#but i talked to no one but my ex friend/carpool buddy

[vacantgodling]

i only made (1) friend when i went to college for that small time period and i just unfollowed her bc she started posting on ig about bitcoin like GIRL

[smallrainclouds]

It's not easy having yourself a good time

we're on a double-date with other people... why are we kissing? you're not my date

Credit for prompt to

Hypnos x reader (modern!College!au)

Word count: 2.7

Warning: some dating violence on OC's side. Wrist grabbing, slurs and controlling behavior.

Summary: this was the worst date of your life. Thankfully it's also Hypnos' worst date ever.

A/N: here have this fic. I had yandere! Hypnos I was working on but it's giving me issues (it was supposed be under 1k but it keeps growing).

Also, I am open to requests but will rejected any I don't feel comfortable doing.

No beta.

Thank and I hope you enjoy.

💤☁️💤

You regret everything.

You stared at the plate of food you didn't order, some sad little salad that somehow smelled greasy.

Why did you let yourself get talked into a group date? You know why, you thought your friend was going to try to set up with your lab partner, Hypnos.

You looked at the bubbles in your sparkling water, another thing you didn't order and wondered if the person you were with would ever stop talking.

You glanced up at the group at the table. Across from you with his own date next to him, was Hypnos who was frowning at your date.

At least you had one sane classmate with you. Hypnos had been your lab partner since the first day in senior year and honestly you had thought at first your friend was setting you up with Hypnos. If you had known it was with someone else, you would have bail.

Charlie was a nice person you told yourself and your friends thought they would be great for you. Charlie was just… maybe they didn't know you don't order people's food for them.

"Look what I'm saying, Hypnos, is that maybe that YouTuber guy shouldn't be called out as much. Not his fault people can't take jokes anymore." Your date, Charlie, said loudly across the table to Hypnos who just raised a brow.

You rolled your eyes, You weren't going to let your friends pick a date for you ever again.

"Alright buddy. Whatever you say." Hypnos shrugged.

Hypnos' date and fellow classmate leaned across Hypnos, her breasts pressed against his arm. You looked away, poking at your food. You certainly were not jealous, you told yourself.

"Come on, guys. Let's talk about something else." she whined. The other two couples that came along echoed their agreement.

Hypnos grimaced and sat up taller, making the girl sit up as well. You felt kinda bad for both you and Hypnos. Clearly neither one of you guys were getting on with your dates.

You looked toward your friend, hoping she would notice how poorly everything was going. You rolled your eyes when she was clearly lost in her own world, feeding her partner french fries.

Too bad your date wasn't with Hypnos. You thought he was actually cute back when You first saw him, if not a little odd looking with white curls and heavy lidded eyes. Now, you couldn't imagine a more handsome person.

You found your eyes kept going back to him throughout dinner. Especially when he pushed his hoodie sleeves up, showing off his forearms.

The table moved on to some marvel movie or something but you were drifting in and out. You kept checking your watch in hopes that you could end the night soon without being rude.

You could feel someone was watching you and you looked up to Hypnos' golden eyes looking at you. He glanced at the group, back at you and rolled his eyes. You smiled in agreement but quickly covered it up with your hand.

Hypnos pointed toward your plate with the uneaten food, eyebrows rised in a questioning way.

You tilted your head toward your date who was loudly having another argument over some tv show with one of the guys there.

Hypnos looked at your date for a second before he sneaked you his untouched plate of pancakes.

You mouthed, 'Are you sure?' and he nodded, pointing at a plate of mostly eaten omelet.

You mouthed a quick thank you and dug in. You were half though the plate of pancakes when your date noticed.

"Wait, where did you get the pancakes?" Charlie asked, "You know how fattening all that carbs and sugar are? I like my dates to be healthy."

"What?" You asked flatly. Did you really hear what you just did? Hypnos and his date were both staring at Charlie. Hypnos looked furious and You saw the girl send you a pitying look.

"Oh. come on, you know I don't mean it like that."

You suddenly lost any appetite you had and pushed the plate of food away. You looked toward your friend who remained blissfully unaware of your pain.

Your date swung an arm on your shoulders, you sighed annoyed at the causal possiveness. You only knew them for like two hours but they were already acting like you were going steady.

"Ready to hit the club, Y/N?" Your date asked.

You almost groaned, you had forgotten about the stupid club.

"Uh, sure. Yeah." You tried to wiggle your date's arm off but no dice. You thought you saw Hypnos send a disapproving look at your date but you weren't sure. No point getting your hopes up.

As you exited the diner, Hypnos tripped; knocking into your date and their arms off your shoulders.

Grateful for the excuse, you took a few steps out of their reach.

"Oops, my bad." Hypnos smiled widely, and gave a shoulder pat to your date who glared at him. "Just watch it alright?" Your date snapped as they made it to the carpool.

In the car, you peeked at Hypnos who just winked at you. You didn't hide your smile this time.

The club did nothing to improve your date or your mood. The loud bassy music was almost too loud to hear anyone and your date kept trying to get you to stay on the dance floor.

You were able to duck out of their hold and pointed to the table. They tried to tell you something but You didn't stick around.

You almost fell into the booth, your feet were throbbing and you just wanted to go home. You could just see your homework growing by the hour.

"Need water?" Hypnos asked. You looked up, "Oh I didn't know you were at the table. Yes please."

He handed you an icy cold bottle and you moaned at how good it tasted. He laughed and you blushed, feeling foolish.

"Sorry, thank you." You took a slip, without moaning this time thankfully.

Hypnos went back to his phone, fingers moving quickly. "No problem."

"Where is… um what was her name?" You asked, trying not to look at Hypnos too much. How dare he look this good in the club' dim lighting.

"Oh I forgot her name. But she is doing fine. Told me she was going home with her ex." He pointed to the dance floor where the girl was dancing against another guy, their mouths glued together.

You looked back at him, but he already was back to texting on his phone. He didn't seem upset at all.

"I'm sorry, Hypnos." You said awkwardly, not sure of what to make of this whole night.

"Don't be. I'm not." He shrugged. You couldn't help but notice how nicely the red hoodie fit him.

"I will admit though I don't think I will be trusting our friend's matchmaking skills after tonight." Hypnos looked at you, his amused smile made you smile in return.

"You and I both." You murmured your agreement.

You finished off your drink, eyeing him.

After a few more minutes, your willpower broke.

"Okay I gotta know. It has been months since I met you and it is bugging the crap out of me." You leaned forward to him.

He looked up from his phone, a white eyebrow raised.

"Is Hypnos your real name?" You asked him, not quite able to look away from him. You were being a silly school girl and you knew it.

He laughed, "Yeah, it is." He moved closer, his eyes bright. "Wanna know why?"

At your nod, he spoke. "When my mom was pregnant with me and my brother. She got kinda crunchy, got into healing crystals and tarot cards, stuff like that."

Hypnos waved a hand. "So when she couldn't pick names for us, she went to a psychic, who told her that she was a reincarnation of the goddess Nyx. And apparently she was pregnant again with the reincarnated gods of sleep and death."

You couldn't help the small laugh and Hypnos chuckled as he took a sip of his beer.

"Mom believed the guy." He pointed to himself, " So ta-da I got named Hypnos. And my brother is Thanatos."

"Your mom sounds like a fun lady." You played with your hair, enjoying the warmth in your stomach. You couldn't remember the last time someone made you feel such things.

"Oh definitely. I never know what I'm going to get when I see her." Hypnos said fondly.

When You shifted your seat, your leg brushed against his. You almost pulled away but Hypnos pressed his leg against yours. You could feel the heat of his body and it just made you want more.

His golden eyes searched yours, silently asking if he could do this. You returned the gentle pressure and flushed at his soft smile.

"How does your brother handle the whole Thanos name thing?" You asked, desperately trying to calm your racing heart.

A devious glint lit Hypnos' eyes, "Oh he hates it so much. He already hated the whole super hero thing. Last year for his birthday, I got him a cardboard cutout of the big guy. I thought he was going to shove it down my throat. I got his boyfriend Zagreus and their girlfriend Meg in on it this year, we going to -"

"Hey Y/N. Are you coming back to the floor?" Charlie's eyes narrowed, "Hypnos, I think your actual date is looking for you."

You pulled away, you had forgotten about Charlie and you couldn't help but feel some guilt, even if you didn't like them that much or at all.

Hypnos stayed in place, amusement on his face. You saw Charlie's fists clenched and knew they were about to start a fight and stood up.

You were definitely going to block Charlie's number after tonight was over.

"Come on, let's get some drinks for everyone. They should be coming back soon." You motioned for Charlie to follow you. They glared at Hypnos before following you.

You couldn't resist a quick glance back to Hypnos, who raised his beer at you in a 'cheers' motion.

💤☁️💤

Charlie was sullen and quiet as you ordered more drinks for the group. You couldn't blame them really, anyone would be put out when their dates are clearly having a better time with someone else.

Well, not Hypnos but Hypnos wasn't exactly normal, you thought fondly.

You tapped the bar, guilt gnawed at your guts as your thoughts went back to Hypnos.

"So what were you guys talking about?" Charlie slurred, his tone icy.

You took a breath, just a few more hours you reminded yourself. "Nothing much. Just about his brothers and stuff."

Charlie crowded into your space. You can smell the booze and sweat on them.

"You guys seemed like you were sitting pretty close considering you were talking about 'brothers'." They did a finger quote.

You rolled your eyes, unable to stand being near them any longer. You stepped away to head back to let your friends you were bailing for the night.

"Tell me what he said to you." Charlie demanded as they grabbed your wrist harshly.

"Ow, let go of me! You are hurting me, Charlie." You hissed, trying not to draw any attention.

"Tell me." They hisses back.

"I did. Buy your own drink, I'm going home." You tried to yank your hand away but they didn't let go.

"Look I've been nothing but nice to you and you're cuddling up to another guy on our date like some slut." They changed their tone, trying to sound more upset than controlling but it just made your stomach twisted in disgust.

You opened your mouth to defend yourself but after a moment you shut it, "You're right. Clearly this isn't going to work out so let me go."

"No, you own me something, Y/N." Charlie leaned toward you. "And I'm not leaving empty handed."

"Fuck off." You snapped, fear rising in your chest.

"Hey, man." Hypnos grabbed Charlie's wrist and squeezed tightly enough that they were forced to let go of your wrist. His normal light-hearted tone was hard. "I think Y/N had enough of your company tonight."

You took some steps back, shaking a little. Without looking at you, Hypnos asked. "Y/N, do you need to go get anything?"

"N-no. I have everything. I want to leave." You hated how weak you sounded and you wished that you never came out at all.

Hypnos held on to Charlie's wrist and yanked them toward him. You heard Hypnos murmur something to them.

Fear flashed over Charlie's face and they stumbled backward. "Fine. Whatever asshole."

Hypnos turned to you, his eyes darkened by his anger. "Come on, I can get you a ride home."

You just nodded, feeling very exhausted and close to tears.

💤☁️💤

The cold wind felt like heaven after the heat of the overflowing club. At least for the first two minutes.

You just walked, not quite sure where to go. Hypnos walked next to you, easily keeping up with your pace.

Neither one of you said anything as you tried to process the horrible night.

After walking for ten more minutes, Hypnos spoke up. "There is a park nearby, we should be able to find a park bench."

You just nodded, Hypnos offered an arm and after a moment you took it. You pressed your cheek against his shoulder, soaking in his body heat.

The park was empty, lit by warm path lights.

"Thank you." You said. "You didn't have to do anything for me."

"It's all good. How about the wrist?" Hypnos asked softly.

"It doesn't hurt. Thank you since you stepped in." You patted his forearm.

Hypnos sighed, "No. Not thanks to me actually. Its kinda my fault, I've been pushing their buttons for most of the night."

You looked up at Hypnos, your brow furrowed. "What? No, they have been pretty rude since the start of the date. I mean, you heard the salad thing. They ordered it for me!"

Hypnos shook his head. His breath coming out in white puffs. "Yeah and because I was jealous, I made a bad date into a nightmare. I knew I was making them feel all threatened, it wasn't hard honestly. I didn't think they would grab you like that. I just thought they would be a bad date you could laugh about later."

It took you a moment to process his words. You stopped on the park path, staring off at the lake.

"You were jealous?" You asked, not quite believing what you were hearing.

"Very." Hypnos chuckled bitterly.

"Hypnos, you are an idiot." You said blankly.

He opened his mouth to say something but you pulled him down by his collar to kiss him.

At first, Hypnos doesn't return your kiss and you pull away, an apology already on your lips.

But he cupped your face and met you again in a sweet, slow kiss. He kept pulling away to press chaste kisses against your lips and cheeks.

"Damnit, I was planning on asking out you after our last class assignment. I had a plan for everything. I was going to take you to your favorite coffee shop and buy you that dumb drink you like. Take you the park by our dorms and ask you by the duck pond." Hypnos said between kisses and pressing one last long kiss against your lips.

You hummed, unable to think straight. "Our friend ruined that, huh." You laughed when you could feel him growled against your lips. "You have no idea, I had a speech and everything."

After another long and soft kiss, both of you pulled away only to met again in a forehead press. Your white puffs of breath mingled together and your heart felt so full.

"You could still do the coffee and the speech. And the ducks." You whispered.

"Yeah?" Hypnos asked softly, his thumb caressed your cheek.

"I have to do a lab with a very cute classmate tomorrow but I'm free after that." You flushed, pleased at the fond smile Hypnos had.

"That's funny, so am I." Hypnos replied.

Unable to hold off any longer, you pulled him into another kiss, one of the many yet to come.

[thedistantdusk]

Arcadia, Chapter 1

My submission for the 2021 Hinny birthday challenge for the HG discord! Thanks to Liza for organizing, to @accio-broom for the Brit-pick, to @secretkeeper13 for the beta, and to anyone else who helped (I'm probably forgetting a few folks, apologies).

The challenge theme this year was content based on TV! This is an (extremely loose) X-Files AU, but you absolutely don’t need to be familiar with X-Files to understand this :D

TW (spoilers): swearing, references to (severe) mental health concerns, (eventual) consensual relations

___________________________________________________________

D A Y  + O N E

The woman probably finds herself charming as she stands in their driveway, her hands clasped in frozen excitement.

But Ginny just finds her creepy.

Really fucking creepy.

Harry drops hired car into first gear as they pull in. This woman— the head of the village council, Ginny reckons, the one she spoke to on the phone— wears perfectly-pleated Chino pants with a lavender jumper draped across her shoulders.

Her attire is standard for a posh village… especially a new-build village, one with a covenant and loads of stupid rules. It’s the woman’s eerie, opened-mouthed grin that shoots a chill up Ginny’s spine.

Her stark white teeth glint in the sun, but her smile doesn’t move an inch… and the longer Ginny stares, the more unsettled she grows. The only thing larger than her grin is the mane of yellow hair that surrounds her face like an ersatz halo.

Harry clears his throat as he turns off the car; Ginny realizes this is the first sound either of them has made since leaving London.

Awkward.

She reaches for her door handle, but the random woman gets to it first.

“You must be Jenny and Henry!” she shrieks, yanking on Ginny’s shoulders before she’s even unbuckled. “Oh, sorry! Love, do let me get the strap!”

Ginny’s on her feet and pressed to the stranger’s perfumed bosom before she has a chance to tell her she can manage just fine herself, thanks.

“Lovely to meet you in person!” the woman cries, nearly shaking with enthusiasm. It’s not until Ginny’s returned a weak squeeze that the vice-like grip around her middle weakens.

Rubbing her aching shoulder, she sneaks a glimpse at Harry; while she fought for air, he apparently climbed out of the car, only to stare at the two of them like a deer in the headlights. Now his elbow’s at an awkward angle, his hand behind his back, which could only mean one thing: he’s reaching for the wand in his back pocket.

Shit.

Ginny shakes her head and hopes her eyes convey what her lips can’t: She’s just a standard Muggle weirdo. Relax.

“I’m Jane. Jane Connors. In the flesh!” The woman (whose voice Ginny now finds painfully familiar) throws her hands in the air and twirls on the spot. “I take it you’re Jenny and Henry Petri!”

Harry interrupts with a booming chuckle before Ginny says a word; in three quick steps, he’s wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “That’s Pee-tri, actually. Like the dish,” Harry— Henry— adds with a wink. “And speaking of dish…” His eyes travel over Ginny, his voice going all deep and silky.

She bites back a shudder, hating the way her stomach drops as his fingers graze her arm. All that keeps her grounded is knowing the truth: Harry’s good at his job, nothing more. The only reason he’s suddenly become a skilled actor is that his career demands it.

Hers does too, she reminds herself firmly. And if she has any intention of successfully completing her first solo mission, she needs to get her shit together. Now.

Ginny blinks up at Harry, appropriately sobered; his eyes glimmer with mirth. As suspected, he’s only doing his job. Touch is just part of the assignment description. He has no way of knowing what it does to her— because really, truly, it shouldn’t.

And maybe if she keeps telling herself that, it’ll eventually come true.

Harry winks at Jane, tugging Ginny against his side. “My new wife and I had a long journey from the city! We were hoping to get some alone-time before tucking in, I’m sure you understand.”

Jane looks puzzled. “You— but it’s 5:43!” An uncomfortable giggle burbles from her lips. “You must be moved in by 6. Surely you’ve read the covenant rules?”

“Erm… may have missed that one,” Ginny lies. “There’s quite a few, see. We’re used to—”

But Jane shoves her fingers into her mouth, cutting her off with an ear-piercing whistle. Just as quickly, another chill races up Ginny’s spine. People up and down the street emerge from their semi-detached homes and race towards them, their faces in downcast unison.

They’ve all been watching. Waiting for the signal. Ready.

Ginny’s not sure how long ago the Department of Mysteries delivered the moving van and left it on the street, but the horde of random people aren’t fussed with the details, either. Within five seconds of Jane’s whistle, the strangers throw open the back door and begin an unloading process that reeks of military precision.

“Here’s the house key!” trills Jane, pulling it from her pocket. “Oh, and Petris!” She turns to Harry and Ginny, wagging her finger. “I’ll also need a copy of your car key, ASAP. We’re firm believers in the buddy system here in Arcadia.” She returns her attention to the stone-faced neighbors, who are now scurrying to the door. “This way, friends— right this way!”

“I— that’s really unnecessary,” Ginny says, bewildered, as people rush inside their new house, boxes in arms. “We’re perfectly able to—”

“Nonsense!” cries a man with grey sideburns as he takes a box from the back. “We’re neighborly here. You’d better get used to it.”

“Yes!” chimes another voice. A chubby man wearing a Polo and a golden necklace emerges from behind the lorry, hurrying up the walk. “We’re like a family here. We all— oh no!” He lets out a startled cry as a box labeled FINE CHINA topples from his arms and lands on the pavement with a thump.

He rushes towards it, face falling, but Ginny’s main concern is the box’s silent descent; she runs over, making a mental note to have a word with the designer of these props. Would something noisy and fragile have killed them? For fuck’s sake...

“Sorry,” the man says with a pained wince. “I’m just so clumsy. I-I promise, I’ll—”

“It’s fine,” Ginny soothes, dropping to her knees. “Don’t worry, really. We aren’t too big on dishes.”

Maybe if she keeps him talking, he won’t realize it’s bloody empty. Seriously, this is amateur shit. Luckily, he’s too distracted to notice.

The man offers a sheepish smile. “I’m Mike. Mike Snodgrass. You may have seen Mike and Jess in the resident guide, but erm…” He trails off, sadness in his voice.

Ginny cocks her head to feign confusion, but of course she’s familiar with Jess Snodgrass, 25, reported missing last November. Her photo’s been on Ginny’s desk for almost as long. Even now, Jess appears in Ginny’s mind with such startling clarity that she can almost see her beside Mike... all 5 feet of her, with curly red hair, bright blue eyes, and a lopsided grin.

Jess Snodgrass… Arcadia’s third missing person. The first to disrupt the couples-only disappearance pattern.

Mike shrugs. “But erm… it’s just me now,” he repeats. “I’m a primary teacher at Saint Julian’s, just up the road.” He nods to his left. “So if you’ve got any homework or school questions, give me a ring!” He pastes on a smile that doesn’t match his eyes; it’s an expression with which Ginny’s well-acquainted.

“I’ll have to remember that, Mike Snodgrass,” Ginny says, shaking his hand.

She immediately regrets it.

Seeing Mike Snodgrass on paper is one thing, but touch makes him human. His hand feels big and warm, his smile earnest and sweet; he reminds her so strongly of Neville that her stomach aches. Ginny breathes through her nose and focuses on the way his necklace — a medallion of Saint Julian, appropriately enough — sparkles in the sun.

“Like I said, I’m all alone,” Mike repeats, offering his hand to help her up. “If you ever need anything, Jenny, don’t hesitate to ask!”

Ginny taps her chin. “Actually, I do have a question! I reckon it’s just a rumor, though. You don’t have to confirm or deny.” She winks at him and leans in as a woman in a fleece jumper rushes past.

Mike’s smile widens, his face brightening… and ah fuck, that one hurts, because she’s about to break his heart.

“Mike…” Ginny murmurs, studying his expression. The more she says his name, the less he reminds her of Neville; she wants to keep it that way. “With everyone being so bloody hospitable here, how come there are so many disappearances?”

Mike stops bobbing. His smile vanishes as quickly as the former occupants of Jenny and Henry’s new home. When Ginny looks back into his eyes, her gut plummets with a sensation of wretched familiarity.

Because she expected sadness on his face… the same type she saw when he mentioned Jess’ name. Sadness she can deal with; sadness is painful, but she sees it all the time.

She sees something worse, though.

Fear.

And not day-to-day fear. This isn’t like hating needles or avoiding clown movies. Mike’s face is filled with the sort of wide-eyed, gripping, primal terror that seizes your insides in a vice. This is how you’d feel if your entire family were held captive in a dungeon, and a single word to the wrong person would spell their deaths.

Or how you’d feel if your ex-boyfriend were the corrupt government’s most desired fugitive… and you still fancied him very much, indeed.

“I… n-no idea,” Mike finally stutters, blinking. Then he sucks in a deep breath through his nose, his expression brightening again.

“So what do you and Henry do for work?” he asks in a booming voice, his grin now unnaturally wide. “We’ve got a carpool to the city if you’re interested. Reducing our carbon footprint is of utmost importance here in Arcadia!” He finishes by spreading his hands in each direction before placing them on his hips, that shit-eating grin still plastered across his face.

In another life, Ginny might’ve laughed. There certainly would have been a lot to cackle over, if she had the luxury of easy laughter. After all, she may as well be living in an am-dram nativity performance, complete with an overeager Joseph beckoning her to the stables after her harrowing desert journey.

Now, though, his reply only fills her with sad, professional detachment. Because fucking hell, how much did this poor man rehearse to get that line right?

She takes pity on him and snaps the bait. “My husband and I work from home,” she says, matching his volume. Someone’s clearly listening; it’s the least she can do. “You won’t see us out much.” Ginny brings the box to her hip. “And seriously, don’t worry about replacing the dishes, either. We mostly do takeaway.”

“No, let me bring you new ones,” Mike insists, his eyes pleading. “Tomorrow? Would that be—”

“What is this?” a voice demands from the back of the truck. Ginny peers around Mike’s shoulder. The man with the gray sideburns stares inside the lorry with a look of disgust.

“A trampoline!” Harry says, stepping aside as another neighbor races past. “We’re thrilled to put it in the garden, aren’t we, Jenny Cakes?”

Jenny Cakes. Is he fucking serious? Two can play at this game, prat.

“Indeed we are, Hen,” she croons, leaning into his side. “Jen and Hen.” She heaves a dreamy sigh and stares into his eyes. “We even rhyme!”

“Rhyming or not, this isn’t allowed,” the man barks, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’d have to apply for a special exemption with Mr Gogolak, but in the meantime…” He checks his watch. “5:53. Seven minutes. It’ll have to go in the garage tonight. I’m Oliver, by the way— Oliver Skinner.”

Harry gives him a theatrical scowl. “I’d say nice to meet you, but those who are enemies of trampolines are generally enemies of mine.”

Ginny bites the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing, but Oliver remains unamused. He raises his pointer finger as if to say something, but Harry gets there first.

“Onnnnly kidding!” Harry winks and claps his shoulder. “Hope we can be fast friends, Oliver.”

Oliver just glares back. “Count on it.”

_______________________________________________________

Ginny’s taking this whole thing very seriously. Not that Harry blames her.

Her voice echoes against the walls of the empty home as she paces around the sitting room, her camera flipped outward to record.

Despite his five-year Auror career, Harry has no real concept of what Unspeakables do. Which, he supposes, is by design. He knows they… know things. Secret things. Things you’d be happier not knowing. He also knows that Kingsley isn’t fond of them. Or perhaps it’s Attica Monkstanley, Ginny’s boss, who King dislikes in particular. Attica’s famous for her refusal to disclose anything — ever. This ranges from potential terrorist plots to her favorite type of sandwich. Thus, Attica isn’t particularly popular. After a career built on helping absolutely no one outside her department, the request for Auror backup on an undisclosed, top-secret endeavor went over about as well as a hippogriff stampede in a posh tea room.

Harry sighs at the blank walls of their would-be living room. King’s in charge now. Big in charge. He or Robards were the obvious choices to accompany Ginny — sorry, Unspeakable GW — on this mission, but when you’re Big In Charge, you call the shots. The shot King called was to pass the assignment to Robards, who in turn passed it to Harry; Robards decided he didn’t need to (direct quote) “take off a week from pre-existing assignments for some fake marriage, new-build village bullshit in the arse-end of Muggle nowhere.”

Admittedly, Harry’s in a bit of a lull at the moment. He’d been assigned to track and recover Yaxley, but that trail went cold on the border of Romania. Harry’s certain he’s just beyond their reach, maybe hiding in a cave, but seeing as how Harry’s not Big In Charge, his opinion doesn’t exactly matter.

Which is precisely how he’s found himself in this bland house in the village of Arcadia, pretending to be married to his ex-girlfriend… who, incidentally, he’s still hopelessly infatuated with, even five years after he ended things.

Because Harry Potter is nothing if not pathetic.

There’d been no realistic way to decline the assignment, though. Not that he’d tried. Seriously, imagine explaining that to your boss: “Mm yeah, sorry King, I can’t do my job because I still wank to the memory of Unspeakable GW riding my—”

Ginny’s narration jerks him from his thoughts. “It’s 6:15 PM on our first day of the assignment,” she dictates into her phone. “Auror Potter and I are secured in the home, posing as Muggle couple Jenny and Henry Petri.”

“Pee-tri!” Harry corrects, throwing his voice across the room.

He hopes he’s loud enough for the camera to detect, but he isn’t exactly brave enough to find out. Harry picks up their empty curry boxes and scampers into the kitchen without so much as a backward glimpse. He may have been forced into this assignment, but he’ll be damned if he can't have a bit of fun.

Her narration stops as he dips out of sight; if Harry were the gambling sort, he’d bet all the gold in Gringotts that she shot him a two-fingered salute away from the camera.

For some fucked up reason, the thought stirs something warm and exciting that lies dormant in his stomach. What’s worse is this feeling almost makes him smile.

No.

Harry draws a breath as he enters the kitchen.

As Kingsley’s told him several times, this arrangement is strictly business— regardless of his past with her. And in retrospect, yeah, the whole setup is an easy way for King to A) refuse responsibility himself, and B) put Monkstanley in a tough spot if it goes pear-shaped.

Harry pops open the rubbish bin. This is just the sort of liability King’s always looking to avoid, really, but— wait. He blinks down into the bin to make sure he’s not just seeing things, but nope… for some reason, the interior is divided into three sections, each in a different color.

Huh! Harry mulls this over before picking the blue bin at random and tossing the containers in. Maybe he’d know what each color meant if he bothered to read the covenant rules. Fortunately, he had much more exciting plans that particular evening involving Ron, loads of butterbeer, and a Canons/Falcons match from hell.

Whatever. Surely Arcadia would make an effort to clearly explain their recycling system if they really cared about the planet.

He returns to the living room just as Ginny’s providing a more in-depth introduction. “Right. I’m Unspeakable GW, badge number”— her voice becomes garbled gibberish, an extra level of concealment, before slipping back to normal speech— “and we’re here to investigate the series of unexplained Muggle disappearances in the village of Arcadia. As this may involve a potential escapee from the Thought Chamber, the Department thought it best for me to investigate. The Thought Chamber’s been my area of expertise for four years…”

Harry sinks into the sofa as she continues; he’s unsure if he should be sad or impressed that this is teaching him more about her job than she ever shared. Not that she did this for long while they were actually together, mind. Nonetheless, his chest flutters again with that stupid bittersweet pride as Ginny scans the room with the phone camera. All of this pageantry is necessary for her job, he knows. Careful documentation. Detailed recordings.

But for fuck’s sake, look at how much she’s done! She’s the youngest Junior Unspeakable in history, soon to become Senior, if this mission works out. She’s composed, she’s eloquent, she’s graceful. Another smile threatens to break through before Harry suppresses it; he just hopes that there’s someone in her life to remind her of how special she is.

She’s really dressed for the part, too. Harry’s certain that none of this is actually in her wardrobe. Seeing her out of jeans and a jumper is off-putting, but she’s done it so damn well. She once told him that most of her clothing choices were based on how easily she could wear them flying.

He swallows the sadness creeping up his throat. He doesn’t even know if she still flies, but she doesn’t in this outfit, that’s for damn sure. Her trainers are impeccably white, with a floral button-up blouse done up to her neck. She’s a bit like a young, beautiful Aunt Petunia; Harry reckons this is more or less the goal, but when she turns around to describe the stairwell, his eyes drop to her arse.

Shit.

He glances away as quickly, but he got a good look. Her casual trousers are rolled at the ankles, but they’ve done nothing to make her look… plain. Harry shuffles on the sofa, desperate for anything else to think about. Somehow, Aunt Petunia’s face still puckers in his mind’s eye, but now he can’t escape the mental image of her bent over the oven of 4 Privet Drive, only this time sporting a round, perfect—

“Potter’s here for backup,” Ginny says, returning to the sitting room. “I’m on primary investigation.”

Thank God; he sighs at the welcome distraction before remembering that bantering with her has always been an effective palate cleanser. So he does that, instead.

“Well, you know what they say,” Harry calls, leaning back against the cushions. “There’s nothing less interesting than the suburbs. Which is why I could never do your job, Jen.” He ends with a wink, resting his hands behind his head.

Ginny arches a brow, holding the camera in front of her. “And please take note, Attica, that the next time this happens, I’ll be the one to choose the names.”

She means it casually… he knows she means it casually. But something in her words pricks him. Irritates him. Wedges beneath his skin.

“Quite an assumption I’ll ever spend this much time with you again,” Harry mutters under his breath.

Shit.

He freezes. He didn’t mean to say that out loud, at least not so… bitterly. Once upon a time, he possessed the social graces to think before replying like that— but days of interpersonal nuance are long gone. They belonged to a carefree teenager with few thoughts aside from the next time he’d run his fingers through the thick, red hair that currently swayed in a long ponytail.

By the time he looks back up at her, Ginny’s face is filled with disappointment. And she’s closed her phone.

“I’ll have to redo that last bit of filming,” she says with a sniff. “But for what it’s worth?” She raises her chin. “You didn’t mind spending time with me in the distant, distant past, Auror Potter.”

Ha!

That was a tremendous understatement.

He’d been in love with her. Stupidly. Disgustingly. The first six months after the war were a blur of sex and mourning. They’d been so punch drunk and delirious that they probably used each other’s bodies more than either of them knew. He really thought they’d have a future, though… that they’d end up getting married and buying a house. Except theirs would have been different than this one. Filled with far more character and history and warmth. Their home would have smelled like baking bread and sounded like kids giggling and felt like a soft blanket on a cold night.

But none of that had anything to do with the way he snapped. So why bring it up, really?

“Sorry,” Harry whispers, tucking his hands beneath his bum. “That… I didn’t mean. I’m sorry. I just meant that we don’t see each other much, and…” He lets out a slow breath. Best to stop talking before he digs himself deeper.

“I forgive you,” Ginny says quietly. A full second passes before she offers him a smirk. “As long as I can still call you Pookie Pie in front of the neighbors.”

Harry blinks at the carpet with a sad smile. “Deal.”

[arixsanchez]

woo  !  admin chey here  ,  and i have exactly *looks at watch* EIGHT MINUTES to write two character intros before i post the following list  !  can she do it  ?  ----  probably not  . anyways  ,  i’m super excited to get this started  ,  and it seems like all of you are as well  ,  so before i get too sappy heres some info about my babe ariana !

have you seen [ ARIANA SANCHEZ ] since the storm? some say they look like [ SOFIA CARSON ] but they’re [ 21 ]  & go by [ THE CRESTFALLEN ].  [ SHE ] lived in halloway for [ 21 YEARS ] & they are originally from [ HALLOWAY ]. before the town vanished they were studying [ FASHION ] and lived at [ THE DORMS ]. most people knew the [ CISFEMALE ] as [ DRIVEN ] but i’ve heard they can also be [ SELFISH ]. for some reason, they feel [ UNEASY ] about the town’s disappearance. ( admin chey, 22, she/her, est )

BEFORE

so ariana was born as an only daughter  ,  that lasted roughly a few months  .  her biological mother died during childbirth  ,  and her father soon remarried .  ( like really soon  .  )

since ariana never knew her mother  ,  other than the pictures  , she created a fantasy of what the woman must have been like  ,  and ran with it  .  she was smart  ,  and kind  ,  compassionate and  beautiful  .  

although  ,  real life couldn’t have been further from the truth  .  her mother was an struggling addict for years  ,  leaving her father miserable in a complicated marriage  . he turned to an affair with a woman  ,  that turned into love  ,   who was pregnant before ariana’s mother died  . 

ariana’s mother died during childbirth because she had relapsed  ,  putting not only her life in jeopardy  ,  but ariana’s as well  .  she was born premature all of two months  . 

since ariana and daniela have been raised nothing short of sisters  ,  being only months apart, they’re more like twins than anything. practically attached at the hip, since little dani was born. if there is one person ariana would do anything for, no questions asked, it’s her sister. 

ariana has always been an overachiever, she had everything going for her  .  accepted into not only halloway  ,  but harvard as well .  on top of being smart  ,  she was popular  ,  one of the queen bees  ,  as if it was her birthright  .  

due to this  ,  she came off pretty intimidating in high school.  she was never mean  , or cruel, or outwardly vicious ,  though  .  she just had a very strong  ,  and abrasive personality  .  and she could be a wee bit bossy or selfish  . 

she was also known for dating the athletes  ,  with an almost serious boyfriend every year  .  all of which  ,  seemed go downhill quickly when they realized in between arguments she was seeing someone else  . 

towards the beginning of her junior year in high school, all that went away. she got pregnant  ,  and became the stigma  .  all her friends seemed to have abandoned her  , at least the ones that ran in the same circle. 

with layton  (the baby daddy) packing up and fleeing the second she tells him, she’s left with being a teenage mother .  granted  ,  her parents were never very well off  ,  they were middleclass  ,   and willing to help after the disappointment settled. 

however, this means they’d struggle, the baby would struggle, she’d quit the idea of ever going to college, let alone graduating high school. so began the most selfless thing ariana has ever done --- she gave her up for adoption. it was closed, and it’s been five years since then. 

she finished high school and graduated as one of the top in her class. 

AFTER

ariana is not the same girl she was in high school  .  though her personality is still strong  ,  she far less selfish than she ever was before  .  having a baby changed her  ,  and she can never get that back. 

she applied for college with all intent to be an MD student, and study medicine. her freshman year, she decided that her ambitions have changed, and that if she wants something --- she should do it for herself, and not anyone else. 

so she switched majors to fashion and design. something she’s always been passionate about, but never thought it was a realistic choice. 

spanish is her prominent language, due to growing up in a mostly spanish speaking house. although, she also learned english along with everyone else in school. 

tries to drink in small quantities,  but has an addictive personality. which means, once she starts, it’s hard getting her to stop. but her tolerance is up there man. 

she way easier to get along with these days, much more verbally compassionate than she ever was before. losing everything, actually help her gain a lot. 

if your muse has lived in halloway their whole lives, or at least since highschool, the fact that she had a baby and gave her up for adoption is pretty much common knowledge  .  but she doesn’t like to talk about it. 

has not dated anyone seriously since junior year  ,  she’s had flings and mostly hook ups  ,  but getting attached romantically isn’t something she’s a fan of  .  my girl has some major trust issues  . if it gets that far  ,  she shoots it down. 

friendzones the hell out of anyone who is halfway decent, for fear that their wholesome personality will trap her into having those pesky things called feelings.

she’s in track, the henna society, and ballroom/latin dancing clubs! *cough* or she was.

PLOTS

baby daddy: layton castillo

half sister: daniela sanchez

unestablished

someone she dated in high school, they would have ended on bad terms just before she got pregnant, likely would also hate layton: 

someone that is exceedingly bad for her, no feelings attached and they both know it: 

someone she could have had feelings for, if things were different: 

unrequited love, or hard crush -- they feel things for her, but she shot them down: 

friendzone, for what feels like forever: 

the person she calls at 3am when she needs someone: 

party buddies, they carpool, walk home together, do body shots: 

ex friendships, give me the best friends that bailed: 

[theonceoverthinker]

My Weekend At Once Con (Part 1)

...All I can say is wow. ...Just WOW. I'm sitting at my desk at work, just trying to figure out how the hell I'm supposed to go back to normal after this weekend. I'm equally parts at peace, freaking out, and so tired that I'm ready to crash and burn. And I'll tell you all why. ()()()()()()()()()()()()() About Me ()()()()()()()()()()()()() Before I start, I feel like to really understand my feelings about this con, you need to know a little bit about me first. That said, I'll make it fast because I know that's not what you're here for. 1. I'm the weirdest mix of introvert and extrovert that you can imagine. I want to talk to everyone, but at the same time, I'm so freaked out by it, but at the same time, I'll actually do it and jump in. 2. I'm what I call an omnishipper. If it's not incestual, I ship it at least a little. That said, I don't love all ships equally. I play favorites, and can even rank them per character. For example, I like Swan Queen, but I like Captain Swan and Dragon Queen a lot more. I like Violet Believer, but I like Henriella more. You get the drift. 3. I'm pretty positive about the show, and unless it's coming from a place of love, I hate saltiness, towards the writers, towards the characters, etc. I have likes, dislikes, and concerns of course, but there’s a line that I just don’t care to cross where it stops being fun, 4. I say I'm sorry way too much. 5. I recorded hours and hours of audio and video footage. It is all pretty flawed, but I promise, it's real. 6. Now, I'm going to reference questions, but I'm going to specifically focus on mine, since this is my con experience I'm reporting about. Look, I'm biased. It's human nature, and I'm literally writing this less than 24 hours after getting back.That said, if another question or comment really spoke to me, I'll do my best to include it here. Also, I'm doing my best to quote my questions from what I actually said, using the questions as I originally wrote them as well as my own memories, but I'm not trudging through my footage to get them. 7. Apart from Once, I've never really seen the special guests in other works. I saw Jen's play, The End of Longing back in May, but that was about it. This convention has convinced me to go forward and watch more of their works!

Okay, no more waiting! Here we go!!!

()()()()()()()()()()()()() Thursday ()()()()()()()()()()()()() I drove to the con on Thursday. I took a half day at work to finish packing and wait for my carpool buddy. We'd met on a Facebook page called "Once Upon a Time NJ Con," a Wall Street of sorts for the convention run by two lovely ladies. If you're looking to go next year, I can't stress enough just how good this page was. We arrived that evening for preregistration, and after my own adventures in the hotel down the road, I was all ready to get going. My roommate for the evening and I were on line, and already, there was so much excitement to be had. I met a beautiful young woman with crimson hair and a beautiful Swan Queen necklace who had Steven Universe buttons (A rare crossover of fandoms), and after we talked, I affectionately called her "Buttons" for the entire weekend. I entered the vendors room and took it all in. I immediately scoped out everything that I wanted, promising myself that I wouldn't spend too much money. ...You'll see how that ended up later. Thinking quickly, I immediately bought a Captain Swan shirt. There was a mug that looked like Henry's book that I promised myself I would buy on Sundays, but that was it. Don't get me wrong: I WANTED other stuff. The artwork table looked so nice, but I was sure I'd be selling my life savings for it (Something I was proven wrong about on the car ride home). Also, there was a big model of Emma's bug also available for purchase, but for like $50. It's funny because I was actually about to give my model of the bug (which was about 1/10 of the size of the one available here) to a Tumblr friend who I had grown really close to over the course of six months. Really, there wasn't much to say after that. Once my roommate and I had our fill of the Vendor's Room, we headed back to our room, chilled out, and then went to sleep, eager for the con to truly begin. ()()()()()()()()()()()()() Friday ()()()()()()()()()()()()() I've always been an early bird. That wasn't going to be an exception here. My first event wasn't until noon, but I was up at seven, and out the door by eight-thirty. My roommate, or at this point, ex-roommate, and I parted ways, but promised to meet up during the con. Thankfully, this is one of those stories where that actually happens. She and I at times were each others greatest forces of support and friendship in what was already a really friendly convention. We get there, and bond with a couple of people. Eventually, I ran into my carpool buddy and her friend. We killed time talking, reading books, and examining cosplays. Michael Coleman (Happy) and Chris Gauthier (Smee) passed by the lobby a few times, and I actually said hi to them, one time each. I was totally freaked out, but still, it was fantastic! Eventually, the theatre did open up, I parted ways from my friends, and went to my seat. I gotta say, knowing no one (for the moment, at least), it felt really lonely to be waiting for seatmates. Thankfully, a young teenager who had a GA ticket came by and provided a fun amount of conversation! Creation's house band Samurai Fish, accompanying Michael Coleman and eventually Gil McKinney (Eric) opened up the show. I never expected to like classic rock versions of my favorite Disney songs, but they were a lot of fun. XD Gil McKinney's panel, which I thought would originally set the stage for the rest of them, ended up, while doing it to some extent, being its own separate beast entirely, but in the best way possible. I compare it more to a stand up comedy routine than a proper panel. Gil walked around the room, commenting on guests, guessing kid's ages, losing a $20 bet that he would remember a guest's name, and even Face Timing with one of the guest's friends. I was blown away by how charming he is. There was a bit of a Q&A, but it only took up about the last five minutes of his panel. Fortunately for us con-goers, Gil would show up to a LOT more events and do a full-on Q&A the next day with Lee, Chris, and Michael. After Gil came Chris Gauthier. Let me tell you, I was hyped. I had been preparing questions for NJ con for six months now, but from the second I saw his name on the guest list, I knew what I wanted to ask. Chris' panel was more of a traditional panel with one big twist: Instead of going up to the mic, Michael, dressed as the Evil Queen (Heels included!), was going around with the mic to bring it to guests for their questions. This added a fun level of quirkiness to Chris' panel that I and the other guests really appreciated. Ready for my question? Well, at first, I wasn't. Believe it or not, I was terrified at first. But, I told myself that I wanted this and that I could do it. Michael eventually took a seat in the row in front of me, extended the mic to me, and I started to speak. "The last time Smee and Killian interacted in the present timeline, it was before Smee got his memory back and remembered that Killian sold the Jolly Roger and left his crew to go save Emma. What do you think that Smee and the rest of the crew think of their former captain now? Are they happy for his redemption or are they bitter at him for their abandonment?" Chris' response (To quote the man himself, "A little of both," and was followed by a more thorough explanation of why he thought so) was detailed, charismatic, and spoke of how much thought he puts into his character. By the end of it, I really wanted to see Smee on screen again! After Chris' panel ended, we next went into a Trivia Game. I actually participated in the last set of 30 contestants and made it to the top 15! Not half bad, especially because the question was from "Tallahassee" and Season 2 has always been my weakest season. I actually talked to two of the three winners after the contest, and both were scrambling to use their $200 winnings! XD The panels resumed at three sharp with Michael! Sadly, he was not wearing a costume, but what he lacked in that regard, he more than made up for with a bright and cheeky personality. I actually asked him, while something I never explicitly wrote out, about how he came up with the idea for the "Happy Little" series that he has been putting on for the past few conventions. He explained his reasoning in three parts, but I'll just tell you my favorite: He likes wearing dresses! The final panel of the day was the one and only Raphael Sbarge (Archie). What I like about Raphael is how he answers his questions. I'll demonstrate what I mean by discussing my own. So, my question was "In the Once Upon a Time fandom, shipping to many is as natural as breathing. However, Archie was never brought into a romantic relationship over the course of the series, or at least hasn’t been up to this point. Do you have and ideas of a character who you would have liked for him to chirp off into the sunset with?" Rapahel's response? "Who do you think he should end up with?" Now, it is definitely flustering to be asked a question in response to your own question, but give the man credit, that is brilliant when it come to responses. It does a couple of things. First, it's kind of like having a conversation with him. Raphael gets to react to what you think. Second, it buys him more time to respond, which, for a celebrity being put on the spot, is pretty clever. Now, that was the end of the panels, but not the end of the day, not by far. First came autographs. I'm going to hold all of my thoughts on autographs until the end of this series of posts, but for now, I'll say this: They were LONG. Second came...Dani. So, I've been chatting with a friend on Tumblr for close to half a year now. I always admired her posts, and we actually bonded over convention preparations. And she was coming to Jersey Con for Friday night and all of Saturday! I swear, I was just as excited to meet her as any of the celebrities appearing here. After the autographs, I messaged her to meet me in the lobby, and she responded immediately that she was on her way. And for the first time ever, we met. Readers, it felt like a scene in a movie. As soon as I saw her, I knew her, she knew me, we rushed to each other,...and we hugged. Fiction itself is seldom as beautiful.  We went up to her room, talked about a million and one things, shared stories and pictures, and then... Part three!!! You may have forgotten in all the excitement, but there was a brand new episode of Once Upon a Time!!!! It is incredible watching a show you love with someone who is as big of a fan as you. The episode in and of itself was pretty great! So, the episode ended, and with a million and one thoughts and theories, Dani and I headed down to the final portion of the day: Karaoke! Karaoke was hosted by Michael, Chris, Karen David (Jasmine), Beverly Elliot (Granny), and Gil McKinney. In it, our talented stars sang and danced alongside the lucky people chosen to sing pop, Disney, and rock songs! I had entered for Shut Up and Dance With Me, but sadly I was not selected. That said, the person chosen was quite talented. Some numbers that stuck out to me were "These Boots Were Made for Walking," "Sweet Caroline," "I Want It That Way" (Which my friend performed in), the aforementioned "Shut Up and Dance with Me," and "How Far I'll Go." The energy of the crowd was really something to see. Us Oncers definitely know how to rock a house! I bid Dani adieu and left during the final number because at that point, I was dead tired, and of course, I knew that I'd have to be at my best for everything that was to happen tomorrow... Nice cliffhanger, right? Stay tuned for Part 2!

[katherineparrish]

WANTED PLOTS + CONNECTIONS

hello~ meet katherine parrish (24, she/her), though she goes by “candy” when she’s dancing at speakeasy. she’s a little cold but like a cat she’ll warm up to you if you feed her.

below the cut is more info & some random ideas i had off the top of my head. ofc i would love to brainstorm ideas w/ all of y’all so hmu if u have anything else planned <3

you can read her full bio here (trigger warning for v brief mentions of drug abuse), but here’s the tldr version:

born & raised in augusta, oldest of 3. parents worked long hours to provide for their family, leaving her to look after her little brother & sister all throughout her childhood. family was always straddling the poverty line.

has always wanted what her parents never had: a stable, cushy job where she would never have to worry about making it paycheck to paycheck. plans to be an accountant and leave augusta as soon as she can.

started stripping after high school bc it pays better than any other place in town even though she’s pissed she doesn’t have health insurance.

drug abuse tw: her sister became a teen mom & her brother got became an addict, leaving her to feel like a failure of a sister and makes her feel like she needs to stay in augusta and make sure her family doesn’t fall apart.

left her family’s home after her nephew was born, thanks the gods every day that taurus lets her rent the apartment above rough draft for cheap.

commutes to community college and is working on her bachelor’s. easier said than done, “sleep” is nothing more than a 5-letter word.

plots:

someone she’s known practically all her life goes to where she works one night, and katherine has to treat them like any other client & try to get money out of them even though it’s awkward as hell.

katherine has a lot of creepy clients & after a shift one of them tries to follow her back home. your character gets to witness her tase them & can either join in on dishing out karma or has to hold katherine back from breaking his balls.

katherine’s beat-up old car is so old that her mechanic gives it a senior citizen’s discount. it also breaks down a lot, which is not a good thing when her commute to school is like an hour. your character sees her hitchhiking on the road and can either help her or make fun of how ugly her car is.

platonic connections:

just small town girl: katherine was born and raised in augusta so if your character was is also a local, it’s safe to assume that they know each other’s life stories, which is annoying and convenient. small-town perks and all. maybe the two of them grew up together and there’s practically no shared secrets between them, or maybe they watched katherine grow up and think it’s funny how she’s another one of those kids who swears she’s gonna make it out of this deadbeat town one day.

of all the gin joints in all the world: is loyal to the rough draft and spends most of her free time there. either she’s studying at the bar before class or blowing off steam with a beer after a shift. or, she’s taking a power nap in one of booths bc she was too tired to make it up to her apartment. if your character is a regular at the rough draft there’s no doubt they’ve run into her at one point and discovered how much more chill she is after 2 drinks.

she’s stackin money everywhere she goes: a regular client at speakeasy, for whatever reason they prefer candy’s company over the other dancers. maybe they know the only way to get affection from katherine is by paying for it, or maybe they just want someone to talk to and she’s cheaper than a therapist. and katherine enjoys their company bc she knows they’re a consistently good tipper and they’re one of the few people who don't treat her like an object. for whatever reason, they haven’t crossed the line to being friends outside of the club, even though they get along well enough in the private booths.

hit the books, jack: they go to the same community college together. sometimes they even carpool if their class schedules overlap, which is a blessing for katherine bc the hunk of junk she calls a car can barely survive the hour-long commute. they count on each other for notes and spend a lot of time hunched over books, motivating each other to get their homework done and dreaming of degrees that’ll get them to a better life out of augusta.

it’s all about the money, money, money: katherine knows how to make a dollar out of fifteen cents. she’s hoping to be an accountant one day and already knows how to balance a checkbook & do her taxes like a pro. your character probably isn’t all that savvy with money and look to katherine's money-saving skills even though she’s not above charging for her services.

romantic connections: katherine is bisexual so these plots are open to all genders~

exes and oh’s: the relationship was fine up until katherine became candy. call it jealousy or insecurity or whatever you want, they simply weren’t comfortable with the idea of their girlfriend being intimate with strangers every night. they wanted her to find another job, no matter how many times katherine insisted it was purely professional and it was the best way to be financially independent. maybe katherine was being too insensitive about their feelings, more focused on making money than preserving their relationships.

let’s talk about sex baby: fuck buddies, nothing more nothing less. katherine doesn’t have time for the messy feelings that serious relationships ask for, but everyone needs to blow off steam from time to time. these two have an arrangement that works for them. because katherine’s work & class schedule is so hectic, their one-night stands don’t always take place at night, but they’re always fulfilling.

dynamite with a laser beam: a regular client who never seems to understand that katherine won’t date anyone who goes to speakeasy. they think they have a shot, and keep paying for dances even though the hour always ends the same way. the last thing she needs to do is mix her personal and work life together. but she won’t say no to their money, and will keep selling them a fantasy even if she’s the only one who knows it won’t lead to anything more than that.

took the midnight train goin’ anywhere: an ex that katherine wishes she never wasted time on bc it hurts the hardest. they’re both locals, only this character didn’t understand why katherine would want to leave augusta. they both wanted two entirely different futures together and it’s what ended them. every time they run into each other, they can’t help but still try to change the other person’s mind.

antagonistic connections:

mary magdalene from a pole dance: someone with a low opinion of sex workers; they might not even realize they’re being offensive, thinking they’re being helpful with comments like “you’re so smart, why are you wasting your life dancing on a pole?” and “you’ll never have a future if you keep working there.” maybe they think that katherine just hasn’t “tried hard enough” to find a “real” job and keeps giving her unwanted applications to places in augusta that won’t work with her class schedule or pay her as well. katherine likes to goad them by saying they need to pay for a dance if they want her to talk to them.

shut up and drive: a regular client who likes to flex how financially secure they are every chance they get while katherine’s grinning & bearing it thru every dance. she isn’t in a position to refuse work but she secretly hates how they act like she’s only worthy of their time when they’re paying her to take her top off. they barely acknowledge her existence outside of the club, for their own reasons, and she tries not to let it rile her up but often fails.

drug abuse tw - the needle & the spoon:katherine loves her little brother and hates that he’s an addict. maybe this character runs in the same circles, fuels his addiction. katherine thinks they’re scum and won’t hesitate to tell them so, her mama bear instincts coming out in full force.

love to hate u: they grew up together and have hated each other since the dawn of time, but it’s been so long that neither one of them can even remember how they became enemies. and neither one of them wants to be the first one to lend that olive branch, because throwing insults at each other is one of the few things that are consistent in this weird town.

[malikshq-blog]

hey guys !! i’m lori, i’m 20 from est, and i’ll be playin my baby boo zane hijazi !!! i won’t be on for a few hours because i’m just gonna try and make a decent amount of gifs of him before i start rping lmao. BUT ! in the meantime i’d love to plot with y’all. i don’t have an about page for him yet because i’m a mess but i do have a few points about him under the cut, as well as wanted connections !! so just like this or hmu if you wanna plot.

introducing my dumbass lil sk8rboi malik !!!

ok like when i say he’s a dumbass i MEAN it. like he prolly runs an instagram meme page on the side but doesn’t tell anybody. HFHDSFHDS

so my baby got kicked out when he graduated high school and hitchiked all the way to san diego where he decided to stop and settle. ( for some fuckin reason, even he doesn’t know why ) and got a job at the pizza restaurant in fashion valley. this was like. 5 yrs ago btdubs.

uhhh nobody really knows about his past, like he’s very vague and reticent about sharing details about his past life. he’s one of those people who are really obnoxious and loud and they talk A LOT but if you ask him one question about his past or his family he casually like. changes the subject ??? and he’s gotten really good at it.

he wants to be a professional skateboarder and he hasn’t gotten picked up for any big companies yet or anything, but he still spends his weekends at skate competitions and he’s won a fair share of them bc. he’s actually good ???

that’s the only thing he’s good at though and he knows it so he’s scared that he’s not good enough at the only thing he wants to be which is ??? terrifying ???? but then again he never talks about it he just comes off as a big goofy skater with pizza burns all over his hands.

he’s also a pretty good cook and had a chance to get promoted to chef, but malik has always been more comfortable doing the bare minimum. he doesn’t like responsibility, he hates it actually, so he didn’t want to be in charge of the whole kitchen. he’s perfectly content making dough and slicing pepperoni all day long.

some connections i’d like to see:

PLATONIC

best friends: they do everything together call each other baby. ppl lowkey think they dating and they never dispel the rumors cause they think it’s hilarious ( kind of like a zane & heath vibe u feel me, but this could be m/f too doesn’t have to be m/m )

party friends: he lives right in the heart of the party so he can have a few of his closest friends he likes to invite over to pre-drink before they head down to the bars. they probs get wild, like a tru famsquad HFDHDFHS

roomie/neighbor: they don’t have 2 like each other but they probs like. carpool together nd shit and have 2 tolerate each other. malik probs picks on them constantly. he’s also rly messy and probs leaves his bongs out in the living room all the time

someone he friendzoned/someone friendzoned him: lol this would b hilarious i want this it could go either way tbh. and now they’re probs super close???

skate park buddy: someone who loves his passion as much as he does 1!

work friend: someone that he works with and they just fuck around. probably sticks pepperoni in their hair and snapchats them while they’re workin

work enemy: they hate each other lol. i dont think he’d really have that many other enemies bc he’s too chill to really get into fights

someone he’s super protective of: like this is the only person he’d ever actually get into a fist fight for. feels like a big brother and it reminds him of home so they’re very close to his heart.

ROMANTIC

on and off again fling: nobody ever knows where these two stand with each other --- much less themselves. 

 exes that are now close friends: this cute gimme

exes on bad terms: maybe he wasn’t taking the other seriously???? or just couldn’t handle the commitment??? but now he’s regretting it???

fwb: 2 rly chill friends who rly just wanna get off and play gta together afterwards.

crush: could b mutual, or one sided they just have high school crush.

this was lowkey long i’m SORRY SDHFDSHFDHS anyways. hmu hfdhfh

[whotookmyusernameidea]

Tired of talking.

I close my eyes and lean my head against the steering wheel, the faux leather cover sticks to my sweat covered skin uncomfortably but I just accept it, everything in my life has become uncomfortable as of late so what’s one more thing?.

Every day I face an uncomfortable silence on the way to work with my best friend riding shotgun, though I guess I should say ex-best friend, Link doesn’t look at me or speak to me he just sits there with a stoic look on his face as we carpool to our shared job, our job that use to be a labor of love and friendship that has since diminished into one of the most dreaded parts of our day.

I guess you’re wondering what caused all of this huh? Well let me tell you, It all started when we closed filming on Buddy System’s second season.

“Well that’s a wrap! Great job everybody!” I heard Link shout joyously, his words were followed by applause and cheering. 

I strode over with a grin on my face and slung an arm over his broad shoulders, I will never forget the look of pure adoration on his face as he looked up at me with a grin of his own, It’s that look that keeps me going every day it’s that look that reminds me Link didn’t always hate me.

“We did good, Man” I had said leaning close to his ear and pressing my finger to his ear before speaking again. “Meet me up in the loft in 20 minutes” I instructed in a soft voice, I knew I was taking a risk when I had come up with this idea but I couldn’t fight it any longer.

Link was confused but nodded in agreement before I slipped away to our loft, I was thankful the last day of filming took place in the studio so that I wouldn’t have to wait longer than I wanted. 

But now? I wish I had never stopped waiting, I wish I would have continued waiting for the rest of my life at least Link wouldn’t hate me the way he does now.

I sat on our couch in the loft bouncing my leg nervously as I awaited Link’s arrival, I froze the moment I heard his familiar footfalls on the stairs leading to the loft, this was it.

He ambled in looking every bit like a model in his tight fitting jeans and equally form fitting black T-shirt, his hair looked slightly disheveled and I predicted that he’d been running his fingers through it on the way up.

“What’d you need?” he’d asked with furrowed brows as he looked around the loft, he obviously hadn’t noticed the dim lighting when he’d first walked in. “Why’s it so dark in here, man?” He went to reach for the dimmer switch but I stopped him with a steely gaze and a stiff shake of my head. 

He stood there looking at me with fear in his eyes, fear that I blatantly ignored as I made my way over to him closing in like a predator about to pounce on it’s prey.

“R-Rhett?” He stuttered over my name like it was the first time he’d ever said it, it sounded so helpless and pleading but I didn’t let it slow me down, No it carried me forward until we were chest to chest, I looked down at him and growled as I backed him into the wall behind him.

 “Shut up” I snarled as I pressed him against the wall and positioned my knee between his, I wanted to take up as much of his personal space as I could with my large frame. “I’m tired of talking, Link” I had said harshly before roughly pinning his lips beneath my own, the whimper he let out coursed through my veins and made me even hungrier for him than before.

I could feel his hand’s come up to my chest and I knew he was trying with all his might to push me away from him, to break the harsh kiss that I knew would be bruising his plump lips but I didn’t care, I should have stopped and I’d like to think that if I had known the outcome of my actions I would have stopped  but I’m a weak man sometimes and I don’t know that I would have been able to.

It felt like hours had passed when I finally pulled away from the kiss, I looked at Link and I felt guilt wash over me instantly. He looked so broken with his eyes glazed over and red from the tears that now streaked his face and his plump lips already bruising from the sheer force of my kisses. When had he started crying?. 

“Let me go, Rhett!” He’d choked out through a sob and this time I listened, this time I stepped back hurriedly and watched as he walked  over to the entrance of our loft on unsteady legs, I could see his entire body shaking and once again felt guilt coiling in the pit of my stomach.

He turned to look at me and I opened my mouth to apologize but he raised one shaking hand to halt my words. “You don’t get to say anything, Your apologies will mean nothing to me, Rhett” his tone was almost emotionless but broke on my name just the tiniest bit, That’s when my heart broke into a million sharp pieces, cutting me from the inside.

We’ve talked only once after that outside of work and it was only to come to an agreement. We agreed to carry on with our business, we had a lot of crew members who didn’t deserve to lose their jobs, and we agreed our wives were never to know the true reason behind our coldness towards one another although I suspect they know just by the way they look at us when we have to attend to social events together. 

I open my eyes and raise my head up off the steering wheel and force myself out of the car and into the burning california sunshine, it was time to film and everyone was already inside waiting for me, Link had opted to drive himself to work today my only warning of this was a short text from him this morning that simply said “Driving myself today”. 

The cool air of the A/C was a welcomed feeling against my sweat covered body, I would have to change before filming which meant facing Link much sooner than I originally planned. once I reach the door and knock before hesitantly entering the dressing room, Link sits on the white formica countertop where all of our hair products and other assorted items sit, his eyes are closed when I enter but after a moment he opens them slowly.

He startles me by speaking and I’m reminded suddenly how much I missed hearing his voice directed at me outside of filming 

“Before we start I think we need to talk” He says sliding off the counter, he eyes me just as nervously as I must be eyeing him but he comes closer, my heart pounds in my chest the moment he’s standing in front of me, he’s so close I can smell the all too familiar scent of coffee mixed with his signature lip balm.

I can’t speak around the lump in my throat so I simply nod and he steps even closer, it feels as though all the air is sucked from the room when he presses his chest to mine.

“I’ve been foolish, Rhett” He drawls in what can only be described as a sultry voice. His hand comes up to caress my bearded jaw before his grip turns tight, holding onto me like a vice. “When you...approached me last week I...” he shook his head as if he were wiping clean an etch-a-sketch.

“Link..” I tried but he gripped my jaw even tighter, almost painfully now. 

“I’m tired of talking, Rhett” he said mimicking the way I had said this same thing last week. Suddenly his lips were on mine with a fierceness I hadn’t expected to come from him, it took my breath away instantly.

Seconds turned to minutes as he kissed me, his hand never left my jaw the entire time, my lips stung and it took me a minute to realize he’d bitten them to the point that they were now bleeding, I tasted my blood but it didn’t sicken me.

Finally he broke the kiss and we stood there panting, if anyone had walked in they’d have gotten quite the shock seeing them standing there pressed against each other, my lips bleeding, my blood coating Link’s lips and our hair a mess.

“N-Now what?” I whispered as my eyes found his, they were wild and tears had started to form in them. “Hey, Hey don’t cry” I pleaded softly.

Link took a deep breath and then spoke, his voice low and hoarse. “We start over” Was his whispered response before he pressed his bruised lips back to my own. We didn’t need to talk anymore right now, right now we needed to make up for lost seconds minutes months and years.

[keithspyder]

Birthday Crossroads

I just put this on my blog: https://keithcraker.wordpress.com It’s the latest post, so there’s no need to read this again if you read it there. If you’ve never read my blog, please do - I need the feedback.

..........

Years ago, I had a blog that was attached to my personal website. I wrote a bunch of stuff I was really proud of, I wrote some fluff I wasn’t so attached to… and then I wrote some stuff that I probably shouldn’t have written; stuff that was technically all about me, but included other people who would rather have those events not discussed so openly and certainly not so confessionally. After catching hell from folks irritated that their dirty laundry was being aired out, I dropped the blog, deleted it, and lost all the old posts. This made a bunch of folks happy, but it left me with a bad taste in my mouth… because while they could complain about their dirty laundry, I wasn’t discussing them; I was discussing ME. I was talking about how those decisions they made influenced and changed my life, and if I was going to be honest with my story, I was going to need to include those people in the narrative. But… as it sometimes happens… honesty and artistic integrity get in the way of relationships. To keep those relationships in solid ground, I would need to promise not to discuss certain details of my life in public. So that blog died.

When I started my blog - the mission statement was very narrow: this narrative would be about me and my attempts to not be such a nerd and transform myself into a Rock Star; it would be about losing weight, learning instruments, and performing gigs. With parameters that specific and that tight, worrying about other people and their feelings should never have been a worry… so I didn’t worry. I just started writing.

It was a few months in that I found myself editing myself, not discussing certain matters. I have four other men in my cover band; most of them have significant others, some of them have exes, some of them have kids, and the band itself has a reputation to build and maintain. I do work with two different community theaters, full of troupes of actors and directors, one of which has a board of directors. My wife has aunts and uncles and cousins; I have aunts and uncles and cousins; we both have friends and those friends have family and friends. And even though I had chosen a very specific niche, because I was writing about my life, I still found myself needing to worry about other people’s feelings. As much as I want to be honest, I didn’t want a repeat of last time with its deletions and promises not to ever talk about certain folks and events for as long as I’m writing.

It’s been three months since I last blogged. I am finished with my first musical of the year, which, by all accounts, went great. The band had its first gig in eight months a couple of weeks a go, it went well – not perfect, but solid enough to make new fans. I’ve written four more songs, for a total of ten so far, technically enough for an album, but definitely enough for an EP. I am definitely in the summer musical, so much so I just started giving voice lessons to two of the actresses and hopefully growing the class with as many of the other cast members as possible.

And I haven’t written about any of that.

My experience with the Winter musical was great. Everyone said I did a good job, I enjoyed the director, I loved the cast, I made some new friends, and I may have opened up a new creative venue for myself. The experience of working in my home town vs working at my parents’ home town was different, though. Not bad… just different. I thought I would be writing about those differences, but I’ve found myself not wanting to… I don’t want my words to be misconstrued and somebody taking an observation as a criticism. I haven’t wanted to talk about the band’s process of getting back into working mode, afraid someone would misconstrue my words and think I’m complaining or criticizing. I don’t want to discuss my voice lessons, afraid one of my cast mates will get my meaning wrong, feel they’re being criticized. I haven’t discussed my songwriting process for fear I will annoy my band mates and musician buddies, or put them all out of sorts.

I haven’t been writing because I’m afraid if I express my opinion, I will hurt or upset somebody. Because I have hurt and upset people before.

I told someone a few nights ago that creating art is the act of ripping open your chest and exposing your heart; that making good art meant always riding that ragged edge of your emotions and risking losing control of them. And since this blog is about a portion of my life that touches other people, for the last three months I have not been taking that risk – I have been keeping my heart securely in my chest, and I have been keeping a very tight reign on my emotions.

Yet again, I now find myself at a crossroads when it comes to this blog. Yet again, I find myself at a loss as to how I’m supposed to create good art with artistic integrity and intellectual honesty while not creating unintentional hurt and needless drama. I am not happy about this particular turn of events. I will have to do some soul searching yet again, decide if I’m going to continue the blog, and, if I do, how I will proceed.

On a happier note, I did just spend a long weekend in the lovely and historic Louisville, Kentucky visiting ETGB’s Biggest Fan. Officially, this was my Birthday Gift to myself, but unofficially, it was the perfect opportunity to grab my mom and a couple of long-time close friends, and carpool up to see our Sister From Another Mister in her gorgeous hometown. Mom had a blast; all the old friends who hadn’t spent any real time together in years got a chance to bond over old memories, great food, and decadent food; and my Kentucky Bestie and I got a chance to be Besties, as opposed to having to settle for texts and a phone call once a week if schedules allow. The trip was worth the exhaustion, though I am very sorry the High School Sweetheart was on her driving shift when the monsoon started coming down. She did great, but I did finish out the trip home behind the wheel just in case the rain got that bad again. I’ve had two nights in a row of eight hours of sleep, so I am back to feeling like my old self once again.