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purplesurveys · 25 days

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So, how's adulting treating you in the 2020s? Are you smashing those expectations, or do you just wanna Netflix and chill all day? I did way better than the expectations I set for myself. First of all – I'm 26 and I'm still alive. I never thought I would make it past 21. That's an empowering realization to have.

I've been promoted every single year since first getting employed in 2020; I hold a title at work I never thought I would ever be qualified for, and reached it at 25. I got over my biggest source of grief and used it to reach the happiest I've ever been. I have a much, MUCH smaller group of friends now, but in them I've found my ride-or-dies. I've learned to embrace being single because it means I get to be the cool rich aunt and spend my money on whatever food or hobby on the weekends. I've stopped comparing myself to other people and it has brought me peace like nothing I've ever felt. I think I'm doing pretty great.

Remember all the fads and trends from the 2010s? Which one makes you cringe the most when looking back now? The Coachella indie girl look with the muscle tees, denim shorts, rompers etc sort of look looked super cute and cool back then, but with trends changing and all it also feels ever so slightly cringe now. Cringe in an endearing way more than anything, but still.

Idk, I don't really find a lot of things from that time embarrassing now. I was in high school then, so I took part or consumed most of those trends and I'll always look back on them fondly.

In the 2020s, are you living the glamorous life you thought all adults had in the 2010s, or is it more like trying to keep houseplants alive and failing miserably? No. Adults are also just figuring out themselves, and that's okay. I don't think that will ever stop.

Tell us about a moment in the 2010s when you thought you were the coolest kid on the block, but looking back, you were just as awkward as the rest of us. Making my relationship my entire personality.

So, do you adult better with a fancy planner and color-coded schedules, or are you just winging it with Post-it notes and sheer luck? I take it day by day. I do and decide whatever I feel like doing and deciding at the moment.

In the 2020s, have you finally mastered the art of adulting, or do you still have an impressive collection of takeout menus and not a clue about cooking? Oh if you mean like chores, I'm pretty behind lol. It's part of why I plan to move to BGC – everything has a service there. I think being as far away from home as possible would also help straighten me up and force me to fend for myself, and I need that.

Looking back on the 2010s, what was the cringiest song you couldn't stop listening to on your iPod, and did you ever dare to sing it in public? AJ Lee's theme is forever a bop within the wrestling world but I wouldn't ever play it to my friends or sing it out loud haha. It's so endearingly niche.

Are you living the dream of having a fabulous wardrobe that puts fashion bloggers to shame, or is your closet a chaotic mix of hand-me-downs and sale-rack finds? It's chaotic in a sense that my style changes from day to day.

Do you miss the simpler times of the 2010s when social media was all about posting selfies, or are you loving the meme culture that dominates the 2020s? The memes get more hilarious as time passes, and those I have no problem with. It's the peace, the non-conflict, the everyone's-just-here-to-fuck-around vibes on social media. Twitter is a world away from what it used to be.

Tell us your most epic "adulting fail" moment that made you wish you could just teleport back to your carefree teenage years. It's not really one specific moment, but I've regretted corporate-slaving my life away. Especially in my earlier work years where I was very career-driven, missing out on family lunches or the chances to go out with friends...it's those moments that make me long for my younger years when I studied during the day but still had time to hang out with my college friends and my girlfriend at the time. In any case, turning 25 turned on a switch in me and I have been prioritizing my life over work ever since, so that's a nice learning, I guess.

How do you balance being a responsible adult in the 2020s and still secretly longing for the reckless fun you had in the 2010s? Eh, I don't really need to? I don't actively miss my time in the 2010s. It was fun while it lasted, but we're here now and I'm going to focus on what makes me happy now.

Confess your most significant guilty pleasure from the 2010s that you can't believe you indulged in. No judgment here! 1D fanfiction maybe lol? I wasn't in deep like most fans and I don't understand most references still getting thrown today, but I did read a couple.

Do you have a "best worst" purchase from the 2010s that you still can't believe you spent money on? Can it just be the worst haha? Probably just all the gas I spent for my ex, driving her everywhere – to dates, to her house, to her dorm.

In the 2020s, have you upgraded your hangover-curing skills from greasy fast food to some sophisticated avocado toast? Nah I will still look for greasy stuff.

What's your go-to dance move when you hit the dance floor in the 2020s, and did it come from an embarrassing attempt in the 2010s? I don't dance.

How do you cope with adulting burnout in the 2020s, and does it involve a secret stash of chocolate or a Netflix binge? I find a lowkey coffee shop tucked away in the middle of nowhere, turn on DND on my phone, and read.

Share the most hilariously awkward Zoom moment you had during the great pandemic of the 2020s. I've never had an awkward on-cam moment, fortunately.

Looking back on the 2010s, what was the weirdest internet challenge you participated in, and did you regret it immediately? I wouldn't call it weird but my sophomore (or was it freshman?) class did the Harlem Shake challenge on the last day of school. I wouldn't call it cringe or be embarrassed by it though. It's cute to think about now.

Have you finally embraced the fact that you're an adult, or do you still find yourself wishing you had Hermione Granger's time-turner to go back to simpler times? I miss the freedom in youth, but I prefer to focus on the now because as much as I long for it, it'll never come back.

So, did you ever jump on the "juice cleanse" bandwagon in the 2010s, and did you last more than a day before devouring a pizza? No I was like 15 and weighed 90 lbs lol.

How do you handle those moments in the 2020s when you feel like you're just a kid pretending to be an adult? Cry it out if I need to, but trudge along anyway and hope that I learn something from the whatever it is I need to do.

In the 2010s, what was your worst fashion faux pas that you wish had never seen the light of day? Statement shirts.

Are you now the queen or king of adulting, doling out life advice like Oprah, or are you still secretly calling your mom for help with laundry? I have no shame asking my parents for help. They won't be around forever, so I like having them around as much as I can.

Looking ahead to the rest of the 2020s, what are your hopes and dreams for your adulting journey, and how will you embrace the chaos with a sense of humor? I would just love to be able to travel the world. And be the aunt that sneaks my nieces/nephews out for ice cream or pizza after school.

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bonvoyagenoona · 2 years

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About Me 14 | When Fanfic Dating Comes to Life (or, I Met AMOMK Yoongi... for Real)

(TW: some discussion of a death in my family)

Where the hell have I been??

I don’t know! I don’t know where I am! But... I kinda like it here.

I actually really like it here.

It’s light, and happy, and rewarding, and fulfilling. And still very full of BTS.

For one thing, I put up all my BTS posters that I was saving for when I finally have my own home office. But I figured... why wait?

(you can buy these at ichoism.com! and it’s where my pfp comes from!)

I feel like that unlocked a lot of things for me.

Why wait?

And I think, to take a bit of a somber turn, that’s what hit me the most after my grandmother passed away about a month ago.

I’ve written about this in my fics quite a bit, and I think a lot of Millennials (certainly all of my Millennial friends) have been continuously grappling with unlearning of the toxic parts of the hustle, achiever mentality that defines us. The constant comparisons. The feeling like we’re not “doing enough”. The brass ring that we keep reaching for. The disheartening realization that there was never a brass ring to begin with.

I kept delaying any sort of non-career gratification until I reached some arbitrary level of success. I kept telling myself that I’d get to family, and friends, and dating once I established my 401k. Eventually, it got to the point where I told myself I didn’t want any family, friends, or partners at all. And some of that is still true. I still don’t want kids or marriage. But I do want more life experience. More time with loved ones. More moments to breathe.

My grandmother was the one person in my very “success”-oriented, driven family who sort of disapproved of me going to grad school. She would, in her way, tell me that there were other things in life. To make room for them. To enjoy them.

One of the last things she told me was that she hoped that she’d live long enough to see me get married. Very Bongseon of her lol. Even with all of the confidence that I have in my life and independence, part of me feels like I failed her in some way by not getting married before she died. Part of me also feels like I’m failing my parents by choosing not to give them grandchildren.

And part of me is questioning all of that after having met AMOMK Yoongi in real life.

Let me stress that this is all brand new. Like, one week new. I am not in love. I am not in a relationship. But I am dating again. I’m exploring what it is to share time and space with possibilities.

This exploration is not the only thing that’s taken some time away from this blog. I recently got a promotion at work, and I am now the youngest person on the senior management team. And my team of direct reports has grown by four people in the past month alone, with more growth coming in the rest of the year. Along with that has come more responsibility and latitude, which has allowed me to start making moves that I’ve been dreaming of making since I first started this job five years ago.

But, as with all things, it balances out. It comes with costs. I’ve been having more meetings. Lots more show-and-tell at work. I’ve definitely been writing, but I haven’t been posting. And I’ve missed you.

Have I said that yet? I’ve missed you.

Yes, You.

You, with your beautiful brain and gorgeous smile and melodious laugh. I’ve missed reading your stories, seeing your art, reblogging your posts, and joining you in the comments. I’ve missed the inside jokes. I’ve missed the memes. I can’t imagine what brilliant things await me when things settle back down a bit.

And I keep thinking of what I was processing when BTS announced their hiatus. Specifically, what Yoongi and Namjoon said about regarding living more life in order to have something to say. And though I already had a lot to say, and was smack-dab in the middle of saying it, a dear friend told me last night, “If you spend a lot of time reading and writing about sex, it might be nice to have more opportunities to actually have it irl?”

It’s funny how this fanfiction thing has opened up my world. In addition to falling even deeper for our boys, I’ve gotten to meet You. All these wonderful people in our community. I’ve jumped into cars and onto planes to see you. To share ideas with you. To laugh with you. To learn and change with you. To be inspired by you. Hopefully you’ve had some fun, too.

But now, I’m changing in a different way. I’ve always written a lot, but I don’t say much. I’ve been told that I can be a lot (read: Kittenfishing, Hideaway, pretty much any one of my Y/Ns lol). But now, I’m talking more. Sharing more of myself.

Not through Y/N. But as me.

I’m pleasantly surprised that people actually want to hear what I have to say... not just on the page, but nestled in the soft walla of forks scraping against plates and wine being poured and regulars seething about where the hell all these new people came from.

And I’m breaking out of that achiever cycle. That delayed gratification loop. There is an addictive thrill to staying up until 4 AM because I was on a writer’s high -- and PLEASE believe I will absolutely still do that lol. But I’m balancing that out with not waiting until I finish my next chapter before checking in with my friends or hanging with my family.

So a week after my grandmother passed away, two things happened.

I got a promotion.

And I got on Hinge.

We all know the steps. I’m admittedly a master at the first part. The resume-building part. Achiever Me has it down to a science. Literally. If you’ve read my fic Matchmaker, then you know, lol.

I know my style. And I know the typical rules. I posted the necessary pics. Selfie, so you see my face. Wide shot, so you see my body. One cute. One flirty. Casual. Formal. With my family and friends, so you know my values. With emoji, so I protect their privacy. Blah blah blah.

I know the type of people who will gravitate toward me. Years of 20% wanted and 80% of unwanted advances have taught me a lot.

But I had fun with it, too.

Dearest Roomie / @mochilatae gave me 3 sets of numbers, and those determined what prompts I’d answer. When I got the prompt to do my best celebrity impression, I did one of Popeye.

Apart from all the fuckbois who liked my pics, only 3 responded to my impression in the first few days.

The Dad.

The Grad Student.

And The Teacher.

The Dad

The Dad was the first to reach out. In our BTS shorthand, he’s bboy Yoongi. Sneakers. Backwards fitted. Maybe a bit of Jungkook, what with his tattoos and a camera in hand. I shouldn’t have engaged, seeing that he has a kid. But he responded to my Popeye clip with, “ 🤔 Hmm, needs work. Jk.”

I’m an Asian, Millennial woman. I’m used to negging. And I love enemies to lovers tropes. So maybe I kinda like it, if done a certain way. The Dad is actually a sweet guy. So I Matched.

We’ve talked about a lot since then. Life’s funny turns. How tired we’re starting to feel at the end of the day. The best places to get Chinese food.

Had it not been for this conversation, I would’ve deleted the app altogether.

The Grad Student

The Grad Student was the next to reach out. He isn’t actually a grad student, but he’s a carbon copy of an old labmate. Same cloth, mere threads apart. It’s very, very odd. Even his voice is the same as my labmate’s. I could hear it when he responded to my Popeye clip with, “My God that was perfect! Can you do Olive Oil as well? 😊”

He asked me out first, and he very interestingly suggested one of my usual hangouts from -- you guessed it -- when I was in grad school. It all seemed comfortable, and familiar. But almost too familiar. I told friends that it felt like I’d done all this before. I’m fluent in his language. I could tell his interests just by looking at him. I was feeling very Celeste in Celeste + Jesse Forever. But I also felt the cultural gulf that I sometimes feel in this situation -- most concerning, the fear of being fetishized as an Asian, Millenninal woman.

There’s an episode of the podcast Reply All called The Fever, which shares some stories about a creepy white dude who essentially socially collected Asian women. (Incidentally, this podcast episode was shown to me a few years ago by a white dude, but he did not collect me or any other Asian women.) Tbh, after listening to this episode, I kinda shut down the idea of dating at all.

Needless to say, being presented with The Grad Student made me a little nervous.

We got drinks last Thursday, and... it turned out to be a good time. He’s so... nice? But not braggadociously so. He’s not suave, like the dude from The Fever, or West Elm Caleb. He bumbles, which is funny, given that we’re on Hinge. The night started with him sincerely apologizing for getting a beer before I had arrived, and it ended with him texting me a sincere apology for not walking me to my car in the middle of the night in the middle of the city. Not that those things ultimately mattered to me though. I guess it’s a good sign that he thought of those things at all.

I’m not letting my guard down, but it’s starting to counter that fear of being fetishized. His genuineness has a charm. And we connected on a lot, most importantly the desire to lead a nontraditional kind of life. He doesn’t want kids either. He values his independence. And he’s tired of the expectations (and then mocking of those expectations) that have been foisted upon our generation. I left feeling confused... but optimistic that maybe I wasn’t too late to the scene... that I had something to offer... and that maybe I wouldn’t get fake-collected and real-murdered while out here trying to connect with people.

That maybe people had something to offer me back.

He asked me out again for dinner on Wednesday.

That was last night.

The Teacher

After things went well with the Grad Student, I wondered if I should set something up with the other two guys who had reached out. I was already hanging out with my brother and his girlfriend Saturday night and Sunday morning, so I decided I’d jam-pack the rest of that weekend with social activity. Like my 4am writer’s highs, I figured I’d just get it all done in one go. Ride the bit of extroverted energy that was propelling me forward.

Why wait?

I asked The Dad, with whom I had been talking the longest, if he wanted to get coffee on Saturday afternoon. He said yes, and we picked a place.

I then asked The Teacher if he wanted to hang on Sunday. we had been talking a lot, ever since he said of my Popeye impression, “Pretty good lol”. He also said yes, and we picked a place.

On Saturday, I posted up at one of my favorite coffee shops and wrote for a little bit.

20 mins before we were set to meet, I got a message from The Dad. He wasn’t going to be able to make it. Family stuff. Understandable.

When I got home from hanging out with my brother and his girlfriend, I checked in with The Teacher. He said he was definitely down to hang.

The Teacher scares me a little bit.

He’s 100% AMOMK Yoongi. Not just in personality, look, or style (and, trust me, eerily so, especially to Soundcheck Yoongi). But because of the connection that we seem to have regarding the core details from my life that I’ve injected into AMOMK.

See, the Teacher really is a teacher. Specifically, he’s a middle school teacher. And he teaches at the middle school that I went to here in town. The middle school that is the basis for the school that AMOMK Namjoon and Yoongi teach at. Drive past it, and you’ll see the baseball diamond bleachers that AMOMK Jin gets ogled at in the beginning of Chapter 01, and the parking lot leading to the entrance to the band hall in the beginning of Chapter 03. You know what’s really scary? You might even see a red sedan. Like the one that AMOMK Yoongi and Namjoon share donuts on the hood of... and the one that The Teacher just happens to drive.

Have you seen the movie Ruby Sparks? (Another appearance of Chris Messina. Hmm. Interesting.) I certainly don’t advocate for the toxic aspects of control and will, but that awed feeling of seeming manifestation... I was starting to feel that awe when we were texting about these hometown details. And it was starting to solidify into a genuine feeling of bewilderment when we realized we also lived within 15 minutes of each other when we were younger, and that we went to the same high school at around same time.

The Teacher showed up.

He showed up early, actually.

We originally planned for 4, but he said that he’d gotten done with his errands and would now be free at 3:30.

We met for sushi, and I had one of the best conversations I’ve ever had in my entire life.

The content. Music, books, life, family, being Asian, being an immigrant, being first gen, being oldest siblings, being first gen oldest siblings, dating, movies, music, fashion, TV shows, comedy, writing, music, work, oh, and music. He said he listens to everything. I said I listen to everything. We both highly doubted that the other listened to everything. We both learned that we both listen to everything.

The little moments. Me accidentally dropping my phone, and then my chopsticks, and saying sorry or looking worried, and him just smiling and tilting his head and saying, “For what?” Or us talking about the disdain for how short songs are now to encourage streaming, Harry Styles’ use of a melody reminiscent of A-ha’s “Take on Me”, and the bright smile we’d flash each other as we stopped talking each one of the seven times the song played on the speakers during our-- 4-hour conversation?

When did 4 hours pass??

Did I want to go somewhere to get drinks?

Yes.

And the big moments. Us sitting down at another one of my old hangouts from grad school, which just happened to be 5 mins away, and us talking about our motivations. Passions. PDA.

The Teacher: I’m not really one for PDA.

Me: Me either. (remembering something) Ugggghh! OK, so my brother and his girlfriend do this thing when they’re hanging out where one of them will go, "Uh-oh! My love meter is empty!” And the other one will go, “Oh no!” And they’ll scurry over to them and hug them and kinda squeeze and jostle them while going, “boop-boOP-BOOP-BOOP-BOOP!” And then they’ll go, “All full!” and smile at each other.

The Teacher: Gross.

Me: I know! Remember how you said you wanted to emulate the relationship your parents have? I’m the same way, and I think I’ve only seen my parents kiss a handful of times. I think the most recent of them was in the Philippines during New Year’s Eve 1999.

The Teacher: Hey. Y2K. They had to. They could’ve died.

Me: (laughs) What specifically about PDA makes it uncomfortable for you, do you think? Is it like what you said about how you hate when people play their music super loud when they go to the gas station or are just out and about in public?

(The Teacher is also a grumbling grandpa, btw.)

The Teacher: Yeah, and it’s like... too showy. I like the sense that it’s saved for behind closed doors. It’s just for the other person.

Me: True. And... like... if you’re doing it all the time, it doesn’t seem as special. Not to be a huge cornball, but it loses some of its... I don’t know, it loses some of its---

Together: Magic.

I swear to you. I know I write romcom fanfiction. But this happened.

Which is why The Teacher scares me.

When it was time to go, not as an afterthought, before we even got up from our seats, he said, “It’s late. I’ll walk you to your car.”

He was wearing black, pointy boots. I could see them in my periphery because I was kinda looking down as we walked. He walked to my left, and just behind me. Kind of letting me lead. But still next to me. Like a cat.

We lingered in the hug. I thought he might be interested in a kiss. I got shy. He respected it.

Me: This was really fun. Thanks for hanging out.

The Teacher: Yeah. It was a blast.

Me: Would you want to... maybe... hang out... again?

The Teacher: Absolutely not.

(When I tell you that I cannot stop thinking about this and laughing... ugh.)

The Teacher: No, seriously though. We could hang out this weekend... or we could do mid-week, even. How about...

Me: (internally) Don’t say Wednesday. Don’t say Wednesday. Don’t say---

The Teacher: ...Thursday?

(Why wait?)

Me: Yes. Thursday.

We have texted nearly nonstop everyday since.

And I’m going out with him again in about 5 hours.

Because it is Thursday.

And that’s when the AMOMK boys go on their dates.

#about me #how i write #writing #personal #y'all i am spiraling #amomk #a map of mrs. kims #i think i'm going to hurl #a map of mrs. mins #I GUESS #cheryl feels unhinged

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thebooksaidthat · 4 years

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5 Contemporary Book Recommendations with WLW relationships!

As promised, this is my list of 5 book recs with FF centered relationships! They’re in no particular order and I hope it’ll motivate you to read some good queer works of art!

1. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid Link to book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32620332-the-seven-husbands-of-evelyn-hugo

Synopsis: Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. When she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career. Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways. --> I read this a few months ago and I remembered myself just putting my Kindle down onto the bed and looked into my imaginary camera man’s face thinking about the ending. I loved everything about this book, the friendship, the romance and the style of writing tied them up nicely. Also, apparently there’s going to be a TV series coming soon in the future so yes I’m 110% confident I’ll be crying with a bag of chips at the end too ;’) Seriously though, do yourself a favor and read this! 2. The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth Link to book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53066661-the-falling-in-love-montage

Synopsis: Saoirse doesn’t believe in love at first sight or happy endings. If they were real, her mother would still be able to remember her name and not in a care home with early onset dementia. A condition that Saoirse may one day turn out to have inherited. So she’s not looking for a relationship. She doesn’t see the point in igniting any romantic sparks if she’s bound to burn out. But after a chance encounter at an end-of-term house party, Saoirse is about to break her own rules. For a girl with one blue freckle, an irresistible sense of mischief, and a passion for rom-coms. Unbothered by Saoirse’s no-relationships rulebook, Ruby proposes a loophole: They don’t need true love to have one summer of fun, complete with every cliché, rom-com montage-worthy date they can dream up—and a binding agreement to end their romance come fall. It would be the perfect plan, if they weren’t forgetting one thing about the Falling in Love Montage: when it’s over, the characters actually fall in love… for real. --> The Falling in Love Montage is one of favorite FF books because I couldn’t not relate myself with the main character, Saoirse. I loved her humor throughout the book. She came off a little strong at first and it did seem like she was annoying but there’s a reason why she’s so sarcastic and cynical and I loved that the book wasn’t all 100% about the romance (although that is one of the best parts of it). I binged this within two days and I was fairly satisfied at the end and I can’t not recommend this enough for those who want to read a happy queer romance book! ALSO I LOVE THE COVER SO MUCH 3. The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum Link to book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36952571-the-weight-of-the-stars

Synopsis: Ryann Bird dreams of traveling across the stars. But a career in space isn’t an option for a girl who lives in a trailer park on the wrong side of town. So Ryann becomes her circumstances and settles for acting out and skipping school to hang out with her delinquent friends. One day she meets Alexandria: a furious loner who spurns Ryann’s offer of friendship. After a horrific accident leaves Alexandria with a broken arm, the two misfits are brought together despite themselves—and Ryann learns her secret: Alexandria’s mother is an astronaut who volunteered for a one-way trip to the edge of the solar system. Every night without fail, Alexandria waits to catch radio signals from her mother. And its up to Ryann to lift her onto the roof day after day until the silence between them grows into friendship, and eventually something more . . . In K. Ancrum’s signature poetic style, this slow-burn romance will have you savoring every page. --> The Weight of The Stars is mostly a quiet read, and when they say slow-burn, they really mean it. I loved this one a lot even thought it’s mostly a character-driven type of book. This is sort of an enemies-to-lovers type of book, though it went fairly quickly from enemies to friends. This book feels like something you should read slowly, just to savor it all and process everything on the pages. 4. Her Name in The Sky by Kelly Quindlen Link to book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20886492-her-name-in-the-sky

Synopsis: Hannah wants to spend her senior year of high school going to football games and Mardi Gras parties with her tight-knit group of friends. The last thing she wants is to fall in love with a girl--especially when that girl is her best friend, Baker. Hannah knows she should like Wally, the kind, earnest boy who asks her to prom. She should cheer on her friend Clay when he asks Baker to be his girlfriend. She should follow the rules of her conservative Louisiana community--the rules that have been ingrained in her since she was a child. But Hannah longs to be with Baker, who cooks macaroni and cheese with Hannah late at night, who believes in the magic of books as much as Hannah does, and who challenges Hannah to be the best version of herself. And Baker might want to be with Hannah, too--if both girls can embrace that world-shaking, yet wondrous, possibility. --> Her Name in The Sky is a beautiful coming age story between two girls in a conservative town. I did find this one slightly harder to read because I usually stray away from books like these but I think it’s good to pick something up like this from time to time. Don’t be scared away though because this has a good and happy ending to it. 5. Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner Link to book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52915426-something-to-talk-about

Synopsis: A showrunner and her assistant give the world something to talk about when they accidentally fuel a ridiculous rumor in this debut romance. Hollywood powerhouse Jo is photographed making her assistant Emma laugh on the red carpet, and just like that, the tabloids declare them a couple. The so-called scandal couldn't come at a worse time--threatening Emma's promotion and Jo's new movie. As the gossip spreads, it starts to affect all areas of their lives. Paparazzi are following them outside the office, coworkers are treating them differently, and a "source" is feeding information to the media. But their only comment is "no comment". With the launch of Jo's film project fast approaching, the two women begin to spend even more time together, getting along famously. Emma seems to have a sixth sense for knowing what Jo needs. And Jo, known for being aloof and outwardly cold, opens up to Emma in a way neither of them expects. They begin to realize the rumor might not be so off base after all...but is acting on the spark between them worth fanning the gossip flames? --> Another queer rom-com heading your way with this final rec! This was a fun and cute read about the romance between Jo, who is a Chinese Hollywood star and her assistant, Emma. I read this in a book slump and I loved it, its sort of a fake-dating trope like book and I’ve never read something like this outside of fanfiction so it was an enjoyable experience all the way! Also, when the author described Jo at one of the red carpets with her dress with pockets, my mind automatically imagined Gemma Chan from Crazy Rich Asians as her.

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mohdaburowais · 3 years

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FA222

Project 1 - Interview 1

An Interview With Chris Do

Introduction:

The Interview was made by The Business of Graphic Design, an online resource that provides a diverse collection of interviews, information, and perspectives, with Chris Do. He is founder and CEO of Blind and The Futur.

In this interview Chris Do talked about his career like how he got into design, some of his thoughts about how to be better at business through personal change, etc.

A summary of what he said:

He got into design mostly by accident. He started to work as a freelancer for a silk-screening shop and In that time, he was introduced to a graphic designer so he knew that he needed to get into a good design school. When he got in Art Center, he decided to get out from school, but his mother stopped him. In 1995, before he graduated from school, he started to work professionally at an advertising agency. He was making 45000 dollars a year and his boss offered him to double his salary, but he quit his job for two reasons. First, moving from one city to other to work on big projects. Second, because he was an art director, he wasn't doing any of hand-on work anymore. After he graduated from school, he found a job at Epitaph Records, but the was 30000 dollars a year and that less than previous job about 10000 dollars. He worked a little then he became a freelancer. His relationships during his previous jobs and how he treated people brought him benefits because the customers in the previous jobs still hired him to do some projects. He created a team by brought his friends to helped him to do his works. He think that you don't only have to hire creative people, you should have an office manager, a receptionist, a someone who is half creative and half technica because there are many machines that you don't how to set them all up, coordinators, producers, etc. He had many experiences with partnerships, but all of them failed so he work alone without partnership. In profitable years, he give bonuses to his employees, but in unprofitable years he feels pressure so he tell them that “We’re just lucky to have jobs this year, guys. I’m sorry there isn't more”. He gave an advice to people who often say “I can’t do this, I can’t do that”, is where you spend your free time is what you become. Also, you need to lose some of your friends who are negative, who are not productive, or not goal driven because you’re going become a little bit of them and they are going to become a little bit of you. He gave last little advice is when you have clear goals you'll become more efficient.

Conclusion:

In the end, I really enjoyed to read this interview and the best thing is his advices are very helpful.

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ceescedasticity · 4 years

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more director’s commentary

Anonymous said: Oh wow, that director’s commentary is so interesting! Do you mind if I ask for a director’s commentary for the first and second scenes in chapter 3 of Escher, when Yusuke wakes up in the past? Thanks!

Sure!

Yusuke considered his options carefully and rationally, and then refused to get out of bed. When Sensei stepped in to ask if he was feeling all right, he pulled his blanket over his head. He did not want to talk to Sensei. This was a bad dream. If the Holy Grail wanted to torment them as they disappeared Yusuke supposed that was its prerogative, but he didn't have to play along.

It just doesn’t want to block quote that paragraph... Anyway. Several of the others after remembering worry that it might not be real, but I think Yusuke is the only one to just immediately conclude hallucination. He’s evidently much less confident in his grip on reality and/or much more paranoid about the Holy Grail’s mind games.

"Yusuke-kun?" said someone who wasn't Sensei. "Are you not feeling well?"

That was not a very good way to get him to get up.

Losing Hitoshi HURT, badly, and Yusuke dealt with it by wrapping it up and setting it aside and not dealing with it, and he doesn’t want to pull it back out.

"Yuuuuuusuke-kuuuuun, come on," Hitoshi-senpai said, just like he hadn't been dead for a year and a half. The nerve. "I know you're awake under there."

Best not to do anything to encourage it.

"Fair warning, I'm taking your blanket in five… four… three… two…"

The blanket was yanked away before the count reached one, let alone zero, and Yusuke was left blinking up at… Hitoshi-senpai. He looked perfectly normal, not at all like someone who'd jumped in front of a train.

Since Yusuke is still at least half-sure this is a Holy-Grail-driven hallucination, he was at least half-expecting gore.

(Not that Yusuke had seen him, after. Hitoshi-senpai had jumped while Yusuke was at school. He hadn't found out until he got home in the afternoon.)

Madarame found out a few hours earlier and could have called Kosei and had Yusuke pulled out of class. He didn’t. This was... well, saying it was meant kindly is a bit strong, not calling him earlier also made things easier for Madarame, but Madarame did think leaving Yusuke in school would make things less painful for Yusuke. He was probably wrong.

"You okay?" Hitoshi-senpai asked. "You're kind of pale…"

If he said 'you look like you've seen a ghost', Yusuke would not be responsible for his actions.

"Well, whatever's wrong, you're only going to feel worse sitting in here in the cold," Hitoshi-senpai went on. "Come on, Kiyomi got the space heater fired up in the studio over an hour ago, weird early riser, and I got us a treat for breakfast!"

…Maybe he would humor the hallucination at least as far as the space heater. "All right."

Being a “shack” the atelier has shitty insulation and possibly no central heating, and if they set up a space heater in every room the circuit breaker might fail as soon as someone used the microwave.

Yusuke opened his clothes chest and stared blankly at the middle school uniforms inside for a moment before digging out worn jeans and a paint-stained sweatshirt. Everything was just like he… remembered leaving it the night before. He'd thought about piling clothes on top of the blanket on his futon for extra warmth, but had decided it wasn't cold enough for that to be necessary.

Funny, that a memory that should be three years old seemed so fresh.

He didn't bother folding up his futon properly. Hitoshi-senpai's on the other side of the room was even messier.

Yusuke is not, by himself, a very tidy person. Yusuke and Hitoshi’s room is a disaster. Madarame has had to ask them to clean the room.

Yusuke peered out into the hall as carefully as if he were trying to ambush a Shadow. He did not want to talk to Sensei right now, hallucinated or otherwise. Not in sight — he was probably back in his private studio, with his own space heater. Or whatever secret climate controls he had to store all those fake 'Sayuri's without ruining them.

Obviously some of the time he’s off at resorts or whatever, but he is at the atelier sometimes, and I suspect his room is nicer than the shack in general looks. --And he would definitely need better climate controls for all those paintings.

Hitoshi-senpai's breakfast treat was store-bought American-style toaster pastries. Which he was attempting to toast on the space heater. Yusuke considered going back to bed.

I don’t think this is even a full manic episode, he’s just being weird.

"There you are," Kiyomi-senpai said. She was sitting by the space heater with a textbook and a notebook. Studying, presumably. Kiyomi-senpai had studied a lot, up until she dropped out of high school (when she left the atelier). "Hitoshi said you weren't feeling well, so I put away all the drawing pencils you left all over the studio last night."

…Yusuke remembered her sending Hitoshi-senpai to make him get up to clean up the mess, but that was the real version, when he hadn't woken up with a shout, then retreated under his blankets and lain in bed for an extra hour refusing to acknowledge anyone. "…Thank you, senpai."

Given a choice of exerting some effort cleaning up a mess someone else made or exerting twice as much effort making the person clean it up themselves, Kiyomi will usually take the second option. (She is very aware of unspoken games of Chore Chicken, knows she is at high risk of losing, and refuses to do so.) Exceptions are granted for health reasons. Don’t get used to it.

"I think these are almost ready," Hitoshi-senpai said. "Sit down, Yusuke-kun."

Yusuke sat, and numbly accepted a space heater pastry.

This was all a little… non-surreal to be a hallucination. No spines or giant veins anywhere. The space heater toaster pastries might have counted as surreal, except he remembered that part actually happening. Hitoshi-senpai could get a little surreal sometimes. Inspired, Sensei had always called it.

Crap, if it’s real, he’ll have to deal with it.

"You really don't look very good," Hitoshi-senpai said critically. "Hey, Kiyomi, how's the slush fund looking?"

"A lot smaller than it was before we splurged on the wedding present for Ayane-senpai," Kiyomi-senpai replied.

(Ayane-senpai had left the art world to get married less than a month before this. Or, more likely, Ayane-senpai had gotten married to leave Sensei, which then meant she had to leave the art world. None of them had gone to the small wedding, but Hitoshi-senpai had insisted the four remaining students — the three who lived at the atelier plus Natsuhiko-senpai — needed to send Ayane-senpai a wedding gift of some good art supplies so she would know she didn't need to leave art behind. Good art supplies were not cheap.)

Ayane wasn’t as close as the three of them are, more like on the level of Nakanohara (but much less obnoxious). Yusuke has the causality a bit mixed up; she wasn’t going to insist on leaving completely when she got married, just cutting back, but Madarame made an ultimatum and she decided she’d rather leave completely.

"Not to mention all the fried chicken last week," Kiyomi-senpai continued. "And the osechi, which incidentally had better still be in the fridge when it's actually New Year."

Osechi.

Ah, yes, unlike the 'end of exams' cake which had vanished before Kiyomi-senpai was even halfway through her end-of-term exams. It had been Yusuke. Hitoshi-senpai had covered for him.

No one was fooled.

Hitoshi-senpai frowned. "I thought Sensei paid for osechi this year."

"Sensei said he wanted to pay for the osechi." There were deserts less dry than Kiyomi-senpai's voice. "He never said he would."

"Right…" Hitoshi-senpai sighed.

"But if Yusuke-kun really needs a doctor… I think… I'm pretty sure Sensei would cover that."

"I don't need a doctor," Yusuke said quickly. Sensei probably would cover it. He'd also find a way to make them feel bad about asking.

Yusuke is right.

"You sure?" Kiyomi-senpai asked. "Even if he… doesn't have the cash handy, if it's really an emergency…"

If the slush fund isn’t enough, and Madarame won’t pay up, and it’s REALLY SERIOUSLY AN EMERGENCY, Kiyomi can call some of her relatives and ask for a loan. They would never let her forget it and it would make things generally more difficult with her family going forward, but apart from this art school/apprenticeship/career nonsense, Kiyomi is a Sensible Girl, and she has never said something is an emergency if it wasn’t actually an emergency, so if she asked for help they would help. They really could be a lot worse.

"It's not an emergency at all, senpai. I just… had a bad dream."

"Must've been pretty bad," Hitoshi-senpai said, before eating the last space heater pastry.

Oh, why not. "Kiyomi-senpai had gone back to her family in Iwate," Yusuke said flatly.

"That's bad, all right—"

They could be a lot worse but they are still best appreciated from a distance. Hitoshi has heard more about them than Yusuke has.

"And you were dead," Yusuke continued before they could start with that joke. "You — were hit by a train. Sensei had been arrested. Then a giant evil golden cup took over everyone's cognition and Tokyo merged with the skeleton and innards of some nameless cosmic beast."

Hitoshi-senpai blinked. "Uh."

"It killed all of us," Yusuke went on calmly. "And I'm still not sure if that was the dream or is I'm dreaming now while it's killing us."

Is thinking the future may have been a dream an improvement over thinking this is currently a dream? Idk.

"…I'll check and see what the clinic hours are," Kiyomi-senpai said.

"What? No—"

And there goes their free day!

#writing babble #start again fic

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miraculouscataclyyysm · 5 years

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Part 10

link to part 9

This part is about just one episode, it’s quite important to the au wich is why Iv given it it’s own part, basically, Lila becomes the peacock miraculous holder, this all takes place after feast but before the battle of the miraculous

Lila is at the Agreste mansion getting tutored by Adrian sins she’s so behind *eye roll* she sees Nathalie faint and Gabriel take the peacock brooch away from her, she follows Gabriel and sees him go into his secret evil villain layer

Later she goes up to him and straight-up says “I’d make a much better Mayura than Nathalie” Gabriel is taken back by this “ don’t try denying it, Also I know Adrian isn’t the most perceptive guy but you might wanna try hiding all of this a bit better” Gabriel would be losing his shit right now if he wasn’t so impressed by the girls confidence (Gabriel she literally just called your son and idiot and your impresses? Da fuck)

Gabriel being the stupid, evil, sadistic, terrible father that he agrees to partner with Lila and gives Lila the peace miraculous whenever she will be useful (because that’s gonna end well)

The first time he calls her in to fight she takes full advantage of the situation to cause havoc for the class, she creates a sentimonster version of Adrian, Gabriel pulls Adrian out of school for the day for a modelling gig to keep him occupied, when felix asks what’s going on Nathalie just says “Gabriel has decided to focus more on adrians career, after all hes the real Agreste heir, Gabriel needs to put in some more training time with him so you’ll be driven to school alone” felix just closes his eyes for a second to proses that verbal slap across the face and says “right, I’ll be off then” he decides to walk to school and pick Marinette up his way while Lila sends senti monster Adrian to class

Sentimonster Adrian then walks into the art room where Mari and Alix are helping out marc and nath, it starts off fine, but then at lilas command senti-Adrian switches and starts calling bath and marcs work creepy and disgusting “this isn’t art it’s basically a toned-down version of stalking? Do you really think any of Paris’s heroes wanna see your creepy drawings, this is just fan fictions...neither of you are anything special” Mari is taken back by the outburst, this doesn't seem like the Adrian she's grown to know, Alix, on the other hand, is already at boiling point “like you'd now anything about art Agreste, you have as much depth as a glass of water, and for your information ladybug as seen there comic and loves it, she even asked for a signs comply when it’s complete” “then she clearly has no taste just like i already suspected” that’s when Mari sees this can’t be Adrian “Adrian I think you should leave” once he’s gone she turns to the other three and says “I don’t think that’s Adrian guys” nath-“what do you mean? That sure as hell looked a lot like Adrian to me” Mari-“when has Adrian ever said anything remotely bad about anyone? Especially ladybug?” Marc-“she has a point...we should find Alya, see if she can send lb a warning about a possible Akuma” as there talking Alix slowly backs out of the room to transform

After leaving the art room senti Adrian *being pupeted by Lila* went off to hurt as many people as possible and successfully caused juleka, Alya and max to be akumatised, the key insults *by Lila* being:

To Alya-“the fact you call yourself a real journalist is a joke, your nothing more than a half baked gossip blogger using her so-called hero for attention” to Juleka-“your pathetic, your just a scared, sad, emo princess that’s obsessed with her best friend and has no real opinions for herself *evil chuckle* or her own voice, speak juleka...just speak” to max- “you wanna know why your always alone?” Max-“but I’m not alw” “I’m speaking max! You're always alone because nobody likes a know it all, you make all your friends feel less than, you hurt everyone you love, that’s why you’ll always be alone, forever”

Once she’s transforms lb gets a call from bunnix “finally! Iv been try to get ahold of you for 2 whole minutes lb! We have a possible akuma at dupont” “have you gotten ahold of chat?” B-“radio silence” lb-“this isn’t good” B-“don’t stress red we can Handel an Akuma by ourselves” lb-“I don’t think it’s an Akuma though...I think it’s a sentimonster”

After 5 more minutes of failed calls to chat Lb tracks down Felix and tells him he needs to transform “I can’t get ahold of chat Noir and we have a big issue on our hands” “but there isn’t an Akuma” “but there will be...I BELIVE there’s a sentimonster in the school parading around as your cousin Adrian Agreste” felix just rolls his eyes “of course there is” lb-“ felix there’s no time for your broodyness, so drop the dramatics for now and transform...chop chop”

Chat shows up halfway threw the fight “I’m so sorry bugaboo, I was stuck at the other side of Paris, I couldn’t get away from my civilian duties and faster” lb-“it’s fine chat, Renard Arctique and bunnix have lady wifi, Reflekta and know it all (‘know it all’ is Max’s akumatised name, he has the ability to know everyone’s biggest insecurities and uses it against them making it the only thing they can think about) I kneed you help tracking down the sentimonster before it cases any more akuma’s” Chat-what’s the sentimonster of?” “Adrian Agreste” *chats giving lb the biggest oh shit face* they hunt down senti Adrian and after a major fight with himself (hehe) Chat and lb manage to defeat it, then they join Renard and bunnix to finish off the akumas

Yeah she was defeated but lila calls it a successful day, she managed to cause 3 akumas without really lifting a finger or damaging her own rep and proved her usefulness to Gabriel, she calls that a win in her book

The next day when Adrian walks into class with Felix, all eyes are on him, he try’s to apologise to the class but lila runs up to him pushing Chloe out of the way to engulf Adrian in a tight hug *chloes fully red in the face with rage* Mari leaning over to whisper to felix “this should be good”

lila- “it’s okay Adrian we know it wasn’t you! You’d never say such hurtful things to us” alix-“you weren’t even at school yesterday lie-la” lila-“that’s because that THING attacked me on my way to class, calling me all sorts of horrible things, but lucky I’m professionaly trained in yoga and was able to comtrol my emotions, I just had to run home and send ladybug a warning obviously alix” felix- “you’ve been professionaly trained to control you’re emotions yet you e been akumatizes about 5 times...what a joke” lila glares at felix

Sensing tension Adrian interjects “I’m still sorry everyone, I hate that something looking exactly like me hurts any of you, I’d never wanna case anyone of you pain” Chloe gets up and pulls Adrian out of lila’s tight hold “it’s okay adrikins we know that your the sweetest person alive anyone who believed that impostor is utterly ridiculous ” felix grones and murmurs “I’m gonna be sick” Mari smirking “want me to get you a bag”

After sitting down Nino says “don’t worry dude your friends know you, I never had a doubt about it, the second I overheard what it said to Alya I knew that wasn’t you, you wouldn’t hurt anyone” “thanks Nino” “no thanks necessary here bro, if you wanna thank someone it should be Marinette” looking shocked Mari interrupts “what? No! No no no you seriously don’t have to say anything, I was just doing what anyone else would do” Felix looked at his girlfriend and gave her a soft smile

Felix-“it’s true Adrian, she’s the one that talked Nathaniel and marc down after your evil doppelgänger verbally attacked them, then she told them it couldn’t be the real you, because you wouldn’t hurt s fly *trademark Felix eyeroll* she even got everyone to spread the word around school and got word to lb, she was a total hero” Marinette looks at Felix with a small smile and slight blush, Adrian breaks the soft AF moment by saying “I don’t know what to say Marinette, thank you, thank you for having so much faith in me” Mari-“of course I have faith in you, I know you, Adrian, you’re good person” jokingly she giggles and says “a little dens (talking about Kagami) but you have a good heart...down to your core”

After school Nino and Mari join Felix and Adrian at the mansion and chill around playing video games...okay so Felix technically Doesn’t play any of the games he just sits next to Mari and watches as she demolishes Nino and Adrian at every single game, he can’t help thinking how beautiful she looks when her smile is wide and toothy, her face is slightly pink from yelling with excitement and her eyes are wide and bright...she’s the definition of beautiful

Link to part 11

Tags-

@lunar-wolf-warrior @bamagirl513 @persephonebutkore @charlietheepic7 @7-sage-7 @spicybelladonna @akana-sama @goggles-mcgee

Edit: link to art I made for this part

#seating plan au #had to put in some soft mari and felix to make up for the lila drama #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #felinette #felix agreste #miraculous ladybug #ml #ladybug #chat noir

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a-very-fond-farewell · 4 years

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The forbidden crack! Untamed prompts: 18/?

University AU: “Negative Space”

[ok so, self projection is a bitch, but I am petty to myself on a regular basis so it’s ok]

[title is from the Japanese concept “ma”, which Wikipedia describes as:

“a Japanese word which can be roughly translated as ‘gap’, ‘space’, ‘pause’ or ‘the space between two structural parts.’ In traditional Japanese arts and culture, ma is more carefully defined as the suggestion of an interval. It is best described as a consciousness of a sense of place, with the ‘intervals’ suggested often being more than simple gaps, instead focusing on the intention of a negative space in an art piece.

Ma is not necessarily an art concept created by compositional elements, such as the literal existence of a negative space. Instead, the intention is often to create the perception of an interval in the viewer experiencing the elements forming an art piece, making maless reliant on the existence of a gap, and more closely related to the perceived experience of a gap.

Ma has also been described as ‘an emptiness full of possibilities, like a promise yet to be fulfilled’, and as ‘the silence between the notes which make the music’.”

Fun fact: “ma” also means “but” in Italian, which is what usually follows whatever intrusive thought may plague my mind. Eg: “I may be useless now, BUT just you wait until I get some dopamine to get me through this shitty times.”]

Wei Ying never asked for much in his life. He’s content with cleaning classrooms and toilets and nobody can beat him at wiping the marble floors if he works hard enough. Granny Wen, his supervisor, is slightly impressed with his ability to make the wood shine for ages to come. His nephew Jin Ling sometimes comes to check on him when he’s done with senior classes or cram school in the evening, and together they sit down and listen to whatever his older friends in music production came up with during the day. Jiang Cheng occasionally would ask him to keep him company while he grades papers and they bitch about ZiXuan and his inability to dote on their sister. The cafeteria ladies are always nice to him and they give him extra congee because they worry for his questionable consumption of spice products.

He’s fine, really.

So why can’t he stop wandering over to the science building these days? Looking for a clean board to use, for an equation to finally solve? Even if in the end he just takes the chalk in hand and simply stares down at the inky surface in front of him, unable to write. His mind working on a software too advanced for the hardware that constitutes his brain.

Thirteen years. It has been already thirteen years and yet it feels like yesterday, or like it never happened at all. Like it has yet to be. Time blindness is a bitch to deal with, yet dyscalculia and ADHD makes a joke out of you when you love math on a visceral level... but you burned too bright too fast and now you function on no data and with an even shittier signal. Having a burnout at 23 should have taught him humility instead of pride, but Wei Ying has always worked out of spite and certain habits are difficult to forget.

Couldn’t put the number in the right order, switching digits left and right since he was young? Fine. Numbers were concepts anyway, entire civilizations working their magic without even knowing what “zero” stood for. A brain steaming with a million ideas per second? Good. New connections brimming with ideas he could use to better the world.

It worked fine until he let himself down. Until he became a useless empty lighter, a wet match tossed out, carbon monoxide in the air.

Dropped out before finishing his very ambitious, highly dangerous for his psyche, thesis project. Aunt Yu never forgave him for that, not after paying for his advanced classes, not after trusting Uncle Jiang and supporting him despite his many flaws. What good is being first of your class every year, poster child of a teaching system done right, graduating bachelor at 21, if you can’t finish your master at 23 and get your PhD at 25 and start teaching by 27 and drive yourself insane in the process?

Wei Ying dropped out and didn’t finish his master, didn’t enroll in the teaching program, and let everyone down. His Uncle and Aunt looking down on him, whether out of pity or shame. Jiang Cheng may have been the one leaving him behind, but he used to be the one saying “you should have tried harder”. YanLi worrying over him when she should have focused on her career first. Jin Ling growing up with stories of his uncle “not being worth the money put into his education”, taught to not disappoint and make his family proud. The Jin side, that is.

And now the kid comes crawling in defeat to him instead of Jiang Cheng after bombing a test in high school. And they chat of what he would like to do and how much he likes sports and how much he despises the idea of getting a scholarship for that and being called stupid or something by his classmates. And he cries when he thinks Wei Ying cannot see him as he leaves the campus late at night.

Wei Ying didn’t even want to solve that impossible theorem he fixated on in his early twenties. His thesis project was inconsequential in the great scheme of things and his professor only wanted him to be his one trick pony in the end. No. Wei Ying wanted to teach math in elementary school, hell... even in kindergarten. He wanted to change the approach to the subject. Because numbers cannot be taught like language is and there are many ways to teach how to sum up digits and divide quantities and there are no rules on how to make sense of space either.

But how can he teach when even time eludes his senses?

Something that nobody can define, but certainly most perceive as linear... but not him. Not since his brain fried up in his attempt to function like a normal human being.

After thirteen years nothing has changed.

Until one day he hears something else aside from his usual intrusive thoughts and burdensome memories. A melody so quiet he almost mistakes it for the wind, coming from the music building.

He walks slowly, night surrounding him like the embrace of a friend as he makes his way to the traditional musical instruments room. The one where Jin Ling’s friends meet sometimes as they wait for the younger boy to join them. Wei Ying holds his breath as he spies through the gap of the door left ajar, neon light slicing his face like moonbeams as he peeks in and recognizes Jin Ling’s friends and another figure sitting on the ground, guqin on their knees.

But before he can lean in and breathe in the vibrant sounds all around, the door opens and music theory Professor Lan finds Wei Ying clutching his mop for dear life.

They said the man could see colors within the notes, that he despises language outside of his class or office and that only his brother, the history of art TA, could convince him to talk every now and then.

If numbers were created to measure space, Wei Ying firmly believed music had been invented to make sense of time and count its seconds in rhythm and notes, pauses and beats. Yet, time seems to stretch to a stop as the janitor focuses all of his attention on professor Lan’s stern face and his heart quickens its pace.

Wei Ying takes a rushed breath and dives right in with a weird sense of hope pumping in his veins. A small, timid voice whispering that life is not made to be atoned, but to move on and grow.

One step at a time.

“I’m Wei Ying, Professor Lan. May I listen while you play?”

Yes, maybe it will be enough just to let time flow at its pace.

Whatever rhythm that may be.

[some hcs down below]

WWX does not magically solve the math theorem. he may or may not help kids figure out how to use numbers on the long run tho. no, he will still work as a janitor and there’s nothing wrong with that.

yes, LWJ is autistic and stimms and finds WWX’s honesty soothing. yes, you can add your hcs on the matter. he has synesthesia, but more on the grapheme-color side of the deal than anything else and he sees certain letters/numbers/notes in different colors. people think he can see colors in music, but they misunderstood and thought he could recognize different hues while listening to music instead of reading it.

JC has grown since his uni years and doesn’t resent WWX anymore. he teaches astrophysics as a TA and doesn’t pressure his brother to pick his studies up anymore. WWX has mixed feelings about this: he feels he’s a lost cause, to the point not even his brother spurs him to best himself anymore, but he is grateful for the patience anyway.

LXC is the official LWJ translator of the campus along with their cousins SiZhui and JinGyi. he bonds with WWX and JC over how tired they are, seldom staring at flies roaming above them in the cafeteria bc none of them can even move. he lives on caffeine and regrets, but he’s getting better as he develops a love for his plant babies and tries to not let them die on a daily basis.

Wen Ning and Wen Qing are little overachievers and adrenaline junkies, hence their competitive streak on their way to their third master degree just for funsies. they scare people with how driven they are, but the juniors love them.

NMJ is the one to go to if you need to get away with murder, but JGY will actually be the one helping you dispose of the body. the fact that they both work in criminal law is somewhat both reassuring and disquieting. they hate each other and yet cannot stop hang out, they are close to 40 and need the rivalry to keep going anyway. nothing beats a good nemesis. not even sex. maybe.

NHS has failed his entrance exam to become a nurse too many times to count, but he is determined to see the end of it. even if he could potentially work in the family business, but he doesn’t know anything about managing an empire of bricks and he doesn’t care. if NMJ could run away, well, so can he.

MianMian is Wei Ying’s bestie and has the biggest crush on JGY’s sister A-Su the kindergarten teacher, but since they are childhood besties she doesn’t know how to approach her. she is Jin Ling’s idol and a certified boxer and refers to herself as a useless bisexual. Wei Ying boxes with her sometimes, she always win.

YanLi is an equestrian mum, but in the best way possible: she coaches children for shows and teaches them horses should be loved and feared equally and that if you want to shoot arrows from a running horse you should always, ALWAYS let go of the stirrups the moment the beast gets too unhinged to ride. JC fears her, WWX is only glad she didn’t train police dogs for a living.

ZiXuan actually loves his wife, but WWX and JC question his career choices and the fact that he’s a retired lawyer spending his family fortune while he’s a stay-at-home dad and does all the housework. WWX and JC believe he should give their sister a better life and work his ass off to deserve her, but he does make amazing rice cakes and keeps up with Jin Ling’s studies and is very supportive of his dreams.

A-Qing and Song Lan are siblings and sometimes bring JC food from the campus cafeteria where they both work at, while Xiao XingChen and his carer Xue Yang work with LXC for a project on accessibility for visually impaired visitors of the local museum. JC and LXC work to make Song Lan and Xiao XingChen fall for each other, but the youngsters are too protective to let them play matchmaker so easily.

[this is all for now. please, if you want, add your own headcanons!]

#mdzs #cql #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #mdzs/au: modern #mdzs/au: uni #the forbidden crack! untamed prompts #nieyao #xicheng #wangxian

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crimesolved-moved · 3 years

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𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑒 / wizarding world.

THIS IS AN EDITED AND UPDATED REPOST OF AN AU FROM AN OLD BLOG. PLEASE DO NOT REBLOG. PERSONALS, DO NOT INTERACT.

𝚀𝚄𝙸𝙲𝙺 𝙸𝙽𝙵𝙾

Hogwarts House: Slytherin

Blood Status: Pureblood

Patronus: Corpreal, Dragon

Boggart:

Wand: Dragon Heart String; Ash Wood. 17 Inches, Medium Flexibility

Career: Potions Master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry; Self-Employed Magical Detective

Occulmens: Yes

Legilimens: Yes

Metamorphmagus: Yes

𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚆

The first Slytherin in his family after a centuries long dynasty in Ravenclaw, William Sherlock Scott Holmes was born to the Holmes Family. A long standing Pureblood line of french origin initially before making roots in the United Kingdom. While his family is more accepting than others that associate in Pure-blooded Society (specifically of those of other blood status), they still have their feet in some of the traditions and customs.

Sherlock was not one to follow tradition easily, however --- although he graduated with accolades and honors, with the potential to go into a number of fields readily. The warring years had taken a toll on him, and he decided to go along on his own path for awhile. Drifting around the wizard and muggle world aimlessly for a few years, and starting to get himself into trouble. Eventually his family was forced to step in to save face; his brother Mycroft held great influence within the ministry and was able to put him in a suitable position that would include a built-in method of minding him.

The position, in question, Potions Master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. While education was not what Sherlock had ever intended to end up in; he found that (overtime) that he didn’t mind it so much. He definitely got on better with the students then he did most adults; while he was by no means a warm or fuzzy professor — his understanding of how humans work psychologically (in an almost muggle way) made his classes balanced evenly in terms of age and their brain development.

However, he wasn’t the kind of man who could be completely satisfied based on that alone. Sherlock was always looking for something to do. Work was something that pacified him between how he actually amused himself — solving the clever little puzzles mysteries that cropped up. Fortunately, there never was a shortage of those. While he was often scolded by the headmaster, his brother and occasionally selective other staffers for perhaps letting his hobbies take too much of a priority — there was a part of him that couldn’t deny that he did find it a better alternative to pass his time.

While he was definitely ‘a love him or hate him’ professor, Sherlock’s passion for the subject was clear and had a clear and continued desire for the Defense Against the Dark Arts job (a position that nobody wanted to encourage his pursuing due to his occasionally unpredictable and volatile nature). He had often publicly undermined the teachings of the previous professor, second guessing their qualifications and added ’corrections’ to their lessons uninvited.

𝙷𝙴𝙰𝙳𝙲𝙰𝙽𝙾𝙽𝚂

Sherlock’s eyes shift in colour because he is a metamorphmagus but thinks it silly so he tries to suppress it as much as possible; (It’s useful when he needs a disguise though. He usually keeps it controlled because he thinks it’s ridiculous and makes him stand out as an oddity even more — especially as his features become more unnatural. Sometimes he will catch himself subconsciously shifting his look based on emotion or instinct, which prompts him to mentally scold himself and revert back. The only part of himself that isn’t under such tight control is his eyes. He really is too emotional to bottle everything up as he does and not have anything slip. His eye colour is where it shows.

Sherlock hates flying. Brooms are unreliable and easy to tamper with. They aren’t steady and he has too long of limbs to take off properly. Once he completes his flight lesson, Sherlock avoids having to use a broom whenever possible. He firmly states it has nothing to do with a fear of heights from that altitude, but he always seems a bit anxious when forced to use one. What he really dislikes, however, is apparition, having been badly splinched as a child during a side-along aparation. He still learns it because its a useful skill in an emergency, but its a class he stressed over every day for a year. He likes the Floo Network, but his friends state it has to do with him enjoying the drama of arriving in a whirl of smoke and green flame.

The Holmes’ have a natural gift for Occlumency and Legilimency. Sherlock is quite adept at the latter, but the first one has always been a bit harder. His mother always has told him it’s because he is more emotionally driven than them, a fact he has never been happy about and known to sulk after being reminded.

He is actually quite rubbish at subjects like Astronomy because he finds them useless. Only retaining the information long enough to get the assigned work or tests completed satisfactorily enough. He completely dismisses Divination entirely and has been kicked out of class a few too many times for his family’s liking for being disruptive and argumentative with his professor.

𝙼𝙴𝚃𝙰

There is a common element of Potterlock that I do not agree with in terms of the interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, and that is that he would be in house Ravenclaw. I could not disagree more with this categorization. To me, Sherlock is completely and truly belonging of house Slytherin. While I can see his family (but with Mycroft up for debate) being long standing proud members of Ravenclaw; Sherlock himself does not fit this house at its core. He often seems to be categorized into Ravenclaw purely because ’he is smart’ — which completely misses the point of how sorting works. The Sorting doesn’t base itself off of surface traits, if it did Hermione Granger would have been in Ravenclaw, Neville Longbottom into Hufflepuff, etc, etc. No, it is based on much deeper and internal qualities. Hence the struggle for Harry possibly being sorted into Slytherin himself, ignoring the part of himself that harbored parts of Voldemort’s soul, Harry does exhibit traits of Slytherin House (ones echoed by the sorting hat ).

Sherlock fails to meet Ravenclaw’s core principles, which is the importance of knowledge and wisdom. While it is undeniable that Sherlock is intelligent, well-taught and informed — he is only so based on topics that are important to him/benefit him. He does not respect all knowledge; dismissive of things he doesn’t need/care for. Deletes factoids that do not help him achieve his goals. For him, knowledge is a tool in which to achieve what he wants — be it the answer to a mystery or whatnot. Furthermore, his thirst for knowledge and the chance to utilise it is not for the betterment of society or subject, but rather for personal gain. He wants to prove that he is clever. Show everyone that is as good as those before him. He is fed off of pure ambition. Ambition being one of the key traits of Slytherin House. While this doesn’t make him ’evil’, it does make the notion of Sherlock being is Ravenclaw a tad ridiculous.

#𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑 / headcanons.#𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 / bbc au: hogwarts.#𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑠𝘩𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑒𝑎𝑐𝘩 𝑜𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑟 / about.#/ do not reblog.#/ personals do not interact.

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moviemagistrate · 4 years

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ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD review

ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD is my favorite movie of the 2010’s.

I’ll give you a minute to put your recently-blown mind back together.

So why do I love this movie so much? The overall response to Quentin Tarantino’s supposedly penultimate opus has been very positive if not rapturous, but I’ve seen some surprisingly lukewarm and even negative reviews, with people criticizing it for being slow, meandering, lacking in depth or *shudder* boring. Obviously the quality of any movie is subjective, as I’m quick to remind anyone who hates Michael Bay movies, but I honestly don’t understand people who dislike OUATIH. Maybe it’s a matter of expectations, because I didn’t know how to feel about the film for much of the first time I watched it either.

The year is 1969, a time of great political and cultural change in the country and in the entertainment industry. The star-driven films of yesteryear are giving way to grittier, artsier, more auteur-driven works as we primarily follow Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), former star of a popular cowboy show whose failed attempt to start an A-list movie career has left him relying on guest spots as TV villains-of-the-week to stay afloat. This is wonderfully laid out in the opening scene where he meets casting director Marvin Schwarz (Al Pacino, easily his best role since JACK & JILL), who lays out Rick’s lowering hierarchical status (“Who’s gonna kick the shit out of you next week? How about Batman & Robin? PING. POW”), while offering him an opportunity to be a leading-man again in Italian pictures.

Tagging along is Rick’s best, and maybe only, friend Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), Rick’s go-with-the-flow stunt-double who in the slowdown of Rick’s career has effectively become his driver and gofer, as well as Rick’s sole source of emotional support. Rick is also neighbors with Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), the beautiful young actress and wife of then-superstar director Roman Polanski (whose inclusion in the film is minimal and handled tastefully), as she lives out her idyllic life, beloved by those around her like the ray of sunshine she was in real life. Her gated, hillside home looms over Rick’s, as he ponders aloud about how even meeting her the right way could resurrect his career.

For almost two-and-a-half hours, we follow these three characters as they just live out their lives, Rick nursing hangovers and having emotional breakdowns in front of his 8-year-old co-star on set while contemplating his future, Cliff going where the wind blows him while taking care of his adorable and highly-trained dog, and Sharon as she drives around Old Hollywood, spends time with her friends, and sneaks into a matinee showing of one of her movies, her eyes and infectious smile beaming with pride when the audience laughs at her comedic timing and cheers her martial-arts prowess.

I think it’s safe to say it’s not the film any of us were expecting from Quentin Tarantino. Having only made loud, gory, over-the-top genre pastiches for the last 15 years, you’d expect from the trailers for this to be about an actor and his sexy stunt-double getting mixed up with the Manson family before teaming up with Bruce Lee to save Sharon Tate from her horrific real-life fate, mixed with the filmmaker’s usual self-indulgent homages to films of yesteryear. While some of this is true to some extent, it’s surprisingly a much more relaxed, easygoing dramedy that follows a trio of funny, charismatic people as they just…exist, as people living in the moment instead of relics.

OUATIH is much more concerned with atmosphere, character, and capturing the feeling of a bygone era than the traditional narrative structure. It’s more effective than pretty much every nostalgia trip movie I've ever seen because you can feel Tarantino's affection for this era of his childhood bleed through every character, car, song, radio advertisement, TV show, background poster, etc. It’s through this meticulous level of detail and willingness to just hang out with these characters and take in this world that he reconstructed, Tarantino successfully resurrects the era in all its 35mm glory, but with the knowing twinge of real-world melancholy.

I guess the reason I love it so much is because the love that Tarantino has for everything and everyone in it is so tangible that it’s infectious. Watching OUATIH I honestly felt like I understood him better as both a filmmaker and as a person. He shows a level of restraint and maturity I haven’t seen since JACKIE BROWN. Even most of his trademark foot fetishizing is tasteful and subdued (I say “most” because I recall at least three close-ups of actresses’ feet that definitely made him a bit sweaty behind the camera). He’s a weird, shameless nerd with a big ego, but he’s 100% sincere about expressing his love for film and its rich history. And it’s this love, and the skill and style with which it’s expressed, that just put a big smile on my face each of the 6 (SIX) times that I’ve seen it since it came out.

Tarantino offers a tantalizing contrast between reality and fantasy. Throughout the film, as the characters of Hollywood live in their own idyllic world, relaxing in pools or driving around in bitchin’ cars, we also see the disquieting eeriness and griminess of the Manson family. The soundtrack and accompanying old-timey commercials for tanning butter or Mug Root Beer that plays through a lot of the film is a joy to listen to, but we also hear news bulletins of the war in Vietnam or the aftermath of the Bobby Kennedy assassination. You could argue this is just to set the scene for the era, but it feels too deliberate, because even after that joyously fantastical ending, we remember that it was just a fairy tale and real life didn’t turn out as pleasantly. Tarantino’s ability to make his world and characters so meticulously detailed and lived-in works to great effect in instilling a bittersweet melancholy to this film in a way I was really taken aback by. It feels like a window into his soul, someone who yearns for the fantasy of the world he grew up in but remembering that not all good things last and not everything in your nostalgic past was good to begin with.

One beautiful, spellbinding scene is Rick and Cliff coming back from their excursion into the world of Italian filmmaking. In this montage, we see Rick, Cliff and Rick’s new Italian wife arriving at the airport and driving home before unpacking their baggage, interspersed with Sharon Tate welcoming a guest at her home and having lunch, before cutting to a series of shots of famous LA landmarks like Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Taco Bell, and Der Wienerschnitzel all meticulously resurrected in their retro glory as they light up the night. “Baby, baby, baby you’re out of time”, sings Mick Jagger as we’re watching multiple stories about people who are each embodying those words: Rick’s career, his friendship with Cliff, Sharon Tate, and Hollywood itself.

Tarantino himself feels like one of the last mainstream auteur filmmakers, as well as one of the last and biggest proponents of shooting large-budget movies on film (even Scorsese’s embraced digital now, the fantastically-talented traitor). And with the rise of streaming services, one can’t help but feel like the movie-going experience itself is also becoming obsolete, especially recently, what with theaters going to war with distributors over fucking TROLLS: WORLD TOUR, not to mention that global pandemic we’ve been having lately all but killing general audiences’ enthusiasm for the movie theater experience (Christopher Nolan’s TENET certainly didn’t help). If all these things, both real and fictional, are indeed out of time, then at least with Tarantino’s penultimate film they get one hell of a bittersweet sendoff, a great time that’s more of an Irish wake than a funeral, and it’s a film I have no issue calling a truly introspective, late-career masterpiece.

And that’s without mentioning uniformly incredible cast. Leo DiCaprio, an actor I normally don’t care too much for, gives the best and funniest performance of his career as a dependent prima donna actor clinging to his remaining fame. Brad Pitt earns the hell out of his Oscar as an embodiment of old-school masculinity and charisma with an amazing set of abs (and everything else) whose outward coolness masks his mysterious past and complete badass-ness. Margot Robbie shines in her depiction of Tate, a beacon of warmth and likability who in many ways symbolized the love and carefree attitudes of the swingin’ 60’s. I’ve heard people criticize her character for not having a lot of dialogue, but to me it feels like they’re ignoring the visual storytelling, which just gives way to them assuming the film is sexist just because the female lead isn’t constantly monologuing. Every member of the supporting cast is memorable with their own quirks and great lines, no matter their screentime.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a Tarantino joint without some truly hilarious and shocking violence, and without going into spoiler territory, the last 20 minutes delivers on this promise to such a degree that I feel comfortable calling it the best thing he’s ever done. Some may decry the climax as unnecessary or over-the-top, but the way it leads to an alternate world while subtly acknowledging what happened in the real one is cathartic beyond belief. And if you’re paying attention, every scene in the movie has been quietly building towards this finale, which to me takes away any potential of feeling meandering in the story. If you saw the movie and didn’t much care for it, I recommend giving it another watch. Having the context ahead of time makes it feel so much more rewarding, and even on the fifth watch I’m noticing clever, subtle set-ups I missed beforehand.

It’s also just super cozy and really easy to watch. The two hours and 45 minutes fly by. I could watch a 4-hour version of this.

Quentin, if you’re reading this, please don’t let your last movie be Star Trek.

#tarantino #feet #hippies #brad pitt

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writingpcges · 4 years

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— "i have a horrible feeling I am a greedy, perverted, selfish, apathetic, cynical, depraved, morally bankrupt woman who can’t even call herself a feminist." - fleabag

MANNERISMS:

What words or phrases do they overuse?

she uses the word ‘basically’ a lot. she also definitely overuses her britishisms but that’s mainly because she’d been living there for the last few years. favouite curse word is ‘fuck’. ends too many sentences with the word ‘me’.

Are they more optimistic or pessimistic?

ellie will tell you she’s a realist, though she does tend towards optimism, particularly when it comes to the outcomes of certain events in her life.

What bad habits do they have?

speaking before she speaks, drinking way too much coffee (and as a result has developed an unhealthy addiction to breath mints, seriously she’s always gone some on her person!), nail biting/picking (particularly when she’s nervous/bored), flirting before thinking (she’s sure your partner is great, she just didn’t consider their existence), pouting until she gets what she wants.

What makes them laugh out loud?

friends reruns, friends in general, lana sullivan. she’s also the sort to laugh at her friends embarrassments/trip ups but would also be the first to bail you out in a bind so figurers that balances things out.

How do they display affection?

little touches (on your arm, your shoulder, your lower back), little gifts/things she’s seen that remind her of you, sending random texts/pictures throughout her day, sharing anecdotes/gossip.

Do they make snap judgements or take time to consider?

she’s an impulsive little sun of a gun, just ask lana. she detests feeling stuck and that has driven her to make many questionable decisions and has resulted in the breaking down of some important relationships in her life.

How do they react to praise?

she THRIVES off of it. like tinkerbell she needs applause and praise to live.

How do they react to criticism?

she’ll tell you she can take it, and that’s not totally untrue, as an actress she has developed a fairly thick skin but she only really takes constructive criticism well. trolly comments on the internet will send her into a tailspin and often result in her seeking some outside affirmation of her awesomeness (often in the form of hookups or friendly cheerleaders).

What is their philosophy of life?

work hard and be kind.

When was the last time they cried?

professionally? daily, her current project requires a lot of mental gymnastics. personally? after meeting up with lana.

If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?

apart from forever appearing ageless?? physically she wouldn’t mind being a little taller, but she thinks her face is nice and her ass is good so she happy with her appearance. there are a lot of internal things she’d change about herself but mainly she’d like to be braver and a little more vulnerable about the things that matter with the people she loves.

What is their obsession?

herself?? sex?? skin care??

What are their pet peeves?

she does get annoyed easily and pinning down what will set her off from one day to the next isn’t an exact science but some things that never fail are slow walkers, people who talk on their phone in public, traffic (she probs shouldn’t drive bc the road rage is real), and people who insist on continuing conversations when she’s clearly checked out.

FRIENDS&FAMILY:

Is their family big or small? Who does it consist of?

pretty small, just her dad, step mum and gran left.

What is their perception of family?

family used to be everything but after her mum passed ellie hasn’t been super connected to her family, with the exception of her gran who is her favouite person in the whole world.

Do they have siblings? Older or younger?

she’s an only child, i’m sure this surprises no one.

Describe their best friend.

the real yin to her yang and the one person she will never put the moves on because it would totally ruin their vibe. also it would be weird because they are basically sisters at this point. if ellie is ever able to sit still long enough to sit and think things through things it is down to this person. big mom friend vibes. 10/10 angel on earth.

Do they have any pets?

oh god no, she shouldn’t be trusted to care for a living creature.

PAST&FUTURE:

What was your character like as a teen?

not unlike herself now, which speaks to her emotional maturity but much more moody and reckless, very little regard for the consequences of her actions, and pretty listless/unmotivated. she’s since learned to reel some of that in as she’s focussed on her career.

Did they grow up rich or poor?

middle class, they were comfortable, but they didn’t go on holiday every school break or anything.

Did they grow up nurtured or neglected?

nurtured, but when she lost her mum she an her dad started to neglect each other.

What is their greatest achievement?

winning a bafta.

What was their first kiss like?

awkward and the result of a game of spin the bottle gone wrong -- she’d really wanted to kiss matt jones but instead the bottle had landed on rory tyler.

What is the worst thing they did to someone they loved?

LEFT THEM AT THE ALTAR?!

What are their ambitions?

she’d really like to have a career that lasts past her 35th birthday

What advice would they give their younger self?

hang in there, be kinder to mum, go easier on dad, don’t forget to keep your promises.

What smells remind them of their childhood?

cinnamon sugar and french toast, mum would make it every sunday.

What was their childhood ambition?

to be an actress and a unicorn doctor, so she’s definitely lived up to some of her childhood ambitions!

What does their five-year plan look like?

become a house hold name, successfully bake banana bread, take a dance class, learn to play piano, take someone she loves to an awards show.

LOVE:

Do they believe in love at first sight?

no, not even a little which is funny because she is definitely the sort to fall quickly.

Are they in a relationship? Are they in love?

no, but she is still in love with her ex so that’s fun. particularly for someone whose default is to seek vey surface level/fun ‘relationships’.

How do they behave in a relationship?

depends on the relationship and the person, honestly. ellie hasn’t been in many serious relationships because she typically bolts at the first sign of feeeelings as she tends to lean towards her need for freedom rather than commitment but on the rare occasion her heart has fallen before her brain was able to catch on she’s been quite happy to hermit with her partner. she becomes so smitten the idea of wanting someone else escapes her completely.

When did your character last have sex?

probably last night. or this morning. she’s a ho and she doesn’t like to be alone. that’s when things like thinking happen and that’s no good!

Has your character ever been in love?

yes, twice. and both instances left her gutted.

Have they ever had their heart broken?

she has, but in the end it’s usually by herself as she has the tendency to leave before she gets left.

Are they crushing on anyone now? Tag them!

lana (and also probs sabrina lbh): @lauralaword , sean: @gapsofsvnlight , quinn: @sonderbound , and probs pyper: @chvrryglcss bc she seems emotionally unavailable and ellie likes a challenge, plus she a babe. guys i said she’s a ho.

WORK&LIFE:

What is their current job?

actress, she’s also an aspiring screen writer/playwright and director, but that’s mainly born of fear of what she’ll do when the industry decides she’s too old to play a lead

What do they think about their current job?

loves it, a +, everything she’d hoped it be even if the hours are maybe a bit longer than she’d like and she doesn’t always love feeling like she has to hide parts of herself from rabid fans/news sources, but she likes her privacy.

What are some of their past jobs?

bag girl, ride attendant, bartender (at uni), nanny, waitress, and snow white for a tick!

What are their hobbies?

she likes to read and netflix, but her main hobby is bugging her mates until they entertain her.

Educational background?

went to the royal academy of dramatic art in london where she studied acting.

Do they have a natural talent for something?

photography, the written word, charming her way into your pants.

Do they play a sport? Are they any good?

no, she does not sport well nor does she understand any of the rules. her disdain for football is just another point of contention between her and her father.

MISC:

What is in their fridge?

a half drank bottle of vodka, seltzer, diet coke, some probiotics she never takes and a variety of take out containers. she does not cook.

What is on their bedside table?

cellphone charger, a book she’s been trying to finish for ages, and a sound machine.

What kinda car do they drive, and is their car messy or clean?

honestly she couldn’t tell you the make or model unless she read the manual butt it gets her to auditions and that’s all that matters. it’s basically always got at least three changes of clothes and a takeaway coffee cup and/or wrapper somewhere so if you think that’s messy...

Do they carry a purse? What is in their purse or wallet?

usually, but if she’s out at retrograde she’ll pair her essentials down to things that can fit in her pocket -- basically that means a lip (red if she’s feeling feisty or insecure), her debit card, her cell and some mints. her purse has at any given time four different lips, a chapstick, some gloss, three packs of gum, mints, a pack of emergency smokes (for when things get intense and she needs to break her clean streak), her wallet, a compact, an umbrella, and so many receipts!

What is in their pockets?

if she has her purse they’re likely empty, if she doesn’t all the things. also sometimes her hands when she doesn’t know what to do with them.

What is their most treasured possession?

her mums wedding band, she wears it basically all the time on her index finger.

#tlawtask1 #part 2 #muse: ellie #about: ellie #bio: ellie #I HOPE I DID THIS RIGHT #?!

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jupitermelichios · 5 years

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So while everyone’s in a Stranger Things mood, I thought I’d share my personal headcanons of where the kids are going to end up in life (several of which have been made non-canon this season, but oh well). I was trying to work them into The Joyce Byers Home for Wayward Teenagers but they never quite fitted in.

Will doesn’t go to college, even though Joyce keeps saying they can afford it. (They can’t). He practices like crazy, and Jonathan puts him in contact with the art department at his college, and he puts together enough of a portfolio to start getting hired professionally, doing fantasy art for stuff like RPG rulebooks. He’s one of the first artists working on magic the gathering for Wizards of the Coast, although he’s most proud of his contributions to the 6thE D&D rules. I think he’s going to be one of those people who gets really set into a routine the minute he gets a place of his own, and never ends up co-habiting with anyone. He probably does annual Desert Bus for Hope guest appearances.

Mike takes El ending their relationship hard. Of all of them, he’s been the closest to the upsidedown except for Will and El, and he has the least support network, since he wouldn’t know where to begin talking to his parents about any of this, and he hasn’t exactly been raised to be emotionally mature. He goes pretty far off the rails in college, drink, and then drugs that start out casual and get far too serious. Fortunately Nancy has had some therapy and decided that she’s going to step up where their parents have failed. She gets him cleaned up, gets him a job working with their dad in Hawkins where El and Dustin can keep an eye on him, and he finds that once he’s not so worried about being left behind all the time, he actually quite likes having a normal life. He’s godfather to two of Dustin’s kids, and while he resists dating for a long time, worried about how he’ll react, he does find someone in the end, and he’s exactly as sickening the second time around as he was the first, and his friends and family are all thrilled for him.

They all think everything the government did to do with the Gate was bullshit, but Lucas is the one of them who decides to do something about it. He gets a job at Town Hall, then an internship at the state senate. He falls in love with a brilliant driven woman. He’d never be able to pick one of the guys to be his best man, but that’s okay because he’d have picked Max anyway. He makes it to the House of Representatives by the time he’s 35, and he never gets asked at any point in his political career to okay any covert science operations, but there’s plenty of other things that need fixing. Erica and Dustin both have strong opinions on the state of education, especially in STEM, Jonathan Steve and Nancy have a whole lot to say about queer rights, and racism is everywhere, and sexism, and he can’t fix everything but by god is he going to try.

Dustin was totally going to be a science teacher, but then Steve beats him to it and he doesn’t want to seem like he’s copying. He gets a job at radioshack, which he’s sure is going to be a temporary position while he looks for the next big thing. 10 years later he’s now the manager of the exact same radioshack and none of his big things have gone anywhere, so he says fuck it and starts a computer repair business. Steve gets him to start a club for local kids, teaching them about radios and computers. That’s where he meets a single mom of three, and they hit it off right away. He takes to being a step-dad like a duck to water, and then he has a couple more of his own, and everyone gets used to seeing him with a toddler or two in tow at all times.

Max teaches herself to code, mostly because people keep telling her she can’t. She doesn’t go for a career - she’s happy to work a job that pays the bills with enough leftover for her hobbies. The game she makes in her spare time never hits minecraft popularity, but Will’s artwork helps plus the single coder passion project angle plays well enough to make it a bit of an indie darling, moreso when it gets out that she was the who made the ‘playable peach’ and ‘playable zelda’ mods that got super popular in the early days of homebrew console modding. She has a few boyfriends but they never really last, and she’s in her 40s when she meets the woman she eventually marries on a panel on woman in gaming.

El writes her autobiography, mostly just because it makes her feel better to have it all there in black and white, like a story. Like something that can’t hurt her. It’s Dustin who convinces her to try selling it. He and Mike help her edit out the incriminating bits, and it gets picked up pretty quickly. It’s never a huge hit, no movie or TV deals, and it doesn’t pay the bills, but she gets letters from little girls telling her how her story inspired them, and helped her be brave, and that’s worth far more than money.

Nancy spends a few years drifting, not really sure what she wants to do, before she finally admits that maybe she needs some therapy, and then she trains as a psychologist, specialising in young offenders because god knows where should would have ended up if she’d ever tried to tell anyone what happened to her. After her parents find out about Jonathan and Steve, she wants to get as far away from them as possible, and the boys are happy to follow her to New York. They get a crappy apartment with crappy neighbours and love really doesn’t make up for lack of sleep but they’re happy anyway.

Jonathan starts out doing newspaper photography, but after he gets to know some police officers through work he ends up training as a forensic photographer. He gets a reputation for being completely bullet-proof even by the standards of the NYPD. He does a couple of art exhibitions later in life and Steve and Nancy are super proud of him, but it never really goes anywhere, and he doesn’t mind.

Steve resists right up until the very last year of his degree, and then admits defeat and accepts that he was destined to be a teacher, probably middle school. He absolutely hates all the rules against being openly queer around kids, and threatens constantly to quit, but in the end he loves the kids way too much to ever do it.

#stranger things #stoncy #meta #headcanons #the kids are cute and all but relationships begun when you're 12 don't last for life

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eurasiian · 5 years

Text

Prussia x Teenage!Reader (incipient)

Summary: Your mother and father split when you were a young girl and ever since that day you’ve been hoping your family could be returned to its former glory. Every chance you got you scared of any suitor for your mother. They were no match for you! Not until him...

“Cause we hate what you do, and we hate your whole crew so please don’t stay in touch.”

Chapter one : Challenge accepted (Wednesday)

Warnings : Slightly suggestive themes (legal age), mild swearing, mentions of divorce

You were lying sideways on your bed, feet dangling off the edge whilst your head just managed to stay level on the mattress. It wouldn't be so comfortable if it was the other way around. Using your arms, you held them straight above your face, hands tightly clasped around the edges of your new IPhone. My dads honestly the best. There's no way my mum could have afforded this. You thought with a tiny smile. The thought not being spiteful, spoil nor selfish. Okay maybe a little bit spoilt...

A few years ago when you were around the age of 10, your parents had split up. It came to a shock to everyone. There were no signs to suggest anything was wrong, but as you grew older, you concluded that they probably pretended so it wouldn't upset you; If that was the case, they had failed. After all, it was heart breaking when two people you loved so much, failed to love each other back. It was on that day you realized that devastating truth. After that, they couldn't even be in the same room as each other. Yelling and screaming down each other's throat's. Honestly, to a child it was terrifying. But again, as you grew older, you realized that some things couldn't stay hidden forever.

Rewinding back to your momentary tiny smile - it wasn't because you were proud your father could make more money then your mother or anything of the sort. The truth is, you had lived with your mother after your father had moved to Turkey with his brother, your uncle. He told you after the divorce things didn't feel right; That he needed a new start. It wasn't the worst thing to ever happen to you. He always made an effort to send gifts and letters, letting you know he missed you greatly and that he would come and visit sometime soon. It filled a gaping hole in your heart just knowing he still cared enough to keep in contact. One day, when you were older, you were going to visit him.

Meanwhile, being with your mother was a blast. You had always enjoyed being with her. To name a few traits of hers. She was fun, carefree, loving, kind, enthusiastic, motivational and most importantly. Eccentric. You wouldn't mind admitting it to anyone you had the best mother in the world. Most things she said were random, and unfortunately for you she had a nasty habit or reminding you how she "brought you into this world".

Her name was Joyce Williams, and you were proudly named (Name) Williams.

Using a finger to click onto Facebook. You smiled seeing your best friend had messaged you. Clicking on his icon - which by the way was his short self standing in front of his older blond cousin, who angrily tried to shove him out the way whilst he grinned brightly - you giggled. His name was Peter, Peter Kirkland, dorky Peter. Neither of you were very cool, but you had each other and that's all that mattered.

Facebook messenger

[Peter Kirkland] created a group chat

[Peter Kirkland] added you to the group chat

[Peter Kirkland] added [Wendy Kirkland] to the group chat

[Peter Kirkland] added [Erland Oxenstierna]

[Peter Kirkland] named the group chat "The four horsemen”

Peter Kirkland : What's up guys!

[Erland Oxenstierna] changed [Peter Kirklands] name to [Pissy Peter]

[Ernald Oxenstierna] left the group

Sniggering childishly, your eyes gently rolled backwards. Your friends were a colorful bunch to say the least. Ernald Oxenstierna was a hot headed Swedish child, who adored social media, yet hated socializing. He claimed that he wasn't friends with any of you, but you knew that wasn't the case considering he'd always hang out with you all at school and whenever his birthday rolled around, he'd always ask you three to sleep round his. His older brother’s boyfriend made the best cookies...

Peter, as you had already mentioned, was dorky as hell. He'd be the first to crack stupid jokes out of the blue, and had a huge fetish for power rangers that you would never completely understand. Peter was always the one to arrange meet ups outside of birthdays, and was incredibly friendly.

Wendy was the most mature out of all four of you, she wasn't as much of a geek but she did join in when necessary. Besides, you found it made for a fun dynamic. Somehow, Peter and Wendy were both related. They had a huge family which was very well known throughout the town you lived in. You knew Peter’s older cousin Arthur had three older brothers that you had met once or twice, and then they had a half younger brother who you think was the older brother to Wendy? Yes, that was it. Right?

Pissy Peter : We'll that wasn't very nice...

Wendy Kirkland : What do you want Peter?

Pissy Peter : *Smiley face with hearts for eyes* Sleep over at mine on Friday?

You : Peter stop flirting with your step-cousin. And yes, sleep over sounds good. *Laughing face*

Pissy Peter : Nooo wrong Emoji!!! *Crying face*

Pissy Peter added Ernald Oxenstierna to the group chat "the four horsemen”

Ernald Oxenstierna : What. Do. You. Want?

Pissy Peter : Sleep over at mine on Friday?

Ernald Oxenstierna : If the others are then sure. But I'm not spending time alone with you. You’re annoying and I fear if I sleep round at yours then your older cousin will food poison me again.

Pissy Peter : Well (Name's) coming so I'll take that as a yes?

Ernald Oxenstierna : Fine.

Wendy Kirkland : I'll come to. It sounds like fun. *Paint brush emoji* For art class I have to do some portraits of some people, so I'll try to do some drawings of you guys if you don't mind?

Pissy Peter : Sure!

[Ernald Oxenstierna] changed [Wendy Kirklands] nickname to [Sketchers]

[Ernald Oxenstierna]

changed your nickname to [Tango ice blast]

[Tango ice blast] changed Ernald Oxenstiernas name to [Baby bell]

Baby Bell : Fair enough

Letting out a snigger you sat up on your bed and smiled. You really did love your friends, and with the weekend rolling around it only rose up your excitement. Deciding it might be a good idea to tell your mother about your sleep over at Peters on Friday, you rolled over until you were on the edge of your bed and jumped upwards. Landing 'gracefully' on your feet. Today was a Wednesday, and your school was having a teacher training day so you got the day off.

Your mother was a beautiful women who was independent and brave. After your father left she got a job as a nurse. Granted, the money she made was little hence she couldn't buy you the kind of stuff your father could. However it was enough to support both yourself and her financially and she was a very career driven women. You admired it. At the moment, you had on some green pajama shorts and a red hoodie that had Santa clause adorned with a bright smile on the front. It wasn't Christmas presently, but it was the comfiest hoodie you owned. On your feet your socks were a bright yellow. You looked like a clown if that clown was told he would need to look as ridiculous as he usually did but instead dressed in pajamas and stupid ass socks. At least my feet aren’t big, you chuckled as you made it to the last step. You then paused and glanced down. Well...

"(Name). Is that you?" Hearing your mothers voice you were drawn out of your trance. "Can you come here quickly? There's um, something - hehe. Someone I want you to meet~" Her voice sounded...extra girly. As if there was someone she wanted to sound somewhat sexy for? It made you cringe. Maybe it was her boss? And she was trying to suck up to him for a raise or something? That sounded plausible (if only). After all it was hard to be a single mother raising a child alone with the support of a migrating ex-husband.

"Uh yeh. Sure." Constantly your mother would scold you for saying "yeh" almost all the time. It was a bad habit, but it was better then the children at your school who would constantly say "man" or "dude".

Your stairs were attached to a hallway that went on straight. At the end of it was the living room, but halfway was a small arch way which led into your kitchen. Since your mother sounded pretty far away you deciphered she was in the living room. Considering the floor was made of wood, you ran part way before sliding inside said room. Doing a small stumble over the carpeted flooring you managed to save your footing last minuet and did a cool spin. You grinned at your awesomeness and peered curiously over to your mother.

The longer you started at her, you noticed someone else sitting beside her. Legs open obnoxiously as his arms draped around her shoulders. A smirk twitched over onto his lips, one that seemed to be a mix of cockiness, ignorance and excitement? You however contrasted his emotions, as you were mixed with feelings of anger, fury and denial. No way was this man, sitting so casually with YOUR mother. They couldn't possibly be anything more then friends. Just friends.

"(Name). This is my uh...friend Gilbert." Ah thank god. See (Name). You just work yourself up over nothing. You told yourself, relived before the man spoke up. His eyes were a beady red, a sign of pure evil. And his skin complexion was just as pale as his white hair.

"Friends? I can say that we're a little more then that Joyce~" he teased.

"Gilbert that's my daughter please behave yourself." Your mother begged back in a tone that could almost be considered playful. After cooing over the stranger for another few seconds, she stood to her feet. "I'm going to go make us some juice. You two chat and get to know each other okay?" You and this so called Gilbert watched as your mother left. Your eyes on her back, his slightly lower. For a few seconds, you both stared at the door way before he turned his attention to you.

"So uh Frau, what year are you -"

"I won't allow her to date you." Taken back by your sudden snappy nature, he shut his mouth for a slight second before opening it again. His face reading pure mischief as he stood to his feet.

"Oh really?~" he laughed. It was no doubt the worst laugh you had ever heard. Who sounds like a mutated bird when they laugh anyways? "Because. I'm pretty sure we're close to what you kids would call dating. What's the word uh slinking?" He seemed genuinely confused, and with a monotone face you replied.

"Linking?"

"That's it!..." Silence. "Ha. I'm cool." Groaning for maybe a few seconds more then you should of, your neck flew backwards and you cried out.

"MooooOOOOMMMM!" Whilst slowly walking away from him and into the kitchen where you knew she'd be. Of course, hearing your whines made her sigh. Whenever she brought home someone she liked, you would either scare them away or convince her they weren't good enough to be with her. Soon she realized that she wanted someone to love her, and you too. Your father wasn't around anymore. You both needed a man around the house as much as you denied it. By the time you arrived at the arch way, she was turned to face it with her back leaning against the counter. Three cups behind her.

"No."

"WhhhhhHHYYYYY?" At your constant whining, she lightly sighed yet again and sent a tiring smile in your direction. She knew that you hoped Gilbert would see how much of a pain you were and then leave you and her alone. Unfortunately for you she knew two things. One, she had already warned him about you prior to this meeting. Two, Gilbert was almost as childlike as you.

"If you give him a chance. He's actually very nice (Name)." She told you, walking forward and using her finger to boop your noes. "Now. You wouldn't want to seem rude would you?" She hummed. Sending you a look which read "Bitch I raised you choose your words carefully" it made you smirk ever so slightly since she would never say anything like that to you. But the expression was rather priceless.

"I don't care if it's him in all honestly -"

"I pushed you out from my vagina -" she began loudly. Causing your eyes to widen and hands to clamp over your ears in an attempt to quieten her.

"Ew stop!" However, she became even louder at this point.

"And I tolerated you whilst you cried every single day and night! Suck it up!" From the other room, you could practically hear this spawn of Satan laughing so hard it sounded as though he was rolling around on the floor. Maybe if you were in his position you would do the same. But you weren't, you were in your position. Grinding your pearly whites you muttered out a "fine" and that "if you need me I'll be up in my fortress" sassily, you clicked your fingers in front of yourself and walked out back into the hallway. From the corner of your eye, you could see Gilbert leaning against the wall and sending you a shit eating grin whilst whispering.

"You're on kid."

His words had caused your shoulders to tense greatly. Your orbs narrowing into slits like a tigers would once it's eyes had locked onto its pray. He had the upper hand here, you both knew it. Though, you'd be sure to change that. You turned back to your mother, who left out your cup and some supplies to make juice if you wanted some but didn't bother actually making it in case you were in to foul of mood to have any of the drink. Instead, she kissed your forehead as she passed you. Walking over to Gilbert who pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Sie sind schön Joyce." The albino whispered to her, one arm wrapping around her waist as he other took his drink from her. Swooned by his words, your mothers cheeks flushed and she accidentally tipped her drink all over his black shirt and better yet, white jeans. Serves him right for wearing white jeans. A chuckle left your lips as you thought that, watching as he blushed deeply from embarrassment.

"What the hell! meine schöne Hose! Francis wird mich töten!" At this point and when first hearing his accent. You were certain he was Germany or from some kind of German decent. At his outburst, your mother couldn't help herself and burst into laughter. Grabbing a cloth and helping to whip down his pants. She must have forgotten you were there. A soft frown came across your face and you silently made your way upstairs.

It was obvious he was no good for her.

Marching to your room, you opened the door. When you started senior school you decided that you would add some personality to your door and your mother was happy to supply some crafts materials. Now, your door was a literal disco ball. You and your mother had covered it over with glue before dumping contents of glitter on the wooden surface and then hanging up a sign saying.

"Fluff, angst and a whole lot of fanfiction."

She always understood you and your sense of humor. Even if children at school didn't. You wouldn't say you were bullied, but you did get a particularly hard time with the other children. Grouchily, you stormed over to your bed to lay down after shutting the door and propping your desk chair in front of it. Grabbing your laptop you quickly turned it on, typing in your password and clicking on Facebook. Glancing to the side, you noticed your new phone and bit your lip feeling guilty you had left your knew possession in the room. It must have cost your father a fortune and you felt as though you were obliged to carry it everywhere. It was incredibly stupid, but for some reason you just ached to see your father so bad that carrying the phone felt like it was all you had of him. Shaking your head, you lent your hand on your cheek which seemed to give your neck all the support it needed to stay up. Clicking back on the group chat, you realized that for the time you had been gone the others had been idly chatting. You didn't feel left out. Okay maybe a bit. But it's just because Gilbert had already put you into a bad mood. However, your nickname Tango ice blast instantly made you chuckle. Whenever you and your friends went to the cinemas, you always brought that drink, it seemed to be an obsession of yours. Fortunately, your mood brightened even more when Wendy mentioned she wanted you to come back online soon, not enjoying being the only girl whilst the two boys bickered back and fourth.

Tango ice blast : Hey guys.

Sketchers : Thank goodness your back. These two were leaving so many notifications I thought my ears would explode.

Baby bell : If I could snort I would. You realize that you and Pissy Peter are doing the same to me?

[Pissy peter] changed their nickname to [Perfect Peter]

Perfect Peter : Ha!

[Baby bell] changed [Perfect Peters] nickname to [Idiot]

Idiot : Oh...that hardly seems fair.

You soon found keeping track of these nicknames were hard but it made Ernald happy so you didn't want to complain. Barley anything made him happy. In your head you reminded yourself who everybody was. Okay so now Peters “idiot" I'm "Tango Ice blast" Wendy is "Sketchers" and Ernalds "Baby Bell"...Is it bad I just realized why we're not popular? Sighing, you decided to just sit and read the conversation. Since you were on the chat they could all see you were reading the messages and Peters spidey senses were tingling.

Idiot : Is something wrong (Name)?

Baby Bell : Ha

Idiot : Why are you laughing?

Baby Bell : I read it as "Idiot! Is something wrong (Name)?" Anyways, go on (Name).

Sketchers : *Reassuring smiley face*

Sighing, you decided it was best not to tell them over message. It's not that you didn't trust them not to show other people or anything like that, but there was only so much you could vent your hatred for Gilbert over messenger.

Tango Ice blast : I'll tell you guys tomorrow. It's pretty late and schools tomorrow so yeh. Peace out! *Angel face*

Authors note: Okay so i wrote this a long while ago but I thought why not just publish it and see what happens! I might write a part two, probably, but we’ll see where it goes <3

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sirius-whoisleft · 5 years

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GENERAL INFORMATION ➤

Full Legal Name: Sirius Orion Black III Nickname(s): Padfoot Age: 18 Gender & Pronouns: cisgender male; he/him Sexuality: Initially, I began writing him as a demiromantic pansexual. However, I am pleased to announce that with each day I write him? He not only gets gayer, but his capacity to love and crush and pine grows threefold.

Date of Birth: November 3rd Horoscope: Scorpio, baby!!!!! Hogwarts House: Gryffindor, though and through Nationality: French by way of London Occupation:

Sirius is currently a seventh year Gryffindor student at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry which is, all things considered, a pretty sweet gig. He’s preparing for NEWTS! He’s living off the trust fund provided for him by his dearly departed Uncle Alphard! He hasn’t been kicked out yet! He’s snogging his boyfriend in the library every chance he gets!

And, improbably, Sirius Black is preparing for his future.

Recently, Sirius had been admitted to the competitive and prestigious Gringott’s cursebreaking training program. After graduation, he’ll make that five-times-a-week trek down to Diagon Alley and immerse himself in ancient societies, runes, translations, curse-handling, history, desert magic and...yes...wait for it...copious paperwork! Upon graduation from the program, Sirius will emerge a newly minted and proud Cursebreaker, working at the bank’s back office most days, doing research and translations and the like, but also getting his hands dirty on trips. The pyramids of Egypt and the tombs of China will call to him, and he can’t wait to see them all!

Unfortunately, his time with the cursebreakers will be cut short, and he’ll hurl himself headlong into his Order of the Phoenix membership under Alastor Moody’s dark influence...but that’s a story for another day.

Summarized in One Word: Bombastic!

APPEARANCE ➤

Faceclaim: Ben Barnes Height: Just as with the sexuality question, Sirius gets both gayer AND SHORTER the longer I write him. Currently he’s hovering around 5′7″ by accurate standards, but in my mind he’s a tiny little pocket bastard. Hair Color: Black Eye Color: Grey Noticeable Features: Devastating good looks. Emphasis on the devastating due to the strong Black family resemblance. A growing collection of tattoos. Long hair that he’s wont to elegantly flick away from his eyes. Perpetual haughty looks off into the distance.

Typical Outfit or General Fashion Sense: Sirius dresses simply, but well. How well depends on the occasion and your personal opinion, but it can’t be argued that he looks good doing it. His typical layabout clothes consist of either a band-tee or button-down with a pair of trousers or muggle jeans (the magic of which Remus Lupin introduced him to); for formal affairs, he still remembers how to walk the walk and can pull off a suit and tie with uncomfortable ease.

Truth be told, Sirius is still figuring out his fashion sense! He went from his clothing being dictated by his family to skating by on a Hogwarts uniform for several years. He’ll come into his own slowly and with purpose – the first step being an overindexing on punky, black leather jackets.

HISTORY ➤

Hometown: London Financial Status: Trust fund bastard! After being cut off by the House of Black, Sirius coasted by broke and on the basis of favors from the Potter family for over a year before his Uncle Alphard passed away and left him a hefty little nest egg with which to make his way in the world. For all his talk about wanting to be of the common people and despising the wealthy and all they stand for, Sirius was raised with the safety net of exorbitant wealth and still defaults to many of those old habits and assumptions. Spoken Languages: French was his first language, followed by English and then Latin. He’s deeply interested in dead languages and the study of runes. Dream Job: Cursebreaker! Bad Habits: Biting the inside of his cheek. Lashing out at those that care about him most. Pushing friends and concern away. Refusing to apply himself lest he try and fail. Squandering his education. Cocaine, alcohol, and other substances; his general proneness to addition. Recklessness and adrenaline-highs. Stealing the covers at night. Joking to cover up his real feelings. A proclivity for dark magic. Singing in the shower.

FAMILY BACKGROUND ➤

Mother: Walburga Black (neé Black), estranged. Father: Orion Black, estranged. Sibling(s): Regulus Black, estranged. Pet(s): n/a Cousin(s): Bellatrix Black. Andromeda Black. Narcissa Black. Evan Rosier.

MAGICAL ABILITIES ➤

Wand: Reed, dragon heartstring, 10 ½ inches, rigid

Patronus (and which memory they’re currently using to cast a patronus if they can, or which one they’d use if they could): Like his Animagus form, Sirius’s patronus takes the shape of a large dog. He’s able to cast it with highly varying levels of success lately; while he has a good tutor in Remus and a willingness to try, Sirius’s magic has always been affected by his mood swings and he just...has too many of those to predict. His most successful attempts have been driven by days of rare concentration and memories colored by the other Marauders. Currently, were he to try and produce one, Sirius would think about the day that Remus kissed him in their dormitory following The Prank fallout – giving him affection and forgiveness and a second chance.

Boggart: The House of Black version of himself - the one that might have happened if he hadn’t been able to break away from his family in time.

OWLS: Ancient Runes, History of Magic, Astronomy, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, Arithmancy NEWTS: Ancient Runes (O), History of Magic (A), Astronomy (O), Charms (O), Defense Against the Dark Arts (O), Transfiguration (E), Potions (O), Arithmancy (O)

What Kind of Magic do They Excel at:

Sirius’s best subject is Defense Against the Dark Arts. He is handy with a wand, knows his own power, and is unafraid to act in the heat of the moment – perhaps a bit recklessly, but there’s nothing life-or-death about the inside of the classroom, and so he simply manages to come off looking talented.

The most important reason behind him succeeding in that class is the simple fact that he believes it to be useful; it’s going to Mean Something in the Real World, and so it’s one of the few school subjects that commands his attention and respect in equal measure.

He also has a talent for Ancient Runes that’s finally being appreciated—now that he’s allowing people to appreciate it, and owning his deep interest in the subject openly—and, unfortunately, for the complexities of Dark Magic.

PSYCHOLOGY ➤

MB Type: The Campaigner

Few personality types are as creative and charismatic as Campaigners. Known for their idealism and enthusiasm, Campaigners are good at dealing with unexpected challenges and brightening the lives of those around them. Campaigners’ imagination is invaluable in many areas, including their own personal growth.

Yet Campaigners can be easily tripped up in areas where idealism and kindness are more of a liability than an asset. Whether it is finding (or keeping) a partner, staying calm under pressure, reaching dazzling heights on the career ladder or making difficult decisions, Campaigners need to put in a conscious effort to develop their weaker traits and additional skills.

Enneagram: ENFP [read more]

Excellent communicators. ENFPs have outstanding communication skills and they know how to use them. They will engage anyone in conversation at the drop of a hat, and they know how to draw others out in a way that keeps the discussion flowing. Whether casually shooting the breeze or collaborating in the workplace, ENFPs provide the horsepower that keeps the engine of conversation humming along.

Imaginative. ENFPs are imaginative problem solvers and reject the idea that traditional ways are always the best. In every situation they believe an original approach is possible—and desirable—and they refuse to become prisoners of habit or routine. They see roadblocks as opportunities, and they confront every challenge they face with fresh eyes and no preconceived notions.

Natural leaders. ENFPs step forward to assume positions of leadership readily and instinctively. They are confident in their ability to handle demanding responsibilities many people find scary or intimidating. ENFP leaders are consensus builders who work hard to gain the trust of their associates, patiently listening to their ideas and reacting enthusiastically to their good suggestions. Their assertive, “can-do” attitude inspires others and motivates them to action.

Strong social conscience. Often active in social movements, ENFPs stand up for what they believe in without apology. Some people talk the compassion game but don’t follow through with meaningful action, but ENFPs believe it is vitally important to back up caring words with good deeds. Despite their friendly nature, an ENFP will go supernova with righteous anger when they are exposed to suffering and injustice. They can get quite loud and assertive, if that’s what it takes to get their opinions heard.

Hypersensitivity. ENFPs sometimes let their imaginations run wild and often perceive bad intentions that don’t really exist. Being hyper-alert and aware helps ENFPs improve their social comprehension, but reading between the lines only works when something is actually hidden there. If it isn’t, misunderstandings can occur and hurt feelings can damage good relationships.

Lack of focus and follow through. ENFPs are endlessly creative, capable of filling a thousand days with a thousand bold ideas. But they don’t always follow through on their inspirations, and if others are not brought on board to handle the details, their best ideas may never be put into practice. ENFPs rely on their initial excitement and passion too much and don’t always show the discipline necessary to translate their ideas into real-world production. They have a tendency to start new projects before the last ones are finished, and failing to see things through is where ENFPs sometimes come up short.

Overthink things. ENFPs have a tendency to perceive slights, resentments or hostility where none actually exist, and their habit of overanalyzing other people’s behavior can lead to unnecessary anger and conflict. If ENFPs aren’t receiving as many compliments as they expect from their significant others, their insecurities can be activated and they may start to feel unappreciated and unloved.

Overemotional and approval-seeking. While emotional expression is a core part of the ENFP's identity, they can come on too strong. The bubbly, energetic style of ENFPs doesn’t mesh well with every partner and introverts, in particular, can sometimes feel steamrolled in their presence. ENFPs are also approval-seekers, and in their desire to receive praise and acknowledgment they may try a little too hard to make a good impression, talking too much and listening too little in the process.

Moral Alignment: Chaotic Good

Archetype:

55% Rebel - The Rebel is comfortable throwing caution to the wind—and bucking the system...if that means getting their point across.

25% Advocate - The Advocate is the one everyone wants on their side. In the name of justice, they are not afraid to challenge authority or speak up for others.

20% Caregiver - Friendly, sincere, and compassionate, the Caregiver finds their reward in helping others. No one could ask for a better best friend.

Temperament: Sanguine

#tag: character development #plot prompt friday #***#tag: inspo #tag: headcanon

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ginnyzero · 5 years

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Trivialization of Writing in Today’s Society

Writing is an important skill. Writing is more than the ability to write the alphabet and string the letters into words. Writing is the way we express ideas. It is an important tool in our society from writing business letters, making deals, interviews, pitching projects to writing sermons and stories.

Schools would teach creative writing in the lower classes. But then as students got older, this was phased out in favor of business writing, pitch papers and essays. These pitch papers and essays were touted as important skills that students needed to learn to survive in the university environment and the bigger world. And the ability to tell a story, which is what the basis of these essays and pitch papers were really about, became lost and ‘less important’ in the scheme of things. (The structure of an essay is just as important as a structure of a story.)

Writing, storytelling, the ability to string words together into a cohesive, coherent whole with a beginning, middle and ending isn’t valued. The idea that writing a book is work is actually laughed at. Writing if it isn’t journalism or scientific papers is not considered a viable career. We recommend our children become doctors and lawyers. People who follow protocols and rules, instead of encouraging to be creative and think freely.

For some reason there is a prevailing attitude in our society that anyone can write a novel and be good at it. Media encourages this view. I can think of two shows that I like off the top of my head about how Doctors, a Medical Examiner and a Forensic Anthropologist are both writers. Media has pushed that these two fact loving rational people have the creativity to write novels and write novels well that apparently have emotional appeal that connect to audiences. (I am still trying to figure out after 11 Seasons of Bones when Brennan actually has time to write these novels. And I’m not sure now when Maura has time to write her novel.)

They put forth this message that writing a novel is relatively easy and fame is assured once you’re published. However, I find it hard to believe that both of these very analytical characters are able to connect to an audience. With Brennan they try to explain that Angela is her “human editor” and comes up with the scenes that aren’t fact driven. It really burned me that they showed Clark Edison getting a novel deal while they used excerpts on how horrible writing was for laughs. They also cut out the fact he'd need an agent, not go to the publisher's directly. They made it seem even horrible writers could easily get a book deal. Thankfully, this was never brought up again. (Maura got a critic from her editor that her characters were flat and her setting didn't come alive and I cheered. Yes, constructive criticism that made sense!) Even the procedural Castle, who was about a writer assisting a homicide detective, used a writer who was already successful and just suffering from writer’s block. At least he seems to understand story and has emotional grounding to connect to an audience. But they still avoided that it takes time, effort, talent and learned skill to write a novel. (Castle always wrote off screen.)

There are a lot of people who believe that they can write a novel despite not having done any creative writing since third grade. (I think I may have done some creative writing in ninth grade for class but I went to a private high school.) A lot of people think that they have a novel in them. Without thinking through the entire process or knowing how a novel is structured. And if they’re willing to take the time to learn about structure and put the effort into sitting down and writing. Then more power to them, yay, more people being creative. However, most people do not have the fortitude or the desire to write novel even if they think they can. So those that do take the time and put forth the effort to write a novel, even if it isn’t the greatest novel aren’t taken seriously because “anybody can do that.”

No. It takes skill. It takes knowledge. It takes a certain amount of talent. And it takes practice. You have to learn to do it by doing it over and over again. I started writing in seventh grade and my first story was a horrible piece of shit that had no conflict and no hardship. For a very long time I was so conflict adverse, I could barely put it into my stories. I have chapters and chapters of stories on my laptop that have great characters, great worlds, but are in the end boring because there was no conflict. Dialogue, conflict, action, world building, characters, each of these ideas takes a certain amount of time and ability to do properly. It doesn’t come easily or naturally. It can be tiring and difficult and depressing. One has to learn to do it. Sometimes you get it right. Sometimes you fail. It’s work. (And I find it fun, oh woe is me.)

I’m not a lawyer. I haven't learned the law code. I wouldn’t want to represent myself in court. I’m not a doctor. I don't know more than super basic anatomy. I wouldn’t perform surgery on myself or anyone else. I’m not a plumber. I can’t fix the leaks in my pipes. I haven't learned that skill. And I don’t expect my plumber, lawyer, doctor to be able to write even as I value their services as plumbers, lawyers, and doctors.

A doctor can heal your disease. A writer can take you to a far away place on a journey of your imagination for hours on end and distract you from pain and disease both emotional and physical.

But we aren’t given the credit we deserve. There are places where writers are barely given credit at all; movies, video games. Things that hinge on having a good story. Having a good story to hook your viewers and players into your game is just as important if not more important than having a good visual look and good game play mechanics. But who gets the credit if things go right for a movie? The director and the actors. Who gets credit when things go badly for a movie? The director and the actors. Who gets credit for a game outside of the studio? The guy in charge of the studio or the game director.

Writers aren’t really on the sets during the filming of movies. If a book writer has their property being turned into a film or television show. They don’t get to adapt it themselves. They don’t have a say in what gets changed. They’ve basically sold the rights of their own intellectual property away and have no control on how it is presented to the public. When a screen writer writes a scene that is important to the plot of the movie and the director or the editor decide to cut it for whatever reason, the screen writer doesn’t get the chance to protest that the story will no longer make sense. There are writers who get no credit for working on the script at all. They are called script fixers and it is their job to take a script and make it better.

And you would think that in fandom circles where it thrives on the exchange of free ideas it would be different. At one time, it was considered taboo to make money off of anyone else’s intellectual property. But changing times and trends and a more Japanese view of copyright began to infiltrate fandom as fandom has become more accepted and less secretive. Huge companies are turning blind eyes to copyright infringement as it brings more attention to their brand that they don’t have to pay for. There isn’t as much fear of being sued. It is almost considered normal now in fandom for artists to take fan art commissions to earn a little extra money to get through college.

But fan fiction commissions? Blasphemy. You “don’t do it.” You don’t talk about doing it. Fan creators still get greatly uncomfortable with the idea that someone could pay another person to write them something. Despite the fact it takes time and effort and talent to write as much as it takes time, effort and talent to draw. I am not saying that fan fiction writers should be paid for their work. That's a different kettle of fish. However, like a fan artist who takes commissions, there is a double standard if a fan fiction writer can't do the same. Many fan fiction writers wouldn't dream of trying to make money off writing fan fiction, just as many fan artists wouldn't dream of making money off their fandom art. However, it is an acceptable practice for artists to do so and unacceptable concept for fan fiction writers to even think about it. But, there is also now a dialogue about it in fandom circles and eventually capitalism will determine if it happens or not.

Writing is an important skill and a learned skill. The ability to tell a story in a cohesive, concise and coherent way is important in all types of work. It is too bad that our society doesn’t see it that way.

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