#sort of the inspiration that was happening

[arakkne]

@deth-2-men is just blatantly lying. A quick read-through of the above sources proves this. None of these crimes were committed with any sort of ideology, let alone radical feminism. These are literally just crimes where women killed men. Here's why:

1. His penis was cut off by his girlfriend because he had been raping her.

2. It's likely that this was in response to domestic violence, also she was 20 and he was 36, and she shot herself right after.

3. Also seems he was killed for domestic conflict reasons.

4. Another instance where the motive was due to domestic violence.

5. Motive unclear but it seems she had some serious mental health issues that were neglected.

6. Another instance in which severe mental health issues are certain and domestic violence is extremely likely.

7. No clear motive, but a news article I found suggests that this was yet another domestic violence inspired killing (she attacked her ex-lover and his children as well as her own, then she killed herself).

Notice anything? None of these are radical feminists. None of these are even ideological in nature. These are women who have been hurt and are taking it out on those closest to them. When children were killed, it was usually to hurt the man who had hurt her in turn.

If anything, these incidents support the necessity of radical feminism. If we better support women who are seeking help to escape dangerous relationships and if we punish men harder for abusing women, these reactionary killings wouldn't have happened. These stories also highlight the importance of universally accessible care for mentally ill people as well as the importance of gun regulation.

To clarify: that doesn't make it okay to kill innocent people or children!! That's absolutely condemnable.

That being said, I can't say I condemn the amateur penilectomy.... He was asking for it by raping her, no?

deth-2-men:

Repeat after me kids: TERFs are worse than neo-Nazis. TERFs are worse than neo-Nazis. TERFs are worse than neo-Nazis.

And when was the last time radical feminists lynched, curbstomped or killed anyone?

I’ll wait right here for sources.

And for the record: repetition of dogma without evidence to support it is actually a cult tactic. You may want to stop before you drink the koolaid.

John Wayne Bobbitt had his penis cut completely off on June 23rd, 1993

NFL player Steve McNair was murdered by his girlfriend on July 4th, 2009

Comedian Phil Hartman was murdered by his wife on May 27th 1998

Travis Alexander was murdered by Jodi Arias on June 4th, 2008

Andrew Bagby was murdered by Shirley Jane Turner on November 6th, 2001 (She later murdered their 1 year-old son on August 18th, 2003)

Laurie Dann killed one boy and injured five others at Hubbard Woods Elementary School on May 20th, 1988

Mary Ann Holder killed five children including her own son in Pleasent Gardens, NC on November 20th, 2011

I could go on. This just proves that radical feminists, like me and you if you identify that way, can commit crimes just as neo-Nazis can. Secondly, the repetition of the dogma was merely done for comedic effect and was not intended to offend or otherwise trigger former members of cults. 

I’m an idiot, please ignore me. I’m sorry.

[ladsheadcanoncorner]

sfw first kiss headcannons please? 🍎

aww first kisses! this was so much fun to write! thank you for the ask, dear <3 i saw the apple emoji, but wrote for all five boys, so i hope that is still okay.

rating: sfw cw: kissing ✉︎♡: ask box open, tumblr users + anons

Xavier: -It sort of happens…accidentally? -Xavier has been ignoring your text messages, and you sent him some funny videos that you knew he would love -Since he just lives upstairs, you decide to take it upon yourself to make sure he is doing okay -When you knock on the door, it takes him a while to answer it. When he finally does, his hair and clothes are rumpled and he is rubbing his eyes -“Is everything okay? I guess I fell asleep early.” -His voice is that scratchy sort of sleepy and you feel your cheeks flush at how adorable he is -You: “Everything is fine, you just weren’t texting me back so I got worried.” -He smiles, eyes softening, and then invites you in -You’re sitting on the couch together and while you watch the videos you sent, he is starting to doze off again -You: “Xavier are you still tired?” Xavier: “Mmm, a little. Nap with me?” -When you agree, you both reach for the blanket that fell off the couch, and collide into each other, bumping heads -Giggling, you move to pull away, but Xavier tilts your chin up and kisses you -“I don’t want you to worry about me,” Xavier murmurs in between kisses. “I’ll always be by your side.”

Zayne: -This man has been stressed trying to plan the perfect time to finally kiss you -He’s thought about it since you were children, but never actually worked up the courage to do it until now -First, he plans to do it right when he picks you up to get the nerves out of the way, but when you answer the door you look so cute he feels tongue tied. He tries again at dinner, but a bunch of waiters come out singing ‘happy birthday’ to another table. Then he plans to do it at the coffee shop, but you point out that he has whipped cream on his upper lip, so he chickens out again -He resigns that it won’t happen today, but then you decide to take a different turn on the way home from your date, out across the bridge that overlooks Linkon City -He’s holding your hand as the two of you stare out at the water and twinkling city lights -He thinks: Now, just do it now. Don’t lose your nerve -You: “Zayne…I…” Zayne: “Yes?” -He is completely caught off guard when you stand on your tiptoes to give him a swift peck on the lips -When you pull away, both of you are furiously blushing and you stutter out some sort of apologetic excuse -Zayne takes this moment to cup your face in his hands and kiss you more tenderly, more gently, trying to infuse each moment with how much he has wanted this to happen for so long -You: “I was worried you would take it badly.” Zayne, chuckling softly and brushing your cheek with his thumb: “And I was worried I’d never actually get the chance."

Rafayel: -Rafayel is lamenting his lack of inspiration when you visit one day -Dramatic fishie moping around the house, wondering if he lost his talent, until he gets a lightbulb moment with that familiar mischievous grin -Rafayel: “You could always pose for me, cutie.” You: “Me? Why?” Rafayel: “If you don’t, these artist hands that bring magic and joy to the world will go unused forever.” -Cue eye roll, but you agree -You feel awkward, having never posed for a portrait before -Raf is looking from his canvas, to you, and then frowns. Holding out a thumb and squinting with one eye, he says, “You’re a little lifeless.” -You tell him it’s because you’ve never done anything like this and he laughs, hands in his pockets as he walks over to you -Rafayel: “You just need a little more color in your cheeks.” -He leans forward and silences the question you are about to ask with his lips. You’re stunned for a moment, but then you kiss him back, letting your arms loop around his neck and pull him closer -He pulls away, cheeks equally as flushed as you feel, and then says, “There we go, but I don’t know if my painting could possibly do you justice now.”

Sylus: -On your way to work one morning, you see a flyer about a local Night Market, and you text the details to Sylus -Sylus responds with: “Trying Linkon cuisine with a local? Hmm, alright sweetie. I’ll be back in town tomorrow. Be ready by 6:00.” -The next evening you arrive at the market, but angry gray clouds are starting to appear overhead. You brush it off, ready to enjoy your time with him -You meander all the way down to the end of the stalls (he orders one of everything that you say sounds good), talking about everything and nothing, trying to ignore the way your heart pounds in your chest whenever he catches you staring at him -You: “Want dessert? They have a cotton candy stall here that shapes it like different animals.” Sylus: “Sure, then I’ll have two cute kittens to look at.” -When the kitten shaped cotton candy is ready, Sylus holds it out for you to take a bite together -At this moment, the sky takes the perfectly inopportune time to open up, and it begins to rain -Sylus lifts his jacket to shield you from the rain as you run towards a nearby tree for cover. By the time you get there, the cotton candy has all but completely dissolved  -Disappointed, you look down at the stick Sylus is holding and say, “I’m sorry about the kitten.” -Sylus, drenched from the rain, laughs in a way you’ve never heard before. A jovial sounding chuckle, that is loud and sincere and real -He tilts your chin up to look at him, brushing strands of wet hair out of your face as he leans in and says, "My favorite one is still right here in front of me.” -He brushes his lips against yours, tentative at first until you kiss him back, and then he lifts you off of your feet to kiss you more fully. -As droplets cascade from the sky, you wonder if anything will ever be as romantic as a first kiss in the rain

Caleb: -Let’s be honest, the two of you shared at least one kiss when you were younger -But Caleb wants a redo because no way that time you dared him to kiss you in the attic actually counts -He’s helping you clean out your closet, because you told him that he owes you a favor but also because he wants to spend time with you. He stumbles upon a big box labeled “Memories,” dusty and shoved up on the top shelf -When you come back into the room with lemonade for both of you, you’re mortified as he rifles through the box filled with your most precious memories -You: “What are you doing?” Caleb: “What, are you embarrassed about what I might find?" -He holds up an envelope with your ten year old handwriting scrawled “super secret future plan, DO NOT OPEN!” on the front. -You lunge towards him, needing to get the envelope away from him before he opens it and sees that your super secret future plan was a drawing of a house and two kids with him -In your determination, you haven’t noticed that you’ve fully straddled him until your chin bumps the top of his head  -The fear of him discovering your secret dissipates, and it is replaced with a tension in the air that you can both feel -“You don’t have to hide anything from me,” Caleb says, nuzzling his nose against yours -Caught up in the moment of it all, you lean in and kiss him -Just enough to catch him off guard and just enough to snatch the envelope away -“Ha!” you say triumphantly, but the telltale blush on your cheeks tells Caleb all he needs to know about how you really felt   -Still though…guess he’s going to need another do over

[princessmaeee]

I think I need myself some secret romance T.O.P and GD's little sister

Discretion ? I don't think So

Hello ! So, first of all, I'm sorry for the wait, it often take me some time to do the request cause I need time to think and get inspired. The challenge with that was to make it in one part so it's more of a relation than romance. Otherwise for a fanfiction it probably could have been a cute Slow Burn. I hope you will still Like it. TW : Not full Smut but mention of it.

You stepped out of the train and directly rushed into Jiyong's arms when you noticed him. Since you didn't live  at Seoul and didnt have a car Yet, when you want to visit your brother, you always take the train and of course, he’s always there to bring you at the train station. With all the fame Big bang has, having you around is always a little bit dangerous. Even If you are G-Dragon's little sister and all the fanbase knows about you, sneaking you into the house is not that easy. After all, your brother lives with other guys and if the fans came to know about you staying with them even for vacation, that could be a problem. Who knows what can happen in those walls. And actually, The fanbase wouldn't be wrong this time. After all, you are secretly in a relationship with Seung Hyun for almost a year now and even your own brother doesn't know about it. When You visit him at Seoul, it's of course to see and spend time with him but also with your boyfriend. When you can’t do a trip to Seoul, it happen that Seung Hyun come to see you or his days off and pass two or three day at your place and as much as you like to have him around, it’s kinda hard since you can’t do activities like a normal couple outside of the horse so you prefer to see him at Seoul. It’s easier to plan things and have more privacy. On your way to the boys house, you talk with Ji Yong about recent things that happened at work and some drama around it. You said how some coworkers are annoying, asking you out again and again, making him laugh.

_Why are you Laughing ? _They seem to like you a lot to ask you again and again. Why do you not accept to just go out with one of them ? _Well, because… I don’t want a Boyfriend. I need to focus on my work and I don’t want any distraction. And if things didn’t end well, I don’t want things to be weird or the other coworker to involve themselves into everything. _Yeah, now that you mention it, it’s totally fair.

It’s kinda hard to not be able to say to Him that you already have a Boyfriend. Normally I would have been the first to know, but since this person is a member of his group, you prefer to keep it secret to avoid potential problems. As much as you wish to marry Seung Hyun and end your life with him, you are still careful cause you both don’t want to create issues if your relationship has to come to an end.

Once you entered the boys house, you could smell something nice in the air and smiled. Daesung and Taeyang, who were playing video Games came to greet you and hugged you. Seung Hyun was the last one to come see you and when you saw him, you couldn’t help it and smiled more. He wore a dirty apron, making you guess he was one who cooked tonight. He does that often when he comes to see you at your place. Actually He never let you cook when he’s around. You hope it’s not cause once Ji Yong told everyone you messed up some easy recipes like rice or eggs. You even burned some cookies you had made for school when you were sixteen. Now you are way better at cooking things since you live alone.

_What are you making for us Tonight, Seung Hyun ? Asked your brother _Oh, you're gonna see. Something you will probably enjoy, he answered as he gave you a look. _And How do you know she will ? _You talk about her so much, I start to guess what she will like, he answered before his eyes went back to you. You will have to excuse me for not giving you a hug like the others did, I'm sort of… dirty. _It’s fine, let’s save this for later, you answered with a smile. Do you need help in the kitchen? _Hell No, answered Ji Yong, I would like to still have a Kitchen by the end of the evening. Let Seung Hyun handle it while we go put your stuff in your room.

The boys laugh at your brother’s comment and you blush,embarrassed. Your brother let you use Taeyang old room. Since he lives with his wife now, this room is empty most of the time and almost became yours. You planned to stay a week so you packed a lot of outfits and even some more… revealing, hoping to have at least one moment alone with your boyfriend. As you put everything in the drawers, someone knocked at your door before it open. You turn around to see who it was and smile when you notice Seung Hyun. He had removed his dirty apron. You didn’t lose time and threw yourself in his arms, hugging him tightly as he hug you back.

_I missed you, you said. _I missed you too.

You stayed a little more in his arms before he let you go. You gave him a kiss on the cheek and went back to your clothes duties.

_For how long did you plan to stay, he asked. _A week, at least. I took vacation from work because I wanted to spend more time with you. I hope it’s okay.. _Of course, We will figure out when we can have a little date.

You both heard Ji Yong's voice from the kitchen, saying the meal will burn if Seung Hyun does not come back to watch after it. You rolled your eyes as your boyfriend opened the door.

_See you later, love, He said before leaving.

The first evening you had with the guys was fun. Seung Hyun's food was delicious as alway, he even cooked cookies. He was right about how much you will enjoy it, cause you did. After dinner, you helped the boys to clean the kitchen and discussed having a game night. Taeyang refused, saying he had to go home, but all the others agreed. Ji Yong and Daesung left to go grab some snacks at the grocery store, leaving you alone with Seung Hyun. You quickly decided to go take a shower. As you undressed in the bathroom, the door behind you slowly opened before you could feel your boyfriend’s arms around you and his lips on your naked shoulder. You shiver and smile.

_Want to take a Shower with me ? You asked softly. _I would love to, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. The guys will come back soon.

You turned around and passed your arms around his neck, still smiling.

_So we're gonna have to make it quick.

You pressed your Lips against SeungHyun's, as your fingers slided in his air.  His hands on your hips pulled you closer to him as he answered your kiss. You slowly take a step back, still holding him, carefulling making your way to the shower, your lips still glued to his. When you were close enough, your hands went down to the base of his top and removed it, pulling away from his lips before you crashed it back to it.

_Okey, You win, Go first, I will join you in a minute, said Seun Hyun against your lips.

You pulled away, smiling before you started the shower and entered it.  When your boyfriend was ready, he joined you in it and pushed you against the cold wall of the shower. His lips came back to yours  and you quickly started to forget that you had to make it really quick. The room was filled by the steam of the shower but also from the heat of your bodies collapsing against each other.  Once you finished ‘’ taking a shower ‘’ you got out and rolled yourself in a big towel as Seung hyun put his around his hips. He gently kissed you on the forehead and left the room first. That’s when you heard your brother’s voice coming from the living room.

_What about time guys. You could have told us at least that you wanted to be alone.

Seung hyun had frozen in the living room when he noticed JiYong and Daesung on the couch. You felt your cheeks burning and you quickly put on your pyjama before getting out of the bathroom to join them in the living room. This time, you had nothing to say. No excuses could be used.

_From how long have you been back ? You asked _Long enough to hear things I would like to never hear again. But at least we had our headphones.

You looked at Seung Hyun, he looked as embarrassed as you.

_I know you guys are a thing but next time, warn us. Since when ? Asked your boyfriend _I had my doubts when Once a month your snapchat map says you are at my sister’s house. And We also caught you when we came back from the studio and you were asleep on the couch last time Y/N visited. And after today I can be certain that discretion is not your thing at all.

As much embarrassed you felt, you were sort of happy that your brother knew. You will not have to hide anymore in front of him or any other group member, at least.

[lsunstreakerl]

i feel so honoured to have inspired this ficlet situation 😂 literally any dad!gp or dad!christian stuff you have in mind, young max or present day or whatever i am not picky 🫶🏻🫶🏻

you spoke what I'm sure several people were thinking lol. here's some famiglia dad!gp, 700 words.

"So he's... um."

Christian flounders, sitting across from Gianpiero at his desk, trying to find words.

"Um. A member of the nonspeaking community?"

Gianpiero can't hide his snort, palming his forehead.

"He's mute, yes."

Christian looks relieved, shoulders sagging.

"I can say mute? Thank god- these HR memos are getting out of hand."

Gianpiero rolls his eyes, leaning back into his chair. Christian is clearly trying, intrigued by the idea of having a teenager around the garage.

"He's a bit shy, fair warning. Until he gets comfortable, anyways- I get all sorts of sassy notes now."

Christian nods.

"Teenagers. You said he's not- it's just you and him, right? He's not biologically yours?"

Gianpiero drums his fingers against his thigh, trying to decide if he needs to be defensive or not.

"He's-"

He pauses, thinking of a few years back. Max had been so small, and Gianpiero had been so awkward- neither of them knew what they were doing.

He's had to learn to cook, because while it's perfectly acceptable for a single man in his thirties to eat ham sandwiches whenever he was home, it's frowned upon to put a child through it as well.

So he's bought a few cookbooks, their house has more spices than he knew existed, and he's been learning how to make a fulfilling plate while being judged by a mute teenager.

Sometimes Max helps, standing quietly by his side and carefully chopping vegetables. Or he'll turn down a burner when Gianpiero has forgotten to keep an eye on it, saving them both from the smoke alarm- it makes a truly terrible screeching noise.

He'll wait until Gianpiero is absorbed in work on his laptop before slinking into the living room, settling a few feet away on the couch and opening a book.

If Gianpiero waits patiently, he'll move a few inches at a time, stealthily creeping closer until his head droops sleepily onto his shoulder.

He hadn't understood it before- the way parents talked about how it felt when their children fell asleep on them.

He gets it now.

The first time it had happened he'd frozen, afraid to even breathe for fear of waking Max back up.

Now he's more used to it. It's part of their routine- Gianpiero pretends he doesn't notice Max creeping closer, Max pretends Gianpiero lifting his arm up to rest on the back of the couch is convenient, instead of calculated.

Max hasn't brought up anything about how Gianpiero carries him back up to his room each night, and Gianpiero's more muscular now than he was before, but-

He gets it now.

He'd lift a car for this kid, fight soldiers, get in trouble with the law- anything.

Max has brought a spark into his life he didn't even know he was missing- witty and insightful, deeply judgmental and surprisingly sweet, all without speaking a word.

He's made Gianpiero reevaluate how he looks at the world. People have asked him before if he's lonely, just him and Max- no partner or mother in the picture.

Gianpiero couldn't imagine anything else.

Sure, the house is a bit of motorsport enthusiasts bachelor pad, but it's perfect for them- workbooks and data packets scattered across the counters, mismatched shoes by the doorway.

So what if sometimes they have miniature competitions, trying to see who can flick the straw wrapper into the kitchen trash bin from across the living room.

Max's favorite movie being The Hangover is probably a bit immature, but it makes him so happy Gianpiero can't bear to shut it off- even if they've seen it a million times and he rolls his eyes every time.

Gianpiero would act out the stupid movie himself if it meant Max got to be that happy all the time. He knows Max has been through a lot- sees it every time Max flinches, or startles awake on the couch, pressing further into Gianpiero's side.

He wishes he could take that pain away. Wishes he could go back and time and change it, give Max a better life- even if it would mean removing him from Gianpiero's.

He's learning that this is what it means to be a parent.

Gianpiero smiles back at Christian.

"He's my son."

[sapsuckers-and-stardust]

This is one of those headcanons I highly disagree with just because of the nature of chess. Chess was one of the first games that computers cleared us at. The reason we don’t have big human-computer chess matches anymore is because the computers literally just annihilate and grandmasters won’t do it. I am not saying this because Spock is a computer or even acts like a computer, but…

Chess is a game that is won by effectively calculating the effects of a move and it’s followups. “Inspiration” and “throwing them off their game” isn’t how chess works, especially not against someone who, under a zero-stakes activity like recreational chess, is unflappable. If you read any chess forum about how “head games” play into the overall game play, it quickly becomes clear that Spock (respectfully) wouldn’t give a single fuck about anything Kirk could do to try and mess with him. Kirk could be excellent at chess, and be able to beat Spock, but the idea that he clears Spock just doesn’t make sense to me.

Spock is shown on screen to be able to mentally process mathematical data much faster than anyone on board the ship— the essential skill of chess is looking ahead and seeing the outcome each move has on the game. The first time he played kirk he may have been distracted trying to figure out “what the fuck is this man doing” but I see him realizing after a few losses the answer is either “nothing at all” or “making tactical moves I can work around.” Spock just has the rote computing power (coupled with a more efficient humanoid brain that doesn’t have to process quadrillions of stupid moves like a computer does) to crush at chess.

You know those crazy odds Spock loves to cook up? “The odds against you and I both being killed are 2,228.7 to 1…” that’s a chess skill, especially if he approaches it from the computer-style of playing (which I suspect he would— in “court martial” he even says he programs the ship’s computer to play chess, so he knows about these things). That’s looking at the possible future outcomes and seeing what could happen if things go one way or the other. He’s literally playing chess the computer way all the time with everything.

From a literary standpoint the idea that it’s important for Kirk to be better at Spock than something is excellent and it makes for good storytelling but it’s just one of those things that seems so bizarrely out of place to me because chess isn’t a game of emotion or head games or anything of the sort. A being with as much mental computing power as Spock would simply do exceptionally well. I’m not saying Spock would obliterate Jim, they might be evenly matched. But I think it’s a little silly to assert that Jim is the clear chess winner.

The only counterpoint I have to this is if Spock actually doesn’t care about chess in the slightest and only started doing it because it means he gets to hangout with Kirk for hours on end, then yes, Kirk may in fact clear Spock. This however, is not supported in text because he mentioned programming a chess computer and playing against it for fun.

Kirk is better at chess than Spock

[threepandas]

Bad End: Hoarding Dragons

To have your hair cut is the ultimate insult. Not just a spitting in the face of one's parents; but a defacement of their gift. One they worked so hard, for so long, to give you. Yet... so MUCH can be done. With just a single strand of hair.

Power. The likes of which? Most could not imagine. This is because, it is the sacrifice of "Body". A part of your metaphorical, if not technical, "flesh" as it were. Counted just as valid as any finger or toe. Yes, perhaps, not as POWERFUL as blood and bone, but... then again...

It is only a single hair.

So, what, one must ask? Would happen... Could happen... could one be GIFTED? From... MORE?

Not just one hair. But hand fulls. Chunks. A whole head of long thick locks? Hundreds and hundreds, thousands of strands? So very, very much of your "Body"? What power could you call upon? What sort of gods? Heavenly beasts and world shaking powers? Dragons, perhaps?

Shixiong bent the world to it's knees. Gods bowing, mountains shaking, as heavenly dragons came upon his command. Power so great it burst the spiritual veins of lesser cultivars. Qi thick as molten earth, golden as sunlight through honey. It was... transcendent.

The strands twisted into great and heavenly forms. Night turning to day. His array, a thing of intricate, thousand folding beauty! As a craftsman? A maker of mere talismans and toys? How could I not be... be... breathless? Bewitched? Entranced. Even there, in the midst of battle? It... gods... it was so BEAUTIFUL.

How can I ever hope to match it? Will I ever match it? I was certainly inspired. My mind, filled with visions of white and gold. Dances of fury and light, trapped within me.

I honestly haven't been able to stop.

That... that deadly dance. Righteous gold and light, heavenly dragons and flashing blades... Against the rolling, calamitous, storm of the heavenly demons. Darkly beautiful and delighting in their slaughter. Bloodlust singing as fatal claws clash against righteous blade. Rougish, flamboyant. Cracking along the edges of their masks to reveal the monsters just inside.

Our sect did not fall. But we were lucky... weren't we? And so many were not. Lesser Sects and mortal villages. Traveling cultivators, caught unaware. Temples and holy places. Defended, valiant, but overwhelmed in the end. None were strong enough. None came close.

And so I work.

Work and work and WORK.

I can fix this. I... I know I can! Surely. Maybe. H-hopefully? Or else what is it all FOR? This second chance? This knowledge I got to keep? If I wasn't meant to use it. Take bits and pieces, of stories I had read and watched, and make them real? Rain made of swords and blossoms, vast arrays bend space and time, the blending of science and fiction!

What, is my peak? If not the home of the Artificer? The Crafter? Maker of things? Talismans, yes. But we do so much MORE. I...I can do so much more.

I just need TIME.

Lifting my tool, I let the frustration wash over me. Careful. So very, very careful. Not to let my emotions ruin my work. One moment's tantrum, after all, can lead to months wasted. And... and I can't afford that. Not if I'm to help.

Because, ultimately? I will never be a martial cultivator. My sword is all be decorative. More a focal for meditation then a weapon. I use it more in class then... well... Too be honest? I have only used it in class. At best? I can defend myself. Hopefully.

(It is not something I ever wish to test. That theory.)

My reaction times are too slow. I hesitate. Am far too absorbed in crafting and meditation, then I am training and the physical world. Shizun half expects me to move to a hidden world, once my training is complete. And... well... I am considering it.

Perhaps I am a coward.

Another pinprick letter carved. One more in the endless stream, stretching in a flowing wave around the wooden sword. The REAL pain? Is going to be carving the spiritually rich stones, precious and otherwise, as well as shaping the metals, that will fit in each of these thousand of tiny indents. Making it smooth. Again, not hard, just... tedious.

I imagine that's why no one does it. Dispite the strength it results in. Each letter lending its power. Doing something. It will age well, I think. Grow powerful. Might even become a Treasure. Something worth some famous naming, in a century or so.

They never do see to appreciate that. How long it takes. To make the wonders and treasures they throw around like trash. Keep like trophies. If it does not shine and spit rainbows, with tassels and fire to impress? Can it really be called a sword? Forget what it DOES! How HARD it was to MAKE! The love and skill that went into it!! Is it SHINY? A thousand years and covered in jewels?

I pull my tool back again to sigh, aggravated. I have got to stop doing that. Being slower then my peers is not a failing, I remind myself. My strength is not in waving a sword. It is MAKING them. Treasures and wonders. Creation takes TIME to be done well. Cheap and fast costs lives. Remember your training.

A quite creak of floor boards and the knocking of knuckles against a door frame. Soft but deliberate, to announce a presence. When no one responds to the noise, I glance up in confusion. Huh. The workshop is empty. Going by the light outside? Unsurprising. It's... later then I thought it was. Guess they let me work.

"Shemei? May this one intrude?"

Ah. Shit, right!

Carefully putting my tools to the side, I bid... whomever, enter. I can't see them yet. They have a nice voice though. Low and smooth. I rattle off the standard "don't touch this or that, you'll loose fingers. If you break anything, this peak, collectively, will break you." Shpeal. (Shizun makes us memorize it.)

Glancing up as I put my project back on it's stand, I choke on my tounge. Wut. How?! HI?!!? Shixiong!!!! WHAT!?

"This one hopes he is not intruding upon your valuable working time." He mummers, fan coming up to cover the lower half of his face.

He looks... amused? Charmed? No there's something different there. Fuck, I'm out of practice with the Non-crafters crowd. Brain says "like he saw a cute squeaky animal he wants to bite(maybe suggestive?)" but that's not right. Thanks brain! Very USEFUL! Glad I can count on you, in these trying times! Shit. Uuuuuuuhh.....

"I hope you will forgive this Shixiong, but I asked around to find you." What. "You are that make of this fan, yes?"

From his sleeve, he pulls out a very familiar work. Battered to absolute hell, but unmistakable. Defiance!? My BABY! What have you DONE to them!? The battle fan, MEANT to be a magnificent white and gold, is blood stained and bent. Burned! Nicked! ARE THOSE ACID HOLES!?

The sound I make is unholy. My boy fan! Look at what they've done to my boy fan!

YOU BASTARD!

Thats it! Crush over! Dead man walking! I snatch the fan back so hard I'm surprised I don't snap fingers. Granted, I get the impression he let's me take it from him. But that's probably because he sees the MURDER in my eyes! FUCKER! What did you even DO to this poor fan!? Beat it against ROCK!? Acid, knive covered ROCKS!?

"Ah. No." His voice comes out shaking, just ever so slightly. His shoulders match. From the curve of his eyes? It can only be restrained laughter. "This one is afraid that it was the demons who so disrespect your masterful work."

Oh? OH?! This is FUNNY to you? Is it?! My baby! My beloved, Defiance! Mangled! MAIMED! And you LAUGH!? Bastard! Scoundrel! Fuck you!! How DARE-!!!

He can no longer contain it. Doubling over in a roar of laughter as I curse him out. My hands never leaving the fan I am carefully repairing. Yanking open drawers and slamming them. Stomping past him to get what I need. I should keep it! Never give it back! If you can't take care of-!

"Oh but Shemei, I take excellent can of all my things."

Clearly NOT! Defiance is a MESS and-! I pause. My brain catching up with my ears. Alarm bells ringing in my head as red flags flap. The workroom feels... off, suddenly. What was that tone? Excuse me? What, exactly, was that tone? Glancing down, I see one of Shizun's projects. Freshly completed. The glue is dry under my fingers as I, oh so casually, brush over it.

The little knife fits neatly in my palm. I turn. Not fully, but enough. Do not move back to my workstation. Because you know what? Suddenly I feel a bit more comfortable over here... by the project drying racks. Where all the weapons are. I'm sure you don't minds, do you? Shixiong?

"Oh dear, I've made you nervous." He says, handsome face charming, eye alight with laughter. But that tone. I don't like that tone. "Surely Shemei doesn't think this Shixiong would do anything suspicious or untoward? This one is an honorable man."

It's said so mockingly. Through gently smiling teeth. As though the very concept of an honorable man is absurd. And the shift? From polite to informal language? Cracks in a mask? Or a deliberate peek? The way he pulls himself up from his doubled over state, leaning braced as he had laughed himself sick...

Slow and deliberate. Nearly lazy. As though trying to say "there, there, see? No threat here~! Calm, calm." Yet... all I truely see? Is the spectacular control of his own body. An awareness of how he appears. And the unmistakable grace of a predator pretending they're NOT. He fools no one.

He seems delighted.

"You make such beautiful things, Shemei. Such clever hands. Such a clever mind." His voice is soft, almost obscene in the near silence of the workroom. I don't like how he's looking at me. "I had wondered. Surely not, right? Dreams can only ever disappoint. And yet..."

His eyes flit over me. Like the brush of covetous hands, drinking in something they could not yet have. Hungry. Dangerous. I drew closer to the shelves. Edged towards the door. Those were not the eyes of a righteous cultivator. Demonic influence? Qi deviation? Poisoning? I couldn't tell. Didn't CARE. Something wasn't right and I wanted nothing to do with it.

"Poor Shemei~. Stuck with this big, scary Shixiong. So nervous~ your poor maidens heart!" He laughed, like a cat with a cornered mouse. Half delighted. Half hungry for something I wasn't certain I wanted to name. "Going to run from me? Ah, but what if I chase you, Shemei? What will you do then?"

I was close enough, I decided. Fuck this! Keeping him in sight, I gave up all pretense. And stiffly walked for the door. Prepared to bolt.

"You are!" He didn't move to chase me. Just looked delighted. Grin showing more and more teeth the closer I got to the door. "Good, good~ that's right, Shemei. You're a special girl. Shixiong needs to earn your love. But don't worry~"

Driving for the door, I run. The last thing I hear chilling down my spine.

"I will~♡"

[skzthelomlhehe]

"The beginning of an end"

Inspired by these posts by @hyunbelievable

Synopsis: The end of a beginning is nothing but the beginning of an end. Heart once broken, now healed with sincerity. How did this happen? When did it go wrong and most of all... Where did it go wrong? Was it you or was it what? Questions remained unanswered. But for how long?

Genre: Angst, hurt/comfort.

Warning: cheating, lying, mentions of harmful thoughts, a little suggestive (if you squint your eyes)? (No I'm not making this into a smut 😭 it's relevant to the angst, trust me.)

Masterlist tag list: @bluesungology @diabolicalkitkat @capricorn-girl0112 @daysofskz-ateez @neginktn @seoul1207

Just to make it a weeee bit more painful, this is the man we're gonna be talking shit about:

Three years... It had been three years since you met Chan and the boys. Maybe it was his charisma... Maybe it was the care and love he showed to the ones around him... You always found yourself looking at chan. This strange attraction that pulled at your heart strings.

And that was why, when he finally confessed to you, you reached cloud 9. It was on your birthday, a year ago. The kids and you were out to dinner. You noticed how the boys kept giggling and teasing their leader. While you sort of had an idea that he might like you too, you would put that thought aside just to spare yourself heartbreak.

That is... Until he finally said it. Amidst the chaos of the other kids within the almost empty restaurant, he held your hand gently. The chit chattering now finally coming to a pause. "Y/N..." He spoke out softly and your breath hitched. He looked at you with such loving eyes. A gaze no one has looked at you with. "I love you, Y/N... Will you be my girlfriend?" He said it. And you lost your mind.

Having sat beside him prior to this, you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. "Yes! Yes I will!" You answered excitedly and kissed him again. The restaurant erupted with 'ooh!'s and congratulatory words.

The way he looked at you, with these... These sparkly eyes... Ones that screamed love if nothing else... Oh how you loved it. How you loved seeing it. How you loved being seen by that gaze. That night, for the first time, both of you held each other in a warm embrace. A night you could never forget.

And yet... That night remained a cruel reminder... A cruel reminder of lies... Of betrayal.

It had been exactly an year since you both had been dating. It was your birthday and anniversary at the same time. You were so excited to spend the night with the love of your life in the same place where it all started.

And at the peak of your joy... Your life came crashing down. You guys were supposed to meet at 7. He was supposed to pick you up. But earlier, he had texted you in the morning saying he'd be back late cuz they had work. By late, he didn't mean he would miss dinner, right?

You adorned yourself with the dress he bought for you that he claimed to have reminded him of you. Along with pretty jeweleries, a well done hair, nice make up and his favourite perfume. You looked at yourself in the mirror, cheeks flushed from the thought of having dated him for a whole year already.

You made your way to the restaurant realising he wouldn't be able to pick you up. When you got there, you were greeted by a waiter who led you to your seat. It was a seat with a big window beside it. A cozy atmosphere. Just like how it was a year ago. "Wonder how the kids would react if they were here." You giggled, thinking about that night again.

10 minutes passed.

20 minutes passed.

No sign of chan anywhere.

You were just about to text him when your eyes trailed off to the window, when you noticed a small cafe outside. It had been there for a few months now. "I should come here with Chan someday." You smiled to yourself. But soon, that smile faded.

Chan walked into the cafe, his hand draped around the shoulders of... Another woman? Why is he going inside the cafe with a different woman that you've never met? "N-no... He wouldn't..." You mumbled. And as if to rub salt on the wound, you saw them kiss. Soft... Delicate... Loving kiss... His gaze on her was the same as it used to be on you.

Your heart thumped. Louder and louder every second. Your chest tightened and tears threatened to spill out of your eyes. You whipped out your phone, vision blurry as you typed.

{To see the chats, make sure to go here also cuz I can't add more than 5 pics so yeah 😭}

You couldn't cry. Even though your eyes urged you to, you couldn't let anybody see the hurt the man you loved caused you. You gathered up your things and stormed out. Just as you got yourself a taxi, you saw Chan running out of the cafe. It was tempting, to say the least. You want to stop and hear him out. Yell at him or slap him, maybe? But you didn't.

You hopped into the taxi, went up to your apartment and locked your door. If he knew better, Chan wouldnt come banging on your door. You knew how much he loved his reputation as an idol. He would never do anything that could ruin his image. Even if it meant he lost his lover.

What surprises you is seeing him go out like that. It was unusual. And surprising. Maybe... Just maybe... Deep down you wanted him to run after you. Grab you by the hand and kiss you. Tell you it wasn't true... You wish when you went to bed, you'd wake up and realise it was a nightmare.

As you went to bed sobbing, you desperately wished to wake up next to him, hug him tight and tell him how you had this awful nightmare. But once again, luck was not on your side.

You woke up alone. No one next to you. The space once occupied by the person you loved, the warmth of "good morning, pretty~ sleep well?" was now buried within the cruel cold of nothingness.

Your heart felt heavy, almost as if it stopped beating. You got out of bed, clothes, shoes, accessories, everything scattered everywhere. Making your way towards the mirror, you looked at yourself. Your eye make up all messed up and runny from crying. Nose red. Lipstick smudged. Your hair all over the place.

You fell to the floor, crying again. "How... How could he do this to me?!" You cried out. You loved him. You truly did. More than anyone else. You've never loved anyone like the way you loved chan. And he snatched the bits of happiness away from you.

You looked at the mirror again. You watched how pathetic you looked. How messy... How dirty... Tears trickled down your face aimlessly. You gave your heart, your soul, your body, your faith. You gave him your everything. And now? You found yourself all alone. No family... No friends... No one to lean on.

You had nothing to live for. You had nothing to look forward to anymore. You gave away your everything. You lost your everything. "I wish I could just disappear.." you mumbled, your voice hoarse from sobbing. The betrayal, the humiliation. It all came crashing down on you all at once. "What more reason do I even have to live for?"

Just then, you got a call from Hannah. You couldn't pick up. You didn't have it in yourself to pick up that call. So you just watched it ring. Your eyes unfocused, your mind numb.

As you watched the call ring and hang up on its own, she shot you a text instead, (and this is where when I saved the draft and came back, everything else that I wrote after this line was GONE. ... I'll go cry.)

You read the text through your blurry eyes. But after some point, you couldn't even do that. Tears welled up in your eyes again. You started sobbing, once again.

After crying for what felt like hours, you heard banging on your door. "Y/N!! Open your door!! It's me Hanna!!" You looked up, your eyes red from crying. Your body just as numb as your mind. Frozen... Paralysed... All you could do was silently look at the door.

"Y/N I'm gonna come in!!" Hannah yelled out again. You had given the passkey to your house to the kids and their siblings in cases of... Emergency. After all, it wasnt the first time you had thoughts of... Disappearing...

Hannah slammed the door open and ran up to your bedroom panting. Her chest heaving up and down, her eyes widened in terror as she looked at you from the door frame. "Ha-Hanna..." You cried.

She rushed to embrace you and you hugged back tightly. You had finally gotten the warmth that you so desperately craved.

Hannah helped you freshen up. She sat you down on the bed and helped you calm down. While she ordered something for you to eat, you finally told her everything.

After hearing your side of the story, she was mortified. She held you close again while you cried in her arms again.

The event left a big scar on you. Cheating in itself was painful. But having to see the one person who was the reason you live, kissing another woman on your birthday and anniversary... That broke you in ways unimaginable.

The news spread like wild fire. The kids, their siblings, their parents. Somehow everyone knew. At least the close ones did.

Hannah and Olivia played a big role in helping you out of that dark place. You got into therapy. Chan's parents reached out to apologise on his behalf. Their efforts made you realise that... They really did love you. You really were appreciated.

In the meantime, chan was drowning in guilt. He had to take a hiatus. The kids only ever looked at him in contempt. They could not recognise the leader they once so respected and loved. And Chan's parents were utterly disappointed in him. So were his siblings.

2 months passed. Your lifeless eyes shined just a little more than before. You were finally getting to a better place. And soon, you were surprised by an unusual encounter.

Read this for more context.

You never could've imagined that Seungmin of all people would reach out to you.

Honestly, you loved the way he was. His sarcastic humour, his way of making you feel safe, his earnesty. It scared you a little. You fell for someone who made you feel safe and loved, only to be betrayed after all. You didn't want to make the same mistake again. But you didn't want to stereotype Seungmin into that category either.

During the movie, while the two of you tried to grab some popcorn from the same bucket, your hands touched just a little. You both looked at each other and though the dimly lit room barely showed much of the other in front of you, you found his eyes sparkling.

But this time, the sparkle just... Felt... Different? It was something you couldn't describe in words. A type of sparkle that was missing in Chan's eyes. A few months later, when he confessed to you, you found your heart fluttering just a bit.

You were scared, terrified even. You didnt want to go through that all over again. But amidst all that... You wanted to give Seungmin a chance... You wanted to test your luck just one last time.

And that one choice ended up being the best ones you'd ever made. The other kids were highly supportive. You felt loved all over again. When dating chan, you always doubted the love others had for you. But this time? This time it was different.

You felt seen, you felt loved, appreciated and... You felt alive... Alive all over again. Now you have many reasons to live. Not just one. Not just a single individual.

You have dreams to fulfil, places to go to, experiences you want to see with your own eyes and feel things you've never felt.

You found peace. You found comfort. And you found solace in his arms. In Seungmin's arms. Your life fell apart because of Chan's mistake. But you rebuilt that life once again. And chan? Well let's just say... He didn't quite get his happy ending. Was karma real? Yeah. Did he regret it? Also yes. But who says he won't make that mistake all over again?

A cheater is a cheater.

There's no going back once you cross that line. Even if it's chan.

Moral of the story: don't take back cheaters 😤😤

Fin~

A/N: this physically hurt me to write- like- the amount of times I had to rethink my life choices 😭 I didn't realise it when I was writing this, but I sorta related this on my real life events (only the angst part unfortunately 😔) but yeah!

Just so you know, if you're going through something, you're not alone. There are people who love and appreciate you so please don't hesitate to reach out 🫶 you mean a lot to someone without even realising it. It's way to early to give up so please keep going :) you'll find your flame once again!

[whysoblue2]

So remember the lofi video of the lamb?

And I noticed the picture of narinder in the made dress and it's possible that Cameras are around in the game

So Does your fanfic follows that Camera idea If so Who would Most likely Take Photos??

Oh, I remember the video well, I play it a lot while I work! Yeah that pic is hilarious and I love it, but is it a camera picture? I thought it would be a portrait drawing, but then the Lamb has a working gramophone... so having a working camera in that setting might not be as outlandish. I haven't really thought of having working cameras in my au, but this is food for thought! Kall is an artist so he would make paintings and drawings of his siblings but he would probably shun the camera for being "too convenient" or "where is the art in that" sort of snobbish attitude. But bear with me! I have a great idea: Seeing Shamura's memory fading, Sozonius goes to the Lamb to ask for certain parts and bits and bobs. They would fetch them for him and the ant would work for months day and night, to come up with a camera to gift to Shamura. They could capture the memory as it is happening and they can keep it in a photo album to relive it whenever they are feeling the memory is slipping away.

I think it's such a cute idea! 💙 Thank you for the inspiration!

[ladyfauxhawk]

Mmmhmm...boys singing into the same mic and being close enough to kiss? Who does that?

My guys that LOVE the Beatles. 😁

I finished all EIGHT HOURS of Get Back last night and that was a lot. McLennon fans, you have my respect and sympathy. Watching *your* blorbos flirt and fight and make art was exhausting and awe-inspiring. To have that sort of window into YOUR band and watch them create? Priceless.

And I love that we're not watching The Beatles as a product in Get Back. We're seeing them as people who've known each other for years...and all that entails, good and bad. John being wickedly funny, Paul being bossy and alienating while simultaneously just bursting with creativity, George struggling with asserting himself as a songwriter amidst the McLennon drama (love you, George), Ringo deadpanning for the cameras. Playing around with covers of the songs they love, being inspired by Billy Preston, getting annoyed by the director constantly trying to convince them to fly to Libya (?)

But the EXISTENCE of Get Back gives me hope for the Arctic Monkeys / Last Shadow Puppets documentary footage that we know is out there, aka "This stunning documentary / That no one else unfortunately saw" about Miles Kane and Alex Turner making their songs, and Alex making his songs about whatever the fuck happened between Everything You’ve Come to Expect and Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino.

If McLennon fans could wait decades, I can too.

[mearpsdyke]

no one has to know (what goes on between us)

Summary: answers to the question "are True Damage's Ekko and soloist singer Jinx dating?" may vary depending on who you ask. (Band/Fake Dating AU)

A/N: AO3 hates timebomb so i'm being forced to post this directly on tumblr. oh well. tysm to vik for betaing the fic and being the inspiration behind sassy gay kayn<3

as a general warning this has very explicit smut towards the last 5k words, so maybe skip this fic if that's not your thing.

Ekko thinks, not for the first time since this meeting started, that he should quit music and move to the countryside for some peace and quiet.

The marketing guy is still droning on and on about merch sales and stream statistics, Ekko hasn’t been paying attention for the better part of the hour. He’s fidgeting with the pencil in his hands, intently avoiding the sight of the blue haired woman sitting across him, who’s shamelessly painting her nails.

He doesn’t know much about Jinx; she signed with the label around the same time as him, and although she’s also from Zaun, he doesn’t really know her, which is saying something, since everyone knows everyone in the lanes.

At most, Ekko follows her on Instagram, out of some kind of solidarity with her, something, something “people who come from the lanes oughta stick together”—in reality, he thinks she's quite hot. Likes her posts like he's being paid for it.

Of course, that's between him and god.

The marketing guy—he looks like a Jimmy, Ekko thinks—is still speaking. Ekko is barely listening.

“In short, we saw a spike in streams and social media interactions after the gala; our numbers had been steady, not to say stagnant, for quite some time so this new surge in activity caught our attention,” Maybe-Jimmy says, pushing his glasses up to his nose, sounding suspiciously upbeat.

That catches his attention.

Ekko reluctantly peels his gaze off the ground to look at him, silently wondering what that has to do with Jinx’s presence.

Ekko glances towards his manager, sitting next to him, who’s nodding along, sporting a serious face. He’s the only one that seems to be paying attention—well, besides Jinx’s manager, he supposes. Jinx herself is still busy painting her own nails in two different colors, humming a tune.

“So, as per the CEO’s request, we’ve devised a marketing plan to make both of your streams and merchandise sales go up,” he says, finally going to the point, and Ekko has a faint feeling that he’s not going to like whatever they’re about to propose to him. “Since the spike in interactions happened due to dating rumors between the two of you, we figured it would be a good idea for you to pretend to be in a relationship for some time, at least until after we drop both of your respective albums.”

That snaps Jinx’s head up faster than anything else he’s said this whole meeting, with her hands freezing mid-air. A droplet of pink nail polish falls to the pristine white wood.

Ekko’s mouth hangs open, incredulously looking at Maybe-Jimmy.

“What?” They say at the same time. Their gazes meet each other, twin bewildered looks on their faces.

“That’s your genius strategy?” Ekko questions, unsure if he’s offended that this took an hour of his life he could’ve used to finish his new song, or at the ridiculous idea itself.

“I know I said I would eat my own hands before doing any more Tik Tok challenges,” Jinx says, a pleading tone in her voice. “But I’d really trade doing those challenges instead of this—this stupid shit.” She turns to look at him. “No offense.”

“None taken,” he mutters reluctantly.

Maybe-Jimmy just smiles nervously and clasps his hand over the table.

“The CEO personally green lighted this strategy, so, there’s not much neither of you can do. It’s stated in your contract.” He gives them an apologetic look, but it sure doesn’t feel like he’s sorry at all. Bastards, all of you, Ekko thinks.

This is all, probably, some sort of divine punishment from the universe or god himself for that one time he accidentally leaked one of the songs on their sophomore album before it was finished, and it went viral when a rival group covered it. Akali is still mad about it.

He looks across the table to his new fake girlfriend, who’s speaking in hushed whispers with her manager, an intimidating tall woman with a face tattoo that reads VI, clearly angry at the whole ordeal. He’s not so happy about it either, but at least he has the decency to not look like he’s been given a death sentence.

In hindsight, this is all Qiyana’s fault.

She was the one that went around the Grammys after party filming everything for her vlog, and “accidentally”—Ekko still thinks it was on purpose—caught the two of them trailing behind the other, disappearing behind two heavy doors. What the public didn’t know is that those doors lead to the bathrooms, though it didn’t take long for them to figure it out. The internet was relentless afterwards, spurred on by all the stupid likes Ekko left on Jinx’s posts on Instagram.

Thirsting after Jinx was, probably, the other thing that caused this.

The dating rumors were frankly outlandish; just because they both came from Zaun doesn’t mean they were lovers before fame, he didn’t even know her. But whatever, he guesses the label is desperate enough for a new hit to pull this sort of thing.

As he’s leaving the conference room, he looks one more time towards Jinx, who’s hastily blowing on her nails.

“We’ll reach out soon to coordinate a first appearance together,” Ekko’s manager, Viktor, says, ever the efficient man.

Jinx’s manager offers a tight lipped smile, hastily putting away the nail polish back on Jinx’s purse.

“We’ll be at your disposal,” she answers, placing her hand on Jinx’s back to hurry her outside the room.

Ekko silently follows Viktor, who’s complaining about lazy marketing and cheap strategies like this, though he says nothing about advocating for him and convincing the team to drop this idea; Ekko knows as well as Viktor that his contract was drafted by Satan himself, and going against it is impossible.

He pointedly does not tell his bandmates about it. They have questions about the meeting they were not allowed to go to, but he's tight lipped.

The more he can pretend this isn’t happening, the better.

*

Jinx loves Violet. This is a fact as true as the sky being blue.

Jinx, also, hates Violet. These two statements don't negate the other if one takes into account they are, after all, sisters.

“Are you serious, Violet?! This is why I never tell you shit!” Jinx screeches, once they’ve locked themselves in one of the many soundproof recording studios.

Vi doesn’t look the slightest bit apologetic. She’s grinning like a mad woman, the fucking bitch.

“Look, I was tired of you telling me how hot you think he is and then doing nothing about it! Besides, I didn’t tell the marketing people to pitch that idea to the CEO, just suggested it. That was all their doing.”

Jinx takes out one of her shoes and throws it in Vi’s direction.

Another thing that’s, sadly, pretty much true, is that Jinx drools over Ekko. She has eyes, okay, and they function.

Unfortunately, when men are so handsome that just by looking at their pictures one gets hot and bothered, they're also, like fucking clockwork, huge assholes.

Jinx would know, she has a knack for dating them.

“One of these days you're going to disappear under mysterious circumstances,” Jinx says, ominous.

Vi smirks, lounging on the sofa like a cat.

“You should thank me,” she says, “the guy might actually be a decent one, I've heard some stuff about him. Dating him could be fun.”

Jinx pauses, considers it—then throws the other shoe towards her sister’s face either way.

*

Their first fake date happens two days later, because Viktor will be damned if he ever stops being quick and efficient.

For what it’s worth, it’s a nice spot, the kind Ekko would choose were he taking a possible partner on a date, which means Viktor knows more about him than he’s supposed to and he has to take him out from his close friends’ story—again.

Jinx is fashionably late, arriving five minutes after him, and she makes a comment about that being her manager’s doing; she would’ve arrived half an hour late if it weren’t for her, who hurried her in getting ready.

To her credit, Jinx put a decent amount of effort in her appearance; her pleated black skirt is what Ekko would consider dangerously short, wearing fishnet stockings under it. A white crop top that reads women hate me, fish fear me gains a confused chuckle from him, and she’s wearing the tiniest hint of make-up, since all the attention is on her signature twin braids; today she added gold charms to them, rings and butterflies catching his eye. All in all, she looks good, really good.

Besides sighing because she's pretty and all of this is fake, Ekko feels flattered that she put this much effort—but also, he’s embarrassed. More embarrassed than anything, actually.

Ekko is underdressed, compared to her; he put on his most comfortable jeans with a plain black shirt under his green hoodie. At least he has his gold rings and tiny earrings to appear more put together.

And he's handsome. He knows that much, so his face always pulls the look together despite all. He hears his female band mates mock him for his ego in the back of his mind.

They get their order delivered in no time, and Jinx laments not having brought her lipstick to retouch herself.

“Are you always running late to places?” Ekko wonders out loud, lazily stirring his coffee. Jinx takes a long sip of her mango milkshake, leaving the straw with a wet pop before answering.

(Ekko does not fixate on her plump lips. Nope.)

“Only to first dates I don’t care about,” she answers, a faux innocent smile dangling from her lips before she digs in on the pastries she ordered.

Ekko snorts. “Yeah, I’m not thrilled about this… arrangement, either.” He leans on his elbows, watching as she licks the frosting off her fingers. On a normal date, he’d make a sly comment about table manners, but it’s not like this is a real date, so he can’t be bothered.

Jinx looks at him, offended, and gasps dramatically.

“But I’m such a funny, awesome, hot girl,” she says, clasping a hand over her chest. Ekko stifles a laugh. “Honestly, you’re so lucky. You wouldn’t even have a chance with me if it weren’t for this PR shit.” Jinx tosses her hair over her shoulder, fixing him with a cocky grin.

Ekko scoffs, indignant. “As if I would give you the time of day. I got nominated as one of the sexiest men alive last year.”

“But you didn’t win ‘sexiest man alive’, did you now?” Jinx quips through mouthfuls of lemon pie. “And either way, when the press gets ahold of the paparazzi pics the label staged, I’ll make sure my manager tells everyone you pursued me.” Her cat-like smile only grows, and Ekko almost snaps his optic nerves rolling his eyes.

“You’re a pain in the ass,” he says, sipping on his coffee. Jinx smiles as though he’s given her a compliment.

“Why, thank you, it’s my pleasure.”

Jinx keeps on devouring her lemon pie slice, Ekko’s brain starts plotting his own disappearance and the location of the dairy farm he’ll buy the day he finally snaps and throws fame into the blender, because here he is, sitting on a café with one of the prettiest women in the industry, and he's bickering with her instead of flirting and making this thing look more real.

They don’t talk much afterwards, just sipping on their drinks. At some point, Jinx gets frosting all over her lips and childishly licks them to clean them up instead of using a napkin, like any sane person would. Ekko groans, taking her chin between his hands and bringing a napkin to clean the remnants of the frosting.

She’s grinning at him, wiggling her brows as she teases him. Ekko stifles a laugh.

He hears a camera go off somewhere.

The photo of him cleaning Jinx’s lips is up on the internet before the fake date even ends, and the True Damage group chat goes off.

[Qiyana] sent one attachment

[Qiyana] ??? EXPLAIN

[Senna] YOU FINALLY DID SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR CRUSH????

[Akali] fucking HATE YOU couldnt u wait longer u just lost me $100

[Yasuo] fucking LOVE YOU i just won $100

Not for the first time, Ekko leaves the group chat, deciding to protect his peace of mind, if only until they’re due for rehearsals.

Jinx keeps on eating her lemon pie, ignoring the world, and fixes Ekko with a smile.

“So, what’s your zodiac sign?”

*

So, maybe Ekko isn’t an asshole. But he’s not off the hook, yet.

“I don’t know, Vi. I'm still not convinced he's not another womanizer. Looking like that he could have any woman he wanted,” Jinx complains, hanging upside down from her aerial silks. “Besides, he’s a libra with a scorpio rising.”

Vi hums, definitely not paying her attention, while she types away at her phone.

“Every famous guy is a womanizer unless proven otherwise, despite what astrology may say,” she tells her, “I know it's not helpful, but I’ve heard generally good things about the guy. I have a friend of a friend who’s on all of his private accounts, and they came back clean.”

“Mhm.” Jinx hesitates, chewing on her lips. “Any exes?”

Okay, so maybe she wishes she hadn’t asked that, because Vi pulls profile after profile, and all the women she shows her are so pretty her self-esteem drops. No wonder he’s so wound up about their arrangement; Jinx doesn’t hold a candle to the previous women he dated—publicly, at least.

Jinx huffs, letting herself fall from the silks, somehow landing on her feet. Rehearsal is finally over and she can finally get a good shower.

She absent-mindedly starts thinking about her outfit for the next red carpet as she drinks water, and an idea pops in her mind.

“Hey, Vi,” she says, trying to sound casual. “Do you know if True Damage is invited to the AMAs?”

“Well, I’d hope so. They’re nominated for collaboration of the year for that song they made with Heartsteel. Why?” Vi doesn’t look up from her phone, typing away a message.

She's always on that damn phone now, Jinx thinks, sounding too much like Vander. Ew.

“Oh, I just had a brilliant idea.”

*

See, red carpets are Ekko’s thing. He knows he’s handsome, his stylist loves him, and so does the press. It’s just his space to shine.

This time, though, things are different.

True Damage always matches their color scheme for red carpets; it makes sense to do so, as a band. Tonight, however, he’s the only one that’s not in the same color scheme, and that has an obvious explanation: Jinx.

Per Viktor and Vi’s request, they hard launched the relationship through an Instagram story, some two weeks ago; a selfie huddled up together on Jinx’s couch was all that was needed to add fuel to the ongoing fire that had started during their first date.

This was after a couple more dates, some more staged paparazzi photos, and ominous tweets. To the public, they had been dating for roughly three months, give or take.

Ekko had come over to Jinx’s apartment just to take that photo; she had received him in way more casual clothes than he had ever seen her, a worn grey shirt with a corny quote on the chest and biker shorts. Her hair was loose, and boy did she have lots of it. Ekko thought, in the back of his mind, that she looked better like this.

She made him all but lay on her sofa, then threw herself over him, like this was something they always did.

“Don’t give me that face,” she said, cheek pressed flush against his chest. Ekko’s breath hitches in his throat, but he tried not to show it. “You look like you’re scared of hot women, c’mon, pretty boy, put on a smile for the camera.”

“You’re a menace,” he huffed, willing his cheeks to not redden. Jinx cackled, evil and hearty and a melody to his ears.

(No. Wait, fuck.)

So. Anyway.

It had been a short affair. They took several pictures (because Jinx needed to make sure she looked good) and once they settled on one, the matter was all but solved. And he should’ve left, really; but Jinx commented something about wanting to watch a movie now that she bought an instant popcorn machine, and nonchalantly asked if he wanted to stay over for it.

Jinx had asked him to stay in a nonchalant tone, and nothing in her demeanor told him this had to be something they did for an audience, like the dates or the photos; it was just a casual hang out. So, what the hell, sure, he stayed over, and it wasn’t as awkward as he had thought it would be.

At some point, Jinx’s head ended up resting against his shoulder and he allowed it. It wasn’t half bad.

They hadn’t seen each other since then, sporadically texting as the awards approached to update the other on how their outfit was coming along.

It was a pity, really. Jinx was growing on him, if only because her sharp tongue and clever mind amused him to no end.

“Who would’ve thought a girlfriend was all you needed to ditch the boring basic suits,” Qiyana teases, as they keep on walking down the red carpet.

“Too bad it goes against our color scheme, though,” Senna laments, fixing her gown’s trail.

Ekko, almost by instinct, wants to tell them to fuck off, but he can’t blurt out, defensively, that Jinx is not his girlfriend, not really, because the place is packed with reporters and paparazzi, and he’s sure Viktor would kill him with his bare hands if he shot down their entire operation before it truly begins to take off.

He just huffs, adjusting the jacket over his shoulders. While Yasuo is wearing a normal red, white and black suit, following the color scheme of their female colleagues, Ekko sticks out like a sore thumb—almost literally. The purple of the jacket draped over his shoulders is the same tone as a bruise (Jinx had adamantly insisted on that description for the shade of purple she wanted him to wear. It had been a pain in the ass to get it right), his white linen shirt is halfway open, showing the world his pectorals and part of the abs he had so painstakingly worked out for. His pants were the same bruising shade of purple, and although they were specifically tailored for him, he couldn’t stop feeling uncomfortable.

It wasn’t really the suit itself the issue, more so who he was wearing the suit for.

Jinx is a beautiful woman, she has her charm; he’s just pissed at the label for forcing them to do this instead of thinking of another type of marketing campaign. His bandmates had told him he was, probably, the first man to ever complain about having to date a hot woman half of the industry wanted. It wasn’t about Jinx being hot, more so about his autonomy, or whatever the fuck.

They’re almost at the end of the red carpet when Akali tugs on his jacket, forcing him to stop. He turns to look at her, confused.

“Look who just arrived,” she cheekily says, pointing with her chin to the opposite way.

Ekko knows, before he even looks, that it’s Jinx. He straightens his stance, then bids his friends goodbye before going to look for her.

The moment he sees her, his brain sort of short circuits—which is probably not good (or is it?) because there are a fuckton of paparazzi milling about.

She’s wearing a two piece set; her purple butterfly top has long flowy sleeves attached to it, giving the illusion of a cape, and the skirt goes all the way to the floor, with the draped fabric making her look like an ancient statue. The holographic fabric of the garment is sparkly, catching the light of all the cameras pointing her way. Her hair is intricately braided up in a high ponytail, with braids framing her face and pinned up to the ponytail, with her usual gold hair charms.

She looks so beautiful, his heart starts beating in his ears and something like want starts bubbling in his veins. Which is not good (or is it?) because they’re not really a thing.

Jinx catches sight of him and trots up to meet him, the sunniest smile ever on her face.

“Darling!” She says, throwing herself in his arms. He puts her hands on her hips almost by instinct, while she wraps her arms around his neck. The wave of flashes that follows almost blinds him.

“You look gorgeous,” Ekko says, not without difficulty. Jinx smiles, giggling.

“Thank you, you clean up nicely, too.” She winks at him, letting go of his neck, patting his pecs. Her touch, light as a feather, has his skin burning. “Come on, pretty boy. We gotta give them a whole photo shoot.”

Oh. Right. This is fake.

*

Jinx’s performance goes without a hitch, and through it all she wonders what Ekko thought of it (later, she’ll find that his stunned face while looking at her on her aerial silks flooded social media. It outshone the fact that True Damage didn’t win for collaboration of the year).

When the awards are done, she has an invitation from her friends Ezreal and Kayn on stand-by to come to Heartsteel’s after party, but she’s pretty sure she pulled a muscle while performing, so she opts for heading home.

She knows Kayn and Ezreal will probably berate her for skipping; they’ve been wanting to get all the hot details about her (allegedly, because they did not believe it) fake relationship with Ekko in person, so there was no way she could hang up on them once she grew reluctant to answering their questions.

“Everyone in the industry wants to know how that happened,” Kayn had drawled one time over the phone. “You got your claws on him before Miss Fortune, girl, I heard she was fuming.”

Jinx had paused her skincare routine to stare at the screen, like Kayn could see her bewildered expression.

“Ekko rejected Sarah?”

That didn’t sound correct. Sarah “Miss” Fortune was the music industry’s hot girl; everywhere she went she left a trail of broken hearts. She fit Ekko’s type down to the nail—so what happened?

“Mhm. Like, a fuckton of times. She’s proper obsessed with him since they did that song together, was it two years ago? Either way. I’d watch my back if I were you.”

That call had ended with Jinx more lost than ever, wondering if Ekko’s standards were too high in the sky or if maybe Sarah was properly crazy.

Either way, Jinx didn’t want to find out.

She’s making her way to the parking lot where her driver is waiting for her, when she hears someone call out her name. Ekko.

Jinx turns around, looks at him as he’s still running up to meet her. It’s so unfair that he’s so pretty he looks like he’s in a slow-motion montage, running up a hill to meet his beloved as his locks bounce in the air and fall beautifully on his face, the jacket on his shoulders unmoving.

(She has got to lay off the rom-coms, okay.)

“Hey Jinx,” he says, catching his breath. He pushes the locks out of his face in a motion that’s stupidly sexy. “Are you going to any after parties? Viktor said—”

“Oh, no, actually, I’m going home,” she interrupts him, hugging herself. The night is chilly, and her outfit isn’t the best for the cold. “I pulled a muscle during my performance.”

“Oh.” Ekko looks disappointed, and an awkward silence stretches on for too long.

Jinx clears her throat. “You wanted something else?” She inquires, a playful lull in her voice.

She’s probably seeing things, but she’s at least 90% sure she saw Ekko’s cheeks heat up. Oh?

“Um, not really. I think I’ll just—wait.” He takes off the jacket, draping it over her shoulders. Jinx’s breath catches in her throat—she wasn’t expecting that. “You looked cold…” Ekko evades her gaze, Jinx smiles.

His scent engulfs her; his perfume is something earthy, with notes of vanilla. She likes it.

“Thank you, Ekko,” she says, sincerely. Ekko just nods. “I’ll see you ‘round.”

Jinx turns on her heels to go back to searching for her car, and steals a glance towards Ekko at the last second.

“You could’ve just texted me!” She exclaims cheekily, before hopping on the car.

Inside, she buries her nose against the fabric, relishing in the smell. It’s so distinctly him, it almost feels like he’s actually hugging her instead of the jacket.

If she returns it two weeks later, after having sprayed it with her own perfume, well that’s her business, not anyone else’s. Shut up, Vi.

*

To deny Ekko is jealous would be like trying to deny that water is wet.

And, okay, Jinx is not his, exactly, despite what the world currently thinks. But they’re not supposed to be seen with other people, being flirty and all that; it could leak, and then the cheating scandal would overshadow everything else.

There’s men that approach her, obviously, and Ekko’s not egotistical enough to think everyone knows who they are, so he always tugs her closer, pinches his features just the slightest bit so that anyone can see she’s taken (in theory).

They’re at—someone’s party. Is it Ezreal’s birthday party? Or just a common party? Fuck knows, honestly. But it’s definitely a Heartsteel party. Half of Hollywood and the music industry is here, to begin with.

Including one of Jinx’s many asshole exes (who the fuck invited him?).

“Real asshole, that one was,” Jinx says, taking a long sip from her wine for good measure, pointing with her chin towards Finn.

No last name, just Finn. A last name wasn’t really needed when you’re one of the industry’s most famous producers.

Finn is across the room, but their gazes come to meet almost my accident. His eyes fixate on Jinx, and his blood simmers in his veins when he shoots her a lopsided grin.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Ekko says, dragging Jinx the opposite way.

Jinx is not his, but Ekko still keeps his arm around her waist. You know, for safety.

“Are you feeling bold today, pretty boy?” Jinx asks through giggles, a stray drop of wine falling on the side of her lip.

See, this is the part where Ekko wipes the remnants of alcohol away from her mouth, says something flirty and leans down to capture her lips in a kiss. That is how it would go in normal circumstances, at least.

But nothing with Jinx is normal, basically. So he kind of just squeezes her waist with all the self-control he can manage, keeping her close for a good while, definitely not brushing his thumb across the exposed skin of her waist, not thinking about how good she looks in her red two piece outfit, with the dangerously short skirt and the top that looks more like a bra.

He’s not thinking about it because they’re in public, and he’s a law abiding citizen who’s trying to not get arrested for public indecency. Thank you very much.

At some point Jinx runs off to talk to her friends, but he decides to stay put, waving away her confused expression in favor of letting her hang out alone with them. For one, he’s not Ezreal and Kayn’s biggest fan; their last collaboration happened thanks to Janna’s grace and Ekko’s self-restraint, because those two gave the rest of the band members a run for their money when it came to huge egos—how Jinx is friends with them is beyond him. Second, he saw Zeri somewhere, anyway, and he’s been meaning to catch up with his old friend from the lanes.

Of course, he should’ve known hanging out with Zeri is no better than hanging out with his band mates, because he’s a fucking idiot and told her about the arrangement.

And he may also have mentioned he thinks Jinx is hot, but that’s hardly news.

“I actually can’t stand you, you know,” Zeri says, the cigarette trapped between her fingers slowly dying out. “Why don’t you just take her on a real date? Seriously, dude, for someone with such an ego…”

“I don’t think she’s interested, not really, to be honest,” he replies, stealing the cigarette from Zeri. He gets an indignant yelp in response. “Trust me, I would know.”

Zeri scoffs. “You know shit about feelings, boy savior.”

Ekko swats her arm, like when they were kids and fought over who got to eat the last piece of candy. And Zeri’s twenty-six, a whole copyright lawyer for famous singers, but she still pushes him back, play fights for a bit.

Another cigarette is lit, and then promptly stolen. Zeri kind of just rolls her eyes and tells him something between gritted teeth, probably “As long as you don’t keep stealing my lighters.”

“I think you should try your luck with her,” she says, clearer this time. “Worst case scenario she rejects you and you make it awkward. Best case, Viktor and the label will milk out your new real relationship for all it’s worth.”

“Mm, no, that’s still the worst case scenario.” He takes a long drag, blows out the smoke in Zeri’s direction. “I do have to find her, though, we said we’d leave at this hour. Maybe you should find your girlfriend and leave, too.”

Ekko shoots her a shit-eating grin, turns on his heels. “Seraphine is not my girlfriend!” She squeals.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” he replies.

*

Jinx likes to think, more often than not, that if something were to happen between Ekko and her, well, it’s not like she would mind.

She can’t blame the few glasses of wine she’s had when she looks at Ekko, wearing those black jeans and the shirt with the cropped armpits that give her a great view of his toned arms, and thinks it’s unfair all of this is fake.

She thinks she’d like to know how his lips taste, but that would probably make things awkward; Jinx’s dug around, asked questions, and she’s definitely not the kind of girl Ekko goes for, not at all. As if comparing herself side by side with his exes wasn’t enough proof.

“I’ll get the car, wait for me here,” Ekko says, letting go of her waist. Jinx feels like something’s missing, but she doesn’t dare linger much on it.

She’s touching up her make-up, the music a far-away dream thrumming under the soles of her shoes, when she hears footsteps approaching.

Before she sees him, she smells the cologne.

Olfactory memory is such a strange thing, she thinks in that decimal of a second it takes her to detect the smell. She hasn’t smelled that cologne in more than a year, close to two, and yet by the peculiarity of it she knows, without a fraction of a doubt, who is wearing it.

“My, oh my, look what we got here.”

Jinx ignores him. Doesn’t dignify him even with a flinch of her body.

“What, you can’t say hello to an old friend?”

Silence. That gets him on his nerves.

Finn walks around her, comes to stand right in front of her field of vision.

“Your new boy-toy abandoned you already?” His cat-like smile holds venom in it, and Jinx grinds her teeth until she’s sure she’s broken a few molars.

“Fuck off.”

He smiles wider, the bastard. Finn always enjoyed riling her up, and the thrill of make-up sex made her think it was fine back then, but now she’s seeing red.

“I wouldn’t abandon you, you know—”

“No, you’d just cheat on me,” Jinx says, cold. Detached.

Finn hisses, as if he’s been cut. If it was up to Jinx, she would’ve tried to pluck his eyes out with her stiletto nails already.

“You know it was a mistake.”

Jinx should be canonized as a saint, quite frankly, because she’s not sure where she got the patience to hold back and not kill him.

Part of the reason she doesn’t snap, though, is the car that comes to a stop in front of them.

Ekko emerges from the car, frown in full display as he comes to stand next to Jinx. His hand flies back to her waist, protectiveness in full force as he tugs her to his side, presses her flush against him.

If something twists in her stomach, that’s between Jinx and god.

“Do we have a problem here?” Ekko asks, twisting his face into a scowl.

Finn’s smile disappears, fixing Ekko with a pinched expression.

“You’re the new replacement, I assume.”

“And you’re the asshole who cheated on her with your secretary.”

If looks could kill, Ekko would be dead on the pavement already, and Finn would’ve probably been cut in half.

Jinx wishes she had popcorn. It’s kind of hot when two handsome men fight over you, if she’s being honest here.

Finn scoffs, taking a step forward. “Don’t get smart with me, boy, I’ll ruin your career in the blink of an eye.”

“Like you ruined yours with that pathetic excuse of an album you put out?” Ekko retorts, venom in his smile. Finn’s face twists in a wild expression. “Leave us the fuck alone.”

Jinx’s heart is thrumming against her ears, because no one speaks to Finn like this, no one has the nerve.

No one except Ekko.

Finn snarls, lounges forward to grab Ekko by the collar, but Ekko grabs his hand before he can even touch him.

“Do. Not. Even think about it,” he says, low and threatening. Without letting go of Jinx’s waist, Ekko grips Finn’s wrist and pulls him forward in one tug. Hot. “Here’s what’s going to happen: you’ll leave us the fuck alone, I’m getting in the car with her, and none of this gets out to the press. Okay? Great chat.”

He tosses Finn aside, like a discarded cigarette butt, and hastily walks towards the car. He opens Jinx’s door first when—

“She’s still mine,” Finn exclaims behind them. “Half of that bitch’s catalogue is mine. I own her, and it’s only a matter of time before she’s back with me—”

Ekko closes the car door, locks it, and spins on his heels to punch Finn straight in the jaw.

It’s a quick, sharp punch that sends him flying backwards, clearly having not expected Ekko to retaliate. A surprised gasp leaves Jinx, but she can’t do anything with the door locked.

She sees as Ekko towers over Finn, says something she doesn’t quite catch, and he hastily turns around to climb back in the car.

When he grips the steering wheel, she realizes his knuckles are red.

“He got what was coming for him,” Ekko says, nonchalantly.

All Jinx can hear is a faint buzzing in her ears, reeling from the brief yet charged encounter.

Finn’s words ring in her ears: she knows he doesn’t want her, not really, he just doesn’t like that someone else has her now. He’s a little kid, upset that someone else picked up the toy he mistreated, the toy he discarded, and needs to flaunt his power by trying to yank the toy from the other person’s hands.

It had always been like that during their relationship, which lasted more than it should have because Jinx never knew what a healthy relationship looked like, so she figured as long as she’s not bruised up, how bad can it be?

(Bad. Very, very, very bad.)

“Ekko.”

“Mhm?”

There’s a million things Jinx can say to express her gratitude, but her brain has shut off for the night.

“That was hot,” she says, and this time she can blame the wine. “I mean, um, thank you for—you know.”

Ekko swerves, clearly having not expected that.

“Uh, you’re welcome?” He turns to look at her, cheeks flushed and something wild in his gaze, not the kind of violent wild like Finn, more like, amused wild? Fuck knows.

There’s a pregnant silence that follows. Then, Ekko breaks it.

“What was he talking about, by the way? When he said half of your catalogue is his. That can’t be true, right?”

Jinx sucks in a breath, oh boy. “It is true.”

She proceeds to tell him the footnotes of it, because there’s not enough time in the day to tell him everything.

The footnotes are this: Jinx is stupid. Stupid enough to allow someone she’s dating to produce her first two albums. Stupid enough to not read the contracts she signs thoroughly, because she was convinced her boyfriend would never fuck her over.

Then he fucked her over, not once but twice, and now he’s rich all thanks to her albums.

“I’ve talked with my lawyers, there’s practically nothing I can do,” she laments, flopping back against the seat.

Ekko’s silent, rhythmically tapping his fingers against the steering wheel.

“I have a friend who’s a copyright lawyer, she’s a master at finding loopholes,” he says, stealing glances towards her. “You know Seraphine, right? Bubblegum pink hair, pop singer. She was Seraphine’s lawyer when she sued her old label for ownership of her masters.”

Jinx whistles. Of course she knows Seraphine, her case had been quite a controversial one; nobody expected her to win against a vampiric company like Piltover Records, known for fucking over their artists one way or another. And then she won the whole thing, to the whole world’s surprise.

Her lawyer had become famous overnight, another kid from the lanes who made it out.

“You’re friends with Zeri? Really?”

“Yup. Been friends forever, we grew up together in the lanes. I could give you her number, if you’d like,” he tentatively says, to which Jinx nods enthusiastically. He then stops the car at a red light.

It’s at the red light that she realizes she has no idea where they’re going.

She looks out of the window, trying to pin-point where they are, but nothing rings a bell, so, they’re driving around aimlessly.

“Where are we going?” She asks, tone casual.

Ekko shifts in his seat. “Uh, I dunno. I just wanted to lose Finn, I think we’re near my place, actually.”

Jinx perks up, a bad idea popping in her mind as her stomach twists.

“You know, it takes a lot of courage to stand up to him like that,” she starts, shifting in her seat so that her body is angled towards Ekko, tucking her knees under her body. “He’s like, really important.”

“He’s an asshole, is what he is,” Ekko spats, turning the engine on again. “Why did you even start dating him, anyway?”

Jinx tries not to smile, weighing her words instead. “You probably don’t wanna know.”

“Oh, I do. I never could figure out how a girl like you ended up with a guy like him.”

A girl like her. What does that even mean? What kind of girl is Jinx? Is it a compliment or an insult? No, a compliment, obviously. Ekko wouldn’t be cruel.

She sighs dramatically, looking at her nails like they’re the most interesting thing on the planet. “If you must know… It all started because we hooked up once, actually. And, okay, yeah, he’s an asshole. But by god he knew what he had to do in bed. Pity, really, that it didn’t work out.”

Ekko almost crashes the car. Jinx holds back a devilish laugh.

He clears his throat, centering the car back to its respective lane while she just bats her eyelashes innocently. She sees the way his adam’s apple bobs up and down, as he grips the steering wheel until the veins in his hands are noticeable.

Jinx didn’t think it’d be this easy to get him worked up. She thought he’d feign nonchalance, and she’d have to bring out the salacious details to get a rise out of him.

Maybe it’s so easy because he likes you already, she thinks, twisting her own stomach in knots. God, I hope so.

Ekko parks the car someplace where it’s practically deserted, shooting Jinx a charged look, but she acts clueless as to what’s happening.

She knows exactly what could happen if she pushes the right button, says the right thing.

“Kind of a weird thing to tell your boyfriend, isn’t it?” He asks, furrowing his brow. Jinx’s breath hitches in her throat when she realizes the pads of his fingers are ghosting her knees.

“Oh, you’re my boyfriend now? For real, for real?” Jinx questions, voice getting breathier by the second as she leans on Ekko’s touch.

Ekko licks his lower lips, his hand now fully resting on Jinx’s knee. She fixates unabashedly on the way the muscles on his arms flex with the tiniest movement, and doesn’t move away when he inches his face closer.

“I could be, if you wanted me to,” he says, letting his hand wander to the sides of her thigh. His eyes are piercing right through her, pupils dilated as he sets his gaze on her lips.

“You’d have to submit an application like the rest,” she replies, trying to sound casual, as she shifts again to untuck her legs, ever the patient one.

“And what would that application be like?” Ekko asks, his face is so close now, his hot breath beats down on her skin, causing a shiver to go down her spine.

It would be so easy to kiss him now, smash her lips against his and fog up the mirrors with their combined breaths. But she wants to drag this moment a bit longer, to make sure Ekko wants the same thing she does, so she chews on her bottom lip, lazily dragging a hand up his legs, then up his torso, until it comes to rest on his collarbones. She sees with glee how Ekko sucks in a sharp breath, something in his eyes growing darker with want.

He wants the same thing, alright.

“You’d have to fuck me, and fuck me good,” she says, with the same tone she’d use for telling someone the weather is nice. She sees Ekko’s eyes go wide, and a self-satisfied smile sets on Jinx’s face. She tries to not let her hands tremble as she caresses Ekko’s neck. “Wanna apply now, hm?”

Ekko doesn’t reply, not verbally, at least—he dives in and captures her lips in a searing kiss, using one of his hands to pull her closer by grabbing her from the neck. Jinx gasps, whimpering against his lips as his grip tightens ever so slightly on her skin.

She wraps her arms around his neck, playing with his locks as he keeps on kissing her, biting her lower lip to gain access to her mouth. Jinx obliges, happily letting him take the lead.

He kisses her like he’s a man who’s been lost in a desert and she’s the first glass of water he’s had in months; like he’s been waiting for this, and the thought makes her head swirl with giddiness as she parts her thighs and allows him to sneak his hand further, but it’s not enough for her to have him kneading on her inner thigh, she wants more and now.

Honestly, they should be worried about paparazzi and whatnot, but it's 3 a.m. on a Wednesday and the L.A streets are deserted on this side of the city. Jinx has no qualms about pushing Ekko off of her so she can kick off her heels, slinging a leg over his seat so she’s straddling him.

Ekko looks at her through half lidded eyes, ravishing her body with his eyes. A hiss escapes his lips as she plops herself rather hard against his lap. He doesn’t let this deter him, though; seeing how little space is left between Jinx and the steering wheel, he reaches under the seat to push it back to allow for more space. Jinx’s smile grows tenfold, happy at getting her way.

“Turn off the lights,” she asks, breathless. He blindly searches the keys and turns off the engine, and soon all the lights are off. They’re only illuminated by the lampposts outside, and Jinx thinks it adds a touch of intimacy.

Soon enough their mouths find each other again, meanwhile, Ekko’s hands grab her ass, expertly bunching up her skirt until it’s crumpled at her waist. He reclines the seat, gaining a surprised yelp from Jinx as they fall forward.

“I’m deducting points for that,” she says through a fit of giggles. Ekko snorts, giving her ass a squeeze, and a whimper escapes her mouth.

“Wasn’t aware there were points.”

“Oh, there are.” She puts on a faux serious tone as she grinds down his growing hardness. Ekko throws his head back, a groan escaping his lips as he closes his eyes. “You can gain those points back, though. You know how.”

He laughs, looking at her through half-lidded eyes as he grips her hips, forcing her to move to a pace set by him.

Jinx tries to angle herself in a way that the friction hits her where she wants, desperate for some kind of release. She feels herself grow wetter by the second, heat radiating off her skin and warming up the inside of the car.

Ekko busies his mouth kissing her neck, now that this angle gives him ample reign over her milky white skin. He slightly bites the skin under her jaw, sucking gently. Jinx hisses at the contact, pressing her hands against his shoulders for support.

Suddenly, Ekko stills her. Jinx protests at the loss of friction, but he shushes her by coming up to kiss her. She feels more than sees him letting one of her hips go and using the now free hand to ghost over her panties.

Ekko stops kissing her. Opens his eyes to give her a bewildered look, and a different kind of heat crawls up Jinx’s neck.

“You made a mess already,” he says, voice filled with lust. He palms at his crotch, completely wet where Jinx had been grinding on him. Her own underwear is no better: it looks like a damp opened between her legs.

It’s entirely because she’s been wanting to fuck him since way before their first date, having unabashedly used him and his photos as jerk off material more than once. But that’s not something she’ll confess—not right now, at least.

“Um, sorry?”

“Don’t be,” he’s quick to say. A wicked smile sets on his lips, and Jinx gasps when he tugs her underwear to the side, resting his index and middlefinger against his own crotch so she can rub against them while she’s grinding on him. “It adds points, right? I’m trying to become a boyfriend here.”

Jinx sputters something unintelligible, the addition of Ekko’s fingers and the faster pace he’s setting fills the car with obscene sounds, though none more obscene than Jinx’s moans.

Oh, he knows what he’s doing.

Ekko alternates between kissing her and biting marks on her neck, and Jinx would say something about being careful with hickeys, but she’s past the point of caring if she’s having sex with her fake-boyfriend in a deserted street, let’s be honest here.

His fingers tease at her entrance when she grinds up and down, she clenches around nothing and Jinx thinks she says something like fuck me now please, but she’s too wrapped up in her own pleasure to be sure if the words came out alright instead of a garbled mess.

Ekko probably understood her incoherencies, anyway, because he stills her once more. A protest is already forming at the tip of her tongue when his fingers knead her folds.

“How am I supposed to finger fuck you properly with no space?” He asks, “Lift your hips a little for me, doll.” Jinx’s brain short circuits at the nickname and she obeys eagerly, giving Ekko all the space. He chuckles and uses his other hand to grip her neck, making her come down to kiss her hungrily. “That’s my good girl.”

She clenches around air again.

Soon enough, Ekko inserts two fingers at once, eased in by her slick-covered cunt, and Jinx hisses at the stretch. His hands have always been bigger than hers; she’s wondered before how it would feel, and, honestly, this is better than her imagination.

Ekko starts slow, giving her time to adjust, but Jinx is an impatient little shit, so she tries to fuck herself on his fingers faster, harder. Ekko stops her, going back to grip her hip, and stills inside her.

“Behave for me, can you do that? Or are you too desperate to even try?” He questions, cocking an amused brow.

Jinx’s cheeks grow hot, but she doesn’t let her embarrassment show. “I should be the one bossing your around, you’re the one submitting an app—oh, fuck.” Her complaint is cut short when Ekko keeps fingering her, looking at Jinx with a shit-eating grin.

“What happened? Cat got your tongue?” Ekko asks, but Jinx isn’t even paying attention. She’s only aware of Ekko’s fingers curling inside her, hitting a spot that has her seeing stars behind her eyelids. “Don’t act like you want to be in control, doll, when you obey me so easily and eagerly.” Her blush probably spreads up to her chest, embarrassed at being figured out so quickly. Ekko just smiles, coming up to kiss her jaw.

“Moan for me, pretty girl, it’s like music for my ears.” Ekko punctuates this by removing the hand still gripping her to rub better at her sensitive nub.

And by god he doesn’t have to tell her twice; her moans become desperate, now that she’s free from his grip she steels herself by grabbing the sides of the seat, gyrating her hips in the same relentless pace Ekko sets.

He crooks his finger in a particular way that has her whimpering, tears dabbing at the corners of her eyes, overwhelmed by the pleasure. He’s still sucking marks on her neck, whispering things she doesn’t quite catch against her skin.

Jinx is positively seeing stars. She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to even out her breathing to prevent her orgasm from washing over her so soon, but she cries pathetically as Ekko swipes his thumb side to side, resolve crumbling as she fucks herself faster on his hand.

She’s vaguely aware of the heat pooling in her stomach, her walls clenching around his fingers, and the slight tremble of her legs. Jinx speeds up, chasing her own orgasm, but her plans are ruined when Ekko withdraws his fingers.

Her eyes snap open, gasping indignantly. “Ekko!” She half-protests, half-whines. He looks up at her, faux innocence in his features.

“What? Did you think I was gonna let you cum like that? Nah.” He pauses to regard his soaked hand, covered in Jinx’s juices up to his wrist. Jinx watches incredulous as he licks it clean; the sight is so filthy, and yet ironically heavenly. Like, she’s sure that she died and was sent straight to heaven, and Ekko fucking her mindless is her reward for all the shit she’s gone through.

His heavy gaze sets on her as he licks his digits, moaning around them. “You taste so good,” he breathes out.

“Ekko,” she starts, whining pathetically, “please. Just—fuck me, I need you to—”

He comes up to kiss her again, and she tastes her own saltiness on his lips. It sends shockwaves to her cunt.

“I want to feel you clench around my dick,” he says against her lips. Jinx is not sure if she moans because Ekko smacked her ass or at the sole thought of that. “I want you to ride me like you’ve never ridden anyone else, doll. Scream out my name while I pound you from below, that sound good?”

She wants to say something, anything, but the part of her brain in charge of forming sentences has completely shut down at this point, and so she settles for nodding enthusiastically, moaning against Ekko’s lips.

She hears more than sees Ekko unbuckling his belt, the clinging of the metal snapping her out of her haze.

Jinx sucks in a breath as she lifts herself from his lap, helping Ekko tug down his jeans and then finally slide his boxer down, freeing his neglected cock. At the back of her throat, Jinx feels a whimper trying to escape her mouth at the sight of Ekko’s cock, but she swallows it down.

She runs her own fingers through her wet cunt, eagerly collecting slick, and uses it to wrap her hand around his dick. Ekko hisses, throwing his head back against the cushion of the seat as Jinx strokes him out slowly, deliberately.

“You have no idea how much I imagined this,” he says, breathing heavily. One of his hands comes to cup the side of Jinx’s face, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Hollywood’s prettiest girl on my lap, already a desperate mess from just being fingered? I can’t wait to get to my place and fuck you properly, like you deserve; have you gripping on my sheets—mh, fuck.” Filthy moans escape Ekko’s lips, interrupting his rant. He smiles crookedly as Jinx fastens her pace. “God, you’re so good at this. Just like that, baby.”

Jinx is in a trance, salivating at the sight of Ekko. His words travel straight to her cunt, feeling her clit ache to be touched; she touches herself with her free hand, trying to match the pace of the hand that’s masturbating Ekko.

Her name falls from his lips more than once, spurring Jinx on. Faintly, she really hopes nobody catches them, otherwise Vi will kill her, then resurrect her only to kill her once more but more violently.

Suddenly, she gets an idea.

With a devilish giggle, she shifts on Ekko’s lap, pressing his cock against his stomach, and he shoots her a curious look. Jinx carefully positions her cunt over his cock, sliding along the length up and down, and they both moan at the same time.

Ekko’s eyes roll back, squeezing her ass. “Careful,” he groans. “I’m gonna—fuck, Jinx.”

“Don’t come yet,” she finally manages to say. “Want you to come inside me.”

His eyes snap wide open, mouth hanging agape at her words. “Are you—?”

“Mh, Ekko, I’m so serious,” she moans. “Want you to fill me up with your cum, please.” Jinx doesn’t mention that she’s on birth control, or care to add she’s as clean as can be because she doesn’t really do hook-ups.

If Ekko has questions, he doesn’t ask them. He only licks his bottom lip, and grabs her by the hips to lift her up.

If it’s possible, it definitely turns her on even more that he’s strong enough to practically maneuver her without any trouble.

Jinx does her part dutifully, pushing her panties aside to line herself over the tip of Ekko’s cock. She looks at him straight in the eyes as she’s sinking down on him, her face contorting in a grimace that’s a mixture of pain and pleasure. She bottoms out with a piercing cry, and Ekko groans under her.

She’s so full she could cry tears of joy. Maybe she does, she’s not aware of anything that’s not Ekko’s hands on her ass, not really setting a pace but more so lingering, and his cock hitting all the right angles inside her.

Jinx leans forward, moaning in Ekko’s ear as she keeps on riding him with an erratic pace.

“Fuck, Jinx,” Ekko says her name through a whimper. Suddenly, his hands come to still her once more, and she hears her feet shuffle, planting themselves against the ground. Anticipation bubbles in her stomach as he positions himself more comfortably, and starts fucking into her from below. She screams right in Ekko’s ears, a sweet melody for him that only spurs him on.

Jinx’s body goes limp, Ekko is still holding onto her hips, moving them up and down to match his thrusts. Somewhere in her brain, she thinks Finn doesn’t hold a candle to Ekko, who has practically fucked every thought out of her head before she even sat on his cock, and now all she can think of is that she wants him morning, noon, and night.

Could’ve been doing this all day for four months by now, she thinks.

The car’s windows are all fogged up, and she’s at least 99% that if anyone were to walk by, they’d probably deduce something is going on by the way the car is shaking.

“Jinx, I’m gonna—”

“Cum inside me,” Jinx whines, “please, please, please, please. I’m so close, too.”

Ekko says nothing, just groans and picks up the pace, while Jinx’s hand flies to her clit.

If she previously felt heat in the pit of her stomach, now she feels a whole forest fire roaring inside her. Her pent up frustration at having been denied an orgasm earlier is like accelerant, helping the fire spread all through her.

Ekko feels her walls closing in on him, obviously, so he grabs her chin with his hand to force her to look at him.

“Cum for me, doll.”

That’s all it takes for her to unravel.

Jinx comes with a cry, nestling her face in the crook of Ekko’s neck, muffling her cries with the seat. Her legs tremble, threatening to give up, but Ekko’s firm grip keeps her up. He’s still thrusting into her, chasing his orgasm while he fucks her through her own, but she’s grown sensitive, so she can’t help to cry pathetically.

“Ekko, please. I can’t—”

“Do you want my cum or not, baby?” He asks through heaving breaths.

“Yes,” she answers without thinking.

“Then just—just a little more—”

His breath becomes erratic, pounding her faster, making her cry from overstimulation, until he finally snaps, coming with a low moan.

Jinx stills, catching her breath as she feels Ekko’s thick cum filling up her insides. This car is going to be so messy, a hell to clean up, but right now she thinks it’s all worth it.

They stay tangled for a moment longer, Jinx still not moving off from Ekko, catching their breaths in silence.

Then, he speaks. “Did you like my application?”

Jinx’s laughs echo in the car, “You’re such an idiot,” she giggles, pressing her forehead against Ekko’s.

He just laughs, wrapping her waist with his arms.

“Yeah, but you like me like that,” he says, a knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

Jinx gives a long suffering sigh.

“I guess I do.”

“You ‘guess’?” Ekko shoots her an unimpressed look. “Weren’t you just begging me to cum inside you a second ago?”

“Shut up!” She cries out, indignation seeping in her tone, but she’s not mad, not really.

Ekko laughs, a honey-like sound that melts away any annoyance she could’ve been harboring.

“So,” he says, tone casual. “Are we going back to my place for round two? I still wanna put you on your back.”

Jinx thinks, for a fleeting second, she could have round two right there and then, considering he’s still, y’know, inside her. But the promise of a bed sounds too good to pass up.

“You’re on, pretty boy.”

*

When Ekko wakes up the next day in his apartment, with Jinx sprawled on top of him, he doesn’t have the heart to move her away, so he just stretches to reach for his phone on the nightstand besides him, the first notifications are from the True Damage group chat and a quick text from Viktor telling him they need to talk.

He panics, thinking they did get caught last night and someone took a photo, or worse, a video as proof.

When he opens the group chat, however, a cat-like smile blooms on his face.

True Damage’s Ekko and Shimmer Records’ star producer, Finn, get into a brawl over singer Jinx at Heartsteel party—WATCH VIDEO, reads the headline of the screenshot Yasuo sent.

He smiles, chuckling to himself, and tosses the phone aside to keep happily sleeping with Jinx—correction, his girlfriend.

As it turns out, the application on the car had been enough to turn this fake arrangement into a real one.

In the back of his mind, he makes a note to thank Maybe-Jimmy for his brilliant idea.

[changingplumbob]

Introductions: Hana - Part 3

Deanna: How are you feeling about this whole situation? Like what are you thinking about being in the villa with other contestants?

Hana: I'm loving it!

Deanna: That's great to hear

Hana: It's a new adventure

Deanna: For all of us

Deanna: Have you brought any keepsakes from home?

Hana: Yes, my favorite paints and brush

Deanna: In case inspiration strikes?

Hana: *smiles* It can happen anytime if you're open to the world

Deanna: I love that view

Joey: How do you think that went?

Hana: No offense but she seems a tad clingy. She can calm down, we're here for her right?

Joey: Grazie for chatting, see you at the sorting ceremony

...

Devin: Okay De, how was that?

Deanna: I love how in tune she is with herself, very admirable. I feel like we had a good talk but I'm not sure if I impressed her yet

See you tomorrow where we will meet our next contestant Mariela.

[sheisjoeschateau]

american teenagers

Here’s my very own self-written fanfiction, story by me — based on and inspired by FX’s “Fargo” 🖤

xo, misha

***

Gator Tillman x Fem!Reader

Childhood friends to rivals to lovers.

ANGST • SLOWBURN ROMANCE • DARK HUMOR • ACTION • HEAVY SMUT WITH HEAVY PLOT 18+ {minor dni}

THE PROLOGUE

You and Gator Tillman were only friends due to circumstances that traced back to early childhood. 

Both of you were convinced that had it not been for both of your corrupt daddies, you two wouldn’t have any need — let alone, any desire — to be around each other.  

Gator was a cocky vape-sucking toolbag who felt the need to prove himself to everyone, mostly himself — most of all, his apathetic father. It drove you nuts. Just the way he wore that smug smirk all the damn time, blowing puffs of Vanilla Coke flavored nicotine into your face with that slicked back hair and douche-wagon looking lightning bolt shaved on the side of his head, was enough to make you eye roll so far back into your head it gave you a migraine.  

You, on the other hand, were a goody-two-shoes and smart alec, convinced that you knew anything and everything under the sun — and all because’a what?  Because you’d been an AP student most of your life with a shot at a cushy college education? You were good at math and savvy shit like that, but also didn’t look like a geek or nerd?  On top of your pride, you had good looks — which in Gator’s mind, was the last thing your little bitch of an ego needed.

Still, you’d grown up together.  The two of you had both seen shit.  Some real shit.  Crazy, illegal, scary shit, that most kids your age wouldn’t even see on a television screen because they had good parents who wouldn’t let that happen.  But you two didn’t get dealt wholesome childhoods, and having each other had gotten you both through a good chunk of childhood traumas.  

Life obligated you both to be friends.  But that didn’t mean you both hated each other.  Well, not completely at least.  You tolerated each other.  Were used to each other.  It felt as if you guys were just an extension of one another, a limb you had to have in order to fully function.  It made for a weird sort of codependency between the two of you, operating on incessant bickering, venting about both your fathers’ dirty work and invading each others’ personal space due to damn near living together over the years. 

So, sure. In some inevitably duty-bound way, you and Gator loved each other.  You just didn’t really like each other.  You got on his nerves, he got under your skin.  You were far more of a nuisance than not, in Gator’s mind.  And he was a sleazy rat who only had good looks on his side.  The two of you knew each other inside and out, better than anyone else ever would, and that was such a fucking bother to you both.  

“Whoever the fuck ends up with you, is the most unfortunate bastard I’ll ever know.”

Gator had griped about that to you a handful of times, only resulting in your coy smirk and a wry hair flip.  It drove him nuts.  You were the biggest pain in the ass.  God forbid you were ever his pain in the ass.  That would never happen.

…that would never happen.

…or so he thought.

***

First chapter coming soon :) fyi…this will be a multi-part series and like it’s not become an entire series sooooo that’s a thing. yeah. and I’m taking tag list requests below 🖤

[ari073206]

Spoiler ahead!

I have an issue with one character.

And it’s this guy.

If you read the manga then some of you might get my point somewhat but I’m mainly doing this to vent my frustration.

So at this point in the anime we are at season 5 being introduced to the past and learning about the Okumura twins parents’ past, right?

And then I stop to think about this guy here. When you read the manga, visit fan pages, and websites they say that he’s the part of the Grigory squad and we kind of gets an idea that this person is on our side.

BUT! We all know that Lucifer is the bad guy of the story. (One of the main antagonists) And Jeremiah the guy I have issues with practically spent his whole life around him.

I put the 1st picture there to show how near he was with Lucifer, and while at the time Lucifer may not have had any ulterior motives but let's remember that Jeremiah was at the time a young boy. Being introduced to the exorcism and demons. (I imagine Jeremiah when he was young while knowing the dangers surrounding demons let down his guard because Lucifer at the time was physically weak.)

The second photo show here is his appearance when he was young and at that time he was seeing Lucifer when he was being treated in section 13, again kind of consolidating my idea on how much time he spent near Lucifer giving the demon king enough time to just kind of plant seeds in young Jeremiah's head about fairness and equality he, Lucifer now talks about. (I mean Dragulescu was also a spy for him in the future and he was an arch knight of the order when season 4 dropped.)

The point I am trying to make is that he might be someone to watch out for.

While he might not equate to this guy, Mephisto who literally sees the future and plays people like a chess.

He spent a lot of time with Lucifer and some panels don’t inspire me to trust him. He just gives this untrustworthy feeling. People say that eyes are the window to the soul and his eyes are just scheming something while not being noticed by those around him.

Just look at how Shiemi looks so frightened I think it was Jeremiah who planted Shiemi ideas about how she's weak and behind everyone. Even though as seen later in the manga she's stronger and more motivated in her actions than her anume counterpart too.

And not just that!

This picture might look heart warming. Angel just feeling all sorts of things from the knowledge that he might be a nephilim part of the very thing he hate from the depth of his soul, namely dmeons and anything related to it. So he just comes up to Jeremiah probably the only person close to him beside Lewin.

(Angel baby you don’t need to get a sense of validation from that sketchy guy.) Who knows he might be trying to serve on a silver platter for Lucifer to possess you and ultimately betray the whole order. last chapter confirming that Shemihaza aka Shiemi's mom died and Amaimon leaving things are looking bad for our protagonists.

I won’t be surprised if he ends up being Lucifer’s spy. Just saying but there is a big chance of that happening definitely.

At this point, I'm just waiting for Jeremiah to suddenly appear carrying Angel's wounded body, to make deal with him about how He'll give him Angel's body to possess in return for something. Or just straight up say the Illuminati oath.

[bosooka]

this is a very funny post to read as a jewish person lololol.

to be clear, it's not that i disagree that the legends mandalorians were badly (not to mention strangely) written, and 80% of it doesn't make sense, but also...

hebrew, biblical hebrew, a language which has been spoken, read, and written in for over three thousand years continuously, has not changed remarkably in those three thousand years. i can't call the relationship between modern and biblical/religious hebrew natural because modern hebrew is sort of a purposeful construction in the way languages rarely are, but the two are largely mutually intelligible. it's not that outlandish that a language would kinda sorta survive through five thousand years of contact with other languages.

(it is true that biblical hebrew absorbed many loanwords and grammatical structure over the years, from babylonian, persian, and even early arabic, and also that a variety of diasporic languages developed in jewish communities that combine the local language with hebrew, like yiddish, haketia, bukharian, etc. dialects also developed like judeo-arabic and the iconic yeshivish. jewish linguistics is complicated!)

as for preserving culture, i won't claim that the judaism practiced in 17th century russian empire was exactly the judaism of the immediate post-temple period in judea and samaria (it wasn't) BUT it was remarkably similar to the judaism practiced in 17th century ottoman egypt, thousands of miles away, and also the judaism practiced in the new world...so yes, it is possible for a group of people to preserve and maintain a shared culture different from those around them for centuries, even millennia, while still remaining instantly recognizable to each other despite great distances.

of course, this extended cultural contact did cause jewish philosophy and theology to change. the rambam was undoubtedly inspired by islamic theologians of his time, and the haskalah, the jewish enlightenment (and thus the development of reform judaism) would not have happened without the...gentile enlightenment. it's literally impossible for a group of people to not be changed by their neighbors!! it just. doesn't happen!! but star wars doesn't really do cultural exchange in all fairness lol

however unlike mandalorians jewish people have always had an attachment to a specific land and more importantly a set of texts that have guided the development of our culture and religion since...literally longer than they've been written down. it's absolutely ludicrous that mandalorian culture might persevere without something akin to this.

tl;dr this is a fair criticism of legends mandalorian writing, but it's also not entirely outlandish that some of these things would and have happened with irl ethnic groups! and either way none of this is actually canon anymore as far as i know

In five millennia, the Mandalorians fought with and against a thousand armies on a thousand worlds. They learned to speak as many languages and absorbed weapons technology and tactics from every war. And yet, despite the overwhelming influence of alien cultures, and the absence of a true homeworld and even species, their own language not only survived but changed little, their way of life and their philosophy remained untouched, and their ideals and sense of family, of identity, of nation, were only strengthened.

Mando'a, wookiepedia.

What kind of utter bullshit is this? This is impossible. Languages are in constant change, and even more so when they interact with others! That's how Spanish, Italian, French, and many others were born from Latin! How German, English and Swedish were born too!

I'm not a linguist so my knowledge of how languages work is limited, but I know this: language is in a constant state of change. I know there are words that are less than four decades old in English.

My own first language has had over a dozen words created in the past two decades. Many of them come from English, or were created for the Internet, and most of our words come from three or four different languages.

My country has many words used exclusively in certain regions. We like to joke about how difficult it is to learn our language, since so many words have multiple meanings and others only exist in limited places. There are over four regions where language is concerned, all of them with different accents and words exclusive to their respective region.

Languages and cultures don't exist in a vacuum, they are formed thanks to experiences and changes communities go through. Interacting with people from different backgrounds is how Ancient Greek philosophy was born! And that philosophy has shaped the whole Western world!

Nuclear family, despite being seen as the norm, is less than a century old. America's (the continent, America is a continent, US is the country) independance happened in recent memory as far as history is concerned, less than two centuries ago (the movement started in the early 19th cetury, but its main points were the 1870's and the 1890's, and it finished in 1898 when Spain's last two colonies gained their independance). The French Revolution that completely altered Europe's governments happened just a little over two hundred years ago, in 1789. World War II started eighty five years ago, and Hitler rose to power ten years before that. My country has been a democracy for less than fifty years, my parents are older than my country's democracy. The cold war finished in the fucking late 1980's. The "schools" in Canada that were used to forcibly convert/assimilate First Nation children were active until the last one closed in the 1990's.

This is just a very small glance at what has happened in the west (which I'm more familiar with, since I'm western) in the past two centuries.

If we have changed so much in just two hundred years, it's impossible that Mandalorians have remained the exact same in five, fucking, thousand.

And the most stupid for the end:

Nation: a large body of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory.

If Mandalorians don't have a planet to call their own, they are not a nation.

[lskamil27]

what was your inspiration to create your game? how was the creation process?

all the best, and good luck with the game! :D

OOO I CAN DEFINITELY ANSWER THIS!!

My inspiration for Weeping Rosemary was? a bit varied throughout it's creation, since I had first conceptualized it in 2018. I don't recall what led me to it, but I remember first creating Ophelia and drawing her around this time.

Weeping Rosemary was originally a webcomic series, since it was what I knew best and what was easier for me around this time, even though I always imagined it as a game in my heart. However, uni came along and made me too busy to continue it - which, to be honest, might have been a blessing in disguise LMAO

The story of Weeping Rosemary was... not well written at all. Coming out of the hands of a teen who's main consumption of media was edgy horror manga, or really outdated harem anime; the writing of it was so juvenile and cringe ( and not in a 'but free' way! )

As I got older, and my interests expanded, as well as my own growth within myself - it affected a lot of how Weeping Rosemary has changed and developed.

Now, for what inspired - a lot of it is the gothic! And not gothic as in like, the fashion & makeup, etc. ( though I still like these elements a lot ); but the books of gothic novellas! The books that mainly inspired me being:

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

And then of course, movies such as Crimson Peak, directed by Guillermo del Toro, and the series Penny Dreadful. They are other media I like as well that have inspired me, but I can't comment solidly as I only know them from an outside POV ( for now ), like Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu, and Bram Stoker's Dracula, for example.

I really like sensual ( sexy? ) horror, that does a nice balance of blending in elements of sexuality with terror - and I feel that gothic novellas do a nice balance of this; which is what I plan ( and hopefully succeed ) in with Weeping Rosemary's full game. It's also why WR's horror is not, like, a loud jumpscare horror, moreso than a subtle horror.

As for the creation process - The game production had commenced around February of this year, as it was my final semester as a art student. I had to do a thesis and all I knew was that I realllllly wanted to make a game, but I was unsure of what. I decided to revise and redo Weeping Rosemary, my webcomic, because I felt confident that I could not only give it the writing it deserved, but make into the game I always imagined!

My dear friend & classmate had the program, and she gave me hers, and so I got to work! Weeping Rosemary became my thesis, and I had completed the demo game around?? April 30th?

I'll show in the images below, but I had done a lot of writing; around almost 30 pages of script writing and 5 page outline to hand to my professor so he could see my plan. And then a lot of thumbnail planning and art to make for the CG and sprites! As well as see what art style would suit the game best.

Some progress shots, to show the general gist:

[sunnystrikerz]

Mac and his scary titan privileges :]