#calemar

[sweetpolyamoris]

Promises

Part Four to Apologies (Part One), Revelations (Part Two), Complications (Part Three), and Confessions (Part Six).

~

The Sweet Amoris High cafeteria was swarming with people. There were days that Calemar felt like she and her friends were the only students at the school (maybe most people just attended their classes instead of wandering the halls), but today was a reminder that there was more to the place than just Calemar’s narrow perception of it.

As soon as she entered the cafeteria, she was assaulted with sound. Countless voices blended together into an unintelligible roar. Chairs scraped against the floor as people attempted to make room for their friends at overcrowded tables. A discordant melody drifted across the room from a horribly out-of-tune guitar. With the line to get food almost reaching the doors, this was very close to what Calemar imagined hell was like.

No, that wasn’t quite true. Hell was doing something stupid, like kissing your best friend and jeopardizing the only good thing in your life, and then spending the entire weekend failing to come up with a way to repair the damage you’d done. Hell was ignoring all the texts he sent you out of pure cowardice, lying awake at night torturing yourself with the question: Do I want him because I really like him, or because he’s the closest I can get to what I really want? Hell was coming to school and knowing there would be no way to avoid him, and hating yourself for wanting to avoid him in the first place.

But the cafeteria came pretty close.

“You look like you’re going to be sick.”

Calemar looked over at Alexy, who’d taken her by the arm after history class and insisted they have lunch together. Calemar had had no desire for food then, and her complete lack of appetite only intensified as she looked around the cafeteria.

“It’s loud,” she said. Her heart dropped down into her stomach as her gaze swept over Castiel and Lysander at a table near the back of the room. They never ate lunch in the cafeteria. Surely this was some sick joke that God had orchestrated, a way to taunt her for her heart’s fickle nature.

“Do you have a headache?” Alexy asked, looking her over with concern.

“Something like that,” she replied. “Honestly, I don’t feel much like eating.”

He frowned. “You don’t feel like much of anything today. This morning I told you I got the new Orbital album and your exact response was, ‘Mm-hmm.’”

She didn’t remember Alexy mentioning anything about new music this morning, but that was probably because she’d been glued to her cellphone, waiting for a new text from Armin and reading through the ones from Sunday when it never came.

6:30 pm: Hey. You said we would talk about things later. Is it later yet?

8:12 pm: Whatever happened, we can figure it out. Just talk to me. Please.

9:25 pm: This is my fault. I was stupid and inconsiderate, and you deserve better. If you want to pretend it never happened, then that’s what we’ll do. I don’t want to lose your friendship.

11:48 pm: Calemar. I’m so sorry.

2:37 am: I’m sorry. I’ll stop texting you.

The texts were burned into her mind due to the sheer amount of times she’d read them. In spite of herself, she dug into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone. A push of the home button showed no new messages. She couldn’t decide if she was disappointed or relieved.

“Calemar. What’s wrong?”

She glanced up at Alexy, and couldn’t stand the worried look on his face. “Nothing.”

“Look,” he said, the worry shifting into what almost looked like irritation. “You don’t have to tell me, but at least don’t lie to me. I got enough of that from Armin this weekend.”

Calemar’s chest tightened. “What do you mean?”

“He was acting the same way you’re acting today, except about ten times worse. He barely spoke all weekend, and the face he got when he thought my parents and I weren’t looking… Total zombie. I kept asking him what was wrong, but he ignored me and played his Final Fantasy game all night. Mind you, this is the game he said he was getting tired of on Friday.”

If she’d looked sick before, it was nothing compared to how she looked now.

“Something happened with you two, didn’t it?”

Shit. She wanted more than anything to deny it, but she knew lying to Alexy would only make her feel worse. She wasn’t sure she could handle any worse.

Alexy put a hand on her shoulder. “It can’t have been so terrible that you can’t talk to me about it. Just let me listen. Maybe I can help!”

Calemar shook her head. “You can’t.”

Alexy’s eyes widened as he took a step back, as though she’d pushed him away with her arms instead of her words. The response pained her. “Not if you don’t even let me try.”

What could she say? I kissed your brother and I think I might like him, but I know I love Castiel, and those feelings aren’t going away, but I can’t stop thinking about Armin, and I don’t know if I want to kiss him or if I just want to kiss someone so that I can forget the things that are making me miserable, and I know this isn’t fair to Armin but I felt something and I don’t know what to do about it.

“I’m sorry,” she said instead. “I know this is shitty, but I am literally this close to losing my mind, and I’m going to need at least a day to wallow in this before I’m ready to talk to anyone about it. Even my best friend.”

For a moment, Alexy only stared at her. “Okay,” he said, his voice tinged with frustration. “But whatever’s happening, it’s not going to get better until you face it. Both of you.”

Calemar nodded. “I… I need some air. I’ll see you in Art?”

To her surprise, he pulled her into a tight embrace. She buried her face into his shoulder and tried to absorb the comfort he brought her. But as soon as he let go, the warmth vanished and she was right back where she’d started.

“See you in Art.” Alexy turned and entered the cafeteria line.

~

Calemar headed for the courtyard. She had a specific destination in mind: her favorite tree, the tall one behind the benches, with leaves that let the perfect amount of light break through and warm the grass underneath it. It was her thinking tree, the one place where she might actually be able to sit and sort through the mess she’d made of everything. But when she exited the main building and looked past the benches, someone had already taken her spot.

Armin was sitting up against the trunk, his backpack tossed aside and spilling out chewed pens and unfinished assignments. His gaze was fixed on his lap, where he was mashing the buttons on his DS in a rather furious manner.

Calemar’s first instinct was to run over and throw herself down beside him. She wanted to complain about the awful day she’d been having, poke him until he finally put his game down and paid attention to her. She wanted him to offer her ridiculous advice, wanted to laugh with him until her sides hurt, wanted it all so badly that it took everything in her not to break down right there in the courtyard.

She had ruined everything. Armin had said it was his fault, but nothing was further from the truth. If she could have, she would’ve taken it all back. The kiss, the conversation, the irrational desire that she’d repressed for months. She would go back to the time where the feelings they had for each other remained unsaid, where she couldn’t hurt him any more than she already was. Because here, where they were now, all she could do was hurt him more.

The question was, what was worse? Avoiding him until his absence ate her from the inside out, or talking to him and potentially destroying any chance at friendship they had left?

Whatever choice she might have made got taken away from her as Armin’s eyes drifted up from his video game and landed on her. She froze. It was like she was in kindergarten again, when she’d believed a t-rex couldn’t see you if you stopped moving. But Armin could see her. There was tension in his jaw, and his face was even paler than usual.

She had to say something. Anything to make him stop looking at her like that. “Hey.”

He swallowed. “Hey.”

Her hands went up to her backpack straps, and she gripped them for some sense of support. “You’re outside.”

“I am,” he said, glancing around the courtyard. “I guess I felt like I needed to be out here.”

Considering he hated being outside, Calemar could only imagine why he’d decided to subject himself to a lunch without air conditioning and sufficient shade. Now that she was looking, though, she saw that he didn’t have any food with him at all.

“You don’t think you should be in the cafeteria?” she said, taking a hesitant step toward him. “Everyone and their mother is in there today.”

He shrugged. “I’m not really hungry.”

“Yeah. Me neither.”

A loud and sad tune sounded from Armin’s DS. He glanced down at it, cursed under his breath, and tossed the game into the grass beside him. “I have no idea when I last saved,” he mumbled. “What did I do to deserve this?”

“Nothing,” Calemar said, her voice faltering at the end of the word.

Armin’s gaze shot back up to her. The look in his eyes brought her back almost a month, to that night she had shown up at his house and told him she’d been dumped. He’d been taken over by a seriousness she hadn’t known he was capable of, and it was there now, in the stiffness of his shoulders and the hard line of his mouth.

“Calemar.”

“I’m not ready,” she said.

He grimaced. “Will you ever be ready?”

She took in a slow breath and shook her head. “I guess not.”

He nodded, taking his beanie off his head and wringing it in his hands. “I’m not going to make you talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“But we have to, don’t we?” She made herself take another step toward him. “We have to, or we’ll never come back from it.”

His gaze hardened. “I would never let that happen.”

Calemar’s heart jumped in her chest, and her feet carried her the rest of the way to him. She dropped down at his side, not close enough to touch him, but close enough that she could almost pretend that things were normal. That she wasn’t afraid of what his touch would make her feel.

A little gasp escaped his mouth at her sudden nearness, and she tried to ignore how much that exhilarated her. “I don’t know how to do this,” she said. “How to start… What to say…”

He turned his whole body toward her. “Then let me start. I’ve wanted to talk to you for days, and if this is the last chance I get to say what I need to say, then I want to take it.”

“Armin, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Please, Calemar. I promise, we can do whatever you think is best after. I just… I need to be honest with you. Just this once.”

Honesty had never terrified her as much as it did in that moment. She brought her knees up to her chest so she could hug her legs, and then set her gaze firmly on the school building. Maybe it would help not to look at him. “Okay.”

There were a few seconds of silence, seconds of absolute torture, and then he spoke.

“I like you. I’ve liked you since the moment I met you. At first, it wasn’t anything serious, just coming to a new school and meeting a pretty girl. But then I started hanging out with you, and the more I got to know you, the stronger I felt about you.

“When you started dating Castiel, it drove me crazy. And it wasn’t just because I was jealous. It was because we made so much sense. My mind couldn’t wrap itself around not being with you, because there were so many moments where it felt like I was. All the late night game sessions, the inside jokes that no one else would ever find funny, the crazy situations we got into because we both lack the ability to mind our own business. We fit together.”

Calemar couldn’t look away from him any longer. She brought her gaze to his, and squeezed her legs tighter once she saw the earnestness in his eyes.

“And the things that we don’t have in common only make me like you more. You’re an artist; your photos, your music, I can never keep up with it, but I love everything you make. And you’re so damn righteous. If you even hear about something wrong happening, you can’t ever look the other way. You’ll do anything to make it right, even if it has nothing to do with you. You don’t understand how much I admire that.”

“But you’re like that too,” she blurted out. “What happened with Iris…”

Armin sighed. “Yeah, I helped. But it wasn’t just for her. I mean, obviously I cared about what was happening to her, but I’d be lying if I said the fun of sneaking around and hacking accounts had nothing to do with it. Add the fact that I got to be alone with you, and it’s pretty clear that my motives were far from noble.

“But that’s the thing,” he said, reaching out and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “You make me want to change. You make me want to be better, Calemar. Since I met you, I have more friends, I’m starting to almost care about school. Jesus, I’m even sitting outside on my lunch break!”

Calemar couldn’t help but laugh at that. Armin’s face lit up, and she’d been so afraid she’d never see that expression again that the sight of it now brought tears to her eyes.

“Being around you makes me feel like I can do anything. Like I can be the person I’m supposed to be. I know that sounds unbelievably corny–”

“It doesn’t,” she said.

Armin bit down on his lip. The brightness slowly left his eyes, leaving Calemar feeling uneasy. “I… I said I like you, but it’s more than that. You are so much more than just a friend to me. But if that’s all you want… a friend… I can be that. I can’t promise my feelings for you will go away, because I honestly don’t think they will. But I can hide them again, if that’s what you want.”

A weight settled on her shoulders, one so heavy she felt like she would collapse under it. She couldn’t claim to know what she wanted, but she knew in her heart that she didn’t want what Armin was suggesting. The very thought of making him hide a part of himself from her made her feel sick. She couldn’t ask him to do that. She didn’t want him to do that.

“You are so important to me,” she said. “I don’t want you to feel like you can’t be yourself around me. You’re my best friend, and I–”

Armin’s hand found hers, sending a chill through her whole body. “Tell me you don’t feel the way that I do. There’s this small part of me that’s still hoping I might have a chance, but I think if you just tell me that I don’t, I might be able to stop making this worse.”

“You’re not making this worse,” she said, squeezing his hand in exasperation. “Just harder. Impossibly harder.”

“It’s not hard, Calemar. It’s just words. ‘I don’t feel that way about you.’ It’ll be like ripping off a band-aid.”

“Except it’d be pointless.”

Armin’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

She let out a long breath. She had no idea what she was about to do, but she couldn’t stop it. Lying to herself for so long had left her exhausted, sapped her of all the strength it took to keep her feelings locked away. “Because I wouldn’t mean it.”

Armin’s grip on her hand tightened. He leaned closer, making her entire body tense. “Tell me.”

“Tell you what?” she said breathlessly.

“What you feel for me.”

She swallowed hard. “I… I’m still trying to make sense of it. All I know is that all weekend, I kept imagining my life without you in it, and the very thought of it terrified me. So I tried to make myself believe that it was just because you were my closest friend. Everything would be easier then; I could just tell you I wanted to stay friends, and if I were lucky you’d be okay with that. But as much as I tried to convince myself, it didn’t work because I… I couldn’t stop thinking about kissing you.”

Armin let her hand go. At first, Calemar worried that she’d said something wrong, but then he took her face in his hands. “You’re worried about hurting me, but I don’t care. I know you still have feelings for Castiel, and I know they might be stronger than the ones you have for me.”

“Don’t say that,” she said, trying to keep her gaze on his, but it proved difficult with how close his mouth was to hers.

“At the very least, they make more sense. But it doesn’t matter. If you feel even an ounce of what I feel for you, then I’m going to fight for that.”

“Armin, I… I can’t promise you anything. I want to, but–”

“I don’t want promises. I want you, however I can have you. Maybe that’s stupid, but I am past the point of caring anymore.”

She brought her hands up so that they rested against his chest. How had she not noticed how badly they were shaking? “I don’t deserve you,” she said, and it was probably the truest statement she had made all afternoon.

“Yeah, well, unfortunately for you, you’re stuck with me anyway.” He smiled then, an almost smirk that filled her entire body with warmth.

“So what is this?” she asked. “Us?”

“We don’t have to decide yet,” he said, brushing her cheek with his thumb. “And once we’re ready to decide, it can be whatever you want it to be.” A mischievous look flashed in his eyes. “Although I am going to request that it involves making out.”

Calemar shoved him away. “Armin!”

For a moment he looked nervous, but when he saw the slow grin that was spreading on her face, he reached out for her again. “You said I could be honest with you!”

“Yes, to an extent.”

“Listen, I could have said a lot worse.” He took her by the waist and pulled her back to him. “I’m really reigning myself in right now.”

“You sure about that?” She finally allowed herself to look at his mouth. It was a lot prettier than she’d ever permitted herself to think, a perfect cupid’s bow.

“I’m absolutely sure,” he said, his voice falling to a whisper. “Are you?”

He wasn’t calling into question her confidence in his self-restraint; Calemar knew that. He was asking her if she was sure about what they were doing. Maybe she wasn’t certain about this tenuous relationship they were forming. But she was sure about him. Surer than she’d ever been about anyone else.

“Yes,” she said.

The tension left his shoulders, and a smile played along his lips. “Good,” he said, closing the distance between them and bringing his mouth to hers.

[polemicaynoticiasarequipa]

#Nacional MTC EJECUTÓ PRESUPUESTO EN 13817 KM DE VÍAS NACIONALES Y DEPARTAMENTALES EN FEBRERO.

El Ministerio de Transportes y Comunicaciones (MTC) ejecutó en el mes de febrero de este año aproximadamente S/ 428 millones de su presupuesto de inversiones, una cifra que supera ampliamente a lo ejecutado en el mismo periodo de 2020.

Esa ejecución comprendió trabajos en mejoramiento y conservación de 13 817 km de vías nacionales y departamentales, la construcción de cinco puentes, la liberación de 566 predios en todo el país, así como los proyectos de Internet de alta velocidad en cinco regiones.

Entre las principales obras que se vienen ejecutando se tiene la construcción de la carretera Bellavista-Mazan-Salvador-El Estrecho en la región de Loreto; el inicio de la construcción de la Vía de Evitamiento de Abancay en Apurímac; y la rehabilitación de sectores de la Autopista El Sol en Lambayeque.

También están contemplados la Carretera Calemar–Abra Naranjillo en la región La Libertad; la adquisición de predios para la construcción de la Línea 2 del Metro de Lima y Callao; y la construcción de vías departamentales y vecinales en 24 regiones del país.

Un aspecto clave para continuar la construcción de carreteras, puentes y otras grandes obras es poder contar con los terrenos necesarios para esos proyectos. Para ello, la liberación de predios es fundamental. En ese sentido, durante febrero, el MTC logró liberar 460 predios para las vías nacionales, 82 predios para proyectos aeroportuarios y 24 predios para los proyectos ferroviarios.

[worldnewsfacts]

Peru's president soars as he channels anger over corruption CALEMAR, Peru (AP) - Martin Vizcarra stepped down from a military helicopter into a small Peruvian jungle village where no president had ventured before.

[sparleb6]

L’an passé, c’est l’accueil des hôtes et les rencontres avec des pèlerins qui nous a frappé. Cette année, ce qui marque après 5 jours de marche est la gentillesse et attention que de simples passants portent à nous pèlerins. Hier au moins 5 fois, des gens nous ont interpellé pour s’assurer qu’on prenait le bon chemin (il y a des variantes, des raccourcis....) et qu’on passait une bonne journée. De vrais anges gardiens. Souper de pintxos. J’ai pu manger cette salade de calemar. Délicieux .

[jaimeariansencespedes]

051 – LITERATURA PERUANA – LA SERPIENTE DE ORO – CIRO ALEGRIA (1935) –

La serpiente de oro es la primera novela del escritor peruano Ciro Alegría, publicada en Santiago de Chile, en diciembre de 1935. La escribió cuando tenía 26 años de edad, ampliando un cuento primigenio titulado «La Balsa», cuyo argumento se centra en la vida de unos cholos balseros de la ceja de selva del norte del Perú. Es considerada como una de las más representativas «novelas de la tierra», circunscritas dentro del indigenismo.

Por entonces Ciro Alegría, militante aprista, se hallaba desterrado en Chile, a donde llegara el mismo día en que era asesinado el poeta José Santos Chocano (1934).

Los primeros meses los vivió en la estrechez económica y se ganó la vida como traductor y corrector. También consiguió que el suplemento del diario Crítica de Buenos Aires le publicara una vez al mes sus cuentos.

La necesidad de ganar algo más lo empujó a convertir un relato suyo de 8 páginas titulado “La balsa” en otro más extenso al que nominó “El Marañón”, el cual presentó al concurso literario convocado por la Editorial Nacimiento y auspiciado por la Sociedad de Escritores de Chile.

A sugestión de la Editorial accedió a ampliar más su relato y así nació la novela La serpiente de oro, con la cual ganó el primer premio de dicho concurso (1935). El libro le otorgó fama que se consolidaría con sus dos novelas siguientes: Los perros hambrientos (1939) y El mundo es ancho y ajeno (1941).

La novela es un relato sobre la vida cotidiana de los cholos balseros del caserío de Calemar, a orillas del río Marañón, en la ceja de selva del norte del Perú.

También se relata de forma paralela la aventura de un ingeniero limeño, Osvaldo Martínez de Calderón, quién se interna en la región selvática para crear una empresa explotadora de los recursos naturales, a la que planea bautizar con el nombre de «La serpiente de oro», nombre que aludía a la forma serpenteante del río y a sus riquezas auríferas.

Los calemarinos reverencian al río que es su fuente de trabajo y de alimento, pero a la vez le temen pues es la fuerza que eventualmente les puede arrebatar sus bienes y hasta la propia vida.

Mientras tanto, el ingeniero, altanero y vanidoso, que ve con desdén a los cholos y cree que solo con su sapiencia urbana puede vencer a la naturaleza, muere tras ser picado por una serpiente amarilla, sin poder cristalizar su ambicioso proyecto. El relato, a través de diversas voces, continúa contándonos sobre la vida de los cholos balseros, los cuales trasmiten su oficio de generación en generación.

Aunque no se menciona explícitamente en la obra la época en que se desenvuelven los hechos, debemos ubicarla en la década de 1920, al igual que las siguientes novelas del autor, Los perros hambrientos y El mundo es ancho y ajeno, ya que la recreación novelística de Alegría se concentra en los años de su niñez, época en que estuvo en contacto con la gente y los escenarios mencionados en sus obras, la sierra liberteña y la ceja de selva colindante.

En el capítulo IV («Ande, selva y río»), durante la conversación entre el ingeniero Osvaldo y el hacendado Juan Plaza, se menciona a la capital, Lima, donde se hacía una «nueva avenida» y el Parque de la Reserva, obras que fueron realizadas durante el Oncenio de Augusto B. Leguía (1919-1930).

El escenario principal de la novela es el valle de Calemar, lugar habitado por cholos (mestizos) cuya principal actividad es la balsería y el cultivo de frutales. Cerca se desliza el imponente río Marañón, que no corta al valle, sino que pasa lamiendo un peñascal que domina el pueblo y que sirve como una muralla natural de roca.

El Marañón es la fuente de subsistencia de los calemarinos, así como una vía de comunicación con otros poblados vecinos, situados tanto río arriba como río abajo. Como viven en un valle, a los calemarinos se les llama también vallinos, para diferenciarlos de la gente que vive en los pueblos de altura, los poblanos.

La región donde está situada Calemar es la llamada ceja de selva, entre 400 y 1000 msnm, que es como un límite entre la región andina y la selva amazónica, específicamente en el extremo oriental del departamento de La Libertad. Es una región ya propiamente selvática, cubierta de densa vegetación sobre un terreno accidentado, que se caracteriza por la presencia de numerosos plegamientos y que es atravesado por profundos cañones fluviales. La intensa deforestación que sufren algunas de sus áreas favorece los deslizamientos de tierra conocidos como huaycos o desmontes. jaimeariansen@outlook.com

[sweetpolyamoris]

Complications

Part Three to Apologies (Part One), Revelations (Part Two), Promises (Part Four) and Confessions (Part Five).

~

It had been exactly twenty-eight days since Calemar and Castiel had broken up, and Armin’s feelings were still as muddled and conflicted as they’d been when it happened.

Calemar still came over at least four times a week. At first, it had simply been a distraction, a way to make sure she wasn’t left alone with her thoughts. She had never said as much, but she hadn’t needed to. It was obvious to Armin, with the way she lapsed into distant silences and then broke them with forced enthusiasm. Armin had been happy to be a distraction. He wanted to help take care of her, which was certainly his biggest motive. But there was something else, something far more selfish, that he did his best to ignore whenever she was around. It was easy to do in the moment, when she leaned her head into his chest, when she gave him permission to pull her into his arms and hold her close. He would rest his chin on her head, run his fingers through her hair, and everything would feel right. And then she would pull away, and the guilt would come.

It never changed his mind. He could have felt like the worst friend in the world, but even then, he wouldn’t have given up holding her. If a distraction was all he’d ever be, Armin would do everything in his power to play the part, despite wanting more. So much more.

But things had begun to change. The smile had returned to Calemar’s face; not just a performative smile, but one that came naturally, one that required no effort. After weeks of hunching over from the weight on her shoulders, there was a confident angle to her posture again. When Armin asked her how she was feeling, the words “I’m fine” no longer sounded false. Calemar was almost herself again.

Yet she hadn’t stopped coming over. A wild hope had begun to form in the back of Armin’s mind. Maybe he was no longer a distraction. He had never quite gotten Castiel’s words on the roof out of his mind. “You were never just a friend to her.” He didn’t allow himself to believe in it fully, but he couldn’t stop himself from hoping.

Especially during days like these. It was Saturday, and even though Alexy and Rosalya had invited her out to the mall, Calemar had chosen to spend the afternoon with Armin, in his room, in his bed, playing round after round of Super Smash Brothers. Her winning streak had lasted for at least four matches. It wasn’t that Armin was holding back; he just kept getting distracted. She moved a lot when she played, even when lying down on her stomach. Her arm and leg were constantly brushing against him, tearing his mind away from the game and focusing it on her. He glanced in her direction every time it happened. And then he would get lost in the game-induced flush in her cheeks, the curve of her mouth, the determined fire in her eyes. His hands went through the motions of playing, but he was gone, and Calemar won again and again.

Eventually, after a pathetically quick defeat, Calemar set down her controller and looked over at him. “Are you letting me win?”

Armin’s eyebrows shot up. “I would never.”

“I don’t know,” she said. “That was an embarrassing loss, even for you.”

It’s not my fault you keep distracting me. It’s practically cheating. “So you’ve got jokes now,” he said instead. “You weren’t laughing when I destroyed you those first few matches.”

“‘Destroyed’ is a little generous.” She was giving him one of her looks, the ‘we both know I can destroy you anytime I want’ look. She did it to get on his nerves, but it only made something weird happen in his stomach.

He wracked his brain for some retort, but it was difficult to think when she was lying so close to him. Thankfully, her text tone went off before she could notice his speechlessness.

She rolled over onto her back and pulled her phone out of her pocket. Whatever text she’d gotten distracted her enough for Armin to get his urge to stare at her out of his system. He was examining the freckles dotting her shoulder when she let out a low groan.

“What’s up?” he said. His voice sounded absentminded, even to him. He snapped his attention to her face.

“Rosa has been trying to get me on some dating app,” she said, her face scrunched up like she had something sour in her mouth.

They were just words, but for Armin it felt like someone had grabbed him by the neck and squeezed. A dating app? It had barely even been a month! Had Rosalya lost her mind?

He had to grip his bed sheets to keep his voice even. “Did you tell her no?”

“Sort of?” Calemar sighed and turned to look at him. “She’s just trying to help. It’s a terrible idea, but I’d feel bad if I told her that.”

Armin tried to keep his face expressionless, but he couldn’t get the tension to leave his jaw. If Calemar was so willing to let Rosalya off easy, maybe she wasn’t as opposed to the idea as she thought. Armin could see it now: Rosa finding the perfect match for Calemar in a matter of days and sending her on some ridiculous date in a ridiculous dress and with some ridiculous guy. But it wouldn’t be ridiculous, not to Calemar. No, Armin couldn’t let that happen.

“So what are you going to do?” he murmured.

“Well, the plan was for Alexy to discourage her,” she said. “But apparently he did an awful job, because he just texted me that she’s already made a profile.”

He couldn’t mute his reaction this time. He sat up fast and shook his head. “You have to talk to her.”

Calemar rolled her eyes. “Talking to her isn’t going to do anything. You know how Rosa gets when she sets her mind on something.”

“So you’re just going to let her set you up with some random guy?” Panic had begun to blossom in his chest. He knew it was stupid. He knew he had no right to it. But there was nothing he could do to quiet the sense of dread.

Calemar seemed to notice that something was going on with him. She had a smirk on her face, and sat up so that she could get a closer look at him. “It could be a girl. Maybe Rosa’s going to change things up.”

“That’s not the point,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest, as though the gesture would protect him from her sudden nearness.

There was an infuriating amount of amusement in Calemar’s gaze. “What is the point, then?”

She thought the whole thing was a joke. Armin should have just teased her back. He should’ve laughed with her, and let Rosa’s plan play out on its own. He should have stopped hoping, should have accepted what he and Calemar were, what they would always be. But the ache in his chest wouldn’t let him.

“It’s only been a month. Are you even ready to start dating again?”

This was the wrong thing to say. Calemar frowned, the humor leaving her eyes in an instant. Armin hated himself for it.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his hand involuntarily reaching out to hers. Their fingers touched. He pulled away before he could make things worse.

Calemar shook her head, lowering her gaze to the space in between their hands. “Don’t be. I just… I don’t know how long it’s supposed to take to get over a relationship. I don’t know what ready feels like.”

Armin nodded. “I guess it’s hard to know.”

“Yeah,” Calemar said, biting down on her lip. “You know, I can understand Rosa’s logic on some level. Seeing someone else might be the only way to finally put everything behind me.” She let out a long sigh. “On the other hand, my friend Lucy used to use those dating apps all the time. I’m not liking my chances of getting paired with a potential ax murderer.”

If fate were kind, Armin thought, that possibility would keep Calemar from giving into Rosalya’s whims. “That definitely wouldn’t be ideal,” he said.

Calemar groaned. “I just wish there was a way to stall her! Something to get her off my back for at least a few weeks so I can sort my feelings out.”

It was then that the idea came to Armin. A truly terrible idea, one so problematic that it left him angry with himself for even thinking about it. And yet he couldn’t brush the thought away, not with Calemar sitting just a few inches away from him. She was so close, but as she picked up her phone to respond to Alexy, Armin could already feel her drifting away.

“Wait,” he said, the word burning his tongue a little as it left his mouth.

Calemar glanced up at him. “What?”

“Maybe there is a way to get Rosalya off your back,” he said. He tried to make his voice sound light, even though his heart was beating a mile a minute. “One that doesn’t expose you to the risk of being ax murdered.”

Calemar grinned. “I’m already liking the sound of it. Please continue.”

This was stupid. In fact, it was quite possibly the stupidest thing Armin had ever done, and he’d preordered the limited edition of No Man’s Sky. But if anyone was worth doing stupid things for, it was Calemar. Armin was at the point where he’d do anything to protect what little chance he had of being with her. Even this.

“What if you told Rosalya you were already interested in someone?” He swallowed hard. “Maybe even seeing them.”

Calemar’s brow furrowed. “Who, though?” She thought for a moment before literally jumping in her seat with an idea. “Oh! I know! I can tell her I have a long distance boyfriend. Some dude I met on Discord. Ooh, he can be from Brazil, and–”

Despite the growing tension in his body, Armin managed to casually put a hand on her shoulder. “Calemar.”

She absorbed the look on his face and deflated. “She wouldn’t buy that, would she?”

He shook his head. “No one would buy that.”

“Well, okay, Master of Deception,” she said, crossing her arms and staring him down. “Who am I pretending to date?”

Armin shrugged. “It would have to be someone you already spend a lot of time with, someone who’d be willing to play along. It wouldn’t be convincing otherwise.”

“Easier said than done,” Calemar said. “I’d like to think I have a decent amount of friends, but I highly doubt any of them would be up for fake dating.”

Armin straightened his shoulders. He was going to Hell for this. “I’d do it.”

Calemar blinked. Her mouth hung open for a moment, as though the suggestion had entirely halted her train of thought. Armin supposed that was better than a look of disgust or a bemused laugh.

“You?” she finally said, her gaze burning into him.

“Me,” he replied, hoping he sounded more confident and objective than he felt. “If you think about it, who else makes more sense?”

Calemar shook her head. “No one, I guess. But would you seriously be able to do it?”

“Do what, date you?” The words sent a thrill of excitement through his body. God, if this actually happened, if he could just make this happen…

“I mean, it’d have to be convincing,” she said. “Rosa won’t believe it if we’re not entirely invested in the act.”

“We’ve got everything on our side, though,” he said, feeling an eager smile spread across his face. “We’ve been hanging out almost every day, so it’s not a big leap to assume we’ve been seeing each other in secret. And if my fond memories of our Alice in Wonderland play are any indication, you’re a great actress. Add my undeniable charm to the mix, and Rosalya has to believe it.”

She rested her chin on her hand. “You have a point. About my incredible acting chops, at least. The undeniable charm thing was pushing it.”

Armin, elated at how well this was going, winked at her. “It’ll work. I know it will.”

“And if it does? How long do we keep it up?”

“As long as you want,” he said. “Though, if we’re being honest, you’re probably going to want to make this long term. I’m going to be an awesome fake boyfriend.”

Calemar snorted at this. Armin was too close to success to feel offended. “Seriously though,” she said. “You’re totally on board with this? Pretending to like me?”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s not like it’s going to be hard.”

She opened her mouth, but then closed it after fully absorbing Armin’s comment. Armin was just beginning to absorb the words himself, their implication bringing him down from whatever high had tricked him into saying them.

“What do you mean?” Calemar said, her voice so quiet Armin had to strain to hear it.

He wished he had an explanation, but sheer panic had consumed his sense of judgment. “I don’t know,” he said, surprised he could even force that out of his mouth.

She was looking at him now in a way she never had before. Her gaze was almost analytical, as though she were finally taking him and his words at face value. Calemar had made him feel a lot of things in the year he had known her, but she’d never made him feel vulnerable. He’d always had a joke to hide behind, or a game of deflection to play. But he couldn’t now. Not with how intensely she was looking at him.

“You have to know,” she said, her posture stiff. “We’re best friends. Is that why it’d be easy to pretend to like me? You could just present your platonic feelings as romantic?”

Armin wanted to respond, give some indication that her words were spot on. But he couldn’t even manage a nod.

“But that would make it harder, wouldn’t it?” she continued. “Pretending to like a friend is one thing, but to do it with your best friend… You’d have to be close to me all the time, hold my hand…”

“I can do that,” he said, his voice weak.

Calemar took in a slow breath. “What if that wasn’t enough? What if we needed to do more to convince Rosa?”

“I would do it,” he said.

Calemar stared at him; he was almost certain her pupils were dilated. “What if you had to kiss me? Would you?”

For a moment, Armin forgot how to breathe. Then a wild energy took him, something so strong and impulsive that he had no hope of fighting it. “Yes,” he said. “I’d make it good, too.”

Calemar’s eyes looked like they were about to burst from their sockets. “Armin!”

“What?”

“You can’t joke like that!” Her entire body had tensed, and her hands were gripping the bed sheets so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.

“Who says I’m joking?”

Things had gone too far for Armin to even think of turning back. He was in this now. He felt courage that he’d lacked all afternoon slowly begin to flood into his chest. For almost a year, he’d played off his affection for Calemar as a joke. He’d wanted more for so long, had suffered in silence with her none the wiser. And he had no one to blame but himself. But now she was so close to knowing. And once she knew… Anything could happen.

“Do you want me to be joking?” he murmured, looking at her with unabashed longing.

Calemar swallowed. “I don’t know.”

He leaned toward her, not close enough to touch, but enough to feel her breath begin to quicken. “Well, there’s one way to find out.”

She stared at him for a moment. It wasn’t a very encouraging stare, what with her face looking so pale and her mouth hanging open. He wondered if it was a sign to give up, but before he could ask her, she lurched forward and pressed her lips to his.

At first, all Armin felt was astonishment. He had to wait for his head to stop spinning, and then he could marvel at how soft Calemar’s lips were. He’d imagined this kiss at least a hundred times. Wild fantasies with big romantic gestures and heartfelt declarations. Storms and sunsets, stars and fireworks. In reality, kissing Calemar was a lot less dramatic. It was also a lot better.

His hands found her waist and his lips responded to hers. She let out a little sound of surprise against his mouth, and it was all Armin could do not to combust at the sound of it. He’d always loved the little noises Calemar would make when she was tired or irritated, like an NPC of a game that couldn’t afford fully voiced dialogue. But the noises she made when being kissed… He would love them for an entirely different reason. He wanted to hear more of them.

He pulled her closer, delighting in the shaky breath that escaped her. It left her mouth slightly open, and instinct would not let him ignore the opportunity. He traced her bottom lip with his tongue, and when her mouth parted in a gasp, he kissed her more fully, bringing his hand to the nape of her neck.

This lasted a glorious five seconds before Calemar pulled away. He was still holding her, but she had put enough distance between them for Armin to feel it in the pit of his stomach.

“This…” she began, her voice trembling. “This isn’t pretend, is it?”

He didn’t think of denying it for a second. He shook his head.

“I… Armin, I don’t know if I can do this.”

Her words hit him with the force of a semi-truck. “Was it that bad?” he said, releasing her.

She bit down on her lip. “No, it was…” She turned her head and stared hopelessly at the television, the long forgotten video game humming quietly in the background.

“Calemar, please talk to me.”

“I can’t! I don’t have the words to describe what that felt like.”

Armin let out a long breath. “I… I’ve wanted to tell you–”

“Don’t.”

Don’t? He’d kept his feelings to himself for so long, and now, after they had just exploded from him in one earth-shattering moment, she expected him to reign them back in?

She looked back to him, her gaze almost desperate. “I felt something. Something I didn’t know I felt for you. And it could mean a lot of different things. If you tell me what I think you want to tell me, then it’ll just make this all the more confusing for me.”

“Calemar.”

“You are my best friend, Armin. I don’t want to hurt you because I’m too emotionally fucked up to make sense of my feelings. I couldn’t live with myself if I–”

Her voice cut off, and in the same second she was up, reaching down to grab the bag she’d brought with her.

“No,” Armin said, jumping off the bed. “You can’t leave. Not after that.”

“I have to.” She threw her bag over her shoulder and made a bee-line for the door. “I promise we will talk about this later, but I can’t right now.”

Armin darted over to her, took her wrist in what was slowly becoming a half-hearted attempt to make her stay. “Calemar, please.”

She turned back to him. To his total bewilderment, she pressed a firm kiss to his lips. It stole every bit of comprehension he had, and he dazedly let go of her wrist. She took a step back. “I’m so sorry.”

She fled down the hall, leaving Armin standing in the middle of his doorway, wondering how everything could have changed in a matter of minutes. Wondering what Calemar felt for him, and why she was so scared of it. Wondering what sort of irreparable damage he had just done to their friendship, and if there was any hope of fixing it.

[sweetpolyamoris]

My ongoing Fic-To-Write List

Iris’ Party w/ Marco and Monty (and lots of Monty x Priya specifically)

Some Kentin and Calemar friendship stuff (I don’t write about them enough)

Davie x Charlotte anything (my version of Charlotte b/c the game took her in a totally different direction than I’d anticipated... Idk when this is going to happen because it’s going to be hard to separate my!Charlotte from game!Charlotte for a while)

Gemma x Melody. Have I even written anything for them yet??? Why not???

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My Candies! The heights aren’t exactly accurate, but I’m sooooooo happy about the body types. Anyway, here’s the link if you want to try it out!

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Calemar’s Team

Raichu

Psyduck

Alakazam

Mr. Mime

Magmar

Gyarados

[sweetpolyamoris]

1 for your candies

1. Have you thought about what will happen to your Candy’s relationship with their crush once high school is over?

I’m going to preface this answer with the unashamed admission that I play these games for sappy romantic happiness. It’s not that I’m not a fan of tragic endings or ~drama~ (I love drama), but most of my characters have little pieces of me and it’s hard for me to give them sad endings. Obviously not everyone is going to stay together, but I have quite a few happy endings. And I firmly resist the notion that they’re unrealistic! I’m still w/ my boyfriend from high school, 4 years after!

Anyway, thanks for asking, Nonny! Here’s a rundown! It’s going to get long, so I’m putting it under a read-more.

Calemar

Her relationship with Castiel is actually one of the only ones I have that doesn’t really end well! Their relationship during high school was a pretty big indicator of what it would be like after. They have an on and off relationship for a few years, breaking up because they just aren’t compatible for a long-term relationship and then getting back together because they are young and attracted to/care about each other. Eventually, though, something happens that they can’t really come back from. It’s a mutual decision, and they pretty much stop speaking to each other. Despite the relationship being rocky as hell, Calemar still remembers it fondly.

Calemar and Kim are my together-forever couple. I knew as soon as I started shipping them that Kim was someone Calemar would love deeply and indefinitely. They’re a wonderful mixture of comfortable together and crazy about each other, so when they leave high school, their paths just intertwine. It’s partly fate and partly their own efforts to stay together. They end up living together in a small & cozy apartment and traveling during the summers.

Calemar and Armin are… complicated. If I’m being honest. I still haven’t decided whether or not they stay together romantically (currently I am leaning toward yes!), but regardless, they are always a part of each other’s lives! From the start, their relationship was based on mutual interests and compatible personalities. They just work together. Armin is a frequent guest at Calemar and Kim’s apartment, and the three of them get along tremendously (though Kim and Armin still tease each other

Lu

Lu and Lysander date for a few years after high school. Both become very involved in their own personal goals, however. Lu has given up her English degree to pursue a career as a dancing instructor, and Lysander is traveling a lot for his music. Their relationship becomes distant, and though they love each other very much, they decide that staying together is ultimately causing them more grief than joy. They split up. BUT. Fast forward into their late 30s. Lu has her dance studio, and is a divorcee/mom to two little girls. While she’s dropping them off at school, she runs into Lysander dropping off his nephew! He’s in town to visit Leigh and Rosa, and they decide to get drinks to “catch up.” But the attraction/affection from years ago is still very present, and one thing leads to another. They end up getting married in their 40s.

Davie

Davie and Nathaniel are one of my pairings that I refused to let go. They definitely have rocky periods in their relationships. One resulted in a brief separation, but when they got back together their feelings for each other were on much firmer ground. They just connect on so many levels, and they have been through a lot together that you just can’t walk away from. They push through their college education, and once both of them have graduated and obtained steady careers, they move in together! As for their Future™, the day that Nathaniel works up the courage to propose is the day Davie finds out she’s pregnant. It’s a very emotional day, lmao.

Davie and Dajan have always had a very relaxed relationship, due to them attending separate schools. Their lives continue to steer in different directions after high school, but they always stay in touch, and when they happen to be in the same area, they make sure to get together. Davie really appreciates how easy things are with him. They shoot each other emails about exciting things happening in their lives, or call each other in the middle of the night if they really need to talk to someone. There’s never any pressure to keep in touch; they just do.

Davie and Charlotte date seriously for a pretty long time in college. They’re very much the kind of couple to call at 3AM and ask to come over/give each other drawers at their apartments. Charlotte has big plans for her life, though, and eventually they lead her away from Davie. It’s not really anyone’s fault. They don’t keep in touch the same way that Davie and Dajan do, but Davie has a lot of pictures saved of their time together, and she remembers it very fondly.

Gemma

Gemma and Kentin date for a couple years after high school, but it ends up not working out. If you were to ask them what happened, neither could really put their finger on it. They remain very close friends (i.e. “You’re going to be the godparent to my baby” kind of friends). That being said, there are definitely moments in their lives where they wonder what might have happened if they’d stayed together (which may or may not result a period of exploration, haven’t decided yet!).

Gemma’s relationship with Melody lasts a little longer than hers with Kentin. For awhile they had the kinds of ambitions that worked well together, and they were amazing at keeping busy schedules while still maintaining a warm and devoted relationship. However, once Gemma’s charity work started taking off, she sort of threw herself into the work. Melody began to feel like the relationship was one-sided, and she broke it off. Gemma is the first to admit that it’s her fault the relationship ended. They run into each other from time to time, and the interactions are always pleasant! But Gemma can’t help but be a little sad when she sees Melody.

Monty

Monty and Priya’s relationship kind of goes all over the place. After high school, they attend the same university and end up moving in together after a couple years. It’s really amazing for awhile; they cook together in the mornings, and sneak kisses while grocery shopping, and make long trips on the weekends just to get away. But they have very different expectations of the relationship: Priya wants to get married and have a family; Monty isn’t really interested in marriage or children. They clash on this, so it results in a separation. They lose touch with each other for the latter half of their 20s, and don’t reconnect until their mid 30s. Outside of Rosalya, Monty hasn’t been able to maintain a relationship. It’s clear that even years later, she misses Priya, and Priya can’t help but feel the same. At this point, Priya has a wife and children. She and Monty end up picking up where they left off, and Monty spoils Priya’s kids rotten, lmao.

Monty and Rosalya do break up when Monty goes to university. Rosa is scared of the distance, and Monty is afraid that she’s more in love with Rosa than Rosa is with her. It’s a really weird period for them both. They try to keep in touch as friends, but every interaction they have always seemed to be tinged with something else. Just before her graduation, Monty comes back to visit her family, and she and Rosa meet up. It’s very obvious that they still have strong feelings for each other, and they end up back together.

Marco

Alexy is Marco’s high school sweetheart that, despite their relationship eventually ending, Marco will always love. Basically, Alexy becomes that ex-boyfriend that many of Marco’s partners feel uncomfortable around because Marco still has heart eyes. Alexy loves Marco dearly, but their relationship doesn’t work on the romantic level anymore, so they stay friends. Marco goes through a lot of boyfriends because things are weird w/ Alexy, but eventually he finds someone who isn’t bothered or threatened by their close relationship.

[sweetpolyamoris]

4 for your candies! I love them all, btw. Stellar job :)

Thank you so much, Nonny! I’ve worked really hard on them, so it’s always great to hear people enjoy them

4. Does your Candy have any tattoos? Would they like any? Of what?

Here’s a separate post w/ pics!

Calemar is terrified of needles, so it takes her forever to build up the courage to get any tattoos. She really wants them though, so eventually Castiel brings her to Lysander’s tattoo artist and she cries her way through her first tattoo: a blue watercolor lightsaber (fucking nerd) on her right inner forearm. She only manages to get one more tattoo before she decides she can’t handle any more: a little solar system in a line down her left inner forearm. 

Davie got her first tattoo when she was thirteen (under pretty questionable circumstances, lmao): a compass on her left wrist. At that point in her life she felt as though she had no sense of direction, and plenty of people were telling her she would get nowhere. So the symbol felt like an act of defiance/gave her some hope to help her through her situation. She starts saving up money during high school, and for graduation, Lucia helps her pay for her next tattoo: a big ass octopus that starts at her side and ends on her thigh. Lucia is super skeptical at first, but she can’t deny it’s awesome after it’s finished.

Lu’s first tattoo was at sixteen. Her mother let her get an infinity symbol with the word dance on her right wrist. (”Nothing too big or crazy, mija.”) Lu knows she wants more, though, and dating Lysander only enables her! Eventually she gets a little purple flower behind her ear and a rose sternum tattoo!

Gemma is not about tattoos. She doesn’t mind them on other people, but the idea of putting something permanent on her body gives her way too much anxiety to ever consider it.

Monty finds tattoos super attractive, but it takes her a little while to decide on something she likes. She ends up getting a mountain landscape on her foot (she’s big on rock climbing). She might get another tattoo in the future!

Marco, like his sister, finds tats really attractive. He doesn’t have the biggest pain tolerance, though, so his tattoos are fairly small: an X-Men symbol on his right ankle and a carnival band tattoo on his right arm.

[sweetpolyamoris]

Here are my Candies’ tattoos! Labeled in the captions.

[sweetpolyamoris]

11 and 2 for your candies too, please!

11. Does your Candy have a favorite TV series?

Calemar is a kids’ show junkie, so she’s really into Avatar: The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra, Steven Universe, Pokemon, and Young Justice. 

Lu enjoys competition shows (i.e. America’s Got Talent, America’s Next Top Model), but also has a weakness for supernatural romance/drama stuff like Vampire Diaries and Shadowhunters.

Davie has a lot of shows she used to love and now watches out of obligation rather than genuine enjoyment, some being American Horror Story, the Walking Dead, and Ink Master. However, she’s recently gotten into Preacher and Bates Motel.

Gemma is a big Pretty Little Liars and Grey’s Anatomy fan. She also watches Teen Wolf and Jane the Virgin.

Monty doesn’t watch much TV, but she gets a kick out of Wipeout and American Ninja Warrior.

Marco obsessively watches anything involving superheroes, Arrow/Flash/Teen Titans/X-Men being high on his favorites. He also really enjoys the Office and Parks and Rec.

2. If your Candy were a dessert, what might they be?

Calemar would be a pistachio cream cake with chocolate ganache.

Lu would be tembleque topped with cinnamon and a side of raspberries.

Davie would be a passion fruit margarita pie parfait.

Gemma would be a whipped yogurt shortcake with strawberry, blueberry, and pomegranate.

Monty would be salted almond brittle.

Marco would be a Twix caramel chocolate layer cake.

[sweetpolyamoris]

3 for all of them! (mycandylovings)

Thank you

3. What does your Candy’s backpack look like? What do they carry, outside of their notebooks? Do they tend to forget their schoolwork? Is their bag decorated with pins and/or keychains?

Here are all of their backpacks, from left to right: Calemar, Lu, Davie, Gemma, Monty, and Marco.

Calemar

As you can see, Calemar’s got a black [JanSport] backpack that is literally covered in pins. The picture is as close as I could get to her vibe, but she’s got pins that range from Superheros/Pokemon/Star Wars/Steven Universe to random quotes and pictures she thought were cute/funny. It looks super cluttered and makes one of her moms’ head hurt, but Calemar feels like it’s very her. The inside of the backpack is just as cluttered as the outside, tbh. Lots of disorganized notebooks, pens/pencils/highlighters lining the bottom of the bag, her Nintendo DS, a case for her glasses, her wallet, a calculator, allergy medication, and at least one snack every day (usually crackers/chips/cookies). Her homework gets lost underneath everything pretty often; Alexy’s been itching to help her reorganize.

Lu

Lu’s backpack is actually a tote bag, lmao. It’s just more comfortable for her! She has three, actually (the one pictured is her blue one, but she has two others in black and beige). In them, you’ll find: labeled notebooks for every subject, a package of loose-leaf paper, her planner, her cheetah print pencil case containing pencils/gel pens/highlighters/whiteout, the current book she’s reading, her writing journal, her make-up bag, a pocket mirror her cellphone, a container of fruit (usually mango slices or peaches), emergency pads, headphones, strawberry chewing gum, scented hand sanitizer, lotion, and a key chain w/ her house keys and a couple of charms. Everything has its own section/pocket.

Davie

Davie recently got into octopuses, so her backpack is decorated w/ one. Inside it there’s: a single binder w/ dividers for her classes, a textbook she might need for the day, a folder w/ due homework, her phone and charger, an anti-stress coloring book, a pencil bag with pencils (regular and colored) and markers, her wallet, her bus pass, a pack of sunflower seeds, peppermints, a little bottle of perfume/cologne, chapstick, a few emergency tampons, a bottle of Ibuprofen, an RL Stine book to occupy her, sunglasses, crumpled cafe receipts, and a Chicago Bulls lanyard w/ her house keys.

Gemma

Gemma showed some restraint in not getting an all-pink bag, lmao. Inside her backpack is: a few thin binders, an extra package of lined/graph paper and pretty stationary, a pencil case with pens/highlighters/whiteout/a single pencil (for testing), her planner, a guilty pleasure notebook with a cat cover, lip gloss, nail polish, tweezers, deodorant/body spray, a package of mini disposable toothbrushes, breath mints, her flower-print wallet, her cellphone and charger, a case with her headphones inside, a crossword puzzle book, her library card, her current knitting project, hand wipes, and a Disney-themed key chain. It should also be noted that Gemma has a separate lunch bag that holds a container w/ her lunch for the day and the baked goods she brought for her friends.

Monty

Monty finds the color/design of her backpack calming for some reason. It contains: a folder for each class, a binder filled with lined and graph paper, her textbooks, a calculator, mechanical pencils and black/blue pens, nail clippers, emergency pads, extra hair ties, deodorant, her rock gym membership card, a Sudoku book, a bag of trail mix, Big Red chewing gum, an energy drink, an umbrella, the current book she’s reading, and a space lanyard with her house and car keys.

Marco

Marco let Monty pick out his backpack because he couldn’t decide on one, lmao. His bag contains: a binder for all of his classes, a couple of notebooks, a pencil case with his pens/pencils/highlighters, the book of lines for the current drama club play, his wallet, his phone and charger, headphones, a few comics, a little bottle of cologne and deodorant, hair gel, hand lotion, Icebreaker mints, a bag of Hot Cheetos, and a Young Avengers lanyard with his house and car keys.

[sweetpolyamoris]

New dollmaker! 

[sweetpolyamoris]

I am in love with this dollmaker.

Marco as Sailor Cupid

Monty as Sailor Nix

Calemar as Sailor Pandora

Davie as Sailor Eris

Lu as Sailor Dione

Gemma as Sailor Ceres