#med wishes it was hau

[eye-of-the-phoenix]

The fact that HAU begins with Nancy unbothered by Ned scolding her for being on the phone while driving moments before she IMMEDIATELY crashes her car into a ditch makes this game immediately so hilarious to me

[drewtober]

Hey! Sorry this has taken so long--had a lot of family things come up one after another after another, and lots of work on top of all of it. Been kinda one thing after another these past few months. 🤣

TAGGING AND SUBMISSIONS

I'll open up submissions on October 1st for any pieces if anyone wishes to submit, and I'll check the tags once a day for reblogging. The tag is #Drewtober2024.

LOCATIONS

This list is mainly for quick reference or to spark an idea, but if I’ve forgotten a location in a game that you wanna illustrate go for it! I’m doing this from memory.

SCK - Paso Del Mar High School, Maxine’s Diner, Aunt’s Eloise’s house

STFD - The studio, Dwayne’s apartment, Aunt Eloise’s apartment (this is the only game I've not played, so I'm unfamiliar with all the locations).

MHM - Nancy’s room, the basement, Abby’s room, the library, the parlor, the foyer

TRT - Nancy’s room, the foyer, the library, the locker room, Marie's tower

FIN - The Royal Paladium

SSH - The exhibits, the Henrik’s lab, Nancy’s hotel room, Henrik’s hospital room, Joanna’s office, Alejandro’s office, Taylor’s office

DOG - Sally's cabin, Mickie's speakeasy, the ranger station, the woods, Em’s Emporium

CAR - Nancy’s hotel room, Joy’s office, the security office, Ingrid’s workshop, the various rides in the amusement park, Rolfe Kessler’s workshop

DDI - Katie’s boat, Jenna’s cafe, Whale World, the lighthouse, the beach, the sea caves, the smuggling tunnels

SHA - The ranch house, the stable, the farm yard, Mary’s gift shop, Dry Creek, the cliff dwellings

CUR - Nancy’s room, Linda's room, Jane’s room, the conservatory, the library, the foyer, the alchemy lab

CLK - The Lilac Inn, the tunnels, Josiah's house and barn, the mini golf course, Jim's office, Bogart's pond

TRN - The dining car, the sleeping car, Camile’s car, Jake’s car, the map room car, the dancing studio car, Fatima’s shop, the crypts

DAN - Minette’s workshop, the reception office, Dieter’s studio, the park, the sewers, Cafe Kiki, Jay Jay’s house, Noisette's stained glass safe

CRE - Big Island Mike’s property, the beach, the Hilihili labs, the volcano, Three Finger Rock jungle, Dr. Kim’s base camp

ICE - Nancy’s room + all guest rooms, the fishing shack, the Trapper Dan's Needle, Julius's cabin, the basement

CRY - Renee’s room, Bruno’s room, the library, the miniature’s room, the foyer, the garden, the cemetery, Bernie’s log and swamp, Zeke’s

VEN- Nancy and Helena's room, the ca, the flower stand, the various plazas, Antonio's office, Casa dei Giochi

HAU - The foyer/downstairs, Brendan and Caitlyn’s room/tower, Fiona’s room, the library, the castle grounds, Fiona’s bog hut, The Screaming Banshee Inn, the laboratory

WAC - Nancy and Corine’s room, Mel’s room, Izzy and Leela's room, the basement, the library, the common area, the courtyard

TOT - The basement, the farm house, the barn, the wind mills, Pa’s shop, Pa's museum

SAW - Nancy’s room, the baths, the hidden bath’s, Yumi’s apartment, the gardens, the bento stand, the pachinko parlor, the ryokan foyer, Rentaro's workshop, Takae's classroom

CAP - Nancy’s room, Karl’s office, the gift shop, the security booth, the monster’s camp, the dungeons, the glass blowing studio, the dining hall, the courtyard

ASH - River Heights police department, Toni's ice cream shop, Alexei's antique shop, Brenda's van, Nancy's house, original town hall

TMB - The camp tent, the tomb

DED - Ryan's workshop, Mason and Ellie's offices, the break room, Gray's security room, Niko's office and secret lab, the main lab

GTH - The cemetery, the crypt, the dilapidated house, the mansion parlor, the kitchen, the basement, Charlotte’s room

SPY - Nancy’s hotel room, Bridget's hotel room, Cathedral HQ and server room, Moira’s house, the training grounds, the cookie stand, the train station

MED - Pacific Run camp, the puzzle palace, the Annunaki star cave

LIE - The museum, Melina's office, the stage, the sets, the Niobe's pottery workshop

SEA - The Missti Skip, the Heerlijkheid, Magnus's cabin, the caves, the gift shop

BONUS DAYS/ALTERNATIVE DAYS

MID - Mei and Jason's hideout, the Parry house, Lauren's shop, Olivia's shop, the museum, the courthouse, the Hathorne estate and grounds, the cemetery, the tunnels,

KEY - Hungerkünstler Cafe, Oskar's exhibit, Zlaty Custom Jewelry, Aparát, Radek's marionette theater, Prague castle courtyard, St. Vitus cathedral, the alchemy lab, the astronomical clock

[petedavidsonscock]

wrote nurseydex for the first time in a bit. this one's not as fun as usual but if you're in the mood for some angst and melodrama you are in LUCK. contains alcohol vomiting & mention of a p*n*s so this one is below the cut.

"Oh," Dex had said, "this is Sam. We're sort of..."

"Seeing each other," Sam had supplied, and smiled at Dex, and Dex had smiled back, and Derek had smiled at both of them, all them delighted, happy, smiles stretching until they disfigured their mouths, grotesque clowns, pulling at lips and teeth; Derek was all hurting bloody mouth when Dex said, "We should go."

We meant Dex and Sam; who had appeared from God knew where; when had Dex had time to fish him up, out of the river and dress him in ugly suburban dad clothes and bring him to the library; they had only been back for two week, in school. Unless Sam was from before.

Derek did not want to believe that Sam was from before, that Sam was the "complicated" Dex had talked about, had cited. Sam was simple: five foot ten and tan. Dark-haired and on the pre-med track. Boring but good in bed. These were things that Zee told Derek, because he'd asked around, the general group, half-jokingly he thought he managed, if anyone knew a Sam on the soccer team.

So Dex and Sam had gone off to who-knew-where, to have boring sex trying to keep quiet from Sam's roommates, and Derek, who was popular, who knew things about art, whom people liked, ditched Chowder and went out. Out-out. Not kegster-at-a-frat-house out; out-out, to a cool club with a cool group to which William Poindexter would never be invited, except only as Derek's boyfriend. 

Derek kissed someone wearing a bright pink miniskirt so bright it left behind imprints on his eyelids, afterimages, pink and green swirling together in his cup, vodka like watermelon. In the bathroom, sometime later, there was a mouth around his dick and a hand on his thigh, and Derek panted until he came and then threw up into the toilet behind him. The whole time he was vomiting he kept imagining Dex there, rubbing his back, stroking his hair, saying You're fine, everything's fine; calling him baby.

Ayesha found him near the bathroom crying. They took him back to their apartment even though it meant he was ruining their night. Derek didn't want to ruin their night. Derek didn't want to ruin anything. Dex had ruined everything, the friendship they had slowly built and whatever they were standing on the edge of that was more than that, a dizzying precipice, a cliff, wind blowing warnings, except that Derek had been willing, had jumped in fact, and reached for Dex on the way down only to crane his neck and see him still on solid ground, on rock, turning away. 

I wish he'd look at me, Derek concluded, falling, and Ayesha said I know, I'm sorry, which was a lie, how could they know, but he cried into them anyway until he fell asleep.

The next morning there was a hickey on his collarbone, or a bruise, he didn't know; walked to the Haus in gray pre-sunlight, world fresh but not any cleaner than it was the night before. He stopped on the front yard to muss his hair a little more, shift his shirt so the discoloration showed, bit his bottom lip a few times, hard. But Dex didn't show the whole time Derek was eating eggs, fielding questions about his night, drinking coffee he didn't like, and finally when the kitchen cleared Derek put away the last dish and went up to his room and sat and sat and wished things could have been different.

~~~

thanks for reading! as ever i appreciate kudos & comments over on ao3 as well if you are so inclined.

[take-ya-to-the-ghey-bar]

How are you darling?

(This is for all, but mostly hoping everyone is alright in da haus, if not, I hope mun rest up well and)

A random ....::::**•°✾°•**::::.... ＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ┊͙✧˖*°࿐

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. Lots of nice things for you hopefully today and onward

"Eh?-- Fine, I guess?..." There was confusion because... Just who wanted to know anyway? And the hell was up with that darling bit?-- But, it's not like giving a simple answer hurt either, so--

(since you said "for all" i went ahead with going at this both ic and ooc, but anyway--)

i'm doing alright, anon~💕 trying to get over a touch of sinus trouble atm, but otherwise i'm doing pretty well-- and considering the meds i got have been helping over the past couple days, i should be over things fairly soon--

there's also a bit of other irl stuff going on that's doing me a slight concern, but-- i'm not about to ramble about that here-- might do so on my personal, but then again i might just not share it to tumblr at all--

that said tho, thank you for the well wishes~! i hope there's lots of nice things in store for you as well~💕

[backwardscapsmh]

anniversary week day 1: characters

this one is really angsty y’all i’m sorry 😩 comments and constructive criticism are always appreciated.

it’s easy to remember //  when everything was calm // two hands on the bike i rode // just me and my mom // but i haven't rode in a long while // and we drive most of the time

- kids like us by maggie rogers

Dex loves his family. Really, he does. He loves going home to Maine on breaks and walking through the door, and feeling like he can breathe again. A huge weight is lifted off his shoulders, and an exhale he didn’t even know he was holding is released from his lungs.

As soon as he steps over the threshold, his mom is there with a hug and warm smiles. His dad smiles at him and ruffles his hair affectionately. His two little sisters jump into his arms because he’s “a big, strong hockey player who can pick us up” so obviously he has to. His little brother grip his legs and yell at him about his latest adventure in the words behind their house.

And yeah, he’s home.

It’s such a different comfort from the Haus. Instead of the lingering smell of tub juice, his childhood home smells like cinnamon Yankee candles gifted to them by their aunt from Massachusetts. Instead of Bitty’s warm baking, he gets his parent’s creative cooking designed to feed 6 people. Instead of the disgusting green couch, Dex curls up with his siblings on their old brown couch that’s gone through so much but still manages to stay soft and clean.

But no matter how comfortable being home with his family feels, there’s always this feeling in the back of his mind that won’t leave him alone.

It worms its way into the darkness of the room he shares with his little brother, nestling between the hockey posters and Transformer toys that were definitely his cousin’s at one point. It settles in the air during their family movie night with old Disney DVD’s. It follows him to work on the family lobster boat, knotting in the nets and cages, sinking deep in his boots.

It’s like no matter how relaxed being home makes him, he can’t fully let go. That exhale works through his body when he’s met with the familiar expanse of the old house gets cut off early. The comforting warmth that blooms in his chest when he sees his grandmother’s knitted quilt tossed over the back of the couch only feels like cooling embers.

It’s like he’s waiting for something. Waiting for the shock of another horrible thing to happen to him and his family. He’s waiting for the threat of unemployment to follow through. He’s waiting for his sister, Millie, to have another panic attack that’s so bad that she blacks out. He’s waiting for his brother, James, to break his arm again, except even worse so the medical bills bring even more debt. He’s waiting for his youngest sister, Amelia, to sneak into his bed late at night and ask why all of her classmates have new clothes and she’s stuck with hand-me-downs and thrift store jeans.

He’s scared that he’s going to have to grow up too fast again. He doesn’t want to have to be “the oldest” again.

And he was more than happy to spend his first paycheck to buy Amelia a new pair of light up sneakers to show her friends. It was worth missing out on high school parties to sit with his brother and play Transformers when his arm was in a cast. He didn’t mind calming Millie down when she got anxious in the night because was the only one up, struggling with his English homework again. He loves his family, so they were worth every sacrifice he ever made for them.

He just wishes that he didn’t have to give up things for his family to have something.

He wishes his parents had time for all of them when he was younger. He wishes he didn’t have to be okay with his parents missing games because they had to take his siblings to doctor’s appointments and they only had a little time off. He wishes he didn’t have to deal with his parents sitting him down at 8 years old and telling him he couldn’t go to his hockey team’s first tournament out of state because they couldn’t afford it.

So he learned to not have to ask for things that he didn’t need. He didn’t need new hockey gear, so why bother asking his parents for it. His old clothes still fit, so he didn’t need new ones. Millie’s meds needed to be paid for anyway. He didn’t ask to go on hockey trips again. He learned to make himself independent because what he wanted wasn’t as important as what his family needed.

He had to grow up too fast, and face the problems of the real world too early. And maybe that’s what makes it so hard to really relax at home anymore. He doesn’t know how to not expect to lose things that he really wants as soon as he has them. He doesn’t know how to not make himself shrink, and take up as little space as possible. He doesn’t know. He just doesn’t.

Because how can he go home and stop being the kid who had to shoulder it all? How can he remember what it felt like to take up space in his own home? To be a part of family movie night and not a tired ghost, watching but not really being able to center himself? To relinquish his title of older brother, fixer-upper, the hero.

He always had to learn how to fix things, and now he doesn’t know how to not be that handyman that his parents always expected him to be.

@omgcpanniversaryweek

[spaceaceathena]

nancy drew name meanings

so this is the work i’ve been doing over the past couple days, I want to give you guys a heads up that list will contain spoilers for some of the characters/games so please be aware of all of that. if this garners interest, i’ll do maybe the penvellyn family tree (that thing could not fit in here) or last name origins!

Main Cast

Nancy Drew: Grace (Hebrew)

Bess Marvin: god of plenty (English)

Georgia “George” Fayne: farmer (English)

Edward “Ned” Nickerson: wealth, fortune, prosperous OR guardian, protector (English)

Joe Hardy: god will increase (English)

Frank “Franklin” Hardy: free landowner (English)

SCK/SCKR

Jacob “Jake” Rogers: supplanter (Hebrew)

Daryl Gray: open, from Airelle (English, French)

Connie Watson: strong willed, wise (Irish)

Hal Tanaka: army ruler (English)

Hector “Hulk” Sanchez: holding fast (Greek)

Mitch Dillon: Who is like God, gift from god (Hebrew)

Detective “Steve” Beech: crown, garland (Greek)

STFD

Mattie Jensen: lady, mistress of the house, might in battle (Aramaic or German)

Richard “Rick” Arlen: brave ruler (English)

Dwayne Powers: swarthy (Irish, Gaelic)

Lillian Weiss: lily, a flower (English)

Millie Strathorn: industrious (German)

William Pappas: resolute protector, strong willed warrior (German)

Ralph Guardino: counsel wolf, famous wolf (Norse, English)

MHM

Rose Green: rose, a flower (English)

Abby Sideris: father’s joy (Hebrew)

Charlie Murphy: free man (Charlie)

Louis Chandler: fame, warrior, famous in battle (French)

Hannah Gruen: favor, grace (Hebrew)

Emily Foxworth: rival, wily, persuasive (Latin, Greek)

TRT

Professor Beatrice Hotchkiss: she who makes happy, bringer of joy, blessings (Italian, French, Latin)

Dexter Egan: right handed, fortunate, one who dyes (Latin)

Lisa Ostrum: God’s promise (English, Hebrew)

Jacques Brunais: supplanter (French)

FIN

Brady Armstrong: spirited, broad (Irish)

Joseph Hughes: he will add (Hebrew)

Nicholas Falcone: victory of the people (Greek)

Simone Mueller: god has heard (Hebrew)

Maya Nguyen: good mother (Greek)

Eustacia Andropov: fruitful, productive (Greek)

Sherman Trout: shearer of woolen garments (English)

SSH

Joanna Riggs: god is gracious (Greek/Hebrew)

Alejandro Del Rio: defender of mankind (Spanish)

Taylor Sinclair: tailor (French)

Henrik Van Der Hune: ruler of the home, lord of the house (Swedish, Danish)

Franklin Rose: free landowner (English)

Poppy “Penelope” Dada: weaver (Greek)

Prudence Rutherford: prudence, good judgement (Latin)

DOG

Red Knott: person with red hair (English)

Jeff Akers: pledge of peace (English)

Emily Griffin: rival, persuasive, wily (Latin, Greek)

Sally McDonald: princess (Hebrew)

Vivian Whitmore: lively (Latin)

Mickey Malone: who is like god (Hebrew)

Lucy: as of light (English, French)

Iggy: fiery (Latin)

Vitus: lively (Latin)

Xander: defender of man (Greek)

Yogi: one who performs yoga (Indian, Hindu)

CAR

Harlan Bishop: army land (English)

Ingrid Corey: beloved, beautiful (Norse, German)

Elliot Chen: with strength and right, bravely and truly, boldly and rightly (English, Breton)

Joy Trent: joy, happiness (Latin)

Paula Santos: small (Latin)

K.J Perris: Petros-> the rock (Greek)

Tink Obermeier: love (English)

DDI

Jenna Deblin: white shadow, white wave (English, Welsh)

Katie Firestone: pure (English, Greek)

Andy Jason: manlike, brave (Greek)

Holt Scotto: woods, forest (English)

Casey Porterfield: vigilant, watchful (Irish, Gaelic)

Dr. Irina Predoviciu: peace (Greek)

Hilda Swenson: battle (Norse)

SHA

Dave Gregory: beloved (English)

Tex Britten: from Texas (American)

Mary Yazzie: bitter, beloved, rebelliousness, wished for child, marine, drop of the sea (Aramaic, Hebrew via Latin and Greek)

Shorty Thurmond: a short person (American)

Bet Rawley: god is my oath (Hebrew)

Ed Rawley: wealthy spear, protector, guard, frend (English)

Sheriff Hernandez: son of Hernando (Spanish)

Dirk Valentine: famous ruler (German)

France Humber: free one (French, English)

Meryl Humber: shining sea (English)

CUR

Linda Penvellyn: beautiful, pretty, cute OR clean (Spanish/Portugeuse, Italian)

Mrs. Leticia Drake: joy, gladness (Latin)

Jane Penvellyn: god is gracious/merciful (English)

Nigel Mookerjee: champion (Irish, Gaelic)

Ethel Bossiny: noble (English)

Hugh Penvellyn: mind, spirit (English)

Mrs. Petrov: petros-> rock (Greek to Russian)

CLK

Emily Crandall: rival, wily, persuasive (Latin, Greek)

Jane Willoughby: god is gracious/merciful (English)

Richard Topham: strong in rule (English, French, German, Czech)

Jim Archer: supplanter (English)

Carson Drew: son of marsh dwellers (Scandinavian)

Gloria Crandall: glory, fame, renown, praise, honor (Latin)

Marion Aborn: star of the sea (French)

Mrs Farthingham: a house supplying food (Scottish)

Josiah Crowley: god has healed (Hebrew)

TRN

Lori Girard: bay laurel (English)

Tino Balducci: little, junior (Italian)

Charleena Purcell: free man (German)

John Gray: graced by god (Hebrew)

Jake Hurley: supplanter (Hebrew)

Camille Hurley: helper to the priest (French)

Fatima: captivating, shining one (Arabic)

DAN

Minette: star of the sea, love, will helmet, protection (French)

Heather McKay: evergreen flowering plant (Middle English)

Jing Jing Ling: perfect essence (Chinese)

Dieter von Schwesterkrank: army of the people (German)

Jean-Michel Traquenard: god remits (Hebrew)

Lynn Manrique: pond, lake, pool, waterfall (Welsh)

Hugo Butterly: mind (German)

Zu: knowledgeable and voracious reader (French)

Tammy Barnes (Minette): palm tree (Hebrew)

Noisette Tornade: hazelnut (French)

the n*zi will not be appearing on this list

CRE

Pua Mapu: flower (Hawaiian)

Big Island Mike Mapu: who is like god, gift from god (Hebrew)

Dr. Quigley Kim: descendant of Coigleach or maybe messy hair (Irish)

Dr. Malachi Craven: messenger of god (Hebrew)

ICE

Ollie Randall: olive tree (Latin)

Yanni Volkstaia: god is gracious (Greek)

Bill Kessler: resolute protection (English)

Lou Talbot: renowned warrior (French)

Guadalupe Comillo: river of the wolf (Spanish)

Chantal Moique: stone (French)

Elsa Sibblehoth: pledged to god (German)

Freddie Randall: elf, magical counsel, peaceful ruler (English, German)

Isis: throne (Egyptian)

CRY

Henry Bolet Jr.: house ruler (French)

Dr. Gilbert Buford: bright pledge/promise (French)

Lamont Warrick: the mountain (French)

Renee Amande: reborn, born again (French)

Summer: season, half-year (German)

Bruno Bolet: brown (German)

Bernie: strong and brave bear (German, French)

Iggy: fiery (Latin)

VEN

Colin Baxter: whelp, cub, young creature (Irish, Scottish, Gaelic)

Margherita Faubourg: daisy (Italian)

Helena Berg: light/bright (Greek)

Enrico Tazza: homeowner, king (Italian)

Antonio Fango: priceless one (Spanish, Italian)

Sophia Leporace: wisdom (Greek)

HAU

Kyler Mallory: bowman, archer (Dutch)

Matt Simmons: gift of god (Hebrew)

Kit Foley: bearing Christ (Greek)

Donal Delany: world leader (Scottish)

Alan Payne: precious (German)

Fiona Malloy: white, fair (Gaelic)

RAN - Her Interactive refuses to acknowledge this game and so will I.

WAC

Corine Myers: maiden (American)

Danielle Hayes: god is my judge (Latin)

Mel Corbalis: council protector (English)

Megan Vargas: pearl (Greek)

Izzy Romero: god’s promise (Hebrew)

Leela Yadav: play OR night beauty (Sanskrit or Arabic)

Rachel Hubbard: ewe, one with purity (Hebrew)

Kim Hubbard: of the clearing of the royal fortress (Old English)

Rebecca Sawyer (Nancy): join, tie, snare (Hebrew)

Rita Hallowell: pearl (Spanish)

TOT

Scott Varnell: from Scotland, a Scotsman (old English)

Debbie Kircum: bee (Hebrew)

Tobias “Frosty” Harlow: god is good (Hebrew)

Chase Releford: to hunt (French)

SAW

Shimizu Yumi: reason/cause, beauty; abundant, beauty; evening, fruit; tenderness, beauty (Japanese)

Shimizu Miwako: child of beautiful harmony (Japanese)

Shimizu Kasumi: mist, clear, pure (Japanese)

Nagai Takae: filial piety, obedience and large river (Japanese)

Aihara Rentaro: dependant on kanji used (Japanese)

Savannah Woodham: treeless plain (Spanish)

CAP

Karl Weschler: free man, strong man, man, manly (German)

Anja Mittelmeier: grace (German, Russian)

Lukas Mittelmeier: man from Lucanus (German, Greek, Swedish)

Renate Stoller: Reborn (Latin)

Markus Boehm: dedicated to Mars (Latin)

ASH

Chief McGinnis: son of Angus (Irish)

Deirdre Shannon: broken hearted, sorrowful (Irish, Gaelic)

Brenda Carlton: sword (Norse)

Alexei Markovic: defender (Russian)

Antonia “Toni” Scallari: priceless, praiseworthy, beautiful (Roman)

TMB

Abdullah Bakhoum: servant of Allah (Arabic)

Lily Crewe: lily, a flower

Jamila El-Dine: beauty (Arabic)

Dylan Carter: son of the sea, son of the wave, born from the ocean (Welsh)

Jon Boyle: God is gracious, gift of Jehovah (Hebrew)

DED

Victor Lossett: winner, conqueror (Latin)

Ryan Kilpatrick: descendant of the king, little king (Irish, Gaelic)

Mason Quinto: one who works with stone (English)

Ellie York: shining light (Greek)

Gray Cortright: color, black mixed with white (English)

Niko Jovic: people of victory (Greek, English, Slavic)

GTH

Jessalyn Thornton: he sees (Hebrew)

Clara Thornton: clear, bright, famous (Latin)

Wade Thornton: to go, ford (Anglo-Saxon English)

Harper Thornton: harp, son of the harper (Scottish, Irish, English)

Colton Birchfield: swarthy person, coal town, settlement (Old English)

Charlotte Thornton: free man, petite (French)

Addison Hammond: son of Adam, son of Addi (Old English, Scottish)

SPY

Alec Fell: defender of the people (English)

Bridget Shaw: power, strength, virtue, vigor, noble or exalted one (Gaelic, Irish)

Ewan Macleod: born of the mountain (Scottish, Gaelic)

Moira Chisholm: destiny, share, fate (English)

Kate Drew: pure (English)

Samantha Quick: listens well, as told by god (Aramaic, Hebrew)

MED

Sonny Joon: son (English)

Patrick Dowsett: nobleman, patrician (Latin)

Leena Patel: young palm tree, tender, delicate (Qunaric Arabic)

Kiri Nind: skin, bark, rind (Māori)

Jin Seung: rise, ascent, victory, excel, inherit (Sino-Korean)

LIE

Xenia Doukas: foreigner, outlander, welcomed guest, hospitality (Greek)

Niobe Papadaki: fern (Greek)

Thanos Ganas: immortal (Greek)

Grigor Karakinos: vigilant (Greek)

Melina Rosi: honey, god’s gift (Greek)

SEA

Soren Bergursson: severe (Scandinavian) 

Dagny Silva: new day (Old Norse)

Elisabet Grimursdottir: pledged to god (Hebrew)

Magnus Kiljansson: great (Latin)

Gunnar Tonnisson: fighter, soldier, attacker, brave and bold warrior (Nordic)

Burt Eddleton: bright, glorious (Old English)

Alex Trang: man’s defender, warrior (Greek)

MID

Mei Parry: beautiful (Chinese)

Teegan Parry: special thing, little poet (Cornish, Gaelic)

Olivia Ravencraft: olive, olive tree (Latin)

Judge Danforth: hidden ford (Old English) [Last name]

Lauren Corey: laurel tree, sweet of honor, wisdom (English, french)

Alicia Cole: noble natured (Germanic)

Jason Danforth: healer (Greek)

[horse-shirt]

Nancy Drew Games Ranked By Horse Mentions

Some games meet the challenge with determination, putting their best hoof forward. Others fall by the wayside due to their inability to present even a straw of effort. (inspired by the food ranking post)

SCK: No mention of horses. 0/10, crap game

SCK Remastered: Probably some horse artwork in the hallway? still not great, 1/10

STFD: Horses in a picture on Maddie’s wall. 2/10

MHM: No horses mentioned, if they were they were very unforgettable which makes it even worse! How DARE you have horses and not give them the proper respect they deserve?! -1/10

TRT: No horses. No nothin’. I’m not even in Nancy’s suitcase. 0/10

FIN: Not one horse in sight. 0/10

SSH: STILL. NO. HORSES. WHEN WILL OUR VOICES BE HEARD?!?!!?!!?! 0/10

DOG: Still no horses. There are dogs though. I like dogs. 2/10

CAR: Horses!!!!!!! SO MANY HORSES!!!! THE DROUGHT IS OVER!!!! A carousel with many horses, all unique and different, one is on the game cover, and two of the others are main plot points. Quality game! 9/10

DDI: No horse mentions, however it is the first game I appear in. 100/10

SHA: There is a horse, and it is a ghost. A little bit too spoopy, I do not wish to question my future life after I meet my untimely demise. However there is Bob, Clive, and Ace, which are lovely horses that get a lot of screen time in the game. Ghost horse also ends up not being spoopy in the end and helps Nancy. 10/10

CUR: NO HORSES!!! WE WERE DOING SO WELL! CRAP GAME! -10/10

CLK: There are pony figurines you can win from golf. They come in a multitude of colors, and help Nancy solve the mystery; however they are not necessary to finish the game and thus brings this score down. 6/10

TRN: No horse mentions. It does have the Hardy Boys though. 1/10

DAN: No. Horse. Mentions. There is also a dead bird and a yelling lady with a weird outfit. She didn’t like me. Crap game. -100/10

CRE: Sadly, no horses. There are the Hardy Boys but they look weird, still a crap game. 0/10

ICE: No horses. I’m starting to see a pattern. There is a cute wolf though. 1/10

CRY: NO HORSES! NOT EVEN A MENTION! But there is Henry Bolet, so I’ll let it get by with a 2/10

VEN: A horse chess piece which is apparently called a “knight”, even though I thought those were humans. However I do like the idea of a horse becoming a knight- could I be a knight? 3/10

HAU: No horses in sight. There are sheep though. They’re really fluffy, and since I am made of cotton I should respect my relatives. 2/10

RAN: This game wouldn’t even be improved if it had a horse. -1000/10

WAC: My friends, there are no horses. Tis a sad day for horse kind. 0/10

TOT: Still no horses. A few prairie dogs, and this one nice guy named Chase. 1/10

SAW: No horses. Too many ghosts. Scary puzzles. -1/10

CAP: Missed opportunity to have horses. Crap game. 0/10

ASH: Nancy’s hometown, horses in scrapbook, Shadow Ranch in a picture. I’ll allow it. 1/10

TMB: mentions of an Egyptian horse god. Finally some freaking respect. 10/10

DED: you were so close. 0/10

GTH: WHEN WILL YOU LEARN?!?! WHEN WILL YOU LEARN THAT NOT PUTTING A HORSE IN YOUR GAME HAS CONSEQUENCES 0/10

SPY: The carousel is seen, and a drawing of a horse. 5/10

MED: I’m putting a point in here for the sheep, but you’re on THIN ICE 1/10

LIE: Horses seen on pottery. Acceptable. 7/10

SEA: Stuffed horse in Magnus’ cabin. Cute, fluffy, I enjoyed it. 10/10

MID: No. 0000.1/10

[an-american-teen-against-crime]

Hi! So I’m conducting kind of a survey/study? Can you rank the games in order from best to worst in your eyes? A simple list will suffice

AHH sorry this took me so long to finally do haha but I finally got it done! (this was. extremely difficult . I struggle) (also sorry some of my notes got kinda long so you can just skip ‘em if you wanna)

1. TRN- it has to be. My list has changed so much over the years and SPY was actually here once, but I’ve realized that this is the one that has stuck at the top throughout the years. It’s just SO. GOOD. from the music, plot, characters, hardy boys, setting, mystery, AUGH it’s amazing

2. SHA- I know this one is quite controversial in the fandom (chores.) but this had always been one of the top for me. It reminds me of my childhood (rip) and I just adore every single setting in this game- the atmosphere is wonderful. I just really adore the plot as well as the Dirk and Francis storyline, as well as the old west feeling (still not over the cliff dwellings or Dry Creek). THIS GAME MAKES ME V HAPPY

3. MHM- this was tough, but this was not only my first game but also it still holds up for me. It’s super old but I just adore the setting and gameplay, the spooks are top shelf and I just adore the feeling of this game from it’s puzzles and storyline. 

4. GTH- I have for sure played this game way too often, but I love it. The vibes in this game are TOP NOTCH, and I will never forget my first playthrough of this game. The story, the charACTERS, setting, music, is all so good. The puzzles tho are a bit of a draw back but I still love this game. 

5. SPY- I felt weird about have two “newer” games in my top five, but I genuinely love this game. It’s moved down since I’ve realized I kinda dislike the puzzles, but the spy aesthetic and the story of Nancy’s mom PLUS the Revenant/Colony Operation is SO INTERESTING to me. Not to mention this game has a unique story structure in the fact that Nancy solving the mystery is actually helping the bad guys which is really unique. I feel like this game also characterizes Nancy really well which I adore. 

6. CUR- So I actually thought this would be much lower on my list because I played this when I was much older than the other ones, so it has less nostalgia for me, but it still has some. (plus a lot of the game was spoiled for me before I played it because I watched a walkthrough of it. Dumb middle school Cambria WHY DID YOU DO THAT) The plot structure and just...the puzzles and how the whole game fits together is so amazing and the music/atmosphere/aesthetic is just SO AWESOME. Genuinely a spooky game and I adore it for that.

7. FIN- I adore this game, the plot, the timer/three days, the characters, setting, everything is awesome. I feel it’s pretty unique to the series which makes it even more special and its just SO GOOD. Plus it has Nick Falcone who is one of the best characters of all time. 

8. DDI- the atmosphere, THE MYSTERY, the whole setting it’s all just. wonderful. I love BEING in this game, and I feel like it’s one of those mysteries that really represents the series as a whole. 

9. TRT- Just like DDI I feel like this game really is a really good representation of these games as a series. It has everything that makes a good Nancy Drew game and it’s atmosphere is wonderful. I also love the history and while it’s way more treasure hunt like than mystery it does have good mystery elements and it’s a very cozy game.

10. SSH- I am shocked this game is so high, and I actually didn’t like it that much on my first playthrough. This is a game that gets better the more you play it because you uncover so much more- I love the museum and all the history, the social commentary, and the mystery IS SO INTERESTING. Like everything with Henrik trying to stop Sinclair and like you know there’s someone bad out there doing this stuff but you’re not sure who, and there’s all this information you uncover AHH. I know some don’t like the phone convos but I feel like tracking down all the different pieces opens up Nancy’s world so much and it makes it feel real. Also just the idea that you have to track them all down is so cool to me. Also the ending is freaky and gives me anxiety to this day.

11. SEA- this game makes me so happy, I adore Iceland, the setting, the story, the ship, the characters, ALL FABULOUS! Some of the puzzles are annoying but that’s a trend for the later games.

12. STFD- it shouldn’t be so high on the list probably but the mystery and plot line is always really fun for me. The whole premise, locations and iconic moments in this game are so special to me. I love just being in the game, it’s so simplistic. Plus, Dwayne Powers.

 13. WAC- this is the game I always fall back on to play. It’s further down simply because the puzzles are a little annoying at times, but the setting is great and I adore the school feeling of this game. It just always has been a game that has stuck out in my mind ever since it came out.

14. CLK- clk is so nostalgic for me, I literally don’t care about the time travel bit because it reminds me so much of reading the books. I love the town, the mystery, and it’s one of those games I can just relax in. You can spend hourS in this game and seriously do nothing but fish, deliver telegrams and play golf. Maybe a game of bard bounce in there too. 

15. SAW- I used to feel medium about this game, but as of my most recent replay, I’ve found I LOVE it. The setting is so freaky and I actually enjoy most of the puzzles. It just has this weird off feeling to it where you’re constantly being told everything is fine when everything is definitely not fine. I honestly wanna make a separate post just for this game, I have so many feelings on it haha.

16. DED- I love the feeling of this game, from it’s Tesla theme, to it’s puzzles, and also it’s a murder mystery which is super interesting. The mystery and gameplay is so fun for me, honestly not sure why.

17. CRY- I love this game’s atmosphere so so much, and a lot of the puzzles are really fun. The whole legend of the skull is fascinating and it has a great spooky vibe to it. However I feel like the plot is a bit weak and I am still salty Nancy doesn’t help Henry more. But also it has Henry Bolet.

18. TMB- I love Egyptology, I love archaeology, and this game is super fun to me for those reasons. the whole idea of the curse is spoopy and the puzzles are pretty cool too. I love both Dylan and Jamilla so that bumps this game up as well. 

19. VEN- I have wanted to go to Venice ever since I played this game, I feel it does a perfect job of making you feel like you’re really there. I love the whole spy aspects, and while some of the puzzles are EXTREMELY annoying it’s a really exciting game.

20. DOG- The vibe of this game is off the charts, I love the history and the mystery is kinda weird but leads you to a treasure hunt which is pretty interesting. I love the puzzles in this game and while the characters are kinda annoying I feel like this game is just so grounded and interesting. 

21. CAP- some stuff in this game is kinda dumb (PUZZLES. WHO PUT THEM THERE I NEED TO KNOW)  but the whole fairytale vibe is great, and I love the fact that Nancy is trying to track down a cryptid. I also kind of hate the culprit motivation, but it is what it is.

22. ICE- this is actually a pretty well put together game, I like the location, and the mystery is nice. It’s one of those that I really question the whole idea of why Nancy is solving the puzzles? Like I get it that she’s trying to get into the needle it’s just...sorta convoluted. Also some of the puzzles are really annoying in this game haha.

23. LIE- pains me to put this game so low on the list, but I freaking hate the puzzles in this game. I like the museum puzzles, and that’s IT. The set has no. reason. to have that weird of puzzles. This is one of those games that would have been better with the treatment of having more practical puzzles like the older games. Anyways, I still love the setting, the characters, and the fact that it’s in Greece, in a museum and has a play about a greek myth makes me really enjoy this game. Plus, I do like the whole villain plot and the ending you start feeling really trapped and freaked out which is exciting. 

24. ASH- I get why people love this game, I really do, but for some reason I always drag my feet to play it. It still is super interesting though from the mystery, characters, bad guy plan, and it has a good classic mystery vibe. I think I just have to be in the right mood to play it.

25. TOT- I actually do enjoy playing this game but the puzzles/chores can be really annoying, and I feel there needs to be more mystery. However I actually do enjoy the setting a lot and there’s something special about it to me. Plus I like to look at the clouds. :3

26. DAN- I like that it reminds me of Paris because it got that vibe, the history and locations are very cool, and I really enjoy being in the game. However the mystery is ditched for Nancy trying to solve the Noisette stuff which is annoying and weird and I feel like this game is a bit unfocused which bugs me. Plus I can’t remember a single puzzle right now other than that horrible wall clock puzzle.

27. MED- Yes, this game is a hot mess and I’m still upset about Sonny, but I actually really enjoy the location and puzzles of this game, it’s just really fun to be in. Also the reality tv show concept is fun. Wish the sheep were alive though.

28. HAU- I like a lot about this game but at the same time it feels very...small? Idk. I just feel like the whole game is Nancy running around on the moors solving random puzzles she just finds in the hopes of finding Matt. It’s weird. I do like the vibe tho and Fiona is a bit freaky. Plus, sheep.

29. CAR- peoplearegoingtomurdermeIwillbethenextjake listen I for some reason feel just meh about this game, idk if it’s just Joy, the location, or WHAT but for some reason it’s mostly meh for me. There’s bits that are fun and I always liked it when I was younger but for some reason it doesn’t do it for me. But I can get why people really like it! 

30. SCK: The vibes are great, the ending is v exciting, and I feel like the school is very creepy and the diner is a solid location. The whole mystery of how Jake was blackmailing everyone and the drug plotline is super interesting to me and while the disk switching drives me NUTS I really like pulling this one out just to feel like I’m in the 90s.

31. CRE- I think this game is fun and has some iconic bits to it, along with the fact I could spend hours at Big Island Mike’s Immersion Excursions, buT the fact is the mystery is freaking weird and I don’t like bugs. But we did get Big Island Mike. 

32. MID- Listen, this game is a good video game, but it’s a bad Nancy Drew game. I liked my first playthrough of this game, I really did, but theres just so many problems with it and it’s so upsetting to see what’s become of the series. You can tell that it wasn’t made by the same people and it doesn’t have the classic ND charm. There are a lot of plotholes and random stuff like the Hardy’s personalities in this game don’t make sense. However there are a lot of stuff that it enjoyable about this game and I will still replay it. It’s just kinda sad.

33. SCK Remastered: Lower than the OG because Beech is dumb and they changed the ending. Also some of the old magic is gone, and all the characters are way less likeable. However it did explain some stuff about Jake so there is that. 

34. RAN- It’s still fun at times and I like the location but the puzzles will be a thorn in my side till the day I die. Also the mystery is just meh. And it needed more characters, that’s just a fact. 

I guarantee that this will probably change by the time we are done with this playthrough, but until then this is my listing. I think it’s really a testament to the games though that there is no game I consider unplayable. SCK could be that game but I am willing to do the disk switching lol.

[zim-bone-me]

Nurseydex + 3am confessions?

This got so fucking long but here I am projecting my own 3am anxiety attacks on my sweet beautiful boy Derek Malik Nurse for your enjoyment.

_/\_  _/\_

It’s Nursey’s first night as a Haus resident and he is painfully aware of how late it is. Dex’s alarm clock sits on the bedside table next to Nursey’s head and reads 2:43am. He has never felt more awake. 

Bits and pieces of unwritten poetry rush through his head too quick for them to stick, a replay of his goodbyes with his moms is on repeat, but his most prominent thought is that no matter how hard he tries he can’t remember if he took his meds before laying down for his laughable attempt at sleep. He tries visualizing everything he did before going to bed - had pie with the other Haus resident, showered, brushed his teeth, put on his pajamas, wrote a new entry in his journal, crawled into bed - but it doesn’t work. Nursey’s memory has checked out for the night while the rest of his body is on high alert. 

Then there’s the hot-headed ginger a few feet above him who he is deathly afraid of waking up. He and Dex have become friends - good friends, even - since they first met. Nursey really didn’t want to ruin the progress they’ve made. The irrational part of his brain is convinced that if he moves too much in his effort to sleep then Dex will start hating him again. Dex will wake up, yell at Nursey, and snap the olive branch they’ve extended towards each other in half. 

And maybe there’s a part of him - a really tiny part - that’s terrified of not being able to see if their friendship evolve into something a little less platonic and a little more romantic because of him screwing it all up. 

Nursey’s anxiety about possibly missing a dosage combined with his anxiety about Dex is now leading to a sleepless night. Every time he moves his anxiety spikes and he can feel his heart jump out of his chest. Then his thoughts go right back to his goddamn medication and his dumb memory. The cycle is endless and awful.

Nursey rolls onto his back as slowly as possible. Which ends up being a terrible decision because he becomes even more uncomfortable. He suppresses the urge to roll over again in fear of waking his roommate up. He stares up at the top bunk and picks at his bottom lip, waiting for an appropriate amount of time to pass before he lets himself shift again. 

His entire body freezes when he hears a quiet and incomprehensible mumble come from above him. He stops breathing and wraps his fingers tight around his blanket. A few moments of terrifying silence pass and Nursey lets himself relax slightly. 

“Nursey?” whispers a groggy Dex.

He’s back on high alert. Nursey’s breath hitches and his knuckles turn white from their grip on his blanket. Dex rolls over and the entire bed moves with him. 

“Nursey?” he repeats, louder this time, “are you awake?”

Nursey’s mouth feels too dry for words. He clears his throat and responds with a curt “Yes.”

There’s a pause and Nursey’s heart is beating so fast and hard that he’s scared it’s going to tire itself out. 

“Sorry I woke you up,” Nursey says, quick to apologize and take back anything that could make Dex want to move out, “I’m probably moving too much and making noise I’ll lay-” 

“You didn’t wake me up. I never sleep well on the first night.” 

Nursey has never experienced such intense instant relief. His entire body went from panic mode to chilling in a hammock on a lazy afternoon in the time it took for Dex to say 13 words. 

“Good. I mean - not good. That you can’t sleep. That’s not good. I’m just glad it’s not me or -”

Nursey cuts off his rambling as the bunk bed moves around due to Dex shifting again. This time, Dex’s upside down head appears over the edge of the top bunk. He has the softest smile on his face. It kickstarts Nursey’s anxious heart again - this time for a completely different reason. All of his energy goes into schooling his own face to be as nonchalant as possible. 

“Why’re you up?”

Nursey huffs out a laugh that sounds the opposite of happy and sits up in his bed. “Thinking too much.”

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“My thoughts might cost you a bit more than a penny. I’ll take a penny for yours, though.” 

He watches with amusement as Dex’s already-red face gets redder. Nursey fails to block all thoughts of how endearing it is out of his head. 

“No, definitely not,” Dex grumbles as he rolls fully onto his bed. 

“Screw the penny, then. You can tell me for free.” 

“No, I’m going to sleep.” The bed shifts once more and Nursey can picture him rolling onto his side and shutting his eyes like the stubborn man he is. 

Nursey opens his mouth to annoy the, obviously very entertaining, information out of Dex and then promptly shuts it again. He is not going to start off the year by annoying Dex into hating him. 

As they slip back into silence, Nursey’s anxieties return. He pushes Dex out of his mind and tries to concentrate on remembering if he took his meds. Missing one dose isn’t the worst thing that could happen. In fact it would probably barely effect him, but he can’t help but worry about forgetting to take it tomorrow night, and then the night after, and then the next night, and then suddenly he’s missed a full week of medication and his mood is swinging all over the place and he’ll start forgetting even more things until all he can do is lay in bed and stare at the bed above him as his brain fucks him over. 

Nursey easily falls down the manic ‘what if’ rabbit hole and can feel the start of another panic attack coming along. The man lying above him is the only person who was with him all day and the only person who would know if he took his meds. He really doesn’t want to bother Dex - correction he’s terrified of bothering Dex, but in this moment he’s deciding his mental health is more important. 

“I don’t remember if I took my meds tonight,” Nursey blurts out, fast and out of breath.

Dex shows no sign of hesitation or annoyance when he says, “you did. Right before you started writing in your diary-book-thing.” 

Nursey lets out the breath he all too aware of holding in. “Oh, okay great. Thank you.” 

“I know that you hate missing a dose so I kind of like to make sure that I notice when you take it.” 

No one, outside of his moms, has ever payed that much attention to him. Nursey had no idea how to respond in a way that sounded like he wasn’t flipping his entire shit over Dex noticing this stuff and it not freaking him out. In his personal experience, most people didn’t react to his mess of a head with compassion and definitely didn’t try to make it easier on him. 

That really tiny part of him that hoped for more is starting to get bigger. 

“Not that I am always watching you or being some kind of weird creepy stalker I just know it makes you anxious I’ve seen it happen,” Dex rambles quickly, “like that time we were in the hotel and you were scared and I couldn’t remember and you couldn’t remember and I didn’t want that to happen to you again.” 

“That - “ Nursey cuts himself off when his voice cracks. He clears his throat and starts again, “that means a lot to me, man. Thank you.” 

“It’s not that big of a deal.”

“It is to me.” 

A heavy silence falls over the two men. Nursey looks over at the alarm clock again. It reads 3:04am. 

“Nurse… listen I…” Dex pauses and the entire bed jostles as he sits up, “…I know we haven’t been each other’s biggest fans but… I don’t know I guess I want you to know that I’ve got your back. No matter what.” 

“Even when I’m pissing you off?” Nursey asks quietly, hating how very not chill he sounds. 

“You don’t - I mean you do - did. You did. Now it’s less of an anger response and more of a… fond exasperation, you know?”

No matter how hard Nursey tries, he can’t fight the shit-eating grin that spreads across his face. “Fond exasperation… I like that.” 

“And plus, I piss you off too. A lot. Though you’re way better at being chill about it than I am.” 

Nursey let out a laugh that was way too loud for 3am. “You’re not wrong there.”

 “I’m trying to not do that, though. I want this to work.” 

“This?”

“You know, this. Us. As roommates, teammates, friends… and whatever else we end up being.”

Nursey can’t help the small twinge of hope that blossomed in his gut - a much more welcome spike of emotions centered in his torso. “I want this to work too,” he confessed softly into the darkness of the room. 

Dex doesn’t respond, but Nursey can hear him laying back down in his bed. He hopes Dex is smiling just as wide as he is. He wishes he could see it. 

“So… Dex. Dexy, my good pal, my roommate, my whatever else we end up being. Are you gonna take that wonderful deal of not paying me to share what you were thinking about?”

“I can’t I’m sleeping.” Dex lets out a very loud, very fake snore. 

“C’mooooon. Dexyyyyy. Pleeeease.” 

“…Okay fine. But you can’t tell anyon-”

“Deal. No one will know. C’mon tell me.”

“I was remembering a really embarrassing memory of when I was 7 and playing my first hockey game…”

“Aaaaaaand?”

“…I ended up being so nervous that I pissed my pants.” 

There was a two second silence until everyone in the Haus was woken up by Nursey’s loud, uncontrollable giggles. 

[pongpalace]

curtains for a home

Day 6 of #omgcpwomenweek: Future 

big love to @apprenticedmagician for listening to me moan about tenses and then reading through to make sure i hit my mark.

warnings for character death (haus ghost pov)

also on ao3

I wanna live with you Even when we’re ghosts ‘Cause you were always there for me when I needed you most I’m gonna love you till My lungs give out I promise till death we part like in our vows

—Say You Won’t Let Go, James Arthur

It’s usually during the summer, when the Haus is quiet without all the boys there making messes and noise and a home, that Mandy ends up thinking about it. She tries not to, really she tries—it’s depressing enough to regularly lose time because you’ve suddenly run out of ghost mojo or whatever and you have to disappear for a while—but there’s something about the kitchen and it’s curtains that makes her wonder if she would’ve chosen the same ugly pattern had she ever gotten the chance to.

She probably would’ve; Jenny loves them.

If Mandy lets herself, she can easily imagine what else she would’ve done had she had the chance. She thinks she would’ve graduated with a degree in one of the sciences. She hadn’t declared anything yet before… well before, but her biology and chemistry classes had been her favourites, and her parents were pushing hard for pre-med. She can’t remember how she felt about being a doctor at the time, and now she has mixed feelings about it after seeing first hand how demanding a major like that can be. She thinks physio therapy would’ve been a good fit for her though.

Watching the curtains blow gently in the breeze from a window that wasn’t closed properly somewhere, Mandy wonders if she and Jenny would’ve figured themselves out before graduation, or if they would’ve danced around their feelings all four years until they graduated and became a distant memory to introduce to their new families at the 25-year reunion. Mandy wrinkles her nose; that’s an unpleasant thought. She couldn’t imagine spending the past like, 30 years with anyone other than Jenny.

Maybe then, they would have moved in together after walking the stage and finding jobs in the same city. There are athletes who can benefit from a good physical therapist everywhere and Mandy would’ve followed Jenny anywhere she wanted to teach. Mandy never saw Jenny with kids, but from the way Jenny talks about her younger siblings, Mandy thinks she was amazing with them. There’s no doubt in Mandy’s mind that Jenny would’ve had her choice of jobs to pick from.

So they’d rent out a two bedroom apartment that they probably couldn’t afford at first. But what’s a couple more months of getting help from your parents until you cash your first paycheck?

Mandy wishes she knew.

There’d be a fight about who would get the bigger bedroom probably. Mandy would win, but Jenny would pout so they’d compromise by sharing the bigger closet and Jenny would pick out the decorations that made the place theirs. The curtains she’d choose would be ugly as all hell, but she’d love them so Mandy wouldn’t say a bad word about them. If it was possible, the couch would match but Mandy would say a prayer that the carpet colour can’t be changed. They’d get unmatched dishes from a second hand store down the street, and they’d each have a favourite mug, bowl, and plate. Jenny’s days would start earlier, though they’d quickly learn that she’s a mess in the morning so Mandy would wake up early enough to make coffee for both of them. She’d spend the hour or so after Jenny left reading the paper her parents paid for as a you’re-a-grown-up-now gift. She’d look through the crossword, and fill out what she could but it would always be more fun to finish it with Jenny after dinner, when Jenny would make up words to fit the definitions.

“Cinnamons,” she’d call them, snorting with laughter every time Mandy would phonically try to sound out what Jenny wrote in her perfect teacher handwriting.

Mandy would be happy with her job at a small clinic down the road from the hockey rink. As the newbie in the office, she’d take on the newer clients, the teenagers who, between growing pains and the physicality of their sports, needed to see her for routines to strengthen the ligaments of their knees. They’d never do the stretching she sent them home with but she’d perfect her disappointed look early on from watching Jenny practice her’s, and word would spread that the strengthening routines during appointments would get harder if you didn’t stretch at home properly.

But work would still be work and sometimes you needed to unwind. Jenny, with her classroom of energetic eight year olds would understand completely and during the first long weekend of the school year, Mandy would make sure to request the same day off. They’d make sure that they had enough alcohol to keep up with an apartment full of their sorority sisters and the friends they’d make at work. Day drinking on a Saturday would be disguised as a late housewarming party, but that excuse wouldn’t feasibly carry over to the mimosas Jenny would serve at breakfast on the Sunday for those who stayed over.

The two day hangover Mandy would end up with, even after the grease that Jenny insisted she eat, would be a reminder that they’re not in college anymore. It wouldn’t taste as bittersweet as it could though; she’d be happy to have graduated with the memories and experiences, but she’d be realistic in understanding that some college friends aren’t lifelong friends. She’d probably be more upset about growing apart from her sisters if she didn’t expect to always have Jenny in her life.

That night would be when Mandy would let herself finally think about how she wants Jenny in her life. They’d be in the kitchen and Jenny would have on the reading glasses she insisted she didn’t need while she did last minute marking before the school week, hair piled on top of her head, and she’d somehow be the most beautiful creature Mandy had ever seen. The noodles Mandy would make for an easy dinner would boil over, she’d be so distracted watching the way Jenny scrunches her nose while she read, and while Jenny would laugh at Mandy jumping to get the pot off the heat, she’d still get up and help her clean the water on the stove.

In the morning, Jenny would be running later than usual and take her coffee cup to drink on her way to school, pressing a quick kiss to Mandy’s lips in thanks before she would literally run out the door. Mandy would spend the day thinking about it, going between wondering if a three day hangover made her imagine things and worrying that Jenny regretted that they ever moved in together because Mandy’s sexuality was apparently contagious.

Mandy wouldn’t stop worrying until she got home from work to find more candles and flowers that she’d left in the apartment when she’d left earlier.

“I meant to do that properly, like, with discussions about feelings or whatever,” Jenny would say, face flushed from the heat coming off the biggest casserole Mandy had ever seen. “But you just… You’re like, so good to me. And I don’t know if you like, know how much I appreciate what you already do for me and like, it might be selfish or whatever, but like, I want more. I want to wake up next to you, and I want to kiss you, and probably spend the rest of my life with you.” She’d shake her head, and laugh to herself. “I’m like, 80 percent sure I’m in love with you Mandy, and like, you should probably know that.”

Jenny, not one for making big speeches about herself, would finish with a shrug and Mandy wouldn’t be able to do anything but cross the kitchen and answer everything Jenny just admitted with a kiss, hoping that would be enough to convey her feelings.

They would share the bigger bedroom in the apartment, and kisses with coffee would become a part of their normal routine. They’d learn more about each other; that Jenny laughed when she orgasmed and that Mandy didn’t like to be cuddled while she slept, but couldn’t actually fall asleep without a forehead kiss as they rolled to their separate sides. It wouldn’t always be easy—they’d fight about whose turn it was to do the dishes or plan their dates—but being together would always feel right.

Upgrading from an apartment to a house would be a natural progression when they would have the means to do so. There wouldn’t be a fight over the bigger bedroom, but somehow Jenny would still get to pick out the curtains, insisting that the ones from the apartment match the new paint colour that they choose for the kitchen and after seeing how happy the curtains made Jenny in the apartment, Mandy would find that she didn’t have a good argument against them.

Their parents would stop making comments about it being strange for two women to live together as roommates past their early 20’s when Mandy and Jenny make the trip to Canada to exchange vows, and they’d cry through the vows again in 2015, this time with both their parents and children watching.

They would have had such a good life together, Mandy thinks.

The curtains in the Haus have stopped moving and suddenly it’s taking all of her energy to concentrate on the pattern. She closes her eyes and goes through the motions of breathing deeply; a technique she’s borrowed from watching the boys in the Haus.

It does nothing to ground her and between one faked breath and the next, she’s gone.

[hotchkiss-and-tell]

#cluecrewquestionnaire

I was tagged by @punchyladrew and @kleptonancydrew many weeks ago, and finally sat down to do this today.

rules: copy and paste, answer the questions, tag 10 mutuals to do the same!

1. What is your favorite Nancy Drew game and why?

Probably ASH and WAC. I like lots of characters and a variety of puzzles with mini-games sprinkled in. The switching characters is something I enjoy in ASH. And both games have good dialogue.

2. Have you played all 32 games in the series? If not, which ones haven’t you played? If yes, which one did you play first?

Yes, I’ve played them all. Started with TRT.

3. What is your favorite line from any character in the series?

Hello, my fellow night owl. Or perhaps should I say, “hoot, hoot!” (TRT)

OR

Sit still, little vase, and I will draw you. (LIE)

4. If you could change the ending to any game, which one would it be (no spoilers, though)?

The end/culprit of Lights, Camera, CURSES dossier is exactly the same as TRN’s culprit. A little more creativity please!!

5. Which game is your least favorite, and why?

TMB and MED – the narratives are garbage, making no sense with plots or mysteries. No memorable characters as saving graces either.

6. Which character is your favorite? Why?

Nancy, of course. And Niobe – I have such a crush on her. Most of the in-person characters pale in comparison to the phone characters though. I love Dr. Predoviciu, Hilda Swenson, the Southwaites, Vivian Whitmore, Markus Boehm, Dr. Paliki, Thisby, Alex Trang, and Savannah Woodham.

7. Which character is your least favorite? Why?

Prudence Rutherford, PG Krolmeister, and Gunnar. There is no why; they are just awful.

8. How do you feel about the whole Nancy/Ned vs. Nancy/Frank situation? Do you ship her with someone else? Who, and why?

I stay with book canon of Nancy/Ned. As for shipping wars, I don’t care or participate. If others like Nancy with Frank or even Joe, then good for them.

9. Do you have any fun headcanons about any of the games or characters?

Jenna Deblin is gay (esp. for Nancy and Katie). The real Samantha Quick gets her identity stolen by multiple detectives, including Zoe Wolf (because that part of SPY was stupid). I also like the one that says Savannah Woodham and John Grey are bitter ghost-hunting rivals.

10. If you could visit any of the locations of the games, which ones would they be and why?

TRT Wickford Castle – it’s the best of the games’ castles. Although skiing is not my thing. And River Heights of ASH.

11. Did you read any of the original Nancy Drew books? If yes, do you like them? If no, would you consider reading one?

The yellow covered ones are what I read. I don’t think they are all originals though – some have been heavily edited. I like them for read aloud value as it’s especially hilarious to me and my mother to perform the books.

12. What is one thing any good detective can’t live without?

Big pockets.

13. Which game had the best soundtrack?

CUR!!!!

14. What is one thing you wish HER would’ve included in any of the games (a conversation, interaction, location, feature, etc.)?

Why can’t I snoop in Mrs. Drake’s bedroom and Mary Yazzi’s backroom of the store? I also want to be able for Nancy to approach Ethel for conversations.

15. Do you have any ideas for a future game? What is it?

See this post and this post and also this one. For more, check my dream games tag.

16. How long does it take you to finish a game from start to finish?

Anywhere from 2 hours to 3 days depending on my dedication and how much I’ve played the game before.

17. Did any of the games scare you? If yes, which ones? If no, why?

When I was 11 and played TRT for the first time, I freaked the hell out about Dexter catching me in the library. Even after I figured out what to do, I didn’t want Nancy to get out of the vent again, fully convinced that Dexter would return.  Also the ghost town in SHA is hella spooky.

18. Why did you join the Nancy Drew fandom here on tumblr?

It was inevitable. One search for the Nancy Drew tag and I found a wonderful fandom that for once couldn’t be moderated by HeR Interactive.

19. What is your favorite Nancy Drew joke (from in-game or even floating around the internet)?

The PC-games Nancy has horrible taste in clothes and her dad is a golf ball.

20. Who is someone in the clue crew you’ve always wanted to get to know?

@littlenancydrewthings and @briefpainfulandfullofgarbage

21. What are three unpopular opinions you hold about the games?

I like Fox and Geese. I hate Ryan from DED. If those MID character profiles are legit, I am disappointed to see no male characters are planned.

22. Do you have any fun theories about any of the games?

Leela and Izzy are secretly girlfriends and their “boyfriend” Jacob is just a beard. The fight over him in WAC was all an act.

23. Who was your favorite animal character featured in the games?

The sheep in HAU. I love those woolly goofballs.

24. Do other people in your life know about your love for Nancy Drew?

Oh yes.

25. How long have you been playing these games?

17 years.

I haven’t tracked who’s already done this, but I’ll tag: @queerdagny @briefpainfulandfullofgarbage @karenplaysnancydrew

[thomasreedtn]

Sacred Decorating

Today’s post comes as a follow-up to a post from two years ago: How to Thrive in a Less than Ideal Location. I write now from a place of gratitude, post-relocation and feeling ideally placed, but I thought I’d share additional insights from the new location. So often I hear from clients that they feel misplaced, lonely, sick or stuck, with no sacred space to call their own. If that describes you, then do check out the previous link, too. If, instead, you feel largely well placed but you want to upgrade your surroundings, then today’s post offers suggestions for adding even more sacred experience into your everyday home, office, or little corner.

Why Bother?

“I have more important things to worry about than decorating.”

“It’s too overwhelming. If I start, I’ll never finish.”

“My space looks good enough, but I don’t feel inspired or energized. Why can’t I get things to flow in other areas?”

Decorating might seem superficial, but it’s one of the fastest ways to shift energy in other areas of life. Whether you study feng shui, or just pay attention to colors and shapes that delight your senses, your everyday environment seeps into your subconscious. As your subconscious works nonstop to filter and create your outer experience, changing your external environment alters your internal feelings and perspective. These, in turn, alter how you experience your external reality.

It’s like breathing: in, out, in, out. You live and breathe and move in your everyday experiences. Like polluted air, a space that irritates, annoys or crushes your soul does more damage than it would first appear. On the flip side, a space that calms, uplifts and expands your soul acts like increased oxygen in the body. Most parasites and other nasties can’t stand a well oxygenated environment. As you clean and uplift the areas in which you spend your time, you welcome fresh inspiration, healing and opportunities in life.

Toadstool fountain, ferns and orgone pyramid by the meditation chair in my office.

Little Things Count — A Lot

In sessions, I always ask people to pay attention to the little things. What small, symbolic step could you take today, which would move you towards your larger goal? Little things add up. They also take less time, energy, focus and determination. In many instances, little things feel like throw-away’s: five minutes to take out the trash, ten minutes to file the pile. A little thing could include changing your screensaver to something that makes you smile. Maybe you move your desk or bed so that a pleasant view greets you instead of one that sinks your spirit.

While getting my M.A. in English Language and Literature at University of Chicago, I called the school counseling office in search of career counseling. I learned from the person who answered the phone that they did not offer career counseling, but if I didn’t like my trajectory, I should get myself down to their office so I could join the 80% of students on psychotropic drugs. This was 1996, but it remains a “wow” moment. If 80% of your students require meds just to tolerate your school, then school environment’s a problem!

Instead of taking her advice, I bought flowers. Every Friday, as a symbolic act, I brought home a small bouquet and placed it on the kitchen table. Those flowers marked the start of “weekend space.” Every Friday, I packed away anything to do with school, bought myself a nice bouquet and spent the weekend “as though” I just happened to live in the great city of Chicago. (Of course, I did live in the great city of Chicago, but graduate school often overwhelms all areas of life. I made a conscious choice to separate — i.e. set apart, make sacred — weekends. And the ritual of a small bouquet of flowers made that transition real.)

Sometimes I made elaborate vegetarian dinners and invited neighbors in for a low cost but home cooked meal. My only rule at those dinners: no discussing school. Any other topic would do. Other times I went dancing uptown with friends. My one rule was that weekends were “my time.” Yes, that rule made for long nights during the week, but it kept me sane while most of my classmates spiraled into deep depression. Knowing I did not wish to continue at that school, I withdrew my PhD application in February. I wanted nothing tying me to a future that would murder everything I valued in myself. I didn’t trust myself to turn down their offer if it came.

Sound dramatic? It was, yet I managed to thrive. My sunny smile and levity about the whole competitive BS environment drew many friends to me. U of Chicago marked my first foray into spontaneous intuitive readings and dream interpretation. It honed my hostess and vegetarian cooking skills, and it taught me the importance of small details when feeling trapped by commitments or lack of plan.

Having navigated nine months of hell while making my own beauty and fun, I skipped graduation and vowed never to return to Hyde Park. Never say never: in February 2010, a series of dreams led me right back to the belly of the beast. Guess what, though? I had changed.

Post-TBI, post-marriage, now accepting my life path instead of fighting it, I found a different world than I left so many years before. People were no longer getting kidnapped or mugged at one in the afternoon. A new park lined Lake Michigan, and a health food store specializing in fresh veggie juice and homemade raw vegan food options now brightened 53rd Street. The apartment building my dreams and visions led me to ended up providing a Mother Lode of Doors for me to paint. These portal paintings, in turn, directly led to me meeting and eventually marrying David.

In a similar way, when David and I arrived in Goshen and felt led to rent a gut rehabbed cottage across the street from a factory and a very loud train, the external environment felt like a kick in the gut. Little things shifted the energies step by step. Until Goshen, U of Chicago was my main example of living somewhere that crushed my soul. I spent nine months there, whereas Goshen turned into a five-year stint to support David’s aging parents. Because I spent more time there, years of little steps turned into a one-third acre permaculture food forest and two fully decorated cottages, but even more ideal places can welcome upgrades.

We love our new house and all its views. That doesn’t mean neglecting the inside, though. The simple act of putting floral placemats with scalloped edges on a red tablecloth brings me many moments of delight throughout the day. In the midst of our long, gray winters, this post-Christmas table setup makes me smile every time I walk by. Find your own little things that make you smile. You don’t need to do a gut rehab or relocate to find ways to turn your home into your own personal paradise. Often times a little nature goes a long way. Whether real or artificial, flowers, plants, natural materials and/or images that bring you in touch with nature ease the soul and help concentration.

Bring the garden indoors.

Use What You Have or What You Can

Speaking of real or artificial flowers and plants, I’ve purposely included both real and artificial plants in the photos so far. I love gardening, but not everyone has a green thumb. Some people can’t have plants due to animals, allergies or lighting conditions. I forget where I saw this, but I’ve long sensed its truth: scientific studies show that having real or artificial plants in your office improves focus, concentration and creativity. Obviously, avoid toxic smelling faux plants or at least let them off gas. Real plants clean the air on a literal, as well as symbolic level.

But some areas of the home don’t allow for real plants. You can spend a lot of money buying and killing plants to fill dark corners or windowless rooms. Eventually, you might want to consider a tapestry, photograph, coffee table book, or other way to get calming greenery into your space. My office has become a haven inside Dra’Faven:

The cactus and ivy are real. The boxwood hanging from the ceiling and in the cherub’s vase are faux. Those boxwood balls make me giggle when I walk into the room. They also make me look up. This portal door (aka The Tree of Life or Daphne Door) is the first thing my eyes see when I enter the diagonally opposite door. Hanging those balls from the ceiling draws the eye from bottom to top, which corresponds to an uplift of spirit.

This shows a different angle at night with the overhead light on — a bit bright for regular use, but it helps for photos.

Lighting can make a huge difference for not much cost or trouble. The fireplace has a flame-like Himalayan salt lamp, which provides a warm glow, and I have a yellow-toned LED bulb in the lamp behind my computer desk. Using an LED allows me to get much more light out of a 1950’s lamp from David’s parents. Anything more than 20 watts made that lamp dangerous to leave on. For the cost of one LED bulb, I get the equivalent of a 100 watt bulb’s light if I need it, without needing to replace a vintage lamp.

Although I consider our house in Kalamazoo an ideal spot for us right now and into the foreseeable future, I do miss having a water view. I’ve had water views in many locations, including Monterey, Southern Oregon and Lake Michigan. We spend a lot of time on the Michigan shores of Lake Michigan, but in terms of amenities, David’s employment, general attitude and opportunities, Kalamazoo makes sense to live. How to have the best of both worlds? Water sounds (fountain, CD’s) and water tapestries.

Below, you can see the huge Goddess of Summer tapestry, a gift from Tania when I rented Haus Am See as an office.

This tapestry gave me a year round indoor garden view, but the thought of living somewhere “permanently” without a water view made me a little sad. I didn’t even realize I felt sad about it until I spent $12 on this waterfall tapestry to hide a messy area of David’s office while he still lived in Goshen finishing up his old job. I thought I’d feel celebratory when he set up his office. I was surprised to feel sad not to see the waterfall anymore. At the risk of turning my office into a crazy riot of color and nature, I decided to hang the tapestry in my own “Wealth Corner.” As with the boxwood balls, seeing the waterfall makes my heart sing.

The point is to find ways of using what you have and what works in your space. If you truly want to live by the beach, then having a screensaver or tapestry now that puts you in the beach vibe will help you manifest that beach home sooner. If you don’t want to move to the beach, but you love vacationing there, then sprinkling some beachy elements will improve your mood and outlook. A little bit of “ahhh” enters your uggh. Your subconscious registers everything. Bring more of what you wish to see, smell, taste, touch and hear into your immediate space, and watch the larger reality mimic your sacred spot.

You don’t need to follow my ideas or decorating style. The important takeaway is to pay attention to your own preferences, delights and aversions, and respond accordingly. If you want more nature, find some way, somehow to bring nature into your home. If you love a particular color, paint a bookshelf, wall or entire room that color. If you can’t do that, at least get a notebook in that color. Or wear that color. Use what you have or find ways of bringing “the not yet possible” into your reality, right now.

Become Your Own Sacred Space

For all the power of environment to help or hinder people from living dreams, you can become your own sacred space. You can choose to fill your time with little details or symbolic shifts that move you in the direction of your dearest hopes. Instead of waiting for inspiration to complete a masterpiece, commit now to five minutes per day or one afternoon a week to play with creativity. Find the smallest gesture you can for sure commit to, and then follow through. Those tiny actions will build upon each other to change the look and feel of your inner environment.

As with your home, take care whose energies you allow into your inner space. If you find repeat thoughts trouble you, write them down and ask where they come from. Whose are they? Do they belong in the inner space you’d love to create? What upgraded thoughts might replace them?

For example, gratitude stymies worry. If you catch yourself worrying, pause and list five things for which you feel grateful. The first might take awhile, but as you get to five, you’ll probably find even more “thank you’s” flowing in. You cannot feel worry and gratitude at the same time. Gratitude is the antidote to worry. If a worry continues beyond the gratitude, then ask what practical guidance it can offer you at this time. What little step could you take right now or today that would reduce (even very slightly) the cause of worry? Pay attention to those little things. They all add up.

Every home benefits from regular cleaning, and so do your body and your mind. Decluttering your outer space helps to declutter your inner space. You might also find that writing lists declutters your mind and allows you to get more done. If you just flail your arms at dust, you make more dust. Put all those thoughts flying around onto a piece of paper — sweep the dust into one location, then get to work on it. Just having a list you can check off brings some order to your inner space.

One of the most life changing books I ever read was Sarah Ban Breathnach’s “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy.” Another life changing book was Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way.” Neither book felt good all the time. The soulful elements of each forced me to recognize where my soul lacked expression. Both books resulted in moves and lifestyle shifts. I came to accept myself as an artist, not only when I paint, but in my daily life. I breathe beauty. I need beauty to flow in me, around me and through me. As a young adult, I felt inadequate because of that, like I had some weakness or flaw that made me vain or superficial. In different ways, each book helped me to honor beauty, sensory pleasure, order, color and creation as conversations with my soul.

I feel lucky that a 1998 brain injury forced me to set aside my rational mind for four years while I healed. I longed to live a more intuitive and artistic life, but my left brain always said “No way, that sounds crazy” or, at best, “Come back later.” Eventually, my soul got tired of knocking, so a car accident knocked me out, along with my rational side. It only became safe for reason, logic and sequential thinking to return once I consciously gave my soul permission to run my inner household. When I consciously aligned with Divine Guidance, I found that life flowed better, and lo and behold, Divine Guidance led to fulfilling, soulful experiences.

The soul exerts tremendous influence whether or not you give it permission or room to do so. When you honor your soul through sense and symbol, you retain some conscious influence over the soul. You get to compromise in little steps instead of having a disabling traumatic brain injury or other crisis force the issue. I’m a stubborn lass, so it took a TBI to save my soul. It set me straight, required to live on a path I just happen to love. My brain healed, but more importantly, my soul did, and it’s the little things, Mother Nature, symbols and beauty that soothe the soul. Sacred decorating, inside and out, gives you a chance to align with your soul’s highest hopes and dreams, as well as deep nourishment that works for you.

You’ll feel more productive and more loved. My Aunt Kath and Uncle John always make a toast, “To more love!” That feels like a good way to end this post. Do what you can, with what you have to show more love to your innermost you. Delight that inner child; soothe the frazzled senses; smell the roses. However you bring sacred decorating into your life, do it with the mantra. “To more love!” Your soul will thank you.

from Thomas Reed https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2019/01/15/sacred-decorating/

[hoenursey]

worst behavior || nursey + jack

“Nursey.”

He doesn’t answer him, typing away at his keyboard in a way that’s visibly agitated, or at least irritable. What are normally soft, smooth clicks against the mac’s surface are now harsh, broken-sounding; each near-slam of his slim fingers makes a sharp clack in the quiet of the haus’ living room.

“Nursey,” Jack says again.

The continued silence makes it clear that he’s being ignored. Inwardly, he sighs.

“Twenty-eight, your captain is talking to you. Answer, now.”

“Yo, Captain. Didn’t see you there,” Nursey drawls. Jack makes the executive decision not to call him out on his blatant lie and gets to his knees so that he doesn’t loom over Nursey where he’s scrunched up in the corner.

“You’ve been tense lately. There’s something wrong with you. What is it?” Shit, that was probably the wrong way to go about it, but it’s already been said. Something flickers across Nurse’s face too fast for him to identify, and even if it had been obvious, he’s not sure if he’d be able to properly identify what it was then either.

“There’s plenty of shit wrong with me. There’s plenty of shit wrong with you, too. We’re both older than the people in our respective grades for a reason, Capitane.”

“You know that’s not what I mean. You’ve been snapping at people, aggressive on the ice like you usually aren’t, fighting with Dex more often. You nearly dropped your gloves last game.”

“It’s an aggressive sport. I’m still playing good hockey, aren’t I?” Nursey asks, his tone deceptively lazy.

Jack makes a quietly frustrated noise. “You’re playing damn good hockey. You know that. You’re a great player and a hard worker. You’re serious in practice. But you aren’t okay. You–”

“Why do you care?”

Jack stops. “What?”

Nursey raises a brow. It’s a little condescending. “I said, why. do. you. care.”

“I’m your captain, of course I care, Nursey,” Jack says. “It’s my job to care about your wellbeing.”

“On the ice,” Nursey shoots back. “Dunno about you, but i’m not seeing any ice. I think it’s hardwood, actually.”

“Nursey, you’re being purposefully obtuse and I know you’re smart as hell. I’m worried about you. You don’t have to…” Still frustrated, he switches to French to calm himself down.

<< “You can tell me what’s wrong. I won’t tell anybody, but I have a right to know what’s affecting my players because it can affect the team in the long run. You’re maintaining because you’re a good player but that won’t last forever. I pay attention. I know you’re upset about something. Just spit it out.” >>

<< “All you pay attention to is hockey and your major. Your whole schedule is ‘eat sleep hockey class hockey, Bitty, Shitty, Lardo repeat’. You’re all in on that shit. That’s fine, but I don’t fall under that list. My problems aren’t yours until they affect you on the ice, and from what you’ve said, they haven’t.” >>

<< “It’s being preemptive,” >> Jack protests. << “I care about the whole team. I want to know.” >>

<< “Every reporter in America wanted to know about you, didn’t they? And they still don’t know the truth. It wasn’t their business, and it was a matter of privacy. I don’t ask you. Don’t ask me,” >> Nursey says, and the note of bitterness along with the icy coolness in his tone is enough to make Jack back off a little, because… well, Nursey’s sort of right. It’s his privacy.

“Euh… I, uh. Yeah. Yeah,” Jack manages to get out. “I'm… damn. Désolé, Nursey.”

Some of the tension fades from Nursey’s shoulders and what he thinks is surprise lights in his sleepy green eyes, but it disappears quickly.

“C'est bien. I’ve got to finish this paper before midnight, though, so, like…”

“Yeah, sure. Uh. Good… luck. I hope you do well.”

“Thanks.”

For the next week, Jack tries to be a little nicer to Nursey– to all of the frogs, actually, because Nursey had a point: he didn’t really get close to many people and when he did, he stuck with them and didn’t oftentimes branch out. Chowder is of course delighted, but he’s fairly excited by most things; Dex is a little more hesitant, but Jack remembers details about people, and he asks for a basic tutorial on how to fix small things around the house for his new apartment wherever he goes and the freshman warms right up to him, even if he talks a little fast and seems a little redder than usual. He takes time out for Ransom and Holster, too, who seem surprised but pleased, and willing to be around him; he finds he likes it even outside of their haus movie nights.

Jack doesn’t exactly seek out Nursey, but he does know now because of Dex that he tends to seek out Lardo when he’s thinking about anything. He’d asked the younger defenseman, which he had gone a little odd about.

“Why?” he asked suspiciously, gripping his stick. “Is he in trouble?”

“No,” Jack tried to say, but Dex barreled on.

“Who did he yell at? Was it Chowder? Was it you? He’s weird but he probably didn’t mean it, Jack, I swear, and he’s been weirder than normal it’s probably some dumb art thing-”

“Dex,” Jack said firmly. “Nursey’s not in trouble and he didn’t yell at anyone. I’m just trying to figure out where he hangs out so that if I ever need him, I know where to find him. He’s the only person I don’t know where he goes.”

Dex blinked. “Oh.”

“And you shouldn’t say that,” Jack added. “Art’s important. Most of the stuff we know about history is because of art.”

“I. Uh. Yeah? Sorry. Sorry, Jack,” he stammered out, flushing badly. “He hangs out with Lardo and Shitty.”

“Thanks. And thanks for showing up to optional skate. Go warm up.”

“Yes sir.”

The next time Shitty’s room smells prominently of weed– enough that the rest of the haus gets a bit of a contact high– Jack slips inside and sure enough, Nursey is there, laid out on his back with a joint between his lips, his eyes closed.

“Yo, Zimmermann,” Lardo says lazily. Shitty vaguely waves an arm: he’s face down on his bed, his laptop open on what looks like a college application, probably Harvard again. A choking noise comes from over Nursey’s direction, but Jack ignores it and settles next to Lardo, who promptly eases into his lap like a cat. He tucks his chin over her head and she makes a happy noise that rumbles against his chest.

“You smoke?” Nursey asks, wary.

Jack shrugs. “Sometimes. Not always. Not often. It helps, y’know? With the anxiety. Stress.”

“Jack usually just sits in here,” Lardo supplies. “It’s better than his meds sometimes. Right Jack?”

“Yeah,” he murmurs, and squeezes her lightly around the waist.

“I know,” Nursey says under his breath–he already talks at a low pitched little thing, almost a mutter– and it’s just quiet enough that he almost misses it.

Huh.

Jack does end up taking a couple hits, just enough to give him a buzz, then spends the rest of the time playing with Lardo’s hair and eventually, Shitty’s. He’s good at braids. The wariness doesn’t fade from Nursey’s eyes, not quite or at least not all the way, but the tension does.

“Hey, Bit- uh, Bitty?” Jack asks from the doorway. It’s warm in the kitchen, and something pop-y and light is playing, which makes sense, because Bittle’s arms are covered from fingertip to elbow in flour. He gets distracted for a second, staring at the contrast between his now ghost-white forearms and sun-kissed upper arms and shoulders, until Bitty says, “Oh, Jack! I’m sorry, you haven’t been standing there long, have you? C’mon in here, Lord, you ain’t gotta stand there, it’s your house too.”

“Right, yeah.” Jack steps in, and Bittle looks up at him expectantly for a minute until he remembers that he’s here for something, and not just to hover around while he makes food.

“Uh, do you know Nursey’s favourite pie?” He asks.

One little blond brow quirks up at him. “Yes, Jack, I know all of your favourites. It’s sweet potato. How come?”

“No reason,” he says evasively. It doesn’t work. Bitty’s mouth turns up at the corner a little, and he leans his hip against the counter, dusting his hands off.

“So you just… happen to be asking what Nursey’s favourite pie is, randomly? No reason behind it at all, hm? Why not Ransom’s? Or mine?”

“Yours is peach-lemon,” Jack says immediately. He isn’t sure why he knows that, but then Bitty’s cheeks go a little pink, and something sort of twinges in him and goes That’s why. Because Bitty likes when we remember stuff about him. He ignores it– aggressively– and instead pounces on the fact that Bitty is now in a good mood if he wasn’t already.

“Do you think you could maybe make a sweet potato pie? Just, uh don’t let the boys get at it, eh? It’s a surprise, kind of? A pick me up?” He’s rambling, a little, but it’s not like he talks a hell of a lot anyways.

Bitty’s brow creases a little, which means he probably said something wrong, but he can’t take it back now.

“Jack, is Nursey alright?” He moves to grab something, a pie tin, and starts shaping the dough within it. “Now that I think about it, he’s seemed a little off, but I thought he was just tired because of class, I should’ve said somethin’, i’ve been so distracted by this dang blog that I haven’t even tried! I wish someone had said–”

“Bitty,” he says firmly, a little loud. The smaller man looks up, startled.

“Was I rambling again? My bad. I’m just–”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize, I do it too. Can you make the pie?”

“Of course, Jack. When do you need it by?”

“Tonight would be. That would would be good, if you can. Or tomorrow night, either way, it doesn’t really matter–”

“I’ll make it tonight,” Bitty says cheerily. “Don’t you worry your head, i’ll just make a murder run and i’ll use this crust here, buy some more stuff for another since we’re dang near outta flour anyways.”

“I can, uh, come with you, and help you carry your stuff back from the store? Or just so you don’t have to walk alone…?”

He looks surprised at the offer, and maybe a little touched. “Oh, Jack– I mean, if you’re busy, you don’t hafta, but i’d sure appreciate it if you’re sure you want to.”

“I’m sure. I’ll grab my phone. You should grab a jacket.”

“Chirp, chirp, chirp, Mr. Zimmermann. I’ll get you back one a’ these days, mark my words.”

It’s a little late by Jack’s standards when they finally finish up the pie; somewhere in the middle, Bitty had gotten the idea for a marshmallow top crust and had absolutely needed to work it out on paper for later, on a pie that didn’t have so much weighing on it. Still, it comes out well, and Bitty bags him up, sends him off with the pie, a container of cool whip, and a thermos of milk, “In case you decide not to drink those beers with my pie,” he says, gesturing to the two bottles with their slim necks tangled between his fingers.

Jack thanks him and Bitty sends him off with a smile. He stands in the doorway, waving, and it makes him warm and a little less anxious about what he’s about to do to know that he has the support of the younger man. Got your back, he thinks, and knows they all mean it.

Jack knocks softly at Nursey’s door, as gently as he can with the two bottles clutched in his hand. There’s a loud scuffling noise, some brief swearing, and what sounds like chips being crushed, and then Nursey opens the door.

He looks… kind of a mess. Not that Jack judges anyone who looks a mess, because he’s very, very familiar with that look, but he looks bad, like he’s genuinely not feeling well.

“Jack?” Nursey croaks, then looks startled at the sound of his own voice. He clears his throat quietly, then speaks up again. “Uh- what are you doing here?”

“I brought a pie,” he says, awkwardly holding it aloft. Nursey looks at him, the pie, the beers, and then back at him, then silently backs away from the door to allow him inside the dorm.

Jack ducks his head, pleased, and eases inside, beelining for the kitchen. Out of the corner of his eye he can see Nursey trailing slowly behind him; he can’t see the expression on his face, but somehow he doubts it would tell him much.

“I’ve got milk, too,” Jack offers when he sits down. “Bitty packed it in… euh, a thermos.”

“Beer’s fine,” Nursey murmurs. He hesitates, hovering by the table for a second before going over to the cabinet and grabbing something. Until he turns around, Jack doesn’t see it, but when the freshman settles in a chair he sets the item (items?) on the table: two little forks and a bottle opener. “Oh, thanks.”

“Yeah.”

Jack unwraps the foil from the crust and peels the cling wrap off, then slides it Nursey’s way while he cracks open the beers.  He remains mostly socially polite and doesn’t eat before him, though he pulls off a bit of crust and nibbles at it until Jack offers him his beer. The freshman raises it in mock salute before pressing his lips to the rim and drinking deeply from it.

Jack digs his fork in quietly, which gives Nursey the go ahead to hesitantly slide in his fork with his own.

They’re like that for a while, just the sound of quiet eating and their bottles settling on the table every so often. Jack watches Nursey as he works his way through the pie; only the glow of the light above the stove illuminates the little kitchen.

Maybe half of the pie is gone when Nursey speaks up.

“So we gonna do this after pie or during? Because it’s kinda late and I’ve got an eight am tomorrow.”

“Sorry,” Jack says. “Or– well, yeah, sorry for that, but, euh… I wanted to say sorry.”

Nursey blinks at him.

“For prying,” Jack says. Awkwardness creeps into his tone at the blank silence he receives. “Uh, earlier, in the week? You…”

“No, I know what you’re talking about,” Nursey interrupts. “Just. That was kind of… unexpected.”

He is instantly so, so fucking relieved.

“I mean it. You were right, I don’t– i’m not entitled to knowing. That’s not my business. And I don’t pay attention to everyone. I’ve been trying to get better at that, which is kind of why I was doing the prying. You didn’t see me last year, but I wasn’t who I am now, and even who I am now isn’t really great. I’m a lot better,” he says earnestly, waving his fork a bit as he spoke. “So i’m sorry. That was hypocritical of me, eh? To ask for all that when I don’t tell anybody? And it was rude.”

Nursey blinks again. “Uh.”

“Sorry. That was a lot.”

“No…? I… that’s. That’s not what I, uh, was expecting,” he manages to say a few tries in. He leans back, and Jack can see from the dip that forms in his cheek that he’s biting the inside of it as he taps against the table with his fork.

Jack wanted to ask– was he forgiven? Was all alright? Were they good? It was making him anxious, honestly, that he didn’t know how Nursey was feeling– but he wouldn’t go back on his word and therefore stayed silent until Nurse cleared his throat quietly.

“Thanks,” he murmured. “I’m not super into sharing feelings and whatevs, y’know? Like that’s not what i’m about really. But thanks. For taking what I said into consideration.”

Jack nodded, relieved. “No problem, Nurse.”

Nursey shot him a weak smile. He fiddled with his fork, slim fingers rolling the utensil in his grip. “You mind if I put this away? M’not really that hungry anymore and, uh, early class.”

“Oh, of course, sorry,” he says. “Uh, here, take the foil. It’ll do you more good than me, probably, eh?”

Nursey chuckles softly and takes the foil. His hands fold lightly around the edges, molding it around until it’s covered neatly. “I’ll walk you out,” he says softly. “You’ve got everything?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll grab my ID.”

“Thanks for the pie,” Nursey says at the door to his building. “Means a lot.”

Jack knows intrinsically that Nursey isn’t talking about the pie. It warms him a little. “Thank Bitty, he did all the work. I just bought supplies.” It’s nothing, i’m happy to do it.

“Still. You didn’t have to. Personal pie and all that.” I still appreciate it.

“No problem.” You deserve it.

They stand by the door a little awkwardly until Jack claps his hand on the other man’s shoulder gently. He makes his voice low. “Jusqu'ici tout va bien, eh?”

Nursey nods. “Ouais, ça va. Juste fatigué est tout. Promettre. Problèmes personnels.”

Jack meets his eyes and keeps them for a second. It wasn’t quite a lie, or enough of one that he needed to be called on it, so he nods and squeezes his shoulder. “À plus tard, ouais? Stop by the haus sometime this week. Bitty misses you, there’s too many calories and not enough mouths in the haus to feed.”

That gets another weak laugh out of him. “Sure. I’ll see what I can do. À bientôt, Capitane.”

Jack gives him a mock salute, which Nursey returns with a tiny, tiny smile, and then slips out into the night to make his way back to the haus.

Everything isn’t fixed, he thinks to himself, but maybe Nursey is a little less miserable.

They don’t talk about it, but Jack finds Nursey nearer to him in the next few weeks, and he welcomes it. He had been neglecting even his close friends, he realizes. Nursey eases up when Jack finds his way into Shitty’s room, doesn’t go so tense when he lightly places a hand at his arm. He allows himself to be corralled out of arguments with Dex. When Jack says something to him, he no longer quietly and subtly shuts down– which was what had been going on, Jack realizes now; he didn’t seem to take well to being called out in a group individually unless others were– it still seems to sting a little, but it doesn’t look as if he’s visibly taking offense or harm from it.

Jack opens up in return: he gives him space, respect, recognizes his work ethic on and off the ice. Jack finds himself saving food for him (he doesn’t eat much. Why doesn’t he eat much? He’s two inches taller than Jack,) and a month later finds himself at a poetry reading. He sees Dex out of the corner of his eye and nods to him; he flushes and nods back. Jack only stays for Nursey’s reading, third, and catches his eye and smiles lightly before he heads out.

“Thanks,” Nursey says softly the next day, pleased and flushed.

“It’s no problem–” is all Jack manages to get out before a voice calls, “Nursey, c’mon, we’re gonna be late to meet Chowder and Farmer!”

Jack raises a brow at him and Nursey flushes a little more. “Dex, uh, came. To the poetry reading,” he says, as if that explains anything at all, but it does.

“Just as long as you’re being safe–”

“Oh my god, it’s not– we’re talking. That’s it.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

Nursey rolls his eyes. “Salut, Jack.”

“Later, Nursey.”

“Yo, what the fuck is–”

“Shhh.”

Shitty rounds the corner; when he’s in full view, Jack is there, pressing a finger to his lips and frowning.

“Why am I being shushed, brahooh is that motherfucking Nurse? Why in the hell is he–”

“Shh,” Jack says again. His frown grows deeper, but he turns back to his book and gently eases his fingers back into Nursey’s silky curls.

“He’s letting you do that, right? You didn’t, like, hit him over the head with a hockey stick, right?”

“I wouldn’t do that to a stick,” Jack says, still frowning. “Or Nursey, for that matter.”

Shitty snorts and flops onto one of the other couches. “Loving where your priorities lie, brother. Still, can’t believe Nursey’s laid out on you like that. Took him a pretty long time to open up to me, if we’re being honest.”

Jack looks down at their position on the couch, or rather, Nursey’s: Jack himself is sitting upright, a book in his hand, mug of tea on the table next to the couch, while Nursey is just as Shitty said, laid out, his head resting face-down on his thighs.

(“Move your book,” Nursey had said.

“What?” Jack asked, alarmed, as Nursey tossed his backpack into the floor.

“Move it. Tea too. Arms up.”

Jack had obeyed, bewildered; Nursey kicked off a shoe lazily and had begun to shuck off his jacket.

“Oh my god, please don’t get fucking naked–”

“I’m not getting naked, crisse. Shits and I went to the same school,” he plopped on the couch and then squirmed onto his lap. “That’s where the similarities fucking end.”

It took him a few minutes to get truly comfortable, but he mumbled into his leg, “You can put your arms down,” so Jack wasn’t really concerned with him moving after that.

Maybe a minute or two later, Nursey had grabbed his hand and put it in his hair. Jack froze for a second, but then he heard, or rather felt, a little grunt against his leg and he began to tentatively run his fingers through his curls.)

“He’s tired,” Jack explains. “He said, uh. Two tests and an essay and then some presentation? And then he’s doing something for Lardo later so… napping. I respect it.”

“You would,” Shitty said, rolling his eyes fondly. “You want something from the kitchen?”

“Protein shake? And maybe a brownie.”

“Got it, brahski–”

“Bring another one for Nursey, too.”

“Gotcha.”

Shitty retreats to the kitchen, humming; Jack returns to his book until a clumsy hand comes up and pats at his face.

“Mmm… ‘anks, Jack,” Nursey mumbles sleepily. Jack smiles and squeezes the hand, gently pulling it from his face.

“Got your back, Nurse,” he murmurs, rubbing a hand along his spine. “Always.”

[writing-frenzy]

Mirroring Imperfectly- Meet and Greet

Thanks to @dude-its-in-my-head I am going to write something for this idea that came to me. (Seriously, if you doodle something for me, I will probably scream.) Anyways, if anything looks familiar, it’s because it’s all been inspired by Phantom’s Lair, Arthur-Tristan-Kingsmen, Providentially-Demonic, and Ectoimp, and so many other writers and artist I can’t keep track of. I will make sure to credit anything directly from them that I put in this story. Thank you for taking the time to read this!

(And I will write more for this, so I’m going to call it part of the Mirroring Imperfectly series.

Arthur Kingsmen POV

When Arthur woke up, he already knew he was going to be in for a Bad Time.

Looking around the strangely reflective black hallways that surrounded him, complimented with the strangely ghost white flames that dotted here and there in the near Victorian Steampunk style items of furniture and such, only confirmed it for him. Then he saw the Plaque hanging out of the only exit in the very much dead end hallway.

Oh goody, how will such a thing spell doom for him this time?

Getting up with a bit of a wince, Arthur dusted himself off before patting down his pockets, making sure his notebook was right in his vest where it was suppose to be. Taking it out, the Kingsmen made sure to read it over carefully before he made his next step forward anywhere. After all, sometimes ones own memories couldn’t be trusted; hence the start of the reunited group’s notebook rule. Vivi followed it near religiously, even having Arthur make her a special recorder that connected to an app on her laptop that always automatically saved whatever she said. (so she would never miss a moment of her life again.) 

Shaking his head at the memories (maybe whatever knocked him out took a little more out of him then he thought?), Arthur went at his notes, nodding as he saw they matched up with what he knew. The Skulls had been called in to investigate the mysterious disappearances of an old haunted house attraction that was being fixed up, (before half the construction worker went missing of course). The made it there in record time, and had even had a big break when the locals had been very open in how the place was cursed, and that it was best to ‘beware of reflections, for you might not like what you see’ and such.

And wouldn’t you know it, but a mirror was the cause of all this mess. Last he had written down about it was that Mystery had troubles reading it because apparently reality was very strange where they were. 

“Almost thinner in a way, like a toothpick could poke through it.” the kitsune had explained at the time, red eyes furrowed in thought as he had taking in the old attraction.

“Hmm, knowing my luck we’re all in the looking glass or something.” Arthur grumbled, noting down what has happened so far before putting it back up.

That was when he heard groaning start up, making the poor blond hide jump nearly ten feet.

“Uhhh, where am I?” was asked weakly, the familiar voice making Arthur still in any and all movements.

Oh for the love of-

Sitting up from behind the trunk that concealed them earlier, a doppelganger of the one and only Arthur Kingsmen appeared, looking a little worse for wear with the eye bags and wrinkled clothing.

Taking a deep breath in, the mechanic took a more careful look around the room, never turning his back to his copy as he looked for more surprises possibly hiding away.

And oh, wouldn’t you know it, there was another version of himself in the room, trembling in their carefully concealed hiding spot behind some rather strategic mirrors.

Oh, absolutely B-E-A-Utiful. 

“P-please tell me I’m hallucinating.” was yet how the silence was broken once more, making Arthur turn to the other him that was now standing behind the trunk. While the other was trying to be brave, Arthur could see how they trembled, clutching at their metal arm close as stood their ground.

“I really wish I could, believe me, I do.” the blond answered the other, before motioning to the still hiding one, “As it it, do either of you two feel the urge to maim, kill, and or torture me? Because it’s be great to know before hand so I can get a running start.” 

Well that got a reaction, as while the one in front of his just looked horrified, the other seemed to be bumping around in their hiding place before falling out of it-

“Holy fuck!” Arthur cursed, getting out his mini med-kit from his trusty vest, thanking everything and anything that Mystery and Vivi put in some expansions to it; the blond didn’t think he would have enough burn creams and antiseptic otherwise.

Because while the second version he saw might have looked a little rough around the edges, this third one he saw looked downright hau-

The pause in the mechanic's care was barely even noticed, as he hurriedly carried on with patching the third version of him he came across, who while looking terrified also looked relieved at the same time.

“Y-you do-don’t have to; you’re just end up wasting it for something more important.” this injured version of himself mumbled, stuttering at the beginning as that was the time the youngest Kingsmen started cleaning at some of the open burns, which were looking pretty recent.

“Don’t worry, I got plenty.” Arthur assured, even as he finally finished bandaging them, fully taking the other in. This third one was again another look-alike, except he wasn’t wearing the signature vest and of course the injuries he had all along his good arm. Their body language was also a lot more closed off and definitely scared, as he shrank into himself more, ever so watchful of any move either of the pair would make.

Taking a glance over at the more composed version of himself, who looked just as troubled at the injuries the other had, Arthur sighed.

Which seemed to signal something, as the Plaque that had been playing innocent decided now was the time to act up, glowing in pure white as it did so, words appearing before it.

              The Challenge is to be had,

                 for good or for bad,

              Let the games begin once more,

                   From rich to poor,

               All the worlds get a chosen pick,

              nevermind if one is healthy or sick

               For return to your realities the prize,

                   First one must escape demise,

                        So one hopes to the Challenge they rise!

And after the terribly confusing poem, the plaque dissappeared, but not before a strange, scratching and thudding sound was heard.

Yeah, definitely in for a Bad Time indeed.  

[stufftippywrote]

unfair

I haven't written Nursey/Ransom yet! Hope this works.

It's the eve of graduation and Nursey can't sleep.

Not because it's a big day for everyone tomorrow. Not because of regrets, or unfinished poetry, or unwon championships.

Because tomorrow he'll be helping Rans and the guys load up their stuff, and then moving his own stuff into the attic, along with Dex.

And that attic is gonna feel hella weird without Ransom there.

Nursey hasn't been able to wrap his brain around that image -- an attic that's home to him and Dex, but one where Ransom doesn't come up the stairs to convene a D-men meeting. An attic he can't escape to when he really needs to jam to some tunes, where he can sprawl out on Holster's bed and spread his arms behind his head and just enjoy being in the company of someone who gets it.

How's it gonna feel like home without Ransom there? Nursey hasn't got a fucking clue.

He gets out of bed, shrugs on some shorts, and makes his way out of the dorm and onto the streets. The spring air is just warm enough to be comfortable, and Nursey wishes he had the luxury of enjoying it. But no, he's got to get his ass to the Haus, and he's got to do it now.

He's two houses away when he realizes there's someone out on the Reading Room. Someone tall, so it's not Bitty, which means he must be at Jack's for the night. Nursey's heart hurts a little. Those two made it work. Nursey doesn't know if he can, not long-distance. But damn it, he can't just not try.

A little closer and he realizes it's Ransom out there. Nursey's heart leaps. He jogs into the front yard and waves up. Ransom responds by sliding in the window and hurrying downstairs to let Nursey in.

They don't even have to say anything. Nursey just follows Ransom upstairs, into Bitty's room, and out the window.

Side by side on the roof, they breathe in the night air and each other's presence. It's been like this with Rans for longer than Nursey can recall, where they could just sit and chill together without needing to say a thing. Of course, there's plenty of times when they talk until they're both breathless, and usually grinning. But then there's moments like this.

Nursey almost feels bad about breaking the silence. "So," he says. "Tomorrow."

"Yeah, man. I don't know, I can't believe it either." Ransom shrugs. "Like, this whole place and everyone I've known, and I'm just gonna pack up and say goodbye? Seems fake."

"Totally fake," Nursey agrees. "But Rans, it's happening. You're going to med school, and you're gonna have all new friends and not sleep for three years."

"Yeah, fuck that. What the fuck is wrong with me?"

"I haven't got the faintest clue, man." Why is he doing this, why is he wasting time, when the hours, the minutes are ticking by? He steels himself. "Rans, you know I-- I wish you didn't have to go, right?"

Ransom glances at him. "Yeah," he says with a half-smile, "well, sorry, already applied for the student loans."

Nursey chews on his lip. He curls one hand into a fist. "Rans," he says. "I'm gonna miss the hell out of you."

"Yeah?" There's a note of surprise in Ransom's voice. He finds a smile, lifts a hand, lays it on Nursey's shoulder. "I'll be back. I'll visit."

"It won't be the same." Nursey's heart is hammering against his ribs, because this is the moment, this is the last chance. "I don't fucking want you to go, Rans. I don't want to lose you."

"Derek, Jesus," Ransom says, shifting, "I'm just gonna be in Baltimore--"

The words tear out of Nursey in an angry rush. "And I'm gonna be here, writing melancholy poetry about how I never got the goddamn words out before you left, so would you shut up and listen to me for a minute?"

Rans blinks at him, jaw slack, in the dimness.

"Okay." Nursey gathers himself. "Okay, chill. Good. Here's the fucking thing, Rans. Here's the issue." He sucks in a breath. "I have feelings for you. Like, I'm not just talking the whole brotherhood and camaraderie bullshit. That's all good, it's its own thing, but you. You and me, we've got something. We've got something, and I don't wanna let go of it, and if I didn't say something right now, I was gonna regret it for the rest of my life, so just--" He waves a hand. "So, whatever.  Now you know."

Ransom is still blinking, eyes wide and dark, and Nursey could kill him for how gorgeous he is, stupid and gorgeous and utterly unfair. It is unfair that someone like Ransom had to exist at all. Had to make Nursey feel like he'd met a soulmate. And then, had to leave.

"Shit," is the first thing Ransom says.

Well, that's at least a typical Ransom response. "Yeah, I know," Nursey grumbles. "It is what it is, though. And I couldn't not--"

"No, no, man." Ransom's hand lands on his, and that's unfair too -- unfair how warm it is, how much Nursey wants to believe it means more than it does, how very clearly it doesn't. "I'm glad you said something. You should always tell me whatever's going on with you."

Nursey shifts uncomfortably. This is the last thing he wanted -- platitudes, brotherly comfort. Even though he knew it's what would most likely come, he'd still held out a small, stupid hope. "Yeah, well." He shrugs. "Bet you're glad to get out of here tomorrow, then."

"What? No. No." Ransom squeezes his hand. "No, man. Now more than ever I wish I didn't have to go."

"I--" Fuck, Nursey's tongue feels like lead in his mouth. "I dunno what that means, but-- I should probably--" He stirs, getting ready to rise and retreat.

"I'm laid-back, not dense," Ransom says, and the sharpness of his tone stills Nursey. "You think I didn't know what was going on with us? You think I didn't feel it?" He laughs. "Why the hell you think I'm out here, Derek? Not enjoying my last view of the Lax House, that's for goddamn sure."

"Huh?" is all Nursey can muster.

"It's just..." Ransom swallows, sighs. "All I can offer you is long-distance right now. And I didn't think you'd be cool with that. I didn't think you'd want it. You know. Even if you wanted... me."

Nursey's head is swimming. "So what-- wait, why are you out here, then?"

Ransom laughs. "I'm thinking," he says, "about this dude I'm hot for and how I'm gonna graduate and head off to med school never having told him how I fucking feel."

"This -- you -- what?" Some part of Nursey is good with words, but that part of him has fainted dead away, and he's stuck sputtering.

"Derek, babe." Ransom's voice is low and careful. "I'm still going. I'm going and all I can do is Skype you all the time and tell you how much I miss you. Is that enough?"

Nursey's mouth is dry. He swallows, tries to smooth out the ragged edges of his breathing. "That's," he says. "That's -- if that's -- yeah. Yeah, I'll manage."

Ransom takes in a huge breath. "Then," he says, "I'm gonna go ahead and kiss you now. Cool?"

"Chill," Nursey agrees, and for the first time tonight, a smile comes to his lips.

Ransom kisses it away.

[samantha-quicks-blog]

Nancy Drew Game Revisions

Here is how I would revise each of the Nancy Drew games! I only put 1 or 2 things for each to leave room for you all to add in your own! Comment below with your additions & feel free to disagree with me!!  SCK & Remastered: CD CHANGE OH MY GOD. Hey, I can’t knock this game too much. It’s the late 90s. Plus they DID revise it so… (I never actually played it through). Open-ended for the fandom here. Overall, entirely too short.

STFD: MORE. MILLIE. Those damn riddles were pointless imo. Make her an actual relevant character!!!

MHM: Have that tapestry in Nancy’s room never to exist. Then make that zodiac animal puzzle a hotspot that Nancy realizes she needs to look out for. Because you can quickly solve that first puzzle from Abby’s book and then therefore quickly realize that you need to look for Chinese characters. Also eliminate Emily Foxworth.

TRT: Blizzard is such a cop-out. Snow, yes. Blizzard, no. I want to explore outdoors more. The garden!! So! Many! Possibilities!

FIN: Those damn fucking keys at the end sequence. The end. Bye. CHANGE THEM.

SSH: Running around aimlessly waiting for Henrik to fall. Give Nancy a reason to go all the way around the garden to cue this scene. Or maybe cue it a different way.

DOG: Man, I would have loved to have met Sally.

SHA: Oh my God this game is perfect. Um…the magnet maze puzzle, honestly what the fuck

CUR: The ghost hunt/run was cute and all but shit stressed me out being on a timer.

CLK: THIS GAME MAKES NO SENSE CHRONOLOGICALLY. MY BRAIN HURTS THINKING OF THE PLACEMENT OF THIS GAME.

TRN: Allow Nancy one punch to Tino’s face...nah (I mean yeah but…) Part 2 of the game was so short. I want more time outside of the train.

DAN: Okay this is a tiny detail but when Nancy talks to Jean about Heather and they go back and forth about Heather’s name pronunciation, I get about 10 levels of awkward.

CRE: I know it’s a dumb thing to say but…Quigley’s dialogue? I usually mute her long ramblings because I get sooooooo bored.

ICE: Fox and fucking geese. Why can’t I play by myself? Why can’t I tell Bill that I’m playing to win FOR A REASON??

CRY: Please for the love of God, Nancy, solve the mystery during the day. Also, let’s not have an 80-year-old man be creepy AF.

VEN: Water tunnels. I refrain from saying anymore.

HAU: We could have had so much Irish culture. SO MUCH IRISH CULTURE. But what’d we get instead???  A JETPACK.

RAN: -sighs-

WAC: I don’t know??? Um…the ending challenge/puzzle with the blade didn’t make sense to me. I would have hoped it would tie into the theme of the game more.

TOT: Another ending sequence complaint. It takes place somewhere you only go ONCE just for the ending. Either, one, visit the Grange more throughout the game or two, take it out. Unnecessary.

SAW: Terrible accents. JAPANESE VOICE ACTORS. Hell, I’d take at least Asian voice actors over…this.

CAP: That freaking board game. Easy but just like…no.

ASH: Hey, if you’re gonna make a game at the home base, WHERE ARE MY HARDY BOYS??????

TMB: At the very least, make it a tiny bit more challenging for Nancy to read hieroglyphs. Also, really wish Dylan’s time wasn’t cut so short.

DED: I know they’ve done it before in other games but switching days to talk to different characters gets annoying. I mean, it’s realistic and I love that but I always forgot who was when & if it was morning or nighttime.

GTH: I wish we got to see/learn more about the family’s history (the factory incident, Charlotte, Harper..) God, this game is RICH with backstory and I WANT MORE.

SPY: Don’t….don’t fuck up Kate Drew.

MED: -sighs again but adds commentary- Eliminate entire concept of a game show, focus on New Zealand culture & Sonny’s mission. G O D.

LIE: SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME HOW THE SET UNDER THE STAGE REVOLVED AND- ohmyfuckinggod.

SEA: Just a bit too puzzle heavy, personally. Again, more history. More story. I still don’t totally know what this game was 100% about.