#aj & emery

[animatedjen]

Me pretending to be a functional member of society during Star Wars week

[cheerleaderman]

It’s spirit week at Night Raven College and most of our students aren’t really feeling the spirit. So our headmage came up with the perfect idea to solve this problem.

What better way to lift up people spirits than CHEERLEADERS!

….Absolutely not

Well that’s too bad! as the headmage made it a requirement for the event. Even the staff have to do it so get on your cheer wear and cheer on your school mates as they face many challenges.

All classes of students respected year for example 1-A vs 1-B, will be going against each other throughout the week to earn points for your class. The winning classes with the most points will get a class trophy and party. A good party Crowley promises isn’t he so kind?

Rules:

Keep it PG , no Pro-ship etc

No AI

Anyone can participate! Cards, Ocs , Canon Characters, draws , fics , etc!

There is no deadline

Be sure to Tag me and use #CheerforNRC

any questions let me know

Outfits:

Of course everyone is required to put on their Cheer wear but there are also mascot for each dorm and the school.

Must use these colors the Colors Purple, Yellow, black and white

uniform can be changed around of course here are some examples.( others are allowed to use my designs for the characters here with credit)

All Canon Characters designs here ( you are allowed to make your own designs too!)

You can make up your own logo!

MASCOTS:

[ you guys have mainly creative freedom just making sure to include the requirements some have ]

Night Raven College- Night the Raven. | Heartslabyul - Rosie , a heart with a crown and rose |

Savannaclaw- King the lion, has a scar on their left eye | Octavinelle- Ms, Witch, an octopus with a shell necklace |

Scarabia- Jas the Snake | Pomefiore- Queen Apple, a beautiful apple with a crown

Ignihyde- Spottie the three headed dog | Diasomnia- malevolent the dragon

Ramshackle- Rammy the ghost, has a top hat with a bow like Grim’s

Card background:

Divider

Cheerleading team: Roster

I hit the max limit for tags so they will be under the roster links

AJ and Asher - @karamatsuboy-aj

Yuuna - @satoukki

Willow | groovy - @prefectrose

Yurena Yurena’s card - @ranas-twisted-wonderland

Shuu - @oya-oya-okay

Saiyuu - @quzen

Yumi Groovy | Marina | Dione - @marinahavik

El (Yuuel ) - @stxrgazingattheclouds

Kyra - @angelwishess

Yuusha - @crystallizsch

Rose - @blood-red-hummingbee

Yuura - @azriel-sama

Kupid - @sheep-gone-wild

Shoyo - @shyx-prince

Hopper - @amatsuchan-eiliniel

Józefina - @offorestsongs

Beau- @hypn0sssss

Brannan - @bunniehunn

Yuhua - @distant-velleity

Paloma and Hydris - @mhedusard

Soul - @twistedplayer16

Isabella - @skibidibabygirl

Caspian | Yuuto - @twsted-void

Victoria - @saddixie

Peony - @sabrina4400

Jovelina ( Jovie) - @jovieinramshackle

Ink - @shinysparklesapphires

Emery - @andminnequin

Eirwen - @day-dr3aming

Yuyume and Yuuko - @anonymousplant

Yuubeni | Yuubeni’s Card - @bunniehunn

Daisy - @midnightmah07

Yulia - @chillygourami

Kanae - @beneathsakurashade

Joseph - @readsrandomstuff67

Constance - @theolivetree123

April - @applecherrytea

Elio | Groovy - @sunnysidesevenup

Mina - @twtysevapr

Vil and Eislyn - @4necdote

Yuknan - @babyghoul138

Artemisia - @moonyasnow

Eira - @kwaiipootatooo

Hagi - @clovenoko

Jewel - @jewelulu

Miyuu - @gingacat

Taru - @taruruchi

Alan - @alan-without-the-an

Deliah - @slumberingrose-fandom

Fanart:

Jamil putting his hair in a high ponytail | Event drawings - @/crystallizsch

LET’S GO 2-C! | Lucky Star Death Grip - Me(cheerleaderman)

Azul drawings | Event Drawings - @/oya-oya-okay

AJ’s failed flip - @/karamatsuboy-aj

Cool girls table - @/stxrgazingattheclouds

Azul has 2 hands - @/jovieinramshackle

Floyra matching - @/angelwishess

Kyra and Ace - @/lumdays

Jackrose | cool kids table - @/blood-red-hummingbee

2-A doodles- @/anonymousplant

Hagi doing her best - @/clovenoko

Yunde - @lumdays

[sunnysidesevenup]

OMG IT HAPPENED??? 300 FOLLOWERS?? I know I’ve been joking about hitting it but I genuinely can’t believe it like: you all like my shenanigans? truly? That’s incredible.

It’s kind of awesome that I hit this on new year’s (for me at least) so let me just take a moment to thank everyone who’s been so cool and supportive. I’ve been having a ton of fun sharing my little projects and interacting with everyone 😭 This is my first time truly engaging in fandom because I’ve been too anxious and depressed previously—I’m so happy I finally started putting myself out there.

ANYWAYS, DONE WITH THE SAPPY STUFF NOW. It’s time for the thing you’re actually here for!! I’ve put a TON of work into it so I really hope people enjoy this silly little event.

Everend’s Cove: Moonlight Song

Every year, Arlo Wake’s hometown holds a Moonlight Festival—in honor of the connection between the moon and the ocean, and the deep ties it has to certain merfolk cultures. This festival is held in many parts of the Coral Sea, but is specifically popular in Everend Cove for its special tradition of holding a singing competition in honor of one of the town’s myths.

As the myth goes, a group of sirens once fell in love with a human boy—so much so that in a selfless act, they saved the boy’s friend from drowning, a young girl whom he was in love with. The competition honors the spirit of love and selflessness, and the nature of the sirens.

Much to Arlo’s horror, his siblings have signed him up for the Moonlight Song competition this year. There’s no way he’s going alone, though. If he has to sing, then he’s forcing some of his classmates to come with him—that way, the attention won’t be fully on him.

Dress Code:

Arlo Wake’s parents are skilled potion masters by trade, and they’ve devised a special, experimental potion this year to turn tourists into merfolk temporarily! It might have a few side effects, but they assure you—any harm the potion causes will be thoroughly compensated!

If you don’t want to risk the potion, there’s always some traditional attire the festival provides. Everend Cove is a joint merfolk and human town, based right around an island, so there’s plenty of things to do both on land and in the sea! The important part of the Moonlight Festival is that you are adorned with sparkling stones and crystals. The more glamorous and mesmerizing the outfit, the better!

For better reference, here are some inspiration boards, and some concept art of possible outfits:

Rules:

it’s not at all necessary to be following me to participate in this event! ANYONE is welcome to join!

Any type of entry is welcome: cards, general art, edits, fics, anything!

It’s not required to use the backgrounds I made, I simply thought it would be fun to draw one ^^

If you don’t want to link your character to my oc, don’t worry about it! It’s not necessary to follow the event story, you can still have fun with the outfits and aesthetic if you want, I don’t mind at all!

If you WOULD like your oc to interact with Arlo, feel free! You have my permission.

You can draw/write for your own character OR a canon character, whatever you want <3 there are “official” participants, but this is all for fun, so it’s not necessary to stick to those.

Please tag me and use #Moonlight Song Competition with your entry so I can properly gush about it ^^

There is NO DEADLINE on this event! Go crazy!

Backgrounds for the SR Cards:

Featured Characters:

SSR Arlo Wake

SR Vil Schoenheit

SR Lilia Vanrouge

R Cater Diamond

-

SR Joseph Akaba

SSR Flori Mohn-Prinz

>>> Flori and Arlo seeing people’s… questionable singing skills.

SR Peony

Blanche, Mattie and Agate

SR AJ

SR Esra Gryfith

Reese & Kiki sketches

Kiki Groovy

SR Otto Walsh

>>> Otto & Esra doodle

SSR Kyra Lovelace

Mariette sketch!!

Rose outfit!

SR Alice | GROOVY

SSR Yuri

SSR Marina

SR Yuuna Schariac

SSR Talus

SSR Amai Sakura

SSR Cadbury Schweetz | GROOVY

SR Emery

Fic!!!

Yuri and Arlo Fic!!!

Arlo and Yuri Drabble!!! READ THIS ONE TOO IF YOU READ THE ABOVE ONE PLS 🥺 READ BOTH OF THEM

Fic featuring Mouse and Alise!!! READ THESE IM SO SERIOUS RIGHT NOW GUYS.

[lgbtqreads]

Hi! Can you recommend any ya/mg books about characters who use neopronouns? My younger relative is interested in using them, and I'd like to show support. Thank you!

Try Camp Quiltbag by Nicole Melleby and AJ Sass, and keep the upcoming Going Overboard by Caroline Huntoon on your radar of MG, and in YA, check out Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee (it's the love interest who uses them, but you get to see the choice process and also IIRC the author uses the same ones, which might also be nice for your relative to see) and Beneath the Burning Wave by Jennifer Hayashi Danns.

[pridepages]

Have you read any ya/middle grade books with protagonists who use neopronouns? My younger relative is interested in possibly using them, and I'd like to support them.

Ooh, this is a great question and it's going to hinge quite a bit on how much younger your relative is. For safety, I'm going to assume quite a bit younger. The only one on this list I'm personally familiar with is the 'Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston' series by Esmee Symes-Smith. To my knowledge, there are 3 books and a supporting character comes in during book 2 who uses neopronouns. (The main character of the series is nonbinary but uses they/them). Other recommendations that have been passed on to me include: 'Gooseberry' by Robin Glow 'Camp Quiltbag' by Nicole Melleby & AJ Sass 'Zenobia July' by Lisa Bunker If your relative is a bit older--closer to YA--then I've heard good things about 'Meet Cute Diary' by Emery Lee. I'm afraid that my knowledge on this topic is limited, and I know that finding good recs is tricky. I highly recommend checking out experts like enbybookclub on Instagram for more information!

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

🦘 Booklr Reads Australian - Authors on My Shelves 🐨

so, I’ve been trying to think of a way to recommend a lot of Australian authors really quickly for Booklr Reads Australian. what I came up with was just to give y’all a giant list of all the authors I have at home! 

most of them are YA and/or fantasy authors, and I’ve marked my favourites with an asterisk (*) but if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an ask 😊

1. Sarah Ayoub 2. Eugen Bacon 3. Shirley Barber * 4. AJ Betts 5. Danielle Binks * 6. Cally Black 7. Steph Bowe * 8. Alice Boyle 9. JC Burke 10. Meg Caddy * 11. Frances Chapman 12. Wai Chim * 13. Claire Christian 14. Lyndall Clipstone 15. Claire G Coleman 16. Katherine Collette 17. Harry Cook 18. Cath Crowley 19. Robyn Dennison 20. Cale Dietrich 21. Lauren Draper 22. CG Drews * 23. Michael Earp 24. Kate Emery 25. Sarah Epstein 26. Alison Evans * 27. Fleur Ferris 28. Carly Findlay 29. Helena Fox 30. Lisa Fuller 31. Emily Gale 32. Meg Gatland-Veness 33. Sophie Gonzales 34. Erin Gough * 35. Leanne Hall * 36. Pip Harry 37. Sonya Hartnett 38. Adam Hills 39. Simmone Howell 40. Megan Jacobson 41. Amie Kaufman 42. Melissa Keil 43. Nina Kenwood 44. Sharon Kernot 45. Kay Kerr * 46. Will Kostakis 47. Jay Kristoff 48. Ambelin Kwaymullina 49. Benjamin Law 50. Rebecca Lim 51. Gary Lonesborough * 52. Kathleen Loughnan 53. Miranda Luby 54. Tobias Madden 55. Melina Marchetta 56. Ellie Marney * 57. Freya Marske 58. Jodi McAlister * 59. Margot McGovern * 60. Nikki McWatters 61. Anna Morgan 62. Jaclyn Moriarty 63. Liane Moriarty 64. Garth Nix 65. Lynette Noni 66. Carly Nugent 67. Poppy Nwosu 68. Kate O’Donnell 69. Shivaun Plozza 70. Michael Pryor 71. Alice Pung 72. Emily Rodda * 73. Autumn Royal 74. Omar Sakr 75. Holden Sheppard 76. AG Slatter 77. Jo Spurrier 78. Krystal Sutherland * 79. Jared Thomas 80. Hayli Thompson 81. Gabrielle Tozer 82. Christos Tsiolkas 83. Alicia Tuckerman 84. Ellen van Neerven 85. Marlee Jane Ward 86. Vikki Wakefield 87. Lisa Walker 88. Jessica Watson * 89. Allayne L Webster 90. Anna Whateley * 91. Samantha Wheeler 92. Jen Wilde * 93. Rhiannon Wilde 94. Lili WIlkinson 95. Gabrielle Williams 96. Rhiannon Williams 97. Fiona Wood 98. Leanne Yong 99. Suzy Zail 100. Nevo Zisin 101. Markus Zusak

[anothertdplayer]

INTRO PAGE --

————

"Welcome, welcome. Well, I see you're in our intro page. Let me demonstrate for you." Ember says,

——————

"Ask count is at 0, try to ask us any time. Our limit of asks is 40-50."

"Try not to get any sexual with any of us. Especially with the kids. But, we'll accept if it's towards the adults such as Charlie or Maskomedy, but will be blocked, if towards emery or Suzie."

————

"You can rp in the asks, and we'll play along. Just don't be weird. Emliy has PTSD of sexual harassment, so. Don't do it to her."

"We, do NOT. Accept any P3d0philes in our blog. Although we're entites, we still care about safety and children's health."

"You may find our creator on Roblox. What childish game that is. Their user is emliy_rain."

"We will appreciate any fanart of us."

"You may vent to us, Maskomedy and emliy are recommends for the best comforting."

"If your willing to send any gifts, send it to the mailbox. We will open it soon." (Aka ask box.)

————

GREETINGS. --

—————————

"Everyone, we will be opening an blog to the public. If you DARE complain. You will be send to the basement with no food, understand?" Ember announced.

"An blog?! WE GET TO MAKE FRIENDS, SUZIE!!" Emery cheered, her eyes lighting with excitement.

"...that's.. cool.. I hope.. they can.. be friends.. with me.." Suzie muttered.

"Did you hear that, Charlie? WE GET TO MEET OTHER PEOPLE AFTER SO LONG!!" Maskomedy hugged charlie, a excited grin on her face.

"Hm, I'm not quite fond of that idea but, if Maskomedy's okay with it. I'll tolerate it." Charlie hugged Maskomedy back.

"Damn, I'll have to talk to AJ bout' this. I'll let y'all know if he's okay with it." Emliy teleported to where AJ is.

—————

Characters that are available to ask -- Emliy, Ember, Emery, Charlie, Maskomedy, Suzie, Jacob, Faith.

Side characters you can mention. -- Pearl, Kayla, AJ, Stamps, Demienz, William, Navy, Helios, Abused!Emery. (An AU version of Emery.) Mochi, Xenophanes, Cherry, Orion.

I tend to be ooc often so.

"Hope you get to know us! Bye bye, [Reader]!" Emery waved goodbye.

you can be Undertale characters or sans Aus characters btw.

New ocs: Jacob, Faith.

—————

Tags for different characters:

Emliy: #Emliy Asks! #WantedMurdererReblogs

Emery: #EM3RY_A$KS¡ #EmeryReblogs

Ember: #QueenofAbyssalAnswers #EmberReblogs

Charlie: #HappyToAnswer. #Puppet/UniversalDestroyerReblogs

Maskomedy: #ComeAgain! #CultLeaderReblogs!★

Suzie: #SuzieAnswers. #SuzieReblogs

The reblogs will depend on which character reblogs.

——— ★ !

INTRODUCTION END.

[richincolor]

[Images are the covers for Gloria Buenrostro is Not My Girlfriend, Permanent Record, and When You Wish Upon a Lantern]

On the Job

This week I visited a bookstore and there were young people skipping through the store making lively instagram posts while they were working. It struck me that they would be awesome characters in a young adult novel and I would totally read that. Here are a dozen titles that feature young people hard at work. Of course the list begins with a story that takes place in a bookstore.

This is All Your Fault by Aminah Mae Safi Feiwel & Friends

Rinn Olivera is finally going to tell her longtime crush AJ that she’s in love with him.

Daniella Korres writes poetry for her own account, but nobody knows it’s her.

Imogen Azar is just trying to make it through the day.

When Rinn, Daniella, and Imogen clock into work at Wild Nights Bookstore on the first day of summer, they’re expecting the hours to drift by the way they always do. Instead, they have to deal with the news that the bookstore is closing. Before the day is out, there’ll be shaved heads, a diva author, and a very large shipment of Air Jordans to contend with.

And it will take all three of them working together if they have any chance to save Wild Nights Bookstore.

The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds Atheneum Books for Young Readers [K. Imani's Review]

Just when seventeen-year-old Matt thinks he can’t handle one more piece of terrible news, he meets a girl who’s dealt with a lot more—and who just might be able to clue him in on how to rise up when life keeps knocking him down—in this wry, gritty novel from the author of When I Was the Greatest.

Matt wears a black suit every day. No, not because his mom died—although she did, and it sucks. But he wears the suit for his gig at the local funeral home, which pays way better than the Cluck Bucket, and he needs the income since his dad can’t handle the bills (or anything, really) on his own. So while Dad’s snagging bottles of whiskey, Matt’s snagging fifteen bucks an hour. Not bad. But everything else? Not good. Then Matt meets Lovey. She’s got a crazy name, and she’s been through more crazy than he can imagine. Yet Lovey never cries. She’s tough. Really tough. Tough in the way Matt wishes he could be. Which is maybe why he’s drawn to her, and definitely why he can’t seem to shake her. Because there’s nothing more hopeful than finding a person who understands your loneliness—and who can maybe even help take it away.

When You Wish Upon a Lantern by Gloria Chao Viking

Liya and Kai had been best friends since they were little kids, but all that changed when a humiliating incident sparked The Biggest Misunderstanding Of All Time—and they haven’t spoken since.

Then Liya discovers her family’s wishing lantern store is struggling, and she decides to resume a tradition she had with her beloved late grandmother: secretly fulfilling the wishes people write on the lanterns they send into the sky. It may boost sales and save the store, but she can’t do it alone . . . and Kai is the only one who cares enough to help.

While working on their covert missions, Liya and Kai rekindle their friendship—and maybe more. But when their feuding families and their changing futures threaten to tear them apart again, can they find a way to make their own wishes come true?

Café Con Lychee by Emery Lee Quill Tree Books [Audrey's Review]

Sometimes bitter rivalries can brew something sweet

Theo Mori wants to escape. Leaving Vermont for college means getting away from working at his parents’ Asian American café and dealing with their archrivals’ hopeless son Gabi who’s lost the soccer team more games than Theo can count.

Gabi Moreno is miserably stuck in the closet. Forced to play soccer to hide his love for dance and iced out by Theo, the only openly gay guy at school, Gabi’s only reprieve is his parents’ Puerto Rican bakery and his plans to take over after graduation.

But the town’s new fusion café changes everything. Between the Mori’s struggling shop and the Moreno’s plan to sell their bakery in the face of the competition, both boys find their dreams in jeopardy. Then Theo has an idea—sell photo-worthy food covertly at school to offset their losses. When he sprains his wrist and Gabi gets roped in to help, they realize they need to work together to save their parents’ shops but will the new feelings rising between them be enough to send their future plans up in smoke?

Darius the Great Deserves Better (Darius The Great #2) by Adib Khorram Dial Books for Young Readers

In this companion to the award-winning Darius the Great Is Not Okay, Darius suddenly has it all: a boyfriend, an internship, a spot on the soccer team. It’s everything he’s ever wanted–but what if he deserves better?

Darius Kellner is having a bit of a year. Since his trip to Iran this past spring, a lot has changed. He’s getting along with his dad, and his best friend Sohrab is only a Skype call away. Between his first boyfriend, Landon, his varsity soccer practices, and his internship at his favorite tea shop, Darius is feeling pretty okay. Like he finally knows what it means to be Darius Kellner.

Then, of course, everything changes. Darius’s grandmothers are in town for a long visit while his dad is gone on business, and Darius isn’t sure whether they even like him. The internship isn’t what Darius thought it would be, and now he doesn’t know about turning tea into his career. He was sure he liked Landon, but when he starts hanging out with Chip–soccer teammate and best friend of Trent Bolger, epic bully–well, he’s just not so sure about Landon anymore, either.

Darius thought he knew exactly who he was and what he wanted, but maybe he was wrong. Maybe he deserves better.

K-pop Confidential by Stephan Lee Point [Crystal's Review]

Candace Park knows a lot about playing a role. For most of her life, she's been playing the role of the quiet Korean girl who takes all AP classes and plays a classical instrument, keeping her dreams of stardom-and her obsession with SLK, K-pop's top boyband-to herself. She doesn't see how a regular girl like her could possibly become one of those K-pop goddesses she sees on YouTube. Even though she can sing. Like, really sing.

So when Candace secretly enters a global audition held by SLK's music label, the last thing she expects is to actually get a coveted spot in their trainee program. And convincing her strict parents to let her to go is all but impossible ... although it's nothing compared to what comes next.

Under the strict supervision of her instructors at the label's headquarters in Seoul, Candace must perfect her performance skills to within an inch of her life, learn to speak Korean fluently, and navigate the complex hierarchies of her fellow trainees, all while following the strict rules of the industry. Rule number one? NO DATING, which becomes impossible to follow when she meets a dreamy boy trainee. And in the all-out battle to debut, Candace is in danger of planting herself in the middle of a scandal lighting up the K-pop fandom around the world.

If she doesn't have what it takes to become a perfect, hair-flipping K-pop idol, what will that mean for her family, who have sacrificed everything to give her the chance? And is a spot in the most hyped K-pop girl group of all time really worth risking her friendships, her future, and everything she believes in?

A Pho Love Story by Loan Le Simon Pulse

If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself, he’d say he was a rock. Steady and strong, but not particularly interesting. His grades are average, his social status unremarkable. He works at his parents’ pho restaurant, and even there, he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee. Not ideal.

If Linh Mai had to describe herself, she’d say she was a firecracker. Stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and spark and fire. She loves art and dreams pursuing a career in it. The only problem? Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit, including working practically full-time at her family’s pho restaurant.

For years, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighboring phở restaurants. Bao and Linh, who’ve avoided each other for most of their lives, both suspect that the feud stems from feelings much deeper than friendly competition.

But then a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao together despite their best efforts and sparks fly, leading them both to wonder what took so long for them to connect. But then, of course, they immediately remember.

Can Linh and Bao find love in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories?

Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers [Crystal's Review]

After a year of college, Pablo is working at his local twenty-four-hour deli, selling overpriced snacks to brownstone yuppies. He’s dodging calls from the student loan office and he has no idea what his next move is.

Leanna Smart’s life so far has been nothing but success. Age eight: Disney Mouseketeer; Age fifteen: first #1 single on the US pop chart; Age seventeen, *tenth* #1 single; and now, at Age nineteen…life is a queasy blur of private planes, weird hotel rooms, and strangers asking for selfies on the street.

When Leanna and Pab randomly meet at 4:00 a.m. in the middle of a snowstorm in Brooklyn, they both know they can’t be together forever. So, they keep things on the down-low and off Instagram for as long as they can. But it takes about three seconds before the world finds out…

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo Farrar, Straus and Giroux [Jessica's Review]

Clara Shin lives for pranks and disruption. When she takes one joke too far, her dad sentences her to a summer working on his food truck, the KoBra, alongside her uptight classmate Rose Carver. Not the carefree summer Clara had imagined. But maybe Rose isn’t so bad. Maybe the boy named Hamlet (yes, Hamlet) crushing on her is pretty cute. Maybe Clara actually feels invested in her dad’s business. What if taking this summer seriously means that Clara has to leave her old self behind?

Symptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra Imprint [K. Iman's Review]

The youngest doctor in America, an Indian-American teen makes her rounds―and falls head over heels―in the contemporary romantic comedy Symptoms of a Heartbreak.

Fresh from med school, sixteen-year-old medical prodigy Saira arrives for her first day at her new job: treating children with cancer. She’s always had to balance family and friendships with her celebrity as the Girl Genius―but she’s never had to prove herself to skeptical adult co-workers while adjusting to real life-and-death stakes. And working in the same hospital as her mother certainly isn’t making things any easier.

But life gets complicated when Saira finds herself falling in love with a patient: a cute teen boy who’s been diagnosed with cancer. And when she risks her brand new career to try to improve his chances, it could cost her everything.

It turns out “heartbreak” is the one thing she still doesn’t know how to treat.

In her solo debut, Sona Charaipotra brings us a compelling #ownvoices protagonist who’s not afraid to chase what she wants. Symptoms of a Heartbreak goes from romantic comedy highs to tearjerker lows and is the ultimate cure-all for young adult readers needing an infusion of something heartfelt.

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee G.P. Putnam’s Sons [Crystal's Review]

Atlanta, 1890: By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady’s maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, “Dear Miss Sweetie.” When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society’s ills, but she’s not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender.

While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta’s most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light. With prose that is witty, insightful, and at times heartbreaking, Stacey Lee masterfully crafts an extraordinary social drama set in the New South.

[of-twilight-and-moonshadow]

Comfortable Silence - Riley x Emery

Post Bullet Club Betrayal at Sakura Genesis 2023

Part of my Dark Angel of the Bullet Club Series

Word Count: 1874 Warnings: Mentions of betrayal, mentions of harming someone else.

Teeth-rotting fluff

Tag List: @blxxckheart @summertimefun1982

Prompts: > You can cuss, cry, scream—it doesn’t matter. Just talk to me; talk until it’s all out. > You’re safe here in my arms.

(border by)

Heartbreak.

Heartbreak and anger were the only emotions Emery could feel at the moment.

Heartbreak at how her boyfriend had been attacked and betrayed. Anger at the people who had done it.

Emery had been keeping a close eye on things happening in NJPW over the years, especially once she started dating Riley. Even more so recently, with Jay leaving and Finlay seemingly taking over. All his jabs, abuse, and disrespect he had shown her boyfriend made her seethe, and her blood boil. Numerous times, Riley had to talk her out of catching a flight to Japan to throw hands with the Irish-German jerk.

For hours today, she had waited to hear from Riley about his trios match at Sakura Genesis. Her demeanor had changed from excitement to shock when he had called her. His usual charming voice was low and soft and seemed to break as he spoke. He refused to do a video call, which was unlike him.

Riley usually loved video calls, claiming that seeing Emery’s beautiful face was the best part of his days.

For him to act this way pained her, which is why she was catching the first flight available to Tokyo. While she had been on the phone with him, she was already packing, throwing a few changes of clothing into a small carry-on, and hastily opening her laptop to get her ticket.

The longer they were on the phone, the more she could tell Riley was affected by the whole thing.

Not so much David’s attack on him— but the fact that even Gedo and KENTA had played a part in it.

And Taiji.

Taiji Ishimori. His long-term tag team partner. Someone he had been through the burner with for years now.

The closest flight she found was one that left Jacksonville at 2:24 pm, had a three-hour layover in Dallas, and would arrive in Tokyo at about 10:15 pm. It cost her a pretty penny, close to 3400 dollars, but Emery needed to be there for Riley.

It had already been nearly five months since they last saw each other in person. It was her luck that TK and Kenny didn’t need her for any Elite business for the following week, and she was able to take the time away. Kenny had even driven her to the airport and saw her off.

The entire flight, she was too wired to sleep; her mind kept racing with numerous thoughts.

What Riley must be feeling at this moment.

How would she feel if she was in his place.

What was the most pain-inducing thing she could legally do to Finlay and Ishimori.

Nearly eighteen hours after leaving Florida, the plane finally touched down in Tokyo, and Emery hastily made her way off the plane and towards the pickup area to look for a taxi.

Since he had taken to being in NJPW for the majority of the past few years, Riley had gotten himself a small apartment. Her Japanese was a bit rusty, so she typed out the address in her phone for the driver, and with a nod from him, they took off toward her unsuspecting boyfriend.

It had been just over four years since Emery had been in Japan, but it was still as beautiful as she remembered. All the bright, neon lights surrounded the streets. It gave her a small window to think more about everything that had happened.

Sure, Jay had taken Bullet Club over from Kenny – but it wasn’t a complete, hostile takeover like in the past. Kenny had been ready to pass it on, so unlike the last moments where AJ had attacked Finn and Kenny had attacked AJ—Jay was able to take over the club peacefully. There was no real animosity between Emery and Jay; they got along reasonably well. When she had learned that the violent takeover had occurred once more, as David attacked Jay back at Battle in the Valley, Emery felt somewhat disappointed.

But after talking with Riley and then later with Jay, Emery realized it wasn’t an actual takeover. Jay had zero plans to hand off Bullet Club to someone, especially not to David Finlay. To her, Finlay knew it too—which is why he seemed to always have issues with Riley, who would always be on Jay’s side.

Switchblade and ELP were for life, no matter what.

A smile lifted Emery’s lips slightly at the thought. She noticed the car come to a steady stop and looked out her window, recognizing the apartment building in front of her.

“Arigato,” Emery told the driver, paying him the fee plus a decent tip. It was late at night, after all, and she was feeling generous to him for even picking her up. Grabbing her carry-on bag and getting out of the taxi, Emery’s brown eyes scanned the outside of the building, stopping about halfway up at where Riley’s apartment would approximately be. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the brightly lit lobby area and headed to the elevator, pressing the ‘up’ button.

Her eyes widened momentarily, quickly pulled out her cell and clicked on her messages.

“Hey, Ken. Totally spaced on it, but I landed a bit ago. Already got a taxi and made it to Riley’s. Getting in the elevator as we speak.”

Hitting the send button, Emery walked into the small square, hit the button for the 7th floor, and then the close button. As she waited, her phone vibrated in her hands, alerting her to a message.

“One-track mind, like always. ;-) I’m sure he’s going to love having you there. Stay safe, and try not to get into trouble. -K”

With a smile, she replied,

“Harrharr Ken. Thanks, and no promises. I have some asses to kick while I’m here.”

The elevator came to a stop, and the doors slid open, so Emery slid her phone into her back pocket and began walking down the hall. For some reason, she started to feel nervous, which was odd; she was just going to see her boyfriend. There was nothing to be nervous about.

Maybe it was the whole situation? She didn’t know what frame of mind he would be in. Would he be happy to see her? Perhaps this was a mis—

No, it wasn’t a mistake. Emery shook the thought from her head.

Riley needed her.

Perhaps, she even needed him.

Either way, it was too late as she stopped outside his apartment door. Not wanting to risk hesitating, Emery quickly reached out and knocked on the wooden door before waiting. Close to a minute passed, and nothing happened.

She debated knocking again, wondering if he was out—or if he was already asleep.

Riley sleeping this early wasn’t usual, however, but going out was a possibility. He hadn’t seemed in a ‘Go-Out’ mode on the phone that morning. Frowning, Emery tried again, knocking just a tad harder, and waited.

Close to a minute passed again, and she was about to reach for her phone before the door swung open.

“What do you--?! E-emery?” Riley questioned, his voice softening as he looked at her standing there.

“Surprise?” She gave him a soft smile, hoping he wasn’t upset, “I just figured… with everything that—” Before she could even finish, Riley had stepped out into the hallway and engulfed her in a hug. His arms wrapped around her and held her tight to his chest, his head resting against the top of hers. Emery slowly snaked her arms around his body, her palms resting against his back as she breathed his scent.

She missed this.

Missed him.

Not seeing him in person for a long time had driven her insane.

They stayed in that spot for several minutes before pulling apart, and as she thought they would head inside, Riley surprised her by leaning down and kissing her. The impact of his lips on hers took her breath away, but she welcomed it, her hands resting on his as he cradled her face in his larger hands. A minute later, he released her lips and led her inside his apartment. He let go of her hand as he closed the door and walked towards the living room.  

It was dark inside, a small lamp on in the living room being the only light source. Emery also noticed it seemed trashed, as a chair lay on the floor and papers scattered the living room.

“What are you doing here, Ree?” Riley asked quietly, slumping down on the couch. She noticed he wouldn’t meet her gaze, his eyes staring at the coffee table.

“I wanted to see my boyfriend. He wouldn’t video call me this morning,” Emery said, hoping to get a smile from him, but instead, he seemed only to scoff.

“Some boyfriend… betrayed and attacked by everyone…. Be better off without me.”

She felt like her heart was shattering at his words, so she set her bag down at the small dining table and walked over to join him on the couch.

“Riley…” Emery softly called out, reaching out to take his hand. As soon as she touched him, he quickly drew it away, surprising her. It was silent for a few minutes as she tried to figure out what to say or do.

“Rye— come on, baby, talk to me, please.”

Silence again until Riley pushed himself off the couch and walked over to the window, looking at the city.

“Please, Rye. You can talk to me,” Emery told him, her voice soft,” You can cuss, cry, scream—it doesn’t matter. Just talk to me; talk until it’s all out.”

Even in the dim light, she could see his fists clenching and unclenching. Emery wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch him again—but held back, deciding to let him make the first move instead. After what seemed like forever, Riley finally turned around to face her. His jaw was tense, but she could see the emotion in his eyes.

He was hurt. The betrayal—especially by Taiji—was getting to him.

“Just… hold me. Please.” He bit out, eyes glistening as he made the request.

Nodding, Emery brought her legs onto the couch and leaned back as Riley gently laid down on top of her, his head resting on her chest. His long legs stuck out past the end of the couch, but at that moment, he didn’t care about it.

Emery began to softly comb her fingers through his blonde hair, humming a random song as she did so. The silence between them wasn’t thick with tension but calming and comfortable. With her other hand, she gently rubbed his upper back through the shirt he was wearing. As the minutes ticked by, Emery could feel the tension slowly leave Riley’s body as he finally relaxed.

Placing a soft kiss on his head, Emery whispered, “You’re safe here in my arms.”

They stayed like that for quite a while, comfortable in the silence, before Riley finally spoke up.

“Thank you, Emery, for being here…. I love you so, so much….”

“I love you too, Riley,” Emery replied, a soft smile on her face.

This was home.

Being in his arms, being with him.

That’s where she belonged.

[thewickedharlot]

Today we are bringing you OUR very own tierlist of Hollywood babies. We will not be taking criticism NOR will we be adjusting this. Unfortunately, our word is law.

Now, let’s get to the babies.

FLOP babies

AJ: Our premiere flop baby has waddled his way onto the scene. Baby on Tour (aka AJ Reynolds) has taken our number one spot for the floppiest baby tier—and that’s not just because he only just learned how to hold his own head up! We know baby on tour, we LOVE baby on tour, and I think that the fact that he was brought up on Undead and Scar’s music instead of Baby Einstein means that he’ll most definitely take after Dom re: his reading level! Can’t wait for little AJ to blow his preschool class away with his own special rendition of the alphabet: ABCDEFU!

Tushie Baby #3: Oh Tushie. Coming in hot in the midst of it’s mother’s terrible and public bout of alcoholism is Tushie Baby Number 3! We expect great things from you, number 3, such as chugging tequila straight from your baby bottle, getting emancipated at 15 to escape Tushie, and going on a whirlwind adventure to finally uncover the mystery of Who’s Your Daddy. We know you’re going to be pretty jealous that won’t be included in the Barlowe will, but don’t worry! With such messy parents, we’re sure you’ll be able to make a name for yourself all your own.

Who?

Spencer Floppaport: Great, another one. Spencer mostly stays out of the spotlight, thanks most likely to her over-protective dad, Emery, the most boring of all the Rappaports. We can only hope that the apple falls far from this tree, don’t bore us, baby!

Valerie: Oops! Looks like Declan isn’t the only one saying “who?” when little Valerie is mentioned! We bet that he couldn’t pick her out of a crowd of tots at McDonald’s, despite being much older. Does he know that? Somehow, we doubt it.

Asher: Do you think his first words were “I miss Jamie?” Because same, baby, same. Under Tasha’s care, we’re sure he’ll turn out fine…..right? Right? Thankfully Iris is there to be his defacto mother seeing how Tushie is busy (if you know what we mean). Who said parentification didn’t have it’s perks!

Annie: Good Morning, Sunshine! Having Parker as a father must be rough when he seems to focus all of his time on hating Bonnie Astor instead of spending time with his kids. Did you know that you were named after a dead actress? Well, you do now. A little less “who?” and a little more “well, fuck, that’s depressing.”

You could be in a Gerber commercial, I guess.

Ozzy: Okay, so we have to be nice to this Vanglorious baby so his parents don’t come down here and beat the shit out of us. Plus, we already sort of feel bad for the kid having to be raised by Londy and Greyson, a surefire winner of the “Worst Parents Award” at his public preschool. How do we know he’s being sent to public school? Where else is he gonna put his fighting skills to use?

Oliver: Well, at least he wasn’t on tour. He’s a pretty low-key baby, but he IS pretty cute so we’ll give him that. Even though Preston Barlowe is actively going for that “cool baby with a marlboro in his mouth” by age six, we know that Maisie will be there to keep him in line (or, we hope). Put him on the cover of the next Undead album, let him get his 15 minutes!

Iris: We’ve never seen such a responsible baby in our life! We have to give it to her for raising a kid all on her own (her brother) and probably another one in the very near future. Put her in a Gerber commercial so she’s got some money to buy some formula for the new baby, because we all know miss label-less Tasha isn’t bringing it in.

We love that baby, baby!

Meadow: As the daughter of Candy Royalty and Harry Potter himself, you KNOW this baby is gonna make it big. We can only hope that Blair follows in her late father’s footsteps and gets this baby to work early, we’re dying to see Meadow be the next big thing. Watch out, Aurora!

Lainey: Okay, so you know we’re all Sagerinas here! We’re so glad that this baby survived the sniper attack that was focused on her by the Dollhouse producers. Sage didn’t call her ugly, but we could see the hesitation. We could! It’s okay Lainey, you’ll grow into your features (thanks a lot, Cole). We’re rooting for you!

Future Legend:

Aurora: The PENULTIMATE baby. The moment, the legend, the MYSTERY, miss Aurora Harper. We know better than to say anything about this star-studded baby, considering Austin’s, well, record. We expect such big things from this baby, truly, especially with a stage mom like that. Aurora Harper for president!

[anxiousinternetfox]

Thanks for tagging me @everythingisliminal

This is awesome cause I’m hoping to lower my screen time this year by getting back into reading more, so here’s what my list looks like so far:

- Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (keeps getting recommended to me so I'm finally getting around to it)

- The Storied Life of AJ Fikry also by Gabrielle Zevin (recommended to me by the person who has recommended me pretty much all of my favorite books so high hopes for this one)

- Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee

- Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (my Mom got it for Christmas so I will be stealing it so I can read it too finally)

- El León, la Bruja, y el Ropero by CS Lewis (translated by Margarita Valdés E and Teresa Mlawer) (I've been working on this one since 2023 as a way to practice my Spanish understanding and I didn't get around to finishing it last year so trying again this year)

- Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedah (started reading this in my teaching program a couple years ago but we didn't read all of it so I'd love to finish the rest of it)

- The Jewel House by Deborah Harkness (got this from another friend who loves it and I'm having a hard time getting through it but I want to finish it for their sake)

- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (I've been unsure whether to read this despite it being so popular but now like 3 people I'm pretty close with have recommended it specifically to me so I might need to actually read it)

- Radio Silence by Alice Oseman (a reread but a necessary reread)

I’m not good at talking to people on here so if anyone else wants to participate, tag, you’re it; I’d love to see what anyone else is looking forward to reading this year and maybe get some recommendations :)

[the-demi-jedi]

“She is free, her face is clean and there is no filter in her vision.” Yes, and when you know some deeper lore, you know this quote is more accurate for Emerie than it initially looks like.

Throughout the show, Emerie was wearing this device / implant on her head - the pic is blurry, but it's the only one I could find that shows Emerie from behind.

The device looks like a variant of AJ^6 headgear, whose most known user was Lobot, Lando Carlissian's aide.

Echo also has one, after the procedure

This device can drastically increase your productivity and kick your brain into overdrive, but it can also gradually erase your emotions and personality - which is what happened to Lobot, who once had to use the implant to the fullest to save Lando and in the process became barely more than an organic droid. That means this device can at least partially explain Emerie's initial cold, calculating demeanor and indifference to things like, y'know, kidnapping children and locking them in a lab.

In the TBB epilogue, as seen above, Emerie no longer has this device - she either had it removed, or it wasn't a permanent implant in the first place. That means nothing is interfering with her personality any longer and her new warmness/fondness she has shown in the epilogue is her real self.

So yeah, Emerie is free :)

“She is free, her face is clean and there is no filter in her vision. And she's so grateful for him, she's ready to fight by his side.”

ECHO & EMERIE “A moment of warm sun”

The duo I didn't know I needed, and now one of my favorites:)

Star Wars: The Bad Batch [S7E15]

[aliverse]

which ocs are pro low rise jeans and which are against?

OOF! Let's see

Pro: Eden, Jane, Rue, Hero, Taylor, Alanis, Riley, Paris, Zara, Posie, Hadley, Ariella, Isaac, Destiny, Riley, Carmen,

Anti: Esme, Belle, Othello, Kathryn, Priscilla, Wren, Liberty, Arden, Eliza, Rory, Caroline, AJ, Lana, Faith, Lauren, Sawyer, Hazel, Matilda, Emery, Enid, Dove, Amelia, Audrey, Estella, Lydia, Juliet, Tate, Astrid

Send me an ask!

[aj-lenoire]

i’m three hours into a gathering of shadows, and it’s just as good as the first book—seriously i highly recommend it—and a few things:

how come kell could feel the girl scratching rhy’s back but not like, her kissing him? they’ve said several times that the bond transfers pain and pleasure

to that end—i really, really want lila and kell to kiss or shag or something and then kell comes across rhy later and rhy’s just smirking like “so how was your night?”

i still have no fucking clue what’s up with holland. though to be fair i wasn’t super paying attention during the chapter in the first book where kell was drinking with the danes so it’s probably my fault

i’m intrigued though!!!

honestly i don’t super like the king and queen—like they seem like good rulers but kell is very clearly just a fancy possession/guard in their eyes and i don’t like it

If Rhy Does Not Meet This Obviously Gay Pirate Privateer And Fall In Love With Him Then What Is Even The Fucking Point

[aj-prasad]

@emerywoods​

“Hey Emery, wait up!” AJ shouted, jogging through the fairgrounds to catch up with his friend. He felt like he’d barely seen Emery all week, though in all honesty, AJ had been a little distracted by his new relationship with Cydele . But he didn’t want to be the guy who forgot all about his friendships when a new relationship started. He caught up with Emery and flashed him a big grin. “Alright, for old times sake, we have to eat as much funnel cake as we can, and then do bumper cars. Or maybe we reverse that order - do the cars first so we don’t get sick.” He was about to continue on when he noticed Emery’s sullen expression. AJ could tell he was trying to hide it, but he knew his ex well enough to know that Emery was upset about something. “What’s wrong with you?” AJ asked, concern evident in his voice. 

[thewannabewriter]

🚨LONG(ish) POST ALERT🚨

Wow! First of all, I knew that you were in the process of writing more chapters, but you are on a roll my friend. Just finishing one part and then starting a new one straight away? My hero!

And you started off with a bang! Not literally of course. I loved hearing about everyone rallying around Emery. One of the hardest things is to not only admit you need the help but to actually take action and do the thing that terrifies you. And seeing Emery not only do that but start to work towards getting back to her old self it great and you've written it really well and with compassion and it's great to see such a storyline handled with the right amount of care. Brilliant!

And who knew we needed a Will/Bex/Emery/Kol quad? Not me, but I love seeing Bex and Emery's friendship be on it's way back to pre-Ty and seeing Emery and Will begin to become friends too and build on that trust. Margarita night. I'm not gonna lie, I have so many questions about what happened and what stories were told (if you ever wanted to add that as an extra chapter, no one would blame you and you'd have someone(s) to read it....just a thought....)

Anyway, I really love how much you've brought Kol in. Getting to see more of the "wiggly ball of snuggles" is amazing. And getting to see him be protective/scary and then straight back to goofy is so adorable. And I had a really good giggle at Will telling Kol off for 'language' 🤣🤣

Oh and, finally, I have been dying to know who AJ is since you posted the character inspirations (still think that Adelaide Kane as Bex is a genius choice) but I thought I'd wait because I know you're brilliant and would bring him up at some point. And of course, not only am I right, but now I'm extremely intrigued. And so is Will, but in a more overly protective brother way I'm sure 🤣

Brilliant chapter as always 👏👏🙌🙌

Wingman? Wingwoman? Wingperson. (Chapter One)

Summary: This is Part Sixteen of my series A Herrmann/Halstead Production. It is an AU where Christopher Herrmann's mom had an affair with Pat Halstead resulting in a baby. The series follows this OC character (Rebecca "Bex" Herrmann) as she grows up and gets to know her brothers and the various Chicago teams. It is very much an AU, just to underscore that. It doesn't follow the same timeline and characters will follow different paths.

Click here for the Series Rundown where you can find the links to read all of the previous installments (which I highly recommend you do so that this one makes sense.)

Rating: Teen and Up

Relationships: Christopher Herrmann & Original Female Character, Jay Halstead & Original Female Character, Will Halstead & Original Female Character, Jay Halstead & Will Halstead, pre-Greg 'Mouse' Gerwitz/Original Female Character, Will Halstead/Connor Rhodes, Assorted OC Couples

Warnings: Referenced Domestic Violence and Threatening Behaviour (these are warning tags for a brief scene with Ty at the beginning), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Rejection, Self-Sabotage, but also on the flip side - Connor and Will being too freaking cute to handle.

A/N: To underscore my previous note, this is an alternate universe so things have unfolded differently. This will not follow the canon arc exactly by any means. But I hope you'll still enjoy it!

Chapter One

Bex

The two weeks since Chris’s party had been…a bit of a whirlwind.

They’d managed to get Emery safely inside of their apartment that night. Will wanted to take her to the hospital to get checked out or at least let him give her a once over, but Emery refused.

She was clearly exhausted so they let it go for one night and set her up the couch. The next morning, she agreed to have someone check her out. Will ended up calling in a favour from Nat who came over and made sure all Emery needed was rest and acetaminophen.

And food. Bex kept trying to get her to eat. It felt like the only constructive thing she could do in the moment and Emery was definitely behind on good meals.

They turned her phone off since it kept blowing up with messages from Ty and cuddled with Kol on the couch for the day.

On Monday, Bex rallied the troops. Kira, Malia, Devon, Sam, Isaac, Ben, and Faith joined them on a retrieval mission for Emery’s things. Ty was at work and between the nine of them, they could be in and out. She didn’t want to take much. Just her clothes and personal stuff. Everything else could be replaced.

Emery was quiet, but talking about things in bits and pieces. She had an appointment with a new therapist and was taking a bit of time off work while she sorted things out. Bex picked her up a new phone so she’d be free from Ty harassing her.

For a few days, it seemed like things were going to go smoothly, until Thursday night when she took Kol out for a walk. Will was at work and Emery was safely upstairs. Bex thought she could take the dog out to do his business (that no poop rule lasted less than a day) and be back in no time.

Ty was waiting when they got back to the parking lot. He’d slashed the tires on her car.

As if Tin Can 2.0 didn’t have enough to deal with already.

He started screaming as soon as he spotted her, demanding to know where Emery was, and Bex had never been more grateful that you needed a key to get into their building. He couldn’t get to the apartment. To Emery.

Bex barely had a minute to be scared before Kol started going wild, straining on the leash and snarling at Ty. He actually looked terrifying.

Ty backed off and left. Once she was in the clear, Bex ran upstairs, promising Kol all the steak in the world along the way. Wonderful, amazing Kol who was already back to his goofy, grinning self.

She called Jay immediately. He came over with a few uniformed officers who took her statement and got the parking lot footage from her super. It was enough to get a restraining order against Ty that would cover her, Emery, and Will.

Probably something they should have thought about from the start, but there had been a lot going on.

Bex made sure to cover all of her bases after that. She circulated Ty’s photo to everyone in their friend and family group. They all knew to keep an eye out.

Emery still didn’t want to bring charges against Ty. She just wanted to move forward. After the blow-up in the parking lot, she actually relaxed even more. It was like she was waiting for something like that to happen. For the other shoe to drop. With a restraining order in place and a gigantic new support system around her, glimpses of the old Emery were coming through.

By the end of the second week, she was way more comfortable with Will. The three of them had a margarita night last night and an epic amount of bonding had taken place.

Mostly over them trading funny Bex stories?

But she couldn’t even be mad about that. Not when it had Emery laughing again.

Today, everyone was having a lazy Sunday morning.

The three of them were sprawled around the living room. Will in the big chair, phone in hand. Bex on one end of the couch with her phone and Emery on the other end with Kol sprawled across her lap.

Kol had probably been the best one at bringing Emery out of her shell. Bex wondered idly if Will had considered getting him trained as a therapy dog. Her kids at the hospital would love it if she brought him in. She’d have to ask him about that.

Her phone buzzed and she swiped for the message quickly. And sighed.

Just Jay checking in.

She wrote him back and scrolled through her messages again just to check.

Nothing from Mouse.

She sighed. Again.

Across the room came an echoing sigh from Will as he set his phone down on the arm of his chair.

Emery looked up from her Kol snuggles, eyebrows raised as she glanced between the two of them. “What’s up with you two?”

“Nothing,” Bex and Will said at the same time.

“Right.” Emery cupped Kol’s face in her hands, leaning down to touch noses. “Do we believe them, Kol? Hunh? Do we?”

Kol licked her nose and she looked up. “Kol says you’re full of shit.”

“Language, Kol,” Will said, pointing a finger at him.

Kol tilted his head with a little whine, cuddling into Emery when she smooched the top of his head. “It’s clearly not nothing,” she said. “Want to maybe talk about it instead of sighing all day and checking your phones for messages?”

Bex didn’t even know if there was something to talk about at this point. Or if she should be bothering Emery with it given everything she was going through.

“It’s about Connor and Mouse, right?” Emery guessed and Will’s head snapped up in surprise. Bex was less shocked. Emery had known about her Mouse…situation since the beginning.

“What do you mean—uh, Connor? No—”

Emery cut off Will’s rambling with a sympathetic smile. “You talked about him a lot last night,” she said and she was not wrong. It had actually been really cute.

“I knew margarita night was a mistake,” he grumbled.

“No, no!” Emery shuffled Kol over to the centre cushion so she could sit up straight. “It was fun and nice to hear about normal stuff, you know? And it was a good start.”

Bex was almost afraid to ask, but she dove in anyway. “A good start to what?”

“A game plan,” Emery said, narrowing her eyes as she clapped her hands together. “To get you your men.”

Oh, no.

“We really don’t need to talk about that right now,” Bex began and Will jumped in wholeheartedly.

“Yeah, it’s not something for you to worry about—”

“Honestly? I’d rather focus on this,” Emery said, huffing out a quiet laugh. “I’d kind of like to ignore how much of a mess my life is at the moment and focus on you guys. Let’s all believe in romance and love for a bit and get you two sorted out.”

There was a moment of silence and then—

“Okay,” Will said. “But Bex has to go first.”

“Will!”

“No, that’s fair,” Emery said. “He’s going to be easy since he and Connor are practically dating already.”

“Hey, we’re—”

“I would love to hear how you’re going to try and deny that,” Emery said, steepling her fingers under her chin.

"It's...complicated?" Will opened and closed his mouth a few times before falling back in his chair and waving a hand. “Right, so Bex’s turn?”

“You have the floor,” Emery nodded at her.

“I don’t even know,” Bex groaned. “I thought for sure that we were headed toward something. There’s been so many moments.”

Will and Emery nodded, having heard about the moments during margarita night.

“But then he was so quiet at the end of the party and I’ve barely heard anything from him since.”

“Maybe he’s giving you some space,” Will said. “He knows what’s been going on.”

Bex tilted her head side to side, weighing that. “We text a lot,” she said. “Even if he was giving me space, he’d still be checking in more than whatever’s happening right now.” She bit her lip, resisting the urge to look at her messages again. “It’s like he’s pulling back.” Which was making her question every moment in detail.

“Did anything happen at the party?” Emery asked.

“He looked happy to see me, but I didn’t see much of him after that. He was weird at the end of the night, but I figured he was tired. Now…I don’t know.”

“Maybe he got scared,” Emery said. “You guys have been circling each other for so long—”

“Months.” Will interjected, like he was any better.

“Basically forever,” Emery agreed. “And now you’re on this precipice of becoming something, but neither of you is taking the next step. Maybe he’s waiting for you to make the first move?”

“That doesn’t explain the pulling away,” Bex pointed out.

“You said you guys got really close again during set up,” Emery said. “But nothing happened—”

“I think it almost did.” The whole scene was basically imprinted in her brain. “Hailey and Jay showed up right then so I don’t know.”

“Maybe that's what spooked him,” Will said. “Jay’s his best friend. The two of you getting together will change things.”

“We hang out together all of the time anyway,” Bex laughed. “I don’t know if it’ll be that different.”

“Bex.” Will levelled a flat look at her. “It’ll change things. I guarantee Mouse is thinking about that. You should be too if you haven’t.”

“I have,” she admitted. It was all she’d been thinking about lately. Worrying about Jay and how it could affect things. Affect their family. What could change. For worse...but also for the better. How actually amazing it could be.

“And it is scary," she said. "But I keep coming back to the fact that I trust our friendships, you know? I think—I think it would be okay?”

Emery hummed a little at that. “So—” She paused, choosing her words carefully. “If you feel that way, why haven’t you made the first move?”

That was the question.

Bex had feelings for Mouse. Really, ridiculously strong feelings.

She wanted to be with him.

She wanted to take that leap. So badly.

But putting herself out there—

Holding out her heart.

Maybe it would work out and Mouse would say yes and everything would be amazing and wonderful.

But if he said no.

If it was Mouse saying no this time—

She didn’t know if she could handle that.

Emery was looking at her with understanding eyes and Bex was regretting ever getting into this conversation.

“It’s okay to be scared,” Emery said softly. “But not putting yourself out there again isn’t the answer, Bex.”

“This isn’t—we’re not talking about that,” Bex said. It was an understood rule. They didn’t talk about it. She didn’t think about it. If she tried hard enough, she could forget it ever happened.

And Bex tried really hard.

“We are when it’s stopping you from taking another chance at happiness,” Emery said.

“Are we—” Will looked between the two of them, a frown forming on his face. “Are we still talking about Mouse?”

“No—”

“Drop it, Em,” Bex cut in. “You promised.”

“I wouldn’t be a good friend if I kept that promise,” she said. “It’s time, Bex. We need to talk about AJ.”

The three of them sat frozen in the living room while Emery’s words hung heavy in the air.

Will straightened up in his chair, staring directly at her. “Who the hell is AJ?”

Click here to read Wingman? Wingwoman? Wingperson. on ao3:

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@sorry-i-spaced, @iunnowatuwant, @thegirlwhowishedeveryonelived, @ivyalmighty, @thewannabewriter, @lexhalstead3, @multifandomgrl08, @foxes-and-cats, @sensitivemallysix,