#I gotten an idea from the middle of the group chat on discord about discussing about deepnest-

[notthesaint]

does nosk have a ford f150?

I headcanon that the entire deepnest hates mobile vehicles and technology because its similar to the tramway that pale king tried to built in deepnest. "WHAT IS THAT UGLY METAL THING? IT LOOKS YUCKY" *angry chittering from 100000000 of spiders* I am gonna demolish it ASAP ewwww 🕷️🕷️🕷️

Deepnest hates tramways!! and cars are not SAFE AS WELL!!!! If a ford f150 appeared in nosk's den randomly, I am pretty sure nosk would be so confused because *wtf is that thing? Is this edible? WAIT NO ITS NOT FUCKING RAW! Especially when those who live in deepnest are not somehow familiar with the outside world of hollownest, They would probably believe that tramways, technology and whatever things that are no familiar with them as a threat of pale king trying to colonize them HJGFH

[a-dragons-journal]

Not like I'm into it, but I recently became aware of all this kin stuff and I'm genuinely curious..What is it? How does one become whatever they are? Why does it happen? Do you or other people genuinely believe you're part of this? How do other people react, and is this a thing that goes beyond Tumblr? How long does it usually last for? What are the effects it has on your life? Not to sound aggressive, I just really want to know what's going on inside the heads of kin people (if that's the term)

Lots of questions, my friend! I’m more than happy to answer.

What is it [otherkin]?

Otherkin describes someone who identifies nonphysically as something other than human, partially or wholly. That identity can be spiritual or psychological (or both), but it’s generally understood to be involuntary - that is, one doesn’t choose to be otherkin, it’s just something you are or are not.

How does one become whatever they are?

Otherkinity isn’t a matter of becoming something - like I said above, it’s something you either are or are not, pretty much full stop. You can’t really “become” otherkin (or stop being otherkin, for that matter) if you’re not already. However...

Why does it happen?

...there are a lot of theories explaining why someone might be otherkin in the first place, both spiritual and psychological! Probably the most common is the “past life” theory - the idea that one lived as one’s kintype (the thing they identify as) in a past life, and the identity “bled over” into this life for whatever reason. I fall into this narrative myself. Other theories include walk-ins (the body’s original soul left and was replaced by another), misplaced souls (the nonhuman soul wasn’t supposed to end up in a human body, but did by some cosmic mistake), unconscious imprinting (the individual became so fixated on and familiar with the kintype, usually when young, that it became an irrevocable part of their identity), involuntary/unconscious coping mechanism (exactly what it sounds like), etc.

Do you or other people genuinely believe you're part of this?

If someone doesn’t genuinely, literally identify themself (nonphysically, but still literally nonetheless) as nonhuman, they’re not otherkin, full stop. That’s something a lot of people on Tumblr don’t understand. Otherkinity is not something you do voluntarily to cope (someone who voluntarily adopts a nonhuman (or fictional) identity for coping reasons is called a copinglinker, and while there’s a lot of overlap, the two aren’t quite the same), and it’s most definitely not something you “do for fun”. It’s not roleplay. (There’s nothing wrong with roleplay! That’s just not what otherkinity is.)

How do other people react?

They don’t, for the most part, because from what I hear most of us really don’t talk about it outside our own community that much, for somewhat obvious reasons. It’s not something most of us want to discuss with strangers. However, I personally am someone who wants people to know things about me, so I’m probably more open about it with my non-’kin friends than a lot of us, and the reactions I’ve gotten post-explanation have thus far ranged from “yeah, that explains a lot” to “yeah, that seems right” to “I’VE BEEN WONDERING ABOUT THAT FOR SO LONG, THANK YOU.” There’s usually a lot of questions, because it’s a Weird Thing(TM) and it’s not an experience most people are even remotely familiar with, but I don’t mind answering questions.

On the other hand, there’s a reason most of us don’t talk about it with outsiders much, or want to talk about it with strangers. It is a weird thing, and it has the possibility to have pretty serious repercussions, what with accusations of “crazy” and all that. And, of course, there’s the antikin. So with rare exceptions, it seems like for most of us it’s either entirely private or it’s something we only talk about with people we trust. (And, after all, for a lot of people there’s no real reason to talk about it with non-’kin.)

Is this a thing that goes beyond Tumblr?

Most definitely; it dates back to physical snail mail mailing lists in the 1970s (the Elf Queen’s Daughters and the Silver Elves, if you want to look those two groups up) and has a recorded history since then. The actual term “otherkind” (which would then become “otherkin” at some point) was coined in 1990 in the Elfinkind Digest, a mailing list for nonhumans which was recently discontinued. Therians, or therianthropes (people who identify specifically as animals that exist or used to exist physically on this earth), can date their community’s history back to an IRC called alt.horror.werewolves (AHW), which was originally a fan page but eventually became a space for therians (then called weres) to talk; similarly, dragons can trace our community’s history back to the IRC alt.fan.dragons (AFD). Both of those communities have been at least partially absorbed into the “otherkin” umbrella; therian-specific spaces still exist, but there are very few draconic-specific spaces left. (I know the unicorn community also originated separately, but I’m afraid I don’t know as much about their origins.) Nowadays Tumblr and Discord are two of the most active places otherkin communities can be found, but a few forums still exist. Otherkin/therian Amino, from what I hear, is an even more misinformed and sketchy place than Tumblr, but I haven’t verified that myself, so take that with a grain of salt.

How long does it usually last for?

Again - you can’t really stop being otherkin. It’s an integral part of you. I can’t stop being a dragon any more than I can stop being nonbinary or stop being asexual. It is, of course, possible to stop self-identifying as otherkin because you realize another explanation fits your experiences better - but it’s generally understood that if that’s the case, you were never otherkin in the first place, you were just wrong about yourself (and that’s okay!).

What are the effects it has on your life?

Ranges from “basically nothing” to “huge impacts that I have to rearrange and compensate for on a daily basis” for different individuals, with most of us falling somewhere in the middle of that scale. For me personally, it’s not a huge impact, or maybe that’s just because I don’t really know what it would be like to not live like this. Supernumerary phantom limbs (the sensation of having body parts that are not and never have been physically present, in my case most often wings and/or tail but sometimes other parts as well) can be annoying at times, but I’m so used to ignoring or compensating for them that it’s not really a big deal. Homesickness, which is as close as I personally get to species dysphoria, is a similar deal. (People who do experience species dysphoria probably generally have a bigger impact on their life than I do.) Does it impact my behavior? Yeah, sure. Human body language is fortunately also relatively instinctive for me, but there’s definitely instinctive body language (and vocalizations, for that matter) that is not human I have to curb pretty much on a daily basis, at least when I’m in an environment where it’s inappropriate. But again - I’m so used to doing that, because it’s just normal for me, that it’s not really a big deal.

And, frankly, it’s kind of hard to quantify. There are a lot of things where I’m not sure and probably never will be sure whether it’s draconic, human, or both. It’s hard to tell, when I don’t really have super intense mental shifts (if any at all) and again, I don’t really know what it’s like to not be dragon-in-human-skin. And there’s a lot of overlap! Sometimes you just have to be okay with not knowing.

Props for using the right “a/effects,” by the way.

Hope this helped clarify some things for you! Remember, I’m always more than happy to answer questions or chat further - my inbox and DMs are always open :3

[thelastarchangelaskblog]

Session 16

This is our most recent session! Our DM ( @the-grey-hunt) titled it “Oh Boy Guys” in her session notes after we were done, which goes to show just what...uh...happened.

A lot. An...unexpected amount. Including something our DM didn’t expect to happen for another three plot points but I don’t know what she was expecting with that curve ball she threw at us. (Her status on Discord is now back to RECALCULATING.)

Anyway, our entire party was present but for @imagine1117, which was a bit...unfortunate.

So what happened anyway?

**

(Read more.)

It’s still raining outside, and we’re no longer in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s headquarters and have never been in Ankh before but really do need somewhere to stay.

@heliocentricgeometric: I'm thinking about what this anxious weirdo would do.

Tony just asks a random gnome where an inn is that they can stay at, and they’re directed to a nice boarding house that has 3 rooms we split between the six of us. Once we’re dried off, we reconvene in one room to discuss S.H.I.E.L.D.

Zira is adamant that she’s joining but no one else has to. Rhodey ( @rebaobsessions) is just as adamant that she’s not going to join it alone and DJ (doxblogsstuff) agrees.

But what about Tony? He’s not a fan of joining a shady organization, although he doesn’t specifically list his reasons for why. He does state he’s willing to ally with them as an independent contractor.

Tony: I'm not going off by myself.

Rhodey: Good.

DJ has doubts about this plan, since he doesn’t think Fury will agree to an independent contractor role.

DJ: Cranky Pants made it sound like it was a black-and-white choice. I don't know if he's been paying attention, but there's a lot of grey out there.

Tony: Shady organizations that think in black-and-white aren’t organizations I want to join.

Bob ( @thechaoticwave​) hasn’t agreed to joining either! He states he needs more information and just left with more questions after talking to Fury and getting some answers.

There’s a meta joke among us about the fact that Bob occasionally also has the name Tony and he and Tony can make a detective club. Zira suggests Tony become a detective and the joke spirals from there.

DM: Tony & Tony Private Detectives

thechaoticwave: Tony-squared.

Dox: T-squared. Their calling card is a t-square nailed to the door.

Back in game, Tony is stating his own decision shouldn’t affect anyone else’s, but Rhodey doesn’t want to leave him alone.

Rhodey: You’re not going anywhere without me by your side.

Tony: I’m not asking you for that.

Rhodey: You don’t get to ask or not ask me that— It’s already given, Tony. It’s already given.

(MY HEART, GUYS)

The conversation doesn’t really have a resolution since Bob still needs more info and Tony is resolutely not joining S.H.I.E.L.D. We wait for the rain to stop before heading down and do some errands.

DJ wants to visit the store his relatives have here since it’s an Artificing store. He invites Tony since it’ll be cool for Tony to check out. Tony agrees to come along but will have to leave for his own errands.

DJ asks the head of the inn where his relatives’ store is, actually using their name. He tries being stealthy but it’s not quiet enough to get past our groups’ passive perception.

There are...reactions among the players.

DJ last name reveal.

inu: wait WHAT WAS THAT

Everyone else: JAMJAR

There are Jar Jar Binks gifs going around in the lurking chat, and Tony in-game is going what very, very quietly.

In the meantime, Zira is interested in why DJ is wanting to go shopping and what is this about holidays?

Zira: We need to jump back. We need to jump way back. What holiday?

An explanation later that involves the practice of gift giving.

Zira: Does this mean I should be getting gifts for you? I don't even know what you like! I mean...explosions?

Some other folks are like...I don’t know if I can find a good gift since I’m terrible in real life. (coughrebacough)

inu (in lurking chat): Now I have an idea for DJ's gift.

Everyone else in voice chat: Oh no.

We do eventually find our way to JamJar Jar Jar Artificers.

The proprietors: Welcome to Jamjar Artificers ...Have I met you before?

DJ, their relative: I'm Junior.

Madi and Mani are the twin proprietors of a store that sells absolutely nothing made by actual artificers. Tony is familiar with almost everything in the store and is an actual artificer. The stores’ contents are also super expensive and we don’t have the funds because our DM hasn’t provided us with a ton of loot drops...

Zira: Being hunted for sport actually doesn't pay very well.

DJ: I could have used a little more gold and a little less near death experiences.

Madi and Mani would really like DJ to buy this cat figurine that has been in their store for absolutely ages. (Please guess which cats this figurine is modeled after. Please.) It’s still 75 gp but they’re willing to knock down the price!

After some more exploring, Tony eventually gives DJ everyone else’s money bags and leaves on his own errands.

He manages to find his way back down to the first floor, upon which he...senses a little something...a little something familiar.

It’s Balthazar.

Balthazar is here.

Balthazar is physically here.

He’s here and painting a mural on the wall!!

Tony has absolutely no idea what to do, but he’s too curious for his own good to just leave without acknowledging his brother in some way. It’s been two years since he’s last seen him in person!

Tony says something nice about Balthazar’s painting, getting his attention. Balthazar turns to him, presumably about to say something nice, 

There’s a moment, and then Balthazar sees the signet ring Tony has.

Balthazar: What’s that ring you're wearing?

Tony looks down at this ring he has always worn and never even considered.

Tony (to himself): Oh shit.

Balthazar tries some kind of spell but Tony aces the wisdom save.

Balthazar keeps asking where Tony got the ring from. Tony is absolutely truthful that it’s his ring and he stole it off a table and not any fingers. Balthazar is incredibly doubtful and suspicious of this because his brother would never let go of that ring and why does Tony have it

I want it to be known that everyone in the lurking chat is losing their minds over Balthazar being physically present and ALL OF THEM IN A STORE AND NOT PRESENT.

Bob ends up leaving because he’s uninterested in what the rest of the party is doing. Zira follows after him.

thechaoticwave rolls a Nat 20 on perception.

DM: Bob, you go up to the balcony, look down, and see this dude about to throw hands with Tony.

Bob flies down, and Zira is right on his heels to see what’s up and is like HEY, WHAT’S GOING ON. This gets everyone else’s attention, and soon they’re all trying to find their way down to the first floor.

Bob interjects himself smack in the middle before Balthazar can throw any punches. His presence is enough for Balthazar to back off a little, but he’s still insistent on the ring being his brother’s (Gabriel) and why does Tony have it?

Bob makes the offhand suggestion that maybe Tony’s his brother! :D

The rest of the group sprints to Tony’s defense, and Balthazar is now faced down by a 6′6″ tall aasimar with sharp teeth, Rhodey who has a ton of weapons, a bird, JARVIS, and a halfling. (Luna is off to parts unknown.)

Rhodey asks Tony if he knows what’s going on here. Tony just nods because anything else would be a lie, wouldn’t it?

Balthazar is now amenable to moving this conversation somewhere more private because Tony isn’t having this discussion here.

They go into a side alley. Balthazar reiterates that the only reason his brother wouldn’t have this ring would be if he was dead.

Tony: He’s not dead.

Balthazar: And how do you know that?!

Tony: Because...he’s me.

There’s...a stunned pause. Helio is accidentally ejected from voice chat while Bob is trying to give Zira a high-five.

And then Balthazar is instantly in denial because how???

Zira: Well, is he your brother then?

Balthazar: NO!

Balthazar is insistent he’d know if Tony was his brother. He’s spent enough time with his siblings to know them! And Tony doesn’t look like any of them!!

This means...is Tony under a disguise??

Helio: 465 is now in the front y’all!

reba: Oh, NO

465 is mad. She is so mad, guys. She demands to know what Tony’s real name is. If that’s even his actual face!!

Tony doesn’t answer, just says they need to go somewhere private if he’s going to do this. Balthazar leads them to his place because he doesn’t want to be led somewhere unfamiliar.

Tony takes off the amulet, and it’s Gabriel.

Helio: Can we pause for a second

DM: Yeah, let loose.

(three to four simultaneous meltdowns)

Balthazar is having emotions. Gabriel is having emotions. Everyone else in the party is just probably in varying stages of wtf-ery and 465 is apparently startled enough and Zira startled enough that Zee is back in the driver’s seat because 465 and Zira are now fighting.

Zee: Mr. Tony... Gabriel. Mr. Tony-Gabriel.

Balthazar eventually tells everyone to make themselves comfortable. He’s found solace in a chair himself.

thechaoticwave: Bob just flops down as soon as he says make yourself comfortable.

DM: Like, on your stomach?

thechaoticwave: Yeah.

Zee is super talkative and introducing herself and the Zira collective to Balthazar. DJ puts a hand over her mouth. He’s wearing the gauntlets of ogre strength and I think Zee licks it?

DM: It tastes like metal and dead people. The dead person is mostly on the inside.

Balthazar swears a little as Gabriel talks; he doesn’t like what he’s hearing.

Zee: That was a bad word. Also is your shirt broken?

Balthazar: No. I'm hot.

Zee: Why don't you take it off?

DJ: Zee, darling, Mr. Balthazar looks a little stressed out right now. Why don't we not critique his clothing choices right now?

Balthazar: If you’re going to call me Mister, use my last name Quill.

Gabriel keeps telling Balthazar about what happened back home. That he left because he if he hadn’t then he probably would have gotten himself killed. And he’s going after the ones who left to join the Horned Crown.

Balthazar looks like he doesn’t want to hear this and doesn’t know whether to believe this. He’s curled in on himself in the chair.

Gabriel eventually reaches out, but something he says upsets Balthazar and he withdraws. Gabriel doesn’t try again.

Gabriel tells Balthazar they’ll leave and are heading to their boarding house. Balthazar can find him there and bring Hannah if he wants.

Balthazar snidely asks if he’s going to skip town. Gabriel glances over to the group and Rhodey and DJ are very adamant on going LIKE HELL with their eyebrows.

Gabriel puts the amulet back on and leaves before anyone else does. Rhodey eventually follows after, leaving Zira, Bob, and DJ to follow.

Rhodey tries to touch Gabriel’s shoulder, but Gabriel actually flinches and puts space between them. Rhodey doesn’t try again.

They end up back in the boarding house. Rhodey and Gabriel are in the room they share. Rhodey lets him know he can take time to think and Rhodey’s here if Gabriel wants to talk. And that he still trusts him and loves him.

There isn’t a verbal response from Gabriel, but he does nod.

Rhodey rolls a Nat 1 on insight against Gabriel’s 19 (17?) for deception. It’s...uh...bad.

Rhodey leaves the room, closes the door, and starts crying against it because he thinks something really awful, guys.

I’m just going ahhhh in the voice chat because owwww

DM to inu: This is your bed that you made and you're going to lie in it.

Zee and DJ find Rhodey crying against the door. Zee is instantly jumping to comfort and gives Rhodey a hug.

reba: Helio, your characters are too perfect and you have three of them.

DJ shoves Rhodey aside while he’s hugging Zee. Zee and Rhodey head downstairs for some water while DJ goes to talk to Gabriel.

DJ: Oh my god, you are so fucking DUMB

Gabriel doesn’t respond to anything. DJ accidentally injures him on trying to pull his hands away from his face because he rolled a Nat 1 and so the gauntlets catch on Gabriel’s skin. He’s rubbing at the wounds angrily but still kindly and is telling Gabriel to go talk to Rhodey because he was crying.

Gabriel: You’re a good kid.

DJ: I’m an adult.

Gabriel: A good kid.

Gabriel goes downstairs, but Rhodey and Zee are sitting together and drinking some water. Zee has managed to cheer Rhodey up some, and Gabriel doesn’t want to bother them.

Zee catches sight of him and waves him over. Rhodey catches sight and raises a hand. Gabriel makes to go to a corner table and Rhodey droops.

Only DJ is there and keeps poking Gabriel in the back, but JARVIS headbutts him because that’s just rude and stop poking Gabriel! DJ hauls Gabriel off to Rhodey and Zee because he’s not leaving them to not talk about this!!

DJ: Zee, sweetheart, let's go over and talk to Neil and Luna, who is invisible. Because Rhodey and Tony need to have a conversation like two adults.

Gabriel sits down but has a chair of space between them. Neither of them speaks. 

inu: Two guys at a table sitting in awkward silence.

DM: Two bros sitting in a hot tub.

Rhodey gathers his thoughts and eventually tells Gabriel he’s still there for him.

Rhodey: I still trust you. I still love you

Gabriel: You don’t know me.

Rhodey: Are you going to say that, after all we've done? That it’s all a lie?

Gabriel: ...no.

Gabriel tells Rhodey it was a mask. Rhodey doesn’t like hearing this. He wants to know if everything about them was a lie. If anything was real.

Gabriel tells him a little about leaving and that none of this was intended. That he made attachments he never intended to make but he’s made them.

Gabriel: I don’t want to leave.

Rhodey: And I definitely don’t want you to go.

Gabriel: Then...I guess we can try.

(There is a part where Rhodey says he loves part of Gabriel already. Can’t he love the rest? my heart)

Rhodey reaches out a hand, and Gabriel gives it a look before grabbing hold of it. He’s holding it pretty tightly, and Rhodey’s squeezing back just as hard.

And that’s where we end the session!!!

see, so much happened

[shanced-wedding-blog]

Special Update

Hello everyone, this is Mod Sky

Just wanted to address some issues and concerns that have arisen in regards to the zine as of late and to finally clarify what has been going on regarding production of the zine.

First I would like to address a recent comment we received on one of the last updates. While I understand that it has been quite a while since the zine opened pre orders and some of you are reasonably becoming frustrated with the waiting time, cussing us out and using vulgar language to address your issues with us is in no way an acceptable form of proceeding.

That said, I would like to apologize for making you feel like we’re not prioritizing the zine buyers here.

Now, the rest of the mods and myself weren’t planning on making this public at least until the zines had been out to the buyers, but we’ve talked and come to realize that it is probably for the best that everyone knows what’s been going on behind the scenes of this project.

As most of you know, when we started this project there was a call from the head organizer for mods. I don’t know about the other mods, but I personally talked to the head organizer a few times inquiring about the zine, what their ideas for the project were and of their experience with running a zine. They assured me they knew what they were doing and already had a plan laid out for how to get the project done. They told me they had experience modding other zines and I decided to trust them. I applied to help mod the zine because I wanted Shance fandom to have a beautiful zine we all could be proud of, because most of the Shance projects I had been involved in in the past had fallen through the cracks due to mod irresponsibility. I wanted to help bring this project to life and do everything I could to make it succeed. It’s what I’ve been doing from the start.

Well, the mod team was chosen and from the start we were pretty much given a role in the team. My role, when the time came, was to be in charge of finances of the zine, whatever that entailed. The head organizer gave all of us certain responsibilities and we all met in discord to discuss the project.

Now. Im not going to make any excuses for myself as I should have known better, but almost from the moment we started talking about actual specs of the zine and what extra things we wanted to offer, it should've been clear to me that the head organizer wanted to do too much.

They wanted to have 60+ contributors, they wanted to have music done for the zine, they wanted a lot of extra merch to go with bundles etc. At the time this was going on I was in the middle of producing my own personal zine, so I'm ashamed to say I wasn't paying a lot of attention to the planning of this zine, and not gonna lie, this is one of the things that’s ended up coming to bite me and the rest of the mod team in the ass.

Well, in the end head mod came with a plan, they apparently already had suppliers in mind and had been doing research on where to have things made and how much it would cost. We went along with it and contributor applications opened. The process seemed to be going smooth, we selected contributors and at the time I didn't realize just how big of an undertaking it would be to have so many contributors, I had my concerns with certain aspects of the zine but I felt like it wasn’t my place to say anything because it wasn’t my project and my role in the zine was to oversee the money once pre orders opened.

Creation time went by and everyone was involved, contributors did an amazing job coming up with stories and art that basically molded the zine into a cohesive book. As we got closer to opening pre orders and putting together the zine for printing, that's when problems started to show, beginning with the fact that the head organizer became scarcer and scarcer and the rest of the mod team were left grasping at straws trying to answer questions the contributors had that only the head mod could give an answer to. The excuse was that they were having computer problems so they couldn’t check in on things as much. This was the first red flag and we should’ve paid more attention, but we didn’t. We continued to move on and soon it was time for preorders to open.

Yaxi, the head organizer, opened pre orders prior to us having the zine even 1% put together. They made up some stretch goals trying to fit in as much as the extra merch they had people design for the zine as possible and added the contributor merch as an extra that zine contributors could choose to buy. The contributor charm was not going to be made from money from the zine sales. It was simply an extra design up to the contributors to make happen if they wanted it.

After the pre order period ended and having reached 100 sales, it was time to come up with a budget and proceed with production. Well… this was when pretty much everything went downhill. Yaxi came into the mod chat one day and pretty much dumped the production on me. They sent me some numbers and a list of providers they had come up with and said that they needed me to place the orders for the merch, of which there were no files ready. We had raw files for products but nothing has been checked to make sure the specs for printing were correct. As I was coming up with a production cost table I realized that there were many things Yaxi hadn’t taking into consideration when they first made their plan for the zine. They never took into consideration shipping prices, packaging costs, contributor copies shipping fees, and to make matters worse, they didn't take into consideration the amount of money it would take for certain items to be shipped from their production place to two separate destinations, because somewhere along the way Yaxi had decided that in order to offer cheaper international shipping, we would have all the international orders sent to Mod Robin in Europe so they could then redistribute because that would make shipping internationally cheaper.

I mean, i guess in theory that sounded like solid logic, but in practice.. I suppose they never stopped to think that there would still be an added cost of sending all those packages from the US to Europe, so there’s that.

Anyway I did my best to look for new manufactures because the ones Yaxi had on their list could not deliver what we needed, not to mention the fact that the specs Yaxi had given artists of the zine for their pieces were not a standard printing zine. So not only did we have to look for new printing companies, but we had to ask all our artist to adjust their pieces to fit the new dimensions of the zine. Added to that, at this point in time, communication with Yaxi had pretty much become impossible as they were never on the discord server and the only communication we had with them was via text messages from me to them since I had gotten her phone number at some point to meet up so I could deliver to them the special print I had made out of my own money for the zine. We ended up never meeting up.

So with all that going on, we still had not made much progress putting the zine together until Seki (one of our contributors) offered to help with it. We brough Seki along into the team and they worked several days on getting the zine print ready, and also making a digital zine that could be delivered the way Yaxi had originally wanted it to, that is with the music that was created for the zine incorporated into it.

While this was happening, the rest of the mod team and myself got together in a separate group chat to talk about what was to be done about Yaxi, their lack of participation, and the fact that they were the only ones that had access to the money for the zine and to the store front. We decided to ask Yaxi to hand over the money so we could move on with production and just go from there. Thankfully Yaxi was quick to give us access to the funds, they transferred most of the money to me, (we have yet to receive about 200.00USD), and basically the rest most of you already know. We’ve been slowly working on getting all the merch produced and ready to send to everyone, but there have been a few hiccups on the way.

We’re still not sure that we’re not going to have to put even more of our own money into the zine as we’re still pretty much figuring out what we’re going to do about shipping since not only are we sending contributor copies free of charge, but also sending all international orders to Europe first to be distributed from there.

It has never been our intention to keep any of you in the dark about any of this, but we wanted to first get the project completed before making any of this public. None of us in the mod team wanted for you to have to wait so long, unfortunately none of us were any wiser in realizing just how unprepared and irresponsible the main organizer really was. We are to blame for not seeing the red flags sooner and dealing with the issues before they became a problem. I especially would like to apologize because I should’ve known better. But what’s done is done and the only thing I can say besides how sorry I am that you, our buyers and supporters, have had to wait so long for this zine, is that myself and the rest of the mod team are doing everything we can to get this zine to your hands without any further mishaps.

I understand if you're frustrated with us, I understand because I’ve been frustrated and stressed over this whole thing for months as well.

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Thank you again for the endless patience you’ve had with us so far and for being understanding of our circumstances. We will keep you all updated as we finalize production and get ready to start packing and shipping orders.

Mod Sky

[cefh-rp]

Happy birthday Noah Puckerman || Group discord

Date: October 19th

Involved: Santana, Puck, Quinn, Audrey, Sam, Marley, Brody, Rachel, Vince

Summary: Part of Noah Puckerman’s birthday party. All other things will be discussed oocs

Warnings: none. 

OOC Note: again this is part of the party and clearly not the entire thing. Any errors made were made by the original chat participant. 

Santana

Far more equipped for a party than an open field loud music filled every room. It seemed like an even bigger crowd gathered just at hearing that it was Puck's birthday party than an undisclosed person at first. Sure Santana knew all about the Puckerman appeal but this was a little insane. Adjusting her dress as she came downstairs she already felt a small buzz as she had already had a few drinks. Smiling as she came downstairs she didn't even know what to focus on. Someone blocking the last stair was nudged out of her way before she muttered "It's my boyfriend's party, and who the hell blocks the stairs?" She wasn't even thinking about whether or not friends or randoms would end up going into rooms to hook up. Grabbing another red cup she made her way towards the drinks, all the while cursing her shoes she knew wouldn't come off until the party did down.January 20, 2018

Rachel

Rachel Berry didn't really understand why she had decided to come to the party she had heard was being thrown for Noah.  While she of course wanted to wish him a happy birthday, and give him the gift she had meticulously wrapped, opening herself up to a high school party where there were sure to be people who didn't like her seemed like an idiotic idea.  She walked towards the large crowd already forming, looking around for the resident bad boy, hoping that maybe she could get in and out safely.

Marley 

Marley had come into the party, looking for the present table, not that they actually had a present table at a high school party. She looked around for Puck or maybe Santana, seeing her best friend making her  entrance down the stairs, looking as beautiful as ever.  "Hey beautiful one, you look fantastic. Where's the birthday boy?" she laughed, taking a peek in Santana's cup. "And what's on the menu for the night?"Vince came in a little late, peeking into the party and looking around. It was the usual crowd of drunk and disorderlies  with the same faces he remembered from years ago. He wasn't sure about how he fit in any more but he was going to try if just for a couple of his oldest friends, especially since he'd been in charge of getting  all the alcohol. He'd been setting up the kegs in the basement, but now came the hard part, actually being there and not looking at his phone every five seconds. Looking around, he didn't see Puck and Santana was busy talking to people but he saw Rachel so he headed over. "Hey Rach," he said, coming up behind her.

Rachel 

Rachel turned around, her long hair whipping around her as she did.  "Hi" she squeaked before clearing her throat.  "Hey Vincent" she said looking around.  "I didn't know you were behind me" she tried to reason with him before shaking her head and holding up the box in her hands.  "Do you know where I should put this...where...Or could you give it to Noah for me?" she rambled

Puck

Looking up at the teen filled house, Puck was currently on the dock, a few meters from the side entrance. Levi was yelling at him through his phone, and he just wanted to throw his phone into the water. "No. No! I'm not coming home. I don't care what day of the week it is. You should care about what day it is, but apparently, you're counting on Facebook for that." Clearing his throat, the older male voice boomed through the phone. "Don't wait up," he said, hanging up. Puck shook his head before making his way back up to the house, thoughts filling his mind quickly. Not even making it inside, he sat down on the steps, putting his hands on the back of his neck.

Sam

Sam had just arrived at the party and had made his way up to the front entrance when he caught sight of Puck on the phone. It was hard to ignore the conversation he was having on the phone since it seemed like it was upsetting. Watching at Puck sat down on the steps, Sam walked over and sat down next to him. “Happy birthday dude… I guess we’re gonna have to work up to the happy part” He said, “Everything okay?

Puck

Seeing someone sit down beside him, Puck looked up to see Sam. "Thanks, man," he said, voice low. Between words, his phone kept making a noise, letting him know that he had a text message. "Yeah. Everything will be fine. My dad is just being an asshole, and just like last year, he forgot it was my birthday." Shrugging, a sigh fell from his lips. "If you want, dude, you can go on inside. I just need to clear my head before going in there." Looking down at his phone, it continued to go off before Puck looked over at Sam, a small smile on his lips.

Sam

Sam thought it was pretty messed up that Puck’s dad forgot twice in a row about his own son’s birthday, but he could tell Puck was taking it pretty hard to he refrained from going on and on about what he thought. “At least none of your friends forgot, I’m pretty sure the turn out to your party is gonna be a bigger turnout than Homecoming” Sam said jokingly to help Puck’s mood. “Alright, I’ll see you inside though, pretty sure the team and I have a special toast for you later” Sam added with a small smile, patting Puck on his shoulder before getting back up to go inside. Once inside, Sam took a short glance around to find Quinn but didn’t waste much more time on it when he couldn’t find her since he had new mission and that was finding Santana. Catching sight of Santana at the stairs yelling at someone already, he couldn’t help but laugh a little as he walked up to her and Marley. “Thanks, Marley, I am beautiful and I do look fantastic” He said, jokingly, already knowing Marley’s compliments were for Santana and not him. “Anyways, you guys both look pretty amazing tonight” he said with a small smile before leaning in closer towards Santana to tell her something, “Puck’s outside. He was on the phone with his dad, I know I’m not always good at reading signs but I don’t think it went well. You should go make sure he’s okay.”

Vince

Vince chuckled and shook his head at Rachel. "I do not know where you can put that nor do I know where Puck is, but I'd assume you can set it anywhere since this is his beach house and then I can get you a drink so you can actually settle in and enjoy yourself," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder and maneuvering her to the alcohol table. "What'll you drink?" he asked her with a little wink, grabbing a little something for himself too.

Rachel 

Rachel swallowed thickly as she looked at the table.  Aside from the random sip of wine or Champagne with her Dad's, she had never really had a drink, and now she was at a party with so many people, and a table of so many different drinks.  "I'll just take whatever you're having?" she asked before looking around.  "Do you know where Noah's room is?  I could leave this in there"

Marley 

Marley looked out the door to where she supposed Puck was and nodded.  "Yeah, hey, you go San. I'm sure that seeing you in that dress will make everything better," Marley murmured, worried about Puck but trying to make light of it. She turned to Sam and gave him a smile too.  "And, for the record, you are gorgeous, absolutely from head to toe. I mean are you doing something new with your hair cause it's like super shiny?" she laughed, happy to be with people who made her feel completely at ease.

Vince

Vince looked at his own drink and then at Rachel. She wasn't going to have what he was having, not when she possibly didn't drink that much and he was having vodka with the barest bit of orange juice in it, a favorite of his. He would make her something comparable though, pouring in a little bit of the vodka and going a little heavier on the orange juice.  "I made you something like mine...though here, take a sip of mine  and then take a sip of yours," he said, handing her both and leaning back on the wall.

Rachel 

Rachel looked at him, and took a sip of hers first.  It tasted like orange juice, with a slight burning sensation as it went down.  It wasn't bad, and she could understand why people would drink this.  But then she took a drink of his coughing as it burned with a hint of citrus.  "So...sorry" she sputtered, handing him his drink as she quickly brought her hand to her chest.

Brody

Brody let out a breath, running a hand down his face. He wasn't sure on why he was coming to the party. Sure he wanted to see his friends, hang out with them, and it was nice to get away from home. The last conversation he had had with his dad hadn't been pretty, and he just needed to get away, and maybe have a couple of drinks.  He walked inside, the first thing he was going to find was the drinks, and after that, well he'd see what he could do, there was probably someone around that he could talk to. He took a deep breath, grabbing a beer, taking a sip from it.

Vince

"And that's why I figure you'd probably want something a little different. I've had a little bit of practice drinking over the years...like since maybe middle school. It might take you some catching up to hit the level of alcohol tolerance I'm at," he joked, handing Rachel's drink over and sipping  on his with relish. It'd been awhile after all since he'd gotten out there and been drinking. Still, the atmosphere brought back memories and the memories were good ones. He missed the carefree boy though who had been there in those days though.

Rachel

Rachel nodded, running her fingers through her hair as she took another sip of her fruity drink.  "I have a feeling I'm never going to be good at drinking like you" she said with a small laugh.  She saw Brody come up to the table and took a step to the side, joining Vincent on the wall.

Santana

Before she could even fully thank Marley she heard Sam’s voice. Rolling her eyes playfully she waited until Sam was completely in view. “See, there you go stealing compliments from me. Let me get my props for what I’ due.” She still smiled Sam’s way before her smile faded. Without a second thought she looked past the throng of partygoers. “He’s already seen me in the dress, and out of it.” She winked at marley before brushing past Sam. “I’ll be back later.” Pushing past even more people she knew better than to make a scene now. Making any sort of a scandal would only call attention to Puck. Walking out she kicked off her shoes before following him onto the sand. “Babe.” Walking faster she reached out to him pulling his arm back. “Talk to me.” Her eyes pleading. “I know there’s that lame song and it’s your party and you can cry if you want to but there’s no way I’m letting that happen.”

 Vince

Vince waved at Brody as he came up. "Hey man, what's happening?" he asked before turning back to Rachel. "You never know Rachel, you could find you like the taste of a certain kind of alcohol and all of a sudden you could be drinking like me in no time." He  looked past them both and saw Santana making her way outside with a worried face and made a mental note to find  her later to figure out what was going on, but he didn't want to interrupt yet so he just shot her a text asking if she was okay.

Rachel 

‘I could find I like it, but probably when I’m 21’ she thought but to Vince she gave him a small shrug. “I guess I could...”she said with a small nod. “Promise me that you won’t let me do anything stupid if I’m a lightweight?”she asked as she put her back against the wall so she could see anything coming at her.

Audrey

Excited for something to do, and another party, Audrey arrived at the beach house ready to celebrate the guest of honor. Having grabbed a small gift, she carried it inside as she looked around to see all who was already there. She recognized faces and waved at a couple girls on the squad before moving further in the party. She surveyed the area, looking for a place to drop the gift, placing it on a table and then making her way towards where the drinks were held, she was ready to get started, and catch up to some of the patrons. Looking over the alochol bottles, she contemplated on what to choose for the first drink of the evening.

 Vince

"I promise that I will not let you do anything too ridiculous and that after you've hit tipsy/buzzed, I'll switch you over to something that has barely any alcohol or maybe just orange juice. Did you eat before you came here?" he asked, unconcerned but still caring. He knew that there was a very low chance that Rachel Berry of all people would let herself go completely  but he would look after her, nonetheless.

Rachel 

Rachel bit her lip, her eyes going slightly large.  "I ate lunch...is that bad?" she asked looking over at him.  "I told you, I'm not good at this."

Quinn

Quinn eventually arrived after sliding away from her parents'  overbearing questions. With the card she had grabbed with an Xbox game card tucked securely inside for Puck, she slid it onto the table where she saw the gifts already towering for the guest of honor. Letting her eyes glance around the room, her eyes landed on Sam, but decided against going that route and risk creating a scene. Instead, her eyes landed on a familiar looking girl from Santana's dance team over at the drink table. Quinn strode over to the table and perused the drink selection before grabbing one of the pink wine coolers. "Audrey, right?" she asked the girl.

Puck

Puck was sitting there when someone else had walked up on him. Turning to her, phone in hand, the screen was lit up with all of the text messages from his dad. "No crying here. I'm just trying to calm my anger down before I go back in there." Sighing, he showed her his phone. "He wants me to come home, and to top it off, he forgot my birthday again."

Marley 

"Come on Rach, I know where the kitchen is," he said, nodding at Brody as he hooked his arm in Rachel's and led them to the kitchen, pulling open the fridge and looking for something easy she could eat. "Whatcha hungry for? And do not tell me that you're not hungry because you're gonna get sick if you don't eat and I'm not having you puke at your first real party, especially because you're probably gonna have more to drink before the night is through."

Rachel 

Rachel put her gift to Noah, the newest leather jacket from her Daddy's collection on the gift table as Vincent led her towards the kitchen, looking into the fridge with him.  "I don't really know the answer to that" she said, looking over at him with a smile.  "What would you suggest, Oh great party drinker" she teased with a laugh

Santana

Pushing Puck's Phone down Santana took a hold on it before tucking it into one of the pockets of her jacket. "You're not going anywhere." Quirking a brown before resting her hands on his shoulders. "You're going to stay here. With me. Your mom knows where you are, and all of us. All those people in there, they didn't forget that today's your day." Her thumb brushed against his skin before shaking him a bit. "You're way too sober to be dealing with him right now." Her hips connected with his. Standing on her toes she kissed him quickly, almost chastely compared to how she usually kissed him. "And now you're not going to have to deal with him for the rest of the night because I'm keeping your phone."

Vince

"I would suggest the dreaded food of any dancer, carbs. Carbs suck up alcohol and you'll feel a hell of a lot better. " He grabbed a few bagels off the top of the fridge and spread cream cheese over them, handing them over to her and then sitting on top of the counter. "So, big question there for you Rachel Berry. What made you decide to come to Noah Puckerman's birthday party, with a present no less?"

Rachel

Rachel took the bagels from him with a thank you before pulling herself up and sitting next to him on the counter.  She took a bite of the bagel, before covering her mouth, a small cough coming out as she almost choked on the food.  "D..do I need a reason?" she asked after she had swallowed.

Puck

"I wasn't planning on leaving though, babe." A sigh fell from his lips as he stood there looking at her. "You're good to me, you know that?" He put his hamds on her waist, closing the distance between them. "I don't think I'm in much of a mood to drink right now though."

Vince

"I don't think you're someone who comes to a party like this where you know things are going to be raucous with people you probably don't love unless you have a reason to be here. So what brought you here? And don't tell me it was just to see my silly mug. I want the truth," he finished, leaning back and watching her squirm slightly. He had his own secrets after all; he could tell when people had theirs and he definitely could tell if someone nearly spat out their food.

Rachel 

"Maybe you're just a draw for me?" she asked, looking down at the bagel in her hand, hoping he couldn't see how red her cheeks felt they were getting.  "And maybe I wanted to be where the raucous are."

Santana

"Good. Not like I was going to let you." Still rubbing her thumb against his skin she smiled a bit at his compliment. "Yeah well who else is going to deal with you when you're like this." She angled her head so that she could look into his eyes. "What? You afraid you can't keep up with my drinking?" Santana challenged him a bit as she still pressed hr body against him. "I mean I get it, you already did admit that I was a bigger badass than you were so it's only right that I can drink you under the table."

Vince

"If I'm the draw, you would be looking at me Rachel. So what, you got a crush on Puck or something? You wouldn't be the first girl, you know that right? Though I wouldn't go up against Santana for the world so there's that," he said, mostly trying to protect her though some part of him didn't quite see that fitting together. Then again, good girls did seem to love the former player  before Santana made it something of a bad choice. Still, he definitely didn't believe that she wanted to be where the raucous was. "Yeah, I can see it. You're a party animal."

Rachel 

Rachel couldn't help the face of disgust she made, pretending to puke at the idea of it.  "Contrary to whatever Noah thinks about making good girls go bad, I do not have a crush on him" she looked over at him, taking another bite of her bagel, chewing it carefully as she thought about it.  "I'd much rather talk to you then pretty much everyone at this party...so...and I may not be the most party animal of them all...but I'm not some stick in the mud either..."

Puck

"True. I'm just lucky that way," Puck said.  When she challenged him, his gripped tightened on her waist. "Are you challenging me? Are you just wanting to get me completely wasted?" Brown eyes looked into hers as the water crashed against the shore.

Sam

“You know, Marley, I did actually do something different with my hair. I’m using new product in it, I’m so glad you noticed, at least someone did” Sam said, running his fingers through his blonde hair before his laughter gave him away. “So what'd you get Puck for his birthday because I got him an xbox controller and  my amazing friendship as back up” He asked, glancing around the room until he saw Quinn talking to Audrey. He felt the familiar pang in his chest but decided that he needed to be optimistic, so he forced back a smile.

 Vince

"Wow, that was pretty definite!" Vince laughed, both surprised and amused. After all, he'd spent most of his time in middle school with most of the girls they knew fawning over Puck. Still, the answer hardly explained what Rachel was doing here. "Then what made you show up and with a present no less. I didn't even really get him a present, I just brought the alcohol and made the mixed drinks. So, as far as I see it, you're not really here because you want to get trashed like most people here and you're not here cause you like him so that still leaves the question open."

Audrey

Audrey had settled on a drink and began pouring it into a red plastic cup as she heard someone come up next to her and she smiled, looking over as she heard a voice. "Yep, that's me." She looked at the blonde next to her and spoke again. "Quinn, right?" She recognized her as the captain of the Cheerios, and definitely saw her around school. Noticing what she had grabbed to drink, she looked towards it. "Are those things good?"

Santana

"Mhmm, real lucky," Santana smiled. Biting her lip as she felt his hands against her she didn't try to stop him. As romantic as the moment was she still bore in mind the countless people who had come to celebrate him. "Maybe both," she shrugged. "If not  you can just enjoy your party. Forget about everything else. Just focus on me... and everyone here for you."

Rachel 

Rachel sighed and put her bagel aside and looked around for a moment.  "You can't exactly say anything..." she said before she leaned in to whisper in his ear.  "Noah and I are friends, we have been since I was 12 and a kid was messing with me at temple when I first got here...So of course I had to come...but being friends with me is a little embarrassing for him so we just...don't talk about it"

Marley

Marley had gotten Puck something she considered silly, but figured he might like. "I didn't really know what he would want so I got him tickets to a Dallas game and a gift card and reservations at a pretty nice restaurant there so he and San could have like a getaway outside of Dillon. I know, I'm not the best with gifts. Plus, it's not like Puck really needs anything. Oh and I got him a book, The Outsiders actually. I don't know if he'll like it or anything, but I just wrote a note in it for him about how I see him in a lot of the characters in certain ways, you know," she rambled a bit, watching as his eyes went to scan for Quinn. "So, I saw you at Burning Boat talking with someone new. Want to spill the details," Marley said, bumping him lightly in an attempt to distract him.Vince cocked his head, a little surprised even if his face didn't show it. "Well, don't worry about me telling. I'm pretty good at keeping secrets.  And since I got an answer to my question, I'll give you one that you get to ask me," he offered, taking another sip of his drink and pulling out a bagel for himself, not that he was particularly hungry, but he didn't need to be getting trashed either, especially when he'd have to head home soon.

Rachel 

Rachel thought for a moment before leaning in again, not wanting to ask anything too personal out loud.  "What are your consequences?"  she asked before leaning back and taking another bite of her bagel.

Sam

“Wait, you got him tickets to a Dallas game and a reservation at a restaurant?” Sam asked with the raise of his brow since those were some pretty amazing gifts, “Yeah you’re totally right, Marley, you suck at gifts” He said sarcastically as he shook his head. “You might actually be the best gift giver in the world. Those are pretty thoughtful and great gifts, Puck’s pretty lucky to have you as a friend” He added. “Just making new friends, it’s nothing” Sam said with the shrug of his shoulders, “Why, jealous I might replace her as my new best friend and buy her amazing burritos instead of you?”

Vince

"Consequences?" Vince asked Rachel, deliberately missing the point though he was sure she meant something along lines which would, if he wasn't careful, end up back at Maggie.

Rachel

Rachel raised an eyebrow as she looked over at him.  "You said you can't do too much because you have consequences so what are they?"January 21, 2018

Marley 

"Okay, but those aren't like personal gifts and I had to make them good because they were for him and Santana so they had to work for both of them, even though I think San might be a little pissed that she has to go to a Cowboys game," she laughed, shaking her head at herself. She'd, of course, second guessed herself the whole way through. She also hoped that San would understand the presents were kind of supposed to be for both of them, other than the Outsiders. "For the record, I'd have a better idea what to get if I was shopping for you." She already had what she would get Sam picked out, maybe not a football game, but in her opinion something way better.  And maybe she was a little worried about Bella and the friendship she was developing with Sam, but she couldn't exactly tell him why or risk sounding as petty as she probably was being. "Maybe? Who knows, you might decide to pick a best friend who's better dressed."Vince thought a moment, biting his lip before he could respond. "I...made some stupid decisions a year back, ran off with a girl I loved. It seemed right at the time, you know. I was in love and she was in love and my family didn't really like her but I sure as hell didn't care. Things went south though, as they do, and I came home with a broken heart having to mend fences with my family. Let's just say that I grew up a little quicker for my time on my own, enough that all this, the parties and whatnot don't fill me with the excitement they once did.."

Rachel 

Rachel nodded slowly as she listened to him talk.  She put her hand on his leg and gave it a small reassuring squeeze.  "You know, this is the part in any big musical where I would sing you a song about her not being worth it and that your heart will mend" she said giving him a big smile.  "Thank you...for telling me.  Your secret is safe with me" she said holding up her pinky to him.

Sam

“Uh those are definitely personal gifts, I mean we live in Texas, you get arrested if you don’t cheer for the Cowboys. He’s gonna really love it, I can already tell. And I think Santana will appreciate it too in her own way” Sam said with a smile. “Well now I’m kinda sad my birthday isn’t coming up soon since I kinda wanna know what you’d get me” He was sure it’d be absolutely perfect for him, Marley had always been very thoughtful and it was one trait he really did love about it. “Considering I pronounced Chanel as channel at first, I also don’t have a clue about fashion. I can’t keep up with the brands and stuff, I can however keep up with your sense of style, it’s much more my speed. Plus you'd never judge me for my plaid.”

 Vince

"If this were a musical, I'd believe you and I'm sure it'd cheer me up," he winked, a wry smile returning to his face as he wrapped his pinky around hers and gave it a small squeeze in return. "And since that's a pinky promise, I'm holding you to that," he added. In the moment, he almost wanted to tell her about Maggie, but there were too many people around and this wasn't that night.

Rachel 

"Break a pinky promise?  Me?" she asked putting her hand to her chest in shock.  "That's just plain wrong"

Marley 

"Why do you think I got it for him? I mean Texas forever right? I mean I could have gotten him something for Houston, but between the two, you always go with the Cowboys, at least we do in my house.," she shrugged. She was even more excited about the book that she figured Puck probably wouldn't care about, but she still had to give it to him. It meant more to her anyway cause he was, in some ways, very much like a big brother to her.  "You just wait. It might take me some time to build up the capital anyways so it's probably a good thing." She wouldn't tell him yet. She'd surprise him when the time came and what a surprise it would be.  "Okay, I would never make fun of plaid cause it goes with a lot, but I don't know, she's like this cool New York girl so I just figured I'd ask if there was anything happening there.""Well, I'm glad you know the laws of pinky promises. After all, they are the most sacred of promises, " Vince laughed, hopping down from the counter and holding his hand out to help her down as well. "Shall we return to the raucous and see if our birthday boy has made his appearance yet?"

Rachel 

She took his hand and jumped down squeezing his hand.  "Sounds good to me...quicker I see him, the quicker I can get out of here" she said with a laugh

Vince

"Oh, so you're looking to bouce quickly then I see. Not that I can blame you," he said, checking his phone quickly to see if there were any messages from his parents telling him something, anything about Maggie, "I'm probably going to head out fairly early myself."

Rachel 

"I mean, once I say hi to Noah who else could keep me here?" she asked looking up at him.  "Especially if you're leaving too"

Vince

"You never know, you could choose to stay here and see how things go down  especially once the alcohol has everyone's inhibitions nice and loose. After all, it's like a case study, fun to observe and usually, if you're into that kind of thing, more fun to participate in."

Rachel 

"Let me think...A bunch of kids who hate me, drunk with no inhibitions and me, not exactly the most fightiest of people...I think I will pass" she said with a laugh

Vince

"Or you could get drunk yourself and turn into a wildcat or something and take them all out, who knows? Maybe drunk Rachel is like an MMA fighter," Vincent joked. Of course, he knew enough to know what he was like drunk and he didn't care to get past his chill phase, not at this party anyways.

Sam

“Yeah, Texas forever…” Sam said before leaning in closer to Marley as if to tell her a secret, “I’m a Titans fan, don’t tell anyone or else your dad might murder me” He had come from Tennessee and his dad was still a Titans fan which meant he also was a Titans fan despite now living in Texas. “Don’t waste your money on me, Marley, I’d be pretty happy if you just sang to me or gave me a birthday card, I’m pretty easy like that” Sam said with a smirk even though he knew Marley wouldn’t listen to him about it. “Yeah, she is pretty cool, a lot cooler than a lot of the other girls I’ve met but we’re just friends. Is this because Quinn wants to know or?” He asked, though it might have been wishful thinking on his part. In reality it seemed like Quinn didn’t care very much, and had even encouraged him dating other people, but Sam was hoping it’d be a sign that maybe Quinn still cared about him enough to even be jealous.

Rachel 

"I would love to be able to watch that from the sidelines" she said with a laugh.  "How about this, I promise to someday unleash my MMA fighter if you promise to be here to protect me when it happens" she said grabbing a bottle of water to sip from

Marley

"Don't worry Sam, I kind of figured that you probably weren't a Cowboys nut, but that's okay because my Dad still loves Notre Dame more than any other team to ever play football and that's saying something. Once again though, that's not something we ever admit here in Texas where there's Texas A&M and University of Texas and Baylor to worry over," she whispered in return with a grin. "I mean of course I'm going to sing you a birthday song, that's obvious but you're also going to at least get a Marvel blanket and something else of my own devising," she returned. She knew Sam would love whatever he got; he was awesome that way, but that just made her more determined to get him something good, hopefully something he could share with Quinn if they ever got back together. She wanted to be able to tell him that Quinn had been the one to ask her, that it hadn't been her own jealousy, but she shook her head. "Quinn totally wouldn't ask me cause she knows I'd just spill to you. She probably has other people on the cheer squad to dig into stuff like that.""Protect you or protect them? I mean come on Rachel, you may be tiny, but I'm betting you could do some damage if you felt so inclined. In that case I'd just want to film the whole thing and watch you wreck shop....but I promise I'll be there if shit gets real," he laughed.

Rachel 

Rachel couldn't help but laugh, her head falling forward as she did so.  "I think you're going to be trouble for me Mr." she said with a grin up at him.  "I'm tiny but mighty" she said doing her best Wonder Woman pose

Quinn

Quinn nodded as the brunette next to her questioned her identity. "Yeah, that's me," she confirmed. "These?" she asked, motioning to her drink, "These are great. They're cotton candy flavored wine coolers, so it's like you get the taste of the alcohol, but hopefully without the annoying drunken hangover since the alcohol content is a lot lower," she explained. In a swift movement, she popped the cap off the glass bottle and took a tiny swig of the beverage, letting the cool taste of the alcohol run down her throat. "What's your drink of choice tonight?" she questioned, pointing towards the red solo cup Audrey had.

 Vince

"I've never been trouble for anyone...you know, unless you count my parents and my friends and such and maybe a few teachers here and there when I was younger," he quipped. He gave her a grin as she showed him her pose, the tightness seeming  to loosen if ever so slightly. "Like  Mighty Mouse?"

Rachel 

Her mouth opened into a perfect 'o' of shock when he said she looked like Mighty Mouse.  "That is the absolute rudest thing you have ever said to me" she said slapping his arm lightly, a smile already forming on her lips

Sam

“Wait your dad’s a Notre Dame fan over any other team? I never would have guessed, but now I have the perfect gift to get him for Christmas” Sam said with a smirk. He knew how crazy everyone was abotu Texas but it was nice to know even the most hardcore fans had other teams too. Alright, I would definitely love a Marvel blanket but I’m not gonna tell you which character I would want one of so that’s all you” he teased. Marley knew him better than he sometimes knew himself so he would never worry about her getting him something he didn’t like. “Yeah… or she doesn’t care at all, that’s a possibility I guess” Sam said with a shrug, “I mean what even is a break anyways, that’s just a break up, but a nice way to break up with someone or something, right?”

Vince

"Well isn't that like Mighty Mouse's catch phrase? I'm not saying you look like Mighty Mouse, just that you have similar catch phrases. I guess you could be a different hero if you'd prefer. I don't know maybe you're like a singer by day, spy by night. I'm not sure," he said, lifting his arms in the air, a pose of mock surrender.

Rachel 

"I don't know, but I guess I'll let you slide tonight...out of the kindness of my heart" she teased before taking a drink from her water.  "But don't let it happen again or I'll be mad faced and that can cause premature wrinkles that no one needs or wants on their ingenue.

Audrey

Audrey nodded along, an amused smile on her face, wondering if she should ditch her cup and grab one of the drinks Quinn talked about instead.  "That sounds good, but I mean also could be dangerous being so sweet. If you drink too many." She looked at her cup before answering Quinn's question. "For now, vodka, and I was searching for something to add to it. Probably some juice or something. " She took her eyes off Quinn for a quick second to search around. Settling on something to add to her drink she turned back to her company. "So, did you just get here too, or have you already been around enjoying yourself?"

Bella

Bella arrived like a Del La Rosa would-- late. But with a purpose. So everyone could see that they in fact finally made it, and they made it wearing their label best. And in tonight's case, Bella's label read Yves Saint Laurent. She was stunning, but alone, which wasn't such a bad pay off until she saw the only person she really knew was already in deep conversation with someone else. So she waltz right on over to the makeshift bar to get herself a drink. It was there that she saw two familiar faces. They were in the middle of a conversation as well so Bella stayed quiet and assessed the drink situation. It took her a couple of minutes but she managed to have made a cranberry mojito without the mint.

Marley 

"I told you, he's all about the classic football and you don't get much more classic than old school Notre Dame. Hell, he still has old sweatshirts in his closet though he doesn't really usually wear them anywhere but around the house when it gets colder around here which isn't really that often. If you come over during Christmastime though, you might see one," she chuckled. "Like you think I wouldn't get you one with a bunch of them. I might get you one of those that ties at the ends and then have one side be Marvel and one side be DC so you can switch to how you're feeling depending on the day." Even the most Marvel of guys could have DC days after all. Seeing Sam's mood start to fall though, she put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. "I'm sure she cares Sam. You don't just turn off caring for someone. She's just not really able to show it great right now . That doesn't mean that she doesn't give a shit.""I'm sure that you could figure out something to keep the wrinkles away seeing as you've been preparing to be an actress your entire life, did I get that right?" he shot back playfully, reaching over to the bar and pouring himself another drink, this one much less potent than the first, though none of the guys he knew here needed to know that. In fact, a few of them passed him and gave him high fives before he came back to Rachel. "Sorry."

Rachel 

Rachel watched him, and watched the way people interacted with him.  People really liked Vince, not that could blame them at all, and it made her happy because Rachel was sure she saw a bit of an underlying sadness in him.  "It's okay" she said when he came back over.  "I have been prepping forever so you did indeed get it right...and you want to be a mechanic?"

Sam

“Alright, maybe if I show up in a Notre Dame sweatshirt he’ll know that I know his secret, could be a rpetty amazing plan if you ask me” Sam said with a small laugh. Truthfully, Sam looked up to his coach so he was always amazed at knowing more about him. “In that case, I’ll see you at your house on Christmas, I’m pretty sure my mom will have a fruit cake for your parents anyways” Sam added. “Okay that blanket actually sounds pretty amazing and now I wish it was my birthday already. Plus some days I’m feeling like Batman and other days I’m feeling like Captain America so that’s a pretty good idea.” Sam didn’t want to talk about his relationship, it was still pretty fresh and as frustrated as he was by it, he knew the best thing to do was play it cool and give Quinn her space to grow. “And I care about her but I get it, the timing isn’t right. It’s fine, I’m fine” Sam said with a shrug, “Gives me more time to plan your birthday gift now" he said, wiggling his eyebrows and bringing up something else if only to drift away from his sad love life.

Vince

"I'm going to be a mechanic," Vince responded with a shrug. "Here taste this. It's cotton candy so it should taste pretty good, plus it's not got the highest alcohol content," he handed her the drink. It was a hard question, whether he wanted to be a mechanic or not. He was good at it and he'd done it for most of his life.  He'd never really thought of anything he'd do outside of it, but was it what he wanted, he wasn't sure.

Puck

Puck laughed a bit at Santana's words. Nodding, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I can definitely focus on you. You and that dress. You in that dress. You out of that dress." A smirk appeared on his lips before a sigh fell from his lips. "I guess I need to go in, don't I?"

Rachel 

She took the drink from him, taking a sip before nodding appreciatively.  "This is pretty good" she agreed, taking a bigger drink.  "Well...you know you're still young...you could anything you put your mind to?"

Marley 

"You won't even need to say anything because it'll just be an unspoken signal that you know," Marley agreed, nodding as the smile spread even wider on her face. "And, of course, your family would be totally allowed to come over any time for the holidays, though I'm sure you guys probably have plans for Christmas and stuff anyways. Still, you're always welcome," she added. "See? It's gonna be the best blanket ever. I might make one for myself so I can have my own Marvel and DC days. Then we can tie them around us and wear them as capes when we start our own superhero team." She looked over to Quinn and patted Sam's arm lightly. "My birthday is like a whole year away so you have a lot of time for that. It's pretty chill though cause I still have to work on Christmas for you too.""You can have that one if you want and I can go get another," he answered, leaving it to her before going to get another for himself. "I've always known what I was going to do. I mean my dad runs the shop so if I don't take it over then no one will and I definitely don't want it to go to someone else."

Rachel 

Rachel nodded slowly as she picked at the label on the drink.  "I guess I get that...My Daddy always tells me that I can run his company and work on stage too" she said with a nod. She leaned against the wall again and looked over at him.  "But if that wasn't a thing...if the world was perfect and you could do whatever you wanted....what would that be?"

Sam

“Yeah I’m sure my parents are gonna invite yours to play Scrabble with us, even though I hate that game so feel free to decline when it happens. Or feel free to suggest Pictionary instead because I’m totally amazing at the one” Sam said with a small smile. “We’re gonna have matching blankets, I can already hear Stevie and Stacie’s jealousy over this” he added with a laugh. “Christmas is even easier, just get me Christmas cookies and I’ll be the happiest guy in the world. Or just put a bow on yourself and sit under my Christmas tree, whichever is easier" Sam had never been very materialistic to begin with, and he felt like Marley was probably one person who understood that being around people who cared about you during the holidays beat any gift you could ever get.

Brody

Brody nodded his head at Vince, at least he had seen someone he got along with. He took another sip from his drink.  Maybe if he just walked around a little, having a drink or two, he could get his head in the game and be somewhat social, but at least he wasn't drinking alone. He grabbed another beer before he left the drink table, trying to figure out where to go, a sigh left his lips tipping the can back, taking a drink again.

Blaine

Blaine held his drink in his hand. He wasn't exactly sure what to do. Parties were still not quite his thing. He had only had half of what was in his cup. Getting drunk didn't even interest him at this point. He could look for his friends around there. To be honest, Puck scared him a little bit and he made sure not to do anything to piss him off. Maybe a bit more to drink would relax him, though.

Santana

“Maybe if you get lucky you can see me out of the dress again tonight.” Santana already counted on being the last person around just to lock up and help clean. “You’re cooling off.” She shrugged before leaning in closer. “Five seconds. Then we both have to go back in. I’m supposed to be busy getting drunk with the rest of the girls and doing body shots til I can’t see.” Santana also took a breath, the sound of the waves actually helping to calm her some. “One.” She leaned in kissing his lips softly. “Two.” She went to the side of his mouth with a slight smile on her lips. “Three.” Leaning down to his jawline she was sure that maybe one mark of her lipstick would stay on his skin. “Four.” Her long nails dragged against his covered chest possibly even passing over the marks she had left on his body earlier. Pausing she leaned back to look at him in his eyes. Pulling him closer she kissed him the way he deserved. Slow and deliberate she kissed him enough to make sure he only focused on her for the moment. Her tongue moving in sync with his, before she pulled away still giving him quick kisses as if to tell him there could be more to come. “Now we have to go inside. You can hang with the guys and after I’m all yours.” She felt another buzz in her pocket before narrowing her eyes. “And if any hoes text your phone you should find a way to tell them that I have it on me and I’m not really looking to smack a bitch tonight.”

Puck

"Well, if you get so drunk you can't see, I'll be there to take care of you," Puck said, moving to brush some hair away from her face. "But I guess I can do five more seconds." Nodding, he let out a breath through his nose before she started counting. WIth Santana's actions, he felt a slight sting on his chest from her nails moving over the marks again. When she kissed him though, Puck melted against her, hands moving to rest on the small of her back. He stood there lips still parted slightly as she spoke again. "You better be all mine," he said, hands moving to cup her ass. Puck pulled her hips closer to his as she spoke again. "Here," he said after a few moments. Hands let go of her before he fished for his phone, pulling it out. Turning it off, he placed it back in her pocket. "Alright, come on." Taking her hand, he led her towards the side entrance, the sound of the waves still calming him.

Santana

"Smart man, Puckerman," she still narrowed her eyes knowing that he had mostly turned off his phone for his benefit than hers. Sliding her hand in his she gave it a small squeeze, not even completely acknowledging what had happened outside. "I won't get too drunk," she promised as they stepped into the house. "Go hang out with the guys, say hi to people and I'll see you at the end of the night." She doubted that it would honestly be until then, but she still wanted him to feel like he had the freedom to enjoy a party even while they were in a relationship. "If I need you to hold my hair back i'll come find you," she joked before kissing his cheek. "Happy birthday, babe."

Puck

"Alright, alright," he said, looking over at Santana. "I'll try and fun. Maybe not as much fun as we had earlier, but I'll try and get out of my head." Nodding, Puck smiled at her before leaning in close to her. "Thanks, babe." He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before he slowly walked away from her. Taking a deep breath, eyes searched for the alcohol. To get him out of his head, alcohol definitely needed to be involved. Feet carried him towards the bar before he mixed his own drink, leaning up against the bar.

Santana

Giving Puck space Santana still smiled as she walked towards a table with beer. As much as she liked the harder stuff and even mixed drinks this was the drink closest to her. Not to mention that Puck was probably right in thinking maybe she should slow down on the drinking. Nearly running into Brody as she came to the table she rolled hr eyes, already defensive. "You know if you're going to sit here and nurse a drink or babysit the table you can at least pass me one." She wasn't as snarky as she could have been honestly giving a weak attempt at being civil for Marley's sake.

Brody

Brody had been nursing his drink. It might not have been the best idea to actually come but he was here, so he should try and enjoy himself. He let out a small breath, "I'm not babysitting the table," he replied, he wasn't going to get into a fight the first thing he did, they were here to have fun. "Sure, I'll get you one, what do you want?" he wasn't going to risk giving her something that she didn't want.

Santana

“Sure does seem like it.” She gave Brody a quick once over before shrugging. “I’m not being picky tonight, the goal is to not get as trashed as last time.” She gave him a tight look almost as if telling him what they had talked about the last time she had been hungover. “I’m actually surprised you’re here. Do you even talk to Puck? Or anyone on the football team since you’re so hellbent on not trying to be one?”

Brody

"I can't babysit a table," he replied, "if it's anything, it's table-sitting," he raised an eyebrow looking at her, "Okay, so a jungle juice with more juice than alcohol," Brody said, he stood up mixing a drink, "hopefully this good enough," he said handing her the drink. Their last conversation hadn't been pretty, it might have been the worst one to date. "Sawyer's around here somewhere," he replied, "and I didn't want to be at home so this seemed to be the place to be." He took a sip from his drink, "I talked to Sam at the last party, and some other guys." Brody let out a breath, "and here I thought that we were going to have a somewhat nice talk. Why I'm not on the football team is not a nice conversation."

Santana

“Don’t get technical. It’s not cute.” Not even bothering to put up a fight about the drink no matter what it was she just took the cup. “I know every other bimbo around here loves getting loose off this juice but I’m more of a tequila girl.” Still to probe a point she took a long sip of the red liquid. “Any party I decide to throw or help throw is the place to be.” Santana didn’t even try to hide how smug she actually was. “Oh please, it’s not like everyone here doesn’t know your story. You joined basketball and went against everything daddy wanted and now you mope about the fact that daddy wants you to join a team anyone would be happy to be a part of. The whole story isn’t as tragic as you make it out to be.”

Brody

"You can be honest with me, it's not cute because I was the one saying it," he said, looking at her. "Okay, the I know for your next drink," he said, "but you said you didn't want to get as drunk as last time, and tequila and straight up vodka will get you drunk," Brody said, looking around, trying to see if he could spot his sister, he was going to let her have fun, but it didn't hurt to make sure she didn't get too drunk. "I guess so, I don't really think about who throws what party," he said with a shrug, "They know the short version," he said leaning back, "and I'm sure he'd be fine with me not playing football, or at least okay with it if it was another sport like baseball or lacrosse," he said. "I know it's not a Shakespearean tragedy." He wasn't going to get into the details, "and if you want the long story and the details you gotta get me drunk."

Santana

"Well now that you mention it," she nodded now that he had mentioned how she didn't think he wasn't cute. "Next drink? You planning on being my bartender tonight Weston?" She still didn't call him any other slur of nicknames she had prepared and even called him before. "Trust me, even if you think you don't think of who's throwing the party I doubt you'd be at some jazz ensemble get together and say that it was a hit." Sh shifted her weight to one side having put her heels back on. "What makes you think I want to see you drunk." Still she took another long sip before passing the empty cup back to him pretty much encouraging him to keep up with her.

Vince

"That seems like a lot, " Vince said with a questioning look, but he nodded. If anyone could pull of acting and running a country, it would be Rachel Berry. "I don't know," Vince murmured. To be honest, Vince had never even really considered doing anything else except for the short period of time when when he'd been with Kasey. "I...um...I play music a bit so I guess that would be my pipe dream but like I said, that's a pipe dream."

Rachel 

"You...You do music and you weren't going to tell me?" she asked, shock on her features.  "I may be genuinely hurt by this" she said raising an eyebrow at him.  "When are you going to play something for me?"

Marley 

"I happen to love Scrabble because I'm rather good with my words so you can be on my team with me and we will win, don't you worry," Marley nodded, her eyes shining with a semblance of competitive desire, though nothing compared to some. "I'd be fine with Pictionary too though especially if Stevie and Stacie are part of it. Then, at Christmas, I can make Stevie and Stacie blankets like ours and all four of us can match and fight crime. And you can wear your blanket while you eat your cookies." Marley smiled broadly. She knew that whatever they got each other, they'd both love it. It was one of the great parts of her best friend, he always knew how to make her smile."I don't really play in front of audiences," he responded quickly; it wasn't exactly true. He played in front of Maggie of course, writing her songs to help her sleep. He' d played a few dive bars in his time too, but the people there were almost always drunk and they didn't really care one way or another how he played.

Rachel 

"I'm not an audience, I'm just a Rachel" she said looking up at him.  "If you think I would ridicule you or be rude or mean....I promise I wouldn't"

 Vince

"Less that I think you would be mean Rachel, just that I don't think there's anything to listen to." His hand went to the back of his neck and he looked down  sheepishly.

Rachel 

"I highly doubt that" she said softly, her hand going over to lift his chin.  "You know, I'm a pretty good judge of talent, and I don't think you could be bad at something if you tried"

 Vince

"I think you give me too much faith without having a lot to go on," Vince joked impishly.

Rachel 

"I think you need someone to have faith in you" she murmured

Vince

"Well, thank you for having faith in me Rach. I think of us two though, you might be the performer and I'll happily be the mechanic."

Rachel 

She bit her lip and shrugged letting her hand fall back to her side.  "Maybe I should be a mechanic?"

 Vince

"I'm sure you'd be a kick ass mechanic. You could rock those coveralls," he laughed, touching her shoulder lightly.

Rachel 

She looked up at him and laughed.  "I think I would ruin more cars then I would fix"

Quin

"True," Quinn shrugged as Audrey's statement processed in her mind. "Honestly though, I never really drink much so I've never really been too worried about having too many of these," she explained. Watching as the brunette girl selected something to mix into her vodka, she nodded in approval, "Yeah, I would mix something in with it too. Vodka is just too strong for me to handle it on it's own. Anyways, yeah, I arrived not too long ago. I just figured this party is better to handle with a little alcohol in my system." Then out of her peripheral vision, Quinn saw a raven haired girl come up and start making herself a drink. "Bella, right?"

Audrey

"That's good, avoid the really bad hangovers." Audrey smiled as she swirled her drink around and took a sip to make sure it had enough alcohol to juice ratio for her liking. She licked her lips and nodded. "Yeah, I'm not at the alcholic level that just drinks vodka over ice  by the glass." She cocked her head a little to the side at Quinn's statement, prying a little. "Something happen that's got you needing a little liquid courage?" Her vision followed Quinn's towards the girl she recognized making a drink. "Hey." She echoed after Quinn, knowing her a bit from around school.

Brody

"You know I can take it," he replied, "and how fun would it be if we all thought that everyone was cute, or the same people, it would be boring," he said, a laugh left his lips, "I'm not planning on it," he said, "but if it helps me keeping an eye on how much my sister drinks sure, maybe I'll be everyone's bartender tonight." It was a surprise that they hadn't said anything too bad yet, and it was actually kinda nice not fighting, but he was sure that it would be weird if they actually got along. "Yeah, I didn't even know we had one of those, so I guess I just end up at parties where the people with certain status throws." He leaned back taking another sip. "I don't know, maybe I'll be even more honest when I'm drunk," he said, "or maybe you'll like me better when I'm drunk," he said, "so another one?" he asked, "maybe some tequila," he suggested pouring a couple of shoots, sliding one over to her. "Bottoms up."

Santana

"Oh, you can think my man is cute all you want but the second you try to do something about it is the minute I actually step in and rain on just about anyone's tiny little parade." She faked a tight smile to prove a point but wasn't worried  about Brody or even Puck doing anything t damage their relationship. In fact she hadn't even looked over her shoulder in search for him just knowing that he was fine. "No one likes the helicopter sibling," she rolled her eyes. "Trust me, my sister's already tried it and failed. If your sister's going to do something stupid she's going to do it whether you're around or not so you might as well stop being a stick in the mud and actually pretend like you're having a good time." Taking the shot glass she knit her eyebrows together wondering if she was actually being civil towards Brody. The thought confusing her even as she slowly took her shot. Swallowing down and cringing some she wasn't sure if it was the shot or the thought that she was actually not fighting with Brody that left a strange taste in her mouth. Shrugging off her emotions she held up the empty glass. "And that's exactly why you come to parties with people of a certain status. Whether you like to admit it or not, Weston, you're in it. The whole social pyramid of high school. You're not down at the bottom no matter how much I hate the fact that you're not. None of us around here is all that different." She turned and already saw the people who were out of place. "Well, besides the obvious losers that are here just because they crawled out of obscurity. But, no matter how many drinks I have. I doubt that I'll like you any more than the loser in the corner so you can stop hoping that I will."

Brody

"Okay first of all, I never said that your man is cute," he began, looking at her, "and just so you know I won't take a step in that direction, but I'm sure there are some people around here that's stupid enough to try." He let his head fall forward, of course he already knew that but that didn't mean he could at least try and make sure that nothing too bad happened to her. "I get that, but I'm just keeping an eye on her, she get to have her fun but I still gonna have an eye on her. Sure I can try and have some fun," he replied. This whole conversation felt like an alternative reality, he needed to get back to his own reality, because this felt fake, they never got along, the only thing they ever agreed on was that they wouldn't agree on anything. "I know that," he grumbled, "but I don't like it, and maybe I should try and make it fall," he laughed. "And I'm sure you don't hate it that much you love to fight me too much to have me on the bottom," he replied taking his shot. "You do know why they're here right?" he asked looking at her, "everyone and their mother got a hand on that flyer of yours." He shook his head, "and who said I was hoping that you'd start to like me?" he asked, "another shot?"

Santana

Now looking around her she saw girls in horrible outfits who quite possibly would have flirted with Puck. For now she wasn't worried. "Yeah there might be some morons willing to try to go toe to toe with me, but I'm not worried. He won't do anything." The confidence she had in her relationship then, especially after her moment with Puck outside couldn't be shot down by some desperate girl who couldn't scrounge pennies to get him an actual gift. "Try and make it fall?" She scoffed at the thought. "Who are you kidding? This isn't high school musical where everyone sings we're all in this together at the end. Things are the way they are for a reason and one person or even a few isn't going to lead us all to sit around braiding each other's hair and reenacting Woodstock." The thought of everyone getting along made her stomach churn more than the alcohol in her system. "People aren't meant to all get along and live in John Lennon's version of the world. So you can go ahead and try but just know if there's one thing it's that I'm always going to be on top." She meant the euphemism but let it hang there before she could even back track. "So what you're saying is that aside from your sis that I should be expecting your mommy to drop by too. How cute. You all can carpool home together." Lookin past him at the people behind her she scoffed again. "I guess I just wanted this to actually be something people came to because it's important to someone I care about." She raised her brows nearly leading into a comment about Marley but refraining just to save face. "Last one, before I stop wasting my time talking to someone who's trying to go full on revolutionary on the social structure, and who won't admit that you actually care about my attitude towards you. You're not fooling anyone."

Brody

"I'm not saying that he will," Brody said, holding up his hands, "and I know you know him better, but there's always someone that will try something," he huffed. "And they're probably semi new and have no idea on who they're gonna face of with." He shook his head, "maybe they believe that they're the gift or can give him something," he said, "like I said I don't know them." Brody was close to rubbing his hands over his face, he knew that he alone couldn't do anything, "I know that I can't change everything, but change always start small," he said, leaning forward over the table, "and here I thought that Coachella was the new big festival thing," he said, a laugh left his lips. "And no, my mom won't show, and before you ask my dad won't either." But then again he wouldn't be surprised if his dad did, he did after all like living in the past. "And we're not carpooling," he mumbled. Brody sighed, "I'm sure that there are people here for that reason, but they're also here for a party and have a good time." He rubbed a hand against the back of his neck. "Okay, one more," he said pouring another drink, "and I'm sure people would think I'm even cooler than I am if managed to start a revolution." He threw his drink back, "look you can hate me all you want but you can always try to do it without attacking my looks. It would be fun and a challenge for you." He licked his lips, "or maybe I'm fooling everyone."

Santana

“They can try. It’ll just be embarrassing to see them fail.” Santana crossed her arms over her chest almost challenging girls who would even try her. “You trying to tell me something about some of the new girls around here?” Santana wasn’t worried about the two she had seen so far but it was actually funny to see that Brody was a bit more paranoid about new girls around than she was. “Please, Coachella is for people who like to drop E and got pissed off over Beyonce being pregnant with her twins. That’s not a true hippie event no matter how much Vanessa Hudgens tries to make the bohemian cowgirl look work.” The fact that Brody actually seemed serious about changing the way things were at school only made her question what he was really about. Before she could focus too much on that she chuckled and shook her head. “See the one who mentioned your dad that time was you,” she retorted now as if to remind him that he had mentioned that he was a sore subject. Deciding to take her time with her shot she held it in her hand. “I never said I hated you. I didn’t like you. Still don’t, but you’re going to have to stop being so sensitive about the way you look. If you don’t like the harsh truth, or if you don’t like the way something is then you can always change it.” She shrugged as if she hadn’t enhanced one part of her body. “Fooling everyone about?? Liking me? Because if that’s what you’re admitting you should know that I already know that. Everyone falls in love with me sooner or later so the sooner you accept it the better.”

Vince

"Well, you'd never know unless you tried," Vince joked.

Rachel 

Rachel laughed and nodded.  "That is quite true, maybe I do need to give it a shot" she said with a wink.

Brody

"And that means you'll get something fun out of it," he replied. Brody still couldn't wrap his head around this whole conversation with Santana, it was weird. They shouldn't have been getting along this well, even if it was just for a few minutes. "Not really, since I don't really know them but doesn't everyone always trying to get on top, since the hierarchy here is so important even if I don't really buy into it, it seems that most people do so, you take a guess." He shook his head, "I'm not into the whole festival thing so I'm not exactly paying attention to it. And if we're honest from what I've seen no one is actually pulling of the real cowgirl look." A breath left his lips, taking a sip from a drink, "fine, but if I hadn't I'm almost sure you would have." He placed a hand on his chest, "ah, so you do like me deep down, I knew it. And I'm not sensitive, and even if I was, isn't that what girls like, someone that's in touch with their feelings and not afraid of show it." Brody laughed, "sorry, to burst your bubble but I ain't in love with you," he pressed his lips together, "but", he looked at her, "I do have some respect for the fact that you actually never hold back and is honest."