#anyway if you're in Seattle and thinking about getting your name changed... do it!

[nothorses]

there is a judge in Seattle who does the weekly name change hearings, and who says it's her favorite part of the week. she says she doesn't read out previous names, or ask about the reasons why people want to change them. she says it's a beautiful moment, and a celebration; a claiming of a new identity, or a reclamation of an old identity. she encourages the room to clap for folks. then she welcomes everyone up, one by one, by last name and with warmth; she shows them the court order where nobody else can see, asks them to double check the spelling, and then they're done! do they want a picture? do they want their friends and loved ones who came with them to be in it too? do they want the court order in the photo? she helps everyone pose, shakes hands and stands with them for as long as they need to take it, recruits the clerk for help taking photos of the folks who came alone. then she tells them where to go next, congratulates them, and claps along with the rest of the room.

probably three quarters of the people there were trans, and she centered their experience quietly, with love and joy.

I think I'll be thinking about her a lot this January, and for a long time after. it's good to know she's there.

[fabdante]

Hey there Fab! I recently saw on the concept art for Delsin (InFamous) that his og vest logo was apparently a self-made logo design for his band! Considering you have that DMC Grunge AU fic I LOVE- I was wondering if you had any band headcanons for the Infamous kids! Fine if not of course- I just thought you’d be THE person to ask if so- haha! Have a good one! ;D

In coming long post because I got to talk about grunge asdfghjkl

I will be honest I completely missed that the concept art said Delsin had a band and I love this so much asdfghj he should have a band they're right he's so close to Seattle its only correct!!

I feel like Delsin would be an interesting singer and I could definitely see him self taught on guitar or drums, perhaps both. This is ironically keeping in a lot of grunge tradition were a non zero amount of frontmen also were drummers before winding up being the frontmen of the band (kurt and layne come to mind as the two big examples). He seems like the kind of guy who'd have learned music via listening to music and copying it. It probably helps that me and my GF when we were doing Second Son stuff came up with some ideas about the parents Rowe and saw them as the type who always had music playing in their house (especially their mother).

I think he'd gravitate to a punkier sound. Lots of noises and loudness. He strikes me as having a very similar experience to many of us grunge kids which is this desperate 'ok if this is hard rock I want something harder i want something louder i want something with more screaming' which would motivate a lot of his musical performance asdfghjk

He also does strike me as the kind of guy who's been trying since middle school to get a band together asdfghj like he thought the idea was cool. I do think the game is trying to suggest to us that he's into grunge and alt also and knowing the grass roots, local origins of stuff like the grunge movement I imagine that'd be inspiring to a baby Delsin. Like you're suddenly finding all this cool alt music that became like culture changing AND it's from your own backyard? Like of course he wants to start a band.

I think this also brings in another love of mine which is contemporary indigenous music. It's no secret I am a big lover of what indigenous folk are doing in the music scene and I'd love to see the way Delsin would mix that culture with the spirit of the Seattle musical history, particularly because I mean those ideas are not mutually exclusive. There's also a lot of history to the music of the various Salish people (as the Akomish are a fabrication of the game and I can't really narrow down Delsins specific tribe further then just broadly Salish, though I suppose the closest two options are the Suquamish and Duwamish, the people who's land Seattle was built upon and is named after). Particularly because if the band was formed before the game this would imply that it's likely all local people Delsin knew from Salmon Bay reservation where we start the game, so it'd be a bunch of indigenous kids.

This cultural element is one I wish the game touched on more but also at the same time...I don't know, it was clearly one I don't think this specific group of developers was particularly prepared to handle any deeper then they did so I'm not quite sure what the better option was here.

Anyway that was a side tangent asdfghjkl I do quite like the idea of Delsin fronting a band and writing his own music and playing little local shows, following the noble tradition of Seattles alt scene. (It'd be who of me to mention also that grunge itself DID come from the lack of a touring scene in Seattle at the time! Like punk and metal bands didn't really show up to the area so they did it themselves which is cool and something I think that would also be some motivation for Delsin because I cannot imagine Salmon Bay has a lot of access to seeing live, alternative, music particularly with the dramatic rising of ticket prices. They'd be dependent on the local music scene, I think, which Delsin I think would like to be a part of)

I'm sorry this is all over the place asdfghjk

Anyway those are my Delsin thoughts.

Fetch has good riot girl vibes, good screaming girl music vibes. She seems like the type of girl who should be in a girl band. If I were to make a band AU I think it would start with her and Delsin in opposing bands. I don't know why they have silly little beef but it'd be silly, low stakes. Perhaps they just keep getting booked at the same venues. Perhaps they gossiped about each other and found out. But they'd get along eventually asdfghjk (perhaps battle of the bands AU 👀)

Eugene I think has it in him to be a good producer, a good sound editor type of guy. Maybe he moonlights as a DJ with a very big mask to hide his identity or makes his own electronic mixes he posts on sound cloud that do numbers online asdfghjkl

Reggie...Reggie does not like Delsins music asdfghj Reggie is a classic rock, dad rock, kinda guy. He likes more relaxed vibes. He doesn't understand it, it's too loud dfghjk but he supports Delsin expressing himself in manors that don't deface public property by default. He will go to shows and he will only complain in his own head.

Also, as we can imply from the Heart-Shaped Box closer, I like to think Delsin is a man after my own heart and likes Nirvana so I hope he gets to go to the bridge in Aberdeen and perhaps leave a small little doodle or something

for anyone unaware, Aberdeen contains The Bridge tm from Something in the Way, Young Street Bridge, which has become a sort of important memorial sight for Nirvana diehards. It's covered in graffiti like this:

I just think it'd be fun for him idk perhaps I'm projecting I want to see the bridge

These are all of my InFamous Second Son music thoughts asdfghjk I hope you enjoyed

[ramyeonprettyboy]

ENHYPEN 4:20 HEADCANNONS

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my debut on here and honestly? Please allow the right collective of engene to find me and bmf <3 my name is october, I'm a mlm, neurodivergent, poc engene and I like writing dumb stuff and sappy things I'll hopefully experience (or maybe not it depends on my mood when I write)

DISCLAIMER: My word is NOT law, so please don't interpret this as me claiming the members smoke! This is lighthearted fun because yeah. If you don't like this content, please leave! <3

THIS CONTENT CONTAINS lots of w33d mentions, messily listed stupidity tbh.

Heeseung

Smokes most frequently!!

Has never affected his vocals, he's too powerful.

Collects goofy ahh pieces.

Minions in superhero costumes, my singing monster looking abominations, yeah that stuff

"Hey look what I can do" and they all watch him do a ghost for the 50th time that day

I think his smoke setup would be 10x better than his gaming setup and that is saying SOMETHING

Probably likes hybrid strains because he's a a libra (from a libra)

Has greened out a few times, Jay has lectured him both times.

"You're a great example of everything not to do." -Jay Park of Seattle

Jay

Sentenced to rolling purgatory.

Has not been the same man since

"Jay you roll it better"

My boy has a hookah.

Rolls hella fast

The one and only Stoner Ni-Ki Anti

Indica.

Recreational use is NOT self medication shut up Samantha, you try working under HYBE.

Will sometimes open a window and play a little tune between smoking.

Would NEVER let ashes come close to his guitars though.

Hookah <3

Jake

Cotton mouth FEARS this man.

Coughs while lighting and genuinely thinks he's slick asf

"Wait, you guys also smoke?"

Was the dead last to learn everyone else smoked.

Likely knew about Hee and Hoon, but was def shocked at Jungwon.

Dab pen enthusiast

Death by blinker tho

Sativa

Bro drooling on the blunt

Has a sesh playlist, there is definitely lana del rey on it.

Bought everyone lighters that matched their mic colors

The munchies have hit, it is midnight, and tears will be shed until my boy gets a cosmic brownie, some bugles, and a big gulp from 7-eleven, I don't make the rules

Sunghoon

Bong.

He's a princess and takes eddies around others

Jake has thoroughly moistened the blunt. hoon's in fear. (I'm sorry)

Doesn't really like blunts that much anyways

But at home?

Takes rips like a champ

Highest tolerance.

Highest tolerance?!

Sativa

Has cute lil aesthetic bongs

Don't touch his bongs.

Sometimes takes an edible and just stares at the wall.

LOVES Sunoo's eddies :3

They have stared at the same corner of the room and laughed for ten minutes over it.

Sunoo

Not a fan of smoking in general, only really smokes with the others on occasion.

He is the edible man.

Gummies, tea, cookies, brownies, ANYTHING.

Hates tobacco smoke

Bring out the rose wraps for this DIVA

discovered them and they changed his life

Traded hoon a plate of eddies for his pinterest-ahh-heart-shaped-bong (that I want violently) and a half ounce of smoke

Sativa, he smokes and gets productive

Indica for nights when Ni-Ki hitting that damn punching bag.

He's seriously a diva though, has one of those rings that hold your damn blunt.

stoner fingers have never met him.

Jungwon

That one scary guy who can eyeball amounts almost perfectly.

Please let me imagine Jungwon shotgun

No yeah it's a pleasant thought, you should try it sometime.

"Guys do I smell?" when everyone in the room is on mars

Baby we don't know what a smell IS rn

Originally said Sativa but I see more hybrid for him.

He is leading a tribe and needs light to guide his way.

That light being the spark of his lighter in the living room <3

"Do I look high?" and then he stares into your soul

His eyes (only ;p) get red as shit, glazed like a damn donut.

Asks the weird questions that make the others truly questions if he's a human entity or not

Ni-Ki

"I was gonna go to class, before I got high." - Nishimura Riki

Jay said Ni-Ki couldn't smoke until he was 19, Ni-Ki took it as a challenge.

Successfully hid it for MONTHS after Jay announced it and took a big ass blinker the first time he saw him as a 19-year-old.

There was no surprise, not much disappointment.

Cannot skip a blinker checkpoint and NEVER WILL

Ni-Ki now has a generous collection of cart batteries for gits n shiggles.

Sunoo's eddy test subject

pink tie dye or purple tie dye lookah bear

maybe both

drops the blunt a lot

fire hazard nishimura <3

thank you! <3

[autisticprentiss]

Sleepover

Emily Prentiss X reader, part 2/?

Reader cats are named after my rats lol

/ Thursday 8th, 11:45pm. Seattle / 

It strikes Emily as quietly domestic, sitting in bed next to each other, doing your own thing on your tablets in companionable silence. 

She checks her watch and discovers it's almost midnight again, and reaches down to pull her tablet on the charger. You see her starting to move out of the corner of your eye and follow suit, leaning over Emily to place your tablet next to hers on the nightstand. 

Emily basically manhandles you into the same spooning position you started in last night,smiling as she pulls and tugs at you until she's comfortable. You don't think you can get more comfortable than being in her arms, anyway she wants you. 

Emily breaks the silence, "You think it's bad that I like cuddling you more than Sergio?" 

You laugh and shake your head slightly, "Nope, unless I wake up with you headbutting me because you're hungry, I think I prefer you over my cat too." 

"You have a cat too?" She asks.

You nod, "I have two, they stay with my neighbours while we're away." 

"What are their names?" 

"The oldest is Janeway, she's almost 10." You pause at the look Emily's giving you, she stares at you, before laughing, "Janeway? You nerd."

"Hey!" You exclaim, "She's a very well respected captain. Asimov is 4, I call her 'Azi' mostly. They were both strays that claimed me as their human not long after I moved to D.C." 

"Janeway and Asimov." Emily shakes her head,  she's smiling, "Does Reid know he has nerd competition?" 

You roll your eyes, and turn yourself back onto your side, body tucked into Emily's. 

"Goodnight, Em."

Tonight you fall asleep first, Emily's fingers tracing a figure 8 on your arm lulling you into a peaceful sleep. 

Only once she's very very sure you're asleep, does Emily change her pattern to hearts, a small, invisible, expression of her growing feelings for you, an attempt to acknowledge those feelings silently, but still outside the privacy of her mind. 

When she'd invited you to share her bed last night, it had been an impulse, no thought given to her crush on you but it was becoming undeniable, and Emily is sure when the team returns to Quantico Penelope will see right through her and double down her efforts to convince Emily to ask you out. 

Emily tries to push the thoughts from her mind, forces herself to breathe evenly and falls asleep. 

In her dream, Emily gently headbutts your shoulder a couple times until you stir, laughing at her and turning to face her. 

"I'm hungry." She whines with a smirk. 

"You're not actually a cat, you can get up and get your own food." You try to tuck yourself back into her body, but Emily pushes your shoulder down, until you're on your back and she's hovering above you, hands next to your head.

"Maybe what I want to eat is already in bed with me." 

/ 2:22am /

Suddenly you're awake, the bed shakes with the force of Emily sitting up.

"Bad dream?" You ask. 

She mumbles something and nods slightly, her eyes look heavy. You pull her back down under the blanket and into you, making her the little spoon and hoping it might help her feel safe enough to fall back asleep. 

You both fall back asleep quickly, Emily's 'bad dream' temporarily forgotten as she melts into you. 

/ 7:30am / 

Emily's been avoiding eye contact with you all morning, she turned the small TV on almost as soon as you both woke up, the news the only thing stopping the room from drowning in silence. 

You glance at her again, she's pulling her boots on and you figure you have to ask now before she leaves the room and you both get swept up in the case details again. 

"Do you wanna talk about it?" 

Emily finally looks up at you, and for the first time in a while, you actually find eye contact comforting instead of stressful.

"Talk about what?"

"Your bad dream? It can help to talk it out," You've had plenty of bad dreams yourself, and while you've never talked about them you've always appreciated when someone offers to listen.

Emily shakes her head, her shoulders relaxing slightly from how she's had her whole body tensed, on edge and jumpy all morning. 

"It wasn't really a bad dream," She clocks your disbelief before you can school your face into a neutral expression, "More like a jumpscare really." 

You just nod, knowing she's not telling you the whole truth, and follow her out the door to the lobby for another day of crime fighting. 

/ 

[biganimal92]

so we went to the dealership to see what the trade-in value for the honda was and it ended up being just enough for us to justify getting this prius we were looking at because it was at a good price and we'd been talking about wanting to get a new car anyway (specifically a prius) for a number of reasons. and i was excited to start driving it because it's a pretty modern car and it has tinted windows and basically i feel fancy in it even though it's from 2016 and it has 160k miles on it so we went on an afternoon road trip along the kitsap peninsula and we got to see cool views of the mountains and we stopped at a cidery and it felt like i was a wealthy englishperson spending an afternoon in the quaint countryside or perhaps a bitch in mondstadt going to go fuck around with diluc (only real genshinheads will get this sick reference)

and during the car ride my girlfriend brought up an article she was reading about this annoying fuckhead who was talking about how chicago (his hometown) is better than seattle for really immature and personal reasons and not because of anything objective, and no the person who wrote this article wasn't patrick stump it was some other dickhead. he was talking about how he hates scenery and seeing the mountains because they're too hard to physically get to because you have to plan a big weekend-long trip and having kids makes that complicated. and how chicago is better because the forests are easier to get to and he knows the names of all the local birds and flora but in seattle it's all just second-growth douglas fir. and like do you see what i mean about this article just sounding childish

anyway i'm not #blogging about this one idiot just to rag on him but the point that i made to girlfriend is that he sounded very much like he was miserable living in seattle for a number of factors but instead of recognizing that they were internal, he blamed the environment he was in instead of trying to accept that it was a big change from what he was used to and trying to change along with it. or trying to put forth the effort to be able to go out and see the mountains because we are literally like 2 hours away from both the cascades to the east and the olympics to the west and it's really not hard to get to either of them at all. there are plenty of local birds that aren't just crows or seagulls or pigeons, either, and there's LITERALLY AN ARBORETUM IN THE CITY THAT'S NOT DIFFICULT TO GET TO!!!!! there is SO MUCH nature that's accessible and diverse but the thing is that you have to PUT FORTH THE EFFORT to be able to see it

and i had this realization to myself while i was expressing this to my girlfriend that when you're miserable, it's so so easy to give into the cynical thinking your brain wants to spiral in. "it's not that i'm frustrated by the limitations of my job or my family, it's because those silly mountains are taunting me!" "it's not that i'm refusing to put forth the effort to adapt to my new environment, it's that this current environment is boring and uninteresting compared to what i'm used to!" and i have a huge headache right now so i won't go into the specifics of it but i was thinking about how this impacts My thinking and how I'm a victim of this cynicism

like it boiled down to there being meaning and history and purpose and life through anything if you're just willing to put forth the effort to find it and i think part of why i'm as depressed as i am is because i feel like capitalism removes humanity from people and that's why you get people saying "mountains are stupid because it's not easy for me to get to them"

[fenmere]

Sponsors

(Chapter 10 of Crime-Cat and the Deliverator) You're so busy thinking about how persistent corporations have been post World War III, looking over the shoulder of this "hero", marveling at how Twitch is still a thing in this wasteland of a planet while the U.S. Government is not, that you barely register that your spouse, Crime-Cat has said, "Oh, Honey, no."

You look over.

They're assisting a fellow villain. Someone new to T.A.L.O.N. You recall that his name is Unwolf.

A strange name, but it does sound like it would have been intimidating to the last generation before the war.

It had taken some time for Seattle to rebuild after being nearly demolished in a super powered global slugfest. And now, this asshole with a phone had destroyed four entire blocks of new buildings while trying to find and stamp you out, specifically.

You feel a little responsible for the damage. You should never have returned to this continent.

But, right now, the more important thing to you is gathering intel on this "hero", and his possible connections, while in disguise as a civilian behind his back.

But Crime-Cat's words are louder than your thoughts, "No. Unwolf. Listen, friend. You do not want to be a hero. Ever."

The hero, whose name you still haven't been able to commit to memory, notices and pauses in his speech to look their direction.

Unwolf drops an enormous piece of wall onto a rare stretch of uncluttered street, and faces Crime-Cat, "No. You look." He gestures at the hero next to you, "That jerk gets to fly in, destroy a bunch of people's lives, brag about it, and leave. And we get to clean up his mess. We may have just had an apocalypse and humanity might very well still die out, but nothing's changed. The bootlickers get both the glory and the money. I am absolutely in the wrong line of work."

Crime-Cat casually looks over at the hero, who tenses.

The hero had come for you, not them. And you'd done a pretty good job of faking your death at his hands, so he's been pretty distracted with his kill, standing with one foot on your very natural looking and bloody decoy. Nevermind that Kepekapeans don't have blood. Nevermind that it's actually tomato paste he's standing in.

But Crime-Cat is a very obvious and globally notorious villain, just like you, and everyone knows they are your spouse.

That eye contact between the two of them makes for a very brittle moment, and you can see that Unwolf is struggling with suddenly feeling invisible and insignificant standing next to your spouse. And it's pissing him off even more.

Depending on what this hero does, Unwolf might get to see Crime-Cat's telekinesis in action, though. And that alone might get him to stand down. The hero won't survive it.

Well, his reputation won't, anyway, and in today's climate, that's the same thing as losing his life.

But Crashslide slips in from out of nowhere, putting an arm around the hero's shoulders, and says, "Hey, buddy."

The hero frowns at Crashslide and tries feebly to pull away.

"I didn't catch your name, kiddo," Crashslide says loudly enough for the hero's fans to hear over the phone's microphone.

This isn't good for the hero's reputation, either, but he bristles and says, "Powerpoint."

It is absolutely everything you can do not to put your forehead in both of your hands. Oh, right, that name.

Cashslide smirks and says, "OK, Powerpoint." Then he puts on a Very Serious expression, complete with lightly furrowed brow, and says, "As your self appointed attorney, I must inform you of your best interests in this situation. Which is that you should pretend that Crime-Cat over there isn't actually over there, no matter how loud and obnoxious they are. Turn back to your little fandom stream and continue telling them how you were the one to defeat the Great Deliverator, and just what that battle was like, while the rest of us clean up your mess. OK?"

"I don't.." Powerpoint starts to say.

"Be sure to get a really good shot of the stack of pizzas you're standing in, too, while you're at it," your first adopted son says. "Maybe attach a screenshot of your altered credit score, too. My good, evil sib Hellafacts has been working on that all fight, by the way. Gotta give them credit where it's due. Let people know we're your real sponsors, right?"

"What-"

"But, whatever you do, do not pick a fight with my other favorite parent, OK? They'll just flip you, and you do not want that." Crashslide gives Powerpoint a quick brotherly squeeze and a wink, and then bounds off to help Dale dig someone out of the rubble.

Powerpoint finally looks around to realize that he's not surrounded by lessor heroes who'd come in to clean up his mess, but the entirety of T.A.L.O.N., the team of villains who'd taken down the Hut and ended the War.

"See," Crime-Cat continues explaining to Unwolf, without breaking eye contact with Powerpoint, "Being a villain has never paid. Which is why we have to make our own wealth through hard work and building community." Then they point at the hero, "But if you're like that guy, then the only way to make a living is to sell out to Microsoft. Or worse, the likes of Adobe. Trust me. That's a fate worse than death."

You nod ever so subtly at Crime-Cat, who gets your signal and, with the power of their mind, twists the hero's phone so that its camera is pointed at you.

"Hey, Powerpoint!" you say. "I'm your biggest fan!" And then, to demonstrate, you drop your protective coloration and grow to your full Kepekapean height, unfolding your secondary arms and your wings, lure, antlers, and frills popping out from under the rapidly receding illusion of hair. Your eyes go through Cherenkov blue to turn ultraviolet as they quadruple in size.

Powerpoint gapes up at you.

"Did we get the cut you need?" you ask him, grinning to show your glowing teeth for the camera.

Crashslide had decided to go in for the kill, so the next step is to make a show of offering the poor hero a way out.

Unwolf growls and kicks a bit of rubble.

This is, after all, going to increase the number of heroes the stockholders will send after you. Just like clockwork.

“I should’ve been a hero instead of following my family’s legacy” a villain sighed to himself while rescuing civillians trapped under the rubbles of destroyed buildings caused by the reckless and arrogant hero who’s still telling the fakest story to his Twitch fans while striking poses

[maguro13-2]

Darkness Reborn Reboot ~ Origins of the Ink Demon Final Chapter Remake Pt. 2 ~

*Somewhere at Washington State*

[Weed Out by Kenichi Tokoi plays]

*Weapons clanging*

Sayaka : Had enough yet?

Kyouko : Not quite!

*weapons clanging*

Sayaka : So you felt like that one coming?

Kyouko : Maybe! *Evades* Ha! Too slow!

Sayaka : Prepare for the finishing move!

Kyouko : Here goes!

Sayaka : HUP!

Kyouko : Haaaa!!!

*SMASH*

Sayaka : WOAAAAAA--Augh! *Thud*

Kyouko : *points at Sayaka* And that's game, Sayaka.

Sayaka : Not bad.

Kyouko : So...Let's go back into...our casual clothing.

Sayaka : Oh...Hope no one would see us in these kind of uniforms.

*later*

Kyouko : Ha...Now that's more like it.

"Kyouko Sakura : Fourth of the Holy Quintet"

Sayaka : At least save me for one more.

"Sayaka Miki : Third of the Holy Quintet"

Sayaka : What can I say...I am intrigued that I was gonna meet the man of my dreams. But why did I ended up here anyway?

Kyouko : Because...This is the only place where we like to hang out. Your ancestor was the first of your kind to visit the great magnificent land of all time. So after my parents died, I found the only place where I can finally meet you in person. And this place was thought to be called Columbia, so the settlers decided to name this land...

"WASHINGTON!"

Sayaka : Washington? I feel like this is our first time that we met at Yakima, always the time that we had our first apple at the orchard. Get a load of this.

*photo showing the girls at a Yakima orchard*

Kyouko : What's that photo you got?

Sayaka : It's a photo of us, along with the mountains of the cascades. We usually get to see the mountains, I helped you out during your day job as an orchard girl.

Kyouko : That is when I had to get myself a guardian since I decided to live alone.

Sayaka : No you're not, silly. You decided to live with me.

Kyouko : Say what now? Like, how did you know?

Sayaka : I feel like that we should spend quality time here on our new future home right here in America. I'm lean and green, all I see here is the evergreen state! Verdant forest green, caressed by silver stream! That's how people would say that Washington's their home.

Kyouko : That would be the song of the state. Kinda feels like that this state wants us to call it home. Day after day, we have nothing to be shallow when our dreams of being the coolest of the coolest. Hey, how about it. How about some apple cider on the way back.

Sayaka : Nah, that's vinegar. How about a bottle of Apple Juice?

Kyouko : What do you think I am, a kid?

Sayaka : No, glass bottle of Apple Juice! It's for grown ups that what we want for the drinks and consider yourself lucky that might you feel like the kid inside you again, Kyouko.

Kyouko : Oh yeah, that reminds me, I got myself two bottles of apple juice in my bag. We once made it ourselves back at the orchard in Yakima!

*two gives each other bottles of apple juice*

Kyouko : Bottoms up, Miki!

Sayaka : Thanks!

*RUSTLING*

Kyouko : Eh? What was that?

Sayaka : Who's there? Madoka, Homura, is that you? The Police from Seattle are right behind and I'm not fooling around.

Kyouko : Don't worry, I got this, babe. I bet it's that Kyouske and his two time backstabbing harlot girlfriend Hitomi you were talking about.

*Kyouko summons lance and be prepared*

Kyouko : Okay, dumbasses! Stop playing around or else you want some of this! Come on out, I got a big lance from nowhere and I am not afraid to use it!

??? : Told you, I just made you look!

*STRONG KICK*

Kyouko: AAH!

Sayaka : Kyouko! *hears someone moving* Oh, hi! You are--

*Smash SFX : Blow landing*

Sayaka : What the...?

*Collapses*

*scene later changes*

Kyouko : (groans) What just happened?

Sayaka : *sniffing* And why do I smell a girl with no shoes.

??? : That's because we don't wear shoes, we are always barefooted. You two would make a great satisfaction if you would be pleasing us with the forces of light and darkness.

??? : Yeah, on any occasions, we do matters the most.

Sayaka : What do you want from us?

??? : The symbol of light and darkness Yin-Yang.

Sayaka : What? You some kind of hired mercenary from china...or do you know about the forces of light and darkness?

??? : I know it. It's the symbol of duty as heroes. It's what Izumi told us about the dangers of this quest. Restoring the items of the weapon of Xing, powered by the seven stars of the Big Dipper.

Kyouko : No way, I know you guys, you're one of FMA's stars. They've been retired along with Hero Tales.

??? : No? Not gone, but working with them. So with our combined efforts of friendship and bonding, i could get used to this and lead us out of the way. I'll use Yin...

??? : And I'll use Yang.

??? : [together] We could work this out two you know.

Sayaka : That's a good question, strangers.

Kyouko : But we know one thing's for sure. Uno reverse card!

*Reverse*

??? : AAAH! No fair!

Sayaka : This state, our rules.

??? : Okay you got us.

Kyouko : Okay, strangers from FMA. You got a name or what?

Lan Fan : L...Lan Fan...I am Lan Fan from Xing

Winry : And I'm Winry...Automail Mechanic Winry Rockbell.

Kyouko : I knew you guys are from FMA. But Xing, that's also thing in the real world.

Lan Fan : But we're from another world where we meet Arakawa's other people. The chinese people of Juushin Enbu, translation : Hero Tales. But you don't know anything about our world, we come from another dimension where I got my arm fixed after a freakish accident. We are called the Yin-Yang Heroes duo.

Sayaka : Let us get to the bottom of you two EX-FMA stars come from another timeline through time and space. Over year ago, the people and world of Wuxia was one of China's greatest genres that becomes a fan-favorite to Chinese literature. They lost affiliation with the big dipper after the world of Wuxia disappeared. But I'm guessing that Dark Fantasy stories were meant to be edgy as hell.

Lan Fan : Not as edgy as it looks, we're trying to save the land of Xing from an evil sorcerer that broke the legendary item into seven items scattered throughout the land and it is our job to stop the forces of evil and had our friendship.

Winry : But more importantly, we even happened to bond each other's feelings.

Sayaka : Oh, I get it now. You two had a little "Intimate" relationship, going on women into other women. Doubt that Xing is also a real thing china from a state to being just a county within a province.

Kyouko : Let's add up the fact that Xing probably english for "Crossing". I'll let you know to cotinue the process on these details.

Lan Fan : After once we save Xing with our valorous effort, we will decided that it is time to break from the forces of Chaos, reclaim the clan and our position. But Xing will never be amazed that once we used the legendary blade of Xing that has been passed down for generations, that's why Yin and Yang needs us to get back to our world where we come from.

*Hears a Solaris Sound*

Sayaka : And that's...Evergreen's finest. Guess what, we might wrapped this whole Yin-Yang story up. It's a great story, bogus idea. You guys would be lucky enough to be the stars of a new kung fu movie in Seattle.

Kyouko : Well, certainly no more.

*the two turns to see Godoka in front of them*

Kyouko : Huh? Excuse me, tall goddess in a the dress, but you're see to--(look at Ultimate Madoka)

Sayaka : Madoka? What in the actual fu-?

Ultimate Madoka/Godoka : Hello, Sayaka and Kyouko. I am Madoka, ruler of the unvierse and co-creator of the New Era. But you can call me Godoka

"Godoka : Ruler of the Universe and Co-Creator of the New Era"

Ultimate Madoka/Godoka : It's been a long day since Homura started the new era.

[File Select by Koji Kondo]

Kyouko : Uhh, yeah. It is the 2010s alright, out with the old, in with the new. You know.

Sayaka : Uhh, yeah. We probably knew about that. Nothing's too big of a big shot coming around here, but are you sure this is the right place to be here? I mean...We're in the state of Washington State, but this isn't canada, just Washington. We're only west of the city of Seattle.

Kyouko : But how on earth did you find us.

Ultimate Madoka/Godoka : Because I am the one who brings those into hope, a gift from Angel Vibe, ruler of the realm of light. Mind if bring something closer to these guys.

Sayaka : Uhh, yeah. Sure! There's apple juice in the bag.

Ultimate Madoka/Godoka : Winry Rockbell and Lan Fan, a pair of two heroes from another dimension. I take it that you two has left the story and find it anew. You were also that great of a much bigger on saving the land what is known as Xing, once-known state in china that is alternative form of the country of China. Part of the FMA universe. Your actions deceive no minor details of you ending in Real World AU. Hopefully, there might be a place that we can find a way to get back to your own world. That gives me no credit whether you have what it takes to be heroes of Yin and Yang

Kyouko : Say what isn't say, you tell us. You're the very first to visit this beloved land. Fresh Verdant Trees, Rainy days, It makes the state of washington an enormous rainforest for all that we love the rain. Plus, I am expert training orcas at Puget Sound, Oh wait, Sayaka's the expert of Orca Whale training.

Ultimate Madoka/Godoka : I also humbly owed you any favors of saving your struggles, Kyouko Sakura. You two would great comeback as both girls who wanted to bring the balance of light and darkness to this universe back to the scales of Libra.

Sayaka : Wow. Okay, guys. Let's get this over with. I am feeling guilty about men going after women, I mean Hitomi got me jealous over the fact that why men would want to hurt me, so I ran away here in this northwestern state on the pacific.

Kyouko : Sounds like Kyouske and Hitomi were a bunch of Dolls to set this one up for her. I mean "Ouch". That's what happens when she said anything about true love. And that love is forbidden. Also it might've happened when these two girlies known each other for one thing.

*Lan Fan sneakily unties herself with her knight*

Mei Chang : There you guys! Thank goodness I've been worried about you two! We haven't have much time. But luckily I was able to find you two when your master told you about running away, but you didn't.

Kyouko : Alright, alright. If that's the case you all know the drill, then I'll play your part in this some kind of martial arts LARP from FMA, I get that well done. *clears throat* Alright, girlie--No wait, Hey you! Get your damn hands off her, little girl. You heard me, I said...Get your hands off he--

Lan Fan : --hmph!

*Smash SFX : Blows landing*

Lan Fan Hah!

*Smash SFX : Strong hit*

Kyouko : WAAAAH!

*CRASH*

Kyouko : (moans) My head.

Mei Chang : That all got you fired. So was that necessary of you, Lan Fan? Or you had something in mind?

Lan Fan : The Likely I know is that I like to see this girl to be putting her in place, I haven't gotten the glory of them all.

Kyouko : Oh man...that smarts...! Eh?

*Look at her picnic ruined*

Kyouko : That was a picnic for our date! Only between me and Sayaka! Alright that does it!

*Converts into her Magical Girl uniform*

[Guardian Robo by Sota Fujimori]

Kyouko : Alright. I don't care if you're the warriors of Yin or Yang, but that date is what we thought of it before and we had a date because Sayaka was never the right type of finding a girl. You, a chinese girl, have crossed the line, bud!

Lan-Fan : I won't recall on being your bud. But you calling me a chinese is way too far for yout stereotypes.

Mei Chang : So it's best that we decided make you not to interfere with our country! That's a political fact that you're still around the world and That's people of Xing to you, Redhead!

Kyouko : Just say when.

Sayaka : Hey, count me in, Kyouko!

*Converts into Magical Girl uniform*

Sayaka : I just wanted to get some action between two saying about interfering with one's country, but this is America and it's the land of the freedom and of course the meats, well at least there's internationals around the country tho. But let's get to the top.

Mei Chang : Here goes nothing!

"GET READY FOR THE NEXT BATTLE!"

*SAYAKA & KYOUKO VS. LAN-FAN AND MEI CHANG*

~ Day 1 : Enter the New Era ~

[xxisxxisxxis]

Gateway Drug | Part Ninety-One [PT. 2]

Words: 2.5K

Warning(s): explicit language, mentions of drug abuse, mentions of domestic abuse

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"Your little one is here as of right now." Dr. Telille says, pointing to a very little area to the far side of my womb and I smile before she switches the focus slightly and then looks at the screen with a slightly odd look before flipping through my chart. "At your previous Obstetrician, did they mention any abnormalities?" She asks me. 

"No." I shake my head. 

"You said in your history you've had recurrent miscarriages?" She asks next. 

"Yes." 

"Okay, Mrs. Sixx, don't be alarmed by this because there is a solution but this," she turns the screen to me again, pointing at a shadow in the picture that looks like it's creating bunny ears or something. "Is a layer of tissue that's not supposed to be there. It halts fetal growth, and ultimately causes miscarriages, often times even before a fetus is interacting with the tissue itself, physically." She informs me and I feel like my chest is throbbing from how hard my heart is beating. "The good news is that we can fix this, I've had to do a few surgeries like this before--we can go in and cut that tissue out without disturbing your baby, but we will need to have it done within the next week--two weeks at the most." She explains and I raise my brows. 

"What's my chance of carrying out my pregnancy to term without the surgery?" I ask, trying to stay calm. 

"With a successful surgery, there is a 80% chance of you carrying it to term, and a higher chance at not facing as many pregnancy difficulties in the future like you've had previously. Without the surgery, with your history, it's very, very probable that you won't get to four months without miscarrying--if that far." She adds. 

"What's the risk of this surgery causing complications?" I ask next. 

"30%." She replies and I breathe out. "You don't have to make a decision today, you can go home and think about it and talk about it with the father but we need to get it scheduled in the next few days." 

"Um, o-okay…" I rub my lips together. 

"And if you are interested in the surgery, we can go ahead and send it in and see if insurance will cover it." She assures me. 

"I don't have maternity insurance right now." I tell her and she looks at me uneasily. 

"No worries, we can figure the costs out after you decide if you want it or not." She tells me, calmly, and I just nod. 

I numbed myself. I would've been freaking out, having a meltdown, begging God to spare my damn baby for once...but as soon as she started in on what was wrong with me, the negative outcomes...I flicked the switch in my brain and just let myself feel absolutely nothing as best as I could. My nervousness was relief compared to blatant breakdown mode that I knew would hit inevitably.

And how the hell did I tell Duff and Nikki that I was going to need surgery that could potentially terminate my pregnancy--or suffer what I'd suffered before and still lose a baby? Oh, right. I didn't. At least, not as soon as I probably should have.

When I get to my new little house I'm renting with my savings, Duff's sitting on the little porch, drinking a beer. 

"How'd it go?" He asks me, standing up as I unlock the door. 

He couldn't go with me this time because he had to go look at a couple houses with Mandy, which I understand because they had already canceled once with a real-estate agent and would get charged extra if they missed another appointment. 

"Good." I lie, clearing my throat. 

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." 

Whisky's barking at us until he realizes it's me, and then he won't get out from under my feet until I pat him on the head. 

"I need to finish unpacking." I say before Duff can ask anymore questions. 

"Well, it's your lucky day because I know how to unpack." He states, grinning. 

I go change into pajamas and when I get back, he's pulling pictures from one of the boxes, neatly placing them on the coffee table in the living room and I pick them up and start figuring out where to put them. 

"So, my family really wants me to bring you up." He says, optimistically. "I was thinking leave Sunday and come back next Saturday."

"...Duff, I can't just up and leave right now. I have to finish unpacking, and I'm gonna be meeting with Nikki once a week and then him and the guys once a week so that's two different…" I trail off as he cuts open another one of my packed boxes with his pocket knife, a look of disappointment on his face. "...It's not that I don't want to, you know. I just have a lot going on right now." 

"We'd just be gone for a week." He says, looking at me. "It's the only time off I have for a while since we're doing a few shows in New York and Europe." He adds. "And I really want my family to know you, kinda, before you have the baby." 

"I don't know." I hesitantly tell him and he licks his lips. "I don't know, Duff, okay? I just...ughhh." I groan, raking my hands through my hair. 

"If you don't want to meet my family then don't worry about it, Vivian." He says it a little passive aggressively and I raise my brows. 

"'Vivian'? Since when the hell am I 'Vivian'?" I ask, mimicking his tone. 

"That's your name isn't it?" He asks next and I cross my arms.

"You usually call me 'Viv', or...something…"

"Well, I'm not calling you, 'babe,' or, 'baby,' since we aren't dating anymore so…"

"You're being a dick." 

"I'm not being a dick. I'm just family oriented and I want my family to know you and our kid and you're making up excuses to not go and meet them."

"Excuse me for not wanting to be judged." I snap back. 

"They're not fucking judgemental." 

"Oh, so you're cussing at me now, too, huh?" 

"Quit trying to start an argument." He tells me. 

"I'm not starting an argument, I'm making a valid point." 

"You're making an assumption." He corrects me. "My family isn't judgemental. They're really not. I don't even think they're worried with the fact that you were married when we got together because they haven't said a word about it. They just want to meet you." 

"Matt didn't seem so cool about it." I mumble. 

"Matt was trying to keep both of us out of trouble." He explains. "He wasn't judging you. He just doesn't like drama and if we would've gotten caught he knew it'd just be a bunch of bullshit we'd have to get thrown at us." 

I just stare at him. 

"And I'm sorry for cussing at you, but I'm trying to be positive about all of this and I really don't want you to start bringing in your negativity." He exhales. 

"My negativity?" I raise my brows, laughing humorlessly. 

"Please, just come to Seattle with me next Sunday. I promise it'll be fun and my family's fun, they don't mean any harm by wanting you to come up and visit--they're already talking about planning a trip when it's born to be here for you and me both for a few days." He adds. 

I think about it, seeing his eyes glint a little as he slowly smiles at me like a hopeful puppy. 

"Okay." I relent and he puts his hands above his head, folding them together, letting out a loud, "Hallelujah!" and I roll my eyes, trying to hold back a chuckle. 

The truth is, I don't want to leave Nikki stewing that long after revealing to him my miscarriages. He never came back when he left the therapy session yesterday, and I was supposed to go back today but decided I needed another day to just think about everything, but because of Amber's schedule, we won't be able to get back in the same room together--aside from me just visiting him--until next Wednesday...but with Duff wanting to leave Sunday and come back that Saturday, I won't be able to meet then, either. A part of me isn't even sorry that I won't make it since the morale of Nikki's story is that he married a maestro of manipulation that can play victim like no other but is really an evil bitch who loves to make people suffer. 

I gathered that after reading: 

"I married a fucking demon."

"Vivian climbed from hell just to neuter me." 

"My wife's a fucking lunatic." 

"I sometimes think Vivian's waiting for me to die so she can get the money." 

"I hate her." 

"I don't know what's killing me faster: my looney wife, or smack. Doesn't matter--they're both my drug of choice." 

"If she didn't know how to fuck I would've already left her." 

"She flushed every bit of what Jason dropped off last night. Cost me a couple grand. I'm so pissed, if I knew she wouldn't beat the shit out of me and go batshit-ballistic, I'd lay her out on the fucking floor. I'm sure it'd be like foreplay in her sick mind, anyway." 

"I swear she cums every time she belittles me." 

And, my personal favorite: 

"Just woke up from a fucking nightmare. I was fucking around with Vivian and Vanity and once they got their satisfaction they started eating me alive while talking about their love for God. Even with them gnawing on me alive with their shark-like teeth and their completely black eyes, stripping flesh from my bone and going at it like a fucking pork chop, I was turned on. But as soon as they started about God, how good and wonderful he was, that's when I started panicking a little that I OD'd without realizing it and was in hell or some fucking incarnation of it. I see now that's how they both got me, being hot and knowing exactly what to do to get me going. And now they're both sucking the life out of me, eating me alive, while praying to their God and acting like they're blameless in my destruction. CHICKS = TROUBLE." 

At least we both agree that we married demons.

It was strange for me to realize how he saw me--well, how Sikki saw me. Once I was able to differentiate between the two of them, it hurt less reading what he'd write about me. It was just confusing. 

One page would be an entire rant (with unflattering, random song lyrics to match) about something I did that pissed him off--sometimes things I wouldn't even realize I did to make him upset and then the next page would be decently positive things about me that he'd profess after waking up sort of sober…

I knew he felt guilty about how he treated me, most of the entries from the end of '83 to '87 had "I'm an asshole" or "I really fucked up" or some version of it in them but the deeper into '87 he got, the less and less apologetic he got. Both in real time and his dairies. 

Despite the black and white of his diaries, one thing still lingered in the grey area…

I stare at the little TV on my dresser, bowl of captain crunch in hand as I stuff my face while flipping channels, Whisky gnawing on his chew toy as a flickering, fuzzy and static blaring familiar face flashes across the screen as I turn to the next channel. My heart stops for a moment, my finger immediately going back, the screen and audio clearing as I see her. 

Clear eyed and competent. A far removal from what I last saw of her with her gnashing teeth and tortured eyes, spewing at Nikki and I both before he and her got into a fight that left her dragged down the stairs of our old house...guilt tugs at me, remembering the look on her face, the pain, the hurt...perhaps she felt as bad as I did about the situation. 

He was the one telling her he was going to leave me and marry her, after all. My feury swallowed him before it ever thought about swallowing her. 

"...I'm currently looking at other scripts for other films." She replies very calm and composed to whatever question her interviewer was asking...I'm assuming this is part of her press run for her new movie coming out. 

"If you could write a ticket for yourself, Vanity, what would it be?" The woman asks next and she furrows her brows, slightly. 

"Write a ticket? To go somewhere?" 

"No, write a ticket for the rest of your life, and your career. Just everything about your life." She explains. 

"Ohhh," She thinks a moment before shaking her head slightly. "I wouldn't want to do that, actually, because, um, everytime I turn around something new's happening. I'm a very spontaneous person. I just like to get up and go, and I've been doing that since I was fifteen...so, um, I couldn't say I'd like to write that ticket." She chuckles a little, but not the crack-cackle I was used to seeing in her past interviews. 

She's actually sober here. 

"I just wanna go wherever life takes me." She continues. 

"What you're saying then, is, you couldn't write a ticket because what you would write wouldn't be as good as what could happen?" 

"No, I don't--"

"--No?"

"No, I don't think that, I'm not saying that at all. I feel that I have certain goals in my life. Very big, big, dreams that I set for myself. But I wouldn't wanna, um, question God's way about where he's going with me." She states. "That's just...not me." 

"If you could go back and change anything--"

"--Nothing." Vanity says, biting her lip nervously, shaking her head. 

"Any of the decisions?"

"Nothing." 

"Wouldn't change a thing?" 

"Nothing." She buckles down on it and I feel my eyes gloss over. "Wouldn't change a thing…" she trails off, thinking for a second. "...Can't say that I would." She adds, softly. "Because each time that I've done something, whether it be a mistake in my life, it's always...what you might call a mistake in my life is never a mistake to me. It was a definite meant to be and it was a definite learning process. So all the pain and all the glory...I wouldn't change a thing."

She's so unapologetically sincere. 

I cut the TV off as they start closing out the interview, and toss the remote across the room, losing my appetite and putting my bowl on my nightstand before I allow myself to replay what she just said. 

And I cry, not because she was in a relationship with him, not because she tried to steal him from me...I cry because I regret everything. I regret marrying Nikki. I regret meeting Duff. I regret getting pegnant. 

I'm not angry at her.

I envy her.

[romansrgn]

   ch. 6

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   "I got everything you asked for including the extra lawn chairs. How many people are you expecting anyway?"

Braelin stirred the baked beans before putting them back in the oven "Thirty give or take."

"Thirty?"

"Look, obviously it's getting harder to hide my pregnancy. I'm gaining two pounds a day and I haven't even entered my third trimester. So I figured I get it over with and let everyone know before they hear it from someone else."

Briyanna nodded "Is Roman coming?"

"Yea, he's coming."

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

Braelin laughed almost nervously "No, but I extended the invitation to him a while ago so it would be weird if I went back on it. Besides, his mom and sisters are flying in as well."

Briyanna knew that Braelin didn't always have the best judgment when it came to anything pertaining to Roman and inviting Roman and his family to this barbecue has proven to be no different. Her first instinct as the big sister was to intervene but at the same time, she knew what stress could do to a pregnant woman so she decided it was probably best not to add to it.

Braelin peeked over her shoulder at her big sister who was noticeably quiet "I know what you're thinking."

                    "I'm sure you do but in the event of full disclosure, I think this could get hella messy. But I want you to know that this is a celebration for your and you're—"

"Twins, I'm having twins."

Briyanna's eyes widen "What?"

Braelin nodded rubbing her belly "There's two growing in here."

"I'm— I don't. Are you ok with this?"

Braelin shrugged "I'm ok with it now that I've had time to process it. One was a lot but two almost seemed like too much to handle. But I'm grateful for this journey. I feel like I have a purpose outside of wrestling now that my career is basically over."

"I still think you're giving it too much. Your career is far from over."

"It's definitely shortened thanks to my knee injury but I'm ok. I want to raise my kids."

Briyanna smiled at hearing that. It's only been a few short months and it's obvious that this pregnancy is doing wonders for her sister's maturity. "Well, whatever you decide I'm here for you and" she jumped off the counter to place kisses all over her sisters baby bump "my little munchkins."

Keyon took a moment to assist the scene between his little sisters "Did I miss something?"

Braelin sighed "Nothing, outside the fact that I'm pregnant with twins."

 Keyon practically threw the grocery bags on the table before swinging Braelin around in his arms "Baby sister! Are you good? I mean are you aight? You need me to get you something?"

Braelin laughed because Keyon reacted just like this after finding out about all three of Briyanna's kids "I'm tired and hungry all of the time but other than that I'm ok."

"I'm assuming Mama and Daddy don't know yet?"

Braelin shook her head walking over to retrieve the bags from the table "No, that's why I'm having this barbecue so please don't say anything."

Keyon held up his hands "I won't. But I do want y'all to know that mama finna look at me sideways since y'all have given her grandbabies and I didn't."

Briyanna rolled her eyes "I'm sure there are probably six or seven different mini Keyon's running around here somewhere. You hoe."

Braelin threw her head back and laughed. Keyon, on the other hand, look almost affronted "First of all, I don't dip my—"

Briyanna held up her hand "Don't even go there."

Keyon winked "So how does Big D feel about being a father."

Braelin's eyes widen "He's—"

"Surprised." Dante said wrapping both arms around his girl's waist "It's almost as if it's happening to someone else. But the best thing about this is, is that I've got our future mapped out so I couldn't be more excited about this new journey." he said looking down at his baby girl "I'm not going anywhere."

Braelin smiled before kissing him on the lips. Could this man be any more perfect?

"I'm happy for yall. For real." Keyon said before giving Dante a bro hug "Welcome to the family."

"We're not engaged."

"Y'all created a life together that bond is more divine than any marriage in my opinion."

Briyanna who noticed how tense Braelin had suddenly gotten thought it was time to change the subject "Keyon, Zayden will be here soon so I think you and Dante should get started on the grill."

Keyon rolled his eyes "Damn, just say you want us to leave and we'll leave."

Briyanna balled up a piece of aluminum foil and tossed it at her big brother's head.

Dante laughed, grabbing the rack of ribs and seasoning following Keyon outside the door.

"Thank you," Braelin mumbled.

"No problem. Was that always the plan?"

Braelin ran a hand through her hair "No, but I mean people are going to assume, right? I mean since Dante and I are together—"

"No one would expect the alternative and if you're not ready to come clean this is probably what's best."

Braelin nibbled on her bottom lip. There was no way Roman was going to go along with this especially since he has every intention of telling the truth when the time was right. But what about her? was she really willing to take on that kind of stress? She was never one to back down but this was something she couldn't defend or was willing to do so.

"I think this is for the best. I'll talk to them both tonight before making the announcement."

Briyanna wrapped her arms around her baby sister. She knew this wasn't going to be easy on anyone but it had to be done.

Janelle was always a person who thought of herself as a woman who was sought after. She was a strong, beautiful, intelligent, hardworking and self-made career woman. She was the total package. Any man in their right mind would kill to have a woman like her carrying their last name. So you can imagine her surprise that her husband and college sweetheart cheated on her not once but twice with the same woman. Hearing that kind of shit opened a door full of insecurities that she never knew existed. Roman claimed that the other woman didn't mean anything to him. Apparently, they had a few drinks at a bar a few months ago after a house show and one thing led to another. That, of course, didn't give him a pass especially since he somehow managed to fuck the same woman while she was away in Seattle. But she prayed on it and left it to god to determine what was next for her and Roman and right now he was telling her not to give up on her marriage.

"I forgive you."

Roman looked over at her in the passenger seat "What?"

"I hate what you did and there's a part of me that wants to hurt you the way you hurt me, but— I can't. I know It's going to take me a while to trust you but I think what we have is worth fighting for."

"We'll talk about it after the party."

Janelle frowned "That's all you have to say to me?"

Roman shook his head "I'm not trying to upset you and that's why I think we should discuss this later. Now it is about having a good time with our friends and family, Can we do that?"

Janelle didn't look at all placated but she nodded anyway. The rest of the drive to Braelin's house was filled with silence.

  "I brought chips and your favorite dessert."

Braelin beamed "Upside down Pineapple cheesecake!  What did I do to deserve this?"

Patricia wrapped the small woman in a hug "Consider this a gift for a woman who has everything."

"I don't have everything. At least not everything I want."

Sika walked before walking into the kitchen "Well, isn't that a loaded statement."

"I'm just saying that a girl can have more if she wants. All she has to do is—"

"Work a little harder."

Braelin smiled at the new guest "Hi, daddy!"

Richard placed the large bowl potato salad down on the counter before kissing the young woman on the forehead  "I was wondering when you were finally going to throw a cookout in this big ole palace you call a house."

Braelin rolled her eyes "Daddy, please. This is no palace, you and mama are living larger than I am."

"Well, when you're mama finally retires we'll be living somewhere in the Bahamas like we planned on after you kids graduated from college."

"We told you to say the word and we can have you and mama living on a yacht in no time."

Richard grinned at Roman "You've always been a good man" he said pulling Roman into a hug. "How are you doing, son?"

 "I'm good, Pop. What about you?"

Richard shrugged "I don't have to cook so I'm doing great."

Carol cut her eye at her husband "And who said you weren't going to cook Richard?"

Richard gave Sika a look who laughed "Well, a man can dream. Come on Sika. Let's go see what theses boys are out here burning up."

Patricia shook her head "How are you doing sweetheart?"

Roman kissed his mother on the cheek "I'm fine mom."

Braelin looked between Roman and Patricia and thought it was best to leave them alone "Mama can you help me finish setting up outside?" Carol nodded before following her daughter outside.

Patricia grabbed her son's face when his eyes remained trained on Braelins retreating frame "Is that what's bothering you?"

"No, Janelle and I are having a hard time getting this family thing started. That's all."

"Well, these things don't happen overnight for some people but I'm sure it'll happen soon enough."

Roman wanted nothing more than to tell his mother the truth about his impending fatherhood but it wasn't the right time. Not until he talked to Braelin about their next steps.  "Maybe you're right."

"You haven't realized by now that mama always knows best."

Roman smiled pulling his mother into a hug.

Janelle made a plate of fruit salad before sitting down at the long table. Naomi, who joined the party along with Jimmy, Jey, Jey's wife Tamika and Rikishi about an hour ago sat down next to her.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

Janelle smiled sadly "I'm just—do you ever feel like you're in a battle you can't win. Even when you didn't know it was a battle, to begin with?"

Naomi sat back in her chair "It depends on the situation. I feel like that all-time in my career. As gifted as I know I am, I'm always overlooked. I start thinking maybe I'm not as good as I think I am or that maybe someone else has that something I don't. But doubting myself does more for the people who want to see me lose than myself. I know what I'm worth and my goal is to make sure everyone else sees it and not forgets it."

Janelle soaked up Naomi's words "Thank you. That really helped."

Naomi squeezed Janelle's hand "I'm glad I can help."

Naomi knew Janelle was feeling unsure of herself at the moment. She also knew that Janelle was a smart woman. Janelle knew there was something off with her husband and despite how accurate she might be Janelle keeping Roman is what was best for everyone and she may not realize it now but it's definitely what's best for Braelin.

Dante walked into the kitchen with an empty bowl of barbecue sauce. "Everyone looks like they're having a good time."

Braelin smiled up at him "I'm glad. With everything that's happening I'm glad I can make this happen."

Dante kissed her lips "You taste like peaches."

Braelin pushed him playfully "Behave. My parents are outside."

Dante smirked down at his little beauty "Is that a challenge?"

Braelin squealed attempting to run away from her boyfriend but was quickly caught and pulled into his arms "I'm going to tell everyone about the babies."

"Are you?"

Braelin nodded "and I think we should tell everyone you're the father of my babies."

Dante raised a brow "What did Roman say?"

"What did Roman say about what?"

Braelin practically jumped at the sound of his voice "Damn it, Roman. Where the hell did you come from?"

Roman ignored her question instead of looking in between Dante and Braelin "Do I know what?"

Braelin sighed "I'm telling everyone tonight that I'm pregnant and I think— I think it's best if we tell them Dante is the father."

Roman's jaw clenched "There's no way that's fucking happening."

"It's probably what's best for every—"

"You're trying to have another man replace me as the father my fucking kids. Mine." he hissed.

"Their not fucking toys, Rome." Dante hissed back.

Braelin looked at Dante who was getting angry himself. She thought it was time to intervene "Ok, listen. I know this isn't ideal and it feels like I'm hitting you guys with bullshit after bullshit but what else can we do that wouldn't make this harder for everyone else?"

Roman ran a hand across his beard "This isn't about everyone else this is about our family."

"And whether or not you want to admit it I'm a part of the family and  in case you need further calcification I'm not going anywhere." Dante chimed.

Roman only laughed taking a step towards the couple "That's your plan, big D. You think you can replace me in her life?"

Dante shook his head stepping around Braelin "I'm not the biological father of her kids. You hold that honor but she's my girlfriend and whether you like it or not that's my honor playboy."

Braelin went to intervene "Guys—"

Keyon stepped in the kitchen "Y'all good?"

Braelin sighed in relief "Are the ribs done?"

Keyon looked between Dante and Roman and back again at Braelin "You ok baby sis?"

"I'm fine. I'm just hella hungry right now. " She said leaving the kitchen to join the party that seemed oblivious to the tension that was happening inside the kitchen.

Dante went to follow Braelin but Keyon stopped him "Listen, I don't know what's going on between y'all three but whatever it is y'all need figure out a way to deal with it. Braelin is pregnant and the last thing she needs is all this extra bullshit between y'all stressing her out."

Roman knew Keyon was doing what any big brother did and that was protecting his sister and for that, he couldn't be more thankful to Keyon as a man and as a father. Roman looked over at Dante who was clearly having similar thoughts. "You don't have to worry about that. We all want what's best for Brae and I think I can speak for everyone when I say we'll do damn near anything to ensure she's getting the best. Now if you don't excuse me those ribs are calling me."

"What was that about?"

Dante picked up a new bowl of barbecue sauce before heading outside  "You heard what Rome said. We all just want the best for Braelin."

Keyon didn't know what the hell was going on but he was definitely going to find out.

"Why are you so quiet?"

Braelin added more fruit to the already thinning fruit salad "What are you talking about? I haven't stopped talking since the party started."

"Well, you haven't said much to your mama."

Braelin smiled "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to make sure things are perfect. With all the craziness I think we all deserve it."

Mama Carol took the bowl of fruit out of her daughter's hand "I'm sure the fruit salad will remain a crowd favorite. I know somethings going on with you and I want—"

"Mama, I'm fine. But there is something going on with me and before you ask I will let you know everything soon, I promise." She kissed her mother on the cheek before scanning the area for Roman who was talking to Janelle.

Naomi and Briyanna noticed and decided now was the perfect time to make the big announcement. "Are you ready?" Briyanna asked standing beside her baby sister.

No, she wasn't ready. Braelin knew Dante was willing to go along with the plan if that was what she wanted to do. But Roman was completely against it and rightfully so. "I can't go along with this if Roman isn't ok with it and before you say anything I owe it to him as the father of my babies to get his approval. It wouldn't be right otherwise."

Briyanna nodded in understanding she knew what it would cost Roman to have another man claim responsibility and although it would be the best option for everyone it would further complicate things when the truth finally comes out. "I think you need to do what's best for you and the babies. Don't worry about Roman, Janelle and Dante. Worry about you and the babies."

"But I thought you said—"

Briyanna nodded "I know what I said and I was wrong. It was terrible big sister advice and I think you should completely ignore me."

Braelin laughed "This didn't help me at all."

"I know and I'm sorry."

Both girls laughed.

"I think I'm going to tell them the news and I'll deal with the rest later."

Briyanna grabbed Braelin's hand to give a reassuring squeeze "I like your idea better."

Braelin turned off the music which prompted everyone to look in her direction "First of all, I want to thank everyone for attending my first cook out. We all work so hard with working, traveling and whatnot and we don't really have time to spend moments like this together so I just wanted to thank you all for coming and I love you all dearly for it."

"Yeet! We love you too, Brae." Jey yelled.

"Yea, take that beer away from him, Tamika." Seth added, causing everyone to laugh.

"If he says yeet one more time I'm going to bury him in your backyard, Braelin." That was Dean.

Renee smacked Dean upside the head "Will you guys shut up. You're ruining Braelin's speech."

"The floor is yours queen, B."

Braelin smirked "Thank you, Becky and Renee. But, I did bring you all here for another reason. My decision to retire due to my knee injury was sudden but it wasn't the only reason for my retirement."

Jimmy looked over at Naomi who didn't seem at all surprised by this announcement "What's going on, Bug?"

Braelin looked over at Roman across the yard and at Dante who was standing next to her "I retired because four months ago I found out I was pregnant" She said revealing her baby bump "with twins. I'm having a boy and a girl."

Silence

More silence until Braelin was engulfed in two sets of arms that belonged to her parents.

Congratulations, cheers, and tears were shared between her friends and family. Everyone but one. Janelle was a smart woman and after remembering what Roman had told her knew that his first time cheating on her was a few months ago. Maybe even four months ago after a house show and considering the timing, it was more than possible that her husband was the father of Braelin's unborn babies and if that's the case:

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

AN: I'm sorry it took so long but the muse works when it wants to and due to this Pandemic I have more than enough to brainstorm and put together a chapter for you all. I hope you're all taking care of yourself during this time. Don't forget to wash your hands, don't touch your face and remain indoors. Stay safe and Happy Reading!

[chittapornswife]

i just read parts 1-3 of dnyl club and i am so so excited for part 4 i love it you're so mf talented. and the "yuh" at the beginning of bff! to bf! jaemin made me snort but that whole thing had me cackling i won't lie. a merry missed flight is super cute i'm------ stan talent stan t -nctzen anon (can i change my signoff thingy to 🐝) -🐝

DONT- DONT MAKE ME CRY THIS LATE IM YELLING I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I absolutely love that you’re liking dnyl club because it’s like a in the moment type of fic where I have the basic guidelines for what I’m wanting in each chapter but the rest is just made up as I go which is new for me. But PLEASE IM NOT MFING TALENTED FJFJDJ don’t make me run to u and give u the fattest hug ever🥺♥️😥

Ohdmdj do not get me started on bff to bf Jaemin lolol the “yuh” & the amount of WACK in it just makes me think about the fun time I had writing it :’) A merry missed flight!!!! I know I recommended both but I’m so happy you liked it because it was something that I wrote based on my experience and actually all of the events were written during live scenes LOL. So I was legit sleeping on a bench, (unfortunately didn’t bump into a handsome Thai number named stranger😔), and the flight scene was written during my night flight from I believe LA to Seattle? So I put my emotions of that flight into that scene :)

Anyways, I talk way too much but to summarize, I’m just super happy you enjoyed reading what I wrote and I’d love to get to know more about you! :D

I guess a couple things I could ask you would be who are your bias/biases in nct? :) Ooo and what other groups do you stan besides nct? And how has your day been so far? You’re probably ahead in time so you must be sleeping by now (it’s almost 1:30am for me right now) im in PST/PT! But if you read this when you wake up then I hope you have a good rest of your day *3* ♥️✨

And ofc you can change your signoff name thingy!!! 🐝 makes me think of Honey by Lay but also just honeybees and how sweet & precious bees are just like you c:

I hope you sleep well and wake up happy & I look forward to talking with you more!! 😙💖🥰

(Unseen footage of me reading this msg then rereading it over and over until I’m almost bawling my eyes out at how much I love you and the pure kindness you radiate👇🏼)

[andreacamille1]

was really trying to keep my nails plain untell Seattle but I had too. Pink nail drill from Wish. The next car I buy... i want it to match my nails😂 i hope thats not untell 2028. Come on bethanie... you gotta tough it out at least 9 more years with me. Bethanie is what i named her.

and it feels like after everything a few women still think I am the only reason a guy isn't talking to them. Uhh... no I'm not... because I'm not talking to anybody right now. While your eyes are on me they're probably moving on to another person but you can't see it because you're focused on watching me! So go and find that poor girl to hate on OR you can realize that no other person is to blame for anyone leaving you. People leave because they want to. They would've of anyway. If you don't like anything about your life... try looking within... change what you can... accept what you can't and the right person will eventually cross your path. I can't even with some people because I just dont know what they think... and the crazy part is... it's more than one woman doing this! Whenever someone stops talking to me... I stop too. And then I do things I like to do! I don't go and find out exactly who they are talking to and then use friends, family and rumors to try and convince anyone to change their mind. I don't have to do anything and usually they will come back but by then will I still want them? So my advice to you is to stop watching me!!!!!!😂 focus on yourself... only then will you probably be stable enough to date anyone too. I wish more people would take a break from dating when they don't have it together. Lots of people have lives that are falling apart and look for someone else to put it back together for them or something. That's probably the real reason they bounced... not because of me! Man! I hate that some people in my own family who've I helped before and who've taken money from me ended up siding with these crazy people. It really bothers me. Turns out I'm the one who has to get over it too I guess😮🤷‍♀️ maybe I could if they would ever stop creepily watching me. Maybe I should just completely go offline... I don't know if I could! How long do you think I could last?😂

☝️This is the one I want that matches my nails. Maybe I'll settle for a bike in that color until then 😂🚲 One thing I liked about WA was people that had a lot of money and could probably afford any type of car... chose not to use one. For the environment and their own health. One year here in AK I chose to walk to work because I knew I wanted to move and alot of people just assumed I couldn't afford a car or got a DUI. Some people really suck and see what they want to see too. Later I told them it bothered me and then they made it a point to all start walking to work or riding their bikes once a week instead of ever apologizing. Yep.. I'm the one who has to get over some things still 😂 it's just the nerve of some people. Sometimes I can't even tell if they know what they're doing or what. Its shitty if they did but i guess if they didn't know... just a stupid mistake? They all effin watch my page now too. I think I will ever really try to put forth an effort to mend things with family. I'm so thankful for my son's dad! He really tells me like it is and brings me back. People aren't worth it but then I'm like maybe I'm supposed to be trying to help them since they all watch me??? I don't know.

Anyways...

If you are one of the people who subscribe to patreon.. probably only you guys made it this far 😂 the live I canceled is rescheduled for tomorrow. Missed some of you guys because of the time difference last time. It'll be 1pm alaska time... 2pm pacific time... central time its 4pm.. eastern its 5pm. If you set a notification in patreon... it should automatically change to your time. 🧡❤ last live untell Halloween and November 1st my patreon account will no longer be active. Will miss some of you guys. Make sure you're on the email list.

I took a nap and I think I bit my lip in my sleep!😱😂 How does that even happen? I can't remember what I was dreaming but I was happy to wake up.

[pedroscurls]

Title: Love At First Sight? (Part 1.)

Character(s): Denny and Jess (fictional). Summary: Jess bumps into an unlikely stranger. Word Count: 1,723 Warning: This is my first story with Denny, so bear with me! Also doing first POV for this story, but I also wanted to give the OC a name. :) 

Finally, a day off. I needed it, especially with finals coming up. It wasn't helping that I had just run out of cookies and crème ice cream. How else was I supposed to get through the night? I pull on a coat, because living in Seattle, it was always known to rain even if the sun was bright in the sky during the day.

I was simply expecting to stay in, eat a tub of ice cream, and watch movies. It was what I considered "me time." Many of my friends always told me that I studied too hard, worked too hard, that I deserved to relax. Though, my use of relaxing didn't exactly meet their standards.

I step into the grocery store, instantly making a beeline towards the frozen foods aisle. The endless amounts of ice cream make me wonder if I should step out of my shell and try a new flavor.

Nope. Don't do it. You're going to regret it.

My inner conscience tells me to settle for what I was used to and of course, I listened. I grab a tub of cookies and crème, holding it securely to my chest. I couldn't wait to get back home, change into my pajamas, and turn on some good ol' Netflix.

Aside from the ice cream, I end up grabbing two bags of chips and a few bars of chocolates. If anyone were to look at what I was purchasing, one would assume that it was my "time of the month." I had a poor diet. I rarely ate and when I did, it was junk food. I didn't know how I kept my figure for this long.

It's because you're always on your feet, stupid.

I roll my eyes at the thoughts in my head, placing my items onto the conveyor belt. I tap my foot impatiently on the floor, waiting for the person in front of me to finish paying so it could be my turn.

"Hi, how are you?" The young man says, beginning to scan my items. I just nod and flash a polite smile. I didn't want to make small talk. I just wanted to get home, eat my ice cream and relax.

"Alright. You're all set. Will you need any help for carryout, miss?"

I shake my head. "I've got it. Thanks!" Grabbing the two bags of junk food, I speedily make my exit. As I step outside to welcome the night air of the beautiful city of Seattle, I am distracted when the bag I was holding onto breaks and soon enough, my items fall to the dirty pavement.

Including my ice cream.

"Damn it. I just want to go home," I mutter under my breath. Suddenly, I hear a few footsteps following a quiet chuckle. Just as I was going to look up, the man kneels down to help me pick up my things.

Huh. What a gentleman.

"You in a hurry to get somewhere?" The man says, his voice gravelly deep. I look up at him, only now realizing how handsome this man was. His hair was a bit shaggy and he had a bit of grown-in stubble, but when he smiled… I didn't think it could get any better, until I saw his dimples.

"Yeah, I'm late for a date with my couch and that tub of ice cream. Thank you." I take the tub of ice cream from his hands, biting my lower lip. I can feel him staring at me, and when he stands upright, the height difference was noticeable.

He's hot, and he's tall? I'd say this is your dream man.

Once again, I shake my head at the thoughts in my mine. It was true though. He was a tall, handsome man and I would be lying if I said I didn't think he was cute.

He laughs, looking at me with an amused look in his hazel green-like eyes. God, this man was beautiful.

"Sounds like you're a woman who needs to learn to be on time, then," he teases.

I couldn't help but narrow my eyes, but my lip is still sucked in between my teeth.

He's cute and now he's funny? Get his number. You have to.

Clearing my throat, I hold the tub of ice cream to my chest despite the chilling feeling it felt against the thin fabric of my shirt.

"Are you always this charming to strangers?" I ask him.

"Only to the pretty ones," he grins.

I try to hide my blush, but from the way he's staring at me, I can tell that he noticed it. He looks… Proud of himself. Then again, if a man made a woman blush it must mean they were doing something right.

"Well, I better take your advice and get home. Wouldn't want to be late especially since a stranger gave me some wise advice. I think I'm going to turn over a new leaf," I smile.

Just as I was going to walk away, the man catches up to me with his long strides. "I'd like to give you more advice. Seems like you'll need a wise man in your life." He grins, grabbing his phone from his pocket and handing it to me.

I bite my lower lip once more – must have been a habit when I was nervous or something – and I stare down at the phone in my hands.

Oh, come on. Put your number in. What is there to lose? You're busy all the time anyway. Plus, need I remind you? He's smoking hot.

With a shut of my eyes to try and gather my thoughts, I finally input my number. I hand him his phone back and he looks it over, smiling to himself.

"So, Jess, huh?"

I nod.

"Well, Jess, I'm Denny. Have fun on your date," he flashes a wink and turns on his heel to enter the grocery store.

I walk back to my car, grinning like a schoolgirl. It had been a long time since I even thought about dating and even when I wasn't looking, a man like him shows up and proves to me that maybe being patient was all it took.

I drive back home, my mind hovering on Denny but I also remembered that today was my day to relax. Being a full-time bartender and a full-time student definitely took its toll on me, but it helps pay the bills and then some.

Once in the comfort of my own home, I prop my feet onto the coffee table with the new tub of ice cream on my lap and play the movie that I had been wanting to watch for quite some time now: Spotlight.

As I relax into the cushions of my couch, I hear my phone go off and I absently reach for it. It was an unknown number, but my eyes took notice of the name through the message itself.

Unknown Number: Hey. It’s Denny. How’s that date going?

I grin, biting my lower lip. I register his number into my contacts list before pressing the pause on the movie. I needed to reply to him.

Me: The date's going well. The ice cream is delicious. My pajamas are comfy and the movie I'm currently watching will make me cry in about thirty minutes, I can see it happening.

Denny: Oh no. Do you need a shoulder to cry on because I think I'm free.

Me: We just met and already you're trying to come over to my place? You're going to have to buy me dinner first, Denny.

Denny: Tomorrow night? I can pick you up at seven.

Not only was he charming, but he sure was persistent. I bite my lower lip, the movie and ice cream long gone from my thoughts as I try to remember what was happening tomorrow. When the realization that I had work hit me, I frowned. I had to find another way to go out with him.

Me: Well, I've got work. How about lunch?

Denny: Work? At seven? Don't tell me that you're a…

Me: Hold your horses. I'm a bartender. So, is lunch okay or not?

Denny: Lunch sounds great. I'll pick you up at noon.

Me: See you then, Denny.

Denny: Offer still stands for that shoulder to cry on. Would hate for you to waste tissues…

Me: I'll see you tomorrow.

I send him a smiley face before setting my phone aside. I play the movie, taking the tub of ice cream back onto my lap. I feel it vibrate once more, but I was too intrigued by the movie that I didn't bother to check it.

Just like clockwork, I feel tears brim at my eyes once the movie ended. I grab a few tissues, wiping the tears from my eyes before I pick my phone up.

Two new messages.

Denny: I'll see you tomorrow.

Denny: You crying yet?

I couldn't help but laugh. It was sent almost forty-five minutes ago, but without hesitation, I simply send him a sad face. I wait a couple of minutes before realizing that he must have fallen asleep – it was almost eleven o'clock.

I set the ice cream in the freezer, cleaning up around my living room. I needed to get to bed.

Once I was getting ready to sleep, I hear my phone vibrate on the bedside table. I lie in bed and reach for it, letting my finger hover on the home button for it to unlock. I see Denny's name light up on screen and I couldn't help but smile. How was it that I met this man a few hours ago and already, I was smiling just at the mere thought of him.

Denny: Just figured I'd say good night. My shoulder will be available to you tomorrow, so feel free to snuggle then.

Me: You sure love the idea of getting close to me, don't you?

Denny: You're pretty. I'm attracted to that. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, Jess.

I smile, setting my phone aside. Maybe going to the grocery store late at night was worth it after all. Maybe dropping my things on the pavement was worth it. It definitely attracted the attention of a man that you were going to go out on a date with tomorrow.