#so exciting to see another iz ship week!!!

[nichiperi]

ZASR Week 2025: ACADEMIA

*gasp* Looks like someone's getting a surprise love confession in the hallway...! (*´∀｀*)

[thejolexgroupchat]

the one where they met in med school - part sixteen

hospital mergers and new friends

Hi everyone! Hope you are having a wonderful holiday season. We are so excited for you to read this next part. Let us know what you think in the comments. Happy reading!!

@iamtrebleclefstories​ @doc-pickles​ and Nat!

———

(July 2008) 

"Today's the day," Jo announced as she walked into Meredith's hospital room, a bowl of soup in hand. She placed the steaming bowl on the bedside tray in front of Meredith. "I saw a whole bunch of people in orange scrubs swarm into the lobby when we walked in. I didn't feel like socializing with them so early, so I changed quickly and I decided to come see you."

"I know. I saw them all walk past my room. I can't believe I'm stuck in this bed while the Mercy-Westers try to steal our jobs," Meredith groaned. "I just had to go and donate part of my liver to my father so that my sister wouldn't lose another parent."

"And Lexie loves you all the more for it," Jo grinned. "Look, if it's any consolation, I made everyone promise we'd come in to update you on how things are going."

“Thank you,” Meredith clutched Jo’s hands gratefully. “Wait, isn’t today your first day as a resident? Why aren’t you in the lounge?”

“Because Webber is assigning each of us a resident from Mercy West that will shadow us today to get familiar with and I really do not want to be shadowed by the enemy today,” Jo huffed in annoyance. “I’m already frustrated because Izzie interrupted Alex and I this morning because she wanted to borrow one of my long sleeves. So, I never got laid.”

Meredith laughed, “I hope that Derek and I are still as crazy about each other as you two are after four and a half years together.”

“You know, before Alex, I never knew it could be that good,” Jo thought back to the early days of their relationship. “I swear I had more sex that first week of our relationship than I’d had in my entire life, up until that point. I’ve had great sex before and it’s not like I didn’t love sex before, but I swear, Meredith, Alex awoke something in me that I didn’t know existed. It was just… different with him. And it still is. Every single time I feel like I might burst at the seams.”

“Wow, Wilson. Alex is that good in bed?” Meredith chuckled as she teased her friend a bit. 

“Even better,” Jo hummed, joining in on Meredith’s joke. “You really have no idea. He is… talented.”

"Okay, I'm going to stop you right there because I definitely do not want to hear what Alex is like in bed," Meredith shuddered. "You need to go to the resident's lounge and find your Mercy-Wester. Don't want to be late."

"Ugh, fine," Jo frowned and stood up from where she had perched herself on Meredith's bed. "I'll be back later with updates." 

***

“Hey,” Jo met up with Alex in the hallway and smiled. “I thought you were in the lounge.”

“No, I dropped off my stuff while Webber was giving them the tour and his speech so that I didn’t have to associate with them,” Alex said as he smoothed down his scrub top. “I left my pager in my cubby though, so I had to come back.”

“Well, you know you’re getting assigned a resident from Mercy West right?” Jo reminded him. 

“Dammit,” Alex frowned. “I forgot about that.”

As they approached the lounge, they heard some commotion coming from inside.

“I said take it out.”

“Great. I got the crazy one next to me.”

“Oh, you want to fight? Cause I will.” 

Alex and Jo walked into the lounge and watched Izzie stand up in front of a woman in orange scrubs. The pair raised their eyebrows and called out to her, “Izzie! Iz.”

“I will fight you. You’re pretty tiny,” Izzie’s tall frame loomed over the pixie-haired woman’s. “I could take you down in just a couple of seconds.”

Alex reached out to grab Izzie’s arms, pulling her back from the other resident, “Come on. Come on.”

“Stop!” Izzie protested.

“Come on,” Alex continued to pull her back away from the group and pushed her out the door, Jo grabbing his pager and following them out the door.

“They took George’s cubby,” Izzie finally explained as she, Cristina, Lexie, Alex, and Jo stood over the balcony, watching as the orange scrubs moved around the hospital. 

Jo put a comforting hand on her shoulder, “Okay, I say we go hang out in Mer’s room.”

“Sounds good to me,” Cristina turned and led the way back to their friend’s hospital room.

“They’re locusts,” Meredith said as they finally arrived and updated her about this morning’s occurrences. “Comfortable locusts, feeding on our surgeries.”

“It’s rude,” Izzie popped a grape into her mouth. “There should at least be a couple days where they act like guests before they put their feet up on the coffee table.”

“And what’s with orange scrubs?” Lexie peeked through the window into the hallway. “What, ours aren’t good enough for ‘em?”

“We ran out. They’re on back order,” Jo informed. “Randall from the supply company says they’ll be here in a week.”

“Why bother ordering new ones when we can just give these to our replacements?” Cristina deadpanned. 

“We’re not gonna be replaced by anybody,” Alex shook his head. 

“They’re here. It’s over,” Cristina sighed and sat down in one of the chairs. 

“Hey. We are not some stupid hosts. They can’t invade us,” Meredith shook her head. “They can’t attach themselves to our faces and then while we’re eating spaghetti, explode out of our chests and skitter across the floor. This is our ship. This is our ship.”

Lexie wrinkled her brow, “Excuse me. Are you—are you quoting a Sigourney Weaver movie?”

“Shut up,” Meredith shrugged.

Izzie chuckled, “That’s what happens when you live here. You watch a lot of TV.”

“We own this hospital,” Meredith looked around the room at her friends. “We were born in this hospital. And we will hold this hospital with our last gasping breath. Go out there and go get surgeries before they take them. Go! And I want a full report by the end of the day.”

“Fine.” The doctors sighed and shuffled out of room, leaving only Cristina behind to sulk with Meredith. 

***

“Okay, where do you want us?” Jo asked as she, Alex, and Lexie walked into the ER. 

“Uh, at this point, anywhere is good,” Hunt looked around the crowded emergency room. 

“At Mercy West we do zones. When it’s super busy, we just give everyone a zone, a space. The nurses put a person in that space, you know it’s your patient. Helps you get to them quicker,” the male in orange scrubs suggested, putting his stethoscope around his neck as the two women behind him nodded in confirmation.

“Yeah, well, this is the ER not a school yard. We’re not playing four square,” Alex rolled his eyes.

“I like it,” Hunt announced. “It’s a good idea. Let’s try it. What’s your name?”

“Jackson Avery.”

Owen shook Jackson’s hand, “Dr. Avery, I’m Dr. Hunt. It’s all yours. Zone away.”

Lexie, Jo, and Alex all exchanged a look. Jo let out a groan, “Ugh. That’s the one. That’s the resident that’s supposed to shadow me.”

“That guy?” Alex pointed and made a face. “I can already tell he’s a jerk.”

“Takes one to know one, I guess,” Lexie mumbled, causing Jo to snicker. “I know we’re supposed to hate them, but is it wrong of me to say that he’s kind of hot? Like really hot?”

“Um, yes,” Jo looked at her friend strangely. “Besides, aren’t you with Sloan?”

“Hey! I can look,” Lexie waved her hands slightly. “I just won’t touch.”

“Let’s go,” Alex motioned for the girls to follow him. 

***

“You were right. I hate him,” Jo slammed her tray down on the table as they reconvened for lunch in the cafeteria. “But not because he’s a jerk. Because he’s really freaking nice!”

“This blows,” Alex placed his tray next to hers and sat down. 

“Getting your ass kicked?” Cristina asked. 

“Shut up,” Alex responded, his mouth full of food. He looked over to Jo. “I heard yours got a standing ovation in the ER.”

“Yours is the one who saved the whole ER from the maniac with the hammer?” Lexie looked up from the little book she was reading. 

“Okay, he didn’t save anyone,” Jo shook her head in annoyance. “He did some stupid ninja leap and then tripped a guy. I used actual medicine to stop a person from dying.”

“At least he’s pretty to look at,” Cristina shrugged. “I’m too depressed to practice medicine today.”

“Well, mine has a notebook, a notebook that she takes notes in. Notes of a very personal nature, and I stole it,” Lexie held up the tiny pink book for them to see.

“You what?” Cristina’s eyes widened. 

“Give it,” Alex stuck his hand out.

“No. No, I—I’m not sinking down to their level,” Lexie put the book in her lab coat pocket. “They are vindictive and they are aggressive and—and they are not team players. And if we are not careful, that spirit is going to infect our hospital. We have to fight it.”

Cristina nodded, “Which is why you stole the notebook?”

“And read it?” Alex added. 

“And now you’re hiding it from us?” Jo looked at her friend, amused.

“Well, she’s not a very nice person.”

“Hey,” Izzie walked up to the table, two coffees in hand. 

“Ooh! Can I have that?” Alex reached out to grab the coffee. 

“No. This isn’t for you,” Izzie slapped his hand away. 

“Who’s it for then?” Jo asked. 

“Charles.”

“Your Mercy-Wester?” Cristina exclaimed. 

“They’re handing us out asses on a plate, and you’re serving him coffee?” Alex made a face. 

“Charles is actually kind of awesome,” Izzie shrugged. “If you all could get past your sad, little egos, you would realize you can’t write off all the Mercy West residents just because you feel threatened.”

“We don’t feel threatened,” Jo called out as Izzie turned and walked away. She looked back at the table. “Okay, maybe a little threatened.”

***

At the end of the day, Jo was exhausted. She’d spent the entirety of her first official day as a resident getting her ass handed to her by pretty-boy Avery. All she wanted was to change out of her scrubs and get back to the house and maybe finally get laid. 

She had pulled her scrub top off when she heard some noise behind her. Glancing back, she saw Avery and a few of the other Mercy-Westers walk in to leave for the night. Ignoring them, Jo continued to change out of her scrubs and into her street clothes.

“Hey, Wilson.”

Jo turned at the sound of her name, her shirt only halfway on and huffed, “What?”

Avery gave her a quick once over and cracked a charming smile, “Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot today. I think it’s safe to say that I overstepped and should’ve backed off a bit. What do you say we start over?”

“Ya think?” Jo finished smoothing down her shirt and crossed her arms. “Okay. I guess we can start over.”

“Great,” he extended his hand out to her. “Hi, Dr. Wilson, my name is Jackson.”

Despite herself, Jo cracked a small smile and shook his hand in return, “Hi, Jackson. Call me Jo.”

[roswelldetails]

RNM 2x05 - I'll Stand By You

So just a little note from me, the person behind the season 2 detailing.  I am trying really really hard to keep emotion out of these posts...which is really really hard for me because I'm an inherently emotional person. I'm a glass case of emotion, ready to shatter at any given moment. (#dramatic)  But I want to be true to the intent of this blog and keep my feelings, biases, and, you know, shipping out of this blog.

It was really really hard to do with this episode. Because I straight up ugly cried for like, 45 of the 60 minutes. 😂

So I guess, the point is, I'm proud of myself and sticking to the details here. My regular blog is where I'm doing the emotional flip out thing! 😂

EPISODE SUMMARY:

ACCEPTING REALITY — The discovery of some complications with Max’s (Nathan Dean) pod forces Liz (Jeanine Mason), Michael (Michael Vlamis) and Isobel (Lily Cowles) to confront the possibility that they may not be able to save him. Elsewhere, Maria (Heather Hemmens) and Alex (Tyler Blackburn) make amends. Kimberly McCullough directed the episode written by Alanna Bennett & Jason Gavin (#205). Original airdate 4/13/2020. 

DETAILS:

Max/Isobel/Michael reunite at age 11 according to what Michael tells Alex in 1x10.  So that would make the opening of this episode set in 2002ish.

Michael tells Max and Isobel, "I remember you. I don't know you."

"After nobody adopted me for a year they just stuck me with the name of that trucker who found us."

"I didn't ask you for anything."

This is like the thesis statement of Michael's whole history with Max in the flashbacks.

"Don't pay more than you collect, kid. Passing credit back and forth is a good way to get stuck with somebody forever."

Rosa's art. 

What I can see says: "...what they all told me, but I didn't listen" and "Stand the shelter".

Rosa on her dreams

"I have not had any freaky dreams in weeks. Okay, Max is probably off haunting Isobel now that they're strong enough for their psychic twincest weirdness."

"How long has that been happening?"

"Um, I don't know. It's an old boom box."

"Rosa, have electrical appliances been malfunctioning around you?"

"I really thought it was just a side effect of the handprint."

"If being in the pod introduced a new protein into your system it could have altered your DNA too. You could be developing abilities."

"Liz, look. The handprint is changing.  It's smaller."

"It's fading."

"Tell me this is a good thing."

"I don't think so."

Michael and Liz theorizing on why the pod shorted out:

"The pod's got a charge. It's like a battery powering the preservation process. This one's gone dead."

"Did the generator blow the electromagnetic threshold?"

"I think a surge came from the pod itself. But that pod has lasted almost a century. It shouldn't glitch out."

"Okay, well, then, this one did."

"All right, stop. It doesn't matter why the pod is broken. It just is. So how long does Max have?"

"My theory is that being tethered to Rosa through the mark is what kept Max from going brain-dead, and in turn the stasis process is what kept the mark from fading. So he could be gone by tonight."

"Okay, well, we have three more pods. So let's just put him into another pod."

"No. He's just gonna do it again. I haven't told you everything. I didn't want to scare you. I didn't want to be the one that took the hope away."

"Talk now, Rosa. Right now."

"I was seeing Max in my nightmares months before I told you about it, and he was begging me to stop you. He said that he was in a lot of pain in there."

"That's Noah's pod. Noah told us it was broken. It wasn't keeping him in stasis. He could feel time passing. None of us thought of that."

"We've been doing everything we can to make Max stronger. He pulled his own plug."

Note...as far as we know Isobel was the only one who knew about Noah's pod being broken.  In 1x12 it was before Liz arrived at the house that he told them about the broken pod, so only Max and Isobel heard that part of the story.

Alex on his training. "NSA intelligence cryptology training".

Monitor screen in the secret lab:

Noah's heart is still too weak to transplant. Kyle says it needs at least eight more weeks

"I wrote a paper for a bioethics class on patients in vegetative states who feel pain. Sometimes it's all they feel."

As a non sciencey person, I was wondering if bioethics class was a real thing. Tonight I saw an interview on the news with a UC Berkeley bioethics professor on COVID. So yes, it's a thing.

Alex on Michael that summer post-Rosa's death:

Starting fights with jocks

Broke into the drugstore

Not going to UNM

Hasn't hung out with Max all summer

Got busted for stealing hubcaps (Kyle's hubcaps, we learn later) 

Became a walking bar fight

Was in jail when Alex left to enlist

Michael on Max in 2008:

"It's more than that. And it's less than that. We were friends when we were kids, but now Max reminds me of a bunch of stuff that I'd rather forget. The only thing that we have in common anymore is Isobel."

Max's yearbook had a pencil stuck in the page with Liz and Max's photo in it. (The one we first saw in 1x03).

"Biology Club. Max hated science. He was in that club for four years just to watch your sister chew on the end of her pencil."

Max's mindscape:

First just desert, clouds, and then lightning strikes (destructive energy?)

Liz's antennae -- they disappear from Isobel's hands

Rosa describes it as broken

Crashdown special is Max's favorite "Little Green Man milkshake".

The Crashdown counter is kind of merged with biology lab equipment. 

The juke box is there

The Crashdown booths

Jeep

Neon Crashdown sign

One of those claw drop game machines (from the Crashdown) but it's filled with baked good displays.

The yearbook

Later, everything else is gone except the one Crashdown booth, the Jeep, and the neon sign.

The distorted music they follow to find Max is the Cactus Groove song in the music list...just, messed around with. See @angsty-nerd's post here:

"I'm the hothead. You are the hero. It's always been that way."

"You stole the hubcaps off Kyle Valenti's graduation present. Both his parents are cops. Do you want to end up in jail tonight?". 

👀 Tonight, specifically. 

Michael seemed excited about the job at Foster's Ranch until he found out that Max set it up for him.  Max found out about it from his dad (only like the 2nd or 3rd mention of his dad in the series so far).

"When I got back in town I asked Max why you and your brilliant mind hadn't changed the world yet. He said you didn't care about the world enough to bother changing it. He believed you could."

Max and Isobel in the mindscape:

"You're okay. I could feel something was wrong with you.  Everything felt…"

"Cold. I know."

"You can't be here. It's finally ending.  I can feel it. But I don't know what happens if you're in my head when I die."

"So it's true? You want this?"

"I could feel my connection to the outside world getting stronger, so I snapped. I couldn't take it anymore. I released a surge. You have to let me go, Iz."

"I can't take it anymore."

"Okay."

"I am so sorry."

"I just want to memorize this."

"Okay. Okay.  I need you to tell Liz something."

"You can tell her yourself.  She and Kyle are prepping for surgery.  They're going to use the faulty heart. She just wants to talk to you before you die."

"No. No."

"You won't be suffering. They're just gonna bring you back and then let you go."

"No you have to stop this.  You cannot bring me back under any circumstances."

"Max? What is really going on?"

"I am dangerous.  Whatever Liz is bringing back is not me. It's just some broken shell."

Maria on her mom's computer 

"Her nurse said that for the two weeks before she went missing, when she wasn't trying to escape, she was talking to someone online."

The 21st birthday flashback

Isobel gets Michael to help move Max after getting drunk on tequila.  He passed out in front of the tattoo parlor. It's the same tattoo parlor Michael goes to at the end of the episode.

Max's weird drunken statement.

"The thing is, there has to be there. Okay? There's always three. Until the very end.  I'll show you...What it means is you should be here…'cause it's all broken without three. So we'll figure it out.  You'll find your way back."

👀 Until the very end. Interesting.

On Max becoming a deputy:

"You know he did the whole police academy thing because of you, right? He thinks you're gonna get into the kind of trouble you can't get out of if you don't know someone."

Back in the mindscape:

"I figured it all out. She, there's an energy to suffering, there's an energy to death, and when I heal people, I absorb that energy. So when I resurrected Rosa, I took in ten years of emptiness. So if you resurrect me, you will be bringing back an infection. Don't want… I don't want to come back as a monster. I don't want to hurt anyone that I care about."

"That's what this is about? We've been hurting, Max. We don't work without you."

"You will! You will. You are stronger now than when I died. All of you are. You, Michael, Liz, you will survive this. The three of you. No, you need to stop them, Iz. Now."

"Okay. I love you."

"You too." Isobel disappears.

Max is using pretty similar wording to his drunken rambles in the 21st birthday flashback

We don't see that Max is chained down until this next exchange with Rosa. Isobel didn't see that detail as far as we know.  Didn't hear the chains clanking when they stood and hugged. Only after Isobel left.

"I'm sorry this is happening."

"Isobel is lying. She is buying time.  You know she'll never let me go. But you can feel the darkness too, right? That's why you don't like being in my head. Because you know it's real."

"I didn't want that to be true, but yes."

"I know my sister and I know your sister and they'll never give up. So you have to be the one to stop this surgery, okay? Or I will destroy everything that we love. You have to stop them to save them. Now go.  Please, Rosa. Go."

Isobel explaining to Liz

"When he saved Rosa he absorbed all of that dark energy. He's gonna have to expel it."

"And he's afraid he's gonna kill someone when he does."

"Yeah. So we just need someone stronger than Max to take that hit...if he thinks he needs to protect us he obviously doesn't know how capable we are. Bring him back, Liz. I'll handle the rest."

"I get it now. It's gotta be the three of us."

"He would never pull his plug to end his own suffering. Unless he thought he was saving us from something. And I'm a little sick of his heroic martyr crap."

In case you missed it, Michael did not know that.  At the beginning of the hospital sequence Isobel is telling Liz what she learned in Max's mindscape and says that she hasn't been able to get ahold of Michael.  Michael figured it out on his own. He finally "got it".

The pacemaker:

Isobel with Max at the end… everything is gone except the Jeep. And Bright Eyes playing (the song he and Liz danced to on their first date back in 2008). And then his eyes close and Bright Eyes fades away.

“First thing I remember is the three of us. We woke up terrified and lost. But together. And then all of the sudden I was alone. I got real good at being alone. I had given up on people entirely. And then you found me again. Hell of hero move. You showed up just in time. When you are a kid who nobody loves, kindness is a currency. Friendship doesn’t means jack. Family just lies, and hurts, and leaves. I’ve only ever known love to be temporary. So yeah, I push people away. Every time someone threatens to care about me I test their love until they have to leave. Connection is conditional. Everybody eventually gives up on the guy who refuses to be rescued. But you were the only one who I couldn’t run off. You never believed me when I tried to be something I wasn’t. So this thing in your chest, it might give your heart a pretty solid kick every once in a while. Consider it payback. It’s my hero move, Max. If you wake up, you consider us even, okay? If you wake up, we can be a family.”

Good visual parallels during Michael's speech. Alex and Kyle drinking together during the "and then you found me again". Maria walking up on "the guy who refuses to be rescued"

Max is in the coma for three weeks.  Wakes up at the secret lab (instead of his house, which is where he was previously.  I'm guessing it was a planned wake up because he's no longer plugged into all of the IVs and whatnot.

"I begged you to understand."

"Max, it's gonna be fine."

"No… I told you to let me go. I can feel it inside me."

"It's...it's symmetry, okay? It's just energy for energy.  We can deal with that. Fight it, Max. This isn't you."

"I don't want to hurt you. I need to get out. I need to get away from you, from everyone."

"I can't let you do that."

Max shoves Isobel and runs. When he shoves her there's a slight ringing like the sound they use when the aliens use their powers.  Isobel follows and stops him with her powers.

"I made a promise that if you came back and you weren't Max, and you were actually going to hurt people that I would kill you. I figure, hey, you got to play God. Make life and death decisions all on your own. Well it's my turn now."

MUSIC:

1. Letters To Cleo "Here and Now"

2. Lady Antebellum "Love Don't Live Here"

3. Cactus Groove "Fallin"

4. James Talley "Big Thunder"

8. Ross Copperman "Stars Are On Your Side"

5. Lindsey Ray "Keep You Safe"

6. Tommee Profitt feat. Sam Tinnesz "With you Til The End"

7. Bright Eyes "First Day Of My Life"

The Cactus Groove song is the first song this season that I haven’t been able to find on Spotify… let me know if any of y’all had any luck with it!

[eilonwiiy]

Bookends ; a Witchlands AU

Chapter 2

A night at the Cleaved Man turns both Safi and Iseult's worlds upside down after an explosive confrontation with an uptight Nubrevnan and an unexpected romantic gesture from a close friend...

Summary: Iseult det Midenzi never expected to go to a top university, so when her mother falls ill and she is forced to drop out to make ends meet, life has never seemed so unfair. But when she starts working at the local library and is unexpectedly assigned in the Children’s Room, a certain monosyllabic man and his thrice-damned demon child start showing up and Iseult begins to wonder if the threads of fate have a plan for her after all.

Previous chapters: 1

Ships: Iseult/Aeduan, Safi/Merik, and more… stay tuned!

Tags: modern AU, college setting, family, friendship, humor, fluff, slow-burn, romance, eventual smut

Read on AO3: here

Tag list: (please let me know if you’d like to be added!) @lseultdetmidenzi

*   .   *   .   *   .   *   .

There was a certain art to it, Iseult had to admit.  Bartending, that is.

Safi darted every which way behind the bar, hands reaching for bottles and canisters without thought and pouring liquids and syrups of all colors into an endless supply of glasses at breakneck speed.  Just when Iseult thought the place had reached its peak hour, a fresh wave of college kids invaded the counter. Iseult wasn’t sure how a place as cramped as The Cleaved Man managed to pack so many bodies.  For a bar as ancient as it was, she supposed being forced to get up close and personal with eligible strangers was half its appeal.

Not for Iseult though.  She isolated herself on her usual perch at the very end of the bar by the swinging half-door that led behind the counter, still wearing the outfit she wore at the library: a thick black knitted sweater, matching jeans, and laced-up boots.  No one bothered her, save for one unfortunate soul at the beginning of the night. He looked relatively harmless - if you could call a salmon pink polo shirt and khakis shorts in mid-winter harmless. But that didn’t stop Iseult from squeezing a lemon slice in his eyes when he wouldn’t take a hint that she wasn’t interested.  

When he had turned to Safi, face dripping wet and eyes stinging red, clearly expecting to see some sort of reprimand dished out, she only shrugged.

“That’s what they’re for,” she said and plopped a fresh slice into the drink she’d just finished mixing and offered it pointedly to a girl on his other side.  “Good luck out there,” she told her.

The girl grinned and raised her glass to Safi in thanks, turning to leave, but not without giving the open-mouthed guy a meaningful look.  

After that, the evening was considerably less exciting.  For Iseult, at least. For everyone else, the night was just getting started.    

Walking into the Cleaved Man, you could easily expect its raucous crowd to break out into a sea shanty at the drop of a hat.  It was like stepping into one of Iseult’s beloved swashbuckling tales, with its musty smell, fat wooden tables, and rickety benches.  There were even giant beer barrels tucked into the tight space’s dark corners serving as makeshift seating that Safi swore were older than the bar’s current owner.  Ornate, wooden chandeliers hung from iron chains, strewn with strings of white lights, a nice modern touch that doused the room in a soft, golden glow. While swarms of college kids hovered around the bar, smaller, more intimate parties clustered together in cozy booths, each with a single candle flickering bright upon the table, illuminating the smiles and laughter of their occupants.  Only a few diamond checkered stained glass windows lining the front of house offered the passersby a small glimpse of the merriment contained within.  

Iseult appreciated the fantasy of it.  There was something romantically atmospheric to it.  In a historic sort of way, if that was possible. If it weren’t for the thrumming music and the mounting inebriation pressing in on all sides of her, she would have loved to come here with a book and simply read.  

“How are those limes coming, Iz?” Safi called over the music, not looking up from the glass she was shooting Sprite into.  

“I’m almost -” Iseult began, but Safi was already there, sweeping whatever slices she had off the cutting board into a tin bucket and hurrying away, “-done.”  She speared another lime and got back to chopping.

Friday nights were one of the busiest nights of the week, but they became even busier when you were working for two - as Safi was tonight.  She wasn’t technically alone. But Stix seemed more interested in picking up girls than serving drinks.  

Whereas Safi was a whirlwind of frantic energy, Stacia “Stix” Sotar leaned completely at ease against the counter at the other end of the bar.  Across from her a girl with badly dyed red hair spoke animatedly, eating maraschino cherries from a glass and wearing a dollar store tiara. She was clearly the matriarch of her group, as the rest of her friends - overly made up for a night at the Cleaved Man - stood adoringly around her, sipping their drinks and bursting into fits of laughter more often than was believable.  The birthday girl’s heavily painted eyes never left Stix, and Iseult had lost count of how many times her hand consciously fingered the bedazzled sash advertising “21 and HOT, buy me a SHOT” draped across her generous chest.  

Well, Stix had clearly seen to the shot.  What service.

Iseult’s attention lingered a moment longer before sparing a glance to the rest of the bar.  The evening was definitely in full swing. People had long since moved onto their second or third drink, graduating to shots and plates stacked high with wings or cheesy nachos.  At the eye of the impending storm, Iseult spotted a familiar face that could not have looked more out of place.  

Lounging languorously in sky blue, Leopold shuffled a deck of cards at one of the small round tables in the center of the room.  Keeping him company were his roommates Lev, Zander, and - much to Iseult’s displeasure - Chiseled Cheater. It shouldn’t have bothered her as much as it did.  They lived together after all; he had as much right to hang out with them as anyone else. Still...

As though hearing her thought, Leopold turned in Iseult’s direction and met her gaze.  His face lit up and he flashed her a criminally stunning smile, burning like a beacon amidst the sweat and alcohol swirling around him.  He immediately beckoned for her to join them. She shook her head.

Why? he mouthed.

Iseult skewered a lime and held it up.  

Leopold’s lips pursed, accentuating their natural pink plushness.  His finger tapped the table, and with a quick word to his companions, he tossed the cards down with a little more flourish than was necessary and slipped away.  As he made his way towards Iseult, he moved through the crowd like a snake, disturbing no one and going unnoticed. Well, not completely unnoticed. A fair amount of heads turned to catch more than a periphery glimpse of his deliciously carved cheekbones and silky waves of strawberry blonde hair.

“Was that lime a metaphor for what you’re going to do to me for sharing a drink with Caden?” he drawled, sidling up to Iseult.  “Or have we seriously fallen to such a level of co-dependence that our dear Safi can no longer do her job without pawning some of the load off onto you?”

Iseult sliced into a particularly juicy lime and let the satisfying squelch answer for her.  Leopold shook his head with an amused chuckle, and before Iseult could protest, he plucked a slice from the cutting board and popped it into his mouth.  

“Mmm what a sweet death it will be,” he said in between suckles.  If it had been anyone else, Iseult would have been disgusted by such an obnoxious display - and in a public place no less.  But Leopold had a way of making even the grossest practices seem sophisticated. Sensuous, even.

“Limes are bitter,” Iseult corrected.

“Not with you at the end of the knife.”  

Iseult looked at him.  He licked a runaway trail of juice from his thumb, far too invested in the lime to notice Iseult staring.  His lips were red and wet, glistening obscenely under the halo of stringed lights hovering above him. She couldn’t help it; her face warmed.

But when he tossed the lime into the open garbage can behind the counter, it was like he’d said nothing.

“Do I need to call social services?” he pressed in a mock whisper that was sure to reach Safi’s ears.  “Is she keeping you here against your will?”

“Ha-ha,” Safi interjected, slapping a towel onto the counter and wiping it down.  Leopold lurched back as she made a pass near him.  

“Watch the sleeves, love,” he chastised with a small, but noticeable pout that only made Iseult stare at his lips again.  

“Oh Polly, you wouldn’t be you if you weren’t fussing over your designer shirt of the day, but you came to the wrong place if you expected to not be spilt on at least twice.”

Leopold gave a disdainful huff.  “Tell me about it,” he muttered, scrutinizing a spot on his shirt that was only visible to him.  After a moment, he clicked his tongue and abandoned the fabric with a note of disgust. “I’d be at Arlenni’s Loop if it weren’t for the company - which brings me back to my original question.  Are you going to keep poor Iseult here shackled to you all night or are going to let her actually enjoy herself?”  

“She’s keeping me company.  What could be more fun than that?”

Iseult kept her gaze downcast, suddenly needing to cut each lime slice with exact precision.

Leopold turned away from Safi like she hadn’t said anything. “You should join us.  We were just about to start a game of-”

“We don’t need to play any more games with your lot, thank you,” Safi cut in, brandishing her rag and earning an affronted glare from Leopold.

“Excuse me, since when does ‘Iseult’ mean ‘we’?  And what exactly do you mean by “my lot”?”

“You know exactly what I mean.”  Safi gave the table he’d just left a withering glare.  Leopold followed it over his shoulder, then turned back to her, frowning.

“For Noden’s sake, Safi.  This is overdoing it - even for you.”  He watched her, waiting for a response, but she said nothing, attention trained on the row of glasses she was now wiping dry.  When it was clear she wasn’t going to concede, he breathed an impatient sigh, then, designer sleeves and all, leaned against the counter and drew himself closer to Safi.  Understanding softened his expression, but his lips twitched.

“Now, love,” he began delicately, “I know you fancied yourself his girlfriend-”  

“I did not!” Safi barked, slamming a glass onto the counter and sending water droplets flying.  She glared at Leopold, eyes blazing. “He stole our apartment, Leopold!”

Leopold was entirely unaffected, despite his shirt was now spattered shirt.  He simply drew away from the counter, straightening and crossing his arms. “Oh boo-hoo, Safiya.  So you let slip to a guy you made-out with that you found the perfect off-campus apartment and he swooped in and snagged it for himself.  That hardly makes him a thief.”

“It’s how he got the information that matters,” Iseult intervened, feeling that she had let the two childhood friends’ bickering go on long enough.  Safi nodded fervently in agreement.  

Leopold clucked his tongue in distaste.  “Oh stop that. A lot of things happened at Vaness’ end-of-the-year party, but you being taken advantage of was not one of them.  Call him an asshole if you must, but don’t turn him into something he isn’t.”

Iseult’s heart lurched at the mention of Vaness’ infamous end-of-the-year party, but she swallowed it down.  “He took advantage of her feelings.”

“We all do at one point or another in our lives, whether we mean to or not,” Leopold said, giving her an almost pitying look.  “Heartbreak, dished out or taken, is an unfortunate side effect of having feelings.”

Iseult’s nose twitched.  What her mother would have had to say about that.  But even as she looked into Leopold’s sparkling sea green eyes, she couldn’t help but feel a trail of unease crawl up her spine.

“Why does it even matter?” he pressed on.  There was a strained edge to his voice as he ran a distracted hand through his perfectly coiffed hair.  “I saved the day and now you have an open invitation to our place at my behest and can torture Caden with your presence til the end of your days.”

This part was true at least.  Leopold had swooped in and snagged the fourth room Caden, Lev, and Zander needed to fill.  And he had used his status to forgo any scrupulous tenant screenings and ensure the landlord’s lease papers were signed before anyone could do anything to stop it.  It had been brilliant, actually. And he had done it all on his own.

“What am I supposed to do?” Leopold looked imploringly between Safi and Iseult.  “Not talk to them?”

Safi sniffed and raised her chin in the air.  “That would be preferable, yes.”

Leopold stared at her.  “You are impossible,” he declared finally, to which Safi merely shrugged.  Annoyance flickered across his face and he ran his hand through his hair again, cursing under his breath, “At least you got a good lay out of it.”

“What??”  Safi sputtered, eyes blown wide with panic and darting between Leopold and Iseult.  “We didn’t- did he tell you that?! ”

“No,” Leopold admitted sounding equally unamused.  “That was wishful thinking on my part.”

The two of them glared at each other, neither one looking happy with the other.  For a second, Iseult thought Safi would throw something at him. Her dirty rag perhaps.  Or a bar glass. That would be a first. But instead, her expression frosted over and she hefted the plastic bin of newly washed glasses against her hip.  They clinked noisily against each other.

“Go away, Polly.  Or you’ll have more than a stain on your shirt to cry about.”  She regarded Leopold cooly, then strode away, leaving him and Iseult alone.

Iseult shifted in her seat and situated herself back over her cutting board.  “I’d take her advice seriously. Those bar guns shoot surprisingly far. I’ve seen them in action.”

“If it means getting a drink…” Leopold trailed off, and to Iseult’s surprise, he drew up an empty stool seemingly out of thin air and plopped himself down next to her.  He leaned into her conspiratorially. “What are the odds of her making me a drink that isn’t laced with strychnine? Should I go bother Stix?”

Iseult glanced across the bar.  Stix was still working her magic on the “birthday bitch” as she’d overheard one of her loud friends dub her.  Her obnoxious red curls bounced as threw her head back and let out a shriek of laughter at something hilarious Stix apparently said.  Iseult noticed Safi roll her eyes in irritation as she tried to take the order of a big burly guy towering behind the group.

“You’d have to be a girl to get her attention,” she muttered, reaching for a lemon.

Leopold frowned, eyeing the group with mild interest.  “Surely I’m as pretty as one, wouldn’t you say?” He drew himself back, so that his form was on full display for Iseult.  He grinned and gave her an optimistic sort of look that brought out his natural boyish charm. “Couldn’t hurt to give it a shot.  Especially if it means avoiding my untimely death.”

Iseult didn’t respond.  That prospect didn’t sound so bad right now.  Leopold seemed to have read her mind because after a moment of awkward silence, he reached out and covered the hand holding her knife with his.

“Iseult," he said softly, and Iseult’s hand twitched under his.  He paused.  "I didn’t mean what I said.  Safi means more to me than… well, anyone. I’d never do anything to intentionally upset her. I love her.”  

His voice was pitched low so that only Iseult could hear him, but every word rang true and clear.  She slowly turned to look at him and something in his face relaxed when her eyes met his.  He was so close to her she could see the little flecks of blue in his them bloom with every blink.  The strands of red in his lashes. He licked his lips... and she hated herself for looking there too.  

“But,” he resumed cautiously, “I’m tired of her getting on my case for this.  It’s not fair. I haven’t done anything wrong, and look... I know you would face Noden and his Hagfishes before admitting it, but I think you know that Safi needs to let this go.  If not for my sake, then for hers.”  

Iseult blinked.  No one knew her better than Safi�� which was why she was so stunned with how close Leopold came to hitting the truth.  But it was like he said, she’d take on Noden and his Hagfishes before admitting Safi was wrong.

Leopold squeezed her hand in understanding and let go.  Iseult immediately pulled it into her lap, only then realizing how warm it had felt under his.  She clasped her other hand and fidgeted with the silver ring around her index finger.    

Leopold hopped off his stool and brushed his hands on the front of his pants, as though he’d dirtied himself through the mere act of sitting.  He pointed to Iseult’s half-empty glass. “Do you need another juice box?”

Iseult grabbed the drink out from under the scrutiny of his finger and took a defensive sip from her straw.  It had a watery taste to it, all the ice cubes nearly melted to nothing. “No, I’m good.”

The corner of Leopold’s mouth curved up and the dimple on his cheek became a winking star.  “Yes, you are,” he purred, backing away into the crowd, “So very, very good.”

And then he was gone.  Iseult gaped at the spot, not sure of what had just happened, and turned in a daze to the end of the bar where Stix stood.  Sure enough, Leopold reappeared, slipping smoothly between closely pressed together shoulders and then leaning against the bar without taking any notice of the half dozen or so faces gawking at him for so blatantly cutting the line.  Or maybe he simply didn’t care. Even Birthday Bitch was looking at him like she couldn’t believe he was real as his lips moved with ease. That is, until Stix started laughing at something he’d said. A true, genuine sound.

The girl didn’t like that.  

With a scandalized look at the pair, she swiped her drink off the counter and took a pouty sip as she hobbled off her stool.  Leopold gracefully took her place without sparing the girl a glance, and even had the audacity to plop a maraschino cherry in his mouth.  Iseult saw Birthday Bitch peek over her shoulder a couple times to see if Stix had noticed she’d left.  

She didn’t.  Not even a little, judging by the pen and napkin she was sliding Leopold’s way.  

“Unbelievable,” muttered Safi, joining Iseult and watching Leopold scribble what could only be his name and number onto the napkin.  

“Admit it, you’re impressed,” Iseult said.  Safi only let out a mirthless laugh and turned her back on them just in time to miss Leopold slide the napkin back to Stix with a wink before disappearing back into the crowd.  She grabbed a lemon slice and shoved it in her mouth.

“He even got her to work,” Iseult added, ignoring the loud noises coming from Safi’s passionate assault on her lemon and nodding over her shoulder to where Stix was miraculously making a round of drinks.  “He’ll have you groveling at his feet by midnight.”

Safi swiped another lemon slice and made to shove it in Iseult’s mouth.  Iseult dodged the attack, and when Safi tried again, Iseult only scrunched her face and ducked a second time.  As childish as it was, it set both girls to laughing, a welcome sound to Iseult’s ears after such a long night.  Safi and Leopold bickered all the time, but she hated to see her so wound up over something so inconsequential as Chiseled Cheater.  Her friend didn’t wear hurt as well as she thought she did.

Safi finally stuffed the lemon into her own mouth.  “At least I can take a break now,” she said grudgingly, though her expression remained at ease.  She swung her hair over her shoulder and stole a glance at Stix. “Who do you think it’s for?”

Iseult wasn’t sure if she meant the drinks or the napkin Leopold slipped Stix.  She decided on the napkin. “Stix, of course.”

“Please, he’s not that good,” Safi muttered distantly as her eyes scanned the bar.  “My vote is for the birthday bazongas over there.”

“Safi.”

“What?  They’re huge!” Safi made an emphatic, and entirely unnecessary, gesture with her hands.  “Don’t tell me you didn’t notice!”

Iseult’s nose twitched, but didn’t say anything.

“See,” insisted Safi with with all the maturity of a five-year-old.  “And trust me, if we noticed, Polly definitely noticed.”

Something needled Iseult’s chest.  “You don’t know what kind of girl he likes.”  

Safi opened her mouth to comment, but a tray of drinks magically appearing interrupted them.  

“Special delivery,” trilled Stix, lifting a glass off the tray balanced on her hand and placing it in front of Iseult.  Her braided white hair was piled high on top of her head and up close, Iseult could see blue and silver beads woven into the tightly wound strands.  

“I didn’t order anything,” she said automatically, eyeing the colorful concoction like she didn’t know what it was.  

Other people might have been put off by Iseult’s inflectionless voice, but Stix only smiled, showing off the gap between her two front teeth.

“You can thank Prince Charming over there,” she said, with a nod and a wink.  Both Iseult and Safi’s heads spun to where she gestured, but somehow Iseult already knew who she’d find.

Gold waves rippled under the lights as Leopold tipped his head back and shook with laughter.  The deck of taro cards was back in his hands and he was in the process of dealing a round to Lev, Zander, and Chiseled Cheater, the cards flying from his long, delicate fingers and sliding across the table.  Dumbly, Iseult turned back to beverage sitting in front of her and inspected it. It was like a sunset in a cup, all orange, yellow, and red bleeding brilliantly together. She didn’t reach for it, though, to give it taste.  

Iseult eyes slid to the napkin set beside beside it and she noticed there was something scrawled on it.  She peeled it off the bar and slowly held it up to read.  Her heart was pounding.  Why was her heart pounding?   Stasis, Iseult.  Stasis.

Iseult looked up from the napkin and back at Leopold.  He wasn’t even watching to see what her reaction would be.  In fact, the only person distracted from their card game was Chiseled Cheater, and he definitely wasn’t looking at Iseult.  

Even from afar, Iseult could see the small line that wormed between Caden’s brows whenever she caught him looking at Safi.  He was in the middle of drinking his beer when his gaze strayed to her, the bottle hovering briefly over his lips before he indulged in another long swig and turned away.

Unfortunately for Iseult, Safi wasn’t paying attention to him.  The only thing she was gawking at was the fruity monolith standing between them.

“You’re right,” Safi declared breaking the silence.  “I don’t know what kind of girl he likes.”

Iseult said nothing.  She picked up the glass, set it down next to her cranberry juice, wiped away the ring of condensation it had left behind, and returned to her knife and lemon like the drink had been a figment of their imagination.

Of course, Iseult knew never in a million years would Safi leave it at that.

“So when did this happen?”

A surprise spurt of lemon juice shot into Iseult’s eye, but she willed it not to blink through the stinging pain.  Stasis, Iseult.  Stasis in your fingers and in your toes.  “Nothing is happening.”

“Uh, this very loud drink begs to differ.”

“Well, drink it and then it’ll shut up.”

“I’m not drinking your love juice.”

Iseult’s breath hitched in disgust.  “Please don’t call it that.”

“Well, what else am I supposed to call it?” Safi asked, throwing her hands up in exasperation.  “You won’t tell me what it is!”

“It’s nothing,” Iseult replied evenly, blank expression betraying nothing.  Because it was nothing.  There was no way Leopold had feelings for her.  They were strictly friends. That was it.  

Safi snorted when she told her just that.  “Right. And I’m the queen of Cartorra.”

“That explains it then,” a voice called.

Both Safi and Iseult looked around to see who had spoken.  It was difficult with the bar crowded as it was. Then, a young Nubrevnan man sitting a couple seats away wearing a crisp white shirt unbuttoned dangerously low leaned forward and cocked his head.

“Why you can’t be bothered to serve your subjects,” he elaborated, acknowledging the people on either side of him with a curt nod before drawing back to Safi.

Safi and Iseult shared a look, one that confirmed the unspoken: this guy was an ass.  

The corners of Safi’s quirked and she turned back, slow and purposefully, to the man.  “Can I help you?”

The flat of the man’s hand slapped the table.  “Now she hears me!” he exclaimed in mock surprise to the crowd, playing them for a response and flashing a good-natured smile despite his antagonizing demeanor being anything but.  Annoyance fluttered in Iseult’s chest as people laughed.  Drunk people were so easily amused.

“Excuse me?” Safi shot back.

A man - no, scratch that - a giant standing behind the seated Nubrevnan leaned down to speak loudly next to his ear.  “May have spoken too soon, Cap.”

More people laughed, but Iseult only mentally rolled her eyes.  Cap?  As in captain?  Oh yeah.  This guy was definitely a douche.

The giant flashed Safi what Iseult assumed must have been a smile, though it twisted unnaturally across his pale face.  Iseult discreetly nudged the bucket of freshly cut lemon slices towards Safi, but she waved her off, not taking her eyes off the man sitting in front of her.  Though, Iseult didn’t miss the nearly indistinguishable nod letting her know she knew it was there in case she decided to change tactics. Now all she had to do was sit back and enjoy the show.

“Are you going to order anything or not?” Safi asked in a bored voice.

He made a show of considering it.  “I don’t know,” he mused loftily, resting his well-tanned arms on the counter.  He leaned forward. “What are the odds of getting our drinks within this calendar year?”

“Slim,” Safi replied automatically.  She approached the counter, meeting his advance with a little extra swing in her hips, a lioness hunting her prey.  “But how would you even know?” she added as she planted herself in front of him. Her hands swept deftly over the burnished wood counter, arms stretching long on either side of her until she was taking as much space as possible.  “You clearly don’t own a calendar. Did you not notice that it’s January? Or do you not know how a button works?”

Much to Iseult’s satisfaction, the man flushed.  He glared at Safi. “I know how a button works.”

“So you’re just stupid, then” she retorted.  A murmur of amusement rippled through the crowd, music to Safi’s ears, and she stood a little taller.  Her mouth twisted as she gave him a cursory look. “Why even bother putting on a shirt if you’re just going to wear it like -” she gestured vaguely to his exposed chest “-that?”

The giant’s eyebrows shot up.  “Are you saying he should take it off?”  He turned to the crowd as he suggested it, opening the heavy-handed question to everyone.  He knew what he was doing. The bar immediately erupted into cheers. The space was so small that even people who weren’t close enough to know what was going on hollered their support, clapped their hands, pumped their fists into the air - anything for a chance at a flash of nudity.  

The giant circled the spot where he stood, towering over the crowd and nodding his approval.  “The people have spoken!” he declared over the noise and the bar responded with another enthusiastic cat call of approval.  The giant’s smile grew bigger and more terrifying. He clapped his friend on the shoulder and gave him a friendly jostle.

But the man merely shrugged him off and sank lower into the bar, keeping his gaze downturned.  Several strands of his dark swept back hair fell across his forehead, but weren’t long enough to hide the crimson flush from earlier that had deepened on his bronze cheeks.  Then, without warning, his rich brown eyes fluttered back up to Safi and he looked nothing like he had moments ago. Now he looked shy. Handsome .  

Iseult couldn’t see Safi’s face, but she knew.  She knew all it took was one look and Safi would melt.  She had learned that the hard way with Chiseled Cheater.

But Chiseled Cheater had never looked at Safi like this.  Chiseled Cheater was a practiced player. He tossed around charming smiles and easy jokes, dished out compliments in heaps, lured young women into shadowed corners with promises and heady kisses - and through it all, his mask never fell out of place.  

Not this Nubrevnan, though.  In his silence, he was completely bare to Safi.    

But a second later, whoever had been sitting before Safi - looking at her like maybe he’d wished they could start over - was gone.  The young man’s brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed with a keen sharpness.  

“I know you,” he murmured, almost to himself, scrutinizing Safi like he was seeing her clearly for the very first time.  Safi opened her mouth to object, but he barreled through her protests. “Yeah,” he said with more confidence, and suddenly his eyes were on Iseult who, up until that point, had gone unnoticed by the Nubrevnan.  He wagged a stiff finger from her to Safi. “I recognize you! You’re the Breakfast Bandits!”  

“What?” Safi snapped at the same time Iseult blurted incredulously, “They call us the Breakfast Bandits?”

The man crossed his arms triumphantly, rolling his broad shoulders as he leaned back on his stool.  The gesture pulled his shirt open even wider, exposing a generous amount of his muscled chest. Clearly, his modesty had been short-lived.

Safi mirrored his pose.  “So what if we are?”

Whatever amusement the man had gained from messing with Safi vanished.  His tone turned serious. “You’re stealing food.”

Safi gave a disbelieving laugh.  “I’d hardly call it stealing. Not when we’re paying thousands to go their precious little school.”

Iseult pressed her lips together.  It probably wasn’t worth mentioning that Safi had a fully-paid scholarship or that she’d dropped out five months ago.

“Besides,” Safi spurred on, “where do you think all that leftover food goes at the end of the day?  In the garbage. We were just taking what would have been thrown away.”

Strangely, this seemed to anger the Nubrevnan even more.  “That food doesn’t get thrown away,” he gritted out.  “That food is divided and delivered to local homeless shelters.”

“Oh?  And how would you know that?”

“Because I’m the one who does it.”

The space between them dropped dead.  Iseult could practically feel Safi’s stunned shock pulsing off her.  Somewhere overhead, Lizzo cried about great men.

“You-” Safi stammered, reminding Iseult of her own cursed stutter.

“Me and my crew,” the man explained, scowl deepening.  There was no triumph in his voice this time. “We divy what’s left over at the end of the night, load it up in my truck, and deliver it to shelters here and in neighboring cities.  Every day. We usually finish up around 2 in the morning.”

It was a first.  Safi was at a loss for words.

Still scowling, the Nubrevnan shook his head and rose up from his stool.  Standing, he was a full head taller than Safi. He glared down at her, his eyes searching her face.  Despite the obvious contempt pulsing off him, it was almost like he was hoping she would say something.  

But she didn’t.

He breathed in deeply, struggling to remain in control of his emotions, and his nostrils flared.  “You may think it’s just one hash brown,” he finally uttered in a low voice, “that you’re entitled to it. But to someone who hasn’t eaten in a week, it’s the difference between life and death.”

Again, Safi said nothing.  Iseult noticed that the giant was no longer smiling.  In fact, no one was smiling.  And the longer the Nubrevnan glared at Safi, the more fed up with he seemed to become, until finally he succumbed to his anger and ripped his jacket off his stool.  A violent movement that made Safi flinch.  

“You can forget about those drinks, domna,” he announced as he punched his arms through the coat sleeves.  He didn’t look at her. He simply flicked up his jacket collar and spun away on his heel. People stepped out of his way as he marched towards the front entrance in long, determined strides.  The giant and the rest of his crew followed in his wake.  

However, when he reached the door, his hand hesitated on the handle.  His head turned half a centimeter, then froze. Like he had to actively stop himself from turning to look back.  But his gaze slid to Safi anyway, two dark moorings along the brim of his jacket collar. For a second, Iseult thought she caught another glimpse of that shy young man from earlier, but before she could decide if what she’d seen was real or not, he yanked open the door and stormed out into the night.  

Safi stood motionless, staring after him long after the door slammed shut.  Iseult ransacked her brain for something to say, anything... but nothing came.  It appeared that the Nubrevnan had not only taken Safi’s voice, but Iseult’s as well.  

The rest of the night passed in silence between them.  Safi went about serving customers and making drinks, though with none of her previous vigor.  She navigated the bar on autopilot, any exchange made subdued. Iseult recognized the faraway look in her eyes.  It was the same one she wore whenever she was preoccupied with thoughts of her Uncle Eron. The notion that the words from this complete stranger could have the same effect on Safi as one of Uncle Eron’s drunk debauckles made something in Iseult’s chest worry into a knot.  

When the last tankard was hung and the final table wiped clean, Iseult followed Safi and the happy jingle of keys that signaled it was time to go home.  Bundled up in a dark wool coat and thick scarf, Iseult held open the door for Safi as Stix switched off the lights and filed after her.  

At some point during the night, it must have started to snow.  A light dusting of white covered the sidewalk and the cars parked along the street, and lazy, slow-falling snowflakes floated down from the starless sky as the three of them stood outside the Cleaved Man.  After tugging the door handle and making sure it was securely locked, Stix zipped up her leather jacket and happily wished Safi and Iseult goodnight, setting off downtown. Her night was apparently just getting started.  

The sound of Stix’s boots hitting pavement echoed in the distance and Safi and Iseult turned to face each other.  For a moment they just stared at each other, both looking as tired as the other one felt. Everywhere else on their block had closed up for the evening, and after a night spent in the Cleaved Man where the noise never stopped, the street sounded unnaturally quiet.  

“Home?” Safi finally asked.  It felt like forever since Iseult had heard her voice.  Big, chunky snowflakes clung to her knitted beanie.

Iseult nodded.  “Home.”

As one, the girls turned, linked arms, and set off in the direction of their apartment, leaving a trail of footprints along the snow covered sidewalk.  

It wasn’t until Iseult was lying in bed that she realized she never did see Leopold again.

[thecoffeeshopforwriters]

Here are a few writers who are active in the fanfiction Community. So if you want to talk with them, or read their stories, or become friends with them… go ahead! Let’s make a stronger network!

The Admins

This blog was created by two crazy writers! Here we are… 

Carole aka @padfootagain (little bio written by Jenna) :

Carole is your go-to person when you need someone to talk about your ideas to. There’s no other person who gets so excited about them and makes you excited as well. Being very sweet and silly and lovely, it’s easy to befriend with her. Her title Queen of Fluff is not a lie; she’s a genius when it comes to writing fluff! It’s her main genre but she writes about other topics as well. Her fandoms go to the ends of the galaxy and back, from Star Wars and MCU to Potter and Ben Barnes’ characters. She is full of love and supporting everyone as the lovely person she is.

Masterlist

Jenna aka @madamrogers ( @madamrogersstorytelling for her fics) (little bio written by Carole) : 

Besides being the loveliest human being around here, Jenna is immensely talented. She can write basically anything, from some fluffy fanfiction to a dark themed piece, or even some beautiful poetry. From the MCU to Ben Barnes’s characters and a few actors, she can write for a lot of fandoms. And did I mention that she is the sweetest girl? Cause she is.

Masterlist

Tons Of Amazing Writers

Beth aka @marvelcapsicle​:

Beth is an absolute sweetheart and is immensely talented! She is going to tear your hurt apart with angst and then put it back together and you’re going to love every second of it. She has written a lot for the Marauders, but is now more focusing on the MCU, and in particular for Steve Rogers.

Masterlist

Filia aka @fortisfiliae:

Filia is very kind and has a way to touch your heart with her stories! She writes some of the best pieces for the Marauders. She is active for the HP fandom.

Masterlist

Bandit aka @banditthewriter:

Bandit is a sweetheart, and such an amazing writer! She is the specialist for Billy Russo. She also writes for several other Ben Barnes’ characters like Caspian and Logan, along with the MCU, GoT, Lucifer and the Marvel series.

Masterlist I et II

Rachael aka @something-tofightfor

Rachael is the one of the nicest people around this site and her series for Billy is very intriguing. She writes for most of Ben’s character, Ben as himself and Frank Castle.

Masterlist

Mila aka @carol-damn-vers

Mila is an absolutely sweetheart and the most supportive there is. She just recently came back and deserves all the love she can get, her stories are incredible! She writes for MCU and HP as well as some MCU actors.

Masterlist

Erin aka @whostheblondegirl (@whostheblondegirlwriting for her fics)

Erin is very wonderful and inspiring person who writes a lot. Her main fandom is MCU but she writes for MCU actors as well. You can find OCs as well as reader inserts from her fics that are often very long and full of details.

Masterlist

Cait aka @siriusblackfoot

Cait is extremely talented and very kind. She’ll give you tons of feels (and occasionally some smut…). She writes amongts the best fics for Sirius and the Marauders.

Masterlist

Sofia aka @wizardwritings

How many nights have I spent reading her Sirius fics? I have lost count. She will keep you up all night with her brilliant fics. She writes for various characters of the HP fandom.

Masterlist

Lex aka @delos-mio

She’s going to turn your heart into pieces with all these angst and feelings, and turn you into a sinner with her smut. But she writes so well and is a sweetheart, so you will find out that it’s worth it. She writes a lot for Logan and Thor, but also for other Marvel characters and Ben Barnes’ characters.

Masterlist

Scarlett aka @snarledblack

Lette is an amazing person and is extremely talented! She writes wonderful pieces for the Marauders, and especially Sirius, and also for various HP characters. She also wrote an amazing fic for Caspian that I recommend to all romantics!

Masterlist

Laura aka @blacklilyqueen

Laura writes so much angst, she will make you curl up in a ball and cry like a baby and you will love it! She writes for the HP fandom, and a lot for the blackinnon ship.

Masterlist

Nanda aka @brien-odylan & @blackinnon-paradise

Nanda is another master of angst, and a master of plot-twists! She will make you go ‘WHAT?!’ and get you overexcited. As a bonus, she’s an absolute cutie. She writes for Dylan O’Brien and Tyler Posey on her main blog @brien-odylan and for the blackinnon ship on @blackinnon-paradise.

Masterlist for actors and for blackinnon

@obscurilicious

So many fics to drown into! She has several blogs for her different fandoms and characters, but I’ll give you a link for her collected masterlist. You’ll find tons of things for the Marauders and Ben Barnes’ characters.

Masterlist

Kira aka @that-bwitch

Kira is very talented and a sweetheart! She writes for several HP characters, a few Ben Barnes’ characters and Poe Dameron.

Masterlist

Kami aka @kboogie09

Kami is very kind and funny and she is amazingly talented! She has a way with words that make all the feelings go right to your heart. She has written some of the best Poe Dameron fanfics out here, and she writes for several characters in the SW and MCU fandoms as well.

Masterlist

Melissa aka @i-said-goddameron

Oh dear… Melissa is an absolute cinnamon roll but also a first class sinner. If you want some Poe Dameron smut, she should be your go-to writer. But don't think that it’s all about smut with her! She also writes the most heartbreaking angst there is. As I said, she writes for the SW fandom.

Masterlist

@shenanigans-and-imagines

Such an amazing being and writer! So many touching stories, and she has a way with words that will touch your very soul. She is active in the SW, the Magnificent Seven and MCU fandom.

Masterlist and the one for her drabbles

Rose aka @spectre-leader

You might have known her as @cobalt-one and I am still so pissed at tumblr for making her vanish for a few weeks by deleting her blog for some reason. Anyways, besides being an absolute cutipie, she is extremely talented and writes so beautifully! She will give you tons of feels and you’ll love it, so treat yourself! She writes for the SW fandom, and in particular for Poe Dameron.

Allie aka @yourhufflepufftrash

Allie is an absolute sweetheart and writes adorable and wonderful fics for several characters of the HP fandom. You should give it a read!

Masterlist

Laura aka @thevalesofanduin

Laura is super sweet and writes absolutely beautifully. Her style is amazing! She writes mainly for Star Trek and SW.

Masterlist

Lani aka @propertyofpoeandbucky

This girl is so cute and funny! Also, expect a lot of fics!! She writes the most sinful smut as well and some amazing stories. She writes for a lot of fandoms, I will let you get through her masterlist for the details, but she writes mainly for SW and the MCU.

Masterlist

Dani aka @illshowyourhurricanes

She is one of the sweetest people around here and her writing is just as sweet and cute. She mainly writes for Ben Barnes’ characters.

Masterlist

Lori aka @loriwrites

This woman is an absolute sweetheart. Even though her blog is closed for business, her masterlist is still full of Sebastian Stan and some others who she blesses us with.

Masterlist

Maya aka @prettyyoungtragedy - proposed by @pitubea1910

@pitubea1910 : Her writings and stories are my favourite in this whole site, I swear! She's the queen of the angst and cliffhangers! She specially writes for Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers and I'm a sucker for her stories. Plus, she's the loveliest girl ever!

Masterlist

Iz aka @meetyourmouths - proposed by @pitubea1910

@pitubea1910 : Her writings are about Harry Styles and, for me, her way of describing Harry and just writing him is so so accurate. I honestly recommend her blog if you're looking for any Harry styles story, you'll be more than amazed

Masterlist

@inkinflux - proposed by an anon

anon: She has many (and by many, I mean MANY) fics that you’d read again and again for the feels. She mainly writes for SW, HP, and other miscellaneous fandoms. Please check her out (I promise you won’t regret) 

Masterlist

Megan aka @goodomensblog

Amazing, amazing writing style that will either break your heart or make it melt. Fantastic descriptions too that really get you into the story. The blog is for Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens).

Darcy aka @forineffablereasons

Wonderful writer, her fics will make your melt. She’s also very nice as a person, so it’s always nice to see her posts. This blog is for Good Omens.

Kara aka @hellotherekenobi​ (main blog: @karasong​)

Kara writes amazing fanfics for Star Wars, with a very poetic style! She writes some of the best Obi-Wan fics on this website!

Masterlist

@just-the-hiddles​ - proposed by @redfoxwritesstuff​

@redfoxwritesstuff​ : @just-the-hiddles​ does awesome writing for Loki in the MCU and RPF for Tom Hiddleston.

Masterlist

@hopelessromanticspoonie - proposed by @redfoxwritesstuff​

@redfoxwritesstuff​ : @hopelessromanticspoonie writes disabled reader inserts for Loki and Tom hiddleston. 

Masterlist

@nonsensicalobsessions - proposed by @redfoxwritesstuff​

@redfoxwritesstuff​ : @nonsensicalobsessions​ writes Tom hiddleston rpf that can be rather heartbreaking at times. Everyone needs some heartbreak lol

Masterlist

@coyotesongwriting​ - proposed by @redfoxwritesstuff​

@coyotesongwriting​ also writes within the mcu and tends to be on the angsty side

Masterlist

[dfnews]

Episode Recap of "Joy Gets Engaged"

Season 4, Episode 6 - July 10, 2017

Only five weeks of new episodes this season plus two weeks of Duggar after show crap. This has got to be the shortest season ever. The season started with Joy's wedding and ended with her engagement. The Duggars are backwards type of people so that makes sense. They didn't even get to the wedding prep yet! Hopefully they'll just skip that and move on to Joe and Kendra's wedding.

This week:"Jinger makes a care package for the family back in Arkansas. Meanwhile, the Dillards prepare to return to Central America; Austin has an important question for Joy; and Joe asks for permission to enter a courtship with Kendra."

1. Austin is planning to propose and DerJill are planning to go back to El Salvador. Somebody remind me why they came back home in the first place. I think it was it for Jinger's wedding and to get pregnant away from the Zika virus. Anyway, they took a vacation from their vacation throughout the fall and returned in March for just a few months only to return again. Derick really needs to give up the phony missionary gig.

2. Izzy is helping Jill cook and is quickly expanding his vocabulary. His deep voice is too cute. Izzy's babbling counteracts Jill's inane limited vocabulary. They are preparing for a last supper with Derick's family. Derick's brother and wife arrive and sidehug Jill. Derick's mom arrives and Derick sidehugs her and almost forgets to greet his stepfather. Derick doesn't refer to Ronny as his stepfather, just his mom's husband. Ronny seems like a sweet guy. I don't know why Derick seems cold to him. Derick and Jill say they have to take all the hot showers and eat all the food they have left before they go but Derick adds, not in a gluttonous kind of way. They live down the block from the compound in the Duggars' guest house. I'm sure one of the Duggar kids will pop over to finish up the Dillards' food. And the first world problem of not having hot water or good food as a missionary living among the poor does not need to be mentioned. Nobody has any empathy for your minor self-entitled problems. You choose to live among the poor, you should live as they do. Stop whining!  Just a dinner with 6 adults and they still use paper plates and plastic forks. Lazy! Jill gives Derick's mom her engagement ring so some gang member doesn't cut off her finger for the stone. Meh! Just like living in any big American city. You don't wear the bling on the streets. This is not solely a Central American crime issue. My sister sold me one of her rings because she was afraid to wear it in Manhattan where she lived.  Anyway, Jill rarely leaves the house on SOS Ministries property. She'll be fine unless she pisses the gangs off by liking dumb comments on twitter about wanting them to be executed. Uh oh! She already did that.  At dinner they talk about Jill's pregnancy and how they'll deal with any problems in Central America but assure the TV audience that they will not be having the baby on the mission field like the Shraders. They didn't bring up the Shraders but I will. Esther Shrader is Anna's sister and she has had several babies in Zambia as a missionary. The Dillards will be coming home to the good old inconsistent US healthcare system. I'm glad they did because it seems there were major problems with this birth. The family has been very hush hush about Samuelito's and Jill's health since Sam was born.

3. Jinger goes shopping to send a care package to her family back home. Buy used and save the difference is thrown out the window. She is not thrifting today. Why is she sending a care package in March when this seems to have been filmed? Because TLC needed something to film and would pay for it. Jinger says she gets to escape the apartment when Jeremy isn't home to shop and explore but I wonder if that is true. Jinger needs to get a job or volunteer somewhere so she isn't wasting her god-given life by just staying home rinsing out Jeremy's taco stains. Jinger arrives home to the apartment with the loot where Jeremy is waiting. They quickly pack everything up and ship them out. Those two are so not exciting. I thought JinJer in Texas would bring some life into this show. I was wrong. I believe the Duggars have created a new form of entertainment called Coma TV. A new channel for those needing help getting into that deep sleep state to escape all their problems and pain. Instead of anesthesia, operating rooms now have Counting On turned on during surgery. It works like a charm. I fell asleep watching this episode myself.

4. Derick decides to cut his hair before going back to El Salvador after growing it out for 16 months. He says he just found out that long hair is seen differently in the country and he doesn't want to offend or distract from his purpose of being there. Ummm, he just found this out? Derick thinks a lot of himself doesn't he. I doubt his information is true but I did find this article that he may want to read. It's about government soldiers who have become more dangerous than gangs in El Salvador. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/06/el-salvador-gangs-police-violence-distrito-italia  DerJill's and SOS Ministries presence in El Salvador has done nothing and never will. The country is a human rights mess.  

5. Benessa just happen to drop by the compound when JinJer's packages are delivered. They explore Laredo candy by making rude comments and Josiah puts on a mask with fake hair that causes Jason to say at least it has hair. Snap! Poor balding Josiah. Just wait a few years Jason. You are in the same genetic boat as Josiah. Again Jed is missing from this big group family scene. Jed has apparently taken leave from the show and the family after Joe stole his girl. I'm worried about the kid. I'm hoping he hasn't been sent away to some abusive christian camp. The family then goes to the airport to say goodbye to DerJill+Iz and Jeer is there but I don't see his twin. Then the self-entitled so-called missionaries fly back to El Salvador in their first class seats to their air conditioned home with their own armed guards on duty. Poor babies.

6. Austin sets up for a proposal with a Deliverance twist. Joy is kept busy at Jessa's house. Jessa makes her change her sexed-up sheets and clean the baby snot and puke off of the couch. The same couch she birthed Hank on. This alone should have caused Joy to reject Austin's proposal and catch the first flight out to Canada to live the life of a free woman. But no, she stays and accepts the future snot in her life. Austin and his dad worry about remembering the ring and the bandana. The ring is to symbolize the love between the two and their promise to marry and the bandana/blindfold is to symbolize future kinky sex. Maybe that's why she stayed.

7. Austin sets up a rough outdoors engagement scene. They will be barbecuing venison which they murdered together. One of the guys drops the grill rack in the dirt as they set up and I hope Joy brought dental floss to get the pebbles and dust out of her teeth. Joy arrives with Jenni and Hannie in her Mercedes. You get nice things when you sacrifice your life to keep the family show going. The girls get on their horses, though Jenni has to ride with Austin, and take off into the creepy winter woods. The camera crew pretends to hide in the woods and take long shots but I'm sure Joy knew they were there. There weren't really good places to hide with the leaves being down and it was daytime plus Joy was mic'd up. Then things get really creepy. Austin demands the little girl chaperones run up the trail leaving him and Joy alone. That's not what chaperones are supposed to do but girls in this cult are taught to never question a man. Then Austin asks Joy if he can blindfold her. She asks, "What are you gonna do?" I'm sure she's having flashbacks of Josh at this point. Now if Joy was really alone and this happened and of course she has been taught to be submissive to men, then Joy could have been in deep shit. This could have been Doug Phillips' nanny all over again. Austin leads blindfolded Joy down a dirt road to the edge of a cliff. Kind of symbolic for a fundie girl's path in life. He gets down on one knee and tells her to take the blindfold off. I've been telling the Duggar girls to do that for years. Then he proposes and she says yes and I mentally jump off that cliff.

8. As they prepare to eat into the sunset I notice Joy's jacket has magically appeared. She wasn't wearing it on the horsie ride. I'm sure Jim Bob and Michelle are sitting atop some deer stand watching this unfold to make sure nobody backs out. Jim Bob has a new plane he wants to buy. The talking head kids are asked another lame question. How long do you think the engagement will be? Three months is the most popular and the correct answer. Just long enough for the new season to begin.

9. Joe is getting ready to ask ignorant Pastor Caldwell for his teenage daughter's hand in courtship. Joe says, "He wasn't looking for a relationship but the Lord just kind of brought her to mine or mind." Joe tends to mumble. Actually, it seems Jim Bob and the Pastor brought Kendra to Joe after ripping her away from Jed. You know, God speaks directly to Jim Bob and told him Joe was the right one not Jed which is exactly the same thing that happened to Cain and Able. Buttinsky parents thinking they are God tend to mess everything up for everyone. Joe talks about him being only the second guy in the family to enter into a courtship. Actually, Josiah was also but his girl split. The Duggars didn't take a chance this time because the Caldwells are very close friends and they won't let that happen again. The other married Duggar guy, Josh, has also been a huge failure so a lot is riding on shy, nervous Joe. Joe mumbles his way through this scene and the pastor says they've already talked about this for 60 hours, so it's a yes. Joe romantically (LOL) plans to take Kendra to a car auction and then to the place where he grew up, the house that was demolished and turned into a parking lot, to ask her to court. What a doofus!

[galactic-glossolalia]

Tagged

by @viridiism thanks meme !!

Bajillion Questions Meme Rules: Answer all questions, add one question of your own and tag as many people as there are questions!

1. Coke or Pepsi: Coke

2. Disney or DreamWorks: Disney

3. Coffee or Tea: Tea

4. Books or Movies: Books are easier for me to follow,, with movies I can easily get overwhelmed.

5. Windows or Mac: Windows

6. DC or Marvel: Marvel.

7. Xbox or Playstation: I have no experience with either

8. Dragon Age or Mass Effect: Never played either, both sound really good.

9. Night Owl or Early Rise: Night owl for sure. It’s 1 am as I do this oh heck

10. Cards or Chess: Cards

11. Chocolate or Vanilla: chocolate all the way

12. Vans or Converse: tbh I don’t really care

13. Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash or Adaar (dragon age): Never played Dragon Age.

14. Fluff or Angst: Fluff,, it’s ridiculous how excited I get whenever I’m reading or writing it

16. Dogs or Cats: Both!!!

17. Clear Skies or Rain: Rain

18. Cooking or Eating Out: Eating out but I’m trying to cook more

19. Spicy Food or Mild Food: I like spicy to a certain degree.

20. Halloween/Samhain or Solstice/Yule/Christmas: Halloween!!! It’s a lot less stressful for me.

21. Would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot: A little too cold, I cannot handle heat.

22. If you could have a superpower, what would it be: That’s tough. Time travel maybe? Being able to stop time at will.

23. Animation or Live Action: Animation

24. Paragon or Renegade (Mass Effect): I haven’t played Mass Effect.

25. Baths or Showers: Showers

26. Team Cap or Team Iron Man: Iron Man, I guess?

27. Fantasy or Sci-fi: Both!!

28. Do you have three or four favorite quotes? If so, what are they?

Just two that come to mind. One serious and one.. not serious

“If you tear out a man’s tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you are only telling the world that you fear what he might say.”

“Do NOT insult my intelligence! I have very little of it and I don’t like when it’s insulted!!”

29. YouTube or Netflix: Youtube

30. Harry Potter or Percy Jackson: Don’t do this to me.

31. When Do You Feel Accomplished: The littlest things... Like sometimes I’ll just organize my closet and I’ll feel really good for the next week.

32. Star Wars or Star Trek: Haven’t seen Star Trek, so I have to go with Star Wars since I’ve seen a little of it and like what I’ve seen.

33. Paperback Books or Hardback Books: Doesn’t matter.

34. Handwriting or Typing: Typing, it’s much faster.

35. Velvet or Satin: Velvet.

36. Video Games or Movies: Games

37. Would you rather be the dragon or own the dragon: Be a dragon

38. Sunrise or Sunset: I love both, but typically if I see the sunrise it means I’ve been awake too long.

39. What’s your favorite song: Changes all the time. Right now I can’t stop listening to Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing by Set It Off.

40. Horror Movies, yes or no: No, they’ll stick with me and make it harder to sleep than it already is.

41. Long or Short Hair: Conflicted... I love my hair long but it is a nightmare to manage like this.

42. Opera or Theatre: Theatre.

43. Assuming the multiverse theory is true and that every story ever told has really happened somewhere, which one of the movie/book/tv show/game/etc worlds would you pick to travel to first: Invader Zim, hopefully as an Irken. I am IZ garbage.

44. If you had to eat only one thing for the rest of your life what would it be: Probably sushi. Does it still count if I eat different rolls every time?

45. Older guys/girls or younger guys/girls (I guess you can change this to your preference): Around my age please. Older but it can’t be by any more than three years or I’ll be really uncomfortable.

46. If you could erase any show from TV history, what would it be: Teen Titans Go.

47. Singing or Dancing: Singing, it’s the only one of the two that I’m decent at.

48. Instagram or Twitter: Don’t have either, probably Instagram though. It would be another platform for me to post my art.

49. Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit: I love The Hobbit, haven’t finished Lord of the Rings. Both are wonderful though.

50. If you could create either a sequel or bring back any tv show/movie, what would you choose: That’s hard, I don’t watch tv or movies much... I want to say Invader Zim, but I think the show would have declined in quality if it was still running.

51. Who is your movie/tv show character that you are looking up to and why? I can’t think of anyone at the moment. I know I’ve adopted characters as role models before, but I can’t come up with reasons for that.

52. If you were ever convicted of a crime, what would it be? Something really minor. Petty theft.

53. Anime- subbed or dubbed? Subbed.

54. City or countryside? City, there’s more to do.

55. What book have you read over and over? I used to read and reread this one children’s story collection... I’ve lost the book since then, but it was my favorite thing as a kid.

56. What is your personality type? Introverted, moody, but I can be very sweet once I warm up to someone.

57. Would you rather change a moment in time or have a glimpse into the future? Change a moment in time. I’m the kind of person to find fault in everything, so if I saw into the future I know I’d just be upset.

58. Is there a popular series that you just can’t get into? Any popular show. I don’t hate it for being popular, I just have difficulty getting interested until the hype dies down.

59. Dream job? I’d love to be a graphic designer or something, but I’m planning to go into a career for linguistics. Probably a translator.

60: Top three video games? Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, Undertale, and Tomodachi Life. First two because they both have lovely stories, last one because it’s so weird, in a good way.

61: Favorite Pokemon? Dragonair for the aesthetic, Staraptor because the first Pokemon I ever caught was a Starly and I raised it to be a very powerful Staraptor. Her name is Starry and I love her.

62. Top 5 ships? I’d have to list OC ships to get five, oh no... but anyway, probably

Undyne x Alphys (Undertale)

Memoca x Dolphi (Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea)

Zarya x Mei (Overwatch)

Genji x Zenyatta (Overwatch)

aaaand Marcus x Damian (OC ship)

I’m not going to tag because that’s not really my thing, but please feel free to do this!!

My question:

63. Favorite outfit? (can be yours or one you’ve seen)

@clockworkfountain