𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫

co-writing duo | side blog | read our pinned ♡

[ourlilcorner]

— 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫 ˖𓂃.⋆ ݁˖

we're two best friends who have been writing & living life together for over 10 years now. we met on a niche writing site in 2013, and we've stuck together all these years—through high school & college, through love & heartbreak, through every high & low. (w.i.p.)

— 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐮𝐬 ˖𓂃.⋆ ݁˖

minnie's about | minnie's main blog venus's about | venus's main blog

— 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 ˖𓂃.⋆ ݁˖

'typical college friend group' masterlist

[ourlilcorner]

— 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩. chapter two

series content reminder. alcohol, drugs, & partying · angst · light nsfw/suggestive · college setting · exes · love triangles · swearing & inappropriate language · hazing mentioned · greek life · hookup culture · slow burn · friends to lovers · found family · childhood friends

masterlist | prev chapter | next chapter

chapter two. words: 2k

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Maisy came into the living room hours later, around 10am, looking like a mess, but in a hot way; unkempt light brown curls, and smudged under eye liner her signature by now. Jo had heard her playing games all night, well past sunrise, her giggles soothing Jo to sleep. But, if Maisy hadn't gotten any sleep, she didn't look like it. She was already halfway through a pink can of Monster.

"Jo, my sweet, oh so dear, and sweet friend," she cooed, stretching her arms out. "Are you ready to get absolutely fucking trashed tonight?"

Jo smiled in response, immediately in better spirits, absorbing Maisy's energy.

There was a knock at the door, barely a tap before it swung upon. A tall, muscular, woman dressed in a basketball jersey and athletic shorts walked through the door. Maisy sprinted towards her, threw herself into the woman's arms, and wrapped her legs around her as she was lifted into an embrace.

"Tierra!" Jo called out, surprised, even though she shouldn't have been. Tierra was practically a third roommate at this point, Maisy's girlfriend of two years now.

"Did I make it in time to pregame?" Tierra laughed, speaking between kisses to Maisy's cheeks.

"It's not even noon!" Jo laughed too.

Maisy and Tierra got breakfast going, but with Jo on the counter chatting with them, it ended up taking two hours. After eating, Jo split off to shower, shave her legs, and straighten her hair, but found herself in Maisy's room again for help with makeup.

For someone who claimed to be sick of parties, Maisy didn't look it-- vibrating with charm, energy, and confidence. It was an infectious condition, and Jo found herself hyped, her nerves melting away when she basked in Maisy's aura.

***

The soccer team had a formal dinner before the big party every year. Some team members gave speeches and–if they made it through the process–the rookies became official members of the team. They had always been official per the school's roster, but they could party with the team now. For the first time in a few years, all the rookies made it through. B-team nominations happened, where members of the practice team got promoted.

Aaron was one of the underclassmen that got picked for the A-team. He would spend the coming season subbing in or on the bench, but it was a big deal for a freshman.

Brennan and another one of the older guys gave speeches about Aaron, and everyone cheered. He talked about their time as high school teammates, Aaron's passion and dedication, and some memories from practices.

Alcohol wasn't served at the dinner, but spirits were high. As they were going back to their cars as the sun set, Aaron wrapped his arm around Brennan.

"Heard you're bringing Maisy and Jo tonight," he said. He was grinning from ear to ear. "Mind if I steal her?"

Brennan rolled his eyes. In his head it was playful, but it came across far more irritated.

"Come on man," he said with a laugh, "don't start. This is your night."

"Alright, brother," Aaron said, patting him on the back before jogging to catch up with some of the other guys. It didn't sound at all convincing. "No promises."

Brennan told the girls to meet him outside his friend's apartment. It was the pregame, and he told them not to let Tierra give them drinks before they showed up. He knew it was going to be a long night--not one where you want to pregame the pregame.

When he arrived, he stood outside and fired texts. The social chair of volleyball to schedule a party, one of his brothers about the holidays, one of the girls' team players, some girl who must've put her number in his phone.

Oh yeah they're gonna shackle us together at the pregame, I forgot lol

He texted Maisy, as if he had forgotten. He hadn't. He had not told her so she wouldn't say no. He had her location, and he sent over the message when they were already walking over.

***

The moment Jo approached the off-campus house, she could sense a strange energy thick in the air. The people trickling into the property seemed mostly all sober, just as instructed in the invite -- something she hadn't actually expected anyone to follow through on.

Maisy greeted a few people she recognized, before leading Jo and Tierra to a corner, searching for someone to point out the drinks to them. Jo's eyes scanned the room, and her eyes fixed with curiosity upon a table in the front, covered in a black tarp. No one else seemed to share her interest, as it was generally left alone, aside from one or two soccer players checking in on it every so often.

Jo pulled at the hem of her dress, hoping that in her efforts, she really would be able to stretch it an inch or two longer. She was wearing a strapless emerald dress at the behest of Maisy, and the practically micro-mini skirt left her feeling more exposed than she'd anticipated.

Maisy's dress, however, looked like it was crafted for her body. The silk cupped her boobs perfectly, flowing down her curves, and ruching at her butt. Tierra's arm accented her waist protectively.

"Oh, there he is," Maisy said, gesturing towards her brother, his head poking out above the forming crowd in the living room. "That asshole didn't even text me--- oh shit, wait he did..."

Maisy's eyes widened down at her phone, and she let out a screech, turning to Tierra, and then back at Jo.

"Jo, I just want to say. BRENNAN is an ASSHOLE. He just told me that we're going to have to --" she stopped talking, seeing as Brennan himself had finally appeared in front of them. Maisy glared.

"Tee," Brennan said. He flicked his eyes up back and forth from his phone a few times before stashing it away. "Cody's coming down."

Tierra had been one of the Social Chairs for women's basketball last year. She and Brennan talked about parties and team drama. Most of their conversations didn't mention Maisy, unless it was near her birthday.

As he barreled down the stairs on the other side of the room, they could hear Cody's vibrato pierce the room when he saw her.

"Tierra," Cody called, cutting through the chatter enough to reach the group.

Cody was the reason Tierra was here, logistically, even though she happened to be dating Maisy too. The only openly gay member of the soccer team was her housemate and longtime friend. Brennan had been rookies with him, and Tierra was his "date" tonight. At his beckoning, Tierra disappeared to greet him.

"Thanks for coming," Brennan said, finally looking toward Maisy and Jo.

Brennan was in the School of Business. He also paid a lot of attention to details, for better or worse. It made sense that his dress clothes were well-fitted. He had changed from his dinner shirt into a black satin dress shirt. His mid-brown hair tousled especially well this evening, to his delight.

"So, okay," Brennan said, "they're actually going to zip tie us together until we finish the bottles."

They were downstairs in the house now, and the main room was filling up. People were taking pictures on the stairs, and the energy was high. Some of the couples had their bottles by now, tugging around together.

"We have three," he said, evading Maisy's eyes. He clapped his hands together like he was about to launch a sales pitch. They were all moving in and out of everyone's ways as they talked. "Which is manageable."

"Three," Maisy echoed, her face ghostly.

They made their way to the table handing out the bottles and shackling everyone. Brennan made small talk with the guy handing out bottles, Billy Bront.

Everyone called him "Bront" on and off the field. His full last name was Fernandez-Bront, but everyone chose to forget about the first part. He had dark hair and a dark mustache, and he was a Junior. He had recently turned 21, and he always seemed chipper. He and Aaron had gotten close quickly at the start of this school year.

Bront pulled the bottles from one of the coolers behind him, tucked under the stairs. They each had rhinestone initials: B, M, and J. Bront had industrial-looking black zip ties in his hands.

Brennan's strides were long, but he'd look back occasionally to make sure the two girls were close. But, the last time, he was a second too late.

"Two dates for this is crazy, bro," Bront said to Brennan, pulling him into a conversation over the black-tarped table. "You're gonna be lit."

Upon seeing Maisy scamper past from the corner of his eye, his smile brightened, if possible. More of his bleached white smile revealed itself.

"Your sister still with the basketball girl?" he asked, quiet, as he fiddled with the pack of zip ties.

Every now and then, his Colombian accent became more apparent. Brennan had met his mother once at a game, and she didn't speak much English.

"Yes, Bront," Brennan said, trying to sound firm but too amused by the childish grin Bront bit down.

Their freshman year, before Maisy met Tierra, she had hooked up with Billy Bront. Her brother said Bront was responsible for telling the whole team how hot and cool she was. She figured there could be worse reputations. Bront was annoying sometimes, but harmless.

"Who's the other girl?" he asked, not low enough that anyone near them wouldn't hear. Annoying, but harmless.

"We all went to high school together," Brennan said, after taking a moment to find the words.

Calling Jo his 'sister's roommate' didn't feel right. If it were anyone besides Bront, though, Brennan wouldn't have believed that he hadn't heard of Jo since Aaron joined the team. Although broken up now, as he learned last night, Brennan couldn't keep up with their status. He turned to have Jo introduce herself, but she was gone.

Joana wouldn't have admitted it then, but she was actually excited. Not because she was particularly fond of the idea of having her wrists restrained, worst of all, attached to a huffy-puffy Maisy, but because she found it endearing the way everyone was taking this seriously.

For most people there, this was just some random new soccer team party game but for Jo, it meant something to be able to participate. She'd spent the last year dedicating her free time to studying, and her social life was at an all-time low. In fact, her only real friends at this point were Maisy and Tierra, and she'd never even hung out with Tierra without Maisy before.

Not to mention, the moment her eyes laid upon their trio of bottles, a competitive fuse sparked inside of her.

"Maisy, stay with me okay?" Joana coaxed into her friend's ear as the two followed Brennan, a few steps behind him.

"Joana," Maisy said, a strange calm in her voice.

Her eyes were locked on Tee as she spoke, whose back was turned. And then she smiled.

"Don't you worry about me, okay?"

She grabbed Jo's arm and pulled her close, halting them both in their tracks.

"Tee definitely knew about this. And to not tell me, when I'm basically her wife... for that, she must be punished."

Jo laughed, then straightened her face out upon realizing Maisy was serious.

She was grateful about the zipties suddenly -- it was going to take a lot to reign her friend in. For a self-proclaimed introvert, Maisy had no problem making a scene, and Joana had learnt that the hard way. For now, the best thing she could do was distract her.

"Hey, look, I think I see Billy!"

Maisy didn't turn her head to look. She had an expression on her face like she didn't even know who the guy was, but Joana definitely remembered. Bront was in her environmental science class and she'd been partners with him for multiple labs, and even still... she wasn't sure if she'd ever really had a conversation with him.

And somehow, he'd slept with her best friend.

She still didn't know the full details of it all. Maybe she'd ask about it later. Joana made sure to smile at Bront when they passed him, staring right through his hazel eyes, till she was sure he'd remember her from then on.

They started to work through the crowd.

Joana felt her grip on Maisy's wrist loosen, and all at once, the girl disappeared into the crowd. Joana stopped suddenly, too, feeling people shoving in either direction as they made their way around her.

"Maisy?" she called out. She was struggling to find Brennan too, suddenly. "Brennan?!"

[ourlilcorner]

— 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩. chapter one

series content reminder. alcohol, drugs, & partying · angst · light nsfw/suggestive · college setting · exes · love triangles · swearing & inappropriate language · hazing mentioned · greek life · hookup culture · slow burn · friends to lovers · found family · childhood friends

masterlist | prev chapter | next chapter

chapter one. words: 2.1k

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It was the dead of winter in New England. At their college that was just classified as "medium" in student population, there were two camps of people on a Saturday night.

The first, Brennan assumed, were the type of people that stayed in. They bundled up and couldn't be dragged out of their apartment. He didn't know much about this mindset except that his sister had it for the past month. Well, she claimed to have it these days.

His sister was said to be somewhere across campus with lit candles and a movie playing. Her nine minutes on Earth before he had come along made her "immune to the temptations of youth". That's what Maisy had told him last week, when he asked about her sudden reform from any sort of fun.

Brennan, however, belonged to the second camp. When he told his friends who went to school in the south that he was fifteen minutes from the Canadian border, most of them pictured parkas. The hot basement he frequented beneath the snow, however, had most girls in tube tops and strappy heels. Here on this particular night, he wore a t-shirt with no jacket.

He sat on the high ledge that lined the room. The ex-fraternity property owner had built a wrap-around elevated surface specifically for secret parties hosted by his student renters. The landlord never said this, of course, but the soccer team that lived upstairs happily took the hint during last summer's construction.

People loved to sit on it and look over the party, and Brennan had been perched there for the last few songs. He pulled up a trio of girls who wanted help, and they took selfies beside him. Then, a few with him for their Snapchat stories. He didn't know their names, but they looked as familiar as anyone he saw on the weekends.

Other than that, he was having a moment alone next to one of the speakers. Nothing depressing. He was thinking about his sister, actually, all curled up in her bed as he assumed. And for some reason, he was thinking about her roommate too.

Hardly remembering unlocking the screen, he looked down to the phone in his lap. He had been looking at their texts together, then clicking into the contact picture to try to make it bigger. He didn't think about why, just zooming in. Trying to. It was a picture they'd taken before some high school dance, with only half of Maisy's curls cropped out.

Apparently zooming in didn't work on contact pictures. That, or his phone held a grudge about the can of seltzer someone had poured on it earlier that evening. Brennan had spent a meticulous fifteen minutes with a lysol wipe, but he stuck it in his pocket after it seemed clean.

He was calling her. It was 2 in the morning, and he was calling a girl who was probably volunteering in the morning. While Maisy was a party girl in reform, her best friend Joanna was hardly one at all.

He dove for the "end call" button a few times with his thumb. After his second missed attempt, he brought the phone to his ear and covered the other side of his head with his hand.

"Oh my god, Aaron. How many times do I have to say it...? We're on a break. Stop calling me!"

Joana shouted, before throwing her phone across the bed. She began to scream gibberish into one of the many oddly-shaped throw pillows decorating her friend's bed. The captive this time was jellyfish-shaped. The sheer drama of it all pulled said friend's attention away from her PC screen.

Maisy turned back to see Joana face-planted to her bed, surrounded in various stacks of books, homework, writing utensils, her laptop, and a criminal amount of starburst wrappers. Worst of all, she seemed to be picking up calls from her ex again.

Jo's head rose from the plush jellyfish when her phone buzzed. Before Maisy could say anything, she picked up. But, Joana's eyes were different now, shining a little.

"Thank god, it's you," she said, her tone evening out. "Sorry! I thought you were Aaron."

He didn't know why he called. That's how his brain was working after his night out, at least. He was sure he could find a reason, but alcohol allowed him to care less.

Jo frowned as the phone's speaker picked up on his ambiance. "Where are you? He's not there, is he? "

"Huh?" Brennan said, barely able to hear them. "Aaron's not here."

Brennan hoped that Aaron wasn't calling Jo. Not only because Brennan would be in trouble for calling if they were back together again. Aaron was not supposed to have his phone.

In the class below him, Aaron had been Brennan's soccer teammate since middle school. Brennan didn't mind him, even when he could have a temper on the field. A few times on their travel team in high school, Brennan had defended him in the locker room over an incident.

As far as he knew, Aaron had calmed down since he came to college, at least on the team. He was on the B team as a rookie. Aaron was somewhere in a basement doing pushups, chugging beers, and chanting nonsense as initiation for his promotion to the A team. Jo shouldn't have known all of that, though.

Maisy turned back to her desk upon hearing her brother's voice come through. She shouted over her shoulder: "Call Mom back!"

He hadn't answered Maisy or his mom's texts all day. He had been busy at class and then cleaning and then practice and then the pregame and then being on aux.

"What color are you two wearing tomorrow?" he asked.

By the time he asked this, he had jumped from the perch and made his way outside. He stood near a row of kegs near the fenceline of the house's yard. String lights gave a warm glow in the night, and girls danced atop one of the makeshift stages.

At one of the handmade bars, he saw Aaron serving from behind one of them. If there were rookies, it was their job to serve the parties.

Brennan played around with the taps on the kegs, making sure they were working. Some of his personal responsibilities for the parties were alcohol, music, and general vibes throughout the night.

One of his teammates elbowed him, taunting and asking who he was on the phone with. He mouthed "my sister" and the kid, obviously drunk, started screaming something like "Breannan's sister is a fucking smokeshow".

"You're coming, right Maisy?" he said, louder now than when he was inside.

Two weeks ago, he had asked Maisy to come with him to his team's date party. It was the biggest one of the year because all of the new guys were finally deemed full members of the team's social scene. He told her to bring Jo too if it made her come. Brennan was one of the few guys on the team that could get away with bringing two dates to the event. He organized most of it anyway.

"Yeah, yeah, okay!" his sister called back unenthusiastically. Her eyes were still glued to her computer screen.

Brennan knew this, but Maisy was "so bored" of parties. She had prescribed herself this mindset for this semester, but it wasn't a total lie.

One of Maisy's first memories was hiding in the pantry during one of the Coffays' almost-weekly get-togethers. Brennan had come to find her and bring her back, but ended up staying in there with her upon seeing his sister distraught. Still, Maisy couldn't ever say no to him.

"Mom came by with dresses for us," she added, "She was thinking emerald."

Jo rolled over so that she was flat on her back. She hadn't even seen the dresses.

As excited as she wanted to be, the anxious cocktail brewing in her stomach was relentless. Despite the fact that she had more work piling up at her sides than she could fathom, her mind was consumed by only one source of stress: Aaron hadn't called yet this week. The thoughts came to her all at once and she let out an audible groan.

Maisy sighed, finally turning around, and picking up Jo's phone.

"Brennan, please, I think it's actually time for a fucking intervention. I really don't think I can take another 3am meltdown--"

Joana snatched the phone back and glared at her friend.

"I'm fine. No meltdown here! I was actually right on my way out!"

She stood up, marched out of Maisy's room, shut the door, and then stood there, unsure where to go. She didn't want to go back to bed -- she wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. A waste of time. Jo needed something, anything, to break the thick trance that school had her in at the moment. She was tired of being tired all of the time: tired and bored.

"Hey Brennan, I'm back. Sorry... about that..." Joana laughed, feeling nervous now, as if the two of them were alone in a room together now.

"Your sister's a jerk," she said.

But they both knew, Maisy meant a lot to Jo. She wasn't sure how she'd get by without her. Childhood friends, and practically sisters, they were in each other's lives for good.

"Can I come by? Or, do you want to come over? Or... I don't know. It's late. It's okay if you're tired."

Before responding, Brennan flicked his eyes up at Aaron who was pouring liquor into the shot glasses superglued to an old ski. Four girls huddled around the bar, excited to take them.

One thing no one needed right now was Jo in the same room as a drunk, freshly traumatized Aaron. He didn't know if he would scream at her or fall back into her arms from the stress, but he wasn't a fan of either option. Maisy and him had discussed this.

There was one problem with being Social Chair for the team; he couldn't leave until the party closed down. Especially not with the drunk rookies running around, threatening to get everyone in trouble.

"I'm surprised you're awake," Brennan said.

For the first year of college, when Jo and Maisy were shoved into a dorm, Brennan saw her more often asleep than not. Every time he went to see Maisy, Jo was napping midday or asleep for the night by six.

"Are you gonna make it tomorrow? It starts at 8," he said. He gave a laugh, gentler than the one that the boys usually got. "I know that's past your bedtime."

Jo said something that became inaudible to him under the noise of the chaos he strolled toward. He rounded the corner of the building to the narrow strip of yard where the rookies were letting people in. As one of the new guys caught his eye, Brennan knew he would be roped in.

"Gotta go. Get some sleep. Text me what you like to drink," he said into the phone before shoving it in his pocket.

Next thing he knew, he was pulling an outrageously tall man off of one of his teammates.

"Bro, he was touching my girl," the teammate said, still trying to swing at him.

"He's fucking twenty-six," one of the rookies yelled. "Who let this guy in?"

They couldn't call the cops, like, ever. Not with a bunch of drunk 19-year-olds filling their basement. In situations like this, the team tended to look toward their captains, even off the field. Brennan was a junior captain and social chair. Close enough.

Before Jo could feel her heart sink, the call had ended, and she was alone in the dark hallway. She considered going back into Maisy's room, but she also wanted to give her friend a break.

These days, she could only sleep in Maisy's room or out in the living room. Something about her own room made her feel lonely, as if the door to her bedroom might lock her in permanently.

Joana was sad she didn't have some excuse to spirit her night away, especially with Brennan, but also relieved she might be able to wake up tomorrow somewhat well-rested.

She figured Brennan had better things to do than see her in the middle of the night. He could be talking to one of the gorgeous girls that surrounded him, or getting wasted (though she knew deep down that wasn't his style). She could name a million things that were more fun than spending an evening witnessing her awkwardness.

In an effort to distract herself from thinking too much about it, Jo texted Aaron. She watched for the bubbles to pop up that indicated he was typing, or some sign he had even read her message. But, nothing.

She sighed, threw herself onto the couch, and shut her eyes.

Joana woke up hours later, and it was already morning. Her phone buzzed.

Aaron had replied. 

[ourlilcorner]

— 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩

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authors' notes.

We struggle with perfectionism. We're working on that. At the time of posting the first chapter, we have ~30k words. 

I went to college for writing, was a writing tutor for years, and have spent hours editing every syllable of a third draft. Oftentimes, I find myself missing the freedom of writing in 2013--just silly stories on anonymous fan-fiction sites. Art, for me, is best enjoyed when it's lighthearted and doesn't take itself too seriously. So, I (and Venus) offer you the passion project we've been tinkering with since February 2024.

We each have complete creative control over a few of the characters (Venus- Joana, Minnie - Aimee and Brennan, for example), but we've worked a lot with building characters and relationships together for this project. Characters such as Maisy, T, Billy Bront, Cody, and Aaron are written by both authors. We hope you enjoy the blend of our voices in creating many of our settings, scenes, and characterizations. 

- 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒, Minnie

Echoing Minnie, I respect writing so much as a craft, but more than anything, I wanted to take part in a project where we set aside the technicalities and focus on the love. We're writing this story because we love it and we're having fun, and I hope that our enthusiasm and passion translates. These characters started as a thought, an amalgamation of our favorite tropes and characteristics, and I'm so happy to see them fleshed out into human beings we might all see a piece of ourselves in. 

- yours truly, Venus

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

dedication.

to... our college experiences !

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the masterlist.

[ourlilcorner]

— 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩. 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

— 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭

alcohol, drugs, & partying · angst · light nsfw/suggestive · college setting · exes · love triangles · swearing & inappropriate language · hazing mentioned · greek life · hookup culture · slow burn · friends to lovers · found family · childhood friends

— 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐱

authors' note one two three four five

— 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

the friends | main characters reference side cast reference

— 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬

the places | living arrangements & settings playlist masterlist wattpad