#pretty much hit the nail right on the head there otto

[filmforfancy]

[rogue-wonderful]

Ok I’m actually doing it. Here’s Chapter 1

aka “Not quite NaNoWriMo but I’m going to actually try to make some progress on this fic this month” aka “Maul and Eldra go on a space roadtrip”

Rating: T (so far) 

Tags: Past abuse, Past torture, Implied/referenced torture,  Past child abuse, Past violence, Eldra and Maul have PTSD (will update as needed)

@greenreticule​ is an amazing beta and an even better friend

Let me know if you want me to tag you!

A03 Link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21328261/chapters/50794984

Chapter 1: Falling

“One more time, I think I got it” the sky blue Twi'lek panted out. She disengaged from her opponent and settled back into her stance, trying to shut out everything except for her own movements and connection with the Force. “We’ll see about that!” taunted the Human, her mischievous grin making her face look disconcerting in her blade's golden light. Darsha Assant was very talented and this was a tough maneuver, but Eldra Kaitis was determined to get it right this time. Focus, be in what is, not what will be Eldra let out a few breaths, connecting again to the Force. "Ok, go." Darsha immediately attacked. "I still can't believe you get to go fight pirates, it’s so exciting!" Darsha said mid strike. Her golden blade making an arc above Eldra's lekku as she slashed, trying, and failing, to get an opening into her training partner's defence. "We're investigating a corruption charge involving trade routes in that sector." Eldra slashed at the new opening at her friend's legs. Darsha parried and blocked, immediately launching into a stab at her friend's chest. Eldra guided Darsha's blade to the side as she hinged her body away, angling for an overhead strike. "And we don't know if it's pirates, my master said it's probably going to be lots of sorting through paperwork and negotiating a treaty with the local governments." she continued. "Boooorrring" Darsha blocked the blow, circling to the outside of Eldra’s range to get a better angle of attack with her next strike. "Hey we all can't fight crime syndicates and work with jewel thieves like Kenobi does." Eldra shot back as she mimicked Darsha's movement. Blocking the overhead strike then moving to her opponent's outside. "True. But one can dream, right?" Darsha paused, then went for Eldra's head again. Eldra laughed as she ducked, slipping her opponent and launching herself over her friend’s shoulder before they locked blades again, the blue and gold making a familiar hiss as they touched. Eldra stopped and deactivated her blade, Darsha's soon followed. Eldra leaned over and hugged her friend as they walked side by side to the closest eating hall. "One can dream." she agreed. ------

She's holding her master. there's so much blood She can't heal and shield them both from the blaster fire, it's just too much. She puts pressure on the wound with one hand and deflects with the other. It's not enough. She's not enough Her Master is trying to say something and Eldra can't quite make out what it is. If she was better she could do it. She could save them. She doesn't. ------ "Im sorry," Eldra choked out through a bloody mouth after her last beating, "you're going to have to do better than that." "Oh, I plan to, Padawan. I plan to." The elegant woman answered. She turned to leave the hanger Eldra had been caught in but stopped at the blast doors. "You know, if you'd just stop all this escaping nonsense we would stop punishing you. I want you to be pretty for whoever buys you" "Kark. you." Eldra spat. Xev Xrexus laughed, "Tut tut, such language!” She turned to one of the guards holding Eldra down “Otto? Please show our guest back to her cell and make sure she can’t move this time. Oh, and send for a med droid. She needs to look presentable." “Yes, Ma’am” The guard jabbed something into Eldra’s side. She fought the growing darkness in her vision as long as she could, managing to throw off her captors and make another run for it. The floor rushed up to meet her. ------ The torture droid's needle stings as it pierces her neck Eldra wonders if it's going to be numbing or burning this time

------

She could be turned

The thought was almost a physical blow, one Maul could not afford to ponder on as they fought. If he slipped his concentration now Eldra Kaitis would kill him as surely as he would kill her when he got the opportunity to strike.

He saw an opening and roundhouse kicked her across her jaw, her body flying backwards with an audible crack. He hoped his disordered thoughts would go with it.

They didn't.

As he tried to close in, she suddenly flung out her hand, force pushing him into the cliffside wall nearby. The impact took the breath from his lungs. In slow motion he saw her throw her saber towards him, and wondered if this was the end, but noticed the trajectory was off.

How disappointing. He had thought she was better.

"A wasted effort" he glared at her, his tone dripping with contempt even as she pinned him to the cliff wall with the force. "If you're going to throw your weapon, make sure you hit your target" "I wasn't throwing it at you" she smirked

He looked up just in time for the first rock to nail him across the forehead, a sharp pain suddenly there as it took his left front horn clean off. He fell back, the rockslide flashing like a stuttering holo transmission as the stones buried him.

------

Pain

Its dark

He can't breathe right.

This is not how I die

His hand shot out of the pile, clawing at the starlight, at air, at life.

Where is she?

He unearths himself, reaching for a sign of her light in the force.

He needs to finish this. This is his fight. This is his revenge. Eldra Kaitis' life is his to claim. He is Sith. She is Jedi. She must die.

His master can't know

His head hurts.

Where is she?

------

"If I would have known it was my last drink before heading to prison, I would have made it a better vintage" Xev Xrexus remarked calmly, then chuckled to herself. "But fair enough Padawan, you've earned it I suppose. Shall we? She held her hands up almost playfully for the restraints she assumed were coming. Even now, she couldn’t bother to say Eldra’s name.

Edra just stared at this woman, the one who had made her life an absolute hell for months.

How dare she?

A wave of anger swelled in Eldra

HOW DARE SHE?

Eldra had been beaten, starved, cut off from the force, for months. Hunted even. And after all that. Sold. The bitter word kept repeating, thrumming through her whole body, each repetition more poisonous and twisting in her gut than the last. Sold. Sold. Sold Sold SOLD Eldra had just fought and bested a Sith Lord, and this woman had the nerve to make jokes? After she enslaved her, this piece of bantha shit actually had the nerve to laugh. Like it had been some small prank she could be forgiven for.

Enslaved. Her.

Eldra was drowning in it, the anger, the cold

Her eyes met the women's and she raised her hand, the dark swirling around her. A sharp smell in the air, sparks and crackles of lightning dancing from her fingers.

Xev Xrexus died very painfully, her inhuman screams echoing through the empty station, her last sight a pair of pitiless golden eyes burning into her from a glowing storm.

[happyfroglegs]

Secret Santa: Merry Christmas!

Hi @kiddoryder , you said you wanted a brotherly Gibson and Sprx fic and boom! Here it be, I hope you enjoy it.

Gibson had always known he wasn’t the best when it came to anything physical. Not for a lack of trying though, he just wasn’t a super strong fighter. He’s a scientist, not a warrior. Even though he’s always known and accepted this fact...there were still many times where he felt insecure about it. This was especially true today as the team was fighting off against a 10 ft tall formless monster that looked very similar to a crab. The armored crab slammed it’s claw down as Gibson and Nova jumped away from it.

“Smack-Slam-Kazam!” Nova slammed her fists against the top of the crab’s head, making it grimace in pain.

“Jeez this thing is stronger than we thought! How are we gonna stop it?” Sprx asked before dodging one of the crab’s flying projectile spikes.

Oh yes it has spikes on its back.

“I don’t know, but we gotta find it’s weakness soon or it’ll just keep wrecking everything!” Chiro huffed.

Sprx looked over at Gibson, who was looking for an opening before dodging the crab’s claw trying to smack him. Sprx frowned in worry.

Gibson, while attacking and dodging the crab, tried to think of a strategy to stop it or find what it’s weakspot was. Gibson quickly dodged a spike but felt it graze his tail. He fired at it, but it only brushed off the attack like it was nothing. Gibson felt his stomach clench as sweat began to trickle down the side of his face. Jeez how was he going to get past this thing’s hard shell?!

“Gibson, you got any ideas on how to stop this thing?” Sprx asked.

Gibson, quickly thinking said, “We have to get past the creature’s shell, it’s the only thing protecting it!”

“Well gee Gibson don’t you think we’ve been tryingt?!” Sprx asked in frustration, knowing they’ve been trying to do that but have no idea how to break it.

“Well if you give me a second to think-!”

“Guys watch out!” Otto suddenly called out.

The crab then swiped at the two, attempting to grab them. Sprx quickly got out of the way and tumbled onto his knees. He looked up and saw Gibson was caught right in the creature’s claw. Gibson struggled to get out of it’s grasp, but his arms were trapped. He then felt the crab start to crush him. Gibson let out a painful yell.

“Gibson!” Nova yelled before Sprx quickly got into gear.

“Let him go you overcooked moss eater!” He snapped before blasting the crab in the eyes with one of his magnetic attacks.

The creature screeched and dropped Gibson to the ground. The crab’s armor vibrated violently at Sprx’s attack. Gibson clutched at his ribs in pain before slowly getting up. He watched as he saw the others go at it, trying to distract it. The creature was clearly affected by everybody else’s attacks...so why weren’t his? Was he really that weak?

Gibson felt himself tremble before he felt his arm being elbowed gently. He turned to Sprx, who was smiling a bit.

“Hey you’re not the only one frustrated about this thing, Antauri can’t even get a hit on it.” Sprx said to him.

“It’s not that…” Gibson looked off to the side, not wanting to look at Sprx in the face

He really didn’t want to get into this right now, he didn’t want to talk about how weak he felt.

Sprx frowned and placed his hand on his hip.

“Really? Thought I was hitting the nail on the head with your whole ‘not a strong fighter’ insecurities thing.” He said.

Gibson’s eyed widened as he whipped his head back up.

“How-?!”

“Gibson please we’ve lived in the same robot together for years, you don’t think I see how down you look when we compare training scores? Trust me brainstrain, even I get that way every now and then.” Sprx said.

Gibson had a hard time believing someone as confident as Sprx would be insecure about himself but maybe that was a possibility. Maybe he wasn’t alone on feeling like this. Sprx gently elbowed him again.

“You’ve even get pretty high training scores sometimes, even higher than mine. So don’t worry too much about your strength or whatever. Just keep your spirits up and you’ll be fine.” Sprx said before scratching his chin, kinda embaressed he had to be all mushy and stuff.

Gibson straightned up as he was touched by Sprx’s words. He felt a smile grow on his face as his chest warmed.

“Thank you Sprx.” He said, quickly feeling better.

Sprx scoffed and patted Gibson’s shoulder.

“C’mon they’ve got that thing distracted, let’s take it down.”

Gibson paused for a moment before nodding.

“Magno ball beam splitter!” Sprx launched another attack at the creature and it screeched in pain.

A lightbulb then went off in Gibson’s head. Gibson turned to Sprx.

“Sprx! Keep hitting  it with your electrical attacks! It’s weak against it!” He called out to him.

Sprx eyed Gibson before nodding. The others got out of the way as Sprx darted at the crab.

“Magno ball blazer!” He yelled before launching his attack at the crab.

This time the crab’s armor fell apart as it let out a yell of pain. Gibson took this chance by quickly jumping into the air and aiming at the crab.

“Spin Shocker!”

The crab exploded at Gibson’s attack, causing a few of the others to get covered in the formless gunk. Gibson quickly washed everyone down with warm water from his drills before washing down Sprx.

Sprx sputtered and crossed his arms.

“Thanks.” He huffed before smiling.

Gibson smiled back before Otto bear hugged him.

“You did it!” He squealed.

“Otto...ribs still in pain!” Gibson wheezed before Otto let him go.

“Heh sorry.”

“Well done Gibson, now let’s go home and check on your ribcage. In case it was damaged during the attack.” Antauri advised.

Gibson nodded as the others went back to the robot, while on the way there however…

“Oh and Sprx?” Gibson said to the red monkey.

Sprx turned to him.

“Crabs eat algae, not moss.” Gibson pointed out.

Sprx frowned.

“What’s the difference?” He asked before instantly regretting it.

All Sprx then heard on the way back to the robot was all of the differences between moss and algae. Well at least Gibson was feeling better about himself than before.

[avangee]

dhshsjjdjde thanku ily buddy. I didn’t do the ownership thing sorry. I’ve really wanted to write some waterparks stuff so that’s cool. Thank you ily

Of Pretty Demons and Wishes Gawsten words: 1619 tags: Emetophobia (vomit), drinking, demons

“Fuck, man. Hey, Otto! Why’s it so fuckin bright? What did I even drink last night?” Awsten mumbled as he woke up, the last thing he even remembered about last night was some nonsense in Latin or something.

“Uh- hey. I’m-uh- Geoffairze, you were my very first costumer! Yeah- um your friend went home, and I’m really sorry but I can’t really like turn down an offer right now,” a soft voice came from beside Awsten, he opened his eyes to see a boy leaning in front of the opened window. He was pretty, unnaturally so. His hair swept over his eyes and Awsten could see white fishnets under his ripped jeans. He looked like a prostitute, just a little- Fuck.

“Did I-um, are you a hooker? Do I have to pay you? Fuck this is definitely not the way to get over Ciara, I’m really sorry. Fuck, we- did we?” Awsten was fucked, super fucked. He got drunk and paid someone to have sex with him, he didn’t even- he noticed the confused look on the dude’s face and it was a complete relief, maybe he wasn’t a prostitute. But then how did he get in Awsten’s house and why is he even here?

“Oh! Oh, god no! I mean, unless you want that, you never really told me what you want in exchange. You kinda just passed out after you summoned me. I’m gonna get fired if I don’t get at least one sale this month. I didn’t get any last month and my boss is super mean- well, yeah he’s better than you all think he is. So-um- what do you want?” The boy, Geoff or something, twisted the fabric of his jersey in his fingers. His nails were painted red, it was pretty. Awsten must be dreaming, because that’s the only explanation for the nonsense coming out of this imaginary man’s mouth.

“I’m dreaming, yeah. This is a dream,” Awsten told himself, he’s going to wake up any second now and this stranger will be out of his house. Fuck, but why would he have a headache in his dream?

“You aren’t dreaming. Please- um- I really don’t want to go back in the pit. I need a sale, and you summoned me and- please just tell me what you want so I can bring Nazareth back a soul,” Geoff, Awsten’s pretty sure his name is, is talking nonsense. A soul? Yeah, right what is this dude, some kind of fake demon? “I’m a real demon! I just won’t be for too long if I don’t get a sale. So, Sir Awsten, I’d really appreciate it if you told me what you want so I can make my first sale.”

Awsten was taken aback, like completely. First, who calls anyone ‘Sir’ out of sex? Second, this dude totally just read his whole mind and now he can probably hear how much Awsten really wants to kiss him- and vomit. Vomit is coming. Awsten runs to the bathroom, it wasn’t so much a run as it was an awkward stumbling while keeping from tossing all his cookies. He feels absolutely awful, he nearly forgets about the kinda demon in his bedroom.

“Just one minute, Geoff. I’m just, like, dying, it’s cool!”

“No! Sir Awsten! Don’t die! I need your soul! Please, don’t die. You’re like my only hope,” Geoff yelled, running into the bathroom. He was really concerned, it was adorable and super weird. Awsten was kneeled over the toilet and Geoff placed his hand over Awsten’s shoulder, it seemed like he was trying to comfort Awsten. Weird, but incredibly cool.

“Figure of speech, demon dude,” Awsten explains with puke breath and gross saliva coated on his lips, “So, I’m Obi Juan?”

“I have no idea who that is. Sir Awsten, are you sure you aren’t dying. Last time I saw someone vomit, they died like two seconds later. Do you have Malaria?” Geoff asked, his face was incredibly serious. Guess he was a demon after all.

“Dude, Malaria like died in the 1800’s or something. A thing of the past, Geoffrey,” Awsten explained, just before he vomited again.

“The past? But- woah, I guess time really does fly when you’re being burnt in the pit, Zarelg was right. Hey! That’s not my name anymore! I’m Geoffairze, now. Oh, I’m -uh- doing this wrong aren’t I?” Awsten nodded, just to give this Geoff dude an answer, he honestly had no idea what the guy was talking about.

Geoff pulled out a book from seemingly nowhere and began flipping through the pages, “Okay! Sir Awsten, I am Geoffairze the demon of- well I’m not really the demon of anything yet. Geoffairze the demon and you have begun a contract with me, your mortal soul will be mine when I complete the task or tasks you desire. So-um- that’s it. What do you want, Sir Awsten?”

Awsten was kind of in shock, but he was mostly impressed with himself. He really summoned a whole demon, while completely incapacitated and entirely shit-faced. He said the first thing that popped into his mind which, thank God, was not a request, “Why do you keep calling me Sir Awsten? Makes me sound like some old teacher or something.”

“But you- you’re a knight, aren’t you?” Geoff asked, entirely serious like knights were still a real thing. Well, there was England, they probably still had knights there, but Texas was completely lacking in knights.

“Nah, my last name is Knight, though. That might have confused you, how do you know my name anyway?”

“It’s a part of the spell, you have to say your name. You said Knight Awsten, so I just- are there really only knights in England? What about Arthur? Didn’t he have some lineage?” Geoff played with the strings of the hole in his jeans, how did he have such modern clothes if he was super stuck in the past?

“You look pretty in fishnets, why are you wearing those if you from like the one hundreds? The- uh- all of you seems so modern and normal, man.”

Geoff seemed a little frustrated but he answered anyway, trying to explain, “Well, uh, we get like a catalog of outfits we can wear when we come here. They show all the styles and what’s in fashion so we don’t stick out if people see us. I liked the way this stuff looked. I got a book of slang and stuff, too, because Nazareth said I talked like a posh lamp post.”

Awsten nodded, his head hit the cool ceramic of the toilet before realising that, yes, he is still in the bathroom negotiating the selling of his soul with an ancient dude. He bolted upright and led Geoff out of the bathroom, not before taking three tylenol with faucet water, though. Geoff seemed truly fascinated by all the stuff in his house- his parent’s house actually but a random demon didn’t really need to know that. He looked at the kitchen sink in fascination, he asked if it was real water. Fuck, Awsten really had to appreciate how far society has advanced, he can doesnt have to like go find a dirty river when he wants a shower.

“What’s a shower?” Geoff asked, Awsten had almost forgotten that Geoff could read his mind, he really needs to control his ‘pretty demon’ thoughts.

“Um- well, it’s like a lot of water that you can like wash yourself with. It’s kind of like a waterfall in the bathroom that you can get clean in, like a garden- you probably weren’t alive for that. Yeah, do you know what a waterfall is?” Awsten really was shit at explaining things, he really hoped Geoff knew what he was talking about.

“That sounds- is it magic?”

Awsten shook his head no, with a little laugh, “I’ll show you if you want.”

Geoff nodded, Awsten thought his head was going to fall off if he moved it just a little bit faster, he followed Awsten back to the bathroom. The curtain was pulled back and Awsten could hear Geoff’s gasp, he felt just a bit all powerful introducing this dude to modern technology.

“Can I- how does it work?”

“I can show you later- oh but, don’t you need a sale, though?” Awsten reminded him, his head looking down just a bit, he felt kind of sad that Geoff had to go, he was a pretty cool dude. Even if he was a whole, mind reading demon.

“You know, you can say you want me to stay here and I have to, it’s really cool here. Or you could like wish for infinite riches like a boring person,” Geoff said, fingers pulling at the fishnets so his finger was trapped underneath it.

“Won’t your boss be angry that you’re gone, though?” Awsten asked, he was looking at Geoff’s pale skin mixing with the white fishnets, they were only a few shades lighter than Geoff’s skin. He was really pretty.

“Time moves different down there, it will probably be like six hundred years here before half an hour there.”

“Okay, all right. In exchange for my soul, I want you to stay with me for as long as you’d like, Geoff,” Awsten stated, hoping that he was saying the right thing. He wasn’t sure exactly how the contract was signed, he didnt see any paper anywhere.

Geoff leaned closer, and then their lips were together. Awsten could feel his lips tingling and his eyes flashed gold for just a second before Geoff leaned back, “The contract’s signed, and I’m still a demon so that’s cool. Can I use the shower now, how does the water get there?”

[lyraparadigm]

Nostrum - Troy Otto/OC #7

Chapter 7

Once agian, beta-d by the lovely Sarah

“Troy protects us,” Gretchen nodded, her tone reflecting the assuredness of this belief.

“We can’t rely on the Troys of this world,” Alicia argued, deadpan. 

“She’s right,” Arya agreed, “You can’t. There are a lot of people out there that are worse than Troy. You need to know how to defend yourself against them.”

“Worse than Troy?” Alicia scoffed and Arya found her features twisting into a stern frown.

When Arya had entered the bunker, all her expectations of what bible study had to offer flew right out the proverbial window. Music, punch that was 80% vodka and 20% juice, as well as a bong, wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. Then Arya had taken one look at the decapitated Walker head, still groaning, on the coffee table and burst into hysterical laughter. The group had cheered her on as she played catch up and Arya was happy for this distraction. It was exactly what she needed…until Gretchen had brought up Troy.

As Alicia’s contempt for Troy became blatantly apparent, Arya felt something stir in her that compelled her to voice her own opinion of the man. “He has a code – he puts his people first. Men without codes are worse.” Arya’s tone left no room for argument.

Alicia though, too curious to let Arya finish there, probed, “You’ve met worse men?”

A short, humourless laugh left Arya’s lips, “Yes.”

Gretchen leaned closer, urging her to elaborate. Arya’s gaze flitted around the room, her eyes taking note of the boys passed-out on the couch. She blamed alcohol and exhaustion for the feelings of vulnerability surfacing to her usually cold exterior.

“There are men out there that think they can take what they want from you just because they helped you out a little– that you owe them or something – that your body and your affections are a commodity. They don’t call it rape but they hold things over your head: food, safety, weapons…they make it so you’re compelled to give in. You have to ‘contribute’ in some way or another.” Arya’s voice had turned bitter as she struggled to suppress the shiver that clawed up her spine.

Gretchen gasped softly, “Did you–  were you– in that group?”

Arya nodded, “For a couple of weeks, yeah. I had my brothers with me though and they were pretty intimidating so, aside from a few leers, no one bothered me…but I saw how other women in the camp were being treated.”

“And?” Gretchen asked, “You put an end to it, right?”

Arya stared diligently at the dirt beneath her finger nails. A rather painful lump had started forming in her throat as she opened her mouth to speak, “We snuck out of the camp, me and my two brothers. They wanted to stay back and fight but I didn’t let them. I said it would work out better for us if we raided the armoury and escaped quietly late at night.”

Heavy silence, seeming even to mute the head’s moans, filled the room for a few long moments until Arya broke it with sardonic laughter, “Karma came to bite me in the ass a month later.”

Alicia raised her eyes to look up at Arya, she hadn’t done so since the start of her story– she’d had a feeling that she knew how it would end - that Arya hadn’t stayed behind to fight. Alicia didn’t think much of Arya; the girl was selfish, surly and frankly a little twisted but Alicia had never stopped to wonder why she was this way because frankly Alicia had enough problems of her own to deal with. But as she heard Arya speak with a low voice that cracked in places, Alica felt somewhat guilty for being so quick to judge.

“When I was travelling on my own,” Arya paused to lick her lips, “I got caught in a trap. The same men from the camp had set it up in the forest to catch deer… instead they caught me.” She chuckled derisively as she tried to mask the fear those memories still brought her. Sucking in a small breath, she continued, “Three of them– they had this gleeful look in their eyes…like they couldn’t wait to get me back to their camp.”

“What happened?” Gretchen whispered, her voice hushed with horror. Her face had paled, as had Alicia’s.

Arya’s eyes were impossibly dark, “I killed them.” 

“How?” Gretchen blurted.

Arya shrugged, appearing nonchalant, “Luck. A bit of stupidity on their part and a bit of skill on mine.”

Gretchen seemed to accept Arya’s answer, though she wasn’t sure if it was because her curiosity was satisfied or if it was because Arya scared her. Alicia, however, didn’t buy into Arya’s answer even for a second. Something had happened…something that Arya didn’t want to even think about, much less talk about.

/-/-/

Arya felt somewhat responsible for Alicia as she guided her back to the Clark’s cabin, especially given the girl’s state: both drunk and high, glassy-eyed and giggling randomly. Arya hadn’t really spoken to Alicia before this evening, nor had she given the youngest Clark much thought. There was nothing for her to really go on; Alicia was quiet, choosing to simply follow her Mother’s lead. Arya had been surprised to hear Alicia had killed someone before. The fact that she had found the whole experience as being ’easy’ was also something Arya hadn’t expected. She felt like she could respect the younger girl now.

“Were you always like this?” Alicia sighed as she slumped against Arya’s shoulder.

“Like what?” Arya humoured her as they walked back, Arya supporting most of the Alicia’s weight.

“So cold and selfish. Were you like this before?”

Amusement faded from Arya’s voice as she replied coldly, “I didn’t have the luxury of being coddled by my mom.”

“Please,” Alicia scoffed. “My mom stopped looking after me the second Nick hit puberty and all his drama started.”

Arya’s eyebrows rose at the bitterness in the girl’s tone. “So you’re jealous of Nick? Guess we have more in common than you think,” she muttered under her breath as they approached the Clarks’ cabin. Arya knew exactly what it felt like to be the least preferred child in the household. Opening the door silently, she gestured for Alicia to be quiet so as not to wake Madison. She needn’t have worried- the Clark matriarch was sitting right in the centre of the room with a stern look on her face. Arya saw passed her anger though…she saw weariness and fear. It touched her in a way she hadn’t expected it to.

“She’s fine,” Arya mumbled as Madison approached the both of them in a hurry, taking Alicia off Arya. Both women helped Alicia to her bed and Arya watched pensively as Madison tucked her daughter in. 

“Turns out bible studies is more of a weed and vodka party,” Arya shrugged and Madison nodded, “Yeah I got that.”

Awkward silence ensued for a few seconds before Arya mumbled, “Right. Well, goodnight.”

“Arya–” Madison gripped her arm gently, “Thank you for bringing her back, and for everything you’re doing for Luciana.” Madison’s tone was gentle, persuasive almost, but Arya doubted her sincerity. She could tell Madison had reservations about her and she didn’t appreciate the false kindness.

“It’s fine,” she replied in a clipped manner and turned to leave but Alicia’s hiccupped giggle gave her footsteps pause.

“Don’t mind her Mom, she’s just mean because some very bad men did some very bad things to her.” 

Arya felt her blood freeze and every bone in her body turn to stone.

“–but don’t worry, she killed them all.”

Arya slammed the door shut as she fled the cabin. The nausea in her stomach lurched to her throat and threatened to make her retch. Flashes of memories ripped through her mind but she fought to suppress them. So engrossed in her torment, she didn’t realise Madison had followed her out.

“Arya!” The older woman gripped her arms, “Arya just breathe, Arya look at me- focus.”

Blood rushed to her head, making her dizzy, and suddenly she noticed how impossible it seemed for her to breathe. Wild eyes cleared to focus on hazel ones until clarity returned to her, until she could feel her pulse calming again. She found comfort in the woman’s words, soothing her, telling her she was safe…that it was okay…that she could talk to her about it. Something in Arya snapped as Madison said that. Recoiling, she slapped her hands away.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she yelled. “Leave me alone!”

“Arya, it’s okay, I can help you. I used to be a guidance councillor before all this. I can help.”

Arya looked at the woman in contempt and snarled, “Every word that comes out of your mouth is a lie. I don’t trust you and your farce of sincerity. You just want to know what my weakness is, so you can manipulate me the way you manipulate Troy!”

“Arya that’s not what–” Madison seemed fraught but Arya stepped back, ignoring her.

“Well I don’t have any weaknesses,” she growled. “I killed them didn’t I? I killed my demons. I let him think he was raping me. I waited until he was in me, till he was vulnerable, and then I bit his ear off.” She had a crazed look in her eyes as she struggled to maintain what little composure she had left. “Then he was the one with fear in his eyes… I strangled him to death and I enjoyed every minute of it. So I don’t need you, Madison, and I don’t need to talk about it because I’m not weak like your children,” she screamed. Her vision blurred from unshead tears as she ran, desperate for the sanctuary her small cabin provided. She needed to feel the cool steel of her daggers. She needed to clutch them to her breast and rock herself to sleep. She needed to feel safe.

~*~*~*~

 “So…how’s Luciana?” Troy asked casually as he started up the truck. They had successfully caught the boars that had been breaking into the cabbage fields and were on their way back to the Ranch now.

Nick scoffed as he glared at Troy from the corner of his gaze, “Are you seriously asking me that?”

“Alright.” Troy shrugged, “Just wanted to know how she was…adjusting.”

“She’s fine.” Nick rolled his eyes, turning to face the window, hoping that this would be the end of the probing questions. Sadly, it was not.

“How long’ve you two been together?” Troy asked jovially. Upon not receiving a response, he decided to fill the silence himself, “Must not have been long. Alicia and your Mom didn’t know about her so… a few weeks? Maybe a month? I mean, you guys seem pretty close though–”

“Why do you wanna know?” Nick snapped. “Why are we talking? Just drive.”

“I thought we were friends now, Nicky,” Troy replied, mocking Arya’s use of the nickname. “I just wanted to ask because…well, you seemed pretty close with Arya back there.” His tone had bite to it though his face was a picture of nonchalance.

Nick’s brows shot up  Troy’s questioning made sense to him now. Suppressing a snort at Troy’s jealous antics, Nick decided to play a little, “I guess.” Nick shrugged aloofly, “Arya’s special, you know? She’s one of those people you can’t help but be drawn to.”

Nick snickered under his breath as he watched Troy’s grip on the steering wheel tighten. Troy’s jaw clenched fiercely as he stewed in silence for the rest of the drive back. Arya was proving to be a more difficult challenge than he had initially presumed her to be. Her growing closeness with Nick and Luciana was hindering any further progress on his part. He understood why she’d want to be friendly with Nick – he had seen a different side to Nick earlier tonight but Arya’s warped sense of responsibility towards Luciana, simply didn’t make sense to Troy. He wasn’t jealous, he decided…he was simply irritated– irritated that Arya had so callously rejected him – the one who brought her to this ranch, the one who had saved her…but she was so ready to accept Nick, who had so traitorously left his own family behind, and Luciana who was all but useless.

Arya was better than that and Troy knew it. He just had to make her see that she was wasting her time with them. He had to make her see that where she truly belonged was by his side. He had thought his little ploy of getting the community to fear Arya would win her over. He thought she’d have asked to join the militia by now; he had bloody well hinted at it enough– but no, Arya hadn’t seemed to have caught the bait. Either that, or she had seen through his manipulations. She would be his perfect companion – his second in command, his partner.

His eyes narrowed in thought as he recollected exactly how she had reacted when he had kissed her. She hadn’t kissed back, no, but she had paused. She hadn’t pulled him in but she hadn’t pushed him away either. In fact, if Troy recalled correctly, at one point Arya had even sighed against his mouth. She had gripped his shirt and had become limp in his arms. He felt aroused just remembering how she felt pressed against him.

Troy hadn’t planned on kissing her. He hadn’t even thought about it…. Well, okay, maybe he had, but he hadn’t seriously considered it until he kissed her jaw the other day…but that, he thought, was only to bring her off that bloody high horse she had been on all day. After all, she had ignored him, pushed him away, screamed and slammed a damn door in his face. Worst of all though, she had called him ‘Cyclops’, in a tone that made him feel like he wasn’t wanted anymore. How dare she make light of him almost losing his eye?!  He had seethed for a good hour over that. He had decided to remind her that she found him just as magnetic as he found her. Sure, she’d scream at him, argue, throw things even, but at the end of it all she’d glance at him with that look…the look that meant she understood why he sometimes had to do the shit he had to do. It excited him, made him want to push her buttons, to see what else she was made of and every time he thought he had a read on her - on who she was- she’d do something unexpected. And that reeled him in all over again.

Earlier, when she had so passionately defended him it had been such a goddamn turn on. No-one had done that for him before. No one had been on his side because they genuinely thought he was in the right. How could he resist kissing her after that? She had spoken with such sincerity and it had made his heart lurch with elation. But the moment she had grabbed his face and dug into his cheekbone rather painfully he had realised he’d made a mistake. Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to regret any of it.

She tasted of chaos and bitterness and he wanted to drown in her. 

She had stormed off, pissed at him but he hadn’t let that bother him. Not really. Not until he had seen her with Nick on their late-night stroll. And now Nick was complimenting her like he knew who she was. It angered Troy and fueled his need to see her when they got back. He didn’t know what he wanted to say to her but he figured it’d come to him when he saw her. All he knew, he thought as he parked the jeep, was that Nick couldn’t be the last person she touched tonight.  

He jogged to her cabin, taking out the spare set of keys he would need to break in. His mind buzzed with all possible scenarios of their encounter tonight. He hoped it’d end in more kissing but he highly doubted that. Then again, watching her shout and throw things at him was a pretty heady experience too so he wouldn’t mind that either. 

What he had never, ever expected, however, was to find her curled into a ball on her bed, her body shuddering as she sobbed. She didn’t seem to even realise he had entered. “Arya?” Troy’s features twisting in concern and dismay as he saw her tear-soaked face in the moonlight. “What happened? Arya-”

“GET OUT!” she screamed, her voice laden with pain as it tore through Troy.

“Arya.” His features softened, his eyes wide and round, filled with anguish, as he reached to wipe away her tears.

“DON’T TOUCH ME!!” She tore herself away, hunching in fright with a rabid gleam to her eyes. Troy sucked in a sharp breath at the violent fear he saw in them. A sharp chill crept through him as realisation began to dawn on him. He felt sick to his stomach as his mind raced, figuring out something sick had happened to her. She was hugging herself tightly, her face streaked with tears, her body shaking from crying so hard. How was he supposed to help if she wouldn’t let him touch her?  “Tell me what happened, Arya,” he demanded gently, his features hard as he knelt in front of her. He already had an idea but he hoped to God it wasn’t that. The thought of her being touched against her will made his blood boil.

“No, no, no,” she fumbled and grabbed at her sheathed daggers, sending a lamp crashing to the floor in the process. She clutched them tightly to her chest and clenched her eyes shut as she struggled against her memories, trying to claw herself back as they suffocated her. She could still feel his rough hands on her skin, the bitter stench of his breath on her face, the foulness of his lips against hers. ‘Make it stop’, she sobbed, keeling into herself.

Troy ached to help her as he listened to her pleas; he felt powerless and it drove him to desperation. He didn’t know what to do. Every time he tried to touch her, she’d smack his hands away… but he burned with the need to soothe her– to make her feel safe. So he engulfed her writhing body in his arms and refused to let go, even as she scratched and clawed at his face, his arms, his chest. He held on firmly, tightly, pressing his mouth to her ear as he repeated, “You’re safe. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you, Arya. You’re safe.” 

His scent leaked into her consciousness, flooding her with an unexpected calmness. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”  His whispered words cascaded over her and despite not being lucid enough to really hear them, as she gazed into his stormy blue eyes that were ablaze with fury, she believed him.

Accepting his presence and her place in his arms, she slowly wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. Troy felt like this room and this moment with her was the only part of the world that mattered, that existed. Softly stroking her hair as he continued to hold her tightly, he whispered his promises until they fell asleep: he’d protect her, no matter what.

[bettysnooze]

i can't remember if i asked or not so!! 6, 7, 12, 13, and 28!! long ones im soz

6. which one of your muses have you been playing the longest?

answered here !!

7. which one of your muses has the most ships?

HELEN RIGHT NOW OH MAN, i never realised how flirty she is wow, and the chemistry is off the charts for so many ppl i don’t even know how to begin, half of this might just be in my head so um pls lets talk about sHIPS WITH HELEN

12. what is something everyone should know about your muses before interacting?

betty: she’s made a name for herself among students, i feel like it’d be pretty common knowledge that auradon prep and arcadia uni has its own sandman. they might not know its specifically betty?? but definitely once they’re around her, you’d just know. so if you need a good night’s sleep or some help with nightmares, betty is your girl. 

veronika: she’s a tour guide for auradon prep students! so she’s good for characters that come in for the first time ever. she always has some sort of bag with her and it’s basically a survival kit (water, umbrella, maps, auradon keychains). 

makaria: she always looks amazing. girl with the awesome fashion sense, great nails, great hair. always put together. she had a good relationship with her father, so on the isle they were basically this strong unit. if hades was walking, you’d know mak wasn’t too far behind. 

hershey: he comes from a playable game! the arcade’s on the west coast somewhere, but yeah sugar rush is 100% playable so if it’s relevant for your character to have went there and played sugar rush by any chance, then they probably would remember hershey from there. 

cestrum: he’s tall. like…6 foot more. i think i said he was 6 foot 2. in a crowd he’s one of the tall ones. when he’s sitting down in a low chair, his knees are really knobby it’s like watching a giraffe sit down. 

aiwei: he’s got visible frankenstein’s-monster type scars. recently, he’d had to stitch himself up a lot (without a good access to magic) so along his arms and fingers especially. his skin isn’t warm, it’s a little pale actually but honestly the life comes from his eyes and his smile.

otto: he’s handsome af. literally classic prince charming. comes from snow white’s family, so very posh, very rich boy trope. sits with the cool kids, acts like a cool kid, lives like a cool kid. will only be seen associating with other royals (or those close to royals) or sitting alone. but he always looks busy too. 

illyria: she’s a bit ‘mona lisa painting’ in that her eyes will literally follow you even if she doesn’t move. once you catch her attention, she won’t look away until she’s had her fill of analysing you. also she speaks a lot in class (more in recent months) and if she’s curious about you, you’ll know. she bothers a lot of people in class too lmao.

kirsa: she’s a cheerleader! super team spirit all the way. she’s got makeup on her all the time, has her own version of a survival kit. need lip balm? she’s got new ones you can just take. need pads or tampons? she’s got light, heavy, and super. need a snack? she’s got a brownie in a tin. need alcohol or smokes? she’s got them too. omg she runs high school contraband.

dignan: LITERALLY SO BUSY WITH CLUBS. you will literally always see him hanging out with someone from a sports team, usually the baseball team. he’s literally a jock. since he joined the team he’s taken to wearing some sort of sports fashion – a cap, or shoes, or a jersey or jacket. BUT ALSO he’s in mathletes!! if he’s not in any of his other extracurriculars or studying or hanging with friends, then he’s at the gym or training. 

helen: also a jock. but she’s more known for having aurelius hanging around her all the time. he knows he can’t go into any buildings, so he’s always waiting outside. sometimes he hangs out by the classroom window and watches lessons LMAO. 

penelope: if you look poor, she’ll scoff at you, if you look rich, she’ll wink at you. she may also try to steal your shit, rich or poor. her luck with stealing comes and goes, sometimes it’s a smooth steal, most of the time she gets caught. she always tries tho.

13. what’s a weird headcanon you have for each of your muses?

betty: idk if this is weird but betty has the ability to literally sleep anywhere. once she decides she’s comfortable and wants to sleep, she’s done. betty’s been found sleeping in a closet, under a desk in a student’s lounge, IN CLASS…

veronika: she knows like every word to a handful of like early 2000s songs. outkast’s “hey ya”, eminem’s “without me”, coolio’s “gangsta’s paradise”, black eyed peas “where is the love”. a lot of avril lavigne. she won’t sing it (unless you’re noelle) but she can recite and mouth along to the song

makaria: she had a cooking phase. but only she eats the food bc she doesn’t want to accidentally poison anybody or make them puke. she likes cooking food. considers herself a good food critic.

hershey: hated ice-cream for the longest time bc, as a kid, he couldn’t get through the ice-cream catapult range on the sugar rush track. full-on boycotted ice-cream from like ages 6-10. it was a sad time for hershey.

cestrum: i’ve talked about it before but his tapdancing! started when he found a pair of dancing shoes in wonderland. then he found an old gramophone and some records. he basically taught himself how to tap dance. he doesn’t do it so often now because there’s every chance someone’s going to catch him doing it.

aiwei: secretly tried all sorts of things to make himself taller. he’d do stretches. he’d hang upside down. the last straw was when he would hang by his arms off a tall beam, with weight attached to his feet. he can’t feel pain so he just added as many weights as possible, and one foot literally popped off the socket. there’s a scar there too.

otto: scared of open water. doesn’t like the idea of drowning. he frantically trained himself to be able to swim well (in a pool) but he’s still wary of going to the beach. doesn’t like flying on a plane over large bodies of water. just……..no open water.

illyria: she’s really really bad with makeup. all she had to go on for years was tia dalma’s intense eyeliner, smokey-eye look LMAO. she tried makeup for a while but got too lazy and is just bare-faced now (she loves moisturising though and buys all sorts of sea-themed facewashes and things).

kirsa: she’s really picky about food. she’s a little self-conscious about it so when u eat with her for the first time she just goes with whatever but once she’s comfortable it’s just gonna be so specific. “hi so i’d like the apple pie for dessert with the ice-cream on the side, and if it’s home-baked pie then i’d like it heated but if it’s not then leave the ice-cream and i’ll have whipped cream instead. otherwise, i’d still like the ice-cream on the side – and for the salad, can i also have the dressing on the side please?” this is shamelessly taken from ‘when harry met sally’ but EVERYTHING IS ON THE SIDE

dignan: he’s superstitious especially about competitions. the first baseball game he won, he ate ice-cream beforehand so like now every time he has to eat ice-cream before a game. different rule for mathletes though, whenever they have a competition, he has to do like ten sit-ups. he will do those sit-ups anywhere, but he has to get them done. doesn’t walk under ladders. doesn’t open umbrellas indoors.

helen: she’s really not looking to love anyone right now, but she ends up liking so many people and she kinda loves that physical side of the relationship a lot ??? she also loves showing off and that’s not really a quirky headcanon but like she loves showing off

penelope: idk yet but i think maybe she once tried singing to the birds on the isle (back when her grandmother was still like ‘yes penny sing!!’) and honestly like the birds either died or tried to attack her, she probably has a fear of birds now because of that. 

28. can you sort your muses from weakest to strongest?

PHYSICAL STRENGTH-ABILITY WISE

aiwei: is a pacifist but also just like no upper-arm strength and literally you could rip his arms off with the right amount of force so no

cestrum: could literally knock him over with a strong wind but at least he’s a little more solid than aiwei. also a pacifist. also has a little trauma when it comes to physical harm so he just freezes and let’s things happen to him.

kirsa: has no idea how to defend herself and literally just runs or something and she’s not even a fast runner. she can scream tho and she panic-fights so she has every chance to scratch someone’s eyes out.

hershey: also panic-fights. would rather run (or drive away) than fight. if he had a car in his disposal he would still choose to just drive away with as little injury to anyone as possible. not very powerful in terms of physical fights; he gets beat up a lot.

veronika: knows how to avoid fights. calm in a brawl. uses her environment to her advantage (ie. broken glass, distractions). looks to leave fights rather than end them.

dignan: only more powerful than veronika physically but strategically he’s a mess. impulsive fighter. will throw himself into anything. upper-arm strength because of recent training and exercise; good aim, has amazing aim. 

illyria: calm, strategic, trained fighter. but only good with weapons, not very good with hand-to-hand combat (would rather not touch anyone at all). different scenario if she was in the water, but by herself she’s at this stage of the scale.

otto: brute strength. brawls. boxing. clenched fists and can take a hit and doesn’t stop hitting until the other person gives up. also swordsmanship. 

helen: the most powerful out of all my non-powered people. she’s got the strength, the strategy, the experience and the training. actual warrior princess helen rider. can also do everything in heels and on horseback. can probably do motorcycle stunts.

betty: she has so much untapped potential; the ursula event was only like a small dose of what she could do if she decided to use her powers that way. could end a fight before it even started.

makaria: ofc a goddess of death would be like the most powerful. fire (hellfire) powers, and shadow manipulation and basic magic and teleportation and also she doesn’t know it yet/hasn’t had a chance but she can manipulate the dead that are devoted to hades. also she’s gonna get her immortality one of these days so Full God Mak Aidoneus™

[junker-town]

The NBA Awards Show was actually kinda fun

Good morning. We have that and more in Tuesday’s NBA newsletter.

Good morning. Hi, it's me again. I'm still getting the hang of this newsletter thing. Tom will be back later this week.

Lots of folks will snark about Monday's NBA Awards Show, and they have some points. It really was too late in the year. The less said about Drake's opening monologue, the better. I'm still not sure what happened during this James Harden interview. The Ayesha Curry skit was uncomfortable as hell. The red carpet really should have been televised.

But we also got an emotional, real Russell Westbrook MVP speech. We witnessed Monty Williams inspire everyone with a beautiful message upon winning the inaugural Sager Strong award. We enjoyed Draymond being Draymond. And Bill Russell — I mean, Bill Russell! I don't think I've laughed so hard in a long time.

The first time is never perfect, especially when you ask a bunch of athletes to act as smooth as entertainers on an award circuit. Take it from us: It's not easy creating an awards show out of nothing. In time, this'll become a beloved event on the NBA's increasingly busy calendar.

Zito Madu hit the nail on the head: Russell Westbrook's MVP speech revealed his true self, the one he so rarely lets us see.

Ohbytheway, Russ is a free agent after the 2017-18 season. The Thunder will offer him a five-year designated player extension on July 1 and he's expected to accept, according to ESPN's Royce Young. But if not? Then we get to do the same dance we did last summer all over again.

Samsung and Jordan Brand immediately released new commercials celebrating Westbrook's MVP season. Jordan Brand's was about 100 times better.

Taylor Swift waited this long to return Russell's love. Safe to say there's no Bad Blood there. Sorry, that's awful.

Enes Kanter emerging as Russ' No. 1 stan has been unexpected, but not unwelcome.

Draymond Green is a deserving Defensive Player of the Year after finishing second to Kawhi Leonard the last two seasons. As I explained in a recent Prada's Pictures video, it takes a real master to defend the way Draymond does. Rudy Gobert is not taking the loss well.

Mike D'Antoni is your Coach of the Year. I think Pop should've won it, but it was great seeing Seven Seconds Or Less vindicated this year.

Malcolm Brogdon is the lowest draft pick to win Rookie of the Year. Says a lot about this draft class. Sixers fans are not thrilled, but Joel Embiid was gracious in defeat.

Giannis Antetokounmpo won the Guy Who Is Way Better Than We Thought This Year award, beating out Nikola Jokic and Gobert.

Eric Gordon won a tight Sixth Man of the Year vote over Andre Iguodala. Lou Williams finished a distant third.

Here are all the other winners of the various fan awards and mcuh more.

Your fearless leader ranked the top 50 free agents of this class. Who's the best one to switch teams? I'm voting Gordon Hayward.

LaVar Ball and youngest son LaMelo appeared on WWE Raw, and that went about how you'd expect.

John Wall is lobbying hard for Paul George to come to the Wizards. "Look at our team," Wall told ESPN's Marc Spears. "We are one piece away." Not sure how Otto Porter feels reading that. The Wizards are reportedly trying to enter the George sweepstakes, but don't have much to trade. Maybe Wall should lobby his general manager instead of the public.

Here are your All-Rookie and All-Defensive teams. A lot of people, including active players, are angry Avery Bradley was snubbed. Me? Shruggie. Danny Green and Andre Roberson are pretty good, too.

Dirk Nowitzki won Teammate of the Year, which was long overdue. Bleacher Report put together a terrific collection of Dirk stories from his many peers.

One of Gar Forman's peers gave him a first-place Exec of the Year vote, which has to be a prank. No GM has a lower reputation right now. Ricky O'Donnell didn't hold back in ripping Bulls management. (Bob Myers was a deserving winner, edging Daryl Morey. This award is dumb, though).

Kristian Winfield on D'Angelo Russell giving the Nets the "high draft pick" the Celtics robbed from them. Nets Daily was also at Russell's opening press conference.

Ricky Rubio is on the trade market for the 700th year in a row. The Wolves need shooting around Jimmy Butler, Andrew Wiggins, and Karl-Anthony Towns, so I'm betting on Rubio actually getting moved this time.

Cool look at George McGinnis, Football Player, by the Indy Star's Gregg Doyel.

[flauntpage]

What a Toronto Raptors Rebuild Could Look Like

This article originally appeared on VICE Sports Canada.

Of the difficult questions the Toronto Raptors must answer this offseason, the biggest one, the one that stands to shape the direction of their franchise for years to come, is not entirely theirs. Kyle Lowry will become an unrestricted free agent in the coming days, and it's his choice whether to leave or stay—assuming the team wants him—that hangs over everything, the first domino in a complicated chain of decisions the Raptors have to make this offseason.

Should Lowry want to stay, the Raptors then have to decide whether they, too, want to continue the relationship and keep trying to compete with this core. There is a reasonable argument to be made that the Raptors should take a major step back regardless to maximize their chances at winning a championship down the line. There are no right or wrong answers or opinions in the tear-it-down-for-a-title vs. stay-good-and-entertaining debate, so if Lowry stays, you can argue either way.

If Lowry opts to leave, though, there's little sense in running things back. Retaining Serge Ibaka is financially plausible but would stand to more or less cap the team out with a much lower ceiling and little recourse of replacing Lowry, either by position or by talent. The Raptors face a tough call with Lowry and the core in general because they risk getting stuck in the middle, and that's an even greater certainty with a DeMar DeRozan-Ibaka core. That group probably tops out around 45 wins and one playoff series win, and the financial flexibility gained by letting Lowry walk isn't enough to see this group growing to substantially more. Lowry is the team's ceiling, and the tank-or-compete decision is made substantially easier if he leaves.

It's by no means a certainty the Raptors will go this route, and you are justified in hating the idea or loving it—this is a visceral, philosophical question with an answer that will vary by perspective—but if the Raptors were to tear things down, here's what it may look like.

Lowry Walks

Again, the biggest domino is Lowry leaving. Unfortunately for the Raptors, the sign-and-trade option that allowed them to recoup a pair of picks when Chris Bosh departed is a relic of a previous collective bargaining agreement. The sign-and-trade option still exists, but the player involved can no longer receive the extra year his prior team can offer him and the larger raises—Lowry doesn't stand to make a penny more this way than signing as a true free agent. (That the Raptors can offer him up to an estimated $55.1 million more than anyone else remains the reason they're probably still his most likely landing spot.)

That means a team like the Philadelphia 76ers has little reason to surrender an asset to facilitate the move. They can offer him the exact same deal with cap space. A sign-and-trade would only return the Raptors an asset if Lowry wants to land on a team without the full cap space required to sign him, which means Toronto can't necessarily bank on getting something in return. That's tough, but that's the nature of the current collective bargaining agreement.

The Other Free Agents

As covered, it makes little sense to spend to retain Ibaka if Lowry leaves, if Ibaka would even be amenable to that. Keeping P.J. Tucker might then be nice from a culture perspective, but the 32-year-old just spent four seasons in that role with the Phoenix Suns and would probably seek employment on a contender rather than a now-rebuilding Raptors squad. Patrick Patterson might suddenly make sense on a short-term deal to increase his value after a tough end to his 2016-17, but the money he'd command would probably be better spent taking a flier on an upside play.

If the Raptors let all four free agents walk, they would have $81.2 million in salary committed to 11 players and their first-round draft pick, good for about $19.8 million in cap space.

Shop DeRozan

The Raptors might do this quietly because of how much he means to the franchise, but they'd almost certainly try to find a new home for their all-time leading scorer in a rebuilding scenario. DeRozan will turn 28 this summer, and while he's the consummate example-setter the Raptors would want around a young core, the team wouldn't figure to be competitive again until he's on the downside of 30. It could be a case of doing right by the player, too, rather than subjecting him to those tough rebuilding seasons.

With four years and $111 million left on his deal (the fourth year is a player option), DeRozan isn't the easiest of trade chips to make work, but because he signed slightly below the max before the final cap spike, he only stands to take up about 27 percent of a team's cap rather than the 35 percent full-max free agents can command. He's not a perfect fit for the modern NBA with a middling 3-point stroke and shaky defense. He's also the league's best mid-range scorer, is coming off the most efficient scoring season of his career on incredibly high usage, has taken strides as a playmaker, and seems to get better every year.

Photo by Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Who might want him is complicated, and Raptors fans dreaming on a top-five pick in return probably need to recalibrate. Magic Johnson wants a star to build the Los Angeles Lakers around and Nike would surely love a player who modeled himself after Kobe Bryant while growing up in Compton returning home to take over not just Bryant's team but also his sneaker legacy. But DeRozan isn't a tidy fit with head coach Luke Walton's style and the Lakers already have a few young guards they're building around (and, if they keep their pick, could draft another in June). Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, and the Knicks are all varying degrees of interesting, and if the Raptors floated his name, there would surely be offers.

Trading one of the best players in franchise history is tough. DeRozan is too good to keep, though, in terms of assets left on the table and because he'd raise the team's level of play too high to truly tank.

Other Trade Chips

Toronto could try to trade pretty much whoever isn't nailed down and young, but the options are fairly limited. Cory Joseph could be dealt easily but is still just 25 and on a good deal for at least one more year. DeMarre Carroll's contract becomes less burdensome if the team isn't in the tax, and it might make more sense to try to let him rebound rather than using the stretch provision on him in this case. Jonas Valanciunas might still be deemed superfluous given the other centers on the roster, and at 25 and with some theoretical untapped upside could have a market. But his value is probably at a nadir with the center market as flooded as it is, so he, too, might make more sense as a hold.

The Raptors already have seven players on their first contracts plus a pick incoming. They would probably want to keep at least two or three of their remaining veterans around as culture-builder and stop-gap minutes-eaters, at least while their value is rehabilitated.

Free Agents to Chase

With just shy of $20 million in potential cap space, and substantially more if DeRozan was dealt without taking significant salary back, the Raptors could take a flier or two on younger free agents with upside. This summer's market isn't exceptionally flush, and the Raptors wouldn't want to tie up too much money with a handful of players hitting restricted free agency in 2018 (including Norman Powell), but they might not keep their powder dry entirely.

Among names who would fit the timeline, aren't centers, and have some degree of upside depending on the price, are Otto Porter, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tony Snell, Tim Hardaway Jr., Shabazz Muhammad, Andre Roberson, Joe Ingles, and a bunch more. The RFA class is pretty deep, though it obviously comes with complications and the ability for other teams to match offer sheets.

And there's Dion Waiters. Obviously.

Dwane Casey's Status

Whether or not the Raptors will trust head coach Dwane Casey to carry out their "culture reset" is somewhat unclear. There's more of a case to be made for it if the Raptors are staying competitive. If they're tearing down and rebuilding, it may make sense to shift in another direction with a fresh voice with player development experience. Whether that's someone on the staff (Nick Nurse or Rex Kalamian), an outside hire, or the promotion of Jerry Stackhouse following an immensely successful season with Raptors 905, the coaching chair would almost definitely be under evaluation. Taking the chance on Stackhouse, who is going to be an NBA head coach one way or another at some point, would seem the best path in a rebuild.

Photo by John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Looking Ahead

Here's where the realities of a teardown kind of sink in. This isn't a sure thing, and it's not a quick fix. Tanking, or whatever you want to call it (does a "strategic step back" work?), is the best way of acquiring a superstar on balance of probability, and acquiring a superstar is the best way to compete for a championship. Really, though, the odds are still quite slim—you can tank and lose the lottery multiple years in a row (even finishing dead last, the chances of landing the No. 1 pick are just 25 percent), you can be hit by injury luck, things can break right but the timing is off or you make the wrong call (shout out to Primo pasta and sauce), or everything can go well and you still find yourself in the same position Toronto's been in the last two years, with a very good team trying to make the jump to great.

The Raptors would probably be looking at two seasons in the mud, at a minimum. They might be able to land an extra first-round pick in the 2017 draft, but it probably won't be a top one. The draft is strong, though, so maybe Toronto comes out of it with two more solid building blocks. With the league light on tanking teams in the near-term, Toronto's path to a high pick in 2018 might be an easy one, and Chad Ford has called the top of the 2018 draft "spectacular" (with a drop-off after the top tier). Local product R.J. Barrett is currently the No. 1 recruiting prospect for the college class of 2019 (2020 draft class) but could reclassify for 2018, which would put him in line to be a high pick in 2019. You can almost see the #GrinAndBarrett hashtag starting to trend in Toronto.

You can start to see why some like this approach. Draft talk is exciting, and prospects are fun. With strong leadership, it's easy to buy into a long-term outlook and trust the process. It's hard, though. About as hard as the position the Raptors find themselves in if they want to compete, just different. It means at least a few years of being bad, trusting you'll develop talent well, banking on a few breaks in timing and ping-pong balls and health, and hoping it all doesn't just lead you right back to this same spot.

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