#maybe Zoing was trying to give her a hint and it's not that he can sculp just anyone he's just practiced Klaus

[lizasweetling]

Okay, I almost understood that!

but if I understood correctly, I really don't get why we carved a Klaus into the pencil.

like ok, claws are probably not good for penmanship, so writing probably wouldn't have worked anyway, but ??? I don't know what that was meant to convey if the problem is there's Klaus and a scary Clank lady in the labs.

[slashingdisneypasta]

Scott x Reader || Oneshot

Title: Total DRAMA; All Stars

Notes:

I had a blast with the few parts 'Mike' was in, haha (;

FINALLY, this is done. Oh my god. I hope there are some Scott fans here other than me XD

Plot: In true McLean style, Chris decides to release some NEVER BEFORE SEEN CLIPS! from Revenge of the Island, of the absolute WORST moment between you and Scott, alone.

Warnings: Courtney being a bitch and calling you a whore. Yeah I may have taken her antagonistic nature too far... but the writers started it.

As soon as the scene ends - a very incriminating scene between you and Scott last season. Set in the dark, in a secluded part of the woods, stars over head... and no vicious creatures around to ruin it, - and Chef turns off the TV, you start praying for the ground to open up underneath you at once. And you desperately begin to wish that a blind gopher will turn up, decide that you're its new child, and carry you off to the safety of a cave. Or even better- Ezekiel!

You don't even hear all the oooooh's and evil laughter from other campers.

Instead, all you can do is turn to Zoey and just try, to explain yourself. Her arms are crossed over her chest and that glare that's focused on you... jesus christ. She's so mad. It hurts to look at. "Zoey- please- listen to me. That was before we knew what he was doing! I swear, if I could do it now- I'd take it back!"

"Then why didn't you tell me??" A glint of heartache, rather then anger, flashes in her eyes and your stomach rolls. The last thing you ever want to do is hurt Zoey. She's your best friend! You only met last year, during Revenge of the Island, but you cant even imagine a life without her in it, now.

"I... I don't know."

She immediately looks away, making your heart fall.

No-

"- And you! Boyfriend kisser." As soon as Courtney's voice registers in your brain, your feelings turn a little bit more into anger. But, still- you're not concerned with her. You just ignore her. "Look at me."

"Zoey, please talk to me."

"Y/N! I want to talk to you." Courtney screeches, still trying to get your attention. And you're still ignoring her.

"Its Scott! I cant... even... - You kissed Scott!"

The words themselves cause a twinge of guilt and disgust to twist in your gut, and you fight not to glance over at the boy. At the time... it was a nice kiss. And even at the start of this season, once you already knew what an ass Scott truly is, you were content in just keeping it to yourself as a pleasant little memory, to open every once and a while and relive- but otherwise never to be mentioned. It wasn't something you regretted. Not for a moment.

.... But, hell. The way Zoey said it...

Now you sure regret it. You don't know if you can enjoy it ever, again.

"He played us all for fools Zo, it wasn't just me! Please, believe me- if I had known he was manipulating us- I would never, ever, have- "

Courtney taps your shoulder now, forcing a deep eye roll from you and even deeper shoulder roll. Don't touch me.

Zoey looks down at her feet, then at you for a moment and you watch her lips tremble and her eyes give away the fight going on inside her - between forgiving you, and how betrayed she must feel, - before she looks away and your heart just sinks. "I... don't know, Y/N. I just... cant believe you did that... "

As you're wondering helplessly of what you can possibly say to make it up to her, to clear this whole thing up, Mike comes up to Zoey and touches her shoulder in comfort. "Y/N maybe you should go... "

"Mike- " You start, when Courtney grabs your arm and you finally give in to her nagging. Growling, you whip around and come face to face with her, shaking her hand off your arm viscously. Scott is standing nervously behind her, but you don't dare pay him any mind.

"Oh my god, Courtney, what!?" You snap, entirely frustrated with this girl. "I'm a little busy, in case you couldn't tell."

"You were ignoring me!" She whines, offended, making you roll your eyes and sigh, deeply.

"Yeah-take a hint maybe??"

"I wanted to talk to you!"

"Ugh- Yeah! I got that. But as far as I see it- my trying to apologise and get my friends back is a whooooole lot more important, then you picking a fight with me over a kiss that happened before you even met the guy." Narrowing your eyes, you make like you're going to turn on her, which you have 100 percent intentions to do- twisting your body a bit back towards your friend. "Bugger off."

Courtney scowls, that perfect little nose scrunched up in fury as one of her hands rests on her hip. "You cant talk to me like that! I'll get you voted off."

"Oh go ahead!- " Jesus christ- she can do whatever she wants. As long as you can get back to Zoey. God, Courtney's like an annoying fly- why Gwen puts so much effort into being her friend you will never get. "Just let me talk to Zoey first yeah?"

The wicked witch of the west crosses her arms, this time. Rolling her eyes, she titters. "Whores last wishes... "

Immediately, you stop. You hear a gasp from behind you but apart from that, everything seems to come to a crashing halt around you. Everything seems to stop. The people around you, the wind, the sound in your ears- as all you can think is that phrase over and over.

Whores last wishes

Whores...

Whore.

She called you a whore.

She dared to call you, a whore. How many boys has she kissed on this show?? And you kiss one boy, who she just happens to be dating now, and somehow you're the slutty one?

Your blood boils under you skin, but you're caught so off guard that she would dare to say something like that to you - and on TV, to boot, - that no words come out of your mouth. You just stand there, wide eyed.

Scott steps up and puts a hand on Courtney's arm. "Hey, that one mighta been going a bit far... "

"What?? Its true. Any girl who kisses another girls boyfriend is a whore. Whore, whore, slut, whore. And to boot, she ignored me. What kind of selfish bitchery, is that!?"

"I mean... " Scott rubs the back of his neck, awkwardly. "... you did kiss Cameron... while we were dating... " Courtney rounds on him, hands on her hips, and the weasel holds his hands up immediately, a traitorous smile on his face. "I mean you're so pretty!!"

Scoffing, you roll your eyes and cross your arms over your chest, protectively. Figures. Greasy little weasel. And you even got your hopes up then, that he just might stand up for you.

You wont make that mistake again... for the third, time...

"He wasn't. Even. 'Your boyfriend'. When it happened!!" You exclaim, 120 percent frustrated at her. "Are you fucking delusional??"

Yeah, if she's going to use grown up words- you can too.

"Hm." Her high fricken voice sounds smug, and she smirks as she turns away from you. "You're right. But better delusional, then sad, bitter and lonely. You're a perfect match for Chester. Or Chef! I'm no novice where boyfriend kissers are concerned- " At that little comment you catch the sight of Gwen wincing, as she stands over by Alejandro and the other gawkers. "But at least I ended up with the guy, this time."

Your fists clench at your sides, shaking.

... Sad... bitter... and lonely.

Worrying your bottom lip, you actually start to feel like crying. She hit the nail right on the head, there. Before Revenge of The Island... you didn't have a lot of friends... so when you met Zoey, and Mike, and Cameron,... and they seemed to see something in you, that no one ever had previously, something that made you worthy of friendship... you vowed to keep them safe. Never hurt them. Because without them you would be alone again.

And... bitter.

And sad.

But now you've gone and hurt them, and you're about to lose them.

And Courtney's just rubbing it in.

God, everyone can see it, cant they? How pathetic I am...

You don't know what to say in response. Your mouth is dry. You feel like running away. You desperately want to disappear, right now.

Courtney, Gwen and Scott walk off before everyone else seems to get bored and disperse as well, and you're sure that you are what she said - alone, - when suddenly a hand slips into yours from behind and you turn around, nervously, to see Zoey, Mike and Cam behind you.

She's looking sympathetically at you, squeezing your hand. "... Come on." She speaks softly, and tears fill your eyes. Tears of relief or sadness, you don't quite know. Probably, both. "Its okay. It'll be okay."

Relieved that she's not gone, you wrap your arms around her and start sobbing, as she holds onto you.

___TIME SKIP___

A couple hours later, you're taking some peace and quiet, on your own. By choice. Sitting cross legged by a stream, you take in a deep, breath. "... hell."

Well, today was awful. A huge mess, actually. Fucking Chris, showing you all that stupid video. You wish you never even gave him the fodder.

But how could you have known... God, it was just a kiss. It was just a kiss! You're a teenager... and it was just a little kiss... how could it have caused that all that!?

When the sound of a twig snapping catches your attention, you practically snap your neck turning around to see what's in the clearing with you- and feel anger and something hot, but different, flare up in you at the sight of Scott. Your eyes immediately narrow.

"What do you want?"

"I, uh... " Your gaze flickers up and down his form, trying to figure him out. What is he doing here? Rubbing his neck nervously and avoiding your gaze like a coward? "I... wanted to see, how you were going? After all that mess with the video? Courtney was a little outta line... "

Scoffing, you turn away. "Yeah, she was. Its not like you really cared, though."

His brows suddenly furrow and a deep frown crinkles his face; Defensive. "Wait a minute there, I cared."

You roll your eyes, crossing your arms and absolutely refusing to look at him. Excess sarcasm drips off your tongue. "Oh yeah, that really translated- what with you standing behind her and shutting down the moment she snaps at you, and all. Everyone knows you're not a wimp like that, so you staying quiet like you did really sent a message. Don't worry, I got it."

Scott is literally starting to fume, now, fists clenched at his sides and frown so deep in his face it looks like its digging to China. "Look Y/N, I was only backing off cuz it was clear you didn't give a damn about me. With all that 'I swear, Zoey, if I could take it back- I would!!' crap and the 'I would never ever have' kissed me bullshit." As you peak back at him, realising you did say that... and only realising now that he had heard it, even though he was there the whole time and only its natural that he would have, you see him cross his own arms as you let yours relax at your sides. Oh, jeez. How crazy that was hits you like a ton of bricks. "You got the message? Psh. Well hell, so did I. Loud and clear."

Suddenly you're on the defensive, turning fully to look up at him with wide, sorry eyes. "Look, Scott, I didn't mean to be hurtful, I just... "

"You just what? Thought that stuff wouldn't bother me? Y/N I never used that kiss to manipulate you or put Zoey off her game, so I thought you got what I meant, by it." His shoulders sag suddenly and you feel your heart immediately sink along with them; He resembles a kicked puppy in this moment way too much, considering the jerk he really is. Or tends to act like. "It had nothing to do with the freaken show- " As your heart is swimming around sadly at your feet, the scowl reappears on his face - a face that you, admittedly, are pretty fond of, - again, spite burning in blue. "So yeah, you throwing it back in my face like that does bother me."

Leaning back, you cant help but look unconvinced Scott's way. After a moment, you get up from the ground and, after wiping the dirt off your butt, you stand up to him; Hands on hips. "What exactly are you saying Scott?"

"Look, I'm not good with... romance... " The way he says the word conveys a deep aversion to the whole thing, due to awkwardness. His pale face has become red, even though its clear he's still not pleased with you. The scowl is still present and he refuses to look at you in the face; Preferring to avert his gaze to the grass. "I don't know how to do it. Which should be glaringly obvious, by now."

You huff, snapping. "For goodness sakes, then just say it simple!"

He immediately blurts it out, struck by your tone like a spooked broodmare. "I like you!" ... Okay, now you're bright red. And silent. Scott winces. "... Okay?"

After a moment of just looking shocked and embarrassed at him, heart hammering in your chest, you cross your arms over it and focus on digging the tip of your boot into the dirt. "We- um... Well... uh... I did not know that... "

Scott's accent, as always, comes out thicker in his annoyance. He rolls his eyes- still pink, but not letting that get in the way of being irritated by you and this whole damn situation. "Yeah, no kidding."

Taking a deep breath and glancing nervously, for just a moment, up at him you try to apologise. Not that he has, or anything, for the betrayals last season. "I wouldn't have said what I said, If I'd known... "

"Yeah, well, I don't need your pity Y/N so don't bother." He growls, making your stomach roll - which weirdly enough isn't super unpleasant... or even unpleasant at all... -, but surprisingly he doesn't leave. He stays here, arms crossed half a foot away from you. Probably too close, actually.

But you don't dare step away.

... that is, until you suddenly remember Zoey again, and how she feels about Scott and how there's no way you're making another mistake like this again, and a clipped gasp slips from you as you do indeed step back. "Um, well, I don't pity you. Because you're still a jerk. And also- I'm leaving. So- "

Turning around, you try to make your escape when Scott seems to have conniption behind you and jolts forward, grabbing your shoulder first way too tightly, then forcing it to become far too gentle, before letting go entirely. It's clear he didn't know what was acceptable, but he still sure captures your attention, though. "W-wait! I... broke up with Courtney."

You sigh, hesitantly turning back around. He's doing that thing where he looks innocent, but this time you believe it. "Ugh- Scott, that... I don't even... that doesn't change anything!- "

"And I... talked, to Zoey."

That catches your attention, and your gaze snaps up to his. "You what?"

You can only imagine how something like that went. Those two hate each other, maybe even more then Gwen and Heather hate each other, and that's saying something.

"Yeah, yeah, trust me when I say that it wasn't easy." He rolls his eyes, deeply, and huffs. "The nitwit just cant make anything easy, for me." At that, you set him with a glare and he waives you off, aloof. Then he flashes a smirk at you, a mischievous twinkle in his beady blue eyes. "Whatever. Aren't you interested in what we talked, about?"

Narrowing your eyes and pressing your lips into a thin, disapproving line... you hesitantly, give in. "... Well, yes- "

That mischievous smirk only broadens, and he seems to get closer suddenly - or maybe you're only just now realising it, as he looks down at you like that, - , and you realise how your hearts beating so erratically in your chest- Scott always did have that effect on you... when he wasn't being an idiot. Eyes widening, you wait patiently for him to say something. "... I told her how I liked you." You can hear your heart beating in your ears, as Scott struggles with his words; Rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding your big round eyes. "How... I'm not so good with the... romance... but it felt more natural, when it was just you and me. Like- with Courtney, it's hard. Really, really hard! I end up looking like a real dumbass when I try with her. But then when we're alone, I can... I- I don't know, breath. And that's how the kiss happened. I told her, I'm sorry it upset her... which may or may not be true, or any of her business in the first place... but- the point is, she also said it was kind- kinda, sweet."

All through this little speech, Scott was becoming more and more focused, and with every surprising word that came out of his mouth you became more and more hooked. You would never have thought that hearing Scott of all people tell you things like this would effect you at all but your words are caught in your throat- even though all you want to do is tell him something back. But- "Uhm... " Managing to tear your gaze away from his, cheeks heated up like Chris's tanning bed, you cross your arms and force different words then you want to form, from you lips. "That... that doesn't really change what you did, does it? Or the fact that my friends hate you."

Suddenly Scott's hands found your waist and gasp tears out of you, gaze snapping up to his face as your hand automatically catch his shoulders. What the hell!? You haven't really touched each other since the kiss, and its like electricity courses through your veins now that you do. Its a shock, and pleasant, and it makes you confused as you stand there, Scott under your hands. "She also said, that if you wanted to do this," Was it you or him that moved you in closer against him? All you know is your feet drag across the ground almost on their own accord, and your hands find their way to his shoulders. Scott's shoulders. "She wouldn't get in the way. Which isn't a surprise, I mean- she's way too nice. Its annoying, usually, but- I think I can make this one work."

Your eyes slip heavily from his strong hands on your waist, to yours on his freckled shoulders, to his eyes- this all just seeming too good to be real. You've liked Scott - of course you have. You wouldn't have kissed him if you hadn't, and you certainly wouldn't have hated him so much after the betrayals if you didn't really care about him, - secretly, basically since that first time the country boy smiled at you- but it just hasn't been a real option very many times on this show. "Zoey said that?"

"Yeah. I mean, she also punched me in the face for not standing up for you when Courtney called you sad, but- "

"Scott."

He stops talking, and though his eyes were already on you- they soften, now. Blue hues looking the least evil as you had seen them... in a while. Since last season... in the dark... stars over head... and no vicious creatures around to ruin it. Chewing your bottom lip, you think this over. He's getting slowly closer, a kiss that you don't think you could push away if it actually connected, rearing nearer. Your gaze falls on his mouth, and your cheeks heat up.

He says Zoey said it would be fine... and god you want to... But...

Taking a deep breath through your nose and closing your eyes, you take a step back; Hands falling down his arms to his hands. He looks confused at you, before you hold up one finger at him, opening your eyes and looking earnest. "Give me one one minute."

A smirk flickers on across his face. "Okay, but what- " You whip around, and start bolting off towards the cabins. "Where are you going!!!?"

"Be back in a minute!!" Jeez!

But... you need to check with your friend.

It takes you less then a minute to reach the losers cabin, in which the hero's would be staying the night, throw open the door and collapse beside Zoey on her bed; Huffing and puffing. She raises her brows at the entrance, a tiny smile quirking at the corners of her lips that she tries valiantly to push away. "... Hi?"

"Zoey- Did Scott- Huff- Did he talk to you??"

"Oh- yeah, just after you left us actually. I have to admit, he said some pretty sweet things about you... Didn't he, Mike??" Zoey turns her head to her crush - or, whatever they are to eachother. You can never tell. Mike's been acting very weird, lately, - sitting on a top bunk on the other side of the room. For a split second he looks disgusted, and rolls his eyes, before giving a thumbs up and a big goofy grin.

"Oh, yeah!! It was nauseating! Villainous Vulture?? More like Sympathetic Squirrel!" He announces in agreement using a very cheerful voice, to which Cameron - on the bottom bunk, - raises a brow, weirded out by the juxtaposition between tone and wording. Zoey just giggles, though, and turns back to you.

She takes a deep breath, and reaches over to hold your hand. "Look, Y/N. I don't... totally get it? Haha." She giggles again, but this time nervously. You take a deep breath, holding her hand back with both of yours and searching her face for... anything. Anything she might be holding back. Because she's your best friend, and if she's going to have a problem with Scott in the future, you are not going to risk it. Risk her. Not again. "... But I believed him. And, so, if you... ugh, want to date him?? I wont get in your way."

Squeezing her hand, you let out the deep breath that you were holding- not wanting to jump the gun. "Zo, I wont do it, if it makes you uncomfortable."

For a moment, then, she says nothing. And you think you've blown it, that she' going to take her blessing back and you're going to have to move on, which would suck... but you would do it, in a heartbeat. For her. Even if it was hard. But then you see how she's searching your face, face pinched in focus.

... Before she lets out a breath, of her own. "You really like, him don't you... " She says, almost to herself. Eyes on the wall. "Honestly I don't know how I didn't see it before!" She turns to you, scootching closer on the bed and taking both your hands in hers, now. "Look, I get that you're worried about me... but I think we can do this! You're my best friend, too, and I... I want you to be happy!" She smiles, now, and its such a true and warm smile that your heart aches. In your peripheral, you catch sight of someone on a top bunk shaking his head and sticking out his tongue at the affectionate scene. Probably fucking Duncan. "So yes, I'm sure!"

With that, Zoey pulls you into a hug and you bury your face in her shoulder, before pulling back and getting up to leave- but, you stop at the door, and turn back. "And- Zo? I heard about the punch." Looking down at her, she looks guilty for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip and averting her eyes. "I cant comment now because I'm his girlfriend- but- " You give her a wink and a smile, trying not to laugh when she rolls her eyes and chuckles, before you let the door shut behind you and rush off again at top speed.

When Scott enters your vision again he's kicking at some dirt on the ground, looking bored and worried until he sees you and his eyes widen. "Woah- hey! Welcome back, what happen- "

When you reach him, you throw your arms around him and press your lips to his, nearly pushing you both over the force of your connection but he immediately catches you both, twirling you around before you both steady yourselves on the ground, deepening the kiss this time.

[eberles]

Love, Rafe ♡

Part 2 - Leaving for College

Rafe Cameron x OC

(gif is not mine, if it’s yours lmk and i’ll give credit)

A/N: Hii everyone! If you have seen the movie, keep in mind that I switched the main characters roles! Any feedback is always welcome! Be sure to tell me if you want a part 2! Happy Reading!! ☺️ Italics is how the last chapter ended!

Warnings: mentions of sex, swearing, angst

Part 1

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“Let’s go get a room for the night.” Olivia whispered in Rafe’s ear to gain his attention back to her. Little did Rafe know that spending the night with Olivia would lead to a series of misfortune’s for him and Zoe.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

"You know what, Rafe? I’ve been thinking that we should just get out of here.” Zoe spoke when they were driving home together after prom. Rafe and Olivia did end up getting a hotel room during prom, but if Rafe was being honest the sex wasn’t great. He enjoyed it, but Rafe didn’t feel any emotional connection towards Olivia and he always believed that was a big part of having sex for him to think it was amazing. He planned on staying the whole night with Olivia in the hotel room, but after they had sex he felt extremely guilty about it and left to find Zoe. 

“We can go to your house to hangout if you want.” Rafe responded not understanding what Zoe meant.

“No Rafe! I was thinking more like Boston, Massachusetts...for college! Think about it, we aren’t going to get anywhere in life if we stay in Outer Banks...and my parents think I have a good chance at getting a scholarship to Harvard.” Zoe spoke softly, not sure how Rafe would feel about leaving his home.

“You’re serious?” he asked, surprised.

“They have one of the best Law programs, Rafe! And you can come and go to Boston College! They have a really great Hotel Management and Business program!” Zoe said getting excited just thinking about the two of them leaving and being in a new city together. Zoe knew Rafe always wanted to own his own hotel one day and she intended on helping him achieve that dream.

Only two months later and Rafe received his acceptance letter from Boston College in the mail. He was ecstatic. Nothing could change the high he was feeling from being accepted into his dream school. That is, until there was a knock at his front door.

“Hey Olivia, what are you doing here?” Rafe was confused to see Olivia at his front door. He assumed after their weird sexual encounter on prom night he wouldn’t being seeing her again.

“I’m pregnant, Rafe!” Olivia didn’t waste anytime when she pushed Rafe out of the doorway and made her way into his home. Immediately, he could feel his stomach turning and his vision going blurry at her words.

“You-you’re what? But we-we used a condom, I don’t understand.” Rafe stuttered over his words, trying to wrap his brain around what was happening.

“Well, apparently it broke, Rafe! What are we going to do?” Olivia asked. But she had already planned to keep the baby. She always wanted Rafe and now she was going to have him forever or at least for the next 18 years.

“I don’t know! I need to think about this, please.” Rafe pleaded with her, hoping she would get the hint that he needed to be alone right now. 

“Fine, but we have to discuss this, i’ll be back.” Olivia spoke calmly and let herself out of Rafe’s house, smirking to herself once she got outside.

From Rafe: Zoe, can we talk?

From Zoe: I wish! But i’m at dinner with Jeremy and his family!

From Rafe: Ok, have fun

Rafe has never felt worse about himself in those moments. He just found out he was maybe going to have a baby and now he can’t even discuss it with his best friend in the whole world. He felt as if his entire life was coming crashing down around him right after his future was starting to look really promising. 

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“Hi, i’m so sorry i’m late, but I have news!!” Zoe said excitedly as she sat down in the chair across from him at their favorite lunch place, The Wreck.

“So do I.” Rafe said a little sarcastically. It had only been a week since Olivia told Rafe she was pregnant, and he hadn’t said a word of it to Zoe.

“I got a scholarship to Harvard, Rafe!” Zoe squealed holding up the letter and waving it around in his face.

“Oh my god! Zoe! That’s so fucking amazing! I’m so proud of you!” Rafe spoke genuinely while trying to meet her excitement.

“It’s crazy, right? Did you hear back from Boston College?” Zoe asked with hopeful eyes.

“No, no, I haven’t.” Rafe broke eye contact as he spoke to Zoe, knowing if he looked at her she would know something was wrong. She always did know everything he was feeling just by looking at him.

“Well, i’m not worried, you’ll get in! My flight is in three days, but you’ll be right there with me right?” Zoe spoke trying to remain hopeful that they would be able to leave Outer Banks together.

“Of course!” Rafe said it but he knew he couldn’t leave with Zoe, or at all until he got the baby situation figured out with Olivia. Rafe knew it was ultimately Olivia’s decision, but he still hoped she would think about their future’s and look into getting an abortion or even having the baby put up for adoption.

Exactly, three days later, and Rafe and Zoe were in the airport saying goodbye before Zoe left for Boston.

“Tell me now, do you want me to stay?” Zoe asked as she looked up at Rafe with wide eyes. She felt terrible that he hadn’t heard back from Boston College yet and was hoping he would ask her to stay with him. 

“No, Zoe, you have to go! I’ll be right there with you before you know it!” Rafe lied, but he couldn’t bare to see the look on Zoe’s face when she found out he might not be joining her in Boston at all, let alone that it’s because he got a girl pregnant.

“Okay, but just remember that I am with you all the time, no matter how far apart we are.” Zoe spoke softly as she pointed to Rafe’s heart and poked at his chest a little with her finger.

“I know, Zo. I’m gonna miss the hell out of you.” Rafe said, looking deeply into her eyes and pulling her into him for a hug. Zoe stood on her tippy toes to meet his height and wrapped her arms tightly around Rafe’s neck while he held onto her waist for deer life and closed his eyes soaking in the moment. 

Rafe pulled away a little still holding her waist, but keeping his forehead touching hers. Zoe could feel his breathe on her face and her heart started to race as she moved her eyes from his lips to his eyes a few times. The two of them stood there, foreheads touching, lips almost connecting, heavy breathing, and hearts beater faster than ever before for a moment debating if this was the right thing to do. Zoe was looking into Rafe’s eyes when he closed his and started to pull his forehead away from her. He knew if he kissed her he wouldn’t be able to stop.

“You’ll keep in touch right?” Rafe said while blinking back the slightest of tears attempting to pool in his eyes. 

“Always, and you’ll be with me before we know it!” Zoe spoke before bending down to grab her suitcase. Rafe nodded his head at her and smiled at her as she started backing away from him waving slightly.

Rafe watched as she walked towards where the plane was boarding keeping a smile on his face until Zoe was no longer in his view. As Rafe was walking out of the airport his phone started to ring with a call from Olivia.

“Hey Rafe, just thought I should let you know, i’m going to keep our baby.” 

Part 3

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[agentaletha]

Ace Reads Review: Sawkill Girls

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

Published 2018 by Katherine Tegen Books (an imprint of Harper Collins) (cover shows the head of a white girl with dark hair surrounded by moths)

Both a Bram Stoker Award nominee and a Lambda Literary Award nominee

“Beware of the woods and the dark, dank deep.

He’ll follow you home, and he won’t let you sleep.

Who are the Sawkill Girls?

Marion: the new girl. Awkward and plain, steady and dependable. Weighed down by tragedy and hungry for love she’s sure she’ll never find.

Zoey: the pariah. Luckless and lonely, hurting but hiding it. Aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. Maybe she’s broken—or maybe everyone else is.

Val: the queen bee. Gorgeous and privileged, ruthless and regal. Words like silk and eyes like knives, a heart made of secrets and a mouth full of lies.

Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires.

Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight… until now.”

These three girls have complicated relationships, to each other and to their families. All three are grieving. This book is ace representation that we don’t see every day - an ace main character who is a woc, after a romantic relationship, in a horror story. Zoey is the ace character, she is Black, the daughter of the police chief, a writer, fannish, and recently ended a romantic relationship with one of her two best friends, Grayson. They are still good friends but there is a lot of uncertainty unspoken between them. Interestingly, the only difference between the quote above from Goodreads and the back of the paperback is the one sentence about Zoey maybe being broken. It reads to me as a hint that she’s ace and I wonder if that was intentional but considered too niche for the printed copy…

In short, horror is not my thing but I enjoyed this, loved Zoey, and thought it was thoughtful ace representation that I would recommend to anyone who thinks they might be interested. This is a horror story and there is a lot of horror going on so I’m going to get right to the spoilers and warnings, under the break.

I tend to avoid horror. I don’t really care about gore and I’m sensitive to grief and often feel that horror ignores real grief and trauma for a spectacle for titillated observers. This walked the line of being too much for me - I’m warning for body horror, possession, the deaths of several immediate family members, and some heavy handed misogyny. Val is both a victim and an accomplice (and at times a perpetrator) but she and Marion are drawn to each other and don’t take long to start making out. Personally having Zoey’s relationship with Grayson in contrast made the “it’s a bad idea but we just can’t help it” of Marion and Val’s relationship a bit unearned, but it does set the stage for love to save the day in the end. And love and sisterhood does save the day as the three girls join forces to fight not just the monster but an ancient cult of men who believe killing the girls is the only way to win against the monster. Val is not entirely forgiven, but she is cared for, and in a scene that hits much harder after months of lock-down with limited human contact, she asks to be held and cuddles with Zoey. 

Zoey’s relationship with Grayson is actually my favorite part, surprising even me. Most YA stories with ace characters are about discovering their asexuality, often explored in the context of a beginning or potential romantic relationship. I can’t think of any other stories that start here, with two characters who love each other and are still friends but have broken up because one of them is ace. At first we don’t get many details - it’s clear they are still close and care about each other so why they aren’t together is a mystery. Grayson comes through for them time after time, investigating with them and researching for them, with seemingly no expectations. They are geeky together and are super cute, quiping and quoting at each other. Grayson is awesome, maybe a little unrealistically awesome for a teenage boy, but never boring. Eventually we find out that what happened before the story started was they had had sex:

“And it hadn’t been bad. It hadn’t been great, either - at least not for Zoey - and as Grayson had held her afterward, catching his breath and drawing circles on her shoulders with this thumb, Zoey had realized she could happily exist for the rest of her life without doing that ever again. 

Does that mean I’m broken? She’d wondered, tears pricking her eyes. [...] 

On the day she’d split from Grayson, she’d asked him that same question: “Does this mean I’m broken?” 

He’d answered immediately: “No, it doesn’t. And I don’t care about the sex, Zo. I want to be with you. 

Zoey, though, had recoiled at the idea. He would grow to resent her. He would break her heart, and she would break his. 

She’d backed away from him, shaking her head. “I’m not going to change my mind Grayson.”

“Zo, please, I’m not asking you to--”

Zoey had left him then, unable to bear the gentle sound of his voice or the sight of his tears. And that was that.” (p. 341-342)

The word asexuality is never used, but it is very clear, and while the story never connects her to a wider ace community, it also never questions that her being ace is a real thing.

After the battle is over they go to Grayson’s house and his family lets them in. Grayson is at peak amazingness and he and Zoey cuddle and discuss what comes next. It’s a little too long to include the whole thing, but it’s a great conversation! Grayson says he doesn’t know if he can be with her but not with her. He says that he didn’t understand the idea of not wanting sex at first and worried that he’d done something wrong, or there was someone else, but he got over it and realized how much he missed having her in his life, with or without sex. He reiterates that sex is not that important to him and says that could have had sex with other people but he didn’t want to (hinting that he might be demi?) but either way he’d be okay with a lifetime without sex if he could be with her. In a nice reversal of how aces are often told they might change their minds later, Zoey tells him not to make it a final declaration. They both say that they don’t want the other one to have to change who they are to be together. They discuss the wide varieties of future maybes and decide to give it a try and see how it goes.

I love this for them. Instead of a zero-sum game where someone has to lose, they are acknowledging that they may always feel the same or their feelings may change but they’ll give it a try and face whatever comes together.

[onthepyre]

and it hurts (part 3)

part 1 part 2 part 4

It shouldn’t be a big deal.  

It’s just a sleepover, Zoe tells herself.  Just a sleepover with your best friend who you’re in love with.

Yeah, maybe it’s okay that she’s making it a big deal.  

She stares at herself in the mirror for a while, trying to decide if she looks presentable.  She hasn’t changed since school ended, but her fingers twist in the hem of her shirt like it’s foreign.  She pulls at the end of her braid, then undoes it completely.  After shaking her hair out, she smiles at herself.  Then she giggles, high-pitched and giddy and oh, my god, she did not mean for it to sound that much like a serial killer.  

Zoe frowns, watching her reflection tilt its head in the mirror.  Something isn’t right, but she can’t put her finger on it.  She sticks her hands in her pockets and closes them into fists.

Connor.

Connor will know what to do.  He’s not the nicest or the most romantic, but he obviously did something right, because Evan’s absolutely smitten with him.  Zoe walks down the hall on tiptoes and knocks softly on his door, hoping for both sisterly and selfish reasons that he’s had a good day.  She hears a grunt from within and the door swings open to reveal Connor, his hair in a lopsided bun and a hint of a grin on his face.

“What do you want?” he asks, none of the usual malice behind his smile.

“Let me in,” Zoe says.  She shoves past him before he can respond, and sits down on the rocking chair in the corner.

“Hey!  What do you need in here for?”  He closes the door behind him anyways.  Connor flings himself on his bed, turning to face Zoe.

“How did you get Evan to like you?” she asks.  Connor’s face turns a bright shade of pink and he suddenly can’t look at Zoe.

“He doesn’t — we aren’t — I don’t-”

“He’s obviously crushing on you, Connor.  What did you do?”  Connor squints at his socks, pulls at his hair, tries to stutter through a denial, but something clicks in his head.

“Why do you need to know?”  He makes eye contact with her for the first time since she walked into his room.  “Does this have something to do with our favorite student council member?”  

And then Zoe’s the one who can’t make eye contact.

Connor smirks.  “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“I — I’m going over to her house.  What the hell do I do?  You’re my big brother, you should be good at this shit.”  Connor chuckles, dry, then sighs.

“That’s fuckin’ hilarious, Zo.  You honestly came to me for relationship advice?”

“Well, I’m not out to Mom and Dad and my best friend is the one we’re talking about.  What else was I supposed to do?”  

Connor chuckles again, then sobers abruptly.  “Honestly?  Lose the jacket.”

“What?”  Zoe pulls it tighter around her shoulders.  The jangling pins and loose patches are comforting, if a bit annoying.  “Why?”

“You wear it like it’s a fucking shield.  It makes you look like you’re about to go to battle or something.”  

She frowns.  “But couldn’t I-”

“Nope.”  Connor stands up and starts trying to pull it off her.  “It’s staying here.  I’ll take good care of her, no need to worry.”

“Hey!”  Zoe resists, doing her best to foil Connor’s efforts, but he’s standing and has at least six inches on her if she were to stand too.  With only a little bit of struggle, the jacket slides off her shoulders and Connor drops it to the floor.  He smiles, clearly proud of his handiwork.

“Okay,”  he says.  “That’s better, but…”  Connor stares at her, internally debating something Zoe can’t quite figure out.

“But what?  Are you going to give me an e-boy makeover?”  Zoe rolls her eyes.

“Not quite.”  Connor strides over to his dresser and starts rummaging through one of the drawers.  “Here.”  He tosses a tube of eyeliner at Zoe, who promptly drops it on the floor.  

“Why was this in your sock drawer?” she asks, twisting it between her fingers.  “Will I get a fungus in my eye if I use it?”

Connor glares at her.  “If I left it out, Mom would throw it away when she ‘does laundry’ in my room for half an hour.  I made the mistake of putting nail polish on my desk and found it my trash when I got home from school.”

“That’s cool and all, but, uh.  How do I do eyeliner?”  Zoe looks up at him helplessly, and he laughs.

“Oh, my god.”  Connor sits back down on his bed and pats the spot next to him.  “Get over here, you failure of a Murphy.”

“Rude,” Zoe says, but she complies.

“Close your eyes.”  Connor grips her face tightly with one hand.  “Quit squinting, you dumbass.  It’ll turn out weird.”

Zoe flinches when the liquid hits her face.

“Damnit, Zoe.  Stay here, I gotta find the makeup wipes.”  She feels Connor stand, but doesn’t open her eyes in fear of making it worse.

“This was your idea!”  She snaps, eyes still shut tight.  “I’m not responsible for fucking it up, you’re the one putting it on my face!”

“Why did you flinch?  You knew it was coming!”  Zoe feels him sit down next to her again.

“‘Cause I’m not used to eyeliner, you fucking emo.”  

“Okay, I’m gonna wipe it off now,” Connor says, and starts rubbing at her eye before she can protest.

He spends another five minutes trying to perfect the makeup as they take turns grumbling about it.  Zoe tries to touch it as soon as she’s allowed to open her eyes, but Connor smacks her hand away.

“What are you doing?  You’ll smudge it!”  He grabs her wrist and pulls her to the mirror in the corner.  “See?  Less like a warrior and more like a teenager.” 

Zoe smiles in spite of herself, knowing he’s right.  She looks less closed-off without the jacket, but the eyeliner adds a certain edge she lost with it.  “Thanks,” she says.  “I owe you one.”

“You absolutely do.  Now go get her, kiddo.”  

Zoe takes a last look in the mirror, nods, and leaves.  

She’s back a few seconds later, muttering about her keys.  She digs through the pockets of her jacket, still lying on the floor, then returns to her room to snatch her duffel bag.  

“I’m staying at a friend’s house!” she shouts to the air.  “I’ll be home tomorrow!”  She tries to leave before her parents process it, but Cynthia is standing in the doorway to the kitchen in seconds.

“What friend?  Do I know their parents?”

“Yes, Mom.  Alana Beck?  They came over for dinner a few months ago?”

Cynthia ponders for a moment before realizing.  “Oh!  I remember her!  She’s-”

“Yep.  See you later, Mom.  Love you!”  Zoe is out the door before she catches the reply.  She sits in her car, psyching herself up for a few minutes before leaving.  The radio blasts a sappy love song, but she turns it down, preferring to drive in silence rather than think about everything that could happen and everything that might not.

[littlemisssquiggles]

Pinehead Headcanons: Oscar’s Longest Memory II:  Living Like Oz

@miki-13​ Hey Miki-chan. Funny story. I was actually writing up this new Pinehead headcanon in response to your last question about Ozpin being Oscar’s Pilot when I saw your new messages last night. So I decided to combine my answers to your questions in this one post since ironically, the ideas for these actually lined up perfectly with this headcanon I have so I hope you enjoy it.

miki-13 asked “What do you think of Ozpin= The Pilot from The Little Prince?”

Let’s start with my views on Oz being the Pilot in Oscar’s Little Prince story. From what I read up on the Pilot Character from the Little Prince, he was also the narrator of the story. He was essentially the character through which the reader learnt of the Prince’s journeys after leaving his home planet. It was through the Pilot that we learnt of the Prince’s story and the wisdom he imparted on the Pilot during their time together in the dessert.

I also remember you telling me that the Pilot was another character that the Prince shared a close relationship with other than his Rose and the Fox.

From what I read up on the Pilot, it seems like the lessons about responsibility that the Prince learnt from the Fox and embracing the things you loved as a child was what the Prince imparted onto the Pilot and was what he mostly remembered about him from their time together.

When I look at it from that perspective, I can see where Oz can play the Pilot in Oscar’s Little Prince story. It makes me think back to my Oscar’s Journey to Oz headcanon where Oscar deep dives into his mind to bring Ozpin back. Somehow I can imagine the reconciliation between the two souls paying homage to the Little Prince’s encounter with the Pilot with the two just meeting in a part of Oscar’s mind that takes the form of a place from either Oscar’s memories or perhaps Oz? And the two just sit there within this memory talking to one another about their lives, their experiences and more importantly of all, where they both go from where they currently stood, y’know what I mean?

It’s moments like this that makes me wish we had gotten just a few more seasons with Oscar and Oz growing closer before we got the inevitable separation in V6. It probably would’ve been twice as more impactful if Oscar and Oz shared a deeper connection than what we know them to have canonically.

From the moment Oscar met Oz, their relationship suffered a rocky start with Oscar’s whole apprehension of leaving home to go to Mistral on behalf of Oz and everything he told him regarding his sudden change in fate.

Even up to the moment where Oscar first meets Qrow, Oscar still harboured a snarky attitude towards Oz’s presence. Sure things started softening up between them during what little we saw of their interactions during V5, but in hindsight, it’s very evident that Oz and Oscar still have way to go before they can live in harmony with one another like the Wizards before them.

I will admit this though. I was pretty nice to hear Oscar acknowledge Oz as a part of him in V7CH7. It makes me wish we had gotten more moments like that with him just sitting around thinking about Ozpin and the potential of them reconnecting. I guess this is one of my gripes for this season in regards to Oscar’s side of things. Here we are yet again with the PLOT not taking the opportunity to further flesh out Oscar’s character and his relationship with Ozpin by presenting Oscar attempting to reconcile with Oz within his mind and bring him back while working together with Ironwood.

We don’t even really know how Oscar even feels about Ozpin coming back since the show focuses so little on him and how he’s been taking in everything and even when it does focus on Oscar, a lot of it seems to only hint at Oz without really addressing him.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to see more examples of Oscar being his own person by having him express how he feels about certain topics rather than it be him trying to mimic Oz in some way. I like that a lot. However, at the same time, I feel like the show is having Oscar almost ignore Ozpin in a way. Despite implying that he’s a part of him, we don’t get to really see how much Ozpin’s absence has affected Oscar in the sense of how this has affected Oscar’s overall relationship with the old soul. We’ve gotten one or two glimpses of it here or there but nothing really grounding as yet, at least in my opinion.

Often at times, I can’t help but feel as if the PLOT avoids the characters talking about Ozpin and just writes around him, if that makes sense. Like it’s evident that his presence and the result of his actions are spearheading the events currently happening in the narrative at the moment. However at the same time, I feel like the characters are addressing Oz without really addressing Oz; y’know what I mean? Like they mention him in passing but they don’t really go in depth with how feel about learning of his past. 

The closest thing we’ve received to that thus far is with Ruby confessing to Maria back in V6 that she’s still unsure of how she felt about Oz after the truth was revealed. This was later repeated again when Ruby voiced her concerns to Qrow that she might be mirroring Oz in her actions toward their trust in Ironwood---highlighting that what Oscar’s words to her at the start of CH3 did weigh on her ---only for Qrow to brush it off with an air of indifference. Qrow is another character with whom the PLOT has portrayed adamantly avoiding addressing his true feelings in relation to his affiliation with Oz. 

I actually think Qrow’s stubbornness to talk about Oz is what’s irking me the most given their longstanding history together. At the least the show has highlighted how much Ironwood would like for Oz to return as well as Oscar’s willingness to accept Oz coming back should he chose to come back of his own accord.

But Qrow---Qrow I would say is a tough case since, even if V7 ends with Oz making a comeback with all of our young heroes wishing to give Oz a second chance and bury the hatchet, I’m not so sure about Qrow. I think Qrow might take a long time to get over his resentment towards Oz right now.

Seriously Qrow, Oz wasn’t just the man your sister once claimed you blindly followed for several years of your life. He was also your friend. Quit acting like he doesn’t exist to you anymore, for Pete’s sake.

It’s moments like these that made me wish we could’ve gotten at least one or two episodes of V7 where the main drivers of the chapter were Ironwood, Oscar and Qrow. With all the stuff going on with Watts and Tyrian, the politics surrounding Atlas and Mantle, Jacques and his wicked schemes in pursuit of power, the construction of Amity Arena and so forth---there’s just not enough time to focus on these three guys.

And that’s a feels bad moment right there since I honestly feel like this volume should’ve had Ironwood, Oscar and Qrow be the three focal characters of this season. I mean, in some ways they kind of are…but…not really? I mean it’s subtle if you squint your eyes but more definitely needs to be done for these three since they are the people closest to Oz right now.

Ruby’s part in all of this is important too since I believe she’ll be needed to convince the others as our titular spark of hope but, I dunno, I guess bottom line what I’m trying to say is that I could’ve used just a smidge more focus on the General, Oscar and Qrow talking about their true feelings in relation to their respective ties to Ozpin. But who knows? Maybe there’s still hope for me to get my wish a little bit. We do still have 5 more episodes left before this season ends so we’ll see.

In meantime, let’s go back to the Ozpin Pilot connection. So I’ve already shared my views on Oz being Oscar’s Pilot, however I’d like to present to you another consideration m’dear Miki-chan. Have you ever considered the thought of perhaps…Oscar could be the Pilot to Ozpin’s story?

Similar to how the Pilot’s encounter with the Prince changed his perspective on the world, you can say the same was done for Oscar since meeting Oz sparked his journey to becoming a huntsman. However that’s not the angle I’m really going for. As I mentioned earlier, it was the Pilot who relayed both the Prince’s story and his time with the Prince to the reader. 

So imagine if we got a similar scenario in RWBY where we finally learned of Ozpin’s story ---the man who he used to be before he joined Ozma’s lineage and became the man we know as Professor Ozpin---through Oscar?

For the sake of my theory, I’m going to refer to original Oz by my fanon idea for his true name---Zoroaster Ozpin or simply ‘Zo’ for short.

What if…somehow, someway, Oscar is the one to reveal Zo’s past to us as the audience, highlighting his journey and struggles from the day he became a Wizard of Light to the moment he became the man we know as Professor Ozpin all concluding with the moment we never got to see---the moment Oz died and was eventually paired with Oscar.

One curious question that I have been pondering about for some time now was why was Oscar the one specifically chosen to be Oz’s successor? Everything I’ve gathered on Oscar right now seems to point to him being different than past Wizards.

Let’s start with the first clear indicator---Oscar’s age. Even after learning of the Lost Fable, Oscar is still clearly the youngest Wizard in Ozma’s lineage. For the most part, each of Ozma’s descendants has been adult men (possibly in their mid to late twenties or so) who all appeared no older than Ozma was when he died in his first life. I’d like to think that even Ambroise---the withering old man we saw depicted in Ozma’s line following Diggs’ death---was probably a young adult when Diggs soul was paired with him and what the Fable mainly portrayed was how the previous wizard lived with their successor up even in old age.

In my RWBY Musing #57 discussing the Ozma Cycle, my theory was that the age that all Wizards were chosen was 28 years old. I also mentioned the possibility that the Wizards were each reincarnated a consecutive amount of years apart. My hunch is that the Wizards were all reborn half a century apart so each time they return, it’s in a completely different time period in Remnant’s history from their predecessor. I strongly believe that Oscar is the first instance where a Wizard was resurrected ‘prematurely’ within the same era as the last one and my rationale behind this thought was due to the villains’ reaction to Oz being back so soon.

Not to mention how Oz stated back in V5 that he left specific instructions with his trusted lieutenants in the event of his death. If the way the Ozma Cycle worked was that the Wizards were reborn immediately then why the need to leave detailed instructions with trusted advisors? I don’t think Oz was supposed to be back. At least, probably not for another couple of decades buying his advisors enough time to live out the tasks Oz had entrusted him with before he returned down the line---probably when all of them were dead.

Although Oz didn’t seem to react at all to being reborn so soon despite his enemies reacting that way, it doesn’t denounce the fact that Oscar is somewhat of an anomaly within the cycle. Not only is he the youngest Wizard shown to record but the shortest rebirth with Oz being paired with him shortly after his death during the Fall of Beacon. Oscar is meant to be different than all the other Wizards. There is an air of intrigue surrounding him and his fate with the Merge and why I bring this up is because I have a hunch that Oscar might be curious as to why he was chosen to be a part of Ozma’s cycle.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Oscar may have questions surrounding his fate, particularly with what will happen to him one day with the Merge. Or rather, I wonder if there is a part of Oscar that wonders how Oz previously handled his inevitable fate before. 

How did Oz---or rather Zo- take to learning that one day he was just going to disappear and become someone else that he might not recognize or might not even know that he’s changed into?

I bring this up because the show has subtly dropped some hints to Oz’s past as Zo and his experience with the Merge. It was teased through Ironwood with his apparent affiliation to Ozpin both during his lifetime as headmaster and formerly as Zo.

I can’t help but shake this feeling that the PLOT could potentially be leading us into learning more about the true nature of the Merge with Ozpin’s backstory. 

I think there is a golden chance for both the audience and Oscar to learn more about Ozpin and I think a way this can potentially be done is if Oscar lived through Ozpin’s memories, both in his life as Zo and his life as the man we knew he became.

This is the section of this post where I’m going to go into my answer to your recent message from yesterday. 

miki-13 asked:

“ So I just had an absolutely awful idea. You mentioned the possibility of Oscar and Ruby arguing and Ruby saying she doesn't trust Oz, and by extension Oscar, and how that's the final straw that pushes Oscar away from her. You also had the headcanon of Ruby having nightmares where Oscar uses the relic to reveal everything they did and what they learned in Volume 6. And Oscar brought the relic with them to the Schnee Manor in episode 8.

What if the argument happens at the manor and Ruby's emotions over everything finally boil over and she says something she regrets immediately? This could be the final straw that makes Oscar decide to tell Ironwood the truth and Ruby, in a fit of fear, grabs him to stop him. While they two struggle against each other, the lights go out and they hear screams. Tyrian has shown up and starts attacking people like at the rally.

In the dark as they try to get their footing and try to get the lights back on, Ruby hears Tyrian whisper in her ear, "An eye for an eye~" and raises his tail to attack her... only for Oscar to push her out of the way and take the blow for her. The lights come back on, Tyrian is gone and Ruby can only stare horrified at the bloody wound Oscar has suffered as he falls unconscious.”

What you call absolutely awful, I call brilliant since I had a similar thought, m’friend. In a nutshell, yes to everything that you wrote. 

I like your idea of Oscar confronting Ruby and her accidentally saying something that she’ll regret later. I like it since I shared the same concept in my Oscar’s Longest Memory headcanon. It was even on my Bingo Card for CH8 but we both know how that went...Hurumph! 

Basically, my version of this concept was that Ruby and Oscar would get into a fight over revealing the truth to Ironwood and during that fight, Ruby lets it slip that she doesn’t trust Ozpin.

Heck, I even have this imagined scenario where Ruby lets her emotions get the best of her like you said and she goes as far as to say that she HATES Ozpin.

Like it’s a moment where Ruby outright says she hates Ozpin because she blames him for everything---blames him for hiding the truth about Salem from everyone; making them fight a war he knew fully well that they couldn’t win.

Blames him for then leaving them behind in the dark on what to do next while saddling Ruby with that burden considering that since Ozpin left, she’s the one whose been forced to carry the full weight of everything on her shoulders with everyone looking to her for guidance. 

It’s a moment of genuine frustration for Ruby that she just unloads on Oscar in the rawest of unapologetic anguish since she’s been doing her best to make up for all of Ozpin’s many, many mistakes so Oscar accusing her of being just like him hurts more than anything since from Ruby’s point of view, how can she be like Oz when she’s the one who’s actively been trying to fix the mess Oz made. It’s all on her now! Or y’know something like that.

I can see this being a really heated argument beween Ruby and Oscar---the most we’ve seen since Yang and Raven. Oscar calls out Ruby for her actions and Ruby in turn takes out her frustration on Oscar ultimately culminating in her saying that she hates Oz---a remark that this time, Oscar takes heavily to heart just as how Oz took Qrow’s remark from V6 and he makes the same perplexed, broken expression of utter shock.

After all, Oz is a part of Oscar and this is how Oscar sees him too. The PLOT even acknowledged that in V7CH7. So if Oscar sees Oz as a part of him then Oscar will take any animosity directed at Oz onto himself. 

So if Ruby says she hates Ozpin then naturally Oscar would take that to mean that she hates him too by extension.

Then again, perhaps Ruby yelling that she hates Oz might be too harsh. On a slightly more light-hearted tone, let’s say...Ruby reveals that she doesn’t trust Oz since she blames him for everything. And since trusting in love or love and trust going hand in hand seems to be a theme for this season, let’s say Ruby implying that she doesn’t trust Oz is synonymous with her saying that she hates him in a way. At least, that’s how it’s treated through Oscar’s reaction.

So the thing Ruby ends up regretting later is her yelling in Oscar’s face that she doesn’t trust Oz with him taking it to mean that she doesn’t trust him either. After all, Ruby can’t trust only half of Oscar especially if the idea, by Oscar’s impressions, is that he is supposed to disappear one day while Oz takes his place.

If Ruby doesn’t trust Oz then she basically doesn’t trust Oscar too. And although we get a scene where Ruby might probably attempt to redact her statment, let’s say…Oscar retorts by asking Ruby if she trusted him wholeheartedly meaning all of him, not just the part of him that’s still himself.

It ends up being a question that Ruby is unable to answer since she’s conflicted on her trust in Oscar and her trust in Oz. However in the end, Ruby doesn’t need to answer since her hesitation was all Oscar needed to solidify the truth---if Ruby doesn’t trust Oz then she doesn’t trust him either.

So just like in your idea, the argument between the Rosebuds ends on a sour note. The scenario then worsens with Tyrian showing up after Ruby and Oscar fight and Oscar getting hurt afterwards. I even like your idea of Oscar pushing Ruby out of the way and taking the killing blow for Ruby. 

See, it’s like adding salt to the wound. It hurts because it burns and in Ruby’s case, an idea like this could give her another reason to feel guilty afterwards for her actions.

As the lights turn back on, there is Ruby standing over Oscar with her hand hard pressed against bleeding chest where he had been punctured as Oscar struggles to breathe and say something to her. 

Let’s say...Tyrian got Oscar straight through the chest---it’s a bad enough wound for it to be seen as life threatening but Oscar still survives through it in the end because let’s say Tyrian missed him Oscar’s heart by an inch. However it doesn’t stop the poison.

Ruby is there, hands shaking and tears falling from her face as she did her best to keep Oscar alive. She even yells for Jaune multiple times to help. Immediately Jaune is at Oscar’s side ready to pump aura into him to save him. 

However it took a few minutes for Jaune to actually get Ruby to move away since she was so scared that Oscar could die before her eyes. It wasn’t until, Yang or maybe Weiss gently takes her away from Oscar when Jaune was allowed to do his thing to help Oscar long enough until the medics came. Or something like that.

Continuing off your idea, let’s say this leads to Oscar being hospitalized in a comatose state; warded at the same medical facility we saw Winter take Weiss in CH5.

From here, we can get the story building up the prospect of JNR_RWBY reconciling with Oz by having what happened to Oscar weighing heavily on all of everyone emotionally.

Ruby is especially devastated the most by this incident since the last thing, according our theories, the last thing she told Oscar before he got seriously hurt was that she basically doesn’t trust him. 

In Ruby’s mind, Oscar could potentially die and the very last thing Ruby told him is the equivalent of saying I hate you after he risked his own life to save hers. Right after he tried to stop her from making a big mistake.

Let’s say...Ruby blames herself for what happened to Oscar and who knows? Perhaps this type of scenario could even lead into Penny helping Ruby. 

Imagine if...it’s a scenario where Oscar is in the hospital but Ruby hasn’t been to visit him since the night he got attacked. She’s been avoiding seeing Oscar; instead choosing to distract herself with huntsmen duties since the loss of the heating in Mantle and the uproar of its citizens has been causing more and more Grimm activity which means all huntsmen on deck.

Let’s say...the others notice Ruby’s reluctance to see Oscar but it’s Penny who goes to speak to her. Ruby has always been very understanding of Penny and her emotions, offering her a listening ear whenever needed.

It’d be nice to see this reflected in Penny with her helping Ruby deal with her feelings and guilt over what happened to Oscar. Y’know have Penny help Ruby understand her emotions for a change, if you get what I mean while sticking another pin in the growth of the Nuts and Dolts friendship.

If something were to happen to Oscar again, I can see it sparking another chain reaction that affects the other members of the hero team leading into everyone potentially rethinking their actions and how they might've been treating each other (or other people they’re affiliated with) in the recent times (or even in the past) since they got to Atlas.

Let’s say…since Oscar’s coma causes Weiss to recall what her mother told her in regards to Whitley’s well-being leading to her rethinking her entire relationship with her baby brother; might even lead into some more Schnee Family discussions between Weiss and Winter, this time about Whitley.

Maybe it also sparks Ren finally coming clean to Nora about how he’s been feeling since his whole spiel this volume is his inability to express how he feels; apparently. 

And from there, perhaps it can lead into Nora finally talking about herself and explaining why she’s been so hot and bothered over the affairs of the People of Mantle.

For Yang and Blake, perhaps we might receive another example of them talking about what transpired back in Argus surrounding Adam which could potentially lead into them discussing their relationship as a whole.

Not necessarily in a romantic sense but just in general since, as the PLOT keeps hammering in our faces for this season, these two have been through a lot together and haven’t really had a breather to talk to each other about it, y’know what I mean

I can see a subplot like this leading into some really solid character building for everyone. Particularly Oscar. 

Why? Because other than the rest of the group, I can easily see this idea presenting an opportunity to peer into Oscar’s mind and learning more about him through his memories. It can even lead into us learning more about Oz and his life as Zo?

This brings me to the meat of my post.

What if…while in a comatose state, Oscar ends up living through Ozpin’s memories, experiencing them either as if he was an invisible spectator watching them play out in front of him or perhaps it’s a case where Oscar opens his eyes to find himself standing in Ozpin’s body. 

In the memory, Oscar is Ozpin playing through his life as if he was Ozpin, making all the decisions that Oz once made in the past while going through all the emotions as Oz once experienced themas if they were his own.

Consciously Oscar is fully aware that he is still himself but since it’s Ozpin’s memories that he’s living through, he neither can help but feel the way Oz felt in those scenarios nor can he actively do stop the outcomes of certain choices Oz was forced to make in those moments even if he wanted to.

It is in this sense where Oscar can become Ozpin’s Pilot---steering us through Ozpin’s backstory as he learns it himself by living it. 

Oscar even lives through the same Oz memory that Ironwood told him about in CH7---where he was the one who suggested that Atlas use the Relic of Creation to lift the kingdom into the sky. It was the day Oz first brough the Relic of Creation to Atlas.

Imagine if…through Ozpin’s memories, Oscar meets a different James Ironwood--- a past version of the man we know him to become.

Imagine if…this memory was Ozpin’s first time meeting with James and during this encounter, Oz was accompanied by a different Leonardo Lionheart who was there to assist Oz in recruiting Ironwood in a sense.

Oz did say back in V6 that our heroes didn’t know the man Lionheart used to be before Salem got to him and since we never got to see more of Leonardo, maybe Oz’s memories of him from the time he was still his trusted friend can be the PLOT’s chance to help shed a different perspective on Leo.

Not necessarily trying to redeem him of the cowardly man turned traitorous villain we knew he becomes but more so to highlight how Leo was from how Oz saw him and how Oz felt about him at the time.

We can even meet a younger Qrow Branwen, touching on the memory of when Oz first met Qrow---showing how Qrow used to be as a teenager training to become a huntsmen at Beacon while explaining why Qrow chose to believe in Oz for so long. It’s a chance to show the spark of Qrow and Oz’s relationshop, justifying why Qrow cherished it for so long while simultaneously rationalizing his resentment towards Oz now. 

Who knows? Perhaps… we can even learn more details on Summer Rose and her disappearance through Ozpin’s memories of her? 

 In V7CH4, it was heavily implied by Qrow during his conversation with Ruby that Oz might’ve been keeping something on Summer as well.

“…Her last mission, was that another Oz secret?”

“ There were a lot of those back in our day, but this one was a Summer secret. When she didn’t come back, Ozpin seemed just as in the dark as myself and your father. Still, who knows what he may have hidden from us over the years…”

If there are more secrets to be learnt then the next key to uncovering them would be in Ozpin’s memories. Memory is the key. 

Last time we learnt Ozma’s memories and his biggest kept secret via Jinn and the Relic of Knowledge. 

Although we didn’t learn everything since we never got to see Ozpin’s side of the story and as Qrow told Ruby in V7CH4, there is more to be uncovered about Oz.

So yeah. Basically what I’m saying here in a nutshell is in the event of Oscar becoming another unfortunate victim of Tyrian at Schnee Manor, I can see it leading into us learning more about Oz by having Oscar live through all of Ozpin’s memories unveiling any more secrets he might’ve hidden over the years, including any info on what became of Summer Rose.

More than that, it’s a chance for Oscar to learn about Oz by literally being in his shoes and living through his life. Who knows? Perhaps we might even learn more about the night Oz died during the Fall of Beacon revealing how and why Oz ended up with Oscar of all people in the first place and why so soon.

And from this experience, not only will Oscar walk away understanding Oz more than he ever did before but maybe the audience will as well. 

Maybe this experience could even lead into Oscar finding Oz deep within his mind.

Maybe by the time Oscar meets Oz again, he is so overwhelmed by all that he experienced through learning of his full life and all of his personal hardships that the most the young farm boy could so is just embrace Oz in solidarity. Because now he understood.

 Now Oscar understood Oz. 

Thus…this leads into the two souls finally being able to mend their relationship properly thus sparking a more collaborative path toward Oscar and Oz finally living together in harmony since now, Oscar knows Oz’s life because he’s lived it. Oz’s life and journey is now a part of Oscar.

And who knows…perhaps from this experience Oscar receives the answers that he’s been looking for in regards to the Merge. From living through Oz’s experience with Merge, he learns that he is going to be okay or at least he gains an understanding of Oz that he no longer feels apprehension of becoming a part of him in the end. Or something along those lines.

This type of story is a chance to really have Oscar and Oz come together in true camaraderie and be a real chance to flesh them both out.

I know most Pineheads are hyped for Oscar’s potential semblance reveal. 

However for me, y’know my anticipation has mostly been directed towards learning more about Oscar as a person and/or seeing him and Ozpin reconcile while inside of Oscar’s mind.

I don’t know if we’ll ever get something like this in the canon at all. If I’m being completely honest, I kind of doubt it. However, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think this was a possibility given some of the breadcrumbs dropped as set up from the last few episodes.

But in the event that Tyrian doesn’t attack Schnee Manor and Oscar walks away fine and dandy, I do have a Plan B alternative to this theory where we can have Oscar unlock more on Oz through the Relic of Knowledge. 

However, I’ll save that for it’s own separate post for the New Year since this post is already long as it is.

Overall, I hope you liked this post Miki-chan. If you’re able to shoot me a comment on what you think of this post, let me know. If not, that’s alright. 

I hope you liked it either way and I hope it answers your questions at least. I know I wrote a lot XD

That being said, with this officially being my last Pinehead headcanon for 2019, gonna wish you and all my fellow Pineheads a Happy New Year and see you guys in 2020 for more Oscar- worthy theories from the squiggle meister!

More Squiggles’ RWBY Content

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

[maychorian]

For the prompts, #6 with Tim Drake and Jason Todd

This is set in a possible future of Year of Fallen Angels.

6. “Where are you? Tell me where you are.”

Jason was stacking boxes in the storeroom of the diner where he worked when the phone in his pocket jingled with a certain ringtone. It was the theme song for one of Tim’s favorite TV shows, and it only came from one number.

He dropped the boxes he was holding on the floor and took the phone out of his pocket and put it to his ear. “Timmy?”

The line was quiet. Jason strained to hear, pressing the phone closer to his face. Then he realized that it wasn’t silent, after all. Tim was panting, harsh and terrified.

“Tim? Baby bird? Talk to me.”

Jason was already striding toward the door of the storeroom and into the kitchen. His manager, Mr. Sevalkis, was leaning over the counter sorting receipts. He looked up at his entrance. Jason raised his eyebrows and pointed to his phone.

Sevalkis grimaced. “One of those calls?” he asked.

“Yeah. Gotta go.”

Sevalkis waved a hand. “Get outta here. Come back if you can. Dinner rush in two hours, if you can make it.”

“I’ll try.”

On the other end of the phone, Tim was gulping for breath. Jason moved toward the service entrance, grabbing his leather jacket off the hook on the wall and slinging it on one-handed. “Where are you, Timbo? Tell me where you are. I’ll come to you.”

“Quad,” Tim said faintly. “Front of… Front of the library. There’s people around.”

“Okay. That’s good.” Jason slung his leg over his motorcycle. “I’m gonna have to hang up while I drive. Wanna tell me what happened before I do? If not, we can talk when I get there.”

Sometimes nothing happened. Nothing external, anyway. Sometimes it was all inside, just a build-up of pressure until it exploded and Tim couldn’t take it anymore and called for help. And Jason always came. But sometimes there was a trigger, and sometimes it helped to talk about it. Jason would be happy for any information he could get out of Tim when he was this jammed up, even just a word or two.

“I thought I saw him,” Tim said numbly.

Jason clenched his teeth so hard he could hear them creaking under the pressure.

“It probably wasn’t him,” Tim amended. “Probably just…a trick of the light. Or my stupid brain.”

“Maybe,” Jason said. “Maybe not, though. Good job getting somewhere public with lots of people around. Stay there, okay? I’ll be there soon.”

“Yeah.” Tim’s breath was just a wisp. “Hurry, okay?”

“I will.”

He hung up and drove.

He liked the diner. It was mostly a cover, a veneer of legitimacy. He kept light hours, but he worked hard when he was there, mostly janitorial, maintenance, short order cooking during meal rushes. He liked it most of all because they had agreed to his one condition.

First thing at the interview, as soon as he sat down, he put it out on the table. “Listen, I know it’s bad form or whatever for the job applicant to make demands, but I gotta let you know, I can’t work here unless you can put up with something for me. Sometimes I get a phone call, and I have to drop everything and leave. I’ll do my best to come back when it’s taken care of, but it’s not negotiable. If you can’t handle that, we should just end the interview now, and I’ll keep looking for work elsewhere.”

The owner, Anderson, was there, and Jason’s future manager, Sevalkis. Anderson started making uncomfortable noises, but Sevalkis raised a hand. He looked at Jason steadily, barely blinking. “That’s a pretty extraordinary demand. I think we can handle it, as long as you’re not out making drug deals or something. Can you tell me a little more about these phone calls you’ll be getting?”

Jason huffed a laugh. “Not drug deals, I promise. It’s not really your business. But yeah, okay, I get that you need more than my word.”

Sevalkis placed both hands flat on the table and looked Jason deep in the eyes. “I don’t need your life story. A summary will do.”

“I have a little brother. Couple of years ago, he was tortured.” He didn’t say by who, or why, or any other details. This was Gotham. Innocent people got tortured on a semi-regular basis.

“He’s doing okay, most of the time. Going to college, working part-time. Every once in a while it gets to be too much for him, though, and I get a call. And I go.”

The corner of Sevalkis’s mouth turned up. “Your personal Bat signal.”

Jason laughed again, a little more genuinely. “Yeah. We joke that I’m his bodyguard, twenty-four seven. Even when I’m halfway across the city, I’m protecting him in spirit if not in body. He’s a good kid. The best. He doesn’t deserve what happened to him, and he doesn’t deserve how hard things are for him now. I would do anything for him.”

“Including losing any chance at gainful employment?” Anderson asked.

“Including?” Jason gave him a sharp-toothed smile. “That’s the least of what I would do for my baby bro, pal. The very least.”

“I like him,” Sevalkis said, already reaching across the table to shake Jason’s hand. “You’re hired.”

Anderson balked. “No other questions?”

Sevalkis shrugged. “I read his resume. The interview is for gut impressions, not dry facts. A guy who would drop anything to help his kid brother deal with PTSD will work hard and give his all at other things, too, including a job in a crappy little greasy spoon like this one. I like him, and I’m hiring him, unless you want to overrule me.”

Anderson shook his head. Jason and Sevalkis shook hands, and that was it.

Now, he parked his motorcycle basically on the sidewalk of the quad at Gotham U, barely taking time to set the kickstand and take off his helmet before he was jogging across the grass. Tim was sitting at a stone picnic table in front of the library, his bright red hoodie standing out like a flag. He was slumped over with his head buried in his folded arms, and a nice-looking girl was sitting next to him with a hand on his back.

Jason slid onto the bench across from them, giving the girl a pleasant smile. “Hi. You a classmate of Tim’s?”

She nodded. “Zo. Zoanne. We’re not in any classes together, since he started too late, but we hang out sometimes. You’re Jay?”

“Yup. I’ll take over for ya. You can go back and take care of whatever you were doing, no worries. Timmy’s in good hands with me.”

She smiled. “I know. He talks about you a lot. His other siblings, too.”

Zoanne took her leave, and Jason leaned over, his head near to Tim’s. “You wanna tell me where you think you saw him? I’ll check it out for you.”

Tim shook his head against his arms and rolled it over to look at Jason with one eye, peeking out between his arms. “I already sent an alert to O. She’s checking security footage. I don’t think she’s going to find anything, though. It was just me being crazy again.”

“Hey, what have we said about that?” Jason laid his hands on Tim’s upper arms and gave them a careful squeeze. “It’s not crazy to be scared of a dude who hurt you like that. It’s perfectly rational. Your brain is just trying to protect you by pointing out things that even remotely might be him.”

Tim pulled in a shuddering breath and slowly sat up. His arms slid out of Jason’s grip, but he offered his hands instead. Jason folded them between his, massaging carefully but firmly. He could feel the ridges of scars, the bumps and off-angles where the pins had come out. Tim’s hands were shaking, of course. But Jason’s were too, a little.

He kept rubbing Tim’s hands, rolling his slender fingers between his, pressing big blunt thumbs into his narrow palms and massaging in circles. Damian was still the best at giving Tim hand massages, but they all had had plenty of practice by now. It had become a ritual, a way for them to connect with Tim and help him calm down when things were rough, a tangible expression of how much they cared and how much they wanted to erase his pain and help him heal.

Eventually Tim’s shoulders went boneless, his eyes drooping and face slack, and even his hands had relaxed down to their normal faint level of trembling that never really went away. Jason stood up and went around to his side of the table to draw him to his feet. “C'mon, baby bird. Let’s blow this popsicle stand. You want me to take you home, or would you rather come hang out with me at the diner during dinner rush?”

Tim perked up a bit, leaning into Jason’s side as he led him over to his bike. “Will I get to watch you cook?”

Jason chuckled. “Maybe. You like that?”

“It’s funny watching you swear at everyone for not keeping up with you, even while you’re grinning like you’re having the time of your life.”

“Yeah, the diner is good fun. Let’s go. Sevalkis will probably give you a free piece of pie.”

“Rhubarb?”

“You know what, hold that thought. I’ll call ahead and tell him to reserve a piece for you.”

Tim sat on Jason’s bike, grinning without a hint of fear in his eyes, while Jason called his boss and told him to save a piece of his kid brother’s favorite pie. The sky was clear, and McDaniels wasn’t in jail, but he wasn’t here, either. And everything was as good as it could get, for now.

[zcvczx]

𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭  𝐳𝐨.

*/ EMILY RATAJKOWSKI , 23 , CIS FEMALE , SHE/HER . i just watched dean matthews pull zoyenka voznesensky into his office. maybe it has something to do with them being a member of phi alpha phi. yeah, i spoke to zo a few times. they’re a senior studying business administration. apparently they’re from new york city, new york. maybe that’s why they’re so vexing and audacious, i don’t know, man. all i know is they’re always listening to needed me by rihanna. / jocey , 23, est, she/her .

ayyyye ya girl is back with her second bby, zo. apologizing in advance for the terror that is zoyenka. she is truly the worst™. hit that like button & i’ll slide into dem dms real quick. 

name : zoyenka voznesensky ( will not acknowledge you if you can’t pronounce her name. true story. ) nickname : zo age : twenty-three sexuality : pansexual hometown : new york city, new york chapter : phi alpha phi major : business administration  extracurriculars : cheerleading ( base ), dance team, mock trial

━  the voznesensky’s didn’t always have a net worth of millions. with humble beginnings in saint petersburg, russia, the family moved to america a couple generations ago to expand their distillery business. it was only then did the family-run business grow by producing, shipping and selling their premium vodka brand and maybe some other less than legal products too. eventually they got into the nightlife entertainment business as well, through acquiring and running several bars, clubs and lounges on the east coast.

━  as the second and youngest child born to dimitri and natalia, it was never in the books for zoyenka to take over the family business. a traditional man, her father had always groomed her older brother, alek, to be his successor. her father’s bias always left her feeling bitter and resentful, and only drove her ambitions and determination to prove him wrong. the more he kept her at arm’s length, the more driven she was to find an in.

━  unfortunately, her mother, a socialite/philanthropist herself, also had different plans for her - something along the lines of debutante and her daughter following in her footsteps. from being forced into piano lessons, ballet and etiquette classes, zo absolutely despised the person her family wanted to mold her into. the only things she didn’t mind as much were the gymnastics and language lessons ( russian, french, spanish & italian ). both stubborn in wanting to get their way, their differences pulled their mother-daughter relationship further and further apart.

━  even her mom’s passing when she was 12 did little to change zo’s opinion in the matter. she didn’t care about the woman’s death, nor did it affect her whatsoever, and she will gladly tell anyone that. but the fact that she accepted her offer at NEU and pledged phi alpha, her mom’s sorority, may hint at something different. despite now being a part of greek life, she still doesn’t buy into any of the sisterhood crap and thinks it’s all just a load of BS. but of course, that didn’t stop her from wanting to be president, if only for the power.

━  a hustler with an alpha bitch mentality, she’s always outsmarting people and outsmarting the system to get things to work in her favour. and when that didn’t work, no one could ever say no to a big fat wad of cash. because zoyenka voznesensky never loses. she doesn’t just play the game, she owns it, makes the rules and wins. every. damn. time. does she think she’s better than everyone? without a doubt.

━  zo swears by the belief that playing by the rules was for suckers and if you weren’t the best, then you were nothing at all. and sometimes being the best required playing dirty. if she has to ruin someone else’s life to get her way, then she will gladly pour a jug of gasoline, light a match and enjoy watching it go up in flames. hell, sometimes she’ll do that just purely for her own enjoyment.

━  with that mentality, it’s no surprise that zo was on track to becoming phi alpha’s president. but it was also her ambition that screwed herself over in the end. last year, an all too eager zo wanted a quick loophole to move from vice president to president because she just didn’t want to wait another year. so, she framed the then-president for stealing funds from the sorority, but was consequently busted, removed as VP and put on probation.

━  after that debacle, zo decided to do an exchange program in france for a semester, as a way to escape the aftermath. now she’s back with her head held high, still one month on probation, and ready to move on. but then again, why take the high road when the low road is so much more chaotic and fun? her presidency was already taken from her, so what else was there to lose?

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

BEST FRIEND  ━  someone who can put up with zo’s awfulness, or maybe they’re just as awful as she is. this is probably one of the few people she’s actually relatively soft for ( not that she’d ever admit it ) and will always have their back. possibly even one of the few people she’ll ever let her guard down for. gimme some soft bestie feels for this cold bitch.  taken by minka kellar ( little ), kieran rhodes, alana brooks SISTERS, I GUESS  ━  zo really does not give af about all this sisterhood crap and she just doesn’t buy into any of it. but there’s bound to be a couple of phi alpha girls who have grown on her over time. perhaps someone she pledged with? she’d never admit it, but she would give a bitch the smackdown if they tried to mess with them.  taken by hannah maddison MORAL CONSCIENCE  ━  does zo even have a moral compass? your guess is as good as mine. this is someone she is more likely to listen to and could try to sway her from doing, y’know, ~*just zo things*~. kind of the angel on her shoulder? often tries to get her to be nicer and overall be a decent human being.  taken by garrett shepherd BAD INFLUENCE  ━  i’m sure even satan has a little devil on his shoulder, so zo needs one too. though more likely than not, zo’s that little devil. basically they like to stir up all kinds of trouble together, either with her egging the other person on or they both fuel each other’s bad habits.  taken by lennon winter, kamelya tansel EXES  ━  either she dumped him/her, or she was dumped ( in which case, rip my friend ). maybe there are some lingering feelings. maybe she’s still hella soft for them. could be interesting if they’re very different from zo and that’s why it didn’t work out despite the chemistry or whatever. and/or the relationship ended when she abruptly left for her exchange program. ENEMIES  ━  ho’boy. homegirl can piss off a lot of people just for shits and giggles, nor does she care to be likeable and personable, so i’m sure she’s got a hella long list of enemies/people she rubs the wrong way. also people she’s sabotaged, fucked over and manipulated to get her way? plz.  taken by leticia viterra CHILDHOOD FRIENDS  ━  pretty self-explanatory. they’ve known each other since they were kids and their parents are likely friends. maybe their moms were in phi alpha together. they can be close, or not get along at all, or maybe even an ex-friend situation.  taken by alexandria boss UNWANTED CHILD  ━  zo somehow ended up being this person’s very reluctant mom friend. she hates it, she does not want to deal with them, and yet she’ll still go pick up their drunk ass at 4am. she’s all about tough love, so while she may be super harsh and hard on them, she does it out of love and because she cares. not that she’d ever actually admit to caring.  taken by noelle faust UNLIKELY/ACCIDENTAL FRIENDS  ━  they shouldn’t get along, but somehow, they just do and their friendship works. not typically someone zo would see herself being friends with, but somehow an accidental friendship of sorts developed.  taken by lincoln hayes MUTUAL ANNOYANCE  ━  they annoy each other to no end and just live for pushing each other’s buttons. not quite a hatred, but some days, it’s pretty darn close. maybe there’s some sexual tension involved cuz that’s always the good shiet.  taken by sydney marco ( roommate ), zane wancosh HOOK-UPS/FLINGS/FWBS  ━  self-explanatory. a girl’s got needs. whether she actually likes you as a person or not, if you’re hot, then you’ll do the job. rip why is she like this. we can make it angsty or not because tbh zo can be pretty possessive sometimes, so y’knOW.

okay, that’s all i can think of off the top of my head. some plots i’m open for multiple characters to fill, unless it has been crossed out. and ofc, i’m always open to new ideas too!

[xjmparrish]

Christmas Gifts 2017

Everyone receiving something from J this year is listed below in alphabetical order by first name. Each gift bundle has a handwritten card attached detailing just what is being given and well-wishes for the upcoming New Year. 

@skarsgardb @xolively @candicepat @cmmurrray @quirkymisscb @krispinot @clrholt @deltslea @bviewgron @levittjoe @sharnamayxo @shay-bright @drizztroi @tylerjbburn @chmerkval @zendayam @zoeydevtch 

Happy Holidays❤️

Bill,

Best friend. Here is my returning the gift of our hot chocolate bar, for when our schedules suck at matching, and a scarf to help you keep warm. I also may or may not have taken the chance to do something we’ve planned for months, and if the passport case isn’t a hint.. yes that is a plane ticket. I’m dragging you home to your motherland!  Thank you for being the bestest friend I made this year, love you lots!!

Merry Christmas - J

Blake,

My Monica to my Rachel, my Cristina to my Mer.. I hope you like the diaper bag! I figured #momneeds. Before you kill me for making you think I got the girls better gifts between Ines’s shoes and Jame’s food truck, I have to say, even if the diaper bag was empty you’d still love me, right? This Christmas I thought I’d take it upon myself to spoil you some. So aside from the baby bag, every momma bear needs black sunnies for those rough mornings, comfy slippers for lazy afternoons, a fancy robe and pj shorts for those nights you wanna feel a little special. It also wouldn’t be spoiling you without some jewelry, so some cute earrings and a watch will come in handy next time we go on a girl’s date. I also threw in some essential oils for fun. Last but not least, I know you love chocolate. So chocolate covered almonds it was! (You should probably share some with your hubby cause that one’s half his.. if you want.) So happy holidays my wife, nieces, and I guess you too Ryan.. LOL! 😜 I love you all! 

Merry Christmas - Janellybean

Candice,

My soul sister of sorts (the offer to marry is still on the table) , I had to spoil you just a bit after you suffered rooming with me on the trip. So a bracelet and some earrings to add to your wardrobe and just a little something extra to keep your life stylish. I hope you love it as much as I love you! 

Merry Christmas - Janel

Chad,

My favorite human (and your mini me). Needless to say, I didn’t know what to get you. Hopefully, in time I’ll learn how to shop. Naturally, the first thing I picked up was a bottle of Jack for those late nights. Then I decided I couldn’t go wrong with clothes and accessories. Two sweaters and a jacket to keep warm, hopefully you like them. (If not, I’ll totally get you new ones.) I’ve also learned that you try to rep the Bills just about anywhere, so a new snapback seemed perfect. It’s a good look on you  😜 Then I got you some sunnies last (you’ll be twinning with Jlo), figuring everyone could always use another pair. And for Jackson, I’m still learning on the kid front, so a stuffed animal is always a safe bet. So he gets a dinosaur, because what kid doesn’t like dinosaurs?  I might also secretly be hoping he learns a thing or two from me because I got him a little keyboard (you can hate me, just be happy it’s not drums) and lastly a collection of play-doh. It’s a right of passage for a kid. I promise, I’ll get better at this gift giving thing in the future. Thanks for making this holiday season just a little more special. 

Merry Christmas - Janelly 

Chloe,

For the bestest duet partner in the world, some boots, a red coat (I think I’m secretly turning you into A) and cute little ear muffs to keep you warm this winter! Thank you for making 2017 awesome, you deserve so much more. Love you pretty lady! 

Merry Christmas - Janel

Chris,

My favorite Chris (that’s still our secret), some items to keep you warm this season and a pair of sun glasses so that you stay looking cool everywhere you go. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and even better start off to the new year! 

Merry Christmas - Janel

Claire,

My favorite blondie from the land down under, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you but I thought now being in town together, I’d get you just a little something. So a scarf, beanie, and some sunnies seemed perfect. I couldn’t get over how cute the glasses were and had to get them, so I hope you get good use out of them. Love you!

Merry Christmas - Janel

Delta,

Pretty lady that I love so dearly, I hope you get good use of your gifts this coming year! A cute chunky sweater to keep warm, a little black cold shoulder lacy top for adding a little cute to layering, and some booties with a tie back. I hope you love them, and they’re just a little thank you for being one of the best people I’ve been fortunate enough to meet this year. Have a wonderful Christmas babes!

Merry Christmas - Janel 

Dianna,

Di, I saw this bag and thought of you so I had to get it. It might just be my love of the color red on you. So what better thing to include than a new red lipstick? And along with the lip trend, gloss is all the rage right now so a fresh tube could never hurt. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

Merry Christmas - that one random cheerleader from a decade ago (Janel)

JGL,

To the man who does it all and puts my workaholic nature to shame by a longshot, seeing as you’ll be heading off on travels for work I thought a backpack might come in handy to pack some stuff in. Maybe even instead of lugging around everything on your visits back to town, it could come in handy. And you’ve also got new shoes for the new year, which I really hope you like! Have a wonderful holiday! 

Merry Christmas - Janel 

Shar, 

Disney, disney, disney. The little mermaid and her baby get themed gifts this year. So for you Shar, sweats and a cute little backpack because you could never have too many. And for baby El, a little Minnie Mouse dress. I couldn’t help myself when I saw the backpack and that’s how this came about. Hope you love! 

Merry Christmas - J

Shay,

Shannon, my sister from another mister (and part time lover?) Nothing says Merry Christmas to you like furry jackets, and because you’re 200 times more stylish than me.. feel free to donate to Sammy if you don’t like. A faux fur hoodie, yes a hoodie, the best of both worlds, I think very Shan appropriate. The second coat is Mimi inspired, so you can live out your dreams nightly lip syncing to the RENT soundtrack in your living room. Lastly, not one but two sriracha key chains because nothing says Shay like bringing your own hot sauce anywhere. Kleo wanted to give Foxy and Angel some stuffed animals to play with too, so enjoy! Kisses from us to you! 

Merry Christmas - Janel & Klee

Troi,

My caffeine addicted hippie rocker big sis, nothing screamed your name at me more than this Coffee & Friends sign when I saw it, I just had to get it. I’ll personally build you a coffee bar to hang it over if I need to. A new mug to add to the collection, too. A girl could use a hat from time to time, so here’s a new one that I hope you don’t have yet. And lastly, a poncho to stay just a little warmer this winter. With all of the love. 

Merry Christmas - J

Tyler,

My TyTy. Auntie J and Kleebear got Dylan a couple of toys, I hope they last her longer than a few hours. Lol. And for you Ty, I raided AllSaints for you to show my love. A hat to add to the collection, and two shirts you probably already own but could use new ones of. And it couldn’t be Christmas without just a slight reminder that we probably belong on the naughty list, so a new lighter and flask for the new year baby! 😜 Much better than coal. Love you, loser. 

Merry Christmas - Janey & Klee

Val,

V, I couldn’t help myself but get your something after reconnecting (also kind of makes up for that one Christmas but, you know..) so I hope you like everything. Between traveling and rehearsals, I figured you could use a new bag to carry your stuff in. Also, some new wireless headphones for those long nights on the tour bus or early mornings at the airport. A snapback repping the OG Brooklyn team, because nothing says you more than a backwards snapback (no kitty ear damage to this one necessary). And lastly, what is quite probably your true love in life.. nutella. Enjoy, babe!

Happy Holidays - that one Chinese-Irish Hawaiian chick 😜

Daya,

Z, let’s be honest I didn’t know what to get the most stylish person I know. But I figure, you can make just about anything work, so maybe I shouldn’t stress. So I got you some black knee high boots, cute high high socks (they don’t have to go together, I just thought they’d be cute) and a white bag to offset all of the black. All hopefully a great start for 2018. I hope you love everything! xoxo 

Merry Christmas - J

Zo,

To the little sister I never knew I needed until your mama making out with my boo on tv someone brought us close (it’s a weird family dynamic). It’s been a blast reconnecting, and I can’t wait for new adventures in 2018. In the meantime, I got you a pretty dress nobody else could rock, a shirt to remind you that what Mama Lea and do, you can too, and a beanie that just says what I think about you like 99.9% of the time. (The only time my mind changes is when you’re clumsier than me.) Also, the homemade food from Mama P just as promised, still warm so you better eat up! Love you!!

Merry Christmas - Janel

[jawllines]

OkAY SO THIS IS THE GUARDIAN ANGEL (KIND OF) ONE SHOT I STARTED A LONG TIME AGO LEMME KNOW IF YALL ARE INTERESTED IN IT

The night air was cold despite the earlier onslaught from the sun, enough so to riddle Y/N's skin with goose pimples and pebble her nipples to stone. A near icy feeling bench isn't the best spot for a college student at midnight on a Saturday, but she was trying to catch the last bus to her apartment after closing at work, so her seating options were limited. It was either this bench or take her chances sitting next to a suspicious looking puddle on the ground, and she'd much rather her bum freeze off than get anywhere near it.

See, the thing is, Y/N needs to start saying no to people. Truly, it is probably her worst attribute -- a lack of  a backbone when it comes to sweet old women who waddle about and run bakeries. Miss. Mandolin is just as saccharine as any cupcake, and gave her a raise last week, so declining was not an option, especially finding out that if she didn't then Miss. Mandolin herself would be the one closing. However, while that same sweet old woman is tucked away cozy and warm in her bed, and Y/N has become a distant relative of an icicle, she is mad regretting being so softhearted.

Her day hadn't been all too hard, just some bread baking and cake icing, but she feels proper dog walked. She'd been there since 9AM, working two shifts because she agreed to it last week and past her really hates present her, apparently, because she'd even agreed to come back tomorrow night as well. It's fine though, she does need the money, and when she gets to work it's not so terrible, it's just the thought of working that taunts her mercilessly.

So all she wanted to do with the rest of her night is to eat the muffins she took with her and pretend not to smell the copious amounts of pot they're undoubtedly smoking next door. Then maybe watch TV with her laptop on her belly and pass out like that, or flop down on the floor and sleep for a few years, or even just digging into her sheets not bothering to adorn herself in pajamas, just stark naked in her bed because she couldn't be arsed to put anything back on. The thought of sleep is just so lovely, really, all nestled in the covers with the whir of her fan going and the steady thump of the cat who lives above her freaking out and running back and forth and back and forth all throughout the night. She'd like to cuddle her stuffed bear tonight as elementary as it sounds, but his fur was soft and nice to rest on, and Y/N had no human to cuddle so he was the second best thing.

These pleasant thoughts are cut short when the lamp post above her begins to flicker in the most ominous fashion; first only slightly, like a hint that the bulb is about to give out soon before it's light drops out to nothing but a dim glow, then comes back, then repeats, and makes a terrible horror movie esque buzzing noise with it. It's then her brain processes that the street she was on was basically deserted, no sign of people or cars anywhere, not even with the strip of clubs and bars just a few blocks away. The wind picks up only to ruffle the trees leaves and make things even creepier, and Y/N's now hesitantly looking down each street to see if there were any headlights coming her way.

"Well, this stinks." She says it to herself, only to have some noise other than all the eerie one's surrounding her. Now that she's hearing all these noises though, even scarier ones start manifesting in the once quiet air and she's proper spooked, tucking her arms further around herself. Just a little while longer right? It's only. . .only 12:15, and the bus should've been here at 12:00 but that's fine, maybe it's a little late.

If it could be a little less late that would sure be fantastic, but beggars can't be choosers, and a bummy light plus some weird wind are just every night occurrences that Y/N shouldn't be scared of.

What Y/N should be scared of, however, is the black blobby mass materializing in front of her, hissing like a snake, glooping into a human form with beady eyes and a sickening grin. That's something to be frightened of, surely, like total horror movie material that she was not expecting and Y/N squeals like an old school Damsel before scurrying up. "What the -- what the hell?" She gasp as it slithers a hand in her direction and she dodges it, stumbling a little ways away from it even if it meant leaving the little light that was left.

"Say, you can see me?" It's voice is distorted and sounds like there's mush in it's mouth, but she can make out the words, nodding slow, her face screwed up and a gross, slimy tongue falls out to lick around it's lips, "That makes this even better! So much tastier when you're scared."

Did she just hear him right? Tastier?

A sweat builds on her neck despite what had previously been such a frosty feeling night, and as it's gloopy, gloppy hand is trying to reach out for her again Y/N tosses her heavy plate of muffins right at it's face before pivoting on her heel and taking off in the other direction. This was 100% not how she expected nor wanted her night to go -- this was something for story books and movies only, and she didn't want to be the opening scene because that character always gets written off early on. If her life wanted to start being blockbuster worthy why couldn't it have been a proper romantic comedy or something? Why a gross looking creature that she's running away from with her springy cupcake ended work headband on (which were totally overrated and outdated, but Miss. Mandolin loved them so she wore it despite herself)?

Her flats bound against the ground with sharp clicks that echo in the streets, and she doesn't need to look back to know the thing is just about nipping at her heels. It has to be a dream, doesn't it? It feels so real but not real all in the same breath, mostly how the cool air is hitting at her cheeks. So refreshing and enlivening, it's confusing her greatly, and she isn't quite sure what to do. If this is a dream, she could stop running right now and she would probably be consumed by black matter but wake up all sweaty necked in her bed. If it isn't a dream, then she gets consumed and that's it, done-zo, outta here, no more Y/N for anyone. And let it be noted, if she dies because of some weird, drooly, droppy skinned creature she's going to be so fucking pissed off.

"Slow down, Sweetheart, let's have a little fun." It growls and Y/N presses herself onward, holding the strap of her purse tightly to her and feeling it bump on her thigh.

"Shut up!" She shouts at it, before a slimy hand is wrapping around her ankle and tripping her up, sending her to the ground.

The next few moments were in slow motion.

First there was a burst of wind that nearly knocked her over, like a car might have zipped past them but she knows no car was in sight nor heard beyond very distant noise of the highway. Second an arm wraps around her waist just before she smashes her face into the concrete, warm and firm, making a small 'umph' come out of her unintentionally. Then suddenly with a bright flash of white light Y/N sees from behind her eyelids, the hand at her ankle is gone and she's dangling in midair around this arm of an unknown assailant. She doesn't know if this is good or if this is bad, but she feels her consciousness slowly fading in little fizzling bubbles that disperse quickly and she's sinking into nothingness, almost, it feels like falling asleep but also something completely different.

"Pain in m'arse." She hears someone grumble, and then she's out like a light. '

                                                                         .                      .                     .

"A woman obtaining beauty at such a high degree as yourself deserves this pastry for free," Y/N rolls her eyes listening to her Charlie (her coworker) try is hand in wooing someone while she sweeps up crumbs and the paper from straws up into the dustpan, "Make sure you come back soon." She doesn't have to watch to know he sends her off with a wink and Y/N waits for the door bells to jingle before starting up.

"Why do you keep trying to court girls using free goodies?" She asks for what might be the hundredth time, standing up with a huff and tilting the dustpan into the bin, "They'll see you as nothing more than a sweet mouthed push over."

He pouts at her, leaning over the counter with his face lying in his palms, "Don't be like that cutie, I know your jealous over all these people swooning over me but there is little I can do. I'm a hot commodity don't you know?"

"Hot commodity my ass," she grumbles, "Maybe in a crypt."

Y/N's just being a grump and he knows that -- Charlie has never once doubted his looks, even when Y/N's tries to bring him down a few pegs, so he doesn't take her all too seriously. Instead chuckling before reaching out as far as he could and whisking the broom from her hand, "What's got you in such a temper today, Pet? Your neighbors keep you up all night with their music?"

If only it were that simple, she thought to herself. Truth be told, Y/N doesn't know why she's in such a mood. When she woke up this morning she was in pajamas and a few face wipes were scattered on her bedside table like she used them because she was too lazy to wash her face. Her head was pounding, her stomach growling, and a throb in her ankle that was so unbearable she stuck in bed most of the morning until she could coax herself out to get a pain pill. Bits and pieces of the dream she had the night before come to her in confusing, fuzzy bursts and memories of how she got home are lost to her in a doughy mess. Somehow she'd gotten to her bed, she just wishes she could remember the steps it took to get there.

She just felt weird today, really, and maybe that was making her a little harsher, so she shrugs at Charlie before mumbling, "M'sleepy." And he coos at her.

"You're just adorable when you're all grumpy-like, Cutie." Charlie had always been a flirty little bugger, but his cool façade had crumbled to Y/N when she witnessed him cry over a TV show, so his charms fell useless on her. That doesn't stop him from going at it, however, because he's her best friend and likes to tease and Charlie's form of teasing gets mushed with his flirting a lot, including drenching her in pet names until she resembles something of a river soaked rat, "How about I close tonight and you skedaddle on home?"

Y/N shakes her head, sighing heavily, "Not a chance. Last time you closed we got robbed --"

"Oi, you make one mistake and nobody lets you live it down!"

"And besides," she continues, swinging through the door to get behind the counter so she could hook the broom and dust pan up and grab for the mop, "You've got your Econ exam you need to study for."

With a hearty huff, he flops into his arms,  "I don't want to!" His whines come out muffled by his skin, "It's like a foreign language, honestly, and the professor is shit. Plus the --" there's a jingle of the bell at the door and his head snatches towards the side, a big grin tugging at his lips as he straightens himself out, "Well what brings a beauty like you in here?"

Y/N scoffs lowly -- damn playboy can't even keep his mind on his work for a second.

As she tunes out Charlie's wooing of the customer, Y/N tries to make sense of last night again. Even though it's muddled and puddled, she still would like to know how she got home but between leaving here and waking up this morning, she remembers nothing. Eight hours just lost. . .that's never happened to her before. She walked out of the store, locked the door, got to the bus stop. . .what happened after the bus stop then? She remembers being cold. . .was the bus late? Did she end up walking home? The latter wouldn't be so surprising seeing as her legs burn like she took part in some sort of physical exertion last night. There was. . .if she pushes past the fog in her head there was something -- something scaring her? Or was that a part of her nightmare last night?

Aish, this is too much!

"You come back now!" Charlie calls and it brings Y/N back down to the present, watching him flop back over himself and moan sadly, "Who cares about Monopoly and Cartels anyways?"

Y/N guesses it can't be helped now. She got home safe, was all that counted, and besides the pain in her ankle there was nothing out of the ordinary when she woke, so really she should be able to let it go. What does it matter how she got there, she got there which is the important thing. She just needs to live in the present and not think about last night. Like -- last night? Who is she? Never heard of her -- like that.

So instead she turns her attention back to Charlie, "You need to care because I'm booking on mooching off of you for the rest of our lives, so I need you to be a hot shot business man. Got it?"

Charlie peeks up to her, grinning, "Got it, Cutie."

                                                                              .                     .                  .

Y/N is getting a mad sense of Deja vu, as she sits shivering on the park bench again.

The light above her begins to flicker, and Y/N feels uneasy.

The bus still hasn't shown up and it's fifteen minutes past midnight.

This is a horror movie waiting to happen, isn't it?

She's terribly tired, and now she's all snuffled from the air. Holding herself in her arms as if to gain some warmth from it, but it doesn't help as much as she would like. So she shakes and shivers and curses the damn bus driver who is taking their good ol' time making it to her stop. Granted she usually isn't the one who closes so she doesn't normally have to take this bus and she's not sure how the times work here, but the bulletin board posted says it should be here by 12 like all the other busses around town.

Huffing, she slouches more in the bench. This freaking stinks -- honest to goodness she doesn't even think the money is worth it at this point; freezing her bits off by herself on a dark, empty street with a crummy light post light. At least she's gotten to take some goodies home, so they sit in her lap on a plate and her stomach grumbles to remind her the last time she ate was before her shift, which started around two this afternoon. She swears as soon as she gets home she's going to get all cozied up in her bed, steam something online and shove these muffins down her throat. Her only class tomorrow is at 4PM, so she should be fine to just do as she pleases for a little while tonight.

A sigh of content is about to leave her lips when she hears something like a hissing sound, and her brows furrow. That couldn't be a snake, could it? They never really show themselves anywhere apart from untouched fields and in the thick of he woods, so it wouldn't make much sense for it to just be hanging around. With brows furrowed, she looks around for it -- where could it be? She stands up so she can bend down, looking beneath the bench and into the tufts of grass.

While she expected to find a snake, instead she sees a sickly face staring back at her, with eyes two red slits and it's skin slimy, dropping around him.

Oh yeah.

Before she could buckle down to scream, an arm slips beneath her stomach and heaves her up easily, "For fuck sake," the mysterious person utters, "Two nights in a row with this?"

Y/N doesn't know if he's talking to her or to the thing, just dangling off his arm and watching the gross guy seep from beneath the bench and build himself up back to a human form before them. So this wasn't a dream? This was what she forgot happening last night wasn't it? Or was this just a reoccurring dream she's destined to have forever?

"If you'd stayed out of it, it would've only been one night." The creature has mush mouth again, but it's still easy enough to make out it's words and it's intentions of doing away with her.

Brows furrowing, she shoves her head up, "Hey, I resent that, I could've gotten away if --"

"You," the person holding her utters, and his voice sounds awful familiar, giving her a squeeze from his arm around her waist, "Keep quiet. This bus stop doesn't even run anymore, and who goes to the same spot where something tried to kill her?"

"Oi, I thought that was a dream in my defense! Honestly, I didn't even know most of it happened -- wait a minute, who are you?"

"Just be quiet for a mo' yeah? Close your eyes." Y/N doesn't know why she feels compelled to listen, but she shuts her eyes as she's told -- skewers them closed so she doesn't have to see that gross thing again, and once more, with a bright flash of light that dazzles beneath her closed eyelids and a grunt from her savior the hissing sound is gone. When she opens her eyes again, the gloopy gloppy guy is also absent, which is good, and the arm around her loosens so her feet hit the ground again and she straightens herself out.

Finally she goes to take a look at him, and he's got a hoodie on and he's facing away from her, "Ya' aren't allowed to know who I am." He answers her before she can ask again, which makes her frown.

"Says who?"

"Says me," he rejoins, "Go home now, and be quick about -- hey!"

Y/N had snuck behind him and tugged his hood down because there was no way she was just going to let him mosey on off without having some inkling of an idea of who he was. When she's met with the makings of curls her brows furrow, because theirs only one head like that she knows of and there was absolutely no way it was him. He's like famous and whatnot -- has better things to do than save wimpy college students who keep running into monsters.

But when she swings around to confirm that it definitely isn't him, she gasps, mouth falling open wide and eyes bulging from her head. Y/N doesn't mean to squeak, but she does, and it's very well about to turn into a shout in shock because oh my fucking god!

His hand -- Harry Styles' hand -- smacks over her mouth, muting whatever could have come from her, "Shush, shush, shush!"

"You!" Her grumps are muffled by his palm, "You're --"

"I know who I am, Love, you haven't got to say it." He sighs, eyes shutting, "Christ, this is just great innit?"

They stay like that for a moment, Y/N only blinking owlishly at him while he mutters angrily to himself. This is Harry Styles -- a guy she's idolized since she was just a wee lil middle schooler, in eighth grade with a terrible fashion sense and poofy hair -- standing in front of her with his hand on her face, after saving her from some weird thing. What was he doing out here so late? How did he know what to do with that creature? Why was he being so short and tetchy like she'd done something wrong?

This was all so weird and she had so many questions, but he didn't seem to want to answer any of them and she's trying not to give him heart eyes as they stand, but if she is she really can't help it. It was too dark to make out all his features, but the lamp post gave just enough light to shadow his jawline and the curve of his nose. Surely he was sculpted for the gods, and it was a little hard to stand in his presence, especially when he had this smoldering gaze looking past her. As untouchable as he looked in pictures, he looks even more untouchable now -- feels even more untouchable, despite them 100% touching.

His eyes flicker to her own and somehow hers feel as if they grew even wider, "You will go home, and forget of this, yeah? Pretend tonight didn't happen." Gently, he releases her but Y/N stays put, brows furrowed greatly.

"Well I can tell you that that isn't going to happen at all. I have so many questions --"

"And I can answer none of them right now, so please listen to me. It's not safe for you out here."

Y/N would fight it again -- really she would, if not for the thumping of her heart and a voice in the back of her head pleading with her to listen to him. He looks so tired, like he hadn't slept properly in weeks and for some reason she feels like it might be her fault. The least she could do was just go home, be safe like he apparently wanted. And when she gets home she would try and sort this out in her head, maybe do a panicked gleeful squeal into her pillow, and sit on her hands to keep from texting Charlie immediately.

So with a sigh, Y/N peels back the saran wrap on her plate of goodies and reaches for an iced lemon cookie in the shape of a butterfly, holding it out to him. Harry looks at her suspiciously, eyes squinting, "Take it," she urges him, "As a thank you for saving me."

"I save your life and you give me a cookie?"

She grabs his hand with a huff and shoves the cookie into it, "Don't be a jerk and eat the cookie, I made it myself."

With this she pivots on her heel, taking a deep breath before starting on her way home while keeping her freaking out to a minimum and inside of her head.

"Oi," he calls from behind her, "You're walking the wrong way."

        .                                .                               .

It'd been two weeks since it had happened and within those two weeks Y/N has successfully not made any sense of it. She'd been over the main points again and again and again, but this was harder than analyzing Shakespeare her freshmen year of high school. Nothing connected in any sort of way: a scary blobby man, Y/N, and Harry Styles was just not a trio easily explained apparently, and it was annoying the fresh hell out of her. Y/N liked having answers to things. Mysteries and fantasy were only fun in tv shows, movies, and books, but when it comes to real life and her life she liked definitive proof and explanation, but this current happening was null of any clarification.

She'd not told Charlie about it, because knowing Charlie he would brush it off as a dream just as she had at the beginning. There was no way this could be a dream though -- not when a bruise is formed around her ankle, the yellow icing butterfly cookie was missing on her platter of sweets, and the buzzing warmth inside of her from meeting Harry Styles in the flesh. Despite his snappy tone with her, she still felt all muddled and tender on he inside. Those weren't feelings you could just (italicize this) make up.  . .meeting your idol was something you remember, and she remembered that.

Even though it made not a lick of sense, she remembered. The first night too, had even come back to her in blurry splotches of someone lugging her along and up the steps. Bleary eyes opening for a moment at the feeling of someone swiping her face with a cleansing wipe and shushing at her to close her eyes again, "S'fine, Moppet, go to sleep." Blankets being tucked around her body, the pillow being repositioned, and though she had listened and closed her eyes as requested, she could feel a tender gaze peering at her.

Though that really doesn't help her case in the slightest, about not understanding what was going on. How he could show up so suddenly, when she could've sworn she read he was in London. How he got rid of that thing. . .that completely not human thing, and how he did it with one arm occupied by her. It was driving her batty, not having answers and he hadn't seemed so open about giving any to her.

And I can answer none of them right now, so please listen to me. It's not safe for you out here. (italicize that)

He'd looked so tired when he said it, and she felt genuinely bad. That's why she let it go and skipped on. . .it felt like she was at fault for him being so worn out, but how could she be? Sure, two late nights were rough, but she didn't look half as sleepy as he did and she had been on her feet for more than seven hours each time.

It was annoying -- so freaking annoying!

Y/N huffs through her nose, stepping up to the same bus stop she'd been those two nights. The sky was painted an orangey pink, navy seeping in through the East threatening the town with darkness. She knows it's pretty dumb to go to the same spot where she had previously been in danger, but she figured that maybe Harry would show up again and she could get him to explain some stuff. Or maybe he wouldn't, and the past week has just proved she was on the verge of a psychotic break, but she was shooting for the first scenario.

So she toes at a patch of grass near the bench, taking a look at the street she was on. People here were sparse and the street didn't look any less creepy than it did at midnight, but she felt a little better than she did that night given that she wasn't half awake and she had hid pepper spray in her bag in case things got rough. Plus there was the small comfort knowing that if the creature showed up again then maybe Harry would show up too to save her, which would be nice, because that's why she's doing this in the first place.

With a hearty sigh, she plops down on the bench and leans back into it.

She'll wait for a while.

                                                                                    .                           .                          .

"How long were you intending to wait, Pet?" A voice startles her eyes open which she hadn't realized she'd shut, knuckling at one eye while looking towards who she'd been waiting for. There he stood in a light, heather grey hoodie without the hood pulled up -- she guesses since the cat is already out of the bag with her knowing who he is, he isn't going to bother covering it up. "Closing your eyes in a place like this. S'almost like you're askin' for trouble."

She blinks at him, rising to a stand, "It's you."

"Well, what? Were you waitin' for the other guy?"

"Not funny," she grumbles, "I-" She's got questions. . .she's got plenty of questions but she can't figure out which ones to ask, or how to ask them.

[foodcourtdetective]

The Connor Project: American Tour (Chapter One)

Warnings: Swearing Word Count: 1,461  Summary: Girl goes to the mall. Girl reconnects with high school friend during suicide awareness concert. High school friend offers girl a spot on the tour bus. Girl agrees because of cute boy. Cute boy has a girlfriend. Five young adults drive through the US. What could go wrong? Hopefully the author will come up with a better summary for the next chapter. Established Evan/Zoe. Leading up to Evan/OC.

Chapter 1: Let’s Go to the Mall

It was a simple mission: Get in. Get a black shirt. Get out. Claire sighed, frustrated with herself for spilling pasta sauce on yet another collared shirt at work. The Olive Garden had an easier uniform than most and while the stains certainly didn’t show, Claire was too exhausted to do laundry every night (especially since the laundry room in her apartment building was a bit spooky). Having a fourth shirt in the rotation would lengthen the time between washes and maybe give Claire that extra amount of sleep needed to keep herself from being as clumsy as she was.

But like many of Claire’s projects and day-to-day activities, she soon faced distractions. For example, her best friend from her old high school kept texting her.

Al the Pal: Heyyy Claire! You’re never gonna guess where I am! Al the Pal: Okay, since you’re not responding, I’m assuming it’s taking you some thought figure it out. Al the Pal: Okay, you better not have blocked me after the Jello incident of 2013. Al the Pal: Girl. Al the Pal: I’M IN YOUR TOWN! Text me ASAP.

God, she really hadn’t changed since the last time they were together. Claire loved Al, but life had gotten too hard and she didn’t want to hold back her Ivy League bound friend. They still stayed in touch, but it was usually the Instagram comment or DM message here or there. It was rare to get a text, never mind several, unless Al was really excited about something. But why would she be here in September? Doesn’t she have college orientation? Come to think of it, Claire hadn’t had the time to check Facebook or anything that would update her on her friend’s future. She made a mental note to log on later. Spotting the J. C. Penney, Claire picked up the pace to the store. Maybe if I make this trip quick enough, I can grab some food from the food court.

Thirteen minutes later, Claire was making her way to the food court. But strangely, the relatively half-full mall was packed around a decent-sized stage set up right next to the food court. It was hard to see through the crowd, but it sounded like a Christian teen group singing. Claire tried to push through to the food court on the right, but soon stopped when she heard a familiar voice.

“There’s a place where we don’t have to feel unknown. And every time that you call out, you’re a little less alone!” Almost immediately as she turned her head toward the stage. There was her childhood friend Alana Beck looking as passionate as usual on the electric keyboard. Claire then started taking in the other members on stage. Was that Jared Kleinman on the drums, the kid who once got kicked out of her freshman health class for refusing to refer to the male genitalia as its scientific term (“what do you mean I’m not allowed to refer to the penis as a sex sword?). She recognized Zoe Murphy playing the electric violin, a step up from their days together in the middle school band with plastic instruments. There were a few other instrument players who looked older; Claire didn’t think they went to her old school. They looked like actual band members. Inevitably, the blonde’s eyes drifted to the boy center stage, gripping the microphone tightly like he was trying not to lose his balance in a subway car. He looked familiar; the sweaty upper lip, the tight nervous smile, the blue striped shirt. She couldn’t put a name or voice to the face though. His voice was rather beautiful though as he sang the last line.

“You will be found.” His words gave Claire a genius idea. With a mischievous smile, she took her phone out of her back pocket and finally responded to Alana’s texts, the crowd roaring around her.

Claire Bear: Heyyy Alana! You’re never gonna guess where I am! Claire Bear: I’ll give you a hint: You have been found. As she tried to make her way towards the front of the stage, the cheering audience resisted, trying to nudge or elbow her back. Claire persevered, shoving her way to the side of the stage. Before she could call for Alana, her foot caught on something, possibly the wheel of the nearby Annie’s cart. The clumsy blonde began hurtling towards the ground when someone caught her, their hands rough on her. As they helped her back to her feet, Claire soon recognized the smirk and nearly laughed out loud.

“Woah there, M’lady. Looks like you were falling for me for a second there!” Almost immediately, Alana rushed over to Claire’s rescue, rolling her eyes.

“Jared! Don’t hit on her. She’s not gonna react like your little fan girls!” Jared took a step back to get a good look at the blonde, nodding in approval.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Dossett the Vet? Where did you run off to last year? I was gonna ask you to the Prom!” Claire laughed at the old nickname, shrugging off the strong emotions associated with the events of last year.

“You know I would have said no. Besides, Al here was a more organized date anyhow!” At the mention of her nickname, Alana reached over to hug her old friend.

“Where have you been? I’ve texted you several hundred times, Claire!” The blonde shrugged, ruffling Alana’s hair playfully.

“I work at the Olive Garden now. It’s a very demanding job. I work forty hours a week plus overtime to earn minimum wage plus tips!” Alana gasped, suddenly coming up with a better idea.

“Zo and Evan! Get your lovebird asses over here!” Sure enough, Zoe and the lead singer wandered over holding hands. When he saw you, his grip slipped.

“S-sorry, sweaty-“

“I know babe, your hands get sweaty,” Zoe quipped, her attention hyper-focused on the other three.

“So you know that while I’ve been the sole soul keeping the website for the Connor Project up to date and everything, we’ve been having some issues with our social media pages run by our very own Jared Kleinman,” Alana began as everyone looked pointedly at the aforementioned Jewish dork. He shrugged.

“Hey, you wanted a cool Instagram, right? The meme machine is still on it!” He finger-gunned, but only Evan half-hearted gestured back. Alana rolled her eyes, continuing her speech.

“Anyway, so Jared and I could really use some help on the online front. We could spend hours and days posting flyers, reading applications, interviewing strangers. Or… we could vote to accept Claire Dossett, high school friend of most of us, into the ranks effective immediately?” The applicant in question’s mouth dropped a little, shocked at the sudden impulse of her usually methodical best friend.

“Alana’s right as usual. I’m cool with Claire,” Zoe announced, flashing a grin to finally acknowledge the blonde band geek she remembered.

“Only if majority rules,” Jared decided with a smug smile, glancing over at his hopelessly awkward and anxious male companion. As Evan began sweating and stuttering, Claire instantly remembered Evan Hansen, the sweet but terribly anxious boy in her public speaking class junior year. Still cute.

“I v-vote with Zoe. She can s-stay, stay here with us! That is if-f-f she wants to? She never exactly s-s-said yes, so I guess it’s up t-t-to her? I mean, I want her to s-stay. Not in a weird way… just in a not mean way because I think you’d be a good f-fit for the job?” Evan covered his face with his hands, clearly embarrassed. Claire’s heart went out to him; he was clearly struggling. Everyone turned their attention to the blonde, anticipating her decision. She smiled at all of them gently, sighing in disbelief before she took out her cell phone.

“I guess I’ll call my manager right now and tell him I’m not doing my 10-7 shift tomorrow!” Alana clapped giddily, immediately drawing up plans for the new sleeping arrangements. Zoe and Jared scampered off to help the band put the equipment away, Zoe patting Jared on the back as he muttered: “but now the boy-girl ratio is uneven.” As Claire dialed the memorized phone number one last time and pressed the phone to her ear, she caught Evan’s eye. His lips parted for a moment until his brain caught up with him, forcing his eyes to her all-black sneakers. The blonde quietly smiled to herself; perhaps this spontaneous life decision would work out after all. But as her boss answered the phone, it suddenly hit her: am I gonna get paid for this?

(Author’s Note: Let me know if I should keep this going. I tagged the two people who liked the post I made about this fic. If you guys want off, just hit me a DM, I won’t take it too personally. I was thinking of also publishing on AO3 once my invitation is processed. The link will be put here x.)

Tag List:

@thequeenhaslanded, @liyahisdabomb

[survivorhephaestus]

EPISODE 05: WAIT YOU TOOK ME AWAY FROM MY DOG

After Space Council, the teams were given a new and exciting twist: a mysterious spaceship appeared on the horizon, only to crash in for a long-awaited Team Swap. Inside the star, the voted-off castaways got to have a hand in deciding who went on which team, and the resulting three teams were as follows:

Minkowski - Richie, Karter, Josh, Carson

Lovelace - Drew, Patrick, Owen, Lydia

Kepler - Katie, Renee, Jakey, Logan

The new teams were given a music video challenge to break the ice, and after varying degrees of effort, Minkowski and Kepler emerged victorious. Before the vote, each team was given a chance to elect an MVP from the challenge who would be given a special power. Lovelace chose Patrick, Kepler chose Katie, and Minkowski all voted for different people so they didn’t get an MVP :( Katie and Pat, however, each got a fifteen-minute satellite call to a person of their choice from another team. Pat used his to call Logan, and Katie called Lydia shortly after, allowing the four of them to enact a secret plan to influence the next vote.

When Lovelace arrived at Space Council, they found out they had been infected by a virus from another team’s laboratory, which meant an extra fifth vote would be cast at their Council. Because of this, Owen was voted off 3 - 2 and sent into the star.

KARTER

I FOUGHT A FUCKING MONSTER AND NOW I AM ON ANOTHER FUCKING SHIP

AND THE OTHER TEAM WAS SO SHADY AND NOW I AM WITH THEM. I MISS MY TEAM. I AM ANTI-MEANIES. THESE ARE CLEARLY MEANIES

I CANT BELIEVE THE OTHER TEAM GETS TO CHEAT

I don't want these new friends :( I miss Logan and Lydia. Fuck this. Lovelace #1 is a gift and I miss all of them.

I hate this new crew and I am so fucking mad the Kepler ship gets this NEW SHIP SHIT but I still love my pals from the original team on that ship so I am torn.

I FOUGHT A FUCKING MONSTER.  KICK ME OFF I HATE THIS GAME WITHOUT MY PALS. Can someone send me out the airlock? Zo?

Just kidding I miss my team my pals m y c r e w

Oh no we are talking about vines now maybe they are okay

WAIT YOU TOOK ME AWAY FROM MY DOG. ARI IS THE WORST

DID I MENTION I FOUGHT A FUCKING PLANT MONSTER?

LYDIA

JOSH

http://prntscr.com/mr5pkf

PATRICK

First: losing Stevie was no fun. I didn't want to vote him, and I told him as much at the end of the round where Jay left. But between a complete lack of traction from anyone else and a lack of time to put in the legwork myself, it didn't make sense for my game to keep him around. :( Sorry, Stevie. You deserved better. And for that matter, Karen, you too.

Onward and upward, anyway. Fweeeeeee, team swap! Love it. In an ideal world it would've come one round earlier or with another person from my OG tribe. Being the lone Minkowski on a tribe of Lovelaces is concerning. But I like this group. All people I'm familiar with to some degree, and two of whom have been pretty good allies in past games! Owen's the one I'm least familiar with, and even he and I have SOME history. Not extensive, but some. 

Realistically, if we go to council, I know I'm in trouble. So I'm going to be doing everything I can to avoid that. In the meantime, this seems like it'll be a fun team! I'm excited to have a good time with Lydia, Drew and Owen. Hopefully we can kick some butt and take some names.

It all starts with this music video. I love editing video, although I haven't done so in a while. I think for this, we'll need a few things to go right: we need a good, catchy song; we need a concept (all the best music videos in ORGs have them, not just raw lip syncing); and above all, we need good-quality video from everyone. Good video can survive bad editing, but the opposite is not true.

And, of course, we need to make a video so objectively good that even a panel of subjective judges can't shut it down. Basically, I want to capture the magic we had in Heroes vs Villains 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S64ck2mPXs), though so much of that will be dependent on our teamwork.

Also, lowkey I wish Logan was on this team? One, I miss them terribly. Two, they've been in two of the three videos I've ever edited in a game. It feels wrong not to have them in here too. Oh well. I'm sure we'll meet up at merge. Whether we work together is up for debate, but I just miss their peppy upbeat vibe.

I hope Josh and Jakey stay alive, too. If you know my game, you know I like to keep my options as open as possible. And putting aside my own game, I'd like to see those two get far. I think both stand DECENT chances because of the tribe's splits. But we shall see!

KARTER

I just miss my friends. We worked so well together. Lovelace #1 forever.

I kinda hope they vote me out this round.

PATRICK

Well, this is frustrating. I tried pushing things along yesterday, strongly hinting at needing today to do anything. And nobody really helped much, causing today to mostly come and go. Lydia finally ended up taking the reins — bless her soul — and she picked the one song I voiced objection to. Beautiful. But, whatever, it's too late to be switching songs. 

It's also too late to lock in any concept like I'd hoped, so it'll be your garden-variety lipsync. I'm probably canceling my plans tomorrow to get this done, which has me VERY unhappy, so if I'm sacrificing my day I may as well try and have fun with it. I have a few ideas to inject humour, at least, if not interest. 

But... ugh. I'm just frustrated. If/when we lose, I don't know where I stand. I'd hope Lydia would force the tie and give me a chance. But I think I'd get two votes if we went today. I hope I don't go out because of this. I feel like I was doing my part to steer conversation and just kept getting met with radio silence. 

Whatever. Sleep, quick turnaround, then I'm on this video grind. If we lose it sure as hell won't be because I didn't do my best under the circumstances.

LOGAN

me when people criticize how in sync my video was when my teammates sent stuff in an hour before the deadline: just be glad we have a video!!! 

it was hard work making that happen. i can't believe i single-handedly won my team immunity, Kepler is now the Logan Team. i feel like i'll be the tragic boot right before the merge, but at least i'll have this win to my name.

LYDIA

PATRICK

First off — Logan and Kepler at large, ily. You're the best kind of best.

NOW THEN. A few things I want to cover off, so bear with me.

PAT, YOU WON THE MVP AWARD. WHY DID YOU NOT REACH OUT TO ONE OF YOUR ALLIES FROM MINKOWSKI? A few reasons. First, I saw this reward as one hell of an opportunity to expand my options even more going into a merge. It's a rare way to forge trust with someone who's never been to council with you. Second, I mentioned this in my last confessional... I just missed Logan. And third, I think both Josh and Jakey are secure enough in our respective alliances that, even if it does leak out to my OG team (which it would already have had to leak to at least Jakey and Renee,) they would know it was to build ourselves a foothold, not to throw them aside.

PAT, WHY DID YOU KEEP DREW OUT OF THE LOOP ON THE VOTE? An excellent question! Drew came to me this morning and said "I talked to owen about voting for lydia". He then went on to clarify that he'd messaged us both around the same time. But immediately, I went on full alert. Like... why are decisions being made without my input? And obviously, I'm not turning on Lydia... but Drew didn't know that. At the same time, after that message, it told me those two were a bit too close for my liking. So I knew I couldn't tell Drew I wanted to vote Owen. So I went along with it in private, but then did my own thing.

PAT, DO YOU THINK DREW WOULD HAVE FLIPPED ON A RE-VOTE, OR WERE YOU PREPARED TO GO TO ROCKS? I'd have gone to rocks in a heartbeat. But I also know beyond the shadow of a doubt that Drew would have flipped. That's why the vote went on Owen and not Drew.

[dharkness-bdbrw-blog]

#BackAwayFromTheHuman #BDBRW

#BDBRW

Butch: {So we had another new recruit. I looked over the paperwork wondering how this had even arrived at the mansion in the first place. As far as I knew we weren’t taking in any new trainees right now. Maybe that had changed. Maybe we were always taking them in if they wanted to come play with the big boys. My brows furrowed. He worked at ZeroSum. Right under our noses. I wondered if I’d seen him before. Probably. I would have to see when I stood nose to nose with him. Surely he knew about the trainee program the entire time though. What caused him to apply now? I guess that would just have to be something that I found out for myself. I was off tonight anyway so I might as well go see what was doing. I was probably a tad overdressed, in my newly tailored suit, but that was just how I did things. Of course I was also still packing. No way in hell I was going anywhere without weapons. That shit was ingrained in me. I told Fritz not to bother and that I would go get this one myself. I double checked the address and hopped in the Escalade. For some reason I expected this guy to live in a crappier part of town, something like my junky apartment when I was still a cop. Well. He wasn’t glymera but he also wasn’t down on his luck either. Interesting… Wonder if he knew that someone was coming to get him tonight. We would just have to find out. I pounded my fist on the door and straightened my cuff link while I waited to see what kind of male popped his head out.}

Dhark:

(It had been a few days since I sent in the application to the trainee program, obeying the words of the Scribe Virgin so I would not have another freaky encounter. But in the meantime, I had this devilish dish of a female with me in my apartment. This chick had stamina, being able to keep up with me and all. There was not a place in my apartment that hadn't been graced by her beautiful naked body.  I had her in the shower; her full breasts pushed against the glass. One hand was digging into her hips as my other hand danced over the front of her sliding down her silky folds, rubbing her clit as my dick was buried deep in her core. The sounds we made, I am sure kept the neighbors horny as fuck, and I am convinced they'd be thanking me whenever we showed our faces to the outside world. I am not sure how I even heard the knock on the door, but none the less I did. It was more of a nagging bang, I tried to ignore it but they were relentless, and I could tell they were not going to leave anytime soon. I leaned into her ear growling out "stay put; it will only take a minute." I had a mind to answer the door naked, asking where the fuck was the fire. Okay, I was going to ask where the 911 emergency was but I grabbed a towel and wrapped it low around my hips, water dripping and my cock still somewhat hard. I swung open the door preparing to bark out my angered response when some fucking GQ big ass male stood there. What the fuck kind of Wheaties was this dude eating. "Yea, can I help you," I said shortly, hoping he was looking for the hooker that lived above me. I could send him there and get back to the female in my shower. )

Butch: {My brow arched so high I thought that it would blend right into my hairline.} You have got to be kidding me... {Even fresh from the shower I could smell the scent of sex on him. I wouldn't have been able to as a human. I half wished that I was still one at this point. I did recognize the male but only in passing. Not like I had long convos with the bouncers at ZeroSum. Clearly no one passed along the fact that someone would be visiting him. That or he didn't get the memo. The whole place smelled of sex so I was guessing the latter of the two.} You can either get your shit together or go back to your marathon session of getting your dick wet. {I stuck my hands in my pockets and leaned casually against the door frame.} I'll give ya a hint though. One of those two isn't going to help your training one damn bit.

Dhark:

( I know my jaw must have fallen to the floor, a fuckin brother here at my door. Why the fuck was I not notified. Well, here goes my first impression. "Well, yeah, I was not aware anyone was coming to get me. Come in if you'd like, I need to figure out how I am going to tell my company I am leaving." I didn't even check to see if he came in as I turned and made my way back to the bathroom. "I opened the shower door; the Steam carried the scent of her arousal hitting me square in the face my dick sprung to attention again. Fuck me; I'd be rubbing that one out once I settled wherever I was going to end up tonight. I didn't want to wipe the mind of this female. A part of me wanted to see her again; her fucking blood was like gold on my tongue and what was between her legs... the taste... I shook my head to gather my senses, explained to Zo, that I had to leave but would be in touch as soon as I could. Packing a bag to leave with the big ass brother at my door, I left Zo the keys to my place so she would have a safe place to live. I didn't want that worry laying heavy on my mind, leaving some cash to keep her I leaned down and kissed her before throwing the duffle over my shoulder and making my way back to the Brother. "Okay, what's on the agenda? The SV has left me in the dark about all this." I waited for direction from him as I walked towards him.)

Butch: {I stepped inside the condo and amused myself by poking around in his things while he was busy. I could hear him talking to someone but I couldn't make out what was being said. That part didn't really matter unless it became an issue later. I picked up his mail and shuffled through it while walking around the room. Mostly bills and junk mail, there really wasn't anything to tell me about the person. The decor wasn't saying much to me either, aside from the fact that it probably came with the place. I set the mail on the counter and poked my head in the fridge. Surprisingly it wasn't entirely full of leftover take out. This guy had some level of cooking ability. I made my way back to the center of the living room before he actually came out again. He didn't need to know that I was snooping. I was headed toward the door when the bomb hit. I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at the trainee like he had just grown another head. My mouth opened and then quickly closed when I remembered that we weren't entirely alone. I opened the door and yanked him outside by the front of his shirt. My mouth didn't open until the door was closed.} What the hell does the Scribe have to do with any of this?!

Dhark:

(I feel like this big ass brother just did a double take on my ass when what seemed like I could fly and the wind tousled my hair about and I looked down to see a handful of my shirt in this massive fucking hand. “Dude, is this how you greet all the new recruits?” I tried to fix my shirt and noticed I lost a button. That pissed me off, and the look of his duds I would say he could give me one of his shirts if that were my style, and It/Was/Not. We were nose to nose when he spoke about the Scribe. I gave a puzzled look. “You know, the Scribe Virgin. Duh, she didn’t give me any of the deets about all this.” I twirled my wrist, my hand making a circular motion in the air. “She just told me she had plans for me and I was to enter the training program, something about fulfilling destiny? Whatever the fuck that meant.” My mind went back to that night in the alley, that was some freaky deek shit that night, but it led to me needing to release a little something which in return brought that little filly back in my condo, shit, she made me hard as fuck just thinking about her. I sure as hell hope she is going to be ok. “So, is this like a prison? Do we get to come and go? When can I come back to my pad?” I snapped my fingers in his face which kinda looked as if he was constipated, or maybe just deep in thought, Nah we will go with constipation. “Hey man” waving my hand in front of him. “Talk to me, are you the one with all the answers or do I need to find another in charge?” Maybe I should speak slower so he would answer me.)

Butch: {I swatted the hand in front of my face, almost smacking the look off the other guy's face in the process.} I know who the Scribe Virgin is, asshole. {I wanted to shake him to see if something tumbled out that would tell me what the hell was going on here.} She doesn't exactly pay neighborly visits to random dumbasses. That's what has me wondering what's doing. {I narrowed my gaze and shifted my head from one side to the other, giving him a closer look.} Who the hell are you? {Vishous would know. That's who I needed to ask. Right now what I needed to do was bring the guy in. Exactly what I came here to do in the first frickin place. I let him go and took a step back, running my fingers through my hair.} Alright. Let's go. {I turned with a furrow still in my brow and headed toward the Escalade.} You aren't under lock and key. No one is forcing you to be a trainee. Well... I don't know... Maybe the Scribe kinda is... {I called back over my shoulder to him.} That's fucked up man. Just saying. When words like 'Destiny' come from her mouth... {Shaking my head. I definitely had to talk to Vishous. Maybe he had one of his visions that he didn't tell me about. Fucker needs to keep a dream journal is what he needs to do. I got in the SUV and waited for the other person to get situated before my mouth started running with the stuff that was tumbling through my head.} Who are your parents? Where do you come from?

Dhark:

( I looked in pure horror and then some when what I was thinking spilled out of my mouth. “Damn, these brothers are sensitive.” I quickly looked around acting as if I lost something trying to divert that I actually spoke those words out loud. What a fucking dipshit thing to do. “Well… I saw her one night after my shift at Zero Sum, so, I guess that means I am not a random dumbass.” I knew I should keep my mouth shut, I wasn’t making any friends this way, but fuck, how was I to know any of this shit. I kinda thought she might be a myth. I should be asking who the hell he was, damn, big ass fucker messing my shirt up and I believe he just called me a dumbass. “It is good to know we are not under lock and key, I left my female in my condo, and she is sorta lost at the moment. My parents?” I scratched at my beard; I was adopted, wonder if he meant the ones who raised me? “My parents are dead; they were killed in the lesser raids.” That was the only information I was going to give him right now; I was not entirely sure who my birth parents were. Maybe I needed another meeting with the Scribe, but that freaky ass glow about her was enough to scare the hair off a wookie. I was just going to keep a low profile, and hope for the best, pass the trainee program, maybe be a brother and get my female.)

Butch: {I glanced up at Dhark's place before pulling away.} You know... {I wasn't sure if he was ready for this part but it had to be tackled sooner rather than later.} You are going to have to walk away from her. She's a human. {If my nose was telling me right, which I knew it was.} You will have to wipe her. She can't know anything about us. {Of course I was being a hypocrite because I had been a human among vampires for a long time. The only thing that saved me? Vishous had a vision of me. That was all he needed to say and the rest of the Brotherhood shut the hell up about dragging along a human in the mix. I doubted that Dhark's female was going to have the same luxury. Though who knew, with the Scribe visiting this guy, I had no clue what was up. Parents killed in the raids. I filed that bit of info away for later when I had a talk with Vishous. He still wasn't telling me who they were.} Obviously, you're not a random dumbass. That was my point. Though I'm willing to reevaluate that based on your flapping mouth. {I cranked on the music and tore out of there like a man on a mission.}

Dhark:

(I gave him a long hard look, I wasn’t wiping shit from her mind, he can kiss my fucking ass, and once again my mumbles spilled from my lips. “Like hell, I will.” What the fuck was he, Clifford the big red dog? My anger was starting to boil over as he even spoke of her, not even saying her name I was ready to throw down with him. I would have to do my check-ins and keep my nose clean, so I could get back and check on her, I might have to hide her out somewhere else. I would have to feel this out soon. I didn’t trust this little information with him. All I knew he might want her himself. I felt a possessive growl build in my chest as he cranked up his jams. Fuck, he liked that old school shit, I needed some hard rock to get my blood going. I bet he took some form of Geritol as well, and what the fuck was up with his nose, somebody beat the hell out of him? I thought Vampires healed better than that. I side-eyed my condo one last time before sitting back trying to make it through this ride. I had to say this vehicle was tight. They sure traveled in style; I might have to get me one of these. Leaning my head back I had to come up with a plan to keep my female safe and away from the likes of him, I think he would wipe her mind without my knowledge. My work was cut out for me now; I wish I knew what the Scribe had up her sleeve, it would sure be beneficial to me now.)

Butch: {My brow arched upward.} They all think that, you know? Every last one of them fights it. {I couldn't blame him really.} Personally, I think it's a shitty rule too. Probably would have left me brain dead if they went through with it. {I pursed my lips, thinking back on how things went down with me. And also with Rhage, and Vishous, and my brother. And, and, and...} It never turns out well no matter what way you cut it. {I stopped at a red light and looked over at my passenger.} You can stop growling at me right fuckin now. I'm telling you the way things are. Consider it a frickin favor. That way you don't get blind sided when my roommate comes and wipes her himself.

Dhark:

(I just looked straight ahead as the jibberish flew from his lips. I didn’t care what everyone else thought, I’d go down fighting to the death if anyone laid a finger on her. “Death will come to anyone who dares to erase her.” Maybe this trainee program wasn’t for me. I would have to decide that soon. I tried to fight back the anger as my lips curled back, and my fangs elongated. Closing my eyes, I tried to steady the pounding of my heart, and my breathing became somewhat labored. Spitting out my words carefully, I spoke in a monotone voice. “I will quit growling when you stop talking nonsense to me. I didn’t ask for this; it was kind of forced upon me.” I ran my fingers through my disheveled hair, letting out the air that I didn’t even realize I was holding. I just needed to get through whatever initiation I had to go through and make it back to my condo.)

#BackAwayFromTheHuman

[jawllines]

okAY BUT LIKE I STARTED WRITING THE SUPERNATURAL HARRY KINDA FIC AND HE’S SORT OF A SOMETHING THAT I JUST HAVENT DECIDED YET BUT HERE IS A LOOKSIE AT WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE

The night air was cold despite the earlier onslaught from the sun, enough so to riddle Y/N's skin with goose pimples and pebble her nipples to stone. A near icy feeling bench isn't the best spot for a college student at midnight on a Saturday, but she was trying to catch the last bus to her apartment after closing at work, so her seating options were limited. It was either this bench or take her chances sitting next to a suspicious looking puddle on the ground, and she'd much rather her bum freeze off than get anywhere near it.

See, the thing is, Y/N needs to start saying no to people. Truly, it is probably her worst attribute -- a lack of  a backbone when it comes to sweet old women who waddle about and run bakeries. Miss. Mandolin is just as saccharine as any cupcake, and gave her a raise last week, so declining was not an option, especially finding out that if she didn't then Miss. Mandolin herself would be the one closing. However, while that same sweet old woman is tucked away cozy and warm in her bed, and Y/N has become a distant relative of an icicle, she is mad regretting being so softhearted.

Her day hadn't been all too hard, just some bread baking and cake icing, but she feels proper dog walked. She'd been there since 9AM, working two shifts because she agreed to it last week and past her really hates present her, apparently, because she'd even agreed to come back tomorrow night as well. It's fine though, she does need the money, and when she gets to work it's not so terrible, it's just the thought of working that taunts her mercilessly.

So all she wanted to do with the rest of her night is to eat the muffins she took with her and pretend not to smell the copious amounts of pot they're undoubtedly smoking next door. Then maybe watch TV with her laptop on her belly and pass out like that, or flop down on the floor and sleep for a few years, or even just digging into her sheets not bothering to adorn herself in pajamas, just stark naked in her bed because she couldn't be arsed to put anything back on. The thought of sleep is just so lovely, really, all nestled in the covers with the whir of her fan going and the steady thump of the cat who lives above her freaking out and running back and forth and back and forth all throughout the night. She'd like to cuddle her stuffed bear tonight as elementary as it sounds, but his fur was soft and nice to rest on, and Y/N had no human to cuddle so he was the second best thing.

These pleasant thoughts are cut short when the lamp post above her begins to flicker in the most ominous fashion; first only slightly, like a hint that the bulb is about to give out soon before it's light drops out to nothing but a dim glow, then comes back, then repeats, and makes a terrible horror movie esque buzzing noise with it. It's then her brain processes that the street she was on was basically deserted, no sign of people or cars anywhere, not even with the strip of clubs and bars just a few blocks away. The wind picks up only to ruffle the trees leaves and make things even creepier, and Y/N's now hesitantly looking down each street to see if there were any headlights coming her way.

"Well, this stinks." She says it to herself, only to have some noise other than all the eerie one's surrounding her. Now that she's hearing all these noises though, even spookier ones start manifesting in the once quiet air and she's proper spooked, tucking her arms further around herself. Just a little while longer right? It's only. . .only 12:15, and the bus should've been here at 12:00 but that's fine, maybe it's a little late.

If it could be a little less later that would sure be fantastic, but beggars can't be choosers, and a bummy light plus some weird wind are just every night occurrences that Y/N shouldn't be scared of.

What Y/N should be scared of, however, is the black blobby mass materializing in front of her, hissing like a snake, glooping into a human form with beady eyes and a sickening grin. That's something to be proper frightened of, surely, like total horror movie material that she was not expecting and Y/N squeals like an old school Damsel before scurrying up. "What the -- what the hell?" She gasp as it slithers a hand in her direction and she dodges it, stumbling a little ways away from it even if it meant leaving the little light that was left.

"Say, you can see me?" It's voice is distorted and sounds like there's mush in it's mouth, but she can make out the words, nodding slow, her face screwed up and a gross, slimy tongue falls out to lick around it's faux lips, "That makes this even better! So much tastier when you're scared."

Did she just hear him right? Tastier?

A sweat builds on her neck despite what had previously been such a frosty feeling night, and as it's gloopy, gloppy hand is trying to reach out for her again Y/N tosses her heavy plate of muffins right at it's face before pivoting on her heel and taking off in the other direction. This was 100% not how she expected nor wanted her night to go -- this was something for story books and movies only, and she didn't want to be the opening scene because that character always gets written off early on. If her life wanted to start being blockbuster worthy why couldn't it have been a proper romantic comedy or something? Why a gross looking creature that she's running away from with her springy cupcake ended headband on?

Her flats bound against the ground with sharp clicks that echo in the streets, and she doesn't need to look back to know the thing is just about nipping at her heels. It has to be a dream, doesn't it? It feels so real but not real all in the same breath, mostly how the cool air is hitting at her cheeks. So refreshing and enlivening, it's confusing her greatly, and she isn't quite sure what to do. If this is a dream, she could stop running right now and she would probably be consumed by black matter but wake up all sweaty necked in her bed. If it isn't a dream, then she gets consumed and that's it, done-zo, outta here, no more Y/N for anyone. And let it be noted, if she dies because of some weird, drooly, droppy skinned creature she's going to be so fucking pissed off.

"Slow down, Sweetheart, let's have a little fun." It growls and Y/N presses herself onward, holding the strap of her purse tightly to her and feeling it bump on her thigh.

"Shut up you creep!" She yells at it, before a slimy hand is wrapping around her ankle and tripping her up, sending her to the ground.

The next few moments were in slow motion.

First there was a burst of wind that nearly knocked her over, like a car might have zipped past them but she knows no car was in sight nor heard beyond very distant noise of the highway. Second an arm wraps around her waist just before she smashes her face into the concrete, warm and firm, making a small 'umph' come out of her unintentionally. Then suddenly with a bright flash of white light Y/N sees from behind her eyelids, the hand at her ankle is gone and she's dangling in midair around this arm of an unknown assailant. She doesn't know if his is good or if this is bad, but she feels her consciousness slowly fading in little fizzling bubbles that disperse quickly and she's sinking into nothingness, almost, it feels like falling asleep but also something completely different.

"Pain in my arse." She hears someone grumble, and then she's out like a light. '