#but it would be so funny if they reunite and it’s just. immediate hands

[mrs-elijah-wood]

Wait oh my god I forgot you can cold-clock Solas in DAI.

We’ve spent all this time theorizing about what their reunion’s going to look like with an Inquisitor who’s in love with him/besties with him/respects but disagrees w him but I am SO excited to see a DATV world state where they literally just can’t fucking stand each other

[tossawary]

It's funny to think about a scenario in which Luke manages to get Yoda off Dagobah and bring him back to the Rebellion. Maybe Obi-Wan left a message with R2 as a backup plan or something, so Luke got the message much earlier. Yoda is still too old and injured to fight, but he can train Luke while moving around as the Rebellion's new grandpa (and potentially reunite with characters like Ahsoka and Kanan and Cal and so on).

This AU is important to me because how it would look from an Outsider's POV:

"Uhhh, Luke," Han said. "What's that?"

"What's what?" Luke said, turning to look across the hangar bay. "Oh. That's Master Yoda. I went to Dagobah to get him, remember?"

Han studied the small, green, vaguely amphibious creature with long pointy ears and wisps of white hair, crouched underneath Luke's X-Wing and steadily eating its way though a bucket of... what the hell were those things? Eggs?

"That's your great Master Yoda?" Han said dubiously. He couldn't have helped it, so he didn't even try not to sound skeptical. "The one who's going to train you and Her Royal Highness in this... uh... penetrating life field magic?"

Those ragged brown blankets that it seemed to be wearing looked not unlike the dusty robes that Luke's old man had been shuffling around in, before getting killed back on the Death Star. Maybe.

"He's the wisest and most powerful Jedi Master alive," Luke said, like he was determined to be upbeat about it. "He's 900 years old. He said."

Han watched the creature dig around in the bucket some more, nearly sticking the entire upper half of its body inside. Its long ears wilted when it came up empty. It sat back with a loud, high-pitched harrumph and its wrinkled face scrunched up like a fruit rotting all at once.

"Yeah," Han said. "He looks it."

Luke shot him a betrayed look and Han just shrugged. He didn't have a problem with the kid and the princess finding some comfort in some hokey old religion. The kid's family had apparently been killed by troopers the day that Han had met him and Leia had watched her entire planet be destroyed, so whatever touchy-feely nonsense helped them deal with that helped.

But that didn't mean that Han wasn't going to call it like he saw it- "Uh, kid, is that your storage unit he's searching now?"

Luke groaned and put his head in his hands. "I left some ration bars in there, I think. I bet he can smell them."

This great Jedi Master was making a real mess of it. He threw one of Luke's things over his shoulder, where the tool hit R2-D2, and the small droid immediately let out a shocked series of beeps and chirps. The outraged blare when the droid traced the missile back to Yoda was even louder.

Han watched as the droid whirred briskly up to Yoda, then reached out with an extended grabber and yanked at the old Jedi's stick. Yoda shrieked in surprise. A tug-o-war started, which looked like it was going to have one or both of them falling over.

"Oh, no," Luke said.

People around the hangar bay were starting to stare. Han couldn't look away.

The droid released the wooden stick and Yoda let out a cry of triumph. Which turned into a yelp of pain, because R2-D2 had just zapped him with another extended tool, which crackled like a threat that the droid would do it again. Yoda's response was to smack the droid with his stick, repeatedly, grunting with the effort - and the loud clanging caught the attention of everyone who hadn't already been looking.

"You gonna, uh, you gonna do something about that?" Han said to the kid.

Luke sighed heavily, which definitely meant that this wasn't the first time something like this had happened. He stood up and waded into the mess, catching the stick with one hand and physically pushing the droid back with the other, ordering the old astromech and older Jedi Master to knock it off. He sounded just like a parent about to hand out some punishments.

R2-D2 beeped petulantly at Luke.

"I don't care who started it!" Luke said, his exasperation carrying. "This time or last time-! Ow!"

The great Jedi Master had just smacked Luke in the shin with that stick. Luke hopped on one foot for a few seconds, biting down on what probably would have been some nasty Huttese cursing. Yoda harrumphed again and then lurched back over towards his empty egg bucket.

R2-D2 made a sound that Han had, whether he liked it or not, already come to recognize meant: "I told you so."

"Oh, fuck off," Luke snapped.

Han threw back his head and laughed.

[mxtxfanatic]

When Wei Wuxian Stops Giving a Fuck

Wei Wuxian spends 95% of the novel being so polite and charming and funny and kind that I think people honestly forget how terrifying and decisive he can be once you exhaust his patience. These are some of my favorite moments when Wei Wuxian stops being nice to people who absolutely never deserved it:

Wei Wuxian found the scene unbearable. “After so many years, the Lan family is still like this,” he thought to himself. “They’re still affecting that stupid, undying self-restraint. Hmph. Watch this!” He spat at Lady Mo and said, “Who the hell do you think you’re screaming at? Do you think they’re your servants? These people traveled through half the country in order to help you for free. What exactly do they owe you? How old is your honorable son? He should be at least seventeen this year, right? And he’s still ‘a child?’ How old does he have to be to understand human speech? Yesterday, didn’t these cultivators say several times not to touch anything or approach the western courtyard? Because your son couldn’t stop himself from pilfering what isn’t his, as though he were a starving dog stealing chickens in the night, you’re blaming me? You’re blaming them?”

—Chapt. 4: Feral III, fanyiyi

[Jin Zixuan's] blood grew hot and he blurted out, “If she’s unhappy, then let her break off the engagement! I certainly don’t cherish your wonderful shijie. If you cherish her so much, why don't you take it up with your father? Doesn’t he love you more than his own son?” After hearing the last sentence, Jiang Cheng’s eyes narrowed, and Wei Wuxian was no longer able to contain his own fury. He flew at Jin Zixuan, his fist raised. Though Jin Zixuan had been prepared to defend himself, he hadn’t expected Wei Wuxian to hit back so quickly. The attack started before he had even finished speaking, and when the fist struck him it immediately caused half his face to go numb.

—Chapt. 18: Elegance VIII, fanyiyi

Wen Chao’s complexion switched between red and white. Wei WuXian added, “Right, what was the accusation given to those who insult famous cultivators of the Wen Sect again? How should they be punished? I remember that it was execution, right? Yes, very well, you can go die now.” Wen Chao couldn’t hold himself back any longer, unsheathing his sword and lunging at Wei WuXian. With that, he lunged out of Wen ZhuLiu’s range of protection. Wen ZhuLiu had always been used to defending against the attacks of others. He had never expected Wen Chao to leave by his own will. Facing the sudden difficulty, he somehow couldn’t react in time. On the other hand, as Wei WuXian provoked Wen Chao, he was precisely waiting for the moment of uncontrollable rage. The smile by his lips didn’t falter at all as he attacked with the speed of lightning. In a split second, he had snatched the sword and reversed the situation, subduing Wen Chao with just one move!

—Chapt. 53: Courage, exr

After he said a few harsh words to her, standing where she was, Jiang YanLi had burst into tears. When Wei WuXian returned, this happened to be the scene that he saw. Although his shijie had an easy temper, except for how they cuddled and cried together the day the three of them reunited after Lotus Pier was destroyed, she hadn’t really shed many tears in front of others, much less cry so loudly, so pitifully in front of so many people. Wei WuXian was filled with panic. As he tried to ask her, Jiang YanLi was crying so badly that she couldn’t even speak properly. Then, when he saw Jin ZiXuan standing on the side, astonished, he fumed with anger, wondering to himself why it was the dog of a person again. With a kick, he pounced on Jin ZiXuan. The fight between the two would have alerted the Heavens. All of the cultivators around the base came to break up their fight. Amid the ruckus, he finally understood what was the cause of all this, and became even more angered. He spread his tough talk, saying that one day he’d definitely make Jin ZiXuan die in his hands, he told people to drag out the cultivator woman. A round of questions later, the truth emerged, and Jin ZiXuan’s entire body was frozen. No matter how much Wei WuXian continued to curse at him, he returned neither words nor fists, his face dark.

—Chapt. 69: Departure, exr

Hearing this, Wei WuXian’s smile disappeared at once. He asked, “Discipline?” He turned his head slowly, “A crooked path?” Lan WangJi’s voice was low, “Wei Ying.” Jin ZiXun and the others noticed the unusual atmosphere as well. Holding their breaths, they looked at him. Wei WuXian smiled again, “Do you know why I’m not carrying my sword? It wouldn’t make a difference if I told you anyways.” He turned around, stating one word at a time, “Because I want you to know that even if I don’t use my sword, with nothing but what you call a ‘crooked path’, I will still rise unparalleled and leave all of you staring at me from behind.” With his words, all of the people present were shocked speechless.

—Chapt. 70: Departure, exr

Wei WuXian, “Cut the nonsense. I’m sure everyone knows that my patience is limited. Where is he? With so much time wasted on you, I’ll give you three. Three!” Jin ZiXun wanted to resist, but when he saw Jin GuangShan’s face, he felt his heart shiver. Wei WuXian began again, “Two!” Jin ZiXun finally yelled, “... Fine! Fine! It’s just a few Wen- dogs. Take them if you want to. I’m not fooling around with you any longer! Go find them at Qiongqi Path on your own!” Wei WuXian laughed coldly, “If only you said it sooner.”

...

The group felt their scalps tingle and their blood run cold. The head inspector stammered, “The YunmengJiang Sect and the LanlingJin Sect have been getting along with each other. You mustn’t...” Hearing this, Wei WuXian glanced at him, his tone amused, “You’re quite brave. Are you threatening me?” The head inspector hurried, “Of course not, of course not.” Wei WuXian, “Congratulations to you for successfully draining all my patience. Since you don’t want to speak up, let’s let him answer on his own.” As though it’d been waiting for his words for a long time, Wen Ning’s frozen corpse suddenly moved, raising its head. Before the two nearest inspectors could even scream, each of their throats was clenched by a hand as firm as iron. ... He suddenly spun around, putting his hand on Wen Ning’s shoulder before shouting, “Wen QiongLin!” As if a reply, Wen Ning let out a long, thundering roar. The ears of everyone within the valley ached. Wei WuXian spoke one word at a time, “Whoever caused all of you to be like this, let them meet the same end. I give you the right to do so. Settle everything!” Hearing this, Wen Ning immediately crashed the two inspectors that he was holding together. Like exploding watermelons, the two heads immediately let out a loud bang, sending red and white flying everywhere.

—Chapt. 72: Recklessness, exr

He walked beside the person whose words were the harshest and ground his foot against the person’s face, laughing, “Talk. Why aren’t you talking anymore? Mr. Hero, just what are you going to do to me?!” The person’s nasal bones had broken from the force, bleeding and screaming uncontrollably. Many cultivators were watching from on top of the city gate. They wanted to help, but they didn’t dare approach the scene. One of them shouted from afar, “Wei... Wei Ying! If you’re really that strong, why don’t you go find those sect leaders participating in the pledge conference? What could you prove by picking on us low-level cultivators with no power to fight back?” Wei WuXian let out another short whistle. The cultivator who shouted felt as a hand suddenly tugged him down. He fell off the city gate, breaking both of his legs, and began to scream. Amid the wails, Wei WuXian’s expression didn’t change at all, “Low-level cultivators? Do I have to tolerate you, just because you’re low-level cultivators? If you dared say those things, you had to dare shoulder the consequences. If you knew that you were insignificant pieces of scum as filthy as ants, how come you didn’t know to think before you speak?!” Everyone was as pale as ash, making not a single noise. A moment later, when Wei WuXian didn’t hear any more chatter, he continued in satisfaction, “Yes, that’s the spirit.”

—Chapt. 77: Nightfall, exr

One of the cultivators who stood in the front rows of one of the arrays commented bitterly, “Wei Ying, you disappoint me so much. There used to be a time when I admired you and said that at least you were someone who founded your own sect. Now that I think about it, it’s almost repulsive. From this moment on, I’ll forever stand on the opposite side of you!” Hearing this, Wei WuXian first paused, but soon exploded with laughter, “Hahahaha...” He laughed so hard that he almost couldn’t breathe, “You admired me? You said you admired me, but why haven’t I ever seen you when you admired me? And as soon as I’m loathed by everyone, you jump out and wave your little flag?” Tears of laughter seeped from the corners of Wei WuXian’s eyes, “Your admiration as a bit too cheap, isn’t it? You said that you’ll forever stand on the opposite side of me. Very well. Does the fact that you’re standing on the opposite side of me affect me at all? Both your admiration and your hatred are so, so insignificant. How could you be so shameless as to flaunt them in front of others?”

—Chapt. 78: Nightfall, exr

Just because a person is kind does not mean that they are unconditionally kind. Nobody is obligated to tolerate bullshit forever, and I am really glad that mxtx wrote Wei Wuxian as a character with clear boundaries, limits, and an understanding of when he needs to remind people who tf he is.

[trippinsorrows]

with me + part nineteen

authors note: the infamous chapter is finally here! a lot of questions you all have asked me are finally answered. i hope it's enjoyable and worth the wait!

status: in progress // masterlist

warnings: angst (discussion of child loss), language, suggestive themes

song inspo: with me by destiny’s child

faceclaims

words: 10k

taglist: @pixiedust4000 @yolobloggers @msbigredmachine @southerngirl41 @wanderingreigns @romanreignsbae

To say your 2024 Bingo card has been filled with nothing but surprises would be the understatement of the century.

The past six months, really, have been mostly wonderful but also chaotic as hell.

And if someone had told you, way back when it was just you and Joe in your own little fantasy world, that his wife would one day text you in the middle of the night, wanting to meet and join forces to combat your apparently psycho-ex best friend, you’d laugh your ass off. Laugh your ass off harder than a guest at a Katt Williams special.

But, life is funny, and God clearly has a sense of humor, because that’s exactly what happened.

It’s also why you’re sitting on Joe’s bathroom counter at 4am as he finishes up in the shower, readying for his early flight.

“I’m sorry, it completely slipped my mind to tell you I gave her your number.” Joe shuts the water off, and you immediately redirect your attention to anywhere but him as he walks out. It’s bad enough you two didn’t have enough time to get in another session before his departure, but it’s another thing to be so cruelly taunted by your sexy ass man in all his buff, your favorite pastime on fully display but unable to be touched.

Sucked.

Rode.

All of the above.

Joe continues, and your eyes land on him just as he’s knotting the towel around his waist.

“I should have asked you before I did so, but with everything going on—”

“You don’t have to apologize, Joe.” Cutting off his unnecessary apology feels like a good move, the right move. You’re not mad at him about that at all. “I know you would have never done so if you believed she had any ill intent.” And it’s the truth, especially on the eve of this Mariah mess. “Sure, I would have liked a heads up that my boyfriend’s ex-wife would be texting me asking to meet and essentially do an interview together, but it wasn’t a necessity.”

He chuckles, looking over and asking, “what are your thoughts there?”

A heavy sigh leaves your mouth at his equally heavy question. “I don’t know. I feel torn. On one hand, it’s kinda weird, ya know? Truth be told, I always figured if by some miracle I ever spoke to her, she’d try to kick my ass sooner than she’d want to grab dinner.” You quickly add, “emphasis on try because ain’t no bitch beating my ass.”

He chuckles, reaching for his deodorant. “Well, you better not be fighting nobody with my baby in you.”

Rolling your eyes, your hand naturally rests on your stomach. “I know, I just….what do you think?”

“I think you should do whatever makes you most comfortable.”

“None of this is comfortable,” you murmur, and it’s the truth. This whole thing sucks all around. “And that’s not an answer.”

He shrugs. “I can’t tell you what to do, babe.”

“Technically, you can, but you’re choosing not to. There’s a difference.”

Joe moves over and caresses your temple, sharing quietly, “I want you and Callie to come down to Philly a few days before WrestleMania. They’ll put me up in an Airbnb. I’ll make sure it’s big enough for all of us.” 

The abrupt change of topic confuses you, yes, but there’s more excitement at the thought of being reunited with him than bewilderment. It brings a small smile to your face. “Are you sure?” Any chance to see Joe will always be taken advantage of, you just don’t want your and Callie’s visiting him at such a time to cause any sort of distraction.  “I don’t want us to get in the way. You need to focus.”

“You two could never get in the way, and my focus is exactly where it should be.” His hand snakes under your shirt, feeling your soft belly. “I also want you to come to the Hall of Fame Awards with me.”

That definitely takes you by surprise. You’ve never attended any sort of formal, public event with him before, and the WWE Hall of Fame awards is like the event. “Are—are you sure that’s a good idea?” Being careful with your words and honest with yourself, you confess, “I’m not sure if it’s a good look for you to be seen so publicly and openly with me right now. Your fans already kinda hate me.”

Limiting your media consumption has been a saving grace in all this. Not that you were big on it to begin with. However, you have read a couple articles and made the even bigger mistake of reading the comments. To say some, if not most, of the internet wrestling community have nothing nice to say about you would be putting it lightly. 

There’s people cussing you out, people saying you should burn in hell for what you did, even some saying if Joe (Roman) loses at WrestleMania, it’ll be your fault.

That last one is at least a little funny to you, because for such big fans, they sure don’t know how WWE works.

Roman’s gonna retain the same way he has for almost three years. 

Ain’t shit stopping that.

“I told you before, and I’ll keep saying it until I’m blue in the face—I don’t give a fuck what they have to say about us. I love you, and I’m going to be with you, regardless of what anyone thinks. The Hall of Fame, Wrestlemania, hell, I’ll take you in the fucking ring with me if I want to.” His defense is so strong in its delivery and conviction that it almost instantly takes away any and all reservations on your end. “And they’re not fans if they have some negative shit to say about the woman I love.”

“Well, in their defense, Mariah did a damn good job making me out to be some Jezebel.”

“That’s partially why I think you should do the Live with Jadah.” His tone and expression soften, thumb rubbing against your stomach. “They don’t know you like I do, and they don’t need to per se, but they can at least see you’re not what she’s made you out to be.” He brings his mouth to your temple, lips lingering. “They can see why I love you so much.”

“Knew you had an opinion on what you think I should do.” But, regardless, you’re thankful for him truly allowing you to decide what is best for you. And you think you have. With a big breath, you settle on your final answer. “I’m gonna do it, but not even to let people see I’m not this horrible person. I just….I haven’t really had a chance to use my voice in any of this. Like…..” You work hard to help him understand where you’re coming from. “I didn’t have a voice in the DCFS situation outside of defending my parenting, but in this….there’s a chance for me to speak my side, to be able to defend myself. And I feel like I need to do it.”

“I agree.” You’re not surprised. Joe is anything and everything, including forever supportive. “Ya’ll are gonna use my Instagram to do it too.”

“Wait, what?”

“Baby, Jadah doesn’t have any social media, and you don’t need all them damn people on your page, nor do you want that.” He’s right. You hadn’t thought of it that way. “Mariah had an audience. You get one too.” 

Fair. Very fair. “Okay.”

He taps your hip, informing. “I’ll leave you the login info." It sometimes still amazes you how much he trusts you, how easy it is for share so many things with you that are objectively personal. His banking information, his fucking social medias that are literally tied to his career.

It means the world for him to have so much trust in you.

“We’re going to Disney after Mania.” 

Joe is just full of surprises, jumping from subject to subject. “What? I thought we were going for Callie’s birthday.”

“We are, for a second time, but the first time is gonna be that Tuesday after Mania. A day for you and Callie to rest.” 

You’re still trying to settle on the fact that this man is proposing two Disney visits literally back to back when something else hits you. “Wait, the week after WrestleMania? Don’t you have to work?”

“I’ve got it handled,” is all he says, all he offers, all he provides. 

“Joe, what does that even mean? How does that work? How do you just win WrestleMania and disappear right after?” Something’s not adding up. There’s something he’s not telling you, and it pisses you off for a lot of reasons, but mostly because you just hate being kept in the dark. “Is it being written into the storyline or—”

“I’ve got it handled, okay?” His tone is exasperated, which you find ironic considering you’re the one on the receiving end of his vague ass answers. “Just….trust me.”

That’s a hard one. Not trusting him. That comes second nature at this point, but trusting him and not knowing if whatever he’s handled causes any sort of problems for him. You worry about any hits he might take sometimes because of his decisions that are usually for the sake of you and Callie.

It shouldn’t bother you, but it does, especially because you know how important his career is to him.

“What about you?” That’s your biggest concern. This man has been ripping and running for what feels like months. He deserves a vacation. He needs a vacation. If he’s gonna be off for a couple days at least, why not use them to recharge? “You need to rest too, Joe. I can tell you’re exhausted, baby. There’s no need for us to go twice. We can just stick with May for her birthday.”

He shakes his head, preparing a guaranteed disagreement. “You’re gonna be five months pregnant by then. You don’t need to be walking around a damn amusement park while that far along. I don’t know if you’ll even want to.”

“Baby, trust me when I tell you, I could be nine months pregnant, and I’m still going to waddle my big ass around that park. I’m fighting any kid that tries to get in my or Callie’s way.”

He shakes his head, muttering, “the May visit might not happen if your ass gets us banned.”

“I can behave,” you murmur, recognizing you’re being a bit dramatic. Just a smidge. Disney has been a dream visit since you were a kid, so there's an immense amount of excitement at going.

“And why are we going twice anyway?” Eyes narrowing in suspicion, you realize and point out, “you’re up to something, aren’t you?” He rolls his eyes but says nothing. “You are. Oh my God, Joe, you’ve already done so much for us, we don’t need anything else. I don’t need anything else.”

It’s the truth, too. Going to Disney twice in one year when some people never get to go at all is absolutely not a necessity. No matter whatever he clearly has planned that requires two trips.

Joe looks like he wants to say something but decides against it. Annoying ass. “It better not have anything to do with a damn dog.” He laughs. “Especially with me pregnant now. Two kids under the age of 5 is gonna be a lot in and of itself.” Since you’re already on the subject, you add, “I’ve been thinking maybe my mom can come stay with us a little after the baby is born? So, I can have some help when you can’t be there.”

There’s something in Joe's expression that gives you pause, like he wants to say something but decides against it. “And I mean, I’d be fine with your mom coming too, I just��another adult will be great.” You throw that out, an honest thing, thinking maybe he’s wondering why it always has to be your mom and not more of his side of the family.

Although deep down, you know that’s not it.

“Of course, whatever you want.” He kisses your forehead and moves away to finish getting ready to go.

As much as you don’t want to feel annoyed, you do. This is at least the second or third time you’ve tried to broach the subject of post-baby, and he’s been elusive, borderline dismissive. 

It’s hard to tell if it’s because he’s maybe nervous about something, if he truly doesn’t understand why you’re wanting to discuss this now, or something else, but regardless, it’s annoying.

And you don’t like it.

You don’t like it at all.

———-

Things happen fast in Florida, or maybe it’s just you and the reality show that your life has been the past week or so.

Because one minute you’re celebrating an unexpected but welcomed pregnancy, and the next you’re the subject of major media articles, publications, and news segments. Followed up with being hit up by your boyfriend’s ex-wife, the same wife he had when you first started sleeping with him.

The same woman who you’re anxiously awaiting to ring your doorbell at any minute now.

The silence of the large house doesn’t help either. You're greatly wishing you could be distracted by Callie’s loud singing, running around, laughter, something. But, you asked Alexis to take her out for a few hours for you, not wanting her to be around in the event that things turn ugly.

And that’s a bit of an irrational belief on your part.

You would have never invited her over, accepted her invitation, agreed to even meet with her if there was any thought in the back of your mind that she has any ulterior motives. In a weird twist of fate, you’re both kind of in the same position, the subject of all kinds of public scrutiny. Granted, from what you have seen on social media, majority of the people are on her “side.” Some going even as far as starting and using the hashtag #TeamJadah.

And you can understand that, understand why the public would “side” with the wife versus the mistress, but it’s also based upon a shit ton of Mariah’s lies and smear campaigns that have painted you in such an ugly light.

That’s ultimately why you’ve agreed to this, agreed to this highly uncomfortable team up, because it’s the only and best way to reclaim your voice.

To reclaim your narrative.

The sound of the doorbell ringing literally makes you jump from where you sit criss-crossed on the new expensive ass sofa Joe picked out for the house. It is comfortable though, and for a second, you almost choose to stay in the comfort of the sofa versus answering the door.

But, you know that’s not an option, for Jadah to fly out on such short notice only to be stood up by the other woman.

It’s not a good look.

Clearly.

So with a deep breath and quick mental pep talk, your feet carry you to the door that you unlock and hesitate only a second before opening.

Instantly, you’re hit with two things: the sweet smell of Jadah’s perfume and Jadah herself. Right off the bat, you can’t get over how gorgeous she is. Her deep complexion is absolutely flawless and moisturized as hell, thick eyebrows that frame her almost slender facial shape perfectly. Full lips pulled back into a sly smile. She’s wearing a pair of jeans and thin sleeved top that show off her shape, both slim and thick where it counts. 

She’s as drop dead gorgeous as you imagined her to be. You can’t be attractive as Joe is without someone to match your aura. 

“Well, let no one say Joe doesn’t have good taste. You’re even prettier in person.” 

Receiving compliments from your boyfriend’s ex-wife was also nowhere on your 2024 bingo card, but clearly all projections need to be discarded at this point with how many stunners have happened.

“Thank you.” It’s strange. You’ve always been super good with compliments, taking them at face value, because you know that you’re pretty, always having the high self-esteem to recognize as such. But, hearing it come from her of all people feels a little…..off. Like, she shouldn’t be complimenting you. “Umm, come in, please.” 

She does so, walking and looking around, almost inspecting. “This place is beautiful.”

All of the compliments are throwing you. It’s not what you were expecting. Then again, you’re not sure just what you were expecting. 

“Thanks. Do you…want some water or something?”

She shakes her head, “I’m good, thank you.” Jadah gestures with a manicured finger between the kitchen and the living room. “Preference?”

Shaking your head, you leave that up to her. “Whatever you like.”

She nods and heads into the living room, sitting down on the sofa where you just sat, anxiously awaiting her arrival. Wordlessly, you follow suit, sitting on the sofa opposite of her. 

“Thank you for agreeing to this,” she says, placing her purse on the coffee table. “I know me reaching out must have taken you for a loop.”

“A little.” A lot. But, she doesn’t need to know that. “I—I can understand why. I’m so sorry you got caught up in all of this.”

“One thing you don’t have to do is apologize. For any of this. For anything. From what Joe told me, this girl is just psycho and has some weird obsession with trying to ruin your life.”

Scoffing bitterly, you can’t find a point to disagree with. “That sounds about right….”

No one says anything for a good, solid minute. Or two.

“Okay, why don’t we get the awkward part over.” Her voice takes on a new tone, one similar to boredom and insouciance. “We both dated and slept with the same man. I happened to be married to said man when you started sleeping with him, but that shit doesn’t even matter, cause you already know what our deal was.”

The deal…..

No, you have no idea what the deal was. That’s part of why you’re happy to finally be talking to her, because you have so many questions. Granted, that’s not the reason she’s here in the first place but still.

Your facial expression must give away the confusion because Jadah’s indifferent tone shifts to something else, something more serious. “Y/N…..how much do you know about my marriage to Joe?”

It’s a bit difficult for you to navigate how honest you should or shouldn’t be with her. She’s a stranger for all intents and purposes, but given why you two are now even sitting across from each other, maybe honesty is the best option. “He’s never really said anything about you or his marriage, and I won’t lie to you, it’s not like I’ve made a lot of effort to find out.”

There’s a part of you that still struggles with a level of guilt for the intentionality you had at the beginning of dating Joe to not ask about his wife, to pretend that you didn't see the wedding band on his finger.

Avoidance makes justification a hell of a lot easier. 

She chuckles, gaze settling on her lap. “I shouldn’t be surprised. Joe’s always been a good man. He was probably trying to protect me, protect my privacy.” Jadah shakes her head. “The irony, huh?” She leans forward, hands on her knees. “Alright, we’re doing this.” She seems to be speaking more to herself than anything, and you get it fully. You’re still giving yourself mental pep-talks just sitting across from her. “I’m gonna tell you the truth about us, but I’m telling you now, certain things Joe, even with how much he clearly loves you, may never talk about. Really, it’s years of therapy that’s why I can talk about it now.” On one hand, the warning is appreciated. On the other hand, it only increases your anxiety at whatever you’re about to hear. “I also have this thing where I use dark humor to cope with heavy shit, so just pretend like you don’t notice.”

The conversation with Kaylah in Vegas returns to the forefront of your mind, and you start to feel bad for opening the door for Jadah to have to revisit a clearly painful past. But before you can protest, she starts sharing.

“Joe and I met in college. I was 20, going on 21, and he was 22. He was playing football, I played soccer. I thought he was attractive and vice versa. We had a class together, and I approached him first. Next thing I know, we’re fuck buddies. It wasn’t romantic. We didn’t go on dates. He didn’t want that, and neither did I. It was just sex.” She says it so simply, so casually, and for a second, your mind goes towards comparisons. That’s kind of similar to how it was with you and Joe at the beginning. Just all about sex.

“Well, like two dumb college kids, we were having unprotected sex, and we both know what can happen there. I ended up getting pregnant. And this….this is where shit gets bad, because both his family and my family were of the belief that because we were having a child together that we should get married, so guess what we did?” She rolls her eyes, leaning back into the sofa. “I think that might have been our first mistake.”

A mistake….

Joe has also made a comment at least once or twice insinuating he viewed the marriage as a mistake. Had stated they initially married for the wrong reasons, and hearing the full story, you sort of agree. 

It’s such an outdated belief that two people need to be married in order to have a child.

“We did it, we got married. My family is in real estate, so we moved into an apartment they owned off campus and prepared for the baby. That was really the only time we talked and interacted. When it had something to do with the baby. And looking back on that, I can see now that even if we wanted it to work, it wouldn’t have. I felt nothing for him outside of the fact that we were having a baby together, and I know he would say the same because we discussed as such when we finally decided to get divorced. But, I’m jumping ahead of myself.”

Slowing down would be wonderful, because this is a lot for you to take in and digest. Jadah sounds like she’s essentially stating she never loved Joe, never had feelings for him. And it seems like he felt the same way, like they were only trying to make it work for the sake of the baby and their families.

She’s quiet for a second, and you already know the next thing that’s about to come out of her mouth. “There’s—there’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just say it.” Another pause. “We lost the baby. I–I had a stillbirth. I was just about 8 months along. I—grief is so damn weird, because some days I’m okay, and then others, I feel like it just happened.”

Shaking your head, you advise gently, “Jadah, you don’t—”

She lifts her hand, stopping you as she explains, “today….today is an okay day. I’m….I’m good.” And you hope, for her sake, that she’s being honest with both you and herself. The last thing you want is to unintentionally trigger her. “We coped the only way we knew how at the time: avoiding each other and having sex when we weren’t avoiding each other. Both of which were unhealthy, one of which resulted in me getting pregnant again. But, I—I ended up miscarrying.”

That….that you especially weren’t expecting to hear. The loss of one child seems unfathomable, but the loss of two children is just so wrong. Like, it shouldn’t be allowed to happen. No one deserves to experience that kind of grief, and while your heart aches for Jadah, it’s hard not to think mostly about Joe.

To think about how that kind of experience had to have torn him up. How could it have not?

“After that miscarriage is when we tried to make things work, tried to actually be a real couple. It was mostly on my end but also that loss was the first time we actually tried to heal together instead of separate. I did most of the initiating, and I can be honest with myself now in admitting it was mostly because I wanted to try again. I wanted to try to have another child.” Her attention is mostly focused on her lap as she recalls what had to have been one of the most difficult times in her life. “Through therapy, I learned that I thought if I could finally just have a child, my grief would go away. Obviously, that’s not how that works, and I learned the hard way because I did get pregnant again, but I….I also ended up miscarrying again.” 

Words. There are none to properly describe what’s going through your head right now, the emotions all circulating throughout your entire body. Tears brim your eyes listening to this heartbreak. You have such a tremendous amount of compassion and sympathy for the woman sitting across from you.

For the man not before you currently but you’d give anything to be able to hold and hug right now. You had no idea he’s been through so much, lost so much, and yet he still stands tall, forever being your backbone.

Being your saving grace. 

“That was the last time Joe and I were ever intimate,” she continues, dabbing at her eyes. “He refused to touch me unless I got on birth control. Said he didn’t want to see me go through that anymore, and I believe him. But, I also don’t think he could handle another loss either.”

You’re not sure anyone could handle that kind of loss a fourth time. 

“I was the one who cheated first, but it’s hard to call it that when I nor Joe ever really saw our marriage as real. It was legal, yes, but he never loved me, and I never loved him. We had love for each other, but we weren’t in love with each other. And I think the little we did feel was because of our shared losses.”

This almost feels like a discussion that needed to happen in separate sessions, because it’s so much to take in. You’d always wondered about this marriage, wondered what the real story was, but hearing that real story almost has you wishing you would have never asked. It’s just all so heavy.

“And then he started becoming more famous and up there in the WWE. I don’t need to tell you how crazy his schedule can be. I barely ever saw him. We essentially became roommates. He did his thing and who he wanted, while I did my thing and who I wanted.”

It’s hard on you hearing all this, for obvious reasons, but there’s also a part of you that is grieving for different reasons. Grieving what maybe you and Joe could have been if you knew all of this. Knew his wife wasn’t the high school sweetheart turned wife, knew he wasn’t going home and playing house when he wasn’t in your bed. You always just assumed this was the case, the few times you even allowed yourself to think about him being married. It was more toward the end of your relationship as you realized you needed to start being honest with yourself about your relationship with him.

“I know for a fact Joe never initiated a divorce because he felt like it was wrong. Like it was wrong for him to leave me because I couldn’t give him what he wanted, a family. I can’t speak for him, but I’d bet that’s why he didn’t divorce me even when he met you. Because he’s a good man who still felt a sense of loyalty to me because I had tried to give him a child. I just….I couldn’t.”

Your chest tightens at her words. Did she just….. “Joe wanted kids?”

Jadah is quick with the response, reiterating. “He always wanted to be a dad. Even with our first pregnancy, we were both nervous and young, but he told me that he wanted a big family because he came from one.”

It’s getting harder and harder to keep the tears at bay. You hadn’t the slightest clue fatherhood was something Joe always envisioned for himself, something he always wanted. It makes sense, it makes all the sense now why he reacted so strongly as he did when he found out about Callie. The way he looked at you with such love and appreciation on Christmas when you apologized for not getting him anything, the way his eyes fell on Callie is he calmly told you that you already did.

A child. 

You’d given him a child, something he always wanted but could never have.

Shaking your head, you admit aloud but gently, “I didn’t—I didn’t know that.”

“Do you know what Joe told me when we finally realized we needed to just file?” She doesn’t wait for a response, most likely already knowing what your answer will be. “He said he was never supposed to be with me, because he was always supposed to be with you.” A tiny gasp leaves your mouth. “And he’s right. Joe never spoke about me the way he speaks about you, the way his eyes light up, the smile on his face…... He was never in love with me, because his heart was always supposed to be with you.” Any effort to refrain from crying is null and void. “And I’m happy for him. I truly am. I couldn’t give him what he wanted, and that’s okay, because you have.”

Her comforting you is the last thing that should be happening, but it’s exactly what occurs. She reaches over, placing her hand on top of yours.

“Y/N. I don’t hate you. I don’t think you’re a whore who ruined my marriage. That marriage was a sham from the beginning. If anything, I was more upset at you when Joe told me about Calista. I was upset because I wish you had told him from the beginning that you were pregnant. We could have gotten divorced sooner, and he could have finally experienced fatherhood. I could have finally figured out what I want in life.”

Sniffling, wiping at your eyes, “All this time…..I thought that I had been that woman, that I took him from you. That’s why I didn’t tell him about Callie, I thought—I felt like it was wrong, wrong because he was married.” It’s that along with your unaddressed daddy issues, that whole trauma, but while Jadah is relatively open with you about her struggles. You’re just not there yet.

“You can’t take what never belonged to me. I’m able to admit now that I never had Joe, and to be honest with you, I never really wanted him.” She frowns almost, continuing to share more with you than you ever expected her to share. “I wanted to do humanitarian work after college, and I didn’t do that because I was too busy living my life the way everyone said I should. I don’t blame Joe either. I guess I just wish all three of us didn’t have to wait so long to finally have what we wanted.”

In a strange sort of sense, all three of you are victims of some type of circumstances, different in various ways but still victims. 

“Are you….are you happy, Jadah?”

In all that you’ve heard her divulge, a no wouldn’t surprise you. She’s such a strong woman, but in the midst of all this, you getting Joe, Joe having you, where’s her happy ending?

“I’m bisexual.” It’s such a strange first initial response, one that you’re not sure how to reply to or take. Not that you’re judging at all. Good for fucking her. But, where is the relevance?  “It’s not a secret, either. I’ve been out since I was in middle school, but I’ve been in a relationship with this amazing woman for almost a year now, and it’s with her I’ve realized I just tend to form deeper connections with women than men. Especially emotionally. It’s gotta be why I never felt anything for Joe, because we both know that man is objectively gorgeous, insanely sweet, and the D is fire.”

That makes you laugh, the first in the midst of this heartfelt conversation. “You’re not wrong about that.”

“But, she’s amazing, and we’re so happy, so yes, I am more than happy.” Her eyes light up the same way you’re certain she’s seen with Joe when he talks about you. “But, you know what will make me happier?” She announces with attitude and determination. “Getting on Live together and blowing up this bitch whole spot.”

Another laugh that’s followed up with. “I’d rather beat her ass, but this is second best.”

“I mean, we can do that too. I don’t really know how to fight, but I’ll cheer for you on the side.” 

There’s more laughter as you realize Jadah has that dry sense of humor that can have you dubbed over in tears from the humor, meanwhile she’s got a straight face the whole time. 

“I wish, but I can’t be fighting in my condition.”

It leaves your mouth before you even realize what you’re basically confirming, and before you can freak out, scolding yourself for being so insensitive, Jadah is already two steps ahead.

“Seriously? Congratulations!” Her smile is just as genuine and happy as all the outdoors, as she explains. “Y/N, just because I can’t have kids doesn’t mean I can’t be happy for people who can. I know Joe must be over the moon happy.”

“He is,” you answer with a matching smile, hand going to your stomach. “I’m really happy I got to meet you, Jadah. I think….I think we both needed this.”

There was something so healing about all of this, some sense of solace and closure that feels like it’s been provided for the both of you. Her being able to talk this out and be honest about her feelings, and you learning that maybe, just maybe, your relationship with Joe was never wrong in the first place.

Because it was always supposed to be.

“I agree.” She squeezes her hand. “Now, let’s get started on our strategy for this Live, cause I’m ready to shut that ex best friend of yours fifteen minutes of fame down.”

———-

In another life, you and Jadah could have been the best of friends. 

There’s such an ease that comes with talking to her. Not only is she just as laid back as Joe promised, but the bitch is funny as hell. The strategizing your game plan for the Live is filled with her dry humor that almost has you in tears at one point. And it amazes you how someone who’s been through so much can still find it in her to laugh, to still be filled with so much joy.

It’s admirable. 

And maybe there’s a way where you can be friends of some sort, because there’s truly no ill feelings towards her on your end. You’re also almost certain it’s the same for her as well, but right now, the focus is on this Live. 

Well, sort of.

“I definitely think the cool tones will really compliment the white theme of the house. You guys don’t plan to paint, right?”

Joe never mentioned that Jadah is an interior designer, not that he needed or even had a reason to, but it definitely comes in handy considering you have this big ass house to decorate without a lick of knowledge about decorating. 

It didn’t take long to figure out how you’re going to tackle the Live, and you two even got your iPad set up in the kitchen, deciding that’s where you would hold it. She even set up the practice live so you two could familiarize yourself with the layout before actually going live.

So with that out the way, it only took one question from Jadah about designing for her to be assisting you with some options for different rooms in the house.

“No. Joe hasn’t mentioned anything about it.” You then remember. “We are getting a mural painted in Callie’s room. I guess Joe knows someone.”

“Oh, that’s awesome.” She beams, asking, “what’s the mural gonna be?”

Smiling, you answer, “disney. She loves Disney.”

“Y/N…..do you….do you think I could meet her?” She quickly adds, almost as if she’s nervous about even asking in the first place. “I know you probably need to talk to Joe first, but—”

“Of course, you can meet her.” There’s no need to think about it, no need to talk with Joe about it. “I was actually going to ask you if you wanted to meet her. She’s out with my best friend right now, because I didn’t want her overhearing our Live, but I’d love for you to meet her.”

She seems so moved and appreciative of this. “Thank you.” She motions down the hall, “you don’t happen to have any food, do you?”

Laughing, you answer. “Girl, I was just thinking we need to get this Live done, cause I’m hungry.”

It’s not too surprising on your end. In the past few days, you’ve noticed your appetite increasing, a strange symptom to have so early on in your pregnancy. Annoying, too.

“Well, let’s pig out on snacks, and maybe we can get actual food later,” she suggests. You’re down for that, thinking about asking Alexis to stop and pick something up on her way back to the house with Callie. 

“Sounds good to me.” She then looks around, noticing the speakers located throughout the house. “Do those work?”

Already knowing where she’s headed, you pull out your phone, opening up Spotify and reaching it to her. “What’s the vibe?”

Jadah sucks her teeth, taking the phone. “Girl, you already know.”

She moves her fingers around the screen before music starts to play.

Knuck if you buck boy

Knuck if you buck boy

Knuck if you buck boy

“Oh my god, you taking it way back.” And it’s so appreciated, cause this always has been and always will be your song. It’s aptly appropriate as well.

“We gotta be in the zone.” She’s dancing along the way to the kitchen, tossing you your phone as she walks backwards. “You still remember Princess verse?”

Is water wet? “Don’t play with me.” Making it to the kitchen, you’re barely able to open the cabinet where the snacks are before the verse starts.

Yeah we knuckin' and buckin' and ready to fight

I betcha I'm'a throw dem thangs

So haters best to think twice

Word for word, you don’t miss a beat, and Jadah is right there with you, dancing and playfully twerking to the soundtrack of every middle school fight back in the Y2K era. 

The two of you share a laugh at your silliness as she forages through the cabinet for her preferred snack while you open the goldfish and glance at the iPad. Frowning, you move closer, asking, “why is the screen still on? It’s supposed to be on auto—Jadah?”

She’s distracted, caught between Cheez-Its and Pretzels, answering distractedly. “Yeah?”

“Why does this say we’re live?”

At your question, she answers half-heartedly, “it’s in that practice mode thing, isn’t it?”

That would provide a heavy layer of relief if your eyes didn’t land on the number of the corner of the screen.

The number that reads over 100,000k people are currently watching this live.

“Jadah! It’s fucking live!” She spins around, confused. “Like, we’re on Live!”

“Oh, shit,” she curses, running over and also looking at the screen. “Damn, we are.”

Panicked, you back up to the opposite counter, lecturing, “I thought you said it was in practice mode!”

“I thought it was!” She defends, shrugging and reminding you of her naivety with technology. “You should have never left me in charge in the first place! I haven’t used social media since Tom and I were besties on MySpace!”

“Oh my god.” your hand remains over your mouth as you take in the fact that this thing has just been sitting here, live for the whole wide world to sit and watch.

“I don’t know why there’s so many people here. Were ya’ll just sitting here staring at her fridge?”

“Jadah.”

“It’s a valid question!” She sucks her teeth, pulling out the bar stool and plopping down. “Well, since everyone’s here, we might as well get started.” She reaches for your phone, simply saying “music.”

Believing she’s going to turn off Crime Mob, you hand it to her, but that’s too good to be true. Because instead of silence, you’re hit with Megan Thee Stallion.

I just want to kick this shit off by saying, "Fuck y'all!"

I ain't gotta clear my name on a motherfuckin' thang

“Jadah!”

“I said we were getting started. We need to set the tone.”

“We can’t be playing this kind of music on Joe’s account though.” At least, you think so. You’re not entirely certain what exactly his public image is supposed to exemplify. But, songs about fighting and cussing people out don't seem to align.

However, she waves you off, focusing on the screen. “Hello, everyone, and welcome to this special edition Live. I’m sure most, if not all of you, recognize Y/N, thanks to a basic bitch we’re about to roast alive in this here video.” She gestures to you, and unsure of how exactly to respond or act, you simply offer a sarcastic wave. “But most of you may not know I am because I’m pretty sure there’s only a couple of photos of me online, which is the way I prefer it.” She places one hand on her chest. “I’m Jadah, the infamous ex-wife who apparently hates Y/N and pulled up ready to knuck if you buck, but we’ll get into that later.”

Feeling more comfortable after making active efforts to push away your nerves, you tease, “bet ya’ll didn’t see this one coming.”

Jadah’s face lights up with a mischievous smile. “We figured there’s so much being said about us by this delusional bitch, that it’s time we speak our truth. And I’m just gonna say right now that while we’re doing this to clear up the lies, there are some things we’re not going to touch on because it’s nobody’s business.”

“None of this is really anyone’s business,” you add, the confidence growing by the second. “It’s all really fucked up how we even have to come up here and defend our characters and talk about personal, real life situations. I never wanted any of this, never wanted to have my face be out there, to have my daughter’s face be out there.”

“And that’s the thing, too,” Jadah seems to be feeding off your energy just as much as you’re feeding off hers. “I don’t have any social media at all. I hate it. After today, I don’t plan to ever do anything like this ever again. But, it’s also the fact that people are saying such cruel things about an innocent child that absolutely disgusts me. Like, people are attacking an innocent little girl and saying that it’s in defense of me, which is so insane because none of you know the truth.” She looks over at you, asking, “mind if I start off?”

“No, go ahead, please.”

“Bet.” She claps and announces. “I’m gonna keep this super easy for all of ya’ll. First things first, I have never spoken to that Mariah person a day in my life. Have zero clue who she is. The texts? Never happened. Phone calls? Never happened. Screenshots of said messages? Never fucking happend. Why?” Jadah makes a triangle over her mouth so her voice projects. “Because I don’t fucking know her!”

“More facts: Joe and I were married, yes. We got married when we were like 21 and 22 because I was pregnant, and that’s when people still believed children could only be raised by married couples. That’s the only reason I married that man. We were never in love. Never even dated. We were just horny college kids who didn’t use protection.” 

As strange as it may be, you can tell there’s a bit of hesitation on Jadah’s end before she goes into the next part. “We, unfortunately, lost that child. And experienced some other forms of loss that I won’t get into because it’s very personal, but to make a long story short, we ended up having an arrangement. Essentially, he did what and who he wanted, and I did the same.” 

She pushes some of her hair back, continuing to explain bits and pieces that are still true but protect her from having to lay out her darkest experiences. “I don’t even consider it an open marriage, because outside of us legally being married, we never had an actual marriage. As most of you already know, professional wrestlers have insane schedules, so when I tell you he was at the crib maybe a month out of the year? I’m not even exaggerating. That man was my platonic roommate.”

There’s a small smile on your face as her humor and sass melt into her delivery after carefully maneuvering around the specifics of her personal loss. “Ya’ll are all up in arms, coming after this girl talking about she broke up my marriage, blah blah blah. But, she couldn’t break up what didn’t exist. I never loved that man. Joe is a great guy, but we never loved each other.” She gestures to you with her thumb. “This is who he loves. This is who he has a family with. And the fact that ya’ll can sit there and claim to support him and be a fan while attacking the people he loves blows my mind.”

“So, it goes without saying, Mariah lied her ass off about all of that for clicks and views. She’s a liar. And you can print that in your tabloids.”

“I also wanna clear up some things about her if that’s cool with you?” Jadah nods, and motions for you to have the figurative floor. “I need people to understand that this is somebody who I thought was my best friend, who I’ve called a best friend since I was in kindergarten. Matter of fact, we met because some boy was picking on her, and I went up and pushed him, standing up for her. I’ve always prided myself on being a loyal friend, especially to her. So for her to do all that she’s done to me has been so fucking hurtful and confusing.”

“I found out that she’s been sleeping with my very first boyfriend, the boy I lost my virginity to and dated on and off up until I was in my mid-twenties behind my back since we were teenagers.” You have no intention of stooping to Mariah’s level, but if she wants to lay out your information for public scrutiny, then you damn sure can make sure they know just who they’re believing. Know her character, or lack thereof. “Mind you, he ain’t shit either and he can go fuck himself just as much as she can. Like, it takes two, but here I am calling this girl my best friend, crying and confiding in her about all he’s putting me through, and the whole time she’s fucking him behind my back.”

“That’s so foul.” Jadah looks just as disgusted as you feel just thinking and talking about it. 

“But you know what? As fucked up as that is, that part is well with my soul because I have a man who treats me so damn good, a beautiful daughter, and a loving, supportive family. So, that’s fine. What really fucks with me though, still—” There’s an unplanned pause as emotions get the best of you, just revisiting this subject. “Fuck, I said I wasn’t gonna cry.” Taking a deep breath, you do your best to continue without breaking down in front of the whole damn internet. “What gets me is that this girl who I considered a sister, who I literally made the legal godmother of my child, called DCFS on me, made up horrific lies and stated my child was in immediate danger—”

“Oh my god—”

“They took my baby away from me and placed her with my mother, so I legally could not have any contact with my child or my mom for three days. And that may not seem like a lot of time to ya’ll, but I love my child. She’s very attached to me, and I’m kinda the same. So those three days were torture. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t keep anything down, my chest hurt. I had to hire a lawyer, be interrogated like I’m some criminal. It was awful.” Your attempts to hold back the tears failed epically, and Jadah’s hand is on the small of your back, rubbing in a comforting motion. “And now she’s sold all these personal photos and videos of my daughter to the highest bidder, so now I worry about what kind of fucking disgusting perverts now have access to them. It’s been fucking hell dealing with girl. You all have no idea.”

Up until this point, you’ve made an active, concerted effort to keep your eyes away from the comments, not wanting to lash out or be unintentionally triggered. But, an accidental glance reveals a slew of incoming comments including hearts of all colors. 

It’s then you can’t help but to read a few, also needing to get your shit together. Crying on the internet is something you used to make fun of people for. Now, you’re in the same position.

The comments are a complete 180 from the last time you decided to torture yourself by viewing the public’s general opinion on you. 

There’s a tremendous amount of sympathy, support, and newfound understanding. For both you and Jadah, though, the majority of them seem to be aimed towards you.

A lot of apologies as well.

“And this is the kind of person you all have been deceived by. The only thing she was truthful about is that yes, I met Joe because of her. She won a contest years ago that gave her tickets and backstage passes to a Smackdown show, so she invited me, and I met him that night.” That’s probably the only thing you could ever be grateful to Mariah about, the fact that her letting you be her plus one resulted in you meeting the love of your life. “But, I’m not a whore. Not a golddigger. I’m very intelligent. I got nearly a perfect score on my ACT and my SAT back in high school. I was student body president, homecoming queen, prom queen. You look up Ms. Popularity, and you’ll see my fucking face. I have a bachelor's degree in education, I’m a licensed teacher in my state. Like, I don’t need attention from strangers nor do I want it.”

“And here’s the thing, my daughter is almost five, so I’ve been in the picture. If I was this big attention whore like she says I am, why have I not gone public or made my presence known? The only reason ya’ll even know who I am now is because I was essentially outed, but I don’t want this shit. Joe is famous. Not me. I don’t want that. I just want to live in peace and privacy with my family. That’s all.”

It’s a bit of playing with the truth, insinuating that you’ve been in Joe’s life consistently the past five years, but that’s one of the parts of this that doesn’t need to be shared on the world wide web. 

“We black and educated excellence over here. We don’t need validation from strangers.” Jadah says it better than you can as you continue to blot at your eyes, grateful the tears are drying up. “We need some church in here to lift the spirits.”

“Oh, Lord, what are you going to play now? We are about to get Joe’s account banned.”

She clicks around on your phone before the song starts playing.

We lift our hands in the sanctuary.

We lift our hands to give You the glory.

“You’re so stupid.” This laughter is so good for your soul, it’s the most you’ve done in such a short span in a while. And it feels good. “But why would you pick this damn song, knowing good and well it never ends.” Reaching for the goldfish bag on the island, you open and grab a few. 

“Y/N! Why are you eating? We are in church.”

You give her that ‘girl, please’ look, justifying. “Girl, I’m hungry. It’s snack time, shit.” You’re craving more than a snack, more like a full course meal, but Callie’s snacks will have to do for now.

“Now you’re cussing in church. Don’t drag me to hell with you, whore.” She leans closer into the phone, taunting, “you liked that one, didn’t you, Mariah?”

You almost spit out your food. “Jadah!”

“What? You are a whore. That’s why I pulled up at your house blasting Sideline Hoe by Monica in my 2007 Toyota Camry, wearing my Baby Phat bomber jacket to fight you that one day.” At this point, you’re about to piss on yourself. Jadah’s sense of humor is golden, because she’s saying all this with such a straight face. Never once breaking scene. 

You decide to play along, correcting. “No, it was The Boy Is Mine, remember?”

She snaps her finger. “That’s right. My bad. And then the second fight, it was Jolene. I played that when I snuck in your hospital room at Grey Sloan and caught you flirting with Dr. McDreamy.”

Turning your head, you try your best to hold in your laughter, but it’s impossible. 

And Jadah also breaks a bit, speaking to the phone and viewers. “You see how ridiculous and stupid this all sounds? That’s exactly how stupid majority of the shit that came out of Mariah’s mouth is. I literally just met Y/N for the first time today, this morning. And as ya’ll can clearly see, we good over here. She got her man. I have a wonderful, beautiful girlfriend. Stop being so invested in lives you don’t live.”

You start to add something else when Jadah interjects, “and let me just say this, cause I saw some people having the audacity to say this girl is ugly. Ugly where? The bitch is gorgeous. Look at her!” She gestures to you, adding, “she’s stacked in the front, and it’s sitting in the back. Shit, I would hit that too.”

“Girl, you better stop before they start making up rumors and shit about us all being poly.” Snickering at just the thought alone of that being the latest on the rumor mill, you jokingly coin it prematurely. “Roman’s Harem.”

“Roman’s Hoe House,” she suggests, and you’re nearly in tears from laughter. This bitch is hilarious. “Plot twist, everyone. This was all a publicity stunt for a new season of Flavor of Love featuring Roman Reigns.”

“Jadah, oh my god, stop.”

She lifts her hands to silence you as you lay your head on her shoulder, laughing your ass off. “We will be taking applications following this Live. If you are a woman of color with ass and boobs, please apply. Slim thick girls, ya’ll can apply too with the understanding your chances are a bit slimmer. No pun intended. Skinny girls….maybe try the Bachelor or something.”

“Jadah, you are a menace.” You are dying for her to meet Alexis. They seem very similar in a lot of ways, and it seems like they’d vibe well. Hopefully.

“Y/N, please, I am trying to build recruits for the harem.” She finally cracks, shaking her head and leaning forward to read some of the comments. She then asks you, “should we answer questions?”

That’s an easy pass, though you also know this is your one chance to really show who you actually are versus who you’ve been painted out to be. “Sure. A couple.”

Jadah gets to reading, “uhhhh, okay this one is tame. What’s the sexiest thing about Roman?”

“Jadah, how is that tame?”

“You should have seen the other one,” she mutters. Something tells you that it’s better you didn’t.

“All of him. That’s such a generic, basic answer, but it’s the truth. He’s the full package. Tall, handsome, amazing body. Insanely kind.” Big dick, not that that needs to be shared with the whole world. “I will say though, like, seeing him parent our daughter, how good and patient he is with her. That is immensely attractive. Him being such an amazing dad and partner. That shit is sexy. If you’re grown, you agree with me.”

“You better be grown if you’re watching this Live.” She’s not entirely wrong. Jadah then reads the next one. “What’s something most people don’t know about Roman?”

Looking over at Jadah, you ask, “do you wanna….”

Immediately, she’s shaking her head, admitting, “I don’t know him well enough to really speak on that. Like, we knew each other better in college, but obviously who we were in college is vastly different than who we are now.”

It really does stump you to hear her say that aloud, not that it upsets you, but just the mere fact that you spent so long viewing her relationship with Joe in one way, but in actuality, they were more strangers than anything. 

Strangers only bonded by loss.

“Ummm, a lot, actually.” You finally answer, trying to figure out how or even what to share. “He’s actually very quiet, like, borderline shy. At least when you first meet him. Once he warms up, you see more of his personality. But yeah, it’s fascinating how well Joe encapsulates Roman cause they’re totally different people.” You glance at Jadah, murmuring, “maybe one more.” 

This Live has gone on long enough, and you feel that you and Jadah touched on all the points you wanted and needed to address.

She nods, clearly searching for a good final one. A couple seconds later, she reads aloud. “What’s one thing you’d like to say to Roman’s fans?”

Damn. 

What a final question.

There’s a couple seconds you utilize to gather your words, wanting to articulate effectively and clearly. “That regardless of how you feel about me, please don’t let that change how you viewed him before you even found out I existed. Joe—sorry—Roman, no, fuck that. Joe is so damn passionate about what he does, his work is everything to him, and he does it like he does everything else in his life—with full passion and dedication.” Your eyes are starting to water again from unexpected emotionality. “I’m so proud of him and all he’s done and accomplished, and I know it’s just the beginning, so I’d love for you to continue to support him on his journey.”

“Damn.” Jadah mumbles after a minute of silence. “That was deep. We need another song—”

“Jadah, I swear to God, if you play one more song—”

“You’re going to like this one!”

“I think we’re just about finished anyway.” It’s not a think. It’s a know. Callie’s been gone long enough. You miss your baby. “What—”

Roman’s theme song plays louder than the previous songs Jadah played, and a smile is instantly on your face. “Okay, you were right.” The two of you vibe for a minute, because your man’s song really is an actual vibe.

“Alright,” Jadah laughs. “You all have been a wonderful crowd now, but we’re hungry, so we’re gonna go eat—what are you thinking?”

“Hmmm, maybe Chinese?”

“Good call.” She then focuses on the screen again. “We’re gonna go pig out, listen to some more amazing music and….yeah.” Jadah grabs you and pulls you right next to her, so you can say something too.

“Thank you for listening to our side, the truth, and please be kind. To everyone. Not just the people you know.”

“And don’t forget to send in your applications for—”

“Jadah!”

[eveledoze]

spoilers for ep7 ! things about N and Uzi i wanted to point out 2/?

I like that he smiled at Nori's words, as if he himself met his old friend. but in reality it's not that cool. he seemed familiar to her, so did she see him before? again thoughts that it was he who killed her body huh (while her heart remained alive)

Nori turned out to be not as silly and playful as we all thought (which is sad a lil bit), but on the other hand she is quite a badass and confident woman. and it makes me wonder more about what she saw in Khan... but hey, despite some time apart she calls him hunk! i hope that if she is reunited with him, she will find a new body for herself, since it will be awkward to meet only the heart of your wife-

hearing N say Khan's name, Nori becomes tense. what kind of friends does my daughter have huh

after Nori tells a little story, N acts sweet and friendly as always, clapping for her, and Nori throws a rock at him, telling him to stop. i love how much she looks like her daughter, she does things to make N stop doing stupid things btw it’s funny that she, being a small body, chained him, such a big one, to the wall with a pickaxe for safety

when she asks who is the host of the solver at the moment, N smiles slightly, saying "Uzi", despite the fact that the situation is tense

ok, I didn’t understand this moment right away, but now I understand. "which one (Doll or Uzi) tried to eat us right now?" he realizes that it is none of them

he says in such a joyful tone “she will fall when she finds out that I met her mother” :з but then Nori pinned him to the wall again, forcing him to remain silent about it. it's funny how she openly admits that she is the cause of all the nightmares in Uzi's life, so she thinks that if Uzi finds out she is alive, it will cause problems. N says in a decisive tone that he doesn't want to keep secrets from Uzi anymore, since he has already seen what this can lead to - a loss of trust. the moment from ep2 when he wanted to touch her shoulder, but she backed away, and when just recently he went to her, but she stepped back. seeing your loved one afraid of you and losing trust in you is a very painful thing

she presses the cross on him so hard that cracks appear on the ground, she is really serious

N promises, after which she looks a little surprised and as if grateful, but then she realizes that there will be some kind of catch

and she's not wrong. he got out of this situation so that he didn’t have to lie to Uzi and keep everything secret. Nori rolls her eye, realizing that it couldn’t have been otherwise and this guy wouldn’t be convinced and yeah she said THE LIINEEE

wild N oh........that's something I think Nori told N that there is a way to weaken the solver so that it does not cause problems. and since he guessed that Tessa knew about this, now her pressure for N to choose the universe and not the little drone sounds strange. if it is possible to weaken/ get rid of/ heal of the solver, then why kill Uzi? and Tessa had a clear desire to get rid of the Uzi. in essence, she gave him free rein, saying that he will make the choice, but at the same time she said that he would have to choose the universe

after which he cuts off her head, with an X on his visor. it was intense. the robot disobeyed his boss and a good friend. not fully understanding who the person you knew for a long time was. did you make the right choice

he immediately woke up from shock when he saw Uzi's hand on the cross and started helping her get up. his voice sounds pitiful, worried, but at the same time joyful, since he saw her again after what happened. N's voice trembles a little, but he still sounds sincere. he doesn't want to scare her off again

oh yeah and now that line is heartbreaking- he extends his hand to her, he needs her and emphasizes the word "you"

when watching the teaser his "together?..." at the end of the phrase sounded uncertain, pleading, as if he wasn’t sure that she would agree to solve everything together. but now, watching it, I hear in his “together?” hope and joy, as if he understands that it is with her that he can overcome everything and figure things out, and he is glad that he was able to find her and she did not reject him. at the words "to figure things out.." he sounds uncertain, lost and a little sad, but then he sees her placing her hand in his. his cross disappears and at the same time he blushes. she was able to calm him down from shock simply by touching his hand.

i know that before this I made a post “if a character blushes it doesn’t mean they're in love” and I’m a little embarrassed, but damn.. it really looks like that in here, right? we know that Uzi was the first one who started to fall in love with him and after some time he started to develop feelings for her. and at this point he may have accepted it

and should I mention that they immediately lace their fingers together, whereas the last time they held hands it was very awkward for them?

and then he smiles

[futfemfantasies]

One Less Lonely Girl \\ lucy bronze x williamson!reader

Prompt: 21. Reader singing One Less Lonely Girl to _________ on the bus on a long trip from a game to announce their relationship.

Short but sweet one :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You ready mi amor?"

Turning your head, Lucy leans against the doorframe, muscles on full display in the sleeveless England training top.

"Just finished, let's go before we're late"

Zipping up your England suitcase, Lucy offers to take it to the care while you get your backpack. A kiss on the cheek as a thank you and you quickly get your bag. Lucy jogs inside as you settle in your seat for the nearly 2 hour journey to St Georges Park. Jumping out ouf your thoughts, Lucy opens her door and waves around your white and green predators.

"You're a lifesaver, thanks baby"

This time, a peck on Lucy's lips as a thank you before she starts the car. Lucy's left hand never leaving your thigh tells you something's wrong. You look over at your girlfriend of just over a year until she realises you're staring.

"Something's going on in that gorgeous head of yours baby. What's going on?"

Now it was your turn to put a hand on her thigh. The car slows down to stop at the red light and Lucy looks at you with a hint of worry in her eyes.

"I think we should tell the girls. They're starting to catch on"

Lucy looks back to the road and you stay quiet. Lucy keeps looking over at you every few seconds, worried she said something that upset you. You reassure Lucy that it would be good as you wouldn't have to sneak around at camps anymore and your younger sister Leah is going to burst at any second with the year long secret. As you and Lucy talk about both of your upcoming move to Barcelona, you plan a way to tell the girls and fans.

Lucy pulls up to the familiar training centre and there's a few girls waiting out the front, including your sister. Without saying a word, Leah runs over to you and nearly knocks you over with her power. Not seeing each other for a while makes you miss your best friend, even if you are 7 years older.

After reuniting with your sister, you and Lucy greet your close friends as more start to arrive. When everyone arrives, Sarina calls everyone over to the bus and you get in first securing the table at the back. With Lucy behind you, she slips in next to you, holding your hand under the table. You both are joined by Keira, Leah, Millie, Ella, Alessia and Rachel. After many rounds of cards against humanity and Monopoly deal, you all decide to watch a movie. Ella turns on the tv and it was set to a karaoke mode.

"Karaoke anyone?"

Millie questions and the group quickly agree.

You find the mic so ultimately, you go first. You whisper to Millie the song choice and everyone groans at the familiar 2009 hit.

"...if you let me inside your world, there's gonna be one less lonely girl!"

You look at Lucy like she's the love of your life and no one missed it.

Keira looked at Leah. Millie at Rachel. Ella at Alessia.

No one could believe it. The two most private people on the team are dating.

"Well that's one way to announce it"

Rachel comments as she turns the next song off. The mic goes back to it's original position and you cuddle up to Lucy as the questions stand rolling in.

The bus pulls up to the hotel and Sarina tells everyone their roommates and thankfully, you and Lucy get paired together. You and Lucy high five while your wall neighbours, Ella and Alessia groan.

"We're all happy for you two but no funny business, I mean it"

Sarina warns you two and you both are confused on how she knows but agree anyway. Lucy gets the keys and you both make your way to the room. You flop on the bed and groan about how comfy it is. You feel Lucy fall next to you and you immediately cuddle up to her.

"How about we break the internet and hard launch?"

Lucy suggests, making you sit up quickly.

"Let's do it"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

liked by leahwilliamson, alexscott, lucybronze, milliebright and 27,841 others

y/n_williamson: my yellow person 💛

view all 9,475 comments...

lucybronze: 🥺😘💛

y/n_williamson: mine 💘

leahwilliamson: i love seeing you happy 😊❤️

y/n_williamson: love you lil sis 🥰

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

liked by y/n_williamson, jorgebronze, leahwilliamson, keirawalsh and 38,487 others

lucybronze: soft launch who?

view all 10,645 comments…

y/n_williamson: i love you so much angel 💛

lucybronze: my best girl 💛

keirawalsh: you two make me sick, but I’m glad you’re both happy 🫶

lucybronze: was gonna say…

[lohotine]

AN: My parents walked into my room midway of me making this and asked me what I was doing- 😰 Um... enjoy?

Part 2:

https://www.tumblr.com/shmolish/746719597375504384/hi-read-your-um-possessive-shadow-milk-x-reader?source=share

Shadow Milk Cookie x GN! Reader

Oneshot (1/2)

Warnings: Suggestive scenes, marking, possessiveness, mild swearing. MINORS, DNI.

-Jealousy, jealousy-

You had been talking to someone new at the theater. They were naturally charming, and you couldn't help but laugh at their jokes, and smile at how they spoke.

He was obviously in love with you, but for some reason, you didn't notice.

Those hungry eyes should be obvious to anybody, though.

Little did you know, someone else had been watching the entire time.

A certain blue jester, gazing and silently hating from afar.

He knew he could make you laugh so much harder, smile so much wider... Make you feel so much better.

Surely you hadn't forgotten about him.. right?

If you did... he would just have to remind you.

You were finished talking to that person soon enough, and Shadow Milk took this as the perfect opportunity to reunite with you!

"Hello doll. Been having fun without me?" He had that normal smile on his face, like he always did. To any normal person, it would look like nothing was amiss...

But something was very wrong.. The fact that you were talking and smiling with somebody else. And the way he looked at you with those eyes- Shadow Milk Cookie absolutely despised it.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that." You would just smile awkwardly.

"Say... who exactly was he?" Shadow Milk would ask while taking your hand. He just started walking somewhere with you.

"Oh, just a guy I met today. He's pretty funny," you explained.

Shadow Milk nodded his head before quickly shoving both of you into a janitor closet.

"Ack, what are you-" Shadow Milk Cookie put a finger infront of your lips, promptly sushing you. His old smile was replaced with a more sinister and stern look.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" He would take both of your hands and pin them above your head, and you could feel his breath on your neck as he moved closer to it.

"What is this for..?" You'd ask him, breath hitching as he sent butterfly kisses along the side of your neck.

"Doll, you're so oblivious that it hurts."

You could feel him begin to nip at the skin on your neck.

"You seriously didn't notice how he was looking at you?"

You would let out some quiet mewls before responding.

"I guess not-"

He bit down hard on your neck, to which you immediately whined at.

"Doll, you have to be quiet. I know you can take it~ And besides, you wouldn't want someone to hear us, right?" He would ask teasingly. You knew he had that shit-eating grin on his face.

You would shake your head and try your best to stay quiet.

"Struggling, are we? I don't see why. I've been much rougher with you before..."

He would continue sucking and biting at your neck, leaving you no time to rest.

"I guess it's entertaining though."

He moved his other free hand to slowly trail down your side, only stopping to be placed firmly around your waist. He pulled your bodies closer together, yet to him, it was never quiet close enough.

At this point, you were practically melted under his touch, and your legs were trembling.

He had told you time and time again to not be so loud... but it really couldn't be helped.

Purple and red bite marks were dotted all over you neck. There was no hiding all of them..

Shadow Milk would take his knee and nudge between your legs slightly.

"Dove, why don't we take this to the bedroom?

Fin ☆

Uh, if you guys want more, just request- 👀

[whateverisbeautiful]

♥️Reveling in Richonne - TOWL

#4: The Bench (1.01)

gif cred: @arabellas

After Rick expresses some emotional turmoil alone in his apartment there's an instant cut to Rick sitting alone on a bench outside during a nice day, and I really like this shot. Also, knowing he’d have dreams about falling in love with Michonne on a park bench, I like to think that this actual bench is one of the places Rick would go to daydream about her some more. And while right now he can only be with Michonne in his head, a visit from his one friend in this place reinstills Rick's hope that maybe there's another way to reunite with Michonne in reality...

Rick stares at the city across the water and it’s clear that the Civic Republic is not a place of hope to him but of imprisonment. Even if it’s a technical upgrade in lifestyle, it’s still a symbol of him giving up on his cherished life from before. And he is so not ready to do that yet so he’s trying to avoid being brought into that place as best he can. 

As he sits quietly for some time just taking in the day it feels like this is one of the few moments of calm in his otherwise depressing routine, even though he still is clearly so weighed down. Also, it’s funny how even tho he was in his apartment and could have washed up, he instead decides to sit on the bench looking like a madman covered in blood. 🤭

gif cred: @candiedblue

So then Rick hears a friendly voice as Esteban Garcia approaches - Rick's one friend here.

Esteban immediately wants to talk about the insanity of Rick cutting off his hand. Rick greets him and confirms he did in fact cut off his hand and when Esteban teases asking if he can touch it, for a split second there Rick is not amused as he moves away from him lol.

Esteban confirms he’s just joking around and recalls how Rick didn’t even talk to him or anybody for like two years but Esteban was persistent in continuing to talk to him.

It’s interesting because while many of Rick’s TWD friendships had rocky starts he ultimately built a genuine family with those people. Yet in Philly, Rick never let his guard down enough to build new family ties because everything in him was convinced he’d be with his real family again.

gif cred: @perryabbott

Esteban says “It took a while but we got something now.” Rick nods and Esteban repeats "We got something" as he talks up the hidden city saying while he knows Rick looks at it and just sees Alcatraz he and others look at it and see “that good life, man.” Hearing that just makes me like the use of 'The Good Life' song in TOWL ep 5 even more. Because it shows being on the road and on the run with Michonne is far more the good life for Rick than the Civic Republic. 

It’s sweet seeing Rick soften up just a tiny bit listening to Esteban’s excitement over finally entering a city with air conditioning. Rick smiles and quietly laughs and it’s interesting because you can tell that most people here know Rick as super quiet and stoic when there’s much more to him, like a super affectionate side, he just of course hasn’t really shown them.

Esteban says he’s gonna be in the city walls as of tomorrow because he finally got an upgraded position. And it’s nice seeing Rick seem happy for Esteban even if he himself is miserable under these same circumstances. 

gif cred: @perryabbott

Rick says he should have got Esteban a gift. Gift-giving is truly one of Rick’s favorite expressions of care. And Esteban playfully asks, “What the hell you gonna get me? A scowl?” Lol the consignees and CRM really only know Rick’s grumpy little face.

Rick laughs and then, still the kindhearted guy we know, he thanks Esteban for “whatever this is.” While he’s still more reserved in this friendship I know Rick appreciates at least having one genuine friend here.

gif cred: @richardgrimes

Esteban says “It’s life” and then tries to look on the bright side for Rick that after cutting off his hand Okafor might stop trying to recruit him as a soldier. And then I love the wordless acting Andy does as Rick confirms to Esteban in just facial expressions alone that Okafor still wants him to join the CRM. 

gif cred: @arabellas

Then Esteban plants the idea for Rick’s next steps when he says Rick might as well join just to get Okafor off his back and then make his next move when he’s out there as a soldier scavenging for twine. Rick hears this and you can see his mind going as he realizes it could be a good play.

I know some wondered why Rick didn’t try this sooner but I honestly think he didn’t want to at all make this place seem like it was his people or his home, especially when he was convinced he'd escape and be home in no time. Plus, joining the CRM likely felt like a betrayal of his family and so even just off principle, he didn’t want to give in at first. But now after struggling to escape without conforming several times, he’s seeing maybe he can use conformity to his advantage.

And then the part I really like but also makes me sad (which is the running theme in this ep for me lol) is when Esteban says one thing he hasn’t told Rick, announcing “I got a girl, man, on the inside.” The way Rick looks at Esteban when he shares this 😭, you know the image of Michonne has vividly popped up right to the front of his mind as he listens.

I love the way he plays it where you can tell he’s happy for Esteban because he knows exactly how invigorating it is to find the right one - as a romantic Rick has always been happy to see the people he cares about find their love. We've seen it in the positive way he'd respond to relationships like Glenn and Maggie, Carol and Ezekiel, Jerry & Nabila. But there’s also this clear shade of sadness in Rick's expression as Esteban says this because he’s been away from his true love for several years now. 

Esteban keeps talking about this woman he’s excitedly in a relationship with and Rick slightly looks away, his thoughts consumed with the idea of cooking up a new plan to essentially get off the bench and make an updated play to get back to his own girl. The woman he felt so lucky to find all those years ago. 

So then, Rick approaches Okafor in a room full of plants and dog tags. It's a nice shot.

gif cred: @perryabbott

Also, when Rick enters this room he's wearing all black for the first time, and let me just say Rick in all black is fine on another level 😍.

Now from a metaphorical standpoint, the black clothes have much sadder connotations as the darker apparel shows he’s entering a darker state and losing himself, forced to become more uniform with the CRM...but from a strictly visual standpoint, the man looks great in black. The black fits were always giving. Every single one. 🔥

gif cred: @clonecaptains

A montage shows Rick getting his black prosthetic fist and training with Pearl and others to improve their fighting skills, as Pearl first easily takes him down. Rick also learns to pilot a helicopter as Okafor talks about millet and how if he can find the right one it can change things - obviously alluding to Rick.

We then see Rick take someone down during the training. Look at our baby getting better at hand-to-hand combat. 👏🏽 We know in TWD that wasn’t his strong suit, even tho he always did find a way to come out on top regardless because he's resilient like that. But now he has new fighting abilities under his belt too. 👌🏽

gif cred: @andy-clutterbuck

The soldiers stand at attention in front of Major General Beale and yell 'Sir, yes, sir' as Rick observes Beale, clearly skeptical of this leader. Even standing in uniform amongst these soldiers, Rick’s A energy is clear.

gif cred: @theoneswholiveblog

Okafor asks “Is that your choice?” as the concept of 'choices' is big to CRM folk.

Then we see Okafor sitting in a helicopter that Rick is piloting which is hot I mean cool lol. (I mean both 😋). But fr it is cool to see this be a full circle moment from Rick seeing that helicopter in the TWD pilot and being called 'helicopter boy' to now being able to pilot a helicopter himself. 

gif cred: @andy-clutterbuck

Rick looks down at the city while he flies the helicopter and it’s almost like while he’s not yet immersed himself in the Civic Republic/CRM ways, he is at least 'hovering' over it.

Okafor asks, “Is this the end of it and the start of something else?” Rick responds, “It’s the end…and the start” and I think for Rick he very much means this is the end of me being stuck here and the start of my new journey home, which is why he’s even willing to join this military.

The montage ends with Rick in the doctor's office getting aquatinted with his new prosthetic hand and trying out the weapon, showing the new Rick. The Rick who, as Okafor says, has been welcomed into the CRM.

gif cred: @andy-clutterbuck

However, while this is Rick’s initiation into the CRM, his driving motive still has not changed. It's still all about her. 

And that's made clear when even after joining this army, Rick still retreats in his dreams to a happy place that prominently stars his wife’s beautiful smile and presence. He’s still eager for Michonne. And y’all, his dreams know deep down she’s eager for him too. And I’m very eager to talk about it. 😋👌🏽

[dipplinduo]

Had a funny dream last night that Juliana/the player had four options to pick from prior to the cafeteria scene in Indigo Disk that inadvertently determined how you'd "sneak up" on/reunite with Kieran.

I have no idea what the other three options were but dream me apparently picked to have Carmine dress up as Drayton in a bear costume, because she was for some reason convinced that it would be a good distraction to ward off Edgy Kieran™. Only...this plan miserably failed, as real Drayton & Kieran happened to be walking together. Much to Carmine's horror, Drayton immediately just starts losing it to the point where he's inconsolably laughing and hacking up a storm.

Kieran on the other hand is entirely flabbergasted at the sight of Juliana and yet he is surprisingly embarrassed at the whole unfolding fiasco because he wants his school to seem serious and elite to her, so he grabs Juliana's wrist and drags her away while gritting his teeth.

Drayton and Carmine are immediately suspicious and follow them despite their quarrelling, and Kieran gets 10x more flustered because he only realizes he never let go of Juliana because he saw their not-so-subtle heads peaking out of the corner of the hall. Oh, and the rest of the Elite Four had also apparently became nosy and trailed them, too. xD

[kaiyunsim]

HEARTS IN THE MARGINS — chapter 10 : afterparty

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚

fully written ! (wc : approx 1.5k) not proof read

The sound of cars overwhelms you while you are carpooling with minji, yujin, and shotaro. In your hands is a handmade picket of a cute boy. taro, the boy beside you in the backseat, sees you looking at the picket and smirks teasingly.

”wanna see him huh?” he asks, keeping the smirk that you were very embarrassed to see.

You deny quietly, trying to avert the gaze of the boy, instead looking outside for a few seconds.

”no, it’s just…” you pause, attempting to gather your thoughts, you eyes leer around the vehicles and bright lights outside the window, “excited to see the whole group perform”, you finished, trying to put emphasis on the word ‘whole’.

taro playfully shoves you while giggling softly, “okayyyy,” he said teasingly, not believing you, “make sure you look at hoon too okay,”

You just rolled your eyes from all the teasing coming from taro. You try and mask your excitement from scrolling on social media but everyone in the car knows what you would be looking at when you would start giggling at a photo on your phone.

yujin, in the passenger's seat, turns around and jokes, “they definitely fucked,” That comment left you flustered, lowering your head and avoiding their eye contact. “why else did y/n change our plans last minute?” yujin continued.

“funny joke,” you tried to play it off, “nothing happened though,” you continued, trying to downplay the event. Even though you were trying to avoid the attention, everyone’s eyes were on you, how could they not though? you are never this flusted to a simple joke by yunjin. you would always just fight back verbally or physically (jokingly ofc).

“did something bad happen, y/n?” taro asks, his face softens, demeanor different, clearly worried that something happened to you.

”nope, nothing you should be worried about,” you answered, not sure if you should continue but you inevitably do, “jake told me he liked me,” and like that it was as if you were in that library with him when you first met, the car was dead silent. shotaro and yujins faces form open mouths with the absolute bomb you just dropped. minji, who is half listening because she’s driving, looks at the situation from the rear-view mirror, “what just happened?” minji asks, yet her question goes unanswered.

“no fucking way” taro mumbles under his breath, “y/n pulled jake.”

”no it’s just…” you pause, trying to gather your ideas and choose the right words, “i can’t tell if it’s like that y’know, he didn’t say it like he liked me like that” you confess to the others.

”why don’t you ask him at the afterparty? we’re all going to go,” yujin suggests, trying to cheer you up.

you give him a quiet nod before sitting back into your seat left with your thoughts once again. It wasn’t long before you finally arrived and took you seats in your seat. Thankfully, because you knew sunghoon, you guys were all able to snatch front row seats. shortly after you guys took your seats, the lights switch off to let the performers walk on.

when the lights switch on you eyes are immediately caught on him, wearing a black, wide jeans, a dress shirt, and a tie. simple, yet jaw dropping. so jaw dropping, in fact, that all it took was him spotting you in the crowd and winking at you to make you fully fold, face fully flushed. He also definitely saw the picket and let out a hearty giggle while performing. his smile was perfect, prettier than anything you’ve seen before. sunghoon caught your reaction and gave a soft laugh as well.

everything after that moment felt like a blur, and the next thing you remember was stopping by the afterparty.

the group of dumbasses reunited, now with sunghoon joining, still in his outfit similar to jake’s.

“shit, you guys ate,” minji comments, “you mean ah-tee?” shotaro adds on. everybody laughs uncontrollably, sunghoon made that same mistake on stage when they were doing a mini interview after their performance. “oh my god. i was nervous guys.” sunghoon mumbles, it’s funny to see him embarrassed like this because he’s never like this.

everyone decides to take a shot, “shit, why does soju kinda hit hard” you comment, “i think you’re just bad at drinking,” yujin says while laughing. meanwhile a group of boys caught your eyes, it was the dance group sunghoon is a part of. sunghoon takes notice of this.

“want me to introduce you?” sunghoon asks, with a slight hint of teasing but you could tell that it wasn’t his intention.

you wouldn’t mind taking his offer but just the idea of getting to know them is kind of scary to you. nevertheless you give sunghoon a slight nod as you follow him to the group.

as you greet and give slight bows to the new faces you notice jake wasn’t there. you feel slightly disappointed but it’s nice to at least get to know them.

jungwon grabs and shakes your hand, “hi y/n so nice to meet you!” he says with a big smile, you couldn’t believe he was their leader, he was simply too cute to be one. you return the greeting and another person gives you a soft wave. it was sunoo, also really cute. why are they all so cute? and just when you thought that, you spot a tall figure, riki. you sat there, surprised to hear that he was their youngest. you shake your head to focus back to the conversation.

“do you guys know where the others are?” jungwon asks you two. you shake your head.

“no idea where heeseung and jay are, they probably headed home to play games and sleep.” sunghoon joked, “jake is probably with emilie,” he added on. you give him a confused look but look over it. it was probably one of his friends. after all you don’t really have anything going on with him, at least you think so.

after all of that alcohol and water to wash it down, you begin to get the urge to use the bathroom. at least now you are acquainted with the members you met, enough to excuse yourself to the bathroom without feeling embarrassed. as you walk off, the alcohol makes you feel slightly dizzy and nauseous, but not nauseous enough to notice a familiar figure down the hall to the washroom.

you walk closer to see that it's jake, that cute, hot, aussie boy you know. you could see his beautiful smile once again but not towards you this time. the closer you look you notice that he’s not alone and see another figure, a feminine one. she pulls alongs jake’s tie to tug him towards the bathroom flirtatiously. her arms wrapped around him, where the door to the bathroom closes suddenly.

what had happened had left you stunned and now with both the alcohol, and watching the scene before you leaves you with small tears forming in your eyes that eventually burst into bigger ones. you speed walk away, trying to keep control of your crying to make it quieter but the feeling just keep leaking out. now the crying is combined with random thoughts stroming your mind, ‘he probably didn’t even like me,’ ‘he didn't mean it like that,’ ‘i’m such an idiot,’. your thoughts were interrupted as you bump into a tall figure. the man looks down at you and when you look up at him with semi-red, teary eyes you were able to distinguish that it was one of sunghoon’s friends, heeseung.

heeseung sees the sadened state your in and tries to offer help, “shit, y/n your drunk as fuck. let me get you a ride home,” he says, not knowing your situation and excuses the crying for you being drunk. he doesn’t want to push for any information since he just met you but leaving you there would be too much for him.

The sounds of the party fades as you and heeseung head to his car, his hand on your back trying to comfort you further.

“jesus y/n, next time try to drink less,” heeseung jokes, trying to lighten the mood, and oddly enough your crying started to subside. it was still there of course but you weren’t bawling your eyes anymore. once you plopped in the passenger seat of heeseung’s car it wasn’t too long before you dozed off and passed out.

heeseung would take you to your place but he forgot to ask before he left so he just takes you to his dorm which is shared with sunoo. he tries to poke you awake but you don’t wake up so he carries you all the way to his bed leaves you there as he sets up a seperate one of the floor for himself.

you are soon overtaken by the many events that happened recently to actually get up and your body forces you to rest in the sweet embrace of sleep.

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a/n : hii pookies ! i hope the series has been enjoyable as you read to me trying to write angst for the first time ! lmk if its good or not cuz i actually have no idea how to write it. also feel free to send req’s whenever, i might not respond to it right away but if i’m ever bored then i might get to it !

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taglist ! : (OPEN !) comment or send an ask to be added !

@onlyhyunjin @starchasing-cryptid @bubblztaro @kanattac @nootnootpinguuu @gnusihcom @kkurbys @w0uldyoukissme @ilovejungwonandhaechan @pshwrldd @minoouz

[lolbital]

More radiostatic headcannons!

—

Pre relationship

•They never got to experience true love and trust between eachother before Alastor left. Neither of them were fully able to let their guards down.

•Vox is not innocent when it comes to their past. He moved way too fast for Alastor’s comfort which contributed to him being shut out.

•They were really good friends for a while, but they both started to catch feelings at some point.

•Vox confessed, and although Al felt the same, he never told Vox which led the other to believe he didn’t return the feelings.

•Alastor rejected the vees proposal because he likes to keep to himself and handle things on his own. His tense feelings with Vox also played into it.

•When Alastor left, Vox grieved for a while before becoming angry. He blamed himself initially, and then he became more obsessive.

•The only thing Val and Vel know about Vox’s history with Alastor is that they were friends who had a falling out because Alastor refused to join the Vees. Vox won’t go very deep into it with them.

—

Post relationship

•An apology is not an immediate fix! They still have a lot to work through, and that will take lots of effort and patience.

•When they reunite with eachother they have to learn from their past. Vox needs to respect boundaries and move slower, and Alastor needs to be less secretive and more willing to trust.

•Vox learns other ways of showing affection to fit with Alastor’s boundaries. Al has gotten comfortable with hand holding, sometimes a hand on the shoulder or on the back. He mostly enjoys compliments and polite gestures.

•Physical affection isn’t completely off the table. Cuddling while reading is Alastor’s favorite, he secretly loves how warm Vox is. He likes to rest his head against Vox’s shoulder, or give him a small kiss on the screen in order to fluster him. The sounds of Vox’s cooling system is also calming.

•They can make out but it looks funny.

•Vox no longer hooks up with Val but they remain business partners and associates. Alastor and Valentino don’t really get along that well so they keep their distance.

•Alastor is still unable to fully figure out technology, or he just doesn’t want to. Vox has mostly accepted this but sometimes still tries.

•Vox is easily jealous and protective around Alastor’s friends, but he warmed up to Rosie and came to appreciate her.

•Once their relationship became more public, they enjoy going on a nice stroll. Usually they go to less populated areas to avoid other people interrupting them.

•This duo would be overpowered and unstoppable which is why I have so many more ideas in the works. I do plan to write a fan-fiction about them, I just need to plan it out some more. Imagine these fools being deeply in love and working together📻📺

[nilolol30]

Hi again, I wanted to know if you can do a Redson x reader where they were childhood friends and then they reunite. ^^

You two grew up together and we're the closest friends Princess iron fan would often schedule play dates when you both were young either because she had things to attend to and she asked you parents to keep an eye on him knowing he'd behave a little more when you two played or because Redson would throw tantrums whenever she said no.

Either way you two would cause a lot of mischief sometimes by tricking other humans or making plans for world domination normal kid stuff.

But unfortunately Redson couldn't come to the playdates and you got enrolled into school and couldn't either both of your parents still spoke to eachother.

After a few years and you and Redson grown up you would see eachother funny enough is was when you were looking around a small market.

You bumped into Redson and he turned to yell at whoever dared to bump into him when he saw you both of you froze.

"Y/n!?"

"Redson!!?"

Immediately you both began catching up while walking through the market Redson telling you how his father is back.

You catch him up on your life as well and exchange numbers and Redson invites you to dinner wanting you to meet his father and to see his accomplishments.

When Redson introduces you to his father while his mother coos about how much you've grown.

Redson will ask you to join in on his plans of world domination and to defeat "Noodle boy" so you become a new 'bad guy' for Mk to fight or just see depends on you.

Instead of playdates Redson invites you to help him with inventions even if you don't know much he just asks you to hand stuff to him or just add some conversation in the quiet room.

While you invite Redson to your place just to relax and chill out such as watching the Monkey cop movies purely just to make fun of how bad they are.

Even with the large time gap between your friendship you both are now closer than ever.

[ineedsomethingoriginal]

Musical warrior ages

I know this is such a useless detail that adds nothing to the plot but I just wanna guess the age order of the Warriors lol

(putting a read more because it got long. I always prefer more sentences as opposed to a couple words so here you go)

Oldest:

Cleon-probably safest bet since she's the leader. also gives off peak mom vibes like you cannot tell me she wasn't hugging the shit out of the girls when they reunited. I love how mature her voice sounds in the album and I love how they made her more motherly. not to say that movie Cleon wasn't also caring, he's definitely a tough love kinda guy tho as both didn't hesitate to put themselves in front of their members so they could get out safely.

Cochise: Just going off her character description (in the movie or musical can't remember) I know I read that she was the most loyal to Cleon's trust in Cyrus which makes me feel they've probably been through a lot together. She was immediately ready to go back for Cleon after they hid in the cemetery. unfortunately Movie Coshise and Musical Cochise don't have a lot to do in their stories which sucks because I can't think of any fun facts from the game or movie that didn't get added to the musical (justice for our girl) though I can safely say Cochise feels a little more mature and put together than the girls I think are younger but she still has her moments so I feel she's younger than Cleon.

(ok these next three could probably be interchangeable so I feel like they would all be around the same age,)

Swan: Swan was so hard for me to place but I think this is a good spot for her, not the oldest and not the youngest, but I'd like to think there's a bit of an age gap between her and the next oldest Cochise. I think it'd be funny that as Cleon's right hand man she's more mature than her other same age cohorts so a popular rebuttal she will often hear when she calls them out for being 'immature' is 'you're literally the same age as us'. Swan doesn't have a lot of changes character wise in the genderbendification, but I think the musical format helps a lot to flesh her out ('woodlawn cemetery' and 'light or something' are examples that come to mind)

Cowgirl: I def get middle child vibes from her and Ajax especially. as for ages I feel like these 3 all were born in at most 2 years of each other. I like how she and Ajax egg each other on to incite chaos. she and Ajax are def the wild childs, they give Swan and Cleon constant headaches frfr, I feel Cowgirl and Cochise are in the same boat as the game and Movie did not give the musical a lot to work with. Like I think in the movie his defining characteristic was that...he had a cowboy hat. at least musical Cowgirl tells us why lol. movie and musical cowboy are def the more laidback and comedic of the warriors, and a small detail I appreciate is that in the song 'sick of running' Ajax is singing and Cowgirl and Cochise are providing backup, I'm assuming in vocals and in fists, which I think reference that (I think in a deleted scene of the movie) Cochise, Ajax and Cowgirl were recruited to be the designated fighters/soldiers if things go south.

Ajax: see, this is where the interchangeable comes in, because I don't know if I picture her as the youngest of the middle trio but I feel like she could be anywhere. I feel like her and Swan being close in age works for her initial challenging of Swan's leadership even though I know age in America isn't as hugely important as it is in other cultures. In the movie (and games) I think Swan and Ajax work as parallels in to me (movie versions) visually they look similar, and they look the same age, but it is Ajax's temper that gets in the way of her being able to take on responsibility the way Swan can. I am so thankful of the changes to Ajax's character and the recontextualizing of her character from a female perspective, Like movie ajax is easily worst character of a whole bunch of bad (morally) characters but musical Ajax is def a top 3 character in this.

Mercy: I'm adding her anyways, she becomes a warrior at the end. I feel like maybe she is closer in age to the middle children trio but still a little younger, I think maybe her willingness to completely change the course of her life after ✨women✨ makes me lean into a more younger, 'newer' Mercy than someone who's older than Swan but that's just me. Like Mercy def feels like she's going through her 'holy crap I forgot women could be an option phase' which I think helps her come across as not one of the older members.

Rembrandt: If I only had the musical to go off on I would say Rembrandt gives off peak little sibling vibes, but I also have the movie to go off of as well (and the video game hehehe) and I will instead say that Rembrandt gives off peak little sibling vibes. I feel like she looks and acts younger than she actually is (especially compared to Fox ) but still is incredibly street smart and observant. Fun Fact in the games Rem is actually the newest member of the gang, she only officially became a member like 3 months before the events of the movie. despite her not being a huge presence in the musical I think relistening to it with the context that Rembrandt has literally only been with in the gang for a few months gives some new meaning to some of her lines. basically she is my baby and she is def the gang's baby despite not actually being the youngest lol.

Fox: I mean, she literally mentions it in her rap, we all knew where she would fall in the age order lol. I also think this means she at least is a year younger than the next oldest, as again, age isn't that huge a factor in north america. what I mean is that in the musical, each girl gets about 2 lines to tell the audience as much about themselves in their rap. I feel like that wouldn't be something she would mention if she was only a couple months younger. I like that she seems more mature than some of the other members (Cowgirl, Rembrandt) but still has her moments that remind you, oh yea she literally is the youngest of a group of presumably young women. like how she's easily influenced by food, and especially in the song 'reunion square' where she sings 'why can't we just go back home' like damn she really was just a girl that wanted to go back home and be with her family :(

Youngest:

[arcanarubinaito]

What are your thoughts on how an extroverted, confident, energetic MC would be with Muriel as an LI? (🪶)

Thank you for the ask, Feather Anon! I’ve been itching to do some creative writing outside of my story, so I hope you don’t mind that I’m writing this more like a short story/narrative style post.

Summary:

You command the room when you walk in, and everyone takes notice. He loves that about you; being riddled with constant social anxiety himself, it’s nothing short of a relief for Muriel to see that you don’t have to deal with it yourself. (Besides, it doesn’t hurt that it takes the attention off of him.)

He’s just worried that you’ll feel isolated and alone if you move in with him.

It’s exactly a month after the defeat of Lucio and The Devil, and everyone had gathered to celebrate together in the Rowdy Raven. He tries to stick to a corner in the back, but he is far too large and conspicuous to avoid the attention for long. Some people stare, others are braver and approach him to exchange a few words and express thanks. Muriel wants nothing more than to melt into a puddle. He appreciates not being looked at like he was still the Scourge, thankful that people weren’t afraid of him anymore. But the only reason he was here was to see you. You had been busy helping with repairs in the city while Muriel helped those still lingering in the camp outside his home, and hadn’t had much time to really talk or interact for the past week.

“You all didn’t start without me now, did you?” Your voice rings out as you stride in, and Muriel slumps back against the wall with relief. He watches some of the crowd clamor to get your attention as Julian passes you a beer stein, giving him room to breathe.

You look a little tired, he notices, but your face is practically glowing. Your eyes meet across the room and you light up even further, drawing a slight smile from Muriel’s otherwise stoic expression. He loves your smile. Immediately you chug your drink and begin pushing through the crowd, exchanging short words with a few other people before you finally reach him. He doesn’t even have the time to say ‘hello’ before you throw your arms around him in a tight hug that he quickly returns.

“God, I missed you so much.” You groan, tilting your head back to look up at him. Muriel lifts his hand, cradling your face gently in his large palm as he dips down to kiss your forehead—silently telling you he missed you just as much. “I didn’t have any time to visit this week and it was killing me, actually.” You stretch up on your toes and loop your arms around his neck, filling him in on all the little things he’d missed. Stuffy nobles complaining that they weren’t getting their homes repaired sooner, and Nadia putting them in their place. Helping Portia and the other kitchen staff with preparing food for all the displaced citizens. Julian and Asra, busy with healing and helping reunite separated families and friends.

He listens to you ramble on with a soft smile, and follows as you take his arm and lead him to the bar. “—but now I think I’ll have a lot of down time, which means I can spend more time with you.” Muriel’s smile widens a little more at that, and he can feel his face warm up when you shoot him a wink. Yeah, he knows what that means all too well. “Hey Lavinia, let’s get a round of black mead for everyone!” You call across the bar, knocking your hand against the wood loudly. “And put it on Jules’ tab!”

“Wait what—?”

A short laugh breaks past Muriel’s lips at Julian’s indignant squawk, and he catches a shit-eating grin plastered over your face as you settle onto one of the stools. Two mugs of the dark liquor slide across the bar towards you both, Muriel putting his hand out to gently stop them before they fall off and passing one to you. “What did he do to deserve that?” He asks, amused. You hide your smirk with your mug.

“Nothing.” You rest your chin in one hand. “I’ll pay it off myself, his reaction is just funny.”

“That’s a little mean.”

“It is a little mean, yeah.” You laugh, eyes glittering with mirth. The firelight reflects like spots of amber in your eyes, and he’s reminded of that first night. Your worried face and gentle hands cast in the soft glow of the fireplace, and the begrudging step he had taken to trust you just a little. The best decision he’s ever made, really. Muriel reaches forward to brush some stray hairs out of your eyes without thinking.

A few ‘awww’s scattered from the crowd made him flinch and quickly withdraw, his face hot with embarrassment. Muriel hides his burning face with a quick swig from the wooden mug in his hand and turns his back to the crowd quickly. He had been so swept up in the moment that he forgot you both weren’t alone, and many pairs of eyes were on you at any given moment.

Your hand touches the side of his face lightly, reassuring and gentle. Grounding him for a little longer and soothing that surge of anxiety and embarrassment. His eyes flicker in your direction again briefly before he roots his stare on the mug in his hands again. “You want to head back early?” You suggest softly. Muriel lowers his mug. He wants to say yes; he’s by far had his fill of socializing today and just wants to wind down somewhere quiet and familiar. But he hesitates. You only just got here, and he knows how much you enjoy these gatherings. You thrive off of social interactions, would it be selfish for him to ask you to leave so soon?

“We don’t have to.” Muriel finally says, begrudgingly, forcing himself to look back up at you. He can stick it out a little while longer for your sake, just as you’ve done for him before. It’s loud and crowded and his anxiety is already going haywire, and god his head is starting to hurt too. But he can suck it up.

“I really don’t mind going home if you need to.” You reply. He watches your eyes drift past him, your hand waving off someone behind him quickly before your gaze returns to meet his. “I know this isn’t exactly where you’re most comfortable.” That was an understatement if Muriel had ever heard one.

Wait. Go back. Did you say ‘home?’

Gently, you pull him away from the bar, guiding him through the swirling crowd towards the back door. He reaches out to push it open for you, his fingertips lingering on the wood for only a moment before you whisk him down the alleyway to a more secluded spot, away from prying eyes. His eyes widen a little, and he lifts his hand to curl it over the one you cup his cheek with. “You said ‘home.’” Muriel breathes out. Your face softens a little, a smile creeping up on your lips.

You’ve hidden yourselves among some crates stacked up between the buildings, a nearby street lamp casting your faces into wild shadows. “Yeah, I did.” You confirm, moving your hand so that your fingers are twined together now. You dip your head down, kissing the tops of his knuckles with a sweet brush of your lips that sends a jolt of electricity through Muriel’s body. “I’d like to move in with you—if you want, I mean.” You add on quickly.

Muriel’s heart hammers in his chest. “What about the shop?” He asks, his voice a little more breathless than he would’ve liked.

“The shop is a little bit crowded these days—” Right, Julian had moved in. Muriel tries (and fails) to resist the urge to make a face at the thought of the doctor living with Asra. “—and I’m not exactly selling anything right now either.” You continue, tilting your head to the side just a little. “And it’s so far from your place.”

“My place is also far from everything else.” He points out quietly. Muriel wants nothing more than for you to move in with him, to make that little hut feel more like a little home. But would it be too far from Vesuvia, and all your friends? Would you be happy, or would you start to feel isolated and alone?

“I know.” You guide him out of his thoughts with a soft voice and a gentle squeeze of his hand. “And I’m okay with that.” He searches your gaze, finding only love and warmth, and that gleam of pure conviction he knows so well. His shoulders relax just a little bit and his thumb rubs along the back of your hand idly while he listens. “It isn’t really all that long of a walk to get to the city. It just feels… It just feels too far from you.” You smile up at him and he practically melts, lips twitching up into a faint smile.

“I want you to be happy.” Muriel confesses softly. He brings his other hand up to envelope yours in his large and calloused palm.

“And I’m happy whenever I’m with you.” You stretch up on your toes, and he leans down just a little to meet you halfway, stealing a soft and sweet kiss—thankfully, without anyone around to see. Muriel sneaks a glance around just to double check before he wraps his arms around you and pulls you in closer, one steady hand at your waist and the fingers of his other twined gently through your hair. He can feel your hands rest against his chest for a moment before you reach up to hold his face in your ever-gentle hands.

He pulls away just slightly, your warm breath mingling with his against the cool night air. “I love you.” Muriel murmurs, and the corners of his eyes crinkle with a smile. He moves his hand to brush an errant lock of hair out of your eyes, studying them. Muriel wasn’t one for eye contact, but it was so easy for him to get lost in your eyes. They always reflected the light so beautifully, and tonight was no exception; the light of the street lamp mingled with the moonlight, casting your eyes in a contrast of gold and silver.

“I love you too.” You murmur. Your thumb lightly brushes along his cheek and traces along his scar tenderly, sending a soft shiver down his spine. Muriel shifts, his lips meeting the spot just between your eyebrows before he pulls away, his hands resting on your waist. You tilt your head back a little to look up at him, letting your hands settle back on his shoulders before sliding them down his arms and resting them against his biceps, just above his elbows.

“… yeah. I think I’d like to go home now.” He murmurs, finally answering your question from before. Your smile widens a little and you take hold of his hand as you both finally pull away from where you were hidden and start to walk down the street.

[biblio-smia]

the last thing i need — two.

warnings: twd content warnings, contains smut

pairings: glenn rhee x reader

[one.] [two.] [three.]

The ride back to your destination was a silent one, save for the occasional directions from T-Dog and the distant sound of the siren of Glenn's new ride.

Nerves prickled at your skin like needles as you considered your minimal options; you'd just gotten saved by this group. You thought it'd be a little rude to abandon them immediately. But the reaction of the group worried you the most; you weren't sure how welcoming they were of newcomers.

Seeing Rick reunite with his family was heartwarming - what were the chances he ran into people that ran with them? It was almost hard to believe Rick had been in the dark about the state of the world until recently. Part of you wondered how it'd take for him to lose his humanity. For all of you to lose it.

This new world came with new rules - though you didn't know how well your morals would hold up now.

The camp accepted you into their group with no argument, seemingly in a good mood after seeing a family brought together.

The campfire provided the warmth you needed and Glenn's body next to yours provided a warmth you didn't know you craved.

****

You weren't quite sure what to do with yourself once the flames died out, a reflection of the group's energy. You stood around, watching the embers of the fire die out as everyone packed into their tents. A cool breeze picked up, nipping at your skin tauntingly.

"You can sleep with me."

You turned around, surprised at the sudden voice.

"I mean," You could see the embarrassment on Glenn's face despite the pale moonlight. "I didn't mean it in that way."

You couldn't help the giggle that escaped you, prompting a small, awkward laugh from Glenn.

"Okay. I don't really have a choice, do I?" Your attempt at a joke came out much too dry. Too late. You could see, or more so sense, Glenn's face fall.

You stepped closer to Glenn, lowering your voice and drawing him in.

"I'd love to sleep with you. In that way."

Quickly walking past him, you climbed into his small orange tent, the embarrassment suddenly catching up to you.

Glenn followed shortly after, balled up flannel held stiffly in front of his legs as he took a seat as far away from you as possible.

You shot him a curious glance, only momentarily distracted by the tight t-shirt he was wearing.

Glenn glanced away quickly, hands pulling the fabric closer against himself.

A small smile made its way to your face as you closed the distance between you and Glenn - though there wasn't much to begin with.

"Glenn." You placed your hands over his, trying to pry the flannel away.

"Glenn." Placing one hand on his face, you got him to look at you, to see the gentle smile on your face. "I was serious."

You tugged on the flannel again, all the strength leaving Glenn as he let you do what you wanted. You stared at Glenn's jeans, straining against his erection.

"I-" Glenn began, but you cut him off.

"Let me help you?"

Glenn audibly gulped, but nodded. That was all you needed.

You kissed Glenn gently, savoring the feeling of his soft lips against yours. His flannel had fallen out of your hand and landed somewhere on the ground nearby - your hand was now occupied with stroking Glenn through his jeans.

You tilted Glenn’s head back to deepen the kiss, increasing the pressure of your hand against Glenn’s jeans. Glenn moaned softly into your mouth and into your ear as you moved your lips to his cheek and down his neck. Your lips were running out of places to wander and so you removed yourself completely from Glenn.

"Shirt off." You ordered, taking off your own. It was a little funny to see Glenn clumsily do as you said, already missing your touch.

You took a moment to admire Glenn - his toned arms and stomach contrasted his soft face and demeanor. He captured your lips this time, hands messily traveling around your waist.

"Here-" you whispered in between kisses. You stripped yourself nude and Glenn became the brightest shade of red you'd ever seen.

"Shit..." Glenn's hands froze, unsure of what he was allowed to do.

You took his hands in yours, guiding them up to your chest. You let out a low moan as he began exploring the area, his gentle movements sending heat straight between your legs.

Your kisses became more aggressive as you moved onto Glenn's lap, needing more of him. Your bare chest pressed against his as your hands gently tugged at Glenn’s hair, wet kisses exchanged as lust completely took over. The heat between your legs was one only he could put out now that he'd ignited it.

You rolled your hips as Glenn's hands continued working you, moans slipping out of him as you moved against his still-clothed dick. His hard-on poked against you as you bounced on him, making you moan into Glenn’s shoulder. “Shit, I can feel you, Glenn.”

"God, please," Glenn whined, placing a hand on your hip. Glenn was going to stain his jeans if this went on any longer. "I- I need you."

"Fuck, Glenn." You muttered, shoving your tongue into his mouth.

Your hands moved down to unbutton Glenn's jeans, his hands coming down to help you in getting them and his underwear off.

You clenched against nothing just seeing him, almost unable to wait for the feeling of Glenn inside of you. He was already leaking in anticipation, eager for your touch.

Your hands wrapped around him immediately, messily twisting and jerking, small gasps and whines from Glenn making you drip.

"Fuck, you're good, you're so good," Glenn moaned quietly, head thrown back in pleasure. It wasn't long before he stopped your hands from working him.

"Wait," he panted. "I wanna..." Glenn's eyes moved down to your legs and you understood his wordless intentions. Slowly, you moved your hands off him and to your own jeans, slowly slipping your bottom layers off.

And, God, you were beautiful.

Glenn pushed a pile of clothes together to create more space between you and the cold, hard ground of the tent, laying you down gently.

"Is this good? Are you okay?" Glenn asked nervously, glancing at your eyes for any hint of regret as he hovered over you.

"I'm good." You ran your fingers through Glenn's hair, pushing back some that had fallen into his eyes. "I'm better than good."

"Can I... Can I touch you?"

"Yes," You nodded. "Please do."

"I'm not really good at this," Glenn warned. "So just tell me if I do something wrong, okay?"

"Okay."

Glenn felt your arousal, fingers slick as he entered them into you. He bit back a moan as he felt you, wet because of him. Glenn took his time fingering you, sweet and slow movements making you bite your tongue to keep from letting the entire camp know how skilled Glenn's hands were.

"Glenn," urgency filling your voice. "I need you in me, now."

"Shit, yeah, okay," Glenn nodded with only a moment's hesitation. "I don't have- I don't have a condom."

"Doesn't matter," Your desire dazed you, keeping you from thinking straight. "Just pull out?"

"Yeah, okay," Glenn nodded again, hands on your hips to keep you steady.

You closed your eyes in anticipation, though nothing could've prepared you for the sweet feeling of Glenn, filling you with something you'd never felt before.

You muffled your moans with your hands, which were quickly replaced with Glenn's lips, his own sounds of pleasure mixing with yours.

He lifted one of your legs, muscles flexing with strain as he pushed further into you. His thrusts started sweet yet purposeful, hitting you in exactly the right place.

"God, Glenn." Your back arched into him, his movements quickening. You knew you were done for as he moved his face to your shoulder in an attempt to muffle his loudest moan yet.

"Glenn, I'm gonna- " You were cut off by Glenn's swollen lips on yours, sloppy kisses exchanged as you came, sweetly and with nothing else to lose.

Glenn pulled out quickly, coming right after. His will had broken down when your high was reached, knowing he couldn't last long after the feeling of you unloading around him - knowing he had helped you reach euphoria.

Your chest heaved as Glenn searched for something to clean your mess up with, already missing the feeling of Glenn inside of you. It felt right - his body pressed against yours, filling all the empty spaces you were missing.

You shook yourself out of your thoughts, cleaning up alongside an equally winded Glenn. He laid down next to you, turning to face you.

"That was... amazing." Glenn whispered, cupping your face in his hand, mindful of your bruised cheek.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

He kissed you again, gently. This one, however, was full of hope.

****

The crunching of leaves under your boots seemed like the loudest thing in the world compared to the silence of the camp, the only persisting sound being a variety of bugs singing.

“Going somewhere?” A voice asked expectantly, almost out of nowhere.

Shit. You forgot Shane was on watch.

You turned around quickly. In the dim moonlight, you could make Shane out from a few feet away. You thought about your words before you spoke. Shane seemed like a reasonable man. A protective one, too.

“We both know it's better if I leave," you said honestly.

Shane scoffed. “For who? You? Because we both know it wouldn't be for the camp. Power in numbers, remember?”

Shane was smiling, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. His right hand inched near his back pocket - it was a subtle movement, but you had a good eye.

You laughed, demeanor changing immediately. “You're right,” you said. “I guess I was just... so used to being on my own. Don't know what I was thinking."

It was an obvious lie, but the break you forced your voice to take helped your case.

Shane’s hands dropped to his side and he smiled. “Glenn seems to taken a liking to you. Why don't ya get back to him?”

“Yeah,” you nodded, heading back to the direction of the tent you had left Glenn in. “Goodnight, Shane,” you said with a sweet smile as you passed the man, careful to keep your distance.

“Goodnight.”  

Your smile dropped as you turned around, rage filling you instead. You weren't sure if you imagined it now, the darkness of the night potentially messing with your eyes, but you made a note never to be alone with Shane again.

You entered the tent quietly, a half-naked Glenn sleeping soundly just as you'd left him. He'd fallen asleep with his arms wound around you, making your escape difficult and clearly in vain as you carefully placed his arms around you again. You turned away from him.

You didn't want to look at the face of the man you had planned on abandoning.

「 … 」

You made sure to get up first, unwinding yourself from Glenn for the second time. This time, however, daylight illuminated his soft features. You took a second to analyze them, his expression showing no indication of the world you lived in. He looked relaxed. Free. You wondered what he was dreaming about.

You left the tent quietly, still respectful of the peace Glenn was able to keep, even if it was just for a few hours. The sun shone over the small camp, the brand new day bringing new opportunities. You asked around for a purpose; you had originally planned on being miles away by now.

One lady, Carol, directed you to the laundry. You complied, the task being easy enough for you to plan your next move. You couldn't leave now, not when everyone was roaming around in broad daylight. You'd keep tabs on who was on watch tonight and run the other way. It was decided.

A quick-moving figure from the corner of your eye caught your attention as it approached. Your attention turned away from the laundry and onto Glenn, who seemed a little out-of-breath.

"You..." a breath, "were gone... thought something happened..."

You almost felt guilty at Glenn's concern.

"Nope. Right here," you remained expressionless, watching as Glenn's face faltered.

"Yeah, I see that now..." Glenn shifted from foot to foot. There was something he wanted to say, but he wouldn't.

Your expectant gaze and cold demeanor made him nervous, fingers bundling the fabric of his shirt.

"Last night..." Glenn waited for you to say anything; you did not. "I just wasn't sure if it... if we—"

"There's no we, Glenn. It was a one time thing." Your words were harsh, but they were true. The last thing you needed right now was romance. You were in an apocalypse! You had bigger things to worry about and so did Glenn. It was nothing more than a little bit of stress relief.

And yet, as you picked up a laundry bin and walked away from a defeated Glenn, you couldn't help but feel a pull at your heart.

The tug in your chest did not go away as the day went on. Not as you shadowed Carol, helping her out with any task you could. Especially not as you discovered the asshole on the roof had a brother.

Daryl Dixon was as much of a character as Merle. You could see the relationship between the two.

Your heart continued sinking as a plan unfolded — a completely stupid one — and the look Rick gave Glenn, asking him to come along. The nail in the coffin was Glenn agreeing to go.

A panic began to fester in you as Glenn prepared to leave. You weren't quite sure what made you approach him.

"You're seriously going back?" Your voice surprised Glenn, who jumped before turning to face you.

"I have to," Glenn said factually.

"Then I'm coming with you." You weren't sure where the sentiment came from; you did not feel strongly about saving Merle.

"No, you're not. We barely got out last time—" "Which is exactly why you shouldn't go." You crossed your arms, an annoyed look on your face.

Glenn sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"We left one of our own behind. I can't... as awful as he is, I couldn't live with myself knowing we just left him to die. He could still be alive up there."

You looked in Glenn's eyes, seeing the determination in his eyes. Although there was a hint of fear mixed in, it was almost the most passionate you'd seen Glenn.

And as much as you hated to admit it, you were in no condition to go back. You were tired and you were hungry. Your legs still ached from your escape and you weren't sure you'd be able to outrun another hoard of walkers.

And if you learned anything about Glenn other than his name, you knew he left no one behind. No exceptions.

"Okay," you said finally. Glenn hadn't been asking for your permission but a weight lifted off his shoulders regardless, a smile cracking on his face. "But I don't like owing people things. And as of right now, I owe you my life, Glenn. I need to repay you for that, so don't die on me out there."

Glenn's smile faltered and you held back a smile. After careful consideration and a little hesitation, you placed a soft kiss on Glenn's cheek. Glenn could only stand there, dumbfounded, watching as you walked away.

[sunbeamah]

Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "sunbeamah "?

OF COURSE!!! I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO GET BACK TO YOU D:

I currently have 999 bookmarksgdfjh so this is gonna take a moment. And I've also been in many, many fandoms over the years, so please forgive me!

As for my name— there's only a little story!

One of my (many, lol) names mean 'sunrise', and one of my nicknames is Mah (that's the shorter version tho). Sunrisemah was a little strange imo, and Sunraymah reminds me of my Aunty's name, so Sunbeamah it was! It rolled off the tongue a little nicer too, I thought!

When I first made this account I would sometimes get confused and accidentally type in sunbae mah haha. I was reading too many manhwa!

Below the cut, in no particular order, are some of my top favourite fics that came to mind!!

Nobamaki (JJK)— witches x mafia au, what a mix!!! Absolute genius, I need to re-read this fic, it's part of what got me into nobamaki and urged me to finish jjk season 1 last year. I love Nobara and how feisty she is, and how powerful Maki is. The power struggle and I really enjoy fics with magic, and this one has a really cool system mixed with cursed techniques! I've read heaps of Rigamaroler's works, they're so good

Dabihawks (BNHA)— I remember being on Tumblr the DAY the hotwings ship started. I can't remember the exact user who started it up, but I remember in the week following it just ramped right up. I hopped on the hotwings train immediately-- even though I was even worse at using Tumblr than I am now. These 2 are fics that I LOVE, they're tied! Both set in canonverse, top one is a soulmate au, angsty with a happy ending and reformation (SUCH good angst, sometimes when I cry I come back to read it). Second one is an au where Rei divorces Endeavour and Hawks is saved from the Commission, it's so good!! Juurensha is awesome

Zolu (One Piece)— THIS ONE GOES CRAZY!!! So the backstory is like one of those christmas movies where a woman (Sanji, ironically (jkjk)) with a high powered city job goes back to her snowy home village and reunites with a charming man she grew up with, a lost love if you will (Ace), falls in love and realises her relationship with boyfriend (Zoro) is going nowhere. And said boyfriend comes to surprise her, only to find she's moved on. WITH A TWIST! A zolu twist. I love their instant attraction, they're so funny in this fic. Very real of them. Background Frobin, too!!

Karonico (Runaways)— Does anyone remember runaways?? I loved Karolina and Nico when I watched it. I hadn't read any hades/persephone au's until this fic, and ever since I've always been reminded of this one. Love their relationship, Nico's gentleness shining through the walls she's built around herself, Karolina wanting to be with Nico no matter what. It's how I like their relationship, as two girls who have been through a lot and when they come out of hard times, they want to be holding each others' hands. Very sweet!!!! This fic made me want a relationship so bad when I was younger. I still remember the OCs this fic lowkey inspired, too.

Fraxus (Fairy Tail)-- university au where Laxus is a wrestler and Freed becomes the wrestling team's social media manager. It's so so good, I love their relationship and their raw attraction. All of Eryiss' fics are amazing, I binged every fraxus fic they ever posted while I was recovering from surgery earlier this year. So good, alleviated my pain 100x better than medication haha

Klance (Voltron)— ahh yes, my voltron phase. My dark past, if u will. Jk jk. I made on ao3 account just to bookmark this fic haha! It's been so long, but I have to give this fic its roses. Lost in space au, injuries, fighting, angst, getting together, the whole lot. It was amazing, changed my life, genuinely. Cw for past non-con in Lance's life.

Elhani / Teleanor (The Good Place)— I can't figure out which ship name I like better. This is the fifth fic I ever bookmarked, I read this instead of studying for an important test. It was absolutely worth it. I remember it took me hours to read 'cause I kept trying to picture every scene perfectly. And also because I'd stop to 'study' haha. Tahani and Eleanor struggle with their attraction to one another, and yet it's love at first sight (I LOVE love at first sight..).

Sasunaru (Naruto)— I have to admit something. I love omegaverse. I know it's not for everyone, but it's definitely for me. Usually I go for F!omega x F!omega (i have a nobamaki wip of this), M!alpha x M!beta, those dynamics are super fun to me. But this one is M!alpha x M!omega, which I also love of course.

Anyways, I loved this fic, read it all in one night and then re-read it the next day, and when the final chapter came out I reread it all again haha. I'm a Naruto glazer, every time I read a fic and Sasuke acts like he's doing Naruto a favour by dating him, I want to claw at him. He doesn't know how lucky he is! In this fic, Sasuke knows his place! Jk jk, but I really do love their all-encompassing love for and devotion to each other, and I think it's especially present here!

Viktuuri (YOI)— Another omegaverse! This is also royalty au, Viktor is a little dark here but not to Yuuri and that's what I'm all about loll. It also has mpreg. Anyways, the protectiveness and cold opulence is something I really enjoy, and whenever I feel terrible and don't want to write, I'll read this and feel comforted that, between me and him, at least one of us is having a good timejfbhdgk.