#at some point he would just stip even mentioning just *how much* his head hurts and suck it up

[money-and-dandellions]

Lester is the type of guy who would fall asleep with his hair put up in a ponytail/braid (a tight one) and then complain about how his head hurts in the morning

[flamencodiva]

Who Do You Think You Are? 3- Impala

Description: Y/N Y/L/N and Dean Winchester seem to bump into each other quite frequently. What happens when these two hunters rub each other the wrong way?

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Bingo Square: Impala

Warnings: Smut, Fluff, Angst, Mentions of Child Neglect, Mentions of Drug Abuse.

A/N: For SPN Dean Bingo Round One

Divider by @talesmaniac89​

Y/N pulled into the large gate leading up to the mansion. Rolling down her window she pressed the button. 

“Hello?” her uncle’s voice ran through the intercom. 

“Uncle Tommy?” she smiled a bit. “Sorry for just dropping on you like this… it’s Y/N.” 

"Y/N/N! I was about to send out a search party for you. Drive-in kid!" 

Y/N leaned back in her seat as she watched the gate open. Once it was wide enough, she drove forward and up the driveway towards the front door. She had turned off her car when a man, about 6’2 and arms filled with tattoos. Tommy Lee smiled at Y/N as he rushed to her and picked her up in his arms. 

“Hey kid!” he smiled. “You scared me with that call… are you okay?” he gave her a once over. 

“Yeah, I’m fine… just the job got a bit… scary so I was just covering my bases,” she grabbed her bag from the trunk making sure to keep her secret compartment closed. “How have you been Uncle T?” 

"Good, good," Tommy rubbed the back of his neck. "You know… you should call…" 

“He doesn’t need to know,” she made her way inside and placed her bag on the floor by the couch. “I can crash on your couch--” 

“You know where your room is here!” Tommy pulled her in for a hug. “Go settle in and I can make us my famous Gyros!”

“You know it!” she smiled as she made her way up the stairs and to her room. She settled in and lay on the bed her uncle had for her. A small nap never hurt anyone. But the one thought that she couldn’t get out of her head, was her moment with Dean Winchester.  

Back downstairs, Tommy pulled out his phone and dialed the familiar number. 

“Nikki? It’s Tommy,” Tommy glanced up the stairs in the direction of Y/N’s room. He knew she would be mad, but he had to do this. “She’s here at my house.” 

"She went to you?" Nikki sighed. "Figured she would. Does she look okay?"

“Just… I think she might be doing some hard stuff Nik… she might be going down THAT road,” Tommy closed his eyes not sure what his niece was doing. 

"Shit, I'll be right there… Just," Nikki cleared his throat. "Just make sure she doesn't know I'm coming."

Tommy hung up with Nikki and moved around his kitchen to prepare the Gyros for Y/N. it was hard for him to call Nikki like that knowing the relationship between his niece and his best friend. But it had to be done, if she was going down a dark path, he had to be there to help her out. He was cooking the meat in the frying pan when he heard Y/N coming down. 

“It smells awesome!” she smiled as she grabbed a beer from his fridge. “So, what’s life like for you Uncle T?” 

“Got into a fight with Brandon the other day,” Tommy told her, rubbing at his lip. “Knocked me the fuck out and then went running his mouth saying I started it. So, same old same.”

“Brandon is a douche and he has no idea what a great dad you are,” she smiled at him, “wish I could say the same for mine.” she chugged half the bottle before smiling at him. “Need any help?” 

“You’re always more than welcome to help. I taught you everything you know anyway,” He winked and moved over to let her cut the veggies.

Y/N moved over next to her uncle as he helped her cook. It was things like this that made her wish she was his daughter. She knew that all the stories that demonized him were exaggerated. He wasn’t as bad as the media made him out to be. In fact, he was one of her favorite uncles, acting more like a father than her own sperm donor of a father was. Even with his faults, he always found a way to make her feel loved.   

“I’m only going to stay for a few days,” she finished her beer and grabbed another one. “I have a small job around here I need to take care of. After that, I’m on the road again. Gotta keep moving you know.” 

“You remind me of your mom,” Tommy told her. “She was always on the road, almost as much as we were…”

“Yeah, the Pontiac out there belonged to her,” she cleared her throat. “I restored it and I've been maintaining her.”  

Y/N was helping her uncle make baklava when the doorbell rang. She was too focused on making sure the pastry was ready for the oven, to realize her father had come in. 

“Oh, hey Y/N,” Nikki said, offering her a smile. Tommy gulped a little, feeling the tension already start to flow through the room.

He really screwed up this time.

Y/N froze as the familiar voice rang in her ears. She grabbed her beer and chugged it until it was empty. 

"Nikki," she muttered, staying close to the counter. "Knew he would call you eventually. You saw me. I'm fine. You can go." 

“I just…” Nikki sighed. He had been practicing his speech in the car on the way over and now it was falling flat. 

Fuck.

"I’m not staying long anyway,” she cleared her throat as she grabbed a bottle of Jack, she knew her uncle kept just for her. “I’m spending the night before heading to my apartment.” 

“Yeah,” Nikki cleared his throat, “you still won’t tell me where that is?” 

“It’s none of your business,” she breathed. “Just go back to your perfect kids… you know the ones you actually wanted.” 

“Y/N, I wanted you too,” Nikki told her. “I never wanted for you and your mom to not be a part of my life. I still want you in my life and I…” She glared at him, cutting him off.

“Save it,” she grabbed a glass and filled it three fingers full of the amber liquid. “Look I know you’re going to stay for dinner anyways because Uncle Tommy is worried about something. So let’s get this over with so I can sleep in peace and head home.” she prepared her gyro and gave a soft glare to her Uncle Tommy. 

As they sat at the table, Tommy kept giving Nikki pointed looks and pointing at his arm while hinting at Y/N. Both men leaned on their chairs to try and get a look at Y/N’s arms. 

“Are you looking for something boys?” she took a sip of her whiskey before folding her hand and placing her elbows on the table. 

“Um… look Y/N/N,” Tommy began as he took a sip of water. “We’re worried about you. Your dad and--” 

“Sperm donor,” Y/N interjected. 

“Y/N,” Nikki sighed. “We just want to know that you aren’t… falling into a dark path here.” 

“Oh… you mean am I shooting up?” she pushed her chair back and shrugged off her flannel. She showed them her arms, “yeah, I’m nothing like you Nikki. I may drink a lot… but I would never pump that kind of poison in my body. I’d rather die alone than be like you and ruin someone's life with the promise of love and forever.”  she walked up to Nikki and placed her arms by his, “let’s compare, shall we?” 

Nikki pushed away, “I get it.” he looked down and at Tommy, “I shouldn’t have come. Thanks for calling me I’ll go.” 

“Yeah,” she scoffed, “run away like you always do. Just like when mom died… and I was just dumped on you and your flavor of the month.” she looked to her uncle, “I know you meant well, but honestly next time… butt out.” 

Tommy watched as Y/N rushed up the stairs and sighed. He hoped that she would talk about her last phone call, if he had to be honest, she was acting almost like how her mother would act. He knew Y/N’s mom worked, well he wasn’t sure what she did, but she always seemed secretive just like Y/N. 

In her room, Y/N picked up the phone and dialed the one number she never thought she would ever be dialing. 

“Dean?” she took in a deep breath, “It’s Y/N… think you can meet me at the address I’m going to text you?” 

The next morning, Y/N woke up and grabbed her bag, ready to head to her apartment on the strip. She didn’t tell anyone, but she found a way to rent the old apartment that her father and uncles had during their early band days. Driving the Pontiac down the familiar road she pulled up to the old building and up the familiar staircase. She expected to be alone for a few hours before Dean would arrive, but that was a wash. The green-eyed hunter was sitting by her front door waiting for her. 

“You know, when you said to meet you here,” He groaned as he got up, “I wasn't expecting to have to wait for you.” 

“Sorry,” Y/N sighed as she grabbed her keys and opened the door. “I was at my uncle’s house. I didn’t expect to get here so late.” 

“It’s fine,” Dean smiled. “Didn’t peg you for someone who would live on the stip.” 

“I grew up here,” she led him inside and ran her hands over the familiar markings. “I was lucky that no one was living here when I wanted it.” 

“Yeah, I heard that Motley Crue lived in something like this,” Dean placed his bag on the couch and, “So Sam is off back in Kansas, it’s just you and me Y/L/N.” 

“Yeah?” Y/N chuckled and smiled, “well… we can do some things. We can check out the whiskey, get drunk and just hang out.” 

"That sounds like a fun way to start," dean offered her a smile. "Maybe we could do something more?"

“Ok,” She turned around and placed her hands on her hips, “slow your roll. I told you before, I don’t do commitment. So, whatever you are trying to do… it’s not going to work. If we are going to have fun… it’s fun… got it?” 

“Yeah, I got it, I don’t do it either. I’m just trying to get to know you,” Dean observed her as she walked to her room in the back. She seemed lost in a memory. “You and your mom came back here to live?” he looked around the small two-bedroom apartment. 

“Yeah,” she gave him a sad smile, “before my dad became a major douche we lived here and we were happy… then… the life caught up with my mom and  things went downhill.” 

“So, what did you have in mind?” Dean changed the subject as he noticed the sad look on her face. 

It didn’t take long before Dean and Y/N were walking along the strip. She pointed out various places she would remember from her childhood. One being her dad working in a particular liquor store. Walking in, Y/N made a beeline for the whiskey Isle and grabbed a few bottles. She looked over at Dean and smiled. 

“Pick your poison because we are going to relax and enjoy the strip,” she walked close to him and leaned in, her lips close to his ear. “Plus, it’s the best way to sniff out monsters. They love to hang out around here.” she winked and made her way to the cashier.  

“Ok so we have our booze,” Dean clapped his hands together as they made their way back to her apartment, “What time do the festivities begin?” 

“Sundown,” she took in the sounds of the strip and froze when she heard a familiar voice calling her name. 

“Y/N? Hey!” Gunner Sixx called out. “Why didn’t you tell me you were in town?” 

“Shit,” she quickened her pace, “come on let's put this back in my apartment and I can show you where the greasiest burger in town is.” 

“Hey, you have someone calling you,” Dean looked back as a tall man, relatively skinny with long dyed blond hair tried to catch up to them. 

“It’s probably just someone who thinks I look like someone else,” Y/N waved him off. “This is Hollywood man.” 

“Y/N wait!” Gunner called after her.

“Fuck,” she cursed before handing Dean her keys and the bag of liquor. “Head to my apartment I’ll be right there.” 

Dean simply nodded as he watched Y/N head to the man who was calling her before heading to her apartment. 

“What do you want Gunner? Do you know how to take a hint? I didn’t tell anyone I was in town because I don’t want to see you.” she glared at him. 

“Who’s that?” Gunner asked, watching Dean head into the building.

“None of your damn business!” she growled, “as far as I’m concerned, we are not family, we are nothing. You can tell the rest that they can celebrate, I won’t be around much longer anyway. They can get their wish.” she turned on her heels and groaned when she came face to face with her sister Storm Sixx. “god damn it!”  

“Sis! You’re in town!” Storm leaned in to hug Y/N, only for Y/N to sidestep and move out of the way. 

“Seriously? What drugs are you guys on?” she glared at them. “Since when am I, sis? What are you up to?” 

“What do you mean?” Gunner asked.

“Can’t we try and be nice to our sister?” Storm found the ground interesting. 

“Yeah right,” she scoffed, “what do you want? I know you want something. It’s all I’m good for apparently.”  

“We really just wanted to hang out with you,” Gunner told her. “And we heard dad saw you and he seemed really upset.”

“If he relapses, it’s not on me,” she sneered. “I tried cleaning up his mess the first time. It took him getting you guys to be happy… so I'm taking myself out of the equation,” she poked Gunner in the chest, “if you knew what I’ve really done for this family you would have been nicer to me from the jump. But since my mom died you all have been nothing but an asshole.” with that, she turned and walked away from them, hoping that they wouldn't recognize where she was staying. 

Walking into the apartment she gave Dean a fake smile before sitting on the couch and chugging some of the whiskey straight from the bottle.

“Everything okay?” he raised an eyebrow at her as she took a deep breath. 

“Yeah, totally fine…” she looked at the time and stood up. “You brought the Impala?” 

“Yeah,” Dean nodded, “why?” 

“I have a place I want to go to, and the Impala is the best wheel to get us there.” she grabbed a few essential things and turned to him. “You are going to love it.” 

Dean drove the Impala following Y/N’s directions. He pulled up to a dirt road and what looked like a radio tower. He was puzzled when Y/N climbed out and guided him closer to the edge. 

“Ok, come on,” she sat on Baby’s hood and took in a deep breath. 

“Um… where are we?” he looked around. 

“Just look down,” she pointed to the ledge. 

Dean couldn’t believe his eyes. He was staring at the Hollywood sign from above. He looked over at Y/N’s face, she seemed happy. 

“Why did we come here?” he climbed on the hood next to her as she offered him the bottle of whiskey. 

“Before my dad turned into a major douche… he and my mom were happy,” she placed her arm under her head and closed her eyes. “We used to hike up here and have fun playing tag. It was a lot simpler… but then… mom… well, she started hunting hardcore.” 

“And what about your dad?” Dean asked, a little unsure of the answer he was going to get.

“Turned to drugs when he couldn’t handle taking care of me,” she sat up and grabbed the now half-empty bottle they shared. Bringing the opening to her lips she took in a big sip before handing it to him. “There was a demon… one night. He was too high to notice that it was a real monster. Mom burst in and after that… they ended things. I got to see him every now and then until she died when I was thirteen. By then he had a wife and three kids, and I was just someone who cramped his style.” 

“I’m so sorry,” Dean looked over at her.

“It’s fine,” shaking her head she scooched over to him. “I learned to just keep my head down and not ask for anything. I mean considering the guy never gave me a birthday or Christmas present, I got used to just not being wanted.” 

“Well, I can tell you, you’re always wanted by someone, even if you don’t want them,” He wrapped an arm around her, holding her close to his side.

“Are you trying to change my mind on the whole commitment thing?” she chuckled, “because I am not going for it. You can thank my dad for that. I am not a commitment person, I’ve tried it and it never works out.” she leaned back against the windshield of the Impala as her phone began to ring with the familiar tune of Shout at the Devil. 

Looking at the screen the name Nikki flashed on it. Rolling her eyes, she answered it. “What do you want Nick? I’m in the middle of something.” 

“Y/N, I want to take you out for your birthday. I know it’s coming up.” Nikki Sixx swallowed the lump in his throat as he held the phone to his ear.  

“What do you care about what I’m going to do for my birthday? I never celebrate it anyways.” She shook her head and scoffed. 

“I just thought they…" Nikki let out an audible sigh. "You are my daughter Y/N. My first kid. I know I messed up and I've been trying to fix things… please, come to the house and let's celebrate." 

“I’m going to be busy. I have some states to visit and some work to get done. I won’t have the time. Besides, I’m sure you have better things to do than celebrate the bastard daughter's birthday.”  with that she pulled the phone away as he continued to talk. 

“Y/N that’s not true,” his voice echoed from the phone. 

“Liar,” she breathed before hanging up. 

Dean looked over at her as she hung up her phone. He could see her eyes filling with tears as she looked down at the phone. It was as if she wanted to say yes to whoever this ‘Nick’ guy was, but she was scared of getting hurt; scared to really let go. He knew the feeling. He was like that himself. 

“So, any other places we can go where we can show baby off?” Dean sat up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "And if you want, we can make out and I can distract you as a good friend would." 

“Actually, making out on the hood of your Impala does sound nice. Maybe even inside in the backseat,” she chuckled. “I mean she is hella sexy.” 

“You look sexy being on her,” Dean cupped her cheek before giving her a searing kiss. 

Pulling away, Y/N licked her lips before staring into his green eyes. “This doesn’t make us exclusive.” 

“I know,” Dean smiled, “but I’m glad to see I was able to distract you,” he laughed and rolled off the hood. “Come on, let’s drive this baby back to the strip.” 

The drive back to the strip was filled with the sounds of Zeppelin blasting from the speakers. Dean glanced at her occasionally. He would smile to himself and chuckle at how stubborn he was when he first met her. But in the end, she only wanted to be his friend. Pulling up to her apartment building by the strip Dean turned to face Y/N. 

“So… what are we going to do next?” Dean shut off the engine. 

“We can head to the Whiskey,” she sighed. “I need to cut loose and drink as much as I can.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Dean shut off the engine and climbed out. 

It didn’t take long for them to get into the Whiskey a-go-go. Y/N scoped out the scene and found herself smiling at one of the guys flirting with her. Dean swallowed the lump in his throat as he watched Y/N grinding on a guy. It didn’t take long for a woman to come and bat their eyelashes at him. He turned on his charm, remembering that Y/N only wanted to be friends with benefits. Dean moaned as the woman he was with ground her ass on his crotch as they swayed to the music. He couldn’t help but glance at Y/N who was swaying with one of the guys she was flirting with. Dean pushed his jealousy down as the woman kissed him. 

“You and I can have some fun,” she whispered in his ear before nipping at it. 

Glancing back at Y/N, Dean noticed she was in a heated make-out session of her own. “Yeah, baby,” he found himself muttering, “Let’s have our own fun.” 

Y/N watched as Dean went off with a woman who caught his eyes. She would never admit that it stung that he went off to have a quick roll. But then again, she was doing the same thing. At least now she could keep him at arm's length. But it was nice to have him all to herself. She will always remember being comfortable with him on the hood of his Impala.  

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Who Do You Think You Are? : Status: Open 

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[ahumansvoid]

Construction

Go read The Plan to fully understand this (and the Interviews AU to understand that.)

It’s really just a little ficlet following Obi-wan’s brother Owen and Ronan and the start of the construction on the Clone Village on Stewjon.

Also, I think I’m incapable of writing romance.

Characters:  Owen - OC, Ronan -OC, unnamed OCs

Words:  2360~

Warnings: None I can think of.

Notes: I mentioned in the Plan that the Stewjon Royal family has ruling names (which the twins share). You can probably get them from context, but just to be clear, list!

Ivy & Illia -> Amara

Ronan & Ryszard -> Audric

Owen -> Alai

Story under the cut

Ronan and Owen had figured out a good place for a village of 3 million, and had set out with the royal construction crew to start building.

While there, Ronan and Owen couldn’t do more than stand around and occasionally give orders. Royal Attire was not suited for construction. And neither prince could stip out of any of the layers. That’d be improper. And they’d be indecent. According to Kierce at least.

Also, according to Kierce, if Kierce has to suffer through wearing 100 pounds of clothing, every other royal has to too.

‘He’s such an asshole.’ Owen thought privately. He’d never say it. Not in front of other people at least. Definitely to Kierce’s face in private.

“I’m… going to go see if the Deldri will kidnap me.” Ronan says, walking off towards the forest. Owen, doesn’t really care. He’s pretty sure the two of them were sent off purely so Kierce didn’t have to deal with them. So if Owen doesn’t have to deal with Ronan, well, he’s not about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“What’re you constructing over here?” Owen turns to face the newcomer, a physically dominating man, who gave off a vibe indicating he wouldn’t hurt a bunny. 

“A new village.” Owen states with the bored monotone any Royal in makeup was supposed to use. He gets not showing emotion. He also thinks it’s stupid. And has said so many times.

“Oh? Why?”

Well, Kierce didn’t say he couldn’t tell anyone. “New immigrants. Three million of them.”

The newcomer whistles, “They all passed the immigrant test?” Owen fought a smile. Immigration to Stewjon was easy, on paper. The test was easy, the qualifications were easy, the only hard part was the physical test people were put through. To see if they’d be on level with Stewjoni people. About 1% passed. If that.

“They’re Mandalorians.” Technically, at least.

“Oh? There are three million Mandalorians out there?” Owen is really glad he’s been trained to not react to the most ridiculous of situations, because he really wants to laugh. It’s not funny, but it is. 

“They’re all identical.”  Now, Owen could get into trouble for telling citizens about taking in the clones. But, Kierce would tell them anyways.

“Really?” The man draws, before walking away.

Owen should probably tell Kierce word would spread about the Clones. Owen hears a low rumble and looks up. Rain. ’A storm’ he realizes. Great.

“A storm is rolling in!” Owen calls to the workers, who all stop and look up to verify his words. Or just on instinct. “You do not have to keep working if you do not wish to.” The workers look to eachother before continuing with their work. The message clear, they were not going to stop working because of a little rain and EM. Fair enough. Owen heads to their transport and grabs an umbrella, opening it up and holding it overhead before returning to his previous position. The makeup wasn’t water-soluble, but most people don’t know that and he’d prefer to not be soaking wet when wearing a hundred pounds of clothing. That’s just impractical. Well. Everything about them was impractical. But getting them wet was doubly so.

The rain was just getting started, a low drizzle, when the man returns. Owen doesn’t greet him, if he wishes to speak he will.

“Your workers need any help?”

“They shouldn’t. But you are welcome to ask them. However, if you assist it will be volunteer work. You will not be paid.” They weren’t given a timeline on how soon the houses would need to be finished, but the Royal Construction Crew should be able to get it done by themselves within eight months, barring any extenuating circumstances that’d make their jobs harder.

The man laughs and slaps Owen on the back, causing him to lurch forward minutely as he hadn’t been expecting it. “Buy me a drink and you can call me Toots.” The man says and moves to talk to the Foreman of the Construction Crew. Leaving Owen very confused.

What. The. Fuck?

The only part of his confusion visible would be his blinking, as he was keeping his face as neutral as possible. Because that. That made no sense.

How does someone get that from Owen telling them to talk to the construction crew and he wouldn’t be paid? 

To reiterate. What the fuck?

Owen was so confused, he didn’t notice Ronan had returned, until he was standing right next to Owen, a Deldri umbrella held above his head.

“How’s construction going?” Ronan asks, sounding bored and monotone. As he should.

“Fine.” Owen might not have been as bored and monotone as he should have been. He was really confused.

Ronan looks over, and down because he just had to be taller than Owen, “Are you okay?” 

Owen didn’t answer until the man left the area, heading back into the nearby village. “No. That man confuses me.”

“He offered to help?” 

“No. Well, he did but that’s not confusing,” that was just typical of Stewjoni people really, “He said ‘Buy me a drink and you can call me Toots,’ after I told him that if he helped he’d be a volunteer and not paid.” Now, having been raised to not react to things, Owen could identify when his family was holding back a reaction. The reaction Ronan was holding back right now? Laughter. The fucker. He wasn’t even doing a good job! His shoulders were shaking and his mouth kept twitching up into a smile. “Cover your mouth if you’re going to fail at keeping your face neutral.” Owen scolds, and Ronan does as he says, covering his mouth.

By the time Ronan has his face under control, the man and a few dozen other people have returned, all going to help the construction crew. “Alai, I believe what you encountered, is flirting.” Ronan put the barest of inflection on ‘flirting’ but he did.

The arsehole. “No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Y- Aren’t you supposed to be the mature one?” Owen really wanted to laugh, Ronan barely managed to make that sound monotone.

“Says who.”

“You’re five years older.”

“Age means nothing.” It really doesn’t. Ace was by far the least mature of them all and he was the second eldest.

“Mm, Amara.” Which was also a good point. Illia was wonderful. Ivy would drop kick someone off the roof without any prompting.

“Yes. Age truly means nothing. And that was not flirting.”

“It was.”

“Flirting is refined.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Audric.”

Ronan gets the message through the Monotone and says something other than ‘no’.“Normal people flirting is not refined. It’s offering someone a drink and calling them toots.”

“If anything, that was a sex invitation.” For some reason, Ronan was trying not to laugh again. He was succeeding far better now, but his shoulders were still shaking slightly.

“Probably. But a,” Ronan clears his throat, “sex invitation is still flirting.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Do you really want to start that again?”

“No.”

“It was flirting. Now you can either go buy him a drink or say no.”

“You cannot honestly think I’d buy him a drink. It goes against everything we’ve been taught. Every protocol.” Owen was keeping his voice as monotone and bored as possible, putting the barest of inflection on certain words. No matter how much he wanted to go for a drink, it was not the way.

Ronan scoffs, barely, before speaking, “Like you’ve never fucked someone in Royal robes.” Owen looked to his brother, looked him up and down, and took a step away.

“You had those dry cleaned after, right?”

Ronan rolls his eyes, and ‘Wow, isn’t he breaking rules today?’Owen thinks blithely. “I did not have sex in the robes. I flirted in them and had sex out of them. There’s no harm in it.”

“There’s a lot of harm in it. And I’m telling Atlas when we get back so he can lecture you on it. Just because dad’s dead doesn’t mean you can escape lectures on propriety.” 

“You’re a terrible brother.”

“Yes.”

The delve into silence for a while, watching their people work as rain poured. Owen turned his attention to the EM rods that kept them safe. They did nothing for their electronics, they didn’t even stop the EM from reaching the people, but they kept the Gravopir from attacking the people in the settlements. And during a storm they looked so pretty. Electricity dancing from one pole to the other. Kierce had tried to explain how they worked to him once, Owen couldn’t really bring himself to care. 

“You could ask him to a drink out of the royal robes.” Ronan suggests, breaking their nice silence.

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you’re still thinking about him.”

“And how would you know that?” Owen wasn’t. He was looking at the EM rods. Which were not anywhere near that man. He was on the ground shirtless working on the bones of a house. Looking stupidly hot and wet and-

Oh.

“Because you are looking as far from him as possible. Despite the EM rods by him giving a far prettier show than the ones you’re looking at.” 

Which. Wasn’t incorrect. The ones by the man were prettier. 

“I don’t even know him.” He doesn’t! He is enamoured purely based on the man’s physique. It’s a wonderful physique but still. That’s not right.

“That’s what the drink is for.”

“I wouldn’t know where he would be for a drink.”

“Velvet Grass on Mirkrow. That’s where almost everyone here hangs out.” That. That gives Owen pause. He slowly turns to look at Ronan.

“How do you know that?”

“... Look I hang out in some places. And I’m not saying anymore until I can run away.”

“Okay.” Owen wouldn’t push. Not now.

“Do we really need to oversee construction? This seems pointless.” Owen agreed. They weren’t really doing anything.

But, “It’s about propriety. Or something. Atlas wants us overseeing.” Owen almost sighed. But he didn’t. Them being here really was pointless. Neither made anymore comments as the Foreman came over.

“I don’t want to disagree with the King, but you two don’t have to stay out here. You’re more likely to get a cold than us, given your clothing.” 

Which, was not how colds work. But it was a nice offer. And before Owen could decline as they were to, Ronan accepted it, “Thank you, Foreman Jenning. We’ll return to the Palace.” 

Fucker. Owen didn’t let his displeasure be known until the Foreman had left and Ronan was half dragging him to their horses. “Atlas-”

“It is wet. We are wearing a ridiculous amount of clothing. I want to get dry and warm.” Which were all fair points, and Ronan was already on his horse. Owen sighs and mounts his own. 

“You’re explaining everything to Atlas.”

“Fine.”

----

Atlas had been moderately unhappy. He was more unhappy they had ridden home in a storm than leaving the construction early.  Then he became annoyed and royally pissed when Owen told him about Ronan flirting and having sex as a public prince. And then Ronan told on Ryszard having sex in the robes which had led to those two being dragged off for a propriety lecture.And Bard calling Ronan a traitor. And Ronan calling Bard an oversharer.

After that, Owen had returned to his own room and pulled off his many layers and gotten half dressed in sleep wear when someone knocked on his door. He glanced through the peephole to see it was Ace, and let him and surprisingly Illia and Ivy into his room.

“Can I help you?”

“Ronan said you were going on a date.” Ivy states, sitting down on his bed.

“I’m not.” And even if he was it didn’t explain the girls being in his room. Ace? Sure, he gets way too involved in everyone’s love lives. Ivy? She doesn’t have a romantic bone in her body. Illia? Romantic, but honestly doesn’t care about their love lives.

“Ronan said a guy asked you out to drinks.” Ace states, going through Owen’s closet. Which was not good.

“He said ‘Buy me a drink and you can call me toots.’” Owen informs, sighing as Illia starts removing his makeup. “Why are you involved in this?”

“Ace asked nicely. And Ivy is going with you.” Which meant Illia got some peace and Owen would be responsible for making sure she didn’t kill anyone. Valid reason for Illia to be helping out.

“Of course.” Owen mutters as Illia finishes up removing the heavy make up. 

“Put these on.” Ace says, thrusting a couple articles of clothing into Owens arms.

“This isn’t a date.” Owen protests, but starts getting dressed. Everyone here had seen him naked, and they invaded his room. If they don’t like it, they could leave. They didn’t.

“It’s drinks. At the very least, you can relax.” Ace states, before shaking his head and going back into Owen’s closet.  He pulls out a new shirt and hands it over, “Switch.” Owen does and hands the old shirt back to Ace who nods. 

Owen looks at himself in the mirror and sighs. He looks so… not himself. He didn’t even know he owned these clothes. Everything he wore was normally so layered. To have something so thin and fitted was, weird. Illia comes up behind him and starts to comb through his hair, slowly turning it brown with every run through. Eventually, his ginger hair was brown, with a reddish tint in some places.

Ivy gets off his bed and stretches, “Alright! To the Velvet Grass Pub on Mirkrow!”

Owen pulls on a pair of boots Ace hands him. Not his royal ones. And follows Ivy out a servant’s entrance that wasn’t actually a servant’s entrance as the servants didn’t have access to it. Owen sighs, this was a bad idea. But he really can’t argue with his older siblings. He’s tried. It fails 100% of the time.

So, awkwardly getting drunk and keeping Ivy from getting into fights it is.

What a fun way to spend the night.

[juju-on-that-yeet]

Free-Fall

Prompt: Whumptober Day 12, “Don’t Move”

Summary: The Jims are ghost-hunting in the catwalk above Wilford's studio when RJ finds himself on a rotting, close-to-breaking beam. He has to stay still while CJ gets help - but there may not be enough time.

Warnings: Vomiting mention

Tagging: @peribloke (ask to be tagged!)

Read on AO3 (Full Whumptober Series)

Enjoy!

~

It’s not uncommon for the Jims to be scurrying along the catwalk above Wilford’s studio. It’s a great place to go ghost-hunting (they haven’t found anything yet, but they’re sure they will if they keep looking!), and it’s just plain fun to have a bird’s eye view of everything in the studio. CJ does occasionally have nerves about the height, but RJ has no such trepidations.

Until, that is, the wooden beam under his feet suddenly feels off.

RJ pauses where he is, and CJ, already on a different beam, looks back to see what’s holding his brother up.

“This beam made my stip-steppy feel weird, Jim,” RJ says. He rocks on his heels once, trying to gauge the beam. “Do you think there’s a demon in the wood?”

CJ peers at the beam thoughtfully, and ultimately shakes his head. “No ghosts,” he signs, “Maybe Pink Jim fired his shooty into it once.”

That’s a possibility. The odds are pretty good a bullet (or shooty pellet, as Jims say) buried itself into the beam at some point.

“That must be it,” RJ says with a shrug. He starts walking again to join CJ.

After two steps, the beam lurches, wood crackling as the ground shifts down under RJ’s feet. He nearly loses his balance but manages to save himself, waving his arms wildly until he’s standing solidly again. CJ’s face has gone pale. RJ looks at him, heart thumping, and then follows CJ’s gaze to the side of the beam. RJ can just see it if he turns his head. The wood is rotting and cracked, nearly all along the length of the beam. The beam that RJ is currently standing on.

“CJ,” RJ gasps, “I don’t think I’m close enough to make a run for it.”

He isn’t. He’s no slowpoke, Jims are renowned for their speed, but the beam looks ready to snap in two. And the way down is very, very long.

“Don’t move!” CJ’s fingers shake as he signs. “I’ll get help!”

“CJ–!” RJ cries, but CJ has already scrambled away, rushing to get back down to the studio floor. And of course, he has to, but RJ finds he doesn’t want to be alone.

The beam creaks again beneath him, and though it doesn’t move this time, it’s just as loud. RJ is very aware of the beam breaking up under his feet. He swallows. He looks down – no he doesn’t. He looks right back up again. Looking down is too much right now. He whimpers. Standing still is hard for RJ – he’s always running from some place to another, or else he’s bouncing his leg, rocking back and forth on his heels, or fidgeting in some other way. To be perfectly still is a task and a half. He knows he has to stay still to stay safe, but his body doesn’t, and restless energy is already building.

Part of it is the fear. Part of him wants to make a break for it despite his earlier statement, just run and jump and get out of danger. But he still knows he won’t make it. Maybe if he goes slower? He takes a single, slow half-step. The beam groans in protest. RJ yelps and freezes. Nevermind that, then. He’s stuck until help comes, whenever that will be.

How long has been stuck up here? Not that long, right? But it feels like a long time. It occurs to him that Wilford is the only one who can really do much to help him. He can teleport to RJ, pluck him off the beam, and teleport him back to solid ground. But Bim can’t teleport. Bim might be able to reinforce the beam somehow, but that’s a gamble. RJ loves Bim, loves his big brother BJ, but his powers can be unreliable and hard to control.

The beam shifts again, jolting down another foot as the wood crunches in on itself. RJ stays frozen. He starts to tremble. Is it from nerves or nervous energy? Probably both. He’s tempted to yell for someone, but he fears that might make the wood break even more. But that’s silly, isn’t it? But the wood is clearly fragile, on its last leg. RJ doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t know if there’s anything he can do.

He suddenly realizes he’s been clenching his hands. He loosens them, grunting a little at the soreness that sets in. He looks down at them to see little indents in his palms from his fingernails pressing there. He whimpers again. The beam creaks again. He closes his eyes. That was a mistake; vertigo comes on the instant his vision cuts out. He opens his eyes again. Now he feels sick. He wants to sit down. But he can’t, right? The beam drops further down. There’s his answer.

He tilts his head over to look at the crack again. It’s much wider, now, so thin in places that RJ wonders how it hasn’t broken already. Oh, that thought spooked him. He looks away from the disintegrating beam.

He hates this.

He’s so scared.

He feels sick.

The beam lurches, dips, groans, creaks, cracks, snaps –

RJ is falling.

The scream rips from his throat without him making it. He howls all the way down. The rushing air around him howls back. There might be someone else screaming, too. RJ thinks he’s crying. The air pressure closes around him, pushes him down, down, down, down –

Something solid intercepts him, snatches him out of the air. He pinwheels through the air into a portal, somewhere – somewhere pink? He pops back out just as quick, still held tight, under studio lights. He’s set down. He stumbles and collapses, but the ground is right there this time, solid beneath his feet. He stays on the ground, on his hands and knees, but his heart is still doing somersaults.

“That was a bit of a thrill ride, hm?” says a distinct, familiar voice. A hand pats RJ’s back.

RJ pukes.

“Oh, come on, it wasn’t that bad!” Wilford shouts, indignant.

“RJ!!” shouts a new voice, shrill and panicked. Someone comes up beside him. RJ’s hair is brushed out of his face with trembling fingers. “Oh, buddy, you’re green, you poor little guy–”

“Well, he’s not a Jim pancake, so I’d say he’s alright!” Wilford says brightly, though he has the kindness to at least poof away the vomit with a snap of his fingers.

“Give him a minute,” Bim insists, pulling RJ into his arms.

RJ, for his part, is still trying to process that he isn’t, in fact, a Jim pancake. He’s on the ground, but he’s whole. He looks around. Wilford is standing close by, the broken beam lies on the floor a few yards away. RJ’s face is pressed into Bim’s chest by his shaking hands as he strokes RJ’s hair, holding him tight. RJ realizes he’s alive. He still feels sick and scared and horrified that he almost died, but he’s alive. He almost died, he’s alive, he almost died, he’s alive, he almost smashed against the floor and broke every bone in his body –

He starts crying, sobbing into Bim’s chest, grabbing onto him like a lifeline.

“Oh no, buddy, shh, shh,” Bim murmurs, though he sounds like he’s crying, too. “It’s okay, RJ, you’re okay, you’re safe, I’ve got you, shh-shh-shh…”

Running footsteps sound from the studio’s entrance, and moments later, another body slams against RJ, huddling against his back. RJ would recognize the feel of his twin cuddling against him anywhere. He turns out of Bim’s chest enough to grab CJ in a one-armed hug, sandwiching himself between his brothers. CJ shivers in RJ’s arms, buries his face in his neck, and RJ feels CJ’s tears on his skin.

“Hey, how are we?” says yet another voice. RJ startles and realizes that Dr. Iplier is in front of him, having come in with CJ. “Are you hurt, RJ?” RJ manages to shake his head as Bim answers.

“He sh-should be okay,” he says, “Wilford grabbed him wh-when he was falling.”

“You should’ve seen it!” Wilford exclaims, puffing out his chest. “I got a running start and poofed right up beside him! The timing was impeccable, of course. I opened up another portal for us to fall into, and then we came back out the other side right here! We were like two little pinballs in a pinball machine. It was incredible!”

“Yeah, well, maybe you think so,” Dr. Iplier says, rolling his eyes, “But I don’t think RJ had any fun, did you, kid?”

RJ shakes his head through a particularly rough sob.

“That was bad, wasn’t it?” Dr. Iplier murmurs, sympathetic, “But you’re okay, you just had a scare.” He looks to Bim. “He’s gonna need a day to relax and calm down from all this. He’d probably feel better in his room with you than in the clinic with me, so do you think you can look after him?”

“Absolutely, definitely, of course,” Bim gasps, taking a hand away from RJ to wipe tears off his own face. “I-I’ll stay with him.”

“Great,” Dr. Iplier answers, smiling gently, “Then it looks like my work here is done. Feel better soon, RJ.”

“Th-thanks, Doctor Jim,” RJ manages. Saying just those few words exhausts him.

“No problem at all, kiddo,” Dr. Iplier replies, before leaving the studio to return to his clinic.

“Th-thank you too, PJ,” RJ adds, looking up at Wilford, still standing close by. Wilford laughs; a boisterous, warm sound.

“My pleasure, chap!” he exclaims, bending down and kissing RJ’s forehead. “I suppose I ought to replace that beam, hm?” He wanders away, muttering about order forms and construction companies and does he need Dark’s permission just to replace a beam?

“How about we go to your room, alright, guys?” Bim asks the twins, who are still crying, holding onto each other and Bim.

“Y-Yeah,” RJ agrees. CJ nods.

A few minutes later sees RJ wrapped up in a blanket and sandwiched between his brothers once more, watching a movie on Bim’s laptop. All three have stopped trembling, all three have stopped crying. The movie they’re watching is lighthearted, cheesy, funny, and it’s just what they all need. Bim has an arm across RJ’s shoulders, reaching to touch CJ, too. CJ’s arms are wound around RJ’s chest, and RJ can feel the pressure and warmth through the soft blanket. Once again, he’s motionless, too swaddled to do any moving. But he doesn’t mind it this time, because he’s safe and comfortable, and exhausted after the day’s excitement. He lets his head droop onto CJ’s shoulder and his eyelids droop closed.

He doesn’t feel sick anymore. Only calm, warm, and most of all, grounded.

[anxiety-trademark]

The week in review:

Raw 10/26 NXT 10/28 NXT UK 10/29 Smackdown 10/30

Raw:

Wonder what 19/11 means.

...Arsenic??... What in the-- WHY IS SHE SO HAPPY ABOUT THIS.

Boy y’all really nailed home how agonizing his suffering was before he died. My head hurts, this show is demented.

My god there are legitimately 2 of these psychopaths now.

wwe production should give Alexa’s voice a reverb effect whenever she says “let him in”

Girl is actually laughing hysterically while Bray ruthlessly murders Rambling Rabbit. Goodbye.

This act works so much better as a duo, Alexa was right in requesting to work with Bray.

kekekek Shayna makes a list of women she wants on her Survivor Series team; Nia snags the list and sees she’s not on it. Whose idea was this tag team? Need to know who I’m sending a fruit basket to.

Appreciate Mandy clarifying that Otis and her are still close, but I don’t understand why wwe separated them.

What is with everyone wearing black??

Lmfao this man really tried giving his rose to Shayna SIR PLZ. He had a better chance giving it to Sonya lesbireal.

Dana actually having a decent speaking segment. Half point.

“I feel like this is a joke. Is this like punk’d? Are we-- are we getting punk’d?” Nia came to entertain tonight.

Why can’t wwe just implement GMs again? Love Adam Pearce but he’s literally just playing the role of GM. Just keep them in the background with the mere purpose of cohesion. Good example: Paige. Bad example: Corbin.

This actually makes sense. You have the tag champs automatically being added, cuz duh, and the tag team who are undefeated since forming and moving to Raw. So have the 5th team member fight for the spot. I don’t hate that at all. At least there’s logic being applied.

I will never not hate Peyton’s theme. Yikes.

WHAT THE FUCK IS NIKKI CROSS’ NEW THEME LMFAO why are we throwing some bland, midwest country rock track with such a slow tempo at her??!? oof rip. Sucks for Nikki that Alexa wanted something more for her career but one could not possibly blame her, so.

ahahahaha I just noticed Nia took Byron’s seat. She’s so fucking funny.

Look if y’all are gonna do the move where someone lifts you over the top rope to set you on the apron, FUCKING JUMP FOR THEM. They’re not supposed to dead lift you.

Nice kick to Nikki by Lana; sloppy vault over the top rope. It’s kay, she isn’t even the worst one in this match lesbihonest.

Lacey gets Nikki in position for a suplex off the top rope, and Peyton - as quick as can be - jumps in to throw Lacey in a German suplex. That was smooth with very minimal set up. Points.

So Lana steals the win by pinning Nikki and the camera pans to all 4 team members looking absolutely shook. I am dying.

Interesting to see them focus on Peyton’s disappointment.

aaaaand rip Lana for the 6th time.

Such a jarring remix of Alexa’s song.

I know y’all are super weird and choose to sexualize/fetishize everything that you don’t understand, but I appreciate Alexa’s new persona. It’s like Firefly Funhouse characters meets Disney themed characters (which is core to Alexa) meets Harley Quinn. It’s a fitting cosplay with fitting demeanors. So if y’all could quit talking about ageplay like a bunch of weirdos, that’d be great.

Alexa and I are the same age and tbh I’m kind of shook on her behalf to see her share these segments and storylines with Randy Orton. Like I was a kid watching his feud with triple h. We were mere preadolescent kids lol. Good for her.

I like that she’s immune to Fiend’s name now that she’s fully embraced him become brainwashed.

Omg she’s just sitting on the turnbuckle laughing at them.

So Fiend is just a looming threat to Orton rn? Just letting Orton know that eventually he’ll have to answer for the fire he started all those years ago? I wasn’t here for Bray’s run back then so I’m kind of trying to piece this all together. Anyway fine segment. I don’t much care about Drew vs Orton but I appreciate Orton selling the intensity of the Fiend. He’s a good worker.

Highlight: Completely split between Nia being hilarious & Alexa being creepy as hell

---

NXT:

Well at least they’re keeping Ember backstage for her promos. That’s an improvement.

True, Dakota as a babyface was awful. Not sorry. Her character consisted of “scared” and “sad”... That’s it.

Big fan of the set for nxt tonight.

It’s so rare to see someone handle Rhea, what a nice dynamic.

These 2 are best friends irl, aren’t they? Enjoyable to watch them go punch for punch back and forth. If nothing else, they’re definitely selling that they’re pretty evenly built.

True though, Rhea does have her athleticism going for her. Rhea’s kicks are a beautiful thing to see. Soccer player ftw.

Really like this match. It’s cool to see the range of different matches Rhea can have. It’s not often you see her in an underdog type of role, and you wouldn’t think she could thrive as one, but it works for her just the same as being a dominant powerhouse. Shouldn’t be surprised though, her vs Charlotte at wm was a banger, and Charlotte was definitely the dominant force in that match.

Commentators said Rhea’s inverted cloverleaf has tapped out “many” superstars in nxt, and I just wanna know who? Cuz I have zero recollection of such.

Good showing for Raquel. Gave zero shits about her prior to this. She’s always just been the Diesel to Dakota’s Shawn Michaels.

GREAT counter by Rhea from the one armed powerbomb into nearly a headscissors takedown.

This match is very well paced.

Oh yes, that’s the type of match that easily could’ve gone longer and left me wanting more, which is a hell of a compliment. I underestimated how good this would be.

Wow they’re having Poppy rob us of Io’s theme song? For shame.

So how does the wheel actually work? Do they really not get a chance to plan out their stip matches? That’s weird. I love it, but it’s weird. Is it rigged? It’s gotta be rigged, right?

Love the black and orange themed ladders.

lmao Candice’s reaction to the bag of body parts. Fantastic.

Did Candice hit Io in the face with a laptop?? Honestly, points.

Lol chalk outlines on the tables. The theme is great.

Oh man, a moonsault straight onto chairs. rip Io’s midsection.

Wicked suplex onto the sitting chair, oof. Looked like Io clipped that.

Meteora into a steel ladder, which then fell on Io. She taking a beating lol.

Commentators mentioning Johnny counter: 3

Kinda cool spot twisting Candice’s ankle in a chair. Of course, it’s not like Candice sold the damaged ankle anyway, so.

Swinging neckbreaker through the tables - a spot that would’ve been great if the commentators had actually sold it and there was a real crowd.

idk who the hell is helping Candice, but I think it’s just fantastic that Shotzi came in to stop them.

“LeRae can’t reach,” as if this match wouldn’t have been over if she would’ve just climbed up one single ring.

Welp Candice is dead now. Fell off the top of the ladder through another ladder. Nasty landing. rip. 

Brutal match, but it still wasn’t better than their first match. At least Candice did work and this wasn’t boring unlike their last takeover match. Points for the damage they caused to their bodies, eesh.

Highlight: Rhea vs Raquel

---

NXT UK:

Oh nice UK added some monitors. Good for them, even if the stream quality is kinda poor.

I like this match up. Dani Luna is an athletic powerhouse, and Valkyrie is an athletic technician. This is more the type of quality match that I’d expect on the MR - minus the storytelling/performance aspect, but that’s okay.

Really appreciate Luna’s strength for how small she seems.

Valkyrie is fun to watch. Her arm drag takedowns and counters are entertaining.

Damn Valkyrie can do a springboard cross body and a pele kick as well? What an intriguing skillset she has.

Holy shit that snap German suplex by Dani was effortlessly CLEAN.

I’m not big on Dani’s look tbh. I feel like she’d be more of a standout if her hair was a different color. I don’t think blue works for her, personally.

An interesting finisher by Valkyrie... I don’t hate it. I’m all for the result, though. Good show of respect between both competitors. Wouldn’t mind watching them again in the future.

Current day has KLR still as champion (#foreverchampion) but I’m guessing they’re really gonna have Piper be the one to inevitably end it. Should be Valkyrie as far as I’m concerned. Even if she’s trash on the mic - not saying she is cuz I have no idea - she’s super entertaining to watch.

Highlight: Dani Luna vs Valkyrie

---

Smackdown:

New year, same old Nattie trying to be the Survivor Series captain.

Billie Kay is entertaining but wbk.

Bianca, ma’am, you JUST started going here. Calm down.

“Bianca nobody really cares, or knows, what EST means, it’s totally irrelevant. I’m the boat.” lmao I genuinely love Nattie, not sorry.

SHE CLAPPED AT HER goodbye. Give me a Bianca vs Nattie match, entertain me plz.

Ah a triple threat? That’s fine I suppose, what the hell.

Why does wwe keep depriving me of Bianca’s entrance? I hate this company.

Billie Kay: *jumps in the ring to catch Bianca in a random pinfall; fails; proceeds to leave the ring once more*

Billie Kay really is a special level of awful, but at least she has character work going for her.

Good cover by Bianca to set up the basement dropkick by Nattie to break up the pin.

Boy Bianca sure did take her time breaking up that sharpshooter. You got both Nattie and Billie Kay screaming and she’s in lala land lmao.

I will genuinely cry if they ever change Bianca’s music, I stg. Good for her btw. Appropriate result.

What’s the purpose of the polaroid camera?

Soo did they basically give Carmella the layout of Sasha’s gimmick while turning Sasha babyface? Is that what’s going on? What rules is Carmella making? What shots is she calling? Why does this girl have champagne? You know who would rock the “fuck y’all I’m rich, look at my Gucci and diamonds” gimmick? The Ice Queen, Charlotte Flair.

What an adorably tiny cross.

Carmella you’re not really known for winning, but alright.

Hate this music btw.

Lol this fucking chair. Okay.

“Long time rivalry renewed” didn’t Asuka and Sasha have a minor feud a mere 5 months ago? That lasted one month?? Is that considered long time now???

Sasha’s makeup is off key ngl. I hate that outfit as well.

Yes, yes she was your best friend and that was really sad, but you’re not saying anything different than you have before. And you’re STILL not likeable. But hey, I’m happy for you all the same, now be as entertaining as Bayley plz.

“The whole world knows that you can win a championship, but even you know that you can’t hang onto one. Unlike me.” pppffffttttt she’s not wrong.

Who do I gotta pay to permanently separate you 2? hiac was great, let’s end the debacle now plz.

“You made me sign that hiac contract under duress,” THANK YOU BAYLEY see someone knows their legal jargon. 

Peep that gnarly bruise on Bayley’s arm. Whew.

She’s so annoying lmao.

“Backstabbing bitches never win,” hi, Sasha? Longest reigning Raw women’s champion, first ever wm main eventer, first ever women’s dual world champion, face of the company, cover of espn and 2k20 Becky Lynch just called; said that is absolutely not true.

Highlight: Bianca, Billie Kay & Natalya backstage segment

---

*Raw shined the brightest this week, but I have to shout out NXT as well for their 2 matches, particularly Rhea vs Raquel.

[henrytcasey]

Watch This Wrestling 40 (10/8—14)

Hello friends! This didn’t just go up late because there was a lot to watch, but because I did another one for Cageside Seats: Evolve 94 Live Report: A View From The Front Row.

Also, have you watched my video about BOLA yet?

As always, if I'm missing anything that can be accessed without too much trouble, @ me on twitter: henrytcasey.

What I Watched

WWE Hell In A Cell, 10/8

MLW One Shot, 10/8

PROGRESS: Revelations Of Divine Love, 10/8

Monday Night Raw, 10/9

NJPW King Of Pro Wrestling, 10/9

SmackDown LIVE, 10/10

205 Live, 10/10

NXT, 10/11

Lucha Underground, 10/12

Evolve 94, 10/14

Upcoming Watch List

Evolve 95, 10/15

Monday Night Raw, 10/16

SmackDown LIVE, 10/17

205 Live, 10/17

NXT, 10/18

Lucha Underground, 10/18

Non-WWE Match of The Week:

Keith Lee vs Matt Riddle: WWN Championship Last Man Standing Match

Evolve 94, 10/14

In a week filled with 4-star matches, it’s hard to pick which one is the best. I’ve been nit-picking the finish of Lee vs Riddle for days, debating how much the Last Man Standing stipulation hurt the match.

Yes, a three-count could have made for a more raucous moment, but this match was still the biggest barn-burner of them all, even when you consider the ending relied on one man not standing up. And since I’ve heard some compelling arguments saying that an I Knocked You Out stip means more than a pinfall, yep this is the winner.

First of all, I loved the rolled-through suplexes to start the match off, placed them on a more-even playing field. The next thing I noticed (from the front row) that made me smile was how Keith Lee worked the match in a very natural way, turning his head to see if Riddle was rising up, and then immediately making an effort to do so at those moments.

I spent much of the hours before the show predicting that Lee would win, to the point where I felt confident. Maybe that’s why I felt the ending looked a little telegraphed, though Riddle spent a lot of time dominating the match, which always signals the comebacks.

On top of the solid build of Lee doing his signature moves, and then having to do them again from the top rope, the post-match moments really tied it all together. Look at how Keith Lee looks at the WWN Championship. We saw more raw emotion here than we ever got from Riddle over this belt, and more than we got from any of the below honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions:

Ricochet vs Shane Strickland, MLW One Shot, 10/8

Jinny vs Milly McKenzie, PROGRESS: Revelations Of Divine Love, 10/8

Will Ospreay vs Kushida, NJPW King Of Pro Wrestling, 10/9

Tomohiro Ishii vs Tetsuya Naito, NJPW King Of Pro Wrestling, 10/9

Roppongi 3K vs Ricochet & Ryusuke Taguchi (c) for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Titles, NJPW King Of Pro Wrestling, 10/9

Pentagon Dark vs Son of Havoc, Lucha Underground, 10/12

Darby Allin vs Jarek 1:20, Evolve 94, 10/14

Fred Yehi vs Hot Sauce Tracy Williams, Evolve 94, 10/14

Jaka vs Zack Sabre Jr., Evolve 94, 10/14

Non-WWE Segment of The Week

Ethan Page: This Generation Sucks, And So Does Shane Strickland

Ethan Page’s YouTube, 10/11

Surprise! I love an Ethan Page YouTube promo! Now that All Ego has left Evolve, his channel is my primary means of seeing the Body Guy talk his shit.

Here, he provides a solid takedown of Shane Strickland for making himself the leader of some loosely affiliated group of CZW talent. And Page makes some damn good points about how there are a lot of people just imitating others.

Now, I don’t see Strickland as a clone, he’s been proving his merit in a lot of places, from the Lucha Underground temple to the MLW One Shot event. But if you look around Strickland, in that video, yeah … Page has a point.

Page is also so far above most of the CZW roster — in terms of mic skills — that he can record this video in his kitchen and make it look easy.

Want another indicator of how this promo is great? It’s sold me on paying for the CZW The Wolf of Wrestling event when it eventually hits an online platform.

Why is that a big deal? Because I didn’t set up an array of mute filters, I have a pretty solid guess as to how the match finishes, as I didn’t see people on Twitter raving about a new champion being crowned. But I still want to see how this goes.

Honorable Mentions:

Jimmy Havoc Teaser, MLW One Shot, 10/8

EVOLVE Mini-Doc: Matt Riddle vs. Keith Lee Last Man Standing!, 10/9

Mike Kanellis on addiction, recovery and rebirth, 10/10

Puma and Vampiro, and Vampiro and his Master , Lucha Underground, 10/12

WWE Match of The Week:

The Usos vs The New Day for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships in a Hell In The Cell Match

Hell In A Cell, 10/8

Up to that moment it was the Best Hell In A Cell match that didn’t feature Mick Foley or The Undertaker. Which is saying something. Super insane spots, lots of inventive mayhem, and oh the trombones. Francesca lost a lot of family that night.

Honorable Mentions:

Shane McMahon vs Kevin Owens in a Hell In The Cell Match, Hell In A Cell, 10/8

Johnny Gargano vs Andrade “Cien” Almas, NXT, 10/11

Lio Rush vs. The Velveteen Dream, NXT, 10/11

WWE Segment of the Week:

Kevin and Sami Explain Themselves

SmackDown LIVE, 10/10

You know what’s amazing about this? Completely defied the established and hard-to-argue conventional wisdom that Sami Zayn should always be a babyface.

Sure, I’d like that heels be less right about their motivation, but I’m also impressed that this all ties together so well. Most WWE heel turns don’t make this much sense.

Honorable Mentions:

The Fashion Files, Hell In A Cell, 10/8

The Mizzies, interrupted., Monday Night Raw, 10/9

Sister Abigail?, Monday Night Raw, 10/9