#that sticks with me dude I think about that EVERY TIME I see Luke

[frecklystars]

I might actually open my inbox for the first time in [undetermined specific amount of months] there’s over 500 unread asks in there ;-; I’m rly touched so many people have been reaching out to me even when I haven’t been here

[number-onekidqueen]

heyy !! i hope ur doing well (: can you write a luke x gn!reader where they are chubbier and short and luke Lovess the height x size difference but they thinks like making fun of them but in reality he’s just teasing ): they open up to him about past issues regarding that and he comforts them and says he’ll protect them ): maybe a bit of protective!luke

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐲?

Luke castellan x gn!chubbier!shorter reader

Summary: Luke loves to talk about all your physical differences and how you still fit together perfectly. But you have a few bad memories. 

Anon, I am sooooo sorry this took so long, I've had a mad case of writer's block lately, and I no time. It's kinda short and sweet (if you get what I mean *wink*) but I hope this is what you were picturing, and that you enjoy <3

warnings: mentions of fatphobia, mentions of insecurity, panic, teasing.

“Hey shawty!” 

Immediately, you stiffened. Even if you recognised the voice as one you trusted - Luke, your boyfriend of nearly a year, who you loved dearly - the nickname still made you feel cold all over. But Luke didn't mean the nickname in that way, you were sure.

Right?

You didn't have much time to ponder it however as a warm hand materialised around your waist, pulling you into him. You let the sandwich you had been making for lunch settle onto the table, freeing your arms so you could reciprocate his embrace, although rather stiffly.

"How you been?" He murmured into your hair, while he peppered kisses on your scalp. And then he noticed. He pulled away from you, still gripping your shoulders but gazing at you with concern. "What's wrong?"

You decided to drop it. He wouldn't have meant it that way. Even if your boyfriend before had, Luke wouldn't do something like that. "Nothing," you replied, forcing a smile, "you just caught me by surprise is all."

There was a pause in which he scanned your face, searching for signs you weren't telling the truth. He still appeared wary, but he seemed to let it slide for the moment, scooping up your sandwich plate and tugging you along to his table. Loud greetings hooted about, as his fellow Hermes siblings noted his and your appearance.

Your suspicions were confirmed as you sat, after saying hello to everyone, when he clasped his hand in yours, resting it on his knee. This was something he always did when you were feeling overwhelmed or sad, to reassure you that he was always there. He hadn't been convinced by your facade then. Damn.

Beginning to eat your sandwich, you were wincing at the near-stale texture of the bread, and how hard and dry it was in your mouth. Chiron must be running on his last few loaves and forgot to get extra supplies. You were glad for the distraction of Chris, who was always happy to explain his schemes with grand theatrics, and hand gestures that often tipped over glasses. That and Luke's wild laughter from beside you got you through the unpleasant meal.

"-and you won't believe what happened next, and even though it is coming from me, it was pretty damn impressive-"

"Ok man, I'm gonna interrupt your yap session right there while I can. Anyone getting seconds?" Luke asked, holding up his own plate.

"No dude, I'm sooooooo full, how are you not?" Chris groaned, laughing.

"He didn't steal my bag of jerky, Rodriguez!" Someone down the table accused.

"Hey, that was in the middle of the cabin floor, it was fair game!-"

"I'll have some," you volunteered, turning to Luke, and accepting his hand to help you rise from the benches.

"See, lucky I can be a big back with them!" He laughed, walking away with you and back to the table filled with food.

You weren't hungry anymore, at all. Every delicious, hot meal on the table that had tantalised you only moments before now seemed like soggy sticks. Luke had mentioned stuff about your body twice now, in such a short period. You were sure he meant it now. He must be just like your ex in that respect, even if he had treated you better. He felt the same as your ex had done. Even after all this time, your body wasn't good enough- you weren't good enough-

"Hey, you can't decide? Try the macaroni, I just had a bit and oh my Gods-"

"Uh- I don't really feel too hungry anymore." You said awkwardly, gulping down your insecurity.

"Ok," he said slowly, and there was his brown eyes again, deep and full of questioning. "Are you sure everything's okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's all fine just... not hungry." You smiled weakly, praying he would drop it as he did earlier. Your stomach rumbling punctuated the silence. He frowned at you, second helping forgotten and pulled you to the side of the dining pavilion, near some dense bushes where you wouldn't be seen.

"Hey. Please tell me what's going on," he begged, squeezing your hand. When you looked in his eyes, you knew you were a goner. You cracked.

"Do you still- like-like- do you still like me?" you mumbled, gazing down at your feet.

"What do you mean?" He asked, confused, "Y/N, I love you, so yeah, of course I still like you."

“I- just- I- I know you didn’t mean any harm and I know you only meant to tease, but it just reminds me of my ex sometimes.”

"Wait, what? What does?" He urged, pulling you closer.

"Just the... you know, like little comments- it's just-it's kinda like the stuff he used to say that hurt my feelings."

He pulled away from you, face hardening. 

“What did he say to you?”

“It was nothing, just he commented on my weight constantly and how much shorter I was than him and sometimes- look it doesn't really matter. It's just that the 'hey shawty' and 'big back' and all that, it shouldn't, it's stupid of me, but it reminds me of him... and like, I know it was a mistake dating a guy that was older in the first place, but the biggest mistake I made was letting him say the stuff he said."

"Don't you dare call yourself stupid," he began sternly, "because if anyone here is, it's me. My gods, baby, I'm so sorry I said stuff like that, it was just a joke or a little pet name to me, I-I didn't know it reminded you of that-ugh, if I had known I would've bleached my mouth out."

You laughed a little, and his face brightened.

"You know I don't wanna be anything like him, right? Man, if he was here I might have a hard time stopping from doing something to him, what a dick."

Laughing again, you nodded, smiling at him.

"And, you know you're also perfect right? Like who cares if you're shorter or a different shape to me? That's what makes you, like you, and I love you for all of it."

He kissed you swiftly, sweetly. It was warm, and you were both smiling through it. He was Luke, not your crusty ex that had broken contact the minute he got accepted to college. And he would always love you for who you were, you were sure of that now.

He broke apart, your noses brushing. "I love you," he whispered, each syllable falling softly on your upper lip.

"I love you too," you whispered back. He backed away reluctantly, holding your hands in both of his tightly.

"Ok, let's get you some macaroni now, because I'm not kidding when I say that it hits-"

And you let him lead you back to the chaotic normality of camp, with all of the delicious food and comforting people you loved.

[scorchieart]

That Time Jin Had a Toothache 🍭🦷

Jin: Make hathte! Look upon your ailing brother and heed what becometh the man who over-indulgeth in pleathure!

Yves: You ate four candied apples and chipped a tooth. 

Jin: Excuthe me. A chipped tooth, three cavitieth, and thwollen gumth. Don’t thkimp out on my eulogy. 

Yves: I’ll be sure to mention your noble sacrifice— 

*Jin reaches for a bear-shaped cookie. Yves swats his hand away* 

Yves: Are you serious right now? 

Jin: Cut me thome thlack. Luke made thothe when he heard I fell in the line of battle.

Yves: Stop acting like a martyr, you glutton.

Jin: Everything I do ith in martyrdom, little brother. The eldetht readily thaccrificeth himthelf for the betterment of the flock.

Yves: Be quiet, we’re not birds. And you’re melting the ice with all that hot air you’re spewing. 

*Yves adds a fresh pack of ice over the melting one on Jin’s cheek* 

Yves: Euugh! And you got spittle on the cushions, too! Keep it in, will you? I cannot understand half the words you’re saying anyhow.

Jin: Aww, but you had the cutetht lithp ath a child, Yves. Made the whole palath thquee every time you opened your mouth. I remember it took yearth till you finally got Thariel’th name right. Thariel… Th-th-thariel… Yiketh, that’th a toughie.

Leon: Ah, dude. Now you’re getting spit all over my fancy suit.

Jin: Hey, you do look fanthy today… Hold it. What ith that in your handth?

Leon: Exactly what you think it is. A gun!

Jin: Leon, don’t lie to me. I played Luke’th route. I know what a gun ith.

Leon: No, you big goof. This is a heat gun. Totally harmless! On the lower settings, anyways.

Jin: Uhuh. And where did you get it?

Leon: From the All for Love! celebration event a few years back. Remember that photo shoot for the chibi dolls?

Yves: Don’t remind me. Nokto wouldn’t stop making jokes about how big my hand mirror was.

Licht: At least they didn’t stick you in a giant makeup bag. They made me pose for hours with those brushes and wands poking into my gut. I still have the bruises.

Jin: Uhuh. And how come I’m jutht finding out about thith now?

Yves: Maybe if your smile wasn’t so at-risk for cavities you would’ve been invited.

Jin: Pleath. The ladieth love a man with a thweet tooth—OUCH! Leon! What the heck, man!

Leon: Sorry, bro. I’m under strict orders from Yves to puff you with hot air anytime you make an allusion to sweets.

Jin: Who died and made Yves king? I’m not thaying that in mockery, by the way. I’m jutht upthet thith ith yet another event you didn’t invite me to, it theemth.

Yves: It’s for your own good! A man at your age needs proper discipline to keep out of trouble. And since words haven’t worked, we’ve elected to resort to other means.

Jin: *gasp* You didn’t.

Yves: I haven’t yet. But if you don’t show any progress soon I’m calling in the royal dentist. I mean it, Jin.

Jin: Thcary. Back me up here, Licht.

Licht: …

Jin: What’th up, buddy? Cake got your tongue—Yeowch! What wath that for?

Licht: You said the c-word. 

Jin: Not you too! Why d’ya thmile when Yves thaid the d-word? And do ya have to poke me with that giant lanthe? 

Licht: Increasing the surface area of pain deamplifies the sensation at its source.

Yves: Who taught you that?

Licht: I read it in a book. *poke*

Jin: ACK! That’th it. I don’t want you talking to Chevalier unthupervithed anymore. 

Licht: As soon as you learn to stop poaching others’ pastries. Horse and I were looking forward to those candy apples all week.

Jin: Fine, fine. I’m thorry. There, can you let me go now?

Yves: Not until you’ve proven you’re completely cured of your nasty saccharine habit. We’re not leaving this room until you can go a full day without eating these cookies.

Jin: You’d let them go bad like that? That’th too cruel!

Leon: Yeah, I’m with him on this one, Yves. Couldn’t we just use a picture of cookies instead? Would hate to see Luke’s work go to waste.

Yves: Oh, lay off it. They’re not going to spoil. And anyways, we’re feeding them to the horse at the end.

*Horse whinnies happily*

Leon: That’s one weird horse.

Licht: He’s Clavis’s.

Jin + Leon: Ahh.

Yves: Speaking of, will you lot please keep it down? I had to abandon my post for this and I don’t want a certain someone to find out.

Jin: No one appreciateth your thaccrifith more than I.

Yves: Then you’ll take it up with you-know-who should my room be defiled?

Jin: If you’re that worried, let’th end thith confinement early and you can go keep a lookout for Clavith. Trutht your big bro. I’m completely cured! 

Yves: I trust my trust in you has plummeted since you gave yourself that second cavity this month.

Jin: Thothe éclairth were worth it—Ouuuuch!

Leon: Keep your eye on the prize, Jin. And your drool off my pants.

Yves: Leon, try to avoid the ice pack when you blast him, please.

*Yves adds yet another ice pack*

Jin: You know, I’ve been waiting for thomeone to explain, but what’th with the cat hat, Yves?

Yves: Well, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, we all had to sneak away from our typical duties to set this up. Licht disguised himself as a guardsman. The most adorable one in the entire palace no less, but it served our purposes. Leon is a dapper gent, which for some reason this place seems to always have an overabundance of. 

Jin: And you’re the pretty kitty to round out the gang?

Yves: *face turns red* I am the phantom cat who travels by shadow and blends in with the night, obviously.

Licht: It’s noon. You just shut the curtains.

Leon: Plus we didn’t need to sneak around. We’re kind of in charge of the place.

Licht: And it wasn’t so hard. I rode this horse all the way up here and no one noticed.

Leon: Hmm, maybe we need to review the guard rotations.

Jin: Licht, I don’t want you talking to Clavith unthupervithed anymore.

*horse grunts in agreement*

Yves: Back to the point! Maintaining the secrecy of this mission is of the utmost importance. What would it mean for us if word got out that the First Prince still gets cavities at his age? 

Leon: Sounds like a good excuse to set up that kingdom-wide dental hygiene education campaign we’ve been talking about. Jin can be like our mascot.

Jin: I can keep my lollipopth then? Thweet! Ouch!

Licht: Stop encouraging him, or we’ll never get out of here.

Yves: Um, hello? Did anyone even listen to what I’ve been saying?

Leon: You mean ninja cat? Looking sharp!

Yves: Is that all you…? Never mind. Just pipe down before someone hears.

Licht: If you mean someone besides us four, they already know.

Yves: WHAT?! Who knows?

Jin: Who knowth? Hehe.

Yves: Quiet, you. *covers Jin’s face with another ice pack* Answer me, Licht.

Licht: Well, Nokto for one. Technically he caught me on the horse, but I didn’t think it counted cause it was when we were still outside.

Yves: Curse him and his impeccable detective skills. I bet he deduced Jin was in trouble just by looking at your endearing getup.

Licht: No. He said, “What’s with the horse?” so I told him. He gave me that bunny to pass along to Jin as well as his well wishes.

Jin: *laughs beneath the ice* 

Yves: Licht, I don’t want you talking to Nokto unsupervised anymore. 

Leon: Lighten up, Yves. They were just trying to help. Like how Luke made those cookies. And that pillow there is the beta version of Clavis’s latest invention, or so he told me. Even Chevalier—

Yves: WAIT! You saw Clavis? When?

Leon: On my way over here. He flagged me down in the hall to talk about how happy he was to see so many dapper gentlemen around as of late.

Yves: But you didn’t tell him about you-know-what, did you?

Jin: *giggles beneath the ice* 

Leon: Nah, got him hooked on an even bigger scandal, if you catch my drift.

Licht: You didn’t tell him I nabbed his horse, did you? I’m telling you we were really looking forward to those apples.

Leon: No. I told him Yves left his room unattended.

Yves: You what?!

Leon: So much for keeping our voices on the down-low. Listen, I promise I’ll take care of whatever he leaves in there myself. Prince’s honor.

Yves: I may just cry.

Jin: Hehe, me too! Ouch, thith ith tho cold.

Leon: If you must, do it right into that pillow. Clavis said amusing things will happen when it gets wet.

Yves: And you let Jin rest on it?!

Licht: You’re the one who keeps piling melting ice bags on him.

Yves: Oh no, Jin!

*Yves removes all ice bags. Jin looks up with a twitchy smile.*

Jin: I can’t feel my fathe. Hehehe.

Leon: I gotcha bro.

*Leon sets the heat gun to a comfortable temperature. The boys sigh with relief once Jin’s face unfreezes.*

Licht: That was brutal.

Leon: Oh, yeah. I ran into Chevalier, too.

Yves: Oh, I knew this was a bad idea from the start! Why did you put me in charge, Leon?

Leon: Hey, you’re the best man for the job and you’re doing amazing. Plus, it’s fine. Chevalier was cool about it.

Licht: He never really does care when we get hurt.

Leon: He didn’t mention Jin, but he did save my behind. See technically I was supposed to return the heat gun right after the photo shoot. Something about preventing anachronisms and fourth-wall breaks, or whatever. But, I mean, come on! Who’d pass this thing up? Winters have been so easy ever since. Goodbye freezing toes! And you should see how it cooks meat!

Yves: Get to the point.

Leon: I’m getting there. So Clavis dumped the pillow on me because Sariel was chasing him. Caught me off guard so I didn’t get a chance to hide my gun. Before Sariel got too close, Chevalier showed up out of nowhere and blocked his view. That cloak of his is really impressive, I’d bet he could hide the horse behind it. Luckily, Sariel was too preoccupied with hunting down Clavis to stick around and ask questions.

Jin: Aha! Told ya Chevalier’th a good man at heart! Thweet ath pie, that guy—OUCHIE! Come on, Licht, it’th a figure of thpeech!

Leon: Chevalier said to make sure no outsiders knew we had access to such a hi-tech weapon. Personally, I think he just wants a turn at it. They stuck him with that giant lipstick tube at the photo shoot, remember?

Jin: Et tu, Chevie? I take it back, he'th rotten and I don't want any of you talking to him anymore.

Yves: Whoa, so not even Sariel’s allowed to know? I feel unworthy to have access to such illicit information.

Leon: Hey, you’re a worthy prince and a valued member of this team. Don’t you forget it.

*Licht and horse nod in agreement*

Yves: *blushes* You mean it? Gosh, I’m sorry I’ve been so hard on you all today. Guess the pressure got to me. But no more! We’re a team, and we’re in this together. Through the good and the—ARE YOU KIDDING ME, JIN?!

*Yves swats Jin’s hand away from the cookies again.*

Jin: What? Through the good and the bad, yeah? My weakneth maketh the retht of you thtronger. You’re welcome.

*Yves grunts and stands. Jin sits up and holds the bunny like a shield.*

Jin: Whoa whoa whoa. Maybe that made you a little too thuper thtrong, haha. Now it’th your turn to share a weakneth tho I can catch up. Okay? 

*Yves grabs Licht’s lance.*

Jin: Come on. Ninja kitty? Pleathe?

*Yves takes aim.*

Jin: Pretty pleathe with sugar on top—Ouch! Actually, I detherved that one. Thankth, Leon.

Leon: No problem, bro. Hey, you might wanna dodge.

*Yves strikes with the lance. It pierces the bunny’s head where Jin’s stomach lay moments before. Water starts spouting out of the doll.*

Yves: Wha—why was there water in that bunny? And why’s it so cold?

Licht: Oh, I forgot to mention. It’s an ice-pack bunny. Nokto got it on his last trip to Jade. He said it’s really popular with the kids there. Guess its guts melted.

Leon: Aww, that’s sweet—OW! Actually, I deserved that one. Thanks, Jin.

Jin: Anytime. I vowed to only uthe thethe fithtth to therve my kingdom, after all.

Yves: Okay, I have no idea what he just said, but everyone off the bed because that pillow is smoking.

*Clavis's pillow shakes and fumes. Everyone rushes to the walls.*

Licht: Maybe we shouldn’t have brought in the gifts.

Leon: And maybe we shouldn’t have tossed the only key to the room out the window.

Jin: It meanth the world to me that you all care.

Yves: If we don’t make it out of this. I want you all to know that it was an absolute honor and disaster working alongside you.

Licht: Ditto.

*Horse whinnies solemnly*

Jin: It wath one heck of a ride, boyth.

*Jin pulls lollipops out from his pockets and pops them into each of his brother’s and the horse’s gaping mouths with a salute.*

Leon: *spits out his lollipop* It’s not over yet.

Yves: Leon! What are you doing? Get back here!

Leon: Prince’s honor, Yves. I said I’d take care of it.

Yves + Licht: LEON!

*Leon straightens his suit and gives a thumbs up over his shoulder. Jin holds Yves and Licht back as Leon jumps onto the bed and covers the smoking pillow with his body. For a few moments, nothing happens. Then Leon begins laughing uncontrollably.*

Yves: Oh! It’s turned him insane! Give me the lance back, Licht, we have to put him out of his misery.

Leon: Relax, hehe! It’s some sort of laughing gas! Look, look—hahaha—the tag here says: THE CHUCKLE CUSHION! Bad dreams keeping you from your good night’s sleep? Simply turn the other cheek and let some of your blood, sweat, and/or tears fall onto the cushion’s surface to release a relaxing dose of bliss to lull you back to a happier dreamland. Warning: maximum of 9 droplets per single use; not recommended for users who suffer chronic excessive crying, sweating, or blood loss. Side effects may include uncontrollable laughter, freezing face, and increased desire to consume sugar. From Series VII of the Lelouch Trap Series™. Hahahahaha! 

Yves: Ohh, we practically drowned that pillow. And now he's caught the uncontrollable laughter.

Leon: Actually, that last 'Haha' was written on the tag, too. The most legible part, no less. Hehehe.

Yves: The loon. 'Blood loss' he writes, can you believe him?

Jin: *eyes the lance in Yves’s hands* At leatht he put a warning.

Yves: As if you ever read the fine print.

Jin: I’d be inclined to thtart today. Printhe’th honor.

Yves: *sighs* Very well. I suppose that’s enough excitement for one confinement. Come on, Leon, we’re taking you to the physician. But I’m keeping my eye on you, Jin. You’re on probation until—Hey! Where are the cookies?

Jin: Wathn’t me. Honetht!

*Jin holds up his hands in surrender. Lollipops and cookies and cakes slip out from underneath his shirt onto the floor in a sugary heap. On the other side of the room, Licht feeds Luke’s cookies to the horse and smiles as he opens the curtains and looks out the window.*

Leon: Scouting out the physician for me, Licht? Hahaha.

Licht: Sort of. I asked Nokto to call for the dentist, and he’s just arrived.

[hatsunemimikyu]

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition First Impressions

Started playing yesterday after having it sit on my Steam library for years and thought it would be fun to note down my first impressions of the game!

Tales Experience

For note, this is not my first game in the series. I've played a significant part/finished Symphonia, Abyss, Zestiria and Berseria, and also played a bit of Phantasia and Arise. My favourites are Abyss and Berseria!

The Plot

I've gone up to Shaikos Ruins by now, so I haven't seen muuch of the plot, but knowing Tales I can predict some conspiration of those in power that relates to the ancient technology lol

I don't mind most Tales games sticking to a tried and true formula as I think the best part of those stories is how they tie to the development of the characters. And talking about characters...

The Characters

I already like Yuri a lot tbh. I love how he's simultaneously too tired for this shit but also cares too deeply to not help others in need. Combat-wise he's your sword main character(tm) which I always appreciate since I'm not that good at combat to play with the more intensive chars lol. Cool dude 10/10.

Omg Estelle is another one I'm loving?? She's kind and sheltered but she's also funny and a book lover. I love her dynamic with Yuri, sheltered noble x world weary (ex-)military makes me think of Luke x Tear who I have always liked a lot. I also love her dress, it looks like a flower!

Extra notes on her and Yuri's relationship, I'm curious to see how Flynn will play into it but I'm already envisioning the "this is my boyfriend Yuri and this is my boyfriend's boyfriend Flynn" thing lol

Also she and Yuri already had the "would you still love me if I was a worm snake or frog?" conversation and I love that for them tbh

https://youtu.be/RIlLpX4fmVY?si=4kR0_lmSoKr9YEpS

Mechanically she's a healer so... sorry girl, probably not going to play as you so much :'D and please stop using sharpness on yourself!!! Still 10/10

Doggo/10, what's more to say?

Ok but Repede is really cool! The only part of his design I'm not a big fan of is the electric blue fur on his head. I'm pretty curious on what's his story with his previous owner and how he came to hang with Yuri (I'm pretty sure the pipe is a memento?)

Mechanically he's the faster but frailer guy which is... ok I guess lol

He's scared as fuck and he has a big ass tote so he's very relatable lol I'm pretty sure him knowing to lockpick will be significant somehow, maybe a hint of his past? 8/10 let's see what he has in store

Mechanically he's the big swing guy which I always enjoy playing as even tho I'm bad at it

Smartass ass lil lady/10. This is a "type" of character I always like in Tales so happy to see her there lol. Still have to finish the ruins to see how will she decide to tag along the party. Mechanically she's the offensive caster, found her nice to play at but I don't like to stay still for long so I don't play caster very much.

Now that I'm done with the characters for now, let's get to...

The Gameplay

This is one of the Tales with the lanes + free movement duo. I'm playing on normal bc I'm a scrub, but I still feel that blocking at the right time/free moving to reposition is pretty important as some enemies can hit quite hard. Usually it gets easier with time bc you get more characters/spells, but for now I'm feeling the difficulty is in a nice place. Skills being learnable from weapons adds some more levels of choice (do I equip every new stronger piece of equipment or do I wait to learn skill X?) which is interesting. I'm glad I'm playing on my Deck as I don't have to worry about save points since I can just put it to sleep.

Now for the last part...

The Visuals

As I've stated before, I'm playing this on a Steam Deck, so I can't comment on how this would look on a giant screen, but for the Deck at least, it looks pretty good! The art direction is pretty strong and all the environments I saw up to now have been distinctive and very nicely crafted. The characters also look pretty good, and the overrall effect is like you're playing an interactive anime. Really shows how a good art direction makes a game look good no matter how old it is.

Anyways having an overrall nice experience with this one! I'm curious to get more characters and see how they develop. Idk if I'll write any more of this but it has been fun to ramble about lol. If you read this all thanks for reading lol have you played this game?

[actualbird]

this sounds rly weird to say but stick with me - i wish luke would get ill in canon. obviously he has a terminal illness which would weaken his immune system and while it’s great he’s physically fit i mean SURELY he’s way more susceptible to getting seriously ill from a cold/the flu, right?? idk i think i just want to see him being taken care of bc he deserves it but also i do like the idea of him being taken care of by the nxx and them looking out for him when he gets seriously ill from a virus/bug etc etc

i got this ask Before main story 9 dropped but only after did i wanna answer it because i totally feel u.....

i feel like tot doesnt let luke get smaller ails in canon because hes already dealing With The Big One Thats Killing Him (any more wld be overkill?). and though it's also true that neurological conditions dont necessarily always affect the immune system, it's still a dang shame cuz like u, i'd adore a story where it's the others taking care of him when hes down with a bad case of the flu....and given recent main story events, i reALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE TEAM HELP LUKE WITH A LOW-STAKES AIL :(((

in true luke fashion, he'd probably keep it under wraps and make excuses until his absence at an nxx meeting cannot be ignored and they crash his apartment to see him in a MISERABLE little pile of blankets trying to remedy this by himself

mc: why didnt you tell us!!!! >:O

luke: it's not a big deal :( it's just the flu and already called aaron for doctor's advice and meds and everything, i can take care of myself

vyn: have you been hydrating?

luke, nervously: ..............yyyyyes?

artem, looking in his fridge: theres nothing in here but peanut's treats, what have you been feeding yourself?

luke, still nervously: ffffood?

marius, finding a pack of sliced bread near his bed: dude, have you just been eating bread???

luke, increasingly nervously because hes fighting for his life out here: i cant stomach anything else for some reason!!!

mc: uh huhhhh, you seem to be doing a Great job at taking care of this yourself :/

luke: ;-;

cue the team helping out: helping in cleaning the place up (when luke is miserable his place gets even Messier), cooking simple foods (artem's soup to the rescue), etc etc. luke would be So apologetic during the whole thing, constantly apologizing for being a bother, which is both depressing and grating to hear. mc almost wants to take two piece of sliced bread and sandwich luke's face in them to tell him "STOP SAYING SORRY!!!" but she knows thatll probably make him feel worse, so she restrains herself

for all luke's apologizing, he does feel better with the team helping out. but then he feels bad about feeling better (because HOW DARE HE....AFTER HE INCONVENIENCED THEM ALL!!!) and it's this terrible ouroboros of shame

eventually, mc sends the other boys out on a grocery run to help stock luke's fridge with fruits and other good snacks-for-sick-person, and alone in luke's apartment she sits next to him.

mc: hey, tell me the truth. you knew you were doing a cruddy job at looking after yourself, you knew you shouldve asked for help. why didnt you?

luke: ...i dont...like it...i dont like you or the others seeing me like this

mc: pathetic?

luke: i mean, yeah. but i meant....sick. i dont like you guys seeing me sick. because of, yknow.....being sick and useless and helpless, it feels like a prelude, and everyone else is burdened picking up the pieces around me.

mc: oh

luke: yeah

mc: hm. youre an idiot

luke: ????

mc: i cant speak for the others, but i can tell you that i surely dont mind seeing you like this if it means i can help. dont you always tell me to rely on you more? how about you return the favor, luke. let us help, sometimes. let me help.

and we all know shes way too good at setting up a winning argument.

by the time the others get back, luke is a more cooperative patient and a less-apologetic one. in the back of his mind, he figures it cant hurt to let himself feel okay getting help every once in a while.

[clumsyclifford]

hell yeah @allsassnoclass tagged me to post snippets from WIPs with the words "warm," "heavy," "almost," and "talk" !! let's fucking go. fair warning: these WIPs are for the assorted fandoms of 5sos, percy jackson, teen wolf, supernatural, and hawkeye/mcu. okay lessgo.

warm

supernatural:

Dean feels warm as he tightens the knot on Cas’s tie and leans away. “Is there something I'm missing?” Sam interjects. “No.” Dean and Cas, simultaneously.

5sos:

"Michael, this water is perfectly warm," Luke calls over. "You've probably been using the wrong handle." Michael turns on his heel and scurries over to the sink. He sticks a finger in the stream; it's comfortably lukewarm, despite the fact that only one faucet handle has been twisted. The one for cold water, Michael is sure. Pretty sure. "The hell?"

heavy (none of my open WIPs had this word damn dude i had to break out the summer camp fic for this one!!)

“Yeah, it looks like a lot of heavy lifting,” Michael says distastefully. “That’s why I’d never do it. I’m not so bad with A/V stuff but between an air-conditioned office with constant access to the internet and having to be out in the sun all day doing physical labor, it’s a no-brainer.” “Yeah,” Calum says. He laughs. “Well, that’s how we’re different. I like the time in the sun. And the physical labor really isn’t so bad. We’ve got golf carts, which makes it easier.”

almost (i use this word a lot so i pulled a few snippets)

spn:

“Please,” the woman whimpers, throwing her head back to look Dean in the eye. Dean jolts. Almost falls on his ass. “Uh-oh,” comes the grating taunt of Alistair. “You didn't know who you were slicing and dicing?” Dean blinks and stares. His voice shoves one word from the traffic jam in his throat. “Mom?” 

teen wolf:

“Eh,” Malia says, back to human and brushing dirt from her clothes. “It’s fine.” “It’s not fine! I just almost killed you!” “I almost killed you too,” Malia says, as if she wants it known that she was just as capable of killing Kira as vice versa. “But I think the bigger question is, why did we almost kill each other?”

pjo:

“It's fine,” he says quickly. “I'm trying to learn Ancient Greek, I just didn't see the sign.” “You almost got eaten.” Percy sets his shoulders. “This is a problem.” “It's not a problem.” “Too late, it's a problem. Don't worry, I'm on the case.”

5sos:

The young man sits up, then freezes and grips both edges of the sofa, instantly several shades paler. “Fuck. I don’t feel good.” “Did you even hear me say you were almost killed?” Michael, hesitant to touch his apparently amnesiac patient, tries to pin him with a glare instead. “Lie down. It’s only been a day and a half. You need rest, you’re probably just disoriented and concussed.”

i am really entertained by the fact that every one of these snippets discusses a character who is in some way suffering or almost died. that says something probably but i don't know what!

talk (once again...multiple snippets)

spn:

“What were you dreaming about?” “Kristen Stewart,” Dean says icily. “Drop it, okay?” Cas says, “You can talk to me, you know,” and puts a hand on Dean’s shoulder. Dean flinches.

my self indulgent pjo x tw crossover:

“Which god?” Lydia asks. “And how do we kill her?” Liam adds. Jason frowns. “We're not trying to kill her. You can't kill a god, and anyway, we just want to talk.”

my self indulgent hawkeye x spiderman mcu pseudo crossover:

Spiderman does a double-take. “Kate?” he says, and then, stumblingly, “Uh, Bishop? From, uh, I— I recognize you from the— the…news.” “The news?” Kate’s brow furrows. “What are you talking about?” “Yeah, you’re the new Hawkeye,” Spiderman says. “Right?”

more than anything this game made me realize that maybe i don't use some words nearly as often as i think i do. self-five for vocabulary variation! anyway imma tag @ijustdontlikepeople @igarbagecannoteven @kaleidoscopeminds for the words "clean," "house," "anyway," and "class" :) have fun

[jedi-enthusiast]

Alright dude, I'm responding and then I'm gonna ask you to please get the fuck off of my blog because I don't have the patience to deal with someone whose only argument is basically- "well that doesn't count" -or- "nuh uh" -whenever I make logically sound arguments.

Which, side note, if the only thing you can do when faced with an argument that disproves yours is change the goalposts and refuse to actually respond to the majority of my points, then maybe you're just wrong and refuse to admit it 🤷‍♀️

----------

Sure, main characters in SW tend to be Jedi, but if we're still going by the "main characters" argument then you can't criticize the Jedi, you're gonna need to get real specific on who you're talking about because the majority of the Jedi characters we see aren't main characters either---and you can't criticize the institution either because, again, it's not a "main character" or around "long enough," in your opinion.

Three movies and a show with multiple episodes centered around them don't make someone a main character? Ok then, by that logic, the only main characters in Star Wars are Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Palpatine, and Anakin, going by Lucas-canon. No one else.

Luke, Han, Leia? Side characters.

Padme, Ahsoka, pretty much every other Jedi? Side characters.

The clones themselves? They only appear in two movies and in the show, sure they have some episodes to themselves, but they're usually side or background characters---so they don't matter either!!! Which means this whole debate is pointless!!!

Again, you either need to stick to the argument that only the main characters matter---which would mean the clones don't and so the Jedi don't have to do jack shit---or you need to stop responding to me pointing out the Senate's responsibility by saying- "nuh uh."

Next point, so being a woman immediately takes away a character's autonomy and responsibility? ...interesting that you think that, especially considering that sexism isn't really a thing in the SW universe. From what we see, gender never really comes into the equation throughout the shows and movies, not the way that things like class and age do---Leia is mocked by Han because she's a noble, not because she's a girl, Padme and Ahsoka are doubted because of their age, etc.

Not to mention that men are also equally doubted for the same things---Anakin is doubted because of his age in TPM (pod racing), Yoda is doubted because of his age (they think he's going senile), whoever the fuck Ahsoka had a crush on was doubted because he was a noble, same goes for Satine's nephew, etc.

So, again, you're basically just going- "nuh uh" -when faced with a sound argument.

And have you ever seen the show? The one with the characters you're arguing with me about? The Clone Wars? Because I can fucking list the times, let's fucking go:

The Lumen episodes, the Pantora moon episode, the episodes with Tarkin, again the episodes where people are literally protesting and bombing the Jedi, the episodes with the twins who don't like the Jedi, the episodes with Satine who vocally shits on the Jedi, and I could go on.

And I'll remind you that the galaxy cheered when the Jedi were murdered and that in Disney-canon it's shown that plenty of people actually didn't like the Jedi during the Republic and/or Empire days.

Some people loved them, yes, but not everyone and certainly not enough people to make the Senate give up their army---especially considering that most people never met a Jedi, so they wouldn't give a damn what they had to say just because they're Jedi. Again, people would be more likely to be swayed by the senators.

And why do you think it'd be fair for the Jedi to use their only "break" days, which usually aren't even breaks because usually they're just doing work on Coruscant, doing more paperwork...when the Senate and senators should be taking care of this shit?

Again, all you're doing is saying- "nuh uh" -and trying to blame the Jedi for everything rather than just admitting you were wrong when faced with a logically sound argument.

What, since Padme isn't a main character apparently, did you want Obi-Wan giving speeches in the Senate and walking around with 10 body doubles? Maybe Yoda could've been the one to give birth to Luke and Leia, since Padme doesn't matter. Palpatine should've just been having a conversation with a mirror in TPM when discussing the current Chancellor with the Queen of Naboo. Anakin was actually making out with his palm in that arena on Geonosis, and his wedding was really a hallucination brought on by the shit tons of medication he was probably on.

...

Because, yeah, Padme isn't a main character so therefore she and her actions don't count.

Maybe we could have Obi-Wan without a beard for Luke, Yoda with a gun for Han, and Palpatine in a drag for Leia since they're also not main characters---only being in three movies and all 🤷‍♀️

Could you debunk the "jedi are slavers/have slave" argument people always seem to bring up in correlation with leading the clones? Thanks in advance ! <3

Of course!!!

Firstly, while the Kaminoans say that the clones were made for the Jedi, they are actually property of the Republic---which means that, since I would agree that they're slaves even if that wasn't GL's intent, the Republic would be considered the slavers, not the Jedi.

"Oh, but Jedi-Enthusiast, the Jedi are still slavers because they're forcing them into battle-" NOPE!

The thing is, even if the Jedi could refuse to fight in the war---which is a very complicated thing, both morally and politically---the Republic would still be sending the clones to fight the Separatists, only this time without the Jedi. And, as we've seen multiple times in TCW, more clones tend to die on missions without the Jedi's help---and that the Jedi are often shown saving their men from situations where they would otherwise die or be injured.

And, as much as I enjoy the trope of "the Jedi have limited experience actually running a war, so they struggle a bit and ask for help so the Jedi and clones get closer" because of the angst and fluff potential, in canon the Jedi are shown to be very good tacticians and they're rarely shown to struggle leading their men.

All of this to say that the Jedi leading the clones actually saves more lives, and that the Jedi not leading them would mean a lot more of them die...and idk about y'all, but I don't think- "more clones should die so the Jedi stay morally pure" -is the gotcha anti-Jedi morons think it is.

Not to mention that, if the Jedi didn't lead them, the job would go to people like Tarkin---y'know the man who criticized the Jedi for not being ruthless enough and caring for their men.

Are the Jedi put in a difficult position by leading the clones? Yes.

Is fighting in the war a morally grey decision? Yes.

But are the Jedi slavers or terrible in any way for doing what they did? Absolutely fucking not.

[weepylucifer]

AU where Mand’alor Din meets Leia through politics before he even sees Luke again and oh boy

Leia, who’s lived and breathed politics for every single day of her life sees this guy who’s clearly new to being a head of state and whose advisors are all pulling in different directions while he just tries his best and is like “Hey dude? I know we’re sorta on opposite sides of negotiating a treaty here but, do you need help? A crash-course in ruling a nation maybe?” and Din’s like “Oh thank GOD yes please, but no I’m not gonna join the New Republic that’d be crazy”

they are now unstoppable besties

Leia notices that her new bestie sometimes makes mention of a kid? He adopted a kid and then he lost the kid somehow and it’s extremely sad. She assumes the poor kid must’ve died. Very tragic. You can hang out with my horrible toddler if you ever miss that life

Din gathers that his new bestie has a brother who runs a school for specially gifted kids or something and doesn’t com as much as Leia thinks he should. That sucks. You can hang out with me and pretend we’re brother sister if you ever miss that life

The dots are never connected until at some point Luke appears in the political arena for some event at which the Senate thought it would be picturesque to have their Jedi present

Leia is like “Hey Din this is the brother I mentioned, Luke Skywalker, he’s a Jedi Master”. Din is like THE DARK MAN TOOK MY SON

Leia, now rapidly putting the pieces together, in the same inflection in which Griffin Mcelroy said “the same blastoise”: “THE SAME KID”

obviously Leia tears Luke a new one for not just spiriting her new bestie’s child away but also running off with Prince Grogu of Mandalore, Son of the Mand’alor

“You can’t just DO these things you can’t just steal the child of a neutral system’s ruler, do you know what an awkward situation you’re putting the New Republic in?? Din is very precious to me now and you’re over here trying to kick off Mando-Jedi Wars 2: This Time It’s Personal, you are killing me, you are killing your sister”

Luke who lives in an abandoned temple on a nowhere moon and has no idea what’s going on anywhere: “What”

Leia is by this point hitting him with Yoda’s stick that she just made appear out of nowhere and demanding he apologize profusely and let Din see his son before this becomes an intergalactic incident and she does Not give a Shit about the Jedi Code. Luke is like god I guess, please step this way Mr Mand’alor

2 weeks of Din reuniting with Grogu at the temple later Luke appears to Leia again like “I have fallen in love with the Mandalorian.”

task failed successfully

“He’s just so gentle with Grogu and he fights so good and he has a moustache under the helmet I SAW IT. Did you know. He is so strong and safe he is doing his best. His armor is so shiny and the Force sings when he is near. Our destinies are entwined. I just want to get dicked down again”

Leia’s like fuckin marry him I GUESS

Han started fucking Boba Fett like 8 bullet points ago

[fruitcoops]

ok so firstly I love any loops and jules fic but secondly could we have one where jules is having a really tough time (either missing loops/ picked on etc. ) and then we see loops (not coops) surprise him and is just so protective - just sibling fluff that’s it

Oh Jules, I’m sorry I did this to you. What a wonderful prompt, though! I’m always down to write sibling fluff! SW credit goes to @lumosinlove <3

TW for bullying (older kids picking on younger kids)

Contrary to popular belief, Jules didn’t brag about his brother every minute of every day. There was no point, and he wanted to be known for his own talents rather than living in Remus’ shadow for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, some people didn’t seem to understand that.

A balled of lined paper smacked into the back of his head. “Heads up, Loopy!”

Jules threw the ball back; it bounced off the end of the table and hit the ground pathetically. “Nice shot,” Aidan snorted as he passed, bumping his shoulder against Jules’ and making him stumble. Several people laughed. His face burned with embarrassment.

“Yeah, I bet your brother’s really proud of that,” Luke sneered. He was a big kid, far bigger than Jules both in height and muscle even though he was only a couple years older.

“Don’t talk about my brother,” Jules said, much quieter than intended.

Luke raised his eyebrows. “What’re you going do about it, Loopy?”

“Just shut up.”

“Who’s gonna stop me?” He leaned across the cafeteria table and Jules fought the urge to back away. “Huh? Your brother? He’s never around.”

“He’s busy.”

“He doesn’t want to be here.”

“He does,” Jules insisted, feeling his throat tighten. “He does, he just doesn’t have time—”

“He’s a celebrity, dude, no wonder he doesn’t want his tagalong brother around.”

It’s not true, Jules told himself. It’s not true. Time and time again, Remus had told him that hockey came second to family, but after months of not seeing him it was starting to feel false. “Shut up.”

Luke shifted in his seat and folded his hands. “Face it, Loopy: your brother’s not around because he’d rather spend time with his cool friends than an annoying little kid.”

“Leave me alone.” Jules’ voice cracked and Luke grinned.

“You’re gonna cry?” he asked, full of false sympathy. “Aw, poor baby.”

“It’s not true.” It was getting harder to believe the words. “He visits whenever he can.”

The lunch bell rang before Luke could retaliate; he ruffled Jules’ hair too hard to be comfortable and left, already laughing with his group of friends. What a dick, Jules thought as he swallowed down the tears.

He made it through the rest of his classes in a daze and walked home on muscle memory. It was a cold day for April, but maybe he could blame his red-rimmed eyes on the wind. Maybe Luke is right, part of him argued. There wasn’t a lot of evidence, but it was enough to make him want to throw up.

“Hey, baby, how was your day?” his mother called when he opened the door.

That was the tipping point, the tiny pebble that shattered the cracked glass dam holding back his tears. Jules sobbed once, dropped his backpack on the floor, and ran for the safety of his bedroom. “Jules—” The slam of his door cut his father’s concern short.

He grabbed the family picture off his wall and threw it across the room—there was no glass or frame, only tape, so seeing it flutter to the ground was far less satisfying than he had hoped. Remus had him on his shoulders for the picture; they all looked so happy. Jules sat down on the other side of his bed and buried his face in his arms, letting the emotions he had been holding in for three full hours flood out.

Deep down, he knew Luke was a liar and a bully with nothing better to do than pick on younger kids. That didn’t mean his words hurt any less.

A few minutes later, there was a gentle knock on the door. “Go away!”

There was a brief pause, then another knock.

“Just—just please give me a minute, mom!”

“I’m not mom.” Jules’ heart skipped a beat. “Can I come in?”

You’ve never been around to help me before. Anger reared up in his chest. “No!”

Remus hesitated for a moment. Jules hoped he was shocked, stunned, hurt. “Okay.”

There was a rustling noise; he looked around the foot of the bed to see a shadow in the crack beneath the door. “Are you—what are you doing?”

“Sitting down.”

“Go away.”

“No.”

“Mom, make him go away!”

“What did I do, Jules?” Remus sounded sad. There was none of his usual teasing in his tone. The anger twisted around in Jules and he scrubbed at the tears and snot on his face.

“When did you get here?” He knew he was being rude; his mother would have given him a pursed-lips look if he talked like that to anyone normally.

“A couple hours ago. It was supposed to be a surprise.”

“It’s a terrible surprise. Go away.”

“Not until you tell me what I did.”

Jules took a few shallow breaths before answering. “You’re never here. Never.”

“I know. I’m s—”

“I hate you,” he sobbed, bringing his knees tighter to his chest. “I hate you so much.”

There was a long stretch of silence on the other side of the door, but the shadow remained. “That’s fair,” Remus said quietly.

“No, it’s not!” Jules clambered to his feet and stomped over to the door, wrenching it open. “It’s not fair! I shouldn’t hate you, this is your job! You should—you should—”

Remus looked up at him from his crosslegged seat on the carpet. “I should what?”

“You should yell at me. Or make me open the door, or do anything that makes me angry at you.” He sniffled and hugged himself.

“When have I ever yelled at you?”

“The rat. And the water balloons. And when I stole your sticks. And when I froze your underwear.”

Remus winced slightly. “Fair point. I don’t keep yelling once you’re in the room, though, right?”

Jules deflated. “No.”

“So I’m not going to yell at you. Also, your bedroom smells weird, so I don’t want to go in there unless I have to.”

A smile tried forcing its way out and Jules covered it with his best scowl. “My room doesn’t smell weird.”

Remus sniffed the air, then shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

“Why are you here?”

“Mom said she was getting ice cream.”

Jules perked up. “Did she?”

“No.” Remus held up the car keys. “We can fix that problem, though. Go get your shoes.”

“Can I drive?’

“If you can convince dad, sure.” Remus stood up and mussed his hair; his hand was gentle, though, unlike Luke’s. It was a welcome change.

He grabbed his sneakers from under his bed and hopped down the hall as he pulled them on. “Dad, can I drive?”

His father didn’t even look up from the paper. “When Hell freezes over, buddy.”

“Lyall,” his mother scolded from the kitchen, though her eyes crinkled at the edges. “Remus, remember not to swear around your brother!”

“I won’t, I won’t,” he said, holding the door open for Jules as he shrugged his coat on.

They drove in relative silence, save for the Top Rock Hits of the Eighties cassette that they had each heard half a billion times. Remus pulled into the Dairy Queen drive-thru and rattled off Jules’ favorite without even having to ask. Somehow, that both soothed him and upset him even more. He handed the cone over carefully, stuck his blizzard in the cupholder, and started driving in the opposite direction of the house.

“Are you kidnapping me?” Jules asked, licking a stray drip of vanilla off the cone.

“I don’t think I can, seeing as we’re related.”

“You can. You don’t have custody.”

“Why do you know that?”

“Why don’t you, Mr. Fancy Degree?”

“This might surprise you, but they don’t exactly cover the intricacies of kidnapping in PT school.”

“Shame.”

Remus made a noise of agreement around the straw of his Blizzard as they rolled to a stop at the red light. “So, are we going to talk?”

“We already are.”

“Dude.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“Yeah, I figured.” He made a face when a chunk of Oreo got stuck the straw. “If you get that out before the next light, you can have a sip.”

Jules took it and squeezed the thin plastic. “Luke Sanders is an asshole.”

“Language.” The car stopped again and Jules showed off the unblocked straw. “Do continue, though.”

“You’ve hit every red light since we left the house. That’s got to be a curse.” He took a long sip, then handed it across the console. “You like hanging out with me, right?”

“Obviously. You’re, like, my favorite person.” Remus gave him a confused look.

“Okay, cool.” Jules felt his hands start to shake again, and he was pretty sure it wasn’t from his ice cream. Just hearing him say that made a tsunami of relief run through him. “Cool.”

“Did Luke Sanders tell you I didn’t?”

“He said a lot of stuff.”

Remus pulled into a parking lot, then took the key out and turned in his seat. “Like what?”

Jules shrugged one shoulder. “That you don’t want to be here.”

“And?” His voice had softened.

“And that it’s my fault, since I’m an annoying little tagalong.” Jules picked at the paper wrapper around his cone and didn’t look up. “He’s got a p—”

“If you say he’s got a point, all your underwear is going in the freezer.” All traces of gentleness were gone from his tone, leaving tightly-controlled fury in its place.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t—” Remus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Please don’t apologize, Jules.”

“You’re upset.”

“Yeah, because some little shit was picking on my brother and I wasn’t there to kick his ass.”

“I can handle it.”

If anything, that seemed to upset him even more. “Does this happen a lot?”

“Sometimes.”

“Have you told anyone?”

He shook his head. “I don’t want to be a tattletale.”

“Jules, there’s a difference between being a tattletale and reporting a bully.” Remus tipped his chin up. “Hey, what’s going on?”

Jules’ lower lip wobbled. “I missed you. I always miss you, but he’s been really awful recently and he keeps saying the same stupid stuff over and over.”

Remus’ nose and cheeks reddened. “I missed you, too. If I could be here all the time, I would.”

“I know it’s not your fault, and I know you’re busy.” He wiped away another tear and tried to pull himself together. “But it’s not fair.”

“It’s not,” Remus agreed. “It’s not fair that I’m gone nine months out of the year, and it’s not right that people are making fun of you for it. Hang on for a second, okay?”

Jules nodded, still drying his cheeks. Remus got out of the car and jogged to the other side, then opened the passenger door and gestured for him to get out; as soon as his sneakers touched the ground, he was lifted almost a foot into the air. “I’m sorry for yelling,” he managed, burying his face in his brother’s neck.

Remus kissed the side of his head and held him close. “I’m sorry I’m not around more.”

He hooked his chin over Remus’ shoulder. “Can you promise me something?”

“Anything.”

“Will you be here whenever you can? I know that might not be often, but just…when you can.”

He felt Remus’ chest hitch against him. “Always,” he whispered. “Always.”

[yourlocalfictionalenthusiast]

IN LIFE, IN DEATH...

PART FIVE

:Masterlist:

Warnings: Swearing and angst, baby!

A/N: I just realized that the tags on Part Four got messed up so i'm sorry for everyone that didn't get tagged! <3

---

June 1994

“I can do this.”

You mumbled to yourself as you paced in the sand, rubbing your sweaty palms against the leg of your jeans.

From your spot ‘backstage’ area, you could see the crowd as they waited for the next band, and it was huge. Huge enough to where any other day, you would’ve been buzzing with excitement, unable to sit still until you got behind your microphone. You would’ve been nauseous for a whole different reason.

But today was different.

Today you were singing a new song that you had spent weeks writing. The boys helped with the melody here and there, but it was the first whole song you had written in years, and at the end of it was the highest note you’ve ever hit.

And you had gotten through it perfectly every time you practiced it and you knew there was no way for you to be prepared, but there was still a nagging voice in the back of your head that you couldn’t shake.

“Hey.” Alex appeared at your side with a sympathetic smile on his face, instantly recognizing your pacing as a cry for help; considering it was a habit he picked up from you. “You need anything? Water? Aspirin?”

“A puppy?” Reggie chimed in.

“To punch Luke?” Bobby asked. 

“Dude!” Luke protested, shoving Bobby’s arm before stepping in front of you and resting his hands on your shoulders, his thumbs tracing slow circles on your collarbones in a way that was supposed to be soothing but only added to the mosh pit in your stomach. “(Y/n), you know this song inside and out. I’ve seen you kill it dozens of times with my own eyes.”

You opened your mouth to argue, but Luke cut you off with an insistent look and a shake of his head. “No. No more doubting yourself, okay?”

“You kids are up next.” A gruff voice announced from backstage, and you took a deep breath as you nodded, looking up at Luke with a weak smile.

“You’ll be there to take over if I hurl everywhere, right?” You joked.

“You’re not gonna hurl.” Luke laughed, dropping his hands from your shoulders and wrapping one around your wrist. “But, of course I will. Now, ‘c’mon!”

He started walking towards the stage, dragging you with him. When you passed Alex’s drum set, his eyes drifted down to Luke’s grip on your wrist and he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. You barely had time to flip him off before you arrived at Luke’s microphone. 

He smiled as he dropped his hand to tug his guitar strap over his head. “I’m serious. You got this.”

“Thanks, Luke.” You mouthed to him as you walked to the center of the stage, positioning yourself behind your mic.

“How are we doing tonight?” The announcer asked over the speakers and the crowd cheered. “Hey everybody! Welcome to our annual ‘Sunshine Showcase’ where we hit you with the hottest new music in L.A. Everybody give it up for our next band: ‘Sunset Curve’!”

The bright lights at the edge of the stage switched from a dim white to bright red and yellow, casting a faint orange glow across the stage, mixing with the color of the disappearing sun. Alex started a steady rhythm, catching the crowd’s attention. Luke and Bobby joined in, then Reggie.

Then it was time for you to sing. 

Your voice started out a little shaky as you sang the first few lines, but it slowly got steadier as you approached the chorus and by the second verse, you got completely lost in the music, bouncing and bobbing your head.

As the second chorus came around, you felt yourself getting nervous again. So you whipped around and met Alex’s eyes. He smiled reassuringly and twirled his drumsticks around his fingers. Then faster than you could blink, Reggie was at your side, giving you his signature goofy smile as he played along.

You threw your arm over his shoulder and bump him with your hip, sending him back to his spot and making a few people in the front row laugh. 

Then Alex’s drumming quieted as the bridge came up. You willed yourself not to throw up as you pull your microphone off its stand and crouched down to sing to the crowd. 

1...

You kept your voice as steady as you could, giving them your best confident smile as you slowly picked yourself back up.

2...

The music got louder as it neared the end of the bridge and you took a deep breath to prepare for the high note, but it disappeared from your lungs when you realized that Luke had started walking towards you.

3...

Just as he stopped in front of you, the buildup stopped and you could feel everyone’s eyes on you as you closed yours and poured all your energy into the music.

You hit the note perfectly, even surprising yourself a little when you held it longer than you ever had in practice. The crowd erupted in cheers after the note ended, but you kept your eyes closed as you soaked up the moment.

When you finally opened them again, Luke was right next to you, an amazed look on his face. Suddenly, you were grateful for the bright lights covering your face because you were definitely blushing.

The backup for the chorus started up again, but everyone else stopped singing, leaving it up to you and Luke. You held your microphone out so you could both be heard over the cheering. Usually, you all tried to interact with the crowd as much as possible, especially Luke. But his eyes never left yours, not even to look down as he played.

They were so bright and filled with so much intensity that it was hard not to get caught up in moments like this. It wasn’t unusual for you and Luke to sing together and pretend to flirt. The crowd always ate it up and it was pretty fun in the moment. But it always crushed you when the music stopped and you were reminded that it was all for show.

The last note rang out and you let out something between a shaky breath and a relieved laugh. While the boys grabbed their instruments, you walked through the backstage curtain and jumped onto the ground, the adrenaline still racing through you.

“That was awesome!” Reggie said enthusiastically as he tackled you in a hug.

“Yeah, you killed it, (Y/n)!” Alex raised his hand to give you a high five, but his eyes were focused on something behind you. You turned to see what he was looking at, but all you saw was a blur of shaggy brown hair and a grin before a pair of hands lifted you into the air.

“You did it, Squeaks!” Luke cheered as he spun you around, making your head spin. “I told you that you weren’t gonna hurl.”

“I still might if you don’t put me down!” You managed to say through a fit of laughter, holding on to his shoulders to secure yourself as he gently set you down.

You had expected him to pull away once you were back on the ground, but his hands stayed firmly on your waist and he tilted his head forward slightly so his forehead rested against yours.

The world around you slowed down, and you had to put effort into catching your breath again.

“Get a room, guys.” Bobby called as he put his guitar back in it’s case, making Alex and Reggie laugh. You chuckled awkwardly as you pulled away, glaring at Bobby. Luke just smirked and leaned over to stick his finger in Bobby’s ear. “Gross! Dude, stop doing that.”

“Well, I’m starving.” Alex said suddenly, sending you a quick look over his shoulder and you knew he was trying to give you some time to freak out in peace. “Anyone want some pizza?”

The boys all nodded in agreement and started walking towards the parking lot towards Bobby’s car with their instruments in hand, but your feet stayed frozen in place. Your heart was racing as you stared down at the sand between your feet, one question filling up every corner of your mind.

Was it possible that Luke liked you back?

-

2020

If there was one thing you’ve learned from being a ghost: it’s that everything is unpredictable.

You had just started to accept that this was your ‘life’. That you would never tour the world, and perform in front of a crowd ever again. But then you sang with Julie in that gym, and everything in your world changed.

Again.

Your mind was overloaded with questions. Why can people see us now? And why do we only show up while playing with Julie? Why is the afterlife so confusing?

And one more question, that was less serious but equally as important.

Does Luke like Julie?

It had been plaguing you since last night, when Luke had disappeared into the Molina house and didn’t come out for an hour. He had taken his songbook with him, which you didn’t think anything of at the time. But now you know that he gave her ‘Bright’, one of the first songs you and Luke had ever written together.

And then again today, when she sang, Luke looked just as excited as he was when the two of you wrote it. You scolded yourself for thinking about this now when there were bigger things happening. But you couldn’t help but feel like the universe was hanging a giant sign in your face telling you to give up on Luke.

Across the room, Alex started pacing and you shook those thoughts from your head. You knew that if you were freaking out, then Alex was probably on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

“I think he’s practicing his model strut.” Reggie whispered.

“He’s so nervous that it's making me nervous.” Luke agreed.

“Al?” You asked softly. “Are you okay?”

Alex sighed. “Okay. You guys know I don’t handle change well. Death? That was a change. Okay, then we became ghosts. Another change. And now we can be seen whenever we play with Julie. Big freaking change!”

“Yeah, but it was a good change.” Luke said. “With Julie, we can play on stage again and be the band we never got to be.”

Luke’s words felt like a punch to the stomach. Sure, maybe you guys never got famous when you were alive, but you were still a band. You still poured all your time, energy and ability into every song you made together. You knew that Luke was just excited and not thinking about his words. But it felt like another sign hitting you in the face.

“I just-” Alex let out a defeated sigh. “I just want to know why.”

“Forget why.” Luke shot up from the couch. “I think we should ask Julie to join Sunset Curve.”

“Yeah!” Reggie agreed. “I mean, with a new lead singer, this band would be legendary.”

And there was another punch.

“Dude.” You said, trying not to show how much that comment stung. You loved Reggie like a brother but sometimes you wished he thought things through a little more before he spoke.

“Hey! We’re the lead singers.” Luke crossed his arms petulantly.

Reggie raised his hands in surrender. “I’m just saying. She can make us visible! Without her, we’d just be like elevator music.”

Luke pouted. “Well, you don’t gotta be so mean about it.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Alex starting to pace again.

“Al.” You said, walking up to him and stopping him in his tracks. 

“I’m sorry, okay?” Alex pushed his hair out of his face. his breathing was a little heavy. “I just…”

There was a moment of careful silence, like everyone was holding their breath, too scared of saying the wrong thing. You all knew how bad Alex’s anxiety could be, and while this wasn’t the most freaked out you had ever seen him, it was getting close.

“Hey,” You intertwined Alex’s arm in yours. “Let’s go for a walk, yeah? Clear our heads?”

Alex nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

You sent one last look over your shoulder to Reggie and Luke before you closed your eyes and concentrated on one of your favorite spots in the city. It was one of the first places you went to on your first night back.

Back in the 90's, it was one of your go-to spots when you just needed a place to breathe and sort through your thoughts.

The Walk of Fame.

The noise of the street filled your ears and opened your eyes, finding yourself in the middle of the sidewalk. Alex was right beside you, staring down at all the stars.

"Here? Really?"

You rolled your eyes. "Duh. It's where you and I had our first heart to heart, remember?"

Alex smiled as the memory played through your heads. It was a week after he came out to his parents and the tension in his house had slowly been building up until it was too much for him to handle. So you dragged him here.

"And I think it's time we had another one." You nudged him. "So, come on."

As the two of you walked through the streets of Hollywood arm in arm, it was like an invisible dam burst open and all the questions came pouring out.

After an hour, your head felt like it was going to explode if you kept thinking about all the crazy things that had happened since you got back. But there was still one question you needed to ask.

"Hey, Al?" You asked, making Alex hum in response. "Do you think that Luke likes Julie?"

"Yeah, I mean, I thought he was going to propose when he realized she can make us visible.” Alex said, his face dropping when he felt your arm tense in his. “No! Not like that. Shit, sorry. I-”

“It’s okay, Alex.” You said. You could see him cringing out of the corner of your eye and you knew he was probably beating himself up. “Maybe it’s a good thing, you know? Maybe it’ll be the push I need to finally move on.”

“But you can’t move on until you know how he feels.” Alex stopped abruptly, making you stop too.

“I think he’s been pretty clear."

“Has he?” Alex asked. “In case I missed it, you and Luke haven’t been talking much lately.”

You started to argue but then suddenly, a guy on a skateboard came barreling around the corner and ran right into Alex, making his arm fall out of yours as they both went crashing to the ground.

Alex slowly got back on his feet, groaning painfully. The other guy followed, sighing as he inspected his skateboard.

“Aw, man. You dinged my board.”

“I dinged your board? You almost ran me over! You’re lucky I didn’t-” The realization flashed in his eyes. “You ran me over.”

The skater looked just as confused as both of you when you asked, “You’re a ghost?”

“Yeah.” He took off his helmet, showing off his long hair. “Ever since I learned that skating in traffic was bad.”

Alex took in a sharp breath next to you and you smiled, knowing from the way his jaw dropped and he tripped over his words when the other guy tried to apologize that he was having a ‘gay panic’ moment.

“You guys are new to this whole ghost thing, huh?”

Alex was still a blushing mess but he seemed to find his voice. “Is it that obvious?”

“Totally.” The skater extended his hand out to Alex. “I’m Willie.”

“Alex.”

You introduced yourself quickly, then turned to Alex with a grin. Of course, you wanted to keep hanging with Alex, but it was time to be a good wing-woman. “Hey, I think I’m gonna go back to Cece’s for a while, but you should stay and get some information.”

Alex blushed again, clearly picking up on your intentions but he nodded.

“It was nice meeting you, Willie.” You said, waving goodbye but not before you raised your eyebrows at Alex to let him know that you were definitely going to be grilling him about his afternoon later.

 -

Just like every other time you walked into the diner, you were hit with a wave of painful nostalgia.

On a day like this, you would’ve walked right through the kitchen door and straight into Cece’s arms, rambling on while she made you her special hot chocolate and talked it all out with you until it made sense.

But now, you’re stuck trying to figure everything out alone.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite waitress.” Teddy called out from behind the counter, dog-earing his book and setting it aside to give you his full attention.

“Dude, we just met.” You raised an eyebrow at him. “Isn’t it a little too early for shameless flirting?”

Teddy scoffed playfully. “It’s never too early for shameless flirting.”

You weren’t super inexperienced when it came to flirting, but it felt like you were in this moment. Sure, you and Luke flirted on stage all the time, but it wasn’t real. At least not for him. But you had gotten so used to it that someone being open about their feelings with you short-circuited your brain a little.

“So.” You said, looking down at this book on the counter. “The Great Gatsby?”

Teddy laughed. “Yeah, it’s kinda on my bucket list.”

“But you’re already dead.”

“Touché, Gorgeous.”

You sat there, talking about your lives, and deaths. Reluctantly, you told him that you died from a hotdog, which led to him declaring it to be the funniest death in history. The more you talked to Teddy, the better you felt. And before you knew it, it had been hours.

By the time you finally decided to leave, there was still a gaping, Luke-shaped hole in your heart. But you decided that maybe it was time to listen to the signs the universe- that Luke- was giving you and try to move on with your life.

Even if it meant letting go of your best friend.

-

In Life, In Death Taglist:

@ifilwtmfc @instabull​ @wanniiieeee​ @tenaciousperfectionunknown​ @nieauou​ @merceret​ @itismeasmolpotato @lilostif16 @dangerouslyclose @iainttakingshitfromnobody​ @givemebooksorgivemedeath​ @sunsetcurvedotmp3​ @askgeoff​

JATP Taglist:

@caitsymichelle13​

(The strikethough means I can’t tag you)

Let me know if you want to be added!

[oonajaeadira]

The Mandalorian Tarot: Major Arcana

If you’re following me, you know this is a Mandalorian obsessive account. I love the man, I love the show, I write a Mando-fando that is all about pining and touch. I tend to go all in when I have an interest. 

Another one of my interests? Tarot. A friend challenged me to Mandalorify the major arcana. And because Jon and Dave know their stuff and are good with archetypes (which is all tarot really is), it was an easy fit.

YOU GOT MANDO IN MY TAROT. YOU GOT TAROT IN MY MANDO. TWO GREAT TASTES THAT TASTE GREAT TOGETHER.

But. I can’t draw, so I’ve dreamed them in words and included the Rider-Waite-Smith deck illustrations that I would riff on if I could.

READY? LET’S PLAY.

(All tarot illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith. All Mandalorian images property of Star Wars/Disney.)

UPDATE! @heathenashtattoos​ has taken up where I cannot and is making these cards a reality! I will post them individually and come back to link them to this post as we go.

0 THE FOOL = THE MANDALORIAN / IT IS MADE! --->

The story of the tarot is the Fool’s journey, the arc of becoming. So it makes sense to me that Din would be the fool. Fits even better, since he has tremendous Fool energy in his himbo tendencies, just rushing forward into situations without a lot of planning--he’ll deal with it when he’s in it--ready to rely on others to show him the way or guide/help him to the next step.

If I could draw: Din on the cliff, with his jetpack on, meaning he has no fear of falling. Instead of the bindle-stick the Fool carries, he’d have his pulse rifle slung over his shoulder. Instead of the dog nipping at his heels, Grogu. And, of course, the landscape would be Tatooine/Navaro-esque.

~~~

1 THE MAGICIAN = LUKE SKYWALKER , IT IS MADE! --->

The Magician is someone who is still learning to bend the laws of magic/the Universe, but very adept with their tools. Since Luke is only a few years into his Jedi training at this time, he makes a pretty good Magician.

If I could draw: Luke in his blacks, holding up his lightsaber. The Jedi symbol would replace the infinity sign. 

***

2 THE HIGH PRIESTESS = AHSOKA TANO / IT IS MADE! -->

High Priestess is further along the path of her magic than Magician, and her knowledge is more intuitive, her skills more effortless. Where the Magician is still learning the balance of light and dark, the High Priestess knows the value and pitfalls of both. It was always going to be Ahsoka.

If I could draw: Ahsoka sitting cross-legged in meditation mode, but with eyes open and a knowing smile. Instead of two pillars, she holds her lightsabers up and parallel to each other.

***

3 THE EMPRESS = PELI MOTTO / IT IS MADE! -->

The Empress is the mother figure, the energy in the universe that provides all that is needed and embodies the energy of creation. I can see the argument for Omera being the Empress--mostly because she is a mom and she’s soft and a lot of people see the Empress as a soft female figure, I get it. (And if I were to do a minor arcana, girl would show up as one of the Queens for sure.) But in the end, I gave it to Peli because she’s a recurring character, more relevant in his story, and if Din is the Fool, Peli is more an Empress to him. She’s able to be the provider of his particular needs; services to his ship to get him up flying, contact and location information, and she’s always willing to care for Grogu whenever she gets the chance.

If I could draw: Peli sitting in the dock, against the R4 unit, holding aloft a spanner and surrounded by her pit droids.

***

4 THE EMPEROR = BOBA FETT / IT IS MADE! -->

The Emperor is all about authority. And all I gotta say about Boba is BIG DICK ENERGY.

If I could draw: Just put him on the Jabba throne and let him lounge like a badass.

~~~

5 THE HIEROPHANT = THE ARMORER / IT IS MADE! -->

The Hierophant is the keeper of traditions and a spiritual guide. As the leader of the covert and keeper of the Way, The Armorer fits.

If I could draw: The Armorer, framed by her forge, holding aloft her tools, with Mandalorian acolytes. Instead of the crossed keys at the bottom, let’s just have a mythosaur skull.

***

6 THE LOVERS = FROG LADY AND FROG HUSBAND

This should be obvious and I will fight anyone who says it isn’t the right thing to do. I will die for this.

If I could draw: I would actually depart from the Smith depiction and just draw them embracing or holding each other by the arms and staring into each others’ eyes. Some kind of glowing background? Maybe the egg tank?

***

7 THE CHARIOT = THE MUDHORN

Oh. You thought I was going to say the Razor Crest, didn’t you. Don’t worry, I have plans for our beloved craft, but it ain’t here. The Chariot can be a ride, yes, but it’s about victory. Sometimes it’s about the victory over your inner “beastly” natures. To travel to the next phase in the journey, the Fool must take on the beasts that drive the Chariot and claim dominance over them, and when he does, they will carry him to the next level. Since it’s the victory of the beastly mudhorn that brings Din to his bond with Grogu and becomes his signet, Mudhorn for the win.

If I could draw: Again, I’d probably play on Smith’s imagery, put the charging mudhorn in the middle, and replace the rams with Din on his knees brandishing the vibroblade and Grogu in his pram with his Force hand up.

***

8 STRENGTH = CARA DUNE

Don’t come at me about including Cara. I am glad Gina got shown the door and I lose no love on that bigot. But. Cara is not Gina and to cut her out is to cut out Jon and Dave’s creation and I won’t do it.  I actually love her a lot--she’s got her flaws, but she’s sassy and strong and solid, and I would happily accept a piggyback ride from her any day. She’s also a major player in Din’s story and deserves a spot in it. Strength comes after the Chariot--once you’ve conquered the beast within, you have confident dominion over it and it becomes a companion or a tool for your use. Cara is one with her toughness, she’s used it to do some good and bad shit in her past, and she continues to wield it effortlessly and fearlessly. She is absolutely this card.

If I could draw: I would put her maybe sitting on top of the downed ATST. I’d replace the infinity symbol over her head with the one on her cheek (Rebel Alliance).

~~~

9 THE HERMIT = KUIIL

The Hermit is a loner, yes, but in his solitude he looks within, learns from all he’s been through, and becomes wise. He holds aloft a light of wisdom and truth. This was always going to be Kuiil.

If I could drawn: Just our buddy, looking out over the Arvala-7 landscape, holding aloft an in-universe working lamp. No need to get fancy. He would want it to stay simple.

***

10  THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE = IMPERIAL SYMBOL AND STORM TROOPERS

The Wheel is fate. You win some, you lose some. Sometimes you’re on top, and sometimes the Wheel crushes you beneath it. You are helpless to its roll and where you’ll land. Storm Troopers are such a sad bunch. They are keepers of Imperial Law on the ground. On a good day, they capture a Rebel or hold off an attack. On a bad day, their Moff just blasts them to make an example.

If I could draw: The wheel would just be the Imperial symbol and there’d be Troopers on and under it. Maybe the one on top is just standing there, looking authoritative. The one underneath has been blasted. Some Wheels have two more figures--one on each side--and I’d add those too. The one on the down-going side would be falling, arms flailing, blaster shooting (if only sound were available, there’d be a Whilhelm scream), and the one on the up-going side would just be dangling by one arm, along for the ride.

***

11 JUSTICE = COBB VANTH

Well, it just feels right to make the Marshal into Justice. But it’s not just a literal translation of making sure the right thing gets done and the bad guys are punished. Justice is about wiping away emotion and making decisions with bare truth, looking at every side of the situation and understanding what is really there. And I think Cobb fits this well. He doesn’t want to give up his armor because of what it means for the protection of his people. But he’s willing to consider it, if there’s another way he can protect them. Emotionally, he doesn’t want to deal with the Tusken Raiders, but he does it because he can see it’s the best course of action. He flies into battle with the Krayt Dragon. He gives up his armor without a fight. He makes a fair trade and sees the balance in it because he walks away from the emotion and chooses the best course of action. Cobb Vanth for Justice, errybody.

If I could draw: Cobb in the Fett armor, but with the helmet at his feet. In one hand, a bottle of spotchka. In the other, the Tusken mushroom drinky thing; he’s holding them with equal balance.

***

12 THE HANGED MAN = MIGS MAYFELD

The Hanged Man is not just about a dude who’s hanging upside down. (If that was the case, I would have just gone with Gor Koresh and called it a day.) Hanged Man is about changing your perspective to see things in a new way so you can grow. Many times, this growth also requires sacrifice. Over the two episodes we see Mayfeld, we know he goes from Imperial sharp shooter, to traumatized deserter, to merc, prisoner, and exonerated friend. He’s seen some shit, given up a lot, and he’s willing to see how he can be a help to others and find redemption for himself.

If I could draw: Hear me out. Take the image of Mayfeld hanging upside down from the Crest hatch into the prison ship. Mirror that above with an image of him in his Imperial Ground Transport gear. Flip it all upside down so bad Mayfeld up top, good Mayfeld on bottom, images mirrored but inverted, hence “looking at things a new way and getting everything a little topsy-turvey.”

~~~

13 DEATH = MOFF GIDEON

Death is about transformation, so it’s not always the most sinister card. But Death does not discriminate. It comes for us all, constantly stalking, and it will strike you down to serve its needs. You need to face Death to get to your redemption. But really, Gideon is our big baddie here, so why the hell not.

If I could draw: I would forgo the Smith illustration and go for the Marseilles tradition on this one. Gideon and the Darksaber replaces Death and the scythe.

*** 

14 TEMPERANCE = IG-11

Temperance is the transformation that comes after Death. Once Death has chopped your physical being into pieces with his scythe, Temperance is there to take all your pieces and put them back together into something new and better. It’s also a card that asks you to re-evaluate your priorities and see if you can find better motivations than you previously had. IG’s death and reprogramming speak loudly to me on this.

If I could draw: IG pouring the tea.

***

15 THE DEVIL = THE CLIENT

Here’s another baddie card that’s all about your worst faults, about excess and giving into the stuff that will eventually kill your soul. The Client holds on hard to the Empire, doing whatever he’s ordered to do to be one of the top dogs. And in the end, it doesn’t matter. Gideon takes him down like he’s nothing.

If I could draw: The client, wearing his Empire bling, with chains around Doctor Pershing and a rough-looking Storm Trooper.

***

16 THE TOWER = THE RAZOR CREST

I don’t know about you, but Chapter 14 killed me. And not because the Dark Troopers flew away with Grogu. We all knew Din would never stop at getting him back. But when the Crest was destroyed, it was like someone punched me in the soft parts, and I made a lot of severely anguished noises. The Tower is the most tragic card in the tarot. It’s when forces beyond your control make a very big (and usually negative) impact in your life and everything changes. You are left to pick up the pieces and survive any way you can with the skills and resources you’ve been blessed with.

If I could draw: Just that moment of the ray hitting our beautiful Crest, just as it begins to break apart, maybe with Din, Boba, and Fennec watching in horror in the foreground.

~~~

17 THE STAR = GROGU

The Star is hope. It comes after the biggest tragedy in the deck to tell you that not all is lost. There is always something there to live for. C’mon, kids. In this series, there was only one choice.

If I could draw: Just Grogu. Maybe drinking his soup. Or maybe he’s levitating his metal ball overhead, reaching up to it with a smile on his face. *coos*

***

18 THE MOON = BO KATAN KRYZE

We all like Bo Katan, sure. But remember my Clone Wars/Rebels fiends, she was Death Watch, and they were terrorists. She sided with Maul to take over Mandalore. Sure, she’s come a long way and her path is a bit more honorable now, but she’s got an agenda, which makes her hard to trust. Since the Moon is about more feminine energies and has themes of illusion and deception--things look great in the moonlight, but maybe not as they really are--Bo Katan’s our girl.

If I could draw: Head and shoulders profile, double-imaged so you see her face, but her Nite Owl helmet superimposed in profile over it. Nite Owl signet on the bottom. Possibly flanked by her two Nite Owl cronies.

***

19 THE SUN = GREEF KARGA

Everything's sunny when Greef’s around! He’s the feel-good gramps that’s going to make any situation A-Ok! If you’ve got a problem, Greef can sort it out...or he knows someone who can! The sun is always gonna shine on you and take you back.

If I could draw: Just Greef smiling and being cheesy with the halo of the sun around him. 

***

20 JUDGEMENT = FENNEC SHAND

This card traditionally shows the resurrected rising from the grave, ready to be judged. Fennec’s got a lot to answer for in her life, but she is being given a second chance, and my number one girl crush is going to do new and wonderful badass things with it.

If I could draw: I’d either just show her opening her gut pocket to show her new works, all full of aura, with her looking down at it reverently. OR I might do a scene of her being rescued by Boba.

~~~

21 THE WORLD = THE HELMET

Din’s helmet is the world he lives in. But it’s also a symbol of The Way. The World represents completion, a wholeness of self and being, the end of the journey. And since Din is our Fool, his journey is an exploration of his morals and honor, what it means to walk the way of the Mandalore, and what the meaning of the helmet is for him. He may choose ultimately to keep it on and go all-in on Mandalorian-4-lyfe (Child of the Watch style), or he may understand that the helmet is just a symbol and the honor was in him all along; he can wear it or not wear it and it’s all the same.

If I could draw: The World usually depicts a circle or sphere of some kind, the symbol of perfect completion. The helmet is close enough, so it takes up the center. Traditionally, there are four symbols in the corners that give more meaning to The World, and I would replace them with The Razor Crest, Grogu, the Mudhorn Signet, and the pulse rifle or blaster. These represent his home, his foundling, his clan, and his religion, all of which make up more of the whole; what it means to him to be Mandalorian.

~~~~~~~~~~

Challenge accepted and faced. 

Adira dops her witchy mic….

[ruzek-halstead]

i remember it all too well

julie has a hard week, but luke is there with excellent cuddling abilities. 

masterlist

It had been a hard week for Julie. While her music career with the boys was starting to take off, she was still a high school student first and had assignments and tests she couldn't ignore. On this day in particular, it was nearing one in the morning and Julie's eyeballs were burning with the need to sleep. But she couldn't, not yet. She had finished an essay for English nearly an hour ago, and she still had to study for a Biology test. At this point, she wasn't sure she was going to make it.

"Okay, what about this?" Julie let her head drop onto her textbook. The boys knew how much she had to get done tonight, and out of solidarity, they were lounged around her room to keep her company. It would have been fine, except Reggie was unable to stop talking at all times, Luke had his guitar and he also had an inability to stop strumming it. Alex recognized she needed peace and quiet, so he shushed his best friends every once in a while. But then Luke started creating riffs for a potential new song, so Alex forgot all about silence and started hitting any surface in the room that could substitute for his drum set. "That sounds sick, dude! Let me get my bass!" At the possibility of having a full-out jam session in her bedroom while she was trying to memorize the human body systems, Julie had to say something. "I really appreciate you guys sticking around, but I think I'm going to head to bed soon," Julie told them with an inevitable yawn. "I'll see you all in the morning." Julie avoided Luke's intense gaze, because he knew her too well. Of course she wasn't planning on going to bed yet, but if they thought so, they would retire for the night. "Okay," Reggie agreed, walking over to Julie to drop a quick kiss on the crown of her head. "Good luck on your test tomorrow! You're going to kill it, like always." Julie sent him a soft smile in return. "Thanks, Reg." "Yeah, you're going to do fantastic," Alex praised, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. "You're the smartest person I know." "You're dead. You don't know many people," Reggie pointed out, staring in confusion. Alex whipped around to glare at him. "Yeah Reggie, I think she knows that." "Anyway, goodnight Jules, see you in the morning!" When she heard the tell-tale sign of their poof, she turned back around to hit the books. But she had been staring at the respiratory system for ages now and it just wasn’t working; she was so exhausted, her brain wasn’t retaining information anymore. “Hey,” Luke murmured quietly. Julie felt his hand crawl under her curls to the nape of her neck in a comforting gesture. “It’s time for some sleep.” His hand softly rubbed at the knots in her neck, then joined his other hand on her shoulders. Julie hummed in satisfaction. It had only been a few weeks that their entire dynamic changed and she was able to feel her newest best friends. And ever since then, they always found an excuse to be in touch with each other. It was amazing how close they’d all gotten immediately after the boys appeared, especially when they had no physical connection at all. Now that they did, they were sure to take full advantage. Luke was especially appreciative of his newfound corporealism. He had always been told that he was very touch-oriented; it was how he liked to show his affection, and it absolutely killed him and that he wasn’t able to do that with Julie. They became so close, so fast, and while it only strengthened their connection further, he could only imagine the possibilities if he had more of a physical ability. But now that he did, he used it to its full extent. “I’m not ready for this test,” Julie moaned, leaning her head down further. It allowed Luke more access to rub the tension out of her shoulders, but he feared her uncomfortable position may only do further damage to her spine. “Your test is during last period. You can study at lunch and during your free period,” he suggested. He had never seen Julie so physically and mentally exhausted and it genuinely worried him; he just wanted to take care of her. “Flynn even offered to help you.” Julie nodded her head. Truth be told, Luke’s ministrations coupled with her utter exhaustion was leading her to fall asleep right there and then. “Alright, it’s bed time,” Luke decided. He guided a sleepy Julie over to her bed and pulled the covers back so she could crawl in. Her curls fanned out across her pillow and he sat at the edge of her bed, mostly to gaze. For the first time that night, she looked so peaceful and he couldn't help himself when his hand snuck up to caress her cheek softly Julie leaned her head closer to his hand. "My brain is so fried. I don't even know what I don't know anymore." "Do you need anything else? I can sneak you that pint of Ben and Jerry's. I don't think Reggie's eaten all of it." "No, I don't want that," Julie replied. She took a moment to study his face, then met his gaze with a soft smile. "I could use a good cuddle though, if you're up to it." Luke kept his facial expression neutral and ignored the way his heartbeat accelerated dramatically. If it was what she needed, who was he to deny her that? Julie scooted over to the other end of the bed to give Luke room to slip in. He leaned back against the headboard and watched quietly as Julie gravitated towards him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head soundly against his chest. "Thanks for being here, Luke," she whispered lowly. Luke brought his arm down to wrap around her. "Of course." The silence was palpable, but it was nice. Luke's hand was softly caressing her arm, and as her breathing deepened, he was fairly convinced she fell asleep. Hypothetically, he could just poof out. But then Julie would quite literally fall through the space he was occupying and it would probably scare her awake and ruin all the relaxation they'd just accomplished. So instead, he started to extricate himself as easily and quickly as possible. But Julie held out; her grip tightened around his waist and he wasn't able to pull himself away. "Please stay." Luke was never good at saying no, much less to girls, and especially not to Julie. "Are you sure?" Luke chuckled nervously. "You got somewhere else to be?" She teased in an airy, sleepy tone. "A hot date, maybe?" He snorted. "Only if you count Reggie. He likes to cuddle too." Silence surrounded them again, and this time, he was certain Julie fell asleep. He was glad she was finally resting; it had been a tough week and he hated nothing more than to see her suffer and not be able to help (school was never his thing). Eventually he dozed off too. When Julie's alarm clock went off on her phone a few hours later, Luke jolted awake. He wasn't used to waking up to a blaring alarm, he was hardly even used to waking up at all. They never used to sleep before, but with their new abilities, along came a weakness. Julie rolled over to turn off her alarm, and when she looked up, she was definitely not expecting to see Alex and Reggie, sitting quietly at her desk with amused expressions. She squealed, relying on her instincts, which happened to be throwing the closest object in her possession (her phone). It hit Reggie square in the gut and he doubled over in pain. "Jesus Christ! Were you guys just watching like weirdos?" Luke finally noticed them as well, watching in amusement as Alex held Reggie up. "Oh, we used to watch you sleep all the time," Luke commented, solely because the horrified look on Julie's expression was worth it. "He's kidding," Alex added with an eye roll. "We are here because Luke didn't come home last night and we were worried sick." Reggie seemed to have recovered from his injury because he was smirking as he said his next few words. "But clearly, we were worried for nothing because he's fine." "Julie took good care of him," Alex teased. Julie's eyes flickered between the two, then back to Luke, who was holding back his own amused smirk. "I have to get ready for school. Get out of my room." "You're not even offering breakfast?" "OUT!" But even as they all filed out of the room, Julie sent Luke one more appreciative glance. 

x

haha, thanks for reading. just a little something i felt like writing. 

tagging: @grootsgillespie || @jayhalsteadcpd || @moreflowersthanweeds || @well-hes-just-too-cute || @echocharm17618 || @leopard-print-slippers || @jandthephantoms || @scribblingfangirl || @n0wornever || @simpformolina || @only-trust-fictional-characters || @snowmione18 || @tellurphantoms || @knitsessed || @carriewilsons || @elitharavenclaw || @wakeupfantoms || @uselessnerdnherblahg || @anotheronechicagobog || @katie-navarro || @bookwormswillruletheworld || @lmaohuh || @unsaid-emily

(p.s. this is everyone on my juke taglist, please let me know if you’d like to be removed so i’m not clouding up your notifications unnecessarily!! :)

join my taglist here

[sunjaesol]

written kind of caffeinated, kind of stoned, kind of sleep-deprived juke | 2043 words | pure fluff

He knew that, rationally, he shouldn’t do it. The word “boundary!” blared in his head and the whole thing was really inconsequential and it was so stupid, but Luke simply couldn’t help himself. Was it because of his crush on her? Most definitely. Should that awareness stop him from doing dumb shit like this? Yes, except here he was.

While Julie was at school, she accidentally let the lights in her room on. And so, Luke poofed from the studio into her room to turn them off. Saving power, right? Doing the right thing, being a good person, definitely not going into her room because it was her room.

There was something relaxing about the space though. A sense of serenity falling on his shoulders every time he stepped inside and let his eyes wander and settle on new nooks and corners he hadn’t discovered yet. F+J scratched in the wood of her wardrobe, a box of pretty seashells, four tubes of the exact same mascara in her vanity. It felt familiar and human and simple and so, so Julie.

He flicked the lights off, the only light source being the sun pouring in and casting the room in a gentle glow. Her pink walls were gentler now, the colour of peaches and reminding him of summer nights with his boys on the beach. (It also reminded him of Julie’s peach deodorant that always hung around her and involuntarily made him zero in on her. Alex would argue he was always looking at her, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that the thought of peaches only held fond memories - new memories that now included her too.)

Alright. The lights were off. He did his good deed. He should go back to the boys… 

His feet moved on their own accord and plopped down on her bed, sinking into the mattress. His hands caressed the soft comforter, a smile tugging on his lips that thank the fucking music gods, he could still touch and feel things. He would’ve gone insane in an instant if they weren’t able to be in contact with anything or anyone. It was unfathomable to Luke - not hugging Reggie or massaging Alex’s shoulders or grabbing Julie’s hand. To him, music was just another way to share that sensation of contact with people. Didn’t matter if it was loud and rough or quiet and intimate, a ballad or a rock anthem. Connection: that was all he ever needed. 

His fingers slid further and suddenly he was laying on his back, staring at the ceiling. Oh, man. Now he really couldn’t leave. Her bed was so comfortable! Definitely better than the mattress he had at his folks or, even worse, the couch. That thing broke his back the last months. Ha, Luke noted bitterly, maybe it was better that he hit the bucket then. Rather dead and setting the stage on fire than living with a hernia, right? 

Though Luke still slept (habit? he guessed?), he has never felt sleepy. The boys just hung around or hit the streets and then eventually felt that tug of human normalcy. “Maybe we should go to sleep, guys. Big day ahead.” He didn’t dream. It was just black. It wasn’t unwelcome; just… empty. 

But here, laying on Julie’s bed and letting his eyes blur and rest, Luke felt sleepy. Sufficiently exhausted. He didn’t know where that sudden slam of the hammer came from, but he kind of liked it. It made him feel like he was the one that went to school today, or had a tiring shift at some fast food shack, or played a gig. He stretched himself like a star, grinned as all the joints in his back popped, and then rolled on his side. Fucking heaven. 

‘What’re you doing here?’

The faraway voice lulled the groggy Luke awake. He felt like he was hit by a truck. Where was he? 

‘Hmph?’

She chuckled, his mind speeding up at just the sound and realising that shit, he did fall asleep on her bed and she caught him. His eyes cracked open, coming face to face with an amused Julie hovering on the side of the bed. His brain supplied him with the thought that she looked pretty, reminding him once again that yup, he still liked her. A sheepish smile crawled on his lips. 

‘Hey, Jules.’

She rolled her eyes and then roughly pushed him to the other side of the bed. He squeaked, grabbing onto the comforter as to not fall off and gawked at her. 

‘Dude!’

‘This is my side of the bed,’ Julie said, pointing at the indent he made. ‘If you’re going to sleep here, it’s on the other side.’

He let out a relieved breath. ‘You’re not mad?’

‘Depends.’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘Why were you in my room?’

Waving his hands towards the ceiling, he muttered. ‘Your lights were still on.’

His reply visibly mellowed her, so much that it kind of surprised him. Her smile melted into those she gave him whenever he found a gnarly lyric or impressed her with a riff or met her halfway for the mic onstage. During those moments, it was hard to deny there wasn’t more, that both knew there was more, but couldn’t really do anything about it. It was really depressing. “Yeah, Jules, I’m fucking crazy about you. Wanna make out and hope I don’t disappear the next day?” Even his impulsive streak wasn’t that extreme. 

He hadn’t expected her to smile like that right now. Not when he laid on her bed and her hair was begging for his fingers to slip through and the spot he slept on was still warm. He almost poofed away. Were they going to touch on the “more”? Was this it? 

‘Thanks,’ she eventually whispered, eyes dropping and meeting his again with a shyer smile and he knew he was sporting the exact same. A beat passed between them, eyes locked and unwavering. His fingers twitched. 

‘Uh…’ Mustering back some rationality, he said: ‘Do you want me to leave, or?’

Her hands stretched out. ‘No!’ Face twisting to something he could only describe as “cringe”, she went on a little calmer. ‘You can- it’s fine. I’m just going to do some homework anyway.’

He watched as she and her backpack found a place on the bed, both very close and very far away all at once. It shouldn’t be intimate, but it was. He was seventeen and she was sixteen and he was pretty sure his crush wasn’t completely one-sided and she just allowed him to stay. There wasn’t music or a guitar or a songbook to hide behind and it sort of terrified him. But in a good way? Like when he went cliff diving and stood at the edge, stomach whooping at the thought of jumping, or when he was at the top of a rollercoaster and the cart slowly began to tilt. It was that. The feeling of quiet exhilaration. 

All of that just cause Julie sat next to him bend over a history worksheet. Get a fucking grip, dude. 

He didn’t know how long she worked on her homework or how long he stared at the ceiling, hands weaved beneath his head, but it mustn’t been long. The weight shifted and suddenly Julie’s head fell on her pillow with a sigh. 

‘No, no, no, Julie,’ he teased, ‘gotta keep those grades up, right?’

She rolled on her side to stick her tongue out. ‘Very funny. You maybe don’t remember it anymore, but school’s exhausting.’

Luke also shifted on his side, chuckling. ‘Jules, it haunts me. That’s why I dropped out.’

‘Cute pun.’

‘Thanks.’ And then, because Luke was never one to overthink: ‘I like this.’

That smile of her came back, the one he always wanted to see. Her eyes crinkled and her lips slightly parted and so incredibly beautiful. He heard music when he looked at her. Death became sweeter if it meant he’d get to stare at the girl of his dreams. It was a morbid thought, but then again, he didn’t deem himself dead whenever he was around her. Luke probably felt so alive around her that it surprised him later on that he wasn’t. 

He wasn’t a ghost. Not to her. She didn’t need to tell him for him to know that. 

Julie tentatively held her hand out in the space between, palm up and smudged with ink. When he placed his on top, fingers barely intertwining but the sensation like a shot of oxygen, she murmured: ‘Me too.’

They didn’t plan for it to become routine, but it also felt kind of inevitable. Nearly every day, Luke would go to Julie’s room when he knew her day at school was nearing its end and waited on her. She’d come in and briefly recapitulate the day (usually some story regarding an annoying teacher and Flynn with a killer comeback), sliding down on her side of the bed and hold his hands. Some days, her fingertips quietly wandered the lines on his palms, some days his did. It was always quiet. Though the only ones in her room, they whispered. This wasn’t a secret (the boys were keenly aware where Luke spent his afternoons), but it felt wrong to speak at a normal volume when the other was so close.  

As the days progressed, they shifted closer. Not intentional, but once again inevitable. Everything about them felt like that nowadays. The longer he was around, the more he realised that this - the bond he shared with Julie - was always meant to happen. Whenever his thoughts meandered to those cosmically impossible ideas of serendipity and couldn’t wrap his head around it, Julie was always there with her smile to bring him back to earth. Or, well, to bed.

And then one day, Julie came home from school, saw him, and without saying anything, crawled right into his chest. His heartbeat didn’t pick up like he expected. It eased and relaxed, sinking deeper into the matress as his eyes fell shut from pure fucking bliss and hugged her closer. Her peach deodorant overwhelmed his senses in the best way possible, burrowing his face in her neck and her smile stretching against his sweater. She was warm and perfectly fit into the curve of his body and he was in love. The acceptance should’ve ached, but it didn’t. How could he think about tomorrow when Julie Molina was wrapped in his arms?

Time froze those afternoons. As long as she kept her head on his chest, as long as they didn’t leave the bed, their island, then nothing could hurt them. 

One afternoon, when the sun was reflecting pink and purple splotches on the walls and he was contently dissecting each curl, his heart so full it could explode, he said it. ‘I wanna do this forever.’

He felt her chuckle. ‘Inspecting my hair like a monkey, or…?’

Luke squeezed her closer. ‘C’mon, Jules.’

Her giggles quieted, chin sliding up his chest to look at him. If she found devotion shimmering behind the green, she was correct. He hoped that the warm flickering in her brown ones was the same. 

Her voice was small. ‘You do?’

He nodded, every movement too big or too loud, afraid it would ruin the perfect quietude surrounding them. The room melted away, her face all that was left. Before he let the tug in his chest (the same thread that looped them in this embrace) guide him closer, she got there first. Julie surged upwards, barely needing to close any distance to softly find his lips. He cradled her cheek, warmth brimming from every pore on his skin, love pouring from his lips onto hers. It was short and sweet, but their smiles as they did were anything but. It felt like the first flower blooming in spring. Giddy, he kissed her again. He loved her. (It was inevitable.) 

Julie hummed an unknown melody in his ear, lilting and just as giddy, her fingers circling right above his heart. It stammered to blend with hers. Luke met her gaze, noses brushing and smiles private and eyes adoring. She loved him. (It was inevitable.)

‘Then let’s do it forever.’

[bxcketbarnes]

Stupid Mistakes

Pairing: Calum Hood x Reader

Words: 1300+

Request-  Hi I had a dream about Cal and I just immediately thought that you could do it justice? Could I request something where you and cal get into a little spat before he leaves for a few days and he’s worried when he comes back you’ll still be mad or worse, not even there. But he comes home and you’re sleeping all cuddled up in his bed with his shirt on and he realizes you’re not mad you just really miss him? Idk it was one of the best dreams I’ve ever had and I just hope you don’t hate it ❤️

Author's Note: I thought this request was the cutest and definitely wanted to write it. I hope I've done your dream justice! 🥰

Calum's running around the house, trying to find everything he'll need for when he leaves in a few days. The band is attending the VMA's since they're nominated for a few awards and performing as well. You wrap the white towel around your body and step out of the bathroom, almost running into your boyfriend of two years.

A chuckle leaves your lips as you apologize. Calum mumbles incoherently and pushes past you, causing you to frown. You glance over your shoulder as he gathers his toiletries and you furrow your eyebrows.

"I thought you left in a couple of days?" You ask him, tightening your grip on the towel.

"The boys and I are staying at Ashton's before we leave," he plainly states, and your lips part. "It's tradition."

You sit down on the edge of the mattress, clearing your throat while running a hand through your wet hair. "Alright, cool. Tradition. But, were you planning to tell me? 'Cause I thought I'd still have two days with you before you left for almost a week."

"You see me every day, Y/N," Calum tells you and your heart breaks a little at his words. "God forbid I have a bit of alone time with my brothers."

You scoff, getting up from your spot while shaking your head. "I have never ever kept you away from the boys. Ever! So, for you to say that I'm holding you back? Unfair. Because it's not true. Fuck you. Talk to me when you don't have a stick up your ass," you spit while grabbing your clothes before walking out the bedroom door.

Calum continues his packing and feels a bit guilty about how he acted, but his mind is too preoccupied with everything to really know the damage he's done.

-

"Shit," Cal mutters to himself as he gets settled on the plane. Michael glances at him with a questionable look on his face, mumbling a what. "I- I got into a small fight with Y/N before I left and just realized I never resolved it."

Mike winces in response, running a hand through his blonde hair. "Well, you guys have gotten through fights before. I'm sure this one is no different," he comments and Calum sighs.

"No, it's not. I… I practically told her that she holds me back from hanging out with you guys. When it's not true," he mumbles sadly as the plane takes off.

"Fuck."

"Yeah," Calum sighs once more, glancing out the window as his throat begins to close up.

You're sitting on your patio, hand resting on your chin as you look up at the sky. Seeing a plane in the sky makes you look away, a sad sigh leaving your lips as you fiddle with the tea you made.

You weren't mad at him. You honestly could never stay mad at him for very long. You loved him too much. You're just… kind of disappointed that he would think such a thing. He knew you supported him and his band. Knew how much it means to him to see them. You just didn't get it.

You walk back into the place you share with him, seeing Duke sleeping soundly on the large couch. You head towards the bedroom, finding one of his shirts laying on the floor. You pick it up and bring it to your face, inhaling his scent before smiling softly.

You slip your shirt off and put on his instead, hugging yourself while smiling softly. "I miss you," you sigh and glance towards your phone that sits on the bed.

Calum tosses his phone in his hand, debating on whether or not he should call you. He doesn't know if you even want to speak to him. He just hopes you're still there when he comes home. That you didn't leave him.

"Why don't you just call her?" Ashton asks while leaning against the door frame. Calum lets out a sigh and rests his back against the couch.

"Because I don't know if she even wants to speak to me," he tells the drummer and Ashton raises his eyebrow.

"You'd find out if you fucking called her," he states before walking away.

Calum stares down at his phone, smiling at the picture of you. Fuck it. He clicks on your contact before pressing the call button, bringing the phone to his ear.

You hug Cal's pillow as you twitch in your sleep. Your phone vibrates against the mattress for about a minute before sending Calum to voicemail.

He sighs and runs his hand through your hair, going to text you when Luke comes into the room. "Hey, dude, come on. We're up," the blonde states, the bassist nodding his head in response.

Calum locks his phone and leaves it on the couch, following his bandmate out of the dressing room. "I'm such an idiot," the brunette mumbles to himself while grabbing his bass, heading onto the stage.

-

Calum fiddles with his fingers as he steps out of the Uber, staring at the house he shares with you. He breathes out a breath of relief upon seeing your car in the driveway still, knowing that you haven't left him. Or maybe you were waiting for him to come home to do so.

The bassist unlocks his front door, tossing the keys in the ceramic bowl. Duke comes running towards him, a small smile coming to his lips while he crouches down.

"Hey, buddy," he greets and scratches his ears. "Momma here?"

Duke huffs and puffs before running off towards the bedroom. You're sound asleep in the bed you and Calum share, clutching his pillow to your chest. The brunette walks into the bedroom quietly, his heart fluttering in his chest at the sight of you.

You're wearing his favorite shirt, a smile coming to his plump lips as he heads towards the bed. Calum slowly sits on the edge of the bed, his hand gently stroking your arm.

You shuffle in your sleep, your eyes slowly opening at the feeling of something on your arm. "Hm?" You hum groggily and glance towards Calum.

"Sorry to wake you, sweetheart," he gives a pained smile, swallowing thickly as you shift your position.

"Cal?" You whisper and the bassist nods his head. A smile comes to your lips and you grab a hold of his hand, pressing a sloppy kiss to the back of it.

Calum brings his hand to your cheek, stroking the skin softly. "I'm so sorry, baby," he starts and you furrow your eyebrows, staring up at him.

"For what?" You ask in a hushed whisper and Cal glances towards the floor, licking his lips a bit.

"For those things that I said to you… before I left. I… I didn't mean them. I was just so stressed out and everything that I took it out on you," the brown-eyed cutie confesses and you let out a humble sigh.

You sit up, pulling him closer to you. Calum rests his head on your chest, his arms wrapping around your waist. "It's okay, love," you mumble and run your fingers through his hair, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. "I was disappointed at first of course, but I understand. I just want you to talk to me."

He nods his head against you, holding you tighter. "I-I was afraid you weren't going to be here when I got home," Calum mumbles and presses a kiss to your chest.

You tilt his head up, grazing the back of your fingers against his cheek. "I would never leave you, Cal. I'm so, so goddamn in love with you," you tell him and connect your lips together.

Calum lets out a sigh of relief, kissing you back as he pushes himself up a bit. You wrap your arms around his neck, your fingers carding through his hair. "I love you," he mumbles into your lips, resting his forehead against yours. "I love you so much, Y/N."

You smile while sliding your hands down his arms. "You can… always make it up to me," you bite your lip and squeeze his bicep.

He glances up at you, noticing the lustful look in your eyes and a groan leaves his lips. "Oh, absolutely," Calum growls before tugging you down on the mattress a bit, spreading your legs apart.

-

Taglist: @galcalirwin​ @myloverboyash​ @sexgodashton​ @h0tsos​ @gigglyirwin​ @thebookamongmen​ @philthepegacorn​ @frontmanash​ @tea4sykes​ @itsasadfishworld​ @talkfastromance4​ @everyscarisahealingplace​ @maluminspace​ @creator-appreciator​ @g-l-pierce​ @abb-lan-5sos​ @hemmingslftv​ @notinthesameguey​ @another-lonely-heart​ @suchalonelysunflower​ @strawberriesonsummer​

[aliasimagines]

One Hell of a Night // Luke Patterson

a/n: HAPPY HALLOWEEN Y'ALL, it officially passed midnight here.Are you guys going to celebrate Halloween at home? And if so are you going to dress up? Tell me all about it lovelies, I wanna hear it ❤️. prompt 18 nad 15 from this list🎃 this fic is chaotic, hope you enjoy😊

word count: 2692

warnings: a few (three i think?) curse words, and a..uhm a line of dirty talking (I'm sorry I'm not like this all the time I promise 😅) and scary stories

The dry, colorful autumn leaves creaked under hiking boots as you walked into the woods. A smile appeared on your face as you heard some noises. Only a few seconds later you spotted the source. The Sunset Curve. The boys worked on getting the campfire lit while joking and laughing loudly. You stopped by a tree and leaned against it. Alex just hit Reggie on the back for just sitting around and not helping with putting logs and dry leaves on the fireplace. Thanks to Alex, Reggie swallowed the huge marshmello he had in his mouth and started coughing. 

Bobby was trying to light his lighter again and again but it just didn't work. That's when Luke threw a pack of matches at him causing the rhythm guitarist to stumble back and fall into a pile of leaves. You started laughing quietly and walked up to them.

"That wasn't nice of you, babe." you said from behind Luke. He jumped, not noticing you creeping up on him.

"BAH! I almost got a heart attack, y/n!" he shouts pouting. You giggled and placed a small kiss on his cheek. 

"That's what you get for not waiting for me." you smirk. Luke looks down embarrassed and goes to scrape the back of his head. 

"Yeah…Sorry about that. I was too eager to set up the camp." he gestured at the two tents. Both were full of blankets and pillows. It looked super comfortable. You also spotted his acoustic guitar, and a whole bunch of food in you guys' tent. 

"You did a great job."you smiled before walking over to the other boys." Hi guys! What's up?"

"Y/N! Finally! Tell Alex to stop hitting me!" yelled Reggie. You shook your head laughing. 

“Stop being so childish than Reginald!”

“Boys, come on!! It is halloween, have some fun!” and with that you fished out a huge bag of candy from your backpack and threw it into Reggie’s hands. He looked up at you like you were some kind of miracle maker. 

“Is this..is this all candy?” the dark haired boy asked, still in awe. You laughed, nodding your head slightly. 

“Yeah. I don’t really want to think about how much money I spent on sweets.” 

Soon after everyone got to work (this time for real) and the fire was lit in no time. Just as it started to get darker. All five of you sat around the campfire. You sat next to Luke, opposed to  Reggie and Alex. Bobby sat beside them in a camping chair. Thanks to the warm californian weather you didn’t need jackets just yet, despite being the end of october.

"It's getting dark. I think we could get started on the ghost stories?" asked Bobby looking up at the sky then around the little clearing in the woods where your tents were set up. Reggie munched on some candy corns but immediately stopped upon hearing those words. 

"Ghost stories? Don't mind if I do." he sat his candies aside and prepared to tell a story that would send shivers down your spines. You leaned over to Luke, placing your head on his shoulder. He looked down at you with a smile before turning his attention back to the bassist. 

"One day, a little boy, while walking around the woods, found a big toe on the ground. He ran home with it and-" 

"-his mom cooked it in the soup which revolted in the toe's owner haunting them." you suddenly cut Reggie off. He gasps, offended. 

"What? I knew the story. Was I supposed to just sit around?" you ask, earning a soft laugh from Luke. Reggie huffed and gestured at you. 

"Alright then, take it away y/n. See if you can do better."

"Not to be that person but she definitely can. You only said like two sentences." Alex jumped in, not wanting to miss an opportunity to roast his friend. 

"Because she cut me off!!" 

The woods, once again erupted with the boys' laughter as you stared into the fire, waiting for them to quiet down so you can start your story. 

"I was only a small kid when this happened, around five,maybe six, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. My mother was out of town for the weekend because of her work, so naturally, it was my father who read me a bedtime story in the evening. Everything was great, he was reading from my favorite book but right before he could finish the chapter we heard a quiet tapping noise from downstairs. My father looked puzzled and put his finger against his lips, signaling me to stay quiet so he could listen. The tapping didn't stop, it got louder before turning into banging and a final loud crash which sounded like the front door flying open. I looked at my father, scared to death, not knowing what to do." you kept your voice low, your face straight and never removed your eyes from the fire."He grabbed me and quickly ran with me to the small bathroom that was connected to my room. He instructed me to lock my door and only open it when he says so. I don't know what happened after that, but heard my father going down and some muffled noises before hearing him climb back up the stairs. I remember his voice. It was just so nice and comforting. He said it was a false alarm and I could come out. I reached for the doorknob but then he leaned down and looked inside through the keyhole. My little hands stopped midair. I kept staring at his eyes. He repeated that it was safe to come out and that everything was fine. But I did not believe him. Because that wasn't my father. He sounded exactly like him, but his eyes… They were a different color. Not my father's welcoming eye color. So I just stood there. For minutes. Maybe hours. He wouldn't stop talking, reassuring me but I still didn't unlock the door."

Reggie leaned forward with a worried and scared expression.  

"What happened next?" 

You lifted your gaze, slowly to look at the spooked boy. 

"He started tapping. It sounded just like it did on the front door. And it wasn't long before he started banging his hand against the wood." 

"Oh my god.." Reggie whispers. 

"He is hitting harder and harder until finally the door breaks and flies open. And the creature, no longer looking or sounding like my father, rather like a tall bloodied figure with sharp teeth, jumps at me, opening his huge mouth and SWALLOWS ME WHOLE." you shout the last part causing Reggie to scream and the others to jump just a little. 

"Fuuckk, i think I peed myself!" exclaims Reggie. You only laugh, seeing all the boys being a bit paler. 

"So who's next?" 

"I'll go." Luke said beside you and you shifted away from him, knowing that he will need the space to gesture along his story. You watched as he started to speak. His expression changes with every sentence as he introduces his characters. His frown as he talks about a creepy night in the woods. Your eyes wander down to his lips, too busy just staring at them to actually listen to the words that make them move. You distantly hear various curse words from the guys as your boyfriend goes deeper into detail with his horrifying story. With eyes still glued to Luke, you smile slightly. 

"../n...y/n...Y/N!" you hear making you jump and almost falling backwards on the log you have been sitting on. You see all the guys staring at you. 

"How are you not scared? Did you not hear Luke's story?" Reggie asks, earning a knowing laugh from Alex. 

"No, she did not. She was too busy staring at his lips." as your friend's words hit your ears you feel your face heating up. 

"Dude..,alright I might have zoomed out. A bit but I am here now. Where were you, babe?" 

Luke looks at you, amused. 

"I finished like 3 minutes ago. You 'zoomed out' for legit 20 minutes." 

Looking up at the sky, you realized they were right because it got pitch black since you last looked up. Your lips curved into an 'o' shape before mumbling a sorry.. 

“We should put more wood on the fire. It's starting to weaken.” says Reggie. Bobby points into the dark woods.

“Suit yourself, man.” 

“What? I am not going alone. Someone come with me.” he whines. Alex visibly changes his posture and sits into a more comfortable position.Luke puts his muscular arm around your shoulder grinning.

“You’re on your own, man.”

“No! Please??”

You bite back a laugh and carefully remove Luke’s arm from you. 

“Alright, I’ll go with you.” 

“Thank you!You are amazing!” 

You grab the basket ,that’s been laying on the ground, for the twigs. You also reach into your bag for your flashlight. 

“Ok, I’m ready to go.” you step towards Reggie but Luke grabs your hand and places a small kiss on it. 

“Be careful, love.”

“Always.”

The two of you start walking towards the woods.

“Try not to pee yourselfs guys!” Alex calls after you in a sing-song voice.

“Ha ha, very funny Alex.”

To be honest you were a little spooked but didn’t show it.Not like Reggie who was literally shaking beside you and jumped up at every little noise he heard as you got further into the woods. You picked up a few sticks and bigger twigs, slowly filling the basket with them. Or rather, you tried but when Reggie stoped right in front of you you accidentally dropped it spilling the stuff everywhere.

“Dude! I am trying to help you here!”

“Shhhhh! Didn’t you hear that?” he whispers, voice panicked. 

“Come on, Reg. This isn’t going to work on me.”

He turns to look at you.

“No, y/n! I am serious! I heard a whisper! I’m sure of it!”

You roll your eyes, not believing your friend.

“You gotta be more convincing next time. I dont scare that easily..AH” just as you assured Reginald how it takes more for you to get spooked, someone, or something grabbed you from behind and started to pull you while shouting ‘WAA’. The flashlight landed on the ground too as you let out a bloodcurdling scream. You kicked your attacker(s?) wherever you could. 

“Ahh! WHoo, stop, it’s just us.” you suddenly hear your boyfriend's voice and feel the arms around you letting go. You turned around your fear vanishing and turning into anger.

Reggie behind you falls on the ground,clutching his chest while he tries not to cry.

“ARE YOU GUYS INSANE?!” you shout at Luke and Booby. Alex is nowhere to be seen, he probably stayed next the fire to keep an eye on your stuff. Luke's eyes immediately  widen upon hearing you raise your voice.

“I..I am sorry we thought-”

“What?! Lucas Patterson I am, so, so mad at you right now” you say shaking. You hear Bobby giggle quietly. You snap your head in his direction. “And don't even get me started on you Bobby...Bobby..uhm” you stop to think about his surname, only to realise you don’t know it. For a moment you let go of your anger. “What is your surname?”

He only scoffs and smiles. Alex must have heard the shouting and come to investigate with a flashlight in one hand and a drumstick (as a weapon?) in his other.He soon puts them down tho as he sees that you are all in one piece. Luke looks at Bobby with a puzzled expression.

“That is actually creepy, cause I don’t know it either.”

“What?! How? He has been in a band for, what? A year and a half? And you never actually asked his last name?” you ask, more interested in the mystery of Bobby’s name than shouting at them now. Luke shrugs.

“Do you even have a last name?” you hear Reggie asking from the ground. You all turn to him with questioning looks.

“Everyone has a last name Reginald.” says Alex.

“Not celtic gods, no.” he responds.

“What?” Luke exclaims clearny not understanding the bassist.

“Bobby is not a god.” says the drummer annoyed. “ He is a normal teenager like us.”

“Is he tho?”

Meanwhile Bobby leans back against a tree and stares at Reggie.

“You are creeping me out...Please stop creeping me out oh majestic god of...what are you the god of?”

Booby just smiles mysteriously. 

“Oh for f…’s sake.Y/N back me up here, there are no gods and even if there were, Bobby is not one of them.”

“Thanks Alex but I am not offending a celtic god.”

“What is wrong with you guys?!”

Luke doesn’t know who to look at in this chaos. Soon he decides to pick up the twigs and collect more while you, Reggie and Alex argue whether Bobby is a god or not. Bobby bends down too, to help the lead singer.

“You do know my name is actually Wilson, right?” 

“Yeah. Of course I do, I think Reggie does too, he just forgot.” the two boys laugh. 

You all walk back to the camp and Booby, upon seeing Reggie still looking at him suspiciously walks over to him.

“I am not an ancient god, you know.”

“That is exactly what I would say too.”

Not hearing Reggie’s nonsense reminds you of what Luke did so when you feel him wrapping his arms around you, you push him away.

“I sorry, bae. I was an asshole. I shouldn’t have. Please look at me?” he stands before you so there is no way you can avoid him.

“Don’t do this again.” you said with a firm tone. You can't help but smile, seeing Luke’s shit eating grin. He opens his arms once again but waits for you to hug him first. You do, and for minutes you just stand there in his embrace. The silence was broken by the familiar sound of the acoustic guitar which was followed by Reggie’s voice as he started to play some country song. 

“Dude, no, put down my guitar.”Luke ran off to get his instrument or to, at least convince him to play ‘normal’ music. You laugh and walk over to Alex and Bobby.

“Hey, y/n, I am sorry about scaring you.”

You wave your hand. 

“It’s fine. However don’t be surprised when I get back at you.” you say before sitting down next to Reggie and giving him a hug because let’s be honest he was pretty traumatised in the woods too.

“Woo,hey! Why does he get a hug?” Luke asks, upset he couldn’t change Reggies mind about playing country songs. And from the fact that his girlfriend was hugging him.

“Maybe because you decided that it was a funny idea to scare the living shit out of him and I.”

“Stop guilt tripping me.” he pulls you up and away from the fire, closer to the tents. ”I said I am sorry. And you are right, I shouldn’t  have scared you. Besides…” he leaned closer to your ear “I know more fun ways to make you scream.”

You gasp upon hearing his words and right when you are about to react Alex walks by casually. 

“No, no. With the tents it’s like we are sleeping next to each other. If you guys try anything I will murder you myself.”

Both of you look after him, blushing before breaking into laughter.

Luke’s watch showed 3:58 when you all agreed to call it a night.You put out the fire with the help of Bobby while Luke went to pack away the trash you all left out.

Reggie yawned and looked up at Alex.

“I am still pretty scared...Can I cuddle you Alex?”

He looks at him like he heard it wrong.

“Absolutely not.”

“What about you Bobby?”

“No way, Reg.”

Despite them saying this, all three of them woke up hugging each other in the morning.

[suituuup]

pieces - chapter one

Five years ago, Chloe dropped off the face of the Earth. Beca sees her again in the most unexpected place.

rating: M (drug abuse, mention of sexual abuse in later chapters) word count: 2,100

ao3 link

*

“Any messages, Gina?”

Beca Mitchell strode out of the elevator, high heels clicking on marble flooring on her way to her office.

Her assistant rushed to walk alongside her, notebook opened as she handed Beca her second coffee of the day, which Beca took with an appreciative smile.

“Mr. Mendes needs to push back his meeting to Thursday, and Mr. Hozier-Byrne is waiting for a call back, preferably before 2 as he’s five hours ahead.”

Beca rounded the corner to her office and dragged her leather desk chair back, shrugging off her woolen trench coat and draping it over the back. “Got it, remind me what I have planned today?”

“You’re having lunch with Mr. Zimmer at the Plaza to discuss Jesse’s project, and apart from the weekly team meeting at five, you’re expected at Edgy Reggie’s party from 10 pm at the Sapphire.”

A groan surfaced from Beca’s throat and her eyes slammed shut as she plopped down on her chair. “I forgot about that. Luke can’t go?”

Gina winced and shook her head. “Family dinner.”

“Family dinner, my ass. His whole family lives back in fucking England,” Beca muttered before she could help it, throwing her assistant an apologetic smile. “Sorry. Thanks, Gina. Hold my calls until ten, please?”

“Of course, Ms. Mitchell.”

As she did every morning while sipping her coffee, Beca listened to demos over the next hour, forwarding them to Luke if any of those yet-unknown artists spiked her interest enough to sign them into their label.

The rest of the day consisted of two meetings, a dozen calls, countless email exchanges, and not enough studio time. A thick blanket of darkness had veiled the city by the time she closed her laptop and called it a day. She stretched her neck and took a moment to gaze at the lit skyscrapers through her floor to ceiling windows, sighing softly.

It was sometimes weird to think about how this was her life. How the asocial, grumpy freshman from thirteen years ago had made it to the top of the music business and now co-owned one of the biggest labels throughout the country.

Scratch that, throughout the  world.  

Snapping out of her daze, Beca stood and slipped on her coat, plucking her phone off the desk to call herself a Lyft home. She had just about time to take a shower and eat dinner before heading to that stupid party.

*

Beca could think of a million things she’d rather be doing right now as she strode down the wet sidewalk towards the lit  GIRLS  red neon sign in the distance a couple of hours later.

She told herself one drink, an hour tops, then she could head home, put on her pajamas, and finish that true-crime TV show she started yesterday.

“Name?” A dude bulkier than the freaking Rock asked her as she made it to the club door.

“Um, Beca Mitchell. I’m Edgy Reggie’s producer.”

Her artist had privatized a strip-club for his celebration party over his album hitting Platinum, and Beca couldn’t  not  show up, as... well, he was an important client and brought her label the big bucks.

The guy checked his clipboard and nodded, hitching his thumb over his shoulder. “You’re good to go.”

Casting the bouncer a nod, Beca ducked inside the dimmed, crowded club, wincing at the crappy music heavily pumping through the speakers. Three girls in bikinis and heels stood on platforms, twisting their bodies around dancing poles as dozens of dudes reclined back in leather sofas, shamelessly ogling their forms.

Beca’s nose crinkled as she scanned the room for her artist.

“Yo, Beca!”

Her gaze snapped to the left corner, catching sight of Edgy Reggie (he didn’t want to change his stage name, no matter how much Beca insisted) waving her over.

“Hey,” she cast him a tight-lipped smile, tucking her straight hair behind her ears. She nodded at the other dudes sitting around the low table. “What’s up.”

“Guys, this is the girl behind the magic of my album,” Edgy Reggie explained, throwing an arm over her shoulders before Beca could squirm away. “She is  fire. ”

Beca chuckled awkwardly, then pointed over her shoulder. “I’m gonna go get myself a drink.”

Maybe two come to think of it, so she could get herself through this.

She headed to the bar and ordered an old-fashioned, fishing in the inside of her coat pocket for her credit card.

“Thanks,” she muttered when the barmaid (also clad in a bikini that left very little to the imagination) came back with her drink, handing her her card just as the club’s speaker made an announcement.

“Ladies and Gentleman, please welcome to the stage…  Ariel! ”

The crowd cheered and hooted, Beca glancing over her shoulder to see what all the fuss was about.

There was no amount of alcohol that could have prepared her for the scene unfolding before her.

There, on the main stage, strutted in a redhead, only wearing a silver g-string and high heels. Beca would have recognized that shade of hair anywhere, and while the lighting in the club was low, there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that this girl -- Ariel -- was her former best friend.

Her former best friend who had dropped from the face of the Earth almost five years ago, without so much as an explanation. She hadn’t just stopped talking to Beca, but to all of them, even Aubrey. She was nowhere to be found on social media and when Beca had tried calling her after six months without news, she found out Chloe’s phone number had been disconnected. It wasn’t like they talked on a daily basis before that. After three years spent living on opposite sides of the country, the texts started coming further in between, their communication coming down to a few check-ins a year and on birthdays, until they eventually stopped.

Fearing the worst, Aubrey had called Chloe’s parents, who assured her she was fine, working as a vet in NYC and in a committed relationship. While relieved, the news stung Beca, as it was clear Chloe had deliberately ceased contact.

It took some time, but Beca eventually stopped thinking about her so much, especially when she started getting successful as a music producer and pouring her time and energy into her projects. She soon won her first Grammys, Gold, and Platinum records featured in notorious magazines and talk shows. She could stop working tomorrow and money wouldn’t become an issue, but Beca didn’t like to boast about her fortune, or fame, for that matter.

Despite being insanely busy, she still kept in touch with the other Bellas in their group chat, but she hadn’t seen any of them in a couple of years, missing the last reunion because of her job.

Beca’s mind steered back to the present, where the once most important person in her life was currently dancing for money. Men were staring hungrily at her as she sensually moved around the pole or bent over with her ass in the air to collect dollar bills from the floor, and Beca suddenly felt sick.

This couldn’t be her dream job, right? Something  had  to have happened for her to settle for this.

Beca grabbed her drink and knocked it back, flagging the barmaid down for another as her mind reeled as to what to do.

She needed to talk to Chloe. In private. Tonight, as soon as she finished… parading in front of these disgusting fuckboys. Only… she wasn’t sure Chloe wanted to talk to her.

“Hey,” she said when the barmaid came back as an idea struck. “How do I get a private lap dance with one of the girls?”

The girl raised a surprised eyebrow. “Backroom, hun. Who do you want?”

“Ariel.”

The platinum blonde let out a curt laugh. “Ariel doesn’t do lap dances, babe.”

Beca’s eyebrows knitted together in a heavy frown. “Why not?”

“Because she’s the boss’ favorite.”

Beca didn’t know what that meant exactly, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to find out as another wave of nausea swept over her insides. “Is your boss here tonight?”

The barmaid scanned the room quickly, nodding. “He’s the guy over there in the suit.”

“Thanks.” She took her drink and headed over to where the fifty-something dude was talking to another guy. Stepping up to them, she ignored their glares over her interrupting their conversation. “Hey. Are you the manager?”

The dude who looked like he ran a mafia mob turned a bit more towards her. “What’s this about?”

“How much for a private dance with Ariel?”

His gaze flickered over Beca’s shoulder towards the stage, then sized Beca up, unimpressed. “She’s not available, kid.”

Beca gritted her teeth at the condescending tone of his voice. “Not even for ten grand for twenty minutes?”

He slow-blinked, then burst out laughing. “Yeah, right.”

“I’m being serious. Ten grand, twenty minutes. Alone in a room, just the two of us.”

The man’s expression hardened. “And I said she’s not  available .”

“Twenty grand.” Hell, she’d throw half a million on the table if that’s what was needed to talk to Chloe. After a beat, she added, “And no touching. That’s not what I’m here for.”

The manager seemed to consider her offer for a handful of seconds. “You got the money?”

Dammit.  She couldn’t withdraw that much right now, she needed to call her bank. “Tomorrow night.”

He smirked, snickering. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

He turned back to his buddy, leaving Beca grumbling under her breath as she turned around and stalked out of the club. She couldn’t stay. She couldn’t stand the sight of Chloe objectifying her body for money.

As soon as she got home, Beca fired up her computer and typed in Chloe’s name in her browser. Apart from old stuff on the Bellas, she found nothing relevant. Chloe appeared to still be MIA from any social media.

Beca grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contacts, bringing the device to her ear.

“What’s wrong?”  

“How do you know something’s wrong?”

“We call each other twice a year on our respective birthdays and stick to the Bellas chat for the rest.”  

Beca nibbled on her bottom lip. “I found Chloe.”

A long stretch of silence on the other end of the line followed.  “What?”  

“I saw her tonight, Aubrey.”

“Where??”

“At a strip club. She’s… a stripper.”

“What? Did you talk to her?”  

“No. She was performing on stage. But I will. I’m… buying a lap dance from her tomorrow. I figured… she’ll have to listen to me since she’s being paid for it.” Her eyes slammed shut, scrunching up her nose. “I don’t know. It might be a bad idea, but-- I just wanna make sure she’s okay, you know?”

“Yes, of course. Keep me posted?”  

“I will. Talk to you soon.”

Beca shuffled to bed after that, but sleep never came. Her mind kept reeling about Chloe, about what she might say to her once they were face to face, and the possibility that Chloe might shoot her down and refuse to talk to her.

She spent her Saturday trying and failing to make some progress on an ongoing project, willing time to tick faster so she could head back to the club. Mid-afternoon, she headed to the bank to withdraw twenty grand, tucking the envelope in her purse.

“Why does it feel like you’re doing something illegal, Beca?” She muttered to herself on her way out of the bank, slightly paranoid about carrying so much cash on her.

The club was just as crowded when she got there around 10 pm. A different girl danced on the main stage and the manager was nowhere in sight, so Beca perched herself on a stool at the bar, ordering herself another old-fashioned.

“Is your boss around?” She asked the barmaid, a different girl from last night.

“Who’s asking?”

“Tell him the person who wants Ariel is here.”

The girl’s eyebrows shot up at that but she didn’t say anything, nodding before strutting away. Beca sipped at her drink for the next twenty minutes, keeping her back to the stage.

The manager eventually appeared in her peripheral, and he leaned an elbow over the counter, lacing his fingers. “So what’s so special about Ariel?”

Beca slowly set her drink down and fished for the envelope, pushing it towards him while keeping her gaze straight ahead. “I like redheads.”

He plucked the envelope off the counter and peered inside. Twenty stacks of ten hundred dollar bills in exchange for twenty minutes with Chloe.

He nodded. “Follow me.”

Beca finished the rest of her drink, the alcohol managing to muffle her nerves some as she followed the manager towards the back of the club, and down a set of stairs. Her heart pumped hard in her ears and her palms started to sweat as she was led inside a dimly lit room with a handful of sofa chairs and a small stage with a dancing pole, some kind of music that seemed straight out of a porno carrying through the speakers. A spiral staircase was tucked in the right corner, and she guessed that is where the strippers made their entrance from.

Beca wondered how far things usually went in these kinds of private rooms.

She wondered how far  Chloe  went.

She cast the guy a tight-lipped smile and a nod before he closed the door, and paced the room for a little while, eventually lowering herself on one of the leather chairs and wiping her palms on her designer slacks.

The clicking of heels over metal made Beca’s spine snap straighter. She resisted the urge to look over her shoulder as the steps grew nearer, digging her nails into her thighs as a new round of nerves gripped her insides.

“Good evening, sweetheart,” the huskiness of Chloe’s voice made Beca swallow, and she felt a hand run over her shoulders as Chloe approached from behind.

Glancing up, Beca met familiar, ocean blues.