#the only class I don’t like is my film lecture

[soliusss]

art school was the best decision I made I think. I have class 3 days a week. 4 days off. Never overwhelmed. Homework is ramping up but I can manage it perfectly well and I still have chill and hobby time. Never felt better. Loving my classes. 3D stuff is really fun for me I feel like I did the right thing I’d be miserable doing anything but art

#halfway thru my assignment of 115 sketches #the only class I don’t like is my film lecture #though yesterday we had the craziest speaker come in and give the most bat shit insane girlboss lecture on Riverdale #it was like a YouTube video essay but better #nobody understood it for some reason except me #college is fun #I’m a dorm hobbit though #I don’t think that will ever change tho so I’m not worried #Solius posting #me and the roommate are chill but she still thinks I’m strange I think #we never talk we just exist there together lol #sometimes I try to talk but I sound like an insane person and she #never initiates convo so we just chill #cons of having no friends for 4 years: I do not know how to speak. literally

[hannie-dul-set]

THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER DRINK BEYOND YOUR LIMITS (OR MAYBE YOU SHOULD?)

p — CHOI SOOBIN x gn! reader. g — fluff, humor, lovestruck! soobin being a little dummy. w — drinking, swearing. 1.2k words.

note — heavily based on the manhwa “daybreaking romance" (soob as dong saebyeok ifykyk 😩). won second place in the poll (wdym we've been dating for 2 months??) so here u go!

the last thing soobin remembers after blacking out last night is the look in your eyes that nearly pulls him back into sobriety.

nearly, because he still wakes up on his living room rug the next morning, a burn on his cheek, without the recall how the fuck he got home, without a hint of what happened in between the blurry moments of now and seeing you outside the bar last night. the icy breeze still feels raw on his skin. the conflict in your eyes as his consciousness slips is still vivid in his memory.

choi soobin has become one with the rug, unable to lift his head up in shame and horror, until he remembers he still has an afternoon class to attend and the possibility of having made a fool out of himself in front of his ongoing, unrequited first love while he was drunk off his rockers isn’t a viable excuse for an absence.

“did you get home safe last night?”

the scribbles in his head become even more tangled up when you greet him in the classroom with a pleasant smile. “i think my head is gonna split open,” you say, taking the seat next to him, and soobin is looking at you with wide, unblinking eyes. “what’s up?”

“why...why are you here…?” is his chosen question, not did i do something stupid last night? nor will you forgive me for blacking out in front of you last night? 

you reply by cocking your head. “am not allowed to sit here?”

“of— of course you are.” shit, you’re too cute, soobin thinks to himself all in the midst of racking his brain as to what the fuck did he do last night, and why the fuck did you decide to sit next to him when prior to last night, you two have only been close enough to exchange greetings in the hallways, return smiles during unexpected meetups at the campus cafe, and text each other when you’re assigned group work.

“so, where do you want to eat?”

“huh?” he blinks at you.

“what?” you look up at him after fixing your things, ready to leave the lecture room. “how about hangover soup? that sounds good, doesn’t it?”

choi soobin believes that there are still remnants of last night’s insobriety in his system because the back of your head looks fuzzy as you tug on his sleeve down the hallway, the voice you’re speaking with sounds far away and before he knows it, you’re having lunch with him. watching a  movie with him. riding the bus with him. taking photos with him. doing assignments with him for the next thirty days with the haunting unsettlement that the key to your sudden friendliness might have been lost along with his memories that night.

“maybe they feel bad for you,” yeonjun pitches after soobin finally confides about his overdue dilemma. “you know, you can get pretty emotional when you’re wasted. maybe you cried in front of them and they think it’s their fault so they’re trying to console you. why don’t you just come clean and admit you can’t remember?”

like a punch to the jaw, a memory flashes through a film reel— a cold, prickly breeze. streetlights illuminating the crack behind the restaurant. and your face blurred by cloudy tears and unmistakable sniffles from his own person. 

“oh my god.”

if being pathetic was a crime, choi soobin would’ve been locked up in jail ages ago.

the thing is, coming clean was soobin’s plan before everything spiraled into daily lunch meet-ups and nightly texts. at some point, he lost the timing to come clean and apologize, but you’re asking him if he’s free this weekend because you got for lotte world, so maybe you don’t find him annoying for pathetically crying his eyes put in front of you, right?

then again, maybe yeonjun was right. maybe you’re only doing all of this to make him feel better. but consolation usually doesn’t last for a month and a half (and his heart shouldn’t be fluttering when he watches you scream in delight, arms tossed in the air as you swing back and forth on the viking ride. soobin knows he’s a piece of shit for not having apologized yet. but you look so pretty smiling at him so often, so dazzling when you laugh at something he says, so breathtaking when you’re doing absolutely nothing that he’s tempted to live in eternal ignorance if it means loving you a little closer).

“soobin.” 

your voice hits like a reality check, two months since his drunken mistake. “i know you’ve been meaning to tell me something. you can just say it.”

and just like that, the dream he’s been living in is bound to dissolve into reality one day. his saliva feels like gasoline when he tries to swallow down the guilt, but it only bursts into flames and swallows him like an inevitable forest fire. “nevermind,” you sigh. “i know what you’re going to say anyway.”

soobin is so used to your daily smiles that his heart wrenches when you reveal somberness for the first time.

“you want to break up, right?”

but when the fire burns out, what remains are ashes of confusion.

“what?”

“it feels like nothing has changed before and after we started dating. you won’t even let me hold your hand! i’m sorry for not meeting your expectations. you don’t have to keep forcing yourself to be with me.”

“h—huh?” soobin blinks. “when— when did we start dating?”

you’re looking at him like he’s insane. “soobin, i confessed to you two months ago.”

then it hits him.

“don’t you remember?”

like sudden rainfall in the middle of summer.

a cold, prickly breeze. streetlights illuminating the crack behind the restaurant. you’re there in front of him, so pretty and lovely and cute and your words fly above his head because, “you’re so pretty. you’re always so pretty. why are you so pretty?” and his knees start shaking when your laughter bursts carbonated bubbles in the air, putting his drunken rambles to a halt.

“soobin do you like me? because i like you. i don’t think i can settle with just hello’s and greetings. i just like you a lot,” your words settle in his ears, slowly, surely. “what about you?”

suddenly, his cheeks are wet.

“oh no— i’m sorry, i didn’t mean to—”

“i like you so much i could cry right now.” he already is. he’s crying as much as he likes you. he’s crying out the feelings he’s been collecting for the past year and in the form of plump tears rolling down his blushing face and shaking hands holding onto yours so gently and earnestly because he’s afraid if he holds you too tight, you might disappear into thin air.

but it’s his memories that disappeared. choi soobin wants to tear his face off but even that wouldn’t be enough of a repentance.

“you can punch me if you want.”

he’s so in love with you that he remembers the color of the shirt you wore on his birthday last year, but he forgot the most important moment of all his twenty-two years of existence. the shirt was purple, like his arm after you took on his offer for violent retribution. it’s alright because he deserved it. it’s alright because you kissed right after. 

THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER DRINK BEYOND YOUR LIMITS (OR MAYBE YOU SHOULD?) © hannie-dul-set.

#choi soobin x reader #soobin x reader #tomorrow x together x reader #txt x reader #choi soobin scenarios #soobin scenarios #txt scenarios #choi soobin fluff #soobin fluff

[morganbritton132]

Eddie decides that he wants to do a whole Day in the Life of a Middle School Math Teacher thing when Steve gets the go-ahead that Eddie can come talk to his class. Steve thinks that’s dumb because it’s not like he has an interesting life.

The first video in the series starts the night before. Eddie is filming Steve while they get ready for bed (mostly removing the five hundred pillows Steve insists they need

on their bed) while he warns Eddie that these kids are not like The Party. Middle school kids have not developed empathy yet and they’re mean in like, an accurate way. It’s like having 16 to 22 Erica Sinclairs every class period.

It then cuts to the morning where Steve is lecturing Eddie on the do’s and don’t’s. DO encourage students to find safe creative outputs to express themselves. DO talk about your struggles in school and how you overcame them. DON’T tell them about the illegal shit we used to do. DON’T antagonize student athletes and, for the love of god, DON’T climb on the tables. This lecture spans every room in their house as they both get ready.

The second video is filmed inside of seventh grade English teacher, Mrs Casal’s Honda Civic. Steve doesn’t drive anymore and Eddie insisted on joining his teacher carpool, a decision he has come to regret and Patty Casal drives like she wants them all to die. He’s squeezed in the back between Ozzy and another teacher that keeps fussing with his jacket collar.

The whole video is just zoomed in on Eddie’s face while you can hear four middle school teachers telling the most batshit insane stories you’ve ever head. The caption is: Why am I having RV flashbacks?

The third Tiktok is just Eddie filming Steve reviewing the last test with the students before Eddie’s Q&A. The text overlay says, “Why is this so hot?” Hot for Teacher is playing.

Eddie doesn’t actually film his little Q&As with Steve’s classes because it feels weird to film kids he doesn’t know, but a lot of the students do so videos go up on Tiktok of Eddie answering each question sincerely while still maintaining his usual chaotic Eddie charm. A student called his music old and Eddie flipped backwards off his chair, grabbing his chest, “You wound me! Rock n Roll never gets old and it never dies!”

He does talk about the hurtles he had to jump to get into the music industry, how his uncle bought him his first guitar and that he had to teach himself because they couldn’t afford lessons. He talked about school and his three repeats of senior year. He talked about how Dustin and Nancy sat down with him and worked out a way to teach him that actually worked. One student asked why he was with a math teacher when he could be married to a celebrity and Eddie tells them, “Don’t let the dorky sweater fool you. Mr H, over there is a total bad A S S. Coolest guy I’ve ever met. He’s saved my life.”

Someone does try to ask about the murder allegations but Steve shuts that down so fast no one dares to try again. It gives Eddie the worst case of heart eyes ever seen by man.

Steve’s class before lunch asks Eddie if he wants to eat with them and he says of course. It’s only by good fortune that one of the students catch on video Steve calling ‘Mr Munson’ back to his desk and then tells Eddie that if he climbs on a table, Steve will give him detention.

Eddie does, in fact, stand on the tables. He gives a big dramatic lecture about forced conformity but instead of talking about jocks and basketball, he talks about instagram and Tiktok and how it’s constantly hounding kids into looking a certain way, acting a certain way, and it’s destroying creativity. And that’s what’s killing the kid’s.

And Steve does, in fact, walk into the cafeteria mid-way through this speech. He lets him get through the important bits before calling out for Edward Munson to get off the table.

Someone post this whole speech on Tiktok and Eddie duets the video from detention because Steve was not kidding.

<- Last Post | Next Post ->

#Eddie after Mrs Casal hits a curb on the carpool home: Babe you know we could get you a driver #Steve who taught Robin to drive and regularly gets driven by her: what are you talking about? #I think Eddie would take offense to people saying you shouldn’t do stuff because it’s ‘cringe’ and how originality is just cut out of #everything now in order to get popular on social media #like Eddie likes posting to Tiktok but he’s not blind to the negative impact it has #eddie munson #steve harrington #steddie #eddie munson tiktok saga

[sabertoothwalrus]

Hi!! I hope it's okay to ask, which university are you/were you attending? I want to study animation in university but i have no idea which one to choose, so can you please tell me about yours?👉👈

I go to CSUF! It’s definitely one of the cheapest places to get a degree in animation in California, if not the US.

Only a handful of the California State schools offer animation, and most of the ones that do are 3D only, and I wanted to learn 2D.

SJSU has a good 2D anim program, and they’re the only state school in the bay area that does, BUT last I checked you need something like a 3.9 GPA to get in?????? like HELLO these are animation students. who are you fooling

the other schools I considered were CSULB and CSUN.

CSULB has a strong animation program! They have the guy that literally created the worldwide 24 Hour Animation Challenge. However, they required ONE extra art history class that none of the other CSUs needed, and I didn’t have it, and I wasn’t about to prolong transferring a whole other semester just to take it. (It was prehistoric art history, I think, which I admit sounds cool as fuck)

The reason I chose CSUF, beyond liking their curriculum better than CSUN, was because I heard about the Pencil Mileage Club. It’s the largest student-run animation club in Southern California. I’d argue that networking is almost more important than your actual skill. I’ll admit, the faculty is probably not doing as much for the students as other schools, but PMC more than makes up for it. I’ve made all my friends (and girlfriend teehee) through this club. I was president of my Art Club at my community college, so it was important to me to be part of PMC’s council. I’m now an event coordinator and so I help organize and run events and studio tours and guest speakers! :)) Clubs and extracurriculars look fantastic on resumes, so wherever you go, look into what’s available.

Things I should note: when you start at CSUF, whether as a freshman or through transferring, you will not be an animation major yet. You have to do the portfolio review first, and you can’t have any of the prerequisite classes in-progress when you apply. The portfolio requirement is only a few years old, too, and therefore it’s not nearly as competitive as, say… calarts or sheridan. I often say, students make the program better, not the other way around. the higher the level of students that apply, the higher the overall education quality will need to be to match that. Though this does mean that the higher quality a program is, the more people will be excluded, unfortunately.

CSUF’s aniamtion program itself is…. a little silly. You take storyboarding and character design after doing your short film ? for some reason? The new department head started at the school the same semester I did, and she’s definitely trying to make it better. She held a screening of the production classes’ finished films, and she told me she plans to have the curriculum restructured by 2025 (after I graduate, lol).

I’ll also mention that the art buildings are in the process of getting demolished and rebuilt. The first wave of new buildings won’t be done until the end of this year, and once that’s finished, they’ll tear down the remaining two buildings and start remodeling those. For now, we do a lot of our classes in the modular buildings jdhshfjs 🫡

We also have a mated pair of gay ducks that come every spring. Their names are Pebble and Rock. They are beloved by the art students.

And really, you don’t NEED a degree in animation to get into the industry. There are SO many online resources out there, a lot that are free, that can give you just as good of an education (in fact, several of my professors’ lectures have just been playing youtube videos and pulling up articles). BUT your classmates WILL be your future coworkers. If you’re not establishing relationships with people in some way on your own, you definitely need to make that bigger priority. After all, you won’t be working by yourself when you’re in the industry.

edit: oh I forgot to say that all the california state schools are striking the first week of the semester. so uh. there’s that

[rendy-a]

If your interested i would like to request a self aware au where the player instead of possesses Ramshackle instead of Yuu

My first thought is that I don’t understand this request.  Possess the actual building of Ramshackle?  Then I thought it might actually be funny if the Player were stuck in the building Encanto-style.  Feel free to drop in a new request if this isn’t what you were looking for.  Until then, enjoy this silly idea.

The Dorm Magical

All the characters in Twisted Wonderland had an innate sense for when they were being observed by the Player.  It was a feeling so sublime that it was the only thing a character craved.  One day, they stopped receiving that feeling as they did lessons, went about the storyline and even engaged in event stories.  These were all the Player’s favorite times to grace them with their notice!  It was deeply disturbing to them (could you have quit playing the game?) until they noticed that feeling again within the walls of Ramshackle Dorm.  Now this unique dorm isn’t just the home to the odd students Grim and Yuu but also the only place left on campus to experience the notice of the Player. 

Nothing matters anymore unless you can do it in Ramshackle or take it to Ramshackle.  Riddle brings every perfect-scored test to casually hold up to the walls, hoping you’ll take notice.  A suspicious number of movies being filmed by the Film Club seem to use old houses as a setting.  If any odd floorboard squeaks or movements of doors happen, all the club members merely clap and declare that the Player is so good at ad-libbing. 

Epel bursts into the lounge of Ramshackle and Grim nearly chokes on a bite of tuna.  “Nya!  What’s the big idea barging in here like that?” he asks between coughs.  Epel holds up a spelldrive trophy enthusiastically, “We won the tournament!”  Yuu smiles at him indulgently, “Great job.”  Epel shoots him a puzzled look as though to say, ‘Why are you talking to me?’  Then he turns about the room, holding the trophy aloft until a beam of sunlight from a window seems to shift and hit the trophy perfectly.  Epel grins as though the Player had personally awarded him that trophy.  “Awe, shucks!” he beams while grinning like a fool.  Then, he suddenly seems to recollect somewhere he needs to be.  “I…I should probably get this trophy back now before Leona notices its missing.  See you later Player!”  He makes awkward eye contact with Grim, “and…I guess Yuu and Grim too…”

It’s not just students, so many classes seem to be held in Ramshackle dorm.  The same students that used to try to sweet talk teachers into holding class outside on sunny days are now suggesting they can concentrate so much better in the quiet Ramshackle dorm.  Staff are surprisingly fast to agree.  There is now a sign-up sheet in the faculty lounge to reserve a Ramshackle day.

“Turn to page 101 in your textbooks.  Today we are covering proper methods of distilling potions,” Crewel begins his lecture.  A hand raises, “Professor, couldn’t we learn this better in Ramshackle?”  Crewel lets out a long-suffering sigh, “There aren’t even potion making facilities in that dorm.”  Another hand raises, “But Trein got to have history there twice this week already.”  Crewel pauses for a moment considering that petty argument.  “Screw it,” he finally replies in an arrogant tone, “Grab your things.  We are moving this class to the kitchen of Ramshackle.”  A cheer erupts from the masses.

Rules had to be made preventing transfer to Ramshackle.  Crowly is very firm on this; if he can’t live there, no one else can either!  The few times in the main story where people stay over are the highlight of those student’s year.

Vil slides his hand gently down the banister of the staircase as he descends and lets out a satisfied sigh.  “Stop stroking my house,” Yuu retorts in an annoyed tone. “For the duration of the VDC training camp, it’s our house,” and continues to lightly run his fingertips along the wallpaper with a dreamy smile.

The guest room is the most coveted invitation on campus.  Students would gladly jump over any number of couches and tables for the honor of being trapped in the corner of the Ramshackle guest room.  Even Riddle is happy to cut class, dress up in his Halloween costume and stand idly by. 

Deep in the corner of the room, Sebek stands on two small squares of open space.  He paces a single step backwards and forwards.  He’s been trapped there for at least an hour, yet he still sounds at the peak of happiness as he exclaims, “THIS DECORATION REMINDS ME OF THE THORN FAIRY HERSELF!  WHAT A MAGNIFICENTLY APPOINTED ROOM!”  The door blows open slightly in a breeze and Sebek preens as though receiving an approving wave from the great Player themselves.  Ah, what a moment to be alive and trapped in a room.

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst wonderland #self aware au

[ageofbajabule]

Dawn of Love | Chapter 1

Josh Kiszka x F! Reader

Word Count: 4.9k

Warnings: Fluff, Anxiety talk?, (i don’t think i’m truly missing anything. if i am please let me aware!)

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Author’s Note: (18+ themes further on in the series) This series is going to be my baby, my pride and joy. I’ve been putting so much time and thought into this, and I truly do hope you all enjoy it and what I have planned. Please understand no themes relating to 18+ will take place until Josh and Reader are of consenting legal age in the series. Other than that, I do hope you enjoy this series.

October 2013

You had moved around different school districts thanks to your father being in the military… But this move was the final one. He had retired from the Air Force and decided to move to a small town. Known by the name Frankenmuth. It was a Bavarian town, everyone knew everyone and everyone was friendly.

Fitting in wasn’t typically hard, but being a new student in school also put you in the spotlight. You never really made the time to make actual friends considering the situation you grew up in being a military family. So this time around, you had to make the effort to find friends. All day you had the boring classes of general studies. But the class you couldn’t wait for was poetry - something about poetry just spoke to you, it always gave you the feeling of a welcoming home.

It wasn’t always just poetry that caught your eye, film and theatre also held a special place in your heart.

Something about the way Shakespeare wrote always called out to you - specifically Macbeth.

The bell rang indicating your Math class had finally ended. And your last class of the day was Poetry. Making your way there, you had entered the classroom. It was a smaller class, giving it an elective course. There was about 9 other people, you sat near the front of the classroom. The first bell had rang, the teacher waited for any last minute students. And sure enough a boy with shoulder length wavy hair cane sprinting in.

“Sorry! I got stuck in a little traffic jam there in the hallway.” The brunette boy laughed,

“Mr.Kiszka… This isn’t anything new. You need to do better on being on time.”

Mr.Zawalski motioned for him to join the class. He ended up sitting at the desk beside you.

“Last week we finished up our readings from Emily Dickinson, we will be starting with Edgar Allen Poe today. I’m sure most of you are well aware of his work, he had a very different approach than most poets.” Mr.Zawalski spoke as he started parading around the classroom. Everything about Poe, he wasn’t typically your style, but you had grown to like his work.

“He’s kind of a bore… I wish he was a bit more enthusiastic when teaching.”

The brunette boy had leaned over to whisper to you, chuckling as he saw you jump at the sound of his voice, making you giggle softly.

“He has a very monotone voice… Makes me want to fall asleep.” You shifted your body so more of you turned to face the stranger beside you.

“I’m sorry. Let me introduce myself, I’m Joshua Kiszka. But you can call me Josh. What’s your name?”

“I’m Y/F/N Y/L/N, but you can call me Y/N.” You smiled at him softly.

“Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. Are you new here?” Then you heard Mr.Zawalski clear his throat, “Mr.Kiszka this isn’t time for mingling. Would you care to enlighten the classroom on what Poe’s poems were inspired by?”

Josh’s cheeks turned a shade of pink, then turned towards the teacher. “His own childhood trauma. At least that’s what most researchers have gathered.”

Seeming to be satisfied with Josh’s answer, Mr. Zawalski nodded and proceeded to carry on with his lecture - leading you and Josh to giggle quietly.

Before the end of class, Mr.Zawalski had announced there would be a project. And you had to pair up with somebody. Being you had been a new student and the only person you really clicked with was Josh, it was obvious who your partner would be.

“Well I guess we’ll be partners then?” He turned towards you,

“If you’re okay with that?” You smiled softly.

“Of course. Here is my number so we can start working on it.” He smiled taking your phone to type his credentials in, you sent him a text right away for him to save your information. “I’m free whenever. Except for this Wednesday night, I have theater tryouts.”

“I’ll be there too!” You smiled at him.

He chuckled softly, your smile turned wider. “Oh really? That’s great.”

You felt a blush creep onto your face.

“So what part are you trying for?” The bell then interrupted your conversation, “Guess you’ll have to find out at tryouts.” He smirked, getting up.

“That is a whole two days away!” You groaned getting up from your desk.

“I’ll tell you what, come over tonight so we can start working on this project. And maybe I’ll run a few lines to give you a hint at what part.” He cocked an eyebrow.

“Fine. You better stick to your word.” You giggled softly, walking towards your locker.

“You can come over around 5, join my family and I for dinner. My mom always makes enough to practically feed the neighborhood.” Josh spoke as he followed behind you, smiling from ear to ear as he spoke.

“Sure, as long as she doesn’t mind.” He shook his head, “She’ll be thrilled.” He smiled, then he was being pulled by a brunette guy who looked similar to him. But his hair was like a Justin Bieber style cut.

“Josh, we’re gonna be late for band practice.”

“Jeez, Jake I would’ve been right out!” Josh shouted, you looked between the two of them confused. “Sorry Y/N. This is my brother Jake.”

He smiled at you, “Twin brother actually.” Jake chimed in,

“But I’m older by 5 minutes!”

“Will you ever live that down?”

You giggled softly at them bickering. “It was great to meet you, but I don’t want to keep y’all from band practice. I didn’t know you were in the school band.” You smiled softly.

“No. Not a band for school, we have an actual band. We’re just getting started still…” Jake shook his head as he scratched the back of his neck nervously.

“Oh. I’m sorry… Well, have fun, and I’ll see you later.” You flashed a smile before leaving the two of them to go on with their business.

➳

You had luckily gotten your license recently before moving to Michigan and asked to use your mom’s car to drive over to Josh’s house to work on your project tonight.

The drive wasn’t too far from where you lived, in fact you only live a couple blocks from each other. You could’ve probably walked. When arriving you parked on the street out front of their house, making way to the front door. You knocked softly, hearing some yelling behind the door - a girl who looked close in age to you answered the door.

“Hi, I’m Y/N. Is Josh here? I’m here to work on a school project with him.” You spoke offering a small smile.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Veronica but I go by Ronnie. I’m his younger and only sister, he is actually finishing up practice with the guys. You can come in.” She motioned for you to come in.

“If you want, we can go out to the garage. That’s where they practice.”

You smiled, “Sure, why not.”

Ronnie nodded and took you out with her to the garage. As you walked in the guys were in the midst of a song, Josh was singing, Jake was playing guitar and there were two other boys. One looked similar to Jake, assuming it was another sibling of theirs. He was playing bass, and the other was playing drums. Ronnie and you had sat on the couch in front of them.

They sounded really good, for being so young. Josh had finally noticed you as a blush crept on his cheeks, he averted towards Jake as they finished up the song, and concluded their practice.

“That was better than the last run. We’ll resume back to this tomorrow.” Jake directed to them, “Sam, we got to tune that better. And Danny, we’ll have to try and rig the snare.”

They all nodded, making way to head into the house.

“I didn’t expect you to come out here.” Josh had chuckled softly.

“Ronnie asked if I wanted to. And figured why not.” You smiled softly, “So how many of you are there?” You whispered to him - in hopes that his siblings wouldn’t hear.

“There are four of us. Jake and I are the oldest, Ronnie is the middle and Sam is the youngest. And Danny, he's Sam’s best friend. But we consider him a brother, he’s been around for so long.” He smiled, a dimple peeking out.

“Dinner is probably ready, we should head in before my mother starts calling.” He chuckled softly, you followed behind him into the house. He led you to the dining room, it was big enough for everyone that was present. Once you stepped foot in, all eyes were on the two of you.

“Mom and Dad this is Y/N. She is new to our school, and my partner for our class project. But also a new friend.” He smiled at you.

“Oh it’s nice to meet you dear! It’s always great to meet one of Josh’s friends.” She beamed with excitement, “Please sit anywhere you’d like. I made grilled cheese and a family recipe of tomato soup.”

She motioned for you to sit. Josh pulled a chair out for you, that was next to Jake, and you sat down as Josh sat in the seat next to you.

➳

Everyone had eaten, and once your bellies were full to content. You and Josh had decided to head to his and Jake’s shared room to work on the project. Both sides were different from one another, Josh having anything film related where Jake had music related posters.

“Jake and I are forced to share a room, while Ronnie and Sam get the luxury of having their own rooms.” He chuckled softly motioning for you to sit on his bed as he sat on a chair from his desk.

“It’s okay, my sister and I were forced to share a room when we lived in Oregon.” You giggled softly remembering the tiny two bedroom house your parents had gotten when your father was stationed on a mission again.

“Oregon? How did you end up all the way here?” Josh chuckled softly.

“My dad was in the military. We moved around quite a lot.” You responded nonchalantly.

“Oh wow. So you’re settled here in Frankenmuth, Michigan?”

“It's a cute town.” You giggled softly.

“We’re really known for Christmas. Whole town goes overboard with all of it, really. But it is nice. I do enjoy Christmas here.” He rubbed his hands together.

“So where are you originally from?” He questioned you.

“Florida.” You said flatly.

Honestly, you didn’t miss it - especially given the fact you had lived close to Orlando for quite some time, you hated the tourists all year round for the 9 years you lived there.

“Sunshine state… Hm. I think I’ll nickname you Sunshine. How does that sound?” He chuckled softly, a blush crept on your face.

“Sure…”

“Now, what role are you trying for Mr.Kiszka?” You impersonated Mr.Kiwalski’s voice. Earning a chuckle from Josh he shook his towards you.

“Don’t laugh.” He chuckled, “But I’m going for Wonka.”

You smiled at him softly, “I think you’ll fit perfectly…you have the characteristics for it.” You giggled softly.

“And how about you?”

“Veruka.” You giggled, sitting up straight.

“Well I guess we’ll just wait and see.”

December 2013

Ever since that poetry class, you and Josh had been inseparable. You finished your project earning an easy A on it. And then got the roles you had both wanted for the Willy Wonka play. Josh had been working on a film script for the last couple weeks, having you help assist him with it.

“You know you are quite the genius Sunshine.” Josh smiled at you, you smiled back. “I’m just doing what I can! I told you I’ll help film, and help with costumes as well.”

You finished writing in your journal with all of the plans for Josh’s film that was coming up early next month.

“Do you think it’s silly?” He scratched the back of his head.

“No, not at all. I think it’s going to be brilliant. You have a very creative mind Josh. You need to stop doubting yourself.” You replied, shaking your head to give more reinforcement to your words.

“It’s just I care a lot about film, and this band stuff with Jake sometimes can be a lot…” He sighed, sitting on the edge of his bed.

“Josh… Jake has told you that he would help in any way.” You sat next to him.

“Yeah, but this is his dream… He’s always wanted to be a rockstar. And I want that for him. Me, I'm just a silly old film guy.” He chuckled as you nudged him softly.

“Aaand he would want the same for you. Don’t beat yourself up. This film is going to be amazing. Now come on, we have a Christmas party to attend.” You stood up, putting your hand out for him to join.

Once he took your hand in his, it felt like electricity had gone through you. During the short time you’ve known Josh. You’ve grown to like him more than just a friend…

He stood up from his bed, dropping your hand from his slowly.

“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks Y/N…” He smiled softly.

“Of course Josh, that’s what friends are for.” You smiled mentally slapping yourself. You wish you could tell him how you felt. But you also didn’t want to freak him out.

The two of you made way to the basement where the party was being held, Jake smiled and walked over to you giving you a tight hug. With how close you got to Josh, you got close to his twin as well.

“About time you two showed up. Was starting to think you were sucking face.”

Josh gave him a glare as his cheeks turned to a crimson. You blushed, staring at your feet. “No, we were just working on the last touches of the film Jacob.”

“Sorry…” He gave Josh an apologetic look, they had some sort of twin telepathy way of communicating. You just went with the flow of it all. Josh ventured off to some other film friends that you would eventually join.

“Hey I really didn’t mean to embarrass you guys…” Jake had spoken to you quietly.

“It’s okay Jake, really…” You fiddled with your hands.

“No, no it's not… Has Josh said anything to you lately?” You gave him a questioning look.

“Said what?” You grabbed a can of pop.

“Forget it…” Jake went to turn, you grabbed his arm.

“Jacob.”

“You can’t say anything.” Jake mumbled as he turned to face you.

You gave him a look, “Cross my heart and hope to die.” You giggled doing the little promise. He pulled you aside.

“Josh really likes you… But he’s just too afraid to admit it.” He said quietly to you, only audible for you to understand. You felt butterflies in your stomach.

“R-really…” You looked up at him.

“Yeah. Why do you think he’s been up your ass so much lately.” He chuckled softly, “But you didn’t hear this from me.” He gave you a stern look.

“Jake, I won’t say a word. Besides… He hasn’t even made a move…” You looked over at Josh watching him talk with your other friends.

“Give it time… He doesn’t really know how to go about these things. He might need a little push, but. He’ll do it.” He patted your back softly.

“Thanks Jake…” You smiled and walked over to your friends and talked about the plans for the new year.

January 2014

“Josh, how the hell did you book a hotel room for the weekend for this film? Don’t we have to be at least 21 to book?” You shot a glare as you settled your bags into the room.

“Sunny, you underestimate my skills… Have I taught you nothing.” He sighs, acting like he’s been hurt. “Okay. Maybe I did, but just a tiny bit.”

You giggled softly setting up your equipment - while Jake came into the room with the rest of their friends.

“Okay, so I totally did not cause a scene in the lobby…” He said nervously.

“Jacob, I swear if we get kicked out of this damn hotel before we even shoot anything. I’m kicking your ass.”

“Some idiot tried fucking with our equipment, what else was I suppose to do.” He defended himself, causing the two of them to bicker.

“Alright! It just better not result in anything bad…”

The remainder of the evening you had set the room up for the liking of how you were filming this short film that Josh had in mind. Jake was one of the main roles, along with their friend Grace. Filming was going great, you had everything pretty much under control so Josh could focus on filming and getting the right angles while you adjusted lighting, make up and props.

After a couple hours of shooting Josh figured it was time to call it a night. You had helped clean up the room while Jake and Grace had finished up their last shots, and proceeded to help clean as well. Josh had already started editing the clips from tonight, and said that we would pick it back up tomorrow.

The twins ended up sharing a bed, while you and Grace had shared the other. It's not like you and Josh haven’t slept by one another before. You had passed out on the pull out sofa bed in their basement a few times when you’d stay over late working on a project. But Jake didn’t want to make Grace uncomfortable.

➳

The next day filming had picked up, but Jake was in a mood as he was tired of filming the same scene for the past hour.

“Well Jacob if you’d actually put effort into it. We wouldn’t have to keep shooting this take!” Josh threw his hands up in frustration.

“How about we take a lunch break!” You suggested taking your headphones off.

“Yeah, that’s a great idea.” Jake huffed grabbing his things, “You want to hit that Sub shop Grace?”

She nodded in agreement following Jake, leaving you and Josh to yourselves. Josh had put some things away grabbing a microwave.

“Joshua, what are you doing with the damn microwave?” You crossed your arms staring at him.

“I want to make stir fry. And I’m not trying to burn the room down, so to the hallway we go!” He made his way to the door, but he could open it considering his hands were full. So you opened the door, following behind him with your camera and other supplies.

Deciding to sprint to be in front of him, you took a picture of him with the microwave. “You’re something else Kiszka.” You giggled, getting to the end of the hallway. He plugged the microwave into the outlet, preparing the meal he had planned.

“Is this even going to be any good?” You gave him a concerning look.

“You have to live on the edge, a little mama.” He chuckled, mixing it together and placing it into the microwave, turning it on and setting it to whatever time and power he had it set as.

“Sir, what are you doing?” One of the maids had questioned him.

“Just making a five star meal. Care for some?” He smiled.

“You can’t do that out here. Why is it even out of the room?” She had questioned him, with her arms crossed.

“What do you mean? It was already out here.” He played a great character.

“Sir, I can assure you that is the room microwave you need to put it back in its rightful place. Or I will have to report you to the hotel staff.” She huffed watching him.

“It’s almost done cooking. It’ll be out of the way shortly.” Josh replied, smirking.

“I suggest you take it back now.” She then started to walk away to clean a room. Josh sat there letting it continue to cook.

“Josh, she seemed pretty serious.” You looked at him with worry.

“Sunshine, you need to liven it up!” He chuckled softly, as the microwave went off he unplugged it and walked back to the room with it.

“You Kiszka’s sure have a way…” You giggled softly, sitting on the bed.

“I can’t tell if that’s a good thing, or a bad thing.” He chuckled softly sitting beside you with his plate, taking a bite he spit it out quickly. “Oh that is mortifying.” He made a gagging face.

“Not so bright Joshy…” You giggled softly.

“Come on, let’s go get some real stir fry.” You patted his back, he nodded, throwing out his creation.

➳

The two of you found a local Japanese restaurant not too far from the hotel. Taking in on dining there, you let Jake and Grace know where the two of you went in case they came back earlier than you two.

“So, the Valentine’s dance is coming up.” Josh had said nervously.

“Yeah, have you asked any special girl?” You smiled softly, taking a sip of your water.

“No, not yet…” He put his head down, like he was ashamed.

“It’s okay Josh, you don’t have to show up with a date. You can just go with friends.” You smiled softly at him.

“Uh actually. Y/N, I was wondering if maybe you would be my date for the Valentine’s dance.” He looked up at you nervously with flushed cheeks.

“You want me to be your date?” You smiled as your cheeks became a tinted pink.

He nodded, smiling softly, “Yeah. I’d really like it if you would?”

“Yeah, I’ll be your date…” You trailed off with a smile, giving him a small reassuring nod.

He smiled, chuckling softly, “I thought I was gonna walk out of here like a sore loser if you said no.”

“I would never say no to you Josh…”

February 2014

It was Friday, school was a complete drag the past week. They had a spirit week in honor of the Valentine’s dance tonight. Ever since Josh had asked you to be his date, the two of you had been inseparable. You had been working on the last touches of the short film you worked on together. It was nearing completion but Josh decided that the two of you should take this week off from editing, since the dance was taking up a majority of the time.

You had joined the student council prior to Christmas break, and helped the council decorate and plan the dance. It was senior year after all, you had to make some memories while living the last of your childhood. Josh knew how much it meant to you to partake in this, since you were never able to do much like this before.

You had been getting ready at home, finishing the last touches of your hair and makeup. You kept your makeup rather simple, not doing too much of a glam look, and your hair had some loose curls.

You went to your closet pulling your dress off from the hanger, it was an indigo dress that rested against your knees and had some slight rhinestone embellishments on the edges of the dress. You slipped it on looking at yourself in the mirror, content with your look you put your heels on and grabbed your small satchel heading downstairs.

Josh was at the bottom of the stairs waiting for you with your parents and sister.

“You look absolutely stunning.” Your mom beamed.

“You look amazing, sweetie.” Your dad chimed in, agreeing with your mother.

Your sister smiled, clapping her hands together. She opted on staying home instead of going to the dance tonight. She was in the same grade as Sam and Danny and you have tried multiple times to get her to hang out with them.

“You look beautiful, Sunshine.” Josh came in front of you holding a beautiful white rose assortment corsage, with a boutineer to go with it.

You smiled softly in response.

“You look dashing.”

Your mom smiled coming over to aid the two of you with putting his boutineer on. Then Josh slipped your corsage onto your wrist.

“Okay! In front of the fireplace, we have to get pictures of you two.” Your mom beamed, as your father ushered you into the living room. Josh and yourself stood in front of the fireplace, as he placed his hand on the small of your back you felt butterflies in your stomach placing your arm around his back. You both posed and smiled for the millions of pictures your mother insisted on taking. Then took a couple with your parents.

“Guys it's not even prom, it's just a regular dance!” You giggled softly after taking enough pictures.

“Yes you’re right dear, but it’s your senior year!” Your mom beamed at you.

“We should really get going, otherwise we’ll be late…” You looked at the time.

“Wouldn’t be the first time I’m late to a function!” Josh chuckled softly, you giggled in agreement.

“Yeah, but I think for once you should be on time.” You smirked and started to head to the door with him.

Before leaving your father gave Josh a whole spiel on his rules and when to have you home by. Typical dad move, but he just wanted to be in good hands.

“Dad, he’s a good guy. Besides I think Mrs.Kiszka would be on him if he didn’t abide by your rules.” You giggled softly as Josh nodded.

“Yeah, my mom would have my butt canned.”

The two of you then left your house, he opened the passenger side to his car letting you get in before he closed it getting to his side. Once you buckle your seatbelt he had gotten into the car buckling himself in the driving over.

After arriving, Josh had parked next to Jake’s car. Jake had gotten out and let his date out of the passenger side. He had asked Valerie to be his date, she was more than thrilled when he had asked her. Valerie was this sweet junior who was a part of the cheerleading squad and Jake was absolutely crushing on her.

“You guys look amazing!” You smiled at them, hugging Jake and then Val.

“You guys look great too!” Jake beamed.

“Well we should head in, it’s freezing out here.” Josh had motioned for everyone to make their way, as he kept his hand on the small of your back.

Once you entered the high school gymnasium there was a photo station off to the left, then a table for water and punch.

“Do you want some punch?” Josh looked over at you.

“Yeah, I’d like some.” You smiled.

“Grab a table and I’ll meet you there.” He wandered off to the refreshment table as you made way to a small table in the corner. Jake and Val had already ventured to the dance floor, making the most of their night.

Josh had returned with two cups of punch, setting yours down in front of you on the table, he smiled softly at you.

“My lady.” He chuckled softly, sliding into the chair beside you.

“Well thank you kind sir.” You giggled softly, taking a sip of the punch.

“You guys did really well with planning all of this.” He smiled, taking a sip of his punch.

“Thank you, I was nervous they weren’t going to like my ideas…” You slouched a bit - suddenly feeling a wave of nervousness hit you.

“Are you kidding! Sunny you are brilliant. Who wouldn’t like your ideas?” He smiled softly at you, you returned a smile as your cheeks flushed.

After conversing for a bit, the two of you decided to hit the dance floor joining Jake and Val. You guys had danced the night away, laughing and acting like complete idiots. But it’s all you ever wanted at this moment.

The DJ then turned things slow for a remainder of the evening starting off with All of Me by John Legend. Josh had you pulled you close to him, wrapping his arms around your waist and you wrapped your arms around his neck. Smiling softly at him, you giggled to yourself softly.

“What is it, Sunshine?” He chuckled softly, catching your giggle.

“Nothing…” You blushed, placing your head on his chest listening to his heartbeat as the two of you swayed.

“Your heart is beating rather fast Josh…”

You giggled and turned to look up at him, he then moved his one hand to caress your face.

“Y/N…”

You looked at his face, he licked his lips nervously.

“Yeah Josh…”

He studied your face, before zoning in closer he then pressed his soft plush lips against yours.

‘Cause I give you all of me

And you give me all of you’

You were taken by surprise, but immediately kissed him back softly letting your lips move in sync. Soaking in this moment together. After a moment the two of you pulled away, smiling while giggling at each other.

“God, I’ve wanted to do that for so long…” He shook his head, sighing softly.

“I think you should do it again.” You smiled brightly at him - he then captured your lips once more with his, giving a few little pecks before detaching his lips from yours.

“Y/N… I. Well, what I’m trying to ask.”

“Yes, Josh. I’ll be your girlfriend.” You giggled softly, rubbing his arm to soothe his nerves.

.

.

.

.

to be continued

Taglist -

@lyndszee @laneygvf @sacredthefran @starcatcherry @fkfearandliveyourlegend @hi-hi-hello11 @gretnavannfleet @themoreyou-love @gvfmuse @meetingthestardust @myleftsock

#greta van fleet #gvf #greta van smut #gvf smut #josh kiskza fanfic #josh greta van fleet #josh kiszka series #josh kiszka #josh kiszka fluff #josh kiszka fic #josh kiszka x y/n #josh kiszka smut #josh kiszka x reader #josh gvf #josh gvf smut

[frankfontainecalloutpost]

Shabbat shalom, here is my rabbi's thought of the week destined to every Jewish student out there suffering from the increased antisemitism in campus.

A Letter to Jewish Students at Universities and Colleges

16 February 2024

Dear Students,

I don’t know if this letter will reach you. Maybe your parents or grandparents will send it on to you, or someone will post it on social media. You might glance at it briefly and see that it is expressly addressed to you, wherever you happen to be. A letter long overdue, but necessary at a time of unprecedented and painful polarisation and turbulence on campus at universities and colleges.

I have spoken to some of you face to face or on Zoom over the past few months since October 7. I know that this is a desperately harrowing and bewildering time, and many of you are searching for companionship and someone to talk to, not only about what is happening in this war between Israel and Hamas, but what is taking place here in the UK – this terrific spike in thoughtless, ignorant and hurtful anti-Jewish incidents and words.

I don’t know how affected you are by the reverberations of the conflict in the Middle East. Your focus may be on your studies, on the daily assignments that must be in by certain deadlines. You may have your own personal preoccupations with family or relationships, with other worldly concerns such as what we are doing to the environment, or the growing gap between rich and poor.

But I am deeply struck by the reports I have heard and read about concerning what is happening at universities – in the lecture theatre, on campus and on social media, in particular.

What does it feel like for someone Jewish to walk past a group of demonstrators holding banners with the words ‘Zionists off our campus’ or ’Stop the Genocide against Palestine’? How do you react when you hear the words of protesters shouting, ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’? How does it feel when close friends suddenly start to question your loyalties and to blame you for the war in Gaza? How do you respond to the accusation that the bombing of Gaza is the expression of Western imperialism by Jews?

Perhaps you are keeping a low profile, tucking your Magen David underneath your clothes, refusing to share with fellow students or friends your Jewish identity. You may be nervous about ‘coming out’ as Jewish with the huge increase of anti-Jewish incidents on campus and on the streets. And this is understandable – it may be too scary to confront the slogans carried and proclaimed by protesters week after week through city centres.

I wonder if you are someone who wants to – or needs to – speak to friends and fellow students about family or friends in Israel and the terrible trauma of October 7? And why shouldn’t you? A first-year student at [...], a member of the [this shul], said that she was labelled a ‘brainwashed Zionist’ by fellow classmates after she had spoken about friends who had narrowly escaped from the music festival in Israel. The language used against her on social media was so full of hatred that it drove her out of her classes.

Such conduct is unspeakable, as are the death and rape threats against the Jewish chaplain and his wife in [city] who have been forced to go into hiding with their two very young children.

Where is civility? Where is kindness? Where is understanding and intelligent listening and conversation? Where is humility and empathy?

It is a long time since I was at university. Being Jewish wasn’t always comfortable. Students who had never encountered a Jewish person brought their curiosity, but also their prejudices about Judaism, about Jewish history and identity. Few people spoke about the Shoah thirty years after the liberation of Auschwitz. Few books had been published, compared with the plethora on the subject today. There were none of the scores of films and documentaries that emerged in the late nineties and in the years that followed. History stopped with the Russian Revolution.

We have learnt so much more and know so much more. So why are we still so ignorant about each other? Why can’t we learn from history?

We don’t have the answers to the intractable conflict in the Middle East. But we do know that the only way forward is for Israelis and Palestinians to be helped towards a peaceful solution – through political and not military means. We can model that conversation with those out in the streets or on campus by helping them learn something about what it means to be Jewish in today’s world. It takes courage, but done gently and patiently, we can engage in those challenging relationships.

I wish you success in your studies and strength as we navigate this difficult time together.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi [...]

#israel #judaism #jewish #jumblr #frumblr #this is the tag for my text posts #i was worried about posting this and being harassed on the internet and this be used against me but #well #you know

[f4nrir]

Selcouth Chapter 1

steven grant x male reader

note: this is a student au! I decided to give this story a little twist where they are both in college and the two make an appearance eventually. I have limited knowledge of DID, feel free to educate me if i get something wrong! This is the first part and will be a series. special thanks to @xenizo for helping me edit.

Summary: You move to London and attend a new college where you meet a timid classmate. word count: 1.1k Chapter 2

The last semester at your previous college had been nothing but a mess. Grades dropping and frequent absences, you had become a truant. Living with your parents was so distracting that it ruined the routine you tried to keep in place for yourself. It was impossible to get anything done without the two of them breathing down your neck all time. "[Y/N] get those grades up, do the dishes, don’t forget to tidy up,” it never stopped, they were constantly telling you what to do and making sure it all gone done perfectly.

Your parents tried to shape you into someone you didn't want to be. They served in the military together, that’s where they probably developed their perfectionistic and strict mindsets. Growing up, you were constantly changing schools. Your environment was always changing, you didn’t get to make close friends and bond with others like everyone else did. You never really developed a close bond with anyone, it was always time to move right when you started getting comfortable. 

You hoped that by choosing a school away from your parents, things would be different now. Now, you get to take the steps to achieve your goal of becoming an archeologist, rather than following in your parents footsteps and joining the military. Archeology and the study of Egyptology have been a passionate interest of yours ever since you were little. Watching historic films and reading about different gods, it all fascinated you.

But if only you were as good at English as you were at Egyptology. Grammar, context clues, essays, it all made your head hurt. You were, understandably, very nervous for your English class. The school was considered prestigious so the expectations were high. You hoped that you would meet their standards. 

Walking to your first class of the day, you had felt a rush of anticipation and excitement because Egyptology was your biggest interest. The school’s list of classes gave a brief description of what this course is like and how the class works. It was a bit different from the rules at your previous school and that's what excited you, this was a huge opportunity. 

You opened the doors to your class, greeted by several faces looking over at you. You walked around to find a seat but each row was either full or someone would let you know that spot was “taken.” You could feel yourself growing anxious, it felt like everyone was rejecting you or didn’t think you were worthy enough to be sitting near them.

Then at the very top row, you noticed a (clearly very shy) person, sat with his hands on his lap and head down to avoid eye contact with anyone. He has curly, dark brown hair and rough facial features. You decided to take a risk and ask him if you could sit next to him. He looked up at you, "yeah, of course," he responded with a nervous smile and a thick british accent. You finally got a good look of his face and he looked handsome, his eyes were sunken in and had obvious eye bags but god, he looked good. A blush developed on your face as you sat down next to him, placing your bag on the floor and taking your notebook and pens out for the lecture. "My name is [Y/N], by the way," you said as you looked back over at him. After a moment of (very awkward) silence, he replied, "My name is Steven, with a V.” You let out a small chuckle at this detail. You held your hand out for him to shake and he timidly shook it after realizing what you were holding your hand out for. 

Steven was nervous, he wasn’t expecting anyone to approach him. He wasn’t sure of what to say, he had always spent a lot of time by himself, or a lot of time with Marc and Jake. Growing up, he had Marc and both of them were happy with that, until Jake came along. Although, they did still get lonely occasionally  and interacting with others was difficult. 

“So.. you like ancient Egypt? Steven asked and you perked up, surprised that he chose to initiate a conversation. “I mean, since you’re taking this class, I figured you take interest in it but I-“ You cut him off with a gentle laugh and nodded your head, “I’ve found this captivating since I was little. I watched all the films and read every book I could find. I’ve always wanted to be an archeologist, figured this might be a start to getting there,” you replied. Steven was giving you his undivided attention as you spoke. It felt like he was coming out of his shell after finding out you guys have something in common.

A few more minutes went by and then your lecture began. You both began writing down some notes, jotting down all sorts in interesting information. You looked over at Steven, who was writing everything your professor had to say about the Ennead. He seemed to be very fascinated by that.

A few more pages of notes and a stump of a pencil later, you looked up at Steven and asked, “What’s your next class?” as you took out the paper that you had your classes written down on it. You intended to write down his next class so you would eventually get a sense of his schedule. He replied, “I’ve got English with uh.. Professor Monroe, that’s my last class of the day. How about yourself?” as he began carefully putting his items back into his satchel. You smiled and told him you had the same class next. You felt as if luck was on your side, that you and Steven were meant to meet and be friends. “I’ve got Monroe too, would you like to walk together? Class doesn’t start for a bit, I figured we could chat and get something to eat since I’m a bit hungry,” deciding to take a risk and get to know him better because you truly found him interesting. Steven blinked a few times and stopped before he spoke, looking confused which had you wondering if you had said something wrong. “Me?” he stammered, “I mean, sure! I don’t mind, I just didn’t think you’d want to hang around with me” awkwardly laughing and clutching onto his bag. “Of course you! We have a lot in common and I could use a friend. It’s my first day here..” the last part of that sentence made him perk up, remembering the fear and anxiety he felt when he first arrived here on campus. “Oh.. thank you. That means a lot to me,” he paused for a second, “There’s this place I know near campus, a nice little place, they’ve got vegan options as well, which I appreciate because, well, I’m vegan. But anyways, they have a lot of options so hopefully you’ll find something that you fancy. I’ll show you,” he gave you a small, awkward smile and made his way down the steps and you followed him out of the room.

#— zeppelin’s files 📁 #steven grant #moon knight #marc spector #male reader #jake lockley #khonshu #steven grant x reader #marc spector x reader #jake lockley x reader

[espresseo-cafe]

life is still beautiful | johnny | ch.7

genre: cappucino, romance, angst, university!au, dad!au, drama, slice of life

pairing: collegestudent!johnny x fem!reader

bean count: 5.4k+

warnings: mentions of bullying, anxiety breakdown, health issues

a/n: last update before i go on a short hiatus for the winter break! will be back in january 💚 enjoy your coffee this holiday my beans! note: this is only a work of fiction, it doesn’t reflect the artists’ personalities in any way.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

hugging her books, yeri plucked up the courage to walk around the campus. despite the rising fear she had in her chest, she had to get to class earlier than anyone else. the wandering eyes she got from just her presence made her feel helpless.

she knew she was stronger than that. she had to stand her ground on her own. being the eldest of four girls, she had to hold herself together in ways of emotions, mental state, and heck, even physically. however, one could only manage one thing at a time.

the tote bag got creases from her grip, she inhaled and exhaled. mentally telling herself ‘fighting’, she made her way to the hallways.

“ugh she’s here again.”

“i know right? it’s crazy.”

“that first year? i heard she’s really close with the seniors.”

“gross, she thinks she’s ‘all that’.”

“cringe.”

yeri wanted to cry, what did she do to deserve all this? she could feel her mouth quivering, making her footsteps speed up. with all the thoughts and negativity building up in her head, an image of you flashed all so suddenly.

she remembered how you consoled her, how you gave her advise to stand strong even if she felt like breaking down. and felt ashamed to not have done the same when you dealt with much harder things.

she still ran though, but became stronger and a small smile appeared in her face then..

she found herself bumping into someone.

“ow- watch where you’re going.” she groaned, rubbing the sides of her body.

“huh, you were the one so busy running-“ a guy raised his voice, his friends seconding his statement. “ah it’s you. the attention seeker.”

yeri froze, not this again.

“you can just stay there, it suits you.” another girl named jennifer giggled then pushing her to the ground, “got all the dirt as your makeup.”

mark witnessed this on the way to the lecture hall for his class. he flinched seeing yeri’s skirt slightly higher than it meant to be. he didn’t think twice and his instincts immediately took over him.

yeri saw this unfold in front of her, like a film, the red and blue cardigan slowly covered her legs. she blinked when mark sat down and blocked her view. her eyes trailed to the glasses he was wearing, his eyes unreadable. if she didn’t do that, she wouldn’t have realised she had tears rolling down her cheeks through the reflection.

the boy stared at her with clenched jaws before side eyeing the people behind who did this. he turned to her briefly and gave a handkerchief to wipe her tears, he whispered. “use this.” mark then stood up and dusted his jeans, placing his hands in the back pockets. “ah, you shouldn’t have done that.. jake. you got my jeans all dirty.”

jake raised a brow, his group of friends huddling up behind him, “you did that to yourself, helping this needy cheerleader.”

“i know, and that makes me a better person than you.” he said quite frankly and jake had a sour face on him; obviously pissed.

“by being an author? you had potential in basketball and yet you gave up your scholarship to become a freakin’ nerd! you’ve disrespected the whole team!” jake snapped, his ears becoming redder.

mark just chuckled, “disrespected? ha, this is why i left. jerks like you don’t deserve respect.”

mark approached yeri, holding her hand to help her stand and pull her away from the growing crowd around them and telling her that they should leave.

“you think you could get away just like that?!” jake called out, attempting to pull his shoulder while jennifer pulled yeri’s ponytail.

yeri let out a startled squeal and mark’s eyes widened, while he himself received a hard punch to the face, both of them falling to the ground. the others just laughed at the scenario and cheering them on.

“mark!” she shouted, her cheeks earning scratches from jennifer’s slaps, the wounds stung painfully as her tears made contact.

jake was actually enjoying this, continuing to punch the boy while the others kicked his body. he was about to give the hardest punch but his arm was yanked back. he looked behind, and his eyes widened when he realised who it was.

“j-johnny sunbae.”

johnny glared at him. holding jake’s arm, he lifted him up and shoved him to the ground in one go, instilling fear in the other students. “did you get the rest on camera?” johnny looked back at you, who was holding your phone that recorded everything, nodding in response before stopping.

“yup.” you popped your lips, placing your phone back in your pocket. “this will go well in your scholarship.. jake, was it?” you turned to other boys, “it’s going to be much worse for you lot as well.”

jake was struggling to stand up until his friends helped him. mark stood up in pain and yeri held his back and vice versa. johnny’s friends ran to the commotion and stood behind the two juniors.

johnny glared at jennifer when he noticed yeri’s face bleeding from her cheek. he treated yeri like a little sister, so seeing her hurt made him upset. he stomped to the hitter, “did you do that to yeri!?”

jennifer hitched a breath, her voice shaking, “i-i..”

“i said, did you hurt her!?” he shouted, his arm slammed the locker next to him in anger when you decided to barge in. you knew johnny had a temper, given his reaction from the motel reception. this could go worse.

“johnny.” you loudly called him, holding his forearm and the guy snapped out of it. “stop. don’t do that.”

johnny has a rush of guilt in him, “y/n, i-”

“let me do it.” you slapped her on the cheek, hard. “you must be jennifer. hi, i’m y/n.”

she held her face in pain, scoffing at the audacity. “you dare do that to me?!”

“i can do it again for free if you want.” you looked at your hand, “i’ll add fingernails for extra price.. oh wait, nevermind. you’re not that valuable.”

jennifer screeched in anger, “you b-”

you threatened her with a fake slap, it was enough to make her flinch. grabbing her sweater and pulling her close to you, you said in a cold voice, “you dare hurt yeri and her friend again, you’ll face being kicked out.” then facing to the group behind her, “your friends are at risk too.”

the younger one frowned, “you’re threatening me?!who are you to make a claim like that?!”

you smirked and bit your tongue, letting your grip loosen. “my bad, i forgot to introduce myself properly. my name’s y/fl/n, daughter of the y/l/n’s, board directors of the education bureau.”

the students started whispering to each other, even johnny and your friends had their mouths wide open in shock.

how ironic, i’m the estranged daughter. you told yourself.

the bullies went away and so did the other students, leaving you and your friends in the hallway. and you let out a soft, long sigh. your hands were shaking, spasming out of nervousness. it was the first time you announced that, the word daughter (of your parents) left a bitter taste in your tongue.

you felt dizzy that you lost a little balance but you didn’t want to worry the others. so you bit your lower lip to wake yourself up.

kun appeared in front of you with a smile on his face, “you’re the daughter of the board directors? you’re big time y/n!” he ruffled your hair then seeing your lips pale, “you okay?” you nodded, giving him a half smile and putting a finger to your lips keep it a secret. so he nodded, taking it as a sign that you didn’t want to bother the rest, “here, take my water bottle, it’s new.”

yeri wiped her tears and hugged you from the back. “thank you, y/n.” you patted her head and hugged her back when her mood suddenly changed, “something’s in my mind though..”

you looked in concern, holding your hands together, “what is it?”

she looked at everyone before turning on her sassy attitude, “why are you and big bro johnny wearing the same clothes?”

taeyong looked at johnny then to you and back again to his friend, “ah, she’s right.”

jungwoo squinted like he was figured something out, jumping after while pointing, “omg- its from a motel isn’t it?! you guys slept together??”

“johnny!” kun punched the tall guy, “have some dignity!”

“we didn’t sleep together!” you both said in unison, while your friends looked at each other in silence.

“i don’t believe them.”

“same.”

“yeah, or no same clothes.”

johnny sighed loudly, crossing his arms, “it’s a long story.. yoohyeon left for paris yesterday then we hung out at a nature reserve and bosco broke down and we got poured on so we went to a nearby motel to stay the night. and if you’re thinking otherwise, no we slept separately. i slept on the sofa and she slept on the bed.”

they looked back at each other and johnny hoped his friends got the message because he knew how hectic their minds could get. he stared at them while they stayed silent and analysed the situation once more.

“nah they probably did.”

“no doubt.”

“we felt the tension between them.”

johnny groaned and gave himself a facepalm, unbelievable. “i’m done here.” making you shake your head in agreement, then you stopped him.

“johnny.” he looked at you before stopping, “i’ve been thinking about it all night but after youngmin’s birthday, im going to go see my parents tomorrow. they managed to contact me even when i tried my best to cut off any connection.”

as if he knew this would happen, he smiled sadly and scratched the back of his head. “sorry, i gave them your number because they kept calling me in the middle of the night.. well i did give them my number back at the carnival, so it’s expected.”

you grumbled, feeling awful for him, “i should be sorry. i guess this is time for me to clear thing with them. i’ll leave at seven, just before the party finishes.”

he patted your shoulder, “yeah sure. will you be alright alone?”

you nodded, feeling slightly confident, “not really but i think i could manage. actually it feels like i’m going to the principal’s office like i did something bad.”

“but you didn’t do anything though?”

“i left home, not contacting them for three years. so yeah it’s definitely bad in their eyes.” you combed your hair back, “but it’s okay, i knew i’d face this sooner or later.”

——

seungcheol sat by the bleachers after football do-overs, wiping his sweat with the towel that his coach gave him. it had been days since he actually participated, so you could say he was still a bit off course with the drills, despite being the captain.

a bottle of water appeared in front of him, his doe eyes found the giver. he scoffed to himself, “and what are you doing, rowoon?”

the tall guy sat beside him, smiling cockily, “i saw johnny suh a week ago, hyung.”

“and what do you want me to do?” seungcheol spun the unopened bottle, not making eye contact with him. “don’t include me in your useless sidelines.”

“even if it includes the girl from that accident? heard he’s hanging out with her all the time.” rowoon grinned mischievously, now getting the older one’s attention. “and i know you got the hots for her.”

seungcheol rolled his eyes at the boy, then standing up to prepare for his leave, “rowoon, what do you really want from me?”

“police are apparently still looking into the investigation. i have the details and i need your help, whenever you’re free though.”

——

as johnny had hoped, youngmin’s birthday boasted the weather. it was a perfect morning, the bright sun was all out and he could smell the familiar scent he loved to wake up to every morning at his family home: bacons.

a shuffle next to him made turn to his side to face the newly awaken little human. youngmin was a happy baby and still is, and because of it johnny’s mornings were always on a positive note. “hey little buddy, good morning! who’s turning two today?”

the two year old gurgled and sat up with his fluffy bed hair, then climbing on johnny’s stomach. “na! (me)” while raising his arms up.

“good boy!” johnny sat up and gave youngmin’s sides a tickle before carrying him and going downstairs to where his mom was cooking breakfast. he kind of stopped in his tracks, seeing you beside her wearing an apron, helping to make breakfast and other foods for the party.

“good morning mom.” he said as he placed a kiss on her cheek, rubbing her back. he took a good look at you, who didn’t take notice of his presence as you had earphones on.

his mom gave a teasing grin, nudging her son. “aren’t you going to give her a kiss as well? i promise i won’t get jealous.”

johnny’s ears turned red and scoffed, “mom, stop.” but he smiled when he put youngmin down, the toddler running to hug your legs.

you gasped at the sudden contact, the knife cutting your finger, “ah.” bringing your finger to your mouth.

mrs. suh and johnny also flinched towards your reaction, johnny put his arm out halfway but hesitated. his mom looked at him, seeing her son’s reluctant self made her click her tongue, so she pushed him to you as she took youngmin to the living room. “stop being a coward. it’s not manly.”

johnny squinted his eyes at his mom, “she-”

“oh you’re here, johnny.” you took off your earbuds, finger still in your mouth.

“you okay?” he asked, his hand touched the back of his neck.

you made a disgusted face, the wound actually went deeper than you thought. “yeah. word of caution, blood and minced garlic do not go together. it’s gross and it stings.”

johnny laughed, walking closer to you. you stepped back a bit towards the kitchen counter, hand just holding the edge. he reached out for something from the cupboard above you. “i’ve tried that, worse taste ever.”

fetching a first kid kit to his hand, it nearly fell that he lost balance and held the counter. your hands brushing briefly next to each other and it gave you a cold chill down your arm and made johnny hold in a breath. your faces were an inch away from one another, pairs of eyes having a stare battle as if it were the only thing in the world consisted of.

the brown orbs that looked into yours was hypnotic that you could faint instantly. johnny on his sane self kept his gaze on you locked, like you were the missing key to his unopened soul. he knew you were pretty already, but this close of a distance had him changing his mind that you were so much more beautiful.

the weather was understandably warm, but what you didn’t understand was why your face was mirroring its temperature. you knew johnny had this effect on you but today was… different? you couldn’t explain why that you just kept quiet without saying a word.

“so are we just going to stare at each other the whole day or what?” johnny asked softly, then looking at your lips that were agape, looking away slowly as he brought the kit down. “because as a future doctor i need to tend to my patient.”

“then this doctor needs to take a sick leave because he’s distracted.” you sniffled, putting the knive away and washing your still bleeding finger.

“well that’s because i have a pretty patient.” he said out loud, then mentally screamed because he actually said it out loud.

he took your hand and disinfected it before putting a band-aid. you thanked him softly and continued to prepare for the party just after lunch. his group of friends came right in carrying balloons, cutleries, lootbags, and more food and drinks. he sighed briefly that no one saw that you and him had a face off, because if they did, he’d never hear the end of it.

youngmin’s birthday had more visitors than expected, johnny’s family home was filled noises that a party should have. he looked at the little boy, eating his cake that he smashed just a second ago, giggling through the cream that reached his cheeks.

though he looked at his son with pure love and heartfelt feelings, his gaze shifted from him to you, since you had mentioned that you were leaving early in the evening. he wanted to join you, having met your parents two months prior in an overwhelming atmosphere. however, he had extended family and friends under the same roof, so escaping was far from a good option.

from where he was sitting, he liked how you talked with his family but his heart ached a little knowing that was what you wanted. he felt a little nudge, from a friend he hadn’t seen since middle school. “yo johnny. that girl your new one, the one in beige?”

johnny wiped his mouth clean before answering, “w-what no.. she’s a friend.”

“you sure? if she’s your friend then you don’t mind me making a move on her? she’s seems alright.” he stood up and johnny’s instinct was to hold his friend’s arm, stopping him from making any more steps to you.

his friend took that as a sign that you weren’t just anybody someone could approach, and that spoke louder to him that johnny had his eyes on you first. the corners of his mouth rose a little, “on second thought, i’ll go get more food.”

with this much people in the suh’s home, you guessed that johnny’s family was somewhat prominent. by the looks of how johnny was raised and how people treated him, he was definitely respectable.

and just how he weirdly occupied your mind once again, you found yourself looking for him, just to be caught by johnny’s eyes himself. your eyes widened and checked the time, you had to leave soon. it was your parents’ anniversary and figured that you could patch it up with them. it had been three years, it was more than enough time to tell what you needed to.

johnny gestured for you two to talk a little at the porch. “are you sure you don’t need me to accompany you? i can step out for a bit.”

you slung your bag on your shoulder, “johnny, youngmin needs you here more. he’ll cry when he doesn’t see you.”

he combed his hair back, “actually i feel like the roles have reversed now, he’d cry when you aren’t around.”

“you’re kidding.” you chuckled.

“nope, and i have a video to prove it.” he shook

his new phone. you pushed him because he had been flexing his new gadget to his friends the whole day. he curled his tongue and smiled, taking something out of his pocket, “just.. take this. it’s a panic button, if anything happens.” he handed you the said item.

your heart pinched, not because of how attractive he was, but how attentive he was to your situation. “thank you, johnny.”

making your way down to the bus stop, you noticed he was still just a feet behind you to make sure you got on safe. he waved as you took your seat before the transport drove pass by him, and he might’ve just ticked the boxes you liked for a guy.

your phone buzzed, a notification from johnny popped up:

[ johnny ] : “you can do it, just remember to be strong. well; i know you are but i guessed you needed a booster 💪🏻”

[ you ] : “yeah, i’ll do my best. thank you.”

johnny went back to the party and accommodated the guests he didn’t get to entertain. he spotted his friends having fun with his nintendo switch while his parents were busy conversing with his aunts and uncles.

he helped himself to the kitchen, pouring a glass of water to rehydrate his drying throat. he loved the summer because of the heat, but nothing beats the feeling of cold liquid to soothe his body temperature. with the way he drank a third glass, he realised he hadn’t been drinking enough since lunch.

he sat on the counter, scrolling through his phone for the next hour or so. hearing goodbyes from several families as they took their leave, he waved at them. this continued until his friends were the only ones left behind, deciding last minute that they’d sleepover for the night. his parents agreeing since it was nearing the end of summer vacation and for their help in preparation of youngmin’s birthday.

one of the last families wanted to go karaoke and johnny’s parents joined them, saying that the night was far from over. his mom asking him to look after the house and make sure not to make a huge mess while they were gone.

johnny was relieved that everything was in place and how youngmin was still happy despite most of his playgroup friends had already left. he stretched his arms to carry the child, waving to his parents as they left.

“did you have fun today, youngmin-ah? happy birthday again you little rascal.” he lifted him higher, giving him raspberries blows on the child’s stomach. his happiness was cut short when he noticed his friends went unusually quiet.

he guided his eyes to where his friends were and he didn’t believe what he was seeing in front of him.

minji stood there, her arms crossed together as a bag dangled on one of them: a gift for her son. “hey..”

yeri’s brows furrowed and anger took over her, marching towards johnny’s ex. “how dare you show your face here after what you did to johnny?!” seulgi and mark pulling her back before she did anything, “you got some nerve, you b-”

“yeri.” johnny started, handing the child to kun. “what do you want, mj?”

her expression was soft but that was about it, not anyone knew what her intention really was besides giving a gift to youngmin, which jungwoo took when handed over. “i was hoping we could talk..” she looked to the others then back to johnny, “alone?”

johnny gestured to his friends to go back to the house and clear up, saying he wouldn’t take long.

taeyong looked back in concern, his gut telling him something was going to happen. he heard the two argue many times and he knew that this wasn’t going to be any different. so he decided to stay close to the main entrance in case one of them broke a vessel and scrolled through his phone.

the weather forecasted that tonight would rain due to continuous heat and sunny periods, so the group hurried back before the typhoon arrived. after a few minutes, the house was almost cleaned up when everyone heard minji and johnny shouting and raising their voices.

“this is why you should’ve answered my calls! you can’t just tell me that you want to get back together after ghosting me when i messaged you!” johnny fumed up, pointing fingers at her when minji just remained silent for a bit.

“i said i was sorry okay?! maybe i shouldn’t have come here! you’re still the same!” minji spat back, holding her sweater to prevent her from doing anything rash.

seulgi held her back, while taeyong pulled johnny too. yeri pushed mark aside gently and pointed at minji. “leave. now. before my hands break loose.”

minji gave everyone a long glare before stepping out, clicking her tongue in distaste. johnny’s friends saw how she walked away in shame and anger, not a word spoken between them as they stood by the porch.

——

the ride wasn’t as long as you thought, probably just three stops away. the restaurant your parents booked was the same one as the photo where everyone was.. happy. you’d be lying if you said you weren’t nervous at all because in reality, you really were.

stepping in the restaurant, the grip on your bag crumpled and you exhaled a breather. spotting the reception and informing the staff of the booking, he then guided you to a vip room.

the table was placed behind the glass window, three empty chairs reserved for you and your parents. it had been a while, and you asked yourself when the last time you actually had a proper family dinner was.

you pre-ordered the five course menu for yourself, not knowing what your parents would choose. observing the vip room, it was quiet. one painting, in particular, caught your eye. it was a centerpiece that had an abstract theme, and strangely enough it was calming your nerves until your parents arrive.

the waiter came up to your table, pouring you a glass then another handed your one-bite hors d’ouvres. peeking at the entrance, which was visible to where you were sitting, there were no signs of newcomers.

eating the one bite hors d’ouvres, you expected your phone to chime a notification, only to be met with the display time moving onward. it had been half a hour. would they really show up?

the appetiser came about, then the salad. reaching for your phone once more, you hesitantly called your dad. however, there was only the monotonous sound, saying that he wasn’t going to answer.

usually vip rooms were the loudest, the most fun. yours was the opposite as you ate in silent.

main course had already made it to your table when you noticed your parents haven’t even arrived. you called them probably five times. though it was final that they were never going to come tonight. your vision slowly blurred and it felt full, a rush of sadness overtook your entire body.

not wanting to leave without finishing the dessert, you were served the sweetest cheesecake. except that, your palate was so bland. the two seats in front of you have been empty for an hour and a half. it reminded you of days when you at home eating dinner alone.

this was no different, but why did you expect so much when it was obvious that it’d be the same as before? it was only after dessert where you realised that the windows have been painted with mirror droplets and bright flashes.

standing up, you paid the bill that was meant for three when only one just showed up. your lips quivered, holding yourself together in public.

it was when you stormed out of the restaurant where your tears fell. you cursed at the sudden rain and thunderstorm. tonight weather’s was just like how you were feeling. your tears transmigrated with the heavy rain.

you didn’t have an umbrella with you and you cried harder when your phone was on the whole time, almost draining the rest of your phone battery.

you ran, once again. the patters of heavy rain that hit your face weren’t in parallel to the pain you felt. you ran to wherever, far away from your parents (even if they weren’t there), far from the past trauma you got.

tossing the stuff in your bag, you whimpered in hiccups when your inhaler was nowhere to be seen, then remembering you had the panic button johnny gave you earlier. you pressed it immediately, hoping to inform him you needed help, now.

johnny was watching a movie with his friends to cool off his mind when his phone rang a siren. he paused the movie and had a serious look. jungwoo scoffed and turned to face the guy. “dude don’t just pause at the-” he got cut off when johnny abruptly stood up and rushed to the door, his clothes went pass the younger one. “johnny hyung?”

“i’ll step out a bit..” he scrambled through his backpack for an item he regretted not giving to you.

the rest of the gang looked up, confused faces in theirs when they tried to reciprocate his vague action.

johnny pointed towards the clock, “it’s 9pm, could one of you guys please bring youngmin upstairs and put him to sleep and mind the house? i’ll be right back.” rushing out of his family home.

kun pulled johnny’s arm back after seeing an inhaler on his hand. he thought for a bit as he tried to connect the dots, “dude, what about y/n?”

“come with me, kun.” johnny just simply asked him to.

the two ran out and took a taxi just outside, as if it was prepared for them. johnny took his phone out, the gps telling him where you were located. his eyebrows met together when you weren’t even at the restaurant you said you were supposed to be in.

“.. johnny.” his thoughts pulled him out of a trance when kun called his name. “if this is something she only told you, i’ll stay out of it but tell me where she is so i could inform the driver.”

johnny’s legs shook anxiously as he bit his nails, looking out of the raindrop patterned window. he scolded himself for not handing your inhaler to you, he regretted giving that advice for you to talk to your parents, and he wished he didn’t give his phone number. this wouldn’t have happened if he just stepped back.

kun looked at his friend, “i know that look. if you’re regretting something, don’t. you did what you can to help.”

“yeah.”

the taxi stopped at an alleyway because there was a dead end at the end of road. johnny opened the door and left, not bothering to open the umbrella he brought while kun paid the driver.

johnny flicked his already wet hair back, “y/n!” he called out, checking his phone again to see the glowing red dot so he’d know where to look. he ran when you were just close by. “kun! follow me!”

his footsteps halted when he saw you seated underneath a lamp post. he’d want to applaud you for staying there, at least he could spot you so easily but it wasn’t the right time.

your clothes and yourself were soaking wet. one of your hands holding your chest while the other held the panic button. the jeans you wore turned darker when the light was covered, you looked up and johnny was standing up front, towering over you.

“y/n..” he sat down eye level with you. he took out the inhaler, putting it in your mouth, and pressed the pump. “breathe, okay? we’ll do this a few times.”

kun saw this scene unfold in front of him, he recalled this very same gesture you did yesterday. “ah, that’s why she wanted it to keep it a secret.” he told himself, taking out a towel and held the umbrella above the two of you.

“slowly.” johnny guided you, pushing away the wet strands off your face, then wrapping the towel around you. you were still in a mental breakdown and his heart ached a lot seeing you like this.

kun swayed awkwardly but understood and took that as a sign for him to leave for a bit. he gave the umbrella to johnny before skipping through further to look for a shed while we waited.

you just continued to cry. johnny didn’t know what to do, but talking wasn’t an option. so he took his phone out, playing the favourite song you had mentioned at the road trip, and put one of his earbuds to your ear and another to his. he dropped the umbrella from his hold, mumbling an ‘excuse me’ before wrapping his arms around you.

it was hard to hide the state of your mind, but you wondered why it was so easy for you to be vulnerable in front of johnny. more tears came out with just one action, along with the song you loved. sometimes you just needed a hug, no words needed to be said.

despite the rain, you didn’t realise how cold it got until you felt johnny’s warmth; his arms was enough to make you feel safe. and you hugged him back, responding that it was okay for him to do that.

though he was keeping you close to him, johnny’s mind was occupied with so many things tonight: your difficult situation and the sudden appearance of his ex- minji.

your arms around him made him hug you tighter.

maybe, he needed a hug too.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

taglist: @titanmaknae29 @joepomonerof @lovesuhng @studyingthemind @cheyehc @kyeomooniee @geysuuuuh

#johnny scenarios #johnny imagines #johnny fluff #johnny angst #johnny au #johnny drabbles #johnny series #johnny fanfic #johnny oneshot #johnny romance #nct johnny #johnny nct #johnny seo #seo youngho #johnny suh scenarios #johnny suh fluff #johnny suh angst #johnny suh romance #nct scenarios #nct fluff #nct au #nct series #nct oneshot #kpop scenarios #nct kpop #kpop fluff #kpop fanfic #nct fanfic #nct angst #johnny suh

[crinkled-emotions]

Day 22: Drawing a dick on someone's back in sunscreen (only for them to find out later)

This... damn, I had to take a breath.

Happy 2024 team! How crazy is it that we're in 2024?? It feels like yesterday my family hauled ass from one side of Australia to the other (it was actually 2013 but who's counting?).

We have some Daggers being Daggers! Lately I've been in a bit of a funk but I think I'm slowly coming out of it now :)

This one is shorter but I don't have a problem with that, I feel like it lowkey suits better.

-

“Tasha.”

Phoenix glanced at Bob over her sunglasses.

“What?”

“Don’t look now.”

“Look at what?”

She followed his gaze, spotting Rooster asleep on his lounger... on his stomach. Fanboy winked as he passed by, waving the sunscreen bottle in his hand. Phoenix cocked an eyebrow when Hangman and Coyote also started watching. To her surprise Maverick was also asleep; dogfight football had been off the table that morning but real football wasn’t. Turns out Hangman was of course the stereotypical high school quarterback but to everyone’s surprise Payback had been a linebacker... Rooster and Bob had both dropped out of football at their first opportunity (Bob was a consistent winner in debate club and Rooster played baseball all the way through his schooling years). Fanboy was a strong defender and Coyote was enjoying tackling Hangman when he had the opportunity. Phoenix was a soccer player throughout high school and she didn’t have the slightest interest in football despite having three brothers so when the others mentioned setting up a game she’d laid out with her book to watch them fall over each other. Bob had been snoozing on and off beside her for the last ten minutes, but apparently the others were done with their football to move on to another game.

It had been a long week on base; hops, simulations and lectures kept them all busy and often drained. Maverick did his best to keep morale up but he had things he had to complete and things he needed to ensure the Daggers were competent in to pass on to their classes. Their classes alone had been overwhelming with over-confident kids measuring their dicks at all times – no, seriously Bob was never walking into the locker rooms without knocking ever again.

In order to give the team a moment to recover, Maverick had suggested meeting at the beach by the Hard Deck in the afternoon for burgers. Of course it had quickly turned into sports and now everyone, fed and satisfied, had found various locations to get comfortable for a nap. It wasn’t just Rooster asleep; Payback and Maverick both were asleep and despite the smirk on his face, Hangman looked like he was considering his nap potential too. Bob and Phoenix exchanged looks, Phoenix passing over her book so Bob could subtly film what Fanboy was up to. Fanboy grinned, wiggling his fingers.

“Oh he’s totally gonna wake up,” Bob muttered. Phoenix elbowed him.

“No he’s not; Rooster sleeps like he’s dead, he’s not going anywhere.”

They watched as Fanboy drew a phallic symbol in sunblock on Rooster’s back, winking at the others as he then made a run for it. Plucking her book from Bob’s hand, Phoenix flopped back against her seat.

“Well, now we wait.”

-

Missed call from Rooster (7:14am)

Missed call from Rooster (7:15am)

Missed call from Rooster (7:15am)

Rooster: Tasha CALL ME

Phoenix woke to the notifications and immediately called Rooster, holding her phone to her ear as she got out of bed. Whilst she fumbled into clothes just in case it was that kind of emergency, he finally answered.

“Oh, so now you’re out of bed?”

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Phoenix demanded, shoving her (clean, relax) sock into her mouth so that she could do up the button on her jeans.

“I’m glad you’re so well rested, I got up early for PT and I just had them tell me the funniest thing ever.”

Phoenix paused. Spat out her sock.

“Bradley Bradshaw,” she started carefully, “please tell me you didn’t send me an SOS – on a Sunday of all days – to tell me about the PT you flirted with?”

“What- no! She was cute though... no, she asked me if I had a new tattoo and when I said I had no idea what she was talking about she handed me a mirror so I could see my back.”

Phoenix’s eyebrows raised as it all came rushing back.

“Oh my god, I totally forgot about that!”

She burst out laughing, doubling over as she howled. She could almost feel the irritation through the phone but it only made her laugh harder.

“Thanks, Phoenix. I can’t believe someone drew a dick on my back – wait. Who was it anyway? Just out of curiosity. It was Hangman wasn’t it?”

Phoenix took a moment to gather herself, flopping back into bed.

“No way am I throwing anyone under the bus. Figure it out yourself, Bradshaw – and holy shit, I hate you so much right now, it’s 7:30am on a Sunday morning and I’m awake. Ugh, this is cursed.”

Now it was Rooster’s turn to laugh, and he did until Phoenix hung up on him.

-

“Can we see it?”

Rooster glanced over his shoulder at Coyote, raising an eyebrow.

“Are you propositioning me? Take me out to dinner first, man, damn-“

“-no, the dick- shit.”

Coyote sighed while Rooster chuckled, finishing getting into his flight suit.

“C’mon- please?”

“Ooh, sorry man, too late. Better luck next time.”

“Damn.”

Coyote went back to his own locker while Rooster struggled to get his flight suit to not rest against his sunburned back and shoulders.

“Bradley.”

Rooster groaned, glancing up when Maverick approached.

“Yeah, Mav?”

“I’ve been... hearing rumours today.”

“This is about the lilly white dick on my back isn’t it. You have your team to thank for that.”

Maverick’s mouth twitched. Rooster sighed.

“Go ahead; laugh it up. You’re not the first. I’m gonna kill Hangman when I get my hands on him.”

“It doesn’t sound like it was him, Roo.”

Maverick ruffled his hair and then continued his walk up to the podium.

“Good morning, aviators- hey, has anyone seen the penis on Rooster’s back? Gives a whole new meaning to his callsign, really.”

The rest of the Daggers laughed, Maverick flipping open his file.

“Okay, let’s get to it. Uh, today we’re going to be not doing the intense hops we’re used to; we’re going back to basics because I’m starting to notice gaps in your training...”

-

“C’mon, guys, fess up will you? Who drew the dick on my back in sunscreen and then let me burn?”

“To be fair, you slept for hours and we woke you when we were worried about you getting dehydrated,” Bob commented as he moved around the ready room. The others exchanged nervous glances; if anyone would dob another team member in it would probably be Bob.

Damn stealth pilots.

“The joke’s over, guys, I’ve got a burn along the lines of my callsign and I don’t think Maverick has stopped laughing yet.”

“He’s not the only one,” Hangman grinned. Rooster cocked an eyebrow as he turned to the blonde; no one said he was above bribery-

“Tell me who it was and I’ll blow you-“

“-it was Fanboy.”

The others groaned, Bob facepalming.

“Yet again, Hangman, you live up to your callsign,” Coyote said to his best friend. Hangman shrugged.

“I’ll never say no to a-“

“-did you seriously just give Fanboy up? Dude, not cool.”

Phoenix walked into the ready room at the perfect time, smacking Hangman upside the head. He winced but he couldn’t keep the grin off his face.

“Guys; I’ll send you photos I promise.”

-

#Top Gun: Maverick #Top Gun Maverick #TGM #Bradley Rooster Bradshaw #Bradley Bradshaw #Rooster #Callsign: Rooster #Jake Hangman Seresin #Jake Seresin #Hangman #Callsign: Hangman #Robert Bob Floyd #Robert Floyd #Callsign: Bob #Natasha Phoenix Trace #Natasha Trace #Phoenix #Callsign: Phoenix #Javy Coyote Machado #Javy Machado #Coyote #Callsign: Coyote #Reuben Payback Fitch #Reuben Fitch #Payback #Callsign: Payback #Mickey Fanboy Garcia #Mickey Garcia #Fanboy #Callsign: Fanboy

[sunjakes]

every summertime ; yang jungwon

pairing: classmate!jungwon x gn!reader genre: rekindled love, fluff, university!au warnings: the littlest bit of angst (don't expect me to write actual angst much since i can barely bring myself to read it), jungwon is so unbelievably awkward, major won sunshine agenda, heeseung shows up like.. twice, not proofread, intentional lowercase word count: 1.45k a/n: part 2/7 of my song drabble series !! as soon as this song came into my head for jungwon, the plot came so naturally n i was very very excited to write this one :>

you don’t think you could ever forget jungwon.

the two of you met not long after graduating high school, and you can safely say that the following summer was the best of your life. you had never felt such pure love for someone before then, and jungwon made sure it was worth every minute you spent together.

wandering through the city in the middle of the night, messing around on the empty playgrounds, it all felt straight out of a romance film.

at the mention of starting university, you and jungwon decided it was best to end your relationship before classes began, as to not juggle too many stressors. you agreed, but the following weeks you spent preparing for said classes to start felt like such a burden without jungwon's smiles to help you get through it.

you distracted yourself with friends and family, but nothing compared to him.

arriving on campus a little early, you were one of the first students to walk into your calculus class. sitting down in a random seat, you mindlessly watch other students wander throughout the campus. the ambient chatter around you starts to get louder as more students trickle into the room, but there's one voice in particular that catches your attention.

you glance around the classroom, and your eyes widen when you make eye contact with jungwon. his eyes hold the same shock as yours, and you swear there's also a hint of relief and happiness in them too.

it feels like time winds to a halt, and the moment ended as soon as it began. you quickly look back out the window to try and prevent your emotions from rushing to the surface, and you can feel jungwon's apologetic gaze on you before he takes his seat.

"jungwon, what was that look about?"

jungwon's hesitates on his answer, his voice catching in his throat. he doesn't know the best way to respond — given you're within earshot of their conversation, but he's afraid to hurt you further.

"o-oh, no, it was nothing, heeseung hyung, they just looked a little familiar.."

you can only hear mumbles of the conversation between jungwon and his friend, who you can only assume is heeseung, but you don't dare to look back at them again.

not counting your mini staring contest with jungwon, your lecture passes by uneventfully. your first instinct once it ended was to leave the room as fast as you could, and that was exactly what you did. keeping your gaze to the ground as you get up to leave, you swear you can feel jungwon's eyes on you. but before he can even think to say or do anything, you're out the door.

trying to clear your mind from the whiplash of seeing jungwon — you're unsure if you can even refer to him as an 'ex,' since your relationship only lasted a few months — you stop at a cafe on campus for some coffee after your last lecture before walking to a mostly empty park.

sitting down on a bench, you watch students and regular adults alike passing through, some walking their dogs or enjoying the weather with their partners and children. you shut your eyes for a moment and try to relax, basking in the serene atmosphere.

"...hey-"

the sudden voice causes you jump in your seat, startled as you whip around to see who approached you.

"can, uh... can i sit here?"

you watch as jungwon nervously scratches at the nape of his neck, an awkward smile on his lips. filled with the same shock as when you saw him the first time, you nod, afraid your vocal chords would fail if you try to speak. he hesitates before taking a seat next to you while still leaving some space, looking down at his hands as he fiddles with them in his lap.

after a few beats of silence that felt like an eternity, you finally muster up the courage to speak.

"won... why didn't you tell me that you were attending this university..?"

jungwon can't tell what caught him off guard more; the fact that you spoke in the first place, or the fact that you used the nickname you gave him when you two met during the summertime. looking over at you, he already saw your eyes on him, your gaze filled with a mixture of disbelief and sadness.

fighting the urge to close the space between the two of you, jungwon drops his gaze back to his lap. after a moment to find his words, he looks back up at you, his eyes apologetic and his voice soft.

"neither of us mentioned where we were going.. i never considered the fact that we would both attend the same school, but i should've told you. i'm so so sorry, y/n, i never wanted to hurt you."

seeing the tears welling up in your eyes, he doesn't waste a second to pull you into his arms, and you clutch to him as you break down into quiet sobs. with one hand gently rubbing against your back and the other resting on the back of your head, jungwon rests his chin on the crown of your head.

"hey, hey.. please don't cry, y/n, i'm so sorry.. i'll never do something like that to you ever again, i promise. please forgive me.."

mumbling whisper soft apologies and comforting shushes against your hair, he holds you to his chest until he starts to feel your tense form start to relax. your heavy sobs slowly turn to sniffles and shaky breaths, and it isn't for another few minutes before jungwon finally decides to pull away, his hands gently moving to cup your cheeks as he looks into your eyes.

looking back up at jungwon, his eyes are filled with genuine regret as he mouths another "i'm so sorry.." he gently wipes away the last tears staining your cheeks, and a sad smile finds its way to your lips. as you nod, wordlessly accepting his apology, he lets out a relieved sigh and pulls you into another embrace, fighting back his own tears as he softly presses his lips to yours in a long awaited kiss.

"i will never leave you like that again, i swear."

ever since jungwon approached you in the park after your first day of classes, your relationship blossomed back to how it was the summer you met. months and months passed, and you were so glad to feel the pure joy and love you felt for him. however, instead of trips to playgrounds, jungwon loved to drag you to his dorm room — avoiding his roomate at all costs. he refused to tell you why he doesn't want you meeting his friend, so after a while, you just let it go.

coming back to jungwon's dorm after getting dinner together, you get dragged over to the couch to cuddle and watch movies. resting your head on his shoulder, he pulls you close and starts to play one of the movies you had planned to watch. turning to press a chaste kiss to the crown of your head, jungwon's eyes widen at the sight of someone else in the room, going unnoticed by you.

"jungwon-ah, who's this?"

the familiar voice startles you, looking over to see who entered the room.

"oh uh.. hey heeseung hyung..! i didn't think you'd be back yet..."

jungwon chuckles awkardly and you feel his arm tighten around your waist slightly, causing a soft laugh of your own to leave your lips. heeseung eyes the both of you with a suspicious expression, but when he looks you in the eyes, you watch his eyes glint with familiarity and a small smile make its way to his face.

you feel your face flush as jungwon wraps his other arm around you, pulling you closer to him. gathering as much confidence as he can, jungwon presses a soft kiss to your temple before looking up at his friend.

"hyung, this is y/n, my partner. we met the summer after high school. you probably remember them from the first day of calc.."

heeseung chuckles at the reminder and nods, responding with a quick "nice to meet you" as he wanders off, mumbling something along the lines of "i'll leave you two lovebirds be.."

looking back to jungwon, you go to make a comment, but he presses his lips to yours before you can get a single thought out. blushing lightly as he pulls away, he rests his forehead against yours before he moves to speak again, the movie he started already long forgotten as his entire focus is on you.

"i'll fall in love with you more every summertime to come, y/n."

#enhypen drabbles #enhypen fluff #enhypen soft hours #enhypen scenarios #jungwon drabbles #jungwon fluff #jungwon soft hours #jungwon scenarios #Spotify

[jayteacups]

Remedy

Struggling to keep up with your university workload, you fall sick, much to your dismay. Your boyfriend takes care of you, but Levi's spent too much of his life watching a loved-one struggle with illness, and can't help the rising fear within him when looking after you.

Pairing: Levi x fem!Reader

Tags and warnings: SFW, University AU, sickfic (Reader is ill), established relationship, some hurt/comfort. (EDIT: in one line, Reader’s hair texture is implied to be straight or wavy.)

Word count: 2.0k

A/N: I wrote this a few days ago when I first fell ill, and my symptoms have changed a little since then, but I digress. Reader’s got one hell of a sore throat and all round feels kinda bleugh (since then my sore throat has turned into a cough and my energy levels have NOT improved fml). This is your regularly scheduled reminder to get some rest, drink water and eat properly so you don’t end up like me or Reader here lol 

The shifting of the mattress underneath you interrupts your slumber, and a small whine of discontent escapes you. You feel oddly disoriented, a film of exhaustion clinging to your eyes. 

“Sorry,” you hear your boyfriend whisper quietly from behind you, as he readjusts the cover over your shoulder and slips an arm around your waist. “Go back to sleep.” Nimble fingers slip through your hair softly. 

“Mm. Okay,” you rasp, burying your face into the pillow, sighing at the welcome contact of Levi’s chest pressing up against your back. You’d spent the entire day slaving away at the library, desperately trying to force your overworked brain to focus and catch up on uni work, and his touch was sorely missed, and—“wait…” 

He kisses the back of your head. “What?” 

You just about manage to force your eyes open, focusing on the lamp on the bedside table. You’re in your room, judging by the random paraphernalia placed atop it. Levi’s room, to nobody’s surprise, is much less messy. “How’d I get back here? Was at the library.” 

“D’you not remember?” 

“… no…” Eyes drifting shut again of their own accord, you sigh drowsily. 

“You must’ve been really out of it, then.” Levi sighs, holding you a little tighter to his chest.  “You fell asleep at the desk, and Hange phoned me so I could come pick you up, since they needed to stay a little longer. I woke you up and you miraculously didn’t fall back asleep on the drive back, but you were practically a zombie the entire journey.” 

“Oh.” His words are starting to sound a little fuzzy, but you just about understand them. 

“You need to take care of yourself. I’ve never seen you this out of it.” 

“I still need to catch up with work; I’m so behind,” you protest, cut off by a yawn. If you’d been more awake in the moment, hot shame would be running through your veins at just how bad of a student you’d become. You’d always been on top of things, and you’re still not sure how you’d fallen so far behind on lectures, assignments, everything. Struggling to wake up on time, struggling to drag yourself to classes, struggling to care at all; only until you’re hit with the sudden realisation that if you continued, you’d be so far behind it’ll be impossible to even consider catching up to your peers. Hence—the last few days of panicked overworking. But even then, you still can’t work as efficiently as you once could, and it just feels like the more you work, the larger the list of tasks to complete… 

You’re too tired to care about it now, though. That’s a problem for tomorrow. 

“Wake me up early.” Your tongue feels too heavy to formulate the words properly, but you hope he understands. 

Levi clicks his tongue—of course he understands. “Not a chance. You’re going to make yourself sick if you keep at it like this.” 

You’re deeply asleep by the time he finishes the final word. 

———

You wake up to a dry throat and golden light trickling through your curtains. 

Sluggishly, you roll over. The other side of the small mattress where Levi had been is now empty and cold. 

Groaning, you wonder why all your limbs feel heavier than concrete blocks. Even your eyes are struggling to open, more so than last night. Feeling an unpleasant, dull ache in your throat, you swallow to get rid of the dryness in your mouth. 

Shit. Your throat hurts. 

I cannot be ill. Not now. 

Against your body’s wishes, you open your eyes (the sun is definitely way into the sky, judging by the light seeping through the curtain gaps), lift an aching arm and turn the alarm clock to face you, bleary-eyed and blinking slowly at the time displayed. Confirming your suspicions, the clock tells you that it is quite late in the morning… much later than you’d hoped to… wake… 

When you next come to, you want nothing to bury yourself so deeply into the covers that you fuse with the quilt permanently. A warm hand rests gently on your forehead, taking your temperature.

You call out Levi’s name—or at least, you think you did, but for all you know it could’ve come out as an incoherent mumble instead. Throat feeling worse than before, you can’t help but grimace. Levi’s hand moves away from your forehead, coming to cup your face tenderly instead. His thumb brushes over the apple of your cheek. 

“Are you awake?” He ventures. 

You open your eyes again, and squint up at him. He’s perched on the side of the bed, his hair falling over his eyes. 

“I think I’m awake now.” 

He looks down at his lap for a moment. “You look like crap.” 

“Yeah. I don’t feel all too sunny, either.” You grouse, lifting a hand to rub at your face.

“That’s what I thought.” Something clenches in his jaw momentarily, before it smooths out. “Feel like drinking anything?” 

It is only then you finally register the fragrance of a hot drink. “You didn’t,” you say hoarsely, turning your head to the side. A cup of steaming hot tea sits atop the bedside table. Dragging yourself up into a sitting position with a supportive hand on your shoulder from him, you say, “you’re too good to me, baby, thank you.” 

Bashfully avoiding eye contact, Levi squeezes your shoulder before removing his hand. “Your voice sounded a little rough last night, too. At least you don’t have a fever, but… just drink up.” 

Beaming at him, you comply. It tastes bright and sweet, just the way you like it—no, sweeter. He’d put a spoonful of honey in it to soothe your throat. 

As you slowly sip your tea in bed, Levi disappears, likely to continue with household chores around the flat—chores that you should be doing today, since you and your flatmates created a rota. Currently, two are out of town and one’s been staying over at her boyfriend’s place more and more, so the entire accommodation is yours for now. 

Tamping down on the guilt flaring up inside you, you set the empty teacup aside and lumber over to the bathroom, wincing at all the little aches and pains that comes with moving around in this state. 

Freshening up takes far more effort than it should, forcing you to shamefully trudge back into your bedroom once you’re done. Flopping on your bed face-first, you moan. 

“Hey,” Levi says from your doorway. “I emailed your professors. They’ll send you the material, and if you want, I can go to your lectures and take notes too.”

“You’re a godsend,” you groan from the bed. “No need to go to my classes for me, though. The digital handout will be just fine.” 

He sighs. “Okay. Do you want to eat something too? It’s past noon.” 

“No thanks, I’m not feeling hungry.” You sigh, clenching the sheets in trembling fists. The hot searing shame from the last few days has returned. You’re so fucking incompetent. “Please, don’t do my chores. It’s okay. I’ll do ‘em later, yeah?” 

“I don’t mind doing them.” Levi’s footsteps approach the bed before you feel a dip in the mattress. He smells like antiseptic, the scent sharp and invading your nostrils. “Cleaning is therapeutic for me.” 

The guilt comes creeping back in. No wonder he’s also been looking stressed every time you see him—he’s worried beyond grief for you. You don’t know the full details, but you know that his mother has ongoing health issues ever since his childhood, and that there had been a number of close calls and scares. Therefore, it’s not a surprise to you that he’s always been extra anxious about illnesses, mild or severe, or that he takes to intense cleaning sprees whenever somebody in his life falls ill. 

You turn your head and crane your neck - he’s wearing a surgical mask over his lower face. “I’m sorry for making you worry,” the words slip from your mouth before you can think. “I promise it’s not that bad, I’m just a weakling… I’ll feel better soon, I swear.” you chuckle half-heartedly, frustrated beyond belief and trying to make the mood light-hearted to distract both of you, but judging by his furrowed brows, Levi doesn’t find any of this amusing. Neither do you, though. There’s absolutely nothing amusing about being such a shitty, undeserving student and girlfriend who fell ill due to her own fault and forced her boyfriend to put everything on hold to look after her.

He shakes his head instead, eyes darkening with sorrow. “Don’t promise me. Just do it. Just… get better soon.” 

Wincing, you roll over so that you are now flat on your back and looking up at him properly. “It’s probably just fresher’s flu or something similar, nothing I won’t get over…” Your voice wobbles. “I’m sorry all the same, but please, don’t worry.” 

Stormy eyes flutter shut for a moment. His next words sound heartbreakingly strained. “Don’t tell me you’re sorry or that I shouldn’t worry, damn it, you just have to get better, alright?” He swallows, and then moves to get up. Quieter, he adds, “let me know if there’s anything you need from me to help you do that, i-if there is anything I could do at all.” 

Tears prick at your eyes. Damn it all—you weren’t feeling emotional at all ten minutes ago. Yet all the shame at your own shortcomings, the exhaustion from what little you did today, and worry for Levi’s sake come bubbling to the surface. The tears leak, and run across your temple and into the pillowcase. Sniffling, you wipe roughly at your face with one hand, and lurch out with the other to grab at his hand. 

“Just stay, please.” 

He freezes. 

Time ticks by slower than a snail’s pace. 

His hand closes around yours. Moisture gathers at his lash line, but he refuses to let them fall. 

“I’ll stay.” 

You smile weakly, shuffling to make room for him on your tiny bed. Cautiously, Levi sits on the edge, noting your wincing.

“You’re in pain,” he observes. “I can get paracetamol.” 

“Just a little achey all over,” you sigh. “I’ll take a tablet or two in a minute, yeah? Just… be here with me. Please.” 

He tilts his head. “I have an idea.” 

“Oh?” 

“Get on your front. I’ll give you a massage.” 

You comply, but not without taking his hand and squeezing it first. “Like I said,” you say as you shuck off your sleep shirt and get yourself in position, “you’re too good to me. I’m going to be just fine, because you’re here, okay?” 

He shakes his head. “Don’t be like that. It was never about me and I shouldn’t have made it so. You shouldn’t be worrying about me. Just relax and enjoy the massage now.” 

“But I can’t help but worry—oh.” Levi’s hands grip your shoulders, rubbing firmly, but not painfully. “Oh. Yeah, keep going.” Burying your face in the pillow, you let your eyes flutter shut. In another context, there would be something undeniably erotic about this entire situation, but now? You just want to bask in his comfort. 

“Tired?” Levi asks as your sounds of relief and words of encouragement fall sparser and sparser until the room is filled with nothing but silence. 

“Mm hm.” You smile drowsily. “I’m good, though, thank you baby.” 

“Get some sleep, then,” he says, as you readjust your arms that were resting underneath the pillow. “You deserve some rest. It’ll help you later with work. Okay?” 

“Yeah.” You nod, unable to open your eyes all of a sudden. There’s still so much the two of you need to discuss later: his anxieties when it comes to illnesses, your insecurities and struggles when it comes to university life. But, you think, being lulled gently by a wave of sleep, that can be discussed later. 

Right as you dangle on the precipice of sleep, another question escapes unbidden. “Can I get a kiss?” 

You hear something akin to a chuckle above you. “No. Get better first, and then I’ll consider it, love.” 

“It’s a deal,” you mumble, and your consciousness fades to the best sleep you’ve gotten in a long, long time. 

© jayteacups 2022 | do not repost, modify or claim as your own work. 

Masterlist

#levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi x y/n #levi ackerman x y/n #levi x you #levi ackerman x you #levi x mc #levi ackerman x mc #levi fluff #levi ackerman fluff #levi x oc #levi ackerman x oc #aot x reader #snk x reader #attack on titan x reader #shingeki no kyojin x reader #reader insert

[stranger-rants]

Genuine question... How come "I took a psychology class" became something antis use to increase the hatred towards Billy? I studied Social Work and have a master degree in Psychology and that only increases my empathy towards characters like him. I'd be scared if these antis were actual professionals in those areas.

Some people think they’re experts after taking a level 100 course. I TA’d a cultural anthropology level 100 course, and there were certainly those types of students who thought they knew everything already because they read Guns, Germs, and Steel once. I gave a lecture on the history of multilingualism in the United States and the lack of a nationally recognized official language, and people came out of that lecture still believing that English was the only language we should recognize in this country. When presented with facts, plenty of people just don’t care because it disrupts their worldview too much. They want the clout that comes with having an education in a particular field but they don’t want to do the actual work involved to be not only successful but ethical.

I have a Master’s degree in Teaching & Curriculum. I graduated with a double major in anthropology and TESOL with a minor in linguistics for my undergraduate. In addition to teaching ENL and co-teaching global history, I’ve been involved in multiple committees. I work in two additional bilingual programs, and I help support an affinity group at my work. My classes have been filmed for textbook curriculums and news articles almost every year I’ve been teaching. Yet, I’m still learning a lot. I still mess up, too. Why anyone thinks having a degree in anything at all gives them the right to discredit a whole group of people’s lived experiences (in this case, abuse survivors) is beyond me. It’s just laughable when these people claim their hate is in any way supported by sound, psychological research.

#asks

[yuurei20]

Character Dialogue Comparison, ENG vs JPN: Epel and Idia Vignettes, Words Make the Man

Original Vil: “Is it normal for the light in one’s eyes to change so completely depending upon if they’re doing something they have an interest in or not? What a troublesome apple.”

Translated Vil: “And yet his eyes clearly lit up at the prospect. I see right through you, my dear Epel”

For context, Vil has just seen Epel ride a blastcycle for the first time and is impressed by how Epel’s aura changes completely when he is doing something he actually enjoys (ride a blastcycle) since, when they are together, Epel is generally doing something that he is being forced to do. Vil assigns Epel the main role in his student film and Epel vehemently refuses to accept while being dragged away by the costume designers.

That is where the above line comes in, and the English line insinuates that Epel is secretly happy to have been assigned the role, despite his refusal.

This seems to be a misinterpretation of Vil’s original dialogue, however, which insinuates the opposite: Epel does not have any interest the role, his interest was in the blastcycle, and his eyes are not lighting up at the prospect of the role--the light has gone out, his excitement with the blastcycle having been extinguished.

This is the one and only time (thus far) that Crewel welcomes his students by referring to them as “class”, rather than puppies. If this seems like it might be a continuity error, it probably is: in Crewel’s original dialogue he doesn’t say “listen well, class” or “listen well, puppies”, at all; he simply begins his lecture on lanternblossoms.

In a very un-Vil-like form of expression, Vil says “Words make the man”, in the English translation. His original line, however, was, “Words make the person”, without specifying a gender.

※This is probably the fault of English-languages idioms (and my overthinking) more than anything else, but given Vil’s vehement dislike for separating words, clothes, interests, etc, along gender lines, it seems unlikely that he would choose to use a gender-specific idiom, and in his original dialogue, he didn’t.

With the English translation referring to Malleus’ green armband as yellow, then to Kalim’s farmer badge as an armband and Floyd's deadpan "Twinsies, get it? haha", I have begun to suspect that the translation team might not be able to see the scenes they’re translating for during the writing process (not unusual in localization, unfortunately).

That certainly seems to be the case in the scene above, where both the original lines and Idia’s expression are both reserved, but the translation team has added “You’re freaking me out! Stop!”, despite it. Neither existed in his original dialogue.

Previously ◀︎ Vignettes: Leona, Ruggie and Jack

◀︎ Main Story: Book 5 Part 1 of 3

◀︎ Events: Wish Upon a Star

Thank you as always to my wonderful proofreading team! :> And if anyone notices anything odd about the interpretations above, please let me know and I am always happy to update!

Also just a disclaimer, I don't make these because I'm trying to start a revolution against the official English translation of Twst or anything ww I am always impressed with their work and encourage everyone to play the ENG-server version of the game :> But I also do localization similar to this as a part of my job and I am fascinated by how different professionals approach the same hurdles of language, that is all!

#Character Dialogue Comparison #twisted wonderland #ツイステ #twst

[magnoliamyrrh]

Spain to Criminalize Paying for Sex, Julie Bindel, June 10th

Amelia Tiganus is a sex-trade survivor, originally from Romania. She has been campaigning to introduce laws to criminalise demand - the men that pay for sex - for a number of years. This week saw her wish come true, when the Spanish parliament voted in favour of clamping down on pimping and introducing criminal penalties for men buying sex.

Until now, prostitution has been tolerated in Spain, with many brothels operating as hotels or other lodging establishments, although sexual exploitation and pimping are illegal.

Tiganus was prostituted in Spain, where she still lives. She has long been involved in a campaign to end the sex trade, working since 2015 with Feminicidio as coordinator of its online training platform and projects for the prevention and awareness of prostitution, trafficking and other forms of violence against women. She is currently documenting the number of murdered prostituted women in Spain.

Tiganus has published several articles on the sexual exploitation of women and girls. In the past two years, she has given more than 100 lectures and workshops throughout Spain and Argentina. I spoke to Tiganus about being trafficked and abused in state-sanctioned brothels, and about her life and activism after escaping prostitution. Here is her story.

When I was 17, I was sold by a Romanian pimp to a Spanish pimp for 300 pounds [roughly $350]. But the total debt I was told I owed my new pimp was 3,000 pounds, after he had bought me and paid for my travel, documentation, clothes and the “facilities” that they put me in. Like many Romanian girls, I was totally vulnerable, not only because of economic poverty but also because of social exclusion, and being stigmatised for suffering multiple rapes at the age of 13.

I left school at 14, and at 16 I left my family and started working in a factory. The society I grew up in was deeply patriarchal, so to them I was already human waste; a bad woman.

When the pimps captured me, they talked about the virtues of being a prostitute in Spain. They told me I would earn a fortune in a short time. I didn’t know that what awaited me would not look anything like [what] they told me.

Psychological Breakdown

It was very easy to deceive me because they had already stripped me of my humanity by telling me I was a “bitch,” and by sexually violating me. I could not aspire to anything else. The pimps are expert manipulators and psychological abusers. The worst punishment is usually not physical. They didn’t put a gun to my head or threaten me or put me in chains—they broke me down psychologically, and that is how I became a victim.

Like other survivors of prostitution, I define the brothel as a concentration camp. During the day, we were forced to watch pornographic films, to eat and to sleep under a strict regime of control. We were expected to be loving and smiling, since that gave the place and the pimp a good reputation. We had to play a role all the time, and had to do what the johns demanded, such as dressing as they wished, or to [go by] another name. We had to sleep in the same bed that we had been sexually tortured in by johns.

The pimps know that Spanish johns want the “merchandise” in good condition and without obvious signs of violence. They want “happy whores” because, thanks to the media and awareness campaigns that directly relate physical violence to trafficking, the [sex buyers] do not want to feel like part of the mafia that sexually exploits women. But the johns also don’t want to give up their privilege of sexually accessing women’s bodies. So they prefer to deceive themselves, with the support of the institutions, the media, the political class and society in general, into believing that the prostitutes inside the brothels are happy and there by choice.

When I was taken to the first brothel in Alicante, a big tourist area, I was amazed that the place was full of girls from my home city. I was also surprised by the endless 12-hour days to which we were subjected. Between opening at 5 p.m. and closing at 5 a.m., there was no possibility of rest, and this was seven days a week. If we stopped work, we were fined, and this was added to our debt.

The pimps told us that once the debt was paid we would get 50 percent of the profits. They told us we shouldn’t complain, because we were going to earn a lot of money in a short time, and then retire early. I realised after three weeks of being there that that would not happen when I had already paid my debt.

In prostitution, everything is set up to take money away from the women. They are left with just enough to send to their families and not raise suspicion. We were fined and charged for lodging and maintenance at exorbitant prices, despite sleeping in crowded rooms and eating badly. We were sold expensive clothes and makeup, and they made us buy drugs, supposedly to offer to the johns and earn more money.

They hooked us on drugs as soon as they could. First it was alcohol, then cocaine. Drugs and alcohol were always available. At first, we were pressured to do it, but then we complied in an attempt to mentally escape the torture.

We were willing to endure the cruelty because we believed in the false promise of the freedom and autonomy that money would give us. In the brothel you lose your identity: You are interchangeable and usable, without any individual characteristics.

Men Who Pay for Sex

From my experiences, I identified three types of johns:

The putero majo [“putero” is a word commonly used by prostituted women to mean “sex buyer” or “john”] was the one who would talk to me a lot. I had to be very kind to him and smile, listen and approve, with love and admiration. For me, that situation was one of the most maddening. He forced me to be there, not only in body but also mentally. That was torture for me and the majority of prostitutes. This type of john not only wants to buy a body but also the soul, the feelings and the affection. They want to buy what cannot be sold. They don’t mind self-deception. I cannot describe the impotence and anger that that made me feel. He felt I should be grateful to him because he supposedly treated me well. This john went from being the most loving “boyfriend” to calling me “disgusting bitch,” “liar” and “swindler” in the most violent ways if I was not good at the role he was paying for.

The macho putero was to the point. He paid, penetrated and left. At least that way I could be mentally where I wanted to be. For that type of john, the whores are only a body with holes to penetrate. They don’t care what we are thinking. We must perform for him just like in the movies: moan, smile and pretend that we are participating. Then he leaves and we are left with our bodies violated and in pain. On more than one occasion, this type of john would turn up to the brothel in a pack with his friends and ask for group sex, usually with only one woman. Most of the time he got what he asked for, because the women who were still in debt to the pimp were particularly bound to obey them and accede to more brutal practices.

If the pimps don’t kill us, the third type of john does: the “misogynist putero.” The physical and mental torture that this sadist performs are difficult to narrate. Being bitten, pinched, beaten, insulted, humiliated, reduced to nothing. The more pain, humiliation and fear they inflict, the more they enjoy it.

The johns are macho men who think that women exist to satisfy their desires. They are politicians, judges, police, prosecutors, journalists, trade unionists, workers, businessmen, doctors, teachers, athletes, married, single, young or old. They come from all social classes. There is no place where these men feel more united than in the brothel.

I was trapped in the prostitution system for five years. The money we earned was taken by the pimps, and that money then benefits municipalities, the treasury and the state prosecutor. The money from the prostitution system ends up benefiting the state economy. This is money literally from the backs of women.

That is why I speak of the “prostitution system.” It is the “community” in which you live. It is the state and its institutions that allow it, because it brings economic benefits to the country—don’t forget that Romania is an important provider of women for sexual exploitation within the European Union.

Every time a prostituted woman retires, at least three new women are forced into the brothels. Whores are “made” on an industrial scale because the sex industry needs them. The pimps invest a lot of money into making young women believe that their best chance is to be a whore.

Spain has recently become a paradise for sex tourists. Here you can easily access all types of prostitution: street, brothels, private apartments, online advertising. It is a safe haven for johns from all over the world. In 2017, 82 million tourists visited Spain, and they contribute significantly to the economy. Much of that money comes from trafficking and prostitution. Sex tourism feeds and sustains trafficking. The Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands and Catalonia, for example, are destinations for sex tourism. The income from prostitution and trafficking in Spain are part of the GDP [gross domestic product].

Counting Murdered and Missing Women

In the database of Feminicidio.net, we have documented 42 femicides of prostituted women between 2010 and 2018, not including those who have disappeared during the trafficking process.

I survived and I can tell my story, but imagine all those who are not able to speak—those who die from addiction, abuse and torture; those who will be killed … the prostituted victims of femicide are the forgotten victims of male violence. They are seen as disposable women. They are brutally killed—their broken bodies are often found in vacant lots, or in containers or in garbage bags. Although they are sexual crimes, they are not recognised as such by laws or people.

In Spain, there is much talk and action amongst feminists about gang rape and abuse of women, which is a good thing. The social perception is changing. However, sexual violence that takes place in brothels does not seem to matter so much. The double morality is still there, with the myth that there are “good” and “bad” women— the women who matter and those who do not. This is reinforcing the inequality between men and women and makes our liberation impossible.

Spain is the third biggest consumer of prostitution in the world, after Thailand and Puerto Rico. In Spain, the sex industry is widespread and standardised. Prostitution is not a crime, but it is not regulated as a professional activity either. However, the “prostitution of others” or sexual exploitation itself is a crime, despite rarely being prosecuted.

In addition, Spain has been a magnet for immigrants in recent years. The racist policies of migratory control have helped the traffickers, because they offer to help those who need to cross borders illegally. They often become traffickers of young women.

Many migrants are caught by traffickers and exploited in Spain through force and coercion. The traffickers take advantage of women in dire poverty, who then end up in debt bondage.

The feminist movement is indebted to the victims of femicide in the prostitution system, who have shown how the end result can be a loss of life. We must find a way to reach a common purpose, and to tackle this at the root cause, which means, of course, penalising the johns.

Public Policies and Public Support for Prostituted Women

I fully support the Nordic model. I support it as a woman, as a feminist, as a survivor of prostitution and trafficking and as a member of an abolitionist NGO [nongovernmental organisation], La Sur. At Feminicidio.net, we understand that we cannot achieve real equality while countries are profiting from the sexual exploitation of women; while men can, for payment, access the bodies of women; and while profiting from our sexuality and our reproductive capacity.

It is necessary to create public policies that go beyond economic aid for women escaping trafficking and prostitution. As a survivor, I know that many more things are needed than money. Women who have been prostituted need therapy, education and training to help them find jobs and become financially independent. Often, the uprooting, loneliness and stigma of having been prostituted means that we need an entire society to welcome us as we are. We are brave survivors of a system created to enslave and dehumanise us. We deserve to live a life free of patriarchal violence.

I was able to get out of the prostitution system after five years, when I understood that I had been cheated. That was what saved me and allowed me to continue pursuing my dream. I wanted to live a quiet life, have a home, to create a family, to study, be “someone,” because I had been “nobody” for too long.

In the countries where the sex trade has been legalised, trafficking has increased, pimps have become entrepreneurs and men receive the message that nothing happens to them if they pay to penetrate women’s bodies. At the same time, the demand for increasingly brutal and degrading sexual practices is on the rise. I always wonder how someone can fight against women becoming free of prostitution. What world do we want to leave our daughters?

The Way Forward

The abolitionist movement is growing because every day there are more diverse women (politicians, judges, police, journalists, businesswomen, workers, students) who understand that the existence of prostitution makes it impossible to achieve real equality. They are not willing to accept that prostitutes are “the others,” but that we are all women.

What people do not see is that the legalisation and normalisation of prostitution does not reify or dehumanise some women but all women. The fact that men have [monetary] access to the bodies of some women strengthens their abuse and humiliation toward other women in their lives. One of the myths is that the johns have a conventional life, but the truth is that johns are still abusers and misogynists, even when they are at home with their wives and daughters.

Abolitionists will win this war. That is why we speak out, risking [the danger of] facing a perverse, powerful millionaire industry that claims our destiny is to serve men sexually. It is a long and hard battle, and perhaps many of us will not be alive when the abolition of prostitution has been achieved. But we will be proud to know that we have been part of a movement that has created a world without prostitution. A world without prostitution is a world where care, mutual desire, shared pleasure, ethics, love, recognition, good treatment and equal opportunities occupy the center of Spain

#anyway. this is what sex work is work ideology supports #i missed the news abt spain last month but i was v glad to find out #tw

[grandhotelabyss]

I noticed you restructured the American syllabus for the IC, and after groaning at the extra cash I would have to lay down to buy the readings (and at there being only one week of Dickinson*), I rejoiced that I would finally get introduced to American modernism. Along those lines —

Would you consider postwar literature (through to the millenium) for a future IC? If not (or even if so!) I would love to hear how you’d structure this era/a syllabus on it, which you’ve talked about in glowing terms before. But I’m too young to have picked it up as it happened, and it’s too young to have been really canonised yet (or at least, the culture wars have stopped it from being canonised on its own terms rather than primarily political ones). Or maybe it has been but I don’t know where to look, although you said recently that criticism for that era hasn’t yet lived up to the books themselves.

But like, Morrison and DeLilo and Ellison and Bellow and Roth and Baldwin and Pynchon and McCarthy and Nabokov (kinda) and Wallace (apparently) and who else am I missing, and a handful of romancers like Dick and Le Guin — not to mention poets, playwrights, essayists, or Brits! And I don’t know how it all fits together, since we’ve (as Bloom predicted!) handed over the keys to the cultural narrative to the ‘cultural studies’ people who know only how to read films and magazines, and even then just barely.

*Also, do you think you might be able to include at the end of the syllabus a note on the works you’ve swapped out? The expanded guide would be useful, even though (indeed because!) it includes some of the more obvious picks, which I can return to later.

Thanks! I did address some of your questions about how exactly I changed the syllabus in my most recent Substack. I mainly just deleted a few Emerson essays (Nature, "The Divinity School Address," "Circles," "Experience"), Thoreau's Walden (in favor of two shorter pieces by him), and a handful of Whitman's Civil War poems.

I have the lectures for a course I taught on American Lit from 1945 to the present on YouTube here. I wouldn't do anything differently when it comes to poetry and drama than I did there. With fiction, I focused on the short story because it was an intro-level class; for that reason I omitted some writers mainly known for novels (Ellison, Bellow, McCarthy) but I didn't avoid anyone on strictly political grounds (Roth and Wallace are included, for instance, despite the controversy about them). I don't really think of Nabokov as an American writer! For the criticism of the era, big names include Irving Howe, Lionel Trilling, Elizabeth Hardwick, Gore Vidal, Susan Sontag, and then it becomes more strictly academic...I'm not sure I'd ever teach a course on that per se.

I would consider and have considered an IC course focused on the postwar American novel, though I'd probably cut it off at 2000. (As Roger Shattuck once said quixotically of the Visible College, "Students can read living authors on their own time." The few living authors below are over 80 and effectively beyond criticism.) The reading list would probably look like this:

Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

Flannery O'Connor, The Violent Bear It Away

Saul Bellow, Herzog

Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49

Samuel R. Delany, Babel-17

Joan Didion, Play It as It Lays

Leslie Marmon Silko, Ceremony

Cynthia Ozick, The Cannibal Galaxy

Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian

Maxine Hong Kingston, Tripmaster Monkey [*]

Don DeLillo, Underworld

Toni Morrison, Paradise

With the postwar British novel, I don't have a list at my fingertips and would have to think about it—and probably read more widely myself. Graham Greene, Christopher Isherwood, Muriel Spark, Iris Murdoch, J. G. Ballard, A. S. Byatt, Angela Carter, Salman Rushdie, Kazuo Ishiguro, Ian McEwan, Zadie Smith, David Mitchell...who else? I'm probably missing obvious people! (I've never read Penelope Fitzgerald, for example. I want to read The Blue Flower but have to read that Novalis thing first and then it never happens, etc. Never read Kingsley Amis, don't care for Martin Amis...)

___________________________

[*] This one would be aspirational. It's long and ambitious, and I read and was fascinated by some of it while researching for the "U.S. Multicultural Literatures" class I used to teach. I never finished it, though, and keep meaning to get back to it.