#cj is pretty great too

[drelizabethgreene]

I’m still not sure who my favorite and least favorite West Wing characters are, but my early votes are Jed for favorite (because of his love of useless trivia and how supportive he is of his staff overall) and least favorite is Sam because he seems like a terrible date and the show could’ve done without his call girl plot.

Just random thoughts from someone who’s only seen eight episodes of this show.

Also, the dialogue is really quick and witty…I never get bored with the back and forth.

[zepskies]

One Exception

Pairing: CJ Braxton x F. Reader

Summary: Joey has invited you to a party at Pacey’s apartment, and CJ has agreed to go, despite the contentious history between him and your new friends. He doesn’t want to be the reason you miss out on a good thing, but it also means he’ll have to hide his apprehension (and his alcoholism).  

AN: Here’s the sequel to Good Morning! This story takes place in 6.14 of the show, with a little twist.

Word Count: 4K

Tags/Warnings: Mature themes, but it doesn’t really warrant an 18+ rating. Angst, alcoholism, hurt/comfort, jealousy, fluff, tinge of spice, and implied smut.

“Nice television,” CJ remarked, noting the giant monstrosity in the middle of this very loud apartment.

“See? Told you it’d be low-key,” you said.

More like high and off-key, CJ thought wryly.

Nickleback’s “How You Remind Me” was blaring. People you and CJ recognized from school were crowded in the living room around the TV, as well as milling around the kitchen with beers and solo cups, and it was pretty much a wall of sound that already grated on CJ’s ears. Pacey had to be in here somewhere too.

You squeezed CJ’s hand and gave him a sympathetic smile.

“You okay?” you asked.

He gave you a smile to hide his nerves. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

He was no stranger to parties. He just didn’t often find himself going to parties where the host had once introduced his face to a brick wall.

Before he truly got to know you, CJ had a one-time unintentional fling with your (former) dorm roommate, Audrey. She’d been spiraling out of control in an alcohol-fueled depression. He’d seen a kindred spirit in her and tried to help her. He just hadn’t known that she was still sort of in a relationship with Pacey, who had a mean right hook when he wanted to.

And then there was Jen, Audrey and Joey’s best friend. CJ felt the worst for hurting her along the way, unable to reciprocate her feelings…

And, oh yeah, you still didn’t know about that last part. 

CJ silently stewed in all of this when you led him by the hand to find your friend and current dormmate, Joey.

“Hey! Glad you could make it,” she said with her wide, doe brown eyes and a too-bright smile.

You gave her a quirking look when you hugged her in greeting. She smelled like vodka and orange juice, but you’d never known Joey to go too hard in the paint with her liquor.

She gave your companion a little wave. “Hey, CJ!”

“Hey,” he nodded with a smile.

“You guys want something to drink?” she asked, gesturing to the row of liquor bottles and various chasers behind her on the kitchen counter. You internally paused for a moment, glancing at your boyfriend, but you turned back to Joey with a smile.

“Yeah, Diet Coke would be great,” you said.

CJ gave you a curious look, but he asked for the same. Joey bobbed her head before she went to pour the drinks into some plastic cups.

CJ leaned in near your ear. “Sweetheart, you’re allowed to drink. You know I’ve been to parties before.”

In fact, you and CJ had met at a club party. One where Audrey had been led up to some guy’s room while she was drunk, and CJ had all but broken down the door to get her out for you and Jen.

“I know, I just don’t feel like doing alcohol tonight,” you told him.

It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. You just didn’t want to risk making CJ even more uncomfortable than he likely already was, being near Pacey. You’d asked Joey to talk to him for you—a plea for him to not try and kill your boyfriend.

And there your esteemed host was, coming over now.

“Heyyyy, good thinking,” said Pacey. He went over to Joey’s side when she turned to hand you and CJ your drinks. He grabbed another cup to pour one for himself. 

“Hey, man,” CJ greeted politely. His hands were in his pockets, trying to mask his stiffness.

Pacey hesitated, taking note of CJ, but the beat of tension broke between the two men when Pacey graciously stuck out a hand.

“Hey. Good to see ya…not with my girlfriend,” he quipped with a smile.

CJ’s was a bit more strained, but he gave a wry chuckle along with his handshake. Joey elbowed Pacey in the ribs.

“Ah, what?” he protested. She gave him a firm look, pursing her lips. Then she turned to you and CJ with a smile.

“Hey, you guys have any whiskey?” Jen cut in, as she sidled up to Joey. “I’m not so much in a beer mood, but whiskey I could do. Maybe it’s the burn I’m craving—”

She stopped short when she saw you and CJ. Her smile thinned.

“Oh! Hey, there,” she said.

CJ offered her nod, but his insides tightened. He watched you brighten and give Jen a hug that the other woman couldn’t easily reciprocate. Jen’s eyes were on him, even while she hugged you.

You and Joey then broke off to catch up for a bit (CJ encouraged you to it), while Pacey went back to watching a football game on the mega-sized TV with Jack. CJ was about to join them when Jen’s voice stopped him.

“You guys look good together,” she said. She had a glass of whiskey in her hand and a small smile on her face. Her blonde hair was shorter now, cut just below her ears. Her black halter-style dress suited her.

But she wasn’t you.

CJ smiled more genuinely. “Thanks.”

Jen was a good person. He was still sorry that he hurt her, but he wasn’t sorry for choosing you.

You were happy to see CJ hanging out with his friend David, along with Jack and Pacey and some other guys from school. Meanwhile, you had the chance to catch up with Joey and Jen.

Maybe it would give you a chance to mend this weird rift of distance that had seemed to come between you and Jen in recent weeks.

You didn’t know where it came from, but you genuinely admired Jen as a person. She was smart, and she always spoke her mind and stuck to her principles. That was something you wish you had more of in yourself.

Now, she was a bit quiet while sipping her whiskey. Joey made up for it, with a kind of giggle-snort you'd never heard come out of her mouth before. You raised a brow, despite your smile.

"Yes, Josephine?" you teased.

"Sorry," she waved a dismissive hand. "Just remembered something. Like the fact that I really like vodka. I mean, it's clear, almost tasteless, so it's almost like drinking water, you know?"

You and Jen shared an amused look.

"Sure, that's what it's like," you said.

Joey's eyes went wide then. She leaned in close to you, leaning on your shoulder.

"Oh. Don't drink champagne though," she said, while eyeing Jen. She "whispered" loud enough to be heard over the music, and also hurt your left ear. "She once killed a girl with champagne."

Jen's mouth fell open incredulously. Your eyes went as wide as Joey's. This was some serious “girl time.”

"Wait, what?" you said.

Jen looked at her empty glass. "Well, would you look at that? Right on time."

She escaped to the kitchen to refill her tumbler, but you and Joey followed her; you out of morbid curiosity, and Joey because she too wanted more vodka than orange juice in her plastic cup.

Jen gave you a smirk as she filled up her glass.

"Don't worry, you're all safe. This is Jameson," she said.

You emitted some nervous laughter and leaned on the kitchen counter, trying to figure out where the joke was here. How the hell do you kill a girl with champagne?

“So are you sure you don’t want an actual drink?” Jen asked, gesturing at your soda.

“Oh, no. I’m fine,” you held up a dismissive hand.

“You sure?” Pacey said, coming up from behind your little group to find a beer. “I got your boyfriend a vodka soda. I can get you one too.”

Your eyes widened, though you tried to hide your alarm, smoothing your hands down your jeans.

“What?” you asked.

Pacey paused. He’d caught the surprise flitting across your face. “What?”

“Um…” Your hesitation came from trying to process information in record time. You looked over and saw CJ with David. Your boyfriend was indeed holding a different cup.

You returned your attention to Pacey. His brows were raised. Joey looked confused as well, while Jen was sipping at her own drink, in a way that hinted that she already knew what you were about to say.

“CJ doesn’t drink,” you explained.

Pacey brows popped higher. “Ah. He’s 21 though, right?”

“Yes, but he’s a recovering alcoholic,” you said with a sigh. You didn’t want to have to say that, telling CJ's business, but you didn’t know how else to explain why you were slightly freaking out.

“Oh…uh, sorry about that,” Pacey said.

“No, it’s not your fault. Don’t worry about it,” you said.

Pacey gave a wan smile and returned to the group around the TV, CJ included. You sighed and turned back to Jen and Joey.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know either,” Joey said.

“Nothing to be sorry about,” you said, shaking your said. “I’ll just check on him, if you guys don’t mind—”

Jen’s glass hit the counter, and she poured herself another whiskey on the rocks.

“By all means, check away,” she said.

“Hey, sorry man. I didn’t know,” Pacey had said to him, with a look on his face that also said:

Sorry you’re a leper. That’s rough buddy.

CJ found himself withdrawing from the rest of the guys, even as the smell of vodka wafted from the solo cup in his hand. He glanced down at it with a short sigh, but he didn’t drink it, even though his hand itched to raise the cup to his lips.

You startled him a little when your hand curled around his arm.

“Hey,” you greeted in a whisper.

“Hey,” he smiled back at you. But the worried look on your face made his smile fall.

“Wanna hang out for a bit?” you asked, nodding at a quieter looking corner of the living room.

CJ waved at David with the hand that held his cup, and he followed you over to the far side of the couch. You sat on its edge, arms crossed, while he found a seat on the sill of a large window.

You pointedly glanced at his cup. “Have you been drinking?”

CJ’s lips pursed. He took in your stance: arms crossed, shoulders tense, lips pursed, eyes deeply concerned and wary.

Are we having fun yet? he thought dryly.

“See, I’d be more inclined to answer that question if you hadn’t lured me over here under false pretenses,” he remarked. Though he did set the cup down beside him on the windowsill.

“What false pretenses?” you asked, your brows furrowing.

“You don’t want to be with me. You want to check up on me,” he pointed out. “You’re looking at me like an inmate who got loose in the psych ward.”

You frowned then. “That’s not true. I’m just wondering why you would take an alcoholic beverage from Pacey.”

“Your friend offered me a drink. It seemed rude to say no, so…” CJ glanced down at his hands in his lap. Your head tilted in concern.

“CJ…” you sighed. “Why the hell would you ruin your sobriety over something like that?”

“I don’t expect you to understand,” he replied flatly.

“Oh really?” you said. Your lips pursed in irritation.

“I just didn’t want to get into it with a stranger,” CJ said, throwing up a hand. “But thanks for telling him that I don’t drink. Now he’s apologizing to me like I’m dying or something.”

A sharper sigh fell from your lips. “I told you we didn’t have to come here. I didn’t want to make you feel pressured to—”

“Again, you know this isn’t my first house party,” he said.

“Yeah, I know it’s not. So why? Why did this happen tonight?” you asked. “For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been so disciplined with yourself. You have a set of rules, and you follow them.”

“Yeah, well, did it ever occur to you that maybe I realized that I was too strict on myself?” he said. “That maybe we wouldn’t even be together if I didn’t bend those rules?”

Your mouth fell open incredulously, a bit of anger sparking your blood. He knew he shouldn't have said that. It just kind of flew out of his mouth, immediately sparking his guilt.

“Okay,” you snipped. “Well, maybe you shouldn’t be bending those rules at all if this is where it leads.”

CJ's lips pursed. “What, because I’ve been sitting here, spending the last hour debating whether or not to take a drink?”

He gestured at the cup beside him. 

Your eyes blinked wider, with even more surprise, and a heavy dose of confusion.

“Wait, what? Are you telling me that you haven’t been drinking tonight?” you asked.

“Is that going to magically change all the conclusions you just jumped to?” CJ retorted.

You closed your eyes with a sharp, exasperated sigh. When you opened them again, you frowned at him.

“Uh, yeah!” you exclaimed. "Of course it does, CJ!"

“Well, it doesn’t work that way,” he said. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it. Fine. Just like I’ve been trying to find some normalcy with you here. But apparently you find that wildly insulting.”

He was getting wildly defensive right now. You sort of saw where he was coming from, but it was still frustrating. You held a hand to your chest as your heart raced with the force of your relief.

“Look, I’m sorry for assuming. I’m just…I was worried about you,” you said honestly. “I knew coming here might be stressful for you—”

“I can handle stress,” CJ said. “What I can’t handle is you looking at me like I’m a powder keg waiting to explode.”

You raised up placating hands as you glared at him.

“Fine,” you said. “Sorry for being concerned about my boyfriend. I’ll try to curb that behavior in the future.”

At that, CJ’s frustration and anger simmered down, swiftly followed by more guilt.

You got up and blinked quickly, like you were fighting tears as you shook your head. You aimed to get by him, but he got off the windowsill and went for your hand. There was no drunk excuse for his behavior now.

No, this one was all him.

“Hey,” he said, in a softer voice. He looked down at you with softer eyes too. He could see now that you didn’t mean to make him feel less than, like you had to watch him so he wouldn’t mess up in front of your friends. No, you were just genuinely worried about his wellbeing. 

You looked up at him warily. He held your hand more securely in his.

“Okay, I’m sorry. I am,” he said, when he noted your raised brow. “I’m really grateful that you care about me. That you’re concerned about me. But I’ve been dealing with this for a long time. I don’t want you to feel like you can’t be yourself either, even when we’re out here in the wild.”

A small smile twitched at your lips. You held his hand back.

“Out in the wild, huh?” you quirked a brow. CJ smiled back and brushed your cheek with his thumb.

“I just need you to trust me a little more,” he said.

You nodded, smiling when his forehead gently rested against yours. The ends of his hair tickled between your brows.

“Okay, I’m sorry too,” you said. “Next time I won’t be so quick on the draw.”

You leaned up for a kiss. CJ met you there, sweetly at first. Then he tilted his head and deepened the angle of his lips moving against yours.

“Ooh save that for later,” Joey said, loudly from behind you.

It made you jolt in CJ’s arms. You turned your head and met your friend with a wide-eyed look of confusion. She held an empty wine bottle in her hand and waggled mischievous brows.

“Come on, let’s play.”

You really couldn’t believe that Joey was making you all play Spin the Bottle. For you, it was the stuff of awkward middle school horror stories of the highest form. She’d roped in you and CJ, Jen, Jack, Pacey and their roommate Emma, and Gus, a gross looking guy who was apparently her "fiancé" of some sort. 

Gus took the first turn, and got creative with it—giving Joey a nice lick on the cheek.

That’s what you get for making us play this dumbass game, you thought as you laughed.

Joey ended up giving Jack a sweet kiss, followed by him and Emma sharing a little lip-lock, and even Emma and Jen giggling as they came together for a peck.

But when it was Jen’s turn, the wine bottle spun, and spun…and landed on CJ. A chorus of “ooohs” came from the others.

You felt yourself bristle internally. It’s just a game, you reminded yourself. Just a stupid, stupid game.

You patted CJ’s knee and tried to school your face into amusement.

“You’re up, babe,” you said.

He looked a bit uncomfortable when he met your eyes, and then Jen’s. She wore a smile, though she was a little absent in the eyes. She’d been pounding hard liquor pretty much all night.

“All right, CJ. Let’s get this over with,” she teased.

He let out a subtle breath through his nose, but he uncurled his arm from around you so that he could lean over to meet Jen across the circle. Instead of the light peck that he was aiming for, she surprised him by taking his face in her hands and giving him a kiss deep enough to make him taste the burn of whiskey.

He parted from her with a flinch. His eyes blinked wide. A quick glance around the circle told him he wasn’t the only one who was surprised, but you were the only one he cared about. He settled back next to you and felt guilty for your muted disbelief, even though he wasn’t the real perpetrator here.

CJ frowned hard at Jen. She just smiled and crossed her arms around her legs, head bobbing to the tune of the alt rock music playing.

“Damn, Jen,” Pacey said, laughing uncomfortably. “That’s some dedication to the game.”

You were still shocked into stillness. You knew Jen was a bit deep into the bottle, but was she really drunk enough to try and make out with your boyfriend in front of you?

Joey finally dropped her hands from her face (she’d been watching the scene through the cracks in her fingers). She gave you an apologetic look. She was very effing drunk as well, you knew, but not make out with your boyfriend in front of you—drunk.

You finally looked over at CJ, not knowing who you should be more irritated with: Jen for sticking her tongue down his throat, or CJ for letting her.

“It’s your turn, bro,” Gus said. Not that he cared about whoever CJ landed on. He just wanted the chance to kiss another one of the girls. Preferably Emma.

CJ shook his head. “I don’t think I—”

“Go ahead,” you said. Your tone was a challenge, as were your crossed arms, and the tight expression on your face. “It’s just a game, right?”

That last part, you aimed at Jen. She finally had enough self-awareness to avert her drunken gaze. Your teeth were grinding.

Though you had to pause when you realized where CJ’s spun bottle had landed: right on you.

“Aw, well that’s good,” Joey said, with a nervous laugh that broke some of the tension in this little circle.

CJ let out a subtle breath of relief himself. But this was a whole new challenge as he met your steely gaze. He tried to give you a smile.

Your eyes fell. So with a small sigh, he gently took your chin between his fingers and tilted your face up to him, just before he leaned in to kiss you.

He plied you softly at first. His lips dragged against yours in a slow, lingering kiss. Then he angled his head away from the circle, away from prying eyes as he brushed his tongue across your lower lip, seeking entrance. You inhaled deeply, and you couldn’t help but let him in.

You uncrossed your arms and found his cheek with your hand. Your fingers soon delved into his hair, nails lightly scraping the back of his neck. He barely restrained a shudder.

“Ah, okay then,” Pacey muttered.

When you parted from CJ, your heart was racing, and there was a fire in your belly that you could see reflected in his eyes.

“I’m a little thirsty, you wanna…” he trailed. You nodded and let him help you off the ground where you all had been sitting.

CJ’s arm once again wrapped around your waist, and he led you into the first bedroom he could find. The door shut against the blaring music, the sounds of laughter and stories and dumb middle school games.

Until all that was left was you and CJ, and the sounds of quick breaths, clothes hitting the floor, and skin against skin.

“I’m sorry about earlier. With the game,” CJ later said. “Jen took me by surprise.”

Much later, where you were tangled up in his arms and the sheets, both of you mostly naked and tucked under the covers. You felt bad that you didn’t even know whose bedroom this was.

Jack’s maybe? You could only hope so. That would probably be the least awkward situation if you two were caught in here.

But at CJ’s question, your blissful mood of moments before was wiped away. Your face dropped into a frown. You turned in his arms so that you could see his face, resting your head on his arm.

“Yeah, what the hell was that with Jen?” you asked.

CJ soothed a hand up and down your arm. He knew it was time for him to come clean with you, even though he knew it might make you look at him differently. He could only hope that it wouldn’t.

“Before you and I started talking, dating—well, you know what happened with me and Audrey,” he said, expelling a breath of regret. “Before then, Jen had feelings for me.”

Your eyes widened. By now you could’ve guessed that Jen wanted your boyfriend, but you had no idea it had started way back then. CJ looked you in the eyes.

“I just didn’t feel the same way,” he said. “Then Audrey and I happened, just the one night. But Jen…I know I hurt her, and I felt terrible. I still feel bad about that, because I never meant to hurt her. I just thought Audrey and I had a connection.”

“And then Pacey,” you supplied, realizing where this story was headed. A fight between Pacey and CJ. Audrey left for rehab in California. And Jen was left to nurse her wounded pride and hurt feelings…especially when you and CJ began for real.

You closed your eyes on a sigh. This explained why she’d been so frigid to you lately.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” CJ said. “I didn’t want to come between you guys, or hurt her more by pursuing another one of her friends…I just couldn’t help falling for you.”

At that admission, you softened. You caressed CJ’s cheek, and you brought him down to you for a kiss. Again, it was slow and unhurried, yet no less passionate.

Your lips parted from his first, so you could meet his eyes.

“I’ll talk to Jen,” you said. “But…I’m glad I fell for you too.”

You and CJ shared a quiet moment then, each of you processing, hands intertwined. It had you thinking about everything he said tonight, even before the game. 

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it. Fine,” he’d said. “Just like I’ve been trying to find some normalcy with you here. But apparently you find that wildly insulting.”

You sighed and squeezed his hand. It was comfortably trapped between his bare chest and yours.

“Just for the record, you don’t have to be ‘normal’ for me, or be what you think I want around my friends. Just be you,” you said, meeting his green-eyed gaze. “I do trust you, CJ. I trust that you want to be with me, and that you have a handle on yourself.”

CJ smiled ruefully. He ran his thumb across the back of your hand.

“You were right though. The truth is I did get a little nervous tonight,” he said. “Being here, seeing Pacey…it brought up all that drama again. I took that vodka soda from him, and I was thinking about drinking it.”

“But you didn’t,” you said firmly. “Because you’re strong. Stronger than anyone I know.”

CJ looked down at your hand joined with his, at your face, set with honesty and vehemence. You seemed to believe every word of what you were saying. That alone made him feel strong.

“Thanks,” he said with a smile.

It hadn’t been all that long, but he knew this felt right. It always felt right with you.

You smiled back at him and leaned up for a sweeter kiss.  

“Thank you for bending your own rules for me,” you teased.

CJ chuckled. He stroked your cheek and pressed another kiss to your forehead.

“You’re my one exception,” he said.   

AN: As frustrated as CJ made me at times, somehow he weasels his way back into my heart. 😂💗 If you enjoyed this, let me know!

Ko-Fi Me ☕

CJ Braxton Masterlist

Main Masterlist

CJ Tag List:

@kazsrm67 @letheatheodore @agothwithheavysetmakeup @jacklesbrainworms @foxyjwls007

@wincastifer @ades106 @iamsapphine @roseblue373 @brianochka

@branj19 @hazel-eye-coffee-shop-girl-blog @globetrotter28 @charmed-asylum @waywardxwords 

@deanwinchestersgirl87 @this-is-me19 @rachiem4-blog @sweettimelady @leigh70

@clinicallydepresso @emily-winchester @xiphoidbones @skoveu @nyotamalfoy

@kmc1989 @jackles010378 @jessjad @pieandmonsters @deans-spinster-witch

@idiotdyslexic @heartlessdelusions @chriszgirl92 @peytongoose @hobby27

@waynes-multiverse @lovelyunjinn @twinkleinadiamondsky

[vivi-blue]

IT IS FINALLY DONE!

God, this took me way too long...xD

After days of work I finally finished the challenge that I set for myself: Sending out props to a lot of artist here on tumblr that I really enjoy! (Actually there are way waaay more people, but I really had to set myself a limit, I'm sorry fellas ;w; I still love you!)

These people inspire me every day with their creative concepts, stories, humor and passion for art and give me the drive to continue drawing myself. With this little collection I wanted to say "thank you" for all that you do and create. You rock, guys!

(I really hope I didn't mess up any of the tags and I apologize if I might fu**ed up your designs/characters ;3; I know I'm not the best in proportions and all, but I really tried. <w<´´ Also I really hope Tumblr compresses the text by itself, so that you don't get smacked by this wall of text. I'm still a rookie on tumblr, so I don't know what to do ;w;)

Okay, heeere we go! THE TAGS!

@tv-tower / @uuberwachen - with PB aka Swap Pizzahead (I really love the idea of the au and adore the character designs. PB sure is one of my favorites -w- He is literally the most reasonable of them all XD)

@technically-a-kiwi - with Cosmic Peppino ( The design of Cosmic Peppino is simply beautiful and the idea that this chef has strong star powers and needs to take care of Cosmic Noises shenanigans is super funny to me XD )

@sirtotallynotatimetraveler - with Mel Sproutbloom / Sagebloom (I'm sorry, I wasn't sure which name is canon ;w;) ( I loooove Mel! He is such a gentle, colorful guy and looking at him makes me all happy <3 )

@alextydaisuda123 - with their version of Vigilante ( I can't repeat enough how much I adore their artstyle. I love Vigi's design the most. I don't know it's just...THAT'S Vigi for me, you know? Simply fitting, cool, but also stylish -w- )

@alice-the-demon - with Vittoria ( I was first thinking of drawing Archangel Peppino, since this guy is the softness itself, buuuut I have to admit that I love the lively and passionate personality of Vittoria. She is great -w- )

@misdreavusplush - with Eyelashes ( I can't help it. I saw that character and was in awe. How adorable can you be?? I was barely able to draw her eyes as pretty as they are xD <3 )

@creature-of-pizza - with Pepp ( Seriously, the idea to see a "Fake Peppino" with more cat dna is such a win for me. He is dynamic, sassy, derpy and so damn cool! >w< Also love how colorful their pictures are.)

@eskariolis-con-salsa - with Gnocchi (I was thinking about drawing their version of Fake Peppino first, but...*looks at picture* ...let's be honest, you can't get pass that little guy. ;w; He purifies my soul. Have some soap, little guy.)

@oddpizza - with Caramel Jam aka CJ (Such a creative and powerful character! I've seen so many artworks of them and I adore them. You need more joyful people like this ^^)

@pizza-tower-secrets - with Lycheecheechee ( A small, adorable bundle full of surprises and of course secrets! I love their drive and colorful design. Simply a delight! :3 )

@rhaytronik - with Red ( A dynamic and enjoyable character with their love for adventures! Not only a great character but also the Pizzasona of my best friend. Thanks to them I was brave enough to start a tumblr account myself. So thank you for being there for me <3 )

@cutechan555 - with Mage Gustavo (To be honest, I had a very hard time to pick a character here, since their account is full of stories and ideas. I chose mage Gustavo, since I love his design and story. I'm currently into "Delicious in Dungeon" and to imagine that he goes dungeon crawling with his bros to safe Peppino is such a cool idea XD)

@bigbeastcyruspt - with Trion (I have to be honest, at first I was very startled of Trion, since his design is very mighty and scary. I mean, it's his chase form after all. But the more I learned about him, the more I grew to like him. Very damn cool design! Also couldn't help to add dah baby ;w;)

@lunar-dal - with Pizza Cruise Peppino (Another au I simply adore! The design of the characters is colorful and bright, and to imagine Peppino as a singing gondolier brings me great joy. Also I'm a big fan of otter Brick ;w; )

@smalltimidbean - with Pea Pod, Sugar Snap Pea and Snow Pea (Believe me, I never before had such a hard time to pick ONE of so many wonderful Peppi clones! THAT was torture XD But in the end I guess I picked my favorite. Such a tired, but very cute one. Not to forget about the little ones <3 To draw a PT character with 4 fingers and 2 thumbs on one hand was quite a challenge lol )

@tinderboxofsillyideas - with Coffee Peppino (Probably one of the most adorable au versions of Peppino. Seriously, if I had the chance to get my coffee in his café, I totally would! Give that guy all the tips! <3 First thought of drawing their wizard Peppino version, but the adorable barista won lol)

@xbeih - with Metal Peppino (One of the first au's I started following. Seriously, how cool can one person be?? I mean, the whole au is amazing and I enjoy every person in it. But damn...Peppino takes the cake. ówo He is so badass, you can't imagine <w< Also I'm very sorry, it was my first time drawing a guitar and aaaaaaa )

.....*looks left and right* ...ok, we did it. Wow!

God, I'm exhausted now...XD

Well, thank you very much for reading and sorry for the wall of text ówq I can only recommend you to check these people out. They are all very talented and should be appreciated!

Have a pleasant morning / day / evening / night everyone. (Depending your timezone lul .w. )

See ya next time! Vivi out!~

[tin-wufborf]

Tin's Favorite Sterek Fics (Part 13)

Hello, and welcome to part 13! You're getting this part pretty much immediately after the last because this is currently all I have the energy to do right now. So...I guess my cold says "you're welcome" lol.

Thank you all again for all of your support for this series. You're all amazing and fantastic and I love you all. I hope you all have as good a day as you can, if not a great one!

Oh! Before you proceed, please recall the warning I gave you in the last part's preamble about the prevalence of Bad Friend Scott McCall fics you'll be seeing moving forward. There's a shit-ton of them on this list, and there will definitely be some more moving forward.

Okay, that's all now, byyyyyyyyyyyyyye.

Smoochies and squeezies, my dudes!

List and links to previous/next part(s) below the cut.

************************************************************************

DISCLAIMER: This is me warning you all that some of the fics I've included in this list may cover explicit, dark, and/or "taboo" subject matters. I cannot express enough how little I care what anyone thinks about any of that; all I want is for you to use caution when reading anything I've listed here and to please review and heed whatever tags the authors have provided in order to keep yourselves safe. Your experience from this point on is your own responsibility, not mine and not the authors'.

************************************************************************

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20

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Layover by dr_girlfriend (G | 1/1 | 3,643)

Excerpt:

Big, serious brown eyes were staring right into his from only a few inches away. The child had clambered half over the arm of Derek’s chair to study him at close range, her little rosebud mouth pursed in concentration.

“Uh.” Derek couldn’t look away as the girl reached out one pudgy hand and patted him gently on the cheek. Her scent was soft and sweet and somehow a bit familiar, just enough to keep Derek from shying away. Derek didn’t know too much about kids but he guessed this one was probably three years old or so, head still oversized in proportion to the short limbs and round little belly.

She seemed fascinated with Derek’s beard, eyes widening further under incredibly thick lashes as she petted Derek’s cheek some more, smoothing down the short stubble. Finally she grinned widely. “Good wuff.”

Derek jerked upright, hands clenching on the edge of his seat. Did she just say?...

“CJ!” The child was suddenly gone, lifted up by a strong, tattooed forearm around her little potbelly. “You scared the he— heck out of me! What have I told you about wandering — Derek?”

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Hale Construction by Mynuet (G | 1/1 | 8,342)

Derek gets a business and a home. Stiles gets his own Batman. The sheriff gets hash browns. The Stilinski household is expanded without anyone quite talking about it.

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So When Do I Get To Pledge My Loyalty To The Mob? by RedRidingStiles (M | 1/1 | 10,146)

“Are you my sugar daddy?” Stiles blurts out, slapping a hand over his mouth when his brain catches up to his mouth.

The man lets out a soft laugh, making his way around the couch till he’s standing just feet away from Stiles.

Stiles can smell his cologne from here, it smells heavenly, Stiles kinda wants to bury his face into the guy's chest so he can figure out exactly what it is.

“If that’s what you’d like to call it.” The man smiles.

Stiles doesn’t think he should be allowed to smile like that. All soft and gorgeous and way too pretty to be legal.

He’s still not convinced any of this is real.

Stiles loses his wallet, someone returns it along with $5,000. Shit keeps coming, Stiles life doesn't make any sense anymore, he's just going with it.

Edited in October 2022

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Stop Crossing Oceans by greenleaf (M | 1/1 | 11,654)

“There are no absolutes, Scott! No hard rights or hard wrongs! The world doesn’t fucking work that way and we can’t afford to think like that, because people are going to die! We signed up for that the moment we got involved with all this!”

“We? We?” Scott hisses. “Don’t you think you? Don’t forget that you’re the one who dragged us into that forest the night it all started, Stiles. So if it’s anyone’s fault, it’s yours.”

Something inside Stiles cracks, so strong and so deep that he practically hears it.

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The One You Choose by Asterekmess (Livinginfictions) (M | 7/7 | 13,495)

Stiles hadn’t seen Scott in over a week, except for glances he caught during school hours.

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By Moon and Stars by kellifer_fic (M | 1/1 | 15,929)

"Have you heard of this Alpha?" Stiles asks, shuffling up his pallet so Scott has room to sit. Scott does with a grateful little twist of his mouth. Stefan forces him into the Stilinski ceremonial armor when they travel and Stiles can see that it's heavy and doesn't sit well on Scott. He can't shift encased in metal and Stefan knows it.

"I know of him, mostly stories that seem a little fantastical. Shifters exaggerate just like common people. They like their war stories."

"Tell me of him. Tell me a war story."

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What to expect when you aren't expecting by MemeKon (T | 1/1 | 16,921)

The baby's wailing is piercing, Stiles doesn't know how Derek can stand it. He tries shushing her and cooing at her and bouncing her a little, but the crying only gets louder, and in addition to hurting his ears, it's hurting his soul.

“Stiles,” Derek interrupts him mid-croon, eyebrows meeting over the bridge of his nose, “have you fed her since you found her?”

Stiles gapes and looks down at the baby's distressed face as she bawls.

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the most important things series by sarcasticfishes (2 works | G-E | 23,774)

1. most important things (E | 1/1 | 21,180) At first Derek didn’t know what to do with Romy. She was this tiny, squirming, pink thing that he had no idea how to read. But she was also his niece, and the only thing he had left in the world. He thought about giving her up and going back to California, but the thought of being so close to the place where his family had once been so alive hurt him, and so did the thought of letting her go. And so, in Chicago he stayed, and the Hills were forgotten. He didn’t want to go back. And no one came looking for him anyway. 2. most importantly, happy (G | 1/1 | 2,594) “Wow, Derek Hale talking about tutus. I’m hallucinating, right?” “Nope,” Derek turned his head slightly, to regard him, “Single parent syndrome.” “My dad tried to take me shoe shopping when I was twelve. Melissa ended up doing it for him.” “I’m a pro at shoe shopping,” Derek admitted, scanning the letter again.

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A Healing Silence by HelloWhyTheFuckAmIHere (NR | 28/28 | 36,329)

Stiles is slowly pushed out of the pack following his fight with Scott about Donovan's death. After receiving a phone number from an old friend, Stiles is surprised to find that it belongs to the one person who may be able to bring him back to himself.

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How Derek Met His Smallest Fan by purpleduvet (maga_nw) (M | 2/2 | 37,273)

Derek is standing in the fruits and vegetables aisle, trying to decide between two very nice looking watermelons, when someone small crashes into his legs.

or

Derek comes back to Beacon Hills after years of being gone and meets Stiles and his kid at the supermarket.

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Suspicious Minds by HaleHole (SweetFanfics) (E | 1/1 | 40,105)

“Don’t feed Balto your pizza,” Stiles mildly warns his daughter.

“Derek.”

Stiles pauses, mouth open and cheese sliding off the pizza as he parrots, “Derek? Who’s Derek?”

His daughter rolls her eyes, like Stiles has just asked her the dumbest question ever. “The wolf, Daddy!”

“You changed his name?” Stiles asks in surprise. Usually she’s pretty set about naming things. Her doll’s name was decided two seconds after receiving it, the car has been Alonzo for three years now, and the toaster ‘Pop’ for the last six months.

Meg nods, prodding the sliding cheese back on top of her slice. “Yeah. He told me his name is Derek. And that he doesn’t really like Balto.”

“Is that right?” he asks, eyeing the wolf who seems far too interested in watching a pair of animated moose arguing. It’s official. This wolf is weird. This whole situation is weird.

-- Separated from Laura after being cornered by some hunters, an injured Derek finds himself being rescued by Stiles and his young daughter. In more than one way.

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We Play In The Shadows by words_reign_here (E | 17/17 | 40,729)

"This is my dad, Stiles." Emeri said and patted his belly. Emeri did not know what personal space was. "This is my godfather, Scotty." She said and patted Scott next. "This is my godmother, Allison." Emeri lowered her voice, "She works with Pops. She's a deputy." Mr. Hale nodded seriously, his full attention on Emeri. "And this is Lydia. She let dad borrow her uterus for nine months. But she's not my mom. Well. Biologically she is, but she doesn't have the legal rights."

Stiles put a hand over his face and sighed.

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our lives are changing lanes by grimm (E | 1/1 | 47,537)

There's a lot of screaming going on inside the first house Stiles visits. He isn't really worried, because it sounds like kids, but then the door opens and hi, says his dick, because the dude in front of him is gorgeous, built like a god with a face like thunder. Stiles wants to lick that solid jaw line. Hold the fuck on, says his cop brain, because the dude's got kids hanging all over him; one's on his back, skinny legs looped around his waist, and another two hanging off one arm, toes barely brushing the ground. There's a tubby toddler clinging to his leg like a koala, and he's got a baby tucked into the crook of the one arm that doesn’t have kids hanging off it. Stiles' mouth drops open.

"How many of those kids did you kidnap?" he asks before he can wrangle his brain into submission.

The man gives him a look that says what the fuck is wrong with you and snaps, "You think I'd subject myself to this on purpose?"

"Oooh," says one of the kids hanging off his arm. "I'm telling Mom."

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The House That Wolves Built by LuneFaitLaFolie (G | 6/6 | 48,978)

"Stiles isn’t stupid. He knows well enough that the pack are done with him. He knows he’s useless, and broken, but it still hurts."

"Derek is running through every interaction he’s ever had with Stiles, trying to figure out which ones he could have caught Stiles with his claws. The unfortunate reality is that he loses count of how many times he could have. "

or

Stiles is pushed out of the pack as his injuries render him useless and unhelpful, and the pack start to hate him. He hasn't spoken to them in months, until an allying pack comes to visit and he gets dragged back. But do they really hate him? Or was it all a big misunderstanding?

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Hale's Modern Encyclopedia of Playing Cards (and Dating Humans) by thepsychicclam (M | 1/1 | 49,698)

Wolves don't date humans. And Derek's okay with that. He's got his Pack, his friends in the Pack network, and lacrosse. Plus, he plays cards with his grandma all the time. Stiles Stilinski definitely doesn't factor into his life - no matter how much of a crush Derek has on him.

But when bird creatures attack Derek, Stiles, and their friends in the Preserve, Stiles finds out about werewolves and things get pretty complicated. For Derek at least. And he thought school was his only problem, but now he's grounded and Stiles is hanging around way too much for Derek to ignore him any longer.

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The Quickest Way to a Man's Heart (is Through His Bottomless Pit) by isthatbloodonhisshirt (wasterella) (E | 1/1 | 54,170)

Pulling open his apartment door, he let out an involuntary shout when something was quite literally thrust into his chest hard enough to have him almost tip backwards. He managed to right himself while keeping hold of what had been shoved at him and looked up in time to see his neighbour striding back towards his apartment.

“You’re going to fucking kill yourself.”

His door slammed.

Stiles blinked at the other man’s door, utterly confused, and looked down at what he was holding.

It was a plastic bag, full of what felt like tupperware, which made no sense to Stiles because when had his neighbour broken into his house to steal his tupperware?

(SNYE - January 11th - Neighbours)

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Go Away, Scott by HelloWhyTheFuckAmIHere (NR | 45/45 | 66,227)

After the incident at the warehouse, Stiles is fed up with Scott. He finds himself drawn into Derek’s pack and in the process, drawn to Derek himself.

With the Alpha Pack closing in, Derek needs to learn how to trust his pack and those around him. And who better to help him than Stiles?

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Misfits series by Morraine (2 works | NR-T | 79,970)

1. Three Misfits in New York (T | 25/25 | 68,543) After Gerard beat up Stiles, the Sheriff doesn't believe his son's lies anymore. He demands answers and along the way mends his fragile relationship with his son. While they do their best to make sure that something like Gerard's attack will never happen again, new and unexpected friendships form and Stiles learns that he actually is kind of special. Suddenly it's not Scott by his side but Lydia and Derek, something he wouldn't have dared dreaming about in his wildest fantasies. Coupled with a surprise trip to New York and meeting an Avenger or five, life is bound to change drastically for the three misfits and their families. 2. A Misfit Working Holiday in New York (NR | 4/? | 11,427) Despite the looming threat of the Alpha pack, Stiles, Lydia, and Derek stay in New York to explore a possible alliance with SHIELD and further their new friendships. While there, new opportunities arise and they find themselves immersed much more in secret dealings than they could have anticipated. Not all of it is good, but the things that are good are beyond amazing for the disillusioned, hurt friends. Short though the working holiday may be, time well spent with incredible people allows each of them to grow beyond the hurt feelings and anger and discover not only what is really important but also their true potential.

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A Similar String by snarkatthemoon (M | 14/14 | 118,250)

Strong bonds made for a strong pack, and he needed a strong pack.

They spent a long time in silence, Derek thinking hard about how he was going to cement the bonds. It needed to be done, and not just because they had the threat of the witch hanging over them, but for the good of the pack.

It felt like hours had passed by the time he came around; he had been so deep in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed Stiles moving around on the couch so that his head was resting on Derek’s thigh, his long legs hanging over the arm on the far end.

He wasn’t sleeping, but his eyes were closed and his heartbeat wasn’t as fast as it usually was, as if he was just on the edge of sleep. It should have felt weird, having Stiles in such close contact, but Derek found that it really didn’t feel weird at all. His head was a comforting weight in Derek’s lap, another anchor tethering him and keeping him calm and in control.

.

Or, the one where Derek meets a witch, gets his betas back, and seemingly develops a sense of humour. Also, Stiles is totally magic, manages to accidentally join a werewolf pack, and asks too many goddamn questions. What could possibly go wrong?

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Kings of the Moonlight by thelogicoftaste (E | 25/25 | 148,854)

Derek is the newly single father to his only son, Isaac Argent Hale, and he finds himself having to move back to his home town of Beacon Hills to escape the insanity of his ex. It's in the middle of all this upheaval, the crazy mess that his life has become that he meets Stiles. Crazy, beautiful Stiles.

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************************************************************************

[bengals-barnesbabe]

Open Practice

Pairing: CJ Stroud X Black!FemReader

Description: Football players, in your experience, are either childish, toxic or horrible communicators; your ex just so happened to be all of the above. But it’s been a few years and people can change. Or will a certain qb decide to pick up the pieces your ex left behind?

Warnings: Toxic Ex!Brevin Jordan

Word Count: 800+

˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖

Walking into NRG Park felt odd. You’ve been to a football stadium before but not before noon or because your ex-boyfriend invited you to his open practice. Your relationship was like open practice actually, you practiced being the best girlfriend and he liked being open, for everyone.

Texas was huge, they were right when they said everything’s bigger in Texas. Including egos, you realized when you received a text from Brevin minutes after tagging Houston in your story.

From: No Air Jordan 🏈

Hey baby, heard you were in my city😁 Swing by tmr’s practice and watch me cook then I’ll show ya around 😉

You honestly thought he must’ve taken too many shots to the head, your breakup consisted of a few long texts and pure ignorance so you assumed he got the idea. Yet here you are sitting in the bleachers of the Houston stadium. You wandered around for a total of 15 minutes searching for somewhere to sit. Brevin only sent the one text so you had no idea where to go or where he even was. You almost left and forgot about him but a player in a #7 jersey stopped you.

“Excuse me, are you okay?” Damn dreads, pretty eyes and perfect ass lips.

“Oh yeah, I’m fine. I was invited by someone on the team, but he’s not replying to me. So I was just gonna go.” You replied sheepishly.

“That’s cool, but if you want you could come over to my section. We’ll be done in about an hour and the view’s better over here.” He smiled.

He was cute, smooth and nothing like B, exactly your type. “Yea, I think I’d like that..”

“Oh sorry, I’m CJ. Quarterback.” Team leader = good communication. Noted.

“Y/n.” A whistle went off and grabbed CJ’s attention. “I guess that means ‘back to work.”

“Yea, we’ll talk after practice.” He flashed his award-winning smile once more then jogged back to center field. I’m definitely staying.

꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

Watching CJ- the Texans practice was actually pretty fun, you never could pay attention during their real games because of the boisterous crowd, but here on the secluded practice field you could actually focus on the players and didn’t have large men yelling in your ears.

Truth be told CJ looked electric out there. Everything he did lit up the light crowd, which makes sense with all his clean complete passes. His offense was ten times better than their defense, which sucks when it comes to game time, but what can you do?

Every once in a while he’d look back at our section and smile, just for a moment you let yourself believe it’s you he’s looking at.

Unbeknownst to you and Stroud, Brevin also noticed how he was looking in your direction. His face would tense up and for each play he’d ignore all instructions and go after the quarterback. Since he was on defense it wasn’t that long of a stretch between his duties and his actions, but he got pancaked after every attempt.

By the time practice was over, your ex was even more angered than before thanks to the amount of bruises he accumulated over the last two hours. Then he saw you and CJ talking, suddenly all his anger was justified.

=͟͟͞͞♡

“I really enjoy talking to you Y/n. Is there any way I can persuade you into joining me in getting a bite to eat?” You lightly bit your bottom lip, the corners curling upwards at his question.

“I would love that-

“I hope you know she hates barbecue, and she don’t do relationships especially with athletes.” The voice of your emotionally incompetent egomaniac ex boyfriend interrupts you from afar.

Rolling your eyes you decide to pay him no mind and just turn back to the nice guy in front of you. “As I was saying, lunch sounds great.”

Then Brevin inserts himself again, now only the field barricade separates you. “You should know who you’re getting involved with CJ, they call her Jennifer because she’s a maneater.” He wears a mischievous grin and defensive stance.

You scoff, “a maneater who’s only here because my loser ex boyfriend slid in my DMs the second I got to Texas. A maneater that was thinking about maybe hearing you out after our relationship went wrong. Even better, a maneater that was nothing but faithful to your misogynistic womanizer ass.”

“If I’m such a misogynistic womanizer why did you come?” He smirks thinking he finally got one over you.

“I heard your quarterback was way bigger than you, so I had to come check that out.” He flared his nostrils, and stormed off the field, but not before spiking his helmet.

“Jordan you’re getting fined for that!”

CJ chuckles to himself, impressed at the way you handled him. “Did you mean it?” He smirked.

You lean over the barricade and breathily whisper in his ear. “Every word.”

Then pull back to watch his face as he sucks his plump bottom lip into his mouth.

“Let’s get outta here.”

~

Walking out of NRG Park felt odd. Not because of unsatisfying BJ, but because it was the first time you’ve walked out of a football stadium and enjoyed the outcome of events.

┊┊❁ཻུ۪۪♡ ͎. ｡˚ °

A/N: this sat in my drafts for too long, but I’m overcoming my posting anxiety and letting it see the light. Also I hit 100 followers🤭 tysm babes.

Main Masterlist

[santae-salt]

Hi salty peoples! I'm Haven from santae(or was), I was just told about this blog tonight and I wanted to say hi.

I honestly dont think Santae is going to thrive. I had hopes, but Cj seems to be crashing out as I type this. Tale as old as time with pet sites. It's unfortunate, especially since that means a lot of the kickstarter money isnt going to go to making the game we all got excited for. Santae may get out of beta but I dont think it will have the same momentum as it started with. Too many people have been burned. A game should be fun, not a chore. Yes, we're testers, but we're testers who cant even say when there is a problem. And Cj looks to be saying and doing whatever wins him the popularity contest, lacking any real substance as a community leader. It isnt looking great.

What I do hope comes out of this mess though is that other people will see there is an audience for pet sites still and can use that to motivate them into making their own game. I've seen the least deserving and uncreative people get pretty far into the process and some even made a finished product. So lets hope we get some bangers in the near future that have passion, drive, inspiration, and skill behind them.

See ya Santae saltminers

(Obvs no reason to anon me, Cj cant smite me, i quit lol)

☁️

[picturejasper20]

¨Which is why you didn't have any friends back home to begin with!¨

So in this episode we get to learn that well... Max didn't have any friends before going to Camp Camp, something that has been a speculation for a while except now we have the confirmation of that. It isn't super surprising but it is still pretty sad hearing Max himself admit it.

Meaning that the rest of last year he has been friendless... and probably couldn't wait to come back to the camp to see the other campers again. He talked about how school is terrible too, so i wonder if there is something else there besides ¨school sucks¨ teen stuff. It is possible that he gets bullied in his school based on these things.

I have talked before how Max has a great fear of change and specially people changing, and in this episode this aspect of his charcater gets more exploration about how he fears being left out by others. That if he hadn't changed the way others did, they something was ¨broken¨ with him.

At the end of the episode he realized that it is okay if he hasn't changed that much thanks to CJ. However, i wonder if we are going to see more of these issues that Max has in one of the upcoming episodes. I get the feeling that this is only one part of it.

[tblsomedoodles]

I

C R A V E

more Donnie VS The World content. It makes me vibrate and scream and wiggle like I'm off my meds. I would love anything, even a solid block of text, but your doodles/full artworks/comics are my favorite.

Please? All I've found so far is what we see in the donnieverse comic and the MVA/AMV (music video animatic/animatic music video). So many questions, like - is Casey (Sr) involved in any way, whethercas a fellow captive or rescue mission teammate? Is this the True Apocalypse or Averted Apocalypse timeline? If the latter, where is Casey (Jr)? How is Splinter handling it? (Is he even still alive to be Having Emotions About It?)

(Please feed me.

B L E A S E)

(If you don't mind, could you show/tell how Donnie escapes, one of his first Big Leads that gives him so much hope he cries, and/or the Big Reunion? One would be nice, two would be great, and all three would be amazing. If they aren't planned/are too spoilery, that's okay. Anything you can/are willing to give would be lovely.)

Thank you!! I'm glad you like it : ) I don't think I've answered many asked about this particular au, so i'm more than willing to talk about it! : )

I don't really have much up for it, mostly b/c it deals with a lot of angsty material that i can be a little uneasy about posting. I have a bit of old concept art, and an unposted fic i'm editing/rewriting (b/c it's the first fic i wrote for Rise and i did not have those character voices down lol.) I can probably post the first bits of it later this week. I did say at one point that i would once 'proud family tradition' was over, and it now is.

but yeah, here's the concept art, i'll put the explanation under the break b/c i'm going to be rambling lol.

So Donnie vs. takes place after the thwarted apocalypse (not-apocalypse future). They get taken by Bishop a few months afterwards, and it isn't until about a year after that, that Donnie gets free.

He's the last one still with Bishop at that point, and had been told/convinced through various means that his brothers were dead.

Bishop did a lot of experiments on him, leaving a lot of scaring. One of which was injecting him with Krang DNA to see what would happen. (the eye and veins thing. I think he has some side effects from that but i'm not entirely certain what they are atm)

The fic itself starts after his rescue, b/c i'm focusing on Donnie's search for his brothers (and his own recovery) Rather than the traumatic event itself.

The rescue itself, was certainly a rescue. April, Casey, and CJ worked together to get him out of there as well as gain whatever information they could before they were found out. (Casey went undercover and was able to get some incomplete files and help get donnie out before she was discovered and had to leave.)

donnies in...pretty bad shape at that point, mentally and physically. Physically, he's malnurished, injured, scared, the works. Bishop did a number on him in the year he had him.

Mentally, he's pretty much shut down. He's completely non-verbal, unresponsive most of the time, when he does respond it's very slow and seemingly difficult for him to do so. He describes it that it feels like he's behind several plates of thick glass. He can see and hear what's happening, interacting (or even just feeling anything about it) is very hard to get past the glass.

How he goes from that state to hunting down his brothers is fairly simple. One of the broken, encripted files Casey acquired was Leo's file. None of the three could open it, but they managed to get Donnie to try to do so. He manages it, sees the file, and for the first time in about a year, has hope. He doesn't even wait to show the other three, he just takes off while no one was looking, with April's laptop and CJ's coat (he steals a backpack along the way.)

I don't really want to say much past that. A lot of the rescues/reunions are pretty spoiler heavy, and i don't want to ruin some of the mystery of what's going on in the fic. But know this, he does get all his brothers (and family in general) back. Also, splinter is alive and is part of this, but again, that's spoilers for some things i don't want to ruin.

Again, i'll probably start posting this sometime this week. It's an interesting fic that i've put quite a bit of time into at this point, so i'll be excited to see what is thought of it.

Thank you!

[madlori]

West Wingin' It

No TV show has ever successfully been able to use "New York Minute" as background music and this show is no different. It's too bombastic and cringe. It's always intrusive. They just want the lyrics "somebody's going to emergency, somebody's going to jail." This show even used it as the episode title. The song itself blows.

Bartlet really is kind of awful to Ellie, his middle daughter, in the previous episode. It's a sharp contrast to how he is with Zoe.

I keep forgetting about some of these guest stars. Felicity Huffman!

One of the things that has NOT aged well about this show is the casual misogyny. In what universe is it supposed to be cute and charming for Sam to tell Ainsley that people think she was hired because she's a "leggy blond sex kitten?" And then Bartlet repeats it! Also Emily Proctor is tiny and not leggy. And earlier in the series when Leo tells Hoynes that CJ didn't tattle on him because "she's a good girl." GROSS, LEO. They do a lot of commenting on various womens' beauty but never for the men despite the fact that literal Rob Lowe is there. They do it when Matthew Perry shows up, if I remember, and I guess there's some swooning over Lord John. It just hits different.

That being said, the scene of her doing the bossa nova in a bathrobe in the Steam Pipe Trunk Distribution Venue is pretty cute.

Despite this being not a great episode, it features my favorite Big Block of Cheese Day scene, namely the Cartographers for Social Equality.

[fandomtherapy44]

Sober buddies Chapter two: Email chains and party facts

Summary: Y/n is new at college and trying to find a footing in everything. When she meets a guy who introduces her to something that could really help find her path.

warnings: Swearing, Alluding to SA, Y/n getting hurt

WC/ 3.029k

AN/ Hey Ya'll welcome to my series I'm so excited to make this series. So it will use some plot lines from season six but a lot will change including CJ but his key character notes will still be there. Without further ado enjoy Sober buddies.

I got the divider from

Firefly Graphics

Friends…I haven’t had one in a while. Jack, Jen, Joey, Pacey, even Audrey, and I had become quick ones. I just hope I won't mess up these friendships too. Joey was going through the ringer right now. I know how it feels. She and Dawson always seemed to have something pulling them apart from what I've been told about their previous years as friends.

I went out to get some coffee and doughnuts hoping that would cheer her up. “Hi, can I please get three americanos and some chocolate glazed doughnuts?” I told the underpaid employee. 

“Yeah, sure.” I reached into my pocket, pulled out a twenty, and handed it to her. Her face lit up. “Thank you!” 

“No problem. Thank you, and have a great day!” I was mostly focused on the coffee and food that I almost ran into with my sober buddy. “Hey CJ, what’s up?” He looked down at the close mess in my hands. 

“Coffee, it looks like it needs some help?” 

“Oh my gosh yes please!” I handed him the coffee. 

“Where we heading?” 

“My dorm,” I happily replied. We walked and the morning air was still a little crisp and the sunlight was hitting the trees to make pretty shadows on the sidewalk. 

“So, are you excited to start training?” CJ asked me as I was a little distracted by the lighting. 

“Yes I am, it's also going to be good to be away from Audrey and all her dramatic flair. I mean, she’s great but it's like looking through a mirror sometimes.” 

“What do you mean by that?” CJ asked and I realized what I said and tried to backpedal. 

“Uh, you know, girls being girls.” Ok, that was not a very good response. “So who’s training me?” I try to distract both of us. It works. 

“Me.” I stop in my step. 

“That’s awesome!” I excitedly say. 

“You get happy easily, don’t you?” CJ half commented and half asked me with a chuckle. 

“Is that a bad thing?” I hope it wasn’t- it’s kind of what I’m betting on I thought. 

“No no, it’s kind of refreshing.” We had already arrived at my dorm. I stopped to look at him and to think about his response- no one had said that to me before. I looked around and it seemed, for just a second, time stood still. 

“Well, thanks for the help and I’ll see you tomorrow,  ok!” I grabbed the coffee and went into the room, pushing him out. 

“You’re wel-” I closed the door. It was getting a little too… real.

The sight I walked into was sad. Joey was hunched over her laptop, agonizing over this email to Dawson that she hadn’t even sent. I put down the drinks and food, walked over and turned off her computer. 

“Wha- Y/N!” Joey whipped around. 

“Joey, you have been staring at that screen for two hours, the entire time I’ve been gone, and you still have only ‘Dear Dawson’ written. You need a break.” I picked up her doughnut and coffee and handed them to her in her baffling state. “Which is why I got you these.” She breathes in deeply. 

“You’re right, thank you Y/N.” 

I sit down on my bed and turn to Joey. “So, now you have caffeine and food. You want to tell me why you haven’t sent the email yet?” I finished by sipping my coffee. Joey sighs looking into her cup almost wishing she could drown in it. 

“I’m stuck.” 

“Why?” She gets up and starts to pace back and forth. 

“Because of the way we left things were so awkward and I just wanted to scream and hug him at the same time.” I patted the seat next to me and she sat down. 

“It sounds like you know what to say.” Joey looks puzzled. “Joey, Dawson is one of your best friends. Whatever is in that email, at least you have gotten it out. I'm sure he’s stressing out over a similar email to you.” She seems unsure. “You can always blame me if it goes wrong.” I joked as I bumped her. She smiled at that. 

“Thank you Y/N, you’re a pretty great friend.” 

“You are too, Joey.”

That night as I was closing my eyes, my mind was active. My life is going pretty great! I have friends that like me, a job I help people with, a guy that is-

“Y/N WAKE UP!” 

I screamed as I tumbled out of bed causing Audrey to wake up too. “WHAT IS IT? EARTHQUAKE- A FIRE?!” I responded as I was half asleep and panicked disorderly grabbing my robe. 

It was Joey who screamed at me. “No, nothing like that!” I paused to look at her. 

“Then why the Hell the military wake-up call!?” Her face was red from being embarrassed. 

“I sent the email to the whole school!” My eyes went wide as Audrey replied. 

“Well, why did you do that, sweetie?” 

“Audrey! Not helping!” I told her over my shoulder. She grubbles and falls back down with a flop. 

“I don’t know what to do!” She sat down throwing her hands in her face. 

“Okay, this is what we do: we ignore it.” She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. 

“Y/N! What do you mean, ignore it!?” 

“Well, it’s not like everyone knows you so maybe you can get away with it?” I tried to help but honestly, she would just have to face the music.

Thankfully I hadn’t heard about the email, but to be fair, I hadn’t been in a lot of classes. I walked into The Stand building and saw CJ sitting on a desk looking over some papers. He was so focused on it that he didn’t see me enter. 

“What are we looking at?” I slide right next to him. 

“Y/N! You startled me.” He put his hand over his chest as if I caused a heart attack. 

“Sorry, I thought you saw me.” 

“It’s okay. I’m looking over a few practice questions to ask you.” 

“Great, I’m ready!” He smiles at my enthusiasm and sits down in the chair. 

“Okay, question number one….” 

It had been about an hour into our session ten questions in and I had been nailing all of them. “Wow Y/n you’re a natural at this,” CJ exclaimed. 

“Really?” He nods his head agreeably. 

“You will be answering phones in no time.” I blush and try to hide by turning my head down when my ears peak an interesting conversion. 

“CJ- give me one sec, okay.” I didn’t even let him answer before I overheard another conversation and listened in. 

“I mean, did you see that email? It’s so pathetic.” A redheaded girl was sitting on a desk laughing at her boy-toy whose eyes were going right up her skirt. 

“Yeah, it’s so pathetic haha,” He mindlessly responded. Of course, he didn’t have an original thought. The only thought he did have was what was below the waistline. “I mean who writes about sex like that.” She laughed again and this time her laugh really irritated my ears. 

“Hey guys!” I walked over to them, taking a friendly approach- maybe I could go about this peacefully. The redheaded girl looked me up and down and scoffed. 

“What the fuck do you want loser?” My eyes widened at that and CJ turned his head to hear that. 

“Linsey!” Even the boy-toy was surprised at her response. CJ walks over quickly ready to defend me. 

“CJ- it’s okay, I got this,” I said to him making sure that he didn’t get too mad. He steps back but is disgruntled. I turn back to Linsey. 

“It was Linsey, right?” She gets up off the desk and in front of me. 

“Yeah, what’s it to you?” 

“Well, I’m just wondering why you’re making fun of a girl that you don't even know when you’re working at a helpline. Seems kind of hypocritical, don't you think?” Lindsey is left speechless and her face turns beat red. 

“I- You-” She stomps out. “Ryan let’s go!” She yelled after him. 

“So, you doing anything after this?” The guy tried so smoothly to ask me. 

“RYAN! LET’S GO!” She yelled after him. 

“I think your owner is calling for you,” I responded and his F-boy smile disappeared. 

“Whatever bitch, you could have had all this.” I now scoff at him. 

“Yeah, if all it takes for you to stay is an open invitation to someone’s legs who makes fun of strangers like that, then I think I’m good.” I nod at him. He goes running after Linsey. “Sorry CJ about that, what was the next question?” I walked back over to him and he was just staring at me. “What is it?” 

He shakes his head, “Nothing, you just seem to surprise me every time we meet, Y/N.” He finishes with a smile. 

“Well, I have to keep you on your toes somehow.” We just laughed at my joke and I’m left with this feeling of…comfort that I hadn’t felt in a while. It's nice.

A couple of days have passed, and luckily the email talk died down a little. I didn't tell Joey about Linsey because it would have just made things worse for her. I was studying when Audrey came running into the room. 

“Y/N what are you doing?” I looked at the book and then back at her we really needed to work on context clues. 

“Studying, Audrey, which you should be doing too. We have a test next week.” She comes right next to me. 

“Y/N, all you do is study.” 

“Not true… I eat too.” I chuckled at my own joke Audrey did not. 

“It is the biggest party of the year! You’re coming!” Before I have time to reject she grabs my book and locks it in her chore.

“Audrey!” 

“You will get it back at the end of the night.” She saw my disappointed downfall look and got to my level. “You need some fun, Y/N, you are twenty-two; the books will be there tomorrow, but tonight will not.” I thought about it, Audrey was right. I needed to let loose- hopefully the loud music and friends would help that. 

“Okay, I’ll go.” Audrey claps in happiness.

“You’re not going to wear that are you?” I look down at my simple outfit. 

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing- nothing, you look great!” Audrey responds in a not-so-sure voice.

We had gone into a bar to meet up with Jack and Jen. “Hey guys.”

“Hey.” Audrey goes to call Pacey while the three of us chat. Suddenly, Audrey comes back to us with a sad face. 

“I think I’m going to go home guys.” Jen and I both look at each other as if to say: really. 

“Audrey, the whole reason I came out was because of you.” I took her hand in mine and gave her a small smile. 

“Pacey can’t come out.” I now understood the change-up from her party mood, things between Pacey and Audrey have been strained to say at least. 

“I’m sorry, but we can still have fun, isn’t that right guys?” I called out to Jack and Jen. Jen grabs Audrey’s other hand. 

“Yeah, I want to forget my troubles like a typical college girl, dance on tables screaming ‘Whoo whoo�� and it will be all for nothing if I don't get reminded of it in ten years by you.” She gripped Audrey’s hand. 

“Alright, you’ve convinced me.” I jump in excitement. 

“Yes! Okay, all hands in!” We all put our hands in. “1,2,3!” Our hands fly up in the air of the promise of a fun night.

The four of us were just walking to the party when I realized that I didn’t know where the party was. “Uh, guys, do we even know where the party is?” I asked out loud to the three of them. They all shrug their shoulders. “So we are just wandering around.” I laughed at the situation as we crossed the street. 

“Ohh…ohh! I think I know where the party is, I think it’s in that house down the alley next to that free food bin store.” I was puzzled by that. 

“Audrey, that's a grocery store. You are supposed to put the food in the little baggies and pay for them.” 

“Really?” She questioned when she was walking backward and then ran into someone. “Pacey?” 

The party was what you think a college party is, loud, bright, and dark somehow at the same time filled with tons of drunk people. Audrey was going on about how Pacey was not contributing anything to their relationship lately, especially tonight. 

“I’m sorry guys, we are supposed to be having fun tonight and I just keep on going.” I get up and put my hand on her shoulder. 

“It’s okay, I’ll get you some water.” She was already a little tipsy. I didn't want her to get worse. I knew it could, very easily, from my own experience.

“I’ll come too.” Jen got up and caught up with me. 

The bar was tiny and was half-assed by the frat boys that lived here. Lots of people were crowded around it of course. 

“Hi, can I get a beer,” Jen ordered for herself. 

“Water for me please,” I ordered. We turn and Jen comes in chest-to-chest with CJ, spilling her beer all over him. 

“Oh, my God. Look what l did.” she starts trying to rub it out. I give him a little wave and he nods back. 

“That's okay. it was my fault, really.” 

“Oh, no, jeez. You don't even– l mean, you're-- You don't even drink. Like Y/N. And I’m sure it's cold and smelly, and I’m touching you…and I’m gonna stop.” She pauses and just stands there for a second. “Hi. Okay. You caught me. I’m drunk. Yep, I’m a drunkard. Escaping reality. That's me. But you know what? This is a party… and at parties, people drink. And maybe that bothers you. Maybe you think it's weak. But you shouldn't go to a party where there's gonna be drunk people because that's what's gonna happen. Drinking. It’s just a party fact.” I wonder if she really thinks I think less of her because she drinks. 

“You think I’m the lamest person on the earth, don't you?” CJ countered.

“No. No. Not at all. I’m sure you're, like, tons of fun.” She bit back sarcastically. 

“Okay Jen, I think you need this water more than I do. Why don’t you go back to Audrey to check on her?” She grabs the water and walks back to our friends.

“I’m sorry CJ, that was my first time seeing her drunk as well.” I look at his shirt. “I know a trick to get that out.” I pointed at the beer. 

“That would be great.” We go to the bathroom. I open the cabinet and look for some hydrogen peroxide. 

“Um, can you take off your shirt?”  

“Sure.” He pulls it off so easily. I grab it and pour water and hydrogen peroxide on it. 

“So now we just wait thirty minutes and when you wash it the stain shouldn’t be there.” 

“Thanks.” 

“No problem. I just realized that this is the first party where we can use the sober buddy system,” I said. He gives me a smirk and grabs my cup giving it a sniff and a sip. 

“Yep, just like I thought- you’re good.” The silence was long but comfortable. “So how long have you been sober for?” He asked me. 

“For about two years, you?” He looks down into my cup. 

“Four years.” 

“Four years- wow, that is amazing! I can’t wait to get there.” He grabs my hand in silence. 

“You will.”

We had left the bathroom walking when I saw Jen arguing with someone on the steps upstairs. “Jen, what’s going on?” I ask with concern CJ right behind me. 

“This guy took Audrey upstairs and she’s about to pass out.” Adrenaline mixed with worry flooded my veins. 

“Move,” I said to the guy blocking us.

“Look, my friend is good, you don’t have to worry.” I’m about to pull out my inner Batman. 

“Then it won’t be a problem that we go check.” CJ shoved the guy aside. Jen and I practically run upstairs. Luckily the room was open. “Audrey let’s go.” I gently grabbed her hand and Jen took the other. At this moment, the promise that we would have fun tonight was broken.

“Hey let go!” The guy shoved me back into the wall to grab back onto Audrey. 

“Y/N!” Before he can do more CJ grabs him by the collar. 

“You want to try that again!?” The guy throws his arms up in truce CJ throws him on the bed. 

“You okay?” He helped me up. I nod trying to swallow my tears. 

“Let’s go.”

Unlike the earlier comfortable walk with CJ, this walk back to my dorm was filled with melancholic silence. Jen had gone to her grandma’s house but not before checking on me. 

“You sure you’re okay?” 

“I am, I'll call you tomorrow.” We hug.

I put Audrey in her bed and she fell asleep instantly. I get a glass of water and aspirin to put on her side table. I step outside the room to breathe and process and CJ is there. “Hey, you stayed.” I walk over to sit next to him. 

“I wanted to make sure you were okay.” I wanted to hug him but I didn’t. 

“Thank you but I’ll be fine. About what happened tonight- I don’t want to think about what would have happened if I wasn’t there.” He puts his hand on my knee squeezing it. 

“Well, you were there, and again, you are a great friend.” I smile at that. 

“And thank you for your help.” 

“What kind of friend or sober buddy would I be if I didn’t?” I finally recognize that feeling I’ve been having: it’s of a true friend. 

[vestaclinicpod]

Audio Drama Sunday - 21st July ✨

This week was very very much girlbeingfedpancakes.jpg with so many of my favourite shows coming back from hiatus!! 🥞

👻 @tellnotalespod (S2E13) Here’s the thing: I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Leanne a few weeks ago and took the opportunity to ask when Louisa was going to gtfo of the narrative. I now see why they laughed 😭 While I am happy that Julia has pretty much forgiven Leo, I think she should take a few more mins to realise why she can’t stay mad!! And oh my god, RILEY. I’m joining the crowd of ‘I knew it!!’ screamers! If anyone can shake off a possession it’s Riley fucking Matkins but I am terrified that Leo is going to be put in a position where they have to choose between Riley and Frank. I’m worried it won’t be such a straightforward decision for them… 

🌲 @hellofromthehallowoods (159) The assumption at the start of this episode was entirely correct. I also LOVED the little extended metaphor about The Auditor being a scalpel, imagine dropping a line like that in a real confrontation 🥵 I’m so glad to have my beloved hallowoods back, even if a few of the twists in this episode made my stomach twist also (seriously, Marco!!! You have a child!!!!!). 

🧳 Travelling Light @monstrousproductions (27) I loved the depiction of alien technology in this episode, I really just want to visit this fish market and take everything in!! Very exciting to hear also that a deal might be coming soon. I have been missing my favourite little Óli these last few eps . . . I hope they haven’t been distancing themself from the Traveller :( 

🖥️ The Magnus Protocol (22) okay, so I really love neuroscience and listening to the experiment in this episode was too funny to be scary but what did make me nervous was Sam finally being driven firmly towards investigating the Institute further. I’m sure it’s going to end well. And those names at the end… why are they so familiar…? 

🧋I finished E12 of @hinaypod - what a cliffhanger!! I’m disconcerted by this CJ person even if she does seem to be protecting Laura. 

🦋 I started @remnantspod this week! I’ve only listened to the first episode so far but, my god, Eira knows how to tell a story. I’m so intrigued and excited to see where this show leads!  

🗺 So lovely to have @tales-from-the-low-city back in my ears! It remains one of the most soothing things I have ever listened to, but the music in this episode did a great job of building tension while waiting for the all clear! 

I have not yet been brave enough to listen to the first part of The Silt Verses Finale this week, but I am post-nights tomorrow and plan to spend all day listening to both parts and crying 🦀 

Also, as a special mention, it’s not really audio drama, but it is: I finished Tell No Tales creator Leanne Egan's book Lover Birds this morning. It is SO cute and so wonderfully nostalgic as I got together with my now wife at around the same age as the girls in the book 🥹 I’m filled with queer, Northern pride after reading it and if you’re looking for a summer read that will pull on your heart strings just the right amount, PLEASE support Leanne and grab a copy!! 🌈

[lightdancingwords]

Crossroads of the Heart - Part Seven of ?

Pairings: CJ Braxton x Y/N Female reader

Series Summary: Y/N is a psychology major assigned to shadow CJ at The Stand, unaware he's the one who basically saved her life four years before. CJ is unaware that she's the one who left a notable impact on him over the phone four years ago. As they navigate the work at The Stand, they develop a spark that demands revelation and connection.

Word Count: 2,839

Tags/Warnings: None. Just SO MUCH FLUFF!

A/N: Comments, Likes, Reblogs, Kind feedback are always highly appreciated. Please let me know if you want to be added to the tag list! Evidently my muse won't shut up, so here we go! A new story in a new setting! I hope you all enjoy!

Dividers: credit to @saradika-graphics

Chapter Seven: The Date

The following evening, Y/N stood in front of her mirror, nervously adjusting her sweater for the third time. Gabby had texted her a barrage of messages earlier, offering advice and hype in equal measure: “You’ve got this!” followed by “Wear something cute but comfy. And don’t forget to breathe!” Y/N smiled at her reflection, took a deep breath, and grabbed her bag.

CJ had offered to pick her up, and right on time, she heard the soft hum of his car pulling up outside. Her heart fluttered as she locked her door and made her way outside. He was leaning against his car, dressed casually in a dark button-down shirt and jeans, his usual calm demeanor somehow making her feel at ease.

“You look great,” CJ said, his voice warm as he opened the passenger door for her.

“Thanks,” Y/N replied, her cheeks flushing as she slid into the seat. “So do you.”

The car ride started with a warm, comfortable silence. Y/N adjusted her bag on her lap, sneaking a glance at CJ as he drove. His hands rested lightly on the steering wheel, his expression relaxed but focused. The soft hum of the car and the glow of the streetlights outside made the moment feel surreal.

CJ broke the silence first, his voice calm but curious. “So, how’d Gabby react when you told her about tonight?”

Y/N let out a small laugh, her nerves easing at the mention of her ever-enthusiastic friend. “Oh, she was thrilled. Probably more excited than I was. She texted me, like, five outfit suggestions and told me to ‘play it cool.’”

CJ chuckled, shaking his head. “That sounds about right. Gabby’s like a human megaphone sometimes.”

“Tell me about it,” Y/N said, smiling. “She even threatened to call me every hour to make sure I didn’t chicken out.”

“Well, I’m glad she didn’t need to,” CJ said, glancing at her briefly. “I would’ve been pretty disappointed if you canceled.”

Y/N’s cheeks flushed, and she looked down at her bag. “I wouldn’t have canceled. I wanted to do this.”

“Me too,” CJ said simply, his voice soft but sure.

They drove in silence for a moment before Y/N spoke again. “What about you? Did you tell anyone about tonight?”

CJ hesitated, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Priya guessed. She always does. I didn’t even say anything—she just gave me this look and said, ‘So, you’re finally asking Y/N out, huh?’”

Y/N laughed, the sound light and genuine. “That sounds like Priya. She probably knew before we did.”

“Probably,” CJ agreed, his tone warm. “She told me to ‘be myself’ and not overthink it. Which, of course, is easier said than done.”

“You? Overthink?” Y/N teased, her smile widening. “I can’t imagine that.”

CJ grinned, glancing at her. “Oh, I overthink plenty. Especially when it comes to things that matter.”

Y/N felt her heart flutter at his words, but she tried to play it cool. “Well, for what it’s worth, I think you’re doing just fine.”

“Good to know,” CJ said, his voice tinged with humor. “I’ll try not to mess it up.”

Y/N shook her head, her smile softening. “You couldn’t, even if you tried.”

CJ glanced at her again, his expression warm but thoughtful. “Thanks, Y/N.”

The sound of tires on the pavement filled the comfortable silence that followed, and Y/N found herself relaxing further. She wasn’t used to feeling this at ease with someone, but with CJ, it felt natural.

“So,” CJ said after a beat, “I have to ask. Did Gabby suggest a conversation starter, or are we winging it tonight?”

Y/N laughed, shaking her head. “She definitely tried. She told me to ask you about your worst karaoke performance.”

CJ winced dramatically. “That’s a dangerous question. But if you really want to know...”

“Oh, I absolutely want to know,” Y/N said, her grin widening. “You can’t just bring that up and not tell me.”

CJ sighed, feigning defeat. “Fine. It was a few years ago. Some of the team dragged me to karaoke night. I thought I could pull off ‘Don’t Stop Believin’.’ Turns out, I can’t.”

Y/N gasped, laughing. “That’s such a bold choice! What went wrong?”

“Well,” CJ said, smirking, “for starters, I underestimated how high those notes get. And then Gabby decided to ‘help’ by singing along—off-key, of course.”

Y/N was practically doubled over with laughter now. “I can picture it. Did Priya get video evidence?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” CJ admitted, shaking his head. “It’s become her favorite blackmail material.”

Y/N wiped a tear from her eye, still giggling. “I need to see that video.”

“Absolutely not,” CJ said firmly, though his grin betrayed him. “I have to maintain some level of dignity.”

The conversation flowed easily after that, their laughter filling the car as they traded stories and teasing remarks. By the time CJ pulled into the parking lot of the café, Y/N felt like she’d already had the best part of the evening.

He parked the car and turned to her, his smile soft but genuine. “You ready?”

Y/N nodded, her own smile mirroring his. “Yeah. Let’s do this.”

As they stepped out into the crisp evening air, Y/N couldn’t help but think that if the ride to the café was this much fun, the rest of the night would be something she’d never forget.

The diner was exactly as CJ had described—warm, unassuming, the kind of place where people lingered over coffee refills and where the scent of freshly baked pies curled into the air like a familiar embrace. The bell above the door jingled as they stepped inside, and Y/N immediately felt at ease. This wasn’t some over-the-top, high-pressure date—it was comfortable, like slipping into an old favorite sweater.

CJ led her to a corner booth by the window, where the light was dim but cozy. She slid into the seat across from him, glancing around with an approving smile. “I like it here,” she admitted. “It’s got charm.”

“Told you,” CJ said, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Best pie in the city, too. Not that I’d ever exaggerate.”

“Oh, never,” Y/N teased, raising an eyebrow as she picked up the menu. “Pie expert, are we?”

“You’ll see,” CJ said with a knowing look.

A waitress in a red apron came over with two menus and a pot of coffee. “Welcome back, hon,” she said to CJ, then turned to Y/N with an easy smile. “First time here?”

“Yeah,” Y/N said, setting the menu down. “But I’ve heard good things.”

“She’s in good hands,” CJ said, smirking as he poured himself some coffee from the pot left at the table.

Y/N shook her head with a small laugh, flipping through the menu as they placed their orders. The conversation flowed effortlessly, like it always did between them. They talked about everything and nothing—the funniest calls they’d taken at The Stand, their worst cooking mishaps, what TV shows they’d been binge-watching.

It wasn’t until halfway through the meal, when CJ was leaning forward, laughing at something she’d said about Gabby’s latest scheme, that Y/N felt an odd sense of déjà vu.

She tilted her head, her gaze lingering on him, something tugging at the edges of her memory.

The way his smile curled at the corners. The low, easy laugh. The way he gestured subtly with his hands when he spoke.

And then, all at once, it hit her.

CJ was the guy from her English 203 class.

The guy she had spent an entire semester swooning over from afar, sitting three rows behind him, too shy to ever say a word. The guy she’d spent way too much time thinking about—the one who always had thoughtful answers in class, the one who had once stayed behind after a lecture to help the professor pick up fallen books. That CJ.

Y/N’s breath caught as the realization slammed into her like a freight train.

Oh. Oh no.

“Y/N?” CJ’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “You okay?”

She blinked rapidly, hoping her face wasn’t betraying her sudden realization. “Uh—yeah,” she said, forcing a small laugh. “I just... I was thinking about something.”

CJ gave her a curious look but didn’t press. He took a sip of coffee before asking, “What were you thinking about?”

Y/N hesitated. Should she tell him? Or would that make her look ridiculous? But as she looked at him—the same calm, kind CJ she’d come to care about so much—she decided to go for it.

“You took English 203 four years ago, didn’t you?” she asked suddenly.

CJ paused, blinking at her. “Yeah... I did.” His brows furrowed slightly. “How did you—?”

Y/N let out an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of her neck. “I was in that class, too.”

CJ’s lips parted slightly in surprise before his expression softened with realization. “Wait. You were in that class?”

She nodded, biting her lip. “I, uh... I sat a few rows behind you.”

CJ leaned back in his seat, his mind clearly spinning through memories. And then, just as suddenly, his eyes widened slightly.

“Oh shit,” he muttered under his breath, and Y/N let out a startled laugh.

“What?” she asked, grinning at his sudden reaction.

“I remember you,” CJ said, shaking his head with an amused, slightly disbelieving smile. “You always had a notebook with you, didn’t you? You were quiet, but I remember seeing you jotting stuff down all the time.”

Y/N’s face warmed. “Yeah, that was me.”

CJ exhaled, rubbing a hand over his jaw as he chuckled. “This is crazy. I mean—I had a crush on someone in that class, and I never realized until now that it was you.”

Y/N’s mouth fell open slightly. “Wait. You had a crush on someone in that class?”

CJ gave her a sheepish look. “Yeah. She always seemed... different. Like she was in her own world, thinking about something bigger than whatever was happening in the classroom.” His voice softened. “Turns out, it was you.”

Y/N was positive her heart had just skipped an entire beat. She blinked at him, completely floored. “Are you serious?”

CJ let out a low laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah. I mean, I never actually talked to you back then. I thought you were... I don’t know, way out of my league.”

Y/N stared at him in disbelief. “CJ. I literally spent that whole semester crushing on you.”

CJ’s grin widened. “Now that’s just unfair.”

Y/N laughed, covering her face with her hands. “I can’t believe this.”

CJ shook his head, still smiling. “Neither can I.”

They both sat there for a moment, staring at each other with matching grins, the weight of this unexpected revelation sinking in. Finally, CJ leaned forward, resting his arms on the table.

“Well,” he said, his voice lower, warmer. “I guess we’ve got four years of missed opportunities to make up for.”

Y/N’s breath caught slightly, but she met his gaze with quiet certainty. “Yeah,” she said softly. “I think we do.”

CJ smiled, reaching for his coffee. “Good thing we’ve got time.”

As the waitress came by with the check, CJ grabbed it before Y/N could even reach for her wallet. “Nope,” he said, smirking at her attempt. “I asked you out, remember? I’ve got this.”

Y/N rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop the warmth spreading through her chest. “Fine. But next time, I’m paying.”

CJ’s smirk softened into something gentler. “I like the sound of ‘next time.’”

Y/N felt her heart do a little flip. “Me too.”

They left the diner and stepped into the crisp night air, their hands brushing slightly as they walked toward CJ’s car. And for the first time, Y/N didn’t overthink it. She let the moment be what it was—rare, beautiful, and just right.

After leaving the diner, CJ and Y/N slipped into the quiet comfort of his car, the warmth of their unexpected revelation still wrapping around them like a soft blanket. CJ turned the key, and the gentle hum of the engine filled the space, accompanied by the soft strains of a classic rock station playing through the speakers.

As they pulled out of the parking lot, CJ glanced over at Y/N, a small smile playing at his lips. “So,” he began, his tone light but curious, “did the diner live up to the hype?”

Y/N smiled back, the corners of her eyes crinkling in that way he’d come to adore. “Absolutely. That pie was life-changing.”

“See? I would never steer you wrong,” CJ said with a mock-solemn nod.

“Except for that karaoke story you told me about,” Y/N teased. “Still waiting to see that video, by the way.”

CJ groaned, his cheeks flushing. “I really walked into that one, didn’t I?”

“Completely,” Y/N said, her laughter brightening the car. “But hey, I think it’s kind of charming.”

“Charming?” CJ raised an eyebrow, glancing at her briefly. “If that’s what you want to call it.”

Y/N reached out, her fingers brushing lightly over his arm. “I do.”

The light touch sent a warmth coursing through CJ, and his grip on the steering wheel tightened ever so slightly. They fell into a companionable silence, the city lights streaming past as they made their way through the quiet streets. Every so often, CJ would glance over at her, marveling at how natural this all felt—how easy it was to be around her, to share these moments.

He pulled up in front of Y/N’s apartment building far too soon, the soft glow of the porch light illuminating the front steps. CJ turned off the engine, but neither of them moved immediately. Instead, they sat there, the hum of the car replaced by the gentle rhythm of their breathing.

CJ finally broke the silence, his voice low and sincere. “I really had a great time tonight, Y/N.”

Y/N turned to him, her eyes soft and shimmering under the streetlights. “Me too. I can’t believe how much we’ve learned about each other tonight.”

CJ chuckled softly. “Yeah. Turns out we were meant to meet all along.”

Y/N smiled, her cheeks tinged with a rosy hue. “Looks like it.”

There was a moment—one where CJ’s gaze dropped to her lips and Y/N’s breath caught in her throat. He felt his pulse quicken, his thoughts a tangled mess of hope and nerves.

“I’ll, uh... walk you to your door,” he said, his voice a little rougher than usual.

They climbed out of the car and made their way up the steps, the night air crisp but comfortable. CJ stood beside her, his hands tucked into his pockets as they reached her door.

“Well,” Y/N began, her voice soft and uncertain. “Goodnight, CJ.”

“Goodnight,” CJ echoed, his eyes locked onto hers.

Neither of them moved, the space between them charged with something unspoken. Slowly, almost tentatively, CJ took a step closer, his gaze flickering down to her lips and then back up to meet her eyes.

“Can I...?” he began, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes,” Y/N breathed out, her eyes fluttering closed as he leaned in.

Their lips met softly at first, the touch tentative and sweet. CJ’s hand came up to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing gently against her skin. Y/N’s hands found their way to his shoulders, anchoring herself as the kiss deepened.

The initial shyness melted away as the kiss grew more passionate, the weeks of tension and unspoken words finally giving way. CJ’s other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer as their breaths mingled, each kiss more intoxicating than the last. Y/N’s fingers threaded through his hair, and he let out a quiet, almost desperate sigh against her lips.

When they finally broke apart, both were breathless, their foreheads resting against each other as they tried to steady their racing hearts.

CJ’s thumb continued to trace gentle patterns along her cheek, his eyes still closed as he let out a soft chuckle. “So much for taking things slow.”

Y/N laughed, the sound warm and genuine. “I don’t mind.”

CJ opened his eyes, his gaze filled with affection and a hint of awe. “Neither do I.”

They lingered there for a moment longer, their fingers entwined as they exchanged small, lingering kisses—each one a promise of what was to come.

“Can I see you again tomorrow?” CJ asked, his voice tender and hopeful.

Y/N’s smile was radiant, her eyes shining with newfound certainty. “I’d like that.”

CJ pressed one last kiss to her forehead, his voice soft as he whispered, “Goodnight, Y/N.”

“Goodnight, CJ,” she replied, her heart swelling as she watched him walk back to his car, turning to give her one last wave before he drove off.

As Y/N stepped inside her apartment, she leaned against the door, her fingers lightly touching her lips, still tingling from his kiss. It wasn’t just a rare moment—it was the beginning of something extraordinary.

Tag List: @kmc1989

Want to be a part of this tag list or others? Message me here! And check out the other story I’m writing!

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

OC questionnaire

Thanks @oliolioxenfreewrites here and here, @winglesswriter here, @the-golden-comet here, here, and here, @paeliae-occasionally here, and @drchenquill here!

Rules: answer the given questions in the POV of your OCs, then give the next people three more questions!

Holy shit I'm actually caught up?!?!

Previous Questionnaires:

Rounds One and Two Masterpost

Maddie, Ash, Noelle, Ewan, Jazlyn, Lexi, Alex, Carmen

Gwen, Gabriel, Liam, Xitlali, Akash, Jedi, Rose, Sam

See below for: Robbie, Hye-Jin, George, Wade, CJ, Teo, Atsila, Niri

#1- Robbie

Would you consider yourself loyal?

“Well, I don't exactly want to toot my own horn or anything but yeah, I consider myself loyal. If anything happened to Akash, I'd actually lose it. I got into a physical fight in his honor. That was how I displayed my powers for the first time, actually, so that was pretty cool. Sammy, too, I'm very loyal to my sister. And my friends at Alium, they're so dope, I love them, okay? So, yeah, loyal. Me. I'm that. I'm like a dog that way. ... I think that's a good thing. I dunno why I had to say that, I was done. *Sigh* okay I'm just gonna stop now and move onto the next question because holy shit I'm rambling, and I always do that, and I never know when to stop annnd I'm doing it again, okay for real this time. I'm done.”

If you saw someone unhoused on the corner asking for money, would you stop and give or keep going?

“From personal experience, I'd stop. My mother always makes sure I have money, cash, on my person at all times. And unfortunately - well, maybe not unfortunately, I dunno why I said that, the POINT is, I have this thing where if I see something bad happen, and I know I could help, but then I don't, I literally cannot stop thinking about that for anywhere between a full 48 hours to the rest of my life. I passed someone before, because I was late, and then ran back and gave them like five dollars because it ate me up, but they were happy, so that made up for the fact that I was late. Great, now it sounds like I'm humble-bragging. I swear I'm not trying to. My point is that I want to help people. And I'll stop there before I ramble again.”

Pineapple on pizza. Thoughts?

“Gonna be honest, never tried it. But I'm SUPER curious. I gotta know what it tastes like, but I'm scared. Both Ash and Noelle like it. Ash I don't trust at all - that girl likes the dumbest food combinations - and Noelle is interesting because she likes food and knows what goes well together, but also I don't remember when she's ever described food as bad, and she has other pizza toppings that she claims are better anyway. Point is, I'm curious but scared to try it.”

✨ Robbie intro post✨

#2- Hye-Jin

What's your earliest childhood memory?

“Oh, that's difficult. Hmmm... I'm not sure which is the first memory, actually. It's not like I memorized the time and dates of everything haha! [Pause] Okay, fine, I remember. It was the first day of preschool. I had only just turned three. Everyone in the class had these, uh, Assignments, I guess. Roles? Hm... Ah yes, jobs, so everyone in the classroom had responsibility. It was randomized, but I got the "caboose," or the person who stood in the back of the line. I cried really hard because I thought that was the worst job in the world, and my teacher probably hated me. I got to carry a flower, though, so I think that calmed me down.”

Do you dance?

“It's more like did. From, hm... Ah, kindergarten grade through sixth grade, I did ballet, tap, and jazz at a local dance studio. But middle school kinda allowed me to take more extra curriculars that were more convenient, so my parents told me I should probably drop dance after my sixth grade year was a mess. I didn't want to, but y'know it is my parents' money. I wish I could've kept it up.”

What smell you can't stand?

“Oh, cinnamon. I'm so sorry, but I don't like it. The smell, anyway. It's weird, I don't mind cinnamon as a taste. But the smell is too much. Maybe that's weird.”

Other Hye-Jin: OC in three, fun facts, bingo, deep dive, origin, outfit, questionnaire one, questionnaire two

#3- George

What never fails to make you laugh?

“A couple things. One: my sister, Carla. She's actually really funny. Watch a movie with her, and you'll see. She's yelling at the screen, insulting her favorite characters, getting way too invested. She tells me all of her thoughts. Two: stupid customers. Hilarious! Someone told me their newly installed voice activator was broken. They were going to pay me a LOT of money. They programmed their voices and everything! Turns out, they hadn't turned it on yet. Three: Liam. The guy can turn everything into an argument, it's fascinating to watch. But funny as in he's super clever, and he can roast anyone. The funniest day for me would be if they came with me on my job, i had to deal with a dumb customer, Liam roasted them, and Carla ranted about a new movie she found.”

How can you tell if you’ll get along with someone?

“Haha, that's funny. People skills are just a little overrated. It's been Carla and me in our house for a while, and we've been doing fine! I'm certainly not going to make friends doing my job no matter how much the homeowners want to talk to me. Liam is cool, and I knew I was gonna get along with him when we met, so he's literally the only example I have for this question. Okay... I knew I was going to get along with him because I was getting everything hooked up to move a lot of the data to our place, and I was talking out loud and Liam seemed bored so he inserted himself into the one-sided conversation and helped me figure out everything. Then the next day, I was working on one of the computers, and Liam came up to me and just started talking. He said I seemed bored, and I was. Sometimes I can't fix things at superspeed because I have to wait for the computer to respond, or the hardware is delicate or something. He asked me to 'infodump,' he said, about any topic I wanted to. The previous night, I stayed up late reading the entire file on jellysponges, so I just talked about them and suddenly, it was like no time had passed and the computer was done! Liam nodded, said my information would be helpful if he ever got into an Alii marine biology debate, and then he invited me to sit with him at lunch. That was cool.”

Do you prefer sweet, savory, sour, or salty snacks?

“I have been talking for way too long. Well, I mean, you may not think it's that long, but I don't do this unless I'm excited about something, and being a speedster it feels like it's taken forever. Anyways, I like all snacks because I have to eat a lot for my metabolism, but honestly out of those snacks I like salty chips.”

Other George: OC in three, questionnaire one, questionnaire two, fun facts

What is your favorite season?

#4- Wade

“Ooh, that's hard. [A couple seconds of silence.] Sorry, Liam's in my head debating all of them. Alright *claps hands* I think it has to be summer. There's so many things to do, and it is always pretty fun to just make a vacation plan. And the beach is awesome. Teo and Parker and I plan our summer - well I plan it; if the others did it'd be a disaster, and they know it. The point is, our summers rock.”

Where would you like to visit?

“I would like to go to Japan. There's so much stuff to do in Tokyo alone. I haven't been to Comic-Con, and I'd really like to, or an anime con. Being from Florida, I've been to Disney World a few times, but not Disneyland in California. Then again, the one in Tokyo... Man, there's a lot of planning that'd be involved. Can't wait til I graduate.”

When do you usually go to sleep?

“I try to be in bed by ten so I can get to sleep before eleven because high school times are shit and I want at least six hours before I have to get up, and that's still not enough sleep! Parker and Teo have it worse, though, since they both can't get settled down until, like, midnight. Uggghhh, we should ban school before nine.”

Other Wade: OC in three, interview, kiss, questionnaire one, questionnaire two, two truths and a lie

#5- CJ

How long has it been since you last travelled?

“Last summer, my family went and traveled around Sector 8 in Alium. It was so fun. Though I admittedly kinda missed Issa. She would've loved it. My favorite part was seeing an opera, actually. It's quite fascinating.”

Where is your favourite place?

“I find it a little strange to have a favorite place. Sometimes my room is a good place to be but sometimes I just want to leave it. Now, I think you're probably just referring to a place that statistically I'm more likely to be happy in. In that case *shrug* not enough data to say definitively, sorry. However, I sometimes stop by the library and just organize books that are there. They're always out of place. And the librarians know me by name. I don't think I have any bad memories there, so even though I don't go to the library every day, I think that's my answer.”

If the inciting event never happened, what would you be doing?

Other CJ: questionnaire one, questionnaire two

*bursts out laughing* “'Inciting event?' Like, as in stirring up something or like, in a story? Cause this is real life, baby. Okay, I'll play along. I guess one could say it was Rose showing up. I suppose if that never happened, I would just be living life like normal. Rose and I don't have a lot in common, but I enjoy talking to her. She is really friendly and thoughtful. So I guess I would be a friend short. And I would be content, but not as happy as I am now.”

#6- Teo

Do you speak more than one language?

“Uh-huh. Three, actually. English, Vietnamese, and American Sign Language! I'm fluent in all of them. My parents decided to try and teach me ASL when they realized I'd need, like, hearing aids, so they, like, took classes and taught me! And not to toot my own horn but, like, having three languages down meant my brain was, like, SO ready for kindergarten.”

What is your favorite thing to eat?

“Do NOT make me choose. It's literally, like, whatever I'm eating in the moment. Right now *holds up* it's this sandwich.”

What drives you to succeed?

“My boyfriend. And also, like, my own ambitions. I can do a lot of things. Again, not bragging, just a fact. I know, like, gymnastics, acting, improv, role play, those are similar I know, playing the guitar, singing, photography, ballet, graphic design, editing, I can go on. It's literally just me wanting to learn how to do more stuff, y'know? I want to build an impressive ass resume. Not just for, like, jobs, life in general. I'm always looking for new skills.”

Other Teo: questionnaire one, questionnaire two, kiss

#7- Atsila

What's the worst thing you've ever done? Do you regret it?

“The worst thing? Ha-ha-ha, what a question. What, in my opinion? Well, I wasn't paying much attention in my literacy class, so I failed! Hahaha, I'm kidding. I'm just not the kind of person to do terrible things, baby. I guess sometimes my competitive nature has made other people upset, but that's technically not anything I've done. Well, that's settled.”

What's the quickest way to make you laugh?

“I do love watching someone make a fool out of themselves. Deserved, though. I have standards. I won't kick people while they're done, but it's sure funny when those who get in my way fall over. Also, make a sexual innuendo and I'll be on the floor in stitches.”

What is your favorite song right now?

“There's this lovely piece called ‘Who We Become in the Shadows’ by Keano Adler. You wouldn't have heard of it, being Ceter and all. Anyway, I should get back. It was lovely talking with you.”

Other Atsila: questionnaire one, questionnaire two

#8- Niri

Do you sometimes wish to be someone else?

“Sometimes, yes. I don't want to lie. I'm thankful that it isn't constant. Usually, I am happy. Sometimes I'm not. It depends on the situation.”

Do you push forward or take time to rest?

“Hard question. [Thinks about it] I think I rest if I find a task boring. I push forward when I like the task.”

What is your favorite drink?

“I like hot chocolate. It is not just a winter drink!”

Other Niri: questionnaire one, questionnaire two

Tagging @sarandipitywrites @theeccentricraven @reininginthefirewriting @paeliae-occasionally @bread-roses-and-chrome

+ ANYONE ELSE

Y'all's questions: 1) Describe your ideal life. 2) What are you most looking forward to? 3) What's your most unique trait?

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet

[kittykatrattie]

"CJ is a stoner" Oh ur appealing to my stoner ass? You want my stoner headcanons?? Fine whatever twist my arm, here ya go

David and Gwen: David was the kid who fell hard for the DARE program propaganda and for ages firmly believed weed was a gateway drug and could kill you from one joint. It takes a lot of convincing from Gwen (and later Max) for him to realize weed is kinda safe. Still refuses to even try it until it's legalized recreationally. Gwen smoked in college to relieve stress and have fun but hasn't smoked since because she lost her plug. Starts smoking again when Max tells her that the Wood Scouts are selling

Max: Resident Camp Stoner. Started smoking occasionally at 14 and then every day when covid lockdown started and he was stuck at home with his parents. It's mostly him "self medicating" his depression and having a higher tendency towards addiction (addict father, ADHD and BPD). Smokes regularly for pretty much the rest of his life. Has One (1) tolerance break before he gets his top surgery. He doesn't exactly take great care of himself

Neil: Only takes edibles (smoking isn't exactly Great for his asthma) and only occasionally. Until he's 18, he only really gets high at camp because he doesn't want either of his parents to know or find out. As an adult, he gets high for parties and concerts with Max (to keep himself from having meltdowns or panic attacks) and for hanging around at home. When he lives with Max, he gets high about once or twice a month to relax

Nikki: SOCIAL SMOKER ONLY. She's down to do whatever with her best friends (this is how Max doesn't even have to talk her into trying shrooms or other drugs with him. She just loves adventures) but never thinks about it herself. She gets even more energetic when she's high, somehow

Preston: Prefers wine (it's fancier and he's Italian) but likes smoking too. Varies throughout his life but he enjoys getting high with friends or if he needs a creative boost

Harrison: For the longest time he was scared of trying any drugs until the others peer pressured him into it. Once he gets over the Catholic guilt, he has fun and likes that it lets him unmask a bit. They have a rule that he's not allowed to do magic while high. He can't control it very well

Nerris: Mostly does edibles, only rarely smokes. Xe doesn't like the smell. Likes going on "adventures" (aka to the store, running around town, going to the park) while high with friends

Misc: Nurf eventually tries a little bit of everything (even more so than Max, who at least avoids the hard stuff) before quitting anything stronger than weed. He focuses more on his career as a prison therapist but still occasionally smokes. Ered rarely got high before it was legalized because Cop Dads made that difficult, and then she only smokes to Look Cool. Space hotboxes its helmet whenever it smokes. Max has definitely stolen said helmet many times to hoxbot himself

The Wood Scouts and the Flower Scouts originally had a bitter rivalry over who got to be the Lake Lilac dealer, until they realized they have different clienteles because the Flower Scouts only sell edibles and the Wood Scouts only sell smokables. They cut a deal so the Flower Scouts can buy bud cheap to bake into cookies or brownies and the Wood Scouts get cheap edibles

[ninjaneonleon]

Arrival

Here's my little bit of propaganda for the @tmntaucompetition before we really get underway!

--------

Leo took a breath before looking around. The last thing he remembered was hanging out in Japan with his bros and everyone else, now he was… somewhere else. At least his brothers were here, and so was Yuichi, Casey, CJ, Mona, April and Juan. They seemed to be in some sort of arena that looked vaguely familiar. Had Leo been here before?

“Wait, I remember this place!” Mikey cried suddenly. “Remember when we met all those alternate dimension versions of ourselves? It’s like that!” It took a moment for Leo to remember. That’s right, he had met a lot of other versions of him, a lot of them very traumatised. He hadn’t known about the Kraang back then, hadn’t known why the older versions of himself had lost arms or looked so haunted. He didn’t get why a lot of them had cried and clung to his brothers like they were the most important people on earth. Well, that part he understood, but not the crying part. He understood now. He wished he didn’t. Idly he wondered what had happened to that older Leo and Mikey he had hung out with, Angelo and Leon they had called themselves. He hoped things were going well for them, they were cool. “Raph remembers now! How are we here again?” Raph asked, looking around. “Isn’t it obvious?” Donnie asked with a grin. He posed and sparkled. “Clearly we’re some of the more popular versions of our counterparts. We’re in some sort of competition because we’re clearly the best. And with our more complicated designs and fashionable accessories–” he flipped the edge of his shawl for emphasis. “We’re perfectly marketable and easily recognisable.” “You guys have been here before?” Yuichi asked, looking around in awe. “Wait, do you think there are other versions of me here? What about Momo and CJ? April? Juan?” “I know we’ve seen other versions of April,” Mikey said thoughtfully. “And there were older Leo’s so there has to be other CJs here too, and Caseys are a given. I dunno about Momos and Juans though, they seem pretty unique to our universe so far.” “Of course I’m a given, I’m Casey Jones!” Casey cried, posing with the hockey stick she somehow brought out of nowhere. “And naturally, I'm gonna be the coolest of all other Caseys!” “Well we won’t know that for sure until we talk to some people! You guys wait here, I’m gonna see if I can find our friends from before–” Leo cut himself off as he glanced around. “Wait, I see some! Hey! Gemini! It’s good to see you again!” The two turtle twins looked over in unison. They glanced around before walking over, with the alternate Leo giving a friendly wave and the alternate Donnie giving a polite nod. “It’s great to see you guys again too. Didn’t think we’d be back here again, things have gotten a little… restrictive recently,” Leo Gemini said. Leo flinched, remembering that these two had been raised by Big Mama in their universe. That was something Leo could relate to now. He wondered if that meant they’d have more in common now. “I can imagine. Anyway, it’s great to see you again Gemini. Gemini. Hopefully we don’t get our asses handed to us too badly by you guys again.” He gave the twins both a nod and a bright grin before they wandered off. Juan stayed plastered to Donnie’s side, but his eyes did follow after Gemini Donnie appreciatively. Leo suspected that his Donnie was about to get a little more hostile to the witchy soft shell. “They seemed nice,” Mona said, peering after them. She hadn’t let go of Raph or CJ’s hands since getting her bearings. “But they seemed strong. Hopefully we’re not against them in the first round…”

“Well, since we’re here, let’s look around. See if we can find any familiar faces and maybe make some new friends while we wait for everything to start,” Raph offered with a grin. He squeezed Mona’s hand. “After all, we dunno who we’re gonna be up against and what we’re doing. Let’s get comfy before we get too caught up in the contests.” “Sounds like a good idea, big guy,” April agreed with a nod. “Okay, listen up! We’ll make this corner our home base, we meet back here in one hour or when the next announcement comes out. Got it?” Everyone nodded. “Great, now go have fun, make some friends and let’s make sure to win this!”

-----------

Angelo and Leon are from our friend @newellthedragon

The lovely Gemini twins are from the always remarkable @tangledinink

[spectralsleuth]

Don't know if you're still accepting asks about LSoW, but you mentioned once that all of the turtles in your au are intersex, except Mikey. Can I ask why you made them so and why Mikey is the exception?

I'm always accepting asks about LSoW! :D I'm not the best about answering them because I have crippling anxiety, but I love getting asks. ;-;

Disclaimer first: Genuinely no disrespect to any intersex people, because chromosomal differences and IRL intersex conditions have near next nothing to do with (I cannot exaggerate this enough) TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, the depiction of the Turtles in LSoW, or honestly, half the AU's with the same sort of headcanon. So keep that in mind. I strongly encourage people to do some research into actual intersex people and characteristics, because it isn't my intention at all to represent very normal people with (STILL CANNOT EXAGGERATE THIS ENOUGH) TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. (Although if there IS an intersex person who reads LSoW and is like, hell yeah ninja turtles are just like me, more power to you brother. I wrote it for you and you only, I am kissing you gently on the head like a benevolent patron.)

That being said, 'intersex' was the best term I could come up with for this head canon, and fits so.

Reason 1: It's funny.

I am making Leonardo ninja turtle deal with turtle equivalent of periods, that is the funniest shit I will ever do. The idea that A: Raph dealt with it first, B: Leo was a smug shithead about it and then dealt with it a year after, and then C: Donnie was SMUGGER THAN HIM, and also dealt with it the NEXT WEEK? Hilarious. I am a comedy god.

Also I think I headcanoned Raph as having CJ with Casey a long time ago because Casey and Raph are soulmates in every universe. But problem is I headcanon Casey as TRANS, so how did they have Casey? Adoption is also great, but you know what would be FUNNIER-

(egg babey)

Reason 2: Mikey's personality. (Also, it's funny again.)

When Draxum was making the turtles in LSoW, he gave them all the bits and pieces he needed in order to make them effective yokai super soldiers. Man literally said 'I'm making a turtle that can hold a sword and do backflips, I'm gonna give it all this other stuff too, OBVIOUSLY.' But box turtles are already pretty territorial and aggressive? I think the reason I gave at the time was Draxum literally said, 'Michelangelo is already so territorial if I gave him estrogen he'd have killed the others.' (Which is a gross oversimplification of how turtles split gender in the egg, herpetologists pls don't @ me they're ninja turtles I am sorry.)

Also it's funny again because Mikey is also smug down the chain of brothers from oldest to youngest with not having to deal with this embarrassing problem, but then DOESN'T get whacked with the egg whammy stick like the others?? Smug youngest sibling?? Mikey asking Leo with fake sympathy, 'Oh, is it your troubles again?' and Leo is forced to try and kill him with a rock.

Reason 3: Draxum (Also STILL YET ANOTHER reason to be funny.)

Draxum figures in the far off distant future if his supersoldiers DO make nests and eggs, a very territorial and family oriented guard that DOESN'T nest would be super effective.

Imagine the post apocalypse future where Raph and Casey have CJ, and you are a simple resistance soldier. You are minding your business surveying Krang tunnels after a delicious breakfast of beetle protein bar shaped into dino-nuggie form courtesy of Donatello Hamato, and Mystic Master Michelangelo appears out of the shadows in a side tunnel and tries to skin you with a fork because you got within a half mile of his expecting brother and his ninja girl friend.

(The only Y/N fic I will ever write.)

I hope that answers the question!! Also reminder to everyone that even though I am taking a little break from TMNT, my fics are far from abandoned and I have them cooking along in the background. Most of the writing I get done is in spite of horrible unmedicated ADHD, anxiety, and being 30 years old with a very tiring job and increasingly troubling disability. That's not me complaining, but I think a little reminder that a lot of fic writers do this as a hobby. The second I feel the slightest bit of pressure I crumble away from fics like I've been cursed by a mummy, because feeling pressure from something so silly is wild to me.

This ask actually I think is a perfect way to show how to support your fave fic authors, and encourage them to continue writing! I actually had to sit down and think about my own notes, and talk over my reasoning with The Council in dm's (@/tangledinink and @/heck lol). So thanks!