#she knew exactly what art was doing during lunch

[tomatotales]

People claiming that Art baby trapped Tashi or he manipulated her into marriage are kinda crazy

[cheesysoup-arlo]

Like a dog pt. 1

(pt. 2)

Regina x reader angst?

Warnings: toxic Regina, slur (use of the word lesbo)

I listened to this song for most of the writing process lol

You loved Regina. You loved her so much and you would do anything for her. She was your girlfriend. She wouldn’t tell anyone that but you knew it and that was enough for you.

You’ve noticed Regina being a little more distant than usual since Cady joined the plastics. You didn’t think much of it until rumors of Aaron and Regina dating started spreading.

While hanging out at Regina’s house (with the plastics) you decided to try and bring it up. “Hey Gina, um I-“ before you could even get your words out Regina snapped “What (Y/N)” she said rolling her eyes. “You know never mind I’m probably being ridiculous” you say worried she’ll get mad “No, spit it out, Now” she demanded. “Um so I’ve been hearing rumors that you and Aaron are dating, I know us dating is a secret (only you and the plastics know) but I thought we were only seeing each other?” You say kind of rambling and nervous. “Oh my god you’re being ridiculous” Regina said annoyed “get over yourself, you’re a secret for a reason, people can’t know I’m some lesbo like you and Janis that would be gross” you suddenly felt really small and unwanted something that you weren’t used to feeling especially when you were with your girlfriend. “Yeah, right, exactly, I don’t even know why I brought it up, sorry” you mumbled out. “God you’re so insecure sometimes” Regina says leaning in to kiss you. You kiss her, the mean things she said don’t matter as much as that kiss. Kissing her soft sweet lips meant everything to you.

The next day at school you’re putting your stuff in your locker when Regina calls you over. “(Y/N) come” Regina commanded “Yes?” You say confused walking over to her, she normally doesn’t talk to you much at school. “Gretchen was right you are like a dog, you come crawling to me whenever I call” she laughs a little with her friends. “Ok bye bye puppy, see you later” she says waving you away and laughing. You go to the bathroom to cry. Why was your girlfriend being like this? Doesn’t she love you? You lost track of time while crying and missed class. You wipe your tears, trying to make yourself look presentable before your only class with Regina. When you walk into class you see Regina. You’re not as excited as you normally are but seeing her makes you a little happy even if she’s being mean to you. Regina notices you and says, “come here puppy come sit” she points to the seat next to her and of course you follow. Regina pulls you in for a kiss, she never does that in public so you were shocked. “Regina there’s people” you say worried. She rolls her eyes “just be grateful I kissed you” you decide being quiet would be the better option. Regina’s behavior confused you. “Meet me at my car during lunch” Regina whispered in your ear. You just nod. Lunch was after next period. When the bell rang you packed up your things to head to art. You bumped into someone. “Ow fuck sorry” you say picking up the stuff you dropped. “It’s ok” says a familiar voice. “Oh hi Janis” “hi (Y/N), heading to art?” “Um yeah, you know I sit like right behind you” “yeah I know but sometimes you ditch so I was just curious” Janis jokes making you laugh a little. You two walk to art together, talking a little about your recent projects. Rumors start spreading when the two openly out lesbians are seen walking together in the halls and laughing. You don’t go on your phone in art. So to your surprise when you open your phone after the bell rings for lunch and see loads of messages and post about you and Janis. And two text from Regina

Regina 💕: get your ass to my car

Regina💕: NOW

uh oh she’s angry. You run to her car. “Hey Regina” “get in the car” you do what you’re told. “So you’re cheating on me?” “WHAT NO” “oh come on (Y/N) why else would you be talking and giggling with Janis” “um maybe because I have art with her” “I don’t want to see you around her anymore” she kisses you then continues “you’re mine” you blush due to her possessiveness even if she only talked like this in private. “All yours” you say. She kisses you again. “Oh one more thing, don’t bring up Aaron anymore he’s being like so annoying and tried to kiss me” “ok” you say leaning in to kiss her again. She kisses you back kinda rough, biting your bottom lip then sticking her tongue in your mouth to assert dominance. You moan. “Oh you like that” Regina chuckles. You’re embarrassed and hide your face. She grabs you chin and makes you look at her “I want you to come over tonight after the girls leave” “ok?” You say a little confused “you’re gonna be a good little puppy and do whatever I say, ok?” You nod. “Good, now get out, I’ll see you tonight.” You leave a little confused but also excited because you get to see Regina later.

A/N: this has been in my notes app for like 3 days because I couldn’t tell if this was worth posting but here you go

[cool-fancier]

Between the Lines

Kim Jisoo x Female Reader

Synopsis: In the bustling halls of Seoul Arts Academy, two teachers—Y/N and Jisoo Kim—navigate playful rumors and buried feelings, discovering that love grows quietly, between the lines.

Word Count:2.8K

The beginning of the school year at Seoul Arts Academy always felt like stepping onto a stage, the same routine unfolding but with fresh faces and new stories yet to be told. You stood in your classroom, straightening a few stray chairs, taking a deep breath as students trickled in for your first history class of the day. The clattering of backpacks, the hum of low chatter—it was comforting, a reminder of why you chose this path.

“Ms. Kim, why do we have to study the past if it’s already happened?” a student, Min-seo, called out as she flopped into her seat.

You smiled at her. “Because the past has a funny way of repeating itself. If we don’t learn from it, we’re bound to make the same mistakes.”

The response was met with a few groans and chuckles, but you could see the gears turning in their heads, which was always a small victory. As the bell rang, you launched into your introduction for the semester, explaining the key events you’d be covering—revolutions, wars, peace treaties. The usual rhythm of teaching felt familiar, almost automatic.

But as you spoke, part of your attention wandered. You knew Jisoo was probably next door, handling her own set of students, the same light-hearted energy she always brought to her music classes making her students adore her. And, of course, feeding into the constant jokes from students and staff alike that the two of you were "Ms. and Mrs. Kim."

The teasing had started innocently enough. After all, you and Jisoo shared the same last name and had similar teaching styles—people always assumed there was more to your bond than simple friendship. At first, you laughed it off, but as time passed, those jokes began to linger, creeping into your thoughts during moments of silence.

— — — —

Lunchtime in the staff room was a sacred part of the day. It was where the teachers unwound, shared stories about students, and caught up on each other’s lives. As you pushed open the door, the usual suspects were already gathered—Jennie Kim sat scrolling through her phone, Lisa Manobal was leaning back in her chair with her feet up on the table, and Rosé Park was rifling through a stack of papers, no doubt grading last-minute assignments from her literature class.

"Look who it is!" Lisa called out, grinning as you walked in. "Mrs. Kim has arrived."

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help the smile that tugged at your lips. "Very funny, Lisa."

Jennie looked up from her phone, raising an eyebrow. "Where’s your better half? Didn’t you two walk in together today?"

Rosé smirked from the corner, not even looking up from her papers. "Of course they did. They’re practically inseparable."

You grabbed your lunch and took a seat beside Lisa, shaking your head. "We don’t even live near each other. How do you all keep saying we arrive together?"

"Details, details," Lisa waved her hand dismissively. "But you’ve got to admit, it does look suspicious."

At that moment, the door creaked open, and Jisoo entered the staff room, her signature grin already in place as if she knew exactly what conversation she was walking into. She crossed the room with an easy confidence, dropping her lunch onto the table before sitting next to you.

"Am I late to the gossip session?" she asked, looking around at your friends.

"Perfect timing," Jennie said dryly. "We were just discussing your upcoming wedding with Y/N."

Jisoo let out a short laugh, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, yeah? When’s the date?"

You shot her a look, but Jisoo just shrugged, leaning in close enough that her shoulder brushed yours. It was a casual touch, one that might have gone unnoticed to anyone else, but you felt the warmth of it linger longer than it should have.

"Any day now," Lisa chimed in, winking. "We’ve already got the invitations ready."

"Great," Jisoo said, her tone playful, but there was something softer beneath it as she glanced at you. "I’ll make sure to wear white."

The conversation shifted after that—Rosé started ranting about one of her students who had tried to submit an essay full of song lyrics, and Jennie complained about how unprepared her third-year math students were. But even as everyone laughed and joked, you were acutely aware of Jisoo sitting beside you, the playful teasing that felt like it held something more underneath.

You weren’t sure when it started—this feeling that the lines between friendship and something more had begun to blur—but you couldn’t deny that it was there, simmering beneath the surface of every shared glance, every joke that lingered just a second too long.

— — — —

After the school day ended, the usual rush of students clearing out of the building was in full swing. You stood at your desk, organizing your lesson plan for the next day when Jisoo poked her head into your classroom.

"Hey," she said, leaning casually against the doorframe. "You doing anything tonight?"

You looked up, surprised by the invitation. "Nothing planned, why?"

Jisoo smiled, pushing off the doorframe and walking into the room. "I was thinking we could grab some dinner? I need to debrief after dealing with my first-years. They were especially chaotic today."

You laughed. "Sure, sounds good. Any place in mind?"

"How about that little Italian spot near the park? It’s quiet enough that we can actually hear each other talk."

"Sold," you said, packing up your things. The idea of spending more time with Jisoo, away from the students and the staff room gossip, felt like a nice change of pace.

— — — —

The restaurant was cozy, tucked away from the busy streets. Soft lighting and the smell of fresh pasta filled the air as you and Jisoo sat across from each other, menus forgotten on the table. The casual ease of your workday banter slipped away, leaving a quieter, more intimate atmosphere between you.

"So," Jisoo said, breaking the silence as she took a sip of her wine. "How are you really doing, Y/N?"

It was such a simple question, but the sincerity in her voice made you pause. You leaned back in your chair, thinking about how to answer. "Honestly? I’m okay. But this whole ‘Kim couple’ joke is starting to get under my skin a little."

Jisoo nodded, setting her glass down. "Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that too. It’s funny… until it’s not."

There was a weight to her words, something more serious than the playful tone she usually used. You felt your heart beat a little faster as she met your gaze, her eyes softer than usual, like she was trying to say something but holding back.

"You think we should… stop encouraging it?" you asked, not entirely sure what you meant by that.

Jisoo looked at you for a long moment before shaking her head. "I don’t know if we’re really encouraging it. I think they’re seeing something we haven’t figured out yet."

You stared at her, the words hanging between you. The playful, teasing Jisoo was gone, replaced by someone who was looking at you like they were waiting for you to catch up.

"Jisoo…" you started, unsure of how to finish.

She leaned forward slightly, her voice soft but steady. "I think we need to figure out what we are, Y/N. Because I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately, and maybe they’re right. Maybe we are more than just friends."

The admission was quiet, but it hit you like a wave, the truth of it undeniable now that it was out in the open. Your heart raced, a million thoughts running through your mind, but one thing was clear: this wasn’t just about the students' jokes anymore. This was real, and it was something you couldn’t ignore any longer.

— — — —

The days following that dinner felt different. The teasing from your friends continued, but now, there was something more tangible between you and Jisoo, something that made every glance feel heavier, every touch more deliberate.

One afternoon, as you sat grading papers in the staff room, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa were lounging around, discussing weekend plans.

"Y/N," Lisa called over, grinning mischievously. "You and Jisoo coming to karaoke with us on Friday?"

You didn’t get a chance to respond before Jisoo walked in, overhearing the question. "Karaoke? Sounds fun," she said, dropping into the seat beside you. "We’re in, right?"

You nodded, unable to hide your smile. "Yeah, we’re in."

Rosé laughed, leaning over to whisper loudly to Jennie, "Look at them, already answering for each other. It’s like they’re married."

Jennie smirked. "Honestly, it’s getting kind of gross how cute they are."

Jisoo turned to you, her smile widening. "I guess we’ve been caught."

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help laughing with her. As much as the teasing still got under your skin sometimes,you loved it.

— — — —

The banter in the staff room that afternoon was light, filled with the usual laughter and teasing. But underneath it all, you couldn't ignore the subtle changes between you and Jisoo—the quiet glances, the comfortable silences, the way your conversations now felt deeper than before. It was like a new layer had been added, one that neither of you had fully acknowledged but was undeniably there.

Friday came quickly, and before you knew it, you were standing outside a small karaoke bar, the neon lights flickering overhead. Lisa, Jennie, and Rosé were already inside, picking songs and bickering over which genre to start with.

Jisoo nudged your arm, pulling your attention back to her. "You ready for this?" she asked, her lips curving into that familiar smirk that always made your heart skip a beat.

You grinned, pushing the door open. "As long as you don’t make me sing, we’re good."

The inside of the bar was warm, the low thrum of music filling the air. You could hear Lisa's voice echoing from a nearby room, already belting out an energetic pop song while Jennie and Rosé tried to harmonize through their laughter.

"Come on, we saved you the best seat," Lisa called out, waving you both over to the corner booth.

You slid into the booth next to Jisoo, the soft vinyl pressing against your legs as you settled in. The atmosphere was lively, but there was something grounding about being close to her, your shoulders brushing every now and then as you leaned back, listening to the chaotic but joyful sounds of your friends.

After a few rounds of terrible (but entertaining) singing, you excused yourself to get another drink. The cool air outside the karaoke room was a nice reprieve from the warmth inside. As you stood at the bar, waiting for your order, you felt a presence next to you before you even turned around.

"You’re avoiding the stage," Jisoo said, her tone teasing but soft.

"I told you—I’m not much of a singer," you replied, glancing over at her with a grin.

She leaned against the counter, her eyes lingering on you for a moment longer than usual. "I know. But you don’t need to be. It’s just for fun."

You smiled at that, but something about the way she was looking at you tonight—something more intent than before—made the air between you feel charged, like a quiet shift had happened without either of you realizing.

"Are you having fun, though?" she asked, her voice softer now, more intimate.

"I am," you replied honestly. "It’s nice… being here with you."

Jisoo’s smile softened, her gaze holding yours as if she was weighing her next words carefully. "I like being around you, too."

There it was again—that feeling. The weight of something unsaid between you, but instead of the usual teasing or playful banter, this moment felt heavier, more real. You could feel the words hanging in the air, waiting to be spoken. But Jisoo didn’t rush it, didn’t jump to some grand declaration or cheesy line. Instead, she just looked at you, her expression thoughtful, as if she was figuring things out right alongside you.

"You know," she started, her tone casual but layered with meaning, "I’ve been thinking a lot lately… about us."

Your heart skipped. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," she nodded, still looking at you, her gaze steady but not overwhelming. "I guess I just wanted to ask—do you ever think about… what this is? Like, what we are?"

It wasn’t the kind of big, dramatic moment that movies or books loved to paint, but it felt perfect in its simplicity. No over-the-top confessions, no grand gestures—just Jisoo being direct, honest, asking the question that had been lingering between you for weeks.

You took a breath, feeling the weight of her words. "I’ve been thinking about it, too."

A small smile tugged at her lips. "And?"

You hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I don’t know exactly what this is, Jisoo, but I know that… whatever it is, it feels right."

Her eyes brightened at that, her shoulders relaxing as if she’d been holding her breath. "It does, doesn’t it?"

You both fell into a comfortable silence, the noise from the karaoke room distant in the background. There was no pressure to label things or rush into anything. It was just you and Jisoo, finally acknowledging what had been building for so long.

"So," she said after a beat, her voice lighter now, "what do you say we see where this goes?"

There was something so simple, so *real* about the way she asked—no expectations, no pretense, just a genuine offer to explore whatever this connection was.

You felt yourself smiling, your heart lighter than it had been in a long time. "Yeah. I’d like that."

Jisoo’s grin widened, and for the first time, the teasing, playful barrier between you felt like it had been lifted. It wasn’t some grand romantic scene with flowers or confessions under the stars, but it was yours. It was genuine, and that made it all the more meaningful.

"Come on," she said, nudging your arm with a grin. "Let’s get back in there before Lisa tries to sing another ballad. You know how dangerous that gets."

You laughed, following her back into the room, feeling lighter than you had in weeks. As you both slid back into the booth, the atmosphere between you felt different—not drastically, but subtly. It wasn’t just friendship anymore; there was an unspoken understanding, a quiet shift that made everything feel… easier.

— — — —

Monday came too quickly after the weekend, and as you walked into the school, you found yourself unconsciously scanning the halls for Jisoo. You hadn’t talked about what happened at karaoke since that night, but it hadn’t felt necessary. There was a quiet understanding between the two of you now, something that didn’t need to be spelled out.

In the staff room, Lisa was already there, drinking coffee and scrolling through her phone. "Morning, Mrs. Kim," she greeted with a grin.

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t stop the smile. "Morning, Lisa."

Jennie walked in shortly after, holding her laptop and looking stressed as usual. "Does anyone have extra coffee? My students are going to destroy me today, I can feel it."

Rosé followed behind her, holding a stack of papers. "I think you’re being a little dramatic, Jennie."

"Not dramatic enough," Jennie muttered, but her eyes flicked up toward you. "So, how was karaoke? You and Jisoo seemed cozy."

Rosé perked up at that, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Oh, *really*? Something happen?"

You hesitated, not sure how much to share yet, but before you could respond, the door opened again, and Jisoo walked in. She caught your eye, and there it was—that same soft, knowing smile from the other night. She didn’t need to say anything, but the quiet connection was there, unspoken between you both.

"Morning, everyone," Jisoo greeted, grabbing her coffee and settling in next to you, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Jennie glanced between the two of you, clearly suspicious. "Okay, something’s up."

"Nothing’s up," you replied, too quickly, earning a raised eyebrow from Jennie.

"Right," Jennie said, dragging out the word, her gaze darting between you and Jisoo. "Nothing at all."

Rosé leaned forward, grinning. "We’re just saying—it’s okay if something is up."

Lisa, ever the instigator, chimed in. "Yeah, because we all saw it the other night."

You felt yourself blush, but Jisoo just shrugged, casually sipping her coffee like she was completely unfazed. "What can I say? Y/N and I are just really good at making you all jealous."

It was the perfect deflection, light and playful, but even Jennie and Rosé couldn’t ignore the soft glances exchanged between you two. Maybe they didn’t need to push further. Maybe, like you and Jisoo, they knew that something had shifted—and sometimes, that was enough.

As the morning rush of students filled the hallways, you walked toward your classroom, and for the first time in a long time, everything felt like it was exactly where it needed to be. Not rushed, not forced—just unfolding at its own pace.

And maybe, just maybe, that was the best part of all.

[jus-a-lil-mouse]

BITE

(including this fantastic art from @this-is-z-art-blog )

Danny decided very quickly that he really, really did not like the new kid.

Kade Johnson (“That’s such a white boy name,” Tucker had said, eyes rolling) had started in the middle of November. A senior with blonde hair and blue eyes that rivaled Dash’s good looks. Smart and athletic. A model student. Charismatic. Friendly. Off.

“He’s just sort of… weird,” Danny had told Sam over lunch.

She had glanced at the senior in question, varsity jacket slung over his shoulder, laughing with the rest of the basketball team. “Yeah, Danny. He’s a popular kid who’s going to peak in high school.”

Danny shook his head. “It’s more than that.”

“Danny, I promise it’s not,” Sam replied. “Unless he’s, y’know…” she wiggled her fingers at him, flinging a bit of pizza sauce his way, “ghostly?”

“No. He’s normal,” Danny sighed. Sam raised an eyebrow at him. Danny rolled his eyes. “He’s human, I mean.”

Tucker dumped an armful of vending machine snacks on their lunch table, settling in next to Danny. “He’s telling you about his conspiracies too?”

“They’re not-“

“Yeah, new kid’s evil and out to get us,” Sam replied.

Danny grabbed the Ruffles and ate them as petulantly as he could, glaring at his two dearest friends in the world. “He’s weird,” Danny insisted weakly, glancing over at the senior again.

Clear blue eyes stared back at him, alive and bright. Unsettling. Kade grinned at him, showing off too-white teeth. Danny thought he might puke.

Behavior

It had been nearly three weeks since Danny was able to sit at his seat. He didn’t even realize it was his seat until fucking Kade was there with impeccably clear skin and the vague hint of cologne hanging around him. Khakis (who wore nice pants to high school?) and a polo and his Varsity letter jacket. And Danny knew why he, a freshman, was in the Junior-level physics class - because he was fucking smart - but that didn’t explain why Kade, a senior, was in the Junior-level physics class - because Danny knew that Kade was also fucking smart. It was the only thing Jazz could talk about anymore.

And Danny was stuck staring at the back of Kade’s stupid head. Because Star had just given Danny’s seat away. Like “Lab Partners for Life” meant nothing to her. Every day Kade came in and sat down next to her and gave her a big grin. And Star gazed up at him adoringly and said “What do you think of my outfit today, Kade?” And Kade said “You look great, why don’t you sit next to me at lunch today?” Or “I don’t think that style suits you very well, sorry Star.” Or something equally weird and unrelated to physics. And Danny couldn’t see the whiteboard.

Danny had tried telling Tucker that Kade was weird. Tucker had put Danny’s cheeks between his hands and said “Hey, man. You can tell me if you’re gay. It’s okay.” And Danny said “You’re an ass, Tuck,” because Danny had already come out to him three years ago.

Danny had tried telling Sam. She’d said, “At least he’s gotten Dash to stop wearing those stupid ripped jeans. The khakis and polos are an improvement.” Which was true - all the A-listers wore exactly what Kade wanted them to. They probably shopped together.

At lunch Kade sat with the A-Listers of every grade. They all ate what he ate and sat where he asked them to. They all wore stupid matching friendship bracelets that were too bright. The charms hurt Danny’s eyes whenever they caught the light right, and they caught the light right all the time.

Danny hated that guy.

Information

Danny was always a little bit prepared for an attack during school. After it had happened so many times already, it would be foolish not to keep a Thermos in his bag and be on edge all of the damn time. But it had been less frequent lately. All the ghosts seemed to be quieting down. It was suspicious, but Danny had been trying to take advantage of the sleep while he could. Growing boy and all that. Unfortunately, dull headaches throbbed in his head and his nights were frustratingly sleepless.

So it follows naturally that Skulker shows up while Danny is nearly asleep in English. He isn’t even fully awake when he transforms in the bathroom, Thermos in hand and backpack discarded in the corner.

He manages to be wide awake when he makes it onto the football field and finds Skulker staring down Kwan, who - to his credit - is staring right back. Danny’s able to get a good shot in while Skulker is distracted, and the following fight is short and sweet and incredibly routine. Danny touches down next to Kwan once it’s over. “Hey, man. You’re supposed to run away from ghosts.”

Kwan grins at him, bright and full of teeth. “It’s fine, Phantom! See, I’ve got this!” He held up his wrist and Danny winced as the sun caught the charm just right and blinded him. Kwan sheepishly put his arm back down. “Sorry. It’s an anti-ghost charm.”

“It’s a what,” Danny said flatly, reaching for Kwan’s wrist again. He braced himself for the brightness, and squinted to examine the bracelet.

“An anti-ghost charm!” Kwan repeated. “See, there’s a new student - his name is Kade - and he’s a genius. He knows all about ghosts. The charm is a little locket, see, and inside is special ingredients.”

“What ingredients?” Danny asked, trying to open the container.

Kwan kicked at the dirt. “Well, I’m not really supposed to ask… I don’t know,” he admitted. “But Kade says if I keep doing well, I can learn one day! Kade’s great.”

Danny grunted, finally wiggling the locket open. “Is that hair?” he asked, pulling a little knot of it out. It looked just like the clumps of Jazz’s hair that he found on his laundry - definitely human hair. And a small pin, and a little thorn that pricked Danny’s finger. “What the fuck,” Danny breathed, shaking his hand out. He glanced up at Kwan, who looked devastated that Danny had opened the locket.

“Kade will be upset that I opened it,” Kwan said quietly, as though confiding a great secret. “I might not get to sit at the table during lunch.” Danny did his best not to roll his eyes. “He says they lose their magic when you open them.”

“Why?” Danny asked, shoving the items back into the container and shutting the clasp. “It’s just some garbage - it doesn’t even do anything.”

“Yes it does,” Kwan insisted, suddenly loud again. Danny dropped his hand. “Kade says so. He knows all about ghosts.”

“I am a ghost,” Danny reminded him.

“Ghosts are liars. Kade says a ghost will tell you anything you want to hear to get what they want.” He took a step back. “You could be lying right now. Maybe you aren’t even saving us from the ghosts, like Kade says. I shouldn’t even be talking to you. What if someone sees?”

Danny rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Kade can save you next time Skulker comes around if he’s so great.” He left before he could hear Kwan’s response.

Thought

Danny is only a little pleased to be paired with Paulina for English today. Sure, she’s a bit unbearable to be around, but she’s pretty, so it evens out. The sickly sweet smell of her perfume worsens his headache, but at least she isn’t wearing one of those damn charms.

She gives him a disinterested glance as he sits next to her, worksheet in hand. He tries not to be that offended. And then he is offended, he decides, because she’s got a picture of Kade sticking out of her notebook.

“Did you do yesterday’s reading?” Danny asked. He knew the answer.

“No, I was busy at Kade’s house,” Paulina replied, looking at him as though he was stupid for thinking she’d do her homework. “I’m in the inner circle.”

“So… the worksheet?” Danny said, hoping to redirect the conversation. “Lancer’s usually willing to fail us for not finishing before ghosts attack.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll keep you safe. Kade knows how to keep ghosts away. He knows everything. He’s protected the school so well!”

“I thought Phantom was protecting the school,” Danny said through gritted teeth.

Paulina tut-tutted at him. “No. Phantom is a ghost. Ghosts are evil,” she says, as though he is a child. “Kade tells us how to protect ourselves from ghosts. My perfume is ghost-repellant. And I do all of my meditations so that they can’t take over my mind. If you asked, Kade could help you too,” she added sweetly. “Your parents clearly don’t know anything about ghosts. Not like Kade.”

Danny recognized the insult for what it was, but Paulina also sounded genuine. She believed this nonsense. “Paulina, none of that works.” The perfume smelled bad, but it wasn’t repelling him. “How has he proven any of that works?”

“Um, it obviously works,” she replied. “Ghosts haven’t attacked the school in weeks, and even the attacks in town are stopping. That’s because of us. Kade is showing us how to protect the town, and soon… well, we won’t need Phantom ever again.”

She had a point. Ghost attacks were way down. Danny still felt like shit all the time, but at least he hadn’t needed to be doing vigilante business as well - he just thought he was finally winning. That after enough fights they’d stopped coming back. It made more sense than Paulina stopping the attacks, at least. “Paulina, Kade doesn’t have that kind of power. He’s just a guy.”

Paulina’s hand shot in the air. “Mr. Lancer, can I work by myself?” Lancer didn’t even look up from his monitor, just sighed and waved his hand in a ‘ do whatever’ motion. She turned back to him, angrier than Danny had ever seen her. “I don’t listen to unbelievers like you. I’m part of the inner circle.”

And then she was up and gone, seat vacated. Danny let his head thud onto the table. He also hadn’t done the reading. This worksheet was going to take him forever.

Emotion

It’s mid-March when Danny finally realizes that something is wrong with Dash. Early March is when Dash’s ‘spring cleaning’ starts, and everyone who looks at him wrong gets shoved in a locker (at best) or a toilet (at worst). But Danny - despite being sleep-deprived, achey, and nauseous - has been snarking at him constantly for weeks, and hasn’t been shoved anywhere. His hair is blessedly free of toilet water. And Dash is wearing khakis and polos and he wears that stupid bracelet.

“I thought you’d be glad he stopped his brutishness,” Sam said when he brought it up. “I really think you need to see a doctor, Danny.”

Tucker hadn’t even tried listening to him. “You haven’t slept well in months, man. Of course you’re paranoid.” The kindness in his eyes made Danny want to hurl. Danny was the protector, not the protected.

He was on his own.

Which is why he nearly let out a breath of relief when Dash cornered him in the near-empty locker room after gym. The remaining boys cleared out quickly, leaving Danny and Dash alone. Finally, a fight. Ghosts hadn’t been seen in weeks. Danny felt more deathly than ever.

“Hey, uh, Fenton,” Dash started, and Danny froze. Was this not a fight?

“Baxter,” Danny replied coolly. “Come for spring cleaning?”

Dash looked scared, and Danny didn’t understand anything that was happening. “No. I wanted to apologize for my past behavior. It was juvenile, and will not be repeated.”

“Those are some pretty big words,” Danny says, and he can see the conflict in Dash’s eyes: to punch or not to punch? That is the question.

Dash takes a deep breath and sticks his hand out between them. “I apologize for my past behavior,” he repeats. Danny lets this hang between them, too.

“No,” Danny says. “Dude, what? Glad you cleared your conscience, but I’m not going to shake your hand and say we’re fine.”

“You have to,” Dash pleaded. “Everyone else did.”

“Yeah, man! Of course they did! You beat the shit out of us all the time!”

“I used to beat the shit of you all the time.”

“Dash, what is going on?” Danny asks, dropping his volume down.

Dash shifts uncomfortably. He mumbles something into the air dividing them, but Danny can’t quite catch it. He stays silent, waiting for Dash to break first. It only takes a moment. “Kade is going to save some of us. I’m supposed to be free of grudges or the negative emotions will cause the process to go wrong. I’ve been having extra one-on-one sessions,” Dash explains. “Kade says if I’m forgiven it’ll go well. Then we’ll all be okay. So you have to forgive me.”

“Dash, none of that makes any sense.”

“Well it’s not my fault you’re not in the inner circle. Maybe if you weren’t such a loser you’d be able to be saved too.”

“You’re so good at not continuing your past behavior,” Danny replies, and is almost glad for the cold bite of the locker on his back when Dash slams him into it.

“I am going to go to Kade’s. He is going to make it so I can’t die, and then we will make it so the whole town is safe and the ghosts won’t be able to touch us. Kade can cut us off from death! He’s done it before! So you’re going to forgive me and I’m gonna be a hero.” Dash’s eyes were bright and alive and sickening to look into.

Danny didn’t know what to say to that. So he didn’t say anything, and got shoved in a locker.

Control

“I hate being right all the time,” Danny mutters to himself. He shuffles through a couple more papers on Kade’s desk, and then phases through the ceiling. The easiest realization was ‘Kade is leading a cult’. Next step was to visit Kade’s house by following him home from school. Thankfully, Kade was the kind of evil genius who left his plans out on his desk.

Gather recruits. Help guide them towards salvation. Cut off the town from the Ghost Zone. Be hailed as a savior.

The problem was this: Danny knew intimately that life and death were in balance. You couldn’t have one without the other. Kade had been leaching energy off of his fellow students to begin the process. Danny was being slowly cut off from death (explaining the headaches and the nausea and the bone-deep exhaustion). The whole town was. Of course there’d been less ghost attacks. Danny had been right to be suspicious. Amity Park’s veil was razor-thin, and this separation would probably cause it to implode spectacularly.

“I was so hoping you’d be here.”

Danny turns and sees Kade, eyes bright and alive and smile full of too-white teeth. “Here I am,” Danny says, spreading his arms open dramatically.

“Here you are!” Kade says. “The ghost boy himself! Are you here to foil my plans?” He asks it as though it is an inside joke, as though they are old friends. “Shall I give you my monologue?”

Danny settles. Gives the illusion of complacency. Shrugs. “Yeah, if that’s what you want to do with your day.”

“I am always searching for souls seeking redemption,” Kade replies, spreading his arms wide. “Daniel, I am a visionary. I am alive. I have removed all traces of death from myself. It cannot touch me.”

That last bit may have been true; being in the room with him was dizzying. Agitating. Looking at his face felt sickening.

“I could tell you all the details, but here are the highlights. I have saved my soul, made myself more alive than anyone has ever been. It was simple and bloody, but now I know how to save everyone.”

“If you upset the balance, everything will collapse in on itself. By separating them you’ll bring them closer together. Like a rubber band, y’know?”

Kade tuts at him. “What will you do, ghost? Stop me?”

“It’s what I do,” Danny shrugs, and prepares for a fight.

The fight doesn’t come; it never even starts. Kade is untouchable; the ectoblasts and wails just wash over him like a wave breaking on stone. Kade is grinning. His teeth are too white and his eyes are bright and Danny is tired.

“I told you, I cannot be touched by death,” Kade reminds him.

Danny is the world; he is balanced. He returns to life and lands a well-placed sucker punch. Kade hadn’t been expecting that, and soon enough they were tumbling on the ground. It’s been a while since Danny was in a fight, but it returns to him easily. His knuckles are bleeding. He is winning. “What are you?” Danny asks through bloody teeth. “You aren’t a ghost.”

“I am to life what a ghost is to death,” Kade hisses from the floor. “And you are an abomination.”

“Dude. That’s rude,” Danny replies.

Danny has spent years avoiding Dash Baxter, so when he hears those familiar footfalls in the hallway, he transforms. He lets Kade push him away. He makes sure Dash and Paulina have a good view of Kade, beaten and bloody, and Phantom looming over him. Kade pushes himself up off the floor, his “anti-ghost” charm swinging wildly off his bracelet as he attempts to steady himself.

He uses his best Superhero voice. “This evil-doer was attempting to upset the balance of forces sustaining the world. He intended to cause the apocalypse.” The apocalypse bit was a lie, but they wouldn’t know that. Danny gave them a thumbs up. He disappeared.

Sam and Tucker weren’t that impressed when he told them about it.

“Cults are small potatoes,” Sam says wisely.

“It wasn’t even a real cult, it was a high schooler with an entourage,” Tucker adds.

“He was a supernatural entity that wanted to destroy the world,” Danny argues.

Sam nods. “Yeah. Small potatoes.”

“I’m just glad you finally got some sleep, buddy,” Tucker says, swinging an arm around Danny’s shoulders.

[toasttt11]

suprise

June 30, 2024

Octavia was walking out of the kitchen and towards the stairs of the lake house when she felt Luke walking next to her, she turned her head slighty giving him a look knowing her twin had something to say.

“My guest is showing up today.” Luke informed his twin with a smirk.

“Who?” Octavia questioned continuing walking up to her art room. Most of her brothers friends and teammates have came the last few days she didn’t know anyone else was coming besides in a few days Matthew and Joseph were coming for a few days.

“Simon.” Luke nonchalantly told his sister with a smirk, he’s know all about how his twin has felt for Simon the last three years and know that he actually knows Simon and met him knowing he is good for Octavia. Luke’s gonna make sure his sister is happy and Simon makes her happy.

“Luke Warren Hughes.” Octavia sternly spoke turning around glaring at her twin brother, she knew exactly what Luke was trying to do.

“What, i invited my friend.” Luke innocently shrugged, “What! Sure Quinny i’ll help you with!” Luke pretended to hear Quinn calling for him and called back rushing down the stairs towards the outside.

“Luke!” Octavia groaned watching him run away from her. She stomped up to her art room plopping down onto her couch.

Octavia has always hated what Simon makes her feel and how he seems to just make her feel so much so easily, he makes her nervous over anything and the way he makes her smile almost as easily as Luke does.

Octavia hated not being in control of her feelings and Simon made her not in control. She felt very out of control of her emotions during Worlds and being so close to Simon for a few weeks.

Octavia threw on her a pair of noise canceling headphones and turning off the notifications on her phone and started to paint, the only thing she could hear was her music in her ears.

Octavia wasn’t sure how long she was in her room paining her newest piece of art when she felt a hand touch her shoulder and she clicked her music off and slipped her headphones off seeing Quinn standing there.

Octavia raised an eyebrow in question as she grabbed a rag wiping her hands off.

“Dinner.“ Quinn simply told his sister.

Octavia widen her eyes slightly as she had come up to her art room right after lunch and it was already dinner.

Octavia nodded and followed Quinn out of her art room and down the stairs hearing a lot of voices coming from the dinning room, she paused hearing a specific voice.

Quinn turned around seeing Octavia just standing there in the middle of the hallway, “Moon?”

Octavia snapped out and shook her head trying to hide the nerves she gets around Simon, “I’m going to kill your brother.” Octavia grumbled out.

“What did Jack do this time.” Quinn raised an eyebrow at his sister not surprised she is annoyed at Jack.

“Luke.” Octavia grumbled back.

“Your mad at Luke?” Quinn looked extremely shocked and he pressed a hand to her forehead, “Are you sick?” Quinn barely remembers anytime where Octavia and Luke were mad at each other.

Octavia grunted moving away from his hand, “He’s a dick.” Octavia grumbled not liking how Luke brought Simon here and didn’t give her warning and she knew exactly why he didn’t tell her he was coming.

Quinn raised an eyebrow and nodded knowing if Octavia was mad or annoyed at Luke then he definitely did something.

Octavia reluctantly started walking through the house with Quinn and walked through the door into the very large dining room that is filled with friends and teammates.

Octavia scowled slightly seeing the smirk on Luke’s face as he talked to Simon.

Simon looked up seeing Octavia standing in the door way and he smiled, “Octavia!” He walked over to her pulling her into a gentle hug.

“Hi Si.” Octavia whispered back letting herself enjoy the hug for a second. She forgot about all of the annoyance she just felt.

“He gets a hug but i don’t!” Trevor dramatically whined at his favorite Hughes, Octavia and Trevor have a very dramatic relationship. Trevor adores her like a sister and she tolerates him most days.

Octavia just shrugged smirking at Trevor and she sat down on to one of the chairs and Simon and Luke sat on either sides of her.

Quinn raised an eyebrow seeing his sister hug someone willingly and the way she sat with Simon and seemed to enjoy listening to him talk, he looked over at Jack who was watching Octavia, Simon and Luke interact. Quinn raised an eyebrow at Jack and Jack smirked nodding back.

[atzjuyeon]

CASE STUDY O1 … SEO JUYEON, 1999

warnings. death, depression, overall an angsty(?) read. it’s more of a summary than really detailed but still please take care of yourselves!!!

note. 10 bucks if you catch the frozen reference

O1 . . . BORN BLUE

seo juyeon wasn’t in the list of names minyoung and changmin had for her. eunha, sumi, iseul, haena, chaeyeon, were all on the list. they wanted to break the cycle with the j names. her parents had actually decided on a name the day she was born, haena. seo haena was supposed to be her name. but when little five year old jinah finally met the baby sister she’s wanted for so long, she called her juyeon. jinah decided that she was officially seo juyeon.

jinah loved juyeon; treated her like a mini me. she taught her how to be like her. but juyeon wasn’t like her. while jinah was confident and tough, juyeon was quiet and meek. jiseung disliked her for it. he disliked how clumsy she was. he disliked how she always got away with things. he disliked that fact that he had to go out of his way to protect her. he called her a liability.

juyeon thinks she coped through art. she drew and painted pictures. she built legos and small wooden houses. she sang songs banged on the walls to make beats. her mind was too active to focus on one thing. she didn’t know what exactly, but she knew she was going to create something big some day.

O2 . . . IT’S OKAY TO CRY. OR SCREAM. OR BOTH

minyoung was an angel. the sweetest, kindest mother you could ever ask for. the most comforting person in juyeon’s life. lovely minyoung would do anything for her children. so, when juyeon wanted to go get ice cream, she took her.

she just never came back.

everything happens so fast. one second, eleven year old juyeon walked hand in hand with her mother across the street. the next, they were both on the ground. juyeon got up, a few scratches painting her body. minyoung lied still.

for two weeks she stayed in the hospital, fighting to stay alive. changmin, jinah, jiseung, and juyeon all watched. when jinah cried, juyeon cried. she tried to hug her older sister for both of their comfort. but instead of accepting that comfort, jinah sneered at her and juyeon realized that she was to blame. she watched the heart monitor slowly fall until it hit zero, and everything stopped. and it was her fault.

she didn’t cry like jiseung. she didn’t collapse while screaming in agony like jinah. she didn’t struggle to keep it together and ultimately failing like her father. she had no reaction. her face remained dull and emotionless until they got home at three in the morning.

she did all three of those things when no one could see.

minyoung was an angel, and she always will be.

O3 . . . TROUBLELAND

juyeon meets kim seori when she’s in her first year of high school. seori was in her second. everyone knew that. juyeon didn’t. juyeon was too in her own world to care about anyone else at school. she had enough to deal with being a cube entertainment trainee.

seori looks innocent. she looks like a goddamn barbie doll; straight from the movie if it came out in 2015. for some reason, seori likes her. she invites her to hang out during lunch and after school. she goes to her house every sunday and they’re attached to the hip at school. juyeon never thought that someone like seori would ever care about her; would ever love her.

when juyeon finds seori dead in her bathroom, her entire world stops. the rest of the world is still moving. the time still changes from 1:45 to 1:46. people are still going on with their day like nothing is wrong, and to them, things might not be. but juyeon is still stuck at 1:45. she thinks she always will be.

juyeon never steps back into the cube building.

O4 . . . TO MOVE FORWARD

she juyeon doesn’t even know how much time has passed. she doesn’t think time has passed at all, really. she’s been stuck in the same spot; the same moment; the same nightmare. her dad is the only one who fully checks on her. he’s the only one brave enough to enter her room. he brings her food that she doesn’t eat. he talks to her; relays messages from jinah and jiseung but receives no response.

she’s rotting, until her phone rings. the first discrepancy in… how long?

her kingdom of isolation is broken down after three months. a phone call from a producer at kq entertainment. she’s never heard of the company, but her dad convinces her to go for a studio session.

the meeting goes well and she decides to work for the company as a producer. the wasn’t really the end goal but it keeps her out of the house. she doesn’t think she has the strive to become an idol. others thought she did, but juyeon never saw what they saw. six months later and she still doesn’t. even after being asked to join the pretty much already established debut team. she gets along with the boys, that’s no issue.

but could she really do that?

hongjoong tells her that to take a chance means to move forward. it sticks with her. her dark eyes roam the room. members of kq staff and a&r team look at her with curiosity. the original ateez members look at her with hope.

she decides to move forward.

[taccobelle]

Teenage Dirtbag

Paring: Eddie x fem!reader, Eddie x Cheerleader!Reader

Word count: 2.9k

Summary: In the small town of Hawkins, Pixie Dunphy, and Eddie Munson couldn't be more different, living in a small town like Hawkins, where rumors define you. Pixie is a charming and independent girl who seems to have it all. Pixie is adored by many in Hawkins High, Eddie, on the other hand, is the school's freak. Their paths cross unexpectedly, igniting a love story that defies expectations, learning they have much more in common than they initially thought.

Authors note: Hiya! this is my very first story🫣 (that I have made public). I really hope you all enjoy reading this, I truly tried my hardest to make this as good as possible, but please be kind 🥹

Warnings: language, slow burn, opposites attract, she/her pronouns, the reader is FAB, Eddie might be a little shit, I gave the reader a nickname because y/n is so cringe. There is no mention of race, but I do occasionally describe what Pixie looks like, but those are subtle enough that you can ignore it!

Chapter One: The Notorious Rumors

  

As I cautiously navigated the foreign halls of Hawkins High, my heart raced with anticipation and uncertainty, school would start next week, but the halls flooded with freshmen and their mentors, getting a tour of the decrepit building, an attempt of avoiding the inevitable, the freshmen being lost on their first day. You can’t help but relate to those poor kids. Entering the halls of this high school, knowing damn well that the fact that Hawkins High is small, is exactly what makes it that much scarier. Tiny meant close knit, everyone knew each other from birth, and you were just an unwelcome stranger. You huff in frustration, realizing the freshmen had one leg above you, they at least had pre-existing friends from junior high, you on the other hand, knew nobody.

Being the new girl in a sea of familiar faces would be like treading on uncharted territory. A group of teenage girls, all adorning white and green cheer uniforms, hairs perfectly in place, tied in a fashionable ponytail stood in front of the packed bulletin board, near the principals office. The group of girls chatted away, each holding printed out copies of extracurricular activities offered for the fall, pretending to show any interest in the activity. They looked as if they owned the building, displaying fake smiles, whispering about every person that walked by, commenting on their shoes, if they had volunteered to hand out sideways glances, they’d get their credits immediately. This all only heightened my anxieties, their presence made me feel like an outsider, an alien amidst the established cliques and well-worn friendships. But then, like a shimmering ray of sunshine piercing through stormy clouds, she appeared before me. “Hey there! You must be the new girl Higgins told me about, I’m Chrissy!" a cheerful voice called out, I turned to find a girl with a crooked smile, strawberry blonde ponytail, flashing a genuine smile that instantly dissolved my worries. You introduce yourself as Pixie Dunphy and explained that Pixie is not even actually your name, it was a nickname your grandpa had given you as a kid because of your short stature, and it just sort of stuck.

Chrissy showed you around the school, going on about which teachers were a pain, and which weren’t, the school policies, and which table was the best to sit at during lunch. The halls of Hawkins high couldn’t have looked more like a maze to you, surprised how a school so small, could be so confusing, the walls filled with posters and fading pieces of art projects made by past students, lockers that resembled a bumpy road, adorned with dents and grooves from the years of nerds being shoved against them. The chipped paint on the wall gave away the lack of maintenance, and the yellowed lights above on the drop down ceiling flickered with every gust of wind. As you both rounded the corner, back to the bulletin board by the principals office, you see all the posters for sports and clubs the cheerleaders had been holding pretending to pass out to fulfill their community service hours requirement for graduation. “You know, we’re having tryouts this tomorrow at 10, I know it’s short notice, but u can talk to coach to let you bring in your physical when school starts off. . . It is just that I noticed you looking at the flyers” Chrissy’s voice startled you out of your day dream, her warm smile brought you back to reality. it is true that you had previously been eyeing the flyer, it is a sure way to make friends, and you had been part of the cheer team in your old school as well, you had thought about joining anyways, but the ironic group of girls that lacked any sort of cheerful bone in their body kind of made you get cold feet.

In the end of the tour, Chrissy and I stood by the front door waiting for your rides home, you both spend hours waiting for your parents to arrive to pick you up, you found out you both lived near each other, meeting her had given you hope. Hope that maybe things in Hawkins would be so bad, maybe you’d get along just fine. After finding you you two will basically be neighbors, she mentions something about a party on Saturday, something about it being the last of the summer before school started back up in the fall, the small amount you both had exchanged, made her invitation not feel unexpected, Chrissy even offered a ride. What could go wrong? I needed to socialize if I didn’t want to be some outcast. It felt like a golden ticket into a world of belonging and acceptance, a chance to shed the label of the "new girl" and find my place among the vibrant tapestry of high school life. In Hawkins, the opinions others had of you determined how others would treat you. In this tiny town, full of people with even tinier brains, one rumor could determine a person’s whole life. As I mulled over Chrissy’s invitation, a whirlwind of emotions swirled within me, excitement danced in my veins, a symphony of nerves and doubt as I imagined myself at the party, surrounded by laughter and music, feeling like I belonged for the first time since my arrival. I had never been the outcast, always had made friends easily in school, but it wasn’t anything like Hawkins. Hawkins felt claustrophobic, like a small box of a high school. Chrissy’s invitation was a glimmer of a future where I wouldn't be an alien, where I could forge connections and weave myself into the intricate threads of teenage camaraderie. In the face of uncertainty, I chose to embrace the invitation, to believe in the kindness behind Chrissy’s smile.           

     When it came around the time of the party, you take one last look at yourself in the full-length mirror hanging from the inside of your closet door, boxes haphazardly stacked on top of each other full of unpacked clothes, decoration, and untouched sticker packets you have been saving for a “special day” to use them. You take a minute to look over every detail of your outfit. You had spent your whole Friday afternoon at the mall with Chrissy picking out the perfect outfit for tonight. You had settled on a pair of white Keds you already owned, with wool white socks that bunched up around your ankles, a bubblegum pink sweater with a white turtleneck collar underneath, and a denim pencil skirt that reached slightly below the middle of your thighs. Chrissy had convinced you to wear the skirt, it was a little short for your liking, considering you haven’t worn a skirt this short since you were about 14 and Jennifer McLaughlin pointed out how thick your thighs were, and offered to lend her mother’s copy of the Jazzercise VHS for the summer. You had tried curling your hair with the heatless curling rods you secretly took from your mother’s room, making a secret bet with yourself how long the curls would hold up, your hair being way too slick to hold them for more than 2 hours. You fixed your wispy bangs and tied half your hair you with your favorite scrunchie, matching the color of your eyeshadow, which was a pink of Pepto Bismol, and glossy lips. 

     You looked nice, nice was good; nice would get the kids at this god forsaken town to like you. Chrissy had said she’d be over to pick you up at your house at 8:30pm, you look at the digital clock laying on your desk, and curse under your breath, you were going to be late. “…shit” Pixie huffs out making haste to grab her purse and house keys her dad had given, he the new copies earlier today, making her promise not to lose it in 5 minutes like always. Once she got downstairs, she sees Chrissy sitting in the front seat of her boyfriend’s burgundy wood panel Ford Station Wagon Jason had gotten as a birthday gift earlier in the year. Pixie makes her way down the steps of her suburbia home, and made her way into the back seat, sitting behind Jason to get a better look at her friend. “It’s no problem at all, Jay would be coming this way anyways, I live two streets down” Crissy says with a cheery tone “So, you excited? You look so nice” Chrissy said, turning her body back to have a better look at her friend. I feel your face start to heat up from the comment, I gently smile and express my gratitude and buckle up, I clear my throat and say “Jeez, thanks Chris, you look amazing as well! I take a deep breath and chuckles out her answer “I’m a little nervous” I take a deep breath and continue with a chuckle “but I think it’ll be fun” I feel Jason’s eyes on me, preparing to say something.

   As they arrive Pixie looks out the window. The house was considerably larger than the others on the street, it was a pale shade of green, and was littered with teenagers talking around on the lawn. The song was booming from the inside of the house, and it belonged to one Steve Harrington, Chrissy said that the 16-year-old had the house to himself after his parents went on a business trip very often, frequently throwing the raddest parties that anyone who was someone, was invited to. Chrissy mumbled a quick hello to the girls sitting on the couch with red solo cups in their hands, grabbing my hand, dragging me across the sea of people in such haste you’d think her life depended on it. In high school, everyone has an “identifier” a descriptive word, that everyone will associate it to you for the full four years—or how many years it takes for you to graduate. Tommy Fletcher’s identifier was “Angel face” Tommy just had this face to him, that made people almost want to trust him from the get-go.

It was at that party where Pixie met Tommy, they hadn’t really talked much, but when Tommy asked if you wanted a ride home, you didn’t sense any malice in his words. That is how whispers began to ripple through the streets, carrying with them an account that had the power to stir curiosity and ignite judgment. It was a false rumor, a tangled web spun by idle minds, woven with threads of teenage gossip, and embellished with imaginations eager for scandal by the elder women of the town. According to the murmurs that churned like a hidden undercurrent. The vicious rumor began with none other than Tommy boy himself. Tommy felt the pressure of his friends’ questioning gazes after he had giving Pixie a ride home. Not confirming nor denying his pal’s suggestions of going past first base, when in fact Tommy had gone in for kiss as he parked his car in front of her modest house but failed miserably spilling Pixie’s drink on her lap. Too embarrassed to admit his lack of game, he just said something about not kissing and telling, and their futures forever altered. The truth, obscured by the thick fog of gossip, remained elusive, leaving Pixie to bear the burden of a rumor born from the whispers of a small town's collective imagination.

     That is how Pixie got her very own identifier, as a matter of fact, Pixie got multiple identifiers. From that party on, Pixie started to be known as "easy" and "Hawkins whore." The shit these people will come up with is unbelievable. The rumors spread like wildfire through the halls of Hawkins High, each murmur chipping away at Pixie's resilience, threatening to tarnish her spirit. But Pixie, with a strength hidden beneath her delicate frame, refused to let these cruel words define her. Instead, she clung to the unwavering support Chrissy had shown her, Chrissy saw beyond the gossip and knew them to be untrue, stood by her side, solidifying their friendship even further. Every day they’d walk to and from school together, seeing as they only lived two blocks away from each other. Chrissy's unwavering support and friendship became Pixie's sustenance, a constant reminder that she was not alone in the trenches of the American school system. With Chrissy's support, Pixie found the courage to rise above the malicious rumors, and chose to defy expectations thrust upon her, everyone thought she’d shrivel away and hide. Anyone else with an identifier like that would. But not Pixie, choosing to rebel against the rumors, and in defiance, Pixie joined the cheer squad the following month. It was a decision that sent shockwaves through the school, challenging the judgments and assumptions that had been cast upon her. Though some still regarded her with a lingering skepticism, Pixie discovered a newfound sense of belonging among the spirited cheerleaders. The support and camaraderie within the team became a shield, warding off the arrows of judgment that continued to be hurled her way. Yet, even with her newfound confidence and belonging, Pixie couldn't escape the persistent advances of boys who believed the rumors to be true. Their unwelcome attention became a bitter reminder that the stain of gossip could be stubborn to wash away. However, Pixie refused to let their misguided perceptions diminish her worth or tarnish her spirit. She stood tall, armed with resilience and an unwavering belief in her own truth. Pixie's journey through the tangled web of rumors and judgments was not without its scars. It tested her strength and resilience, leaving behind wounds that would heal with time. But she carried on, navigating the intricacies of high school life and her untiring belief in her own worth.

                  

     As Pixie walked out the house, the crisp morning air hit her skin, sending a chill down her spine. Pixie never dressed for the weather, she dressed for the fashion, always trying to mirror the magazine covers. Today’s ensemble would embrace the essence of the times, it included a pair of form-fitting acid-washed jeans, hugging her figure with a rebellious edge. The jeans, featuring strategically placed rips and frayed edges, you choose a pink oversized sweater, slouchy and comfortable. It would drape casually over your shoulders, and exposing your collarbone, and giving off an air of nonchalant confidence. To complete her outfit, she would slip into a pair of high-top sneakers, their pristine white canvas sneakers that exuded an athletic-chic air and added a touch of sporty flair to her look. Accessories played an integral role in Pixies fashion, a collection of jelly bracelets, stacked high on her wrists, would jingle melodically with each movement, letting everyone know once she had walked into a room, a testament to her trendsetting status. Oversized hoop earrings, gleaming with metallic finishes, framed her face perfectly and added a touch of glamour. Your makeup of the day was a delicate light purple eyeshadow, thick lashes made darker with mascara, eyebrows perfectly in place, and lips were adorned with gloss, shining n shades of hot pink, amplifying her radiant smile.

       As the students make their way into the halls of Hawkins High, Pixie’s day began like any other, spirit radiating with confidence, she gracefully navigated the bustling corridors. Conversations and laughter filled your ears as you weaved through the throng of students, your presence attracting friendly smiles like moths to a flame. As you approach your locker, the familiar chatter of your circle of friends caught your attention, pulling you in animated conversations, going on about the outfits in Whitney Houston’s new music video. As the bell rang, books and notebooks were quickly retrieved from the organized chaos of your locker. Walking into class before the second bell rang, you gave Ms. O’Donnell a tight-lipped smile, a silent apology for rushing into class right before the bell. It’s not like you absolutely loved Ms.O’Donell as a person, but the teacher adores you! Ever since you had helped the woman in the library carrying the mountain of books, she has taken a liking to you, always brushing minor tardies under the rug, you weren’t complaining. But you couldn’t deny the way your teacher’s voice never failed to lull you to sleep, just as you were about to start to doze off into a comfortable nap, a rushing mop of dark curls comes bursting into the room. “Late again Mr.Munson” O’Donnell’s graining voice pointed out the painfully obvious. 

     Eddie Munson, identifier: Freak. Eddie had a distinctive sense of style, everything that he wore screamed that. Eddie's wore a pair of well-worn dark denim jeans, cuffed at the bottom, bore the marks of a well-worn piece of clothing. He wore his favorite band T-shirt, faded just enough to give it character. Always adding layers to his outfit, Eddie wore his customized jean jacket, heavy with pins of various sizes. On his feet, Eddie would sport a pair of  worn-in white sneakers, his bulky studded belt and his  folded bandana tucked away in his back pocket. Eddie’s outfit, much like your own, perfectly reflect your personalities. Eddie looked down, being caught trying to sneak into the room, he  grinned had the back her O’Donnell’s head, and took a seat in the back of the room, near the right corner. You never understood why everyone hated him so much. I mean sure, he can be kind of annoying sometimes, with all his screeching and hollering in the halls, or his disinterest in school, but cult leader was a bit much, it’s literally a board game, nerd shit. He is just a geek, that has it out to lose his hearing, with the type of music he enjoys listening. You’ve come to learn not to judge a person solely based on rumors. 

     You had always enjoyed joining extracurricular activities, you knew it looked nice in your college applications. So, when Higgins suggested you be the head of a study group afterschool, of course you said yes. Higgins had said I would be able to pick the time and date, but to be able to earn credit, It would have to be at least once a week. You had agreed to do it every Wednesday, after cheer practice, it’d be a taxing to administer this tutoring business, and cheer every week, you would have to rush to the library after cheer practice on Wednesdays. You were a little nervous to meet the kids you’d be tutoring. Higgins hadn’t given you names, only a number. It would be you, and two other students inside the stuffy study room in the back corner of the clammy library. 

     You slugged your compact backpack on your left shoulder, heavy with thick textbooks, the canvas material of the straps making a permanent dent on your soft skin, leaving a red mark where it rested. Making your way to through the empty school hallway, a profound sense of anticipation hangs suspended, the ache from practice making its way up your back thigh. The distant hum and flicker of fluorescent lights, their yellowed glow casting long shadows along the vacant corridor. That is when you meet the eyes of Principal Higgins, the look on his face displayed a certain amount of concern. As you approached him, he stood in the way of the entrance of the library. “There has been a change of plans Ms. Dunphy” he pauses, almost looking for words “…Ms. O’Donnell has informed me that Amelia Richardson won’t be needing tutoring any longer…so, it will be only you and Mr. Munson.” Munson? You hadn’t known you’d be tutoring Eddie. You don’t have anything against him per say, you feel bad for him even, in the unfair way people treat the guy. But one thing remains true, Eddie Munson was intimidating, perhaps it was on purpose. The hair, the clothes, the chains, and tattoos don’t really make him look like a boy next door. You would manage, you had never interacted with Eddie before, but he was hard to miss, making his presence known in every room possible. After you gave your principle a tiny acknowledgement as you passed by him, making your way to the study room. You knew Higgin’s worry stemmed from the fact that your father had recently made an extremely generous donation of new textbooks to the school earlier this year, he was rather important in town. As you make your way into the musty room, your body reacts before you can hold back. Stopping in your tracks, holding the handle, you lock eyes with the metal head. You knew he’d be the one you would tutor, you thought you’d have time before he showed up. He sat there like he was in his living room, feet up on the table, chewing on the end of a pencil, patiently waiting for your arrival. The foreign feeling of his eyes fully locked on yours, causing all the hairs in your body to stand up. “Cats gotcha tongue Tink?” 

I really hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter, I have so much planned for these characters. Please be patient with me as I am definitely not a pro at this yet, but I will get the hang of it!

If you have any sort of constructive feedback, feel free to leave them down below! I’d love them 🫰🏼 leave a heart for support, or repost for double support 🫶🏼🥹

Much love,

Belle.

[imsparky2002]

Where Was The Tomato?

This features some altering of canon to make Nath less of a creep. Just letting you know.

Nathaniel Kurtzberg was prepping for the undead apocalypse, something that he had been hiding from his classmates. He had studied zombie movies, comics, games, and books religiously. He had been turned into Evillustrator after getting caught drawing zombie apocalypse plans in science class. He knew his stuff and kept that knowledge to himself in case he had to kill an undead friend. When Miss Bustier, or “Zombizou” barged into class and infected Sabrina, the redhead knew exactly what to do. Sure, this was an Akuma who would probably be defeated by Ladybug and Cat Noir in a span of an hour or so, but he wasn’t taking chances. While everyone else was panicking, he analzyed the infected. They seemed to act as love-hungry zombies, repeating “Kissou” over and over and spreading the infection via smooches. Nathaniel also knew that Chloe had caused the akumatization, as usual. So he figured that in order to avoid Zombizou’s wrath, he needed to get as far away from Bourgeois as possible. He couldn’t do it at the start, as people would look for him, wondering where he had gone. He waited until Mylene had been infected, causing a panic between the group. It seemed that as usual, most of his classmates were running around like headless chickens, attracting attention from love zombies. Why couldn’t they just keep calm and find a safe spot? Whatever, he still managed to slip away, and began looking for a place to hide. Maybe the classroom he had left? Zombizou would be looking for new places to infect, skipping the places she already visited. He had dived into the empty classroom, closing the windows and locking the door.

“Alright, more like yanderes than zombies, but I can make it out if I keep calm.” Nathaniel said aloud.

This would be fine! All he had to do was keep quiet like always, and they wouldn’t notice him. Should he use a marker and draw kisses on himself, blend in with the rest of the infected? Probably not, they’d smell the marker, and uninfected kids might think he was a zombie himself. He would have kept on debating what to do, if he hadn’t heard a scream outside the room, a tall boy in a hoodie ran for dear life, before stopping at his door.

“HELP! IS ANYONE THERE! PLEASE HELP ME!”

Nathaniel recognized the voice. It belonged to one of the boys in Mendeleiev’s class. He had seen the kid a few times during lunch, sitting by a tree, always writing in his notebook. Nath had found him to be pretty cute, and wished he would join the art class, even if he just knew how to write. The paranoid part in his brain screamed not to let him in, in case it attracted attention.

“I’M NOT INFECTED! I SWEAR TO GOD! PLEASE!” the boy screamed.

Nathaniel felt his heart ache for the boy, and decided to be a hero. He unlocked the doors and pulled the tall kid into the room, locking the door behind him. He was immediately hugged by the hooded kid, causing him to blush. He heard the other boy’s muffled cries of relief, causing his heart to melt even further.

“Thank you! I thought I was gonna die out there!” the boy sobbed, staring up at Nathaniel with tears in his eyes. Nathaniel just shushed him, taking the boy to one of the desks to sit down.

“Sshh! It’s ok, man. Just try not to attract any more attention, alright? This is a hiding spot I don’t want to lose.” Nathaniel explained.

“I-I’m sorry.” The other boy sniffed.

He gave the writer some time to calm down. Once he had composed himself, Nathaniel stuck out a hand.

“I don’t know how long this is gonna last, so I want to get to know the guy who’s hiding with me. I’m Nathaniel Kurtzberg.” He said.

“Yeah, I know who you are.” the writer mumbled. “I’ve seen some of your drawings on the school website. The movements, the expressions, the attitudes, they’re all so... vivid.” he gushed.

Nathaniel couldn’t help but blush. Some people had complimented his art before, but not in such detail, not with such genuine passion. “T-thanks.” he sputtered. “That means a lot to me... what’s your name?”

“Marc Anciel. Better known as ProseScript.” Marc replied, causing Nath’s eyes to widen in shock.

“You’re Marc Anciel? The one who writes those amazing short stories for DuPont’s website?” Nathaniel exclaimed. “I thought it was just the Literature teacher using a penname!”

Marc beamed a little, scratching his neck. “I didn’t feel comfortable revealing my identity. So I went with “ProseScript” instead.” Marc admitted. He showed his notebook to Nath, as if to backup his claim.

“God, the dialogue, the use of vivid descriptions, the wit, you’re amazing, Marc!” Nathaniel gushed. “I’m glad that if I’m gonna die in a love-zombie apocalypse, it’s with someone with such a talent.”

“Yeah, I feel the same way about you.” Marc said, starting to grow in confidence. He then gave a little chuckle.

“You know it’s funny. I’ve sorta been prepping for an apocalypse, shame it was the wrong kind of monster.” Marc giggled. This intrigued Nathaniel. Marc had been preparing for a monsterpocalypse as well? They really were perfect for each other.

“Oh? What kind?” Nathaniel asked. Marc opened his backpack and pulled out a small black notebook. As he showed off a few pages, Nath could see content dedicated to holy water, garlic, silver, a bucketload of ways to defeat bloodsuckers. Every type of vampire was in there. Like Nathaniel, Marc held a lot of knowledge for monsters, except he specialized in vampires.

“I thought the monsters would be trying to suck my blood, not my tongue.” Marc joked, before groaning in response.

“I’ve been prepping too! Except for zombies, not vampires.” Nathaniel responded. They shared a laugh over the absurdity of the situation. Then, Nathaniel felt his heart begin to beat rapidly. The realization hit him like a freight train. He was in love with Marc. But why? He only just met him! Sure he thought he was cute, but did he really want to have a crush on him? Normally, he’d hide such feelings, but this was an apocalypse. Those rules went out the window. In an unusual show of strength, he cleared his throat, and looked at Marc.

“Marc, I think... no, I know I love you.” Nathaniel admitted, relieved to get his confession out of the way. Marc gaped in response, before hugging the redhead once again.

“OMIGODOMIGOD YESS!” He yelped, before being shushed by Nath once again.

“Sorry! It’s just, I’ve had a crush on you for a while! I didn’t think you liked me back, I saw you giving googly eyes to Marinette-”

“Eh, I’m bi. That’s ok with you right?” Nathaniel asked.

“Oh totally, I’d never be biphobic. I’m just so happy the feeling’s mutual!” Marc replied.

“Well, when this is all over. Would you want to make a comic with me? As boyfriends?” Nathaniel asked.

“Yes yes, a thousand times yes!” Marc cheered. It was at this moment that Nathaniel got an idea. He heard the love zombies getting closer, and grabbed Marc.

“Kiss me.” he stated.

“Now? Doesn’t that seem a little fast?” Marc asked.

“There are infected coming, and we need to blend in. Plus... I want to see what it feels like.” Nath admitted. Marc nodded in understanding, and as the zombies passed their room, they ignored the seemingly “infected” boys kissing each other. As they moved out of sight, the boys pulled away from each other, grinning from ear to ear.

“That was amazing.” Nathaniel gushed.

“Not how I wanted my first kiss, but it felt awesome.” Marc replied.

And so the two boys spent the next hour or so, hanging out together, learning more and more about each other. At some point, Nathaniel’s classmates would come back, cured by Ladybug’s Miraculous, but he didn’t care. All that matters was that he survived Zombizou’s apocalypse, and found a partner while doing so.

And that was it! I thought it’d be cute for Nathaniel and Marc to meet during a zombie apocalypse. It also explains where Nath was during the second half of the episode. Lemme know what you think in the replies and reblogs. @artzychic27 @msweebyness 

[shiviswriting]

Dishes

Hermione has conflicts. No one would believe it if she said it out loud. But every situation, every detail is over analysed by her brain. But what is fascinating even to her is the speed with which each thought accelerates, finds connections and processes the information. Today, Hermione came back home with a decision to make that could possibly alter her life hereafter. She needed something to occupy her mind, but not too much.

She opted for washing the dishes.

Washing dishes is so mundane, but substantial. Hermione has this habit of cooking in large quantities and washing dishes the most muggle way (not using dishwasher but hands). She never knew cooking was satisfying or would keep her sane, until one their horcrux hunt, she secretly catalogued that she would pursue cooking post war. When she was young she saw her mother and Molly cooking. She has always wondered if cooking was like potions, after a fair bit of her share of making potions and cooking religiously she can assert its exactly opposite to it. Cooking is more of art while potions is science. She has grown to love art more than science. So, she cooks a lot. She makes amazing breakfast, then packs lunch for herself, Harry, Ron and sometimes Ginny and she also takes care of dinner. They all live together. On weekends someone is always at their home, sometimes it's Neville or Luna, sometimes it's Kingsley or Andromeda and almost every week the Slytherins come for their Friday ritual of dinner. She is never tired of cooking, if ever she is tired she bakes. It's funny how the boys or Ginny never hesitates to join and cook with her and help her. But tonight she wanted some time to just debate everything in her mind and later write everything out on the white board in her room.

She looked at the large sink and smiled. This sink was one of the checklist ticks when she was house hunting. It's large, farm style and just has this beautiful crack that just gives a character. Hermione several times wondered how did it crack or will it ever crack? Oh, she and her non-stop mind.

Today the sink was filled to the brim.

She cooked elaborately today, just because why not? She changed to her comfortable tank top and shorts, opened the windows and she put on her favourite apron. Teddy gave her those with his scribbles and family and friends wrote on it. The best part of magic is that Hermione always felt that stuff like this can be preserved forever.

She turned on the tap, she wet her hands and took some dishwasher in the scrub. And then started scrubbing. Today Kingsley called her to his cabin, it was a pre scheduled meeting and Hermione took lunch for him also, so they can eat during their meeting. Kingsley surprisingly has a palate for the so-called "muggle junk food". She introduced burger to him after the war at their meeting for drafting an international legislation on dark wizards. She introduced him to KFC and he is a changed man thereafter. As they sat and started munching, Kingsley worshipped his fried chicken with gravy and later started. Kinglsey is unique in the way that he doesn't beat around the bush.

"I wish you would accept the position of Minister of Magic"

Hermione did not expect this from him, he is exceptional in this post. "Why?" she asked as she dipped her chicken in the gravy

"I actually think this is the right time to retire and pursue what I always wanted to do, Hermione. And I can not think of anyone else perfectly suited for this title and job description. I just want to play my trumpet solo or in a band." Now this is not what Hermione thought of Kingsley. She thought he was more of a piano person. The picture of Kingsley with Trumpet is her new favourite image. 

But then Minister of Magic is not an ordinary post. She has seen Fudge, Scrimgeour, Thicknesse and Kingsley in her time in the magical world, read a few Autobiographies, biographies, articles and maybe written a few laws for and on this title. She has definitely imagined what it would be like to be Minister of Magic, not once but several times. But never in her dreams she actually, really and truly wanted to be one. She has not explored administration as much as she would like to accept this position.

Hermione knows Kingsley is not puzzled to see her while thinking. This is what she always does. She asked the deadline to make the decision and took her leave from the minister's cabin, leaving behind some Blueberry pie.

Hermione is methodical.

However mundane washing dishes maybe she never felt sulkiness towards the chore. Probably her OCD. She scrubs the big pan first, followed by the next smaller size and then the smallest. 

What would it mean to her to be minister of Magic? It would mean her higher purpose and goals will be more accessible. She does very well just because she has power, she can not change everything. But it is the first step towards the process. Centuries old magical laws, irrelevant and cruel systems can be altered with more ease than now.

She scrubs the pots. She avoids the scrubber, uses a more gentle brush to scrub away the residue. She doesn't mind scratches. What is anything without a scratch? But she just does not want the Teflon or whatever the non-stick material is to not peel off.

She can finally work on the discrimination against non-human magical creatures, squibs and make magical society more inclusive and less discriminatory. She will absolutely set an age for old folks to retire. She welcomes their inputs but not all are Dumbledore to be open minded.

Then spoons, whiskers, Ladle, Spatula, knives and a peeler. She pays attention to the handle and then the crevices.

Magical world has rarely been gender biased. She has always wondered if the role that Molly chooses to play or the acceptance of Ginny as a Quidditch star to be very heart warming. She has very rare similar references in the muggle world. The magical world somehow has some sort of gender sensitivity and inclusivity to an astonishing magnitude. However, if Hermione becomes a Minister of Magic, it will not be gender, but rather her muggle born status that would be highly discussed. Hermione has a deep understanding of the rootedness of the prejudices. She has seen, read and experienced in her lifetime. Hermione believes that prejudices are also a sort of power monger or political stance. The ability to discriminate and drive masses to hold the same ideas and exclude, bully and torture certain members of the same society are no ordinary feat.  At the same time a society has its fascinating ways of evolving and revolt against the same beliefs.

She starts washing the dishes so that the soap does not dry in the utensils. Further, she dries each of the dishes with a towel to prevent rust.

At the same time she is young, can she date? Can she just enter Diagon alley to browse Flourish and Blotts or go to Florean Fortescue's ice-cream? Not that she can do that easily now, but will she even have time? What if she over works herself. She does have a past of over working and driving herself to exhaustion. Overworking her was like a toxic boyfriend and she does not need that relationship.

She let the washed utensils dry.

What would Harry say? Harry would ask her what she wants and offer her the pros and cons. Ron would probably say that she should take it up. Ginny would say to go for what she wants and all Slytherins would encourage her for all the political gains.

She started scrubbing all the glasses and cups.

Arthur would be a better person to discuss this over a fancy Japanese place in muggle London. Bill would be of great advice too. She should take them both together probably. She also made a mental note to write a letter to Charlie, it's been ages.

She started washing the glasses and cups.

She wants kids at some point. Not now, but sometime in the future. She has not found the father yet. And the thought made her laugh. Because, accepting this job would not leave a lot of time to date and maybe not all dates would be apolitical. Maybe she would date a muggle. It was fun last time.

She liked the clinking sounds of glasses and cups.

She noticed Harry peering at her from the doorway. She waved hello, Harry wore his apron and started to dry the glasses with the towel, "So, Kingsley spoke to you?"

Hermione was not surprised.

Kingsley spoke to her before offering the job as Head Auror to Harry.

"What's on your mind?"

Hermione can never, ever speak out loud of what's on her mind, just because of the simple fact that it would scare people off. The magnitude and the way it processes, it's always very wild. "Just thinking about the pros and cons". Ron opened the door and smiled at them. Ron has the most comforting smile of all people.

Hermione feels home with these two.

He started arranging the glasses and cups in the rack.

"You are overqualified Hermione." Ron said right in cue as Kingsley has consulted him too. Both Harry and Hermione laughed at his expression, because Ron has always been the hype man she never needed.

Ron smiled so nostalgically and said "I wish to see more people with a scar across their face like the one Marietta Edgecombe had." Both Harry and Ron laughed at Hermione as her face started becoming red. She didn't need a reminder. She is a Gryffindor, maybe just 0.1 percentage Slytherin? She never really thought it was wrong of her to do something like that, at the same time Hermione was in her rebel age. Ron continued "You need to work in conflict management, Hermione. It can be extremely stressful with international conflicts and national issues. The science of muggle is always growing that it is not at all retrainable, we should really work on the implications of that." They have discussed this several times. Hogwarts muggle studies curriculum also should be revamped. She did write one a few years ago, but it continuously needs work.

Hermione doing the bowls.

"Hermione, whatever you decide we will always be here for you. However, you should not overwork. We both know your tendency to take more and honestly, nothing ever is enough for that brain of yours and capabilities."

Hermione swatted Harry with her elbow.

"You know, I often wonder... are we like dedicated to the public?" Harry asked with a serious expression. "It's nothing wrong and we seriously enjoy this bloody job. But we are so always in centre, dont you think?"

Ron with a deep thought said "I mean, there could be something called destiny right?"

Hermione couldn't agree more.

She has often wondered about the ability of them to not say no to anything that's dangerous, impulsive and heroic. "The hat probably made the right choice, Harry."  Harry quietly said "Hermione thanks for the lunch, it was so very tasty. Let's have dinner in that Mexican place in Muggle London. I am feeling Mexican today" as if talking out loud would stop her train of thoughts and he does not want to interrupt.

Hermione agreed.

One thing disturbed her is that she is young. Her teen self would have loved to make history by being the youngest woman Minister of Magic. But now, she just wants a hassle free life. Hermione is always "The Hermione Granger '' and she would always be "The Golden Girl". She can be a minister at any point in her life, if truly she wanted. Now all that she wants is peace, quiet and work in the backdrop. She wants some time for herself to understand herself without the burden of title and position of power. Hermione just wants to be Miss. Hermione Granger from the Department of Mysteries.

They changed into something comfortable. It was already midnight when they finished eating and were walking back. Ron asked if she had decided and Hermione did "Maybe after some years I would reconsider" and they smiled in agreement. 

[jouliejihan]

𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬 𝑶𝑵 𝑨𝑰𝑹! - hueningkai × fem reader

𝑺𝒀𝑵𝑶𝑷𝑺𝑰𝑺: When Y/N and her eccentric friends decide to host the 'Love On Air' podcast, they think they can heal the heartaches of all HYBE Uni students.  But when love begins to bubble up behind the scenes, Y/N finds herself at the center of a messed up love triangle. While she tries to save broken hearts, a shy student, Hueningkai, does everything to win her heart. With clumsy dating advice, accidental encounters and a chaotic podcast, will love triumph or end up in a hilarious mess?

"Tune in with us guys, cause Love is On Air!"

TAGLIST (open, send ask or comment to be added) @full-sunnies @unh0ly-dr3am3r @enhacolor @mackjestic @beabeanice @beoms-sugar

previous • masterlist • next

4 - heart on track

From: rectory@hybeuni.com

To: kimyn@hybeuni.com

Subject: ANS: Dorm Room Request

Dear Kim Y/N,

We hereby inform you that a vacancy has opened in one of the rooms in our dorms. It is on the 2nd floor, room 47. The key is in our storage room, please pick it up to speed up your move. If in doubt, look in my office.

Yours sincerely,

Park Jiwon, Dean of HYBE University of Media, Technology and Arts

⊹⊱•••《 💗 》•••⊰⊹

Y/N was immersed in her Excel spreadsheets, trying to find inspiration for the next episode of Love On Air. Sitting in her bedroom in Jay's apartment, she alternated between analyzing data and constantly playing soft Seventeen songs, trying to find that much-needed creative boost. She tried to resume the last song from the beginning before it ended, in an attempt to let her ideas flow, however, the ideas seemed to escape her hands, she typed a line in her spreadsheet, but it erased it, she tried to stipulate a time for each segment, but some she thought took too much time, others that it was insufficient, leaving her frustrated in this way. Y/N sighed and decided to take a break. At that moment, Jay knocked on the door.

"Noona, can I come in?"

Y/N paused the music, removed the headphones and allowed Jay to enter. The two sat together, discussing the progress of each segment of the podcast. Jay offered his support and contributed his own ideas, bringing a fresh perspective to the project. She opened Excel and showed him her work. At the top of the spreadsheet was a merged cell with the title: "Love On Air Schedule." Below it was another one filled in with the week of the broadcast and its time, 10 P.M. And in the final line, filtered columns with each day and its respective time, all painted with the pink palette corresponding to the page on Twitter, however, the only ones that were filled in corresponded to the moments of the first transmission, when she told her experience during her 2 th week at HYBE Uni, Beomgyu's gossip and closing at 10, 10:15 and 11:15 PM respectively. Other than that, all the others were empty, so Jay knew exactly what was going on.

"Couldn't think of anything?"

"No." she sighed "We didn't get any messages in our DM so it's harder to think of everything."

"I think we can start by changing the start time, why did you choose 10 PM?"

"Because that's when I'm most productive."

"It's an idea, but nobody listens to a podcast at that time. It explains why your listenership is so low."

"So what do you suggest?"

"Usually peak listening times are between 6 AM, 5 PM and 12 PM, but since our classes are in the morning, the best time for us would be between 12 PM."

"That's when we have our lunch break and when our afternoon colleagues arrive! Jay, you're a genius!"

His face reddened with his friend's praise, but he thanked her, so they changed the time of transmission in the spreadsheet, leaving now, the subjects for each time, but in this topic, she still had difficulties, fortunately, Jay was there to clear your doubts.

"First of all, a brief introduction to the podcast shouldn't be missing, with you or more anchors. 10 minutes for that alone is enough."

"And then?"

"How about song requests? It's great for our listeners to get in the mood."

"I love this idea! But how many will we take per day?"

"It depends on how many stories and advice they send us, but since this is the first week, we're going for 20 minutes for song requests."

So he continued to contribute his own ideas, bringing a fresh perspective to the project.

However, hunger began to tighten, and fatigue began to set in. She rubbed her eyes, feeling the weight of exhaustion. Jay noticed and suggested they take a break to eat and get some rest.

"Noona, I think we need some time to recharge. Let's get some snacks and then you can take a nap right here before moving into the dorms."

She nodded, feeling grateful for his suggestion. He took out his cell phone and opened his delivery app.

"Want something to eat, noona? It's on me."

"No Jay, I can't take it!"

"But I insist! You deserve it!"

"Alright!" she grinned "Then I'll go for some tuna kimbap with cola, you?"

"Don't worry, there's plenty of ramen here, but I'll take your order first, okay?"

Half an hour later, the two were sitting on the living room floor, enjoying their snacks, to break the ice, Jay introduced a new subject, praising his friend's dedication.

"Did you make that spreadsheet?"

"I did." she smiled as she took a sip of her cola. "I have this habit of organizing every detail of the day into lists or spreadsheets, so I can feel productive and have more pleasure in following the routine."

"Not all people have that kind of mindset, you know? That's one of the things that makes her so special."

"Thanks, Jay."

When the two finished eating, they threw the disposable packaging in the trash and she went straight to her room, wearing his blue Snoopy pajamas with plaid pants of the same tone and laying down on his bed. After getting into bed, Jay remained beside her, knowing her habit of falling asleep listening to her Seventeen playlist. Carefully, he placed the headphones in his ears, turned the volume down a bit, and picked up the music where it had left off.

Peaceful melodies filled the room, enveloping her in a serene atmosphere. Jay put the dolphin plushie he got from Jake in her arms, knowing it would be comforting for her.

Before leaving, Jay leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, wishing her a good night's sleep.

"Sweet dreams noona, I'll miss having you here."

With a gentle smile, he left the room, leaving her to rest in peace. Seventeen's songs continued to play softly, enveloping her in a peaceful atmosphere as she drifted off to sleep, feeling protected and supported by Jay's comforting presence.

⊹⊱•••《 💗 》•••⊰⊹

Y/N was excited to finally settle into her new room in HYBE's dorm. However, her excitement turned to frustration as soon as she set foot in the room and was faced with a chaotic mess. Wet towels on the bed, dirty tiger-print clothes strewn across the floor, and misplaced gym gear.

She couldn't believe the decayed state of the room and, without hesitation, started to clean up the mess. She was determined to make the environment pleasant and orderly. However, her mission was cut short by a surprising encounter.

As she was folding one of the T-shirts, the bedroom door slammed open, revealing a visibly irritated young man. It was none other than Kwon Soonyoung, her new roommate.

"Ya, what are you doing?!"

"Cleaning up this mess! Who can stand living in a pigpen?!"

"But no one gave you permission to go through my stuff, girl, get the fuck out!"

"Fuck no! I'm your roommate so you must live by my rules!"

"I can't believe I'm forced to live with a controlling freak who doesn't understand the concept of personal space! It's unacceptable!"

"And I can't believe I have to live with a pig that feels good living in its own filth! It's unbearable!"

The discussion intensified, with Y/N ​​and Soonyoung exchanging heated words. The tension and stress of the situation built up in loud screams that drew the attention of the entire hallway, an entire crowd formed at the bedroom door, causing her to finally get tired.

"You know what? I don't need this shit! I'm done trying to be polite and living with someone who devalues ​​shared space. Bye!"

She pushed through all those people and slammed the door hard, the sound echoing throughout the hall. She felt a mixture of relief and frustration as she left the room, leaving Soonyoung behind.

In the heat of the moment, she didn't know where she was going to go, but she was determined to find a solution to this untenable situation. She knew she needed a more harmonious living environment to fully enjoy her college life at HYBE.

Still furious from her argument with Soonyoung, she was determined to find a place where she could calm down. As she walked down the hall, her mind was still seething with frustration, causing her not to pay much attention to her surroundings.

Unintentionally, she bumped into someone coming from the opposite direction.

"ARGH, C'MON YOUR RASCAL! Oh…" Y/N's face flushed and her voice trembled.

Joshua, who had just been hit by the sudden scream, was momentarily startled and confused. He looked at her and then his surprised expression gave way to a mixture of embarrassment and nervousness.

"Oh… Hi. Y/N, right?"

"Yeah. How do you know your name?"

"From Love On Air. I saw some tweets in my timeline and then…"

"Oh my god! I hope you don't think I'm a pathological liar!"

"Why would I think that when I barely know you?" he snorted

"I'm sorry! I'm such an idiot!"

He shook his head, a shy smile creeping across his face.

"It's okay. It happens."

The two were silent for a moment, feeling the tension of the situation and the presence of the past that enveloped them. Joshua looked more embarrassed, remembering the rumors spread by Beomgyu and broadcast in her podcast's 1st episode.

Noticing the uncomfortable atmosphere, she tried to diffuse the tension with a forced smile.

"Well, I guess... let's try to forget about this disastrous encounter, shall we? After all, we have a university life ahead of us."

"Yeah, definitely. Let's move on and leave the past in the past. Good luck!"

She nodded and the two went their separate ways, each carrying with them the memory of that brief but embarrassing encounter. But when realization hit her, she realized the mess she'd made.

"Shit! I forgot to ask his name!"

A/N: Bold of you to assume that I WOULDN'T bring our gentle sexy to the team...

... when Lee Youngji spilled the tea right before I wrote the 1st chapter!

A/N ²: You had ONE JOB, Kim Y/N 🤦🏽‍♀️

[prose-among-the-trees]

I missed you when I was five

We would play together and you’d hand me your boy clothes and toys and I’d hand you my girl ones, and our parents would oversimplify it and tell people we were just two kids who wanted to share the world with each other, even if we didn’t belong in the things we received. We’d know though, in furtive glances at the other to make sure the clothes fit, to putting pretty bows in your hair and dresses on your body, to letting you adjust a necktie that’s far too big for both of us around my small neck. We’d know exactly why we gave what we did to each other, exactly the meaning behind it, and exactly what the future would hold. Our parents would joke that we would be destined for marriage, the sort of story all childhood friends get told, but we know will never really happen, especially if I liked boys and you liked girls, because I wasn’t a girl and you were never a boy. You’d tell me all about being in a grade higher than kindergarten, and I’d be so so jealous.

I missed you when I was eight

We would be at school together and a boy wouldn’t like the fact that I wanted to play all the boy games and not wear girl clothes, and I’d cry because he didn’t like me. I was too much of a boy for him. You’d sit with me and tell me jokes and help me tuck my hair into a baseball cap. You’d teach me how do undo it quickly before we went home. A girl would call you names and I’d naively try everything I could to ruin her life, a shallow definition of a life at eight, telling girls that she steals others lunches and that she likes a boy who the whole class thinks is mean. We’d stick up for each other. When my parents split up you’d be there for me through all of the turmoil. You’d convince your parents to let me come over and start sleeping over like I did when we were little so I wouldn’t have to hear or see the fighting. You’d be at the summer camp with me when I got picked up illegally and you’d be the first to call my guardian to let them know what had happened.

I missed you when I was twelve

I’d cry when I went over to your house about how awful middle school was. The teachers were unfair and the girls didn’t make sense and boys didn’t make sense either, and what if I liked girls too? I wanted girls to see me as a boy, and what did that even mean? I’d tell you about how my parents are on me about grades I can’t remember let alone keep up with, and how my grandma was dying. You’d explain that high school wasn’t much better, that teachers expected so much, and the cliques were almost as bad as how they’re shown in movies. You’d tell me how girls there were really pretty and how you wouldn’t be able to take all the art classes, but you’d teach me everything you were taught. You’ll reassure me that it’ll be okay and that even if we went to different schools, we’ll still be best friends.

I missed you when I was 14

You’d navigate me through where to sit, and where to avoid if you want to dodge senior couples making out during passing period. I’ll join the theatre program and make a few friends there, and one of them will absolutely adore you and put flowers in your hair and draw in sharpie on my chin for facial hair. We’ll both look at each other and understand what we knew at as young as five and seven years old. You’ll show me this new book series you found and how well you draw all of the characters. You’ll watch the plays and musicals I act in and I’ll come to every single art show you have. When parents continue to fail us, we’ll know we have each other. You and I will continue this corrupted little pastime of trying to act like the ‘wrong’ sex, never in front of family of course. We’ll sit in your room in the middle of the night and listen to the foxes, and I’ll silently put makeup on your nervous lips with my shaking hands as we make sure your mother won’t hear us.

I missed you when I was 17

I’d explain to you that things didn’t make sense in my head, that I didn’t know who or what I was at any given moment. You’d feel the same. We’d mourn one of my guardians moving away so I’d have to live with the other full time. You’d take me on long drives at night to avoid them, and you’d plan out the life we’d live together, best friends, fighting the world. You’d confide in me the feelings of hopelessness and I’d have us make an agreement to stay alive at least as long as the other person did. I’d scream and kick and fight and sob at every corner of my senior year, and you’d hold me and tell me you believed me, and that the lies I’d been told about myself were just that. You’d plan for both of us to get help for the problems with our heads and we’d spend nights laughing at the absurdity of it all after crying our eyes out about it just ten minutes prior.

I miss you now

Speaking with you nightly, knowing that we understand each other better than any person on earth. We collectively know each other inside and out. We never lived together, never laughed together before I turned 18, and yet, I miss the childhood I never got with you. I miss sleepovers and exploring in nature, I miss stargazing and taking you to restaurants you could eat at. I miss us both cursing about our parents behind their backs and laughing at how sneaky we were. I miss the child you never got to see in me, and I miss the life we never shared until it was 18 years too late for me, and 20 for you.

[pbandjesse]

Today was fine overall. I had some big emotions. It was a struggle at times. But I am feeling mostly better. My ear still hurts but I slept better and that made things easier.

When I woke up this morning I actually felt pretty good. I got dressed and put on very warm clothes. I would be outside a lot today and I didnt want to be uncomfortable. And for the most part I succeeded.

James walked downstairs with me when it was time to go because they couldn't find the mask they like to wear for biking in the cold. I knew I saw it in the backseat. They went and looked and then gave up and I opened the door and it was right there. James is not great at searching for things. But we laughed and said goodbye. And I headed to work.

I felt like I was driving directly into the sun both to and from work today. But I was alright. I would survive, I would just complain a lot. Hurt my eyeballs.

When I got to camp I was surprised by how frosty and icy everything was. I drove around making sure everything was set up and good to go. I was a little stressed but was also trying to be chill. I had to make a few drives back and forth from the art building to the lodge but in the end everything got set up by 9 and and I went to the office to have breakfast.

Celia was pulling up the same time I was. We hung out in the warm office until everyone else came through. Elizabeth let us know that the group was going to be running late. Which was fine with me. I didn't mind cutting the fibers program, that's the whole point. That it can be cut if needed. And everyone still gets all the rotations.

So we waited. A little before 10 I went to the lodge to wait for the group and discovered the water was off in the bathrooms?? So I had to call Elizabeth and then do some googling to learn how to turn the water back on on toilets and sinks. So I have that skill now. Neat.

Ceila was waiting at the bottom of the hill to direct the buses but they accidentally went in the back. Which was fine but then when I talked to them they complained that we should really have a sign. And I was like. Well if you would have gone a mile up the road to the entrance you would have seen the sign? I realize now that may have come across more snarky then I meant.

But the group, though very late, was lovely. Super well behaved kids, just a joy even when they were being so bouncy. The teachers didn't have them in groups and I suggested we just go by table but that memo wasn't told to everyone I guess so there was some confusion and pushback but it was fine. We did the intro, they had good questions, and then they were off.

For the first hour I did a lot of rotations. Circling from the lodge to the office to the art building, the Hogan, the chickee, back to the lodge. I was walking to much I got sweaty and had to take my jacket off. The rest of me was fine but the coat was just a bit much. Once I cooled down during the second program I got my coat back on but a few teachers were surprised when they saw me in just my sweater directing people outside. It was truly a wintery day.

Which all things considered was nice. It is a little scary how warm it's been. It is supposed to be cold it's winter! I am glad I get to wear my winter things.

Sarah was running the fire station and right at lunch I noticed there was a concerning amount of smoke coming from that side of camp. So I called her and did not get an answer form her, instead getting one from Elizabeth asking me to head over there. I was a little concerned.

We don't exactly know what happened but the quick log had gone out (it's supposed to be a 4 hour burn) and started smoking like crazy and everyone has to leave the building. We didn't really understand but to try to mitigate she would shovel out the big part while I wejt to find some dry wood she could use after lunch. I had a fire starter on my desk and that seemed to work for the rest of the day.

We walked back to the office together to have a little lunch. And Elizabeth printed the invoice/receipt for the lead teacher. I would go and deliver that and give the group a five minute warning.

Which was also where my water turning off ability came on clutch because they someone overturned the sink handle and the water would not stop. But I turned off the water at the source and saved the day. Impressed the teacher even.

The afternoon went smoothly and I had some nice conversations with the adults. Everyone seemed to have a great time. I would take a little time to knit while waiting for the last program to wrap up. And at the end I was able to say thank you to everyone and talk a little about summer camp with the kids. It was just really nice. A really good day.

It took them a while to get together to leave. But they didn't seem like they were in a rush. After they were all out of the building I went to get my car and drove it over but since the bus hasn't come down the hill yet I waited at the bottom so I could wave to all the kids again. I hope this school comes back for other programs because they were awesome.

I was a little exhausted at this point. I appreciated my coworkers for packing up the materials for me to pick up and put away but they kind of did a messy job and it upset me to have to redo it. I was particularly upset by my organized markers getting messed up again. But I cooled down and things would be okay.

Dad called me to confirm a question I had and get an answer from the financial guy about buying a house. And we continue to move forward with that because we went to look at another tonight.

I was still thinking about the one form Sunday. But something seems to have happened because it was taken off the market this afternoon. Not sold. Just taken off the market. I'm pretty disappointed. I'm trying to not be to sad because that just means the perfect one is waiting for us somewhere.

After eveything was cleaned up I went to vent to Elizabeth for a few minutes. She told me about lotto tickets being a scam. And then she said if I wanted to leave early I could. I had a few things I needed to do first but I was going to take her up on that offer.

She printed a form for me and I worked on filling that out and sending it off. Played with a floor plan for the house, that I didn't get know was not going to work out, and then I headed home.

Again, driving directly into the sun. But it was fine. Minimal traffic. I had a podcast to listen to. I was in a good mood.

When I got home James came down to meet me and bring in some stuff from the car. The last of my market things mostly. And we would go upstairs for them to finish their bread making they had been working on today and pan fry some dumplings for me for dinner. I would also have some roast of their bread which came out really nice! Not as airy as Jess's but I think they are getting better every time.

We would hang out on the couch until around 6. When it was time to drive to Greektown to meet with Harold.

The gps took us a very strange way to avoid some traffic. Which was fine. We weren't in a rush. The neighborhood was super cute but smelled a bit like burning rubber. James said it's from the ports, being near the water. I was slightly afraid living there would give me a headache all the time.

But I really did like the house! I don't think we will move forward with it but it was so cute. So many cute details. And a full finished basement. And two kitchens?? Because the basement was acting as a grandmother's suite. I loved so many of the details but I can't let that cloud my judgement. This was a little more money and a little more out of the way.

We talked in the basement. About the house from Sunday and looking at other things moving forward. I said I think we should make an offer. Harold said he would look into the permits that went into the build to make sure it was all okay before we did that but we left in high spirits.

Which were immediately crushed when in the car ride back I realized the listing has been "canceled" and pulled off the market. I have faith that it just means that wasn't for us but I am a little heart broken. Third house that I was ready to move forward with that didn't work. And James blames themself for not saying yes right away. But we also dont want to rush anything. It's all very hard.

We got home and we were both a little bummed. But pretty quickly I found 4 more in Patterson to look at. And emailed them straight to Harold. Hopefully he can give us some answers and a plan tomorrow.

I went and took a shower and James and me have been chilling in bed. It's cold outside but it's cozy in here. And I know things will work out how they are supposed to.

I love you all. I hope you are warm tonight. Sleep well. Until tomorrow!

[novelmonger]

Character ask for Minerva McGonagall, Alastor Moody, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Molly Weasley, Albus Dumbledore and... Mundungus Fletcher, why not

From this ask game

Oh boy, HP characters!

Go grocery shopping with - Molly! I'd love to help her do her shopping for her enormous family, and I bet you anything she would help me find good deals on what I need, with some excellent life advice thrown in too. And she would just be such warm, homey company, as if I were shopping with my mom.

Have lunch with - I think Professor Lupin would be a great person to have lunch with. Lupin knows how to make you feel comfortable and seen, and he's great at listening. The conversation would be so interesting; he could tell me all about interesting magical creatures or useful little spells. I don't know if he'd feel comfortable discussing this or not, but I would also love to hear more about his experiences as a werewolf, and what his daily life is like. Maybe he could tell some stories about good times with the other Marauders. Maybe I'd ask him how he and Tonks met. All in all, I think lunch with him would just be warm and cozy. Hopefully we could schedule it during a good phase of the moon.

Have coffee with - Sirius Black! No, not as a date. I have no idea what we'd talk about, but it would just be really cool to meet him. I've always felt drawn to his protective uncle/older brother vibes, and if somehow in this hypothetical scenario I were friends with Harry, I think we'd be comfortable with each other. Maybe we'd break the ice by talking about him first. Maybe, in the end, we'd just sit in silence, but that would be okay too.

Go thrift shopping with - Okay...to be completely honest, I don't think I'd want to go anywhere with Mundungus Fletcher, but this is as good an option as any, I guess. He probably knows all the best places and how to get great deals from the back rooms where most people wouldn't be allowed. The only trouble would be getting him out of the place without shoplifting anything of value.

Explore a museum/art gallery/aquarium with - Originally, I was going to pick Lupin for this one. While I do think he'd be a good pick, it would also be interesting to go on a field trip, of sorts, with Moody. I'm not sure exactly what kind of museum we'd go to - do wizards have museums? Maybe it would be a history museum of some kind, and Moody would be able to tell me about all the secret magical side of historical events I thought I knew all about. It would be kind of scary to be around someone like Moody, what with his eye swiveling all over the place, and he'd probably keep me on my toes with his gruff manners and occasional cries of "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" But I bet I'd learn a lot.

Go the library/bookstore with - Professor McGonagall would be an excellent companion to the bookstore. I would be very intimidated by her, but I bet she could give great reading recommendations. She'd probably also accompany that with mini-lectures on anything touching upon her field of study, but like...that would be super interesting too!

Have as a plus-one at a wedding - Okay...I doubt this would be most people's choice...but I can't escape the thought of accompanying Professor Dumbledore to a wedding. For one thing, there wouldn't be the slightest worry about anyone taking anything the wrong way or unrealistic expectations or anything - it would be like going to a wedding with my grandpa. Also, Dumbledore is just so funny and unpredictable and witty and knowledgeable about so many things! It would be so fun to sit at a table with him during the reception and just listen to his conversation, or share little jokes with him. Also, we know that he likes to dance, and I could definitely see him coaxing me out onto the dance floor to dance some silly, improvised dance or teach me some incredibly outdated ballroom dance from his youth or something.

[thelizaxevans]

​

[Welcome to Aurora Bay, [ELIZABETH ‘LIZA’ LEVIN]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [FLORENCE PUGH]. You must be the [TWENTY-FIVE] year old [BAKER AT SWEET NOTHINGS BAKERY]. Word is you’re [FRIENDLY] but can also be a bit [SELF-DEPRECIATIVE] and your favorite song is [YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN KID BY TAYLOR SWIFT]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [AURORA BAY DRIVE]. I’m sure you’ll love it!

Liza was the first-born daughter of James and Agnes Levin, and even though she was only two years older than her sister, Liza took the role of big sister very, very seriously. She always wanted to help take care of her sister Sterling, from changing and feeding her to walking with her to school as they got older. According to their mom, the girls were inseparable, always trusted each other above all else--which was for the best, because as the Levin girls got older, they realized just who their family was. 

Their great-grandfather, Charles, founded the town they called home- Aurora Bay- and their father James owned the restaurant Neptune--not just the most popular restaurant in town, but one of the most popular restaurants in the country. Because of this, the Levin family had money, and and the more money they had, the less they could really tell just who their real friends and allies were. It was a lesson Liza learned all too well as she grew up in a small town where everyone knew exactly who she was.

In grade school she was made fun of, called a goody-goody and spoiled, she was teased for fancier clothes and not being normal. It was also in grade school though that her life, and that of her family, truly and forever changed. Liza’s mother Agnes got in a car accident that she tragically died in. Liza was only eight at the time, and yet from that moment on, Liza felt it more important than ever to watch out for her sister- even to take care of her father.

It went on like that for years and into high school--and it was then again that things once again changed. This time, instead of being made fun of, kids started wanting to be her friend. They wanted to hang out with her (at her house of course) and wanted to be seen with her. And as someone who longed for friendships and being accepted and being liked, she was all too eager for it. It took longer than she cared to admit though for Liza to realize that a lot of them didn’t want to be her friend for her, but because of her money and wanting to be associated with the Levin name. It was around then too that she and her sister had a falling out, Sterling upset with her for acting too much like a mother. So with not too many real friends and a strained relationship with her sister, Liza turned to her art. What started out just as a hobby as a child when she was left alone during lunches and recess and free time had turned out to be an outlet for her, an escape, something she still uses and loves to this day.

She twenty when life went on a bit of a tailspin again. Sterling had come to her, saying she was pregnant. Her sister needed her. So Liza again found herself in the caretaker role for her sister, but this time she’d do it right. Especially since the baby’s father left once he found out. It was around that time that Liza started dating her boyfriend Jackson- the son of Aurora Bay’s mayor. They immediately hit it off with mutual likes and beliefs and the feeling of being scrutinized by the rest of the world and Liza fell for him fast. They were together for two years and had even moved in together (in a condo her father insisted he’d pay for) and Liza was happy. So of course again, the universe decided to throw a wrench into everything.

She’d wanted to surprise her boyfriend for his birthday, and when she showed unannounced, she instead found him in bed with someone else. Heartbroken, Liza broke up with him immediately, moved back home, and has tried her best to not see him since, even if he still obviously lives in town.

It’s been two years since all that happened, and while Liza still hasn’t really dated since, she’s at least glad to know that her relationship with Sterling is stronger than ever. The two moved in together in a condo near their father’s house. Her little sister is her best friend in the whole world, the person she trusts most, and her niece, Sunny, is practically like a daughter to her as well and someone Liza would do anything for. 

At twenty-four now, Liza works as the baker in the Sweet Nothings bakery in town, wanting to make her own money and it’s something she truly loves since she’s always been good at baking, something she had in common with her mother. She sometimes wonders about life outside of Aurora Bay though, away from a place where everyone knows who she is and has opinions on her without really knowing her. But for now, that’s just a pipe dream. And so for now, Liza is at least content with her life, living with Sterling and baking, helping to raise Sunny and doing her art in her spare time. She just hopes that one day, something more and something real will happen for her too.

extras:

birthday- October 16th

nicknames- Liza, Liz, Lizzie (only Sunny and her mother ever called her that), Eliza (only Jackson called her that).

is definitely the responsible one in the Levin family, having taken on the role of caretaker since she was young. she never really allowed herself to be as wild and carefree as her sister

has has a few casual dates but hasn’t had anything serious since her ex cheated on her 

began doodling as a child and it all spun out from there

loves baking and being in the kitchen

never learned how to drive. she’s afraid to since that’s how her mother died

she’s bright and bubbly and usually friendly to everyone but she still keeps people at a bit of an arm’s length, not really letting people in 

learned how to play the guitar as a child and somewhat knows how to sing but would never ever ever let anyone (but Sunny) hear her

Sunny is also the only person she allows to see her art because Liza doesn’t think it’s very good

pinboard

appearance:

shorter blonde hair, at her shoulders

height: 5′2

eye color: green

smells like vanilla sugar and seasalt

wears lots of pink and sundresses. loves lace and a good floral pattern

@aurorabayaesthetic

[privmu]

MADISON GRACE MCCARTHY

AGE: 26

BIRTHDAY: November 12th, 1998

RELATION: Full sibling

TYPE: Twin

GENDER: Ciswoman

PRONOUNS: she/her

ORIENTATION(S): Demisexual, Panromantic

FACE CLAIM: Maya Hawke

JOB/SCHOOL

GRADE: Sophomore

MAJOR: Fine Art

MINOR: Photography

ABOUT

Madison was very much her parent’s daughter. She was driven, determined, the epitome of a type A personality. Everything she did had to be perfect, anything less than one hundred percent on a test was a failure in her eyes. All she ever wanted was to get her parent’s attention, their approval, and the easiest (and really only) way to do that was to show them she was just like them, she was also dedicated wholly to her future and to being the very best she could be.

She was, as a result, a very anxious child, always stressed about whether her tests were right, whether she’d studied enough, even if her art projects were good enough. All her time went into figuring out how to make herself the very best possible candidate for her college applications. In the fifth grade. That meant taking on as many extracurriculars as she could manage, and one of the ones that she absolutely adored was cheerleading. Madison had up until that point not really enjoyed any of her extracurriculars, model UN, debate team, yearbook committee, band, and even track, they’d all just been to pad her resume, no matter how good at them she was, but cheerleading was different. There was a community in it, a level of trust in everyone around her to make sure that they caught each other, blocked properly so they didn’t run into each other, and it was the nearest Madison had ever felt to being part of a close family. Don’t get her wrong, she loved her siblings to death, she was perhaps a little too overbearing sometimes honestly when it came to making sure they were doing well in school and staying focused, but their home life didn’t look like her friends did, and she knew that she was missing out on something.

Which was why, when Sue Sylvester showed up to offer her a place on her hugely successful competitive cheer team Madison knew she had to take the opportunity. Her parents weren’t about to move out to Ohio for one of their kids to follow their dreams, but they did allow Sue to take temporary custody and become her guardian ad litem and Madison was convinced she finally knew what maternal affection felt like. Sue paid attention to her far more than her own mother ever had, helped with her training, encouraged her cheerleading passions and dreams of turning it into a professional career, maybe even becoming a coach like Sue eventually. She was her idol, and while Sue wasn’t exactly pleased that Madison’s attention was split with other extracurriculars and academic merits, she didn’t stop her either, which Madison took as a sign that she was doing everything right.

She wasn’t though, with her anxiety high going into cheerleading and track finals and her SATs, and with deadlines in her other extracurricular clubs all encroaching on her, Madison was burning the candle at both ends. She’d barely slept more than a couple of hours a night all week, so when she turned up to cheer practice at  the end of it, it was a wonder she was even still functioning. But Madison tried to push her exhaustion to oneside anyway, she was the captain of a Sue Sylvester cheer squad, she couldn’t be any less than the best cheerleader in the room, and that meant knuckling down and attending practice even if all she wanted to do was lie down. Had she skipped practice that day, Madison would’ve been reemed out by Sue, probably be made to run extra drills the next week, and been miserable but otherwise okay. Instead, she went to practice and during a particularly complicated series of manoeuvres that involved Madison being at the top of a pyramid, the overtired cheerleader who had skipped lunch to work on the yearbook before the deadline next week started to feel faint, and while trying to steady herself as subtly as possible, misstepped, twisted at the wrong angle to try and compensate, and as her horrified teammates watched on in shock, fell about ten feet to the ground, the impact mostly absorbed by her head and neck that hit the floor first.

When she woke up in the hospital, Madison didn’t have a clue where she was, didn’t know who the tall blonde woman at the foot of her bed was, didn’t even know who she was. It was a long, long few weeks as she tried to recover her memories and piece her mind back together, but once she did she knew that as badly as she had messed up, she was incredibly lucky to not have ended up paralysed or worse. Still, that didn’t mean that Madison had gotten off lightly, she was going to have to learn to do everything by herself again, and as her PT wore on the long-term impact of her accident became more obvious. Her balance was off, she had dizzy spells that were so intense they made her feel nauseous, migraines that felt like someone was shoving a white-hot poker into her head. Her short-term memory was also spotty, and while they were thankfully infrequent, she started to suffer from seizures.

Madison knew what this meant. Her cheerleading career was over, there was no way she could compete when she felt so imbalanced just standing up, and even as she continued to recover and that feeling got less intense (or at least less frequent anyway), she’d never be the same person she was before the accident. She really thought that Sue would stand by her, would still have affection for her, especially considering she was by her bedside when she woke up in the hospital and her parents weren’t (but she supposed they had Face Time’d with her every day after for five minutes), but once it was clear that Madison was never going to be a cheerleader again, that was the end for her affection for her. It broke her heart, knowing that Sue’s attention and affections had been purely transactional as long Madison made her look good, but now that she didn’t serve that purpose it was all gone.

It made her angry too, at Sue, at her parents, at the world, Madison hated everything in that moment because it no longer mattered how hard she had worked prior to this or how thin she had stretched herself, none of it mattered anymore because she was broken, and now, no-one really wanted her. Sue did let her stay throughout her PT and eventual graduation from high school, but no longer paid her very much attention at all, making Madison feel as awful as she had living with her parents too, a feeling that she had very much not missed. However, she wasn’t alone in her recovery, her biological siblings did as much as they could from afar, even if that was just to call her during her sessions to encourage her on, and Sue’s kids didn’t exactly abandon her either, and she’ll always be grateful for that.

Her head injury and memory problems changed her academic trajectory too. Madison’s back up plan to cheerleading had been either a lawyer or a doctor, but her grades suffered terribly with her cognitive issues and Harvard or Yale were no longer in the cards. Hell, any college seemed like a pipe dream after she was told that she had to redo her schooling from the 10th Grade again, despite being only a couple of months from graduating high school. Rather than be ridiculed in school as the twenty-year-old high school sophomore, Madison chose to do it from home instead, knowing that she could take as long as she needed to understand things here without everyone treating her like she was stupid. Because she wasn’t stupid, that was the thing that infuriated her the most, but she felt stupid now her brain couldn’t keep up with her expectations of it anymore.

It was because of this Madison started to lean into more artsy pursuits. With art you didn’t have to be perfect, you just had to create, and while working on her fine motor skills, she learnt that she had another great love in life: painting. It never had to be perfect, it never had to be precise, she could just paint as her heart desired and her emotions dictated and create something that she was always proud of. As she explored this kind of thing, found ways to work on her coordination that also made her happy, Madison also took up drumming and photography. Both helped her cognitively (drumming with her coordination and rhythm, photography with her memory), but were also fun, and she started to realise that in order to be good at something she didn’t need to be miserable or work herself to the bone, she could enjoy them too.

After finally getting her high school diploma at 23, Madison took some time to work on getting herself in the best physical shape possible. While she’d been able to make a lot of progress in the last four years, it was balanced with relearning basics and trying to get through her high school studies too, and Madison needed time to figure out who she was now, what she wanted out of life now that her original aspirations were no longer possible. A lot of her issues resolved or fell into the background, but she still struggles with migraines and seizures, leading her to get her service dog Oreo, as well as short term memory problems, but her coping mechanisms for them are all a lot better.

Madison decided that PSU would be her best option after taking a year to realign her aspirations, now wanting to be a high school art teacher, maybe even an art professor, and so she’s now completing a Fine Art degree with a minor in Photography. Her roommates might not appreciate her commitment to the drums, but Madison has found that it’s a great outlet for any latent rage she feels about the route her life has taken, and now she’s a lot more grateful for still being her and her accident not ending her life than she was when it initially happened.

[privilege-rpg]

MADISON MCCARTHY

☆ FULL NAME: Madison Grace McCarthy ☆ GENDER: Ciswoman ☆ PRONOUNS: She/Her ☆ AGE: 26 (November 12th, 1998) ☆ TYPE: Full sibling; twin ☆ HOMETOWN: New York, New York ☆ JOB: None ☆ SCHOOL: Sophomore, majoring in Fine Art; minoring in Photography ☆ SEXUALITY: Demisexual, Panromantic ☆ FACECLAIM: Maya Hawke

ABOUT MADISON

Madison was very much her parent’s daughter. She was driven, determined, the epitome of a type A personality. Everything she did had to be perfect, anything less than one hundred percent on a test was a failure in her eyes. All she ever wanted was to get her parent’s attention, their approval, and the easiest (and really only) way to do that was to show them she was just like them, she was also dedicated wholly to her future and to being the very best she could be.

She was, as a result, a very anxious child, always stressed about whether her tests were right, whether she’d studied enough, even if her art projects were good enough. All her time went into figuring out how to make herself the very best possible candidate for her college applications. In the fifth grade. That meant taking on as many extracurriculars as she could manage, and one of the ones that she absolutely adored was cheerleading. Madison had up until that point not really enjoyed any of her extracurriculars, model UN, debate team, yearbook committee, band, and even track, they’d all just been to pad her resume, no matter how good at them she was, but cheerleading was different. There was a community in it, a level of trust in everyone around her to make sure that they caught each other, blocked properly so they didn’t run into each other, and it was the nearest Madison had ever felt to being part of a close family. Don’t get her wrong, she loved her siblings to death, she was perhaps a little too overbearing sometimes honestly when it came to making sure they were doing well in school and staying focused, but their home life didn’t look like her friends did, and she knew that she was missing out on something.

Which was why, when Sue Sylvester showed up to offer her a place on her hugely successful competitive cheer team Madison knew she had to take the opportunity. Her parents weren’t about to move out to Ohio for one of their kids to follow their dreams, but they did allow Sue to take temporary custody and become her guardian ad litem and Madison was convinced she finally knew what maternal affection felt like. Sue paid attention to her far more than her own mother ever had, helped with her training, encouraged her cheerleading passions and dreams of turning it into a professional career, maybe even becoming a coach like Sue eventually. She was her idol, and while Sue wasn’t exactly pleased that Madison’s attention was split with other extracurriculars and academic merits, she didn’t stop her either, which Madison took as a sign that she was doing everything right.

She wasn’t though, with her anxiety high going into cheerleading and track finals and her SATs, and with deadlines in her other extracurricular clubs all encroaching on her, Madison was burning the candle at both ends. She’d barely slept more than a couple of hours a night all week, so when she turned up to cheer practice at  the end of it, it was a wonder she was even still functioning. But Madison tried to push her exhaustion to oneside anyway, she was the captain of a Sue Sylvester cheer squad, she couldn’t be any less than the best cheerleader in the room, and that meant knuckling down and attending practice even if all she wanted to do was lie down. Had she skipped practice that day, Madison would’ve been reemed out by Sue, probably be made to run extra drills the next week, and been miserable but otherwise okay. Instead, she went to practice and during a particularly complicated series of manoeuvres that involved Madison being at the top of a pyramid, the overtired cheerleader who had skipped lunch to work on the yearbook before the deadline next week started to feel faint, and while trying to steady herself as subtly as possible, misstepped, twisted at the wrong angle to try and compensate, and as her horrified teammates watched on in shock, fell about ten feet to the ground, the impact mostly absorbed by her head and neck that hit the floor first.

When she woke up in the hospital, Madison didn’t have a clue where she was, didn’t know who the tall blonde woman at the foot of her bed was, didn’t even know who she was. It was a long, long few weeks as she tried to recover her memories and piece her mind back together, but once she did she knew that as badly as she had messed up, she was incredibly lucky to not have ended up paralysed or worse. Still, that didn’t mean that Madison had gotten off lightly, she was going to have to learn to do everything by herself again, and as her PT wore on the long-term impact of her accident became more obvious. Her balance was off, she had dizzy spells that were so intense they made her feel nauseous, migraines that felt like someone was shoving a white-hot poker into her head. Her short-term memory was also spotty, and while they were thankfully infrequent, she started to suffer from seizures.

Madison knew what this meant. Her cheerleading career was over, there was no way she could compete when she felt so imbalanced just standing up, and even as she continued to recover and that feeling got less intense (or at least less frequent anyway), she’d never be the same person she was before the accident. She really thought that Sue would stand by her, would still have affection for her, especially considering she was by her bedside when she woke up in the hospital and her parents weren’t (but she supposed they had Face Time’d with her every day after for five minutes), but once it was clear that Madison was never going to be a cheerleader again, that was the end for her affection for her. It broke her heart, knowing that Sue’s attention and affections had been purely transactional as long Madison made her look good, but now that she didn’t serve that purpose it was all gone.

It made her angry too, at Sue, at her parents, at the world, Madison hated everything in that moment because it no longer mattered how hard she had worked prior to this or how thin she had stretched herself, none of it mattered anymore because she was broken, and now, no-one really wanted her. Sue did let her stay throughout her PT and eventual graduation from high school, but no longer paid her very much attention at all, making Madison feel as awful as she had living with her parents too, a feeling that she had very much not missed. However, she wasn’t alone in her recovery, her biological siblings did as much as they could from afar, even if that was just to call her during her sessions to encourage her on, and Sue’s kids didn’t exactly abandon her either, and she’ll always be grateful for that.

Her head injury and memory problems changed her academic trajectory too. Madison’s back up plan to cheerleading had been either a lawyer or a doctor, but her grades suffered terribly with her cognitive issues and Harvard or Yale were no longer in the cards. Hell, any college seemed like a pipe dream after she was told that she had to redo her schooling from the 10th Grade again, despite being only a couple of months from graduating high school. Rather than be ridiculed in school as the twenty-year-old high school sophomore, Madison chose to do it from home instead, knowing that she could take as long as she needed to understand things here without everyone treating her like she was stupid. Because she wasn’t stupid, that was the thing that infuriated her the most, but she felt stupid now her brain couldn’t keep up with her expectations of it anymore.

It was because of this Madison started to lean into more artsy pursuits. With art you didn’t have to be perfect, you just had to create, and while working on her fine motor skills, she learnt that she had another great love in life: painting. It never had to be perfect, it never had to be precise, she could just paint as her heart desired and her emotions dictated and create something that she was always proud of. As she explored this kind of thing, found ways to work on her coordination that also made her happy, Madison also took up drumming and photography. Both helped her cognitively (drumming with her coordination and rhythm, photography with her memory), but were also fun, and she started to realise that in order to be good at something she didn’t need to be miserable or work herself to the bone, she could enjoy them too.

After finally getting her high school diploma at 23, Madison took some time to work on getting herself in the best physical shape possible. While she’d been able to make a lot of progress in the last four years, it was balanced with relearning basics and trying to get through her high school studies too, and Madison needed time to figure out who she was now, what she wanted out of life now that her original aspirations were no longer possible. A lot of her issues resolved or fell into the background, but she still struggles with migraines and seizures, leading her to get her service dog Oreo, as well as short term memory problems, but her coping mechanisms for them are all a lot better.

Madison decided that PSU would be her best option after taking a year to realign her aspirations, now wanting to be a high school art teacher, maybe even an art professor, and so she’s now completing a Fine Art degree with a minor in Photography. Her roommates might not appreciate her commitment to the drums, but Madison has found that it’s a great outlet for any latent rage she feels about the route her life has taken, and now she’s a lot more grateful for still being her and her accident not ending her life than she was when it initially happened.

FAMILY BACKGROUND

Maxwell and Evelyn McCarthy are two very determined, type A personality individuals who have always known exactly what they’ve wanted in life. When they met in college, their relationship was very quick to progress into something serious, and they got married almost immediately after graduation. They do love each other, but more importantly, they checked off all the boxes for what they wanted out of a partner. Maxwell and Evelyn are both performers; Maxwell was an aspiring Broadway actor, while Evelyn was an aspiring dancer. Maxwell scored several roles in Broadway shows touring the US, and was often gone for months at a time while their kids were young. Evelyn’s big break came when she auditioned for an early season of So You Think You Can Dance, where she ultimately took first place in the competition. She was then given the opportunity to work as a dancer for a popular artists’ world tour, leaving the kids to live primarily with a nanny for a significant portion of their youth. Maxwell is now a Tony award winning actor and has been in a couple of movie musical adaptations, and Evelyn is a professional dancer on Dancing With the Stars.