#the theme is um. exercise <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[reunitedinterlude]

all or nothing: the album

track 6: training montage

[sadprose-auroras]

On Top – Hazel Callahan x reader

Hi! I have been able to think of literally nothing else but this character, so I simply had to. Shoutout to all the incredible writers who have been doing the lord’s work writing for Hazel already, you’re all amazing <3 I just had to add my little contribution.

Content: mild violence, sexual themes and making out, cursing, out of practise writing, no use of y/n.

Summary: Cheerleader!reader and Hazel have the hots for each other. Other stuff contextualises that, but it’s not as interesting. That’s about it. Please let me know if you enjoy! Word count: 4.4k

You first heard about the club when PJ and Josie approached you in the hallway as you were searching desperately for a book in your locker.

“Where is it?” you mumbled to yourself, when the pair came up behind you suddenly.

“Hey!”

You yelped in surprise, whipping around.

“Oh, hi. PJ. Josie.” You smiled. You weren’t particularly close with the two best friends, but you were friendly. Josie, more so. It wasn’t hard to be a little annoyed when you saw PJ treat Hazel the way she did. Okay, so maybe it infuriated you. Sure, your immense crush on Hazel might have had something to do with it, but nobody deserved to be tossed aside carelessly like that.

“What’s up? Um, we have a proposition for you,” Josie said. You frowned.

“Okay, what is it?” You were suddenly a little nervous.

“We think there is a serious lack of female solidarity at this school,” said PJ.

“Agreed,” you nodded. And you really did.

“So we’ve started this women’s, uh, like, um, solidarity club, to help us, y’know, come together, beat the patriarchy, learn to defend ourselves, it’s in the gym after school if you feel like coming along?” PJ asked.

“That actually sounds great.” You were excited. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t slightly terrified of everything that was going on.

“Really? Great! And we were thinking that maybe you could bring along, y’know, some of your friends? Like- oh gosh, for example, Brittany and Isabel? Or-or- any of your, y’know fellow cheerleaders.”

You suppressed a smile. They were so not obvious. But you were down. Although you were considered fairly popular being a cheerleader, you were keen to hang out with some other girls. It felt like nobody truly understood you.

“I make no promises about Brittany and Isabel but I’ll ask! I’ll see you guys then,” you smiled, closing your locker. The bell rang, and you said your goodbyes as you headed off to class. You gave up on finding your book. Classes were weirdly short at your school, anyway.

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It didn’t take much convincing to get your friends to join you. Isabel was immediately excited about the club, and Brittany, bless her soul, followed Isabel anywhere she went. Your shoes awkwardly squeaked on the gym floor as the three of you walked in and approached the group. All eyes turned to the three of you, some sitting, some standing, and a silence fell among everyone. You cleared your throat, speaking up first.

“Hey, this is the women’s solidarity club, right? We want to join.”

To your surprise, Hazel was the first to bound over and smile. Your heartbeat rapidly increased and your cheeks warmed, so you quickly looked down, avoiding eye contact.

“Hey you guys, come on in! We were just about to start-“

“Trust exercises.” Josie interrupted.

“Wrestling- wrestling each other.” PJ said at the same time, her eyes locked on Brittany. “It’s a fight club, actually.” You frowned. Surely if you were going to start a club, you’d have a clear picture of what it was going to be first? They seemed to have no idea what they were doing.

Your friend seemed completely ignorant, or at the least unphased by PJ’s crush on her. Hazel cleared her throat, and you felt a surge of sympathy for the girl. Not that you would ever tell her that. You could barely look at her without melting into a puddle. Her big, dreamy eyes that you could pretty much drown in. Her smooth-as-honey voice. Her radiant smile. The way she was so sweet to everyone, even if they didn’t deserve it. How she was simultaneously so sure of herself, seemingly so confident. Her floppy hair that was always getting in her eyes, and just looked so soft that you always wanted to just reach out and-

Oh shit. You were definitely staring now. You looked away quickly, heart racing.

“We’re not supposed to talk about th-“ Josie mumbled to PJ. “It’s a self defence club,” she explained to the group. “Come on,” she gestured, and you all gathered in a circle, sitting down. Hazel sat next to you, and you had never been so aware of somebody’s physical presence before. All you needed to do was move your leg over a few inches and hers would be touching yours. You were vaguely aware of PJ explaining that you were going to practise defending yourselves against each other, but you were only half listening. You were too busy staring at Hazel’s knee. It was so close to yours. You were snapped out of your thoughts by her knee nudging yours. You looked up at Hazel, mortified that you were caught out.

“That’s you,” Hazel said.

“Huh? What? Oh,” you laughed nervously, putting two-and-two together. Josie had said your name. You gulped. You really didn’t want to go first. Surely fighting each other was counterintuitive for solidarity? You sat up, moving to the middle of the circle.

“And um… Hazel.” Josie said. Your eyes widened. You particularly didn’t want to fight her. What if you hurt her?

“Right, okay,” Hazel chuckled awkwardly, standing up to move into the middle as well. You smiled at each other nervously and began circling each other.

“C’mon!” someone shouted.

“Hit each other!” somebody else yelled even louder. Your heart racing, you took a step forward, swinging your fist, nowhere near as hard as you could have, cringing as you did so. Hazel, thankfully, ducked, and you missed. Continuing to circle each other, you both laughed nervously.

The group shouted encouragements, egging you both on. Hazel swung this time as you attempted to dodge. You didn’t quite move fast enough though, and her fist made contact with your cheekbone. You bit back a smile. It was not okay how much you enjoyed it.

“Get her, Hazel! Slay queen!” Sylvie shouted, as she swung again, and this time you ducked quickly. Using the opportunity, you thought you’d better try again, and attempted a right hook, cringing internally when your fist made contact. Hazel smiled. She actually smiled.

“Nice one,” she said, hitting you again, knocking you down onto your back. Amidst the shock, you were vaguely aware of your lip bleeding from where Hazel’s ring made contact. Before you could move to get up, she was on top of you, hips straddling yours, pinning down your wrists. The way her body was pressed against yours made your head spin and your breath quicken. Not to mention the throbbing between your thighs. Your cheer skirt had ridden up in the process, and it was difficult not to notice the only thing covering you were the thin bike shorts underneath.

“Ready to give up yet?” she asked, smirking. You smiled, using all of your strength to push her off you, the two of you rolling over so now you were on top of her. There was something about this particular situation that was making you so much more brave then usual.

“Definitely not,” you replied. There was a bit of back and forth as you rolled around, eventually ending up on your back, Hazel on top of you. Not that you were complaining. The soft noises she made, grunting and groaning as you fought, were possibly the hottest sounds you had ever heard in your entire life. It made you wonder what she sounded if they were noises of pleasure, instead of pain, if she might moan in delight if you were to kiss her neck, if you were to be between her legs, how she would gasp-

“Hazel wins!”

Oh fuck. Your train of thought had absolutely distracted you. You literally had forgotten to keep fighting back, too busy enjoying yourself. Hazel stood up, the loss of the feeling of her against you a large disappointment. You picked yourself up as well, wincing at the pain. Hazel was looking pretty worse for wear as well, blood dripping from her nose, hair mused. You vaguely wondered if it was normal to find it incredibly sexy.

“Well done,” you said, as she reached out to shake your hand. God, she was so endearing. You tried to ignore how much sweat had pooled on your palms.

“You too,” she said, “you were amazing.”

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

The next few weeks in the club were truly amazing. Despite the fighting being the thing to bring all of you together, you really felt like you had bonded with every single one of the girls more than you could have imagined. There was a beauty in the trust you put in each other’s hands to be that violent with each other.

More than anything, you felt closer to Hazel. You could actually speak to her without feeling like you were going to explode with anxiety, instead wanting to explode with affection. The pair of you had developed a habit of sitting next to one another, and after every meeting you would hang around after everyone else had left, caught up in conversation. Those small moments were such a safe space, they felt electric; you felt like you could tell her anything and she would listen. And vice versa.

Well. Almost anything.

The two of you were sitting cross-legged in the middle of the gym floor, facing each other. You couldn’t even remember how long ago everyone else had left.

“I dunno, I just feel like this is the first time I’ve had actual, real, friends in school, you know?” Hazel said. The sadness in her eyes and twitch in her brow made you want to scream, to grab the shoulders of anyone who didn’t want to be her friend and ask what the fuck was fundamentally wrong with them.

You nodded sympathetically.

“Me too. I mean, I love Brittany and Isabel, but we didn’t even talk about anything that wasn’t cheer or schoolwork or petty relationship drama until we joined the club. Now we talk about real things.”

“That’s so great,” Hazel said softly, turning your insides to mush.

“You’re so great,” you breathed out quickly, gently placing your hand on her leg before you could think. You cleared your throat, drawing your hand back and placing it back in your lap, clasping your hands together.

“Thank you,” she said your name, and you fought the urge to melt into the floor at the way your name passed through her lips.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and you both whipped your heads to see who it was. PJ wandered in, and you stiffened.

“Hey, I left my backpack.” She jogged up, grabbing it off the ground and swinging it onto her shoulder. “What are you guys doing?”

“Nothing,” you said, possibly a little too defensively.

“Yeah, just talking,” Hazel said, standing up. You basically deflated with disappointment.

“We still on for tonight? I really need some help,” PJ said to Hazel expectedly, and she nodded in response.

“Yeah, for sure. See you later,” she smiled at you, and you tried to hide your disappointment.

“Bye guys,” you waved, waiting until they left to lay down on the floor and groan.

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

“PJ, you’re a liar!”

“Yeah, well, you have no friends and a skank as a mom, so…”

The pain on Hazel’s face was evident. She looked like a kicked puppy. Your blood boiled. How dare PJ say that, after everything Hazel had done for her? Enough was enough. You shot up, stalking over to PJ, rage burning inside of you. With one swift movement, you swung your fist right to the centre of her face, knocking her clean onto the floor.

It suddenly dawned on you what you had done. All of your friends watched in shock, mouths hanging open. Nervously, you turned around, Hazel gazing at you in shock.

“I-uh-“ you stuttered, utterly humiliated. Before you could apologise to PJ for taking it too far, before anyone could say anything, Hazel darted off, the doors shutting loudly behind her.

“PJ, I’m sorry, I-“ you stuttered out to the girl still laying on the floor, before taking off after Hazel.

“Haze, wait!” You followed her figure out the gym, down the hallway, around a corner, and into the toilets.

You entered, taking a deep breath. Hazel was leaning against the sink, chewing on her fingernails.

“Are you okay? I’m so sorry, that was uncalled for. I know you don’t need me to stand up for you, and I know you like PJ, and that was so not my place, and-“ you said quickly. “I’m just really sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologise to me,” Hazel sighed. “You were incredible. I should be thanking you, really.”

“Oh.” You took a small step forward, hands clasped behind your back.

“I don’t like PJ, by the way,” she shook her head, chuckling. Your stomach rolled and dipped.

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” she smiled softly.

“I just hear the way she speaks to you, and I don’t know, I think you deserve better than that,” you shrugged.

“I know I do,” she said, shuffling back and forth nervously. “I just always want to see the best in people, I guess.”

“I love that about you,” you said quickly, without thinking. Blood rushed to your cheeks. You were getting dangerously close to confessing the entirety of your feelings for her. She was the one who made you feel brave. Hazel looked away shyly at this, grinning. God, she was beautiful. You took a moment to admire her.

“That doesn’t mean that you can’t be self-assured and brave at the same time,” you continued. “Really, I’ve always thought that you seem so confident.”

“I’m not as brave as I could be,” she said quietly, scanning your face. “As you.” She inched ever so closer to you. Her eyes were burning into yours, making you feel positively dizzy. “There’s so many things I wish I could do, but I just… don’t have the confidence.” Her voice got quieter and quieter as she spoke.

“Like what?” you asked, nibbling at your bottom lip. You didn’t even remember when you got this close to each other, all you had to do was lean forward just a bit and you would be-

“Oh my god, Hazel are you okay?” the door swung open, and you both jumped back.

“Y-yeah, thanks Josie,” Hazel replied, her adorable face reddening. “It was a wake-up call, if I’m honest.”

“Between you and me, PJ had it coming,” Josie said, placing her hand on your shoulder. You smiled at her gratefully. “Someone had to do it. I really think she’ll come to her senses and realise that she needs to treat you better, Hazel.”

“Thank you. Honestly, I don’t even care that much anymore,” she shrugged, stealing a glance at you. Your breath quickened.

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

It took a few weeks, but everything pretty much went back to normal. PJ was genuinely showing Hazel how sorry she was, appreciating all of the work she did for the club. You and PJ were fine, as well. You forgave each other. Meetings went back to normal, and you found yourself constantly grateful for the group of strong, brave, kind-hearted, supportive girls.

You were currently sitting on your bed, books sprawled out in front of you, ‘studying.’ Okay, so maybe you weren’t entirely concentrating on science homework. Maybe, just maybe, you couldn’t get a certain brunette out of the forefront of your mind. Particularly a certain near-kiss incident. You always presumed there was no way she liked you, that she liked PJ, but now you weren’t sure. Would she have kissed you if you hadn’t been interrupted? Your doorbell rang, and you sighed in relief at the distraction from your rumination. Being home alone, you went down your stairs, heading towards the door and opening it before checking who it was. Nothing could have prepared you to see Hazel standing there, looking incredibly nervous and incredibly adorable. She was wearing a back and white shirt paired with a black vest that should have been illegal to look that good in.

“Hey!” you said, perhaps a little too cheerfully. “What are you doing here? Do you wanna come in?”

She grinned that smile of hers that you swear could cure any disease.

“Yeah, thanks. Just came to see you, if that’s okay? I know it’s a bit weird, I hope I’m not interrupting anything?” You shook your head as she wiped her feet before entering, and you shut the door behind her.

“Just studying. So boring. I’m grateful for the distraction,” you chuckled. And you truly were grateful. It’s as if all your worries and anxieties about Hazel disappeared as soon as she was in front of you. Because it was just Hazel. Your Hazel. Your friend. And no matter what, you loved her. And you knew she cared for you, romantic or not. And that wasn’t going to change.

“Look, I-“ she started, taking a deep breath, and then beginning again. “I’m trying to be brave like you are. To say what I feel when I feel it.” Her voice was steady and even. You wanted to correct her, tell her that you don’t say what you feel, but she continued.

“And what I feel, is that I might just die if I don’t kiss you right now.”

Holy shit.

Instead of responding, you placed your hand behind her neck, both of your bodies moving in sync towards each other. The moment your lips met, you exhaled through your noses in sync. As if you were both saying, finally. Her hands found your waist as your lips softly grazed one another’s, testing the water. You parted your lips slightly, deepening the kiss. Kissing somebody new usually felt daunting as you learned to navigate it, but you had never felt safer. Hazel’s hands moved back and forth on your waist, as her tongue darted out ever so slightly. You moaned softly into the kiss, hands gently threading through the hair at the bottom of her neck. It was just as soft as you imagined.

You pulled apart for a moment, faces close to one another. Neither of you could contain your smiles. You vaguely wondered if it was possible to faint from feeling so many butterflies. Not being able to help yourself, you reached up and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

“Wow,” you exhaled.

Hazel was the first one to move this time, crashing your lips together with more urgency this time. The kiss grew more passionate as you wrapped your arms around each other, yours draped around her neck, hers engulfing your entire back. It was as if you couldn’t get any closer, as if you were drowning and kissing each other was oxygen. Pulling apart ever so slightly, you gave her one last kiss, then another, because you simply couldn’t help it.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” You giggled, arms still draped around her neck.

“Me too,” she whispered, before kissing your forehead. God, could she get any cuter?

“Really?” you raised an eyebrow, as you both began to move to get more comfortable on the couch, sitting beside one another.

“Yeah, are you kidding!?” she said dramatically. “But you’re like this hot, popular cheerleader, I never thought I’d have a chance with you!”

“I’m hot? Have you seen you?” you asked in disbelief.

She blushes a deep shade of red, mouth opening slightly as if she was going to say something, then closing it again.

“I didn’t even know if you were gay,” she eventually says.

You laughed.

“Don’t you remember the first time we fought? That was like, a sexual spiritual awakening. That was the gayest shit ever.” Hazel threw her head back and laughed, eyes crinkling at the sides.

“I can’t ever forget.”

“Oh! Also…” you said, grinning from ear to ear, absolutely giddy with disbelief that this was actually happening. You pulled your top up slightly to reveal your ribs, where a small tattoo of a pair of interlocked scissors resided. You both laughed. Hazel’s cheeks reddened, and she stuttered.

“Well, I- I mean… maybe you want to be a hairdresser?” she laughed, eyes glued to the tattoo.

“God, that’s so hot,” she mumbled under her breath. “Can I?” she asked reaching out, and you nodded, heart lurching at her care for asking. She gently traced the tattoo, and you let out a shaky breath. She was barely touching you, and yet her effect on you was all-encompassing. Goosebumps prickled your skin everywhere, not just where she was touching you.

“Hazel,” you whispered, barely loud enough for her to hear. “You can take it off if you want.” Your voice came out shakier than you anticipated. Hazel gulped, nodded, then pulled your top off, your arms stretching up to help her. She tossed it on the floor, eyes scanning all of you as if she couldn’t quite take it all in. You were in a plain cotton bra, still wearing your cheer skirt, but Hazel made you feel like you were wearing the most expensive, fancy lingerie ever. You cupped her face, thumbing her cheek, before pulling her in for a kiss. You kissed her with less urgency this time, taking the time to explore each other’s mouths slowly and passionately. She pulled you onto her lap, so you were straddling her, her hands resting on your hips. You slowly began to move against her in rhythm, moaning into the kiss.

Hazel murmured your name against your lips, breathing shakily.

“I want- I- you’re so-“ she tried. “Jesus fucking christ,” she said as she buried her face in the crook of your neck.

“Tell me what you want,” you whispered, running your fingers through her hair. Hazel began to kiss your neck, leaving a trail of kisses up to your ear. Shivers ran down your spine, and you sighed in pleasure.

“Whatever you want. Do whatever you want with me,” she whispered into your ear, and you quite literally nearly came right there and then.

“No, what do you want?” you asked, thumbing at her lip. She opened her mouth, sucking on your thumb before releasing it with a pop. You swore, she was going to actually put you into cardiac arrest. Despite this action, you could tell nobody had really asked her that before, and she was at a loss for words.

“I want to make you feel good. Is that okay?” you asked, instead of letting her answer.

“God yes,” she basically moaned, kissing you. Meanwhile, you pushed her vest off, making quick work of undoing the buttons of her shirt. You tossed the items on the floor, barely breaking your lips apart for a moment.

“Lay down for me,” you moved off her lap, letting her get comfortable. This gave you the perfect opportunity to run your eyes over her body. She was left in a soft black crop top and jeans. Looking down at her, her chest rising and falling, soft skin to die for, eyes wide with desire, lips plump from making out, it crossed your mind that you had never, ever, ever, seen a more heavenly sight.

“You’re so beautiful,” you breathed out, moving to straddle her again, intertwining your fingers together above her head.

“You’re the most beautiful,” she retaliated, nudging your noses together. You both giggled, and you kissed her softly.

“Take the compliment, baby. I mean it,” you said, kissing her again, before she could respond again. Still holding one of her hands, you moved the other down her tummy, lightly tracing patterns on her skin. Her eyes fluttered as she bit her lip.

“Touch me,” she said. You smirked.

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” you chuckled, glad she was asking for what she wanted.

“Can I take these off?” you blinked at her, fiddling with a belt loop on her jeans.

“Please,” she said breathily, arching her back slightly. You undid the button, the zipper, then stood up so she could shimmy out of them, you yanked them off her legs a little too hard, your feet giving out beneath you as you stumbled backwards, landing on your ass on the floor in shock. You looked at each other for a second, before both bursting out laughing.

“Smooth,” Hazel said between loud laughs. “Really smooth. How did you even manage that?” she teased, getting off the couch, instead onto the floor with you, crawling towards you. Your eyes drifted down to her cleavage, then back to her eyes. You inhaled sharply.

“Shut up,” you teased back, as she moved on top of you, pinning you down.

“I feel like we’ve been here before,” Hazel mused, holding your wrists down.

“I’m definitely getting flashbacks,” you laughed. “Except this time, I can just…” you kissed her, a little sloppily, but neither of you cared because it was so hot.

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The very next day, you and Hazel walked hand in hand into a club meeting, giggling and whispering to each other. You were the last ones to arrive, having gotten a little distracted in the janitor’s closet.

Everyone turned to look at the pair of you, all seemingly realising what was happening at the exact same moment.

“Oh my god, FINALLY!”

“You fucked! Finally!”

“You were so obvious!”

“Slay queens!”

A chorus of excitement engulfed you, as everyone crowded around you, hugging the pair of you. PJ included.

“I’m really happy for you guys. This-“ she pointed back and forth between you, then made some inappropriate gestures, “makes a lot of sense.”

“Thanks, dude.” Hazel smiled at her.

“Okay, let’s start!” Josie chimed, and you all sat down in a circle. You didn’t let go of Hazel’s hand for a moment. “As per our new protocol, we’re drawing names for pairings.” She held up a hat full of slips with all of your names on it, shaking it around. She stuck her hand in, swirled it around a little too long for dramatic effect. She drew a paper out, reading it aloud.

“Hazel!” You internally groaned. You didn’t want anyone else to get that close to your girl.

“And….” She picked another piece, reading your name out. You grinned.

“Are you game?” Hazel asked, and you nodded enthusiastically.

“Only if you are.”

“Are you kidding?” She leaned into your ear to whisper. “Any excuse to get you on top of me.”

[draculovemp3]

@revenge-of-the-assbutt @firstaidspray @sachermorte thank u for enabling me NEWAY since I’ve been too dead to do any of my own hobbies here’s some thoughts on House & Co’s physical hobbies/lil crafts & such they do in the comfort of their home<3:

House: canonically does a ton of shit like piano/guitar/cooking/so on but In the spirit of him resisting change (At Times!) I think he’s gotten very good if not makes a fun time out of mending clothes🥺…. Didn’t wanna throw away his favorite shirts so it started w small hems+resizings until he looked up more tips online and get decorative w it. Pretty contrasting colors/patterns now randomly laid on his shirts and pants w only the careful eye(Cuddy+Wilson) to notice. If anyone cares

Wilson: gardening. Well as much one can do within his apartments/pretty nonplant friendly homes. He’s not a super greenthumb expert but it always gives him a lil confidence boost when he’s able to grow out spices and herbs & such to use in his cooking ♥️

Cuddy: she seems like a collage-making kind of girlie💗💗 no specific theme in em or anything but she still holds onto the potential self-aid of making vision boards and it’s relaxing for her to go thru magazines/etc + cut out whatever interests her enough to use. Rachel tries and cutely fails to help 💓💓💓

Chase: ironically enough for the prodigal son lol but . He genuinely seems like someone who enjoys spending time in silence/music doing puzzles w 1000+ pieces & such #DWEEB❤️. House once got him a 5000 piece puzzle of a kangaroo or w/e as a joke and he is Determined to complete it. In due time chase…

Foreman: the thought of Foreman crocheting is so dear to me….. he doesn’t rly tell anyone ab it but there’s a lot of half-finished + worn projects as proof around his home. #angsting it sorry but I think he took it up after his mom started deteriorating bc she crocheted too and it was a fonder reminder + sumn they could do together. One yr he gave the fellow ducklings scarves he made as Xmas gift. Not that he told him he made it tho😅#repressed

Cameron: I think she has a moderately sized zen garden on a table somewhere in her home she takes SERIOUS. Changes the lines/circles in the sand periodically, sees what new arrangement of rocks she can do etc etc. Girl that thing is meant to be relaxing!! also colorcodes/sticker-covers/etc her planner like a CHAMP.

Amber: she has the most well-detailed prettiest most concerning-when-read journal/diary everrrr. Dedicates a specific time in every day to it w specific pens of various colors. Some of the recounting even have lil doodles or if she takes the journal out w her she draws her view wherever she is<3 they’re literal chickenscratch but its still fun and fulfilling. It’s a bibleesque piece to Wilson’s Amber shrine btw

Thirteen: she’s hard to analyze for me soz 13heads I do love her #trust… nonetheless I bet she goes to hella dance classes. Partially for the exercise partially for the fun partially for the need to experience Life partially for the women. Heh. She’s rly into zumba, jazz, contemporary classes to be specific.

Taub: ok ok so remember when he did/bought pottery or w/e to convince his wife he was being faithful. I think he’d do it for real as a joke/alibi then be like wait…. This is kinda fun…? There’s no constraints to what he can make + the sculpting reminds him vaguely of plastic surgery work so he keeps it up.

Kutner: I think he draws + writes his own lil comics/zines 🫶 they’re mostly scifi or superhero and more than a lil inspired by his fave preexisting medias . He likes using the crazy cases he’s experienced w House as story inspo. Also he 4 sure runs dnd campaigns so well and fun. Btw

Masters: she’s a suckerrrr for trivia nights my lil nerd wife<3 but um anyway when she wants to relax she Really doesn’t want sumn that can become info overload so in free time she’ll make friendship bracelets, lil shapes/figures out of string, etc. Will someone please give this woman a full on loom to go cray with!!!!

Park: I can see it so clearly . I can see her lil handpainted warhammer and other tabletop game figures so perfectly in my head. She paints more than she actually plays(but she does !). God save you if you touch or tumble them.

Adams: I kinda DGAF about her sorry women… hmm there’s sumn compelling ab her doing blackout poetry plus occasionally full-on written when the inspo hits! started as a boredom thing in her job in the prison w whatever book she brought in then she kept on doing it w more and more written pieces she comes across.

I put so much time into this. Perhaps too much.😭feel free to gimme y’all’s thoughts on this/ur own ideas :3

[ladylooch]

The Spiral [Lio Meier] - Part 4

A/N: One more part after this! things are starting to turn around for our Lio 🤭

Word Count: 5.3k

Warnings: allergic reaction, lots of medical talk, angst, childhood trauma themes

ICYMI Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

The morning after his concussion, Lio thinks it would have been better to have been crushed by a garbage truck. His head hurts so bad, worse than any hangover headache or migraine he’s had in his life. But worse than that is the fog that has settled into his brain. Details of last night are fuzzy- the game, Lucie, their conversation. He thinks things are better, but is worried about facing her this morning.

He rolls over to his back, tentatively opening his eyes. The world doesn’t swirl like it had been last night. But he feels like the front of his forehead is going to explode off from the pressure. Is that normal? Fuck.

Slowly, Lio adjusts his position to sit up. The smell of something baking hits his nose. He smiles. Lucie is still here. It takes awhile before Lio can get out of bed, changed, and hit the bathroom. By the time he is done with that, he feels like he could go back to sleep. Instead, he drags himself towards the kitchen. Lucie is at the stove, a large stack of pancakes to her left. As he gets closer, he can see the rainbow sprinkles poking out of the cakes.

“Lucie pancakes.” He chuckles, approaching her.

“They still hit even as an adult.” She shrugs.

“Doesn’t Stell think these are her creation?”

“Yeah because of her dad.” Lucie rolls her eyes. “Connor thinks she created everything, even though I made these all the time when I was pregnant with her.”

“So he thinks because she was there, she made them?”

“He thinks she created the craving for me, so it’s from her.” 

“Your mom could set that straight.”

“Mmm, I don’t think anyone can set that man straight about his sweet girl.” Lucie takes off two more pancakes. “Sit down and eat. You look awful.”

“Thanks.” Lio mumbles, resting his head delicately in his palm. He sets his elbow on the counter watching as Lucie slaps two pancakes on his plate. “Still hate syrup?”

“Yep.” Lio confirms, picking up his fork to cut into a pancake.

“I heard from Ben. He wanted you to check in when you got up.” Lio nods, grabbing his phone.

While he eats small bites, him and Ben talk about how Lio is feeling. Ben is concerned about the intensity of Lio’s headache. He wants him to go to the hospital for a CT scan. 

“Can you send a car? Lucie needs to go home to her family.” 

“No, I can take you.” She says, waving away his worries. “Con is taking Stell to the rink for practice. She is loving her mommy-free life right now.” Ben and Lio chat more. The team doctor is going to meet them at the hospital and they will know more after the imaging is processed.

Lucie and Lio finish breakfast, then head into Newark. Lucie waits while Lio is being scanned and afterwards while they wait for the radiologist to do a quick read. Everything looks good. Lio’s brain isn’t showing any damage, but he does have one hell of a concussion. The news is good. Lio feels like he can breathe and be more at peace with where he is at.

“You’re going to have to take it easy.” The doctor reminds him. “At least two weeks before you do any exercise.” Lio agrees. He can’t imagine getting on the ice right now with how shitty he feels.

“Is it okay if I drop you off and head out?” Lucie asks Lio when they are back in the car. “Connor is going to the Children’s Hospital to see some of his kiddos. I need to get home before he leaves again.” 

“Yeah, I will be fine. Thank you for staying with me. And.. um tell Connor thanks too. I appreciate it. Know he isn’t my biggest fan.”

Lucie drops Lio in front of his building, then heads back towards her city. Lio’s doorman greets him warmly, opening the big door for him.

“Thanks, Charlie.” 

“Tough one last night, Mr. Meier.”

“Hey, boys pulled out the win tho.” Lio waves as he walks through.

“Your mama is waiting for you in your apartment. She was mighty frazzled this morning.” Lio stops in his tracks. There are two people who have unlimited access to his apartment besides him. One just dropped him off. The other lives in Switzerland. 

“Ah, thanks. Moms…” Lio trails off with a shrug. 

Lio seriously contemplates sprinting out of his building. Doctor’s orders be damned. The only woman to ever love him unconditionally is upstairs and he is not ready to face her. Not ready to see her after the horrible things he said to her. Not ready to face his own shame and self-hatred. It’s why he left Switzerland without seeing her even after telling his dad he wouldn’t do that. He doesn’t deserve her or her love. 

But she is here. Already. He knows how many hoops she must have jumped through to get to him. He senses his dad’s involvement as well. The strings Timo Meier would have pulled for her are unlimited. So Lio Meier gets into the elevator and rises the 6 floors to his awaiting fate. Outside his apartment door, he takes a deep breath, then puts his key in the lock. He pushes the door open, not seeing her on the couch like he expected. 

“Mama?” He calls into the apartment. 

“Lee?” He hears her call from deep inside. She comes rushing out of his room. With zero hesitation, she grabs him and wraps him into her body for a hug. “Oh” She sighs, holding his head against hers. She sucks in a deep breath then lets out a relieved sigh at having him close to her. “Are you okay?” Her brown eyes are deeply pained. Lio closes his eyes, unable to see more. 

“Um, well, I guess but also no. What are you doing?”

“Your laundry.”

“Of course.” He chuckles, shaking his head. He has been grown for awhile, but she still insists on taking care of him. It makes Lio less worried for whatever is to come.

“Well, I was very anxious waiting for you. I had to do something.” She insists, waving a hand in front of her face. “Now, go sit down. I have lemon water, hot oatmeal and toast ready for you.” She gently guides him forward. “And vitamins. You need extra nutrients to get better.”

“Mama.” Lio sighs when she turns to head back to the kitchen. He feels like such a piece of shit with how she is jumping right in to take care of him. The undeserving suffocates him, tightening his throat until he struggles to breathe. “Don’t do this.” He finally chokes out. “Don’t double down and love me harder right now.”

“Lee.” Emma comes back to him, putting her hands on his cheeks. She kisses his forehead, right over where his head aches so badly. “I am never going to stop loving you hard or taking care of you. I’m your mother.” She runs her fingers through his hair, then moves back into the kitchen. His blue eyes follow her.

“Is dad here?”

“Yes, of course. Boys are with Uncle Neeks and Auntie Lex, but Livy is coming this weekend.”

“You both didn’t have to come and Liv needs to stay in California. She has school.”

“Mmm, but we did.” Emma looks over her shoulder at him. “We needed to see that you were going to be okay.”

“Dad isn’t here now?” Lio looks down the hall towards his bedroom.

“No, we felt like it’s you and I that need to talk. Not the three of us.” Lio looks away. “Don’t be mad at daddy. It was me. He didn’t want to do it.” Lio’s blue eyes find her again in the kitchen.

“You don’t get to tell me to not be mad at him.” He whispers.

“Probably not. But I love your dad very much and if I can save him from your wrath, I want to.” 

Lio goes to the couch, sitting down, laying his head back on the top. He is exhausted from his morning. He feels the air of his mom coming around the couch. She puts her hand on his forehead, smoothing the wrinkle of distress there. 

“What’s the news?”

“Concussion.” Lio mumbles. 

“Is your brain okay?”

“Yes.” Emma sighs in obvious relief. Her hand drops to his shoulder. She strokes her hand there, quietly contemplating where to go next. When Lio opens his eyes, she begins.

“Lio, daddy and I love you more than I even know how to say. I never thought I would have to find words to express how much and I’m deeply sorry that you’ve been so hurt.” She sighs, running her hand through her hair, then looking out the floor to ceiling windows to the city. His apartment is only a few blocks from where her and Timo lived when she was pregnant with Lio. That feels like so long ago, but she tries to go back to who she was then to give Lio more insight into their life.

“I was the one who wanted to fudge your story. I know daddy told you that this summer, but he doesn’t know all of the things that went into that. You and I had experiences when you were a baby that made me feel very protective of you. People judged. They were horrible and social media made our life so accessible, even as Daddy and I tried to hide you. But this was never because we were ashamed or didn’t love you.” Disgust and substantial disagreement scrunches Emma’s nose. “It was the exact opposite.” Emma puts her hands on her cheeks for a moment, then continues.

“When you were 10 months old, the Devils were playing in the Eastern Conference finals. Daddy was hurt. He was playing through it as he always does, so he wasn’t performing very well. People were upset.” Lio watches his mom become increasingly uncomfortable. “You and I were out at a store after the Devils went down in the series. There was an incident in public where someone came up to you, a little baby, and called you that name…” Emma closes her eyes. “They went on to literally blamed the entire playoff situation on the fact that you were born out of wedlock. Daddy’s play as well. We were being punished for our sin of having you.”

Lio can see how much this still hurts his mom decades later.

“I’m sorry, mom.” He says sincerely. 

“That person got to me.” Emma shakes her head. “I felt you deserved a better story. A more picture perfect story because of how much joy and purpose you brought to our lives. I..” She sighs. “I felt like we ruined your childhood before it had even really begun. I tried to fix it the way I knew how. Instead I hurt you.” 

“But Lio, please know, I have loved you since the moment I knew of you even when I was crying on a bathroom floor. I didn’t know what to do, but I knew I had to figure it out for you. When I got up off that tile, whatever decision daddy wanted wasn’t going to shake my decision. You were coming because I wanted you. It would be me and you against the world.” Emma stops, looking at him, then she chuckles. “But daddy wasn’t going anywhere. He was all in. He loved us so much. You’ve seen the videos from when I was pregnant with you. Nothing about that was forced.”

Lio remembers the one of his dad laughing hard as a three week old Lio tried to latch onto Timo’s big chest. The pictures of him on the ice at The Rock for the first time in skates that looked massive on his feet. Tons of videos of Lio and Timo napping together the year of the Devils first cup run. He looks across his apartment at a picture of his parents and him with the cup. It was only Lio and them at that time. Well, his mom was pregnant with Livy, but they barely knew that. Although the most difficult to win trophy in sports is right there, his dad’s hands are on a young Lio, engulfing him and his mom in his sweaty equipment.

“It felt like a lie.” Lio hears himself say. He gestures to the picture. Emma follows his gaze. “Like it looked like that. But then you and dad would make a comment about wanting me so bad you couldn’t wait and my whole life felt like a lie.” Emma swallows hard, nodding.

“I see that now, Lee. I’m very sorry. But that was real. That was our life, baby.” She reaches for his hand.

“It hurt me.” He whispers. Emma winces, then runs her hand up his arm to squeeze his shoulder.

“I know. I am so sorry. I hope you can forgive me.” Emma purses her lips together, then looks at Lio with tears in her eyes. She brushes her thumb over the hairs behind his ear. “So loved. So wanted. Never a mistake.” Lio nods, then reaches to hug her. They hold one another tightly. 

“Love you, mama.” Lio inhales heavily. “I can see how you wanted to protect me.” 

“I love you, Lee. So much sweet boy.” When they pull apart, Emma stands to grab Lio more water, then comes back to the couch.

“She wasn’t even pregnant.” Lio confesses. “False positive.” 

“Oh.” Emma blinks. This is the first time she is hearing this. “How does that make you feel?”

“Relieved.” Lio answers honestly. “More than any of the other reasons I said this summer… I just don’t want kids, mama.”  Emma nods. She has suspected so for awhile. 

“It’s your life. You get to decide. But you need to be more careful because at some point, it becomes not your choice.” 

“Kay, pot.” Lio jokes with a light-hearted smirk. Emma tisks, chuckling and smacking Lio’s leg.

“Don’t slut shame your mother. You didn’t see how good James Bond looked that night.”

- - -

A brisk and skin drying wind has picked up on the East coast in the middle of November. Old man winter is roaring its way to the East coast with a winter storm warning in effect beginning tomorrow. With the impending weather, things are sure to get dicey in the booming metropolis of New York City. Despite the lingering effects of his concussion agitating him today, Lio is currently being dragged from room to room in the Bubble Planet by Stella Wood.

“This way! This way!” She yells, struggling to pull his heavy weight with her little body.

“Stell, I’m coming. Just chill.” He laughs.

“She doesn’t know that word. She’s three.” Lucie jokes back to him. 

They weave through room after room, each one more exciting than the last. Stella is having the time of her life, especially when she is on Lio’s shoulders, getting to touch the bubbles falling from the ceiling.

“Mama, this is the best day! I wish daddy could come!” Lucie and Lio avoid looking at each other, just like they avoid the giant elephant that is Connor Wood between them.

Although Lucie and Connor have discussed more about what happened this summer, he is not ready to move on. It got particularly heated when Lucie asked if Stella could see Lio. Connor questioned Lucie’s motives, worried about the implications and confusion Stella would have about Connor not being there. These were fair and valid points, but her inquisitiveness hurt less than her tears about missing Lio.

“Baby, you do what you need to do, but I’m not interested in spending time with him or fixing this. I’ve made concessions along the way. This is where I am at. Stell stays here with me.” 

Lucie respected that. She dropped it completely. But suddenly the next morning, Connor had given her quiet permission for her to bring Stella to breakfast with Lio. That was a month ago. Connor heads to the rink on days when his girls are meeting up with Lio, always having an excuse about training or treatment or nutrition. Lucie kisses him extra hard on those days, wanting him to know she loves him deeply and understands so much of this is difficult for them.

Now, as she watches Stella up on Lio’s shoulders, all she can fathom is the immense hole Connor’s absence brings. 

“Baby, are you getting hungry?” Lucie asks her daughter as they bop out onto the New York avenue.

“Yeah.”

“What do you want?”

“Mac and cheese!”

“You had that for dinner last night.” Lucie laughs.

“She is a good Swiss girl!” Lio nods approvingly. 

“Her favorite is Kraft.” Lucie points out.

“We’ll work on it. She’s three, ya know.” He jostles Lucie’s shoulder, then immediately regrets it at the way the world swirls upright for a minute. “Oof.” He rubs at his temples.

“Careful, Lee. No setbacks.” Lucie cautions, gripping his shoulder.

The three of them head a few blocks down to a diner, settling into a red booth with huge, plastic menus and a coloring page for Stella. Lio sits on her side of the booth, taking turns coloring a troll in a field of daisy. 

“Not pink!” Stella scrunches her nose, pushing Lio’s hand away.

“What? You said I could pick any color.”

“Yeah, any one but pink.”

“You love pink?”

“When I was two.”

Lucie and Lio both snort, attempting to pursue their lips to keep their laughter in. Stella Wood is an absolute hoot. 

“Can I share a milkshake with you?” Lucia asks Lio.

“I was gonna share with Stell.” 

“Oh, I see how it is.” She raises her eyebrows then looks away with a smirk at her menu. She decides on a simple Strawberry shake. “Stell, do you want to share with uncle Lee?”

“Yeah.” 

“Which flavor?”

“Reese’s! His favorite!” 

“No, you can’t have those, baby. You’re allergic to peanuts.”

“No peanuts in there?”

“Yes, there is peanut butter.” Lucie calmly reminds her.

“Sorry, Uncle Lee. I get sick.” She pats her little pot belly. 

“It’s okay. I was thinking chocolate.”

“Oh yes.” The little girl sighs happily.

The waitress comes and takes their orders. The adults grab cheeseburgers with fries while Stella happily exclaims she needs Mac and Cheese. The waitress practically swoons out of her Keds at how sweetly Stella thanks her for going to get their food. More coloring is done and a quick few games of hangman using three letter words like cat and dog and hat. Stella is getting so good at her ABCs. The milkshakes come out first. Stella watches in awe as the shake is split between two cups for her and her uncle.

“You gonna be able to finish that?” Lio asks. 

“Mhm.” Stella nods enthusiastically. With one hand she grabs the glass while the other helps her balance on the table top. She sucks up the milkshake quickly, then sputters, coughing. 

“Oh, that was a big sip. It’s cold, huh?” Lucie chuckles, handing Stella her water glass. She holds it up to the little girl’s lips for a sip.

“Ah!” She exclaims. “Mmmm.” She sucks up more of the thick liquid. Lio and Lucie chuckle, watching Stella enjoy her ice cream. Lio leans back farther in the booth, looking across the table at his cousin.

“I’ve had so much fun with you today. I missed this.”

“Me too.” Lucie murmur. Stella coughs again, loudly, then seems to gag. Stella sits up straighter, looking Lucie in the eyes with wide orbs. “Are you okay, baby?” Lucie straightens. Lio sits up as well, reaching out for Stella. She makes a wheezing noise, then sticks her tongue out. 

“Oh my god. Stell?” Lucie covers her mouth, watching a red, angry rash begin to form on Stella’s face. Lio grabs Stella as she begins to sway backward.

“She is very warm.”

“What is going on?” Lucie whispers, she looks around the table then she smells it, the faintest whiff of peanut butter coming from the ice cream in the glass Stella was drinking. “Oh my god. Peanut butter.” She reaches for her purse, fumbling around. “Um.. ohmygod.”

“Do you have an Epipen?”

“Um.” She nods vigorously, beginning to pant herself. Her stomach tightens, fear dashes down her spine. She rips her hands through the contents of her purse, looking for the injection she always carries with her since the first reaction Stella had a few months ago in Switzerland. But it wasn’t like this. It was nothing close to this. 

“Luc, come on.” Lio calls to his cousin, picking up Stella into his arms. “You’re okay, baby. It’s okay!” He tries for a cheery voice as Stella being to sob. “Luc, dump the purse out.” Lucie picks the bag up, emptying it from the handles. Lio sees the EpiPen immediately, tossing the cap off hastily. He does the injection, pausing to watch Stella’s reaction. Her wheezing gets tighter, but she can no longer speak to him or even cry. Lio’s heart is racing in his chest as he watches her struggle.

“Do you have another one?”

“No! It’s with Connor at home.” She shakes her head frantically. “Oh my god. Someone call an ambulance!” Lucie sobs out to the restaurant. In the haste of dumping her purse out, her phone fell underneath the booth. But she is frozen in paralysis. She can’t move. She can’t breathe. She is forced to watch her baby struggle.

Adrenaline takes over Lio like he was injected with the epinephrine. He calculates out where they are in the city, the amount of time it will take for an ambulance to get there and he knows Stella’s chances of making it are slim with how much she is struggling even after her first injection. He has seen this before with a kid in school when they still lived in Jersey. 

“There isn’t time for the ambulance. I’m taking her to Children’s.” The hospital is at the end of the three blocks they walked from Bubble Planet, close to Lucie’s car. Lio secures Stella to his chest and begins to run from the restaurant. He leaves Lucie at the table to scramble her things back into her bag. He runs as fast as his body will go. Stella jostles against his shoulder, going limper and limper and Lio quite literally races against time. 

“You’re going to be okay, Stell. it’s going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He promises the little girl in his arms. 

Tears blur his vision. His concussion rears it’s ugly head, pulsing against his temples and making the sidewalk shift with his blurred vision. He can’t let that stop him. Stella needs him. He pushes his injured and weak body to go harder the next block, dodging pedestrians and cabs in walk ways and dogs on leashes. He hits the emergency entrance of the hospital, screaming for help. 

“Help! Please! My nieces is going into shock! She was exposed to peanuts!” Nurses swarm him, snatching Stell immediately and taking over. 

“Did you give her Epinephrine?”

“How was she exposed?”

“Is this her first exposure?”

Lio answers the questions as best he can. Yes, ingested and no. He looks over his shoulder, wondering when he can expect to see Lucie. But then they are taking Stella away on her bed. Another nurse holds him back as they rush down the hall with her. 

“Sir, I need you to wait in the lobby.”

She is right. He needs to wait for Lucie anyway. But that doesn’t make it easier to turn around. He heads to the doors he just sprinted through, avoiding the gazes of curious onlookers. He walks outside into the cold air. His chest tightens immediately and he turns to the side, looking for something he can vomit into. But then he sees Lucie Wood, rushing down the sidewalk, clutching her purse to her chest, sobbing so loud he can hear every inhale and exhale of her shaking body.

“Luc, they’ve got her.” Lio calls to her. He opens his arms up and Lucie collapses into his body. His shirt is immediately wet from her face. Large hiccups shudder her frame against him. He squeezes her tight, smoothing her hair down. “It’s going to be okay.” Lio whispers to her, hoping that maybe if they chant that together, it will make it real.

Several minutes pass. Lucie continues to sob into Lio’s body, even after he moves her inside to get out of the wind. The doctors come out looking for him, finding him and Lucie together. Stella is stable. They can go see her, but she will need to stay for several hours for monitoring as they had to give her two more injections. Lucie heads right into her daughter’s room, curling up with the little girl who looks drugged and exhausted in the center.

“Mama is here. You’re okay.” She cries to her daughter. Stella is upset and shaken from the ordeal. She clings to Lucie like a monkey, balling her shirt up in her little fists. 

“LuLu, do you want me to call Connor?”

“Yes.” Lucie whispers, barely able to get the word out of her shaking lips. She reaches into the back pocket of her jeans, handing her phone to him. “If you call he won’t answer.” She says simply. Lio tries to brush that off like it doesn’t hurt, but it stings as bad as the wind biting his cheeks during his sprint to the hospital. 

Lio takes a deep breath, then clicks on Connor’s contact. His heart is pounding in his chest like he’s about to take a face-off in the final minute of a trailing game. He licks his lips, leaning agains the wall, waiting on the call to connect.

“Hey baby! I’m just about to leave.”

“Ah.” Lio coughs. “Hey, it’s Lio.”

Silence.

“Where is Lucie?” A definite snap tightens the words through the line. 

“She’s with Stella. She asked me to call you and tell you what is going on.”

“What? Are they okay? What..” 

“Lucie is okay.” Lio starts.

“Stell? Whats wrong with her!?” Connor’s voice is beginning to escalate. “What did you do, Lio?” Connor snaps. Lio closes his eyes. 

“I didn’t do anything. It was a mistake at the restaurant.”

“Fuck!” Connor yells. “Where are you?”

“At Children’s hospital off 34th.”

“You have to tell me what happened, Lio.”

“I’m trying to, but you’re not letting me get much out here, man.” Connor sighs. Lio takes his silence as compliance. “We were out grabbing lunch and she had an allergic reaction and we had to bring her to the hospital. Her Epipen wasn’t enough.”

“Fuck, I have the second one. We usually have the two together, but Lucie and I had plans the other night and…” Connor’s voice is distraught.

“It happens. But you should get down here. They need you.”

“I’m on my way.” 

Lio removes the phone from his ear, looking at the lock screen of Lucie, Connor and Stella. Lio took that photo of them this summer in Switzerland, before everything happened. He sighs heavily, then comes back into the room.

“Connor is coming.” Lio assures Lucie. She doesn’t take her crying eyes off the little girl in her arms. She sniffs and nods in acknowledgement, continuing to touch her daughter’s face soothingly. Lio can’t tell if it’s for Stella or Lucie.

Connor Wood arrives thirty minutes later with squeaking sneakers on the tile floor of the hospital hallway. Lucie and Stella are dozing in an overwhelmed sleep. Lio sits in the chair next to them with one hand on Stella, rubbing her arm. Lucie’s hand clings to his wrist, needing comfort in one of the worst moments of her life. 

“I’m a terrible mom.” She had told Lio tearfully.

“You’re not. It was scary.” 

“What if you weren’t there?”

“It doesn’t matter. I was.”

“Luc! Stell!” Connor rushes into the room then locks in on Lio. He shifts his worried eyes to the bed, seeing Lucie and Stella curled together. His lips pull into a deep frown, then his eyes seemingly dim when he takes in Lio in the place he should be.

“They’re resting, Lucie is pretty upset.” Lio says as he slowly works his wrist out of Lucie’s grasp. “I’m sorry, I know you don’t want to see me. I’ll leave now, I just didn’t want to leave the girls alone before you got here.”

“What happened?” Connor asks. Lio can see the way his chest rapidly raises and falls beneath the Rangers logo on his chest.

“Stella somehow got a peanut butter shake at the diner. Wrong order. She had some and started having a severe reaction.” Connor’s face gets ghostly pale. He puts his hand on his head over his blue hat, waiting for more. “Um, Luc, She… she panicked. It was all scary. Truly awful. But I gave Stell the injection, but it didn’t do enough. She became mostly unresponsive.” Connor closes his eyes, bringing his hands to his face in anguish. “There wasn’t time to wait for help, so I grabbed Stella and ran here with her.” 

“You ran?”

“Yeah. Stell didn’t have time.” Lio reiterates. If he is mad at Lio for that, then so be it. Maybe it was reckless, but Lio had to make a judgement call and Stell is going to be okay because of it. Connor stares at Lio. Then suddenly he steps forward around the bed. Lio stands up taller, preparing for anything. Connor wraps an arm around Lio’s shoulders to bring him into his body. Lio brings his hands up, clasping Connor’s back as they share a deep, sincere hug. 

“Thank you.” Connor whispers, tears coating his voice. Lio squeezes Connor tighter, not wanting to let go of his best friend. Suddenly, it hits Lio. How close they were to losing Stell. How dire she had looked when he ran through the doors of the ER. How Lucie had every right to be that terrified at the table. It had been bad. Horrible. Worst case scenario. 

Lio can’t help it. He begins to sob. Everything that has happened the last few months weeps out of him. From losing Savannah, to screaming at his parents, to only having his little sister, to losing the three people in this room with him. His concussion… almost losing Stella on that New York street.

“It’s okay, Lee. She’s going to be okay.” Connor puts his hand on Lio’s head. “You saved our girl.” Lio nods, shuddering as he pulls away. Both men wipe their faces with their hands, then look over to the two girls laying in the bed. Stella has a sleepy grin on her face, watching them.

“Daddy!” She giggles, reaching out to him, flexing and unflexing her fingers for him to come closer.

“Hi baby.” Connor smiles brightly, leaning down to kiss her cheeks. “Can I lay with you and mama?” 

“Yeah.��� Stella yawns as she says the word. 

“Sleepy.” Connor chuckles, kissing her again. He curls her and Lucie into his body, trying to be careful not to wake his wife. Lucie jolts up at the feeling of his hands on her. “Me, Luc. It’s me.” She visibly relaxes when she sees her husband. “I’m here.” He brushes her cheek with his thumb. 

Lio watches from the end of the bed, then anxiously rubs at his forehead. He clears his throat, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“Um, well I’ll head out so you all can be together.”

“No, don’t go.” Lucie shakes her head. 

“It’s okay, Luc. I’ll see you later.” 

“You should stay with us.” Connor says softly. “We want you here.” The insinuation of the we has the corners of Lio’s mouth sliding up.

Lio makes his way back to the chair by the bedside, sitting down in it. Him and Connor share a look of understanding. Lucie trails her nails along Stella’s back as another big yawn stretches her little mouth. 

“Uncle Lee?” Stella murmurs.

“Hm?”

“You gonna be here when I wake up?”

“Yeah, Stell.” He sighs. “I’ll be right here.”

[hamofjustice]

Julinemo Week, Day 3: Study Session

(This could probably be better but this week is an exercise in just posting without being a perfectionist and I wanna go to bed, so)

The late afternoon breeze streaming through Nemona's window kept her room smelling as fresh and alive as a new adventure, as she and her favorite guest did something quite a bit less exciting: reviewing their Battle Studies homework.

Nemona was on her bed, leaving just enough space for her napping Pawmot, while Juliana and her Gardevoir were down on the plush green rug she'd picked out for Nemona the previous week (which Nemona insisted on paying for). The Battle Frontier Channel was on the big TV as familiar background noise, though Gardevoir at least seemed more interested in looking up at that than the open books.

"Uhhh… question nine… 'Which kind of Terrain protects from ailments instead of powering up attacks?'" Juliana read out.

"Oh, um… Misty Terrain! I was just thinking about that one. It might help you remember that one's different 'cause it's not called Fairy Terrain."

"Oh yeah, huh. Good point."

"It's not teeechnically correct to say it's the only one that does that, 'cause, like, Electric Terrain keeps you awake, and Misty Terrain does power up Terrain Pulse and Misty Explosion, but… I think you can safely ignore those since there's no 'none of the above' options… right?"

"Uh… nope, there's not. Wow, Mona… you know more than these books do, huh? Hehehe…"

"Heh. Nah, they're probably just tryin' to keep it simple. I've never used Misty Explosion in my life!"

"Oh. Well, I appreciate trying to keep it simple, 'cause some of these things have so many arbitrary little details to remember…"

"I know, right? I guess it's not like anybody sat down and designed 'em all elegantly like a video game, though." Nemona pointed out, before starting to tap her pencil eraser to her chin and then her temple as she looked up at the ceiling. "I wonder if Misty Explosion might be decent BECAUSE no one expects it…"

"Maybe? Mmm, I dunno…"

"I've actually gotta figure that out soon. When you get into Advanced Battle Studies like me, you'll have to--"

"IF I get into Advan--"

"WHENNN you get in, 'cause you're smart and cool and attr-- attentive, and a Champion like me, and have me helping youuu…" Nemona insisted, briefly pointing her eraser down at Juliana as if it were a threat. Pawmot kept sleeping, fully accustomed to its Trainer's volume. "… You've gotta make theme teams for all these field conditions! It's kinda fun, but… I dunno how good some of these would be. They start ya off easy with Rain, but… hmm…"

"Oh, is that what you're working on up there?"

"Eh, sorta. I've got the Psychic Terrain one for this week figured out ahead of schedule, so I'm getting started on the Misty Terrain one now."

"So you could just… not be doing homework right now, if you wanted?" Juliana prodded.

"I mean… I guess, but then I'd probably just be bored and houndin' you to go out with me. Uh, f-for battles and stuff."

"Mmm. Yeah, probably. Well… thanks for matching my pace, then."

"Always."

"Hehe… "

They both smiled at each other for a bit before getting back to work. Each of them sighed happily and gave their partner Pokemon some petting. But eventually…

"Uh… I'll be right back. Gotta use the bathroom." Juliana quietly announced.

"Mmmkay. Be my guest."

Nemona looked up from the page and gazed off into space as Juliana stepped out, but then…

"Hey, Gardevoir." she whispered.

"Devoira…?" Juliana's companion answered sleepily, turning its head up to Nemona.

"Can you… show me how Juliana feels about me?"

"Garde." the Embrace Pokemon said with a nod. It rolled its neck a bit before scooting a bit closer and reaching out to Nemona with its green hand.

"Ooh, are we gonna do a mind meld? Heh…"

Almost as soon as she took its hand, Nemona's eyes shut and brows shot up like she'd once again misread a teaspoon of Spicy Herba Mystica as a tablespoon. After a few moments, however, she seemed to become accustomed to whatever had been put in front of her mind's eye. Her expression became one of curious awe, then wholesome warmth, then giddy delight as she wiggled her feet happily behind her. She opened her eyes back up as the emotional transmission ended, needing a moment to refocus on reality. "Oh… oh man… th-thanks bud. I, uh… huh…"

"De gara, devoira."

Juliana came back into the room to find Nemona blushing and giggling, and immediately looked down at herself to try and find a reason for it, to no avail.

"Hehehehe… Hey, I think I might be moving down to the floor with you, actually." Nemona decided, picking up her book.

[ahiddenpath]

For the ask the fic writer meme!

3, 4, 24, and 26!

Hi Sloane, thanks for the ask <3 Answered beneath the cut :D

3.) Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

I have a neat writing process post here! It basically goes like this:

-Idea dump, mostly focusing on themes, where characters are now vs where I want them to be, what everyone is feeling/struggling with, etc

-Several drafts

Check the post out if you're interested, I included the entire process for a chapter of PdA with PDFs of the idea dump and drafts.

4.) Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

I hope this doesn't sound too weird, but I'm not a big... Fan of? Believer in??? Inspiration. Ideas are a dime a dozen, and everything has been done before. What matters is the execution, which requires showing up and doing the work reliably- and never waiting for lightning to strike with ideas or a certain mood/desire to create.

Yes, I'm painfully aware that I'm the least exciting human ever, lol!

Generally, my issue is deciding which of an endless pile of concepts to work on. Once I've done that, the concern is effective project management. How do I see this new concept to its completion in a (hopefully) reasonable amount of time?

Allocating finite time is probably the most challenging part of life in general!

24.) Worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

Ohhh man, this one is really fun!

My blissfully naïve fourteen-year-old self made the mistake of printing the first few chapters of my novel in progress and taking them to high school, where I showed them to my friends. I received an absolute cacophony of feedback that ranged from strange to mean, but most of it was simply... People projecting the story they wanted onto the story I was writing for myself.

The bit I remember today concerned my main character. She was young and had lived a physically pampered but emotionally neglected life. Circumstances sent her on a journey, and she chose a calm, sensible horse as her mount. And though she had only ridden in leisurely group settings, a friend insisted that... Um, well, if I didn't plonk her onto a stallion that no one else could control, I was bowing to the patriarchy. Yes, my friend wanted a horse girl story, lmao!!!

Joking aside, exploring strength in women and girls is the most resounding theme of my writing. I'm not looking down on the badass woman character type, but I am keen to show that there are so many kinds of strength. Obviously this is true for everyone, but women are so often neglected in entertainment, and their stories are the ones I most want to tell.

What I'm getting at here is that you should never mistake someone else's preferences for meaningful criticism/advice. The ability to deliver meaningful writing criticism is learned, and not many people are trained in it. Most audiences regurgitate their own preferences when asked, and that has nothing to do with your story.

If that sort of dialogue interests you, pursue it! But I'm generally wary of seeking criticism unless I have some sense of the person's literary background and how they engage with media.

26.) Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

Hahaha, in terms of writing it? Probably Voices. Voices was a year-long exercise in developing character voice. I followed the six oldest Chosen and Eimi through a Japanese school year, writing a journal entry from one of the kids every day. EVERY DAY. FOR A YEAR. A JOURNAL ENTRY.

I leaned heavily on tropes because there was no time to plan, lol! I flew by the seat of my pants for a whole danged year!!!! In a lot of ways, it's my least favorite fic, because there was just no time! But it was a huge challenge, and frankly, audiences love tropes. It was popular with a lot of my readers. It's also probably one of my more shippy offerings?

Seeking Resonance is a stand out for me in the sense that it took me three years to nail the climax and decide how I wanted the last 20% of the story to wind down. THREE YEARS of thinking and exploring and simmering! But I genuinely could not have made a product I was happy with without quietly tending to it. Honestly, sometimes I think we need to... I don't know, grow or learn something or experience something??? Before we can be where the story needs us to be, as a person.

Oh, but that doesn't mean we should wait to start the story! The three years of thinking on it were definitely work and part of the process.

So You Were Alive was an interesting one in that I sat down and wrote the whole dang thing in under two hours. Like, within two hours of starting, it was published, with all the images and everything. At the time, the Kizuna feels were strong. The imagery and some of the dialogue from the first reboot episodes fed right into the Kizuna feels, and before I knew it, I was clicking the publish button!

Note that none of these are my favorite or best fics, in my opinion. But they are standouts in regards to the process.

Thank you so much, this was fun!

[infuseddopamine]

Hello 2023!

Um so somehow I skip to write 2022 theme. So I think I should put 2 theme for this year that works well together.

Hmm let me think.

So I just read Grit, which makes me think this year’s first theme will be Grit. It’s about how you don’t quit, instead you practice and have a flow moment while doing the things that I’ll focus on to help me achieve my ultimate goal.

But I need to know what the ultimate goal is. So they said it helps to write down 20 goals but actually only pick 3 goals so your mind won’t scattered that much. Let’s try!

1. Have a chill life where I feel content with what I have

2. Have a successful business that I’m proud of

3. Have a passive income so I don’t need to work anymore

4. Live a life that make a positive impact to my surroundings

5. Live in a fancy life as a jetsetter

6. Have a body goals that looks like Sophia Latjuba’s

7. Still have friends in my old days to go to retirement together

8. Be a good and happy wife to w00f

9. Have a walk in close with some capsule wardrobe that has Hermes, Chanel, Dior, Celine, Prada

10. Got myself a Tesla and/or VW

11. Traveling to all continents

12. Worry free about Monday

13. Worry free about morning meetings

14. Enough sleep everyday

15. Have a happy and content family that full of trust and laughter

16. Have a good career position

17. Have a nice apartment where I got to have a patio to have dinner with friends like in Fast Furious movie

18. Work remotely so I got to travel whenever I want

19. Have a healthy body

20. Live a life feeling secured

Next I need to make it into 3 goals only, by sorting out the things that can be packed into a simple goal and also dismiss the goals that are not on the top 3 priorities.

1. Have my own business that along the time can follow my own pace and schedule that also create a positive impact to the society and pay my vacation, luxurious wardrobe, tesla/VW, and an apt/summer house with patio to have dinner with loved ones, and also enough money to be put on other passive incomes

2. Have a content life surrounded with w00f, families and friends

3. Healthy lifestyle which includes a healthy diet & exercise

Now that I already have my ultimate goals in life (hopefully the first point is not too long and actually achievable), the next recipe is Grit so it can help me achieve those.

So for my second theme for this year would be build a capital. The past years has taught me that there are a lot of things that we cannot control, like job security, unexpected virus, sudden death, important investment opportunity, and many other things, where capital is needed as a cushion if somehow we end up encounter in our mid journey.

By building capital, it means I need to save the majority of my income, and stop spending too much saying that savings starts next month. Remember, now is the best time to save.

Okay, now that we have two theme for this year, I’d like to emphasize the themes once again.

1. Grit to achieve my ultimate goals

2. Build a capital as a cushion

Amen to that.

Happy new year!

[mod-kyoko]

OMG THE REQUEST YOU DID FOR ME WAS ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS💗💞💗💞💖Like I died of amazingness 😂😍💗 I think you have already done this request so I changed it up a little bit so if you don't mind, can I request for kokichi, kiibo, Kaito, Miu and kirumi (can someone stop my obsession with kokichi and kiibo😂) with fem! S/o who was on their p*riods and accidentally stained her pants and did not know about it,and they just so happen to pass by and notice s/o. Again have a great day🤗

mod kyoko here!

hehehe i like this request. thanks for sending it in, here you go:

tw/cw: mentions of m/nstruation, bl0od, suggestive themes (you know miu)

♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧

kokichi, kaito, kiibo, miu, and kirumi reacting to their (fem)s/o staining their pants

you know this man would be a tease about it

kokichi was on his way to go cause his usual mischief when he noticed you

he wanted you to join in, so he skipped over to you

then he noticed

"hey, s/o, what happened down there?"

he would be looking

you were utterly surprised at his comment and sudden appearance, but you looked down anyway and noticed the red bl00dstain on your crotch

you immediately yelped, covering it with your hands as your face began to heat up

he chuckled at your expense, but when he noticed the tears of embarrassment that started pooling in your eyes, he felt regret inside

he grabbed you by the shoulders and led you back to your dorm, careful to avoid being seen, so you could change

he stayed waited for you outside as you changed in the bathroom

once you came out, he noticed you still looked angry

he frowned, walking over to you

"s/o?"

you met his eyes, an unhappy expression displayed on your face

"hey, i'm sorry for teasing... please don't be mad at me," his lip started to tremble

yoy knew what was coming next, so you took him into your arms

even if his tears weren't genuine, his words were

"i forgive you, ouma."

he will immediately cheer up, and then ask you if you want to participate in his next prank

he'll forget all about what happened

kaito invited you to his workout session with maki and shuichi

you hadn't really felt well that day, so you thought maybe exercise would help

once you got there, you noticed you were being stared at

well, shuichi was doing the staring

maki actually made sure not to make you feel awkward, since she knew your pain

maki was about to discreetly notify you of your stain when kaito showed up, late

you turned around and walked over to him for a hug, and that's when he noticed

"uh, s/o, haha, um... take my jacket! you seem cold," he stutters, quickly removing his jacket and tossing it over to you

you caught the jacket with confusion

"i'm not cold," you stated

"trust me, yeah you are," he then grabbed you and led you over behind a tree

"babe, look down," he gestured downward

oh, so that's what he meant

"oh god," your ears immediately started burning from embarrassment

"you need to change, come on," he said, steering you toward the dorms

once you were finally in a clean pair of clothes, he put his fists together

"now let's go, no slacking!"

the two of you returned to the workout area

you were nervous, since maki and shuichi already saw your soiled pants, what if they said something about it?

kaito promised you he would beat em up

(he wouldn't, really, he is too chicken to do that)

you had a date with kiibo that day, so you wore a nice outfit

you were on your way to the dining hall when he saw you

when kiibo noticed your stain, he genuinely thought you were injured

he quickly rushed over and examined you from head to toe

"kiibo, honey, what are you doing?" you asked him as he frantically searched you for signs of injury

"bl00d! you're bleeding! did you get hurt?"

your eyes widened as you noticed a very visible stain on your pants

"kiibo, there's nothing wrong with me. come on, i'll explain what's going on"

after leading him to your dorm and changing into a more comfortable outfit, the two of you sat down on your bed together

you explained to him that girls bl33d from down there every month, and that it's natural

he was embarrassed at his freakout

"ah, i should have known that" he tried to laugh it off

he seemed uncomfortable, so you tried to cheer him up

"well, if you didn't tell me, i probably wouldn't have noticed. that would be super embarrassing! you're a lifesaver, kiibo," you reassured him

after that, he was happier and felt more assured

the two of you still went on your date, having lunch together outside in the wonderful weather

miu was looking for you to be a guinea pig for one of her newest inventions when she saw you wandering around the courtyard

she was about to call your name when she noticed a red blotch in your no-no square

she immediately sprinted towards you

"eh, babe? you got a little somethin down in your lady bits, if you know what i mean," she laughed awkwardly

your eyes widened in horror as you realized what she meant

"hey, it's okay! just wait on that bench and i'll go grab a jacket for ya!" she sat you down on a bench, and then dashed away to get something to cover you with

once she came back, she helped you tie the jacket around your waist to hide the stain

"hahaha! aren't you glad to have such an awesome girlfriend like me!" with her hands on her hips, she cackled with conceit

"yeah, thanks babe," you blushed, staring at the ground

this only fueled her ego

"come on, let's get you changed."

with that, she led you to the dorms so you could change

you had to shove her out of the bathroom so she wouldn't get any ideas

even though she whined about it

once you came out, she gave you a thumbs up

"lookin good, babe! now come on, you have to try out my latest contraption!"

then, she grabbed you by the wrist and pulled you to her lab

kirumi had no time to spare for a date with you, as the others had bombarded her with their unwanted chores, so you decided to help lighten her load

you had just reported for work when she noticed

"oh, dear, you have a stain. would you like me to bring you a new set of clothing?" she was pretty straightforward about it

you thought she meant a food or drink stain, but when you looked down you realized she meant something else

"oh no oh no," you tried to cover yourself, turning away from your girlfriend

she walked over to you calmly

"it's only natural for this to happen, you do not need to be embarrassed," she put her hand on your shoulder

her words and her presence were oddly calming

"um, if you wouldn't mind, could you please bring me some clothes?" you uttered nervously

she nodded, and then immediately went off to find some

once she came back, she guided you to a nearby bathroom to take care of your business

she even offered to help you get dressed

after you changed and freshened up, she asked you if she could do anything to ease your nerves

"it's okay, babe, i know you have a lot of other work to do," you politely declined her offer, and she nodded

the two of you then returned to work, completing the load of tasks everyone dumped on you

♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧

aww, i've never written for kirumi before. it was really fun though, i love her.

anyway, thanks for the request! i'm glad i could make you satisfied the first time, hopefully you are again.

have a great day,

-mod kyoko <3

[beef-unknwn]

Dying a Stranger

Notes: uhhh i try not to intrude on the plot or on the characters when making self insert ocs so I don't do much here. This is more just to make peace with a fear of mine. This whole fic is more just my character's thoughts while in episode 3. Don't think too much about the tense (ie past tense, present tense). Time is an illusion. This is probably a really bad fic anyways enjoy bye

Chapter 1: Warm-ups

The beach was an... interesting place for team building exercises, but anything get me out of my cave-like workplace. I thought working in a theme park would be more interesting. All I really get to see are wires, codes and a whole lot of Pauline's face.

This blue-haired guy has been a lifesaver since I got here. He's talkative enough to keep a conversation going but doesn't leave me out of them (like a lot of people tend to do). Another friend of his arrives and he starts talking to her. I keep talking to Badyah and Logs in the meantime. Something about zombie mascots. I just had to be there I guess. It was from a different employee initiation session than the one I attended.

Everyone was just walking around talking to each other, waiting for the team building guy. One by one, though we were called by Barney. I didn't know what it was for until I myself was called.

"IT Guy." Norma stated.

Then Badyah was called.

"...and Deathslide"

I guess he was quizzing Norma on park jobs?

"That's just where they work at the park."

Ah. I guess not?

Badyah excitedly goes to talk to them–don't know why she's so excited about Norma knowing where she worked but okay.

I decided to join them since there's not really much to do except stand around and wait. I didn't catch much of the conversation but I did get a better picture of what that was all about.

"Badyah, she needs to learn your real name."

"Yeah.. my name just means 'enlightened genius'. I prefer 'Deathslide'" she imitates a slide and explosion. I'm pretty sure I saw Norma change her expression.

Wait. Is that just what she calls everyone by? Their park jobs? And she calls me 'IT Guy'???? That's not right!

"Um. I'd rather you not call me IT Guy though.." I interject. "It's more accurate to call me 'Tech Maintenance'" They all gave me quizzical looks.

"IT Guy implies I only work with computers. I don't just work with computers." I explained

"But.. wouldn't you rather be called by your actual name?"

"I mean.. I don't mind nicknames. I've been called worse. But for the sake of social etiquette; Hi, I'm Mason, but you can also call me Kai." I hold out a hand for a handshake but quickly put it away to talk some more. "But don't ask me how you get Kai from Mason, I haven't thought of a good joke yet."

Badyah laughs, then Barney, then Norma, reluctantly.

After hearing his name, Barney starts to walk towards another group and Norma soon follows. I was left with Badyah- Oh, sorry. I mean Deathslide.

"You're a funny guy, Kai."

"Thanks. Don't expect much in the future, though."

"Oh, come on. Why is everyone nowadays so hard on themselves?"

"Is that a rhetorical question or do you actually want me to answer?"

We both laugh again.

...

A van soon arrives and it looks like something you'd see in a hippie convention. Great. They're gonna be one of those guys.

He makes his entrance, says and does some weird stuff, I try not to think too much about it. He said something about bounding and trust or fear or something. I just wanted to go home. Too much social interaction and too much personal space being crowded by this... weirdo in one day. And we haven't even started with the exercises yet!

And look, I try not to judge people and folks like him are often nice but he's just... off. In so many ways. Walking red flag, this guy.

Whatever, the first exercise is simple enough. I get paired with this lady who works with smoothies and she guides me through an obstacle course while I was blindfolded. We switch turns after I finished, but I got a bit distracted by this dog falling into a pit...

Wait did that little red kid just poof and teleport–

The next exercise is a trust fall. Again, simple. Fall, switch, then catch. Josh was a bit heavy, but I work with animatronics so I managed.

Then this exercise... Oh no... I hate this game. I thought I'd never see it again after all these years. And lo it was before my eyes.

Just let them lead you, I thought. Just hold their hands, do as you're told and don't think too much about it. Okay. Here we go...

Nope.

"I am not playing this game." I said, matter-of-factly. "Too many bad memories."

"Oh? Is that so? Well... we're working on our fears, aren't we? Why not take this as an opportunity, hm?"

Oh yeah. This guy is bad news. But I'm too tired to object and too much of a wuss to go against majority. So with a sigh, I say "...Fine."

I am so sorry to the people who had to hold my sweaty hands..

...

I thought I was scared of this game... But, Norma... It didn't help that Harmony was so persistently in her space.

I should've refused to play. Maybe then she could've followed my lead. We both would've been better off...

"I'm still worried about Norma" Badyah's voice brought me back from my thoughts. I take a second to look back at the poor girl, sitting by the waves.

"You should talk to her." I said

"I really want to..." She rubs her arm "..but I think she'd rather be alone."

"Oh, trust me. It's better if she had company. It doesn't matter if she talks back, just be there for her"

She looks back at the girl, concern written all over her face. And she starts to walk. I wanted to go with her, to apologize or...something. But I didn't. I'm so stupid.

After a while, the pair comes back just in time for another game I'm guessing. Hopefully he just sends us home, but I doubt it. We stand in a semicircle.

"I hope you all enjoyed the warm-ups" I knew it.

"Warm-ups?!" That's what I was thinking!

"Now we begin the real work to defeat your fears.." I do NOT like where this is going...

Chapter 2: Fear

"You're gonna need to dig into the deepest, darkest place inside you. Find your greatest fear." I don't need to dig deep, dude.

"And now, feed it to the skull"

Skull?

"Skull?"

"That can't be normal." I agree with the talking dog.

"I always bring a skull to a party" Wait. Talking dog?

"Okay. Not normal" Hmm...

"I bring my skull to parties" I said, knocking on my head.

"Please, feed your fear to the skull" This man needs to be less obvious.

Norma hesitates and thankfully Badyah takes the initiative. She holds the skull but nothing happens. Until..

...

One by one they each touch the skull. And everytime they do they see... something. I knew this guy was bad news.

Somehow I was never tossed the skull. Must be the way I blend in. But before Harmony could notice that, Barney and Norma seem to be back to normal.

"Tech Maintenance! You got out of the fear world by yourself?"

"Umm.. not exactly?"

"Oh, I knew I missed one! Go fetch!" He throws the skull my way. But just as I flinch to block it, Barney and Norma got to me by the nick of time.

As I opened my eyes, the beach was different. It was empty and.. there was an event being held. Everything was black and it was raining; a casket was being carried by some figures. The three of us who touched the skull were now wearing black palette clothes.

"A.. funeral service?"

"I guess you're afraid of dying?" Oh, if only it were that simple..

"Not quite. Take a closer look."

"I'm not sure I want to" Barney looked sour.

"Relax. It's not like the body is gonna be mutilated. Although.. it might as well be"

We walked to the casket once it was lowered. I opened the lid to the top half. And there I was.

Barney gasped "You're..."

"Yep."

The body inside was me, sure, but... not now. In both ways. What I mean is I will die and have already died. This version of me, at least.

I had longer hair, and wore a dress. A pained look on face, makeup applied. I wasn't hideous by any means, but I felt sick anyways.

We all sat in a moment of silence, as if grieving this fake corpse. The wind was cold but my palms still sweat.

"It's not that I'm scared of dying," I finally spoke. "I'm just scared I'll die a stranger."

"Remembered as someone else. My true self, rejected; even in death."

Barney seems to understand.

"And I'm scared that this is still a possibility."

His mouth agape slightly.

We took another moment of silence with the corpse.

"Y'know.. It's funny. The way I feel about this... dead.. me. It's like actual grief. With all it's stages." I give a half-smile to my dead self. "And now.. I'm ready for acceptance." I close the casket as I close my eyes. I felt tears form and trickle down my cheek.

It's time to say goodbye to an old friend. Kinda poetic really..

"Say hi to Lola for me. Ask if she's proud, would ya?" I know I probably looked silly doing that but.. it felt right.

"Who's Lola?"

"Oh, that's just how you say 'grandma' in Tagalog. She never got to know the real me.. and I'll never get to know how she would've felt.. But I think it's better to be optimistic."

Barney grumbled agreeingly but looked of bittersweet. I wish I understood.

The environment cracks and shatters like glass and we're brought back to the real world. The only things from the fear world that remained were my tears. Dried but fresh, they mark my face.

I'll let them handle the rest.

[harmonytre]

Made AU versions of myself! Part 1 here

Zippy (Fresh AU): Zippy talks way too fast and often interrupts people. She speaks in “cute” terms like hewo, owo, uwu, etc. Unironically . . . She doesn’t like when people swear or abuse others. The words on her glasses change. She has messy hair, a windbreaker, parachute pants, and puffy thick shoes.

Disdain (Nightmare AU): Disdain is lonely, but pushes everyone away. She snaps at others easily. She considers herself too dangerous to be around. Her  tentacles have a mind of their own, and often wrap around her, or in rare cases, around people she likes. She refuses to tell how she became the way she is. She has short slimey hair, a scarf, and hoodie, a skirt, shoes, and four gooey tentacles. Doesn’t wear glasses.

Echo (Dancetale): Echo focuses on hip hop and interpretative dance styles. She listens to almost all genres of music! She doesn’t like classical or most rap songs (or any songs with suggestive themes/excessive swearing). She’s fairly fit and enjoys jogs outside (and wii games like Just Dance). She has a long ponytail, t-shirt, exercise pants, and tennis shoes.

Inspire (Ink AU): If you ask how her hair is poofy, fluffy, and flat at the same time, she’ll laugh and change the topic. Her glitter freckles change color based on emotion. She always has pen doodles up her wrists and arms. She’s charismatic and friendly. Her drawings can come to life, but will never harm others. She has a turtleneck, sash, shorts, socks, and um, whatever her shoes are!

Faze (Underlust, specifically Reimagined by @zirkkun​): Faze is touch-starved, but too uncomfortable around most people to even approach them. She’s a little cuddle-bug! She prefers spending her time reading books or playing video games over interacting with others. She’s pretty timid and quiet. She has a long sweater, scarf, pants, shoes, and flat hair.

Eager (Gaster Blaster AU): Eager cannot speak. She can use sign language or animal-like grunts. She’s playful and enjoys many things, like sticking her head out car windows, or scratches behind her horns. She very much enjoys cuddles and is careful of her spikes when she does. She can run on all fours if she wants to. She has a fluffy hoodie and pants to fit her digigrade legs. She doesn’t need glasses, as all her senses are increased.

Grace (Slumbertale by @rainingskeletons): (This is such a comfy, soft, and beautiful AU! Go check it out. <3) Grace adores children and enjoys making up stories. Her hair and dress are long and flowy, the flowier, the better! She’s barefoot and has pants as well. The inside of her dress has a galaxy pattern!

Tranquil (Fallen Flowers by @tarableart): Tranquil fell into the underground and was raised by a family of ferret monsters. She has the form of a raccoon and her flower is a sunflower with a mix of green and blue: kindness and integrity. She’s bolder than my other sonas, but still has a silly side. She enjoys making others laugh. She wears a shirt, poncho, and skirt.

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression Ep 28 - Risk assessment of restarting events, German experiment.

K: Hi, Lets start this week's episode of The Freedom of Expression. Joe san, Tasai san, welcome....Oh, I forgot to say 'This is Dir en grey's Kaoru'.

J, T: Hahaha.

J: Well, say it now, haha.

K: No, well, Im always saying this, but the preparations to get this show started each time are so slow!

J, T: Hahaha.

K: I got here about 90mins ago!

J: Yeh, honestly for me, sorry about this, but I mistook the time and the day, I only noticed when I saw Tasai's LINE message.

T: I was thinking, 'this is not good'.

J: 'Joe san! We're all already here!' And I thought, 'Eh!?', and I rushed here in a panic. But  they still weren't ready to start recording.

K: Seriously, they havn't ever got it all set up quickly and smoothly.

T: Thats right.

K: We're waiting for so long.

J: Yep, there's been a lot of waiting to get to this point. But we do have time to have a meeting about the theme.

K: Yeh, we do that. But why does it never work out properly? They only have to do the same thing every time. We're talking about this every third episode.

J: Yeh, and we record three at once, so its like every time, haha.

K: Hahaha

J: Yep, we start each recording session with this conversation every time. Its become famous already.

K: We are kinda grumbling a bit.

J: The viewers have no connection to this.

K: Well, anyway, for today...Joe san, could you please?

J: Yes, 1500 at a concert - risk assessment of event restarts in German experiment. With the reopening of music and sports events in mind, which have faced huge restrictions amidsts the spreading of Covid-19, German researchers conducted an experiment on the 22nd, analyzing the risk of infection at a real live concert. On this day, a team of researchers from Martin Luther University in Halle, Germany put on a concert by the singer Tim Bendzko in an indoor venue in Leipzig. 1500 people took part in the experiment. Masks and small size tracking devices were distributed to the audience, and their hands were applied with fluorescent gel before entering. This was to record areas of high contact within the venue, and identify where people are touching the most. Professor Gekle from the same university's medical department said, 'I want to be able to offer some means of making a reasonable decision as the whether or not events can be permitted. We need the means to predict how many people will be infected after events are reopened.' Three scenarios were tested: a pre-pandemic environment, a mid-pandemic/strengthened infection prevention environment, and a limited audience environment. The team will analyze the gathered data, and evaluate the success of  the prevention methods using a mathematical model. They will announce their results within this year. Soo, this has finally gotten started.

T: It was picked up on a 26" Sharp *1

J: Yes, in the end 1500 people took part in the experiment.

K: Didn't they say they wanted 4000 people?

J: Yeh, maybe they couldn't gather that many.

K: Yeh

J: Sounds like it.

T: I think so. It looks like the data is split into three parts. The first group is like at the start of the pandemic with everyone...

J: Everyone crammed in. Doing a live show in a packed space.

T: Yeh. The second group was testing the prevention measures, like using alcohol, with a certain amount of social distancing. And the third group was keeping a strict distance of 1.5 meters between each person, and making it perfectly spaced out. Then they could gather these three sets of data.

J: Yeh, I see. It looks like we could get some good guidelines out of this.

K: But if they say the results will be out within the year, thats still quite a way off, isnt' it?

J: Yeh, we may have to wait a bit, but as for big events in Japan, the government made an announcement on the 21st of this month (*Sep or Oct 2020*). They will continue with their 5000 upper limit of people allowed in indoor or outdoor facilities. As to why they will continue this, a govt. person had this to say in an article for Mainichi Shinbun. 'Experts are saying we have already passed the peak, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't extend the limit on spectator numbers. The rest of the world would never forgive us'. Germany is using this kind of scientific logic, but Japan is saying 'we won't change the 5000 people limit, because the world wouldn't forgive us'!

T: Yeh..

Kami: Can I say something? ..Um, I listened to the report, and I got distracted by the names of that singer and that professor, Tim Bendzko and Professor Gekle, so I didn't really listen to the rest.

T: Well, yeh, those names are pretty interesting  to Japanese people.

Kami: So I wasn't listening much...but you said, 'The rest of the world wouldn't forgive us'..if they were to lift the limit on 5000 people?

J: Yes, yes. Not me, someone connected with the government said that.

Kami: Thats pretty amazing, isn't it? They won't lift the limit because the world would never forgive them?

J: Well, experts are saying we are past the peak, so..ordinarily, this would be a good time to lift the limit.

Kami: Even though experts say we are past the peak, the world would never forgive us, so we won't lift the limit...Japan is really keeping up with the trends, isn't it?

K: Its cute, right?

J: Yeah

Kami: Its great, isn't it?

J: Its like, we know the science, but we don't wanna get bullied!

Kami: Even I didn't think of this. Thank you very much for this.

J: Well, its a new discovery...

Kami: Yes, I started to really love Japan.

T: Its a politician's job to explain this type of thing properly tho.

Kami: I really love Japan now.

J: But this really isn't any kind of scientific logic.

K: But the rest of the world aren't doing live shows as much as Japan is...they can't can they?

J: Ahhh....yeah.

K: In that sense ???*2

J: Japan is always in this kinda grey zone. There's a lot of talk about this request for self-restraint, like what does it mean? Like, Can I? Can't I?

K: Nothing has been forbidden though, has it?

J: Yeh

K: Also, what was it? A kind of bike event that took place in North Carolina..

J: Yes, thousands of people attended. Events like that are happening in America. At the moment, there are no penalties for doing anything.

K: People are just not doing stuff by exercising self-restraint

J: Thats it.

K: So that means Japan hasn't even ???*3

J: Yeah.

K: No, well it depends how you say it! Didn't they have anything clearer to say?

J: It wasn't very scientific.

K: We've only spoken about Japan, but in Taiwan they are holding concerts with over 10, 000 people.

T: Thats amazing, isn't it?

K: Because they have a really low rate of infection right?

J: Yeah, they do.

T: This was on August 8th, right?

Kami: The world has forgiven them right?

J: Well, yeah.

T: Doesn't this photo have quite an impact?

K: Its great, isn't it? Its a packed live show.

J: It is. They are wearing masks, but there is no distance between them.

T: Its just like normal.

K: That means they've returned to daily life then? In Taiwan?

J: Well, I guess so.

K: I spoke about this before, but I wonder if they will do experiments on other areas of life, not just live shows. This German study is only looking at live shows, right? Other things...

T: For example, public transport?

K: Mmm

T: Public spaces, they could do the experiment with public transport and stuff.

Kami: If Japan conducted this kind of experiment, the world wouldn't forgive us, right?

J: Well, you might not even be able to gather participants.

K: Well, conversely it would be seen as raising the infection risk, if Japan did it.

T: Are you slightly envious when you look at this, Kaoru? The Taiwan live show? 10,000 people gathering like this..

K: Well, i mean, at our lives people aren't all sat down like this, so I'm not sure. It doesn't feel like authentically back to normal. Its great that so many people can be allowed in there though.

Kami: Haven't Dir en grey ever played in Taiwan?

K: We have. It was good. How many times did we go? Twice?

Kami: Was the food nice?

K: Emm, yeh, haha.

J: Hahaha. The topic has turned more relaxing towards the end, haha.

T: Kami sometimes says cute stuff.

J: Yeah.

Kami: What did you eat?

K: What did I eat? Hmm

J: He's quite interested in this, isn't he?

K: I don't really remember.

Kami: Did you go out during the night?

K: Eh? Err, I think I did, yeh.

Kami: Did it taste nice?

K: Did it taste nice?? Well, I don't think I ate at night.

T: Did you try that Stinky Tofu?

K: I have never tried it!

J: Ahh, it really stinks doesn't it? That..

K: The smell is too offputting.

J: That knocked me flat...But you could do live shows if you went to Taiwan though?

K: They wouldn't let us in.

J: Ahhh, right. At the moment..

K: Yeh, we wouldn't be allowed in.

J: Now we have this problem.

K: They're not allowing people in, so...huh? *a music box sounding tune starts playing*  Whats that?

J: Is someone's phone ringing? Haha, is this revenge from Kami? Are we ok?

Kami: You're ok.

K: They're not allowing people in, thats why they can do big shows. Probably.

J: Yeh

K: Well, who knows when Japan, or even the rest of the world will be able to do live shows like this, but im interested to see what kind of results this experiment will produce.

T: We can do an episode about it.

K: Yep. Well, the conversation was a bit all over the place today...

J,T: Hahaha

K: But please tune in again next time. Please subscribe.

*1 I don't know what he means by this.

*2, 3 Couldn't catch

[thewebcomicsreview]

THE WINNERS OF THE PREVIOUS WEEK

So. Um.

As you may have noticed, I have basically been completely AWOL this week. This is because I was moving. Which was a fucking nightmare, even compared to all my other moves. Luckily, the move is now complete (mostly), but I only got internet like four hours ago, and I thus haven’t finished all the stories. I do intend to, but the deadline has struck. Luckily, my methods are as mysterious as they are inscrutable, and thus I this week’s winner is “Blaze of Glory” by PeriPapaya, because it was submitted just under the deadline and then the post was edited to include the ending like an hour later in the hopes I wouldn’t notice, which is the kind of deadline-fuckery that really encapsulates this week for me. Plus I like the line about how no one shot Bonnie and Clyde’s manager. 

PeriPapaya, you win a free art commission, so send me an ask letting me know what you want me to draw, with the full knowledge that it’ll probably look like crap because I still need to do Mr. Sing’s and AnalVelocity’s this weekend.

THE RULES

Friday night at 8pm Eastern Time, I will post a set of writing prompts. In keeping with the themes of the event, these will be shitty prompts I came up with five minutes before the deadline

Entrants choose the prompt they like the best, and write a story based on that prompt

The story can be in a medium of the entrant’s choosing, including prose writing, a comic, a folk song, a twine game, or basically any format that doesn’t require me to install software to view.

The story must be a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end. There is otherwise no minimum length

Stories should be able to be read in under ten minutes (that is, don’t go much past a few thousand words)

The purpose of this exercise is to write a complete story, not necessarily a good one.

Please include content warnings for triggering or adult content

Stories are due by 8:00 PM Eastern Time on Sunday, September 6th. You have 48 hours!

The Prizes

One entry will be picked as the winner based on criteria that are mysterious as they are inscrutable. The winner will receive one simple commission from me, the writer of Saffron and Sage. Artistic quality is NOT guaranteed.

The Story Prompts

Choose one (or more, if you wish), story prompts from the list below that I came up with just now, literally three minutes before posting.

1. High-stakes crime drama forces a wimpy office worker to finally confess to their crush.

2. A charismatic cult leader faces God, and is put on trial for their sins

3. Five minutes before a hotly promoted idol group starts their ten-hour debut concert, one of the singers realizes that none of them have any musical talent and gets cold feet

4.After squashing Peter Parker in an exhibition wrestling match, the “Macho Man” Randy Savage starts his night job as a masked superhero.

How to enter

Just submit a link to your entry through this form. Note that your answers to the form (a name to use, the prompt you chose, and a link to the story) will be made public!

[caztiel]

All the botanical asks you haven’t got yet

lia that’s so many 😳 

lavender; soundcloud or vinyls?

soundcloud, i don’t have the money for vinyls, but if i had the money for them then vinyls 

primrose; what book does everyone right now need to read?

i can’t think of any lol 

lunar mist; do you like wearing other people’s shirts/jackets?

yeah

bird of paradise; what was the best thing that happened to you this month?

i hung out with my friends yesterday! also November 5th was incredibly funny

gardenia; what’s a promise you’ve recently made to yourself? 

i promised to be nicer to myself, and to exercise every day, and to get a job, and to write more

whirling butterflies; would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

have not kissed 

marmalade skies; do you plan your outfits? 

sort of? 

apricot drift; how do you feel right now? 

a bit tired! also a bit annoyed at the universe because I keep dropping and breaking things lmao (I dropped a glass lid everywhere and then kept stepping on glass as I was cleaning it, and then spilled water everywhere) 

everlasting daisy; what’s the last dream you remember having?

recurring apocalypse dream, I don’t remember the specifics 

queen’s cup; what are you craving right now?

chocolate 

lavender dream; turn ons/offs?

uhhhh i don’t like most perfume smells, or specific sudden loud noises

water lily; when was the last time you cried? why?

i cried a little bit yesterday when I was watching bly manor, but it wasn’t a full on cry

lily of the valley; did the one person who hurt you most in your life apologize?

no, but I don’t expect one, i’ve moved on 

winterberry; do you bite or lick your ice cream?

both 

desert rose; do you like yourself?

a little bit more every day. two steps forward one step back 

snapdragon; have you ever met or seen in person a celebrity?

nope 

night owl; how many countries have you visited?

5, i think? excluding one flight layover  

heliotrope; have you ever been in a castle? 

yes! in Germany 

creams and sky; what’s the craziest/bravest thing you’ve done?

idk if i’ve done anything really 

lantana; what’s on your mind right now?

the mini nanowrimo i thought I would start, that I haven’t written anything for (10k words in two weeks) 

pumpkin patch; what’s your zodiac sign?

aquarius sun, sagittarius rising, scorpio moon

tulip; name 5 facts about yourself.

1. i love rollercoasters, 2. i love love, 3. i cut my hair the other day, 4. i overheat easily, 5. i am a bad actor 

daphne; do you believe in karma?

yep! even if not in a spiritual sense, I think that being kind can bring kindness back to you, and being cruel can bring cruelty back to you 

queen of the meadow; ever been in love? 

perhaps, but I might be wrong 

wisteria; whom do you admire and why?

someone I once knew, they are good at making boundaries 

angel’s face; what was your favorite bedtime story as a child?

i don’t remember 

remember me; did you make someone laugh today? 

hannibal played by mass mikkelsen 

lilac; if you could go back in time which time period would you visit?

hmmmm 1920s? 1980s? 

caramel kisses; would you want to live forever? why/why not? 

i would want to be immortal until I want to die. there’s so many things that I want to experience! but I don’t want to live FOREVER, that’s too long 

primula; what makes you sad?

a lot of things. there’s a lot to be sad about, especially this year

rain lily; was today typical? why/why not? 

it’s typical of the holidays, i’ve spent the morning watching netflix

queen anne’s lace; who do you trust the most?

damn idk that’s a loaded question. next 

forget me not; do you have any regrets looking back in your life?

yes lol many 

lunaria; what’s your favorite fictional universe? 

honestly? rise of the guardians 

violet; favorite tv show? 

doctor who is my favourite comfort show, but i have a lot of shows that i love like dghda and bly manor 

snowdrop; what does your ideal day look like?

visiting a theme park with someone i love, and then we have a picnic, maybe on the beach. it’s sunny and there’s a nice breeze. then we go for a drive along the coast and listen to music together. we get home and it starts storming so we hang out together and watch movies 

tiger lily; do you have any hobbies? 

knitting! i started a blanket in the Irish moss stitch :) i like writing too. i also like baking and cooking, and i sometimes pick up guitar and ukulele and duolingo. um also games. 

peony; share a small random book passage that means something to you. 

there’s a bit in the book thief by markus zusak where Death describes the colours of the sky 

tea rose; what’s something you always wanted to do but were too scared? 

can’t think of anything rn 

honeysuckle; do you usually date people your age or older/younger? 

i’ve only “dated” one person and they were my age. i’m not really into dating people older or younger 

love in the mist; best books you’ve ever read? 

i literally cannot remember and I'm too lazy to try and remember 

foxglove; who is your favorite cartoon character?

dr doofenshmirtz 

magnolia; coffee or tea?

both! i love coffee!! i also love tea!! i’m a multifaceted person 

crown imperial; would you rather be extremely rich or extremely loved?

extremely loved. but if i had a lot of money i could help a lot of people 

snowflake; are you a dog or a cat person? 

both! 

bell flower; what is your biggest addiction? 

don’t judge me lmao i am addicted to asmr, it makes my brain go brrrr

cosmos; do you ever think about the galaxy? 

all the time

moonflower; what’s your favorite color?

yellow, but also pink, and blue, and so many others 

freesia; do you have a good relationship with your parents and siblings? why/why not? 

yes, they always try to be good people. also i just generally get along with them 

poppy; have you ever dealt with a mental illness?

perhaps. i think so yeah. self diagnosed. i’ve gotten pretty good at dealing with it over the years 

clover; how would your friends describe you?

uhhhhhh idk quirky? 🤪 i don’t know. 

dandelion; do you consider yourself an extrovert or an introvert?

introvert, i’m good at spending a lot of time alone, and that’s how i recharge. but i still enjoy people’s presence. i think the words extrovert and introvert are uhhh misnomers? it’s like asking if you prefer the darkness or the brightness. there’s different shades of light on a spectrum 

lilly; what’s something you love watching/reading but you are too embarrassed to admit you do?

asmr but i’m only tentatively embarrassed 

anemone; describe yourself in 3 words.

weird, eclectic, trying 

lotus; best memory as a child?

can’t remember much, but i can remember that time i went on the green lantern rollercoaster at movie world like 4 times 

angelonia; what is your eye and hair color?

brown, dark brown/black 

dahlia; do you like crystals?

yeah, not really in jewellery (it tends to look a little tacky (not always!)) but i like crystals :) 

buttercup; if you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

stop overall suffering. it’s not one thing, it’s a series of things: war, poverty, food deserts, etc. um if i had to choose one i’d make it so that there’s a reliable source of water available to everyone 

baby’s breath; what’s your hogwarts house?

hufflepuff 

calendula; biggest pet peeve? 

people who have a very different sense of personal space to me and don’t respect mine 

blanker flower; would you rather go to a cocktail party with your best friends or stay home and read a book/watch a movie with your pet?

hm stay home? but also i want to hang out with my friends. i haven’t been to a cocktail party before with friends 

blazing star; share a secret.

scroll through my old blog, i’ve blurted a lot of secrets on there 

carnation; would you rather live longer or happier?

happier 

bluebell; do you wear glasses? 

nope

orchid; do you like exercise?

depends on your definition of “like”. I like the benefits, the after effects. if i’m walking, i like the time alone, and the time out in nature and on the street 

pansy; do you like poetry?

yes duh i’m a poet 

morning glory; any special talent that you have? 

adapting

botanical asks

[let-me-make-you-proud]

Tangled: The Series Q&A with Kait.

This is a recapitulation from today’s (September 14, 2019) Questions and Answers session with Kait on the Tangled Discord Server.

Q: Which Disney princesses outside of Tangled the series can you see Varian being friends with? Nonfranchise ones included.

A: I think Belle is the first one who comes to mind!! She’s super studious and goes against the grain…not to mention her father is an inventor who’s a little off-base! 🙂 I think he’d be super comfortable experimenting with Belle and her dad and reading awesome stories! (Maybe even sharing the Tales of Flynn Rider with her! …Assuming she hasn’t read it! Haha. ) He could also eat ham sandwiches with Anna. Sorry. Second thought. Lol!!

Q: So Kait, as a storyboard artist on the show what kind of little details, quirks or creative touches did you or any other artists put into Varian scenes you or others storyboarded?

A: Ha!! Any acting scene with Varian I had…I pretty much based off of Anna Lencioni (my best friend/ another board artist on the show.) Anna makes these very specific expressions and she gestures to herself a lot and closes her eyes and creases her brows and says things like “A-huh! Actually…” or “Um!!” Before making a point and it’s always reminded me of him.

She kept a “flynnolium” prop from Halloween with green goo in a vial in her cubicle at work so long it grew mold. She said she was studying it. She found scrap metal in her boot one day. She has a basement lab for her experiments and crafts. She befriended two raccoons at her last apartment. She is the most accident-prone person with freckles I’ve ever met…she’s pretty much him.

Jeremy Jordan’s reads give you so much to work with…and I love that character so much I feel a natural sort of understanding of how he might say something or do something…but Anna would always do these specifically Anna things that I had to use for Varian.

Q: Do you have any specific advice for aspiring storyboard artists or people who aspire to work in animation?

A: Gestural drawings help you learn to draw fast…which is a very important part of storyboarding. I would say storyboarding‘ s biggest requirements are clarity and speed. Lots of productions have different requirements in terms of what they look for from story artists. Tangled‘s leadership cared a lot about drawing skill, animation, layout, etc. because it more strongly informed the animation studio to have those things. The show I’m working on now (Monsters at Work) is a 3D show…so for our production, the emphasis is more on story and speed. We pitch ideas more than we pitch drawings…so clarity is important and acting is too, but we’re far less precious about tying down drawings and animating since we shift into the 3D production pipeline after story. The boards are still very important…but the more technical aspects are a *little* less so. The focus is just more on story and character and what the board artists can bring to their scenes.

So I’d say just practice drawing…maybe try and give someone a prompt or ask a friend for one. Choose a theme! Maybe vampires? What’s the worst thing that could happen to a vampire? What’s the best thing? What’s the funniest thing? What if they were also an alien? Or fused with a werewolf? Or chained to one? What would happen? Giving yourself a starting point for an idea will inspire you to explore all the possibilities for humor, drama, etc. in that idea. If you’re struggling to give yourself a prompt, try looking online…or maybe choosing a song you like or a passage from a book for inspiration.

There’s also this really fun thing you can do to study cinematography and shot composition called a “three tone” exercise. Basically…put on your favorite (live action) film, grab a sketchbook, grab a black and grey marker, and use the white of the page for your third tone. What you wanna do is (as you’re watching or while pausing) sketch a small thumbnail using only three grey tones of what you see on the screen. Draw the shot- where the characters are, try and duplicate the lighting…it teaches you a lot! 🙂 (Phew!)

Q: Do you have any fun non-spoiler head canons about Varian?

A: I think his favorite dessert is apple pie and I think he bakes recreationally very often! He’s probably a good cook. (Though he may have one or two minor accidents……a burnt thing here and there. Minor oil splatters….haha!!)

Q: What’ve been your favorite episodes, both to storyboard and in general? Of course, no specifics if it’s S3

A: Haha! Well…What The Hair and Queen for A Day have special places in my heart because they were such big moments for my favorite character…(Varian, haha.) But I’d say the episodes I had the most fun boarding are all in season 3!!! Which is exciting! I have to start compiling some work to post! 🙂 I think the episode I had the most fun with is one you guys will really enjoy.

Q: Will we get some interesting surprises (In Season 3)?

A: Without any spoilers- absolutely!! The show is always full of those.

Q: So We’ve heard many fans express why they love Varian as a charcter before, I’d love to know what drew you and Anna to Varian as well and why you guys personally found him to be a great character.

A: When Shane Prigmore originally pitched the character to me, he was much younger. He was like 11 or so, I think? Maybe 12? He’s still pretty young…but what Shane said was that he wanted him to go from this wide-eyed kid to this dark, angry person whose bangs fell over those wide, bright eyes…just full of rage. That idea was super interesting to me…it just hit on something in character development that I felt like I’d never exactly seen before? He was so young and it was such an interesting idea to me to make a child the villain and to give that child a strong reason to be angry? It felt like it was taking this child very seriously, which I appreciate. It felt very real and very dark.

The thing that threw me through a loop but also evolved my fascination with the character was Jeremy Jordan’s casting. I listened to a lot of the auditions they had for various actors and I had seen a ton of Shane’s concept art of the character…a lot of them were VERY different than what we have now. One version Ricky Roxburgh (writer) contributed to had Varian cast as an adult in the story. But when I heard Jeremy I felt like I totally understood who Varian really was.

He was a well-intentioned disaster with unchecked emotions. That. Is me! Haha!! I see myself in his imperfections, his emotionality in spite of his creative and often intellectual thinking. He wants to ascend to these levels he may not be ready to ascend to…he feels this need to prove himself and seek validation. I don’t know, I guess I relate to that! And I’m just a sucker for good guys gone bad. The other half of this, of course, is that he’s very charming and cute and super reminds me of my best friend, Anna Lencioni.

Q: Which character do you most like seeing interacting with Varian?

A: It’s a little spoilery for me to reveal that……..but I think you guys are gonna know when it happens! Haha!

I can’t wait to post THOSE boards

That’s actually right out of the episode I think I liked boarding the most, haha.

Q: If there was one prop (furniture, object, the like) from the Tangled series that could be made real and you could keep, what would it be..?

A: I think it’d have to be those little alchemy orbs that Varian throws? They just suddenly clean the whole castle hallway somehow and like…could use me some of that. He also has the one that removes stains from tablecloths, so. I’m sloppy. That’d be a big help. Haha!

Also his staff is pretty cool 😉, I boarded/created that staff…David Lee (prop designer) did its final design…haha

Q: I have a question about a scene in season 1. When Varian got back the first part of the scroll he mentioned that it took him a while to translate it. Has he really been able to read it or has it been a bluff?

A: Varian can indeed translate what’s on the scroll. 😉

Q: Do you have any networking advice for those trying to get into the animation industry?

A: Post your work!! Make it easily accessible, tag it well, just show what you’ve got online! Upload boards, animatics, drawings, etc. Creating an online presence can really help put your name out there. Apply for internships, jobs. I know it’s hard to network because a lot of industry professionals don’t have time to answer specific questions or give portfolio reviews…so it’s sort of important to take some initiative on that and be self-motivated.

For me, I studied the portfolios of Disney feature story artists, CalArts students, etc. and tried to structure the presentation of my work based on that. Also, it helped me get a sense of what pieces of work would best showcase where I was trying to go and what I was trying to do. I’d ask yourself those questions as you develop a portfolio and artistic voice online! 🙂

My first feature job after a trainee program in New York at Blue Sky happened because Doug Sweetland (Pixar animator, feature director, awesome dude) found my work online and liked it. He just reached out based on that!

Shane Prigmore actually reached out to me for Tangled similarly.

Q: Besides Varian, do you have a favorite character that you’ve boarded?

A: I always love Eugene. He’s the second character I think I’m most like. His acting was really fun to play with and I felt like I could push his expressions a lot because he’s so funny. I loved boarding Lance too (I boarded a lot of Lance in S3!!) but MAN was he hard to draw, haha! His face shape is just really hard to draw at certain angles.

Q: With Varian cosplay that is going on, what Disney character would you like to see Varian dress up as next?

A: Jack Skellington! Halloween is afoot. Jack is another well-intentioned disaster. Guess I have a type!

Q: What’s Varian’s opinion on raccoons, are they his favourite animal?

A: I imagine it’s because Ruddiger is always finding interesting things in the trash and giving them to Varian to use in his experiments. Also, they’re fat and cute.

Q: There’s a bit of an argument going on over how many freckles Varian has. Can you confirm how many he has?

A: Ha!!! Yes…one second… 14!!

Q: How big do you think Corona is? Like Vatican City small or Arendelle big?

A: You know, with the wall and all, it actually feels a little on the smaller side to me? I’m sure there’s a little bit of discrepancy between the movie’s version of Corona and our version…but based on where we went within Corona on the show, I’d say it feels on the smaller side.

Q: Are there any non-spoiler Varian scenes or moments that didn’t make the cut that you can share?

A: MAN. Yes. There is one scene that changed after I rolled off the episode and I’m very sad about it. I’ll post it after the episode airs! There was also a line of Varian’s that I boarded to a specific read from Jeremy Jordan and that read was not chosen in editorial later so…I’ll post that one too, haha!

Q: What is your favourite song from the first two seasons so far?

A: All my favorite songs are in season threeeeee…hahahaha!! I think Let Me Make You Proud or the Buddy Song are my favorites. Buddy Song still gets stuck in my head now and then.

Q: What do you think Varian would order at a drive-thru? Specifically at chipotle 😂

A: Chipotle isn’t a drive thru!! Hahaha He’d get the kid’s quesadilla from chipotle. I think Varian is a fries/chips kind of person…something to snack on while he works! He probably also likes milkshakes.

Q: (Continuation from the question above) Chocolate or vanilla?

A: He’d revolutionize by combining them both. FOR SCIENCE!

Q: What is, in your opinion, the most challenging part of varian’s design to draw?

A: His goggles, hahaha. Or just his…hair in general.

Well it’s funny too because when you board these guys, you get used to doing a shorthand for them and then when you go to draw them FOR REAL you realize how complicated that actually is and how wrong your shorthand actually was? Hahahaha

Q: is Varian ticklish at all?

A: I feel like Varian, Eugene, and Lance are all equally ticklish. To the point of absurdity. Cass would fight it as long as she could…but when it finally got to her, she’d laugh uncontrollably. Rapunzel, she’s the TICKLER.

Q: What do you think Varian opinion and belief on magic is now that he’s seen it with his own eyes?

A: I imagine that he certainly believes in it now and no longer underestimates its powers…but I imagine he’s ultimately more comfortable staying in his own lane and working with worldly properties!

Q: If Varian would have been able to meet Demanitus…how would their conversation had looked like?

A: I feel like Varian would have had a TON of questions about his legendary device and whether or not he truly traveled dimensions.

Q: Did Varian have any other friends in old Corona before he met rapunzel?

A: Probably not many…he’s a bit of a hermit. I think Ruddiger is his best friend……. It’s sad but I also think that’s kind of why it hurt so bad when Rapunzel wasn’t able to help him. Also why he was SO excited to have Rapunzel, Cass, and Eugene come visit.

I think the village looked at Varian as a little unstable or worrisome. I’m sure everyone knew he was very nice…but they were likely very unnerved by his inventions.

Q: Do you think Varian ever tried to synthesise gold or the elixir of life like a real alchemist?

A: I’ve wondered that myself!! I think his alchemy has proven to be more about other people…helping others, making people proud. Maybe if someone he cared about was in need.

Q: If you were to meet Varian in real life, what would you say to him?

A: What elixir did you make to get THAT kind of volume? His hair’s so POOFY! Honestly, I’d probably just give him a hug.

Q: How much does Varian know or remember about his mom?

A: I’d say about as much as the photo of her on the wall.

Q: Is there spoiler about his hair streak? Or is it just by design?

A: It’s totally by design. I think it’s safe to assume it’s probably the result of some lab accident!

Q: In what ways is Jeremy Jordan like Varian?

A: I don’t know Jeremy Jordan personally, haha! But I think a lot of these inflections he adds to Varian sort of off the cuff probably come very naturally to him. I know he often wants to do his own pass at the musical arrangement Alan Menken writes…like he’ll want to do something a little different, in his own way, and it will change the song completely!! In an awesome way. That’s a little Varian-esque. In the “Let Me Make You Proud” reprise…Alan Menken had sung that “they are going to pay…they…will…pay” all in a low, downward tone. Jeremy wanted to scream it and make it powerful and angry and loud when he said “PAY” and you could just hear the spite in his voice for the “they will pay.” Genius!

Q: What was the most shocking moment/revelation of the series to you (minus anything season 3)?

A: It’s hard to say because I knew most of what was going to happen long, long ago. I think one of the things that made me go “oh dang!” was something Tom Canfield boarded. It’s that part in Destinies Collide where Lance slices the entire statue down the middle with a sword. What a BAMF!

Q: What were your thoughts on the early concept of Varian having an apple orchard and being a farm kid instead of a young alchemist?

A: He still kinda has those things! Quirin is a farmer as well as the village leader and there are apples on their little farm estate! 🙂 I think that makes Varian very unassuming as a mad little scientist. I’m sure that’s how (Ruddiger and Varian) met! Remember, he used his purple tacky goo stuff to catch raccoons so they wouldn’t eat the crops! And Ruddiger’s favorite snack is apples. 😉

Q: What is his official height and weight?

A: Smol.

Q: How did you guys come up with Varian’s name? And was there any other name suggestions for him before the name ‘Varian’ was chosen?

A: I’m not sure who came up with that name, actually! I’m sure it has something to do with the meaning of the word “variant” which means something that varies, changes in form.

Q: What’s his last name?

A: His last name!! I have NO idea and it bothers me!!! A Disney magazine referred to Varian, Ruddiger, and Quirin as “The Ruddiger Family” and I still haven’t stopped laughing about that.

Q: What sad Disney movie moments would make him cry?

A: Oof. Lion King.

Q: What musicals do think Varian would enjoy?

A: Little Shop of Horrors! I think he’d see himself in Seymour! Or Wicked…you know, that villain arc.

Q: How did Arianna and Fred meet?

A: I actually don’t know off the top of my head!

Q: Would Varian enjoy rollercoasters?

A: I think he’d enjoy how they’re MADE and then scream his head off while riding one, throw up his cotton candy and corndog, and go play carnival games instead. Then get mad that they’re rigged.

Q: So what comes next for you now that the series is almost over? Any big plans?

A: Well the series wrapped for production a while ago! I’ve been on another show for almost a year now! 🙂 I’m working on the new Disney+ show Monsters at Work as a director! It’s an awesome, awesome show…totally next-level…I’m shocked that I’m getting to be apart of something like this. It’s a direct sequel to the movie that serves as an office comedy (a la The Office, Parks and Rec) and has so many characters that fit immediately into the Monsters Inc world. Monsters Inc is my favorite Pixar movie…so I literally come to work and leave work on the same high! It’s an awesome, awesome show with a great crew! 🙂 It’s also just really exciting to be apart of the first original animated property for D+!

Q: How would you compare working as a director to working as a storyboard artist?

A: It’s hard work, just as hard, but in a different way! For me personally, I’m a little easily fatigued by drawing? I get a little creatively frustrated because my thoughts move quicker than my hand. Or because I don’t always feel like I can execute in a drawing what I’m thinking in the way that I want? Part of that is just being an artist…and it’s not ALL the time that I feel that way…but I think I have a certain stamina for drawing that I found challenging to increase.

Directing is just different! It has a lot more to do with managing a team, communication, coordinating, listening, speaking up, problem-solving, being very aware of story as it applies to ALL parts of a production. I don’t draw as often anymore. You have to consider a lot more…more people, more constraints, more difficulties, more opinions, more solutions…it’s just MORE. And you also still have to draw! 🙂 It’s very busy work, but it’s AMAZING and I love it. I feel like I’m contributing to animated storytelling a lot more in this role, actually. I love working with people, I love workshopping, and I love helping! I’m also just spoiled to be working with some great people right now. It’s a blast.

Q: Are any Tangled: The Series crew joining you on that show?

A: Yes!! Tom Caufield and Wendy Sullivan were on it for a minute, but they’ve both moved on to Dreamworks recently! James Suhr (board artist), Isabelle Gedigk (season 3 board artist), Naomi Hicks and Casey Coffey (revisionists), David Lee (props), Ricky Roxburgh (writer), and I are all working together again! It’s awesome.

Q: Does Varian, deep down, blame himself for the amber?

A: I believe he does.

Q: How do you deal with artist’s block?

A: I try to think about the intention behind what I’m doing. Why is the scene I’m working on very important to the story? If it feels unimportant or boring, how can I make it interesting? What can I do on my end to make it more inspiring or fun without going too far off the rails and still serving the scene’s purpose?

If it’s not work-related, I try and start with some fan art or something familiar for me to draw. I have a lot of scribbly Varians in the margins of a lot of my sketch documents. I use him as a warm-up a lot. It helps build my confidence to draw something familiar/ that I think I can draw pretty well.

Q: What’s the hardest scene you’ve ever had to board?

A: Oh God. ANYTHING with action. I’m not an action gal. Lots of stuff in S3. I was board partners with Wendy Sullivan and ended up getting a lot of action to board even though she’s WAY better at it than me!! It was an interesting challenge…but it was very, very challenging. Ben (Co-EP) was a great mentor to me in the scene I did for the mid season. He was very patient with me, despite my shortcomings as an action board artist, haha. I enjoy boarding for comedy much more.

Kait: Anyways, I should probably head off now! Thank you guys so much for all the questions!!!! You’re awesome! I hope you’re all super excited for S3! It’s a great one.

[20xbetterthanu]

I'm bored, so I want you to answer all the questions on the music asks...

who are you, Nonny. why, Nonny? but okay, Nonny.

Favorite song with a city in the title Santa Fe, from Newsies

Favorite song with a color in the title Back To Black, Amy Winehouse

Favorite song with a number in the title 4 Minutes, Glee Version

Favorite song by an artist no longer living omg there’s so many dead musicians...um...Tears Dry On Their Own by Amy Winehouse

Favorite song on my least favorite playlist One, the glee version

Least favorite song on my favorite playlist What Do You Want Paul, from The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals

Favorite song with a person’s name in the title Jack’s Song, by Cavetown

Top 3 ablums ...Rumours, Fleetwood Mac Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette  Tapestry, Carole King

Top 3 karaoke songs I’m terrible at karaoke 

Top 3 movie soundtracks Dirty Dancing, A Star is Born , and The Body Guard

Top 3 TV show theme songs Zoey 101, Austin and Ally, and Big Time Rush

Top 3 favorite songs right now I’m on a Kerrigan-Lowdermilk binge right now, so Run Away With Me, Last Week’s Alcohol, and Anyway

Top 3 anime opening/closing theme songs I don’t watch Anime

Top 5 musical songs ohh shit. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. There’s so many!!! Words Fail, Dear Evan Hansen What Baking Can Do, Waitress Not Alone, A Very Potter Musical No Good Deed, Wicked Touch Me, Spring Awakening

Top 5 musical soundtracks Dear Evan Hansen Waitress Spring Awakening Hamilton Six (i’m a very basic bitch)

5 songs on my shower playlist Waving Through A Window, Dear Evan Hansen Don’t Stop Believing, Glee Version I’m the Greatest Star, Glee Version (Kurt Hummel) You Know I’m No Good, Amy Winehouse And I Am Telling You, Glee Version

5 songs I listen to while cleaning Piano Man, Billy Joel 4 Minutes, Glee Version Don’t Stop Me Now, Queen The Best, Tina Turner Me and Mr.Jones, Amy Winehouse 5 songs I listen to while exercising

bitch I don’t exercise

5 songs I listen to while cooking/baking Run Away With Me, Kerrigan and Lowdermilk Being Good Isn’t Good Enough, Glee Version What Baking Can Do, Waitress The Bitch of Living, Spring Awakening

A song that makes me sad Words Fail, Dear Evan Hansen

A song from my non-native language ...I’m a basic bitch who only listens to music in english...

A cover that is better than the original I’ve Told You Now, The Jeremy Jordan Version...its originally by Sam Smith

[floralelu]

Le Fleuriste Episode 1:

WARNING: CONTAINS VERBAL, PHYSICAL ABUSE, AND MENTIONS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

Word Count: 4,126

Summary: The plan was to take his mom out for Mother’s Day. Lunch, a little shopping, something casual. That is until Lucas spots the boy outside the flower shop.

[A/N:] Hello!! Welcome to the first chapter of Le Fleuriste (The Florist) co-written by Kenzie and I (Emmy), this is our first time collaborating on a fic and we are very excited to share it with you. Thank you for reading!!

——————————

“Oh come on, Arthur. You’re just jealous that I have a girlfriend and you don’t.” Basile exclaimed.

“I’m not jealous, just pissed because now you’re just going to spend all your time with her and not the gang.” Arthur sighed.

“Are you saying you’re gonna miss me when I’m away?” Basile approached Arthur and pinched his cheeks. Arthur smiled and rolled his eyes. Yann and Lucas both looked at each other.

“Uh, guys? Do you have something to tell us?” Yann chuckled under his breath.

“Yeah, I mean, I’m the only gay one in this group right?” Lucas and Yann both leaned back into the couch while laughing their asses off.

The apartment was quite small, only 2 bedrooms, but they made it work. Lucas didn’t mind not having a bedroom, unlike the other 3 guys who shared the rooms. Arthur and Basile shared one bedroom, each of them having separate beds of course. Yann made his statement about how sharing a room would disrupt his “sex life”, as if he has one ever since breaking up with his co-worker, Emma. Lucas moved in after the guys rented the apartment. Lucas would never forget that night.

———————————————————————

Lucas was freezing, and his clothes were soggy with both his tears and the rain that had started earlier that afternoon. His brain felt cloudy, just like the sky. He could see it in his line of sight, the light at the end of the tunnel, the apartment. He sprinted up the steps as fast as his legs carried him, maybe he should exercise more often, but that didn’t matter now.

Lucas walked up to the door and knocked, it was late but he was sure they would be up. However, they hadn’t answered the door yet, maybe they were at a party?

Lucas knocked again, louder this time, even calling out Yann’s name.

“Yann? Yann, please open the door! It’s bad, my dad left and my mom...just please open up!” Lucas kept banging on the door.

“Lucas?” It was Basile.

Finally, a familiar face after seeing only strangers among him for the past few hours. He was thrilled to see Basile in his blue and white striped boxers and a baggy t-shirt.

“Do you know how loud you’re being-” Lucas cut him off with a bone-crushing hug. He needed this. Baz returned the embrace and wrapped his arms around him.

“Lucas, I’m sorry to ruin the moment, but you’re getting me wet.” Both of them laughed.

———————————————————————

Lucas was grateful, he could never repay the gang for taking him in without question. They were his everything and he loved them, and they loved him back. The gang has been together since the beginning of high school, they’ve been through everything together. Yann was by Lucas’ side when he came out to him, the guys supported his sexuality and they thought nothing less of him. He couldn’t have asked for a better group of friends.

“Lucas? Lucas?! Lucas!” Yann shouted, swinging Lucas’ phone in his face.

“Okay! Okay! I got it.” Lucas snatched his phone from Yann’s grip. It was his mother. “Hey, Mom! What’s up?”

“Lucas! Do you have any idea what day it is?!” Lucas pulled the phone away from his ear. Damn, she was angry.

“Uh, Sunday?”

“It’s Mother’s Day! You know, the holiday where you spend time with the person who gave birth to you? Do you know how hard it was pushing your abnormally large head out of my-” Lucas cut her off.

“Okay, Ma, I get it. Do you wanna meet up somewhere then? Lemme pick you up in ten, okay? How about lunch and some shopping? Sound good?” Lucas could charm his way out of any argument. After all, what mother couldn’t love her son?

“Oh, honey! That’d be lovely. I’ll see you soon! Love you most!”

“Alright, Mom. See you in ten and I love you more than most.” He had won her over.

——————————————————————-

The taxi pulled up in front of Lucas’ childhood home, he hadn’t seen it since the day he left. He shuddered just thinking about it.

———————————————————————

“I can’t stand you anymore!” Lucas’ dad screamed. He slapped Lucas’ mother across the face. “You no good schizophrenic bitch!” He repeatedly kept slapping her.

“Dad, stop! You’re hurting her! She can’t help herself, you know that!” Lucas raised his voice over the wails coming from his mother.

“You stay out of this, Lucas! You don’t know the shit I’ve been through with this woman. You don’t know how hard it is to take care of her, you don’t even help with it. You’re so selfish, Lucas. Thinking you can get by with partying with your friends every night? The world revolves around everyone, Lucas, not just you.” Lucas’ heart was even more shattered than before.

“You get out of here. You have no right to talk to my son that way.” His mother stood up, her face bloody and bruised from the countless beatings.

“Your son? He’s our son, not just yours.” His dad gripped his mother’s arm to the point where his knuckles turned white. A tremor went down Lucas’ spine.

“Not anymore.” His mother broke free from the tight grip encasing her arm. “You need to leave.”

——————————————————————-

“Lulu! How are you, sweetie?” Lucas’ mother rejoiced as she stepped into the taxi.

“I’m doing alright, Mom. The real question is, how are you? I know it’s been almost a year, but I wanna be sure you’re okay.”

“I’m okay, Lulu. Today is going to be fun. I’m looking forward to it, speaking of, where are we going for lunch?”

“Disco Danish Cafe! Manon has been dying to try out some new sandwich combinations on us and Alexia will have her spring cookies out. I know how much you love her cookies.” Lucas can recall many times when he and his mom would go to Alexia and Manon’s cafe to escape Lucas’ abusive dad. They were memories he would cherish forever.

“Just like we used to! That sounds lovely, dear. You’re so thoughtful.” She put her hand on top of his, which was resting on the seat between them.

“I love you, Mom.” Lucas looked over at his mother, tears pooling in his eyes.

“Oh, honey, no time to be so emotional. I love you most.”

“More than most.”

King’s Grove was the hub for life in Annecy, a town outside of Paris. It had cobblestone streets and picturesque storefronts. The Disco Danish Cafe was located at the corner of King’s Grove and Queen’s Avenue. The Cafe wasn’t necessarily a 70’s disco theme that you’d expect from the name, but the interior decor was like an American diner straight out of the 1950s with checkered floors, teal booths, neon lights, and a disco ball hanging from the ceiling that spun and sparkled when it caught the light coming from the storefront windows. Baked goods lined the display front windows, but as well as in the cases at the front counter of the bakery.

The masterminds behind the most popular bakery in town are Alexia and Manon. They had started the bakery once they graduated from high school and to say it wasn’t a life-changer would be an understatement.

Manon is head chef and baker. She’s not as artistic as her talented best friend and co-worker, Alexia, is. Manon is one for flavors and tastes rather than decor. Manon loves the cafe with all her heart and loves putting smiles on all of her customer’s faces when they take the first bite of her delectable dishes and baked goods.

Alexia is the decorator behind all of the cookies and cakes in the display cases and was the one behind the interior decor. Although Manon wasn’t crazy about the whole idea at first, once she saw the Pinterest boards that Alexia created, she was in. Alexia has an artistic eye that no one could change. She’s the one who always decorates and writes the eye-catching specials on the blackboard that sits outside of the cafe. Alexia even screams artistic with the constant change in her hair color.

“My girls!” Lucas shouted when he waltzed into the cafe. People glanced up and stared at Lucas, but he didn’t care, he got to see his best girls!

“Lulu!” Manon and Alexia looked up and said in unison, they ran from behind the camera and hugged him tightly.

“It’s been a while, Lucas. Where have you been?” Alexia questioned.

“Yeah, it’s almost been a year,” Manon agreed. “What have you been up to?”

“Well, um, I’ve been dealing with family issues,” Lucas looked at his mom who was standing next to him. “I’m living with Arthur, Yann, and Basile now.”

“Oh my god, I can’t imagine how that must be,” Alexia chuckled.

“Yeah, fuck, those boys can be a mess sometimes, ” Manon shook her head and laughed.

“You don’t even know the half of it, but I’m not here to talk about them. I’m here to try out your new recipes! I know we’re looking forward to it.” Lucas gestured to his mother.

“You got it!” Alexia and Manon hurried back into the kitchen to prepare the food.

———————————————————————-

“Oh! Manon, Alexia you did an amazing job you two! This looks delicious!” Ms. Lallemant studied the food with her mouth practically watering. “You two are just so talented.”

“Thank you, Ms. Lallemant,” Manon bowed.

“Alexia, these sugar cookies! Gosh, how do you even come up with this stuff? Thank you so much for making them,” Even though this was Ms. Lallemant’s hundredth time here, she was still just as astonished as if it was the first.

“My pleasure.” Alexia smiled and curtsied.

“Talk to you guys later?” Lucas asked.

“Of course! You better stop by more, our business is just suffering without you,” Alexia joked and Lucas rolled his eyes.

Lucas was thrilled that he got to spend this time with his mom, even though he forgot it was Mother’s Day. He even got to see a couple of friends. He didn’t know he needed this kind of time out away from the stress of finding a job and his own place. He had countless nights of restlessness and no sleep whatsoever. He was glad he could finally relax with his mom just like the good ol’ days.

After lunch, Lucas settled that they would visit the bookshop after his mother had spoken about a book that her friend at one of their book club meetings mentioned. Lucas figured the least he could do for her was buy her something, especially after all of the trouble they’ve been through in the past year.

The Book Nook was across from Disco Danish Cafe. It was a small shop that Emmy and Kenzie had rented out for a couple of years now, and it was the hangout for all of the bibliophiles. It had quite a cozy feel. There were brown vintage leather couches throughout the store among the endless shelves of novels that traveled up the spiral staircase to the second floor, the walls were painted a creamy caramel color, and the place was dimly lit with the storefront windows supplying most of the lighting among the building beside a few key lamps here and there and the large antique chandelier that hung above the counter. The rectangular-shaped counter was in the center of the bookstore where Emmy and Kenzie were most of the time. In the back was Nookie’s Coffee, where Arthur and Basile worked. Nookie’s Coffee had the most delicious croissants and tea, even though their specialty was supposed to be coffee.

Outside, Ouba, a once stray pomeranian, greeted Lucas on the porch steps of the store. Kenzie and Emmy took in Ouba and made her the mascot of The Book Nook, plus she kept the kids entertained while their parents went in to take a look around. Basile would call Ouba his dog because he found her first, but it seemed that she took a liking to everyone except him. Ouba liked Lucas especially since he snuck her treats.

“Sorry, girl. I came unprepared today.” Lucas frowned at her and scratched her behind the ears.

The doors to the shop were open which brought in a nice breeze. Emmy and Kenzie spotted Lucas.

“Hey, Lu!” They both called. Lucas adverted his gaze from the oh so adorable pomeranian at his feet. They both raced to him and wrapped him in a group hug.

“Oh my goodness, it’s been so long, Lucas,” Kenzie hugged him tightly.

“Okay, guys. I kinda can’t breathe here.” Lucas choked out. Immediately they pulled away from him.

“Lu, we wouldn’t get so carried away with our tight group hugs if you just come by more often,” Emmy remarked. “What have you been up to?”

“It’s a long story, maybe another time.”

Kenzie and Emmy both frowned.

“Well, we have lots of hot new releases on our shelves, and I know Basile and Arthur are off today, but if you want a coffee just say the words and I’m on it,” Kenzie mentioned as she returned to the counter, picking up her copy of Carry On.

“Yeah! Just let us know if you need anything, also it’s nice to see you back here Ms. Lallemant.” Emmy smiled at her.

“Even better to see you two.” Ms. Lallemant smiled back.

Lucas, after wandering the store for twenty minutes, finally found the book his mother was looking for. Lucas purchased it and handed it to his mom.

“Oh wow, Lucas! You really shouldn’t have!” His mother gasped in surprise. Lucas rolled his eyes as they made their way out of the shop.

“Come again!” Kenzie called out, waving to the two.

“And soon!” Emmy added.

They made their way next door to Frizzies, a brand new record shop that had just hit King’s Grove. It was really different from the other pristine and neat shops along the street, this one had a hippie style that somehow complemented the other shops quite nicely. Yann, and Alexia’s friend Emma, worked there together. Even though they broke up 6 months ago, they’re still best friends and make a pretty good team.

The smell of incense poured out of the shop’s doorway, Ms. Lallemant turned her nose up at it, but that didn’t matter once she saw the shop’s decor.

The brick walls were lined with different records, all from bands Lucas had never heard of. Fairy lights suspended from the ceiling and added a sense of calmness to the atmosphere. Tapestry displaying the store’s logo hung behind the counter which was located right as you entered. Emma was in the back of the shop reorganizing records.

“Hey, Emma!” Lucas called out once they entered.

Emma glanced up from the crate of records that were resting in her arms.

“Hey, Lucas. Welcome to Frizzies! This is your first time visiting, yes?”

“Yup, my mom’s too.”

“Two newcomers? Well, let me give you a tour!”

Emma came and stood between Lucas and Ms. Lallemant and hooked her arms with theirs, guiding them through the shop.

“I know it may look small, but there’s a lot to see. Here we have the 80’s rock section, oh and there’s the 90’s pop section over there,” Emma pointed here and there. “Here’s our stage, we have live music on Fridays and Saturdays, and on Sunday’s we have Poetry Night.”

Lucas and Ms. Lallemant oohed and awed at each aspect and detail Emma pointed out to them. She was right about there being a lot to see.

“And here’s the counter, and the cash register, and the...oh goodness I’m dragging this on aren’t I? Well, I’m sure you can find your way around, everything is labeled pretty well.”

Emma wasn’t wrong about that.

“This is just a splendid little shop isn’t it, Lu?” Ms. Lallement continued to gaze and study around the shop.

“Is it ever!”

Lucas walked over to the window, where the 90’s rap section was located. Lucas started flipping through when something caught his eye outside the window.

Across the street sat a flower shop, Barney’s. There was a boy outside of the shop rearranging the flower displays, shifting pots and pulling out bundles of one flower and replacing them with another. His back was towards Lucas, so he wasn’t able to see his face, but there was something about him that kept Lucas from looking away.

Lucas could see an older woman coming down the sidewalk. He saw her mouth move, but couldn’t make out what she had said. It wasn’t until the guy looked up and turned towards the woman’s direction that Lucas realized she had called out a name.

His name.

Moving towards her, the guy wrapped the woman in a hug. Though the angle looked awkward because of the guy’s height, she was quick to place her arms around him.

The woman was the first to pull away, moving around and standing with her back towards the record shop. Lucas sucked in a breath. From this angle, he was able to see the guy’s face.

Even while wearing an apron that was covered in what Lucas assumed was dirt, the boy looked like something Lucas had never seen before. His hair, which Lucas had decided at that moment, was the most beautiful golden brown he’d ever seen. The boy ran a hand through it and Lucas wished he could be the one to do that. The boy was nodding as the woman said something. Even from this distance, Lucas could see the crinkle’s around the boy’s eyes as he grinned at the woman. Within seconds, the happy look that was on the boy’s face disappeared and was replaced with a frown. Lucas watched the boy’s eyes find interest in the ground as the woman put a hand on his shoulder. She pulled him in for another hug just as Ms. Lallemant called Lucas’ name.

“Lu, did you find anything?” Lucas’ attention was pulled away from the window.

“Uh,” Lucas looked down to see he had stopped on a NAS vinyl, “I think I’m gonna get this one.” He held it up for her to see.

“Perfect,” she smiled at him, “I’ll meet you up at the register, okay”

Lucas nodded his head, “Sure.”

His mom smiled at him and turned, walking towards the register. Once he turned back towards the window, he looked in the direction of Barney’s but the boy was gone. Getting closer to the window so he could see better, he saw the woman walking back down the sidewalk.

Maybe he’s in the shop.

Lucas turned around and quickly walked to the register, setting the record on the counter.

“Just this one,” Lucas pulled his wallet out of his pocket and quickly handed Emma his money, “keep the change.”

“Woah,” she laughed, “are you in a hurry or something?”

“Uh… something like that” Lucas grabbed the bag that Emma put his record in.

“Bye, Ms. Lallemant. It was nice seeing you!” Emma smiled at the older woman.

“You too. I’ll have to come by more often, it’s nice seeing you kids”

Lucas, who was waiting very impatiently, looped his arm with his mother’s.

“What do you say we stop at the flower shop across the street? Maybe see if they have your favorite?” Lucas opened the door and they stepped outside.

“Oh, Lu, that would be nice.”

Barney’s Floral and More had been a staple of King’s Grove for as long as Lucas could remember. When things weren’t as bad with his parents, Lucas remembers his dad taking him so they could pick flowers out for his mom. Barney’s was to the left of the Cafe. There were two tables on either side of the door that were filled with plants and flowers of all kinds. Smaller tables and shelves held the same things around the bigger tables as well. Lucas could see that the boy had put most of the flowers on the left table and smaller plants on the right. There were bunches of lavender in a bucket next to the chalkboard that read their mother’s day special. Since the front of the store was all glass, Lucas was able to see inside of the store, but he couldn’t see the boy from before. The signature green and white striped awning that stuck out from the roof made the shop look like something from the movies.

They walked across the street and sitting right inside the window was a bouquet of red, white, and pink roses.

“Look,” Lucas pointed so his mom could see, “right there in the window like they were waiting for you.”

Lucas’s mom smiled, “It’s perfect.”

Lucas tugged her towards the shop’s door. When the door opened, a bell rang and somewhere in the shop, Lucas heard a “Welcome in!”

Maybe it’s him. Lucas felt his heart rate pick up.

“Hello?” Lucas called out

“Just a second, Woah!”

Lucas and Ms. Lallemant jumped as something clattered to the floor, the echoes of glass shattering made its way around the shop.

Lucas walked towards the noise. He peeked his head around a slightly large display of daisies. There was a boy staring at the mess on the floor, but it wasn’t the boy from before. Lucas shoved the disappointment he felt to the back of his mind.

“Are you alright, hon?” Ms. Lallemant asked from behind Lucas.

The boy jumped, “Oh, yes! Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you waiting. This is the second vase I’ve dropped this week. Give me two minutes to clean this up and then I’ll help you.”

Ms. Lallemant nodded, “Take your time, um?”

The boy stepped forward, sticking his hand out so Lucas’ mom could shake it, “Idriss.”

Ms. Lallement shook his hand, “No need to rush, Idriss.”

His earring moved as he nodded his head. Lucas’s mother pulled him towards a shelf of painted pots, pointing out one that had a raccoon painted along the side. After a few minutes, Idriss came back to where they were standing.

“So, what can I help you with today?”

“There’s a bouquet of roses in the window,” Lucas pointed so Idriss knew which ones he was talking about, “I’d like to buy them.”

“Oh,” Idriss’ eyes grew wide, “well, those are in the window for display. We’re not supposed to sell them.”

Lucas looked back towards his mom who was still occupied with the pots. She pulled one off of the shelf, turning around to show Lucas when she caught him looking.

“What? Is there something wrong?”

Lucas let out a sigh, “Idriss says they can’t sell the display in the window. Sorry, Mom.”

“Oh, don’t apologize, Lu. They’re just flowers. I’m just glad I got to spend today with you.”

Idriss cleared his throat and Lucas turned his head towards him,

“Let me see what I can do, yeah?”

Lucas beamed at him, “That would be great, thanks, man.”

Idriss took off to talk to the boss, so Lucas and his mom were left alone again.

“Lucas, I promise it’s not that big of a deal, I don’t need them.”

“Mom, it’s mother’s day, I’m getting you flowers.”

She shook her head, “So stubborn.”

Lucas grinned, “And you love me-”

A voice cut Lucas off, “Hi.”

Lucas whipped around. There, standing a few feet in front of Lucas, was the boy from outside. Lucas had thought he was beautiful while standing inside of Frizzies, but he was even more beautiful up close.

Ms. Lallemant spoke, “Hi, my son here keeps bothering Idriss about the flowers in the window, and I understand that they’re a display piece, which is why I told Lu that I don’t need them.”

The boy thought for a minute, “Well, it is mother’s day,” he smiled, “You can have them. Let me get them down. Idriss, will you ring them out?”

“Sure,” Idriss looked at Lucas and his mom, “If you’ll follow me.”

The three weaved their way through the tables of flowers, finally making it to the counter. Idriss hit a few buttons on the register and told Lucas the total. Lucas pulled out his wallet and paid Idriss. Just as Lucas was turning around, the boy came towards them with not just one but two bouquets of flowers.

Lucas stared, “Oh, uh, I only paid for the one?”

The boy nodded, “I know.”

Ms. Lallemant took the lead, “That’s so kind of you.”

A small smile made its way onto the boy’s face, “It’s no problem.”

The boy started to hand Lucas the flowers when Ms. Lallemant spoke again,

“And what was your name?”

The boy slid the flowers into Lucas’ arms, his hand brushing Lucas’ own. As he spoke his eyes connected with Lucas’

“Eliott.”