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bravonovel · 3 years ago

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A Surrogate For Billionaire - Julianna Kennedy & Ryan Winston - Read Online - Bravonovel

A Surrogate For Billionaire

https://www.bravonovel.com/a-surrogate-for-billionaire-8232

A Surrogate For Billionaire novel is a Romance story about Julianna Kennedy and Ryan Winston.

Julianna Kennedy is a 20 year old university student and the sole caretaker of her seven year old little brother, who suffers from lung cancer. She can’t afford the money needed for his surgery, so the only option she has is to become a surrogate for a rish stranger.Ryan Winston is a handsome 24 year old billionaire with a cold heart. Because of his grandparents’ need to see a great grandchild before they die, Ryan is forced to hire a surrogate. But neither Julianna nor Ryan ever expected they were fated to be with each other.

You can read A Surrogate For Billionaire novel on Bravonovel Web or App.

A Surrogate For Billionaire novel Chapter 1

~ Julianna ~

“Juli are you alright?” I heard my little brother Noah’s voice. I wanted to cry. After all, I’ll never be alright without him because I have no money to spend on his disease. Shit.

“I’m alright darling. What do you wanna eat?” I asked him as he came to me and hugged me.

“I need bread with cheese Juli” I looked down at his small body and my heart tightened because how am I supposed to save him? I love him and I can’t even think about a day without him. I smiled at him and nodded before going into the kitchen. After breakfast, I went to the hospital with Noah. As I entered the hospital I saw doctor Peterson. He was one who did and helped everything about Noah.

“Good morning little one,” He said with a smile and Noah giggled happily because he really liked this doctor Peterson.

“Good morning Pete” Noah joked as he ran towards the doctor. Then he picked up Noah and nodded at me before going into Noah’s ward. After some time doctor Peterson came.

“Julianna, can I talk to you for a moment?” He asked and I nodded but this is the thing that I fear the most in this life. I have no idea what the doctor wants to tell me but I knew it was all about Noah’s health. Maybe the news will be good or bad but I was just scared.

“Noah’s health is getting worse. We should do the surgery as soon as possible” My heart shattered into pieces as I heard him. Unintentionally tears welled in my eyes. Why did this happen to us?

“Julianna, I know you have money problems. I’m so sorry” Doctor Peterson patted my shoulder. I sighed because no matter what, I’m going to find the money for his surgery and make him better.

“Doctor I’ll find money,” I said as I wiped my tears.

“You have a maximum of ten months. It will be great if you could find it soon” I nodded and looked at Noah through the glass wall and he was smiling at a nurse while chatting. I can’t let anything happen to him because he’s the only person that I have.

“Noah should stay in the hospital from today onwards.” I was still looking at Noah. He’s just so cute and he will be a handsome man in the future so as his sister I should just protect him.

“Alright doctor” With that I went into Noah’s ward and sat on the bed next to him.

“Am I dying Juli?” I forced my tears back because I didn’t want to cry in front of him. I smiled forcefully and took him onto my lap as I started to caress his silky dark brown hair.

“No. You’re going to recover so soon okay?” I kissed his head and rested my chin on his head.

“That’s great” He started to giggle. I clenched my jaws because I didn’t want to cry. My heart was hurting and it felt like someone was squeezing my heart so tightly.

“I love you so much Noah,” I said while kissing his little cheek.

“I love you so much more Juli” With that, he kissed my forehead. I bit my lower lip so hard because of the pain I’m feeling in my heart but no pain could match the pain in my heart.

“Noah, you have to stay here for a few months. Is it okay darling?” I asked and Noah nodded with a happy smile.

“I will play with Pete all day,” He said while jumping. I smiled at him and got up to leave.

“But Juli you will come to see me every day, right?” He pouted while biting his little lips.

“Yeah. I will” With that I left the hospital and went home. I had to go to university but my mind was in a mess so I went straight home. After I came home I jumped onto the bed and started to cry because I was tired and I was scared for Noah’s life.

After I was done crying I went into the bathroom and washed my face and changed into new clothes. Then I heard a knock on the door and went to open the door. As I opened the door I saw aunty Elise.

“Julianna, you were crying. Weren’t you?” She asked as I smiled forcefully. Then she asked what happened and I told everything that my heart was feeling and about my helplessness. She let out a deep sigh and pulled me to a warm hug. She was really like a mother, always cared for me and Noah but now she’s getting old and I can’t bother her with our things.

“Juli I’m sorry for telling you this but I can’t stay without even letting you know and I also don’t have much money.” She said with a sigh and I didn’t care about anything and all I wanted was money. I wanted to pay for Noah’s surgery as soon as possible.

“Tell me aunty Elise, at this point, I will do anything for my brother’s life. Even if I have to sell my body” I said as I took her hands and placed them on my chest.

“I don’t know Juli but I’ll tell you and you make the decision” I nodded at her quickly and she sighed.

“A wealthy family looking for a surrogate. They want to have an heir as soon as possible and they will pay $100000 to the surrogate” She said and looked at my eyes. My heart tightened and I looked down. A surrogate? So do I have to give birth to a baby for an unknown man?

“What are their conditions?” I asked. I looked at aunty Elise’s face and I knew she’s sad and she didn’t want to see me like that. She was the woman who taught me to wait until our fated ones and once they came our lives will be blissful.

“You have everything they need. Beauty, intelligence, and virginity. And you have those things beyond what they expect” I closed my eyes and thought about it carefully. So I have to give my virginity? It’s okay everything will be fine and I’m doing this for my brother. It’s just giving birth to live to save one.

“I agree. I will be their surrogate but please don’t let Noah know anything about this” I said as I smiled at her. I saw the hurt expression on her face but she nodded at me and smiled forcefully. She really cared about me and I will always be grateful to her.

“I’ll let them know and take you there.” I nodded as she got up and left. I sighed and looked up at the ceiling. Is this what's going to happen to our lives, mom? I lost my parents and now I’m suffering because of that loss. Urghh. Everything will be fine as long as Noah is safe and healthy.

………………………………………………………..

~ Ryan ~

“Ryan, when are you going to give us a great-grandchild? We are already very close to our deathbed” Urgh.. When can I have a peaceful sleep? Why do they want a great-grandchild? They already have a grandson.

“I don’t want grandma. I’m not ready to have a child” I said as I got up from my bed and walked towards her.

“Are you going to die with your virginity? Everyone knows Ryan.. They think you’re gay” My grandmother cried as she hit my chest hard.

“Ouch grandma it hurts,” I said as she smirked at me and started to cry loudly. Urghh drama queen. Then both my grandfather and father came into my room as they frowned at me.

“See, I only asked for a great-grandchild but he shouted at me” She sobbed while hugging my dad. I sighed and looked at them.

“Ryan, Do our last wish baby.. We want to see a little prince or a princess before we die” It was my grandpa who started to act this time.

“I don’t have a woman so how am I going to have a baby? I can’t do it alone. You know that fact right?” I said because I wanted them to give up on their last wish.

“Alright, you marry Lidia. She’ll give birth to your baby” What the fuck? Lidia? That cunning and disgusting whore?

“No. Not her. I don’t like women like her and she sleeps with men every day. Eww,” I let out my disgust and looked at my grandma who suggested it to me. Her face was also covered with disgust.

“Alright then do you have someone you like?” Why can’t they understand me? If I had a woman that I like I would have already fucked her countless times and got her pregnant.

“NO. I don’t like any woman” I said and looked away from their direction.

“Oh my god! my poor boy, Is he gay? Are the rumors true?” I heard my grandma’s low voice.

“I’m not gay either,” I said as I looked at her again. She sighed

“Alright then have a baby, I’ll choose a woman for you with great beauty, intelligence, and especially with virginity.” My heart started to beat so fast as she said that. Why was that? What the fuck?

“I..I..” Before I could finish what I wanted to say grandma cut me off.

“There’s no need for your answer and be ready” With that grandpa and grandma left my room.

…...

Continue to read Chapter 2 of A Surrogate For Billionaire on Bravonovel Web https://www.bravonovel.com/a-surrogate-for-billionaire-8232/chapter-2-193879

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tw-anchor · 4 years ago

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23. The First Battle

Anchor

Stiles Stilinski x Original Character

Episode: 2x11; Battlefield

Word Count: 6,291

Warning(s): Mature language, canon violence, therapy, semi-dead Jackson, lacrosse championship, Stiles’ birthday

Author’s Note: After this there’s only one episode left of season 2. I hope you enjoy! Make sure to reblog and like!

Masterlink in Profiles Description!

"You know when you're drowning, you don't actually inhale until right before you black out."

There, that seemed like an appropriate thing to say. It wasn't changing the subject even though Stiles didn't like the question that Miss Morrell had asked him, and it wasn't answering it, either. It was fact, a statement that was true. Stiles knew a lot of facts.

"It's called voluntary apnea," Stiles focused on the net of his lacrosse stick, threading it tightly to make sure that it was game-ready. "It's like no matter how much you're freaking out, the instinct to not let any water in is so strong that you won't open your mouth until you feel like your head's exploding. But when you finally do let it in, that's when it stops hurting. It's not scary anymore. It's...it's actually kind of peaceful."

"Are you saying you hope Matt felt some peace in his last moments?"

How the hell did she get that from his answer? He was just telling her about drowning and how much the people who died suffered until they didn't. He didn't care about the fact that Matt had drowned in the river by the police station that night. There were no feelings, no attachments. Matt was dead and that was that.

Stiles exhaled out his nose. "I don't feel sorry for him."

"Can you feel sorry for the nine-year-old Matt who drowned?"

Morrell's face was blank, her voice was calm. She wasn't judgmental, she was good. Stiles had been going to sessions with her once a month since he started high school when his temper and ADHD had him struggling to adjust to the new environment. She gave good advice and helped him through things that were bothering him. Before his sessions started, he hadn't thought that talking about what he felt was going to work but she proved him wrong.

Still, that didn't mean he had to sympathize with Matt. "Just because a bunch of dumbasses dragged him into a pool when he couldn't swim doesn't really give him the right to go off killing them one by one."

Morrell nodded and went to move on but Stiles wasn't finished yet.

"And by the way, my dad told me that they found a bunch of pictures of Allison on Matt's computer," he shook his head, disgusted. "And not just of her, though. I mean, he photoshopped himself into them. Stuff like them holding hands and kissing. You know, he had built this whole fake relationship. So, yeah, maybe drowning when he was nine years old was what sent him off the rails but the dude was definitely riding the crazy train."

Morrell smiled softly. "One positive thing came out of this, though. Right?"

"Yeah," Stiles nodded, thinking about how Noah got his job as sheriff back. "Yeah, but I still feel like there's something wrong between us," he nervously fiddled with the lacrosse stick. "I don't know, it's just like tension when we talk. Same thing with Scott."

"Have you talked to him since that night?"

"No, not really," he went back to tightening the net. "I mean, he's got his own problems to deal with, though. I don't think he's talked to Allison, either, but that might be more her choice, you know? Her mom dying hit her pretty hard but I guess it brought her and her dad closer."

"What about your other friends, Jackson and Lydia?"

"Jackson..." he wouldn't consider the prick a friend but he'd answer anyway. "Jackson hasn't really been himself lately. Actually, the funny thing is, as of right now, Lydia is the one who seems the most normal."

"How's Olivia doing? Have you guys talked since the night at the station?" Morrell prodded. She was more than versed about Olivia Martin, Stiles' interest in her, and their slow and steady climb toward a relationship.

"Yeah and she seems fine, but," he shrugged. "she always seems fine. She was more concerned about me, to be honest."

"Maybe it helps her come to terms with her own feelings," Morrell theorized quietly. "You told me before that Olivia isn't one to share her feelings."

"I know, but she seemed to be better about that lately," At least with me, he added mentally.

Morrell hummed. "And what about you, Stiles? Feeling some anxiety about that championship game tomorrow night?"

Stiles spit out the small length of rope he had been chewing on, tying it back to the net. "Why would you ask me that?" he didn't miss the fact that she looked pointedly at his lacrosse stick. "Ah...uh, no, I-I never actually play. But, hey, since one of my teammates is dead and another one's missing, who knows, right?"

"You mean Isaac," Morrell realized. "One of the three runaways. You haven't heard from any of them, have you?"

Stiles quickly changed the subject. "You're still doing that no-notes thing, huh?" he pointed at her empty desk. "I still can't believe your memory's that good."

"How about we get back to you, Stiles?"

Stiles sighed heavily. "I'm fine," he lied. "Yeah, aside from the not sleeping, the jumpiness, the constant, overwhelming crushing fear that something terrible is about to happen."

"It's called hypervigilance," Wasn't that what Mad-Eye Moody talked about in Harry Potter? he tried to recall. Livvy would know about it. "the persistent feeling of being under threat."

"But it's not just a feeling, though," Stiles shook his head. He was familiar with what he felt when his anxiety went off the charts. That tight feeling in his chest, that was a panic attack. "It's like a panic attack. You know, like I can't even breathe."

"Like you're drowning?"

Stiles didn't even think about the comparison she was trying to make. "Yeah."

"So, if you're drowning and you're trying to keep your mouth closed until that very last moment, what if you choose to not open your mouth? To not let the water in?"

"You do anyway," Stiles pointed out. "It's a reflex."

"But if you hold off until that reflex kicks in, you have more time, right?"

"Not much time."

"But more time to fight your way to the surface? More time to be rescued?"

"More time to be in agonizing pain," Stiles argued, blinking rapidly. "I mean, did you forget about the part where you feel like your head's exploding?"

Morrell blinked at him. "If it's about survival, isn't a little agony worth it?"

"But what if it just gets worse?" Stiles asked, fears racing through is mind. "What if it's agony now and then...and then it's just hell later on?"

"Then think about something Winston Churchill once said," Morrell leaned forward, demanding all his attention. "If you're going through hell, keep going."

That moment in Morrell's office, that quote that somehow encompassed Stiles' whole world in seven words, would stick with him for the rest of his life.

It smelled like rotted wood, blood, and smoke in the old Hale House. It made Olivia want to vomit and it wasn't just the scent alone that made her nauseous. She hadn't stepped foot in the Hale House since the fire and even when she went looking for Lydia two months earlier, she had refused to go in.

She didn't want the memories that this house gave her. There were good memories, sure, ones where she and Cora used to play dolls, Laura would read them fairy tales, and Derek taught her how to ride a bike. But the fire loomed over those like a shadow. Her mother died in the house, trapped in the basement like the rest of the Hale family. While Peter had escaped his own death, Grace Martin was suffocating from lack of fresh oxygen.

Suffice to say, she hated being there. But for Jackson, she'd spend time there if she had to. She needed to find a way to take care of the kanima without killing Jackson since no one seemed concerned about that anymore, so if she had to spend time in the worn-down house to read a billion of moldy books, she would.

Derek stood at the other side of the table, helping her look for useful information. He was just slapping a book closed and tossing it back on the table when Erica and Boyd entered the room.

Derek stiffened and Olivia paused, looking from Derek to Erica and Boyd. The two betas had decided to leave Beacon Hills, to leave the pack. They weren't cut out for the supernatural war that raged around them, even if Derek had warned them from the start.

"You decided," Derek turned toward them. "When?"

Erica looked reluctant to tell him. "Tonight."

"Everyone's gonna be at the game," Boyd explained. "We figured it was the best time."

"It's not like we want to."

"What do you want?" Derek asked Erica, stepping toward her and Boyd.

"Since I just turned sixteen a month ago, I wouldn't mind getting my license," Erica answered him. "I can't do that if I'm dead, you know."

Olivia bowed her head, thinking about Erica's words. She understood where they were coming from; they weren't family, they didn't know what was at stake, and they had no dog in the fight. They didn't want to die because of who they were or what pack they were in. When Derek bit Victoria Argent and she had to commit suicide because of their ridiculous hunter's code, he had declared war. The Argents weren't going down without a fight, but neither were they.

Still, Olivia would be sad to see Erica and Boyd go. They were pack, plain and simple.

"Well, I told you there was a price," Derek reminded them.

"Yeah but you didn't say it would be like this," Boyd defended themselves.

"But I told you how to survive," Derek raised his voice. "You do it as a pack. And you're not a pack without an alpha."

"We know."

Olivia raised her eyebrows, surprised at Boyd's statement. "You wanna look for another pack?" she knew they could see that she was hurt by that. Hell, Derek was hurt by it. "How are you even gonna find one?"

"We think we already did," Erica told her. "We were running in the woods last night and all of a sudden we heard all this howling. It was unbelievable."

Olivia shared a look with Derek, both of them almost betrayed. Erica and Boyd trusted random howling in the woods over them? Derek was the one who bit them, the one who gave them the gift of lycanthropy. They were Olivia's friends. They were pack.

"There must have been a dozen of them, maybe more," Boyd smiled in amazement.

"Yeah or maybe only two," Derek burst their bubble. "You know what the beau geste effect is?" they shook their heads. "If they modulate their howls with a rapid shift of tone, two wolves can sound like twenty."

Erica huffed, getting frustrated. "Look, that doesn't matter, okay? There's another pack out there. There's got to be," she raised her chin. "We've made up our minds."

"We lost, Derek," Boyd stated. "It's over. We're leaving."

"No, you're running," Derek snapped, getting angry like he always did to cover up the hurt. "And once you start, you don't stop. You'll always be running."

Olivia pressed her lips together as Erica glared at them, grabbed Boyd's hand, and dragged him out of the house. Derek turned back to the table, resting his hands on the warped wood, as his pale-green eyes flickered over to Olivia.

She was distracted, her wide eyes on the spot where Boyd and Erica had previously stood. When he inhaled, he knew why; he grabbed a sharp piece of glass that was resting on the table in front of him and spun around, whipping it at the intruder.

Peter caught the glass just as the point hit the skin of his throat. "I expected a slightly warmer welcome," he stated, lowering the glass. "but point taken."

Olivia narrowed her eyes at her father. She couldn't believe that he was standing right there in front of them. It wasn't a happy kind of disbelief, either. It was the kind that made you want to pull your hair out and punch someone in the face. He wasn't supposed to be alive. He wasn't supposed to be able to hurt anyone ever again.

It had been a shock to find out that Peter had come back from the dead. Derek had told her shortly after the showdown in the police station and she went quiet, not talking for the rest of the night while he stayed in her room, keeping vigil so she wouldn't have nightmares.

Peter had gotten into Lydia's head and manipulated her. That was what all the things that Lydia had been seeing were about. It was him, playing her mind from his grave underneath the floorboard. He got her to do some weird ritual that included drugging Derek with wolfsbane and using mirrors and moonlight—and honestly, it was hard for her to comprehend. Olivia was a smart girl and she believed in science, so how did that explain Peter coming back to life from some alpha blood and light from a full moon. Granted, the existence of werewolves was hard to comprehend, too.

"What are you doing here?" she asked sharply.

Peter grinned at her. "Hello to you, too, pumpkin. It's great to see you," he gave his attention to his nephew. "Quite the situation you've got yourself in here, Derek. I mean, I'm out of commission for a month or so and suddenly there's lizard people, geriatric psychopaths, and you're cooking up werewolves out of every self-esteem-deprived adolescent in town."

His voice was like nails on a chalkboard.

Derek narrowed his eyes at him. "What do you want?"

"Well, I want to help," Peter stated like it was the most obvious thing in the word. "You guys are family, my daughter and nephew. The only relatives that I have left. There's still a lot that I can teach you. Can we just talk?"

Peter finished his statement by placing a hand on Derek's shoulder. Derek stared at it in disgust while Olivia raised her eyebrows. This was going to end in a fight, she was betting on it.

"Sure," Derek agreed way too happily. "Let's talk."

He swatted away Peter's hand and pushed him, sending him flying into the stair case.

"Good talk," Olivia hummed as she stood from her seat. "I'm gonna leave before it get any worse."

She'd rather walk the mile back into town and order a ride from Lyft than stay and watch Derek and Peter fight. No, thank you.

"Liv, I brought your psycho father back from the dead," Lydia hissed at Olivia as they walked through the empty school hallways, heading toward the boys' locker room. "and you haven't said a word about it. It's been more than a week and nada."

"Because there's nothing to talk about," Olivia insisted stubbornly. "Peter's back, so what? I'll just ignore him."

"You used to visit him every week." Lydia thought she was in denial about how she felt about Peter. She knew Olivia was angry and she was justified, but you can't hate your father. Lydia had tried and she couldn't.

"That was before he murdered a bunch of people, bit me and Scott, almost killed you, and then manipulated you until you thought that you were crazy," Olivia pointed out. "That doesn't seem father material to me, Lyds."

"I mean, yeah, he's a psychopath, but—"

"But nothing," Olivia cut her off, sending her a sharp look. "I don't want to talk about him anymore."

"You know, one day you're gonna explode from all those emotions you keep bottled up inside of you."

Olivia snorted, a little amused. "When did you get your doctorate in psychology, Lydia? I think I missed the ceremony."

"Very funny," Lydia nudged her as they turned down the hallway where locker room was located. "All right, change of subject. You got Stiles a birthday present."

Olivia grimaced, looking down at the wrapped package in her hands. She had hoped Lydia wouldn't bring it up, since she was already tripping out about it, but like any older sister, she just had to tease her about it. Yes, it was Stiles' seventeenth birthday and yes, she got him a gift but it wasn't a big deal. It was a friendly gift. People gave their friends birthday gifts still, right?

"Yeah, and...?" Olivia's strategy was to just face Lydia head on.

"And you're giving it to him before the regional championships," Lydia pointed out needlessly. "You're going to sneak into the locker room to give it to him. Sounds awfully like what I would do when I was dating Jackson."

Olivia rolled her eyes as they came to a stop outside the boys' locker room. "I'm giving it to him now because I don't know if he'll be busy later."

"Mmhm..."

"And I don't give belated birthday presents," she huffed. "It's tacky."

"Yeah, sure," Lydia nodded like Olivia was making sense. "Well, you better go on, then. I'll wait by the concessions for you."

"Get me some some—"

"Air Heads, I know."

Lydia walked away and Olivia inhaled deeply before entering the locker room. Boys were in various states of undress as she walked through the aisles but she ignored them. She spotted Jackson and Danny by their lockers, and usually she would have wished them good luck, but she wanted to give Stiles his present and get out of there before she could get in trouble with Coach.

She found Stiles by his locker, pulling his maroon jersey over his gray compression shirt. "Hey."

Stiles flailed at the sound of her voice, almost tripping backward over the bench he stood in front of. He quickly found his balance and fixed his jersey before plastering a cheesy smile on his face at the sight of her.

Olivia's heart practically turned to goo.

"Hey, Livvy!" he greeted her enthusiastically. "What—what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to give you this," she held out his present, looking more confident than she felt. "Happy birthday, Stiles."

"What?" he quickly took the present from with her a grin. "I can't believe you remembered my birthday."

"Oh," she shrugged awkwardly. "um, yeah, you told me a couple weeks ago."

"Yeah, I guess I did," he ripped away the wrapping paper and gaped at what was inside. "You didn't, Olivia."

Apparently, he liked the present. She had won an auction online where she was able to score a signed mini bat from the Mets. It was Stiles' favorite baseball team and when she saw the low price for an item she knew he loved, she didn't hesitate to get it for him. She also made a joke in the card about how crazy he was for cheering for the Mets, knowing it would get a laugh out of him.

Olivia blinked in surprise when Stiles wrapped her up into a tight hug. It didn't take even a second for her to respond to his affection, burying her face into his warm neck. She couldn't help but notice that his skin was soft and he smelt really good.

"Thanks, Livvy," Stiles breathed when he let go of her. "This is—this is great."

"You're welcome," Olivia smiled at him. "So, are you nervous for the game?"

"Nah," Stiles shook his had nonchalantly. "I probably won't play, so..."

"I don't see why you wouldn't. You're good."

"Have you actually seen me play or are you trying to make me feel good about myself?"

Olivia opened her mouth to respond and paused when Stiles quirked an eyebrow at her.

"I knew it."

"You did not!" Olivia protested, playfully slapping his arm. "I do think you're good."

"Why'd you hesitate then?"

"I wasn't hesitating, I was taking a breath."

"Who takes a breath for that long? It was like you were getting ready to perform some dramatic-ass Shakespeare monologue."

"I don't even like Shakespeare."

"You got a perfect score on your essay about Othello."

"How'd you know what grade I got?"

Suddenly, there was some loud feedback as Coach readied his megaphone. Olivia and Stiles jumped apart in shock, not even realizing that they were moving closer together during their playful banter, to look over at him.

"Good morning," Coach spoke into the megaphone, dead serious. "In less than an hour, aircraft from here will be joining others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind."

What the hell? Olivia mouthed to Stiles, completely confused.

Stiles just shook his head at her.

"Mankind," Coach mused. "That word should have a new meaning for all of us today."

"Does he do this every year?" she whispered to Stiles.

He nodded. "Every year."

"Dear God."

"No kidding."

Coach continued on, "We are fighting for our right to live!"

"Yeah!" most of the team shouted.

Olivia perked up in realization. "Wait, isn't this?"

"Yeah," Stiles confirmed. "it's the speech from Independence Day. It's his favorite movie."

"But as the day the world declared in one voice, we will not go quietly into the night!"

"I mean, the speech from Braveheart would be better than this," Olivia snorted. "Couldn't he rip off Friday Night Lights or something? Glory Road? You know, anything from any sport movie?"

"I don't think he cares," Stiles chuckled.

"Today," Coach ended his dramatic speech. "we celebrate our Independence Day!"

"Yeah!" the players cheered once again, sufficiently hyped up for the game. Olivia couldn't believe that the speech actually worked.

She and Stiles stiffened at the same time as Gerard slithered in next to Coach. "Well spoken, Coach," he praised the man. "I might have chosen something with a little more historical value but there's no denying your passion."

Coach gave him an offended look but Gerard completely missed it.

"And while I haven't been here long, there's no denying my pride in having a winning team for this school," the Argent patriarch continued, looking around at the lacrosse players. "I know you'll all be brilliant tonight, even with only one co-caption leading you."

Olivia gave Stiles a questioning look but he furrowed his eyebrows, not knowing why Scott wouldn't be playing, either.

"Now, I'm your principal but I'm also a fan. So, don't think I'll be content to watch you merely beat this team," Gerard grinned creepily. "Get out there and murder them."

"You heard the man!" Coach yelled. "Asses on the field!"

Olivia shivered at the menacing look on his face as he smirked and left the locker room. "He's probably the worst person on this earth," she mumbled, turning back to Stiles. "This is going to be bad."

Stiles' expression turned worried. "You think?"

"Yeah, I do." She wished that it wouldn't but everything seemed to point in that direction. The whole day, her body had been on edge, like she was waiting for someone to get hurt. The feeling was unsettling and had looking over her shoulder wherever she went.

Argent hunters were brutal. They had proved it time after time.

"You're gonna be careful, right?" Stiles grabbed her hands, squeezing them nervously.

"You don't have to worry about me," she shook her head, squeezing him back. "There's not really anything I can do."

"You can still get hurt, though."

"I won't," Olivia assured him. "Just focus on the game, yeah? Good luck, Stiles."

Stiles smiled lightly, not liking the fact that she was brushing off his concern. "Thanks, Livvy."

"And I'll be careful, okay?" she noticed the look in his eye.

Stiles nodded in satisfaction. "Good," he let go of her hands and ran a finger across the right shoulder of the jersey she was wearing. "Nice jersey, by the way."

Olivia's cheeks flushed; she had forgotten that Lydia forced her into a mock-up of Stiles' jersey, complete with his last name and the twenty-four on each side. "Oh, um, yeah," she nodded nervously. "Good luck, Stiles."

She practically sprinted away from him and out of the locker room, cursing Lydia the whole time.

Stiles nervously bounced his leg as he thought about what Olivia had said to him earlier. Things were going to get bad. He knew that, yet he couldn't shake the feeling he had inside of him. He was nervous, scared that someone he loved would get hurt, and angry that there was even a situation like this to begin with. Most of all, he felt helpless. There wasn't anything he could do to help. He couldn't help Scott. He couldn't help Olivia or Derek. He couldn't even help himself.

It frustrated the fuck out of him because he had that determination inside of him, he just couldn't act on it. He couldn't go up against a hunter or a werewolf, let alone a kanima, and make it out of the fight. He couldn't even protect his dad from Matt, so how the hell would he be able to protect Olivia when the Argents came after her?

He couldn't just stand by and watch the action unfold while people got hurt. He had to do something.

"Is your dad coming?" Scott broke him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah," Stiles looked to the bleachers for a second, seeing his dad already settled in a row near they bottom. "he's already here."

Scott nodded. "You see Allison?"

No, he hadn't, and he didn't think they would at all. Allison had been absent since the night of the full moon when her mom had killed herself. She didn't respond to Scott at all, she was angry with Olivia for siding with Derek—though he didn't know what Allison expected Olivia to even do in that situation—and she was determined to get revenge on the Hale pack. She had dived into the deep end and Stiles was worried she couldn't swim.

"No," Stiles shook his head. "You know what's going on?"

Scott exhaled heavily. "Not yet."

"But it's going to be bad, isn't it?" Stiles knew it would but hearing it from Scott made if feel more real. "I mean, like people screaming and running for their lives, blood, killing, maiming—that kind of bad?"

It was quiet for a second as Scott looked over at him; it unnerved him. "Looks like it."

Stiles inhaled shakily, his eyes starting to sting. "Scott, the other night, seeing my dad get hit over the head by Matt while I'm just lying there and I can't even move," he sniffed and looked back at his best friend. "it just—I want to help, you know? But I can't do the things that you can't do. I can't—"

"It's okay," Scott's voice was soft as he nodded at Stiles in assurance.

And Stiles was glad that out of every other guy in their class, Scott was the one who was his best friend. Because Scott got it. He got that Stiles was afraid but willing to do anything to help. He knew that Stiles felt trapped, sitting on the sidelines while everyone else fought. He understood Stiles. And Stiles knew Scott just as well.

They were lucky to have the relationship they had. It wasn't often that kind of loyalty came around and there it was, each of them sitting next to it.

Stiles tried to make the topic lighter, even if he failed. "We're losing, dude."

Luckily, Coach was there to pep things up. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked him incredulously, having only heard the last statement of their conversation. "The game hasn't even started. Now, put on your helmet and get out there. You're in for Greenberg."

"What?" Stiles perked up, looking around for Coach's most-hated player. "What happened to Greenberg?"

"What happened to Greenberg?" Coach scoffed. "He sucks. You suck slightly less."

Stiles raised his eyebrows in shock. "I'm playing?" he pointed to himself. "On the field? With the team?"

Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.

"Yeah, unless you'd rather play with yourself."

"I already did that today, twice," Stiles told him absentmindedly, too shocked about the fact that he was playing to notice what he had just revealed.

Scott snickered, making him realize what he said.

"Just get the hell out there!" Coach ordered him.

Stiles squeaked nervously and gathered his lacrosse stick and helmet, running onto the field with the rest of his teammates. On the bleachers, Olivia and Lydia had just taken a seat next to Melissa and Noah, when they noticed what Stiles was doing.

"Oh, no," Noah groaned. "Why is my son running out to the field?"

Olivia perked up, finding Stiles immediately. She knew that he'd get to play today. It was a great opportunity for him to show that he was actually athletic and good at lacrosse. She wasn't lying when she said she thought he was good.

"Because he's on the team?"

"He is," Noah confirmed blankly before realizing the excitement of the situation. "He's on the team. He's on the field," he stood up, throwing his arms into the air as he cheered, "My son is on the field!"

Okay, that was adorable, Olivia mused, sharing a grin with Lydia.

The game started shortly after Stiles ran onto the field and it wasn't going well, to say the least. The first quarter went by fast, with the opposing team scoring two goals within eleven minutes. Every time the Beacon Hills players had the ball, it was a bad play or someone would foul out. When the ball went to Stiles, it always seemed to miss his net.

The next time he got the ball, he actually caught it in his net. Unfortunately, he was too busy celebrating to notice the two large defense players sprinting his way. There was an audible thwack as he was tackled to the ground.

Olivia winced while Melissa sighed. "He's probably just warming up."

She nodded in agreement but her hope was quickly dashed when the ball was tossed to Stiles yet again. He ran backwards in hopes to get it, but ended up tripping over his own feet.

Okay, maybe she hadn't seen Stiles do anything but run fast. In her defense, she thought that would translate into being good on the field.

"He's just a little nervous," Lydia tried to console Olivia and Noah, who were both cringing in on themselves. "There's plenty of time to turn it around."

As if the world was disagreeing with her, Stiles was tackled. The crowd booed loudly; Noah hid his face in his hands.

The new quarter started and when Scott went to enter the game, Coach pushed him right back onto the bench. Luckily, Isaac appeared, dressed for the game and ready to enter.

Olivia sighed in relief, glad that he hadn't gone with Erica and Boyd. She was closest to Isaac out of the three of them and she had been pretty sad when she learned that he was planning on leaving with the other two. He didn't, though. He was here to help.

Erica...Boyd...Erica...Boyd...

Olivia winced when she heard the whispers, the tingling that she had been feeling all day getting more intense in her stomach, chest, and legs. Erica and Boyd were in trouble and she didn't know if it was this so-called pack they had discovered or if the Argents got to them.

She quickly pulled out her phone and texted them both, asking if they were okay. She also messaged Derek, giving him a heads-up on what she was feeling.

Isaac entered the game for the second quarter and it was chaos. Instead of actually playing the game and trying to score, he spent the time tackling players from his own team. As more and more of his teammates went down, Olivia figured out what he was doing. He was making sure that Scott could play—there was no way that Coach would forfeit instead of putting Scott on the field.

It was smart and she was impressed. Until Jackson tackled Isaac and the team paramedics had to run onto the field. From what Olivia could see, Isaac couldn't move anything, which meant that Jackson had used the kanima venom on him.

Isaac, Isaac, Isaac...

Melissa had jumped off the bleachers to run onto the field in order to talk to Scott but she stayed put. She already knew that something was going on and she had learned from Scott earlier that Gerard was now in control of Jackson, the old bastard. This was part of the war, a battle to be won.

The rest of the quarter went by quickly and then it was halftime. The whispering of Isaac's name had gotten so intense that she had to run down to Scott as he rested, telling him and Stiles that something was happening to Isaac inside of the school.

Scott had assured her that he'd take care of it, since there wasn't really a way for her to defend Isaac on her own, and took off inside of the school. Olivia told Stiles that he was doing a great job with a horribly fake smile that he quickly saw through before going back to her seat on the bleachers.

The third quarter started and Scott was still absent. Beacon Hills were down by two points. And then, the fourth quarter started and everything changed. Players from both teams clashed together, sending the ball rolling down the field. It stopped right in front of Stiles, who stared at it like it was a foreign object for a moment.

And then he scooped it up into his net and took off down the field. None of the other players even knew he had the ball, the field between him and goal wide open and clear. Olivia jumped to her feet, cheering loudly with Lydia, as he raced to get there before the other team's defense could catch up.

Olivia was pretty sure she could hear him screeching as he looked back at his huge opponents and when he paused just in front of the goal, she yelled, "Shoot it, Stilinski!"

Stiles whipped the ball into the net, scoring his first goal in his first game.

Olivia screamed in excitement, hugging Lydia as they both jumped up and down. Next to them, Noah was going crazy with pride and Melissa was equally excited, yelling Stiles' name.

With two minutes left in the game, Stiles was on fire. He caught the ball from his teammate and sprinted down the field, twirling around the opposing team's defense like he was made for the sport. He easily scored, tying up the game. The whole crowd was on their feet, cheering him on. Olivia was so proud she felt like crying. Like, actual crying. What had love done to her.

Holy shit, she paused in realization. Love? I love Stiles Stilinski?

She didn't have time to focus on that. There was a minute left in the game and one goal to win.

Stiles didn't disappoint. He scooped up that lacrosse ball and took off, his teammates running after him and shouting in encouragement. Olivia waited anxiously and then screamed excitedly when he scored the winning goal, goosebumps erupting all over her body.

He won the game. He did it. Did she fucking call it or what?

And then the buzzer rang, signaling the end of the game, the crowd roared in excitement, and the lights around the field all went out at once.

Jackson...Jackson...Jackson...JACKSON!!!!

"Jackson?!" Olivia screamed, pressing her hands against her tingling chest.

The crowd was screaming as chaos erupted. They were running down the bleachers and heading toward the field and the parking lot. Lydia was tugging on her arm, and Melissa and Noah had taken off, seeing if they could do anything to help the situation.

Olivia was frozen. Something was wrong with Jackson, something worse than she ever felt.

"Liv, you're crying," Lydia said frantically; Olivia hadn't noticed. "What's wrong with Jackson? Is he okay? Liv!"

Everything sped up at once. Olivia grabbed Lydia's hand and jumped off the bleachers, running onto the field as the lights came back on one by one. There was already a crowd in the middle of the field, surrounding something.

"Somebody's hurt," they heard a guy say as they passed him. "Somebody's down on the field."

Olivia's stomach dropped. It was Jackson. It had to be.

She and Lydia pushed past the crowd in order to get to the middle to see what was going on. Jackson was on the ground, unconscious, with Melissa hovering over him, doing chest compressions.

"He's not breathing," she said rapidly. "No pulse."

"Oh, my God, there's blood," Lydia whimpered, her breath catching. "There's a lot of blood."

Olivia shook her head in complete shock. Jackson wasn't supposed to be dead. He was the kanima, the kanima that Gerard controlled. And now he was dead? He couldn't be dead.

He couldn't be.

"Get down here!" Melissa barked at her, in full nurse mood. "Get down her and hold his head."

Olivia scrambled to obey, dropping to her knees right by Jackson's head. She tilted his head up just as Melissa instructed her to do and tried not to shed anymore tears. Lydia was watching. Lydia was watching Jackson die and she had to be strong for her.

And then all the breath left her as the whispers started up again.

Stiles. Stiles. Stiles. Stiles.

"Where's my son?" Noah shouted from a few feet away, looking around the thinning crowd. "Where's Stiles? Where the hell is my son?"

(Gif is not mine)

#teen wolf rewrite #stiles stilinski x oc #stiles stilinksi x reader #teen wolf #stiles stilinski #stiles stilinski fanfiction #teen wolf fanfiction #stiles stilinski x original character

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danetobelieve · 4 years ago

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Coffee’s For Closers || Winn and Winston

When: brunchtime on Saturday 27/06/2020 Who: @packsbeforesnacks & @danetobelieve Where: Coffee Plus Summary: Winn and Winston have coffee and Winston recommends a memory magician Warnings: none

Winn was an interesting dude. Winston knew that he was a werewolf, despite the fact that they weren’t sure that they had ever had the pleasure of meeting Winn in person. However, both Rio and Ricky seemed to have relatively high opinions of Winn and Winston knew that wasn’t all Ricky had of him. So when they’d asked about the coffee date, Winston hadn’t been opposed to it. Getting to know someone who was important to their friends, no, their family, was a meaningful enough goal. Pulling their car up in front of Coffee Plus, Winston heard it shudder to a halt and wondered how long it was before it fell apart entirely. Their main method of transportation was hardly their priority right now. Spotting Winn easily, they waved. “I need like a triple shot or something,” it had been a late night, “but it’s good to see you and finally meet in person.”

Winn had more than enough energy to go around — coffee was little more than a bitter drink to him, his joe of choice sweet, flavorful, cloying, and somethings… a little bit chocolate-y. As a treat. But it was neutral territory, and Winn, worried he’d offended Winston somehow, wanted neutral. Winston was important to Ricky and Rio and Blanche. It was wild that they hadn’t met yet, if Winn was bein’ honest with himself, but that was, probably, more on Winn than anything else. Before he’d left town, he’d been… a hermit. Hell, only a couple of folks had known where he’d even lived. He nodded at Winston as they approached, smile bright and sunny in the already-hazy June afternoon. “Nice to see you, bro. Let’s get you caffeinated. For all I care, you can get twenty shots. My treat, let’s make those baristas work.” If it hadn’t been slow, Winn never would’ve suggested that, but he wanted to make a good impression. Money could do some talkin’.

“Twenty shots would be excessive,” Winston replied absentmindedly. Slipping their hands into their jacket pocket they followed Winn into the coffee shop. There weren’t lots of people in here and as things went for a weekend Winston was surprised to see that. Perhaps people had decided to enjoy the delights of the carnival over the attractions of caffeine. “Can I get a triple shot latte please?” Winston had to admit that they should probably just get more sleep than drink more coffee but it was always hard to prioritise sleep when there was so much going on constantly. They were constantly trying to work out so much about the world that they had only just discovered. But now they had to take a break, but hopefully it would be worth it. “You gone to the carnival yet?”

“Ha, maybe!” Winn said, following them into the shop and smiling at the plain order. Winn wasn’t playin’ around, though, especially not if he was payin’. “Can I get the largest latte, with an extra doppio, double pump vanilla if y’all have it. oat milk if y’all have it, and… hm, do y’all have those little chocolate shavings? Only a little, but those would be great. Ah, and whatever food my friend here wants. Y’all got bagels? Plain bagel and cream cheese.” Winn slid two twenties across the counter at the barista. “And I know that’s a pain, so keep the change, okay?” He scanned Coffee Plus for a corner table and, finding one, slung his jacket over one of the chairs before returning to the bar. “No, actually! Haven’t had a chance. But, uh, was thinkin’ about askin’ someone there, actually. You been?”

Stood there silently, Winston glanced at the menu briefly before shaking their head. “I’m good, thanks for the offer, the latte is fine.” It was always the same coffee order for Winston. The strength usually varied but a straight latte was what they’d been drinking since high school and they didn’t plan to make any changes in the near future. Waiting patiently for their coffee, Winston glanced around the shop looking for any familiar faces. You never knew with coffee plus. Not noticing anyone though, Winston turned their attention back to Winn as he returned. “Got someone specific in mind?” Winston couldn’t help being nosey. “Yeah, a couple of times with various friends. Though this is the first year I’ve ever actually gone. I don’t know why but I just never got around to it before. But it’s cool. Weird. But aren’t all carnivals? Definitely not entirely mundane either.”

“Suit yourself!” Winn said happily, taking a big bite out of the bagel one of the baristas handed him. “I have kinda… a big appetite. You live with Ricks, though, so you’re probably used to it.” He tilted his head at that, not really having considered that they had lived there while Winn had been… around, briefly. “Did you— I mean, did you know we were casual? Ricky and I?” Their drinks came, and Winn took a tentative sip of his, not willing to burn his overly sensitive tongue on anything. Never knew when you’d need to lick somethin’. Or someone. Winn made his way over to the table, chatting as he slid out his chair. “I do,” he said, evenly. “But he’s not, like, out, really. Just… figured the whole thing out, so you’ll understand if I’m gonna pass on droppin’ names. It would be our first date. Wanted to go on the Fourth. Still have to ask ‘m, ‘course, but we’re basically just dancin’ around each other at this point. Not that,” he paused, taking a sip out of his concoction, “you’d know anythin’ about dancin’ around someone?” There was a teasing edge to his voice, but it was gentle — Winn had learned a lesson about prying, even if he’d still say he hadn’t been tryin’ to pry. “By not mundane, do you mean…”

Taking a long sip of their coffee, Winston sighed contentedly at the familiar buzz of sugar and caffeine pumping through their body. There wasn’t anything quite like the first coffee of the day. Even if it was the middle of the afternoon and Winston had spent far too much time asleep this morning. But it was the weekend right? So it wasn’t really like it mattered. “Yeah, I always wondered if that was because of your hobby or because you guys are gym nuts.” Winston hoped that Winn caught their drift when they said hobby. “I guessed, it's cool, if you guys can make it work then good for you, I definitely could not make the friends with benefits casual situation work.” Winston wasn’t sure that anyone could make it work, but they were ready to be proved wrong. Slipping opposite Winn, Winston tucked their conversed feet beneath their chair and leaned back in it. “Of course, good for both of you, I hope that you have a good time. My advice would be not to get drunk and take them to your friends opening night at a rave, but then again it worked out okay for me so...” Winston wasn’t so prideful that they couldn’t enjoy some good natured ribbing. Glancing around to make sure there wasn’t anyone in ear shot, Winston dropped their voice. “I mean about as mundane as three leprechauns in a trench coat trying to take out a bank loan.”

“Aw, man, I mean, even before my hobby, I really ate a lot, yeah. But now I have, y’know, a wolf of an appetite.” Winn winked, that joke never failing to make him laugh. “We, uh… couldn’t. It’s chill, we’re fine, but we called it off, sort of, and then there was a one-off when Ricky’s… cold let up?” Winston would understand, right? No way they didn’t know about the chest, especially if they were involved whatsoever in the almost-apocalypse. Winn should ask about that, sometime. He’d been, blissfully, ignorant. But now that, he hoped, there was no chance of it going wrong again… “But, uh, Ricky and I wouldn’t have been good for each other, long term. We both want… different things, I think. I’m not sure what Ricky actually wants, but I know what I do. Or, at least, I do most of the time? Ricky’s great, it’s all good!” He laughed, eager to move on from this subject — didn’t want it gettin’ back to Ricky, or for Winston to think Winn wasn’t mindin’ his business. And things were fine, between them. Noah was in the picture, now, and Winn — like, look, the sex was great, but Winn needed more. No one would guess it, but he was… a romantic, at heart. Past the weed and innuendo and werewolf bullshit. “Ha, thanks,” Winn said, trying to slip around the mention of the rave entirely. He said he would stay out, so he would, but, well. “You’re good, right? With all of that?” Winn cocked his head. “I know it’s none of my business! Just… askin’. And,” he dropped his voice to match Winston’s, “was it… literally three leprechauns in a trench coat? ‘Cause I can take demons, but I draw the fuckin’ line at leprechauns.”

At least Winn seemed to have caught onto the game of charades that they were all but playing as they discussed Ricky. Winston was well aware of exactly what the cold was. “Ah, yes, the cold that lasted for nearly a month, I’m sure he was glad for the … reprieve.” Winston knew that Ricky wasn’t really … didn’t really … they weren’t sure how to put it but they knew that dating wasn’t currently on the table. Ricky felt that there was too much else to work on and Winston could understand and truly respect that sentiment. “I get it, sometimes you meet someone who you like but you know it doesn’t work and so you make the good and mature decision to take some separation over devastating each other emotionally and stunting your growth for however many years. Seems like a smart move.” Winston took another sip of their coffee, the bitter drink rolling over them as they considered what to say next. “We’re good, we’ve talked, we’re making it work our way. It’s just going to take time and be slow, but that’s good for us, it’s good to take this slow especially considering Rio’s … situation.” Winston didn’t know how read into it all Winn was and wasn’t about to out their friend, boyfriend? They weren’t sure what to call Rio. Raising an eyebrow as the conversation continued, Winston shrugged. “No fae that I was aware of, the last time I ran into leprechauns they tried to beat me to death for stealing some of their gold whilst sleepwalking, but yeah, I’d take demons over them any day.”

Winn laughed a little at Winston’s description of, what, emotional maturity? “Yeah, uh, that about sums it up? Though, seems a little real, bro.” He cocked his head. “Bro, like, okay? I can swap to… buddy?” The last thing Winn wanted to do was to offend Winston, even unintentionally. Stayin’ in their good graces was goin’ to make his life waaaaaaay easier in the long term, especially assumin’ all of their friends were, like, the same as Winn’s. “I’m glad that y’all made the decision that’s right for y’all. Rootin’ for you crazy kids.” Winn winked, trying to let Winston know that he was mostly kiddin’ about the kid quip. No real telling how hold they were, far as Winn was concerned, twenty to thirty was a blur of bad decisions and folks only really changed their hair, not their entire… everything. But, y’know, maybe he was lettin’ personal experience get in the way. Then Winston mentioned leprechauns, and Winn barely resisted bangin’ his head on the table. “Is there anything that exists and doesn’t immediately want to kick ass?” ‘Course, Winn remembered the yeth hound he’d encountered with Rio, but the rest of the supernatural world seemed dicedly… murdery. That was why hunters existed, after all. Protectin’ the Average Joe Coffee from, like, a shark with razor blade fins. Or somethin’. “How are you, uh, otherwise?” he hedged, trying to break some of the (imagined?) tension.

“Sometimes it’s better to be honest then act like something isn’t something that it is,” Winston replied. They’d learned the hard way that denial got people hurt. Maybe not always physically. “Bro, buddy, dude, dudebro, guy,” Winston shrugged gently, “gendered nicknames like that don’t really worry me too much, I use them for a lot of people anyway, but if it ever bothers me then you’ll be the first to know.” Winston stopped themselves from saying promise or something along those lines, even if Winn wasn’t fae it was probably a good idea to get into practice of not making unnecessary promises. Raising an eyebrow gently, Winston smiled a little at the thought of what they were actually doing with Rio. It was crazy, a rollercoaster that they were really not ready for, but you couldn’t stop Winston from riding this ride. It was worth it for Rio. Laughing, Winston shrugged. “Baku, Veggie Lambs are two that come to mind, otherwise it does kind of feel like everything wants to take a piece out of you.” Taking another mouthful of coffee, Winston glanced at Winn for a moment. “I’m doing well, honestly it’s nice to know the world isn’t ending because of a demon squid monster.” Lying wasn’t a strong suit for Winston, but they’d been in denial about their wellbeing for a while now. Bea’s death, Celeste’s death, the amount of overtime work was demanding with all these missing people’s cases, the resurrection and murder. Not to mention all of the more normal (and that wasn’t saying much) parts of everyday life that were stressful. “Kind of hoping things calm down a bit…” they shrugged, running a thumb along the edge of the table. “How about you? Keeping well in White Crest?”

“Honesty can be hard,” Winn said, “but worth it, more often than not.” He wasn’t about to sit here and pretend that honesty hadn’t helped him heal his wounded heart more in the past month than in the almost five years before. “Alright, bro. Just let me know. And if you and Rio ever need anything… well, just call me up. You know I’ve got the cash to burn.” He shrugged, amicably. It wasn’t that he enjoyed showing off — or being a sugar daddy, as Ariana so often hearin’ more about, ugh, Squidward (right?), but he wasn’t a former-future-counselor for nothin’. And it seemed rude to shut down an entire avenue of conversation. “That must have been hard; you deserve a break to relax and enjoy yourself.” Winn chugged the rest of his cooling, sugary put it — but there was really nothin’ Winn wanted more than to redistribute his granpa’s ‘legacy’ into folks that might actually use it for somethin’ good. Winn had bought a fuckin’ house and still had more paper than he knew what to do with. He decided to let the conversation of harmless creatures drop entirely. Maybe it was hangin’ around Adam too much, but Winn could hold the danger with the beauty, now. Sure, some things didn’t want to kill him. Some things were just scared. But that didn’t mean he had to rollover and bear his belly at ‘em. “So… You were involved with the whole… apocalypse thing?” Winn would be lyin’ if he said he was interested in drink, savoring the tingle of sugar as it coated his throat. Maybe the caffeine would kick in; maybe Winn wouldn’t think about how much sleep he had lost lately. “I am and I’m not,” he said, honestly. “I don’t know if Rio has told you — wouldn’t blame him if he’d told you everything — but I’m goin’ through some supernatural shit of my own, right now.” A chomp of the bagel, regret that he didn’t have any water. Why had he finished his drink so early? Oh, right, because: “I can’t... remember everything, anymore.” He gave a half-laugh, willing to leave it, awkwardly, there, if Winston didn’t want to broach the subject.

“My parents had a cheesy saying, ‘honesty is the best policy’”, Winston smirked gently at the thought, “like I said, cheesy as fuck, but usually right.” Winston swallowed at the offer of cash. The thought of the money that Lydia had given them literally sitting gaining value in a savings account. “Thanks for the offer, if there’s ever a need then I’ll come calling but really we both live rent free with Ricky, so it’s not like we’re ever really in that much need. Yeah, I was involved, me and Rio met through… the way me and Rio became really good friends allows us to get a lot of research done too and we’ve been working on a lot of it for a while, fortunately I was only involved in the theoretical side of it, the actual practical applications were much more… tricky I hear.” Shrugging gently, Winston wondered if Winn had an inkling of just how badly Winston really needed a break to relax and enjoy themselves, but more than that they would just like to be able to leave White Crest to its own devices for a week without worrying that one of their friends might be dead when they got back. But as the conversation turned to Winn, Winston found themselves back in a position that they couldn’t help but savour. Being able to help someone. “Really?” Winston paused, “Honestly, Rio and I don’t really talk about you, no offence but I don’t really know you so you don’t come up in conversation so no— I mean I didn’t know, but… I could try and help, maybe?” Winston paused, adjusting their glasses. “You can’t remember everything anymore, do you think it’s supernatural or is this like Winston get me to a fucking doctor sorta situation?”

“Nothing that a doctor can fix, unfortunately,” Winn said with a sad smile. His nightmare from a few nights ago had slipped to the back of his mind, but he found himself thinking about it. About waking up in a cold sweat, knowing that he hadn’t left his bed, but thinking… thinking that the wolf had gotten out, somehow, that Winn wouldn’t know if the wolf could get out. His decision-making was all out of whack. For every good thing in his life, like telling Noah, there was something… bad. Something stupid. That man, the one who’d reminded him a little of Noah, the way that Winn had tried to let himself forget, but had shouted at him to leave after it all. Winn was no stranger to bad decisions, but this was the first time in his life where it felt like those bad decisions were comin’ from hidin’ from somethin’ he couldn’t explain. The Full Moon comin’ up… Well, Winn was worried about what he might do. His dad had already offered his services on wolf-sitting duty, keeping Winn chained up in the cellar, but… “I, uh, two years.” He held up two fingers, immediately feeling a bit silly. “I can’t remember them. Thought it was, y’know, hobby-related, but think it might be more… mystical? Magical? I don’t know jack shit about all that, though. Two of the, uh, mages,” his voice went up, unused to the word outside of bad movies, “I know aren’t my biggest fans, and the other one… Well, it doesn’t seem like memory is somethin’ she has a ton of experience with. And I’d like to keep my brain in my skull, if you catch my drift.” He stood, stretching for a second. “I’m going to go get some water, let you process all of that, real quick?” When he returned, after chugging an entire cup at the counter (sorry, barista), he searched Winston’s eyes for any sort of answer.

The news that Winn dropped onto Winston’s lap was the kind of news that you sometimes get when you’re getting a check up at the doctor’s. Completely unexpected, really not good in any way, and completely changes your perception of something or someone or anything along those lines. “Okay, so I guess I’ve got questions. You said hobby related; I know what that means and first of all are you absolutely certain that can’t account for that? Two years of your life just gone is a long time and if someone has taken that from you… well I’m really not an expert in…” Winston glanced over their shoulder, the coffee shop had been emptying out for a little while now as the day dragged on and Winston was pleased to discover that they were relatively alone, “… mental magic isn’t my forte. Honestly, traditional magic I’m incredibly mediocre and inexperienced at, where I excel in is like tech and stuff like that, thinking on my feet I can do fine, but I don’t have the experience to be a true expert on this.” Winston chewed on their bottom lip and pulled their glasses off of their face, vigorously scrubbing a finger smudge from one of the lenses they returned them to their face before they spoke once more. “First of all what are you trying to achieve here, do you want the memories back? Do you want to find out what happened and why they took them? Is it an all of the above situation?” Winston sat back in their chair. “I guess the other thing is that you should know the risks that this can have. I can show you what fucking with mental magic gets you if you want, because it’s risky, when we did it… it was worth it, but there was a cost that I paid. There always is with magic. Even when you don’t expect one it is still there. It’s not that the magic is insidious, it's just that the brain is very… complicated and magic is infinitely more complicated, if everything isn’t perfect then things can go wrong and even when they are perfect there can be unforeseen consequences…” Winston looked at the cold dregs of their drink. “If you decide that despite all of that you still want to look into a magical solution, then I… and this is a big might, but I might have a guy who could help.”

Winn took a sip of the water, considering. “Rio has been workin’ his ass off on tryin’ to make sure that it isn’t hobby-related. Given his… bein’ a fan, of the hobby, he’s tryin’ to learn the rules of the game on the fly. But we’re both pretty sure that this isn’t a hobby… accident.” This metaphor was gettin’ complicated. He cocked his head when Winston mentioned that mental magic wasn’t their forte, and then when they implied — well, outright said — that they had some knowledge of ‘traditional’ magic. “I wonder if there’s a way to bridge the two,” Winn said finally. “I mean, what’s that line in Thor? Magic is just technology we don’t understand? Don’t know how applicable it is, but…” Winn shrugged, an easy smile. He listened patiently as Winston worked through the situation, foot tapping gently on the floor towards the end. “I have to know. I, uh— Look, I’m worried that if I don’t figure it out, I might… lose control of my love for the hobby. I almost did, once. Blanche,” he paused, trying to figure out how to phrase this, “threw me into a tree?” Time to cut the metaphor. He spoke in hushed tones, even though no one was hearin’ this. “I shifted, we were sparrin’, a misunderstandin’ went down, and thwing. Tree. I… don’t remember anything after that, ‘cept comin’ to and stoppin’ the big guy from hurting her. I won’t let that happen again, Winston. I owe it to her, to all of them, to figure this out. And if that… if the consequences hurt me, at least… at least they won’t be hurt, you know?” He leaned back in his chair, musin’ aloud. “I’ll pay the tab,” he said, obviously not talkin’ about the coffee bill. “Whatever it takes. Whatever the cost. So… Hit me.”

“Okay, we can assume it is magically related for now,” Winston conceded now that they were satisfied that there wasn’t anything else going on there. Raising an eyebrow gently, Winston shrugged. “I think the line in Thor is inspired by Arthur C. Clarke’s first law, which is that if we are to sufficiently advanced technology it will be indistinguishable from magic, which is already kind of true, look at light bulbs. Take that back a thousand years and it would seem like magic to a rando…” Winston shrugged again, “... either way unless there’s a technological application here, I wouldn’t want to get involved, recent events have meant that I’m not as sure of my magic as I once was and until I get that under control I don’t want to be messing around in your head either, I’d probably make it worse.” Raising an eyebrow gently, Winston nodded. “I know, I got your cheque when you ran, but you’ve got to try and cut yourself some slack, you were bitten not born right? From what I’ve heard it takes a bit more work to maintain control for someone like you. Either way, this doesn’t necessarily guarantee you control. Two years back might help or who knows maybe it’ll make it worse. I don’t think you should pin your hopes on your memory being fixed unless you have guarantees and with this sort of magic you can’t have guarantees.” Raising an eyebrow gently, Winston shrugged. “I don’t charge for helping…” they took a deep breath before continuing perhaps a little optimistically, “... friends, I can’t speak for my contact, but you can take up the matter of invoicing for services rendered with him.”

“Arthur C. Clarke,” Winn said, absolutely not knowing who that was. “But I get whatcha mean? I mean, hell, way back when, bein’ biracial, or gay, would’ve seemed like magic too. Or worse. Thank fuck most folks are over that shit.” He smiled, knowing — well, assumin’ — maybe Winston understood one or both of those things. He wasn’t in the practice of assumin’, ‘course, but it was nice to have folks in his… friend circle (?), who got that on some level. “Thing is,” he started, “I do have control. Great control. I’ve been like this for almost a decade, now and, bro, I’m mellow.” He winked, wondering if they would understand his… heights of mellowness. “I know it could make things worse, but…” Winn sighed, running a hand through his ungelled hair. “It’s a part of me. If someone did it to me, I want to know why. If I did it to myself…” He trailed off. “I appreciate you warnin’ me, Winston. That’s what a good, y’know, friend,” he smiled brightly, “does. If there’s anything I can do for you, y’know, don’t hesitate to ask?” Winn stood up, stretching again, and held out his arms. “Uh, I’m kind of a hugger, and you’re doin’ me a big favor, so… bring it in. If you’re comfortable with that. If we’re friends now, you get hugs. So… c’mere.”

“Uh, sure, something like that.” Winston hadn’t really given any of it all that much thought. It was a while since they’d really considered anything outside of White Crest and honestly sometimes it was easy to forget that there was a whole world out there. “Okay, sure, I get it. I’ll make the connection and let you know, if they can’t help you then I expect they’ll either know someone who can or have some suggestion about the next steps.” Darwin was resourceful, that much had always been clear. “Fingers crossed that this helps then…” Winston couldn’t imagine what Winn was experiencing. Losing their name to Regan had been enough to convince them to help though, as soon as they realised it was to do with losing something like that, it was a no brainer. “Of course, if I ever need someone of your particular skill set then you’ll be the first to know. Probably.” Rising, Winston nodded. “I can do a hug.”

#wickedswriting #thnks fr th mmrs #para #chatzy para #chatzy #p: winn

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lucastheunlucky · 5 years ago

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latched secret || blanche&luke

Location: Yum!Pizzeria Date/Time: 5/27/20 @harlowhaunted Summary: Blanche takes a lunch at the pizzeria but finds it being cleaned and worked on. Luke gives her pizza anyway (cause this is canon we know it) and they become acquainted over ghost vibes after realizing they share a few of the same friends.

Yum!Pizzeria had been operating okay without him thanks to his wonderful neighbor Mrs. Lee and Orion. But the seventy year old woman really should be retired now, and Luke felt in debt to her for keeping the place open while he healed up. Luke walked into the shop today, leaving the door open to air it out. They were technically closed today, and he had a few people in there today cleaning the place out and deep cleaning every inch of the shop. His left arm was no longer bandaged but stitched up in thick staples and coated in medicine to keep infection out. Lucas was getting a little bit of his mobility back to his fingers, the tendon and nerves were having a hard time connecting even with his accelerated healing. It would be okay though. He was able to hold things now, and that was progress. Luke was sitting at a bench while staff cleaned the place, paperwork spread out as he organized his accounts, and looked over the business expenses while he was gone to be sure everything lined up.

Exhaustion clung to her as she shuffled into Yum!Pizzeria on her lunch break. The paperwork she had been working on for Mercy was left abandoned, waiting for her when Blanche would come back after she had found something to eat. At least she was being good - at least she was remembering to be a person and to eat and to go to work and to just have some semblance of normalcy. Or, as normal as everything could be. The paranoia that the fucking hunter would come back to finish the job on Nell had never left, and Winn was still being a dramatic ass motherfucker and she hadn’t heard from him either. But, as Blanche slid into the pizza joint, she resolved to not think about any of that for the next 54 minutes she had. “Hey, sorry, are you guys not open?” Blanche realized she had been zoning out and things didn’t exactly look up to snuff. She rubbed her neck sheepishly. “I wasn’t paying attentio - uh?” Blanche frowned. The hairs on the back of he neck were standing up and - oh shit. She ripped her eyes off the man on the bench, looking around for the ghost. Come on, where the hell was it?

“Mhm?” He lifted his gaze from the paperwork, the place clearly in disarray with the chairs up on the tables and people cleaning, if definitely wasn’t open, but the beast could only smile at the other woman. “Technically no,” he said, and nodded to his staff to move towards the kitchen so the cleaning wasn’t so noisy. It had been a help to hire a few more people this week and with group inside to get it clean and redorated, new parts getting replaced or upgraded, Luke was excited to see the changes. The Pizza shop needed to stay for a little bit longer, just until he knew what was going on with Gotch. “But, come here, sit down--” he gestured in, sitting on one of the tables was stacks of pizza’s everyone had been munching on while working. “Take a break, you look tired-- plates are here.” He slid one over.

“Oh shit,” Blanche said sheepishly. If there was a ghost here, then she absolutely did not want to be here. And she definitely didn’t want to be that asshole customer that came in on closed business days. Except he was shoving a pizza box towards her, telling her to grab a plate while the cleaning crew drifted off into the kitchen and they were alone. Blanche frowned, and realized now that her ghost senses were stronger when she got near the man. Fuck. Was he possessed? Blanche had frozen slightly, unsure what she wanted to do. Well, she knew what she wanted to do, and that was turn, run, and never show her face back here out of embarrassment, and maybe call Rebecca or Cassie to come deal with it. But it didn’t quite feel like he was possessed, and she wished she hadn’t dipped on Rebecca’s lesson. “Are you sure?” Blanche finally said, resigned. “Um, I’m sorry I came in while you guys were cleaning, I just - I’ve been a little out of it.” She gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Um, I’m Blanche, by the way.”

“You do look tired. I get that, we’re closed temporarily this week cause I’m healing up from an injury and taking the time to revamp things a little bit,” Luke tilted his head at the name. Having received multiple texts from Noah about a Blanche deal with a missing Winn. Did Winston or Ariana also say her name? He couldn’t remember well. “Eat up your fill, there are a few different ones in there, new flavors too, so you will get a sneak peak at some new menu ideas. Highly classified.” He joked, and quickly typed a few things down, and then closed up the laptop and leaned back. He actually needed a break himself, he’s been at it for hours, his back creaked from going the other direction. “Hey, can I ask if you know a Noah? He’s trying to be a vet?-- I just feel like I’ve heard about a Blanche in the grapevine of my friends, and you sorta fit the profile. I’m Lucas.”

“Oh, I’m glad you’re healing up!” Blanche smiled slightly, before doing as she was told and grabbing a slice of pizza. She was too tired to refuse food right about now, and she was admittedly more and more curious about the ghostly presence around the man. She examined Lucas closely as she say down on a bench. He knew Noah? Her eyebrows knit together in concern for just a moment - what had Noah said? Did Ariana or Noah spill what she was to someone? Or did Lucas know Winn. Blanche supposed that she didn’t rightly care if people knew that she could see ghosts anymore, even if there was still a swirl of anxiety in her at the thought of it. She was just too tired to keep the secrecy up. The bad excuses, everything. So finally, she said, “Yeah, I know Noah.” After considering another moment, taking a bite of her pizza and swallowing, she rested her plate in her lap. “Does that mean you know what happened with Winn Woods?” Blanche asked.

“Ah, it’s nice to meet you then,” Lucas said with a friendly vibe. He hadn’t known if it was her, but relief was easily seen on his face that it wasn’t going to be awkward. “Know what happened? Not entirely— no details, Noah is just mad right now and yelling at me through text so I’m trying to keep a neutral front to it. However, I’m glad you’re fine. It’s the only reason I heard your name, everyone seemed worried about you between the yelling.” Luke got up and pulled out some sodas and a water bottle from the customer fridge and set some down near her to pick what she liked. “I don’t know anything about you though. Just a name. You know how friend circles are. Do you work close by?”

Blanche almost laughed at Lucas when he mentioned that Noah was yelling over text. “He seemed to keep from yelling at me, but he thinks I’m a big ol’ idiot,” she said, gratefully taking the bottle of water with a quieter thank you. “And he’s not wrong, mind you. Winn and I both made stupid decisions, I just… I needed to blow off some steam, you know,” Blanche shrugged, giving him a small smile. She didn’t elaborate. He either knew what Winn was or he didn’t, and now that she thought more about it, she didn’t think Noah would shoot his mouth off about the details. “Yeah I work at Valfrey Investigation Services. I’m the apprentice there,” she explained. “I came into work today and decided to actually take my lunch break.” The feeling hit her again, and she faltered slightly. Shit. “Hey, uh, can I ask you a weird question? You don’t happen to, uh, believe in ghosts, do you?”

Lucas really understood the sheer need to blow off steam and how rationality could be a little fuzzy with it. Wolves were sturdy and Lucas always worried about hurting others on the football field when he was younger because of it. But the loss of control— well. Luke wanted to understand that bit more. “Winn means well. I feel like all his intentions are usually close to being good, but I just met him a few weeks ago so it’s just first impressions from my end. He was there for me though, when I was in a low spot. I don’t want to come at him over it. It wasn’t on purpose, he should say sorry though.” Lucas commented, but noticed her falter. “Eat, eat.” He said a little worried, taking it as being hungry or exhausted. “Sure— of course. Lots of things exist in the world. Why?”

Blanche waved it off. “Winn’s a good person, but a bit of a bonehead. Clearly I’m not much better. It was both our faults. I’m just a little pissed he ran off, but…” Blanche sighed slightly, shrugging. “He’ll be back. We can deal with it then.” And maybe, hopefully, things will have calmed down by then. With Bea and Nell and Luce… She took a bite out of the pizza when he encouraged her to eat, trying to figure out the best way to put this. Shit, she needed Granny. Then again, Granny was always pushy and in people’s faces. She didn’t give a shit if people believed her or not, just like she didn’t give a shit now about what people thought of her. “I - At the risk of sounding insane,” Blanche said, looking at him apologetically. “I, uh…” Well if he was friends with Winn, then he probably knew about the wolf thing. Blanche decided then to take a risk. “Can see them. And feel them. And I think there’s one... “ Blanche winced. Possession wasn’t the right word, it didn’t look or feel like that. At least, she was pretty sure it didn’t feel like that. “Here.” Blanche finished lamely. She fidgeted anxiously. “Are you feeling okay?” Blanche asked.

Lucas tilted his head in that puppy dog way that he never could work out of his instinct while she talked. “See them? That might be quite the burden, huh?” Lucas’ brows wrinkled a little bit. He wasn’t overly familiar with ghosts, usually one to fight beasts or monsters that gave him a decent fight. His mind briefly touched on the face he saw sometimes, the young girls, but he had always taken that as trauma with Gotch. When she asked if he was feeling okay, and the almost sweet, concerned delivery Lucas huffed an honest laugh. After weeks of wolves yelling at him, and worrying over him in their aggressive, all in love way, that was the nicest way anyone asked about him. “I’m never quite okay, so you think one is here? Or one with me? I’ll be honest,” he bit the inside of his mouth a little. “I’ve sometimes seen something just in the corner of my eye.”

Quite the burden. Blanche almost laughed at him, but quickly controlled herself by taking a big swig of her water. Burden was definitely a word for it. She was feeling overly negative today, too, so she could have added on isolating, life-ruining, pain-in-the-ass, relationship-ending, bullshit. But she didn’t. Because that was her being dramatic, and neither of them needed dramatics today. Instead, Blanche shrugged like it didn’t matter. “It could be worse,” Blanche said, giving him a strained smile. Never quite okay. She related to that, but she was curious. She wasn’t used to being believed so easily, thought there was the possibility that he was only entertaining her. “Something like that,” Blanche replied with a frown. “I don’t… see anything. Which is unusual, but I definitely feel something. Do you - Uh, do you experience black outs?” Blanche asked, almost apologetically. It would at least rule out possession. “Lost time? Waking up in places where you’ve never been before, confused? What sort of things have you seen out of the corner of your eye? Or even just when you’re really tired, and think you see something there and it goes away in a blink.”

“No, no blackouts,” Lucas wasn’t entertaining her at all. One to believe usually anything that sounded a bit strange, but also, he was a kind person and didn’t need to make someone feel bad for telling him something about themself. Kinda like Regan and her need to keep sending dead animals to people. A bad feeling was surfacing while she inquired more, and he realized, while he’s always been depressed and suffered with dissociation since he was a teenager because of Gotch, he didn’t always have these extra bits. Maybe it all wasn’t his head being hard on him. “Hmm, alright. I’ll be honest with you, okay? Since you are being forthcoming,” he offered a smile, trying to make sure she wasn’t over concerned about his feelings towards it. “But I have heard whispers sometimes, they tell me to walk away? To just keep going, and going. Sometimes it will catch me while I’m on a roof, and something in my head tells me to walk off the edge. Or travel down a road until I die. I, honestly, just assume I’m having a bad moment mentally. I’m not the best sometimes with stuff? So I just laid down or whatever,” he thought about it more. “The only thing I have seen is sometimes when I’m in a particularly bad state-- I see a little girl just in the edge of my vision. You think that it’s not always been me? Like, maybe something else is there?”

Blanche listened to Luke closely. There was something in her that had woken up - an old anxiety that wanted to rear its ugly head. How nervous this shit made her. Talking about the dead so easily was supposed to be something that Granny was good at, it was never supposed to just be her thing… Except, it was her thing. This was what she had been born with, and she spent too long trying to convince herself to ignore it or hide it. None of that was going to work now. She could do it with Bea and she could do it with Lucas, and she didn’t have to think too hard about it. Well, probably. She frowned slightly as Lucas told her what these voices were whispering to him, and she tried to nod encouragingly. “A little girl?” Blanche asked, pressing her lips together in a thin line. Could a spirit of a little girl do that? In horror media, Blanche was pretty sure little girls were often projected as bad spirits or demons, mostly because they were creepy and had that horrible high pitched laugh. It could be a malicious spirit, but Blanche wasn’t sure. She just knew that she could feel it, and the longer she explored that feeling, the more she didn’t like it. “I believe you,” Blanche assured him, quickly. “That must be really hard. I’m so sorry,” She wondered if a spirit could really be whispering those intrusive thoughts to him. She considered a moment. “I know a couple exorcists who know more about this kind of thing than I do. Would you mind if I spoke with them? About this situation and tell them what you told me? So I can see if I can help you?”

Lucas nodded to her inquiry about the little girl. At least, that was how he kinda saw her when he saw her, which was difficult being that it was just out of sight. “It’s not, well. It is hard, thank you. But I’ve got practice in that department. Maybe, if this is what’s been making me feel so hopeless-- I’d very much like some help. So, of course. You may ask whomever.” Lucas reassured, and was grateful for it. He wanted to explain that it was challenging to separate the intrusive thoughts from his own bad ones, but Blanche seemed serious, and Lucas would take it as such. “Here,” he pulled one of his business cards out for the pizzeria, and wrote his number down. “Just so you know. I’m not exactly out in the world. I’m in hiding, a little, no--- a lot. So, do me the smallest favors and keep my name close. Especially lately, with--” he waved his arm a little. “The person who did this is, well. Yeh. Still out there.

Blanche listened to his explanation, eyes flicking up to the scar on his head. More questions were on the tip of her tongue, but she refrained. Lucas was in hiding from someone that hurt him. It was a somber reminder of everything that had happened - with Nell and Bea. People could get hurt, whether it was supernaturally motivated or not. “I’ll keep your name close to me. I promise. I understand how important it is to keep people’s safety close,” Blanche said grimly. She nodded, gently taking the business card from him as she stood, since she had finished a slice of pizza, and it was probably time she should get back to work anyhow. But she did pause, grabbing a pen from her purse to write her own number on a napkin, sliding it over to him. “That’s my number too. You let me know if anything else pops up, you can text me whenever or call me or find me online, okay? And leet me know if you see anything so I can ... Figure out what’s going on. Okay?”

Lucas nodded. “Okay, thanks-- and it was really nice meeting you. Putting a face to your name and everything.” He smiled, and politely stood up when she did and accepted the number.

#x: blanche #x: latched secret

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thesportssoundoff · 5 years ago

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A Dumb Draft Exercise

It's a Friday night and we're all locked in so I decided to do something a touch different. I took the current NFL draft order and then looked up the last five NFL drafts (2015-2019) to see who was picked at spots. Using the teams as they stand after one long (and it feels it) week of free agency, I picked ONE player selected at that set position to try and do a retro draft. Each team picked ONE player picked over the last five years at that specific spot (so at 1 overall, you could only draft 1st overall). How different would your favorite team look? Welll.....

1. Cincinnati- QB Kyler Murray (2019)

The first round picks of the past five years consist of four QBs (Jameis Winston, Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield and Murray) alongside premiere edge rusher Myles Garrett. As is often the case with top pick QBs tasked with saving bad franchises, each becomes less and less attractive as the years go by and they hit the ceiling of "damn good but not quite franchise saver" over and over. I went with Murray because while I think Goff is vastly underrated by most fans, Murray's got the ability and personality to drastically change an organization that feels like it's been hankering for a chance over the past five years. Murray was one of the NFL's brightest stars last year and figures to only improve, especially if you put him under the watchful gaze of an offensive guru (of sorts) in Zac Taylor.

2. Washington- DE Nick Bosa (2019)

Was REALLY torn with Carson Wentz and Nick Bosa for the Redskins. There's a lot of dead-ish weight here with Mitch Trubisky and Marcus Mariota and while Saquon may be the best player in theory, no team needs to take a running back in the top 5 (or in the first round at all). Assuming the Redskins are truly comfortable with Dwayne Haskins then taking Nick Bosa and pairing him up in the front four along with the likes of Montez Sweat, Matt Ionidis and Daron Payne would probably be a formidable ass crew. Basically the Chase Young strategy.

3. Detroit- DE Joey Bosa (2016)

How about the Bosa Bros going back to back! One would assume tht if the Lions wanted a QB, they're GOING to have their pick of the proverbial litter on the back end. After all after Cincy, they'll have Tua, Herbert and Love at their disposal if taking a QB so amuses them. Instead operating under the belief that the Lions feel comfortable with Stafford for MAYBE one more year, it leaves us to choose from Joey Bosa, Solomon Thomas and Dante Fowler. Bosa is likely on his way to a multiple pro bowl career while Thomas may just grade out as average and Fowler is on his third team now. Easy choice if ya ask me.

4. NY Giants- WR Amari Cooper (2015)

The Giants would be picking from a variety of offensive players; two of which are current Dallas Cowboys. You have Amari Cooper, Zeke Elliott, Leonard Fournette on offense and then Denzel Ward at cornerback as pretty much your only other option. Give me Amari Cooper as he'd immediately step in and make an offense consisting of Daniel Jones, Barkley, Golden Tate and a two tight end threat of Evan Engram and Kaden Smith a pretty damn formidable one.

5. Miami- OLB Bradley Chubb (2018)

This WOULD be easy in theory. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey would've been a FINE choice here but the Dolphins have Xavien Howard and Byron Jones on the back end. With Jalen Ramsey out of the picture, you have an interesting linebacker in Devin White, a superb guard in Brandon Scherff and my selection Bradley Chubb. With so much locked in on the defense, Chubb (if healthy) steps in as an immediate premiere pass rusher. Barely edges out Brandon Scherff. BARELY.

6. LA Chargers- OG Quinton Nelson (2018)

Man! The Chargers would have their glut of talent to choose from if they so desired. Want an elite strong safety? Jamal Adams was picked 6th in 2018. Want a QB to groom and develop? Daniel Jones went here in 2019. If you want a flexible havoc inducing DL piece? Leonard Williams in 2015 went 6th overall. Ronnie Stanley is a pretty damn good tackle as well. Quinton Nelson is a top 3 guard in just two seasons and figures to continue to improve. It's not a premiere position for a lot of people but Nelson bucks the trend.

7. Carolina- QB Josh Allen (2018)

Funny bit? We have two Josh Allens here as Josh Allen from Wyoming and Josh Allen from Kentucky both went 7th overall. Both would be tremendous picks given the Panthers needs (an elite edge or a QB). Deforest Buckner finally hit on his potential and got paid paid for it as well, fitting in interestingly here as a potential flexible front line piece. The Panthers just paid Teddy Bridgewater relatively big time money but if you have the chance to take a really athletic strong armed QB who has shown strides in two seasons, you should do it. Imagine Allen throwing it to the likes of DJ Moore and Christian McCaffery.

8. Arizona- RB Christian McCaffery (2017)

THIS one was hard given the lack of obvious options. Do you need more receiving options? If so TE TJ Hockenson was picked 8th. Christian McCaffery is probably the best player at this spot but again, running backs and top 10s and etc etc etc. Nuke Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk are on paper a superb trio of WRs and you also have Kenyan Drake at RB. Vic Beasley is a good pass rusher who has sort of lost his way as a player (hence the one year prove it deal). Give me McCaffery I guess. I think he'd do wonders in Kingbsury's offense and I suppose you can make he and Drake work together. That's why head coaches get paid.

9. Jacksonville- OT Mike McGlinchey (2018)

There's not a lot of obvious fits for a tanking team like the Jaguars. DT Ed Oliver would be intriguing but I have no idea how he fits in with the Jaguars defense. The likes of Leonard Floyd (recently released), Ereck Flowers (failed tackle turned kinda failed guard), John Ross (oft injured speedster) are other options. Lastly there's Mike McGlinchey who was starting at right tackle for the Super Bowl 49ers. The Jaguars have spent picks at both tackle spots but McGlinchey is better.

10. Cleveland- QB Patrick Mahomes (2017)

Fuck. Would the Browns even with Baker Mayfield flirt with taking Patrick Mahomes? Who cares. Mayfield can be traded. If you have the chance to grab the best QB in the NFL, you do it. Easy peasy.

11. NY Jets- CB Marshon Lattimore (2016)

This one came down to Lattimore or Minkah Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick can do so much across a secondary and his swiss army knife toolset was amplified in a Pittsburgh secondary that left to his devices where he could roam free and fuck shit up. On the other hand, Marshon Lattimore represents one of the NFL's rare commodities; a star shutdown cornerback. Plus with Marcus Maye and Jamal Adams tie up the safety spots pretty well.

12. Las Vegas- QB Deshaun Watson (2017)

The Raiders are openly flirtatious with moving on from Derek Carr. Deshaun Watson would step in and be a massive upgrade. There's also not much here either given how 90% of the players are DL and the Raiders have plenty of names and faces they like there. Maxx Crosby, Maliek Collins, John Hankins and Clelin Ferrell to name a few.

13. San Francisco f/IND- OG Laremy Tunsil (2016)

Take the 49ers OL with Joe Staley, Mike McGlinchey and Laken Tomlinson and then slide in Laremy Tunsil at RG. That's an absurd OL. There also weren't many options to really delve into either depending on how you feel about Da'Ron Payne and Vita Vea.

14. Tampa Bay- DE Marcus Davenport (2018)

Pick 14 over the past five years is a bit of a dry spell unfortunately. The best player on the list is DeVante Parker and the Bucs clearly have a collection of damn good WRs. Shaq Barrett and JPP are in place for 2020 but could the Bucs use Davenport as a third rusher and move him inside on pass rush downs. Not a lot of good ideas here unfortunately.

15. Denver- RB Melvin Gordon (2015)

Easy peasy! I mean Denver just signed him! That's a bit of a cheapie but let's keep with it. Gordon fitshere (and nobody else does).

16. Atlanta- LB Tremaine Edmunds (2018)

Edmunds with Deion Jones? Sign me up! The only other option that makes sense here is Marlon Humphrey at corner which would be an equally fine pick.

17. Dallas- S Derwin James (2018)

Given that Arik Armstead and John Allen would be 3-technique types in this defense, it makes sense we would ONCE again look at the safety market! Yay! The Cowboys scheme in 2018 apparently didn't like Derwin James as much as the media thought they did but this is a brand new scheme and a new way to play. Derwin James would edge out Keanu Neal (who BTW when healthy is an amazing safety) by virtue of being more of the chess piece the Cowboys need.

18. Miami f/PIT- C Ryan Kelly (2017)

Again there's a glut of corners here but the Dolphins have their fair share. As such, turn your attention over to a glut of centers---who they also just signed a guy for. Ryan Kelly is a pro bowl center though and you can make exceptions for that.

19. Las Vegas f/CHI- LB Leighton Vander-Esch (2018)

One of the better linebackers in the NFL prior to his neck injury, LVE was a friggin' elite athlete who could still redefine what NFL linebackers look like. His defensive coordinator is there as well (as the DL coach) and I bet Gruden would love his leadership and his ability as an off ball linebacker. This one is easy enough.

20. Jacksonville f/LAR- TE Noah Fant (2019)

The Jaguars are in the midst of a rebuild of sorts but unfortunately there's no immediate building block pieces at 20. It came down to Frank Ragnow (a versatile OL with upside) or Noah Fant and I opted for tight end Noah Fant since Minshew could use a reliable safety blanket. Assuming Fant can control his drops of course.

21. Philadelphia- WR Will Fuller (2016)

The Eagles could REALLY use some targets for Carson Wentz. Last year in clutch games they were relying on JJ Arceaga-Whiteside and Boston Scott for targets outside of their tight ends. Wouldn't have a problem going with FS Darnell Savage either who also went at 21.

22. Minnesota f/BUF- DE Bud Dupree (2015)

I don't know if the Vikings NEED an edge but even if they don't, there's really no options here. Josh Doctson was a flop in Washington, Charles Harris was a flop in Miami, Rashaan Evans plays the same spot as their glut of damn good linebackers and Andre Dillard is an unproven tackle for Philly to this point. Hit or miss here.

23. New England- Isaiah Wynn (2018)

I mean they drafted him here. Easy enough. Although would they take TE Evan Engram all things being equal?

24. New Orleans- WR DJ Moore (2018)

The Saints did grab Emmanuel Sanders but DJ Moore, Sanders and Michael Thomas is a whole different world of WR depth. There's also pretty much nobody else here worthy of snagging either.

25. Minnesota- WR Marquise Brown (2019)

HOLLYWOOD! The Vikings just traded away Stefon Diggs and could use an infusion of playmaker at their WR spot to help assist their TE room, Dalvin Cook and Adam Thielen. Marquise Brown would give Kirk Cousins a souped up version of Jamison Crowder; a WR-3 he relied heavily on in Washington.

26. Miami f/HOU- DE Montez Sweat (2019)

So the Dolphins have signed a lot of DE and we also gave them Bradley Chubb earlier BUT Montez Sweat is going to terrorize the NFL for the next 5-10 years and so he and Chubb combined? That's big time pass rush. Also, again, not much to really select from here either.

27. Seattle- CB Byron Jones (2015)

If you drew up a make and model for a Seahawks DB? It looks like Byron Jones. Byron just got paid big time money by Miami It's Byron vs Tre White and Byron fits the mold a bit better. Could also see Seattle liking Kenny Clark. Lots of good defensive players at 27.

28. Baltimore- OG Laken Tomlinson (2015)

Let Tomlinson battle it out with the interior OL the Ravens have currently. There's really not much here, it's either Tomlinson or DT Jerry Tillery.

29. Tennessee- TE David Njoku (2017)

Funny story, the 2016 1st round pick here was forfeited via deflategate. With just four names to choose from (and not really much to talk about either way), the Titans take David Njoku. Njoku has struggled with his role in Cleveland and the Titans do have some solid tight ends already in place but Njoku would be a pretty nice flier. Most of the guys here at 29 are just not good unless you're a Taven Bryan truther.

30. Green Bay- LB TJ Watt (2017)

And Cowboys fans across the globe shudder in horror. Yes, the Packers have two really good DEs in the Smith brothers. There's nobody else here who comes remotely close to the pure value TJ Watt has. Let him rush from the left side and rack up the sacks. You can figure it out somehow I figure. Let Preston Smith play 3-tech or something!

31. San Francisco- LB Reuben Foster (2017)

On one hand, the less said about Foster the better. On the other, there's really nobody else here who would come close. Unless you're a Germaine Ifedi fan?

32. Kansas City- DT Malcolm Brown (2015)

For any other team in any other league, this is Lamar Jackson. The Chiefs are really set at QB for the next 10-15 years so we'll have to take a pass. Instead Malcolm Brown is pretty much the only other really good value play. Big thumpy 1-tech/nose tackles are usually found later on in the draft but Brown is a good one and the Chiefs truthfully don't need much else either.

#NFL #Draft #Thought exercise #fuckin' around

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seraphcelene · 6 years ago

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The Passage - 01x07: You Are Like the Sun

Talk about dread! That whole episode left me percolating with it. I haven't found the jump scares in The Passage to be all that startling. The psychological twistiness has been far more interesting and satisfying. Episode 7 ratcheted up the dread and I found myself watching as all these stories unfolded, fascinated with how the central theme to all of them turns out to be love and how love can go awry.

Amy's mom tells her, "You are like the sun." It made me think of a few things: how bright the sun is, incendiary, nurturing, and how it is a central celestial body around which satellites revolve. Maybe Amy is the opposite of all the things that Fanning is, all the thins that Brad is. She is bright and energetic and alive. She is also that which other people revolve around. At this point in the story, she's become the center of the Noah project, and into her orbit, she's attracted Brad, Dr. Lila, Sister Lacey, Sykes, Carter, Fanning, and to some degree, Richards. They've all got their reasons for being there, but she is the common denominator.

As Carter tries to peel back the layers of Amy's sorrows, an act that we watched Fanning pull when he turned Carter, I'm completely untrusting. Who's side is he really on? Is this a good cop/bad cop scenario? Amy saw right through Babcock. Shaun has zero chance of getting through to her, but Carter and Amy bonded before he changed. If the Virals are linked, doesn't Fanning know what Carter is doing? The Hive Mind would and Carter's inexperience with navigating it suggests that OF COURSE he knows. And that makes me sad, cause this is totally a set-up. An attempt to breach Amy's defenses and find her weakness so that Fanning can exploit it.

And BOY, does Fanning need to exploit it. The center of his universe, Elizabeth, makes the choice that Fanning in all of his arrogant narcissism refused to contemplate or accept was even remotely possible. She choose Lear and death rather than an undead life with Fanning. Ha! I have to say that I LOVED that close up of his face. Those dead man eyes were WOUNDED. Of course, I was terrified during that entire scene, right before we heard Elizabeth's heart monitor flat line, that she was going to rear up and rip his throat out. But Elizabeth was awesome and she was thinking and rational and as fearless in the face of death this time as she was the first time when she was faced with losing her self to Alzheimer's.

Now that Elizabeth is dead, Fanning, losing traction with the other Virals (first Winston during last episode and now Shauna is threatening mutiny), has to figure out how to round up his crew, tighten up the sinking ship and take over the world. Did I mix enough metaphors there? He sends Carter for Amy, is my theory, and then once her weakness, the wounded place in her heart that he needs to exploit in order to coerce her into turning, is exposed, he comes knocking at her front door. But Amy is all resilience and she's a kid with a pretty awesome support system that is reinforcing that she is okay! Not just special, but OKAY as she is. That's an important thing to get from a parent and that's what she gets from Brad and Lila. It's what the idealized Dream!Mom who lives in her head offers her and I have to wonder what combination of that is real and how much is reinforced by the new parents she's managed to snag.

Brad and Lila are as wounded and if Brad were infected it wouldn't take much to guess where his weakness lies. Eva was the center of his universe and her death left a psychic echo incredibly similar the mom-shaped hole in Amy's life. That idea that the one left behind is responsible for the death of a person, that same sense of loss and failure and self-flagellation that Fanning exploited to get at Carter. But Carter tells Amy true: you're a kid and it wasn't your fault. So it will be interesting to see how this goes.

Eva broke my heart and Brad! Brad was broken and gangsta and I cheered while my heart broke for him I wasn't expecting his back story to be this level of tragic. And I definitely wasn't expecting the kind of intent that led him to the day that he met Amy. It makes that moment when he decides to keep her, to protect her, that much more powerful. Brad does everything intentionally. Through Eva's story we discover that he sees the challenges, he figures out a plan of action and he proceeds. Very intentional. Every one he shot in this episode was so on purpose that I flinched cause Brad was NOT PLAYING GAMES.

And then he marched into the woods to get to Amy, made a connection with Lila that nearly got them killed and was ultimately saved by Richards (who I still don't know if I can trust). Admittedly, they broke Richards for me and his storyline is a little baffling. He was so rigid in his duties and in the way that he saw the world. Babcock had this HOLD on him and I'm not sure what broke it. I did love that he admitted to being stupidly blind and loyal - "You know the training. Submission before everything."

Other Constellations:

- Lear loves Elizabeth and EVERYTHING to this point has been declaratively about her. It took alot of him to finally let her go. Something he should have done the first time around. So, how does his access get re-centered. Who will fill that Elizabeth space for him. What will be worth him fighting? Is fighting Fanning going to be enough?

- Amy as redemption. Another reason for Brad to protect her. It's a little less in the feels then the utter Dadness vibe, but it's legit and I hope that it doesn't get used to CHANGE the way that they relate to one another. If Amy has access to Dream!Mom, does that make her less needful of Agent!Dad?

- Guilder and his weird mustache! Oh, Amy, how I love thee. He's literally floating in this bubble of his own making. Blind to the reality of what's going on around him. Even Amy calls him on it, but because he is so focused on what he wants, then he, like Fanning, doesn't see the forest for the trees. In Fanning's case, Elizabeth dies, in Guilder's case I forsee a lot of deaths and the end of the world.

We've got basically three more episodes to go (ep 8 and a two hour season finale), and I cannot wait to see how the Virals finally get out. Amy is such an unknown quantity for Fanning and the Virals as much as for the showrunners at the Noah project. There's no way that this whole thing ISN'T going to end in disaster, and I'm curious to see who gets the worse of it.

#the passage #tv: miscellaneous

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orphan-with-a-stutter · 4 years ago

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Master list

Newsies

Character x Character Imagines

Ralbert:

Best Friend

Spavid:

Sick Day

Sprace:

Movie Date

Davey x Crutchie:

Park Bench

Henry x Jojo

just-something-to-show-how-much-they-cared-jojo-x

X Reader Imagines

Albert:

Fort Battle

the broken

Extra! Extra! Released Newsie

Buttons:

Love hurts

The rock

Left Breathless

Buttons secret

Crutchie:

Tough

By faith

Davey:

The Violinist

Knowledge Gained

Elmer:

Visit to the Refuge

Henry:

Sweet Baking

Jack:

Us Together

The famous and badass (Jack Kelly x reader)

JoJo:

Thinking Back

Mike & Ike:

Let’s Get Drunk

Seeing Double

Mush:

Risk

Any Monday

Mini Golf

Oscar:

The Seventh Cell Block

Race:

Change

Sunset

Falling

I Choose you

Sketches and football

Happy with you

My Hercules

Pulitzer’s daughter

Christmas

She deserves the best

Tommy Boy:

Eastside Girl

Katherine:

Steal Her Away

Spot Conlon:

Spot’s Girl

Strike and poker

Series Imagines

Truck Ride (Tommy Boy x Buttons)

My Best Friend (JoJo x Buttons)

Skating Rink (JoJo x Kenny)

Nerves (Bill x Davey)

Dunkirk

Headcanons

Tommy x reader - after war

Peter x reader - dating

Best Friend’s sister

Dating Gibson after Dunkirk

Dating Gibson before the war

Imagines

Tommy:

Love and war - Tommy x reader

Love worth fighting for - Tommy x reader

Under the Willow - Tommy x reader

Late night troubles - Tommy x reader

War and it’s problems - Tommy x reader

Now We’re Even

Allies

Peter:

Friends and more - Peter x reader

Anniversary Morning - Peter x reader

Our Maze - Peter x reader

Jealousy in friendship - Peter x reader

Knight in shining armor

Gibson:

Extra room - Gibson x reader

The market (extra room part 2)

The lost friend (extra room part 3)

Don’t Fence Me In (Gibson)

A Hit of Faith

Alex:

Home - Alex x reader

Collins:

Just Friends - Collins x reader

Flight instructor

George:

Birthday - George x reader

Teen Wolf

Liam:

Not a curse

Peter Hale:

Line of questions

Teen wolf hc

characters in quarantine

Peaky Blinders

Finn Shelby:

Finn in danger

Anything for you

Workaholic (Finn Shelby x reader)

Business deal

Michael Gray:

Morning Michael

A couple of scouts (morning michael part 2)

Tommy Shelby:

Allies Daughter

The Reporter

No Gift

Like Home

People Always F**king Talk

Trust

John Shelby:

The parents

Drunk Words

Arthur Shelby:

Argument

Peaky Blinder HC

Tommy Shelby x Witch reader

Harry Potter/ Fantastic Beast/Next Gen

Newt:

Mistletoe

A Great Mgzoologist

Remus:

Willow and the lake

new-friendship-remus-lupin-x-reader-part-2-to

George Weasley:

Yes You Prankster

Teddy Lupin:

Silly Faces

Harry Potter HC

Seamus Finnigan dating a Slytherin girl

West Side Story

Riff:

The dance

Not impressed

Bernardo:

Peace

Outsiders

Ponyboy:

The DX

Two-Bit:

Right amount of change

Dallas Winston:

your secret (Dallas x reader)

Darry:

No Help from the Helpful

She’s Real (Darry x reader)

Soda:

Not Alone

Outsiders HC

Sodapop x reader HCs

Seven brides for seven brothers

Gideon:

The meeting

Frank:

Weird feelings and butterflies

Marvel

Bucky:

The Beginning of forever (bucky x reader)

BBC Merlin

Sir Leon:

Best Christmas Yet

Disney Descendents

Harry Hook:

The One pt1

The one pt2

The One pt3

1917

Joseph:

Photo of Memories (Joseph Blake x female reader)

Tom:

We’re a team

Dead Poets Society

Neil Perry:

It Will Be Okay (Neil Perry x reader)

Knox Overstreet:

Unpredictable

Dark (Netflix):

Noah:

Alternative timeline - young Noah

Your Part

Magnus:

Your first I love you

Hunger Games

Peeta:

Stress of the Reaping

GIF Imagines

Star wars (Poe)

Disney Descendents (Harry Hook)

Harry Potter (Neville)

Dead Poets Society (Knox)

Peter Parker

Dunkirk (Tommy)

Peaky Blinders (Michael gray)

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geo-theatre-diary-blog · 6 years ago

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Mary Poppins Diary 2018

well hello There, I had diary of the show last year, so I'm making one this year, or at least I'm starting it, I won't continue it until we get into the opera house on Thursday, so in 4 days, also I don't have much down time in the show, so idk if it'll be longer or not, and similar to last time there's a hurricane a-comin, hurricane Florence is apparently going to hit North Carolina hard, it won't be as close to us as irma, but we will probably get some bad weather, oh also, do you remember noah from the last show, he is playing Bert in this show. Welp that is enough introduction so... se ya Thursday!

Surprise I'm back, they are reworking step in time... a week and a half before the show..... UUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHH!

In other news, there is a big group chat (like last time) and it's a bit bigger now, there is: holden, caraline, Lillian, savanna, cadence, noah, lolly, kane, Damaris, Bethany, mary grace, Clara grace, Brenley, kasha*, Lydia*, Cassie*, hope*, caleb* and Zoë* (* means they are new)

ALSO we have 2 sets of Janes and Michaels. So that's a little bit of an introduction, so ye, NOW I WILL SEE YOU AT THE OPERA HOUSE.

_____________________________________________

Hi, it's the next day, I've decided that Imma still update it a little before we get to the opera house. Hurricane Florence is now a category 4, and South Carolina has evacuated its coast, o boi. Also we aren't moving into the opera house on Thursday like I thought, we move in on Saturday.

Im at rehearsal right now, they are about to start practically perfect. Clara grace isn't here so margo is having to say her lines from the audience. Mortimer and I had a long conversation about video games; his favorite is Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, mine is Super Paper Mario. Winston and Holly are playing Jane and Michael Oh shoot, gotta be on stage, I'll be back.

Im back, hi. The bank scene is next and i have to be in that, they are doing spoonful of sugar now, holden is KILLING it as Robertson Ay so that's good, aight gotta go

Im back again, it's feed the birds right now, and I think I'm going to finish with the diary for today. So see ya tomorrow.

Hi actually another thing happened, someone is filling in for Clara Grace, she is doing ok surprisingly (considering she hasn't done this for 2 months like CG, and that she is a fair bit younger, so I am pleasantly surprised) ok NOW im gonna end it here, today was a lot.

WELL IM BACK AGAIN, Carrie Elaine FRICCIN ROCKED IT AS MISS ANDREW.

_____________________________________________

Hi, I'm back at rehearsal, we are about to run the show. The talking is way worse than normal, and I'm not feeling well; so rip today. The new Nintendo direct is hopefully coming out on Thursday, last week a huge earthquake hit Japan so they had to cancel it, which was the best thing to do in that situation. Either way, they are doing jolly Holiday, so ye.

I just did the scene where I yell at the kids, the anger in it skyrocketed, and the book slamming perfectly only multiplied that anger, which sounds bad, but it was actually really good; I actually think I scared Everyone on stage

_____________________________________________

Hiya, it's Wednesday now, not much has happened today, there wasn't a rehearsal today, so tomorrow is our last day before we get to the opera house

_____________________________________________

Today is the last day before we move into the opera house, they are doing a flying rehearsal tomorrow but I don't fly so I want be able to tell how that will go, there is normal rehearsal tonight, we have 5 days until media night and 6 days until the show, so hell week (tech week) has officially started

Im at rehearsal now, the fly guy, Marquee, is here and all of the props and set have been moved to opera house. I'm STRUGGLING without my umbrella. Oh also the Nintendo direct came out today and Isabelle from animal crossing is in smash bros so I'm HYPED. They are about to do jolly holiday. We haven't been able to condense the show into an hour and 15 minutes yet, and that is our max time for the school shows, so that is extremely stressful. Amelia is being adorable as ever, god I love her, we haven't gone on another date in a few weeks so we need to do that after the show is over

Marquee seems impressed so far, we are at supercalifragilisticexpialidocious now, the show is going well so far

I just did the yelling scene, Marquee is taking notes, that's both good and stressful.

Mrs Andrew is singing her song now, Marquee was really impressed with the last note, we are about to start fly a kite, trisha is doing better as Jane, ok I gotta go on stage soon

Ok, rehearsal is over and the next is gonna be in the opera house, I got sauce containers for my accio sauce; I will be eating in my dressing room a lot and ranch gets everywhere so Imma just bring the accio (also noah may want to try some). Hurricane Florence is hitting land now, North Carolina has declared a state of emergency, I hope Abbie doesn't get too bad of weather.

_____________________________________________

Well hi, so today was stressful. Imma get all the good stuff out of the way first, so, amelia and I went on a date today so that was good. And that's all the good stuff done, NOW THE STRESSFUL STUFF.

༼strong language is used here༽

Today was a cluster fuck. The new staff at the opera house has no clue what they are doing and can't think ahead far enough for anything to get done. So for starters the stage left stairwell is being remodeled, and the ensemble dressing rooms are under the stage, that means that anyone who is in show that enters from stage left has to walk behind the god damn psych. And in the event of a fire, they won't have an easy exit, because the pit doors are usually locked during shows, and the stage right staircase is a spiral. And what is the opera house doing about this? Jack fucking shit. Also the school shows are being fucked up too, some idiot thought it would be a fucking brilliant idea to have the school buses park 2 blocks north of the actual opera house on an unpaved road. That means that 1000 elementary school children will be walking in a line to and from the buses for 30 minutes before and after the show FOR 2 BLOCKS DOWNTOWN, and we don't even know if the weather will be good or not, if it rains then to fucking bad, those kids have to walk in the rain. Because why not, it's not like there is a HUGE parking lot for the civic center across the street that has been more than welcome to hold the busses OH FUCKING WAIT THERE IS. The fire Chief almost had to cancel the show because the opera house crew can't actually finish the INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT FIXES before the show. NOT TO MENTION THE HANDICAPPED ENTRANCE IS ACTUALLY BLOCKED OFF BY THE CONSTRUCTION. AND NO ONE THOUGH THIS WAS POSSIBLY A BAD IDEA. The city isn't doing anything about it either, what can they do, none of the new opera house staff will respond to their calls. And I get that they are busy but the previous staff had all the work done for them, they've just been sitting there with their thumbs up there asses for A MONTH finishing none of the work and only making their jobs HARDER. I just don't understand how a group of adults can fuck up so badly to endanger the lives of not only all of the 88 kids in the cast, but the 1000 that are going to just be walking the streets during school shows and not have one person, just one person, say "hey what if instead... we didn't" also the renovation to the stage left stairwell is purely to make a new room, there are no structural readjustments or improvements being made.

༼ok im done yelling and cussing now༽

So yeah, today sucked, I have my first rehearsal in the opera house in over a year tomorrow, so YEET

_____________________________________________

So today is my first rehearsal in the opera house, im getting ready to leave soon.

Cherry tree lane just ended, we are now working with flight so that is fun, we are having to re block some scenes to work around it. Holden actually hit his head on the desk this time so that ain't good they are working a scene change right now. The curse of the opera house, everything that seems to be going well suddenly isn't and has to be changed. They are about to start jolly holiday, I gotta get to stage left now

Ok so it's spoonful of sugar right now and the moving around is stressful,

ok so they are doing feed the birds and supercalifragilisticexpialidocious now, next is intermission, this show is extremely stressful, and having no stage left is... oh boy. We haven't even gotten to intermission yet and we've been rehearsal for an hour and a half

rehearsal is almost over, they are working on the flying parts

_____________________________________________

Im heading to rehearsal now, we are doing act 2 and whatever else we can today. The stress is really getting to everyone, Lillian almost had an emotional breakdown all throughout yesterday.

Both holden and I actually did have an emotional breakdown, we hugged and both almost cried. It's gonna get better though, tech week is always the most stressful. I have a lot to do when I get there, I have to get my makeup on, then my costume, then my mic, then who knows what else .

Hi im at rehearsal, in costume.

Ok so we just finished the show and are doing it again, Winston and Holly are now Jane and Michael. Ok imma check and see if im needed

Im back home, and a FRIPP ton of stuff has happened; for starters, Carrie Elaine almost died, not exaggerating either, her flight was horrible, she was sideways and nearly slammed her head on the balcony. Noah was basically drunk after the run through due to his harness being so incredibly painful.

_____________________________________________

It's spoonful currently, Andrew is changing right now next is the bank scene, Andrew looks like a freaking albino raccoon because of the makeup.

I just did the bank scene and Andrew is still getting his makeup off. im sitting in my dressing room for the next few scenes and intermission. They recording aswell, also I just learned that a piano is a percussion instrument and I don't know how I feel about that. But now my question is, what type of instrument is an electric keyboard, like is it wind, string, or percussion, I know that there is brass, woodwind and keyboard, but like the three basic types. Also I hate the fact that there is a "keyboard" type I mean like all of the keyed instruments can be placed into other categories other than the electronic keyboard, organs are wind, pianos are apparently percussion, accordions are wind, so why make a specific type?

Act 2 has started, and there have been a few hiccups here and there but so far, it's good. The audience is enjoying it too. My feet are killing me.

_____________________________________________

Today is media night, oh boi. Media night is always cursed, and we open on Wednesday, another cursed day

Im in costume the entire main cast is jamming out to Africa, take on me, boogie wonderland, and we're not gonna take it. We were gonna listen to jimmy buffet but other people had to change so rip. A PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL CONTACTED AMELIA, IM SO HAPPY!

Ok house is about to open.

I'll update the journal later, my phone is at 6 percent

I ran directly into a wall.

_____________________________________________

OPENING NIGHT

I'm heading to the opera house now, amelia is gonna watch it tonight, and considering that until recently she didn't even know that people could fly on stage, she will LOVE it.

I just carried Winston, also we can't have our phones on during the show, it's interfering with the mics.

Act 2 just started and a cable has broken, marry and mrs Andrew can't fly for the rest of the night, bert still can but still.

Other than the lack of flying the show went very well.

_____________________________________________

Hi it's 2 days later, flying is working again, we have already done 2 shows today, and are about to do a 3rd one, someone is stealing some of the costume pieces, Lillian's apron and gloves are missing and hope's apron was found in someone else's dressing room. Lillian had to take all of her clothes with her when she left so it won't get stolen.

We are heading to the show, dancing queen just came on the radio so yEET. During the break between shows today, Andrew and I listened to music in our dressing room, he tried to squat on top of the trashcan.

School shows were fun today, we had to cut jolly holiday because of time.

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Hey so is the final day and there were two shows today and both were really good, noah didn't knock over the vase in the second show and I played it off and he did too and the scene continued and it was AMAZING. Also in the first show the flying kite didn't work. Abbie was here for them and really liked the shows, ALSO ALSO tate and trisha really stepped up their game for the last show, and it really worked. IN THE FINALE HOLDEN KISSED HOPE ON THE CHEEK AND I FREAKING LOVED IT. Andrew strapped a bunch of wire hangers to himself to try and conduct electricity. Lillian was bawling and it was really sad, she was literally born to play mary poppins, and now it's over. But like actually though, Lillian just actually looks like Julie Andrews, the hair, the face, the VOICE, etc. It's gonna be hard to not do this show anymore but not as hard as others. But I'll make another diary soon, for next show. I guess you can say "the showS must go on". Also my favorite part of this was watching noah walk up the opera house proscenium during step in time.

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and now i guess it's over, this show was incredibly fun, but incredibly stressful, from the opera house construction, to the rivaling theater companies, to the costumes being stolen. All in all, I don't want to start the show over, nor do I want to do one more show, I want to be done and be ready to move forward, and to remember this show as a good memory, not a bad one. So that's what I'm gonna do.

I'll make more diaries soon.

-Gorge Banks

(Geo)

#theatre #diary

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hrkerlon · 2 years ago

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The maze runner

#The maze runner series#

Minho shows Thomas a hand-constructed model of the Maze that is based on previous explorations. However, Newt, the group's second-in-command, instead designates Thomas as a Runner. Gally claims that Thomas has jeopardized the fragile peace between the Gladers and the Grievers, and wants him punished. Thomas, Minho, Frypan, Winston, and Zart enter the Maze, locate the Griever corpse, and remove a beeping mechanical device from inside it. The three manage to survive the night and return the next morning.Ī girl arrives in the elevator, with a note saying that she is the last one to enter the Glade, and recognizes Thomas, but he cannot remember her. Thomas lures a Griever into a closing passageway, which causes it to be crushed. Thomas runs into the Maze to help, which leaves all three trapped. Minho reappears late in the afternoon dragging Alby, who has been stung, but are unable to reach the closing entrance in time. Alby, the leader, and Minho, the lead Runner, later retrace Ben's steps inside the Maze the following morning. Ben is forced into the Maze and left to die as a direct consequence of his actions, along with there being no cure for his condition. The next day, he is attacked by Ben, a Runner who has been stung and left delirious by a Griever, one of the techno-organic creatures that roam the Maze at night. After a competitive fight with Gally, the boy remembers his name is Thomas. During the day, designated Runners search the Maze for an escape route and return before nightfall when the entrance closes. The boy learns that a vast Maze surrounding them is the only way out. The "Gladers" have formed a rudimentary society, and each assumes specialized tasks. A third and final film, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, was released on January 26, 2018.Ī teenage boy wakes up inside an underground elevator with no memory of his identity, and greeted by several male youths in a large grass area, called the "Glade," enclosed by tall stone walls. A sequel, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, was released on September 18, 2015, in the United States. The film earned over $348 million worldwide at the box office, against its budget of $34 million. The film was first at the box office in its opening weekend, grossing $32.5 million, making it the seventh-highest-grossing debut in September. Critics considered it to be better than most young adult book-to-film adaptations. The film received positive reviews, with praise for the performances and tone. The Maze Runner was released on September 19, 2014, in the United States by 20th Century Fox. Principal photography began in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on and officially concluded on July 12, 2013. In 2012, Ball was hired to direct the film adaptation after presenting a 3D computer-animated short film titled Ruin with a similar tone and was initially considered for a feature-length adaptation. The story follows sixteen-year-old Thomas, portrayed by O'Brien, who awakens in a rusty elevator with no memory of who he is, only to learn that he has been delivered to the middle of an intricate maze, along with many other boys, who have been trying to find their way out of the ever-changing labyrinth – all while establishing a functioning society in what they call the Glade.ĭevelopment of The Maze Runner began in January 2011 when Fox purchased the film rights to Dashner's novel with Gotham Group, Temple Hill Entertainment, TSG Entertainment as producers and Catherine Hardwicke intended to direct. The film stars Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Aml Ameen, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee, Will Poulter, and Patricia Clarkson.

#The maze runner series#

The film is the first installment in The Maze Runner film series and was produced by Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, and Lee Stollman with a screenplay by Noah Oppenheim, Grant Pierce Myers, and T.S. The Maze Runner is a 2014 American dystopian science fiction film directed by Wes Ball, in his directorial debut, based on James Dashner's 2009 novel of the same name.

#The maze runner

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rownplb · 6 years ago

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i really wanna like. ramble about my feelings abt valiant roster changes right now so :)

honestly, this wasn’t the worst i was expecting. when i was told that noah winston was gonna do some wack ass shit, i was expecting a lot more. i’m glad it wasn’t that.

i was expecting numlocked and verbo, if we’re being honest. numlocked’s singular map played they lost, and verbo’s skills weren’t needed in any meta at the time.

finnsi. god fuck finnsi. i adore you so much, and this. i cried over this. i feel like you didn’t deserve this at all. but i also feel like that it was mutual or your choice, i don’t know. either way, i cried

grim. grimstopher. god this. they did you so fucking dirty. you deserved none of this. esp. breaking up the chaotic dumbass trio, that’s just horrible.

no matter what happens, i just hope you’re all happy with whatever you do. i’ll still support you wherever you go. because valla isn’t just my team i, i appreciate each player so much and they’ve become more than a team for me. i want nothing more but y’all to be happy, and i doubt being benched or moved to coach left you in a positive mood. i wish you the best of luck, lads.

#.txt

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sheusedtobesassier · 3 years ago

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Day 10,785

172 days until I hit my thirties.

So. An assortment of 172 good memories from my twenties.

001. Addey hype mumbo jumbo singing along with Moana before she was really talking.

002. Being asked to say the big thank you at SOE graduation.

003. Isaac’s face when he peeked at Omar’s new shoes at the East Towne Starbucks.

004. Drinking Mike’s honey moonshine while we played Euchre in his starry cicada humming backyard.

005. Taking Mama on the water taxi rides when she visited me in Chicago.

006. Grandma Kathy calling me, “My pink haired granddaughter.”

007. Sneaking into camp with the Hines girls to write up collaboration glass bottle poems in the Prayer Chapel.

008. The slow and steady hike up to the Hollywood sign.

009. The night I kidnapped Mini Farm kittens to snuggle for a movie and accidentally left the gate open releasing the rest to the Wisconsin wild.

010. Sunday afternoon sipping Stella Artois in the perfect sunny front room of our Albany Park apartment.

011. Zoë giving me all her wallet cash so I could buy bare minimum groceries.

012. Taking turns reading The History of Love aloud in our Winter Staff Forest Springs apartment.

013. The Halloween/Hillside round of Murder in the Dark with All Stars only.

014. Acting a fool in the unfinished Lodge room filled from floor to ceiling with Tempur-Pedic mattresses.

015. Doug lounging in the giant crate of laundry bags in the laundry room.

016. GUBS INSIDE JOKES.

017. St. Patrick’s Day 2021, hahaha.

018. Beyoncé: Lemonade in the empty downstairs apartment with Mary.

019. Accidentally getting kayak drunk from a backpack bottle of Ménage à Trois.

020. Daylight skinny dipping with Amber to inaugurate the new pool.

021. The perfect stray cat that came around the second half of 2018.

022. Renate being the first to cry with me post breakup. Bill supplying sparkling water to prevent dehydration.

023. Doing drag makeup in Bekah’s bathroom while her and Marissa giggled at each other in the tub.

024. Every kitchen island conversation I’ve ever had with Steve Hines.

025. The perfect colors the night we snuck up on the helicopter landing pad on that Dallas hotel.

026. FACILITATING THAT SAME WEEKEND’S GAME OF ASSASSIN, BEFORE IT GOT UGLY.

027. Becoming buddies with all four Williams brothers.

028. When Mercy told me I’m her favorite Williams brother.

029. Hahaha the Camp Clean Up I put Elliot on my crew for my own amusement and told him his only responsibility was to walk around with me the whole time.

030. The time Blaine and I were avoiding the long lunch line together and Nimanim was like, “Wait so this is like an actual friendship huh?”

031. Tanner enthusiastically reenacting Gandalf’s YOU SHALL NOT PASS as I came up the path.

032. Will realizing I’d Facebook stalked him without sending a friend request.

033. Magically finding Pop Rocks the morning of my perfect 22nd birthday.

034. My perfect 26th birthday weekend in Minneapolis with my dreamy local girl gang.

035. Tauri’s blossoms on the Sky Lodge trees in the spring.

036. Encountering and becoming completely enthralled by the Enneagram.

037. OLIVIA FUCKING GATWOOD APPRECIATING MY PINK HAIR.

038. Clementine von Radic writing that Greyhound always loses her luggage too.

039. My stretch of obsession with Hemingway’s love interests.

040. Becoming friends with Fat Boy Tucker pup.

041. Becoming friends with rescued best dog Star girl.

042. The night Doug was my ride from the airport and he pulled his truck over so we could take a good look at the gigantic moon.

043. That hilarious flirtatious moonlight wander of the horse trails with Omar and Edith and Caleb.

044. Jake Nelson giving me a surprise scoop of chocolate custard as a peace offering after his grumpy bedtime attitude.

045. THE DISCOVERY AND CAPTIVATION OF HADESTOWN.

046. Getting to have Alia in every day for a while there.

047. Les Mis at Overture Center because Ally bought our family tickets.

048. Pat Coakley telling me I don’t know how special I am.

049. Spit handshake with Janelle swearing we’ll never think any boys are cooler than we are.

050. Marissa picking me up without explanation to take us on a quiet sunset drive of her favorite county road.

051. Jayden imagination playing with Blue, Guy, and a motorcycle for a whole night then waking me up with them the next morning.

052. Genevieve asking to borrow my lavender romper for her rehearsal dinner.

053. Getting to be Cali’s sidekick the week leading up to her wedding extravaganza.

054. Houston YMCA hallway phone call from Justin’s dorm room asking me clarify which of the boys was Nick, Schmidt, and Winston.

055. The absolutely ludicrous old woman I got drunk with in the Amtrak dining car.

056. The absolute ludicrous glass skull light up cocktail I drank at Freehand’s hotel bar.

057. When Dan Hartke told me I’m a mother hen.

058. When the most beautiful Sora from Korea told me, “You always flowers.”

059. Hannah’s hand me down Steve Madden sandals.

060. Runaway trips with Amber Bamber to watch Shakespeare in the woods.

061. Storytelling with Jack Thomas.

062. Drunk bar darts after Corn Fest with Marissa’s gang.

063. Leaving the reception with Emmy to go curl up in Amber’s bed and giggle about how it was the last place she slept as a virgin.

064. The night Riana and Zoe and I took turns putting our heads out the car windows to howl like wolves.

065. Falling asleep on the couch with Zelina and Chelle beer buzzed watching Jersey Shore.

066. That perfect little basement Thai place a couple blocks from Emmy’s apartment dorm.

067. When Dan forced me to get out of his car and left because I’d annoyed him too hard on our library trip.

068. Vicki suggesting we go live together overseas.

069. Depop photoshoot with Taurilyn.

070. Mykenza bluntly declaring true things I couldn’t confirm or deny.

071. Norm announcing to the full room he was teaching that I was a rascal.

072. Zochella.

073. Noah Gundersen and Brett Dennen at The Majestic.

074. Every damn time we ate beautiful food at High Rock Cafe.

075. The nights I felt capable at TOCHI.

076. LENA DUNHAM’S GIRLS.

077. Jordan suddenly ballroom dancing Genevieve around the kitchen.

078. Staying up late crying to my mom about trying to take good care of the lesbian teenagers at Sky Lodge.

079. The night Caleb very suddenly showed up with a bowl of sangria then tried to leave a dozen times but we convinced him to stay.

080. Rachel swearing that the man in the Wrigleyville bookshop had love at first sighted me.

081. Making the list of how many musicals I’ve been affected by.

082. Discovering weirdo La Llamada then driving straight to Carlsons’s to immediately watch it again with them.

083. Writing heartfelt correspondence back and forth with Kat for a few years.

084. All the funky cards I’ve received from Amber.

085. Finding that PERFECT dress at Goodwill for Tauri’s Winter Ball.

086. An actual friendship with Paul Bierdeman.

087. COUNSELOR MEETINGS.

088. The night Emily Holverson and I stood outside the Lodge trading sincerity about Sky Lodge and the complications of ministry.

089. Blunt conversations with Josiah, hahaha.

090. The Lower Lakeview round of Murder in the Dark when I killed every single person playing before anyone could call, “Dead body!”

091. When I suddenly caught him listening to my singing in the tunnel.

092. Putting together outfits from Lolita’s wardrobe.

093. Driving into such an unexpectedly lush part of Missouri.

094. A nighttime surprise of Big Ben and The London Eye and Buckingham Palace and St James Park in the falling snow.

095. MY PERFECT ABODE IN ST. LOUIS, MO.

096. OUR PERFECT ABODE IN ALBUQUERQUE, NM.

097. Becoming one of Steve’s best friends.

098. The evening Elorine and I didn’t go with and REALLY talked.

099. THE UNDENIABLE INHERENT GOODNESS OF MERRY’S KIDS.

100. Farrell’s crying apology on the sidewalk outside of Maple.

101. Alex’s irregular sudden extreme compliments.

102. The females I’m close with over the internet due to mutual admiration.

103. Lars from Hinge, hahaha.

104. Sitting at the end of a long table with Janelle making a napkin list of our all time favorite manic pixie dream girls.

105. The handful of LotR marathons we’ve accomplished.

106. When Kat told me she understood the Harry Styles crush but that maybe he wasn’t right for me.

107. Reading so many Donald Miller books and getting others to read them too.

108. Kisses on the cheek from Esther.

109. Getting raspberries for Mike’s turtles as an apology for making death threats.

110. Tipsy dancing alone with my eyes closed for like a hundred songs at Sheryl’s Club on New Years 2021.

111. The flattering comparison to the wonderful Harley Duke.

112. Aw omg, our happy hammock stacks at Observatory Hill.

113. Telling slumber party stories on stage for Women’s Retreat.

114. BEING THE MIME FOR LIFE GROUP’S FAVORITE.

115. Fatigued watching The Kissing Booth and laughing harder than ever.

116. Spastic goofing around with Ashley AND Brittany the day we moved Amber into her new home.

117. Sitting on my closet floor showing crying Riana baby videos of singing piano playing Janelle.

118. Giggle running through Piggly Wiggly parking lot at closing with Rene with like $400 of alcohol on Ally’s birthday.

119. Fireball shots ALL NIGHT with Jeremiah and his uncle on Christmas Eve.

120. Listening to the delicious details of Emmy’s Europe romance.

121. Zion giving me his Adidas crewneck as sentimental goodbye gift.

122. Arguing with Austin over our differing zombie apocalypse ideologies.

123. Drunk Discord/Among Us with Hunter and Bekah and Nick and Marissa.

124. How soft Kenny’s absurd speeches made my heart.

125. MINUTE LONG VOICE MEMOS STACKS WITH ROSIE. ♡♡

126. Listening to Lizzy McAlpine in an afternoon candlelight bath.

127. Listening through John Mayer’s The Search for Everything mowing the ball field.

128. Emotionally painting my old house in Birmingham.

129. Being really damn good at that Heads Up game with Omar.

130. Compiling worthwhile stuff for Foreman training.

131. GROWING MY PLANTS.

132. The stretch when Bryanna was usually wrapped in my blanket.

133. Talking about going to Colorado with Alex.

134. The notorious reputation of knowing everybody at CCCA.

135. GETTING ALL DRESSED UP FOR DINNER THEATER.

136. Calling Ally from a parking lot at Emmy’s bachelorette party because I was SO CONFIDENT I was a hot person that I had to talk to her about it.

137. Playing the stupidest laughingest game of The Floor Is Lava with Jackson when I came to visit them all in Dallas.

138. Feeling really really really at home in my apartment at Sky Lodge.

139. How Ryan Boon would struggle to talk through his laughter.

140. Belonging to myself at Fiddleheads Coffee in Cedarburg.

141. THE UNDENIABLE IMMEDIATE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN ME AND COURTNEY HART.

142. Big Falls County Park. Every time.

143. Kayaking down Blue River with Duke, Jeremiah and Addey, Hunter, and Hunter’s friend.

144. That perfect burger at Pier Burger in Santa Monica.

145. Riding The Brown Line down to The Loop and all the way back up.

146. Aw. Welp. Every lengthy truthful phone call with Sam.

147. The four seasons I was compiling four second videos.

148. Ashley’s and my perfect roommates stretch, featuring our perfect couch.

149. The night we forced so many to come to our Blackfish showing then sign our petition opposing Sea World. Hahaha. #emptythetanks

150. The night Ben and I sat in the corner giddy burning through TriBond cards.

151. The night I showed up at Doug’s and Lueck’s door losing my damn mind over The Dress.

152. Community Soccer at the local elementary school gym.

153. Frigid stranded in the Chequamegon National Forest with Mary and Caleb on our return drive from our nightmare trip to Duluth.

154. The final night of being “cats in a bag” sleeping in Janelle’s bottom bunk.

155. Filling up the broomball courts under a negative degrees meteor shower.

156. Getting another wonderful summertime of Delala.

157. The Sunday service the pastor wouldn’t quit snapping his fingers and a bunch of us were txting each other like, “OMFG NO AHHH HOW DO WE MAKE HIM STOP????”

158. Oomph. The perfect veggie omelette (no cheese) at Sparks.

159. Dad’s soft voicemail about his admiration for Adele.

160. Their neighbor lady Maddie’s outfit for the Christmas cantata and her disappointment with the unfamiliar song selection.

161. Raquel’s completely irresistible fun streak.

162. Listening to folklore with Jayden and the girlies first thing when I woke up every morning for a while there.

163. Going through Met Gala looks cuddled up with Omar.

164. The way it felt reading Anthropology of an American Girl.

165. The giant primary colors crochet blanket mom made for me.

166. Noah scooping me up in that hug in the Waterloo parsonage kitchen.

167. When Omar completely surprised me with what he can do to a piano.

168. Deciding I am a Pinot Grigio girl.

169. Omfg, the Nest Night we intensely debated our way through a Staff Wives wrestling bracket.

170. Dismantling multiple purity talks and dress codes like it’s my calling.

171. Laying on blankets in the middle of many fields in different places for the sake of being very very very very sunkissed.

172. Regularly running into Bill at Kwik Trip.

#personal

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