#but hannah is an actual loser so

[thealternateuniverse]

A Misunderstanding

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

-------

Y/N shut out the world by putting her headphones on, music blaring, as she walked towards the cafeteria with good spirits. Her weekend had been well spent after decluttering her apartment. Her dad had left her a message last night, informing her that he would be out of town but would return before their match against Iowa.

For some reason, she couldn't stop thinking about the Paranoia game from last time and how Paige had just revealed she was into Hannah Jump. Hannah was her teammate back in Stanford, and Y/N admitted, aside from being talented on the court, she was good in academics and... really pretty. It was itching her to know if Paige would pursue Hannah or not; after all, she had just admitted she liked her. Paige might appear as the fuckboy type among their lot but she might be the most decent one when it comes to relationship. She never pursued anyone ,yet, probably some flirtations but never to the point of dating. Her world seems to revolve only in basketball. Regardless, it is not her business.

She opened TikTok last night, only to be blasted by Paige Bueckers edits in her feed. The algorithm must have been playing some kind of joke on her, she thought, feeling a mix of amusement and irritation at the coincidence.

Shrugging off the thought, Y/N lazily slipped her hands into her hoodie's pocket and ambled towards her destination. Her train of thoughts got cut off when she almost stumbled, feeling a weight on her back that nearly sent her crashing to the ground.

"The fuck b— What the hell Paige Bueckers!"

Y/N exclaimed, cursing every inch of Paige's being as she struggled to regain her balance while supporting Paige's weight.

Paige, seemingly unfazed by the near disaster she caused, had the audacity to laugh.

"You nearly broke my back, Paige! I could've broken your face too!"

Y/N protested for the last time, yet still allowed Paige to remain on her back.

"Damn right, you're heavy," Y/N grunted under Paige's weight. It seemed she had no intention of getting off anytime soon. Despite being almost the same height, Paige had bulked up since her ACL recovery.

"Suck it up, Miller. Don't be a loser," Paige encouraged, oblivious to Y/N's struggle.

"Yeah, and you'll be the loser if I drop you here." she bit back a response.

By the time they reached the cafeteria, Y/N was already sweating, carrying Paige acting as a warm-up.

She hadn't actually seen Paige face-to-face yet, so when she dropped her off, she almost stuttered. Paige's hair wasn't tied up today, and she was only wearing her sleeveless compression top, which fit her perfectly, sticking it to the right places.

"Hey, Miller. I know I look good; stop ogling," Paige called out with a playful airiness, teasing Y/N as she caught her glance.

Y/N rolled her eyes, attempting to conceal her embarrassment from being caught gawking.

"No braids today?" she asked before Paige could further boost her ego.

"Kayla is out of town, so..." Paige shrugged. "You can braid it later before practice."

"Yeah, and make sure you took a shower today; I don't want some greasy hair," Y/N quipped with a playful smirk.

Paige feigned being hurt, putting both her hands on her chest in mock offense.

"You're so mean, dude. You don't know what some people are going through," Paige said, shaking her head while placing her hand on Y/N's shoulder.

"You're so dramatic. Now if you'll get out of my way please, I am hungry." Y/N retorted with a chuckle, nudging Paige playfully.

Paige stepped aside, allowing Y/N to pass, and followed after.

Y/N couldn't help but notice something different about Paige today; she seems to be perky.

"What's gotten into you today, Paige?" Y/N stopped and turned to confront Paige. The latter merely bestowed onto her a deep grin that extended to her eyes.

"Nothing, why? Is it a crime to be in a good mood?" Paige remarked, rolling her shoulders, a clear indication of her upbeat demeanor.

Y/N shook her head in disbelief but decided to let it go, opting instead to grab her breakfast.

-------

"Stay put, Paige Madison, you're gonna ruin my braids," Y/N insisted, gently placing her hand on Paige's shoulder to keep her still while she worked on her hair.

"What's taking you so long? Kayla does it quickly," Paige complained.

In truth, Y/N was deliberately taking her time. She needed to steady her hands, unsure why they were shaking. After all, she'd done this countless times before. But being so close to Paige felt different, almost unfamiliar. And Paige's hair, soft and smelling of peppermint, tempted her to linger, to breathe in the scent and savor the moment.

"There, finally done."

Taking one last satisfied look, Y/N released Paige. "There, all done," she announced proudly. This time, she'd opted for a Dutch braid, a departure from Paige's usual signature hairstyle.

"Thanks, but I'm still the best," Paige quipped with a playful grin

"Oh, really? Care to make a bet?" Y/N challenged, a mischievous glint in her eye.

---------------------

The team's lounge was unusually quiet following practice. The girls taking the opportunity to catch up on sleep after the exhausting training session.

Meanwhile, Y/N sat on the edge of her seat, nervously tapping her foot as she debated whether to open it or not. She found herself repeatedly switching it on and off, unable to make up her mind.

Cameron's message had left Y/N in a dilemma. Eventually, she rose to pack her things and switched off her phone. As she moved, she suddenly halted, blinking as the vision in her left eye began to blur. Panic welled up as she feared she might pass out. She turned around to her left, unaware of Paige, who had just emerged from the shower. Their heads collided.

"What the heck! Are you blind or something, dawg?" Paige exclaimed, rubbing the spot where they had collided.

"Oh yeah? And today I discovered just how thick your skull is," Y/N retorted, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"But seriously, are you okay?" Paige asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Yeah, actually, I am blind. I didn't see you," Y/N admitted.

"Probably because your contact lens is off," Paige suggested, seeing the uneven eye color. Her left green and right hazel.

"Oh," Y/N replied, mentally chastising herself for forgetting her own condition.

"Here, let me help you. Stay put," Paige said as she draped her towel over a chair and gently guided Y/N's head with her hands to assist in fixing her contact lens.

"How am I supposed to know you're not going to poke m--"

"Quiet, almost done," Paige interrupted, her tone firm but reassuring.

As Paige worked, the room seemed to grow warmer. It was the second time they had been this close outside of the court, and Y/N found herself uncomfortable with her blurry vision, unable to clearly see Paige's features up close. Yet, paradoxically, she also found solace in the blurred lines, grateful that she wouldn't have to dwell on the details of their encounters today.

"There, done," Paige announced, and Y/N blinked, relieved to find her vision clear once more.

"T-thanks," Y/N stuttered, clearing her throat. Their eyes locked for a moment, but before the intensity could linger, Y/N was the first to break the contact.

"U-uh, I'll just pack my things," she mumbled, trying to ease the sudden tension.

"Y-yeah, you should," Paige replied awkwardly, her own discomfort evident in her voice.

---------

Unbelievable, Y/N let out an exasperated sigh as her car refused to start. Of all the days and weather conditions, why did it have to happen now? How was she supposed to get home in this rain?

"This is ridiculous," she muttered, leaning her head against the steering wheel. The parking lot seemed endless, and she knew she'd be soaked by the time she reached the bus stop for her commute home.

She opened her phone, fingers tapping out a message in their group chat, hoping someone was still around in their class or lingering in the parking lot who could give her a ride home.

Upon sending the message, Paige was quick to reply, mentioning she had just gotten into her car and would swing by to pick Y/N up.

It was the third time Paige had come to her rescue, and it seemed like she always appeared at just the right moment.

Paige's Camry pulled up alongside Y/N's car, and she swiftly gathered her belongings before stepping out and securing her vehicle. She dashed toward Paige's car, a brisk pace driven by both the biting cold and her aversion to getting wet.

"Thanks, Bueckers," she muttered gratefully as she settled into the passenger seat, closing the door behind her.

"Anytime, Miller. What would you do without me?" Paige quipped, exuding confidence and earning an eye roll from Y/N.

As they merged into traffic, Waka Flocka's music blared from Paige's stereo.

"I need to swing by Walmart first; I'm running low on groceries. Hope you don't mind," Paige added, breaking the rhythm of the music-filled silence.

Y/N nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I can grab some for myself as well."

The rain had somehow mellowed by the time they arrived at Walmart. The two of them dashed into the store, snagging a cart and launching into their grocery run.

Paige peered into Y/N's meticulously organized cart, filled with salad ingredients and chicken, devoid of any junk food.

"How are you even full just eating that?" Paige teased, gesturing towards Y/N's cart.

Y/N glanced over at Paige's cart, which seemed more like a haul than a grocery run, stocked with proteins, organic chips, and various meats. It was clear Paige was focused solely on food items.

"Duh. Do I look like I have time to cook?" Y/n retorted with a smirk, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Paige raised both hands in surrender. "Alright. For an athlete, you sure eat less."

Y/N, who had been chubby back in grade school due to her big bones, had made a conscious effort to monitor her weight when she got into basketball.

"I've got big bones. Plus, I was fat back in grade school. I easily gain weight, so I have to watch what I eat," Y/N explained.

Paige's curiosity piqued at the mention of Y/N's childhood appearance, but she merely mouthed an 'oh,' holding back her questions for the moment.

When they finished their grocery shopping, the two of them struggled on their way back to the parking lot, battling against the persistent rain. They did their best to shield the bags from getting wet, navigating through the downpour with determination.

Besides her earlier dilemma about Cameron's text, she finds herself faced with a new one. First, she struggles with the task of carrying the grocery bags up to her apartment alone, as she already has her gym bag filled with basketball gear. Second, she hesitates to ask Paige for help, knowing how much Paige has already done for her today. She waits until they arrive at her apartment before finally mustering the courage to speak up.

"Um, Paige, there's one more thing. I really need your help carrying these groceries," she stammers, nodding towards the backseat where the bags are piled.

"No problem at all, Miller. I've got you," Paige responds with a thumbs up and a playful wink.

"Thanks. I owe you big time for all your help today."

Y/N couldn't help but roll her eyes every time Paige proudly exclaimed, "What would you do without me?"

In the elevator, she nudged Paige to keep her quiet as Paige continued to prattle on about her indispensable role in Y/N's life.

A sense of panic washed over Y/N when she noticed her door was unlocked. Only she and her dad knew the passcode.

Upon entering her apartment, she was greeted by Cameron sitting comfortably in her living room.

"Hi," Cameron greeted awkwardly.

"Who let you in?" Y/N asked, attempting to hide her annoyance, though it came out with a grit.

"I, uh... asked your dad," Cameron replied nervously.

Y/N felt her jaw clench.

"You can—"

"The heck, bro, why are you standing there like a post or something?" Paige barged in, not noticing Cameron at first, as she followed behind Y/N.

"Sorry about that. Hey, let's drop off these groceries and grab some lunch at your place, yeah?" Y/N suggested.

Paige gave Y/N a confused look, not catching on until she noticed Cameron. Y/N glared at her, silently conveying a "play along or else" message.

Paige, on the other hand, finds herself uncertain of what to do. She holds Y/N's groceries, her gaze shifting between Y/N and Cameron, feeling like an inadvertent intruder.

"U-uh, w-well, yeah, sure," she awkwardly responds, inching towards the kitchen to set down the groceries. The palpable tension between Y/N and Cameron doesn't escape her notice.

"H-hi, Cameron," she offers as she passes by, to which Cameron responds with a polite smile. "Sorry, I must have interrupted your plans today," Cameron apologizes.

"It's fine. No problem. I'll just… yeah, groceries," Paige gestures towards the kitchen, trying to diffuse the awkwardness.

She retreats to the kitchen, giving the two space to talk.

"I'm sorry for coming here with short notice. I thought you read my texts," Cameron explains.

"I am busy. I don't have time to be on my phone all day," Y/N replies tersely.

Paige wonders how she ended up in this situation, feeling more like the one interrupting rather than Cameron.

"W-well, I am staying at a hotel. Let me know when you are free," Cameron offers tentatively.

"I have no free time. I have an upcoming match, so feel free to go back to California anytime," Y/N says casually.

"Y/N…" Cameron trails off, at a loss for words. With a sigh, she continues, "Alright, let me know when you are ready to talk to me. I'll be leaving."

Cameron gathers her things and departs. What the heck just happened?

Paige returns to the living room to find Y/N standing there, visibly distressed after Cameron's departure.

"Well… what the hell just happened?" Paige asks, trying to make sense of the tension.

Y/N sighs heavily. "Long story. I really don't have the energy to deal with her," she says, shaking her head in frustration.

"Do you still want to go grab lunch?" Paige offers, hoping to lighten the mood.

Y/N's head shoots up, her eyes lighting up at the mention of food.

"I think so. I am hungry," she admits, a small smile forming on her lips.

"Well, don't expect salad. I won't feed you that kind of crap," Paige quips, injecting a bit of humor into the conversation. ---------

They found themselves in a brief argument over whether to cook or dine out, but in the end, Paige's preference for eating out won.

Paige wasn't joking when she said she wouldn't subject Y/N to just salad. She orders some chicken wings for her, reasoning that it's just for one day, and Y/N can return to her original diet afterward.

"Well, we're fucked," Paige muttered, her ears growing warmer and eyes a mix of amusement and concern.

Y/N's brows creased, curious about Paige's comment. Her annoyance grew as her phone buzzed again. Opening it, she was bombarded with Instagram and TikTok notifications, causing color to drain from her face in realization.

"What the hell? They took this angle wrong in all ways. Do we look like we're kissing?" Y/N exclaimed, her voice unintentionally carrying across the restaurant. The heads of other diners turned towards their table, causing Y/N to bow her head slightly in embarrassment.

Paige, now red-faced, looked away, feeling the weight of the situation.

"Who the hell even took this clip?" Y/N continued, her annoyance evident.

It became clear that the video was taken earlier when Y/N's contact lens fell out, and Paige was helping her. The angle made it appear as if they were kissing, with Paige's back and her hands on Y/N's face.

"That's kind of awkward. It really does look like a compromising angle," Paige added, trying to diffuse the tension.

Y/N shook her head in disbelief. "I didn't know there's actually malice in helping people now."

"Let them think what they want to think. It's not like it's any of their business," Paige declared, trying to brush off the situation with a nonchalant attitude. When in truth, her heart is almost thumping out of her chest.

"Alright, for the sake of my peace of mind," Y/N said with a resigned sigh.

Just then, one of Y/N's block mates, Miller, spotted them from across the restaurant. "Yo, Miller. What are you two doing here? Are you like having some lover's quarrel?" he called out, his tone teasing.

Annoyed, Y/N grabbed Paige's arm and hastily fled from the scene, wanting to escape the embarrassment.

Paige couldn't help but overhear what Y/N's blockmate said. "Holy shit, it wasn't a no. They were really dating," he exclaimed to his friends.

Paige's heart sank as the reality of the situation sank in. "Now we're really doomed," she muttered under her breath, realizing the potential fallout from the misunderstanding.

[princess-glassred]

My friend and I were talking about what if IT were a sitcom the other day, and I brought up the trope of "main character has an evil identical cousin" (as seen in Jessie, the princess switch 2, and Hannah Montana) and we just kept talking about it until we found an image of Nicholas Hamilton with glasses and KNEW we had to make a shitty oc out of it. So we made a character named Harry Bowers, he's Henry's shitty little british cousin and that is also played by Nicholas Hamilton. It still works on sitcom rules though, so anytime Henry and Harry interact it's shot reverse shot, split screen, and close ups of the back of their heads. It's basically just like the parent trap but worse.

Unlike Henry, he's actually a relatively pleasant person to get along with, but he really enjoys making Henry suffer for literally no reason. Ever since they were little Harry's been cartoonishly abusive, you look at """happy""" old photos of them as kids, and it's always something like Connor smiling into the camera while Harry tries to drown Henry in a lake. He's also just as unhinged as Henry, only instead of violent outbursts to everyone around him, Harry has extreme british passive aggressiveness and does insane shit like move all of Henry's furniture slightly to the left.

In many aspects Harry is Henry's Henry Bowers, only it's worse because nobody likes Henry and everyone agrees he sucks, nobody cares that Harry psychologically tortures him. You might expect Harry to try and steal Henry's life or something, given that they look alike, but he really doesn't want to. Butch and the losers club would absolutely love it if he did though. They're all pretty take it or leave it about him. Thankfully, he only stays for like a week in summer, then disappears for the rest of the year.

Henry hates him so much it's gotten to the point he suspects he poisons him everytime he's here. Everytime he crops up again Henry nearly has a panic attack. His cloyingly stupid british voice announcing "Hello Henry!" sends shivers down his spine. Only made worse by the fact Harry can just pop up behind any surface randomly. He'll close the fridge door and BAM "Hello Henry!". Horror sting music plays everytime it happens too.

Honestly, Harry Bowers might not even be real though, I think Henry might just be having a weird fight club like psychosis.

This is basically what he looks like btw, (Shout out to my friend Kia for drawing the picture on the left.).

[agendabymooner]

𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 !!! 𝐥𝐧𝟒 — 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

☼ WROETONORRIS

chapter summary: posting two instagram stories of her brother led the fans to make fun of lando as he continued to “try” and earn honey’s attention. the thing was that he already got it— he just didn’t know it.

OR being sat across from him led honey-sue to go on a tangent on her private twitter account.

content warning: nonsense, use of explicit language, ofc thinks lando’s hot, paris jokes (iykyk), wroetoshaw being a sack of shit brother

note: this isn’t much so i’m sorry 😭 i’ll try to add more into it as i go! in the mean time, if you’d like to get on one of my taglists, check this post out! enjoy xx

a - n masterlist

o - z masterlist

HAROLDINHO 🐴

uhm excuse me??? wyd??? 😐

PLONKER

going to piss. like i can do. because i’m an adult???

HAROLDINHO 🐴

yeah like you’d actually do that

PLONKER

i will?

HAROLDINHO 🐴

you’ve not drank anything throughout the lunch. sit the fuck down. i’m taping you to the chair and i’m calling mum about you not drinking water again

PLONKER

such a fucking snitch ☹️

HAROLDINHO 🐴

yeah yeah cry to me about it later

suemehoney posted a story !!!

liked by maxfewtrell, landonorris and 42,201 more

landonorris posted a story !!!

maxfewtrell reacted with “😂” in the story

MAX 😚

you sound so miserable and sad idk how to explain it ☹️☹️

LANDO 🥵

wym?

MAX 😚

“oh you support chelsea, harry? that’s pre cool. and wbu, hannah?” only to be ignored by honey? 😭😭 bro just declare your love already it’s screaming desperate

LANDO 🥵

fuck offfff i’m trying to be nice and genuine— i don’t want her to think i’m a fucking loser. she already thinks i am one

MAX 😚

ONLY BECAUSE YOURE STARING AT HER LIKE 👁️👄👁️ idiot.

LANDO 🥵

you got a better solution? not that you’re any better

MAX 😚

idk actually talk to her? she’s not gonna fucking bite, you moron

LANDO 🥵

what if she does bite and i’m actually gonna bruise my ego

MAX 😚

which ones bigger— your ego or your audacity?

LANDO 🥵

neither?! that’s why i’m keeping my ego protected

MAX 😚

god you’re such an idiot, lando i pray for the next girl you come across to not that you’d want to have a next girl after honey sue

LANDO 🥵

your dumb ass is literally sitting next to her 😭 STOP TEXTING IN FULL BRIGHTNESS AND OPENLY SHE CAN SEE IT

[peppermintquartz]

My top ten movie night suggestions for Buck and Tommy that aren't Love, Actually:

1. Pacific Rim: Drift compatibility, big action sequences, awesome father figures, brotherly vibes, romantic undertones, detailed worldbuilding for people who may like deep diving into interesting topics... They debate who is drift compatible with whom in their circle of friends.

2. Mad Max: Fury Road: (this is primarily for Tommy but Buck will also enjoy it) the big rigs, the wild vehicles, the stunts, the cinematography, the kickass women, Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron. Tommy SO WANTS a big rig. Buck gets him the game instead

3. Everything Everywhere All At Once: it's a movie representation of ADHD. It's also a movie about family ties, generational trauma, feeling like a loser, romantic love, familial love, queerness, and it is also a cinematic masterpiece, and Ke Huy Quan is adorable. Buck is a crying mess and Tommy isn't any better, but they both cuddle it out.

4. Pride & Prejudice: for the hand holding scene alone Tommy will watch it ten times. And Mr Darcy in the rain. And the part where Mr Darcy and Elizabeth are laughing and kissing and talking about names, what names to use when they're happy. Buck tries out his English accent and all of a sudden Tommy wants him to roleplay Mr Darcy in bed. (He calls Tommy Thomas and it turns Tommy on SO MUCH but only if it's said in an English accent)

5. The Mummy: Brendan Fraser. Rachel Weisz. Oded Fehr. John Hannah. Arnold Vosloo. It's a bisexual wet dream wrapped in a swashbuckling action fantasy. Both of them want O'Connell carnally.

6. The Princess Diaries 2: far off places, daring (sword?)fights, magic spells(?), a prince in disguise! Ok, 2.5 out of 5 isn't too bad. Buck thinks it's because Tommy had a crush on Chris Pine. Tommy later bashfully says it's actually for Joe, played by Hector Elizondo. Buck teases Tommy "no Daddy Issues" Kinard about this all night.

7. Up: they have to pause after the first few minutes just to cry it out. Buck even punches Tommy's chest a few times for making him watch the sweetest and most painful love story ever unfold and rip him apart. But the rest of the movie is adorable and Buck now wants a dog. Tommy isn't budging yet on his position: no pets unless they're sure they can come home daily.

8. Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet: Tommy learnt his Shakespeare watching this. Buck is enchanted by the aesthetic OTT-ness of it. They both get really quiet in the final scene, and hold each other closely when Juliet weeps over Romeo before she takes the gun.

9. Kung Fu Hustle: Buck can't predict where the movie is going but it goes at a wild pace, zigzagging different tropes and cliches, and at the core of it is a guy who had a boyhood dream of being somebody who can save the world, but was led astray and found his way back to being a hero. Tommy likes the wire-fu, and the tributes to other movies. There's a lot of references made and Buck goes digging into the allusions and references with glee.

10. The Lord of the Rings: around Christmas, Tommy makes time to run the extended edition. First of all: Aragorn. Second of all: Legolas. (Tommy is the Legolas fan, Buck turns out to be the Aragorn fan.) Lots of lore again. And it's so sincere and sweet and there is so much love that Tommy can't help loving it too. Buck gets into the hours and hours of BTS details of the best trilogy ever made.

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

🪓 Nerdy Prudes Must Die - Some Thoughts 🪓

I decided to rewatch NPMD (second day in a row 🙈) and wanted to write down some random thoughts and reactions because why the fuck not 😌

‼️ SPOILERS FOR NPMD BELOW ‼️

I loved this show from the second it started omg I love things about murder 🤭

“Riiiiichie… Riiiiiichie…” — kind of gave off IT vibes ngl

They really killed off Jon Matteson’s nerd character in the first 35 seconds 💀

“They twisted his nipples off 🤣” - WHY WAS HE SO HAPPY ABOUT IT

THE PROJECTION OF THE TITLE IN THE VICTIM’S BLOOD, STARKID HAD HELLA BUDGET FOR THIS SHOW 🙌🏻

“🎵I’m dead…the blood is arbitrating from my head🎵” needs to become a trending TikTok sound or something oh my fucking gOD

LAUREN YOU QUEEN 🙌🏻👏🏻 also living for that fucking wig

MARIAHHHHHHH 🎵❤️

Definitely felt the “High School is Killin’ Me” “I’m so fucking dead” in my soul even though I’m a full ass adult now

“I was deep in a Twitter fight about a problematic puppy” ROFL OMFG

Joey as Peter Spankoffski 😭👏🏻

ANGELA AS GRACE CHASITY HELL FUCKIN YEAH SHE IS EATING THIS PART UP

We all knew someone at school who snitched to the teachers lbh 💀

“So you don’t wanna be bullied?” “No, I wanna be invisible.” “…then why do you come to public school dressed in suspenders and a fucking bow tie?” - PLEAAAASE 💀🤣

MICRO-PETER 😂💀

Joey taking off his glasses and going “oh god” under his breath, “IT’S NOT ACTUALLY A MICROPENIS”… oh he ATE the role, R*bert who?!?

“My titties are tenderised” - I MEAN SAME BUT-?!?

“I didn’t know you were funny.” “Neither did I.” “I like funny guys.” — I AM SORRY BUT IM ALREADY SHIPPING HARD

Actually obsessed with Richie’s hair and outfit like I can’t explain it other than I’m obsessed

IT’S MAX JÄGERMAN

“Ohh well there’s a difference between intent and impact - I learnt that at an anti bullying assembly last month, FUCK NUGGET” took me off guard tbh like I know I’m tired and easily surprised but still 🤭

GRACE CHASITY PROTESTING THE CO-ED HOMECOMING DANCE I CANNOT-

Jägerman is literally the archetype of the school bully jock who peaked in high school like omg but also he’s into Grace?!?!

“I run laps in the gym and I don’t want to slip on any SPUNK” - FUCKING HELL

“Can I carry your books for you?” “Carry my books? 🤢 I don’t think either of us are ready for that, I mean we’re only 18!”

“My little dirty girl.” — 😳😲😮‍💨

“I am only one man’s girl, Max, and his name is Jesus Christ!” — IM FUCKING HOWLING ANGELA KILLED THE DELIVERY OF THAT LINE I CANT-

“I’m a literal monster!” - oh so Max is self aware then 🤔

“This is politics, Stephanie 🙄 learn to multitask!”

I love that Starkid keep casting Corey as Mariah’s dad?!?

Stephanie is apparently her father’s “October surprise”… so her birthday is in October, like Hannah Foster’s? 🤔

“Stephanie, please, I’d like to have an intelligent conversation with you - in other words, shut up” - DAMN WHAT A BURN

NOOO NOT HER PHONE 😰 (I am also addicted to my phone so I get it lol)

NOT STEPHANIE THROWING HER HAND BETWEEN HER PHONE AND THE HAMMER OMFG (same though)

Mayor Lauter really said “I don’t give a shit if you lie, steal or cheat to get your grades up, just don’t get caught” - spoken like a true politician

“How am I supposed to study without listening to Spotify?!?” probably should not have resonated with me like it did 🤭

Peter trying to make a joke and Richie and Ruth not getting it is so relatable tbh

I’m obsessed with Ruth’s mushroom jumper tbh

“I just want someone to touch me… anyone, PLEASE” — ROFL (same girl)

“What was it like when she touched your arm?… DID YOU CUM?!?” — 💀💀💀💀

“You and Steph, it’s a fantasy - like a boy and his anime love pillows. It’s a beautiful dream, but I’ll never hold the real Rei or Asuka in my arms.” — I AM PISSING MYSELF LAUGHING JESUS FUCKING CHRIST

“I’m such a loser, telemarketers hang up on me” 💀😭

DID RICHIE JUST FUCKING SAY “NANI!” JESUS FUCKING CHRIST I CANT DEAL WITH THIS SHOW 🤣

Richie and Ruth climbing Pete like a tree and demanding to know what Stephanie is saying is so ridiculously funny 😆

“Really, Ruth? A Star Wars analogy? Need I go into why Attack on Titan is superior in every possible way?” — STARKID UNDERSTAND THE NERDS I LOVE IT

“You’re telling me I gotta be funny again?!? I didn’t do it on purpose the first time!”

“Pete, you’ve been given a once in a lifetime opportunity - someone’s willing to tolerate your presence for a whole evening! This may never happen again!” — damn wish that would happen to me 😭🙈

Not Pete getting a boner during “Cool as I think I am” 🙈

Nooooo not Max finding Pete before he could go into the restaurant to meet Stephanie 😭

“I’m sick of your ssshhhhit!” — YES PETEY STAND UP TO HIM

The fact Max said “Rendezvous” as “Randay-Voose” 💀

The way it transitioned from “say your prayers” to the Chasity family going “AMEN” was PERFECTION

Grace’s father referring to his wife as “mother” is…something 💀

“He came up to me in the hallway and he asked if he could carry my books.” “Oh, Mark - I didn’t know that sort of thing happened at Hatchetfield High! Do you think you should call the boy’s father?” — ?!?!?!

“Mom, will you pass the butt stuff? The butter. Butter. Will you pass the butter? (Chuckles nervously) I just want some head and butter. BREAD! Bread! Bread and butt-sex to go with this big shaft of meat I’m gonna choke down. Oh boy…oh criminy!” - THE SCREECH I GAVE WAS UNHOLY

“I’ve just got some butterflies in my tummy; and they’re flying REAL low today” 😭💀🙈

GRACE FANTASISING ABOUT MAX IN THE BATH I CANNOT DEAL WITH THIS

“Brewing up a big ol’ pot of dirty girl soup” - ABSOLUTELY NOT 💀

HES FUCKING SHIRTLESS WHAT THE FUCK-

“Everyone’s got their secrets, and this one’s mine. I love… Jesus! 😃” - this was when I definitely knew she was fantasising because ain’t no fucking way-

WAS THE DIRTY GIRL SONG SUPPOSED TO BE VIEWED AS HOT BECAUSE I AM VERY FLUSTERED AND CONFUSED AND TOTALLY VIBING WITH THE TUNE

🎵 DIRTY DIRTY GIRL WON’T YOU PRAY FOR ME🎵

You see, if Christian parents didn’t repress their teenager’s hormones and sexuality then MAYBE their teenagers wouldn’t resort to murder 🙃

Grace’s dad saying he’s going to get the plunger when she said she was doing a big poop 😭💀

Grace really thinks that impure thoughts only happen after marriage and I almost envy her innocence

“Money isn’t everything… looks are.” - yeah no that about sums people up in this day and age 😑

“We thought you were waifu material, but you’re just a bully” — NOT WAIFU MATERIAL 💀

PETE’S BLACK EYE NOOOO 😭🥺

Grace is kind of a psychopath and I’m loving that for her tbh

“I’m not comfortable with the plan if it involves that kind of language” but she’s comfortable with filming someone getting terrified and pissing their pants 💀

The “the place is not structurally sound” comment was DEFINITELY foreshadowing

“I get pus in my pits!” Jesus ☠️

🎵🤌🏻we’re gonna bully the bully🤌🏻🎵

“We’re gonna cut off his nips!” - what is with the obsession with n!pples in this show 😳

I’M SORRY BUT THIS IS ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT WHEN THEY TALKED ABOUT KEEPING THE BEANS COOL

“You’re like super nice to me 😀” “…not really. I’m just doing the bare minimum here.” “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.” “Oh, that’s sad!” — 😂😅🤣

“Okay, Richie, be honest… Am I reading as ghost or Lin Manuel Miranda” — OH FUCKING GOD IM CACKLING

“You kinda look like that homeless guy from downtown” 💀 FOURTH WALL BREAK?!?

Max must be VERY drunk because ain’t no way he thought Pete was a ghost or Ruth was actually a skeleton 💀

“Grace, we gotta abort the plan, it’s not working!” “It’s working for me, he’s so violent! 😍”

Not Max actually being touched by them putting this whole thing together for him 💀 very much giving off himbo vibes and I love him for that

MAX FELL THREE STOREYS

Oh my GOD THE FUCKING MAKE UP ON MAX FOR HIS DEATH SCENE HOLY SHIT

“NERDY! PRUDES! MUST! DIE!” — oh hey it’s the name of the show! 😃 And also it was written on the wall in… oh 😳

“I did get a lot of incriminating footage of us luring him here with malicious intent!” - uh oh

“My god! We’re going to jail! And with my luck, no one will even bother making me their bitch!” — PLEASE 💀

“It wasn’t murder, and it wasn’t an accident… it was an act of God! 😇” - Grace is UNHINGED

“No more tickling in our mommy spots!” - OUR WHAT SPOTS?!?

“🎵🤌🏻 We’re gonna bury the body! 🤌🏻🎵”

“Oh no she’s snapping again”

“I just cut off his nips 😌” - again with the nips?!?

DAN AND DONNA 😃😃😃

“Two weeks of heartache” - cut to all of his classmates happy without his influence 💀

STEPH PASSED THE TEST! 😃

“Ya know, this is really your C+.” “Oh Steph… you can keep it. It’d really bring down my GPA.”

Steph asking Pete out to the football game 🥹😁 we love to see it!

GO GO NIGHTHAWKS! 😃🦅 (I know it’s an eagle emoji there’s no hawk emoji 🙈)

“N, I-G, H-T… *squawk squawk* Ks!” 👏🏻🙌🏻

Richie is the team mascot and they wanted/needed him in the huddle 🥹

They apologised for bullying him 😭👏🏻

“And we’d like to apologise in advance for if Max ever comes back, ‘cause we’ll probably go right back to doing it”

“Fuck Clivesdale! Fuck ‘em straight to hell! Assholes!” — AGREED! 👏🏻

I’m 90% sure Jon actually struggled with taking that mascot top off but it worked well with the scene so 😌

“I love being alive! 😃” — oh he’s so about to fucking die, isn’t he?

IT’S MAX CALLING FOR RICHIE HES BACK FROM THE DEAD

MAX’S COSTUME/MAKE UP IS AMAZING OH MY GOD 😌💅🏻

“Should’ve joined the smoke club you nerdy prude” — ANOTHER SMOKE CLUB REFERENCE

Every song on this soundtrack fucking slaps I LOVE IT

There’s not very many men that can pull off being absolutely absolutely fucking terrifying while dancing and singing across the stage but Will Branner managed it so kudos to him

The bit where Richie was repeating what Max said (“who will pray for me? When I’m gone?”) was INSANELY GOOD

“What did they find? You don’t say…you don’t say!” “What’d they find, dad?” “They didn’t say” - 💀

“Oh heck… I’m so hecking fudged”

“*relieved* Oh well we don’t know anything about that one!” “Or ANY one!”

“Maybe it’s a coincidence. People tell me to die every day!” — Okay why is Ruth kind of me 😭

THE FUCKING CAMEOS IN “HATCHET TOWN” ASDFGHJKL?!?! ZIGGY?! MAN IN A HURRY?!? GERALD MONROE?!?

“Ohhh I remember before the lockdown” - yeah me too 😅

THE BARBECUE MONOLOGUES GOT ME HOLLERING 💀

Ruth walking onto the stage and into the spotlight 🥺 literally she was me this whole scene omg I relate so hard to most of what she said ASDFGHJKL

Lauren ATE that song up by the way

MAX KILLED HER BY WEDGIE-ING HER IN TWO AND THEN PUT THE PANTS OVER HER HEAD WHAT THE FUCK MAX 😭

Him telling her to “project” so those in the back row could hear her triggered me so bad as an actor omg 😳

Grace really accusing the entirety of Clivesdale 💀

As soon as the WWJD bracelet was brought up I KNEW what was going on 😭

“Who’s plan was it, Grace?” “It was God’s plan! And now he’s leaving me out to dry! Do something, you son of a bitch!” 💀😅🤣

Grace has lost her fucking SHIT and I fully support that for her

“Show Me Your Hands” musical refrain?!

BEANIES?!? PAUL AND EMMA?!? 😭😭😭 ITS FUCKING PAUL AND EMMA I CANNOT-

“Cup of roasted coffee” refrain too?!?

PAUL GAVE EMMA HIS NUMBER 😭❤️

PAUL + EMMA IN EVERY SINGLE TIMELINE, EVERY SINGLE UNIVERSE-

“EXCUSE ME I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR WHAT FEELS LIKE FIVE FUCKING YEARS AND I STILL HAVE NOT RECIEVED MY GODDAMN HOT CHOCOLATE” 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀😂😂😂😂😂 I FUCKKING CANT IM DONE

🎵”Don’t need a lover boy need a lover man / sure I’m a sapiosexual and you’re intellectual but I’ll cut my lover losses when I can” 🎵 — this song goes so hard omg

Grace pushing between them and shouting “leave room for Jesus!” 💀

“Do we need to get ahold of Ruth?” “Good luck getting ahold of her. Does your phone pls cover calls to hell?” “…Hell?” “She’s bisexual and dead, where else would she be?!?” — 💀

Grace whipping out the gun and telling Steph to cool her beans was so iconic of her

“(Canadian accent) ‘Cause if I’m going down, you hosers comin’ with me, eh” — OH MY FUCKING GOD

Doesn’t shock me a cop would arrest Paul for zero fucking reason, fuck the police 💀

“All I wanted was to be a regular girl with no sexual desire until she was safely married 😭” the FUCK-

“Don’t comfort her, she’s fuckin’ weird” 💀

“I don’t give a shit who you kill - but you just had to go and do it in that house, didn’t you?” — Mayor Lauter really said “murder is fine but NOT in that specific house, you fucking idiots”

THE LORDS IN BLACK?!? 😃 WIGGLY AND BLINKY AND POKEY AND NIBBLY AND TINKY?!?!? FUCK YEAAAAHH

“She gave me head in her car - check it out!” *throws Miss Tessburger’s head onstage* — BRO THE FUCK

WELP I GUESS MAYOR LAUTER IS DEAD THEN?!?

“Detective Shapiro, are you a woman of faith?” “Catholic.” “I’ll take that as a no” — THE FUCK GRACE 😑

They’re really about to summon five otherworldly entities who are evil I’m-

The Summoning screams CRACK and I’m living for it

“Hello Fwendy-Wends” - SCREAMING LITERALLY FUCKING SCREAMING

“WE DON’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOUR PHONE” TOOK ME OUT ASDFGHJKL

SHE CHERISHES PETE 😭

“Pay the price or fuck off” 💀

Can I just say that I need would love a show specifically just about the Lords in Black fucking about and it’s Jon the whole time as Wiggly exactly as he was during the Summoning scene because that was AMAZING IM SHAKING-

The fact Pete cherishes Steph and she cherishes him oh my hEART 😭

“Hey Steph, if things were different, would you wanna come to homecoming with me?” “I’d like that, Pete. I’d really like that.” - SHUT THE FUCK UP NO 😭😭😭

Not Max saving Pete from being shot 💀

“So you do know the Bible!” — GRACE OMG IM SCREECHING HELP

“But Jesus never threw a football like you, Max” - WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING

Max being confused about what dirty girl soup is and then being turned on when she explains 😭💀

“Take me, Max, right here on the 50 yard line!” — oh dear gOD

Max’s struggle over whether to kill Steph and Pete or whether to bang Grace omfg 😭😅

THE NOISES OFF STAGE OMFG WTAF 😭💀😂😅🤣

Grace got Max kicking his feet, twirling his hair, after one shag, just like a teenage girl 💀 I’m crying so hard with laughter I can’t cope with it-

GRACE GAVE HIM HER CHASTITY AND SACRIFICED WHAT SHE CHERISHED MOST ASDFGHJKL

PETE AND STEPHANIE AT HOMECOMING TOGETHER ASDFGHJKL ✨T H E M ✨

Grace choosing not to get the dance cancelled and she brought a date?!? That’s character development! 😀

She let Jason walk her home?!? O_o and then asked him to kiss her?!?!

“That was… absolutely disgusting! Really, Jason?!? Kissing on the first date?!?” Oh noooo 💀

“You’re a dirty perv, Jason”

SHES GOT THE FUCKING BLACK BOOK IS SHE SUMMONING THEM AGAIN

🎵DIRTY DUDES MUST DIE🎵

Well thIS TOOK A FUCKING TURN DAMN

Anyway, 11/10, immaculate, amazing, incredible, show-stopping, would recommend to everyone of course and will definitely be rewatching it a LOT 🪓

[mariailoveyou-guerin]

Considering it’s POLIN mf season if we/it was/were a certain crazy miserable loser fandom they/we would’ve been mad about the fact not only is it polin season but everyone else getting promo too and Claudia J is with Luke/Nic same way Simone Kate Kanthony stans was mad that charithra existed really and was with JH/SA for like 2-3 interviews throughout whole show I’ve seen it and the fact they as is in nic and charithra only did 1 cover solo each and 1 EW with two other cast members yet Kate Simone Kanthony stans truly went insane lost it and was calling nic Luke and especially charithra nic all kinds of cruel vile nasty things and being racist and fatphobic for no fcvking reason but here we are seeing everyone like Claudia Jess Hannah get so much promo and not minding it and even when Claudia is doing way more promo then what charithra ever did with Simone or with their precious kanthony ship and fake favs! this isn’t even half of the amout of pr promo stuff and press they’ve as in those 3 non lead girls have done or for the whole Bridgerton cast on polin season but sure simone

Kanthony Kate stans was being miserable psychopaths when charithra did 2-3 interviews with Simone and she Nicola got 1 solo cover and the fact they hated on Luke who didn’t even get an ounce of what Luke T, Claudia or Johnny is getting now when it’s not their season but his yeah I’ll never forget it or forgive! Poor Nicola Luke and Charithra they deserved so much better especially charithra and nic who got extra worse because of their acting range being superior let’s be honest here guys they outdid their precious ship on their season because they didn’t have a problem with any of the other actors or cast only those 2 girls and Luke and Nicola Luke as friends all because they are actually besties in real life and fans shipped them something they can’t 😔 do for their fav ship they use as self insert to be with a pretty white boy since JB is not straight truly got what they deserve in s3 and I’m so happy for POLIN CC winning and for charithra Nic being such a IT girl had a whole subfandom crying about them and their every move all year long for the past 2 years even when it wasn’t their season yet! That’s on acting range that’s on ACTRESS!

In the end we know why Kate kanthony Simone stans was mad about charithra existence it’s because CC aka Edwina just outshined them and outsold their favs and ship with ease and why they was mad about Nicola and Luke because they were just real friends off screen and their fav wasn’t that close😂 so couldn’t ship them 😂

[atths--twice]

Practical College Applications

A college AU, in which Mulder and Scully meet and get to know one another as they apply college courses, to real life scenarios.

I first posted this story nearly five years ago. I searched for it, in order to add the new chapter to it, but I could not find it. So... I am just going to repost the whole thing. Perhaps it will be new to some and perhaps it will be a reread for others. Either way, I hope you enjoy it. 💓

Chapter One

Botany 101- A Nice Trip To The Forest

Fox Mulder, known to everyone as Mulder, as he hated his first name, shifted his backpack for what felt like the twentieth time in the last half hour. It had not been problematic when he had worn it at home and around town, as he had gotten used to the weight of the things he would need for this weekend away, but now it felt as though his items had been replaced with rocks. 

He had been looking forward to this trip since the class began. It was one of the main reasons he had signed up for a botany class in the first place - the eventual excursion into the forest it had promised. 

School had been keeping him busy and unable to escape the noise and the fast pace of the city. Since he had transferred to the University of Maryland, he had been working harder and buckling down. He had saved enough in the past two years of working to not have to worry about anything but his studies. 

Torn between which electives to take for the year, he had settled on botany. He had always enjoyed nature and discovering new things within, so it seemed perfect. The class was not too full from the offset, and it had dwindled down to even less soon thereafter. Mulder however, found the class intriguing and enjoyed the lectures. The professor was funny and kept the class entertained. 

There was also, though Mulder would not freely admit it, a woman in the class he found very beautiful. He had not spoken to her, save the occasional hello as they passed each other, but she captivated him. This was actually the second course they shared, and though he enjoyed the more intimate class size, he knew he would appear a fool if he spoke to her. His words got tripped up by his tongue when he was around her. 

“Hey, Mulder,” said a voice, and he sighed as he saw Kyle Dale walk up beside him. He really did not care for Kyle. He was very rich and made sure to let everyone know it. “You know there’s only the two girls here, and there are us six guys. We need to be the ones to make a move, the other guys are losers.” Kyle nudged him as he raised his eyebrows, and Mulder adjusted his backpack yet again. 

“I’d recommend you don’t let the women hear you say that, Kyle, not girls. In fact, maybe don’t say that at all. This isn’t some bar, it’s a college course. We’re all here to learn and you know, I haven’t seen either of them show any interest in you at school, I can’t imagine the woods will change their opinions,” Mulder said, glancing at the two women and then back to Kyle. “Just, let them be.”

“Jesus, you’re such a fucking downer, man. Do you ever get laid?” Kyle shook his head and walked away, catching up to Brian Harding and glancing back at Mulder as they both laughed loudly. 

Assholes, he thought, shaking his head. He looked back at the women again and watched the one he found attractive, hoping he was not being too obvious. 

She laughed at something her friend Hannah said, tossing her long red braid over her shoulder. God, he was such a sucker for redheaded women. He had been since third grade, when Jenny Lipton had moved into town halfway through the year. She was introduced by his teacher, and when she smiled at the class, his hands got sweaty. He shyly brought her dandelions at recess, and she took his hand, pulling him to the swings. He pushed her for as long as she wanted, not caring that he never even had a turn. 

This woman though, she was on another level. Her smile made his heart race and when he heard her laugh, he always wanted to hear it again. She also smelled amazing. She sat across from him in class, and every time she moved her hair, he caught a whiff of flowers and clean soap. It drove him wild and sometimes caused his attention to wander from the lecture. 

Yes, Jenny Lipton had been his first real crush, but she could not hold a candle to Dana Scully. 

“Class, we’re going to stop here for a bit. I want each of you to take out the journals you were to bring and identify the plants of the area. You should have your guide pages with you as well. We’ll be here for about forty five minutes and then we’ll be moving on to the campground,” Professor Morrow said, taking his pack off and setting it on a rock. He was about forty, a hippie with long blond hair and a full beard. He was a kind teacher and cared deeply for the subject he taught. “Break into teams or on your own, whichever you prefer.” 

Mulder glanced quickly over at Dana and saw her and Hannah, slip off their backpacks and take out their journals and guide pages. She stretched and rolled her neck as she picked up her things and walked with Hannah into the woods. He took off his backpack, took out his own journal, and headed into the woods behind them. 

An hour later, they all met up to collect their packs and move on. Mulder put his things away and put his pack back on, adjusting the straps so it sat better this time. They trudged on for another hour, before arriving at the campsite. A round fire pit sat in the middle of a clearing, thick round tree stumps encircling it. 

Everyone sat their bags down and Kyle loudly announced he would make a fire. He walked away to gather some wood and the others began to set up their tents. Mulder had a one man tent, as he had no intention to share one with anyone. He had it set up quickly, and as he pounded the stakes in to secure it, he heard Dana laughing. He looked up to see her and Hannah struggling to get their tent up, laughing as they did. Dana was bent over, clutching her side, and then her head was thrown back as she laughed. Watching her, he missed the stake, and hit his thumb. 

“Fuck,” he seethed under his breath, sticking his thumb in his mouth, the pain sharp and throbbing. He glanced up quickly to see if Dana noticed, but she and Hannah were still struggling with their tent and laughing. 

Finished with securing his tent, he tossed his backpack inside, intent on setting out his sleeping bag later. He stood up and brushed off his hands, swallowing hard, as he walked closer to the women and cleared his throat. As Dana turned around and looked at him, he was struck again by the blue of her eyes. 

“Uhh … would you … do you need a hand?” he stammered, and she smiled at him, making his heart race. 

“I think we got it, but thanks, Fox,” she said with another smile. 

“Mulder,” he said without thinking, realizing he would not mind his hated name being said by her. She tilted her head and stared at him. 

“Really? You go by your last name with everyone? It’s not just a guy thing?” she asked. “Do you really not go by Fox? No one calls you Fox?” Her eyes twinkled and he felt he would let her call him anything, if she kept smiling and looking at him that way. 

“Uh … my family, but not really anyone else,” he said, even as his brain screamed at him to shut up and walk away. “Whatever you … either is fine.” He turned and walked away, exceedingly embarrassed, wishing he could disappear. 

“Thanks for the offer of help‍ … Mulder,” she called after him, and he turned quickly, her dancing eyes on him, her red hair shining in the sunlight. He nodded and turned around again, walking aimlessly away from them, shaking his head at his idiocy. 

He walked around for a while prior to heading back to the campsite, needing time to recover from his own stupidity. He headed over to the fire pit and watched Kyle trying to build a fire. He was doing it all wrong, laying the wood haphazardly as he added kindling under it. Mulder shook his head, stepping closer to show him how to do it correctly, when he heard a voice behind him. 

“You’re not doing that properly.” He turned and saw Dana standing there, her hair down and wavy from the braid. She was looking at the fire pit, but cut her eyes at Mulder, causing him to smile slightly. “You need to build it like a chimney so the oxygen can feed through the kindling and the wood -”

“Excuse me, sweetheart,” Kyle said, looking up at her with a sneer. “I don’t need help from you on how to build a fire, okay?” He went back to trying to get the fire burning and Dana stepped closer to him. 

“If our warmth and the ability to eat tonight is dependent on you, sweetheart, then I’m going to have to insist that you either build the fire properly, or get out of the way so I can do it,” she said, in a low controlled tone that made Mulder both afraid and highly aroused. Kyle stared up at her and then stood up, towering over her. She did not back down or show any fear, and soon Kyle stormed away, claiming he needed more wood. 

Dana glanced over at Mulder and rolled her eyes as she pushed up her sleeves and restructured the fire. She had it lit within minutes, stood up and brushed off her hands. She looked at Mulder with a grin, and he smiled back, nodding at her appreciatively. 

“Make sure he doesn’t overload it with wood, okay? I’m going to find Hannah. I wasn’t going to stop and help, but he was being an idiot about it,” she said as she walked away. He grinned and watched her before turning his eyes back to the fire. 

Hours later, after everyone had eaten, they were discussing the plant life they had found that day. Kyle sat quietly, still stinging over the fact that a woman, a younger woman at that, had shown him up, The other guys kept razzing him, which he was not taking well. 

Mulder sat to the left of Dana, with Hannah on her right. As the others discussed the plant life, he knew they were mistaken with their findings. Not only did he know, but he heard Dana repeatedly muttering, wrong under her breath. He huffed and she looked at him with a grin. 

“Well, they are wrong,” she whispered, and he smiled. “We had the guide papers, I don’t know how they could be so mistaken.” She shrugged and he coughed to cover up a laugh as she turned around and watched the fire. 

Not long later, everyone headed off to bed, the fire dying, but not out completely. Mulder watched Dana and Hannah walk into their tent as he was going into his own. Laying his sleeping bag out, he changed his clothes, adding an extra zip up hooded sweatshirt to take away the chill. 

Getting inside the sleeping bag, he rested his head on his backpack but quickly pushed it aside, finding it too bulky to be used as a pillow. Putting his arms behind his head, he wished the tent had a mesh top so he could see the stars, but he would make do with the sound of the crickets and owls in the trees. 

After the day’s activities, he should be tired, exhausted even, but he was wide awake. Sighing, he decided to go sit by the fire for a little while. Putting his boots back on, he opened his tent, stepped out, and zipped it up again, to avoid allowing in any unwanted critters. Hands in his sweatshirt pockets, his head down, he did not notice that he was not the only one with the idea to sit by the fire. 

“Oh!” He heard and looked up in surprise. Dana was standing there, poking at the fire with a long stick. “I didn’t wake you, did I? I wasn’t too loud?” 

“No, not at all. I … uh … I wasn’t tired, surprisingly, and thought I’d check on the fire. Guess you beat me to it,” he said and she smiled. He walked closer and stood beside her, the fire still burning low and giving off heat. 

She added another few small pieces of firewood and stirred at the fire as she sat down on a stump. Mulder sat beside her and they quietly stared at the fire as it began to slightly grow. He glanced at her and then back at the fire. 

“So, did the fact that we all went to bed, in the middle of a forest with a fire smoldering, bother you a bit, too?” she asked him quietly, and he laughed softly. “Or were you also a dumb idiot, who forgot to pack an extra sweatshirt, thus needing to seek out the warmth of said fire?” 

He turned his head to look at her and realized she was definitely not dressed for the cold night air. She had a long flannel on, but it was absolutely not enough to keep her small body warm. He watched her wrap her arms around herself, and he stood up, already unzipping his sweatshirt. 

“Oh no,” she said, putting up her hands. “Please don’t think I was implying I expected you to do that, I was just making conversation. I can’t take your sweatshirt from you. It’s my own fault for forgetting an extra shirt. Please … no.” She shook her head and pushed at the item he offered her. “I can’t.” 

“You can,” he said, holding it out to her and staring at her. “It’s an extra. Well, I mean I have two shirts and this long sleeved one as well. I’ll be okay without the sweatshirt. That flannel won’t keep you warm enough. Take it. Please.” He held it out and she finally accepted it, standing up to put it on and zip it up. It was big on her of course, but wearing the flannel under helped it to fit better. 

As she pulled her hair from inside it and tossed it back, he was treated to the most wonderful scent of flowers. She kept her head down for a second before raising her eyes to his. “Thank you,” she said quietly, and he nodded at her, seeing the flames from the fire reflecting in her eyes. He smiled and sat back down, as she sighed and did the same. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes and watched the fire, when she suddenly stood quietly, and walked to her tent. She did not look back, but stepped inside and zipped it shut. He was left wondering if he had done something wrong, but then he smiled slowly, as he realized she was still wearing his sweatshirt. 

He sat by the fire until it burned down low enough to not be a hazard, and then headed to his own tent. Laying down inside the bag once again, he smiled, imagining her sleeping comfortably because of the warmth his sweatshirt provided her. Closing his eyes, he was asleep in minutes. 

_______________________

The next morning, Mulder woke with the dawn, dressed, and rebuilt the fire. He shivered as he waited for it to warm up, his eyes flicking towards Dana’s tent, hoping she had been warm enough last night. Stirring the fire, he stood with his hands extended, feeling the warmth beginning to build. 

Not long after the fire was burning steadily, others began to emerge from their tents, happily seeking the warmth of the fire. Each person thanked him as they stood around it, warming their hands and backs in turn. A few of the guys started to prepare some peanut butter sandwiches for the group. Brian handed one to Mulder, who took it with a nod. 

After nearly everyone had gotten up, Dana and Hannah finally came from their tent, ready for the day. Dana glanced his way and then looked down, walking over to grab a sandwich from Brian. Hannah continued on to speak to Craig, a quiet guy who Mulder actually got along with. Dana stood on the fringe and then came closer to him. 

“Your sweatshirt is in the tent. I didn’t want to bring it out in front of everyone,” she said, glancing up at him, her eyes begging him to understand. 

“You keep it for tonight, just in case,” he shrugged, and she shook her head. “You can.” He repeated his words from last night to her again and she sighed with a nod.  

“Thank you,” she whispered, and then walked away. 

The tents were taken down and packed up as the sun began to rise higher in the sky. They left on a trail and Mulder followed behind Hannah and Dana, listening to their conversation while trying not to appear too creepy. They discussed dating and Dana admitted to Hannah that the last couple of dates she went on was a while ago, with one of the men standing her up. 

Mulder scoffed at the stupidity of whoever that man was, and Dana turned around quickly and looked at him. He stopped walking abruptly and stared at her, embarrassed beyond belief. He saw her lips twitch as she turned around and began to walk again. He fell back a few paces, intent on that not happening again. 

An hour or so later, they came to a shallow but wide stream they needed to cross. A log had fallen, creating a natural bridge, and they took turns walking across it carefully. Mulder had almost neared the end when his foot slipped and he fell into the stream. He luckily had not broken or sprained anything, but everything he was wearing was thoroughly soaked. 

Everyone laughed, including Dana, but she was the only one to come over and help him, as he spluttered and tried to stand up. She reached for his backpack, and he handed it to her, rising to his knees and then his feet. 

“Shit,” he muttered, unbuttoning his flannel shirt. He took it off and the one underneath, leaving him in a very wet tank top, cargo shorts, socks, and boots. He glanced up and found that Dana had turned her head, his backpack held in her hand, as it dripped steadily into the stream. 

“I’ll take that back now,” he said softly, and she nodded, glancing at him as her eyes quickly moved up and down his body, before she turned and walked away, running her fingers through her long ponytail. He smiled as he watched her, not seeming to notice how wet he truly was. 

Up another hill, they came to their camping site. A large fire pit was surrounded by small, single occupancy cabins. Everyone exclaimed at the sight of them, each of them going to check them out. Mulder set his wet pack on the step and walked inside. There was a cot, a small table made from logs, a lantern, and an oval hooked rug on the floor. It would be warmer than the tent, and for that he was relieved. 

Stepping out of the room, he began to unpack his bag, shaking his head at the sheer wetness of everything. His clothes inside were soaked, but they would hopefully dry soon. It was warm out and there was still a few hours of sunlight left. He laid out his clothes and reached for his sleeping bag, thankfully finding it still dry. 

He put it on the cot and checked the rest of his things. His snacks and other first aid items were okay, but his notebook was wet, his inked words running together. Shaking his head, he set it down. It would be easy to redo the work, he had it memorized. Taking out his spare shoes, a pair of old flip flops, he took off his wet boots and socks, again shaking his head. 

Picking up his clothes, he went to find a place to hang them to dry while the sun was still shining. His shoes … well they would hopefully dry, but he doubted it would happen by the time they journeyed back to their cars tomorrow morning. 

Clothes laid out in the sun on a bush, he walked back to the fire pit where everyone had gathered. He glanced down at the empty pit, and then looked up, catching Dana’s eye, as he raised his eyebrows. She smiled and covered her mouth as she laughed softly. He grinned as he looked toward Professor Morrow. 

“All right! Congratulations on making it here unscathed, well, most of us anyway,” he said, with a glance toward Mulder and everyone laughed. He shook his head and smiled. “Tonight, as well as food that we’ve brought, we’ll be gathering edible plants to add to our meal. Berries, plants, whatever you find that you’re sure is edible. So be double, even triple sure that you’re correct. We don’t want to poison our friends.” Everyone laughed again and soon headed off, each one with a container to collect items. 

Mulder found himself near Dana as they walked into the woods. He could hear her humming and he smiled, happy she was enjoying herself. They spread out, foraging the bushes for food. 

“How can you just walk away from me? When all I can do is watch you leave?” He heard, and turned his head to see Dana singing quietly as she cleaned a bush of its berries. “So take a look at me now, well there's just an empty space. And there's nothing left here to remind me, just the memory of your face …” She looked up and saw him watching her and she grinned. 

“I’m a little obsessed with Phil Collins right now. Sorry to expose you to my horrible singing voice,” she said, with a laugh. He shook his head and continued gathering items. 

“It’s not horrible,” he told her, his eyes downcast. 

“Liar,” she called, and he looked up to see her smiling. He looked back down, smiling as he continued his work. 

Fire warm and food eaten, even the items they had all collected, of which Mulder and Dana had brought in the most, everyone sat around that night laughing and talking about many things. Mulder saw Hannah speaking to Craig once again, a huge smile on his face. 

Mulder glanced at Dana as she put another log onto the fire, debating whether to speak to her. As he was contemplating it, she walked over to him, standing close and crossing her arms. She glanced at him and smiled and he smiled back. 

“So, we’re obviously the smartest ones in class, we definitely need to stick together from now on.” She shrugged and he laughed. They both looked at the fire and were quiet, Mulder constantly feeling tongue tied around her. 

“So you —” he started to say, but was cut off by the professor telling them all to head to bed, warning of rising early in the morning. Mulder glanced at Dana again, but she was busy smothering tonight’s fire, the area they were in more heavily wooded. 

“Can’t take any chances,” she said, and he began to help her. Nodding her thanks, she caught his eye, and headed to her little cabin. 

Making sure the fire was completely out, he took out his flashlight, and gathered all his items from the nearby bushes he had laid them on earlier. Finding them to be relatively dry, he walked into his cabin, took off his shoes, and changed his clothes. He lit the lantern on the small table and laid down on his cot. 

Sighing, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A knock sounded at his door and he sat up in surprise, his brow furrowing. Standing up and crossing to the door, he opened it to find Dana standing there, a flashlight in her hand, her long hair down, his borrowed sweatshirt pulled tightly around her, and a worried expression on her face. 

“Hi,” he said simply, his surprise undoubtedly evident. 

“I need you to look at something. Please,” her voice shaky and scared. 

“Uhh … come in,” he told her, stepping aside to let her inside before he closed the door. She hurried past him and stood in the middle of the small room in his large sweatshirt, a pair of shorts, and her boots. 

“I was changing my clothes and … I felt something, on my back. It was itchy earlier, but now it feels worse. I can’t see it and I need to know what it is. Can you look at it, please?” she stared at him and he nodded. She turned around, moved her hair, and dropped his sweatshirt down past her butt. His breath caught and he froze in place. 

She was not wearing anything under the sweatshirt, clearly whatever she found, had scared her badly enough to forego extra clothing as she hurried to his room. 

“Mulder? Fox? What is it?” Her worried voice snapped him into action, and he reached for the lantern, turning it up to see her back better. Stepping closer to her, he held the lantern as he knelt down. “It’s down on my lower back.” 

As soon as he was close enough, he saw it- an angry looking rash covering a good sized area of her lower back. He touched it gently and she hissed and then she groaned. 

“Sorry,” he said, feeling the heat even without touching it again. “Stay like that for a second.” He turned around and grabbed his backpack, rummaging around until he found the container of salve he had brought with him. “Okay, this might hurt a little bit.” 

“What?” she asked, but he did not reply, instead taking two fingerfuls of the salve, and gently rubbing it across her back. “Oh my God, what is that? Mmmm, oh Mulder, that stings … ohhhh … no it feels good. What is it?” He rubbed in the salve and smiled as he listened to her finding relief from the comfort it provided. 

Wiping his hands, he put the lid on the salve and stood up. He brought his sweatshirt back up her body and placed it on her shoulders. She grabbed at it and zipped it up. Letting her hair fall, she put her hands in the pockets of the sweatshirt and turned around, looking up at him. 

“Seriously, what is that? And what’s on my back?” she asked, reaching for the container in his hands. 

“It’s a rash, probably from a plant you touched unknowingly,” he told her, reaching in his bag again, taking out a bottle of aspirin and handing two of them to her. “It’s pretty hot and inflamed; this will help it feel better.” He handed her water from a canteen bottle he had and she took the medicine, just as a huge crack of thunder sounded, causing her to jump. A second later, rain began to fall, hard, on the tiny cabin. 

“Whoa,” they said simultaneously, looking up as the rain pelted the roof from above. He looked back down at her and turned to the door, opening it and looking outside. She stepped closer to him and they watched as the rain obscured their vision beyond anything not directly in front of them. 

“I … “ she started, and then stopped. 

“No, you can’t,” he finished for her, knowing she was going to suggest she make a run for it. “You’d be soaked through, that salve will wash off, and you’d be in pain. Best to stay here, at least until it lets up a bit.” He closed the door and turned to find her right behind him, and his mouth went dry. The one person who seemed to short circuit his brain was now going to be sitting alone with him in a small room during a rainstorm, for the night possibly. 

Her expression was unreadable as her eyes seemed to search his face. He waited until she nodded in agreement and stepped over to the bed, sat down, and took off her boots. She looked at him and he gave her a small smile as he picked up the lantern off the floor, set it on the little table after turning it down a bit, and then sat on the floor facing her, his back against the wall. They were both quiet as they listened to the heavy fall of the rain on the roof, thunder rumbling and then cracking loudly. He saw her jump again and he smiled slightly. She obviously did not like thunder. 

“Tell me a story,” she said, just loud enough for him to hear her above the deluge of rain, as though she was not sure if she should be asking for something like that. 

“A story? About what?” he asked, looking at her in surprise. She shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. 

“I don’t know, anything, I’m not picky,” she said. “I don’t really like thunder and I thought maybe a story might take my mind off it. You don’t have to, if you don’t want to.” She shrugged again, looking down and touching at her back lightly over his sweatshirt. She hissed and closed her eyes. 

He watched her for a second, thinking of stories that would not only interest her, but help to loosen his tongue. Leaning his head back, he knew she would not be looking for some silly fairy tale to be retold to her, and so he thought back to the science fiction and weird stories he loved to read and know more about, until he had a perfect one. 

“Have you ever heard the story of the star-crossed lovers, Maurice and Lyda?” he asked, lifting his head and watching her, hoping she would say no, as he knew this story by heart. He could recite it from memory, thus making it easier to speak to her. 

“The only star-crossed lovers I know of are Romeo and Juliet,” she said, shifting on the cot. He smiled and nodded as that was the case with most people. 

Clearing his throat, he began his story. “Christmas, 1917, it was a time of dark, dark despair. American soldiers were dying at an ungodly rate in a war-torn Europe, while at home, a deadly strain of the flu virus attacked young and old alike,” he began, and then he forgot about her as he closed his eyes, lost in his own story. “Tragedy was a visitor on every doorstep while a creeping hopelessness set in with every man, woman. and child. It was a time of dark, dark despair.” 

“You said that already,” she said, with a smirk, and he opened his eyes to find her now lying on her side facing him, leaning on her elbow, one eyebrow raised. He grinned and then chuckled. 

“But,” he continued, “at 1501 Larkspur Lane, for a pair of star-crossed lovers, tragedy came not from war or pestilence, not by the boot heel or the bombardier, but by their own innocent hand.” He stared at her and waited, seeing if he could get that skeptical eyebrow to go down. 

“Go on,” she said, both eyebrows going up, and he knew he had piqued her interest. 

“His name was Maurice. He was a ... a brooding, but heroic young man, beloved of Lyda, a sublime beauty with a light that seemed to follow her wherever she went,” he said, waving his hands around slowly, and she laughed softly. “They were likened to two angels descended from heaven whom the gods could not protect from the horrors being visited upon this cold, grey earth.” Again he paused and stared at her, waiting to see what she would say. 

“And what happened to them?” 

“Well, according to legend, driven by a tragic fear of separation, they forged a lovers' pact so that they might spend eternity together and not spend one precious Christmas apart,” he said with a shrug and a half smile, his tongue loosened now from a story he had always enjoyed. 

“Wait. They killed themselves?” she asked, frowning as she stared at him. 

“Yeah, and supposedly their ghosts return to haunt that house every Christmas Eve,” he said, and then shivered. “I just gave myself the chills.” He stared at her with a grin and she frowned with a smile. “What?” 

“Do you really believe that story?” 

“I don’t know. Yeah. I mean, it’s kind of hard not to believe it when it —”

“Sounds so believable?” she cut across him, with a tone of disbelief. 

“You don’t believe in ghosts?” 

“Does that surprise you?” 

“Well … yeah, a little. I thought everybody believed in ghosts,” he said, with a shrug of his shoulders. 

“Like that slimy one in Ghostbusters?” she teased him and he shook his head. 

“No, not like Ghostbusters. What a joke that movie was at portraying ghosts. They are benevolent entities … well, mostly. I have read stories of places where ghosts have done horrible things and people —” He stopped talking as he looked at the barely contained grin on her face. It spread as she tried to stop it and he saw a dimple in her cheek. 

God, he was in so much trouble … 

“You believe it all, don’t you?” she asked, with a huge grin. 

“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked back, shrugging his shoulders. “I haven’t seen it disproved, so …” He shrugged again and she laughed as she shook her head. She laid down on her back, and he looked at her profile. 

So much trouble … 

“Umm … I should check your back again, just to be sure the salve is helping,” he said, getting up and picking up the container again as he knelt down beside the bed. She looked up at him, her eyes so blue, he knew that if she asked him to do anything, no matter how questionable, he would. “You need to turn over.” 

She nodded and did as he asked. He lifted his sweatshirt over her butt and up just enough to expose her back. It was looking better already and felt cooler than earlier. Still, he would apply another layer and have her lay on her stomach for a while, let it soak in better. 

“It looks better, not completely gone of course, but better than earlier. I’d say you had an allergic reaction to something. Obviously not poison oak, you would’ve been smart enough to avoid that, but at least it’s topical and nothing serious,” he said as he slowly put more salve on, both to make sure it was applied well, and because her skin was so soft, he wanted to touch it forever. She had a freckle just above the rash and he had an overwhelming desire to bend forward and kiss it. 

“What is that stuff?” she asked again, her voice muffled in her arms, hissing and then moaning, as he applied it. 

“It’s a homemade salve my mom has made for years. My sister and I were always getting scrapes and rashes as children and so she made this natural stuff because my sister cried with the stuff from the pharmacy,” he told her, rubbing slow circles across her back. 

“What were you two doing to meet such catastrophes?” 

“Well, we grew up in Chilmark, and spent a lot of time outdoors. Climbing trees, baseball games, races, playing widespread games of hide-and-seek. Inevitably, one of us would come down with some ailment and so my mother kept this on hand at all times. She called it the “Super Salve,” as we were both into superheroes then. Plus, it works really well, so …” He smiled as he thought of those days spent outside, no care for anything but being home on time for dinner. He finished applying the salve and closed the container. “Stay like that for a few minutes and let it really set in, it will help a lot.” He wiped his hands on the shirt he had worn earlier and leaned against the bed. 

He heard her turn her head and he looked at her over his shoulder. “You’re a Vineyard boy, huh? And here I thought you were all right,” she said, with a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face. 

He laughed and she turned her head back, sighing as she did. “Well, whatever she puts in that, it’s like magic. Please tell your mother that I can't thank her enough. It stings for a second, but then … ohhhh …” she said in a low voice, and he was glad she had turned her head away. Her moan shot straight to his groin and he was horrified at its betrayal in such tight quarters as the rain fell down, preventing any chance of escape. 

“Tell me more about your family,” she said and he smiled, thankful for the distraction. 

“I have a sister, she’s twenty-one. Parents still married, still live in Chilmark. My sister is living in Europe with some friends right now, for “life experience” as she calls it,” he said, looking down at the floor. 

“A single trip to Amsterdam ought to take care of that for her,” she said, and he laughed. 

“You seem awfully ... normal for growing up on the Vineyard, if you don’t mind me saying,” she said, once again turning to look at him. He raised his eyebrows at her and she smiled. 

“What exactly are you implying, Dana?” he asked with a smile. She stared at him, her face serious and then she smiled softly. 

“I think that’s the first time I've ever heard you say my name,” she said quietly. “In this class or the last one we had together.” He stared at her and he knew she was correct. He had been nervous to speak to her, in both classes, and now he was seeing how ridiculous that was to do. Besides being smart and beautiful, she was easy to talk to, and funny. 

“Yeah, I … uh … I’m not really a … I don’t hang out with many people and I don’t really engage in many conversations,” he said, and she nodded. 

“I don’t like it.” She shook her head and he frowned. “You saying that name, I mean. I just think that if you insist on being called Mulder, you should call me … Scully.” She shrugged and he stared at her, trying to decide if she was teasing him. She smiled and he knew she meant it. 

“Okay … Scully,” he said, and she grinned wider. He smiled back and she nodded. 

“Scully. I like it.” She smiled, and he cleared his throat, looking down at the floor. “And to answer your question, Mulder, I wasn’t really implying anything about Vineyard people. I was just teasing.” 

“I know … Scully,” he said, looking up at her and she smiled at him again. “I know what people think about those of us on the Vineyard and I understand. My family does belong to a country club, I went to cotillions when I was younger, and my sister was even a debutante, but only because my mother insisted on it. My sister didn’t want to do it, and in fact, the night of the ball, she left about halfway through, changed out of her ridiculous dress and gloves, and came back in jeans, a Rolling Stones t-shirt, and black Converse high tops. My mother was nearly apoplectic, but my sister just shrugged and kept dancing.” 

“I like her. She sounds like someone I’d like to know,” Dana laughed, and he nodded and smiled. Samantha was definitely someone he could see her befriending. 

“What about your family?” he asked, and she shook her head, moving to lay on her side, facing him, but keeping his sweatshirt up above her rash. 

“I’m not terribly interesting,” she said, waving him away. He stared at her as she licked her lips, biting the bottom one, and he wished he could taste them. “My parents are married, my father is in the Navy. We’ve lived in a lot of places, but have been here for the longest length of time. My older brother is also in the Navy and he’s stationed in Germany. My younger brother is starting college this coming year. I have an older sister, but I don’t really know where she is right now. She’s kind of flighty and the last time I heard from her, she was in Colorado. I think she was anyway. She’s always on the move, ‘following the wind and the sun,’ she says.” She paused and sighed. He looked at her again and she shook her head. 

“What?” 

“I don’t know,” she sighed, looking down. “I’m still not completely sure what I want to do with my life. I have always loved science and pursuing answers that are not readily available. But I know that’s not a field most women enter into, as if it’s odd a woman would find science interesting.”

“Pssh!” Mulder said forcefully. “It’s incredibly hot and sexy when women are interested in science.” Realizing what he said, his face became flushed, and he fell silent as he chanced a glance at her. She smiled, her own cheeks pink, as she looked down. Thunder cracked again and this time he jumped. 

They were quiet for a few minutes and she sighed again. “I just wish that I was more like my sister sometimes. She’s not afraid to do anything. To just up and leave, follow her passion, live in a cabin with some guy she just met and make jewelry to sell at swap meets. She’s flighty, yes, but she’s also passionate and caring, and doesn’t care how she’s perceived. She’s ballsy and tough, despite her hippie outward appearance.” She fell silent and he looked at her, wanting to tell her she was all of that and more, but he worried it would scare her, so he tried a different tactic. 

“Every person is given the personality that’s right for them,” he said, looking at the wall across the room. “We see in others what we imagine we are lacking, and yet it’s there, just perhaps not right at the surface. Every person is exactly who they are meant to be.” 

“Wow, you and my sister would get along really well,” she told him with a quiet laugh. “Dare I say, even make a good couple.” 

“Hmm, what’s her stance on science?” he asked, watching her out of the corner of his eye. 

“The whole idea of it?” she laughed. “I wouldn’t say she’s against it, but she’s more prone to believe in the healing power of crystals than modern medicine.” 

“Oh, well, then I'm sorry, I’m gonna have to pass. A firm grasp in the belief of science is high on my list. I’d put it at top five, easily,” he said, turning his head to find her staring at him. She did not blink for a few seconds, holding his stare, until thunder cracked again, and she jumped. 

“It’s late,” he said quietly. “You should try to get some sleep. Is your back feeling better?” She nodded, staring at him again, as she pulled his sweatshirt down and covered her back. She got inside the sleeping bag, glanced at him once more, and then turned toward the wall. 

“Good night, Mulder,” she said softly. 

“Good night … Scully,” he replied with a smile, shifting until he was lying on his back on the floor, his arm behind his head, listening to the rain falling unrelentingly on the roof. A few minutes later, he heard her soft breathing and he smiled again, as he himself fell asleep. 

________________

Mulder woke early, wanting to be sure Dana was out of his cabin and back in her own, before anyone else was up and about. No need for anyone to suspect anything, especially as it pertained to her. 

She walked to her cabin, slipping in the mud a bit, as she arrived at her door. She turned and looked at him as she walked inside, an odd expression on her face. He hoped it was not one of regret or worry over what they had shared last night. Then just as the door was about to close, she poked her head out and smiled at him, and his heart pounded wildly against his rib cage. 

The campsite was a muddy wet mess that morning. No chance for the warmth of a fire, as the fire pit was full of water, and every piece of wood in the forest was wet regardless. 

Once everyone was up, and that discovery was made, the grumbling began. Foul moods abounded, but Mulder was not fazed by any of them. He could not stop grinning, remembering Dana’s laugh and the beautiful blue of her eyes. 

He saw her speaking to Professor Morrow, showing him her back, though not in the same manner she had to him last night. He could not hear them speaking, but the professor glanced his way and nodded, telling him without words that he had done the right thing. 

Bags packed and everything ready, they began the long hike back down. The weather made it harder, but they were meant to be back that day, so everyone kept a steady pace. As the car park came into view, Kyle slipped and fell, much to everyone’s amusement. Covered in mud, he swore and yelled, trying to wipe himself clean, and failing. 

Gathering by all the cars, Professor Morrow reminded them to finish their workbooks and to write a 2,000 word essay about the weekend and what they experienced. Some groaned and others grinned. Mulder saw Dana smile softly and he wondered what she was thinking about. 

People began to leave and soon it was just a few of them. Dana walked over to him, his sweatshirt in her hands, and a smile on her face. He stared at her, feeling Hannah’s eyes on them, making him feel awkward. 

“Thank you for the use of your sweatshirt, Fox … Mulder.” She handed it to him and he took it, laying it over his arm. 

“You’re welcome, Dana … Scully,” he said and she grinned. They stared at each other, and the desire to kiss her was stronger than anything he had ever felt. Her eyes flicked to his lips and his mouth went dry. Looking back into his eyes, they continued to stand there, staring at one another. 

“Dana! Come on, let’s go!” Hannah called from across the car park, causing Mulder to jump, and Dana to sigh. 

“Okay,” she called back, looking at her over her shoulder. She looked back at Mulder and smiled sadly. “See you in class.” 

“Yeah,” he said quietly, feeling deflated and low. “See you in class.” She stared at him, waiting, and he stepped back with his head down. He heard her sigh again and then the crunch of her boots on the gravel of the car park. 

Looking up, he watched them drive away and felt like a complete fool. “You are such an idiot. So stupid.” He threw his backpack in the backseat and then got in the car, heading for his little apartment off campus, berating himself the whole way, knowing he had completely missed his chance. 

Arriving home, he went around back and sat on his porch, dumping out his backpack, making sure no little creatures had hitched a ride home. He looked through everything, made piles of things to put away and to be washed. He looked at his sweatshirt and shook his head. Dana’s naked body had been inside it, but he still needed to wash it. 

Taking off everything but his undershirt and shorts, he walked barefoot to the front door and unlocked it. Coming through his small one bedroom apartment, he opened the back door and began to bring things inside. Once that was done, he stripped, tossing his clothes outside, and took a shower. 

Changed and feeling better physically, but still like an idiot, he scooped up his pile of clothes from outside, grabbed the laundry soap and some quarters, and headed to the laundry room. He opened the lid, added the quarters, and started to put his clothes inside. Taking the time to go through his pockets, he found a rock and some small pieces of dried leaves, which he threw away. 

His sweatshirt was last, and he sighed as he reached inside the pockets, and frowned as he touched something. Taking it out, he saw it was a folded piece of paper. Opening it, he grinned and then laughed as he read the words written on the page. 

How could you just let me walk away? Just let me leave without a trace?

Scully 

(301) 555-0134

P.S. I’m working on those hidden personality traits. 

He threw the sweatshirt in the wash, dumped in the soap, closed the lid, pushed in the quarter tray, and ran upstairs. Slamming the door, he grabbed the phone and dialed her number. His heart pounding, breath ragged, he waited. Two rings and then her voice made him stop moving. 

“Scully.” 

“Hey, Scully, it’s me.” He grinned as he moved again and walked to the couch, flopping down on it. 

“Well, it’s about damn time, Mulder,” she teased. 

“I’m inclined to agree.” He laughed, sitting forward and shaking his head. She joined his laughter and then they fell silent. His heart began pounding, but if she had been braver than usual, then he could be too. “I … I wanted to kiss you.” 

“I know,” she said quietly. “Me, too.” The honesty they expressed, left him tongue tied once again. Just hearing her voice in his ear made his body feel warm. 

“So, Mulder … do you suppose that house on Larkspur Lane is haunted only on Christmas? Surely it could do with a scientific investigation, just to see,” she said, and he could hear her smile. He sat back with a grin, ready to discuss haunted houses, or any other damn thing she wanted. 

For the next ten minutes, an hour, or for the rest of his life. 

[codename-adler]

tell me everything abt Dakota Emerson

16: Dakota Emerson (21) USC Trojans Striker

Dare I say Allison's biggest competition? Drop-dead gorgeous bi icon blondie turning heads all around, and she'll kick your ass too. But she's also an academic monster. Allison would absolutely loathe her.

Dakota's education goes like this: Double BA in Gender and Sexuality Studies + Political Science; then an MA in Political Science and International Relations; then a PhD in the same fields; plus a side Minor in Legal Studies, as well as a Minor in Queer Studies and Gender & Social Justice. (i do not know the US school system, i did my best)

The only ones who got her beat are Gabby and Namrita. Needless to say, Dakota is their #1 fan always. Absolute fangirl behavior. They would have been a dangerous trio of brainiac bffs if it weren't for Dakota's overbearing enthusiasm and awkwardness when it comes to those two. But Dakota's been at it since she was a Freshman, so they're more used to it now. She's still a lot.

But apart from Gabby and Namrita, Dakota is so fucking impossible. She's got a comeback for everything. She does not take your shit. She'll tear you a new one if you even insinuate something degrading or hateful. It's a good thing she is dedicated body and soul to her studies and Exy because she does not have friends (yet). She doesn't really mind nor care, but once she gets one or two close friends for the first time, she'll understand what she's been missing.

She's so deep into studies all the time, a whirlwind, a fucking handful. She is very stressed, but that does not keep her from acing everything and looking flawless all the time. It's very irritating for the others, to see her succeed so well and still looking like that. She always has a heavy-ass manual with her she can beat you up with.

Don't you fucking dare compare her to Hermione Granger or she'll make you rue the day you were born without even putting her hands on you.

She's very hot and cold. Hot for smarts and cold for losers and bigots. She's fired up every game, every presentation, but her icy stare is scary af when it lands on you. You just know you fucked up.

Of course, her competitive trait and overachieving personality come from strict, demanding parents. Only child, she could never escape their scrutinization. She didn't grow up overly rich or poor per se, but if she wanted something, she had to get it herself. All the funding came from her; all the scholarships she received were thanks to her own hustling. She never got help. A severe, absent father and a criticizing trophy-wife mother; she never had the choice to be anything but the best. Jeremy and her actually bond a lot over that, once Dakota lets her pristine facade down a little bit for him to peek through. Fortunately for her, though, and miraculously, she was able to forge her own drive, aiming to surpass her parents, and well on her way to to just that and more, but without the usual burnout or mental breakdown. She's tough. Wish that was me. Although she's 110% all in for both Exy and her studies, the balance of mental and physical work probably has something to do with how well-adjusted and thriving she is.

Oh and she sings also. Because why would she stop there. She's so good it's annoying. Designated lullaby singer on away games.

Striker position because it's the flashiest and one that runs the most around. The crowds love her. She really knows how to hype 'em up.

Dakota is very well-spoken, informed, serious, true to herself and unapologetic. She can be intimidating, exhausting, dizzying, impressive, relentless and ruthless. Her eyes are really something. Big brown pools of knowledge. She got big dreams, big brain and big muscles. No ass no titties unfortunately. Oh well. That's never stopped her before. Her aura is big enough to compensate this slight lacking.

Inspos include: Angèle (singer), Manon Demissy (SKAM FR), Samara Weaving (specifically in Ready Or Not), Hannah Dodd, Amy March, Jo March, Annabeth Chase.

-- Trojan OCs lineup here --

[officialdaydreamer00]

♡IRENE'S FRIENDS♡

"ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴀɪɴ'ᴛ ᴀ ʟɪꜱᴛ ᴀɴyᴍᴏʀᴇ. ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴀ ꜰᴜᴄᴋɪɴɢ ꜱᴄʀᴏʟʟ." They laughed, shaking their head in disbelief.

Official moot count: 44 (bc there's so many of yguys :'D)

🐙 @azulashengrottospiano — aubbie ♡

🌌 @gardenhallow — leah ♡

🌺 @shyhaya — hayami ♡

🌟 @hisui-dreamer — rinna ♡

🍙 @tinyletterz — remy ♡

🪓 @identity-theft-101 — denti ♡

��� @names-are-dumb — abel ♡

🎉 @aqua-beam — calira ♡

💪 @i-like-forgs — ryoko ♡

💙 @the-v-lociraptor — raptor ♡

💚 @valerie-leech — valerie ♡

🌙 @siren-serenity — rennie ♡

🎀 @shinysparklesapphires — sapphy ♡

🪩 @cecilebutcher — cece ♡

🌚 @the-dumber-scaramouche — dajana ♡

💜 @vioisgoinginsane — vio ♡

🥀 @totallymem3 — meme ♡

🔷️ @ceruleancattail — ceru ♡

😬 @loser-jpg — loser ♡

🌸 @moonlit-midnight — hannah ♡

🙏 @ang33333333l — angel ♡

💎 @iseethatimicy — icy ♡

🃏 @nem0-nee — nem ♡

🍞 @ameleii — soru ♡

🦚 @ryker-writes — ryker ♡

🍰 @siphoklansan — sippy ♡

🪅 @dove-da-birb — dove ♡

🦑 @minimallyminnie — minnie ♡

😊 @savanaclaw1996 — anna ♡

🌾 @krenenbaker — henry ♡

🪷 @twistwonderlanddevotee — sofia ♡

🍮 @keii-starz — kei ♡

🐰 @bun-lapin — bun ♡

🍪 @cookiesandbiscuits — cookie ♡

🤠 @red-viewe — red ♡

🪸 @mermaidfanficlibrary — ocean ♡

🐀 @xen-blank — xen/lu/le ♡

🧡 @ferris-the-wheel — ferris wheel ♡

🌕 @cheezy-moon — moony ♡

🎶 @thehollowwriter — quinn ♡

🪼 @taruruchi — taru ♡

🌷 @jaylleoo14 — jay ♡

💿 @edith-is-a-cat — edie ♡

🌊 @wordycheeseblob — saki ♡

🎇 @enigmatic-pers — pers ♡

please tell me if i accidentally forget any of you D: i will feel bad if i actually did

[pyrovverse]

ROCK AND A HARD PLACE .

Little Rock, Arkansas. Circa 2003.

CW: Gore, murder, general dark themes

Drug dens, cheap motels, and couch surfing. This was the life Jeffery Woodson made for himself during the escape from his crimes in Arizona. He wound up in Little Rock through various hitchhiking adventures and decided on a whim to take residence in the bustling city for a short while.

He quickly created a reputation for himself in the underground as a notorious extremist. With due time, Jeff developed a circle of followers so tight knit it was almost to the point of intriguing exclusivity. These people crowded around him like winged insects to a funeral pyre, and the man was one they worshipped like a God. Handpicking each and every person, he crafted a group only of associates who would subserve themselves to him. Jeff preached to them words of war, mayhem and hatred as though he was reading from the gospel of destruction. He painted a picture of the weak versus the strong, the winners versus the losers. In this little corner of the city, he was king.

It didn’t take long for him to settle in and begin making his mark through a rough series of murders, exerting power over those he viewed as inferior trash such as women who were a bit too much like his mother and men who were a bit too much like himself.

Three unfortunate sex workers fell victim to Jeffery. Amanda Chapman (31), Aimee Robinson (25), and Hannah Carter (24) were all found dead in various locations from motel rooms to dumpsters. Besides being brunette female prostitutes, the victims all shared one other distinct quality. They all had their mouths slit. Autopsy reveals this was done before the actual murder occurred, alongside various means of battery and torture. The sudden spike in murders throughout the past 4 months slowly gained the attention of authorities who slacked on investigating the killings due to the bad reputation of the victims. A criminal getting rid of other criminals wasn’t much of a worry for the police force.

It took one man who was assigned the case, George Harrison, to really enunciate the potential dangers of the murderer they had on their hands. Three victims in such a short time span meant they were now dealing with a serial killer. A man who effortlessly beat, tortured and mutilated the bodies of women he swept off the streets. It was clear the murderer was going down a road he would not come back from. Now, as the lead investigator, it was up to George to track the unknown assailant down.

For the next few months, the dedicated cop would obsessively pursue leads. Eventually he learned from his daughter, Jane, of a case in Arizona earlier that year of two women who were found in similar states as the victims found in Little Rock. The identical M.O was what brought George down the path which led him to the dirty streets of the city where no man with a good conscience would go. He interviewed the traffickers, met with gangsters, made deals with thieves. It was a quick and swift descendent into the madness of humanity.

All it took was one tired afternoon in a coffee shop for George to sheepishly scan over his notes and pick up on a hidden clue he hadn’t seen before. A lightbulb lit up over his head that sent a wakening bolt of electricity through his overworked body. This was it. This was it.

Hopping into his old, sputtering car, he drove down to the crime-ridden streets of Little Rock and stopped out in front of a small, dark, broken down home. Inside the house was three women - two hookers, and one younger lady named Shelly Markson - and two men, Aaron Cooper and Jeffery Woodson.

George approached the building with caution and roughly knocked on the creaky old front door which was hidden behind a screen door that had the screen slashed open. The lack of answer, followed by the muffled sound of irritated chatter from inside, prompted the man to knock once more. It took a minute for the door to open, presenting a slim, pale man with long black hair and brooding blue eyes that were so dark they nearly resembled the depths of the sea. Gods great flood. Most notably, the stranger had a deep scar on the left side of his mouth, leading up his cheek like half a smile. The authoritarian energy of the younger male overpowered Georges by every means, and the police badge plastered in his wallet did nothing to offer the elder a sense of power. This wasn’t his terf, and he knew he oughta be careful now.

Softly but firmly, George opened his mouth and dryly escaped words of introduction to the man he was faced with. He let it be known he was a man of law enforcement, and was only there on business of pursuing leads regarding a case. To his surprise, the younger man was very cooperative, friendly even, as he agreed to answer any questions of his and offered George to continue the conversation with him inside. Away from prying eyes, away from the outside world, away from witnesses.

In that house, God did not exist. Peace did not exist. Humanity did not exist, or in other words it existed far too much. Primitively, Jeffery Woodson would beat George Harrison to death in front of the other four inhabitants of that devils house. Despite the witnesses pleads for him to calm down and back off, to a bloody pulp Jeff beat the elder man, and he wouldn’t stop until George was nothing but an unrecognizable corpse. The cops blood coated Jeffs hands and it fitted tightly like gloves, an article of crime and punishment.

“This is our territory. And this is what we do to anyone who stands in our way” Jeff stated with pride, his strong voice booming with such charm and vigour it brought the witnesses to their knees. Great Marquis of Hell, Jeff stood bold amongst the bloody mess of his wrath.

“He was sticking his dirty nose where he shouldn’t have been sticking it. This fuckin’ pig was going to bring us all down. You wanted to sit by and let him prey on you? I did you all a favour.”

October 23rd, 2003 was the morning Jane Harrison received the unfortunate news that her fathers body had been recovered in a dumpster outside of the police station. She later learned that he was left beat so unrecognizable that he was only identified through his badge.

Denial was the first thing that flew through her mind after hearing the words through the phone. Ending the call then and there, not to entertain that disrespect on her fathers name, crossed her mind. He had to have been still alive, and he was surely going to be home for supper as he always did. Surely.

5pm, 6pm, 7pm. The clock ticked on and each minute that passed began to burrow painfully into her chest. It was well past dinnertime when Jane finally made the devastating decision to go to the station to identify the body. Not a single tear was shed as George’s brutally mutilated body was presented to her.

“That is my father” were the only words to leave her lips etched into a frown. The weight of the world fell onto Jane in one single night, suffocating her with a heavy coat called grief. Loss was far too a familiar subject for her. Her fists balled and her breathing became shallow as the moment of sadness quickly grew into pure anger. It was her duty now to pick up where her father had left off and find the man responsible for destroying her world. She was going to get her revenge.

[professionalfixator]

I've had a divine vision.

If you stanned __ during 45, you now stan ___ in 46

Dee, Venus ("is she kind of a mean person? sure. still a queen tho", oddly aggressive with other fans on social media, will excuse anything she does)

Austin, Hunter ("himbo sweetheart pls win this for us", also love bromances)

Jake, Ben ("they're so skeojajslks BABYGIRL")

Katurah, Soda ("she can do no wrong in my eyes", will defend their girl against all the people hating on her for really lame reasons)

Julie, Maria ("mother is mothering", really want a middle aged female winner, strongly believe this is their time!!)

Drew, Tevin ("is he a little mean? yes. it's iconic tho & we all know he's actually a sweetheart deep down", will defend him against any and all haters, also love bromances)

Emily, Kenzie ("people can change, guys!", love a good underdog success story)

Bruce, Liz ("everyone hates them, but not me!" wants them to win just to clown on everybody, not sure if they acc believe it or not)

Kendra, Moriah ("she's so silly i love her", love her quirkiness & free spirit, desperately hoping she'll go far in the game)

Kellie, Jem ("BRING HER BACK!", mourning their strong and strategic winner pick gone too soon, not having a good time rn)

Kaleb, Q (love dominating threats with solid social games, also deeply afraid of their giant targets getting them voted out)

Sifu, Randen (had such high hopes, unfortunately things did not go well, also got criminally underutilized in the edit)

J.Maya, Jess ("they did my girl so dirty :(", loved them for their chaotic and fun personalities, were personally offended by the low-key bullying they received from the other female players)

Brando, Charlie ("my nerdy son who i have such high hopes for", really hoping for the best this time around, find their hyperspecific interests in things endearing)

Sean, Bhanu (not sure how to explain this one)

Sabiyah, Tiffany (a whole queen with a shit ton of strategic potential, has to put up with the constant madness from her chaos loser tribe)

Brandon, Tim (really like underrated side characters?)

Hannah, Jelinsky ("they are legends in my eyes", love the messiness, embrace the chaos)

if you think i'm wrong...🤷🏻‍♀️

[indigos-shits-and-giggles]

Shiny from Moana is so Neptune coded actually, ESPECIALLY in timelines where he's ascended to their Lord in Black form, Starry (or, A'stertunus, if you want to be extra formal). And, interestingly, I think this particular song would be very interesting if it's centered around Starry singing to Hannah.

Now, the first verse seems to be mainly Starry singing about "hey look how cool and pretty I am, I'm a fucking immortal cat god and you're just mortal you fucking loser," and of course the "did your granny say listen to your heart / be who you are on the inside / I need three words to tear her argument apart / your granny LIED" is Starry mocking the things Webby might've told Hannah growing up. Y'know, classic "Webby is a stupid bitch" stuff. But, what these lines really are is the start of the Neptune/Starry and Hannah parallels, yippee!

While most of the song goes about as you'd expect, with Starry singing a cool and awesome song while bragging about how cool and awesome hy is, as Hannah just... Tries to survive, where it REALLY gets juicy is the "Far from the ones who abandoned you" bit where in the original song it's Tamatoa making fun of Maui's backstory and how weak that makes him, here that same part is recontextualized as Starry seeing a reflection of himself in Hannah and HATING IT.

Here's a lyric by lyric breakdown of the parallels so it can fully understand how GENIUS they are.

"Far from the ones who abandoned you / chasing the love of these humans who made you feel wanted."

At first glance, these lines are simply Starry mocking Hannah for their fraught relationship with both their parents, with an absent father and a neglectful, abusive mother, and how that drove them to follow Webby. However, if you know anything about Neptune's backstory, this is strikingly similar to THEIR reason for worshipping Pokey, becoming his adopted son, and in timelines where hy's ascended to his Lord in Black form as Starry, EVEN BECAME A GOD AT ALL. Neptune had a similarly fraught relationship with both his parents, where they were borderline neglectful to them, only caring enough to keep hymn fed, watered, and sheltered, leaving him constantly starved for some form of attention, affection, or a scrap of parental approval. And, just like Hannah, this drove Neptune into the waiting arms of an eldritch god, though instead of the benevolent Queen in White, Webby, it was the most uncompromising of her brothers, Pokotho, the Singular Voice himself.

"You tried to be tough / but your armor's just not hard enough."

This line, in this case, gives away Neptune/Starry's underlying feelings towards Hannah. Again, they realize how similar they are, how they were taken in by eldritch paternal figures for similar reasons, and hy HATES it. In his mind, this just means they have to work to prove hy's BETTER than Hannah somehow, that he's stronger, tougher, and they didn't get where hy was just by being Pokey's son. Acknowledging their similarities would mean acknowledging all his deep rooted issues with their parents, hymns need for approval, and shockingly low self worth, and he doesn't want to do that because that would mean (to Starry, at least), acknowledging hy's weak. So, his goading and mocking of Hannah and how they're supposedly weaker than them is, in reality, hymn grasping at straws, trying to find something that sets him apart from Hannah, makes them better and still worthwhile.

It's honestly kind of depressing, if you think of it. What with all their similarities, Neptune and Hannah might have had an opportunity to become friends once upon a time if Neptune just got a bit of therapy, but because of hymns inferiority complex and fear of not being "good enough" for Pokey, for ANYONE, it's these same similarities that drive them further apart.

[madametnt]

The Worst Possible Run of Until Dawn as Scientifically Calculated by Me

Sequel to this post aka Best Run(TM) can be found here

Many people have jokingly done “worst runs” of Until Dawn. Usually these are standard “everybody dies” runs where you kill every character as soon as possible, or you’re just trying to pick all the seemingly funny options. However, these runs are typically done without the absurd amount of game knowledge a loser like me possesses.

Armed with my awareness of Until Dawn’s intricacies, I sought something deeper than a simple all deaths run. My mission was to not only kill these characters in the most tragic way possible, but make them the worst possible versions of themselves while doing it. Fair warning, this guide will contain spoilers for the entirety of Until Dawn since it is best experienced after playing through the game at least once. You get to see a lot of dialogue exchanges that I haven’t been able to find documented anywhere on YouTube, so it’s very worth while if you are interested in that kind of thing. Here’s how I did it.

For this run we are only getting clues/interactables that are either mandatory, or give you the opportunity to lower a relationship with another character. The only exception to this is the hand you can touch as Mike in the asylum because it makes him look stupid. The characters have a tendency to discuss things they find and piece together clues, but not finding any change the cutscenes to make them look like confused and bumbling idiots completely oblivious to what’s going on.

Another thing that will make sense later is that you actually need to play some sections of the game correctly as to set up worse fates for the characters later down the line. Missing QTE’s for the most part only serves to slow the game down, but if you feel like doing so in the earlier sections of the game where the threat of danger is minimal then who am I to stop you?

Dr. Hill is kind of an odd ball and you can get kind of creative with these parts since they are mostly subjective. I personally recommend picking options that hate on animals, crowds, fearing women, etc. Pick the more selfish moral options, I recommend honesty since too much honesty can be seen as cruel. Just don’t pick charity, we hate giving to others here. When picking characters, pick Josh as your favorite since we wanna be a narcissist and Sam as your least favorite since she’s the most difficult to make a terrible person. The absolute must though is being completely unrepentant about the prank and suffering of the characters. Play it like Josh genuinely thinks they are getting what they deserve.

Anything labeled a “bonus” is something that doesn’t really effect anything, but add just that little extra flavor of awfulness. They aren’t mandatory and can be skipped if you feel they are a waste of time.

Last thing is anything marked with a * is just additional information

PROLOGUE

- Drop Hannah

Bonus: miss all QTE’s, take safe route, pick follow footprints, pick follow noise

CHAPTER 1

* You have to feed the squirrel or else you can’t progress

- Snoop in Chris’s bag as Sam to lower their relationship

- Shoot the squirrel as Chris to lower his relationship with Sam

- Explain as Jessica

* This will lower her relationship with Sam slightly while raising it with Chris, (vice versa if you pick demand) but between the two options I think explain comes off as sassier

- Threaten Mike as Matt to lower their relationship

- Protest Emily’s request to go back for her bag

* Despite it seeming sweet Matt is worried about his GF, threatening Mike actually raises his relationship with Emily so protesting will immediately put it back down

- Encourage Matt to look in the telescope as Ashley

* Snowball fight is mostly irrelevant except for this next step, deck Mike to your hearts content

- Hit the bird during the snowball fight

- Shove a snowball in Mike’s face

* The ice sickle QTE afterwards doesn’t matter as Mike will save Jess if she doesn’t push them out of the way first

Bonus: mislead Matt when he initially asks to look through the telescope before conceding afterwards, this basically lets Matt know that Ashley at least momentarily tried to deceive him and then proceeded to be a complete pushover after a little prodding

CHAPTER 2

- Gossip with Josh as Chris as worry raises their relationship

- Be unsettled when talking to Ashley as Chris since confident raises their relationship

- This is a bit hard to miss, but if you walk down (basically opposite of where Ashley is sitting) you can talk to Matt. Ask him how he Emily are doing. This will upset him since he looked through the telescope earlier.

- Basically keep telling Josh to stop being a creep when he talks to Chris about Ashley since agreeing with him raises their relationship

* Talking with Sam doesn’t have any dialogue choices

- Fight Mike as Matt (pick warn followed by attack) this will set Matt’s relationship with every character except Emily to almost zero

Now for a section I like to call Being a Horrible Boyfriend starring Michael Munroe: Part 1

- Jessica will ask Mike about Matt, I forgot what the exact option is called but you want to downplay what happened instead of being openly mad at Matt so Jessica can call bullshit on you

- Ask Jess what she remembers about the prank to be insensitive and lower their relationship

- When Jessica falls into the mineshaft, be as unhelpful and unheroic as possible, do not willingly jump down (Mike will eventually do so on his own after Jessica complains enough) to lower their relationship

- Be grumpy about the bird to lower their relationship

Back to our regularly scheduled programming

- Be mocking about Chris and Ashley as Sam to lower her relationship with Josh

- Tell Josh that “it’s weird to be back” when he tells Sam he’s glad she came

- Pick up the baseball bat while Josh is doing Josh things

- Select humorous, this causes Sam to bring up Josh’s daddy issues and lower their relationship

- Do not high five him. This doesn’t effect stats or anything but it’s about the disrespect.

* Choosing to prank him or not does not affect their relationship

- Choose to investigate the noise together since picking heroic raises their relationship

Bonus: intentionally fuck up the selfie as Mike with Jess

CHAPTER 3

- Be flippant about the spirit board as Ashley to lower her relationship with Josh

* Pick any options you want during the seance, just be sure you don’t apologize since we are unrepentant bitches

Being a Horrible Boyfriend starring Michael Munroe: Part 2

- Be angry about getting pranked

- Do not cross the bridge, instead walk down towards the camera until you discover a tree with E+M surrounded by a heart

- Interact with it, and then make Mike deny it was him and blame it on Emily in a display of toxic masculinity and lower his relationship with Jess

- Kill the deer as Mike because animal cruelty

- Go into the old shed and pick up the mask inside

- Choose scare to be an asshole (and lower their relationship)

- During the chase sequence, pick all the safe options (or let time run out prompting Jess to take the lead), and make sure not to help Jess and unlock the door instead

- Pick up the rifle near the front door and select scare to lower their relationship and be an even BIGGER asshole

- Dismiss Jessica’s insecurities, pick seduce to further ignore her emotional vulnerability, and just generally use your intuition to be an uncaring dick to lower their relationship

This ends our series of Being a Horrible Boyfriend starring Michael Munroe

- Show Ashley the letter as Chris, as being protective implies we care

CHAPTER 4

- For once we wanna be a good boyfriend as Mike and save Jessica during the chase (pick all the risky options, jump instead of shimmy, and get through the QTE’s)

* This is a setup so we can give her a sadder death with Matt in the caves

- Choose to save Ashley as Chris, this lowers his relationship with Josh and makes him bitter later on

CHAPTER 5

- Touch the waving hand. Let the intrusive thoughts win.

- Choose to pry free twice, before cutting off your fingers with the newly dulled blade to cause Mike more suffering

- Kick the dog :(

- Do not feed the dog :(

- Tell Emily to squeeze through the window as Matt, she will deny him since our relationship is low and choosing this lowers it further

- Disagree when Emily says to go to the radio tower to lower their relationship

- When Emily falls off the ledge you’re shimmying on, do nothing to help her (she’ll pull herself up on her own but be pissed)

- Get caught by the Psycho as Sam (literally just stand there)

CHAPTER 6

- Rebuke Emily as Matt to lower their relationship

- Kill the elk as Matt, but don’t let him fall off the cliff since we need him alive for now

* You cannot miss any quick time event as he’s climbing back up or he will fall to his death so be extra careful

- Do not give the flare gun to Matt as Emily to lower their relationship

- Immediately fire the flare gun so that we guarantee Emily gets bitten later (having the unused flare gun lets you avoid this)

- Be completely un-compliant with the man on the radio and do the opposite of what he tells you

- Confront Emily about her and Mike as Matt on the tower and be generally unhelpful

- Choose jump to safety both times and by this point Emily should despise Matt

- Insist you saw the ghost as Ashley to Chris to lower their relationship

- Look at the catalogue of lightbulbs in the basement to have Ashley pick up the scissors

- Have Ashley be dismissive towards the prank when talking to Chris to lower their relationship

- Be reluctant at continuing on because we hate our friends

- Enter the door which I believe is in the room with the hitlist, you’ll find a projector inside. Be sure to interact with it

- Be unrepentant about the prank when Chris comments on it to Ashley to lower their relationship

- Don’t follow Chris because splitting up is stupid and thus you want to do it

- Stab the psycho as Ashley, this makes Chris punch Josh later

- Aim the gun at Ashley first to distress her cause we’re evil

- Shoot her as Chris to lower their relationship to 0

CHAPTER 7

- Do not show concern for Mike or Jessica as Sam after getting rescued as this will raise her relationship with them, focus on factual choices like asking how he got there and such

- Play through Emily’s section normally, just be sure to continue not getting unnecessary clues

- Dismiss Josh as Chris to lower their relationship

- Be angry with Josh as Chris to lower their relationship

* Because we chose to save Ashley over Josh, he will antagonize Chris here and further lower their relationship

- Hit Josh and Chris with the plywood to lower his relationship with Josh and lose Mike’s respect

CHAPTER 8

- Survive the encounter with the wendigo as Emily so we can give her a more tragic death later on (just don’t fail too many QTE’s)

- Be confused as Chris when talking to Emily and do not show any concern for her or Matt

- As Chris, demand to have the pistol from Mike, he will deny you because you hit Josh earlier in the shed

- Survive the encounter with the wendigo as Chris all the way through, Ashley will refuse to let him in once he makes it to the house, letting the wendigo kill him

- Shoot Emily as Mike in the basement which puts his relationship with every character present at 0

- Hide the truth as Ashley from Sam since Sam will immediately figure out she is lying and their relationship will drop to zero

CHAPTER 9

- Once the action sequence as Mike starts, put your controller down and enjoy some relaxation as him (and the doggy :( ) get pummeled

- Investigate voice as Ashley

- Open the thumping trap door to get Ashley killed as you won’t have the opportunity to do so later

CHAPTER 10

- Let Matt get smacked by Jessica because funny

- Do not ask Jessica if she is alright as Matt since we do not want to show empathy

- Choose hide during the chase scene, make sure to catch Jessica before she falls

- Afterwards, choose abandon Jessica

* Running ahead could be seen as accidental where as abandoning Jessica implies Matt is knowingly leaving her to die which is much worse

- Fail to close the door in time to get Matt killed

- “Come on shake your body, baby, do the conga!“ AKA fail all the don’t moves

You did it! You made all these characters into the worst versions of themselves they could possibly be.

[moongeonight]

Are you okay?

Summary: Neville had just finished his potions class with Professor Snape and he is feeling quite useless and depressed by his horrible comments, Luckily for him, Hannah is there to help.

A/N: Here it is! I hope you like it anon!

----------------------

Neville was walking to his bedroom feeling utterly dejected after what Professor Snape had said today, He always had a hard time in that class, but today he felt like he was really getting it.

He had put in extra work over Christmas break, and he had come in that day feeling confident he might actually get a decent mark, But Professor Snape's harsh criticism of his potion had reduced him back to feeling foolish and useless.

Neville arrived at his common room, He wanted to curl up somewhere and be alone, but the common room was crowded with people playing games, talking loudly, and generally having a good time. He didn't want to interact with anyone. Instead, he looked around for a space somewhere in the room where he could sit and be alone. Luckily, he managed to find a seat alone in the corner by the fireplace.

he was there for a few minutes lost in his mind until he heard a voice.

"hey... are you okay...?" When he looked up, it was Hannah Abbott.

Neville jumped upon hearing her voice. He hadn't even realized there was anyone else around, But he looked up and saw Hannah, who was standing over him with a worried expression on her face. Neville's heart skipped a beat as he saw her looking at him, he felt butterflies every time he saw her, he didn't want her to see him in this state.

Neville quickly tried to compose himself, he wanted her to think of him as someone strong and confident, not some weak loser who would break down the second someone was hard on him, He tried to put on a smile.

"I...I'm fine...just...uhm...tired."

Hannah clearly doesn't feel very sure about this answer and tells him.

"can I sit here...?"

"Oh...y...yes of course..."

Neville feels relieved when he sees that Hannah wants to sit with him. He had felt pretty alone up until then, and it felt good to have someone sit here next to him, He smiles at her.

with the affirmation Hannah smiles back and sits next to him, which causes a rather warm silence.

Neville is not used to having Hannah this close to him, He can feel her warmth and the scent of her perfume mixed with the smell of the fire that is burning in the fireplace. He feels his face flush and his heart rate increase, He wants to say something to keep the conversation going, but he doesn't know what to say, Instead, he just sits quietly and smiles at her.

"So... Do you feel better, at least a little?" Hannah said with a somewhat worried tone.

Neville felt like he should lie and say he felt better, but he felt that it would be better to be honest with her, since she had noticed him looking upset in the first place.

"I...I... mean... I feel ok, but I'm just...uhm... a bit down about my potion result, I thought I was going to do well this time, but Professor Snape just made it worse, he made me feel horrible..."

"How horrible, seriously, Professor Snape is always so rude to you.." Hannah said with indignation.

Neville feels slightly reassured when she sympathizes with him like this.

"Y...yeah...I can't even count the number of times he's made me feel bad and discouraged. Sometimes I think he just hates me, he..."

Neville feels his throat tighten and he can't finish the sentence.

Seeing his sadness again, Hannah wrapped her arm around his waist to give him a half hug, she really wants to cheer him up, or at least distract him from his sadness a little... she had a little idea.

taking advantage of the fact that she has her hand around his waist, she begins to gently pinch his sides, tickling him.

Neville feels a warm, fuzzy sensation in his stomach when Hannah wraps her arm around his waist. He feels both the heat of her body next to his, and her hand grazing the small of his back.

Neville laughs and squirms around when he feels he being tickled, His sides are extremely ticklish, and he starts laughing uncontrollably.

"Wait...! S-stop... Hahahaha! you...you'll...k-kihihihill...me!!"

Hannah rolls her eyes slightly with a non-stop smile. "come on don't be so dramatic"

Neville tries to laugh off her comment, but he really was in an extremely ticklish place on his sides and she seems very intent on keeping it up.

"B-but I'm very sensihihitive...! Ahahaha!"

Neville is laughing so hard that he is barely able to get words out after a while.

"where? here?" She said with now a mischievous smile as she gently squeezed one of his ribs.

Neville lets out an involuntary 'eep!' at the squeeze, and his arms immediately goes up to cover his rib area.

"NO! AHAHAHA! I..I... I'm even more ticklish over thehehere..! dohohon't do it...! HAHAHA!"

Despite saying this, he feels his heart beating a little faster when she had her hand on his waist.

after a few seconds she had mercy and stopped, now patting him on the back. "heh I'm sorry maybe I got carried away, are you okay?"

Neville feels a little disappointed that she had stopped, He realizes just now how nice he felt with her hand on his side, He laughs nervously and tries to play off the whole situation.

'Y...yeah, yeah...I...I'm fine, I was just, just really ticklish I guess..."

"heh yes I can see that" she said laughing although then she calmed down a little.

"and... how do you feel now... You know... because of what happened before..."

Neville was silent for a moment and thought about the situation, it's true that... He still felt bad about what happened in that class, but... with Hannah here... maybe he had a reason to smile.

"Yeah... I'm fine now"

[mariailoveyou-guerin]

anyday or any minute kanthonys gonna hate on Sophie more Kate Simone girlies really as we all know Benedict is more favourited then Kate trash man and therefore benophie more loved popular bc if ben and they cant stand that especially since Sophie is Asian so they Kate fans gonna

hate her even more because of that even the actress and on top of Sophie being a working class a real character like Penelope with outside life without bton and not just some love interest which she is unlike pen but she’s more of 3D then Kate 1D character I can’t wait polin and

nic gonna catch a break they gonna claim colourism or xenophobia just wait and see 😂 since it’s not a girl that looks like nic/pen as in yt so they can’t claim racism anymore! Colin is free Nicola Luke are free for a while at least so sad for Yerin tho especially if her and Luke

get QC/S3 promo since it’s not covid no more Honestly don’t care much about LukeT getting dragged by kanthonies 😂 they been using him and his character to hate on LukeN/Colin polin pen Nic so he can fend for himself after they used Benedict szn getting skipped as reason to hate

On polin because they were just jealous not bc they genuinely cared or liked or even gave a fcvk about Sophie benophie or Benedict like that but my girl Yerin Sophie yeah I’ll defend them with my life especially from kanthonies Kate Simone girls who’s gonna hate on her bc she’s

gonna get more of character development and be fully realised bc she is a real 3d character unlike Kate who was just a love interest and also because the actress has RANGE insane acting skills they gonna come for her so hard and use xenophobia colourism as excuse just wait an see

they gonna hate on her same way they hated in charithra and Edwina since they were real characters and actor with range so can’t wait finally Nic gonna catch a break and that’s really the only reason I’m happy Sophie is woc actually bc the hate she about to experience from Kate

Simone Kanthony fans is gonna be isnane poor Ha she lucky she got loser benophie to defend her maybe thats their only rzn to exist to defend my insanely talented pretty👧while she gives nic polin Colin luke a break from Kate kanthonies for at least a while until s4 starts filming

I’m actually giving them way to much credit wouldn’t be surprised if they started the hate from next week or something knowing them and how insecure they are about SA Kate and Kanthony wouldn’t be shocked if they switched on benophie Sophie and Benedict next week mark my words!

Me ever since Sophie was cast as Asian knowing how favs gonna catch a tiny break not from the benophies losers but at least kanthonies kate Simone girlies(who at any min gonna switch up on them) who only used Benedict benophie Soph for their hatred of polin nic🖊️luke Colin agenda

somone said once Kate kanthonies SA r always gonna hate on any female character/actress especially a woc if that character has more of story is real 3d fully developed character an if the woc actress can actually act has range N thats why they hate CHARITHRA EDWINA simple as that

same goes for nic masali micheala and pen since Sophie Yerin is playing a real character and the actress actually has range oh it’s over for her! there’s a reason they don’t care for Fran/Hannah or Eloise Claudia or hate them bc they especially fran are just there sure Claudia

Has range but she aint shown it fully yet and El as character is just so far spoiled👧mad at her life fran simple too😂but once they gets their time developed they’ll dislike them too not hate as much but definitely dislike bc they’re more of character then their fav ever will be

The way CC Nic Pen Edwina would never gotten the hage they do and did if CC Nic couldn’t act or have insane range outshining their favs and fav szn and if Ed Pen was just a love interest 1D character like their fav is basically! same is gonna happen to Yerin/Soph/masali/mcineala

[ambrossart]

It feels wrong to say “the girl who SA’d Henry” is my favorite character as if I’m like “yeah it rocks that she did that” but I just find her to be one of the most compelling characters in the story so far in the same way that people tend to find Henry sympathetic and compelling despite him doing literal hate crimes. Especially when her classmates were badmouthing her and even Evelyn couldn’t help gawking at her body, you get the idea that she is really messed up but the way she’s treated by others doesn’t help. The scene where you really humanized her and has her humming that melancholic song and being very compassionate toward Evelyn, sandwiched in between the rest of the story driving home that she’s just a lying creep and a loser and a predator, hit me in the gut. She reads as being so lost and in over her head. I do think there’s a trauma to being seen as a sex symbol as a minor (and this being the 80s I realistically can imagine how resentful other girls are to her) and I’m always filling in my own headcanons about how warped her relationship to sexuality is, and the long distance college boyfriend (who she probably had to grow up quick for) probably doesn’t help. I think the story of a girl trying to fill a role that’s expected of her and then regretting it when she’s shamed for it immediately after is so real. You don’t excuse her making false reports but you can understand why she thinks that’s the only way to salvage herself after she’s shamed for giving into the pressure people put on her to do it. Feels sad that she’s so desperate for anyone to sympathize with her or see her as a person with feelings that she’ll lie about it, and even then she’s just further hated for lying. I don’t know. I’m always so fascinated by more problematic characters, especially when it’s a female one. (I’m one of the assholes who voted Steph in the last poll so I guess I have a type! (Also to the other person who voted Steph: YOU’RE A REAL ONE)). Anyway! I love that you don’t write all characters as two-dimensional mustache twirling villains or Mary Poppins clones with the kind of boring character flaws that you say on a job interview. At first I was worried that Evelyn’s only faults were being TOO CARING or TOO PERFECTIONISTIC, but I think the tiny glimpses of selfishness she’s showing and the big reveal that she’s physically forced herself on Henry before have me more on board with this story than ever. 👀 I love watching the perfect “mommy gf” type character get deconstructed. I think everyone is in this fandom because we like how dark and inexcusable but still sympathetic the male bullies are in IT, but I think seeing female antagonists (or better: female protagonists doing meaningfully problematic things and having to atone for it) feels even more unique and interesting. Ok thank you, happy writing, queen, I am so excited for the next chapter 🙏

Don't worry, you're not gonna get any judgment from me for voting for her. Voting for her doesn't mean you condone her actions. Besides, Paper Men is a story full of problematic characters, so it would be hypocritical for anyone to judge you when they're probably thirsting for Patrick Hockstetter, the most problematic character of all. 😂

Your headcanon is honestly pretty similar to the official backstory I have for her. Unlike Evelyn, Manda Bosch blossomed at a very young age and has been sexualized her entire life. She lost her virginity in middle school. A lot of her early relationships were with older men. Her current boyfriend, Matt, is not significantly older than her, but he is older than her, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's only with her for the sex, and he probably cheats on her while he's away at college. Despite what Liz says, Manda is not a "dumb, drunk slut" who's out to steal everyone's boyfriends. That's just Liz being a mean girl. I think Manda's true self is actually very kind, flawed but kind. She offered Hannah-Beth some gum in class. She was very sweet to Evelyn when she had no real reason to be. These are sophomores and Manda is a senior. She should be ignoring them like everyone else.

But sometimes Manda gets lonely (especially with her boyfriend away), and she relates to men the only way she knows how: through sex. She knows that's what men want from her because that's what they've always wanted from her. Then you add way too much alcohol to the mix and it's just a recipe for disaster. She does falsely cry rape occasionally (out of shame), but I guarantee not all of those accusations are false. Manda has definitely been assaulted more than once, probably by men like Martin.

I think the situation with Henry was a very unfortunate mistake. Manda was at the party with her boyfriend. He drank too much and passed out. Manda, drunk herself, wanted to be close to somebody—anybody—and she chose Henry because she assumed he would want it like all men want it. Henry, it should also be said, does project a lot of false bravado. Although he's not flirty like Patrick, he tends to make some pretty inappropriate and sexually aggressive comments to women. He did this with Evelyn when she was asking for the shirts back. He did this with Beverly in the movie. So Manda had every reason to assume that Henry would be fully on board. To be clear, I'm in NO WAY blaming Henry for this situation. It doesn't matter how he acts at school. Obviously, he wasn't comfortable and Manda should have respected that and backed off immediately... but she didn't. Then Henry got triggered and he got violent and things got way out of hand.

Fast forward to school on Monday, now all the senior girls are shaming her for sleeping with a SOPHOMORE, and not just any sophomore—HENRY BOWERS, who is not popular at all. If it were Patrick, the girls would slap her on the back and congratulate her, but Henry? Nobody wants anything to do with Henry. He's not the fun kinda dangerous. He's just plain dangerous. He's radioactive. Everybody knows to steer clear of him (everyone except Evelyn, apparently). And I think Manda felt embarrassed and ashamed and panicked. Plus I also think she doesn't remember a lot of what happened that night apart from him suddenly freaking out on her. If she did, she would feel extremely guilty and horrible for putting someone in that position because that's not who she is. She's not Martin. She's just someone who made a mistake... a very big mistake.

Lastly, to speak on Evelyn's situation with Henry a little bit: I wouldn't say she "forced" herself onto him. I do think she made a huge mistake in her timing. Henry was in a very fragile state that day. He was upset and in a lot of pain. That was NOT the time for her to put the moves on him. She was being very selfish and got caught up in her own feelings and that was wrong of her, but she didn't force him to do anything. He was a fully willing participant... until he wasn't. Henry withdrew consent and left because of his own issues. It had nothing to do with what Evelyn did. Her timing was awful, but she didn't sexually assault him or anything.

I know the details surrounding that situation are still a little fuzzy. They will be explained clearly because she and Henry will discuss it at some point. Until then, we'll leave it as it is.

Oh my god, I wrote way too much. I'm so sorry 😂