#can you tell that I just spent a few hours working on original projects

[deoidesign]

Only 40 hours left to back the Time and Time Again Kickstarter!

Time and Time Again is a webcomic I have been working on full-time with WEBTOON for the past few years... But I've decided to avoid a publisher for printing so the books can stay completely mine, and I can keep working on and with this IP for the rest of my life.

It's a risky, scary, and expensive (both time AND money!) decision, but the absolute outpour of support has really shown me that it's possible and worth it!

Right now I'm printing the first season of the comic, which is four complete self-contained graphic novels! I've only finished 3 right now, because I am writing and adding new scenes to the fourth to make it exactly what I originally envisioned, but life got in the way of!

I make the comic in a format that can't be printed, so I've spent MONTHS converting from one format to another. And the books look incredible! You honestly can't tell they were originally scroll format, and it makes for an entirely new reading experience.

The story follows Adam, a straight-laced vampire time agent, and Steve, a rambunctious half-vampire half-werewolf who is forced to time travel every full moon... Each book is an entirely new time period and location!

You can pick whichever book sounds most fun, or if you get all four then you get to see their developing relationship over the course of the series!

Heres a flip through of one of the books, to show a little bit of what you'll be getting! All of the books are so so so beautiful I'm so proud of them!

But if you want just one, here's a quick breakdown of each:

Book 1: Trouble on the High Seas

Finding themselves aboard a hostile pirate ship, Adam and Steve must find a way to work together... lest they be forced to walk the plank.

Book 2: Summer Camp Cowabummer

Volunteering as counselors at a summer camp facing closure, Adam and Steve must manage their campers and the mysterious problems at the camp.

Book 3: Sights Unseen

Dropped into the ocean off the coast of an allegedly haunted island, Adam and Steve find themselves part of a ghost hunting show!

Book 4: Vampires of London

Tired, stressed, and in the hospitality of a vampire hunter, Adam and Steve seek to uncover a murderer in Victorian London… without revealing themselves to the hunter they’re investigating with.

The kickstarter also has some fun add on items!

Romance style slip covers, so your book can slip into something a little more comfortable~

and... paper dolls!

All this to say, I am EXTREMELY proud of these books and have put so so so much time and effort into making them. Thank you to everyone for supporting me over the years and making all this possible, and thank you to everyone for the support on the kickstarter!

If you can't back the project, I understand!!! Thank you for reading, I really appreciate it! help get this shared around so more people can see it before the kickstarter ends!

There's still 40 hours left to get these books!

(and if by chance you happen to have missed the kickstarter when you see this, the page will link to my site where you can preorder the books!)

[shehungers]

hello!!! recently read OPAQUE on ao3 and… oh my goodness!! it was absolutely incredible—my absolute favourite parts of it would be the slum scene (from start to finish, but specially the “humanity” section) anddd the entire ending. let me tell you! that i was just saying “wait. Wait.. Wait!” before those final twists.

you did an AMAZING job on this fic, and all of your original works have been a treat to read so far. i adore your ability to create these tiny worlds that so quickly manage to make me care. thank you so much for opening up your brain to all of us readers, and writing such heartwrenching works. i genuinely cannot wait to see what else you share with us in the future.

hello! thank you so much for this wonderful feedback back of opaque! It was a very pleasant surprise to wake-up to a while ago! it really does something for my soul that folks still have these sorts of reactions to that story because I put everything that I was as a writer, at the time, into that story and I still think it's the best thing I've written to date.

although, I'm hoping a few upcoming projects will dethrone it.

I'm also really happy to hear a comment about the slum scene! i think of any part of that story, it took me the longest to write and I'm pretty sure I rewrote it at least three times. to see it acknowledged is just worjwjdkjaejajsja 💓

I've spent a long time writing, developing my skills so I can create all of those tiny little worlds bc i really enjoy the stories where I can get lost in the story, the world, the people, the way of life. I think those make for the most memorable reading experiences and it's something that's critically important to me as a writer to accomplish. so, I'm genuinely so delighted that you feel that way about my work!!

thank you so much for reading opaque, my other work, and sharing your thoughts with me. it's feedback like this that makes all of those hours, weeks, months, years I've spent building my skills well worth it 💓💖

[worldsentwined]

Oooo 14, 28, 33

14. what’s something you’ve always wanted to do but maybe been to scared to do? OH BOY I am saving this question to give to my therapist the next time I see her, because I just like. Fully bluescreened for a minute after reading it haha. (The concepts of "always wanted to" and "been scared of but still wanted to do" are uhhh challenging for me). But! After much consideration, I think we can put "relearn to ride a bike" in this category. I was taught as a kid, but I have a vivid memory of saying "I'm doing it!" and then immediately falling over and that's...the last I remember of the bike learning process. It wasn't exactly useful as a means of transportation where I grew up, and there were other more fun ways to get exercise, so I just...didn't. Now that I live in a place where there are more opportunities, it would be nice to know how, but the fear of falling hasn't diminished and in fact has probably gotten worse as I've aged.

28. do you collect anything? Not precisely on purpose, but I have acquired a steady stream of enamel pins and buttons (particularly union buttons) over the past few years. Most of the union buttons would expose a little more info about me than I necessarily want to put on Tumblr, but here is a selection that lives on one of my jackets:

33. any hobbies? The short answer here is "SO MANY". Long answer, I'm a bit of a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to certain categories of hobby, which are:

fiber crafts - Crochet and hand sewing (particularly mending) are my favorites, but over the years I have tried my hand at quilting, knitting, spinning, embroidery, needle felting, and probably a few others I've forgotten

visual/fine arts - drawing and painting (watercolor) are my favorites, but I have played around with most kinds of paint and various forms of sculpture. I actually majored in art but I kinda knew the whole time that I didn't see it as a professional plan, just something I wanted to learn more about. I've also been doing a lot of digital painting over the past few years, which is entirely self-taught.

writing - fanfic! Original fic! Poetry! Filk! Several attempts at novels have also been made, I spent a number of years working on longform projects before I got into writing fanfic and realized short form writing (for a given value of "short") is a little more manageable.

TTRPGs - I'm in two different tabletop roleplaying groups (one online for DnD, one in-person for the Marvel Super Heroes RPG)

Music - I joined a local labor choir last year and it has become one of my favorite things. "Choir" is a bit of a misnomer, but there's not a more concise word for "ragtag group of folks who hang out and sing union and anti-fascist songs together for two hours a week, who WILL show up at your protest, rally, or picket line if you tell us about it" haha. We actually are working on some more formal choral arrangements for upcoming May Day festivities, but at any given practice we're just as likely to go on a "songs about public transit" or "how many different languages can we sing in tonight" deep dive.

[renee-writer]

The Fire Chapter 2

AO3

“He is alive, Bree. In his time. I just know it.”

 

Ever since the fire she has been walking on air. Carrying the bit of tartan around  long after the flowers wilted.

 

“Mama, you said he was to die at that final battle.”  It is a gentle reminder. I want him to be alive as well so I can meet the man who gave me life and then saved it.

 

“He was. Something happened. History changed. Somewhere in the books Frank has, must be prove of that.”

 

“I will help you search.” The quarter is over and I have a few months. If I can help her ease her mind one way or the other, it will be time well spent.

 

“Thank you darling.”

 

Daddy had a lot of books about the time my birth father came from.  “Was he always interested in this time or was it after, uh, you came back he started researching this time?”

 

She sits among the stack of books. Her eyes are thoughtful. “A bit of both. We were in Scotland,” oh the longing in her voice when she spoke of that place, “originally so he could research his ancestors.”

 

“They were from Scotland?” I wipe the dust off my hands. It would be shocking were they. Daddy was so English.

 

“No,” her chuckle says she finds the idea as preposterous as I did, “but he had an ancestor,” her eyes grow dark. Her hands, that had laid relaxed on her lap, now become fists, “a truly evil man, loathsome, not that he knew that. I didn’t tell him of the things Black Jack did,” she shakes her head coming back from wherever she has been, “ that was the reason he was researching this time, at first.”

 

She rises and pours a bit of scotch into a glass. After a healthy sip, “my return expanded his area of research.”

 

“Is he dead, this horrible man?”

 

A nod. “Yes, of that I am sure of.”

 

“How?” It isn’t that I don’t trust her. It is just I don’t want her or myself near such a creature. Oh, if we find him, I will be going back with her.

 

“Your daddy’s research. It showed he died at Colluden Moor. Jamie would have made sure.”

 

“What did he do to you?”

 

I watch as her face transforms from the longing it holds when she speaks of Jamie to rage.

 

“Not as much me as…” she takes a few deep breaths that have me regretting asking her, “he tortured and raped Jamie.”

 

I gasp feeling the world tilt. For the rest of my life, I know time will be divided into before and after I knew this. A few naughty words are said.

 

“I am glad he is dead then and long rotting in the ground.”

 

“Burning in hell.” Mama adds.

 

Even though daddy and mama have raised me as a Catholic, mama’s words don’t bother me. Some people are just irredeemable. It sounds like this Black Jack is one of them.

 

“Let’s get back to looking.”  I suggest. She smiles at me. We each pick up a book.

 

Around an hour later.

 

“What’s this?” The folded paper fell out of one of the research books. I unfold it and see myself in male form. It is on a wanted form for a bloke who’s  name is listed as Red Jamie AKA Mac Dhub AKA Jamie Fraser, my father.

 

I must have made a sound of some kind. Mama hurries over to me. “ Bree what…?” then she sees the paper, “Oh my God!”

 

“It’s him, isn’t it?”

 

The shake in her hand as she takes it let’s me know I am right.

 

Her eyes scan it, lingering on him before finally moving down.  “1750! Bree, he survived the battle.”

 

“Wanted for treason.”

 

She waves off his possible treasonous acts without a second thought.  “He was alive in 1750. I have to go back.”

 

“No mama. We do.”

[funwalker]

[This originally posted on my blog 12/12/2024. Check there for more of my musings about video games and mostly just video games right now but maybe one day art??? Maybe....]

Games I Played in 2024 (part 1)

I started typing up a post of every game I've played this year and then decided it was probably too long, so I'm diving it into two parts. Next part coming, uh... probably before the end of the year. I'm trying to give myself a little more time to finish/start certain games (and also to remember what other things I've played this year), so we'll see how that goes.

In the mean time...

Short or Incomplete Experiences

(in no particular order)

Despite not usually being full games, game jam games still have quite a bit of work put into them. A lot of them have some spark of imagination, an interesting concept, or just a unique feeling that I think makes them worthwhile to experience. Like reading a short story, maybe the idea hasn't been fully explored, but you can often get something valuable out of the experience anyways.

I thought I'd talk a little bit about some experiences that might go overlooked. This is just a short list of free, incomplete or short games and toys (about an hour or less in length) that I've played this year. Many of them may seem rough or unpolished, but I thought they were worth fiddling around with for various reasons.

Monster of the Weekend A little monster raising game jam game. Pretty neat! At first it seemed like I might be missing something, but as you play and try different combinations of food to feed your monster, it opens up the world in different ways. Pretty cool.

The Riddle of the Temple A sort of test made in Decker. Will probably take less than 10 minutes to get through it all, but very enjoyable.

Silver Thread: Deux I thought Silver Thread was pretty good for being the dev's first game. It reminded me a lot of little games I'd download off of tumblr back in the day, where it's maybe not super polished or well designed, but you can tell the dev cared and has some interesting ideas that could be iterated on in future projects. Deux, like the first one, is not very long. I don't think the mystery is really that deep or interesting, but it's still decently fun to play though. I like the character interactions, and the art is quite nice.

Post Memory Made for a visual novel jam. Also by the Silver Thread dev. It's about moving to a strange little town and delivering mail. It's also a little rough around the edges, like their other games, but I think this one is my favorite so far. There are certain little "glitches" that I'm fairly certain are there on purpose that unfortunately don't really add much to the experience in its current form, but I think it's neat to find them regardless.

Carpet Gallery A "toy" made for Toy Jam. Not really a "game" but more of an interactive experience. You just wander through uh... hundreds? of rooms filled with "carpets". Kind of an interesting labyrinth to explore. I feel like it would be neat to come back some months later and chart a different path through there.

Company Another Toy Jam toy. Plant flowers. Attract little guys. That's it.

Tender Another game jam game (I play a lot of those evidently). Raising strange and alien plants while following the diary of your botanist parents who have disappeared on this foreign planet... A cute a sweet little story. Neat concept. Maybe about an hour long.

FISH FEAR ME (demo) Despite being on the short/incomplete list, I think I spent about 10 hours playing FISH FEAR ME already. lol It's technically still just a demo but I would dare to say there is quite a lot to be done. FISH FEAR ME is... it's like... if SNAKE FARM (the developer's previous game) had tank controls--which is to say... chaotic. Haha. (Okay but hear me out though...) Like SNAKE FARM, it's a top down roguelike hoard shooter/bullet hell where you can basically control the difficulty of the game by summoning as many or as few enemies as you'd like. The player is encouraged to summon specific fish (increasing in difficulty as the game progresses and you get stronger weapons) to get currency to unlock better skills and equipment. I thought maybe I wouldn't like FISH FEAR ME from the outset because... tank controls... but it turns out the first boat you get is just crap and you quickly unlock more interesting and specialized modes of movement. I was hooked... Get it? It's a fishing pun...

Anyways, those are my recs to keep you busy while you wait for any games you may be receiving or buying for yourself this holiday period. All of them are free, so you have no excuse to skip out on them!

[crotchety-old-emu]

Hi can I ask about your writing process regarding "our love is these days' piano"? How do you usually write, do you plan out everything in advance, or just use a general outline? How hard it is to write a story that takes place in the Regency? Do you do a lot of historical research? (I really enjoy looking up the little things you sprinkle in there, like Robin Adair) What is the best advice you wish you would have known when you started writing?

hi! thank you so much for this amazing message. it makes me feel like a *real writer*.

i usually follow the same process when writing a story. i always start with an outline, which i break up into scenes so i know exactly when certain events take place.

however, with olitdp my outline has changed a million times. i usually wait until a story is finished to post it, so it mostly ends up being pretty much what i originally planned it to be. with olitdp, i've had so much amazing feedback that has helped change the story substantially. it was only ever supposed to be 6 chapters. so in all honesty, if you like the story, it's as much your accomplishment as mine.

i have to admit, though, it is bloody hard writing regency. i'd say this is probably the most challenging story i've ever written, because - for some unfathomable reason - i wanted to stay as close to regency english as i could and it requires a fuckton of research. i'm not a historian, and certainly not a historical linguist. so most of the time i spend on this story, goes into looking up if certain words or expressions existed in the regency era. i have several tabs open with etymological dictionaries and thesauruses as i write, plus i consult pride and prejudice (my main inspiration) on project gutenberg constantly to see if jane austen used certain words.

i want to make it extremely clear, though, that i am not saying that i've never used any words that did not exist in regency times. i 100% did, but i try to avoid modern words that would stand out like a sore thumb as much as i can.

this is why it takes me a million years to complete a chapter, by the way. pretty much all the dialogue is written out for the entirety of the story (unless my amazing readers inspire me to change the outline yet again). but all the actions in between, choosing the right and period-appropriate words to describe them, takes hours and hours of research.

as for other research, i have gone down many a regency rabbit hole. i have spent days reading about the correct order in which to enter or exit a dining room, the layout of upper class regency houses, the way a regency household is structured, popular books and songs of the time, clothing items and fabrics and lately, regency dances (which will play a key part in the next chapter 👀).

if you're writing regency stories and want detailed information and video clips of regency dances, this website is the most brilliant resource. it has helped me out so much. highly recommend.

a few other great websites, that gave me a lot of insight and understanding of the how and why of the regency period are, in no particular order:

jane austen's world (just great in general)

regency history (especially the page i linked to, on how to behave at regency balls)

ellie dashwood (youtube channel that has truckloads of information on regency novels, a lot of them jane austen's)

if i had to give any advice - not that i am in any way an authority on writing recency pieces - it would be to not do it 😅. or at least, don't stick to the regency english. it has slowed down my writing so, so much and while i am quite pleased with all the research i've done, i have made it so much harder to tell the story i want to tell, and i am constantly worried i am veering off into purple prose territory with the words i do decide to use.

i have been working on a new penthony-story (mostly in my head, though) for a while and i'm definitely setting it in modern times because i just want to be able to write without second-guessing myself with every word.

should you decide to try and stay as true to regency language as you can, i would heartily recommend pulling up a regency novel (doesn't have to be austen) and checking it for certain expressions and vocabulary as you go along. i think that, far more than the etymology websites, has helped me decide on the wording of my story. plus, bonus re-reading of some of your favourite pieces of literature. (i do get lost in p&p every once in a while, and i LOVE it).

if you managed to get to the end of this ranty post, i commend you, dear reader. thank you so, so much. i cannot tell you guys enough how much your interest and interaction with me have inspired me and helped me shape the story.

and you, @cardeakelsey: what an amazing ask this was. thank you so much for taking the time to notice the tiny things i put in there and for appreciating them. it genuinely means the world.

[darkn2wistydia]

A Hazbin Hotel Side Story! ♠♦Blackjack Princess!♣♥ (PART ONE)

I thought maybe before I fully commit to a bigger project I could showcase what my writing is like and some of my original character, Vesper's, personality. This is quite long, but I enjoyed writing it and hope you'll enjoy reading it just as much. (I'm also not done with this yet, so stay tuned!~)

Word Count: 4,240

!CONTAINS TALK OF GAMBLING, SUBSTANCE ABUSE (ALCOHOL), CURSING, CRUDE HUMOR! {that might be it...?}

Synopsis:

Upon learning that Vesper was once a Blackjack dealer in life, Husk and them form a friendship of sorts and play together when Vesper's time and afterlife is not completely overtaken by VoxTek and the egotistical face of the brand, Vox.

When trying in vain to get Alastor to play one night, the only thing capable of changing his mind is Charlie's naive interest in learning to play this new game, completely unknowing of the spark of chaos, competition, and deal making!? she has ignited among the sinners.

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

Husk growls out in anger, throwing his empty bottle against the wall, the sound of glass shattering, and his shouts echoing in the empty lobby.

"FUCKIN' BULLSHIT! You're fucking cheating, I know you are!"

Vesper rolls their eyes as they collect the cards as well as the poker chips Husk bet on his hand. They begin shuffling the deck as they speak, "Chill the fuck out and quit whining. You'll wake up everyone in the Hotel. So, we playin’ again or not?" They smirk, and raise a brow, knowing he won't quit. Not until he hits a winning streak and hits it big or he's out of chips. And, Vesper can always give him a win or two, just to keep him playing. They've already got these cards playing for her, not the other way around. 

He growls, then huffs. "... yeah. Lemme get another drink before you deal." He walks away, muttering to himself as he grabs another bottle of whiskey. He speaks up as he opens the bottle, "You want another one of those nasty ass champagne drinks?"

"Mm, yeah. Here, I'll bring you my glass so you don't have more shit to shine later. And quit hating on me. We're supposed to be having a good night." Vesper sets the deck of cards on the table before they stand and take their glass towards the bar, finishing off what was left of the previous drink and taking a seat on one of the stools.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Lights. Just give it here so we can get back to the game." Husk takes the glass and gets to work on the cocktail.

Suddenly, the front door opens, catching both Vesper and Husk's attention. In waltzes Alastor, silently shutting the door behind him with a grocery bag in hand. He then notices the pair at the bar. "Oh. Hello, Vesper. Husk. What are you two still doing awake?"

"We could ask you the same thing. Heard no one's seen you all day, Vaggie was looking for you for a good while before giving up. So, why are you getting back so late, hm?" Vesper questions then turns their head when Husk sets their freshly made cocktail on the bar, picking it up and taking a sip. 

Alastor laughs, "Ah. Well, you're certainly more confident when you're intoxicated. Usually, you don't speak so boldly. How humorous. But, since you asked, I spent the day in the Cannibal Colony with my dear friend, Rosie. I also stopped by a butcher to get a nice piece of venison for breakfast in a few hours. Now, since I answered you, do tell me what you two are up to this evening. I'm quite curious."

"Just drinking and gambling. They're a fucking asshole dealer, though. Pretty sure they're counting cards, just can't prove it...." Husk tips the whisky bottle back, taking a large drink before resting his elbow on the bar and propping his face up with his fist, glancing at Alastor's grocery bag, blood pooling at the bottom of the white plastic despite the meat being wrapped. He sets the bottle to the bar and makes a face, "That looks fuckin' gross, man. Put that somewhere else."

Vesper shrugs, not that bothered and simply ignoring Husk's last comment, "Eh, you're just a low roller and a sore loser, Feathers. Besides, we're not gambling anything of value, so what's it matter. Most I'm getting out of this is a good laugh when you lose. Which is every time." They snicker, earning a scowl from Husk. 

Alastor uses his magic to send his breakfast elsewhere before drawing closer. "Oh, such a shame you're still on that losing streak, Husk, but really, you've only got yourself to blame for that. Only natural your poor luck should continue."

Husk scoffs before sitting up, taking another swig of his whiskey and slamming the bottle down on the bar top, hard, but not enough to break it. "You know what, man? Fuck you, first of all. And, second, why don't you play with us tonight and see what I mean. They'll probably outplay you, too. Boy, wouldn't that be a sight to see. The Radio Demon, losing."

"Ha! I would join you both, really, even if it was just to watch as you continue to lose, old pal. But, as Vesper stated, neither of you is gambling anything of value. I see no reason to play."

"I ain't got nothing to bet, you prick! You got my soul and my power, what else do ya want?!"

"Guys, you're being really loud.... Could you... maybe just... quiet down? Just a bit?" A tired Charlie has appeared at the stairs, yawning softly.

Vesper hits Husk in the chest, "See? I TOLD you that your yelling would wake someone up." They huff, turning their attention to Charlie, "Sorry, Charlie. We'll quiet down, head on back to bed." 

Charlie sees the chips and cards on the table and gasps, "Ooh, are you guys playing a game! What game is it? Can I play?" 

Alastor blinks, bewildered and obviously amused at the thought of the Princess of Hell, someone quite literally Hellbent on rehabilitating sinners, engaging in something as frivolous and sometimes even sinful as gambling? Now, that would be quite an entertaining sight to see.

"If she plays, I'll join you."

Husk scoffs, throwing his hands up in annoyance, "What!? No! Fuckin’ leave the Princess out of this! She's going to bed!"

Charlie rushes down the stairs and to the bar, hands clasped pleadingly, "No, I think I got a second wind. Please, please, please...!" 

Vesper chuckles. "Alright, alright. C'mon, let me show you how to play. Oh, and Husk, go ahead and pour me a glass of that. It's gonna be a longer night than I thought." 

Husk groans, grabbing another bottle of whisky and two glasses, looking to Alastor, "On the rocks or straight, you pinstriped fuck?"

"Straight. And, I'll take it at the table." He smirks walking away to join Charlie and Vesper at the poker table, hearing Husk growl out an, "Of course you fuckin' will...." before he pours both drinks, carrying them in one hand and the now two open bottles of whiskey in the other.

Vesper lays out a faux play to show Charlie the rules of Blackjack. They've also placed a poker chip in the betting area and a second aside for a later example. "Oh, and this is just an etiquette of the game. Don't touch the cards. That's all on the dealer." 

"Huh. Ok. No touching the cards. So, what's the point of the game? How do we play?"

"So, your goal is to beat the dealer, me, without going over 21. Everyone starts with two cards, and everyone has to put in a chip worth at least the table minimum and usually a maximum. That last bit isn't as important unless you're playing competitively. The difference between your hand and the dealer's is that yours will be faceup while one of the dealer's cards is faced down, that's the hole card. Getting it so far?" 

Charlie nods. "Yep, play a minimum point value, beat the dealer's score without going over 21, my cards are face up. What else?"

{AN: After this cut is a lengthy description on how to play Blackjack as told by Vesper. There is some ditzy Charlie content and a fluffy moment or two between Vesper and Alastor, but be aware that you DO NOT have to read this part to enjoy and understand the story. I just didn't have the heart to cut it, so if you read this bit, thanks! But, don't feel obligated! Either way you read this story, it'll make sense. Happy reading!}

"Ok, I laid out a play for you so you can see how this works. The dealer's score is a 7, and the player has a king and a 4, giving them a score of 14. Kings, queens, and jacks, also called face cards, are all worth 10 points. The number cards are pretty self-explanatory. Aces are the magic card and can be valued at either one or eleven points. That's always the player's choice. Phew. Hold on a second." Vesper takes a breath then takes a long sip of their drink that they'd been holding. Doing so, they see Alastor has come to join them and is exceptionally close, listening intently to Vesper's explanation. He glances from the cards to them, offering his hand to take their drink after they've sipped on it a moment. 

"May I? I don't believe I've had the taste of a bubbly champagne cocktail since I was a much younger man. Perhaps I could hold it for you as well, since it seems you're in need of your hands to properly explain the rules to Charlotte."

Vesper smiles softly, handing Alastor the cocktail. "What a gentlemanly offer. Knock yourself out, Al." Their fingertips graze his as the glass changes hands. Alsator laughs at the comment, "Always! And, thank you, Darling. Mm. Is that... um... gender neutral...?" He raises a brow, unsure, but still smiling as he sips the cocktail, humming as the liquid graces his taste buds. 

They shrug, honestly not bothered by what he'd call them as they're not ballsy enough to correct him. "Mm, I'll take it. Now, let me get back to this and get in here real quick." Vesper turns back towards the table and grabs the deck, quickly dealing through for the cards for the ones she needs, setting them off to the side with the extra chip. Husk, perking up at the sound of the cards, looks and begins watching the cards close and intently as he sips his bottle of booze.

"Alright. You, as the player, have two choices. You can stay, which is where you wave your hand over the cards to keep the score you have. Or, you can hit, where you tap the table and the dealer will deal you as many cards as you want to get a better score, but there's always the risk you could go over 21, which is called a bust and causes you to lose. So, you have to be wary how many times you hit. Ok, this is where it starts getting tricky. You still keeping up?" 

Charlie nods once more, looking confident. "Yes. Wave to stay, tap to hit. Keep going, this sounds like such a fun game." She smiles brightly, leaning in a bit closer to continue observing from a better angle.

Husk chokes on his booze at the statement, suppressing a laugh.

"Ignore him. So, for now we'll say that you stayed with this hand, kept the fourteen. Now the dealer shows their second card. In this case it's an ace which is perfect. Dealer has a higher score so they win. Now, the dealer plays by a bit of a different set of rules. The dea-"

Charlie gasps abruptly, causing everyone to jump. "What!? That's dirty...! Why?" 

"Just the game, Charlie. It evens out, trust me. Anyway, the dealer's score will always be 17 or over without exceeding  21. If the two cards they delt themselves at the start of the hand don't equal 17 when they reveal the hole card, then they continue to draw cards until they add up to or exceed 17. Now, if they were to exceed 21, the dealer busts, loses, and the whole table gets a payout." 

"Everyone wins!? Whoa, what a turn around. Ok, ok. Anything else?"

Vesper chuckles softly, shaking her head a bit at Charlie's genuinely naive fascination, "Let me show you another few plays, just so I can give you some basic tips and make sure you're really getting it."

Charlie nods then looks back to the cards.

"Ok, the best way to know when to stay or hit is to pay attention to what you have and compare it to the visible dealer card.  We know in this case our dealer's point value is 17, but only the 7 was visible, so we'll go off that for now. Player has 14, this time we're gonna hit and say that we get a 7. That gives us a perfect score of 21, which means the player wins. Just use your judgment, you'll get better the more you play.”

"Now, players actually have a third play option, but it really only works if the player is dealt high doubles”

Vesper grabs the cards they’d previously pulled and set aside as well as the extra chip. They then pull a pair of tens out of the select cards without looking.

“Like these two tens here. That gives you a score of 20, which almost guarantees the win, but, if you're feeling lucky or got the balls, your third option is to split the hand. That's where you double the points you put in play at the beginning of the hand and double tap the table with two fingers to signify the split. The Dealer does that for you, of course." Vesper puts the extra chip in the betting area and properly splits the hand so Charlie can see an example.

"Wait, what? That's silly, why would you wanna split the hand if you've already won? That makes no sense." 

Alastor laughs heartily, "Good question, Princess! The right one, too. But, never assume triumph, especially in a game that at its core is based on chance. It makes one look cocky. Or at the very least don't verbalize it." He continues to chuckle, still holding Vesper's champagne glass.

Vesper nods in agreement, "He's actually got a point. Even if you have an almost perfect score, the dealer could end up with the perfect score. Happens more often than you think, especially for newer players. But, like I said, the thing with splitting your hand is you can win extra points if it works out in your favor. Since you bet double, you can win double from the dealer. They always match your bet. And, if you noticed, the dealer can't do anything but hit if their card value is below 17. If it's at 17, they're not allowed." 

Charlie gasps, “Ooooh, ok! So that puts them at a disadvantage! Despite this being a game of chance it's also a game of strategy.”

"Well, look who's getting smart and really thinking it through. Now you're really catching on. Moving right along, upon splitting the hand, the player actually then has two hands in play, allowing them to hit on both to get a score below 21. We'll say in this case we got lucky and pulled another ten and a queen, so both hands are worth 20 points and the dealer loses with 17. Now, worst case scenario, let's say your dealer actually has a six on top instead of that 7." 

Vesper switches out the 7 for the 6 they'd kept in their hand for later,  holding one more card in their off hand, discarding the now useless 7 with the rest of the deck.

“What do you think you should do?" 

Charlie takes a deep breath. "Ok. So, I already split my hand, they both value to 20, I can't hit or I'll go over, so I stay with what I've got. As for the dealer, they're score is 16 now, so... they have to hit. And, they only need to draw a 4 or 5 to win."

"Bingo. But, more often than not, they don't get that 5. 16 is a dangerous number in Blackjack." Vesper throws out the final card they'd been holding onto, the 5, watching as it lands with the rest of the dealer's cards, smirking a bit. "But, 16 is my lucky number, and I tend to get the cards I need. You ain't ever met a dealer like me. I'm a jack of all trades when it comes to card games, but this is where my skills really shine."

{AN: If you made it this far and read what could have been cut, thanks. And, congratulations! Now you have all the knowledge I have of Blackjack! I just had fun writing and couldn't stop. Thanks for humoring me Now, diving back in...!~}

Vesper takes a deep breath after the lengthy explanation, Alastor offering them their drink, which they take from him and take a large drink from before handing it back. He retrieves it from them, taking another sip from the bubbly cocktail as well.

"Ok, I think that covers everything. If I missed something I'll explain it when we get there. So, you think you're ready to play some Blackjack, Princess?" 

"Yes! Deal me in, Vesper!" Charlie pulls up a chair and sits directly in front of where Vesper will be dealing from, Husk moves from his perch on the side of the table to sit to Charlie's left and Alastor, still standing, is to her right.

Vesper laughs, grabbing the example cards and putting them with the rest of the deck, beginning to shuffle them as they round the table to where the bank of chips is positioned. "Alright, let me get you and Alastor some chips. Must be a lucky day after all, Husk, you're getting fresh chips. Everyone's starting with 15 chips, excluding the dealer, I gotta have a bank for when one of you fools decides to try and hit it big. That's inevitable. Each of your chips is worth 100 points. To play you have to have at minimum one chip in your betting area. I don't care about a max. If you run out of chips, you lose. At 45 points, I call the game. Hit that point total first, or hope that the other players strike out cause that's the only way to win."

Alastor rounds the table offering their champagne glass back to them, as he'd had enough and left the last drink for Vesper. Placing the deck of cards on the table, they take the glass, finishing what was left as they begin to pull the chips needed to play with their free hand.

Alastor reaches out, taking the glass from their hand carefully, once more, allowing their hands to touch. "I'll get that to the bar." Which simply meant he'd use his black magic to send itself over there. "Oh, and thank you, again. It was almost nostalgic sipping that. Reminded me of a party I attended once, though I believe the drink I had then wasn't nearly as sweet as yours. However, on another note, it really is such a pity that we've nothing of value to bet with so we can make the game more… interesting."

Vesper bites their lip, cocking their head to the side in thought. About both Alastor's emphasis on the word 'sweet' as well as his urge for something of value worth playing for. It was for his entertainment of course and unfortunately Vesper knew exactly what he was wanting them to say.

It was the only thing that came to mind.

"Alright, how about this? I'll put my soul on the table. Winner gets that." They raise a brow at Alastor, who is obviously visibly interested. 

Husk jumps up, "Don't be fuckin' stupid, Vesper! He'll cheat you out of it and you know it! You may be a pain in the ass but you're sure as Hell not dumb enough to make a bet like that."

Charlie looks at Vesper, "We're betting!? This is a betting game!? I thought it was just a point system! Um, I..... Don't... ugh don't bet your soul, Vesper! I don't want... You shouldn't... um...." Charlie can't even find the words to express everything she's feeling. 

Vesper stops shuffling long enough to finally deal out the chips they had pulled for each player before Alastor had distracted them. Instead of setting his chips across the table, Vesper offers Alastor his chips since he is standing just beside them. He opens his palm and Vesper places them in his hand, his gaze never wavering from them.

Vesper looks to a visibly concerned Charlie as she begins shuffling the cards once more, "Ok, ok, how about this. Just as an insurance policy, if you win, Charlie, I'll help you with lesson plans for a week on top of everything that I do for the flat-faced prince of VoxTek. Mm, and, I'll let you officially check me in and... participate in this whole, ugh... rehabilitation thing. But, if one of these bastards win, which I have faith is not gonna happen, they get my soul. It is mine to bet, after all. I'm still a sinner, gotta keep my afterlife interesting somehow."

Charlie's jaw kinda drops, eyes wide as she takes in this information. "You... I.... Really...? You'll actually try? Like genuinely, really try?" Vesper nods, still shuffling the deck of cards, now doing a few fancy shuffling tricks, catching Husk's attention who stares in admiration of the skill. 

Charlie takes a breath and stands, looking at Vesper. "Alright, despite not agreeing with the whole... soul dealing thing... I'll make an exception this time because I do believe in you.... And if you believe you'll win then, that's gonna have to be enough for me. So, um... I'll... I'll take your bet. You're on, Vesper." Charlie huffs then sits back in her chair, waiting for the cards to be dealt.

Alastor smiles widely, "Marvelous! Oh, what a game this shall be! Shall we shake hands, dear?" Offering his free hand to Vesper, a soft yet sickly green glow emanating from it.

Husk throws in his two-cents once more, "I ain't shaking his fuckin' hand. And, this is still a dumbass idea. Don't be a dumbass."

"What did I just tell her? My soul, I'll bet it if I want. Besides, you just gotta shake my hand, you grouchy old fuck. And, if you win you got my soul, maybe it'll be just the pick-me-up you needed. I hear I can be pretty useful, a jack of all trades. Now, get that stick out of your ass and gimme your fuckin’ hand. Not the one you used to remove the stick, though." Vesper snickers at their own joke and Alastor laughs as well, which only makes them laugh with him. 

Husk growls and mutters under his breath as he offers his hand from across the table.

Vesper takes his hand then Alastor’s, giving them a firm shake. "It's a deal. Either of you win, it's my soul. Should I win, I get to keep it. All I really want in return is bragging rights. Especially if I beat you, Alastor." 

Alastor laughs, hand still tightly grasping Vesper's, "A fine deal, I suppose. Though, should you lose, what you're giving up is worth much more than 'bragging rights,' Dearest. Now, don't get me wrong, taking advantage of such a poorly made deal would usually be something I enjoy and participate in solely for the shattered look on their face when they lose. However, you're smarter than that. And, trying to play me before the cards are even on the table. Clever, but not clever enough, I'm afraid. So, to make the earnings and playing ground fair, I have a suggestion. Should you win, I'll allow you to have bragging rights and to keep your soul, since that is what you say you wish, but I also offer mine and Husk's services for one future favor. Anything you can think of. However, should I or Husk win, your soul will belong to whomever wins the game, be it by point value or by not striking out. I also believe your services could be of good use for something, so you'll be indebted to one future favor as well, anything the winner wishes. Now, that is a much fairer deal, don't you agree?"

Husk, hand still locked in the handshake with Vesper, is flabbergasted at hearing that he could very well end up doing another shit favor just because Alastor offered him up for it. Again. And, watching Vesper make the same mistake he did, he almost felt guilty, even if he tried to warn them. Really he should have tried a bit harder, been more direct. This deal was just as carefully worded as his, which makes it dangerous. But, at least Alastor was offering his own services, too. And, thankfully, for some reason, he didn't require complete control of them. Not yet, anyhow. Because Husk knew better than anyone that once he had your soul, Alastor already owned you. Even if you didn't know it yet.

Vesper smirks, "Alright, smart ass, you're on. Now, go sit, I'm ready to deal."

Husk and Alastor shake their hand once more, causing Alastor's power to flare and the room flash the sickly green before dissipating. Husk pulls away as soon as the deal is sealed, crossing his arms. Alastor, however, glances down at Vesper's hand just before leaning down to place a gentle kiss on their knuckles. Then, as if it never happened, he turns on his heels and goes to the opposite side of the table to join Charlie and Husk, taking his seat to the right of Charlie. "I truly wish you the best of luck, Vesper."

A soft blush dusts Vesper's cheeks as they retrieve the deck of cards and begin to shuffle, setting the deck in front of Husk simply out of habit. He chuckles and cuts the deck and Vesper begins to shuffle once more then deals out their hands.

After dealing, Vesper reaches under the edge of the table, pulling out the box that houses the deck of cards they'll be using. They reach in and pull out one of the two Jokers before they shove it into the rest of the deck, only for it to pop out the other side of the deck. However, in doing so the card had changed from the classic black, red and white coloring to one emphasized by neon colors with a characterized image of Vesper replacing that of the Joker. They rest the card at the front of their bank, smirking as they lean comfortably on the table. Vesper's soul was officially on the table....

"Alright, sinners and Princess. Let's play." 

I sincerely hope you guys enjoyed this. I will be writing a part two, it is actually already in the works and will most likely update this with a word count, warning tags, (if it should need it), and fix any mistakes I may have missed. I'll also link Part Two once it's up. I thank you for reading.

[evelyne-am]

22nd March 2023

Day 9

I’m still slacking and to my horror others are struggling too here and there. Most of the cast is finding it tough to remember the new cues and lines and line distributions. We spent two hours on the first five lines today barely getting through the act one. Director is understandably furious. We got a proper yelling because we are just stumbling at every line. He reminds us we haven't even done the first two pages and we have 58 left. The song we open with is the one I made and I havent locked it, so we keep making mistakes on that first opening scene for over an hour.

I feel very angry with myself, even though my lackings are in a different place than others, M is correct when she says that we still haven’t jumped in fully. I wonder if I should stop writing the blog, it makes me feel like I’m still an outsider because I’m writing about it. But I also don’t want to stop because our director is really something and I would like to remember how I have been learning, how he is directing, and also these heightened emotions that I feel that may inspire me later. I already feel myself changing, my tolerance for inefficiency in my own teams is lowering. Even though I’m doing the same thing. Get to 100 percent AM!

We are on the 3rd version now. Originally we had thought it would be each person reads one part and is M1/M2/M3 turn by turn. 2nd version we played her at the same time, line by line like we are one person. Today's version seems final. There is only one M1/M2- though everyone else has dialogue its in 3rd person now. Sir seems to have picked M1/M2 as Sharm and Srab. They've played it the second day in a row. Sharm is doing super it I have to say. She’s the most experienced of the lot except M. shes able to stay in the zone and concentrate. We are working on act one which is basically pre 71, happisg times. I realise that we haven’t cried in a few sags. The first 6 to 7 days I was crying in rehearsal every day as we were learning the script. But as we are only figuring out the intros and beginning sequences none of it has been of the war of the crimes south so it’s very sort of mild. Md says that now we are forgetting the person who is actually telling the story. She is so right after rehearsal we are all feeling a bit down because I didn’t go well, I don’t blame the director for saying that he is going to see this for one more week before deciding if we will go through or not. Even though I know there’s a lot of preparation, the actual booking of the theatre, budgets, everything else is being done, so if you want to cancel you still can. After the rehearsal M calls me aside and says we need to fix that opening sequence, I’m very shame at least say yes let’s do it. She says come to our meeting tonight. I had plans to join the gym today because at this point I realise that we are no longer doing our morning exercise as we come in and go straight into the rehearsing of the play and I gained weight in the first nine days of rehearsals I’ve gained about 2 lb in any case postcode with my hunger is through the roof, stress from recent projects and personal stuff my hunger is through the roof, and though I still try to walk a little bit it’s not every day anymore like it used to be still only a few days week. also I missed the gym I haven’t been for over six months I used to love it so much. My plans though are now canceled. I go home and take a 20 minute nap and then I rush off to the meeting. Traffic is absolutely insane and I abandon my car and get a bike and thanks to a really nice bike I reach exactly at 7:29 when I am supposed to start the music work at 7:30. The meeting is in someone’s house, one of the core members of the group. I the first time see everyone in a more relaxed situation. The entire living room is split up the keyboard is kept open for me on one side on the other side people are making dinner on the other side the entire floor plan is being made with things draw been drawn to scale. The director seems to be in a better mood and everyone is figuring out logistics and planning things et cetera et cetera. everyone looks really nice they’re all dressed up in their normal clothes.

Did I ever mention that we have a sort of outfit that we wear ?. It’s T-shirts and pants that are not too loose or too tight; this is why you see me in a different T-shirt every day that is the actual uniform for rehearsal as it’s the one that is most flexible for all of our physical work. I’m the only one who still wearing my T-shirt and sweat pants. M is dressed in a sari and she keeps covering her head and I asked her why and she says that ever since the start of the play she dresses as a birangona at home. I have been considering doing a few things to keep the essence of the play with me when I go home, and I wonder if I can do the same or not I don’t know yet. I’ve considered giving up some of my favourite things to eat to do, just to channel a bit of the story is a bit more but A part of me realises that I might be best used to do the musical aspects then being a novice actor on stage, and the fact that I am in a Inner Circle meeting doing the structures for the music means that that’s also what everyone else is thinking. this is the first time that it is acknowledged at all in these circumstances that I have a sort of following all my own identity as a media person. Reference being we are trying to calculate how many shares to do how many tickets need to be sold how many tickets can be sold at certain prices and The host jokes that oh don’t worry Armeen will bring her own crowd. I have no idea if that’s true I know my friends would come. Overall it’s very light and jolly situation however once we wrap up our introductory song so I remind Sir that there is a second one to do and I actually feel like giving him ideas. I try to do a rap like spoken word piece and Azhar sort of points out doesn’t go. So I sort of give up for the day, I don’t know why I give up so easily these days. I don’t have a push sometimes when I don’t get my first brilliant idea naturally I give up very easily. The first song that I made for the intro it was literally the first thing that came out of my mind and it was based on a bunch of chords that I know that are good. The second song is different it’s not a soft song so not in my genre and obviously I am struggling with it and I just give up. but I admit it was nice to see The director a bit more relaxed; they all joke about each other and their romantic partners even Sir teases M, I’m a bit embarrassed so I just smile and sit in the corner. Our host is really sweet though she is evidently someone who has seen a lot of my work already and both the host chat with me a little bit. It feels weird to have references to my non-theatre life in theatre mode.

I’m struggling to fix my sleep schedule, when I go home it’s already pretty late, but I have my own things to do thoughts to have that I cannot ignore, I wish we were there were more days in the air, or more hours on the day that I could use to spend a little bit of time just thinking and also bloody apartment I don’t even have an AC right now and it’s getting really hot and I haven’t had the time to actually buy an AC and get it installed. Also I am dying to just organise my bookshelf it’s the first thing you see you when you enter my flat but despite the fact that I’ve had all the books nicely done I still do not have even 10 minutes to put the books in the order that I want to. I’m up till 2 am again with my own stuff. I haven’t memorised M2 either, I won’t say that I’m not enjoying being part of the music but I do realise it might lower my chances of getting any proper lines.

Oh God after disastrous rehearsal day I am a bit more relieved to see that the play is still being planned, they have decided to lower the number of shows from 25 to 19. M says it’s only physically durable to do the maximum 19 shows in a row. I have performed many many days in a row but never 19 shows I’m actually deeply looking forward to those 19 inches. Your girl hasn’t been on stage in awhile and it’s coming through.

[elamarth-calmagol]

Tumblr just ate the rant I spent a half hour on, so I'm going to try to reconstruct it.

The old Magic School Bus had more layers than the new one. You didn't just learn about science! You also learned a character lesson, like being persistent or not believing things without evidence. Ms. Frizzle was always quoting funnily-named relatives and singing parodies of well-known songs, which actually makes it funnier to watch as an adult because you get all the jokes now. The kids were all color-coded and had catchphrases (though it took Tim two seasons to get one). A few episodes parodied other genres, like 50s monster movies in Spins a Web and Star Trek in Out of this World.

To be fair, I don't think I watched the third season of Rides Again, and it's been a few years, but I felt like there was way less in the way of catchphrases, and I don't remember any parody songs or punny names from the Frizzles. As I remember, The Good, the Bad, and the Gnocci (a literal spaghetti western about simple machines and working together) was the only episode that felt like old Magic School Bus. The rest were as flat and shallow as the animation. And don't get me started on how the old Frizzle always knew exactly what was going on and the new one is going to get a kid killed one of these days.

But the worst thing is what Rides Again did to Phoebe and Wanda. So they decided to add a new character, Jyoti, who is a gadget-obsessed Indian girl, which is great (though personally I'd have wanted her to be Muslim because of Islamophobia in the US). To fit her in, they decided to take out an old character, which is... lazy. There can be nine kids. They decided to take out Phoebe, which is not bad on the surface, but they obviously only picked her because they decided that they had enough white characters and one was disposable. Which I don't say out of some "uwu white people are so oppressed" BS, but because they turned Wanda into Phoebe 2.0, which is completely unforgivable.

They took the class tomboy, thrill seeking, often mean, "weaselly wimps" character and turned her into the feminine, shy, "save the baby animals" character. Look at this: the original Wanda had hair that curved under her head -- really obvious in this image where she's leaning to the side and the tips of her hair are still curved the other way.

But new Wanda has the outward hair flip and the headband from Phoebe (and a really boring color scheme).

Look, there's nothing wrong with Phoebe. She was probably the character I most identified with as a kid. But she is literally the opposite of Wanda. I would have been less offended if they'd made Keisha into Phoebe than Wanda! Why can't girls have a tomboy to project onto? They basically decided they didn't want Wanda anymore, but they still wanted their (nominally) East Asian character, so they took Wanda's name and race (in as much as Rides Again has races) and absolutely nothing else. And then there's the eyelashes... apparently you can't tell if someone is a girl without eyelashes.

It was a great idea to remake Magic School bus with updated science. But it was executed terribly. To me, old Magic School Bus is one of the best kids' TV shows ever, but the new one is just another show, and it kinda sucks.

They De-Tumblrized Ms. Frizzle

[cleverhottubmiracle]

Video games are becoming a high-style hub for menswear. The highly celebrated sci-fi horror video game, STALKER - Shadow Of The Zone, is being transformed into a modern live-action film, scheduled to be released later this year. We just can’t wait to see our new Cockpit USA Shadow G-1 Jacket featured in the film! Earlier this year, we were contacted by the film’s Lead Producer, Joshua Gray, to create a unique piece for the short film. We worked closely with Gray on re-creating our classic G-1 Flight Jacket into a rugged piece of armor for his character, OJ. Watch the trailer for STALKER- Shadow of the Zone and read about Joshua Gray’s experience juggling both positions of Lead Producer and portraying the role of OJ inside the OFF DUTY Q & A below. Cockpit USA: What is STALKER Shadow Of The Zone?  Joshua Gray: STALKER Shadow of the Zone is an action, sci-fi horror film that takes place in a fictitious dystopian Ukraine. The story follows a guide who leads a team of mercenaries as they escort a scientist to investigate an abnormal radio signal.  Cockpit USA: What three words best describe your character OJ ? Joshua Gray:  Guarded, skeptical, curious.  Cockpit USA:  How did you get into the character of OJ? Joshua Gray:  I started by reading the book “Roadside Picnic,” which conveyed to me the mindset of people who lived in “The Zone” and just how bleak the environment is there. After that, I played and watched gameplay for the videogame Stalker and looked into Lore on youtube. From there, it was pretty easy to look at the script and find where my character would be mentally at this point in the journey. Lastly, I hit the gym 4 - 5 days a week and gained about ten extra pounds to ensure my physique matched the occupation.  Cockpit USA: What is your favorite part about OJ’s style? Joshua Gray: There are a few things I loved about OJ’s style and the liberties he took. The smallest detail was if you look at his war belt, he has a pack of cigarettes where a magazine should be. This idea originated after joking with one of our advisors on this film, Fred Baker. Hopefully, there is someone who enjoys that little easter egg. The other part I loved was the Shadow jacket, he is one of the only mercs who stands out from the team based on appearance, and the Shadow jacket adds a cool flair to the character.    Cockpit USA: Would you wear OJ's style off screen? Joshua Gray:  Funny enough, I've worn the jacket more times than I can remember. The first month after filming, I continued to wear the boots too.  Cockpit USA: With the intense stunts that the video game has portrayed, did you undergo any tactical or equipment training? Joshua Gray:  I did.  I spent about a week in Canada training with a group of guys who helped dust me off. I was in the Army, and they recognized that and dialed me in fast. We covered everything from small arms to rifles, drills, CQB, medical, and I even got to play with some long-range shooting and shotguns. We would spend 8 to 9 hours on the range, rest, then do it again the next day. Overall a great experience and big love to my guys out in Canada.  Cockpit USA: Have you ever worked on a project like this before? Is this film genre something that you’re looking to do more of in the future? Joshua Gray: This was definitely the largest narrative project I have worked on and I will never forget what I have learned from it. As for the genre, I absolutely want to do more sci-fi and we (Fabian Gray Productions)  already have a few projects in development.  Cockpit USA: Was there anything that happened “unexpectedly” while you were filming? Joshua Gray: Honestly, the generosity of Isaiah (Wendigoon) our EP and co-writer of this film was something unexpected and will stay with me forever. He could tell that everyone on this project was beat, and was out in the middle of nowhere for three weeks and needed a pick-me up. He got everyone a steak and he and I grilled about 50 steaks and veggies for everyone, needless to say that boosted the morale for the next week. Amazing time!  Cockpit USA: Where was your favorite location when filming Shadow Of The Zone? Joshua Gray: We mostly filmed on one location which was on a deactivated nuclear reactor, the whole place was a bit of a maze. It is rumored to have a ghost named Jake, that I don't think anyone saw but I could have sworn that I heard something on the floor above us when we were all alone on our first week there. Cockpit USA: In your opinion, where do the two worlds of video games and style meet? Joshua Gray: In this film, there is something about the rugged location and the worn-in style of the jacket that tells a story about my character. The dirt and rust of the dilapidated environment almost consumes my character to a point that you can’t help but feel a sense of eerieness. That’s where I believe the worlds meet, creating that feeling by telling a story. Cockpit USA: What are your favorite Cockpit USA styles? Joshua Gray: I love the Pro Shearling Varsity jacket, Leather Tanker jacket, Lightweight A-2 and the G-1 U.S. Nylon Fighter Jacket Cockpit USA: What are you most proud of on this project? Where do you feel like you can improve? Joshua Gray: I am most proud of the team, I feel we were able to assemble a great group of people who wanted to make something cool and put their egos to the side to do so. Where I feel I can improve is communicating and understanding throughout my departments.   Cockpit USA: Where can we see more of your work? Joshua Gray: You can check out more of the team’s work on Evan Royalty’s channel and our website Fabiangray.com. Cockpit USA: What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future? Joshua Gray: I think you can expect many more intriguing and compelling movies and shows coming from us, and hopefully we can provide a bit of entertainment along the way.  Cockpit USA: When does the movie premiere? Where can we see it? Joshua Gray: The worldwide premiere will be out on youtube after our tour in NYC, TX, and LA. The trailer is out now and available to watch here.        Source link

[norajworld]

Video games are becoming a high-style hub for menswear. The highly celebrated sci-fi horror video game, STALKER - Shadow Of The Zone, is being transformed into a modern live-action film, scheduled to be released later this year. We just can’t wait to see our new Cockpit USA Shadow G-1 Jacket featured in the film! Earlier this year, we were contacted by the film’s Lead Producer, Joshua Gray, to create a unique piece for the short film. We worked closely with Gray on re-creating our classic G-1 Flight Jacket into a rugged piece of armor for his character, OJ. Watch the trailer for STALKER- Shadow of the Zone and read about Joshua Gray’s experience juggling both positions of Lead Producer and portraying the role of OJ inside the OFF DUTY Q & A below. Cockpit USA: What is STALKER Shadow Of The Zone?  Joshua Gray: STALKER Shadow of the Zone is an action, sci-fi horror film that takes place in a fictitious dystopian Ukraine. The story follows a guide who leads a team of mercenaries as they escort a scientist to investigate an abnormal radio signal.  Cockpit USA: What three words best describe your character OJ ? Joshua Gray:  Guarded, skeptical, curious.  Cockpit USA:  How did you get into the character of OJ? Joshua Gray:  I started by reading the book “Roadside Picnic,” which conveyed to me the mindset of people who lived in “The Zone” and just how bleak the environment is there. After that, I played and watched gameplay for the videogame Stalker and looked into Lore on youtube. From there, it was pretty easy to look at the script and find where my character would be mentally at this point in the journey. Lastly, I hit the gym 4 - 5 days a week and gained about ten extra pounds to ensure my physique matched the occupation.  Cockpit USA: What is your favorite part about OJ’s style? Joshua Gray: There are a few things I loved about OJ’s style and the liberties he took. The smallest detail was if you look at his war belt, he has a pack of cigarettes where a magazine should be. This idea originated after joking with one of our advisors on this film, Fred Baker. Hopefully, there is someone who enjoys that little easter egg. The other part I loved was the Shadow jacket, he is one of the only mercs who stands out from the team based on appearance, and the Shadow jacket adds a cool flair to the character.    Cockpit USA: Would you wear OJ's style off screen? Joshua Gray:  Funny enough, I've worn the jacket more times than I can remember. The first month after filming, I continued to wear the boots too.  Cockpit USA: With the intense stunts that the video game has portrayed, did you undergo any tactical or equipment training? Joshua Gray:  I did.  I spent about a week in Canada training with a group of guys who helped dust me off. I was in the Army, and they recognized that and dialed me in fast. We covered everything from small arms to rifles, drills, CQB, medical, and I even got to play with some long-range shooting and shotguns. We would spend 8 to 9 hours on the range, rest, then do it again the next day. Overall a great experience and big love to my guys out in Canada.  Cockpit USA: Have you ever worked on a project like this before? Is this film genre something that you’re looking to do more of in the future? Joshua Gray: This was definitely the largest narrative project I have worked on and I will never forget what I have learned from it. As for the genre, I absolutely want to do more sci-fi and we (Fabian Gray Productions)  already have a few projects in development.  Cockpit USA: Was there anything that happened “unexpectedly” while you were filming? Joshua Gray: Honestly, the generosity of Isaiah (Wendigoon) our EP and co-writer of this film was something unexpected and will stay with me forever. He could tell that everyone on this project was beat, and was out in the middle of nowhere for three weeks and needed a pick-me up. He got everyone a steak and he and I grilled about 50 steaks and veggies for everyone, needless to say that boosted the morale for the next week. Amazing time!  Cockpit USA: Where was your favorite location when filming Shadow Of The Zone? Joshua Gray: We mostly filmed on one location which was on a deactivated nuclear reactor, the whole place was a bit of a maze. It is rumored to have a ghost named Jake, that I don't think anyone saw but I could have sworn that I heard something on the floor above us when we were all alone on our first week there. Cockpit USA: In your opinion, where do the two worlds of video games and style meet? Joshua Gray: In this film, there is something about the rugged location and the worn-in style of the jacket that tells a story about my character. The dirt and rust of the dilapidated environment almost consumes my character to a point that you can’t help but feel a sense of eerieness. That’s where I believe the worlds meet, creating that feeling by telling a story. Cockpit USA: What are your favorite Cockpit USA styles? Joshua Gray: I love the Pro Shearling Varsity jacket, Leather Tanker jacket, Lightweight A-2 and the G-1 U.S. Nylon Fighter Jacket Cockpit USA: What are you most proud of on this project? Where do you feel like you can improve? Joshua Gray: I am most proud of the team, I feel we were able to assemble a great group of people who wanted to make something cool and put their egos to the side to do so. Where I feel I can improve is communicating and understanding throughout my departments.   Cockpit USA: Where can we see more of your work? Joshua Gray: You can check out more of the team’s work on Evan Royalty’s channel and our website Fabiangray.com. Cockpit USA: What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future? Joshua Gray: I think you can expect many more intriguing and compelling movies and shows coming from us, and hopefully we can provide a bit of entertainment along the way.  Cockpit USA: When does the movie premiere? Where can we see it? Joshua Gray: The worldwide premiere will be out on youtube after our tour in NYC, TX, and LA. The trailer is out now and available to watch here.        Source link

[ellajme0]

Video games are becoming a high-style hub for menswear. The highly celebrated sci-fi horror video game, STALKER - Shadow Of The Zone, is being transformed into a modern live-action film, scheduled to be released later this year. We just can’t wait to see our new Cockpit USA Shadow G-1 Jacket featured in the film! Earlier this year, we were contacted by the film’s Lead Producer, Joshua Gray, to create a unique piece for the short film. We worked closely with Gray on re-creating our classic G-1 Flight Jacket into a rugged piece of armor for his character, OJ. Watch the trailer for STALKER- Shadow of the Zone and read about Joshua Gray’s experience juggling both positions of Lead Producer and portraying the role of OJ inside the OFF DUTY Q & A below. Cockpit USA: What is STALKER Shadow Of The Zone?  Joshua Gray: STALKER Shadow of the Zone is an action, sci-fi horror film that takes place in a fictitious dystopian Ukraine. The story follows a guide who leads a team of mercenaries as they escort a scientist to investigate an abnormal radio signal.  Cockpit USA: What three words best describe your character OJ ? Joshua Gray:  Guarded, skeptical, curious.  Cockpit USA:  How did you get into the character of OJ? Joshua Gray:  I started by reading the book “Roadside Picnic,” which conveyed to me the mindset of people who lived in “The Zone” and just how bleak the environment is there. After that, I played and watched gameplay for the videogame Stalker and looked into Lore on youtube. From there, it was pretty easy to look at the script and find where my character would be mentally at this point in the journey. Lastly, I hit the gym 4 - 5 days a week and gained about ten extra pounds to ensure my physique matched the occupation.  Cockpit USA: What is your favorite part about OJ’s style? Joshua Gray: There are a few things I loved about OJ’s style and the liberties he took. The smallest detail was if you look at his war belt, he has a pack of cigarettes where a magazine should be. This idea originated after joking with one of our advisors on this film, Fred Baker. Hopefully, there is someone who enjoys that little easter egg. The other part I loved was the Shadow jacket, he is one of the only mercs who stands out from the team based on appearance, and the Shadow jacket adds a cool flair to the character.    Cockpit USA: Would you wear OJ's style off screen? Joshua Gray:  Funny enough, I've worn the jacket more times than I can remember. The first month after filming, I continued to wear the boots too.  Cockpit USA: With the intense stunts that the video game has portrayed, did you undergo any tactical or equipment training? Joshua Gray:  I did.  I spent about a week in Canada training with a group of guys who helped dust me off. I was in the Army, and they recognized that and dialed me in fast. We covered everything from small arms to rifles, drills, CQB, medical, and I even got to play with some long-range shooting and shotguns. We would spend 8 to 9 hours on the range, rest, then do it again the next day. Overall a great experience and big love to my guys out in Canada.  Cockpit USA: Have you ever worked on a project like this before? Is this film genre something that you’re looking to do more of in the future? Joshua Gray: This was definitely the largest narrative project I have worked on and I will never forget what I have learned from it. As for the genre, I absolutely want to do more sci-fi and we (Fabian Gray Productions)  already have a few projects in development.  Cockpit USA: Was there anything that happened “unexpectedly” while you were filming? Joshua Gray: Honestly, the generosity of Isaiah (Wendigoon) our EP and co-writer of this film was something unexpected and will stay with me forever. He could tell that everyone on this project was beat, and was out in the middle of nowhere for three weeks and needed a pick-me up. He got everyone a steak and he and I grilled about 50 steaks and veggies for everyone, needless to say that boosted the morale for the next week. Amazing time!  Cockpit USA: Where was your favorite location when filming Shadow Of The Zone? Joshua Gray: We mostly filmed on one location which was on a deactivated nuclear reactor, the whole place was a bit of a maze. It is rumored to have a ghost named Jake, that I don't think anyone saw but I could have sworn that I heard something on the floor above us when we were all alone on our first week there. Cockpit USA: In your opinion, where do the two worlds of video games and style meet? Joshua Gray: In this film, there is something about the rugged location and the worn-in style of the jacket that tells a story about my character. The dirt and rust of the dilapidated environment almost consumes my character to a point that you can’t help but feel a sense of eerieness. That’s where I believe the worlds meet, creating that feeling by telling a story. Cockpit USA: What are your favorite Cockpit USA styles? Joshua Gray: I love the Pro Shearling Varsity jacket, Leather Tanker jacket, Lightweight A-2 and the G-1 U.S. Nylon Fighter Jacket Cockpit USA: What are you most proud of on this project? Where do you feel like you can improve? Joshua Gray: I am most proud of the team, I feel we were able to assemble a great group of people who wanted to make something cool and put their egos to the side to do so. Where I feel I can improve is communicating and understanding throughout my departments.   Cockpit USA: Where can we see more of your work? Joshua Gray: You can check out more of the team’s work on Evan Royalty’s channel and our website Fabiangray.com. Cockpit USA: What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future? Joshua Gray: I think you can expect many more intriguing and compelling movies and shows coming from us, and hopefully we can provide a bit of entertainment along the way.  Cockpit USA: When does the movie premiere? Where can we see it? Joshua Gray: The worldwide premiere will be out on youtube after our tour in NYC, TX, and LA. The trailer is out now and available to watch here.        Source link

[chilimili212]

Video games are becoming a high-style hub for menswear. The highly celebrated sci-fi horror video game, STALKER - Shadow Of The Zone, is being transformed into a modern live-action film, scheduled to be released later this year. We just can’t wait to see our new Cockpit USA Shadow G-1 Jacket featured in the film! Earlier this year, we were contacted by the film’s Lead Producer, Joshua Gray, to create a unique piece for the short film. We worked closely with Gray on re-creating our classic G-1 Flight Jacket into a rugged piece of armor for his character, OJ. Watch the trailer for STALKER- Shadow of the Zone and read about Joshua Gray’s experience juggling both positions of Lead Producer and portraying the role of OJ inside the OFF DUTY Q & A below. Cockpit USA: What is STALKER Shadow Of The Zone?  Joshua Gray: STALKER Shadow of the Zone is an action, sci-fi horror film that takes place in a fictitious dystopian Ukraine. The story follows a guide who leads a team of mercenaries as they escort a scientist to investigate an abnormal radio signal.  Cockpit USA: What three words best describe your character OJ ? Joshua Gray:  Guarded, skeptical, curious.  Cockpit USA:  How did you get into the character of OJ? Joshua Gray:  I started by reading the book “Roadside Picnic,” which conveyed to me the mindset of people who lived in “The Zone” and just how bleak the environment is there. After that, I played and watched gameplay for the videogame Stalker and looked into Lore on youtube. From there, it was pretty easy to look at the script and find where my character would be mentally at this point in the journey. Lastly, I hit the gym 4 - 5 days a week and gained about ten extra pounds to ensure my physique matched the occupation.  Cockpit USA: What is your favorite part about OJ’s style? Joshua Gray: There are a few things I loved about OJ’s style and the liberties he took. The smallest detail was if you look at his war belt, he has a pack of cigarettes where a magazine should be. This idea originated after joking with one of our advisors on this film, Fred Baker. Hopefully, there is someone who enjoys that little easter egg. The other part I loved was the Shadow jacket, he is one of the only mercs who stands out from the team based on appearance, and the Shadow jacket adds a cool flair to the character.    Cockpit USA: Would you wear OJ's style off screen? Joshua Gray:  Funny enough, I've worn the jacket more times than I can remember. The first month after filming, I continued to wear the boots too.  Cockpit USA: With the intense stunts that the video game has portrayed, did you undergo any tactical or equipment training? Joshua Gray:  I did.  I spent about a week in Canada training with a group of guys who helped dust me off. I was in the Army, and they recognized that and dialed me in fast. We covered everything from small arms to rifles, drills, CQB, medical, and I even got to play with some long-range shooting and shotguns. We would spend 8 to 9 hours on the range, rest, then do it again the next day. Overall a great experience and big love to my guys out in Canada.  Cockpit USA: Have you ever worked on a project like this before? Is this film genre something that you’re looking to do more of in the future? Joshua Gray: This was definitely the largest narrative project I have worked on and I will never forget what I have learned from it. As for the genre, I absolutely want to do more sci-fi and we (Fabian Gray Productions)  already have a few projects in development.  Cockpit USA: Was there anything that happened “unexpectedly” while you were filming? Joshua Gray: Honestly, the generosity of Isaiah (Wendigoon) our EP and co-writer of this film was something unexpected and will stay with me forever. He could tell that everyone on this project was beat, and was out in the middle of nowhere for three weeks and needed a pick-me up. He got everyone a steak and he and I grilled about 50 steaks and veggies for everyone, needless to say that boosted the morale for the next week. Amazing time!  Cockpit USA: Where was your favorite location when filming Shadow Of The Zone? Joshua Gray: We mostly filmed on one location which was on a deactivated nuclear reactor, the whole place was a bit of a maze. It is rumored to have a ghost named Jake, that I don't think anyone saw but I could have sworn that I heard something on the floor above us when we were all alone on our first week there. Cockpit USA: In your opinion, where do the two worlds of video games and style meet? Joshua Gray: In this film, there is something about the rugged location and the worn-in style of the jacket that tells a story about my character. The dirt and rust of the dilapidated environment almost consumes my character to a point that you can’t help but feel a sense of eerieness. That’s where I believe the worlds meet, creating that feeling by telling a story. Cockpit USA: What are your favorite Cockpit USA styles? Joshua Gray: I love the Pro Shearling Varsity jacket, Leather Tanker jacket, Lightweight A-2 and the G-1 U.S. Nylon Fighter Jacket Cockpit USA: What are you most proud of on this project? Where do you feel like you can improve? Joshua Gray: I am most proud of the team, I feel we were able to assemble a great group of people who wanted to make something cool and put their egos to the side to do so. Where I feel I can improve is communicating and understanding throughout my departments.   Cockpit USA: Where can we see more of your work? Joshua Gray: You can check out more of the team’s work on Evan Royalty’s channel and our website Fabiangray.com. Cockpit USA: What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future? Joshua Gray: I think you can expect many more intriguing and compelling movies and shows coming from us, and hopefully we can provide a bit of entertainment along the way.  Cockpit USA: When does the movie premiere? Where can we see it? Joshua Gray: The worldwide premiere will be out on youtube after our tour in NYC, TX, and LA. The trailer is out now and available to watch here.        Source link

[oliviajoyice21]

Video games are becoming a high-style hub for menswear. The highly celebrated sci-fi horror video game, STALKER - Shadow Of The Zone, is being transformed into a modern live-action film, scheduled to be released later this year. We just can’t wait to see our new Cockpit USA Shadow G-1 Jacket featured in the film! Earlier this year, we were contacted by the film’s Lead Producer, Joshua Gray, to create a unique piece for the short film. We worked closely with Gray on re-creating our classic G-1 Flight Jacket into a rugged piece of armor for his character, OJ. Watch the trailer for STALKER- Shadow of the Zone and read about Joshua Gray’s experience juggling both positions of Lead Producer and portraying the role of OJ inside the OFF DUTY Q & A below. Cockpit USA: What is STALKER Shadow Of The Zone?  Joshua Gray: STALKER Shadow of the Zone is an action, sci-fi horror film that takes place in a fictitious dystopian Ukraine. The story follows a guide who leads a team of mercenaries as they escort a scientist to investigate an abnormal radio signal.  Cockpit USA: What three words best describe your character OJ ? Joshua Gray:  Guarded, skeptical, curious.  Cockpit USA:  How did you get into the character of OJ? Joshua Gray:  I started by reading the book “Roadside Picnic,” which conveyed to me the mindset of people who lived in “The Zone” and just how bleak the environment is there. After that, I played and watched gameplay for the videogame Stalker and looked into Lore on youtube. From there, it was pretty easy to look at the script and find where my character would be mentally at this point in the journey. Lastly, I hit the gym 4 - 5 days a week and gained about ten extra pounds to ensure my physique matched the occupation.  Cockpit USA: What is your favorite part about OJ’s style? Joshua Gray: There are a few things I loved about OJ’s style and the liberties he took. The smallest detail was if you look at his war belt, he has a pack of cigarettes where a magazine should be. This idea originated after joking with one of our advisors on this film, Fred Baker. Hopefully, there is someone who enjoys that little easter egg. The other part I loved was the Shadow jacket, he is one of the only mercs who stands out from the team based on appearance, and the Shadow jacket adds a cool flair to the character.    Cockpit USA: Would you wear OJ's style off screen? Joshua Gray:  Funny enough, I've worn the jacket more times than I can remember. The first month after filming, I continued to wear the boots too.  Cockpit USA: With the intense stunts that the video game has portrayed, did you undergo any tactical or equipment training? Joshua Gray:  I did.  I spent about a week in Canada training with a group of guys who helped dust me off. I was in the Army, and they recognized that and dialed me in fast. We covered everything from small arms to rifles, drills, CQB, medical, and I even got to play with some long-range shooting and shotguns. We would spend 8 to 9 hours on the range, rest, then do it again the next day. Overall a great experience and big love to my guys out in Canada.  Cockpit USA: Have you ever worked on a project like this before? Is this film genre something that you’re looking to do more of in the future? Joshua Gray: This was definitely the largest narrative project I have worked on and I will never forget what I have learned from it. As for the genre, I absolutely want to do more sci-fi and we (Fabian Gray Productions)  already have a few projects in development.  Cockpit USA: Was there anything that happened “unexpectedly” while you were filming? Joshua Gray: Honestly, the generosity of Isaiah (Wendigoon) our EP and co-writer of this film was something unexpected and will stay with me forever. He could tell that everyone on this project was beat, and was out in the middle of nowhere for three weeks and needed a pick-me up. He got everyone a steak and he and I grilled about 50 steaks and veggies for everyone, needless to say that boosted the morale for the next week. Amazing time!  Cockpit USA: Where was your favorite location when filming Shadow Of The Zone? Joshua Gray: We mostly filmed on one location which was on a deactivated nuclear reactor, the whole place was a bit of a maze. It is rumored to have a ghost named Jake, that I don't think anyone saw but I could have sworn that I heard something on the floor above us when we were all alone on our first week there. Cockpit USA: In your opinion, where do the two worlds of video games and style meet? Joshua Gray: In this film, there is something about the rugged location and the worn-in style of the jacket that tells a story about my character. The dirt and rust of the dilapidated environment almost consumes my character to a point that you can’t help but feel a sense of eerieness. That’s where I believe the worlds meet, creating that feeling by telling a story. Cockpit USA: What are your favorite Cockpit USA styles? Joshua Gray: I love the Pro Shearling Varsity jacket, Leather Tanker jacket, Lightweight A-2 and the G-1 U.S. Nylon Fighter Jacket Cockpit USA: What are you most proud of on this project? Where do you feel like you can improve? Joshua Gray: I am most proud of the team, I feel we were able to assemble a great group of people who wanted to make something cool and put their egos to the side to do so. Where I feel I can improve is communicating and understanding throughout my departments.   Cockpit USA: Where can we see more of your work? Joshua Gray: You can check out more of the team’s work on Evan Royalty’s channel and our website Fabiangray.com. Cockpit USA: What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future? Joshua Gray: I think you can expect many more intriguing and compelling movies and shows coming from us, and hopefully we can provide a bit of entertainment along the way.  Cockpit USA: When does the movie premiere? Where can we see it? Joshua Gray: The worldwide premiere will be out on youtube after our tour in NYC, TX, and LA. The trailer is out now and available to watch here.        Source link

[sauntering-down]

y'all ready for a weirdass dream

so i was at my old elementary school (which was functioning like a high school), and there was some kind of kindergarten entrance exam going on... but i don't think it was actually for my school. this was an exclusive private school which was inexplicably holding exams in my public elementary school. this exam, for some reason, involved a softball game, and two of the prospective students were Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, age four. they were in their typical roles of 'one popular girly-girl and one sporty tomboy'. idk, guys. but i was either helping out with the game, watching the game, or actually playing the game; it frequently varied. couldn't tell you how it ended. when it did end, though, i left the gym and proceeded into the usual School Dream™ - i couldn't find my locker or remember my combination. i knew i'd written both those things down in my agenda, but despite Erin momentarily appearing to help me search, i couldn't find the page... eventually, however, i realized that info was on my schedule, which was also folded into my agenda.

despite this struggle, i never actually went to my locker. i'd spent most of my school day at the softball exam and i was starving - i had one more class left and it was one i'd already missed once recently, but i was so damn hungry... so i skipped it and went down another hall to Cafeteria 2. it was not the ACTUAL cafeteria, but one in the hallway and also next door to the real thing. also, here's a helpful annotated screenshot of my elementary school circa 2001:

so i was trying to get my food, which turned out to be a massive ordeal even though Cafeteria 2 had a super limited menu. the woman working there was impatiently rattling off my options in an extremely thick accent and every time i was like 'um, can you slow down a little?!' she got angry and just went faster. i did eventually hear her say 'egg salad' though and i was like fine, egg salad sandwich, that works. she started putting my sandwich together, going down this long line of ingredients that reminded me of a Subway, and then... she abruptly vanished into thin air right in front of my eyes. i was like ????? and went over to the other woman working there, told her the person making my sandwich had literally disappeared and i wouldn't mind so much, except i'd already paid. so this other woman went and finished my lunch, which was... not an egg salad sandwich. one compartment of the tray had a bunch of tiny sausages and a beaded skewer for eating them?? idk. i was so hungry i didn't care; i sat down with my tray and started eating. there were a few other people in Cafeteria 2, and also some kind of foreign film being projected onto the wall.

my sixth-grade teacher Mr. I walked into the room then, spotted me, and came over. we said hello, chatted a bit, and he asked if i could do him a favor - he needed a ride to a place called 'Eufala Hill' or something like that. i was like eh, why not, but i need REALLY good directions as i'm terrible with them otherwise. he said that was fine, i'd actually been to the place a long time ago, i just didn't remember... didn't think anything of that in the dream, but considering how the rest of the thing played out, it's kinda sinister now lol. so i agreed to meet him here at 7 tomorrow morning, wrote it down in my notebook so i'd remember, and he left. i started paying attention to the film then and found the English subtitles were accompanied by a second set of subtitles, above or below or sometimes laid over the originals, and they were all hilariously weird and dirty. we were all losing our shit laughing about it. the teacher supervising figured out the kids projecting the film from the booth behind Cafeteria 2 were doing it, and we all thought they'd get in trouble... but she was like 'okay, we've got half an hour of school left and i don't care, amuse me' and they had the green light to continue.

things got weird after that. at some point the boy next to me noticed it was getting awfully late and we should've been dismissed by now, but evidently there was a lockdown, so we just shrugged and kept watching the film. and then someone else went 'hey, it's 10:30 pm?????' and i checked the clock and yep, 10:30. i wasn't happy about being stuck at school so late, i needed to get home and sleep since i had to be back early tomorrow... and i had something else to do at midnight, because apparently i'd been a witch this entire time and my coven was holding a ceremony. k. the other students were beginning to get restless too, there were kids gathering in the halls and discussing whether or not to leave on their own. this other girl and i finally decided to go up to the front entrance and see what was going on.

we couldn't get there, though. someone had erected a massive barrier at the end of the corridor leading to the front wing on the building. a woman (inexplicably wearing a frilly nightgown) was there, angrily berating anyone who asked to leave, saying we had to stay and to get over it. when this other girl and i approached, though, she got really snide with us, going, "oh, you're the hacktivists. you can leave." idk if she was being sarcastic or not, because we promptly scrambled over the barrier... well, the other girl did. at this point, i was floating for no apparent reason; i just floated over lol. we ran to the front doors. they were locked, and as the other girl unlocked them, i looked up and noticed there was one of those 'pull to activate fire alarm' handles WAY up on the wall, almost at the ceiling. i guess i figured the panic might get the other kids to either rush the barrier and destroy it, or else they'd cheat and go out the windows and all the other doors lol. floated up there and pulled it just as the doors opened - i dropped something in the process but didn't look for it, just ran outside with the other girl.

right outside the doors was another hallway, but it was sort of a covered walkway more than anything? it was walled in, except with a bunch of large holes serving as windows... anyway, the girl and i ran along the front of the building. we got all the way down to the end where the library was, and suddenly WATER. the grass and parking lot had turned into a very large pond with a whole-ass marina. there were a ton of docks jutting out from the covered walkway. the other girl was way ahead of me now and just before turning the corner and getting out of sight, she called back that i'd dropped my car keys AND my slime, and don't forget i'd painted my slime pink!

now i had a problem - i needed my keys, but i'd dropped them by the front doors, and if my fire alarm idea worked, it would be a massive rush there right now. i had no choice but to go back. as i did, i found there was nobody outside - apparently my idea didn't work - and i didn't have to go back in, thankfully, as my slime (a little green blob with a face, like in Terraria, splattered with pink paint) had slipped out and was hopping down the hallway with my keys, which was more of a key card, but whatever. i grabbed them both and turned back around and ran.

so, back at the 'marina', i started looking closely at all the docks i passed because the leader of my coven had apparently left a note for me on one of them. i finally found it, but it wasn't readable unless i got into the water, so i did. it was sort of an invitation to that midnight event, which was about a girl named Marianna - maybe she was joining us? idk. there were a few other small pieces of paper stuck to the first. one was a tiny post-it-note-sized piece which i originally thought was an RSVP... but when i read it, i found out the leader knew i'd maybe left the coven or was doing something i shouldn't by attending this school? i'm not really sure, but she gave me a list of options - they were all basically 'stay' or 'go' dressed up in different words. if i left i was supposedly 'forsaking the language of my father' or something. as i was reading, a man emerged from the water next to me - literally emerged, as in he was created from the water - and climbed up onto the dock. i was going to ask him if he had any idea where the hell i'd parked, because i didn't want to think about my coven or anything now, i didn't want to leave but also there was some serious fuckery going on at my school and maybe i should handle that... anyway, i really just wanted to go home and get some rest at that point. the man didn't answer me and i think i woke up right about then.

[potter-imagines]

Left Waiting at The Three Broomsticks (Fred Weasley x Read)

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Reader

Request: Hi! I was wondering if I could have a Fred Weasley imagine where he pisses off his gf somehow and so she gives him the silent treatment and only talks to literally everyone (including George) but him so he gets all jealous and pouty lol. Eventually he gets her to start talking to him again and then it’s all fluff etc. Hopefully this wasn’t a confusing request! Thank you!! :)

Warning: Tiny bit of sexual content towards the end, little bit of swearing, kinda angst at the beginning ?? and a lil towards the end ?? I think that's all, a lot of fluff scattered about

Word Count: 9.5k (I am so sorry I got carried away)

Two hours. Y/n had spent two hours waiting for him. Two stupid hours on a Saturday night that she could have spent elsewhere making something productive of her day but no. The last two hours Y/n had been seated in a small booth in the corner of The Three Broomsticks waiting patiently for her boyfriend, Fred Weasley.

The thing that infuriated her the most was that it was his idea in the first place! Originally, the couple had planned a stay-in date in her dorm room for the night before, Friday, but other plans came up. Fred got tangled up in a prank with George that had landed him in detention with Snape for the night. Yes, it annoyed her but what could she do? It wasn’t like Snape would excuse Fred because she tells him they have a date. If anything, Snape would hold him back longer.

When Fred and George were finally dismissed, it was nearly eleven at night and Fred was sprinting down through the dungeons to the common room. Their arrangement was for eight and he was praying to anyone listening above that she was still awake, but not furious at him.

Skipping up the transporting stairs, Fred basically shouted the secret password at the Fat Lady making her narrow her eyes at him. She swung open, not without muttering about how rude he was, and Fred jumped inside. Ten or so students were scattered around the common room, chatting amongst themselves. Hermione, Ron and Harry sat around the couch near the grand fireplace. They sent Fred a wave, which he frantically returned. The golden trio watched in curiosity as Fred darted up the stairs of the girl’s dormitory.

Hermione looked back to the group and asked,

“Wonder what that’s about- he seemed in a hurry.”

“Heard him and George got detention. They put stink-bombs in the Slytherin common room! Heard it stained some of the furniture maroon!” Ron chuckled at his brother’s antics then resumed his debate with Harry over their thoughts on the Quidditch World Cup happening every four years. Harry tried to explain the concept of the Olympics to Ron, but Ron was too focused on how amazing it would be for the World Cup to happen each year. Hermione went back to her studies, blocking out the mindless bickering of the boys.

Above the common room, Fred Weasley was scurrying to his girlfriend’s dorm room. He hoped Angelina and Alicia were out so he could be alone with her. Their time spent together had been oddly less than usual the last few weeks. Fred had no change of heart- actually, he found himself falling more in love with her every day, but their final year at Hogwarts was creeping up from the woods and he was working on a dream career behind the scenes with George that was eating up his time with her. He had shared this idea with her before- but it was just an idea then. Fred and George planned on putting their dreams to action once they finished up the next year. He wanted her to come- George did as well, but he didn’t want to mention it until it was a reality.

Reaching his destination Fred took a second to compose himself. A thin line of sweat was forming near his forehead. This was the first chance he had to take a breather since detention ended. Fixing his dark robes Fred knocked against the door, quiet enough not to startle her but loud enough to hear.

“Y/n… Y/n… love, are you awake? It’s Fred-“

Abruptly, the heavy wooden door cracked open and a weary looking girl poked her head out into the quietness.

“Darling, did I wake you up? I’m so sorry.” Fred stepped forward and wrapped the girl in a tight embrace. Y/n’s head fell against his chest out of instincts. His arms fastened around her waist as he invited himself in the room, slowly walking her back.

“Here, go back to bed, love. You look exhausted.” Fred led the sluggish girl to her familiar bed. Throwing back the covers, he readjusted her pillows so there would be room for him to fit as well. Fred then walked back to Y/n and took her hand softly. Kissing the back of her hand, Fred helped Y/n get into bed then slipped in beside her. His arms snaked around her body without thought. The naturalness of holding her in his arms made Fred feel confident in his dreams of starting a future with her. All the tension in his body collapsed when she leaned into his frame. Fred held her close and kissed the side of her cheek lovingly.

“I’m sorry about detention tonight but I promise I’ll take you out Saturday, alright? We can have a date at Hogsmeade and spend the night together, does that sound nice?”

The sleepy witch gave a tired mumble and nodded her head. She was cuddled under a stack of blankets, wearing Fred’s sweatshirt which made him smile. He’d usually crack a joke at this and tease her but, she was already asleep when he looked back to her. Fred couldn’t help but stare at her for a while. There was never a moment that went by where Fred didn’t think of Y/n as anything other than beautiful but in these moments, she looked ethereal.

Moonlight poured in from the open window and splashed across her s/c cheeks. Her hair was sprawled against the white pillowcase. Fred smiled at the sound of her light snores. Fred wouldn’t leave until he was sure she was deep asleep. It was their thing. She hated going to bed without him there.

“Okay, I love you, Y/n. Get some sleep, angel.” Fred whispered.

He pecked her forehead, then kissed her lips gently. Removing the covers, Fred tucked them back into Y/n so she could keep warm. He closed the open window then tip toed out of the room. Instead of rejoining his friends, Fred decided to head to his room. He felt too guilty for missing out on their plans to go have his own fun. Anyways he did have a Potions paper coming up and if he was going to spend the day with you Saturday, he surely wouldn’t be doing any homework.

So, the plan was confirmed the next morning, Friday. Y/n ran into Fred on her way to breakfast and they discussed where they’d meet and a time. They ate breakfast together, walked to class, then headed in different directions when six rolled around. Fred had a Quidditch match and she had a group project, so they didn’t cross paths for the rest of the night. Even though he refused to admit it, Fred absolutely hated when Y/n missed one of his games. His favorite thing to do was search for her in the stands during each game and it made him sad not to see her smiling face standing out in the crowd. Y/n entered the common room around midnight and went straight for her bed. Gryffindor had lost so there wasn’t a single housemate sitting in the common room. She could only imagine how upset Fred must be, she’d be hearing about it tomorrow. Y/n giggled to herself at the recollection of Fred’s angry rants about his teammates to you in private. She basically crawled to her bed, dreaming about the handsome, goofy, witty twin that had captured her heart.

Which would bring us to Saturday night. Fred and Y/n had made specific plans; they were to meet at The Three Broomsticks at seven then hangout for a while and spend the rest of their night sneaking around the castle with the help of The Marauder’s Map. Fred had practice at six so he was planning on meeting up with the girl at the pub. Y/n expected him to be running late- it wouldn’t be Fred if he didn’t show up a good twenty minutes late.

Only Fred never showed up at seven thirty, not at eight, and by the time nine neared, he was still nowhere in sight. The Three Broomsticks would stay open for a few more hours but the thought of sitting there alone for any longer, jumping at the sound of the door every time it opened, it made Y/n feel less than sane.

Throwing a handful of coins on the table, Y/n thanked her server then exited through the front doors. The walk back to the castle wasn’t long but being with Fred made it a lot more amusing. He’d pick her flowers, give her piggy back rides, play games, race, and hold her hand the whole walk back.

This time, Y/n walked alone hugging the material of her raincoat to her chest. A light drizzle had been pouring on and off for most of the day. Earlier, it was perfectly bearable- hardly noticeable. Although the weather had only worsened as the night grew darker. Hard rain drops crashed against Y/n coat, cascading down her covered arms and bouncing to the wet ground. Her black boots were soaked. She could feel the water rising to her socks, one of her biggest hatreds. Wet socks.

The hood of her jacket only helped so much before the pelting raindrops started to seep to her hair. Typically, Y/n loved the rain. If Fred was here, they’d be dancing right now. But he wasn’t, she had no clue where he was and that was exactly what Y/n was headed to find out.

By the time Y/n made it back to the castle and up to the Gryffindor common room, it was past ten.

Much as Y/n had expected, the common room was lively with energy and conversations. Katie, Alicia, and Angelina were all sitting in a circle with Fred, George, Lee Jordan, Seamus, and Dean. A dark bottle of Dragon Barrel brandy and Daisyroot Draught were being passed amongst them. Y/n watched as Fred leaned into his brother’s side, obviously tipsy and slurring his words while he practically shouted to their friends who were only sitting feet away.

His frame twitched with every small hiccup he let out. The whole group was smiling, they were happy. Y/n wondered to herself if Fred even noticed that she wasn’t there. She wondered if he liked it more when she wasn’t there, they were having fun and although the group was also her friends, no one was interested enough to invite her. Biting on the tender skin of her bottom lip, Y/n bundled her fist to her sides. The anger refused to simmer, only continued to boil. Her dripping clothes weren’t helpful to her sour mood.

It wasn’t the fault of her friends, no, but they were bound to get caught in the crossfires. Fred was the one who left her waiting for hours on end. Her chest was tight- livid yet sad all at once. It was an aggravating feel, unfamiliar. Y/n hated the suffocation entering her drying throat. More than anything she longed to handle situations like these in an aloof fashion. The last thing wanted was to wear her emotions on her sleeve, but she couldn’t help it. Her head screamed ‘just go to bed, ignore him’ but her heart wanted to scream at him and let him know just how bad he had hurt her. Her breathing quickened, each inhale received a choppy exhale.

For the first time, Y/n decided not to join her friends or to even say a word to Fred about how he stood her up. She was sick of it- completely exhausted and drained from his lack of care and presences in their relationship the last few weeks. If he wanted her as bad as he claimed, he’d find a way to show it. And leaving her sitting alone in a noisy pub while he partied and drank with their friends, showed her the exact opposite of his words.

Diverting her leer from the inebriated group and studied the rest of the room, hearing voices near the sitting area. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were all staring at Y/n in mixed judgement. Harry, Ron and Neville looked concerned by the appearance of Y/n. Hermione on the other hand, she was absolutely flabbergasted, Y/n could see the pity written on her face. You had mentioned having a date night with Fred in Hogsmeade to the four the night before. Harry had invited Y/n to hangout with them and visit Hagrid, but she politely declined and informed them about the special night Fred had planned for them.

Harry and Hermione stood up at the same time ready to comfort the teary-eyed girl. They motioned her over but just as she started towards them, Angelina Johnson noticed her friend who had been absent for most of the night. Setting the bottle of brandy down, Angelina wobbled up to her feet and smiled giddily,

“Y/n! Come- come drink with us! I was wondering where you- why… why’re you all wet?”

As the words fell from her mouth, a crowd of eyes planted on Y/n. Her fists clenched, bone white knuckles visible, at her sides. Angelina scurried over to her friend and wrapped her in a tender hug. If the scenario had been different, she’d gladly join in the fun but there wasn’t an ounce in her body that desired a drink.

Y/n’s eyes found their way to the boy she had been longing for all night. Her lips quivered, the anger and sadness reaching it’s overpour. He looked so handsome, so happy, but it meant nothing to her.

Pulling back, Angelina squinted in confusion at Y/n. The lack of embrace given back had thrown her off. The group had been awaiting her arrival, no one was quite sure where she’d gone off to. Angelina scanned Y/n’s reddening face, noticing the emotions bubbling under the surface.

Moving away, the dark-skinned girl turned to her friends. No one else seemed to notice the offset of Y/n’s attitude.

“Angel, where have you been? I missed you!” Fred’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. Quickly standing up, he held his hand out to his girlfriend. Y/n shot a dangerous look to his outreach, then up to his face. Usually she’d find his toothy grin and childlike state loveable but for obvious reasons, it made her irate.

Stepping back, Y/n sternly scowled at Fred,

“Missed me? You’re the one who left me waiting all goddamn night, Fred Weasley.”

A part of Y/n felt guilty for forcing her friends to witness their unpleasant exchange. George was now to his feet standing behind Fred, just as lost as the group he had been sitting with. Despite the alcohol running in his veins, George could sense an argument budding by the second.

“Not like any of you really seemed to care where I was.” Y/n kicked herself for this cold statement.

Her friends weren’t at fault- not in the slightest. But everyone was at risk of becoming a victim to her fiery wrath. In actuality, it did hurt her a little that no one had gone searching for her. It had been hours! Tears welled in her eyes as she took in the reactions of the group. George took his arm off Alicia and nudged his twin.

“What- I don’t know what you’re talking ‘bout, love. I think you should have a drink and loosen up-“

Y/n couldn’t take it. She just couldn’t take it anymore. Scrunching her face, she used every bit of strength to force her salty tears to hide at bay. Although her emotions screamed to be heard and saw right through her façade. Sweeping her hand across her cheek, Y/n caught the stray tears that rolled down her rosy cheeks. Huffing all her emotions out at once, Y/n shook Fred away from her and hurried towards her room.

Fred stood appearing dumbfounded. He could only gawk in perplexity. Blame it on the alcohol, but Fred’s mind was drawing a blank when surveying her words. For most of the night, he was the one thinking she was leaving him waiting. No one else had a clue as to where she’d gone off to, so he assumed she was in the library or wanted some space.

“You’re an idiot, Fred.” Hermione’s sharp voice cut through the thick air. The happiness and drunken laughter was extinct. The girl’s shared an exchange, all confused as to what just happened. The glass bottles didn’t help clear their judgement. Dean and Seamus took small sips from the Daisyroot Draught. The tension was unbearable, it felt wrong for their friends to be a part of it.

George set a hand on Fred’s shoulder, pulling him back slightly. Leaning forward, George whispered to his twin,

“I reckon it’s best if we turn it in for the night.” Fred gave a tug of protest. His intoxicated fought against him though he knew he did something wrong and needed to find Y/n. In spite of his desire to chase after the girl, George couldn’t let him do that. It was obvious Fred had forgotten something and Y/n was more than upset. Sending his brother up to drunkenly apologize to his hurting girlfriend for a reason he can’t even recall, that was a recipe for disaster and would only cause a bigger mess.

“Fred, you’re going to bed. You’re too drunk to talk to Y/n right now, okay? We’re going up the boy’s stairs, not the girls, okay? You two can talk in the morning, maybe you’ll remember where you fucked up tonight by then.”

Suddenly, Fred stop moving and let out a low groan,

“Oh shit… merlin’s sake, I fucked up, George. Oh my god- Hogsmeade… shit! I told her we’d meet at Hogsmeade and I forgot-“Fred whipped around in his discombobulated state. Everything clicked at once. Fred had been so concentrated on Quidditch that once practice had wrapped up, his exhausted body dragged him back to the common room out of muscle memory. It was his typical routine; Quidditch practice, head back to his dorm, shower, change, eat, work on some possible products with George, then hangout with his friends. How could he be so neglectful?

George sent his brother a comforting look then grabbed him by the shoulders, helping aid him up the winding staircase. It came as a shock to him that Fred had forgotten about their date. All he spoke about was Y/n, it was a rare occurrence for the couple to

“So that’s where she’s been all night?” George pushed open the door to their room, looking to his twin sternly. Fred had most of his weight piled on George, trying his hardest to remain upright. Lee had decided to stay back, allowing the brothers a chance to talk.

George helped his frantic twin in the dark room, then gave him a light push towards his bed. Fred plopped down, burying his face in the fluffy pillow. Pulling off his jumper, George threw the large maroon comforter over Fred’s tall frame while he wailed,

“I’m a terrible boyfriend. I planned the bloody date too! I left her-“

“How ‘bout you get some rest? You can find her in the morning and apologize to her and… hope for the best. It’ll give you more time to think of a way to make it up to her. You’re just a rambling mess right now.” The alcohol was not wearing George down. He had been on an adrenaline high since his second shot. This was the first moment of the night where he had stepped back. His tiresome hands rubbed against his face as he made his way to his bed and collapsed on it.

Fred was still moaning on, the sound of his drunken voice making it harder for George to fight back the urge to sleep,

“She’s gonna dump my sorry ass-“

“Go to bed, Fred. It’ll be okay.”

George let out a sigh of exhaustion. The twins had been best friends with Y/n since they were just children, new to Hogwarts and unfamiliar with the power of magic. It pained him to see his brother hurt, but it also hurt to see Y/n upset. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Turning his head, George let out a breathy chuckle at the sight of his twin passed out cold. The worry that dripped from his voice was now gone as he eased into his dreamland.

George wanted to scold him, knock him upside the head for skipping out on Y/n again. He cared a lot about her, she was basically a sister, a triplet to him. If Fred was gonna win her back, it wasn’t going to be easy, George knew this. Y/n was stubborn, and the twins had witnessed this first hand for years, it was a trait they loved, when not directed towards either of them.

As George’s head hit the pillow, all he could do was pray to Godrick that the morning would bring good news.

Sunday morning arrived much faster than Y/n had hoped. A bright, loud, light interrupted her sleep as the gears in her head started to turn. Her mind was groggy, the events of last night were foggy. Warm sunlight broke through the glass stained windows. Y/n wiped her eyes and slowly sat up. Her mouth was dry, screaming for a drink of water.

For a minute, she felt calm- happy almost. The room was half empty; Angelina’s bed was bare and Alicia laid in a star-fish position, a snore sounding from her mouth. The image made Y/n laugh.

Standing up, Y/n’s hands flew above her head as she stretched. She cracked her back, a morning ritual for the girl. Just as she reached for the knob of her dresser, a wave of recollection nearly knocked her off her feet.

Fred had stood her up, of course, how could she forget? The irritated skin under her eyes and nose suddenly made sense. Leaning against the wooden cabinet, Y/n huffed. It was times like these she wished she could crawl into bed and stay there for eternity. Nothing would get better though if she didn’t at least try to fix it.

As quick as the thought came, it had evaporated once more. Why did she have to be the one to put forth the effort to fix things? There was no use in fixing their relationship if Fred wasn’t willing to try too. More than try, Y/n thought. It took a piece of her when she came back to the castle just to see him drinking with their friends, not thinking a thought of her. She needed to see that he cared. His words held no value to her anymore, not until he could prove he meant what he said.

Y/n went through her morning routine like a snail, wanting to drag out her time. Eventually, she was fully dressed and ready for the day. She liked to take advantage of the days her school robes weren’t required. The cooling weather led her to a fuzzy black sweater, and light washed jeans. Sliding her delicate wand into her back pocket, Y/n exited the room and took the stairs down to the common room.

Approaching the bottom of the steps, Y/n could hear familiar voices exchanging hush words. She stepped into the room and was surprised to see the lack of students. The only ones present were sat one the long leather couch on the left half of the massive room. All of their gazes fell on Y/n.

Fred, George, Ron, Angelina, Harry and Hermione were all relaxing- well all of them except Fred. He on the other hand was frantic- disheveled. His knee bounced in anticipation. The clock was sneaking

“Oh, uh, hey Y/n!” Ron Weasley moved his hand side to side, waving to Y/n. The temptation to admire the handsome boy at his side leaped into her heart. Using every ounce of strength, Y/n trained her eyes on Ron, not allowing a single peek at Fred.

“Hey, Y/n/n!” The voice of Angelina brought a perk to Y/n’s head.

“Hi.” She greeted the younger Weasley and her close friend back, then headed for the portrait. Before she could make it half the distance, the tall figure of her boyfriend appeared.

“Angel, how did you sleep?” Fred was by her side in an instant. He was desperately trying to read her expression, testing the waters to see her mood. He had hardly slept, he spent most of the night thinking about this exact moment, when he’d have the chance to apologize and make it up to the girl he loved. “Can we please talk? I’m really sorry for last night, honestly, I am so so sorry, darling.”

Y/n stared at him, or rather, through him. It was like she didn’t see the tall wizard in front of her.

“I’m gonna go study, I’ll meet you with you guys later.”

“Y/n, love-“ His warm hand took hold of her of her own, an action she’d typically love. The familiar grasp sent a burst of comfort in her stomach, but she ignored it.

Wiggling out of his grip, the girl shot him a look of displeasure then rushed off. Hermione chased after her, no one else brave enough to step in. Besides, Hermione was one of her closest friends. Watching the younger girl follow after her roommate, Angelina walked after them. Fred stomped like a toddler having a tantrum as the portrait swung open then closed. He knew he had to do something- anything to get her to talk to him again, and that was his plan.

For a Sunday evening, the school library was relatively empty. A majority of the students occupying the tables were studying away for their O.W.L.S. The exams weren’t for another two months but hardly anyone dared to procrastinate until the last week before opening their books. The stress of the exams was enormous, but the students still had other classes to keep in mind.

Y/n Y/n/l and George Weasley were sitting across from on another at a study table. Three hefty textbooks were open as the two discussed their Potions paper. Y/n had been stuck on hers and George had yet to start so they decided to head to the library together and get it done.

Fred was usually right by their side, his hand wrapped around Y/n’s shoulders, but she neglected an invite for him. About an hour after their exchange in the common room, Y/n had apologized to each friend she had snapped on the night prior. They were understanding, clearly seeing where her frustrations had come for. They also felt bad as she was right, no one had even checked to see where she’d gone, and George especially felt terrible for not searching for his friend.

At least three hours had passed since the two Gryffindors started their study session. Y/n was sneaking up on her last two pages while George still had three left. They collaborated every few minutes, then returned to tranquil silence, scribbling away.

Y/n was in the middle of sharing her idea for the last section of her paper when George’s eyes brighten and he interrupted her,

“Fred, how nice of you to join us.”

Turning in her chair, Y/n found her boyfriend standing behind her with a nervous smile. She hated how perfect he looked, even in the poor lighting of the library. He still managed to make her breath hitch in the back of her throat.

“Hi, Y/n. You look beautiful as always.” Fred announced himself softly. George scoffed teasingly, muttering a ‘hello’ to himself to make up for his brother ignoring him. Freds words were genuine though didn’t make much of a difference. Y/n was still hurt and a compliment wasn’t going to mend that. She needed to feel it, to see him truly show that he cared- that she meant something to him. That she was deserving of his time. Sweet comments didn’t not add up to that feeling.

George closed his textbook, then glanced up at his twin,

“Should I leave?”

Before Fred could answer, Y/n slammed her hand on top of George’s Potions book. Wide eyed and frightened, the boy gaped in shock. Even Fred was taken aback by her unexpecting movement. Leering at her friend Y/n replied,

“No. I want you to stay, we were in the middle of a conversation.”

Fred’s heart dropped at her words. It was heartbreaking to have the girl of his dreams now shunning him- brushing him off with ease. It was driving him mad. All he wanted was for her to acknowledge him, give him a little hope that he can earn his way back in her heart. He loved her, every bit of him loved her.

All he wanted was to make it up to her for his mistakes the night before. He couldn’t stop thinking about the look on her face when she saw him sitting with their friends. She was miles exceeded hurt- more devastated at his negligence than hurt alone.

Maybe it was the fear of meeting the reality that losing Y/n was a possibility, but Fred experienced a new sort of emotion when his girlfriend asked for his brother to stay. Yes, they’re friends, all three of them are. Fred had to remind himself of this like a record on repeat. He couldn’t fight the envy off though.

It made his heart twist as she stared at George. Never did he think he’d be jealous of his own twin, but Fred was livid. The seething stream of covetousness overtook his veins. Fred wanted to be the one you ran to for comfort, not his brother. His entire life he had shared everything with George, Y/n was far too meaningful to Fred for her to be shared.

Now it does take two for a turn of events like that to happen. Fred knew, clear as day, that George had no romantic feelings for Y/n and she had none for George. This was true, but for some reason, it didn’t help tame Fred’s envy.

He knew causing a jealous scene would do no good for anyone, so Fred realigned his train of thought and asked,

“Could I steal you from that conversation, please love? I really need to apologize to you.”

Fred allowed his hands to reveal themselves from their previous position hiding behind his back. When he moved them, a full bouquet of colorful flowers and small green plants of different shapes and sizes. The flowers were a display of fuchsia, pink, orange, red, and yellow. They were beautiful, so beautiful, Y/n thought to herself. She couldn’t help the gasp that slipped past her lips.

Fred had gotten her flowers their first-year dating but since the last month or so, she hadn’t received many of his heartwarming gifts. It wasn’t the monocle value of a present but the thought and attention to care that captured Y/n’s heart. Fred had always been the best at creating meaningful gifts on a tight budget. Whether it was flowers he stole from school grounds, or necklaces he made out of stones she found around the Great Lake. He’d make her perfume- proving rather excellent in the Potions department. He also asked Molly to teach him how to knit in order to make Y/n a sweater. This of course delighted Molly over the moon.

George bit on the skin of his knuckles to keep for laughing at his brother. He recognized the flowers, as did Y/n. Fred had picked them from the garden outside the castle- something that had earned him a detention before. George decided not to comment on his observation, Fred was sure to murder him in his sleep if he put his apology in any jeopardy.

Fred extended the bouquet to his flustered girlfriend. He felt a sense of accomplishment while watching her reaction. It was small to most, but for as stubborn as she was, it was big in his eyes. The girl reached forward, accepting the gift with a tiny smile rising to her lips, one she didn’t force down.

For the first time since the night before, Y/n fully saw Fred. She peered directly at him silently. George glanced between the two, stuck between a dual. Without speaking, Fred took some steps forward and pulled the chair next to Y/n out. He slipped into the seat, the couple still staring at each other. Y/n studied his demeanor, he didn’t push her anymore, but he wouldn’t leave her side. Not that she would tell him but, she was happy he joined in. She didn’t want him to leave, she had missed being around him. Tearing herself away, Y/n focused herself back on the other twin.

“As I was saying, George…”

Fred drowned out the words but accepted the fact that Y/n didn’t reject him from sitting down. She also didn’t set the flowers down for the rest of their study session. The remained clutched in her hands, resting in her lap the whole time.

Monday night came in the blink of an eye. Classes had resumed and the castle was bustling in stress. When the end of the year neared, the time spent sitting through lectures was an eternity, while the weekends flew by. Fred had always hated summer break, actually, that’s not entirely true. His dismissive of break budded around the same time his relationship with Y/n became official.

Their first two years, she would spend the holiday back home in London with her family. She loved her family but once she experienced her first holiday at the Burrow, she never wanted to miss another. Her family was a bit distant, not the warm and welcoming pure-bloods like the Weasley’s, but not as cold as the Malfoy’s. Y/n’s family had no issues with her spending breaks at the Burrow, as long as she had Molly and Arthur Weasley’s approval. Molly insisted each time that there was no need for her to even ask to stay. They accepted her with open arms, ecstatic to see Fred had found such a lovely girl.

The end of the school term was coming up and Fred needed to fix things with Y/n before that happened. She planned to spend the break at his family’s home and he feared she’d take her agreement back if things weren’t improved between them. Spending almost two days stuck in the anger of his love was two days too many. Fred was going to fix this and he planned the best idea he could think of, good thing he had their friends happily available to help.

Unbeknownst to Y/n, while she was resting up from her illness Harry, Ron, Lee and George were helping Fred create his masterplan. Hermione helped in her own way by remaining near Y/n’s dorm, sitting in as the lookout. It gave her an excuse to get her school work done so she didn’t protest.

Alicia and Angelina stayed in the room. Once Y/n started to feel better, thanks to Madam Pomfrey, the girl’s altered Hermione who passed the news along to Harry as the chain continued until it reached Fred. At the confirmation, his plan was set into action. Ron was sent to retrieve the girl after Alicia and Angelina convinced her to get some food from the dining hall.

She walked through the common room then down the moving staircase, when her redheaded friend popped up. Ron scared the girl, making her stumble back, her hand placed over her chest.

“Y/n! I’m so glad I ran into you! No one has seen you all day- Angelina said you were feeling ill this morning.” Ron rambled at a fast pace. Y/n, still surprised by his sudden arrival, took a deep inhale, nodding to the boy,

“Yeah, I saw Madam Pomfrey this morning when classes started. I just had a stomach bug and she said I’d have to wait it out but the medicine she gave me seems to be doing the trick.” Y/n gave Ron a kind smile. Ron was two years younger than her but they had always been great friends. Y/n would travel to the Burrow as a guest of the twins during the holiday breaks, so Ron and her had spent a lot of time hanging out together. It was sweet of him to ask how she was doing, but he didn’t seem that her health was the reason for their conversation.

“That’s good to hear. You wouldn’t happen to be heading anywhere, are you?”

“Just to get some food. I’m starving-“ Ron nodded eagerly, cutting his friend off in the process.

“That’s great! I mean, not great, just… well… uh, follow me please!” Scrambling like a mess, Ron clasped his hand over Y/n’s wrist and abruptly dragged her down the stone corridor. She couldn’t find the words to question him and allowed Ron to lead the way. Her curiosity was far too big to ignore his odd request.

Ron carried on for another five minutes then took a sharp turn, heading for the courtyard. Two figures ran off around the side of the castle in the darkness. Y/n swore she recognized the pair as George and Lee. What were they up to? Snapping her head to the younger boy, Y/n waited for him to fill her in on why he had dragged her halfway across the castle to the freezing courtyard.

“Okay! We’re here- I’m just gonna… head out. See ya, Y/n!” Ron rushed his farewell then ran off towards the direction George and Lee had escaped to. What in the world is going on? Left by herself without any explanation, Y/n threw her hand up in annoyance.

“What?”

Alone in the cold, Y/n wrapped the opening of her fuzzy cardigan against her body, attempting to keep warm. Although warmth entered her vein as a pair of arms snaked around her waist, snatching her backwards into a firm surface. She gasped, thrown off by her attacker and tried to turn in retaliation, but their grasp was far too firm. The familiarity of the hold made her body ease up. As much time as the spent together, she could recognize his touch anywhere. Fred.

His touch released a swarm of butterflies through the girl. She could feel the anger washing away as she leaned her body into his chest, having pined for his arms for two too many days than she was accustomed to.

The tall Gryffindor held her tightly. Moving forward, Fred pressed his lips against the shell of Y/n’s ear. The heat of his breath causing her to shudder as he whispered,

“I’m so happy you came, darling.”

Y/n smirked, looking up at him. The concurrent willfulness of her nature could only carry on for so long until her headstrong demeanor crumbled. A pang of chagrin still grumbled in her stomach but the sight in front of her certainly was a runner in her change of heart.

Soaking in her surroundings, Y/n realized they were just a few hundred feet outside Hargid’s hut. This explained the garden full of massive orange pumpkins. In the middle of the path was a small gazebo decorated in fairy lights and sunflowers. A small table set for two was tucked inside. Small teacup white candles line the path, creating a runway of sorts. Another candle, larger and purple, sat flickering in the breeze in the center of the neat table.

Y/n stood motionless absorbing the creation her boyfriend made- all for her. Speechlessness was not common for Y/n so Fred undoubtably began to second guess if his efforts were good enough. His fears were stomped in a matter of moments when Y/n harshly yanked at the material of his collar and placed a brisk, short kiss to his lips. Fred was startled, losing the opportunity to kiss her back but Y/n didn’t want him to. It gave her a sense of control- they still had issues they needed to work out, but she loved him nonetheless. Besides, avoiding and staying mad at Fred forever? Impossible. In two days, Y/n had to stop herself a million different times from approaching Fred and sharing a laugh with him, or kissing him, or holding his hand and giving him a hug. She didn’t want to fight off the urge anymore- and Fred couldn’t handle the distance spaced between them. Thus, being the motivation for his grand, heartfelt, date.

“I’ll assume that means you like it. I won’t take all the credit- it was my idea, but our friends are the main reason I was able to pull this off. I feel really bad and… I need to do something special for you- I don’t do that enough lately. I forget sometimes to remind you how important you are in my life and how much I love you.” Fred sheepishly smiled, nervously awaiting her reaction.

The small table was set, a new bundle of crimson red roses placed on her seat. To the side of her plate was a small box with a beautifully wrapped ribbon tied to the top. Fred had a special way of showing his love and adoration for his girlfriend, but even this was new to her. Never before had he gone so over the top to prove his feelings to her.

Y/n lifted her hand and intertwined it with Fred’s, smiling up at him,

“It’s gorgeous, Freddie.” The bashful smile made Fred’s heart melt on sight. He had prepared himself for the repetitive rejection she had been sending, so when she whispered those sweet words, his chest tightened, and his pace stopped.

Fred almost fainted in shock at the sound of her voice. He squeezed her light hand and drew it back, forcing her body into his own. Y/n couldn’t help the laugh that fell from her lips. She missed his playful ways. With the foreheads pressed against each other, Fred grinned,

“I’ve missed your voice, love.”

Although his words made her heart take flight, the reality of her hurt was still roaming. Y/n detached herself from his grasp and rested her hand on the black metal table. Her fingertips fumbled with the white cloth, it served as a distraction only for a short period of time. Fred sent her a sorrowful look. Her shift in moods was confusing to him, he only wanted to make things better.

Y/n sighed and ran her hand through her h/c locks. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply then asked,

“Why don’t you have time for me anymore, Fred?” The question of the night- or rather month. His date was beautiful, absolutely stunning. As riveting as it was, it couldn’t erase the hurt she had been experiencing.

Fred shook his head frantically, dismissing the accusation. He knew why she would think that way, he understood. It wasn’t true, though. Actions speak louder than words and Fred despised the fact that recently, his feelings for Y/n weren’t lining up with his actions. His words could only do so much. But he also knew soon, things would be different. Missing the Hogsmeade date was his fault, and he paid for it. Two days might seem minute to most, but when you spend essentially everyday attached to someone’s hip, two days of them purposely ignoring you and speaking to every soul expect you, it can feel like a lifetime. He realized a few things in this time.

Fred remembered how fun it was to act as if he was still trying to win her over. Gifts, no matter their cost, always brought a gleam to her face which never failed to make Fred grin. However, it was much more entertaining when she wasn’t upset with him and would throw the flirtatious comments right back at him. He was also reminded of how lucky he was to be with Y/n. While she ignored him, Fred found himself envious of every living being Y/n spoke to, as they were not him. When he started engulfing himself in his plans for the joke shop, his effort in his relationship had decreased and this was something he vowed to never let happen again.

“I’ll always have time for you, darling. And if I don’t, I’ll make some. I truly am sorry about this weekend- you don’t deserve that.”

“It just seems like you’re distracted, like you don’t care anymore.” Y/n batted her reddening eyes, finally throwing her worries to the air.

“No, no, Y/n, not at all. I’m so sorry I made you feel that way, love. I’m a terrible excuse of a boyfriend, I never meant to create this mess. I love you so much.” Fred’s head bowed down. It tore him up to know the way his actions made her feel, the only girl he loved.

“I love you too, Freddie. I really do but I can’t feel alone in this relationship. I let our date Friday slide, even though I was annoyed, but Saturday night? I feel like it broke me. Just knowing you forgot about me-“ Y/n fought back the burning sensation in her eyes as the tears began to brim.

The anxiety blooming inside her was clear to Fred. Suppose that was the downside to dating your best friend, they can always tell when somethings wrong. Before a tear could hit the floor, he whisked her to the iron garden chair, then kneels before her, his hands holding her face as if it was a priceless, dainty piece of china.

“I didn’t forget about you, darling, that’s impossible to do. I’ve been… well I’ve been working on something with George for when we leave school next year. It’s real important to me and I wanted to share it with you but I was scared that it might not happen but… if I have your support and you with us, I know it’ll happen.”

“What’re you rambling on about, Fred?”

“Remember how I told you that George and I wanted to open a joke shop? Well, it’s happening… I think. We’re really close, we just gotta make it through next year then we’re free! We’ll have our own joke shop and get to sell our own products and start our future.”

A silence overtook the atmosphere. Y/n’s lips were stuck open in a small ‘o’ shape, eyes glued to the floor. Was he really going to leave her all alone next year? Would they have to break up? Surely, he wouldn’t want to be in a long-distance relationship.

She was snapped from her own mind when her skin registered the touch of Fred’s lips as they traced her knuckles, kissing each finger as he did. His eyes then peered up to meet her own. She could tell he was serious by the feeling of his stare. Then he continued, making Y/n perk up,

“But none of that can happen without you… Y/n I want you to come with me. Move in with George and I, start a future with me. We want you to be a part of the shop. I want you there. You’re the only girl I want, for the rest of my life.”

Her once open mouth clamped shut in a swift motion. Ever since she met the twins, Y/n wanted a future with Fred. Everyone saw it as a childhood crush, but she always knew it was more. She never stopped loving him- never could. Even when his pranks took a step too far over the line. They always found their way back to each other and would work through it. Fights such as the most recent were rare- but Fred’s admission filled in a lot of empty spaces that had left Y/n sleepless for days. Finally, the crushing weight was lifted from her chest as she choked out a shaky breath.

Leaping forward from the chair, Y/n threw her body into her boyfriend’s body and clamped him in a koloa like hold. Fred chuckled in amusement, falling onto the near ground at her jump.

“Why do you have to be so lovable? I hate it. I should be angry with you, but I just love you too much. Besides, I think you did enough suffering.” She giggled as she pinched his round cheeks in her hands. Fred poked his tongue out at her and grabbed at her sides. Y/n swatted his hands away, giving him a stern glare saying, ‘don’t push it’.

Slowly, she leaned down and brushed her lips against Fred’s, smirking down at him. It was a change in roles. In their more adult situations, Fred was typically the one on top with Y/n pinned below him, but that’s a story for another time.

A small, almost whimper, sound came from Fred. He hated being teased- that was his job. Dragging out the moment, Y/n tugged on the skin of his bottom lip with her teeth, earning a groan of approval from Fred. She grazed over his mouth one last time before dipping her head down to meet his and interlocking their lips, still straddling his waist. Fred’s hips pushed towards her core out of instinct. Not ready to give in quite yet, Y/n lifted her body and shifted forward, entrapping Fred even more so in the heated kiss.

They parted for seconds to sneak a bit of air, then continued their needed make out. It had been a while since they proved their love to each other in this way. For the last month, it had been small kisses here and there when the couple had a chance to see each other. Y/n needed his touch- she needed him. Fred longed to have under him, pleasuring her. He desperately wanted to sink his head between her legs and really show her just how much he loved her.

The coldness of his fingertips hit Y/n’s skin as his fingers dug into the sides of her waist. As much as she longed to keep the exchange going, the last thing either of them needed was a detention.

Y/n plucked herself away, a small pout lining Fred’s lips. His hands remained tied up in her own, lying them on his stomach. The weight of his question seeped in like molasses. Opportunities like this presented themselves once in a lifetime, there was no way Y/n was going to let it slip by.

Rolling off his lap, Y/n plopped down on the ground to the side of Fred. Their heads turned simultaneously towards each other, Fred winking to Y/n.

This is what she wanted. To see him care for her, show his love. His attention. It was the one thing she had been striving for but now that the cat, or rather joke shop, was out of the bag, Fred didn’t feel the need to hide anything from her anymore and keep his work to himself. He was over the moon with excitement to have her join George and himself. It was everything he could hope for.

Coyly averting her peer, Y/n asked,

“Do you really mean it, Fred? You really want me to come with you and George?”

Kindly, Fred swiped his thumb under her chin and raised her head up so their eyes were level.

“I wouldn’t want you anywhere else in the world then with me.” The serenity in his voice didn’t go unnoticed. Y/n propped herself up to her elbows and brought Fred in a bone crushing hug. Heavy chuckles croaked from Fred as she smothered him lovingly. He managed to sneak in a tiny peck to her check and she hugged him. Placing her head on his shoulder, Y/n poked the side of Fred’s cheek, commenting,

“You’re gonna be stuck with me forever, Fred, I love it!”

Throwing his arm around the elated girl, Fred just smirked.

“Duh, that’s kind the whole point of you moving in with me.” He replied in a matter-of-fact tone. The night was growing darker and the steady wind was escalating. In an hour, two if they were lucky, Filch would be surveying the grounds in search of students, mainly Fred and George, out past curfew. It was a sport to him, catching students breaking rules and getting to turn them in. It was part of his job, yes, but Y/n hated that he never took it easy on anything for the Gryffindors like he did the Slytherins. Fred looked at the scenery around them and remarked,

“Y’know, angel, as much as I’d love to spend the rest of the night laying with you in my arms, we can do that in my dorm room tonight… in an actual bed instead of dirt. I mean, we didn’t set up this whole thing for nothing! If I knew laying in the dirt would win you back, you should’ve told me!” His sarcastic words were received with a light slap.

“Smart ass.” Y/n rolled her eyes teasingly and started to sit up. Before she could get to her feet, a pair of hands planted themselves at her waist and lifted her. Fred had his moments, but he was always a gentleman to her. His teasing ways were comforting to Y/n, reminding her that they were good now, in comparison to the recent downfalls.

Fred helped Y/n to her seat, then jogged over to his own. He presented the girl with a cake he made for her. Hermione brought him to the kitchens and taught him how to make one. It took about three hours, he burnt the first, put too many eggs in the second, then forgot to add eggs to the third. Finally, on the fourth attempt, Fred created a passable cake. Hermione had no desire to spend any more time in the kitchen, so she quickly frosted it for him, not wanting him to ruin it this far in, then covered it and locked it in the fridge. Much to Y/n’s surprise, it was one of the best homemade cakes she’d ever had. Her teeth were practically chattering from the intense amount of sugar, but she had to keep in mind it was Fred who baked it.

After eating, Fred and Y/n took their sweet time strolling around the castle. Fred swung his hand back and forth, causing the same effect to Y/n’s. They laughed feverishly as Fred chased Y/n up the moving stairs as they raced to the common room. When they entered the room, they sprinted straight for Fred’s, still in a chase. Hermione, Ron, Harry, George, Angelina, and Lee all watched in amusement as the couple seemed to be reunited.

“Wonder if they’re back together. You guys think the date worked?”

Everyone shared glances at the obliviousness of Ron. There were times when social cues and context clues just didn’t exist to Ron. George scoffed at his little brother and shook his head. The rest of the group roared with laughter as Ron’s face scrunched in irritation.

“Not sure, Ron. Why don’t you go out to our room and ask them?” George smirked mischievously causing Ron to turn white as a ghost in realization. A faint ‘oh’, tumbled out of his lips and his eyes went wide.

Despite their assumption, up in the top room in the Gryffindor boy’s dormitory, Fred Weasley laid snoring in his large mattress, still in his school robes. Squished against his chest by his arms, Y/n was sound asleep, similarly dressed. The two didn’t care what they looked like or who came in, as long as they were together, that’s all that mattered.