𝑫𝑨𝒁𝑬𝑫 & 𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑭𝑼𝑺𝑬𝑫.

A guy asked me a question the other day... about why people run when things get tough. That's easy -- you can become someone else, wherever you land, right? Who's gonna know the difference? So why stay? Why set yourself up for more failure? For more pain? Also easy -- because we don't know how to do anything else. So why stay? Why open yourself up to all the bad you've tried to leave behind? "The only variable you can control is yourself." You can forget who you are, or you can be who you want to be. That's why you stay. You stay for a second chance.

[eggplcnts]

         “  this is  SO  not going as planned.  ”   leads led to dead ends;  they were searching for  NEEDLES  in a goddamned haystack,  whilst also being in the middle of a tornado.  and the  two of them had tried so hard;  wanting to find something,  anything.  but there was only nothing.  the blonde sits in a café of a hotel,  legs crossing underneath a tight dress.  and  FLURRIES  of people following a white dress passes;  and she’s so  tired  that this idea seems almost grand.   “  --  what’s your opinion on wedding crashing ?  ”  @ofrcdrcbins wanted this.

[eggplcnts]

truthshown.

‘ paige, ’ she starts, exhaling deeply. she immediately recognizes that flash of blonde hair, the look of concern which flashed across the face of the younger woman unmistakable. karen can only muster the energy to shake her head, closing her eyes as she collects her thoughts. ‘ i’d prefer a miracle right about now – but whiskey works. ’

        she knows it’s just an internship;  paige hardly has room to  CARE  in trying times like this  -  but between writing and the drama  ...  it’s the only thing she seems to have left.     “  yeah,  i’m the mom friend  -  not a miracle worker.  ”    but she’s spent a few late nights at the office,  and may know where the secret stash of alcohol is hidden.      “  you have glasses,  or we using office cups ?  ”  

[eggplcnts]

gcdofstories.

      admittedly, this is all more enjoyable than loki had first assumed. of course she had her hesitation given the lengthy history that midguard had of putting down those who were different. but this was – well, it was incredible. the celebration of diversity was everything. while loki was dressed in the usual garb, there were two flags ( pan and gender fluid ) painted on both cheeks.”i must agree with you on this one.” gaze flicker over to paige, expression warming. “i had my hesitations but i am thoroughly impressed by these midguadians. though, it does help that i’m here with you. much more enjoyable that way.”

        she’s glad to be her with her  ...  roommate,  friend,  something more  -  what even were labels these days anyways ?  didn’t matter to paige;  she’s just  HAPPY  to be there with loki,  and she felt happier than she had in a very,  very long time.     “  i  tooooold  you so !  ”    there’s a light tap to loki’s nose,  easy grin on paige’s lips.     “   even with all the crowds and heat  -  pride is worth it  every  time.  ”    a chuckle from paige,  she’ll tilt her head over to loki.     “  stop  -  you’ll make me blush.  ”

[eggplcnts]

truthshown.

‘ oh really? what the hell do you want me to do about that for you? everyone seems just as confused about this incident as you and i, and fucking yelling at me from your office won’t do shit to remedy – ’ an empty tone sounds on the other end. disconnected. ‘ fucking editors, ’ she mutters under her breath, teeth clenched as she repeatedly slams the home button on her iphone. karen angrily tosses the device into the depths of her purse, exhaling roughly as her free hand finds it’s way across her now throbbing forehead.

         blue eyes  DART  between karen and the editor,  paige pushes her hair away from her face.  forget writing about college students right now  -  clearly,  something else is going on.  worry is painted on her face,  nerves  clearly  showing as she approaches karen.      “  hey  ...  karen ?  is there anything i can do to help ?  tea ?  whiskey ?  a locked door ?  a very,  very  fluffy pillow ?  ”  

[eggplcnts]

blvebirds.

                      “they aren’t sold anywhere, i made it custom after my brother got attacked. if you buy the materials i can put one together for you.”

           “  right.  i can do that,  totally !  sorry to hear about your brother  ...  now  what  materials do you need exactly ?  ”  

[eggplcnts]

blvebirds !

                    “the next guy that gropes my ass on the subway is gonna get his dick tased off.” harper had had enough, from now on she was carrying her supercharged taser everywhere. pervs beware

         “  any idea where a gal can  PURCHASE  one of these tasers you mention ?  ” 

[eggplcnts]

        “  this has have to been one of the  BEST  out tings we’ve had !  ”    smile is wide on her face,  paige is dressed in a skirt and a  pretty bralette,  drenched in  GLITTER & SWEAT.  and yet ?  this is the best she’s felt in a long,  long  time.  she turns to loki,  teeth popping out to gnaw at her bottom lip.    “  whatcha think of your first pride so far,  loks ?  ”     @gcdofstories.

[eggplcnts]

gcdofstories.

    everything most certainly did not feel okay. how was she supposed to feeling know hat her brother was alive, but didn’t remember anything?? thor was the only family left – the one person in the galaxy that had never stopped believing she could be better. and now she was. “fine, fine,” loki responds. “just ran into an old friend earlier. didn’t go quite as planned.” she offers a small smile towards paige, hoping not to concern her too much. “mm, that does sound nice. not leaving for an entire month. let’s see what’s on hulu. i’m feeling like a bad scary movie right now. might get you to cuddle up on me,” she teased.

          paige may not be a  mind reader  -  but she likes to think she’s a people person,  and also likes to think loki is one of her people.  so clearly something’s up;  but paige also knows  BETTER  than to dig into something loki’s not ready to speak about.  instead her hands will  absentmindedly  pat loki’s calves and she shrugs.    “  if you say so.  sometimes old friends can be weird around ya’,  you know ?  ”   teeth pop out to bite her lower lips,  she’ll shake her head at loki.     “  it’s the  EXACT  reason why uber eats exists.  you know,  if you wanted to cuddle you coulda just asked  --  ”    a pause,  before she tilts her head and pats the spot next to her.    “  but it’d be easier if you sat next to me.  ”

[eggplcnts]

chargcs.

    “ yukio. ” she greets eagerly, shaking paige’s hand with a bright grin in tow, “ but i think cool girl works okay too, sometimes. ” she falls into friendships easily, but paige isn’t a hard person to speak to either - which helps. yukio finds it can go any way with new yorkers. “ but if not cool hipster girl for you, what would you prefer? ”

         “  simple solution:  cool girl in the phone,  yukio in real life !  though,  it could also work the other way around.  ”    and paige  likes  meeting new people;  for some reason,  even when she lives with loki,  there’s this pending  emptiness  in her chest.      “  paige is fine,  unless you can come up with a cool nickname.  which i’m  also  down with.  ”

[eggplcnts]

oflcnterns.

Isabella laughs and shakes her head. She knows life isn’t exactly cheap - she’s fortunate her A.R.G.U.S pay is more than enough to live comfortably, but not everyone is so lucky. “Well, I’m sure you’ll get a chance sometime soon.” She says absently, waving off the thought for the most part. “So you need a teacher. Or you’re just trying to subtly convince me to take you for a ride?” Isabella raises an eyebrow, a slight smirk appearing on her face. “I’d be happy to, for the record.”

          “  maybe in another ten years.  ”    stephanie  IS  out school,  and she knows it’s not an  all for nothing  thing.  it’ll just  ...  take awhile with her  ...  debt and living costs,  she knows.    “  maybe so ?  i just feel like  -  i’d need a  TEST RIDE  before i take lessons,  and really commit,  you know ?  ”    a toothy grin on her lips.    “  i mean  -  i can’t deny an offer that’s right there in front of me,  right ?  ”  

[hopperjane]

“Now I realize Lindsay’s not fearless. She’s terrified. She’s terrified that people will find out she’s faking, bullshitting her way through life, pretending to have everything together when really she’s just floundering like the rest of us.”

[eggplcnts]

gcdofstories.

   needless to say, everything sort of sucked right about now. not to say that loki wasn’t grateful to be alive, but the nightmares seemed to be getting worse every time she closed her eyes. right now, a break was needed. preferably away from other people that weren’t her roommate. letting out a dramatic sigh, loki strolled into the living room, focus solely on the cough where paige had been lounging. making her way over, she carefully sat on the couch, legs kicking up to rest on paige’s lap. “i do hope there’s something good on television. or netflix. honestly, anything at this point.”

@eggplcnts

       she’s on their couch,  simply  GRATEFUL  that this apartment of theirs have air-conditioning.  if it didn’t ?  this would be going a very different way.  instead,  paige chooses to chuck a skittle at loki,  with the sound of  RIVERDALE  playing in the background   (  paige has her guilty pleasures,  okay !?  ).    “  everything okay,  loki ?  ”   blue eyes will gaze over her once,  checking for what she’s not sure,  and worry still laces her features  -  even if there’s nothing  harmed  on her skin.  paige will chuckle,  head leaning back.     “  i’ve also recently aquired hulu and amazon prime;  if you wanted too,  we don’t have to leave the apartment for the next  MONTH.   --  whatcha in the mood to watch,  babes ?  ”  

[eggplcnts]

oflcnterns.

“Maybe you’re being a bit too hard on yourself. Give yourself a break, you seem to be doing fine.” Isabella answers with a shrug of her shoulders, confused by the girl’s words. It’s pretty unlikely she makes a fool of herself all the time and she can’t imagine why anyone would want to believe that they do. “That’s kinda what they’re there for, I’m sure you could find someone who’d let you have a go. Or you could try mine, so long as you don’t scratch it.”

         “  give myself a break,  in  this  economy ?  ”   it’s meant to be a joke,  but there’s a layer of truth to her words;  she’s a  COLLEGE  student,  paying  new york city rent,  working a minimum wage job,  AND  doing an apprenticeship on the side,  with all that.  paige is  half convinced  she couldn’t give herself a break if she wanted to    (  though loki would  BEG  to differ  ).     “  ---  i don’t know how to ride it,  either,  though.  ”    though with each passing second,  paige is getting more and more convinced,

[eggplcnts]

greatneptune.

HEAVY BOOTS MEET BLISTERING ASPHALT while a bright, red june sun makes its final descent for the evening somewhere behind him. traffic never truly settles in their ever growing urban metropolis ; which explains anakoni’s bold decision to cross mid - street before a sea of honking yellow cabs ( and white - knuckle tourists ) with nothing more than a raised hand signalling passage. or expletive ———- who knew which gestures meant what these days. none of it mattered to him : not when music SO LOUD it pulses inside his chest can be heard … or rather, felt in the direction of their nearest pier. ( and he wasn’t the only one flocking towards such an overpowering sound. ) ❝ is it just me, or are they starting these concerts earlier every year ? ❞

        she’s casually dressed,  slender fingertips aggressively tapping the screen of her phone as she awaits for her friends to show up.  GUILTILY ENOUGH,  paige was one of the concert goers he was complaining about  -  at least,  that’s what she  assumes  he’s talking about at the mention of concerts.     “  maybe so,  ”    she’ll murmur quietly,  before blue eyes gaze up.    “  but i don’t mind so much;  it means that  MOST KIDS  are still in high school,  studying for finals.  it’d be even worse with them around.  ”    and she knows because she  used  to be those one of annoying kids who went.

[eggplcnts]

truthshown.

‘ nice pitch, i’ll give you that. not exactly my speed, though, ’ she replied, unable to recall the last time she wrote such a fluffy piece, in comparison to her body of investigative work. between the union allied and fisk fiasco, frank’s trial, government conspiracy and cover-ups, and now these mysterious dustings – karen wasn’t sure that she would ever be able to find her way out of the dark underbelly she seemed to always land herself in. did she even want out anymore ?‘ i’m sure you would probably have more to write about the topic than i would. we sometimes take submissions and freelance pieces at the bulletin – only if you’re interested, of course. ’ 

         a pause;  she’s taken aback by karen’s words.  she’d just  OFF HANDEDLY  commented the idea  -  never expecting it to go anywhere.    “  wait  ...  really ?  ”   surprise sparks in her bright eyes,  a grin will grow upon her lips.  it is a  COMMON TOPIC  of discussion;  and perhaps even if the drying swallowing thing was a joke  ...  thinking back,  maybe it  was  a good pitch.     “  you’re  ...  right.  crap karen;  i was just joking,  but you’re actually onto something.  ”    she sits up a bit straighter,  determination set in her posture.    “  when do you usually take submissions ?  ”

[eggplcnts]

chargcs.

     it’s far from the worst thing she’s been called, that’s for sure. a grin brightens her face as she shakes her head, “ don’t you know they say birds of a feather flock together ?? ” she’s pretty certain that’s how it goes anyway. “ if we’re friends now then i’ve decided i’m only as cool as you are. together, that makes us a very formidable team. ”

        eyebrows will wiggle,  smirk grows upon pink painted lips,  head tilts to the side.    “  are you calling me a  COOL HIPSTER GIRL  now too ?  well i mean,  i’m not against it.  ”    an easy grin on paige’s lip,  she’ll stick out her hand.     “  and if we’re a formidable friends team,  i think introductions are in order.  i’m  paige,  cool girl.  ”

[eggplcnts]

babsjoan.

She had listened an argument about how waffle was different from pancakes to know how much she wore that title with pride. “My friends just call me Babs. And no, not really. I’m usually at Grumpy’s.”

          “  just babs it is,  then !  ”    a teasing smile on her lips,  she’ll crinkle her nose at her response.    “  --  well,  hopefully after this visit,  you’ll stop by here more often !  we have better shakes  -  but don’t tell them i personally said that.  not trying to cause a turf war here.  ”