#hey OP do you know you’re the coolest person alive

[cathwritestragediesnotsins]

Across the Hall (1)

Mechanic!Dean Winchester x plus size!reader

Summary: Dean, Y/N, Cas and Sam all share a large loft apartment in NYC. The only problem? Y/N has feelings for Dean. But he doesn’t know because there’s no way a guy like him could have feelings for a girl like Y/N...right?

Word count: 1,551

A/N: hey guys this is my first attempt at a series so I wrote this part to get it out there and see what ppl thought and then I’ll write more if ppl are interested! Thanks for reading!

I was up early this morning, earlier than was normal for me. The view that I got to watch this morning was completely new to me because I had never been up early enough to watch the sunrise. I sat on the couch, cocooned in a blanket to keep out the chill of the morning, facing the windows so as to watch the sky sleepily waking up and changing from a deep navy to a steel blue.I could hear the bustle of traffic off in the distance and smiled to myself at the peacefulness of watching the city that never sleeps come alive.

I heard the door down the hall close mutedly as Cas tried to keep quiet so as not to wake the others. When he made his way into the kitchen a surprised expression spreads across his face at seeing me up this early. I gave him a small smile and held up my coffee mug to let him know I had put on a pot already. He took this que and went about with his morning, making himself breakfast and fixing himself a cup of coffee.

I get up and shuffle to the kitchen to talk to him before he has to leave for work-still draped in my blanket. When I lean against the counter across from him Cas turns, eyes immediately dropping questioningly to my bare legs. He smirks after a moment. “No pants?” he chuckles. I stick my tongue out at him childishly. “Hey if you boys all get to walk around here without shirts on I am allowed to not wear pants every once in awhile.” I argue. Cas shakes his head and rolls his eyes in amusement as he lifts his mug to his lips. “So, are you still working on that missing persons case?” I question, secretly prodding him to know if he’ll be back for movie night tonight without straight up asking him because I know how stressed he is with work. He hums in confirmation and gulps down the bitter drink in his mouth, “Yeah, finally got a lead on where the boyfriend was the night she went missing so we’re gonna check that out.” I nod understandingly. Even though I am a bit dissappointed with how much of my friend’s time this case is taking up I am glad to hear they’re making progress because I know this is important.

“What about you?” 

Cas asks, bringing me out of my thoughts. I shrug. “Well we’ve got some kids coming over to drop off some donations at 1:00 and the mayor is coming with for the photo op but other than that, things are gonna be pretty slow today. We haven’t had a lot of adoptions recently.” Castiel gives me a sad smile because he knows how much I love all the animals at the shelter. “It’ll pick up again soon.” he reassures and I bob my head, trying to seem optimistic. 

Cas lets out a sigh and then looks around, “Speaking of which, where is your army? I haven’t seen any of them this morning.” I laugh at the mention of my many pets. “Well Elias, Atlas, Georgia and Nemo are all sleeping comfortably in my bed. And Crowley and Otto are hiding under furniture somewhere.” I say, waving my hand in the direction of the living room. Cas glances around me and over my shoulder as if to see if he can spot one of the cats in their hiding places. I snicker a bit, recalling the many occasions in which Crowley would sneak up and scratch Cas simply because he didn’t like him. Needless to say Cas-who is normally the sweetest guy I know-returns my cat’s disdain. The scruffy man’s eyes return to me a moment later though when he sees the coast is clear for now. “Is that why you’re up so early? Because your dogs took over your bed?” I laugh, light and airy, again and nod. “Yeah, they got scared of the thunderstorm last night and I didn’t have the heart to kick them out.” I say with a shrug.

Just then the door to Dean’s room opens and he shuffles out in nothing but some grey joggers; his hair sticking up every which-way. “Mornin’ guys,” he says, stopping just outside his doorway to stretch. I allow my eyes to sweep over his muscular torso for just a moment before he can catch me. “G’morning.” I reply, giving him a crooked smile. Dean returns it and comes over to the counter next to me where the coffee maker is to claim the last of the hot beverage in the pot. “What’re you doing up so early N/N?” Dean asks, turning to me and sighing after he takes the first sip of his morning fix. I chuckle at the question, knowing I’ll be asked the same one by Sam whenever he gets up. “Couldn’t sleep.” I state plainly, moving toward the cabinet to get a bowl for cereal. Dean frowns. Cas throws Dean a knowing look which Dean returns with a glare. I pretend not to noticed all of this happening over my shoulder; brushing it off.

“Well I should get going.” Cas says, pushing himself off of where he was leant on the counter. He makes his way out of the kitchen and gathers all of his necessary work items before jogging up the short stairway to the front door. 

“Your coat is in the closet!” I yell,

I hear the sound of a door opening and closing and then my friend calls out in thanks. “I’ll see you all later!” he calls, opening the front door. “Ok, have a good day!” I pause to say as I’m opening the fridge in search of milk. The sound of the door closing can then be heard and our detective friend is off to make the world a safer place.

I turn from the fridge and see that Dean is once again perched on the kitchen counter. I swat lightly at his legs, “You’ve got to stop doing that,” I chastise, “we have chairs ya know.” Dean flashes me on of his adorable smiles, knowing I can’t even pretend to be mad at him when he makes that face. I roll my eyes. “Stop being cute when I’m trying to be mad at you!” I whine. Dean’s smile morphs into a smirk, “Sorry beautiful, just can’t help it. You’re not the only one who’s cute without trying.” he says, shooting me a wink. I roll my eyes and subconsciously adjust my posture so I don’t look like the pillsbury dough boy. I give Dean a sarcastic look before pointedly looking down at my bare thighs, “Yeah, sure, cute.” I say, trying to make it come off as a joke. Dean frowns, his eyebrows creasing together and his lips pouting slightly. 

He hops off the counter as I take a seat at the breakfast bar and pulls out the chair across from me. “Why do you always talk about yourself like that? You know you’re beautiful right?” he questions. My lips press into a tight smile, “I wouldn’t say beautiful but I know I’m ok, yeah. Just not without trying.” I explain. Dean shakes his head at me, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. “That’s not true.” he says adamantly. I speak up, seeing he has more to say but desperately wanting to avoid having this conversation with the man I am in love with, “Doesn’t matter,” I dismiss quickly, hoping that will be enough to diffuse the subject. I should’ve known better. “Yes, yes it does matter. You are the coolest, most beautiful, badass woman I have ever met! You should know that.” he insists. I close my eyes in stress for a moment, not believing for one second that he means those words as anything more than comforting a friend. “Dean, can we please not have this conversation right now?” I beg. Dean sighs, “Fine.” he mumbles, leaning back in his seat to show he is backing off.

I clear my throat, bringing up the first subject that comes to mind. “So, how’s the car coming?” I ask, knowing he can’t resist the chance to talk about his precious ‘baby’. His dazzling smile causes me to mirror his expression as he starts on about his car, telling me all about how he refurbished the bench seats and added some extra speakers in the back. I’m not a car person but even I am excited for Dean to finish his repairs on the beautiful ‘67 chevy impala he got at an auction. It has all the potential in the world and seeing Dean so excited about it makes me happy. “That’s great Dean! I can’t wait til it’s finished! You know when it is you’ll be driving me like, everywhere right?” I joke. Dean chuckles, his smile still lighting up the room more than the early morning sun, “Of course sweetheart. Gotta show that asshole Shawn how much cooler you are than him.” Dean replies. I laugh at the idea of my co-worker’s face if I were to pull up to the shelter in such a gorgeous car. 

“Now, that, I can get on board with!” 

[valmerappreciationhours]

Room 313

Clenny Week Day 4--omg they were roommates

(read on ao3 here)

Clyde Donovan has been looking forward to meeting his college roommate for months. Unfortunately for him, Kenny McCormick isn't quite what he was expecting.

“You smell that? That’s the smell of new beginnings, my compatriots.”

               “Bold to say for s-someone who peaked in hh—hu—high school.”

               “Smells like manure and sweat.”

               Clyde stopped in his trek to turn and glare at his companions, varsity jacket-clad arms crossed. His height certainly wasn’t accomplishing any wonders in terms of intimidation. “You’re just grumpy since your boyfriend didn’t come with us.”

               Craig’s mouth remained set in a straight line, but a small crease formed between his brows. “I’m simply stating facts. And you didn’t say anything about Jimmy’s comment.”

               “Jimmy’s comment was funny.”

               “I aim to please.”

               As the group continued their teasing, a cold autumn breeze picked up, whisking a few leaves past the party. The spare bits of concrete that were visible under throngs of students were littered with empty chip bags and discarded cigarettes. Booths advertising various clubs and events were scattered throughout the square, with a couple of plain buildings filling the space beyond. The clatter of voices and the rustling of bodies generated a cacophony that was a chore to speak over, but the three had plenty of practice.

               “Who has the map? I’m r-ready to get out of this.” Jimmy had cut over to an empty area by a trash can and quickly readjusted his crutches.

               “I second that.” Craig swiftly unfolded the campus map from his jacket pocket. “We’re going to my residence hall first. Token’s waiting with Stripe in the car and I need to get her set up.”

               “Aw, Craig!” Clyde whined but sped up to keep up with the long strides. “You mean they’re not close?”

               “Did you not look at any of your papers?”

               The silence from Clyde was deafening.

               Jimmy laughed. “Nice to know Clyde’s still the same old guy ev-even at a b-b-bi- a big university.” It was not a big university. It may quality as big by some standards, or a university by others, but the community college was far from any Ivy League school. The minimal requirements and low fees were what made the school attractive more than anything else.

               “But I’ll be so quick! I just wanna meet my roommate and then I’ll be right back to help set up! I’ve been waiting forever for this.” Clyde’s excitement and fierce determination sparkled in his brown eyes, and Craig sighed.

               “Do you need the map?”

               “He needs the map,” Jimmy confirmed.

 Clyde raced across campus, dodging other new students and luggage. His backpack thumped uncomfortably against his back, but it was no match for the exhilaration of discovering who he was going to be rooming with. Hopefully someone cool who also loved football and parties! Maybe even a science nerd like Craig, who would be down with making miniature explosions in their dorm. Clyde nearly toppled two boys hefting a crate, and made hasty apology as he scrambled up the stairs. Third floor, room 310, 311, 312, yes, 313! The door was cracked, and Clyde thrust it open to finally reveal…

               An empty room.

               Wait, no, there was a ratty brown backpack on the floor. Clyde glanced around, searching for something, anything more. He couldn’t have run here just to beat seeing his roommate.

               The bunkbeds lacked any personal items, there were no posters, no pets. The beige walls and gray rug stared back, empty and unyielding. The desk, aside from coffee stains and indentations, bore no mark of human life. Clyde stood for a moment more, hoping for something before he left to go help his friends set up.

               His saving grace was an incomprehensible muffle from behind him.

               Clyde whipped around fast enough to produce a neck injury, and was met with an individual ingulfed by an orange coat covered in patches. His jeans were completely torn at the knees, showing off scrapes and bruises underneath. His shoes were unidentifiable simply by the sheer amount of duct tape holding them together. He stared, and the other stared back, blue eyes unblinking. Eventually the muffle sounded again, but now that Clyde was paying attention it sounded much more like “do you live here?”

               “Yeah, I live here.” Clyde flashed a smile, leaning against the doorframe. A surefire way to make a good impression, and if this orange blob was his roommate, he wanted to look like the coolest dude on the face of the Earth.

               The boy under the coat stuck out a hand, showing off fingerless gloves. Clyde took it, wondering if the gloves were a sign his roommate was chill or if he was a former homeless person. At any rate, his hands were clammy anyway.

               “Kenneth McCormick,” he introduced through a thick layer of fabric. “You want top or bottom?”

               Clyde let his hand keep shaking, but his cheeks reddened. “Clyde Donovan, and, uh, that’s pretty straightforward.”

               Kenneth put his hands back in the pockets of the orange monstrosity. “Well, we gotta figure it out before bed.”

               Oh, geez, that was straightforward! “Hey, man, you seem alright and all, and I’m sure you’re attractive under that hood, but…”

               One could practically see the pieces fit their way together in Kenneth’s mind, and his eyebrows shot up. He took a hand and pointed behind Clyde, who turned to see the bunk beds. Well, what did that have to do with---ohh. Oh.

               Clyde turned back in horror, cheeks surely flaming. His roommate’s eyes crinkled at the corners, alive with mirth. “Uh, why don’t you have first pick? My treat.” He quickly started moving around to the exit. “I actually gotta go help my friend set up, so, I’ll see you later, I guess.” Once out, Clyde forced a casual stroll down the hall until he couldn’t see his room anymore, then bolted.

               He was going to run to Craig’s room, and he was not going to cry all over his friends because he totally bombed his first impression. Jimmy would tell a joke and make everything better, and somehow Token would provide a solution that would make perfect sense and Clyde would wonder how he hadn’t thought of it. Yeah, it would work out. Just the thought of his friends lessened the burn in his face. It would probably be brushed off and forgotten by the time he returned.

               Kenneth McCormick had not forgotten. Clyde was sure of this when he headed back to the room, backpack and bags in tow, and his roommate leaned down from the top bunk. Instantly, those blue eyes crinkled. “I chose top,” he said through the coat, and Clyde wanted to scream.

                 “I’m doomed,” Clyde said into his mug.

               “You’re doomed,” Craig agreed, not batting an eye.

               “What is it this time?” Token didn’t look up from his place on the tablet screen. He may be miles away at a fancy university, but he wasn’t getting out of Those Guys hangouts that easily.

               Clyde laid his head on the wood grain of the coffee shop table. “My roommate.”

               “Shame.” Craig blew on the steam billowing off his mug. “My roommate is the coolest person in the world.”

               “I don’t m-mmm-mind my roommate either,” Jimmy added. “What’s the issue with yu-yours?”

               “The worst first impression in the world,” Clyde groaned, wallowing in misery. “And he’s never there so now the only thing he thinks of me is that I think about gay sex.”

               “So, he’s p-pretty much got it.”

               Craig snorted into his tea and even Token howled with laughter through the speaker, Jimmy beaming with pride. Clyde huffed, and Jimmy reached out to poke his cheek.

               “Hey, it’s n-n-not a big deal. Do you really wanna be bent on the op-o-opinn-opinion of someone whose name is Kenneth? Th-that’s a nerd name, Clyde.”

               That was it. The gamechanger. Clyde’s head snapped up. “You’re right! That is a nerd name!” Finally, it felt like things were starting to come together again, when Clyde’s face fell. “Oh no. I already gave him a nickname.” There went that sacred sliver of hope.

               “I thought you didn’t talk to him,” Token pointed out.

               Clyde leaned onto his hand. “I said he’s never there. We’ve talked and stuff.”

               “H-how cool was the nickname, th-though?”

               “I just shortened it to Kenny! I thought, hey, I don’t wanna be saying this long fancy name all the time!”

               “You gave him a nickname!” a new voice yelped, causing three of the four boys to jolt. “Oh god, you’re in it now, Clyde!” Tweek hovered above the table, a full coffee pot in one hand, a navy-blue teapot in the other. Despite the shouting and nervous energy radiating off of him, not a drop of liquid found its way onto the table or anyone’s clothes. After years, Tweek was bound to become an expert on handling drinks simultaneous to freaking out.

               On the screen, Token bowed his head solemnly. “The Tweek has spoken. You can’t come back from this.” Craig nodded as Tweek refilled the cups around the table.

               “C-come on, guys!" Jimmy tried, ever an optimist. “Clyde may have st-st-started out on his dumber foot—”

               “I’m gonna let you continue since you’re defending me.”

               “—b-but he can ssstill pull through!” Jimmy reached out to grab Clyde’s round cheeks. “Who could say no to this ch-charming face!”

               “Gah!”

               “Anyone with sense.”

               “Literally everyone I can think of.”

               “Hm.” Jimmy pulled his hands back and poured more sugar into his mug. “I’ve worked with w-worse audiences.”

               “So, you still have faith in me?” Clyde looked to his friend, brown eyes large and vulnerable. He was a drowning voyager, fighting for his life in the open sea, and Jimmy, his good friend Jimmy, was right there with a lifeboat.

               Jimmy averted his eyes and loudly sipped his coffee. Fake-Clyde was left to die in the cold water.

               The next time Clyde truly interacted with his roommate, it was just past two in the morning on a Saturday. The unlocking of the door roused him from a light sleep, in which he was doing a great job at crumpling his textbook pages. Clyde quickly shut the book and looked over to the other boy, expecting to find him drunk or maybe high. What Clyde did not expect was to see Kenny sporting an apron and black slacks, a to-go cup and battered paper in one hand. A scarf wrapped around his face, effectively blocking out wind, as well as Clyde from getting a look at his face.

When Kenny noticed that Clyde was awake, he lit up and quickly closed the distance, shutting the door with his hip. “Hey man, check this out.” Clyde was barely awake, mind still muddled from sleep, but his brain worked hard enough to understand the colorful paper Kenny sat in front of him. “Are you going?”

Clyde rubbed his eye, works still sticking to form. “Sure, I love a good party. Didn’t think you were a party guy.”

Kenny laughed, muffled. “That hurts, man. Why not?”

Clyde yawned, leaning back down to his homework. His words slurred with sleep. “You gotta name like Kenneth. Dassa nerd name.”

He vaguely registered the creak of the bunk as Kenny climbed up. “Hey, you gave me a nickname all on your own. That’s admitting that I’m cooler than my birth name.” The flop of fabric against mattress. “Go to that party with me, I’ll show you how cool I can be.”

Clyde mumbled into his book. “Bet.” If Kenny was still talking, he didn’t tune in, too busy getting drool all over his homework.

                 The closer time got to the awaited party, the more Clyde started hearing about it around campus. It became a hot topic in the halls and overtook class whisperings; what people were gonna wear, who they were going with, how crazy it was bound to be. Clyde was feeling like hot stuff for having already known about it (even if he needed the sight of the flyer to remind him), and all the buzz only made him more excited. This would mark his first real, off-the-chain college party. Quite possibly more important than first steps, if you asked him.

               Clyde’s pile of homework sat untouched on his bunk. Not today; there were more important things, like the crisp varsity jacket laying on the chair and money on the desk for a dinner of tacos before. He was working on the knots of his sneakers when the door banged open.

               “I’m just saying, laser eyes would just be a hazard to itself.” A boy with black hair followed Kenny into the room, still wrapped up in conversation. Clyde may have known next to nothing about the topic, but it sounded like a good one.

               Kenny swung around to face Clyde. “Hey, dude, this is Stan. He’s gonna be going with us since his one true super best friend left him for a fancy school.”

               “And there was no way I was going with Cartman.” Stan’s eyes were intense, practically radiating revulsion toward the Cartman fellow.

               “And there was no way he was going with Cartman,” Kenny agreed, nodding. While he set to work on his parka zippers, Clyde grinned over at the newcomer.

               “The more the merrier, man!”

               “I’m also bringing alcohol,” Stan mentioned, holding up the twelve pack he carried.

               Clyde glanced at the label and humbly dropped to a knee. “The good stuff! You’re a savior, Stan-the-man.”

               “Don’t bother,” Kenny’s muffle advised, “his heart already belongs to a faraway prince.” Clyde turned to respond, but was shocked by lack of the raggedy orange parka. Instead, Kenny was decked out in a marginally better-looking hoodie and a skirt over leggings. That was a surprise, but Clyde couldn’t say it didn’t look great on Kenny. Unfortunately, a surgeon’s mask successfully continued to hide his face, and Clyde couldn’t help from groaning.

               “Am I ever gonna see your face?”

               Kenny strode over and patted Clyde’s back. “I’m too cute; it’s for the good of humanity that I contain it.”

               “He gets sick easy,” Stan supplied from Kenny’s other side. Kenny punched him in the arm, and he glared back. “Dinner, first, right?”

               “Yeah!” Clyde punched a fist in the air. “Ya boy wants tacos!”

                 It was beautiful. So beautiful.

               Music thumped and blared out of the house, alight with strobes and the glowing cherries of cigarettes. People spilled out onto the street, most with drinks in hand. The only ones that looked like they weren’t having a good time were sitting against the side of the house, puffing on cigarette smoke. Clyde thought they looked just a bit menacing in all black with dark stares, but Kenny strode right up and held out a fist to the lone girl.

               “’Ey, Henri!” She huffed and bumped the offered fist. “Glad you could make it!”

               “Whatever.” She took another drag. “We’re just at this conformist party to prove a point that all this is still meaningless and doesn’t drive off the darkness.”

               Clyde grimaced. Geez, these guys hit heavy. Kenny just looked infinitely brighter next to them, with his vibrant orange hoodie and blond hair.

               To Clyde’s surprise, Kenny was agreeing with her. “I hear that,” he said, muffled, “but there’s nothing wrong with postponing inevitable darkness a while. Save me a smoke later?”

               If Clyde wasn’t mistaken, he just saw the girl’s black lips twitch upwards. “I won’t wait around.”

               Clyde looked at Stan for some clarification, mouth agape. Stan shrugged. “Goth kids, that’s Henrietta.” He pointed out the girl. “They’re a bunch of downers, but I’m pretty sure Kenny’s immune to everything the world’s got.”

               Kenny rejoined their trio and led the way in. If the excitement and energy were evident outside, it was even better in the house. Pounding bass, crowded halls, laughter and dancing and so many attractive people. Clyde was sure he’d died and gone to heaven. This was where he was meant to be, and Kenny’s side pushing up against him in the crowd just made it better.

               After a few drinks, the group lost Stan, but neither was too worried. “He’ll be passed out drunk somewhere,” Kenny claimed, and Clyde was too busy being distracted by the lure of beer pong.

               An hour in, Clyde had taken back every worry he ever had about his roommate. Kenny was lively and wild, contrary to the stick-in-the-mud nerd assumption. He couldn’t believe he ever thought he had to be concerned about interacting with his roommate; it was as easy as breathing. The two were hovering to the side of a dim room, taking a quick breather and clinking their red solo cups, when a girl caught Clyde’s eye.

               A goddess in red! The sun burned in jealously of the shine of her golden locks!

               Really, he recognized her from his English class, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t still pretty.

“Go talk to her.” Kenny’s breath was hot on his neck in the crowded room, and it sent chills despite the heat.

               Clyde did not blush. He instead focused on making his way through the throngs of partygoers, dodging cups of unknown drinks and young adults grinding on each other. Finally, he stumbled through past a pair of girls, reaching his destination.

               “Hey, Clyde,” the girl drawled, pushing back a curl. Her lipstick gleamed blood-red.

               Clyde ran a hand through his hair in a futile attempt to make it look less frizzy and sweaty. “Hey, Bebe!” he half-yelled over the noise. “Having fun?”

               Bebe swirled her drink, smirking. “Yeah, but maybe not as much fun as you’ve been having with your friend over there.”

               Clyde turned his head to see where she was gesturing. Kenny was bathed in a faint blue light, forming a type of halo around windswept blond hair, making him look ethereal amidst the other party-goers. At some point in the night, his hoodie got unzipped, showing off a tank top that complimented his figure in comparison to all those baggy jackets. Kenny was talking with Stan again, who was looking pretty worse for wear. Well, less talking with, more talking to while supporting most of his weight. Kenny was saying something and nodding in Clyde’s direction.

               When they locked eyes, Kenny’s blue ones glittered. He winked. The simple action made something flutter in Clyde’s stomach. Maybe it was the alcohol.

               He turned back to Bebe. “He’s my roommate.”

               Clyde watched Bebe crane her neck to look at Kenny again, maybe noting how cheap his clothes looked. One of the girls that Clyde had pushed past leaned heavily on her friend, voice choked with the heavy emotion characteristic of drunk girls. “Oh my god, they were roommates!”

                 Clyde groaned, slamming his head down onto his jumble of papers.

               “Chemistry?” Kenny guessed, huddled with his own books on the top bunk.

               “Spanish,” Clyde corrected. “There’s so many words!” To rub salt into his struggle, Craig just had to be fluent. Not only did that make Clyde feel worse about his own inability, Craig was preoccupied with his physics project and had turned off all notifications. Help from the local genius was inaccessible. “You wouldn’t happen to be taking it, would you?”

               “Nah, I tested out.”

               Clyde swung around. “You know Spanish? Please help me!”

               Kenny peered down. “Not Spanish, I tested out of language with Mandarin.”

               That sent Clyde for a loop. “Mandarin?” Was that even one of the languages someone could take here? Not to mention the difficulty; English script was hard enough for Clyde to read without getting jumbled; he couldn’t wrap his head around understanding the strokes of Mandarin.

               Kenny flipped a page in his notebook. “I used to work at this local Chinese restaurant. I picked a lot up from the owner.” It was said completely nonchalant, as if he wasn’t talking about casually learning a second language.

               “Dude! Just like that?” The Spanish worksheets lay forgotten. Who would’ve guessed his roommate was so interesting? Maybe Clyde just wanted to avoid his homework, but learning more could totally be a valid excuse here.

               “Mhm.” Aside from the affirmation, Kenny was quiet on his bunk.

               “Could you say something in Mandarin?” Clyde prompted hopefully.

               Kenny thought for just a moment. “Tā mā de.”

               Clyde looked on, starry eyed. “So cool! What’s it mean?”

               Kenny scribbled some notes, but paused to glance back at his roommate. His eyes crunched in the way that meant he was smiling, and Clyde’s heart buzzed. “Fuck.”

               Clyde dissolved into laughter, and was quickly followed by Kenny. “I think I will start peppering that into my conversations starting today.” He picked up his abandoned pencil and flipped a Spanish worksheet over. “How do you say it again?”

                 Football practice may not rank as high as triple decker nachos on Clyde’s list of favorite things, but it was up there. The satisfying strain of muscle and delight of messing with his teammates outweighed the yelling of the coaches and the aches the next day by far. It was a time he actually enjoyed, that actually made sense instead of heavy bookwork, so of course the universe wouldn’t let him have it. Ten minutes in, the sky opened up, pouring rain so hard one couldn’t see past their own hand.

               Clyde trudged back to his dorm hall, squinting to see through the sheets of water crashing down. He wiped his soppy bangs from his face, but it did no good. His clothes were drenched and heavy, coupled with the weight of his sports bag of equipment. At least the dorm hall wasn’t too much farther. It was benevolent in its way of offering shelter from the storm, but cruel and unforgiving in its broken elevator sign.

               Clyde was resigned to heaving himself up the stairs, bag hitting every step behind him. A hot shower sounded so good right now. Or maybe lasagna. Or watching bad television in his soft and warm pajamas, snuggled up in blankets. Yeah, his night just got booked.

               He dug in his pocket for his room key, dreaming about the dollar store garlic bread he could cook up. His hand closed on nothing. Clyde switched to his other pocket, then his back pockets, jacket, and bag, growing more desperate with each pocket. Of course.

               Clyde let his weight drop, falling to the ground. Tears welled up in his eyes. He was tired, he was cold, he just wanted to go home! To top it off, Kenny had been talking about meeting up with his friend Eric, and the fact that the two might get arrested and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow morning.

               Fantastic.

               Clyde tried to ring out his clothes and leaned against the door. Maybe Kenny would get back early. He would love to see that scraggly hair and patched up jacket right now. Until then, well, no point in trying to get anything done.

                 Clyde was jolted out of his half-slumber by the door opening behind him, pushing his back. He looked over his shoulder to see an almost startled Kenny gazing down at him. Clyde quickly lept to his feet. “I thought you were still out.”

               Kenny opened the door further to let his roommate in. “Things went south,” he explained, but didn’t elaborate.

               Clyde pulled his heavy sports bag into the room. “Did you get rained out too?” Most of the water that clung to him had been left in the hall, but his clothes were still damp enough to be uncomfortable.

               Kenny threw himself back into the desk chair, which spun with his weight. “I got shot.”

               Clyde turned with a start, but Kenny looked fine. Clean clothes, smooth movements, a stunning lack of blood. He laughed. “That bad, huh?”

               Kenny’s eyes looked sunken and tired. Clyde quickly decided it didn’t suit him.

               “I’m gonna order a pizza. Proven to heal even the most gruesome wounds! What do you want on it?” He was too tired to make lasagna anyway.

               Kenny leaned back in his chair. “Everything in the store. I’m starving!”

               Clyde dug his phone out and dialed the nearest pizza delivery. His garlic bread was gonna knock Ken’s socks off.

               Nothing screamed procrastination quite like watching dumb shows. Clyde pulled his blanket closer and perused his Netflix options. It would be a good night for a comedy, relieve some stress of classes. The lamps were already turned off, the blue light of the laptop the main source of light in the room. The savory smell of noodles wafted in, and Clyde drooled. Oh yeah, it was all coming together.

               He turned to see his roommate heralding two cups of noodles. Faded pajama pants hung loose around Kenny’s thin frame, and a splash of broth had stained his shirt, which proudly proclaimed that he was the Denver spelling bee champion of 2005. The lighting made it just too difficult to get a good look at the bottom half of his face. Damn. Kenny set the two steaming cups of ramen on the table and crashed down onto the couch.

               “Spelling bee champion?” Clyde finally picked a series to play, and his attention was grabbed by the old tee, the colorful lettering standing out.

               Kenny picked up his noodles. “I stole it from Kyle,” he explained, twirling his chopsticks.

               They settled in, slurping on seasoned noodles and continuing the series started last week. It had plenty of action, but more importantly, it had comedy. There was something special about laughing with Kenny. He had a great laugh.

               Clyde shifted to lean against his friend’s arm. He was expecting maybe a sly comment or for Kenny to gently shove him off; he certainly was not expecting Kenny to take a sharp breath and stiffen. Clyde scrambled to move. “Fuck! Are you okay, dude?”

               Kenny rubbed his arm with his other hand, and Clyde barely hesitated to push up the sleeve and examine. Aside from a few scattered freckles, the skin there was smooth. “Just phantom pain,” Kenny explained. “I hurt it yesterday and I guess I’m still feeling it. Don’t worry about it.”

               Clyde could almost relate, but his sports injuries always left a mark a day later. “What’d you do?”

               Kenny looked like he was considering some options. “Nothing much,” he decided. Clyde frowned, brows furrowed, but Kenny’s face was bright when he looked back. “Don’t worry about it, happens all the time.” He readjusted and leaned back against Clyde. “I always bounce back.”

               With Kenny pressed against him, hot ramen on the table, and the next episode of their comedy beginning to play, Clyde wasn’t about to argue or probe for more information. He was content to just grab his cup of noodles and move closer to his friend’s side.

               “You’re a weirdo, Kenny.” Clyde clapped a hand on his shoulder. “But I’m gonna miss you.”

               Kenny’s eyes crinkled into a smile. “I’m gonna miss you too, you big dummy.”

               Ah shit. Tears started leaking out of Clyde’s doe eyes and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He pulled Kenny into a hug. The shoulder of Kenny’s jacket was getting wet but Clyde didn’t notice. “I mean, you’re just so strange, man! I’ve never known anyone like you. My friend thinks you’re a demon.”

               “Is it the one that’s always hyped up on coffee?”

               “How’d you know?”

               “Lucky guess.” After a few more minutes, Kenny managed to extract himself and put his hands in his pockets. “You’ll see me next year.”

               No, that was way too long. Clyde pulled his phone from his pocket. “We could text over the summer! Maybe meet up?”

               Kenny’s blue eyes lost their shine. “I don’t have a phone. I’m gonna be staying with my brother a few towns over. Sorry, dude.”

               Clyde’s face fell, and he quickly wiped his eyes. “Alright. That’s cool. No worries, man.”

               “Don’t miss me too much!” Kenny put a hand on Clyde’s shoulder as a goodbye, but it was the wrong move, as it sent the other into another death-grip hug. It might be a while.

                 Summer felt like a trade of Kenny for Tweek and Token back in person, and it was seriously messing with Clyde’s emotions. He loved his friends, and seeing Craig happier was always a treat, but without Kenny, things felt duller. It might’ve been easier to mope and forget those bright eyes for a while if relationships weren’t such a hot topic of conversation.

               “Pretty fffunny that you w-worried all that much and all you did was fall in love with him.”

               Clyde floundered. “I did not fall in love with him!”

               Tweek pulled on his hair. “Gah! What if he infects you with alien spawn now that he’s gained your trust!”

               Token poked at his gelato. “I thought the theory was that he’s a demon?”

               Tweek set back to his espresso ice cream. “I’ve been workshopping it.”

               “Don’t make him show you the PowerPoint,” Craig added. “It’s full of spelling errors and he won’t let me fix it.”

               “You guys are the nerdiest couple I’ve ever seen,” Clyde said, annoyance temporarily forgotten over the pair, “and it’s so cute.” Craig flipped him off.

               “S-soon they will be b-b-balanced out by the unt-untamable party couple,” Jimmy snickered.

               “We’re not dating! I don’t even know if he likes boys,” Clyde defended. All the other parties present gave Clyde a long look. “What?”

               “Dude,” Token began. “Kenny likes boys.”

               “And girls. And an-anything that gives consent.”

               “WHAT?” Clyde dropped his ice cream. “How have you guys noticed and I haven’t? Token doesn’t even go to our school!”

               “Clyde,” Craig deadpanned. “He has a pride flag on his jacket.”

               “It was in the—ah! It was in the picture you showed us!”

               The boys all watched as Clyde tore out his phone and scrolled through his pictures until he reached the desired one. Sure enough, once he was looking, the pink, yellow, and blue patch was obvious. “Oh no,” Clyde whispered, horrified, “I’m an idiot.” He looked up just in time to see Tweek smack a hand against Craig, who had an amused look on his features. “But that doesn’t mean I like him!”

               “One thing at a time, buddy.”

               Clyde ripped open his dorm room door, excitement bringing him close to bursting. An agonizingly long summer, three long Kenny-less months. At last, on the other side of that door would be a gross old backpack and an orange parka and everything would fall back into place.

               “H-hey, Clyde!”

               Clyde stood in the doorway, staring blankly. Jimmy was on the bottom bunk, pulling notebooks out of his backpack. His smile was bright and wonderful as always, but that moment marked the only time it made Clyde feel worse.

               “Oh. Hey, Jim.”

               “You didn’t c-c-check anyone else’s room n-number,” Jimmy noted, unfazed.

               “Nope,” Clyde sighed. If you asked him a year ago, rooming with Jimmy would’ve been the dream, but now? He couldn’t imagine staying with anyone but Kenny McCormick.

               “N-no worries.” Jimmy grabbed his crutches, which were propped up against the wall. A confident smile played at his lips. “I know a v-vi-a visit with Cr-Craig will turn that f-frown upside down.”

Clyde didn’t believe it; Craig could be a sourpuss, and his general attitude was not likely to fix Clyde’s mood. Nevertheless, he was still a reliable friend. “CRAAAIIIG,” Clyde groaned, stepping into the dorm, hand over face. He didn’t bother trying to contain his distress. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen Craig at his worst, anyway.

               “Nice to see you too, Clyde.”

               Hold up.

               Clyde uncovered an eye to see a mop of blond and a horrendously vibrant orange hoodie. “Kenny!” There was no hesitation in flinging his whole weight at the other, who nearly toppled over. He wrapped his arms tight, and Kenny shifted uncomfortably.

               “Might need some air here.”

               Clyde loosened his arms marginally, but pressed his face into the jacket. “I’m never letting go.”

               “Alright, but I don’t know the last time I washed this hoodie.”

               “Same goes for my shirt, man.”

               Jimmy and Craig each took a step away from the pair. Craig kept taking steps, out the door and down the hall.

               “Should I be worried?” Kenny asked into Clyde’s hair.

               “Nah, he’s gonna go do my laundry.”

               “How did you ever survive before you met him?”

               How did I ever survive without you, Clyde thought. Kenny was the sun, bright and wonderful, even if he didn’t know exactly how it functioned. If he could spend the rest of eternity here with Kenny, reckless, hardworking, witty Kenny, he would be happy. From where he was tucked, Clyde could easily peer over Kenny’s shoulder and get a good view of Jimmy. He was smirking at Clyde knowingly, the kind of look his friends always gave when it was proven that they were right.

               Oh.

               Dammit.

               The group chat chimed a dozen messages, mostly words of encouragement. Clyde puffed his chest and began striding over to his target. The device continued to chime, and it only served to boost his esteem. He positioned himself against a wall, propping himself up against it.

               When Kenny finally reached his point at the sidewalk, Clyde brushed his hair back and tried for an award-winning smile. “Hey, Ken, top or bottom?”

               Kenny was still sporting his work uniform, with the addition of his heavy parka. He looked at Clyde, and his blue eyes were heavy and tired. “We don’t bunk together anymore, Clyde.”

               Clyde only grinned back.

               Kenny’s eyes widened. “Oh fuck.”

               Clyde flashed a finger gun. “You and me, 7:00, sushi shop downtown?”

               Kenny made an “okay” sign with his hand. “Hell yeah! Wanna see if Jimmy and Craig are willing to switch roommates?”

               “They’ll do it, they’re great wingmen.” Clyde took Kenny’s hand in his own, confident.

               Who needed classes or sports or parties or graduation? Hands down, Clyde would say the best thing about college was his super cool, not nerdy, Mandarin-speaking, psych major, idiot roommate. All that other stuff was just extra, pushing him closer to where he needed to be.

               Maybe a class on mysterious boyfriend investigation would be beneficial, though.

[tialovestelevision]

City Of

Now we start on Angel. From a fictional city to a real one, if one that we’ve visited once in one of Buffy’s best episodes. From suburbia to one of the great cities. From high school to the world outside.

From teenagerdom to adulthood.

1. Angel, go home. You’re drunk.

2. Hey, look, all the extras aren’t white! We really have left Sunnydale.

3. Angel is not drunk. Angel is paying attention.

4. Forgot about them changing the vampire makeup for the first few episodes of Angel. Ye gods does it not work.

5. He keeps stakes in his sleeves. On springs. Drama queen.

6. Down the alley, Angel!

7. I love the opening song for this show.

8. Christian Kane. He’s not just an actor; he also does country. And he’s really, really good at it. I’ve got one of his albums, and it stays in fairly frequent rotation on my playlist. Check him out. The album I have is “The House Rules.”

9. There’s a fellow in Angel’s house. Angel did not invite him. It’s too bad Angel’s homes lack the invitation taboo, and half-human demons aren’t subject to it anyway.

10. “Powers that be what?” Good question.

11. Doyle is telling us the plot of the first three seasons of Buffy from Angel’s perspective.

12. Doyle also made Angel buy him booze.

13. “Look, high school’s over, bud.”

14. “Have you looked in the mirror lately?” Bad question, Doyle.

15. Now Angel has to help Tina at the Coffee Spot.

16. Tina needs extra hours.

17. Angel really is bad at this. Good at catching coffee mugs, though.

18. “So, uh, are you, um, happy?”

19. “You don’t hit on girls very often, do you?”

20. Tina tells Angel not to stay in LA, but agrees to meet with him after work.

21. Russell is sending people after Tina. We don’t know who Russell is.

22. Tina is from Missoula. Angel went to Missoula during the Depression.

23. Tina took a ride from Angel. A girl being threatened by an intimate partner took a ride from a guy she just met. Men wrote this episode.

24. “You’re an actor.” “No.” “I wasn’t asking.”

25. Angel found Cordelia. Cordelia had to ask if Angel is still a vampire. Now she’s asking the more relevant question of whether he’s evil at the moment or not.

26. “It’s nice that she’s grown as a person.”

27. I think we just found Russell. Nope. One of Russell’s thugs. Stacy is the thug’s name.

28. And now Angel and Tina are being attacked at the elevator. The thugs got Angel into the elevator and on his way down before he could react, and drove off with Tina.

29. Car chase! Why does a vampire drive a convertible?

30. Angel is a terrifying driver.

31. So Angel rescued Tina.

32. Cordy is in a shitty apartment. She has a million sads.

33. Angel is making tea.

34. Tina is expecting Angel to want to sleep with her after saving her. Angel intends to keep her safe.

35. Russell is a sadist and a rapist who disappears people.

36. Angel should get some real food in the house if he’s going to have guests. Maybe call Doyle to pick some up?

37. Now he’s at the library after looking through Tina’s personal items.

38. He found Tina’s friend on the Internet. She is dead.

39. Tina is having a nightmare. Angel woke her up from it.

40. Tina saw Doyle’s note to Angel. Now she thinks Russell sent him.

41. And now she’s seen his vampire face. And he can’t leave his house.

42. She went home. Russell knows where she lives, I expect.

43. Yep. He’s there. Creepy guy.

44.  Russell is a vampire, too. And is now eating Tina.

45. He ate Tina. Angel could get into her place because Russell ate her.

46. “Doyle, I don’t wanna share my feelings. I don’t wanna open up. I wanna find the guy who killed Tina, and I wanna look him in the eye.” “Then what?” “Then I’m gonna share my feelings.”

47. There’s Christian Kane.

48. And now Russell has a desire to eat Cordy.

49. Cordy’s meditation is going badly.

50. Margo, Tina’s friend who owes her money, is taking rather a lot of pills. I’m not sure how to read that.

51. Cordy is in a limo going to Russell’s house. Russell is ordering delivery.

52. Angel is making Doyle drive him.

53. Cordy has already noticed the curtains in Russell’s house.

54. Now Angel’s doing spec ops stuff. Cool.

55. Cordy just said the magic words for getting eaten. She doesn’t know anybody and has no friends in LA.

56. “I finally get invited to a nice place with… no mirrors… and lots of curtains. Hey, you’re a vampire!”

57. “I’m from Sunnydale. We have our own Hellmouth. I think I know a vampire, when I’m… alone with him… in his fortress-like home… and, you know, I think I’m just feeling a little light-headed from hunger. I’m just wacky.”

58. The new vampire makeup is REALLY bad.

59. Russell is now chasing Cordy through the house. But Angel set off a bomb on the circuit breaker.

60. “You don’t know who he is, do you? Oh, boy, you’re about to get your ass kicked.”

61. Angel escapes with Cordy after getting shot rather a lot of times.

62. Doyle tried ramming the gate with Angel’s car. It didn’t work.

63. Oh, Cordy, he absolutely is going to come looking for you. You know his secret.

64. Hey, Wolfram & Hart, you found the guy.

65. “Look at me. I pay my taxes, keep my name out of the paper, and in return, I can do anything I want.”

66. “Really? Can you fly?” Oof. Defenestration. During the day. Explosive defenestration. Angel just got the coolest vampire kill in the franchise so far.

67. Christian Kane seems nervous, but not nervous enough to bring in the Senior Partners.

68. Huh. The call-and-hang-up in The Freshman was Angel.

69. “Mr. I Was Alive For 200 Years And Never Developed An Investment Portfolio.” How DOES Angel have money?

70. “She’s got a very humanizing influence.” “You think she’s a hottie.” Heh. “She’s got a very stiffening influence.” Ewwwwwwww.

71. Looming over the city, Batman-style.

Overall: That was very good! Other than the “stiffening influence” part, I mean… that was gross and I don’t know why they put that line in when the previous two had made the point without being nearly so gross. I’m sad Tina died, and I think it actually undermined the episode a little to kill her off, but it did make a clean break to Russell’s pursuit of Cordelia which was necessary to getting the show as a whole going. Occasionally, episodic television suffers for the need to run a series.

David Boreanaz’s performance in this episode doesn’t just make the episode work; it establishes the series. “That’s what lonely people do.” Things like that. He’s utterly amazing here, in parts wounded and powerful, playing a role that’s usually given to women in a way that doesn’t bother me, because giving it to a man makes for powerful commentary on its nature.

Angel is cast as Buffy’s girlfriend in his own spinoff, and it works. He’s Kate Mulgrew in Mrs. Columbo.

Christian Kane’s few scenes are great. Glenn Quinn is shady in a way that really, really works, and moving Charisma Carpenter, who was badly underutilized on Buffy, to a lead role was a great idea. Russell was a compelling villain who came to a satisfying end.

I like City Of a lot.

[bestfriendforhire]

Children of BFFH, Entry 8

 “Aspen, what’s up?”

 “Nothing, Aunt Rowan.” I replied, quickly jogging to catch up with her and Doc.

 Aunt Rowan lived and worked at Best Friend For Hire, but she liked to take us out away from everyone occasionally for a taste of the outside world.  No one could argue that home was waaay different than anywhere else.  Seeing spells used in the open here was really rare, despite all of the people roaming the mall.  Then there was the grime.  Home was insanely clean, literally cleaned by an army of dolls, but here I could see the wear of the floor and a little dust on the top of some arcade cabinets.  I thought I saw a fry on the ground next to the doorway.

 “Just tell her you want to hang out in the arcade, Aspy.” stated Doc, smirking at me.

 “But…” I started.

 Interrupting me, Aunt Rowan said, “Do you?  I don’t mind.  Just don’t forget to think about what you’re making Messy and Ella.  Ten days left for Messy’s birthday.  We’ll check on you in an hour.  Call if you need anything.”

 “Really!?” I asked in surprise, grinning when she nodded.  “Thank you, Aunt Rowan!  I love you!”

 “You’re welcome, squirt!” called Doc as I sprinted away.

 Anything could be played at the house, but there was something exciting about the atmosphere in the mall.  Coined-It was a restaurant, bar, and arcade combination with the greasy smell of fried foods.  Marco knew how to fry things, obviously, but he seldom did.  Meals at home were “balanced” for nutrition as much as taste.  I ordered some fried cheese curds immediately, which only left me thirteen dollars to play games, but I’d probably last an hour.

 I took the number for my order and stared around at the people as much as at the different games.  Men I didn’t know were drinking smelly beer and teasing one another at a fighting game.  A man and woman were flirting at the bar.  Kids I didn’t know were scattered about, yelling and gaming.  Most everyone’s clothes showed signs of wear.  I knew not everyone had Momma Mila and Auntie Raine around to help maintain everything, but seeing things in person was exciting.  The trip to the rundown coin machine had me grinning.  This was awesome!  After filling my pocket, I went back to wait for my food.  I knew they’d announce the number if I wandered around, but I preferred saving them the effort.  No sense having to stop in the middle of a game to get food.

 “Here’s your order.  If you make a mess, please, let us know.” stated the lady behind the bar as she handed me my order in a cardboard tray.  “Careful.  They’re hot.”.

 “I will!  I mean I’d let you know.  I won’t make a mess.  Thank you!” I told her, handing her my number and carefully taking my food.  I knew I wasn’t being as precise as I should, but the smell was amazing.  Touching one, I could feel it was too hot to eat.  I frowned, realizing I could feel the grease already too.  Frowning, I turned back to the lady and asked “Have any napkins?”

 She smiled and nodded toward a dispenser.

 “Oh.  Of course.  Thank you!” I exclaimed.  The Boss would know if I was being rude.  He might not tell my parents, but he’d know.  Even if he didn’t, being polite was important.  I wouldn’t want to touch controls that someone had covered in grease.

 Food here was fast.  Marco always had food prepared exactly when it was supposed to be, but whipping something up could take half an hour if he wasn’t asked in advance.  His food was… fancy.  Nothing in my research on the mall had told me about the speed here.  I might have to ask Marco to do a class on fried foods for us.  He gave all of us kids a cooking class once per week, and I doubted he’d mind a suggestion for the schedule.

 Roaming around while my food cooled, I eventually spotted a spaceship game I wanted to play.  The tiara over Earth symbol showed this to be one of Auntie Aaliyah’s games, so I knew it’d be good.  Her games were always addictive.

 The cabinet was large and I didn’t have a partner for co-op play, but I’d probably be able to reach the controls well enough.  After slipping eight quarters into the machine, I hoped I wouldn’t die off too quickly.  I still wasn’t going to play on easy, feeling none of my friends would be that lame.

 When the chair started moving beneath me, I nearly dropped my food.  Luckily, I spotted a tray for it next to the cup holders.  Maybe I should have gotten a drink too?  The chair reshaped to my body and lifted me into the air.  Pedals swung upward, pushing my feet up a few inches before stopping, and a helmet descended down.

 “Okay, so…  What do I do?” I asked just before an introduction started playing, telling me about the lore of the game and giving me a tutorial on how to design my character and ship.  Only then did I remember how seldom Auntie Aaliyah’s games were simplistic.  There were always options within options within options if you looked for them.

 The helmet’s display gave me a customizable control overlay for the buttons on the ship’s dash as well as gauges and a targeting array.  The view screens allowed me to view around the upper half of the ship’s front as well as straight behind me.  I could manage this.

 I didn’t care about my character’s appearance, so I just picked a cool looking pilot with spiky hair.  After looking over the options for starting ships, I chose the fastest one, thinking firepower wouldn’t matter as much as being able to dodge in early levels.  Balancing my initial budget between speed upgrades was tricky, costing me a large amount of armor, but I didn’t think that’d be too much of an issue.  The coolest part was watching the shape of the console change based off selections.  The quadruplets would probably have some idea how it worked, but I didn’t.

 “Whoa, kid.  You’re almost out of time.” came a voice in the headset.

 I looked around but didn’t see anyone.

 Seconds later, a voice said, “Hit the mic switch to reply.”

 “Huh?” I questioned, but there was no response.  Seconds later, a ten second countdown started.  “Ah!  What!?  I haven’t even flown.” I complained, quickly getting more quarters into the machine.  Luckily, this was only a dollar instead of another two.

 “Hey!  First time?” came that voice again, this time to my left along with a knock.  There was a guy standing by me who looked like he was probably in high school, maybe college.

 I nodded, uncertain what he wanted.

 “You only have ten minutes or less.  Less if you die.  My money’s already in.  I was going to join you for co-op if you don’t mind.” he explained, looking amused.

 “Umm… Wouldn’t you be in that seat for co-op?” I questioned, pointing to the seat next to me.

 Smirking, he said, “That’s for copilot play.  This set can connect to the other one as well as to ones at other locations, though that costs an extra dollar every ten minutes.  So up for co-op?”

 “Sure.  How were you talking through the headset?” he asked.

 “Look for a sine wave symbol on your console.” he replied, motioning with his finger.

 Finding it, I pushed it.

 “Okay, so now your mic’s on.  The console’s different in each rig.  By the way, you probably shouldn’t fly this one on your first time.  Waaay too fast unless you have the most incredible reflexes around.  I’d try the Super XMS if this is your first try.  If you do change, just be quick.  I’ll wait another minute for you to get set.” he stated before walking off.

 Knowing the difference between my reflexes and some of my friends, I took the guy’s advice and switched.

 “Good choice.  I’m Dave, by the way.  What’s your name?”

 “Aspen, but my friends all me Aspy.”

 “Nice to meet you, kid.  Ready when you are.” he stated.

 “It’s asking me which mission to take.” I replied.

 “Defense of Debulai.  You’re going to love this.” he insisted.

 I did as he said, and then a brief cutscene showed my character stepping into the newly made spaceship.  My headset lit up with indicators walking me through takeoff, and I almost rammed into Dave’s ship.  Luckily, he was able to dodge, just telling me to be careful while laughing.  Then he had me follow him, explaining how to engage the navigation and the astral gate.  Seconds later, we were flying down to a planet where an outpost had requested help from the Astral Coalition.

 “When we get to the outpost, there will be giant monsters all over.  You’ll get bonus points for hitting the control collars on them, since the monsters will run off alive, but killing them will still get us through the mission.  I usually kill the enormous hornet things, since they dodge around too much for precise shots at the collar.  Oh… and… please, don’t use the planet rippers.  We’d be caught in the blast.” explained Dave as we soared down to the base.  “My ship’s built similar to a sniper in a co-op FPS, but I’ll be flying in with you to try getting the bonus points.”

 I nodded, realizing a second later that he couldn’t see or sense me.  “Roger that.  I’ll follow your lead.”

 His pace was way too fast.  I kept having to fly up to avoid crashing as he weaved around the wild swings as he shot at the collars.  Unfortunately, I missed the hornet things and shrieked when a giant stinger looked like it stabbed through the top of my ship, making me thankful this wasn’t one of the VR games from home.

 Another dollar later, I was flying back to try helping again.  That ship got batted away by a four-armed, four-legged boss monster that had an implant at the base of its skull instead of a control collar.

 On my third ship, I hovered behind the monster, shooting my baby boom missiles at the implant while David kept the monster’s attention.

 “Nice!” exclaimed David.  “I never can get the bonus on that guy solo.  Let’s go turn-in.”

 My cheese curds had cooled off by the time I tried my first one, but I was still satisfied.  This game was getting fun!