Skuld read on. She wasn't aware that she had fallen asleep until she felt someone shaking her.

“Hey Skuld, you awake there?”

The girl lazily rolled her head to look up at whoever was shaking her, and was greeted with Ephemer's rather concerned face.

“I'm up.” she insisted, despite her sluggish voice indicating otherwise.

“Did you know you left the oven on?”

Suddenly, Skuld was wide awake as she jumped off the bar stool and to the oven. She let out a sigh of relief when she realized that the macaron shells were not there. Then she looked around for the shells, and let out another sigh of relief when she saw them on the counter. Ephemer, on the other hand, watched her do all this with a raise of his eyebrow.

He continued to watch as Skuld placed the shells in the oven and set her timer for 17 minutes. Only then did she look up at him.

“What?”

Ephemer looked his friend up and down, as if he was expecting to see something amiss, before he finally said, “When did you start baking?”

Skuld raised an eyebrow, not sure what he was getting at. “Maybe around 3:30, maybe 4.” She paused for a moment before skeptically adding, “What time is it now?”

“7:07.”

Skuld's eyes grew as wide as saucers. “Jiminy Cricket, are you serious?”

Her answer came in the form of a short nod.

“I don't enough time to bake!” she declared. “I need to get back to my dorm and study, I need to take more notes, I need to… to…!”

“Take a deep breath.” her friend informed her as he moved close enough to put his hands on her shoulders. “Follow me, okay? Breath in, then breath out. Breath in...”

Not thinking she had much of a choice, Skuld did as her friend instructed. He forced her to control her breathing for a few minutes before he stepped away. Admittedly, she felt a bit better.

“Thanks.” she said to him. “I just… Today's not been the best, okay? I've been trying to study for a test, and I ruined an entire batch of macarons...”

“Would you like some help?”

Skuld looked at him. It wasn't like him to be so blunt, or serious. Eventually, her body sagged in defeat. “Yes.” she agreed. “Please? I still haven't mixed up the icing and there should still be a batch of shells to bake.”

And just like that, Ephemer's serious expression was immediately replaced with a bright grin. “Then let's get cooking!” he cheerfully told her. Despite herself, Skuld grinned as well.

The next hour was spend with the two of them finishing the macarons. Ephemer had no shortage of things to tell her- from going on about the things he overheard the headmasters say, to way too many sugar based puns. After Skuld placed icing on the last two macarons, she placed them in a small container so she could store them for later.

“So,” Ephemer mused as he started to reach for the macarons, “Since I helped, I get to have a few samples. Right?”

“Oh no, you don't.” Skuld chastised, playfully swatting his hand away. “These are for Valentines. Can't you just wait two days? If that?”

But Ephemer gave her his best puppy pout in response. It wasn't long before both of them went into a joyful belly laugh. When the two calmed down again, there was nothing but good will between them.

“Hey Skuld,” Ephemer then entertained. “You know our school motto?”

Skuld raised a bemused eyebrow at him. “Yeah?” she agreed.

“It's kinda perfect to repeat this time of year, you know?” he then went on. “It's something you say when you're about to make an important decision. Or when you're unsure of the future and just need something to keep yourself grounded. It's a good phrase, pretty much useful in any situation.”

“Why are you telling me this?” his friend asked with a bemused half smile.

“I dunno.” he playfully mused. “Just something to think about, I guess.”

Skuld thought it over for a moment. She started to nod her head in agreement.

“May your heart be your guiding key.” she thoughtfully said.

“May your heart be your guiding key.” Ephemer agreed with a grin.

#daybreak academy #chapter 9 #kingdom hearts fanfiction #Skuld #Ephemer #Valentines 2020 #Season 1

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studyinthemoon · 5 years

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Everything I learned during my first year at uni

Hi! If you don’t know me, I’m Louise, a English student at uni in France. My first year ended mid april and I decided it was time i wrote more about my experiences

(if you want to know something specific about uni in France feel free to ask me)

--- Food ---

I’ve never had lunch at the different uni’s cafeterias because it was always crowded but here is what i learned:

• if your student ID can be used to pay for lunch and if you have spare money to add on that card please do this, it can really help you

• Some locations require cash, other a card. Be aware of this and, if you can, always carry a little cash with you (I had a pocket full of cents for this)

• We had a sort of supermarket that was selling food, stationary but also personal hygiene products. It was very cheap AND they were still offering coupons if you became a member. Those kinds of deals can save you so ask around or look up on internet to know if your uni has that kind of stores

• Again for stores, one of my friend told me that one store close to our uni would take into account your wage and would help you. So for example, she bought a lot of stuff that would have costed her around 30 € but instead she got everything for 2 or 3 €

• ALWAYS CARRY A BOTTLE OF WATER. Again it can change your day and help you a lot (and if you have to take meds it helps too)

• Oh last thing for this section: not all places have vegan/vegetarian/halal/kosher options so I would suggest to look up on internet if it’s available or bring your own food if you can

--- Computer or notebook? ---

honestly i feel like it’s up to you. Some professors want student to only bring one of the two options so, ask the first day what they prefer you to use

(if you need a computer for medical reason that’s another thing)

• Computers are great if you can download the material before the class/lecture instead of printing. It was really helpful for me especially for Arabic Civilization because of how fast my professor changed the slide

• I do prefer to use one single notebook (except for Modern Standard Arabic) for all my classes because it has removable pages. During my first semester I also carried a HUGE binder and even if it was great, at the end of the day it was a lot of weight for nothing

If you live in Europe here is the notebook I’ve been using for the past 3 years or so: 4 in 1 lecture notebook

Other alternatives:

Oxford Activebook Oxford Bloc Clairefontaine Studium

--- Textbooks ---

• Personally I bought all the textbooks (and books i was supposed to study but that’s a story for another day). Some were suggested for further readings, other were required.

• But required doesn’t mean BUY this textbook (at least not for us)

• One teacher told us he could send us a link to download the textbook if we wanted, or that it was available at the library. (at the end of the year this textbook wasn’t worth it)

• For another class, people took pictures of the textbook. The chapters were even available online for us

• My point is: if you can borrow the textbooks, do it. Unless you notice that you have to use it a lot/highlight/take notes ON the textbook and that you can afford it, buy it. Otherwise I would suggest you to save your money

• But again it depends on your classes and your professors

-- IMPORTANT --

ok now to the important advice:

• if you have a job while also being a student maybe warn your professor if you think you won’t be available or if it will impact you

• Your health is important. Same goes for your mental health. You need to skip that class because [insert problem/symptoms/other], do it. Take time for yourself, please.

• It’s okay to spend time alone, or if you don’t join a club. You’re not worth less. Same goes for your grade, it doesn’t define your worth

• Not everyone is good for you and want to help you. It’s okay (and important) to distance yourself from toxic person

• Do what makes you happy. It can mean something different to everyone. For me, it was to sign up for my minor which is Arabic and it was the best decision I’ve ever made

• please take notes during the first day of classes

if it can help you use a single sheet of paper or open a new document on your computer dedicated to important stuff. Like seriously, almost all of my classmates got stressed for nothing because they didn’t pay attention to information (and sometimes it was information that we heard EVERY WEEK)

please don’t be like them (I don’t want to be mean but they acted like tourists in their own B.A.)

I’m going to use an example:

Class: Phonetic

Professor: [insert name]

Email: [insert email]

Finals/Exams: only 1 during the semester. Revise chapter 2 to 4. Exam takes place during week 11

Other: you can find the material online [insert website name / url]. Professor available on date X if you need to ask something

• If your uni use a specific email server please try to check them every day if you can. For us it was helpful to know if a class was cancelled, to learn about jobs available on campus, emergency...

• But more importantly: I had a lot of online classes that required a lot of attention and time. There, we could find a lot of information such as: date of exam, what is important for our grade, assignment...

• If it’s the same for you, please check the site regularly! Again, many of my classmates didn’t pay attention and were lost

Hope it was helpful! ♥ If i can think of something else i will add it here. (Sorry for the repetition of the word ‘important’)

#uni advice #college advice #uni #college #uni life #college life #studyblr #studyinthemoon #mine #studyspo

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penguin-writes-books · 6 years

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That Damned Universe - Chapter 2

Chapter 1

AO3

Cyrus woke to his alarm, going off at exactly 5:55 am, as it always had- Cyrus was sure it always would. He rolled over with a sigh, sitting up in bed as he slammed his alarm off. Shoving his covers off, he looked around. It took a moment to readjust to his surroundings- right. Lincoln Academy. Cyrus glanced at his roommate's bed, only to find it already empty. TJ had made it before he left, bedding pulled into place without a wrinkle. Cyrus grabbed his uniform, stepping into the bathroom to change. At first, he fumbled about with his dark red tie but later got it, moving on to his hair. Checking his watch, he found that he had an hour and 3 minutes until his first class. He deemed it just enough time to go to breakfast and check his textbooks out from the library. Cyrus grabbed his bag and his phone, texting his parents good morning before calling Andi. "Hey, Cyrus!" she greeted. "Hey, I'm on my way down. You ready for breakfast?" Cyrus asked, holding his phone between his ear and his shoulder so he could lock the door. "Yes! We're starving," Andi replied dramatically. Cyrus chuckled, hanging up as he jogged downstairs. His knuckles had barely made contact with their door when it swung open, revealing Andi and Buffy. They were both wearing their uniforms; white button-down shirts and gray cardigans. The cardigans, of course, had the red Lincoln Academy motto embroidered into them. This paired well with their gray and red plaid skirts, and red ties. "Well don't you two look darling," Cyrus teased, gesturing his head towards the staircase. "Don't make fun, this outfit is bad enough as it is," Buffy chided, locking their door, and jogging after them. "I know, I know. I'm not particularly fond of wearing a blazer every day." "No one is, Cy," Andi said, pushing the doors out of the dorm open. The trio crossed the lawn towards Carver Hall. They each swiped their meal cards at the doors and stepping inside. Hundreds of students filled the expansive cafeteria, their voices overlapping to create a loud buzzing in the room. "What are we feeling today?" Cyrus asked, looking around at the food. "Lots of coffee, I hope," Buffy joked, leading them to the drinks. They each poured a cup of coffee, turning around to survey the cafeteria. "How about cereal?" Cyrus offered, gesturing to the cereal bar. "Good enough," Andi shrugged. "I'm too nervous to eat much anyway." The group wove through the students milling about, each pouring an identical bowl of cereal- Rice Krispies and Cap'n Crunch with 2% milk. They found a table in the corner, sitting down and digging in, watching the cliques form around them. Cyrus caught the eye of TJ, sitting across the cafeteria with his friends. The corner of TJ's mouth pulled into a slight smile before he turned back to the conversation he was having. Cyrus blushed, looking down to his cereal and pushing it around his bowl with the back of his spoon. "Who's that?" Andi asked, nudging Cyrus. "Oh, that's my roommate," Cyrus waved her off as Buffy glanced up to find TJ looking over his shoulder at Cyrus. "What's he like?" "Um, has a twin sister- Amber. She seems nice, but she's a ninth grader; long story. From LA, plays basketball, likes cats better than dogs..." He paused, thinking. "Um, and hates the universe." "Bowie would disapprove," Andi chuckled. "Is he nice?" "I think so," Cyrus said. "I can't decide if he's nice, a little odd, or a serial killer yet." "Keep us posted," Buffy said. "So, do you like him?" "Buffy!" "What? he's your type!" Buffy defended. "What's that supposed to mean?!" "Athletic and unobtainable," Andi offered. Cyrus shook his head, swatting them both in the head. "Okay, in hopes of escaping this torment," Cyrus said as he gathered his things, having finished eating. "I'm going to the library to get my books." "Okay, bye!" Andi said, hugging him. "Good luck! See you at lunch?" "Of course," Cyrus promised. "Good luck, you two." He started to walk away, but Buffy's voice stopped him. "Cyrus!" "Yeah?" he asked, turning around. "You nervous?" Cyrus smiled, nodding. "We'll be alright, Buffy." With that, Cyrus turned and left, passing by TJ's table as he did. TJ smiled up at him, and Cyrus felt his heart melting. He turned to look at Buffy and Andi, who were both snickering at him. Cyrus rolled his eyes playfully, putting his dishes away. With that, he walked out of Carver and towards the massive library building behind his dorm. He stepped inside, inhaling the warm scent of books, before walking up to the desk, where a librarian sat. "Hi, I need to check out my textbooks," he said. "Oh, okay!" the librarian- Mrs. Bell, her desk read- said brightly. She turned to her computer. "Last name?" "Goodman." Mrs. Bell typed his last name in, scrolling through a list of names. "First name Cyrus?" "That's me," Cyrus confirmed. Mrs. Bell smiled, clicking on his name and writing the titles of his books on a sheet of paper. "Alright, we have science, English, history, French, and math." She gestured to the first five things on his list. "And your assigned reading for this trimester in English." She pointed to the other two things on the list- To Kill a Mockingbird and Fahrenheit 451. "Okay," Cyrus said, looking over the list. "Bring all those back here and I can check them out to you. Textbooks are on the first and second shelves and assigned reading books are on the third and fourth. Tell me if you can't find something or if one of those isn't in." "Got it," Cyrus said, nodding as he took in the information. "Thank you!" "Of course, it is my job after all." Cyrus smiled and set off into the library to find his books. He managed to hunt them all down with minimal effort, setting the seven books on Mrs. Bell's desk when he got back. "I think I got them all," he said, counting the books he'd set down. "You did! Great job, I couldn't have done that my first day here. You certainly know your way around a library." "Yeah, I'm kind of a book nerd," Cyrus said, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I can see that," Mrs. Bell said, gesturing to his overfilled bag. "You know, you'd make a great assistant," she said, clearly deep in thought as she scanned his books. "What do you mean?" "What do you say to a job?" "Working in the library?" Cyrus asked, his eyes widening. "Yeah, why not? Shelf some books, make some money," Mrs. Bell proposed. "You could start today after school. We have a lot of books to shelf at the beginning of the year." "I-I'd love that!" Cyrus exclaimed. "It pays next to nothing, but I think you could have some fun. Be here from 4 to 5:30 on Mondays and Fridays?" "Of course! I'd love to! Only Mondays and Fridays?" "Yeah, we've got lots of students working in here." "Oh, okay! I'd love that!" "Alright then, you're all set. See you at 4," Mrs. Bell said, sliding him the stack of books. "See ya!" Cyrus said, picking up his books and leaving the library, a smile on his face as he climbed the stairs back to his room, leaving his books for his afternoon classes on the desk. He managed to find his way to his first class- American History- without much trouble (of course, he did walk into the wrong building at one point), sitting down in his assigned seat and hanging his bag over the back of his chair. Mr. Marlow walked into the room just as the clock ticked to 8:20. "Hello and welcome to American History!" he exclaimed, leaning against his desk. "I am Mr. Marlow, we are in room 132 in Branford Hall, and now would be a great time to ensure you are in the right class." A collective chuckle spread through the students, but everyone checked their schedules anyway. Three people stood up, rushing out of the room to find another and a few minutes later, four others came in, sitting down at the empty desks around the room. The forty minute class period passed quickly, but finished with a bang when Mr. Marlow assigned them a two-page essay on the first chapter of the textbook, due by 11:59 pm Friday. The day continued similarly. By lunch, he'd accumulated a total of 8 pages of essays in just three of his four morning classes. The only essay he hadn't been assigned an essay in was Science. However, he did have to write a detailed summary of the nebular hypothesis by class tomorrow. He trudged back into Carver hall, dropping his things on their table and sitting next to his best friends. "You okay?" Buffy asked with a chuckle, scribbling in a composition notebook. "So many essays to write," Cyrus grumbled, opening his laptop and history textbook, looking down at it as he typed. "You too?" Andi groaned, crossing out a wrong answer on her math homework. "Yep," Cyrus nodded, not taking his eyes from his screen. "We're pathetic," Buffy said. "Study together at 4?" "Can't," Cyrus responded. "I have library duty tonight." "Cyrus! We've been here for 26 hours and you already have a job!" Andi exclaimed in disbelief. "The librarian liked me!" Cyrus defended. Buffy chuckled, finishing her notes and standing up. "I'm getting lunch, what do you two want?" "Pizza," Cyrus andd Andi responded in unison. "Pepperoni." "...That was terrifying, but I'll be back." Buffy came back a few minutes later, carrying two plates, each piled high with something like 9 slices of pizza. "Bless you," Cyrus said, pulling the top slice off the stack. "Buffy," Andi started, taking a slice. "This is 17 slices of pizza." "I know! And this," Buffy gestured to the general state of their table. "Is a major study coma! We need sustenance!" "And when we inevitably can't finish all of this?" Cyrus asked. "We sneak the rest back to our rooms," Buffy shrugged. "Fair enough," Andi seemed to accept that as a good plan, going back to her math homework. They ended up each bringing three slices of pizza back to their rooms; they wrapped each slice in napkins and put them in their bags. Cyrus dropped the pizza on his desk- he'd have it for dinner instead of deducting points from his meal plan. He quickly changed into his PE uniform, rushing to the gymnasium just in time to stand in a room full of sweaty teenagers and chase after a ball for 40 minutes. Forty minutes later, having gained zero life skills and three bruises, he went back to his room to shower and change, only to find TJ sitting on his bed cross-legged, studying. "Oh, hey," he said, pulling his uniform back out of his dresser. "Free period?" "Yeah, I'm not taking an alternating elective this tri, so I have nothing to do 6th period on A days but study my ass off," TJ chuckled. "You get slammed with homework too?" Cyrus asked sympathetically, crouching to pull a towel out of a lower drawer. "Brutally," TJ confirmed. "I blame the universe." "As you should," Cyrus laughed, crossing the room towards the bathroom. "That damned universe, always getting in the way." With that, he swung the door shut behind him, pushing the lock into place. Ten minutes later, he emerged again, his hair toweled dry, tying his tie around his neck. "That was the fastest shower known to mankind," TJ marveled, watching Cyrus grab his things and throw his PE uniform in his hamper. "Well, I was going for a record," Cyrus joked. "Also, I have psychology in seven minutes." "Psychology?" TJ asked. "Yeah, all four of my parents are therapists. Some things stick, I guess," Cyrus laughed, switching his morning books for his math textbook. "Alright, I gotta go, good luck with the studying thing!" "Good luck with psych," TJ replied, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Thanks, I'll need it," Cyrus called over his shoulder as the door clicked shut behind him. Cyrus was just in time for psychology, earning a very stern look from Mrs. Barnett. "Sorry, won't happen again," he promised, taking a seat in the back of the class and pulling out his psych notebook. He took extensive notes all class to make up for his near tardiness, and ended up filling 5 pages of notes. Luckily, Mrs. Barnett didn't assign them any homework for that night, so Cyrus was left with only four classes of homework, plus inevitably some for geometry. Cyrus, desperately not wanting to relive what happened with 6th period, practically ran to geometry, and ended up getting there 17 minutes early. Looking around, he chose a seat at a table near the back, pulling his things out of his bag. Mrs. Bailey walked in a few moments later, greeting Cyrus and telling him he'd need graph paper today. Cyrus nodded, pulling a folder of graph paper out of his bag. "Hey, Cyrus!" Buffy's voice pulled him from his thoughts as she sat next to him, hugging him hello. Over Buffy's shoulder, Cyrus saw TJ step into the room, and waved at him brightly. TJ looked between Buffy and Cyrus, his brow furrowing, then brushed past Cyrus's table, sitting on the opposite side of the room. "What was that?" Buffy hissed to Cyrus. "I have no idea," Cyrus replied. "Definitely more points in the serial killer column, though," Buffy whispered. "A solid twenty, definitely."

#andi mack #tyrus #tj kippen #cyrus goodman #that damned universe fic

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cassraven · 6 years

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First Day of Fall Semester, I Survived

Tuesday was my first day back in college classes for the Fall Semester. What a day! Literally, after coming home later yesterday Tuesday evening, I felt exhausted, said hi to my Mum, sister, my cat furbabies Ziggy Stardust and Enid Coleslaw before I dragged myself to go shower, get into my favorite band t-shirt of MyChemicalRomance and Adventure Time pajama shorts before crashing sleeping for a couple hours in bed like Usagi until I randomly woke up around midnight getting hungry for a midnight snack; cheese and deli meat slices. Yum.

I got to the campus a few hours early that afternoon; the campus parking lots, grounds were all crowded. The bookstore when I decided to go first thing there to see if they had my textbook orders in, to get them way before class time didn't happen. (There were nonstop lines inside and outside of the student store/campus bookstore. It looked like an SDCC extreme line for a panel! I was told by one of the bookstore workers that it'd take two hours for me to get to be seen in the bookstore line. To just, “Come by the bookstore windows inside after your class. We'll still be open until 6pm tonight.” So did was she strongly suggested.)

After visiting/chatting with one of my former professors from some Sociology classes (after running into her in the quad), I took off to eat my Bento Lunch upstairs in the second level balcony floors of the Quad. Found my classroom, chilled waiting for 2pm class, doodling some Sailor Moon doodling and sketches in my sketchbook I brought with me to class. Then 2pm rolled around quick. Everyone in my class of 48 students to my relief was all fine arts drawing/painting, theater, animation, art media, gaming creator, or music students/majors. It felt comfortable being surrounded by fellow art students, especially when I noticed majority were all Harry Potter, Anime, Comic DC/Marvel, and Horror fans by their shirts and things they carried on them. Even sat right next to a Sailor Moon fan who geeked out seeing my Sailor Moon Keychains; we chatted about Sailor Moon Crystal happily until the professor came in 5 minutes late to class.

My class of Philosophy of Fine Arts is twice a week for an hour ½. It consists of a 10 min to 20 min of lecture and us taking notes. Then followed by us all verbally discussing the day before prior readings for homework assignments, asking any questions we have for him concerning from readings or notes we made. Then we just do discussions concerning things related to our textbooks, reading, topics of today's world, movies, all kinds of fields/things concerning the fine arts with philosophy. The “homework” I'll be doing for the class is simply being assigned anywhere from 5 to 7 pages to read, make notes/questions wanting to answer from either one of the various assigned three small-sized textbooks we have assigned. As well as being given articles to do the same thing in class or for homework.

The only “tests” we have he informed us are random 5 question reading quizzes.

Other than that, we're between the months assigned just thought-themed-topic-question assignment papers to write for out of class work/other homework. Thankfully, to my classmates and my shocked-delight; our professor doesn't believe in “normal” final exams or general exams; instead for our 'exam weeks', he will be just assigning us a third Term Paper/Final Thought Opinion Essay of 5 to 6 pages on anything he topic-opinion assigns and that's it. So far, my instructor has a good sense of humor, personality, was excited to teach us about things covering the fines arts from the Philosophy and Critical Thinking-sharing your own personal thoughts and opinions point of view. I was digging his class, the environment feeling comfortable, surrounded by other fellow art majors/artists/geeks/anime junkies/cosplayers/goths/punks/outcasts.

After class, I got to enjoy personal hell waiting in nonstop lines for 30 minutes to 20 more minutes in a checkout line to pick up my textbooks, purchasing an extra notebook, pack of stick-it-post-it notes, and portfolio recycled folder file when remembering my professor telling us in class we'd need three notebooks (one for class lecture notes, one for two of our main textbooks, and one for articles we dissect/note take on/make thought key terms for to keep everything organized separately.) I was relieved when I was finally able to exit the bookstore after it was all done, got a ride from my boyfriend by 4pm. Went to get tacos from a taco place downtown from the campus and arts downtown district; Taco Tuesday tacos for dinner were heaven!!! Then made plans for Saturday to hit Barnes & Nobles in town with my guy Bradley to stock up on a new thesaurus and dictionary to have with me on the go for study/note/reading guide or writing papers at home and in cram sessions in the campus library. For those times when wireless on internet phone connect die in our campus areas when reception and wireless won't work. Especially sometimes in the library and quad building. (And ahem...get my hands on the new Sailor Moon Mangas of Volume #1-3...to add to my manga collection hehe!)

Looking forward to this class and Friday's Printmaking Studio Art class where I'll be making new relief-carvings to make new projects of printing/printed patch and paper print pieces for student work, and back piece sew patches to sell on my Etsy shop later this Fall/Christmas Season. XO

#survived back to school day one #fall semester first day back #autumn semester #college life #textbooks #class #arts #art philosophy #future buying more new books and mangas #yay #was a tiring day

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chicengineering-blog · 6 years

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How to Ace Any STEM Course!! (Study Tips)

Being a Biomedical Engineering Student has really forced me to understand and increase my knowledge in various Engineering and Medical related topics. A very general way of describing this field is that we are the bridge between the Engineering Field and the Medical Field. It is our job to fully analyze and make sure the design we create and process is safe from an engineering point of view, and at the same time we are trained to make sure that our engineered prototype is medically safe enough for the given patient. Due to these factors we are trained in various different courses across the board really. So, as time has progressed I’ve gained many studying techniques I use to this very day that help me do well in an analytical engineering course or a heavy memorization based course such as Biology or Biochemistry. However, all of these courses require you truly to understand the topic. Simply memorizing things never really worked well for me!

For Biology/Biochemistry Related Courses

These courses usually required me a bit of time to understand and really memorize some of the material. So firstly I would plan out a chunk of time before any exam which I would fully dedicate to just simply study. I usually give myself 5 -7 days. If you need more take more that’s fine! Utilizing your lecture notes is key here. I would read my lecture notes right before class and after class as well. This should just take 10-15 mins. This isn’t meant to make you know everything about the topic, it’s just simply easing you into each lecture. That way you feel somewhat confident going to class. Next, every night I would take the lecture notes and make them into my own separate notes. This is the part of actually understanding the concepts in detail. I find writing everything out while saying it out loud actually really helped me grasp the material faster. So I would make my notes for each chapter, before the exam. Again reading it out loud, while writing it. Also I was never the person to really focus on making my notes aesthetically pretty. A lot of students in my classed had beautiful notes, and when I tried doing that I found I never really understood as much material as I should have. So find what works for you! If you love making pretty notes and it helps you do well, go for it! I however, have notes that look like chicken scratch. I would only highlight/underline key vocabulary and points I knew the professor would test on their exam. The notes I would usually have done around 4 days before my exam. Next, was just reviewing my notes and adding to them. I also have another tip which is something that I’d never heard anyone do. You guys know those access codes you have to buy early in the semester, the ones you uses to access your mandatory homework assignments. Well use that online portal. I would ALWAYS use the “Study Area” or “Testing Area” from those portals. I would print out the practice exams from there with the answers and try to understand why those were the answer. This method would always allow me to understand key concepts. And if you think about it, the textbook publisher website definitely will know what you’ll be tested on. Since the professor is using their textbook! YouTube videos also really helped me better prep for exams. I would watch tutorials anytime I got stuck on a concept. Great accounts I would suggest you checkout are BozmanBiology and AKLectures!

For Engineering Courses e.g. Circuits, Mechanics, Processes Course, etc.…

I can’t emphasize enough that practicing problems is key here. There comes a time in your engineering degree, where the further you progress you don’t really get assigned homework. So all your grade depends on is essentially exams which are typically weighed 30-40% each. So this means, you are fully in charge of how much effort and work you put into a class. If your professor is using a specific textbook in your class use that to do your practice problems. I would usually go crazy doing this lol. I 99% of the time usually did all of the problems from the textbook before any exam. This would usually range from 100-200 problems. You do not have to do this many problems. If you do 10 and you understand that’s great. Personally, I just found the more I did the more I would understand each different scenario. And any time I would I would get stuck at a specific step, I would mark it first. Then I would refer to the solutions manual. The solutions manual is something that really helped me personally. But if I didn’t understand the solution in the manual I would put a sticky note on that problem. And I’d go running to my professor lol. I used office hours like no joke. I practically lived outside my professors’ office haha. There I would learn a lot more, on where specifically I was going wrong. Also keep in mind engineering exams are all about your process. When professors mark your work they could care less about the final answer. The answer itself is probably worth 2 out of 30 points. There’s been times where a problem is given and I’ve filled out 2 pages of work showing my process, but got 0 points for it. Simply because my process was wrong. So really understand how your professor grades, ask them questions. But show your work. Always. I would also be a part of a lot of group chats with my engineering friends. There we would post problems together and work on them together. These GROUP-ME chats are so useful because you can send pictures of your work to one another. I would highly suggest you join the GROUP-ME chats for your specific engineering course. Last but not least, before any of my engineering exams, I would create my own practice problems package. This usually consisted of 4 problems for each chapter. The first one would be the most basic/simplest example and the 4th problem would always be the most difficult practice problem possible. Between these 4 problems I would compare the differences and analyze why I did certain steps. I would use these packages all the time. Heck, I would even work on these packages with my friends. And when it came time for the final exam I already had around 12 packages ready to review quickly and efficiently.

I really hope you enjoyed reading this post, and found the tips above beneficial! I know it was long, but I really wanted to share these techniques I’ve learned over the years. I’m also thinking to write a blog post geared towards acing your coding/programming course! Since the studying for that is completely different. Let me know if you’d like for me to share that as well! Thanks for reading!

- Ramsha

#studyingtips engineering STEM AceYourExams

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nannynest · 3 years

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These tips will help you prepare your children for pre-school tests.

Are you worried that your child is overwhelmed by the preparation for a test?

Let's say your child loves school. They love their teachers and classmates. They do their homework every night. They are trying their best, but that enthusiasm and effort isn't translating into the academic gains and grades they desire. This may sound familiar? The key to teaching your child how to learn is to develop effective study skills which are taught at our play group in Mira Road.

It's not about one thing that makes you a success in the classroom. It's about the right combination of attitude, habits, effort, and willpower. This recipe relies on strong study skills, which are a learned behavior. Katie O'Brien, Hunter Maats, and co-authors of The Straight-A Conspiracy explain that Straight-A students aren't born. They're created. Every student in India can get the grades they want without stress. It is much easier to manage your emotions and put aside distractions and create a simple study plan that makes learning more enjoyable and faster than parents and students believe.

As a parent, what can you do to help your child learn the skills necessary for academic success? And how can you see the benefits beyond the classroom? These are some tips to help you get started.

Designate a study area for your students.

Is your child able to study at their desk? You should ask yourself whether it is well-lit and free from distractions. You should keep a range of study materials in your area such as colorful post-its and highlighters, pencils and pens, and scratch paper. Your child should be encouraged to own the space by allowing them to decorate it. Also, teach your child how to organize their desk every night so that they are ready for the next study session.

A planner is a must.

Effective study skills require time management. Make sure your student is familiar with how to keep track of homework. Make sure they write down the due dates for projects and homework, especially if it is given to them by their teacher in advance. It is important to keep up with these assignments. Preparing for important tests requires that your child breaks down the content and creates a review schedule. You can break down large projects in a similar way. Together, you can set milestones and work with your child on a schedule to complete these parts. This will help to reduce procrastination and cramming, as well as build confidence by helping your child manage their workload. Our Nursery school in Mira Road focus on developing such strategies.

Make sure to take effective notes.

Cornell Notes: Have you ever heard of them? Cornell Notes is a classic note-taking method that can be used to help your child retain the information they have learned. Studies show that handwriting notes is more effective at retaining information than using a computer or taking notes. Active reading strategies, such as taking notes and highlighting key themes or passages, can be very beneficial for retention.

For tests, practice.

It's not the best way to make sure your child is ready for the test. Encourage them to use flash cards or practice tests, and encourage them to be more interactive. It is a good strategy to ensure your child understands the material by asking them review questions and having them give short essays-style explanations.

Avoid cramming.

It is better to study a small amount of a subject each day than it is to spend more time on a single topic. Your student can be helped to create a study plan that allows them to practice different subjects over time. Even as little as 10 minutes per day can help. Encourage your student to take smart breaks between studying. A 15-minute break every hour can help students stay focused and productive.

Encourage your child to ask for help.

Maybe your student has difficulty understanding a lesson or the homework assignment. Asking for help when this happens (and it happens to all of us at one time or another) is crucial. Learn how to talk to teachers early and ask for help. Don't be afraid of raising concerns with your teacher. Another important lesson is to teach your child how you can help them build good working relationships with their classmates and ask for their support.

Avoid distraction.

Your student should learn how to turn off their devices and put away their computer. Multitasking can also hinder learning. Encourage your child to concentrate on one subject for a sustained time before moving onto the next. To maximize their ability to focus and make the most of the time they spend studying, it is important that your child develop healthy eating and sleeping habits.

Parents have many options to help their child learn the study skills that will make them a success in school. These great resources will give you more ideas:

These strategies can help you make it easier.

Your child can help you map out a study schedule for test taking.

A study schedule can be created, ranging from 15 to 30 minutes per night, depending on how old the child is, how much material they need to cover and how much homework they have to do.

This will allow you to manage your time better.

Decide what types of questions you will face on the test.

There are three options: essay, multiple-choice or short-answer.

Ask your child to tell you what he thinks the test will look like.

Take a look at the notes and sections of the textbook that address these topics.

Ask your child to identify the pages that were highlighted by the teacher and if there are maps, charts or additional reading he should know. We teach such things at nursery school in Mira Road.

Study questions from the teacher should be carefully reviewed and your child can help you write down key information and answers so that he can return to them later.

Keep in mind the basics of test-taking. For your child to remember and organize information, one tip is to use the five W's: who?, what? when? where and why. Teach test-taking skills. Your child should read the test through and answer all questions correctly. Then, she can return to questions she is unsure about later. This is not just to reinforce knowledge and understanding but also to build confidence in your child and lay the foundation for a lifetime full of study skills.

Continue with testing. Recommend your child for being cooperative and taking the time to study for the exam. If you aren't satisfied with the results, speak to the teacher.

Is your child worried about Friday's big test?

Is he unable to focus during studying?

It's not hard to see how stress can be caused by test-time.

These steps will make test preparation easier and help students feel confident for the next exam.The first two types of essays require students to be able to recall a lot of details and facts. For essay tests, it is important to think about the bigger picture.Discuss class notes, textbook chapters, questions, and other materials with your child and find out what you think is the most important information. Your child can help you write down key information and answers so that she can look them up later.

#play school in mira road #Playgroup school Mira Road

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