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evil-overlord-scriptology · 4 years ago

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Dating My Brother’s Archenemy Pt. 2 (ARCHIVED)

CrAzYArtist: Party? Like full out high school party? Drinking and drugs and everything? O.o I didn't know you were into that...

GreenThumb: Yeah... and my sister is making me go. But it'd give us a chance to hang out.

MonKeybiz: I'm for it! As long as you don't make me do anything against my will...

$Cha-Ching$: Fine by me, never been to one before.

CrAzYArtist: Where's it at?

GreenThumb: Ermmm... It's Amber's party... My sister is friends with her and she's dragging me a long as her ride back home. Can't see why I can't just wait around in town until she's ready...

MonKeybiz: ...You're kidding, right?

$Cha-Ching$: Gives Kori a perfect chance to speak with Nathaniel though...

MonKeybiz: True...

CrAzYArtist: Say one more word about that and I'll break the record of my grudges.

$Cha-Ching$: No idea of what you mean, but I can tell you're serious. Not crossing the line

MonKeybiz: I second that!

GreenThumb: Besides, it gives you three a perfect chance to crash Amber's party.

CrAzYArtist: I'm in!

$Cha-Ching$: Me too!

MonKeybiz: Me three! lol

*RabidsingeR has signed in*

CrAzYArtist: Clear you weekend calendar, Lexsie, we're going to crash Amber's party!

MonKeybiz: And do a little matchmaking between Nath and Kori on the side.

$Cha-Ching$: Hey, this is Penni!

GreenThumb: Plus you finally get to meet me in person!

RabidsingeR: You had me at 'crash Amber's party' XD I'm going to thoroughly enjoy this...

"You are not going out like that." Castiel said, not even looking up from his guitar. I looked down at my pure white flowing knee length dress and sheer tights with snowflakes picked out in silver. Lysander, who was sitting across from him scribbling away, glanced up, raised an eyebrow then looked at my brother, "She's not dressed inappropriately." Castiel still wouldn't look up, "She's going to that stupid party, so she's dressed inappropriately." He stated simply. I rolled my eyes to Lexsie who kept dabbing at her make up while Penni kept slapping her hand away. I wondered how Lexsie could even like my brother, he was just a pain sometimes. Penni smacked Lexsie's hand away again, "If you keep touching it, you're going to smudge my work!" The blonde girl snapped. Savannah sighed, "Really Lexsie. You're the one who wanted Penni to do your make up..." Lexsie's fingers started inching their way towards her face again, but one glare from Penni stopped them.

Castiel finally looked up, "You look fine Lexsie. Stop fussing." He said flatly. Lexsie didn't really need the bright pink colored blush after that, she was so red in the face that the base couldn't hide it. Savannah, Penni and I giggled. Over the few days that we had to get our costumes ready for Amber's Halloween party Lexsie and Castiel went from Stage 1: 'You're Just My Friend, Whatever' to Stage 2: 'Blushes and Compliments.' It was all according to Tansy's '10 Stages of Relationships' chart. Penni was at Stage 7: the 'Can't be Without You' stage. Savannah was still at stage one with Lysander. Tansy said I was between Stage 5: 'Shyly Skipping Around the Subject of Dating' and Stage 6: 'Small Kisses and Presents.' I thought it was strange that Tansy had this whole thing already worked out, and that it made sense, somewhat.

I sighed and snatched up my white wedge heels, “Let's go we're going to be late. Hey Castiel, are you using the car?” My brother, squinting at a page of lyrics, shook his head 'no'. I smirked, now came to part of tricking him, “I need the keys really fast, where are they?” Still trying to decipher the Lysander's writing, Castiel pointed to the small bowl sitting on the table, “There, stop bothering me.” He snapped. Before my twin realized he had been duped, I grabbed the car keys and ushered my snickering friends out the door, calling over my shoulder, “We'll be home late, see you later!” Before I closed the door, I could see Lysander smirking at me, he winked. So he knew my plan, but didn't bother to tell my brother. Guess he was on my side again.

vvv

So far the party was a total bore. The only thing exciting was when some random couple got into a major fight which ended with a major make out session that made me want to gag. Penni seemed to be enjoying herself though, having never been to a stereotypical teen party. Even I had been before, when Lexsie dragged me to one our freshmen year, that was when we met Savannah. And I met Ty, much to my later misfortune. I kept to the seats, sandwiched between couples who couldn't keep their hands off each other and druggies smoking themselves silly. Savannah had left in search for a soda, knowing it would be a lost cause, while Lexsie was busy warding off guys hitting on her. Penni, however, had headed straight for the dance floor. From my view, I could tell she was owning the floor with her crazy moves. I hadn't even known she was into dancing.

Savannah reappeared, two Dr. Peppers in her hand, “Guess Nathaniel is cracking down on the beer, I couldn't find any.” She said as she handed me one of the frigid cans. I shot her a look, “Were you looking for them?” I asked suspiciously. Savannah plopped down next to me, not caring if her medieval lady dress was wrinkled in the process, and laughed, “Of course not. But you know how hard it is to find a coke at these parties. I was kinda suspicious when the first cooler was nothing but sodas, so was the second and the third... after I looked around, I couldn't find any beer.” I popped the tap on my soda and took a nice long drink. Something bumped into me, causing me to spew my drink... just as Amber walked past in her skimpy pirate girl costume.

As Lexsie would say: It was an opportunity worth dying for, and from the look Amber gave me, I thought she really was going to kill me. Savannah dying of laughter beside me didn't help my case of it being an accident. Suddenly I went from being the invisible snow princess, to the girl facing Amber's wrath. I slouched a little in my seat, bracing myself for the hurricane that was about to be unleashed.

“YOU LITTLE BITCH!! You did that on purpose! Why are you even here, I know I didn't f***ing invite you!” Amber started, her voice shrill to the point that I knew any dogs within a mile could hear her. I slumped down a little lower, my cheeks flaming red. I didn't like being the center of attention and suddenly I was on Broadway. “Uhh... I'm sorry, I didn't-” I started, but Amber didn't even let me explain, “You ruined my $200 costume! You are soooooo paying me back, bitch! Don't think you won't!” Amber shouted then stomped away, her whole right side drenched in my backwash. I buried my face in my hands, not sure if I should cry or laugh. Lexsie came up just as the rest of the crowd started returning to normal, “What happened?” I was still embarrassed to speak, but Savannah wasn't, “Well, you see. Kori decided it would be a good idea to spill Dr. Pepper on Amber and-” “It was an accident!” I practically wailed, both my friends cracked up.

vvv

Hours late Jade finally showed up as a green haired vampire. I didn't even have to make introductions, Lexsie and Savannah spotted him the minute he walked through the door, his bright green hair as out of place as Savannah's purple hair or my white locks. When I saw that there would be no awkwardness between the three I went to find Penni. She was surrounded by jocks trying to flirt with her, and she didn't look very pleased at all. I smiled and joined her, “Hey Penni, Jade's here. Do you want to meet him?” I asked. Penni looked at me confused, she had already met Jade before he went back to his own school, and she knew I knew that. I gave her a look, trying to express with my eyes that I was giving her the perfect chance to escape the jock's unwanted attention. She finally got the message and nodded before dragging me away with a force I didn't know she had.

Of course, we never made it that far. As we walked underneath the upper story walkway, there was a voice shouting, “There she is!” It was followed by a show of ice cold water down on my head. I shrieked at the sudden change in temperature, throwing up my arms to deflect most of the downpour off my poor head. Laughter filled the air, and I was dragged back to the day that Amber had altered the comic I had drawn. Only this was worse, this was physical discomfort.

Penni was staring at me, mouth open wide and eyes nearly popping out of her head. None of the water hit her luckily. Her gypsy costume was still in tact, but the same could be said for my snow princess dress. It had gone from gleaming white to sheer in .03 seconds, plastered to my body like a second skin. I hastily crossed my arms over my chest, shaking from the cold air that now wafted at my body. Amber appeared before me, taunting, “I told you you'd regret it, little bitch. How does it feel?” Penni glared at Amber and opened her mouth to defend me, but someone else beat her to it, “Amber! That's enough.” Shivering I looked over my shoulder just as Nathaniel wrapped a blanket around my shoulders. His sister backed down with a pout.

Nathaniel took me to his bedroom. I sat on his bed, the blanket wrapped around me, watching him as he carefully made sure his door was cracked two inches. I couldn't help but smile at that, “I-It won't m-m-ma-matter. The-They w-w-will a-a-a-as-assume the w-w-worst.” I stuttered, my teeth clattering together loudly. Nathaniel didn't answer as he shifted through his drawers and pulled out a pair of grey sweats and a formless white T-shirt. He motioned to a closed door on the other side of the bed, “Bathroom is through there.” I didn't move. I just stared at the pile of clothes he gave me, then up at his golden eyes, “Why do you always help me?” I blurted out.

Nathaniel blushed a little and looked away sheepishly, “Uh... I guess I feel responsible for what my sister does to you.” He said uncomfortably. I looked back down, disappointed, “...oh...” I stood and moved toward the bathroom to change, but Nathaniel grabbed my arm, “Korianna, wait...” I looked up at him, half hoping half dreading what he would say. Nathaniel studied me for a while before saying, “You know I like you, Korianna. I guess that's the real reason why I want to protect you from my sister's stupid pranks.” I stared at Nathaniel for a minute, my brain trying to catch up to what he just said. Nathaniel blushed even harder and started to let go of me, thinking that I was rejecting him, when I threw my arms around his neck and crashed my lips to his. Surprised he stumbled back a step and I was dragged with him, my feet skittering forward to avoid doing a face plant. Somehow my left foot got wedged behind his right and he tripped over it. To avoid falling to the floor, Nathaniel twisted and we both ended up on the bed, me on top of him, kissing...

...just as Melody opened the door.

The three of us stared at each other for a minute, all of us blushing. Then I bolted off Nathaniel and fled for the bathroom, the clothes he gave me clutched in my arms. I stood leaning against the door, breathing heavily. I could not believe Nathaniel and I had just been caught by the girl who had a crush on him. Castiel seeing us kissing was bad enough, but Melody wasn't one to keep a secret like my brother. She was almost as bad as Peggy when it came to gossip, except when it dealt with Nathaniel. I just hoped her policy of not telling Peggy anything about Nathaniel would cover this incident. I could hear Melody speaking in a chocked tone, “What's going on? I-I came to tell you I was here and she- Did Kori... was she...?” Then came Nathaniel's much calmer voice, “Someone spilled something on Korianna's costume, she came to me for extra clothes.” His voice left no room to question how I had come in his bedroom looking for extra clothes and ended up kissing him. There was a small muffled sob and the sound of a door slamming.

I finished tugging on the white shirt and tying the sweats tighter around my waist before leaving the bathroom, my wet dress flung over one arm. Nathaniel was standing in the middle of his room, staring down at something in his hands. I peered around him to see a pair of yellow cat ears attached to a head band teetering over his palm. Melody must have given them to him before she left. I gently touched his shoulder, startling him. Biting my lip I looked down, “I'm sorry... I-” Nathaniel pressed a finger to my lips, “You shouldn't be sorry. It's not your fault.” He said softly. I tried a small smile and took the cat ears from him, “These are nice. You should wear them.” I said timidly, trying to change the subject to a safer track.

Nathaniel snorted, “I don't celebrate Halloween. I think it's stupid.” He said dully and I rolled my eyes, “You would.” I muttered then shoved the car ears down on his head, laughing at his expression of surprise. “There! You know, the ears really look good on you, I think you should wear them from now on.” I said between giggles. Nathaniel frowned at me and tried to pull the ear off, but I swatted his hands away, “No I like them. Leave them in.” Slowly he lowered his hands and didn't try to take them off again. I grinned at the thought that Nathaniel would wear something even if he didn't like it, because he knew I did. Mentally I made a note to tell Tansy I had gone from between Stage 5 and Stage 6 to fully on Stage 6 of her 10 Stages of Relationships. I knew she would be thrilled.

*CrAzYArtist had signed in*

$Cha-Ching$: Hey so what happened after the water accident yesterday? No one saw you after that.

MonKeybiz: Seriously, girl. I know you want to be with your boy, but spend some time with your homeys!

RabidsingeR: Savannah, don't try to be gangster. It's just atrocious.

CrAzYArtist: 8 points for Lexsie!

RabidsingeR: We're not playing Scrabble, Kori...

GreenThumb: Back on subject... where did you go? I didn't get to even say hi before you disappeared.

CrAzYArtist: No reason... I just didn't want to be in that house anymore

$Cha-Ching$: So either you got into a fight with Nath or kissed him again...

RabidsingeR: I'm going with kissing... At least here's hoping ;P

CrAzYArtist: Since you'll drag it out of me anyway... Yes, Nath and I kissed again, and Melody walked in on us.

MonKeybiz: ...Oh snap... doesn't she have a crush on Nath?

$Cha-Ching$: Yep... ladies and Jade, prepare for World War 3

CrAzYArtist: Oh come on! Melody and I are rational people, it's not like we'll end up cat fighting in the middle of the hall.

RabidsingeR: When it comes to guys, all rationality goes out the window.

$Cha-Ching$: Yeah, I mean look at how Lexsie first treated me for the whole Lysander mess... and she doesn't even like him (not like Savannah)!

RabidsingeR: THAT WASN'T THE REASON!

$Cha-Ching$: *read in sarcasm* You're right. It was because Kori forced Castiel into the whole mess, since that makes a whole lot more sense.

MonKeybiz: Penni you're hilarious!

RabidsingeR: Grrrrr...

CrAzYArtist: Get over it, Lexsie.

GreenThumb: Back on topic girls.

MonKeybiz: lol, what are you the Topic Police?

GreenThumb: Yes... don't make me write you a ticket! ^^

MonKeybiz: I'm shaking in fear, Jade.

CrAzYArtist: Has anyone seen Violette? She hasn't been on.

GreenThumb: She was on briefly yesterday while you were getting ready for the party.

RabidsingeR: Oh... and what did you two... discuss...? Hmm?

GreenThumb: How nuts you are.

$Cha-Ching$: 'You' as in all of us, or 'you' as in Lexsie?

GreenThumb: You as in Lexsie.

RabidsingeR: Love you too Jade! X(

MonKeybiz: Okay guys, we have a crisis on our hands. Kori is possibly facing a cat fight with Melody...

CrAzYArtist: I can handle myself, Savannah...

RabidsingeR: We all know you can't, Korianna.

CrAzYArtist: ...

MonKeybiz: Nice going, dummy.

RabidsingeR: ...Oops...

*CrAzYArtist has signed out*

I glared at the log in sign for ChatRoomzNet, normally I was used to Lexsie's hurtful comments, knowing she didn't really mean them, but that was just too far. Crossing my arms I slouched in my computer chair, but the more I thought about what she said, the more I realized... Lexsie was right. I couldn't take care of myself. It was always my brother or my friends who stepped in when something didn't go right. Now Nathaniel did the same. I closed my eyes wondering if I surrounded myself with people who had an instinct to protect me, so I wouldn't have to do so myself. Did I make friends or bodyguards? I shivered, scared of the answer. Maybe I wasn't so innocent as everyone made me out to be, maybe I was just a manipulative girl and a coward.

My cell phone buzzed, bringing me out of my self depression. I answered it without thought, “Hello?” “Is this Korianna?” Someone, a guy by the deep tone of his voice, asked. I frowned, wondering who could have gotten my number. “Yeah, who's this?” “Nathaniel... You gave me your number last night, remember?” I shot straight up in my chair, I had forgotten that we had exchanged numbers when he walked me home. I leaned back in my chair, my right hand pressing into my forehead, “Sorry... I didn't add your number in yet, I was too tired last night.” I shut my mouth, knowing I was about to start babbling. There was a pause on the other side of the line, “Korianna... are you alright? You don't sound very happy.” Nathaniel ventured. I mentally cursed, why did Nathaniel have to be so good at guessing someone's emotions? I stayed silent, debating if I should tell him or not. I sighed, unable to lie to the guy who had been nothing but nice to me since I came to Sweet Amoris, “I'm not. I-” Nathaniel cut me off before I could explain “Don't say anything else. I'm coming to pick you up, then you can tell me what's bothering you.” I couldn't help but smile.

vvv

“Alright, now what's the matter?” Nathaniel asked after he returned with two ice cream cones, handing me the chocolate one. I licked the frozen dairy, taking my time in answering. When I didn't answer for a while Nathaniel shrugged and leaned back on the bench, eating his own ice cream contently, waiting patiently for me to answer. Crunch! I pulled back realizing I had just ate all my ice cream and was working on the cone now. I was stalling. I sighed and turned to Nathaniel, “Do you... think I'm helpless?” I asked him. The student council president blinked several times, his blonde eyebrows pulled low over the bridge of his nose. Nathaniel shot me a funny look, “What makes you say that?” I sighed and looked down at the remains of my melting cone. “Something Lexsie said earlier, about how I can't take care of myself.” I saw Nathaniel's gold eyes narrow and hurried on before he could say anything, “I think she's right. Looking back, I've never been able to get out of a mess by myself. Lexsie and Castiel were always taking care of my problems. Then Savannah and now you. I can't think of any time I solved a problem by myself.”

It took forever to Nathaniel to answer. I could tell by his frown that he was still trying not to get angry at Lexsie and failing miserably. Finally he exhaled deeply, his head bent so that his bright blonde hair covered his face, “Do you... want... to not be protected?” I tilted my head, “Huh?” I asked him confused by the question. Nathaniel looked at me, “Do you want your friends not to care about what happens to you?” He asked, his expression unreadable. I shook my head, still confused at what he was asking. Nathaniel closed his eyes and smiled, “Then you have nothing to worry about. We all love you Korianna, that's why we step in, because no one wants to see you hurt.” My eyes widened a fraction at the word 'love' but I shoved that thought out of my mind before it could fully form; now wasn't the time to be thinking like that. I stared at my lap, dimly feeling the cold sludge of chocolate ice cream sliding down my fingers. I hadn't thought of it that way. I pushed a smile on my face, "Alright if you say so..." I murmured. Nathaniel grinned and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer. I blushed, but didn't pull away, I could get used to this...

vvv

*CrAzYArtist has signed in*

RabidsingeR: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! FORGIVE ME! I'll never say another word again!

CrAzYArtist: Just drop the subject Lexsie...

$Cha-Ching$: Please! You've been going on and on about this for hours.

RabidsingeR: You would too if your best friend is super mad at you!

$Cha-Ching$: First off I wouldn't have even said it. Second, Ken would never be mad at me, it's against his nature.

MonKeybiz: Well we all thought it was against Kori's nature to get mad enough to LOG OFF!

GreenThumb: You three are terrible friends. Kori, are you okay?

CrAzYArtist: Yeah...

RabidsingeR: It doesn't sound like it! TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG!!!

MonKeybiz: Seriously? You're the one asking that?

CrAzYArtist: Nothing's wrong. And Lexsie...

RabidsingeR: *gulp* ...yes...?

CrAzYArtist: I'm only forgiving you because it got me a date with Nathaniel.

RabidsingeR: WHAT?!?!

$Cha-Ching$: O[]O

MonKeybiz: GIMME DETAILS WOMAN!!

GreenThumb: Well what do you know? There IS a silver lining to every thundercloud! CX

“So then my mum was all for sending me across the Pond to my uncle's home, studying abroad as it were. That's why I'm here.” Tansy explained before class that morning, twirling a strand of her springy brown hair around her finger. She was nodding her head to a song only she could hear, her teeth latching onto her bottom lip, her rabbit earrings bobbing at the motion. Lexsie nodded eagerly, determined just to keep the girl talking so she could listen to Tansy's accent. I would feel sorry for the British girl, if she wasn't so talkative to begin with. Savannah yawned and laid her head on my shoulder, “Wake me when the bell rings.” She mumbled, closing her red eyes for a few extra minutes of sleep. I glanced at my sleepy friend then returned to my sketchpad. It had been a while since I had drawn, not since Amber got a hold of that cursed comic. It was only because Ms. Orion, the art teacher, was determined to make me enter a drawing in some annual art exhibit that I was even drawing. I would have said no, but then the miraculous thing happened and both Nathaniel and Castiel said I should enter something.

I had decided to continue working on the piece I started when I first moved to Sweet Amoris, the one with Ken and Penni smiling at each other. I filled the blank spaces with pictures of Savannah and Lexsie with their arms around each other's shoulders, both laughing. Opposite of my two friends I had drawn Tansy, her face aglow with the light of her laptop. I erased Nathaniel in the library and replaced it with another picture of him bent over a filing cabinet, leafing through some papers. I also erased Amber and her crew and replaced it with the principal when she was calm and grandmotherly. Now I had a problem of small spaces in between the drawings, too small to be of any use, but big enough that they were noticeable. Tapping my pencil against my lip I tried to think of a way to fill in the spaces. Shading them in would be tacky and would ruin the drawings, clashing with the light shading. Maybe I could smudge the drawing around the edges to get rid of the white spaces. Tilting my head I scanned my drawing, trying to imagine what it would look like. If done correctly the pictures would appear to be coming out of a fog, but it would be hard to get the smudges exact. If I did smudge the drawing, it would probably take up more time than drawing actual pictures.

“Wow. You're really good.” Penni said behind me, causing me to startle. Savannah grunted and sat up, giving me a bleary-eyed glare. The blonde behind us was still staring at my drawing, more specifically Ken. I shrugged, “I've had a lot of practice.” I said, but I knew she wasn't listening to me, her stormy grey eyes were still on Ken. Tentatively her fingers reached out to graze her best friend's penciled cheek. I watched her, amused. “You know, if you want, I can copy the drawing for you so you can have one of your own...” I offered. Penni gave me a wide eyed look, “Really? Yeah, I'd love one!” She said in a rare show of excitement. I smiled at her and flipped the cover of my sketchpad back over the drawing, “I'll give it to you tomorrow then.” I told her. Savannah leaned against me again, “What about Lysander? Will you draw him for me?” She asked in a sugary sweet tone. I glared at her, “No.”

vvv

“I'm eating here.” I said to my friends at the beginning of lunch, pointing to the Student Council Room. My decision earned knowing looks from the girls and a glare from Castiel. Lysander just smirked, he had forgiven me for crashing the date with Penni, but we were just overly polite now. At least he helped Lexsie drag Castiel away, so I could avoid the drama of Nathaniel and Castiel butting heads. Nathaniel looked up when I entered, smiling when he saw who it was, “Hey Korianna.” He said before popping a carrot stick in his mouth. I gave him a flat look, “Carrot sticks? Really, Nathaniel?” I asked. Nathaniel shrugged, “My mom always packed them in my lunches when I was younger. I like them.” He stated nonchalantly, nibbling at another carrot. I shook my head and sat down in the chair to the right of his. “Well, my mom packed brownies. I think I got the better deal.” We both laughed.

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow at my lunch; a roast beef sandwich, iced tea in a thermos, and a wild berry muffin. I chuckled sheepishly, “I like to cook...” I said sheepishly. It was Nathaniel's turn to shake his head, “Is there anything you're not good at?” I answered him quickly, “School.” It was true. Castiel didn't apply himself at all and managed to make As, I studied hard and still barely made Bs. Nathaniel seemed surprised, “Really?” He asked. I nodded glumly and waited for Nathaniel to start comparing me to my brother, but instead he said, “If you ever need help studying, I can help.” He offered. I shot him a surprised look, seeing that blush of his that I loved. Reaching over I swiped one of his carrot sticks, “Alright, thanks Nathaniel.” I said, biting the stick in half with a Cheshire Cat grin. Nathaniel shot me a dirty look, grumbling something about thief under his breath. I only smiled and finished off my stolen carrot stick.

vvv

A hand appeared in the middle of my face, waving. I jerked back, blinking and glared at Penni. The blonde was glaring back at me, “You should really get your hearing checked, girl.” Penni snapped. I began to turn back to the book Nathaniel had loaned me, but Penni snatched it out of my hands before I could focus on its words. “Oh no! You're going to put this book down and converse like a normal person.” Penni said. I crossed my arms, “Study Hall is supposed to be for studying, not talking.” I retorted. Penni scoffed and waved her hand around the room, “And how many people are actually studying? Zero.” I opened my mouth, but my blonde friend cut me off, “You were reading for pleasure, it doesn't count. Besides... if you read you can't read the letter Ken sent me...” Penni finished with a sly grin.

I suddenly forgot the book, “Give me!” I yelped reaching for the crumbled paper that Penni was waving around. Penni rolled her eyes, “Geez, you're just like a three year old.” She said as she dropped the letter in my grasping hands. I stuck my tongue out at her, but my eyes were already on the scrawling handwriting:

Hey Pen!

Got your letter, finally (you wouldn't believe how long the mail takes getting here...). I'm glad I'm still your bestest friend! XP Can you believe how long it's been since we last saw each other? Too long in my opinion! And don't worry, I'm sure we'll see each other again before we're both sixty, maybe fifty-nine, lol. So you finally met Kori? I never got to talk to her in person, but like I said she sure seemed nice. Glad you could rectify that! See what MS is teaching me? 'Rectify' such a wonderful big word. Man I hate it here, it's all 'do this, do that, listen to the Sergeant or get your butt handed to you.' That's a direct quote from one of my MS friends. Her name is also Lexie, like the girl who's a friend of Kori- the one who seems to have it in for you. I've made a total of two friends at MS. Lexie, who is sarcastic and stubborn as a mule at times, but she's a good kid (lol I sound like an old man). Then there's Carson. Ooo Carson... that guy is

Hey. I'm Lexie. Kentin isn't here right now, and he left this letter in plain sight, he should know better by now that if anything is left in the open, I'm going to be all over it! I'm a raccoon in a sense... MUST. HAVE. SHINY!! lol but it doesn't have to be shiny, just interesting. So, Pen... are you a guy or a girl? To be honest the name doesn't really give anything away, no offense. Kentin really doesn't talk about his life before he came to MS, but then I don't know anyone who does. Sergeant Krisp would probably go on and on about how wussy it would be if someone shared their sob story BC. Sorry, using MS lingo here. BC means 'Before Camp' kinda ironic, no? Ha ha, I sound like a frenchy. So, Pen, have any dirt to share on our good friend Kentin? That kid is as solid as a steel wall when it comes to BC life. I mean, even I'm more open then Kenny-boy and I've had a hard life. Not that I'm going to tell you, I don't even know you! Oops! Gotta go, Kenny is comin' back!

Sorry about the paragraph above, I'm too lazy to rewrite this letter, and too lazy to scribble out what Lex wrote. Anyway, before Lexie got a hold of this I was talking about Carson. Well, I have to say if you weren't my best friend already, Carson probably would take that title. I think he might be a long lost brother or something... but we look nothing alike so it couldn't be that. Maybe a distant cousin. And yes, I wrote to my mom like you asked *cough cough ORDERED cough cough* I haven't received a reply yet. I wonder if my 'wonderful' father/master burned the letter, he probably did considering contact with someone's mother makes the person a wuss. Sorry, Pen, but MS can make a person bitter. Only the thought of you keeps me me. I know that sounds extremely cheesy, but it's true. You're the only person who ever thought of me as Kentin and not who I should be. That's why you're my bestest friend!

Say hi to 'Cuddles' for me!

Kentin Pierce

P.S. What's this about Kori drawing us? I want to see! Can you send me it? And tell Korianna thanks for doing that.

4rm Lex: Hey, Pen. So after reading Kenny's letter (behind his back I might add) and concluded that you were a girl (at least I hope), I have to know. Do you like like Kentin? Or are you just 'bestest friends'? Not that I'm trying to move in on your space, girl, just want to know. Cuz if so I'll be keeping the other ladies off Kentin's back. Not that he needs any help, but Kenny-boy is a real catch in MS. Probably the cutest guy here. All the girls swoon at the sight of him! Anyway, send me an answer! Us girls have to stick together and protect our men! ;3 (Kentin's probably going to kill me for this, but I don't care!)

I set down the letter very slowly, then turned to Penni. “So what did you write in return?” I asked, carefully keeping my tone nonchalant. Penni glared at me, probably mad that I could read her mind so well, and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper. I unfolded it and turned my back to Penni so she wouldn't see what I was doing.

Dear Ken,

I'm glad things are going so well, and that you made friends. Does Lex really call you Kenny-boy to your face? O.o And Lexie, I'm not tell you if I like like Ken or not, I don't want to create any confusions as to how I feel for Ken, besides that information is between him and me alone. But if you feel it necessary to keep other girls off him, go right ahead. Ken, I'm not going to send you the drawing Kori did of us, because I can use it as another incentive to come home, you know... blackmail. X)) Besides seeing me again of course. And also, when did you get so popular? WHERE'S MY DORK AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HIM!?!?!?! lol XD Anyway, me and Lexsie are now relatively good friends, we still have our hard times, but that's because she's a hot head and has a crush on Kori's twin brother (you remember Castiel, right?). Well... I guess that's another long story to save for WHEN you come home, there's a lot of long stories. Like how Kori has a crush on the student body pres Nathaniel Powers and visa-versa (they're such an adorable couple!!) or how there's now a British techie girl going here. Oh! How about the Amber's Halloween Party Mishap? Starring Korianna, Amber, and an accident involving soda... that one is a doozy! I swear, if you put Kori and Amber withing five feet of each other, there's bound to be some interesting (and very amusing) events that will- whatever I completely forgot what I was going to say.

I scooted a little farther away from Penni and started writing:

Hiya! This is Korianna West, and this is to Lex (I'm just going to call you that since my own best friend is names Lexsie- with an 's' though): Penni likes Ken. I repeat, Penni likes Ken. She likes him just as much as I like Nathaniel, which is a lot, just sayin'. And since I'm sure Ken is reading this... if you break my friend's heart I'll track you all the way down to Military School and castrate you with a rusty spork. Don't think I won't, after all my twin brother is Castiel! But other than that you're good! ^^ But I still have to approve of you before I give my consent for you to date Penni. Otherwise you're out of luck. So when are you coming back, Ken? Cuz I'm tired of having to chase off idiot boys who thinks they have a chance at our lovely Penni (one of which being my own friend; and boy was Lys pissed at me! O.O). You had better come back and claim what's yours cuz

The letter was snatched from my hand before I could finish. Penni was standing over me, red in the face. I could almost see the steam coming out of her ears like a cartoon. I smiled at her, “I've got his address now, so I'll just send my note to him if you don't.” I told my friend, knowing how much it would frustrate her. Penni turned even more red, if that were possible; for a moment I thought she would hit me.

*$Cha-Ching$ has signed in*

$Cha-Ching$: KORIANNA!

CrAzYArtist: Really? I thought you already blew all your anger off at me in Study Hall.

MonKeybiz: Now I'm curious what you did, Kori.

RabidsingeR: Who isn't?

GreenThumb: If it has anything to do with boys, then I'm not. Why can't we have a NORMAL discussion?

MonKeybiz: Because you happen to be the only guy here.

XxSilentBlossomxX: It is true Jade.

GreenThumb: Kori! Make Nath join!!!

RabidsingeR: Really? Then they can just flirt over the internet too.

CrAzYArtist: Thanks for talking about me like I'm not here. AND WE WOULD NOT!!

$Cha-Ching$: Hey, I have a crisis here!

XxSilentBlossomxX: Oh no! What happened?

$Cha-Ching$: Kori wrote to Ken that I like him and then blacked mailed me into sending it.

CrAzYArtist: Guilty as charged!! X3

RabidsingeR: ROTFL!!!!

MonKeybiz: Oh so cruel, Kori. I commend you!

XxSilentBlossomxX: That wasn't very nice, Korianna...

GreenThumb: I agree with Violette.

RabidsingeR: WOULD YOU TWO JUST DATE ALREADY!?!?!?!

GreenThumb: LEXSIE!

CrAzYArtist: BTW, did you know Ken apparently has a friend also names Lexie? She doesn't spell it with an 's' though.

$Cha-Ching$: Kori...

MonKeybiz: You know, I think Violette fainted...

RabidsingeR: That could be a valid reason why she's not answering.

GreenThumb: ...I'm going to murder you one day...

RabidsingeR: But you won't! ^^

$Cha-Ching$: Back on topic...

CrAzYArtist: Oh please, I know you played matchmaker that day you and Nath took me to the mall. Pretty convenient for your parents to show up JUST THEN.

$Cha-Ching$: …

MonKeybiz: 1 point to Korianna.

RabidsingeR: Tell me one person who can out-argue our friend.

GreenThumb: I can name two- Castiel and Nathaniel.

MonKeybiz: Oh, touche. :{D lol mustache!

RabidsingeR: I seriously question your sanity, Savannah...

MonKeybiz: Why do you and Kori always say that?

CrAzYArtist: Because it's true!

RabidsingeR: Like that time you made us perform live in the courtyard of the school! I told you we weren't ready for publicity!

GreenThumb: Oh geez, here they go again... talk of the old days.

$Cha-Ching$: You have to admit it is amusing to watch them...

CrAzYArtist: I don't even know why you made me play along, I can't play an instrument or sing worth a flip.

RabidsingeR: You're still the prettiest of us three. Plus you were popular back then.

CrAzYArtist: I'm not the prettiest!!

MonKeybiz: No I really think you are. Your silver hair and purple eyes really works, makes you look exotic. As opposed to Witch Eyes over here.

RabidsingeR: Or Goth Girl. Admit it Kori, you're the prettiest!

CrAzYArtist: AM NOT!

MonKeybiz: Oh really, then why are you the one with a semi-boyfriend and neither of us have even a smidgen that our crushes even notice our presence?

RabidsingeR: You might as well agree, when Savannah starts actually making sense you know that she's right.

CrAzYArtist: I. AM. NOT. THE. PRETTIEST!!

GreenThumb: She's right. I'm the prettiest, can we change the subject now?

$Cha-Ching$: XDDDDDDDDDD I think I'm going to die of laughter!!!

MonKeybiz: ...I don't even know how to respond to that...

CrAzYArtist: I think Penni has the good idea.

RabidsingeR: *cough cough* Kori's still the prettiest! *cough cough*

CrAzYArtist: LEXSIE!!!

“Ouch!” I yelped and stuck my jabbed pinkie into my mouth to try and suck away the pain. The couple in front of me shot me a strange look, but didn't pay me any other attention. I glared at the pencil that I had pricked my finger on, if it wasn't so important I would have snapped the drawing utensil out of spite. When I was sure that the pencil didn't have any other evil plots up it's sleeve, I grabbed it again, careful to keep the point away from my fingers this time, and started sketching a rough outline of the couple. I had originally meant to spend the day at the park, just drawing scenery, but then someone saw my drawings and asked if I did portraits. I was about to tell him no when the man shoved a ten dollar bill in my hand and sat his girlfriend down in front of me. After that I started up a little business of drawing people for ten dollars a drawing, twenty if they wanted it colored.

As I began finding the right curve of the woman's cheek, a shadow fell over my drawing pad. I looked up to see a sleazy looking teen, the kind normally found smoking pot down shadowy alleyways, leering down at me, “Hey there... haven't seen you here before.” He sneered. I scrunched my nose up in disgust at his breath, no wonder Castiel didn't like me coming here. The couple frowned at the guy, but didn't move. I was glad, I had already sketched them out and didn't want to ruin the pose. Besides, I could handle one druggie teen. My ex-boyfriend, Ty, was an addict as well, so I knew how to deal with drug heads. “Excuse me, I'm trying to concentrate, can you wait?” I asked politely, though I knew he wouldn't do anything. The sleaze cast a bloodshot glace at my drawing, “You're good... what do you say of drawing me?” He asked, smirking. I wanted to gag. I shot him a look, “Do you have ten bucks?” I knew he didn't, there was no way, and even if he did he probably wouldn't want to pay for a picture.

Before he could answer someone sat down beside me and threw an arm around my shoulders, “Sorry to keep you waiting, babe. This guy bothering you?” A new guy asked. The couple sighed and I gave them an apologetic look before turning to my rescuer, “Yeah...” I mumbled. The new guy shot Sleazy Druggie a cocky smile, “Begone, and stop bothering my girlfriend.” He ordered airily. Sleazy Druggie gave me a glare, as if it was my fault he had to leave, and slunk away, his greasy dreadlocks dangling low over his face in defeat. False Boyfriend grinned at me when Sleazy Druggie was gone, “So... my name is Kyle, what's yours?” The couple I was drawing groaned, exchanging knowing looks. They thought I was about to hit it off with False Boyfriend, as if. I did smile at him, knowing it would be rude not to at least thank him. “My name is Korianna, thanks for saving me, but I didn't need help.” I said. Kyle seemed to ignore that last part, “Korianna, huh? Nice name. So what are you doing right now?” I gave him a look that said 'I'm on to you', “Being paid to draw. Can I finish this couple please?” I said flatly. Kyle gave me a winning grin, “Sure, I'll go get you some ice cream while you are!” He hopped up before I could tell him no. Sighing I returned to drawing the poor couple, making sure I made it perfect, they deserved to have the best drawing I could give them after waiting patiently.

Kyle came back just as I handed the couple their finished drawing, two ice cream cones in his hand. He handed me the vanilla one, much to my dismay. At least Nathaniel knew I liked chocolate. Kyle sat down again, too close for my comfort, but considering my side was already pressed against the arm rest of the bench, I had no where to go. Kyle gave me an appraising look, “So, Korianna... where do you go to school, I think I would have noticed your white hair if you went to my high school.” I took a cautious lick of the vanilla ice cream and had to suppress the grimace, I really didn't like vanilla. “I go to Sweet Amoris.” I said nonchalantly. Kyle laughed, “Really? That place is the most drama filled school in this town.” I frowned at the guy, that comment was making him lose points, not that I cared; I was still sitting there because I was too polite to blow him off, especially after he rescued me from Sleazy Druggie. Kyle seemed to catch on to what I was thinking, he faked a cough, “Sorry...” He mumbled, looking sheepish.

I pretended to check my watch, “Excuse me, but I'm supposed to be meeting my boyfriend for lunch.” I said in a false cheerful tone. Kyle's face fell, leaving no doubt that he had been trying to flirt with me. “Bye!” I called as I walked away, waving over my shoulder as I headed for the cafe across the park. I hadn't ever eaten there myself, but it seems I was the only soul in town that hadn't, even Savannah and Lexsie had been. I was seated almost immediately, given a small two-party table in the back corner of the cafe, near the kitchen. I set my drawing supplies on the table in front of me and ducked behind my menu, lest some other creepy guy decided to hit on me today.

I hadn't even scanned the first column before my waitress was at my table, asking if I was ready to order. Talk about super service. When I didn't answer right away, she began blathering about today's special and what her favorite meal was. I ended up choosing the special, something called Slammer's Choice, which turned out to be nothing but a fully loaded hamburger, and a chocolate milkshake topped with whipped cream. I was hoping that the milkshake would help tone down on the super sweet vanilla taste still coating my tongue. I opened my drawing pad, intending to work Castiel's birthday present, a drawing of Demon, while I waited for my food.

“One Slammer's Choice and milkshake.” Someone said a little later, while I was coloring in the right eye of Demon. My head jerked up at the familiar voice and I found myself staring at Nathaniel, looking very odd out of his crisp white shirt and blue tie he always wore at school. “Korianna?” He asked, startled, proving it wasn't just my imagination. I shook my head in disbelief, “You work here? I didn't know that.” Nathaniel blushed and looked away, "Yeah... My father wants me to have a job, and this was the only place hiring." He said sheepishly. I smiled and shook my head again, this time with amusement, "Only you, Nathaniel..." The blonde's eyebrows drew together and he opened his mouth to speak, but I continued before a word could pass his lips, "I used to work at an art supply shop, it's what got me hooked on drawing. Who knows, maybe you'll become a great cook!" "I don't cook the food." Nathaniel said flatly, I shrugged playfully and grinned at him fluttering my eyelashes, "Then you'll be a great host, for when your all rich and famous and host all those fancy parties with your spoiled wife and bratty kids." The look on Nathaniel's face could curdle milk, I hid my milkshake from view just in case he ruined it.

Just as Nathaniel opened his mouth to speak, a boy our age pokes his head out of the kitchen, “Hey Nate, stop flirting with the pretty girl and come get Table 7's order!” Nathaniel rolled his golden eyes and called back, tucking his serving tray underneath his arm, “Alright, TC, be right there.” The boy, TC, grumbled something under his breath that I didn't catch and disappeared back into the kitchen. Nathaniel looked back at me, “My shift is almost done, do you want to wait around...?” He asked hesitantly. I smiled, “Of course.” I said, I could wait for Nathaniel forever, but I kept that part to myself.

vvv

I eagerly licked at my second ice cream cone of the day, this one chocolate. Nathaniel walked beside me, still laughing over my story of the flirting fiasco I had suffered before I ran into him, “I knew you were pretty, Korianna, but-” Nathaniel broke off laughing again. I rolled my purple eyes at him, “I'm going to take that as a compliment and ignore the 'but'. Also, if you ever buy me vanilla ice cream, I won't speak to you ever again.” I said snippishly. Nathaniel started to crack up again. After a while I nudged him in the ribs, “Okay, your turn to tell a funny story.” Nathaniel shrugged, “My day isn't as... interesting as yours.” He said nonchalantly. Having already suffered through one of his failed attempts at a joke, I conceded the point; Nathaniel was too serious to have funny days.

“Fine, tell me about TC, what's those initials stand for?” I asked, changing the subject. Nathaniel made a face, “Why are you thinking about getting him to flirt with you too?” He teased. I mock glared and swatted his arm, “Speak!” I demanded playfully. Nathaniel laughed and threw his arm over my shoulders and drew me closer, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, “Well, TC's real name Tyrone Cyril, so you can imagine why he goes by his initials.” I snorted, “And I thought Lexsie's full name was bad!” I said between giggles. Nathaniel smirked, “Yes... what is her full name?” I turned my nose in the air, “She made me promise not to tell. A secret is a secret and nothing, not even a kiss, will pry it from me.” I said airily, Nathaniel smirked, “Oh come on, Korianna. I told you TC's real name, and he made me promise never to tell either... I won't tell a soul.”

I looked my boyfriend up and down, pretending to consider if he was trustworthy or not. Finally I stage whispered, “You promise?” He nodded, trying to act serious, but his lips kept twitching. I glanced left and right and dramatically waved Nathaniel down. Grinning he leaned down until our faces were inches from each other. The air suddenly got a lot tenser and more serious. We stared at each other, aware how close we were. My tongue darted out to wet my lips, and Nathaniel's gold eyes zeroed in on my mouth. I couldn't believe how much I wanted him to kiss me, how much I needed him to. Nathaniel leaned even farther in, so close that I could feel the presence of his mouth, just millimeters from mine. One tiny movement and we would be kissing.

Nathaniel's eyes flicked back up to my wide ones and he smirked, “I'm not kissing you until you tell me Lexsie's name.” He said, pulling just a little farther away. I glared at him, darn his everlasting sense of cruel jokes. I think he was learning too much from the villains in those mystery books he was always reading. With one last look of surliness, I leaned up and whispered Lexsie's name in Nathaniel's ear, nipping at his earlobe just to get revenge. Nathaniel jerked back, his golden eyes wide with surprise, then he crashed his lips to mine. I guess I lied when I said a kiss wouldn't be able to pry the secret from me, because when Nathaniel finally pulled away from my tender and kiss-swollen lips, I was ready to spill any secret he asked, just so he could kiss me like that again.

I was trying to concentrate on my English paper due next week when my cell phone buzzed on my bed. It was Savannah, *U better get on ChatRoomz.* I sighed, I had specifically told my friends last night before I logged off that today I wasn't going to get on so I could finish my homework. *Homework, remember?* I texted back. Savannah's answer came quickly, *K, I just thought u might want 2 defend urself. Jades gettin pretty tired of doin the job 4 u* I blinked at the text, was it just me or did Savannah sound mad? I minimized my essay and pulled up ChatRoomzNet, dreading what was going to happen.

*CrAzYArtist has signed in*

RabidsingeR: YOU!

GreenThumb: Finally!

*GreenThumb has signed out*

RabidsingeR: HOW COULD YOU?!?!

CrAzYArtist: Whoa, whoa what did I do?

$Cha-Ching$: You staying on Savannah?

MonKeybiz: Yeah... someone needs to be the mediator.

$Cha-Ching$: Alright then I'm out, text me when the chat room is safe again.

*$Cha-Ching$ has signed out*

MonKeybiz: Will do!

RabidsingeR: Korianna Rillei West, who did you tell!?

CrAzYArtist: WHO DID I TELL WHAT?!

RabidsingeR: My ****ing name!

MonKeybiz: Hey hey, let's keep it PG.

RabidsingeR: Butt out, Savannah! It's none of your business.

MonKeybiz: Are you sure Kori is even the person who told?

RabidsingeR: Because she's the only person who actually knows my full name besides my PARENTS!

I gulped staring at the screen and suddenly understanding what Lexsie was so upset about. I quickly swiveled my chair around so I wasn't facing the computer and texted Nathaniel *Please tell me you didn't tell anyone Lexsie's full name...* It was a long moment before he answered *No, why?* *Because someone must of overheard us and told everyone else. I'm dead* Nathaniel took a while in answering, *I doubt Lexsie will kill you.* *Well if I don't show up Monday you know who to blame. I have to deal with this mess now. Bye* *Good luck O.o* I turned back to the computer screen and grimaced. I hadn't spent more than a minute texted Nathaniel but Lexsie was already shouting at me again

RabidsingeR: KORIANNA YOU COWARD, COME BACK AND FACE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!!!!!

MonKeybiz: Castiel might have had something for her to do. She hasn't logged out.

RabidsingeR: KORIANNA!! Get your butt back on and take it like a woman!

CrAzYArtist: I'm back. Geez I had to ask Nathaniel something, sorry!

RabidsingeR: What did you ask him? If he told anyone my name?

CrAzYArtist: ...yes...

MonKeybiz: Kori! O.O

RabidsingeR: WHAT?!?!? You actually did tell your boyfriend my topmost secret in the universe?! You promised never to tell!

CrAzYArtist: It's a name, Lexsie.

RabidsingeR: SO? You made a promise never to tell, and guess what, *****, you did!

MonKeybiz: Hey hey, PG remember?

CrAzYArtist: It's Nathaniel I told, do you really think I would just share with anyone? You can trust Nathaniel, he can keep a secret.

RabidsingeR: Yeah sure, that is why Amber texted me about my name this morning? Because your boyfriend can keep a secret?

*SBPrez has joined the Chat Room*

CrAzYArtist: She must have overheard us!

RabidsingeR: Uh-huh, sure. You told her AND Nathaniel! I know you did.

CrAzYArtist: Are you even listening to yourself? I hate Amber, why would I ever tell her anything besides 'get lost'?

RabidsingeR: Because you are always defending her when I try to talk bad about her.

CrAzYArtist: That's because I hate gossip and you know it!

RabidsingeR: I don't know anything about you Korianna West. I thought you were a promise keeper, but obviously you're not!

CrAzYArtist: You are over reacting, Lexsie. It is a NAME!

RabidsingeR: That you know I hate!

CrAzYArtist: You know what I find amusing? You have no qualms of spilling other people's secrets, say... Jade's crush on Violet, but I dare whisper your real name and suddenly I'm the most horrible person on Earth!

RabidsingeR: Well, if the shoe fits.

CrAzYArtist: Alright, hypocrite. I'm the most horrible person on Earth. I should just bow down to you and beg for forgiveness for all eternity, because it's obvious that I will never be able to redeem myself.

RabidsingeR: What did you call me?

CrAzYArtist: Are you so incompetent that you don't understand the word 'hypocrite'? I'll try to spell it out so you can understand: It means that you can do anything you want but God forbid someone else do the same thing. Do you understand now?

MonKeybiz: Kori... calm down.

CrAzYArtist: You asked me to defend myself, I am. So BUTT OUT!

RabidsingeR: Geez, aren't you defensive when your little innocent image is at stake. You know I'm glad I found out what you were really like so now I can just avoid you.

CrAzYArtist: I guess you'll have to give up your foolish dreams about Castiel then, since he is my twin.

SBPrez: BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!

MonKeybiz: Hey who are you? This is a private chat room, how did you get in here!?

SBPrez: I'm Nathaniel.

RabidsingeR: Great, did you tell your boy to come and defend you, Korianna? Two against one is it? You're a coward.

SBPrez: Korianna didn't invite me. Penni did. She thought I could give a better explanation.

RabidsingeR: I'm all ears, traitor.

SBPrez: Alright. I blackmailed Kori to tell me. She tried to not tell me, but I got it out of her. She also made sure no one was around before she told me and whispered your name in my ear.

RabidsingeR: So how did that *****y sister of yours know my name?

SBPrez: -_- When I asked her about it, Amber admitted to breaking into the Student Council Room and stealing some student files. She happened to grab yours, Lexsie.

*RockStar has signed in*

RockStar: So Penni told me to get on and break up a fight between Lexsie and Kori... My solution: Stop butting heads and forgive each other already. And Kori, it's your turn to make dinner.

SBPrez: Oh great...

RockStar: Please tell me that isn't who I think it is.

MonKeybiz: *gulp* Why am I suddenly in the middle of two fights?

CrAzYArtist: Lexsie?

RabidsingeR: What?

CrAzYArtist: Call a truce so we can watch Nath and Castiel fight? :)

RabidsingeR: ...alright...

SBPrez: Sorry to disappoint you, slacker.

RockStar: Say that to my face, Goody Two Shoes.

SBPrez: Gladly. You're reading the computer screen, so I said it to your face.

RockStar: I MEANT IN PERSON!!!!

SBPrez: I'm typing this in person, slacker. So I'm saying it in person.

RockStar: Stop being a ****

SBPrez: Gladly, when you do the same.

RockStar: GRRRRRRRRRR!!!! You're dead tomorrow Mr. Goody-goody!

SBPrez: You've been saying that for years, West.

RockStar: Well this time it's real, Powers.

CrAzYArtist: Ah, be silent both of you before I come after you!

SBPrez: Fine.

RockStar: HA! You're whipped, goody-goody!

I glared at my brother's response, he was going to regret that. I dug around my drawing until I came up with a small silver whistle. Sticking it in the corner of my mouth I began blowing with each breath as I continued to watch Nathaniel and Castiel fight between them. Demon began barking like crazy and I could hear loud crashing downstairs. My brother started yelling at me, but I was too busy blowing on the whistle to answer. Finally he typed on ChatRoomz:

RockStar: KORIANNA RILLEI WEST!!! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!

MonKeybiz: Huh? She's not doing anything.

CrAzYArtist: I'm blowing a doggy whistle. I thought I told you to stop fighting.

RockStar: **** it, Kori!

SBPrez: Hey, watch your language.

RockStar: Oh I remember when you used to say that, goody-goody. Don't deny it.

SBPrez: Shut up...

CrAzYArtist: Do I smell a back story?

RabidsingeR: Tell tell!

RockStar: Never.

SBPrez: For once I agree with West, I'm not telling. And you were stupid, slacker, to believe her over me.

RockStar: Oh was I? I saw you, Goody Two Shoes!

SBPrez: Ever thought that it was her fault?

RockStar: She wouldn't ever do anything like that!

SBPrez: You obviously didn't know her then.

RockStar: I'm sure you knew her.

SBPrez: As much as I would say I did just to annoy you, that would be lying.

RockStar: Yeah, right.

RockStar: KORI STOP BLOWING THAT **** WHISTLE!!

CrAzYArtist: Then stop arguing with my boyfriend. And Nathaniel, stop arguing with my brother.

SBPrez: You don't have a whistle to bother me with.

CrAzYArtist: I'm not kissing you again if you continue.

SBPrez: ...fine...

MonKeybiz: Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, you got him there, Kori!

RockStar: *gag* I think I'm going to vomit.

RabidsingeR: I'm still mad at you, but I have to say that is perfect blackmail.

CrAzYArtist: I should know, that's what Nath used to get me to tell him your name.

RabidsingeR: In that case... I guess I forgive you. Kisses are hard to abstain from.

“So... how bad do you think it will be?” Lexsie asked me and Castiel as we started up the stairs towards Sweet Amoris. My brother shrugged, not commenting. I tried to keep an optimistic view on it all, “Well, not many people really like Amber, so they will probably zone her out if she tries to talk to them and-” I cut off abruptly when the three of us entered the main hallway, my mouth dropping open a little at the sight of the redecorated halls. Everywhere there was papers taped to the lockers and walls, scattered over the floors, and in neat stacks by the doors. Every last one had Lexsie's student ID photo and her full name printed in capital letters across the page in red ink. If that wasn't injury enough, drooping from the ceiling was a white banner that said LEXSIE LIARD IS LEXSINGTON CONCORD LIARD!!* Castiel and I exchanged worried looked over Lexsie's head then looked down at our friend. She actually looked like she was going to cry.

Some jerk spotted us standing there at the entrance of the school and shouted, “Hey! There's the Walking History Book!” Everyone standing in the hall started laughing. Castiel glared and stalked towards the source of the jerk, murder written clearly on his face. Everyone made a clear path for my brother, giving me a clear view of the idiot who opened his mouth and signed his death warrant. I only knew it was him because Lysander had the guy by the collar, the usually laid back musician looking about as murderous as Castiel. Seeing that the boys had it handled, I nudged Lexsie towards the Student Council Room, knowing that she would be able to escape the scrutiny there. This reminded me too much of my own problem when Amber decided to doctor my art and show her work to everyone else.

Nathaniel glanced up when we entered the room, his gold eyes serious. He didn't say anything as I forcibly sat Lexsie down in one of the chairs, since she was too stunned to do so herself. I walked over to my boyfriend, “Is there anything you're doing?” I whispered, with a cautious look to Lexsie. She just sat there, her green eyes hazed over as every nightmare over her name probably came to life. I felt sorry for my best friend, nothing could compare to having your worst nightmares realized. Nathaniel looked at Lexsie as well before saying quietly, “I already had my sister suspended. Someone went to get a ladder to take that stupid banner down and Savannah, Penni, Iris and Lysander are collected the fliers as we speak.” I nodded and sat down beside him with a sigh, “Man... I don't want to deal with this.” I grumbled to myself. Nathaniel reached out and took my hand, “You need to be there for Lexsie. She was there for you when Amber bullied you.” He said. I nodded slowly, he was right of course. He always was when it came to things like this.

My brother burst in at that moment and Nathaniel dropped my hand quickly. I schooled my face so not to show the hurt as I turned to my brother. Castiel was glaring at Nathaniel, for whether he saw us holding hands or for another reason (which was plausible), “I'm taking Lexsie home.” He growled, it wasn't a question. Nathaniel narrowed his own golden eyes, “You don't have guardianship over her. She cannot leave without parental consent.” I sighed, of course the two boys in my life would find something to argue over in the midst of a crisis. Lexsie didn't even seem to acknowledge that she was being talked about, she sat in her chair as still as a statue. As I watched her, my friend drew in a shuddering breath, like those when you were crying, and burst into tears.

Nathaniel and Castiel halted in their argument to stare at Lexsie, both looking extremely uncomfortable to be in the presence of a girl's tears. I glared at them both for being idiots before I sat down beside Lexsie and pulling her into my arms. Lexsie didn't notice, she just continued to sob. Fat tears rolled down her face, leaving black trails from her mascara as huge gasping wails shook her body. Her hands were curled up in front over her, as if trying to hold her heart in. I shushed her, petting away her shoot green highlighted black hair away from her wet cheeks. Lexsie continuously shook, like a small dog in the cold. her face turning blotchy red. Crying was never beautiful, no matter how many movies made them. It was an ugly business, to be seen only by those closest to you. But even I had never seen Lexsie cry, she was an impenetrable wall, holding all tears inside to be saved for a later time.

I shot a nasty glare over my shoulder at Castiel and Nathaniel, who still stood there dumbly, staring at poor Lexsie. Guys should never see a girl cry, it was an unwritten rule. Especially when one of the guys happened to be a crush. Nathaniel was the first to recover, probably used to seeing Amber cry over nothing, he practically had to shove a still stunned Castiel out of the room, shutting the door behind him. The faint click of the door shutting sent Lexsie into a full out bawling fest, it was as if she had been waiting for the boys to leave so she could let her reservoir of tears loose. I just held my friend tightly, knowing that no words or friendly gestures could stop such a flood.

...

$Cha-Ching$: So... you think she's getting on?

MonKeybiz: Probably not.

CrAzYArtist: Castiel took her out for ice cream, because ice cream makes everything better.

MonKeybiz: I worry about your philosophy sometimes, Kori.

CrAzYArtist: It's not mine! It's a West family belief!

$Cha-Ching$: All of you West's are strange.

GreenThumb: Remind me never to meet your parents...

SBPrez: I wish I could say the same.

CrAzYArtist: If you want to truly date me, Nathaniel Powers, then you have to meet my dad. It's the law.

SBPrez: It is not the law.

CrAzYArtist: It is in the West family. My father has to approve of every single guy I ever date.

MonKeybiz: So how did Ty pass the Great Test of the Century?

CrAzYArtist: Don't get snarky with me... and that little prick could charm a homeless man into giving up his last pair shoes.

SBPrez: So why did you two break up?

MonKeybiz: Oh you know, cheated on Kori then tried to make it as if she was the reason he cheated. The usual stuff.

GreenThumb: Ouch.

MonKeybiz: Yeah, Lexsie knocked a few of his teeth out when she heard about it.

SBPrez: Should I be worried?

CrAzYArtist: Just don't screw up and you'll be fine. But Lexsie would be the least of your worries if you ever did anything to hurt me. I know Castiel is looking for a chance to lay into you.

SBPrez: WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON?!?!?!?!

CrAzYArtist: My side. CX

MonKeybiz: Okay lovebirds, we have a serious crisis on our hands. What are we going to do about Lexsie?

CrAzYArtist: I'm sure if something evil happened to you the best thing to cheer you up would be to go get ice cream with Lysander. Trust me, it's being handled.

MonKeybiz: ...I hate you...

$Cha-Ching$: Is it bad that I'm laughing so hard?

GreenThumb: No... So Penni, any news from Ken?

$Cha-Ching$: o///////o HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?!?

MonKeybiz: Kori have you been spilling secrets again?

CrAzYArtist: I take offense to that.

SBPrez: I thought we cleared this up last night.

MonKeybiz: Nath stop standing up for your girlfriend! Let her answer the question.

CrAzYArtist: I did Savannah. I said I take offense to that, meaning NO!

SBPrez: Nath?

$Cha-Ching$: You're name takes to long to spell out, so we shorten it on chat.

SBPrez: Savannah's name is only a letter shorter than mine...

CrAzYArtist: But her name shortened sounds weird. Savan doesn't have a ring to it.

MonKeybiz: Plus it sounds like a guys name...

SBPrez: So... Savannah is the only person who doesn't have a nickname?

CrAzYArtist: And Castiel and Jade and Ken.

$Cha-Ching$: Actually Ken's real name is Kentin, so yes he had a nickname.

SBPrez: I wasn't counting Castiel.

CrAzYArtist: You might as well start, buster. He's my brother which means your going to be seeing him a lot.

MonKeybiz: Careful what you say, Nath, Kori loves her brother.

��SBPrez: Don't call me Nath, please.

MonKeybiz: Why not?

SBPrez: Reasons I don't wish to share yet.

CrAzYArtist: You're just as closed off as Castiel sometimes.

GreenThumb: Oooooooooo, burn!

SBPrez: Shut up Jade...

MonKeybiz: Well I'm not going to stop calling you Nath until you tell me. So there!

*RabidsingeR has signed in*

CrAzYArtist: LEXSIE! How are you feeling?!

RabidsingeR: better... you're right, Kori. That ice cream philosophy works wonders.

CrAzYArtist: HA! Take that suckers!

MonKeybiz: We never said you were wrong.

$Cha-Ching$: Just strange.

GreenThumb: And that we never wanted to meet your parents.

SBPrez: *eye roll* All of you are nuts. Why do I get on is beyond me.

*RockStar has signed in*

SBPrez: Bye, Korianna! See you at school!

*SBPrez has signed out*

RockStar: At least I don't have to deal with that goody-goody tonight.

CrAzYArtist: You do realize how stupid you sound when you call him a 'goody-goody' right?

RockStar: Shut it, Kori.

CrAzYArtist: NEVER!!! Mwahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!

RockStar: I'm not related to you.

CrAzYArtist: So... you don't want to be with your non-related family when Nathaniel meets Dad?

RockStar: I'm related to you again.

CrAzYArtist: Too bad! You're not going! XD

MonKeybiz: Hey, let someone else have a chance to speak, CRH!

$Cha-Ching$: CRH?

GreenThumb: What does that mean?

RabidsingeR: Oh, you two aren't new to the chat room atmosphere. CRH means Chat Room Hogs. It's for people who take all the spotlight

CrAzYArtist: I think they got that without the explanation, Lexsie...

RockStar: KORI! Stop being a prick.

CrAzYArtist: A. Who are you and what have you don't with my brother? B. Who are you and WHAT ON EARTH HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY BROTHER!? C. I'm not going to be pussyfooting around her. That is the last thing she needs.

MonKeybiz: Awwwww, Castiel is so cute when he's all protective.

CrAzYArtist: Castiel stop cursing, you're burning my ears.

RockStar: I'LL STOP WHEN YOU STOP BLOWING THAT **** DOG WHISTLE!!!!

CrAzYArtist: It's the only way to make you behave. Besides, it keeps Demon happy.

MonKeybiz: It is effective.

RockStar: Kori, go to bed before I call Mom and tell her you're still up.

GreenThumb: You still have a bed time? Even when both of you live without adults supervision?

CrAzYArtist: There's a flaw in your plan, Castiel. When on earth has Mom EVER enforced our bedtime? And I know you won't call Dad, because you'll both just start arguing.

RockStar: STOP BLOWING THAT GOD**** WHISTLE!

CrAzYArtist: Then stop being stupid. I have homework anyway, good night everyone! (except Castiel)

GreenThumb: You don't think she's mad right?

MonKeybiz: Kori? Naw, the twins just like arguing for fun. It's actually kinda funny.

RockStar: Shut up Lucky...

MonKeybiz: YOU PROMISED NEVER TO USE THAT NICKNAME AGAIN!!!

*CrAzYArtist has signed off*

I shook my head and shut down my computer. As I pulled out my math textbook to work on the problems due Friday, my phone buzzed. I glanced at it then smiled when I saw what Nathaniel sent me. *Sweet dreams, Korianna* I unlocked my phone and texted back: *Don't let the bedbugs bite ;)* Though I had only been dating him for a few weeks, my relationship with Nathaniel was already better than that of Ty. I hoped it continued that way.

Monday we were back at school, a mass of yawning zombies just wishing for those ten more minutes in our heavenly bed. Everyone except Nathaniel of course. He was bright eyed and energetic when I came stumbling in the Student Council Room, groggy like always. My golden haired boyfriend raised an eyebrow as I plopped down in the closest chair, “When do you go to bed, Korianna?” He asked as he returned to his task of filing away a file. I raised my head a little from the table to glare at him, “Less talking, more sleeping.” I spat. Nathaniel, bless his soul, didn't respond. I laid my head down on the table again, letting a small happy sigh escape my lips. There was fifteen minutes to the morning bell, maybe I could get at least ten minutes of dozing if I just laid there, thinking of how tired I was...

The door burst open, “Nathaniel! You wouldn't believe- Oh.” I twisted around to glare at Melody. Lexsie, Penni, and Iris all stood behind her. Lexsie was the only one who wasn't surprised, she just giggled behind her hand. Lexsie knew I wasn't a morning person, and she found great amusement when other people discovered how grouchy I could really be. I saw Nathaniel roll his eyes in my peripheral vision, “Korianna, try going to bed earlier if you can't get enough sleep.” He said. I shot him a glare as I laid my head back down, grumbling, “Tell Castiel that, then maybe he would stop playing the stupid guitar at midnight.” Luckily Nathaniel didn't hear me. No need to give him another reason to hate my twin.

vvv

“And so... if you carry the two, you will get that the function of the graph equals...” Mr. Gordon said monotonously. Half of the class was already nodding off, their eyes drooping closed, while the other half of the class were keeping themselves entertained with whatever. Only the geeks who found mathematics fascinating were actually paying any attention to Mr. Gordon. Even Nathaniel, sitting a row over and a seat ahead of me, was only half listening. He held his pen in one hand, but his eyes were on the book he was reading, hidden carefully behind the student sitting in front of him. I dug my fingers into my white hair and yanked subtly, trying to wake myself up, as I continued to doodle all over my math notes.

Charlotte, Amber's friend, leaned over to whisper to me, “Hey, did you get question five on the Physics homework?” I glanced at her, Charlotte was actually okay when she wasn't with the two other members of the Terrible Trio. Although, Penni was convinced Li was the nicer of the three. Still, neither couldn't be as bad as Amber. Charlotte had been a little nicer to me since the cruel prank Amber pulled with the artwork. I pulled out my homework and quickly passed it to Charlotte when Mr. Gordon wasn't looking. I knew helping Charlotte would be helping Amber in a way, but I didn't care. “Here, I don't know if it's correct or not, though. I haven't had a chance to ask Nathaniel.” I whispered to Charlotte. She smiled her thanks and snatched the paper quickly just as Mr. Gordon was turning around.

“Korianna West. What is the answer to the problem?” The teacher asked. I felt something shrivel up and die, “Uhhh...” Was the only sound that came out of my mouth. Of all my subjects, I was worse at math more than anything. Instinctively I glanced at Nathaniel. My boyfriend was half looking over his shoulder, the corner of his mouth that I could see was tilting up in a pitying smile. One of the geeks was waving his hand wildly in the air, his eyes wide with determination to answer the question. Mr. Gordon ignored him, no one but the person he called on could ever answer the question, his beady little eyes glaring at me, “We're waiting, Miss West.” “X equals x squared over four x to the fifth.” Everyone turned to see who dared disobey Mr. Gordon's orders. Not only was Mr. Gordon the most boring teacher in the history of school, he was also the evilest.

Mr. Gordon glared at Castiel who was hunched over in the back of the room, lolling across the desk. It was obvious he had just woken up. Lexsie, sitting to the right of him, had her eyes glued to her notebook. She didn't like being called out by teachers, having a fear of speaking in front of a crowd greater than ten. “Castiel West, have you been sleeping in this class?” Mr. Gordon asked my brother. Castiel, being Castiel, smirked, “Yeah... could you tone down on the talking? It's disturbing my sleep.” In one movement everyone turned to look at Mr. Gordon, who was looking very red. I could almost see the steam rolling off him. Nathaniel didn't look very pleased either, I knew he had a big thing about respect. Right then, I didn't care. I wasn't in the spotlight anymore, my twin had taken the hit and that's what twins are for.

vvv

“So where were all of you this weekend? You didn't even get on ChatRoomz!” I asked over lunch. Savannah shifted in her seat, her face downcast. The picture of guilt. Penni quickly shoved another slice of roast beef into her mouth, preventing her from answering. Lexsie was the only one who looked me in the eye, “We all went to Melody's birthday party.” She said flatly, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. And it would have been, had Melody not have a crush on my boyfriend, “Wait, what?” I asked, not sure I heard her right. Savannah pipped up, “We didn't go because we wanted to! We thought we would find out why Melody liked Nathaniel or whatever.” She looked frantic, her purple hair actually frizzing out of her braids as she spoke. Lexsie shot her a look, “Savannah's right. We only went to tell Melody that her little crush was useless.”

I blinked and sat back, “Let me guess, the reason why I didn't even know of the party was because Melody didn't want me to know... right?” I asked. My three friends exchanged looks. I rolled my eyes, “You could have told me you were going. It makes you look stupid that you didn't.” Penni ducked her head, “I know... we weren't thinking. Forgive us?” I stared at each friend for a long time, until all three were uncomfortable. Then I grinned, “I will... if you have anything interesting to tell me.” “Lysander has a tattoo on his back! Rosalya told me!” Savannah blurted out. Lexsie smacked her upside the head, “Dummy, we're not supposed to tell.” I shook my head, “Not interested anyway.” “Capucine said some very rude things about you.” Penni added. I rolled my eyes, “I don't care what that wannabe thinks of me.” I said then turned to Lexsie sitting directly across from me. This was their last chance to redeem themselves. I would forgive them anyway, I just wanted to tease them a little. Lexsie smirked, “I know why Amber has a crush on Castiel. And it has something to do with Nathaniel.”

I perked up and leaned forward, now that was interesting. Lexsie giggled, “First of all, explain how Castiel and Amber could know each other when they were younger.” I sighed, “My family is actually from here, but we moved when Castiel and I were about four.” Savannah conceded the point, “That would explain why Castiel chose to live here when your dad kicked him out...” She muttered to herself. I ignored her and pointed at Lexsie, “Speak, firecracker.” My black haired friend glared at me, but said, “Now I don't know the full details, but apparently Nathaniel and Castiel are like polar opposites of what they are now. Nathaniel was supposedly the bad boy and Castiel the perfect angel.” I rolled my eyes again, “Well duh, you grew up with us, remember? Castiel was really nice when we were younger. It wasn't until junior high that he went all crazy.” Lexsie waved her hand and continued, “Well the story goes along the lines of Nathaniel broke Amber's doll or whatever and Castiel fixed it. She's had a crush ever since.”

Penni snorted, “If she wasn't such a bitch, I'd say it was cute...” She grumbled. I didn't bother to snap at her for her swearing. What she said was true. Lexsie huffed and crossed her arms, “Besides, it's cruel to support Amber being with Castiel when one of your own friends has a crush on him.” “Who has a crush on me?” Castiel asked from behind me. I nearly jumped three feet in the air and turned to see Castiel staring down at us girls, eyebrows raised curiously, with Lysander watching behind him looking extremely amused. Lexsie miraculously didn't seem fazed by it, “None of your business, West.” Castiel smirked at her as he sat down beside me, across from Penni, “Someone has a crush on me, I think it is my business.” I tuned the conversation out as the two started debating if it was Castiel's right to know who was crushing on him or not. Lysander sat down in front of Savannah, “Nice dress.” He commented. Savannah, going all shy once more, eeped and blushed. My eyes darted between the two as a sly grin pushed up the corners of my mouth, this was getting interesting.

…

*$Cha-Ching$ has signed in*

CrAzYArtist: Savannah and Lys sitting in a tree!

RabidsingeR: K I S S I N G!

CrAzYArtist: First comes love!

RabidsingeR: Then comes MARRIAGE!

MonKeybiz: SHUT THE HELL UP YOU TWO!

CrAzYArtist: THEN COMES BABIES IN A BABY CARRIAGE!!!!!

RabidsingeR: One with white hair and one with black,

CrAzYArtist: And two adopted aunts who've got your back!

MonKeybiz: ...jerks...

$Cha-Ching$: Uh... what did I miss?

RockStar: Oh, Kori and Lexsie are just teasing Savannah about Lysander. Ever since we all logged on.

SBPrez: It's starting to get annoying.

RockStar: For once, I agree with you Powers.

GreenThumb: The universe must be ending...

RockStar: Jade, I will end you.

CrAzYArtist: Hey! Stop terrorizing my friends, Castiel!

MonKeybiz: Oh he can't, but you can?!

RabidsingeR: What you didn't like our song? I'm hurt

MonKeybiz: Not yet you're not... when I get through with the both of you you'll know what hurt really means!

RabidsingeR: RUN! Lucky is making threats!!

MonKeybiz: LEXSSSSSSSSSSSSIE!!!!!!! Stop using that name!

CrAzYArtist: What name, Lucky?

RockStar: Alright you two, as amusing as it is to see Savannah angry, dial it down.

RabidsingeR: Phooey, I hate it when you get all responsible, Castiel...

MonKeybiz: He needs to be if he ever marries you...

RabidsingeR: SAVANNAH!

RockStar: What?

GreenThumb: I shouldn't be laughing so hard...

$Cha-Ching$: You're not the only one... XDDDDDDDD

CrAzYArtist: Lexsie and Castiel sitting in a tree!

MonKeybiz: K I S S I N G!

CrAzYArtist: First comes love!

MonKeybiz: Then comes MARRIAGE!

CrAzYArtist: THEN COMES A BABY IN A BABY CARRIAGE!

MonKeybiz: And one of the hip!

CrAzYArtist: And one pulling Castiel's hair!

MonKeybiz: And one running naked through the streets!

SBPrez: Now I'm worried...

RabidsingeR: SAVANNAH KNIGHT! KORIANNA WEST!

I was just about to type out my answer when I heard Castiel roaring my name as his footsteps thundered up the stairs. I winced, maybe it wasn't just a good idea to tease someone when they were under the same roof.

CrAzYArtist: NATHANIEL! I need a get away! Castiel's coming to kill me! Meet you at the park!

SBPrez: *sigh* the things I do for you... fine

*CrAzYArtist has signed out*

*SBPrez has signed out*

After snapping my laptop closed I grabbed a pair of sandals and climbed out of the window and onto the fire escape just as my brother began beating against my locked door, “Korianna Rillei West! You are dead, do you understand me?! Say your last prayers, pest, because I'm going to kill you and send you back home in a box!” I laughed as I started for the fire escape ladder, “You're just repeating yourself Castiel. Can't you make up a better threat. By the way, I'll be home whenever!” I didn't hear his response as I quickly descended the ladder, barely escaping with my life.

“I wish you would put something on that covered you more.” Castiel muttered for the hundredth time. I rolled my eyes, “Look buster. You're not my father so you can keep your comments to yourself.” I snapped, not bothering to look up from the book I was reading. Castiel glared at me, “No, but I am your older brother and the one responsible for you since Mom and Dad live in another town.” I pushed my sunglasses farther up my nose and ignored him. He was only older by two minutes, so it really shouldn't count, but I knew if I told Castiel that he'd start getting logical on me and I didn't want that. It was summer vacation and after much begging I finally managed to drag Castiel down to the beach. I was starting to regret my decision since all he did was throw a tantrum over my bikini bathing suit.

The false red head opened his mouth, no doubt to start another round of bikini lectures and the danger of lustful teenage boys, when I ripped my sunglasses off to glare at him, “Look, before you say another word, just think of your reaction if Lexsie would come marching up here in a even skimpier black bikini.” I snapped, shoving an accusing finger at my brother's bare chest. Castiel glared at me, but shut his mouth. So he knew that that would be a pointless argument to get into. I smirked, “Good, cuz here she comes.” I said slyly and pointed over my twin's shoulder to the black haired girl sauntering up to us. I don't know who's reaction was more amusing when Castiel turned around: Lexsie's bright blush or Castiel's mouth dropping open. I cackled, “Need to step into the cold ocean for a moment, Castiel?” I asked sweetly and got two equally dirty looks from both Castiel and Lexsie. I just smiled as I returned to my book. And here I thought I wasn't going to get a chance to play matchmaker.

“I thought you went home with Savannah.” Castiel commented to Lexsie as she sat down at the edge of my beach towel, her back facing me. Lexsie shrugged, “I was, but I figured it would be more fun here then at home with my parents nagging at me to get a summer job.” I sighed exaggeratedly, “Poor Savannah... she doesn't get to be around her crush all summer.” “KORI!” Lexsie screeched and turned to me, her face red. I grinned up at my best friend, “What? I was just commenting that she won't be able to hang out with Lysander, is all.” I said innocently. Lexsie glared at me, she knew what and who I really meant. Castiel, being the blockhead that he was, looked confused, “Savannah likes Lys?” He asked. I rolled my eyes at him, “Well duh, why do you think Lexsie and I made up that song to sing to her on ChatRoomz?” I asked. Castiel shrugged, “Because you two are idiots. I'm going to walk Demon.” My brother said as he stood, the dog's leash already in his hand. Demon pranced around his master's legs, panting happily. Castiel started walking away before something made him stop, he turned back to Lexsie and I, “Oh and... I'm not going to help you crash another date for him, got it?” Castiel growled. I smiled happily and waved my hand, “Don't worry, I want them together. They're perfect for each other. Go, walk your slobber monster, and try not to get dragged in the dust.” I said. Castiel gave me a sour look before walking off, Demon already pulling hard on his leash, wanting to run.

Once my brother was out of earshot, Lexsie turned on me, “I can't believe you did that!” She hissed. I smiled as I turned over on my stomach, and opening my book, “Oh boo-hoo, he didn't notice I was talking about you. Castiel is a hard head, remember? And very dense when it comes to girls that like him. Remember Amanda? Or Christie?” Lexsie humphed and crossed her arms in a pout, “Yessss...” She ground out, no doubt trying to forget those awful snotty girls who thought they were in love with Castiel. Their mistake was they were cruel to Lexsie and me, whom Castiel was very protective over, and thus ruining their chances of every landing a date with the 'hottest guy in school'. I grinned and continued listing off names, “Or Georgia? Or Jessica? Or Sarah? Or Renee? Or-” “I get it!” Lexsie snapped and I broke off with a giggle. My friend was so fun to tease. I opened my mouth to tease her some more, when Lexsie sighed, her shoulders slumping, “I get it... I don't have a chance with him. I'm just another girl who likes Castiel...” She said dejectedly. I blinked at her, did she really think herself like that?

I smacked her up side the head. Hard. Lexsie startled and turned to stare at me, her green eyes wide while I glared at her, “None of that self-pity, missy. A lot of girls like Castiel, sure, but do you know what he thinks of those girls?” I asked. Lexsie shook her head slowly. I smiled evilly, “He thinks they're all shallow insects that care more about the fact that their in a relationship than who they're in a relationship with.” Lexsie was starting to look down again, so I hurried and added, “And do you know what he thinks of you?” Immediately Lexsie perked up, her attention zeroing on me. I silently prayed that Castiel forgave me for telling Lexsie something that was supposed to be kept between the two of us, “He thinks you're, and I quote, 'an original who knows who and what she is.'” I poked Lexsie in the cheek, “Now, are you going to tell me that you don't have a chance with my brother again? Cuz I have plenty other proof that says you're the best pick.” I said teasingly.

Lexsie giggled like a normal girl, “Does he really say that?” She asked, a blush riding up her cheeks. I rolled my eyes, wondering what monster I had created, “Yes, but if you dare mention I spilled, Castiel will murder me and then you'll be without your best friend. Plus Nathaniel will murder Castiel and then you'll be without your future hubby.” Lexsie's happy little blush when darker with anger, “KORIANNA WEST!!” She snapped and I burst out laughing, glad she was back to normal. Fortunately, before Lexsie could get a hold of my neck, someone behind us asked, “Uh... why would I kill Castiel?” Lexsie and I both turned to see Nathaniel standing behind us, his golden head tilted curiously. I brightened, “Hey I thought your family was still in the Caribbean!” When Nathaniel told me that his family was vacationing on some island in the Caribbean, something they did every year, I thought he meant he would be gone all summer.

“Obviously not.” A voice I really didn't want to hear said behind Nathaniel. Lexsie groaned, “Great. Just when I thought I could get away from you.” My friend said, glaring at Amber who was standing there haughtily. I kicked Lexsie's foot, “Be nice.” I said through clenched teeth, I really didn't want to reprimand her, but Amber was Nathaniel's sister so I might as well try to be nice. Not that Amber was making the job easy for me, “Yeah, Lexington, be a good puppy and obey your girlfriend.” The blonde haired girl sneered. Nathaniel took a deep breath, his golden eyes looking heavenwards as if to ask for help. Meanwhile I was too busy trying to keep Lexsie from tearing Amber's throat out. Amber, apparently not realizing her death was emanate, laughed, “Geez, Korianna, I didn't know you had such a hard time keeping your girlfriends. Maybe you should let her go, she obviously doesn't want to be near you anymore. Can't really blame her.” I was awfully tempted to do what Amber was suggesting and let Lexsie murder the girl.

Luckily for Amber, her brother finally turned to her, “Amber, stop it.” He said lowly. Amber frowned at Nathaniel, “I'm only playing around. I don't see why none of you can get jokes.” She said in a fake hurt voice. Nathaniel gave her a look, “You're jokes are hurtful. Stop it.” Amber's blue-green eyes filled up with crocodile tears, “Why are you being so m-mean to me?!” Amber wailed, bringing almost everyone's attention to us. My boyfriend looked like he was at the end of his rope. He turned to us, “Sorry, I'll be back.” He apologized before dragging his sister off. Lexsie and I glanced at each other, the black haired firecracker looked like she was about so say something when Castiel came back... with a new friend.

“Kori, do you have a first aid kit?” Castiel asked as he practically shoved the girl down on his towel. Lexsie and I blinked at the newcomer than at each other. Castiel glowered down at us, Demon's leash clutched tightly in his fist, “Do you?” He growled. I rolled my eyes at my older twin and yanked my beach bag closer to me, digging through the massive thing to find the small first aid kit I had brought. Lexsie looked surprised, “Wait, you mean you actually brought that a kit?!” Even the new girl looked shocked. I snorted and jerked my thumb at the happy slobbering Demon, “With that monster out in public, of course. Trust me, this isn't the first time he's caused a riot.” Castiel looked offended for his dog, who just barked. The mysterious girl flinched away from Demon, her sea green eyes fearful of the animal. I smiled at her as I produced the little white box from the bottom of my beach bag, “Don't worry about him, Demon's all bark and no bite... with the occasional accidents.” The girl didn't answer me as she put her wrist out, showing the sand scrape from wear she hit the ground.

Lexsie winced in sympathy, “I know how that feels. First time I ever held his leash, Demon yanked my feet out from under me and made me scrape my knee. But the Slobber Monster is just a big softie.” The black haired girl told the ginger. Castiel glared down at Lexsie, “He's a guard dog, he's not supposed to be a 'softie.'” My brother snapped. Lexsie rolled her eyes at him, “Well then you might want to talk to him, because Demon is the wimpiest dog I know.” I rolled my eyes at the two arguing, “Oi, lovebirds. Take the argument, and the Slobber Monster, elsewhere.” I snapped and earned two glares. I grinned, “Why don't you go get ice cream to cool off?” I asked innocently then tossed a few bills at Lexsie, who snatched at them hurriedly before they got blown away by the breeze, “Go on then. I'm busy.” I said, shooing the two away before they could argue with me. Shooting me sour glares the two hotheads left, Demon prancing between them, his stubby little tail waving madly.

With them gone, I smiled at the shy girl, “Hi! Don't mind those two, they're just blockheads. My name is Korianna West. That guy is my twin, Castiel, in case you didn't know. And the black haired girl was Lexsie Liard. What's your name?” I chatted away. The ginger silently watched me as I applied disinfectant spray, not even flinching at the sting, and putting on a large cotton bandage. When I was finished she retracted her hand, cradling it against her chest, “Eva... Eva Biaglow.” She whispered so lowly I almost didn't hear her. I smiled, well at least she was talking. I settled down on my towel, turning so I faced the ocean. “Yeah. Hey are you new here? Or do you just go to another school. I go to Sweet Amoris.” Eva shook her head, “No... I just moved.” I glanced at the quiet girl. She was more shy than Savanna and Violette combined! “Oh, do you know where you'll be going to school yet?” Eva nodded, “Sweet Amoris.” She said quickly. I sighed, this conversation was feeling more like an interview. I hoped Castiel and Lexsie got back soon with that ice cream, and I hoped they were considerate enough to get me some!

I heard rustling and glanced up to see Eva standing, “I have to go. Thank you.” She murmured and left without another word. I watched her go, her head down as she scurried across the beach as fast as she could without running. I raised an eyebrow before turning back to face the ocean, well that was odd.

vvv

It turned out that Lexsie and Castiel not only forgot about my ice cream, but they seemed to forget that I existed altogether. Both disappeared on me like they were never around in the first place. I scoffed and laid down on my towel, leave it to those two that the time they decided to go all doe eyed and finally admit to their feelings (at least I hoped) was when they had someone else with their party. Oh well, at least they weren't making out in front of me and making me feel like the very awkward third wheel. I reached into my beach bag of wonders and pulled out a novel. Just as I was turning to my dogeared place someone cleared their throat behind me. I laid my head back so I was looking at the person upside down. “Yes?” I asked politely.

The guy smirked, his chest, and a very fine one I had to notice, puffed out, “Hey, I'm Dake and you're hot.” My polite expression fell flat as I stared at him, was he really that obtuse? Did he think a name and one stupid compliment would get him anywhere? I turned my gaze back to my book, resting my right arm under my head to serve as a pillow, “That's nice. Now go away.” I said flatly. Scratch just forgetting about me, I was going to murder Lexsie and Castiel for forgetting about me and not saving me from obvious flirts like this guy! The guy wasn't so easily deterred, “Aw, come on, babe. I know you're not that cruel. You stole my heart, being as lovely as you are.” Dake said as he came and sat down beside me. Flat Look numero dos was sent his way, “So, you're saying that beauty is the only thing that matters to you? Can you be more shallow?” I snapped. The guy didn't take it as an insult, “When it comes to you, I'll be anything!” The flirt declared. My eyes gleamed, “Oh really, can you be nothing but a bad memory?” I asked sarcastically. Dake chuckled, “Come on, sweets, I know you're playing hard to get. You want me, I can tell.” He said confidently. I wanted to hit him, “You're right... I want you gone.” I growled and turned my eyes back to my book, determined to ignore him. Mildly I hoped I didn't set the pages on fire with my glare.

Suddenly the book was gone from my hands, I shot straight up, “Hey! Give that back you jerk!” I yelled and reached out to take the book Dake was dangling from his fingers. “First, a kiss.” He said and leaned in his cheek ready for a peck he obviously thought he was getting. I would love to disappoint him. As my fingers curled into a fist and my arm went back, ready to knock a few teeth out of this idiot, someone grabbed my elbow, “I do believe she asked you to leave her alone.” Nathaniel growled harshly. Dake blinked up at the golden haired guy then down at me, as I tried to scorch him with my glare. He was soooooo lucky Nathaniel came along when he did, otherwise Dake the Flirt would be a few teeth shy of a full smile. The guy scoffed and stood, “Fine fine, I can see I'm not wanted... see ya, baby.” Dake said airily, trying to brush off the fact that he had just been rejected. I rolled my eyes as he walked away, muttering, “Apparently you can't...”

Nathaniel sat down beside me, giving me a strange look. I smiled brightly at him, “Thanks for saving me!” I said then leaned in to give him a little kiss on the cheek. Nathaniel raised an amused eyebrow, “Where's Lexsie?” He asked. I shrugged, “Eh, her and Castiel went to find ice cream a while ago. They better have a good 'we had a frank discussion of emotions and we're now dating' story if they want me to forgive them...” I grumbled. Nathaniel laughed and sat back, his hands propping himself up. I leaned against his sun warmed side, smiling, “What happened to Amber?” I asked curiously. Nathaniel shrugged, “She had an allergic reaction to some nuts and had to go home.” I blinked, “Oh.” I really didn't know what to say. Yeah I was glad she was out of the way so I could spend some time with my boyfriend, but- “Is she okay?” I asked. Nathaniel nodded, his eyes closing as he turned his face to the sun, “Yeah. She's not that allergic. Not the way I am to pollen, or my mom to cats.” I giggled, “What's your dad allergic to?” I asked teasingly.

Nathaniel cracked one eye to glare at me, “Ha ha, very funny.” My boyfriend said sarcastically before grabbing me by the waist and letting us both flop back, my torso securely pressed against his chest. I blushed madly, “Nathaniel...” I said and tried to ease up from his chiseled chest. Mildly I wondered why on earth a student body president would have such a nice body. The boy beneath me gave an amused snort and tightened his arms around my waist before tilting his head up to nuzzle my neck. My breath hitched when I felt his smiling lips press into the soft skin under my jawbone. I tried to push away again, but Nathaniel stopped me by latching on to my earlobe with his teeth. A tiny gasp escaped my mouth when he tugged, my heart fluttering like some flighty bird in a cage. Before I had time to respond, Nathaniel flipped us over so I was on bottom and he was laying halfway on top of me. Slowly Nathaniel traveled up and down my neck, taking his sweet time to explore ever inch of skin with his mouth. He buried his nose in the defined hollow of my throat, kissing the skin just below it periodically.

With a barely suppressed groan Nathaniel finally leaned up to capture my mouth with his. His tongue probed against my bottom lip, asking for entrance. My lips seemed to part on their own accord and Nathaniel's tongue dipped in, giving me a whole new sense of the word 'kiss'. My mind drew a blank on everything; where we were, what day it was, the fact that Castiel could walk up on us at any time, even my own name slipped away briefly. I seemed to forget that Ty used to kiss me like that all the time, that every time the jerk kissed me he would forcibly shove his tongue down my throat. Nathaniel's kiss was more, so much more, in ways I couldn't begin to explain. I moaned into his mouth, my hands running over his bare chest to his golden hair, my fingers tangling in those locks. Nathaniel seemed to enjoy my reaction and stroked the roof of my mouth with his tongue as a reward. I groaned again. Nathaniel retracted his wet muscle from my mouth and sank his teeth gently into my lower lip, drawing back slowly so that his teeth scraped against the tender flesh. “Nathaniel...” I groaned, my breaths coming in at shallow pants.

Hearing his name must have shook some sense into him, for Nathaniel leaned back, looking about as breathless as I was feeling. “Korianna, I'm... going swimming.” My boyfriend managed to get out before scrabbling off of me. Though still a little giddy from that make out session, I couldn't help but grin, “Why, Nathaniel? Need a nice long cold bath?” I teased. Nathaniel shot me a nasty glare before grabbing my wrists, pulling me to a stand, “No... come on your coming with me.” He said determinedly. I laughed and shot forward out of his grip, “Last one in pays for dinner!” I yelled. I could hear Nathaniel's shout of cheating behind me, but ignored it, laughing the whole way.

Of course, Nathaniel beat me. He had managed to snag my waist just feet from the water and spun around so that he was the one closer to the waves than I before letting me go. I was still trying to find my footing when Nathaniel dove head first into the brine, earning first place and getting a cold soak all in one. I laughed at him when I finally gained balance and pounced on his back, causing both of us to go underwater. When Nathaniel finally surfaced, one eye closed as the other narrowed dangerously at me, I just continued to laugh, my white hair plastered to my body. “Korianna... you're going to regret that.” He growled playfully and started towards me. I 'eep'ed and dove under the water in an attempt to get away from my boyfriend. He just grabbed me by the ankle and dragged me back, catching me up against his chest. I squealed and struggled, but not too much. It seemed that Nathaniel's form of punishment was a quick nip at the neck, that wasn't something too bad. I giggled and tried to get away playfully, until I noticed that my bikini top was strangely loose. Tilting my head in confusion I began to reach backwards to see if the knot was loose or something when I felt something along my side that definitely wasn't my hair.

It was my bikini strap.

I went red and pressed myself further against Nathaniel's chest as my arms crept up to keep my top in place. Of all the things that could happen to me, having my top come off in front of my boyfriend, in a public place no less, was one that I didn't want to happen. Somehow I would have to think of a way to get it tied again without Nathaniel knowing. If only Lexsie were here, she could do it for me and none would be the wiser. “Hey what's this?” Nathaniel suddenly asked and I felt a small tug on my top. I mentally groaned, now karma was just trolling me. “Uh... Korianna, I think your...” Nathaniel trailed off when I nodded, “I know. C-can you... tie it back?” I asked awkwardly. Without a word Nathaniel took a step back, the water sloshing around us, lapping coldly at my hips, as Nathaniel took the two untied straps between his fingers. There was a few sharp tugs and I felt the relief when my bikini top once again laid snug against my skin.

All in all, I'd say it wasn't that bad a day at the beach.

*MonKeybiz has signed in*

CrAzYArtist: Heeeeeeey~! How's your summer coming?

MonKeybiz: Fine... except for the fact that all my friends are a state away, and so is my crush.

CrAzYArtist: Awwwwww, poor Savannah! You need a hug!

RabidsingeR: lol, Kori have you been eating sugar again?

CrAzYArtist: I'M STILL NOT TALKING TO YOU!!

RabidsingeR: …

RockStar: By stating that you're not talking to her is talking to her, Kori.

CrAzYArtist: Did I ask you?

MonKeybiz: Okay, what did I miss?

SBPrez: Well... West and Lexsie abandoned Korianna at the beach last week.

RockStar: Butt out, Powers! It's none of your business!

SBPrez: You left your sister, whom I am dating, alone. I say it is my business.

RockStar: Kori is perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

SBPrez: I don't doubt that, but it's still rude and careless to leave her to fend for herself.

RabidsingeR: See what you did, Savannah?

MonKeybiz: I think it's kinda sweet! ^^ Nath is standing up for his girlfriend!

CrAzYArtist: While Castiel is covering his butt.

RockStar: HEY!

RabidsingeR: Kori stop being mean.

CrAzYArtist: Okay... as soon as you admit what the heck you two were doing when you were abandoning me!

SBPrez: Oh this should be good...

MonKeybiz: I am super duper curious now.

RockStar: We didn't do anything!

RabidsingeR: Yeah! We went to get ice cream, that was it!

CrAzYArtist: Nice excuse. Except I could see the ice cream stand from the ocean. You weren't there.

RockStar: What were you doing in the ocean? You said you didn't want to go swimming.

CrAzYArtist: Nathaniel wanted to go swimming. And stop trying to change the subject. I'm not letting this go.

RockStar: NATHANIEL POWERS!

RabidsingeR: Kori!

SBPrez: We are dating. It's perfectly acceptable to swim together. -.-

VictorianPoet: Among other things.

CrAzYArtist: SHUT UP LYS!!!

MonKeybiz: Wait! When did he get here?!?!?!

VictorianPoet: I joined shortly before you logged on. You had just missed the conversation.

MonKeybiz: Oh... well then, HI LYS! Welcome to ChatRoomz!

VictorianPoet: Thank you, Savannah.

RockStar: WAAAAAAIT a damn minute. What do you mean 'among other things' Lysander?

CrAzYArtist: Say one word, Lysander, and I'll ban you from my chat room.

RabidsingeR: You can do that?!

CrAzYArtist: As the administrator and creator of this chat room: yes.

VictorianPoet: I do believe that is blackmail.

RockStar: I don't care if you ban him, I want to know what you and Goody-goody were up to!

SBPrez: Nothing more than what you and Lexsie were up to.

RockStar: KORIANNA RILLIE WEST! You. Are. Grounded!

CrAzYArtist: What?! You can't ground me!! And what were you and Lexsie doing anyway, if I was grounded?

RabidsingeR: Nothing!

MonKeybiz: lol a little too fast there, Lexsie... you just made it obvious.

RabidsingeR: Where are Penni and Jade?

CrAzYArtist: You're subtly is very lacking. (They're both on vacation)

SBPrez: Just admit you two were making out already!

RockStar: NATHANIEL!

MonKeybiz: lolololololol I think that's the first time Castiel has every called Nath by his first name. XDDDD

RabidsingeR: We weren't doing anything!

CrAzYArtist: Then where were ya'll and why won't you tell the rest of us since you're SO innocent?

RockStar: ...You're sarcasm is not appreciated...

VictorianPoet: They were making out... more so than Nathaniel and Korianna.

CrAzYArtist: LYSANDER!

RockStar: Traitor.

RabidsingeR: Imma going to KILL you!

MonKeybiz: I'm going to die of laughter!!!!!!

SBPrez: ...I think you are enjoying this, Lysander.

VictorianPoet: Very much so.

RockStar: Kori will you ban him now?

CrAzYArtist: I'll ask him one question before I do...

VictorianPoet: Hm?

CrAzYArtist: ARE YOU A BEACH SPY OR SOMETHING?!?!?!

VictorianPoet: Yes.

CrAzYArtist: …

VictorianPoet: And I commend you on how well you handled that Dake character.

SBPrez: lol how long were you watching us, Lys?

CrAzYArtist: Regardless of what he answers, he's dead anyway...

RockStar: Who's Dake? And what was he doing?

SBPrez: Flirting nonstop with your sister shortly after you and Lexsie abandoned her.

RockStar: ARGH! I'm going to kill him than you, Powers, for messing with my little sister!

CrAzYArtist: I'm TWO minutes younger than you! And you're not going to kill my boyfriend unless I get to kill you for messing around with Lexsie!

RockStar: I didn't do anything!

CrAzYArtist: Yeah yeah... keep talking. Denial is strong with you, but I'll break it eventually.

VictorianPoet: ha ha

MonKeybiz: *sigh* Why am I not there to enjoy all this drama?

RabidsingeR: If you were I'm sure we'd be having this discussion about you and Lys.

VictorianPoet: Hm?

MonKeybiz: BAN HER KORI!! BAN BAN BAN!!!!!!

SBPrez: I'm hungry. When are you taking me to dinner, Korianna?

CrAzYArtist: Shut up you cheater.

SBPrez: You cheated first~! ^^

RockStar: No one is taking anyone to dinner!

VictorianPoet: I thought you were taking Lexsie to dinner tonight...

CrAzYArtist: YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO PRACTICE WITH LYSANDER!!!!!

RockStar: Damn you, Lys...

MonKeybiz: lol, Lysander I never pegged you as a troll.

VictorianPoet: Is that internet lingo? I'm afraid I don't understand.

MonKeybiz: I'll teach you if you want!

CrAzYArtist: Great, now that everyone has a date tonight, bye! I gotta go get my wallet...

MonKeybiz: KORIANNA!

RabidsingeR: I'm going to murder you the next time I see you!

SBPrez: Better make sure you have a lot of cash. I have expensive tastes, honey.

CrAzYArtist: ...I hate you...

“I thought you said you had expensive tastes.” I said as Nathaniel lead me into a restaurant that wasn't too fancy; it wouldn't suck my whole savings dry. Nathaniel smiled at me as he held the door open, “I do, but I decided to be nice. Besides, most fancy restaurants make you reserve ahead of time.” He said cheerfully. I glared at him, “Nice to know you're so worried about my wallet, Powers.” I growled sarcastically, my boyfriend's smile only grew wider. My eye twitched as a funny thought came to me, “You know... you're last name makes you sound like some type of lame superhero.” I pointed out. Nathaniel's grin turned into a smirk, “Oh? So can you imagine me in a cape and tights?” He asked seductively. I blushed brightly and pressed my fingers into my temples, closing my eyes tightly, “Ahhh! The mental image! It burns!” I squealed. Nathaniel just laughed, not at all offended like most guys would be.

After the tired looking hostess showed us out seats and took our drink orders, Nathaniel turned to me. “So, what's my price limit?” He asked teasingly. I glared at him, “Nothing over forty bucks, got it?” He gave a mock salute, “Yes, ma'am!” He said before turning to the menu. I studied him, intrigued by his sudden display of cheerfulness. At school, Nathaniel was always so serious and focused, he rarely ever got distracted from school stuff. The guy sitting across from me wasn't like the Nathaniel at school at all. He was cheerful and more relaxed than I had ever seen him; he actually made jokes that were funny. I mean this was the guy who kissed me in public at the beach, at school Nathaniel was too busy with student council stuff and academics to barely even walk me to my next class. I liked the Nathaniel at school, but I was starting to like this Nathaniel a little more.

My boyfriend seemed aware of my gaze, his golden eyes looked up from the menu to meet my own, “Yes?” He questioned, his mouth turning up in an easy smile. I returned it, “Nothing... just noticing stuff about you.” I said in an almost dreamy tone. Nathaniel's eyebrows started reaching for his hairline, “Oh? What kind of stuff?” He asked as he set the menu down, giving me his full attention. “You don't act the same in school as you do out. You're not so... serious.” I said. It surprised me that Nathaniel frowned and shifted in his seat, looking extremely uncomfortable. “Yeah well... my dad is very strict when it comes to school.” He said, sounding like the School Nathaniel I knew. I tilted my head, confused at his sudden change in personality, “Most dad's are, mine is too.” I tried to tell him, but Nathaniel just shook his head. I shrugged and looked down at the menu, determined not to ruin the night over something Nathaniel clearly didn't want to talk about.

vvv

“That was nice. We should do this more often.” I said as we walked out of the restaurant. Nathaniel smiled and snatched up my hand, entwining our fingers together, “Sure, and I promise I'll pay next time. Do you like sea food?” He asked. I stuck out my tongue, “No thanks. I don't like fish at all.” From the look on Nathaniel's face, I might as well said that I enjoyed kicking kittens or something. I laughed at his expression, “You should see your face.” I giggled. Nathaniel looked away with a pout, “How can someone not like fish?” He asked. I stuck my tongue out at him, “The same way you don't like sweets. I just don't.”

Nathaniel glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and let go of my hand to wrap his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to press a kiss into my temple, “You're cute,” was all he said. Suddenly I felt extremely shy, as I remembered making out with Nathaniel on the beach for some odd reason. Lately he had been acting more like a boyfriend and less like a... friend, even though we had technically started dating back during Halloween. Nathaniel chuckled at my blush, “You're even more cute now.” He commented and tightened his hold around my waist. I was starting to feel as shy as Savannah when she was around Lysander. “A-are you ready for school to start?” I asked, stuttering only a little.

The golden haired boy laughed, “Not really.” He admitted. I stared at him, honestly I had thought he would be happy that school would be starting. Nathaniel seemed to be that kind of person, the one who looked forward to school for whatever reason. I on the other hand could stay in my room drawing or hanging out with my friends for the rest of eternity and never go to school again. If I could get away with it, I might actually have considered dropping out; but since no one ever succeeded as a high school dropout, I continued to go to school. Nathaniel smiled at my shocked expression, “What? I'm a normal teenager, Korianna, I hate school as much as anyone.” He said amused. It was my turn to turn away with a pout, “You could have fooled me...” I said. I only got an eye roll from my boyfriend.

“Kori...?” A boy called. I frowned as I turned around, that voice sounded oddly familiar. My jaw dropped when I saw who was walking towards Nathaniel and I, “T-Ty?!” I sputtered when I saw my ex-boyfriend walking towards us with a quick stride. He had changed drastically from the last time I saw him, before I moved to Sweet Amoris. Back when we were still dating, Ty managed to keep that 'All-American boy' look and hiding his less than stellar activities. Now his plain blonde hair, which used to be so wavy, hung limply over his washed out blue eyes. Bags sagged under his eyes, dark against his pasty skin. Looking at Ty, I could hardly believe that the boy who looked like the typical football jock had turned into such a sleaze.

Completely ignoring Nathaniel, Ty wrapped his still muscled arms around me and squeezed tightly. I gagged at the rancid smell of his shirt pressing into my face. Was this the only shirt he owned?! “Kori! I can't believe it's you! When I heard that you moved into this area I was ecstatic! Babe, you don't know how much I missed you, I even moved here to find you!” Ty pulled back and gave me a grin that I once melted for before ducking his head to kiss me.

Instead of my lips, his mouth met Nathaniel's fist. Ty stumbled back, letting go of me in the process, and cradled his jaw, “What the f*ck was that for?!” Ty garbled as he glared at Nathaniel. My golden haired knight in shining armor stood in front of me with his arms crossed. What was with boys trying to flirt with me out of the blue all of a sudden? It was like they were all waiting for me to enter a relationship before they decided to crash things! Ty glared at Nathaniel, “Dude, who the hell are you?” Ty snapped, blood dribbling down his chin a little. Nathaniel didn't look amused in the slightest, “Korianna's boyfriend.” He said flatly.

Despite the situation before me, I couldn't help but do a happy dance on the inside. Nathaniel admitted it so easily, as if it were only natural that he was my boyfriend. When I had been dating Ty, he always laughed it off and changed the subject. If he actually did admit that he was dating me, Ty would always seem reluctant to admit the fact. I glanced between Nathaniel and Ty. I hadn't realized how bad a boyfriend Ty had been compared to Nathaniel. They were practically on the opposite spectrum of boyfriends. Ty laughed harshly, “So that little bitc-” Nathaniel slammed his fist into Ty's face again. I was honestly surprised that he was so violent. I never expected Nathaniel to be violent prone. Sure, he and Castiel almost got into a fight when I first moved to Sweet Amoris, but I had thought it was a one time thing. Guess I was wrong.

“Refrain from calling Korianna that.” Nathaniel actually growled. I had seen enough. I tugged on Nathaniel's sleeve, “Come on, he's not worth it.” I said softly. Nathaniel glanced at me out of the corner of his eye before nodding and turning his back on the still moaning Ty. I smiled as I looped my arm through his. Other than the incident with Ty, which I hoped never happened again, tonight was a good night. I got to see a part of Nathaniel that no one ever did and I knew that he wasn't ashamed of me like Ty had been. I had gotten a better deal with Nathaniel than I'd ever get with Ty.

RockStar: WHAT?!?!?!?!

SBPrez: You heard me. I want to know all about Ty.

RabidsingeR: Why? And how do you know about Ty? We've never mentioned him by name... that I know of.

SBPrez: ...he tried to kiss Kori...

RockStar: WHAT?!?!?!

SBPrez: Is that the only word you know?

RockStar: Shut up, Powers. What happened with Kori and Ty?

SBPrez: We left the restaurant, some guy called out to her. She called him 'Ty'. He started babbling about how much he missed her and tired to kiss her. I smashed my fist into his face. When he called her a bitch, I punch him again.

RabidsingeR: Nath... I love you. Don't ever change.

RockStar: HEY!

RabidsingeR: I love him like a brother!

VictorianPoet: You know... he might be your brother-in-law one day.

SBPrez: You're matchmaking is not appreciated, Lysander.

RockStar: *gag* LYSANDER! Stop trolling.

VictorianPoet: No.

MonKeybiz: Stop it! Oh dear heaven and earth! For all that is holy, STOP! I'm dying of laughter!!! XDDDDDD

MonKeybiz: Where is Kori anyway? She hasn't logged in at all.

RockStar: It's Saturday before school starts.

MonKeybiz: Ohhhhhhhhh...

VictorianPoet: What does that have to do with anything?

RabidsingeR: I shall explain for you newbies to the mysterious ways of Korianna West. Come in closer, little children, as I spin a tell of woe and misery.

SBPrez: Cut the dramatics and speak plainly.

VictorianPoet: You fail at theatrical speech anyway.

RabidsingeR: ...jerks... Anyway, we all know Kori hates school. So she has a tradition of sleeping in extra late on her last true day of summer. The record is sleeping for eleven hours straight. She didn't get up until 5 pm.

RockStar: Yeah, and that was when Dad flipped her mattress over and dumped her out of bed. If he hadn't interrupted she'd probably have slept all day, literally.

SBPrez: Why are you always more talkative when your girlfriend is speaking?

RockStar: Why do you even care?

SBPrez: I don't.

RockStar: THEN WHY DID YOU ASK!?!

SBPrez: To see you get defensive. It's amusing.

RockStar: …

SBPrez: Also, it's nice to know that you admit to dating Lexsie. I'm sure Korianna will be happy.

RockStar: NATHANIEL POWERS!!!!

MonKeybiz: lol Lys, I think you're rubbing off on Nath.

SBPrez: Don't call me Nath.

MonKeybiz: Tell me why you don’t want to be called that name and I'll stop calling you that.

GreenThumb: Since Kori isn't here to keep you on track... we WERE talking about Kori and Ty.

RabidsingeR: ...oops. It's amusing to see Castiel and Nath dish it out, why don't they do that normally?

VictorianPoet: Because they're both whipped by Korianna.

MonKeybiz: lol that's true! XD

RockStar: ...I'm not even going to respond to that.

SBPrez: I still want to know about Ty.

RockStar: You'll have to ask Kori. It's her story, not ours.

SBPrez: You couldn't tell me that to begin with?

RockStar: No.

SBPrez: ...you're a dick.

RabidsingeR: ...O.O Did...He...?

MonKeybiz: HE DID!!! NATHANIEL JUST CUSSED!!!!!!!!!!!! THE WORLD IS ENDING! THE WORLD IS ENDING!! Lshdklgjakdlgjlaksjdfl!!!!!

SBPrez: -_- ...You two are weird.

VictorianPoet: You can't really blame them. I've known you almost as long as Castiel and this is the first time I've ever heard you cuss.

GreenThumb: It is strange hearing that coming from you, Nathaniel.

SBPrez: *sigh*

RockStar: Ha ha! Everyone thinks your a Goody-goody!

SBPrez: Shall I go into how you were as a child?

RockStar: Lexsie already knows, and of course Kori does too. So your plan is flawed.

SBPrez: Then how about why you became a jerk?

RockStar: Stop right there, Powers.

SBPrez: ^^ I wasn't going to say anything.

RabidsingeR: Okay, this is too muck OOC in here. NATH GO BACK TO BEING A SERIOUS STICK IN THE MUD! CASTIEL START HATING NATH AGAIN, STOP WITH THE POKING FUN AT EACH OTHER!!!!

GreenThumb: I agree with Lexsie, it is a little weird.

SBPrez: I'll be a stick in the mud when school starts.

RockStar: I DO HATE HIM!

SBPrez: The feeling is mutual, West.

RockStar: Shut the hell up, Powers.

GreenThumb: *sigh* Here we go again...

MonKeybiz: Ring around the rosy, Pocket full of posy! Ashes ashes we all fall down!

SBPrez: You do realize that song is about the Black Death right?

MonKeybiz: Really?! Cool!!

RabidsingeR: *cough cough* NATH IS A NERD!

VictorianPoet: Knowing trivia doesn't make someone a nerd.

RockStar: Says the guy full of useless trivia.

MonKeybiz: Hey! I love trivia! Don't spoil my fun, Castiel!!!

RockStar: Don't worry I won't!

MonKeybiz: ...I hate you... Nath and I are going to start at Castiel Hate Club.

RabidsingeR: Hey! Don't hate on my boyfriend!

MonKeybiz: You were the president of his fan club back home, it's only right that I be the president of his hate club here!

RockStar: ...What?

VictorianPoet: ...

GreenThumb: XDDDDDDD

SBPrez: lol

RabidsingeR: SAVANNAH KNIGHT, I'M GOING TO MURDER YOU!!!!

MonKeybiz: *sigh* just like old times.

“Kori, I need your help, get down here!”

I paused in shading the last bit of my art project and called out. “Why? You said you didn't need any help.”

“Get the damn dog outta here! He keeps getting in the way!” Castiel snapped back.

Sighing I set aside my drawing pad and wondered into the kitchen where my brother was, “You know… I don't think Lexsie will really care if you-”

My brother cut me off, “Take Demon for a walk!”

I rolled my eyes as I whistled for Demon to follow me. The slobber monster practically knocked my feet from underneath me in his hurry to get to the door. Instead of reaching for the leash, because not even Castiel could hold back that dog sometimes, I grabbed the dog whistle and a baggie of treats.

First holiday this school year, and I was spending it walking my brother's uncontrollable dog. I hadn't had any downtime since the summer ended, what with my AP classes that Nathaniel convinced me to sign up for and more extracurricular activities like the art club and Theater. And even though it was Thanksgiving holiday, I still had to write a five page essay over Hawthorn’s 'Scarlet Letter', finish my still life for the art club before Christmas break, and finish painting the props for Theater’s spring play.

Tansy had convinced me to get into Theater, saying that I would be just the girl for it. She didn't tell me that they only needed my artistic skills for painting the backdrops and props. Oh well, at least I was needed somewhere. Lately it seemed like I was just getting under everyone's foot. Some people I could understand, like Nathaniel who took nothing but AP classes as well as being the student body president, were very busy; but ever since Lexsie and Castiel started officially going out she never so much as said 'hi' to me, even though she was in our apartment almost everyday.

I didn't blame her of course, Castiel had only asked her out three weeks ago so I knew that Lexsie was still getting used to her 'in a relationship' status. Nathaniel had been the only thing in my radar when I first started dating him and even before that. But it still hurt that she only had eyes for my own brother and I was forced to be around her constantly anyway.

Demon suddenly took off, probably after some stray cat. I wasn't too worried about him, Demon was a city dog; Castiel had told me that the first and last time Demon had ran into the streets he got hit by a car and broke his right foreleg. Since then the giant slobber monster avoided walking even near the curb. It was one thing neither my brother or I had to worry about.

Jumping up on people and knocking them over was still a problem, unfortunately.

Demon disappeared around the corner of the bank and not five seconds later a girlish shriek resounded. I groaned and quickened my pace, I just hoped that whoever Demon 'attacked' wasn't some uppity snot who was going to file charges or threaten to call animal control.

I didn't know who the girl was, but I did recognize the boy who was helping her up.

Jade grinned when he saw me, “Kori!”

I blinked at my green haired friend before smiling back, “Hi, Jade. Uh, sorry about Demon. He's kind of… uncontrollable.” As if to prove my point, the slobber monster took off again, this time barking after a skateboarder who had just shot past us. I helped Jade pull the girl to her feet, “I really am sorry, are you alright?”

The girl stood up, dusting off her floral print skirt and held out her hand, “Oh I'm fine! My name is Ruby, and you're Kori, right?”

Ruby, huh? I glanced at her bright red hair, her parents name her right at least. I shook her proffered hand, “Korianna, but my friends call me Kori.” I glanced between Jade and Ruby, “Are you… related by any chance?”

Ruby laughed, “It's the names, isn't it? That's how everyone else always guesses. Our mother wanted to name her children after jewels. Something about how precious the 'family jewels' were.” I smiled again, if there was one thing to be said about this strange girl, it was that she was a lot more outgoing than her brother.

I glanced at Jade to see him rolling his eyes fondly. They seemed to get along at least. He turned to me, “So how have you been? You haven't gotten onto ChatRoomz in forever and everyone always says you're busy.”

I smiled sheepishly “Sorry. I signed up for more extracurricular activities this year and they're really taking it out of me.”

“Yeah I know, when I went to Sweet Amoris to help out with the garden again this year you didn't even drop by.”

“You were there? You didn't tell me that!” What else have people been neglecting to tell me? Lexsie didn't even tell me when she started going out with Castiel, it was my brother who told me about an hour before their first date! And Penni never told me she started taking dance lessons until she asked Castiel for a ride to the dance studio one day.

Jade shrugged helplessly and rubbed the back of his neck, “I'm not allowed in the school since I'm not a student. Why do you think I always made you run errands for me?”

I hung my head in defeat. Some vacation this was turning out to be. All my friends were turning up and doing things without telling me, which made me feel incredibly left out. Hopefully it wouldn't be so bad when I went to have dinner at Nathaniel’s house tonight.

Ruby giggled and patted my shoulder, “Don't worry about it, Korianna! Jade here is just a fuddy duddy,” The red haired girl leaned in as if she was going to tell me a secret, “I think it's because he won't tell anyone who he has a crush on! It's effecting his life, ya know?” She said loud enough that Jade heard her.

He turned bright red and sputtered while Ruby and I laughed. Smirking I tilted my head to the side and raised a hand to shield my mouth from Jade as I said back, “Oh? Do tell~” I hadn't talked to Violette in a while, but from what Savannah told me she still had a crush on Jade. Could he have a crush on her? It would make my matchmaking job much easier.

Ruby gave me a one armed hug that was more like a strangle hold, “Oooo I like you! Jadey-boy why didn't you tell me your friends were so fun?”

“Jadey-boy?” I snorted as Jade's blush turned darker. If I ever got back on ChatRoomz I was going to announce his silly nickname to everyone.

#Script's Archives #mcl fanfiction #mcl #my candy love #fanfiction #dmba

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ngame989 · 5 years ago

Text

“Brew” - TGG SVTFOE Fanfic Collection Ch. 6

Writing: @ngame989

Art: @toxicpsychox

Editing: @toxicpsychox, @seddm, an IRL friend

Alternate fic links - FFnet, AO3

Summary: After close to a year on Earthni, Tom's been dragged back into the princely life, and it's a lot less exciting than he'd expected. With Star and Marco away on urgent business, can Janna help him turn a boring errand into a fun adventure?

Comic Page

Masterpost

This one’s a nice change of pace from the last two chapters, I think. TGG’s still a Starco-focused work, expect these to be the exception not the norm, but I think it’s important to strike a balance. See below for the text, hope you enjoy!

“No results.” Huh? Three eyes narrowed at the screen in frustration. Maybe a different search term? “No results.” Alright Tom, no big deal, man. Maybe you just spelled something wrong. Annnnnd… there. “No results.” How could there be nothing?

Tom leaned back in the chair and sighed, exercising restraint over the little anger demons inside him as he’d trained himself to do. In the past he’d needed a physical bunny to pet if he wanted even a hope of keeping his cool, but at this point suppressing the urge was such reflex that most would think he just had a regular Mewman quick temper and nothing more in all but the most extreme of conditions, but he was getting pretty close to that point now. Grandpa Relicor’s study had everything, or so he thought, but this was the first time he could ever remember being here where it come up short. He’d checked every shelf, everything he could think in the computer, had even fireblasted a few of the shelves just to see if there were any hidden switches or anything. Even Relicor had been at a loss and had been screeching in distress on the floor for long enough that Tom’s brain had graciously tuned it out. What could be so important about this book his mom needed? He hadn’t even had time to change his casual graphic tee from a cartoon he liked, simply tossing his maroon jacket over it before heading out at his mother’s behest. He wasn’t one to say no to her, but it had been hours since he’d shown up here and he was no closer to figuring this out than he had been this morning.

Suddenly his phone buzzed, displaying the familiar beaming face of his ex-girlfriend close up to the camera. A toothy grin erupted as he picked it up, holding the phone up for a video feed. “Heya, Starship.”

“Hey, Tom!” Star beamed into the camera. “How’s it hanging? Long time no see. So,” she rambled out in one breath, “I may have a teensie weensie wittle problem.” She backed up to reveal her hair in complete disarray, sans horns, and black marks all over her light blue dress. Before Tom could even ask the question, her other hand held up charred fragments of her headband. “Someone still hasn’t learned how to use an Earth oven properly!” she forced out through gritted teeth.

“Look, gurl, I said I was like, so sorry! All the Cloud Kingdom kitchens are powered by glitter and horn blasts, like that’s just how ovens are supposed to be, that is all I am saying here,” Ponyhead’s indignant voice chimed in from behind, punctuated by a snort.

“Anyway, we just finished putting out the fires and I need a new headband and their website says they’re almost out of stock and I’ve wanted to show Marco around the Underworld for a while and- wait, is that screeching in the background? Where are you?”

Tom shuffled away from the elder demon still writhing on the floor and cleared his throat. “Just in Grandpa’s study trying to find something for my mom, she really wants it today. I don’t know if I can go- but I can still send the carriage for you guys, if you want.”

“Do you need help with that?” Marco inquired as he peeked his head into the frame, casually wrapping an arm around Star.

“Naaaah, no big deal,” Tom shrugged. “You two should go, though! I can just fly over whenever I finish this.”

Star and Marco looked at each other hesitantly. “Alright,” she said. “Carriage to our house in maybe five minutes?” A fire alarm went off behind her followed by a scream from Ponyhead and an even girlier one from Marco. “Maybe ten,” Star sighed, burying her face in her free hand.

“You got it,” Tom chuckled.

“OK, bye!” Star said with relief before hanging up. He rolled his shoulders from inside his jacket and ran his hands through his hair before stepping into the main foyer, taking advantage of the space to summon the carriage and its horses, the incantations coming effortlessly to him. Demons had been fortunate enough to retain their powers on Earthni, but the location underground and the relative lack of portaling methods available left them even more isolated than previously. While most of the other kingdoms had dissolved or integrated into a loose coalition of government covering all of the Echo Creek area, the Underworld had been content to stay completely under the banner of Lord and Lady Lucitor, and Tom found himself pitching in more and more in his role as Prince. In truth, he would have appreciated the company his friends were offering, but he knew how much it had meant to Star to be able to give this life up, and he didn’t want to drag her - either of them, really, considering Marco had earned an official title on Mewni himself - back into the boring thick of regal errands. Was Prince Thomas Draconius Lucitor really going to let some stuffy old book collection get the best of him? Hah, as if.

With a flick of his wrist, the half-demon shuttled the carriage to the surface in a pillar of flame, barely looking and instead pulling out his new phone. He was still getting the hang of the new and improved Reflectacorp’s Earth tech integration, but he’d at least learned how to open yesterday’s text conversation thread from its new message notification.

Janna: anti-gravity potion attempt 4 failed. affected bottle glass itself and launched into sky. note to self: work under roof. star and marco’s suggestions didnt work either. not all bad though, it went towards cloud kingdom lol

Tom: careful, don’t hit pony’s ego and make it fly even higher ·;) btw pony + starco are going shopping in underworld soon. im stuck working for mom though.

Janna: stores r lame. even in underworld. and srsly dude u gotta stop using starfans dumb name for them. otoh it bugs them so actually nvm go 4 it

Tom: it was mine first >·:( it saves letters when they’re together!

Janna: which is always

Tom: exactly. speaking of which, they’re here ttyl

Star stepped out of the carriage in a nice white polka dotted green dress, quickly followed by Marco, the pair’s fingers remaining intertwined until they gave him a hello hug, and Tom honestly wasn’t sure they’d stopped holding hands even then. Ponyhead burst out a moment later with her phone floating in front of her pointed at herself, and she was in the middle of a monologue to no one in particular.

“-so yeah anyway as you all can see we have now arrived in the Underwoooorld. So yeah this is, like, basically the best place on all of Earthni to go shopping as I’ll be showing you today. Oh yeah, I guess some demon boys live here too. Oh my goodness, say hello you guuuys,” she rolled her eyes as she butted in between Star and Tom, side-eyeing him for a split second before grinning back into the camera. After all this time Pony still hadn’t dropped the passive aggression over his and Star’s messy history; Tom had to admit it was a bit understandable, but did she really have to keep it up in such an annoying way? He rolled his eyes - it was Ponyhead he was thinking about here. “OK, the Ponyhead Experience will be taking a short break. Tune back in soon! Love y’all, buhbye!” She snapped the phone shut and caught it with her tongue. “Ugh, why do all of my vlogs with you dorks get like ten times as many viewers? Tom, you were in the shot for like three seconds and do you know what happened? 2000 more people tuned in! What the heck! It’s like, just because I have one less horn and one less eye I’m not exciting to you? But I can’t stay mad at my adooooring fans.”

“Must be the Lucitor charm.” He flashed a toothy smile and a pair of finger guns at her, accidentally flinging his phone across the room in the process. “Totally planned,” he blurted out with a much less authentic grin. Marco chuckled and picked it up, handing it back and patting him mock-sympathetically on the shoulder while holding back a smirk.

Star giggled but tapped her foot impatiently, looking around the room nervously. “OK, great catching up, but on the way here I checked the website and the headband shop is almost out of stock! We have to go, now! Let’s move it, people! Tom, can we borrow the carriage for the day?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Fine by me.”

“Thankyouthankyouthankyou, you’re the best!”

“You sure you don’t need anything?” Marco inquired again.

“You heard the girl, Marco, my audience wants to see us get our shop on!”

Tom blew a raspberry, pushing them towards the carriage. “Relax, it’s nothing. I’m practically done already! Tooootally almost done!”

Marco finally relented, nodding his assent. Star was bouncing up and down so much that she looked ready to launch around the room. He giggled as she wrapped both her arms around his middle and kissed his cheek before hauling him the rest of the way into the carriage. “C’mon boo, mama needs a new pair of horns. Plus we can get whatever you need, too! I saw a few things in the catalog that would look preeeetty good on you,” she sing-songed, walking two fingers up his chest to boop his nose after they plopped down onto the seat together. Ponyhead mimed vomiting at Tom, who silently laughed in response; they were so engrossed with each other that Tom was fairly certain they wouldn’t have noticed even if he’d shouted his laughter, though. He blankly stared at the spot the carriage had been for a few seconds after it exited in a blaze.

“Pretty gross, right?” Tom started and launched a fireball in the direction of the voice, hovering away from the intruder. A split second after, his vision caught up with his instincts and saw Janna in her usual green shirt and beanie and yellow skirt, sans jacket, nonchalantly sidestep the flame. “You do the same thing every time, you really need to work on that,” she chided with her arms crossed and a devious smirk on her face.

He rubbed his temple and gestured at her in sullen disbelief. “How did you-”

“Roof of the carriage.”

“Huh.” An eyebrow up in surprise, studying her expression. “You never usually, you know, answer that.”

She shrugged, kicking a boot into the hard stone floor. “Whatever, guess I’m just bored. Besides, half the reason I do that is to get a rise out of Marco,” she slyly snickered, and Tom couldn’t help but join in. “Alright, demon boy, what adventure are we going on today?”

Tom crossed his arms apprehensively. “Just trying to find a book for my mom, not really much of an adventure.”

“Like I said, dude, I’m bored and shopping is dumb. I don’t mind hanging out here for a study session or whatever, your family’s got great taste in decor.” She picked a skull off the ground and tossed it back and forth between her hands. He grinned back at her, grateful for the company. “So what kind of creepy curses are in this book?”

The pair started walking back into the study as their conversation continued. “Don’t think there are any. It’s called ‘Historia Homewnum’, according to my mom, so it’s probably a history book but that’s all I know.”

“Darn. Demon history’s bound to be pretty cool, though.”

“You’d be surprised how little actually happens down here, it’s just a lot of maintenance. Last month the most important thing I did was a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a new boba cornshake shop, it’s really caught on here since the Cleaving. But man is it good! Marco was right, the little pearls are just so tasty, I like the creamed corn version best.”

“What is it with you and corn, seriously...” Janna shuddered.

“Don’t knock it ‘till you try it.” He knew he’d gotten distracted thinking about the delicious creamy beverage, but that didn’t seem like an adequate reason to look so horrified, especially coming from Janna. Not able to figure out any other reason she might be disgusted by his comments, he got his thoughts back on track. “Really don’t know why she wants this thing so much. Anyway, I already checked the entire study for it, and the search archives don’t have anything either. Oh well, what can you do, might as well just give up and-”

“Found something,” Janna piped up, somehow already in the computer chair with her feet on the desk.

“Really? How?” he asked incredulously, throwing his hands in the air for emphasis.

“OK, I didn’t actually find the book, but maybe we should check this place out.” He leaned into the screen to see a Mewgle search for ‘how to find weird book in underworld’ on the screen.

“I already tried that, Janna!”

“Yeah, but your antivirus was blocking this link to some place called the ‘Librarinth’.”

Tom slammed his palm into his forehead. “Of course, the Librarinth! How could I not think to look there, that’s where all the oldest books are. Why was it getting blocked?”

She clicked on the link and both recoiled at the sight: an abhorrent patterned background with almost unreadable randomly colored text and low quality cartoon images scattered all around the page. “Yeah, it’s awful,” she said in response to his obvious horror. “Seriously, whoever must made this website must be, like, a thousand years old.”

“Probably , yeah, but why does that have anything to do with-” His eyes widened in realization as he clapped his hands together in contemplation. “Right, humans and their lifespans. Go on.”

“Look.”

She scrolled past the despondent, blurry faces of demons of all shapes and sizes in the staff section until she arrived at the catalog, folding her arms triumphantly. Tom excitedly butted in, typing into the search box and being greeted with a loading wheel. “Uh, Janna? It’s not working.”

“Pfft, yeah, I might actually be dead by the time the search finishes. But that doesn’t matter because they have our book. It’s the header image for the whole catalog.” He squinted and brought his face closer to the monitor, and to his surprise the title was clear as day on the cover of the book, although all the other information was too difficult to make out. “Alright, let’s go. Main page says the Librarinth is on Floor 216.”

With a snap of his fingers, the demon elevator was summoned into a bookshelf much as it had been the day they had dealt with the Blood Moon. Relicor’s shrieking, which had slowed to a whimper since they’d left, resumed in full; fortunately they began descending, which quickly put them out of earshot. Tom awkwardly stretched his arms, unsure what exactly to say. She was his friend, yes, but he was never the best at small talk, and Janna being Janna didn’t make that any easier. After long, messy years of broken hearts and misguided feelings, he finally felt comfortable forging friendships, but even though they got along quite well there was something about Janna that made that vibe a lot less effortless than with Marco or even Star. Thoughts of his other friends reminded him of something. “Uh, by the way… how did you even know about the carriage earlier?”

“A girl’s gotta keep some secrets.”

“Pony was posting about it every 15 seconds,” he guessed, calling Janna’s bluff.

“Touché. Every 10, though,” she coolly responded. “Ha, now she’s just flipping out because Star and Marco have way more likes than her selfies.”

“Figured you’d have him bugged or something,” Tom chuckled as he scooted over to get a look at Janna’s screen, and sure enough there was a picture collage of Star sitting in Marco’s lap with tens of thousands of likes and comments already. They were laughing their butts off at themselves in a mirror in front of them with novelty sunglasses, fake mustaches, goofy props, and even a few absurd full-body costumes; Ponyhead joined the fun for a few but just as often butt in trying to take over the mirror by herself.

“Ew, no, I disabled it all months ago. Boyfriend Tom was already too cutesy for me, and you two just had a little flirty fling. Do you think I’d really want to see or hear whatever Star and Marco have going on? They’re, like, deeply in love, or whatever, and it’s gotten even worse in the last few weeks.”

He murmured in tacit agreement. Now that he thought about it, they had seemed even more affectionate than usual, but he wasn’t too keen on uncovering why that might be. The ding of the elevator saved him from any further speculation, and he and Janna stepped out of the elevator into the lobby, which was empty with cobwebs coating most of the weathered stone walls. Janna looked at him with a quizzical expression. “Anyway, so the Librarinth is basically a combination of a library and a labyrinth-”

“Right, I got that,” she curtly retorted.

“The legends say that some ancient librarian demons wanted to challenge any who sought knowledge, so they hid all the books in a giant maze that only the worthy could navigate. But everyone who made it still decided to organize it thoroughly for some reason, and you still had to check out the books and bring them back and all that.”

She ran a finger over the dust on the front counter, and the surface of the desk sizzled in response, causing her to pull her hand back before poking the bubbles that formed with a curious smile. “So why is it completely empty?”

Tom rubbed the back of his neck. “Weeeeeeell, after a few people went missing or insane, everyone realized it really wasn’t a great way to, you know, run a library. Grandpa actually started collecting books to try and get them away from this place. No one really knows what goes on in there, but as far as I know it’s still maintained even though no one uses it. The kingdom stopped staffing the lobby but they could never just shut it down because anyone who tried, well-”

“Went missing or insane. Sounds cool, I’m in.”

“You sure?”

“Dude, you brought me to a wicked hell maze filled with psychotic demon nerds. Maybe there’ll be bottomless pits or a wicked dungeon boss. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re flirting with me, Mr. Lucitor,” she purred, running a finger up his chest and flicking his nose.

“Haha, very funny. And it’s Prince Lucitor,” he sarcastically chided, poking her arm in response before crossing the room with her following, but he couldn’t help but hide that he was flustered. Seeing Star and Marco’s relationship in the past year had reinforced his already-firm convictions about romance: he wanted someone with whom he could be life partners in all ways, not just handholding and rooftop picnics. Otherwise, what would be the point? He’d made that mistake enough times, and even just a light jab at the notion of him casually flirting struck made him feel self-conscious about that past. Finally his reflection was halted when he found what he sought: a large wrought iron door furnished with ornate demonic symbols and various carvings of mythological creatures dwarfed them both. With a soft, steady flame for light, he brought his hand up and ran it over the rusty engravings. He jumped back with a gasp as the fire spread into the lines of the door, lighting up the patterns on it and causing it to creak as it slowly opened.

“Nice,” Janna muttered in awe before strolling inside, with Tom hesitantly following. She was the most eager of their little group to dive headfirst into the unknown, even more than Star most of the time, but he trusted her gut.

They started walking down the long, cramped hallways, hearing only the sound of their own footsteps on the cold floor. Janna peeked her head into a small doorway that appeared to their left, earning herself an explosive blast to the face and getting knocked onto her butt. Tom slammed the door shut and leaned in to read an inscription next to it. “Incinerator for any books too damaged or damaging for further use. Probably not the right place.”

Janna huffed, brushing herself off and finding scraps of paper among the char. “I can see that. Seriously, what kind of labyrinth labels its doors?”

“Maybe one run by book nerds,” Tom offered, gripping her hand to help her up.

“So it’s just as bad at being a labyrinth as it is a library. Neat. Great adventure.”

Tom pressed on, keeping his focus ahead of them. “Hey, I’m just here to help my mom. You’re the one that said you were fine with anything.”

“Fine, fine. Just saying, I could be working on my potions or something.” She pulled a glass bottle full of purple liquid from her skirt pocket and casually tossed it at a wall. Janna snickered at Tom’s yelp when it shattered, but found herself joining him in backing away when a chunk of stone quickly deteriorated and slammed into the ground at incredible speed. She went over and carefully kicked a pebble, finding it impossible to even budge. “See, this was just a stupid pro-gravity potion. Worthless.”

He leaned against the stable wall opposite the hole, sighing. “I’m sure there has to be something interesting here. What if we, I dunno, make it a competition or something?” His frustration with both the situation and Janna were there, yes, but he still wanted to try and get something fun out of the day.

“Go on,” Janna said, eyes flickering up from the bottle that she was tossing between her hands nonchalantly.

OK, maybe he should have thought further ahead. His arms flailed as he scrambled to come up with an idea. “OK, so, uh, whoever finds the weirdest thing in this place in the next hour wins. Just call them out if you think you found something. Or whoever finds the book, whichever comes first, yeah. Mom still needs it.”

“Momma’s boy. I respect that. You’re on, Tom.” Janna cocked an eyebrow, staring at him for a second before pushing off the wall into a sprint, opening the first door she could find. “Empty. Another empty. Three empties, dammit.”

Tom used his flight to travel more smoothly from door to door on his side of the corridor, but still found himself losing ground as he took the time to read the sign posted by each threshold. The ‘Demonic Studies’ room had a very ornately ghoulish aesthetic, with macabre skeletal models throughout. Definitely something to show Janna on the way out just for the aesthetic, and it’d have been weird for most humans, but it wasn’t any more abnormal than what the two of them were used to as a daily routine. Another room for astronomy had an exquisite planetarium dome, but it turned out to be rather useless as the Underworld did not, in fact, contain any stars since it was underground. There was, however, a plentiful selection of guides to stalactites stocked on the shelves. The next four whole sections were devoted to anger management self-help books, which only made him waste precious seconds cringing at old memories.

His pace picked up as he kept going from door to door finding nothing but normal library fare, although he had to admit it was certainly well-maintained. On any other day he might actually enjoy some of the things here, but today he was on a mission to get out of here so they could actually have fun elsewhere.

‘Bookworms’... now that had potential. What sorts of hybrid creatures could lurk behind the inches of wood? “I think I might have found something!” he shouted, throwing open the door only to receive a harsh shushing. Within were only elderly demons in cozy sweaters reading by candlelight, all now glaring at him with an intensity that reminded him of his mom’s own rare reprimands. “Never mind,” he loud-whispered back out into the hall as he gently closed the door and found Janna in a nearby corridor. “Ugh, why is there nothing interesting here?” Sparks trailed behind him from his mounting anger as he paced.

“Tell me about it, even ‘Wormbooks’ was just a bunch of regular novels, somehow,” she sighed. “I was hoping for a big long chain of open books slithering around on the ground, now there’s a party.” She slumped down against the wall next to the streak of flame he’d left on the ground, idly stamping it out with her boot until Tom sat down beside her.

“Wouldn’t a wormbook be the opposite? A big fat worm in the shape of a book?”

“Nah, it’d totally be a book made of a bunch of little flatworms all working together, duh. Still pretty lame.”

OK, now he knew something was up with her. “Janna, is- is something wrong?”

Her body slouched further down until she was almost horizontal on the cold floor, staring ahead of her like a zombie. “Being weird has just felt so pointless lately. Everything’s weird now, all the time! I’m wasting all my time trying to brew potions when there’s a shop that sells them on every corner. I got so bored that I even passed that same dumb test Marco did and now I’m done with high school, like, for real this time.”

“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself, that’s pretty impressive.”

“It’s easy if you know who to blackmail.” Tom blinked a few times, not sure why he’d expected anything different. “Everyone else is moving on with their lives, but I’m still feeding the same old possums and picking up the same old tennis balls. The whole point of my routine is that it’s different, it’s me, it’s my Jannanigans or whatever Star calls it, but it’s just not the same. I’m still into all that stuff, and Earthni’s actually really cool, but… ugh.” With that, her head fully sunk to the ground.

Tom brought his palms together over her head, opening and shutting his hands while wiggling his fingers around. “It’s a wormbook,” he said hesitantly, not really sure what he was doing. It was silly amusement, but perhaps that was just what she needed right now. Janna frowned and rolled her eyes, so he snapped at her arm with his hand puppet wormbook a few times.

“Alright, I get it,” she barked out, but her sullen demeanor slowly cracked under the onslaught of frivolity as she sat back up with an unusually ponderous look at him.

“Remember that time you took me bootsledding?” She nodded. “You told me that I needed to find a life outside of Star, and- and it was really great advice. Didn’t mean I still couldn’t like spending time with Star or anything, heck, I still do! But I just needed to get out of that rut of depending on it. Maybe you just need to do that, too. If doing your weirdness by yourself is normal, then adding something normal might be kinda weird.”

“That’s it.” Janna leapt to her feet, looking very suddenly invigorated. “That’s it!”

“Well, uh, glad you liked it. It was nothing, really, just trying to be a good pal-”

“Yeah, yeah, that too,” she waved dismissively, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit scorned. “If weird is normal then normal is weird. We were looking for the craziest things we could find here, but everything that should have been weird was normal, so we should be looking for the most painfully boring room here!” All three of Tom’s eyes blinked a few times as her words sunk in. Could it be…? “Tom, over here!” He hustled over to a particularly plain wooden door. Janna pointed at the plaque on the wall, which was far more faded than the others had been. “Look. ‘Government Records’.”

A burst of energy coursed through Tom’s blood, sparking life in him once more, and he could see the same reflected in Janna’s determined brown eyes. “And the book Mom wanted has something to do with history. Maybe it’s political history! Janna, you might be a genius!”

“Pfft, ‘might’. Now we just gotta…” She grabbed his arm, aiming it at the door, and he looked at her incredulously. “C’mon, dude, who knows what’s behind there. We’re gonna bust in with a demon blast, duh. Pew-pew!”

He rolled his eyes, but the corner of his lip turning up in a begrudging smile gave away his agreement. The pair aimed at the door and blew it off its hinges before charging in through the smoke.

“I see you two have finally solved the grand riddle of the Librarinth!” A deep, booming voice greeted them from the smoke. “Janna Ordonia, Thomas Lucitor, you certainly took your time. I expected you to book it here much more quickly. No matter, for this room shall be your tome!”

“How do you know my-” Janna stammered.

“Uh, don’t you mean tomb-” Tom started at the same time before realizing the wordplay and groaning in misery. Wait a second… Epic threats, an obvious personality quirk…

“Dungeon boss!” the teens cheered together, glancing back and forth between each other and the remainder of the room in front of them obscured by shadow.

“It is I, the bookkeeper of this place. I guard the most sacred treasure of all… knowledge!” Paper rustled loudly, echoed throughout the cavernous space, far taller and wider than Tom had noticed when they first entered with a massive array of bookshelves many times taller than him in a single row near the back wall. The ground beneath them began to shake and Tom tossed a puff of light in front of him, exposing the wide chasm that had just opened up in the ground, swallowing all the shelving in the room. Neither were prepared for the sight that greeted them: a coiled mass unfurled from the abyss and slithering with purpose along the ground, finally raising itself up to stand at fifteen feet tall, swaying back and forth with enough force to create an artificial wind within the space. A closer look showed that the body was made of some peculiar segments of… books, of all shapes and sizes. The volume at the top of the chain was much larger and far more ornately embossed than the others, and on the blood red surface of the cover Tom could make out a set of eyes. As the picture became more and more clear, he could finally see what they were up against. Now THIS is a bookworm.

“Aren’t libraries supposed to be, like, public and free?” Janna blithely inquired.

“You are correct, child, but perhaps try reporting that to your friend there! The Lucitor family is the sworn enemy of this great Librarinth! That fiend Relicor pilfered our collection for his own use for millennia, and the rest tried to shut this place down for good. But worst of all, in the most egregious display of contempt I have witnessed since the dawn of writing itself… Prince Lucitor and his ilk have amassed twenty-six dollars in unpaid fees!”

The tension in the room nearly evaporated in a heartbeat as Tom and Janna paused momentarily before bursting out into raucous laughter.

“Seriously, dude? I could just, like, repay it.” He fumbled in his pockets for his wallet for a moment before being interrupted once more.

“Do not condescend to me, children! It is far too late to make up for these sins with mere currency. Revenge is my fee most overdue, now prepare to meet… Overdoom! I shall harness the power of the written word to spell your demise!”

Books were hurled from the depths of the crevice en masse. Tom stepped in front of Janna to blast them away, but they had taken on a life of their own and homed in on him, covers flapping in the air like wings. Behind Tom, Janna snatched one out of the air to thwart a flank attack. She grabbed his left arm and pointed it up, tapping his elbow frantically. He spared a glance and saw the paper tornado coalescing, and understood her intention. Demon flames surged out of both hands with Janna calling the shots for the left side and Tom focusing on his right. They used the opportunity to back up to a wall, letting them cover every attack vector but creating a stalemate they were sure to lose in time as the seemingly endless offense droned on. Overdoom for the time being simply floated out of the abyss, glaring harshly at them as more and more papers kept emerging.

“Wait, Tom, look…” Still using his hand, she pointed to a shelf that had fallen at an odd angle and hadn’t collapsed into the abyss. There was a large, torn-up poster on which he could barely make out the word “Historia”.

“That might be it,” he breathed out, starting to feel the burn from minutes of nonstop vigilant defensive demon blasts. Oddly, none of the books in that corner were joining the assault. Almost as if...

“It’s making them magical in the chasm.” Tom’s heart leapt up in his chest at the revelation, hope and adrenaline mixing in his veins to keep him fully alert. But charging in was a suicide mission and they clearly couldn’t win on raw firepower.

“Have you had enough? Are you children yet ready to come scrawling on your hands and knees to a-tome for the sins of your forefathers?” the imposing figure growled, bristling impatiently.

“Did it seriously just use the tome pun again?” Janna griped, running her hands past her eyes and down her cheeks in disgust. “For a word nerd, that’s just awful.”

“Yeah…” Tom absent-mindedly responded. He knew she was right, though. Book, tome, scrawl… even if the creature’s summoning powers were off the charts, and it wielded them with calculated ease, its cocky wordplay taunts left something to be desired. It struck him then: what if they’d been approaching this all wrong? If the battle couldn’t be won by blows, then they had to find another option, and Tom was ready to put his plan into action.

He quickly shook off Janna’s rather tight grip on his arm and stepped forward, mustering up a confident expression masking any fears he still had left. “Nice try, Overdoom. Your words aren’t scaring us. Learn to read the room!”

Its “body” immediately began wiggling violently in the air as it crawled a bit forward towards them. Tom paid careful attention to its back end, which had climbed a few feet out of the ground in the move. “How dare you! Petulant brats!” Literary fire and brimstone rained down upon them with more fury than ever, and the two backed up into a corner which was the best they could do in a room largely devoid of any cover.

“What the hell-” Janna whispered through gritted teeth. Tom wriggled his tail out and waved it in front of Janna’s face momentarily. “Now is not the time to-” She was cut off when a barrage of index cards launched at them with enough force to somehow chip the stone behind them on impact. Tom forcefully nodded his head towards the worm’s tail, waggling his own once again. Her eyes lit up much like his had and she nodded in understanding.

“Come on, is that the best you got? I’ve heard them all before, at least give us something novel!”

Janna stood beside him, and her grimace even managed to spook Tom a bit. “I’d alphabet you couldn’t do better even if you tried!” Not what he would’ve gone with, but hey, if it helped tick Overdoom off then who was he to say no?

“You can talk up a storm all you want, but no matter what volume of air you blow, all I feel is a not-so-rough draft!”

“ENOUGH!” Overdoom’s tail launched out of the chasm faster than either could follow, crossing the room in a heartbeat. Tom shoved Janna out of the way before it wrapped itself around him, dragging him much more slowly towards the abyss. His jacket and jeans mercifully protected the paper edges pressing into him, but it was still a painfully tight squeeze that left him gasping for air. His arms were uselessly pinned inside the embrace as he was dragged headfirst, but their hypothesis had been proven correct as all the books around them had dropped to the ground lifeless.

“Tom!” Janna called out. He strained his head to see she’d removed her beanie and had something purple in her hand that she lobbed at that moment. Through the haze of pain he recognized it as another of her potions. The arc was due to miss until he summoned his energy reserves and redirected it with a weak burst of flame from his boot. Though the glass was durable enough to not melt or shatter, the demonic heat changed the potion into a bubbling olive green milliseconds before it contacted a random segment of the behemoth they were fighting. All at once, its hold on Tom and the rest of its body went limp as it began floating lazily into the air before bouncing off the ceiling a few times like a balloon. Janna ran over and helped Tom up as Overdoom screamed inarticulately from many feet above. They traversed the chaotic mess towards the pile they’d spotted previous. After some digging around, he found ‘Historia Homewnum’ miraculously unscathed and protected by a large, sturdy slab of mahogany that had fallen flat on top of it. “I got it!”

“Cool, potion is wearing off. We need to go.” Janna calmly stated. Twin jets of fire erupted from his feet as he swiftly passed the book to Janna and scooped her up in his arms, carrying them across the room towards the door. After setting Janna down, he hesitated for a moment as she stood in the doorway.

“Do you think I should still pay the late fee? I feel kinda bad and-”

“TODAY MAY HAVE BEEN YOUR VICTORY, BUT TOME-ORROW WILL-”

Tom sighed in resignation with a very unimpressed expression. “OK, yeah, never mind.” And with a quick slam of the door, they were both out scot-free. They didn’t stop running until they arrived back at the elevator. Once inside, they slumped down onto the ground as they began the journey back up to the main surface of the Underworld.

“Woo!” Tom was caught off guard by Janna expressing visible joy, and it was immediately infectious. “Now that’s an adventure. Of course, demon fire is what makes the potions work. Makes a lot more sense. Stupid ink smudge, I burned all those lemons for nothing.” He belly laughed, falling over to the floor and clutching his gut as Janna kicked him in the arm.

“Sorry, sorry, couldn’t help it.”

Her foot backed off after one last good hit. “So now you just have to give that book to your mom?”

“Yeah, should only take a minute. Want to come with?”

“Dude, she’s half a story tall and cries lava. I’d be honored. Oh crud, Pony’s current stream title is ‘WHY Y’ALL CARE MORE ABOUT EARTH TURD AND B-FLY THAN ME?!?!’” Janna showed him the notification on her phone. “That can’t be good.”

Tom pulled out his phone and called to see what was up. Pony picked up after only one ring and didn’t even bother with a greeting as she screamed so loudly that he lost hearing for a moment in his right ear. Her voice carried through the elevator car even without being put on speakerphone. “Yo Tom, why do all my Pony Pals just want to watch those two idiots kiss and cuddle? What is up with that? I even gave my fanbase a stupid nickname, they eat that stuff up, so why won’t they looooove meeeeee?” Business as usual with Pony, it seemed. “An-y-way, this whole shopping spree was amaaaazing, I am all kinds of extra fabulous now. B-Fly and Earth Turd took over the stream cuz the viewers, like, wanted a Q&A sesh but I’m only giving them twenty minutes! Hmph!”

“Might as well just make a whole show about them,” Janna chimed in, rolling her eyes a few times for good measure.

“Wait, demon boy, is Janna there? What the heck have you two been getting up to? Don’t tell me you too are getting your freak on too, I could not handle that T.M.I.-”

Yeah, there was nothing more to gain from that conversation. Tom flipped his compact shut, disconnecting the call. Wait, ‘too’? Did she mean- he shuddered involuntarily. You know what, nope, just not going to think about that one.

“So glad I turned off the cameras,” Janna mumbled, curling up into a ball on the floor, clearly not wanting to touch that whole situation either.

He opted to make contact with the other group via Marco instead - why he hadn’t just done that in the first place, he’d never know - and sent a quick text. “Marco wants to get dinner at the Waterfolk Kingdom in, like, an hour and a half. Apparently Star found some earrings she wanted at the last minute, and Pony got arrested for shoplifting three seconds after I hung up.”

Janna cackled in response. “Let’s just meet them there. My jacket got ripped to shreds by the possums last week, might as well get a new one while I’m down here. Been thinking about changing it up. I kinda like that style.” She lifted up his arm and poked at a button on the sleeve of his own.

“Uh, yeah, sure, I can show you where I got it.” He stumbled over his words, still caught off guard by this new normal-person-Janna. The elevator dinged and the teens began their trek through the Lucitor castle in search of the queen. “So, the Librarinth... we’re definitely going back there at some point, right?”

“Totally, bet’s still not over. We should do this more often, you’re not so bad a friend.”

“You too, and yeah, we should.” Looking back on the day, it had honestly been one some of the most fun he’d had in a while, despite almost dying at least once. Tom still wasn’t sure what to make of this friendship brewing between them, but if it meant more days like this to look forward to? Maybe he could get used to that.

#jantom #starco #svtfoe #star vs the forces of evil #tgg svtfoe #fanfic

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jonny-byerss · 4 years ago

Note

What are your answers to those 20 questions? Im planning to add my own answers too (even though nobody asked lol)

I got another ask for some of the numbers but I’m just gonna do this one because it’s all of them.

1) Favorite character? Jonathan, hands down. He’s so underrated. I love him with all my heart.

2) Favorite season? Even though I love Season 1 and the amount of thought that was actually put into the writing, I’m gonna say Season 2 because I really loved that season and a lot of amazing things happened in that season (mostly the Jancy kiss lol but other things too)

3) Favorite scene? Oof that’s a hard one. I really like the exorcism scene from S2 with Joyce, Jonathan, Nancy and Will (Noah Schnapp did amazing, all of the actors in this scene were phenomenal, Winona, Charlie, and Natalia and especially Noah). I also obviously love the Jancy first kiss, and how passionate it is (and scene directly before and morning after scene lol).

4) Favorite 80s song from the album? Even though it was used for Stancy (sigh), I am a sucker for Africa, I’ve loved that song since before Stranger Things. But I also love Should I Stay Or Should I Go and how significant it is to the show.

5) Favorite ship? I think it’s obvious to anyone who’s seen my blog lol, Jancy obviously. And it’s canon so there’s that.

6) Favorite outfit? Oh gosh, literally any of Jonathan’s sweaters cuz he looks so cute in them. I also really liked Joyce’s S3 look, she was a cutie. And I liked Nancy’s dresses in S3, they were cute. I like a lot of the outfits tbh (Max always has cute outfits, and El in S3).

7) Favorite antagonist? Can I say just Hawkins Lab in general? I miss S1 and S2 when you never knew what the Lab was gonna do next, it made for a good antagonist. The Russians didn’t seem all that mysterious tbh.

8) Scoops Troop, Griswold Family, or Eagle’s Nest? Griswold Family for sure! Jancy and the kids will always be superior! I wish they got more screentime, especially after the hospital scene. I also wish the siblings actually acknowledged each other.

9) Who’s your favorite actor? Charlie!! I mean, all of the actors are amazing, but I’m starting to really appreciate Charlie Heaton. For one thing, I love British boys, and for another, I just think he’s a phenomenal actor and he’s really good at showing his emotions. I wish the writers gave him more to work with.

10) Most badass Hawkins lady? Oh dang, that’d have to be a tie between Joyce and Nancy. I just love how Joyce would do anything for her kids, including go into an unknown dimension with the possibility of being Demogorgon lunch. Also, when she punched the mayor, gosh, that was amazing. And Nancy, when she stood in front of the car and just shot at Billy when he was racing towards her, I was so proud (and also scared for Nancy’s life). And “Let’s burn that lab to the ground”, I love her, she’s such a badass.

11) Favorite mom? (By the way person who made the questions, Steve’s not a mom!) I love Joyce! She is the World’s Greatest Mom™️! Sure, she has some problems, but she would literally do anything for her kids and I love that! Also, she’s so chill, like Jonathan had a girl over and she totally knew and didn’t care! My mom would literally kill me lol. I love Joyce.

12) Saddest scene? Oh gosh that’s hard. Bob dying was really sad to me, but I actually genuinely cried at the S3 ending. Not because of Hopper’s letter but because the Byers are moving! Like I get why but it’s still so sad seeing everyone say goodbye to each other, like come on Joyce, look how sad they all are :(

13) Any merch? So, because I’m fairly new to this fandom, I don’t have much. I seriously watched the whole show for the first time in April because quarantine and my friend wanted me to watch it, so I did, I’ve binged it at least 4 times though already during quarantine. However, since I recently graduated from high school and was given a lot of graduation money that I had no idea what to spend on (yes, I set some aside for college), I bought some merch. I bought a S3 poster from Walmart. I bought a Steve Funko online. For my birthday, which was in June, my friend gave me a Scoops Ahoy shirt and pin. My boyfriend gave me a Robin Funko (he said he was gonna get me Jonathan but they didn’t have anymore of his 1 single Funko, rip). And then my sister and I went to Hot Topic and I got two shirts, one that just has the Stranger Things logo and the other has the Griswold Family on it (seriously, I saw Nancy and Jonathan on it and I screamed). That’s it. Oh, and then my sister gave me some Stranger Things decals for my birthday which I put on my laptop. And then my sister’s friend gave me a sticker with Robin on it, and that’s on the back of my phone. That’s it. That’s all the merch.

14) Favorite line? I’m sorry but my favorite line will forever be, “So, Jonathan, how was the pull-out?”. That line is literally the most clever innuendo I have ever heard. And I love Jonathan’s reaction to it. And Nancy’s little smirk. I may be pretty innocent, but I understood that line the second I heard it. And I love that it’s for Jancy. If it was for any other couple, I might not have laughed as hard as I did, but it was still hilarious, imo.

15) Contributed to the fandom? Again, I’m pretty new to the fandom. I did write a fanfic, but it never got posted because my computer decided to delete it for some reason. I’m not good at art, so no on that. I did make a Tik Tok though. You can check it out, my name is @camree_nicole. The Tik Tok literally blew up (like seriously most of my videos only get like 20 likes by my irl friends, but this one got 12K likes, it was crazy!), like I gained a lot of Stranger Things fan page followers. What was the Tik Tok? I literally made it because I was procrastinating my online school (back when I was still doing that) and it’s literally about how whenever I’m binging Stranger Things and get to S2:E6, I get really excited and I showed the scene of Nancy and Jonathan about to kiss. I got a lot of comments like “Yesss I was so happy!” and stuff like that and it made me really happy lol.

16) Favorite fan theory? Idk, there’s some pretty crazy theories out there. I don’t really look at many theories, I just like seeing what some people theorize for S4. I especially like @unpredictablybittersweet’s S4 theories here on Tumblr. And GemmaStones on Reddit has some theories I really like too.

17) Favorite filming location? The Byers house!! I’m gonna miss that place :’( Lots of iconic stuff has happened there. Still bitter we didn’t get much of it in S3.

18) Read any books or comics? Again, I’m pretty new, so no I have not. I’ve heard what happens in some of them online though.

19) Favorite duo? My fave duo will forever be Nancy and Jonathan. Whether it’s platonic or romantic, when they get together they do some pretty badass things.

20) Favorite behind the scenes photo? The picture in my profile pic I believe is a BTS photo. It’s also my lock screen rn.

Also here’s my Tik Tok: (ignore my face)

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m39 · 5 years ago

Text

Homestuck 11th anniversary/413 AKA Why I have more tolerance towards the Epilogues

WARNING!

THIS TEXT IS OVER 1.5 THOUSAND OF WORDS LONG!

Enjoy.

EH MAH GERD! E EASTIT MOON BUCKETS!

Wait…

EH MAH GERD!!! E HAMSTEAK BORTH TOOT!!!

And only on this time of year, when we have two holidays, we can talk about the thing that everyone in the Homestuck fandom loves: The Epilogues! :D

Everyone is pointing a gun at you.

OH FUCK!!

You duck behind your desk while everyone else is shooting.

JESUS TAP DANCING CHRIST!!! CALM YOUR ASSES DOWN!!!!!

10 minutes later. You check out of you can stand up.

H-hello?

…

Can I talk now??

…

PERFECT!!

As you can see, today is not only the 11th anniversary of Homestuck but also the 1st anniversary of its Epilogues. Now, imagine one year ago, you were waiting almost 2.5 year for the Epilogues (three years if you don’t count Credits). You wanted to know the answers to many questions such as: Is Lord English defeated once and for all? What happened to that post-Retcon worthless c8nt who lost all of her character development? Is Terezi going to be okay? etc. Sure you got some supplementary stuff like the 1st act of Hiveswap (after like 5 years after its announcement, despite all of its development problems), Friendsim (that visual novel that detailed characters that will appear in later acts of Hiveswap), you read some fanfics like Cool And New Web Comic (personal opinion: very fucking good) and Vast Error (I didn’t read this one but I heard it was good and many people behind it are working with the WhatPumpkin team and on the other official Homestuck shit), there were some official snapchat photos and while those were very good, you knew that they will mean nothing when the Epilogues will drop in. And they finally does, on the Homestuck’s 10th anniversary no less. So you click on The Homestuck Epilogues, happy and excited as fuck and the first thing you see is… an introduction page ripped straight out of AO3.

You earn what can be basically described as a punch in the face where the metaphorical fist is filled with confusion. But it doesn’t end here. Then you notice something more disturbing in content warning and characters:

Rape? Abuse?? Existential Crisis?!? OC?!?! Polyamory?!?!?! GENDER TRANSITION?!??!?!?!?! BARACK! FUCKING!! OBAMA?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?

Like what in the actual fuck is happening?!!

Then you read the Prologue and you are like: Uhm… Okay. It’s not that bad at all, like, far from it. Maybe that AO3 page is just a joke? Everything will be alright right? RIGHT?!?

Then one week later Hussie (with help of some people) drops two nukes on fandom and it all goes to hell. No seriously, it’s like Hussie built Little Boy and Fat Man expies titled Meat and Candy, dropped them on fandom in which the centers of explosions were Dirk’s and Jane’s fandoms respectively and delivered some of the biggest Broken Base effect in Homestuck after like Act 6. Nothing was the same after that. Everybody were fighting each other over who was right, people didn’t even know what was canon anymore and even up to this date people are still misgendering Roxy for fucks sake (it’s not even that hard to remember it: she/her for the Alpha Roxy and her Candy counterpart and he/him for the Meat one; come on man)!

From what I’ve (mostly) seen on Tumblr, most of the Homestuck fans hates it to the bones. Only some individuals actually like them and I happened to be one of those people who likes the Epilogues.

Everyone is pointing a gun at you. Again.

OH COME ON MA-

One hour later.

CAN I FINALLY TALK WITHOUT ENDING UP FUCKING HANGED?!?

…

Bogan: y̵i̸s̷.̵.̶.̶

THANK YOU!

Now, I don’t really care who likes the Epilogues and who doesn’t. Everyone has different opinions. But something tells me that the Epilogues (at least here on Tumblr) are overhated. Like, sometimes, the negativity towards the Epilogues is so big that it makes me feel like I was in Star Wars fandom. And when fandom starts to look like the Star Wars one, you know you are in deep shit.

But you might be thinking by now: Dude, where are going with all of this shit?! Well my dear… uhm… pickles? The point of all of this is that I want to share something with you. And that is the reason. The (main) reason why I (in worst case) have more tolerance towards The Homestuck Epilogues than most of the people (on Tumblr).

When I started writing this long as fuck text I thought that I would easily give more reasons, in other words, give like 3-4 points why I like the Epilogues. But then again it’s better said than done because most of them are connected to this fact:

THE. EPILOGUES. ARE. MOSTLY. NOT. CANON.

This is the reason why I like them, why I can tolerate them. The Epilogues are mostly happening in two new timelines, different from the Alpha one. It’s even stated (or at worst implied) by Jade in Homestuck^2’s 6th chapter that the Meat timeline (and also possibly the Candy one) is not the Alpha one:

The reason why the Epilogues are mostly not canon is that the characters from the Alpha timeline (Terezi, Vriska, Aradia, Sollux, Alt!Calliope etc.) make an appearance in one of the timelines (some of them in both).

Some people who hate the Epilogues stated that it RUINED some of the characters no matter if they liked them or not. That’s kind of… over-the-top because characters that are not from the Alpha timeline are clearly in some cases not the same ones that we know as I see it (at least in case of Neo-Condesce and Doc Strider) as a fuck you towards those fanfics that like to shove Ron the Death Eater and Character Derailment tropes down our throats because some fanfic creators didn’t like some of the characters from the original work.

In other words: Almost all of the characters from the Alpha timeline are the same characters as we know at the very end of Homestuck.

There are still lesser things that I find myself enjoying in the Epilogues:

- The writing is on a very good level and when it’s pissing someone of it’s not from incompetence,

- Post-Retcon Vriska actually gets some actual character development instead of ending up as a useless piece of shit that only insults everyone who achieved much more than she ever would (I mean it took (at least) almost 4 years for this to happen but still),

- The fact that behind Neo-Condesce’s and Doc Strider’s turn to evil is some actual sense, like with the former one it was mind manipulations in her childhood (not to mention the literal mind control by Post-Scratch Meenah) and the latter one (in order to become ultimate) ending up absorbing some of the versions of himself that are basically a massive shitheads (like Bro, Hal, even Caliborn counts),

There are still other pros that either I can’t remember or they are too minor co count.

Does all of this mean that the Epilogues are flawless? PFFFFFF! Of course not. Nothing is perfect. There are some stuff that I don’t like.

The biggest one is that the Epilogues are sometimes overcrowded with so many words detailing every single thing that it actually becomes a slog to get through even one chapter (but then again, this is the reason why I don’t enjoy reading books). Sure, the original comic is like almost thrice as long as the fucking Lord of the Rings in case of the dialogue but it has pictures and animations to be more pleasant for the eyes. Which leads to another con: No. Fucking. Pictures. If I want to look for the details, then at least show me something else than words. Every fucking time I must look at dozens of words describing the most minuscule thing in the novel I’m like:

youtube

Also in terms of enjoyment I prefer the Meat Epilogue over the Candy one. When some people say that this book is a big, steaming pile of sadness and depression, at least the Meat part tells you from the start what kind of tone it’s going to have. The Candy part? Not so much. First it’s all happiness, (almost) everyone is happy, birds are happy, clouds are happy, nothing but happiness. And then you get punched in the gut, smashed into the ground and getting kicked over and over and over for so long that when the kicking finally stops it feels like 15 years passed by that time. And just to add up, the pacing in Meat is better than in Candy.

I’m going to piss you off even more but there are moments in the original Homestuck that are more cringe/rage inducing than some of the most painful ones from the Epilogues, particularly the intermissions in Act 6 Act 6 (DON’T GET ME STARTED ON WHAT HAPPENED TO BOTH SERKETS I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD).

…

Hey you.

…

Are you still reading this?

…

GOOD! Because you have reached the end of this long ass post that will get one like MAX. You know, like my other long ass posts. LOL AM I RIGHT?!?!

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Jokes asides, we had a wild ride since the last 413. The Epilogues (despite what they are) gave us the answers to the biggest questions that Homestuck left for us, we got Pesterquest, the sequel to Friendsim that concluded the history of the MSPAReader (until another sequel -_-) and, of course, we got the official sequel to Homestuck, over 10.5 years later from the original comic’s debut. So, fuck ton of stuff throughout a year for me.

As for the Epilogues, look, I can, in some way, understand that some of you want to stay at least 10 km away from them but it has been a year (well technically almost a year) since they were published on the Homestuck’s official website. It might be a good time to read them once more. Without all of that hype they have built for 2.5 years after the credits. From the different perspective. Maybe even (and I dare to say it) right after yet another re-reading of Homestuck. Either way, remember that in most cases you can give someone or something another chance.

Before I’ll finally end this I must call out some of the more rabid Epilogues haters:

STOP TREATING THE ORIGINAL, ALPHA JANE THE SAME WAY AS A FUCKING NEO-CONDESCE!! THOSE TWO CHARACTERS ARE DIFFERENT CHARACTERS!! SAME WITH ALPHA DIRK AND DOC STRIDER!! MAKE UP YOUR FUCKING MIND!!! STOP ACTING LIKE A BUNCH OF 12 YEAR OLD BRATS!!!

You are on your last breath.

Tha… that’s it! I’m done… wheeze S… See you next time. B-Bye now! Imma… Immabouttopffffffffffffffffffff-

You fall down on your floor after over 1.5 thousand words of talking. Suddenly you feel urge to check Twitter. You see that Homestuck^2 has just received another update. Roundabout starts playing in the background.

What?! And what is thi- PART ONE?!?!?! Oooooooooohhhhhhh ffffuuuuuuUUUUUUUU-

<--- TO BE CONTINUED

#homestuck #4/13 #Homestuck Epilogues #Homestuck Epilogues Meat #homestuck epilogues Candy #homestuck 413 #4/13/20

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comicteaparty · 5 years ago

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April 13th-April 19th, 2020 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from April 13th, 2020 to April 19th, 2020. The chat focused on Desert Spell by Madison Bacon.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Desert Spell by Madison Bacon~! (https://tapas.io/series/Desert-Spell)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace until April 19th, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Discussions are freeform, but we do offer discussion prompts in the pins for those who’d like to have them. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic! Whether you finish the comic or can only read a few pages, everyone is welcome to join and chat with us!

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 1

1. What did you like about the beginning of the comic?

2. What has been your favorite moment in the comic (so far)?

3. Who is your favorite character?

4. Which characters do like seeing interact the most?

5. What is something you like about the art? If you have a favorite illustration, please share it!

6. What is a theme you like that the comic explores?

7. What do you like about the comic’s story or overall related content?

8. Overall, what do you think the comic’s strengths are?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

woah, traditional comic :0 rare breed.

eli [a winged tale]

Indeed! I love the hook of the water spell and the creatures so far!

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

I got a chance to read it! So I like how it opens up the world building with the desert, the baby interacting with the llama beast. They are shown to to be in a harsh desert climate. 5. I really like the traditional look of the comic artwork. The magic shown by the mom is fasinating. How they seem connected to nature(edited)

SpaceBum

The beginning is so good! I also really like the families dynamic specifically between the chief and their daughter. I wish the chief had been more understanding of why her daughter stepped in to safe that guy even though I understand where they’re coming from

RebelVampire

For the beginning, I like kind of just how quick certain aspects of the world were introduced. Like the story pretty quickly established theres magic, how the nomadic tribe feeds themselves in the desert, and the stakes now that that is growing harder. You learn a lot about the world without there needing to be heavy exposition, which really helps with the story flow. My favorite moment in the comic so far is probably the market scene when Dorian appears since I enjoyed the brief interaction there and the communication gaps that had to be overcome because Thaina is deaf. It was interesting to see how that is handled in the comic's world. My favorite character right now is actually Thaina's mom who is holding the tribe together, taking risks, and doing everything a chief is able to do to keep things together. Can't not respect that. Also she makes awesome speeches. My favorite characters interacting is probably Thaina and her brother just because I like how similar they are and how they each help each other out. It's very cute and heartwarming.

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Oh, wow, I love how this comic handles sign language. Mostly like a speech bubble, but the end of the tail, instead of being a point that leads to the mouth, opens up into a bracket to reflect that the dialogue is coming from the person's whole body? That's brilliant.

(And the way it's square instead of round, so you can tell what kind of speech it is even when there's no tail -- also a great choice.)

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

I love the look of this comic! And yeah, I agree Erin, the way sign language is handled in the comic is super cool. I’m really curious how the story is going to progress from here. Like, will we start to see measures taken against the nomads thanks to these city politicians? Will we focus more on Thaina and Dorian getting to know each other?

Feather J. Fern

The art is so cool, I love the woobly panels

RebelVampire

Back to questions. For the art, I like the color choices and blending quite a lot. The colors just all make the comic so pretty to look at, and somehow really suits the desert-y setting. That's some atmospheric about is that I really enjoy. As for themes, I like that the comic is exploring adapting to change. Whether we want to or not, life changes, and this often means we have to do things we never thought we'd do. And I like seeing that the comic hits that right up front and kind of shows/discusses inevitably how we adapt to these kind of changes and deal with them, whether healthy or not. As for the comic's overall story, I again like how communication is used in various ways to tell the story, from unreadable dialogue to sign language to just expressions. It really all speaks to how large a roll communication plays in our lives and the various forms it can come in. As for the comic's overall strengths, I'm gonna give it to just the fact in how unique it is with its traditional art style, deaf main character, and so forth. Sure you can find these in other comics, but it's rare to see it all together like this. So it makes for a genuine experience you won't get elsewhere

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 2

9. What do you think of the way the story handles dialogue and communication given the protagonist is deaf? How does this change how you look at dialogue in general for comics or how characters with disabilities are portrayed?

10. Why do you think the city has such negative attitudes towards the Thaina’s tribe, and do you think the city will grow past them? In what ways might Thaina directly influence the opinions of the city and those in charge?

11. Why do you think James is so adamant about expanding the water pipeline and banning magic? Is there some hidden agenda, or is James actually trying to do good for the city? What negative consequences might there be for either action?

12. What do you think Dorian’s role will be in the story? If a positive for the Thaina’s tribe, what do you think Dorian’s motivation will be? Also, how will Dorian’s actions affect people Dorian knows in the city?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

I really love the way dialogue is handled with the deaf protagonist!!! The way speech bubbles are drawn is super unique and makes sense intuitively! Honestly, it's a style of speech bubble I may want to steal for my works at some point lol. I really like little touches too, like having speech bubbles with scribbles in them when Thaina turns away. It all just... clicks!

RebelVampire

I also really love the way the story handles dialogue. While I was a bit confused at first, once I figured out what they were going for, it felt really ingenious. It really stretches the boundaries of how you can make characters communicate, and that you can experiment with dialogue in a lot of different ways. I feel like the distrust and attitude for the tribe mostly just comes from the fact their outsiders. It's easy to feel that way about people you don't know, and when it's group vs. group, that getting to know you gap is super hard to overcome. So usually, especially when the groups just avoid each other generally this sentiment only grows. As for growing past it though, honestly I'm less hopeful. I'm sure Thaina can make some people go around, but change like this does not come easy or fast. :( In regards to James, I'm inclined to say a bit of both. I feel like James does have an ulterior motive, but I also don't feel like it's entirely selfish yet. More misguided if anything, cause it's not like a pipeline of water would only benefit James or banning magic wouldn't make it unsafe for everyone else. Though I definitely think this is one of those decisions where it sounds good in theory until they use up all the water or need magic for something and whoops, the longterm wasn't considered. As for Dorian's role, probably part contact in the city, probably part love interest? I don't really feel like I know Dorian enough to say.

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 3

13. What are you most looking forward to seeing in regards to the comic?

14. Any final words of encouragement for the comic?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

sagaholmgaard

Ahh I only now reached chapter two but I just wanted to say that the comic looks really cool, I love the watercolor style and the way magic has been illustrated so far! And the different ways for communication is also really inspiring to see :0

warriorneedsfood

I like the comic very much. It’s brave to try to draw characters that can only communicate with sign language. And ‘taste my toes, criminal!’ Made me laugh out loud.

RebelVampire

I think what I'm most looking forward to in the comic is just seeing more Dorian since the story moved on so fast I'm excited to see Dorian's role in the story. As for final words, this is a very atmospheric comic that bravely takes a lot of chances that works out well, so even if it's not your cup of tea, it's definitely something to respect and study.

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Desert Spell this week! Please also give a special thank you to Madison Bacon for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Desert Spell, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: https://tapas.io/series/Desert-Spell

Madison’s Website: https://baconbitmadison.wixsite.com/madisonbacon

Madison’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/baconbitmadison

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #book club #bookclub #webcomic book club #webcomic bookclub #desert spell #madison bacon #comic tea party #ctp

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mfackenthal · 6 years ago

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The MFackenthal Show and @maxattack-powell!

banner by @whenyourheartskipsabeat

Hello all! Welcome back to the MFackenthal Show! I am so glad that you are here today. If you’re new to the show, I encourage you to go here to find past episodes. There are only a few.

The MFackenthal Show has officially been green lit for more episodes! We used to only be able to afford to run the show every once in a while, but the people have spoken - they want to see the show more often! The funding came through and we hope to give the people what they want! Do you want to be on the show? Do you have someone that you want to see on the show? If so - reblog or comment or send a message to let MFackenthal know! We’ll see what we can do! We have this show and two others lined up for you!

I could not be more excited to bring you this next guest. She has been with the fandom for quite a while. She was one of the first people I started communicating with on a regular basis. She has talked me up, supported me from the beginning and though she hasn’t written much lately - when she does drop a chapter - it’s long and it’s worth it! Please welcome to the stage @maxattack-powell!!!!! (Insert Cheering here!)

(Megs greets Max with a hug - which means that Megs essentially runs and leaps into Max’s arms. Max is fairly tall and Megs is barely 5′3″)

Megs: Max, I am so happy that you are here! Can you believe that you’re here today?

Max: Haha, yes - I can. But I am honored to be here.

Megs: Max, sit with me. For those in the audience who may not know you, tell us about when and why you joined the fandom.

Max: Yanno, I always made my best guess at this before, but I knew you were going to ask me this - so I looked it up. Did you know that now there’s this Official Tumblr blog called @memories, and it knows down to the minute when someone joined? Let me go check it… *digs through the blogs posts* Okay, it was apparently 07/31/2017 at 1:17:15 PM, which means it must have been on the weekend because of the time of day haha.

As for why ... hmm, well… I found the Choices app one day, when it only had like… three series I think! Anyone else remember that time?

Megs: I do! Because I was playing Hollywood University I think I downloaded choices the day the app came out.

Max: Awh! Well, I fell in love with The Freshman Series. Mostly because of Chris Powell and Zack Zilberg, and a long time ago I was in another fandom that had tons of fan fiction/art… so I googled “Choices Chris Powell” and any other combination I could think of looking for possible fanfiction. The fandom was almost non existent at the time. There was actually one person, who has long since left the fandom due to fandom dramas - we all know the kinds I’m talking about - but a few others had started posting their works as well… and I got hooked. Eventually I felt the bug to write how I felt TF should play out as well, and here I am *looks back at the “joined tumblr timestamp”* uhh… 20ish months ago! Haha!!

Megs: LOL, when you put it that way it doesn’t sound like that long ago ... lets call a spade a spade - that was almost 2 years ago! That’s amazing! You have to have seen so much in this fandom! What is it that keeps you around?

Max: There are so many awesome people in this fandom, in this world we’ve all created for our pixelated loves lol. Soooo many creative minds to follow and enjoy. The content people share, original or repost… it’s great.

... Unfortunately it is also a double edge sword ... the drama, the jealousy, the rumors, the hate, etc. I’ve sadly seen far too much and it comes in so many forms… it’s unnecessary.

Megs: I couldn’t agree more! If you could tell the fandom one thing - what would it be?

Max: It would be that we’re all here because we want to have a good time. No one came here to get ridiculed, to be scrutinized or chastised for their opinions, their likes or dislikes. Real life has enough of that going on. We are all individuals - if you want to be treated nicely, fairly, etc. you must also do the same to others. There is no reason someone must agree with you or anyone else. Live and let live. Embrace our differences as it makes us who we are. Most of the issues I see stem from a simple difference in opinion. That is ridiculous. Everyone’s entitled to their own thoughts. We must build each other up, not tear one another down. No one here owes anyone anything, now go have some fun.

(The room stands up in applause!)

Megs: You should definitely stand up and take a bow, Max!

(Max does just as Megs suggests - but she also makes Megs stand up and do the same. Laughing, they both sit back down.)

Awh, Max ... okay, let’s get back to you. We know that you’d fight anyone for the position of The Chris Powell Appreciation/Fan Club. And for those who don’t know, Max has been retelling the full The Freshman series, interweaving dialogue and plot from PB but also adding much of her own content. MC and Chris get a backstory. Chris gets best friends from back home. What is your favorite piece that you have written?

Max: Oh geez hahaha. Um… can I just say The Freshman Chronicles as a whole? I’ve written for different fandoms, and I have original WIPs but I’ll stick to the Choices fandom for this answer. I’ve put a lot of time into TFC. Tons of additional story work, research on characters and their backgrounds, PBs and my own OCs. You should see my file folder setup haha. It’s crazy… I have so many docs, pictures and gifs. Most organized by location (Hartfeld, Boston, New Haven, Cherryfield, etc.), then by character… and on some I get more detailed and split them by emotion and situation.

Megs: By what again?

Max: Emotion and Situation ... Yeah. I warned you it was crazy! *laughs* TFC was the reason I joined tumblr really. Instead of staying a Nonny and only reading others posted works. I wanted to comment, like and reblog what I enjoyed, while I also worked on my own contribution to the fandom. I had a vision for Chris and MC that had more than the game could give, and I wanted to see if i was still any good at writing since it had been years and years… it’s funny to see how different my current posts are from my first over a year ago. Makes me want to go update a few because they could use a little help *awkward laugh*

Megs: I’m sure we can all relate to that! Hmmm ... I’m starting to get a feel for this, I think, but what is your writing process?

Max: Lots of planning, mostly in my head. When I feel like I have a decent concept I might type out some notes or work it into my outline (another crazy thing I have going for TFC because it’s so big haha). But usually, once I hatch out a basic plan on where I’m going… I just start typing. Keeping the general plot and main points I want to hit in mind, I simply start typing… keeping it as organic as possible. It usually works out well.

Megs: Do you have any advice for other writers?

Max: First, and most importantly… do it because you enjoy it. Don’t do it for likes, reblogs, popularity, etc. If you’re having a good time dreaming things up and typing them out, that’s what’s important. The rest is just an extra bonus. Also, don’t give up. It’s easy to become discouraged, frustrated, distracted and more… but remember - your creative cells can’t be running all the time. They need to rest just like your body. Take breaks… go read, play games, hang out with friends/family, watch a movie… whatever. Just do something to help you relax, to reset and you’ll very probably find inspiration and/or motivation to continue. Remember, this is for fun. *wink and finger guns*

Megs: So what do you do for fun?

Max: I actually have a few things I do regularly. A big one is making costumes/props for conventions, small productions, etc. I also train and show horses. I do the same with my dogs, but more for competitions and not really any shows. I’ve always drawn, sculpted, painted since I was old enough to hold things with my hands… and about a year ago I started learning how to do it digitally as well. I run (not at all for fun haha) and play hockey (totally for fun), follow comics and watch anime. I've restored houses, cars and old furniture. I like to read as much as I can - that’s an important one. I also play video games. Something I’ve done since I was young… I've even competed, and won, a few gaming tournaments.

Megs: You don’t know how to be bored do you?

Max: LOL, Megs. Yeah, um, so there’s a “few” *makes air quotes* of my never ending list of interests haha. Gives me a lot to talk about with people, eh?

Megs: Not that I can understand how you’d have time for this ... but what do you do to help pay for your many activities?

Max: Oh like, my job? Well that can be a simple answer… like “I work in software” but the more interesting way to say it is I use my MBA, experience in business, the financial industry and technology to improve and stabilize my customers environment through technological solutions that fit their specific needs. *presses lips together* I solve problems by designing solutions. Bored yet? Hahaha.

Megs: No! That sounds wonderful! Who doesn’t want their stuff to be designed better? Any chance you could start working for tumblr? Some of us have a few complaints ... tags ... mobile losing our work ...

Max: I’m not sure they could pay me enough to help them with all of their problems! But, tumblr, feel free to send me an offer!

Megs: Seriously - send her a 6 figure offer!

Max: Okay, Megs, well now I have a question for you.

Megs: Uhhhh, Max, that’s not exactly how this is supposed to go.

Max: Yeah, don’t care. Your fans need to know ... Hoooow do you find the time to read and review so much?! And I know that’s just in this fandom. I know you read books and you may read for other fandoms!? Seriously, it’s awesome. We need to clock your page flipping speed haha.

Megs: *blushes* Oh my gosh, you have to stop! Here’s the key to how I do it ... I wake up at 5:30am and read for about 30 minutes. Then I workout and start my day. I read in line at the grocery stores. I read on my breaks at work.

Max: Oh my gosh - you’re such a nerd and I love that! Okay, nerd, what is your favorite thing to do, besides reading all the things of course?

Megs: This show, of course! And, of course, getting people to do silly things on this show with me. For instance - with as athletic as you are, I hear you can’t jump?

Max: Megs, shhhhh. You told me you weren’t going to bring that up.

Megs: I did no such thing! (Meg says while laughing) I said I might not bring it up.

Max: Uh huh.

(Kris Kross’s “Jump” starts playing in the studio)

Megs: Come on - show me what you’ve got!

(Megs starts “singing” along and jumping along with the song. Max stays seated. Megs finally pulls Max up into a standing position. Max plays along and “jumps” next to Megs - getting no air at all.)

Oh, come on Max - put some real strength in to it. Jump! Jump! Jump!

(Max jumps and gets the smallest amount of air time.)

Max: *laughing* Megs - I’m tall! I don’t need to jump to reach things!

Megs: *laughing* That must be nice. I got good at this type of jumping because I had to learn to jump up and gently grab things from the grocery so I didn’t knock everything down.

*continuing to jump around the audience - getting everyone to join her* And that’s all for the show today today, folks! Thank you for watching!! Have a great night!

#The Mfackenthal Show #With @maxattack-powell #Official show number 3 #But the 4th interview #Ellen has nothing on me #Oh who are we kidding #I wish I were half as cool as Ellen #She gets paid to do this #I do this for free #But I love it!

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flockofdoves · 5 years ago

Note

4, 9, 25!

omg.. these are all questions when looking through it i was like. i have a lot of Thoughts abt those ones fdkgjhdfkg. thank you angel!!! also please don’t feel obligated to read All This

i’m kinda embarrassed i wrote this much but i’m not good at editing things down after the fact

4. do you like your name? is there another name you think would fit you better?

i do! chiara is my birthname and at times through my life i’ve wished for a more androgynous/masculine name but i guess like. my name and its pronunciation and spelling and what it meant to my mom in naming me has been consistent throughout my life i don’t feel like myself without that. if i grew up in italy i’d probably feel differently though bc at least in the north its become like . italian “maddie” lol i get so confused when i go there bc all of a sudden i’ll be hearing my name everywhere

chiaroscura i came up with as a melodramatic kid after i got excited about reading the tale of despereaux that the rat character chiaroscuro had a name so similar to mine and i thought it was cool he shortened it to roscuro. i liked the art style too and it helped people know how to pronounce my name sometimes. no one irl really called me roscura but i’ve been going by it online in addition to chiara since i was a tween

i’ve tried to go by other names throughout my life like cj and arie (pronounced in 3 syllables ah-ree-ay) and rio but none of them really stuck outside of very specific contexts even if i wanted something more androgynous i think i’m just ingrained with this. i’ve thought about having it be chiaroscuro instead but chiaro for short just seems dumb. idk. and even if roscuro sounds fine roscura isnt just Me me its also a name i really associate with like uhhhh.. some dissociative alter stuff so i wouldnt want to take that away from her idk

i was sure when i was younger i’d want to change my middle and last name. my middle name is anne lol so thats very common and i thought it was boring and didnt feel like Me and too feminine etc but in the past couple years with my nana (dads mom) dying and her name was ann and then also my grandma (moms mom) is annette and my moms own middle name is anne i guess even if i dont like it without context i can keep it for history

similarly with my last name. its anglicized swedish and i have no connection to that part of my family and when i was having a really difficult time with my dad i didn’t want it but now that hes died and our relationship got better towards the end i’m more okay with it.

not sure what i’ll do if i ever get married. also have considered changing my name if i ever have trouble with how fucking stupid i’ve been with being openly a communist/disabled/gay/etc online with my full name since i was 11 lol but i doubt that

9. are you an artist?

lol. i’m not sure anymore tbh :( i at least drew stuff almost every day of my life up until like a bit over a year ago now and even if i didn’t think i was any “good” compared to my peers in like . high school AP art who went on to art school and stuff it was a big part of my identity but i let myself fall out of it even when i’d never let depression do that before and just didn’t get that momentum again. i stress about it almost every day since then i keep saying i’m Finally getting back into it but beyond like . art therapy when i was in a php program or the couple sculpture classes i took before i had to drop out of even part time classes and then a few sketches i still haven’t really provably picked things up again. and its not just digital art or cartooning its also my other creative passions like making clothing and cosplay and making stories i feel like a shell of a person without it i’m tired of saying i’ll Soon get back into it. got as far as sketching something for an actual traditional art thing last week so maybe if i finish that i can prove to myself again. i think i have trouble and why i stopped is i wasn’t doing art because i enjoyed the process anymore, i wanted the final product to be good and got discouraged and fell into a grating routine to make art. i need to learn how to enjoy that process again (or just? let myself? idk) i really need to learn that with making comics because i don’t have much proof at all that i can make things beyond like. 6 pages long. and of course with webcomics you’re constantly learning and growing in developing them thats part of the medium. i want to be able to call myself an artist again even if its hard to see that right now. i almost started drawing before i started answering this right now. i hate that i keep pushing it off. i’ve definitely said this before, but it has to be soon

25. could you live as a hermit?

i think this past 9 months has been the closest i’ve ever been to a hermit and its made me very confident that i absolutely could not lmao. i’m so sick of this i need to see proof of life beyond this place and with irl interaction with loved ones beyond my mom on a regular basis stagnating here for even a few months longer is just too much i don’t even feel like a real person anymore and thats concerning on multiple levels lol. its wild to me i even got to this point and kind of ironic that i feel the most isolated i’ve ever felt once i moved to one of the biggest cities in this country. right now i’m sustaining myself by chasing hope of a way out with the start of maybe actual concrete steps towards just . seeing people i love again irl. but honestly even that is freaking me out because realistically it might take longer to get out of this than i’d like to and i really can’t handle being in this situation more than a few months more.

also just in a general sense i think humans need to collaborate and provide for each other. individualist fantasies of just providing for oneself and not having to care for others both jsut . tend to not actually be accurate and can be pretty reactionary. so many people are so isolated in many ways under capitalism and that makes divide and conquer easier but to ensure a future where that won’t be the case we need to build community/dual power/solidarity/etc etc. i feel a bit guilty i’m not putting my actions where my mouth is with that as an individual right now but i guess it makes sense how i got here when so much is structurally at play. its weird intellectualizing that balance sometimes.

i’m so sorry this turned into some fucking . vent tumblr therapy session jesus christ fdgkjhd

#cpost #asks #futchitachii

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dontjudgemepeepswrites · 6 years ago

Text

April 1st

y/n - your name

y/n/n - your nickname

y/s/n - your surname

y/f/n - your full name

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

I wake up to the sound of my alarm. Wait, my alarm? I don't use an alarm. Why is my-- Jake. It's April 1st. One of the few holidays that Jake likes and partakes in.

"Rise and shine, sunshine. We have a long day planned! We're going to prank all of my co-workers!" an excited Jake Peralta says from beside me.

"Even Rosa?" I ask, smirking.

"Are you insane? Of course not Rosa. I'd be dead in 2 seconds flat."

"Mhm, and how long have you been awake, exactly?"

"2 hours."

"Babe."

"Yeah?"

"It's 3am. You've been up since 1?!"

"... maybe. Now get up, please. I'll make you breakfast." After hearing this, I shoot out of bed, taking it more as a threat since you shouldn't even trust Jake with cereal.

"No, I got it. Don't go near food. At all. And if you really want to prank your co-workers, I have a few ideas."

"Ooh, pray tell."

"Na ah ah. Get your own pranks."

"It's on, y/s/n. But can you give me one? Please?"

"Fine. Replace the cream in the oreos with toothpaste."

"That's an amazing idea. Now do we have any oreos?"

"Cupboard in the corner," I mumble tiredly.

"Thanks." He opens the cupboard and fake snakes jump out. He squeals like a 4 year old girl and jumps back in terror.

"Happy April fools day, bitch."

"I'm gonna get you so good, y/s/n."

"I'd like to see you try. In high school I was voted ruler of pranks."

"Is bad that that turned me on a bit?"

"You tell me," I whisper seductively, in order to get a reaction out of him. I then leave, my now ready bowl of cereal in my hand.

"Sometimes I hate you, y/n."

"No you don't."

"You're right, I don't."

"That's what I thought." Jake tries to sit next to me but I stop him. "You can't sit with us."

"Actually, Megan, I can't sit anywhere. I have hemroids."

"Did you just--"

"Yup."

"No sex for you for the next year then."

"What. No."

"Then take it back."

"Fine. I take it back." As he says that, I get a text. "Who's that?"

"My friend, Kane. He lives in England so he's like 5 hours ahead of us."

"Prove it." I roll my eyes but show him anyway. It's a good thing I planned this.

"Hey y/n, I know it's early there but I just wanted to say, text me when you can. I need to ask you something urgent. It's about Linda," he reads. "Who's Linda?"

"His daughter. He doesn't know anything about girls and she's 13, so."

"Oh, ok."

"I'm gonna go give him a call." What he doesn't know, however, is that Rosa is Kane and Linda was a signal. She's at the precinct. I've managed to get everyone on board with my plan for today. Except Charles. I'm not telling him.

"Fine. But leave the door open."

"You really wanna hear about girl issues? And I wasn't asking your permission."

"Woah, woah, woah. What's with the sass?"

"I'm tired, sorry. I get sassy when I'm tired."

"Ok. And yeah, you're right. Close the door." Ha ha, sucker. I walk out and call 'Kane'.

"Hey Kane. My boyfriend woke me up so I thought we'd just talk now."

"The balloons, air horn and mouse are done. We're doing the photo copier now. Have you done the soap?"

"Yeah, of course."

"He's not gonna have any idea."

"No, for the millionth time, Linda can be in a relationship if she wants. It's not your choice."

"Good call, Peralta's probably listening."

"Yes. And are you running low on period pads? You always forget to buy them."

"He's probably gone now. You can stop."

"Yeah. Well, I'm gonna go now. Bye, Kane."

"Later y/n." I hang up and walk back inside, pretending to be frustrated.

"You ok, babe?" Jake asks.

"Kane can be frustrating. And by that, I mean extremely annoying."

"C'mere." Jake gestures for me to snuggle him, so I do.

"Thanks for being the best boyfriend, Jakey."

"It's no problem. Wanna have sex before we go to the precinct? We've got ages."

"Really, Jake? I was thinking we watch a few Die Hard movies."

"Both?"

"Sure."

*At the precinct*

Everything's set up.

"Morning all," Jake says, rather chirpily, carrying the 'oreos'.

"Let's see, Jake brought snacks in on April fools. And they're oreos. You put toothpaste in them, didn't you?" Amy deduces.

"What? No! I'll prove it. Hitchcock, Scully! I have oreos! You want some?" Before anyone could even say oreos, they were here and ate about half of the 'oreos'.

"Mmm. These are amazing."

"See, they're fine. Y'know what, I'll leave these here, take one if you want one."

"I don't trust you," Amy says again. She turns to me. "You have one, y/n. You live with him, and are his girlfriend. You'll know if something's up."

"Fine," I say and pick up the one closest to me, which just so happens to be the normal oreo I snuck in there before we left. Jake knew about this, but so do the rest if the precinct. I'm just leading him into a false sense of security. I eat it. "See. It's fine." Everyone knew before we arrived that they would have to eat one, so they all sucked up and ate one, knowing they would be disgusting as they contain toothpaste.

"You liars. I'm gonna kill you, Peralta," Rosa threatens.

"What about y/n?" he asks. I give him a glare for throwing me under the bus.

"You probably dragged them into doing it. They're off the hook. For now."

"What is happening? Everyone back to work. Now," Holt says, following the plan. Jake goes to his desk and plops down on his chair, triggering the air horn we attached to it, making him leap 6 feet into the air. Everyone bursts out laughing.

"Ha ha, very funny," he mocks, taking the air horn off the chair. Once he finally does that, he sits back down and tries to open a report he's working on. Key word: tries.

"What the neck? The cursor isn't moving. Is something wrong with the mouse? It was working yesterday." He picks up the mouse and turns it upside down and sighs. "Alright, who did this? Who put this paper that says 'lol u got trolled' in comic sans and has a picture of me making a stupid face on it on my sensor?" Everyone laughs again.

*later that day*

"Jake, can you interrogate this perp for me? I need to go help with an arrest and your better at interrogating than me. Oh, and while I'm out, can you photo copy this perp's case?" I ask.

"Sure."

"Thanks, I'll see you later," I say, giving him a goodbye kiss on the cheek.

"See ya, y/n."

He has no idea what he's in for. Instead of leaving, I go to the security office to watch everything from the camera. Jake takes the 'perp' (who is actually an actor I've paid) to the interrogation room and comes face to face with something he does not expect. "Crap. Someone ballooned the interrogation room. Well, it looks like you're going to stay in holding a little longer," he says to the perp. After the perp is back in the holding cell, I receive a call from Jake. I don't answer since I'm supposedly 'making an arrest'. "Hey, y/n. It's Jake. I'm having trouble interrogating the perp because someone ballooned the interrogation room. I'm just checking from the interconnecting room and yeah, I can't see anything. I'm just gonna photo copy that case. I'll call you again if there are any problems. Call me when you can." Oh my gosh, he fell for it. What we actually did, was we blew up enough balloons to make it look like the room was filled up, and then stuck them to the one way glass and door into the interrogation room. Smart, eh?

Jake grabs the file I left on his desk and goes to the photo copier. He doesn't focus on what he's doing, luckily, and grabs everything from the printer. When back at his desk, he doesn't check them again, luckily. You see, we left a picture of Taylor Swift in the photo copier, so everything that gets photocopied while the photo's there will have an imprint of Taylor Swift. He then carries on with his work. After I see this, I head out and grab him some candy, so his day isn't all bad. However, part of my considers making him a candy apple but instead, replacing the apple with an onion. I don't think I'll be that mean though. I walk back into the precinct with the candy.

"Hey, Jake. I got your message. Sorry for wasting your time then."

"Don't worry, y/n/n. Here are your files by the way."

"Thanks. In return I give you this candy."

"Thanks y/n/n, I'm so lucky to have you."

"Awww, you two are too cute," Charles fanboy(le)s.

"Thanks, Charles." I open up the photocopy and pretend to be shocked. "Um, Jake. Why is there an imprint of Taylor Swift on every page?"

"What?"

"Yeah, look here." I show him the file and he starts to freak out.

"What? Why are there so many pranks today?!"

"Jake, babe. It's fine."

"I'm gonna find them, and make them apologise."

"You've already found them," I reveal.

"What d'you mean?"

"Everything today has been us. And by us, I mean, I came up with all 4 ideas and Terry, Holt, Amy and Rosa helped execute them. I wasn't talking to Kane this morning; I was talking to Rosa."

"Oh. That makes so much more sense. But what about the interrogation room and photo copier?"

"It was a fake case. The 'perp' is actually an actor I hired."

"Oh. How long did the balloons take though?"

"Not long. Maybe 10 minutes."

"To fill the entire room?"

"No, you dingus. Follow me." I lead him to the interrogation room door and open it. "We covered the windows to make it easier for everyone to do and clear away. My pranks are easy to tidy up."

"You really are the ruler of pranks, y/n."

"Never doubt my power."

"This just adds to the huge list of why I love you. And it also makes me even more sure that I'm about to do the right thing."

"What?" I ask, confused. Then he gets down on one knee.

"y/f/n, I love you and I have and will for years. Today has been a rollercoaster but has overall made me even more proud to call you mine and now I want more. Will you do me the honour of marrying me?"

"Yes. A million and fourteen times yes! Of course I'll marry you!" I pull him into a long, passionate kiss. "We have to tell the others." We walk hand in hand to the bullpen.

"You two look happy. Did you meet Beyoncé?" Gina asks.

"No, we only got engaged," I say, brushing it off like it's nothing.

"Wait, what?" everyone in the precinct says simultaneously.

"Is this another prank?" Rosa asks.

"No. I'm gonna get married to the love of my life," I start welling up.

"Jake, why didn't you tell me? Why wasn't I there? I've been fantasising about it for forever!" Charles asks, quite upset.

"It was kind of a spur of the moment thing. I wanted it to be organic. Besides, I wanted to surprise my best man," Jake announces, smiling at Charles.

"Me? I'd be honoured. And Nikolaj could be the ring bearer!"

"Woah, woah, woah, slow down there Boyle. We got engaged a few minutes ago."

"Detective y/s/n, Detective Peralta, I'm happy for you. Take the rest of the day off." Holt says.

"Let's go shall we, fiancé?" Jake asks.

"We shall, fiancé."

Today has been the best day ever.

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

#jake peralta #jake peralta one shot #jakeperaltaoneshot #jake peralta imagine #jakeperaltaimagine #imagine #oneshot #xreader #b99 #brooklyn99 #brooklyn 99 #jakeperalta #jake peralta x reader #jakeperaltaxreader

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simblrbreezycakes · 6 years ago

Photo

i was tagged by @chippedcupanddustybooks sweet bb. i am tagging @irrelephantsims @magnoliidae @simplymelaninated and anyone who hasn’t been tagged i swear i feel like the last person doing this LOL. heckin long ass questionnaire under the cut.

1. What is your full name? Brianna Leigh [Redacted] 2. What is your nickname? Breezy 3. Birthday? may 4th 4. What is your favorite book series? hmmmm series? idk.... i really like every single john grisham book and they aren’t related but when you have such a niche brand of book i feel like it counts lol. 5. Do you believe in aliens or ghosts? kinda on both. 6. Who is your favorite author? oh whew. tough one right here. idk man, i have a few? but if i had to choose i guezz i would say george orwell. 7. What is your favorite radio station? who tf listens to the radio like det anymore lmfao. i don’t have one. before i listened to 107.1 in memphis in the car sometimes, but i moved so. 8. What is your favorite flavor of anything? i loveeee pineapple anything. 9. What word would you use often to describe something great or wonderful? lit 10. What is your current favorite song? currently really into pink in the night by mitski and also sicko mode by travis scott.

11. What is your favorite word? good ole fuck(in/ed/etc.) i also really like voluptuous and bubbles. 12. What was the last song you listened to? last thing i listened to was another lifetime x nao. 13. What TV show would you recommend for everybody to watch? absolutely check out the good place. also hilda, the dragon prince, she-ra princess of power, criminal minds, law and order (the original), and snapped. 14. What is your favorite movie to watch when you’re feeling down? i used to watch the notebook religiously when it rained/felt upset like shit. but lately i’ve been watching say yes to the dress to combat my depression lol. 15. Do you play video games? yah 16. What is your biggest fear? dying alone and no one finding me. like literally alone not like meta alone “oh no one loves me” like dead ass alone somewhere isolated. 17. What is your best quality, in your opinion? hmmmmm idk that i care a lot about other people? 18. What is your worst quality, in your opinion? all of them lmfao. i’m annoying, i’m physically unattractive, i talk too damn much, i can be kind of a bitch both intentionally and unintentionally, i’m a trash writer, i can be selfish, and i self depreciate a lot (lol see above response “all of them”) and i’m sure that gets on people who love and care about me’s nerves ((but like....i mean it lmfao)) 19. Do you like cats or dogs better? whew tough. prolly cats though. 20. What is your favorite season? winter followed by a tie between spring and fall. 21. Are you in a relationship? nah lmfao. 22. What is something you miss from your childhood? not being so fuckin ugly and depressed lmfao. 23. Who is your best friend? “my person” as greys anatomy stans would say is ivy lynn [redacted] [redacted] but i also wanna shout out my home girl mary (i know you follow me on here), my home girl christina (also follows me on here but she never checks her simblr anymore), my smoothie gang bitches, my NSA bitches (which includes both ivy and mary lmfao), and my memphis as fuck family. honorable mention to loml [redacted] who is skating on thin fucking ice with me right now lmfao. 24. What is your eye color? brown 25. What is your hair color? brown 26. Who is someone you love? don’t make me answer this tumblr gods. 27. Who is someone you trust? all my best friends, my parents, my brother. 28. Who is someone you think about often? fucking murder me @ this question lmfao. my friend kate (RIP) my grandmother grannypeg (RIP) and [redacted] 29. Are you currently excited about/for something? i’m excited to spend christmas in a new country! forging new traditions and all that. 30. What is your biggest obsession? currently i’m obsessed with wedding stuff and mens fashion and how mens fashion such as suits translates into womens fashion. we love a hot lady in a tailored suit amiright? 31. What was your favorite TV show as a child? spongebob squarepants RIP :”( 32. Who of the opposite gender can you tell anything to, if anyone? [redacted] 33. Are you superstitious? kinda i guess? not really about stuff like stepping on cracks breaking mamas’ backs or opening umbrellas indoors but little things about familial traditions. 34. Do you have any unusual phobias? not really a phobia but i have misophonia. i also hate eye shit. like eye violence or anything fuckin around with eyes is a big no from me dawg. 35. Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it? absolutely behind the camera. i used to be a theater kid so like being on stage i don’t mind but when it comes to the spotlight and being filmed??? no no no no no. lemme be a cinnamontawgrowfur all day. 36. What is your favorite hobby? watching movies, playing skyrim (I MISS IT SO MUCH), reading, watching music videos, modern calligraphy/hand lettering, baking (ALSO MISS IT MUCH) 37. What was the last book you read? lol a textbook about developing countries.

38. What was the last movie you watched? i just rewatched the swan princess the other day but in terms of watching something brand new i think it was this tom cruise movie my friend showed us and i thought she said someone else ( i don’t remember now. maybe tom hanks?) it was pretty good he was irish or sum with nicole kidman and they came to the united states and pretended to be siblings but the sexual tension was so fucking high dawg.

39. What musical instruments do you play, if any? nothing i’m wack and a disappointment to my musically gifted family (my dad and brother) 40. What is your favorite animal? polar bears followed by giraffes. 41. What are your top 5 favorite Tumblr blogs that you follow? i’m gonna go with my main tumblr because ion wanna hurt nobody’s feelings but i follow a celebs of color page i really love, a fashion page i really love, and a few artists i really love. 42. What superpower do you wish you had? teleportation or shape shifting. 43. When and where do you feel most at peace? i feel most at peace when it is raining and i’m in my room, everything is clean and tidy, candles are lit, i have nothing to do so the world is my oyster, i have a nice cup of coffee or hot cocoa or tea, and i just am v i b i n g. 44. What makes you smile? seeing my friends, my brother (when he isn’t pissing me off), funny videos of red dead people falling off their horse in cinematic mode, pretty flowers, cute art, round birds. 45. What sports do you play, if any? i don’t lmfao. 46. What is your favorite drink? honestly a frozen margarita no salt. 47. When was the last time you wrote a hand-written letter or note to somebody? a month ago. 48. Are you afraid of heights? absolutely. 49. What is your biggest pet peeve? people chewing with their mouths open and people talking to me like i’m incompetent/assuming i don’t know anything about what they’re trying to talk to me about especially if it is my area of expertise lol. 50. Have you ever been to a concert? hail yeah. many. 51. Are you vegan/vegetarian? nope! 52. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? honestly i don’t know but i have a distinct memory of a bunch of girls in my second grade, yours truly included, wanting to be strippers. and i don’t know why or how this came up or if we even truly knew what stripping meant but. yeah. OH i guess around the time i was in 4th/5th grade i started wanting to be a harvard law graduate and be a lawyer but i gave that up in like high school and then bounced being a lawyer back and forth in my noggin up until i applied for grad school. shout out to my mary for doing it though. 53. What fictional world would you like to live in? hmmmm idk. none of em really. 54. What is something you worry about? if i made the right decision(s) in life lol. 55. Are you scared of the dark? not really. 56. Do you like to sing? yeah i do! doesn’t mean i’m good at it though haha. 57. Have you ever skipped school? yeah lmfao. 58. What is your favorite place on the planet? i miss Rwanda a lot. but honestly my favorite place is wherever the people i love are. my family loves to travel so whenever i’m with someone i love sharing an experience? i’m in heaven. 59. Where would you like to live? idk anywhere i guess. somewhere it is mostly cold most of the time though haha. 60. Do you have any pets? my bb boi fred lives with my dad and my mom has a dog and 2 cats. we used to have 3 but one of em ran away when she moved to her house, we caught him, he ran away again. oh whale. 61. Are you more of an early bird or a night owl? oh a big time night owl. big time. 62. Do you like sunrises or sunsets better? honestly i like sunrises better but i am never awake to catch em hahah. 63. Do you know how to drive? yah and i fuckin love doing it. 64. Do you prefer earbuds or headphones? i prefer headphones. like really quality ones too. but i tend to use earbuds more often because i don’t need quality while im working out or going to class just easy grab and go. 65. Have you ever had braces? nope but i used to want some so bad. 66. What is your favorite genre of music? i love rap, dream-y pop music and dream-y rap music, i love 80s music. all 80s music really lmfao. 67. Who is your hero? mi mum and mi dad. also viola davis queen of inventing acting and every single color in the rainbow. 68. Do you read comic books? kind of. i was trying to build up a collection before i moved but i only had my BP comics. 69. What makes you the most angry? injustice and offensive ass content and behaviors. also don’t fuck with my friends. i got two dudes on my shit list right now that it is *on sight* if i ever see them again. 70. Do you prefer to read on an electronic device or with a real book? a real book all the way. idk what it is about digital reading my brain shuts the fuck down. i am super fast reader but the second i try and read something digitally it takes me maybe like 10-15 min to get through just a few sentences. 71. What is your favorite subject in school? history lol i was a history major. 72. Do you have any siblings? yeah my chicken nugget puppy brother dylan. asshole. 73. What was the last thing you bought? some historical romance i think? it’s in dutch so idrk. 74. How tall are you? 5′7 i think. 75. Can you cook? yeah i love cooking but saddly don’t do much of it. 76. What are three things that you love? my teddy bear my momma got me for valentines day, my st. agatha figurine, and my yikes tapestry mary got me. i realize now after reading the next question you probably meant like shit in general so. the smell of a fresh cup of coffee, snuggly warm sweaters, postcards and tiny gifts from friends. you know the ones “i just got this for you because i thought you’d like it” 77. What are three things that you hate? funky ass attitudes, the smell and feel of lavender oil, corn. 78. Do you have more female friends or more male friends? female 79. What is your sexual orientation? i’m a big ole heterosexual. sorry to disappoint :/ 80. Where do you currently live? the netherlands. 81. Who was the last person you texted? my friend and former roommate. today is her birthday. 82. When was the last time you cried? like an hour ago lmfao. 83. Who is your favorite YouTuber? i don’t have one haha. vevo i guess. 84. Do you like to take selfies? do i like taking them? not really. it takes me too damn long to get one that looks good enough. i like sending stupid selfies to friends though. 85. What is your favorite app? i use twitter probably the most but my favorite app is my spider solitaire game haha. 86. What is your relationship with your parent(s) like? we are very close. i would say both of my parents are my biggest supporters and cheerleaders but how they do that looks a bit different. my mom and i are very similar but sometimes how we handle certain things is very different so we can be the best of friends one day and the completely butt heads the next. 87. What is your favorite foreign accent? i loovveeeee a scottish accent and an irish accent. also tbrh i love a good southern boy drawl. like idk if i could play for you all the way this one dude who works with my mom talks? i would because i wanna bottle it and listen to it whenever i feel bad. 88. What is a place that you’ve never been to, but you want to visit? i would really like to go to norway for my birthday. 89. What is your favorite number? i don’t have one. 90. Can you juggle? nope but i did try and learn i have a video of it somewhere lmfao. 91. Are you religious? kind of. i’m more spiritual than religious and lowkey hate saying that because it sounds so hoitietoitie but it’s true. 92. Do you find outer space or the deep ocean to be more interesting? the ocean. so much of it we haven’t explored. thinking about space makes me feel existential and dead inside. 93. Do you consider yourself to be a daredevil? nah haha 94. Are you allergic to anything? yeah i’m supposed to take one claritin a day but like i don’t. 95. Can you curl your tongue? yeah 96. Can you wiggle your ears? nope :( 97. How often do you admit that you were wrong about something? i’ll admit i’m wrong if i’m actually wrong but you’re gonna have to a helluva lot of convincing to get me there lmfao. though if my being “wrong” has caused harm to someone else i’ll apologize quicker than lightning because the last thing i would want is for my stubbornness to hurt someone i love. 98. Do you prefer the forest or the beach? um the mountains 99. What is your favorite piece of advice that anyone has ever given you? "never turn down a date. you never know who you might meet while you’re out” -my grandmother to my mother to me. 100. Are you a good liar? lmfaooooo i am a reformed liar. 101. What is your Hogwarts House? HUFFLEPUFF BAYBEEE 102. Do you talk to yourself? yah 103. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? an introvert. i may be loud and talkative sis but i promise you i’m over compensating because i want you to like me lmfao. 104. Do you keep a journal/diary? i have a private twitter does that count. 105. Do you believe in second chances? depends. 106. If you found a wallet full of money on the ground, what would you do?imma keep it real with you chief i would keeps the money lmfao. in the past i would’ve tried to return it to the owner but i am big broke bois with a lot of unexpected expenses coming up so like... yeah lmfao. we keepin that coint. 107. Do you believe that people are capable of change? sometimes. 108. Are you ticklish? yes lmfao 109. Have you ever been on a plane? yeah! 110. Do you have any piercings? yah i got my lobes pierced one on each ear, my nose, and a cartilage piercing. 111. What fictional character do you wish was real? my girl nancy drew. 112. Do you have any tattoos? yeah i got 2 of em. 113. What is the best decision that you’ve made in your life so far? idk lmfao. probably when i applied for cityterm and when i appled to go back to undergrad. 114. Do you believe in karma? Yeah but not in a “oh you hurt me? you’re gonna get your come uppins” way but in a every action affects your soul and your being kinda way. 115. Do you wear glasses or contacts? im supposed to wear glasses but ask me if im wearing em right now lmfao. 116. Do you want children? presently i don’t see myself wanting or having kids but i want to foster. 117. Who is the smartest person you know? my friends lol. 118. What is your most embarrassing memory? literally every single memory has a tinge of embarassment lol. but probz when i walked into the cafeteria my first day of highschool as a smol freshman and my knees locked up and i fell forward and my giant ass backpack (because i never used my locker ever in any grade) wrapped around my neck and had me stuck in a strange position in the middle of the parting of the tables in the cafeteria. 119. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter? hell yeah lmfao. 120. What color are most of you clothes? blue or black 121. Do you like adventures? yeah! 122. Have you ever been on TV? yeah but like on the news and shit. 123. How old are you? 24 124. What is your favorite quote? i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart) 125. Do you prefer sweet or savory foods? OOF TOUGH BUT UHHH probz sweet.

#wow i managed to answer every single one of em lmfao #delete later #ramblings #wemp womp #tagged youre it #tag games #if you read this whole thing then #you deserve a cookie #or a gold star #whatever you prefer

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abigail-mcnatt-photography · 6 years ago

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Hey there! Been quite some time since I’ve posted. It has been crazy busy from moving into my senior year of college, to being a part of orientation weekend, to starting classes, it has been a chaotic 2 weeks. But here I am with another blog post and brand new photos for you guys so here we go.

Four Chord Music Festival: an annual pop punk music festival put on by Rishi Bahl, a ridiculously talented human being, and friends. Seriously though, I don’t know how he does it all. From 6 undergrad degrees and 2 PhD’s to being in his own band and putting on this festival… it’s wild. I’ve been to all of the festivals but the first one and they have consistently topped each other every year. This year, it happened to be the night before classes started so I only stayed for the first 7 hours.

It was cool because this year I happened to become friends with a couple of the bands who were opening the festival. Like I said, I was only there for the first 7 hours, which if you ask me is plenty of time at a concert. While there, I shot Atlantic Wasteland, bloom., Look Out Loretta, Patent Pending, Eternal Boy, and Will Pugh of Cartel. I’ve shot a few of these bands before but it’s always fun to see how my skills have improved since I last shot them. Plus the lighting was great. These are some of my favorite photos, honestly. So, without further ado, read on about the bands I shot while attending Four Chord 5.

First up, we had Atlantic Wasteland, which if you follow my blog, you are very familiar with. I’ve become super close with them and they’ve been the subject of some of my favorite photos recently. And actually, Evan Yester from Hear Tonight (another band I shoot a lot) was filling in on drums for them. I was thrown off at first because I had just gotten to the show not 10 minutes prior and Sam of AW, went on the mic, causing me to run down to the pit to start shooting. The times were a little messed up throughout the whole show but I got used to it. But they were great as usual. They kept the crowd’s attention and kept them on their feet, jamming. They are always a fun band to shoot and watch play. As always, a fantastic set and worth catching a show. If you’re into pop punk, which is the genre of most all bands who played this festival, you will enjoy them. As usual, I tagged their Facebook page above!

Right after Atlantic Wasteland’s set was over, I ran to the second stage because bloom. started playing. They’re a band local to Boston, with members who went to Berklee College. I shot a show of theirs before whenever they came to play at the Smiling Moose. One of their members, Tyler Knatz, is the drummer in Vertigo as well, which is how I know them. They put on a great show also. I noticed the crowd bobbing their heads, as most do at harder core shows, and enjoying the set. They’re on tour currently, but next time they come through, I suggest giving them a go. They’re definitely underrated. Their Facebook page is linked above.

Next up, we had locals, Look Out Loretta, another band you’ve probably seen me post about. Their newest album was released this past spring and the audience knew every word. I even got a few crowd shots during their set, which was pretty cool. For an underground band with a small amount of followers on social media, I’m always impressed with the amount of people they bring in for a crowd. They rocked out as the audience rocked alongside them. Their Facebook page is linked above.

After a small food and caffeine break, I came back just in time to shoot a band I’ve (shockingly) never shot before; Patent Pending, a rock/punk/pop punk band from Long Island, New York. They’ve played almost, if not all, of the last 4 Four Chord Festivals. They have become good friends with Rishi and seemingly, the entire Pittsburgh pop punk scene. I’ve watched them play every time they played the festival, just never shot them. I’m not entirely sure why, but I just never did. Last year, I watched them play a song that, ever since, has been an absolute earworm. Despite being extremely creative, it’s almost too catchy, lol. ‘Hey Mario’, a song with over 2 million listens on Spotify, is their most popular song. It’s on their 2013 album, Brighter and it is great. It’s a song basically about a guy telling his friend that he’s better than the girl he’s chasing after, that won’t give him the time of day. The creative part? It’s all music made to sound like it’s from Super Mario Brothers and it is uber cool. Anyway, they always have known just how to keep the audience’s adrenaline pumping. They were actually the ones to play several extra songs to fill in the time that got misconstrued earlier that day. They were very fun to shoot too. Joe, lead vocalist, jumps like a madman and actually got me my first really dope and clear jump shot that I’m HYPED about. (See below) So, next time you see that Patent Pending is playing in the area, get to that show if you want to have a super fun time. And by the way, if you end being front row, be aware that Joe sweats a lot and you’ll likely get sweat on, hahaha. I had a few drops on my lens, which I found to be very comical.

Next up, we had the man himself… Rishi Bahl and his band, Eternal Boy. In case you haven’t heard of them, they are another local pop punk band I would definitely consider them on the milder end because I’ve come to really enjoy their music. Harder core stuff just isn’t my jam, so if you’re like me and enjoy mild core pop punk, they are for you. They are always great and put on a great set, too. Their most popular song off of their album (under The Spacepimps name), Eternal Boy, ‘Party Foul’ was actually turned into a pale ale beer brewed by Dancing Gnome. I’m not a beer person so I can’t say so myself, but my boyfriend is very into craft beers and was very excited to try it. He loved it… even had 2 while we hung out at the show. Audience members screamed along, and even moshed a bit, while they played. Nothing out of the ordinary for a local pop punk band, really. If you haven’t heard of them or liked their page on Facebook, I linked it above.

Lastly, the vibe was toned down a bit for this next act. Will Pugh of Cartel, from Atlanta, played a little acoustic set. This was a new thing for the festival. In the past few years I’ve attended, there hasn’t been an acoustic act before. I thoroughly enjoyed it, to be honest. Acoustic sets are ridiculously underrated because they are so raw and real. They showcase what the music really sounded like before it became what it was, with just a voice and a guitar. Truly great music can be toned down like this and sound just as great as it does full band. I had never seen Cartel play before, but if I enjoyed the acoustic this much, I’m sure the full band doesn’t/didn’t disappoint. I was worried the crowd wouldn’t react well being that you come to a pop punk show expecting to mosh and act like maniacs. But they seemed to really enjoy the break. It also helps that Pugh has a damn good voice. It was mesmerizing to listen to him play, while I moved around pondering creative shots I could take. That was tough. Having just a man and his guitar makes a photographer’s job a little harder, but I had fun with it. I also think I did a good job also. Pugh put on a great acoustic set and I was thoroughly impressed.

As I said, I only stayed for a bit so I could go back to campus and get editing started. I mean it’s a good thing I did cause even this post took forever for me to put out. However, I was satisfied with what I had seen. It ended on a relaxing note and I felt I got some amazing shots. Bravo to you, Rishi, as always.

Hope you enjoy the shots I took as much as I do. As always, only a handful are featured below and the rest are up on my Flickr page. (Psst… go look. These ones below barely do the bulk justice)

Atlantic Wasteland

Eternal Boy

Patent Pending

Atlantic Wasteland

Will Pugh (of Cartel)

Patent Pending

Four Chord Music Festival 5

bloom.

Patent Pending

Will Pugh (of Cartel)

Atlantic Wasteland

bloom.

Look Out Loretta

Eternal Boy

Will Pugh (of Cartel)

bloom.

Look Out Loretta

Four Chord Music Festival 5 Hey there! Been quite some time since I've posted. It has been crazy busy from moving into my senior year of college, to being a part of orientation weekend, to starting classes, it has been a chaotic 2 weeks.

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comicteaparty · 5 years ago

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August 19th-August 25th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from August 19th, 2019 to August 25th, 2019. The chat focused on Rainy Day Dreams by Mariah Currey.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB START! Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Week Long Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Rainy Day Dreams by Mariah Currey~! (http://rainydaydreams.mariahcurrey.com/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Remember, though, that while we allow constructive criticism, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic. Below you will find four questions to get you started on the discussion. However, a new question will be posted and pinned everyday (between 12:01AM and 6AM PDT), so keep checking back for more! You have until August 25th to tell us all your wonderful thoughts! With that established, let’s get going on the reading and the chatting!

QUESTION 1. What has been your favorite scene in the comic so far? What specifically did you like about it?

QUESTION 2. What wish do you think Tristin wanted to make with the orb? Similarly, what do you think Tristin’s backstory is in general? Lastly, what do you think the orb actually is given it’s considered a high crime to try and take it?

Kabocha

1. My favorite scene... Honestly? Probably when young Mara realized how to actually control her power for her own defense. Just... Let it roll off ya... http://rainydaydreams.mariahcurrey.com/comic/page-454/ 2. Honestly. I think she was honestly thinking it would help get her home, and was gonna use that wish to open a portal back. I dunno how she got lost in this world, but aaaaa. Oh well. The orb probably has some very powerful properties - maybe it can fudge with reality somehow? Or it keeps reality stable in the area it's in? I dunno that it ultimately matters too much though.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor?

QUESTION 4. What sordid things do you think Michael was involved with in his past, and why did he choose to turn a new leaf now? Also, do you believe that Michael will eventually tell Tristin he’s a vampire? If so, how will that conversation go?

RebelVampire

1) My favorite scene is probably the one where Tristin, after sneaking out to get gifts for Mara, bumps into Mara. http://rainydaydreams.mariahcurrey.com/comic/page-330/ I just found it to be an immenseoly touching scene since Mara doesn't get mad, she just gives Tristin a hug. Meanwhile, Tristin grew as a character and actually acknowledged a lot of faults. And the way Tristin worried really was presented in such an identifiable way that I super related, so honestly, it kind of made me feel better about some anxieties I generally have since everything worked out fine. 2) Honestly I kind of feel it was for something serious. Like Tristin wants to bring someone back to life. Wish her family out of debt cause someone is sick and dying and all the medical bills are killing them. Cause I definitely get the impression that despite Tristin's general go-lucky attitude, there's some serious secrets being kept in the closet that when they come out, Tristin will try to laugh and brush them off as no big deal (even though they're a big deal). Meanwhile, I bet the orb basically follows genie logic. In that you have to be damn specific with your wish or else whoops, you undid the fabric of reality cause you couldnt work things good.

Kabocha

Oh, that was an enjoyable scene too, Rebel! Tristin is kind of an anxious mess, and this world hasn't been real kind to her, either...

3. I think my favorite character is probably Aldus, honestly. Aldus is a cinnamon roll. Too good, too pure for this world. Made a mistake, but was happy to at least own up to it. 4. ....AHAHAHAHA I think Tristin finding out he's a vampire is inevitable. I think she's probably going to not... be too into that... Unless she gets her hands on a copy of any book which features hawt vampire boys and ANGST. And then that'll just... that'll be a thing, I'm sure. I think Michael's past is another story though. There's probably a trail of bodies to help illustrate the point...

mariah currey

Aldus is such a good boy~ TuT Also, I'm just here lurking and enjoying your responses (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡

Kabocha

Heya~ And yes, Aldus is kind of the best, I think. Mara's a close second, but... Aldus is such a precious boy. :3

snuffysam

I've only gotten through the first 14 chapters but I'm loving the comic so far! My favorite scene was actually the tall tales from chapter 6. I love seeing cute little slice-of-life interactions like that between main characters - it really fills their personalities out! My favorite character is Mara. She's just so cool, and I love how she's transitioned from this mysterious aloof figure into being a parental/sibling figure for Tristin.

Doodyp0p

1. What has been your favorite scene in the comic so far? What specifically did you like about it? Favorite scene so far has been the Academy Trio's training/mission montage. The why; I love Mara and Aldus' friendship, but adding in Desmond really hit me good. Friendship is my jam. 2. What wish do you think Tristin wanted to make with the orb? Similarly, what do you think Tristin’s backstory is in general? Lastly, what do you think the orb actually is given it’s considered a high crime to try and take it? At this point I haven't really considered Tristin's backstory actually. It's weird but I like taking Tristin for what she is here and now, and not thinking about her past. 3. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor? Mara, hands down. At first it was Michael- but the academy stuff sent Mara to the top of the list hardcore. Her growth in her past is amazing, but thinking about her at the start of the story in juxtaposition is really interesting. You get to see layering of character developments for her. It feels much more real as believable person. 4. What sordid things do you think Michael was involved with in his past, and why did he choose to turn a new leaf now? Also, do you believe that Michael will eventually tell Tristin he’s a vampire? If so, how will that conversation go? Sordid things? I have no question Michael is a tortured soul with actually no guilt. He may have been mildly involved in Tabitha's stuff in that he was forced to do things against his will. But no way did that soft boy do bad things with joy, I figure he left because she finally pushes him too far. As for Tristin, I think Tristin will approach him but I don't think he will hide it at this point. He's trying to open himself, he wants to be apart of the group, but Michael is just too much of an emo kid to let things go.(edited)

mariah currey

It's only mild spoilers, but the next chapter is gonna be all about Michael's secrets spilling out all over the place. I'm so excited to finally be getting to it

Doodyp0p

I can't wait to see how wrong I am lol

RebelVampire

QUESTION 5. What has been your favorite illustration in the comic so far? What specifically about it do you like?

QUESTION 6. What do you think happened to Desmond, who Mara cared about deeply? Is he alive somewhere, or is he dead? If alive, why hasn’t he returned? If dead, what do you think exactly caused him to die?

RebelVampire

3) My favorite character is actually probably Tristin. I kind of feel like Tristin is the underdog of the story who is just expected to be happy, go-lucky, and kind of irresponsible. And while that's probably true, I also think she's the glue that holds the family together since Mara and Michael both have a penchant to take care of her and both seem to care most about what she thinks. 4) Michael probably, ya know, did the typical vampire stuff. Murdered some people, drank some blood, punched someone in the face for looking at him funny. Think like a super angsty rebellious teen. As for why a new leaf? Honestly, I think he just grew up and grew out of it and decide it was boring and not getting him anywhere. And as for him telling Tristin he's a vampire, yes. I feel that's inevitable. I'm actually kind of expecting a twist here. Like Tristin is like "wait youre a vampire? that was the secret? seriously?" and just overall sees it as no big deal since Michael hasn't eaten her. I think there'll be some awkwardness, but I think it'll be harder on Michael than Tristin. Tristin seems more the type to be anxious just from the idea of secrets as opposed to concerned about the secrets themselves.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 7. Which characters do you enjoy seeing interact the most? What about their dynamic interests you?

QUESTION 8. What was your reaction to Mara’s bullying situation at school, and/or what did you identify with most about it? What is a message we can take away regarding bullying given what happened to Mara?

RebelVampire

5) Definitely the bottom panel from here http://rainydaydreams.mariahcurrey.com/comic/page-250/. I love the touch of color added here cause it makes the wall picture seem more ethereal since nothing else uses that much color. I also love the angle cause it gives it this sense of grandeur that really makes you kind of feel how others probably feel seeing the pic. 6) I'm gonna be optimistic and assume Desmond isn't dead and has instead been trapped somewhere. Like in some other world and can't get a portal home or something like that. So while Desmond wants to return, he can't. Only I hope it doesn't turn into one of those things where Desmond can only come back by trading places with Tristin, forcing Mara to maake the most impossible of impossible choices.

snuffysam

@RebelVampire What if Desmond got trapped on Earth, in the same way Tristin is trapped here? And some nice family took him in! Anyway, I'm finally caught up! For number 8 - thankfully I don't identify with it much, but the feeling of literally everyone being against you is pretty universal regardless of the specific type of bullying. As for lessons - the big takeaway in my mind is that if you see a victim, try to talk to them. Even if you're not able to stop the bullying, a friend is a valuable thing to be.(edited)

RebelVampire

@snuffysam Wait didn't Tristin mention a brother? What if the plot twist is that it's an adopted brother and it was Desmond the whole time.

Whimsy Machine

1) Favorite Scene? I'm going to second the training montage scene with Mara, Aldus, and Desmond. It's a great upswing from how hard things started out, still has a lot of struggling together, and feels like it could be a high fantasy adventure story. 2) The Orb? Full disclosure: I'm privy to spoilers, so I'll skip the speculation questions.

3) Favorite Character? I have a running joke that Tabitha is my favorite character and she's misunderstood, but she is just a very bad baby. I really like the weird side characters, like Kadri, Kiara, Freya; the tenants; the shopkeeps in town; I think they do a lot to really round out how strange The Nameless World is. But of course I love the main trio. And Romeo. I just love them all. 4) Michael's a Vampire? I really like the tension between Michael and Tristin. They're very good foils for each other and the undertone of dangerous secrets is a good balance to the swooning Tristin and like when Michael gets cocky and smug because he thinks he's in control.

Whimsy Machine

5) Favorite Illustration? It's an older one, but I really love what pages 33-34 represent: http://rainydaydreams.mariahcurrey.com/comic/page-33-and-34/. As a contrast to the first time Tristin looks out at the auction house and sees all the monsters, she gets to explore a safer, more contained area on something closer to her own terms. She gets to see first hand that things are actually weird and often scary in this world. We also get to see that Mara already has an apparent history of collecting misfits. 6) Is Desmond Okay? ....I'm sure he's fiiiine.

Whimsy Machine

7) Favorite Interactions? Tristin interacting with everyone and the world has been fun to see. It feels like she goes in steps of wildly overconfident, humbled by the reality of the situation, emboldened by experience, and then wildly overconfident again... Seeing Mara's interactions with peers in her past versus now is a super cool comparison, especially since we see Mara and Aldus talking as adults first, then we get a new context with all their backstory. 8) Mara's Bullying? This is a difficult but, I think, very important chapter. Silent bystanders in situations of bullying have so much power to intervene. We find out later that many of the students didn't agree with Saava and what he was saying and doing, but their inaction positions them as complicit in both Saava and Mara's eyes. Since they were quiet, it was up to Mara to have an enormous amount of strength to fight the bullies, the system, the whole culture around it. It could've been so much easier for her if she had gotten that support—or even if the bystanders had not gone along with Saava—before the breaking point.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 9. What sorts of art or story details have you noticed in the way the comic is crafted that you think deserves attention?

QUESTION 10. Who exactly do you think Astrid was, and how do you think she managed to amass so many followers to her cause to the point of causing a war? Why are followers of her resurfacing now of all times?

RebelVampire

7) The characters I enjoy seeing interact the most are probably Tristin and Mara. They're both very different from each other, while at the same time wanting to do right by each other. While at the same time not really revealing much about each other (at least until recently). And it's such a contrasting yet cohesive relationship that it's endearing to see them together making their situation work. 8) My reaction to Mara being bullied was actually one of surprise. Given how well-respected we see Mara is now, you wouldn't imagine she would be the sort of person to be bullied. Like she doesn't even remotely fit the stereotype for person you'd expect to be bullied. But I think that's a good thing as well, since I think that's a good message to take away from the comic. A good lot of people have experienced bullying at some point in their life, even the people you don't think would be bullied. So it's good to be kind and respectful and not automatically assume someone had a perfect life just cause they don't fit what is usually shown for bullying situations.

9) The use of different outfits. It is always refreshing to see instances where its noticeable that the characters are changing outfits a lot. Makes it feel like they're actually living their life and that clothing is a survival thing that needs to be addressed. 10) I think Astrid was probably someone like Tristin maybe. Wanted the orb, whoops got trapped, but then someone took pity on her. As for how she amassed so many followers, I assume generally what politicians do: lots of grandiose speeches saying, "I can fix everything." Cause while Mara may seem to have a high opinion of her world and think it's not that bad, I think at least vampires would beg to differ since they seem pretty looked down on. And we also saw Mara's school situation so, ya know, I think it's less rosey than she makes it out. As for why the followers are resurfacing, who knows. Maybe they got new info, or maybe they were just bored and needed something to do after the 100th game of go fish.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 11. What do you think are this particular comic’s strengths? What do you think makes this comic unique? Please elaborate.

QUESTION 12. Why do you think Mara tried to obscure herself so drastically after the war that she was apparently a hero in? Do you think Mara will be able to solve the mystery of the thefts, or do you think she’ll struggle from being out of practice?

Doodyp0p

5. What has been your favorite illustration in the comic so far? What specifically about it do you like? http://rainydaydreams.mariahcurrey.com/comic/page-281/ I really like how it's pulled back in after we see it at the party. But also just a very good illustration. There's a lot of good art in here, I love the chapter covers and in-between arts too. 6. What do you think happened to Desmond, who Mara cared about deeply? Is he alive somewhere, or is he dead? If alive, why hasn’t he returned? If dead, what do you think exactly caused him to die? DESMOND- dear sweet Desmond, what a whirlwind. Hate, love, gone. I get the feeling he isn't dead, but won't return. Something mystical and magical is a foot. 7. Which characters do you enjoy seeing interact the most? What about their dynamic interests you? This is a very tough question, I think I like the starting trio in the form of "The adults are talking." Tristin's interjections cut the serious time conversations between Mara and Micheal that I just eat up too hard.(edited)

8. What was your reaction to Mara’s bullying situation at school, and/or what did you identify with most about it? What is a message we can take away regarding bullying given what happened to Mara? I felt it hit home, not in the exact same way though. Just in that it was hard to be around people because they weren't in it for me. I never really felt like I had a core set of friends until later in school, much like Mara finally becoming buds with Aldus and Desmond. Message would be something along the lines of "Learn to be okay with/by yourself." 9. What sorts of art or story details have you noticed in the way the comic is crafted that you think deserves attention? Lots of good threads and opens ends to keep you wondering if/when they will reappear. The artist isn't afraid to just draw it out. What I mean is, I see a lot of comics having a hard time with nondynamic images, and Mariah just goes for it. If they want this shot to happen, it's gunna happen. 10. Who exactly do you think Astrid was, and how do you think she managed to amass so many followers to her cause to the point of causing a war? Why are followers of her resurfacing now of all times? Astrid I feel, is going to be a relatable villian, one with a cause we find out is very sympathetic to the reader. The resurfacing is probably because she's not actually gone- I have a feeling she is embedded somewhere, like maybe a stuffed bear or something? '(edited)

11. What do you think are this particular comic’s strengths? What do you think makes this comic unique? Please elaborate. It's unapologetic. This comic does what it wants, goofy moments? Check. Love stuff? Check. Action? Check. Slice of life? Check. The list could go on. But I think very few comic artists let themselves be free with what they do. And it's not always easy to do, not every story fits for it- but I think more stories could add elements of other writing/art genres to theirs like RDDs does. 12. Why do you think Mara tried to obscure herself so drastically after the war that she was apparently a hero in? Do you think Mara will be able to solve the mystery of the thefts, or do you think she’ll struggle from being out of practice? I think Mara hid herself because "war is hell" and she's actually a very in tune person. I think if she had to do things under orders that she didn't agree with, it would affect her. She didn't run away at school, so she would have to commit some pretty terrible things she wouldn't want to be tied to anymore. I think she may struggle at first, but shes got a full team right now. She's likely to do fine.(edited)

RebelVampire

QUESTION 13. What are you most looking forward to in the comic? Also, do you have any final thoughts to share overall?

QUESTION 14. Overall, what relationship problems do you see Tristin, Michael, and Mara having given Mara’s reactivation status? How might Tristin and Michael help or hinder her in regards to her job?

RebelVampire

11) I think the comic's strengths are characters and mystery. There's a lot of long game mysteries going on, yet the fact the characters hide things about themselves never feels unnatural. So while the drive to find out the answer to mysteries is strong, it always feels integrated into the story. its never there just for the sake of the comic having mysteries, so each answer feels like just getting to know someone. 12) Honestly, Mara was probably just exhausted. It sounds like she had a huge role in everything, and any sort of fight can be really draining. I get the impression this was a brutal war, especially for a world that apparently doesn't have these issues, so I think she was mostly just tired. Wanted to take a well-earned nap and not be bothered. As for solving the mystery of the thefts, it'll probably be a walk in the park and mostly just take a while cause ya know, investigations of this sort just take a while. its just the nature of them.

13) I am looking forward to learning more about Tristin cause I definitely think there's more than meets the eye and I think whatever we learn about Tristin is gonna make Mara and Michael see her in a different light. 14) I feel like Michael and Tristin are gonna be more concerned for Mara's safety than Mara will be. So will kind of hinder her by hovering going "Mara no that's dangerous." But at the same time I think it'll balance out cause Mara probably does need some people there to hang on and tell her to slow down and that she doesn't need to do everything herself, etc. etc.

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Rainy Day Dreams this week! Please also give a special thank you to Mariah Currey for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Rainy Day Dreams, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: http://rainydaydreams.mariahcurrey.com/

Mariah’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mariahcurrey

Mariah’s Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/mariahcurrey

Mariah’s Gumroad: https://gumroad.com/mariahcurrey

Mariah’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/RainyDayMariah

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #book club #bookclub #webcomic book club #webcomic bookclub #comic tea party #rainy day dreams #mariah currey

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comicteaparty · 6 years ago

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April 29th-May 5th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from April 29th, 2019 to May 5th, 2019. The chat focused on Catcha by Anko.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Week Long Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Catcha by Anko~! (http://catcha.smackjeeves.com/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Remember, though, that while we allow constructive criticism, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic. Below you will find four questions to get you started on the discussion. However, a new question will be posted and pinned everyday (between 12:01AM and 6AM PDT), so keep checking back for more! You have until May 5th to tell us all your wonderful thoughts! With that established, let’s get going on the reading and the chatting!

QUESTION 1. What has been your favorite scene in the comic so far? What specifically did you like about it?

QUESTION 2. Do you feel that Myouki and Yumi will be able to get along in the long run? What sort of obstacles in their relationship do you expect? What sorts of things might bring them together?

keii4ii

1. I have two picks for this one! Myouki transforming, even though I was expecting it from the synopsis, was a big 'ooh yesss' moment. Magical cat transformation is inherently exciting! Plus, it felt like a gear shifting moment for the story. Second one isn't really a scene, but the one panel where you see the framed picture of Yumi and her mom(?). While it's a fairly normal thing to have, it still shows that her parents are real, that her relationship with them isn't just a plot device. It also made me wonder if there's something special about that relationship that we will be learning in the comic later on.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor?

QUESTION 4. Why do you think that Yumi is so determined to save the cafe? Ultimately, do you feel that she will succeed? How might her goals change as she continues to pursue her dream?

ankoart

@keii4ii Myouki transforming was something I was looking forward to drawing for so long after I started Catcha! It's still one of my favorite scenes. I'm really glad you're picking up some of the smaller details as well! Family is important to Yumi for sure!

RebelVampire

1) my favorite scene, or i guess more the panel, is where they shake hands. i really adore that hesitation cause i think it helps visually kind of express how theres going to be struggles but theres also hope to be had that theyll manage to work together. so emotionally i think it just really works for the moment and the entire panel flow. 2) In the long run, yes I think the two will find common ground. But emphasis on long cause I think it's gonna be a while. I think the biggest obstacle for their relationship is just how out of touch Myouki might be with humanity. Cause I feel hes not going to understand why humans do the way humans do. Like why theyre staring at their phones all the time or why they dont worship at shrines like they used to or something. and i feel this is gonna cause him to butt heads and make yumi have to cover with customers, leading to many long structures and them having to teach each other about themselves and about how they can make the world work for them. as for bringing them together, cats. definitely cats cause at least thats the one common ground they can really share. 3) Myouki for the shallow reason hes a cat and has two colored hair. Two things I like. Hes also grump boy which I also like. 4) From the impression I got, I assume Yumi has fond memories of someone who probably died or something tied to that cafe. And it's kind of like her last place to remember them by. Or said person also believed in her or something like that. I think there's also just a little bit of stubbornness in there too cause she already made the bet. So it's kind of too late to back out now without taking an ego punch. I think she will succeed, but I think her goals will shift slightly in perspective. Right now I feel shes mostly about saving the business, but when it becomes not about saving the business I think shell really dedicate herself to making a true place for cats. Like giving them a home without it just being a gimmick.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 5. What has been your favorite illustration in the comic so far? What specifically about it do you like?

QUESTION 6. Who exactly is the person who introduced Myouki and Yumi? What is her end game in helping Myouki to not be forgotten? What do you see her role in the story being later on?

RebelVampire

5) actually my favorite illustration is the most recent page: http://catcha.smackjeeves.com/comics/2782734/page-18/ theres a great level of precision and detail in the cat related objects that i really appreciate, and you know 1000% what they are at first glance. I also enjoy the overal page composition cause it really has this nice montage feel that really helps showcase the changes that are going on with the cafe and how they really do create a nice atmosphere like is the characters' goals. 6) I assume she is some higher up in the food chain deity that is responsible for Myouki in some way. Possibly also a cat cause her eyes were kind of cat like. But going on this wavelength of course she doesnt want myouki to be forgotten cause thats how you get demoted. i do think shell appear later on to check up on them and give some sort of assessment. which will cause conflict between myouki and yumi as they try to impress but havent worked out all their relationship kinks yet.

keii4ii

5) There's a lot to like throughout the comic. I appreciate the creator doesn't shy away from drawing the environments, showing unusual angles (even for non-dramatic moments -- e.g. bottom left panel here http://catcha.smackjeeves.com/comics/2737479/page-25/ ). If I had to pick one..... I'd go with this one. http://catcha.smackjeeves.com/comics/2776781/page-17/ The environment is very simple and understated, yet it gives a sense of a fully 3-dimensional space. I also like the contrast between the busy hatching vs the simplicity of the rest of the image!

Delphina

Just caught up with this one, such a cute story so far!

Desnik

5. I liked this. I enjoy small, organic moments and the kittens are a fun bonus. http://catcha.smackjeeves.com/comics/2727534/page-06/

Delphina

My favorite scene in the comic so far is Yumi going out and feeding the cats. She just looks so happy and it's so sweet! http://catcha.smackjeeves.com/comics/2727534/page-06/

keii4ii

Jinx!

Delphina

Hahahaha

It was KITTTEN O'CLOCK apparently!

Myouki definitely seems to have a big chip on his shoulder and I think a lot of their obstacles are going to be him learning to be tolerant and understanding (especially in a customer service context), and Yumi being veeeerrryyy patient with him. Beyond the typical café trials of running a business and literal cat-herding, I would love to see more gods or supernatural/dangerous things happen because of Myouki's involvement and how Yumi rises to the challenge of handling that (or brings her human perspective in, a la Natsume Yuujinchou).

I think my favorite character so far is the Mystery White-Haired Lady. She seems kind but also mischievous, and I want to know what kind of relationship she has with a god to tease him like that. Like Rebel said, I think she's higher up in the deity foodchain and could either be looking out for Myouki OR wanting him to fail spectacularly. But she seems to appreciate Yumi so I'm leaning toward a more kindly sort.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 7. Which characters do you enjoy seeing interact the most? What about their dynamic interests you?

QUESTION 8. What do you think Myouki’s backstory is? Why is Myouki so out of touch with the human world to the point he’s no longer believed in? Do you think he will come to accept humans by the end of the story?

ankoart

Author swooping in to let you all know I'm SUPER excited to read your thoughts, and my heart is so full right now! @RebelVampire I'm never quite confident in if I'm getting feelings across when I try and slow down scenes with moments of hesitation and such, so I'm really happy to hear that the handshake read clearly and you enjoyed it! Haha, Myouki would certainly be baffled by a lot of modern human quirks, like people staring at cellphones. Cats are definitely always the answer though! (>w<) I'm really happy you like Myouki. I love him for shallow reasons too, haha! Hummmm, I gotta say, you seem to understand Yumi really well! <3 The page you choose as a favorite illustration is one I put so much care into, so I'm really happy! I know there's not much that actually happens in that page, but I'm trying really hard to create a sense of space and atmosphere in Catcha! It means so much to know that's appreciated! And oh ho ho, your guesses over the mysterious woman who visits the cafe got me grinning. She's gonna keep everyone guessing for awhile soon as to who she is!

@keii4ii Oh man, I had so much fun with that picture of Myouki. It's such a simple little illustration, so I wanted to add lots of delicate details when inking it to add more depth!

@Desnik and @Delphina That page was such a fun excuse to feature some kittens at last! I felt kind of guilty before then about what a lack of cats there were, lol.

@Delphina Myouki being a deity will certainly add another flavor of challenges to their partnership! (Yumi already had bitten off more than she could chew with trying to start up her own business, but now she's got a cranky deity to please on top of everything else!) I'm so happy someone likes ~ Mystery Lady ~ ! She's really fun to write, and I feel like she hasn't had much opportunity to shine yet. I hope you look forward to more scenes with her~!

RebelVampire

QUESTION 9. What sorts of art or story details have you noticed in the way the comic is crafted that you think deserves attention?

QUESTION 10. How do you think Yumi will get along with the cats that Myouki winds up bringing? Will she be able to care for them all? Additionally, what sorts of personalities do you think the cats might have?

RebelVampire

7) Yumi and the mystery lady atm. Mystery lady is just so weird so it's kind of hard to anticipate where she's gonna go in a convo. So it makes their interactions kind of compelling. I also feel like mystery lady offers a great way to see into other side of Yumi that arent immediately present just cause of how she is. 8) I feel like Myouki probably got hurt by some humans and then it snowballed. So basically he cut off contact, and because he wasnt contacting humans as much they just went "cat god? maybe on the internet." not to mention myouki doesnt seem to be the type to like change, so aas the times progressed i feel like he just naturally remained stubborn and complained that the humans were changing and no longer respectful. basically old guy stuff. but eventually i do think he will accept humans again when he learns to open his heart. also when he learns how popular cats are on the internet. 9) the detail i want to appreciate is the cat coat patterns. They look very realistic to actual cats, and i love how theyre all varied. You'd be surprised how many ppl just make plain colored cats (which is fine cause i love all cats but i digress). Thus, I can appreciate the thought put in to making sure the cats weve seen are varied in appearance. 10) I think Yumi will do fine but i also would kind of like to see her interact with a cat that is legit the biggest asshole. And see her challenge herself with patience with trying to let the cat warm up to her rather than forcing herself on the cat. I think at some point the care might wind up jeapordized too cause they can only take in so many cats and...yeah, i dont think theyll put a hard limit on everything at first until they realize how much work is involved. as for cat personalities, besides the one i mentioned i also hope theres the cat who just sits everywhere theyre not supposed to be musing how if it fits, it sits.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 11. What do you think are this particular comic’s strengths? What do you think makes this comic unique? Please elaborate.

QUESTION 12. What sorts of obstacles do you think Yumi will face business wise when it comes to running a cat cafe? Will the gimmick and renovation be enough, or will Yumi still have other challenges ahead of her?

keii4ii

12) I was actually mildly surprised that she had the funds to buy all those things for the cats? (Though I guess second hand market and thrift shopping may have been involved!) Funding can be a problem, possibly vet bills in the future. I wonder if Myouki has any helpful powers in the cat health department.

Kabocha

“1. What has been your favorite scene in the comic so far? What specifically did you like about it?” http://catcha.smackjeeves.com/comics/2734702/page-20/ At first, I really thought that this was going to go... differently (because I didn't read the synopsis), and that this was gonna end up being a tale where the main character gets turned into a cat. I am admittedly quite pleasantly surprised by the fact that... It's not that. I'm 100% into the whole cat cafe idea~ “2. Do you feel that Myouki and Yumi will be able to get along in the long run? What sort of obstacles in their relationship do you expect? What sorts of things might bring them together?” Ahahahaha. Grudgingly, yes, I think. Myouki's a very rare type of cat, isn't he... I think, if anything, we're going to see him being aloof... continually. There's going to be a lot of stress, and maybe eventually Myouki'll have to understand that he can't just be a jerk if he wants to have his shrine...

“3. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor?” Myouki. He's a cat. I like cats. It's pretty simple. “4. Why do you think that Yumi is so determined to save the cafe? Ultimately, do you feel that she will succeed? How might her goals change as she continues to pursue her dream?” Admittedly, I'm not sure I have enough information to go off of to answer this question! This comic is very cute, but it's challenging to come up with theories that I can back up with evidence quite yet... But I would assume that Yumi's interested in keeping the cafe because it was in her family for a while. Probably a grandparent owned it, and it was the place of many nostalgic memories? Hmmm.

Kabocha

“5. What has been your favorite illustration in the comic so far? What specifically about it do you like?” Hmmm, that's hard to say! I think I actually like the latest page a bit -- the middle shot with the cat supplies has a good sense of depth and business. You get a good feel for how much work has been going into prepping the space. http://catcha.smackjeeves.com/comics/2782734/page-18/ “6. Who exactly is the person who introduced Myouki and Yumi? What is her end game in helping Myouki to not be forgotten? What do you see her role in the story being later on?” If she's not Myouki's mother, she's another kami with her own interests in seeing Myouki succeed... Maybe she's from Tashirojima. “7. Which characters do you enjoy seeing interact the most? What about their dynamic interests you?” I'm actually the most curious about Yumi and our strange disappearing magical lady. I'm just curious to see how that appears... “8. What do you think Myouki’s backstory is? Why is Myouki so out of touch with the human world to the point he’s no longer believed in? Do you think he will come to accept humans by the end of the story?” Myouki... Hm. I feel like he might just be a rural kami or something -- from an area that used to have people, but not so much anymore? And maybe his shrine was out of the way. I think he's just lonely, honestly. Maybe he sees the kami in town who have these huge shrines and is just like T_T about it.

“9. What sorts of art or story details have you noticed in the way the comic is crafted that you think deserves attention?” I actually really appreciate the attention to Myouki's hakama. Thank you for paying attention to that! “10. How do you think Yumi will get along with the cats that Myouki winds up bringing? Will she be able to care for them all? Additionally, what sorts of personalities do you think the cats might have?” Myouki's gonna bring a bunch of different cats, probably more than a few need some sort of treatment from the vet... They are the cats he needs to get homes, I'm sure. I, too, want to see her handle the biggest asshole of a cat, like Rebel does. :'D “11. What do you think are this particular comic’s strengths? What do you think makes this comic unique? Please elaborate.” The screentones are well done, I think. It gives me a nostalgic sort of feeling... Kinda like some of the webcomics I used to read back in the day. It's a very nice feeling, honestly. “12. What sorts of obstacles do you think Yumi will face business wise when it comes to running a cat cafe? Will the gimmick and renovation be enough, or will Yumi still have other challenges ahead of her?” ...Health inspections and food regulations. There's sure to be a licensing issue or something... bureaucracy!!!

Kabocha

I enjoy the overall premise of this comic though... It really makes me wanna go to a cat cafe for real

RebelVampire

QUESTION 13. What are you most looking forward to in the comic? Also, do you have any final thoughts to share overall?

QUESTION 14. What role might Yumi’s friend Mayu have to play in the course of the story? What other sorts of characters do you think we might meet given the premise?

RebelVampire

11) i think the comic's strengths are the attention to detail on the cat related objects. like not just the cats themselves, but the water fountain, the scratching post, etc. it really helps sell the cat aspect of owning a cat cafe and ya, as a cat lover just immediately attracts me as i scream yaay cats. 12) I agree with Kabo that food regulations is gonna be a huge one. And there's probably also other things to consider. Like some cat cafes let ppl adopt the cats from there to give them homes, but that comes with its own legal requirements and such. i also agree with keii that vet bills are gonna factor in too as a business expense. especially if myouki is bringing in strays cause at the very least those strays should probably be neutered and spayed. but the third option im going to add is marketing. cause you can have the best gimmick in all the world, but if you dont work out you marketing plan youre just going to wind up with 0 customers since theres no brand awareness. 13) im just most looking forward to the cafes opening day right now just to see which of these theorized issues is a thing and which arent. and also just to see whether its a big success or a huge failure. cause like i said, marketing is a necessary thing. 14) I think Mayu is going to be a force of support for Yumi, but I also think shes going to be sort of a representation of what can happen to relationships when you focus too much on business and dont find a good life work balance. down the line of course as yumi buries herself more and more into work. as for other characters, i do kind of hope we might meet a grumpy health inspector who hates cats and is just flat out awful to myouki cause that sounds like a challenge of character growth

Kabocha

YEAH. And then Myouki has to learn how to be nice to people in order to get what he wants/needs out of the system... That would honestly be kinda funny.

As far as question 13 -- I think I look forward to seeing all of the cats that show up. :D 14. Mayu... well. I don't know. Maybe eventually she will do something like... help in the cafe? Maybe she ends up being allergic to cats and can't help out. You know, one thing they do around here is they have the cafe part of the cat cafes separate from the... cat area. So you get your food and drinks made, and then you go join the cats afterward, knowing that not all cats are super clean.

Delphina

I could see Myouki being EXCEPTIONALLY OFFENDED that humans don't think cats are clean

Kabocha

Oh, of course he would be! XD "What do you mean, you don't want my friend here dipping his paw in your tea? He cleaned up after the litter box!"

If these cats are anything like mine, it'd be like "NOPE YOUR DRINK NOW, CAT"

Delphina

As far as strengths, I really love the gentle shoujo manga style with the screentoning, it definitely puts me in the frame of mind as to what genre of story to expect and I can tell that's a big inspiration here. I'm not sure what the artist is using to make this or if she's working with a pressure sensitive stylus, but I can see hints of spot blacks and line weight variation on different panels creeping in http://catcha.smackjeeves.com/comics/2749987/page-13/ and I'd really love to see more done in that direction, because I think line thickness and variation is pretty important when you're working in greyscale.

ankoart

Ahhh, I've been intending to add some responses to all the wonderful discussions going on here, but was having some computer issues over the weekend! Finally got that figured out so here I go~!

ankoart

@RebelVampire -I'm never sure which characters people are going to respond to, so I'm really happy to hear people are intrigued by the mystery customer. I can't wait to hit a chapter where she gets to return and shine! -You understand Myouki really well too! -I've had lots of fun looking up different cat breeds to add variation to the cats that will be joining the cafe. I agree that all cats are great, but it's also nice to stray away from the ones you usually see. -Poor Yumi already has Myouki to deal with, but who knows, there may be a cat out there that causes her even more grief! -Designing all the cat themed things has been so fun! It's basically just an excuse for me to design things I wish I owned, lol -There's def a LOT more that goes into running a cafe than just showing up to work, and I'm glad people recognize that! Yumi does her research and prepares best she can, but this is new territory and she's on a time limit. Bounds to be a few hiccups as things progress! At least one of the things you mentioned will be popping up within the next couple of chapters! -Yumi's nervous and anxious about opening day too! -Mayu and Yumi's relationship has definitely shifted since they graduated high school. The current story doesn't highlight much of that yet, but we may get more notes about some of Yumi's friends as things continue... <3 -A grumpy health inspector would be hilarious!

keii4ii

“It's basically just an excuse for me to design things I wish I owned, lol” Are you secretly a cat

ankoart

@keii4ii -Funding is huge issue, and the cafe was losing profits when the story started! Yumi would never have been able to do something like this without help. The mysterious customer is helping her pay for this, but that's only mentioned briefly here: http://catcha.smackjeeves.com/comics/2735609/page-21/

lol, I'm a lover of cats (>w<)

Also I enjoy spoiling my own kitty

ankoart

@Kabocha -Oh man Yumi getting turned into a cat would be fun though. She'd probably be adorable! -Yumi and Myouki need a get-along sweater, haha. At least Yumi is trying her best. -Y'all are boosting Myouki's ego way too much, lol. He's going to feel honored to be so many people's favorite. -The cafe is def a source of fond memories for Yumi. Sometimes it's hard to let go of the past. Like moving out of your home, and seeing it turn into somewhere you don't even recognize anymore. It's kind of a sick feeling. Yumi's not ready for that. -Gosh I'm so happy people like the latest page. There's a lot of panels coming up where I poured in hours of work just to try and level up the art in the comic! -TASHIROJIMA! It' a dream of mine to visit there someday, haha. -Clearly I need to bring back our mystery lady sooner rather than later~ her interactions with Yumi are really fun. -I think he's just lonely, honestly Aww, this pulled on my heartstrings. Myouki's definitely struggling with the grief of being forgotten by humanity right now. -Thank you for noticing Myouki's hakama! Not many people know about them I think, haha. I've always wanted to own or wear one. (Maybe I should make purchasing one a goal for this year!) -lol looks like "asshole cat" is gonna need to be a thing! -I feel like I'm failing to use screen tones well lately, but knowing people appreciate them is so encouraging! I'm gonna try and study more techniques and up my game! -Oh the bureaucracy of it all~! -More cats more cats! -Mayu coming to help out in a cafe would certainly be adorable~! We'll see how things go! Also please go to a cat cafe if you can, they are so much fun! And haha, Myouki would get VERY offended if people suggested his cats were too dirty to be in the same area as humans who are eating. Human's are way less clean than cats are.

Kabocha

Hey, as a fellow screentone user, I definitely appreciate when they're used effectively by other folks!

Also, regarding Asshole Cat being a thing -- YES Even if they're a friendly sort of jerk of a cat... You know, the sort of cat who has to lay on your favorite coat as you're getting ready to leave... and put hair all over it... Or, they eat a treat, only to get sick all over the rug you just cleaned OR, the perennial favorite: Knocking stuff off shelves.

ankoart

@Delphina -Myouki will challenge anyone who calls his cats dirty. How dare they! -I'm so happy the shoujo feel carries through! I ink everything by hand using a maru pen. (That's also why there's sometimes spots or grit stuck on the page, haha. So hard to keep it clean!) Right now I've been focusing on getting really thin, delicate lines, so there hasn't been a ton of variation, but I hope once I master that gentle look I can ease back into more variation on line widths!

@Kabocha I used to tone by hand, so getting to play with it digitally is so much fun! But I also sometimes get stumped as to how to approach things, lol. Knocking stuff off shelves is the best asshole cat move, I love it so much.

Kabocha

Oh gosh, I can't imagine toning by hand in this day and age. T_T It's so expensive... plus it's like AAAAAA ALL THAT TIME But it can be a challenge to figure out the right approach. ...Gradients. Gradients are very helpful for this. XD

When in doubt, slap a gradient on it! (don't actually do that, it's bad advice) Regardless, I'm looking forward to seeing where Catcha goes -- it's very cute!!

ankoart

lol it's bad advice but I def am guilty of it!!!

Kabocha

Me toooooo

ankoart

And thank you! Going for that cute factor >w<

Kabocha

As kind of a final word... I wanna tell you, Anko, to keep having fun with this! I think your enthusiasm really shines through, and it's heartwarming. I look forward to seeing what you do in the future with this comic, and any others you choose to work on!

ankoart

Oh my goodness, thank you so much!! This whole chat has been really encouraging, and those words mean so much to me! I want to create something that is just fun and calming to read, and heart-warming for anyone who enjoys it. I'll keeping working hard to achieve that!

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Catcha this week! Please also give a special thank you to Anko for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Catcha, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: http://catcha.smackjeeves.com/

Anko’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ankoart

Anko’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnkosArt

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #book club #bookclub #webcomic book club #webcomic bookclub #comic tea party #ctp #catcha #anko

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