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itsokbbygrl · 5 months

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Old Dogs and New Tricks

Summary: Sarah Miller has always loved her dad, maybe especially today. Years of long days at work and longer nights taking classes and studying have lead to this--his college graduation day. When the Miller family is interrupted during their impromptu picture time, Sarah thinks there might be one more person who could love her dad, too.

Word Count: 3k, one-shot

Rating: T (some swearing)

Pairing: Joel Miller x F!Reader/OFC

Tags: FLUFF, TOOTH ROTTING FLUFF, BRUSH YOUR TEETH AND FLOSS AFTER THIS ONE!!!, mild swearing, Sarah Miller POV, briefly Joel Miller POV, likely some University of Texas at Austin graduation inaccuracies, adult learner gets his diploma yay, Uncle Tommy is an A+ wingman, almost zero description of reader aside from having hair long enough to tuck behind an ear, wearing a dress, and having a shimmering laugh, but Joel and Sarah both refer to reader as a woman and use she/her pronouns, no y/n, no 2nd person perspective, reader/OFC has an unspecified family outside of 1 sister

A/N: Helloooooooooo this is the first thing I've ever published here holy shiiiiiiit. I was scrolling on Pinterest for interior design inspo and came across this adorable photo and immediately went, "omg Joel and Sarah core."

So naturally, I had to write it and set it in the HBO TLOU timeline. Sarah is 10 and we're going to suspend our disbelief about the technology of the year 2000 a little bit okay??? Digital cameras were not that good and very expensive and most people still did not have cell phones, but THE MILLERS DO OK. Anyway without further ado, I give you that (not so) old man doing something adorable. I hope you like it! My DMs and inbox are always open (yes I lovingly refer to you all as my little chickens, come say hi to me!). Reblogs and comments are appreciated per usual. 💖 Banner and title card made by me with the help of Canva :)

Sarah loves a lot of things about her life–her soccer team, her fourth grade teacher, all of the friends she’s made in her 10 years of life–but if you asked her what she loved most of all, she would say her family, hands down. Her family is small–just she, her dad, and her uncle Tommy–but their love for each other is anything but. It’s been the three of them her whole life and she’s never felt like there were any missing pieces, until one fateful Saturday in May.

Sarah has spent nearly her entire life being told how proud her dad is of her, but today is a day Sarah is determined to show her dad how proud she is of him. She knows he tries to hide how stressed he’s been the last few years, how tired, but she’s a smart girl and she, to her dad’s chagrin, notices everything. Sarah almost can’t contain her excitement for her dad as her uncle Tommy parks his truck in the vast expanse of the University of Texas at Austin’s football stadium parking lot. She hops out of the backseat and slams the door like Tommy taught her to make sure it closes all the way on its rusty old hinges, and then bends at her waist to brush any pesky wrinkles from her dress. She wanted to look extra nice for today, trying to tame her thick, curly hair by tying it back in a low bun and fashioning her favorite flower pin on the side, donning her favorite sundress and the sandals her grandma said were nice enough for Sunday church. If they were nice enough for grandma’s church, they were definitely nice enough for her dad’s graduation, she figured.

Sarah finds Tommy around the front of the truck as he’s pulling their entry tickets from his wallet. “Here you go, kiddo,” he says, extending a ticket to her with a smile. She replies her thanks before following him towards the imposing stadium ahead. Tommy helps lead them through the crowd, consistently checking to make sure she’s still near, Sarah offering him a smile each time she catches him looking. Their seats are up high, in the top third of the stadium bleachers. Sarah thinks she hears Tommy mutter something about only getting good seats if you donate a bunch of money under his breath, but she isn’t sure what exactly he means, so she ignores it.

“Do you know where dad’s going to be?” Sarah asks her uncle. She wants to know where to look, doesn’t want to miss a minute of this, and she’s dubbed herself unofficial photographer for the day, so she wants to make sure she knows where to point the camera at all times.

“Not yet, honey. We’ll keep our ears open, they usually announce each college as they come in, so we’ll know when to look for your dad,” Tommy reasons.

“Good plan,” Sarah nods in return, eyes focusing back on the field ahead.

Once it appears the seats have nearly filled, Sarah checks her trusty watch and sees the time has just passed 2:00, the scheduled start time for today’s ceremony. As if she triggered it herself, her head perks up as the sound of brass instruments rings out through the stadium, signaling the start of the ceremony. She watches the entrance of students intently, hoping to catch a glimpse of her dad.

Sarah turns in her seat and asks, “Uncle Tommy, can I have the camera, please?”

Tommy fishes in his pocket and pulls out the requested camera, placing it in Sarah’s open palm. “Yup, got it right here. You gonna be on photography duty today?” Tommy chuckles as he watches Sarah’s brows pull together just like her dad’s as she fiddles with the buttons on the camera until the settings are to her liking.

“You bet,” Sarah answers, poking her tongue between her teeth as she looks down at the small digital viewfinder. “Can’t see anything, gonna use the zoom and see if I can see any better through the screen.”

Tommy lets out a low whistle, “Smarty pants over here, did we forget your cap and gown? Shouldn’t you be down there?” He jokes and pokes her in the ribs to make her giggle.

“Uncle Tommy! Stop!” She laughs. “I’m trying to focus!”

“Alright, alright, kiddo. I’ll let you focus. Let me know if you find him.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Sarah salutes in return, earning a chuckle out of her uncle.

The McComb School of Business is announced and Sarah sits up a little straighter, refocusing her efforts to capture every important moment. She squints against the afternoon sun, determined to find her dad amongst the long line of pending graduates.

“There!” she points and Tommy follows her finger, trying to find what she’s seeing. “See his hat? I told him he needed to put something on it so we could find him and he told me to go wild, so I did. I knew that orange glitter glue would come in handy.”

Tommy spots him then, laughing when Sarah shows him the picture she’s snapped on the little screen, Joel’s graduation cap adorned with orange glitter glue that reads, “This old dog learned new tricks,” accompanied by two clip art dogs pasted on opposite corners.

“D’you come up with that all on your own, smarty pants?” Tommy asks her.

“Sure did,” Sarah chuffs. “Dad always says, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” when he doesn’t want to learn stuff like the camera or the computer, so I thought it would be funny,” she finishes with a shrug. Tommy silently laughs, his shoulders gently shaking, and Sarah smiles to herself.

If there’s one thing Sarah will take away from this day it’s that graduation ceremonies are long and boring. There are about two minutes where she focuses intently as her dad’s row rises to make their way up to the stage. She diligently keeps the camera pointed his way, snapping pictures every so often. As he prepares to take the stage, she and Tommy stand from their seats.

“Joel Alejandro Miller,” the announcer reads. Sarah and Tommy whoop and cheer as Joel crosses the stage, Sarah keeping the camera trained on her dad, making sure to press the shutter a few times as he shakes hands with the chancellor and receives his diploma. The rest of the ceremony goes by relatively uneventfully, until the graduates are instructed to stand and change their tassels from right to left. There’s a murmur through the audience and then the students erupt in a spirited rendition of, “The Eyes of Texas.” Sarah smiles as she watches the new graduates laugh and sing, throwing arms around friends and pointing to the sky. Once the song ends, the graduates then whoop and throw their caps into the air, and Sarah raises the camera once more to snap a couple final pictures.

The crowd starts to dissipate, attendees making their way towards the exits to find their respective graduates. Sarah looks over the railing of the ramp as she and Tommy work their way down from their seats and watches as the mass of bodies move through the corridor, thinking about how they resemble a school of fish, almost liquid in the way they shift to accommodate obstacles in the hall.

After a few minutes of shuffling, she and Tommy find the exit out of the stadium, heading towards the spot they designated to meet Joel after the ceremony. Sarah spots him first, poking Tommy in the arm and pointing his way. Tommy nods in acknowledgement, giving her the okay to head over. She looks both ways to make sure the coast is clear before breaking out in a jog.

“Dad!” she calls, waving her arms to get Joel’s attention. His natural scowl drops the minute he sees her, face breaking out into a wide grin, and opens his arms as she rushes forward. Sarah meets him with force, earning a quiet, “Oof,” from her dad as she wraps her arms around his middle and hugs him tight.

“You did it! I’m so proud of you!” Sarah tells him, not letting go, but tipping her head back to look him in the eyes. If she notices the extra glimmer along his waterline, she doesn’t say anything. He pulls her in tighter, giving her small shoulders a squeeze, and Sarah feels the deep rumble of his laughter in her cheek.

“Thanks, babygirl. I’m so glad you came,” Joel tells her, rubbing up and down her back before letting her go from his embrace.

“Hey old man, proud of you brother,” Tommy greets Joel with a smile and a hug, the brothers exchanging firm pats on the back before separating. Joel gives him a half smile and thanks him for coming and for bringing Sarah.

Sarah steps back from their little group and realizes her dad has already taken off his cap and gown, and that just won’t do.

“Dad, where’s your hat and robe?” Sarah chides, putting her hands on her hips and giving him a serious look.

“It was hot, so I took them off,” Joel answers.

“Well, put them back on! We need to get pictures!” Sarah iterates, raising the camera in front of her dad’s face and giving it a shake.

Joel sighs, but relents. “Alright, alright, gimme a second, kiddo, then you can play photographer.” They find an open spot on the lawn and Sarah powers up the camera again, using the viewfinder to ensure the shot is lined up just right.

“Ok, 1, 2, 3…say, “Hook ‘em!”” Sarah says.

Joel smiles and entertains his daughter’s request. “Hook ‘em!” he says, smiling for the camera.

“Ok, this one, hold up your diploma,” Sarah requests and Joel again complies. “Can we do one more?” Sarah asks.

Joel gives her a nod, “Sure thing, honey.”

“Ok, this one, do the Hook ‘Em horns,” Sarah says and she does the gesture with her own small hand. Joel mimics his daughter and smiles for the camera as she snaps the picture. She pulls up the recent shots and turns the camera towards her dad to review them together, unaware that they’ve been watched for the last few minutes.

“Excuse me,” a soft voice interrupts Sarah and Joel from their scrolling and they look up to find a new member has joined their party.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt, I just saw your daughter taking pictures and I thought y’all might want a few together?” Wow, pretty, Sarah thinks as she assesses the stranger.

Joel clears his throat and Sarah turns her head to see her dad’s cheeks have flushed a new shade of pink as he stammers out a, “That’s awful kind of you, darlin’. Thanks for offerin’, we’d love that.” Sarah’s mouth ticks up into a smirk, the dimple she shares with her dad crescenting her cheek. She turns to Tommy and they share a knowing look.

“Thank you, ma’am. You just press this button here,” Sarah hands over the camera and shows the pretty stranger how to operate it.

“Got it, thanks, sweetie,” she replies before bringing the camera’s viewfinder up to her eye and lining up the duo. “Ok, big smiles,” she says and clicks the shutter. She smiles and moves the camera away from her face for a moment to direct, “How about we get one with both of you showing us your best “Hook ‘Em” next,” before once again snapping the photo. “Alright, let’s do one more. Gimme your best silly faces!” and she lets out a shimmering laugh as she presses the shutter a final time.

“Perfect,” she says to the small family, smiling and handing the camera to Joel, their fingers brushing briefly as the camera exchanges hands before both of their eyes lift to meet. Tension lingers only for a moment at the contact before they both let out breathy chuckles. The stranger lifts her hand and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Joel’s gaze following the motion, Sarah’s gaze locked on her father.

“This was real kind of you, darlin’. Thanks again for helping us out,” Joel says, trying to extend the moment just a little longer.

“Oh, it was nothin’. My pleasure, really,” she replies in kind, waving him off, her gaze dropping shyly to the ground. “Well,” she continues, bringing her gaze back to Joel’s, “I better head back or my sister,” she turns her torso and gestures to where her party is standing and carrying on conversation, “will never let me hear the end of it, how I deserted her on her own graduation day after she spent torturous hours sitting through mine a few years back,” She chuckles softly and clasps her hands in front of her, kicking out one foot and cocking her hip slightly to the side.

“Alright, s'pose we better let you get on back then,” Joel replies. Sarah catches a sadness in her dad’s eyes at their pretty stranger’s words. “Thanks again…I know, I know, I’ll stop,” he laughs when she gives him a stink eye at his persistent gratitude. “Have fun with your family. And pass on our congrats to your sister.”

“I will,” she nods before taking a visible breath and waving goodbyes to the three Millers. She turns and heads back towards her own family. Sarah watches her dad watch her the entire time she goes, turning to Tommy and sharing an unspoken conversation before Tommy breaks the silence.

“Alright, brother, why don’t you say hi to your fancy college buddies before we head out. I’ll entertain the sprout for a few minutes. Then we can head out for ice cream,” Tommy says, pulling Sarah into his arms and giving her a soft noogie while she cringes good naturedly.

“Uncle Tommy! Stop, you’re going to mess up my hair!” Sarah complains. Tommy relents and Joel eyes the pair suspiciously, but ultimately agrees. He gives the camera back to Sarah for safekeeping, and she dramatically tells him she’ll protect it with her life. He laughs before leaving the pair on the lawn to find a few of his classmates and professors.

Once he’s out of eye and earshot, Sarah and Tommy form a quick plan and spring into action.

It’s getting late, the sun set, the evening sky dark and air heavy with the remaining heat and moisture from the day. Joel is sat in his makeshift home office at his messy desk, camera in hand, flipping through the pictures Sarah took earlier in the day. She got some pretty good shots, rolling his eyes and shaking his head fondly when he realizes how gaudy his cap looked from the crowd.

He gets to the pictures of he and Sarah together and smiles, loving how happy his little girl looks, how proud she clearly is of him, how much fun they have together. He tries and fails not to think of the beautiful woman who took those pictures earlier, of the jolt of electricity that zipped up his arm and ran through his heart when their fingers touched, and he especially tries not to think about how he never managed to get her name.

Just when he thinks he’s gotten to the end, the silly faces he and Sarah made only hours ago staring back at him through the small camera screen, he notices the number in the upper righthand corner. 24/25. There’s one more. He flips to it curiously, finding a special face looking back at him. A wide toothy smile, hair still tucked behind one ear, gorgeous little sundress that should have been illegal to wear out in public, and…holding a piece of paper? There’s something written on there and Joel desperately wants to know what it says, but for the life of him, he can’t remember how Sarah told him to work the goddamn zoom.

He flips to the picture before, of him and Sarah making silly faces, swallows his pride and prepares himself for the shit he knows he’s about to get from his daughter before bellowing out, “Sarah! Babygirl, can you come here, please? Need you to help me with the camera!”

Sarah bounds into the room, sly grin already plastered on her face. Joel holds out the camera and asks, “How do you work the zoom on this thing again?”

Sarah walks over to her dad and points out the buttons he needs to use. “These right here, the plus sign zooms in, the minus sign zooms out, and you use these,” she moves her finger down to the directional arrow buttons that form a small circle on the lower right side of the camera, “to move the picture around when you’re zoomed in. Make sense?”

“Clear as mud,” Joel replies, giving the buttons a try to make sure he has it before dismissing his daughter, thanking her for her help, and thinks he hears her mutter something about old dogs and new tricks as she leaves the room.

Joel turns his head to make sure Sarah isn’t hanging around before flipping back to the last picture on the digital version of a camera roll. He does as Sarah instructed, presses the plus button until the picture is zoomed in enough that he can read the paper being held up to the camera. No fucking way. He blinks, squints, rubs his eyes, and looks again, but his eyes did not deceive him. Written on the paper in a looping scrawl is undeniably a phone number. Joel leans back in his chair and brings his hand up to his mouth before pulling it down and resting on his lap. He stares at the screen for a moment in disbelief before letting out a low chuckle. He looks away from the screen and over towards the office entrance again, thinking about Tommy and Sarah and their insistence to hang back and let Joel congratulate his classmates and thank his professors.

“Son of a bitch,” Joel murmurs to himself. He shakes his head and looks back at the screen. He holds his gaze there for a minute, then one more, before he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cell phone, punching in the number and hitting the green call button before he loses his nerve.

The line rings once, twice, three times, and Joel thinks maybe this was a mistake, calling a relative stranger after a brief (at most) meeting, but then the ringing stops and a newly familiar voice answers with a soft, “Hello?”

Joel smiles as his anxieties drift away, “Hey, darlin’. Nice to hear your voice again.”

END

Tagging some friends who might be interested: @5oh5 @javierpena-inatacvest @swiftispunk @sawymredfox

#holy shit i actually posted something #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #the last of us au #pre outbreak!joel #LJ writes #IT'S A TAG IT'S OFFICIAL

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cairavende · 3 months

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Worm Arc 18 thoughts:

Well that sure just happened

I'm fine

Noelle ate my daughter. But I'm fine. It's fine.

Her girlfriends are gonna save her!

I'm fiiiiine

Anyway, that's like, the end of the arc so there's a lot of other stuff that happens!

Taylor casually drops that she's mostly blind in conversation and Brian kinda freaks out. Understandably.

She got eye drops that she is supposed to be doing but never mentions doing them. I'm very disappointed in her. I'm also worried her eyes aren't going to ever get better.

I do love that the moment Dinah says she only has a 58% chance of going home and Taylor realizes it's because of her, she forces the situation by taking Dinah home right away. She is far from perfect, but she does have her moments.

RACHEL LET DINAH PET HER DOG!!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! LOOK AT THE GROWTH!!

One of my favorite lines, when Taylor asks Dinah the chance of trouble before they go into the medical clinic "When there's trouble, it's you. Eighty percent of the time." Just, kinda embodies the spirit of Worm I think.

I'm still fine.

Taylor sure thinks about Rachel as Rachel a lot now, instead of mostly as Bitch. GAAAAAY.

I really want to know what's on those papers Dinah left for Taylor. Triumph saw them but didn't seem to react. One might have been a message for him, since Dinah would know he would see it. Something that will come into play later maybe.

I love Parian making a giant wiener dog for everyone to ride on. Like, it is a definite upgrade in transportation from "door with glass stuck in it dragged down the street" but it doesn't have much of a supervillain vibe to it.

Noelle just starts it off with grabbing possibly the strongest cape available in Brockton Bay. At a minimum, one of the most versatile to clone. No big deal. Not like even just normal Vista could become very dangerous if she wanted to be evil.

Freaking PRT all "this is a Class A instead of a Class S cause Eidolon is a big man baby and needs to punch something all on his own to prove he's strong". Sure are helping people Alexandria. Good job. What a hero.

I think Eidolon is Bargain Bin Scion. Scion Lite. Blue Light Special Scion. A shitty version of Scion created by Cauldron basically.

Clockblocker is so fucking fascinated with Skitter it's amazing.

Tattletale made Eidolon maaaaaad! I love her.

I'm perfectly fine.

The scene with meeting the Chicago Wards, oh god I loved it so much! Skitter tells Bitch to clear the plywood out of a window and she just instantly fucking kicks it open, then a giant swarm comes in and swirls around everyone and covers Skitter, making her hair move and trailing bugs behind her like a gown, and then starts speaking with the swarm. And Tattletale waits until the perfect moment before asking the Wards their names and powers, very clearly backing Skitter up as her 2nd. Just such a "ok I was playing nice but now I need you to know who you are working with!" power move. Fucking amazing. Also it was Skitter being assisted by Bitch and Tattletale! GAAAAAAAAAAAY!! LESBIAN SUPERVILLAIN POWER POLYCULE!

I think Grace has neat powers but could have been more creative with her name. I fucking love Tecton though, assume tinker. Dude has got to love fights like this, where he is allowed to do all the property damage he wants. He'd make a good villain.

The other two are kinda neat too but they didn't last very long.

Every time they are going anywhere Bitch specifically offers Skitter a ride. GAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!

I love seeing the range of power adjustments the clone Vistas get. Some are pretty basic - can do stuff from farther away or not be slowed down if a lot of people are around - but then we get ones like Paper Mario Vista and Imagine Dragons Vista, with much more wild powers.

Everyone stand back while Eidolon goes and shows us all how strong he is! God.

I'm 100% FINE.

Side effect of being blinded probably, but it is neat how good Taylor is getting at listening, and sometimes even seeing, through her bugs! Just listening in on Eidolon and Noelle from blocks away.

Imp almost gets crushed to death by Eidolon's gravity power cause she ignores warnings from Skitter to run. Sounds about right.

Noelle making rat clones and bug clones (that Skitter can't control) is fun.

Fucking projectile vomit attack suddenly! Did Noelle absorb the girl from the Exorcist??

Texas Wards kinda getting their ass kicked. (Also what the hell is going on in Texas that the whole state apparently just has the one Wards team, vs most places have a Ward team per city?)

Fight is going kinda poorly. Travelers show up to help! And then Trickster betrays everyone to feed my daughter to Noelle! AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm fine.

The Most Powerful Man in the World Interlude thoughts:

Scion just really is empty in there isn't he?

Not a person, just a construct of the entities in 3 dimensional space. Sphere moving through Flatland and being seen as a circle style. No mind, just does what this guy tells him.

Duke is a very good dog.

Kevin talking about Scion 100% sounds like someone talking about a lover that has been lots of trouble for them but that they just can't quite.

Lisette is having a weird day.

I really wonder how the next Endbringer attack is going to go now that Scion has been told to kill them. Wonder if it'll be different.

Crusader Interlude thoughts:

Shockingly, it turns out that the Nazi is an asshole. News at 11.

Night and Fog were basically constructed by this Gesellschaft group. Seems like a branch of Cauldron pretending to be Nazis for more control over things. Or maybe not directly a branch of Cauldron, but they get powers from Cauldron. Maybe not related, but they make weapons, which is very much what Cauldron can do, and we haven't seen anyone else yet reliably make powers with control over the outcome.

This poor TA is having a bad day.

Taylor triggered 2 or more times in that locker. I was 100% positive of that the second the TA said "You can’t really distinguish a single trigger event from having two in quick succession." I probably should have realized this earlier.

Really curious where Theo and Aster's stories are going. I could see one or both of them being a major part of the end of the world (based on stuff from Trickster's visions on stuff from Noelle's interlude I'm thinking a 3rd or 4th generation cape might play a part in it), but I could also see them being red herrings.

Theo is upset but realistically getting abandoned and left with the PRT is the best option that could have happened to him.

Jessica Yamada Interlude thoughts:

This poor woman

Faultline Interlude thoughts:

OH MY GOD Gregor and Shamrock are super fucking cute together!!!!

Faultline is amazing and very organized and detail oriented and an assertive leader who wears a dress shirt with slacks and cowboy boots and threatens to get a bullwhip and I would really like her to tell me what to do k thx.

Not positive I would trust the minor precog abilities of Shamrock to make me Simurgh proof, but it's better than nothing.

The quarantine zone of the city of Madison is doing great!

Wasn't expecting to get to see Matroyshka again, that's neat! She should probably stop eating people but otherwise she's fun.

Faultline just not being able to stand Tattletale is wonderful. I hope they bother each other for years to come.

I like this crew, so I was not happy that they got really fucked up by Contessa. But I also want to like Contessa (as much as I can like someone who works for Cauldron) and this did make her seem really badass.

Noelle Interlude thoughts:

I'm fine.

Regent keeping up the jokes under pressure, good for him.

Finally got some good descriptions of Noelle's powers doing stuff which was very good.

I'm fine.

Also fun to see various clones and their powers.

AND THE VISION! OH MY GOD THE VISION! So much good info from that. It helped me get a much better idea of things and confirmed a lot of things I already thought. (Like Cauldron has basically hijacked an entity, more or less. Not the details on how though.)

I'm fine.

The fact that Noelle can let the god dandruff take control is interesting. Like her connection never got fully closed compared to other people. Which is what I assumed only taking half a vial did. Really curious to see if we ever get more info on Oliver.

Her Earth Bet self is like, 15 years younger. But still has the same name. Kinda wild.

I'm fine.

Also her Earth Bet dad gave her the name Echidna, which like, I get it's the mother of monsters or whatever, but I can only think of the cute adorable little creature!

I'm fine.

I obviously wish Eidolon had been able to defeat Noelle and save my daughter but him having a big sad about it not being fair that he can't get stronger is pretty funny too. I do not like the guy.

I'm fine.

I'm sure Tattletale has a plan and everything will work out.

I'm fine.

I'm 100% absolutely fine.

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ericdeggans · 6 months

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My List of the Best TV in 2023: An Abundance of Quality Even in Adversity

What’s the surest proof that there truly is too much television available these days?

The fact that, even though 2023 featured historic performers and writers strikes in Hollywood which crippled film and TV production for months, there was still enough great series and projects to fill an entire notebook page.

Way too many, in fact, for me to cover in my small part of NPR’s awesome annual listing of the best TV and film of the year, compiled among six different critics. It’s one reason the strikes went on so long in the first place – for fans of great TV, it didn’t really seem like much changed, as streaming services kept dropping cool stuff, thanks to their long production lead times.

Ironically, viewers may notice the strikes’ impact more next year – in part, because a lot of cool TV shows left us in 2023 (pour one out for Barry, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Crown, Reservation Dogs, Succession, and, possibly, Ted Lasso) and also because the streamers will spend some time rebuilding lineups which got depleted.

Here, where I have a lot more room is my highly subjective and surprisingly long list of the Best TV of 2024:

TOP PICK - Succession – A show which perfectly captured how the dysfunctions of wealthy families can impact the world delivered a note-perfect finale that surprised – though I did predict Tom would win out – and yet felt completely inevitable. All while the world was second-guessing and writing their own endings. Masterful.

The Last of Us – Who knew reinventing the zombie apocalypse story was simple as coming up with a new cause – fungus, eww! – and the willingness to hand big chunks of the story over to compelling, fully drawn supporting characters. Doesn’t hurt to have ultimate zaddy Pedro Pascal and precocious acting genius Bella Ramsey on the case, either.

The Bear - Speaking of compelling supporting characters…this show’s second season sparkled by giving the other employees in Carmy’s greasy spoon-becoming-a-great-restaurant lots of narrative room. But it took flight with unexpected, brilliant cameos from Jon Bernthal, Olivia Colman, Oliver Platt, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, and the legendary Jamie Lee Curtis.

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Reservation Dogs – Proof of the amazing, authentic, original stories which come from letting indigenous people tells their own stories, smashing together a crushing realism with the sense that a jarring visit from the spirit world is always around the next corner.

Fargo – Not sure I love the ultimate message on the healing power of suburban, white, upper middle class Midwestern family life (or what happens to the one major Black character). But crackling performances from Juno Temple, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Jason leigh and Dave Foley make this year’s installment the best version in many years.

Shrinking – An emotional and truly funny comedy that reminds us how hilarious Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams can be while not making us spend too much time on Jason Segel’s angsty privileged white guy shtick.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The TV series which scored the most by taking the boldest swings, leaning into Trek’s original heritage as an adventure-of-the-week which told the most ambitious stories on the small screen.

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(The dancing, dubstepping, boy band-style Klingons on Strange New Worlds powered my favorite TV scene of the year.)

Star Trek: Picard – Yeah, I put TWO Trek series here, because everyone else in critic-land seems to be sleeping on the fact that they made more than one excellent season of a new Trek series filled with nods to what came before, including this show, which reunited the Next Generation cast in a storyline basically about old people saving the universe from young, clueless, mind-controlled pawns.

Barry – Wasn’t thrilled about how grim this series’ finale eventually became. But respected the fact that co-creator/star Bill Hader never shied away from the fact that the show was going to be his laboratory for all the directing and storytelling tricks he ever wanted to try, and a dark comedy about a hitman-turned-actor has to be seriously dark to mean something.

Beef – A road rage incident becomes a crackling, entertaining look at everything from Asian family culture to Elon Musk-level mogul dysfunction while also proving my girl Ali Wong can act her ass off.

Still: A Michael J. Fox Story – While other celebrities are executive producing documentaries to show how legendarily cool they are, Fox helped create an up close look at his struggle with Parkinson’s disease which show how hard it is to put on socks and take a walk on a new York street without crashing to the ground right in front of a concerned fan.

Only Murders in the Building – A comedy about over-privileged crime podcasters in an Upper West side apartment building should not stay entertaining over three seasons. But this show pulls it off, tossing in against-the-grain cameos by Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep that provide the best icing on a very fine cake.

Slow Horses – This show about a department filled with failed British intelligence agents not only subverts the spy genre, it subverts the satires which originally subverted classic spy dramas, like Get Smart. Topped by mesmerizing performances from Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas, I would have subtitled this one, Get Smarter.

Happy Valley - This series about an experienced, ball-busting divorced single mom of a police sergeant in a mid-size town in Britain notched an underappreciated series finale featuring the amazing Sarah Lancashire as Catharine Cawood, finally confronting the man she blamed for her daughter’s suicide and her grandson’s emotional turmoil.

youtube

BS High – A great documentary often tells a story which keeps going deeper and better, like a descent into a spellbinding madness. This film achieved that by giving center stage to master manipulator/football coach Roy Johnson, who got ESPN to air a game featuring his Bishop Sycamore High School team; the film contends their crushing loss eventually exposed that the school didn’t really exist.

I’m a Virgo – Creator and activist Boots Riley made an urban parable where Black excellence became superpowers and the world’s exploitive class came for a 13-foot-tall Black teen played by the always compelling Jharrel Jerome. Always inspiring to see how Boots turns mainstream media’s tropes and expectations against itself.

#tv #youtube #npr #best tv of 2023 #succession #succession hbo #the last of us #the bear #beef #reservation dogs #Youtube

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i-think-too-loud · 6 months

Text

i apologize for my last post and leave you with this:

-regulus threatening first years of bribing house elves to sneak gifts into the gryffindor towers for him (because he can’t be seen associating with Sirius but he can’t just NOT give him a christmas/birthday gift)

-sirius waiting outside grimmauld place in his animagus form to see regulus because he just needs to know his brother is alive, at the very least

-regulus seeing a black dog following him all summer and seeing him around hogwarts and think of him as a (pet) friend

-regulus being the one that called sirius “Snuffles” first

-older sirius hearing harry call him the same name and now seeing not only his best friend when he looks at his godson but his baby brother too

-reg told sirius he was dating james first. he even asked sirius’s permission (because that’s the type of person regulus is. and while james was content to keep it from his friend until things got more serious, Regulus was a gentleman through and through and couldn’t imagine not asking for a blessing)….and he was too scare to ask Effie and Monty

-regulus raided sirius’ room after he left (because he missed his brother and wanted to feel closer to him) and stole a bunch of records (Starman by Bowie was his favorite for obvious reasons)

-sirius tried to convince regulus to get a muggle tattoo for years and regulus always said he didn’t want to (he was too scared to.) the week after sirius left, he got one. sirius’ constellation right over his heart.

-remus taught sirius how to box and sirius started taking classes and becoming really good at it. sirius always told people it was because he was picturing reg’s face on his opponent (he was actually picturing walburga and orion and how he’d be able to protect reg from them now)

-reg never having been mad at sirius for leaving. not even for a second. (he knew what his parents would have done to him if he hadn’t and would never begrudge his brother his freedom)

AKA: the black brothers caring about each other always, even if they were never taught how to express that love and those emotions in a healthy way

#black brothers #regulus black #marauders #slytherin skittles #marauders era #slytherin #gryffindor #sirius black #jegulus #wolfstar #house of black #noble house of black #black family #black cousins

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possibilistfanfiction · 9 months

Note

nightmare for the one word prompts

[a little sad but mostly very silly, butch bea universe]

'i really don't have to go today,' beatrice says, kissing your forehead before settling down next to you on the couch. you know she means it: beatrice means everything she says, first of all, and you have grown — despite your brain's best efforts to steer you otherwise — to trust her when she offers care. you take her in: her fresh haircut that she gets done every month now, usually neatly parted on the top, messy from sleep; her tender wrists; the soft skin of her thighs; the soft sweater you bought her last christmas, sleeves pulled down over her hands, which are always cold.

you sigh. you had had nightmares — more than one, which is rare this many years later, after the worst of it — and woken up with scars that you don't think about too often, or at least with too much pain or sorrow anymore, aching all over your body. your legs had been pins and needles — worse, you've discovered, than feeling nothing some days — and your spine had ached, the halo feeling your sorrow, sharing in it. beatrice had skipped her typical surf session this morning, partially because she'd woken up with you both times last night, and partially because she's worried. she doesn't try to hide it anymore, her concern written all over her gentle face, in her sweet eyes, her soft hands. you find it nestled along all the small things she did for you in the past two hours: bringing you pain meds along with an easy breakfast of scrambled eggs and your favorite rosemary sourdough toast, doing a few snuffles with korra's morning unkibble so she's calm and ready to work today for whatever you need, helping you, after your glum nod, transfer from bed to your chair. you twist the wedding band around on your finger, focus on the few freckles that sit on the tops of her hands because of her time in the sun. your life is real, you remind yourself. your time on the other side, every endless day you spent in hell, was worth it for this, for beatrice quietly and patiently sitting next to you, soft and always becoming more herself; for your family visiting at the end of the week, camila begging to go to universal studios, lilith grumbling but giving in; for the respect people owe you now, and ready give; for your dog and your bar and the edibles you share with beatrice some nights, easy with laughter, and the farofa you feel confident in making for dinner when your friends come over, a warm offering.

'no,' you decide on, firmly, and you know beatrice will trust you. 'we should go. it'll be fun.'

'it will be fun,' she says, the same gleam in her eye you remember from years ago when she was ready to "maim or kill" (lilith's words) anyone who was in the way of her and the mission, especially once you became involved.

'you remember this is, like, your weekly tennis match for fun, right?'

'of course, ava.'

the way she cracks her knuckles tells you that the for fun is lost on her for the most part. it's endlessly amusing to you, though, and quite harmless — although maybe not to her opponent's pride — so you don't bother to argue any further. 'okay, well, i think angela and ruth wanted to have lunch anyway today after their jazzercise class, so we can watch you play.'

'no catcalling.'

you pout. 'you're my wife.'

'not from you, not from ruth or angela.'

'they're old, bea. let them have some fun.'

'at my expense? no thank you. i need to focus while i compete.'

she's already sitting up straighter, eyes lively. she's playing david today, you think, if you remember the club's "adult intermediate to advanced tennis league" rotation correctly. he's a decent player, and their head to head record is relatively even. he's also a bit of an asshole, and a venture capitalist, so it stands to reason beatrice despises him.

'fine.' you squeeze her hand. 'but can you change your shirt between sets?'

'ava.'

'gratuitously towel off or something at least.'

'ava.'

'whatever,' you say. 'i'm wearing a bikini. at least ruth and angela will appreciate it.'

'oh, i'll appreciate it,' she says, and then laughs softly and leans over to kiss you.

everything about beatrice, you decided years ago, is endearing. can she kill a man in, like, one second using just her hand? yes, sure, but you've seen her very skillfully practice her forms every morning for years, barring injury, and frown when anything is off, even by a breath. most people find her precision in all things kind of terrifying, but you've learned that some of it is a trauma response — from her childhood, from being a soldier, from losing you — and some of it is really just how she is. her books sorted exactly how she wants them — by genre, subgenre, and then author's last name — on the bookshelf; the meticulously labeled spices in your pantry, always in both their language of origin and english; her surfboards waxed perfectly and neatly stored in the small shed in your yard. everything about her precision is endearing because you understand her and you love her, and maybe the most endearing, or at least you think some days, is the way she treats rec league club tennis.

no matter how many times you've jokingly reminded her that your club isn't wimbeldon, she likes to wear all white little outfits; men's shorts and, your favorite, a neat polo. in the summer, she favors tanks, which you are not complaining about. she has three racquets and a very impressive bag like all the pros carry onto the court, special towels, pristine sneakers, and, when you're most amused, a wristband she very sincerely wipes her sweaty forehead on. since you'd met she'd loved watching tennis, and she'd taught you — as patiently as she has always taught you anything — the rules, her favorite players (not that it was, like, hard to think serena williams was the best athlete ever), common terms to know. you'd gone out with her a few times to the courts and she'd shown you proper form; you'd found out, eventually from her, that her dream as a little kid was to be a tennis pro, which was so charming and a little unexpected. you had thought she would've wanted to be some kind of scientist, maybe a really good lawyer, but her brother had dug out some pictures of little beatrice in her tennis getup, her expression so, so serious for a nine year old, and you'd fallen in love all over again.

she listens to her "pump-up music" — a lot of pop, surprisingly — as she drives you both to the club, focused already in her tennis outfit, complete with a quarterzip warmup top and everything. you're endlessly amused by her, in a way that most people are too intimidated to be, and you think it's good for her, to feel human, to not be taken so seriously when she should get to just enjoy things. your pain meds are helping by the time you get to the club, the pins and needles down your legs leveling out, the halo shaking off some of its deep sorrow, the memories of torture and abject aloneness that sometimes show up in your dreams. today is bright and sunny, the bluest sky, and your friends wave to you once you get out to the tables near the tennis courts. beatrice says a quick hello and then bustles off to start her very precise warm up routine, and you all wait until she's out of earshot to share a fond laugh.

'david today?'

'i swear she was rewatching coco and iga's last match yesterday to prepare.'

ruth pats your hand and angela orders a charcuterie for the table, gets prosecco for ruth and herself and — they both know you well enough by now that your chair usually means you've had to take medication, which you don't mix with alcohol — a cranberry soda for you, your favorite.

david shows up a few minutes later as you're gossiping, angela gasping at ruth's latest escapades with her new boyfriend while you laugh delightedly. he's the kind of muscular dude that likes to run along the beach shirtless because he thinks it's impressive but really it just looks ridiculous, the kind of dude that would give unwanted pointers in the gym. you don't have a disdain for him like beatrice does, because he's never done anything abhorrent to you personally, but when you see her steely gaze as he goes to his bench on the court, you get it. and, also, it's hot, so, like, you shoot a quick thanks to david and his douchey backwards cap for that.

things go just about as you'd expected: beatrice plays with the amount of passion you'd see in a wimbeldon final, and angela and ruth relentlessly whistle and cheer and boo. the charcuterie has a new truffle havarti you're all in love with, and the bottle of prosecco gets split happily while you watch. it's a fairly even match — david hits harder than beatrice but is slower and definitely stupider — and she wins the first set 6 games to 4. she gets mad at him for serving too slowly, and they briefly have an argument over whether or not one of his backhands was in. it's all deeply ridiculous for an afternoon at in an amateur club league, but beatrice and her overhand serves get you every single time.

she's down a break in the second set when she hits a drop shot that has david falling over his own feet, and you know it's over then. the second bea realizes someone is truly out of sorts, in any scenario, she's already won.

they shake hands after the match is over, beatrice taking the second set much quicker than the first, and then she makes her way over to your table and sits, very satisfied, in the chair next to you, a towel around her neck.

'my champion,' you say, and she rolls her eyes, accepting the congratulatory beer angela had already ordered for her as the last game was winding down with a thankful nod.

'great match, beatrice,' ruth says, half-sincere, half-teasing, but beatrice smiles anyway. sometimes, things are not good; sometimes, on the worst days, even now, even still, even with all this love, you still remember what it was like to suffer alone — without feeling, with too much feeling — for so much of your life. but beatrice slips into her quarterzip next to you and you smell sweat and laundry detergent and the pomade she puts in her hair, you feel the sun warming along your back and you hear the small group of children starting their lesson, laughing brightly. beatrice holds your hand and you'll nap later; you'll order takeout from your favorite thai place and watch the sunset on your patio; you'll fall asleep in her arms. you'll wake up and do it all over again — the loneliness, the pain, the longing — just for this.

#wn #wn fic #avatrice #avatrice fic #butch bea 🥺🫡#this is mostly bc a) i’ve been meaning to write this for like six months lmao it’s so funny #b) i’ve been watching the us open go coco obviously #c) whew ava deserves a silly happy life!!!! thinking abt him always #also d) bea when faced w normal competitive scenarios would be so insane #just absolutely batshit crazy i love her

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scwheeler · 2 years

Text

🩰 ˖ ࣪⊹ — what’s your name?

pairing: mike wheeler x fem!reader

summary: your best friend dustin insists that you go to the highschool dance, promising he would bring your forever crush mike wheeler, however plans change and surprises arupt but happy surprises

warnings: none

age of pairing: 15-16

“oh come on y/n, it’ll be fun!” dustin persuaded. you kept walking hugging your textbooks with your backpack killing your posture. “i said it four times and i will say it again, no!” you shouted coming to halt and turned around to face the annoyingly persistent boy you called your best friend.

you closed your eyes for a moment and sighed, trying to resist his puppy dog eyes. “please please please! if you say yes, ill give you any one of my graphic novels!” “dustin, i do not want any of your comic books,” you sighed and he muttered a small, “they’re graphic novels—how about i convince any boy to go as your date! that guy in your algebra class you keep eyeing? done. or that guy that was your science seat partner last year?! what was his name again?? joshua? sam?” dustin continued, practically talking to himself as you continued walking ignoring him.

dustin usually never begged you for anything but so this was a first because him and his ‘hellfire’ friends pranked one of the teachers and were banned from going to the dance this week. none of them wanted to go so it wasn’t a problem but suzie, dustin’s supposedly beautiful girlfriend, was flying in tomorrow which meant he could take her.

luckily the principal said they could go if they were someone’s date since they didn’t want to “get involved with any love or relationships,” referring to someone who went to the school which meant suzie couldn’t be a liable reason. now dustin was here petitioning for you to be his date so he could go and then take suzie secretly as he probably ditches you once he enters the building. as his bestfriend you warned his about the prank and so this was like karma.

dustin then snapped out of it grabbed into you shoulders to turn you around. “ok, name your price. y/n please i’ll do anything! you just need to come with me.” he pleaded, getting onto his knees. you looked around the hallway, people were staring and it was definitely embarrassing.

you groaned and thought about it, what could dustin possibly grant you if you would go with him. then a little lightbulb lit up above your head, “hmmm anything you say?”

he could see your mischievous little grin appear on your face but he chose to ignore it. then it suddenly hit him, “oh no no no. y/n no ANYTHING but that.” his eyes got wide hoping that you were joking. you turned around and shook off his arms from your shoulders, “ok fine then i guess you won’t be able to go to the dance with your little suzie-poo.”

he buried his face in his hands and followed you once again, “fine!” his reluctance was due to the fact you had a massive crush on dustin’s childhood best friend, mike wheeler. dustin had found this out a few years ago and tried almost everything to convince you that you could date anyone except mike. mostly because he couldn’t stand the thought of his two best friends dating, he was completely grossed out at the thought of his bestfriends making out.

the weird thing was you hadn’t seen mike in a long time. but he’s been your crush since you were little and even though there had been other guys, he was the one you’ve always liked. the last time you’ve seen him and talked to him was about three years ago, before you moved away to new york and came back just in time for sophomore year in highschool. he probably had grown a lot and changed but he will always be your favorite boy.

you smiled and turned around, putting out a hand, “shake on it.” he hesitantly shook your hand, desperate to go to the dance. you had asked dustin a million times when you could go out with mike and now he had no choice but to say yes.

“hey but don’t look too pretty, i don’t want mike to actually fall for you or something,” dustin warned. you skipped playfully down the hall in excitement for the dance this weekend, “don’t worry, i’ll dress up the prettiest and put lots of makeup!” you retorted sarcastically. “NOT FUNNY Y/N!” he yelled back before you turned the corner.

you were in your room with max, cleaning out your closets for the best outfits. you and max both stared at the mirror with your perfect fitting dresses, “well i think we’re ready.” she stated grabbing her purse and taking your hand. she pulled you out of the house before your parents could stop the two of you and waste time with pictures.

when the two of you entered, lucas handed max a lovely corsage that matched the one he tucked in his suit upper pocket. “max, you look pretty—pretty awesome. uh do you like to dance?” lucas asked, clearly nervous. “dance? oh i’d love to.” max responded taking his hand and dragging him to the dance floor.

you patiently waited for dustin as he was going to introduce you to mike. you talked to a few friends and danced while waiting until the familiar curly haired boy entered the gym. you immediately knew it was dustin and was going to yell at him for being late. “jesus christ dustin you’re late! and a full hour too!” you shouted.

luckily the loud music and laughter covered it up so no one noticed but he definitely did. “oh um-“ you cut him off, done with all his stupid excuses he was probably thinking of. “you know what i don’t even care for why you’re late but you clearly didn’t live up to your side of the bargain.” you snapped, looking around him to see if he brought mike.

“y/n—” he began again attempting to explain but you interrupted once again. “you know i should’ve known you would’ve forgotten about your dear best friend who helped you even be here! all i asked you was to bring mike with you!” you complained.

just then suzie walked in, approaching dustin with a huge smile. as annoyed and mad you were at dustin, you couldn’t ruin this for this girl who came all the way from fucking utah to be with him for the dance. “whatever, go with your girlfriend and we’ll talk about this later,” you demanded only leaving him to smile and hug you, “thank you thank you thank you!” he ran away without another word, grabbing suzie’s hand and getting to the dance floor.

so you were left alone, sitting on one of the cushioned chairs and held a red cup in your hand. “hey,” a voice made you look up. he looked familiar but at the same time was a complete stranger. “oh sorry, is this seat saved or something?” you laughed uncomfortably and got up from your seat, moving away. “no no! i just—just was wondering if that seat next to you was free?” he asked which made you sit back down.

“oh yeah totally,” you responded and pointed to the seat. there was an awkward silence but you didn’t really mind it. you just looked at your friends dancing on the dance floor which made you slightly jealous but at the same time you were so happy for them. even when you wanted to kill dustin at this point, time from time he looked over to you giving him the death stare which he quickly ran away from with suzie grabbing onto his shoulder.

“are you friends with dustin?” he asked from next to you. “yeah he’s my best friend, i’m just mad at him right now for a stupid reason,” you laughed trying not to think about it. “dustin’s also my best friend,” the guy said which made you a little surprised because dustin only had a few best friends technically only one since he said you could only have one best friend. and obviously it was you. right?

so who was this random guy telling you he was dustin’s best friend? “oh really? what’s his favorite son—” “—never ending story,” he answered proudly and crossed his arms. “but why?” you proceeded, cocking up an eyebrow and following his actions, crossed your arms. “because it’s his and susie’s favorite song, oh and susie’s his girlfriend if you didn’t know,” he smiled. you rolled your eyes at his new-profound arrogance but you tried to hide your smile.

after a little bit of conversation, without even exchanging names, you still danced with him and finally retired outside of the gym and by the brick wall, waiting for your ride. it was already night and the moon was shining onto he glimmering details of your dress. you smiled and stared at the sky, trying not to stare at him.

“you know after like four hours, we still haven’t exchanged names?” you took a sip of the coke in your hand. “yeah that’s pretty weird i guess, but it makes it cooler, keeps me all mysterious and dark,” he joked, looking at you and making weird expressions. you laughed at his joke, turning to see you.

“so why are you so mad at dustin?” he finally asked. “okay okay, the reason i’m mad at dustin is he promised me that this guy would come and you know take me to dance and be my date but he forgot so i just got mad, i know i know it’s stupid.” you explained.

he laughed at your response, “so this is all because of a guy?” he asked with a sarcastic tone. you rolled your eyes, “yea yea but he’s really cute and i’ve just liked him for a long time.” “and his name is…?” he insisted, nudging your shoulder for an answer. “mike—mike wheeler, i don’t know if you know him,” you kept your eyes on the sky and laughed at how ridiculous you probably sound right now.

if you turned to face him, you would’ve seen his shocked expression. he opened his mouth to say something but then you said something. “do you know him?” you asked with eagerness. “oh—um yeah he’s a friend of mine i guess,” he mumbled trying to keep his voice low. “ok then give me advice, do you think he’ll like me? like honestly—nevermind it’s stupid,” you looked him to your right with widened eyes but then quickly turned back to the sky, ignoring his reply.

his eyes laid upon you and stayed there, “i think he will,” he mumbled which missed your ears. your face light up and you relaxed your head on his shoulder, staring at the moon. “isn’t the moon beautiful tonight.” you said continuing to observe the bright light. “absolutely beautiful.” he said never moving his eyes from you though.

[honk—honk!]

the both of you turned to see a car parked in front of the school with bright headlights. it was your mom picking you up, she waved hi and you knew it was your time to go. “oh that’s my ride!” you exclaimed, getting off from your stance leaning against the brick wall and walking towards the car. he waved bye to you, “hey i’m y/n by the way!” you shouted while running to your car now, not wanting to keep your mom waiting.

“i’m mike—mike wheeler!” repeating your words introducing him earlier. you stopped in your tracks after hearing the four words coming out of the guy you just talked and danced with for the last four hours.

“and yes i do think he’ll like you.”

#*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧scwheeler #mike wheeler x y/n #mike wheeler x reader #mike wheeler x you #stranger things 4 #mike wheeler #mike x reader #stranger things #st 4 vol 2 #finn wolfhard #finn wolfhard x you #finn wolfhard x y/n #mike stranger things #st4 #finn wolfhard x reader

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kaylinalexanderbooks · 1 month

Text

OC interview

Thanks for the tag @mysticstarlightduck here and @leahnardo-da-veggie here!

Rules: answer questions as one of your OCs!

This time, I think I'll go ahead and do Lexi!

Are you named after anyone?

“Not that I'm aware of. My parents just really liked the name Alexia. And honestly, I can't blame them! It's a good name. I mean, there are so many variants on the name Alexander. Like I could've gotten Alexandra but that seems a little...I dunno, much? Much. Alexis doesn't...feel right. For me, like, I think Alexandra and Alexis are fine names for people who aren't me. Regardless, I definitely prefer the name Lexi. Alexia feels a little awkward to be called on, like, a regular basis. Again, for me. I'm rambling. The point is, no, I don't think I'm named after anyone.”

When was the last time you cried?

“This morning. I couldn't find my pink pen. Yeah, I know it seems stupid and immature to cry over a pen, but, like, it wasn't like I was upset that my pen was missing, it was the fact that I was stressed over losing it because my pink pen is used to color-code my English assignments. And there's a lot of English assignments, y'know?”

Do you have kids?

“I am in middle school. Middle. Schoooool. Who's even thinking about romance? That'll come with time. Like, high school. And kids much later. Like, after college. I don't have to worry about that right now.”

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

“I dunno. I don't have a record. Sometimes?”

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

“...everything? I dunno, I look at them, and I see them. The whole of them. Is this an attraction question? I already said I was in middle school! I guess height. Like if I look at them, it's either up, down, or straight ahead. Height.”

What’s your eye colour?

“My eyes are brown. Not much to say about them. They're pretty dark brown. My sister has bright blue eyes that really standout against her skin and hair. I'm not jealous, actually, it's just an observation. I happen to like my dark eyes!”

Scary movies or happy endings?

“Happy endings, of course! I love a good happy ending. I mean, sad endings make me sad. Scary movies can have happy endings, I guess. This is a strange question haha. But happy endings.”

Any special talents?

“Well, I am first chair, first violin in my orchestra class! I think I'm a good leader. Usually take the lead on group projects. Um...oh, duh, I play the violin. And I also can organize stuff really well. Good color sense, I've been told. Uh, I gotta garden! It's small, but I wanted to have an out doorsy activity. Brings my anxiety down.”

Where were you born?

“Uh...here in Texas, I think. At least that's what I was told. *Gasp* There's a chance I was born in Alium! I need to ask my pia about that...”

Do you have any pets?

“No. I wouldn't mind one! A dog or a cat would be awesome. Maybe both!”

What sort of sports do you play?

“I don't actually play sports. There'd be a few issues to convince those in charge, anyways, to get me a different uniform. I have haphephobia - I don't like people touching me - and the more skin I show the higher the risk and my anxiety goes up more. So for now, no, we don't want to deal with that. I ride my bike sometimes. If I were to play a sport, it would be either volleyball or tennis, and definitely cheerleading - those girls are so nice!”

How tall are you?

“I am 5'1, meaning I'm about average for my age!”

What was your favourite subject in school?

“Oh! English! I like learning new words - I always have. Phonics may have been my favorite in elementary school! We don't do that a lot anymore, but we still learn a lot more about language. Also, may be biased because all my friends are in my class this year. Well, not all of them. Three of them. Mr. Flanagan also let us choose our groups at the beginning of the year, so I'm always with them!”

What is your dream job?

“I. Am in. Middle school. Why would I be thinking that far? *Sigh* I guess...I dunno, maybe journalism or counseling? I feel like that'd be fun.”

Other interviews: Wade, Jazlyn, Gwen

Other Lexi: OC in fifteen, OC in three, OC questionnaire, two truths and a lie, Picrew, blank bingo

Tagging @somethingclevermahogony @melpomene-grey @squarebracket-trickster @writernopal @writeintrees

@winterandwords @ceph-the-ghost-writer @elizaellwrites @tabswrites

+ anyone else who'd like to play!

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites @nebula--nix

Blanks below cut

Are you named after anyone? When was the last time you cried? Do you have kids? Do you use sarcasm a lot? What’s the first thing you notice about people? What’s your eye colour? Scary movies or happy endings? Any special talents? Where were you born? Do you have any pets? What sort of sports do you play? How tall are you? What was your favourite subject in school? What is your dream job?

^ for easy copy/paste

#the secret portal #tsp #teaspoon #lexi morgan #oc interview #oc tag game #my oc #writers on tumblr #writing community #writers of tumblr #writing on tumblr #writeblr #writeblr community

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gordonzola-ramen · 5 months

Text

My mutual @alectricblue tagged me in this game tag! I normally dont do these, but I thought it'd be nice to get to know me more (and also meet y'all if you wish to participate)!

It will be long though. Sorry

1. Were you named after anyone?

Was originally gonna be named Andrea after a ballerina my grandma liked! Sadly no one remembered her well, not even grandma, so I don't know much about her.

My deadname was simply just chosen bc it was easy to pronounce, as well as my chosen name Diego (it's what I would've been called had I been male), although when I chose it for myself I liked the JoJo character Diego Brando so there was some correlation there.

Funnily enough, people think I'm nicknamed Lio after the Promare character, but I hadn't met them yet.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Yesterday. At 11pm. Watching OR3O's One Piece song. It was nostalgic ok

3. Do you have kids?

Nope. There's an absurd amount of reasons I don't want them, although not a single one is because I dislike them. I've had to babysit many kids and they've all been very sweet.

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

Oof, my recent sports is taking my dog for a walk. But I used to like volleyball and kickball! And reluctantly played soccer and did swimming! Sports give me a lot of anxiety and i'm not sure why.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

I do a lot of teasing and lighthearted banter that can sometimes be considered sarcasm?

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

Their eyes! Or anything outstanding like cool hairstyles or visible tattoos.

With online people, I mostly recognize them by pfp or a vague mental pronunciation of their username.

7. What's your eye color?

Dark brown?? Or black??

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Honestly, whatever makes me think more. Unhappy endings tend to do that more though, so I guess scary movies! But of course it depends on the mood, sometimes I just want a nice story to cheer me up.

9. Any talents?

I've been told I am talented at the piano! And music in general, although most of my skills feel less like talent and more like just studying the thing.

10. Where were you born?

So I was born in the US, in Florida, but my entire family is from Costa Rica and I just happened to be born while my parents were studying abroad. I don't remember much from the US though, I came back to CR with my grandma in my first months because she was less busy than my parents, and then they came to live here again. So in my eyes I've been a true Costa Rican since always hehe

11. What are your hobbies?

Playing the piano! Also drawing sometimes (I like to color more than draw, but unless I get my hands on a coloring book I can't do that unless I draw), playing videogames (mostly RPGs and visual novels), and doomscrolling.

12. Do you have any pets?

YESSSS my beloved dog Mia!!!!!!!!!!! I love her so much, she escaped her abusive home and we found her while walking around a plaza, said hi, and she followed us home. She's been with us for 8 years now and I adore her. Reference below because how can I not show her off:

13. How tall are you?

Excellent question. I forgot but I'm average if that helps!

14. Favorite subject in school?

It changed over the years, in senior year it was English because we had my favorite teacher! I knew him for years because he has a literature club I partook in, so I was very happy to have classes with him. Plus, we saw the Oresteia, which goes tremendously hard especially when your teacher geeks out about all the symbolisms.

Apart from that, computer class! We barely ever had it, and almost had it cut out entirely in senior year, but the few times we did I really enjoyed programming and practicing typing! And when we didn't do anything we could play so.

15. Dream job?

I want to make my own videogame! So I'd say a game developer, although being a part of any videogame, especially RPGs, would be a dream come true.

Well thank you for reading, I hope that was some insight, it was very fun to reply!

Tagging section (no pressure to do it at all, you can also do it if you're not tagged who cares)

@skyllion-uwu @thefrogswhospoke @gorgeousuare @chronologicalimplosion @fishy-lilic @smoothedsmoothie @mx-mind @montied @aspirationatwork @jhofoyitchg @derkhue @mellomaia @federalfazbear @mcfinnigan @mutantsgurls @foxounderscorecube @sweetnessfollowsmp3 @mildredtefoneck @oh-my-stars1969 @unfullbucket @fluffnfuzzxoxo @electriceel69 @scottigyn @stressedsilverware @sapphicrobotenjoer @antjellies @milk1non-tolarantes @ovalbrain @chocokhaos @markdiegamer @astralix13 @atheist-xmas @blktomekurata @monstar-dreams @glass-duke @c--eam @laooneart

#ask game #tag game #gordonzola's corner #image described in alt

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he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle · 2 months

Text

Get to Know Me Tag

Tagged by the feisty @lurkingshan, thanks Shan!

Do you make your bed?

Kinda. After my divorce, I bought lovely new bedding and happily made my bed every morning for like a year. Then I got lazy. I sorta half-ass it, where I fluff my pillows and pull up sheets and straighten the blankets and bed spread, but it's not photo-worthy or anything.

What’s your favorite number?

3. I like triads and trinities. In fact, I named my first dog Trinity. And I had three children!

What is your job?

I’m an author. I have 4 non-fiction books published under my given name and 15 fiction books published under a pseudonym. Many of my books were best sellers. Despite this fact, it is not enough to pay the bills. So I supplement my income with speaking engagements, teaching classes, and running a handful of websites, one of which is a wholesale distribution platform for artisanal imported foods. Basically, I'm self-employed and keep myself busy doing anything that interests me.

If you could go back to school, would you?

No. While I love learning and don't mind taking the occasional class to be introduced to a cool skill (like making stained glass!), I absolutely refuse to do any more higher education than I already have. I was sorta super nerdy at school because of an eidetic memory, so I collected degrees in Biblical Studies, Philosophy, Greek, Linguistics, and Russian Literature before I finally realized I didn't want to be a perpetual student.

Can you parallel park?

Nope. I learned how to do it to get my Driver's License over 30 years ago and have literally never had to use the skill since.

A job you had that would surprise people?

Hmmm. My job-jobs were all pre-children so people are surprised when they find out I ever had any since my last one was decades ago. But I didn't just have a few, I had a LOT of jobs because I finished school early and had to pay for my entire university education myself because of poor parents, and I think that's the most surprising thing. I was a waitress (14-16), a shop clerk (16-18), an acquisitions librarian's assistant (18-19), a bank teller (20), a digital librarian for a major software development company (20-21), a language tutor (18-21), an adjunct professor (22-24), a houseparent in a boy's home (24), and a cog in the county tax assessor's office (24-26). I also volunteered as a translator for Doctor's Without Borders and as a suicide prevention counselor for LGBTQ youth. At 26, I had my first child and became self-employed.

Do you think aliens are real?

Possibly, but I struggle to believe humans have ever interacted with any.

Can you drive a manual car?

Yes!

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Cop shows. I agree ACAB, but I love love LOVE the testosterone-fueled fantasy world of shows like Hawaii Five 0.

Tattoos?

None. I didn't want any at first because all the tattoos I'd seen on old people didn't age well thanks to saggy skin, wrinkles, etc. Now I kinda wish I'd had at least one.

Favorite color?

Dark azure.

Favorite type of music?

I LOVE IT ALL. If you live long enough, you discover awesome music in every genre. Like, I thought I hated heavy metal, but then I discovered the album Pale Communion by Opeth a decade ago and loved literally every single song!

Do you like puzzles?

Yes, but I don't make the time to do them.

Any phobias?

Heights. Absolutely terrifying.

Favorite childhood sport?

Cross country! I ran on my varsity team in HS and continued it through college.

Do you talk to yourself?

No. I am so quiet. On the weeks I don't have custody of my kids, I have sometimes had weeks where I work exclusively from home and don't interact with another human person beyond text messages and emails. When I finally speak out loud for the first time in days, the sound of my voice is jarring and unfamiliar.

What movies do you adore?

About Time. The Royal Tenenbaums. Shawshank Redemption.

Coffee or tea?

Coffee! I used to be more of a snob about it, but I recently fell in love with Korean instant coffees and THEY ARE SO GOOD. HOLY SHIZNITS.

First thing you wanted to be growing up?

A teacher in a foreign country.

I haven't been keeping track of who tagged who, so I'd like to tag @absolutebl @juneviews @twig-tea @sorry-bonebag @stefanyd @waitmyturtles @disaster-j @cooloddball @spicyvampire and @norahastuff If you'd like to play and I didn't tag you, please do!! Be sure to tag me so I can read your post.

#tag game

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fayeforrosie · 2 years

Text

The Tree of Romance

Rosé x Fem! Reader

Once a certain blonde abruptly introduces herself to you after noticing she had mistakenly taken your spot under a tree, she realizes that she could have possibly experienced what one would call “love at first sight”.

Warnings- Mention of alcohol, Swearing, I think that's it tbh

A tree adjacent to the school’s courtyard, the perfect amount of shade for when the sun would fall too heavy upon the campus- it was the spot you would go to everyday after classes. You would sit under the tree, a pencil and notebook in hand, or sometimes a novel you would want to catch up on, and you would sit there calmy and do what you loved.

After finishing a class that seemed to last forever, you were relieved to know that your spot was there waiting for you to obtain. You begin walking out of the building and make your way over to the familiar nature, breathing in the beautiful smell of freshly cut grass, the sound of sweet nothing infusing your ears.

Finally, as you arrive at your spot, you notice a girl sitting in the spot you would always secure, her blonde hair blowing in rhythm to the wind as her gaze was focused on the book she had at hand.

You grunt, going through this a couple of times in your life where you were forced to kick someone out of your spot. It was relatively known around campus that you would always acquire that spot, so most people minded their business and took their seat somewhere else, however there were few times like these where you would have to go over to someone and tell them that they would unfortunately have to leave.

“Um excuse me”, you begin, looking down at the girl as you stand in front of her. Her eyes are torn away from her book for a short second as her stare falls on yours. Your breath hitches for a moment, not expecting the girl to be such a sight to see, nevertheless, you rid that thought immediately to the back of your mind and continue. “You’re sitting in my spot.”

After hearing your words, the blonde’s eyes widen and she instantly shuffles over with a quick apology, leaving enough space for you to sit, however staying under the tree.

“I mean the tree... this is where I sit everyday”, you step closer, however you decide you won’t sit down until the girl finally surrenders and leaves you and your tree at peace.

“Oh”, she takes a quick glance around, almost as if she was looking for someone to save her from such an awkward interaction. “Well we can both sit here if you’d like! There’s plenty of room!” Her eyes squint as her bright smile lights up the atmosphere, a slight shade of pink dancing across the brim of her cheeks as she clutches her book, careful to not lose the page she was on.

You sigh, giving it up and taking a seat next to the girl, taking your bag out and reaching inside to grab your sketchbook and pencil.

Only five minutes into your drawing you begin to feel a pair of eyes burning into your figure, and you turn your head to see if your mind was correct, and as expected, as soon as you look up towards the girl, she quickly averts her gaze and drops her attention back to her book, worried if she had been caught staring.

You decide to leave it alone and continue on your drawing, however, once again you can feel the blonde’s eyes not only on you, but on the drawing you had been working on.

Drawing the nature and atmosphere around you had always been your hobby, another reason why the tree you would sit at was your favorite spot to be. Everywhere you looked there was some sort of beauty surrounding you, whether that be the tiny butterfly perched on a thread of grass, or the kind old lady you would regularly see walking her dog up and down the sidewalk. It was relaxing to you, and the perfect place for you to scribble down the prepossessing environment in front of you.

“That’s really beautiful”, you heard from the side of you, a seemingly Australian accent.

You turn to look at the girl, all of a sudden getting nervous by how close the two of you were, so you bring your head back down and look at your drawing, smiling in response.

“Thanks.”

“Is this what you do when you come here everyday?” The blonde asks once again, clearly intrigued by you.

You nod, “yeah, or sometimes I read. I just think this place is really nice and super refreshing.”

The girl smiles and nods, subtly scooting closer to you without your knowledge, your rose scented perfume invading her senses, in which she admired.

The blonde adjusts her glare towards your face, concentrated on the drawing in hand, careful to outline every little detail of grass that would match to your line of vision. Her cheeks blushed a bright pink, her feelings evidently proved by her features at the moment. Her stomach seemed to turn inside out as she focused on every little detail of the girl beside her. Your eyes squinting to look up from your drawing and onto the scenery ahead, where you no later bring your attention back down and scribbles whatever smidge of a detail you found.

“My name is Rosé by the way”, says the blonde, taking you out of your trans and bringing your regards back to the girl across from you.

“Um... I’m Y/n”, you speak nonchalantly, a bit confused by the girls continuation of forwardness.

“That’s really pretty”, she smiles, and you almost feel a slight connection between the two of you slightly brush by your shoulder.

“Do you like coffee? Or pastries?” Rosé continues to blabber on, her voice sounding as if you’d heard her your entire life, almost as if she was one of those maddening little sisters that would harass you nonstop, day in and day out.

“I like coffee, only the caramel ones though.” You respond, failing to keep eye contact with the blonde as you bring your line of sight back down to your drawing.

“How about pastries”, she continues.

Your focus stays glued to your notebook, “yeah I guess I like muffins. Those are pretty good.”

After your response, it led Rosé to meet you back at the same spot the next day, a caramel coffee in her right hand, and a small blueberry muffin in her left, holding the paper bag with the tip of her nails, carefully making her way over to you as she attempts to not drop the food.

She plops down next to your figure, seeing that instead of the familiar notebook, filled with various beautiful drawings, you have a thick novel rested in the palm of your grasp, your eyes focused on the words ahead.

You seemed to not have noticed the blonde until she ultimately shakes the paper bag next to you, signifying that she brought the small pastry just for you.

"I heard you liked muffins", the same engaging voice you recognize from yesterday rang in your ear pleasurably. You turn your head to look back at the girl, noticing not only the muffin resting in the small paper bag, but the medium caramel coffee that you mentioned you enjoyed yesterday, firmly grasped in the Australians hand.

"Oh... I didn't think you would actually bring me it", you laugh, thanking the girl as you take the drink and pastry from her.

"Of course I would. You seem really cool, I wanted to get on your good side", she smiles, her cheeks reddening as she lowers her head towards the grass, suddenly finding the tiny little bugs crawling atop of the leaves more interesting than the conversation.

You laugh after hearing her response, "you don't have to buy me coffee and a muffin to get on my good side."

"What if I just wanted to buy you breakfast?" Rosé questions, her gaze subtly dropping to your lips before she quickly readjusts herself, tilting her head, awaiting your response.

"Then it would be a bit weird, because we just met yesterday", you laugh, although finding the girl, along with the conversation, a tad bit amusing.

"Actually, to tell the truth, I bought you this because I wanted to ask you a question", Rosé begins, turning away from your stare, feeling the world cave in as soon as she allows the confession to roll so smoothly off her tongue. From your perspective, it might have seemed like Rosé was a confident and outgoing girl, nevertheless, the blonde knew that it was only all an act, pretending that she was poised enough to actually say such words.

At her words, you take your attention off of the novel lying in your hands, looking into the blondes eyes as you shift your body in her direction.

"Go ahead, what’s up?" You ask.

Rosé clears her throat, giggling at her awkwardness. "I was actually wondering if you wanted to go to the nearby library down the street... or um... something." Rosé mentally slaps herself for stuttering, after knowing that she practiced the exact sentence over and over again in front of the mirror this morning, perfecting the way she would portray her words, her gaze, and her body.

"Oh...", you smile, "sure... I need to study for my test anyway."

Rosé smiles at this, lifting herself from her feet and grabbing her bag below her, hoisting it onto her back before she stands up straight, ready to leave. She looks down to you, watching as you zip your book back up inside your backpack. She offers you a hand once you finish settling yourself, where you gladly take it into your, declining the feeling of such a warm palm embrace as she assists you to lift yourself upwards.

You release your hand from hers, much to Rosé’s dismay, however she fails to let such a silly detail get to her head as she leads you towards the library.

It was about a ten minute walk from the tree the two of you had occupied, however trip was filled with never-ending stories spilling from the blondes mouth, explaining how she was a musician and enjoyed writing her own songs. She talked about how she played guitar, and hoped to be famous someday.

She seemed like a sweet girl in your eyes, and although you have only knew her for two days, it seemed that you’ve gained more information about her life than you knew about your own. Her mouth would run away from her mind, allowing useless words to flow out, creating another endless story she failed to finish.

Once the two of you had finally arrived at the destination, walking inside and allowing the comfortable, silent environment fill your senses, the two of you take a seat in the very back of the building, sure not to be close to any other people who might have wanted their own private space.

The building seemed to be almost empty, excluding the group of student in the front and back corner, which made both you and Rosé practically alone together once again, similar to their audience back at the tree.

Rosé didn’t seem to mind the space, as she thought it was better for just the two of you to be in a secluded area, away from those that might distract you from her. As selfish as it may have sounded, she wanted you to herself. She wanted to be the only person you talked to, the only person you listened to, the only person you hung out with, and most importantly, the only person you sat at that lame tree with.

It was only a day ago that Rosé met you, nevertheless, she seemed to be experiencing what it was like to be falling in love. At first sight she was attracted to you, knowing already that you were someone she wanted to go after. She felt her heart beat out of her chest, matching the tone of her unsteady breath when she stared into your absorbed eyes. After walking home that first day that the two of you met, she knew that it was love at first sight.

“Hello?” Rosé hears your voice call out to her, pulling her out of her trance as she shakes her head and regains her focus, gearing her attention back to you.

“Sorry could you say that again I wasn’t paying attention”, she laughs.

You chuckle and clear your throat, feeling yourself get more awkward as the moments pass agonizingly slow.

“I said that you are practically shivering... do you want my sweatshirt? I have one in my bag”, you say, hand already reaching down to the backpack settled on the carpeted floor.

Another arrow shot through the middle of Rosé’s heart, feeling her emotions run wild in her mind as her body failed to control the incoming waves of intimacy circulate her heart. It was almost as if this was one of her own dreams, as if she’d only fallen asleep last night and was not awoken after such a breathtaking day, her position at the moment being that of what she only imagined she would fantasize about.

“I um”, stuttering was a given, and Rosé knew that, “y-yeah. I would love that. Thank you for noticing Y/n.” She smiled a warm, genuine smile, to which you returned.

You pulled an obscenely oversized hoodie from your bag, handing it to the blonde beside you. She tenderly took it from you, opening it up and wrapping her body inside of it, keeping the hood on top of her head as the rest fell down to her thighs. The hoodie was huge on her, however you thought it was a bit of a cute look on her, the largeness of your own hoodie engulfing the beautiful blonde lady beside you, her smile seeming more warm than the hoodie itself.

Rosé inhaled the scent of your beautiful floral fragrance, knowing beforehand that even your smell would be as appealing and prepossessing as you were. You never seemed to fail her fantasies.

After the two of you spent the majority of the time studying for your classes, drinking your coffee, and making sweet conversation, the sun was noticeably setting, unfortunate for the two of you.

Rosé wished you wouldn’t mention it, knowing that if you did, it was lead to your goodbye’s for the day. She only wanted to stay her forever with you by her side. Even if you were to just sit there, pencil in hand as you worked on whatever homework you needed to complete, your voice silent and the sound of only your pencil dashing across the white paper passing through her ears, she would still want to stay here by your side, watching you study.

Nonetheless, as Rosé could foresee, you spoke up after a short pause between conversations.

“It’s getting a bit dark”, you say, beginning to close your computer, “we should get going.”

Rosé nods, keeping her sigh to herself as she stands from her seat and begins to pack her bag. Once finished, you both begin towards the exit, bringing you out of the library and into the now orange lit sky.

“Are you going to be at the tree tomorrow?" Asks Rosé, following your lead while you begin to make your way back towards the tree.

You smile and look back to the girl, “I’m always there Rosie.”

The girl tilts her head down, biting her lip to hold back a smile as the blush soon soaks the colors of her cheeks.

‘She’s already made me a nickname’, the blonde thinks to herself happily.

“Would it be ok if I came back tomorrow?” Rosé questions further, although scared that she might be over-stepping the newly formed ‘friendship’ boundaries.

Your eyes stay put on the scenery ahead of you, nodding in response to the blonde.

“Usually I would say no”, you begin, “but I actually like you. I don’t really talk to many people but you seem like the type of person I would want to like... I don’t know...”, you struggle to find the words your chasing, palms beginning to sweat as your cheeks start to match the color of the red flowers beautiful peeking from the bushes next to you.

Rosé, however, feels the sudden urge to place her hand atop of her pulse to make sure she’s breathing ok. The girl still yet struggled to find if this is truly a dream or not, the words that she had just heard you confess flooding her mind in an instant.

“T- thank you Y/n”, is all she was able to let out, worried that if she spoke even one more word, a confession of love would slip out into the open air. The two of you continued to walk in a comfortable silence until you finally arrive at the tree. You find your car sitting in the parking lot, where you request to bring Rosé home, however she explains that her car is on the other side of the parking lot and she will be taking herself home tonight.

“I’m telling you Jennie, it’s literally fucking love! Like she’s the one! She’s the love of my life”, Rosé argues with her roommate, Jennie, as she lay comfortably on their shared couch, your hoodie still attached to her body.

“Chaeyoung you met her YESTERDAY!” Jennie returns, fork in hand as she downs the dinner Rosé had made her the previous day.

“So what? Ever heard of love at first sight? It’s in like so many different romance movies and like every single romance book!” She retorts.

Jennie stands up and tosses her plate into the garbage adjacent to her, making her way to the blonde before she plops herself onto the couch as well, making herself comfortable before she finally responds to the girl.

“I’m just saying... what if you get to know her and she’s like some weirdo girl who likes avocadoes or something?” Rosé’s face scrunches, chuckling at such a useless point the girl had made.

“Shut up!” Jennie laughs, “I’m trying to say that like, you don’t really know her, so don’t you think it’s best that you talk to her more before you decide that she’s the love of your life?”

“So what should I do?” Rosé sighs, “how do I get to know her more without making it obvious that I want her?”

Jennie leans back on the couch cushion, thinking back to the details the Australian had previously told her when she had first mentioned you.

“Well...”, she begins, “you said that she always goes to that stupid tree, I say you just go meet her there everyday with like a coffee and lunch or something. Spend sometime eating and talking with her, and then decide what to do from there?”

And that is exactly what Rosé decided she was going to do.

Thanks to Jennie, Rosé followed her advice and met with you every day, bringing you an iced caramel coffee, like you admired, and surprising you with a new tasty pastry she would pick out from the bakery.

Two months had passed, and her love for you only increased. After having an abundance of extensive conversations the two of you would share, the blonde learned more and more intriguing facts about you and your personality, solitarily making her fall harder each day.

One day, after the third month had passed and the both of you seemed to be comfortable and familiar with each other, Rosé decided that she was going to make a move. She made a plan the night before, explaining to Jennie exactly what she was going to do, earning a nod of approval and a good luck from the girl.

The next day, Rosé made her way over to the tree, sitting herself down next to your figure and handing your drink and pastry to you with a smile. The pastry was a chocolate croissant today, being one of her favorites.

“I can’t stay here with you today”, Rosé frowns, and you reciprocate the same expression after hearing the blonde’s words.

“No how come?” Your head leans atop of the Australians shoulder.

“I have to study for a test today”, she begins, laying her head on yours, smiling to herself while doing so.

“It can’t wait?” You ask, however knowing that you would never hold the girl back from her studies, only asking for the fun of it.

“No it can’t... but I’ll be here tomorrow”, she smiles.

“About that”, you begin, sliding your head off of the girls shoulder, much to her dismay, and reaching into your bag behind you.

Rosé furrows her eyes, leaning to the side in attempt to get a better look at what you were doing. After a few seconds, she’s met with small gift back dangling from your fingers, a heavenly smile plastered on your face to come with it.

“What’s this?” She asks, smiling as she takes it from your hands.

“Open it”, you bite your lip and lean closer.

Rosé does as she’s told and takes the little amount of tissue paper out of the bag, lifting what seemed to be a stuffed animal, or possibly a blanket, out. Once she finally takes out the gift, the blonde is filled with a plethora of joyous emotions, a stuffed teddy bear in her grasp, with a gift-card to the exact place she would buy you the coffee and pastries in its hands.

“Y/n you really didn’t have to do this”, Rosé pronounces, leaning in towards you with her arms wide, embracing you in a short, yet meaningful hug.

“I know... but I wanted to”, you smile and continue, “every single day you come here and bring me a pastry and a coffee. How do you expect me to just accept it with open arms and not get you something in return.”

“I didn’t get you these things to get something in return”, Rosie chuckles, lightly pushing your shoulder back. I got it because I’m in love with you, she thinks to herself.

“I know I know... I just wanted to get you this. I thought it was nice, and the bear reminded me of you”, you speak softly, your bright red cheeks evidently on display for anyone with a pair of eyes, as is Rosé’s.

You clear your throat, interrupting the moment. “Anyway”, you begin, “you said that you couldn’t stay today. I just wanted to give you that before you left”, your voice suddenly begins to drop back to your usual low tone, almost as if you were embarrassed in the moment and was not sure what to do... and truth be told, you really were.

You never were open with anyone in your life, Rosé being the first, and with someone like you, a person who despises any form of intimacy, going as far as buying a girl a present, was a major step for yourself. As much as you wanted to congratulate yourself for finally being able to put yourself out there for her, your embarrassment and discomfort got the best of you.

“O-oh”, Rosé stutters at the sudden awkwardness surrounding the air between the two of you, rising to her feet and gathering everything she had brought.

“Yeah I’ll get going”, she forces a fake smile, hiding the disappointment seeping through her emotions, knowing that she wished you could just say something more to her. Give her a sign. A clue. Anything. She was desperate for you, and needed to know if you felt the same.

Nevertheless, no matter what, she would find out tonight, when her plan makes it way into action.

After Rosé disappears back to her car and drives off, you grab the coffee she had brought, taking a quick sip before you now reach for the bag that had your pastry in it, curious to see what she brought.

After opening the bag and glancing inside, your eyes widen, noticing something unusual that you have never seen occupying the bags before. The chocolate croissant, although it appealed to you in every way possible, wasn’t what caught your eye.

You reach your hand inside the bag, taking out a small folded paper from within and throwing the now empty bag to the side. You carefully unwrap the paper, opening it until it you could finally see the pretty pink marker filled upon the lines of the paper. You stopped, and peered intently, tilting your head quizzically as you read the words written in beautiful penmanship.

Leave the tree tonight by seven 'o'clock, and don’t comeback until exactly twelve in the morning

Rosie<3

You laugh to yourself, knowing that she was planning something for you. A part of you was worried, thinking to yourself that it might be her way of saying goodbye, meeting you at twelve in the morning only to tell you that she was leaving and never coming back. That was impossible, however.

You were always the one to overthink. Rosie wouldn’t do that to you, and you knew that you were just getting ahead of yourself and thinking of the worst possible situation

On the other hand, a part of you was excited, knowing that she always had something up her sleeve when it came to surprises.

As the day passed by (agonizingly slow) and seven finally hit, you do as Rosie requested and packed up your things, cleaning the area around the tree so it would look perfect for the blonde to come and see.

“Ok is everything set up?” Asks Jennie from the other line.

Rosie perfects her final touches around the area, holding the phone to her ear as it stays snug in between her shoulder, “yeah, I think so”, she replies, taking a step back to admire her work.

“I’m so nervous Jennie.” Rosé‘s voice trembles on the phone, as if it isn’t enough that she’s thrown up twice before this, her nerves sending a chill up her spine and following back down to her stomach, where the butterflies ceased to stop flying freely inside.

“Calm down Rosie... just think about how excited you’ve been for this”, Jennie’s tone becomes soft as she guides Rosé through the waves of anxiety she was facing at the moment, breathing in and out with her until the blonde could finally calm down and hang up the phone.

There was exactly five minutes left until it was twelve, and Rosé took her familiar spot under the tree, her phone ridden inside her bag, and the only thing clouding her crowded mind was the thought of your face when you would walk in and she what she’d done for you.

The minutes trickled down until the Australian finally notices the same car she’s been acquainted with for a few months pull into the parking lot nearby. She watching as you step out of the drivers seat, hands in your pocket and a beanie on your head as your teeth clatter at the weather, the cold nipping at your exposed skin while you make your way over to the tree.

Once your close enough, you can finally catch a glimpse of what sat beneath the large piece of nature, and a bright, endearing smile flashes across your face when you find the blonde sitting comfortably underneath the tree.

There were a few lit candles surrounding the girl, and a pair of bright fairy lights wrapped around the trunk of the tree, bringing light to the perfectly arranged spaghetti dinner resting in front of Rosé, waiting to be devoured by the two of you together.

There were two plates, accompanied by a half poured red wine sitting atop of the small, unpigmented napkin.

“Rosie”, you begin, finding yourself at a loss of words, taking a seat on the ground and facing the girl, taking notice of the way she carefully eyed your every move, similar to what she had been doing the first day the two of you met.

“You don’t have to do these things for me, you know that right? It’s more than enough that you even just come by to sit with me”, you smile at the girl as her eyes begin to water. You tilt your head and glance at her with curiosity, laughing harmlessly and reaching over towards her, wiping away a fallen tear with the swipe of your thumb.

“Why are you crying? I should be the one crying. You did all of this for me”, you laugh and take her hand in your, squeezing it gently.

“Do you know why I’m doing all of this Y/n?” Rosé takes her hand away from yours, and a sense of worry spreads throughout your body, thinking back to what you had originally thought this entire thing would be about. Was this a final goodbye type of thing? Did she have her fun for a few months and decided that she was going to leave and find another girl to hang out with? Did she get bored with you? Were you not enough?

“I um... “, you look anywhere but her eyes, “I don’t know.”

“I don’t know how to say this, because it’s hard for me to tell you something so important. I know you’ll hate me for saying this, and you’ll be mad at me for doing such a thing, but I just need to tell you this.” This time, Rosé avoids eye contact, her hands now occupying various threads of grass under the blanket she sat on, picking them out of the dirt as a way to calm herself down.

“Y/n I-”

“Please don’t leave Rosie”, the fairy lights wrapped superbly around the tree shine against your eyes, allowing Rosé to see the glistening tears brimming under your eyes against your own will.

“Please. Ever since you came into my life, even if it was just three months ago, everything has just been so much better. I look forward to coming to this spot every single day, and not because I want to sit around and draw all the stupid shit I see, not anymore. I look forward to coming here so I can see you! When you show up with a coffee and whatever surprise pastry you picked, it just makes me feel loved. I know I might not show it, but just by you coming to meet me here everyday, it makes my day even better than the last. So please Rosie, don’t le-”.

Suddenly, your rambling is cut off with a soft pair of lips pressed up against your own, shutting you up instantly. Your eyes grow wide, realizing what she had done, and after feeling her plump lips slowly move against yours, you lean in closer to her and reciprocate the kiss.

You feel the blonde smile against your lips, euphorically thrilled at the thought of you feeling the same way.

You cup her hot cheek in the palm of your hand, pushing your lips deeper into hers as your thumb subtly smooths over her polish, reddened cheek.

After what seemed to be too expeditious for the both of your likings, you pull away, however being sure to keep your face at a close distance, smiling when you open your eyes and see that she’s already staring back at you, her cheek color as bright as her lips and a wide, giddy smile plastered on her face.

“Y/n”, she states, her hand slowly making its way towards yours before she interlocks her fingers with your own. “I’m not going anywhere, Y/n. I wanted to tell you my feelings.”

A laughs sneaks by her lips when she sees your face light up in embarrassment. You place your hand on your forehead, shifting your gaze to the ground as you shake your head in discomfiture.

“So... do you want to hear my feelings or not?” The Australian asks, and you bring your head back up swiftly, nodding eagerly.

“Well...”, Rosie runs her hand along your arm, smiling as she knows that finally, she will be able to say what she had been practicing for oh-so long in the mirror, perfecting it to the point where she can no longer get it wrong.

“I love you, Y/n YL/n.”

Yahh its finally here!! I hope everyone liked it! More fics coming soon, love you all<33

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