#but kels definitely deserves it

[kelbunny]

Okay, so partially brought on bc I've been playing tactics ogre reborn, but in TriStrat, there really should've been more Cordelia during the Liberty ending. There's the small scene with Roland if you stayed in the capital chapter 15, but that's about it.

Mostly with what her reaction would be to Serenoa, since he's just as much her brother as he is Roland's. But she wasn't as close to Serenoa as Roland was, and as far as she knows, it like she lost Roland due to the Wolffort's betrayal, just like as Frani warned Roland early on, that the Wolfforts weren't to be trusted.

And the thing is, Cordelia had already lost Roland once before, back when he faked his death between chapter 9 and 10. And just like with the Liberty ending, it appeared to be at the hands of the Wolffort's.

As a side note, that scene always felt so much more painful on the surrender Roland route. Cordelia put herself at risk to free Roland, only for some time later be delivered what appeared to be his corpse, making her risk be for naught.

I doubt during the period between 10 and 13-14 Cordelia was trusting of the Wolffort's and its a reason why she turned to Avlora, as she was the only person Cordelia had left to potentially rely on. So to have that doubt return full force after Wolffort takes Roland away from her once again seems like it would drive a rift between any potential relationship between her and Serenoa.

Benedict probably wouldn't try to get rid of Cordelia like he did Roland, as just like she was during Aesfrost's occupation, she'd almost certainly be a pawn to him.

I wish there was a scene between her and Serenoa, where Cordelia denies him as her brother, because although it was Aesfrost who stole Frani and her father away from her, it was Serenoa and house Wolffort who stole Roland away from her.

[jaguarys]

Hello! I don't know if someone already asked, but if not, please tell us you thoughts about Danaël?

Thank you for asking! On a real note I super appreciate all the LL asks that people have been sending, I LOVE to yell about this series.

In a lot of ways, he's really the straight man of the series, but I honestly think that's sort of what makes him so great. He's the one who the rest of the group revolves around, not just because he's their leader, but he's also just their focal point. He's the one who brought them together; he's the one they follow. I think in a lot of ways he's the one they aspire to and model themselves after, and I do firmly believe he's the best of them.

He's also truly the definition of haunting the narrative. His absence is more acute than his presence in a lot of ways, and I think narratively it's a lot more important. I'm genuinely obsessed with the way the series shifts after his death–– it's a tangible absence, and no matter how much they try to cover the gap he leaves, there's just no way for them to.

Of course, the series post-Anathos becomes a lot darker, but I also think it's just more... bleak. They've really and truly lost their core, and they don't ever regain the sense of family their group had before. They scattered during their recovering period following vol 10, and they never fully reconverge much as they might want to.

I don't think it would be impossible, had they had the time. They're focused on trying to rebuild what they had, when I think what would have been best would be to create something new. And, I think, being that he was the glue, they never really learned to fill those gaps (and actually communicate. I think he was the one who made them talk to each other, holy shit (affectionately, they're dumbasses)).

I absolutely adore him. I won't get into his Dynameïs version here but I think about that a lot too... really depends on how you want to interpret Kalandre's hold over their group (are they still themselves? Are they entirely other people? Is it full control or just influence? I'm obsessed.)

[aubreysheadspace]

Hmmm… real world main cast finding a stray dog? (Can be separate or all together)

-🧋

MAIN CAST FINDING A STRAY DOG

such a cute request . . . i love dogs sm !! hope u enjoy!

SUNNY

depending on how big the dog is, he’s initially startled at first. he just stares at it with those black void eyes of his, unsure what to do. the dog doesn’t have a collar so he isn’t sure if it really belonged to anyone.

he for sure can’t and doesn’t want to keep it, he’s more of a cat person. speaking of a cat, he already has a pet cat back at home waiting for him, why would he get a random dog if he already has a pet?

so even if he doesn’t adopt it, if he sees it again, he’s gonna give it some affecting like rubbing its head then leave. he’s not a monster!

AUBREY

she’s unsure what to do at first, she might walk past it but pets it before she does but you didn’t hear it from me. i can’t really see her as a dog person, maybe with a small dog probably.

just like SUNNY, she already has a pet at home, and especially with the terrible condition her home is in, bringing a dog in wouldn’t help. besides i don’t think her mom would enjoy another animal in the house.

she’ll sometimes feed it if she spots it again, considering that if it doesn’t have a home, it must go hungry or thirst almost all day. i like to think she has a soft spot for animals.

KEL

he’s definitely gonna play with it. he sees a dog, immediately goes to play with it. he loves dogs! it’s a big breed? he doesn’t care! it’s a small breed? also doesn’t care! big dog person, this guy.

unlike the other two, he actually tries to take it home and beg his parents for another dog. HECTOR needs another dog friend after all! of course his parents say no, much to his disappointment.

that’s not gonna stop him though! he’s definitely feeding it, walking it whenever he walks HECTOR as well, and plays with both dogs at the park or just outside his house. nothing can stop that man from befriending dogs!

BASIL

again, depending if it’s a big dog or not, he too will also be startled. he’s more nervous, as he doesn’t seem like a dog person. he’ll just say hi to it then walk away. awkward guy.

he’d love to take care of something like he does with plants, but he’d rather have something more.. introverted or something like that.

either way, eventually the more times he sees that dog, the more open he gets with it. after a while of realizing it probably wont bite and doesn’t have rabies, he would pet it and give it the affection it deserves.

HERO

the most reasonable one, he would immediately ask around if anyone as lost their dog. if they haven’t well.. that’s awkward. he can’t take it home and care for it, his parents wouldn’t let him because they already have a dog, but he can’t just leave it roaming it around the streets!

after making sure it has no rabies and intentions to bite him, he immediately goes home and probably gives it a bowl of dog food they give to HECTOR like the nice guy he is. he would keep it some company before he has to go, as he’s a busy man.

legally it’s not his dog, but in a way it is at the same time. whenever he visits his hometown, he makes sure the dogs doing alright and feeds it. even if he can’t bring it back home, he’ll still take care of it.

MARI

she would never just walk away from a random animal in the streets. she may be a cat person, but she’s also a kind individual. another reasonable one, she first makes sure it doesn’t bite before asking around if anyone has a missing dog like the one she found.

if nobody comes forward, then she kind of has no choice but to leave it outside. she can’t bring it back, they already have a cat! another pet would already be too much in the family.

despite this, she’ll take care of it when she has time. she drops by to feed it some food whenever she can. she would never leave a poor animal starving! she also hopes that one day, someone else can take the dog in and give it a nice place to live in.

[lovegalor333]

fresh start

part four (chapter 10-12) previous part • next part

word count: 6.9k

content warnings: vomit

Lily

Time was moving fast in my first semester in Connecticut. August had flown by in a whirlwind of classes, new friends, finding my feet at work and navigating mine and Paiges clandestine meetings.

As September dwindled on we debated telling our nearest and dearest hoping to be able to spend more time together outside of our cars and closed bedroom doors. We ultimately decided to keep things under wraps a little longer, the reason going unspoken but the truth was, how could we explain us to others when we hadn't even defined us to us?

I could confidently say that Paige was the only person I was entertaining and I intended to keep it that way. I couldn't speak for the blue eyed girl but I was equally confident that I was the only person she was entertaining. I mean it would be hard for her to have anyone else in her life, between training, classes and work commitments she barely had time to just be and when she did, she was tucked away in a corner of Storrs with me.

We spent most evenings buckled in our cars, taking turns to be the passenger and driver. Paige enjoyed being behind the wheel so I took the role of passenger princess most of the time but I didn't mind. Getting to watch Paige do the simplest of tasks like driving brought me so much contentment.

We frequented the Fro-Yo store we went to on our first date - which Paige now refused to call a date because of its simplicity and spontaneity.

"I want a re-do." She had said when I mentioned our first date on our first return to the store. "Why?" I questioned, not seeing an issue with the frozen yogurt store being part of our history. "Because you deserve more." She told me and promised a 'proper' first date.

I didn't care where I was with Paige just being with her was more than enough.

While our roommates were out, we bunkered down in our apartments watching movies and sharing our favourite TV shows, silently slipping out before anyone returned home and caught us tangled together.

Kelsey was definitely getting suspicious of my actions but I'd been able to play it off, blaming work and an ungodly amount of 'library sessions'. Lucky for me, she had picked up a job which meant more of her time was occupied meaning she was less focused on my whereabouts.

Paige and I still managed to spend time with each other around our friends, it just meant no PDA but that didn't stop the stolen glances and covert touches shared.

"Do you have to leave?" Paige dramatically wined, her bottom lip poking out and eyes hooded making her look like a sad puppy.

"Yes, P." I say peeling myself off the girl that was spread out on her bed, me tucked perfectly into her side like we were two pieces of a puzzle that were made to be connected.

"The girls will be back any second and I have dinner plans with Hannah and Kels." I remind her.

"Fine." She says feigning annoyance.

Paige had texted me to come over after Azzi, Nika, Ice, KK and Ines had left for late Friday classes and I immediately complied. Time with Paige, after a long week of studying and writing up notes for Marcus to turn into articles, was just what I had needed to shut off.

"But I'll see you tomorrow right? You're coming to the party?" Paige asks and I nod my head as I stretch out my hands for Paige to take and I pull her up from her bed.

There was a party on campus tomorrow in one of the frat houses and apparently it wasn't to be missed.

"We're having pre drinks here, come with the girls." She tells me referring to my roommates.

"Sure." I say melting into Paiges arms as she hugged me goodbye.

Before I had the chance to make my escape, the apartment door clicked open and a series of voices filled the once quiet space.

Paige and I quickly released each other from our grips and sent one another a panicked look, the girls were home and what excuse did we have for being together?

Paiges bedroom door was open and anyone in the living room could see directly in and that's exactly what Azzi did.

"Oh hey Lily! What are you doing here?" She greeted, joining me and Paige in her room.

"Hey Azzi!" I replied racking my brain for an answer to her question.

Paige stayed awkwardly silent by my side, thanks P.

We both watched as Azzi looked between us and then to Paiges bed which was a bundle of blankets with a clear mould of where our bodies laid just minutes ago. Her eyebrows raised in a knowing way and she smiled before turning and walking out, back to the living room.

"Well if she didn't already, I think Azzi knows." I laugh turning to Paige.

She pulls me out of the view of the door, "I trust Azzi." She says pressing a short quick kiss to my lips, neither of us daring to deepen it incase another one of her roommates walked in.

I managed to leave Paiges apartment with no more questions asked and left her to explain to Azzi what she'd interpreted.

Saturday slipped quietly away in a mix of alone time and relaxed small talk with my roommates. We were all lounging around our living room, each occupying a corner of the couch, phones in hand.

Kelsey was playing TikToks out loud occasionally turning her phone to the rest of us when there was a video we 'needed to see'.

I was texting Paige, us both excited about seeing each other later on that night. After a talk with her best friend, it was concluded that Azzi did in fact know that there was something going on between us. She had noticed Paige slipping out of the apartment at random times, not returning for hours and her sudden uninsterest to do things she would usually never say no to. Paige reiterated that she trusted Azzi and if she did, I did too.

are you going to tell kelsey?

idk

i feel pretty bad, with our pact and all

kelseys cool

im sure she'd understand

im just too irresistible to keep a promise like that

ha ha.

im not sure what id even tell her

wdym?

well the pact was to stay single

im not your girlfriend?

oh

dont be like that

like what?

dont make me feel bad for questioning what we are

we're getting to know each other like we said

you suggested it

i know, im enjoying it

you also agreed

me too

like a lot

lets talk about this when we're together

ok

I felt bad saying that I wasn't Paiges girlfriend so bluntly but it was the truth and it didn't mean I wasn't committed to her and only her because I was. Clarity on the situation would be nice but Paige was right, we were still getting to know each other at my suggestion to do so.

Yesterday marked one month since we'd met so it made sense that we were still taking things slow but something in me deep down felt like I'd known Paige longer than four weeks.

I was pulled from my thoughts as Madison asked everyone what they planned on wearing to the party and the discussion quickly escalated into a full blown planning session. Outfits, hair and makeup all being a topic.

Paige

"Well she's right. She's not your girlfriend." Azzi said matter-of-factly from her place at the end of my bed.

I had shown my best friend the texts between me and Lily hoping for some good ol' Azzi wisdom.

"I know that but it still hurt to read it. Do you think she's talking to other people?" I ask propping myself up on my elbow so I could look at my friend properly.

"From what you've told me, I don't think she has the time! Y'all spend all your free time together." She pointed out and she was right, if Lily wasn't with me she was either in class or at work and I knew that for a fact because I frequently drove her there wanting to spent as much time with the girl as possible.

"Do you want her to be your girlfriend?"

I hadn't thought about it but I supposed I did, I was just extremely aware what it would come with. Not just a million questions from our friends but also the media and I had a college career to think about it. I knew being with Lily officially wouldn't jeopardise my basketball in anyway but the pressure of a public relationship was something I'd never dealt with before and if I was honest, it scared me.

"Eventually, yes." I admit now fully sitting up on my bed.

"OK, so if you know where it's headed, don't stress the journey Paige."

"I want her to know I'm serious though."

"Then tell her, it's that simple."

Azzi was right, she always was, unfortunately.

Azzi and I spent the rest of the afternoon preparing the apartment for our arranged pre drinks. We did a Target run for supplies and picked up a crazy amount of liquor.

"A party on campus means no DD." Azzi triumphed as we packed several crates of beer and bottles of spirits into my trunk.

If we were ever out drinking off campus, a few of the team always stayed sober to ensure we would make it home safe but that didn't need to happen tonight, the party was in walking distance.

"Music to my ears." I say as we climb back into the car.

"So you're going to let loose for once?"

I almost always volunteered to be a DD, mainly to save myself from deathly hangovers the next morning but also because drunk Paige got very messy, very quickly especially when cameras were around and my teammates had a love of livestreaming.

"Dirty Shirleys all night." I smirked beginning our short drive back to campus to begin getting ready.

I also think a little dutch courage wouldn't go amiss when it came to telling Lily that I was locked in when it came to us.

˖ ᡣ𐭩 ⊹ ࣪ ౨ৎ˚₊✧˚ · .

Lily

For the first time since meeting her, I was nervous to see Paige. Our text conversation earlier in the day weighed heavy on my mind. She wanted to talk about us when we saw each other but I'm not sure a frat house party was the best setting for such a loaded topic. Even though she had reassured me that she was enjoying what we had going on - whatever it was - there was still a voice in the back of my mind that told me I wasn't good enough for Paige.

"Lils, are you ready?" Madison asked peeking her head into my bedroom as I spritzed my favourite perfume on my wrists and collarbones.

"Yep! Coming now." I replied, grabbing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder, my phone, wallet and keys nestled perfectly inside.

I checked my outfit one last time in my full length mirror, I had gone for a simple black mini skirt and white baby tee with some black boots and an oversized leather jacket, before joining my roommates in the living room.

"You guys look amazing!" I complemented seeing my friends fully ready for tonight's party.

"Says you!" Hannah responds, "Paige is going to be like a dog with a bone!"

I look to Kelsey as she says this to gauge her reaction. I had told Paige I would tell her about us but hadn't had the chance to yet. I didn't want to disappoint her at my lack of loyalty to our pact, our friendship meant a lot to me.

"I'm sure Paige has lots of bones." I say trying to play off Hannahs comment but just voicing that made me recoil. The thought of Paige with anyone else the way I'd been with her made me want to hurl.

"And she'd be crazy to not choose you. You're for sure the juiciest." Kelsey quips playfully smacking my ass and we all laugh.

My friends relaxed demeanour about the topic of me and Paige put my anxious thoughts at ease.

"OK, enough with the bone metaphors, lets go!" Madison piped up, leading us out of the door.

Kelsey and I walked together behind Hannah and Madison as we made our way across campus to the girls' apartment for pre drinks.

"What's up?" She asks, nudging me gently. I'd not said a word so far, trying to work out the right ones.

"So..." I begin, "I've kinda been hanging out with Paige a lot recently."

She gasps dramatically, hands over her chest, "Really? I would have never guessed."

I look at her seriously, has it been that obvious?

"Are you mad?"

"Mad? About how long it's taken you to tell me? Yes."

"But our pact...our bracelets...I don't want you to think-"

"Girl, those bracelets cost me like $2, don't sweat it." She says placing a reassuring hand on my arm.

"Really?"

"Really. Besides, I don't know who I was fooling telling myself I'd be single an entire semester. I'm already so bored, I got a job!" She laughs.

"This wasn't my intention, it just kind of happened naturally and the more time we spend together, the more I'm realising how much I actually like Paige." I confess.

"OK lover girl, you've got a lot to catch me up on tomorrow!" She says as we reach our destination.

We take the elevator to Paiges floor, my roommates following behind me as I navigate us to the front door brandishing a number 9 and open it, letting us into the apartment.

"You can tell shes done this before." Kelsey comments and I turn around giving her a cheeky smirk.

"Hey girly pops!" KK greets us as we step inside, taking her time to hug us all.

Azzi and Ice are soon at our sides too, shot glasses in there hands, extended in our direction, "Shots on entry!" Ice announces and I take the small glass and swallow its content.

My eyes scan the room seeing the rest of the team. Jana, Caroline and Kayla are pouring drinks in the kitchen. Ines, Amari, Nika, Aubrey and Aaliyah are huddled around the table focused on some sort of drinking game that involved guessing what number one of them was thinking of. The others were scattered around engrossed in conversation. Everyone was in the living room apart from Paige.

"She's in her room." KK says into my ear as if reading my mind, "You know where that is."

"Thanks KK." I say to the girl as I make my way to Paiges bedroom.

It seems like Paige and I had been quite naive in thinking our movements had gone unnoticed.

"Hello, little miss unsocial." I smile leaning against the door frame.

Paiges head flicks up from her phone in a swift movement at the sound of my voice.

"Hello, little miss..." She looks me up and down and I blush under her gaze. "...hottie. Come here." She motions for me to join her as she stands up from the edge of her bed and I do.

She pulls me into a hug, both her arms slipping around my waist and mine going around her neck, her lips press to my neck and I melt at the sensation.

Suddenly any nerves I had about seeing Paige had disappeared and I don't know why they were there in first place because she has this way of making me feel like nothing bad exists in the world.

"Who are you looking so good for?" She asks, her voice low and husky.

"Oh, I don't know. There's this girl I'm getting to know." I say referencing our earlier texts, hoping to probe Paige into a conversation.

My hopes are answered with her response.

"Lily, I want to tell you that you're the only girl I'm getting to know. You're the only girl I want to know." She tells me, her hands moving from my waist to hold both of mine. Her words were rushed but no less clear and her signature, intense eye contact told me it was genuine.

A smile spread on my face as I processed what Paige had just said.

"P-"

"If you're talking to other people, that's fine." She cuts me off.

"P, you're the only girl I want to know too. Since you shook my hand in the gym, that first day we met, you've been the only girl."

"So you're not talking to anyone else?"

I laugh, "No, I'm not."

"Good because I lied, it wouldn't be fine." She says truthfully and I laugh again at her serious expression.

"How many drinks have you had?" I ask her smiling, now that I'm looking in her eyes, it's clear she's had a few.

"Two, maybe three. I was kinda nervous." She admits, breaking her eyes away from mine and looking down.

"You don't have to be nervous with me." I say lifting her face, my hand staying on her jaw, "I'm all in." I declare before leaning in and connecting our lips. She kisses me back passionately, her hands finding my hips and digging in pulling me closer to her, our bodies pressing against each other.

"All in." She says breathlessly as we break away and we both take each other in for a moment, big smiles of both our faces.

"Ever had a Dirty Shirley?" She asks smirking.

"Never."

"Oh, let me introduce you."

She grabs my hand and leads me out of her bedroom.

Our moment alone made me forget that everyone was just a room away and multiple sets of eyes fell on us as we emerged hand in hand in the living room. Paige didn't seem to notice or care as she continued to lead me to the kitchen.

I locked eyes with Kelsey who was stood beside Azzi, both girls grinning cheesily, and she shot me an exaggerated wink.

Gone were the days of sneaking around.

An ungodly amount of alcohol was consumed in the girls apartment in preparation for the party and it was safe to say we were beginning to feel the effects.

"Can you walk straight and stop bumping into me!" Ice barged KK away from her as we made our way to the frat house.

"I am walking straight!" KK argued but from my view from behind the girls, it was clear she was not at all walking straight.

"OK kids, stop arguing." Kayla fake scolds, pushing herself in between Ice and KK in a attempt to stop them bickering.

I laugh at the girls and the seemingly mundane moment but being here, with them, means the world to me after losing my old friends in the worst way possible.

"You good?" Paige asks me, her arm rested comfortably over my shoulders.

I hum in response and nod my head.

"Why you so quiet then pretty girl?"

"Trying to make sure I can walk in a straight line! Those Dirty Shirleys got me good!" I laughed.

"You know I've got the best taste!" Paige bragged and the once distant sound of music grew closer as we turned a corner.

"Well, I mean yeah, you do have the best taste." I joke motioning down at myself cockily.

"Damn right." Paige agrees, removing her arm from my shoulder and slipping her hand into mine as we enter the frat house.

The house was absolutely packed with people in every room and the music was so loud I could feel the bass in my chest.

"Drinks!" Jana ordered pointing over to the makeshift bar - a kitchen island laden with various different glass bottles, stacks of red solo cups and buckets of ice.

Paige poured us what she called 'Dirty Shirleys on the go' because they didn't have her usual ingredients but she refused to drink anything else.

Most of the girls dispersed in different directions once we each had drinks in our hands but I stayed with Paige, Azzi and Aubrey and we found ourselves next in line to play beer pong.

Paige

Lily and I had taken the L in beer pong and were being forced to drink a concoction of everyones drink mixed together as our forfeit.

"Ugh! That tastes like shit!" She exclaimed, her words slurred as she swallowed down the cocktail, her face screwed up in disgust.

"I'm not doing it." I prostest, my words equally as slurred as Lilys and I cross my arms over my chest refusing to take the cup from Azzi.

"Stop being a sore loser Bueckers!" Aubrey chimed in.

"I'm not! I just don't want to throw up." The mix of shots, multiple Dirty Shirleys and now beer was already enough to make my stomach churn.

"P, there's no way I just did that and you're not going to." Lily chimes in now, hands on her hips, staring me down.

"You're really going to let your girl do that by herself?" Azzi smirks knowing that will get the better of me.

"No...hand it over." I say defeated, taking the cup from Azzi and downing the liquid inside.

"That's fucking nasty!"

"Here, wash it down with that." Lily says handing me my original cup containing my favourite drink.

The sweetness of the Shirley Temple counteracted the harshness of the alcohol mix.

"This is my favourite song!" Lily did a small jump on the spot before disappearing off into the crowd of college kids to make her way closer to the booming speakers.

I followed after the petite girl, knowing how drunk she was and not wanting her to be alone in a frat house full of random people.

It didn't take me long to catch up with her and I admired the girl from afar - who somehow already had another drink in her hand. She moved effortlessly, her hips swaying to the rhythm of the music, her hands held above her head as she sang along to the lyrics.

"Come here!" She called over the music beckoning me to come closer.

I take the few steps needed to close the space between us and Lily latches onto my waist, still dancing until our bodies are moving as one.

We stayed dancing, our hands all over each other as if we're not surrounded by a fuck tonne of other people. People that probably know who I am. People that definitely have social media and could post about what they were witnessing, but I didn't care. Lily was mine and I was hers and I didn't care who knew.

Our moment came to an abrupt halt when Lily stopped moving and shot me a panicked look, "What's wrong?" I ask confused.

"I think I'm going to be sick."

I grab her hand and quickly manoeuvre us out of the crowded room and into the front yard. There's a trash can on the lawn and Lily rushes to it, bending over the barrel and throwing up. I hold back her hair to keep it out of the firing line.

She looks up at me with watery eyes, "I think I had one too many Dirty Shirleys." She murmurs, hands resting of the edge of the trash can to steady herself.

"And the rest." I joke still holding her hair back, out of her face.

"Home?" I sympathetically ask the defeated girl and she nods.

I sit Lily on the porch steps while I go back into the party to let everyone know we're leaving. Kelsey was preoccupied with someone I recognised from the soccer team and Ice reassured me that her and the other girls would make sure she made it home safely.

I get back to Lily and she's exactly where I left her, her head rested on the porch beam, eyes closed. Even though she was extremely drunk and had just thrown up she still looked angelic as ever with the moonlight reflecting on her face, lighting up her features.

I felt bad disturbing her but we had to get home, my apartment was closest so we headed there. I kept my hand securely round her waist as I lead us away from the party.

"Do you feel like you're going to be sick again?" I ask Lily as we enter my apartment, the remnants of our pre drinks still scattered across the living room.

"No, I think I'm good now." She says softly.

I take her into my bathroom, "Stay there." I tell her and she salutes me.

I go into my bedroom and find a t-shirt and shorts for her to wear.

When I return to the bathroom, Lily's perched on the vanity attempting to remove her makeup with whatever she found, her mascara is smudged around her eyes making her resemble a panda and I laugh.

"Some help would be nice." She says handing me the cotton pad soaked in makeup remover.

I take it and she opens her legs, giving me space to move into so I can reach her. Her hands rest on my shoulders as I drag the cotton round across her face removing the last of her makeup.

"There, all done." I say placing the dirty cotton rounds down.

"Thank you Paigey." Lily coos, her hands moving from my shoulders to cup my face, "You're so pretty." She says, her eyes locked onto mine, "Have I ever told you that?"

"You've mentioned it." I smile at the drunk girl from the space inbetween her legs.

"And I mean it, you're like the prettiest girl I've ever seen."

"You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen, Lily Kent." I tell her, my hands now rested on her thighs.

"Even when I'm throwing up?" She pouts.

"Even when you're throwing up." I assure her.

I leave Lily to change into my clothes and I undress myself before getting into bed.

"I think you're just a little bit taller than me." She says emerging from the bathroom my clothes, that fit me perfectly, hanging oversized on her small frame.

"You look cute, now come get in bed." I tell her opening my arms for her to fit into like she has done so many times before.

"At least take me on a date first, Bueckers." She jokes climbing into bed next to me, her head instinctively finding my chest and arm falling over my stomach.

"Oh, I plan on." I say before pressing a kiss to Lily's head, "I'm all in."

"All in." She replies sleepily.

˖ ᡣ𐭩 ⊹ ࣪ ౨ৎ˚₊✧˚ · .

Paige

Basketball season was fast approaching. The one month countdown to our first game was on so it was safe to say my schedule was busy. Between training, workouts, classes and work, I barely had time to do anything else. But I wasn't complaining.

I had worked hard over the summer getting as fit and healthy as possible to ensure I'd have an injury free junior year and I felt positive about it as it neared.

Now that everyone knew about me and Lily, it was easy for us to spend time with each other. If she wasn't at my apartment, I was at hers. She'd often sit in on the end of sessions so we could grab lunch together afterwards. I'd meet her after classes and we'd walk home or to the library. Sleepovers we a regular occurrence too, in fact it felt more normal when Lily was snuggled into me than when she wasn't.

Everyone in real life had grown accustomed to me and Lily but we kept things pretty lowkey on social media, never addressing the situation. We'd post a random Instagram story together here and there and we'd both appeared in each others photo dumps over the past few weeks. Lily and I decided this was best for now, she had made it clear that she didn't want to be at the mercy of my one million plus followers and I understood that perfectly. The internet had a funny way of jumping to conclusions and creating rumours and drama out of nothing and I would do everything I could to protect Lily from that.

Of course people had figured something was going on between us pretty quickly, between the minimal photos posted, Instagram comments and infamous Tiktok lives, it was hard to conceal what was really going on. But ultimately, we had nothing to hide, just our peace to protect. Our relationship was private, not a secret and that suited us.

It was Wednesday evening, I had just finished training and checked my phone before leaving the facilities to head home, Lily had text me letting me know that she was wrapping up her day working with the soccer team. They had played a match today and Lily was needed for post match interviews and behind the scenes content during the game.

Selfishly, I was jealous that Lily worked with other teams and not just mine but I knew how much she loved soccer and there was nothing better than seeing Lily happy.

I texted Lily back telling her I'd pick her up from the soccer field and I got in my car and drove the few minutes it took to get there.

"Hi pretty girl." I beamed as Lily climbed into my passenger seat. Any tiredness or irritability that had built up throughout the day completely diminished at the site of the brown haired girl.

"Hi P." She smiled back leaning her body over the centre console and kissing me.

I will never get bored of that.

"How was your day?" I asked as I began the short drive back to the apartments.

"It was good! I've missed watching soccer so it was fun to be with the team today - they're all so nice too. I like them a lot!" Lily said clearly happy at how her day had gone.

"Not as much as you like me, I hope." I joke with her and quickly glance in her direction to find her brown eyes already focused on me.

"Paige Bueckers, there isn't anyone in the entire state of Connecticut that I like as much as you." She says extending her arm to rest her hand on my thigh.

I smile at the simple sign of affection and switch to driving with one hand so I can link my other with Lilys.

"So who have I got to worry about in other states?"

"Oh I don't know, Billie Eilish is walking around somewhere in LA just waiting for me to step foot in California." She jokes.

"Is she your celebrity crush?" I ask realising we've never had this conversation.

"She was." She says simply.

"What happened?"

"I met you." She replies shooting me a small smile, eyes hooded as she looks up from her slouched position.

"Lily Kent, are you flirting with me?" I ask smirking, bringing the car to a halt outside my apartment block.

"It doesn't work when you point it out Paige." She huffs, rolling her eyes at me.

"Oh my bad, my bad!" I say in exaggerated apology, "Go again." I encourage.

She looks as if she about to argue but she doesn't.

"I met you." She repeats, the same hooded eyes looking up at me and this time instead of saying anything, I grab her face with both hands and press my lips to hers.

Lily giggles into the kiss before deepening it, her hand finding the back of my neck.

My phone, still connected to my cars bluetooth, abruptly brought us back to reality as my ringtone blasted through the speakers. Glancing at my car's display screen, I could see it was KK calling.

"Hey whats up?"

"Where are you?"

"Outside the apartment, in my car."

"Perfect! Stay there, I'm coming and we're going to Target to get Tru Fru!"

Before I could even argue with KK, I heard the door close letting me know she had already left the apartment.

"Looks like we're going to Target." I say to Lily and she seemed pretty content with our impromptu trip.

We had nothing planned for the evening, like most nights, we were just going to watch TV and have dinner together and maybe (almost definitely), Lily would end up staying over.

KK bundled into the back seat of my car and proceeded to rant the whole way to Target about how much she craved Trü Frü and how she needed every flavour and how once we got back into the car with our haul she is going to livestream a tatsetest.

Lily

KK, Paige and I had enough Trü Frü in our hands to feed the entirety of UConn.

"This has got to be enough!" Paige exclaimed as she struggled to balance the multiple tubs and packets making me laugh and then in turn I also stuggled to balance my load.

We should have got a cart.

"This is for sure enough, KK." I agreed with Paige.

"Wait, one more Piña Colada packet! Ice will like those." She says opening the large freezer with one hand and grabbing yet another pack of the frozen, chocolate covered fruit.

We carefully made out way to the checkouts each of us doing our best not to drop anything. KK paid, of course, and we left the store with three bags full of the frozen treats.

Getting back into the car, we took our respective seats, Paige in the drivers seat, me in the passenger and KK in the back.

"Y'all cool if we do some taste tests on live?" KK asked peeking her face between me and Paige, elbows rested on the console.

Paige looked to me with raised brows as if to say 'your call' and I nodded, I didn't mind.

I had been in a few of the girls' livestreams since becoming friends with them but I'd always remained pretty silent, almost like a background character. There had of course been questions about me and Paige but as a group, we ignored them and let everyone wonder.

"Here." KK hands me her phone, the live button waiting to be pressed and I prop it up on Paiges dashboard.

Paige leans over and starts the livestream and it doesn't take long for the viewer count to reach the hundreds and comments to come flying in.

The camera pointed slightly more in Paiges direction with her being almost centre of the frame and KK over her left shoulder, I sat half out of the shot, leaning in.

KK addressed her live and introduced me, "This is Lily y'all. You've seen her before." She says and I send a small wave to the camera, "Hi." And I watch as comment after comment comes in.

"Be nice." Paige interjects pointing her finger at the screen.

'hi lily!'

'how do you know the team?'

'so pretty'

'PAIGE'

'ok boom'

'her and paige for sure dating'

KK starts of her taste test and hands us each a piece of the chocolate covered fruit. We start with strawberry - my personal favourite - before making our way through five different flavours. We rank them from best to worst, bickering every now and then when we didn't agree with each other.

"Theres no way you're putting raspberry above blueberry." Paige shook her head in disbelief and I looked at KK in shock, "Yes we are."

"We already allowed you to put peach at number three when it should have been four." KK continues defending our opinion.

"I can't believe you're not backing me here, you love blueberries!" Paige says looking at me.

I hold my hands up in defence, I do love blueberries, "But raspberries are better."

"Unbelievable." She huffs knowing shes outnumbered.

I laugh and reach out a sympathetic hand and place it on Paiges shoulder, "It's OK to be wrong babe." I say and as the words leave my mouth, realisation hits and all three of our heads snap towards the propped up phone.

As if we're frozen, we all stare at the live stream and the influx of comments.

'OMG'

'yall heard that too?'

'BABE?'

'i knew it!'

'damn lily is lucky'

KK is the first to speak, "Alright..." She says bringing herself forward to be inline with me and Paige, "not too much on my girls now." She reaches out and grabs her phone bringing it close to her face so its just her in the frame, "Love y'all! Bye live!" And she ends the stream.

"I'm so sorry!" I blurt slapping a hand over my mouth. I look at Paige and her expression is hard to read until she breaks a smile and bursts out laughing, "It's fine, Lily." She says pulling me into a hug over the console.

"It's just force of habit." I say referring to the pet name.

"It's fine," She says again, this time looking into my eyes, "everyone's going to find out eventually, you're just...speeding up the process." She jokes, squeezing my hand in reassurance.

"Y'all sorry to break it you but you are not slick. You didn't fool anyone with your sneaking around so I doubt you're fooling anyone else, especially with those IG comments." KK remarks from the backseat and Paige and I laugh.

The devil works hard but fan pages work harder. By the time we're back at the girls' apartment, not only had all of my roommates sent me screen recordings of my slip up but Azzi and Nika had practically knocked us over as we walked through the door.

"Y'all couldn't be lowkey if you tried." Nika laughed as we all sat on the couches, KK proudly packing her Trü Frü into the freezer.

"We're starting to realise that." I say looking towards Paige who sat slouched behind me.

"I don't think there'll be much backlash," Azzi says, "people want you together at this point!" She continues to scroll through her phone, "Look." She turns her screen towards me and Paige and an edit of us to Taylor Swift - False God played.

Clips had been taken from livestreams, including tonight's, videos from our stories and even a few moments from the open training when Marcus and I interviewed Paige and they had been edited together with a screenshot of mine or Paiges comments on each other posts appearing every few seconds.

I blushed watching the short video and turned to Paige with red cheeks. Her hand had been toying with the hem of my shirt and her fingers gently grazing across the bottom of my back, she extended her arm out and wrapped it around my waist pulling me to her. My back was flush with her chest and I was completely encased in her arms now, "Looks like they love you already." She says into my ear before pressing a kiss to my temple.

"I hope so." I say back genuinely wanting to be liked by Paige's fans.

"They'll see how happy you make me and they'll have no choice to love you." She says pushing us up off the couch so we're standing.

We both had had long days and it was getting late and I could tell Paige was tired so it came as no surprise to me when she asked if I wanted to order Chipotle and watch Greys Anatomy.

"What are you doing on Saturday?" Paige asks as we brush our teeth, getting ready for bed.

With a mouthful of toothpaste, I shrug my shoulders.

"Well don't make any plans." I look at her confused, "I'm taking you on a date." She says proudly.

I spit the toothpaste out of my mouth and grin up at the blonde haired girl, "Really?"

"Yes, really and its a surprise so no questions." She tells me and I pout.

"Don't give me that face pretty girl." She says as she takes my hand and leads me back to her bedroom.

"But how will I know what to wear." I protest.

"You always look good, it doesn't matter." She says far to casually for my liking.

"How about a clue?" I prod giving Paige my best pout and fluttering eyelashes combo.

"How about you come lay down and watch Greys with me? This is one of my favourite episodes." She says from her place on her bed where she was laying, one hand behind her head and the other outstretched to me.

I give in and shuffle myself over to Paige and lay next to her. Her arm instinctively wraps around me and pulls me closer, so close I can smell the minty toothpaste she just used.

As we watch the episode I can see why it's one of Paiges favourites.

˖ ᡣ𐭩 ⊹ ࣪ ౨ৎ˚₊✧˚ · .

[breldon]

do you Like my😢 my Playlist do you like it ❤️? im shy sorry i want to know your opinion

aight i'm gonna link the playlist here in case people can't click that link

okay first off: can definitely tell a weezer fan made this playlist

second: woah guys no way i love those fics!!!

okay NOW i will give an actual genuine detailed feelings talk under the cut because i wanna actually give actual thoughts on each of these songs:

alright let's go down the list in order

[weezer - you won't get with me tonight] honestly in general i feel like weezer music does have breldon aura to it. but also specifically i really like that this song is kinda comforting but also like they're struggling to get together.......i feel like a common theme i see in a lot of breldon fic is that sort of feeling that brad and sheldon spend ages not actually being/getting together. internalized homophobia moment! i specifically thing the "so pissed at those boys" and the bits about dondo remind me about how it probably feels with how those two (especially sheldon) get ragged on a lot by the populars. i also didn't realize that this was intended to have two characters until i looked it up on genius but i think jonas could be brad and maria could be sheldon

[tv girl - mary moffett] classmates? with some sort of unresolved infatuation? i love this flavor of breldon! again i do think it's really funny that a lot of breldon stuff seems to have these sorts of themes of like "i love him but i feel so fucking lame and embarrassed having these feelings". i just think it's funny

[baby giraffes - rei ii] again another instrumental vibe for what i think breldon sounds like. has a young love sort of vibe to it that i think really fits breldon honestly. also "i'm your giant fucking robot" what if this was about brad and silver shel.......#thinking

[baby giraffes - marathon] i admittedly don't have much to say about this one but like where is the audio going. come back. song lowkey has fanboy and chum chum vibes. if you think about it breldon fbacc au--- (i am SHOT DEAD)

[baby giraffes - 8-bit juliet] hey is this another musician you like a lot. i know what you are. this is bradcore btw bc they brought up a sweater vest and he rocks the SHIT out of those things

[weezer - why bother?] sheldoncore sheldoncore SHELDONCORE DO YOU HEAR ME KEL HORSEKNIGHTS. this is SHELDON he's got COMPLICATED FEELINGS about his ROMANTIC FAILURES. i think this is probably why breldon takes forever to happen actually. sheldon's got like major evil insecurity with that shit

[weezer - el scorcho] the opening half-japanese line took me the actual shit out bc i headcanon sheldon as mixed. i feel like the song reached out and choked me with that. brad is singing this btw i can SMELL it

[baby giraffes - nerdy show theme song] they're nerds together :) they talked about nerdy stuff together muehehe.......

[weezer - undone] this shit specifically reminds me of hit fic inertia. shoutout to the goat who wrote the song "yo mama so breldon". the dread. it's sooo breldon angst

[my chemical romance - drowning lessons] i don't have much to say except they mentioned "twisted shell" and i was like hrm... shel really IS twisted...

[triceratopolis - claws claws claws] the linked video having nepeta leijon on there is all i can focus on. but also the verse where it's the "i know it's scary" leadoff i can see a wee bit of breldon in there i think

[pierce the veil - bulls in the bronx] omg pierce the veil mention. the bridge lowkey has codependency aura and i think maybe i can see the vision. also i did NOT realize this song was about a real ass girl who killed herself until i pulled up the lyrics on genius

[weezer - island in the sun] i'm sooo fucking sorry i only think of the star wars parody when i hear this. i think it genuinely worsened my migraine bc i almost started crying in laughter bc i remembered it existed. anyways this is a cute song i think breldon deserves nice dreamy songs every so often :)

[weezer - you gave your love to me softly] side note but i've listened to more weezer tonight for this playlist than i have for the rest of my 24 years of life combined (open secret that i'm old now

[my chemical romance - vampires will never hurt you] i know why you drew vampire brad now. i know what you are.

[the legend of ed - companion cube] portal song??? in MY breldon playlist??? this singer sounds like how i think brad sings like. take that how you will. can you imagine brad singing this nerdy fucking shit to sheldon? he would. brad and sheldon make me sick. anyways

[weezer - falling for you] i don't really have much to say man. maybe i'm weezered out (/lh) but i think general aura is here. i think the unfortunate reality of breldon is that they're weezercore. they should go to a weezer concert i'm gonna be fr. they'll thrive there

[plumtree - scott pilgrim] ANOTHER UNREQUITED LOVE SONG LET'S GOOOOO!!! PINE FOR THAT LAME BOY!!! do you think we could get a scott pilgrim au of breldon. now you will

[nuclear bubble wrap - lesbian] damn bro i guess breldon yuri really is everything to you people

[blur - inertia] obligatory inertia shoutout. you people know the drill here. reminding me that i need to finally bunker down and give deep thoughts on that fic when i'm not swamped with other stuff. i think about inertia a lot honestly i'm really glad longfic breldon is back on the menu and that it's cooking harder than i could ever dream of cooking

[green day - words i might have ate] i'm gonna be deadass i think i barely listened to the song when i named the fic after it. that being said it actually kinda fit the fic better than i thought. i think this is where i can admit i never actually planned on having a happy end to the fic and i wanted it to end kinda with the vibe of this song where they wanted to confess but never had the guts and that they can't really go back and change that. however i got too attached so i wrote a cute epilogue. sorry guys i didn't wanna the longest breldon fic at the time to end poorly. i had a whole thing planned out where it'd end with yearning in their college years or older. but unfortunately i breldoned out too hard and was like nooooo they gotta date in the end i'm gonna cry if they don't. so they do. that was an entirely self-serving last minute decision. also bc i didn't wanna get jumped

[tv girl - the desolation tango] (nodding sagely) wimha chapter 10......but also i love the yearning i love angsty breldon songs. also the song goes hard i think it's one of my faves in terms of pure sound and aura. chilled out even if the lyrics are sad :)

[baby giraffes - argument song] hey brad are you good bro. this sounds like brad again. sorry

[baby giraffes - why we got married] instrumental sounds like something sheldon would fuck with. timothy turner is a metaphor for coming out of the closet btw idk if you knew that (lying through my teeth)

it's almost 1am what the shit i started this an hour and a half ago. hi. please talk to me about what was happening in your brain for some of these btw i wanna know. ok bye

[pariahofpelicantown]

NSFW ABC (Leah)

(Minors DNI)

A = Aftercare

* As kinky and dominate as she is, she actually requires a good bit of after care. She’s very affectionate with you, and loves to cuddle afterwards.

* She loves to lay face to face, your legs intertwined as she strokes your hair and whispers gentle affirmations to you.

B = Body Part

* She’s proud of her body, and isn’t ashamed to admit it. Her breasts are firm and natural, and her ass Is toned and firm. The rest of her is nothing to be ashamed of either, and she’s fully confident walking around naked.

* For you she loves your neck. She loves to kiss and lick your skin, nipping at you playfully. Sometimes she’ll get carried away and leave love bites behind because she can’t control herself.

C = Cum

* It’s hot, sticky, and sweet. She’s definitely a creamy mess after she’s done, and she prefers to make you the same way.

* If you’re a guy she’ll absolutely let you cum in her.

* If you’re female she loves to trib a little bit after you’re both finished and combine both of your juices to make sure you’re equally messy.

D = Dirty Secret

* She wants to make a sex tape with you, or fuck you on one of her live streams (more about this under “wild card.”)

* She wants to see what you look like on camera together and let everyone see who you belong to.

E = Experience

* She knows her way around a bedroom, and around a body.

* She’ll never tell you the exact number she’s been with and unless you’re a virgin she doesn’t want to know your body count either (she has a bit of a jealous side.)

F = Favorite Position

* Tribbing for a female partner (with her on top)

* Reverse cowgirl.

* The captain.

G = Goofy

* She loves to laugh during sex, even if it’s a bit serious.

* She’s perfectly capable of being intense while breaking it up with a little fun.

H = Hair

* She rocks a landing strip.

* The hair below is just a shade darker than the hair above.

I = Intimacy

* She actually finds sex with you to be very intimate. Regardless of what you are doing, she loves you and that makes anything you are doing intimate.

* She’s fully capable of having sex without any emotional attachment, but with you that’s not the case.

J = Jack Off

* She’s not shy about it, it’s a key feature of her OnlyFans content. But she really only enjoys when she gives you a private show.

* She loves to watch you as well, and likes to boss you around a bit while you do it.

K = Kink

* She likes choking. Mainly she likes choking you, but if you’re really really good she MIGHT let you take control for a while. Maybe.

* Hair pulling, biting, scratching, spanking (to you), pegging (if you’ll let her).

* Bondage.

L = Location

* In front of a mirror. Rather bent over the bathroom sink and looking on the mirror, or having one placed over your bed.

* She loves making you watch yourself as she fucks you, grabbing your chin and forcing you to look at yourself.

M = Motivation

* Seeing you standing in the hot sun, your body slick with sweat after working in the field and dumping water over your head never fails to get her going.

* She also loves seeing you come out of the shower wearing only a towel.

N = No

* She’s fine with some mild degradation but don’t ever tear her down or make her feel inferior to you. She has some serious baggage from Kel and doesn’t ever want to feel that way again.

* In turn, she’ll show you that same respect. She’ll call you a whore but she’ll never call you stupid.

O = Oral

* Fuck yes.

* She loves going down on you, and lavishing you with praises. “You’re so big” or “you’re so wet for me, you taste so good” and “that’s it you’re so good for me, you deserve this” are some of her favorite phrases.

* If you’re really good she’ll let you taste her as well but you need to earn it.

P = Pace

* She can be hard and rough, but she also has a soft and tender side that’s reserved just for you.

* She really follows your lead on this, and is willing to be however you need her to be.

* She’s dominate, but you call the shots with this part.

Q = Quickie

* Definitely not her first choice.

* She prefers to take her time and drag it out as long as possible as the foreplay is all part of the fun.

R = Risk

* She’s totally open to try anything, and isn’t necessarily worried about getting caught especially since she’s broadcasting on OF.

* She hasn’t found anything that she would deem “too risky” but she’ll be open and vocal if she does.

S = Stamina

* She has plenty, and it all comes down to how much you can handle. She usually prolongs getting off until you do so she makes sure she doesn’t push you too far.

T = Toys

* She has quite a few and likes to have a bit of variety.

* She likes using them on you, and having them used on her. Bonus points if you can use them together.

* She loves to be double penetrated, so an anal plug while using a rabbit is mind blowing for her.

U = Unfair

* She will tease the fuck out of you and not think twice about it. She’ll send you nudes, whisper filthy things in your ear while out in public, and grab your ass when nobody is looking.

* She acts like your advances have no effect on her, but it makes her wet when you reciprocate her advances.

V = Volume

* She does not give a fuck who hears her (or you).

* She likes to make you scream her name, and likes that people are aware of what she’s capable of doing and what they will never have.

W = Wild Card

* She has an OnlyFans that she operates from her “business phone.” She needed a way to get funds for her art supplies and makes a decent amount with it.

* Sam and Sebastian subscribe but not because they are into her. They do it to support her and hype her up.

* When she is live, they will comment things like “get it girl!” and “hype train!”

X = X-Ray

* She has her clit pierced.

* Her nipples also have rings in them and loves when you gently tug at them with your teeth.

Y = Yearning

* She’s not shy about how much she wants you. She’s always undressing you with her eyes, and imagines you naked all the time.

* You have a very healthy sex love and both of your needs are met in this area.

Z-Zzz

* She doesn’t fall asleep right away, preferring to spend extra time with aftercare. She wants to make sure that you’re taken care of, and wants you to know you’re important to her so she doesn’t like to fall asleep right after.

* She loves being dominate, but she loves you even more.

[noahsbookhoard]

📚November 2024 Book Review📚

November was a bit less busy that October and varies from jawdropping to very meh.

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone (Ernest Cunningham #1) by Benjamin Stevenson

That one is definitely in the jawdropping category. A great murder mystery in which you have all the keys and the author is right there telling you to "go ahead and solve it". I didn't. I had fun anyway. Just as darkly funny as the title announces.

Wintersmith (Discworld #34) by Terry Pratchett

I think sofar it is my favorite Tifanny Aching story: she is growing up and that shows, she is more responsible, she owns up to what she does wrong, she is still whip smart and I never get tired of the Nac Mac Feegle.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

This count as a novel read since I completed Dracula Daily like everyone on nov 8. The audio drama version by Bloody FM production is so good and a great plus because some of Van Helsing lecture at John are really just too long.

Une belle vie by Virginie Grimaldi

I don't know why but I ended up reading 3 Grimaldi in as many months, maybe because they are rather easy to read, funny and generally have a hopeful vives even when dealing with heavy themes. This one is the story of two estranged sister who reconnect by coming for one last vacation in their grand mother house before they sell it. They rebuilt their relationship and draw back childhood memories, some good and some bad. The part where I got confused is that the author tries to tackle a lot of subjects (bipolarity, depression, domestic violence and cancer are the ones I remember but there are many) instead of just one are two. It was a lot to handle at times but a good read nonetheless.

The Restaurang at the End of the Universe (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #2) by Douglas Adams

Book 2 is just as crazy as The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but I found it a little more coherent, as in I knew approximately where we were going (a restaurant) and the convoluted adventure that leads to and from it made more sense to me than in book 1. I'm really excited for the rest of the series.

L'amant by Marguerite Duras

I admit, I don't see the appeal. The writing is good but not incredibly so. The story itself is rambling, I guess it was intentional but it makes it harder to follow. The relationship between the author as a girl and her lover at least 10 years older is very disturbing when judge by modern standards and I was a little put off by the casual way she talks about her brother's death. I must have missed the literary qualities here but I might try another of her novel later on.

La Dame du manoir de Wildfell Hall (The Tenant of Wildfell Hall) by Anne Brontë

I felt so much fucking rage reading this novel! It has some of the most heinous male characters I have ever read and even the main love interest has a hell of a journey to stop being an entitled jealous violent piece of shit. That said it is very well written otherwise I would have either given up or thrown the whole thing through the window. Helen, the main character is strong minded and brave, I loved her from the start and grew even warmer. I strongly recommend it.

Tw for domestic abuse and alcoholism.

The Sword Catcher (Chronicles of Castelane #1) by Cassandra Clare

This was an indulgence: I said I wanted to read less traditional medieval heroic fantasy and it falls right into it. It is good tho! I liked the concept of the Sword Catcher and the Ragpicker King amd especially how the two characters interact. I really hope the relationship between Connor and Kel is explored more too in the future books because the homoerotic subtext deserve to be more text than that!

Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean #2) T J Klune

I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea so I was excited for the sequel, but a little weary too. I was afraid not to find what made book 1 so dear to me. But there it was! The kids and their shenanigans, Arthur and Linus being their lovey dovey selves, Zoey and Helen are all the village had kept its newly opened mind from the end of book 1 and that was very comforting. The story is hard, the hate and fear they face hits a little too close. But they overcome it and everything ends well which is just what I wanted to read.

The kids calling Arthur and Linus Dad and Papa was extremely cute. I really loved David and how he bonded with Lucy. Not a comfort book as much as the first one but I had a great time reading it

My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine

I stumbled upon this one because I watched this video of a person who read all the Rylo fanfic turned novels out of morbid curiosity and this one seemed intriguing enough for me to try, open mind and all that. I was promised some whimsy, a shopping montage and a heist.

Well there's comedy (an kumquats for some reason) The shopping montage wasn't much of a montage, they just went and tried t-shirts on. But the end was just stupid: female lead went ahead with a plan she deems stupid and unlikely to work, us reader with even the tiniest bit of social media experience know that the plan is stupid and can't possibly work. And it works. Just genuinely first degree work. When you go with that in a comedy setting at least make your stupid plan work in a funny way, WWDITS style! Some bits are tedious, I understand your 400 year old don't know how to use Instagram but I do and I don't need a full chapter of tutorial (same chapter as my newest fight with my nemesis, the possessiveness trope, you don't get to storm off and brood just cause she posted bikini pics dude!)

Overall it was quite fun if you don't think to much about it.

When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

I listen to the audio book and the accents were *chef kiss*: it is a novella with slavic folklore creatures in an modern setting and I wasn't expecting to love it so much!! It's a story about monsters and family and duty. Angsty, a bit gay, the characters relationship work very well. It will be a reread in the future.Greatest of news for me today! I discovered by googling the spelling of characters names that a second book is coming this year!

[djarins-cyare]

WIP Wednesday!

✨Featuring: a taste of smut and a poll✨

Tagged by @beskarandblasters today (thanks Kel!) and @burntheedges literally like 4 weeks ago but I’ve been working 80-hour weeks and am really behind with interactions (so thanks Kate and sorry this is late!) 💙

They’re slightly different templates, so I’ll use the one with more detail and a poll because that’s always fun…

STEP ONE: post snippets of the fics you’re working on (can be a summary if there’s no snippet) STEP TWO: put them in a poll and let people vote on which one you should work on

There’s some NSFW content, so under the cut if you please…

As usual, I’ve given you far more than is strictly necessary, but you can’t shut me up, so here you go…

1. From To See A Thousand Things (guns n’ angst – the winner of my last WIP poll):

“What was that word you just said? Did you call me something rude?” “Kaan’goran. It means ‘weaponsmith’ in Mando’a. I don’t know your name and that’s what you are.” Oh. He says it matter-of-factly, but you’re strangely disappointed somehow. Maybe it’s time you introduced yourself to the man you’ve been anonymously fucking for over a year. This is a night of firsts, after all. “Well, you can call me—” “Don’t,” he insists, surprising you. Your face instantly falls, wondering why the hell that’s the arbitrary line he’s drawing in the sand tonight. But he sees your dejection and sighs, offering an explanation. “In my culture, names aren’t used flippantly. They’re titles, and they’re used as such: a full name to denote one’s clan when necessary, but otherwise rarely spoken. Those individuals who have a job of high standing are referred to by their professional titles – jobs that provide for the whole tribe rather than just their individual clan. To a Mandalorian, a weaponsmith is a noble profession. You forge the implements we defend ourselves with.” Okay, that’s… weirdly sweet. Oh… no. Oh hell no. Fuck off warm fuzzy feeling that’s rising in your belly. This will not do! You furrow your brow, confused and slightly annoyed about… well, basically everything, from his intentions to your emotions. Time to clarify. “You’re... complimenting me?” “I’m… respecting you,” he counters carefully. You can’t help the small snort of amusement that makes its way unbidden through your nose at that. This is definitely a night of firsts.

2. From an unnamed lengthy oneshot (starts a little angsty but builds to fluff and a helmet reveal):

“Din?” you try. His helmet jerks slightly at his name, but he doesn’t look. You deserve more, so you demand more. “What’s wrong? Talk to me.” He shifts uncomfortably and shakes his helmet a little. Was that a response? A refusal to talk? Try being more direct. “Hey. That’s not fair. You don’t get to touch me like that and then pull away without saying why.” “That’s the problem,” he responds, voice like steel. “I know it’s not fair. I shouldn’t have touched you like that.” There’s something bitter in his tone, and it poisons the air between you. But you still don’t understand, and the ache in your chest festers higher. “I wasn’t complaining,” you try. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted you to do that?” For some reason, your hesitancy about crossing this line with him has vanished. You think he erased it when he groped your ass just now. “Yes, I know,” he snaps loudly, suddenly sounding angrier than you’ve ever heard him. “Do you know why it can’t happen?” You shake your head, too surprised at his sudden fierceness to respond verbally. Actually, you have some idea (a lot of ideas), but you’d rather hear his explanation. But you don’t get an explanation. You get a dismissal. “Then you don’t know me very well at all.” And with those acidic, modulated words, he turns his back on you and marches into the canyon.

3. From Final Sanctuary (interestingly, this was the second-lowest rated in my last WIP poll, so I’m giving you a whole little smutty section to see if that’s still the case):

He takes several bites before he remembers she wants his opinion, and he swallows and resets the helmet, glancing up at her. She’s watching him, chewing slowly with what he can only describe as a smug smile on her lips. “Good, huh?” she prompts, punctuating her question with another bite. He’s about to respond when her bite causes a bit of the white dip to ooze out of the bread and smear across the corner of her mouth. Dank farrik, his brain instantly leaps into motion and flashes a full and detailed sexual fantasy before his eyes in a matter of milliseconds. …his hard cock between her warm lips, pressing deeper into her mouth as she moans and sucks his length… She clearly feels the rogue smear of dip, but with both hands clutching the bread, she utilises her tongue to recapture it, a wanton pink delight darting out of the corner of her mouth and Din swells in his pants. …she licks and flutters around his cockhead, massaging the sensitive spot underneath and undulating it along the bottom as she sinks lower again… But the viscous white liquid has dripped farther than her tongue can reach, leaving a smear a little way down from the corner of her mouth, and he intently focuses on it. …the perfect confluence of pressure and suction brings him right to the edge of ecstasy, and he orgasms hard, filling her mouth with so much cum that it leaks and spills down her chin… Before he’s even aware he’s doing it, Din is reaching for her. He sees his hand extend across the crate between them, but he can’t stop it. She’s hunched low to reach the food, and the crate is small, so he doesn’t have to learn far, and although her eyes widen in surprise, she doesn’t flinch or pull away. His thumb only hesitates for a second before wiping up the dip, but it hovers there for longer afterwards, coated in white and unsure how to proceed. …she swallows his cum, and he wipes up what spilled out, pressing his thumb into her mouth so she doesn’t miss a drop, and her tongue eagerly licks it up… Just as he makes the rational decision to withdraw his hand, she turns her head, aligning her lips with his thumb, and a rush shoots through him… but he’s already in motion, retreating back to his side of the crate. It’s too late. Would she have done it? Licked his thumb? Dank farrik, he’s so hard over the possibility. Thankfully, he’s pretty sure that between his loose pants and the cross-legged position he’s in, nothing’s on display, plus he’s sitting close to the crate anyhow. Neither of them has spoken yet, although he’s not sure if his voice works right now. Still, he has to answer her question about the meal, so he rasps out the only word that comes to mind. “Delicious.”

I have several others, but these are the fullest, although they’re incomplete and unedited.

Feel free to send me an ask or leave a comment if you want to discuss these any further!

A few NP tags: @ceapa-mica @penvisions @papurgaatika @for-a-longlongtime @draculasfavoritewife @whxtedreams @alltheotps

I'll just get comfy and wait for the poll results...

[mt-musings]

The Last Silverboughs - 2

Baldur's Gate 3, Astarion x Tav

Halsin struggles to put his past to rest, but it's haunting him in more ways than he realizes. He'd thought his time in the Underdark was long behind him, an unpleasant pitfall of youthful hubris, but remnants of his captivity remain, the youngest of which unwittingly stumbles to his rescue.

Lythra can't stop running from her past--hasn't, since she managed to make it out of the Underdark. She has no love for Menzoberranzan, or her House, or anything she left behind in the dark. Or nearly anything.

Still, she'd rather die than return--a prospect all the more likely with a tadpole jammed behind her eye. But perhaps, with the help of a renown druidic healer, she can go back to what remains of her half-life in the sun.

Part 1 Part 2

Read on AO3

Treacherous Beginnings

Lythra should have realized it was a setup. It was too much coin, too easy of a job, especially from Trelgath—but she’d been stupid and desperate and took it anyway, despite how little she trusted the damn weasel.

Her breath caught in her throat as the figure at the end of the room lowered the hood of his cloak, teeth flashing as he grinned at her and tossed it aside. He’d waited until she’d got two dozen steps inside the old, abandoned church, too far to easily turn back and run. He had guards posted at the door, guards that stepped in front of it, blocking her exit as he strode leisurely forward, relishing his victory. There were two others that remained where he’d been standing, waiting for his dramatic reveal. 

He looked more like their mother than last she saw him—the peculiar height, the hazel eyes, the lavender-grey skin and shock of long, white waves kept vainly loose down his back. His robes were extravagant, embroidered with what she’d guess was real silver, or perhaps mithral—

He’d always been the favorite, after all. 

She didn't look much like him—had never looked much like him. Her skin was bone-white and her eyes so pale they were nearly colorless, her clothes practical, rough, and worn. 

“Little szarkai. I must admit, I assumed you’d die well before you made it out of the Underdark, never mind this far south. I’m almost impressed. But it’s time to come home. Mother insists. She’s even willing to forgive you—after a decade or so of contrition.”

Fear flooded her gut but she tamped it down, buried it under fury, even as the long-healed scars across her torso panged in fantom pain. She wasn’t a little helpless thing anymore. She angled herself towards one of the windows, subtly, keeping her apparent focus on the mage. It was at least a two-story drop, but it beat letting him drag her back to Menzoberranzan for whatever their mother had planned. 

Even if she bungled it and dashed her brains on the cobbles below.

“Suck shit, Kel. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“You always were so eloquent,” he replied, rolling his eyes. “Now come on, there’s nowhere to run and you’re wildly outnumbered. Perhaps I will even tell Mother you’re deserving of mercy, if you cooperate.”

“And if I don’t?” She asked edging slightly towards the window. 

“It doesn’t matter to me. You can walk back home or I’ll have you tied and dragged, kicking and screaming.”

Lythra blew out a breath, edging closer to the widow, only half a dozen strides.  “Well, when you put it like that, it’s not like I have much of a choice.”

“See? I knew you would see reason—“

Lythra threw herself headlong through the window before his guards could close in on her, shielding her face from the glass. She didn’t have time to dig for a feather fall potion in her bag, merely bracing for the shock of the cobbled street below.

She landed, hard, the breath knocked from her lungs even as she rolled to try and reduce the damage. She’d definitely broken something—a rib at least, and maybe her elbow by the way it throbbed.

“You feral little bitch!” He screamed, fury coloring his cheeks. A bolt of lightning shot from the shattered window above, barely missing her as she rolled to the side to avoid being fried. 

“You missed!” she shouted back, forcing herself upright. “Some great wizard you are. I wasn’t even moving, you fuck!”

“I am going to make you suffer, little sister!” He shrieked from the broken window.

She didn’t retort, instead just acting on instinct. She stretched out a hand, calling on the darkness within her, the innate evil she did her best to lock away and bury, and shot a bolt of shadow back up through the window and yanked. She heard Kelennar yelp before he tumbled from the window to the courtyard below. 

The effort of the magic made her teeth ache, her vision swim for a moment as she felt blood run from her nose, her whole body corpse-cold—it had been so long since she’d called on it. 

Long enough that she’d forgotten its cost.

She fumbled in the pouch at her hip for a moment, retrieving the Wizard’s Bane potion she’d spent far too much for. She didn’t bother trying to coat her daggers, instead just hucking it at him where he lay in a moaning heap. It exploded in a spray of glass and shimmering liquid and she knocked an arrow in her crossbow, a second lightning bolt missing her by near a foot. She grinned to herself as she fired, burying the bolt in the side of his knee.

He whipped another spell at her as she turned, this one connecting and burning across her back. She swore, knocking another arrow and shooting it over her shoulder, generally at his gut as she ducked down an alley, trying to decide the best route to lose him, at least for now. 

She didn’t know how he found her, how he was tracking her—he shouldn’t have been able to use any sort of divination, not with her amulet, unless it was a dud, which it might be for all the arcane expertise she had. She also wouldn’t put it past Trelgath to have sold her out—he was a mean old bastard and only cared about coin, and Kelennar had a lot more of  it than she did. 

She sprinted down the narrow streets, trying to gage how close they were—Kel had never been fast, and the rest of his guard had to make it out of the old abandoned church before they could give chase, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t magic himself super-speed or wings or something else fucking stupid. 

Damn wizards.

She couldn’t win in a fair fight, not against four well-trained House guards and her piddling prodigy of a brother. Not out in the open, not while running through the Outer City. Even if she’d managed to hurt him enough to prevent his pursuit, he still had at least four guards at his command and she doubted any of them were half as fragile or easily baited as Kelennar. Later, when they made camp she could pick them off one by one as they tranced, if she was clever about it and she figured out how he was tracking her. 

There was screaming behind her, and the sound of more than just her pursuers chasing her. Had they started targeting distending civilians? That was all they needed, a horde of drow tearing through Norchapel, killing innocents at random. She chanced a look behind her only to have her breath catch in her chest.

What looked like a gargantuan evil sea creature flew through the sky, its tentacles tearing at watchtowers and toppling tenement building.

It wasn’t enough that Kelennar was here to drag her back in chains to Menzoberranzan. No, he had to pick the one day a godsdamned nautiloid was barreling through the city, the monstrosity so big it made the red dragons chasing it look like overlarge pigeons. 

She caught sight of him just as the building  next to her exploded with the force of a colliding tentacle. His eyes were wide, face blanched with fear, blood bright and crimson at his temple. He caught sight of her and reached a hand out, magic gathering in his palm and she threw herself out of the spell’s path.

Right into one of the flailing tentacles.

She screamed, as it grasped her, screamed as it dragged her up, up in the air, and then all went black. The last thing she saw was the look of horror on her brother’s face, his hand still outstretched.

Lythra glanced across the camp, surveying her new-found companions. She certainly didn’t feel any safer for their company. Most of them had long gone to bed—she glanced at the wizard’s tent, making sure he hadn’t wandered back out to brood. She might have left him in the rock she found him in, had she known he was some apparently powerful and important wizard. He seemed nice enough, but she wasn’t about to drop her guard. They were all the same, in the end—Weave-drunk and power mad, without any consideration for the damage in their wake. 

She massaged her neck, where the cut from one of her more aggressive introductions had scabbed over. Her eyes flicked to the pale elf, the lone other figure still awake, where he stood reading.

Or at least pretending to. He hadn’t turned a page in going on ten minutes. She was rather sure he was instead surveying her through his lashes, assuming her too preoccupied to catch him. 

He was so untrusting, and he didn't even know she was a drow.

She’d have to keep an eye on him. He reminded her of a feral cat, ready to lash out at the slightest provocation. A pretty, dangerous thing.

She strode over, pleased to see his eyes had begun to purple from where she’d head butted-him. His look of outraged shock had definitely been worth aggravating her already pounding head. 

He forced a smile as he spotted her, closing his book without marking his page.

So, he definitely hadn’t been reading it then. 

“How are you holding up?” he asked, almost sounding genuine. 

“Besides the worm?”

He huffed a derisive laugh. “Yes, besides the worm.”

She sighed, looking around at the others. “Could be worse.”

“Could be—Worse than curling up in the dirt in the middle of—? Well, wherever we are!”

“I take it you’re not one for camping on weekends, Mr. Magistrate,” she said with a crooked smile, doubting very much that he’d been entirely truthful about his occupation, especially after watching him pick the locks on a handful of chests. Still, she’d play along. It was better if he thought her stupid—he wouldn’t put so much effort into his lies then. 

“Absolutely not! Why would I, when I have a perfectly fine bed, decent wine, and not everything is covered in bugs?”

She huffed a laugh, enjoying his foppish indignance. She too preferred the city, but she wasn’t opposed to a few nights under the stars. 

She’d never quite gotten over the wonder of them.

“You never told me what you did. In the city,” he said primly, looking down his perfectly straight nose at her. 

“No, I didn’t,” she replied with a smile she knew would infuriate him. He scowled at her.

“Well?”

“Well, what?”

“What do you do?”

“Odd jobs, mostly. Little errands,” she said, which was true if you considered cat burgling and the occasional Eightfold contract errands, which, she did. He narrowed his eyes, but didn’t press.

He sighed, and looked away. It was a few minutes before he spoke again, something in his voice shifting, though she couldn’t pinpoint what. 

“It’s so quiet, out here. No bustling streets or bursting taverns. It’s almost…odd.”

“You should rest,” she said, turning back towards the fire.

“I’m in no place to rest yet. Today has been a lot. I need some time to think things through, to process this. You rest, I’ll keep watch,” he said, softening his voice as he said the last bit. 

Perhaps if she was a trusting person, she’d have believed he meant it, that he was being kind—chivalrous, even. Instead, her eyes flicked from his face to his hip, where he had a small dagger concealed in his waistband, and then back up to his face.  Her mouth curled into a cruel smile, so faint it was barely there, but enough to let him know she saw through his ploy, whatever its reason. 

He’d made a mistake, thinking her an easy mark. Hopefully he’d realize his mistake. 

“How kind of you,” she replied, as sweetly as she could manage. 

“It’s my pleasure,” he said, irritation ever so slightly coloring his words. She smiled wider—there was very little she enjoyed more than being a nuisance. “Sweet dreams.”

She just nodded before grabbing one of the empty bedrolls that had been laid out in front of the fire and dragged it off to the far side of camp, away from him and all the others. She wouldn’t sleep—not for a long time after Astarion pretended to trance. She might be able to manage five hours, enough to keep her on her feet tomorrow. 

She tucked a dagger under her bedroll and another in her sleeve before she curled up on her side, pulling her knees to her chest. She stared up at the stars, glad for their twinkling light. They were brighter, here, away from the city’s lights. 

How long had it been since she’d been abducted? She didn’t know how long she was stuck in that pod, before being tadpoled. It could have been days, or just hours.

Her mind wandered back to Kelennar, to the job that should have been so obvious a setup. 

Was he dead? Did she care—should she care? He was her brother, after all, even he was a raging, arrogant sadist. She could hardly remember an occasion where he’d been anything but cruel to her. 

It’d be easier, if he was dead, at least. Then she wouldn’t have to kill him herself, which she knew he’d drag out into an absolute nightmare. 

It hardly seemed fair, that he was the brother that survived. She swallowed hard, trying not to think of her eldest brother. It had been her fault, after all. 

She pulled her blanket closer around herself, wishing it made her feel at all better. 

Previous Next

AN: If you enjoy reading my stories, please consider dropping a like or a comment. I really love interacting with people and it really keeps me excited and motivated to keep posting.

[hero-deserves-to-be-happy]

Double Date [Hero x Brandi and Bebe x Mikhael Fic for OMORI Rare Pair Week 2023]

When Brandi discovers that Bebe and Mikhael have made their relationship official, she asks her friend, Hero, to accompany her on a double date with them in the hopes of convincing her sister to raise her standards. Hero hasn't even thought about dating in years, and though he knows this isn't a "real date," a fun evening out, the company of a good friend, and maybe even a surprisingly deep conversation with Mikhael might just get him thinking that maybe he'll be ready to put himself out there again someday. And, who knows, maybe "someday" might even be closer than he thinks...

Relationships: Hero/Brandi [Intimidating Girl] Developing Relationship and Friendship. Mikhael [The Maverick]/Bebe [Short Hair Girl] Established Relationship. Hero & Mikhael Friendship.

Characters: Hero (POV Character), Brandi [Intimidating Girl], Bebe [Short Haired Girl/Fountain Girl], and Mikhael [The Maverick].

Genre: Slice of Life, Fluff and Humor, Double Date, First Date, Developing Relationship, Heart-To-Heart Chats, Open Ending, Hopeful Ending, Post-Good Ending, Hero Deserves To Be Happy

Rating & Warnings: Rated T for brief depiction of college partying and some mentions of drinking. Implied/Referenced Canonical Character Death. Some OMORI spoilers.

Link to work on AO3. Full text below the cut.

A/N: Thank you so much for supporting our newest contribution to the "Hero Deserves To Be Happy" genre (if that isn't already a genre, it definitely should be)! We think that Hero and Brandi's relationship (whether romantic or platonic) is very underrated and have always been extremely fond of Mikhael x Bebe so we were really excited for the opportunity to write about them for OMORI Rare Pairs Week 2023 hosted by @omorirarepairweek Day 6 Prompt: "Double Date." Thank you for reading! 💙

“Tequila shots?” asked Hero with a concerned expression. Brandi huffed as he took a seat beside her on the rickety metal bench that was one of the only pieces of furniture in the backyard of her sorority house. She quirked an eyebrow at him and his bottled water, then stared him dead in the eyes as she threw back her shot glass.

“I don’t want to hear it tonight, Hero.” As she shook her head, Hero’s face flushed. He hadn’t meant to pry into her business or offer any sort of judgment on her beverage preferences. He had just been a little surprised. Brandi was the one familiar and often the only other mostly-soberface at the wild college parties he often found himself roped into, and while she usually indulged in a beer, a hard lemonade, or a rum and coke, he had never seen her throw back multiple shots of tequila. She always insisted the cheap booze they had at these parties wasn’t worth the headache she’d have the next morning, but he supposed it was none of his business—even if she was his friend and he was worried about her.

Before Hero could begin to apologize, however, Brandi huffed, then shrugged her shoulders. “My sister, Bebe, called earlier—completely ruined my night.”

“Is everything alright?”

“That bozo, Mikhael, finally made it official.” Rolling her eyes, she reached for another shot of tequila from a nearby table.

Hero scratched the back of his neck. “Well…uh…they have been talking for a while, haven’t they?”

“Don’t remind me,” huffed Brandi rolling her eyes. “I guess I was just hoping he’d eventually get bored before he asked her to be his girlfriend.”

Hero sighed. He didn’t know Mikhael very well but from what he had heard from Kel he was so desperate for a relationship that he was actually paying girls to pretend to be interested in him at one point. Hero couldn’t imagine him giving up on a girl who was actually interested in him, but he wouldn’t say that to Brandi.

“I have no idea what she sees in him…” She huffed shaking her head bitterly again. “I’ve tried to tell her he’s bad news, but she never listens to me.”

“Well…you know…the Hooligans aren’t really that dangerous, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Hero tried to reassure her with a gentle smile. “Sure they mildly inconvenience people and engage in some petty theft, a little vandalism, and some bullying, but they’re not hardened criminals or anything like that so I’m sure Bebe is safe—”

“Yeah, I know they’re pathetic,” Brandi interrupted. “It’s not about that. It’s about Mikhael being a moron—running around town in that stupid wig, calling himself ‘the Maverick,’ and acting like he’s in Dragon Ball Z.”

Hero chuckled awkwardly. “Well…uh…it’s good have hobbies…and…you know, maybe he’s just…spirited…?” His voice hitched at the end of his sentence, as if he wasn’t entirely sure himself.

Brandi huffed—raising her eyebrows at him before she replied in her blunt, matter-of-fact way, “You’re too nice for your own good, you know? Sometimes people are just morons. You don’t have to reach to find something positive to say about them.”

“I’m not…reaching…” The crack in Hero’s voice implied otherwise. He had always been a bad liar. “I’m sure Mikhael has lots of good qualities. I mean…Aubrey is friends with him.”

“And does she have anything nice to say about him?”

Hero swallowed hard—his face growing warm. The honest answer was no. Aubrey had nothing but complaints about Mikhael even harsher than the ones Brandi had. “You know, Aubrey is not a very…openly…complimentary…person…” he stumbled, and Brandi just blinked at him with a huff.

“That’s what I thought,” she said shaking her head, but she sighed. “You know, as much as it pains me to admit it, the real problem here is Bebe. If she had higher standards and didn’t want to go out with him, it wouldn’t matter how much of a bozo Mikhael is. But she’s so…trusting and naïve.” Rolling her eyes, Brandi frowned, but Hero’s expression softened. He could tell she was worried about her sister, even if she wouldn’t admit it.

Brandi sighed again. “If I was home, I could keep a better eye on her, but I’m not sure what I can do from here…”

With a tilt of his head, Hero patted Brandi reassuringly on the arm. “I’m sure Bebe will be okay, and you know, even if you were at home, she probably wouldn’t let you tag along on her dates or anything anyway.”

“Yeah…I’d have to go on a double date with her and Mikhael which would be awful.” Brandi stopped abruptly—her brow furrowing, as she tilted her head thoughtfully. “I wonder if that would work. Maybe if Bebe saw me with a guy who was actually decent, she’d realize she should raise the bar. I just don’t know who that would be—it’s been slim pickings out there ever since I broke up with Trent.”

“Well…I have a lot of fraternity brothers who would be happy to go out with you. They think you’re…” Hero stopped—thinking of the best way to clean up his fraternity brothers’ penchant for referring to Brandi as his ‘hot friend.’ He cleared his throat. “Very attractive…”

Brandi shook her head. “No, I don’t date frat guys. I already told you. They’re barely a step up from Mikhael.”

“Okay…but some of them are nice…”

“You don’t count,” Brandi interjected with a pointed stare. Hero blushed. He hadn’t been talking about himself. “You’re not a frat guy—you’re a den mother. They just keep you around to do the cooking and cleaning and laundry.”

Hero supposed this was all true. He had basically been begged to join that fraternity, and ever since had been giving his fraternity brothers kind and helpful lessons about how to prevent their house from once again turning into a toxic wasteland. In exchange for teaching them how to wash windows, use fabric softener, and cook food that wasn’t instant ramen, they had affectionately given him the nickname “Mama.” He decided it would be best not to tell Brandi about that, but from the look she was giving him now, he was sure she already knew.

“What about a pre-med major? I have some friends in my classes I could ask. Steven is a really nice guy, and I think he’s here tonight actually…”

Brandi blinked at him, then asked with a blunt, matter-of-factness. “Is Steven the guy currently choking on that beer bong?”

With a roll of her eyes, Brandi tilted her head towards the far corner of the yard where,  sure enough, Steven was surrounded by a rowdy group of cheering people guzzling copious amounts of alcohol from a neon beer bong.

Hero sighed. “You know, he’s actually very smart and very polite…when he’s…not drunk…”

“I’m sure,” quipped Brandi, before she shook her head again. “Listen Hero. The goal here is to get Bebe to raise her standards. Drunk party guys are not going to cut it.” She sighed. “I’d need to take someone like you. You’re the nicest guy I know. If I showed up with someone like that, then maybe she’d start thinking she could do better, but that’s not going to happen if I show up with beer bong boy.”

Hero swallowed hard, and his face flushed red. “You…you want to take me? I…I don’t know…” he stumbled, but thankfully she cut him off.  

“It’s okay. I wasn’t going to ask. I figured it would be insensitive all things considered. I know you’re not ready to put yourself back out there.”

She paused, and Hero fidgeted with his hands. He wasn’t sure if it was more that Brandi knew him so well or if he was just obvious about it.  

“Um…it’s not…I mean it is…but I just meant…” With a heavy sigh, he stopped—running a hand through his unruly hair. “I haven’t been on a date since I was 15. I think I’d be terrible company.”

“Eh,” shrugged Brandi dryly. “Something tells me you’d be better than at least half the first dates I’ve ever been on. I’ve been on some pretty bad dates.” Brandi laughed, and Hero tried his best to stifle a chuckle behind his hand. He felt guilty for laughing. “But I get it. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I know you don’t feel right about dating anyone when you still…” She stopped abruptly, but Hero nodded. She didn’t have to finish that sentence. It was no secret he really hadn’t been interested in dating at all since Mari… It just didn’t feel fair to her, to her memory, and to whoever Hero could be with. They all deserved better. He swallowed hard. Maybe someday he’d be ready to put himself back out there, but he wasn’t there yet.

“I mean I hope you’ll put yourself back out there someday…” Brandi continued with a shrug of her shoulders. “If not for yourself then for the sake of the world and all the women out there desperate for decent men,”—she chuckled dryly—“but I just don’t think this is the way to do it. I mean, it wouldn’t be real, and”—she grimaced, gritting her teeth—“Mikhael would be there.”

As Brandi rolled her eyes, Hero stifled another laugh, but his brow furrowed thoughtfully and he tilted his head. “It…it really wouldn’t be real?”

“No, of course not.” She waved her hand dismissively. “We go out to dinner all the time. It would be just like that.”

“But Mikhael and Bebe would think we were dating…Do you really think they’d believe that?”

“Bebe believes Mikhael was in Top Gun,” quipped Brandi. “He was a toddler when that movie came out.”

A slight smile tugged at Hero’s mouth in spite of himself, but he bit his lip. “I just don’t feel right lying to them.”

Brandi shrugged with a lopsided smile. “You don’t have to. It’s not lying if you just leave out some information, and if someone runs with the information they do have, then that’s their problem.”

Hero chuckled and gently teased, “You’re going to be an awesome lawyer.”

“I know,” laughed Brandi playfully bumping him with her elbow, but she tilted her head at him. “You’re really considering it, huh?”

Though his face flushed, Hero somehow managed a nod. “You’re…one of my best friends, I…um…I want to help.”

Brandi’s expression softened, and she playfully ruffled his hair. “You’re really sweet, you know that?” Hero’s blush deepened. “Tell you what: if you agree to do this for me, we can take my car back to Faraway Town for the weekend and I’ll pay for all the gas and everything. You’ll get to see your family and your friends, and you’ll miss out on that awful keg party your frat is hosting. There’s a couple of unpleasant hours with Mikhael, but we’ll pick a good restaurant so hopefully the food will be worth it. Then we come back here and carry on like nothing ever happened—what do you say?”

Hero took a deep breath, but a smile twitched in the corners of his mouth as he met Brandi’s eyes. “Okay,” he said. “I’m in.”

*-*-*

“And then I said, ‘No. No, Mr. Mayor you don’t have to give me the key to the city. It was all in day’s work for I, The Maverick…” Mikhael flipped his hair—upsetting his wig which he swiftly readjusted, shifting in place in his booth at the nicest economically-priced Italian restaurant in Faraway Town. It had been difficult to pick a restaurant in Mikhael’s price range after Brandi had staunchly ruled out Gino’s—which Hero, somewhat guiltily, suspected she had done for his sake knowing that he had taken Mari there on their first date years ago. Hero appreciated her sensitivity but felt guilty for making things more difficult for everyone. After all, Hero supposed it didn’t really matter where they went—it was going to feel strange going out anywhere after all this time and after everything that had happened. Even though he knew it wasn’t a real date, Hero had been worried about it for days and spent far too long trying to pick out his clothes and get ready. He even picked up a potted plant for Brandi to be polite—an orchid which Basil had assured him was low-maintenance. Hero supposed that suited her best. She had always been so independent, strong, and self-reliant. Plus, he thought with a slight flush in his cheeks, it was pretty like her.

Hero cleared his throat pushing the thought away and turning his attention instead to Bebe who was staring at Mikhael positively enraptured. Despite what Brandi said, Hero honestly thought it was kind of sweet how smitten Bebe was with Mikhael. She was perhaps a little infatuated and misguided, but she was sincere and Hero could tell she thought the world of him. How Mikhael felt about Bebe, however, had yet to be seen and was likely the real problem.

“Wow!” she sighed wistfully. “You’re so amazing, the Maverick.”

“I know,” he hummed with a somewhat smug grin.

Brandi pressed her hand to her forehead and shook her head—rolling her eyes for what had to be the twentieth time that night. Hero sighed. It had only been half an hour. Their food hadn’t even arrived yet.

She shot Hero an exasperated look as she reached for her nearly empty glass of wine. “Regretting your decision to agree to this yet?” she quipped through her teeth. Hero stifled a laugh, but he shook his head.

Surprisingly enough, if he was being honest, Hero was actually having a really nice night so far, but he didn’t think it was the right time to tell Brandi that. Perhaps he never would, but he did sheepishly admit, “No.”

“I suppose it is better than that keg party…” Brandi twisted her mouth to one side, and Hero shrugged—his brow furrowing.

“I hope my fraternity’s okay. I made a bunch of food before I left and cleaned up the house and did everyone’s laundry. I even left some emergency numbers on the fridge and twenty bucks.”

“You’re such a mom,” Brandi teased. “You know they’re just going to use that money to buy beer.”

Hero sighed. “I left them a note asking them please not to use the money for alcohol.”

“Oh, a note. That’ll stop them,” Brandi replied with a dry sarcasm. With a slight shake of his head, Hero sighed again.

“Don’t worry about them. They’ll be fine. And who knows, it might be good for one of them to pass out on the lawn. Some lessons they need to learn the hard way, and if they trash the house, you make them clean it up—okay, Mama?” She shot him a lopsided grin, and Hero tried his best not to laugh.

“Brandi…” he began to protest, but she interrupted—pointing her finger at him.

“It’s like I always say—they can’t treat you like a doormat if you don’t let them. Saying ‘no’ every once and a while isn’t going to kill you. I say it all the time.”

“Most of the time,” teased Bebe, and Brandi rolled her eyes.

“Nice to see you’re acknowledging I exist,” she quipped as Mikhael continued to ramble on about “spirit bombs” and his “true form” or something.

“Of course, I acknowledge you. Just because I have a boyfriend now, doesn’t mean you’re not still my sister. You have a boyfriend too—you know what it’s like. You’re not going to forget about me just because you’re with Hero now, right?”

Hero’s face flushed—unsure of what to say and still very uncomfortable at the prospect of lying to Bebe. Future-lawyer, Brandi on the other hand jumped in immediately, “There isn’t a guy in the world that would make me forget about you, okay?”

“Okay but do you think there’s anyone who could make my sister forget about me?” Mikhael interrupted. “And my brother too?”

“Why do you want your siblings to forget about you?” asked Hero in concerned confusion.

Mikhael dramatically leaned across the table motioning for them all to come closer then he whispered, “Because they’re evil.”

“Evil?” scoffed Brandi. “How are they evil?”

“They always want to spend time with me, and they’re always asking me all these questions—trying to keep tabs on me so they can report back to my nemesis and help him thwart my plans. And they keep wanting to play evil hide-and-seek.”

“Hide and Seek?” Brandi repeated with an exasperated expression.

“Evil hide-and-seek,” Mikhael forcefully corrected.

With a bitter shake of her head, Brandi reached for her wine. “I know I’m going to regret asking this, but how exactly is hide-and-seek evil?”

“Well, they’ve got these cardboard cutouts of themselves, and they hide them all around the house which makes them really hard to find. It’s horrible.”

Bebe wrapped her arm around him. “That sounds really awful, but Daphne and Bowen are so nice, maybe if you talk to them and tell them you don’t want to play anymore, they’ll understand.”

“I can’t talk to them!” exclaimed Mikhael so loudly that several people in the nearby booths turned to look at them. “They have spies everywhere, and they’ll just use what I say against me. I’m telling you—they are in league with the enemy. Your sister is too.”

“What?” Brandi asked, rolling her eyes.

Mikhael frowned, clinching his fist. “Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on here. You’ve brought my nemesis’s brother down here to spy on me. Well it’s not going to work!” Hero jumped backward in surprise as Mikhael jabbed his finger at his face. “I’m not going to tell you anything. So there!”

“I…I don’t understand…” stumbled Hero.

“Oh my gosh, Mikhael, grow up!” huffed Brandi. “No one is here to spy on you. This is just a date. I can’t believe you actually have a date, but since you do, calm down, put your big boy pants on and stop acting like a toddler.”

“I—I know!” chimed in Bebe in a shaky attempt to diffuse the tension. “What if we ordered this chocolate cake? It looks good right? And everybody likes chocolate cake.”

As Bebe held up the little advertisement set up on their table, Hero watched as Mikhael’s face fell just for a moment and he mumbled, “I…I…uh…” Then he stopped abruptly—letting out a melodramatic gasp and declaring far too loudly for a restaurant, “That cake could be poisoned! We can never be too careful.”

Bebe stared down at her hands. “Oh…” she said quietly. “Okay…”

“For goodness sakes, Mikhael, the cake isn’t poisoned,” hissed Brandi before turning to Bebe. “Don’t worry. I’ll buy you the cake, Bebe.”  

“No…um…thank you, but it’s okay. I didn’t really want any anyway.” Bebe paused and sighed before standing up from the table. “I…um…have to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

As Hero watched her go and watched Brandi get up from the table and chase after her sister, he also wished he had an exit strategy. Unfortunately, he did not and was left in heavy, awkward silence with Mikhael.

By the time their waiter came with their food, Hero had forgotten how long he had been sitting there in the heavy silence, swirling his straw around in his drink. He practically jumped at the chance to help the waiter pass out the plates of food, thankful Brandi and Bebe were still in the bathroom so he had something to do to make himself useful.

He was so busy setting the table that he almost didn’t hear Mikhael ask in a voice much quieter than any he had used all night, “Hey…uh…how expensive is this cake?” Mikhael reached for the advertisement Bebe had been holding up before, but when the waiter finally revealed the price, he set it back on the table with a somewhat defeated huff.

Hero bit his lip, unsure of what, if anything, he should say. He didn’t feel it was his place to pry especially since he didn’t know Mikhael very well, but he definitely had some sympathy for him, having once been that broke teenager who wanted to treat the girl he liked to something special but couldn’t afford it. It was one of his great regrets that he had never been able to take Mari out anywhere fancier than Gino’s when she had been alive, and he didn’t want Mikhael ever having to have similar regrets about Bebe.

“Hey uh…if you want to get that cake for Bebe—”

“Huh? What are you talking about? I was asking for me,” huffed Mikhael interrupting him, but there was a flush of pink in his cheeks.

“Oh uh…okay…” stumbled Hero, staring intently at his plate. He hadn’t started eating yet, thinking it was more polite to wait until the girls returned. Surprisingly, he noticed Mikhael was waiting as well.

“Bebe’s sister really hates me huh?” he mumbled folding and unfolding his napkin. Hero could tell he was trying and failing to appear nonchalant. “Do you think it’s because of the cake?”

“No,” Hero replied gently, shaking his head. “I think she’s just…worried about Bebe—just being a protective older sister.”

Mikhael frowned but wouldn’t look at him. “My sister loves Bebe. My brother too. They say she’s the best thing that ever happened to me. They always want to invite her over so she can teach her how to bake. She’s pretty good at it—wants to be a pastry chef now.” He paused and grinned then quipped, “I mean, she’s not as good as me but she’s alright.”

A smile tugged at the corners of Hero’s mouth, and his expression softened. “Bebe is a really nice girl, isn’t she?”

Though he tried his best to frown and shrug it off, Hero couldn’t help but notice the slightest flush of red in his face. “Well…yeah…I guess…She’s pretty awesome. Everybody thinks so. And you know…I’m awesome too, but not everybody appreciates that…” His smug smirk faded just a little. “But Bebe does… Brandi doesn’t though—faking a whole relationship just to break us up.”

“Wha—what?” choked Hero, though he was sure his blush had given him away.

“Listen, I’m not stupid. I knew from the first time Bebe mentioned it that it wasn’t real,” Mikhael shrugged. “Aubrey says you’re never going to love again.”

With a heavy sigh, Hero bit his lip. “Aubrey said that?”

“Well…I think what she actually said was that she hopes you put yourself back out there because, you know, you’re like a brother to her or whatever and she wants you to be happy,  but she knows you won’t.” Mikhael sighed, twisting his mouth to one side. “But I dunno…maybe she’d think differently if she was here tonight.”

“I doubt it,” Hero chuckled awkwardly. “Aubrey could always tell when I was lying.”

“Yeah, but you’re the only one here who’s actually having fun tonight. That doesn’t sound like someone who’s never gonna date again.”  

Hero blushed. It felt strange being called out by Mikhael of all people. He twisted his hands. “It’s…not like that. It’s not real.”

“Dude, you got her an orchid…”

“I was just trying to be nice,” Hero insisted hurriedly. “I…haven’t been on a date in a really long time, and I—” He stopped, realizing only then that he probably didn’t need to explain himself to Mikhael, but Mikhael just tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders.

“You wanna date Brandi for real?”  

The idea gave Hero pause, as did the fact that a resonant “no” did not immediately come to mind. The truth was he had never really thought about it. If he was being honest, he supposed up until this point he had agreed with Aubrey that he would probably never love again. He was okay with that, but now… ever since she had brought it up, ever since he was actually out at a restaurant on a date even if it wasn’t real… He just wasn’t sure anymore.

“If you do, you already have an ‘in’ you know?” Mikhael continued. “Brandi hates everybody, but she doesn’t hate you so…there you go.” Mikhael laughed before he took another drink of his water, and Hero sighed.

“She can do better than me.” Hero’s eyes widened. He hadn’t meant to say that aloud. He was half expecting Mikhael to laugh or make fun of him, but Mikhael just stared down at his food.

He muttered so quietly that Hero almost couldn’t hear him, “Like me and Bebe…”

As Hero watched Mikhael hang his head and absentmindedly push his food around his plate, something twisted in his chest.

“No,” he reassured him, shaking his head with a kind smile. “You and Bebe are just fine. Here…” He paused, pulling his wallet out of his pocket and handing a 20 dollar bill to Mikhael. “Why don’t you buy her that cake?”

A wide, smarmy grin spread across Mikhael’s face as he took the money from Hero’s hands. “Sucker,” he muttered with a laugh before flagging down their waiter to order two pieces of chocolate cake.

Hero sighed. He supposed it was to be expected. It was Mikhael after all.

Before anyone could say anything more, however, Brandi and Bebe returned from the bathroom, and Brandi let out a heavy sigh and said, “Look Mikhael, I’m sorry if I came off a little too harsh. I’d like us to get along for the rest of the night.”

Mikhael’s eyes widened in surprise for just a moment, but he laughed and shrugged it off, “I guess, I, the Maverick, can accept your apology.”

Rolling her eyes again, Brandi sighed, but she turned her attention to her food. Hero stopped and smiled at her. She was so bold, so honest. The truth was, he admired that in her—he had learned that tonight.

He had also learned that Mikhael was full of surprises, and it turned out he had one more up his sleeve. When the two chocolate cakes he had ordered arrived, he gave one to Bebe, of course, but the other he gave to Brandi. Mikhael turned to Hero with an almost imperceptible wink as he handed the cake to a very perplexed Brandi and said, “Yours is from Hero.”

*-*-*

As they walked home that evening, Hero and Brandi hung back letting Mikhael and Bebe walk ahead of them, holding hands and laughing together about who knows what. Hero couldn’t help but smile at them. It was nice to see them so happy.

“Mission failed,” huffed Brandi sarcastically, but her mouth twitched in the corners. “Back to the drawing board I guess.”

“I don’t know…Mikhael’s a nice kid, and Bebe seems happy.”

Brandi sighed, playfully poking him in the arm. “What in the world happened when we went to the bathroom? You’re on ‘Team Mikhael’ now?”  

“I thought you were on ‘Team Mikhael’ now,” teased Hero. “You did apologize to him. That was really nice of you.”

“Yeah well, after Bebe told me off for being mean, I thought I should probably try to be a little nicer. I’ve been told I’m pretty intimidating.” She laughed—shrugging it off. “I’d say I’m sorry for taking you out for nothing, but you actually seemed to have a good time tonight.”

“I did,” Hero admitted with a slight smile. “It was really nice. I’m glad you invited me.”

“Yeah, me too. It was nice to see you enjoy yourself again. It’s…been a while.” As Brandi’s voice faded, she shrugged her shoulders. The expression on her face softened. “I know we weren’t really close friends back then, but…I do remember what you were like—back when you were happy. I kind of miss it.”

Hero stared down at the pavement, and his shuffling feet before he mumbled, “Me too.” His face flushed. He hadn’t meant to say that. Brandi, however, didn’t seem to mind.

“Well…you know, if you do decide you ever want to put yourself back out there, you are going to make somebody really, really happy.” As Brandi smiled, Hero’s face grew warm, and he turned away from her. “Even though Mikhael was there, this is still one of the best dates I’ve ever been on. You’re sweet, attentive, a great listener, and you bought me flowers and cake. You’re a good one, Hero.”

“I don’t know about that,” Hero chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. “But I…uh…I did have a really good time tonight. You’re really great, Brandi.”

“Aww…” she teased before patting his cheek. “You don’t have to flatter me.”

“It’s…it’s not flattery. It’s just…I…want to thank you. I…uh…haven’t been on a date in a really long time, and this was really nice.” Though his face flushed, he somehow managed to meet her eyes. “Even if it wasn’t real.”

He turned away and bit his lip again—unable to face that look of confusion in Brandi’s expression.

“Did you…want it to be?” she asked, with as much bold bluntness as he would’ve expected from her.

“I…I…” he choked, the words getting caught in the back of his throat as his twisting hands began to shake. He thought he should try his best to be honest—to be bold like her. “I don’t know,” he admitted, but hurriedly added. “I’m sorry…is that okay?”

Brandi chuckled, but she smiled at him. “Yeah…that’s just fine, Hero. Tell you what…for now, how about we say, some of it was real.”

As her warm eyes met his, Hero felt a real, genuine tugging at his mouth and something warm fluttering in his chest, and Brandi leaned forward and lightly kissed his cheek with a kind, “Thank you, Hero. For everything.”

Then, she ran up ahead and grabbed Bebe right before Mikhael could kiss her and ran into the house. Mikhael started huffing about having had his chance at a goodnight kiss so rudely stolen away, but Hero didn’t even notice. He just stood there, frozen on the sidewalk, gently reaching up to pat his blushing cheek where Brandi had kissed it.

“Some of it was real…” she had said. Hero wasn’t sure what part of it was real and which part wasn’t. If he was being honest, he wasn’t sure he was even ready to even begin to decipher it. But for now, he knew that some of it was real—that he had a wonderful night and that for the first time in a very long time, he felt like he could, maybe, just maybe, be happy again someday. And for now, that was more than enough.

[veny-many]

Related work :

"You should not move your arm for now, sir."

Wolffe dryly said while examining Kel-Dor's right arm. In collection, it was his General's now mechanical arm that Wolffe was checking. The copula of skin and metal site were dirty with blood and fever, but Plo not even moaned or made sound when Wolffe cleaned blood and pus, and applied a bacta patch.

"Your copula site is infected, this is far more bad than we expected."

'It is not surprising either, considering we needed illegal surgery to avoid Empire's search.'

When he heard the soft yet rumbling voice directly in his head, Wolffe's face didn't soften, only hardened by worry and anger. The anger even Wolffe didn't know where they were from, what they were for. He was exhausted. From the long journey of running underworld, fighting your brothers and whole Empire, and keep lying for everything, and wandering around the world that Wolffe was never able to experience before the end of the war. They were many new dangers everywhere, so many lies and darkness, and Wolffe needed to protect his General, no matter what happened and will happen to them. He needed to be sharp, sensitive and brave to endure all those harsh outside world. But, it was always a difficult mission to him. Even his Jedi General seemed to be more aware of the rules and cruelty of the outer world. He always saved Wolffe when his in problem.

Like before, the time when they were fighting in warfare together.

It never changed. Even after his General now injured and hurt from burnt in his skin, the pain and infection in his lost arm, and loss of his voice. Even the fact that Wolffe and his brothers were the reason now Plo is suffering.

Wolffe never felt this powerless. It felt like the Malevolence, the Khorm again.

And it made Wolffe angry. He was ashamed of this. Because it was not Plo's fault, yet it was him who was enduring when Wolffe broke down. Like that morning.

"I will go to town for myself this time. You will stay here."

Wolffe gathered his package while he ordered his friend in a low voice. Kel-Dor signed behind him, and Wolffe definitely felt more uncomfortable to hear that.

'I do not doubt about your strength and bravery, but I'm afraid that I have bad feelings about letting you go alone for today.'

And Wolffe knew that his General's concern was always collected, due to their Force ability shit or something. He knew that Plo was just worried.

"General, I and trained man. And I know about how to protect myself. It would be harder if there's more injured I need to protect."

After realizing his outburst, Wolffe quickly turned his head to door, opposite of Plo, with much shame and shock from his word.

He would never, ever feel uncomfortable for taking care of his General. He would gladly die, or die trying to save his Jedi. The Jedi who always treated clones as a sentient, a friend, a brave trooper. The Jedi who gladly accepted the place as the leader of the pack, and took the symbol of the wolf. Who fought by their side, healed their wounds and traumas, and remained by their side when they marched away. Who took many blasts and dangers to protect his troopers, always jumped to battle first, and left as the last.

He never deserved this.

He never deserved anything from this.

When Wolffe was about to quickly leave, another word rumbled through his head.

'Be careful, Wolffe.'

Plo never deserved this.

He didn't deserve Wolffe.

Who was just coward, who just watched helplessly in the pod when his brothers and General fought for him in the dard space void, who cried in pain through his eye and desperately cringing in his General's arm, who was not strong enough to fight back the sith twice, who couldn't fought the Order before attacking his General, who never admitted his helplessness and fear and turned them to anger, and always get in General's way and needed his help.

And yet, Plo always kind to him. Always tried to understand him, and wanted to help him for everything.

Wolffe felt like he was a burden. Which was funny, considering that he was the one who saved and patched his General. Maybe that wasn't enough. Wasn't enough to be by side of Plo Koon. To be his friend, his pack, his...

Wolffe shaked his head hard. There was no time for being sentimental. He needed to gather more medical supplies from markets. Plo's wound needed more treatment, and the saved supplies were running out. He couldn't fail this time. He needed to be strong and smart. For his General's sake.

Wolffe didn't come back to their hideout even after the sun went down to the ground.

Plo Koon was very worried. Worried about where Wolffe was, and what he was doing, or what happened to him. Wolffe was a man of the word, he was never late to come back to their place before the sunset. Which meant probably something that Plo always feared had happened to his friend.

Wolffe was a tough man, smart and brave, but never was a good liar and negotiator. He was dragged so many troubles in life as a civilian, and even almost dragged to danger of crimes, including murder and abduction. And yet Wolffe always wanted his General to be behind his back to ensure Plo's safety.

Wolffe always said that Plo's life and safety were the priority. That he would help his General's search and find remaining Jedis. But he was wrong.

In deepest place in Plo's mind, he knew that he would never find any survivors that easily. He doubted how many survivors were even there in galaxy. Plo was saved by the suffering of his Commander, who still had trauma from the Khorm in his eye and head. His survival was the twisted miracle made by tragedy and fondness.

Plo knew that he had no purpose after the fall of the order. Jedi had failed, his family had died, even his niece... He tried to stop her, stop her from reckless and dangerous last mission, through their last remaining bond. But she was stubborn like she always was, and also brave and honored Jedi Knight, who never backed away from what is right thing. When their bond broke for the last time, the shock had knocked down Plo in the middle of the road, which made Wolffe full panic.

After all the grief and mourning, when Plo finally managed to gather his strength to move, he watched Wolffe silently patching his wound, and finally realized.

He was never alone. He still had one purpose. At least he could find one precious priority for now.

Wolffe never managed to experience the world outside the war. The cruelty and the beauty of the galaxy, without the army, and the orders. He still could see all the new world outside. He could live to see them all.

And Plo wanted to help him to live in the world outside from the order. To protect him from the cruelty of the space. And make him experience many joy and freedom. The normal life.

Wolffe deserved it, like all other sentients do. Like all those troopers who marched away did.

And Plo would make sure at least Wolffe will get what he deserved. Because they were Pack. They offered him their space and color.

'Until the war ends.' Wolffe said when he gave Plo the vambraces painted in gray Wolfpack symbol. They're bond were for the war. The war tried to tear and break them. So they sworn to this symbol that they would protect each other as the Pack through the war. And when the war finally ends, they will go back to their home.

Now, their home were gone, and war never ended, not for them. Plo and Wolffe were still fighting in war. For survival, from the Empire, in the nightmare, they always fought together.

And Plo were determined to protect Wolffe from the war. He war not able to do that in the wartime, because they never wanted to run away from fighting for innocent. But for now, they were at least free. Wolffe didn't need to be stay sharp, to push himself off limit. Plo wanted Wolffe to be more honest to his mind and emotions, but it appeared that nothing in this galaxy had an easy road to success.

Plo checked his arm one more time. The bleeding had stopped, but the aching pain never stopped. His body felt like burning, and his breath made his throat hurt every time he breathed.

But something told him to move out.

The Force was telling him to move out. To find him. To help him.

Outside the door, the weather was dark, and tick clouds were gathering above the town. It felt like warning. Like preparing something strong.

Feeling the Force which remained in silence now shifted in air, Plo hurried his steps toward the town.

Considering his experience from his history as a seeker, it would be the hard search for his friend.

[luke-hughes43]

does gabe and kels have a conversation about her injury more once they see each other again.. because i can see gabe still being frustrated

definitely.

gabe is very very upset that she kept it from him. he would've understood that she wanted to compete through it, he's played through injuries that he probably shouldn't have before too. but he still wanted to know. that wa he could've supported her through it.

it's one of the few times that gabe's voice was raised towards kelsey. after he gets his point he softly says, "i'm sorry for raising my voice kels. it's just i love you and hate seeing you in pain. i get competeing while your hurt, i do but that doesn't mean i don't deserve to know. i could've helped you through it rather than being in the dark. just tell me next time you plan to compete through an injury."

"i will gabe. i'm sorry." he says softly and hugs him.

lots of cuddles that night. gabe did feel like a dick for raising his voice towards kelsey.

[asinkingfeelingao3]

Okay, to start this off, I want to say that the Omori orchestra concert livestream was absolutely amazing, and it was so cool seeing so many talented musicians coming together to really give the music from Omori the respect it deserves. However, I have one complaint about the whole thing.

There is no way these instrument choices are right!!! I mean sure Sunny playing violin and Mari playing piano is specifically canon, but Aubrey playing the double bass??? Hero and Kel on percussion??? Basil on flute is on thin ice for me. I already have headcanons for what instrument each member of the gang would play, and I'm planning on writing a fic some day about them putting together a chamber ensemble a few years after the events of the game, so this art drives me crazy! I just don't buy it.

Although, in hindsight, these are clearly the DW versions of them. My headcanon is for the RW versions, which are definitely very different. Hmmmmmmm

[augustusaugustus]

13.62 Short, Sharp, Shock

Bloody hell is Russell Boulter good in this one. Yet again, John has grown fond of/loyal to someone who doesn’t deserve it, and yet again he ends up feeling personally betrayed when he finds out what they’re like. Kel wrote John/David back in the day, and you could definitely look at it from that perspective (although it’s a strong Rod/John ep for me), but IMO the key is that David is another person that John thought was one of the good guys, but who turns out not to be, and this episode is so good at showing the difference between the noise and fire of John’s anger at crime and the ills of society and the still, cold quiet of his anger and hurt when it gets personal. The desolation in his face at the end. Russell couldn’t have done a better job.

(And Rod just there quietly in the background, confused by John’s actions and not agreeing with them, but letting him have what he obviously needs.)

[lilac-udon]

romance blue print for this au, it’s really fiction

I never think this through

sunny -> basil-yes in love but stupid, definitely like basil accompany bc he is lonely but deny most feelings towards him, at first it’s bc he thinks basil is human, then the I’m just the worst person I caused death. Both of them are mentally ill so they never communicate their affection because reason

Later part he give up whatever they are and just go with basil , he knows he likes him and basil seem like happy to follow whatever sunny desire, he is indecisive because of mari, which later he felt better w basil which caused conflict in his mind

basil->sunny- obsessed with the idea of death, but also slowly got attached of the changes of someone can and only ever be aside without leaving or dying before him, he would followed whatever ppl wants, a bit of unaware selfish tendencies shows when he wants sunny attention to himself , same as sunny, unspoken rules but very comfortable getting comfy with him , actually really stressed out getting actual indication of others loving him

Kel -> basil- in love with basil. He idealizes starting a family or being with someone because of loneliness, and how his father and mother relationship. Problems is not knowing basil enough, and basil intentionally hiding info about himself form kel because don’t want to hurt him or think they will keep this way and kel passion will fade . They are really nice to each other . Kel just always thought he love basil and whatever happened he just wanted basil happiness (so if sunny and basil became a thing, good for them) it actually goes more and more neutral till the day he got heartbroken

I got tired and this make no sense

Omori ->basil-not much opinion, good food and interesting, noting beyond that, also not letting sunny be with basil is what sunny deserves

Omori->sunny- (middle finger if he could) think sunny a cat and too indecisive, don’t really want to care about him but they sadly share a body, actually still listen to sunny wishes, even though he won’t admit, really rough ways but he is the one trying to take care of sunny , he is very hungry

Basil ->omori- the more straightforward person that is alike sunny, acts more childish, wants to take care

Sunny->omori- who ? to, other me please help me , acceptance, try to make Omori less aggressive, but like how

Kel-> sunny- respectful and sorry for him, best friend, actually someone who understands him, and plays with him sometimes(kel -wow i thought I was childish, never know your too) deep bond

Aubrey-> sunny- respectful (not saying, and just a bit fan girl, just a tiny bit) sunny and Aubrey is more like study group or teacher student for my blue prints, yet to be finished

Sunny->Aubrey- really pretty person but I felt like she hate me, worried about her, try to warn her

Kel-> Aubrey- friend, got tempter but funny and nice to talk to, sometimes wisdom sometimes just fooling around, helping her with her stuff

Aubrey->kel - stupid wolf boy, actually good companion but won’t admit, hope him have a better future them her

Basil-> Aubrey- jealous, if I’m a woman would sunny like me more , a little scared of her because she always seems angry towards him

Aubrey-> Basil- jealous, you will never die , why can’t I be like you , also other complicated emotion (? yet to be finished

Hero-> kel- deeply sorry but don’t know how to fix their relationship after he been avoiding the problem, busy doing other stuff to occupy his goalless life, he isn’t really trying to fix it because he’s really busy, everything in his life seems perfect besides himself and the incident he hurts kel

Kel -> hero- it hurts a bit but get a life on his own, happy to see his bother succeed, feel like he needs to be happy about his current life but has difficulty to communicate with hero, he knows but he doesn’t know how to

hero-> mari-admired/ also a lot of emotion I don’t want to talk about bc spoilers and I felt people would just get the wrong idea, yet to finish

Mari -> hero- the same ,yet to reveal

Mari-> sunny- complicated ,yet to reveal

The blueprint element will be: protective, plan B

[caitvoodoo]

https://x.com/vicster220/status/1949573469357986071?s=46&t=13kjyPH3ij7EAso_fCFBxw

No offence but a lot of the online fanbase are sheep so it's no surprise that this mindset has spread like wildfire, especially with the recency bias of km playing well and scoring a lot recently.

I've never hated on or even constructively criticized any of the teammates on the tl cause I just don't feel that strongly to. But I enjoyed temi, kels and dd on and off the court last year so I tend to show them love. At the end of the day tho, I watch the fever to see caitlin ball. Not to support women's sports or grow the wnba, but for the entertainment of seeing a generational talent do special things. And if I'm not entertained while she's not playing, I'll probably not watch and that's not some huge rebellious statement

It's weird that ppl like in the video this tweet is responding to are being treated like fake fans over a funny little tiktok, and not casual sports fans that want to see caitlin clark ball out, which is what they most likely are. Did they claim to be fever fans? All of a sudden there's stipulations around wanting to see cc play or support her, like having to be just as enthusiastic about everyone else on the team because 'they deserve it.

It's one thing discouraging overblown hate or disrespect towards her teammates but this whole movement has quickly become about enforcing the fever's marketing strategy of uplifting 'the big three' equally (which the media team and admin don’t even do themselves).

And yeah I think some of it definitely comes from the fever forcefully co-opting her fandom this year. ‘Every game is a home game’. Or caitlin clark has a lot of fans across the world but wth sure. Co-opt as much as you like but simultaneously hiding her pictures to force attention elsewhere or downplaying her relative to the other big 2/3 is just weird.

this entire thing 👏🏽