#roommates and i just watched Spirited (good movie everyone should watch very fun)

[thelordofshrimp]

having so much self-control right now (did not start a fight over someone else's garbage take)

[miraculous-trinity-leo]

Whacky Gotham, Goofy New York, and Chaotic Paris

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7)

Chapter 3: Kindred Spirits Always Find A Way To Assemble

•—–—–†–—–—•

Time: 5:30am

location: Louvre

Ladybug, Abeille, Bunnyx, Trickster, and Chat Noir are fighting an akuma, not anything major, just Mr. Pigeon and his pigeons trying to melt the Louvre with deadly acidic bird dropings, so yeah, nothing major. Just another early bird gets the akuma kinda day...

"Looks like the early bird is trying to melt the Louvre, what say you M'lady, shall we make this swift and- *Loud sneeze* Let me now *sneeze* when I'm *sneeze* needed" - Chat Noir

"For to long our kind has been oppressed, they feed us miserable seeds, when we beg for bread, we shall show them no mercy, as our justice shall be swift!" picks up two pigeons, holds them by their legs and aims the rear cannons "Surrender your Miraculous and your justice shall be swift and painless!!" with an evil villain laugh at the end bla bla bla.

" Anyone else getting Pigeon (French) Revolution vibes? No? just me? Cause I swear he said seeds instead of cake."

"Not the time Bunnyx." - Abeille

"Oh it so Is The Time." - Bunnyx

"Off with Mr. Pigeon Antoinette's Akumatized object!" - Chat Noir from a distance.

"Viva La Revolution!!!" - Trickster

"Dear Kwami, how did it come to a frickin Pigeon Revolution?!" - Ladybug

As the last line is said, Mr. Pigeon fires the -ehem- cannons at the heroes, only for them to be an illusion. In the confusion Bunnyx pops out of her burrow and wacks Mr. Pigeon on the head, effectively knocking him out.

"The Pigeon Revolution is over, we have taken back our home, and shall continue to defend it from the creepy Man of MOTH!!!!" - Bunnyx

and with that Bunnyx brakes the Akumatized object, and Ladybug purifies the akuma.

"Ok, I will admit that last speach was funny, now lets hurry back before hells bells go off." - Ladybug

•~—~—~—~—~—~—~•

" Bla bla bla, nothing important, bla bla bla bla, yada yada yada bla yada." - Mrs. Bustier

"'Viva La Revolution', that was perfect." - Whispering Alix

"It just came to me, but Chats 'Off with Mr. Pigeon Antoinette's Akumatized object' line and your 'Man of Moth' speech were really well timed !" -whispering Peter

"well of course, I'm always punctual with any time sensitive joke/pun." -whispering Alix

"Will you to zip it! we can't have these simpletons finding anything out!" -whispering Chloé

"Please, they all share a broken defective regect of a brain cell, I doubt they could ever put two and two together." -whispering Alix

"Hey, do you think we should start a protest in our classroom?" -whispering Peter

"... Viva.La.Revolution!" - whispering Chloé with a mischievous grin

"No." - Maria

•~—~—~—~ Later when Mrs. Bustier is out of class ~—~—~—~•

"I just don't know what to do." - Lie-la

" You think she finally realized how horrible that hair style is?" - Alix

"After visiting Gotham a few months ago I met Damian Wayne, you might've heard about him, he's just so amazing, kind-hearted, and brave. We had a wonderful time, but then he asked me out! And I don't want to hurt Parkers feelings, I care for both of them!" - Lie-la

"Man, she must be extremely full of it to keep pulling that sh-t out of her @ss every hour or so." - Alix

"Wow Peter, didn't know your cared for Ms. Rossi like that" - Chloé said in a sarcastic tone.

" I'd rather strap her to a supersonic rocket heading for a black hole, and I'm pretty sure this Damian Wayne would do the same... he probably has the money for it actually." - Peter

" Enough plotting, we still need to get enough money, if we want that summer trip, we've already crossed off: Baking sales, becoming a mime, jobs are out unless they're fine with you leaving right after joining, and we can't just ask for donations." - Maria

" I can use my MDC mon-" - Maria

"Oh hell no you won't! You worked your butt off to get that money, you said it yourself! That money is for when you apply to college! I refuse to let you waste your money on our ignoramus classmates!" - Chloé

Thankfully by now everyone was out of the classroom.

" Oh Kwami she's serious, she never uses her big words!" - Adrien

" Then what do you suggest Chloé?" - Maria

" I'll ask daddy to pay!" - Chloé

" I can also ask my father, he'll probably do it if Mr. Bourgeois puts in a donation." - Adrien

" But- " - Maria

" No! The decision is final all in agreement say aye!" - Chloé

"Aye!" - Everyone

"You've watched to many movies Chloé, fine, but please don't drastically overdo it." - Maria

" When have I ever drastically overdone something? Name one time." - Chloé

"Well, there was the time you over did it, by not sleeping for almost three weeks." - Maria

" and after that you got so fed up with one akuma that you kicked him with the force of a thousand suns down unda, you may have scared him for life after that honestly. " - Adrien

" Oh! or the time you went overboard with Peters B-day, and the cake landed on his face! - Alix

"Well in her defense, the cake was great, but it was kinda a mouthful." -Peter

"... I said name one time. (ー_ー)" - Chloé

•~—~—~—~—~—~—~•

Sooo, after all that happened Mr. Bourgeois, Fallowed by Gabriel Agreste, gave a very generous donation, so that solves that problem.And since I'm sure you don't want to see (More Lies) boring stuff, lets skip to two days before the trip begins.

〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜time skip " You're welcome, I'm here all eternity." - Bunnyx〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜

•—–· At Chloés Hotel ·–—•

"Ok are we sure we have everything?" - Maria

" Yes now can we please watch something already, we've triple, and even quadruple checked everything, we're good." - Alix

" I have to go out and inform Tempête and Vipère, before anything else, be back soon." - Maria then heads out calling upon the other heroes.

" So what do you need?" - Vipère

" Do you have a top secret mission for us?" - Tempête

" For the summer Abeille, Bunnyx, Trickster, and Chat Noir will be unavailable, unless they are truly needed, I however will be able to travel back and forth via portals for fights. Paris will be in your care while we aren't here." - Ladybug

"It is our honor, we shall defend Paris with our lives." - Tempête

" Agreed, enjoy your summer." - Vipère

"Thank you, stay safe."  and with that Maria headed back to the hotel prepared to watch movies, only to be bombarded with questions as soon as she got back.

" HOLD UP! You know MAGIC?!" - Alix

" When were you going to tell us?!" - Chloé

"So cool, how does it work?" - Peter

" Can you teach us?!" - Adrien

" Spots-Off, yes I know magic, I swear I've told you before. Do you want a demonstration?" - Maria

They all shook their heads excitedly.

" Ok well, I'm able to Heal myself if I get hurt, but I don't wish to hurt myself just for that, I can also increase my Luck with magic, as well as Communicate/ Manipulate plants, and see peoples Souls, thanks to Tikki. I learned Protection magic thanks to Wayzz, and Illusion magic thank  to Trixx. I'm also learning Teleportation from Kaalki, which I've almost completed, and Mutitude from Mullo, which still needs work." - Maria

" If you can really talk to plants, what did we do earlier while you where out, hmmmmm?" - Alix

Maria then walks over to the roses near the couch and whispers to them, after a moment she turns back to her friends, and calmly says "Traitors."

" What do you mean?" - Peter

" You continued watching Star Wars: Clone Wars Without me!" - Maria

" Ok we believe you, but does this mean we can also use magic?" - Adrien

"Hmmm, let me see" as she says this her eyes start to glow an almost ethereal icy blue.

" Why are you eyes glowing?" - Chloé

"Looking at you souls... ok" she then claps her hands and her eyes go back to normal "Adrien, you can use slight Destruction magic on objects, if you use it on a person it would just cause them extreme pain, you can also cast Bad Luck on someone, so I guess thats good, and you can also learn slight Jubilation magic. Peter you can learn Illusion, and Protection magic. Chloé you can Learn Subjection, and Multiplication magic. And Alix, you can learn Evolution, Intuition, and Teleportation magic." As Maria finished, she saw the star struck looks in their eyes at the thought of learning magic became obtainable for them.

"Teach us!" they all bowed only to get a laugh from Maria in response.

"You would have to ask the Kwamis that, I only know what I know thanks to them." - Maria

And for most of the night they all started practicing magic. And when they woke up, they continued to practice, they had fun and were really enjoying it.

Then came the day Maria and her friends were to head for Gotham, and it was hectic, but everyone made it in one piece after an 8 hour flight, which at this point Maria was glad she sent all of her important luggage ahead of time, because somehow her luggage with only her toiletries and pyjamas was stolen, so all she had now was her back pack on her and the Miracle box in a Pocket dimension (thanks to the training from Fluff and Kaalki)

Lila was annoyed, when Maria didn't even care that she lost her bag with all her stuff (jokes on you she sent that one to the hotel 2 days ago HA!) they ended up checking into the hotel, everyone was with someone, Peter was with Adrien, Chloé was with Alix, and Maria... just had the Kwamis, yup that's right, apparently Lila has a condition that prevents her from being in any room below a quality vip room, so now she was upgrade and without a roommate, good for Lila, and Lucky for Maira, because now she doesn't have to worry about someone noticing her climbing out the window to go free-running across rooftops as Multimouce.

Around 7:30 pm. everyone heads out for lunch... and they leave Maria behind.

"Of course this happens." and with that she asked the receptionist for the directions to where her class went, afterwards she went out and proceeded to get lost, after trying to retrace her steps, she just got lost quicker, and her phone was at 20% what luck.

After walking for a little bit, she had decided to take a break, and as she leaned up against a wall, she closed her eyes.

'Maybe if I search for the receptionists Soul I can find my way back.' as she was doing this, she saw souls of all colors walking by, she even noticed a dark emerald green soul, and a dark blue soul across the street on a rooftop... and then she felt her hair stand on end, a few feet to her right was a bloody rust looking soul, she could tell it was a male, late 20s, average build, and 5'11, he was targeting her. As she opened her eyes  she did a quick scan of her seroundings, noticing an alley, she started to walk again. Sensing the slight increase in speed from the man now behind her, as he got closer, she made a sharp left into the alley, she made it a few feet in before the man started laughing and walking closer, she saw the disgusting look in his eyes, and the outline of a gun in his front left pocket.

"Come on now girlie,  I just wanna talk."

" I am good thankz." she made sure to add an accent to make him feel like he had an upper hand, which seemed to work, if his sickening smile was anything to go off of.

He stepped closer and Maria (the little genius she was) decided to act nervous, which only lowered the guys gaurd even more, once he reached to grab her in a quick motion she proceeded to do this.

She held the guy in a lock until he fell unconscious. As she stood up, she noticed a hand reaching for her, she then grabbed the hand and flipped the figure over her shoulder hard, hearing a yelp from the man as she did so.

When she realized who she had flipped over, her face turned bright red

"Mon dieu, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you are you ok Monsieur Nightwing?!"

"Yeah I'm fine and don't apologize, reflexes like that are key to survival here in Gotham, isn't that right Robin.... Robin?"

When Nightwing didn't get any sound from Robin he looked over to see the boy a blushing mess, then Robin snaped out of it, cuffing the mugger, and turning his attention to the girl.

" Ehem. Mam it's dangerous to be out here at this time alone, please allow us to take you wherever you need to go." - Robin

"Oh thank you um, do you know where Wayne Hotel is? I was supposed to go with my class to dinner, but they... “forgot” me, I decided to try and meet up with them, but I failed horribly." - Maria

"Wait they just left you? and in Gothan of all cities?! What kind of teacher does that?!" - Nightwing

" An instegator." - Maria said under her breath in French, she didn't notice the slight shock on both their faces from what she said.

"Anyway lets get you to your hotel before it gets any later." - Nightwing

"Thank you again." - Maria

She arrived safely, thanks to Nightwing and Robin, she thanked them one more time and went inside, when she got to her room she found her friends pacing back and forth in the room, Chloé and Peter looking like they would soon become two people on a mission to find her, but thankfully she was back, she of course had to answer alot of questions, but that was no big deal. After answering all their questions, everyone went to their rooms, and fell asleep, they had a big day tomorrow afterall... ... and then Marias' Akuma alert went off, ok so it took about thirty minutes to defeated the akuma 2 more before she could cure anything and another 5 minutes before she could head back to her room, and it was now 2am, but she could still wake up early right? hehe (・–・;) right?

No, the answer was no she couldn't, well technically she was up on time for when the bus "should" have started getting ready to leave, BUT turns out Lila SOMEHOW, managed to get everyone on board without even thinking of her an hour early! Maria asked for directions once again, and the receptionist had a worried and apologetic look on her face, Maria thanked her again, and headed out, this time however, she made it without getting lost and without getting mugged, Yay! She even had enough time to get a coffe (Tim special was a wierd name but oh well it did the job pretty well) from a shop near by (double yay!) before entering the WE building.

" You have to start the tour! we've been here for an hour and thirty minutes already!" - Ms. Bustier

"Like I said before, I will not start the tour until your student gets back, and if they don't get back, then we better hope nothing happened to them, or else it's your fault for your negligence." - Tour guide

"Sorry I'm late, the bus left earlier than what we scheduled, why didn't you inform me about the change?" - Maira

"Lila said you were the one who made the changes and that you were just trying to get attention, I am VERY disappointed in you Maria, now apologize to your class for delaying the tour!" - Ms Bustier

"I think you mean “I'm sorry we left you behind in a city where murder happens to young kids on a daily basis” now you apologize to Your student that is Your responsibility." - Tour Guide with a glare that could kill a thousand armys

Ms. Bustier proceeded to apologise to half the class's disbelief.

"Alright then, now that thats all taken care of, Hello and welcome to Wayne Enterprise, where we focus on making Gotham and the world a better place. I'm Dick Grayson, and I'll be you tour guide for today."

As the tour went on Maria stood at the front with her friends, she took notes of everything that was said, and she ignored whatever nonsense Lila was spouting, somthing about saving or dating Damian Wayne, she didn't really care.

When the lunch break came, she sat with her friends until she needed a long overdo refill on her coffee, she walked over to the coffee machine and started figuring what combination will keep her brain working for the rest of the day.

"Press button 3 followed by 5, 6, 8, 1, 2, 4, 9, and 7, that is the ultimate coffee mixture, if your mortal self is up for the challenge." - Sleep deprived guy

"I accepte." she presses the buttons in the exact order and then " Wait none of the cups are big enough."

"Here, secrect cup, from beyond the mortal realm." - Sleep deprived guy

" Thanks" she grapped the very large cup, and filled it with coffee till it was almost to the rim, she put the lid on and instantly took a big sip from the scolding hot coffee (she can heal, her tongue's fiiiiiiine)

"... Not bad, taste similar to the Tim Special I had earlier, but maybe a bit stronger." - Maria

" Kindred Spirit, let us be friends, you have drank the sacred coffee and are now immortal, congrats." - Sleep deprived guy

"It was not easy, but I have come this far, and I shall go the distance with nothing but coffee in my veins." Maria said in a serious tone as they shook hands "I am Maria, keeper of all nighters, and who might you be, my kindred spirit."

"I am Tim, the keeper of sacred coffee and all that is unholy."

"It was an honor to meet you Sacred Tim, may the coffee gods guide you in your journey, sadly we must part ways, for the lunch break is over, farewell..." and with that Maria left to rejoin the group.

"Dear god where the hell did you get that much coffee?!" - Chloé

"Kindred Spirits always find a way to assemble." - Maria

"Huh, so there is someone out there who is also a sleep deprived child." - Alix

The tour continued, and Maria noticed their tour guide kept looking at her with growing concern as she slowly made her way through the lovely coffee, she finished the cup within 1 hour and 30 minutes, and most of the staff kept looking at her as she now held the empty unholy cup, that was said to put people (that weren't chosen by the coffee gods) into caffeine induced commas, but she was fine, if anything she was more awake than yesterday and today combined. So yeah Today had a rocky start, but I'd say things are only just beginning.

•—–—–†–—–—•

〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜 Bonus Art 〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜

This is what it looks like from Marias' normal vision, to her Soul Vision (~‾▿‾)~

Chapter 3 completed, hope you're all having a wonderful day, and staying positive BUG-OUT 🐞💮🐞

〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜 Tag List 〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜

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@lupagrimm

[creepling]

anything could happen (irl!quackity x reader)

pairing: irl!quackity x genderneutral!reader

word count: 2,805

summary: the reader is roomates with karl jacobs, and he is beginning to be concerned about the reader. when karl invites the reader to hang out with him and his friends, the reader is hesitant. however, they end up having a very deep conversation with alex.

tw: swearing, use of alcohol (mild), some angst, ends with fluff!!

alternative link: ao3.

I sneaked into the apartment as best as I could. I knew if I made one faint sound, the living room light would switch on and a very judgemental Karl would be sitting on his fancy couch (that he spent way too much money on) shaking his head and tutting at me like a disapproving mother.

And behold, that's exactly what came next when I dropped my boots too hard onto the ground when slipping them off. Only the lamp next to the couch flicked on. Karl paying mind to the electricity bill, I suppose.

"Have a nice night? Or should I say, very early morning?" God, he sounded angry. It took a ton of pressure to make Karl angry, making him impatient was like putting pressure on hard metal. And yet, my lifestyle really rubbed Karl the wrong way.

"Damn, you really stayed up late for me?" I tried to joke off, plopping myself onto Karl's fancy couch. His tongue rolled along the inside of his cheek, his arms crossed, he couldn't even look me in the eye. Instead he just muttered, "No, I just finished streaming."

After a very awkward pause, Karl finally spoke.

"Why do you do it?"

"Do what?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"I used to think maybe you were seeing someone, y'know like just the one person. Then I caught on it's more than just one person. You go out a drive with a different person every weekend, whether that be to hook up with them or just hang out."

"And what's up with that?" I asked, a little irritated. "Geez, Karl, I know we're different when it comes to relationships. But everyone is different— why can't you respect that about me?"

"It's not—" Karl said, a little to loudly, getting annoyed. He must've felt like I wasn't listening to him. He eventually lowered his voice and continued. "It's not the acts themselves that bother me. It's that you do these things, and you're never satisfied. You still hang out with people that you don't even like— you always come back and tell me how toxic they are. And then you hook up with people and say how it wasn't enjoyable. I just want you to be happy, and seeing you do things that make you feel unsatisfied worries me."

Karl could not have explained it better, his words perfectly summed up my feelings in the past few years. Ever since I had to get back up on my feet after hard times, being able to live as a roommate with Karl; have a roof over my head. Sometimes I just put myself in uncomfortable situations because I feel like I am not good enough.

"I understand, Karl. I honestly do. But— it's all I have. I have no one else to depend on." My eyes, like Karl's moments before, could not bare to look at him.

"You have me, (Y/N). You can hang out with me and my friends." At this moment, Karl had a tint of a smile on his face and he placed his hand on my drooped shoulder.

I could not contain the scoff that left my lips. "Me and your friends are so different from each other. I barely know anything about video games or Minecraft or streaming. I've talked to your friends before and I never know what to say to them."

"There's more to us than just our jobs, (Y/N)" Karl said, a small chuckle leaving his lips. "And what the hell are you talking about! My friends think you're so cool and always ask about you! I mean, I remember you and Alex—"

"I barely know Alex! We literally shared one laugh together because I knew the meme he referenced." I said, a smile plastered on my dumb face. Maybe I was smiling because deep down, I was beginning to remember how fun Karl's friends were. To be honest, I always felt a little jealous when I would hear Karl and his friends belly laugh on a stream. These dumb-asses were literally being paid to hang out with each other. Meanwhile, I busted my ass for a minimum wage and hung out with people that never see me as a priority. Maybe one day Karl's rich Youtube friend would give me money to do some stupid challenge.

"I'm not gonna lie, out of all my friends, Alex is the one who asks about you the most. At first he would do it to tease me— making sex jokes about you and us. But when he eventually met you, he asked genuine questions about you. Like the other day, he asked me out of the blew about if you went to college or worked a job."

I definitely did not admit it to Karl, but I actually found that flattering. Yeah, maybe I thought Alex was a little too loud on Karl's streams and I would have to cover my head with a pillow to try sleep at night. However, when I met him for that short moment when Karl's friends came to the house, he was genuinely a very funny guy. I remembered we were the same age, he was Mexican and studying law. If he remembered anything about me, I have no idea.

When I couldn't hide my smile of flattery, Karl looked at me and smiled back. He got up from the couch, about to turn off the light, but stopped himself and turned back. "Hey, instead of going out with your shitty friends next weekend, you should stay here. I'm inviting some of my friends to hang out. I think it would be cool if you joined us." Karl said without hesitation, leaving his words as an open thought.

"I'll think about it." Was all I could say, which was enough to make Karl smile, then wish me a goodnight. When I got into my room and crashed onto the bed, I left the invitation in my mind to think about until the next week.

It was finally the weekend again, after a long weekday of working I sat at my desk after putting on some casual clothes. Sometimes, I just liked to get ready in case last minute plans popped up. I still had the idea of hanging out with Karl and his friends in my mind. Yet, I began to feel nervous. I do not know why, but being surrounded by new faces always made me tense. I count myself as a pretty confident person, but there was something about Karl's friends that intimidated me. Maybe it was their crude humour or 'fame' status that made me feel iffy. Either way, I sat there, looking at my wall blankly, hearing the faint noises of Karl arranging the living room for his friends arriving. As a fumbled with by sleeves and chilled out to music, my bedroom door flew open and a really happy Karl stood there.

"So? Are you joining us tonight?" He asked, anticipating a positive response.

"I don't know, Karl." I lightly groaned, the nerves still having a hold on me.

"C'mon, (Y/N). It's nothing too big. Some of the guys are having beers, which I know you enjoy." Karl winked playfully.

I barked out a laugh when I heard his words. "You always say I have an alcohol problem!"

"Exactly! Let your alcoholism be the reason you hang out with us!" Karl was trying to drag me out the room at this point.

"Piss off!" I laughed, feebly slapping Karl.

"Please . . . They really want to meet you again!" Karl dragged me into the living room. Then, a sharp knock came from the door. "Too late! They're already here!"

Admittedly, it was awkward at first. The group immediately wanted to play video games, which I guessed was going to happen. I respectively sat on the couch and watched them play as if I was just watching a movie. I smiled throughout, watching them bicker and yell at each other through competitive spirit. The energy was chaotic, but enjoyable. It was a different environment I was use to, it was more relaxed, but still had the fun aspects I chase for. For the first time in a while, I felt like I could act like myself; the chill version of me. I was not afraid of being judged or talked down to. The nerves that consumed me hours before slipped away effortlessly.

The few bottles of beer I had throughout the night had gotten to my head eventually, my heavy eyes were opening and closing as I snuggled up to the edge of the couch. I checked my phone now and then, scrolling through social media. By this point, some of the group had fallen asleep from drunkenness, or went home. The string of people left were beginning to wind down; Karl offered spare pillows and blankets for the ones who wanted to crash. From the silence I assumed everyone, even Karl himself, were drifting off to sleep. Until I heard a voice acknowledge me.

"Not going to sleep?"

It was Alex. I realized once I looked up, seeing he was exiting the kitchen with another drink, with one beer in his other hand that he was beckoning to me. I took it, mumbling a thanks, my eyes trailing towards him as he took a seat next to me.

"I'm used to staying up late at the weekends, so my body clock is all over the place." I confessed, smirking down at my beer bottle before taking a light sip.

"At least you aren't a light-weight like most of these idiots." Alex joked, looking around the room at his friends. "I suspected we would play more games, but I think people couldn't hack anymore. It's a shame though, I felt like we didn't include you too much."

It was considerate for Alex to say that, but I chuckled dismissively. "I didn't feel left out, don't worry. I enjoyed the company. I needed a chill night like this one."

Alex smiled at that, and immediately looked down when he did, but it was still contagious enough to make me smile. For a short moment I took in his appearance. He hadn't changed much from the last time I saw him. Still wore a beanie that took up 90% of his head, no matter the weather.

"I don't know if Karl mentioned but—" Alex began, suddenly becoming bashful. "I bought the beers for you, as a kind of present. I remembered you drinking them the last time we were over."

"Oh my God— Karl didn't say to me . . ." I said. "That's so thoughtful of you, thank you so much."

He really did that? Considering we were just acquaintances, I did not expect that. I had drank them throughout the next, since they were my favourite. He remembered something so miniscule about me. I then added, "You didn't have to do that."

Alex was biting the bottom half of his lip before he said, "I mean— I wanted to get you a little something. We all did— really. We always feel bad coming over here and never having the time to get to know you. This is your house just as much it is Karl's."

I scoffed after taking a swig of my drink. "It's more Karl's house than mine. He's the one that lives in it. I'm always working or out hanging out with people. The only time I'm ever here is when I'm sleeping or eating. In fact, this is the first night in I have had in months."

"What do you do then if you're barely in the house?" Alex asked.

I became a little tense. Remembering Karl's chat last week made me realise how useless my life was. Karl was right, the things I do and the people I hang out with do not benefit me in a positive way. My 'friends' haven't even texted me today to ask why I'm not hanging out with them. I truly never had anyone that cared for me. I sure haven't had anyone do something as small as buying me my favourite beers. I shook my head and muttered, "Nothing interesting . . ."

My face must have exposed my sadness, as Alex had a look of concern on his face. To ease the tension, I looked over to him and twitched a smile. However, I don't think it convinced him. God, I hate worrying people.

"I know we barely know each other yet. But— If there's something on your mind, you can always talk to me about it."

Normally I dread hearing words like that, but looking at Alex and how calm he seemed to be around me convinced me I could trust him in that moment. Before I realized, I was spilling my train of thought all over the atmosphere. I told Alex about my 'friends'; how I feel like they never give a shit about me. I confessed that I am unhappy with my life, that I feel like I am wasting my time and potential. I admitted my distain for making Karl worried about my wellbeing every time I came back to the apartment. Lastly, I affirmed that tonight was the first time I felt happy among another's company in a very long time. How I felt content, knowing no one would judge me or think I was taking up space. I thanked him again and again, knowing that his act of service was little to him, but absolutely gigantic to me.

"What you and your friends did tonight, no one has ever done to me in a long time. It was so miniscule, I know, but it's more than I have ever experienced. For once, the kindness felt genuine. Is it wrong to think like that?" My eyes looked at Alex, desperate for reassurance.

"Absolutely not, (Y/N)." Alex shook his head. "From what you have told me, you have every right to feel the way you're feeling. Not gonna lie— your friends sound like dicks."

"They are dicks!" I laughed out, wiping the loose tears from my eyes. "And I am sick of being associated with them! From here on out, they are not my friends anymore." I turned my whole body to face Alex at this point, my sudden movement alerting his attention. "If you don't mind, can I count you, Karl— everyone else— as my new friends?"

The smile that emerged from Alex's face warmed my chest. "You don't need to ask, (Y/N)" He said, "We already counted you as our friend."

The happiness that swelled in my chest consumed me in that moment, and it stimulated me to enrobe Alex into a hug. His body was tense from my sudden touch, yet he relaxed easily into my body and his arms moulded into my touch. The fragrance clinging to his sweater engulfed my nose, making me nuzzle deeper into his shoulder. Alex chuckled and the vibrations tickled me, making me scoff out a laugh.

We met each other's gaze as we pulled away from the embrace; analysing the tint of blush on his cheeks, tracing to the bridge of his nose. He ruffled the hair on top of my head, making me laugh and nudge him playfully. Our instant smiles welcoming the space between us.

"So . . . got anymore tired yet?" Alex asked, raising a brow.

I shook my head and slowly looked around the room. Clocking the console lying on the coffee table, I grabbed it and my fingers began to awkwardly fumble with the joystick.

"First step of becoming friends, should be you teaching me how to be a pro-gamer." I joked, giving him a playful smirk.

He rolled his eyes, cringing as he grabbed the other remote. "It's not for the faint hearted," He joked along, "I think you'll get the hang of it, though."

For the rest of the night, into the early morning, we played games. We laughed our asses off, had mini arguments; stirring some of the others out of their slumber when Alex couldn't contain the volume of his voice.

Anything could happen, I realized. If I seek positivity, I will eventually find it. Thankfully, I was able to admit — I discovered it already.

TAGLIST / if you would like to join my taglist, click here !

[the-necessary-unnecessary]

A list of all the films, series and web series that have been recommended as hidden must sees during isolation and beyond. 

Note: I have divided them into films with happy endings or not, series that haven’t finished so the exact ending is unknown I have put an asterisk (*) next to

Note 2: the descriptions are a mixture of my own and of the reviews I was sent by anons

She gets the girl

A Date For Mad Mary, 2016 (needs a date for a wedding, more about her complicated reconnecting with friends after prison but romance is cute)

Almost Adults, 2016 (centers around the broader themes of growing up and friendship but one of them is a giant gay. There is a happy ending for both the gay one and the straight one, gotta give the straights some food because they so rarely get fed)

Anne+, 2018* (Dutch webseries with fresh and new vibes with a great mid-twenties actress about mid-twenties gay lives. Everyone in it is LGBTQ+ yet nothing about it is LGBTQ+, it’s all just treated as natural and normal)

Bound, 1996 (you can't beat the lesbian noir classic which should one day be inducted into the lesbian hall of fame)

But I’m A Cheerleader, 1999 (camp and a lot of fun despite the very serious themes, starring Natasha Lyonne- one of the gayest straights out there)

Carmilla, 2014-16 (webseries based on the groundbreaking 19th century book. Some great chemistry and a lot of breaking of the fourth wall)

Carol, 2015 (Cate Blanchett movie based on the book The Price of Salt which caused issue when it was realised in 1952 because it gave its lovers a open ended happy ending)

Couple-Ish, 2015-16 (cute Canadian web series, bit on the nose but important gay, bi and enby rep)

Desert Hearts, 1985 (the looks, the emotions, the gorgeousness of them both, the chemistry, oh god it was so good. Vivian Bell deserves all the orgasms)

Elisa Y Marcela, 2019 (A Spanish film based on the true story of two women who got married with one of them pretending to be a man in 1901. A tearjerker but ultimately their love is stronger than the adversaries they face)

Entre Nous, 1983 (a French 1983 film which has Jews & Nazi's but doesn't end in complete horror. There are straights who think it’s a friendship but we know better)

Fingersmith, 2005 (BBC drama based on a book by Sarah Waters)

Fried Green Tomatoes, 1991 (based on a more obvious book, they’re sold as best friends but if you know you know)

Fucking Åmål, 1998 (one of the first films aimed at teenagers about two girls falling in love and getting together.)

Getrieben, 2018 (they're ex's and share a dog and then maybe they're not so ex anymore)

I Can't Think Straight, 2008 (cute romantic comedy adapted from a novel about a London-based Jordanian of Palestinian descent preparing for a wedding before events take a gay turn)

If These Walls Could Talk 2, 2000 (some happy and some sad endings in this film which portrays three generations of lesbian storylines from the same house)

Imagine Me and You, 2004 (not my fav but a classic and has Queen Cersei playing a wlw)

Kyss Mig, 2011 (heart eyes, a lovely film, does have maybe a bit too much man in it but he's gone when we get to the nitty gritty)

Our Love Story, 2016 (Korean, subtle nuanced relationship story)

Rosebud, 1996 (a channel 4 short with Julie Graham and questionable fashion choices. Who needs words when you can have such tantalising and vivid visuals? Teeny bit of man but it's fitting in the particular setting and its very fleeting, although admittedly nude)

Saving Face, 2004 (romantic comedy which had less of an impact that Imagine Me and You due to lesser known actors and probably partly to do with race- the main characters are Chinese-American. But it's a gorgeous movie that has a lot more than just rom com elements. The Half Of It is by the same director.

Sjukt Oklar, 2018* (very Swedish, very lesbian, very very funny)

Supervoksen, 2006 (Danish teenage coming of age type thing)

The Carmilla Movie, 2017 (based on the webseries but still accessible to those that haven’t watched it. Quite sweet and the actresses seem very comfortable with each other. Plus there is a great sex scene in it where the muscles on one of the girl’s back are especially sexy)

The World Unseen, 2007 (period film during South Africa's apartheid era with great chemistry)

The Handmaiden, 2016 (extremely nsfw but its got some incredibly powerful meaning to it especially the final sex scene with the bells. It's also incredibly shot and the sex scenes were done very sensitively on set with only women around and the director even in another room.)

Thelma, 2017 (a supernatural thriller about a girl starting college who suddenly starts getting seizures but they don’t know why and she has a female love interest)

Tipping The Velvet, 2002 (BBC series, also has a Victorian era strap on in it and Keeley Hawes, what's not to love?)

When Night is Falling, 1995 (An uptight and conservative woman, working as a literacy professor, finds herself attracted to a free-spirited, liberal woman who works at a local carnival. It’s got quite a lot of a boyfriend in it so its not for everyone.)

Yes or No, 2010 (literally a ‘and they were roommates’ movie as well as an enemies to lovers plot)

Zwischen Sommer Und Herbst, 2018 (coming of age elements, does have a man involved especially at the beginning, who happened to be the brother of one of the girls, but overall it was okay, no lesbians die and it doesn't end in abject misery)

She doesn’t get the girl but neither does the trope

Aimée and Jaguar, 1999 (based on a true story. Beautiful but painful, it’s a Jew falling for a German housewife in Nazi Germany, hence its sad as hell ending)

Bloomington, 2010 (coming of age, teacher student thing which walks that line relatively well without being too icky)

Freeheld, 2015 (an extremely powerful and important story to tell)

Gia, 1998 (Angelina Jolie gets it on with Elizabeth Mitchell in a moving film about model and lesbian Gia Carangi)

Kontrola, 2019* (a masterpiece of a mini web series with a great soundtrack, aesthetic and storyline. Season 2 may present a better future for them)

Mädchen in Uniform, 1931 (German cult classic almost entirely produced by women. Sexual awakening/teenage coming out of her shell stuff, there is also a 1958 redo which is okay. She doesn’t get the girl but it’s still a positive portrayal of sexuality where the object of desire isn't disgusted or weirded out by it)

My Summer of Love, 2004 (At first glance a coming of age movie, but has a lot of phycological elements too. Emily Blunt with a girl, not happy but no lesbians die)

Portrait of a Lady on Fire, 2019 (spell-bounding french film with amazing rawness and visuals. One of my best cinematographic experiences ever)

Reaching for the Moon, 2017 (the love story of the poet Elizabeth Bishop and the architect Soares in the 60s)

Snapshots, 2018 (sad ending but great chemistry with no closed mouthed straight girl kisses)

Summertime, 2015 (French lesbian movie- dare I say more? Sad but no deaths)

The Hunger, 1983 (a gothic cult classic, vampires, its got David Bowie, Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve in it)

The Miseducation of Cameron Post, 2018 (she doesn’t get the girl because there is no girl, but she does begin to find and accept herself. Based on a highly recommendable book by the same name)

Viola di Mare, 2009 (depressing as hell but beautiful to look and the couple have some good chemistry)

[glimmeringgroveavenue]

Meet Mom

“Don’t worry, she won’t eat you.” Leriana reassured her friend Jacqueline. Well, more than just a friend really, as Leriana and Jacqualine had realized recently that they had feelings for each other that extended beyond common friendship. It was complicated, as most things are in teenage years.  “

“She’s really nice! You’ll like her, and she’ll like you.” The “She” in question was Leriana’s adoptive mom, an elf by the name of Sha’Rystria Moonrage. Leriana and her younger sister, Neried were both elves as well whose biological parents had passed away not long back.

“So.. is there anything I need to know before meeting her? Any topics to avoid, or anything like that, you know?” Jacqeline asked with a hint of apprehension in her voice. She was a human girl just slightly older than Leriana. She and Leri had a date set for tonight that would consist of a good old fashioned lineup of a movie and dinner afterwards.

“I mean, just be cool and be yourself. It’s okay to acknowledge that she’s a pred, but don’t like… ask anything beyond that on that topic. It’s just rude.” 

“Okay, got it..” Jacqualine was nervous. Predator people, though fairly well represented in society, were a minority outnumbered by prey people by nearly a ten to three margine. Though all predators were elves, not all elves were predators, and Leriana was in the later category. 

“Come on, let’s go, it’s hot out today and this car is like an oven.” The two girls exited Jacqueline’s car and made their way to the front door of the modern suburban home. In the driveway there was a minivan with a faded “Soccer Mom” bumper sticker on one side and a smaller sticker on the other that was a stylized pair of lips. This particular sticker was an emblem that was generally accepted as the predator’s seal. It wasn’t official of course, but was more so on the lines of a “Deadhead” sticker or something of the like. Jacqueline noticed it with an ever so slightly growing apprehension. 

“Oh my gawd it feels better in the air conditioning.” Just as Leriana had finished the statement, someone else entered the room from a hallway off to the side. An elven woman dressed in a pair of blue jeans shorts and an old faded and somewhat ragged Led Zeppelin t-shirt. “Hey mom! This is Jacqueline! Jackie, this is mom.” Leriana gave a brief introduction that left Sha’Rystria and the human in an awkward position of having to continue the introductory process on their own. Jackie spoke first. “Hello Mrs. Moonrage.” she almost stammered, but managed to hold her composure fairly well anyway.

“Hi Jacqueline, I’m Sha’Rystria, I’m Leri’s mom.” she stated the obvious. “But you can just call me Shar, everyone else does.” The elf smiled. 

Sha’Rystria Moonrage. Elven woman in her mid forties, mother to six biological children who all lived away from home now. Her late husband, a human man named Daniel, had passed away a few years back in an unfortunate accident. The combination of both of these scenarios left Shar with a serious case of “empty nest syndrome”.

Other details of note were that she was incredibly attractive, curvy as a mountain road, and it could be said that she was endowed with a pair of uniquely large breasts. She was also a predator person. 

“Would you girls like a glass of water?” She asked

“That sounds good, you want one too, Jackie?” Leriana asked.

“Oh, well, yes please. If you don’t mind.” 

“Not at all! You all just have a seat and cool off.” Shar offered before going to the kitchen and drawing two glasses of water which she brought to Jacqualine and Leriana. “Thank you.” they both said.

“So, what do you girls plan to do tonight?” Shar inquired.

“Just a movie and dinner afterwards.” Leri answered.

“Oh what movie?”

“We’re not sure yet. It’s a toss up between the one about the boy who can see into the spirit world, and that new slasher movie.” Leriana explained

“Oh I don’t understand what you see in those slasher movies, they disturb me, so much violence.” Shar wrinkled her nose in distaste.

“Yeah, and it’s like, the fifth sequel anyway. But, I need to go get ready. Jackie, I’ll be back in a little bit, you and mom can talk while I’m doing that!” Leri said as she stood up. “Be right back!” She took the staircase upstairs to the hall that would lead to her bedroom.

Sha’Rystria crossed one leg over the other while looking at Jacqueline. “So, how are you doing today?” she asked. The elf nonchalantly picked up her purse which was conveniently close by, and upon opening it she extracted a pack of chewing gum from it.  “Would you like a piece of gum?” she offered Jacqueline, who refused “No thanks, Mrs. Moonrage.” she replied. The young lady felt ill at ease, but tried her best to not show it.

“Please, just Shar.” Leri’s mother said as she placed the gum stick into her mouth. “But anyway, how has your day been?” she asked the question again.

“It’s been okay.” Jacqueline said   “Just work, and meeting up with Leri.”

“Oh, what do you do for work?” 

“I work at an auto shop, Engine Zone.” Jacqueline answered

“The one on Magnolia Avenue?” Sha’Rystria chewed the gum in her mouth silently as she spoke.

“Yeah that one.”

“Do you know a lot about cars?”

“Oh, I just work at the cash register really.”

“Ah I see, do you get a lot of interesting customers?” Shar seemed to have a rolodex of casual questions in her arsenal, each leading to another.

“Not, not really.” Jacqueline found the line of questioning oddly unsettling. Sha’Rystria chewed her gum as she listened to Jackie answer her questions. Her clawed toes splayed now and then  as was often the case when she was engaged in casual conversation. She continued the line of questioning. 

“What do you like to do for fun?”

“Well, just stuff, you know.”

“Stuff? Like what?”

“I don’t know, go to movies, read, stuff like that.” Jacqueline felt self conscious and a little nervous, as one who is aware they are being watched does.

“Those seem harmless enough, what do you like to read?” Shar pressed on. The young human glanced toward the door that led out to the front porch. A fleeting glance and quite unintentionally subconscious, but a glance Shar noticed with her predatory sharpness all the same. “It’s okay, I guess I’m asking a lot of questions aren’t I. I don’t mean to make you nervous.” She smiled. Jacqueline smiled sheepishly as well. There was an awkward silence, broken only by the faintest sound of Shar’s chewing of her gum.

“So, you adopted Leri and her sister then?” Jackie asked, more so to end the silent standoff. 

“Yeah, they had been living next door with a roommate actually, and when we all met, I felt a connection to them right away. After some conversation, we all decided that it would be great to live together. I have missed being in the active role of mother, and they needed a family. So, it kind of just worked out.” Shar explained, then added “I love them both very much. They are wonderful girls, and anyone that they trust is bound to be someone special. Or, at least I would hope.” Shar’s lips parted slightly and in a brief instant her tongue could be seen to roll the gum over in her mouth before closing again. A shiver ran down Jackie’s spine, one that seemed to internally say “Oh shit”. She asked her next question reflexively and a little to her immediate regret “So, you are a pred person, right?” She quickly followed with “Leri told me you were. It’s cool, I was just--” she couldn’t find words to finish her thought, and Sha’Rystria’s face lit up with a big smile.

“Yes, I am.” she answered, leaving it at that. The omission of any further information was intentional. It created another awkward silence. Jacqueline fidgeted in her seat, glancing at the door once again. “It’s okay, I’m not going to eat you.” Shar said in as friendly a tone as possible. “Besides, you are so small you wouldn’t be very filling anyway” she added with a mirthful laugh and splay of her toes. If it were possible for Jacqueline to sit up any more straight or rigid than she already was at this time, it would only be by a miracle. 

“Relax, I’m kidding. Sorry, predator humor.” Shar continued to chew on the gum in her mouth.

It was at this point that Leriana could be heard coming down the upstairs hallway to descend the carpeted staircase. “Okay, I’m ready! We should be going now or we may be late. Both movies start at about the same time, and I want to get there early enough to get popcorn. We can bring soda cans with us too if we stop at Four Diamonds along the way. It would be way cheaper than buying them at the theater.” Leri explained, oblivious to the exchange that had gone on in her absence. Jacqueline had never been happier to see Leriana, and wasted no time in replying. “Okay, yeah we should go now then.” She looked to Shar once more, a nervous glint still in her eyes. “It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Moonrage- Shar, I mean.” 

“And you too, dear.” The elf replied. “Have fun and be safe.” Sha’Rystria said as the girls went to exit the front door to the porch outside. Before closing the door behind them, Shar would say; “And Jackie” at the pronunciation of the young woman’s name, she tilted her head back slightly and in a needlessly dramatic fashion, swallowed the gum. 

“Have her back by eleven.” She waved with a wiggle of her fingers, and closed the door. The bulb in the porch light flickered on.

                                                                                                                    --End

[ubernoxa]

The Slippery Slope: An Izzy Stradlin FANFICTION

Chapter 3: An Apetite for Destruction

Story Summary: After leaving Guns N’ Roses, Izzy find himself in a rut, and decideds to visit the local zoo. While visiting the penguin exhibit, he meets a red head named Poppy. Will they manage to keep standing while on their slippery slope?

Chapter Summary: Poppy calls an old friend for advice, and Izzy runs into Poppy at a record store and hope to corrects things.

Tags: @slashscowboyboots @smokeandmirrorz

Masterlist coming soon, but Chapter 1 Chapter 2

“Ohh god I made such a fool of myself, he is never going to talk to me again. Why am I so awkward?” Poppy whined into the phone as her old college roommate, Lissa, sympathetically listened. This wasn’t the first time Poppy had been freaking out about a guy, and she knew that it wasn’t going to be the last.

“Calm down Poppy, you are probably overanalyzing it,” Lissa was trying to calm Poppy down, but it wasn’t working.. She wished that Poppy had called her right after the date instead of the morning after. It was clear to Lisa that Poppy had spent most of the night overanalyzing and imagining future scenarios that wouldn’t happen.

Poppy sighed as she plopped down on her bed, still holding the phone to her ear. She wanted to kick herself. She wished she became an engineer instead of a biologist, so she could invent a time machine and travel back in time.

“Do you want to tell me what happened? It might help,” Lissa’s voice cut through the silence.

“So it is all the stupid busboy’s fault!” Poppy shouted into her phone. Lissa playfully rolled her eyes at the very limited story she told.

“I am going to need more details hun.”

“So everything is going great. He is super sweet and really funny. He started off super quiet, and barely spoke at the beginning of dinner. Once the food came he became kinda chatty,” Poppy began telling the story while Lissa nodded her head as she listened over the phone.

“What did you wear?” Lissa interrupted earning some confusion from Poppy.

“I don’t see how that is relevant.”

“Hey, it helps paint a picture of you on your date at some fancy italian restaurant in the middle of nowhere Indiana,” Lissa rebuttled earning a groan from Poppy.

After a couple moments of silence, Poppy broke the silence, “I wore the short gold dress.”

“Thanks, now you can continue the story,” Lissa sarcastically replied earning a light chuckle from Poppy who wished her old roommate was here in Indiana, and not in the middle of nowhere Maine.

“As I was saying, everything was going great. The food was spectacular, and we were clicking. Every once and a while silence would fill the space between us, but it was a comfortable silence. It was when we were looking at the menu or eating. We even shared our dinners. Like Lissa...this is going to sound really cheesy, but he even fed me his food. You know, like in those romance movies we watch all the time?”

“Aww that is really sweet of him. If he has a twin I call dibs,” Lissa half joked.

“Anyway, we both finished our dinners and this busboy….ohh god the fucking bus boy,” Lissa froze as Poppy swore. She had known Poppy for 5 years, and she had only heard the girl swear a handful of times.

“What did the busboy do? Did he make fun of you or something like that?”

“No. So the busboy goes and asks ‘Did you enjoy your dinner Mr Stradlin?’ Then I mumble something like Stradlin is a silly last name which it is! It didn’t sound like a real name to be honest. Sounds kinda like a sex joke. Anyway the busboy turns to me and says ‘Well I guess that is one of the perks of being a rockstar…you get to choose whatever name you want. Plus it’s not the weirdest name, he has a bandmate named Duff and another named Axl’. I fucking froze when the busboy said that. The reason Izzy didn’t want to talk about his job was because he was a part of Guns N’ Roses. That is why he never mentioned his last name to me,” Lissa didn’t need to be in the same room as Poppy to know that she was most likely dramatically flapping her arm in the air like the penguins she took care of.

“Wait wait wait...you went on a date with Izzy Stradlin,” Lissa was attempting to connect the dots and understand Poppy met a rockstar.

“I guess..” Poppy mumbled back.

“What do you mean I guess. You didn’t recognize him from all of the magazines that have been littering the checkout counter at practically every grocery store ever since he left Guns N’ Roses? It was also all over the radio!” Poppy groaned at Lisa’s comment. She should have known. Izzy wasn’t a name like Mike or Mark where there are thousands of people walking around with that name. There were probably a handful of people named Izzy, if any at all. An Izzy in Indiana who is a quiet musician and has brown hair could only have been Izzy the rockstar.

“God I’m an awkward idiot…” Poppy once again mumbled. She wanted to slap herself silly.

“What else happened,” Lissa asked after a couple moments of silence.

“Well anyway, once the busboy pointed out that Izzy was a rockstar, things got awkward. The busboy left, and when the check came he didn’t even look over it. He just handed our waitress his credit card and told her to process it as soon as possible. It was clear that he wanted out,” Poopy’s heart sunk as she recalled the moment.

“How were you the awkward one?” Lissa asked, trying to follow Poppy’s questionable logic.

“I haven’t gotten to that part yet. So we start to leave the restaurant and I missed that he offered to take my hand. Then when we were outside the restaurant waiting for the valet to grab our cars, he offered for us to go and walk to a nearby gelato place that I mentioned during appetizers. The problem was that I already saw the valet driving towards us in my car, and it felt like he was doing it out of pity…so I said no. The whole drive home I was kicking myself!”

“Doesn’t sound too bad hun. Also, he might have just been trying to get out of the restaurant before everyone else recognized him. From what I’ve heard from interviews and stuff, he never was the one who wanted to be the center of attention. Poppy...getting gelato might have been because he didn’t want the date to end…” Lissa was trying to lift Poppy’s spirits by giving an alternate scenario, one that Lissa believed to be the real reason.

“You’re just stressing yourself over nothing,” Lissa added trying the break the silence once again.

“What do I do, Lissa.”

“Go to a music shop. Find his albums and buy them so you could listen to them. Worst case you case you could show up and get some music for your penguins to listen to…”

“I’m going to stand out like a sore thumb….”

“Poppy...you will not stand out in a music shop”

After 20 minutes of Lissa convincing Poppy to get dress and head to the music shop, Poppy found herself standing outside the music store. The closest one was in Lafayette which was a quick drive from her apartment. She took a deep breath before she walked in.

Poppy almost jumped when the bell on the door rang.

“Welcome to Halls Music Shop,” On the outside Poppy smiled and waved at the man who was working the register, internally she wanted to bolt out of the shop because she felt several eyes on her.

The first floor was filled with records and cassette tapes. Poppy wandered towards the section labeled rock as she was determined to find the record and quickly leave as soon as possible. She sighed as she quickly realized how large the rock section was, this wasn’t going to be as easy as she expected. She was under the assumption that there were two maybe three type of rock music; classic, punk, and heavy. There were 15, 15 type of rock.

“Hey, I’m Ryan! Are you looking for anything in particular?” A tall brunette pulled her out of her thoughts of trying to figure out which one of the types of rock Izzy’s band was.

“Yeah….umm...it’s called Guns N’ Roses,” Poppy sent Ryan a soft smile who sent it right back to her.

“Good choice! I saw them live a year ago, and it was insane. If you ever get the chance I would highly recommend seeing them live. It’s almost impossible to believe how insanely awesome their shows are,” Ryan said to Poppy remembering most of the night from the show. His ticket was worth every penny, and he was hoping they would add more tour dates soon.

“Cool, I had a friend recommend them to me. She said I’d like them,” Poppy replied trying to keep the conversation going. It wasn’t a complete lie, but it was a rehearsed one.

“You haven’t been listening to them? They’re the only thing everyone is talking about!”

Across the small store, Izzy stood on the second floor looking through their guitars for sale. Did he need one? No.

Was he looking to distract himself from his date last night? Yes.

Everything was going perfect in his book. He was playing all the moves that his old band mates had taught him. From being overly sweet like Duff to making her endlessly laugh like Steven. Then the damn busboy had to blow his cover. Granted he really didn’t have a cover, but he still hated the busboy. Once the busboy opened his stupid mouth. He knew the entire time all that was going through Poppy’s head was that Izzy was a rockstar with a rockstar lifestyle.

He shook his head before deciding to just pick up his new strings, and headed down the stairs to the checkout. He found this place within the first week of movie back, and was forever great fun for it.

As he headed down the stairs, he immediately saw the redhead. Unsure of what had taken over him, Izzy headed towards the rock section where he saw Poppy looking through cassettes.

“Hey Pops,” A smile grew on Poppy’s face as Izzy stood next to her pretending to look through some of the cassettes.

“Hey,” Poppy felt her heart rate immediately skyrocket when he got even closer to her.

‘Don’t be awkward. Just keep breathing. Maybe Lissa was right about overanalyzing this entire situation’ poppy mental told herself.

“Looking for anything in particular?” Izzy was slowly piecing the pieces to the puzzle that was Poppy’s brain.

“Well I’m obviously looking for the perfect album,” Poppy teased back as she continued to purposely search away from the Guns N’ Roses section. After a couple of seconds of perusing through, Poppy smiled when she found the perfect cassette to tease Izzy with.

“Ahh, here we go,” Poppy grabbed a Motley Crue cassette and proudly showed it to Izzy, earning a playful eye roll from the guitarist. Poppy didn’t know a lot about rock bands, but she knew about the tension between Axl Rose and Vince Neil. There was a solid month where that’s all the magazines that littered the grocery store checkout aisle talked about.

“Girls, Girls, Grils?” A smirk was present on Izzy lips when he spoke.

“Yeah! First off I’m a girl, so obviously this album is for me. Secondly, there is nothing hotter than guys on bikes. Lastly, these songs just speak to me,” Poppy said, attempting to hide her laughter.

“These songs speak to you? Ohh do tell!” Izzy asked, a smirk never leaving his lips.

“Well, the first song Wild Side...clearly as you can tell by just looking at me I have such a rambunctious side! Plus I have worked with wild animals.”

“Ohh I can see it now, you and your penguin sidekicks probably get in all sorts of trouble,” Poppy laughed at Izzy’s comment before continuing on with her explanation.

“Girls, Girls, Girls….self explanatory. The song is clearly written for me...a female,” this earned a chuckle from Izzy who knew that Poppy had clearly never listened to the song before.

Poppy felt the nerves vanish as Izzy laughed. She felt her cheeks and ears redden. She felt smaller against the tall guitarist.

“What about Dancing on Glass?” Izzy asked, breaking the silence between them.

“Well as an ex-ballerina I don’t not see the appeal to dancing on glass…”

“It is about Nikki’s, the guy who wrote the song, Heroin overdose, the shit he and his band went through to get to that point in time, and how he wouldn't go through that routine again. Like he said,"it's just like dancing on glass” Poppy nodded as Izzy briefly talked about the song.

“Did you write any songs?” A soft smile formed on Izzy’s lips as he headed over towards where the Guns N’ Roses cassettes were. Poppy put the Motley Crue cassette that she had no intention of buying back and followed him.

“One of the most popular songs I worked on with Guns was Sweet Child of mine. It was definitely one of those all hands on deck situations, but I provided most of the chords. The intro bit is 100% Slash’s warm up. Out Ta Get Me was another one I wrote. It’s a fun song to play,” Poppy quickly interrupted Izzy by teasily correcting him, “Out to get me….out ta get me isn’t proper English.”

“Well I’ll have you know I’m the only one in Guns to have a high school degree, so grammatical correctness wasn’t are highest concern,” Poppy simply giggles at his remark before he continued talking.

“Mr. Brownstone was another good one Slash and I wrote. It’s about what a day in the life of being a struggling LA band on the strip.” Poppy watched as sorrow grew on his face.

“What about Patience, that one doesn’t sound at all like a rock n roll song,” Poppy tried to distract him by bringing up another song on the cassette that she was holding. It was called G N’ R Lies, a rather odd name for a album, but she assumed they had some sound reasoning for it.

“It’s not really,” Poppy nodded her head at his comment. He then went completely silent looking at the cassettes, memories of both good times and bad flooding his head.

“Well, maybe you should play it for me sometime.”

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Poppy felt a soft smile across her lips as he replied.

“You have too many albums Izzy..you make it hard to choose just one,” Poppy teased, still trying to lighten his mood.

When that didn’t work, she snatched the cassette he was holding, “Hmm Appetite for Destruction sounds like the one for me.”

“Ohh so are you telling me you crave destruction?” Izzy finally spoke again, a smirk lingering on his features.

“I’m a biologist who studies dangerous animals for a living, I don’t just crave destruction. I control it,” The words were coming out faster than she could think. What she was saying felt silly, but when she looked back to Izzy who now had his arm wrapped around her wrist she didn’t regret the words one bit.

“I would trust penguins under the dangerous animals category,” Izzy smugly replied.

“What about polar bears or mountain lions?”

“Okay, those...those are dangerous,” he didn’t look at her when he responded, but a smile lingered on his face.

“Is that all for you then today?” Ryan asked as Izzy placed the guitar strings he needed to buy on the counter.

“And a cassette of Appetite,” Izzy offered his hand and Poppy placed the cassette in his hand.

“Buying your own albums now?” Ryan asked, raising an eyebrow towards the guitarist.

Izzy shrugged before handing the cashier his credit card. Once the transaction was done, Poppy immediately reached down to grab his hand, slowly stroking it with her thumb.

“Do you have any plans for the afternoon?”

Poppy shook her head no before following Izzy to his car. She was expecting some luxury sports car, but instead he drove a burnt red truck. She couldn’t explain why, but it fit him perfectly.

He put the cassette in, and drove back to his place with Poppy along for the ride. She by no means was a singer, but she was quick to pick up on the refrains.

“You know that the song ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ isn’t very welcoming. I do not feel welcome in whatever jungle y’all were in when you performed that, and I have been to many jungles...if I may add,” Poppy said once Welcome to the Jungle finished. This earned a small smile from Izzy who was surprised that listening to his old album wasn’t making him incredibly pissed off, he figured it was because of Poppy who was dancing and poorly singing next to him.

About half way through ‘It’s so Easy’ Poppy just started cracking up.

“What?”

“It’s nothing,” Poppy tried to hide her giggle as she spoke.

“Sounds like something,” Now Izzy was curious to see the red head’s opinion on the song.

“It’s so easy, when everyone is trying to please me!” Poppy jokingly sang, mocking the song. Was his band seriously that cocky?

“Mock all you want, but that song is inspired by the life we lived,” Poppy dialed back on the mocking and continued to jokingly dance in her seat, clearly earning stares from nearby cars.

By the time Nightrain came on Poppy was pretending to play guitar and drums. Izzy couldn’t help, but smile at the reaction she had to his music.

“Your place is beautiful,” Poppy said as they pulled up to what she assumed to be Izzy’s place. It wasn’t an extravagant LA mansion, but it was home. It was also was a huge fuck you to Axl, since they both talked about living in the house growing up.

“Thanks,” Izzy replied as he unlocked the door. He couldn’t have unlocked the door faster.

Once Poppy made it inside she practically felt herself slammed up against the now closed front door. She looked up to see Izzy, who wore a look that made her want to melt. Holy fuck he looked hot towering over her.

“So, is this how you welcome most guests?” Poppy asked, unable to look away from his eyes.

Even though it was no later than 3pm, the foyer in his house was dark. His face was partially hidden in the shadows, but she could still see the outline of his face and his deep hazel eyes that she swore changed color in the afternoon sun.

She expected him to taste like a mix of alcohol and cigarettes, but she was quickly proven wrong. He tasted like caramel. The type of warm Carmel that you would find in pie. It was calming, as she felt his fingers dance down her sides.

As if on reflex, Poppy intertwined her fingers in his hair. Her mind went blank, unable to focus on any single thing as she felt Izzy’s tongue in her mouth. Izzy began to slowly guide Poppy towards his couch with intentions that could only be described as those belonging to a rockstar.

[shes-an-oddbird]

Christmas at River’s End Mall

Summary -  A Christmas AU in which everyone navigates their seasonal jobs, relationships and Christmas spirit, or lack there of, through woven together tales inspired by holiday prompts.

Chapter 6 - Christmas Tree

Summary -   Jemma and Daisy search for a Christmas tree last minute and Jemma tells Daisy about their new house guest.

Prompt - Christmas Tree Relationship - Jemma & Daisy POV - Jemma

Jemma knows the last few boxes are just a little messier than usual and the ribbons slightly askew but she’s in a rush to finish the last of the gifts and clock out. It’s quiet in the mall. The natural day light from the skylights had been replaced with softer moonlight and the harsh fluorescent fixtures cast shadows she doesn’t recall seeing during the day. Gates have been lowered on stores, the only patrons are mall staff and most of them are on their way out too. She cleans up her space quickly; brushing the scraps of her conversations with Fitz into the bin beneath her workspace and making sure all the gifts are secure before pushing her stool under the table and rushing to the stairs.

She’s supposed to meet Daisy so they can finally get their Christmas tree. It’s the first chance they’d had even well into December. Her labs kept her busy and Daisy seemed to work non-stop this time of year. She dedicated her days to volunteering at the mall and that left her freelance cyber security work to be done at all hours of the night.

But someone was covering her labs tonight and Daisy managed to squeeze out a little time in schedule, so this evening they were going to have a Christmas themed girls’ night and decorate their tree, bake cookies, down eggnog and maybe binge a couple of holiday movies.

Jemma was hoping it would put Daisy in a good mood because she had some news that her friend was going to be less than excited about.

She hurried down the steps to the North Pole where a few volunteers were finishing clean up. Daisy is leaning against a table while Daniel, the new volunteer Daisy claims to be the biggest dork, creates neat stacks with piles and piles of envelops.

“You’ve never seen Elf?” She asks him in disbelief.

“No.” He confirms.

“What about A Christmas Carol.”

“Of course.”

“The Muppet version?”

“Um, no.”

“The Grinch?”

“The original.” He says positively.

“Okay, have you watched any movies made after 1990?”

“Not many.”

“Jemma help, he’s never seen Home Alone.”

Jemma knows that while Daisy is chipper and teasing this may truly be causing her distress. “I’m surprised she’s even speaking to you, our first Christmas as roommates I think we had a 48-hour movie marathon of every holiday movie I hadn’t seen.”

“My family only ever watched classics when I was a kid, I may have seen some of these but if I did, I don’t remember them well.” He reasons.

“So watch them again, mix it up.”

He shrugs. “I guess, I just don’t like watching movies alone.”

Daisy huffs, “Well I’m making a list – “

“and checking it twice?” He interrupts her and she shoves his shoulder.

“I’m making a list of must-see Christmas movies and you’re watching them, I’ll watch them with you if I have too, no one should be deprived of watching a grown ass adult’s belief in Santa be restored ten or twelve times in a row.”

“I do hope you’re making this list later because if we don’t get going, they’ll be all closed up soon.” Jemma hates to pull Daisy away from her fun but she’s eager to get their tree.

“Where are you guys off to?”

“We’ve got to get our Christmas tree.”

“Do you need any help?”

“Thanks but we’re good, Bobbi forced Hunter to stay late and help us, might as well put him to work.”

“Fair enough, see you tomorrow?” Daisy nods and they wave goodbye. They walk in silence towards the front entrance of the mall, pulling on their coats and gloves. Jemma adjusts her wool hat so that it covers her ears and checks to see if Daisy is ready to go only to find her looking back in the direction they came from.

Jemma smirks and doesn’t bother to try to hide her amusement. Daisy turns back to her, preparing to pull on her own hat and jumps when she sees she has been caught. “What?” She asks, her cheeks rosy like they’ve already stepped out in the cold.

“Nothing, you’re right though, he’s kind of a dork, sweet though, it was nice of him to offer his help.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

They hurry outside and across the dark parking lot towards the tree lot. There are a few snow-covered cars nearby and Jemma spots Hunter loading a fluffy tree into the bed of a large red truck. As they get closer Jemma can see that the tree farm has been picked over and what is left seems to consist of a few unnecessarily large trees, a few puny ones and the rest look as though they are already on their last limbs.

“Oh dear.” Jemma’s heart sinks and she glances worriedly at Daisy.

“Wow.” Her friend runs her hand over a branch of the nearest tree and several bristles fall to the ground. “Not much to choose from is there, guess it’s my own fault, I should have made time sooner.”

Jemma frowns. Daisy’s attempt to brush off her disappointment is obvious, at least to her. Her friend loved Christmas and putting up the tree was one of her favorite traditions. She had several beautiful ornaments; May and Coulson and even Bobbi had taken to giving her one every year. Just recently she had started to do the same. She always took such care when hanging them.

“I’m sure we will find the perfect one, let’s look around.” Jemma loops her arm through Daisy’s and pulls her along.

The healthy little ones were too small to support Daisy’s vast collection of decorations and the large ones would eat up the small living room of their apartment, but they look and look again for the right one.

“Hello loves,” Hunter steps up behind them, throwing an arm around each of their shoulders. “Bout time you showed up.”

“Hey, you didn’t save us a decent tree, did you?” Daisy asks.

Hunter takes a step back, “you know Bobbi might have mentioned something about that.”

Jemma feels a surge of hope, “so you’ve got one for us?”

“Afraid not.”

“Hunter!”

“Hey, you ever try to deny a tree to someone this time a year, one woman nearly took my head off when I told her the one for you was off limits, this,” he gestures to the scarce lot of trees, “is all you’ve got to choose from.”

Jemma shares an unsure look with Daisy. She wasn’t about to go without a Christmas tree. “Maybe we could get a big one, we can just push the couch aside, we hardly ever use it anyways.”

“Works for me, I get better commission on the big ones and better tips by the way.” They both shoot Hunter a look and he raises hands up in defeat. “Just let me know when you’re ready.” He says and makes a hasty disappearance.

Daisy sighs. “What do you think, we can make it work right?”

Oh damn. She was hoping not to have to bring this up yet. “Actually, we will be needing the couch, very soon actually.”

“Wait why?”

“Remember my cousin Deke?”

“The one with the creepy crush on me?”

Jemma cringes. “Yes well, his parents are flying out to spend Christmas with my parents and he was going to go too, until he heard I was planning to stay here and he thought I should have some family around for Christmas so – “

“Oh, don’t say it.”

“He’s kind of going to be staying with us.”

“Jemma!”

“I’m sorry, if I didn’t take him in, I would have never heard the end of it and he’s been better right, since you had that talk with him.”

“Yeah, but it’s still awkward.”

Jemma was actually quite fond of Deke. He shared her love of science and had a good heart. He was just a bit awkward, not unlike herself. That said it was uncomfortable to be in a room with someone you knew liked you and that was unfair to ask Daisy to do. “Let me call my mom, if I explain – “

“No, it’s okay, he’s really not bad company and I can’t throw him out at Christmas that would be cruel, even for me, besides, I know he’s your favorite cousin.” Daisy stops, maybe to re consider her words, Jemma thinks. “But if I see one lemon Jemma – “

“He’s on the street I swear, favorite or not.”

Daisy laughs and Jemma feels better knowing she’s not actually mad at her. Still she wants to make it up to her. An unexpected house guest was not in their Christmas plans. “Let’s get the big tree, I think I can squeeze an air mattress into my room.”

“We don’t have too.”

“We should, we never have enough room for all the ornaments anyways, this way we will.”

“Really?” Daisy asks hopefully and she nods insistently. Her eyes light up. “Alright, which one?”

“How about this one?” Jemma points to a vibrant green one that towers over the pair.

“I like this one.” Daisy points to a slight smaller one, the bristles are a bit browner but it would be a better size for the apartment.

“Are you sure, this one looks healthier.”

“Come on, I bet you could nurse it back to health and I’m afraid no one else will take it.”

Jemma doesn’t question Daisy’s attachment to the misfit tree. It wouldn’t be the first time she picked something that was a little different or a little odd. “It will be beautiful.”

[tlbodine]

Life, Death, Stories Retold

We’re about halfway along our journey through the 1980s, and this week’s films are some of the most famous (and infamous) of the decade, albeit for extremely different reasons and in quite different ways. They do have some themes in common, though: life, death, immortality....and literary reimaginings? 

The Lost Boys (1987), directed by Joel Schumacher, is revered to this day as a thoroughly essential item of vampire filmography. It’s visually iconic, creating an aesthetic of young, hip vampires fueled by blood, sex, and punk rock. There’s also a young Kiefer Sutherland sporting what may be history’s only successful mullet. 

The story followed a recent divorcee and her two teenage sons as they move to a sunny beachside town in Southern California that happens to have a track record for murder. Once there, it’s discovered that the town’s problem is in fact a slight infestation of vampires, who quickly zoom in on the eldest son and try to pull him into the fold. The younger son, with the help of two earnest-and-completely-ridiculous would-be vampire hunters, tries to save the day. 

I do think everyone should probably watch this movie, especially if you have any interest in vampires as a staple of urban fantasy, because the fingerprints of The Lost Boys are all over Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Vampire: The Masquerade, which in turn have tremendously influenced urban fantasy vampires. But when you watch this movie, go into it with the understanding that this is not an especially deep or serious film. This is a very slick and silly romp designed for a young teen audience, and it plays out at times like the most intense D.A.R.E. commercial you’ve ever seen. 

The title, obviously, is a call-back to Peter Pan, and in many ways the story absolutely echoes that tale (especially the ending, which I won’t spoil for you here). I actually think the idea of “peter pan reimagined as a vampire” is extremely fertile storytelling ground, and you could probably do quite a bit with it beyond The Lost Boys mythos, but that’s neither here nor there. 

Directed by Stuart Gordon in 1985, Re-Animator is a loose re-telling of the H.P. Lovecraft story “Herbert West -- Reanimator” (which is itself kind of a loose re-telling of Frankenstein). 

The plot is very straightforward: Young, ambitious medical student Herbert West discovers the secret to bringing back the dead! Unfortunately there’s some kinks to work out, such as the tendency of the reanimated bodies to go on murder rampages. But surely if he just gets more practice with fresher bodies, he’ll be fine, right? 

Helping him out in this questionable scheme is his roommate and fellow medical student Dan Cain, a hard worker who doesn’t know when to quit and is engaged to the dean’s daughter, who is also apparently the only woman in the world. 

There are a couple things you need to know about Re-Animator. One: it is fucking gross. It was cut in both an R-rated theatrical version and an X-rated/unrated director’s cut, and there is so much content removed from the director’s cut that they had to insert a whole subplot in the theatrical version to compensate. 

The gross-ness of Re-Animator isn’t limited just to its guts and gore (of which there is lots) but also (most especially) to some sexual content involving a severed head. I’ll leave that one up to you to figure out (but I bet you guessed wrong!) 

Overall, this is good shlocky fun. Darkly funny, it’s a movie that takes itself just seriously enough to be effective but never reaches beyond what it is. I think it is absolutely in the spirit of Evil Dead and would make a fantastic double feature with that film -- they’re both cheesy, gross, over-the-top, occasionally sexualized and boundary-pushingly-absurd. I feel pretty confident in saying if you like Evil Dead, you’ll like Re-Animator. 

One thing has become very clear from the 1980s: horror in this decade just did not take itself very seriously. Not even a tiny little bit. 

[jaehyun-eclipsed]

Before I Met You | Ten

Updates: Sundays, ~8 PM EST

Pairing: NCT (Jaehyun, Lucas, Mark, Jaemin, Johnny) X Reader/OC

Genre: Romance, Angst, Coming of Age

Summary: Four. There were four people before I fell in love with you… Here are their stories.

Before I Met You Masterlist

Prev | Next

“What are you doing?” Jaehyun asks.

He looks down at me as I sit on the floor, boxes and papers scattered around me. A smirk slowly forms on his face, the scene in front of him clearly amusing.

“I’m just going through some of the old papers I’ve saved.” I chuck a stack of papers into a cardboard box. “There’s a lot of stuff from my college days that I haven’t touched in years so I figure I can throw it out.”

Jaehyun’s eyebrows raise in curiosity. He bends down to pick up something that catches his eye. “What are these?”

“Oh! Those are a bunch of polaroids we’ve taken together. I put them in a box each time we took them and since I’m cleaning up and redecorating, I thought I’d make a photo garland with them above my desk.”

“That would be nice – oh! This is from our first date!”  He flips to the next photo. “Oh and this was the first night you came over and we watched Before Sunrise together!”

I stand up and lightly grip onto his forearm, leaning my head against him as he continues looking through the photos. “You know, I was quite surprised you suggested we watch that movie.”

“Oh really? Why?”

“It’s an unusual style for a movie; it’s not something everyone would necessarily appreciate,” I say. “I was pretty excited you wanted to watch it though!” I grin up at him. “It’s one of my favorite movies. I watched it for the first time when I was a sophomore in college.”

“I really liked it. It was really interesting and I was impressed at how it kept you focused the entire time even though it was so simple.”  

I let go of his arm as he hands me back all the photos. 

“I have a couple emails I need to send, but for dinner I was thinking we could make some pizza? I bought sourdough,” he says. 

“Yeah, that sounds great! Let me know when you’re ready!”

He smiles and gives me a light peck on the lips. “I love you.”

I lift my hand to gently caress his cheek before bringing it to the back of his neck to pull him down for another kiss. “I love you, too.”

As Jaehyun leaves the room, I look down at the floor again, spotting my chemistry lab notebook from freshman year. I pick it up and flip through it, seeing that there are still a significant number of blank pages that can still be used. Perhaps I’ll keep it. When I reach the back cover, a sense of nostalgia overcomes me as I scan the many sticky notes containing various equations and important points I needed to memorize for the final. I briefly quirk an eyebrow before breaking out into a smile when I see the light green sticky note at the bottom with a doodle of a smiling watermelon with arms and legs. Mark had drawn it for me when we were studying and hid it in my notebook when I left to use the restroom.  

I actually haven’t spoken to Mark in a while. He’s difficult to get a hold of. Last I had heard was that he was doing some service work and traveling. Occasionally, he’d post a picture of himself playing the guitar wherever he was – usually on a beach or for an audience of small children.  

Mark will always hold a special place in my heart. My time with him was very limited, but he’s a fond memory I’ll always hold dear. He was the first real friend I had in college – the first person away from home I ever felt comfortable speaking to. For me, he was the sign that things were going to be okay.  

He was right though. Things did get better as I progressed through college. I moved out of the dorms and found a better roommate. I made some new friends that I could call up and hang out with. Studying was still difficult, but I did figure out what worked in order for me to be successful. It’s still not a place I miss, but I do appreciate all of the opportunities I had. And on the rare occasion I had the chance to talk to Mark, he was always so excited to hear that things were going relatively well. He ended up being someone I told a lot of my boy problems to, and though he didn’t have a ton of advice every time, he was always amused by my stories.

However, there was one time – the summer before I graduated college – where he did have some advice that really helped me. That was the last time I saw him in person.

I do miss him.

Sadly, we didn’t contact each other that much after he went to London. The time difference made it a challenge and whenever one of us was available, the other wasn’t. I felt like the universe was trying to tell me something.

I do remember one phone call we had though. That call broke my heart.

Is it even possible to have your heart broken by someone who was just a friend?

Because Mark was the first person to ever break my heart… and break it twice.

“Hey! I went to Derbyshire the other day. You’d love it! It’s so beautiful!” he said. “And Chatsworth House is gorgeous. No wonder you like that movie so much. They chose some good filming sites.”

“It’s a very aesthetically pleasing movie!” I remarked. “I’m so jealous though. You got to live my Elizabeth Bennet dreams.”

“Yeah! You should come visit considering I’m going to be staying here for two more years.”

“Wh – what?”

“Yeah! Shortly after I got here, I was looking into transferring and college here is usually three years so the timing kinda works out. The UK normally doesn’t like transfers, but since I’m here, I figured some stuff out with their counselors.”

I was happy for him, truly. But that didn’t mean I didn’t want him to come back considering our time together was so short. There was so much more I wanted to talk to him about. He was different and he embraced being different. He was always so comfortable in his own skin and had a carefree spirit that was easy to be around. Mark truly enjoyed life – with all of its complexities and particularly its simple pleasures.

Honestly, I didn’t think Mark could say anything else that would have been as devastating as when he told first told me he was leaving.

But I was wrong. Hearing him decide to stay there for longer than he had originally planned was equally heartbreaking. It’s hard when you’re waiting for someone to come back and they don’t when you expect them to. I even get a little disappointed when Jaehyun says a business trip has to be extended for a couple days. But that’s nothing compared to two years. 

Timing.

The timing was never right for us.

But one thing’s for sure: Mark kept his original promise.

Dear Y/N,

Hello! I’m so sorry it has taken me so long to write to you! Life just gets so busy sometimes! I wanted to thank you again for the journal you gave me. Your note was so sweet! I don’t know if you noticed, but I was trying not to cry when you gave it to me haha. I also added the pictures we took together. You know, we look pretty cute in them haha!

I hope you know that I live vicariously through you. London is great, but I do miss California! I like hearing about all of the different aspects of your life, especially your boy drama (because who doesn’t like a little gossip) so keep it up! I just wanna let you know that even though I’m 5,000 miles away, I’m always a call/email/letter away! If you need me, I’m here!

I’m really grateful I got to know you, even if it was only for a little bit. I do wish we had met earlier, but I’m pretty sure we’re going to remain friends even after I return! Once you become friends with me, you’re stuck with me forever haha :) But please stay in contact with me! Sincerely, I think you’re incredible.

I hope everything this semester is going swell for you! Sounds like you’re taking on a lot, but I know you can do it! As you know, I’m not the most gifted in chemistry, but if you need anything else, just let me know!

One last thing: Keep up being amazing! Good luck trying to keep all these boys off you, but I’m sure they know when they’ve met an incredible find. It’s not often you meet a girl who is kind, pretty, smart, and funny; so I doubt you’ll be able to keep them away for too long!

Anyway, I hope you continue to write me letters sometimes! Isn’t it fun to have a pen pal?! I love hearing about what you’re up to! So keep me posted!

Love, Mark

Prev | Next

Before I Met You Masterlist Masterlist

[mariangelpena]

hello, everyone! my name’s leonie and it’s so lovely to be here. this here is my precious little bean mariangel who is a highkey squish obsessed with all things glittery and pink who’s trying to be a #doctor. my discord is ( emeravdes#9932 ) if you’re interested in plotting stuff w/her or just swinging by to chat! i have to go to bed because it’s like... midnight but i’ll be around tomorrow. later today. anywho! here’s more on mariangel! --- @frostfordstart​

full name: mariangel itzel peña

nicknames: mari, mar, angel/angelito (mainly called this via her parents or her grandparents)

birthday: october 20th

current age: twenty two

sexuality: heterosexual, heteroromantic

personality (+): sweet, innocent, compassionate, brave, organized, cheerful, studios, hardworking, honest, grateful

personality (-): nosy, emotional, private, self-concious, assertive, gullible, passive

BRIEF FAM BAM BACKGROUND

mariangel is the youngest and fourth child of victor and marcella peña - both of which have lived in frostford for their entire lives. marcella’s family moved from tulum, mexico when marcella was still a baby and they spent a lot of time travelling around the US to different states before they found their way to frostford by pure change. 

however, victor’s family had a bit of a longer story. mariangel’s grandfather - miguel angel - moved to the united states from oaxaca mexico in search of a better life for his family which consisted of his wife, Rosa, and their seven children. one of which was victor. after waiting almost five years for miguel angel to come back to mexico, rosa took matters into her own hands and chose to make the dangerous trip to the united states with her seven children in toe. thus came the peña family settling into frostford and branching out and establishing families of their own.

victor and marcella met while victor was in the army corps of engineers and eventually married and began to have their family. first came rafael and magdalena, followed by the adoption of their third son antonio and lastly the birth of mariangel. (names for her siblings are all placeholders since there’s a wanted connection out for them & calling them ‘my brother’ each time she mentions them would be... chaotic)

the peñas have a bit of a strange dynamic in the sense that some days they act closer than anything in the world whereas there are other days where they actually act like they hate each other. often times this makes mariangel feel like her siblings don’t like her - something she carries to this day.

THE EARLY YEARS, BAY-BEE

you know when a baby is born and they don’t really cry? just are a good baby who just wants to cuddle and be a ray of sunshine to their parents? that was the kind of baby mariangel was. the kind of child she was.

by the time that she was in kindergarten, she was the little girl who would go up to everyone she met and say hello, ask them how their day was going and then proceed to tell them about something she’d done during the day. the friendliest bean with the most infectious spirit.

was totally that little girl who followed around all her older siblings and cousins wanting to play or find out what they were doing. the nosiest nugget tbh.

however, when she turned 6, her parents told her that they were going to be moving and it was essentially something that crushed her heart at such an early age. she didn’t want to leave her friends behind and other people she’d come to know. she threw a whole ass fit the day they had set to move that victor had to find a way to get her tuckered out and asleep in order to get on the way.

little did she know that she’d be living in eight different states for the next ten years

more on that is over HERE.

over the course of the time she was away and bouncing from city to city, state to state, mariangel was actually very lonely? she spent a majority of her childhood without a single friend to call her own because she slowly began to realize that any time she got attached to people, they would soon be moving and she’d have to leave them behind again. so she figured, what was the point when nothing felt genuine? when nobody would even matter after six months to a years time? all she really could do was keep as much contact w/anyone from frostford that still wanted to be her friend.

to make up for the lack of friends, marcella actually chose to put mariangel into dance lessons and eventually into cheerleading so that her daughter would have something that would make her feel like it wasn’t all bad.

however, due to her more isolated nature, she developed a strong love for reading which brought her down the extensive path which made her the hopeless case that she is today. she dreams of things that she could never have, lives in a bubble of dreams never spoken and wants nothing more than to continue to live in that fantasy since sometimes it’s the most excitement she gets in the day.

100000% a hopeless romantic and she blames all the books that she read that made her think that all love was special. will 100% try to play matchmaker if you let her and she’s surprisingly very good at it.

ALONG CAME HIGH SCHOOL

it was when she was 13 and living in pennsyvlania that she had her first ever boyfriend and it was the same person that she dated up until she was about to turn 16 and was told by her father that they were finally moving back to frostford. for good. no more moving, no more fear of losing things.

naturally, mariangel was ECSTATIC. 

things were a little hard in the beginning because she didn’t exactly feel like she could connect with any of her classmates who’d grown up together. this left her quiet and shy because she felt like an outsider for quite a long time until one day she had a talk with her mother and proceeded to change it around. she chose to be who she had grown to be and soon enough, the bubbly girl with charm and infectious spirit came to the surface as she lost herself in all the things she loved.

dance, cheerleading, all possible clubs that would work within a set schedule as well as signing up for anything in school that needed volunteers like blood drives, etc. all of this while maintaining her grades as high as possible.

because of all these things, she soon rose among the ranks of high school and earned herself popularity that made her pretty well known. this only became more well known when she chose to befriend people who were considered to be ‘lower on the food chain’ as they say in movies. more importantly, the fact that she was the girl who made it very clear that she wouldn’t hesitate to slap someone if she saw them picking on someone she knew.

actually, she’d do it to anyone who chose to bully people. she tried to avoid it by being stern while maintaining an innocent expression but when push comes to shove, slap goes smack against face!

NOW LETS TALK ‘BOUT BOIS

mariangel had a total of two relationships in high school and they all were kind of led into the ground by herself and not exactly knowing who to pick in terms of who she dated. she’d always go for people who were never as invested in the relationship as she was and didn’t want to put in any effort to see that it became something genuine. 

ultimately, in both relationships she ended up breaking her own heart because she had this preconceived idea of what a relationship should be and whenever things started to feel different to that, she just didn’t know how to handle things. which basically made her think that she was just crap at having them. 

by the end of high school, mariangel had become someone that was very well known and liked and like said earlier! she was a smart cookie through and through and she was in the top 10% of her graduating class, ranking at a humble spot of #5. 

THE COLLEGE YEARS

she could have easily gone to a fancy school since she was offered several scholarships but ultimately, mariangel settled on going to the university of alabama tuscaloosa because she could NOT bring herself to go somewhere far away after essentially doing that all her life.

and it made it easy to go and visit family/friends since the drive wasn’t so horrible.

first thing she did when she got to college? make sure that her roommate was sane.

second thing that she did when she got to college? try out for the university of alabama spirit squad because cheer was very much her life and she wasn’t going to live through those years without being in a cheer uniform.

after all that was settled, mariangel did what any sensible girl that grew up obsessed with elle woods and barbie who wanted the full blown college experience would do; find a sorority that she felt would best work for her. and she did when she found kappa kappa gamma.

but despite being someone that always knew what she wanted to do, mariangel didn’t actually know what she wanted to study when she first got to college because initially, she had thought of making into a nursing program. her advisor told her that biology would be the best route since it fell in line with the medical profession which she was aiming for. within six months, mariangel had actually decided that she wanted to actually go to medical school after watching this documentary about doctors without borders. 

after some googling different specialties in pediatrics, she figured at first the she would just be a general pediatrician until she found neonatology aka the doctors that take care and save newborn babies. which is ultimately where she wants to get to in her med school journey.

BUT ALL THAT STUFF ASIDE!

college was a very fun time for mariangel because she was able to do things that she would have never had the chance to do before. she’d always been a goodie two shoes in a sense and she somehow managed to stop caring so much about rules and just live her life. 

10/10 spent a lot of time with frat boys and probs hooked up with her fair share until she met one guy who truly made her heart flutter. her one and only college boyfriend whom she dated for just about three years. Things didn’t necessarily end on a high note so it’s just something that mari thinks about to this day and blames herself for it going to hell even though it wasn’t.

PRESENT DAY

the smallest section lol cause there isn’t much to say here

mari is currently finishing her first year of medical school and spends a lot of her extra time studying because she doesn’t plan to put her summer to waste. it was suggested that she focus on remembering all that she has learned and she won’t forget those wise words.

she’s also working at custard’s last time. if she isn’t your favorite employee, then that’s a shame ‘cause then you’re not getting free toppings on her behalf. 

she’s worked at custard’s since she was 16 and she thinks about the day where she has to leave to focus on school a lot ‘cause she thinks of olive as a second mom.

FUN FACTS

her name is combination of her mothers name and her grandfathers name - mar + i + angel = mariangel. her middle name itzel is taken from ancient mayan name for the goddess of the moon which also translates to ‘she is a rainbow’.

she has a pet ferret named blossom and she’s her pride and joy. if she doesn’t have blossom in a small loungefly backpack with her tiny head just sitting on her shoulder, blossom is probs being too feisty so she stayed home.

her favorite thing to do when she isn’t studying or hanging out with friends is watching paranomal videos on youtube since she wholeheartedly believes they’re real and nothing will change her mind.

her phone kind of lives on do not disturb since she got into med school and only has it set to put calls through from people she has in her favorites. so tbh if she ever answers your text within 10 minutes, you’re probably very special and she puts a lot of value into those conversations.

THE MOM FRIEND TO ALL TWENTY-SOMETHINGS WILLING TO HAVE ONE. will give you hardcore facts while also trying to wrap you in a blanket. and once she moms you? you’ll never get rid of her. 

has a collection of disney themes precious moments figurines & loungefly backpacks. anything disney, she wants it.

you’ll almost always find her wearing some kind of bow or scrunchie in her hair. she quite literally has such a collection that she dedicates a whole drawer in her room just for her scrunchie collection.

she has a weird obsession with legally blonde. please don’t talk to her about that movie if you don’t want her to present a full blow ted talk about both films and the musical. 

she is quite literally frostford’s number one source when it comes to tiktok dances and nobody can change my mind. like this girl knows literally every single dance on that app as well as the ones that are done by people just trying to vibe. 

WANTED CONNECTIONS

i have a page set up over ( here ) but we’re gonna include some here while we’re at it!

HER SIBLINGS! they’re currently a wanted connection so pls come to me <3

best friends! people that were always there for her and she’s been there for through anything and everything.

high school exes!

that college ex!

people that don’t like her! mari tends to live anyone and everyone but maybe something happened and suddenly no more friendship.

family friends! 

[atinywriting]

Ghostly Friend | Jongho Ghost AU

Synopsis: Jongho has been alone as a ghost for so long. But just as he’s about to give up on trying to get someone to see him, finally, you come along and you can see him!

Word Count: 1,453

Being dead had to be absolutely the most boring and loneliest thing to be for Jongho.

He sighed, pouting as he wondered throughout the house. Another family driven out again and he was alone. Again. It wasn’t his fault—

Wait. Jongho paused in the hallway, remembering all the things he did. Randomly slamming the doors for attention, purposely jumping around on the creaky floors, smashing fruit into pieces...

Okay, so maybe it was his fault. But, it wasn’t his fault he just wanted someone to finally see him. For someone to pull him out of this eternal boredom. For someone to just be there with him.

The sound of the front door opening downstairs suddenly snapped Jongho out of his thoughts. He walked to the window and peered outside. There were three people, someone around his age and what seemed to be their parents moving a few boxes in. Jongho frowned, sighing and drifted up towards the attic. Maybe. He thought. Maybe he should just stop trying. After all, he was only going to be invisible and keep scaring everyone off forever.

You looked up the house and took a step back, taken aback by the sight. Was someone behind the window? But within another blink of the eye, they were gone again in a flash.

“Uh, Mom? Do I have a roommate or something?” With a shake of her head, you asked another question. “Remind me, how did you buy this house for me again?”

“Oh, the family said they wanted to sell the house but couldn’t find anyone to buy it. They seemed really desperate, considering they lowered the price very low. Supposedly it’s haunted but ghosts aren’t real, so there is no real danger.”

Alarms of death flags rang throughout your body. You froze, mouth falling wide open as you stared at your mother in disbelief. “Mom, that’s like the start to almost every freaking horror plot in the universe.” Your eyes shifted back between your mom and dad. “You’re both sending me to my death in the most horror story way ever.”

You dad sighed, shaking his head, “You’ve been watching too much horror movies lately. And a movie is just a movie, not real life.”

“Oh, come on!” You groaned, face palming. You wildly waved your hand up and down at the house. “Family moves out. Old house is rumored to be haunted for years. House is sold to people who don’t believe in the supernatural. Then everything horrible in a horror movie plot happens!”

“You’re being paranoid. Have you ever actually seen a ghost?” Your dad inquired.

Your mom hummed in agreement. “And, didn’t you say you wanted to move out to be closer to your university so you didn’t have to drive for an hour? I also do recall you screaming, “Freedom!”, when we told you we found a place for you to move.”

You stiffened, trying to think of a counterpoint. But, nothing came to your mind.

Fuck. You cursed inside your head. Everything they both said was true. You’d never had actually seen a ghost before. Everything would definitely be more convenient for you if you lived here. And, there was definitely no house that was this cheap. There was no bad, other than the existence of ghosts if they even were here.

“Fine.” You sighed, holding up one finger. “One week. If nothing bad happens, I’ll stay. And, for future reference on what to put on my gravestone.” You stared at your parents seriously. “Put on, ‘I died like a stereotypical horror character. It’s your fault for not listening to me.’”

“Duly noted.” Your mother said dryly, rolling her eyes playfully.

As you waved at your parents and they drove off, a sudden thought came to your mind. Wait, what if mom and dad bought this house just to kill me off for being a bad child? You shook the thought off. Okay, that was probably reaching a bit much.

You took a deep breath, turning around to look over at the entire house again. It honestly looked pretty nice for a supposedly haunted house. But then again, the overall neatness of the house was probably there to lure you in a false sense of security. You walked into the house, eyes darting around and making sure to leave the door open. Surprisingly, the door didn’t close by itself like in every horror story.

Maybe if I just act friendly to the ghost, it won’t kill me? Loud creaks came from the stairs as you walked up.

“Hey, Mr. or Miss Ghost?”

Jongho froze for a few seconds, before lifting his head up. Did he just hear what he thought he heard? He stood up, more concentrated on the voice below him than before.

“I saw you behind the window earlier.”

He did hear correctly! His nonexistent heart raced faster and jumped.

You reached the middle of the hallway. “And uh, just letting you know I’m living here now. So... please don’t kill me?” You crossed your fingers as you continued on. A sudden flash of white appeared from the ceiling, landing in front of you, making you jump back. “HOLY FUCKING SHIT!” You began to scurry away, but he grabbed on to your hand tightly. You struggled against his hold, but fell to your knees.

“Wait, wait, wait! I’m not going to hurt you!”

At the words, you stopped struggling and slowly turned your head back, eyes dilated with fear. “You’re not going to kill me by tearing my limbs off, ripping my intestines out and riding me like some sort of meat sled down a mountain?” You asked in a small voice.

“Wait, what?” Confusion flashed in his eyes then he frantically shook his head. “No, no, no! I’m not going to tear your limbs off, rip your intestines out or turn you into a meat sled. But...” His eyes shined with hope. “You can actually see me?”

“I mean, I’m talking to you now, aren’t I?”

Tears of sheer joy dropped from his eyes. “Finally!” He screamed.

He let go of your hand and your entire body fell to the floor. You sat up, seeing him bounce all around the hallway, randomly slamming doors open and close, and— Wait. You blinked, squinting your eyes. Was your brain processing this correctly?

“Let’s get it! Drop the beat, YOOOOOO!”

“Are you... are you seriously Fortnite dancing and doing the Milly Rock? How old are you?”

But you were ignored as the ghost continued to laugh almost maniacally, dancing around the house and randomly singing high notes out of nowhere.

This. This is not what I thought having a ghost haunt me would be like, you thought to yourself as you stared at the energetic spirit.

He finally stopped after several minutes, looking somewhat sheepish as he approached you. Your eyes traveled up and down him, finally getting a good look at him. Dark splotches of blood and slit holes (perhaps stab wounds) decorated his clothes.

“Sorry for just leaving you on the floor like that.” He held out his hand. “I’m Jongho, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” You grabbed his hand and pulled yourself up. “But seriously, how recently did you have to die to know Milly Rock and Fortnite?”

“Over 40 years now actually?” Jongho looked down at his fingers, trying to recount the years. “Also the last family that lived here had kids and I just learned by watching them because it looked fun.” A sudden realization came to Jongho and he snapped his fingers. “Oh! Since you just moved here, I could help you.”

You tilted your head. “Really?”

Jongho nodded eagerly. “Come on, I’ll show you how to clean floors in a more fun way.”

He passed through the floor and you rushed down the stairs. As soon as you reached the floor, there Jongho stood tall with a broom held out in his right hand and left hand at his waist.

“I’m going to show you how to do the driving dance,” Jongho declared. “First—“

You held up your hand. “Hold on.” It was at this moment, you knew what to do. You reached into your pocket, grabbed your phone and pressed call.

“Hey mom?”

“Yes, sweetie?”

“Forget the one week thing. I adopted the crackhead ghost living here as my dead BFF and I am living here forever. Bye, love you.”

Before she could say anything, you hung up and grabbed another broom from the kitchen. You stood in front of Jongho, left hand on your waist and broom held out with your right hand. “You were saying?”

And that’s how the beautiful friendship between you and Jongho blossomed.

[yunoyeol]

His ripped love

Genre : romance; smut later; streetracer!au; angst

Warnings : explicit use of drugs; swearing; illegalities; explicit smut

Pairing : you x kim hanbin

Chapters : 1 / 2

Chp. 1.

Your hands were cold and your exposed knees quivered with the gelid night breeze, making you curse under a large exhale of air. You started to question your decision in tagging along with Jennie, your roommate, but she had her way with words and her persuasive smile always tended to make you agree with all of her stupid invites. At least you’re going out with me tonight, it’s Saturday, you can take a break from all of that studying, Y/N, you recalled on your head, needless to say that the old memory in your shared living room floated in your head and made your eyes subconsciously roll back.

“ - I really should learn how to say no, specially to you guys. Jennie, where the hell are we going? ”

Ah, Jennie. Jennie was a lived girl, happy and spontaneous. You envied her, envied how her lifestyle was truly reckless and how she didn’t care about consequences. Sometimes, you wished you could be a little like her, have a mix of your responsibility with her unselfconscious personality, but you knew tomorrow was always a new day, and you’d have to wake up at 7 o'clock and get up, take a shower and start a new fresh day, having classes at 8. Besides, you needed a place to stay when you moved to college, since your family residence was too far away, making it too expensive to travel every day. You found Jennie’s announcement through a site, popular among students in need of sharing an apartment with someone to reduce the money waste by the end of the month. The first weeks were quite hard to handle, you wanted to rest and study, go to college and come back for more books, maybe spend a hour in a novel that you’d found at the book store, but Jennie and the friends she brought home made it hard for you, with all of their unreasonable talks and deafening laughs. They were obnoxiously loud, and you couldn’t concentrate, and the first time you ever talked properly with Jennie was in a scream of rage, telling her to shut up. You still remember how embarrassed you were, her three friends staring at you in silence for the first time you ever saw, dumbfounded.

- If we irritate you so much, why don’t you sit with us and eat some pizza? - Lisa, you now knew her name.

And after that, you would join them in their movie sprees and thunderous noises, the ones that used to irritate you but now pulled your old neighbors to their edges. There were times were you’d skip the encounter to study, but they always made sure to leave your pizza part at your room’s door, to not interrupt you.

In three months, you considered them your best friends, the ones who you would cry to when something went wrong, the ones who got your back, the ones who would drag you to stupid frat parties where you isolated yourself, and the ones who loved you no matter what, even when your habits didn’t quite coincide with theirs. Lisa was a free spirit firecracker, Chaeyoung preferred boys over books, Jisoo would play with your long hair everytime she got the chance to land her hands on it, and Jennie was Jennie, a lived, happy and spontaneous girl.

They made your time worth a while in a new city.

But today, you weren’t having it. Firstly, Jisoo forced you into a white summer dress, when you specifically said that it wasn’t warm enough for outsider’s weather, and white was just not your colour. Chaeyoung made sure to hide your study manuals and Lisa dragged you to Jennie’s car, where she was waiting patiently.

“ - Where are we going, guys? ” - You repeated, leaning back against the harsh old leather of Jennie’s car.

Lisa turned the music louder, booming way too loud bass that you weren’t sure if they could crack the windows or not. You, instead, decided to lower the volume down, making your voice loud enough for her ears. “ - Really, where are we going, I have an exam in a couple of weeks. ”

“ Ah c'mon Y/N, you’re going out with us, I said it. And where going to have fun. ”- Jisoo answered from the back seat, lightning a cigarette that hung on her cherry colored lips.

That clearly didn’t answer your question, and you doubted your friends intentions, but before your could protest, you felt the car coming to a stop. You didn’t know the place, and obviously neither did you know why there were so many people gathered in this one exact spot. Judging by the clothing choice, the women here weren’t cold but they were very, very, pretty.

“ - Okay. What’s this? ” You asked, the shock of the moment making your voice level lower than usual. With that, Jennie laughed and opened her door, getting out of her parked vehicle. This wasn’t even a parking spot, being clearly a make shift parking lot for the cars that came here, to this unknown destiny. Following Jennie, the girls that sat on the backseat got up and left the car, leaving you with the only option of following them too, since you didn’t even have the minor idea of where the hell did they brought you to.

You clearly didn’t belong here. If you thought your knees were too much exposed, your eyes proved you wrong. You had never seen so much skin before, people here seemed as reckless as your friends, and now you wished you stayed home. Jennie’s hand grabbed your wrist, making your statue figure walk, even when the surprise that the ambient offered you was painted, splattered on your expression.

“ - To answer your questions, this is a street race. ” - She smiled with her charming lips, a loving curve making her eyes disappear in half moon shapes.

Your eyes now fixated on her, not knowing how, or why she brought you here. Millions of questions went through your mind, but your throat didn’t reproduce any of them.

“ - Is this even legal? ” - You muttered, the giggle that leaked from Jennie’s throat reassuring that it wasn’t. Once again, before you could manifest your disdain, Jennie pulled you to the side, joining two of your friends. The third one, Lisa, appeared with a smile on her face and five plastic cups filled with beer on her struggling hands, handing one to each. You didn’t contest, you could sip from time to time, it wasn’t a habit anyway.

You couldn’t guess how many people were there, but all of them parted on each side of the road, leaving it empty for passages. The music was loud, and the amount of bodies almost touching yours made you feel nervous. You smelled the sweat, the alcohol and the drugs on the air, the atmosphere edged a rave, plus the fact of your eyes landing on faces that you could guess their ages varied from teenagers to way older adults.

You had your driver’s license, you had to : being too much of a chauffer to your four friends when they got too wasted to drive in late hours at night and called you to pick them up, so you wondered if you could escape with Jennie’s car.

- Look, there they are! - Jennie pointed at two men walking, and they seemed to be known between the millions of bodies that sided the road, judging by how you could hear screams and most of their eyes turning to their presence, as if they were divine themselves. Two men walking.

But one of them caught your attention.

It made your mouth run dry, your automatic breathing coming to a stop and your eyes glueing to his powerful stance. Not to mention his deadly gaze. He was there for a reason, and he would get his reasons done. The hair that was nicely slicked back out of his gracious forehead, the shine on his dark hair strands looked like they were wet, and how his jawline seemed to be sculptured to the right point made him look like a Greek ancient creature, if not God himself. The loose sleeveless black shirt he was wearing and the ripped over-washed jeans he sported made him look like somebody you wouldn’t mess with, let alone talk to.

“ - Wow. ” You muttered, catching the attention of Chaeyong that softly shoved her elbow against your ribcage, getting your attention but not your eyes, since the vision was as additive as it could be. She leaned over your shoulder, whispering but looking to the exact same spot you were.

“ - Kim Hanbin, 22, street racer. The other one is Bobby, Jennie’s booty call. They have been sleeping together for a good two months now. ”

Oh wow, that explains the countless nights were you didn’t see Jennie.

“ - The other one that is leaning over the matte black car is Junhoe, my booty call. ” - She smiled, moving centimeters away from you.

Needless to say, your eyes were glued to the figure that had just arrived, and by now was talking to the said Junhoe, grabbing the keys from the other’s hand and entering the driver’s seat.

“ - W-Wait, he’s racing? ” You looked to Chaeyoung, your eyes as wide as they could go.

Chaeyong just chuckled, nodding. “ - Oh baby, Hanbin is the main racer of iKon. Seven victories in a row. He has everyone’s attention up his ass. ” She winked.

Your mouth went dry, and you cupped the cold plastic harshly with your hands, taking a large ingulp of the liquid. Your tongue wiped the remains away from your tinted lips, your eyes glueing to the strong looking matte black car. You wondered if he cared how everyone seemed to be conspiring over his name, how everyone expected his win and how everyone stopped their party to watch him start the engine.

The car roared in a warning, a wave of black smoke hovering over the other cars and leaving their small chances of having confidence to dust. The show off was impressive, and now you were too much engaged into see how he could set the road on fire, because he looked promising.

A laugh was heard, and you supposed it came from Bobby that threw himself into the driver’s seat after pointing at Jennie. The girl looked proud, crossing her arms with a huge embarrassed smile painting her lips.

“ - Look at her, all rilled up. ” Lisa threw a lazy arm over your shoulder. “ - Fired up to see this? ” She raised an eyebrow, her now bleached grey locks resting nicely against her back.

You didn’t answer, your eyes glued to the black car. You froze on your spot when you noticed that said driver was staring right back at you, a emotionless unreadable expression coating his perfectly drawn features. He raised an eyebrow, a glint of a mischievous smirk resting on his lips, but you weren’t really proud of your vision, specially from this far away. Maybe it wasn’t happening, and if it was, maybe it wasn’t for you.

A girl, way too exposed for this cold, walked in between the set of four cars, holding a yellow flag on her hand. She looked promiscuous, the look on her face wasn’t denying it.

“ - Who are the other dudes in the other cars? ” Your question startled Jennie, who arched her eyebrows in amusement.

“ - The red car is Jimin, from west side of Seoul. The blue one, Baekhyun, from Busan. In the stipped black and red is Bang Chan, he’s Australian. Cute. ” She answered, not removing her eyes from the girl. You nodded, sipping once more and throwing the empty cup away.

The engines finally ripped the sound throughout the air as soon as the girl raised her hand. She screamed the number one with her high pitched but sexy voice, the number two following and finally, at three, she lowered herself and the flag, the cars storming through the road as aggressive animals. The black car ate the road as a meal, the smell of flint and burning rubber filling your nostrils as it took his way towards the city. Your eyes couldn’t see it anymore, and your heart drummed so fast against your ribcage that you thought it would break itself free.

“ BI LEADING THE WAY, I REPEAT, BI LEADING THE WAY. BANG CHAN JUST CATCHING HIS TAIL. ” A Male voice was heard over the music, reproduced by the same heavy columns that stood high over steel supports.

“ BI is Hanbin, he’s eating them alive. ” Jisoo scrunched her second cup, offering you one more beer. You took it without hesitation, sipping on it and making the girl laugh. Finally, you noticed the huge screens that were supported by the same base as the columns. It showed views of the city, and you wondered how the one behind this could install such cameras and not being caught. On the images, it showed the cars passing by traffic, your free hand coming to your lips when you saw how the black car was going in the wrong direction, dodging the cars that horned and stopped.

But nobody could stop him.

Nobody could stop him.

In minutes, the angry roar of the engine filled the air from afar, and your ears perked up from where the sound was coming. You didn’t hate it, actually, it filled your veins with electric adrenaline that you never knew you could possibly sense.

Your eyes didn’t even catch the moment when the black car erupted on the street, brakes screeching and the rubber from the tires burning against the concrete. The tail of the car twirled, a wave of smoke blinding you and everyone else that cheered on the driver that just arrived. All you could hear was loud screams of names that would set your turbulent late night house meeting to shame.

Jennie ran from her spot and came for a huge hug offered by Bobby as soon as he got out of the car, who lift her up in the air. Anyone else could mistaken the interaction by a loving couple, but they were simple as fuck buddies, judging by what you were told.

Finally, that magnificent man got out the driver’s seat, with all of his splendor and glory following him. He smiled in a lopsided grin, the most beautiful you have laid your eyes upon.

The girl that held the flag earlier walked holding a heavy bag on her hand, handing it to Hanbin with a flirtatious smile on her red velvety lips. He looked at her, winking and grabbing the bad, handing it to a new face. A man, seemed to be close for being in charge of carrying the prize out of the scene.

You stared in awe, being dragged by Chaeyong this time. You found yourself getting closer and closer to them, passing by corpses of cheering people that dispersed to find a closer spot to the music. You panicked, your eyes wide and your mouth unable to move and ask to be free of your friend’s grip.

“ - And who’s this little one here? ” Hanbin asked as soon as he laid his eyes on you, a smirk never leaving his way too tempting lips. His voice was deep and raspy, hoarse and attractive, like a bittersweet, melancholic and troublesome melody.

“ - Y/N. My roommate. She’s chill. ” Jennie leaned against Bobby's chest, who himself had his back against Hanbin’s car.

You kept quiet, not sure how to reply. You scoffed, a small ‘tsk’ leaving your lips. By the look on your face, you surely were not impressed, but by the way your stomach clenched, you damn were. He stared at you for a couple of seconds, as if he was absorbing all of your appearence and wondering why were you hanging out in a place that clearly you didn’t belong to. As if he was judging you.

But he kept quiet and nodded, the smile still resting on his lips. He moved his lazy irises towards Bobby, who got the signal and kissed Jennie’s cheek, whispering a low ’ see you later ’.

One last time, he looked at you and took a step further, being way closer you’d want, but being way far you’d need.

“ - Pleasure to meet you, call me BI. ”

[romcomathon2016]

Crazy Rich Asians (USA, 2018)

This week on Romcomathon, a special bonus edition! We saw Crazy Rich Asians last night. Enjoyed it very much. You should go. You should all go. Tonight. Tomorrow. The day after tomorrow. Heavy spoilers ahead.

Predictions: We predicted that everyone would be crazy, rich, and Asian! (We had both read the book.) Then we saw the trailer and further predicted that everyone would be good-looking, and indeed they were — though, this is a romcom, so we would have predicted that anyway.

Plot: Constance Wu is your above-average Chinese-American gal. You know, teaching game theory at NYU, chilling in cute coffee shops with her cute boyfriend, Henry Golding. Little does she know, her cute boyfriend (who loves to play basketball at a smelly YMCA) is actually the scion of a whole bunch of unbelievably wealthy Singaporeans. When Henry Golding invites her to attend his best friend Chris Pang’s wedding in Singapore, Constance Wu happily accepts, thinking, “No problem! I’ll just charm his family! It’s fine!” But oh no, Constance Wu, it’s not fine. As it turns out, Singaporean high-society gossip travels at the speed of light, and within a matter of seconds — literally seconds — everyone in Singapore above a certain income bracket knows that *GASP* Henry Golding, the most eligible bachelor in the world, is off the market.

No one is pleased is about this, but least pleased of all is Henry Golding’s ice-queen mother, Michelle Yeoh. Nonetheless, Henry Golding, bizarrely oblivious, whisks Constance Wu onto Singapore Airlines, into a phenomenally beautiful private first-class cabin, which...kind of forces him to admit that his family is financially “comfortable.” OKAY, HENRY GOLDING. JUST LIE DOWN ON YOUR AIRPLANE BED AND PUT ON YOUR SOFT FANCY AIRPLANE PAJAMAS BECAUSE YOUR FAMILY IS “COMFORTABLE.” (Weird, though, that he never brought this up during the two years they’ve been together. Did he not think that, at some point, maybe he should mention, “Hey babe, my family pretty much owns Singapore. You know, that really expensive place in Asia?”)

Constance Wu and Henry Golding arrive in Singapore; are greeted by Chris Pang and his fiancée, Sonoya Mizuno; and head off, a foursome, to chow down on some of the most amazing food we’ve ever seen in our lives. Just a normal delicious time between some normal friends, right?? WRONG. The next day, Constance Wu goes to visit her old college roommate Awkwafina, whose own family is not too shabby. They are living in a gold-plated house that her mother based off of the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. So, you know, it’s very understated. During her lunch there, Constance Wu finds out from Awkwafina’s parents — by the way, her dad is Ken Jeong — that a) Chris Pang and Sonoya Mizuno’s wedding is basically the most important event of the season. Like an inauguration or the Royal Wedding. b) Henry Golding is so rich that Awkwafina’s family’s wealth pales in comparison. Compared to Henry Golding’s family, these knockoff-Versailles-house people are just barely making gold-plated ends meet.

Great! Now Constance Wu is even more nervous! (Nice job not preparing your girlfriend at all, Henry Golding, by the way.) She heads off to Henry Golding’s grandmother’s estate, where his grandmother Lisa Lu is just having “a few friends over,” AKA it’s a huge party at the biggest house we or Constance Wu have ever seen. There, Henry Golding finally introduces Constance Wu to the fam, who obviously see her as a gauche American peasant. Which...look, it’s all relative!!!! Michelle Yeoh, in particular, is Not Impressed and makes it very clear through her politeness how very Not Impressed she is. But it’s okay, guys! It’s Lisa Lu’s opinion that matters — and she seems to like Constance Wu! Yay!

Hold on, though. Before we can get further with Lisa Lu, Constance Wu must attend Sonoya Mizuno’s huge bachelorette party -- on a smaller island that Sonoya Mizuno’s family (literally) owns. Constance Wu feels out of place amidst all this opulence, but luckily she finds a kindred spirit in what turns out to be Henry Golding’s ex-girlfriend. SPOILER ALERT: EX-GF IS NOT A KINDRED SPIRIT. IT IS A TRAP. Everyone terrorizes Constance Wu at this horrible party, except for Sonoya Mizuno. And Gemma Chan, Henry Golding’s favorite cousin, who, besides being genuinely nice, is preoccupied with her husband’s affair.

Upon returning to Singapore, Constance Wu lays into Henry Golding for -- well, OBVIOUSLY. Henry Golding is very apologetic, but also, “We have to go make dumplings with the fam. That’s cool, right?” They go back to Lisa Lu’s manse, where things are going okay, until Constance Wu compliments Michelle Yeoh’s ENORMOUS emerald ring. It turns out that Michelle Yeoh was given this ring by her husband, Lisa Lu’s son, who had to have it custom-made because Lisa Lu wouldn’t give her son the family ring...because she though Michelle Yeoh was not good enough. Sound familiar? Yet somehow, this does not make Michelle Yeoh sympathetic. In fact, she tells Constance Wu all of this simply to preface her announcement that Constance Wu is definitely not marriage material.

HOO BOY. Constance Wu, a bit taken aback, gets a pep talk from Awkwafina, who, along with Nico Santos, gives her a Classic Romcom Makeover (TM) for the wedding. Constance Wu shows up to the wedding looking like Elsa from Frozen — but with flowers! Seriously, though, it’s a fab look. Everyone loves it. Except Michelle Yeoh. At the wedding reception, Constance Wu is feeling pret-ty good about herself...but come on, we know this can’t last!!!! Lisa Lu and Michelle Yeoh ambush her and Henry Golding with the news that Michelle Yeoh hired a private investigator to look into Constance Wu’s background. Surprise! Her father, who she had always believed was dead, is not so much, and Constance Wu is actually the result of an affair her mother had. Oh dear. Lisa Lu tells Henry Golding that he cannot possibly marry a girl like this (oh yeah, Henry Golding told Chris Pang earlier that he was planning to propose to Constance Wu). If he does, she will disown him. Constance Wu runs off in tears.

Sad times -- all is lost -- no amount of Henry Golding calling or coming by can repair this damage. Constance Wu just spends days and days moping at Awkwafina’s house until her mom, Tan Kheng Hua, shows up. Her mother admits to the affair and explains that she had an abusive husband. Constance Wu forgives her, uh, remarkably quickly for lying about this her whole life, which...is a bit odd, but you know, it’s a romcom. Who has time for subplots anyway?! Constance Wu agrees to meet up with Henry Golding one last time. He proposes to her, heedless of his family, but *GASP* she turns him down. Then meets up with Michelle Yeoh, secretively at a mahjong parlor, in order to make clear that she could have had him -- but walked away because she didn’t want him to lose his family, be estranged from his mother, blah blah blah. SUCK ON THAT, MICHELLE YEOH!!!! YOU’RE INDEBTED TO ME NOW!!!!!! ME, THE AMERICAN PEASANT. HA HA HA. HENRY GOLDING AND I WILL BOTH BE SAD, BUT MY HORSE IS MILES HIGH!!!!!!!! (...is what we imagine she feels.)

Satisfied, Constance Wu swaggers into economy class with her mom. But lo! Who should arrive but Henry Golding, chasing after her because Michelle Yeoh -- post-mahjong-showdown -- went to him and gave him the ring?! THE GIANT EMERALD RING!!!!!! OH EM GEE, YOU GUYS, IT’S SO SYMBOLIC!!!! This time, as he proposes in a crowded airplane aisle, Constance Wu says yes. Cut to their excessively opulent engagement party, where Constance Wu and Michelle Yeoh share a Look, and Gemma Chan meets Harry Shum, Jr. (Not bad, for an extremely wealthy, recently jilted lass!)

Best Scene: So many good scenes, but probably our favorite is when Awkwafina drives Constance Wu to Lisa Lu’s estate and the two of them are met by two extremely severe Indian guards outside the gate. The guards are wielding bayonets. It’s very funny, as are all of Awkwafina’s scenes.

Worst Scene: ...Weeeell, Ken Jeong spends most of his time in this film creepin’ on Constance Wu, his daughter’s friend, which definitely made us uncomfortable. But, to be fair, we wanted an American romcom starring Asians, and no romcom would be complete without us being a little grossed out. :|

Best Line: There were many funny lines. Pretty much everything out of Awkwafina’s mouth was solid gold. Constance Wu also had some good zingers. Unfortunately, we’ve only seen the movie once so far and can’t quote directly.

Worst Line: Ken Jeong and his son both creep real hard on Constance Wu, so probably something one of them said.

Highlights of the Watching Experience: Well, there’s the obvious — that this is the first (hopefully not last!) Hollywood romcom we’ve ever seen starring even two Asian people, let alone an entirely Asian cast. Plus a fun, fantastic, mostly-Mandarin soundtrack. Some of us may have cried. (“It was not me,” says Alex.) Also, Michelle Yeoh looked FUCKING AMAZING. How old is that woman now? IMMORTAL, is the answer. Also, we, as Chinese-Americans, are obsessed with food, so we appreciated that that common cultural trait was well-demonstrated in this movie, particularly by Constance Wu.

How Many POC in the Film: EVERYONE! EVERYONE WAS A PERSON OF COLOR! There was even one black extra in the wedding scene. We sighted her in the corner and got VERY excited.

Alternate Scenes: ...N-none? Honestly, we thought this was an excellent movie adaptation -- and just an excellent movie, period, which is maybe even more impressive. Yaaaay! No joke, we have already purchased tickets to see it again.

Was the Poster Better or Worse than the Film: Worse. The poster is fine, but the movie is better, of course, because the movie was good! It was a good movie! We saw a good movie!

Score: 10 out of 10 crazy-rich-Asian smooches. We never pretended this blog was objective, okay? No, but actually -- it’s a great romcom. If you love seeing unrealistically beautiful people kissing in unrealistically beautiful locations, as we assume you all must if you are reading this blog, you will enjoy this film. Go see it! Support non-white and non-Netflix romcoms! Plz. <3

Ranking: 3, out of the 149 movies we’ve seen so far.

[d2diamond]

Chris/Phichit/Yuuri, Emil/Chris/Phichit, and Yakov/Lilia/Celestino 😘

Oh, dear Anon. (And I say Anon, but I know exactly who you are! 😘) I hope you forgive me for this being so late. I burned myself out with the last two asks I wrote. Hopefully, these will make up for my lack of writing. Please enjoy. You crazy, wonderful person!! 💜💜

Slow Burn: Emil/Chris/Phichit

They were three peas in a pod. The three amigos. They spent the entire summer working for the traveling carnival. From small town, too small town. County fairs to festivals. Emil, Chris, and Phichit could be found wearing their black and stripe polo shirts as they worked the game booths. Emil ran the dart throw, with prizes ranging from small tchotchkes to posters to novelty glass mirrors with brand named beers etched into them. Chris ran the skeet ball races with a plethora of plushies that hung over his head. Phichit either worked with Yuuri at the frog toss game, or he would help Chris with the races. He tried to help Emil once, but after an enthusiastic kid almost pierced his ear with a wayward dart, he kept his distance. Instead, he and Chris would laugh at Emil from the side stall where they would have fun with the people trying to win their supply of stuffed pokemon.

Although each had their BFF that they would be seen going to their designated trailer with, Yuuri with Phichit, Victor with Chris, and Michele with Emil, the three of them always seem to have the most fun when together. Phichit and Chris would taunt Emil, trying to pit their patrons against Emil’s. Placing ‘bets’ about who they thought would win the most prizes. Getting their patrons in the competitive spirit.

“Well, I have this Pikachu, and I bet this … what’s your name mon cher?”

“Tiffany?” The blond said shyly.

“I bet Tiffany can win this Pikachu before any of your people can win that Budweiser mirror,” Chris taunted.

“Really? Well, I bet that this guy,”

“Charlie,” the guy in the sleeveless shirt and a trucker hat, responded.

“I bet that Charlie can win that Budweiser mirror. Ready to win, Charlie?”

“Hell yeah, I am!”

“You ready to kick some butt, Tiffany?” Phichit asked with a laugh.

“I sure am!” Tiffany responded, giving Charlie a stare down.

“Let the battles begin!” Phichit cheered.

It would go on like this, day after day. They’d have their fun with the patrons during the daylight hours and some of the night. Then they would spend their evenings laughing, drinking and recounting the day before they went off with their BFFs to their respected trailers.

As the summer wore on, their fun banter turned into flirtatious teasing.

“Looking a little hot out there, mon beaute,” Chris called over to Phichit as he passed by, arms full of green rubber frogs freshly cleaned for the frog toss.

“Little? I’m a LOT hot!!” Phichit threw a wink and a smile over his shoulder to Chris, who blew him a kiss in return.

Chris was helping Emil in his booth, and when a dart came a little close, he pushed himself into Emil’s side for safety. For the rest of the night whenever a dart zoomed past, Chris made sure to stand just a little closer to Emil. By the end of the night, Emil would pull Chris back by his waist to keep him safe, a shy smile on his lips.

When it came time to close down the stalls for the night, they would help each other, and Phichit couldn’t help it if his hand brushed over Emil’s or giggled when Emil caught Chris from falling backward when a balloon popped all of a sudden startling the Swiss. Their flirting was noticed by everyone.

When the end of the summer finally arrived, instead of laughs or smile as they tore down their booths one final time, there were frowns, tears.

With hugs all around, they said their final goodbyes. Phichit left with Yuuri, whose sister came to pick them up as Yuuri’s apartment lived nearest. Victor had a hand on Chris’s shoulder as he escorted his friend and roommate away towards where his rental waited to take them to the bus station. Michele and Sara exchanged a knowing look as Emil silently loaded up their SUV. Ready to take them on the long drive home.

It wasn’t more than two weeks when a small group of people met up at a local Denny’s for a friendly lunch. It was there that Victor and Yuuri announced their engagement. However, with this new development, that would mean that Chris, Victor’s longtime roommate, would need a new place to live. It also meant that Phichit, who has been staying with Yuuri, would also need a new home. Especially when Mari told him that she planned on going back to Japan to help their family at the inn. Thankfully it was Michele and Sara who spoke up and suggested that perhaps the two now lone wolfs should move in with Emil.

“But… I only have a one bedroom house. Not that I wouldn’t mind the company,” Emil said with a wistful look on his face.

The others just laughed and smiled when Mari stated the obvious. “Like you would need more than one bed.”

Emil, Phichit, and Chris all smiled but didn’t argue.

Fake Dating: Chris/Phichit/Yuuri

Chris was in a bad situation. His mother was INSISTING he come home for dinner to meet this ‘lovely young lady’ she had met at her book club. This was the fourth time this month alone. No matter how many times he told her he wasn’t interested in the daughters of his mother’s gossip group, she wouldn’t hear it. All she saw was that he was still unmarried and she still didn’t have grandkids. He had vented his frustration to his circle of friends the last time they had gathered for wine and their own kind of gossip.

Imagine his surprise when he left his house for his mother’s dinner party and standing on his doorstep was both Yuuri and Phichit. Both dressed to impress, and each held their own bouquet of flowers and both slightly red in the face. Apparently, they had each had the bright idea to show up as Chris’s date and pretend to be his boyfriend, but didn’t bother to tell the other. So they both showed up at the same time. The three had a good laugh, but before a decision could be made, Chris’s mother arrived to pick him up.

In an attempt to explain why two men, dressed up, holding flowers were standing there with Chris, the three stumbled over themselves, all talking at once, in a comical way. In the end, a very confused Mrs. Giacometti was told that Yuuri AND Phichit were both Chris’s boyfriend. (Yeah, that’s it. Both)

In a very rom-com-esque way, the three had a very awkward dinner with Mrs. Giacometti, her BFF from her book group, and the poor young lady who was supposed to getting to know Chris. Needless to say, there was a lot of red faces, stumbling over explanations on how Chris ended up with TWO boyfriends, and a mother who had her doubts.

Chris thought it was done and over with after bidding his mother fare-well, with a kiss on each cheek. Except it wasn’t. Not by a long shot. She started showing up at his house at unexpected times. Asking personal questions about his ‘boyfriends’. He knew he had to act fast, so he explained what was happening to Phichit and Yuuri, and they agreed that they should hang out more at Chris’s place to help field any questions and give the illusion that No Chris was NOT available for Sunday night dinner with Mrs. So&So’s daughter.

Except, hanging out meant… hanging out. Spending time getting to know each other more. Laughing at terrible jokes, and watching a library of movies. It meant impromptu dancing in the kitchen and the slow realization that they were slowing falling in love.

Except it wasn’t a smooth transition from friends to lovers. At first Phichit and Yuuri, both realized they were falling for Chris which put them at odds. It took almost losing each other’s friendship, someone threatening to kick their ass, and an epiphany to realize that they are just as much in love with each other as they are with Chris for the three of them to finally go from fake dating to real dating.

Chris’s mother finally came to accept them when she let herself into Chris’s home one day, only to find three nearly naked men in a heavy making out session. When she could face them again, she brought a delicious cake as an apology.

Enemies to Lovers: Yakov/Lilia/Celestino

When Celestino first became a senior skater, he had the biggest crush on Russia’s Prima Ballerina, Lilia Baranovskaya. She was the epitome of beauty and grace, but unfortunately, she was also married to a snarly old man (In Celestino’s opinion) whose records in skating were still a bane to Celestino’s career.

Celestino had the opportunity to meet Lilia during Worlds of 1996. She had accompanied Yakov and his skaters that year. Yakov had a promising skater by the name of Ilia Kulik, and Celestino was determined to get Lilia’s attention. So he made Ilia his target. He had to show Lilia he was worthy of her.

With pride and his heart in his hand, he approached Lilia where she stood next to her husband. He took a deep breath and told the most prestigious ballerina in the world that his free skate was dedicated to her. He kissed her hand, and for a brief second his eyes met Yakov’s and he issued a silent challenge in a single look.

Celestino took the gold that year. Lilia noticed. So did Yakov.

Celestino kept dedicating skates to Lilia, and Yakov kept sending him death glares, but he didn’t care, because Lilia would smile. And those smiles were just for him, so he kept skating for her.

It eventually came to a head during the Grand Prix Final of 2001. Celestino planned on retiring after Worlds and Yakov had been spending most of his time training his new prodigy. A boy named Victor.

Celestino approached Lilia like he always did, except Yakov was ready this time. He tried to intervene, but it was Lilia who spoke up. She told Celestino if he could win gold she would go out on a date with him. (Yakov’s jaw hit the floor.) She explained that her husband had been ignoring her in favor of his new student, and she wanted some attention. She told Yakov if his skater won gold then Celestino had to back off. … BUT if HER student, (though technically Yakov was his coach) won gold, she got to have them both.

Lilia wore a smug smile that night as her student wore the gold medal.

Ask Game!

Ko-fi | Ao3 | Twitter

[thestagthatlovedthewolf]

@dknc3, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Darla!!!!! :D I hope you’re having an awesome day with your family!! I hope you have a great year, full of bright and good things – have fun today and tonight, and every other day :)

I knew I wanted to do something Star Wars related for you as a present, still including Ned and Catelyn too, of course :) I thought of going full on and doing a crossover, with them as Jedi or in the Rebellion or Resistance; and then I reread this very cute short story, Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell and I planned to do them meeting in line to see (probably) Phantom Menace; but then I went with this!! Also, I have no idea if this is how early screenings happen or critics invitations, so sorry if that’s completely wrong…but I just wanted to do something fun and cute and very Star Wars related!!!

I really hope you enjoy this!!! And once again HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Catelyn was positively giddy. She had been waiting for this since it was announced five years ago and Ned couldn’t hurry up – if they were late, she was going to honestly kill him. When Ned finally appeared, she couldn’t help but laugh and forget all thoughts of kiling him.

“It still fits!” she exclaimed, surprised. She hadn’t seen that one since they waited in line, for five days, for the premiere of The Phantom Menace, after dropping their children through their various uncles and aunts (and sadly that had been the last line they had made it too). They thought about doing it this year, only Rickon lived at home and he could have stayed home alone, but neither Ned nor Catelyn really believed they could survive five days sleeping on the street.

“Actually, Sansa redid it a bit,” Ned finally answered, showing her the fixed seams.

“You went to see our daughter without me,” Catelyn complained.

“I wouldn’t dare to do that. It was back in October when she was home.”

“She kept it a secret for two months,” she murmured to herself as they moved into the room.”

“A surprise,” he reminded her.

“You still look great as Luke,” she said tracing her hands through his hair and beard that threw off a bit the boyish looks of Luke. But the beige clothes were still the same.

“Probably going to look more like nowadays Luke than the one from back in the eighties.”

“It premiered in 1977,” she said and he smiled at her with a knowingly smile. “I still can’t believe he wasn’t in the trailers,” she said.

“We all know that Han and Carrie were everything you needed,” he told her with a smile.

“Han is Han,” she said.

“I remember your vows, Catelyn.”

“Shut up,” she said with a laugh. “Come on, before we lose anything.”

“How do we get in?” he asked her.

“We need to sign something about not talking about the movie, about not posting anything online.”

“Do they know I can’t even do facebook or that tweety thing?” Ned complained.

“I told them that, still need to sign it. And now they are confused about what we’re doing here – you will be the oldest in costume.”

“The kids call it cosplay now,” Ned said, having learned the word from Sansa as she fixed his clothes – she told him she had helped Arya with a few.

“Come on,” Catelyn said, pulling on his hand, and avoiding the weird looks from the other people around who didn’t understand how these two non-critics had made it to an early showing of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Arya had gotten them the tickets. Her roommate did some things on the youtube, with reviews and had been offered tickets – he had already taken others, Arya couldn’t take them since she had a test tomorrow, so she sent them to them. Arya would go see it with her boyfriend, Gendry, on the day it premiered – Thursday night. Catelyn had also another viewing booked for then; she was going with Elia, who was the first girl she ever met that love Star Wars as much as her, back in college, before they could imagine themselves working together – they were going with a few more gals from work, a true girls night.

Then another viewing in the weekend, all the kids were coming home, some with friends. Arya still wasn’t sure if she was bringing Gendry (he was a Star Wars virgin before this month that Arya spent showing him everything), Sansa still had to confirm how many people she was bringing, and Bran was definitely was bringing the Reed twins (Catelyn was sure they probably have had watched it before the weekend – Howland did some of the lines with Ned back in the day).

“Aegon Targaryen, the ‘Young Griff’,” the kid in the entrance of the viewing asked, checking his papers and what they signed.

“He’s my daughter’s roommate,” Ned said through greeted teeth – he still didn’t like his daughter living with a guy. Catelyn still thought it was better than living with her boyfriend – she didn’t want Arya into something too early, even if she and Gendry seemed to be in for the long haul, especially if he ended up liking the Star Wars movies.

“Okay. Go in, lady, Luke,” he said, showing them in.

Inside the theatre, they found most people still talking to each other, seeming that everyone knew one or the other, hopefully they would be quiet when the movie started.

Ned and Catelyn took some of the last free seats, too close to the screen to be the best, but they were still watching it earlier. As it didn’t start, they talked about their hopes for the movie – they had been heavily debating about who these new characters were (Sansa kept pleading someone is related to Obi Wan Kenobi, but it may be because she loves Ewan McGregor – he and Princess Leia were her favorite things about Star Wars and what kept her watching), but they weren’t as sure as their oldest daughter.

Catelyn was in the middle of her rant about how she really needed to see Leia using a lightsaber like she did in the books that are no longer canon, the lights went off and the epic musical started. Catelyn squeezed Ned’s hand, and for a few minutes she thought she totally should have dressed as Mara – Ned was definitely her Luke.

[wineanddinosaur]

7 Virtual Happy Hour Activities and Drinking Game Ideas to Fight Isolation

If you live with roommates or family members, call yourself lucky to have a built-in social network during these times of social distancing — and in that case, you can play pretty much any drinking card game. But if you’re living alone, you may be feeling an urgent need to connect with friends and family, and to have some fun, while in-person visits are on hold.

Fortunately, staying entertained and connected while at home isn’t as difficult as it may seem. And there are many ways to connect in a meaningful way, beyond FaceTime chats. Here are seven virtual happy hour ideas, plus specific recommendations for each, to try while you’re socially distancing.

Classic Drinking Games to Play Online

Start, of course, with a drink in hand — for more see tips on how to have a virtual happy hour here. Sign onto Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts, or your preferred video calling app with a small group of friends. Then, try playing one of the classic drinking games below.

Never Have I Ever

Never Have I Ever is an easy game to start with. The rules: Each person starts with five fingers held up (your other hand should be free to hold your drink). Taking turns, each person says something they have never done. Those who have done that thing have to put a finger down and take a drink.

Helpful tip: Have a moderator or host call on each person to take their turn, since not everyone appears in the same order on the grid on different video apps.

Some Never Have I Ever statement suggestions to start you off: Never have I ever lived through a pandemic (everyone drinks). Never have I ever bought an entire case of La Croix. Never have I ever argued with someone in the grocery store over toilet paper.

Power Hour

A Power Hour is another easy way to gather friends near and far while socially distanced. All you need is to find a previously prepared playlist of one-minute songs like this one, or prepare a playlist that one person will play and monitor over the hour, changing songs every 60 seconds. How to play: Take a drink every minute. It’s that simple.

As one Twitter user told us last week, “My friends and I did a virtual power hour last Friday, round 2 this weekend.” How did he do it? “One person in charge, dozen people from around the country synchronized over Slack.”

To get some face time into the mix, organize the game as a video call so you can see each other and chat in between — see if you can keep up!

Beer Pong

As Alyson Shontell, editor in chief of Business Insider, tweeted last week, “Virtual beer pong is possible, you just need four phones and FaceTime.” Each couple sets up two phones, one facing them and one facing the set of cups they’ll be shooting at on the opponents’ side. A little advanced, sure, but for those desperate enough to put in the effort, why not?

Possible roadblock: You’ll need to have at least 12 cups and ping pong balls on hand, which seems unlikely in an apocalypse. But maybe you’ve stocked up.

This weekend I did my first virtual hangouts and saw friends we rarely get to see for happy hours. I can also confirm that virtual beer pong is possible, you just need 4 phones and facetime – one on each couple, one on each set of cups. pic.twitter.com/Uhpz8cVP6l

— Alyson Shontell (@ajs) March 23, 2020

Virtual Trivia & Puzzle Games

People around the internet have been touting the Jackbox Party Pack, launched in 2014, as “the perfect excuse for rounding up friends, family and fellow gamers for a few hours of gaming delight.” This delightfully old millennial and generation X-era product’s resurgence is perfect for bringing trivia, drawing, and word games like You Don’t Know Jack (a trivia game like Jeopardy), Drawful (a drawing game like Pictionary), and Word Spud (a fill-in-the-blank word game like Mad Libs) into a virtual happy hour.

Although designed as “local multiplayer” games (as in, playing in the same room), they can be played virtually with remote players via a streaming service. The party pack costs a one-time fee of $24.99 for most platforms (Playstation 3, XBOX One, Nintendo Switch, Apple TV and iPad, and Amazon Fire TV), and at press time, $12.49 for a Steam Code or PlayStation 4.

Detailed directions for how to play Jackbox games remotely are available here.

If game platforms and signup fees seem like too much effort, consider using Zoom or your preferred video platform to play Charades, Pictionary, Trivia, Bingo, or Code Names. The virtual world is your oyster!

Video Game Drinking Games

Online Multiplayer Games

If you have a game system or even a really strong laptop, you might be surprised by how many video games can be turned into drinking games you can play with friends. Popular titles like Overwatch, Fortnite, and even Wii Sports have many drinking game iterations floating around the internet. All you have to do is start up Zoom, agree on your preferred game and rules, and you’re good to go.

VinePair’s director of marketing and resident low-key gamer, Jeff Licciardello, recently riffed on a Super Smash Bros. drinking game for a socially distanced version with two friends.

“While playing online with each other, we had Zoom up in front of us. We [VinePair] have a drinking game article on Super Smash Bros. on our site, so using those rules, I played with one friend on FaceTime and my roommate joined me on the couch for the drinking portion of the game. In terms of people, it’s up to you how many people you can wrangle. But basically … whenever you die you drink, when you’re waiting to fall off the platform after re-spawning, you drink, etc.”

Ideally, players will be fighting each other, but in a pinch (a.k.a. if you can’t get the private room to work), setting up Zoom in front of each player “at least provides a sense of camaraderie as you stream each other fighting random people on the internet while drinking wine,” Jeff says. “And my roommate, who doesn’t play video games but was stuck dealing with me hogging the TV, picked one of the opponents I was fighting and drank for them.”

Another pearl of Jeff’s drinking-while-gaming wisdom: “For the ultimate Mario Kart drinking game that doesn’t require a whole lot of thinking, simply drink every time you are hit by an item (shells, banana peels, lightning bolts, etc.) or every time you fall off the course.”

Online 1-2 Player Games

Although video game drinking games can be created for almost any game, try picking one you and your friends are playing right now (Animal Crossing: New Horizons, anyone?). You can set up FaceTime or Zoom on your phone, tablet, or laptop to see and hear each other while playing. And all you have to do is come up with five to 10 “rules” that will require taking a sip of your drink while playing.

To stay with the Animal Crossing example, players might take a drink every time you find a bug, donate to the museum, or acquire a new item for your house. Then, you can add a little more complexity to the rules: For finding your first bug, take three sips; for each subsequent bug, take one sip if it’s a bug you already have, three sips if it’s a new bug, and four sips for donating to the museum (it will make sense once you get going.).

This can also apply to social interactions in the game. When you receive a gift, take one sip; when you give a gift, take two sips; when you meet a new in-game friend like Bill (the duck) or Reneigh (the horse) or that crazy squirrel chick, Caroline (a personal favorite), take three sips; and when you visit an IRL friend’s island, finish your drink.

Have a Watch Party

Playing drinking games while watching movies or series is a popular choice, and an easy one to replicate in the virtual world. In March, Google Chrome launched an extension for Netflix Party, a new feature that synchronizes video playback, allowing you to stream and watch movies and shows simultaneously. It also adds a group chat so you can message each other throughout.

Choose a theme to make the experience easily repeatable. Oscar movies or zombie flicks, for example, are readily available. For groups of friends whose anxieties are assuaged by horror, now is a wonderful time to marathon appropriately themed works depicting hyperbolized disaster and trauma.

Try a topical double-feature of “Pandemic” and “Parasite”; a home invasion pairing like “The Strangers,” parts one and two; or a triple-feature of “Cube” or “Purge.” Or, make it a week-long marathon and stream every episode of the nation’s new Netflix obsession, “Tiger King” — it’s a seven-parter!

You can turn any watch party into a drinking game. For example, as VinePair’s Licciardello suggests for one of our staff’s favorite series, “Schitt’s Creek,” everyone has to drink any time Alexis says, “Ew, David!” If you’re not in virtual earshot, you can also use the group chat to direct when it’s time to drink. Along with text, the chatroom supports screenshots, emojis, and GIFs.

Another angle might be (and we’re biased here) taking turns choosing content about wine, beer, and spirits — such as the just-released “Uncorked,” which VinePair contributor Julia Coney describes as breaking new ground for black wine drinkers.

Have a Dance Party

Let off some steam and pent-up energy by hosting a virtual dance party. You can do this in any video conferencing app, or use a platform like Houseparty.

As in real life, a dance party can take many forms. Perhaps it’s a dance-off between you and one very energetic friend. For a group together, invite friends you used to go out dancing with every weekend, and recreate a playlist you would have been sloppily sipping and dancing to at a club or bar.

Crack some glow sticks (if you’re the type of person who has stocked for a dance-party emergency), sip on some easy-to-make cocktails, and dance like no one’s watching. Because chances are, even if your neighbors can see you, you likely won’t encounter them in person for a very long time.

The article 7 Virtual Happy Hour Activities and Drinking Game Ideas to Fight Isolation appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/best-virtual-happy-hour-games-ideas-activities/