Latest Posts by jarich - Page 4

LEGO - Rubber Duck 

Aw

Remember this viral post? Wanda and Jamal and her husband Lonnie are the most wholesome people, this story brought tears to my eyes originally and I am crying once more learning from Jamal's social media that Lonnie has sadly passed away.

Rest in Peace, Lonnie :(

Air bags and seatbelts don't save those in the car in every car crash, and helmets don't save the rider in every bike crash.

Nonetheless, these safety measures save thousands of lives. Cyclists are free to make a variety of choices about what (else) they wear, from naked bike ride participants through to sensible F1 motorcycle gear. But appropriate helmets should be mandatory across the whole range, because we need to protect people on their shittiest days.

"Anarchist" but gets triggered when people voluntarily don't wear bicycle helmets.

Me when I know what anarchy is

Tortoise: *invents camouflage so it will be left alone*

Humans: oooh, you're an odd one. Let's look at you very closely.

"Ready to"

When you think of yourself as a living tool that's just there to perform a function, but then you realize there are people out there who see you as a living being and they'd be upset if you died, and you're like, oh, now I guess I'm literally going to have to fight death haha

oiiiiiiiiiiiiii, calling for readers again

i have a novel i'd like to share with you guys, if you're interested.

i'm not calling this a beta readers request this time, because more than anything, i just need people who can read my gay little forced proximity romance, and just tell me if they think it's good.

don't need line edits, don't need grammar checks, just people reading the story like it's a book they picked up at barnes and noble.

and then telling me what you liked or didn't like. that's all.

so. here's the summary, and uh...if you're interested in checking it out, pls contact me!

here are the warnings first: graphic violence, child death (death of an infant), self-harm (because their powers are blood-based, and they need to self harm in order to use them), implied sexual assault/incest (not graphic), animal death (a lot of it), and oh yeah, sex scenes. this is an adult romantasy. adult.

and now here's the summary:

In a world ravaged by war between the old gods and the new, demigods sow chaos and discord wherever they go, destined to be either legendary heroes or fearsome villains. But Marrow is not like other demigods. They are the child of the god of blood and slaughter, born with only one purpose: to kill in their savage father’s name, and bleed the entire world dry. The one problem? 

The only living creature they want to kill is their father.

But Marrow has been imprisoned within their temple for their entire life, unable to realize that dream…until now. A deal with a devil allows them to escape, making their way into a hostile world they know little about- and matters are not helped by the fact that their father can use their eyes to see what they're seeing at any time. To keep him from seeing their location, Marrow must remained blindfolded. But Marrow, an eternal optimist, won’t let their lack of vision stop them from fulfilling their lifelong dream. 

The demigod hunter might, however. Arlo Ren is a member of the Razor Watch, a religious order dedicated to the goddess of the hunt. He is clever, but impulsive, eager to prove himself to his goddess by capturing powerful prey. Soon after meeting Marrow by chance, and discovering what they are, he sees his opportunity and refuses to let it go. Literally. The demigod hunter handcuffs the demigod to his side, and swears to sacrifice them in his god’s name. Luckily for him, Marrow is an inexperienced, blind pacifist, who needs him to guide them through a dangerous, unknown world. They fully intend to escape him eventually. But perhaps a demigod and a demigod hunter have more in common than they might think. Perhaps they might even need each other...but they will, at the very least, need to learn how to live, work, and fight together as they are relentlessly chased by Marrow’s powerful demigod siblings, all hoping to kill their youngest sibling and please the god they abandoned. 

And that's all folks!

Pls let me know if you'd be interested, and I'll reach out!

Hey @kriz-smthn , finish your novel! I need to read it and it sounds like you're running out of runway. Stop dawdling!

(hope this helps)

I need somebody to bully me into finishing my Queer Fantasy Novel

I only have a semester left before we start working on our thesis and Mofo is a Graphic Designer and wANNA DO A TESIS ON TWO GAY PINING ASEXUALS

No one benefits from white progressives merely distancing themselves from racists like this. Taylor is wrong and he should be loudly decried as being wrong every step of the way.

They will burn this shit down before they allow us to shine. White ppl are weak and fragile. Yep I said it

Happy Clair Cameron Patterson day! And less environmental lead pollution day.

TIL that the reason lead levels in children’s blood have dropped 85% in the past thirty years is because of an unknown scientist who fought car companies to end leaded gasoline. He also removed it from paint, suggested its removal from pipes, and campaigned for the removal of lead solder from cans.

via ift.tt

I admire people who can keep a tub of Ben and Jerry's ice-cream in the freezer for a week.

The celebrity Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavors being some of the best ones is like the retail equivalent of having to go to a restaurant and order a rootin tootin yeehaw cowboy burger or something

But did they catch it and put it back near a pond?

im sorry, this is absolutely terrible but I did laugh a little (guiltily)

This is really sweet.

A Bond That Transcends

My skin prickled, the hair on my arms standing as straight as a pin. Putting the kettle on the counter, I looked over my shoulder towards the door of my parlor. I was used to this feeling, it had happened so many times throughout my life, but it always filled my veins with adrenaline. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him, a young man, maybe twenty, with brown tight curls and piercing green eyes. His skin was dark and his clothes were torn up. Blood was splattered across his body. My breath caught in my throat as I turned around to face him.

“She’s coming. Rounding the block now.”

“Who is she? What happened to you?”

“She’ll explain when she gets here. She’s been researching you for weeks.”

“How long have you been with her?”

“All my life. My baby sister, brought to a place like this,” He looked around the room and sucked at his teeth, “All because of me.”

“I take it you didn’t like mediums while you were alive?” I took a seat at the large round table I placed in the front of the shop. It used to be my dining room table, but I hadn’t eaten off it in years. “How does it feel? Being here now, knowing that I can see you.”

“Almost as hard to process as dying.” He sat down in the seat furthest from me.

“Is there anything that I shouldn’t bring up? Something that will hurt more than it will help?”

“There’s someone else who’s been watching her. Don’t tell her he’s here, ignore him if you can.”

“Who is he?”

“Someone from her past that she tried desperately to escape.”

“Okay. I’ll do my best.” As I finished speaking, the bell attached to the door chimed.

A woman no older than eighteen stepped inside. She was the spitting image of the man sitting across from me. She was elegantly dressed with small pearl earrings poking out from her long curls. I smiled at her, her nervous energy filled the room from wall to wall. My skin prickled again as I looked at the large man who towered over her. His face was cut and his arms seemed to be disjointed. He was angry and volatile and his blue eyes burned with hatred. My smile faltered and I snuck a look at my mysterious friend. He nodded at me and looked back to his sister.

Small teardrops were running down her face. My heart ached for her, but there wasn’t much an old crone like myself could do for the pain of a lost loved one. I could bring only so much peace.

“Hello, my dear. I’ve been waiting for you.” Her brother scoffed at me, but I only smiled in return. I stood, heading back towards the kettle. “Would you like some tea?”

“Yes, please.” Her voice was quiet as she looked around the room. I could admit the room was a bit jarring. I had shelves full of herbs and tarot cards, crystals, and bottles that assuredly looked like potions. They were only lotion. I found that the gift of communing with the supernatural came much simpler to me than magic tricks. Tarot cards were helpful in the case of mute spirits or divination of the future, but when you have the source at your fingertips you don’t ignore it.

“Take a seat.” I heard the chair squeak out of place and silence filled the room. My hands shook slightly as I carried the tray of tea and sugar to the table and sat across from the young woman. “Now, what can I do for you tonight?”

“My brother, he passed-” She stopped herself, more tears surfacing. “My brother died a few weeks ago and I’m having a hard time dealing. I’d like to see if there’s a way to talk to him or check on him. I’m not sure if I even believe in an afterlife, but he was too special to be nowhere.”

I smiled at her, trying my hardest to ignore the energy coming from behind her. My eyes stayed glued to her and her brother. “Okay, that’s simple enough. As far as I understand it, there are two planes. There is “Heaven” and “Purgatory”. That’s not really what they are called, but that is what we would understand them as. Those in purgatory walk amongst us until they have completed their journey. When they have completed their journey, they go to heaven. After that, I’m not privy to much of the inner workings. My specialty is this world.”

The young girl seemed to relax, her shoulders drooping slightly and she exhaled slowly. I looked at her brother and he understood me.

“You can tell her I’m here.” He said, placing a large hand on her shoulder. She stiffened slightly and looked to the floor.

My eyes widened slightly, not many could feel the touch of those beyond. I hesitated before asking, “What is it?”

“Well, lately, I’ve been getting this weird sensation. Right here,” She pointed to his hand, “And I can’t shake it. It like tingles.”

“That’s your brother, my dear. He has been with you since the day he passed.”

Her eyes widened and she looked into the empty air in front of her. “No, it can’t be.”

“He is here. Ask me some questions, I will prove it to you.”

“Okay,” She nodded and began to think quietly to herself. “What’s my mother’s name?”

His laugh was deep and hearty, “Jasmine.” He said and I repeated.

“Where is my potted plant right now?”

I raised my eyebrow and looked at her brother. “On the windowsill in your living room, but he said that as soon as you shut the door, your little kitten knocked it down. His name is Oliver.”

“How can you know that?” She whispered, more to herself than to me. It was typical in this line of work. People come to have their questions answered, but they all expect it to be a scam, and yet they willingly waste their money on it.

“It’s okay, my dear. It is normal to feel the way you do. I’ve seen the dead since I was a child, this is nothing new for me, but for you, an entire world has just opened up.”

“So, he has unfinished business?”

“He seems very worried about you.”

“He’s stuck here because of me?”

I laughed to myself, they were just so similar. Bonds like theirs could not be broken by anything, not even death. “Not because of you, but he is your older brother. He wants to protect you in death, just as he did in life.” She began to cry again and her sobs tugged at my heart. “I don’t mean to upset you, dear.”

“He was the best brother.”

“Do you mind if I try something?”

She shook her head and watched me move around the room. I grabbed herbs, a candle, a book of matches, and a small sand-filled zen garden that I repurposed as an altar of sorts. I placed them in the center of the table and began working on a banishment. I looked at the siblings but focused my mind on the man surrounded by hot anger. The brother looked confused and he grabbed his sister’s hand.

“I need total silence. This will take about five minutes. You are going to feel the energy in the room shift at around three minutes in, but you cannot interrupt me. Is that okay?” They both nodded, looking slightly more scared than before. I piled the sand around the candle, holding it in place. I sprinkled drops of herbs throughout the garden. In a single flick, I lit the match, holding it to the candle’s wick.

I chanted in my mind for five minutes straight. I kept my eyes closed, but I was listening closely to the man who had attached himself to this poor young girl. He began to scream in agony, getting as close to me as possible, trying to frighten me into stopping, but I would not. He was not the first angry man that I had banished from my home and he would not be the last. I could hear small whimpers coming from the girl, but she did not move from her seat.

I finished in five minutes, as promised, and looked around the room. The angry man had disappeared and the candle had burned down to the sand. “There, that’s much better. How do you feel?”

She breathed in deeply, releasing the air in her lungs and relaxing into the chair. “I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. What was that? Is my brother still here?” The young man looked at his sister in awe.

“Yes, he is. That was a purification, of sorts. The removal of negative energy so that the two of you may feel a more positive bond until your brother feels that he has finished his duties in protecting you. That is at his discretion.”

“How will I know that he’s still with me?”

I looked at her brother and he smiled. “Ladybugs. Every time she sees a ladybug, she will know that I’m still with her.”

I laughed, telling her what sign to watch for.

“Ew, he’s going to send me bugs?”

The young man howled with laughter. “She hates bugs. I used to leave crickets in her room when we were children.”

“It could be crickets,” I said, winking at her.

Her lower jaw dropped and she looked to the empty air beside her. “No way, he told you about the crickets?”

“You can talk to him whenever you’d like. You may not be able to hear his response, but you will know that he is always there.”

The young girl began to stand. “Oh, thank you. This has been amazing. What do I owe you?”

“Not a penny. My payment is knowing that you will go home happier than when you came in. And don’t forget to clean up that plant.”

She laughed and walked to the door. “I’ll be back someday soon, maybe I’ll take you to lunch as payment.”

“That would be quite nice, I hope your brother can join us.”

The three of us smiled in unison and our hearts felt slightly lighter than they had yesterday.

If you would like to read more of my work, check out my Patreon! Currently all of my writing is public access.

I want to always be like the guy who joined in on the joke. how delightful all around.

So this happened on November 14.

The bill that opposition party MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke tore up before the haka suggests moving interpretation of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi from the courts to Parliament.

It is essential to understand that the courts have often been used to rein in Parliament's misinterpretation with respect to provisions in the Treaty.

The Waitangi Tribunal, set up in 1975 to investigate alleged breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi, notes the bill "purposefully excluded any consultation with Māori, breaching the principle of partnership, the Crown’s good-faith obligations, and the Crown’s duty to actively protect Māori rights and interests". It also said that the principles of the bill misinterpreted the Treaty of Waitangi and that this "caused significant prejudice to Māori".

Act - a minor party in the ruling centre-right coalition, and the party that introduced this bill - claim that the Treaty has resulted in the country being divided by race. However, there's no suggestion that this measure will improve the fortunes of the 18% of New Zealand's population who are Māori. Many Māori remain disadvantaged compared with the general population on metrics such as health outcomes, household income, education levels and incarceration and mortality rates. There remains a seven-year gap in life expectancy.

The tabling of the Treaty Principles Bill comes following a series of measures introduced by the government that have affected Māori. They include the closure of the Māori Health Authority, which was set up to help create health equity, and reprioritising English over Māori when it comes to the official naming of government organisations, for example.

much better footage of the haka that shut down parliament today

Why have children if you hate children?

Demons are real and they write for the new york times.

I love this so much.

You are a villain famous for “killing” heroes. In reality, heroes come to you to fake their deaths.

Astro Boy or Kiki's Delivery Service

That post about death note being "everyone's first anime" (untrue statement) made me curious and now I want to gather data for science

Can you reblog this and tell me where are you from and what was your starter anime?

I dated someone (who turned out to have) a very loose connection with reality. For example, he regularly asserted that I had the power to win the lottery, I just wasn't trying hard enough. When I said I didn't have that power, he said he'd take that power then. Although, of course, he didn't win the lottery either.

I am comfortable with talking about and poking at the edges of reality. I have always enjoyed a rich inner life unconstrained by reality, and I'm happy to entertain discussions where those ideas bleed through. I thought he was similar. I didn't realise he was quite so... detached... from the commonality accepted reality.

I really miss being about to talk seriously about not quite real things without having to reassure my conversational partner that I understand they're not really real.

there's a lot to be said about how the average person indulges in delusions far more than anyone is really comfortable grappling with. every now and again, a poll comes out that reveals some sort of number of people who believe they have magical powers, usually pretty high, and everyone takes turns making fun of it and affirming their own Sanity

this is more observational than scientific, but it really does seem like writing off delusional thinking as the realm of the "insane" creates this valley where the "normal" person's thinking (especially a person who considers themself normal, but that's a whole other kettle of fish) must be more empirical, because, categorically, they are not insane

I'm glad the sheriff's department got told off. I hope the fair staff get told off too

I've only ever seen this in screenshots before..n

me holding a gun to a mushroom: tell me the name of god you fungal piece of shit

mushroom: can you feel your heart burning? can you feel the struggle within? the fear within me is beyond anything your soul can make. you cannot kill me in a way that matters

me cocking the gun, tears streaming down my face: I’M NOT FUCKING SCARED OF YOU

Take advantage of donation doubling etc, if you can, but donate. It's better that you donate $100 now without it being doubled or tripled, than to decide to wait and forget to donate at all.

MFS are saving lives.

I know I've said this a hundred times but if you're worried about palestinian fundraisers being scams at least consider donating to MSF. It's a highly reputable organization which has broken its long-standing neutrality to denounce Israel in front of the UN. Here's all the aid MSF is providing to Gazans (documentation available in multiple languages).

I wrote this piece on a whim a few years ago. I really like how it came out.

Talks with my dog

When the aliens came they spoke with everything; insects, marine animals, birds, wild animals, our farmstock and our pets! Some of us were worried about what the animals would say about us, some were excited about the possibility of animal to human translation. Some said they even spoke to the micro-organisms in the soil.

We thought they'd talk with us next. These beings who could communicate with every thing else on our planet. We sent them invitations to summits. We tried to have conversations with them when we saw them.

They didn't even look at us.

Some idiot with a gun got angry at being ignored and shot one. The response was violent and definitive, the whole town died within seconds. The state retaliated, as did the country. As far as we know there are no humans left alive over there now.

We might have all gone to war, except that our pets, the insects and the very birds attacked anyone who approached weaponry and missile storage locations. Anyone who got past them was violently ill. Those who persisted died of ruptured bowels, blood toxicity.

They left, never talking with us.

I'm making progress in talks with my dog.

I know most of tumblr is thinking about the USA right now. but fuck the nz government right now too. tomorrow, the treaty principles bill, the 'worst, most comprehensive breach of Te Tiriti in modern times' is being introduced to parliament early, because there were activations planned country wide and the cowards decided to pull it forwards. fuck this government. a friend of mine had to go home early, crying. I've been in shock all day since it came out.

check on your Māori friends, e hoa mā. see what they need. see how you can help. everyday, we see and experience racism. from people around us, up to our government. community care will save us.

The Boy That Sits Alone In The Front Row Always Wears A Black Sweater

Original story Words: 3,230 Genre: Romance, Drama, Slice of life Warning(s): Self-harm

Even when it was in the middle of summer, he would always wear his black sweater. No matter how hot it gets.

One time, the air conditioner broke down. It wasn't fixed until the next two weeks. And since our class is on the second floor, there wasn't a lot of wind coming through the window. It was like being stuck in a giant oven for two hours, yet he still wore the sweater.

I can understand why he had to suck up and bear with it on the first day it happened. Of course, all of us had to, with whatever outfit we put on that day.

We had two more courses that took place in that room. Each lasted for two hours. So, a total of six hours per week in the furnace.

I still don't understand why they didn't just schedule those classes in a different room.

The second day, knowing that I was going into the oven for another two hours, I knew I had to wear something that would keep me from being baked alive. But we had another class in a different room before that, so I decided to wear a thin shirt with a tank top underneath. Then I unbuttoned it and left it that way for the next class.

Everyone else was wearing less outfit compared to the day before, but he still wore the thick black sweater from yesterday.

Did he forget?

Did he assume the air conditioner would be fixed in one day?

I didn't think much about it, but then he wore it again in the next class.

And kept wearing it until the air conditioner was fixed.

Because of this, I sometimes glance around the room during class to see what he was wearing. Just out of curiosity. And after I got my confirmation that he was, in fact, wearing a black sweater, I didn't pay attention to him any longer.

But then I noticed during that time that whenever I looked for him, my eyes would always land in the same spot for every class.

He would always sit in the front row. And he would always sit in the corner. Didn't matter which corner. If I didn't see him on the right, then he must be on the left.

At first I thought, 'Wow, he must be a real nerd to sit in front everyday and listen to the lecture.' Until I glanced at him one day and he was playing candy crush on his phone.

Oh. He wasn't paying attention.

In fact, he was playing a different kind of game at random times during class. Was he not afraid to get caught?

Then I noticed that the professors never called on him. They never turn to look at his direction at all. As if he had no presence.

So, maybe his seating choice was a strategy?

I concluded that he was the type of person who didn't care about college that much but only enough to never skip class and get a passing grade. However, I was proven wrong.

In one of our classes, we had a pop quiz. The professor stated that it was a pre-test for the next chapter, so it was fine even if we flunked it. And I thought, 'There was no way in hell that guy could get a passing grade!'

He got a perfect mark. Everyone else barely got half of the questions correct.

How is that fair?

Another thing is that he never talked to anyone. The seat beside him would be empty, or someone would sit there but they were obviously not his friend. Because he didn't interact with them at all.

What is this? The guy with no friends who plays games everyday is secretly a genius? And what's with wearing the same black sweater everyday? Is that part of his mysterious persona?

Does he have multiple black sweaters? Or does he use the same disgusting sweater everyday? Hopefully he washes them over the weekend.

He's a peculiar human. But is he interesting enough for me to befriend and get to know him? Nope.

He was the type of person that if you didn't put in any kind effort to get close to him, you might never interact with him at all. He seems to purposely not be acknowledged by anyone and stay invisible.

Strangely, despite observing him these past few weeks, I don't think I can accurately describe his face. I don't think I can even accurately imagine what he looks like.

The only time I managed to see his face was when I walked into the classroom. That is, if he had arrived earlier than me. Most of the time, he did. But even then, he would be looking down on his phone or looking away from my angle.

It wasn't until halfway through the semester that I got to talk to him.

I had a different class that day before the one with him in it, and I sat in the front row because I had to do a presentation. My phone was running low, so I charged it in the corner and left it there. After that class, I grabbed my things to move to the third row because I didn't want to stay in the front, but I forgot my charger in the socket.

I only realized it in the middle of the next class because my phone was running low again.

Fortunately, the black sweater guy was sitting exactly where I sat, and I was directly two rows behind him.

The row between us was empty so I had to call out to him.

"Hey!"

I had to whisper, of course, so as not to bother the lecture.

Ah, what was his name again?

"Psst! Hey!"

The guy turned to his side to see that there was no one sitting beside him, then he looked back confused.

"Yes! I'm calling you! I left my charger under your seat. Grab it for me, yeah?"

He didn't answer me.

He just silently unplugged the charger and handed it over.

Since we were two rows away, he had to get up and stretch his arm out.

That was the first time I managed to get a good look at his face. And I caught sight of his wrist when the sleeve of his black sweater was pulled back a bit.

Thin faded lines came to view.

I saw something that I shouldn't have. But he didn't notice what I saw.

"Thanks," I said as he turned away and sat back down.

I knew that he always crossed my mind every once in a while, but that was the first time I couldn't think of anything other than him for the rest of the class.

Should I say something?

I had to do something, but what can I do? Tell him to get help? Would he do it if I told him to? Should I help him? What rights do I have? He obviously didn't want anyone to get close.

Should I just pretend I never saw anything?

Maybe everything is all right now. Maybe he wore the black sweater to cover up his past and hoped no one would ever bring it up.

Besides, someone with good grades wouldn't do that to themselves.

Someone with a smart head wouldn't throw away their future, right?

I can understand if it was someone who struggled to get through college.

If it was someone who had to make their own notes and spent hours and hours reading and absorbing them far before the day of the test.

If it was someone who, even after all that, might still not get a passing grade.

Or someone who, after all that, got an average grade. But it was like a miracle that it brought tears to their eyes and they celebrated.

But that's not me. Because I never put in that much effort.

I've tried that before and got disappointed.

What's the point in wasting your time to study when you know you're going to fail anyway?

I feel so miserable every time I get my results back that I have to surround myself with other people. If they do worse, it makes me feel a little bit better.

And I might be failing one of my courses.

The one where he keeps getting perfect marks. Actually, he gets perfect marks in all the courses I have with him.

He comes into class just enough before being considered late, plays on his phone the whole time, leaves early, and aced every test.

Must be hard to live with such a great mind.

Finals week was around the corner and I considered giving up.

I didn't get a passing grade for midterm. And I didn't have enough marks on my assignments to cover that. If I didn't get at least an A on the last project, I have to retake the class.

So, I did what every college student does when they got desperate to pass the course.

"Can you do my final project for me?"

I managed to talk to him after one of our classes where he didn't rush out of the room the moment our professor concluded the lecture.

"You always get perfect grades, right? Do my project and I'll pay you. It doesn't have to be good, just enough to get an A."

He frowned with an annoyed expression.

"No."

"Kidding! I meant to ask for help with my project. I'm serious about paying, though. Help me out?"

"No."

"What? What do you mean 'No'?"

He walked past me without responding.

"Ah, wait! If I don't get an A, I have to retake this class and I can't afford that. Please?"

He kept walking.

"I really was joking about asking you to do my project. I just need some pointers. Tips! Or... if you have any notes?"

I continued to follow him and pester him about the project. I didn't have any other reason I could use to talk to him.

He didn't completely brush me off or pick up his pace. He just kind of ignored me.

"Please? I'm desperate. And If you do have any kind of notes, I'll buy them. But I might ask you a lot of questions, though, because I might be too dumb to understand it. Or if you're already working on your project, can I see them? Just for a reference! I swear I won't copy them. I will even send you my own project before submission so you can make sure of that. Anything is fine! Really!"

"I don't care."

"Ouch. I'm not really asking you to care, though. Just help me out this once! I'll owe you anything. And did I mention that I'll pay?"

Unexpectedly, he stopped and threw a tired look at me.

"You said you can't afford to retake the class, but you'll pay me to help you?"

Busted.

"Well, I kind of hope we can agree on the best price for the both of us!"

"Aren't you just lazy?"

"No? Well, a little. No, but I will do my project on my own. I just need a little help."

"Stop following me."

Pretty funny that he only said that after we got off of campus grounds. But I ignored his wishes just as he ignored mine. He didn't complain that I was still obviously behind him.

"But have you started working on the project? You know it's worth like 30%, right? I imagined someone like you must have started working on it the moment it was announced, you know?"

"Someone like me?"

He didn't even turn to look my way as he said that. He sounded tired.

"I don't know, you always get perfect marks, even on quizzes that didn't matter. You always get the best score. You know some of them won't affect our grades, right? And you always sit in front for some reason. Are lectures that interesting? That's an opinion I can never understand."

"No."

"Sorry?"

"I haven't started. Also, I don't listen to the lectures. I play games in class."

Yeah, I know.

"Really? Then how do you keep getting top marks? Oh! Did you cheat? Have you been cheating on tests the whole time? Am I asking the wrong guy to ask for help?"

He paused for a bit.

"Yes."

Was that... a joke?

I guess he just said that to make me stop asking for help.

I laughed at him.

"You're a terrible liar."

"Ask anyone else for help."

"Nooo! All my friends are dumb! I mean, I'm dumber, but they're still too dumb to help me get an A!"

"It has to be an A?"

"I got 33 on midterm!"

"...and your other-"

"Everything else adds up to 36. I did the math already and I need at least an 85 to pass. That is at least an A."

"Heh."

He just chuckled! This motherf*cker. He's the type to laugh at others' misery, huh? I guess I'm not one to talk.

There's a student housing right across our campus. I thought we were walking there, but we went past it. I guess now I know why I never saw this guy around whenever I visit my friends in the dorms. He probably never hung around after class.

Instead, we stopped at a tall apartment building. It looked more like a place for businessmen rather than college students. It looked expensive.

"Wow, you live here? This place looks nice! Oh, it's like 5 minutes from the subway, too!"

"Why are you still here?"

"You're helping me with my project!"

"I never agreed to that."

"Why am I here then?"

He gave a long sigh and walked into the apartment. Honestly, I'm surprised he didn't put in more effort in kicking me out.

The inside of the building was even more luxurious than what I imagined. Apparently he lived on the 18th floor. He must have a great view of the city. No wonder he always went straight home after class. I would too. With an apartment this cool, I wouldn't mind staying in everyday either.

We stopped in front of the door to his apartment.

Again, I'm surprised he let me into the elevator.

"Warning. It's messy."

"Got it."

At least he has some manners. Classic. Everyone always says their room is messy, but it's never as bad as they say.

The moment he opened the door, a foul stench of garbage attacked my nose.

He went inside like it was nothing and turned on the lights.

"Make yourself at home."

There were water bottles everywhere. A garbage can beside the kitchen sink was filled to the brim and surrounded by random plastic bags that were also filled with trash. The air was stuffy. Some furniture was piled with dust.

I didn't hesitate to make a disgusted face.

"You mean make myself at a waste disposal site"

"You can always leave."

This time, I gave a long sigh.

The smell was so pungent that it was speaking in my head, 'Hey, it's not worth it. At least you tried. Go home.'

Wouldn't he get any complaints from this?

How does he live with this? Wait. How does he not smell on campus?

Oh my god. Does he not wash the black sweater after all?

"How come I never notice that you smell?"

"I shower."

"But wouldn't this smell stick?" I waved around my finger to point at his whole apartment.

He just shrugged.

"If it works, it works. No one ever said I smell."

"That's because you don't have friends."

Oops. That slipped out.

He didn't look offended, though. He just stared at me with the same annoyed look.

"So, now I'll say it. You smell."

"You're not my friend."

"Well, as someone who is not your friend, I declare that you smell."

"Leave," He said, closing the door.

"Wait! Wait- Alright, I'm sorry. I'll help you clean, and you'll help me with my project."

"No," He said, closing the door again.

"Okay! I'll clean! And you'll help me with my project!"

"No-"

"Just let me clean! Then we'll talk."

We stood there silently. Him, still holding the door to close it, and me, still pushing the door to keep it open.

After a few seconds, he let go of the door without a word and lay down on his bed. He pulled out his phone to play the same games he would play in class.

Alright, it was time to get to work.

I started with throwing out all the trash with plastic bags into the garbage room. It wasn't even that far, only about five rooms away, just at the end of the hall. Then I had to stuff all the scattered garbage into more plastic bags.

"Where do you keep extra plastic bags? Oh gross, do you just stop getting them once you've run out? Why do I keep seeing Chinese take outs and different kinds of instant ramen cups? Do you not eat anything else?"

He didn't answer any of my questions, so I kept yapping and babbling anyway.

It was a hassle to get rid of the plastic bottles. Some of them were far deep under the bed or the sofa. He didn't even offer to help me move the furniture around to get the ridiculously hidden trash that has been there for who knows how long.

I opened the window to get some air circulation, but because there was so much trash to pick up, I ended up drenched in sweat anyway. It was a good workout session. And after all the trash was gone, I realized the apartment was way bigger than it seemed when I first walked in.

Tired, I dropped myself onto the sofa. It was still a bit dusty, but I was already dirty anyway, so it didn't matter.

He finally got up from his bed and looked around. He didn't seem to be impressed, much less appreciative.

"You're done?"

I answered slightly out of breath, "No... This apartment is pretty big. How much is rent?"

"I don't rent it."

"You bought this place?"

"My parents did."

Son of a b*tch. He's smart and rich? Also, he's not bad looking. If he wasn't disgusting and a loner, he might have gotten himself a girlfriend by now.

"By the way, I couldn't find any vacuum or a broom. I don't think I've seen a mop either."

He didn't respond.

"You don't have them do you? Ugh. Fine. I guess that's it for the day. I'm going home."

I got up from the sofa and walked towards the door.

He didn't stop me. But when I reached for the door handle, he called out.

"I thought you needed my help with the project?"

"Yeah, I'm too tired by now. Nothing you say will get stuck in my head for more than 2 minutes. Let's talk about it next time."

"Next time?"

"Well, I have to get a broom or something to get rid of all that dust! Maybe a mop, too."

I walked out of his apartment and closed the door.

I didn't see his face, but when he asked about 'next time', I thought I heard his voice differently. As if he had said it in a slightly hopeful tone.

Perhaps I imagined it.

Click here for part 2 ^^

I love this picture so much! Post it whenever I come across it.

This too shall pass but like holy fuck

The Sound of Music (1965) dir. Robert Wise