#shoutout to female characters who are widely hated!!

[erbezdiez]

misa misa!

[ziracona]

re: the evan discussion and specifically how you mentioned how good and chill the fandom writes him; its so infuriating to watch people woobify the murderous capitalist and see the sympathetic (of course, as you said, POC and women) characters paid dust or straight up turned evil, and its so good to see someone finally speak on it. though, i do remember before the archives (like 2016-17 DBD), his backstory was retconned like 3 times. maybe thats the reason for the discrepancy in how hes seen?

Yeah, I really feel you anon. I’m glad you were able to find some commiseration with me. It’s like, I still would still hate it on principle, but it wouldn’t be so grating to me if just either like everyone got the same treatment, or it was less wide spread, but it is so tiring and not fun to see the rich white estate owner sadistic serial killer get woobified or a weird blanket pass very constantly while at the same time like, actually never did a thing wrong Lisa Sherwood is sitting covered in cobwebs in the corner full of pre-existing potential no one is making bank on. 

According to a buddy of mine, it’s largely due to a fic that got popular that wrote him that way? But I know little of the old Trapper retcons so that could be a thing too. I’m like, a medium-old dbd fan, lol, I wasn’t here since the beginning, but I’ve been here a while now. Retcons and off the cuff comments made by disagreeing devs have def been behind wildly different takes before, although some heckn weird stuff like Entity Ace just seems to come out of the pitch black ether itself. (Also leave my boy Ace alone TuT he never did a thing wrong. Well. P much lol.) Sometimes huge things really can start with like, one joke a person tells, so who even knows with a lot of fan stuff. 

There are a lot of things like this that do grate on me though. Like for real, I know I’ve said this before, but uh, not super chill that when the OG fandom decided to arbitrarily assign an OG killer to ship with an OG survivor, Claudette Morel got the deformed & feral one? (& Jake just got no one back then. Didn’t even get Sally, when she was added 4th. We can all do that character math ourselves pretty easy I think, and it’s. Yeah.) To this day, it’s still one of the biggest and only ships for her that get any attention, despite her being an OG and a wildly popular character. Nothing against Max, I like him and am very sympathetic to his backstory and actually would enjoy writing him more, but that’s still not super chill. (Also poor heckn Max. He gets so infantilized in portrayals often, as if his disabilities give him the mind of a child? which is still one of the biggest stereotypes for disabled people in media. : / ).  And like, my good boy Joey has so much potential as a character, but appears in anything like maybe 1/20th as much as Frank (I like Frank, just where’s the justice in those #s?), and tho he’s chiller/nicer & like 2 or more years younger than Frank in canon, when he does get time, tends to get treated as more aggressive by far than his OG portrayal, while Frank often is jokey/light or woobified or twinkified. Joey also usually gets drawn super jacked and taller/bigger than his model, when he’s pretty close to the exact same size Frank is, and uh, neither of those trait interpretations alone but especially both together are not super chill. 

Side note to end on bc this makes it sound like all I do is stare at the parts of this fandom that annoy me, I get fired up, but I wouldn’t be here if that was true. There’s so much amazing stuff here too. And like, man, I really love and appreciate it when I see artists and writers and fans portraying or even just having a great/passionate time talking about the characters, who aren’t like that. Which does happen. A lot. With maybe not as many people, but I’ve been lucky enough to find some super cool ones on here and in other places. It’s such a breath of fresh air and always makes me feel really good after. : ) (Also like shoutout to people who loved Julie pre-archives-spotlight? Bc she mostly was totally ignored, and I was always so happy when I saw somone who was like “This is not fair” and loved her so she wasn’t forgotten.) I’ve seen some really great work and follow some amazing dbd blogs I have and will keep on appreciating so much. If you’re reading this, whenever amount later doesn’t matter, and you make dbd stuff--not just like artistic content but including just gushy posts about characters you like and have fun going off about thoughts and feelings too--for one of the more forgotten female/disabled/poc list, I appreciate you. They deserve it. You’re doin’ the lord’s work. It’s a very happy thing to see. <3

[alexsprincessparty]

Oh Boy, What a Week

Disney is a lot like Survivor in the way that "just when you think you know what's going on, you have no idea what's going on." (Shoutout to Sebastian from Survivor: Ghost Island...) A company can campaign all it wants about inspiring young girls to Dream Big, Princess while its men (both in the company and within its fandom) get away with belittling women and girls of all ages. Just this week, it was announced that John Lasseter would step down from his role of Principal Creative Advisor, following allegations of sexual misconduct from numerous women he's worked with. Earlier in the week, newly-minted Star Wars star Kelly Marie Tran disappeared from Instagram following overwhelming harassment from angry male Star Wars fans. As this is a Disney blog that discusses gender-focused issues (especially surrounding females), I feel compelled to discuss these issues as a kind of break from Princess discussion, as Disney Princesses are just one facet of so-called Disney Feminism. What happens in our films is one thing, but we still need to focus on what is happening around us, behind the scenes and off the page.

Monsters, Inc, or, the Scary Stuff Behind Pixar's Closed Doors

Let's begin with Lasseter. John Lasseter is best known as one of the co-founders of Pixar Animation Studios, the studio that brought us Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Cars. Up until recently, he was Chief Creative Officer at Walt Disney Animation Studios (Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, Moana) as well as DisneyToon Studios (DuckTales, Planes), as well as Principal Creative Director of Walt Disney Imagineering. So, naturally, we all associate Lasseter with his achievements and creations (as well as his trademark Hawaiian shirts). In late 2017, just days before the theatrical release of Disney-Pixar's Coco, Lasseter came under fire for sexual misconduct towards several female employees. Numerous women came out in protest of Lasseter, claiming the 61-year-old Disney head had repeatedly tried to kiss other female employees on the mouth without their consent, give very lengthy and inappropriate hugs (particularly with the actresses of the Disney Fairies franchise), touch inappropriately (one employee stated he would rub her leg under the table at meetings), and make comments about employees' appearances. This led to an apologetic statement from Lasseter, who subsequently took a six-month sabbatical from Disney, after which he will take on a lesser role before leaving for good this December. As I said, Lasseter is renowned for his art and his leadership, as well as his innovative contributions to the animation medium. Rightfully so. 1995's Toy Story, directed by Lasseter, was the first-ever feature film to be animated completely in 3D animation. Pixar specialized in this medium, but Walt Disney Animation Studios would not give it a shot for itself until 2005's Chicken Little, just before Lasseter took over WDAS. Today, nearly every Disney animated feature since 2010's Tangled has been animated in CGI. Lasseter and Pixar blew the door wide open on CGI animation, which dominates the animation industry today, Disney or otherwise. Add that to the work he's done as a writer or producer on films as early as The Fox and The Hound, through the Disney Renaissance, numerous Studio Ghibli classics, all the way up to the upcoming sequels to Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, and Toy Story--the film that put his company on the map. These are all great accomplishments, but are they really worth putting over the basic needs of security and safety for women in the workplace? Should we really excuse habitual predators and violators based solely on the fact that they're great artists, actors, athletes, musicians? Perhaps it's best left to an individual basis, as some people are better at separating art from artist. For example, I love Toy Story. It is indeed a revolutionary film, a well-written one, and incredibly memorable. In fact, I love a lot of the work Lasseter has done with Disney, and Disney-Pixar. That said, while I cannot put myself in the shoes of the women he affected, I won't simply forgive him because of how much I loved WALL-E. It doesn't work like that. So then, why are so many supporters of the #MeToo movement quick to initiate boycotts of someone's work after these allegations come out? Great question. It's as simple as cutting off a supply, so to speak. Since the allegations against Lasseter came out just before Coco's release, some had planned to boycott the film in protest of Lasseter (which I don't recommend, because 1. a loooooot of other people worked on that film, and 2. it's the only feature film Disney has produced around Mexican culture that also features Hispanic voice talent). What it says is, "if you hurt or violate other women, we will no longer support you." The accused no longer have that supply. It could be a financial supply, an emotional supply of "but you're still so great though!" or "it's okay because I'll still be up at the Oscars/Golden Globes/Annies this year anyway." That, again, is probably best left to an individual basis, that is, you do what you feel is right. 

For example, T.J. Miller very quickly lost favor with me after he came under fire for numerous actions (including violence, transphobia, and also calling in a fake bomb threat! A piece of work, this one), yet still, I saw Deadpool 2...mostly because Ryan Reynolds and Zazie Beetz. And Yukio. (Hi, Yukio.)

If Disney wants to continue to promise a safe workplace environment for women, then it has to commit to punishing violators within its doors, no matter how high on the food chain they are. Nobody should be "too big to fail." Misogyny: A Star Wars Story

You could argue that Star Wars has declined in quality since Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in the early-to-mid 2010s. Perhaps it got too...you know, Disney. Too soft? Maybe. Too predictable? Yeah, sure, I could see that. But the most common scapegoats for this tend to be not Disney, and not Lucasfilm. Not even J.J. Abrams, or Rian Johnson, or Ron Howard.

Nope. It's the women. Earlier in the week, actress Kelly Marie Tran suddenly disappeared from Instagram amid a flurry of hateful comments from angry Star Wars fans. Tran made her Star Wars debut in last year's polarizing eighth installment, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, as Resistance tech Rose Tico. Since the film's release, many have criticized and questioned the need for Rose, as well as Tran's talents as an actress, in addition to her appearance. I know. Surprise. Granted, a lot of post-Disney Star Wars has seen its fair share of criticism, and it's normal to criticize cinema, regardless of how much you like it. However, I have to point out a glaring pattern with some recent Star Wars gripes. A lot of issues, particularly with male Star Wars fans, are with its new streak of female protagonists. Rey. Jyn Erso. Rose Tico. Maz Kanata. Captain Phasma. Qi'ra. Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo. These are just a portion of the cinematic female characters introduced by Lucasfilm since its acquisition by Disney, many of which have been panned by the saga's male fanbase not only as "useless" or "boring," but also "pandering to women because representation/SJWs/libtards/[insert buzzword here]!" While I think all those characters invite their own well-deserved criticisms. However, simply blaming the new films' failures on the fact that they have female protagonists? Sounds fake, but okay. "Rey is the hero? But Finn was holding the lightsaber in the trailer! WTF is this?" You didn't complain about Poe Dameron essentially being the new Han Solo. "Captain Phasma is a waste of space! She didn't do anything!" Boba Fett though? "Rose stole Finn's heroic moment, what a bitch!" BECAUSE WE'RE NOT FIGHTING THE THINGS WE HATE, WE'RE SAVING THINGS WE LOVE, KEVIN "Jyn Erso is such a flat character, why is it all about women now?" Because maybe, just maybe, it would be awesome for female fans of Star Wars to see other females in Star Wars. Sounds pretty novel if you ask me. This seems to be a long-running problem with Star Wars. In fact, Tran is not the only Star Wars lady bullied off Instagram by overzealous male fans. Only a few years ago, Rey herself, Daisy Ridley, suffered the same fate and still hasn't returned to the website (honestly? Probably for the best). You can't claim that just because Emilia Clarke, Gwendoline Christie, Lupita Nyong'o, and Laura Dern haven't buckled as well, that Tran and Ridley are "sissies" and not oppressed. Believe me, they are (Clarke and Christie probably deal with this crap as Game of Thrones stars as well so they're probably just used to it). "But we didn't harass Carrie Fisher!" You reduced Princess Leia to a metal bikini until Disney intervened and conveniently forgot about it when it came to merchandising.

Again, you can argue that Disney is ruining Star Wars. I might even agree. But it's not because they keep utilizing female protagonists. In fact, Disney's only Star Wars film with a male protagonist, Solo: A Star Wars Story, has been the least profitable of the Disney/Lucasfilm era. That's not to say the male protagonist was to blame, of course. Personally, I think the problem is Star Wars fatigue, that is, Disney oversaturating us with Star Wars to the point where we just can't take it anymore. But yeah, go ahead and blame the women, sure. Clearly it has been an interesting week for female Disney fans. Some good, some bad. But, hakuna matata, I guess. The world still sucks. But remember the Fairy Godmother's words: "Even miracles take a little time." (I don't remember if she actually said this, but there's a lot of cute Tumblr gifs of her saying it, so she must have said it, right?) I'll be swimming back this way soon for The Little Mermaid, so hang tight. I've just got some bigger fish to fry at the moment. Dream Big Princess!

[adamrevi3ws]

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Nintendo isn’t really my cup of tea. Maybe it’s the cute aesthetics, maybe it’s that their games prioritize fun over nearly any other aspect that I might value, but for me, something never really clicked. It’s a lot like Studio Ghibli, where it’s extremely well-made gorgeous wholesome family friendly art that I respect but could never get “in” to.

That being said, there is always an exception. And for Nintendo, that is the legend of Zelda franchise. I’m not sure what I’ve always seen in Zelda, maybe it’s the gorgeous art direction in every game, the solid fantasy RPG (using this term lightly) gameplay, and a passionate story and music to drive you through every dungeon. I’ve felt this way since getting Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the Gameboy Advance. The best thanksgiving I’ve ever had was one where I played Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the entire day. And with that in mind, the only reason I’ve ever wanted to buy a Nintendo home console would be to play Legend of Zelda. A $300 Legend of Zelda machine, if you will.

Well, now that I have a Nintendo Switch in my household (shoutout my roommate who understands that sharing is caring), I finally had the opportunity to play the latest entry in the series, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And is it worth buying a $300 console for? Hell yes.

The first and most obvious thing I’m gonna say I that it’s got arguably the best art direction in video games in years. The cel-shaded aesthetic and its use of color like this in a modern video game is almost revolutionary. The only other game I’ve seen that gets on that level is Firewatch, which I recently played before BotW, but Zelda really lets it embrace that potential. The music delivers as always, and with this entry to the series it just really feels like they threw a piano at one man and told him to go crazy; go stupid. This more um “minimalist” soundtrack fits perfectly with the gorgeous massive open world. I wish I could hear a nice sprinkle of piano notes out of nowhere whenever I came up on a nice view while hiking.

Speaking of which, BotW’s world is absolutely MASSIVE. It’s got so many distinct areas and every possible landscape and biome that each one could practically be its own game. There have been multiple times where I had to force myself to remember that certain areas existed. My personal favorite area is Akkala, crowned with autumn leaves and a couple of not-so-deep ravines. Despite there being such a wonderful open world though, I think one of the game’s biggest weaknesses is that there isn’t always that much to do. Unless if there’s a town in said region (which there’s only, like, five of in the whole game), the only thing to do there is complete puzzle shrines and kill enemies for crafting parts. While there can occasionally be a fun sidequest, this drought of content in some areas (looking at you Hyrule Ridge and all of the Faron region) means Breath of the Wild very much risks having a “wide as an ocean, deep as a puddle” problem.

So when there is “content” (I hate that word), what is it like? With a plot as minimal and underscored as its soundtrack, the game basically tells you to find it yourself. It’s split between four “divine beasts” (fantasy giant robots that double as boss fights and cool dungeons) and god knows how many puzzle shrines (think test chambers from the portal series but with a fantasy bent used to effectively level up). Honestly I love both of them, especially the divine beasts, which I sure as hell wish there were more of. As someone who genuinely sucks at puzzle games, it felt great whenever I could put two and two together without the help of an online walkthrough guide. When it comes to combat, I think it’s very comparable to Nier: Automata, where it has a perfect level of difficulty. It’s challenging but still manages to be a LOT of fun, heavily acknowledging and valuing your character’s progression throughout the game. Finally, many have noted that Breath of the Wild is ridiculously open ended when it comes to gameplay, awarding the Link with an absurd variety of abilities/gear and infinite opportunities to use them. While I barely took advantage of these opportunities, this potential is definitely a high point of the game. I was just a bit too busy taking advantage of its fantastic cooking mechanic to notice.

The last, and honestly least important aspect of this game is the story. While it very much breaks a lot of new ground for the Zelda series, entrenching it with a LOT more sci fi elements in a fantasy setting (I was initially very reluctant to the concept of Link having an iPad), it manages to pull it off quite well. The plot was a lot like the dungeons and boss fights in the game, where I enjoyed what I got, especially with the segments revolving around the divine beasts, but still wish I could get even more. One thing Breath of the Wild fully delivers on is the endgame payoff, giving you an utterly massive mega-dungeon of Hyrule Castle to explore, and some fantastic fights and cutscenes of epic proportions to close it off. I think my only serious issue with the story, other than its minimal nature was that some of the voice acting could be a bit insufferable. The performances weren’t particularly bad, I just think someone at Nintendo needs to be desperately told that not every young female character, especially the TITLE CHARACTER need to sound like a Victorian orphan dying of tuberculosis. With that in mind, I think my favorite characters were Revali and Teba of the Rito race, and the enthusiastic merchant Beedle.

In the end, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild feels like eating a medium sized box of chicken wings from the Korean chain restaurant Bonchon. My biggest issue with it is that it doesn’t feel like you’re eating much, but with all the sum of its parts considered, you feel so full (or at least fulfilled) a bit later that you know you’re gonna have a weird time in the morning. I give it an 8.9/10.

[xfirespritex]

Falling For the Perfect 10, Chapter 3

Chapter 1 can be found here: http://xfirespritex.tumblr.com/post/158091354468/falling-for-the-perfect-10-chapter-1

Chapter 2 can be found here:  http://xfirespritex.tumblr.com/post/158131017523/falling-for-the-perfect-10-chapter-2

Shoutout to @wwesmutdonedirtcheap and @hiitsmecharlie for writing so well it gave me the energy to write my own stories.

If you want to find some incredible stories, check their pages.

Also a shoutout to those who have liked the first few parts of my story and reblogged them/commented: @thedeboniardevistation @xxnobodyshero13xx @gelinas22 @speedilyghostlycloud @fan-fiction-galore @amaranthine-reign @lordoftheringsmyass @justtheaverageblog1 @alpha-american @aineslight @reigns420 @deajm2116 @redroseblackwolfpack96 @blondekel77 @shieldgirl95 @vebner37 @banrioncethlenn @moxtiel @caramara3 @fmlallthewayup @breezy14fan.

If, by some miracle you like my writing & you want to be added to the above list so you know when I post, let me know!

Story Summary: Told from the point of view of an original female character we follow the ups and downs of dating, and falling in love with, Tye Dillinger. Pairing: Tye Dillinger X OFC Chapter Summary:The next morning a few changes take place professionally for Tye and Shanna. Note: No warnings for this chapter. Sexual tension, innuendo and other such things can be found but at this time, this chapter could be considered safe for work.

Please let me know if you like the start of this story and I will happily post more!

Thank you to everyone who commented and liked the last chapter. Hopefully you enjoy chapter 3!

-Brittney

Chapter 3: Breakfast and Breaking Ground

The next morning I woke up and felt the warmth of Tye behind me, his arm wrapped around me, keeping me close to him. I smiled and leaned back into him, enjoying the warmth. Tye’s arm tightened around me.

“Morning,” he mumbled into the skin at the back of my neck. I shivered and rolled over to face him.

“Morning,” I said, smiling at him. He blinked a few times and reached out, resting his hand on my cheek before running his fingers into my hair.

“You’re really here,” he said, his voice soft.

I giggled and shifted closer to him. “Well you are in my bed after all,” I teased. He smiled at me and pulled me to him, stealing a quick kiss.

“What did you want to do today?” he asked.

“Breakfast first,” I said, smiling and rolling away from him and out of bed.

“Hey, come back here,” he groaned.

I looked back at him and smiled. “Nope, gotta make you that French toast,” I said, winking as I stepped into my slippers and left my room, bee lining to the kitchen. I found bread that had just started to go stale, the eggs I’d need and the vanilla extract and started working on the breakfast. Tye came out, just his pants from last night on, his chest still bare.

“You’re really going to make French toast?” He asked, laughing slightly.

“Yep, it’s one of my specialties. Do you want coffee?” I asked.

Tye let out a small groan and nodded. I laughed and walked over to him quickly, going on my toes to kiss his cheek. “Sit, I’ll work on breakfast and coffee.”

He did as he was told and I tried to ignore the feeling of his eyes on me as I moved around the kitchen, feeling the best I had in a long time. I knew that the man sitting at the counter behind me had everything to do with it. I’d forgotten how good it felt, to be wanted for more than just a one night stand.

I made Tye coffee and brought over the cup of black coffee, setting before him different creamers and milk as well as different sweeteners. He laughed.

“You don’t even drink coffee,” he said, laughing.

I shrugged. “All my friends do,” I said, smiling at him over my shoulder as I flipped a piece of toast in the pan.

My tea kettle let out a whistle and I grabbed it off the burner, pouring my tea for myself and turning to scoop up the creamers and sweeteners so there would be space to eat. My kitchen was organized within an inch of perfection so moving around quickly was easy. It made life simpler when your schedule could be hectic.

Turning back to the stovetop I pulled the last few pieces of toast out of the pan, put the butter and syrup on the counter space before placing a plate of toast in front of Tye and one for me. I grabbed the powdered sugar and my sifter and turned back to Tye. “Sugar?” I asked.

Tye sat back, motioning his agreement. I sifted a little sugar on to each of our stacks before putting the sugar away, the sifter in the sink and grabbing utensils from the drawer, walking around the counter and giving Tye his fork and knife as I climbed up onto the stool and sat beside him.

“Damn,” Tye said, looking from me to the food and back.

“What?” I asked, laughing as I cut into my toast.

“I didn’t expect the royal treatment this morning, didn’t do shit to earn it,” he laughed slightly, taking his own fork and knife in hand.

“Yes you did,” I said quietly, feeling my face heat up a little.

“What’d I do?” he asked.

“You stayed.”

--

After breakfast, some making out and a quick shower so I could get the spray and other product out of my hair I pulled on my workout clothes as Tye got fully dressed again. We left, hand in hand, so we could go back to Tye’s place and he could change for working out. We both agreed we definitely couldn’t let the morning calories sit too long.

We took Tye’s SUV, leaving mine in the lot and he drove with a content smile on his face, mouthing the words along with the songs he knew on the radio. When a song came on that played last night while we’d been dancing at a red light he smirked, reached over and turned it up, winking at me.

I laughed and he smirked at me. This was one of the known longer red lights in the area. “You laughing at me enjoying the memory of this song?” he challenged.

“Oh, and what are you enjoying so much about it?” I asked.

Tye took a moment, choosing his words carefully before he spoke.

“Dancing with your body so close to mine, feeling every inch of your sexy body against mine and trying my hardest not to grab you on that dance floor and pin you to a wall,” he said.

My body stirred at his words, at how low his voice got. The light changed and I was grateful because he had to look at the road and couldn’t see me shift in my seat as my skin tingled at the memory.

Once back at this place we walked inside, and Tye looked around. “Sheriff?” He called. A small, miniature pinscher trotted over to him immediately. Tye scooped the dog up and turned to face me.

“Shanna, Sheriff. Sheriff, this is Shanna.”

 I smiled widely and held out my hand for Sheriff to sniff. I could see his tiny tail wag and I smiled. “He’s adorable,” I cooed.

“No, he’s a badass,” Tye said. I smiled and held out my hands to take Sheriff.

Tye groaned and handed Sheriff to me. “Replaced by my dog,” he griped.

I laughed as Sheriff licked my chin and wiggled in my arms.

Tye smiled and kissed my cheek, scratching under Sheriff’s chin before he said he needed to shower too really fast before we hit the gym. It was still early morning, both of our bodies used to being up for working out so we had plenty of time.

“Does Sheriff have pee pads or does he go outside?” I asked, looking around.

“Both,” Tye said. “He’s pretty well trained and I hate leaving him locked in his crate all day and night.”

“Where’s his leash? I’ll take him out,” I said looking around.

Tye stared at me. “Already in love with my dog, huh?”

“Can you blame me?” I asked, holding Sheriff up so both of us were cheek to cheek, looking at Tye.

He laughed and took a few quick steps to me, kissing me for a moment before pulling away and rushing to the second level to shower and change. “His leash is by the front door!”

I heard the water turn on and groaned to myself. My body screamed to be next to him, to follow him into the shower but a part of me was glad we’d waited. I needed to see more of Tye before I’d let him see all of me.

I found Sheriff’s leash on the hook and clipped it to his collar. Conveniently Tye had one of the bag dispenser things attached to the leash so I grabbed my phone and stepped outside Tye’s house, walking only a little bit away so Sheriff could do his business.

My phone buzzed and I saw Becky’s picture on my phone. I picked it up smiling to myself. “Surprised you’re up so early Lass Kicker,” I teased. “How is your hangover?” I asked.

Becky mumbled into the phone, something along the lines of shut up. I laughed.

“What’s up Beck?” I asked.

“You tell me? Did I imagine seeing you and Tye outside last night together?”

“No, you didn’t imagine it,” I said.

Becky’s voice instantly sounded more awake. “We all didn’t fuck it up, did we?”

I shrugged. “I thought you did…” I said, letting my voice trail off.

“But…” Becky prompted.

“But…Tye came over last night after he dropped everyone else off.”

“Get tha fuck outta here,” Becky said, now fully awake. “What the hell happened?”

“Well, things are good Becky. I mean…we don’t have a label on it but Tye doesn’t want to just fuck and run and he stayed over, just sleeping next to me. We had breakfast and are going to work out now.”

I heard Becky cheering as she pulled her phone slightly away from herself so she wouldn’t shout directly into my phone. “Okay, I expect a call later,” she said.

I laughed. “Maybe, if I’m still with Tye I won’t be calling anyone,” I said. Becky laughed. “Hey Beck?” I said, not wanting her to hang up in victory just yet.

“Yeah?” She said.

“You could’ve just told me what was going on, you didn’t have to get me into a damn green dress, would’ve been simpler to just tell me than torture me and Tye,” I said laughing.

“Nah, wouldn’t have been nearly as fun. Besides, a man has to make his own moves,” Becky said.

I laughed and we hung up, turning back to Tye’s house, Sheriff trotting ahead of me. As we walked in the front door Tye came down the stairs again.

“What’s up?’ he asked looking at me, his gym bag over his shoulder.

“Becky is pleased with herself this morning, despite the hangover,” I reported.

Tye laughed. “Yeah I figured she might be.” He walked around to me and wrapped his free hand around me. “Sheriff peed, no number two though.”

“Sounds like him, saving it for me later,” he said. I laughed. “Ready?” he asked.

I nodded and we left, headed to the gym.

--

Hours later we were finishing up our workouts, Tye having signaled that he only had one more set to go with the triceps extension machine. I nodded and stepped out of the gym, leaning against the wall as I cooled off.

“You look good in there,” a deep voice said beside me.

I jumped and turned, seeing none other than Triple H taking a few final steps towards me.

I blushed bright red at how jumpy I’d been and did my best to brush it off. “Thanks, sir,” I said smiling up at him. He put a hand on my shoulder, an amused smile on his face.

“I’m impressed by you, I know you were part of the crowd that went out for Becky’s birthday and so far, you and Dillinger are the only two to drag your asses in here this morning, on a day off no less,” he said.

I smiled and shrugged, trying to pretend that it wasn’t a big deal. “The advantage of not being a partier,” I said, trying to downplay it.

“It’s not just that,” he insisted. “I’ve seen you, giving it your all and I wanted to talk to you about something. And Dillinger too,” he said, looking over my shoulder. “And here he is, headed over here anyway, perfect.”

I glanced over my shoulder at Tye who shifted his sweat towel to around his neck after wiping his right hand down and offering it to Hunter. “Hunter,” he said, smiling and grasping hands firmly.

“Dillinger, great to see you. I was just telling Shanna I wanted to talk to the two of you about something, do you two have a minute?”

I looked at Tye, feeling my stomach drop. Were we in trouble? The company was pretty strict about dating other talent and while not forbidden, it couldn’t mess up storylines or anything going on. Had Hunter heard from someone already?

Tye nodded. “I think we have time,” he looked at me and nodded, trying to be encouraging.

Hunter smiled broadly. “Great, follow me,” he said and turned. We followed him and I had the vague sensation of being in trouble in school and brought to the principal’s office.

Tye took my hand in his as we walked and gave it a quick squeeze before releasing it. He didn’t know what was coming either but he didn’t want me to feel alone even if he didn’t want to throw our brand new relationship, whatever it was, in Hunter’s face.

Once in Hunter’s office I spotted Matt Bloom sitting in one of the spare chairs. Matt stood and shook hands with me and Tye, motioning for us to sit.

“That was quick,” Matt said to Hunter.

“They were finishing their workouts,” Hunter responded.

I sat and looked between the two positioned to my left, my head nervously turning to Tye who was doing his best to remain calm.

“Well, I know this is probably sudden, especially for you Shanna,” Hunter said, smiling at me from behind his desk.

“We have an idea that’s been cooking for a while now and wanted to run it past you both,” Bloom added on, a smile on his face as he looked at Tye.

“A storyline idea?” Tye asked.

“Yeah. We wanted to know how comfortable you two felt working together on screen? We know you’re friends and we’ve seen you working out together, in the ring and out. Your dynamic is exactly what we’re looking for,” Hunter said, smiling at Tye first then at me.

“What kind of storyline?” I asked.

“Well, that’s where we want to be sure you’re both okay with it. You see, with Tye’s current storyline with SAnitY he’s outnumbered often. This week we wanted to have a couple guys come give you a hand but there’s the x factor in Nikki. Tye, you and the guys we want to give you a hand are all faces and as a rule, for both faces and heels, they don’t hit women. We want you and you team to be in a match with SAnitY and have Nikki help cost you guys the match.”

“What guys?” Tye asked.

“Jose and Roderick,” Bloom said. “They’re buddies of yours, good faces and the type of characters to lend a hand when needed.”

Tye nodded and looked at me.

“Where do I fit in? Keeping Nikki at bay, I take it?” I said, looking to Bloom and Hunter.

Hunter nodded. “Mostly, yeah. But see we wanted to add a different dynamic. SAnitY is all about, well insanity, chaos. No reason for their attacks or their words. Their only allegiance to the others is their warped minds, you get the idea of the characters,” Hunter said, leaning forward on his desk. “With Jose and Roderick, like we said, good guys to help a friend out, especially since they themselves had run-ins with SAnitY previously. But how to get you in there?” Hunter said, smiling softly at me.

“We needed a reason to pull you in. We’ve seen you and Nikki in the ring at practice and know you two can go pretty hard without having issues chemistry wise. So we thought, would either of you be uncomfortable with an on-screen relationship?”

I froze and Tye, for reasons known to him only, burst out laughing.

I stared at him, starting to see the humor given the last eighteen hours. Hunter and Bloom looked perplexed but waited until Tye smiled, his laughter under control.

“Well, I’m fine with it,” Tye said. “As long as you guys don’t get on us about our off-screen relationship,” he added, taking my hand in his.  I blushed, looking at our joined hands then back to Bloom and Hunter.

Hunter laughed lightly to himself and I could see the smile on Blooms face stretch a mile wide.

“Took you long enough, you bastard,” Bloom said tossing a pen at Tye.

I laughed in half-shock at the joke from the head coach. Hunter just laughed. “Ten years,” Hunter said, shaking a finger at Tye. “Ten years I’ve known you and it took me that long to see you so puppy dogged over a woman and then it took you nearly a year to say something to her?” he laughed.

Tye shrugged and I blushed more. Tye leaned over and kissed my temple, his hand leaving mine to go to my back and rub my shoulders.

“This would mean TV time?” I asked, trying to get back on track.

“Yes. Shanna you’re not well known on NXT TV but you’ve got your following from the indies waiting to see you. You’ve earned the time on TV and frankly,” Hunter said, trying not to laugh more, “We were hoping that if Tye hadn’t maned up by now this storyline would’ve made him.”

I stared at Hunter. “You were going to play matchmaker?” I asked.

Hunter shrugged. “It would’ve killed…what, three birds with one stone?” Hunter asked looking to Bloom.

Bloom nodded. “Even odds with SAnitY, get you on TV, give Tye a chance to speak his peace,” Bloom said, ticking each one off on his fingers. “Yeah, three,” Bloom confirmed.

Tye groaned. “You guys make me sound like a kid,” he said.

“Yeah, well now it’s two birds and still that’s good business, what do you think?” Hunter asked.

I looked at Tye who smiled at me, leaving it up to me.

“Sure,” I said, looking back to Hunter and Bloom. “Thank you for the opportunity,” I added quickly.

They smiled and nodded at us. Tye shifted like he was going to stand, shake hands and leave but Hunter held up a hand. “We’ll flesh out the plans at the taping this week but I had one more favor to ask you both,” he said.

I looked at Hunter intently. Favor?

“What is it?” Tye asked.

“How do you two feel about being on Breaking Ground this season?”

I stared at Hunter, then to Bloom who nodded at me, a proud smile on his face.

“Are you serious?” I asked.

“Hell yeah,” Tye said.

“I’m in,” I added on.

Hunter laughed. “If only all talent was this easy. Shanna, tomorrow when you come in go to legal, they need to sort out your pay raise for the TV time and Breaking Ground filming. Tye, same for you with the filming of Breaking Ground. Also, tomorrow when you’re in legal they’ll break down the filming of Breaking Ground, how often they’ll follow you, the ins and outs, dos and don’ts. If you have any questions, just call me or Matt, okay?”

Tye nodded and stood. I stood too and we shook hands with each of them.

“Just do us one more favor?” Hunter called as we went to leave.

We turned to look at him. “Don’t post anything…relationship wise on social media till after it hits the NXT airwaves, okay? It’s your life but it makes kayfabe easier. If you have to post something…try and keep it vague? I don’t want to tell you how to run your lives but you know the deal around here.”

Tye and I nodded and promised before walking out.

As soon as we closed the door on the office Tye scooped me up in his arms and spun me around, making me squeal as he laughed.

“Best twenty-four hours of my life,” Tye said as he put me down. His hand found my cheek and he pulled me up to kiss him. I returned the kiss, feeling excitement and pure joy run through me. We broke apart and smiled at each other.

“We need to celebrate,” he declared.

“How?” I asked.

“Depends, do you want a lazy night in or a night out?” he asked.

I groaned. “Lazy night in?” I begged.

Tye laughed. “You got it. Let’s get going, I’ll drop you at your place. Come over tonight around six? I’ll handle dinner and the entertainment. You come in whatever comfy clothes you want.”

“God,” I said, laughing as we walked. “You really are a perfect ten.”