Like a supernova

he  nodded  ,  thankful  for  her  attempt  to  make  him  feel  better  .  she  had  her  own  stories  about  siblings  ,  but  he  was  sure  he  could  top  anything  she  tried  to  say  about  lizzie  .  the  salvatore  brothers  were  doomed  from  the  start  ,  stefan’s  life  only  proving  any  theory  that  they  couldn’t  be  brothers  .  ‘‘  damon  —–  he’s  different  .  he  likes  to  hold  grudges  over  things  he  should  but  then  assume  that  you’ll  save  his  as  when  he  puts  his  nose  where  it  doesn’t  belong  .  ’’  he  said  with  a  sigh  ,  taking  a  large  bite  out  of  his  cookie  ,  nodding  to  show  josie  that  it  was  indeed  delicious  .  ‘‘  new  super  squad  ?  really  weird  ,  although  what  exactly  would  a  super  squad  do  in  the  afterlife  ?’’

there  is  a  sigh  of  jealousy  ,  although  deep  down  ronnie  is  aware  that  she’s  grateful  she  wasn’t  given  siblings  .  she  wouldn’t  wish  that  upbringing  upon  anyone  .  ‘‘  nope  ,  lone  kid  over  here  .  i’m  sure  you  could  tell  .  people  tend  to  blame  my  spoiled  nature  on  being  an  only  child  but  i’m  sure  i  would  have  been  spoiled  either  way  .  ’’  she  mused  with  a  shrug  ,  smiling  towards  the  other  as  they  began  to  walk  in  unison  .  she  wasn’t  sure  where  they  were  heading  but  it  was  nice  to  have  company  with  someone  who  wasn’t  mentally  hating  themselves  for  being  around  veronica  .  ‘‘  most  of  the  schools  i  looked  at  were  in  new  york  .  i  grew  up  there  &  i  didn’t  have  much  —-  reason  to  stay  where  i  was  .  fashion  doesn’t  consist  of  book  smarts  ,  &  i  was  never  the  best  with  school  .  ’’

as  she’s  looking  at  him  ,  she  can’t  but  question  if  any  of  her  siblings  were  the  same  .  would  her  brothers  have  become  less  aggressive  ?  would  they  have  forgotten  about  her  or  how  she  had  to  step  up  to  take  care  of  them  at  a  young  age  ?  were  they  provided  a  home  that  was  better  than  the  disaster  she  was  handed  before  she  was  forced  behind  bars  for  providing  ?  shaking  her  head  slightly  to  clear  her  mind  ,  she  nodded  for  him  to  follow  as  she  entered  the  green  house  .  ‘‘  you’ll  find  more  lilies  &  things  outside  but  there’s  a  girl  who  works  here  that  enjoys  these  .  ’’  jamie  commented  as  she  stopped  in  front  of  a  large  area  within  the  greenhouse  that  was  designated  for  succulent  plants  .  ‘‘  it’s  a  lot  of  work  but  it  can  be  rewarding  &  if  your  aunt  enjoyed  things  as  such  —  you’re  welcome  to  help  out  .  ’’  she  mused  ,  finally  looking  at  peter  with  a  hint  of  a  smile  tugging  at  her  lips  .  ‘‘  just  don’t  fork  anything  up  .  my  plants  don’t  die  .  ’’

‘‘  strange  but  it  would  work  well  .  ’’  beck  commenting  ,  finally  pulling her  gaze  away  from  the  book  shelf  that  was  tall  enough  to  go  through  the  roof  of  the  library  back  home  .  ‘‘  people  wouldn’ t  even  see  it  as  torture  ,  which  would  be  the  point  .  ’’  she  said  with  a  shrug  of  her  shoulder  with  a  smile  on  her  lips  .  ‘‘  some  classics  are  named  such  but  don’t  live  up  to  the  hype  .  i  never  enjoyed  wuthering  heights  -  i  found  the  main  characters  incredibly  stubborn  for  no  reason  .  ’’

                    turning  her  head  towards  the  other  ,  she  couldn’t  help  but  let  out  a  chuckle  at  the  question  .  ‘‘  no  ,  just  general  curiosity  .  think  it  would  be  a  torture  mechanism  if  we  were  restricted  to  one  author  ,  with  all  these  books  to  tease  .  ’’  she  hummed  ,  turning  back  towards  the  books  that  lined  the  walls  with  a  smile  on  her  lips  .  this  was  probably  the  one  place  she  felt  safe  in  the  good  place  .  ‘‘  good  choice  ,  i’d  probably  go  with  margaret  atwood  —-  or  agatha  christie  .  there’s  some  good  classics  there  .  ’’

                    there  was  something  about  the  good  place  that  didn’t  sit  right  with  jamie  .  not  only  was  she  still  debating  on  the  system  that  managed  to  think  she  deserved  to  be  here  just  as  much  as  those  around  her  -  but  it  also  seemed  too  good  .  wouldn’t  things  begin  to  blend  together  if  you  could  do  whatever  you  wanted  for  centuries  ?  ‘‘  she  have  a  specific  plant  she  liked  to  garden  ?  ’’  she  asked  ,  tilting  her  head  to  the  side  ,  wondering  if  she  could  help  in  some  way  .  ‘‘  gardening  takes  up  a  lot  of  your  time  .  especially  if  you’re  planting  those  that  need  consistent  watering  .  ’’

                    ‘‘  you  have  a  sister  ?  hm  ,  feel  as  though  i  must  meet  her  when  her  —–  time  is  up  .  ’’  she  said  ,  trying  to  figure  out  a  proper  way  to  say  when  she  dies  .  never  seemed  like  there  was  a  nice  way  to  look  forward  to  meeting  new  people  .  ‘‘  oh  ?  you  like  this  ?  merci  ,  mon  ami  .  not  a  designer  ,  although  i  do  have  a  keen  eye  for  fashion  .  was  looking  into  fashion  schools  prior  to  my  —–  passing  .  ’’

“You’re absolutely right!” Annie exclaims and nods vigorously. For a person like herselfㅡwho enjoyed organizing her to-do lists before going to bed every nightㅡfree time was rare, because she usually had so many things to do and also because she often pushed herself to the limit before giving herself a break. “It does feel weird to not have anything to do.”

Josie’s offer makes Annie hop in joy. “I would love to try out whatever recipes you have!” She says, her eyes ablaze with eagerness and fists balled with determination. “If you want, we can start now. I literally have nothing to do today.”

                    he  didn’t  have  to  hear  her  question  his  state  ,  the  look  on  her  face  was  enough  of  a  question  .  she  was  caroline’s  daughter  -  whether  it  was  biological  or  not  ,  she  managed  to  take  up  a  lot  of  caroline’s  traits  .  ‘‘  damon  drama  .  ’’  he  finally  said  ,  only  giving  up  the  gist  of  what  was  on  his  mind  -  not  that  he  had  finally  remembered  how  his  brother  left  him  for  queen  bitch  after  they  transitioned  .  ‘‘  chocolate  &  orange  ?  ’’  he  asked  ,  looking  at  the  cookies  that  were  handed  towards  him  before  shrugging  .  ‘‘  it’s  the  good  place  ,  can’t  be  shirt  ,  right  ?  you  wanna  sit  ?  i  can  try  to  be  what  is  categorized  as  good  company  .  ’’  he  said  in  hopes  that  it  came  off  as  a  joke  .

HERMIONE  HAD  FULLY  EXPECTED  her  to  agree  with  her  statement,  or  even  laugh,  much  like  her  classmates  did  while  she  was  in  school.  so  she’s  almost  surprised  when  the  words  that  come  from  her  mouth  aren’t  immediately  laced  with  malice.  “  yes,  exactly  that.  this  place  is  just  so  .  .  .  strange.  not  in  a  bad  way,  but  i  just  never  believed  a  place  like  this  existed  before  arriving  here.  it’s  just  mostly  curiosity.  ”  that  and,  she’s  suspicious  of  the  fact  that  there  may  be  an  ulterior  motive  in  play,  but  it  was  too  soon  to  divulge  that  theory.  “  are  you  much  of  a  reader  ?  ”

 as  the  item  is  placed  onto  their  palm  ,  arya’s  eyes  dart  to  those  around  her  who  have  accepted  it  before  them.  they  see  approving  nods  ,  big  bites  and  smiles.  it  puts  arya  more  at  ease  as  they  focus  back  on  the  woman  who’s  made  the  offering.  they  take  a  bite  and  are  rather  stunned  by  the  taste  and  the  texture.  “it’s  hard.”  arya  is  familiar  with  baked  goods.  not  the  sweet  kind  ,  but  biscuits  and  bread  were  staples  in  the  castle  growing  up.  in  those  times  ,  arya  was  much  too  young  to  use  the  coals  and  fires  to  assist  their  mother.  they  are  distant  memories  now  ,  and  besides  ,  sugar  was  only  reserved  for  the  wealthiest  of  the  wealthiest.

A bashful smile turns the corner of Annie’s lipsㅡwhich had been pulled into a tense line for too longㅡin response to Peter’s uplifting words. “Party planning can be stressful sometimes, but it pays off when I see other people have a good time.”

“You know what? Since you’ve been a wonderful guest this evening, I’m gonna let you in on a special treat.” She hums as she takes Peter towards the kitchen after doing her routine snack bowl check. Her eyes gleam with excitement when she opens the big cabinet above the microwave that she has literally kept under lock and key just in case. “Take whatever you want. I overprepared as usual anyway.” She muses as she gestures towards the heaps of snacks inside the cabinet.

Coincidentally, as soon as Peter mentions the items broken tonight, excitement in the room surges unexpectedly after the sound of glass being ominously shattered. Annie’s teeth sink into her lower lip when she turns her head towards the scene of the crime. However, her arms, which were tightly crossed before, relax when she discovers that the victim was yet another lamp. “Yeah, for some reason people broke a lot of lighting tonight. You know, lightbulbs, lamps…” She mutters after a long exasperated sigh. “Next party, I’m gonna make people bring their own flashlights or something.”

“Don’t worry about me. This isn’t my first rodeo. The stressed out version of me that you saw earlier was a slight hiccup.” Annie reassures Peter as she reaches inside the snack cabinet to grab something for herself and leans against the kitchen counter.

“What about you?” He asked, head falling to the side as he did so. “Are you having a good time? It only seems fair, if everyone else is and you aren’t - it seems like something is wrong.” If she was the one putting all the effort in, she should have been the one who got the most rewards from it. 

Following behind her, he couldn’t help but smile at how much more at ease she seemed now. Eyes darting up towards the cabinet as she opened it. “Are you sure?” He knew it was easy enough to refill your cabinets in the good place, but it still felt right to double check before you took something of someone else’s. “I’m sure what you put out is more than enough. I promise I’m not about to make toast or something equally as random.” 

His stomach sank at the commotion, eyes darting to her face to see how upset she was. “A flashlight party does sound fun.” He offered however weakly, before his tone became a little more sure of itself. “Actually.... It doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Even better if people bring glowsticks as well, get all different types of lights. Like a strange light system.” 

“ that is a clever way of looking at it. ” she mused softly. but still when she first arrived here she didn’t quite believe that it was possible. she didn’t know what she believed because for the longest time she was all about science and there was nothing about science that pointed towards a life like this. though when she did get here she had hoped that her mother would at least be here and she could see her once more, that did make it easier. “ you were brave to step in knowing that it could lead to the end of your life. there aren’t many people that would do that. ” shifting slightly she turned more towards the kid and smiled softly. she had no problem telling her story but she did get quite emotional when she thought about who she left behind. “ it was a plane crash for me. i was a surgical intern in seattle. a group of us got on a plane to go and help another hospital with a certain surgery for a set of twins. there were six of us, we were like a family. the others tried to save me but deep down i knew they couldn’t. i don’t really know who all made it home but as you can see i did not. ”

“sort of just one. it’s complicated, and i’m not very good with it all since i died soon after learning i was a fairy in the first place.” bloom wished she knew more, and she considered asking kimmy for books about her world. but then it made her miss her friends and that ache was just too strong. “i died saving the school i was going to from those creatures. i wish i had been able to find out more, but i feel like they were being controlled by someone.”

                    opening  her  mouth  ,  ronnie  was  ready  to  tear  a  new  one  for  the  person  that  managed  to  interrupt  her  ,  as  if  she  hadn’t  thought  of  whatever  the  other  was  attempting  to  state  —–  but  then  she  heard  the  words  &  quickly  shut  her  mouth  .  how  the  heck  did  she  not  think  of  that  ?  she  could  be  sporting  her  own  personal  pearls  that  she  would  know  if  someone  took  .  ‘‘  you’re  —-  ’’  she  paused  ,  tilting  her  head  slightly  .  ‘‘  we’re  friends  now  .  ’’  she  stated  ,  linking  her  arm  with  josie’s  .

                    taking  a  deep  breath  ,  she  allowed  her  arms  to  loosen  from  their  crossed  state  against  her  stomach  ,  head  shaking  from  side  to  side  .  ‘‘  no  ,  i  was  just  getting  some  air  before  bed  —-  if  i  decide  to  go  to  bed  .  ’’  she  mused  .  it  wasn’t  that  she  didn’t  want  to  sleep  ,  but  the  more  she  tried  ,  the  harder  it  would  become  or  she  would  struggle  with  night  terrors  .  it  was  the  good  place  ,  so  why  was  she  struggling  with  nightmares  ?  to  hell  to  whoever  said  they’d  sleep  when  they  were  dead  .  looking  at  him  ,  jamie  allowed  him  to  go  on  his  slight  rant  ,  nodding  her  head  to  show  him  that  she  was  listening  -  although  having  to  remind  herself  to  actually  listen  as  he  talked  .  she  was  not  much  of  a  socializer  ,  which  anyone  in  the  good  place  could  see  .  ‘‘  can’t  say  that  i  experience  the  same  with  you  —-  during  the  day  that  is  .  although  i  spend  most  time  with  my  plants  ,  so  the  night  can  be  —-  calming  ,  which  i’m  sure  is  the  point  you  were  getting  to  .  ’’  she  said  as  she  sighed  .  ‘‘  why  the  gardens  ,  then  ?  haven’t  seen  you  before  around  here  .  ’’

OPEN  STARTER  FROM  GUINEVERE  BECK (  @selectedhq-starters​  )

                    if  anyone  asked  her  what  she  imagined  the  good  place  to  be  like  ,  it  would  be  this  .  surrounded  by  endless  books  on  shelves  ,  perfectly  sorted  by  genre  ,  their  bindings  in  tact  without  one  inch  of  misplace  .  she  wanted  to  feel  overwhelmed  but  she  couldn’t  ,  she  couldn’t  even  bare  to  take  her  eyes  off  the  books  that  were  just  drawing  her  in  .  slim  fingers  reach  up  to  lightly  brush  against  bindings  of  a  few  novels  ,  a  faint  smile  on  her  lips  as  if  the  books  were  whispering  a  secret  to  her  .  she  heard  them  behind  her  ,  although  she  couldn’t  really  bring  herself  to  care  if  she  was  in  the  way  .  ‘‘  if  you  had  to  read  one  author  for  the  rest  of  eternity  —–  who  would  it  be  ?  ’’  she  asked  the  unknown  person  behind  her  .