#not at that price‼️‼️ not worth it‼️‼️‼️

[azurajay]

finally got to martyn's secret life episode today and i was both amazed and horrified to see that nobody was exaggerating his condition one bit; that was the most stressful episode by far and he is absolutely the wettest cat on the server 😭😭

[bibleofficial]

jamie loftus … my beloved bestie …., i just listen to the bechdel cast & become reinvigorated ‼️

[familyfaten]

Attention ...‼️‼️

Hello to all friends, how are you? I am talking to you now and I am in a very bad and difficult situation that you cannot imagine. I am Faten Baroud, 27 years old. I have a family of 6 people, 3 girls, and my older brother Nidal has been missing since the beginning of the war😔. My younger brother Ahmed, who is 14 years old, is a "child."

We depend on him to carry water, food and drink. He works hard to provide us with only bread and water and nothing more. He endures hardships for us.

For a month or more, I have not received any donations. My campaign is going badly and slowly. Gfm is our only hope for survival. 🙏🏻

⚠️The largest donation I receive does not exceed $10. I am suffering to access the internet and communicate with you. I am telling you about my suffering because I am in a place where the internet is not available. I am forced to go out to another place and risk myself to communicate with you and buy an internet card to get better internet to communicate with you, but unfortunately to no avail. I don't find any interaction or any attention...

🚫Unfortunately, I resorted to making a donation campaign to help my family, and this is the best way I did as a girl to help her family in these difficult and dangerous circumstances...

Despite all this, we are now suffering from famine, not just food famine. I am now living a food and drink famine. For 3 months, I have been speaking and spreading that I need clean drinking water, but there is no response to my suffering. No one feels. There are children in my family, and they are the children of my brother who was lost at the beginning of the war. We are responsible for them. They sleep every day thirsty. Imagine that your children sleep thirsty every day! 💔😭

Even the simplest basics of food, which is bread, the price of a bag of bread has reached $40, and a bag of flour has reached 700 shekels, which is about $200, and it will not be worth this amount. It is flour full of worms, weevils, and disgusting insects, but this is what is available. I cannot buy it. It has a bad smell, but this is the best available.

Even as I am talking to you now, I am sick and infected with the influenza virus and a high temperature (fever), and I can't even buy a fever reducer. This is all due to malnutrition and the lack of warm clothes and blankets to warm our bodies in the winter.

I feel ashamed and helpless that I can't buy medicine for me and my family. I was a doctor who treated all patients, and now I do not have $1 to treat myself.

You can save us this time, the situation is very difficult ...

Our life is in your hands

@c-u-c-koo-4-40k @a-shade-of-blue @roadimusprime @90-ghost @quezify @wellwaterhysteria @wellfine @wander-bunnies @dlxxv-vetted-donations @lesbianmaxevans @jezior0 @zivazivc @zigcarnivorous @z0urcherri @heydreamchild @girlinafairytale @bunnypotions @labutansa @maester-cressen @magic-can @noble-kale @neptunerings @importantt-reblogs @iphigeniacomplex @phenakistoskope @appsa @greenwingspino @nytirri @naggingatlas @classychassiss @pcktknife @paper-mario-wiki @crapscicle @90-ghost @yetisidelblog @yellowis4happy @sporesgalaxy @vilethot @mushroomjar @xxlunawarriorxx @eastgaysian @escaramelo @rinboz @rottencore @turtletoria @thundergrace @the-meme-monarch @komsomolka @killy @thatsonehellofabird

[bearsintreesofficial]

WE'VE ADDED A £2 TIER TO PATREON ‼️

we want our patreon to be as accessible as possible. so we have a new cheapest tier - it's called tea, and you pay £2 a month - roughly the price of buying us a cup of tea a month. for this, you get...

- bi-weekly updates from us!

- a 20% merch discount!

- an exclusive chat and role in our discord!

- an entire ep of unreleased demos from our last album!

- access to the bears in trees video game, which is currently IN DEVELOPMENT!

- video tutorials for our songs!

- and so much more!

we are an independent band, and the money we make from patreon allows us to pay our studio rent, plan better music videos, and helps us fund our tours. It is the best way to directly support us. if you have the capacity to; we will make it worth your time.

find out patreon here.

[jaykinarts]

CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY 🍾

(Camera and lighting are horrid so please allow some room for discoloration)

THE KEYCHAINS HAVE ARRIVED!!! AFTER MANUALLY PUTTING THE CLASPS ON IM SO HAPPY TO SAY THAT ALL THE TOTA MERCH IS HERE ‼️‼️‼️ <33 AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS...

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR PREORDERS !!

They'll probably be open in a week or so as I have to also get the packaging and everything. Remember that once you pre order you'll have to wait a few days to a week so that I could prepare it to be shipped!! <3 (I reccomend buying in bulk so that the shipping fee would be worth it but Im also working to make sure that the shipping isn't too unbearable ><)

More notes is that I'll have international and local prices ( for etsy and shoppee) , and if you order a bunch I'll add in some stickers as freebies <3

THANK YOU AGAIN TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED THIS PROJECT AND I HOPE THE TOTA MERCH GOES TO AWESOME HOMES 🥹‼️🎉

[romsabombs]

GUYS the new malevolent is insane so i just thought i'd drop my notes in here✍️ ENJOY it's a lot

freaky ahh cavern

😦😦😦

SHUT UP!!!!!!!!

the man is bathed in darkness👹 john thats racist

mf literally been crucified this is so arthurs religious trauma

that is not what bones sound like i think

shes so me awful posture

me at 4am in the kitchen looking for a snack

WAIT oh yuck :/

HAHA THEY'RE IN HIS NOSTRILS

PRINCE MENTIONED

car accident thats so season 1

this is kind of like a hat in time maybe

omgg a witch :3

arthur survives the wildest shit but i think a mcdonalds sprite would kill him

AAAHHH WHAT THE FUCK!!!!😨😨 YUCK YUCK EW EW RAAAHHH

WHAAAAAT

cant we only do allat to corpses

omg spit it out john

YEAAHHHH HES DEAD

🤭🤭🤭YIPPEE I KNEW IT

omggg thats so janey :33

hes bein puppeted by the maggots thats crazy

STOP TELLING HIM TO KILL THINGS HAHA

omgg kaynes dagger <33

how can this mf be helpful

this is so tmp a bit

rotten flesh mentioned minecraft ref

HAHA WHAAT THATS SO GROSS

the maggots be like i have your fucking eyes👹👹👹👹

OMG WHAT THE HELL zombie arc

claustrophobia again

imagine harlan recording this

omg that's so sexy 🔥🔥 decapitated his ass

HAHA WE'RE ONLY 11 MINUTES IN??

LMAO john stop saying things

YES JOHN it WOULD have been helpful to know this guy didnt have any eyes

"this isnt new york anymore" thank god amiright

his head between our legs🤨

its so funny how he calls it a pinky. didnt someone on tumblr say john wouldnt know finger names

im surprised arthur still has a shirt

the flesh feels stiff😟

this guy is still alive😦 or. dead. i guess

arthur is like weirdly normal about this guy being a zombie. i know hes seen shit (no he hasnt) but come on

faroes song ☹️

YEAHH PUT IT IN YOUR MOUTHH💪

oh what😐 the prince🙄

what did he sayy

oh gross come on guys😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨 at this point just put it in your own mouth

"id like to think this is the most insane thing we've ever done" 💀

teehee they dont wanna seperate :3

YEAH! AND FAROE

"everyone we've ever loved" weak. also john doesnt care about anyone but you

"we cant afford to not use every resource anymore" HAHA this is so funny because didnt you throw away everything youve ever owned last episode

yippee welcome back vanguard :3

nothing😟 WAIT YIPPEE :3

WELCOME BACK VANGUARD‼️☝️

omg names mentioned

wait. yorick? llorick? thats the thing arthur said

its not lorick that was the guy from the dreamlands

WOAH WAIT WOAH HUH

hey what the fuck did that mean😀

omg what. rumpelstiltskin

HAHA hes so loser

OMG wait they said stanzyck right

ofcourse anna is dead bruh we were never gonna meet her

arthur and john both being "kings"😟

this tooth is so silly🥰

everyones walking over arthur today💀

they're so miscommunication <3

hey😀 hey whats that sound

DONT SAY IT ugh the prince

"ahh yes :3"

OH😨😨😨😨 A WHAT

SHUT UP🗣️👹 HAHA THATS SO SILLY

this guy is so kayne. and a bit autistic

wait r we just carrying around this skull

bro arthur sounds so tired

ooo this would go hard as a cosplay

i cant believe he has a belt

EUGH YUCK😦

ooo the black stone perchance?

ok i guess not

omg god forbid a girl has hobbies🙄

"im not saying its not risky. what im saying is, it might be worth the risk" that line goes hard

arthur agreeing to this is like a dad saying "okay fine we'll go to mcdonalds🙄"

no reward without risk✊💥

"we're in the lion's den already" "it is a hag's womb👹" HEHEHE

HAHA SILLIES HEHEHEEHE🤭🥰

oooohh johnn 😶‍🌫️

OH 😦 ohhh 😀 u have his memories

clever girl

"thanks yorick😐" "you too my king🤗" "shut up🙄👹"

yorick is so me absolutely no sense of social cues

ofcourse we'd encounter a witch here it was so obvious

"try to keep straight" pff

did john say im serving

hey yeah maybe dont go towards the light😀

LMAO LOOK AROUND? foul

when is the jumpscare happening

i have no idea what he's saying

"too much to make out" MAKE OUT?🤭

LMAO he doesnt know

pregnant meat☹️⁉️

hey i thought asking the vanguard questions would have a price🤨😀

imagine if he just crushed that zombies skull like its a good thing we just decapitated him

hes literally describing my room

you're my eyes☹️

they're acting as if the lighter would give us much light

omgg shes a little interior decorator

tapestry lore!!💪

five minutes left whats gonna happen

wuh ohhh somethings gonna happen

THE STAIRS ARE GONE!!!😬

ur literally in her home leave her alone

his ass is panicking

this is so part 18 the madness

we're trapped :( :(

"ingenious decision king🤓" "SHUT UP👹"

SPRINT!!!!!! 🏃🏃🏃🏃

OH???? 😦😦😦😦 WHAT

IMPALED???M???MNFJREJSJ HUHH

--

omggg he got marcy'd

i saw fanart of this but i lowkey couldnt tell if it was a spoiler or not💀

hot take but if he got bitten by that zombie he could prolly survive this

HUHHH bro this is like part 27 the roots. he was less dramatic about it this time tho

bro yorick finally shut up💀

sooo where did he get impaled. like if in the heart hes cooked😬

[eyewonderwhynot]

I ask this with shame: Please donate a small amount that may save my father's life, he needs daily medication worth 55€ and will undergo surgery worth 250€💔, Please don't ignore my message and don't hesitate to help me 🍉

‎‏ Please support me I am facing this alone🙏

🛑We are now under a severe siege, the price of a bag of flour has reached 1000€

The last donation was a while ago😞

Please help!!!!‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

[sharp-silver4795]

I ask this with shame: Please donate a small amount that may save my father's life, he needs daily medication worth 55€ and will undergo surgery worth 250€💔, Please don't ignore my message and don't hesitate to help me 🍉

‎‏ Please support me I am facing this alone🙏

🛑We are now under a severe siege, the price of a bag of flour has reached 1000€

The last donation was a while ago😞

If you have a link, send it to me on my other blog.

It’s specifically for Gaza and Palestine.

‼️‼️‼️‼️

[vee-isaweirdartist]

DNI'S: PROSHIPERS, ZOOS, PEDOS, ABLEISTS, HATERS OF THE SONIC FRANCHISE AND SILVER HATERS‼️

FINALLY MADE A CARRD OH MY FUCK

BLOG MASTER POST

Need help getting 'round the blog? here's some tags to look forward here!

King's demise Au : My Espilver au, mostly based around fantasy, royalty and Oriental culture.

Claws and Chaos : My Shadow fanfic! Currently being posted on A03, revolving around the idea of Shadow having an emotional support cat. Read here btw!

My art : All art in general from my hands! either sketches, full on drawings, etc etc

Text posts : Text posts and random ideas I blabber to the void! (The void being y'all)

Mobian Oc : All mobian OC! I mostly draw my sona here so, be aware of that!<3

Sonic.exe oc : My bbs lil' corner, presenting Faker_test.zip! here you can find all my rambles bout him!

Ask : Tag for any questions or art request ya'll sent for me to answer or doodle! here you can find everything that was worth giving a look at!

COMISSIONS: OPEN!!!!

click here to see my prices!

Only Followers and/or people that interact with my art are entitled to commission's being handled outside of Ko-Fi!

Know the artist ★:

I'm 18 years old (JUNE 8TH‼️), Venezuelan, Soon to be freshman! SHE/HER PRONOUNS, working on making a carrd I promise-

LOVE:

- SONIC THE HEDGEHOG ‼️‼️

- EPIC: THE MUSICAL ‼️

- Five Nights at Freddy's!

- Fanart!!

- Alt Styles/Cottagecore styles!

- SILVER THE HEDGEHOG I LOVE YOUUUUUUUU

- Forget about grass, I NEED TO TOUCH THE SEA.

- Hating on accounting. Fucking hate accounting. /half j

That's about it rn! If more content that doesn't belong in either of this categories is published, this masterpost will be updated!

[itsdareeeh]

Hello, you who want to help people who are exhausted and torn by wars. I am a person who is asking you for help for the urgently needed treatment for my wife because she is suffering from pain in the spleen and liver due to the severity of the caesarean section during childbirth. Therefore, it was agreed to perform an operation on her, but due to the war that is being waged against her, the price will be This operation is worth $1,500, and I am working to collect this amount from people who love to help. Please do not let me down before I lose my wife. Please, the date of the operation will come and I have not Gather something together. I swear to you that I did not lie and that I am honest in every word I say. My friend, I do not want to lose my wife. Please, please, I beg you before my time runs out. Also, I will buy her some food so that she can recover from the pain of the operation. Please, please, before it is too late.😭🙏🏻😭🙏🏻💔

‼️

[v4mpgee]

I ask this with shame: Please donate a small amount that may save my father's life, he needs daily medication worth 55€ and will undergo surgery worth 250€💔, Please don't ignore my message and don't hesitate to help me 🍉

‎‏ Please support me I am facing this alone🙏

🛑We are now under a severe siege, the price of a bag of flour has reached 1000€

The last donation was a while ago😞

‼️

[canonically47]

re re re review!

ahh fuck it i stayed up this late might as well review now!

disventure camp all stars episode 12: hungry like the wolf - review

SPOILERS!!! (but you knew that.)

boring challenge premise but whats new

derek absolutely mistreats trevor (and his remorse is sooo half-assed and ooc jjst between you and me btw) but whats new

this episode will suck but whats- oh shit wait a sec!!

KING ALEC KICKED TOM IN THE BALLS LFG FUCK YOU TOM 🔥🔥🔥

jake and aiden not being petty and not arguing for once just for jake to ruin it by talking about tom is. oof. talk about being the second worst character. this guy just never gets better

absolutely hilarious how alec went up to connor, sweet talked him, then saw the flag and attacked him. then proceeded to win. what a fucking king.

good to see riya go for some long-run strategy by possibly securing her safety with ally. but it's obvious ally has very little left to live on the show so who cares.

good on connor for proving he was worth coming back! i dig him. i think a finale with him, alec and maybe someone like grett or gabby would be so fun to watch, granted that alec wins ofc but still

oo a tie!!! uuugh but i bet it'll be tom that wins anyways because ONC loves the love triangle and the fujoshis that worship tomjake and- wait what the fu

OHHHHH MY GOOOOOOOOD TOM WENT OUT I AM SOOOO FUCKING HAPPY RIGHT NOW GUYS. GUYS. GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!

*vox voice* YEEEEEEESSSS!!! FUUUUCK 🖕🏼🖕🏼🖕🏼 YOU TOM AHAHAHAHAAAAA ‼️‼️‼️ THIS IS BETTER THAN ANGRY REVIEWS 🗣🗣🗣🔥🔥🔥

guys do you understand that ONC conciously took the decision of a tie-breaker that MADE TOM LOSE. do you understand how much unfortunate faith i have in them rn. THANK GOD THE LOVE TRIANGLE IS OVER

I REPEAT THE LOVE TRIANGLE IS OVERRRRRR AHAHAHAHHAAH 🗣🗣🗣‼️‼️‼️🔥🔥🔥🖕🏼🖕🏼🖕🏼 FUUUUUUUUCK THIS OVERRATED MID ASS BORING ASS MISCOMMUNICATING PATHETIC STUPID SHIP I'M THROWING A DAMN PARTY TOMORROW MORNING

sorry got a bit intense there i am normal i swea- did derek and krystal just.

AND FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YOUR TOXIC TREVEK YAOI ‼️‼️‼️ I NEVER LIKED THEM I NEVER ROOTED FOR THEM I NEVER WANTED THEM AND LOOKIE LOOKIE ‼️‼️‼️ LOOK WHO'S WINNING WITH THIS EPISODE ‼️‼️‼️ EAT SHIT (idk who im adressing the shit eating to im just happy)

trevor why are you crying over a man that doesn't even value you as a person. get up king go kiss emily to retaliate (qpr tremily save me qpr tremily)

not only am i a prophet but i am also super petty!! and the fact that both the love triangle amd trevek got incredibly fucked over this episode it's a ten outta ten for me. complete with riya and alec winning reward, yul getting five seconds of screentime total, connor being useful and jake and aiden almost dying by a wolf... yeah 10/10 for sure.

it's a 10/10 even without my petty jokes. aiden's VA made me crack up this episode, the love triangle got a fitting end, alec deserved immunity, we all knew krystek was coming sooner or later, honestly it's a well-written episode overall what can i say!!

only thing im sad about is my aroace krystal hc is completely out the window but its a small price to pay for trevek death. disventure camp sucks too much to have the honor of aspec characters anyways

two good episodes back to back we are so back dc fans. so back!!!!!!!!

[cinnamanz]

nah cus wheres the loyalty 😤

just cus dani needs more effort doesnt mean we should give up 😤

our latina mami queen is worth it

dont quit cus its too hard

the harder work, the better the price 🤩

#spoken

thank u

i am speechless. wow. i teared up. words have never affected me this much before. GORGEOUS. OUTSTANDING. OTHER WORDLY. PREACH‼️‼️‼️‼️

[mariacallous]

Truth Social, former president Donald’s Trump’s clone of Twitter, has a fraction of the users of competitors like Reddit and X. The company has never turned a profit, and just happens to be the place where Trump is currently posting.

But on the Nasdaq, the stock exchange where Truth Social became a publicly traded company today, there's a different story: Truth Social has become a certified meme stock. Trump supporters seem to have conflated their support for the former president with the stock itself, and are buying en masse.

The stock quickly rose more than 40 percent after being listed and trades under a ticker of Trump’s initials, DJT. The company is now valued at more than $6.8 billion. The value, however, could change quickly; the stock was so volatile that it temporarily halted soon after it was listed. The company’s financial performance has been underwhelming. It posted $3.3 million in revenue and lost $49 million in the first three quarters of 2023, according to regulatory filings.

Still, Trump’s fans have posted on Reddit, X, and Truth Social about how they plan to hold the stock in defiance of traditional investing logic. Previous meme stocks like GameStop and cryptocurrency culture have helped provide the script, but the rhetorical formula is simple: Short sellers will perish, this stock is going to the moon, and don’t sell no matter what.

“Let’s go baby! Trump 2024 to the moon,” one user posted on Reddit, followed by the rocket ship emoji.

In another Reddit thread, stockholders discussed at what price they would sell shares in the company. “At least waiting for the election win,” one user posted, with the tag Diamond DWAC, a reference to “diamond hands,” a desire to hold a stock despite volatility.

“$150 maybe … but probably waiting for the launch of TMTG+ streaming and also stories videos,” another replied. “Or when our founder is The Leader of The Free World (again) and most reported on person on the world with the most attention on him and his platform. So maybe never‼️”

Reddit user deepfuckingbagholder speculated that the company could eventually be worth 1 trillion dollars. When another user replied, saying that valuation would be virtually impossible, deepfuckingbagholder wrote back: “This stock represents the value of Trump’s brand and I personally believe it can achieve that valuation.”

Truth Social is, predictability, a hotbed of conspiracy theories. Election denialism, vaccine skepticism, and the great replacement theory are all prominently featured on the site. The company has also been mired in controversy since it began, following Trump’s ban from Twitter after the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. A former senior employee filed a whistleblower complaint with the SEC, and other former employees have sued the company, alleging breach of contract. Shareholders voted to take the company public last week, merging Trump Media and Technology Group with a publicly traded holding company, Digital World Acquisition Corp.

The outsize valuation of Truth Social has made Trump incredibly rich. His net worth rose $4 billion to $6.5 billion, making him one of the world’s 500 richest people, according to calculations by Bloomberg News. Trump is restricted from selling shares in the company for about six months, so his net worth could still tank, however, if the price of Truth Social falls.

On Truth Social, one user said a prayer. “Bless all the patriots invested in #DJT,” GothamGal wrote. “Bless this investment, and make us successful so that we may do your will and bring glory to you. Bless and protect our president DJT, and our country. In Jesus name.”

[peppermintslol]

I ask this with shame: Please donate a small amount that may save my father's life, he needs daily medication worth 55€ and will undergo surgery worth 250€💔, Please don't ignore my message and don't hesitate to help me 🍉

‎‏ Please support me I am facing this alone🙏

🛑We are now under a severe siege, the price of a bag of flour has reached 1000€

The last donation was a while ago😞

Please donate if you can‼️‼️

[theautisticwritingpit]

‼️WARNING‼️ The following post is chapter 2 of a real book. This will take ages to read. Is it worth it? I definitely think so. No trigger warnings on this one. This is a rough draft, so all names and plot points are placeholders. I welcome any suggestions/advice, I want 👉YOU to have an effect on this story just as much as I do.

I’m absolutely hyped to finally get to share this story. It only gets better from here. I can’t wait for you all to see the next few chapters.

Strap in, strap on, strap up. Enjoy the second chapter of The Little Dragon.

The cheering of the crowd was the first thing I heard as I approached the arena. A stadium full of people waiting for me to entertain them for the day. I never particularly enjoyed the challenges, but if I’m honest with myself, it's a small price to pay for a day of fun… and pastries. I rushed around the backside of the arena, passing several surprised and confused citizens along the way. Once I reached the back of the arena, I came face to face with a small building. It was colored a bright red like the rest of the stadium, and connected to the back of the main building. The dressing rooms. This is where me and my opponents would head before each fight to get prettied up for the crowd. I quickly hopped in through the nearest window, startling the poor makeup artists who were just beginning to get their supplies out. Before any of them could get a word out, I swooped past them and stuffed my basket of sweets into a nearby cabinet for safe keeping.

“Do not let anybody open that cabinet.” I said sternly to the artists. I couldn’t risk my father finding it.

All of them hurriedly nodded in agreement.

“U-Uhm, young lord, if I may…” started a young artist. He couldn't have been more than 16, maybe less. “We’ve been instructed by your father to-“

“Yes, yes.” I interrupted. “You’re supposed to freshen me up for the challenges. Well don't bother. It wastes precious time, and the fighting usually leads to the makeup coming off anyway.”

The young man tried to reason with me, and then sighed. “Yes, young lord.”

One of his colleagues then spoke up. “Well at the very least young lord, you may want to wipe that jelly off your face.” He chuckled, helpfully.

My eyes widened in surprise, and I carefully wiped my lip. Sure enough, there was a bit of sticky yellow filling left on my face. I quickly rubbed it off and coughed, slightly embarrassed.

“And would you like to do something about your windswept hair?” The second artist smirked.

I looked up at my hair and combed it a bit with my hands as my face turned a bit pink.

“Now will you let us help you, little lord?” The second artist said with his arms crossed.

I groaned and nodded. “just make it quick.”

And so, the artists got to work. After an agonizing 15 minutes of sitting perfectly still, their work was finished. I must admit, they did a wonderful job. Perhaps they were right. After a final touch from their brush and the last stroke of their comb, I was finally ready. They all stepped back and admired their work. They looked pleased.

“Good luck little lord.” The first artist said. “I’ll be rooting for you.”

The other artists nodded in agreement.

“I must be off.” I said as I turned to leave. “Make sure no one goes in that cabinet!”

With that, I hurried upstairs to greet my father before the games. He was at the very top of the main tower, looking out over the entire arena with his keen yellow eyes. I went up flight after flight of stairs, moving past musicians and performers alike. Whenever there was a break in the action, there would be plenty of entertainment ready to keep the audience happy until the fighting could resume. I finally reached the top floor and moved to the center of the room. It was dark, aside from the light of the rising sun just coming over the opposite wall of the stadium. There were a few nobles here and there gossiping with one another, a few servants passing drinks and plates of food back and forth, and standing at the very edge of the balcony looking down at the festivities below, my father. Everyone except for him turned to look at me as I entered. The servants hurriedly looked at the floor and avoided my gaze as much as possible, while the nobles gave “oooh”s and “aaah”s of excitement as they looked me over with interest. I was used to this kind of treatment from the blue-bloods of the land, always looking at me like a circus animal, something to entertain them as they stuffed their fat furry faces. I ignored them and approached the balcony before kneeling in front of my father, the Dragon of Thunder, Warlord Lei Jinlong.

“I am ready, father.” I spoke formally and with purpose, as all nobles must.

My father waited for a moment before turning to face me. The nobles of the land all fell silent as he turned. My father was quite a sight. Spiky black hair much like mine that was tied up in a truly bushy-looking high ponytail. It looked as if he had a small pine tree on the back of his head. His hair was parted straight down the middle, with two long strands of hair on each side coming down a little past his shoulders. Even though my father was roughly a hundred years old, he still had absolutely no facial hair. According to legend, he was blessed with eternal youth by the gods, and thus cannot grow even a single nose hair. His chin was thin and sharp, and his eyes were like the eyes of a wise and cranky old owl with a grudge. His robes were black and gold much like mine, the only difference was that his robes were embroidered with clouds, wind patterns, dragons, and all sorts of other things. He said nothing, only staring down at me with those deadly eyes. One cannot maintain eye contact with my father for too long without having their spirit broken by his menacing glare, so I looked at the floor instead.

“You are early this time. Good.” His voice was low and powerful, with the commanding tone that one would expect from someone so revered.

There was a short, uncomfortable silence. “…Where is mother?” I said after a little while as I looked around. “She should be here, should she not?”

Before my father could respond, my question was answered in the form of the one person I’d hoped to avoid today. Her smug little giggle was the first thing I recognized. I closed my eyes and gave a ginormous sigh, before turning around to face her. My sister was a small thing, even smaller than me. She was a year younger than me, although she acted as if she was much older. Her eyes were big and round like mother’s, but her eyes were a bright, burning yellow like father’s. Her hair was the color of fire like mothers, and yet shared the spikiness of me and father. She had her hair neatly done up into two spiky pigtails that stuck up like the ears on a fox, and she was wearing the same black and gold robes as me and father (only hers were a bit more feminine). She was smiling an evil, spiteful smile as she looked at me, trying to get a reaction out of me. Mother was following close behind her as they both came up the stairs.

“What is she doing here!?” I demanded, forgetting my formality as I raised my voice.

“Now now,” my mother said in her ‘we’re in public’ voice, “mind your manners, both of you. Your sister here asked me if she could come cheer you on in the games.”

“Of course!” My sister said, feigning kindness in front of the nobles. “It’s my duty to come support my big brother on his big day, right mommy?” On the outside, her smile was so bright and innocent she practically glowed with kindness. On the inside, she was a malevolent viper, waiting for her chance to poison the one day I looked forward to.

I clenched my fists tightly, and bit my tongue so that it could not lash out at her with all the vulgar and insulting things it wished to say. Once I had quelled my anger enough so that I would not dishonor my parents in public, I spoke through gritted teeth, my voice dripping with furious displeasure.

“Father.” I said as I turned back to face him. “I ask you, please, do not let her attend! Minyu is always looking for a way to sabotage me, to knock me down, I know she will do something to ruin these games. You must believe me, she must be removed before!-“

“Silence.” My father said, calmly.

There was silence immediately. Even the little birds on the windowsill froze in place, saying not a word, making not a tweet.

“You and your sister will be cordial. You will show respect to her, and she,” My father continued, turning his eyes to my sister, “Will show respect to you.”

He had no need to ask for confirmation. We had got the message.

“And you,” My father said turning his attention to me, still with an uncomfortable level of calm to his tone, “you will do well in today’s games.” It sounded more like an order rather than a show of support.

My mother was the only one not frozen in her tracks. She walked right up to my father and stood next to him. “You’re scaring our guests!” She half whispered, half shouted in his ear. “Look at them! They look as if they’re dead! Do something about that angry glare of yours before they mistake you for a beast of the wilds and flee.”

Only I could see it, but my father’s posture shifted ever so slightly as she berated him. Was it just my imagination? Or did his impeccable posture slump forward just a tiny bit as he grumbled under his breath.

“I’ll thank you to not give me directions.” My father growled. “And you are in no place to pass judgment. Your mere presence would be enough to make a plant grow legs just to run away.”

Everyone in the room gave a collective gasp, fearing the worst. My mother however was unfazed. In fact… I could see a small smile forming on her lips, and she gave my father a look I could not quite understand. All of a sudden, she leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

“It seems we’re both rather scary then, aren’t we?” She said as she took her place next to him on the balcony.

Despite my father’s teachings, I simply could not read what was going on between them. My mother and father were strange people. The whole room seemed to breathe out again when they realized my mother was not upset. But me, I was fuming. I whipped around and glared at my sister as my father was momentarily distracted, staring deep into her eyes, trying to read what she was thinking.

You will fail, dear brother. Her eyes seemed to say. You cannot scrape by forever, and I cannot wait to watch when you trip over your own feet.

The room was beginning to return to normal again, with nobles chattering, chattering chattering away, and servants hurrying about trying to get everything in order once more. In the distance, I heard a slight crackle of thunder. That was my father’s signal telling me to head to the arena entrance down below, for the games were about to begin, and I needed to be ready for my over-dramatic entrance.

“I must be on my way.” I said hurriedly as I began to collect myself.

“Do your best, little Blackberry.” My mother said in a loving tone, turning to me and giving me an encouraging nod.

I bowed to her and father as I spoke. “No one shall get the best of me.”

I glanced up at my father for a moment. He had not even bothered to look at me. With that, I stood up and hurried out of the room, and made my way to the arena entrance. The hallway that I would enter from was dim and darkly lit, so that spectators would not be able to see me until my entrance was made. The orchestra played a suspenseful, exciting beat, as the announcer began his speech. I was hardly listening. It was all so… overdone. Could I not just walk out and save some time? But alas, my father insisted on it. I leaned against a wall and waited for a few seconds as the music grew more and more intense, and the announcer’s speech began to reach its end. As I was waiting however, I could’ve sworn that I saw a glimpse of something unusual… For a second, I saw a tuft of white, with a dash of red… I straightened my back and looked a little harder. There are not many things that can avoid my gaze, so I searched my view for what was bothering me. After a few seconds of scanning the area, looking in every nook and cranny, I gave in. There was nothing there. Perhaps it was my nerves, all this noise was rather uncomfortable. Finally, the announcer gave me my queue.

“And now, your prince, your gladiator, your next Dragon of Thunder, prince Lei Xiaolong!”

The crowd began to cheer in expectation as the music became bright and triumphant. With reluctance, I pushed myself off the wall and began slowly walking out of the shadows. The crowd went wild as they saw me, shouting and crying out in admiration and excitement. On the outside, I was a stunning figure. Strong, silent and stone-faced with my head held high, the wind whirling and whipping around me billowing my robes back and forth, a spectacular visual to be sure. On the inside however, I was rolling my eyes at the whole ordeal. This was all a bit much for my taste, especially the wind, which I suspected to be a little trick from my father. I let out a small sigh of annoyance to myself as I held my hands in the air for the audience. What a bother this was going to be. My father seemed to notice my displeasure. I felt his already narrowed eyebrows lower ever so slightly further so only I could notice, and I felt his eyes burrowing into the back of my head. I gritted my teeth and quickly corrected my behavior.

After the noise died down, I began to give my opening speech. With my father’s booming voice, I addressed the crowd.

“Citizens of my proud city, I bid you welcome to my yearly trial. It is on this special day, the day of my birth, that I may come down and greet you all face to face. This will be a tournament, to test my growing strength and the strength of our people. Anyone who defeats me, will be granted a single request by the royal family. This year, I turn 13 years of age, meaning that I shall take on all challengers young and old. The annual challenges have officially begun! Anyone who wishes may speak up and face me now.”

The crowd fell deadly silent, waiting for the first challenger to break the ice. There was an uncomfortable amount of tension hanging in the air, for this year, adults may also offer a challenge. Finally, someone in the crowd stood up.

“I will take you on!” Said a young boy from inside the crowd.

I sighed, and closed my eyes for a moment. I recognized this boy. Every year he would try and fail to fight me. He was an aspiring young martial artist, and quite a sportsmanlike opponent, but neither of those things would save him in the arena. Every year I would take him out as swiftly as possible, trying to cause him as little pain as possible, but he always came back the next year. As the crowd began to cheer for the small boy and help lift him up to the arena, I mentally prepared myself for the fact that I was about to crush his dreams once more, and said a mental apology to the boy’s ancestors, who would no doubt be embarrassed by the following fight.

“You again?” I sighed as the boy got into position.

“What, did you expect me to quit? I never quit!” The boy shouted with defiance.

He was slightly larger than me with short brown hair, a standard outfit consisting of a sleeveless shirt and loose-fitting pants, and a pair of big round brown eyes. He always wore a confident smile on top of it all. I sighed and got into my father’s stance, readying myself for the coming fight. The boy did much the same. The referee began the countdown.

“3, 2, 1… begin!!”

I wasted no time in rushing the boy, and hitting him square in the chest with a powerful palm. Thump! The sound of flesh hitting flesh rang out across the arena, and the boy cried out with pain as he was thrown back a considerable distance. The crowd cheered on, already lost in the action. The boy did a quick turn in mid air, and landed perfectly on his feet. Unusual… normally that hit would have sent the boy out of the competition. He took a moment to catch his breath, and then got back in his stance, seemingly unfazed. I felt a small twinge of shame for not being able to finish the fight in one blow, but did not let it affect me. I motioned for the boy to recenter himself, so that we were both in our original starting positions. He gladly obliged, and bowed respectfully. I gave him an acknowledging nod. When he was prepared once more, I rushed at him again, this time faking a palm thrust, instead throwing my hand to his left and using that momentum to land on my hands and send a devastating kick to his abdomen. But instead of hitting the boy at all… I seemed to have hit a brick wall. That's odd, the nearest wall should be about 200 feet behind me. I looked up in a split second, only to see that the boy at not only blocked my kick neatly with his own leg, but he was about to-

WHAM! My head was sent crashing into the ground. I quickly bounced up and jumped backwards, reeling from the hit. I was only slightly dazed, but it was enhanced by my confusion about what just happened. The boy had managed to not only block my kick, but counter attack by spiking my skull against the pavement? I clenched my fists in irritation. This was the first match of the day, I was not supposed to be having trouble this early. The boy waited patiently for me to recover, which only infuriated me more. I charged at him for a third time, this time sending a relentless stream of punches and jabs at him. Despite how furious my attacks were, he deflected every single one without fail. Realizing that punched weren’t working, I transitioned into another kick, this time aiming straight for his chest. And to my surprise… he caught it. There was a moment where we just sat there with one another, dumbfounded. I tried yanking my leg free, but he refused to let go. He gave a wide, stupid smile.

“Looks like I caught myself a dragon!” He taunted, only fueling my rage.

I growled slightly and pushed off the ground hard with my other leg, spinning around and kicking him in the head as hard as I could. The boy let go and went tumbling to the right, sprawled out on the stone floor. Surely that was the end of it. I turned around, prepared to face the next challenger, when… The crowd went wild with excitement as the boy began to pick himself back up again. I turned to look, and saw that he was indeed trying to stand once more.

“I… don’t quit!…” The boy said through gritted teeth, still wearing that smile.

Though he was falling over himself, clearly concussed, he still wished to continue? I could not let this stand. I sped over to the boy with the quickness of a cat pouncing on its prey, and delivered the most perfect uppercut of my life directly to the boy’s already rattled jaw. CRUNCH! He tumbled end over end, blood splattering the arena as he fell back into the crowd. There was a moment of silence as the crowd looked onward, rattled at the ruthlessness I had just displayed. I didn’t notice, however. I was lost in my own anger. I felt so full of rage at the boy for daring to make me look stupid. That ought to show him. He better not show his face here again.

“…Uhm… T-The prince wins!…” The referee shouted uncomfortably, “The next challenger may uh… may step up to the arena…”

I looked down at my hand as the crowd was deciding who would go next. It was covered in what I could only assume was the boy’s spit, and a bit of blood. There was also a pearly white tooth embedded in my pinky knuckle. I yanked it out, and a bit of blood came oozing from the wound. I would need to be more careful from now on. Eventually, the crowd made their decision, and a ginormous man stepped up to the plate.

“You need a lesson in humility, young prince! That boy was only trying to do right by you! Now I will be the first to show you how powerless you are!”

I smirked, as my anger began to fill once again. It looks like I’ll need to humble this man as well.

Look at that! You made it to the end! Thank you so much for reading, feel free to leave any suggestions in the comments. More coming very soon.