#queue to pandemonium

[arcane-appetence]

Sae/Chaos for heart

Drop me a character name and I’ll reveal my muse’s heart... 💔 Non-existent 💗 Very low 💗 Hopeful 💗💗 A little 💗💗💗💗💗💗 High 💗💗💗💗💗 Maximum

VISUAL ATTRACTIVENESS: 💗💗💗💗💗 (purely aesthetic appreciation of looks)

FRIENDSHIP LEVEL: 💗💗💗💗💗 (how close a friend they consider them)

SEXUAL DESIRE: 💗💗💗💗💗 (wanting to have sex with them)

ROMANTIC INTENT: 💗💗💗💗💗 (hoping for a romantic relationship)

[allthesethingswillendsoon]

Long, long time

CHAPTER FIVE: There's a first time for everything

SUMMARY: Seventh grade marks some memorable firsts for the girls, both good and bad.

NOTE: Okay whoopsie this lowkey took me ages, but it's over double what I said it would be the other day, but it's not proofread, so if there are any mega plotholes just let me know. I don't mind this one, I think it could've been better but also it's like quite a memorable one for their plot development so like yeah. Also I'm thinking of also posting this on ao3 because I prefer reading on that platform so tell me if you think that's a good or bad idea. Okay, I hope everyone likes it and thinks it's semi-worth the wait.

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Warnings: Little bit of angst, Jealous Paige 6.6k words Pairing: Paige Bueckers x Azzi Fudd

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20th of FEBRUARY, 2015

OAKRIDGE, VIRGINIA

It was a normal, seemingly average Tuesday when it happened.

Paige woke up, she chucked on her clothes and went downstairs. She said a quick goodbye to her dad as he left for work and ate cereal at the kitchen counter. When the clock hit eight she grabbed her backpack and locked the front door. Azzi was waiting at the front gate as always.

They walked to school at a not too slow-not too fast pace, Azzi chattering about her crazy dream the night before - something about gingerbread men and a zombie apocalypse. From the moment they started walking to the moment they stopped, the dark-haired girl made a point to fill the air between them with consistent conversation, not that Paige minded, it was nice to just listen sometimes. 

The first bell rang as they entered the school, and the best friends parted ways for their classes, Paige to Maths and Azzi to French. First period rolled into second period, which rolled into third period. Finally, after an agonizing three hours of education, it was time for lunch.

Tuesday was renowned for having the best lunch, mac and cheese. It was simply mind blowing that the lunch ladies -who were almost always one health code violation away from unemployment- were able to create such delicious food. Each bite was other-worldly, the perfect ratio of pasta to sauce. And after such a draining morning, every student at Oakridge Middle School was absolutely desperate for a taste of heaven.

Paige scoffed at the line of eager kids waiting for their bowl, amateur hour. If they were smart they would have known that you’re allowed to get two bowls, if Miss Amanda likes you that is. All Paige had to say on the matter was that Miss Amanda loved Azzi, arguably more than her own daughter. So, with a proud grin, Paige waltzed her way past the queue over to her lunch table.

Azzi and Paige had sat together at the same lunch table every day since they started middle school. They shared their table with a few other girls in their grade, who they were friendly with. It was a peaceful arrangement, and the cohabitation worked well for both groups.

As she neared the table, Paige felt her heart drop, something was very, very wrong. The state of the cafeteria could be described as pure pandemonium. Each pre-teen wolfing food into their mouths like their lives depended on it, and some of the most violent line-cutting techniques could be observed. Paige herself had been looking forward to their silent lunch break, expecting both her and her best friend to be fully focussing on their food as was normal on a Tuesday.

So, when her table came into sight, there was no doubt that something horrible had happened to Azzi Fudd. The scene was comparable to a renaissance painting, amongst all the chaos sat Azzi, two glorious bowls of mac and cheese in front of her, both of them perfectly untouched. She was staring ahead, eyebrows furrowed as if she was deep in thought. 

There were many things Paige didn’t like about the world, but the thing she liked the least was seeing Azzi distressed. With a deep breath she walked over to the table, prepared to beat up whoever it was that had messed with her best friend.

“Hey Az!” Paige exclaimed as she sat down, her voice filled with so much enthusiasm it seemed almost fake.

“Hey Paige.” Azzi responded, glancing at her with that same pensieve look she’d had when she was sitting by herself.

Okay, now this was concerning. Not to be too full of herself or anything, but Paige was usually a fix-all for any of Azzi’s bad moods, so the fact her presence changed nothing, was definitely an issue. 

“Everything good? You look a bit upset.” 

“No, I'm not upset.” The younger girl answered, giving absolutely no sign of not being upset.

“That’s good, I’m glad to hear that.” Sure, she was glad to hear her best friend say she wasn’t upset, but that statement didn’t mean much when the best friend in question looked like she might drop dead from stress in the next minute.

Just before she was able to continue her investigation, Azzi took in a big breath, as if trying to breathe in all the courage she could, before she started, “Listen Paige, I need to tell you something.”

Oh god, what could it be? A death in the family? An illness? She didn’t even want to think, could she be… moving? No. No. That was not the time for spiralling. Paige took a moment to compose herself. Azzi was clearly upset by whatever was happening, and the last thing Paige wanted was to make her even more upset by reacting anxiously. 

In the most calm tone she could muster, she asked, “Okay?”

“I’ve been keeping a secret from you.” Azzi said. She had clearly tried to sound confident, but the words came out sounding oh-so very sad.

“What? You’re a mob boss or something?” She joked, hoping to take away some of the tension that Azzi seemed to be drowning in.

“No, not that.” She deadpanned. Now, Paige was aware that it wasn’t her best joke, but she still thought it deserved a little laughter. 

Normally Paige’s crappy dad jokes were enough to take Azzi’s mind off whatever was troubling her for at least a second, but nothing was cracking her shell. For a moment, Paige let her composure slip, “Just tell me Az, you’re really stressing me out.”

Then, Azzi’s stressed exterior slipped, giving way to a softer look, the one she saved for Paige, “Okay, so you know Aaron?”

Paige ran through a mental list of kids in their grade before she questioned, “Aaron B or Aaron W?”

“Aaron B.” Azzi replied. It was probably a trick of the light or something, but Paige swore that as her best friend answered the corner of her mouth flickered up into a smile.

“Yeah I know him. Didn’t he pee his pants sleepwalking at sixth grade camp or something?” Paige chuckled at the memory, there was nothing like the silly fun of a school camp.

“That was Aaron W, not Aaron B.” Azzi stated matter-of-factly. 

Not laughing at the mob boss joke, sure Paige could get that. But not laughing at the thought of a twelve year old sleepwalking and sleep-peeing, simply unheard of.

Paige usually had pretty thick skin, but for some reason Azzi’s reaction mellowed her out, “Oh, right.”

For the second time, Azzi softened, her gaze meeting Paige’s almost apologetically, before she continued, “Anyways, so Aaron B?”

It was weird, the way she was acting. Her worried demeanour was a stark contrast to the urgency and statementness of her words. It seemed as if Azzi had been tasked with telling Paige this secret with as little personality as possible.

“What about him?” Paige questioned, deciding to help the younger girl move her explaining along.

“Well…” Azzi started, before suddenly developing the most intense interest in staring at literally anything other than the blonde girl sitting with her. A solid minute of silent waiting passed by, with Paige waiting to see what she had to say, and Azzi questioning if it was too late to back out.

Just when Paige thought she would never hear her best friend speak again, Azzi blurted, “He asked me to be his girlfriend.”

“What?! Paige near-yelled, she had almost stood up from the table in her outrage,“You said no, right?!” 

Who did this chumbag think he was? Asking the Azzi Fudd to be his girlfriend? 

God, it must have felt great for Azzi to put him in his place.

Nothing in the entire, ever-expanding universe could have prepared her for the words that came out of her best friend’s mouth, “I said yes.”

The words dropped like a bomb, waves of shock almost knocking Paige to the ground.

“What the fuck Az!? Why!?” This time Paige stood up from the table, hands slamming down, shaking the bowls of mac and cheese, before Azzi pulled her back down.

She got this shy look on her face as she spoke, her cheeks and ears burning, “I dunno. He’s cute, and he’s nice and funny.” For the first time during that lunch break, Azzi smiled. It was a different smile, one Paige hadn’t seen before. Once she saw it, she immediately wished she could unsee it. There was something about that smile, it held a different weight than her usual ones, like it meant something more, something deeper than when she smiled at Paige.

There was only one explanation, Azzi had gone crazy, and as her lifelong best friend, it was up to Paige to talk some sense into her, “Yeah, so what? I’m all of those things, doesn’t mean you’re gonna date me!”

Paige’s words settled in the air as Azzi returned her gaze to her. For the third time Azzi’s demeanor softened. She looked at her with such lightness, as if the weight of her vision would crack Paige’s skin open. Normally she liked it, but normal definitely did not include her best friend dating some random boy she barely knew,

Paige knew she was strong and she didn’t like to be babied, her exterior was tough and hard to break. The only people she ever really let loose around was her dad, and the Fudds. She knew none of the kids at school would ever be able to pick it, but she was a major dad’s girl. Not in the stereotypical, ‘pink princess’ way, but just in the way that her Dad was her hero, and Bob gave everything he had and more to Paige no matter what. With the Fudds, they were like the extended family she had never really had, being with them was great, she knew she was like a daughter to Katie and Tim, and like a sister to Jon and Jose. That being said, they were the people who saw her at her highs and lows, and they knew when to go hard or easy on her.

But with Azzi it was different. With Azzi she let herself go soft, let her guarded exterior turn mushy. Paige couldn’t count the amount of times she had cried over her mom, over life, tucked into the crook of Azzi’s neck. She would look at her with those soft eyes, and Paige knew it wasn’t patronising, she knew Azzi would never hold her moments of vulnerability against her. It was the only time she would ever let herself be unguarded. 

But in that moment not even the look on Azzi’s face could make her feel better.

Yet, the whole situation was somehow made worse when Azzi spoke again, “It’s different Paige. Surely you’ve had a crush on someone before, it’s just different.” 

With her words, some deep-seated anger arose from Paige. It was a weird feeling, being upset with Azzi - it had never happened before. Why would she say that, “It’s just different.”? Like their friendship meant nothing in comparison to her snapchat streak with a un-potty trained seventh grader.

“Yeah whatever Az.” Paige spat, her voice dripping with venom, “Why don’t you go and change his diaper or something?”

That time, Paige’s words were the ones to shock Azzi, “Why are you mad at me?!” Confusion was etched all across her face. “And also I told you that was Aaron W not B!”

“Same-same. Now if you don’t mind I have some Mac and cheese to eat.” Paige spoke dismissively, turning to give her full attention to her mac and cheese as she poked at it.

Paige avoided eye contact with Azzi like her life depended on it, not even daring to glance at her as she stared at her from across the table. It wasn’t until the second end-of-lunch bell rang that Azzi finally got up, leaving Paige to sit there with her thoughts.

And for the first time ever, Paige sat without Azzi at the table, and binned two, full bowls of mac and cheese.

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24th of FEBRUARY, 2015

OAKRIDGE, VIRGINIA

Paige had never considered herself a violent, or mean person. But there was just something about seeing Azzi and Aaron together that made her want to scream and yell and throw things. There were just so many things to dislike about Aaron, it was really hard to pinpoint exactly what made him so horrible.

Objectively speaking, he wasn’t ugly per se, but he definitely wasn’t a looker either. He had a button nose, a sharp jawline, clear skin, and bright green eyes. 

When she put it like that she knew that it sounded like he could be attractive - but he was not. 

Looking at Aaron was a jarring experience. It had never occurred to Paige how creepy-looking he was until Azzi started dating him.  Aaron had managed to ruin her brooding time, she couldn’t glare at her best friend without seeing his ugly face, or hearing his revolting voice - or worse, his laugh.

When she heard two girls in English talking about how lucky Azzi was to be his girlfriend she barely stopped herself from turning and strangling them both, and instead shut her mouth as tight as she could, and clenched her fists till her knuckles were pure white. 

To take her mind off the situation, she imagined him as a child, coming home from yet another lonely, friendless day at school to find his mother hosting an afternoon tea with her friends. They would fawn over him, and say “You’re going to be such a heartbreaker!” as they pinched his cheeks. Of course, they all knew it wasn’t the truth, but that’s just what you say to unfortunate looking kids, who grow up to be unfortunate looking pre-teens that ask out girls way out of their league.

Maybe what irked her was the fact that Azzi had smiled when she spoke about him, that saying the things she liked about him broke her out of her broody trance. Or maybe it was the way her cheeks had tinted the prettiest pink. How the galaxies in her dark brown eyes lit up a thousand times brighter. How the dimple in her cheek popped when she hung out with him, how her laughter at his shitty jokes echoed through the halls, honey sweet and sing-songy.

It was only when she came upon that specific reason for not liking him that she realised that maybe that gnawing, sour feeling that had settled low in her belly was something more akin to jealousy. And then, in the same strand of thoughts she decided to stop thinking altogether about why she didn’t like him, and instead just double down on the fact that Aaron sucked and she absolutely hated him. 

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27th of FEBRUARY, 2015

OAKRIDGE VIRGINIA

The final nail in the coffin came when Paige left her third period Spanish class. 

It was a Tuesday, which meant the best mac and cheese in the world. But it also meant it had been a week since Paige and Azzi had last spoken.

If avoiding Azzi was an olympic sport, then Paige had become a twenty-time gold medalist.

 For the first few days they weren’t talking, Paige made a point to stay in Azzi’s vision. She had decided that if she had to be reminded of the emptiness of Azzi in her life, then Azzi should be reminded of Paige. She made sure to be subtle with it, instead of standing directly in front of her, she’d ensure that Azzi would catch glimpses of her from her peripheral vision. Paige would watch as Azzi would spot her, then she would force herself to keep a straight face as she watched her best friend apologise to Aaron for forgetting what it was he had been saying.

That whole thing had been going perfectly, exactly to plan, but then it just started to make her really sad and really angry, and then, of course, her only option was to avoid Azzi, no matter what it took.

She thought it would be simple, she knew Azzi's entire timetable, she knew which hallways she walked down, she wouldn’t be surprised if she could estimate the amount of steps it took for her to get from point A to B. So in theory, it should’ve been smooth sailing to stay away from her, but nothing in her life had been easy, except Azzi - up until that point.

Aaron simply had to ruin, not only her friendship with her best friend, but also her ploy to never see her again. Obviously, because she wasn’t weird, she had absolutely zero idea about Aaron’s timetable, let alone his whereabouts, and in the past week the boyfriend-girlfriend duo had become attached at the hip, meaning it was nearly impossible to avoid them. The key word being nearly.

Paige had been working tirelessly to avoid the both of them, and somehow she had been able to manage it. Her genius strategy? Waiting till the second bell to leave for her next class. On the negative side, she had sprinted away from basically every hall monitor in the school multiple times. But on the positive, she had not seen Aaron and Azzi together in days, which was basically all she wanted.

As glad as she was to not see them together, it was the first time ever that Paige wasn’t on speaking terms with Azzi, and it made her really, really sad. Which was why she wasn’t thinking straight when she left third period Spanish and walked her usual route to the cafeteria - out the language corridor, round the gym, past Aaron and Azzi holding hands, then home-free into the cafeteria.

What. The. Actual. Fucking. Fuck.

Paige isn’t a squeamish person in the least, but the sight of Azzi’s soft hand encased in Aaron’s sweaty one nearly made her throw up. It was surreal, it felt like time had paused, like Paige was floating in time, stuck in place staring at them as they walked hand-in-hand down the hall.

She could have stayed in her trance all day, glued down in the centre of the hallway, but thanks to Mac and cheese Tuesday the hordes of smelly tweens are pushing her forward towards the cafeteria.

Just like the week before she walked past the lunch line and went straight to her table. Since Azzi had been sitting with Aaron and his little minions, Paige had been left to sit with the girls they shared their table with. There were four of them, and they were nice, something Paige had never cared to notice, too busy with Azzi to pay attention to the girls sitting two feet away from them.

They were nice in all the cliche ways, but what made their kindness stand out was the fact they had not mentioned Azzi once, and had simply invited Paige into their conversations. It was good for her to talk to other people, to get out of her head. 

She was aware that she hadn’t been looking or acting her best since the previous Tuesday, but no one had said anything or shown a reaction to her disheveled appearance. It was only on that Tuesday, when Paige had stomped her way to the table that the girls had acknowledged her delicate state.

“Hey Paige!” Shania greeted, her friendly smile quickly growing concerned as she and the rest of the group took in her severely agitated condition, “Are you alright?”

“Wha- Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Nothing to worry about here!” The table continued to stare at her worriedly, perhaps more so after her seemingly, self-assuring response.

“Oookay, cool.” Shania responded, voice filled with nothing but good-willed apprehension.

The table fell into silence, the girls trying to figure out how to deal with Paige’s nuclear state, and Paige trying to act as normal as she could after seeing her best friend of seven years holding hands with a grubby boy.

“Oh my gosh, I forgot to tell you about this Paige! There’s a party this Friday at Ryan’s, and you should totally come along!” Emma squealed at her excitedly.

“Yeah, sure, I’d like that.” Paige responded, trying her hardest to sound happy despite herself.

“Yay! I’ll text you the deets,” Emma said, passing Paige her phone, encased in pink diamontes, “Put your number in.”

Paige dutifully poked in her phone number before handing it back. The girls fell into conversation about the party, talking about drinks and other people that were going. Paige was content with letting it go in one ear and out the other, until she heard the name ‘Aaron B’ sandwiched in between the names of the other partygoers.

Aaron going to the party meant Azzi going to the party, that meant they were both going to the party that Paige was going to. Great. Just great. She would get front row seats to their love-fest, how exciting.

For some reason that knowledge didn’t make her cancel, instead it fueled her with reasons to go. She wanted to be there, and wanted to be the one to surprise Azzi with her presence. She wanted her to feel that same stomach dropping feeling she had felt all week, she wanted to be the one with the upper hand. Another, softer part of her, wanted her first, boy-girl, alcohol party to be the same as Azzi’s, even if they weren’t experiencing it together, together.

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2nd of MARCH, 2015

OAKRIDGE VIRGINIA

The school day had dragged on for so long Paige had accepted the fact that it would never end, meaning she nearly cried tears of joy when the end-of-school bell had rung out through the halls.

Ever since Tuesday she had been buzzing with both nerves and excitement. She was convinced that going to her first proper party would cause some cosmic shift within her universe, like the clouds would part and the angels would sing to her the second her hands touched the glass of a lukewarm berry cruiser.

With much more enthusiasm than necessary she had swiped her book into her backpack and power-walked out of school. That had become a prime part of the ‘avoiding Azzi’ plan, leaving way too early for school in the morning, and booking out of school the second it ended to make sure their paths didn’t cross.

As she walked into their street, a pang of guilt struck through her chest at the sight of the Fudd house. It had been killing her, not just the radio silence between her and Azzi, but the subsequent disconnect that had happened between her and the rest of Azzi’s family. 

It was odd, she hadn’t felt the shoulder punches from Jon and Jose in over a week. Hadn’t been yelled at motherly by Katie in over a week. Hadn’t been pulled into a daughter and extra-daughter hug by Tim in over a week. They were things that were a part of her daily life that she had always taken for granted, assuming they’d always be there. 

That wasn’t the only thing she had missed, mostly she had been missing Azzi. Paige missed her so much, she just missed everything about her. And she had officially decided that she would try to make up with Azzi, preferably as soon as possible. Her best case scenario had her hoping for a reconciliation at the party that night. All she had to do was pull her away from Aaron and she was golden, she was one hundred percent sure that Azzi would forgive her once she apologised, because she really was sorry.

The more and more she thought about the whole situation the more she realised how absolutely crazy she had been acting, from quite literally the moment Azzi told her. It was like a switch had flipped in her brain, and all rational thinking had been thrown out the window.

As she showered and got dressed for the party Paige was growing increasingly excited at the prospect of speaking to Azzi again after what felt like a lifetime of separation.

She got her dad to drop her off at seven-thirty at Ryan’s house. Her dad had given her a stern talking to about drugs and alcohol, and the dangers of them. 

Unfortunately, Bob would have been severely disappointed to find out that Paige had accepted a cruiser immediately upon arrival. As excited as she was to talk to Azzi, she was also desperately nervous about going to her first party, and having to enter by herself. Although the cruiser didn’t reveal cosmic secrets to her, it did send the lightest buzz through her, and inspire her to go to the kitchen and concoct a wickedly bitter vodka-juice blend in a plastic red cup.

After a while of floating around, Paige spotted Shania and her friends in the corner, and quickly made her way towards them. As she does she scans the room for Azzi and/or Aaron. That still made her upset, that they were now always together, like Paige and Azzi usually were, but whatever, Paige was there to make up with Azzi, not trash on her stupid boyfriend.

She walked up to the girls and fell into the simple chatter that they constantly had going. It was nice, they were nice, the way the alcohol made her feel was nice. She was content, simply standing there huddled in a circle with them as they discussed something Paige really didn’t care about. It appeared they were going to stay like that, until someone yelled ‘Spin the bottle time!’.

Suddenly, everyone, including Paige, was shoved into the basement, a large, misshapen circle of people sat in the centre of the room. Scanning the room once again, Paige finally saw her.

Azzi was sitting in the circle, pressed up against Aaron on one side and some random cheerleader on the other. She was wearing a pink sweater and her nicest pair of jeans, her hair was out and her lips were glossed a soft mauve. To put it simply, she looked really pretty.

Paige was leaning against a wall, her third drink and second cruiser of the night held firmly in her hand. She had opted out of the game, not wanting to have to swap spit with some stupid boy in her grade if the bottle were to land on her.

It suddenly hit her that she was sitting out of the game because she didn’t want to kiss someone, and that Azzi was sitting in on the game because she did want to kiss someone. And that someone would obviously be her boyfriend.

The thought of Azzi kissing him made her shudder, but she pushed it to the side. Azzi was her best friend and it should not have mattered to Paige who she kissed, so she decided not to care.

For the amount of hype the game had received, it was actually quite boring. Someone would spin the bottle, the bottle would land on someone, they would kiss, then the process would repeat. It wasn’t until Kathy Libertman spun the bottle and it landed on Johnny Albertson that there were some oohs and aahs. The fact that Kathy had the world’s most massive crush on Johnny was as widely accepted as the fact that two plus two equals four.

As Paige chuckled at the spin she glanced towards Azzi, who looked up at her at that exact moment. Instead of looking away like she would have a few days ago she held her gaze, blue eyes on brown for the first time in too long, and smiled just a little. A look of confusion mixed with shock passed over Azzi’s face before the corner’s of her mouth flicked up.

God that felt good. The cruisers hadn’t changed her life, but seeing her best friend smile at her like that again made Paige think that maybe the universe was on her side.

After Johnny had adeptly swerved Kathy, a few more rounds passed. Then, it was Aaron’s turn. Azzi was trying to play it cool, but Paige knew every single one of her nervous tells, the clench of her jaw and the furrow of her brows softening for a second as Paige gave her an encouraging nod.

Aaron reached into the circle and spun the empty coke bottle. It spun and spun and spun before coming to a perfect stop between Azzi and the cheerleader next to her.

The chatter of the room dissipated immediately as everyone watched in anticipation. Azzi was visibly distressed, and even Paige was nervous as to where the situation was headed.

Aaron hesitated for a moment, his gaze flickering between his girlfriend, the strawberry-blonde girl next to her, and the coke bottle. With a big intake of air, he leant forward over Azzi and kissed the cheerleader. The room erupted in a mix of confusion and support.

Everyone in the room was watching as Aaron and the cheerleader kissed for what seemed like forever, but Paige had her eyes trained on Azzi, who looked like a deer in the headlights stuck between them. Pushing through the room, Paige reached a hand out to Azzi who gladly took it and let herself be pulled out of the room and onto the street.

They stood in companionable silence, there were things they needed to say, but not yet.

It was nearing eleven o’clock when Paige called her dad to pick them up. The night air was chilly but when Paige’s hand brushed against Azzi, her whole body heated up from her best friend’s warmth.

Paige didn’t know if Azzi had been drinking or not, but she knew when they got into her dad’s car that he would know that Paige had in fact been drinking, and hadn’t heeded her dad’s warning. She expected a lecture on the danger of drinking but instead was met with absolutely zero conversation directed towards her, instead, her dad was talking to Azzi, catching up with her about the past week and a half of their lives. It hadn’t occurred to her till then that Azzi was just as much a part of her family as Paige was a part of hers - she had missed Azzi in her life so much.

The two girls went straight to Paige’s room and Bob to his. Only when they were tucked safely into the gentle warmth of the bedroom did Paige speak, “Listen, I’m really sorry Az. I don’t know why I was being so crazy, he just made me so upset, like I knew you were way out of his league and I just knew that you deserved way, way better than him.”

After her rant Paige sort of expected Azzi to get mad at her and let out her anger at the whole situation, yet Azzi simply smiled, “Yeah you were being pretty crazy, but I’m sorry too”

Paige scoffed at that, earning a confused chuckle from Azzi, “What are you sorry for? You literally did nothing wrong.”

“Well I should’ve told you ages ago, we had been texting every night for two whole weeks before he asked me out, and I don’t really know why I didn’t tell you… It’s just  that I was really worried you were gonna react… exactly like you reacted, y’know?” The curly-haired girl explained.

“Yeah, I get that, I did have like the worst reaction a person could have,” Paige confessed softly  “I mean, I’m just so sorry Az, I wish I never got angry, I’ve missed you so much.” 

Azzi pulled the blonde in for a hug, her head nestled in the crook of Azzi’s neck, the familiar, sweet aroma of her perfume filling her senses.

With a squeeze Azzi pulled away, before she flopped face-first onto Paige’s bed, “God that was so embarrassing.”

It was quite the situation, but it was definitely way more embarrassing for Aaron, like, fumbling the single-most pretty and smart and kind and funny girl in the whole school. She decided against saying that, and instead tried to lighten the situation, “Could’ve been worse, you saw what happened to Kathy.”

“Yeah, but Johnny’s not her boyfriend.” Azzi mumbled from her spot splayed out on Paige’s bed.

“That’s true I guess.” Paige responded thoughtfully, accepting defeat.

“Great. thanks Paigey.” She grumbled light-heartedly.

Right before Paige went to apologise Azzi sprang up into a sitting position on the bed, “It just sucks y’know?”

“Yeah I know.” Paige hummed in agreement. Their shoulders were pressed together again, and Paige could feel the touch and the alcohol mixing and making her brain short circuit a little 

“Like I really thought I was gonna have my first kiss tonight” Azzi huffed in upset annoyance.

“Well look on the bright side, he’s a mega dick, so really you dodged a bullet.” Paige reassured her. 

As much as she was glad that Azzi had found out what a douche he was, she wished even more that it had happened quietly, not in front of a big crowd of people.

“You’re actually quite right.” Azzi agreed after considering her statement for a moment.

Paige playfully shoved her with her shoulder, “Of course I am.”

Azzi went quiet for a second before she turned to look Paige in the eyes, “Yeah. I want my first kiss to mean something. To be with someone that really cares about me and stuff.”

The words came from her mouth before she could think about what she was saying, “I mean you still could.” 

Paige didn’t know what it was that made her say that. Maybe it was the liquid courage from before. Or maybe it was the adrenaline from making up with her best friend. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the way the streetlight glow filtering in through the windows was hitting Azzi’s cheekbones just right, how her lashes were long and her lips full. How Paige wasn’t sure she had ever truly appreciated Azzi’s beauty before the way it was meant to be.

“What do you mean?” Azzi asked. It seemed like a question, but with the way Azzi was batting her eyelashes at her, it started to seem more like a challenge.

Paige’s brain actually did short circuit for a split second that time, but then, mostly thanks to the liquor, she decided to just double down and speak with confidence.

“I think you know what I mean” She responded, her blue eyes flickering from Azzi’s doe-y brown ones to her soft lips.

Almost imperceptibly, Azzi shifted closer. 

“Yeah.” She breathed out shakily, breaking eye contact to not so subtly look at Paige’s mouth.

“So can I?” Paige asked, moving her hand to rest on Azzi’s shoulder; confidence suddenly oozing out of her every pore.

“Yes.” Azzi responded quickly, her eyes trained only on her best friend’s mouth, before starting again, as if trying to regain some dignity, “Yeah. Yes please.”

Paige gave a soft smile before moving her hand up to cup Azzi’s jaw, the other settling feather-light on her waist. She watched as Azzi’s breath hitches, and her eyes flickered close. Paige followed suit, leaning in slowly. Azzi’s hands were hovering over both of her shoulders, as if unsure of what to do. Paige doesn’t mind though, if it weren’t for the alcohol that was running amok through her system they probably wouldn’t have even been in that situation in the first place.

After an eternity of leaning in, their lips touched in a soft peck. Only for a second, before they pulled away. Azzi tasted sweet, like canned lemonade and strawberry scented lip gloss. Her skin was warm under Paige’s hands.

Maybe it had been minutes or days or years since their kiss, neither were sure. All Paige knew was that she wanted to kiss Azzi again, and so she did. That time she let herself linger, let herself apply a little bit of pressure, and in return Azzi pressed in a little harder too. When Azzi made a little sound of contentment Paige thought she might explode. She wanted to keep going, but something told her to stop, to let it be good just as it was.

When she pulled away and opened her eyes, Azzi still had hers closed. And for a split second, Paige swore she caught a smile on her face, a kind of smile she had never given to Paige before.

Now that was it. That was the cosmic feeling Paige had been waiting for. Scratch the cruisers, scratch everything else, that was the feeling. The kind that people chase their whole lives, and Paige had just experienced it on a random Friday night in the quiet of her room.

Friendship really was magical. 

Azzi was her best friend, of course it would be her, they were the closest of all platonic soulmates.

A few seconds later, Azzi opened her eyes, and smiled at her. Her hands were still on Paige’s shoulders and she decided that she wouldn’t mind holding onto each other like that forever.

Kicking off their shoes they surrendered to wearing their outside clothes to sleep. Paige had a double bed, which was the absolute perfect size for two people in Azzi’s opinion.

They tangled together in a mess of warm limbs under the blanket. Azzi had her head on Paige’s chest, listening to the rhythmic thumping of her heartbeat.

“Thanks Paigey. I’m glad you were my first kiss” She whispered against her jumpered chest.

“I’m glad you were mine too Az, that’s what best friends are for, right?” Paige smiled good-naturedly, her chin coming to rest against Azzi’s head.

Azzi let out a little choked sound before she responded, “Yeah, best friends, totally.”

Paige ignored the weird way she was talking - it had been a long night - and pulled Azzi into her just a little tighter, prepared to let sleep take over.

Just when she thought she was about to fall asleep she heard Azzi’s whisper again, “Paige, you were right.”

“Yeah I usually am.” Paige smirked sleepily.

“So full of yourself, god.” Azzi said as she used her arm draped around Paige’s waist to poke her in the side.

Wincing slightly Paige gloated, “That’s like the second time you’ve said something like that to me tonight.”

“Yeah whatever you goof.” Azzi conceded, seemingly forgetting about whatever it was she had to say.

Paige wanted to sleep, but she wanted to know what it was that Azzi was going to tell her, “Wait, so what specifically was I right about?” she asked as she gave Azzi’s shoulder a soft squeeze.

“Oh right” Azzi spoke softly, “It was Aaron B.”

Azzi always got a little out of it when she was tired, but she always remembered to finish her sentences, “It was Aaron B, what?”

Paige thought she had fallen back asleep after Azzi had gone silent for so long, but after taking a quick inhale of breath Azzi answered quietly, “It was Aaron B that peed his pants on sixth grade camp.”

If it weren’t for the fact Paige was so determined to know what Azzi had said she would have missed the softly spoken words, but she didn’t and she was so glad she heard them.

Paige burst out laughing and Azzi followed along.

“You’re kidding me!” Paige wheezed between gasps.

But Azzi was too busy laughing so hard she could barely breathe, clutching onto Paige’s arm as her mouth opened wide in silent laughter.

That was how they fell asleep, tucked into one another as their heaving laughter gave way to shallow, sleeping breath.

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

Feel free to send me asks or opinions and stuff in my inbox or DMs, responding to them is my favourite it's so much fun. As always, thanks for reading :)

[probablybadrpgideas]

Tourist Destinations Of The Outer Planes

Mechanus: How dare you suggest there would be anything novel or unique in Mechanus?! To cog jail with you!

Arcadia: Like those normal towns with "world best fish and chips" except they're scrupulously fact checked. "Home of Arcadia's 3826th best B&B according to multiple double-blind studies (citations available on request)"

Mount Celestia: Pure and ineffable spiritual bliss in the face of the divine and, after that, a pretty decent pizza shop where you can get a t-shirt with your face when you learnt the true name of God.

Bytopia: Bytopia is the embodiment of the concept of "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" and also the domain of the gnome deities, so if you've ever wanted to see the Great Wheel's only 24/7 prank youtuber live show where all the pranks revolve around how millennials need to spend less on avocado toast, you're in luck! If not, may I recommend the abyssal layer where snakes drink your eyes as a pleasant reprieve?

Elysium: Just a rabbit sat on a rock but because you're in Elysuim it's the best thing you've ever seen. You autodelete all memories of your wedding and children's birth and suchlike for being shit in comparison.

The Beastlands: Who's the best dog in the world? Who is it? This isn't a rhetorical question, there's an objective answer. You can see him for the low price of four acorns and a fancy rock.

Arborea: Don't be fooled by the signs! The natives of Arborea spend their time playing and dancing so they have things like open plan offices and tax return help-desks as vacation spots. Instead ask where the boring parts of Arborea are to be given directions to the firework waterslide music concert video game dance party.

Ysgard: Monuments to epic deeds literally everywhere. So many monuments they start sounding sarcastic. If you successfully get to your hotel room they erect a 15ft statue commemorating it.

Limbo: "Look, you had to be there. Literally, what I saw existed beyond the capacity of human words to describe and I weep tadpoles when I try to recall it in any detail"

Pandemonium: Great acoustic guitar scene. Well, we assume they're good. If nothing else, you have to admire their perseverance.

The Abyss: Go on Demogorgan's tour of all infinity layers! The most fucked up shit you've ever seen or your spinal column back guaranteed!

Carceri: Be in the audience at History's Greatest Monster, where the most evil people in history compete for the crown! If you're lucky, you might get an autograph before they're hurled back into their eternal prisons once more!

Hades: Fuck you.

Gehenna: Tourist traps, in the sense of big holes you fall in and have to give a deamon all your money before it will let you out.

The Nine Hells: The Nine Hells are a wonderful place to visit, with a wide varieties of eateries, vistas and attractions that you should visit before you die! I am not writing this under duress and you should not send help to

Acheron: One extremely dangerous theme park. It's cheap and there are few queues but be aware that sometimes the god of orcs will show up and use whatever ride you're on as a bludgeoning weapon. Overall nice atmosphere, 4 stars.

The Outlands: Alas, I'm pretty sure there's absolutely nowhere worth visiting in the outlands. Sorry guys.

[kiwisleepy]

GUYS YOU WON'T BELIEVE ME

I FINALLY MADE EM ALL AND NOW I NEED YOUR HONEST OPINION

Which char should be printed on charms first? (I'm asking because my budget is uhhh limited a bit)

(All keychains will be the same in terms of parameters, Epox, 6 cm, gold carabiner with a heart/star)

Participate below, thank you👁️👁️✌️

Q/A but you still can ask me in PM/Commentary if you didn't find smth you need

1. Will all the characters be released in print in the future?

Yes, they will, and there will be a queue based on the vote count.

2. Are there any more characters planned for charms? I'm thinking about Eyefestation and Pandemonium (Pressure), 1010 gang (NSR), Eli - Noir, JackTracy and DemiFeaster charms (Identity V), but I'd love to hear your suggestions and wishes in the comments, PM reblogs, etc.

ADDED: Thinking about Gabriel (Ultrakill), Screwllum (Honkai Star Rail) Capitano (Genshin Impact)

3. Why some of them cutout so shitty? Fellas, It's 3 A.m on my clock, spare me, I'm not used to cut out smth on my phone.

4. Who are those two characters in the corner?

My OCs and they'll be the last to go to print anyway, want to flex w em.

5. Why so much NSR chars?

I love this fandom, even if lately it doesn't love me(HJ)

[rhapsodynew]

#On this day

Awarding The Beatles with The Order of The British Empire

George: "Brian was not invited to the palace. In my opinion, we were only allowed to invite someone from our family. He must have been annoyed in his heart. But he didn't show it."

Cynthia: "One thing was disappointing: the Beatle families were not invited to the palace for the ceremony. However, the guys didn't want that either: they were so nervous themselves that they didn't have enough to worry about their loved ones. We, their wives and girlfriends, really wanted to go with them, but the guys decided that it was better without us, since a real pandemonium of hysterical fans was expected at the palace. We watched everything on TV and were incredibly proud of them."

Tony Barrow: "The Beatles went to Buckingham Palace in John's shiny Rolls Royce Phantom 5 ("exactly the same as Elvis, but my windows are tinted")."

Barry Miles: "The group arrived at Buckingham Palace at 11 a.m. for the award ceremony in the Great Throne Room. Outside, about four thousand fans chanted "yee-yee-yee" and pressed the police, who tried to restrain them, and therefore could not prevent them from climbing the gates and lampposts at the palace.

John: "We were instructed in advance by some big guy, a guardsman."

Paul: "He took us aside and explained what we should do: "Approach Her Majesty like this, do not take your eyes off her, and do not speak to her until she speaks to you." And all that. It was pretty funny."

Barry Miles: "On this day, 189 more people were awarded, including six who were knighted."

George: "We were standing in a long queue. There must have been hundreds of people there."

Paul: "We were the only band there. Everyone was friendly to us."

John: "We signed autographs for everyone who was waiting with us to receive their medals."

Paul: "None of them said, "This is for my daughter, even though I don't understand what she sees in you!"

Barry Miles: "The Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household, Lord Cobbold, read out the names of the members of The Beatles."

Paul: "This dude shouted, "George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr."

John: "When the names were read out and we got to Ringo Starr, we almost burst out laughing."

Paul: "The word "Starr" was a signal for us to step forward with our left foot, as instructed. It was like some kind of performance."

Ringo: "Then we bowed our heads and went to the Queen."

Barry Miles: "The Queen shook their hands, talked to each of them and attached an award."

John: "I really wanted to laugh. We were giggling like crazy all the time because we had just smoked a joint in the toilet at Buckingham Palace. We were very nervous."

George: "No, we didn't smoke marijuana before the ceremony. Just regular cigarettes. I have no doubt that years later John turned those cigarettes of ours into joints. What could be more terrible before meeting the Queen? Get high! But no, we didn't do that."

Ringo: "I was so worried that I won't remember anything anymore."

Tony Barrow: "After the ceremony, they were inspired, but nothing in their eyes, voices or other signs suggested that they were under the grass. I doubt they even took her to the palace, which was swarming with security forces of all levels."

John: "Although we didn't attach much importance to the royal family, you can't help but be impressed when you're in the palace, when you realize that you're standing in front of the queen. It was like a dream. Fine.

The music was playing, I looked at the ceiling – and it's not a bad ceiling. It was a historic moment. It's like you're in a museum."

Ringo: "The Queen was great. Of course, I'm a big fan of hers now. Obviously, she tried her best to make everyone feel calm and not nervous. When she handed me the order, she said: "I'm glad to give it to you," and I said, "Thank you."

John: "She was much more beautiful than in the photos."

Paul: "A charming woman. Cool! She was very friendly. She was like a mom to us."

John: "Just like Mom. She was so warm and sweet. She really calmed us down. I think the Queen really believes in all these things. I've always hated all these social events. All these wild events, all kinds of awards that we had to attend. It's all for show. You can see through everyone. I despise them. Maybe it's a class feeling? However, no. In fact, these people are fake."

Barry Miles: "The Beatles were awarded the Order of the British Empire, the lowest of the five categories of the order. His title ranks 120th out of 126 in the ranking system."

Ringo: "I was wondering if Brian was upset that he wasn't awarded this order. But he was always really happy for us. I think if he wanted to, he would even be knighted.

Barry Miles: "Immediately after the award ceremony, a press conference was organized in the bar of the Saville Theater, where the band members discussed their award and made comments about the protesting statements of the award recipients addressed to them."

Tony Barrow: "Brian Epstein was pleased with the Beatles' remarks that he deserved such an order."

George: "I brought the order home and put it in a drawer, and later put it on for shooting for Pepper's envelope, and Paul did the same. The order remained pinned to my Pepper coat for another year, and then I put it back in the box and put it in the closet."

John: "I keep the order in the smallest room of my house–in my office."

And closer to Christmas, John will give his order to Aunt Mimi.

What a pity that it was impossible to take pictures at Buckingham Palace!

[fromtraveldiaries]

Notes from the land of the rising sun

If you think the Paris subway is a marvel, wait until you step into Tokyo's intricate underground labyrinth. The Japanese subway system is an experience that best reflects the essence of Japanese culture and efficiency.

The first thing you notice when you step into a Tokyo subway station are the orderly queues - on the escalators, at ticket counters, at entry and exit gates, and while boarding trains. The Japanese have transformed queuing into a well-organized and methodical art form, much unlike the Indians for who queueing is a rather abstract and a largely inscrutable exercise. This queue discipline extends beyond transportation to restaurants, take-away counters, and billing counters, where you find patrons patiently waiting their turn for service.

Another striking feature of Tokyo's subways is the pervasive silence. Compared to the prattle on the Paris metro or the pandemonium on the Indian metros, the Japanese subway is a quiet sanctuary. The Japanese are a quiet people who keep to themselves during public transit, their animated conversations are reserved for meal times. Food, often accompanied by drinks, is a more communal experience that's filled with lively discussions and noisy chatter. On buses, trains, and the subway, one finds commuters reading novels, manga, news, diaries, or watching anime or otherwise engaged on their phones. This quietude carries onto the roads, streets, and other public places. There's no honking and people talk in whispers in most places, except of course in eateries. Most Japanese folks like to go out with their friends and colleagues or have social gatherings in eateries. They love to take their time during such meals, which are almost always accompanied by drinks. The conversations are loud, full of banter and laughter.

At every station, you also have a helpdesk that actually works. We used these at many stations and were very impressed by the service we got. While returning from Kanazawa to Tokyo, our Shinkansen (bullet train) developed a snag. We were informed on board about this by the railway staff. They dropped us off at Nagano, where more railway staff were waiting to assist us. They put us on a train to Matsumoto, where more staff were waiting to help. We were put on a train to Shiojiri, where another set of helpful staff put us on a slow Azusa train to Shinjuku. During the whole time, everyone was apologetic and insisted that we collect our refund for the Shinkansen from the Shinjuku station. We had booked our tickets through Klook, so weren't really sure if we were eligible for a refund and how and when (if at all), we would get any refund. To our surprise, the lady at the helpdesk counter gave us an almost complete refund in cash, no questions asked. She said that they had been informed of the Shinkansen glitch and were expecting passengers such as us to alight at Shinjuku. She also profusely apologized for the inconvenience. At how many Indian stations can you expect this service?

In contrast to India's metro stations, where photography is 'strictly prohibited', one is free to click away in Japanese subways. We didn't find a single place where photography wasn't allowed or one had to pay extra charges just to click.

Respect for individuals is on display everywhere and in everyone. Courteous gestures greet one at every turn and we were quite surprised to find people bowing to us even for trivial interactions. We also learnt to bow in return with gratitude. Starting from clearly designated 'foreign friendly taxis' to courteous strangers going out of their way to assist you, you feel truly welcomed in Japan. You also feel as if you are a celebrity when you step into an eatery, for as you step in, the staff, including the chefs and the kitchen staff, boisterously greet you with a loud shout. Google what this means and you'll see what I mean.

At restaurants, you are invariably served ice cold water with ice cubes in long tumblers. This is the way of life even in cold winters. You can, however, also order warm/hot sake that really fires you up on wintry nights. While Tokyo offers a plethora of culinary delights, vegetarians might feel the need to seek out specific eateries. The cuisine draws heavily on raw food, mostly seafood, with minimal oil and spices. This is where the super helpful convenience stores like 7-11 and Family Mart offer a variety of options, including liquor. Japanese convenience stores have more variety of liquor than one finds in the regular wine shops back home.

That the Japanese are punctual is well known, but their service levels are at a different level altogether. At Kanazawa, we requested for a taxi at the hotel reception which was on the first floor. The receptionist made a call to a local cab company and informed that a taxi would arrive in three minutes. True to their word, by the time we descended the stairs and reached the ground floor, the taxi was already waiting for us. In both Kyoto and Tokyo, we noticed many shops displaying merchandise outside their doors and well out of their sight. In several grocers' vegetables were left unattended with price boards. People leave their umbrellas outside when entering shops. We also observed most households leaving their stuff outside at night.

Despite the absence of dustbins, Tokyo remains remarkably clean. Littering is a rare sight, thanks to the civic sense instilled in its residents. Further, there's no expectation of a tip for any service that you hire. Taxis and restaurants return you the exact change and you are expected to pocket your change before leaving. In fact, tipping might be considered offensive in many places. Should you run out of coins, there are machines installed in most public places that take your notes and provide you with coins. To help you tender exact change, these machines are also installed in all buses. By the way, the Japanese bus drivers are smartly dressed, polite, and greet you when you pay and get off. Compare that with the Indian buses and our drivers.

An ubiquitous presence throughout Japan are the vending machines. The offer everything, from beverages to snacks, and refreshments to souvenirs. Game arcades are also quite popular, lined up in most tourist locations. We spent a fortune on the vending machines, collecting souvenirs that are quite cheap but of exquisite quality. Tokyo, Kyoto, and Kanazawa are filled with rows and rows of these vending machines stretching on for blocks altogether.

Tokyo is unbelievably busy at all times of the day and night. The trains are always filled and the stations are always crowded. Folks are either going to work or returning from work at all hours. Whether the well-groomed crowd of Ginza, the diverse crowd of Shibuya, the aloof funky of Shinjuku or the dignified crowd of Monzennakacho, the residents of each district have their own way to go about their lives. School kids, even when returning late, show impeccable discipline, immersed in their phones, reading manga, playing games, or watching anime. There were many places in the US and in France where we felt unsafe during our travels. The less said about India, the better. In comparison, we never felt unsafe throughout our visit in Japan, not even for a moment.

This trip to Japan has been a revealation to say the least. From the land of the rising sun, arigato gozaimas.

[twstbookclub]

Adronitis

Summary: Deuce met you once, and he thought that was the end of that. Until, he bumps into you twice in two different occasions. POV: 2nd Person Pronouns: Gender-neutral Admin/Writer: Cressa🦋 Tags: Third Time’s the Charm, Puppy Love (if you squint), Slow Burn with an open ending, Deuce Spade being an Awkward Sweetie, Romance, Fluff, MC is not the Ramshackle Prefect/Yuu Word Count: 1, 554

i’m alive lmao. finals are over, so i have the chance to post this. it’s been in my drafts for months, and i finished this while nursing a stomachache ;; this isn’t proofread, by the way.

Deuce first met you during club hours. He didn’t think much of you, not when he’s focused on becoming an honor student that’d make his mother proud. Your first meeting didn’t unfold like a romance drama. There were no cherry blossoms drifting in the breeze. Time didn’t slow down nor freeze when your eyes met. His heart didn’t pound so much that it’d jump out of his chest. It felt like any ordinary day in Night Raven College minus his shenanigans with the Ramshackle Prefect, of course.

If anything, it started with a water bottle.

Sweat dripped down Deuce’s jaw, slightly gaping due to his tired panting. With his hands on his knees, he watched the salty droplet fall to the ground as he gathered his bearings. The sun seemed harsher today, glaring down at the runners in the field. Deuce heard some of his clubmates groaning about the sweltering heat, either in loud complaints or hushed curses.

Water. I need water, was all Deuce could think at the time.

As if someone read his mind, a water bottle dangled in front of his eyes. Deuce blinked in disbelief, then his gaze trailed from the hand holding the miracle to another vaguely familiar face. You stood there with a lopsided smile and a hand on your hip. Under the blinding afternoon sun, you seemed like a guardian angel that descended in the middle of a desert.

“You look like you need it more than I do,” you chuckled. Once Deuce took your offer, you shot him another smile and continued on your way. The grime and sweat from all the running didn’t bother Deuce. The cold water bottle soothing his dry throat and hot skin didn’t deter him either.

Deuce just watched you run with a curious gaze.

The second time the Heartslabyul freshman saw you, Deuce had bumped into you in the cafeteria. A special menu came up, so the area was more crowded than usual. Students argued and dragged each other away from the line. Some snuck and cut into the queue in hopes of getting to the limited-time menu early. No matter where you went, you’d always bump into arms and elbows. He almost got hit on the neck by someone else’s elbow when Ace dragged him through the masses.

Deuce spied some guys trading lunch while another pair started a fist fight. Although, that ended when Jack lifted the boys by the collars; like a mother cat scolding her kittens. It was pandemonium, and Grim hasn’t even started making a ruckus. One pair even started fighting with magic until his housewarden collared them with his signature spell.

Honestly, that was dumb of them, but that’s not the focus right now.

He already found out some things about you at this point. You’re a freshman, just like him, and you joined Track and Field—again, just like him. Although, that’s where the similarities ended.

You didn’t attract too much attention. You didn’t seem to cause any trouble, which is rare in an all-boys school filled with the most rambunctious and rebellious students. With so many students attending NRC, you were just another face in the crowd. It was no wonder Deuce hadn’t noticed you until that day.

“Oh!” You beamed, another water bottle in hand. “It’s you! Um, Deuce, right?”

“Yeah,” Deuce stiffly nodded, feeling a bit awkward at his friends’ stares, “You’re part of Track and Field, too, right?”

Your name smoothly rolled off his tongue, like honey dripping into tea. Another huge smile graced your lips as your eyes shone brighter. Deuce felt his heart stutter at your change in demeanor. The ground under his feet felt unstable, which made him a bit dizzy and disoriented.

“I always wanted to run like you,” you sheepishly admitted. A wince from a hit to your side broke Deuce from his trance. “I could go on, but this isn’t the time and place, huh?”

Before he could say anything, Deuce watched you maneuver your way through the crowd with a wave. “I’ll see you around!”

“Merciful Seven,” Ace groaned and checked Deuce on the shoulder as he shoved past him, “Get your goo-goo eyes and head out of the clouds, man! We’re gonna get nothing at this rate!”

“Huh? What’d ya say?!” Deuce growled, chasing after the redhead. “Come back here, you punk!”

He could vaguely hear the Ramshackle Prefect exasperatedly sigh and call for them. Grim choked out an annoyed scream from behind. As the noise and jostle of the crowd consumed Deuce’s senses, the image of your bright expression seared itself into his mind.

The third time, he found you in the courtyard on his way to Sam’s shop. Deuce saw you fiddling with something as you muttered to yourself. Your fingers twisted a tiny key lodged into a mahogany box with gentle precision. Your tongue poked out of your lips as your eyebrows scrunched together. Deuce noticed that you’ve always made that face whenever you ran in the field. He just knew that the world around you didn’t exist whenever it happened. Not even the harsh heat stopped you.

“Hey Deuce!”

He almost flinched at your voice. Smiling, you patted the spot beside you on the grass, then returned to fiddling with the contraption. It was a music box, Deuce realized. It was an antique music box with some scratches and dust. The tiny thing had seen better days.

Wait, how did he end up in front of you? Better yet, when did he go off the path towards you?

“Hey, uh, what’s that you’re holding?”

… It’s obviously a music box. Why did I ask that? Deuce thought, nearly smacking himself in the face at how stupid he sounded. If Ace could hear him right now, he’d be cackling and howling til his stomach hurt the next morning. He could just imagine the mischievous smirk on the Prefect’s face while Grim snickered behind their legs.

Embarrassing would be an understatement.

“Oh, this?” You chuckled, and Deuce felt his heart almost burst out of his chest. “It’s a music box. I had Sam fix it up for me, so I’m checking if it works like before.”

Your smile faltered, replaced by a melancholic expression, as your gaze lingered on the tiny contraption. Deuce quietly sat beside you, who still stared at the music box. The frown on your face and the dull look in your eyes were something foreign to him. For some reason, Deuce didn’t like seeing you this way, much less feel this sad.

“My mom gave me this.” Your voice was nothing but a tiny whisper as your thumb traced a scratch on the box. “It’s the last thing I have of her, so… I hope it works.”

Deuce felt like he had been punched in the gut. The image of his own mother—dark circles under her eyes and calluses on her once smooth hands; crying into the phone about her delinquent son; smiling as she tells him how proud she is of him—flashed in his mind. His heart sank at the thought of a life without her. He can only imagine the pain and sorrow you felt at the moment.

“I’m sorry.” Before he could think about it, Deuce clapped a hand on your shoulder in an attempt to comfort you. His lips were pressed in a thin line as your eyes met his. What else could you even tell someone who’s grieving over a deceased loved one, especially when the wound was still fresh?

You stared at Deuce for a bit, then the corners of your mouth twitched into a small smile. You huff as your hand squeezed his, the one on your shoulder. Deuce noticed that you had a firm grip despite your unassuming demeanor. He admired your smile, lips moving to answer him with a heartfelt, “Thanks.”

Nothing else disturbed the peaceful silence between the two of you. Even though it was peaceful, Deuce felt restless. He wanted to talk more; wanted you to share more about yourself. That tidbit about your mother made his heart hurt, but he wanted more. All of your attention returned to the music box, and he didn’t know what else to say. That antique clearly meant a lot to you. He should leave you to it.

But, for some reason, Deuce couldn’t. He didn’t want to. Even if Riddle threatened to collar him right now, he’d choose to stay next to you.

“It works!” Your voice brought him back to reality. A lullaby, one that he heard of as a child, rang in the air. The wind-up key slowly turned as the music box played its tune. Then, Deuce’s attention drifted to you.

The grin that stretched across your face and the sparkle in your eyes made the former delinquent’s heart lurch. He couldn’t look away from you, even when you turned to look at him with that huge grin. The world seemed to fade away. Your voice was muffled, and your words seemed to go into one ear and out of the other. His cheeks burned the longer he looked at you. As you excitedly marveled about the music box working, Deuce only thought of one thing.

Ace was going to have a field day once he figured out that Deuce has a crush.

[collecting-dustbunnies]

Welcome to the Pandemonium...

Memes and lots of annoying rambling ahead!

---

NAVIGATION

Recent

The Devil's Paradox

About NB's devil tree levelling system

They don't know about the NB season ending

Solomon x Simeon is doomed

Notable stuff

"MC, the Unreliable Narrator" series (An Obey Me: Nightbringer theory): Part 1, Part 2

Welcome to Obey Me!

"You are Responsible for Your Own Happiness" blorbo alignment chart (with the OM boys)

Obey Me MC's journey

Who the hell is Nightbringer?

Important tags

#db vault - My stuff #db rambles - Old lady yapping (by yours truly) #favs - Things I love #meta commentary - Where I remove my mask for a moment to talk about things outside the silly pixels #vent/#vent? - Some negativity present #queue to pandemonium - Queued items

[etrangersvoyageant]

Rewire, day 1

I went back to Rewire festival again. Read more after the drop. Also, because I had no time to post about Bandcamp Friday yesterday, all links refer to the artists’ albums I’d recommend.

The evening started early with a queue. The festival is sold out, so you might as well come early, right? After zoning in and out before getting my wristband, I headed to Carl Gari & Abdullah Miniawy. This collaboration is 10 years old now and it’s their second appearance at the festival.

There’s no change in the set-up. The guys of Carl Gari are a little in the back while Miniaway stands center stage with 2 microphones. One to sing into and the other to occasionally plays his trumpet. The music is dark, at times brooding, Miniaway sings, chants and works the crowd. A good example of the latter is he final track where he makes them shout along, creating an atmosphere of disciplinary order. So, a solid set to start with.

I’m in no rush, so I wait for those guys to show their faces in the lobby. In the meantime, I grab a couple of songs of Julia Holter. First, I chat with one of the Jonas’s, then later with Abdullah. I had spoken him and the Gari guys at the festival 2 years ago. Anyway, we catch up a bit and talk about the performance – I tell Abdullah there wasn’t enough trumpet, he laughs and agrees, explaining it was their first gig of the year and they had to get reacquainted – among other things.

Next, I take a 10-minute walk to get to Mizu. She’s a cellist whose album Distant Intervals surprised me last year. And live she doesn’t disappoint either. Next to playing the cello, the performance is enriched with interpretative dance and light. Especially the second appears to really sets the mood. When the room turns green, thunder is heard, followed by dark blue to accompany rain. White and yellow light are for rebirth and Mizu rises back to her feet as the room turns red and an array of beats crash down. All in all, it was an amazing performance, making Friday a success.

After her performance, I took a breather and got the chance to have a chat with her. We talked about her work and some life things (like the importance of change and being able to adapt). Absolute lovely person. Finally, I wished her a safe trip back home and headed outside again.

Aisha Devi was next on the list, but it was still early. So instead, I checked out Tadleeh for a bit. I mostly witnessed her building up her soundscape… Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay longer, because I really wanted to see Devi.

Like Gari & Miniaway, Devi is also a returning performer. The first time was epic, as she tore up the basement of a techno haunt. This time she got a bigger venue. Flanked by waving flags (courtesy of multiple fans), Devi played last year’s Death Is Home album plus some oldies I think. It was amazing, it was loud and it was danceable. Devi is a conjuror of sonic spirits, perhaps even an exorcist, as she swayed behind her laptop, setting the crowd in motion. Often she left the table and went to the edge of the stage to sing or say something. Maybe (read: it’s clear) I was too close to the speakers, but I missed out on most of her words. Some of the howls did pull through, if only because I could imagine them joining the beats.

After, I wandered a bit. 33EMBW’s room was full and I think the same went for Maxime Denuc (people were standing outside). I doubted too long and only caught a snippet of Anni Nöps & Casimir Geelhoed, who had turned their room into pandemonium by the sound of it. So, I called it a night.

[expressshuttle01]

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[barbiturate]

Story time! My Shinkanssen misadventure.

At 4pm in Aichi, I had to end my Ghibli Park tour despite missing two attractions due to the relentless heavy rain which left me completely drenched and the need to catch my bullet train to Tokyo that night. The news of massive delays in the morning made me feel uneasy.

I took the Linimo line train from Aichikyuhaku Kinenkoen to Fujigaoka station, where I bought two delicious cream puffs (for the last time). I then stopped at Sakae to collect my luggage from the coin locker before continuing to Nagoya Station. Upon arrival in Nagoya Station at 1800, it was pandemonium. Thousands of people rushing to catch their trains, and I just stood for 3 minutes because it was overwhelming. After I purchased my Shinkanssen ticket, I walked for a bit to buy my Ekiben (bento box).

Already in line to the ticket validator, I realized I can't find my bullet train ticket and only had the receipt. I froze, as I couldn't remember if the ticket had been dispensed from the machine or not. I asked assistance from the Japanese staff, presenting him the receipt. He directed me to the ticket desk, where a long queue of passengers were resolving travel issues too.

Time check was 1830, and I'm still in line. I was feeling cold because I've decided to keep my wet clothes on as I was in a hurry. It was 1945 when it was finally my turn, only to be told that Nagoya station doesn't refund lost/undispensed tickets. So I had to pay 150 aud again. Well anyway, let's move on.

I successfully inserted my ticket, I saw that Tokyo-bound trains were either delayed or cancelled as it flashed in the screens. I sat on the platform and finally ate my ikeben.

After eating, I opened my bag and reached for the wet tissue. Guess what, there it was..the freaking bullet train ticket that I first bought! It was in one of my bag's inside pocket all along! I could have sworn it wasn't there when I searched, soo howwww! (Remember that three liner scene from Gone Girl, when Ben Affleck finally met his "missing" wife Rosamund Pike and whispered to her ear that 3 words? Yes, I whispered the same to the ticket 🤦🏻‍♀️) And so I just scratched my head and took a commemorative photo of the two Shinkanssen tickets with identical travel details for the day.

The time was almost 2200 when the bullet train to Tokyo has finally appeared. I found three empty seats and sat near the window. I accidentally fell asleep in an instant even before the train started moving (yep, ofcourse it's me 😆) and I forgot to stash my small luggage at the overhead storage and just kept it beside me (should never do this). I woke up after 45 minutes, and noticed that the foldable table beside me was opened. That's when I realized that a kind soul purposely opened it to keep my luggage from rolling away (my sincere thanks, whoever you are 🥹). I dozed off again. This time, I was completely exhausted. Mental note: stow the luggage away next time.

The whole travel time to Tokyo was agonizing, requiring numerous stops en route for almost an hour still due to unfavorable weather condition. The whole trip was almost four hours and I finally arrived in Tokyo at around 0200 in the morning. Then I woke up in the afternoon with severe flu. Sadly, I had to cancel some of my itenerary for the last five days in Japan. Still breaks my heart that I missed the Gundam statue and the Shibuya Skytree Jujutsu Kaisen special lighting event..😪

Lesson learned: I should've bought a dozen of those cream puffs from Fujigaoka station, haha!

--this is me leaving my katangahan in 2024 behind.

*bow, 🙇🏻‍♀️

[sciencestyled]

Chaos, Mischief, and the Fine Art of Utter Pandemonium

There I was, minding my own business (yes, really), flipping through Midgardian channels with no small measure of delight. Humans, it seems, have mastered the art of befuddlement, spinning endless tales of order and control. They think they can tidy up the entire cosmos with mere charts and timetables, as if they’re locking away their laundry. Yet they fail to grasp that, much like me, the universe loves nothing more than a bit of havoc. And so, what do I find? An old bearded scientist droning on about “order in the universe.” I nearly choked on my ambrosial mead.

Naturally, I’m compelled to intervene. The problem was clear: humanity needed a reminder that the cosmos thrives on unpredictability. No better messenger than yours truly, Loki, God of Mischief, Prince of Pandemonium, Sultan of Surprises. But how? I needed a way to worm my way into every mortal’s smartphone, TV, and, dare I say, podcast queue.

It came to me in a flash. I'd orchestrate a spectacle on the very concept humans fear most: chaos. Of course, I wouldn’t simply scare them off with a crash course in mayhem (too easy); I’d play the wise teacher, the sage of… “Chaos Theory.” A bit of irony, don't you think? Me, explaining “the rules” of something that supposedly has none? Perfect. A sprinkle of Newton, a dash of quantum mumbo-jumbo, and, for the pièce de résistance, a deep-dive into that thing they call the “Butterfly Effect.” Oh, I could practically hear the mortals gasping! Just one measly butterfly flapping its wings in some corner of Midgard, and—boom!—your weather forecast’s up in flames!

To get a feel for the human reaction, I tried it out on a few Asgardian folks. Thor, bless his heart, was baffled. "Why would anyone want to listen to you talk about tiny creatures flapping about and weather disasters, Loki?" he asked, scratching his hammer-wielding head. But I saw it in his eyes—the curiosity, the uncertainty. He’ll never admit it, but Thor’s as clueless as a squirrel in a whirlwind when it comes to concepts that don’t involve brute force. If I could get him perplexed, Midgardians wouldn’t stand a chance.

It didn’t take long for the idea to spiral out of control. I soon realized I’d need some visuals. And a human narrator, too. No offense to my velvety voice, but my true visage can be a bit…distracting, and I needed people to actually listen. So, I hunted down a mortal who could manage this without screaming or falling over. Then I set to work.

A little here, a little there—I threw in some math formulas, the kind that makes Midgardians’ eyes glaze over, and a few classic examples of utter chaos. I even sprinkled in bits about stock markets and weather patterns, just to drive home that everything humans cling to is as stable as a house of cards in a gust. It was going to be a symphony—ahem—a true display of unpredictability’s charm.

At last, my masterpiece was ready. And now, it waits in the mysterious web called “the internet,” a place mortals approach with reverence and bafflement alike. Once they hit “play,” they’ll find themselves teetering at the edge of comprehension, wondering if that cup of coffee they spilled this morning could one day cause a typhoon in Tokyo.

Chaos, you see, is not just a theory. It’s a way of life.

[arcane-appetence]

Despite shielding herself, she could easily read the shock on the shifter's face. He recognized her? How could that be if this was their first encounter. Unless.... Lydia stepped forward, standing in the glow of the moonlight from above. "I am certain this the first time we have crossed paths, sir, so I'm not quite sure what you mean by that," she offered with a kind smile. From here she could sense the Alpha energy that radiated off of him, but it felt... different to her, not at all what she had felt before upon Alcide when they had first met. "My name's Lydia. Lydia Howard. What's your name?" she asked, keeping her hands at her sides so he could see them at all times.

@arcane-appetence

Continued from:

Ethan turned around, a little wary of the woman. However, now that he could see her face, his eyes widened, suddenly taken aback. "Do I...know you?" he asked, gruffly. "I'm sure I've seen you before."

[petnews2day]

Edinburgh Airport chaos as massive queues to check-in snake outside building

New Post has been published on https://petnews2day.com/news/pet-news/exotic-pet-news/edinburgh-airport-chaos-as-massive-queues-to-check-in-snake-outside-building/?utm_source=TR&utm_medium=Tumblr+%230&utm_campaign=social

Edinburgh Airport chaos as massive queues to check-in snake outside building

Edinburgh Airport was hit by pandemonium on Saturday, June 29, as holidaymakers were engulfed in massive queues, with some travellers reporting they had to wait outside the terminal building just to check in for their flights. The airport was swamped with passengers eager to start their summer holidays, but many were left frustrated and venting […]

See full article at https://petnews2day.com/news/pet-news/exotic-pet-news/edinburgh-airport-chaos-as-massive-queues-to-check-in-snake-outside-building/?utm_source=TR&utm_medium=Tumblr+%230&utm_campaign=social #ExoticPetNews

[japan2024]

Day 17 April 12 Sayōnara

Not sure if good things always come to an end--or if good things actually come to those who wait--but today marks the end of our remarkable visit to Japan.

We've found so much to admire about Japan and its people. Polite, courteous, respectful, mindful, harmonious--the Japanese constantly demonstrated the qualities necessary for a large number of people to co-exist harmoniously in a densely populated country.

There's a word for it: "Nagomi." Borrowing an AI search result, Nagomi is "a Japanese concept that emphasizes finding balance, harmony, and unity amidst diversity and change, rather than optimizing a single aspect of life. It is a foundational principle in Japanese culture and society."

Koji Yakusho as the toilet cleaner in "Perfect Days" portrayed what we saw everywhere. Store clerks, crossing guards, street cleaners, restaurant servers and cashiers all seemed to go about their jobs with a sense of purpose and dignity.

These photos don't do justice to Nagomi, but they capture a few of the times when it was evident.

Our 9-hour flight to Vancouver is scheduled for a 6:30 departure. We're camped out in the JAL Lounge in relative comfort. The duty-free shopping outside is pandemonium...heck, there's a queue for the Chanel store! :)

Like astronauts returning from space, we’ll spend a few days in Vancouver re-acclimating to North America.

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony's Stupid Daily Blog (617): Fri 24th Nov 2023

First day of the shitty Christmas shifts at work. Not only do we have to do an extra day a week but we have to do an extra half hour in the morning and the evening. Why don’t they just take my fucking blood?. When I got to the roundabout next to the Nightingale hospital there was a giant fucking traffic jam that I was stuck in for the next fifteen fucking minutes so I was really glad I set off early (and that it wasn't raining). I couldn't believe how busy it was because normally I only get to this roundabout half an hour later than I was there today and I didn't know that every morning just before I arrive there it is sheer pandemonium with people jostling for a space in the fucking queue. This queue I think may have been longer than the one that formed to see the Queen's coffin (Yes I am rehashing a joke that I used last year when I was stood in the queue for Xmas dinner but you know what the year's nearly over, I'm fucking knackered and I've got hardly anything left to say so fuck you!). When I got home after a BRUTAL shift (that I'm not going to bother writing about because I don't want the next six weeks to be me just writing about how boring it is at work and how exhausted I am by the end of it) I tuned into the Taskmaster final and saw that comedian Sam Campbell was crowned the winner. I haven't been paying much attention to this series because I'm not an enormous fan of the people in it but it has been good for a few laughs here and there. I was hopng to see who was going to be on the next series because they normally announce it at the end of every final but apparently they're saving the reveal until the end of the New Year's Treat special on. I really hope one day Daniel Kitson temporarily lifts his no TV rule and does a series because he would be great on it. He says he doesn't do TV because he doesn't want to risk people who haven't seen him before thinking that he's exactly the way he portrays himself on TV going to see him live and then being disappointed to find out that his stand up is completely different. This is understandable but Richard Herring has said that him appearing on the show didn't particularly increase his fame or his live work attendance so it is possible to have a brief moment of mainstream fame and then go back to being a cult figure so I don't think Kitson should ever completely rule out going on the show.