solaadisa

[solaadisa]

Sola grumbled to herself as she watched the rock she'd painstakingly selected sink to the ocean floor with a plop. She tossed a glare over her shoulder at the stranger's rhetorical question, eyes widening incredulously — you think you could do better?

"Alright, then, smartass. Let's see you do better."

She folded her arms over her chest and watched reluctantly as — yeah, okay — he did better. Instead of scouring the beach for another rock, she just plopped down into the sand and groaned. "I've literally never been able to do it. Like, yeah, I've heard it all about the flatness and blah, blah, blah, but I think there's actually some big secret that no one's letting me in on."

@xadensenan

where : the beach when : around sunset featuring : open ( @aurorabaystarter )

the  ocean  glows  amber  and  pink  under  the  fading  light ,  the  sunset  stretching  wide  across  the  horizon .  xaden  stands  ankle - deep  in  the  water ,  jeans  rolled  up  just  enough ,  the  edges  damp .  there ’ s  a  lazy  grin  tugging  at  his  lips  as  he  watches  as the other  struggles  to  skip  a  stone  across  the  surface .  it  arcs  high  and  plunks  into  the  waves  with  a  dull  splash,  and  his  laughter ,  low  and  warm ,  breaks  through  the  quiet  hum  of  the  evening .

" you ’ re  kidding  me ,  right ? "  he  teases ,  stepping  closer ,  the  water  rippling  around  him .  " that  was ,  hands  down ,  the  worst  throw  i ’ ve  ever  seen . "  without  waiting  for  an  answer ,  he  brushes  past  them ,  his  hand  grazing  theirs — light ,  like  it  didn ’ t  mean  anything .  he  picks  up  a  smooth ,  flat  stone ,  tilting  it  between  his  fingers ,  the  warm  hues  of  the  sunset  catching  on  the  curve  of  his  grin .  " this  one , "  he  says ,  holding  it  up  like  it ’ s  some  grand  secret .  " perfect  shape .  you ’ ve  just  been  picking  duds . "  his  toss  is  effortless ,  the  stone  skipping  four  times  before  vanishing  into  the  glow  of  the  water .  xaden  glances  back ,  his  smile  softer  now ,  green  eyes  catching  the  last  light  of  the  sun .  " but  hey ,  i ' m sure you ’ re  way  better  at  other  things . "

[solaadisa]

"I don't know, do you? Buddy Wells — big blue eyes, curly hair, built like a tank? Maybe you've seen him around with, like, a billion dogs."

Sola made herself comfortable in the doorway, leaning up against the frame. She might've caught a glimpse of Aiden getting his shit rocked at Halloween, and she wanted to avoid any repeat incidents in her apartment. Blood would be really hard to get out of the carpet.

"Anyone ever tell you that maybe you should be? I know you're feisty, dude, and I respect that, but you're also built like a noodle."

She held up her hands innocently, as if she hadn't just invited herself onto Aiden List of Beef.

"Anyway, do you know Buddy or no? Because if no, I'll move."

@aiden-stevens

Aiden dead stares at Sola acting as a blockade, and he bites his tongue before he makes a smart remark. "Do I even know your roommate?" His poor habit of not paying attention to a single soul outside of her carefully procured circle makes it difficult to discern. Did Sola ever even tell him who her roommate is?

Probably, and Aiden just let it go in one ear and out the other.

"I don't have beef with people," he argues in turn, even if one name burns bright neon in his mind.

( Okay, maybe just one person, and it isn't the guy who nearly broke his nose on Halloween night. )

"They just say or do shit I don't like, and I'm not afraid to react accordingly."

@solaadisa

[solaadisa]

i want to sleep in your arms but not kiss / i long for your touch but don't miss / don't want to regret any of this / i want to see you in my dreams but then forget / we're meant to be but not yet / you're all that i have but can't get

[solaadisa]

7. Describe how your muse greets others.

"I'm a big fan of a hug or a dap, or a dap into a hug. Simple, classic."

[solaadisa]

💀 …someone my muse would kill for.

"I gotta preface this by saying I'm not a violent person, mkay? Even if I get the urge to slap a bitch every once and a while, I'm really not out here trying to kill anybody.

—but I would for Cricket. Any time, any place. Don't care who it is. Easy."

@cricketcampbell

[solaadisa]

"Wait," Sola said, her stirring hand halting as she looked at the piping bag with wide eyes. "That might be the best idea I've ever heard. That sounds so bomb, dude. And we top it off with a nice little sprinkle of powdered sugar? Bam. Instant James Beard award."

She set the bowl down and wiped her hands on her apron. "Alright, so now we just gotta let this puppy rise now, so we get a snack break." Sola moved over to the sink to wash her hands, asking Liza as she went, "So how's Baby Two doing? Seems like they've got excellent taste already."

@thelizaxevans

Liza gave her friend her rapt attention, even letting her use her own kitchen gadgets in exchange of learning to make something new because the idea of bringing their foods together was definitely something Liza would love to make a reality. "Considering the fact that me and baby have been very into chai lately, this already sounds like one of the best things I'll be eating in recent memory. In fact," She paused for a second, moving to the large fridge and pulling out one of the piping bags inside. "I just finished making a chai pastry cream. My idea was to stuff cream puffs with it. But these puff-puffs would probably taste amazing using this as a dip of sorts? Or maybe that's just my cravings talking."

[solaadisa]

"Okay, don't say 'basic' like that. You knew you were gonna have to explain this shit to me like I'm four."

At this point, though, four year olds would probably be able to pick this up faster than Sola. Was it bad that she was suddenly jealous of all of the iPad babies who definitely wouldn't grow up to be normal but would at least be able to celebrate a Fortnite kill by teabagging their opponent?

Awkwardly, she placed her left hand over the lettered keys. "This is a completely unnatural position for my hand to be in," she groused. "You ever worry about carpal tunnel?"

"Yeah, and for good reason. I'm not gonna let you literally burn down all of me and Ravi's hard work. You're still entitled to your free lifetime supply and your food will always be hand-delivered and hot but, like, far away from my truck."

@warnerstjames

Warner bites back a laugh.

He'd forgotten how video game adverse Sola was. It was both impressive and concerning how she seemed to lack any basic understanding of any video game he presented her with.

"W,A,S,D to make your character move. It's as basic as a navigational control comes. Spacebar to jump, aim with a right click of the mouse and shoot with the left."

He couldn't explain it more simpler than that.

"We're doing this because you won't let me near the food truck after last time." Warner hadn't seen the big deal then and he still didn't now—so what if he had almost burned a hole through their fryer.

The key part of that incident was almost. @solaadisa

[solaadisa]

Sola started to make a mental checklist of spots they needed to hit as her eyes traveled over the interior of the truck. It actually wasn't so bad, now that she looked a little closer — it looked like how it always did after a particularly busy lunch rush. After the initial shock and awe had worn off, Sola hadn't let the harried energy consume her. They just done their jobs, jobs they were good at.

Right now, with the high of it settling back in, Sola didn't think she could be convinced that anyone was doing it better than them.

She was about to propose leaving the cleanup for future Sola and Ravi to deal with, driving out to the beach and cracking a few of their reserve beers from the back of the fridge, when she registered the hand being held out to her. "Oh?" She tilted her head and listened a little harder to the music drifting in — Shall I stay? Would it be a sin?

It was more of a compulsion than a decision when she reached out with a sheepish half-smile to slide her hand into Ravi's. She stepped closer and put her other hand on his shoulder. "Okay. One dance."

Her eyes flickered up to meet his for a moment before they moved to gaze just past his ear. She fought the urge to make a joke, to keep the banter going, anything to distract from the proximity of their bodies.

She would tell Ravi anything, and typically did — the 2am texts asking if he thought a pillow would be a better salad or sandwich if it could be eaten were testament to that — but she usually kept a line of demarcation between their physical bodies, even subconsciously.

That had gone out the window now, clearly. She didn't think she could look him in the eyes as Elvis kept singing (like a river flows surely to the sea...), but with the line now well and truly crossed, she stepped forward again and closed the gap, pressing her ear against his chest as they swayed.

@ravirussell

"Sends a shiver through me just thinking about it."

Both the idea of being an accidental leak and the TMZ of it all, which he had always viewed in a lesser lens than other publications given how many times it crossed the feeds of his socials with commentary on how terrible it was.

His mind drifts for a moment then, wondering what it might be like to be published in anything for something worthwhile -- like a really good food truck review -- when he's brought back to earth and the party by an index finger aimed his way like a warning.

His eyes roll as they always did when Cricket was the topic at hand, but there was less sincere vitriol behind the action and more commitment to what felt like it would be a lifelong bit.

( Somedays it was harmless, others he would have sworn on a bible that she was his arch-nemesis. )

Opening his mouth about her would mean another stray, so he doesn't for the sake of heeding Sola's request and because he had to focus on identifying what the song playing was. It's familiar to him in the hazy way childhood memories for, and it's only when he hears the distinctive voice of the King of Rock and Roll kick in does he recognise it as one of his father's favorite songs.

"I got an idea," Ravi says as he holds out a hand to her in offer, the chaos of the kitchen and the cleaning that needed to be done would still be there in three minutes time, but how often was it that Can't Help Falling In Love was heard in the wild like it was then? Not enough, in Ravi's opinion, "It's a crime to not dance to Elvis."

@solaadisa

[solaadisa]

Does Sola have already names settled for future children?

"Dude, you can't ask me shit like that. Because the second I start thinking about kids I just think, like, would it even be morally responsible for me to do that when I'm ready? Do I really want to subject them to the horrors of racism and late stage capitalism and don't we all have to worry about the heat death of this planet and—

Yeah, just don't ask me that. I'll lose my shit."

[solaadisa]

closed: @aiden-stevens

location: sola & buddy's apartment

"Okay, before I let you in here," Sola started with a finger held up to stop Aiden from heading in, and her body solidly in the doorway to her apartment for good measure. "You don't have beef with my roommate, do you? Because no offense, dude, but it seems like you've got a lot of beef with a lot of people and I'm not tryna...disturb the peace, you know?"

[solaadisa]

closed: @thelizaxevans

location: sweet nothings

"So, it's basically a beignet," Sola explained as she cradled a mixing bowl in her arms and stirred, stirred, stirred, before stopping for a moment to wipe a smear of flour off of her cheek. "But puff-puffs are just better, I'm gonna show you how we do it Jolyani style. Little bit of cinnamon and garam masala in the dough, and then the chai syrup on top. It actually might be the best thing Ravi and I have ever dreamt up."

She'd probably say the same about every dish they ever concocted together, but that was by the by.

"We're finally gonna make this Jolyani x Sweet Nothings collab happen."

[solaadisa]

Ayo Edebiri via deemakeupart on Instagram — January 5, 2025

[solaadisa]

closed: @macaulaymontgomery

location: cooldown ice rink

"Whew, okay," Sola mumbled nervously as she steadied herself on her rented skates and froze, right in the doorway to the ice. A small child whizzed past her and she threw a glare at his back as she watched him go.

She reached out for Mac. "Alright, I'm gonna need you to hold me through this one. We're gonna take it slow, and you're not gonna laugh at me when I fall, mkay?"

[solaadisa]

"Right! And she was a really good hugger too, so that's another win for me."

There was no world in which Sola didn't go all out for this, even if it meant having to pay full price for the dress she was currently wearing. Birthdays deserved to be celebrated with no holds barred.

She rubbed her hands together and took in the selection, even though there was barely any real consideration before she said, "Jello, hell yeah. Bottoms up, baby."

@ambivalenceshefelt

"Oh I love that!" Nikki grinned. Not that she expected it to come to this but oh well, she loved passionate people.

Birthday girl was impressed. "Wow, now that's a vibe we love in this house." winking she added "Good for humanity and cost effective." Nikki should really learn to be a little more thrifty too, now that she thought about it.

"Yes!" She exclaimed dragging the 's' and looked around for the closest booze. "Okay, regular or jello?" || @solaadisa

[solaadisa]

Sola tipped her bright pink cap at him with a smile before his next statement had the smile dropping from her lips completely. "Wait, are you serious? British people don't like Halloween? Dude, do you guys like anything fun? Like, I get 'stiff upper lip' and all that, but come on."

@romanphoenix

——- ❝  Thank you. you don't look too bad yourself. ❞ roman added with a slight grin on his lips. flexing his fingers some inside of the gloves he wore as he couldn't easily twirl any of his rings when he was gloved. ❝  well — halloween isn't really the big deal back in london as it is around here. ❞

[solaadisa]

AYO EDEBIRI

Before the academy gala by Morgan Maher (October 2024)

[solaadisa]

Okay, that was a scary smile, but so far things were still civil. They could do civil.

At least they'd already set a high bar for themselves in terms of drama with their fight in the Oasis parking lot, and Sola would do anything in her power to keep them from meeting that bar. If that meant gritting her teeth and refusing to dignify some of Robin's errant digs with a response, even if Sola's own instincts were screaming at her to do otherwise, then so be it.

What was harder for her to deal with, though, was silence. She'd happily take awkward small talk than awkward nothingness, even with Robin, who willingly starting a conversation with felt the same to Sola as willingly sticking her hand into a bear trap.

"Um. Yeah. Sure."

She started to walk down the beach, twirling the trash spear as the unease fully set in. The lighthouse seemed impossibly, tauntingly far away.

It didn't take long before the silence unnerved her a point where it was unbearable. She opened her mouth once, then her jaw clicked shut, and then it opened again. "I think I...want to say sorry. About how last time went." Was she sorry? Or did she just need to have something to say? She couldn't tell. "I shouldn't have yelled like that." That, at least, was true.

@robinsantos

Robin had only half been listening to the group co-ordinator as they assigned pairs and sections of the beach for trash clearing, instead regaling Atticus with the events of her weekend following a Aurora Bay Drive snob whose wife suspected her of embezzlement. Her attention and gaze only drift when she hears her name, expecting to hear Atticus's after, but the name that's spoken makes her blood boil.

If like was a cartoon then Robin suspected steam would be blowing out of her ears right now.

Atticus whispers something in her ear about Robin and unflattering orange jump suits before dispersing with the rest of the group and his assigned partner, leaving Robin and Sola standing on the beach, a ruined friendship scattered like litter between them.

"I think we can clear up the beach without the awkward small talk," Robin insists, tapping her trash picker against her leg and flashing a smile as sharp as razors at Sola. She was going to kill Atticus for making her sign up for volunteering. "You take the rocks and I'll take the lighthouse," With any luck Sola would do them both a favour and slip and drown. @solaadisa