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teenwolffan-with-nolife · 3 years

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The Witch and The Wolf Pt.53

Word Count: 2,590

Characters: Derek Hale, Chris Argent, Lydia Martin, Kira Yukimura, Malia Tate, Scott McCall, Liam Dunbar, Stiles Stilinski (mentioned), Reader, OC Characters

Pairings: Derek Hale x Witch!Reader

Warnings: angst, some fluff, small mentions of sex and kinks (eww i can’t believe i just wrote that eww)

A/N: ----

Masterlist Series Masterlist

“Yeah, Stiles, okay. I’ll go by Argent’s apartment tomorrow and I'll go pick them up, okay?” you ended the call from Stiles, before going to dry your hair.

“What did Stiles need?” Derek asked.

He wrapped his arms around your waist and rested his head on your shoulder.

“Oh, the chains they were using to hold back Malia and Liam broke so they need some new chains and stuff,” you explained.

“Oh? Well, maybe you can get a pair of cuffs for us?” he smirked slightly as you rolled your eyes.

“You broke the last pair,” you reminded.

“Technically, you did,” he retorted, pressing his lips against your neck as you scoffed.

You turned to face him, putting your arms around his neck, before you heard a loud knocking on the front door.

Derek frowned, checking the time.

“It’s 2 in the morning,” he replied.

You tensed up, walking towards the door cautiously before opening it, seeing Lydia and Kira standing in front of you.

“What the hell are you doing here at this time?” you asked, pulling them in before you closed the door.

“Look at this list,” Lydia opened up her laptop, showing a white screen with numbers and symbols over it.

She continued to scroll, showing you a list with names and numbers.

Sean Walcott 250

David Walcott 250

Michael Walcott 250

Christina Walcott 250

Lydia Martin 20

Scott Mccall 25

Demarco Montana 250

Derek Hale 15

(Y/N) (Y/L/N) 15

Carrie Hudson 500

Kayleen Bettcher 250

Kira Yukimura 6

Elias Town 250

You frowned slightly, turning to Lydia.

“I-It’s a deadpool. These are the targets. I sort of used my powers to find the deadpool and it asked for a code. The password was Alison and it opened up a third of the deadpool,” she explained.

Your face dropped slightly as Derek put his hand on your shoulder.

“W…” you were speechless, trying to process your words.

“You’re trying to crack the rest?” Derek asked.

Lydia nodded.

“Keep us updated on what’s happening,” Derek said.

You could feel your heart beating in the back of your head as you continued to stand there, frozen. You felt a knot in your stomach as you tried to take a breath. You could see a look of concern on Kira’s face as she looked at you.

“(Y/N)? Are you okay?” Kira asked.

You bit your lip, nodding your head softly.

“I need to work on finding the other names on the deadpool,” Lydia explained.

“Mhm,” you replied.

You could see the concern on both of their faces as Derek spoke, before leading them out of the loft.

“(Y/N),” he put his hands on your shoulders, looking down at you.

“I need you to just take a breath-” Derek started.

“I’m fine,” you lied, shaking your head.

“(Y/N)...” he started.

You closed your eyes softly, before wrapping your arms around Derek.

“We'll get through this,” Derek muttered.

Your heart continued to ache, mostly out of fear. Before it was only the Argent’s circle who was aware of you being a witch and aware of your powers, and now you didn't know who else would know, or what else would happen.

Your eyes watered at the thought of them trying to hurt Derek out of anger.

“I don’t care where you have to go, whether it’s just a small grocery run o-or whatever, you can not be alone,” you clenched your jaw.

“Same goes for you, (Y/N/N),” he pressed his lips against your forehead, while you closed your eyes, leaning on his chest.

---

“Scott and Stiles explained everything to Stilinski,” the two of you sat in the car, on your way to Argent’s old apartment.

“Yeah,” you nodded, bouncing your leg as you looked out the window.

“I can feel you holding back,” he sighed.

“We just had a lot to deal with Kate and you losing your powers like this… this is a whole thing,” you shook your head.

He put his hand on your leg, caressing it gently.

“And we’ll get through it, just like we always do,” he reminded.

You sighed softly, nodding your head before the two of you pulled into the parking lot of the apartment, making your way up.

You noticed the lights on in the apartment while you looked under the door, tensing up.

“Something's inside,” you whispered to Derek.

He stayed quiet, frowning before pressing his ear against the door.

“I only hear one heartbeat,” he replied.

“Stay behind me,” you walked into the apartment cautiously, unlocking the door as you tip-toed to Chris’ office.

“(Y/N),” your mouth dropped open as you stared in shock, seeing Chris in front of you.

“Y-You’re back,” you stuttered.

“I told you I wasn’t going to run away from you,” he shrugged.

You ran to him, wrapping your arms around him tightly as he hugged you back.

“I’m so happy you’re okay,” you said softly.

There was a soft smile on his face as he stroked your head softly, wiping away the tears you didn't know you have.

“How was France?” you asked.

“Well, I wasn't in France for that long…”

---

“This school really has no security, like at all. Even after everything that happened,” you walked into Beacon Hills High with Derek following behind you.

“I don’t think they care that much about security. But hey, it makes it easier for us,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, here’s the-” you paused in front of the boy’s locker room.

“Yeah, I know,” the two of you waited outside for a second to make sure it was empty.

You walked into the locker room, following Derek.

“Lots and lots of memories,” he sighed, smiling softly as he picked up Liam’s lacrosse stick.

“Yeah? Like what? Losing control in the showers?” you said in a mocking voice.

“Well, that's one thing. But, do you remember in your last week of school, we snuck into here when it was empty, and we-” you interrupted him, making a noise.

“Of course I remember that. That was… it was amazing,” you smiled at the memory, before following him farther into the locker room, hiding behind a wall.

He stroked your hand softly before you heard the door get pushed open, Scott running past you while you threw him Liam’s stick, picking up another one.

“Here,” you handed Derek the stick.

“Are you sure you have enough strength to snap it?” you asked Derek.

He nodded.

You watched as Liam stormed to his locker, looking for his stick before yelling out, frustrated.

“Where’s my stick?!” he yelled.

He walked around the locker room, while Derek walked out from behind the wall, holding the stick.

“This yours?” Derek said to Liam.

You listened as he snapped the lacrosse stick, hearing Liam gasp.

His eyes glew yellow as he let out a low growl, digging his nails into his claws.

He charged at Derek, before Derek quickly grabbed his neck, pushing him against the wall.

You saw Liam yelling out, struggling against Derek’s hold before Scott came out, yelling Liam’s name.

“You’re right. He is angry,” Derek replied.

You walked in front of the two of them.

“This one’s yours,” Scott handed him his lacrosse stick as Derek let go of him.

“Go to class, Liam,” Scott said.

Liam looked at Scott, before nodding, grabbing his bag, and walking out of the room.

You smiled softly, crossing your arms as you looked at Scott.

“What the hell are you two smiling about?” Scott said, slightly frustrated.

“You’re gonna be so good at this,” you replied softly.

“A-Are you joking? I have no idea what I’m doing. I really need help,” Scott started.

“Well, I’ll tell you one thing. His anger? It’s going to make him stronger,” Derek replied.

“And dangerous,” Scott added.

“You’ve handled dangerous before,” you replied.

Scott sighed, sitting on the bench as he put his hands on his head.

“I was supposed to focus on school this semester,” he started.

You sat down next to him, putting your hand around his shoulder while Derek sat on the other side of him.

“Now Kate’s back, I-I have a beta, and this deadpool,” you could feel him getting more and more nervous as you held his hand.

“Well, we know the deadpool has all of our names on it, so that needs to be our top priority. Lydia’s working on it, right?” Derek asked.

Scott nodded his head softly, still looking down.

“All these problems are temporary. We will figure this all out. You’ll still get time to focus on school. You’re very smart when you want to be, Scotty. Besides, community college isn't that bad,” you smirked softly as he scoffed.

“You’re forgetting you got into an Ivy League and Stanford,” Scott sighed.

You saw Derek frown slightly, before you put your focus back on Scott.

“It doesn't matter if you go to some big shot school. You’re gonna do amazing wherever you go, with whatever you do. You’re gonna be a great vet,” he smiled softly before hearing the bell ring.

“I’ll see you guys,” he waved as he ran out of the locker room quickly.

“Hey, why didn't you tell me you got into Stanford? Or an Ivy League?” Derek asked, pulling on your arm gently.

“I-I don’t know, I guess I thought it wasn't as important because I wasn’t going to leave Beacon Hills,” you explained.

“Why weren’t you going to leave Beacon Hills?” Derek asked.

“I didn't want to leave Beacon Hills.”

“Why not? (Y/N), all this pain and suffering, losing so many people that you care about… why would you want to stay here?”

“I didn't want to leave you,” you saw his face drop slightly.

“I don't ever want to be someone who’s holding you back,” he stroked your cheek softly as you bit your lip.

“You don’t hold me back, Derek. I chose to stay here and I don’t regret my choice,” you shook your head.

You held his hand, stroking it softly as he pressed a kiss to your cheek.

“I love you,” he said softly.

“I love you too.”

---

You watched as Derek got into his car, driving off as you made your way to the art room, trying to find Lydia.

“Anything yet?” you asked her as you walked in.

“Nothing,” she clenched her jaw, shaking her head.

“Well, don’t stress it. Just breathe,” you tried to encourage her as she rolled her eyes.

“Malia. I don’t need you breathing on my neck!” Lydia yelled out, frustrated.

“Well, you see, I kind of don’t want to die, so I need you to crack this list,” Malia replied.

You hid the smirk on your face before you pulled Malia away, sitting down next to her on the table.

“How do you like school?” you asked.

“It’s pointless,” she muttered.

“How much of this stuff am I actually going to use in life?” she asked.

“The only class I can fully say I use in life is Forensics, maybe some Biology and Chemistry, but nothing much,” you shook your head.

“Then what’s the point of math?” she rolled her eyes.

“Old people like watching us suffer,” you shrugged.

She shrugged, before picking up the book next to her, beginning to read through it.

You saw Stiles and Scott running through the hallway, holding Liam up as you frowned.

“Yeah, I’ll see you in a bit…” you got up, running after them.

---

“Lydia needs Meredith, but apparently she showed up at the station, so Lydia and Malia are on their way there,” you looked at the messages on your phone before putting it aside, waiting in front of the school with Derek.

“And Meredith is another banshee?” Derek asked.

“Yeah, she had a thing for Isaac,” you smiled at the memory.

Derek chuckled softly, before leaning against his car.

“What’s taking Chris so long?” you muttered to yourself, looking at your phone to check the time.

“I’m here,” he walked in front of the two of you as you stood up.

“Well, let’s go then, shall we?”

---

You stood outside the vault, waiting for Derek and Chris to finish while you wrapped your arms around yourself, feeling a slight breeze. The school was still full, there was a lacrosse scrimmage, and no one would be stupid enough to attack at the moment.

You noticed something moving from the corner of your eye as you turned your head, looking towards the trees.

You squinted your eyes, looking back to the steps of the vault.

You’re being paranoid

You shook your head before hearing another noise, hearing a twig snap.

You shot your head up once again, making your way to the woods as you clenched your fist.

You looked back to the vault entrance before sighing.

“Augendae tenebris,” your eyes were purple as you made your way through the woods, looking around.

There was no there, and no sign of anyone there.

“Dumbass,” you muttered to yourself.

You felt something hit the back of your head as you groaned, falling to the ground.

You winced, putting one hand on the back of your head as you tried to make out everything in front of you.

Your vision was blurry as more and more panic filled your chest.

“Clypeus,” you felt a blunt force hit your stomach, pushing your back as you groaned softly, trying to push yourself up.

“You little hypocrite,” you heard an unfamiliar gruff voice from in front of you.

You blinked hard, trying to make out who was talking to you as you saw a man standing over you.

“You little bitch!” he yelled.

He blew some dust, which you realized to be Hawthorne as you coughed, trying to gasp for air and regain your balance.

“Your little mommy isn't here to protect you anymore. You’re dead you little bitch,” you could feel a sharp blade sticking on your throat as you tried to keep your movement still, feeling some tears rush to your eyes.

“I-I don’t know who you are-” you started.

“Well then, let me remind you,” you pulled you up harshly, while your back hit the tree trunk behind you.

“You and your mommy killed my wife! All because she was supernatural! She never hurt anyone!” he yelled at you.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about!” you yelled back.

“I’ve wanted my revenge for years. Then I see your name on this deadpool. God really does exist, doesn't he,” you could hear his small chuckle as a tear fell down your cheek.

“Dis,” you pushed him to the ground, holding him down as yelled out.

“Somnum,” his eyes fluttered shut as you took a step back, your breathing shaky as you bit your lip, holding back your cries.

More and more tears rushed to your eyes as you tried to control your breathing, taking bigger breaths.

“(Y/N)!” you heard Derek yell, as he ran to you, putting his hands on your shoulders.

“W-What happened? I-Is he dead?” Derek’s eyes went wide as you shook your head.

“N-No… he’s just asleep,” your voice broke as he pulled you into his arms tightly. You closed your eyes, holding in your cries as you leaned your head against his chest.

“I-It’s… it’s not just assassins it's hunters too,” you said softly.

He pressed his lips against your forehead, holding you tightly before whispering.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.”

You nodded your head softly, walking with him to the car before driving off.

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allthefilmsiveseenforfree · 3 years

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Xanadu

Another day, another 80s musical reviewed for Wes. This time it’s Xanadu, and I confess I am excited. I know less than nothing about this film, only that it’s 1) bad and 2) beloved by the gays. Sign me up, y’all. So did this inspire me to strap on some roller skates and Farrah Fawcett my hair to the beat of some groovin’ tunes? Well...

Not...exactly. It’s an entry in the list of films that I’m glad I’ve seen for their historical impact but probably never need to see again. Like Birth of a Nation but with less virulent racism. The basic plot is this: Sonny (Michael Beck) is an artist painting album covers when he meets a girl one day named Kira (Olivia Newton-John) who turns his world upside down. He also befriends, and eventually goes into business with, a man named Danny McGuire (Gene Kelly) and together they start a club called Xanadu.

Some thoughts:

There’s an old man with a scarf sitting on a rocky beach playing his clarinet as the sun rises in the sky. What a way to greet the day. Holy shit that old man is Gene Kelly!! How did I not know he was in this? How is Xanadu’s legacy not “Yeah it’s this trippy rollerskating musical that GENE FREAKING KELLY was in”? So I guess the old clarinet man is actually important to the story, because I thought he was just like, a muse alerting us to the tale we were about to watch unfold.

Ohhh Kenny Ortega is the choreographer, interesting. I’m so ready to see his early artistic vision and how it developed into the level of genius it was at for High School Musical.

Ok, the first number is this kind of electric neon ballet set to ELO singing “I’m Alive” and it mostly consists of incredibly beautiful women with Farrah hair dancing and twirling in fantastic skirts while Olivia Newton-John is going :O the whole time. It’s no chandelier dropping from the ceiling, but it’s not a bad way to start a musical.

Hm, well now the women are turning into lasers and running, kind of like The Flash. Maybe I spoke too soon.

These transitions between scenes are absolutely godawful Powerpoint transitions and I’m obsessed with them. It’s like eating a couple buffalo wings in between your entree and dessert. By itself, not bad, but why would you use that as a way to get from one experience to another?

I am really enjoying this kind of ghost number between Gene Kelly and Olivia Newton-John as he’s remembering his heyday. It’s sweet, and it’s not hard to see that Kelly is drawing on his own experiences and memories of his career in the 40s as he’s imagining this dance with his long lost love.

I don’t think anything is less romantic than roller skating in front of an industrial wind tunnel fan, however, so this part with ONJ and Michael Beck (who plays our main character, Sonny) is a big ol snoozefest. You’ll notice I have not mentioned Sonny yet and there’s a reason for that. He’s the movie’s equivalent of a black hole. I’m so uninterested when he’s on screen. He’s beige shag carpeting. He’s a baloney and mayo sandwich. He’s motel art. Every moment he’s onscreen and ONJ or Gene Kelly aren’t is a moment wasted.

Every scene feels like a new vignette that is only loosely connected to the previous scenes. This showdown between the old jazz big band number and the 80s rock number feels like two extended music videos, one after the other or a dreadful mashup from Glee (and I don’t mean barely passable Glee, I mean the later seasons).

Dammmmn have you ever had such a good kiss with someone that you turned animated? Me neither. I’m gonna work on that with Wife.

Oh and the animation sequence was produced by Don Bluth. Of course it fucking was.

Sonny. My man. How can you love Kira when you don’t know anything about her at all? Have you guys even had one conversation? Or is it all rollerskating lasers and wind tunnel fans. I know you can’t hear a word she says over the sound of that fan, my dude..

Ah, so she’s one of the nine muses! This scene where she’s trying to convince Sonny is pretty funny actually. ONJ is hands down the most magnetic and interesting part of this movie.

Wait so...Sonny’s big plan is to run at a wall that’s got a painting on it, and he just assumes he can enter that painting like it’s a portal to another dimension? You’re just gonna Wile E. Coyote this motherfucker and hope for the best? This is probably the only interesting thing I can say about Sonny is that he’s dumb as a bag of hammers.

Ugghhh this song about staying suspended in time is the “Cheer Up Charlie” of this movie, meaning it goes on way too long, grinds the action to a halt, and makes me irrationally furious just thinking about it.

But then here is Gene Kelly, roller skating through a parade of mimes juggling bowling pins, and it makes everything worth the price of admission again.

“Xanadu” is the most confusing musical number I’ve ever seen. At one point everyone is tigers, then they’re cowboys. There’s a woman spinning in some kind of acrobatic harness by the back of her neck so she’s just spinning in tight circles. I think someone might have been on fire. I’m thinking John Mulaney watched this many times as inspiration for Stefon-endorsed clubs on SNL.

Did I Cry? Not even close.

This is a WEIRD one, which I knew going in, but you just don’t really know how weird until it’s happening to you. And this is definitely a movie that happens to you. Performances? Eh, ONJ and Gene Kelly are mainly skating by on pure charisma. But all the rollerskates and lasers in the world won’t make this script make a lick of sense. See it for the novelty, but it’s the movie equivalent of a Twinkie - confusing and not exactly filling, but enjoyable just the same.

If you liked this review, please consider reblogging or subscribing to my Patreon! For as low as $1, you can access bonus content and movie reviews, or even request that I review any movie of your choice.

#121in2021 #xanadu #xanadu review #olivia newton john #gene kelly #michael beck #kenny ortega #patreon review #movie reviews #film reviews

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starfleetimagines · 4 years

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Upcoming Imagines (Feb. 2/20)

These are all of the requests I have received and have decided to write. I can’t promise when any of these will be written and I don’t have an order that I’ll be writing them in - I just write whatever one I have inspiration for at a given time.

Currently, I’m very busy with my university classes as well as volunteering at my old elementary school one day a week. So, I don’t have much time to write. I have a break week in two weeks so hopefully I’ll have some time then to write some stuff. But yeah, here are the requests that I’ll try to write in the next few months:

Quark – Marital Advice (aw--heck on tumblr) [Any chance I could get a DS9 request where the reader goes to their best friend Quark to talk about marriage troubles with their husband Worf? A bit of comforting banter at the bar type thing?]

Garak – Flirtatious Surprises (anon on tumblr) [I wonder if I could please request a DS9 Garak x reader imagine where the normally quiet plus-size reader flirts with Garak in front of everyone and leaves him flustered but in the end he just kisses her and everyone cheers?]

Data – Panic Attack (Area_C-137 on wattpad) [Maybe you could write one we’re the reader is in a relationship with data and he see the reader having a panic attack and then they cuddle to make the reader feel happy]

Data – First Date Part 2 of First Meetings (ElfWarriorQueen on wattpad) [Maybe them going on their date and there could be some kind of unfortunate accident that draws them closer together; like drinks get spilled over the reader, or maybe there’s a malfunction in the elevator and they’re stuck for a while.]

Trip Tucker – Tension (adela-topaz-caelon on tumblr) [Can I request a vaguley smutty Trip Tucker x Reader, where they're on a mission together in a shuttle, there's some repartee between the two, who aren't yet dating - and comments start leading to others and so on and forth and such, and then there's a time skip to them going back to the station, and whilst they did get the work done, other's can tell by marks on the Reader's neck that something has happened.]

Christopher Pike – Parents (anon on tumblr) [I had a realization thats night if you can do Disco Pike becoming for dad I'll love you forever]

Wesley Crusher – Comfort (anon on tumblr) [could I request something fluffy where Wesley does his best to comfort the reader after her now ex-boyfriend break ups with her b/c of lack of sexual intimacy and the reader avoids Wesley cause she feels she's not smart enough or pretty enough for him]

Leonard “Bones” McCoy – Dance Practice (jesterofsorts on wattpad) [I was wondering if you could do a Star Trek imagine about AOS Bones? Maybe if he teaches the reader to dance because they don't know how and they fall in love with each other?]

Garak – Rescue Party (kate_the_dork on wattpad) [I was wondering if you could do a Garak x reader where the reader is taken by the Dominion and is interrogated for info about ds9 but she won't give it up cuz she's too cool for that lmao. And then, cuz I'm a cliche and fluffy gal, Garak comes to save her?]

Garak – “Sew, you like me?” (Indirect_Detective on wattpad) [Could you do a Garak x reader? Him coming to terms with loving the reader and finally trying to admit is but doctor Bashir keeps cutting in and ruining the moment. Garak finally gets the reader alone and compliments the reader(looks and personality) as he's hemming readers uniform before opening up to the reader?]

Malcolm Reed – “Talk to me, please.” (chevyp15 on wattpad) [Malcolm Reed x reader where reader seems off and when Mal confronts them they break down and confess all their worries about the relationship?]

Deanna x Will - Pregnant (anon on tumblr) [Can I ask you for something fluffy between Deanna Troi x William Riker where set during an official Starfleet ball and they announced that Deanna is expecting a baby again, but Deanna feels uncertain after the death of their son Ian Troi and Riker comforts her, which leads to a bit of passionate kisses please.]

Garak - Presents (anon on tumblr) [Ah I request an imagine for garak. Like he’s at his shop and his so comes in with something from cardassia for him and he has no idea how his so got it for him and she refuses to say. But he’s super happy about it because it’s something he’s missed for so long. And just fluff ensues?]

Pavel Chekov – Set Up (anon on tumblr) [Can I get an imagine with Chekov please? Fem!Reader works in engineering and is like a daughter figure to Scotty. When Chekov starts shadowing Scotty, he meets the reader and a friendship quickly forms because they are both adorable dorks. Scotty notices that their friendship could become something more with a nudge in the right direction. Soon the Scotsman has get both the reader and Chekov together. Just something super silly and fluffy!!]

Kathryn Janeway – Protection (anon on tumblr) [Hiiiiiiii could I have a Janeway x reader fic where she steps in front of you to protect you and uses her arm to shield you and is super gentle with you and everything? Can be romantic or platonic whatever works best for this!]

Spock x Uhura – Wedding Bells (anon on tumblr) [Can I ask you for something fluffy between Spock and Uhura where they get married on planet Vulcan with all their friends and family around them?]

Being Pavel Chekov’s Betazoid Wife Would Include… (dancingwith-thesunflowers on tumblr) [Could you write some headcanons about Chekov and female betazoid-human hybrid!reader getting married and having children please?]

Dating T’Pol Would Include… (anon on tumblr)

Will Riker – Pregnant (borzanimariana on wattpad) [Write with command riker and reader are married and she's pregnant, please]

Having Worf as a Father Figure Would Include… (anon on tumblr) [Being a security office and having Worf as a father figure (cause y/n is one of the youngest in the crew)]

Being Married To Jean-Luc Picard Would Include… (spaceyslytherin on tumblr) [Request: Being married to Jean-Luc Picard would include.]

Malcolm Reed – Nightmares (wraith-queen-todd on tumblr) [Heyyyyy ep so can I request a Malcolm reed imagine where he comforts his so after thy have a nightmare about him dying-? If that’s ok. I never really request before haha sorry I’m so awkward]

Scotty x Jayla – Graduation (anon on tumblr) [Can you please write an oneshot with Scotty + Jaylah where Scotty is at Jaylah’s graduation from Star Fleet Academy and Jaylah admits to Scotty that she is proud that Scotty is the first person she considers “a friend”?]

Data x Geordi – Domestic Life (anon on tumblr) [Hey! If you could. Would you be able to write an one shot please with some Data + Geordi fluff where in an AU, Lal (Data’s daughter) is a small child and both Data + Geordi married and are looking after her and they’re playing and having fun with Spot the cat, as he causes mischief.]

Trip Tucker – “You’re hot when you’re jealous.” (anon on tumblr) [Hello I’m the smut asked about trip. As for the thing I was wondering if it could be like trip for jealous of someone flirting with his so and she reassured him that she only has eyes for him? If that’s ok?]

B’Elanna x Tom – PDA (anon on tumblr) [If it’s okay. Would you write an oneshot between Br’Elanna & Tom Paris where they are arguing about things, but in the end, they have a romantic moment, which is seen by the rest of the crew, without them realising. Please? Thank you in advance!]

Michael x Ash – Nightmares (anon on tumblr) [Hello, I love your writing!! 🥰 Could I request an oneshot with Michael comforting Ash after having a panic attack during his PTSD please? ✨ Thanks!]

Leonard “Bones” McCoy – Study Date (SloveniaReader95 on wattpad) [I was thinking... maybe with Bones where he is a year or two ahead at the Academy and for the first exam, the reader is already giving up, but Bones is there not letting her do it or something:)]

Malcolm Reed – Destressing (anon on tumblr) [Can you do a Malcolm reed smut if that is alright? Maybe Malcolm comes back to their room after a shift stressed and his so tries to calm him down a bit and it turns into smut?]

Kathryn Janeway Being Your Mother Would Include… (anon on tumblr) [Could you write some headcanons about Janeway being the reader’s mother, please? Thanks so much! I love your beautiful writing!!]

Julian Bashir – “Surprise!” (anon on tumblr) [DS9 request: The reader's belly has popped. So have her buttons. It's time to tell Julian the two of them are going to have a baby.]

Will Riker – “I love you.” (catherinedm on tumblr) [Hi(: I love your blog your writings are amazing. Could you maybe please do something about Will Riker telling you(the reader insert) his fellow enterprise officer he’s been datuing for a while that he loves you for the first time? Thank you so much!! Keep up the great work]

Sylvia Tilly x Michael Burnham – More Than Friends (anon on tumblr) [Can you please write an oneshot where Sylvia Tilly helps Michael, when she finds out that she has never been on a proper human date, she decides to play matchmaker for Michael, not realising that her friendship with her new roommate could lead to more..]

Trip Tucker x T’Pol – Family (anon on tumblr) [Would you be okay to write an oneshot based on Trip and T'Pol, where they have been living on Vulcan with their daughter Elizabeth for a few months, and they're hoping that sooner rather then later that they’ll have another baby? Thank you so much! I love your beautiful writing for the Star Trek fandom!!]

Ezri Dax x Julian Bashir – Moving In (anon on tumblr) [If it is okay with you please?. Can you write an oneshot where Ezri and Julian attempt to build a life together, no matter what odds they may face. Thank you so much!]

Kira Nerys – Socially Awkward (anon on tumblr) [Can I request something for Kira Nerys with a female reader who's very opinionated/clever but socially awkward/a little overly cautious? Maybe a civilian of some kind, but that's not 100% necessary.]

Worf x Jazdia Dax – “Marry me.” (anon on tumblr) [I know requests are closed, but I am sorry and I do apologise for not being more specific about the Worf and Jadzia oneshot request. Would it be okay if it was something like it was last night for the Defiant, maybe set on Gaia ("Children of Time") and Worf surprises Jadzia by asking her to marry him. Hope that makes more sense! I’d be willing to send it again, if it doesn’t. Thank you very much!! I love your writing by the way!]

Will Riker – Home Safe (tngbabe on tumblr) [I'd like a will riker and reader. I'd love to have him take me home from a party because I'm drunk and wants me to get to my quarters safely and then stays.]

Comforting Kathryn Janeway Would Include… (geekyamorel on wattpad) [I was wondering if you wouldn't mind doing a KathrynXReader. Maybe something like Janeway is having a bad day and the reader tries their best to help calm her and maybe ends up making a fool of themselves just to make her smile and laugh]

#personal

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tamayokny · 5 years

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Name ten favourite characters from ten different things (books, tv, film, etc.) then tag ten people

This was extremely difficult to do. The first two were easy, since they are my ride or die, but choosing 10 different characters? From ten different things? I don’t know if I even like 10 different things, but I found some loopholes, lol.

tagged by @bpdanakins <3

1. Lara Croft - Tomb Raider

Lara Croft has been one of my idols since I was a small child. My mom had bought Tomb Raider: Starring Lara Croft and Tomb Raider: Adventures of Lara Croft for my sister on the PlayStation. I remember watching my sister play it, and then sometimes I was allowed to play it. I continued the Tomb Raider legacy throughout the years.

Lara Croft is just. Amazing. I love every version of her. Classic Lara deflected the life her parents had wanted her to have, and paid the price for it. Did that stop her? No, it did not! She was able to make her own mark in the world. LAU!Lara wanted to find out what happened to her mother, and honestly I love Keeley Hawes as Lara. She was witty and funny, and Legend is one of my favorite TR games. And Reboot!Lara? I love her. I honestly don’t care what people say, Reboot!Lara is great! Her first game is also fun to play. Each version of Lara Croft offers something different, and I love it. While many of Lara’s core values are in each incarnation (adventurous, ambitious, brave, etc.), each brings a new perspective which I enjoy!

Fun fact: my irl best friend and Lara share the same zodiac sign!

2. Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) - Marvel

I LOVE WANDA MAXIMOFF WITH ALL MY HEART!!! She’s a huge comfort character for me. She’s one of the most powerful mutants (yes, I am ignoring the retcon), and she’s complex. Wanda first appeared in X-Men #4 alongside her brother, Pietro, as members of Magneto’s Brotherhood. Eventually, the twins become heroes and join the Avengers.

Wanda’s mutation is magic; probability, to put it at best. She can warp reality. While she is strong, she is also human. Many remember her best as having a mental breakdown and creates House of M (influenced by her beloved brother). After this, she goes off the radar for a few years before her reincarnated sons find her.

I love Wanda because she has heart, courage, and cares for others. She’s intuitive and sensitive and, in many ways, reminds me of myself. I genuinely love Wanda with all my heart. She remains to be my number one favorite superhero. I wish more people knew her--the real her. The MCU does not do her (or her brother) justice. At all. (At least AOU kind of got their “reluctant villains to heroes” origin story well enough?)

Also: fuck you Marvel for retconning Magneto as the Maximoffs’ father. It’s been 5 years but I still elect to ignore that.

3. Phoebe Halliwell - Charmed

Growing up, Charmed was one of my favorite TV shows. To sum it up, it’s about a group of sisters who discover that they’re witches. Specifically, they’re the Charmed Ones and they protect the innocent. For awhile, I’ve said that Piper is my favorite sister but after my last rewatch, I say that Phoebe is my favorite.

At the beginning of the series, Phoebe was the youngest and the rebel of the family. Before the pilot, Phoebe was living in New York but we see her move back in. We also see that she has a strained relationship with her eldest sister, Prue, due to her scummy fiancé. Phoebe is also the reason why their magic was unlocked. (As children, their powers were bounded in order to keep them safe.)

Over time, we see Phoebe mature more. However, there are a few things that never changes with Phoebe. She’s kind and caring for others, always wanting to help them no matter what. (She shares this trait with the youngest sister, Paige.) She is deeply connected with her emotions (which causes her to gain the power of empathy in season 6). Phoebe has also had rough luck with love (see: Cole the demon, etc.) but no matter how much she gets hurt, Phoebe still has hope. She still has love in her heart. No matter how much she gets knocked down, she finds a way of getting back up, and I admire her a lot for it.

4. Catelyn Stark - A Song of Ice and Fire

Family. Duty. Honor. This is House Tully’s family motto, which is deeply embedded into Catelyn. Catelyn was married to Ned Stark during Robert’s Rebellion, after her former betrothed was murdered in King’s Landing (who, ironically, was Ned’s older brother). Their wedding night resulted in the birth of their firstborn: Robb Stark, heir to Winterfell and King in the North.

Catelyn Stark is the mother of the wolves, and her love for her family is no doubt a core of her character. However, Catelyn is clever and if you mess with her, you will certainly gain her wrath. Her eldest values her for her wisdom, and will turn to her for help. She will do anything for her family, such as freeing Jaime Lannister to get her girls back, or offering herself to save her eldest during the horrific events of the Red Wedding.

Catelyn is murdered, along with majority of the Stark party, at the Red Wedding. However, she is resurrected and becomes Lady Stoneheart. Stoneheart is out for vengeance, because she believes all of her children are gone; taken by the enemy. Stoneheart murders Frey or Lannister alike--whoever is associated with them. She holds no mercy.

There is so much more to Catelyn that I could go on, but I will stop here. (Besides, I need to reread the books again!) I will say this: fuck you, D&D.

5. Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) - Marvel

MAGNETO TIME? MAGNETO TIME.

Erik Lehnsherr was a young boy when World War II happened and because he was Jewish, he was sent to Auschwitz. His family did not survive, but Erik did. Depending on what you follow on, Erik either A) escaped with Magda (who is the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver’s mother) and started a life with her or B) he hunted down the men who worked for Sebastian Shaw (movie universe).

Anyway, Erik had been a mutant since around the time he was sent to the camps and after the horror and trauma he’s faced, Erik decided that mutants would never be accepted by “their less evolved kin”. So, he became Magneto, a protector for mutants and enemy for humans.

Magneto is only one side of the coin, however. Charles Xavier is a longtime frenemy of sorts, both having different perspectives in life. Xavier believes in coexistence, but Magneto believes otherwise. He had seen what humanity is capable of, and he never wants that to happen again. If he must be a villain, than so be it.

Magneto is beautifully complex. He has done some questionable things (I’m thinking of the comics for this one), but he has also done great things for his people. “Never again,” he says. He fights to keep it that way. Magneto is sympathetic at best, and I certainly understand where he comes from. Tell me this: if you were Magneto, what would you have done?

Also: while Michael Fassbender is not Jewish in any way, he did one hell of a job portraying this amazing character.

6. Kira Yukimura - Teen Wolf

I wasn’t planning on adding Teen Wolf to the list, but here I am.

Kira was introduced to us in season 3b, written as a “new love interest” for Scott McCall. I remember a lot of fans of a certain ship were pissed, but whatever. I’m not here to talk about romance.

So, in 3b Kira was a new student, with her dad as the new history teacher at Beacon Hills High School. She’s of both Korean and Japanese descent, and she ends up playing an important role in the story arc. We find out that she’s a Kitsune, thanks to her mother who explains how a Kitsune and a werewolf must come together to defeat the Nogitsune, who happens to be possessing the loveable Stiles Stilinski.

After this, Kira becomes a part of the McCall Pack and Scott’s girlfriend. In my opinion, they’re cute together but many people hate them together. Oh well. Kira also becomes a badass in her own right, as her abilities evolve. However, in season 5, the creators put her on the shelf, as she trains with Skinwalkers and is never seen again. I am so fucking MAD about that.

Like many characters on this list, Kira has heart and courage. She’s a bit of an introvert but she is loyal, and cares for her pack. She’s cute and a bit goofy. She is skilled and deadly. Kira is one of the coolest characters Teen Wolf had, and the way they treated her was disappointed. (Even though after her death, Allison was always mentioned/connected in some way. I like Allison, don’t get me wrong but all I can say is: interesting...)

Fun fact: Arden Cho, the actress, is the VA for Sam Nishimura in Tomb Raider (2013)!

7. Lois Wilkerson - Malcolm in the Middle

The mother of four boys, the matriarch of the Wilkerson household is not one to push around.

Lois has had a rather rough life. Her parents were not the best, and everyone tries to push her down. However, Lois fights back and is not afraid to stand up for what is right. Francis, her oldest, describes her as an absolute menace and while her sons and husband fear her, they also admire her for her strength and courage. Lois is tough as nails, but she can also break, too. However, her family--the family she and Hal created, no one else--is there for her. Lois is incredibly strong willed no matter what, and I love her so much.

8. Theon Greyjoy - A Song of Ice and Fire

No words can describe on how much I love this fashionable war criminal.

Before the start of the series, Theon is a hostage/ward of Lord Stark, as a result of his father’s failed rebellion. Theon was a reminder that if Balon Greyjoy pulled something again, his last (male) heir would get the chopping block. Pretty brutal for a young child, right?

Now, at the start of the series, Theon is nineteen and is seemingly best friends with Robb Stark, the heir to Winterfell and the North. He shows loyalty to Robb and the Starks, claiming that Lord Stark was like a father to him. He’s also skilled with archery and, like I mentioned earlier, fashion.

Then A Clash of Kings occur, and we began to see how Theon Greyjoy is.

Robb Stark has been proclaimed as King of the North, and sends Theon to the Iron Islands in hopes to gain allies with Balon Greyjoy. However, this does not occur. Old Greyjoy says “fuck that and if you’re [Theon] aren’t with us, then you‘re against us.” We see Theon conflicted, but we also see how strained his relationship with his father is. In the end, Theon joins the Greyjoys, and promptly sacks Winterfell. However, that is not the end. Theon is tricked by Ramsay Bolton and this vile man takes Winterfell. I believe while he took the women and children captive, the men were killed...save for Theon, of course.

Theon is held captive by Ramsay Bolton, and is tortured quite brutally. Theon goes through a lot in this time. His appearance had changed drastically: black hair turned white and brittle, he becomes skin and bones, and loses a few fingers and toes. Theon is no longer Theon. He became Reek. The new Reek.

Then, Jeyne Poole (or Sansa; I hate you D&D) arrives, under the guise that she is Arya Stark and she is to wed Ramsay Bolton. Jeyne begged Theon to help her, but he is in no position of power. He is a completely broken man. Time flies by. Jeyne is in absolute misery but with the help of Mance and some spearwives, Theon is able to escape Winterfell with Jeyne during a winter storm. Currently, in the books, Theon is set to be executed by Stannis Baratheon, who is currently holding him captive.

Theon Greyjoy may be a fuckup, but to me he is such an amazing character. He holds much conflict, from being a hostage/ward to Prince to prisoner. Theon Greyjoy may have done a lot of shit, but he is also a survivor. Everything he has been put through, he somehow lives to see another day. Despite holding negative feelings to Lord Stark and everyone around, claiming he owed no one anything (fair enough), he loved Robb. When Theon had found out he was murdered at the Red Wedding, you know what he thought?

I should have been with him. Where was I? I should have died with him.

Theon is far from perfect, but that is what makes him great. He has come so far, and I hope his journey does not end any time soon.

9. Suki - Avatar: The Last Airbender

Zuko may have the best redemption arc (or does he? See above.), but Suki holds a special place in my heart.

We first meet Suki season one, on Kyoshi Island. She is the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, and effectively puts Sokka in his place. However, when Sokka requests a few lessons, Suki is happy to help...as long as he followed the guidelines.

Suki is a certified badass. Although a non-bender, Suki has incredible skill and event went against Azula. However, Suki and the others surrendered (so that Appa would not be captured), leading to her imprisonment at Boiling Rock. Eventually, Sokka and Zuko free her (with the help of Mai). After this, Suki joined the Gaang in ceasing the 100 Year War.

Suki is strong but like many other characters in this list, she has heart. She is an effective leader and fighter, offering her help whenever she can. Too bad she was never mentioned in The Legend of Korra. Suki is underrated and she deserves more love and respect.

10. Max Mayfield - Stranger Things

We first meet Max in season 2 as the new girl in Hawkins. She seems like your average girl but she quickly gets tied into the party after Lucas begs her to show her what has happened with him and the rest of the party. However, there’s a lot more to Max.

Max moved to Hawkins with her mother, stepfather, and stepbrother. It’s easy to see that Max and Billy, her stepbrother, do not get along. Billy is outright mean to her, lashing out at practically every chance he gets. Max fights back, however...especially when he threatens her friends.

In season 3, we finally get to see Max and El bond. (Thank God we didn’t have to put up with the “jealousy” tidbit. I would have--) El believes that Mike is lying and Max is like, “Well yeah. Come on let’s go to the mall!” and the girls have a blast together. I was so happy to see the two bond and have fun. I was so happy that El was spending time with someone other than Mike. I was so happy the girls were having fun by themselves. Honestly, the best part of season 3 was them becoming friends.

I love Max because she is confident and is not afraid to speak her mind. She’s funny and in many ways, we are alike. (Especially with our attitudes on boys and relationships.) However, Max is also vulnerable. We see this with her stepbrother, especially in season 3 I think. Their relationship was drastically different in season 3 and while many didn’t like it (myself included)...I also thought about Max. She’s a young girl and no matter how much bad blood was in between them, it will be traumatizing to see a transformation like this to someone you know quite well. It would be scary.

Anyway, I love Max.

Honorable mentions: Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat), Ororo Munroe (Storm), Jean Grey (Phoenix), Anna Marie (Rogue), Sam Nishimura, Malia Tate, all of House Martell, Dustin Henderson...

Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed reading this. Tell me, do I have a certain type of character that I’m attracted to? Also, I’m not sure who has all done this, so if you haven’t it: who are your top 10 favorite characters? Let me know!

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cenbare · 5 years

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𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞

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Melanie Rose Perry is a 19-year-old young lady who enjoys escapology, bowling and cookery. She is a good person and a nerd brain, but can also be very lazy and could spend all day just chilling, unaware.

She is a Simmerican with Buddhist tendency, who defines herself as bisexual. She finished school and then left the academia. Born in summer, she’s a Gemini.

Physically, Melanie has wide curves and she’s in good shape. She is tall with walnut skin, caramel hair and green eyes. She has a rounded face, with big eyes and lips, and little nose. She has freckles on her face and body, and two visible scars on the face (on the eyebrow and on the lip). She likes wearing dreadlocks.

She grew up in an impoverished working class neighbourhood. After her mother died when she was young, she was raised by her father. While she was growing up, she chose not to come out as bisexual and hid it from her father. There was fear and fights, so she decided not to go to college and got is first job as a kitchen assistant at age 18.

She is currently in a relationship with Elena Kay Evans. Elena is 15 years older than her and works as a receptionist.

Melanie's best friend is a teenager called Myles Kay. They are inseparable. She also hangs around with Bryn Cummings and Eliana Cross. They enjoy listening to music together.

She’s known as Talmel in the Internet. To the reason, she says it’s descriptive.

More about her personality:

- Moral: sometimes - Stable: sometimes - Loyal: sometimes - Generous: very much - Extrovert: sometimes - Compassionate: very much - IQ: 87 - Hobbies: escapology, bowling, cookery, listening to music, watching television, donating blood (wow), social card games, badminton. - Diet: eats meat - Favourite foods: dark chocolate buttons, suet pudding

Employment: Kitchen assistant at Brads Burgers (1 year)

Relationships:

- Elena Kay Evans (current partner). They are madly in love. Less than a year together. Occupation: receptionist. Age: 34.

- Myles Tia Kay (inseparable friends). Age: 19. - Bryn Michele Cummings (inseparable friends). Age: 18. - Eliana Rachel Cross (inseparable friends). Age: 17.

- † Lizzie Etta Perry (née Brennan) (mother). Occupation: Junior manager. Age: died at the age of 26 (would have been 41). Cause of death: suicide. Melanie idolises her.

- Shelly Alec Perry (father). Occupation: plumber. Age: 59. Relationship wih: generally harmonious. He doesn’t know she is bisexual.

- † Michael Christy Perry (brother). Occupation: builder. Age: died at the age of 19 (would have been 25). Cause of death: accident - fall from height. They were not particularly close.

- Kira Rafe Perry (brother). Occupation: Cleaner. Age: 22. They don’t get on well.

- Latoya Keely Baxter (ex-girlfriend). They were 1 year together, until 1 year ago. Occupation: journalist. Reason for breakup: Melanie got fed up of being taken advantage of (wow). Age: 28 (WOW, she really likes girls older than her). They remained as friends.

Others words that could descrive her: young-adolescent, curvacious, grandiloquent, immature, leggy, curvy, a little overweighted, stately, statuesque, tall, benevolent, bighearted, broad-minded, charitable, considerate, forgiving, free, generous, genial, gentle, gracious, helpful, hospitable, humane, inexact, lazy, merciful, nerd, openhearted, progressive, socialized, impulsive, sympathetic, teenage mind, thoughtful, tolerant.

Timeline:

[Sim created from the ideas of @zombiecowplant , @clearrios and Ryel]

#simblr #ts4 #the sims 4 #maxis match #s4mm #sims 4 #sims #Melanie Rose #Rose #character

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morfinwen · 6 years

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#2, 5, 7, 10, 16, 25, 32, 40, 45, 52, and 60, please! :)

You didn’t specify characters, so i guess i’ll just have to answer each question for all most of them!

Since i have so many, i’ll be grouping them.

The quartet (Christopher “Chris” Hardie, Reagan Travers, Angela “Angie” McKendrick, Neal Fairchild) are my usual go-to characters when playing a game with some kind of role-playing element, but also have versions of themselves in a more ordinary world, which is typically the one i’m thinking of when i answer questions about them.

“Heaven and Earth” is a story i’m working on with my sister. Characters from this work include Lanzo Ramsey, Ashley “Ash” Jackson, Conri “Connie” Lowell, Aidan Michaels, Nate Vasquez, Niner, Q Free, and Amanda Wheeler.

Next group are video game specific characters - Leah Tolkien from Fallout 4, Elarin Is-Ha'Arel from Knights of the Old Republic, Meaghan Caoilfhionn from Knights of the Old Republic 2, and Avery Hawke from Dragon Age 2.

Lastly, my other original fiction characters, the Raines siblings (Kira, Darcy, and Susanna) and Ian Grayson and Lauren Winston.

In case it isn’t already obvious, this is going to be a long post, so the actual asks and answers are going under a read more.

2: Where does your OC work?

Christopher is an theater actor/musician. He’s not tied to any huge corporations, so work can occasionally be a bit thin, but he’s dedicated and talented enough that it hasn’t caused him many problems.

Reagan has an uninspiring office job of some type. It’s not her passion, but it pays the bills.

Angie and Neal, no idea yet.-Lanzo’s worked a lot of odd jobs. Currently working as a bartender at a magical people-only bar.

Ash does enchanting work on a freelance basis.

Connie … haven’t nailed down his career yet. Something in the sciences.

Q is a bike messenger/courier, also for an occult-only company. At this point in his story, he has not realized this yet.

Niner and Nate are unemployed.

Amanda is a reporter for the local newspaper. -While Leah, Elarin, Meaghan and Avery have a lot to keep them busy, they don’t have specific careers; unless you count keeping their respective homelands/worlds safe as a career.-Kira, Darcy, and Susanna are too young for jobs, unless you count school.

Ian and Lauren work for a blues musician’s crew in some capacity, also not nailed down yet.

5: How old is your OC?

Chris: Early 30sReagan: Late 20sAngie: Mid 20sNeal: Mid 20s-Lanzo: Over 600 (vampire)Ash: Early 30sConnie: Early 20sAidan: Little over 100 (phoenix)Q: Late 20sNate: Early 20sNiner: Mid 20sAmanda: Early 30s-Leah: Mid 20sElarin: In her own game, 27; five years later when KotOR 2 rolls around, 32Meaghan: 30Avery: Mid to late 20s -Kira: 15Darcy: 13Susanna: 11

Ian: Early 20sLauren: Early 20s

7: Is your OC in a relationship?

Most of them are not, because most of them haven’t had their stories completed.

Chris had a couple girlfriends in high school and college, none of which lasted very long. He wishes he’d taken them a bit more seriously, but he parted with all of them on good terms, so it’s not a deep-seated regret.

Neal had his heart broken once. He’s not eager for that to happen again.-Lanzo’s present-day relationships rarely last long enough to deserve the term. In the past, he has been married four times. He has no desire to make it five.

Ash met a very nice young lady named Danae in his junior year of high school. They became fast friends, studied together often, and had long, interesting discussions on a wide variety of topics. Under different circumstances, they probably would have dated each other, but both of them had plans for after-graduation that would take them to very different parts of the world, so they decided to just remain friends instead. They still exchange letters, though since Danae travels so much and in rural locations, Ash has to send his letters to her mother to pass on to her.

Q was in one long-term relationship that ended badly: he tried too hard to be who she wanted rather than who he was, and she cared more about getting what she wanted out of it than making a relationship that could last. It probably hasn’t turned him off relationships in general, but it’s going to take time for him to be willing to consider dating again.-Leah is in her second relationship. She married her high school sweetheart, Nate, and losing him was devastating. It’s strange how different her second partner is from Nate, but he has a lot in common with her – he married young, has a son, and lost his wife. Sometimes she thinks it’s because he’s so different from Nate that their relationship works – when she looks at him, she sees him, not Nate.

For most of her life, Elarin had no real interest in romance; so she’s told, at least, but what memories she still has support that. Then she had to spend several weeks on a planet occupied by enemy forces, and the only person she could count on was a widowed pilot with a hideous orange coat and raging trust issues. Love is weird.

Meaghan’s story is pretty similar to Elarin’s, except instead of weeks it was days, instead of an occupied planet it was a mining station where almost everyone else had been murdered followed by an apartment they had to stay in for a couple days under police surveillance, and instead of a decorated war hero and straight-arrow pilot it was a snarky two-time deserter who never gave a straight answer about his past because he used to work for her worst enemies. So basically the same thing.

As a teenager, Avery had a brief romance with a young man in her hometown that probably wouldn’t have lasted even if he hadn’t fallen in battle and her family hadn’t fled as refugees to another country. Unlike her current relationship, which might even survive the end of the world. Don’t get between Avery and the people she loves.-Kira, Darcy, and Susanna are all too young for love yet.

Ian broke up with his high school girlfriend when they had different plans for college, and broke up with his college girlfriend when she fell in love with his rich roommate’s gardener. Since then he’s decided to focus more on music than relationships.

Lauren has had a couple short relationships, none of which ended well.

10: What is your OCs favorite outfit?

Chris - for every day wear, his pair of good quality blue jeans and red t-shirt. For formal occasions, he has a tailored black suit, a white shirt, and a brilliant blue tie that matches his eyes.

Reagan - black jeans, one of her t-shirts with a funny image or text on it, and her black-with-blue-highlights jacket.

Angie - a pastel-colored blouse, white or khaki capri pants, and sandals.

Neal - long-sleeved button-up patterned shirt, black slacks.-Lanzo - doesn’t pay that much attention to clothes anymore, so whatever is comfiest.

Ash - flannel shirt, brown carpenter’s jeans, suspenders.

Connie - his entire wardrobe is t-shirts (solid color, mostly black but also subdued reds, greens, and blues) and shorts (black or tan).

Aidan - the 1920s were the height of fashion, and nothing will convince him otherwise. He only wears clothes in that style on special occasions, though, so as not to attract (more) attention.

Nate - video game t-shirt, black jeans, jacket with a hood he can pull over his head.

Q - jeans, band t-shirt (all his shirts are band t-shirts, whether he’s listened to or even heard of the band in question), his jacket.

Amanda - black slacks, solid bright color shirt.

Niner - why are humans so obsessed with clothes of all things?-Leah - never used to be that fond of dresses, but having the opportunity to wear one now reminds her of pre-War days, in a good way.

Elarin - whatever helps her blend in her current environment.

Meaghan - Jedi robes, honestly. They’re not flattering but they remind her of happier times.

Avery - there are a couple outfits she has that remind her of absent friends; friends who were more fashion-minded than she ever would be, and insisted on taking her (over her slightly exasperated objections) clothes-shopping for said outfits.-Kira - jeans and a t-shirt, probably.

Darcy - jeans, thick sweater.

Susanna - she has a floral dress she loves, but it’s too nice to wear on ordinary occasions.

Ian - he loves his red flannel footie pajamas, and would never take them off if that was a reasonable option.

Lauren - skirt, floral blouse.

16/25: When is your OCs favorite time of year? What time of year does your OC prefer?

(These two questions seemed like basically the same thing, so i combined them.)

Spring - Angie, for early mornings and warm rains. - Meaghan and Leah, it represents new beginnings. - Nate, associated with his mother’s flower and herb gardens planted on the windowsills and tiny balcony outside their apartment. - Ian, it’s the one season his allergies don’t flare up! As much.

Summer - Neal, loves the heat - stepping outside when it’s warm feels like being wrapped in a blanket- Susanna, NO SCHOOL! :D- Elarin, warm evenings and swimming.- Avery, stays light out later.- Kira, no school, also swimming.- Niner, less trouble finding warm sleeping spots.- Reagan, thunderstorms are awesome, and it doesn’t get dark stupidly early.

Fall - Ash, cooler but things aren’t quite as dead or bleak yet- Darcy, likes being bundled up and drinking cocoa and tea, but without having to deal with ice.- Connie, more comfortable running around outside, and the changing leaves are pretty.- Q, it’s socially acceptable to wear a jacket again, but not freezing cold or too snowy/icy for biking.

Winter - Chris, loves the feeling of dry cold, and some of his favorite outdoor activities require snow.- Lauren, the snow is pretty, and she has more excuses to stay home and away from people (the roads are bad, the flu is running rampant, holiday season).- Lanzo, it gets darker earlier, and snow is just plain beautiful to watch fall.- Aidan, finally doesn’t feel like he’s running too hot all the time! Also has a lot of fond memories of Christmas and New Years’.- Amanda, enjoys skating and cross-country skiing. Also certain members of her family act like they get along for a while.

32: Did your OC go to college? What did they major in?

Chris was a double-major in theater and music – he has a Masters in both, contemplating going for a doctorate in music. He’s also taking night classes in advanced math and physics, which will probably be enough to net him an engineering degree before too long.

Reagan went for a four-year English degree. Being a normal, sane person (unlike some people), she has not gone back for another one.

Angie and Neal, not sure yet. Angie might have gone for a degree, but probably not – she’s brilliant and as driven as Chris in her own way, which is not a way that’s conducive to a college education.

If Neal doesn’t have a degree, it’s something he’s contemplating. Contrary to Angie, the validation of an external organization is something that would appeal to him.-Lanzo - not unless you count the school of hard knocks. According to him, he’s the star pupil of that particular school.

Ash - not formally. He received extensive education in enchanting things from his great-aunt, probably equivalent to a Masters.

Connie - his decision to go to college was a definitive one for him in several ways, not all of them good. He originally just went for some Bachelor of Science degree, but wound up graduating a few years later with two or three after all the credits he’d accumulated (details on what types of degrees to be determined).

Aidan - didn’t even graduate high school. He’s considered getting a GED, but honestly it doesn’t really appeal to him, and there’s not really a compelling reason to try.

Q - no.

Nate - was in his senior year, on his way to a degree in audio engineering, when he died. He has not made any progress since then.

Niner - what’s college?

Amanda - yep, graduated magna cum laude with a journalism degree.-Leah - law degree.

Elarin - no.

Meaghan - no.

Avery - no.- The Raines siblings are of course too young, but college is probably on the horizon for them.

Ian - yes, music.

Lauren - yes, music.

40: What is the craziest thing your OC has done?

There may or may not have been a time when Christopher got drunk during college and woke up the next morning in a strange place with a hangover and a bag full of things he didn’t remember acquiring, half of which were illegal and/or something he had no idea how he would ever have gotten his hands on it. If that ever happened, and if he ever happened to remember what had transpired that night, it would probably be an incredible story that he will not be telling anyone, at least not until he’s sure the statute of limitations has run out.

Reagan isn’t generally into crazy stuff. There’s probably some story where she stepped outside her usual bounds, but even that probably wasn’t terribly exciting.

Angie and Neal, not sure yet.-Lanzo has a long list of things he’s claimed to have done over the years. Given his character, it is … difficult to tell what is exaggeration and what has actually happened.

When Ash was college-aged, he and some friends got a bit … passionate in their attempts to convince their state senator to sign a particular environmental bill. All you need to know is that the giant papier-mâché horse wasn’t his idea, and while he isn’t exactly sure who the guy in the newspaper photo is, he has never gone out naked in public, so it wasn’t him.

Connie once signed up for a night class (Ancient Greek) and an 8 am class (Calculus) in college. During midterms and finals he subsisted almost entirely on coffee and protein bars. It’s mostly a blur now, but there was a period in there where he almost thought he could taste colors, and attempted to verify it with experimentation. Eggs still taste green to him.

Around the age of ten, Aidan and his sister were really starting to get a grip on their powers, and wondered if they could fly. They decided to test it by jumping off the roof of the burned-down barn they lived in. Fortunately, the answer turned out to be “kind of”.

There’s a lot of risky stuff kids can get up to in New York City, especially when they’re with their friends thinking about what would be cool and not thinking about the consequences. Nate spent one summer doing those kinds of things. Then his mother remarried, and suddenly had time to keep tabs on her son and what he and his friends were doing when they weren’t in school.

Q once rode his bike – a regular bicycle, not a motorized one – on a highway. It was late at night, so there were almost no cars, and there was a full moon so he could see well, but the heart attack he nearly had seeing the headlights of a car suddenly appearing ahead of him helped him determine never to do that again.

On multiple occasions, Niner has first gone to a place where it would be unlikely or impossible for a cat to go, then turned into her cat form.

Amanda has interviewed a drug kingpin, and investigated a death that might have been an assassination by a mega corporation. -Leah tends to think of herself as two different people, pre- and post-The War. Given that Pre-War Leah’s craziest stunt involved toilet-papering a racist teacher’s house with friends in her sophomore year of high school, and Post-War Leah’s craziest stunts are things like facing down a ten-foot-tall deathclaw alone, traveling through an area so irradiated it’s called the Glowing Sea, and teleporting directly into the base of villainous scientists with technology beyond the capabilities of any other organization in existence with very little idea of what to expect, that is perhaps an understandable distinction to make.

While Elarin has been involved in a lot of dangerous stuff, she’s not really one for the “it’s just crazy enough to work!” type of plans. Even if it seems crazy, it’s honestly the best option available at the time.

Meaghan regularly walks into deadly, dangerous scenarios with no clear plan of escape. Whether that’s just her duty as a Jedi or craziness depends on who you ask.

For several years, Avery’s closest companions included an apostate mage, a Dalish elf willing to make deals with demons, an ex-Gray Warden apostate mage running an underground clinic for refugees and helping other apostate mages escape the Chantry, a member of the City Guard and the widow of a Chantry Templar, a dwarven merchant, a magically-enhanced elf slave from the Tevinter Imperium who hates magic, and a pirate captain. It’s questionable if one could think they could have such people interact regularly without ending in murder and not be at least a little crazy.-Whatever the craziest thing the Raines siblings have done is, it probably wasn’t all that crazy, especially compared to the other stuff on this list.

When Ian gets started on a long-term joke or prank, like using a fake name or always arriving somewhere in some wild and slightly dangerous way, he feels obligated to keep doing it longer than most people would. It’s a minor miracle he hasn’t been hurt or fired yet over something like that.

Lauren does not do crazy stuff, except maybe her friendship with Ian.

45: Does your OC like reading?

Chris enjoys a good action-y book, usually with the writing quality of a McDonald’s hamburger but fun to read nonetheless. He doesn’t care much for non-fiction, as he learns best by doing.

Reagan has mild dyslexia, and finds it hard to visualize stuff happening in a written medium. She does enjoy books once she gets into them, though that doesn’t happen terribly often. She keeps meaning to try audio books.

Angie reads so much asking if she likes reading is like asking if she likes breathing. About the only genre she doesn’t read is erotica.

Neal likes dense, complex stories with deep symbolism and philosophical themes. He can only read one of those at a time, and then has to take a little while to think through it all, so he sometimes breaks it up with books of poetry - particularly nature or romance.-Lanzo buys pretty much anything on the bestseller lists, wanting to keep up with what’s popular. Most don’t stick in his memory very long, so if he makes a book recommendation, it’s definitely worth looking into – if he still remembers it, it’s either fantastically good or hilariously terrible.

Like Angie, for Ash reading is roughly the same as breathing, though he’s less varied than she is in topic: he prefers non-fiction, or fiction with a handful of characters who interact mostly with nature. He also tends to re-read a lot, since it can be hard for him to find new books he likes.

Connie is not as voracious a reader as Ash, but he tries to read one or two books a month. He also reads all kinds of genres, but has a slight preference for non-fiction.

Aidan is very picky about what he’ll read, and if he ever puts a book down out of disinterest he won’t be picking it up again any time soon (if ever), but what books he likes he really likes.

Nate reads exclusively fantasy and science fiction, more of the latter than the former. Considering recent events, some parts of fantasy hit too close to home.

Q is continually reading new stuff, usually stuff recommended by “if you liked x you’ll love y” lists. He usually only likes half of what he finds that way, but the ones he doesn’t like tend to fade from his memory pretty quickly. He’s a very fast reader as well.

Niner never learned to read, and has no interest in learning.

Amanda loves mysteries, historical fiction, and true crime novels. Outside of that she tries to keep up with journalism-related things.-Elarin likes reading well enough, but only obscure texts, rare books, etc. Fortunately she’s had a lot of chances to find those kinds of things.

Meaghan is not a big reader, but she finds certain kinds of poetry soothing.

Avery never has time to read.

Leah enjoyed reading when she was younger, with a particular fondness for pulpy comic books, but there aren’t many books in the Wasteland, comic or otherwise. She makes sure to collect any she finds in readable condition.- Kira’s just started getting into light horror/suspense, now that she’s old enough that her grandmother lets her. She’s also a fan of mysteries, having been able to read Nancy Drew and Sherlock Holmes and the like since middle school.

Darcy reads a lot. Sometimes he picks a particular non-fiction topic to focus on, other times he reads more broadly. For fiction, he prefers to re-read his favorites, but if given encouragement will try something new. He’s also been known to read university textbooks for fun.

Susanna isn’t a big fan of fiction, but she likes history books, particularly ones that cover what life was like for ordinary people back in the day, with lots of pictures.

Ian likes to pretend he doesn’t read anything deeper than some cheap superhero comic, so unless you know him well or recognize a joking allusion to a more obscure Shakespearean play, you would never know he read anything else. In reality, his reading material is about half comic books/graphic novels (some Marvel and DC, but he prefers less common ones) and half classical literature, particularly the older stuff. He never paid more attention in English class than the year they read The Odyssey and The Iliad, and never confused a teacher more than poor Mrs. Mitchell.

Lauren read a lot when she was younger, but not so much anymore. On the occasions she does read something, however, she really gets into it.

52: How does your OC feel about insects?(Technically some of the mentioned critters are not insects but whatever.)

Chris: They do an important job, so as long as they stay off of him to do it, you go, little bug buddy.

Reagan: She loathes flies and mosquitoes, is terrified of centipedes, and likes butterflies, moths, and spiders (certain kinds). Other than that, so long as they keep their distance from her, they’re okay.

Angie: Finds certain kinds interesting, but like Chris and Reagan, prefers if they keep their distance from her.

Neal: Not welcome anywhere in his vicinity, not even spiders. Any insect he finds inside his home is dead.-Lanzo: He’s more used to bugs than some. Not a huge fan of them, but is definitely more “live and let live” than most people.

Ash: He has supported various endeavors to save endangered bugs, and is more knowledgeable on the kinds found in the Pacific Northwest than most non-entomologists. That said, he has a pacifist zero-tolerance policy on insects in his house (except for certain species of spider).

Connie: Apart from a special hatred of fleas, most bugs would have to tap-dance on his nose to get him to notice them, let alone do anything about it.

Aidan: Live and let live, with one exception. If he ever finds an ant in his general vicinity, he will carefully use a very precise amount of fire magic to incinerate it instantly. Don’t tell Ash.

Nate: Spiders are cool. Cockroaches are disgusting, but don’t affect him much anymore. Both receive the same indifference he gives most things these days.

Q: Prefers to ignore them as much as possible, and more likely to run or move away from one that’s pestering him than squish it.

Niner: If questioned, she has disturbingly (according to Q) thorough and well-researched opinions on which ones are the most fun to chase, and which ones are the tastiest to eat.

Amanda: They are an undeniably important and fascinating part of nature, and she can stand them when she’s out in the wild, but if she finds one in her house it makes her skin crawl and distracts her until she’s sure it’s dead. If it’s mostly benign (like a spider) and hasn’t made a pest of itself, she might be willing to let it outside, but her instinctive response is “kill it! kill it! kill it!” The only thing worse than insects is *shudder* rats.-Leah: In the past, insects generally grossed her out, but she mostly left them alone. After facing down mutated bugs the size of her dog (or bigger), the little ones no longer trouble her so much. The big ones, though – she hopes they’re all burning in hell.

Elarin: Depends on their size, general danger level, appearance, etc.

Meaghan: If they leave her alone, she leaves them alone.

Avery: Spiders are evil, and they’ll stay far away from her if they know what’s good for them. -Kira: Ew, yuck, gross, kill them.

Darcy: Bees make him nervous, since he got stung by one when he was younger, but for the most part he doesn’t notice them unless they’re crawling on his face.

Susanna: Used to hate them, until she did a report on the insects common to her area in grade school. Now she has a long list of insect trivia to creep out her sister when she’s being annoying.

Ian: Tolerates them, which is good because his general living habits mean he always has a minor infestation of one sort or another going on. So long as it’s not termites, he lets it run its course.

Lauren: The best part of winter is most bugs are now burning in hell where they belong.

60: Does your OC enjoy nature?

Chris’ default location, so to speak, is urban, but he likes the occasional venture into “extreme” nature – mountain climbing, scuba diving, downhill skiing, etc. He’ll enjoy nature while he’s out in it, but once the event is over he returns to the urban jungle.

Reagan likes “organized” nature - parks, gardens, beaches, etc. Beyond that, she prefers to experience it through photos or documentaries. Sure, it’s not the same as actually being there – actually being there often involves exposure to the elements, biting insects, outhouses or disgusting gas station bathrooms, labor-intensive hiking or climbing, treacherous ledges, money spent on entry fees or equipment or tour guides, and risking the whole business being ruined by bad weather, sudden illness, or tourists. Photos and documentaries involve none of that, and so are unarguably superior.

Neal also likes “organized” nature, though he has more of a need for it than Reagan. It relaxes him in a way that few other things can. If he goes too long just in cities, he starts to feel drained. That said, he’d be lost if he ever wound up more than, say, fifty miles from civilization.

Angie tries to blend nature and the city – terrariums and potted plants in the house, vegetable and flower gardens in the yard, roads lined with trees, etc. She likes the occasional trip out into “just wilderness”, but prefers having nature more easily, commonly accessible.-Lanzo and the sun are no longer on speaking terms, but even before becoming a vampire he was of the opinion that anything worth doing was something that could be done inside.

Ash lives and breathes nature. If it weren’t for the handful of things tying him to a more ‘civilized’ existence, like his friends and family, he would happily move out into the wilderness and live the rest of his life there. He has a tremendous respect for nature as well, and knows full-well how dangerous it can be if you don’t respect it.

Connie is always a little more at home outdoors than he is indoors, though he usually winds up indoors more often. While not quite as willing to go live in the wild as Ash (despite being better suited to it), he gets a lot out of extended camping trips or hikes in remote nature areas.

Aidan has a particular fondness for the countryside where he grew up, but apart from that, doesn’t really care if he’s indoors or outdoors, so long as he isn’t getting too hot.

If liking house plants and herbs counts as enjoying nature, then yes, Nate enjoys nature. Otherwise, no.

Given the number of bug bites, sunburns, sudden downpours, black ice, and other things he’s endured, Q has a slight suspicion nature has it in for him. Still, it’s more honest about it than some humans have been, and he’s seen some breathtaking sunrises and meteor showers, so it evens out.

Amanda likes to go out into nature on occasion, like hiking in national parks or on scenic bike trails.

Niner has pretty much always lived in “nature”, albeit usually close to human habitation. It’s all right, she supposes. Not the worst, usually. She can even tolerate rain, so long as it’s gradual or predictable, and doesn’t involve thunder and lightning.-Kira loves the rain, and wants desperately to visit the mountains someday. Other than that, she likes suburban living, provided there’s sufficient trees and shrubbery around.

Darcy has, on occasion, enjoyed outdoor activities, like ice skating. He can count them on one hand.

Susanna was already inclined to prefer being outside to in, and then she discovered she was far less likely to be yelled at for being loud or energetic if she was outdoors. The hardest part of moving from the suburbs to the city is the lack of trees to climb and fields to run around in.

Thanks to his terrible navigational skills, Ian has seen more of the countryside in Tennessee than he ever planned on. He’s developed the fondness that comes from repeated, unintentional exposure, like learning to like that dumb pop song that’s always on the radio.

Lauren likes the beach, and seeing mountains or forests from a distance. That’s it.

Okay, that’s probably more information than you were expecting. Hope it was interesting and not too painfully self-indulgent of me. It was fun trying to answer for everyone, though!

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Ready Player Two: The Sequel’s Best Easter Eggs & References

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This piece contains spoilers for Ready Player Two.

When Ernest Cline published Ready Player One in 2011, its exhaustive array of Easter eggs were literally built into the worldbuilding—seemingly one pop culture name-drop per pixel that made up the digital OASIS, per the fierce 1980s nostalgia that creator James Donovan Halliday possessed for the most formative decade of his adolescence. And once the billionaire inventor revealed the Easter egg hunt for his fortune, it made perfect sense that the 2040s generation of gunters would immerse themselves in the same references, placing themselves into Halliday’s mindset to inherit his treasure.

Almost a decade later, those ’80s references are more exhausting in Ready Player Two—like when Wade rattles off his vintage morning routine basically cosplaying as Marty McFly, down to getting woken up by Huey Lewis and the News’ “Back in Time” via a Panasonic RC-6015 flip-clock radio. Whereas the Wade of Ready Player One enthusiastically logged onto the OASIS by quoting The Last Starfighter, the sequel’s gunter-turned-billionaire seems burnt out. He takes no joy in playing at a fictional character’s life instead of trying to improve his own.

Similarly, if Twitter reactions are any indication, readers of Ready Player Two are already finding the dense ’80s shout-outs to be more white noise than fun tidbits to be caught and noticed. It’s the same trick, but it loses its efficacy once you’ve seen behind the curtain.

That said, there are a handful of Easter eggs that break through the static. Because what’s the best way to make two familiar things new again? You mash them up.

Seven Shards for the Siren’s Soul

In some ways, it feels as if the sequel is retreading familiar ground, not quite copying Ready Player One’s Easter egg hunt but certainly building a seven-part quest around solving pop culture riddles. What somewhat redeems the narrative choice is a slightly different take on Easter eggs: not an exhaustive ’80s Wikipedia entry, but the personal Easter eggs of one woman’s life.

That woman is Kira Underwood, wife of OASIS co-founder Ogden Morrow, but also the unrequited love of James Donovan Halliday. As young adults, their Dungeons & Dragons campaigns eventually transformed into the creation of Gregarious Games and, ultimately, Gregarious Simulation Systems and the OASIS. But when Kira died young, both men mourned her… but only one tried to bring her back.

This time around, the prize is not Halliday’s fortune, but Kira’s “soul”—or, at least, a digital copy of her consciousness that Halliday copied without her knowledge or permission. Each Shard references a key point in Kira’s life, plenty of which overlap with Halliday’s ’80s obsession, as Kira met the two boys in 1988—in the middle of playing Sega Ninja, in fact. That’s the trial for the Second Shard, but later Shards relate to properties dear to Kira, which makes gunters like Parzival initially disregard treasured texts like J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion or the rich discography of a certain iconic purple-themed musician.

And as the Shard search goes on, the clues become more and more specific to Kira’s life, including the learning-is-fun planet that she and Og created together (Halcydonia) to bring free educational games to underserved children when they were unable to have biological children of their own; and Leucosia, her D&D character-turned-AI-persona. Each Shard also includes a “toll,” or a memory that Z must experience as Kira, to better understand how she was a vital person on her own, beyond these two men’s love for her.

While the Seven Shards won’t be immortalized in the best-of lists of fantasy quests, it’s a clear effort to reinterpret the notion of Easter eggs to be more than just however many pop culture references one person can hold over another. They can also be the personal artifacts that others are encouraged to excavate, and experience the world through another set of eyes.

Planet Shermer

Recast the foul, restore his ending. Andie’s first fate still needs mending.

The Third Shard’s riddle sends Z and Art3mis to Shermer, a planet named after the fictional Illinois town in which John Hughes set the majority of his movies. Inspired by his hometown of Northbrook (which was previously called Shermerville), Shermer was a composite of different aspects of suburbia from both sides of the tracks and everything in-between. A 2010 Vanity Fair article related how in Hughes’ mind, Sixteen Candles’ Samantha (Molly Ringwald) was a “passing acquaintance” of Ferris Bueller’s eponymous hero (Matthew Broderick), and The Breakfast Club’s Bender (Judd Nelson) grew up near Planes, Trains, & Automobiles’ Del Griffith (John Candy).

The OASIS’ Shermer follows Hughes’ thinking, by throwing his iconic teenage characters into a planet-sized Breakfast Club of sorts, with them all attending the same Shermer High School; Z notes that depending on which direction you approach the school, its facade resembles all three aforementioned teen films. That’s amusing enough, but then you remember that actors like Ringwald and Michael Anthony Hall collaborated with Hughes in a number of films—which means all of their alter egos are going to homeroom or the cafeteria together.

This portion of the book is rather delightful in how nonchalantly it plays out every fan’s crossover dreams and how it engages with parallel-universe casting decisions. For instance, Parzival notices Keith Nelson and Amanda Jones (Eric Stoltz and Lea Thompson) from Some Kind of Wonderful, only to realize that that couple is technically the original Marty McFly and his mother. And when it comes to deducing the Shard’s clue, superfan Samantha deduces that they must recast Duckie (the “fowl”) from Pretty in Pink, replacing Jon Cryer with a Weird Science-era Robert Downey, Jr., who had originally been up for the part. (You can already imagine the digital de-aging fun in the inevitable Ready Player Two movie.)

But while their goal is to get RDJ-Duckie and Andie dancing at prom, what’s most important is visiting Hughes himself in his home office to obtain his original Pretty in Pink ending. Perhaps the best Easter egg embedded in this mashup world is that when Art3mis and Z go to the Hughes’ home, they encounter his wife, Nancy Hughes. “I’ve never seen her here before!” Art3mis, who has played through this world’s rhythms countless times before, excitedly tells Parzival. “I didn’t know you even could!” It’s a nice parallel to Wade’s realization that Kira is more than just the wife or love interest, that she and Nancy Hughes are worth squeeing over all on their own.

L0hengrin’s Genderbending Avatar

As Wade relates, Parzival looks almost like him, just a bit thinner, taller, more muscular, and less afflicted by acne. His avatar is an idealized version of himself, as is the case for Samantha with Art3mis—though in Ready Player Two, she has incorporated her IRL facial birthmark into her digital persona, while Wade still sticks with his dream-self. They might also dress as pop culture characters, like Art3mis in her Molly Millions (from William Gibson’s Johnny Mnemonic) phase, yet it only goes so far as typical cosplay.

But in the sequel, Parzival meets YouTuber and gunter L0hengrin, who he identifies as a fan by name alone; in Arthurian legend, Lohengrin was Parzival’s son. When they meet in the OASIS, however, Parzival is struck by Lo’s avatar: She primarily takes the form of pixie-haired teen Helen Slater in The Legend of Billie Jean, but she’s also known for shifting into floppy-haired James Spader in Tuff Turf. While Lo, a trans woman, is not the first OASIS user to find herself in a nostalgic movie avatar, the fluidity of her gender presentation speaks to a deeper identification with various iconic figures depending on her gender in that moment. It also opens up the possibility of other genderqueer or nonbinary users finding their own unique representation via ’80s figures—after all, there are infinite personas to choose from.

The Afterworld

Another mashup world that Parzival, Aech, and Shoto visit on their quest for the Shards is a planet-sized shrine to Prince. And while its name is technically the unpronounceable Love Symbol, those in the know call it the Afterworld. Under ominous skies of “Purple Rain” they drive a “Little Red Corvette” to raid Paisley Park not for weapons, but for musical artifacts with which to challenge the Purple One(s).

Basically, the three gunters have to reenact Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, doing musical battle with seven iterations of Prince as the Evil Exes: Purple Rain Prince, Cloud Suit Prince, Gett Off Prince, Batdance Prince, Microphone Prince, Third Eye Prince, and Mesh-Mask Prince. Not to mention their henchmen, in the form of several past bands and collaborators.

All things considered, the battle goes pretty quickly, especially since Aech is a super-fan coaching Parzival through how to wield the Cloud Guitar, and they have their own backup in the form of Prince’s old band Morris Day and the Time (a.k.a. The Original 7ven). There is a reason that Scott fights seven separate battles, each with its own arc and stakes. It ratchets up the tension in each fight and hints at Scott possibly failing, instead of seeming more like a means to an end, as is the case with Ready Player Two’s big jam session.

This one might be a tad more controversial for readers, depending on how sacred one holds Prince, but I would argue that inspiring a reaction—positive or negative—still counts as an Easter egg that works.

Needle Drops

Both Shermer and the Afterworld include dozens of music cues that can be triggered by passing over a certain spot or into a key moment out of pop culture history, though the needle drops are a consistent Easter egg throughout Ready Player Two. These “soundtrack landmines,” as Z calls them, set the scene, striding into Shermer High School to Killing Joke’s “Eighties”; or add gravitas to a moment, like when Parzival stares at Art3mis, realizing he’s still in love with her, and Boston’s “More Than a Feeling” begins playing.

For the most part, these cues belong to everyone: They’re planted in the same spaces for any user to trigger, regardless of whether or not they’ve ever actually sung or danced to these moments in John Hughes movies. Yet little Easter eggs like the Boston needle drop—which can only be triggered by one avatar staring at another for five seconds, while the ONI records an increase in heart rate—feel like personalized love letters to two lovebirds, caught in a special moment unique to just them. That’s exactly what you want an Easter egg to do.

Ready Player Two is available now from Ballantine Books. Let us know the Easter eggs that worked for you in the comments below…

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formerprincess · 6 years

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A tale written with fangs and claws || Chapter 15

Chapters: 15/? Fandom: Teen Wolf (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken Characters: Liam Dunbar, Theo Raeken Additional Tags: Alpha Liam Dunbar, Slow Build, Friends to Lovers, Dunbar Pack, Bisexual Liam Dunbar, Werewolf Theo Raeken, Alpha Theo Raeken, Canon-Typical Violence Series: Part 1 of Morning Dew Pack Tim and Mike get introduced into the world of werewolves and the pack dynamic. Will they accept it or will they stay omegas?

Since Tim had come to them in his search for help, he had become a constant and Liam considered him pack. The others probably did too, they just never said it out loud. It was all so new for the freshly bitten werewolf and he gave even Mason a run for his money when it came to asking questions. One video chat with Corey and Mason had been proof of that. He asked questions nobody else ever asked (What happens if a werewolf is fully shifted and their fur gets dyed in another color? Does it change the hair color too e.g.) and Mason had been baffled and then asked why he never asked those questions. It was the call that made Liam doubt his best friend’s sanity and the call that had Liam worried Theo would die from laughing so hard. It was a good look on him, head thrown back and body shaking with laughter while he tried not to fall from the bed, and Theo looked absolutely gorgeous, but Liam was still worried the chimera forgot how to breathe. He didn’t thankfully. But he kept on teasing Tim for all those questions because truth was, Tim was strange.

Had he come off as shy and insecure the pack soon came to the realization he was that but when he was around them, he started to get more and more at ease and lost his stiffness. He had his own sense of humor and told them that he always had been considered the odd one. His siblings were all extroverted, popular and good at many sports and Tim was…not. He rather read than played ball, liked sci-fi movies and superheroes instead of football or soccer and he liked to wear a beanie and shirts with geeky prints than any classic outfits. Since he was the youngest, his mother tended to be afraid he would break, mother-henned him and when Tim realized that, he paled. “She would freak if she knew I was a werewolf now. Probably wrap me in bubble wrap and never let me leave her sight or she would drag me to her book club so her friends and she can help my poor soul.“ “Is your mother a church lady?“ Theo asked. “No, more type soccer mom, you know? And I’m the only kid who doesn’t fit her picture-perfect suburban family. Now even less than before“ “Suburbs, of course. Let me guess, you have a white picket fence and all?“ Sadie mumbled. Tim nodded. “We are the epitome of suburban family life.“

So, Tim integrated himself into the pack better than Liam even expected. His soft personality made him very nice, harmonic and good to work with, and it gave Liam an idea. When the pack gathered next time, he shared it with them. “Tim, you and Mike were bitten by the same Alpha. You have a pack bond, even though he is an omega currently. Maybe that way we can get him to accept help from us.“ Tim blanched. “I don‘t know if he wants to talk to me. We never had any talk outside the stable. He dragged me out and then dropped me. He‘s scary.“ “Scary?“ Maya said amusedly. “I wanted to sit with him one and he growled at me. That was even before we got bitten.“

Sadie scoffed. “I did some research about him. He’s Michael Archibald but goes by Mike. No friends, just a few of the goths or whatever they call themselves he occasionally hangs out with. He mostly sticks to himself and given the rumors it’s probably for the best. Prone to get in trouble and some even say he was sent to jail once.“ Liam grimaced. “Don’t believe such rumors, they are nasty.“ “But maybe they are true.“ “At the school I attended before I came to Beacon Hills High, I trashed my coach’s car. Given the rumors about me at that time, I was also arrested and when I transferred schools they also said I had been sent to jail.“ Liam told her calmly. “You can only make your opinion when you talked to the person and heard the facts. And in this pack, we don‘t judge.“ “I know but that guy? He loves the bad boy vibe. He‘s digging it.“ “So is Theo and yet if you get to know him you notice he is a cinnamon roll.“

Theo had been about to pop a chili cheese nugget in his mouth and stopped mid-air. “I’ve never been more insulted than right now.“ He muttered dryly and Liam smirked and winked at him. “And you are the opposite or what? You look like a cinnamon roll but can actually kill someone?“ Theo sarcastically asked and Liam’s grin widened. “You know me.“ He replied. “And you are a cinnamon roll and one of the biggest dorks I know.“ “Those love declarations are sickening.“ Maya muttered into her strawberry milkshake, causing Maya and Sadie to laugh hysterically. Liam just eyed the witch and she grinned and innocently blew a kiss at him. Liam rolled his eyes but smiled.

He then bit into a chicken wing. “Full moon is in a week.“ He announced and the mood turned somber. Sadie and Maya still battled their wolves and it was not easy for them, and Tim was generally afraid of his first full moon. “We have to talk to Mike or need a foolproofed plan B.“ “Wasn‘t the plan to corner him? So let us find him and corner him.“ Sadie was pragmatical. “If that doesn‘t work we keep him in check during the full moon, if he wants or not.“ “We?“ Liam parroted. “Sadie, you, Maya and Tim will be at the stable with Nolan and Isaac, al chained up because having Mike and you running around is the worst case. So it’s just Ever, Theo and me and I would rather have another plan than that.“

“Maybe you got your chance right now because look who just walked in.“ Ever said and nodded towards the entrance where indeed Mike stood. He looked at the menu and had not spotted them yet. The pack moved without further arrangements. They all got up and slowly inched closer, Liam in the front. When Mike spotted him it was already too late, Maya and Sadie yielding the doors to cut off his escape way. The new wolf growled in defense. “What do you want?“ “We just want to talk to you. Nothing else.“ Liam said, trying to calm him. Mike growled again. “I have absolutely no interest in talking to you.“ “Listen, Mike, you already noticed that you have changed. You are still here, that means the bite took and you are a werewolf, just like us. The full moon is coming up and you need to control your shift or else it will be chaotic.“ “I am not taking part in this whole shit show! You have no idea what’s going on with me, so stay away from me! All of you. Live your life as the strange little cult you are, have full moon orgies or whatever the fuck it is that you guys do and screw you! Literally! Or each other, I couldn’t care less!“ He snarled and for a moment his eyes flashed gold. He turned around and walked over to the door Sadie was guarding. The blonde growled too and the two of them stared at each other. Liam nodded. “Sadie, let him go.“ She huffed but stepped aside and he walked out. She looked at Liam, eyebrow raised. “That was successful. Not what?“ And frankly, Liam had no idea.

****** “We could kidnap him, similar to what Kira did with me. But we would need a distraction for that. Or we could…No, that would be way too brutal….But maybe…“ Liam was pacing in his room, lacrosse ball in his hands he absentmindedly played with while he was thinking all possibles scenarios through to get Mike to trust them enough to spend the full moon with them.

“Am I allowed to jump into this deep conversation you‘re having with yourself?“ Theo leaned against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest, and he smirked at Liam who groaned. “Stop smirking, I was just thinking out loud.“ “You talked to yourself. You only do that when you can‘t solve a problem and think real hard about it because it deeply bothers you.“ Theo was good at picking up small details, Liam had noticed that in a very early stage after Theo moved in with him. He noticed small quirks from Liam and commented on them, mostly something that embarrassed Liam to no end. Now he groaned and ran his hands over his face. “I’m just…“ He ran his hands through his hair and then crossed them at the back of his head, stretching himself lightly. “I don‘t know what to do.“ Theo‘s eyes snapped up from where they had landed on the sliver of skin Liam revealed when his shirt rode up while he stretched, and he shrugged. “There isn’t much you can do. It’s either the nice way or the brutal way. If he doesn‘t go willingly we have to restrain him or he will be dead meat sooner or later.“ Liam knew Theo was right but he really hoped they could go the soft way. “Only three days until the full moon. Time is running out.“ “I tried talking to him today but he dodged me again. I get Sadie’s desire to punch him.“ Liam chuckled dryly. If that was the way to go, Mike would hate them even more. His stomach grumbled, making it impossible for him to think clearly. “I’m craving Chinese, what about you, T?“ “Chinese sounds good, let‘s go.“

They grabbed their jackets and soon were on their way to the Chinese place but stopped at the small supermarket at the corner to buy some things they needed. It wasn’t much and they didn’t even need a basket but when they walked to the cash register, they were caught in an argument between what supposedly was the manager of the store and Mike. The new werewolf was dressed in the same uniform as the other guy so he probably worked here and was arguing with his boss. Liam and Theo shared a look. The chemo signals coming from Mike were angry and sour. He was pissed at his boss and rage was boiling inside him. An incredibly bad feeling for a newly turned werewolf who knew nothing about control. And when Mike got into his boss’s face, snarling and claws already out, Liam interfered.

He yanked Mike back so he could get between the human and the supernatural. “Mike, stop!“ He said, eyes glowing red. Mike’s own eyes were flashing gold and he hissed but his instincts told him not to mess with the Alpha. He moved away slightly and Theo used the chance to grab him by the arm and yank him outside. Liam followed. Their errands were long forgotten at the register.

Outside Theo had dragged Mike into the alley next to the market. “Calm down!“ He snarled at the struggling wolf. Mike growled at him and Liam cleared his throat. “Enough!“ He told both Betas firmly and they actually listened. Theo let Mike go and he leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest in a defensive stance. Liam used his chance to speak again. “Mike, I know you don‘t like us and it’s completely fine. You don‘t have to. But that in there? That was your wolf. It‘s harder to not lash out when somebody pisses you off now. I know the struggle. And that‘s why you need our help. You won’t be able to learn control on your own. So, I’m pleading you again, let us help you.“ Mike grimaced unwillingly. “I don’t need your or anyone’s help. My boss is an asshole anyway. He deserves someone punching him in his stupid face! I am not like you freaks!“

Liam sighed and wanted to say something but Theo put a hand on his shoulder. “Let me.“ He asked and Liam looked at him and nodded before stepping back. Theo stepped forward and addressed Mike. “I know you don’t want help. You think you’re independent and don’t need anyone and believe me, I was like that too once. This can only work until a certain point, trust me. Been there, done that. I watched you. You are a very logical person and you like working with computers, right? So let‘s watch this from a logical point of view, shall we? You know something has changed in your body. You have seen your eyes flash, you probably saw your fangs and you feel the rush and back in there? You were pissed off but you didn‘t mean to explode like that, right? If we had not been there, what would have happened? Would your boss be dead now?“ Mike stayed silent and Theo continued. “Look, I know you are not a bad person. You took Tim with you on the first night, even if you didn’t know him. You cared about a stranger, so I know you’re not as bad and as independent as you want us to believe.“ He watched Mike closely. “Caring and trusting people is scary, I know. But if you think that inside was bad, then wait three more days when the full moon comes out. It will be worse and you will either hurt yourself or others. Is that what you want?“ And for the first time Mike answered. Not with words but he shook his head, yet kept his arms crossed and his whole body still in a defensive state. “Look, let’s make a deal. You don“t have to be part of our pack but let us help you with your control. You come to us, we teach you how to control your wolf and that‘s it. If you learned control, you can walk away again. Do it for yourself. Is that a fair deal?“ He looked over his shoulder to Liam who nodded.

Mike looked skeptical. “What do you get out of this deal?“ “The affirmation that you’re not killing anybody.“ Liam chimed in and this time it was Theo who nodded. Mike seemed to think over his options and then he sighed gravely. “Where do we meet?“ He asked, his voice still quite snarky and passive-aggressive. Liam still took it as a good sign and told Mike it was the same stable he had woken up back then and when they would be there. Mike nodded curtly and then left, leaving Theo and Liam behind.

Liam smiled gratefully and nudged Theo’s shoulder. “Thanks. I think you really convinced him.“ Theo shrugged and put his hands in the pocket of his jeans. “I just told him the truth. He reminds me of myself after I came back from hell. Alone and without any ties, you know? I told myself I don’t need anybody too but truth was, I was lonely.“ He grinned. “Until a certain puppy showed up at my truck.“ Liam rolled his eyes but smiled. “I just hope Mike makes the same experience you did. That a pack is better than being alone.“ “Depends on the pack. You know I never felt included in the McCall pack and that was my own fault. But our pack now? You’re my family.“ “Aw, you can be so soft! That’s why you’re a cinnamon roll in those situations.“ Theo sighed and rolled his eyes, rubbing his forehead. “Why do I even bother with you?“ “Because you love me!“ Liam cheerfully declared. Theo looked up and gave him a strange look. Liam had no idea what to make out of this and he usually could read Theo very easily. But then the chimera turned around and walked out of the alley. “Come on, puppy, I’m starving!“ He called over his shoulder. Liam frowned but the hurried up to catch up with him.

****** The full moon was here and the pack met at the stable. Sadie and Maya looked tense like they always did, Tim looked downright terrified, and Mike was missing. “He promised he would show up.“ Liam said and checked his watch. Mike stepped into the table in this moment, hands in his hoodie. “I’m here. And now what?“ He eyed Nolan and Ever who were currently chaining up Maya and Sadie and he took a step back. “No way! I’m not some dog you can chain to a wall!“ “Right. You’re not a dog, you’re a wolf. And you will need those.“ Theo told him. “So come on, no need to prolong this even further.“

Mike still looked suspiciously and as if he wanted to run but he stepped next to Tim. Tim smiled shyly. “Hey.“ “Don‘t“ Mike cut him off immediately. “I’m just here so I don’t turn into a killer, I’m not here for any fake friends or whatever it is that you call yourself. So just let’s sit here next to each other and survive this madness.“ “Wow, you know how to make small talk, huh?“ Sadie snapped sarcastically from Tim‘s other side. “Listen, Victoria Secret, I didn’t want this happen to me! I didn‘t ask for it, I didn’t beg for it, I just wanted to get fresh air when that psychopath jumped me. And I am here to not make this worse than it already is. I’m a werewolf now, a freaking werewolf. They were never my favorite supernatural beings and they aren’t my favorite now. So just let me live in peace and do us all a favor and keep your mouth shut!“ “Victoria Secret can kick your ass if you insist! You can‘t talk like that!“ Mike just scoffed and didn‘t reply anymore. His face stayed stoic when he was chained up and he only broke when they sat down and waited.

„Okay, now what? Do we light a candle and talk about our deepest feelings?“ „No, we sing campfire songs and braid each other’s hair.“ Theo replied without looking up from his phone. Liam tried but failed to hide his laugh at that. Theo grinned when he heard Liam laughing.

Mike rolled his eyes. “Good that you can laugh while we are chained up like animals.”

“We turn into animals!” Maya growled. “What part of shifting didn’t you get? Just wait a few more minutes and...” She cut herself off and groaned. It was starting. She whimpered and lowered her head. The others started to get restless too and they pulled at the chains. Nolan, Ever, Liam and Theo settled a few feet away and watched them. Liam really wished he could do more but he was in the best distance right now. They could not get to them and he could still talk to them.

“I know it’s terrifying what you feel right now and so overwhelming but you need to fight against it. Your urges tell you to scratch and bite right now but you can be stronger than that. Just focus, okay? All of you, focus on staying human.”

The wolves moved more and got more restless by the minute. And then Mike threw his head back and howled while his eyes glowed gold. Next was Sadie who also howled and then Maya. Tim seemed to not allow himself to howl, which surprised Liam a tad. He had thought the softest of them all would have the biggest problems with fighting with the wild animals inside him. But even if Tim was relatively calm in the beginning, he soon pulled at the chains too, snarling and snapping, making grabby hands at the unchained members of the pack.

“You need to find your anchor! Whatever it is, focus on the thing that keeps you human. It can be a person, a memory, a feeling, everything is good as long as it anchors you to humanity. Try it! Search for it and when you have it, focus on it!” Liam coached his Betas but he saw them struggling and he knew tonight wouldn’t be the night they found their anchors and gained control. He still didn’t stop coaching them through the whole night. It’s what an Alpha does.

When morning finally came and the moon disappeared, the wolves slumped on the ground, all breathless, sweaty and exhausted. Mike leaned against the wall and panted. “You didn’t say it would be that freaking hard!” He complained when Theo unchained him. The chimera shrugged. “Would you have believed us?” Mike shook his head. “See?” Theo said. “That’s why we wanted to have you here and watch over you.”

Mike rubbed his wrist when the chains were gone. “So now what?” He inquired and watched the others regenerating from the night. Liam stowed the chains away. “Now that you know what happens during a full moon, we have to find your anchor. That will take some time but that was part of the deal.”

“What’s your anchor?” Mike asked. Liam scratched his cheek. “First it was my first girlfriend Hayden. Then Hayden moved and I temporarily lost my anchor. Then, due to various circumstances, it was fear - not a very good anchor by the way - but it soon turned into an annoying know-all chimera who constantly followed me around and made sure I don’t kill people.” He grinned at Theo who scoffed. “Should be more grateful!” “Yeah, yeah. Well, after the war I realized how deep my connection to Theo ran and how good he was at keeping me at bay. Not gonna lie, having a person as your anchor is easier because they can talk to you and ground you. If you focus on a feeling or a memory, it’s all you and more difficult but still manageable.” “Didn’t feel manageable last night.” Tim chimed in and rubbed some pressure marks on his wrists to get the blood circulating better again. “Nobody said it would be a walk in the park. But like Liam said, you can manage it. Because one thing I already learned about all four of you: You are stubborn.” Theo said.

“And that is your plan? Chaining us up every full moon and hope that one day we will find our anchors?” Mike frowned. “Course not. You need to learn about werewolves and the supernatural.” Liam said. “So now we start werewolf 101. But first, go home and sleep.”

****** Werewolf 101 started a day after the full moon and it started with all of them huddling around the living room in Theo’s and Liam’s apartment. Ever was the last one and carried a bag inside the apartment. She said it down and puffed out a breath.

“What’s in the bag?” Tim asked curiously and the witch opened it and sat a jar with black ash inside on the table. A jar with violet flowers was placed next to it and then followed a twig of mistletoe. Sadie and Maya grimaced and leaned back. Ever held up the mistletoe. “A little herbal guide to show you guys what is dangerous for you. Mistletoe, as you can see here, is as poisonous for werewolves as it is for humans. Stay away from it.” She put the twig away and opened the first jar.

“This is Mountain Ash. If placed on the ground it forms an insuperable barrier for all supernaturals. You can’t cross it, so this is a very good idea if you want to trap a supernatural. Strew it over the threshold of a room or a house and the supernatural is locked inside.” She put some of the ash on her hand. “I’m a witch, so I can touch it.” She explained when she saw Tim and Mike frown. “Theo can touch and cross it too since he is a chimera. A chimera was made and doesn't count as a real supernatural creature, hence why Mountain Ash doesn’t affect them.” Liam added to Ever’s explanation. Mike reached out to take some of the ash on his hand and hissed when it burned his skin. “Don’t touch it!” Liam warned again. “This is serious, guy. You have no idea how small a room can become when you can’t leave it. Buildings can be made out of Mountain Ash also. If you are inside such a building, you will feel sedated and get weaker by the minute. So be careful, okay?”

Ever put the ash back in the jar and dusted her hands off. Then she raised the jar with the flowers. “Wolfsbane.”

“This is probably the most dangerous thing for us.” Liam said pointedly. “Wolfsbane exists in yellow wolfsbane and purple wolfsbane, as far as I know, and the yellow wolfsbane can even kill an Alpha. Hunters use it in all kinds of variations. Petals, powder, liquid, whatever you can think of. It’s absolutely lethal to us and even affects the chimeras.” “I suffered from wolfsbane poisoning a few weeks ago. I was sick for six days and they weren’t sure if I survived at all. I know nothing from these six days, so this is really serious.” Theo told Mike and Tim and both nodded. Even Mike seemed eager to learn about this and now groaned. “There is so much that can harm us.And you said hunters. I know Nolan here is also a hunter as well as this Chris Argent guy but I guess there are other hunters out there as well.”

“A lot.” Liam said in a low voice. “How should I put this? There are hunters who do nothing else than hunt supernaturals. Because they think we are abnormalities and need to be vanquished. Then there are hunters like Argent who follow a code and only hunt the ones who kill people and hurt innocents. The thing is, everyone can become a hunter and Nolan, Theo and I witnessed first-handed what happens when normal people get recruited by hunters. And suddenly your friends, teachers, even family members turn into your enemies.” “Seriously?” Tim asked and all three mentioned young men nodded. “It wasn’t good.” Theo simply described it. “Yeah.” Nolan said and gulped.

“That’s why it is so important to not expose us, okay?” Liam reminded his pack. “Whatever you do, never shift in front of people unless you have no other choice and I really wish that you always have a choice. Nothing is worse than stepping into school and everybody staring at you as if you are a monster simply because they saw you wolf out. I made this experience, I don't need my Betas to do it too.”

“Maybe that’s the point where I should mention how insanely brave and strong Liam was in that moment. He got beat up and despite his eyes flashing a few times he didn’t shift and let us beat him up. In hindsight, that was probably the first time he acted like a real Alpha without being one.” Nolan praised Liam and he shrugged embarrassedly. “I did what I had to do.”

Ever raised both eyebrows. “Did you say let us beat him up?” She questioned and Nolan shrunk in his seat. “I was manipulated and really thought he deserved it!” He defended himself. “I know how wrong it was and Liam forgave me.” “I did indeed.” “And Theo threatened to rip my spine out and beat me to death with it if I ever do something like this again.” “I threatened you to rip your spine out and strangle you with it if I remember correctly.” Theo mumbled with a thoughtful look on his face. “Oh yeah. Right.” Nolan drawled. Theo grinned smugly and Liam rolled his eyes at his friends’ antics. “Always so protective.” He mumbled.

“Always for you, puppy.” Mike laughed. “He calls you puppy? Really?” “Sometimes.” Liam chuckled. “Theo is good at assigning nicknames, you will find that out when you’re longer around him.” Mike scrunched his nose. “I’m not a fan of nicknames. Friends call me Mikey but that’s about it.” “So nobody calls you that?” Sadie asked in a sweet voice and Maya jammed her elbow into her side. Mike just glared at her. “Don’t try to be funny, princess, that’s not your strong suit.” “You have no idea what my strong suits are.” “Can’t wait to find out. This will be fun.”

****** "But what if a wolf gets their fur cut and then shifts back. Would their hair be cut too?” “Seriously, Timmy, what are you smoking that you think of these questions?” Maya asked with a laugh. The pack plus Mike hung out at the skate park. Mike had rolled his eyes when they met at the park but somehow ended up trailing behind them. He claimed not wanting to get associated with the pack but Liam figured the other must be as lonely as Theo said he would be and subconsciously searched the pack out. Theo had done the same in the beginning, so he didn’t pressure Mike or made any comments regarding this. He just accepted it and was happy when Mike showed up.

The young Alpha looked away from his pack and over to the ramps where Theo was currently skating. Liam smiled as he watched his friend spin his board, do jumps and some other tricks. Theo loved skating and Liam loved watching him, seeing the happy look on Theo’s face and enjoy the fact how good his anchor looked in his dark red shirt and the black jeans.

Liam gasped when Theo missed a jump and fell from the halfpipe and hit the concrete. “Ouch, that hurt.” Maya mumbled and then continued to eat her popcorn she had brought along. Liam sighed and got up to walk over.

“Did you break something?” He inquired and kneeled next to Theo. The chimera held his leg and looked unhappy at his scraped up knee. “I always botch this trick!” He complained and glared at the halfpipe.

Liam took Theo’s arm and black veins sneaked up his own arm. “Whoa, what are you doing?” Tim asked from behind. “I’m taking his pain. All werewolves can do that with some exercise. You just need to really care about taking another person’s pain. To be fair, the pain transfers in your body so please be warned.” Liam explained and looked up. Mike watched them also quite surprised. “I didn’t expect us to be able to do something.” He confessed after a while. “So we all can do it?” “It’s not easy.” Theo told them. “I struggled with it too so don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t work in the beginning. It’s tricky.”

“Yeah but the simple possibilities that we can do something like this is just great, okay?” Mike smiled for probably the first time since Liam met him and it made the Alpha smile slightly too. Despite his rough behavior, the other cared and was a kind person. Another thing he and Theo had in common. They both shared a lot in general and since Theo found out Mike like working with his hands too, they both could be found in deep conversations about cars or mechanics or whatever. Liam had no real idea because that was so not his topic but he counted it as a good way to integrate Mike into the pack. And that’s what would be the perfect outcome of this deal.

They still had a long way to go, Mike was more stubborn than Sadie in the beginning and for every time Liam thought they made progress were at least two events or remarks that threw them back again. Liam didn’t like it but just like Theo, Mike didn‘t go well with being pressured into the pack. He liked to roam around alone for several days, none of the pack seeing him or if they saw him they just got a curt nod, but then he came back for the full moon or joined them when they hung out.

He even agreed to teach Tim how to play basketball when he mentioned playing. It ended with Tim staggering over the field and falling more often or getting hit by the ball than not; which proofed that just because you got turned into a werewolf, you didn’t gain any athleticism. Liam felt bad for laughing but Tim had looked like a young deer learning how to walk.

It was a weird combination but Liam figured if that led to somewhere at least, he would accept that. If Mike was there, it was good; if stayed away it was also okay. And Mike wasn’t the only one he needed to worry about and keep an eye on as it seemed. It was Sadie who alerted him to another problem. And as usual, she did it in her Sadie way.

Liam had finished a workout in the campus gym and had just exited the shower, towel slung around his waist when the blonde Beta barged into the room. “I need to talk to you!“ Liam blinked at her and then looked left and right. Thankfully they were alone. “Sadie, boys‘ locker room!“ He reminded her with a squeak and she simply waved him off. “There is nothing I haven’t already seen.“ Her eyes raked over Liam‘s half-naked and still wet form. “I mean not from you personally but you get the gist. Don‘t be shy, you have nothing to be ashamed off, I’m sure.“ Liam narrowed his eyes and his hands twitched to cover his junk area even though he was still wearing a towel. “I need to talk to you, Liam!“ “Not when I’m just wearing a towel!“ “Oh, come on. Even if I look, nothing will fall off, no need to be worried.“ “Turn around! I’m not getting dressed in front of you!“

She huffed and Liam made a circular motion with his finger and finally, she spun around and played with her hair. Liam shuffled around and dried himself off when he was sure she stayed with her back turned to him. “So, can I talk now?“ “I’m all ears.” “It’s hard to know when I can’t look at your face.“ “I’m listening.“ Liam said and grabbed his boxers. “Really?“ Sadie slowly turned and Liam hissed. “Stay put!“

She sighed but then stayed turned around. “What would you do if you think you witnessed something bad happening to one of your packmates?“ Liam had slipped into his boxers and put the towel aside to grab his socks. “You think you witnessed something? How is that possible?“ “Well, I happened to see something and I’m not exactly sure what I saw but it wasn’t something good.“ “I don‘t understand a thing.“ Liam put his jeans on. “You can turn around now.“

Sadie spun around again, blonde hair flying around her shoulder while she did so. She grinned when she saw his still naked upper body and Liam rolled his eyes. “Sadie, what did you see?“ “Did you notice Tim has a lot of homework and essays?“ “Yeah. Some people do it for extra credit. Not everybody is a freaking genius, my fashionable Beta.“ Because Sadie could measure with Lydia when it came to fashion but also IQ. Both were a genius and solved equations faster than any other person Liam knew.

“Tim is almost as good as I am in academics. Those are not works for extra credits. And today I witnessed Tim and some other guys, I think they are from one of the frats around, and Tim handed one of them several neatly written papers. The guy told him he expected good homework.“ Liam blinked, trying to piece this together. “Hold on. You’re saying Tim does the assignments for other students? Well, probably not the best way to learn something but if Tim is willing to do the extra work for some extra money, that’s his thing.“ “That’s the thing, Liam, he didn’t get any money for it. The guy just said he expected good work, Tim said he tried his best and even made some mistakes to not make the teacher suspicious. The guys said if he kept that up they would consider inviting him to one of their parties and left.“ Sadie shook her head. “Liam, we all know Tim doesn’t have any friends. Could you imagine being so desperate that you do other’s assignments in exchange for some social life?“ “Sadie, what you’re saying are strong accusations.“ “That‘s why I wanted to know what you would do? You‘re our Alpha/big brother, I didn’t know who else to ask.“

Liam sighed. She was right and what she told him sounded serious. He had wondered why Tim looked so tired sometimes and why he was putting up so much work. Sadie’s explanation sounded logical. “I’m not sure he would confess if we directly ask him about it.“ “Maybe we don’t have to. One of the guys reminded Tim he still needs something too and Tim promised him to finish it until tonight. I know where they want to exchange.“ “I’m impressed. You‘re giving Sherlock a run for his money.“ “Nah, I’m just good at eavesdropping.“ Liam pulled his shirt over his head. “Okay, then we will meet tonight and find out what this is all about.“

****** “I feel like a spy in one of those old movies.“ Ever mumbled happily while she and the rest of the pack (minus Mike) waited in an alley for Tim to show up. They had arrived earlier and moved there to a corner that gave them the possibility to see what was going on at the meeting point Tim had set up with the other guy. “Really? I feel like a hooker hanging out here.“ Theo replied to that. “And then we have this negative asshole.“ Ever replied, making Sadie and Maya chuckle. Theo grinned. “What? You rather meet a hooker in dark alleys like this than a spy.“ “Are you talking from experience?“ Maya curiously asked. Theo grinned. “What do you think?“ “What was your daily rate?“ She joked. “50 Bucks for a bj.“ Theo continued the joke. “That’s cheap, even for a hooker. You obviously weren’t very good then.“ Liam said thoughtfully and Ever tried to cover her giggle with a sneeze but failed miserably. When she looked at Theo’s stunned face, her shoulders started shaking and she clasped her hands in front of her mouth, just like Nolan, Sadie, and Maya. Liam grinned at his Betas and at Theo who still stared at him, speechless for once. Another rare occasion where Liam managed to render him just that.

Mike suddenly appeared in the alley and stopped walking when he saw the pack there. He grimaced. “What the hell are you doing here? Seriously, you guys are everywhere, it’s exhausting.“ “We‘re here for a reason.“ Liam explained and then his head snapped around when Tim appeared from the other side. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. “Why are you here?“ He asked nervously. “Because we’re worried about you.“ Nolan explained. “Sadie saw something earlier and we’re here to investigate.“ Over time Tim and Nolan had also gotten closer, they both shared a similar character with being quiet and harmonic and slightly awkward and Nolan loved Tim’s jokes and vice versa. It was maybe for the best he made the first approach. Tim still looked unsure. “Why were you worried? Nothing’s wrong.“ “Are you writing assignments for other guys in exchange for them inviting you to parties?“ Maya Duncan, straightforward as always, ladies and gentlemen. Mike stared at Tim. “You’re doing what?“ Tim’s eyed grew wide as saucers and he struggled to come up with a good answer. He didn’t have to in the end because now the other guys showed up.

“Oh wow, what is this, happy hour?“ He joked. Liam recognized him as Marc, a guy from his classes. “We’re Tim’s friends, we’re not here to use him for his brains.“ Sadie was protective of her friends. Sometimes that means jumping right in and start snapping. Liam sighed internally when the guy puffed his chest. “Are you implying something, babe?“ “Other than that you are a lazy being? Not at all. And I’m not your babe!“ “You must be a lesbian then, every girl wants to be my babe.“ Liam and Theo synchronically rolled their eyes at this statement and Sadie smiled sweetly. “Yep.“ She said and popped the ‚p‘ and then pointed at Maya and Ever. “Those two are my girlfriends and you may try and sound like you’re insulting me but don‘t lie you would like to see that in action. But we don’t play with uneducated boys like you. And now run home to your momma and let her teach you some manners.“

Marc looked put off and huffed, then he extended his hand towards Tim. “Hand it over!“ He demanded and Tim pulled some neatly folded papers out of his bag. “So Sadie was right?“ Liam asked him with a frown and Tim shrugged helplessly before nodding. Nolan put a hand on his friend’s shoulder and squeezed. “Don’t judge him, it’s the only way he gets some sort of social contact. He is such an awkward and weird guy should be lucky we’re greeting him every now and then.“ Marc sneered and Liam turned around. “Excuse me? Mind repeating that?“ Marc rolled his eyes. “I don‘t like you in class, Dunbar, and I don’t like you after class either. So just shut your mouth before I make you.“ His friends howled in delight and Liam pressed his lips shut while his eyebrow twitched angrily.

“Using someone for his brains and leading him on is possible one of the meanest things I ever heard of. Sadie’s right, you guys need someone to teach you manners.“ He spat and Marc glared at him before stepping forward. He and Liam stood inches apart and had an angry stare off. Marc’s friends puffed up behind him, trying to look as intimidating as possible. “Okay, great, we established that you guys are just brainless gorillas who are not even pretty, but can we stop this archaic behavior?“ Theo asked and pulled him back by his shirt. He kept his grip to stop Liam from jumping the arrogant assholes. “Did you just call us brainless gorillas?“ “Oh look, they are also heard of hearing.“ This time it was Mike mocking the guys. He had a problem with people using other people.

Liam could not recap who really made the first move, later on, he just knew that suddenly the two groups clashed and you had the wildest wrangling. And it only ended when blue lights appeared and a siren blared. “Well, fuck.“ Theo said when he glanced at the police cruiser.

****** “That’s not exactly how I imagined my night to go.“ The chimera muttered dryly and stared at the bars in front of him. He was just so done with the whole situation and now turned around to his other friends sitting in the same jail cell as him. “Really? I thought a cell was your favorite place to hang out.“ Mike mumbled and Theo raised both eyebrows. “You serious? You want to sass me right now?“ He questioned. Mike shook his head. “No. Just saying.“ “I’m here because the whole pack got arrested. The question is why are you here?“ “Because I was part of the wrangling.“ Mike explained and shrugged. “Yeah, why were you by the way?“ Nolan wanted to know. “I mean, not that I’m not happy for the help, but you could have walked away. Why did you stay and decided to help us?“

Mike looked taken aback by this question and quite helpless while he was searching for an answer. He finally shrugged his shoulders in a helpless gesture. “Because you guys are nuts. Complete and total nuts. Starting with him over there.“ He pointed at Liam who leaned against the wall and now tilted his head. “He is willing to help strangers, even if said strangers claim to not need help, and he’s just so open and he’s trying and all. And then you have you others who are just as nuts in your own way. Sadie with her fashion sense and her sarcasm, Tim with his silly questions, Ever with her love for nature, Maya with her activism and Nolan with his awkwardness, Theo with his sarcasm and his protectiveness regarding Liam. And I…“ He stopped and stayed silent for a while and then he sighed. “I like you guys. I never had any real friends and suddenly you are there and you care about me and whenever I am around you, you always include me, even though I said I didn’t want to be included. You just don‘t care about that and yet you never make me feel like I owe you something. It’s really hard not to like you, guys. Because you are just as nuts as I am. I just had to help you.“ Liam and Theo shared a look and then they both smirked.

“You know what that means, right?“ Theo asked the younger with a grin. Mike made a funny face. “I guess I'm part of the pack I claimed not wanting to be a part of?“ He then stated, still a bit unsure what the answer would be. “You are so part of the pack.“ Liam confirmed with a grin. “Is it bad I kind of expected a bigger celebration when Mike finally joins us?“ Maya asked from where she sat on the bench in the cell. “Sorry, I left my glitter in my other bag. Otherwise, I would have already thrown it in the air and yelled HEUREKA!“ Ever replied. “Glitter doesn’t match with Mike’s outfit.“ Sadie mumbled and it was silent for a moment, then they all started laughing. It was just so silly and they were still sitting in a cell at the police station but they were together, nobody was seriously hurt and it was just their luck to have been arrested.

It took a while until they stopped laughing. Liam pushed himself off the wall and squeezed Mike’s arm. “Welcome to the pack. Seriously.“ Sometimes you didn’t need any big reveal or a big event for something like that. Nobody had to almost die for Mike to come around and accept them as his friends and packmates. It had been something that set into motion weeks ago when he spent the first full moon with them. Weeks of him not feeling pressured and seeking the pack out by himself finally paid off. And now here they were and he had finally accepted the pack. Liam could only look at his pack and smile. There was nothing that pride and joy when he looked at all of them. They weren‘t perfect by far but they helped each other get better and better and that was something truly amazing.

“My mom will kill me if she ever finds out I have been arrested. Me being a werewolf she could handle, but me being arrested? Nooo.“ Tim said suddenly and thus they all started laughing again. It was almost hysterical because this situation was just so absurd. “You‘re laughing so I guess I can skip the question if you are sorry about what you did, huh?“ Isaac stood in front of the cell, arms crossed, and smirked. The police officer next to him looked like he was deeply distressed by the loud laughter while he unlocked the cell. “Isaac!“ Liam called out happily and the older nodded in the direction of the exit. “Come on, I bailed you all out. You all owe me money now.“ He joked and the pack eagerly got to their feet to leave the cell. “So, your pack and Mike, what exactly did you do?“ Isaac asked Liam and the young Alpha grinned. “It’s just the pack now.“ He corrected and Isaac looked over at Mike. “Oh.“ He said and then smiled while clasping Mike on the back.”Congratulations.“ “Thanks.“ Mike said with a small smile while they exited the police station. Outside Liam looked at his pack and then shrugged. “We got into a little wrangling with some dumb jerks. Nothing major.“ “Uh uh.“ Isaac looked more amused than anything else. “Thanks for bailing us out, man.“ Theo said, one arm slung aroundLiam‘s shoulder. Liam nodded in confirmation. “Don’t mention it. I was laughing for solid five minutes after Nolan called. That made my day. And you saved me from a boring project.“

“That brings me to another thing.“ Liam suddenly remembered and turned to face Tim. “Tim, what the hell, man?“ Tim jumped when his Alpha addressed him like that so suddenly and blinked at Liam. “What?“ “Why are you doing assignments and homework for other people?“ Tim looked on his shoes and kicked the dirt. “I thought if I helped them, they would start to like me and I could hang out with them. Then I would be more popular and not such a loser. I would have friends.“ “Those aren’t friends. Friends don’t use you. Those are friends!“ Mike pointed at the pack when he spoke the last sentence. Tim gave him a shy look. “And you?“ He inquired and Mike sighed softly. “Yeah, me too.“ He said with a soft smile. Liam smiled. “Mike’s right, Timmy. Those guys just use you but we are your friends. You don‘t have to do something for us just so we like you. Just be yourself, that’s enough.“ Tim nodded with a small smile. “It’s strange. Going from being a loner and the odd one to having a full pack of friends. I like it but it‘s still strange.“ “You get used to it.“ Liam promised him. “Because you can’t get rid of us now.“ He said with a laugh, the others joining him soon. Theo squeezed his shoulder and pulled him closer and Liam leaned his head against Theo’s shoulder. Laughing with their pack made him and his wolf so happy. That was exactly how it should be. It wasn’t completely perfect but right now, at this very moment, it felt like this. They could do anything together.

Theo and Mike indeed share some similarities, do you agree? Maybe Theo now has someone to tutor a bit, I think it would do him good too. And yes, Thiam's feeling get stronger and stronger... Sadie and boundaries :D When you're writing and you're giving yourself an AU idea. Theo as hooker... Almost every time I want to write Tim, I'm writing Thiam^^ But yay, Tim and Mike are in the house, they are pack, they are ready to kick ass!! What do you say, guys? Like it? Missed something? Want something to happen next chapter? Tell me!

#thiam #my writing #A tale written with fangs and claws #Morning Dew Pack series #alpha!liam

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techcrunchappcom · 4 years

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New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/bridgeport-graduates-the-class-of-2020-news-sports-jobs/

Bridgeport graduates the Class of 2020 | News, Sports, Jobs

BRIDGEPORT — The Class of 2020 at Bridgeport High School graduated with individual ceremonies held to honor each class member. The top five students of the graduating class include Maura Jean Tiber, Nicholas Nolan, Kayla Marie Kuri, Addyson Rae Terek and Jaren Kathryn Tucker.

Maura Jean Tiber earned the rank of valedictorian. She has been on the Principal’s List all four years and also earned academic letters all four years. Throughout her high school career, she was involved in many activities in and out of school. She was a four-year member of the JETS Science/Engineering Team and a four-year member of the Belmont County Schools Staying Clean Club. She has been a three-year member of the Art Club, Spanish Club and Pep Club. She has been on the yearbook staff for three years, serving as the junior editor her junior year and chief editor her senior year. She has been a member of the Math Club and Interact Club, National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society for two years. She was a one-year member of the Future Medical Professionals Club and the WBHS News. She also attended the iBelieve Leadership Camp every summer of high school. Tiber was on student council her freshman and junior years and now serves as her senior class treasurer. She was the Student of the Month her freshman and junior years. Athletically, she was a four-year letter winner on the volleyball team serving as co-captain her junior and senior year. She also was a four-year member of the basketball team, lettering her senior year. She was also a two-year member of the softball team, lettering her sophomore year. Outside of school, Tiber has also served several community service hours, babysat all four years of high school, and has worked at Justice at the local mall since October 2018. Maura plans to attend Ohio State University to major in biology and minor in computer science. She is the daughter of Brent and Charlene Tiber.

Nicholas Nolan earned the rank of salutatorian. He has been on the Principal’s List for all four years and has earned an academic letter for every year except his freshman year. During his senior year, he attended Ohio University Eastern through the College Credit Plus Program. The activities Nicholas was a part of in school were a combination of clubs and sports. He participated in the Tests of Engineering, Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science competition during his freshman year. During his junior year, he was inducted into the National Honor Society. He was also a member of Tech Aide/Student Help Desk and Spanish Club for two years. For three years, he was a member of Hack Club, which taught scripting. For one year each, he was a member of the Current Events Club and the Video Game Club. Regarding sports, Nicholas lettered by both running track and cross country. One of his proudest races was the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic, which he ran for two years. During his second year of the Ogden, he placed 25th overall out of 340 runners and second out of 15 runners in his age group. Some of the other notable races he ran include the Debbie Green 5K and the Barton 5K, placing first in his age group in the latter. Nolan plans to attend Ohio University Eastern to dual major in communications and applied management. After his undergraduate program, Nicholas will further his education by attending graduate school in order to earn a master of business administration. He is the son of Jerry and Michelle Nolan.

Kayla Marie Kuri graduated third in the Class of 2020, earning an honors diploma. She has been on the Principal’s List and Honor Roll all four years and is a three-year academic letter winner. She received Student of the Month awards her freshman and sophomore years. Her junior year, she was inducted into the National Honor Society, a member of Prom Committee, and a WBHS News anchor. She was president of the Interact Club her junior year and secretary her senior year. She was on Spanish National Honors Society her senior year. Throughout high school, she has been a member of Math Club, Pep Club, Spanish Club, Staying Clean Club, and JETS Team. She was also on the yearbook staff for three years and was business manager for two. She was a varsity and competition cheerleader for three years and lettered each year. She also was on the OVAC All-Conference Academic Team her junior year. Outside of school, she was a volunteer at East Ohio Regional Hospital and Bridgeport’s Community Day. She plans on attending Ohio University Eastern and is undecided on her studies. She is the daughter of Leslie Kerns and Kenneth Kuri.

Addyson Rae Terek finishes fourth in the class with an Honors Diploma. She was on the Principal’s List and received an academic letter all four years. She was Student of the Month her freshman and junior years. Terek was very active in school clubs by being a member of the Belmont County Staying Clean Club all four years, Pep Club her sophomore, junior and senior years, and the JETS Team her sophomore and senior years. She was in the Spanish Club her junior and senior years and was a part of the Spanish National Honors Society her senior year. Terek was the secretary of the Interact Club and a part of the Math Club her junior year. Also, during Addy’s junior year, she was inducted into the National Honor Society, served on Prom Committee, and was a news anchor for the WBHS News. During both her junior and senior years, she was a member of the yearbook staff and held the role of yearbook photo editor her senior year. In addition to clubs, she also participated in the school’s musical, “Annie.” While cheering on the Bulldogs, she earned a letter as a member of Bridgettes her freshman year and in cheerleading her sophomore and junior years. During her sophomore year, she was part of the cheering squad that went to the state competition. She plans to further her education at Ohio University Eastern in the fall. She is the daughter of Marc and Erica Terek.

Jaren Kathryn Tucker graduates fifth in the class. She was active in many school clubs at Bridgeport. She was a member of the Spanish Honor Society, Staying Clean Club, Math Club, Rotary Club, Future Medical Professionals Club, and a one-year member of yearbook. She was inducted into National Honor Society during her junior year. During her senior year, she participated in the Ohio University College Credit Plus Program. As for sports, she was very active and was recognized many times for her skills. She was a four-year letter winner in basketball, received two-time First Team All-OVAC, All-Times Leader Team, The Intelligencer All-Valley Honorable Mention, Eastern District Honorable Mention, one-time All-Ohio Honorable Mention, and All Team Eastern District. Tucker is also a four-year letter winner in softball, receiving 2nd Team Eastern District her junior year and a two-year letterman in volleyball. She plans to further both her academic and athletic (basketball) careers at Ohio University Eastern by studying nursing with future hopes of becoming an obstetrician. She is the daughter of Josh and Erica Tucker.

Members of the CLass of 2020

Dakota Rose Allen, Andrew Joseph Armstrong, Cayden Rex Baker, Aaron Christopher Beaver, Emily Dawn Blake, Alex Christopher Bloom, Danielle Victoria Bradac, Preston Russell Brown, Jacob Nathaniel Childers, Devin Michael Danhart, Taylor Dale Duncan, Christian Lee Doughty, Walker Gage Dubil, Brett Miller Eberle, Spencer Alexander Echemann, Tate Robert Eddy, Adam Nelson Fahner, Roshaundra Aleah Delcia Foston, Kelsey Dawn Garrett, Noah Giovanni George, Gavan Lucas Graham, Nikalia Alizè Griffiths, William Kyle Gummere, Destiny Jasmyn Jade Harris, Skyler Eugene Hatten, Kira Marie Herman, Izaac Joseph Jozwiak, Mason Ryan Kelly, Austin William King, Dylan Alexander Kinney, Zachary Michael Kuneff, Kayla Marie Kuri, Rachel Lee Kurner, Jaida Leigh Kusic, Kiara Johanna Lodi, Sydney Ann Lough, Kiara Alexandria Loughman, Branden Ray Luckett, Terry Allan Maag III, Connor David Markus, Cameron Michael Marsh, Dakota Jacob Martin, Katelin Mae Mcconn, Madison Leigh McMahon, Madisyn Skylar Mills, Autumn Rose Myers, Nicholas Andrew Nolan, Victoria Lynn Parsons, Megan Jonette Perdok, Elizabeth Ann Phares, Kieley Marie Reed, Kayleigh Ann Roberts, Philip Justin Sauvageot, Ty Franklin Schambach, James Michael Shaheen, David Joe Shoulders III, Sierra Raynelle Simeth, Kenneth Albert Spoon Jr., Jessa Rae Stockwell, McKenzie Rose Taylor, Addyson Rae Terek, Dustin Marshall Throckmorton, Maura Jean Tiber, Jaren Kathryn Tucker, Ava Janae Watson, Kole Anthony Wilson, David Lee Worwa Jr.

Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox

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trylonandperisphere · 6 years

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Silent Retreat 2: When The World Breaks Through, Ch. 29

So, this is it, the final chapter. This writing of this fic was a long, bumpy road, and I have many people to thank for their help along the way, including my OBFrankenfic buddies who betaed now and then, my patrons who made it possible for me to spend more time writing and imbibe sufficient caffeine and nourishment, and every one of you readers, especially the ones who took the time to send me a kind word or comment. I so wanted to finish this fic and have it over with, and yet I find myself melancholy at the end of it, at the same time - probably because my OB fic writing days seem to be numbered. I have a few small Cophine projects left, but I'm hoping to move on to writing original work, as well as publishing an original adaption of The Swan and The Dove. I thank you all, and hope you will consider reading my other writing as I try to develop it into more than just a hobby. I will post updates on what I'm up here on my tumblr blog.

As always, you can also read this on ff.net or AO3.

Gratitude & XOXO, - trylonandperisphere

Of course there were things we never talked about with our “handlers.”

We made the decision never to tell them about Sevvy’s special abilities. He hung out with his cousin Kira, sometimes, who had started communicating with people in what I guess you would call “intuitive circles.” Never in a flashy way, but to learn more about the feelings they got, and how to handle them. We took the track of guiding him not to talk about it too much in public, but letting him know that he could look into it more as he got older, if he wanted to. Of course it fascinated me, both from a energetic/spiritual point of view and a scientific one. Had something been triggered in our genes when we were created, something that made our children sensitive? Yet, the last thing I wanted was for them to ever feel experimented on. There had been enough of that to go around in our family a long time ago.

But there was an advantage in Sevvy and Kira feeling and knowing things as they did. As much as I had to work with my judgement and intuition, I felt that I could relax a bit as I moved into my new life, knowing that they would sound an alarm if the government agencies, or anyone else, weren’t to be trusted. For all the things that had happened to me and my family, in some ways I was incredibly lucky. I had thought it was my job to protect Sevvy and that I had fucked up. But it not only turned out okay, it turned out that he helped me love and trust others, again, in a way that all my meditation and yoga never quite reached.

He helped me trust the love of my life, again.

Good thing, too, because for all my smarts, some things I was just as stupid about as the next human being.

I was smart enough to stop running, to take the deal. To tell the truth, I was excited to get back into science, again. Sure, I had fears that I had gotten out of touch, forgotten too much, maybe gotten a little long in the tooth or out of the loop to keep up with the the younger minds who hadn’t been away from grad school. But it actually felt like reuniting with a part of me I’d left behind, too. I ran out way before classes started and got a bunch of hard-copy books and study aids to go with my digital ones. I had missed the heft of them, the feel of the paper in my hands and under my highlighter and pen as I wrote comments and absorbed the information. More than one person told me I looked like a kid in a candy store with my new school stuff spread all around me on the floor. The meditation actually helped my memory, I found—along with the fact that I had the hottest professor on campus to help me whenever I needed. Let the other students drool over that.

And, in our new lab, there was a chance. A chance that what I had learned and what we continued to learn could further help our sisters. Maybe even the world.

There might be problems down the line, we knew, when the administration changed hands, but that was for later. Right now I got a life. A life where I could legally go where I wanted to go, live where I wanted to live, see my family when I wanted to. It almost blew my mind.

Charlotte and MK both presented problems. Once the youngest clone was cured, she’d have a lot of therapy and thinking to do to understand and accept what had happened, and even then, how one faux parent after another had lied to and manipulated her. I wanted to help, somehow, but she was pretty distraught and hostile, which I suppose was fair, considering everything, plus the fact that she was then under government supervision most of the time. I was able to get occasional strained meetings every now and then with her, but mostly she remained stubbornly silent or full of contempt, until one day, out of the blue, she asked me about some of the benefits of meditation I’d mentioned. Who knows how she opened up to it... maybe one of her therapists. But I took it as a good sign, both that she was trying to heal herself, and maybe let go of what she had been taught about me.

MK, of course, didn’t want to be too close to any authority. She agreed to work with them on a case-by-case basis through us, and help track the kind of lowlifes who conduct unethical biomedical deals, hack to steal and hide large sums of money from the less fortunate, or trade deadly goods and information. I even got to see her in person at a couple clandestine family get-togethers (sprung on me so I wouldn’t know ahead of time and fumble any lies with my agency contacts.) She was too crafty even for best spies in the country, however, though. She managed to disappear whenever she wanted to.

So, our lives weren’t entirely normal. They never had been, and they never would be. But if they were strange, they were also exceptional in beautiful, wonderful ways.

Like having a group of sisters so bonded, not only by being genetically identical, but by the challenges we had met because of it.

Like having miracle children we were never supposed to have, and living through the disease that had been built into us to prevent our progeny: a double triumph of life over the attempt of some very smart, yet fundamentally flawed people who had tried to manipulate it, to control both nature and nurture, in ways which the infinite variations of existence would never let happen.

Like having a full life, and also regaining one I thought I had lost.

Like getting back love.

People complained (well, mostly Sarah,) about the long trip, but it was worth it. Even she couldn’t stay grumpy-looking when Kira and Sevvy spotted a dolphin from the boat to the resort and started making exaggerated screeching and clicking noises at each other. That and when Alison took a header into the pool running from a snake that turned out to be a stick on the ground. That might have gone down as one of the most amusing days in Sarah’s life. Thank god there wasn’t a silent retreat going on. Her barking laughter and my semi-guilty giggles filled the air around us, and it was wonderful. We were meant to be loud, exuberant, on this visit.

Aurélie was as much of a hoot as when I met her in France. She and her husband, Jean-Marc, brought their kids, but she didn’t let having a three year old and a baby stop her from going zip lining or staying up to tell silly stories about her big sister Delphine, who apparently went through a very clumsy phase in college. Nope, the younger Cormier daughter (now Carpentier) would pump her breast milk and hand it and her children off to Jean-Marc to do her thing, reminding us “I’m on holiday and we’re celebrating!” in a much more intense accent than her sister. Honestly, I began to wonder if having that sleeping sickness as a kid had made her super awake for the rest of her life.

Besides, at that point, between me, her, my sisters, Shay, Scott and his wife, Bella… well, there were enough kids of various ages that we had them looking after each other like a wolf pack. Plus, Delphine’s father seemed to be becoming doting in his older years, and we’d find him cradling the teeny one and cooing at his grandkids while his stepkids were off… well, jeez, who knows where all those kids went half the time. I didn’t worry about it too much, with Helena around. I figured she’d take care of any jaguar, boar, or fer-de-lance that so much as looked at the younger clan funny.

Plus, I had my amazing co-parenting boys to look after Sevvy while Delphine and I took care of other things. That may not have stopped Teo from flirting shamelessly with Diego, the pilates instructor, but Michael took it in stride. Teo loved to flirt. He’d flirt with a rock, if he was in the mood. It was harmless, and was probably just exaggerated because he and Felix seemed to have some kind of competition going on.

It was nice to be a guest at the resort. I got massages, and took my family on tours. I didn’t miss getting up early to teach classes at all, even if I did go to a couple with the kids.

And in the morning, and at night, I had my love by my side.

We could have stayed in one of our previous cabins for old time’s sake, but we took the honeymoon suite. After all, that’s what we were there for.

On the third afternoon we all snaked our way down the path and stairs, descending by the waterfall to where the river met the sea, and a few rows of chairs had been set up by a wooden arch woven with flowers on the beach.

Margot did the honours, which were simple. She even managed the quote in French. We were too nervous to do our own vows, and too perfectionistic, anyway. How do you you find the right words for something like that? As scientists, Delphine and I could have researched what to say forever, and I didn’t want to give a performance. But earlier in the morning, before we got ready, I whispered some lines from Audre Lorde’s Love Poem, one of our favourites, into her ear as she gasped below me, shimmering in sweat and recovering from our first round of lovemaking:

...And I knew when I entered her I was

high wind in her forests hollow

fingers whispering sound

honey flowed

from the split cup

impaled on a lance of tongues…*

So no, we didn’t wait until after the wedding. When the gulls wheeled over the ocean as we made our promises, it reminded me of the last lines of the poem.* Maybe she thought of it, too, because I could swear I saw her blush—the most beautiful bride, and person, I’d ever seen.

Maybe sometimes I can be smooth. But I meant it. And I’d do almost anything to see her that happy. I want to see her that happy, again and again, as often as life allows, for as long as it lasts.

Then there was the party, and it got a little wild, with my closest sisters there, all of us dancing and laughing, and Helena insisting on and winning at limbo. And then there was the sky full of stars, and my lady and me sneaking away from the laughter and the music, and ascending, quickly as our dresses would allow, barefoot up the stairs in the water-misted night. The frogs called their mates loudly enough to drown out our giggles, and a gecko scurried from the lintel of our cottage, deluxe as it may have been.

The staff had lit candles, turning her skin golden and soft focus at the edges of my sight. I wanted to remember every moment we were alone together here, again, returning to each other again and again in waves, to make up for the drought that had too long kept us apart. I held her waist in my hands, taking her in, and my heart felt pressed against my sternum, swelling with a love so strong it bordered on painful, breath-stealing. Her eyes met mine in that wide open, endless gaze she slips into, one hand taking my waist in return and the other tracing my clavicle.

“Do you remember when we first saw each other again, here?” she asked.

“Uh, yeah,” I answered, having to pull myself out of the trance I’d slipped into just contemplating her. “I was in class, teaching. I looked around, and… there you were. You looked like you had seen a ghost… and I guess, in a way, you had.” I gave her a small grin. It had been a moment so resonant, and so difficult, in its own way. To remember it now was poignant, almost jarring.

“Cosima,” she breathed, and took my hands into her own. She drew them to her lips and gently kissed the tender insides of my wrists each in turn. “I was so shocked, and so scared, then. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time to that day, and whisper to myself, to both of us, that it was going to be okay… that everything was happening just in time, as it was supposed to, and that our love had just been, almost… sleeping.” Her dimples emerged and I could tell she was having one of those rare moments when her excellent English was escaping her in the face of her emotions.

“Maybe you could bring a picture,” I teased, my grin growing. “‘Here we are in our wedding dresses, Past Delphine. This happens after you have to shoot somebody and rescue your bride-to-be like total badass, but you’ll get there. P.S.: You’re going to be a mother. Get ready to co-parent an amazing little kid with three other people.’” She gave me a light tap on the arm in admonishment, as she often did.

“You make fun of me, but it really shook me. Of course, it was all worth it. But I’m still impressed at how you were so calm and cool when it happened.”

“I wasn’t, entirely, except…” I thought for a second. “It’s funny. I almost feel like I had, for a second, what Sevvy has, then. I just had this feeling something was coming, even if it wasn’t totally conscious. And then, when I saw you…” I shrugged, unable to understand it, myself. “It was like it was just right. Like, sure, it had been ten years, but there you were, and it was like all the emotional work I’d been doing, all the healing, had made me ready for that moment. It was inevitable. We were inevitable, even if there was a piece of me that was still nervous, processing it. I mean… it took me a bit to feel like we were on the same page, but… I can’t explain it, but it was just meant to be, and that storm brought you to me, finally at the right time in our lives, when we could work out everything that had happened in-between.”

She hummed softly, in approval, and her hands found my face, stroking and holding it tenderly.

“It’s like that second storm,” I told her, and in the tilt of her head I saw that she knew what I meant: the one that had cut off our contact from each other when she was in the mountains at that conference, while Charlotte lashed out against us with her own wind and thunder, and I struggled to understand what was going on. “There couldn’t have been a worse time for it to happen. That’s what I thought then, anyway, when you told me about it. Like, how was I supposed to believe that a freak accident had made you impossible to reach right when I needed you most? It’s like it was almost put there on purpose to test my trust in you. There was a part of me that was bringing up every terrible, difficult thing that happened between us, everything distrusting Sarah, or Felix, or anyone ever said about you…”

She swallowed and licked her lips, hanging on my words.

“What made you decide to believe in me?” she asked quietly.

“Love,” I answered, and I smiled at her. “I mean, sure, I could check the weather report, and I had Sevvy telling me things would be okay, and that helped, but…” I shrugged again and looked down for a second, almost bashful in the intensity of the love in her eyes. I felt my smile stretching even wider and met her golden gaze again.

“We can believe things happen for a reason, or they don’t. There was a time when I didn’t believe in you. I died from that disease that was built into me, or close enough, but I came back with your face in my vision and your voice reassuring me, within me so deep it had to be more than a thought. But then you did what you thought was right to protect me, and I got caught up in rejection and fear…”

Her eyes fluttered closed in pain for a second.

“I hate to remember that time,” she breathed, “even if it is easier now than it once was.”

“Yeah,” I acknowledged, and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “My point is, I went down that road before, and missed out on you for ten years. Whatever valuable life lessons I— we —learned from that, the biggest thing I learned was that, science or spirit, our hearts were meant to be together… and I wasn’t going to make that mistake again.”

I had just made vows to her, but I made one again.

“I'm never going to make that mistake, again. Not for as long as we live.”

She took this in, and she shone from within as though the sun was breaking the horizon behind her.

“I love you,” I told her,

and

“Je t’aime,” she said at the same time.

We moved together and kissed, and it was just as right as it had ever been before, but it was different, because we’d made a commitment, we’d solidified it and vowed it in actual words before our friends and family. We’d been through so much, apart and together. But we’d made the promise now to never let each other walk alone through whatever life threw at us, again.

Slowly, we undressed each other. It felt familiar, yet new. My pulse throbbed with the repeating mantra in my brain: we’re married, now. This is my wife. I’d never thought it was that important before; never thought that I was that sentimental, that a piece of paper from the state and a recitation and a ceremony that couple after couple had gone through, successfully or to end in bitterness, countless times over the centuries, would really be different from what we’d sworn to each other in private. But it was real, now; it had weight, and depth, and meaning.

Delphine. My love.

In all the surprises I had had in my lifetime, that we had had, together, it was not the most dramatic: that making love with her, the feeling of her pulse and heat in my palm, the clasping of the inside of her body around my fingers pulling me into her with an involuntary force as true as her soul had pulled mine to hers through every obstacle, was different, now, somehow new, because we made it so by fully giving ourselves over to it; that when she brought me over the edge of reason with her mouth describing hot, pulsating patterns at the apex of my pleasure and convergence of my thighs, it was not just the flooding-nerve release it always was, plus the sweet tinge of love that turned the physical act a warmer shade of emotion; but that something within the chemistry of us had been forever altered and bonded by taking that leap, by promising: forever.

It was not the most dramatic surprise, but it was the greatest.

So far. So far.

Love Poem, by Audre Lorde

Speak earth and bless me

with what is richest

make sky flow honey out of my hips

rigid as mountains

spread over a valley

carved out by the mouth of rain

And I knew when I entered her I was

high wind in her forest’s hollow

fingers whispering sound

honey flowed from the split cut

impaled on a lance of tongues

on the tips of her breasts on her navel

and my breath howling into her entrances

through lungs of pain.

Greedy as herring-gulls

or a child

I swing out over the earth

over and over again.

#silent retreat 2 #silent retreat #orphan black #fan fiction #cophine #fan fic #writing #mine #clone club #that's all folks

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junker-town · 4 years

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The top 50 players in men’s college basketball

These are the players who defined the 2019-2020 men’s college basketball season.

There were so many great stories in college basketball this season that will never get the ending they deserve. The NCAA tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, an absolutely necessary move but a sad one nonetheless. We can make predictions about what would have happened in March Madness, but the reality is none of us will ever know who ultimately would have cut down the nets at the Final Four in Atlanta.

While we mourn the loss of the NCAA tournament, it’s important to remember the players who made the 2019-20 college basketball season what it was. There were veterans like Markus Howard and Udoka Azuibuike who got even better as seniors. There were players like Luka Garza and Immanuel Quickley who seemingly came out of nowhere to become stars. There were freshmen like Onyeka Okongwu who made an immediate impact.

These are the 50 best players in college basketball this season, ranked.

50. Desmond Bane, G, TCU

The 6’6 senior guard capped a productive four-year career by leading TCU in scoring (16.6 points per game), assists (four per game), and steals. He shot 43.9 percent from three-point range while nearly doubling his assist rate from last season to near 26 percent. He was named first-team All-Big 12 for his efforts.

49. John Mooney, F, Notre Dame

Mooney led the nation in double-doubles, posting at least 10 points and 10 rebounds in 25 of Notre Dame’s 31 games. The senior big man wasn’t the most efficient scorer (51 percent true shooting) due to a penchant to take and miss three-pointers (31-of-105 on the season), but his consistent work on the glass and inside scoring helped carry Notre Dame to a 20-12 record on the year.

48. Oscar Tshiebwe, C, West Virginia

Tshiebwe was one of the most physically intimidating players in the country from the moment he stepped on the floor for West Virginia. The 6’9, 260-pound freshman center led the country in offensive rebound rate (19 percent). Tshiebwe was also a critical cog protecting the paint in the Mountaineers’ No. 3 overall defense while leading the team in scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots.

47. Jalen Crutcher, G, Dayton

Obi Toppin might have been the star of the show at Dayton, but the Flyers’ high-powered offense wouldn’t have been so prolific without the contributions of his trusty sidekick Jalen Crutcher. The 6’1 junior guard drastically improved as a shooter from three-point range (42 percent) and the foul line (86 percent). He ended the season averaging 15 points and five assists per game.

46. Precious Achiuwa, C/F, Memphis

Memphis’ dream season went up in smoke when star freshman center James Wiseman was suspended and ultimately left the team amid an NCAA scandal after only three games. The Tigers were still able to win 21 games and have a chance to play themselves into the Big Dance at the AAC tournament thanks to the contributions of Achiuwa, their other McDonald’s All-American freshman. A long and strong 6’9 forward, Achiuwa averaged 15.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game to lead the Tigers in all three categories.

Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images

45. Kaleb Wesson, C, Ohio State

There was a time when Wesson looked like the best player in the country in the early part of the season as Ohio State rose as high as No. 2 in the AP poll. Both Wesson and his team would eventually come back down to Earth before rebounding late in the season to win four of their final five games. The 6’9, 270-pound big man ended the season averaging 14 points and 9.8 rebounds while making 45 three-pointers at a 42 percent clip.

44. Zeke Nnaji, C, Arizona

Nico Mannion and Josh Green were the Arizona freshmen with the most hype this season, but Nnaji ended up becoming the Wildcats’ best player. The 6’11 big man led his team in scoring (16.1) and rebounding (8.6) while also finishing with 63 percent true shooting. An underrated part of Nnaji’s offense was his ability to get to the foul line and make free throws. He finished with 6.1 fouls drawn per-40 minutes and knocked down 76 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe.

43. Nathan Knight, C, William & Mary

The CAA had lots of great players this year — Charleston’s Grant Riller and Hofstra’s Desure Buie were also considered for this list — but Knight was the guy took home the conference’s player of the year award after finishing second in the country in double-doubles. The 6’10, 250-pound senior forward was a beast inside for conference opponents all season, averaging 20.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game on 61 percent true shooting. He leaves school as the program’s second all-time leading scorer.

42. Paul Reed, C, DePaul

A long 6’9 junior big man, Reed turned into a dependable scorer and one of the better defensive centers in the country this season at DePaul. He posted monstrous block (9.4 percent) and steal (3.4 percent) rates while averaging 15.1 points and 10.7 rebounds per game for the Blue Demons. He finished No. 13 in America in box score plus-minus.

41. Yoeli Childs, C, BYU

The 6’8 senior was again one of the most productive big men in America when he was on the court for BYU this season. Childs led his team in scoring (22.2 points per game), rebounding (nine per game) and blocks while finishing with a 60.3 true shooting percentage. His final year of college basketball unfortunately got off to a late start after he was suspended the first nine games of the season for a paperwork error related to his decision to pull out of the 2019 NBA Draft.

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

40. Kira Lewis, PG, Alabama

Lewis entered college basketball as a 17-year-old freshman at Alabama and took another step forward in his development this year. An ultrafast 6’3 point guard with emerging scoring ability, Lewis led the Crimson Tide by averaging 18.5 points, 5.2 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. He’s expected to be a first-round pick in the NBA Draft.

39. Keyontae Johnson, F, Florida

Florida didn’t quite live up to preseason expectations, but it wasn’t Johnson’s fault. The sophomore swing man led the Gators in scoring (14 points per game) while also being his team’s best defender. An active and athletic player on both ends of the floor, Johnson was named a first-team All-SEC selection by raising his scoring efficiency (62.4 percent true shooting) and finishing with the highest box score plus-minus on his team.

38. Isaiah Stewart, C, Washington

Stewart was blessed with adult-level strength from his early years in high school, so it was no surprise to see him have such a productive freshman year at Washington. The 6’9, 250-pound big man led the Huskies in scoring (17.7 points per game) and rebounding (8.8 per game) while finishing with 63 percent true shooting that ranked top-50 in the country.

37. Elijah Hughes, F, Syracuse

A long and versatile 6’6 forward, Hughes enjoyed a breakout junior year by becoming Syracuse’s primary scoring option. He led the ACC in scoring at 19 points per game while also averaging five rebounds and 3.4 assists per night. Hughes’ scoring punch was helped by an increased volume in three-point shooting, where he hit 34.1 percent of his 7.2 attempts per game from downtown.

36. Lamar Stevens, G, Penn State

Stevens wrapped up a phenomenal four-year career at Penn State by leading the Nittany Lions to their first ranking in the AP poll since the 1995-96 season, where they peaked at No. 9. Penn State was going to make its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2010-11 with Stevens leading the team in scoring for the second straight season. He leaves school just six points short of becoming the program’s all-time leading scorer, which he would have been a lock to get had the season continued as planned.

Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

35. Nick Richards, C, Kentucky

Most McDonald’s All-Americans don’t spend their first two years in college basketball averaging less than 15 minutes per game. That was the reality for Richards as he competed in a deep Kentucky front court while he skill set took time to catch up to his physical talent. Everything clicked for him as a junior, giving the Wildcats an athletic center who finished everything inside and turned into one of the SEC’s premier defenders. Richards ended his junior year averaging 14 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, with a huge eight percent block rate and a 67.8 true shooting percentage that ranked No. 8 in America.

34. Mamadi Diakite, F, Virginia

Virginia lost Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome, and De’Andre Hunter from its reigning national championship team, but the two-way play of Diakite helped the ‘Hoos maintain their excellence. After a slow start, Virginia was set to enter the ACC tournament at 23-7 overall and 15-5 in the conference. Diakite was their leading scorer and also arguably the top defensive player on the No. 1 defense in America. He should never have to pay for a meal in Charlottesville again.

33. Tres Tinkle, F, Oregon State

In his fifth season playing for his father at Oregon State, Tinkle led his team in scoring (18.5 points per game), rebounding, and steals, and finished second in assists and blocks. The 6’7 forward passed Gary Payton on March 6 to become the program’s all-time leading scorer.

32. Reggie Perry, C, Mississippi State

Coming off an MVP run with USA Basketball in the FIBA U19 World Cup, Perry built on a promising freshman year at Mississippi State by raising his numbers across the board. He averaged a double-double (17.4 points and 10.1 rebounds) while shooting 50 percent from the field. The 6’10 big man also made strides as a shooter, both from three-point range (where he doubled his makes from last year by hitting 23) and the foul line (76.8 percent).

31. Jordan Ford, G, St. Mary’s

Ford was one of the most reliable scorers in America for the second straight season. He duplicated the 21 points per game he averaged a year ago, and this time did it a tad more efficiently. Ford appeared in all 33 games for St. Mary’s this season and played 93.5 percent of the team’s available minutes. The point guard did a tremendous job of taking care of the ball, posting a turnover rate of just nine percent which ranked top-30 in the country.

Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images

30. Jalen Harris, G, Nevada

The 6’5 guard turned into one of the most dynamic backcourt scorers in the country in his first season at Nevada after transferring from Louisiana State. Harris put up 21.7 points per game to go along with nearly four assists per night. He was one of the most efficient high-usage scorers in America, ending the year ranked in the 83rd percentile of points per possession.

29. Tyler Bey, F, Colorado

Bey broke out into a legitimate first-round NBA Draft prospect during his junior season at Colorado. The 6’7 forward was one of the top defensive players in the country, posting impressive block and steal rates while having the versatility to switch onto forwards, big men, and even some guards. He was also the team’s second leading scorer at 13.8 points per game while grabbing a team-best nine rebounds per night. He was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year for his efforts.

28. Sam Merrill, G, Utah State

Merrill officially owns college basketball’s most memorable moment of March 2020 with his buzzer-beater to shock San Diego State and punch the Utah State Aggies to the NCAA tournament. Merrill finished his senior year just tenths of a point from his second consecutive season of averaging 20 points per game. Mountain West teams should be thrilled to see him graduate. He leaves school as the program’s second all-time leading scorer.

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27. Filip Petrušev, C, Gonzaga

Petrusev went from a reserve in a deep and talented Gonzaga front court as a freshman to one of the best offensive centers in the country as a sophomore. He led Gonzaga in scoring (17.5 points per game) and rebounding (7.9 per game) while posting nearly 60 percent true shooting. He was named WCC Player of the Year for his efforts.

26. Ayo Dosunmu, G, Illinois

Dosunmu made a surprising decision to return for his sophomore year without even testing the NBA Draft waters. It’s a choice that allowed him to go down as one of the great players in recent Illinois basketball history. The 6’5 guard led the team in scoring (16.6 points per game) and assists (3.3 per game), but that doesn’t fully capture the impact he made in leading the Illini to what would have been their first NCAA tournament berth since 2013. It’s the clutch moments for Dosunmu that will stand the test of time, closing out wins against Wisconsin, Purdue, Rutgers, and Northwestern before hitting this game-winner vs. Michigan:

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25. Devin Vassell, SF, Florida State

Florida State won the ACC regular-season crown and were about to be a trendy pick to reach the Final Four. Vassell led the team in scoring and rebounding while being the team’s best defender and best three-point shooter. There’s a reason the 6’7 sophomore wing is projected as a possible NBA lottery pick despite relatively pedestrian per-game stats (12.7 points, 5.1 rebounds per game). He made a noticeable impact on winning every time FSU took the floor.

24. Skylar Mays, G, LSU

An athletic 6’4 swingman, Mays capped his four-year career at LSU by becoming one of the better players in the SEC. The leading scorer (16.7 points per game) on the No. 4 offense in America, Mays improved as a shooter — hitting over 39 percent of his threes — and made major strides as an offensive creator. He finished in the 98th percentile as a pick-and-roll ball handler, according to Synergy Sports. He was also arguably the Tigers’ best defender, finishing with a steal rate of about three percent for the fourth straight year.

23. Marcus Zegarowski, PG, Creighton

Zagaroawski was the sophomore point guard who served as the engine of the No. 3 offense in the country. A dangerous long-range shooter (42 percent from three) and skilled playmaker (five assists per game), he led Creighton to the No. 7 overall ranking in the final AP poll of the year. The Bluejays were a major threat to reach the second weekend of the tournament for the first time since 1973.

22. Killian Tillie, F, Gonzaga

It feels like Tillie has been around college basketball forever. As a freshman, he was the French forward off the bench for a team that went to the national championship game. He broke out into a star as a sophomore by becoming a knockdown three-point shooter who hit better than 47 percent of his attempts from behind the arc. His junior season was painfully cut short by ankle and foot injuries. Gonzaga didn’t need him to be its leading man as a senior with such a talented supporting cast around him, but Tillie was still arguably the team’s most consistent offensive player. He’s going to have a long and prosperous pro career if the injury troubles are behind him.

21. Immanuel Quickley, G, Kentucky

From a sparingly used guard off the bench to SEC Player of the Year: that’s the story of Quickley’s sophomore season at Kentucky. The 6’3 guard slotted into more of an off-ball role this season next to Tyrese Maxey and Ashton Hagans, where he blossomed as a three-point shooter (41.6 percent from deep) and eventually became the primary scoring option for the Wildcats by the end of the year. This will go down as one of the great sophomore leaps in John Calipari’s tenure at Kentucky.

Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

20. Saddiq Bey, F, Villanova

The improvements Bey made as a sophomore at Villanova are about to make him a very rich man. The 6’8 forward was at the center of everything Villanova did this year, leading the team in scoring (16.1 points per game) and nearly doubling his assist rate from his freshman season. His biggest strides came as an outside shooter. Bey hit 45.1 percent of his threes on 5.6 attempts per game. During a shooting-obsessed era of the NBA, Bey’s deep range should make him a first-round draft pick.

19. Tre Jones, PG, Duke

Jones was projected as a possible first-round pick last year after playing with Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, and Cam Reddish as a freshman. He decided to return to Duke for his sophomore year instead, becoming the heart and soul of the team from the moment the season tipped off. Jones raised his numbers across the board on his way to becoming ACC Player of the Year. Going from a role-player to a leading man while raising your efficiency is no easy task, but Jones pulled it off flawlessly. The NBA is still waiting.

18. Mason Jones, G, Arkansas

Was there a better player in college basketball this year who received less hype than Mason Jones? Arkansas’ junior guard averaged 22 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per night on 45.3/35.1/82.6 shooting splits. His ability to hit step-back and pull-up jumpers paced the Arkansas offense through the year while he also posted a solid 2.7 percent steal rate on defense.

17. Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Iowa State

Before Haliburton’s sophomore season ended in early February thanks to a wrist injury, the Iowa State point guard was emerging as one of the oddest yet most effective players in America. After putting up incredibly efficient numbers in a small role as a freshman, Haliburton more than doubled his usage while continuing to be hyper-efficient offensively. While the 6’5 guard wasn’t much of an attacker off the dribble, he was a dynamic threat on catch-and-shoot threes (42 percent) and finished with a 35 percent assist rate that ranked No. 26 in America. He’s expected to be a lottery pick in June’s NBA Draft.

16. Daniel Oturu, C, Minnesota

Oturu was considered one of the top recruits in Minnesota basketball history when he committed — 247 Sports only has Kris Humphries and Royce White rated ahead of him. He spent his sophomore season showing how correct that prophecy always was. The 6’10 center put up gigantic numbers all season, finishing with averages of 20.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. He was one of the best two-way big men in college basketball this season by any definition.

Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images

15. Vernon Carey Jr., C, Duke

There was no point in which Carey looked or felt like a freshman during his first and likely only season at Duke. The 6’10, 270-pound center was considered a top-three prospect in his recruiting class, and lived up to the hype for every second he was on the floor. Carey finished the year leading Duke in scoring (17.8 points per game), rebounding (8.8 per game), and blocked shots (1.6 per game) while finishing with an efficient 61.5 true shooting percentage. He was also a monster at drawing fouls and hit a respectable 67 percent of his free throws. Could he have had the same perfect ending to his freshman year that Jahlil Okafor once enjoyed at Duke? We’ll never know.

14. Xavier Tillman, C, Michigan State

Ever since Tillman inherited Nick Ward’s spot in Michigan State’s lineup midway through last season, the Spartans big man has been one of the most impactful players in America. He proved his worth in a full-time role this season, leading the country in box score plus-minus on the strength of elite defense and solid offense. Tillman’s per-game stats of 13.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game don’t jump off the page, but MSU was simply a different team with him on the floor. Tillman didn’t need elite athleticism or shooting ability to be a force; he did it with strength and smarts instead. His play is a great example of what per-game numbers don’t capture when it comes to contributions to winning.

13. Jared Butler, G, Baylor

Butler became the best player on one of the best teams in the country this season as the sophomore leader of Baylor. As the Bears started the year 24-1 overall and 13-0 in conference, Butler emerged as their leading scorer and a key defender in a top-five defensive unit. The 6’3 point guard scored in double-figures in 25 of his 30 games, including a 22-point effort in a defining win against Kansas on Jan. 11.

12. Onyeka Okongwu, C, USC

Okongwu was the best freshman in college basketball all year even if most people didn’t realize it. He finished third in the country in box score plus-minus and grew into a lottery pick during his freshman year at USC by becoming one of the best two-way bigs in America. Okongwu was a skilled finisher with either hand who made a habit of dunking in traffic. He might have been even better defensively, where he posted a nearly 10 percent block rate and deterred so many more shot attempts with his length and verticality. There were freshmen who earned more attention nationally, but none that were quite as good as Okongwu.

11. Jordan Nwora, F, Louisville

Nwora is the type of player every college basketball team wants but few actually have: a big wing who can score from all three levels of the floor. He carried the scoring load for a powerful Louisville team all year, acting as the primary option on the No. 12 offense in the country. Nwora averaged 18 points per game and shot a career-best 40 percent from three on six attempts per game as a junior. He ranked in the 82nd percentile of points per possession in the country.

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

10. Jalen Smith, C, Maryland

Smith took a superstar leap as a sophomore after flirting with the NBA Draft at the completion of his freshman year. He raised his numbers across the board and emerged the best player on a Maryland team that peaked at No. 3 in the polls. The 6’10 big man averaged 15.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game, while extending his shooting range out past the three-point line (36.8 percent on 87 attempts). He finished the year with a 62.6 true shooting percentage after scoring with just average efficiency (55 percent true shooting) last year.

9. Devon Dotson, G, Kansas

Dotson took the superstar leap in his sophomore season that many were expecting. The point guard was excellent on both ends of the floor, leading the Jayhawks in scoring (18.1 points per game) while posting a monster 3.6 percent steal rate. Arguably the fastest player in the country, Dotson was brilliant at creating offense for himself and others, showing rare finishing touch and the ability to absorb contact at the basket. He finished No. 2 overall behind Luka Garza in KenPom’s Player of the Year award race.

8. Myles Powell, G, Seton Hall

Tom Izzo said it best during a postgame interview after Powell dropped 37 points in 34 minutes on the Spartans in a November game he was originally slated to miss with an injury: “Myles is one of the great players I’ve ever seen in college basketball.” Powell was a stud for Seton Hall this season as a senior on his way to being named a first-time AP All-American. He ended the season averaging 21 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, though his scoring efficiency dropped as the season went along (he ended the year shooting under 40 percent from the field). The Pirates were poised to make some noise in March.

7. Luka Garza, C, Iowa

Garza went from a solid starting center in the Big Ten as a sophomore to KenPom’s No. 1 finisher in the Player of the Year race as a junior. He was unstoppable both offensively and on the glass, raising his scoring average from 13.1 to 23.9 points per game while nearly doubling his efforts as a rebounder (4.5 to 9.8 per game). He even added a consistent three-ball to the mix this year, knocking down 39-of-109 shots from deep, good for 35.8 percent from behind the arc. Garza didn’t bring much defensively, but he has a case for the best offensive big man in America this year.

6. Malachi Flynn, PG, SDSU

Coming off a redshirt season following his transfer from Washington State, Flynn exploded onto the college basketball scene as a second-team AP All-American. He was the leader of a mighty San Diego State team that started the year 26-0 and likely would have been a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. He led the Aztecs in scoring and assists while also playing a critical role in the No. 10 defensive unit in the country.

5. Payton Pritchard, G, Oregon

Pritchard was one of the best guards in the country all year as a senior for Oregon, and he was ending the season on an absolute tear. He dropped 38 points against Arizona, 23 against Oregon State, 20 against Cal, and 29 against Stanford in his last four games before the Pac-12 tournament, all wins. He also provided one of the season’s most memorable moments with his takeover down the stretch against Washington in January, capped by this game-winner:

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4. Markus Howard, PG, Marquette

Howard pulled off a nearly impossible feat as a senior: leading the country in scoring (27.8 points per game) and usage rate while still finishing with nearly 60 percent true shooting despite being the smallest guy on the floor in every game he played. Howard put a cap on a brilliant four-year career by again being arguably the sport’s most lethal shooter, this season draining 121 threes at a 41 percent clip. Marquette was projected to be on the bubble for the NCAA tournament, but if they got in, you can bet Howard wouldn’t have gone down without a barrage of deep threes.

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

3. Cassius Winston, PG, Michigan State

Winston had to play his senior year under unbearable grief when his younger brother Zachary was found dead just days after the season started. A personal tragedy on that level could sink anyone, but somehow Winston continued to be nothing less than the best point guard in the sport. He led the Spartans in scoring and finished top-20 in America in assist rate while hitting better than 43 percent of his three-pointers. The Spartans struggled to hold onto their preseason No. 1 ranking in the polls, but they were about to enter the Big Ten tournament on a five-game winning streak and seemed to be peaking right on time. Winston was the leader of everything MSU did, just as he had been for the last four years. Throughout his time in East Lansing, Winston personified everything you want a college basketball point guard to be.

2. Udoka Azuibuike, C, Kansas

This was the year Udoka Azuibuike put it all together. After a torn ligament in his right hand ended his junior season after only nine games, Azuibuike returned for his senior year and became the most dominant physical force on the scariest team in the country. Azuibuike was automatic inside, making 74.4 percent of his two-point shots. He took major strides as a defender and rebounder, raising his block rate to nearly 11 percent and posting career-best rates on the glass at both ends of the floor. He also played in every game and anchored the unit that finished in the top-10 of both offensive and defensive efficiency.

When Azuibuike was locked in, he felt like college basketball’s very own Shaquille O’Neal, with opposing defenses looking completely helpless unless they resorted to putting him on the foul line. Players this big and strong and still blessed with touch inside and an increasingly persistent defensive motor do not come along in college hoops very often. Azuibuike was that special.

1. Obi Toppin, F/C, Dayton

There wasn’t much expected from Obi Toppin and Dayton at the onset of the season. The Flyers were unranked in the preseason polls and weren’t even picked to win the A-10. Toppin ranked No. 43 in our preseason countdown of the best players in college basketball, and was well outside of first-round NBA Draft projections. Four months later, Toppin and Dayton were arguably the biggest story in the sport, a future lottery pick leading a No. 1 seed into March on a 20-game winning streak with designs of winning the whole damn thing.

Of course, we’ll never know how far the Flyers actually would have gone. What we do know is Toppin was the best player in America all season. The 6’9 redshirt sophomore forward averaged 20 points per game on absurdly efficient 68.4 percent true shooting. He finished in the 99th percentile of points per possession in DI. He punctuated his greatness with every dunk, going under-the-legs in a game against George Washington and throwing down too many windmills to count. College basketball is going to make Toppin a man wealthy beyond his wildest dreams by the time the draft rolls around. There is no better proof of what this sport can do for a player than Toppin’s rise this year.

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