#big fan of her (in general) running towards flynn when she comes out of the lifeboat and sees him all handsome and alive

[pollyna]

The could have done the funniest thing ever with Future!Lucy Preston, or even the saddest one, making her hug Flynn in front of everybody (or kiss him) but nope, nope.

[invisibleraven]

"Are you really going to leave without asking me the question you have been dying to ask me?" for Sweet Tarts?

Carrie wasn't a fan of carnivals, as a rule. She got sick way too easy on the rides, the games were a money sink run by cheats, and most of the foods went against her diet plan. But Julie had asked her to come along with her group of friends, and Carrie wanted to keep rebuilding their friendship.

So she said yes.

"Yay!" Julie exclaimed. "You'll have fun, I promise. And Reggie will be there," she added an eyebrow wiggle at that.

Carrie was sure she blushed a little at that. "W-why do I care where Reggie will be?"

Julie giggled. "Carrie, we've known each other since we were in diapers, I can tell when you think someone is cute. And you think Reggie is downright adorable."

"No I don't," Carrie replied grumpily, crossing her arms. But Julie gave her a knowing smile and pulled her towards the band van so they could all go towards the fair. Carrie was a little relieved-and maybe a touch disappointed-that Reggie was driving with Alex riding shotgun, while she was stuck next to Julie and Luke being nauseating together.

Once at the carnival, Flynn and Willie directed everyone towards the rides, starting with the Twister, but Carrie begged off. "I don't want to cover you all with my kale smoothie-spinny rides and I don't get along."

"You sure?' Reggie asked. And was it her imagination or did he look a little sad that she wouldn't be joining them?

"Positive, you go, have fun. I'm gonna go check out some of the stalls."

"Okay, but I'm winning you a bear later!" he promised, running after the group. Carrie held herself at that, unable to help the smile on her face. Sure the games were rigged and the toys cheap, but... she really hoped he did win her that bear.

"Ah, young love."

Carrie turned, ready to refute whoever had said that, but all she could see was the woman dealing tarot cards in a small tent. "Excuse me?"

The woman glanced up, her eyes shining bronze. "Young love. Don't even need the cards to tell me that, it's written all over your face."

"I'm not-he's not..." Carrie sputtered. "You're wrong."

"Well then, let's see what the cards say, shall we? One reading, free of charge."

Carrie huffed, but what else was she gonna go while her friends made themselves dizzy? She sat on the chair opposite the woman and nodded at her to deal. The reading however, was generic and didn't tell her what she already knew; hard work and perseverance would land her her dreams, hardship would always follow her.

"This is pointless, I'm gonna go find the least deep fried thing to eat," Carrie said, getting ready to leave.

"Are you really going to leave without asking me the question you have been dying to ask me?" the woman asked. "Maybe pertaining to that young man?"

Carrie sat once more, huffed out a breath. "Fine, what do your cards say about me and Reggie?"

The woman smiled, dealing out a few cards. "Seems that he's ready to make his move-if you give him the signal it will be reciprocated. Let him know he has a chance and he'll be all yours."

Carrie glanced off towards where the Twister had come to a stop, her friends all laughing and swaying as they got off. "What sort of sign?"

Only when she turned back-the woman, the tent, all of it was gone. She was sat at the picnic able, unsure what had just happened. But she saw the big smile that Reggie had for her as he came towards her, and all she could do was return it.

"Hey Carrie, ready for me to win you that bear?" he asked.

"I'd like that," she admitted. "Then maybe we could get some cotton candy and ride the ferris wheel?"

"I thought you didn't do spinny rides?" Reggie asked, offering her his hand to hold, which she graciously took.

"I think I can handle that one-as long as you don't let go," Carrie replied.

"Trust me doll, not a problem," Reggie said, his blush bright pink on his cheeks, and Carrie found she adored him even more like that. Especially since she was positive her cheeks were sporting a matching shade.

She giggled and pulled him towards the games, and at the end of the night, filled with sugar, grease, and the knowledge of Reggie's kisses, held the tiny pink bear all the tighter, determined to never let him go.

Nor the man who won it for her. But like Reggie had said, she didn't think that would be a problem.

[peachhcs]

It Was All Yellow

Pairing : Luke Patterson x Fem!OC 

Summary : Blaire makes quick friends with Julie and Flynn during her first day at Los Feliz High School which took her by surprise. Although, that wasn’t her first surprising thing of the morning. 

Word Count : 2.7K 

My first Julie and the Phantoms Series?? My first series in general actually. (On Tumblr anyways, I’m on wattpad too!) Anyways, this is Luke with my own original character so I hope you guys enjoy it! 

Yes I know it seems like Blaire isn’t gonna end up with Luke in the beginning but it’s all character development and Ryan’s for the plot later ;)

Series Masterlist

* * *

Chapter 1 : The New Girl

Blaire hated first impressions. They made her feel awkward and it was always a case of, i promise i’m not this awkward, i just hate first impressions. just wait until you get to know me more. Although, she has been saying that to people for the past 3 years everytime she moved, so it was kind of like second nature to her and it just kind of went over her head. Blaire hates goodbyes, so she tries not to get too close to anyone anymore because then it would just be a mess of saying goodbye and omg i promise i’ll text and call every night! They never did call.

This time it was different, though. Blaire walked into Los Feliz High School on her first day and she instantly spotted two girls, one with beautiful dark-colored skin with an incredible fashion sense and a second one with curls to die for. Blaire wished her flat, sort of wavy, damaged, aburn colored-hair did what that beautiful girl’s hair did. Something inside her just set a spark off and she just had to talk to them. Something was compelling her to be their friend, so Blaire did just that against her better judgement.

“Hi..” Blaire spoke up softly once she was close enough to the two friends. Their conversation had cut short at the sound of a new voice and they turned their heads towards Blaire. A smile found it’s way onto the curly-haired girl’s lips. Her smile was soft, it brought an immense calming feeling over Blaire’s persona.

“Hey, are you new here?” The curly-haired girl’s voice was soft and Blaire didn’t know what she was expecting but it definitely wasn’t the girl just knowing she was new at the school. Most people never even payed attention to new kids, they hardly ever knew that there were new kids in the first place. Blaire couldn’t help the smile finding it’s way onto her lips.

“Um, yeah. I am, how’d you know?” Blaire chuckles a little, holding her backpack straps tighter. The girl just shrugged a little, chuckling too.

“Just a hunch. I’m Julie. That’s Flynn over there.” She motioned over to the girl with pretty box-braids and that still, incredible, fashion sense. Flynn waved with a small smile.

“I’m Blaire, by the way. I love you fashion sense.” Blaire says looking at Flynn who smiles deeply, glancing down to see what outfit she had on today.

“Thank you! I’d be damned if I didn’t win best dressed senior year.” Flynn laughs glancing between Blaire and Julie who join in on her laughter.

“They would be wrong to not vote for you. Nobody can top Flynn’s style.” Julie says glancing over at Blaire who nods in agreement. There really wasn’t anyone who could match what Flynn was pulling off. Blaire was a little jealous herself, if she was being honest.

“It’s true. It really is incredible. You’ll have to give me some tips.” Blaire says glancing down at her own clothes. Just a simple jean jacket pulled over a peach t-shirt tucked into some denim shorts.

“Girl, you already look fab, but don’t worry, I’ll hit you up with the good people.” Flynn winked and Blaire laughed and nodded. She already loved these girls and she’s barely known them for 5 minutes. She didn’t know what it was, but there was just something about them that was making her want to be apart of their friend group and know more about them. These girls held their heads high, they were confident, strongly independent, Blaire could literally feel it. She really had never met people like these girls before.

“What class do you have first? Maybe if it’s around where we are we can all walk together?” Julie suggested and Blaire quickly dug her schedule from her pocket. It was a little ripped and tattered but it was still readable.

“Umm, AP Literature with Mrs. Shall.” Blaire read aloud and she heard Flynn let out what sounded like an impressed whistle.

“So you’re like, smart smart. Okay Blaire, I see you.” Flynn coos and Blaire’s face went a little red at that. She just shrugs, to her it wasn’t really a big deal. Her dad always wanted her to take all the advanced classes to help her transcript and all that stuff to do with getting into a good college.

“Not really. I bet there’s so many other people who are smarter than me. I’m actually more into music and stuff.” Blaire admits and this was the first time she’s opened up this much about herself on the first day. Usually, it’d take her a few days to crack because she put a wall up because she hated letting people in only to leave not long after. This was different, though. Much different.

“No way, us too. Julie’s actually in a band.” Flynn says and Blaire pushes her eyebrow up at Julie who smiles shyly. Blaire looks her over once more before it finally clicks in her head.

“Wait, you’re Julie and the Phantoms?” Blaire asks in disbelief. Ever since she saw that youtube video last year of the band performing, she’s been in love. They sang and sounded like angels and Julie had such an amazing stage presence.

“Guilty.” Julie chuckles and Blaire’s eyes widen even more. She squeals a little bit quickly shuts her mouth in embarrassment. Julie and Flynn both chuckle at her little squeal.

“Sorry, that was embarrassing. You guys are amazing I’ve seen the youtube video and listened to a few of the tracks you guys have recorded. It’s all amazing. You guys sound so great together.” Blaire gushes, her inner fan girl coming out. Julie smiles warmly at her words always loving the positive feedback.

“Thank you, that means a lot. We’ve been working really hard this past year to bring good stuff to the table. We’re excited.” Julie smiles and Blaire had to stop herself from squealing again.

“That’s awesome. I’ll definitely be looking forward to it. Plus, however you do those holograms, that’s literally incredible. It looks so real, too.” Blaire gushes again not being able to contain herself.

“Julie, I think she’s a keeper. She loves the band and she’s really nice.” Flynn says glancing over at Blaire who found herself blushing again at the hospitality. She’s never been treated this nicely by people she’s met on her first day. Blaire could say they were keepers too.

Before the three could do anything else, there was a sound of a bell that Blaire assumed it meant it was time to head to first period.

“Quick, run us down your schedule, we have to have classes with you at some point or at least B lunch.” Julie speaks up quickly and Blaire nods, pulling her schedule out again to read it down to the girls.

“AP Lit, Calculus II, French III, AP Government, Music, B lunch!, AP Biology, and free period.” Blaire reads aloud and Julie and Flynn jump around in excitement that she had B lunch with them.

“Awesome! I have Calc II in second period so I’ll see you then.” Julie says with a smile and she waved before walking off down the hallway to class.

“My class is in the direction of AP Lit so I’ll be glad to walk with you.” Flynn says holding out her arm for Blaire to link with. The auburn-haired girl smiled warmly as she linked arms with her new friend and started their way in the opposite direction Julie went.

“So, Miss Blaire, tell me about yourself. I want to know everything.” Flynn starts and Blaire chuckles. She pauses to try and think of something interesting but her life wasn’t really that interesting. Well..none of what she could say anyway..

“I like dogs?” Blaire says grimacing at how bland and boring that sounded.

“Dogs are cool. What kind of music are you into and any special talents with instruments?” Flynn continues not missing a beat and Blaire smiles, liking that Flynn wanted to get to know her. It was a nice change of pace.

“Well I can play the piano 100%. I’m kind of self-taught? I just picked it up one day when I was like 8 and it went from there. I’ve been trying to learn the guitar but I’m not the greatest at it and I guess I can sort of sing?” Blaire shrugs. Singing wasn’t really her main passion, she liked it, it was just kind of something she did on the side though. Her mom always told her she should have taken it further because according to her mom, she had a really nice signing voice.

“A girl with many talents. I like it. You should definitely stop by Julie’s sometime and we can see what you got up your sleeve.” Flynn says nudging her again and Blaire chuckles with a small nod.

“Alright, yeah. Definitely. What about you miss fashionista?” Blaire asks raising her eyebrow. She wanted to know more about Flynn, too considering how she held herself and her very outgoing personality.

“I’m not so much of a singer, but I do like DJing and I can play the trumpet.” Flynn says and Blaire nods impressively. This girl really could do it all and was it all.

“Djing, I like it. It suits you.” Blaire says and Flynn smiles as they slow down to a bunch of open classrooms students were walking in to.

“Alright, see you later Blaire. Stay fresh.” Flynn says before breaking off and heading into her own classroom. Blaire chuckles with a smile before turning into her own classroom.

The girl scans the room, trying to find a good seat when someone suddenly runs into her, almost sending her flying but they were quick to catch her.

“Oh shit, my bad. Are you okay?” Blaire breaks away from whoever’s grasp she was in to meet eyes with a blue eyed, crazy brown haired boy who had a very concerned look on his face.

“Oh yeah, I’m good. Sorry.” Blaire rushes out shaking her head and the boy raises his eyebrow.

“You’re sorry? I nearly knocked you over. Are you sure you’re okay?” He asks and Blaire tilts her head a little. Maybe it was something in this school’s water but everyone she’s met so far, not mentioning it’s only been 2 people, has been extremely nice. All the people from other schools across California have been stuck up and extremely arrogant.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Save yourself the sweat, crazy hair.” Blaire felt a little bold so she went for it, adding in the little nickname. She saw him smile a little before quickly taming his wild head of hair.

“That bad, huh?” He says and Blaire nods. She spotted an open seat in the middle row so she started to make a beeline for it. Middle row seats were the best after all, not too close to the teacher, and not too far away to get caught up in whatever drugs were being passed in the back row. Blaire found her seat and the same crazy haired boy followed after her, grabbing the seat beside hers.

“This seat taken?” He asks raising his eyebrow and Blaire chuckles and shakes her head.

“Be my guest.” Blaire says and the boy smiles. She gives him an amused smile back before pulling out her notebook for the class and a pencil.

“Oh, I’m Ryan by the way.” The boy spoke up again and Blaire glances at him with a smile.

“Blaire.” She responds and the boy returns her smile. Maybe this new change wouldn’t be so bad after all..she could rebuild herself, wash away everything anyone’s ever known about her and start new. I mean, she deserved it, right?

—

Blaire caught sight of Julie as soon as she entered the classroom and the girl waved her over. Blaire quickly hurried over to her and grabbed the seat next to Julie’s desk before anyone else could take it.

“So what do you think so far? Are you liking it?” Julie pushes her questions and Blaire laughs. She shrugged because she’s only had one period and met about 3 people so she couldn’t judge it yet.

“I’ll let you know around lunch, I’ve only met like 3 people so far.” Blaire laughs and Julie pushes up her eyebrow and a smirk falls on her lips.

“3? Who’s the lucky third?” Julie teases and Blaire just shakes her head with a chuckle.

“I met him last period. It’s name Ryan.” Blaire explains and Julie was already oohing and ahhing.

“Sounds like you two had a good interaction.” Julie says poking her friend’s cheek to indicate there was a blush on them. Blaire pushes her hand away and rolls her eyes.

“I don’t even know him so let’s not take it that far.” Blaire laughs and Julie only shrugs.

“Mark my words, Blaire. I know and see everything.” Julie says with a smirk. Blaire laughs and nods just to make Julie happy. The two girls turn in their seats when the teacher comes in, indicating it was time to start class. They exchange one last smile before pulling out their notes to start class.

Blaire didn’t notice it at first, she was too focused on copying the notes down in time before the teacher switched to the next slide because he was going a little too fast. Blaire had never really been a math wiz but she wasn’t bad at it. She did good and maintained a B+ to A average so she was satisfied and her dad was pretty satisfied with her scores too. He used to be really strict and really pounded into her head that she needed to do well, but ever since her mom passed away a few years ago, he’s laid off a little which Blaire was grateful for.

It was the pink pullover that caught Blaire’s eye that made her turn her head in Julie’s direction to see what was going on. Not really sure what she expecting when she looked, but it definitely wasn’t a boy with Troy Bolton hair, black jeans, vans, a pink pullover standing in front of Julie’s desk. Blaire blinked and then blinked again to make sure what she was seeing was real. She swears the boy wasn’t in the class and she didn’t know how the teacher didn’t see him standing right in front of Julie’s desk.

Blaire glanced at the teahcer, who still didn’t notice the boy standing right there. Was she like seeing things? But she couldn’t be seeing things if Julie was looking right at this kid and scribbling things down into her notebook like she was talking to him. Julie finally glanced over at Blaire for a quick second but she didn’t miss that confused glance and the direction she was looking in. Blaire saw Julie and the kid exchange a glance before looking back at her with wide eyes.

Julie quickly shot her arm up and Blaire suddenly became a little worried.

“Yes, Miss Molina?” The teahcer asks, stopping his lesson. Julie glances to Blaire, a look telling her to follow her lead.

“May Blaire and I use the bathroom? Girl problems.” Julie says and Blaire raised her eyebrow wondering how Julie had that much confidence to say that in front of the whole class. She heard the class snicker a little but the teacher clapped his hands, telling them to be quiet.

“Yes, you may.” The teacher says and Julie nods a thank you. She glances at Blaire and motions for her to follow her out. Blaire quickly packs her backpack up and follows Julie out of the room without another word. The boy in the pink pullover followed after them and yet, he still hasn’t been seen or mentioned by anyone in the classroom.

Julie pulled Blaire around the corner, stopping the two of them where they were out of earshot from any other classrooms. Blaire looks between Julie and the boy very confused and very worried because Julie looked surprised, not worried, but shocked.

“You can see him? Like right here, in front of your face?” Julie asks pointing over at the boy and Blaire glances at the boy who meets her eyes and slowly nods.

“Am I not supposed to be able to see him?..” Blaire trails off slightly. She was getting lost and Julie and the boy exchange another glance.

“What am I wearing?” The boy asks glancing down at his outfit and Blaire looks it over again too.

“A pink pullover with black jeans and checkered vans.” Blaire explains what she sees and Julie’s eyes widen. Blaire was still very confused as to what was happening and why Julie was so surprised she could see this cute boy in front of her.

“She can see me! She can see me! Do you think she can see Alex and Reggie too?” The boy exclaims jumping up and down now and Blaire glances at Julie for help. The girl lets out a sigh.

“Looks like we’ve got a alot of explaining to do..”

[missmitchieg]

The Phantoms, Triple Threat, Nick, & Caleb Covington as Pokemon trainers

Julie’s Pokemon: Sawsbuck (Bambi), Lurantis (Bloom), Mismagius (Magician), Pikachu (Sparkler), Solrock (Sunshine), Meganium (Long-Neck)

Julie’s a loving, gentle trainer that gives every Pokemon that comes her way a nickname and lets them out every once in a while to relax and play in a forest but goes hard in battles. She never loses. Her Pokemon never lose.

She’s good friends with every nurse Joy and officer Jenny and loves meeting new friends along the way to becoming a real Pokemon master. She never forgets her daily check-in calls with Ray and Carlos. She also keeps in touch with her best friend, Flynn, and loves the pictures she gets from her.

She likes to give her updates on “that cute but mischievous boy with the Gyarados and the Charizard“ that she’s pretty sure has a thing for her but she’s too shy to ask. Even if he seems to just “pop up“ wherever she goes after they met outside of a gym.

She genuinely laughed in Caleb Covington’s face when he tried, and failed epicly, to intimidate her. She thought it was the funniest thing she’d ever heard. Then she proceeded to beat him in battle. In public. Humiliating him. She hates him, and Team Rocket, and everything they stand for.

Bloom and Magician usually prefer to be out of their balls and walk and float around with her. She likes that about them. Sunshine and Lon-Neck seem to be closest with each other, but love the rest of the team as well. And they never run low on food or berries to munch on while they make pit stops on their journey.

Julie usually likes to wear a purple t shirt or sweater, a matching purple headband, white pants and sneakers and a black jacket. She always has a charm bracelet with 6 charms: A Poke Ball, a Great Ball, an Ultra Ball, a Master Ball, a Love Ball and a Friend Ball.

Luke’s Pokemon: Jolteon (Bolt), Charizard (Blaze), Gyarados (Bayou), Poliwrath (Polly), Zapdos (Tazer), Beedrill (Honey)

Yeah, Luke’s a bit of a genwunner. What’s it to ya? He knows what he likes and he knows what’s good. And yeah, he might have gotten himself in trouble with more than one officer Jenny more than twice for trying to steal a potion or two. (Nurse Joys always hate him so he’s learned to stay away from centers.) So he’s a rebel. Sue him. At least he cares enough to get them for his team.

Unlike those awful Team Rocket people that, rather than loving and caring for Pokemon like the epic, amazing, awesome creatures they are, they hurt them. Luke hates Team Rocket with all of his heart and he makes that fact known. He’s only ever met two, and they both sucked. One yelled at a kid’s Geodude and the other made a Togepi cry. Hard. He took it upon himself to comfort the little Togepi and feed him some (stolen) Pokemon food until he smiled and skipped away like nothing had happened.

Anyway, he loves being a trainer and exploring places with his Pokemon and he loves forest picnics (of stolen food, usually) and watching his Gyarados hide in waterfalls to jump out and scare people off. He also likes to keep tabs on “that girl that gives her Pokemon nicknames like a (pretty) dork” (Which is a thing he totally didn’t steal from her. He was already calling his team those names.) and tell the few friends he has about her.

Charizard and Jolteon have been with him since the very beginning of his journey, as a little but strong Charmander and Eevee and he loves them (and everyone else) like crazy. Zapdos tends to come out of his Ultra Ball without warning to spread his wings. Poliwrath is a big fan of swimming in lakes when they find them.

Luke generally wears a blue tank top with a black vest hoodie, jeans and black boots. He’s never seen without his blue knitted beanie (”My mom knitted this, so I’m wearing it forever.”) or the pink, red and blue friendship bracelet Reggie had gifted both him and Alex with before they went on their journeys. (”Reggie and Alex are my best friends, so I’m wearing it forever.”) Luke’s bracelet has a Master Ball charm and he loves it.

Reggie’s Pokemon: Eevee (Foxy), Braixen (Fire-Starter), Vulpix (Curly Top), Cyndaquil (Volcano), Teddiursa (Baby Bear), Togetic (Angel)

Reggie’s not necessarily too concerned with being a Pokemon master. You see, he’s more inclined to just have a good time and explore and let his Pokemon just be and give them all nicknames. He’ll sometimes pop into a Poke Mart just to say hi and grab a potion or two, mostly to not have to bother nurse Joy about his Eevee, who prefers to be carried around like a baby, (And who he doesn’t want to evolve into anything. Same with the rest of them. He’s very content with his “baby” team, thank you.), or his other Pokemon, again.

He likes hearing about his friends crazy adventures, though! And he likes hearing about their love lives, even if they’re both too shy to do much about anything. He likes telling his friends about all the stuff he sees in his town, like the old guy selling Pokemon food and the little girl that “just has an Arcanine, a Flareon, and an Infernape already! How did one little girl manage that?”

Reggie thinks he’s really lucky he’s never met a Team Rocket member, considering everything he’s heard about them from Luke, they suck. He’s honestly started to genuinely hate them by emotional osmosis at this point.

Reggie likes to dress in red and black flannels, white or grey t shirts, black jeans, black sandals, his own friendship bracelet that has an Eevee charm and a black jacket when the weather calls for it.

Alex’s Pokemon team: Sobble, Psyduck, Entei, Rapidash, Lapras, Starmie

So catching the Entei was kind of an accident. He’d just been exploring around a volcano looking to try and catch a Rapidash (he got it) when the volcano erupted and Entei appeared. He had (somehow) managed to calm the rather disgruntled Pokemon and catch it with a Poke Ball and Entei loves being part of Alex’s team, as do the rest of them. The Lapras was an accident, too, but that’s another story for another day. It involves a very grumpy, greedy hunter and Psyduck’s chronic headache.

Sobble, Starmie and Psyduck all just kind of felt drawn to him. He wasn’t going to question why an anxious duck with a permanent headache, a water lizard that always looked distressed and a star felt like sticking around him, but he loved them all equally. He loves updating his friends, Luke and Reggie on his adventures and catches (and the cute boy with the Blissey and Bellossom he met in a Poke Mart and keeps bumping into “on accident”*) or just calling to talk about nothing when he misses them.

(*It’s so not an accident.)

Alex likes to wear pink t shirts with a grey or black jean jacket, blue jeans, a white snapback and black sneakers. He never takes off his friendship bracelet and is very careful to not snag it on a twig or door handle or lose the Starmie charm.

Willie’s Pokemon: Blissey, Bellossom, Slowbro, Snorlax, Garchomp, Aromatisse

Earlier on in life, Willie had been pretty certain he wanted to be like his dad and become a real gym leader, but over time, he grew to like the idea of being a Pokemon doctor. His parents were a bit surprised by the news of their boy wanting to be a doctor, but they wholeheartedly supported his dreams and let him go to school to be a doctor, getting semi-regular updates from him.

Now, he’s often seen picking berries from trees and walking into Poke Marts to grab whatever he’d run out of that week, always happy to see the store clerks or say hi to a friend whose Pokemon he helped heal. (He especially liked when he ran into that Cute Blond Boy and he sometimes walks into stores just to talk to him even if he bought supplies just the day before, but shh. Cute Blond Boy doesn’t need to know that.) He also liked to offer grumpy, angry people a couple bites of Blissey egg to make them happy just because.

Willie usually likes to be comfortable and wear orange and white tie dye t shirts or orange and yellow floral t shirts, blue jeans, white sandals, and his hair loosely tied in a bun. After meeting Cute Blonde Boy, though, he started incorporating snapbacks and sneakers into his wardrobe. He liked how they looked on Cute Blond Boy better, though.

Flynn’s Pokemon: Liepard, Torracat, Delcatty, Pyroar, Lillipup, Persian

Flynn is honestly more of a Pokemon photographer than anything. She likes to hang around fields and forests to see the Pokemon roam free and take pictures or just watch while her big and little wildcats (Her favorites.) and her puppy (Accident. She doesn’t know how she fell so hard for the little pup.) either play or lie next to her and nap. She sends her favorites to her best friend, Julie and talks to her over the phone all the time. She likes hearing about her adventures and her cute boy and give advice on how to talk to him.

Flynn has only ever encountered Caleb, Dante and Fuego twice and she hated him instantly. The first time, she saw him snap at a little boy holding a Growlithe plushie. She had instinctively sicced her Pyroar’s flamethrower on him, yelling at him to leave the kid alone. The second time, she saw him physically grab a girl’s Hoppip and stomped toward him, commanding her Liepard to use Fury Swipes on him. She watched him struggle to walk away afterwards, gently handing the Hoppip back to the little girl and pointing in the direction of a Pokemon center just in case “her little friend got hurt when the mean guy grabbed her”.

Flynn is always seen wearing some kind of wildcat print in her outfits. Whether it’s the orange tiger t shirt and blue jeans combo with matching tiger boots she loved to put together, or the leopard print dress she saved for special occasions. She and Julie have always worn their matching charm bracelets with nothing but pride and love.

Carrie’s Pokemon: Mew, Sylveon, Dragonair (Shiny), Alomomola, Clefable, Audino

Listen, Carrie Wilson may be a pink princess, but don’t mistake her love of girly, glittery clothes and only having pink Pokemon on her team as her being weak. It’s not “she loves pink and glitter, but she’s strong and smart“, it’s “she loves pink and glitter AND she’s strong and smart“.

She simply has an aesthetic and an image to maintain and she maintains it, while having a team of strong fighters. She caught her Mew when all she had was a Sylveon and a couple of Pokeballs (What, like it’s hard?) and she’s proud to have a Mew, who prefers to float around her or piggyback her rather than be stuck in a ball, on her team.

She thinks it’s hilarious that Caleb assumed she would be at all scared of him. And assumed that she would lose to him. Carrie Wilson never loses a battle and she doesn’t plan to make that a habit of hers anytime soon. It’s simply not what Carrie Wilson does. Carrie Wilson instills fear into the hearts of weak little men, and has fun doing it.

But she’s always nice to little girls like her who love pink and love to beat boys in battle. She even gives girls strategic advice and runs into stores to buy them potions, poison heals and more just because. Little girls love her for it and she loves the little girls she comes across like her sisters.

Carrie wears a bedazzled white t shirt with a picture of a Love Ball on the front, a pink (faux, of course) fur coat, a sparkly pink tiered skirt with matching pink high heels. She saves her favorite pink and silver crystal dress for only the most special occasions.

Nick’s Pokemon: Cubone, Elekid, Wartortle, Chimchar, Pidgey, Butterfree

Nick is an aspiring baseball player, just like his dad. He’s not the best in battle, and he has to make quite a few emergency trips to Pokemon centers or clinics when he’s out of potions, but his team still loves him and fiercely (Well, as fierce as a tiny dinosaur, a ball of electricity, a turtle, a chimp, a pidgeon, and a butterfly can be.) protects him from danger.

Like that time when he accidentally angered a flock of Zubat by kicking a rock a little too hard and startling them awake. Emolga and Chimchar had to come to his rescue and they managed to get away relatively unscathed. Or that time he’d been found by a sweet old couple that offered him a warm meal, some Pokemon food and a bed for the night. After he’d been ambushed by a massive colony of angry Beedrill for walking too close to Beedrill territory.

Nick liked to wear a yellow t shirt with his dad’s baseball team, The Electabuzz, white shorts, black sandals and a white vest. He was always in either that or a regular white t shirt with a Poke Ball, blue jeans, and white sneakers.

Caleb’s Pokemon: Seviper, Grimmsnarl, Gengar, Skarmory, Umbreon, Spectrier

Caleb’s a member of Team Rocket. No one there really likes him or takes him seriously except Dante and Fuego, but he’s convinced himself they all do. No one, not even Dante and Fuego, is really sure how he managed to catch the Spectrier (or any of his team, because they don’t really like him much, either), but they also haven’t bothered to ask and he can’t really be bothered to tell.

He’s totally not friends with Dante and Fuego (yes, he is) and he totally doesn’t love them like sons, what? He doesn’t have a heart. (Except for Dante and Fuego.) He steals from stores and scares kids just by existing near them. Except Julie, Flynn, Carrie, and Luke. They’re not scared of anything. He’s more scared of them.

He hates the standard “bland, boring and ugly” Team Rocket uniform. With a burning passion. So naturally, he decided to dye the white parts of his uniform purple and cover it in glitter, replacing the hat with a much more his style top hat. He had gotten in trouble for the modifications to the outfit initially, but he didn’t care much. He was evil, but he wasn’t boring. And his boss had just sighed and decided he could get used to the non-regulation uniform after all.

[queenofcats17]

Shawn And His Inky Son 2

@bornoffireandwisdom asked for another story involving Grant and Shawn and I am happy to deliver. I’ve decided to make it a continuation of Shawn And His Inky Son, since it deals with Grant and Shawn again.

------------------------------------------------------

As happy as Shawn was to have Grant with him, surviving in the studio was still hard. Scavenging for food was difficult, especially with the roaming bands of Searchers. Grant could protect Shawn when there were just a few Searchers, but large groups tended to overwhelm his own will with the Searcher hivemind. It might have been easier if Shawn had just left him in the office. Shawn wasn’t going to leave him alone, though. Grant got sad and panicky when he was alone for too long, always worried that something had happened to Shawn. It made them both feel better to be together. 

Although, Shawn’s steadfast determination to keep Grant with him...Often ended up putting him in danger. Just as it had this day.

Shawn was getting ready to go on another supply run. He’d just about run out of bacon soup, which was pretty much the only thing in the studio to eat.

“Alright, ready for another adventure?” He asked, slipping on his bag and picking up the pipe he most often used as a weapon. Grant immediately perked up, rising out of the puddle he’d been in. 

“Whe...re?” He trailed after Shawn to the elevator. 

“Probably just the Heavenly Toys area or level P,” Shawn said. “Wouldn’t want to run into Alice or Drew.” He spat their names as though they were poison.

“Bad...” Grant agreed, screwing his face up. Joey’s name didn’t draw up good memories for him. Joey didn’t draw up good memories for anyone, really. And Alice was just mean. 

“Exactly.” Shawn nodded, pressing the button for Level K. In addition to looking for bacon soup, he also wanted to collect a few of his unfinished plushes. It got boring sitting in that office all day. He needed something to occupy his time. Grant was more than happy to just chew on a bone or a shoe, so he didn’t need all that much entertainment. 

The elevator began to lurch upwards with a sickening creak, which made Shawn tense. Shawn hated using the elevator. Tom had been right about it being unreliable. Even when the studio had been working, the elevator had always had mechanical issues. And now that the mechanics had been turned into ink creatures...Well, the elevator wasn’t really getting any maintenance anymore. 

But the elevator was enclosed and much safer than just trudging up the stairs, where they could encounter rogue Searchers or Butcher Gang clones. It was easier to haul big things in the elevator as well. Besides, it wasn’t like Grant could use stairs. If Shawn wanted to keep Grant with him, he had to use the elevator. And he did want to keep Grant with him.

Suddenly, the speakers in the elevator crackled to life, and to Shawn’s horror, a familiar voice spoke through them. 

“Well well well, hello, Mr. Flynn. I’m surprised to see you out of your little hidey-hole.”

“I’m not in the mood, Alice,” Shawn growled. He knew better than to call her Susie. Doing that would result in a meltdown of epic proportions from her.

“Oh, but I think you are,” she purred. The elevator shrieked to a stop. She’d been kind enough to stop them between floors, so there was no danger of them getting attacked. But she still had a captive audience. Grant squeaked, hugging Shawn’s leg.

“Sca...ry...” He whimpered.

“It’s okay,” Shawn whispered. “It’s gonna be okay.”

“Aaaw. You’re talking to it like it’s still a person,” Alice cooed, her voice cloying sweet. “That’s cute.”

“He is still a person,” Shawn snapped. 

“Are you sure?” Alice asked innocently. “Are you absolutely certain that the creature beside you is still Grant Cohen?”

“Of course, I am.” Shawn instinctively pulled Grant closer. Grant let out another whimper. He didn’t like the tone in Alice’s voice. 

“And what makes you so sure exactly?” Alice asked. “That it can mimic speech? That it ‘knows’ your name?”

“I’m serious, Alice. I’m not in the mood.” Shawn felt his heartbeat beginning to speed up. He didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t want Alice to give voice to all the fears that lurked in the back of his mind. 

“Grant Cohen is dead, Mr. Flynn,” Alice continued with malicious glee. “I imagine you watched him die, didn’t you?”

“Stop it!”

“That thing next to you is nothing but a sentient pile of ink. Maybe a reanimated corpse if I’m being generous. Certainly not Grant Cohen, though. Not anymore.”

“Stop talking!” Shawn roared, covering his ears. 

Grant pressed closer to Shawn, starting to get concerned. Why was Shawn getting so upset? What was Alice saying? He could hear her voice, but her words were indistinct and muffled. She had such a lovely voice, but it sounded...cruel.

“It’s hardly healthy to be galavanting around with a corpse, Mr. Flynn,” Alice cooed. “Especially when you’re pretending it’s still the person you know. They make horror moves about that sort of thing.”

“Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up!” Shawn screamed. Grant whimpered, hugging Shawn’s leg. He didn’t like this. He didn’t like seeing Shawn so upset.  

“It might even be Joey stringing you along. Have you considered that?” Alice asked. “He controls all the ink, after all. He could just be luring you into a false sense of security so that it will be even more wonderful for him when he finally destroys you.”

Unfortunately for Alice, this didn’t have the effect she’d hoped. Instead of yelling or blowing up, Shawn slowly lowered his hands and smirked at the camera she was watching through. 

“It’s been months,” He snorted derisively. “Joey’s impulse control isn’t that good.” The thought had crossed his mind before, that this was just Joey stringing him along. But there was no way Joey would wait this long. If it really was Joey puppeting Grant, he would have pounced far sooner. Delayed gratification wasn’t something that Joey was at all a fan of. He’d been a nightmare to work for, certainly, unable to wait for anything. 

Alice was silent because she knew Shawn was right. Joey would never have waited this long. Perhaps that hadn’t been the best path to take. She’d been doing so well. Suggesting Joey’s involvement had been a misstep. 

“Maybe I was wrong about that,” she finally said, her voice soft as silk. “But I’m right about the rest. That thing is not Grant Cohen. Grant Cohen is dead. You can play house with it for as long as you like, but eventually, it’s going to end up killing you.”

“He’s not going to kill me.” Shawn narrowed his eyes at her, but she could tell she’d hit a nerve by the way his jaw clenched. 

“Maybe it’s fine now, but as soon as you run into more Searchers, it’ll turn on you,” Alice hummed. “Joey’s little hivemind is rather strong, after all. Your pet doesn’t stand a chance against it.”

The speakers crackled off and the elevator began to move once more. Shawn muttered some insult under his breath. 

“Ok...ay...?” Grant asked, tugging at Shawn’s pant leg. 

“I’m fine. Don’t worry.” Shawn patted his head. He would have preferred not to have that confrontation with Alice, but he could deal with it. It wasn’t like she could actually do anything to him. They all knew she didn’t leave her level. All she could do was play mind games. 

“Alright, here we are,” he said as the elevator reached level K. Grant made a happy noise, oozing out. That happy noise trailed off as he noticed the stairs leading up to the Heavenly Toys area. 

“Oh shoot.” Shawn grimaced. “Sorry, forgot about those stairs.” 

Internally, he was beating himself up. How had he forgotten about the stairs?! He’d worked here for years! He’d have to leave Grant to get the soup and plushes from his workshop. If he left Grant, he’d be unprotected. But Grant would also be unprotected and susceptible to being dragged into Joey’s hive mind. He could try carrying Grant, but that would occupy both his hands and leave him unable to defend himself. There was also the possibility of the ink soaking through his shirt sleeves or getting on his bare forearms. He had to leave Grant there.

Grant whined, clinging to Shawn’s leg. He knew Shawn would likely go off on his own. It was dangerous for Shawn to be alone. He could get attacked when he was alone. Grant needed to be with him to protect him. 

“I’ll only be a bit,” Shawn tried to reassure him. 

“Not..sa..fe...” Grant said. 

“I know. But I’ll be quick.” Shawn crouched down so he was eye level with Grant, patting his head with a gloved hand. He always wore gloves when touching Grant.

Grant whimpered again but still allowed Shawn to move away. He watched as Shawn climbed the stairs and disappeared into the Heavenly Toys area. Grant began to pace the little area next to the elevator, or do the closest thing he could to pacing without legs. He could feel other Searchers nearby. If they got close, he’d be overwhelmed by their influence. Then he’d probably end up hurting Shawn. He didn’t want that to happen. Shawn was his best friend. 

He kept pacing and worrying until Shawn returned, bag full of soup and a few unfinished plush projects.

“See? I told you it would be fine,” Shawn said. Just as the door to the stairs burst open. 

Shawn froze, his breath catching in his throat. There stood Sammy Lawrence, stumbling forward on legs almost completely consumed by the ink, flanked by several other Searchers in various stages of losing themselves to the ink. The Searchers stopped as they caught sight of him. Shawn’s eyes flicked from the Searchers to the elevator. Searchers moved slowly, so he could probably get to the elevator in time. Sammy was a bit of a wild-card, though.

“Ru...n...” Grant rasped, beginning to shake. “Wa...nna...hur...t...” He could feel the urge to attack Shawn rising up again. This always happened when other Searchers appeared. 

Sammy opened his mouth, a low growl coming out as he took a step toward Shawn. The Searchers stayed behind him, seemingly waiting for the signal to attack. Shawn’s heart pounded in his ears. He’d had close calls before, it was part of surviving in the studio, but he hadn’t come face to face with Sammy since the day of the outbreak. It was horrifying to see how Sammy had degraded. Sammy still looked mostly human. The ink had consumed parts of his body, yes, but his body wasn’t amorphous like the other Searchers. Shawn could still see his face, his limbs. It was a sickening sight to see one of his former coworkers reduced to little more than a slavering beast. 

Shawn bolted for the elevator, jabbing the button for level S. 

“Come on come on come on.” He muttered as the doors slid closed and the elevator began to lurch downward.

Most of the Searchers were too slow to catch the elevator, but Sammy moved quickly. He slammed against the door, reaching through the slats and yelling. Ink dripped from his mouth, spraying toward Shawn as Sammy yelled.  

“Hey! Get back!” Shawn swung at Sammy’s arms with his pipe. Thankfully, Sammy recoiled from the blows, groaning in pain. 

“I’ll catch up with you, Grant!” Shawn called out as the elevator descended out of sight. He just hoped Grant would be able to shake off the hivemind. He didn’t like leaving Grant on his own like that, but he didn’t have a choice. He didn’t want to get infected. Grant could take care of himself, right?

....Right?

[thefaeriereview]

Tour: Masters and Beginners

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Welcome to the tour for Masters & Beginners, by Daley Downing, book one in The Order of the Twelve Tribes series! Read on for a sneak peek, and a chance to win a signed copy of the book!

Masters & Beginners

Publication Date: August 2017

Genre: YA Fantasy/ Urban Fantasy/ Magic

When Sophie Driscoll’s grandmother dies, her parents take over running the Annex, a warehouse facility that stores magical artifacts and documents proving, and protecting, the existence of faeries. Sophie and her brothers, Flynn and Cal, happily adjust to a new house, new friends, and a new way of living, joining the ranks of generations who have kept the fey and mortal realms separate for centuries. Before the first month of their new life is over, they’ll encounter romance, elves, talking cats, ancient secrets, and potentially lethal danger. What could possibly go wrong…

4 out of 5 fairies

Masters and Beginners is a great afternoon escape. You really do get drawn in right from the start (and I don't just mean the prologue). I loved the whole Warehouse 13ish vibe that the book gives off. I loved the fae elements, but I could've skipped some of the more biblical/Christian things. That said I'm greatly looking forward to book 2.

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Excerpt

Prologue 

It wasn’t a dark and stormy night. It was a pleasant late summer’s evening, shortly after sunset, the sky a rich navy blue, stars beginning to twinkle in the distance. In a pleasant subdivision, residents were settling in for the night. In a tent pitched on one of the well-mowed lawns was a group of four teenage girls, in their pajamas and sleeping bags, currently finding out who could come up with the scariest scary story. 

"...and to this day, he wanders the woods, looking for his head." 

"Can I just say, eew." Margaret wrinkled her nose and frowned disapprovingly. "That was the Headless Horseman. That's not an original story, Kimberly." 

"Fine! You come up with something better." Kimberly flopped down onto her pillow. 

The tent was pitched in a backyard just like so many other backyards up and down the street. The development was one of the last to be built in the town limits, and it sat near the boundary of the state forest. The fact they lived so close to a nature preserve meant to the adults lots of hiking and biking on the trails, a chance for the kids to see wildlife, and learn about the woods firsthand. To their children, it meant a sense of danger, dark goings-on, and the perfect atmosphere for telling ghost stories during slumber parties. 

"Fine, I will." Sophie sat up taller on her blanket. It was her tent, her backyard, her house, with her family inside, hosting the slumber party. Taking the flashlight, she placed it under her chin, the beam casting shadows over the contours of her face. 

"There was a house at the edge of the city that everyone called the glass house," she began. "It looked like it was made all from glass, and it was strange to the people in the city. It belonged to the most wealthy family, the Greymalkins. They employed many servants and farmers in the past, people working on the land they owned. But these days, they had all but stopped hiring new staff." 

Margaret and Helen watched Sophie, listening politely. Kimberly pretended to be bored, and fiddled with a loose thread on her sleeping bag. 

"The people didn't really go near the glass house anymore," Sophie went on. "The former staff, or their descendants, said that the Greymalkins were having troubles -- illness, bad investments, and the like. They said that soon the family may be forced to sell the glass house and all their land. "That was a shame, old Mrs. O’Connor said, as her grandson was coming back to town after traveling abroad for a few years, and he needed a job. He'd just completed his courses at an important university in another country, and he was well-trained in managing finances and keeping records. That was a very good thing, said Daphne, one of the few maids left at the glass house. Because the Greymalkins were looking for someone to do just that. "And so Augustine O’Connor began to work at the glass house." 

Margaret and Helen were definitely interested now. Even Kimberly sat up a little more and glanced in Sophie's direction. 

"Daphne showed Augustine where he would work. It was mostly in one room, a study where all the family's important papers were kept. After a few hours of working each day, he would go to the kitchens for a meal, and take a walk in the gardens if the weather was good. Most of the time, he only saw Daphne, or the cook, or the butler, Mr. Lee. "One afternoon, just as he was finishing up, a very grand, and beautiful, woman came into the study. She wore a silver dress, and diamond combs in her hair. This was Lady Greymalkin, he knew, as he had seen portraits of her in the lobby of the glass house. Augustine quickly stood up and then bowed, as Mr. Lee had instructed him to do if he ever met a member of the family. "Lady Greymalkin insisted he not bother about such a formality. 'Thank you for doing this work for us,' she said. 'We need all our affairs in order before we sell the house.' So it was true, Augustine asked, the rumors among the people? 'Yes, I'm afraid so,' the lady said. 'Life has not gone...as we planned recently.' Augustine gave his apology. 'There's no need to be sorry. It's how things happen sometimes.' And she invited him to tour the rest of the house with her." Outside the tent, it was quiet except for the chirp of crickets, and the occasional, brief passing of a car. Fireflies danced in the trees beyond the fence, but the girls didn't notice. "Augustine walked along the halls and saw the big dining room, the library, the grand parlor, where the family had entertained in happier times. Lady Greymalkin told him a little more about her children, her husband, and his parents, who built the glass house. When it was time for him to go, she invited him to tour the property on his own, as he wished." 

Kimberly couldn't pretend anymore; she was listening as raptly as Helen and Margaret. 

"A few days after this, the Lady came to find Augustine in the study," Sophie continued. "She told him that they had a buyer for the land, and soon his services wouldn't be needed anymore. 'Thank you so much for your help. I'm sorry it means you're out of a job. If I can do anything, please let me know.' Augustine replied that a good reference would come in handy, but also, before he left, he'd like to walk around the gardens one more time. The Lady said yes, and that she would join him. "As they walked, Augustine saw a door in the garden wall he had never noticed before. 'Come with me,' the Lady said, and she showed him a tunnel beyond the door. As they began walking down the tunnel, the Lady said, 'Oh, I forgot, Mr. Lee needed to see me! Do wait here.' And she ran back into the garden, shutting the door behind her." 

The back door of the house gently opened and closed. A shadowed figure slipped away from the lights inside, creeping into the yard and towards the tent. 

"Confused, Augustine tried to open the door. He found it locked. There was only a little light in the tunnel, and he couldn't see very far. Deciding he should wait as the Lady had told him to, he stood still." The dark figure paused near the tent, crouching down, trying to stay out of the light coming through the windows of his home. Sophie's hand was beginning to get tired of holding the flashlight, but she was almost done with the story. "Then a loud sound came from the other side of the wall, a sudden scream. Augustine jumped, and ran into the tunnel. As he ran, he heard other sounds, on either side of him, growls and snarls like those of wild animals. All the noise came out of nowhere, but it seemed to be all around him." 

Helen was spellbound. Margaret hugged her pillow close to her. Even Kimberly's eyes were wide. 

"Augustine stopped running when he realized the light was fading in the tunnel, and the noise seemed to be behind him. He stood in front of another door, and he wondered if this one would lead back to the garden, or to the glass house. He opened the door, and saw nothing else." 

A branch snapped in the yard, and something scratched at the tent. Helen and Margaret screamed, and Kimberly dived into her sleeping bag. Sophie smiled and turned off the flashlight.

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About the Author Daley Downing is an autistic author, parent to special needs children, a dance teacher, and cat whisperer. She spends her days attempting to write just a few more words than in the previous 24 hours, and lovingly refers to her genre as suburban fantasy. Visit her at: https://daleydowning.wordpress.com/.

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