#not going to try to impress people there ima give them what they really want

[namorailecec]

I’m going to cook for my grandpas celebration of life and my mom wants me to make Puerto Rican food, but like as a flex but she’s white so I’m not making the food, I want to make the most caucasian shit like dump cakes and root beer bbq.

[yuseirra]

A full commentary on what Oshi no Ko intends to show/the direction where it's heading/Major character motives.

This was an analysis I wrote on August 13th, back when chapter 157 was released (and the most recent chapter will be 159; wow the work has been on such a long hiatus:

I read it over again today, and I think I did a pretty good job piecing things together. Some of the things I predicted immediately came to light in the chapter that followed. I'd like to share it, before the new chapter gets released today :)

There is a lot of analysis? Commentary of how I feel about Ai. She's definitely become my fav and I hope everything she wished for will come true in the end, she IS indeed the brightest star in the sky after all!

The following has been translated in bulk with the help of chatgpt.. It's my savior these days.. It's SO convenient wow, I've been putting it to good use!!

The title and subtitle are quite grand, but I feel that if I start writing, a lot will come out, so I wrote down the title and wanted to give it a go. Everything from here on is a very personal impression.

The manga is almost coming to an end, right? Since it’s being called the final chapter. The latest chapter is either 157 or 158, right? It's 157... I’ve checked up to the point where Aqua and Ruby are spending peaceful days together. Isn’t this episode like the calm before the storm? As I watched it, I thought, "Ah, this peace is bound to be broken." Even though nothing happened, the atmosphere is so quiet that it feels more ominous than peaceful.

At this point, I thought it might be good to think about what exactly this manga wants to convey and what the central narrative is. It seemed like a fitting time.

I first learned about this manga last year when the first season of the anime aired. The impression I got was that the creators had planned the ending from the start, as it seemed to have a clear trajectory. This manga might be more suitable for readers who prefer to follow it in volumes rather than chapter by chapter. When viewed individually, some parts might make you wonder, "What is this?" but when you see them in volumes, there seems to be a flow. So, when I was reading the manga in volumes, I thought, "Oh, the structure of this manga is well-organized and solid." That was around the time when about 10 volumes had been released, and I confidently bought all the volumes to keep as a collection.

Then, when I looked at the portions being serialized afterward, I started to get a little confused and thought, "Hmm, what are they planning to do with this?" But after watching the movie arc, I thought, "Oh, this is pretty good," and I realized that I wasn’t wrong in my initial judgment, so I returned to the manga, lol.

This manga’s structure seems quite complex. Each character has their own goals, and while Aqua seems to be the main hero who strongly drives the narrative, the focus isn’t solely on Aqua; it feels somewhat dispersed. In the end, if we consider what this story wants to convey, it feels like a composition that might be somewhat confusing.

In my opinion, the overarching framework is about various stories that unfold within the entertainment industry. It’s about the impact this industry can have on various people, both the light and the darkness (not delving too deeply, just enough to get a taste and see it from an entertainment perspective, plus throwing out questions about very serious topics). But then, is it saying that the entertainment industry is full of darkness and that we should escape from it? Not really.

As I described in the first post I wrote about this manga, it seems like the main theme is the depiction of various character types trying to survive in the entertainment industry.

Being a celebrity is a job that requires one to present oneself to far more people than an average person would, and even if we assume an entirely ideal situation where only goodwill comes your way, you can’t help but constantly be conscious of the image you need to show to those watching you. It seems like a very strong persona is necessary to endure that.

The loneliness that comes from being in the crowd, the internal dilemma of wanting to be understood and truthful as a complete individual, even though you can't fully expose yourself to the public, and yet, because of the appeal of the spotlight and wanting to show something, you step forward, deciding to live there and survive there.

Whether the work perfectly expresses those aspects might differ depending on the person, but at least it seems to have made us think about those points.

So, what are the motives driving each character?

Aqua wants to avenge the person that's hurt Ai, the one precious to him, in some way.

Ruby wants to surpass Ai as an idol, following in her footsteps.

Kana wants to be Aqua’s favorite.

Akane seems to assist Aqua, and in her case, she felt like she provided many shortcuts throughout the entire story. She played a role in significantly shortening the story’s length... Honestly, it might have been better if Aqua had done the things Akane achieved himself, lol. But from the author's perspective, she’s a reliable helper who aids in condensing the narrative. She also served as a good helper to Ruby as well. What I personally feel.a bit disappointed about the character Akane is that while she supports others a lot, that seems to be her entire narrative. She succeeded as an actress, and her personal goal or story seems to have ended around the dating program arc or the tokyo blade Arc, so apart from helping the twins, it's disappointing that her individual direction and desires are less visible. However, as long as she’s not entangled with the main characters, Akane is thriving and living a smooth life. She only becomes endangered when she gets involved with them; so, to give her more story, she may need to get more entangled.

Among the other main characters, Ai is a fresh character in that she wants to properly give love to others (although she also had the desire to be loved, it was more about “giving” than “receiving,” which I found refreshing).

As for Ai's boyfriend, it seems like he has something he wants to do, but it hasn’t been clearly revealed yet, so it’s in the realm of speculation. Setting that aside, what he wants to do now is something for Ai(in his point of view).

Nino has been highlighted a bit more, and while this character seems important, it’s still not clear what their exact goal is. The clear desire that has emerged is that they can't forgive even their daughter if she surpasses Ai.

Aqua, the character who drove the plot the most (with many things revolving around him), had the motive of “avenging Ai's death,” so that was a significant focal point. Much of the story’s development seemed to revolve around that.

However, I didn’t think Aqua would go for revenge in a violent form, because it would be something that would make the character unhappy and wouldn’t fit his personality. I didn’t think this “revenge” would be the typical, satisfying sort of retribution where justice is served.

Moreover, the “revenge” Aqua seeks ultimately requires Ai’s boyfriend (the twins’ biological father) to genuinely love Ai for it to work. If he didn’t love her, it wouldn’t be effective.

When looking at the hints about the relationship between Ai and her boyfriend, I often thought they must have had a good relationship at one point. I kept wondering if this person really bears full responsibility for Ai’s death. The idea of someone they once had a good relationship with turning into a stalker who kills them... even in a manga, it’s something I really don’t want to think about. I really hate it. But if the manga were to handle such a storyline, then it is what it is, regardless of my preferences. What the boyfriend character went through in his past is quite horrible and complicated, and my intuition, based on the bits and pieces I’ve seen, is that at least when they were together, Ai and he were two young people who relied on and supported each other. And that turned out to be correct. I liked how the character was portrayed in the movie arc, and there wasn’t any chance of it being depicted very differently. The idea of pushing this character, a psychopathic serial killer, off a cliff or punishing him harshly just didn’t seem to align with the established setup. Even though you might think he twisted into that kind of person because of some bad experiences, it didn’t seem like that was the direction this manga was taking. I wouldn’t have liked it if the character had been designed to be twisted that way because of bad experiences. It feels more consistent to see the character behave as they did in the past, which makes me believe it’s a well-written character. I had the sense that the story wouldn’t take the approach of having one character be absolutely evil and then punishing that character to neatly resolve everything. That doesn’t seem like a good story to me either. I don’t think the issues tied to the themes this manga deals with can be resolved in that way. The more I think about it, the more I feel like the content related to Kamiki is actually quite solid. I don’t want that character to be a bad guy. And it seems like he’s not?

The psychological depictions of the characters in this manga are very complex and well done. Because of this, I’m still not sure what to make of Nino. I think it’s fine to consider Ryosuke as an absolute evil since there’s nothing redeeming about him. Kamiki is out if he intended to scare Ai. But I feel like it was Nino who tried to scare her... When I consider the circumstances, it’s not impossible for Kamiki to have done it, but it feels too out of sync with his behavior. It’s very confusing.

I’m not sure how they’ll wrap up this “revenge,” but I think they might bring it to a social level regarding the responsibility for what happened to Ai? That’s why Aqua chose the medium of a “movie,” something that is “shown to the public”? Ai gave love to everyone, but it wasn’t properly received, right? So, there’s a desire to convey that correctly. And seeking understanding and respect for Ai as a personal individual? In that sense, I feel like Aqua’s revenge isn’t over yet. It feels incomplete as it stands. I think it’s not finished yet. Ah, regarding Kamiki, I think he’s been properly “avenged,” as he would be truly tormented by watching the video Ai left behind. However, I'm still unsure if this character truly deserves to be on the receiving end of such revenge... I plan to criticize properly once more of his actions are revealed. Every time I think about it, based on the reactions, it seems like he genuinely loved Ai, which is really evident. It makes me wonder if the author wrote it this way for a reason. Examining these details is truly fascinating about this manga.

So, I started thinking about what the core theme that ties this entire story together might be, and what the author really wants to convey through this story. I think we need to start with Ai's story. I believe Ai is extremely important to this narrative.

When I look at how this work portrays Ai, my impression is that she was written as a character with incredibly realistic psychological depth. She wasn't just a sensational character who was simply a very pretty girl who suddenly gets murdered to create shock value. In my view, Ai is one of the top three most well-written characters in this manga. She's a key person in this story, and I believe this character is the central figure that completely penetrates the entire narrative, even though she exits the story quite early, her influence is very strong.

I wish I could express my feelings properly... Ai feels like someone who could really exist... I talk about this a lot, right? To write a character like this, I think the author must have a lot of affection for her. Although I wouldn't dare say that I fully understand other people's feelings or possess a lot of information, I do think that Ai is a character who very well expresses the psychology of a young child with a difficult family background—a runaway teenager. But even with that experience, she didn't get trapped in it, and instead, as an individual, she made various choices and lived earnestly... and that's why I like her. Because that's how real people live. Strong, extraordinary, and yet ordinary—ordinary in a way that makes you realize how truly precious and extraordinary the ordinary can be.

But the story starts with Ai dying in such a horrific way, right? This makes me think about what the story is ultimately trying to say. However, this doesn't mean that Ai's life was a failure. Ai really lived her life to the fullest. In the end, she was probably happy, which makes her story even more heartbreaking... She was such a good person. If we're talking about her nature, Ai was definitely a "good person."

What I took away from this... is that it gave me an opportunity to once again reflect on the fact that even those who are considered shining stars are still just people. Personally, it also made me more interested in the subject of child abuse. I find myself drawn to related news articles... The early Akane episode, for instance, made me reflect once again on the issue of online harassment. No matter how this manga ends, I feel like it has had quite a positive impact on me, so I'm grateful for that. Perhaps what one takes away from this work depends entirely on how they interpret it... There are certainly some valuable psychological insights in this work. I'm definitely envious of the talent of the creators.

If you look at it broadly, I think the core message of this manga is something along these lines. Aqua's revenge and Ruby's dream will somehow be realized in their own ways, and I also think Kana's goal will be achieved in some manner (but then wouldn't that mean Kana can't end up with Aqua?;; It feels like this manga is trying to say that the feelings one has for a favorite person and the love one has for a romantic partner are different things. Judging by Hikaru's words, it seems like the story is saying that love without illusions about the other person is actually the more genuine kind of love... But more than that, I think the point to focus on when watching this work is something along these lines, based on how the story is unfolding. Even celebrities are just people... Ultimately, that's it.

I understand that some people might find this annoying at certain points. You might think, "I've never done anything like that. I've never contributed to those problems, and I've never treated celebrities poorly. Doesn't the saying 'those who wear the crown must bear its weight' apply here? If they wanted to be a celebrity, shouldn't they be prepared to handle some negative reactions?"—these are thoughts that might cross your mind.

I've also never been a fan of any celebrity myself... lol. I don't think I've ever done anything particularly wrong regarding the scandals or various issues that happen to celebrities.

But still, no one deserves to go through something like that... no matter who they are. Celebrities, because of the nature of their profession, often enter the industry at a very young age.

If I had to step in front of the public at that age, would I be able to handle it so well...? Just as everyone in their own life has their own burdens to bear, celebrities too have their own challenges, and it made me realize how difficult it must be to deal with public scrutiny...

In Ai's case, she had children at a young age, and there must be a lot of things people could say about that. When I first discovered this manga, I encountered that scene in a clip, where she says she will give birth without making it public, and it made me think a lot. But even in that scene, I didn't feel like Ai was a thoughtless character. If someone is going through such an experience, they must be the one who thinks the most about it. When I heard her say that the twins would make for a jolly and happy family because she didn't have one, I immediately thought that this character must have gone through something and found it difficult to judge her actions right away. Am I overthinking? lol. It felt like there was a lot going on in her mind beyond what she was saying. It’s easy to say, "I wouldn’t do that," but everyone has different experiences, different lives, and different personalities. Of course, there are things that are undeniably wrong, things that shouldn’t happen.

From what I felt, Ai has a layer of underlying psychology beneath the surface. She always has a smiling face, and I often draw her that way in fan art, but there’s likely a lot hidden beneath. I feel a bit sorry when drawing or creating fan works about her because I can’t touch on that depth—I can't depict it well because there's not much revealed. She might have been smiling and acting beautifully even in front of her own children. This nature might be a good expression of the traits of the entertainment industry. That’s probably why they call her a true idol. But there must be times when she wants to be honest, too, right? She might feel lonely and isolated. These are the kinds of thoughts I have when thinking about her character.

I’m writing all of this without much organization... Another thing, I sometimes feel that the story has metafictional or divine elements that could potentially tie the work together.

For instance, the introduction of the Tsukuyomi character, the starry eyes, the statement at the beginning that this story is fiction, the crow leading Ruby, the starry visuals scattered throughout.

I think using the "star" motif was a smart choice, because stars are literally "stars" in the sense of celebrities, and they might actually be stars or influenced by stars in some way. We also make wishes on stars, right? I can imagine that these elements might have been integrated into the story to bring a fantasy-like aspect to it. The lyrics of the songs strongly convey this atmosphere as well. So, I think these elements might be what ties the whole work together. The lyrics constantly talk about the stage, and the overarching stage for the story might be related to stars or gods. The more I examine it, the more things seem to appear.

But this isn’t something that’s very obvious. The foreshadowing is mostly in the dialogue, and there hasn’t been much that’s directly visible... If this is something important, I wish they would make it a bit more obvious. There’s a comment about how Ruby’s success feels as if she’s being helped by the gods, and there's also talk about Aqua’s soul being fractured and breaking. I think it’s worth paying attention to these elements, but I haven’t seen many people discussing this aspect. Of course, I don’t really read other people’s interpretations! When I get into a work, I dive deep and try not to let anything come between me and the story, so I tend not to read other people’s opinions while I’m fully immersed. And it’s a field that’s really hard to predict. It’s so far-fetched. But if they've been dropping hints like this, I feel like something should come out of it by now. It’s built up too much to just be a MacGuffin.

I like stories that feel like fairy tales, so I wouldn’t mind if the story takes that turn, depending on how it’s done... I don’t know if it will happen, but if it doesn’t, why are the lyrics like that? I’d like to see something that explains this before the story ends.

The starry eyes are important. There’s a kind of will in those "stars." There’s a "god" in this manga too. But will it be explained before the story ends...?

If they want to address it, I’m sure they’ll do it well! And if they don’t... Well, it’s all up to the creators.

Am I understanding this story correctly? Suddenly, I started to wonder, so I wrote down whatever came to mind.

If you can accurately grasp the individual characters' goals and the core theme that the work aims to convey, then following the story shouldn't be too difficult. It's always helpful to have a good understanding of those aspects, no matter what story you're watching. As for the motivations and objectives of the characters mentioned above, I believe they will all be achieved in one way or another (except for Nino's, since Ruby will surpass Ai... Now that I think about it, since their goals are opposites, there will likely be a clash between them).

LOL, but when it comes to plot development... Even though I've managed to predict the characters' psychology, I haven't been very successful in predicting the events themselves.

So, we'll just have to wait and see!

[donniesbabygirl28]

HEY could you do a dally x reader were the reader is a soc and the gang is a little skeptical of dally dating a soc they still excepted the but they’re just a little skeptical about it. Anyway, the reader invites all of them to a party on the last day of summer, and they all go, and the soc’s try to start an argument about how they don’t belong here and the reader stands up for the gang and it to changes there opinion about the reader and dally’s like in ’awe’ and thanking the reader for sticking up for the gang?

If you can’t the ignore this request hope you have a good day/night :)🤍

Omg yesssss! I was just about to go tf to sleep but I just couldn’t ignore this request.

“Maybe she’s usin em .” Steve said, out of the blue as him and Soda worked on a new car that came in.

Soda stopped and looked at him.

“Who, y/n?” He asked, not completely surprised but not totally convinced.

Steve nodded as he put some parts together.

“I mean, why else would a Soc want dally? No offense to dally but, I never woulda though that he actually woulda taken a liking towards her.”

“I guess your right.”

And what a coincidence that the Curtis gang and two-bit were having the exact same conversation.

“Hey, how do y’all feel about Y/n?” Two-bit asked the Curtis brothers.

Darry just shrugged.

“Shoot, ain’t my kid, ain’t my problem. I mean, I care about Dally but if he wants to let a soc break his heart, ima let him.” Darry stated, basically giving out his opinion.

“I don’t know, I haven’t really talked to er. I’ve seen er before but..you know.” Pony said, shifting his position on the couch, returning back to his copy of “Gone With The Wind”

Johnny sat up and snuffed out his cigarette.

“I don’t mind her.”

“What about you, Two?” Pony asked his sideburned buddy.

“I mean, I don’t know. I think she’s just gonna hurt Dally. Hey! You know, what if she just wants something?”

That all agreed.

Just then, Dallas walked through the door.

“Hey guys.” He said, as he shut the door behind him.

“My girl wants y’all to come to her party tonight, she wants to meet y’all. And she’s super excited.”

The gang didn’t know what to think.

They felt off.

“I would love to.” Darry replied.

Dallas turned to the rest.

“What about y’all? Y’all down?”

The gang nodded.

They really wanted to meet the girl that had Dallas Winston wrapped around her finger.

You were a nervous wreck.

What if your hair looked crazy, you thought as you brushed your hair for the 50th time.

You put lights up and set out a speaker with the best music you had.

You didn’t want to be a bother.

You just wanted to meet his friends.

You wanted to make a good first impression.

You heard the doorbell ring.

You ran down and let some people in, telling them where the food and drinks were.

You took coats and hung them up.

You gave everybody bracelets, which you handmade.

Dallas opened the door, letting himself in.

“You look nice, babe.” He said, giving you a peck on the cheek.

“Thanks, Dally. What did they say?” You asked nervously.

“Oh, yeah they’re comin.” He said

You were scared.

You ran around, trying to make everything look absolutely perfect.

You straightened up pictures.

You fixed your hair constantly.

You changed shoes about a hundred times.

You settled on a pair of rose gold heels.

“Babe, you look great, don’t get so nervous.” Dallas reassured you.

You calmed down and later on the doorbell rang.

You got pale.

The closer you got to the door, the clamier your hands got.

You opened the door to see what looked like greasers.

They must be Dally’s friends.

“Hello everybody. I’m Y/n- oh uh. I made bracelets for everyone.” You said, passing out the bracelets.

“A pleasure to meet you.” Darry said, shaking your hand.

You could tell he was the dad of the group.

“Same to you.” You replied.

By the time you got to two-bit you were laughing.

You don’t know what happened.

When you and two-bit looked at each other you both were laughing your asses off.

You invited them inside.

“The food is over there. And over there is the couch and the tv.” You said, pointing.

Dallas just watched you in the corner.

Then a group of your “friends” walked up to you.

“Those don’t look like Socs.” Your friend, Mary sneered.

You looked at her, shocked at her harsh words.

But you stayed quiet.

The harassing continued.

Bobby, her boyfriend looked at the gang and laughed.

“They don’t belong here. They are dirty. They don’t belong with us socs.”

You looked him right in the eyes, absolutely fuming.

“Look here, Bobby. You have no right to treat such lovely people like that!” You yelled, catching everyone’s attention, even the gang.

“They are human beings too! You guys are cruel! And I would rather be a greaser than what you guys call “upper class” because your attitude is just disrespectful and disgusting.”

You were getting angrier by the second.

“You guys are pigs! And if anything, I need some thrill in my life, because what you guys provide is nothing but..but bullshit!” You screamed. You never cursed that much.

Especially not in front of so many people.

You stepped closer to Bobby.

“Oh and, Mary. Did I tell you about Sophie?” You said with a smirk.

She looked at her boyfriend.

“Who is that?” She asked him.

“Nobody-“

You cut him off

“His side broad. Yeah. I told. Because people like you don’t deserve my respect.”

The gang was standing by Dallas, absolutely shocked.

Dallas, was in awe.

“That’s my girl.” He thought to himself.

“So if you don’t mind, get the hell out!!” You were fuming, opened the door wide open for them, Bobby and Mary arguing on the way out.

This probably ruined your chances of being friends with his family.

Later on the party was over.

You told people goodbye as they walked out, saying they had a great time.

When everyone was gone, you felt strong arms pick you up and swing you in a circle.

But it wasn’t Dallas.

It was Two-bit.

“Thank you! You have no idea how long I’ve hated him!” He said, setting you down.

You laughed.

“No problem.”

“Honestly, we thought you were gonna be just like every other soc in this town. But what you showed me tonight missy, is something I’ll never forget, and you are apart of us now.” Darry said, giving you a hug.

“She ain’t no soc!” Steve said, making the gang laugh.

Everyone else left the party and you sat in the couch.

You felt arms around you.

“Thank you so much, doll.”

You were a bit confused.

“What for?” You questioned.

“For sticking up for my friends.”

You looked at him shocked.

“Well they shouldn’t treat y’all like that. That’s just insan-“ you were cut off by a kiss.

It was soft.

“I love you.” He said as he pulled away.

You both laid on the couch and watched movies all night.

Oh boy, did you love your man.

[baseballbitch116]

Dixons Next Door - Chapter 4

Introduction: Anna was a small town girl from Atlanta when she became the guardian of her two younger siblings. She was determined to keep them from the same abuse that she endured from her family, so she moved into a small beaten up house just outside the city in 2009. The new neighbors  next door - the Dixon brothers - were definitely trouble. She wanted to escape her past, not repeat her parents history with these redneck brothers. Matters only escalate when the news is talking about the possibility of some virus getting out and infecting people… Are Merle and Daryl just as bad as her past? How is she going to keep her brother and sister safe from this virus getting out? What did Anna get herself into?

Setting: Pre-apocalypse

Word Count: 6896

Series Warnings: Offensive language, mentions/suggestion of physical abuse, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, sexual themes, violence & death

Chapter Warnings: Alcohol consumption, drug use, offensive language, assault, violence, sensitive themes - potential trigger warning

A/N: I got a little carried away and made this an extra long chapter, but it’s a good one! There are some sensitive topics in it so this is a trigger warning - it’s nothing too bad but some people may not want to read it. 18+ You’ve been warned.

Previous Chapter

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I had been cleaning out the pool for the kids while they ate lunch the next time that I was interrupted by Merle. He came over with a beer and hand and stood nearby me, watching silently. I gave him a look but he made no comment, he just sipped on his beer. I sighed and continued skimming the bugs and leaves out of the pool. “Isn’t it a little early to be drinking?” I ask without looking back at him. He chuckles.

“Why ya cleanin it? Just gonna get dirty again?” He asks, ignoring your question. You roll your eyes and smack the skimmer on the ground to get the debris off of it.

“Why shower - just gonna get dirty again.” I remark sarcastically.

“Exactly.” Merle agrees, and I look up in momentary shock before catching the sarcastic smirk on his face. “Ew,” I mutter, tossing the skimmer to the side and throwing the chlorine in the pool.

“So what bar ya work at?” He asks, glancing into the pool for a moment before looking back at you. You want to lie, but there’s literally only two bars in this small town, so it’s not like it matters much.

“Happy Hour Tavern.” I respond, wiping my hands off on my shorts and crossing my arms. “Surprised I haven’t seen ya there yet.” Referring to the beer in his hand at two in the afternoon.

He smirks. “Ya wanna see me there?” He suggests, and I roll my eyes.

“Didn’t say that.”

“Don’t ya worry, sugar. I’ll stop by.” He assures me, and I know he probably will.

“Great,” I mutter, and he chuckles.

“Where ya kids at?” He asks.

“Inside eating.”

“Wanna make me somethin to eat, sugarlips?” He asks flirtatiously. I roll my eyes again and huff.

“My name is Anna, and no, I don’t really have the money to be feeding the neighborhood.” I respond.

“Ain’t the neighborhood, doll. Just a friend.” He winks.

“Oh, so we’re friends?” I ask, shifting my weight.

“Yeah sure. Ya seem to be cozying up to my brother and all, ‘course we’re friends.” He responds sarcastically. The grin is gone from his face and he seems more serious now.

“What?” I ask, baffled by what he means by ‘cozying up to his brother.’

“Don’t play dumb, sweetheart. I saw ya the other day. Got him doing shit for ya, too. Impressive.” He rolls his eyes and takes a large gulp of his beer. Suddenly, the mood shifts, and I feel uncomfortable. Is he angry at me for asking Daryl for help? He is so hard to read, everything was just fine - what happened?

“I needed help lifting a heavy ass box. He was there. Doesn’t mean I’m ‘cozying up to anyone.’” I respond sternly. I don’t like being accused of using people. Merle chuckles.

“Relax, darlin, I ain’t jealous.” He taunts, lifting a hand to shield his eyes and looking up at the sky. “Issa good huntin day, bet he’s goin out there soon. I’ll see ya around, sugarlips.” Merle says as he begins walking away from me, leaving me confused and startled. What the hell just happened?

I began getting texts from my father that same day. I wasn’t entirely surprised, but I knew he wouldn’t go to the cops.

1:04 - Bring back my fuckin kids

1:15 - U ungrateful bitch after all i done 4 u

2:06 - Ima have every1 lookin 4 u

2:10 - U best not let me find u

3:34 - Ima tell the pigs u kidnapped em

4:08 - Just wait til i find u

My brother even texted me a few times, too.

12:30 - Pa’s lookin 4 u. He’s mad

1:10 - U took them? Ur not they momma, u kidnapped em

2:30 - U best bring em back or u’ll regret it Anna

The texts continued on and off throughout the day but I ignored them. My prejudice, abusive family would not get the best of me. He was probably drunk and went to find us to pick a fight and finally noticed we were gone. I couldn’t help but worry about if he ever did manage to find us. We were only a half hour away, it wouldn’t be too hard. It was only a matter of how much he was determined to do so. He’s not a smart man, I doubt he could track us down very easily. Plus, everyone who knew him, hated him. No one who knew us would help him - they would know the kids were safer with me. I’d rather be poor than abused.

Eventually I left my phone on silent and tried to keep my thoughts occupied. I didn’t tell the kids, of course. The kids had been playing in their room for most of the day, having fun with the large box that my bed frame had come in, using it as some sort of rocket or something. So I let them be inside and sat on the front steps to think in peace. I looked up at the sky and willed myself not to cry. They did not deserve my tears. They didn’t even deserve a moment’s thought. I forced myself not to think about all that they had put me through in my childhood. The nights I spent crying myself to sleep on my mattress on the floor. The bruises and scars I hid at school. The lies I told to keep myself from being taken away - only so I could protect my siblings.

My eyes burned as I fought back the tears and I hid my face in my hands on my lap.

“C’mon, Anna. It’s over now.” I mutter to myself, trying to believe my own words. Anger boiled over inside of me at the thought of what my father might do if he found us and took the kids back. I would not let him. Even if it killed me - he would not ruin their lives like he did mine.

A crash of thunder made me jump, bringing me back to the present. I looked up just in time to see Merle approaching from the woods, resheathing a knife on his hip. I figured he was hunting, and that gave me an idea.

“Hey, Merle!” I call out, quickly wiping my face and jumping up to head over to him. He looks pleasantly surprised and stopped in his tracks, smirking as I approached him. “I have a question.”

“Whatcha want, sugar?” He drawls, wiping his hand on a rag from his pocket. I notice a bit of blood and then the bag over his shoulder, making me wince. I didn’t wanna know.

“I wanna get a gun. But I don’t know the first thing about them, and I kinda hoped you did?” I inform him, glancing behind me to make sure the kids hadn’t come out. He chuckles quietly and looks me up and down.

“Whatcha want with a gun?” He asks. I resist getting defensive, sure that he thinks a woman can’t handle one.

“To protect myself. Family problems, let’s leave it at that.” I inform him with a look. “Do you think you could help me?” I plead. I didn’t wanna go into town and get scammed into buying a crappy, overpriced gun. Merle looks at me for a long moment, looking up at the darkening sky before shrugging.

“Come with me.” He responds, nodding toward his house. I look at it then back to him, giving him a sharp look. “I’m serious, ya want me help or not?” He demands. I look back toward my house for a moment before sighing.

“I can’t be long.” I tell him, and he smirks, heading toward his porch. I hesitantly follow behind him, dreading entering his place. Considering the trash and overgrown grass outside, I had a feeling the inside was much worse. I stepped inside the house cautiously, keeping my eye on Merle as I did so. He seemed to be the only one here, which relieved me. If any of those men from the other night were, I would have left. Merle tosses the bag from his shoulder onto an old wooden table and heads down the hall toward a bedroom, leaving me alone. The floor is dirty, there’s an old, stained armed chair in front of a box TV, and there’s stuff scattered everywhere. The place smells a little weird too, but I resist complaining. Merle returns a moment later with a case in hand. “Here,” Merle opens the case and reveals a gun, holding it out to me. It’s a handgun, I know that much. I look up at him and he gives me an impatient look, so I hesitantly grab the gun. It’s heavier than it looks, and I make sure to keep my finger off the trigger. “Ya ever shot one?” He asks, smirking at me.

“Once or twice.” I mumble, having flashbacks to the one time my father tried teaching me how to shoot bottles in the backyard. It wasn’t a fond memory at all…

“Ya can have it, but it’ll cost ya.” He winks.

“How much?” I ask, and he chuckles.

“Ion want ya money,” He drawls, and I immediately frown, thinking I know what he is implying.

“I’m not doing that either,” I scowl, going to hand the gun back to him. He doesn’t take it, chuckling some more.

“Whatcha want a gun for anyway?” He asks. I didn’t want to get into it, but maybe this would be a way around having to do something for him for it. I let out a sigh and looked at the weapon in my hand for a long moment.

“My father,” I start, not meeting his eye. “He’s uh, well he’s a piece of shit basically. I took the kids from him in the middle of the night and got this place, never told anyone where we were going. If he comes around… Well, I’m gonna need this.” I finally look up and meet his eye, exhaling deeply. He looks at me for a long moment, his face expressionless. It’s quiet and I am surprised he doesn’t make any rude or sarcastic comments. He shrugs, placing the case down on the old table.

“Keep it.” He tells me, and I raise my brows at him.

“Really?” I clarify, confused why he changed his mind.

“Ya need it more than I do. Got plenty round here.” He mutters, waving his arm up in no general direction. “I know all about piece of shit fathers.” He continues, giving me a solemn look. “My pops was. You was right, yer gonna need that. So take it, before I change my mind.” He drawls, heading over to their fridge and grabbing a bottle of beer, kicking it shut behind him. I don’t argue, despite being shocked and confused.

“Thank you, Merle.” I give him a sincere smile for the first time, and turn the gun over in my hands to ensure the safety is on.

“Takes 9MM. It’s loaded.” He informs me, plopping into the beaten up chair by the TV and opening his beer, taking a large gulp. I nod slowly and shift my weight, feeling awkward holding the gun but trying not to let him know.

“Okay,” I respond, turning to head out the door as he turns the TV on. “Thanks again.” I holler before I head out the door into the humid air. The sky has gotten very dark with storm clouds and the wind picked up, so I jog across the lawn back to my house and tuck the gun into the back of my shorts, hiding it under my shirt before I walk inside. I don’t need the kids seeing this.

“Anna! Look what we did!” Colton calls out from the hallway with a big grin on his face. I smile back at him and walk down the hall to their room, letting out a dramatic gasp when I see the box colored on with a bunch of random colors. “It’s our rocket!” He exclaims excitedly, rejoining his sister inside the big box.

“Wow! It looks so good guys!” I exclaim, grinning as they go back to their playing. I watch them for a moment before remembering the gun and walking into my own room, placing the gun on the top shelf in the closet. This will have to do until I have more furniture and somewhere safe to keep it.

The texts kept coming throughout the rest of the night.

6:05 - ware tf r my kids

6:43 - dont make me hunt u down girl

7:16 - uv always been a cunt this is just like u

8:11 - wat r u gonna do when u get nocked up by some prick u dont have money 4 all dem kids

The string of insults and threats lasted most of the night, the only reason I kept looking at them was to make sure that they hadn’t found us somehow, or had any ideas. I would need a head start if they did. I’m not sure if I would be able to shoot my brother, but I know I could shoot my dad. He deserved it. After all he did to me, all he put us through. Even my dead beat mother didn’t deserve him. He was half the reason she’s as bad as she is. Apparently, my mother hadn’t started using drugs until after I was born. My father had escalated when he had his first daughter, and his true colors began to shine through. My mom used in order to live with herself, the guilt, his abuse. She even made sure to get clean each time she learned she was pregnant, but she always relapsed. She was a strong woman - I had to give her that. If nothing else, she was strong. But still a horrible mother. She should have taken us with her when she left.

But now it was my responsibility. I had to do what she couldn’t. I couldn’t help but think about my parents, my horrible family - as I stood in the doorway, watching them sleep. I may not be able to change what happened to me, but I would do anything it took to prevent it from happening to Bailey and Colton. If it comes down to it, I will kill my own father to ensure he never lays another hand on them.

Watching them sleep peacefully, side by side in their own brand new bed with clean sheets and a safe roof over their head - that made it all worth it.

Jessie and Beau came over at nine with beers and I set up a fire in the front yard. I had found this old firepit someone was throwing away on the side of the road the other night and I took it of course. I was excited for some relaxing adult time before my shift tonight. I hated my job, but I made good money there so far.

“What time you work tonight?” Jessie asks as she pops open a bottle of beer and hands it to me with a grin on her face.

“Eleven to three. At least it’ll go by fast.” I respond, taking a gulp. The alcohol burns as it goes down my throat and I let out a sigh, leaning back into the stairs. I hadn’t gotten around to getting chairs for the yard yet - an unnecessary expense I couldn’t afford just yet. Jessie sat beside me, a lemonade in hand instead of beer, given that she was pregnant, and Beau sat on the hood of his truck, rolling a joint. I always enjoyed nights like this - quiet, relaxing, worry free. Jessie had been the best friend I’d ever had, I’m glad we’re still so close.

“That man ever come back?” She asks, referring to a customer from a few nights ago. He had gotten too drunk and handsy, trying to get me to give him my number. He even waited until the bar closed for me and the manager had to call the cops to get him to leave so I could go home. That was the latest reason I hated my job that I’d only had for a few weeks.

“No. Hopefully he never comes back, I don’t wanna have to use what Merle gave me earlier on him.” I mutter, glancing behind me to make sure the kids hadn’t woken up.

“The neighbor?” Beau asks. I nod.

“What did he give you? Are yous like, talking now?” Jessie asks, leaning on her knees and giving me a worried look.

“No, it’s nothing like that. I wanted to look into getting… a gun, for protection. From Dad.” I explain in a quieter tone. “I figured someone like him would know a place, and he actually ended up giving me a handgun.” I continue, watching Jessie’s disapproving look and wide eyes. “I’ll be safe. I really need it. If Dad finds out where we are…” I trail off, taking a large sip of my beer and letting a huff out.

“Why’d he just give you a gun for free?” Beau asks, looking up from where he was rolling the joint on the hood.

“I dunno. At first he said it was gonna cost me, but then when I mentioned it was because of Dad, he let me just have it. Said he knew all about asshole fathers.” I shrugged. “Either way, works for me.”

“Just don’t let him use that against you. Who knows what he might try to pull, he reminds me of Mack.” Jessie rolls her eyes when she mentions my older brother, grimacing. She hates me as much as I do. He had tried to get with her a million times and it made him resentful, yelling and cursing at her. Which then resulted in Beau beating the shit out of him - which was a sight for sore eyes.

“Yeah, he’s a bit better than him though. From what I’ve seen, at least.” I shrug, taking another swig of my beer. “Dad’s been texting me most of the day, he texted me earlier too. The bullshit you’d expect - pretending to care I took the kids, threatening me.” I explain, handing my phone to Jessie to see the string of unanswered texts.

“I hate them,” She grumbles as she scrolls through the texts. “They won’t find you, don’t worry. They’re too stupid to figure it out.” I chuckle at her comment.

“Yeah, you’re right about that.” I giggle. Beau stands up and offers me the blunt, which I accept and take a long hit from. As I am doing so, I hear a man start laughing and sure enough, Merle and Daryl are standing at the bottom of their porch. I exhale the large puff of smoke and hand the blunt back to Beau, leaning on my knees and resisting the urge to cough.

“Damn girl, who knew ya could have a little fun!” Merle exclaims, walking across the lawn toward us. Daryl and I make eye contact for a short moment before he rolls his eyes and leans against the beat up railing, placing his crossbow on the porch stairs, seemingly waiting for his brother. I roll my eyes with a smirk at Merle’s comment. Ever since earlier, I’ve decided to cut him a little slack. If I was interpreting right, we had more in common than I thought - at least, regarding families.

“Yeah, sometimes.” I respond, offering my beer bottle to him, earning a surprised look from Jessie. I was trying to be nice to Merle to repay him for the gun, so he wouldn’t come collecting in another way. It was the least I could do for a free handgun and clip. Merle looks shocked for a short moment but smirks and takes the bottle from my hand, taking a large swig.

“Yous her family?” Merle asks, looking at Jessie. She hesitates for a moment before shaking her head.

“Friends.” She responds, readjusting her feet uncomfortably. I stand up and suddenly I’m aware of just how close Merle was to me. I am almost touching him as he leans against my railing, my bottle in his large hands, a smirk plastered across his face. He looks fairly attractive in the fire light and his seemingly clean-ish clothes. He’s wearing black cargo pants and a white T-shirt under a jacket, and I take notice of the knife holstered on his hip. “Going hunting?” I ask, taking a step away from him toward the fire and tossing another log in.

“Mhm,” He responds, taking another sip of my beer. “Wanna come with, sweetheart? Can show ya the ways.” He suggests flirtatiously.

“I actually know how to,” I smirk, stepping closer to him and grabbing the beer from his hand, taking a large sip while looking into his eyes. The alcohol and hit were starting to get to me - I was a bit of a lightweight nowadays, since I’ve lost weight and had less time to do this kind of stuff. Merle bites his bottom lip and holds the intense eye contact with me, taking the beer back when I hand it to him and I can feel his eyes on me as I retake my seat beside Jessie.

“Yer loss.” He shrugs, pretending to be indifferent.

“C’mon man!” Daryl shouts from their side of the lawn impatiently. I wish that he would come join us too - I wanna get to know him better.

“Ugh I’m comin! Get yer panties outta a bunch!” He shouts over his shoulder. Merle hands the beer back to me after one last gulp and heads off to rejoin Daryl, walking away into the dark woods.

“What was that all about?” Jessie demands when they are out of earsight. I shrug and set the beer down, not wanting to get anymore intoxicated, given that I still have work later.

“I dunno, gotta be nice. I kinda owe him.” I mumble, kicking at dirt. Truth be told, I found those brothers interesting. Mysterious and dangerous, but alluring. Yes, they were trouble, but I always ended up attracting trouble anyway.

“You better be careful.” Jessie warns me, and I nod.

The night went on peacefully and we all enjoyed talking over the fire and relaxing with the kids asleep. I left for work and Jessie stayed at my place while Beau went out with his friends after dropping me off. He was gonna pick me up after work too, since he was gonna be in the same general area.

My shift was going fine until about one, when I recognized a familiar face and my whole night went sour. The creepy man from the other night was back, and he had his eyes on me. He was with another man at a table instead of the bar, but he was very obviously watching me. I informed the manager on duty but it wasn’t the same man from the other night, so he didn’t know the extent of how creepy the man was. He only came up to the bar once, having his buddy order drinks while he watched me. I remained calm and didn’t even glance at him, handing the drinks to his friend and accepting the two dollar tip without a word.

It took about a half an hour to finish cleaning up after everyone was out of the bar and I was dreading heading outside. I had a feeling that the man would be waiting for me again, but the manager didn’t want me wasting hours and had to stay behind to finish up, so I had to go out alone. I hung up my apron at the door and sighed as I locked up behind myself, leaving the manager alone in the building to finish recounting the drawers. I had already stuffed my tip money into my purse and had my keys tucked between my fingers as I looked around cautiously for a sign of anyone. There were still people out, despite being a bit past three in the morning. Beau hadn’t answered my texts in the last half hour and Jessie was asleep, so I had to wait. Great. Across the street, I spotted a nice looking motorcycle across the street, but that was the only vehicle besides far down the road.

I started walking toward the street light by the corner to wait for Beau when I heard a male voice call out. “Hey! Bitch!” I grasped my keys tighter in my hand and turned my head, spotting the man and his buddy down the alleyway. They stood up from leaning on the wall and started heading my way, so I started walking faster, but then they started running.

“Help!” I hollered and started running across the street. The adrenaline kicked in in my body as fear took over and I ran as fast as I could down the opposite side of the street. They were close behind me and I tried to hop over a fence, but they caught up and threw me onto the ground before I could get all the way over. “Help! Please!” I screamed as loud as I could, trying to kick the men away from me. The main guy sat on top of my hip and shoved a hand over my mouth, smirking evilly down at me as his buddy started trying to lift me. I kicked and flailed as hard as I could but I couldn’t get away as they drug me across the ground into a back alley.

“Hey!” I heard a different male voice holler and then there was the sound of glass breaking. The main man let go of his hand over my mouth to look behind him and I took that opportunity to scream as loud as my lungs would let me, before the second guy punched me in the face. I swore I saw stars as my face throbbed, the two still pinning me, my head propped against the second guy’s chest where he held a knife to my throat.

“Get off her. Now.” A deep male voice demands. I can’t see with the main guy on top of me but I am grateful for whoever it is coming to my rescue. The men only chuckle evilly but then something happens and the second guy jumps away from me quickly, making me slam my head down on the concrete. I groan and my vision goes blurry with tears as the stinging in my head intensifies. “Help…” I mutter as I fight to stay conscious, my head throbbing. The cold, rocky concrete is painful against my cheek, but not as bad as the weight of the man or the stinging in my head.

I can finally see around the main guy and spot a man a few yards away, aiming something in our direction. It’s hard to see with my blurred vision and the darkness, but it looks like a weird sideways weapon. “Ay, man. Chill out. We was just having some fun, that’s all.” The second guy insists, holding his hands up a little. I try to wiggle away but the man on top of me grabs onto my throat and holds a knife toward me.

“Think I won’t? Get the hell outta here or I’ll kill her right here, right now.” The man growls. I stare at the sharp tip of the knife in my face, fearing this is where my life will end. What will happen to Bailey and Colton without me?

The next moment is a huge blur. One second, there is a knife in my face, and the next, the man falls off of me, screaming in pain on the ground beside me. I jump up off the ground as fast as I can and stumble away from them, running blindly in the direction of where I had seen the shadowy figure of the other man. I stumble and trip in the combination of darkness and the pain throughout my body, reaching out to the brick wall to catch myself from falling but someone else catches me and I start flailing and trying to get away, until I look up.

It’s Merle. He hoists me up from where I was half fallen on the ground onto my feet and puts a hand around my waist to keep me up against him. His face is serious and it’s the first time he hasn’t cracked any jokes to me. I’ve never been more relieved to see someone in my life. I reach up and hold onto his neck, trying to keep my balance. The man continues screaming and cursing and I look back, spotting Daryl holding up a crossbow. “Oh shit! Fuck!” The second man screams, running away and leaving his friend behind with an arrow in his ass. Daryl walks over to him and takes his knife, pressing a foot on the man’s back and yanking the arrow out from his asscheek. I turn and hide my face in Merle’s shirt, disgusted and terrified. The screaming continues and then I hear a second scream and a trash can get knocked over. When I look back again, the other man is laying on the ground toward the back of the alley, an arrow in his leg.

Daryl stalks over to him and rips the arrow from his leg as well, kicking the man in the face before heading back toward the first man. “Ya ever, ever - come back here again… I’ll kill ya.” Daryl growls at the main guy who had been stalking me. Daryl rejoins us and puts a hand on my back hesitantly, looking down at me. I’d never been this close to either of the brothers and yet, somehow, I felt safer now.

“T-thank you.” I mumble into Merle’s chest, holding onto him tight, too afraid to let go. Tears stained into his shirt but I couldn’t bring myself to care - I was shaking and biting back crying.

“C’mon,” Merle mumbles, grasping onto my tight and trying to turn me around. I held onto him tight and let them lead me away, not paying attention. I saw Daryl grab my purse and keys in the corner of my eye and noticed Merle was leading me to a motorcycle. “You take her back, little brother. I’ll meet ya there after I finish up here.” Merle lets go of me and I feel like I’m going to fall over from the pounding in my head, but Daryl grabs onto me before I can fall completely over.

“Damn,” Daryl mutters, grabbing me tight and I notice that we are face to face. He’s got me by my waist and my hands grasp onto his shirt collar. “Sorry…” I mumble, blinking away fresh tears. He doesn’t respond but he helps me onto the back of the motorcycle. “Hold onto this.” He takes my hand and places it on these handlebar things, and I do. I do my best to stay up straight while he attaches my purse and his crossbow onto the back of the motorcycle and then sits in front of me. I whip my head toward the alley when I hear more screaming, but Daryl starts the engine and revs the bike. “Hold onto me. Tight.” Daryl hollers over his shoulder, and I do so without hesitation. I wrap my arms tightly around his waist and lean my head against his shoulder, terrified to fall off. I’ve never been on a motorcycle before - if I had been in a normal state of mind, I would have objected. But at this point, I wanted to get home as fast as possible.

The motorcycle is fast and the wind blows past us. I keep my eyes closed and focus on holding onto Daryl, feeling lightheaded and scared of falling off. It’s a short ride and he has to help me off of the bike. Holding onto his rough hand made me feel anxious and insecure but I had to in order to keep upright. He led me inside his house, and I did not object, as I did not want the kids to see me or for me to wake them up. He leads me over to a beaten up couch and I hesitantly sit down, looking around cautiously. I didn’t know if anyone else was here, but it seemed we were alone. I held onto my own arms tightly and tried to focus on my breathing. “I should uh, check ya out.” Daryl mumbles, crouching down in front of me. He waits for me to respond in some way, so I nod and uncross my arms. He runs a hand up my bare leg and I force myself not to flinch. I’m not afraid of Daryl, but tonight’s events have me shaken up. “Stand up,” He says, offering me his hand to help me get up. He lifts up my shirt a little and I flinch when he touches my back. “Yer pretty scratched up.” He comments, removing his hand from my back. “Should put somethin on that, so it don’t get infected.” He stands up when I sit back down and walks away, presumably to grab something. I hold onto my head and wince in pain where there is a large bump already forming.

Daryl returns with a few items in hand. He gives me a package of peas and shrugs, not meeting my eye. “Don’t have ice packs.” He mumbles, kneeling in front of me. “Turn around.” He tells me, and I move so that he can get to my back, placing the ice on my head. He starts applying something cold to my back and I sit as still as I can, wincing at the pain from where I was drug across the concrete. “Yer shirt’s all torn.” He notes when he pulls it back down. “Lemme see yer head.” I remove the ice and he gently runs his fingers through my hair, eventually finding the lump and I jump in pain, tearing up. “Sorry,” He mutters. “How do you feel? Ya might have a concussion.” He says, and I groan.

“I can’t afford to have a concussion.” I mumble and lean back into the sofa, holding the ice against my head once more. Daryl places a gentle hand on my cheek, below my eye, where I was punched. I look into his eyes as he gently rubs his rough thumb over what is surely a black eye. “M’sorry this happened to ya.” He mutters, looking away.

“Thank you for saving me.” I respond quietly.

“Wish I’d been there sooner.” He grumbles, standing up and removing his vest, tossing it onto the seat. He is wearing a black button down shirt and black jeans, his hair is matted against his forehead - but he looks very attractive. I look down at my bare knees that are now scratched up and feel my eyes burning again.

“What were you doing there, anyway?” I ask, changing the subject.

“Merle wanted a drink. Said ya worked there, wanted to bother ya I’m sure.” I let out a small chuckle and he continues. “We were leavin to head back, but we heard ya yellin.” I nod and look down again, trying not to think about it. I should be used to this sort of thing by now, given what I went through as a child.

Before either of us can say anything more, the door opens and Merle steps in, wiping his hands off on a rag. I notice the faint red marks on his knuckles and wonder what he had been doing, but try not to think of that either. Whatever he did, I didn’t care. Those men deserved it.

“She good?” Merle asks his brother, looking over at me huddled on their sofa. Daryl nods and explains my injuries briefly to Merle, who huffs. “Lucky we were there, sugar.” He comments. I don’t respond, hugging myself and shivering a little. Daryl notices but Merle heads to the bathroom, probably to clean up. Daryl walks away but returns shortly with a shirt and sweatpants. “Here. Ya can change in my room.” He mutters, handing the clothes to me. I am shocked but I accept and stand up slowly, following him back to his room. He shuts the door behind himself and I stand there for a moment, surprised to be in his room. He’s a lot sweeter than he likes to come off, it seems. It’s a very standard room. Pretty messy, no decorations, basic sheets on the bed, old paint. He clearly doesn’t care much for the room, it seems like he probably only uses it to sleep. It’s not “homey.” I remove my now ruined shirt and skirt and throw the large T-shirt on and tie the sweatpants on tight so they will fit me. The shirt is baggy and I notice it smells like Daryl. I hadn’t known what he smelled like before today but now I recognize it. It kinda smells like the outdoors, like firewood or something. It’s a nice scent, though, and I find it comforting.

I open the door with my old clothes in hand and spot Daryl waiting down the hall, leant up against the wall. Merle comes out of the bathroom at the same time and we make awkward eye contact. “Look like a Darylina.” He comments with a chuckle, walking past me toward the kitchen. Daryl looks at me for a long moment, until I meet his eye, and then he drops his gaze to the floor. I slowly approach him and give him a forced, appreciative smile. “Thank you.” I tell him gratefully. He has been so kind to me tonight. Before today, I hadn’t barely spoken to him before and he was always standoffish and seemed to avoid talking to me. It was a weird change, but welcomed. If only the circumstances it occurred under were different…

“Want me to throw em away?” He asks, referring to my clothes in hand. I shrug and hand them to him. He tosses them into a trash can and Merle walks over to the chair by the TV, popping open and beer and kicking his feet up. He seemed so nonchalant about the whole situation, it was weird. “Oh shit,” I mutter, realizing Beau is probably worried, waiting for me. “Do you have my phone?” I ask Daryl.

“That’s what yer worried bout?” Merle speaks up.

“No, I had been waiting for my ride. He’s probably worried.” I explain, looking to Daryl, hoping he had grabbed it. Silently, he pulls my phone from his pocket and hands it to me. “Thank you.” I unlock it and find a million missed calls from both Beau and Jessie. He must have woken her up when I never showed up. “Shit.” I grumble. I hated worrying them, after all they do for me.

“Yer boyfriend?” Merle asks, gulping down some of his beer.

“No, my friend’s boyfriend.” I respond as I text both of them in a group message that I was okay and that I would explain.

“Why would yer friend’s man be pickin ya up at three in the mornin?” Merle asks with a wink.

“Ew, no. I’m not like that. He’s a good friend, she’s watching the kids for me at my house right now. I gotta go let them know I’m okay…” I trail off, then remember I’m in Daryl’s clothes. “Uh, I can go change and bring these back-” I start, but he shakes his head.

“Keep em.” He insists, and I feel bad, but don’t fight back. “Ya might have a concussion, so ya should have someone check up on ya when ya sleep tonight, and get it checked.” He explains.

“Doctor Daryl.” Merle jokes sarcastically, and his brother shoots him an evil eye.

“Thank you guys for helping me. I don’t know how I can repay you…” I trail off, refusing to think about the course of the night again.

“Don’t worry bout it, darlin.” Merle smirks.

“Couldn’t just leave ya there.” Daryl mutters awkwardly, shuffling his feet.

“Well, still. Thank you.” I repeat before heading toward the door. Daryl follows behind me, handing me my purse and keys, and I wave before walking out and heading back to my house slowly, careful not to trip. I look back and notice he is watching me and I feel my cheeks heat up, fumbling to get my key out and open my door. I notice Beau’s truck is here and when I open the door, the two of them are sitting on the sofa, waiting for me.

Jessie and Beau were furious when I told them what happened and I ended up crying on her shoulder, letting the emotions from the night settle in. Beau threatened to go back out looking for them but I told him what I suspected Merle did and he didn’t. Jessie helped me get cleaned up and settled into bed. She slept next to me in my bed that night and woke me up every two hours, in case I had a concussion. Beau slept on the couch and I had never felt more appreciative for anyone more than I did for them and Daryl in that very moment...

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Welp! That was a dark chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it, please feel free to leave some feedback and let me know what you thought! Chapter 5 should be up soon, so keep an eye out!

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[shanitani]

CHAPTER 3: BAD B*TCHES

table of contents

👩🏽‍💻: lol did y’all miss me? im still on hiatus for maybe a good two weeks until summer srry<\3. but to make up for it I made this chapter hella long.

“Damn their water pressure is good.” You mumbled softly, turning off the faucet. The boy had a cleaner bathroom than you had expected, in comparison to the ones in America - he was almost cleaner than yourself. You wiped the fog from the glass admiring your damp face for a moment, fully indulging in the fact that you were really in Japan.  

You slipped on your pajamas, the bottoms hugged at the figure well and unfortunately so did the tank top Mitsuki put out for you. You had no problem wearing it around by yourself, but you had to take into account there was a boy you had never met before living there as well. It didn’t help that Midnight never gave you any descriptions about the boy as well, so it was obvious how high alert you were.

You grabbed your belongings, turning the music down to a soft hum in volume before turning off the bathroom light. The cold air hit your damp warm one before clearing your vision to see the teenage boy you had been wondering about the day you got your acceptance email. You both stared in awe, you took in his muscular arms due to training, the light ruffle of his blonde hair, his mouth fixated in a frown, and his piercing red eyes.

It wasn’t as if he wasn’t looking at you either, your skin glistening under harsh light, your hair lightly tied back with a hair tie, the familiar smell he smelt minutes before now more concentrated and easier to name. He dared not to look at your figure-hugging the waistband of the pajamas, trying to rip his glare away fast enough. He grunts, beginning the doorknob, “You better have had left my bathroom the way you saw it.”

You frowned furring your brows, “Duh I did. And hello to you too.” you scoffed looking down at your phone in an attempt to make the situation less awkward. The blonde boy let out a groaned out “hey” before opening his door, and closing it in the same breath. “Rude ass,” you mumbled under your breath before heading downstairs back to your room. 

“You met him?? TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED” Imani squealed putting her elbows on her crisscrossed legs looking in awe behind the screen. You smiled at her eagerness to know the boy, though you didn’t think he was all that. “Well he’s pretty muscular, um tall, he’s blonde and rude as fuck.” You rolled your eyes at your last sentence as you simultaneously put your belongings in your new backpack for tomorrow.

“Okayyy he could work! You gotta fierce Lil attitude too so it’ll work out fine.” Imani flashed you a smirk - knowing you couldn’t hit her from Japan. “Oh shut up Mani! you know if I was there I’d slap your ass right now.” you pointed your middle finger towards the camera, giving her a nice view of your white acrylic nails. “Exactly why ima act out now rather than next year.” She huffed, turning off her led lights looking back at her best friend. “I’m gonna miss you tomorrow, school’s gonna be so boring.” You whined thinking about the worst scenario known to come. If they were anything like Bakugo, well you were going to be entirely fucked. “I will too. But stop making me sad about it! We gone see each other soon.” Mani kissed the phone foreshadowing a kiss to your cheek, you smiled doing the same motions as her before ending the call and rolling over to fall asleep.

“I better like these people, Nah they better like me....” you shut your eyes, anxious for your first day to start.

The next day came, as Mitsuki dropped you and Bakugou off. You expected him to at the least show you to where you needed to be - but instead he slung his backpack to the side , not giving you a glimpse of attention your way. “One day im gone beat his ass up.” you took a breathe trying to find the dorm rooms, only to be met with a man right in front of you.

“Hi, [L/N] nice to finally meet you.” The tired-looking man shook your hand motioning you into the dorms. “As you know we enroll all students into the dorms for their safety because of accidents that have happened in previous years.” you nodded looking at the huge building with high ceilings and pillars inside. The man showed you around to the necessities like the gym, commons room, the classrooms, and finally to your dorm room. “I forgot to mention, but you probably know me. I’m Aizawa, and I’ll be teaching you along with class 1A. Today we just want you to prepare your dorm room so you can sleep easy tomorrow - I won’t lie to you, it won’t be easy.” he shrugged giving you the keys to your dorm.

You thanked the man before opening the room, as said in the description - the rest of your belongings were stacked to the side of your room along with your mattress to the right of it and a desk to the left. “Might as well put on music.” you thought to yourself, scrolling through the millions of playlists before finally reaching the one you wanted. 

“Yeah, this will take a while.”

Putting on the comforter of the bed, and adding the last of your pictures on the wall; you flopped onto your bed feeling a slight headache arrive. You groaned wiping your forehead, looking out the window to see the sun almost come to a set. “How long do these children work? Seems like their school hours are a whole part-time job.” before you could laugh at your inner joke, you heard the loud door creak open before the kids voiced roamed the hallways.

You shifted uncomfortably on your bed, knowing that they knew you arrived. It wasn’t like you didn’t want to meet them. You just didn’t want to do the same cycle of meeting new friends again - it was a hassle and you were fine with the ones you had in America. You took a deep breath trying to regain your thoughts, “They won’t even know I’m here. It’s alright.” you repeated to yourself trying to make the anxiety slowly creep up disappear. 

“Yeah she’s here now stop asking me about her, you wanna talk to her go right there.” you heard the familiar huffed voice described as Bakugous. You could tell he pointed towards your dorm the way a teenage girl laughed, hearing the footsteps come closer and closer towards your room. “Shit.” you jumped off the bed, fixing your hair making sure to make a good impression no matter who it may be. That’s when the footsteps stopped, and a light knock was met at your door.

you opened the door to a girl squealing, “Hi!” a curly haired girl engulfed you into a hug making you step back giggling at her eagerness, “Hey! your hair smells nice.” you hugged her back, finally stepping back to get a look of her. Her hair was the same color as her skin - pink, that you could only assume was the cause of her quirk. However, she did have black features that made you believe she was Blasian. 

“Mina stop harassing the new girl! it’s only her first day. Hello I’m Momo!” A black haired girl came waving her hand at you, she looked beautiful - you were almost intimidated by her stunning features feeling a tad insecure once side by side. 

“Oh no worries!” you giggled sitting on the edge of your bed motioning for them to come in more. “How’s your first day been?” Mina sat at the other edge of your bed looking at you with huge eyes, “Honestly, kind of boring. also confusing since this place is huge. Way bigger than the schools in America” you motioned towards out your door foreshadowing the commons room.

“America? that’s where you’re from?” Momo chimed in walking towards your desk chair to sit down. You nodded, “Mhm, California.” Mina gasped - “California! You’re so lucky!” you laughed at her bubbly attitude that was a bit similar to your bestfriends at home. “Trust me you wouldn’t want to be there, I’m here for a reason aren’t I” you smirked nudging her shoulder slightly.

“ Wow, How long will you be staying?” “One year.” you shrugged looking off in your dorm window. “Well I hope you love it here, hopefully become a pro.” Momo smiled at you genuinely, and you couldn’t help but fall in love with her persona. Before you could speak again you heard a knock on your door and small murmurs behind your door, Momo opened the door slightly, only hearing a faint “Yall better not embarrass me. I’m serious” before she opened the door all the way to the boys.

“Shut the hell up Momo.” one yellow haired boy lightheartedly says before leaning on your wall and catching your eyes. “Hey! I’m sero and this is Denki. Nice to meet you.” Sero extended his hand to yours to shake, “Wassup Sero, Hi Denki.” you smiled at the other boy.

“Damn, so this is why Bakugo didn’t want to show you off huh.” Denki came closer to you, taking in your features. “Or he just don’t like me” you scoffed thinking about his arrogant characteristics from Sunday. “Well that’s good, less people to compete against.” Denki sat next to you on the edge of your bed fully focused onto you. You smiled taking observations to his flirtatious personality.

No matter Denki giving you his full and undivided attention, Sero caught your eye the moment he walked in the door. You looked Sero up and down, his outfit caught your full attention. He wore the UA uniform required yet paired with grey Jordans and a silver chain dangling from his neck, it was no understatement that he was a very attractive boy. “Why you standing there all quiet, Sero? you obviously came up here for something.” you jokingly stated - trying to start some conversation with the boy.

“Tried to see if you were really what all the hype was about.” He shrugged coming up near you to overpower your figure, your heart raced as he looked down upon you smirking, he knows he fine chile. “They were definitely right.” He smirked looking at you with low eyes.

“Y’all are the most flirtatious boys I know. Swear I can’t take yall no where.” Momo grabbed the two boys by their collard shirts making them groan in displeasure earning a laugh from you - only to make them groan in embarrassement. 

“Bye boys.” you wave them off as Momo literally kicked them out your dorm, before closing it in front of them. “I like you” you pointed to her, making her eyes widen, while her cheeks grew into a blush before smiling. “Now how did you make a better impression than me and I came here first.” Mina flopped onto your bed frowning. “Don’t worry girl I like you too.” you slapped her thigh in a friendly manner.

“Alright you two enough talking, get back to your dorms. You all have a long day tomorrow.” Aizawa yelled through the door with his usual tired voice before shuffling off to his room closing the door. “Guess I’ll see you tommorow [Y/N]!” Mina skipped off towards your door “Yes! see you tomorrow” Momo opened the door looking back once more “Bye boo’s!” you called out before the closed your door.

You turned on your led lights in substitute for the harsh lighting in your dorm, shuffling off into your bed. you looked off onto your wall looking at the pictures you stuck to them, “Damn, I miss you Imani” your hand grazed upon the picture of you and Imani sticking up the middle finger to a flashing camera with your phones in one hand and a red cup in the other - a party you both went to knowing damn well you weren’t supposed to be there.

You turned towards the other way of your bed shutting your eyes - anticipating for the long day ahead of you, and meeting the rest of your class tomorrow morning.

👩🏽‍💻: y’all fw y/n being bisexual orrr? or do y’all want scandals? tell me now😁

Tag list(send me an ask to be apart of it)

@quincywrites, @fandomsgotmefucked , @lokis-teseract , @racistareversa,@ladybakugouu, @melanin-baddie , @oookore , @bnhathotty, @bleach-your-panties , @shikamaruhairline, @dilfhwa ,@winxme

[grayintogreen]

TIME FOR TABAXIGATE 2021!!

I don’t usually theorize because I know full well you CANT on this show. I try to stick to analysis and things based on my emotional input on how I, personally, engage with D&D which is almost to the letter how the cast engages with it, and how that might affect some mechanical designs like say, picking a character back up with ten levels you didn’t give them.

THAT SAID, I love Cree so let’s talk about her.

I’m getting the distinct impression that Cree is not happy with literally fucking anyone right now. Lucien is being a twat, the Mighty Nein killed her friends, and she’s probably feeling a little like a lackey (though hey nice that the Somnovem call her “his second” and nothing vaguely insulting that’s kinda cool #CognouzaQueenCree2k21). Also she only has two red eyes and Beau and Caleb have three so what does THAT mean???

anyway. Point is- she mad.

but can we get a dialogue out of her.

ima be honest, that is gonna be in Cad’s court. He’s pushing for allies and he is the only person in the entire party that Cree has ever reacted favorably towards except when she got enthusiastic about her religion that one time and Lucien had to tell her to pipe down. And that “favorable reaction“ was literally like “what if we cast harm at the same time on a dragon and we were both furry clerics.” Fjord is our diplomat but unfortunately I don’t think he's in the mood to negotiate and also Cree watched him decapitate one of her unconscious friends and if Matt doesn’t impose any persuasion check disadvantages on Fjord for that, he’s nicer than I would be. But I am very fierce in my determination to see through the eyes of our fucked up TombTaker posse, so maybe I’m harsh. Matt wrote those jerks as “antiheroes of another story” and I live for it.

Anyway.... so assuming someone can get the cleric kitty to not murder them in sight, can we get her to turn?

.... probably not.

As much as I love the idea of Cree turning on him because she’s enraged, I don’t think she’s going to do it unless it means she’s staging a double cross, which she deserves. Slay queen. You’re the brains of this operation and everyone knows it. So if she does side with the Nein and she doesn’t destroy her crest immediately, that girl is PLANNING SOMETHING.

However, there are some good story and mechanic reasons why she would decide to abandon Lucien that might outweigh the simple objective fact that she DOES NOT LIKE THESE PEOPLE AND WORSHIPS THE SOMNOVEM/LUCIEN.

One: The Somnovem have come to her for aid as well and planted some doubts in her head. More doubts. She’s full of doubts.

Two: She’s more angry at Lucien now than she hates the Mighty Nein.

Three: Pity cleric??? It’s not gonna bring back their missing spells but having someone who probably won’t go into the fray (unless Matt is really feeling frisky with how many party NPCS he’s running) and doesn’t have to be conservative with their spells to heal everyone up might be helpful. Once the group derails Lucien’s life, they’ll be able to rest and the magic users are half fucked against Lucien anyway.

All in all, i do hope they can get her to talk, because one of her defining character traits is that she is actually very excitable and talks a lot more than she should when you can get her in a decent mood. And I WANT THE CAT LORE MATTHEW. PLEASE.

[katymacsupernatural]

The Proposal  Chapter 6

Jensen Ackles x Reader

Story Summary: Jensen needs help keeping his life in order. To keep the media off his back. In order to do so, he comes up with a plan. Y/N, just a producer’s assistant, is pulled in to play a part she never thought she would have. Jensen’s fiancee. Only will it stay as a part to play, or will she start to want more?

Catch Up Here: Masterpost

While shopping with Ruth a couple of days ago, you had picked out some other items as well, knowing that you might need them in the future. And you were so grateful you had. You really didn't think jeans and one of your favorite band t-shirts would be appropriate. Ruth had great taste and had piled clothes up on the counter for you to take home.

Including this beautiful black dress that you were currently struggling to zip up. It was knee-length, with a high neckline. It fit snug around your chest, but slightly flared at the hips. You had paired it with your only thing left from your Mom, her sapphire necklace and earring set.

Frustrated, you left the zipper down, picking up your purse and slipping on your black flats. No way were you going to spend the evening in heels.

Jensen was sitting on his couch, scrolling through his phone when you came down the stairs. Without looking at you, he placed his phone in his pocket and stood up. "Ready?" He asked.

"Not yet," you answered. "I just need a little help with the zipper."

Finally, he glanced over at you, his jaw clenching slightly as he made no move forward. "I hope this dress is okay. I wasn't sure...,"

"It will do," he answered gruffly, moving around you. His fingers were warm against your skin as he slowly drew the metal zipper up. Your breath caught with the feel of his skin against yours, and you quickly chastised yourself.

"It's strictly business," you repeated over and over again in your head. However, his hand lingered before he brushed the top of your dress.

"There, um," he cleared his throat. "All ready to go."

He brushed past you, his cologne wafting past your lips. Musky, with the scent of fresh pine trees. It was refreshing and alluring. He held the door to the garage open for you, and you finally got a good look at his outfit. He was wearing form-fitting dark jeans that accentuated his thighs and hips. A simple black button-down pulled tight across his shoulders. "You look nice," You told him, passing by to head to the passenger side of his car.

"Thanks," he answered gruffly, your comment throwing him off-kilter. "So do you."

You had already learned that it was a twenty-minute car ride to his brewery, and he talked the entire drive over while you tried to catch glimpses of the scenery. He talked a lot about his family. Of his parents. He had a smile on his face, his love for his parents obvious.

"Y/N, I know this is a lot to put on you," he started to say just as he pulled into the parking lot of his brewery. "I don't expect you to get everyone's names right, or anything like that. But I do need you to pretend you're madly in love with me, and I'll do my best also. I know it's a lot to ask, but I know I couldn't have asked anyone better."

"I promise I'll do my best," you assured him, climbing out of the car to view the impressive set up in front of you. "And please, let me know if I'm not doing it right."

"Ready to get proposed to?" He chuckled, holding his hand out, and you took it, your heart racing.

Only a couple of workers were in the brewery, getting tables set up, food placed in the warmers. Picnic booths were set up along the porch while tall bar tables filled the lobby. "Nice," you said, mainly to yourself. Old fashioned lights were strung up along the heavy beams, casting a nice glow. A stage was on the far side, a bar across from it. It was beautifully decorated, a place you could find yourself spending a lot of time.

"It is, isn't it?" Jensen answered proudly. "It's been a lot of work, but it's come along nicely."

"I bet it see's a lot of business," you continued. "I'd love to come here with friends. To sit on that porch and drink a beer with the warm Texas breeze blowing around us. You serve food?"

His hand rested proudly on the heavy wooden countertop. "Not in here. But we have food trucks that park out front. That way we can work with other local, small businesses as well."

It was a great idea. For a second you let yourself imagine coming here during the evenings, helping serve beer and talk to the customers. It felt like a place you could belong. "I think it's a great idea," you answered softly.

"Come," he insisted. "People will be arriving soon, and there are still things to be done."

You followed him around, listening as he talked to the workers, seeing a new side to Jensen. Sure, you were used to seeing him as Dean, the character he played, but here? He was kind, but firm, and knew exactly what he wanted. He was lit up with a passion, and you could tell he loved this place dearly. It was fun, watching him as he moved around, getting things ready for the proposal dinner.

That had your smile faltering. So much weighed on tonight. His family not only had to like you, but they had to believe you had secretly been dating Jensen for quite some time. That you were madly in love. And while you admired the man, and were definitely attracted, it seemed a little too much.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked, noticing the frown on your face. "If you don't want to put out the flower displays, that's okay."

He was so nice, it made you feel even worse about this evening. "Are you sure you want to go through with it?" You asked him. "It's not too late to back out. Your family doesn't know I'm here, and...,"

"Y/N, everything's going to be okay," he assured you, reaching out and grasping your arms, trying to comfort you.

But you couldn't get the nagging thought out of your head that everything wasn't going to be okay. "But you're you! And I'm..well, who's to say they won't take one look at me, and realize this is all a scam! I'm not a good actress, and this is huge!"

"We all get cold feet," he tried again. "But it will be fine. My family will love you, and they'll just be so happy that I brought a girl home. It's been so long, and well, that was a train wreck. They're going to be thrilled. It will all work out, I promise."

You took a deep breath. And before Jensen could assure you any more, the door was pushed open, and an older lady made her way inside. "Jensen! Come give your Mom a hug. It's been weeks!"

Read Chapter 7

Dean/Jensen Tags: @acortez82​​ @acreativelydifferentlove​​ @adoptdontshoppets​​ @a-girl-who-loves-disney​​ @akshi8278​​   @bi-danvers0​​  @cap-just-said-language​​ @colette2537​​   @deansgirl215​​  @flamencodiva​​ @hamiltrash1411​​ @its-not-a-tulpa​​ @jerkbitchidjitassbutt​​ @justanotherwinchester​​ @just-another-winchester​​ @karouwinchester​​ @keikoraventeller​​  @krys198478​​ @librarygeekery​​ @magssteenkamp​​ @misspygmypie​​ @mlovesstories​​ @mrsambroserollinsacklesmgk​​  @mrspeacem1nusone​​ @nothinbuttrouble2​​ @ria132love​​ @ruprecht0420​​  @screechingartisancashbailiff​   @sortaathief​​ @superseejay721517​​ @squirrelnotsam​​ @team-free-will-you-idjiot​​ @thing-you-do-with-that-thing​​ @torn-and-frayed​​ @tricksterdean​​ @wonderfulworldofwinchester​​ @woodworthti666​​

The Proposal Tags: @supraveng​ @vicmc624​ @lottieellz101 @impala-dreamer​ @maddiepants​ @emilyshurley​ @tonystark-makes-me-cry​ @starryeyeseunbyul​  @rach-12​ @spnfamily-j2​ @ima-be-a-mongoose​ @flamencodiva​ @compresshischest09​ @parinarain​  @stoneyggirl​  @tftumblin​ @massivelycreepypineapple​ @posiemax​

Forever Tags:  @aditimukul​​ @alexwinchester23​​ @algud​​ @amanda-teaches​​ @andreaaalove​​   @artisticpoet​​ @atc74​​ @be-amaziing​​ @camelotandastronauts​​ @caswinchester2000​​ @cpag7​​ @chelsea072498​​  @closetspngirl​​ @deanwanddamons​​ @docharleythegeekqueen​​ @emoryhemsworth​​ @ericaprice2008​​  @esoltis280​​   @foxyjwls007​​ @gh0stgurl​​ @goldenolaf25​​ @growningupgeek​​  @heartislubbingdubbing​​ @heyitscam99​​ @hobby27​​ @horsegirly99​​ @imsuperawkward​​ @internationalmusicteacher​​ @iwriteaboutdean​​  @jayankles​​ @jensen-gal​​ @justsomedreaming​​ @just-another-busyfangirl @karlee-fay-my-wayward-son​​ @linki-locks11​​ @littleblue5mcdork​​  @lowlyapprentice​​   @mersuperwholocked-lowlife​​ @mogaruke​​ @monkeymcpoopoo​​ @musiclovinchic93​​  @nanie5​​   @percussiongirl2017​​ @plaid-lover-bay25​​   @roonyxx​​ @ronja-uebrick​​ @roxyspearing​​  @samanddeanmyheroes​​ @sandlee44​​ @shamelesslydean​​ @simonsbluee​​ @sillesworldofwriting​​ @sgarrett49​​ @spnbaby-67​​ @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester​​ @spnwoman​​   @superbadassnatural​​ @thatcrazybookwormgeek​​   @thewinchesterchronicles​​ @vvinch3st3r​​  @whimsicalrobots​​ @winchester-writes​​ @zombiewerewolfqueen​​

[lordseochangbin]

Commitment

Request:  can i request jisung arranged marriage + fluff/smut ??

A/N: Side note but I think Ima start that Felix FBI agent AU soon. I’m excited hehe the thought of Felix being an agent sounds :D

You could not believe it. 

A few years later after your mom lost her job, you had found yourself taking double shifts, cleaning shit from your neighbor’s yard, eating tubs of ice cream and mourning the cause all together. Your mother opposed it as well, her child having to take over all this labor. Her only way to help? Tie the knot with some rich, stupid guy and hope you’ll benefit from it somehow. 

“He’s an idiot mom! I cannot be with or be SEEN with Han Jisung!” Those were the only words that left your mouth when your mother said you had to be with him. 

“It’s what your father would’ve wanted honey, just give him a chance” A pat on the shoulder and she leaves the room so it’s just you and your thoughts. 

Next thing you know, you find yourself at a golden door. The palace looks marvelous honestly, and if you had to put your mind to it- you’d ask yourself why such a handsome and rich man would need to be forced into marriage. People would kill to be with him. Unfortunately, the least you would do for him is cut a flower from its soil, drying its roots and unwatering its petals, leaving it to its lonely life just like he had done to you. Simply from existing. 

What takes you by surprise is when a half-naked woman opens the door, your mouth dropping when the open door reveals Jisung slumped over on the couch with more naked women. 

“Daddy, someone opened the door” The girl calls him, making you roll your eyes at the nickname. 

“Are you Han Jisung! What the fuck is this?” Oh dear, the look on his face when he hears someone call him by his real name. Walking towards him, you grab his wrist despite the women around him and explain, “We were supposed to go on a date today, and you’re here living it up with other women, what an amazing husband you are” 

“Aww sweetie” He teasingly replies, facing himself towards you before lying a finger under your chin. His black trousers and shirtless figure explain the simplicity of his actions, how normal it was for him to be caught in a situation like this. Is he even turned on by the number of girls here or was it some gesture to piss you off?

“Don’t ‘aww sweetie’ me!” You say, pushing his hand away. “We’re going to this date, whether you like it or not” You tell him off, asking the ladies to leave. 

“Aww c’mon Y/N, you’re ruining the fun!! Why are you kicking them out?” He pouts, leaning closer to your ear. “Unless you wanted to have fun with… just me”

“Oh fuck off Jisung!” You retort, pushing him away before closing the door as the ladies leave, “I’ll be downstairs.. you better come.. and put a shirt on for fuck’s sake!” 

----

After dinner, you come back to Jisung’s apartment. Over a plate for two, you were surprised at how kind yet shy he was. It was hard at some points to get him to talk or start a conversation, but once you brought up one of his interests- it got him talking on and on. He was actually kind of… cute? With every bite of his cheesecake (which he demanded for dessert), his cheeks would bunch up as he smiled and chewed, taking in each bite as if it were the last. 

“Umm.. usually it’s the guy who walks the girl back to their house but, thanks for taking me here I guess” He said, itching the nape of his neck out of nervousness. 

“No problem” You smiled in response. Maybe he was the right guy after all. Your hopes felt high for Jisung. Maybe he would be the right guy- that was until you remembered the amount of girls inside of his room hours before. The sudden memory made your heartache, he was a straight up player. 

“Oh! I almost forgot” He exclaimed, opening his apartment door and peeking inside. “My mother asked me to give this to you, I didn’t look inside but I’m assuming it’s some big ass jewel or something” 

You walked into his apartment, following the steps to his bedroom as he picked up a box from his dresser. “This is for you,” He smirks, watching as you opened the box. 

He wasn’t wrong. It was a big ass jewel made to impress you. A secret message from a mother just sent ‘I know he’s stupid, but can you marry him please?’ Chuckling at the jewel, you put it back in his drawer. 

“Thanks, but I don’t want it, Jisung. What I want is this-” You gestured at the space between you two “to work. If we’re really going to do this.. I really want your commitment” 

Jisung scoffed at the comment. “Commitment? Please. I would commit to a girl who at least knew how to flirt, even kiss at least” 

You bit your lip at his response, “Are you saying I look like a bad kisser?” 

Jisung internally laughed at the comment, taking a step forward. A quick sniff of his cologne had you swifted, your heart beating at the close proximity. 

“Are you denying it though?” 

You rolled your eyes before taking a deep breath and muttering a quick, “How’s this?” before closing the gap between you two. 

Letting your tongue slip into the kiss, you stepped forward causing Jisung to fall on the bed between him. A small gasp left him as he fell onto the bed, his hands reaching out to grab your waist before he could pull you closer. “Not bad” He smirked before locking his lips with yours. 

You let your knees press against the soft comforter beside his hips, your hands holding onto his shoulders as you hold onto them. Softly pressing against his crotch, you watch as he tilts his head back at the action.  

“What’s wrong Jisung?” You ask him as he takes a deep breath. “J-Just give me a second, fuck” He curses, a confused expression meeting your face at his concern. 

“Jisung, we don’t need a condom. I’ll take the morning after pill, okay?” You smile, kissing his forehead as he sighs in relief. His eyes look glossy, relieved. He couldn’t help but to smile back. No matter how hard he tried to piss you off, you stayed with him. He realized you weren’t in this relationship for the money, you genuinely liked him- and he would prove that he loves you just as much. 

“Babe, sit on the bed… let me make you feel good” He whispers, watching as you slowly lay on your back, pressing your head against the pillow. 

His fingers run under your dress, slowly lifting the piece of fabric before rubbing circles on your heat. 

“J-Jisung, please” You whimper, your hands grabbing the sheets next to you as he pecks the bare skin on your thighs. 

“So wet for me babe, just be patient” With a soft chuckle, he lifts your dress over your head, one hand cupping your breast as the other continues to toy with your heat. 

With every touch you find yourself trying to stay still, whimpering when he lets go and bucking your hips into his fingers when he hits your sweet spot. 

The second you bite your lip, you shut your eyes as the sight of Jisung slowly removing your bra. He takes the time to lick around your breasts before his lips could close on your erected nipple. His fingers quicken its pace and you find that all too familiar pit inside your stomach. “Jisung, I-I’m so close” 

His lips leave our breasts and attach to your neck, softly humming against the skin before meeting your ear. “Cum for me babe” He whispers, making you gasp as his finger brushes against your sweet spot, your back arches as your wet juices coat his digits. 

“Mmm, Fuck” he curses, getting on his knees to unbuckle his jeans. “You’re driving me insane” He mutters as he unzips his jeans, freeing his tight member of its restraints and pumping it with his hand. 

He takes no mercy as he presses his cock between your walls, his nails digging into your hips as he rides his hips against yours. 

His grip on your hips is so strong that you feel your chest constantly slam into his, Jisung taking pride in the way your breasts bounce against your skin. He doesn’t want this now, but he wants it forever. To see you at night like this and in the morning cuddles in his arms. 

“Jisung, god” You whine as he slows his pace, letting his tip meet your soft spot again. It was almost embarrassing how fast he got you to reach your high again, your walls clenching around his member. “You must love how good my cock fits inside your tight cunt, you love it don’t you babe?” 

You let out a small whimper, throwing your head back as you lift your leg, letting him hit your sweet spot from a different angle. “God babe, you’re even asking for more. You’re dangerous” He says, his words filling your mind as your sight starts to become foggy. 

You’re holding on to Jisung for dear life, letting him fuck you like his little ragdoll, his little toy. “Shit, I’m gonna cum” He curses, your walls tightening around him again as you meet your orgasm. 

“Cum inside me Ji” You breathe out, holding him closer to you as his dick twitches inside you, filling you with his warm cum. 

“Fuck, babe” he sighs, grabbing your hips and turning you around so you’re on top of him. Your hips meet again as you hide your face in his neck, slowly peeking up as the two of you reach your high. 

Jisung smiles as his eyes meet yours, his hand reaching out to place a stranded piece of hair behind your ear. 

“I hope you learned a thing or two about kissing after this.” He chuckles, raising his eyebrows. “Or even more” 

Slapping his shoulder in embarrassment, you pant out a small laugh before replying, “and I hope you learned a thing or two about commitment after this”

“Maybe this will teach me a thing or two about commitment” Jisung chuckled before capturing your lips in a kiss, “I’ll only stay with you now”

[idk-my-aesthetic]

Ok. Ima say smthn really controversial. But Pls hear me out

The way MCU Spider-Man is written completely, disastrously misrepresented Peter Parker’s Spider-Man, to the point where it’s damaging to the character’s legacy

Also like the writing choices also have some lowkey racist and antisemetic undertones, which are hopefully accidental, but we’ll get to that 

NOW WAIT. Before you send the hate mail please hear me out! Bc tbh I like a lot about the spider man movies!!! All the actors are like perfect choices and almost all of the scenes work really really well on their own

But there’s a HUGE problem with the portrayal of the character as a whole. Because the writers completely threw away the heart of Peter Parker’s spiderman in the name of ripping off Miles Morales’s spiderman.

We all know the “with great power comes great responsibility” line, right? Well there’s a bit more to it than just that

Peter Parker as a character is meant to embody the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olum. Translated literally tikkun olum means “repair/heal the world”. It’s a major concept in Judaism, and basically teaches that it’s everyone’s responsibility to do as much good as they are able to. Not just by being kind when the chance presents itself, but by actively seeking out things to help with. (Hey, doing the right thing bc u have the power to? Sounds familiar!!) it’s supposed to be his whole motivation, and what he represents as a cultural icon

But in the MCU movies he’s completely rewritten for his motivation to instead be to live up to Tony Stark’s legacy. A character arc that is one of the many, many things straight up stolen by the MCU writers from Miles Morales’s spiderman.

And like.... it just doesn’t work the same way guys. Not only because that’s not what Peter Parker’s spiderman is about at all, but also because there’s a lot of different connotations bc of the different characters/how it’s portrayed specifically in the movies, bc it completely erases the Jewish themes and history behind an inherently Jewish character, and bc it’s basically stealing a story meant specifically for black characters and giving it to a white one instead. (Not just miles btw- Riri Williams- the person who is actually supposed to continue the iron man legacy- is a black woman literally replaced by a white boy. That’s.... really not great)

Which is a huge issue, and greatly damages the legacy of the character. spiderman is a cultural icon. He’s just as recognizable as characters like bugs bunny or micky mouse. But unlike characters like micky mouse or bugs bunny, spiderman as a symbol is a lot more divorced from his source material. Basically anyone you ask has probably seen a loony tunes cartoon, but the amount of people who’ve read a spiderman comic or seen one of the cartoons is much much smaller in comparison

Which isn’t really an issue on its own. Ppl know what spiderman stands for in an abstract way from pop-culture, even if they’ve never necessarily seen it first hand. But there’s a big difference in being told a character stands for something and seeing/feeling it in a peice if media

But when a massively popular movie franchise completely fucking misinterprets that character and establishes itself as the definitive version? Well shit! Now everyone is told he’s a hero because it’s the right thing to do, but instead what they see is a hero fanboy. And that’s really damaging when the most popular version of a character completely undercuts it’s legacy

*for clarification, the issue is not that he is in awe of tony or looks up to him. The issue is that his primary motivation is to be cool and impressive like tony- slash like straight up impress him in the first place, instead of his motivation being doing the right thing. Peter Parker was never a hero to be cool. He was a hero bc it was the right thing to do. He was serious about it, even if he joked around he knew how dangerous it was. He was confident in his own moral code, was a leader who actively searched out things to fix. and the idea that he’d look to someone else for directions? Or let himself be limited by someone else? Is insulting.

Oof. That ended up a lot more aggressive than I intended. I don’t wanna make people feel bad for enjoying MCU spiderman. Like I really, really get it guys. The relationship between him and tony stark is really cute, and Tom Holland plays the best teenage Peter Parker in film history. You’re allowed to like it!! I’m actually really happy that y’all have found smthn you can truly enjoy

I’d just like to bring some attention to how this portrayal of the character isn’t the most faithful to the heart of the character. Which is ultimately much more important than anything else about a character, even things like their name or how they look. The heart is the most important part of them

I don’t think these movies are going to completely destroy the legacy of spiderman, or that they’re actively malicious. But I do think the way they misinterpret the character is damaging, at least in the long stretch of time until a new version takes it’s place.

I just don’t want these movies to give people an incorrect idea of what Spider-Man stands for. And I don’t want these traits that belong to other characters to be attributed to the wrong person. Like, y’all know they basically had to cut out Miles’s best freind Ganke from spiderverse bc he was too much like Ned? Even though Ned is literally based on Ganke, who’s role in spiderverse was cut down so much he literally doesn’t talk

ANYWAY. Y’all can like what you like and I’m legitimately glad u found smthn that makes u happy. I’m not gonna go get mad at ppl for writing a fic where Tony adopts Peter or enjoying the MCU movies. That would be a total dick move. But if u could please just.... share this if u don’t completely h8 me, and try to remember Peter’s true motivation is that he just wants to help ppl bc it’s the right thing to do. It would really mean a lot to me, and help preserve the inherently Jewish themes of the character’s and author’s legacy.

[silvadraconis]

Dantes or Robin (saw you grailed him to 100!) Or hell both if you want, knock yourself out x)

Ima do both!

First impressions:

Dantes: oh shit I'm in prison oh who's this oh dang they're really cool I wanna know more

Robin: oh hell yeah archer card I've been needing a solid archer for my team OH heck yeah robin I didn't know you were a servant!! (Legit though Ive read alot of robin hood tales, I had rolled Billy a few days before but didn't know how to use him so I went with robin as my main for ages, and still to this day really)

Impression now:

Dantes: sir are you aware that you are precious? Seriously though ever since his event where I first met him I just keep finding more reasons to trust this man, I know if I'm ever in a tight spot I can count on him

Robin: best birb best forest birb, so dependable even though hed rather be goofing off, can always count on him to watch the party, hes on of my go to servants I'd summon if we were in dire straits cause hes low mana cost and help a ton in any situations with recon and traps

Favorite moment:

Dantes: hard to pick but honestly the moment in his event where he promises that if you ever want to give up to just let him know and he'll kill you before the 7 days are up, something about how being in that terrible situation and while he is pushing you forward and fighting with you, he also gives you an out if you can't do it, if you cant go on, so you dont have to suffer, that was the moment that I knew I wanted to summon him and its stuck with me

Robin: I dont remember what fecking event it was, but there was an event where he was talking about the weirdness he observed and passion lip accused him of being a pervert, and hes like, no! Stalker at worst! I'm just keeping an eye on everyone, keeping watch over the campfire(not exact wording but something like that) and that made me realize that hes always keeping an eye out,and that I can trust him if he says something's up

Idea for a story:

Dantes: I may be a bit to much a fan of whump but sue me, I want a situation to come about where the master gets like, life threateningly injured, and dantes uses his attendre espere noble phantasm, I think itd be pretty cool story wise to see him use that sort of noble phantasm

Robin: I think itd be cool to have robin teach the master how to make and use traps and poisons, since they're just a human robin would want to make sure they can protect themselves with those if they ever needed to

Unpopular opinion

Dantes: hmm, I dont know what's unpopular really, I guess the one I can think of is hes not a tsun, hes dramatic as all hell but not a tsun, hes not afraid to express that he cares about you, hes just a dramatic edgy lad so like in shimosa hes all, its totally not me that came here to give you info cause I was worried yup not me ima cape flip away nowww, like he knew you got this, but he still couldn't help himself so hes trying not to interfere too much while still helping out

Robin: Robin's the farthest thing from lazy, he just says he is so people don't get high expectations since to him compared to alot of the other heroic spirits hes just a dude with some poison and traps, but really even though he likes to goof off and enjoy himself when things need to get done he always works hard and is very good at managing group dynamics and monitoring the health of others

Favorite relationships(not including guada and them):

Dantes: I like the thought of him hanging out with the authors and musicians, cause one of his lines has him getting anderson a coffee, and hes show to interact with the French squad at times

Also his attitude towards sherlock is hilarious XD

Robin: I really liked his dynamic with nezha in Salem, old time servant showing the newcomer the ropes, wonderful stuff

Favorite headcanon:

Dantes: he knows how to dance really well, he wasnt a count for nothing after all, and I remember seeing a comic of jalter demanding him to teach her how to dance and I thought that was great

Robin: lad always has sweets on him, for the kid servants, or as just a job well done treat

[survivormetaverse]

Episode 1 - "I know the game will pick up eventually" ~Shaad

chile lemme not get thrown out for making all these stan twitter bitch references I'M LICHERALLY HARMLESS I DON'T MEAN MOST OF WHAT I SAY DKJFHASJKLDG

~

ngl tho i'm kinda shitting myself over these challenges bc i don't wanna get tossed on the first round JKAHFSJKDGHJ my ant eye et tea is through the ROOF

~

oh girl, first impressions? ngl, the gays and girls here seem quite lovely, hopefully they won't have to carry me the entire time LMAO

Okay like the only person I like/talked to is Jodi but she seems like a smart cookie so ima sleep with one eye open. But idk I'm ready to put on my fake ass smile and my fake ass kind words and get through this part. It's interesting with 6 people per tribe like if we lose I don't have that solid "core" yet but theres a chance that it would be me, jodi, amy because we were the first three on and active so idk. the immunity challenge is cool, the hunt challenge is cool too. im not good at timed puzzles, so I don't think I'm gonna go for it but a part of me feels like everyone across the tribes isnt gonna do it becsuse theyre scared so thats a good opportunity to sneak in and play with less people against me? idk idk idk ahhh

🎶Oh my god we're back again🎶 Hey peeps!! :DDD Here I am againnnn, how fun! Tbh I forgot this was today lowkey and Dylan reminded me and I was like oop 😳 also I am so sorry to everyone that I cannot help but sprinkle the fact that we are now dating in all of my first convos bc IM VERY GAY apologies✨ for how often I'm mentioning it I mean 😂 My tribemates seems so cool, Jennifer and Babs are newbies but seem up to the challenge, Jay A and Colin already giving off immaculate vibes✨ Me and Dyl are hosting Ingary in a month and I do have like work and everything so I don't know exaclty how active I'll be in this game/ how far I'll make it but we'll see won't we!!

not me being a leader of whateva

~

it's the lack of reading comprehension for me (that was shade directed towards myself)

In the fools tribe !!! Moth is in my tribe which is good because we have played together before. The immunity challenge is divide and conquer! So I believe I will be doing the endurance one. I think I’ll be okay... and the hunt announcement is a good twist !!! I’m not sure if I’ll participate in the first one.. but I’ll probably change my mind. ANYWAYS, I’m ready to kick some ass 

Hey guys it's me Brayden and I am so here. I'm so excited to be playing again and stuff and I have already predicted the future that I'll be the winner. Anyways I was at an award ceremony for like the first 3 hours of the game which is kind of scary bc I feel like I missed alot but I'm trying to talk to people and stuff and see what's going on. I've briefly talked to Jodi, Amy, and Ginnifer (who is so hard to talk to btw I like send her messages trying to start a real conversation and she will just respond being like same or something). Anyways the other 2 people on my tribe are offline rn so ig I missed my chance to talk to them tonight so I'll do that tomorrow. Anyways I signed up to do counting and I'm so excited bc I literally KILLED the counting challenge on Kyoshi Islands so I'm so excited to hopefully kill it again. I also decided to play the hunt challenge even though I only have 3 chances bc I'm hoping alot of people will be scared to use one of their three chances to play in the first round and I can have a better chance of winning it. But I think I'm bad at puzzles. I didn't think it through that hard I think I got excited to play a challenge but whatever I'll probably win the advantage then in a few weeks win the whole game anyways see u later.

SO its the morning after the premiere!! Everyone's settled in!! and I kinda don't know how to feel?? Overall the premiere was kinda quiet, nothing happened worth noting tbh. Everyone on the tribe showed up, so thats good, but i think we're all just feeling each other out at the moment as for the people on my tribe! everyone seems chill but also i can't put my finger on it but SOMEHOW this tribe radiates chaotic energy. I don't know HOW or WHY but I just know it DOES. The way we're interacting in the tribe chat it seems like there's a very wide range of personalities and vibes. They're either gonna complement each other or clash, and I guess we're just gonna have to wait to find out which one!!! here are my quick night 1 first impressions that no one asked for :) Anastasia - she showed up kinda late bc she had life happening, understandable. BUT she kinda just jumped right in and started vibing with everyone!! so I think she's gonna be a strong social player. I talked to her and she seems really funny, I think I might really get close with her if I'm able to talk to her more Babs - IF our tribe does end up being chaotic, it's going to be because of Babs. They're definitely the most talkative and prominent person on the tribe, but I think they might come off as messy to others. they're really funny though!! so again I can see myself wanting to work with them if I can get to know them more. They are the biggest question mark on the tribe for me currently Elle - AH. I LOVE THEM ALREADY. Within minutes of us talking they mentioned Dylan and then I found out that they're DATING and I was SCREECHING. cutest shit i've ever heard. I'm so excited to meet and play with them. Dylan is one of my fave people in the org community so ofc I wanna get to know Elle and connect with them as well!! Jay - I think Jay seems like just a very genuine open person?? Like we talked for quite a while yesterday just about games and he was asking me questions about my experience with them and all that. idk if it's because he sees me as a threat or if its because he just actually wanted to get to know me. He lowkey gives me heterosexual vibes and idk if thats true or not but idk how to bring it up. but I def wanna keep talking to him and getting to know him!! I think he might be someone I can form a genuine friendship with Jennifer - kinda have no opinion so far. I think shes the quietest on the tribe. at least for me I didn't get the chance to hear from her much. kinda gives catfish vibes. kinda gives early boot vibes. idk. we'll see what happens!

Not too much yet tbh. Just finding my footing. People are loving my energy so hopefully they’ll keep me around

So i realized Amy is runner up from the season before mine in another org and so we connected over that... of course we are not going to tell anyone else but we did have that going for us to get started. brayden is only 16 but he told me he loves magic and wanted to learn more about it so i told him id teach him some stuff! dennis and i called and connected well BUT hes kinda playing SUPER hard and wanting to throw challenges already to vote people out.. this has never worked out for anybody!! josh is cool, he works at a grocery store so he's gonna kill the "b" challenge. ginnifer has been the most MIA but i have faith that we'll work together well for the popularity contest. yall know i cant play the reverse flirt game i so badly want to coin, but i do have romance tea for yall tomorrow. stay tuned........

Jay and I talked last night so i guess we're best friends. We decided to make an alliance and try to get Elle in it. But everyone has been pretty inactive besides Jay and Collin. I've only slightly talked to Jessica this whole game and Babs hasn't even said one thing to me and I texted them hi. And apperently Babs has left Jay on opened too so they might just suck at talking right now. Hopefully Babs will talk to me they seem so funny and cool D:

I won endurance 👑!!!! Hopefully the fools tribe wins this!!!! I played against Jennifer and Dennis. I could see myself playing with Dennis down the line if we merge. I haven’t talked to anyone but Moth. So I messaged my whole tribe Introducing myself. Hopefully things work out for me! 

Thoughts after the first 24hrs: https://youtu.be/I62bDSzgf68

You hear something ??? Same. Why is my tribe so quiet 😂😂😂😂 I’m trying to read off the vibes but I see nothing. 

I really love my tribe and the fact that they don’t know I played last season is a good strategy to play on my end

tbh i wish we lost i wanted to go to tribal and vote one of these people out :(

Welp we got second place in the first challenge :| which isn't bad!! But it's not first place 😂😂. But I had a fun day taking pictures so whateverssss. I said I would be chaotic in this game but the opportunity hasn't presented itself yet... Guess we'll have to wait and see✨

I think at this point, my team is shady and won't say anything to me so I am nervous.

The challenges were way harder than I thought. I didn't do well at all and let my tribe down. I feel like I will be the first to get voted out if we have a tribal hearing.

We lost yay. I had a feeling. Hopefully the tribe will keep me around for now since I won endurance.... lhsisowjshwowpwpwheowowhfiwpqpqpjw. Jared thinks we can vote Bri out. Which I’m fine with, I haven’t really talked to her at all. Jared and I are going to message the others and see where everyone’s head is at. Honestly I don’t care who goes home as long as I’m safe. Everyone is quiet which is so annoying. Blahhhhhhhhhh 

Well it’s my 3rd time playing and it’s not off to the best start, no one seems to be talking to anyone. And we lost meaning we are going to tribal council. So fuck- I have no idea what about to happen. I’m just hoping it’s not me or Jess

if i must confess, my strategy is to have a 4-3-2 alliance. i need a 4 to have a majority, but i dont have a 4 yet. within the 4, theres a three person alliance w me jodi and amy, but within that three i believe that the core 2 is myself and jodi. i really dont care who the 4th is. i like having jodi and amy as an alliance because theyre both doing wayy too much which is great for me :) i dont think any of these people have idols but who knows. i would love to throw the next immunity i wanna go to tribal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looks like we’ve got something good. We’ve got an alliance that’s set to (hopefully) vote out bri due to inactivity. Let’s just pray it works

~

Trying to talk in this tribe is so difficult In both my other seasons I was pretty quiet all the time It is like that x10000 I was hoping to stay under the radar but that doesn’t work if no one talks at all I suppose it depends on if I’m being played or if everyone just doesn’t talk. I think there’s a plan. Let’s hope it goes well 

OKAY SO. Moth, Jared and I have a little alliance going on. We are set on voting out Bri. I just talked to Danny and Shaad and they are down with voting Bri out. I have high hopes that I’ll be safe at tribal. 

Better communication.. in sticking with that fact, our communication in my team could be better and we need to put more effort into what we do, I believe in us!

https://youtu.be/595h7hmL6VY

The start to this game has been a freaking snails pace...it’s unbelievable to me that these people do not want to talk that much, especially when it’s a tribe of 6. Colin and I talk the most, I’ve gotten a decent amount out of Anastasia, and to me it feels like those 2 wants to work with me and I am fine with working with them. Usually in a larger group you want to figure out who you can work with long term and use the first few tribals to establish trust, I may throw that out the window since there’s only 5 other people on this tribe. My strategy needs to be who the hell can get me past these first few votes before a swap happens, and I feel like I can rely on Colin and Anastasia for that. I’d like to pull in Elle, because she’s the one who’s talked to me the most out of her, Babs, and Jennifer. Everyone seems nice, but it would be lovely if people would be more active. 

I’m enjoying the fact our tribe won the first challenge everyone is very nice I love it :)

This round has been pretty smooth sailing. I know the game will pick up eventually but for now, we are just going with the flow as a tribe

https://youtu.be/UZVzZ6d6GRU

~

ok so apparently ginnifer isn't famous. she's just a bit quiet and mysterious. ok with me, just gonna take a while because I'm a loud and outspoken person (and player). amy, dennis and I have an alliance called "fang gang" (it's really just 3 emojis of vampires) and we're going to run the premerge hopefully. I do like brayden a lot, and maybe I'll propose a 3 with him, amy and myself to have a solid 4 control the votes until a swap. round 1 not bad so far!

~~~

Edgics:

Power Rankings:

Phantom

Jodi: I believe Jodi is thriving on this tribe. She is very obviously a social player who picks up on the littlest details. I’m sure she can sniff out a plot if it comes down to it. However, Jodi is the plot. She is the leader of her tribe and is easily the most active person in the game at the moment. So long as she keeps a smile on her face and doesn’t overextend to do something messy, she will find that she will make it safely to merge. Allying with Amy could be dangerous however since Amy has stated she needs to be voted out before a certain date. This means that Jodi needs to socialize with other members of her tribe and get new allies before hers will inevitably be voted out of the game.

Amy: Even though she wants to get voted out, Amy has set herself up perfectly at Jodi’s side. She can take the heat off of herself using Jodi and is able to hide better than others. As always, her UTR game has come out to shine. She hasn’t had anyone call her out and even though Jodi has seen her play she is still able to gain her trust.

Josh: Doing so well in the challenge has earned Josh’s place here. He makes his worth known early and has a great personality as well. This makes him very safe for any early tribal councils as no one is going to want to take him out; they want him on their side. Similar to Amy, he just seems to be using an under the radar social game which he is executing well at the present moment. And, as the star of the challenge, he makes himself safe for future tribals before the swap. However, I do fear that this early impression of competition prowess will come back to haunt him if he makes it to the merge.

Dennis: I would put Dennis higher, but Jodi, his ally, already is suspicious of him. She seems to think of him as a bit of a sneak and, as the tribe leader, her opinions matter the most. It is good that he is able to be Jodi’s ally so she might stray away from voting him out. However, his desire to go to tribal and play the game so early may bite him in the butt later down the line. I can definitely see him being called out for trying to play too hard too fast. At the moment, he remains high because he seems to be decently social and no one except Jodi has sniffed him out.

Brayden: There’s not much to say on Brayden’s game. He doesn’t seem to have any allies, his challenge performance wasn’t as good as others on his tribe, and he is not in any alliances yet. This spells disaster for Brayden if his tribe goes to consecutive tribal councils. Additionally, even though he was one of the few to play in the Hunt, he didn’t win and wasn’t even close to doing so. He even gave up part way through to do the immunity challenge. I would be saving them if I were Brayden, but hindsight is 20/20. If Brayden can squeeze into being the fourth of the Jodi, Amy, Dennis alliance instead of Josh then maybe his game forecast will be better.

Ginnifer: The thing that lands Ginnifer on the bottom is that she said that her tribe could vote her out if they lost the challenge. This primes people to already be willing to get rid of her in this game. Additionally, some people have expressed difficulty with talking to Ginny such as Jodi and Amy. The former still wants to give Ginny a try at being an ally while the latter was ready to vote her out if necessary. Ginny just needs to pick up social steam and outperform in the next comp if she’s going to have longevity in this game.

Fools

Jessica: In lieu of a clear leader, Jessica has stepped up as she started the first alliance on her tribe with Moth and Jared. No doubt, Jessica’s prior relationship with Moth helped facilitate. Additionally, this seems to paint them as the “active” members of this not active tribe. Therefore, it will be very easy for Jessica to dictate votes without getting labelled as a threat since her tribe is not active enough to do so. I can definitely see her leaning on Moth as a crutch, but for now she is the topdog of her tribe. Especially so since she was the only member of her tribe to win a challenge in Divide and Conquer.

Moth: As Jessica’s right-hand person, Moth is a secure spot. It also helped that they have played this game before and is on a not active tribe. This vibes well with Moth’s gameplay style since they aren’t a social powerhouse like Jodi or Colin. Instead, she keeps it more lowkey which makes this tribe in particular a great tribe for her to thrive in.

Jared: While he hasn’t provided a confessional yet, it’s clear he’s positioned himself well with Moth and Jessica. As the topdogs of the tribe, they are key people to get in with. Besides that, he seems to be a little more active than some others, but there’s not much else to say as of right now.

Danny/Shaad: Him and Shaad can trade spots on this ranking because they are playing similar games at the moment. They are both quiet and inactive, yet are not part of the core alliance of this tribe. This could spell danger for them in upcoming tribal councils if they don’t start working on people now. They seem to be safe for now based solely on Bri’s inactivity, but, otherwise, they need to pick up their socio-strategic game before it is too late.

Bri: She seems to be the most likely person to get voted out. She was not online at all for the first two days of the game and has since remained inactive. She is easy pickings for the top 3 of this tribe which really hurts my heart. I know her in real life and she is very sociable and easy to get along with. I have no doubt that in a real life game of Survivor or Big Brother, she would kill the social game.

S.E.E.S.

Colin: Similar to Jodi, Colin is the most social person on his tribe at the moment. However, unlike Jodi, he has not taken a leader position which works to his benefit. Despite being social, Colin has been able to slip under the radar of most people with a lot of them wanting to work with him. Colin is easily going to survive until the swap, but I will caution him from getting too many allies too quickly. This tribe in particular has a wildcard willing to blow things like that up so he needs to be careful.

Elle: Similar to her previous games, Elle plays an extraordinary social game and becomes very well-liked very easily. They have no problem fitting into any situation and I foresee them making it far if they gain the right allies. What puts her at number 2 as opposed to number 1 is that she hasn’t made any strategic comments yet. Instead, she is focusing on a social game which is not a bad thing. Colin has just shown more of his gameplay in these rounds.

Anastasia: Anastasia, despite being late to the premiere, has been able to socialize with key people such as Colin and Jay. Her prior connection with Elle has also sparked an interest in Colin in working with the two of them as an alliance. Overall, her and Elle sort of share the 2 and 3 spot since they are both well-liked, did well in the challenge, and are prime allies for Colin whose word will feel like law if this tribe ever goes to tribal.

Jay: Jay is neither here nor there. He isn’t in the bottom, but he is not calling the shots either. It is good that Colin wants him as his number 1 and that Anastasia likes him. Out of the three outside of this potential Elle, Colin, Anastasia alliance, he seems like he will be most likely to be saved until a swap occurs. His calls with people have certainly been helping with that as people are able to bond more with him through there. His activity could use work, but he doesn’t need to be active if he’s liked.

Babs: With another Jodi comparison, Babs has taken the leadership position of their tribe. However, they are not as social and, in fact, considered a big threat since they are so willing to talk freely and openly in the tribe chat. Their gameplay is going to be Messy, and people have already pointed that out, making them a clear target if this tribe goes to tribal council. Despite that, they aren’t at the bottom since some people, like Colin, have expressed interest in working with that kind of player as a sort of shield. If Babs were to tone it down and be more social with people (another problem with their game), they may be able to crawl up these rankings.

Jennifer: Sadly I have to put another phonetic Jennifer at the bottom. She did the worst in the challenge across her tribe and isn’t active either. For this round, it seems she would be the easy vote if this tribe had gone to tribal. She needs to start being more social and be more of a presence in people’s minds.

[evandearest]

Art Deco

Request: Heya hunny bunch! As your requests are still open could you please do a James March x Reader where she stays at the hotel post Liz and Iris’ take over, and she gets along with the other ghosts, which attracts his attention and something kinda blooms from there? Idk if that makes sense? ✨💛 ~@/mavalenovaninagavi

Warnings: maybe language? mentions of alcohol

Notes: ok, so i got kinda carried away with this idea, (and kinda put a little personal twist on it) but i really loved the concept! when the inspiration hits me, i try to use it lol. feedback is really appreciated ♥️

also, you guys can let me know if you want a part two, i’d be willing to make it a mini series :)

Title inspired by “Art Deco” by Lana Del Rey.

Tag List: @evanpeters-petermaximoff @sebastianshoe @mavalenovaninagavi @justanotherahsfan @riotsqrrrrl @ahsx97 @gretaahs @bish-ima-clown​

Main Masterlist

You had always been a fan of the past. You’d always liked to look back at how things used to be, it often helped you have a deeper understanding of yourself. Sometimes, you even felt like you belonged in the past. Like you should’ve been there, but some mess up in time, some warp, per say, had born you into this time.

You never were a fan of the way society was, how toxic and ignorant the new-age social situation was. Looking back at how things used to be, you could almost laugh at how utterly dumb humans were nowadays. You were a fan of a time when things were more extravagant, when people were wiser, and more graceful. The time of when people appreciated just how lucky they were by enjoying it—not posting it on Instagram. Most people nowadays took it for granted, just how much they had. You hated that.

You’d realized many times that there was few people—if any—that shared the same perspective as you. Sometimes, that made you feel disappointed, sad, almost, that no one out there could see things the way you did. You felt that there was absolutely no way you would ever have anyone that would understand your view on the world.

Even though you tended to get along well with everyone, you didn’t have many friends, and it wasn’t necessarily because they didn’t like you—it was just that you couldn’t relate to them. They would never understand where you were coming from, all of them caught up in the modern day affairs that you strayed away from. You just had to accept that.

You’d immediately felt drawn to the hotel. It was like it was calling you, begging you, to enter it’s doors and discover what it had to offer. You were always curious, always ready for adventure, so of course you couldn’t deny the attraction you had to it, couldn’t deny the way gravity seemed to drag you into its embrace.

When you entered, you felt the shift. You felt the way the air changed, to warn you of the dark corners lurking in the proximity. But somehow, despite the warning signals, you couldn’t turn away. You felt calm, comfortable. You felt like it was simply fate that had dragged you into the building, and you didn’t mind. Fate could take the wheel for a change.

Step by step, you had made your way further into the luxurious climate of the “Hotel Cortez”. Your eyes scanned the atmosphere, taking in all of the colors, the style, and the complete authenticity the structure had. You felt excitement bubble within you, for never in your life had you seen something so utterly... perfect. You immediately wondered just how long ago this particular building had been built, knowing no one in your age could’ve had the eyes of someone expressing this style. If you could take a guess, you would say the 1920’s, but you couldn’t be so sure. The whole place screamed the “art deco” style that ravaged the whole 1920’s, the style you so craved to see. You couldn’t believe your eyes.

You’d been greeted with the most unique of faces. Two ladies were standing behind the front desk, and you could tell that this place was their home. Not by the fact that they were behind the desk, but by the sense that they were so comfortable. No normal, everyday person of this age could be comfortable in a place like this. (You being an exception, of course.)

On the right, there was a beautiful woman dressed in extravagant clothing. She was likely someone who knew her way around her own taste, which you admired. She radiated confidence and determination. You could sense it so much so that you could almost feel the emotions yourself, just by being in her presence.

The woman next to her was older, and she seemed tired, in more ways than one. You could see that she was content, but seemed to have an emptiness inside of her. You saw yourself reflected within her, immediately feeling relation and sympathy with the women. You knew how it felt to be out of place, simply not knowing when or where you belong. You felt it more often than not, especially recently.

The ladies seemed to sense your presence, both of them turning to look in your direction. The older woman stared with interest, while the extravagant woman gave you a bright smile. You gave a small smile back, approaching them with soft steps.

“Hello,” the older lady greeted, smiling politely. Your gaze turned to her, your eyes softening at the stress worn woman.

“Hello,” you greeted back, your eyes flicking between the both of them. You noticed their confused stares, and quickly elaborated on your attendance. “I was just stepping in.” Your eyes scanned around you again, glancing at the staircases and the balcony above you. You turned to them again when a thought struck. “Do you happen to have a bar?”

The well-dressed woman smiled, her eyes glimmering with something like excitement. “Yes, I’m the bartender.”

Your eyebrows rose for a moment, the pieces clicking together in your brain. You nodded shortly, acknowledging the information. You hummed in approval, gently swaying on your heels. “I’d love a drink.”

The bartender nodded, gesturing with her arm. “Right this way.” She began to lead you through the lobby. You followed behind her, your eyes peering around in amazement.

Soon enough, you were up on the balcony, which you now knew was the bar. The elegant lady walked behind the counter as you sat down on one of the bar stools.

“The name’s Liz Taylor,” she said, placing her hands on the counter while studying you. “What’ll you have?”

You smiled softly, “Surprise me.” Her eyebrow arched, but she nodded, beginning to make a drink. You could tell she was intrigued.

“{Y/N} {L/N}, by the way,” you introduced yourself as she handed you the drink. You glanced down at it, before raising it to your lips. It looked fruity, but tasted strong. You were surprised at the quality of the drink, and the contrast of the look to the taste. You nodded, licking your lips in satisfaction.

“This is really good,” you said, smiling at her. You were quite impressed, and intrigued, with this “Liz Taylor.”

Liz smiled. “Thank you. I’ve been doing this for many years.”

You arched an eyebrow in surprise. “Really?” You glanced down at the drink again, before settling your eyes back on Liz, a small smirk forming on your lips. “Well I should have guessed, it certainly shows.”

Liz smiled again, gratefully. She paused a moment, seeming to be thinking about something. She looked back at you. “What’s your passion?”

You began diving into how you currently didn’t have a job, but that you’d been through many. You’re conversation quickly spiraled into almost a whole share of backstories. You learned that Liz had a boyfriend named Tristan, and had worked at the Cortez for many years. You could tell something was a little off about her story, and if you were being honest, her in general. You just couldn’t put your finger on it.

Amidst your conversation, you were joined by another interesting-looking person. She had sat next to you while smoking a cigarette, and she had also seemed intrigued by you, very interested in why you were here. You learned that her name was Sally.

You’d chatted with Liz and Sally for nearly two hours, when suddenly you felt a shift in the air. You didn’t know what it was, but all the hairs on the back of your neck seemed to stand alert. Someone new had entered the room.

You turned around, craning your neck to scan the bar area. Your eyes quickly fell upon a man. You were shocked into a trance as soon as you had him in your sight. His slick suit, black hair, thin mustache. The cane he held, the way he stood. His charming atmosphere. It seemed as if he had been pulled out of a 1920’s movie, having been the classic 20’s man in the film. If you were any other person, you might not have noticed that, but you were you, and you’d seen plenty of 20’s films. He was definitely a ghost. You settled on. He has to be.

You were so immersed in him that you didn’t even process that he was approaching you. You were shocked out of your thoughts when the man stood directly in front of you, peering down at you with his dark eyes. His eyes pierced into yours so intensely you felt like you were dreaming. You didn’t know whether it was the alcohol or him, but you suddenly felt very dizzy. He looked away from you only at the sound of Sally’s voice.

“Hello James,” she said, and you didn’t miss the hint of venom in her voice. His eyes shifted to her and he seemed to be bored as soon as his eyes landed on her.

“Sally,” he replied, and you seemed to be frozen at the sound of his voice. His voice. A pure 1920’s accent.

His eyes transferred back to you, before going to Liz behind you. You couldn’t see her, but by the questioning gaze he was giving her, you could tell she got the hint.

“This is {Y/N},” she informed him, “she was just stopping in.” His eyes flicked back to yours before his lips turned upward in a small smirk. The next thing you knew, he was kissing the back of your hand. Your heart thumped wildly in your chest as butterflies erupted in your stomach simultaneously.

You knew you should be wary, this man was a complete stranger. But for some reason, you didn’t feel any fear. You felt safe, in fact, safer than you’d felt in a long time. You felt calm.

He pulled his lips back with a smirk before speaking. “Tell me, {Y/N}, what was it that brought you to my hotel?”

His hotel. You didn’t know if you believed in ghosts before, but you definitely did now. The way he said your name made your whole body go warm, to the point that your knees felt like jelly.

You stared up at him with big eyes, not quite being able to find your words. He was too intoxicating; even the strong alcohol in your bloodstream couldn’t compare to him. He simply rendered you speechless.

“I-I... uh,” you stumbled for words, but as he looked down at you almost softly, all your nerves seemed to fade away. You felt the same calm feeling that you’d felt when you first made your way into the hotel. The words seemed to come to you. “I just felt drawn to this place, honestly.”

‘James’, as Sally had called him, arched an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly. “That’s interesting,” he spoke clearly, his eyes studying you carefully. “What was it that attracted your attention?”

“James,” Sally suddenly interrupted, making you remember that there were still other people in the room. “Leave the poor girl alone.” She rolled her eyes, annoyance in her voice. Your eyes snapped back to James when you noticed he was still staring at you for an answer; having completely ignored Sally.

“Well, the building’s so beautiful, for one thing,” you said, deciding to ignore Sally too. He smiled at you, excitement glimmering in his eyes.

“Isn’t it just extravagant?” He linked your arm with his slightly firm one, and politely walked you over to the balcony. He smiled as he admired the lobby. You smiled too, but you were more focused on admiring him.

“Yes, it has the best style. I’ve always liked the 1920’s.” He looked over at you, and you noticed the slight surprise on his expression. You smirked at that, deciding that you quite liked surprising him.

James looked at you with a sudden seriousness. “I must admit, I’m impressed.” He paused as he watched a smile forming on your lips, one of his own accompanying yours. “There’s not many left out there that still think so.”

“I’m very aware of that, believe me.” You looked down at your hands, your eyebrows furrowing a little in thought. “It’s cost me quite a lot in life.”

Your eyes widened slightly when you felt his hand on the side of your face, cupping your cheek. You stared into his eyes shyly as he looked at yours with a sudden certainty.

“And why is that, darling? Who could possibly not be... infatuated by you?” He watched you as you swallowed nervously, a deep breath passing your lips.

“A lot of people aren’t.” You bit your lip as your anxiety spiked at your honest confession. You had no idea why you were telling him this, you just felt very comfortable in a way even you couldn’t explain. You stared at your feet, afraid to meet his eyes.

He let out a sound, reminiscent of a hum, before tilting your chin up to meet his eyes. “That’s obscene.” He let out a breathy laugh, rocking on his heels slightly. He looked pretty shocked, which surprised you. “I’ll be honest, {Y/N}, I am a fairly easy specimen to bore.” You giggled softly at that. “However, when I first laid sight on you, chatting with Liz and Iris, it can be assured that I was not bored. Rather, intrigued, by your aura.” You raised your eyebrows, surprise taking over you.

“Really?” You let out breathily, quietly, while looking up at him in disbelief. You seemed to have lost your voice. You really couldn’t wrap your head around what was happening. He was intrigued by me?

He suddenly leaned down, his breath tickling your ear softly, making a chill run down your spine. He breathed out, his lips grazing your ear. Butterflies exploded in your stomach as your breath caught in your throat. You could smell his distinct scent; cigarette smoke, cologne, and some type of alcohol that you couldn’t quite put your finger on.

“Indeed.”

It was only one word, but it had much more of an impact on you. You felt like your knees were about to give out underneath you, like you couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move.

He pulled back slowly, looking down at you with a strange expression. You’d seen it before, and it could only be described as one thing: need.

You let out the breath you were holding slowly, never once breaking eye contact with him. He put a hand out to you, a charming grin taking over his features.

“So, tell me, darling. Since you’ve been apprised your desire of the hotel, would you like to appease my fascination for you?”

[queensdivas]

Wildest Notes Chap 2

Ya know what I love about this movie? The fact that it goes day by day instead of trying to cram it in one singular day. So this makes writing this fic so much easier and way more fun to write! 

Was this my best chapter? Probably not. Is it cute? YES! 

Will I start chapter 3? Not yet cause I have to catch up on Thistle and For Gods Sake. So y’all be patient with Gardner. Trust me I would love nothing more than to write out this entire fic in one day. But freakin Eugene and Samuel need their moments as well. 

So if ya liked to be tagged please let me know. And I’ll see you guys in the next chapter of whatever gets updated next! 

Next Chapter

Previous Chapter 

Masterlist

What’s the best thing about Jazz? Besides it becoming very sexualized due to the fact that the Saxophone and Clarinet for some reason turn people on. I think the best thing about jazz is that it can cover so many different genres. Want some latin jazz funk? Here’s some jazz funky latin. I think this is my brain trying to calm down as my first performance with making money. 

Standing in front of the club as I was debating on whether to make a run for it or just too bite the bullet. Ahhhhh crap. I always get these jitters before a performance like this and even at just private concerts in school I was a train wreck. 

“Hey. You Cora?” Someone yelled as I held my binder tighter.

“Umm yes. And you?” He flicked his cigarette and approached me with his instrument. 

“Theo Rivers. You’ve come to join our merry troop?” He opened the door and motioned for me to go in first. 

“Yes I have.”  He closed the door behind me as it was a small dark hallway. We reached onto the club floor as there were a bunch of people on the wide stage warming up, and talking amongst themselves. 

The room was much bigger than I imagined as it sparkled with a large chandelier that dangled down from above. You could see the doors to and from the kitchen as they were painted black. The bar was long and filled with so many different types of alcohol I wasn’t sure what was from where. The hardwood floors were this lovely dark red that made the black tables look to grande. 

“Just play it cool little thang.” Ew. Thang? Really? I stopped in the middle of the dance floor as Lucas approached the stage in front of everyone. 

“Alright everyone calm down I know that we’re all excited for the new pianist whenever she gets here. Trust me you guys are going to love her!” That would be Mr. Lucas Puzo. I found him in a local music shop as I was trying to find some sort of cheap good piano. (Which is harder than it sounds.) 

“Would that be her Lucas?” Someone pointed out as I was standing in the middle of the dance floor. 

“Ah yes. Ladies and Gents this is our new pianist Cora Lister!” He popped down from the stage and walked over to me. I gave them a small wave as he placed his hands on my shoulder to usher me over to the stage. 

“Hello.” I said softly as everyone was smiling and waving. 

“Now we open in twenty minutes so get yourself warmed up missy! Alright make sure you guys give her the lineup so she’s not improvising too much. Ima go to the jon so give me five minutes.” He walked away as I stood in front of everyone as they stared back. 

Not saying a word I dashed over to the piano to get comfortable on my bench. The drummer got up from his set to stand on the end of the piano as he slid over a piece of paper. I grabbed it to look at the two sets we were doing tonight. A good mixture of swing, ballads, latin, and funk? Hm. Love it. 

“Felix by the way.” He smiled as I nodded. So we’re starting off with Give me a simple life? A Little cliche but it’s a good warm up song. 

“You don’t talk much do you?” He asked as I placed the sheet on my stand. 

“Sorry just trying to get ready.” I told him as he shook his head. 

“Leave her be Felix. He’s more wild than a dog in heat when it comes to new members of our troop. Kobi the bassest.” He stood on my left as I waved at him. 

“Then Kobi tries to be all smooth and act like he’s innocent. Y’all are not as smooth as you think. Krista I’m the best trombone there is.” She sat down next to me as I placed my binder on the piano stand. 

“And then she acts like the superhero for women when in reality she is also trying to get into your pants. As you can see Cora you’ve attracted the dogs of the band on complete accident. For the record she’s fourth chair as I am first. Chandler by the way.” He sat on the other side as I was completely confused on what was happening. So four people are trying to get in my pants and the only few words I said were hello and sorry just trying to get ready. How the flippin’ heck does that happen? 

“I should get a squirt bottle to back off against Cora! Bad bad bad!” Lucas yelled as everyone laughed to sit back in their seats. Thank Goodness. I’m not quite sure what the heck just happened but that felt like my first ever college frat party I attended. Like a penis magnet, then I left two minutes later to go home and binge watch SVU. 

“Cora please tune everyone before they go mad.” Lucas ordered as cracked my knuckles real quick. I played B flat and everyone began tuning. Quickly running up and down a few scales as some random man came running out of the kitchen. 

“We’re about to open! Go ahead!” He yelled as Lucas shrugged and began clearing his throat. Wait he’s singing? Would’ve loved to get a chance to practice with him so I know exactly how this band rolls!

“For your sake. Just follow me and you’ll be just fine.” Kobi told me as I nodded. I just do what I usually do when playing. TRYING NOT TO PANIC!

“One..two..a one two three four!” Immediately on a roll! 

My left ear listening to the bass as my other one was focusing on the tempo Felix was giving off. A little faster than normal versions of the song but I kind of enjoy it. Definitely features a lot of me but as long as I stay calm and keep my focus on the tempo I’ll be just fine. 

People began coming into the club, sitting around the small tables and waiters already serving them. I’m assuming this is a regulars club most likely. Because how many people do you know regularly enjoy listening to jazz? 

I noticed my piano solo was coming already as I cracked my neck and thought of a good improv pattern for myself that would match nicely with the song. Maybe something a little spicy but not too spicy. 

My fingers bounced up and down the piano as my attention went towards Lucas who was nodding at my improv solo. I’d known he was impressed with me when I played at graduation. 

Another glimpse into the crowd as everyone was talking amongst themselves or watching us up they're playing. Ya know I was expecting a lot less people but the turnout was pretty great for my first night. 

Is it weird that I’m a little shocked that Gardner didn’t show up? I mean I knew he was tightly rounded but thought getting him out of his house would do him some good. But that’s what happens when I try to be nice in my life. Everyone ends up shutting the door in my face but somehow I still stand..ah ya don’t need to hear me. 

The song finished as the crowd began softly cheering as Lucas bowed to everyone. He fixed his tie as he clapped his hands. He began kissing up to the crowd as I flipped the page to the next song in the set. Which should be You Belong to Me. Not the Taylor Swift version obviously. I believe it’s the Jo Stafford version. Luckily it’s not a big piano song so I’ll be nice and cozy back here this time. 

“PST Cora!” He was trying to be quiet but that obviously wasn’t working. 

“What Kobi?” I asked as he leaned over to the piano and tried to say something to me. But I barely could hear out of choice. I think I’m just going to bust through the sets here and then go home. 

A waitress approached me as she held up some sort of blue drink up to me as I shook my head. Me? Getting drunk on the piano? Never in my life! She shrugged as Lucas began counting us off again softly. 

Definitely business till I can get used to this sort of environment. 

~~~

“YOU BETTER GET BACK! HONKY CAT! LIVING IN THE CITY AIN’T WHERE IT’S AT! IT’S LIKE TRYING FIND GOLD IN A SILVER MINE! IT’S LIKE TRYING TO DRINK WHISKEY FROM A BOTTLE OF WINE!” I danced around my kitchen as I placed the last plate from lunch away. Angus was sitting in the entrance between the kitchen and living room. 

“Well I read some books OW! And I read some magazines! C’mere Angus!” I told him as he trotted over and jumped up into my arms. 

“About those high-class ladies down in New Orleans.” He was annoyed as I was moving him back and forth. He should be used to it by now at this point. 

“AND ALL THE FOLKS BACK HOME..WELL...SAID I WAS A FOOL!” Angus plopped down to sulk himself back into the living room and laid down on the floor with the sun shining through the window on him. 

“THEY SAID OH BELIEVE IN THE LORD IS THE GOLDEN RULE!” I danced my way over to the record play to turn it down a little due to the fact my neighbors probably don’t want to hear me screaming Honky Cat lyrics. I mean I can sing but when Elton comes on it’s like a party. 

It was just low enough I heard that creak of a front gate open as the tip toed over to the front door and was ready to pounce and scare him. No that’s too mean. Maybe another time when he’s not carrying a package of mine. He quickly knocked on the screen door as I opened my front door and he was off. 

“Hiya Gardner.” It was like a car break on how fast he stopped. I looked down to see how huge this box was and saw it was from Eureka. Mom? 

“Mind giving me a hand?” I asked him as he turned around and looked down at the ground. 

“Sure.” He came up the porch as I tossed the mail into the music room as we bent down to pick up the box. 

Well..a slip and a fall. That big bulky box landed straight on my left foot. If you think stubbing that little toe of yours was bad. This was a whole lot worse.

“Son of a biscuit!” I tried laughing it up as Gardner had his hands over his mouth. 

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” He panicked as I smiled at him. One of those painful smiles that’s trying to cover up that I’m screaming in pain internally. 

“It’s fine. Just let’s get this in here!” I said through my teeth as we tried lifting it again and carrying it inside. We walked into the living room for Angus to move quickly out of the way. 

“Now please don’t crush my foot again.” I told him as we slowly lowered the box onto the rug. I sat down on the couch to then look at my left foot making sure it wasn’t broken. Luckily we’re all good. 

“Is your foot okay?” He chirped as I nodded. 

“Yeah it’ll be fine. You often drop boxes on people's feet?” I tried to lighten the conversation but I could tell he was not interested. Might as well see what’s in the box.

“Give me another hand into the kitchen.” I got back up from the couch as he looked at the door. 

“I really don’t have time.” I placed my hands on my hips with one eyebrow raised at him. We reached down again and carried it into the kitchen and placed it on the counter. He took a step back and grabbed a small knife to open the box. 

“Well if that’s everything Cora.” I placed the knife down and tossed an apple to him. He barely caught it as I reached into the box. 

“You look a little famished. An apple always helps.” I pulled out a rolled up bubble wrap to see it was Mrs. Seymours old collection of her Elvis Presley China!  

“Oh my gosh!” I laughed as The King was painted on the plate. 

“Ya know I love people’s obsession with the weirdest things in the world. Mrs. Seymour loved Elvis Presley China.” I pulled out the second dinner plate that had him in his big red glittery suit. 

“Why Elvis?” Gardner asked as I handed him the plate. 

“She loves Elvis. Oh my god it’s like her passion before opening a home for all of us and locking it down.” I reached in to pull out the all white suit Elvis but it was cracked in half. 

“Well. You broke Elvis Gard. Now you gotta fix him.” I told him as a wave of panic rolled on his face. 

“Ya know..I...I..can’t. Uh..I really really..” I think the glue is in the junk drawer. I opened the drawer to see super duper glue. Perfect! He placed down the apple he didn’t even take a bite out of and stand in front of the broken plate. 

“Now just be gentle with the King.” I began squeezing the glue along the crack as he kept trying to check his watch. If he doesn’t stop checking his watch I’m gonna throw it in the backyard! 

“Alright now just hold it still.” I told him as we pushed the plate back together for the glue to start sticking. 

“Now I’m going out to lunch if you could just stand here till I get back.” His eyes widened as I looked at him dead seriously. 

“Wait what lunch!?” I lost it as he sunk back into himself. 

“I’m..I’m sorry. I..I generally don’t hang out with civilians this much.” Civilians? Do I look like I’m in the army? Do I need to salute him or something? 

“Just messin’ with your Gard. You need to lighten up a little bit sir. Us civilians aren’t all horrid people.” I told him as he looked down at the plate as I gently took it from his hands. He put his white hat on his head as he began becoming uptight again. 

“I’m sorry if I broke your foot.” He blurted out as I looked down at it. I imagine I'll be getting some sort of bruise. Not really a problem due to the fact I use my right foot for the petals anyhow. 

Angus came strolling into the kitchen as he sat down in front of Gard waiting for him to scratch the top of his head. He looked down at him as Angus was beginning to whimper at Gard. 

“If you’re going to bail on me without saying goodbye. At Least say goodbye to Angus.” Angus licked his lips as Gard quickly scratched the top of his head. 

“Goodbye Cora. This was interesting again.” Turning around like a bat out of hell as Angus and I watched him leave the kitchen through the living room and shutting the front door. 

Why do I find him so adorable?

Taglist

@bonafiderocketqueen​ @filmslutt​ @leah-halliwell92​ @johndeaconshands​ @amethyst-serenade​ @soy-guey​ @jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels​ @queen-turtle-boiii​ @mercury-wife​ @deck-heart​ @themficsilike​@themficsilike​ @deakydeaks​ @mirkwoodshewolf​

[razorblade180]

Melody of the Heart 2

Everyone: The category is love!!!?

Jaune and Ren: That shouldn’t be too hard.

Adam and Mercury:We’re screwed......

Tai:......*looks at Raven and Summer* oh boy....

*Yang, Sun, and Ilia smile at Blake*

Blake:*red*(Why?)

CFVY:*thinking intently*

Ruby:So.....how do we know who goes fi- *embers swirls around her*

Ozma:The fire picked you.

Ruby:What!? So soon!? A love song!?

Penny:Good luck!

Ruby:Wait wait wait wait wait!!! Shouldn’t the person who knows how this place works go first? Seems a little unfair to throw people into this so recklessly.

Roman:*shouts* You’re just scared!

Ruby:Do you want to go first!!!?

Roman:.....fair point.

Ozma:I’ll gladly go first if it makes you all feel better. *steps in front of the fire* Alrighty then, flame who do I have to sing to?

*embers circle around Salem as words form above her head*

“Drag her and impress the audience”

Yang:Damn, evil ex right from the start.

Ozma:*appears as his first reincarnation* Might as well fully comment to the part. Now what to sing.....

Salem:Gods I hate this place. *glares*

Penny:You can be rude in a love song?

Weiss:Honestly most love songs are rude if you ask me. I wonder how this will turn out.

*everyone is silent as Ozma’s magic makes the instruments play themselves*

Cardin:That’s cheating.....

Salem:Everyone will have this option, so don’t worry about it. It would be hard to get a bunch of you to help in every performance.

Salem:*glaring*.....

Ozma:*takes a deep breath* Here goes nothing...

Ozma:🎶 Easy come, easy go, that's just how you live. Oh take, take, take it all but you never give.....

Should've known you was trouble from the first kiss. Had your eyes wide open; why were they open?🎶

RWBY:*shook* Daaaammmmnnnn! (/0.0)/

Ozma:🎶Gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash. You tossed it in the trash, you did...🎶

*embers flow around Tai and Adam as they try not to sing*

Ozma:🎶To give me all your love is all I ever ask cause what you don't understand is- I'd catch a grenade for ya!!! (yeah yeah yeah) 🎶

🎶Throw my head on a blade for ya (yeah yeah yeah)🎶

🎶I'd jump in front of a train for ya (yeah yeah yeah)🎶

🎶You know I'd do anything for ya (yeah yeah yeah)🎶

OAT🎶 Oh whoa oh~🎶

Ozma:🎶I would go through all this pain. Take a bullet straight through my brain!!! Yes I would die for you baby........🎶 *points at her*

🎶But you won't do the same!!!!🎶 *music intensifying*

Velvet:*whispers* Do we know these people?

Coco:Shhh, I’m watching the drama unfold.

Tai and Adam:Why are we singing!?

Salem:Apparently some part of you empathize with his song and compels you to sing along. Just go along with it; you all sound great!

Ozma:🎶No no no no. Black, black, black and blue; beat me til I'm numb. Tell the devil I said hey when you get back to where you're from.🎶

Salem:*glares*

Ozma: *smirks* 🎶Mad woman, bad woman that's just what you are. Yeah you'll smile in my face then rip the breaks out my car.🎶

OA:🎶Gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash. You tossed it in the trash, you did!🎶

OT:🎶To give me all your love is all I ever ask. 'Cause what you don't understand is.....🎶

Ozma:🎶I'd catch a grenade for ya🎶 (yeah yeah yeah)

Tai:Throw my head on a blade for ya (yeah yeah yeah)

Adam: 🎶I'd jump in front of a train for ya (yeah yeah yeah)🎶

Ozma:🎶You know I'd do anything for ya (yeah yeah yeah)🎶

🎶Oh whoa oh🎶

Ozma:🎶I would go through all this pain; take a bullet straight through my brain... *tears up*Yes I would die for you baby....🎶

🎶But you won't do the same....🎶

Tai and Adam:🎶Ooooooooohhhhhhh🎶

Ozma: If my body was on fire *glares* Ooh you'd watch me burn down in flames.

Salem:(Shit.....)

Ozma:🎶You said you love me, you're a liar 'cause you never ever, EVER did baby🎶 *crying*

Salem:*refusing to look at him*......

Ozma:...... *grits teeth*

Ozma:🎶But darling I'd still catch a grenade for ya!!!! (yeah yeah yeah)🎶

🎶Throw my head on a blade for ya (yeah yeah yeah)🎶

🎶I'd jump in front of a train for ya (yeah yeah yeah)🎶

🎶You know I'd do anything for ya (yeah yeah yeah)🎶

Ozma:🎶Oh whoa oh I would go through all this pain heh......🎶

Ozma: 🎶TAKE A BULLET STRAIGHT THROUGH MY BRAIN!!!!!🎶

Coco:Yes! Drag her!!!👏

Ozma:🎶Yes I would die for you, baby.....

But you won't do the same. No, you won’t do the same. You wouldn’t do the same....... Ooo you’d never do the same.🎶 *wipes his eyes*

🎶Oh no no noooowooooh....🎶

*embers fly back into the flames, glowing brighter than ever*

Everyone:*shock and awe*......

Roman:Well damn.....got my approval.

Coco:Agreed!!!!!

*many approvals around the circle. Actually, a majority of them.....*

Ozma:*takes his seat and goes back to normal* That a good example for you Ruby?

Ruby:How am I supposed to that!? How can anyone top that!!!?

Ozma:As long as you give it your all then everyone here will do well. Also get help from unsuspecting friends and foes.

Raven:Tai was that towards me wasn’t it?

Tai:I have no idea what you’re talking about. *turning away* just felt like singing.

Blake:*looking at Adam*......

Adam:*watching the waves* don’t read too much into it.

Blake:Whatever you say tough guy.

*embers fly towards Ruby again*

Ruby:Sigh, guess I gotta go now. *walks to the flame* lay it on me bonefire! Who’s getting me to sing?

“Convince others to help you serenade Weiss Schnee and when her approval.”

Weiss:......whaaaaaaa?

Ruby:Well then......wasn’t expecting that. *grabs guitar* Magic, can I get you on drums and play that song? I got a feeling you can read my mind.

Ozma:It totally can *immediately starts playing*

Ruby:*starts playing guitar* (Wow, you really can play anything here)

Weiss:Ruby I sort of have an ear for music so don’t feel bad if-

Ruby: 🎶Ooh girl you're shining; like a 5th avenue diamond!

And they don't make you like they used to. You're never going out of style!🎶

Weiss:*Blushing* What!?

Ruby: *smirking* 🎶Ooh pretty baby, this world might have gone crazy.

The way you saved me, who could blame me when I just wanna make you smile?🎶

🎶I wanna thrill you like Michael... *swaying her hips* 🎶

🎶I wanna kiss you like Prince....🎶*winks*

🎶Let's get it on like Marvin Gaye, like Hathaway Write a song for you like this.🎶 *points*

Ruby:🎶You're over my head; I'm out of my mind!Thinking I was born in the wrong time. One of a kind, living in a world gone plastic. Baby you're so classic!🎶

Weiss:*can’t think fast enough*.....

Jaune:*looks at Neptune* 😏

Neptune:😏

Ruby:🎶Baby you're so classic. Baby you,baby you're so classic!

Four dozen of roses; anything for you to notice! All the way to serenade you. Doing it Sinatra style.🎶

Jaune and Neptune: 🎶Ima pick you up in a Cadillac. Like a gentleman bringin' glamor back. Keep it real to real in the way I feel; I could walk you down the aisle!🎶 *rushes to Ruby*

Jaune: I wanna thrill you like Michael *sways hips*

_NPR: Go Jaune!!!

Neptune:I wanna kiss you like Prince *winks*

Sun and Ilia: Kill it Neptune!!!!

Ruby: 🎶Let's get it on like Marvin Gaye; like Hathaway Write a song for you like this!🎶

Yang and Blake: Woooo! Ruby!

RJN: 🎶You're over my head; I'm out of my mind!Thinking I was born in the wrong time

Let's start the rewind, everything is so throwback age!🎶 (I kinda like it like it)

Jaune:🎶Out of my league,old school chic. Like a movie star from the silver screen.🎶

Ruby:🎶One of a kind living in a world gone plastic. Baby you're so classic. *grinning* Baby you're so classic. *heroes clap to the beat* Baby you're so classic!🎶

Neptune: Baby you're class and baby you're sick. I never met a girl like you ever til we met! A star in the 40's, centerfold in the 50's; got me tripping out like the 60’s

Hippies Queen of the discotheque. A 70's dream and an 80's best. Hepburn, Beyoncé, Marilyn Manson. Girl you're timeless, just so classic!

Weiss:*atomic blush*!!!!!!

RJN:🎶You're over my head; I'm out of my mind! Thinking I was born in the wrong time!

Let's start the rewind, everything is so throwback age🎶 (I kinda like it like it)

Jaune:🎶Out of my league, old school chic. Like a movie star from the silver screen🎶

Ruby:You're one of a kind living in a world gone plastic. Baby you're so classic. Baby you're so classic🎶

*dashes to Weiss and puts her in the middle*

RJN:🎶Baby you're so classic!!!!🎶

*embers fly away*

Ruby:*sweating* So......how was that?

Weiss:........

Weiss:*covers her face* You guys are so ridiculous; of course I liked it!

RJN:*High five* Oh yeah!!!!!

Ruby:That’s for the assist you two!

Neptune:Please, like we were gonna miss that!?

Jaune:There was no convincing needed.

*various loud cheering from people*

Ozma:This place is the best.

[makayla-angelic]

Frozen 2: Movie Review

Tonight, on this lovely November 23rd, 2019 evening, I got my turn to see Frozen 2, with my friend Brianna. The movie started at 6:00 pm and I was a bit surprised to see that the theater wasn’t jam packed with people, but considering it was later in the day, I figured that most people had taken their children, (or just gone themselves) much earlier. There were a lot of previews, and holy moly did they go on forever. But at last, the theater went dark, and with my popcorn almost gone, the film began.

Animation

I thought I might start in the area that really caught my attention first. The animation was crisp, clear, and lovely, everything flowed smoothly. I didn’t see anything that looked “out of the ordinary.” The colors meshed together well, and the Enchanted Forest, and Atohallan was beautiful. The characters faces; you could tell they’ve grown a bit older, especially with the new outfits and hair and all, and you can see all the little details, which I found impressive. Animation takes a lot of time and patience. I miss 2D hand-drawn so much.

Animation rating: 10/10

Music

The soundtrack to me was alright, I feel like I definitely liked the first film’s soundtrack better. Into The Unknown was beautiful, and The Next Right Thing was heartbreaking. I guess Lost In The Woods and When I Am Older were alright, but to me, they felt a bit “unnecessary?” And the songs they kind of hit you one after another like bricks to the face. Part of me was thinking, “wow, this is one song after another!” I know Frozen IS a musical, but I feel like they could have toned it down a bit with how frequent the songs were between each scene. I REALLY enjoyed Vuelie in the film though. It’s such a beautiful piece, and I thought the variations that played throughout the sequel, and the Northuldra tribe singing it was amazing. I’m glad the soundtrack came through in terms of this musical piece. Another I noticed too was the choice of musical instruments. I believe what sounded like some type of flute when they arrived at the mist, and the Lost In The Woods song with that electric guitar in the very beginning, which I thought was “new” and kind of unexpected if that makes any sense.

Soundtrack rating: 7.7/10

Plot

Alright, now here’s where all of you are probably going to rip into me. The storyline was...just there. And rushed. Everything moved fast and seemed just kind of “thrown in”. It starts off with Adgar telling little Elsa and Anna about the enchanted forest and why no one can get in or out and that flows fine, but once we get to present day everything kind of feels like it was played in fast forward and skipped some things. One minute were at the Fall Festival, then were at the Charades scene, next Elsa’s hearing voices and awakens the spirits, then suddenly the gang’s in a sled in their new outfits and arriving at the mist. Woah, woah, woah! Why so sudden and soon with everything? It all happens so quick, and why do they not show them getting dressed in their new outfits? I mean, I was thinking there would at least be a scene of them walking out from behind the wardrobe or closet and all commenting on each other’s new outfits. Even Kristoff’s first attempt at the proposal which I found funny seemed like a quick two-second thing. And I caught the “adult” joke in the film; Anna looks at Kristoff and with a suggestive smirk on her face, asks him what he’d like to do.

 Now, for all you people who think dirty-minded from time to time like I do, if Anna was perhaps suggesting that Kristoff “fondle” her while Elsa and Olaf are in the back sleeping, then that’s a bit messed up, and I’m sure Sven doesn’t want to witness that either. Anyways...from there on, meeting the Northuldra people was nice, but even there, the characters we met, I felt like we should have been given more time to learn and understand them. With characters such as Honeymaren and Ryder it felt like they barely had their place and the snippets and teasers we got before and hyped them up a bit more than what they were actually shown. I also thought that perhaps a “bit more” would happen in between before the gang actually arrives at the Enchanted Forest. I thought Elsa using her ice powers to conjure up the memories was pretty sweet, and the scene with them discovering their parents ship and learning the truth was emotional at its best, next to The Next Right Thing scene. I did find Kristoff still trying to propose to Anna funny, despite the circumstances that were before them. The battle with the Nokk was quick and seemed a bit lack-luster. I was kind of expecting a longer battle, but it felt like Elsa tamed him too quickly and when Elsa created reins to throw on him he’s all like “Kay.” And Elsa rides off on him and they are best friends already. Again Atohallan was beautiful and while I was not expecting Elsa to “die” via freezing I knew something would happen to her. Also, not gonna lie, I wasn’t expecting that King Runeard twist, so some points go there. Elsa becomes the fifth spirit and is re-born the true Snow Queen, Anna lures the Jotnarr to the dam to break it, the spirits release everyone, Elsa stops the tidal flood from hitting Arendelle, and Anna and Elsa re-unite, at least for a little bit, because guess what? Elsa’s staying in the Enchanted Forest, alone and free, away from her beloved sister, while Anna and Kristoff become queen and king. *sigh* This ain’t it. I’m sorry but six years to work on this and 50 re-writes yet this is what happens at the end of this fast-paces story? A separation? Isn’t that kind of going against what the first film was about?

Overall, I would say the plot isn’t terrible terrible but it definitely lacks that umph factor the first movie had. It moved way too fast and at times just seemed very thrown together. And anyway, this sequel was supposed to be a totally different story than what we got now, but it got changed because certain writers listened to the wrong people and Ima just leave it at that. For those that know where I stand within the fandom and have browsed through my blog and/or follow me know exactly what I mean, and feel the same way I do.

Plot rating: 6/10

Characters

I enjoy how Elsa, Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven have grown up physically and changed their appearances and such, but one thing that bothers me is that Elsa and Kristoff still don’t seem to interact that much, and at times to me act like they don’t give two flying monkeys about each other. So at the end when Kristoff runs up to Elsa and hugs her tight, I kind of half-went “Oh so he does care?” Anna is definitely different than how she was in the first film, but she is still a bit anxious and takes things out of context, like I can sometimes. For a second when Kristoff was in the sled and the woods trying to propose to her again and Anna started freaking out wondering if something bad was going to happen to them or Elsa I thought, “Okay, who peeked inside my brain and stole a bit of my personality?” Lol. Elsa is beautiful as always, inside and out, and so is Anna, but I loved Elsa’s sass in the beginning of the Into The Unknown scene. Olaf is still funny, perhaps maybe a tad bit more annoying, but maybe it’s just me. And Sven was well, Sven. Again, I wish we could learn a bit more about Mattias, Yelena, Honeymaren, Ryder. They all just seemed “there.” Hopefully if there’s more Frozen stuff coming or even a potential third film in the coming decade of the 2020′s, there will be exploration and interaction with these characters, and even some adventures with the Northuldra tribe. (Now I’m imagining a spin-off series with Honeymaren and Ryder, brother-sister adventures.)

Character rating: 7.8/10

Final Take

The film just felt...off. It almost felt the equivalent of waking up on the day a project is due for class and you bust the whole thing out in 2 hours before you got to go. You did what you were supposed to do, but the teacher can tell you waited until the last minute, and he/she grades it just like that. Again, I know other people in the fandom are probably going to rip into me, but this is honestly how everything came off to me. Everyone likes and does not like certain things, everybody interprets things in life differently, and for me, I like the first film better. It also hits home a little more personally for me too, because of the message it sends out, which also can be interpreted in many different ways too. After a long time of waiting and being excited since the first news of a Frozen sequel came out only to just feel some type of way once the whole is done and over with after all the hype is mildly depressing and infuriating; especially since the sequel was supposed to be something different than what it is now, and again, Ima leave it at that. 

If whether you’re a person who stands or does not stand where I stand within the fandom and know what I’m getting at, I still encourage you to remain civil and please do not send any angry messages to the creators or anybody else, it’s not the polite or mature thing to do. Having an opinion doesn’t justify rude responses, because at the end of the day, we all have our own feelings. I’m not going to hate you if enjoyed Frozen 2 100% but I will hate any troll messages that anybody might send because I didn’t rate this film the rating you wanted. Alas, I do hope there’s more Frozen in the future to come, for all of us to enjoy together. 

-Makayla <3

[missjanjie]

Must be the Summer Heat (That Gives Her That Glow) | Branjie

Summary: This is a continuation of this drabble that ended up being a oneshot. There were six individual requests for a follow up and also a recent prompt for Nina playing Vanjie in snatch game. Enjoy!

-

The All Stars Six cast had entered the workroom for the first day of the third episode. Everyone was in good spirits, relieved to have survived the first two eliminations.

Brooke Lynn and Vanessa, specifically, were happy to have narrowly avoided outing their relationship. It would have been embarrassing to have blown their cover in week one, especially since their official reconciliation was – as Vanessa had put it the first time around – fresh out the womb. In fact, they had only concretely confirmed their status to each other a week before arriving on set.

Maybe they would have better luck convincing literally anyone that they were ‘just friends’ if they had time to work out a story beforehand – they were as bad at improv as they were at any other type of acting. Winging it, they supposed, was all they could do.

This week’s challenge was the Snatch Game – something everyone saw as either a chance at further success or, for people like Brooke Lynn and Vanessa – a chance at redemption. It didn’t take long after the announcement for everyone to rush to their stations and get right into preparations.

“Who are you gonna do, Nina?” Brooke Lynn asked as he brushed out the wig that he was planning on wearing.

“Well, I’ll tell you who I’m gonna do…” Nina spoke in her ‘Vanjie’ impression, immediately making everyone laugh, “You know, hopefully it’ll go over better than Roxxxy’s Alaska impersonation, but I think my Vanjie-isms are on point,” he explained in his normal voice.

Vanessa arched his brow and laughed. “Ima be watching you, bitch. Tread lightly,” he warned, scribbling potential jokes and one-liners for his own character, shifting nervously as he tried to prepare. Clearly his stress was starting to show as he realized Brooke had made his way to his table with a concerned expression.

Brooke Lynn put his hand on Vanessa’s shoulder and squeezed lightly. “How’re you holding up, Vanj?” he asked gently, sitting beside him. “You feeling more confident this time around?” he asked, despite knowing the answer.

“Not as much as I should be,” Vanessa confessed quietly, resting his head on Brooke’s shoulder. “This is the shit I still struggle with, you know? I know Ru and everyone else are gonna be looking at me to see how I do. Guess I’m preaching to the choir, but you got some redemption already,” he mused.

He wasn’t wrong, Brooke Lynn knew that as much as Vanessa did. “I know, believe me, I get it. Last time was rough for both of us. But you’ve grown so much, and everyone’s rooting for you no matter what,” he told him. “Besides, you’re too much of a fan favorite to go home this early,” he teased.

Vanessa laughed, sniffling a little. “Thanks, Brooke. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” he hugged him before Brooke Lynn returned to his station. He could do this, he thought. He just needed to get out of his head.

When it came time to play the game itself, everyone’s nerves appeared to have subsided for the time being – the most important thing was making RuPaul laugh however they could get him to.

One act that stood out, unsurprisingly, was Nina, who was able to mimic Vanessa’s mannerisms and vocal inflictions almost to a T. It was almost enough to make Vanessa break character at a few different points.

At one point in the game, RuPaul asked Nina in character if he had been staying in touch with the other season eleven queens, to which he answered, “Yeah, you know, I still got my Dream Girls. And between you and me mama, I ain’t been kicking Brooke Lynn out of bed either.”

Ru and the two contestants laughed heartily at that. “Oh really?” he egged him to go on – this was almost as good as getting a confession from Vanessa himself.

“Listen, what happens on tour stays in the hotel rooms. And the dressing rooms. And sometimes the bus when we thought everyone was asleep,” Nina continued, having all but forgotten that Vanessa and Brooke Lynn were both on the same panel, staring at him incredulously. ----------

“Hey Nina,” Asia called out to him while they were getting ready for the runway. “If you get into the top two and win the lipsync, are you gonna split that ten grand with Vanjie? You’re profiting off of her likeness,” he asked with a light laugh.

Vanessa bristled at the question even without being directly addressed. “It’s the least she could do after blowing up my spot like that. She knew she didn’t need to go for that low blow,” he chimed in as he did his makeup.

“Nina, girl, you know I love you, but it would’ve been just as easy to do a funny Vanjie impression without having to drag our personal lives into it like that,” Brooke added in a much more calm and gentle tone.

Asia looked between the three of them oddly. “Wait, so she was telling the truth? I mean, I had my suspicions, but…” his voice trailed off as he gestured vaguely, “I just figured y’all discussed what was gonna go down beforehand,” he shrugged.

Nina looked taken aback, but it was clear he did feel guilty. “Vanjie, I had no idea it would be a sensitive subject for you. We’ve all been joking about it, so I thought it would be fair game. But Asia’s right, I should have asked you for confirmation regardless, and I’m so sorry,” he apologized emphatically.

“I forgive you,” Vanessa replied curtly. He knew Nina’s apology was sincere, and he did accept it, but he did still feel tense and uncomfortable in a way that only time could heal.

“Are you alright, Brooke?” Nina asked with a hint of awkwardness in his tone, knowing that Vanessa was still upset.

Brooke nodded, doing his best to seem poised and unphased. “I’m not mad, I understand that you got carried away,” he replied even though, in reality, he was just doing his best to stay strong so neither Nina nor Vanessa felt any worse.

That had been the end of their storyline for that episode. All of them survived to the next week, and the pressure was building even more. They were all starting to feel the heat. Perhaps that was why after they got to a challenge that they were both safe in, Brooke Lynn and Vanessa managed to sneak away while the focus stayed on the winners and losers.

“I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up, Brooke Lynn,” Vanessa confessed. “It was one thing to compete when everyone knew we had our thing going on, it’s different when we’re trying to hide it. It’s just another fucking thing we gotta worry about, like we don’t fucking have enough to deal with,” he vented.

Brooke frowned sympathetically and wrapped an arm around him. “Baby, I get it. It’s hard for me too. I’d much rather be able to hug and kiss you whenever I want. But this is what we agreed to do if we didn’t want to have that narrative again. Then when all is said and done, we can pick up where we left off and love each other on our own terms.”

Vanessa sighed and curled up against Brooke Lynn. “You say shit that’s smart and makes sense, and I want it to change how I feel, but I just…” in an impulsive act, he suddenly sat up and kissed him deeply, cupping his face with both hands and pouring out every single feeling of longing and need over the past few weeks into that one kiss.

And Brooke couldn’t have fought his feelings if he tried. His arms wrapped around Vanessa’s waist and pulled him close. He had missed this – missed him – more than he realized. He wouldn’t go so far as to say love was more important than winning, but he’d be damned if he couldn’t ignore Vanessa’s feelings, let alone his own. If he was going to give in to their desires, he was glad they could do it alone, sequestered from their friends and the harsh eye of the camera.

“Anyone see where Brooke Lynn and Vanjie went?” Asia asked offhandedly, looking around without realizing he was in earshot of the couple.

As nonchalantly as possible, Vanessa and Brooke returned from their impromptu reconciliation-slash-makeout session and joined the group. “What happened?” Brooke asked as casually as he could. All he received in response, however, was a bunch of confused stares. “Is there something on my face?”

“Other than most of Vanjie’s lipstick?”