#osbourne uni

[thepettymachine]

Welcome to Sims University

[cherrygorilla]

The Mixtape Mysteries: Chapter 1 (Part 2)

Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne - 4:53

Yes, it is a ridiculous amount of time since I last posted anything to do with this (or anything at all really), but I've been dying to write for this story again, so I thought it would be a good way to help me get my groove back. Plus, I wanted to wait until Camp Wanamaker was done before I went back to working on Acting School Drop Out (because I feel like I might be able to use some stuff that's been mentioned in the next part lol). So, after months and months of uni stress that's kept me away from my google doc, here's the next installment of the story that's kept me going through it all.

Listen along with the gang here. Enjoy!

Heavy eyelids dropped over a pair of umber eyes trying, and failing, to focus on the computer screen in front of them. Whilst the radio often felt like Butchy's only co-worker, today it just seemed to be functioning as a lullaby machine - and the smooth, fade-out ending of Electric Light Orchestra's 'Evil Woman' just proved the point further. One second he was staring blankly at a page of pixelated text on a fuzzy screen, and then the next thing he knew he was drooling into the palm of his hand and almost falling off his chair at the sound of a car racing past his window. 

It's not even that he was tired - it was barely even 11am for Christ's sake - he was just so bored his brain was shutting down from lack of stimulation. And considering the latest turn of events, his body wasn't far behind. The roaring engine disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, leaving the incessant ticking of the plastic wall clock in its place. It didn't matter what kind of car it was, or where the hell it was going; all Butchy knew was that he wanted to be in it. Hopefully travelling far, far away from this crappy, dead-end town, and this shoe box of an office, that was more dust than desk, and smelled like a wet rat. 

Begrudgingly, he gathered himself together and finished typing out the latest file he'd been working on - something about trespassing in the old steel mill, he didn't care enough to look into the details. Tipping his head back, he rubbed his palms across his eyes, trying to press as hard as he could to draw some sort of alertness to the forefront of his mind. If anything, it just made him more tired.

One glance across his desk let his gaze settle on the dorky Star Wars mug Royce and Bentley had gifted him on his last birthday, and for the first time since he'd slumped in the splitting leather swivel-chair that morning, a ghost of a smile graced his features. He took a swig and drained the mug of the last of its contents: bitter, room-temperature coffee. Wincing at the taste, he picked up the next file to work on, but swiftly dropped it in favour of refilling his mug. After all, the walk to the coffee pot in the main office was the only change of scenery he got all day. Sometimes he watered the dying yucca plant beside him with the rancid liquid just so that he had an excuse to get away from his desk.

The tapping of keyboards and mumblings of the same, tedious phone calls he overheard every day met Butchy's ears as he lumbered down the hall and pushed open the office door. Lurking behind the frosted panel, caked in as much dust as the rest of the building, was the rag-tag reception team, consisting of three women Butchy had absolutely no intention of even looking at, let alone speaking to. He'd given up trying to make conversation with his co-workers pretty quickly after every meagre attempt on his end had been ignored. Most shifts passed without him uttering a single word. However, Lela ditching his ride that morning must have thrown him off more than he realised, because this shift was about to become an anomaly. 

"So I said to him: If you know so much about the damn sausages, why don't you cook 'em yourself?" 

"I bet he knows a lot about one kind of sausage."

"Oh Jen, pull your mind out of the gutter, you sound like a teenager."

"She practically still is one."

"I'm right though, aren't I?"

A strained sigh slipped past Butchy's lips before he could stop it. The nasal drones from the women behind him were enough to make his eye twitch at the best of times, but the added scraping of Jennifer's nail file made it inevitable. Before he could short-circuit altogether though, one of the adjoining doors to the main office was pushed open, and the conversation unfolding behind it immediately caught his attention. 

Heaving a sigh that put the young trainee's to shame, the fourth, and final receptionist, led the charge into the room - two officers hot on her heels. "Well, you'll just have to go alone then, won't you, gentlemen?" 

"We can't just 'go alone', the chief's the only one that goes on solo investigations. What if it's dangerous? What if we need back-up?"

"And what, pray tell, Officer Reynolds, is so 'dangerous' about a broken store window?"

"Well from the sounds of things it's a pretty clear-cut robbery. What if the culprit's still on the scene? What if he's armed?"

"Why are you assumin' it's a 'he'?" Jennifer piped up with a smirk, punctuating her question by blowing the acrylic dust from the tip of her nail. 

As expected, neither officer batted an eyelid at her interruption. 

"We got the call last night. You've got a higher chance of him sticking the damn window back together."

"But what if it's like that time when Old Man McRoberts'-"

"Enough, boys. I don't want to hear it," she finally snapped, slamming the stack of paperwork down on her desk so hard it even made her glasses chain quiver. Turning to the pair with her hands planted firmly on her hips, she continued. "Callahan, you're on patrol with Officer Powell; Reynolds, you're investigating that store window. Alone."

"But Fran, that never-"

"No, I don't want to hear another word. You're going solo, Reynolds, and that's that." 

"...Uh, I could go with you."

The whole office fell silent. Even Jennifer's nail file seemed to pause for thought. But all too soon, six pairs of eyes fell on Butchy, whose grip on his mug instinctively tightened under their bemused glares. He couldn't exactly blame them; even he couldn't believe that he'd dared to speak - let alone suggest such a thing. But then again, this was a perfect opportunity - perhaps the only opportunity he'd get (at least for the foreseeable future) to prove himself a worthy member of the team. Being stuck behind a computer screen all day was getting him nowhere - in fact, he was pretty sure he had even less respect now than when he'd first set foot through the door over a month ago. But working on a case, a real case, meant he could put all the skills he'd learnt in his training to the test - show everyone that potential he'd promised in his interview. This could be the making of Officer Bandoni. This could be his ticket out of that godawful, stuffy office. This could be-

"Oh my god, look at his face; he's serious."

God, he hated Jennifer. But he hated that cackling laugh of hers even more. 

"Jennifer," Linda, the crotchety receptionist to her left, scolded. If Butchy hadn't known better, with her brusque, hushed tone and sharp glare from over the top of her tortoise shell glasses, he'd have thought the woman was her mother. 

"Yeah right," Officer Callahan snorted. But a pause, followed by a brief glance in the new recruit's direction soon had his confidence faltering. "I- Oh…" 

"Hey, cut him some slack, Jen; the kid's still learning the ropes," Officer Reynolds piped up, ignoring Officer Callahan's attempts to hide his smirk by smoothing out his moustache, and instead sending the smarmy receptionist a blasé, yet stern frown. "Of course he wasn't being serious."

"Actually, I was," Butchy corrected. He set his mug down and stood his ground opposite the two officers, gently nudging his chin up and puffing out his chest in an attempt to outwardly show some of the confidence he was so desperately trying to scrounge together. At least that would help to mask the stubborn rage bubbling away in the pit of his stomach. The staff's dismissiveness was frustrating enough on its own, but being reduced to a 'kid' was downright infuriating. 'Kids' did not single-handedly raise their little sister. 'Kids' did not give up their weekends to go and work in a shitty garage for two bucks an hour all throughout high school just so they could have food on the table. 'Kids' did not shoulder the responsibility of four adults after stepping up to parent, not only his own sister, but the three boys next door too. Butchy hadn't felt like a 'kid' in years. He had always been the oldest - the most mature, the most dependable, the most capable… So for these six adults, who had barely given him the time of day in the month he'd been working with them, to stand there and tell him he was nothing more than a 'kid'...it was insulting. And he was determined to prove them wrong. "If you need another officer for back-up, and no one else is free, then why can't I go with you?" 

"Well, for one, you're not an officer-"

All Reynolds had to do was hold up a hand for Callahan to snuff out his snickers. "Because you haven't finished your training yet, son," he plainly explained. At least his withering look was softened by a bored tone. 

"But I've aced every part of the course I've completed so far," Butchy argued. "And this could be a chance for me to learn on the job, out in the field-"

"Son, let it go."

"You said, yourself, that I've got potential. Why can't I just show you-?"

"Look, kid, you're not ready - you won't be for a long time. I admire the optimism but we've gotta look at the facts here. And truth is: the dirt on Callahan's shoe's got more experience walkin' 'round a crime scene than you do. I know you want to get out of the office and get a taste of the action, but I can't work the case and babysit you at the same time. It's just not realistic."

'Babysit'? Butchy could feel the word in the palm of his hand as he clenched his fingers into a fist around it, crushing it, along with all its juvenile connotations. "I'm not a 'kid', I'm eighteen years old," he insisted, choosing his words and tone very carefully as he fought not to lose his cool. 

"Yeah, and I'm not a chainsmoker neither," Jennifer sniggered, appearing to have swapped her nail file for a cigarette during the confrontation. She took a long drag as her, deep, carob eyes latched onto his, lashes sprawling across a rough sea of streaky kohl, before letting the smoke leak out through her crimson-painted smirk. 

Butchy didn't know what was more nauseating: her attitude or the stench of tobacco hanging in the air. 

Officer Reynolds let out an exasperated sigh that soon stole back the trainee's glare though. "That's all well and good, but it's not gonna change my mind. You need more experience before you go out in the field, Bandoni," he explained, with an expression that told Butchy he was well-weary of the conversation now. "You can't learn to run before you learn to walk. It's just not realistic - if anything, it's naïve."

"But how am I supposed to get more experience when I'm stuck behind a desk all day?" 

Butchy's question was shot down though as the pair of officers crossed the room to the office's main door, back to their usual routine of barely acknowledging his existence. "If I'm not back by two for your CPR training, Officer Powell will handle it, okay?" Reynolds said as he plucked his hat from the coat stand in the corner and secured it atop his head of thinning, taupe hair. Knowing the new recruit wouldn't be satisfied with any answer he could give him, he'd just decided to brush the question aside altogether. 

And knowing that defiance, and further provoking, would get him nowhere, Butchy finally relaxed his hand, and gave a stiff nod. He silently watched the officers announce their departure to the room and felt his shoulders slump in defeat, his chest aching with betrayal. Officer Reynolds was supposed to be his mentor, the one who would take him under his wing as he learned the ropes - and yet he'd kicked him to the curb and spat in his face the one time he'd tried to do the right thing. At least that's how it felt to him anyway. 

"Bye boys," Jennifer trilled with a flirty giggle as the office door closed behind them. Tapping the ash from the end of her cigarette, she turned her vampish smirk to Butchy. "Nice little show there, Bandoni. And there I was thinking today was gonna be boring." 

Butchy's frown deepened as her scornful laughter battered his ears. The thick-headed she-devil wasn't worth his breath though - even the sickened huff that escaped his throat felt like a waste. His fingers once again closed, although this time they at least found the warm ceramic of his mug beneath them. Letting the heat seep into his skin, he took a deep breath in through his nose and tried to focus on anything else other than the anger boiling in his chest. At least the Star Wars mug, and the memory of receiving it, gave him something to anchor himself to: a way to discharge all the bitter resentment that had been steadily building for weeks, but had finally come to an ugly head. One more snarky comment from Jennifer and he'd have hurled the coffee at her sloppy up-do, he knew it - he could feel himself teetering on the brink. 

And yet, a friendly hand in the centre of his back was all it took to draw him back from the edge. "I should be thanking you," Fran said with a sympathetic chuckle, and roll of her eyes at the officers' expense. "I thought they'd never leave."

Managing a weak, but grateful smile to the receptionist, Butchy finally picked his mug up from the drink station and took his leave before he could draw any more unwanted attention to himself. Jennifer's squawking voice still rang in his ears as his footsteps pounded down the hall, desperate (for once) to shut himself away in his office. At least in there he knew he was safe from further embarrassment, even if the only thing waiting for him was a stack of files on petty traffic crimes. Apparently reading about speeding fines and parking tickets was all the excitement his life could afford him for the time being. But, for once, he actually found some comfort in that. 

"Well, Wuthering Heights, you were fun while you lasted, but I am not going to miss you," Vivien snorted, holding the worn paperback out in front of her, as if to address it like an old friend. 

The gentle chuckles that bounced the soft, chocolate brown curls beside her set her innocent little middle-school heart aflutter, and she caught herself clamping her lips shut in case it tried to escape. Craving the thrill of that sensation again, she snatched a shy glance in his direction before plastering the jovial grin back on her face. "Thank you for the 'A' though, Emily." 

"What are you thanking her for? We did all the hard work," Royce scoffed. "I wrote so many notes on the moors I'm pretty sure I almost gave myself Carpal Tunnel."

A snicker crinkled the brunette's nose. "Well you do have the neater handwriting."

"And you have all the good ideas," Royce chuckled, praying desperately that the prickling he felt across his cheeks wasn't what he thought it was. 

Stopping in front of a set of painted metal doors, Vivien turned to him with a disapproving frown. "Not all the good ideas." 

"Fine… most then."

Whilst Royce may have been able to keep his blush at bay, Vivien felt hers raging like a wildfire as she downplayed his compliment with an affectionate eye-roll and pushed her way out into the crisp autumn air of the Hawkins Middle parking lot. Hopefully a bracing breeze like the one that smacked her across the face the second she set foot onto the asphalt would help her systems stop running on overdrive, because right now she felt like a live wire about to catch light. One wrong move from Royce and he'd be fried to a crisp. 

Wrapping her free hand around the forearm that flanked him, protecting his arm from being barbecued should he decide to fondly bump her as they fell into stride once more, Vivien, composure regained, offered him a smile. "I guess that makes us a pretty good team then, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess it does," he agreed, holding her gaze for a beat and letting the sincerity of the moment swell alongside the tingly, warm feeling spreading through his chest. "...And we've got the A to prove it." Terrified by the sensation, he snorted out a laugh that shattered the tenderness of the moment just as awkwardly as how he almost tripped over his own feet because he was spending more time looking at Vivien and her freaking dimples than where he was walking. Damn his stupid hand-me-down sneakers from Miles and their stupidly long laces.

More awkward, cheerful chuckles tumbled from the middle schoolers' lips as Royce steadied himself again and they made their way over to the cluster of trees by the soccer field. It didn't take Vivien long to break the comfortable silence that had fallen over them though. "I don't know what we're going to do with ourselves now that project's finished; it completely took over our lives for like two whole weeks there."

"I'm sure we'll find something."

But Royce's laidback grin was the complete antithesis of Vivien's tense shoulders and skittish gaze. Then again, he had no idea what she was planning, or what her skating friends had been begging her to do for weeks. 

It couldn't be that hard, right? It was just one little question. She asked him questions all the time, this one didn't need to be any different. And besides, there wasn't really anything Vivien felt as though she couldn't talk to Royce about; he was her best friend, he was always her first port of call for anything that was bothering her - well, unless it was about something like her period; that was strictly for her mom…

But this was just a question: one that could very well have been asked without another thought had she not attached all the extra weight to it in her mind. And yet here she was, fighting her own tongue, trying to persuade it to recite the script she'd meticulously planned out in her head the night before, because for some reason it wasn't convinced by her promised ability to brush the sentiment off as 'just a friend thing' should Royce take it badly. And neither was her mind, really. 

Realistically though, what was the worst thing that could happen if he had a weird reaction? It's not like a meteor would crash out of the sky and strike them both down or anything, no matter how much she may want it to in the moment - she knew; she'd checked and it wasn't the right time of year for it. The worst that could happen is things might be a little awkward between them for a couple days, right? He wouldn't- 

-Actually, scratch that. Vivien didn't want to think about it. 

"Well, actually…" she began, before she could talk herself out of it any further. 

Vivien felt Royce's gaze land on her the second she stopped to clear her throat, which had become inexplicably scratchy ever since those last words had left it, clearly so reluctant to be said they'd dug their heels in the entire journey out into the cool, October air. And as soon as it did, it felt as though all her sweat glands released at once, adding a glistening sheen to her already crimson skin. Horrified, Vivien kept her gaze on the ground a few paces ahead of her to avoid having to find out if Royce had realised, and pushed her round, silver-rimmed glasses further up the bridge of her nose in an attempt to shield herself from further embarrassment as a result of her thirteen-year-old hormones wreaking havoc in her own body. 

Fearing that the longer she dragged this on, the more her subconscious would betray her, she swallowed her nerves and ploughed ahead. "Do you remember how you missed out on going to watch The NeverEnding Story this summer because you had to spend your ticket money on a new wheel for your bike?"

In her periphery, Vivien saw Royce's hand shift up to play with the fraying fabric of his backpack strap. He only ever did that when he felt uncomfortable. She didn't even have to look at him to confirm it either, the pause before he responded told her almost as much as his tone of voice did. 

"...Yeah, but what does that-?"

"Hey nerds!" 

Despite their disdain for the term, both Vivien and Royce's heads whipped around to try to locate the source of the voice, mentally cursing themselves for even acknowledging that the phrase could have been used to refer to them, let alone responding to it. But as green and brown eyes scanned a sparse sea of middle schoolers, searching for signs of anyone with ill-intent, they came up short. 

"Over here!"

The voice, carried on the wind, drew the pair's gazes to a figure, practically standing on the bench of a rotting, wooden picnic table to try to grab their attention and their disgruntled grumblings fell from their lips within seconds of one another, replaced by fond sighs. 

Bentley waved the duo towards him so spectacularly that, for all they knew, he could have been directing a plane to land. And whilst Vivien couldn't help but smile at the blond's boundless energy, she also couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment with how easily Royce shelved their conversation by letting out an almost relieved: "Duty calls."

"Yeah," Vivien agreed with a forced smile and a breathy, awkward laugh to match his. Although it dropped from her face the second he turned his back to head over to the shaded seating area. 

Once he was a good few paces ahead of her, and she was sure he was out of earshot, Vivien let out a frustrated huff, so hot she was surprised it didn't steam up her glasses. "Goddammit, Bentley," she muttered, shoving her library copy of Wuthering Heights into her backpack as she started trudging along behind Royce. "I almost got through it all that time."

But Bentley was none the wiser to Vivien's grand plans; too excited by his own news to consider that the pair may have been busy. And besides, the easygoing grin his older brother shot him as he approached made him none the wiser. 

"You've gotta come up with something better to call us, Benny," Royce said, fondly shaking his head as he climbed the last few steps of the hill leading up to the picnic table, adorned by Bentley's friends, the contents of at least three up-turned pencil cases, and enough sheets of paper to paper mache a small child. Thankfully, the table was sheltered from the worst of the breeze, so the most that a stray gust could do was flutter the edges beneath the various, makeshift paperweights (dog-eared textbooks and unopened juice boxes) strewn across the splintering surface.

"Why? You are 'nerds'," the boy laughed as he bounced back down into his spot on the bench seat beside August. 

"We are not," Royce protested.

"It got you to come over here, didn't it?" Bentley replied with a cheesy smirk. 

Royce let out a slightly bitter sigh as he fumbled through a response. "Well- yeah, but it's… demeaning." 

"Then why'd you respond to it?" Kona snorted, apparently more focused on selecting the right shade of crayon than bothering to look Royce in the eye as she insulted him. 

The bluntness of the eleven-year-old's comment drew a snort of laughter from him before he could stop it, whether it was in amusement or incredulity though he'd never know. But the smile that threatened to envelop his disapproving frown stayed firmly in place as he said, "Because I'm so used to everyone else calling us it, that's why. And you shouldn't be contributing to the problem anyway; I thought we were all on the same side here."

"You calling us nerds, RJ?" Zack piped up with a challenging quirk of his eyebrow. 

"Pot calls the kettle black," Royce smirked.

"White boy says what now?" Zack retorted with a confused frown that soon gave way to a mischievous grin the second that Royce rolled his eyes and playfully ruffled his hair, insisting through shared laughter that the boy knew what he meant. 

"What are you guys doing up here?" Vivien asked with a breathy laugh of her own as she arrived at the picnic table and caught the end of the boys' friendly roughhousing.

"Having fun until you nerds showed up," Zack scoffed as he shoved Royce's chest in an attempt to get the older boy away from him. But the bubbling giggles that tumbled from his lips as Royce expressed his disdain for the name once more told everyone all they needed to know about how much he enjoyed the brunet's company - proved even further when he resorted to wrapping his arms around his torso and tackling him into a hug from his spot on the bench. 

"Looks like it," Vivien noted with a bemused chuckle. "What's all this then? You writing out your own comic book or something?" she continued, gesturing to the vast collection of paper spread out before the quartet. 

"We're designing our characters for this cool new game Gus brought in," Bentley raved, holding up his sheet of paper for Vivien to see. "Look at my guy, he's got a wand that's disguised as a paintbrush and this magic flute that lets him talk to animals." 

"Damn, Benny, that's so cool," she grinned, marvelling at the artwork with almost as much care as the blond put into creating it. 

"And look, here's the one I'm doing for Gus," Bentley continued, shuffling the papers around until he selected the right one. 

"You didn't want to draw out your own?" Vivien asked the boy, whose sandy blond eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. 

"Nah; Ben's better at art," August admitted, only glancing up from his work to shoot his oblivious friend a shy smile. "And I enjoy the planning part of it more anyway," he went on to explain. "So he's doing the drawing, and I'm filling out his character sheet for him." 

"Yeah, 'cause there was no way I was gonna be able to deal with all that," Bentley snorted.

"This looks like a lot of work for just one game," Vivien noted, inching another piece of paper towards her and finding it covered from top to bottom in meticulously written words, numbers, and the occasional, scribbled doodle. 

"Tell me about it," Kona scoffed. "I feel like we got extra math homework with this stupid number system we've got to work off of," she added with a huff that blew a straw strand of hair away from her eyes. Begrudgingly tapping the open, yellowing pages of an intricately illustrated book with the end of a pencil, she brought the thirteen-year-old's gaze to the table she was drawing from. 

"You guys are willingly doing math over lunch and you're calling us nerds?" Royce asked with a teasing incredulity that earned him further, playful bickering from Zack. 

"So what do you do with all this when you've created your characters then?" Vivien continued, feeling a fond smile tugging at her lips as Royce's unbridled laughter tickled her ears. Fighting the urge to swat the imagined sensation away, she focused her attention on the other children at the table. "What's this dorky wizard math game called?" 

"Dungeons and Dragons," Bentley explained.

Vivien’s ears perked up. “Dungeons and Dragons? That weird roleplaying game Riven plays with his sweaty high school friends?” 

“Who’s Riven?” Kona asked.

“My skating partner,” Vivien said, throwing the explanation away like a used napkin so that she could get back to the main point at hand. 

“Ew, so is he like your boyfriend then?” Kona teased with a devilish wiggle of her eyebrows. 

“No!” Vivien blurted, maybe a little too quickly if everyone turning to look at her was anything to go by. "No, not like… It's just- He's like my brother, ok?" she hurriedly tried to explain, trying to ignore the bile now creeping at the back of her throat the very thought alone had placed there. 

"Ok," Kona snorted, smirking to herself as she caught Royce's shoulders slump in relief in her periphery. Making the ninth-graders squirm was a favourite pastime of hers, and lately, all this girlfriend-boyfriend talk around them, despite making her want to hurl, had been a homerun every time. 

"I didn’t know Riven played DnD,” Bentley piped up, earning himself a grateful smile from Vivien for taking some of the heat off her. 

“Neither did I until he made us switch our practice days so that he could go play pretend with a bunch of dorks out the back of Eddie 'the freak' Munson's trailer."

"Riven's in that weird Hellraiser club?" Royce asked, bushy eyebrow raised in disbelief. 

"My sister says they're all devil worshippers," Zack mumbled.

"It's Hellfire," Vivien corrected. "And they're not devil worshippers - well, Riven's not anyway. As far as I know they're just losers in matching shirts who play make believe like they're still in first grade."

"It's more than just playing make believe," August dared to pipe up with a somewhat defensive frown, immediately toying with the corner of Bentley's character sheet the second the group's attention landed on him. A sideways glance in the blond's direction earned him a reassuring smile that breathed some much needed confidence into his lungs, and as he released it, he said, "There's this whole world you can build your own stories around with all these super detailed characters and a bunch of lore you can discover. I spent my whole weekend reading through the books my cousin gave me and that doesn't even cover half of it. It's like one big choose-your-own adventure story, but everyone gets a say in what happens, and gets to feel like they're a part of it."

A beaming grin and steel blue eyes, sparkling with excitement, found Royce with startling ease. "Doesn't that sound cool?!" Bentley enthused.

"...It actually does," Royce admitted, even surprising himself with his answer. 

"Hear that, Auggie? You didn't even have to mention dragons to convince someone that time," Kona snickered, firing the curly haired boy beside her a smirk. 

"Whatever," Zack scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You thought they sounded cool too," he added with an accusatory nudge of the blonde's elbow that had her cursing him under her breath for making her pencil skim across the page. 

Ignoring his friends' sibling-like arguing, so used to it by now that it honestly would have been stranger to acknowledge it, Bentley kept his attention, and his toothy grin, focused on his older brother. "I knew you'd like it! You're always borrowing those old fantasy books from the library and writing your own versions of them."

"Well- yeah, ok, but what does that have to do with this?" Royce stuttered, cheeks tinged pink with embarrassment despite Vivien's small, amused smile. 

"Well this is just like that! Gus wrote out our first campaign all by himself," Bentley gushed before leaning into the shying blond beside him. "That's like the story, right?" he checked in a hushed tone. And after receiving a confirmatory nod, he turned back to Royce with renewed enthusiasm. "The plot, the monsters, the bonus quests - he came up with it all!" 

Bentley pushed a stack of papers towards his brother, bound by treasury tags and bearing enough ink to have drained an entire pack of ballpoint pens. "Holy shit," Royce breathed as he picked it up and began flipping through the makeshift book, becoming more and more stunned with every turn of a page. "You wrote this whole thing by yourself?" he asked August, who timidly nodded. "In one weekend?" Again, the boy nodded, this time a little more eagerly. And Royce could see why. "...Wow," he marvelled, smiling as he watched the younger boy swell with pride. "This is really impressive, August."

"You put some serious work into this, huh?" Vivien noted.

"Yeah, I guess," August admitted as his steadily reddening cheeks were pulled aside by an appreciative grin. "It's not like I minded though," he went on to hurriedly explain. "It all came together pretty quickly once I got into it. Plus it gave me an excuse to shut myself up in my room away from my stuffy aunt and that stupid dog she carries around in her purse," he added, earning himself a bright laugh from Bentley that completely stalled his train of thought. Luckily, it was nothing that clearing his throat and refocusing his gaze on the blond's character sheet couldn't fix though. "I guess I just thought it would be something fun for us all to do together, you know?"

"Yeah, it sure sounds like it," Vivien said with a warm smile. But there was still a little, nagging thought hammering away at the back of her head, and she feared that if she didn't use this opportunity of an out as her last-ditch attempt at getting Royce alone before the end of the school day then that nagging thought would break right through her skull and puncture her brain with its pesky little pickaxe. And she needed all the brainpower she could muster to get through this, so she did not want to take any risks. "Anyway," she continued, snagging the attention of the table of eleven-year-olds as she clapped her hands together. "We'd better let you guys get back to planning. We wouldn't want to be the reason for you guys delaying your first adventure now, would we?" she asked rhetorically, firing a knowing look across at Royce that was not-so-subtly hidden behind a theatrical grin.

If Royce picked up on the intensity behind Vivien's gaze though, he didn't show it, instead remaining as blissfully oblivious as he always seemed to be when it came to her intentions as he took his turn to offer a fond smile to the table of his brother's friends. "You'll have to let us know how it goes," he said, before adding with a chuckle: "I'm invested now; it sounds awesome."

Breathing out a sigh of relief between her teeth as Royce rounded the picnic table to join her, Vivien kept her almost clown-like smile plastered to her face as she thanked whatever great powers were at work for making Royce ever so slightly more perceptive than the other, gormless teenage boys in their class. But just as she was inching her way back down the hill, and readying her opening line for the brunet once they were out of earshot of the eager little gremlins, one of them piped up with a perfectly pointed pin to burst her bubble. 

"Why don't you just play with us then?" 

Bentley's wide-eyed, hopeful grin was the only thing keeping Vivien from snatching up Kona's muddy jump rope and strangling him with it. Besides the years upon years of sibling-like friendship, obviously.

Forcing out a strained laugh, she managed a tight, "It's alright, Benny, we don't want to crash your fun." 

"You're not crashing anything; we want you to join in. Right, guys?" 

Ok, so Bentley can't read social cues… Good to know. 

It would have made things a hell of a lot easier if Vivien could have known about that before she set the wheels of her master plan into motion though, because right now she felt like they were so out of sync they were about to derail the handcar she'd strapped this grand idea of hers to. But even if she could have brought herself to get mad at Bentley, Zack jumped to the blond's defence before she even had the chance. 

"Yeah, we're gonna need all the help we can get because Kona can't add up for shit and I'm not about to let my guy Omar Scale Crusher die after I've spent all this time working out his stats."

"I can't add up for shit?! What the hell are you talking about? You're the one who got put in Math 2!"

"Only for a week! And I totally got a better grade than you on that test last week."

"No you didn't!"

"Did too!"

"Bite me!" 

As the pair energetically bickered about Zack's accusations, which Kona steadfastly claimed were built on entirely false foundations, Vivien found her frustration with the picnic table occupants crumbling away. After all, they weren't to know that she'd been practising for this lunchtime conversation with Royce for weeks. How could they? The only others she'd confided in were her three skating friends and the balding Big Bird stuffed animal from the end of her bed that had taken on the role of Royce during her many rehearsals. And she couldn't blame them for their excitement over the game either; even she had to admit that it sounded pretty cool. Plus, after hearing Riven rhapsodise about Hellfire's epic campaigns for weeks now, she was starting to get a little curious about the game and how it was played. 

"Omar Scale Crusher, huh?" she eventually chuckled, raising a quizzical eyebrow at Zack that soon ground his and Kona's squabbling to a halt. "How'd you come up with that?" 

"Isn't it sick? Auggie had this big list of names with cool meanings to help us decide."

After shuffling through the endless sheets of paper around him, August found the right one and went on to explain for a very enthusiastic Zack: "Omar means 'one who has a long life'."

"Yeah, so he'd better live up to his damn name! I'm not planning this whole thing out to have him die in the first round," he declared with a hearty laugh, before tagging on: "Plus my uncle's called Omar and he's awesome."

Vivien couldn't help her snort of laughter at the blunt innocence. "Very creative," she noted. "What is he then? Like a viking or something?"

"No, he's a wizard," Zack stated matter-of-factly. "'Cause why would I bother using a sword when I could just kill an enemy with magic?" 

"How come your guy's holding a sword then?" 

Royce's frank delivery, from over the younger boy's shoulder, had a laugh spurting from between Vivien's lips before she could stop it. And Bentley, August, and Kona were all quick to follow suit. 

However, as to be expected, the brash brunet soon scrambled a retaliation. "Well I'd still want one for backup."

"No duh," Kona chuckled as she finished shading in the metallic sheath of the dagger her character clutched in a leather clad fist. "Magic or not, you still need a weapon."

"Is your character a wizard too then?" Vivien asked Kona, but the incredulous snort the blonde let out could have told her all she needed to know on its own.

"No, Andromeda doesn't need to rely on magic to keep herself out of danger; her dexterity's off the charts." 

Before another argument could break out between Zack and Kona as a result of her roundabout dig at him, August decided to speak for the table. "Zack’s our mage, Kona's our thief, Ben's our Bard and my guy's a ranger."

"But you're the dungeon master too, right?" Bentley checked, mischievous blue eyes peeking out from beneath furrowed bows. 

August's own eyes were drawn to Bentley's the second that he'd opened his mouth, but the smirk tugging at his friend's lips was what captured his attention. "What's so funny?" he challenged through a chuckle that coaxed one out of Bentley too. "You don't think I could be a dungeon master?"

"I never said that," Bentley laughed. But the look the boys shared meant they both knew that's what his tone had implied.

"You didn't have to."

"Well can you blame me? It just sounds so menacing and scary. I know you read all those horror books and stuff, but come on, you're about as intimidating as Winnie the Pooh - who, last time I checked, was still tucked under your comforter next to your pillow and your old baby blanket."

Jaw dropped in incredulity, August lightly elbowed Bentley in the ribs. "I can so be intimidating," he retorted. But if he was pretending to be mad at the boy, his true feelings were soon revealed by the smile he couldn't seem to keep off his face.

"Yeah, well, we've yet to see it," Kona bluntly noted, which once again set Royce and Vivien off giggling at the sixth graders. 

"You sound like you've got a pretty well-rounded group then," Royce carried on, drawing the conversation back to August's point from earlier. "Are there even any roles left for us? Or are we going to have to start doubling up?"

"You can double up if you want, but there's still a bunch of classes that haven't been picked yet," August explained, flipping through the large book spread out before him until he got to the right page. "We've not got a druid, a cleric, or a fighter."

"What does a fighter do?" Royce asked.

"Fighters are weapons-oriented warriors, who fight using skill, strategy, and tactics," August recited from his handbook, bringing the group's attention to the detailed illustration of an armoured swordsman, wielding what looked to be an incredibly heavy shield with almost no effort at all.

The second Vivien's eyes met the page she knew it was game over; her imagination kicked into overdrive and tossed all other thoughts about how she could have been spending this lunchtime to the curb. Racing at a million miles an hour, her brain plucked ideas from seemingly thin air and began piecing together a muscular young woman, strong enough to knock an ox clean off its feet in one quick shove, although you'd never know it since her frame was cleverly disguised in roughened leather padding, tarnished silver armour, and rich, violet robes fashioned into a sort of cape. Her face was weathered, but kind, and her vibrant, emerald eyes sparkled with determination, and the promise of adventure. Like the picture in August's book, the woman carried a large, battle-scarred sword by its ornate handle, and kept a hefty shield vigilantly by her side, painted in, again, deep shades of indigo, violet, and the blood of her enemies, naturally. She also had a quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder though, nestled beside a crossbow, just peeking out from behind a head of flowing, chestnut locks. The heroine had no time for preening, so her hair was tousled with grease and grime from combatting the elements on her journeys, but as it fluttered in the wind, it was kept away from her face by intricate braids, weighed down by silver rings and stolen jewels of amethyst and topaz. She smiled at Vivien from the forefront of her mind, as if marking her territory there, and Vivien felt her heart skip a beat as she breathed out a quiet, and hopefully nonchalant: "Hmm…cool."

"That sounds like a good one for you, Viv. Strategy and tactics? You're great with planning stuff out," Royce noted. But one glance in her direction and his face broke into a knowing smile the second he clocked her eyes, glazed over in thought, and lips, parted in awe. 

"Yeah, and look, you'd make a great cleric," Bentley continued, pulling Royce's gaze away from Vivien, albeit reluctantly. Flipping the page of August's handbook, he excitedly tapped at a drawing of a tall man, draped in heavy, fur pelts and bronzed chainmail. A glowing staff was held in one hand, and a massive axe was thrown over his shoulder as though it weighed no more than a sack of flour. 

"Clerics are versatile figures, both capable in combat and skilled in the use of divine magic," August recited from the page after a light, nudge from Bentley. "They're also powerful healers."

"See? That's perfect for you! You're always helping patch us up if we fall off our bikes," Bentley enthused, undeterred by the amused chuckles that his brother unleashed as a result of what he thought was an adorably innocent explanation. 

"Yeah, and we could use a healer on our team, especially with those two and their lack of impulse control," August snorted as he gestured to Kona and Zack, who jumped at the chance to express their indignation. 

As the group of friends returned to jovially bickering amongst themselves, Royce and Vivien's minds were quietly whirring with ideas. Ideas which, upon glancing at one another, they soon realised were all too perfectly aligned. 

"What do you say then, losers?" Kona finally asked once she'd finished fighting her ground against the boys, snapping the eighth-graders out of their heads and bringing them back to reality with a knowing smirk. "Are you playing with us or not?"

Royce, as always, left the decision to Vivien. But the hopeful glimmer in his caramel eyes, paired with her own, itching curiosity made that decision all too easy. And besides, even if she wasn't spending time alone with Royce, she was still spending time with him. And that was good enough for her.

…For now. 

"Well… I guess one game couldn't hurt, right?" she said with a smirk that soon broke out into a grin as Bentley's face lit up like a firework display. And it only grew when she glanced across at Royce for one last confirmation that she'd made the right decision, only to find him beaming with almost as much enthusiasm as his brother. 

If this nerdy little game brought Royce this much joy, and was even half as much fun as it sounded, then Vivien knew it would be worth another few hours of crippling anxiety. Besides, she hoped that she could immerse herself in the story so much that she'd forget all about her predicament with the brunet anyway. But as they took their places at the picnic table, and Royce's sneaker brushing against her shin shot a jolt of adrenaline up her leg with such a force that she almost jumped straight back out of her seat, she knew that that was just wishful thinking. Covering up the brief waver in her cool, confident exterior with a quiet cough, she tried to refocus her mind on the endless streams of information August was unleashing on the pair of them.

"-and so the group our characters all belong to is called The Circle of the Emerald Torches, but part of the first campaign is about how we get our name, so I'll explain more about that later. Before you start, and before I give you your character sheets though, if you want to be in our party then you'll need to recite the Oath of Noble Heroes so that we know you're serious about this."

"Don't worry, we had to do it too. But it's so cool, you'll love it! And then there's a declaration of loyalty for you to sign somewhere too," Bentley tagged on before the boys started animatedly babbling amongst themselves about the ins and outs of their party's rules again. 

Shaking his head at the pair, Royce took the opportunity of them being distracted to lean over to Vivien and teasingly chuckle, "What the hell have you just gotten us into?"

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes at the boy, knowing that his enthusiasm for the game was a major driving factor in her decision to play, and that he was also well-aware of that fact, she looked him square in the face and hid her smirk behind a deadly serious, blank expression, "I'm pretty sure we just joined a cult." 

American History, Volume 2, lay open on page 38. And it had laid there like that for the past 45 minutes, having been abandoned by its current owner almost as soon as it had been removed from their backpack. Because instead of completing the assigned history homework, the desk's occupant was using their study hall period much more wisely: by shredding a solo, courtesy of Ozzy Osbourne, on possibly the most prestigious instrument of all: the air guitar.

Ethan's eyes slid shut, and a blissful smile curled his lips as he mashed the volume button on his Walkman with practised ease. Bar after bar of 'Crazy Train' pounded through his skull at a staggering volume, rattling what little of his brain was left in the mostly vacant space between his ears, helped along by the bopping of his head in time with the song's beat. When his fingers weren't plucking out riffs on imaginary strings, they were banging out the drumline on a drum kit that was just as real as his Gibson SG. And all the while, he was passionately miming the lyrics for his audience of the pencil shavings and dust mites that hugged the wall beside his desk. 

He felt the music in his bones. The bass line pumped through his veins. Every note that was played resonated through the chambers of his heart until it felt like the song was as much a part of him as his left arm. And the deeper he let himself sink into the music, the less aware of his surroundings he became - or the less he cared to remember them anyway. Until a sharp elbow to the ribs shattered his rockstar illusions, that is. 

Bleary brown eyes met earnest, steel blue, and held nothing but confusion for the several seconds it took him to realise that Miles’ mouth was moving without making a sound. 

“What?” Ethan bellowed, prying a wailing headphone speaker away from his ears as he leaned closer to the exasperated brunet. 

“Jesus, man!” Miles exclaimed under his breath as he reached across to his friend’s Walkman to frantically turn the volume down. “Are you trying to blow your eardrums out or something?” 

“That would be pretty metal, so maybe,” Ethan chuckled, entirely unphased. But Miles’ disapproving frown soon had him rolling out an explanation. “You’ve got a front row seat for my biggest show yet and you’re choosing to lecture me about volume control? I can care about my hearing when I’m in the retirement home.”

“You’ll be lucky if you make it to a retirement home," Miles snorted. "You've got the survival skills of a two dollar house plant."

Instead of arguing back, or even rolling his eyes at his best friend's dig, Ethan just continued chuckling along in agreement as he slid his headphones down to rest around his neck - still blaring out Ozzy Osbourne's vocals, although they were only just audible over the hubbub of chatter and laughter that filled the rest of the classroom. "What were you saying before anyway?" he went on to ask. "Did you want something?"

"Yeah, the answer to number four."

"Pfft, you think I've even made it past one?" Ethan guffawed, astonished and highly amused that Miles thought highly enough of him to assume he hadn't been shirking his responsibilities all afternoon. "I've got no fucking clue. What chapter are we on again? Abraham Lincoln?"

The mix of despair and disbelief Ethan was faced with when he glanced back across at Miles told him his guess might not have been as accurate as he'd pitched it to be. "...Are we not on Abraham Lincoln?"

"We haven't done Abraham Lincoln since freshman year," Miles deadpanned before letting out a chuckle of his own. "When was the last time you actually paid attention in one of Mr Bishop's classes?"

"Probably freshman year," Ethan noted with a laugh, slumping back in his seat and starting to rock on the back two legs of the flimsy, plastic chair. "I think the only chance I've got at retaining any of the information in that textbook for this month's pop quiz is if I eat it."

The look of reproach Miles shot the carefree stoner could have fooled any passerby into thinking that he was the boy's father, but he blamed that on the past however many years of having to act as a sole parental figure for two young boys - who, on several occasions, had actually proved to be far more mature than the lank-haired brunet before him. More often than not, Ethan felt like a third child he had to keep alive. And somehow, his lack of height was not one of the driving factors behind that reasoning.

"Oh come on, don't give me that look," Ethan groaned, ever the resentful teenager in their relationship. "You've not exactly been Mr Studious yourself today."

"What are you talking about?" 

"Well you've been stuck on that same question for the last twenty minutes 'cause you keep making goo-goo eyes at you know who," Ethan smirked as Miles' eyes widened in horror and his forehead started to prickle with sweat. 

"No I don't," he indignantly tried.

"I thought you said you were over her," Ethan teased.

"I am! It's not like that anyway," Miles muttered, then added. "And it's not been twenty minutes."

"It totally has."

"How the hell would you know? You've been listening to Motorhead since we sat down."

"Yeah but my fuckin' eyes still work," Ethan snorted, hitting Miles with a loving grin that had him rolling his eyes before Ethan had even finished his sentence. And yet, the boy's frustration did nothing to deter him from probing further. "What's the stalking for this time then? You know, if you're not trying to get in her pants anymore." 

Miles was at as much of a loss as Ethan. His eyes found the head of bouncing, blonde curls with almost no effort at all (likely a result of an entire study hall period of practice), searching for some sort of answer. But all he found was a dull, fluttering in his chest. 

Even the giddy, lovestruck butterfly that had been trapped in there for months seemed to have admitted defeat. 

Still, his gaze never wavered. He watched airy laughter spill from her glossy lips, and her nose crinkle beneath brilliantly blue eyes, framed by thick, black lashes and copious amounts of mascara. Whilst before, Miles could have eaten through a movie theatre's entire popcorn supply and still want to look just a little longer, in that moment he just felt empty. And that’s when he realised it wasn't actually Carrie herself that was occupying his mind, it was everyone else around her, and how she was treating them. Plucking a proudly presented flyer for a house party from one, impishly teasing another, waving at Sharon Frye on her way out the door, firing a flirty wink in jest at Steve Harrington after giggling at one of his jokes…

Miles was certain she'd looked at every other person in that room at least once since their study hall period had begun, and yet the closest her eyes had ventured over to him was when she glanced at the clock on the wall. Every thought in his head was plagued by her smile, or her voice, or her laugh… Had he ever even crossed her mind? 

"Do you think she actually cares about us?"

Miles hadn't been able to bring himself to tear his forlorn gaze from the blonde in question, but that didn't stop Ethan from snorting out an answer. "Well yeah, I'd hope so; we spend enough time with her." 

"Not by choice," Miles huffed. 

“Well she talks to us now, and that’s more than we could have said before we worked with her, so that’s got to count for something,” Ethan chuckled. “But if this is about what I think it’s about, then she absolutely cares about you, dude. Like way more than the rest of us.”

“You really think so?” 

“Dude, it’s like you two are glued at the hip. I can’t get you away from each other for shit once we close every night,” Ethan replied. And when Miles still looked unsure, he added, “Why else do you think I always get stuck cleaning the kitchen with Mick? She hates my guts!”

“No she does not,” Miles softly chuckled.

“Well I definitely don’t think she likes me, not like Carrie likes you anyway,” he retorted with a smirk and a wiggle of his eyebrows. “I’m telling you, man. There’s something there. There’s no way she’d laugh at your crappy jokes like she does if she didn’t at least have a little interest in you - I don’t care if Mick thinks it’s bullshit, I know I’m right.”

Miles just rolled his eyes, but a hopeful smile desperately pulled at his lips, no matter how many times he tried to dismiss it. “I don’t know, I think she probably just does it to be nice,” he mused, watching as Carrie animatedly responded to Rachel Price before turning back to resume her conversation with the girl sat beside her - the very girl that Miles still had an irrepressible urge to swap lives with: Juliet Harmon. Now faced with nothing but the back of her head, he quickly lost interest in the view. “…She seems to act like that with most people.”

“She definitely does not, man. Why do you think the entire marching band is scared to look her in the eye? She’s like one of the biggest bitches in school,” Ethan scoffed. But he paused when he realised Miles wasn’t laughing along with him. “Why does it matter how she acts around other people anyway?” 

“It doesn’t,” Miles huffed. “…Not really.” 

But the second he dared to make eye contact with his oldest friend, the floodgates opened and the truth came tumbling out. 

“I just…feel stupid for letting her get in my head, and for actually thinking that we had something special - that I was somehow different to all the other idiots who throw themselves at her to get a second of her attention. But here I am, thinking about her constantly, hanging onto every interaction we have like my fucking life depends on it, only for her to… Ugh, I don't know. I just…don't want it all to not mean anything to her, when it means so much to me - no matter how much I try to convince myself it doesn't. I mean, yeah, she's nice to me at work - really nice - but she barely even acknowledges me outside of All Skate… It's like I don't even exist, like she doesn't even realise I'm there. And it makes me feel like shit."

"She barely acknowledges anyone," Ethan absentmindedly mused. "I wouldn't take it personally."

"That's a lot easier said than done," Miles huffed dejectedly. There was something freeing about Ethan's nonchalance over Miles' feelings though; it made them feel less suffocating. And whilst he still felt entirely hopeless about the situation, he did feel a little bit of the pressure ease off as he rested his chin on his hand and let his mind start to wander. "...You think she actually considers us friends?"

"Sure; she calls us her work friends all the time."

"No but like her actual friends," Miles clarified. 

"Dude, I don't fucking know; the female mind is a mystery to me at the best of times, but hers is on a whole other level," Ethan scoffed in incredulity. "Do you not remember that like thirty minute debate I had with her about diet sodas? Actual insanity.”

Miles' quiet chuckling as he reminisced about what had started as an innocent question, yet progressed to a full-blown screaming match, with each participant equally as confused and frustrated as the other, was soon silenced by Ethan's next prompt though. "I know a way you can find out though…"

"...No!" 

"Oh come on, man. Don't be a sissy. It'll be so easy. And then you can stop getting hung up on all these bogus hypotheticals."

Miles' initial horror slowly dissipated as Ethan's reasoning started to lure out a far greater force from its hiding place in the corner of his brain: his curiosity. "...You really think I can just go up and talk to her? In class?" he asked, as his eyes once again found that jumble of golden curls. 

"Sure, why not? It's only study hall." 

Again, Ethan's nonchalance, which was only heightened by the fact that he was trying to balance a pen on his curled upper lip as he responded, did far more for Miles' confidence than any pep talk of his own could have. And besides, maybe he was onto something - maybe it really was that simple; it always was in his world. 

"It wouldn't be weird?" Miles double-checked. 

"Why would it be weird? All you're gonna do is talk to her. And we already established you two are friends, so what could go wrong?" 

Miles shuddered at the very thought. "So much."

Ethan glanced across at him, ready to fire out further encouragement like a sixth grader with a penchant for making spitballs, but when he clocked his friend's nervous fidgeting, he reconsidered his situation and gained a little clarity. "Ok…yeah, fine, stuff could go wrong. But are you gonna die?" he proposed.

"No," Miles begrudgingly mumbled.

"Are you gonna break something?"

"No, but-"

"Then how bad can it be?" Ethan cut in with a lopsided, optimistic grin before Miles could tie himself up in any more self-conscious knots. "Just get over there and scratch that itch that's been bugging you for weeks; it's not gonna stop until you do. And you'll feel so much better after."

It took Miles by surprise every time it happened, but yet again, it seemed as though Ethan might actually be…right. This question of Carrie's loyalty had been eating away at him for weeks now. And, as he'd stressed earlier, it was making him feel shittier and shittier with every day he let it drag on. Asking her outright was a definite way to get his answer… It was just going to require him growing some balls, as anything to do with All Skate's resident disc jockey apparently made his own shrink to the size of peas.

"...Just walk over and talk to her?" Miles checked. Although, between us, he was just stalling to give himself more time to muster some courage.

"Yeah, as a friend," Ethan confirmed. 

"You really think I can pull that off?" Miles asked with a dubious, but hopeful quirk of his eyebrow that had Ethan melting like a bomb pop that had been left out in the 4th of July sun.

"Absolutely," he grinned, totally enamoured by his friend's giddy trepidation, and the promise of a relationship he so steadfastly defended. "She's got a major soft spot for you, man. I see it like every night," he went on to reassure. "There's no way she's gonna blow you off. You'll be fine."

And as a result of that dopey grin, complemented by the ratty, chestnut locks, and vacant, dark chocolate eyes… Miles believed him. 

"...Ok, I'm going in," he breathed through a determined smile. 

"Atta boy," Ethan chuckled, fist-bumping Miles before tipping his chair back onto all four of its legs again, as though to signal the resolution of their predicament. "Go scratch that itch," he added, finishing their little handshake with a bolstering point before lifting his headphones back over his ears and disappearing back into his wildest rock star fantasies - totally oblivious to the disaster about to unfold right behind him as Miles took a deep breath and waded into the wild, uncharted waters of the female mindset. 

"So now that we know that y=7, we plug that into this side of the function, that we've already simplified, to give us this…which then means that we can carry this over here, giving us x=3." 

…Silence.

"Right?" Juliet checked, although the satisfied smile that had settled on her carnation pink lips as soon as she finished the sum was beginning to falter into one of desperation as she turned to her tutee. "Did you follow along ok that time?"

But all Juliet was met with was a glassy stare and an infatuated grin, smushed between two fists as its owner rested their chin on their palms. "You're so smart, Julie," Carrie breathed. 

Juliet just rolled her eyes, although she did little to hide the bashful blush tickling her cheeks. “Never mind that, did you understand how I worked it out that time?” 

"...Kind of?" Carrie tried, offering a lopsided, hopeful grin to try to lessen the blow.

If Juliet's exasperated huff was anything to go by though: it didn't work. But her frustration dissolved the second that she met Carrie's gaze. "Where did I lose you?" she asked with a gentle, patient sigh. 

"The whole reversing the function bit," Carrie admitted as she bit her lip and braced herself for Juliet's reaction. Although the blonde's expression never wavered, the dismay that flashed in her eyes soon had Carrie barrelling through an explanation. "I swear I was getting it before that this time, but then it all started to sound like you were talking in another language, and then I got distracted by that pretty way you write out the 'x' again, and then I just…"

"...Stopped listening all together?" Juliet teasingly offered with a fond smirk.

Carrie scoffed in mock-defence. "No, I listened the whole time, I just stopped taking it in," she went on to clarify. But as soon as she drew a giggle from Juliet's lips she melted into that same infatuated grin from earlier as she admitted, "I'd never stop listening to you. You know I could listen to you talk for hours."

"Even about algebra?" Juliet teasingly tested with an affectionate smile of her own. 

"Of course about algebra," Carrie gushed with a glittering honesty that soon had Juliet giggling again. "Believe it or not, this is the most I've ever understood a math module," she carried on, straightening up in her seat to help give her point a little more credibility, before tagging on a jovial, "And it's all thanks to you, smarty pants."

"Would you stop calling me that? It's so lame," Juliet protested, hiding her smile behind a frank eye roll. "And besides, I'm not that smart." 

"You so are; you're like the smartest person I know," Carrie gushed, never one to let her friends downplay their successes, much to Juliet's disgruntlement. The blonde's frown didn't deter Carrie from continuing to lovingly babble straight through her stream of consciousness though. "That brain of yours has to be huge - no wonder you get headaches all the time, it's because it doesn't have enough space in there."

Carrie's knack for making herself giggle never failed to make Juliet smile, but yet again she found herself trying to cover it up with a bashful roll of her hazel irises as she let out a sigh and attempted to get their conversation back on track. "You wanna try another question then?" 

"Don't try to change the subject," Carrie fired back with a mischievous grin. 

"I'm not, you are!" Juliet retorted, biting back an incredulous laugh. "We're supposed to be doing algebra, not Juliet 101."

Carrie's mischievous grin only broadened. "Now that's a class I might actually get an A in."

Rolling her eyes for the third time at her best friend's antics, Juliet teasingly tried, "What? Not an A+?"

"Maybe," Carrie smirked. "But then again, I might get distracted by my teacher." Her wiggling eyebrows soon had Juliet reprimanding her and attempting to draw her focus back to her school work, but Carrie's mind was already wandering off too far down a different path altogether. "...Do you think you'd ever wanna be a doctor, Julie?" 

The comment, that fell slap-bang in the middle of Juliet's offer to rewrite the steps of the previous algebra equation, baffled her into silence - so taken aback by the suggestion that she almost thought she'd misheard the golden-haired girl. "What? No," she spluttered, looking at Carrie as though she'd just sprouted a third nose. "Where did that come from?"

Juliet's confusion didn't seem to faze Carrie though, because her dreamy smile stuck it out through her whole, rambling explanation. "I don't know, I just figured you should use your big brain for a job one day. You know, like one that actually actually makes you think instead of just like a working a cash register, or stacking books or something. And you need to be super smart to be a doctor, so…"

Juliet was quick to shoot down Carrie's optimistic grin. "I do not have what it takes to be a doctor, trust me."

"Sure you do," Carrie defended. "I'd let you be my doctor."

"Oh well then hand me my diploma," Juliet sarcastically replied, once more fondly rolling her eyes and chuckling at her best friend's enamoured stare and incessant bolstering. 

"I'm serious," Carrie pressed on though, determined to get through to Juliet despite her doubtful smirk. "I'd trust you with my life, you know I would. I'd let you save my life any day of the week," she grinned. But, after giggling to herself and absentmindedly twirling her pencil between her fingers, when she finally latched onto Juliet's hazel gaze again, only to find it significantly less jovial, it was her turn to express her confusion. "What? You don't believe me?" she teasingly challenged, with a quirk of an eyebrow. 

But Juliet still didn't seem to be in the mood to joke back, as her lips fell in line with the horizon and her gaze darted to Carrie's right before finding her again. 

Ok, now Carrie was really confused. 

"Huh?" she murmured, clearly not as in tune with her best friend's thoughts as she assumed she was. 

However, this time, Juliet flicked her eyes to Carrie's right with a touch more resolve, and paired it with a slight, but very purposeful nod of her head in the same direction. And finally, Carrie seemed to get the message. 

Following Juliet's line of sight, Carrie turned to look over her shoulder, only to find herself face to face with a person that almost caught her off guard as much as Juliet's sudden shift in dynamic had. "Oh," was the first word to jump from her lips, startling her back into what Juliet lovingly dubbed as 'show-mode' as she rolled her shoulders back and fixed a brilliant smile to her face. "Hey, Miles."

The second that Carrie acknowledged Miles, any confidence he'd managed to trick himself into conjuring fled. And whilst he had a Herculean urge to do the same, he too plastered what he hoped was a convincing smile to his face as he finished his approach to the blondes' shared desk. "Hey, Carrie," he said, breathing a sigh of relief for even managing to get the words out. And yet, he still pushed a little further to add, with a nod of acknowledgement too, "Juliet." 

The entertained smirk that started pulling at the corner of Juliet's lips in response caught him off guard, and he felt his stomach gently clench in defence. But he chose to ignore it, returning his gaze to Carrie's bright smile - its familiarity putting him back at ease and igniting that usual fire in his chest that sent warmth spreading throughout his- 

Wait, why was she turning back around? 

"Right, where were we?" Carrie said, dazzling Juliet with a grin as she readied her pencil on the page. "I've got a good feeling about this next one; I think if you just take it slow-."

"Ahem," Juliet interrupted. Her gaze caught Carrie's once again and held onto it for a beat before she tilted her head forwards, signalling with her eyes that there was still something - or rather, someone - behind her. The confusion, almost disbelief, swimming in Carrie's eyes made Juliet have to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing, and locking onto Miles' look of bewildered dismay just made it even harder. But luckily, Carrie was quickly able to decipher her visual message once again, with little prompting this time.

Turning around to find that, to her surprise, Miles hadn't just been greeting her as he passed by her desk, he was, in fact, standing there - well, expectantly shuffling from foot to foot anyway - Carrie remounted her smile. Although now, Miles realised, it wasn't so welcoming. It felt almost…uncomfortable.  

"Oh, sorry. Did you want something?" she offered. 

He did - desperately so. And yet, he felt as though the sudden shift in tone had already started to write out his answer. 

The hairs on the back of his neck started to twitch as the walls of his stomach steadily closed in tighter. But, determined to stand by his heart, and prove to himself (and Mick) that his feelings weren't all built on fantasies he'd created in his head, he brushed the unease away and stood his ground. "No, not really. I just thought I'd…stop by…see how it's going."

Carrie's smile faltered again, giving way to further confusion. "...See how what's going?"

"...Study hall?" Miles said. But the response came out as more of a question than an answer, which he supposed was down to the fact that he wasn't even sure of it himself. And despite his hopeful grin, which he feared was now looking more like a grimace, he couldn't seem to stop trying to rub the growing discomfort from the back of his neck. 

God, he hoped that he didn't have any sweat stains. 

"Oh, uh, it's going fine," Carrie politely replied. Although her awkward fidgeting with her pencil's eraser told a different story. "We're just going through the algebra homework."

It was weird; it wasn't as though the conversation was making her seem 'off', it was like…the very fact he was talking to her was so distracting she couldn't settle. She was the centre of Miles' universe. And apparently he was just an asteroid in hers: a misshapen hunk of space rock, hurtling past in the blink of an eye, and completely blindsiding her with his very insignificant existence. 

A fellow asteroid must have collided with him at some point, because he could feel this weird twinge in his chest, by his heart, almost as though the impact had chipped a corner off. He swallowed thickly, pushing the creeping discomfort away. "The one for Mr Moreno's class?" 

"Mhm," Carrie confirmed with a nod. 

"Oh, nice…" Miles trailed off with an awkward chuckle and what he feared was now looking like a rather desperate smile. And he was sure his expression only got worse when his gaze was pulled off-course by Juliet, who gave him a look that made him want to give up altogether. How her hazel irises had managed to harness the ability to hiss 'you are totally blowing this' in his ear, he had no idea. And yet, the urge to prove her (and everyone else) wrong gave him the motivation to plough on. "Well, if you still need any help with it later, I don't mind going through some of the answers with you at wo-"

"It's alright," Carrie bluntly cut in, slicing out a chunk of Miles' self-esteem as she did so. "Julie's got it covered," she added, turning to dazzle the blonde with a brilliant grin. 

By the time that grin made its way around to Miles though, it felt cold. And it seemed suppressed, like she hadn't really wanted him to see it. What he feared was the beginnings of a smirk were tugging at the corners of her lips too. And whilst he wanted to believe that it wasn't at his expense - some cruel inside joke the pair of blondes had whispered with their oh-so talkative eyes in the second that Carrie's back was turned - something in the pit of his stomach told him otherwise. 

"Thanks though," Carrie lazily tacked on, with a brightness in her tone that just felt hollow to Miles now. 

"No problem," he breathed. But there was a problem, and he was staring right at her.

Miles tried to find it in him to mean the smile he sent her, but he just couldn't. Somehow, what was supposed to have been a simple conversation between 'friends' had left him feeling more insecure than ever. Why was she so difficult to talk to? And was she making it so difficult? If they'd been at All Skate, cleaning the rink after their shift, he'd have had no trouble talking to her - their conversations flowed like the Mississippi River when it was just the two of them. And yet here, he felt like he was trying to coax water out of a rusty garden tap in the peak of a summer drought. 

He couldn't find the words to piece together what he wanted to ask - he didn't think such a sentence existed, not one that he could construct anyway. Carrie seemed hellbent on getting rid of him, which did nothing for his creeping fear that she was only nice to him at work because she had no other option for company. And the damn heat radiating from Juliet's pitying smirk had so much sweat running down his back he contemplated running to the nearest bathroom to wring out his underwear. 

And somehow, those glittering, sky blue eyes of hers still threw him a line - a glimmer of hope to cling to. After all, she'd surprised him before - countless times - maybe she'd be able to do it again.

Just as Miles was moving to open his mouth to try one last time though, he was beaten to it. 

"Was there anything else you wanted? Or was that it?" 

Any hopes of a redemption for the blonde were snatched from Miles' grasp, and the reality of it felt like a punch to the gut. Thoroughly deflated, he accepted his fate with a heavy sigh. It may not have been the outcome he wanted, but at least he had an answer now, and there was a silver lining to that, he supposed. 

"...No," he breathed through a forlorn, but relieved smile. "That was…that was all."

Miles felt he must have imagined the concern that flickered in Carrie's gaze - wishful thinking, he supposed - because the airy giggle and laidback grin she flashed him certainly didn't marry up with it. "Oh, alright then. See you later!" she chirped with a wave as he started the walk of shame back to his desk. Again, just as he was turning back to offer a farewell of his own though, she managed to get her words in first. "Don't forget your thick socks."

Miles stopped in his tracks. Now he was more confused than ever. The cheeky glint in her eyes, the knowing smile, the reference to a throwaway joke from their closing shift last night… Everything he'd just come to terms with about her vehement disinterest in him had been called into question with those five, simple words, and a wink that just about made his heart stop.

…Maybe she did really care after all. 

With his heart leaping up from its dejected slumber, Miles shot her a grateful smile and chuckled an earnest, "I won't." Breathing out a contented sigh, mind already racing with ways to talk to her about this more that evening, Miles finally felt his shoulders relax as he raised the hand that had been rubbing the back of his neck his whole time. "See you la-"

Nevermind, she'd already turned around to talk to Juliet again. 

Again the brunet was flummoxed. The only thing he felt truly confident about as he slunk back to his desk was the very thing he'd been warned of before wading into that mess: the female mind was a mystery. And he had never felt further from figuring it out.

Turning back to Juliet, Carrie couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle under her breath. "That was weird," she noted, tilting her head in the direction of her retreating co-worker.

But Juliet's eyes had never left the bumbling brunet. "Mmm… He's kind of cute," she mused. Although her prompting smirk was lost on her tutee, since her sapphire gaze was immediately pulled to the back of Miles' head.  

"Yeah." Carrie's breathed response fell from her lips with startling ease, so much so that it even surprised herself. Hoping to catch it before it slipped into Juliet's ears though, she shook the starry-eyed gaze from her head and scrambled together a cover-up. "Uh, yeah? I can try to set the two of you up if you want. You know, put in a good word at work and stuff." 

If she expected Juliet to accept her optimistic offer with open arms though, she was soon proved wrong.

"Yeah something tells me he's not interested in me," she snorted.

Carrie looked at her, perplexed. "What are you talking about? Why wouldn't he be? You're like a total babe."

"Oh come on, Carrie. Please tell me you know that he's got a major crush on you," Juliet said with an almost disapproving frown. "Like major major."

Carrie scoffed at the accusation. "It's not major," she tried, rolling her eyes in a further attempt to downplay the gravity of what Juliet was implying. 

"Carrie," Juliet pressed as she knitted her brows. "The guy could barely speak."

Caving under the blonde's hardened gaze, Carrie let out a resentful huff. "Ok fine, so he's got a little crush," she finally conceded. "What's so bad about that? It's not like anything's gonna happen; he knows I've got a boyfriend."

"Mhm… And what does Eric have to say about Miles?"

Carrie rolled her eyes so hard Juliet thought for a second that they might never come back down again. "Why does it matter?" she groaned, her skin prickling with irritation. 

"Well he's not exactly got the best track record when it comes to being understanding about you hanging out with other guys," Juliet sighed, with a sneaking suspicion that her tutee's frustration had been triggered by the mention of her boyfriend's name alone: a welcome sign that their relationship was as healthy as ever. Not.

Carrie scoffed as a bitter scowl settled into place. "It's not like I'm 'hanging out with him', we just work together. I barely talk to him during my shift anyway, only when we're clearing stuff up at the end."

"Oh yeah?" Juliet started, curiosity piqued. "And what happens then?"

"Nothing!" Carrie insisted. "We just talk - you know me, I can't keep my mouth shut even when I want to, so of course I'm gonna talk to the guy." Letting out a sigh to try to blow off some steam, she softened under Juliet's gaze and allowed the blonde to lead her through her haze of thoughts. And if Juliet's gentle nudge in the right direction wasn't already enough to do the trick, one glance at Miles' retreating form completely burst the dam. "We've been talking for like the whole last hour of every shift since I started - about school, movies, whatever really - it's like the only thing in that dump that's worth sticking around for. I kind of just did it because I was bored out of my mind at the start, but turns out he's actually really fun, and sweet too - you wouldn't believe some of the stuff he does for his little brothers, Julie; I've literally gone and cried in the break room before after he was telling me about it. It's that cute." 

"You cry at everything," Juliet countered with a fond, teasing chuckle. 

"Oh come on, not everything," Carrie retorted. Naively hoping that their conversation on the matter had ended there, she let her eyes settle on Juliet's again, only for them to inch open the floodgates once more with a simple bat of her lashes and a tilt of her head. "We just talk and…goof around," she tentatively began - defensive, despite her nonchalance. "You know, make each other laugh about weird things customers have said, or stupid things we did. It's not like we're fooling around or anything. And before you say it, because I know that face: no, I am not leading him on. It's all totally platonic, I swear."

"Ok…" Juliet softly trailed off, taking a moment to choose her words before raising her next point. "Does Miles know it's all 'totally platonic'?"

Carrie let out a groan of despair, as she always did when her best friend lovingly lectured her. "I don't know, Jules. I'm not a mindreader. He's not grabbed my ass or spiked my water bottle, if that's what you're getting at," she grumbled, before promising, "I've got it all under control, I swear."

Somehow, Juliet didn't seem to be buying it; as impervious to Carrie's confident charm as ever. 

"So Eric's totally chill about this whole thing with Miles?" she tested, arching a perfectly plucked eyebrow.  

"He knows I work with him…" Carrie mumbled.

Juliet nodded understandingly - almost too understandingly - in Carrie's periphery. 

"...And does he know how he makes you feel?"

Daring to challenge Juliet's calculated point with ignorant defiance, Carrie whirled around to meet the blonde's smug expression with a gasp of indignation, and an argument that fell away the second she realised that she didn't have a single word in her head to back it up with. Admitting defeat, she sighed and let her body slump, along with her hopes of her vindication in her best friend's hazel eyes. "Ok, yeah, fine. I know Miles has a crush on me," she confessed. Although the guilt laced into her words steadily morphed into hurt the more she tried to defend herself. "And yeah, I do lean into it sometimes because it makes me feel good about myself. Is that really so bad? Is it such a bad thing to want someone to be extra nice to you for once? Or to give you some positive attention?" 

"No, of course not," Juliet assured, assuming a fierce determination of her own. "I just think your boyfriend should be able to do all those things and more, and clearly he's not."

Carrie sighed, exhausted by the very thought of him. "This isn't about Eric."

Juliet sighed back, exasperated by her best friend's submissiveness, especially when she was usually so domineering. "How can you still want to defend him, Carrie?"

"Because, I love him, Julie," Carrie replied, finally finding the contented smile the thought of him should have immediately slapped on her face. "And because he's a good guy."

"Really? Because he's been nothing but a dick to you lately," Juliet flatly countered, hoping that with a little pushing her friend would see sense. 

"We've just had a couple of arguments, it's not a big deal," Carrie casually defended. "And they're all resolved now, so I don't know what you still have to complain about."

"Just because you had make-up sex does not mean that the problems were resolved," Juliet rolled her eyes before fixing the golden-haired girl with a more earnest look. "Did he actually apologise this time?"

"We talked it out first-"

"Did he apologise?"

Carrie squirmed under Juliet's gaze before muttering a reluctant, "No."

"Ugh," Juliet groaned, rolling her eyes again as she wound up to unleash a rant she'd been working up to for weeks. But, to her dismay, Carrie's defences beat her to it.

"Neither of us did, really. We just agreed to forget it and move on."

"How is that resolving anything?" Juliet asked with an annoyed frown that Carrie was starting to take personally. 

"Well I hadn't thought about it until now, so it must have at least kind of worked," she attempted to justify. 

But Juliet's nettled scoff told her that her stance on the matter wasn't budging. "You and Eric might as well speak two different languages; I've seen a pig and a fly communicate better than you two." 

The comment drew a giggle from Carrie's lips before she could stop it. "Don't try to distract me with your cute, Southern lingo," she said as the amused smile settled on her face and she affectionately bumped her friend's arm - the act bringing both their tempers back down to Earth. Before Juliet could launch into another lecture though, Carrie hoped to diffuse the situation once and for all. "Anyway, we worked it all out and everything's back to normal," she said. Although Juliet's questioning glance made her correct herself, "Better than normal. In fact, we're going to go look for Halloween costumes together this weekend," she finished with an optimistic grin. 

Now that was an improvement. For the first time since they'd sat down, Juliet found herself pleasantly surprised. "The Barbie and Ken costume's back on? I'm impressed. You two really must be getting along." Knowing how excited Carrie had been about the idea, she couldn't help but smile at the prospect of it finally coming into fruition. 

"Oh no, the Ken idea's long gone. I think he's going as a firefighter or something now."

Juliet's optimism shattered in a split second, and yet she stayed frozen in place, mouth hanging open in disbelief. "...You're kidding, right?"

"No, but I don't really mind. I'll just find something else to go as," Carrie sighed through a small, indifferent smile. If she'd spotted the disgust hidden in Juliet's eyes after her last revelation, she chose to ignore it. "It'll be fun getting to plan out my own costume anyway; I've got so many more options now. And plus, the Barbie one was only gonna be a pain in the ass to-"

"You're not even doing a couples one?" Juliet asked, far too concerned with what she was learning to care about hearing out Carrie's excuses. 

"He thinks couples costumes are lame," she explained with a huff. "Or at least that's what Adam told him anyway. He said he wanted to just do his own thing."

"But Carrie, you've been excited about doing a joint costume with him for like a whole year."

"So?" Carrie asked, with an eyebrow quirk of her own, shoving the accusation aside as though she was kicking an ice cube under the refrigerator. "It's just a dumb Halloween party, it doesn't matter what we wear; everyone will probably be too drunk to even pay attention anyway."

"Yeah, but it matters that he doesn't care about stuff that's important to you. He never has, and it's selfish, Carrie - super selfish…" Juliet trailed off with a frustrated sigh, praying that she might finally get the ditzy DJ to see sense. "You need to stop defending his shitty behaviour."

"And do what?" Carrie mumbled, unknowingly giving Juliet just what she wanted: a chance to unleash her anger with the infantile blond bozo and the mockery of a relationship he had roped her best friend into.

"Hold him accountable," she urged, hazel eyes blazing with passion. "Relationships should not have to revolve around making excuses and placating your partner with blow jobs - it's a fucking joke. I don't care about all the 'good times' you guys have, or all the memories you've made; the way you've been treating each other lately is appalling, and you deserve way better," she said, pausing to let Carrie absorb everything she'd just thrown at her before delivering the finishing blow. "And I know you know that too, because you're already looking for it in someone else."

Carrie's blood stilled in her veins. Sometimes it scared her how deeply Juliet understood her, and other times it felt comforting. This was not one of those times. 

She took in a slow, shuddering breath as Juliet's words seeped into her skin, carrying a deep sense of guilt with them. As much as she wanted to denounce Juliet's observations and stand by her own, joyously declaring her undying love for her boyfriend at the top of her lungs…her mouth made no attempt to move from its crestfallen frown. It couldn't, because she knew she was wrong. 

The despondency in the blonde's vacant, blue eyes soon drew Juliet down from her soap box though. This time she approached with a gentle, almost apologetic, smile as she entwined their fingers and began rubbing circles into the back of her tanned hand with the pad of her thumb. "I just want what's best for you, Car," she quietly promised. 

"I know," Carrie murmured, mustering a grateful smile as she squeezed her hand back, as though to say a 'thank you' her mouth wasn't quite ready to commit to yet. "I'm fine, Julie, I swear," she went on to profess. But when she started to get a sneaking suspicion that the statement wasn't all that convincing, she decided to switch up her tactic. "Now can we please get back to algebra?" 

The genuine laughter that tumbled from Juliet's lips was music to Carrie's ears. "There's a sentence I never thought I'd hear you say," Juliet chuckled as she picked up her pencil again. 

"I'll do anything to get us talking about something else," Carrie admitted with a woeful chuckle of her own. "And besides, I think I've got a better chance of wrapping my head around this than anything to do with my love life at the moment."

"Boyfriends suck, huh?" Juliet snorted with a knowing smirk.

"Try all boys suck," Carrie countered with a smirk of her own, at last feeling as though some of her signature confidence was leaching back into her frame. Although the pair's giggles took a few seconds to die back down, a mischievous glint remained in Carrie's eyes before she let them glaze over in thought. Mind idly wandering down untrodden paths, a wistful sigh escaped alongside a rogue proposal. "Wouldn't it make life so much easier if we could take them out of the equation altogether?"

Carrie was too lost in thought to notice, but the words that left her mouth forced an entire systems reboot in Juliet's brain. She had to do a double take, certain that she must have misheard her, or had at least missed the joking undertone. But no, the glassy, pensive blue irises held nothing but sincerity. And that confused Juliet more than ever. Her mind whirred with possible explanations for the brainless musings that definitely didn't sound as though they came from a girl in a committed, heterosexual relationship, but before she dared to question her on any, a tanned hand, the size of a frying pan, pulled her prospective interview subject right out of her seat. 

Carrie's eyes widened as she was whisked into a pair of cotton-clad arms the size of tree trunks, hardly able to catch her breath before it was being exchanged for someone else's. A faintly stubbled smile pressed into hers several times before she fully regained her bearings and was able to catch the frying pan hand from travelling too far south of her waist. "Eric," she giggled once she finally managed to inch their lips far enough apart to mumble a greeting against his skin. A subsequent flurry of kisses kept her from elaborating any further though. It was a wonder they didn't pass out from lack of air. 

"Hi, beautiful," he eventually greeted with a smitten grin. But their lips didn't stay apart for long as the dopey quarterback seemed hellbent on keeping his coated in his girlfriend's saliva. "You have a good study hall?" he mumbled, nuzzling his nose against hers. His roaming fingers shattered any hope of his interest in her life being genuine though.

Even if Carrie had wanted to answer Eric's question, his tongue was shoved so far down her throat she couldn't get her words out. "Eric," she finally gasped, jerking her head back from his with a breathy laugh as she felt his thumb start to lift the hem of her cheerleading skirt. "You're gonna get us both detention." 

"I can't help it," he chuckled, pulling her back towards him for another seemingly endless stream of kisses. "I missed you." And whilst a stupefied grin played at his constantly interlocking lips, something didn't feel quite right with Carrie. Her kisses were lazy, almost reluctant, and whilst her body normally felt like putty between his palms, today it felt…stiff. She seemed distracted. And because Eric's head was only ever swimming with thoughts of her, this worried him. "Hey," he gently prompted, nudging her chin with his knuckle to bring her gaze up to meet his. "Everything ok?"

Carrie's breath stuck in her throat, too scared of getting caught in the crossfire of two sets of brown eyes to dare to leave. Eric's sat beneath a pair of thick, furrowed brows, marred with insecure concern, and she could feel Juliet's boring holes into the back of her skull, begging her to remember everything they’d just spoken about. Tensions were high in her usually spacious brain - thoughts flying back and forth too quickly for her to make sense of as she tried to let her conscience guide her in the right direction. And although she felt herself inching towards a blonde ponytail-bolstered confession, her conscience's valiant efforts were all for naught. Carrie's fingers found purchase in the bristly blond hairs at the nape of Eric's neck, her cheeks were dusted in the scent of spearmint and the sweaty must from his football helmet. The profound warmth of his embrace seeped into her bones, and she curled up into it like a cat in the glow of fireplace embers - helpless to resist. "Everything's great," she promised, drawn in by the comfort of familiarity. "I just missed you too."

Disappointed, but not surprised by her best friend's decision, Juliet sighed as she tore her gaze away from the stomach-churning couple and began gathering together her and Carrie's things. She'd get through to her eventually, she had faith in the pit of her steadily grumbling gut. She just needed to be patient…or to find something that could drive a wedge between them once and for all.

"Ethan!" 

The pint-size pothead almost jumped out of his skin at the barked greeting, which actually felt more like an accusation than a 'hello'. He didn't know what was more offensive, the girl's tone or the fact that she'd interrupted his concert-for-one. 

"Jesus, Mick! You scared the shit outta me!" he cried. 

Rolling her eyes, Mick let go of the headphone speaker she'd had to pry away from Ethan's ear after he'd blatantly ignored her fifth call of his name, letting it thwack the side of his head. The look on his face as he recoiled in bewilderment did have a faint smile tugging at her lips though. But it soon disappeared when he slumped back in his seat and readied himself to tune her out again. 

Moving to stand in front of his desk, Mick didn't give him a chance. "Where's Miles?" 

"What?" Ethan squeaked.

"Where's Miles?" she reiterated, crossing her arms across her chest and nodding at the empty seat beside him.

"He's talking to Carrie," he revealed with a blasé wave of his hand in the vague direction of the pair.

Even with AC/DC blasting through his headphones, Ethan swore he heard Mick's face crack.

"He's doing what now?" she demanded, flames roaring in the mahogany logs that made up her irises. 

"He's just asking her something, it's no big deal," Ethan said - although his attempts to reassure the brunette were ham-handed at best given his lazy grin and total lack of concern. 

This was further backed up by Mick's growing urge to strangle him. "Can I not trust you to do anything?" she hissed. 

"What did I do?" Ethan squawked in indignation.

"Nothing - that's the problem! All you had to do was keep his mind off her-" 

"I don't know what fucking mind-control powers you think I've got, Mick, but that was a bogus plan in the first place."

"Oh so what? You just weren't gonna go along with it at all?" Mick scoffed. "I just said to try to keep him distracted."

"And I tried, so I don't know what you're getting all pissy at me for," Ethan retorted. "What's so wrong with him talking to her anyway? I thought 'working through your feelings' was supposed to be a good thing."

Scowling at him for using her own advice against her, she snapped, "Talking to her is not helping him distance himself from her." But when her eyes scanned the room for that familiar mop of coffee brown hair, the sight it settled on made her heart drop to her collegiate green Campuses. "And neither is a run-in with Eric Brennan."

Trailing back to his seat, muttering to himself about the mystifying female mindset and what the hell all of that could have meant, Miles soon realised he wasn't looking where he was going when he collided with what felt like a wall of meat. 

"Shit, sorry," he muttered.

When he looked up and saw who it was that had almost knocked him off his feet though, he realised his assumption hadn't been too far off.

"Woah, watch it, man," Eric guffawed.

The amused twinkle in his eye, and the smirk that blossomed as soon as his gaze landed on him, made Miles' stomach twist. Something told him that this interaction wasn't going to be nearly as quick as he'd hoped. 

"Miles, right?" Eric went on to ask, eyebrow cocked in recognition. 

"Uh, yeah," Miles stammered, although he was more confused than concerned at this point. 

"Why you in such a hurry, bud? You got somewhere to be?" he continued, a charming smirk still sitting proudly on his chiselled jaw. 

"I'm just going back to my seat."

"Oh yeah?" Eric probed, steadily turning up the pressure. "And why were you out of it?"

Miles immediately regretted the exasperated huff that fell from his lips, but he couldn't help his frustration. "Why does it matter?" 

To Miles' surprise, the jock didn't snap back at his remark - there was no sign of meat-headed defensiveness at all. Instead, the guy just laughed. "It doesn't," he reassured with a jovial smile. "I just thought I'd ask 'cause, you know, from here it kind of looked like you were going over there to talk to my girlfriend." 

Any relief that jovial smile had filled Miles with steadily leaked out as Eric's words sunk in. "I was just asking her about our work schedule," he explained with a careful, albeit tight smile of his own. 

"Yeah?" Eric tested.

"...Yeah," Miles confirmed. Although he could feel his bravery slowly shrinking under the hulking weight of Eric's arched eyebrow, he stood his ground, hoping that a nonchalant tone and a set of squared shoulders was enough to convince the dopey blond.

"Oh well, that's a relief," he said with another booming guffaw. Miles' wishes were seemingly granted as the warning smirk slipped from Eric's face, replaced with a laidback grin. "There I was thinking you might have been trying to make a move on her or something."

Miles managed to eke out a chuckle, more at his own expense than anything. "I wouldn't do that, man," he promised through a freshly starched smile. "I know you're both very happy together."

Eric's shit-eating grin must have been powered by at least three AAs with the way it lit up his face. "That we are, my man," he proudly proclaimed. "And that's good to hear 'cause I know you spend a lot of time with her at the end of your shifts, and she says you two get along super well, so I'd hate to think that you were getting the wrong idea or-"

"Not at all," Miles assured, cutting the blond off before he could drive the knife any further into his chest. Fixing a plastic smile to his face to cover up the wistful sigh that escaped between his teeth, he delivered an admittedly painful, "We're just friends."

Eric's rich brown eyes seemed to scan every inch of Miles for any sign of a lie before he proceeded, and the brunet's lack of acting skills left him squirming like a worm on a hook as a result. But the satisfied grin that soon surfaced, dropping the tensed shoulders to help it rise, told Miles the quarterback probably needed an eye test. 

"Good," Eric said with a contented sigh. "'Cause you and I both know that it'd be stupid to think anything else, right?" he went on to cockily taunt. "Like, no offence, but she'd have to be fucking insane to choose you over me… Right, Miles?" 

Although his ego was severely bruised, to save his face from meeting the same fate, Miles forced himself to maintain a smile, albeit reluctantly. "Right," he confirmed.

"That's what I thought," Eric smirked, finally satisfied that Miles had taken enough of an emotional pounding if his lazy grin and affectionate arm bump was anything to go by. "Alright, nice talk, bro. I might catch you tonight if I drop by to see her, ok?"

"I'll be there," Miles verified with a strained sigh. Finally daring to drop his gaze from the sturdy blond, he made his escape without so much as a goodbye.  

Apparently Eric thought he could take a little advice on the road with him though. 

"Remember, watch yourself, Murphy," he hollered.

But the words didn't even register with Miles, because the swift shove between his shoulder blades was so jarring his entire focus was dragged to keeping himself upright. 

Miles kept his eyes trained on the scuffed linoleum as he hastily lumbered back over to his desk, cheeks burning with self-hatred as he tried to push Eric’s no doubt smirking face out of his mind. It wasn’t until he heard a familiar voice that he finally dared to lift his head again. 

“Are you ok?” Mick asked, expression overrun with an almost frantic concern. “What was that about?”

“I’m fine,” Miles brushed off, retrieving his threadbare backpack from its spot, slumped on the floor in one swoop. Haphazardly shoving the books from his desk into the main compartment, he mumbled a quick, “Can we just go?” 

But Ethan’s glassy-eyed intrigue held him firmly in place. “Yo, what happened, man? Did he bust you for flirting with her?” 

“No,” Miles sighed, wearily shaking his head at the stoner’s excitement. 

“Did you flirt with her?” he pressed. 

"No, I just- ugh," Miles huffed, quickly giving up on trying to explain the situation he didn't even fully understand himself. "It doesn't matter. Let's just go."

"I told you to just forget about her," Mick sighed. 

"Yeah, well, that's a lot easier said than done, Mick," Miles retorted, returning her disapproving frown with a defensive one of his own. 

"Did you at least get some closure?" Ethan offered as he rose from his desk - partly from curiosity, partly to try to prove a point to Mick. 

Whilst Miles' tongue instinctively prepared to shoot Ethan's optimism down, his brain jumped in to tell it to hold fire. And after a few, brief seconds recalling the interaction, his answer soon changed. "Actually, I kind of did," he admitted with a chuckle of incredulity. 

"You gonna try to talk about it more with her tonight then?" Ethan asked, smirking to himself at Mick's look of disbelief. 

"Fuck no," Miles snorted with a nonchalance that took both of his friends by surprise. "I just want to forget it ever happened- just…move on."

"From her?" Mick asked, trying to hide the hopeful edge in her tone with a gentle smile.

Sparing the blonde in question one last glance over his shoulder, only to catch the tail end of her and Eric getting pulled up for their excessive PDA by their (up until now) entirely uninterested study hall supervisor, he let out a wistful sigh. A chorus of voices swelled in his head - Mick's, Ethan's, Carrie's, Eric's - each one telling a different side to the same story. He couldn't have picked one to listen to if he'd tried. So, in the end, his own took over, steering his heart down a path that promised the least damage in the long term, and that Carrie's indifferent dismissal of him had already forged in his mind. "...That's the goal."

[long-cold-winterr]

Back in uni when I was drunk my friends and I liked to either watch Jersey Shore or The Osbournes

[practice-is-praxis]

Planetary Days

These are some of the meanings, correspondences, deities, etc. associated with each day of the week. These can also be used for planetary hours. For example, if performing a working during the planetary hour for Jupiter, one could use the information listed under Thursday, the day that corresponds to Jupiter.  This is not a complete list. Consider this as a list of possibilities to add more layers, structure, effectiveness, and symbolism to your rituals, and magick. Not as necessities, or anything like that. Enjoy. 🖖  SUNDAY Works of: Wealth. Planet: Sun. Numbers: 6, 66, 666. Color: Gold, Yellow, Orange. Rules: Leo. Metals: Gold, All Yellow and Lustrous Alloys. Stones/Minerals: Tiger’s Eye, Topaz, Goldstone, Zircon, Citrine, Chrysoberyl. Trees: Pine, Walnut, Date, Oak, Witch Hazel, Mimosa, Acacia. Herbs: Sunflower, Chamomile, Yellow Rose, Chrysanthemum, Marigold, Eyebright, Pineapple, Mistletoe, St. John’s Wort, Laurel. Incenses/Oils: Cinnamon, Frankincense, Saffron, Vanilla, Heliotropin, Cashew, Copal. Element: Fire. Direction: South. Tools: Symbols, Lamen, Lance, Sword. Deities: Apollo, Baal, Belenus, Grainne, Helios, Lugh, Mithras, Horus, Osiris, Ra, Sol, Shamash, Vishnu. Angels: Michael, Raphael. Shape: Hexagon, Hexagram. Design: Radial Forms, Swirling Spirals. Concepts: Advancement, Dominance, Healing, Egotism, Friendship, Prosperity, Abundance, Illumination, The Self, Joy, Leadership, Power, Wealth, Success, Will. Intentions: Developing Harmony, Giving/Receiving Healing, Acquiring Money, Obtaining Patronage, Gaining Promotion, Establishing Peace, Increasing Wealth, Improving Willpower. MONDAY Works of: Mystery. Planet: The Moon. Numbers: 9, 99, 999. Color: Silver, White, Gray, Lavender, Purple. Rules: Cancer. Metals: Silver, Platinum, Yttrium. Stones/Minerals: Beryl, Moonstone, Alexandrite, Rock Crystal, Alabaster, Fluorspar, Mirror Glass. Trees: Willow, Coconut, Bay, Hazel, Papaya, Carob, Laburnum. Herbs: White and Purple Lilies, Hyacinth, Iris, Narcissus, Gourds, Peas, Beans, Turnip, Yam. Incenses/Oils: Camphor, Orris Root, Galbanum, Artemisia, Wintergreen, Eucalyptus Oil, Jasmine Oil, Aromatic Seeds, Ylang-ylang. Element: Water. Direction: North-West. Tools: Bow and Arrow, Magick Mirror. Deities: Artemis, Bendis, Diana, Hecate, Isis, Khonsu, Luna, Selene, Shiva, Sin, Ta-Urt, Thoth, Tivs, Varuna. Angels: Gabriel. Shape: Nonagon, Enneagram. Design: Circular, Crescent, Elliptical, and Maze-like. Concepts: Astral Work, Birth, Psychic Ability, Cycles, Divination, Dreams, Glamor, Illusions, Balance, Shapeshifting, Subconscious and Unconscious, Spirituality, Tides, Transformation, Transmutation. Intentions: Astral Travel, Safety for Birth and Children, Developing Psychic Senses, Increasing Intuition, Increasing and Remembering Dreams, Developing Glamor(s), Accessing the Subconscious and Unconscious Minds, Creating/Dispelling Illusions. TUESDAY Works of: Power. Planet: Mars. Numbers: 5, 55, 555. Color: Red, Amber, Pale Yellow. Rules: Aries, Co-rules Scorpio. Metals: Iron, Brass, Rust, Steel, Nickel, Strontium, Magnetized Iron Fillings. Stones/Minerals: Ruby, Garnet, Red Agnate, Bloodstone, Amber, Rhodochrosite, Red Jasper, Lodestone, Flint (worked flint particularly). Trees: Ash, Mountain Ash, Holly, Pepper Tree, White Fig, Mountain Mahogany, Arbutus. Herbs: Thistles, Cacti, Dandelion, Snapdragon, Stinging Nettle, Arrowroot, High John Conqueror, Bloodroot, Wild Ginger, Bamboo. Incenses/Oils: Opoponax, Dragonsblood, Nicotiana, Peppermint, Mustard, Cumin, Asafoetida, Turmeric, Sweet Woodruff, Galangal. Element: Fire. Direction: South-West, North-East. Tools: Anvil, Burin, Hammer, Scourge, Spear, Whip, Magic Sword. Deities: Aries, Bellona, Horus, Mars, Nergal. Angels: Khamael, Zhamael. Shape: Pentagon, Pentagram. Design: Zig-zag, Pointed Forms. Concepts: Anger, Atavism, Conflict, Courage, Ego, Energy, Passion, Sex, Strength, Vengeance, Vigor. Intentions: Controlling Anger, Enhancing Courage, Causing Discord, Increasing Energy, Dispelling Fear, Increasing Sex-Drive, Increasing Strength, Increasing Vigor. WEDNESDAY Works of: Mind. Planet: Mercury. Numbers: 8, 88, 888. Colors: Orange, Light Blue, Violet, Light Yellow, Mother of Pearl. Rules: Gemini, Virgo. Metals: Mercury, Aluminum, Aircraft Composites, Quicksilver, Lanthanum. Stones/Minerals: Fire Opal, Carnelian, Cairngorm, Sard, Banded Agate, Coins, Small pebbles, Skipping Stones. Trees: Birch, Aspen, Almond, Mulberry, Lombardy Poplar, Magnolia, Pistachio. Herbs: Marjoram, Lavender, Ferns, Medicinal, Castor Palm, Mandrake, Stillengia, Parsley. Incenses/Oils: Mace, Star Anise, Mastic, Sandalwood, Orange, Lemongrass, Lavender Oil, Fennel Oil, Walnut. Element: Air. Direction: East. Deities: Hermes, Mercury, Thoth, Ganesha, Nebu, Woden. Angels: Mikael, Raphael. Shape: Octagon, Octagram. Design: Segmented Shapes, Mirror Images, Countercharged Patterns. Concepts: Business, Communication, Deception, Flexibility, Healing, Hyperactivity, Magick, Memory, Music, Poetry, Protection, Psychopomp, Science, Speed, Theft, Travel, Trickery, Divination, Education, Mystical Knowledge and Insight, Predictions, Resourcefulness, Self-Improvement. Intentions: Business Success, Improving Communication, Preventing Discord, Exam Success, Developing Flexibility, Divination, Developing Influence, Increasing Knowledge, Improving Memory, Improving or Learning Music, Establishing Peace, Recovering Property, Public Speaking, Improving Mentality, Mental over Emotional, Writing. THURSDAY Works of: Expansion. Planet: Jupiter. Numbers: 4, 44, 444. Colors: Blue, White, Lilac, Shell-Pink. Rules: Sagittarius, Co-rules Pisces. Metals: Tin, Zinc, Antimony. Stones/Minerals: Sapphire, Lapis Lazuli, Amethyst, Labradorite, Turquoise, Aquamarine.  Trees: Oak, Cedar, Pine, Olive, Juniper, Hickory, Sassafras, Maple, Chestnut, Horse Chestnut, Lime, Sycamore. Herbs: Flax, Borage, Brook Lime, Liverwort, Green Ti Plant, Agrimony, Purple Betany, Sage. Incenses/Oils: Nutmeg, Clove, Pine Gum, Sarsaparilla, Hyssop. Element: Air/Water. Direction: South-East. Deities: Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, Jupiter, Minerva, Marduk, Indra, Amun-Ra, Thor. Angels: Tzadkiel, Sachiel. Shape: Square, Four-Pointed Star. Design: Regular Rhombic and Rectangular Forms, Parallelograms, Squares, Intersecting lines. Concepts: Ascendancy, Devotion, Enthusiasm, Ethics, Expansion, Honor, Fortune, Humor, Law, Politics, Expansion, Health, Growth, Increase, Healing, Spirituality, Fortune, Luck, Philosophy, Optimism, Opportunity, Generosity, Justice. Intentions: Developing Ambition, Career Success, Increasing Enthusiasm, Increasing Health, Improving Fortune, Improving Health, Improving Luck, Developing Ethics, Dealing with Law, Increasing Wealth, Gaining Promotion, Seeking or Promoting Truth, Spiritual Contact, Taking Responsibility. FRIDAY Works of: Beauty. Planet: Venus. Numbers: 7, 77, 777. Color: Green, Turquoise, Pink. Rules: Libra, Taurus. Metals: Copper, Bronze. Stones/Minerals: Emerald, Malachite, Peridot, Jade, Rose Quartz, Amazonite. Trees: Apple, Pear, Lemon, Lime, Orange, Cherry, Cinchona, Beech, Elder, Fig. Herbs: Rose, Hawthorn, Vervain, Myrtle, Columbine, Anemone, Strawberry, Periwinkle, Cyclamen, Foxglove, Tulip, Hibiscus. Incenses/Oils: Storax, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Valerian, Geranium, Licorice, Tonka Bean, Cardamom, Spearmint, Lemon. Element: Earth. Direction: Center. Tools: Belt, Girdle, Harp, Necklace. Deities: Aphrodite, Venus, Freya, Turan, Ishtar, Ushan, Lakshmi, Hathor, Bast. Angels: Haniel, Anael. Shape: Heptagon, Heptagram. Design: Branching Forms, Flowing and Harmonious Lines, Arabesque. Concepts: Attraction, Art, Beauty, Creativity, Culture, Emotions, Fertility, Grace, Inspiration, Love, Passion, Pleasure, Self-Confidence, Sensuality, Sexuality, Sociability. Intentions: Increasing Attraction, Developing Beauty, Increasing Creativity, Increasing Fertility, Developing Friendship, Obtaining or Promoting Love, Satisfying Lust, Increasing Passion, Pleasure, Self-Confidence, Improving Social-Skills. SATURDAY Works of: Form. Planet: Saturn. Numbers: 3, 33, 333. Color: Black, Brown, Rules: Capricorn, Co-rules Aquarius. Metals: Lead, Antimony, Tungsten, Zirconium, Cobalt, Titanium. Stones/Minerals: Diamond, Jet, Onyx, Basalt, Slate, Black Salt, Anthracite, Geodes, Obsidian, Pumice, Smoked Glass. Trees: Yew, Elm, Cypress, Pine, Ebony, Acacia, Pomegranate. Herbs: Violet, Trillium, Poppy, Nightshade, Horsetail, Amaranth, Mullein. Incenses/Oils: Myrrh, Spikenard, Guaiac Wood, Tamarind, Cassia, Patchouli. Element: Earth. Direction: North. Tools: Hourglass, Scythe, Scales, Sickle, Veil. Deities: Kronos, Saturn, Hera, Juno, Kali, Brahma, Ea, Uni. Angels: Tzaphkiel, Cassiel. Shape: Triangle, Three-Pointed Star. Design: Abstract based on Natural, Concentric Circles, Geometry suggesting Spatial Perspective. Concepts: Agriculture, Austerity, Binding, Conservation, Duty, Equilibrium, Formation, History, Legal Matters, Limitation, Patience, Practicality, Preservation, Prudence, Reservation, Restriction, Self-Discipline, Teaching, Time, Wisdom. Intentions: Banishing, Binding, Dispelling, Establishing Equilibrium, Performing Duty, Studying, Self-Discipline, Protecting Home, Developing Patience, Developing Practicality, Decrease, Teaching. Sources:  “Planetary Magick: The Heart of Western Magick” by Melita Denning, Osbourne Phillips. “Practical Planetary Magick” by David Rankine, Sorita d’Este.

[khaoticflame]

a bunch of lovely people @surviving-maybe @jomilky @tomorrowillmissyou @milkoviched and @ardent-fox tagged me in this lil game, thank uuu <333

relationship status: i’m a single lady (don’t put a ring on it 💍)

favourite colour: blue blue blue, in aaaall its shades 💙 also burgundy

favourite food: pasta!! especially tortellini with double cream 🤤 i could eat a whole plate even at 3am, no joke

song stuck in my head: these days i’m like head empty, only three songs playing non-stop in my brain, which are ‘what the water gave me’ by florence + the machine, ‘i don’t wanna stop’ by ozzy osbourne, and ‘le parole lontane’ by måneskin my beloveds

last thing i googled: the opening times of an electronics store near my city bc i had to buy an ipad

time: 10.48 pm

dream trip: ugh literally anywhere, i have so many places i want to visit… maybe i’d start off with ireland? or london?

something i want: right now i really want to finish all my exams so i could start working on my thesis, uni is the bane of my existence atm 🥲

super super late to this, i’m sorry if you’ve already done it, but i’m gonna try with @sickness-health-all-that-shit @bravemikhailo @friend-bear @gallawitchxx @grabmyboner @shameless-notashamed @themilkoviches @vintagelacerosette @deathclassic @celestialmickey sending hugs from afar 🫂💕

[anewwitchsgrimoire]

PLANETARY DAYS

These are some of the meanings, correspondences, deities, etc. associated with each day of the week. These can also be used for planetary hours. For example, if performing a working during the planetary hour for Jupiter, one could use the information listed under Thursday, the day that corresponds to Jupiter. 

This is not a complete list. Consider this as a list of possibilities to add more layers, structure, effectiveness, and symbolism to your rituals, and magick. Not as necessities, or anything like that. Enjoy. 🖖 

SUNDAY

Works of: Wealth.

Planet: Sun.

Numbers: 6, 66, 666.

Color: Gold, Yellow, Orange.

Rules: Leo.

Metals: Gold, All Yellow and Lustrous Alloys.

Stones/Minerals: Tiger’s Eye, Topaz, Goldstone, Zircon, Citrine, Chrysoberyl.

Trees: Pine, Walnut, Date, Oak, Witch Hazel, Mimosa, Acacia.

Herbs: Sunflower, Chamomile, Yellow Rose, Chrysanthemum, Marigold, Eyebright, Pineapple, Mistletoe, St. John’s Wort, Laurel.

Incenses/Oils: Cinnamon, Frankincense, Saffron, Vanilla, Heliotropin, Cashew, Copal.

Element: Fire.

Direction: South.

Tools: Symbols, Lamen, Lance, Sword.

Deities: Apollo, Baal, Belenus, Grainne, Helios, Lugh, Mithras, Horus, Osiris, Ra, Sol, Shamash, Vishnu.

Angels: Michael, Raphael.

Shape: Hexagon, Hexagram.

Design: Radial Forms, Swirling Spirals.

Concepts: Advancement, Dominance, Healing, Egotism, Friendship, Prosperity, Abundance, Illumination, The Self, Joy, Leadership, Power, Wealth, Success, Will.

Intentions: Developing Harmony, Giving/Receiving Healing, Acquiring Money, Obtaining Patronage, Gaining Promotion, Establishing Peace, Increasing Wealth, Improving Willpower.

MONDAY

Works of: Mystery.

Planet: The Moon.

Numbers: 9, 99, 999.

Color: Silver, White, Gray, Lavender, Purple.

Rules: Cancer.

Metals: Silver, Platinum, Yttrium.

Stones/Minerals: Beryl, Moonstone, Alexandrite, Rock Crystal, Alabaster, Fluorspar, Mirror Glass.

Trees: Willow, Coconut, Bay, Hazel, Papaya, Carob, Laburnum.

Herbs: White and Purple Lilies, Hyacinth, Iris, Narcissus, Gourds, Peas, Beans, Turnip, Yam.

Incenses/Oils: Camphor, Orris Root, Galbanum, Artemisia, Wintergreen, Eucalyptus Oil, Jasmine Oil, Aromatic Seeds, Ylang-ylang.

Element: Water.

Direction: North-West.

Tools: Bow and Arrow, Magick Mirror.

Deities: Artemis, Bendis, Diana, Hecate, Isis, Khonsu, Luna, Selene, Shiva, Sin, Ta-Urt, Thoth, Tivs, Varuna.

Angels: Gabriel.

Shape: Nonagon, Enneagram.

Design: Circular, Crescent, Elliptical, and Maze-like.

Concepts: Astral Work, Birth, Psychic Ability, Cycles, Divination, Dreams, Glamor, Illusions, Balance, Shapeshifting, Subconscious and Unconscious, Spirituality, Tides, Transformation, Transmutation.

Intentions: Astral Travel, Safety for Birth and Children, Developing Psychic Senses, Increasing Intuition, Increasing and Remembering Dreams, Developing Glamor(s), Accessing the Subconscious and Unconscious Minds, Creating/Dispelling Illusions.

TUESDAY

Works of: Power.

Planet: Mars.

Numbers: 5, 55, 555.

Color: Red, Amber, Pale Yellow.

Rules: Aries, Co-rules Scorpio.

Metals: Iron, Brass, Rust, Steel, Nickel, Strontium, Magnetized Iron Fillings.

Stones/Minerals: Ruby, Garnet, Red Agnate, Bloodstone, Amber, Rhodochrosite, Red Jasper, Lodestone, Flint (worked flint particularly).

Trees: Ash, Mountain Ash, Holly, Pepper Tree, White Fig, Mountain Mahogany, Arbutus.

Herbs: Thistles, Cacti, Dandelion, Snapdragon, Stinging Nettle, Arrowroot, High John Conqueror, Bloodroot, Wild Ginger, Bamboo.

Incenses/Oils: Opoponax, Dragonsblood, Nicotiana, Peppermint, Mustard, Cumin, Asafoetida, Turmeric, Sweet Woodruff, Galangal.

Element: Fire.

Direction: South-West, North-East.

Tools: Anvil, Burin, Hammer, Scourge, Spear, Whip, Magic Sword.

Deities: Aries, Bellona, Horus, Mars, Nergal.

Angels: Khamael, Zhamael.

Shape: Pentagon, Pentagram.

Design: Zig-zag, Pointed Forms.

Concepts: Anger, Atavism, Conflict, Courage, Ego, Energy, Passion, Sex, Strength, Vengeance, Vigor.

Intentions: Controlling Anger, Enhancing Courage, Causing Discord, Increasing Energy, Dispelling Fear, Increasing Sex-Drive, Increasing Strength, Increasing Vigor.

WEDNESDAY

Works of: Mind.

Planet: Mercury.

Numbers: 8, 88, 888.

Colors: Orange, Light Blue, Violet, Light Yellow, Mother of Pearl.

Rules: Gemini, Virgo.

Metals: Mercury, Aluminum, Aircraft Composites, Quicksilver, Lanthanum.

Stones/Minerals: Fire Opal, Carnelian, Cairngorm, Sard, Banded Agate, Coins, Small pebbles, Skipping Stones.

Trees: Birch, Aspen, Almond, Mulberry, Lombardy Poplar, Magnolia, Pistachio.

Herbs: Marjoram, Lavender, Ferns, Medicinal, Castor Palm, Mandrake, Stillengia, Parsley.

Incenses/Oils: Mace, Star Anise, Mastic, Sandalwood, Orange, Lemongrass, Lavender Oil, Fennel Oil, Walnut.

Element: Air.

Direction: East.

Deities: Hermes, Mercury, Thoth, Ganesha, Nebu, Woden.

Angels: Mikael, Raphael.

Shape: Octagon, Octagram.

Design: Segmented Shapes, Mirror Images, Countercharged Patterns.

Concepts: Business, Communication, Deception, Flexibility, Healing, Hyperactivity, Magick, Memory, Music, Poetry, Protection, Psychopomp, Science, Speed, Theft, Travel, Trickery, Divination, Education, Mystical Knowledge and Insight, Predictions, Resourcefulness, Self-Improvement.

Intentions: Business Success, Improving Communication, Preventing Discord, Exam Success, Developing Flexibility, Divination, Developing Influence, Increasing Knowledge, Improving Memory, Improving or Learning Music, Establishing Peace, Recovering Property, Public Speaking, Improving Mentality, Mental over Emotional, Writing.

THURSDAY

Works of: Expansion.

Planet: Jupiter.

Numbers: 4, 44, 444.

Colors: Blue, White, Lilac, Shell-Pink.

Rules: Sagittarius, Co-rules Pisces.

Metals: Tin, Zinc, Antimony.

Stones/Minerals: Sapphire, Lapis Lazuli, Amethyst, Labradorite, Turquoise, Aquamarine. 

Trees: Oak, Cedar, Pine, Olive, Juniper, Hickory, Sassafras, Maple, Chestnut, Horse Chestnut, Lime, Sycamore.

Herbs: Flax, Borage, Brook Lime, Liverwort, Green Ti Plant, Agrimony, Purple Betany, Sage.

Incenses/Oils: Nutmeg, Clove, Pine Gum, Sarsaparilla, Hyssop.

Element: Air/Water.

Direction: South-East.

Deities: Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, Jupiter, Minerva, Marduk, Indra, Amun-Ra, Thor.

Angels: Tzadkiel, Sachiel.

Shape: Square, Four-Pointed Star.

Design: Regular Rhombic and Rectangular Forms, Parallelograms, Squares, Intersecting lines.

Concepts: Ascendancy, Devotion, Enthusiasm, Ethics, Expansion, Honor, Fortune, Humor, Law, Politics, Expansion, Health, Growth, Increase, Healing, Spirituality, Fortune, Luck, Philosophy, Optimism, Opportunity, Generosity, Justice.

Intentions: Developing Ambition, Career Success, Increasing Enthusiasm, Increasing Health, Improving Fortune, Improving Health, Improving Luck, Developing Ethics, Dealing with Law, Increasing Wealth, Gaining Promotion, Seeking or Promoting Truth, Spiritual Contact, Taking Responsibility.

FRIDAY

Works of: Beauty.

Planet: Venus.

Numbers: 7, 77, 777.

Color: Green, Turquoise, Pink.

Rules: Libra, Taurus.

Metals: Copper, Bronze.

Stones/Minerals: Emerald, Malachite, Peridot, Jade, Rose Quartz, Amazonite.

Trees: Apple, Pear, Lemon, Lime, Orange, Cherry, Cinchona, Beech, Elder, Fig.

Herbs: Rose, Hawthorn, Vervain, Myrtle, Columbine, Anemone, Strawberry, Periwinkle, Cyclamen, Foxglove, Tulip, Hibiscus.

Incenses/Oils: Storax, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Valerian, Geranium, Licorice, Tonka Bean, Cardamom, Spearmint, Lemon.

Element: Earth.

Direction: Center.

Tools: Belt, Girdle, Harp, Necklace.

Deities: Aphrodite, Venus, Freya, Turan, Ishtar, Ushan, Lakshmi, Hathor, Bast.

Angels: Haniel, Anael.

Shape: Heptagon, Heptagram.

Design: Branching Forms, Flowing and Harmonious Lines, Arabesque.

Concepts: Attraction, Art, Beauty, Creativity, Culture, Emotions, Fertility, Grace, Inspiration, Love, Passion, Pleasure, Self-Confidence, Sensuality, Sexuality, Sociability.

Intentions: Increasing Attraction, Developing Beauty, Increasing Creativity, Increasing Fertility, Developing Friendship, Obtaining or Promoting Love, Satisfying Lust, Increasing Passion, Pleasure, Self-Confidence, Improving Social-Skills.

SATURDAY

Works of: Form.

Planet: Saturn.

Numbers: 3, 33, 333.

Color: Black, Brown,

Rules: Capricorn, Co-rules Aquarius.

Metals: Lead, Antimony, Tungsten, Zirconium, Cobalt, Titanium.

Stones/Minerals: Diamond, Jet, Onyx, Basalt, Slate, Black Salt, Anthracite, Geodes, Obsidian, Pumice, Smoked Glass.

Trees: Yew, Elm, Cypress, Pine, Ebony, Acacia, Pomegranate.

Herbs: Violet, Trillium, Poppy, Nightshade, Horsetail, Amaranth, Mullein.

Incenses/Oils: Myrrh, Spikenard, Guaiac Wood, Tamarind, Cassia, Patchouli.

Element: Earth.

Direction: North.

Tools: Hourglass, Scythe, Scales, Sickle, Veil.

Deities: Kronos, Saturn, Hera, Juno, Kali, Brahma, Ea, Uni.

Angels: Tzaphkiel, Cassiel.

Shape: Triangle, Three-Pointed Star.

Design: Abstract based on Natural, Concentric Circles, Geometry suggesting Spatial Perspective.

Concepts: Agriculture, Austerity, Binding, Conservation, Duty, Equilibrium, Formation, History, Legal Matters, Limitation, Patience, Practicality, Preservation, Prudence, Reservation, Restriction, Self-Discipline, Teaching, Time, Wisdom.

Intentions: Banishing, Binding, Dispelling, Establishing Equilibrium, Performing Duty, Studying, Self-Discipline, Protecting Home, Developing Patience, Developing Practicality, Decrease, Teaching.

Sources: 

“Planetary Magick: The Heart of Western Magick” by Melita Denning, Osbourne Phillips.

“Practical Planetary Magick” by David Rankine, Sorita d’Este.

For some reason, it won't let me reblog this so I've had to copy and paste from where I found it.

[starsarestars]

Do you have any Hope x Marisol friendship headcanons?

I kinda go into this dynamic in primary. (Which I have yet to publish smfh) because I honestly love the idea of Hope and Marisol being really good friends - the two of them are kind of seceded from the rest of the girls and while Marisol did it to protect herself, Hope doesn’t necessarily know she’s being left out until the Op Nope situation happens (which Illicit Affairs outlined in a way that was absolutely brilliant, I’m gonna link it in this post because I honestly love it so much.) I really sympathise for both Hope and Marisol because they’re quite isolated during their time on love island, they deserved a whole lot more and I think within the restrictions of canon the two never really had that. If Hope and Marisol were really good friends let’s just say Hope would have Graham sussed out from day one and would’ve steered Marisol clear.

First things first - Marisol favours instant for her coffee fix bc she’s a student and it’s relatively cheap but Hope being all boujee with a taste for the finer things in life is like “babes you don’t have to live like this” and gifts Marisol a decent coffee machine with a yearly subscription. I can kinda see Marisol being apprehensive about accepting the gift at first because she feels as if she owes people whenever they give her gifts but honestly Hope is really reassuring about it and will be like “you deserve it!”

And on that note - the two of them definitely go shopping together. I can see the both of them going absolutely nuts over stationery and all sorts of organisational stuff because they’re both very well organised so honestly expect to see them in paper chase poring over moleskines and going absolutely coocoo banana pants over fountain pens. This also leads me to the best part; Letters. Hope travels a lot for her job and because of this will often rely on FaceTime to talk to her, but they also take up writing letters to each other. It’s therapeutic for Hope to tell her friend everything that’s going on (she probably pops in as many trinkets and souvenirs from where she’s at in the letter, she really loves tacky postcards and thinks they’re really fun.) and for Marisol it’s really sentimental as Hope had taken the time out of her busy schedule to write something so thoughtful for her. Marisol probs took up calligraphy to spice up the letters a bit to compensate for the fact it’s mostly about Uni life.

I HC that Hope lives alone in a flat with her Dog (He’s a cocker spaniel named after Ozzy Osbourne bc she adored Black Sabbath as a teenager during her metal bassoon cover days.) and Marisol absolutely loves to go there, Hope’s flat is like a second home to her at this point. Oftentimes she’ll be sitting on the couch with Ozzy on her lap and a glass of wine in her grasp as they shoot the shit and marathon Killing Eve together.

Wholesome social media interactions - expect them to repost bits of their time on LI that highlight their friendship, screencaps from video calls they’ll post on their story and THE MOST affectionate posts whenever a life achievement goes on. Hope had to re-do the caption for her post congratulating Marisol on passing her bar exam because she couldn’t stop crying and it was making it hard to see what she was typing LMFAOOO

[wearetheweirdosmr]

First day on tumblr. First time even looking at tumblr... but I need somewhere to vent😅 I’m hoping I can divulge all of my shit on this blog as a way to clear my head and de-stress🙌🏼 I should have probably started this a zillion years ago. Better late than never!🙃

So it’s the 29384748929th day of lockdown 3.0... and it’s taking it’s toll to say the least. My mental health has taken a large bashing and a few weeks ago I was at breaking point. Homeschooling ⬅️ (can go fuck itself and die) studying to get into uni, 3 children (one is a toddler going through terrible twos at 18 months... god give me strength! I swear the boys weren’t this bad... this one is a GIRL and just ugh, no ✋🏼) 2 French bulldogs (ignorant and stubborn) 2 cats (they’re old, 14 & 15. One likes to shit right infront of the litter tray twice a day. Like I’m not already up to my eyeballs in poop 💩) and to top off the icing on my already huge shit cake, there’s a 40 year old manchild...😒 I’m this close 🤏🏼 to sending him gift wrapped disguised as a bouquet of roses back to his mother🤦🏼‍♀️ that’s acceptable, right? 🤷🏼‍♀️

Just taking the days 1 mirtazapine and 3 sertraline at a time. Don’t ever feel like you cannot reach out for help and NEVER feel like you are failing for asking🙌🏼 Let’s see what tomorrow brings😅

[mickmarstookmyheart]

Life's a Sick Joke pt 2

Pairing: Mick Mars x Reader

Would like to start from the beginning? Here is Part 1 !

Sidenote: As this story is under construction, I would like to warn you that those chapters which don’t have a proper title are written in the main caharcter’s POV!! Be aware!!! Be awaaare! I hope you will enjoy this storyas I did writing it, have a nice day and feel free to leave marks!

2. After-Meeting Party

"Hey Liz, you forgot your helmet! Don't dare to ride without it." Dylan threw it in your way and you caught it smoothly. You said goodbye to him and ran down the stairs, hoping not to meet any of your neighbors.

You packed your stuff into the bag of your motorbike. It was a beautiful, shining jet black chopper. You've worked your ass off to afford it, but it was way cheaper than a car. Perks, you can easily avoid traffic jams. It was just still February and all, but since you hate public transport, particularly people, you got your helmet on and pulled the leather jacket down your waist.

On your way to the meeting, plenty of things crossed your mind. Firstly, in a couple of months, you will be on the road and travel a LOT with Ozzy Osbourne as the opener group during 'Bark at the Moon' tour. Secondly, how should you behave with the boys and the other members of the staff? Should you joke with them or stay calm and silent and ignore all the witty sentences they will tell? And finally, Mick. You hoped he forgot that little chat between the two of you.

When you got there and finally found a parking lot. You took off your helmet and headed towards the building. Inside you took a look at the big clock and saw that you were half an hour earlier, but you didn't mind. Never have you ever been late from anywhere. I gave a look to that clerk from last time and confidently stepped in the elevator. When you got in front of the office door you hesitated a bit. When you stepped in you said a shy hello to the others who were already there. You sat down at the end of the table and started to read the papers on the desk.

"Hey, don't touch them! It's confidential." At the same moment, you dropped the papers and looked over the man in complete shock. You felt my face burn in embarrassment.

"Oh...I'm so sorry. I didn't know..." You tried to say a proper sentence.

"Just kidding, kid. Don't worry. Anyway, I'm Doc." He approached you and shook hands.

"(Y/N). Nice to finally meet you." You were smiling since you truly meant it. He already managed some bands you liked so much.

"Are you the new makeup artist?" He asked rubbing the back of his head guessing.

"Nope. I'm a photographer. I don't, more like I can't really do anything with makeup." You chuckled remembering your many attempts with make-up. You either ended like a clown or you never saw any difference.

"Ohh so you are the nerd one." Yaaay now they will call you The Nerd™. Cool. "Anyway, I read your CV. Nice qualifications. To be honest I expected an old, skinny man with a big mustache to be the photographer. But it's a pleasant disappointment."

"Thank you. I guess." You said after he left you there.

After he left the room, you let your hair loose and fix it a bit due to the helmet completely ruined it. The only body part you adored was your hair. Well, your hair, generally in the family. All the three of you and your bitch mother had silver, almost platinum white hair.

10 am. Finally. Everybody was present except for the four musicians. Nothing really happened, just discussed things which relate to the staff.

10:30 am. The door opened and the dark knight himself entered the meeting. You tried to avoid eye contact with him so you entertained yourself by the color of the wall and the long, shining glass table in front of you.

"I am sorry." Mick apologized and shut the door after himself. So he is the only one who attended the meeting. Nice.

"So, your interview went well I see." He whispered in your ear as he sat down next to you. Next to you. There were plenty of other seats available, but he had to sit down right there. Yay. Becoming invisible mission failed.

"Yeah...I was surprised, too." You said blushing.

You tried my best, really. You tried to concentrate on the meeting and jot down important information, but every time Doc joked and Mick chuckled or laughed you completely lost control. You always felt his eyes on you. It was frustrating. You cleared your throat more than once as a sign for him to look away but he didn't get it or just didn't want to. Doc started to write on the board the important concert dates and so did you.

"Shouldn't we wait until the boys come?" You chuckled. A girl asked who was sitting in front of you. She was a rookie, too if you had to guess.

"It's very unlikely to happen, dear. They are rockstars and they do whatever they feel like." Doc sighed continuing on the board.

"You know I'm sitting here, right?" Mick asked in a serious tone. Everybody cracked up, including me.

"If you really want to see them, check them at the after-meeting party." Doc told the girl.

"After-meeting party?"

You whispered to Mick.

"Yep. You coming?" He asked leaning closer. His breath was doing things to you.

"I don't know. Maybe. Although, I can't really drink, and party without alcohol isn't a party."

"And what if I won't drink either? That would be fair, right?" He offered in a very dangerous tone, it gave you goosebumps.

"Ohh I can't expect it from you. It's a party overall!"

"I want to be sober when I'm talking to you. I want to remember everything you say and tell me." Your heart skipped a beat.

At the party

"Hey, Mick!!! We didn't expect you to be hereeeee!!" Nikki yelled as he, Tommy, and Vince entered the party. They were all drunk as hell but trying to act sober. You and Mick were sitting at the bar drinking juice and water. Shame.

"Fuck. I didn't know what I was missing. These morons." He placed his face in his hands. Somehow you felt a sudden urge to touch his shoulder to comfort him, but you didn't have the guts to do so.

"And who is this?" The boys approached you and stopped in front of you. Vince eyed from head-to-toe and was grinning. "Nice to meet you, dear. I'm Vince Neil, the singer, and leader of this band."

"Vince, you are the lead singer, not the leader. It's not the same, man." Nikki corrected Vince.

"(Y/N)." He held your hand and placed a kiss on the top of it.

"My lady." Mick just rolled his eyes. You were afraid he might eye-roll himself into another dimension.

"And (Y/N)....what?" Tommy asked curiously.

"I'm sure she is (Y/N) Sixx cause I will fucking marry her, man!" He and his terror twin high-fived while you and Mick just shared a look.

"Wow. That was so original. You don't have better pickup lines?" You asked pulling one of your eyebrows at him.

"Hey, that was good. As me." He winked and with that, he just walked away pretending to be offended.

"I'm Tommy. Tommy Lee. And I really would like to know your surname!! Is it embarrassing or what?" He snickered.

"Well if you look me with those puppet eyes of yours I'm gonna tell ya. My name is (Y/N) Cooper." You sighed and waited for the reaction. Tommy was wide-eyed and already turned towards his bandmates.

"Hey Sixx, Vinnie! This is Alice Cooper's daughter!" You facepalmed since you already knew this will happen. A bunch of idiots.

"No, man. This is the reason I didn't want to tell it. Because you, fucking teenagers will immediately think that I'm a relative of Alice Cooper!!" You snapped and now completely understand Mick's thoughts about them.

"Chills, dude. I'm leaving." Lee held his hands up in defense and left you there with Mick.

"Fucking teenagers" is my line." Mick spoke up after they all left.

"You need to copyright it sometime."

∆Still at the party∆

"So I already know that you like taking pictures. Tell me your story!" You were now on the balcony which was much quieter and peaceful them downstairs. You finally convinced Mick to drink something even if you couldn't. He had a bottle of beer in his hands and was gesturing with it.

"I don't really know what to tell. What do you want to know?" You asked while taking a sip from your water. Water at a party. You couldn't believe it either.

"Well, do you live near here? Children?" He paused for a second. He looked at you from the coach. "Husband?" You smiled at the last question.

"Woah, Woah, Woah. Hold on! One question at once! I can't even remember them. Well, if you really want to know we live 30 minutes from here. We moved here at least four years ago."

"With whom?" He asked while he slowly stood up and leaned on the railing of the balcony beside you.

"With my brother and sister. Woah, now just with my brother, cause Isabelle went to uni. And for that husband topic...I haven't really had any proper relationship, there were mostly jerks, dumps, and idiots, in that order." You looked down and laughed at how miserable you were with relationships. "Also looking after my sister and sometimes my brother is just like having a baby." He chuckled. "And what about you?"

"I have a sister, called Susie and three..."

"Brothers?" You asked back not letting him finish his sentence. Mick already regretted intending to mention his children so it was a good come out.

"Yeah, sure." He said before taking a sip of his booze. He stood closer to you so his shoulder was touching yours. Mick met many girls during his life who were pretty and kind, but when he saw you in the office acting nervous, he knew you will completely turn upside down his whole life.

You hummed from the slight touch and leaned your head on his shoulder. You were admiring the view of the city night and the peaceful quiet. Then something crossed your mind like thunder during a storm.

"Holy shit." You cursed thinking he will kill you.

"What is it?" Mick asked worryingly.

"I forgot to call him, my brother. He will kill me. Sorry, but I gotta go."

"Okay, I will wait here." Mick sighed and thought he fucked it up this time. Maybe this touch and personal questions just scared you away. You headed towards the phonebooth downstairs. You felt terrible leaving Mick there all alone, but your brother must be worried sick, not knowing a thing about you.

You found a phone in the kitchen which was not that quiet. Cool. It ranged at least a million times until he picked it up.

"What kind of meeting lasts for more than 3 hours? I worried sick. Where are you?" He ranted on the phone. He was pretty angry.

"I'm so sorry, Dylan. Time just flew. Currently, I'm in a house party near to the office. It's a so-called after meeting party. Sounds ridiculous, I know." You smiled on the phone.

"Sure, it does. But you aren't drinking, are you? I hope you remember...that thing."

"Yeah I remember and you don't have to remind me all the time. And I'm sober. Anyway, Mick is asking of you."

"So...becoming invisible mission failed?"

"It fucking did."

"Who are you talking to, my dear?" A strangely familiar voice echoed from your back so you turned around. Vince. Dear Satan give you enough strength to handle him.

"Hey, Dylan I have to go, but I will set off soon, I promise. See ya later." And without waiting for his respond you hung up. After putting back the phone you glared at him, not in a mood for his attempts.

"What do you want, Vince?" You asked while heading back to poor Mick.

"Just a kiss from a rose." He stepped in front of you and put his fingers under your chin.

"No way, man! You are wasted and I'm not enough wasted to kiss you. So, please let me go." You wanted to walk beside him back to Mick, but he grabbed your wrist and pulled closer to him. Mick went back to the room and was about to leave this party since he supposed you weren't coming back. It was too long now for just a telephone conversation.

"It's just a kiss. From me. From the fucking lead singer of Mötley fucking Crüe." He whispered in your ear.

"But asshole, I don't give a damn of who you are. And get your hands off me!" You were about to walk away but he crushed his lips on yours. You immediately moved away and punched him in the face. He fell to the floor and held his hand on his face.

"You BITCH! You hit me!!" You stood there in complete shock, not believing what you just did. Everyone was staring at you. Your hand hurt like hell and you just wanted to be somewhere else.

"I'm so sorry. I should...go." You ran out of the bar and got on your bike.

"Hey, (Y/N)! Please wait!" Mick yelled from the door and was approaching you. "Where are you going?"

"Didn't you see what I did? I punched Vince. Actually, he is my boss. I fucked it up." You sighed and was gripping the hand clutch so strong your hand was already white.

"In that case, I'm your boss, too. And what did he do? I just saw that he is on the floor and you are running out."

"He...he tried to kiss me. I told him to stop and go away but he didn't. And after all, he did it and I got furious and hit him." You took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. Mick didn't know what to think at first, he was just amazed at how badass you were and angry as hell about Vince.

"Don't worry. He is so drunk he won't even remember it in the morning." Mick tried to chill you down.

"Are you sure? But what Doc will think? He is angry I guess..." You murmured.

"I think he didn't even notice it. And he won't care if Vince will go to him and cry like a girl who just broke her nails."

You chuckled. He stepped closer and you hugged him. You didn't know why you just needed someone to comfort you. He didn't move for a second. Later he hugged you back and rubbed your back. Mick wanted that moment to last forever, though it felt like a minute. Your strong grip, your smell and your hair in his face were just perfect. You were just perfect.

"Thank you for always being there when I need the most." You wiped your tears away and felt awkward." Sorry, this might sound strange." You sniffed.

"Hey, it's okay and I understand." A long pause and awkward silence. "So is this your bike? It looks badass." He took a look at your bike.

"Yap, it's mine. And thanks. I worked a lot to get it. But it worthed." You looked in the distance for a while. You thought about Vince and that you may have to look for a new job and had to leave Mick.

You screwed it up. 

Next chapter

Tags: @cmft-jr-winchester  @leatherandheels​

[thepettymachine]

He is graduating with a B in Fine Arts

[kitsune-og]

5, 8, 25, 26, 34, 57, 58, 74, 89, 95, 111, 117, 141 - connor, maxy, preston (lol enjoy)

Ye Olde Muse asks

OC: Connor Walsh

5. Tell me about your first kiss? Back when I was in Junior High, some girl was trying to steal the last chocolate milk. I knew she had a crush on me, so I went up to her, grabbed and kissed her, then stole the milk and pushed her over.

8. Do you think you’re attractive? Bitch please, of course I am. Have you seen me?

25. What do you like most about yourself? Apart from my impressive metabolism, I like my drive. I work hard towards the things that I want and I always get them.

26. What do you like least about yourself? It’s a bit of a stretch, but I hate the way I was raised. I don’t want to go into details, but my parents are shit.

34. Do you love or hate being alone? I prefer being alone, but I still like company. Having a sibling in my house has actually turned out to be pleasant.

57. What’s your morning or nightly routine? Hmm, my morning routine is getting up at 6am, having coffee and breakfast, hitting the gym by 7 and then heading to university. I don’t really have a night routine.

58. What’s your favorite genre of music? If you were to make someone a playlist that just gets you, name of songs that would be on it. I don’t have a favourite genre, but upbeat songs over 130bpm are good. My playlist would be full of workout jams and some old school rock; How You Like That - Blackpink, Stupid Love - Lady Gaga, Helena - MCR, Cherry Pie - Warrant, Poison - Alice Cooper.

74. Any kinks? Plenty. You could say I’m well versed in the kink scene.

89. What does your room look like? Pretty standard, I guess? King sized bed, guitar in the corner, overflowing drawers, TV, bookshelves stuffed with random crap. Need to get a new rug though, and more pillows.

95. What’s your strangest hobby, if you have one? That’s for me and Lissa to know.

111. What is your favorite childhood story of yourself? The time I tried to jump of my friend’s roof is pretty hilarious. His bedroom was on the second floor and you could climb out the window and chill on the roof, right above the pool. One night, hyped up on sugar and Coke, we decided to jump off the roof into the pool. I went first, landed perfectly in the deep end, managed not to break anything. He pussied out and I got my revenge by shoving him off the roof. He broke his arm.

117. What is your favorite form of self expression? I love tattoos. I have several and plans for many more.

141. Describe yourself in 6 words? Chaotic, handsome, rich, ripped, sex god. 

OC: Maxy Sanchez

5. Tell me about your first kiss? Uh, my ex girlfriend Misa was my first kiss. It was really nice.

8. Do you think you’re attractive? Not really, but I’m not ugly. I’m like average.

25. What do you like most about yourself? I dunno, I guess I’m funny? My partners seem to think so.

26. What do you like least about yourself? My stupid, depressed brain. 

34. Do you love or hate being alone? I hate being alone, but I don’t really have to worry about that any more, due to living with Cora.

57. What’s your morning or nightly routine? I don’t really have a routine, I just roll out of bed, have breakfast, live my life and then flop into bed at night.

58. What’s your favorite genre of music? If you were to make someone a playlist that just gets you, name of songs that would be on it. I love chill music! My playlist would be full of like Radiohead, Muse, BTS, Conan Gray, Dodie and Niall Horan. 

74. Any kinks? Um, haha, yeah? I have some... Nate and Cora know them. I’m a bottom.

89. What does your room look like? It’s full of yellow and white furniture. Cora helped me add a chalkboard wall and we drew some sunflowers in one corner. Nate says my room is soft like me. I have some of his and Cora’s artwork on the walls and a bookshelf crammed full of books to read. My bed is really soft and I have piles of fluffy blankets and cushions and stuffed animals.

95. What’s your strangest hobby, if you have one? I dunno if it’s a hobby, but I kinda collect sunflower things. Anything cute with sunflowers I always wanna buy. I have a cushion, a bunch of fake sunflowers, artwork, some yellow makeup that Cora got for me that has sunflowers on it, tops, hoodies, all sorts.

111. What is your favorite childhood story of yourself? It was kind of funny when I found out that I was really badly allergic to bees. My mom took me to this flower park when I was ten and I was running around the flowers, and then all of a sudden I saw this bee hive. So I go up to it and this bee comes flying right at me, but I thought bees were cool so I just held out a flower and tried to get it to land on me. The bee comes over to my flower and then suddenly a bunch of bees are surrounding me and rubbing on me and I started getting really itchy. And then when I dropped the flower to itch my hand, I must have upset a bee because it stung me. And immediately, I just started having this really bad reaction and I was covered in hives and my face got really swollen and I couldn’t breathe properly. Luckily, my mom carries epipens because she’s allergic to almonds so I didn’t die. But since then, I’ve hated bees.

117. What is your favorite form of self expression? I love singing! I sing in the shower, when I’m tidying the house, when I’m working on uni work and I drag Cora and Nate to karaoke all the time. Cora likes to sing BTS with me and she showed me the DRR machines that have kpop.

141. Describe yourself in 6 words? Depressapuff! It’s the word I came up with for myself because I’m a depressed Hufflepuff. (I know it’s not 6 words but idk what else).

OC: Preston Haynes

5. Tell me about your first kiss? God, I hardly remember it. It was with some girl way back when, she was a terrible kisser and her lips were covered in sticky gloss.

8. Do you think you’re attractive? Yes, why wouldn’t I? I own a mirror.

25. What do you like most about yourself? I like the body I was given. It’s very well toned, attractive, slim without being too lanky. 

26. What do you like least about yourself? Hm. Nothing.

34. Do you love or hate being alone? I like being alone, but I also crave affection and sex. Honestly, I’m happy either way.

57. What’s your morning or nightly routine? I don’t really have any. In the morning, I get up and have coffee, go work out, shower, come home for breakfast, have more coffee and then continue with my day. At night, I wash my face, occasionally get in a second work out and shower, and go to bed.

58. What’s your favorite genre of music? If you were to make someone a playlist that just gets you, name of songs that would be on it. Classic rock and songs to have sex to. My playlist would have songs like Back In Black - AC/DC, Under the Graveyard - Ozzy Osbourne, Enter Sandman - Metallica, Walk This Way - Aerosmith, Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon, Side to Side - Ariana Grande, Freak - Doja Cat, S&M - Rihanna.

74. Any kinks? Almost all of them. I’m a very well rounded kinkster.

89. What does your room look like? It’s currently a bit of a mess as I’ve just moved. But it has some artwork on the walls, black matching furniture, 45″ TV, a display of my favourite whips and crops, and a floor length mirror. 

95. What’s your strangest hobby, if you have one? A lot of my hobbies are considered strange. But perhaps the strangest one is collecting sex toys to display.

111. What is your favorite childhood story of yourself? I don’t remember much of my childhood.

117. What is your favorite form of self expression? Tattoos and/or piercings. 

141. Describe yourself in 6 words?  Attractive, deathly and better than you.

[unanimoustvshow]

Unanimous - Les éliminations

Saison 01

12. Jeffree Star Chanteur

11. Keri Hilson Chanteuse américaine de R&B

10. Shay Mitchell Actrice de “Pretty Little Liars” et “You”

09. Rod Stewart Chanteur

08. Alessandra Ambrosio Mannequin  

07. Kim Cattrall Actrice

06. Lil Wayne Rappeur

05. Malcolm McDowell Acteur de “Orange Mécanique”

04. Joan Rivers Animatrice de télévision

03. Francisco Lachowski Mannequin

02. John Stamos Acteur de “La fête à la maison”

01. Denise Richards Actrice, Playmate et un ancienne mannequin

Saison 02

12. T.I. Rappeur

11. Ryan Lochte Nageur

10. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Mannequin et actrice

09. Eva Simons Chanteuse

08. Wayne Knight Acteur de “Jurassic Park”

07. Paul Anka Chanteur

06. Judith Sheindlin Juge, présentatrice télé et auteur

05. Octavia Spencer Actrice récompensée aux Oscar

04. Dolly Parton Chanteuse

03. Charlie Sheen Acteur de “Mon oncle Charlie”

02. Debra Messing Actrice de “Will and Grace”

01. Nick Jonas Chanteur et acteur

Saison 03

12. Terence Hill Acteur

11. Gigi Hadid Mannequin

10. Michael Bolton Chanteur

09. Justin Hartley Acteur de “This is us”

08. Katherine Helmond Actrice de “Madame est servie”

07. Tyga Rappeur

06. Roman Reigns Catcheur

05. Jaimie Alexander Actrice de “Blindspot”

04. Samantha Fox Chanteuse

03. Cameron Boyce Acteur Disney Channel

02. Sophia Bush Actrice de “Les frères Scott”

01. Jada Pinkett Smith Actrice et épouse de Will Smith

Saison 04

12. Sinéad O'Connor Chanteuse

11. William Shatner Acteur de “Star Trek”

10. Future Rappeur

09. Rosie O'Donnell Humoriste, animatrice de télévision et actrice

08. Gladys Knight Chanteuse soul

07. Macaulay Culkin Acteur de “Maman, j’ai raté l’avion”

06. Kendall Jenner Femme d’affaire, star de télé-réalité

05. Cameron Dallas Personnalité du net

04. Nick Bateman Mannequin et acteur

03. Linda Evans Actrice de “Dynastie”

02. Alice Cooper Chanteur de hard rock

01. Hayden Panettiere Actrice

Saison 05

12. Maddie Ziegler Danseuse et mannequin

11. Chris Colfer Acteur de “Glee”

10. Elisabeth Hasselbeck Journaliste télé

09. Jerry O'Connell Acteur de “Sliders”

08. Beau Mirchoff Acteur

07. Toni Braxton Chanteuse gagnante de 13 awards

06. Mariano Di Vaio Mannequin

05. Dennis Rodman Basketeur

04. Geena Davis Actrice

03. Avril Lavigne Chanteuse gagnante de 179 awards

02. Raven Symoné Actrice Disney

01. Ted Danson Acteur

Saison 06

12. Soulja Boy Rappeur

11. Steffi Graf Championne de tennis

10. Leonard Nimoy Acteur de “Star Trek”

09. Roselyn Sanchez Actrice de “Devious Maid”

08. Boy George Chanteur, membre de Culture Club

07. Björk Chanteuse

06. Robin Roberts Journaliste et présentatrice télé

05. Hayden Christensen Acteur de “Star Wars”

04. David Copperfield Magicien

03. Chad Michael Murray Acteur de “One Tree Hill”

02. Ashley Tisdale Actrice de “High School Musical”

01. Priyanka Chopra Miss Monde 2000 et actrice

Saison 07

12. Ty Pennington Présentateur télé

11. Chris Mears Plongeur

10. Halsey Chanteuse

09. Ozzy Osbourne Chanteur de Heavy Metal

08. Tara Reid Actrice

07. Bow Wow Rappeur

06. America Ferrera Actrice de “Ugly Betty”

05. Maggie Wheeler Actrice de “Friends” 

04. Nancy Pelosi Présidente de la Chambre des représentants des États-Unis

03. Mark-Paul Gosselaar Acteur de “Saved by the bell”

02. Cameron Candace Bure Actrice de “Full House”

01. Eddie Murphy Humoriste et acteur gagnant d’un Golden Globe

Saison 08

12. Yasmine Bleeth Mannequin et actrice

11. Ne-Yo Chanteur

10. Alesha Dixon Chanteuse de R’n’B

09. Wentworth Miller Acteur de “Prison Break”

08. Bob Barker Présentateur de “Le juste prix”

07. Calista Flockhart Actrice de “Ally McBeal”

06. Stephen Amell Acteur de “Arrow”

05. Kris Jenner Personnalité de télé-réalité et présentatrice

04. Ivanka Trump Femme politique

03. Danny Trejo Acteur

02. Rob Lowe Acteur

01. Jane Lynch Actrice de “Glee”

Saison 09

12. Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Troisème - Saison 07)

11. Avril Lavigne  (Troisème - Saison 05)

10. Alice Cooper (Deuxième - Saison 04)

09. Cameron Candace Bure (Deuxième - Saison 07)

08. John Stamos (Deuxième - Saison 01)

07. Chad Michael Murray (Troisème - Saison 06)

06. Sophia Bush (Deuxième - Saison 03) 

05. Rob Lowe (Deuxième - Saison 08)

04. Charlie Sheen (Troisème - Saison 02) 

03. Ashley Tisdale (Deuxième - Saison 06)

02. Debra Messing  (Deuxième - Saison 02)

01. Raven Symoné  (Deuxième - Saison 05)

Saison 10

12. Noah Cyrus Chanteuse, soeur de Miley Cyrus

11. Luis Fonsi Chanteur

10. Rylan Clark Animateur télé

09. Linda Gray Actrice de “Dallas”

08. Wiz Khalifa Rappeur

07. Reba McEntire Chanteuse récompensée de 91 awards

06. Thad Luckinbill Acteur

05. Mélissa Joan Hart Actrice de “Sabrina”

04. Hugh Hefner Fondateur du magazine Playboy

03. Kim Kardashian Star de télé-réalité et femme d’affaire

02. Aishwarya Rai Actrice

01. Ed Westwick Acteur de “Gossip Girls”

Saison 11

12. Tia Carrere Actrice de “Sydney Fox”

11. Bebe Rexha Chanteuse

10. Ryan O'Neal Acteur

09. Kelly Preston Actrice

08. Nicole Richie Fille de Lionel Richie

07. Dylan Sprouse Acteur Disney

06. Penn Badgley Acteur de “Gossip Girls” et “You”

05. Jennie Garth Actrice de “Beverly Hills”

04. Keith Richards Guitariste des Rolling Stones

03. Iris Apfel Mannequin

02. Magic Johnson Joeur de Basket

01. Tom Selleck Acteur de “Magnum”

Saison 12

12. Henry Winkler Acteur de “Happy Days”

11. Linda Blair Actrice de “L’exorciste”

10. Kendrick Lamar Rappeur

09. Julie Benz Actrice

08. Rowan Atkinson Acteur ayant interprété Mister Bean

07. Wendy Williams Animatrice télé

06. Paris Hilton Star de la jet set

05. Kelly Osbourne Chanteuse et animatrice télé

04. Iggy Pop Chanteur

03. Noah Centineo Acteur

02. Jake Hoffman Acteur et fils de Dustin Hoffman

01. Fran Drescher Actrice

Saison 13

12. Steven Bauer Acteur de “Scarface”

11. Roma Maffia Actrice de “Nip/Tuck”

10. Coolio Rappeur

09. James Arthur Chanteur

08. Faith Evans Rappeuse

07. Dolores O'Riordan Chanteuse de “The Cranberries”

06. Howard Stern Animateur radio

05. Marlon Wayans Acteur 

04. Kristin Davis Actrice de “Sex and the city”

03. Christina Applegate Actrice

02. Debbie Reynolds Actrice

01. Ryan Phillips Acteur de “Shooter”

Saison 14

12. Mya Rappeuse

11. Hardwell D.J

10. Drew Carrey Présentateur télé

09. Shannon Elizabeth Actrice de “American Pie”

08. Raymond Cruz Acteur de “Breaking Bad”

07. Camilla Parker Bowles Epouse du Prince Charles 

06. Solange Knowles Chanteuse, sœur de Beyoncé

05. Tobin Bell Acteur de la saga “Saw”

04. Adam Brody Acteur

03. Lauren Graham Actrice de “Gilmore Girls”

02. Steven Tyler Chanteur d’Aerosmith

01. Pamela Anderson Ancienne Playmate et actrice

Saison 15

12. Vanessa Marcil Actrice de “Las Vegas” 

11. Martina Stoessel Actrice de “Violetta” 

10. Piers Morgan Journaliste et animateur télé 

09. Sam J. Jones Acteur de “Flash Gordon”

08. Heather Locklear Actrice 

07. Marlon Teixeira Mannequin

06. Mel B. Chanteuse, ex-membre des Spice Girls

05. Jamie Lynn Spears Sœur de Britney Spears

04. Tony Danza Acteur de “Madame est servie”

03. Austin Nichols Acteur

02. R. Kelly Chanteur récompensé de 110 awards

01. Angela Lansbury Actrice de “Arabesque”

Saison 16

12. Lil Kim Rappeuse

11. Ian Ziering Acteur de “Beverly Hills” 

10. Richard Branson Milliardaire, fondateur de la marque “Virgin”

09. Melania Trump Femme de Donald Trump

08. Dennis Haysbert Acteur de “24″

07. Carrie Fisher Actrice de “Star Wars”

06. Busy Philipps Actrice de “Cougar Town”

05. Brian Williams Journaliste

04. Ru Paul Présentateur télé 

03. Jennifer Grey Actrice de “Dirty Dancing”

02. Megan Fox Actrice 

01. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers Acteur

Saison 17

12. Kesha Chanteuse

11. LL Cool J Rappeur

10. Amber Heard Mannequin et actrice

09. Colton Haynes Acteur de “Teen Wolf” et “Arrow”

08. Kat Dennings Actrice de “2 Broke Girls”

07. Eugene Levy Acteur de “American Pie”

06. Davina McCall Présentatrice de “Big Brother UK”

05. Damon Wayans Acteur de “Ma famille d’abord

04. Buzz Aldrin Astronaute ayant marché sur la lune

03. Brian Austin Green Acteur de “Beverly Hills”

02. Christine Baranski Actrice de “The Good Wife” et “The Good Fight”

01. Kerry Washington Actrice de “Scandal”

Saison 18

12. Brian Austin Green (Troisième saison 17)

11. Kim Kardashian (Troisième saison 10)

10. Noah Centineo (Troisième saison 12)

09. Jennifer Grey (Troisième saison 16)

08. Jake Hoffman (Deuxième saison 12)

07. Megan Fox (Deuxième saison 16)

06. Christina Applegate (Troisième saison 13)

05. Magic Johnson (Deuxième saison 11)

04. Christine Baranski (Deuxième saison 17)

03. R. Kelly (Deuxième saison 15)

02. Aishwarya Rai (Deuxième saison 10)

01. Steven Tyler (Deuxième saison 14)

Saison 19

12. Trace Cyrus Chanteur et frère de Miley Cyrus 

11. Vanessa Angel Actrice de “Code Lisa”

10. Bobbi Kristina Brown Fille de Whitney Houston

09. Paul Wesley Acteur de “Vampire Diaries”

08. Triple H Catcheur

07. Stephen Lang Acteur de “Avatar 

06. Lea Michele Actrice de “Glee”

05. Billy Idol Chanteur 

04. Mario Lopez Acteur de “Saved by the bell”

03. Kirstie Alley Actrice 

02. Nicole Scherzinger Chanteuse, ex-membre des Pussycat Dolls

01. Alyssa Milano Actrice

Saison 20

12. Meek Mill Rappeur

11. Billy Ray Cyrus Chanteur de country, père de Miley Cyrus 

10. Elisha Cuthbert Actrice de “24”

09. David Caruso Acteur de “Les experts : Miami”

08. Paloma Faith Chanteuse

07. Georges Hamilton Acteur

06. Roseanne Barr Actrice de “Roseanne” 

05. Sela Ward Actrice de “Les experts Manhattan”

04. Sherri Shepard Animatrice télé

03. Freida Pinto Actrice 

02. John Cena Catcheur

01. Theo James Acteur

Saison 21

12. Adrian Paul Acteur de “Highlander”

11. Flavour Flav Rappeur

10. Ashley Roberts Chanteuse ex-membre des Pussycat Dolls

09. Jack Wagner Acteur de “Melrose Place”

08. Debby Ryan Star Disney 

07. Jimmy Cliff Legende du reggae

06. Monica Lewinsky Femme d’affaires

05. Joan Collins Actrice de “Dynastie”

04. Shannen Doherty Actrice de “Charmed” et “Beverly Hills”

03. Patrick Duffy Acteur de “Dallas” et “Notre belle famille”

02. Chase Crawford Acteur de “Gossip Girls”

01. Lucy Liu Actrice

Saison 22

12. Jason Behr Acteur de “Roswell”

11. Courtney Love Chanteuse

10  Zedd Disc jockey

09. Paula Abdul Chanteuse et danseuse

08. Freddie Thorp Acteur

07. Phillip Schofield Journaliste

06. Bethany Joy Lenz Actrice de “One Tree Hill”

05. Rose McGowan Actrice de “Charmed”

04. Taron Egerton Acteur

03. Mélissa Gilbert Actrice de “La petite maison dans la prairie”

02. Kathy Bates Actrice de Titanic 

01. Justin Theroux Acteur

Saison 23

12. Michelle Williams Chanteuse, ex-membre des Destiny’s Childs

11. Sam Waterston Acteur de “New York, Police Judiciaire”

10. Trey Songz Chanteur

09. Lacey Chabert Actrice

08. Brent Rivera Star de Instagram

07. Kelly Rotheford Actrice de “Melrose Place”

06. Tyler Posey Acteur de “Teen Wolf”

05. Eric McCormick Acteur de “Will and Grace”

04. Holland Taylor Actrice de “Mon Oncle Charlie”

03. Jennifer Love-Hewitt Actrice de “Ghost Whisperer”

02. David Boreanaz Acteur de “Angel” et “Bones”

01. Miranda Kerr Mannequin

Saison 24

12. Kesley Grammer Acteur de “Frasier”

11. Isabella Rossellini Actrice

10. Christina Milian Chanteuse et animatrice télé

09. Sam Claflin Acteur

08. Pippa Middleton Sœur de Kate Middleton

07. Famke Janssen Actrice

06. Ludacris Rappeur

05. Matt Bomer Acteur

04. Nicollette Sheridan Actrice de “Desperate Housewifes”

03. James Van Der Beek Acteur de “Dawson”

02. Garry Kasparov Champion du monde d’échecs

01. Kristen Bell Actrice de “Veronica Mars”

Saison 25

12. Nina Dobrev Actrice de “Vampire Diaries” 

11. Jon Bon Jovi Chanteur 

10. Conrad Murray Médecin personnel de Michael Jackson

09. Hoda Kotb Journaliste et animatrice télé

08. Conchata Ferrell Actrice de “Mon Oncle Charlie”

07. Robbie Amell Acteur et Mannequin 

06. Jennifer Coolidge Actrice de “American Pie”

05. Sam Neill Acteur de “Jurassic Park”

04. Jack Dylan Grazer Acteur de “Cà”

03. Jane Seymour Actrice de “Docteur Quinn”

02. Emily Ratajkowski Mannequin

01. Lewis Hamilton Champion du monde de Formule 1

Saison 26

12. Fabolous Rappeur

11. Charles Shaughnessy Acteur de “Une nounou d’enfer”

10. Kristin Chenoweth Actrice

09. Éric Trump Fils de Donald Trump

08. Carrie-Anne Moss Actrice de “Matrix”

07. Laurie Metcalf Actrice 

06. Matt Dallas Acteur de “Kyle XY”

05. Andrew Lincoln Acteur de “The Walking Dead”

04. Joy Behar Animatrice télé 

03. Tiffani Amber Thiessen Actrice

02. Joshua Bassett Acteur de “High School Musical”

01. Carmen Electra Mannequin

Saison 27

12. Chase Crawford (Deuxième saison 21)

11. Mélissa Gilbert  (Troisième saison 22)

10. Tiffani Amber Thiessen (Troisième saison 26)    

09. James Van Der Beek (Troisième saison 24)    

08. Kirstie Alley  (Troisième saison 19)   

07. Jennifer Love-Hewitt (Troisième saison 23)    

06. David Boreanaz (Deuxième saison 23)

05. Jane Seymour (Troisième saison 25)    

04. Garry Kasparov (Deuxième saison 24)

03. Joshua Bassett (Deuxième saison 26)

02. John Cena (Deuxième saison 20)  

01. Nicole Scherzinger (Deuxième saison 19)

Saison 28

12. Busta Rhymes Rappeur 

11. Daphné Zuniga Actrice de “Les dessous de Palm Beach”

10. Thomas Calabro Acteur de “Melrose Place”

09. Leelee Sobieski Actrice 

08. Jamie Oliver Cusinier

07. Jennifer Beals Actrice de “Flashdanse”

06. Beth Ditto Chanteuse, membre du groupe “Gossip”

05. Jaden Smith Fils de Will Smith

04. Kylie Jenner Personalité de télé-réalité

03. Cloris Leachman Actrice Oscarisée 

02. Ian McKellen Acteur nominé aux Oscars

01. Milo Ventimiglia Acteur de “This Is Us”

Saison 29

12. Lynda Carter Actrice de “Wonder Woman”

11. Ian Somerhalder Acteur de “Lost” et “Vampires Diaries”

10. Leighton Meester Actrice de “Gossip Girls”

09. Kevin Jonas Chanteur

08. Charisma Carpenter Actrice de “Buffy contre les vampires” 

07. Hulk Hogan Catcheur

06. Faith Hill Chanteuse de musique contry 

05. Sarah Ferguson Ancienne altesse royale du Royaume-Uni

04. Corbin Bleu Acteur de “High School Musical”

03. Wes Bentley Acteur 

02. Michael Chiklis Acteur de “The Shield”

01. Teri Hatcher Actrice de “Desperate Housewives”

Saison 30

12. Paris Jackson Fille de Michael Jackson

11. Seth Rollins Catcheur

10. Braison Cyrus Acteur

09. Kim Raver Actrice

08. Dave Franco Acteur

07. Vanessa Williams Ancienne Miss America et actrice 

06. Lizzo Chanteuse

05. Linda Hamilton Actrice de “Terminator” 

04. Gordon Ramsay Chef cusinier et animateur télé

03. Edie Falco Actrice de “Nurse Jackie” et “Les Sopranos”

02. Patrick Stewart Acteur 

01. Jeffrey Dean Morgan Acteur de “The Walking Dead”

Saison 31

12. August Alsina Rappeur

11. Kourtney Kardashian Personalité de télé-réalité

10. Mark Hamill Acteur de “Star Wars”

09. Craig Ferguson Animateur télé 

08. Morgan Fairchild Actrice

07. Dana Delany Actrice de “Desperate Housewives”

06. Cody Christian Acteur de “Teen Wolf”

05. Lori Loughlin Actrice de “La fête à la maison”

04. Sean Haynes Acteur de “Will & Grace”

03. Finn Wolfhard Acteur de “Stranger Things” et de “Ca”

02. Cindy Crawford Mannequin

01. Rebel Wilson Actrice

Saison 32

12. Ty Dolla Sign Rappeur

11. Zooey Deschanel Actrice

10. Larry King Légende de la télévision

09. Mia Farrow Actrice 

08. Lorenzo Lamas Acteur de “Le Rebel”

07. Leona Lewis Chanteuse 

06. Don Johnson Acteur 

05. Courtney Thorne-Smith Actrice de “Melrose Place”

04. Daryl Hannah Actrice 

03. Max Irons Acteur 

02. Linda Evangelista Mannequin

01. Josh Hartnett Acteur 

Saison 33

12. David Hasselhoff Acteur de “Alerte à Malibu”

11. Dannii Minogue Chanteuse et soeur de Kylie Minogue

10. Travis Scott Rappeur

09. Lucy Lawless Actrice de “Xena, La Guerrière”

08. Julian McMahon Acteur de “Nip/Tuck”

07. Germain Jackson Chanteur et frère de Michael Jackson

06. Tori Spelling Actrice de “Beverly Hills”

05. Melinda Gates Philantrope et épouse de Bill Gates

04. Sharon Osbourne Animatrice de télévision anglaise, épouse d'Ozzy Osbourne

03. Patricia Arquette Actrice de “Medium”

02. Jensen Ackles Acteur de “Supernatural”

01. Brandon Flynn Acteur de “13 reasons why”

Saison 34

12. Greyson Chance Chanteur 

11. Michael T. Weiss Acteur de “Le Cameleon”

10. Erica Durance Actrice de “Smallville”

09. Willow Smith Chanteuse, fille de Will Smith

08. David Bautista Catcheur et acteur

07. Freddie Prinze Jr. Acteur

06. Rene Russo Actrice

05. Jesse Metcalfe Acteur de “Desperate Housewives”

04. Dr. Dre Rappeur

03. Geri Halliwell Chanteuse, ex-membre des “Spice Girls”

02. Grace Jones Ex-top modèle

01. Jenny McCarthy Animatrice de télévision, humoriste et actrice

Saison 35

12. Famous Dex Rappeur

11. Stana Katic Actrice de “Castle”

10. Joe Jonas Chanteur, membre des Jonas Brothers

09. Candice Bergen Actrice de “Murphy Brown”

08. Dionne Warwick Chanteuse

07. Mitt Romney Homme politique

06. Lisa Edelstein Actrice de “House”

05. Cuba Gooding Jr. Acteur

04. Freddie Stroma Acteur

03. Kim Basinger Ex-top modèle et actrice

02. Sienna Miller Actrice

01. Matthew Gray Gubler Acteur de “Esprit criminel

Saison 36

12. Jensen Ackles (Deuxième saison 33)

11. Cloris Leachman (Troisième saison 28)    

10. Michael Chiklis (Deuxième saison 29) 

09. Max Irons (Troisième saison 32)

08. Edie Falco (Troisième saison 30)

07. Finn Wolfhard (Troisième saison 31)

06. Kim Basinger (Troisième saison 35)  

05. Ian McKellen (Deuxième saison 28)

04. Patrick Stewart (Deuxième saison 30)

03. Linda Evangelista (Deuxième saison 32) 

02. Grace Jones (Deuxième saison 34)

01. Cindy Crawford (Deuxième saison 31) 

Saison 37

12. Rich The Kid Rappeur

11. Taylor Momsen Actrice de “Gossip Girls”

10. Christina Ricci Actrice

09. Floyd Mayweather Boxeur

08. Lana Parrilla Actrice de “Once upon a time”

07. Richard Dean Anderson Acteur de “MacGyver”

06. Fionnula Flanagan Actrice

05. Keith Urban Chanteur récompensé aux Grammy Award

04. Kelly Clarkson Chanteuse gagnante de 71 awards

03. Jacob Elordi Acteur

02. Jessie J Chanteuse gagante de 44 awards

01. Neil Patrick Harris Acteur de “How I met your mother”

Saison 38

12. Rich Homie Quan Rappeur 

11. Rachel Bloom Actrice de “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”

10. Jennifer Morrison Actrice de “Once upon a time”

09. Matthew Lewis Acteur de Harry Potter

08. Poppy Montgomery Actrice de “Unforgettable”

07. AnnaLynne McCord Actrice 

06. Joe Mantega Acteur de “Esprit criminel”

05. Carson Daly Animateur télé

04. Michael Johnson Athlète

03. Tim Allen Acteur

02. Carmen Dell'orefice Mannequin

01. Janet Jackson Chanteuse et soeur de Michael Jackson

Saison 39

12. Shawnee Smith Actrice de “Saw”

11. Michael Provost Acteur 

10. Billy Crystal Acteur

09. Alyson Hannigan Actrice de “Buffy contre les vampires” et “How I met your mother”

08. Craig David Chanteur récompensé de 12 awards

07. Kirsten Vangsness Actrice de “Esprits Criminels”

06. Big Sean Rappeur

05. Caitlyn Jenner Star de télé-réalité

04. Cardi B Chanteuse

03. Faye Dunaway Actrice Oscarisée

02. Michael J. Fox Acteur de “Retour vers le futur”

01. Scott Bakula Acteur de “Code Cantum” et “NCIS”

Saison 40

12. Kid Ink Rappeur

11. Khloe Kardashian Personnalité de télé-réalité

10. Latoya Jackson Chanteuse

09. Adam Rodriguez Acteur de “Esprits criminels”

08. Marc Jacobs Créateur de mode

07. Lea Thompson Actrice

06. Bill Skarsgård Acteur de “Ca”

05. Tyler Perry Acteur et scénariste

04. Maggie Smith Actrice

03. Jessica Simpson Actrice et chanteuse

02. Viola Davis Actrice

01. Armie Hammer Acteur de “Call me by your name”

Saison 41

12. Emily Deschanel Actrice de “Bones”

11. Mickey Rourke Acteur

10. Pia Mia Chanteuse

09. Hunter Parrish Acteur de “Weeds”

08. Jason Derulo Chanteur récompensé de 9 awards

07. Randy Orton Catcheur

06. Brandy Norwood Chanteuse

05. Natasha Henstridge Actrice de “La mutante”

04. Al Roker Présentateur télé

03. Brooke Elliott Actrice de “Drop Dead Diva”

02. Jay Hernández Acteur de “Magnum”

01. Jessica Lange Actrice

Saison 42

12. Michael Weatherly Acteur de “NCIS”

11. Jewell Chanteuse

10. Mister T Acteur

09. Chrissy Teigen Mannequin et présentatrice télé

08. Bette Midler Actrice

07. Josh Groban Chanteur

06. Paula Dean Chef cuisinier et présentatrice télé

05. Dylan Walsh Acteur de “Nip/tuck”

04. Elizabeth Hurley Actrice

03. Carrie Underwood Chanteuse récompensée de 58 awards

02. Jamie Dornan Acteur de “50 nuances de Grey”

01. Brooklyn Beckham Mannequin

Saison 43

12. Amy Schumer Humoriste et actrice

11. Mark Harmon Acteur de “NCIS”

10. Calvin Klein Créateur de mode

09. Kristin Kreuk Actrice “Smallville”

08. Mindy Sterling Actrice de “Austin Power”

07. Nick Cannon Animateur télé

06. Patti LaBelle Chanteuse

05. Laura Bush Ancienne première dame des USA

04. Jay Ryan Acteur

03. Josh Hutcherson Acteur

02. Alexander Skarsgård Acteur

01. Tyra Banks Mannequin et animatrice télé

Saison 44

12. 2 Chainz Rappeur

11. Nicole Egert Actrice de “Alerte à Malibu”

10. John Galliano Créateur de mode

09. Michael Bublé Chanteur

08. Mena Suvari Actrice

07. Austin Butler Acteur

06. Ellen Burstyn Actrice

05. Kathryn Morris Actrice de “Cold Case”

04. Jai Courtney Acteur

03. Claudia Schiffer Top Modèle 

02. Lauryn Hill Chanteuse récompensée de 40 awards

01. Eddie Redmayne Acteur de “Les animaux fantastiques”

Saison 45

12. Jay Hernàndez (Deuxième saison 41)

11. Faye Dunaway (Troisième saison 39) 

10. Jessica Simpson (Troisième saison 40) 

09. Jacob Elordi (Troisième saison 37)  

08. Lauryn Hill (Deuxième saison 44) 

07. Josh Hutcherson (Deuxième saison 43)  

06. Carrie Underwood  (Troisième saison 42)

05. Jessie J (Deuxième saison 37)  

04. Jamie Dornan  (Deuxième saison 42)

03. Alexander Skarsgård (Troisième saison 43)  

02. Viola Davis (Deuxième saison 40) 

01. Michael J. Fox (Deuxième saison 39)

Saison 46

12. David Spade Humoriste et acteur

11. Alicia Silverstone Actrice

10. Ray Romano Acteur

09. Jesse Spencer Acteur

08. Liu Yifei Actrice de “Mulan”

07. MC Hammer Rappeur

06. Rachel Maddow Journaliste

05. Yvette Nicole Brown Humoriste et actrice

04. Eddie Cibrian Acteur

03. Kyle MacLachlan Acteur

02. Catherine O'Hara Actrice

01. Julie Andrews Actrice, chanteuse, danseuse et écrivaine

Saison 47

12. Gary Barlow Chanteur

11. Janel Parrish Brown Actrice de “Pretty Little Liars”

10. Bill Pullman Acteur

09. Dave Chappelle Humoriste

08. Tulisa Chanteuse

07. Kathleen Turner Actrice

06. Donatella Versace Styliste

05. Gio Benitez Présentateur télé

04. Colin Woodell Acteur

03. Julie Bowen Actrice de “Modern Family”

02. Gabrielle Union Actrice

01. Noah Schnapp Acteur de “Stranger Things”

Saison 48

12. Dan Reynolds Chanteur

11. Conor McGregor Champion de MMA

10. Fiona Apple Chanteuse

09. Kelly McGillis Actrice de Top Gun

08. Harvey Levin Journaliste

07. Ashanti Chanteuse

06. Nolan Gerard Funk Acteur

05. Leah Remini Actrice

04. Tina Knowles Styliste

03. Romeo James Beckham Mannequin, fils de David Beckham

02. Louis Partridge Acteur

01. Tessa Thompson Actrice

[jamezvaldes]

+ * + Follow Forever + * + 

2018 was a wild year, with many highs and many lows. Cried a lot, and laughed a lot, mainly at my own idiotic ideas. Saw dodie for the second time. Went to London and saw Hamilton, that’s still something I don’t believe. Stopped writing in April because I wasn’t happy with anything. Finished first year of Uni. Finished Dragon Age: Inquisition for the first time, started gaming on my own  again as a result.  Turnt 21.  Starting writing again in late October.  Let’s hope that 2019 is so much better than 2018! I know that I’ve probably missed some mutuals  I don’t mean any harm by it’s either because I’ve just forgotten who is who since some people either use side blogs as main blogs or since I have the worst memory. So in no particular order,  honestly it’s just the order I remembered everyone in, let’s begin: 

* ~ * Special Mentions * ~*

@chlobenet​ ~ ally ally, my dearest ally, you know how much I love you because I tell you it all the time. We both act as the enabler for each other. It does balance out. You've been so encouraging of whatever crazy hair brain idea that I have and I really need someone like that a lot of the time. I yell at you for whatever angst you’ve got planned and then you yell at me for my angst. I can’t wait to see what you’ll create this year, because it’ll be amazing. 

@laurenstruckcrs​ ~ Ines, my french love, you listen to me ramble about so many projects and are so encouraging of my ideas. You’ve always managed to make me cry and I can’t wait to see what you create this year, because I know it’ll be amazing. 

@nellie--crain​ ~ Rachel, I’ve loved talking with you this year, you’ve helped me solve a number of writing problems without probably realising it. It’s been a privilege to watch you grow this year and everything you create, whether it be a new oc or a gif set, it has just been amazing. You’re so talented and so creative, but overall, you’re just such an incredible person no matter. 

@wild-stdreams ~ Rosie, it’s been so motivational and inspiring to watch you turn Delirium into what you’ve probably always wanted it to be. and I can’t wait to see how the whole story unfolds because from the prologue and first chapter and any prompted writing, I can just tell it’ll be a wild ride and I can’t wait. 

* ~ * Writing Mutuals who I adore  * ~ * 

 @drbobbimorse + @sweetpca + @missjanuarylily + @anotherunreadblog + @chuck-hansens + @michaelangdom + @fraysquake + @queenskeletor + @whindsor + @cptainsrogers + @peterparcour + @drewtanner + @siriussblackx + @isaaclahys + @blckthcrns + @itscapokaybye + @susiesamurai  + @starksparker + @osh-my-prince 

* ~ * Soap Mutuals who get the soap thing * ~ * 

 @benchiltern + @charitydingle + @michellesvanity + @ollievalentines + @donnajacksons​ + @brodyhudson​ + @winsomelofty + @tinker-osbourne 

* ~ * Mutuals who I’ve loved seeing on my dash * ~ * 

 @charmingmagnus​ +  @keldornfirecam​ + @kingofthefoxholecourt​  + @arthurcsrry​ + @satyavxswani​ + @afluffykiwi​ + @gryffindoir​ + @jacnaylor + @davidrosed + @ofmymuses + @rayvenreayes + @luucypevensie 

I’m so sorry if I missed anyone and I love you all so much. To all the people who’ve supported me, sent me asks, both anonymous and not. I love each and everyone. Thank you for sticking around throughout the mess that was 2018 and here’s to an amazing 2019!  

[cordiforms--a]

GET TO KNOW THE MUN.

NICKNAMES.     jem  is  my  new  tumblr  pen  name,  but  a  lot  of  you  know  me  as  stasi,  which  is  what  i  go  by  irl!  it's  short  for  my  actual  name,  anastasia.   "stasi"  is  pronounced  like  "fozzie"  bear  or  "ozzy"  osbourne,  btw.   feel  free  to  call  me  whatever. ZODIAC.   gemini  double  capricorn  on  the  rocks. HEIGHT.   5'1". TIME.   1:41pm. FAVORITE BAND/ARTIST.   good  morning  to  abba  only.   honorable  mentions  to  elton  john,  the  bee  gees,  david  bowie,  cher,  simon & garfunkel,  and  earth, wind & fire. SONG STUCK IN MY HEAD.   nothing  atm  bc  i  have  a  stream  on  in  the  background,  but  i  haven't  been  able  to  stop  humming  /  singing  blondie's  "the  tide  is  high"  for  the  past  three  days. LAST MOVIE I SAW.   spiderverse!   i  was  only  able  to  bust  out  the  money  for  movie  tickets  a  few  days  ago. LAST THING I GOOGLED.   " egoraptor " OTHER BLOGS.   i'd  link  my  mulder  blog,  but  i'm  gonna  remake  it  someday  soon,  so  hold  your  horses.  i  have  a  personal  @unvenge,  remade  from  @pearlsgem,  remade  from  a  hundred  other  ones,  but  i  need  to  fix  it  up. DO I GET ASKS.   sometimes!!  i  have  a  whole  bunch  sitting  in  the  askbox  that  i  haven't  quite  gotten  to  yet.  i'm  v  slow. WHY I CHOSE MY URL.   "cordiform"  means  heart-shaped.  pearl  is  a  character  driven  by  the  often  overwhelming  feelings  of  her  heart;  she's  got  big-feelings,  hence  cordiforms!  i've  had  other  urls,  but  cordiforms  has  been  my  main  brand  for  a  few  years  now. AVERAGE AMOUNT OF SLEEP.   4-5hrs.   not  fun. WHAT I'M WEARING.   lorn's  jacket  and  sweatpants. DREAM JOB.   pfff,  i  hope  to  be  a  counseling  psychiatrist  someday!   but  that  involves  medical  school,  and  i  can't  do  basic  math,  so  i'll  probably  end  up  just  settling  for  my  masters  and  becoming  an  lpc  instead.  either  way,  therapy  is  what  i  want  to  do. DREAM TRIP.   please  take  me  to  the  abba  museum  in  sweden.   i  don't  really  have  a  dream  trip.  i  just  like  to  travel  and  experience  new  things!   . . . but  i  would  like  to  see  the  great  barrier  reef. FAVORITE FOOD.   i  dunno,  but  i  put  crushed  red  peppers  on  almost  everything  i  eat,  if  that  counts! PLAY ANY INSTRUMENTS.   i'm  a  trumpet  master,  babeyyyyy!   i  play  the  trumpet  and  cornet,  flugelhorn,  bugle,  and  piccolo  /  bass  trumpets.  admittedly,  my  chops  are  dead  bc  i  haven't  picked  it  up  in  a  while,  but  i  plan  on  joining  the  marching  band  when  i  re-transfer  to  a  major  uni! EYE COLOR.   "bro,"  according  to  my  driver's  license. HAIR COLOR.   see  above. LANGUAGES YOU SPEAK.   english.  my  parents  didn't  speak  to  me  in  spanish  growing  up  because  they  feared  i'd  lose  educational  opportunities;  i'm  trying  to  make  up  for  lost  time.  i'm  minoring  in  asl  and  am  conversationally  fluent  in  it!   i  also  know  good  bits  of  french  from  what  i  remember  in  high  school. MOST ICONIC SONG.   abba's  entire  discography. RANDOM FACT.   i  really  like  mugs.  if  you  ever  don't  know  what  to  get  me,  get  me  a  mug  from  your  local  dollar  store.  i'll  cherish  it  forever. DESCRIBE YOURSELF AS AESTHETIC THINGS.   the  clacking  sounds  that  gamecube  controllers  make,  gaudy  80's-90's  bowling  alley  carpet  patterns,  off-blacks,  a  perfectly  clear  night-sky  —  far  from  the  city/noise/disturbance,  the  feeling  of  forgiveness. TAGGED BY.   i  stole  it  from  the  ever  wonderful  @authree  /  @bonetrous ! TAGGING.   you!

[rollingstonemag]

Un nouvel article a été publié sur https://www.rollingstone.fr/kentucky-bluegrass-top/

KENTUCKY - 10 morceaux pour mettre un pied à l'étrier du bluegrass

Aux États-Unis, le bluegrass est un genre aussi prégnant que le blues plus traditionnel – en témoigne la récente réouverture du Bluegrass Museum d’Owensboro, en plein cœur du Kentucky. Un genre encore trop méconnu chez nous, que Rolling Stone vous invite à découvrir avec une playlist qui va vous faire voyager à travers les époques.

1/ Bill Monroe & The Bluegrass Boys – Southern Flavor

2/ Elvis Presley – Blue Moon of Kentucky

3/ Jimmy Martin & The Osbourne Brothers – Chalk Up Another One

4/ Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart – Rawhide

5/ Doc Watson – Tennessee Stud

6/ Red Allen & Frank Wakefield – Over the Hills to the Poorhouse

7/ The Kentucky Colonels – The Kentucky Colonels

8/ Johnson Mountain Boys – Duncan and Brady

9/ Soggy Bottom Boys – Man of Constant Sorrow

10/ Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Grand Ole Opry Song

Le Bluegrass Museum, cœur battant de la musique d’Owensboro