i.e. i should be studying rn but instead i'm reviving my passion for posting on this blog
doing study calls from home but it quickly turns into a normal call where they talk about totally unrelated stuff
A and B are good at different things in the same subject so they're the perfect study team and consistently top the class
A has a crush on B, who is tutoring them in maths. for every problem A gets right, B draws a smiley face next to it, and at the end of the worksheet they draw a big heart next to A's score
'i can't study for a second longer' 'i'll buy you chocolate if you do half an hour more' 'deal'
barging into their favourite teacher's room with a million questions
taking breaks from the books and walking around the block hand in hand
alternately, just flopping onto the bed for fifteen minutes together for their breaks
A tries to sneakily go on their phone during studying but B always catches them immediately and scolds them
having a favourite spot to sit in the library
being in an intense rivalry with some other people who also like that spot
looking up after hours of work and seeing how messy and tired they both look, and just descending into giggles
A steals B's glasses to distract them from their studying
visiting the convenience store and stocking up on snacks and energy drinks to prepare for a night of cramming
A's cat decides to take a nap on top of their books, so they use it as a convenient excuse to call B instead of working
A getting B to practise speaking another language with them, but B hasn't studied the language and mispronounces basically everything, leading to A just laughing and cringing at the same time
*B talking to C* 'i now know an uncommon amount about genetically engineered crops' '...why' 'because A wanted to teach someone in order to learn the content, and i just so happened to be sitting next to them'
writing on the bathroom walls when they should be in class
practising cpr on each other in health class
B being the one to eat the things A picks off their lunch
being normal all day then going crazy in their 'safe' teacher's class (my poor physics teacher having to hear me shout 'a beautiful naked witch!' that one time)
being on opposing teams in p.e. and having an intense rivalry
alternately, being on opposing sides of a debate in history
being good at different subjects and being completely amazed when the other does a simple thing
being the oldest gay kids in the school and attracting a flock of gay year 7s
having a sleepover and getting ready for school in the morning
A is about to speak/perform in assembly, and and soon as they get on stage B goes "yyeeeaaahhhhh!!!!' really loudly
studying together but neither know what they're doing, so they just end up sitting there confused
A gets 67%, their highest mark all year, and B (who got 97%) gets super excited and takes them out for ice cream
being those slightly annoying over-enthusiastic seniors who go around trying to get the younger kids to participate in the cringey activities the school comes up with
alternatively, sleeping on each other in the backseat of a road trip
getting lost on a country road and stopping for an impromptu picnic
A is a grumpy person, but B forces them to take pictures in those face-in-hole boards
riding stand up paddle boards for the first time and hilariously falling off
finding a coconut and taking an hour to open it because they have no knife and don't know what they're doing
A forgets to pack pyjamas, B lets them wear some of their clothes but is not prepared for how cute they look in them
being excited over seeing something mundane because they don't have it in their country (me w/ squirrels when I went to america)
or, being totally terrified by something that's actually not harmful at all
A is scared of planes, so B holds their hand for the 10 hour flight, not letting go once
A has been recovering from something pretty bad, but they've been smiling, eating, and trying new experiences - stuff they couldn't have done before. B spends the vacation just grinning proudly, so happy to see A enjoying life again
riding a luge together and screaming all the way down
agonising about which souvenir magnet will look best on their fridge
running around a foreign city at midnight because screw it, why not
a very large bird lands on B's head while they're taking a selfie together, the selfie turns out as A with a beautiful smile and B with a look of absolute horror
trying to take a 'kissing as the waves break' picture but the wave knocks them both over
A is not a hiking person but agrees to go on one with B (because B is their long-time crush), ends up almost passing out, confession ensues
- peony (nobility and value)Â đ A and B are royals getting into a political marriage. theyâve met a few times and respect each other greatly but donât think theyâll fall in love. that is, until the wedding day comes along...
- lily-of-the-valley (return to happiness, youâve made my life complete)Â đ A, an adventurer whoâs been away for months, limps the final steps to the doorway, where B welcomes them back home
- bells-of-ireland (good luck) đ while the teachers figure out the countdown clock, the students in the exam hall fidget nervously. a small paper plane lands on Aâs desk, bearing a message scrawled in Bâs handwriting âgood luck! <3âČ
- dandelion (faithfulness, happiness) đ A and B walk home on a warm afternoon. B picks a dandelion from a crack in the path and blows it, watching the fluff float off down the street. âhey, make a wish!â A nudges them, giggling. âi wish that no matter how far i go, iâll always come back to your side.
- begonia (warning) đ âif your type is an arrogant asshole who kins alex delarge and thinks coffee and cigarettes is an acceptable dinner, then youâll love B.â Câs cautioning falls on deaf ears as A stares, infatuated, at the utterly horrid B
- daylily (coquetry)Â đ B, leaning on the rail of the little bridge, stared across the carefully curated estate garden at the little iron bench where A sat. A, with a smirk, tilted their head before raising their magazine to cover their face. The image of the model on the cover gazed back at B, who stepped off the bridge, knowing theyâd speak to A soon enoughÂ
- lilac (old love) đ A finally put down the phone. âthat was my sister. she canât find a moment of peace with her grandchildren at her house. they want her to be a horse while they play wild west.â B looks up from their newspaper, one of the cats dozing in their lap. âand to think she was the one telling us weâd regret not having kidsâ
- wisteria (will you dance with me)Â đ the snow had thawed, the animals had come out of hibernation, and the children of the village had shed their ever shrinking jackets to let the warmth of the sun wash over them as they played. spring had arrived, and with it the spring dance. although it was not fancy, held in a field with music played by the local band, it was the villagersâ favourite event of the year. on the night, two childhood friends in their best clothes looked shyly at each other. will you dance with me?
- snapdragon (deception, gracious lady)Â đ A was a catfish. looked nothing like their profile. instead of the cutting jawline, there was soft flesh that eased into the neck. instead of the skin-tight, revealing outfit, there was a cardigan and patterned trousers. where hair gel had been in the picture, there were flyaways. yes, B had been deceived. and they couldnât have been happier.
i got all the meanings from https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/flowers-and-their-meanings-language-flowers except the peony one
- trying to shut the dog in when guests come over but the dog does not want to be shut in
- A is a fantastic cook armed with knowledge passed down through generations. They watch in anguish as B struggles to cook pasta
- *kitchen is on fire* âone day I will remember to convert the celsius to fahrenheit on the recipeâ
- A hides in the fridge/pantry to scare B, but when they jump out they knock everything downÂ
-Â A attempts to make a food from Bâs culture and although itâs terrible, B is still so touched
- Bâs hair gets stuck in the electric whisk and A grumpily has to disentangle it
- *small fire in the pan*Â âdonât worry babe Iâll put it outâ *throws water on it and causes an inferno*
- A and B wait with baited breath to film the impending moment where the toaster jumpscares the cat
- A gleefully setting up one of those pranks where lots of coloured balls fall out of a cupboard, and B secretly watching knowing A will forget about it and open the cupboard on themselves
- sticking up their photos on the fridge
- years later, sticking up their childâs scribbles on the fridge next to the first photo they took together
Things to do While Youâre Procrastinating Writing that Count as Part of the Process
- realise that not feeling motivated is normal and you shouldnât beat yourself up over it
- make a map of the continent/country/town/street where your story takes place. put landmarks, places personal to your characters, and places with stories attached (eg. the corner where margo saw the leprechaun)
- put your charactersâ heights into hikaku sitatter
- think about the âwhyâs in your story (eg. why is the sacred tree sacred? did something important happen there a long time ago? whatâs its story?)
- imagine your characters living a day in your life
- alternatively, imagine yourself living a day in their lives
- create pinterest boards of your setting
- put your characters into an incorrect quotes generator and kill an hour laughing
- proofread by reading through your story in David Attenboroughâs voice (the slow pace and precise manner can help you notice mistakes)
- make your characters in picrew
- create your storyâs world in world anvil
- write a little crossover between characters from different stories
- take buzzfeed quizzes from your charactersâ perspectives
- fill in some of those character/world details sheets
- disregard anyone who pressures you to write when youâre not feeling it
and what i thought of them (not in chronological order because i forgot, quite long)
Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954) --- I got this from a street library not really thinking Iâd love it but I WAS WRONG because for quite a bit of this year it was my favourite book. I found it quite easy to read so I went through it pretty quickly, and I enjoyed seeing how the characters changed throughout.
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (1991) --- I really enjoyed this book but Iâm hesitant to recommend it because of how many potentially triggering things there are in it. Thereâs a lot of violence and sickening stuff in it that I donât want to list, but be aware thatâs itâs pretty heavy content. Aside from that, AP is one of my favourite kinds of books: bad people in first person. When itâs being narrated by the âvillainâ itâs just so interesting. And I loved the narration; it was so matter-of-fact even when he ate a jellyfish. Watch out for long lists of designer brands and chapters devoted to music.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818) --- I feel like almost everyone has at least heard of this book, and for good reason: it was fantastic. I would encourage everyone to read it because the writing is beautiful. And you can see the situation from both Frankensteinâs and the monsterâs point of view, so you wonder what you would do if you were Frankenstein.
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1955) --- You know that orangey light you get at 4 pm in summer? Thatâs how Lolita felt to me (idk why). Anyway, it was a really creepy book due to its being from the perspective of a pedophile and there were parts where the narrator was saying stuff youâd find in a romance book, but it was about a child and it was so yuck to read. Overall, not bad but Iâm not in a hurry to read it again.
Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897) --- Dracula was written very differently from how I expected. I thought it would be in third (or maybe first) person, take place all in Transylvania, and only really have Harker and Dracula in it. But instead, it was written as diary entries and newspaper clippings from lots of different characters, and took place in a number of locations, which I actually really liked. And I loved the âvamipre hunting gangâ dynamic between the characters, it made the story really enjoyable. Also, Mina Harker is one of my favourite characters in literature, what a queen.
The Book Thief  by Markus Zusak (2005) --- I read this for school and I wasnât expecting to like it that much considering Iâm not a huge fan of historical fiction, but I was pleasantly surprised. I got into it outside of class and I read it when I could have read other books in my spare time. Deathâs narration was great and the story was quite funny at times, but do be warned itâs a sad book.
Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf (1928)Â --- One of my two favourite books ever! I think everyone should read Orlando at least once, I keep reccommending it anyone who hasnât read it yet. The descriptions of everything from emotions to scenery are so beautiful I wanted to paint them (especially the oak tree and the great frost). Woolf explores a lot of topics in Orlando, most importantly gender, and I liked how she put important ideas in without making the book harsh and grating to read. It just felt comforting to open it up at school and enjoy it with lunch <3
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (1856) --- M.B. is a bit different from some of my other reads. Itâs about the titular character being unsatisfied with her life and seeking ways to indulge in what she would like. For example, if you are unhappy in your marriage, M.Bâs solution would be to have an affair with a rich man you met at your husbands medical practice! I have to say I didnât enjoy it as much as some of the others, but I think itâs just not my favourite kind of book.
Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne (1864) --- When I was younger I read a simplified version from Great Illustrated Classics so I was really interested to see if there were any differences. I read it in 3 days which, for a 300 page book, is really quick for me. It was great to read a book I used to love in its proper form, and itâs a book I think everyone should read.
The Shiralee by DâArcy Niland (1955) --- An Australian book! After reading lots of European books it was refreshing to read one set in places Iâm familiar with. âShiraleeâ means a burden, and for the main character (a bushman called Macauley) his daughter Buster is his shiralee as he travels around New South Wales. The story is funny at times, sad at times, and overall heartwarming, and Iâd reccommend it for anyone wanting something a bit different and so on (please someone get the reference).
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (1937) --- Pretty sure lots of people have read it for school. I didnât hate it but I also didnât love it; Iâm not such a huge fan of these old American stories. The worst part was 100% when they killed the dog.
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962) --- My other favourite book ever! I canât really put a finger on why I liked it so much - maybe the slang-riddled writing, maybe the âbad people in first personâ thing, maybe the questions it asked - but this story gripped me from start to finish. I did enjoy the challenge of deciphering the nadsat slang (with the help of sparknotes), and I found it made the writing very personal, as if I was seeing into the mind of Alex. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a book to make them think, but be aware that it contains violence and rape.Â
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (1971) --- I really hoped it wouldnât be too scary and thankfully it wasnât. Obviously it is a horror novel but it wasnât the kind of horror that keeps you up paranoid at night (at least not for me). And for a good bit of the book the focus is not directly on the possession of Regan but on the priest and excorcist, Karras, which was something I wasnât expecting. The actual exorcism came quite late, which wasnât a bad thing. Also I hadnât heard of Kinderman before reading it and god was I annoyed every time he appeared on the page.
Highway to Nowhere by Richard Shears (1996) --- The only non fiction book I read in my spare time. Itâs a true crime book about a series of murders that occurred on the east coast of Australia during the late 80s and early 90s called the backpacker murders. I hadnât considered backpacking before but after reading this I can say with certainty that I will never do it. It was really interesting to learn about the policeâs process in gathering evidence and how court proceedings work, which was something I enjoyed about this book. Piece of advice: if your copy has picture pages, donât look at them until youâve finished the book because they reveal who the killer is before the text gets there (thankfully I already knew who it was as most people have at least heard of this case in Aus)
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (1915) --- It was a short book, but it delivered its messgae effectively in that space, which was good. You know that âwould you still love me if I was a wormâ thing? The Metamorphosis is kind of like that: âwould you still love me if I was a giant bug with the mind of a human?â
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925) --- If you like the roaring 20s and books about rich people having affairs, then you will like TGG. However, I donât like either of these things, so I really did not like it and only read it for school. I just found every character annoying and most of the book was quite boring.
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (1932) --- Ending with a good one! I was mainly inspired to pick up Cold Comfort Farm because of the illustration of the cover, featuring a summary of the residents of Cold Comfort. Itâs a book that mocks âfarm lifeâ novels, but if, like me, you have not read any before, it is still a very funny book. Something I loved about it was that I never went âughâ when a character appeared (except Mybug) because even though a lot of them were miserable people in the beginning, they were fun to read about. If I had to pick a favourite character I would probably say Adam or Elfine.
- A got their hand sewed by the sewing machine, so B has to use the seam-ripper on them
- A tried to hold their breath all the way through the tunnel but passed out, B has to look after them (bonus points for C, whoâs driving, complaining about the idiocy)
- A walked around while looking through binoculars and banged into multiple things, B must clean glass shards from the floor and dig them out of Aâs knee
- A and B are part of a dance group and tried to kick with socks on, leading to them simultaneously falling down
- To retrieve a stuck piece of toast, A inserts a fork into the toaster, gets an electric shock, and starts a fire, which B has to put out
-Â âLetâs try that thing those Olympic ice dancers did on TVâ is a dangerous phrase when itâs your first time skating
- Speaking of the ice, A fell down and got their fingers skated over by a toddler
- A climbed up the slide at the same time as B slid down it, causing both to fall off and A to obtain a black eye
- A lifted a box the wrong way and put their back out, B becomes their personal servant for a few days
- Surprise! Itâs a bad idea to check how hot some water is by dunking your whole hand in!
- A saw B nearby so yelled âtrust fall!â and fell, but B was wearing headphones and didnât hear
 - C bet A $5 that they couldnât bite through a cherry seed, A bites through the seed but chips a tooth, B has to find the tooth when it falls out of Aâs mouthÂ
- A accidentally ate a soap because they thought it was a fancy chocolate, B holds their hair back while they throw it up
- B trips over a tree root at the park, A does nothing because theyâre just happy to not be the injured one for once
Farmer A and Farmer B live and work next to each other. Farmer A raises livestock, Farmer B grows vegetable crops.
They hate each other.
This is because Aâs livestock keep getting over the fence and destroying Bâs crops. And B will start any rumour about A just for drama and attention.
One night, a strange light illuminates their farms and aliens abduct one of Aâs cows. A and B must band together to save the cow from the flying saucer. A wishes to return it to its calf, and B wishes the aliens would abduct some of their crops so they could make the story all about them. What could go wrong?
- the queen is kidnapped for ransom by the ruler of a neighbouring kingdom. nobody is brave enough to try to retrieve her except her chambermaid, who sets out with a stolen sword to get her back
- a thirteen y/o kid is proclaimed the âchosen oneâ for a quest in a magical land. however, their older sister whoâs home for the summer knows how badly her sibling will screw it up and goes in their place
- in the back alleys and slums of the city, the illegal trade of Undocumented Creatures runs rampant. menageries of small dragons, werewolf puppies, and fairies are hidden in every nook and cranny where citizens donât care to look. but what happens when a young imp whose sole purpose is to cause chaos escapes and meets a caffeine-addicted, socially awkward uni student?
- while looking through some old stuff at their grannyâs house, a little kid becomes possessed by the spirit of a long-dead relative. granny is Not Having It and, after making the grotesque, demonic child a nice big lunch, takes a large rake and sets off to find the ghost of her late husbandâs great aunt glenice and have a nice little chat
- mc has the ability to make anything they draw come to life. one night, whille drunk with their friends, they are coerced into drawing a plethora of dinosaurs. come morning, the hungover friends wake up to find a pterodactyl swinging from the ceiling fan, a nothosaurus flopping in the bath, and just generally a multitude of supposedly extinct beasts wreaking havoc in the apartment
- having been locked in an art gallery after dark, mc is wandering anxiously through the halls when they hear footsteps behind them, turning around, they see a familiar face: a lady from a painting a few rooms back. she doesnât say anything, just beckons, and mc feels compelled to follow. they make their way back to her frame and the lady pulls mc into the painting. on the other side...
- a filmbro whoâs always like âi reLaTe tO paTricK BatEmaN So muCh, mY mAsK of saNitY Is aBoUt tO sLiPâ actually meets patrick bateman haha :)
A is known to everyone around them as that person who never says a word or shows an emotion. They just sit in the back of the space, participating dutifully but not communicating with anyone. Then one day their peers hear two new voices.Â
Coming around the corner is A, talking and laughing with someone theyâve never seen before. Who knew A had such a nice voice? And who is the beautiful person B next to them?
Aâs peers puzzle over who the stranger is until they see A kiss B goodbye, the latter leaving. A smiles after them, but quickly puts on their usual blank face and continues walking along. The peers scramble not to be seen staring, all in shock at what theyâve just witnessed.
And honestly, this goes for any settings but I notice it a lot in this trope.
If you donât include lgbtq+ people in the story, it isnât realistic. I go to a private girls school and most of my friends are not cishet. Thereâs been a good few couples throughout the time Iâve been at the school (one of my friends has literally dated four people from our year I really need to know their secret), thereâs nonbinary kids, thereâs trans kids.Â
And it doesnât have to be something you spend a lot of time focusing on, it can just be little things like:
âhey, how are you?â
âi am the embodiment of âbi and ready to dieââ,
someone asking a new teacher to use their preferred name instead of the name thatâs on the roll, or people getting really excited for their friend whoâs getting voice therapy to make them sound more androgynous.
Because a girls school filled with white cishet girls will make it really obvious that you donât know what youâre talking about (and vice versa).
