The door at the front of the class opens. A tall Russian man, probably in his late twenties walks in. He has ash blond hair that’s half in a messy bun and half spilling down his shoulders. He’s wearing a suit vest, dress shirt, dark jeans and a messenger bag. He’s definitely the professor.

Although it is strange, a Russian with a Japanese last name, Katsuki. Eileen mentally shrugs. She’s seen weirder things.

Eileen watches as the Russian looks at the front of the classroom, checks his phone and frowns. He climbs up to the third row and smiles. Eileen distantly notices that his lips are heart shaped. “Hi! Is this, Japanese 101?”

Eileen nods. “Yeah.”

The man smiles again and Eileen blinks. “Great! Mind if I sit next to you?”

Despite asking, the man barely waits for Eileen to nod before he slides behind her chair and sits in the empty one on her right. Huh. Guess he’s a student then.

• Pulling an all - nighter fueled by a herbal concoction that is one of your family recipe.
• Discussing literature with your friends on zoom call over a cup of masala chai and Parle - G.
• Having an enviable collection of jumkas.
• Visiting the libraries (with appropriate precautions), museums, art galleries, ancient buildings and temples.
• Studying in the temples/gurudwaras (if permitted, with due respect and measures). The dhoop-batti infused tranquility transporting you to the ancient times.
• Lightening up an agar-batti or a dhoop-batti because scented candles are a bit too expensive and you're broke from buying that recent stack of books.
• Draping a shawl that you borrowed from your parent's/grandparent's collection on cool winter months. Feeling like a royalty everytime it flutters with the wind.
• Learning a classical language out of sheer fascination.
• Reading your notes pretentiously to anyone who's willing to listen.... even if they're your plants/pets.
• Getting up super early in the morning to study and feeling like a scholar from ancient times.
• Coming up with your own concoction for your favourite beverage but secretly loving the way your mum makes it.
• Pairing your Punjabi/Rajasthani Juttis with your every fancy outfit and Kolhapuri Chhappals with your every casual outfits.
• Reading The Ramayana, The Bhagwat Geeta, The Vedas, The Mahabharata for the fascination of it or just because you want to!
• Mumbling a mantra or a shloka that you used to listen from people around you as a kid, under your breath.
• Quoting Ambedkar in your conversations.
• Discussing about the ancient Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian or Pagan beliefs with your friends or your cousins or anybody who's interested.
• Reading about all the scientists and mathematicians from ancient India and thinking about the apparatuses they used to counduct their respective researches.
• Putting up the posters of your favourite personalities from the past and sticking tiny notes stating the attributes you find fascinating.
• Looking upon the local women who broke the traditional roles and appreciating their valor.
• Drinking nimbu-paani/Glucon-D out of the cups reserved for guests and feeling like a royalty.
• Sticking up calligraphically written derivations on the walls and desks and the doors of cupboards..... basically any available surface, displaying them like your trophies.
• Ditching ridiculously expensive eyeliner for your dadi's homemade kajal.
• Swinging your chunni pretentiously everytime you make a valid point in a friendly debate with your "enemy" on whom you've a crush, feeling like a Harry Potter character.
• Having a signature attar that announces your presence before you enter.
• Downloading banned books and reading them secretly in family functions.
• Tucking wild flowers behind your best friends' ear as you braid each other's hair in the school's loo.
• Getting into arguments into public transport, in the classroom, on the tea stall and citing relevant points with sources.
• Being the "pleasure to have in class" but also "should listen more and involve less into arguments with teachers."
• Discussing mantras with your friends and learning new ones together.
• Arching one eyebrow and smirking as you listen to an excellent piece of music.
• Sharing playlist as you and your love sits under a tree reciting poetries to each other.
• Going on a "street food discovery spree" with your friends all the while discussing about the deadly chemical medleys you read about in your chemistry class.
• Practicing meditation and yoga as the first rays of sun hit the ground. (taking care of your mental health is a part of aesthetic too)
• Borrowing your family heirlooms for special occasions and treating them as your most prized possessions.
• Practicing classical dance/music (for people like me, who haven't practiced any and would require to train for a long time for the aforementioned arts, Shankh/conch shell is one musical instrument that is probably the easiest to play and doesn't require any prior training.)
• Wrapping yourself in your grandfather's coats and feeling his warmth seep in through that piece of clothing...... also, a slight smell of Vicks.
• Visiting the local fair and buying more jhumkas because you can never have enough, tbh.
• Listening to Agamani-Vijaya songs as you stroll through the College Street, browsing the books.
• Addressing your beloved after the names of uncharted scientists and philosophers.
• Dhoti pants and khadi tops are go to summer apparels.
• Leaving your crush's favourite flowers in their notes with sweet poetries you wrote for them in the candle light.
• Sending magniloquent letters to your best friends and pretending to be pen-pals.
• Vibing to Bhatiyali as you walk through the Howrah Bridge, imagining yourself as the protagonist of one of Taslima Nasrin's books.

1. Read your outline before writing every chapter, or even every scene
2. Make sure you remember every oc’s features (eye color, height, strength, past,)
3. Your second draft exists to add details, scenes, correct major plot holes, and generally fix bigger issues
4. Your third draft, however, exists to fix the rhythm
5. Your fourth draft is probably needed to fix issues you didn’t know of after your CPs tell you about them
6. Read books similar to yours as you write, you’ll need them as examples and as comp titles when you query
7. It’s totally normal not to know your characters perfectly before and while your write your first draft, you’ll get to know them along the way
8. However, by the last draft, you must know them like they’re close relatives
9. Originality stays in subverting tropes, inventing new contrasts, and worldbuilding
10. Love this book more than anyone ever will and don’t regret it
11. Set yourself a timer to write, but don’t get frantic if you don’t every everything done in that time span
12. Be kind to the character that is the most like you
13. Save the villain, and never kill the softest hero
14. Sufference has a cost: the reader will pay the highest of it
15. But your characters, too, will. Pain always has consequences
16. The right kind of music will help you write better. Don’t hesitate to look up “glorious music” for your villain entrance
17. You’d better make your love interest kind to your main character
18. Whoever invented the autosave needs a pay raise. Download every draft once it’s finished, and save it in Google Drive, Cloud, or whatever USB key you have.
19. Don’t edit on paper, it’s cool as heck but it will make you waste time.