#the drama??

[please-help-this-little-lesbian]

Animorphs 19 is genuinely one of the best books I've ever read.

[estapa94]

i think booktok getting to hockey was one of the worst things to happen in the history of hockey

[lobster-tales]

Beat the Daylight

Sequel to Face the Noise, an Arcane Rock Band AU

Rating: M

Chapter 16: The Shooting Range

Summary: Jinx strikes up a new deal

CW: Past drug use/withdrawal reference

This work is available here on AO3. Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15

It took forever for Viktor to wake up. Jinx gave him a few moments, watching the quiet calculations in his brain. The straps binding his wrists and ankles to the chair. The blindfold across his eyes. The sour smell, the cold dampness that could only come from a basement.

When Jinx yanked the chair back to balance on two legs, he cried out in surprise. Jinx hissed in his ear, “Dobroye utro, Viktor.”

But as soon as he heard the sound of her voice, he relaxed. “Ah, Jinx. Your Russian is getting better, you know.”

She was in no mood to play nice, though. Jinx ripped the blindfold off and swung around to face him. “I found your tech, James Bond. You’ve been a busy, busy boy.”

“Eh, work never ends,” he said, unserious. Why was he so calm?

Jinx removed a gun from her hip, hoping the threat of it would unnerve him. “You. Lied. To me.”

Viktor scoffed, as if he were offended. “I never lied to you. You never asked outright if I was a spy.”

“Really? If I asked ‘Hey, are you a spy?’, you would have told me the truth?”

“Of course not. That would make me a terrible spy.” Viktor winced as the gun’s cold steel barrel pressed against his temple. “L-look, I know you’re upset, but-”

“Who sent you?” Jinx growled. “Was it Ekko? Or-” her voice trembled just slightly. “Vi? So they could spy on me?”

“Not you,” he said quickly. “Never you.”

She ground the steel into his skin. “See, it’s hard for me to trust you now.”

“Th-the bugs! You’re smart. You probably checked your room, your studio: did you find any?”

She hadn’t. But rather than let him know, she asked, “So you’re spying on Silco then. Why?”

Viktor let out a short, callous laugh. “Because he’s a crime lord, Jinx! He trafficks drugs, he named his fucking music label after it!”

There it was: the unspoken. Jinx knew about the rumors, everyone did, but she never asked Silco or anyone in the company if it was true. Mostly because she didn’t want to know.

She allowed him to sweat for another breath, then finally pulled away. “You really believe that, huh?”

“Um, yes? What, and I suppose when you were doing Shimmer, you imported it?”

Jinx grimaced. “Fine, let’s say, hypothetically, it is true. So what? It’s a side hustle. We need money to build a new Zaun.”

“So… what?” he repeated. His tone grew ever more exasperated. “Jinx, he’s poisoning this city. And not only that, but it’s spreading. The reason I was sent here in the first place is because they found Shimmer in The Lanes.”

She jolted at the words. In Zaun, the Shimmer epidemic paled in comparison to the other problems that plagued the city. But she never imagined it infecting The Lanes. Memories scratched at her mind: the confused, desperate haze of her withdrawal, her heart pounding so hard she thought it would break free from her rib cage, her hands shaking so violently that Silco could barely hold them.

The Lanes. All those college kids at the house show. All Vander’s regulars at the pub. In one moment of weakness, they could fall into that same trap, the one she had to claw her way out of.

No, focus. She had to discredit him, catch him in the lie. She just had to.

“Who found it?” she hissed. “You still haven’t told me who you’re working for.”

Oh, now he had nothing to say. He just held her glare.

She raised the gun, aiming it straight at his forehead. “Tell me. Was it Ekko? Caitlyn? Medarda?”

He called her bluff though. “You wouldn’t.”

“... You’re right,” she admitted. Then she set her jaw. “But pretty boy’s fair game.”

Only now did fear light up his eyes.

“No,” he breathed. “No, Jinx, please leave him out of this-”

“I will. If you tell me who sent you.”

He was defeated, and he knew it. Viktor lowered his head in shame, and muttered, “It was… Caitlyn.”

The gun lowered. Of course. Good ole Nancy Drew, sticking her diamond encrusted nose where it didn’t belong.

“Jinx,” Viktor said in a low voice. “Trust me, we only have the best of intentions.”

“Oh really?” she snarled. “Lying to me, making me believe you cared about me, that was the ‘best of intentions’?”

“I do care about you. I really do.” She wanted to believe him. She so desperately wanted to trust him. But she couldn’t let herself fall for it. “That part was never a lie.”

“Just everything else,” she said sourly.

“Silco is a madman. He just wants power, and he is willing to destroy anyone and anything in his path.”

Finn’s scowling face flashed in her mind, but she silenced the thought by slamming the gun on the table. “Is that what they told you? Those fucking topsiders? They abandoned Zaun! Or did you forget what it was like growing up here?”

“Never.” He spoke in a low voice. “I will never forget, I can’t forget. I was an orphan too, Jinx, and disabled on top of that. I know better than anyone.”

“Then why would you betray your home?” Jinx cried out, close to tears.

“Because the solution isn’t more hate. It’s not more pain. Silco is a killer. He’s torn families apart.” And then, quieter, “He tore your family apart.”

“No!” she screamed, aiming the gun at him again. “Vi tore us apart! She abandoned me, she hurt me!”

“She made a mistake,” he said, tone measured. “But she has spent every single day trying to make it right. Both she and Vander have been coming to the hotel to fight Silco’s guards. I can’t even tell you how many thousands Caitlyn spent on lawyers trying to get you back.”

Her shoulders heaved as she stared at him, wide-eyed like a deer. “Y-you’re lying. They never came to look for me, Silco told me they never…”

He said gently, “It sounds like Silco is the one who lied.”

A ghost’s voice beckoned her from the darkness, and she fired her gun at the sound. “Shut up!”

Viktor flinched at the blast, but otherwise stayed still, giving her time to breathe. When she had collected herself enough, he murmured, “I’m sorry, Jinx. I’m sorry you got roped into all of this. You should have never been involved.”

Slowly, she moved behind the chair again. “I’m sorry, too.”

Then she brought the butt of the gun against his head, knocking him out cold.

                                                           ☆ ☆ ☆                                                   

In the late hours of the night, the Kiramman mansion seemed more like a museum than a home. Caitlyn wove through the furniture, her feet having memorized the path. When she was a child, sneaking out from her room late at night, she would pretend that she was a thief or perhaps a spy. She knew all the parts of the floor that didn’t creak, how to make as little sound as possible.

But she stopped when she heard the muffled echoes from their indoor shooting range. Caitlyn was surprised that her mother was up so late, but admired her for training. Any other night, Caitlyn may have joined her. Tonight, however, belonged to the investigation.

After making her tea, Caitlyn passed through the dark house once more. Past the dining area, the parlor, her mother’s study. Where the light was still on, so Caitlyn went to turn it off. And found her mother, sound asleep, her head back and mouth open. It would have normally been hilarious.

Caitlyn eased open the desk drawer to remove the pistol. It was her mother’s 9 millimeter, a nice one too. To great chagrin, Caitlyn had to abandon her tea, armored only in her pajamas.

There was a strange rhythm to the shots, almost like a beat. And by that alone, Caitlyn recognized her intruder. It could be no one else.

Jinx stopped shooting when Caitlyn arrived, removing her headwear. She looked tired, like she had fought a battle. And yet Jinx grinned: a snarky, half grin.

“Jinx,” Caitlyn breathed, scared to say the name loudly, even if her parents and Vi were all dead asleep. “What are you doing here?”

“You got a nice place, toots,” Jinx said, extending her arm to show off the borrowed weapon. “It cracks me up when you richies invest in everything but a less hackable security system. For shame, Kiramman.”

“What do you want?” Caitlyn asked.

Jinx unloaded the weapon: easily, like she’d handled it for years. “It’s not about what I want, it’s about what you want. You want something that I have.”

“What?”

“Viktor.”

Caitlyn tried not to react, but it was too late. “Wh-what do you mean?”

“Oh drop the act, cupcake,” she said, mockingly. “I know all about your little sting operation.”

“... Is he-”

“Safe?” Jinx asked. “For now. But not for long. Not unless I start getting some answers.”

So much time had passed since the last time Caitlyn spoke to her. And yet, up close, she was so nearly the same. Sure, Jinx was a little older, more filled out, but she was still undeniably Powder. And what really gave it away was that glint of fear in her eyes.

Caitlyn asked, “What would you like to know?”

“Silco and Medarda’s side bet. Tell me about it.”

“Why not ask him?”

“I did,” Jinx said with a grin. “Never hurts to cross reference.”

Caitlyn didn’t believe her, but ultimately, it didn’t matter. She would find out sooner or later anyway. So Caitlyn explained the real stakes of the contest.

Jinx was still. She murmured, “My contract…”

Unsure how to proceed, Caitlyn said in a soft voice, “Believe me, Jinx, Viktor and I never intended to hurt you. We just wanted to do the right thing.”

“You know, I could build a house with all your ‘good intentions’.” Jinx’s nails clicked against the gun as she contemplated. “Alright. I want in on the action.”

“What?”

Jinx held up a small silvery block. “This is all of Silco’s dirty little secrets. If you win, they’re yours.”

“... What?” Caitlyn repeated, dumbfounded. “You… how do you-”

“And if I win,” Jinx continued. “Lux and Viktor come live with me in Zaun. Whatever you gotta say to her brother, her parents, you have to make sure they never come after her. And Jayce has to take Viktor off his lease.”

Caitlyn knew it would be painful to follow through, but she heard herself say, “Fine.”

“And…” A tremor entered her voice. “Vi… Vi stops looking for me. She keeps her distance from the hotel. In fact, she probably shouldn’t even step foot inside Zaun’s city limits.”

“You know I can’t promise that.”

“You have to,” Jinx said firmly. “If she keeps coming after me, eventually Silco will retaliate. I know what he’s capable of, Caitlyn. He won’t hesitate to hurt her, or worse.” She let the words hang in the air. “Promise me you’ll stop her.”

“... I promise.”

Jinx reached out her arm, and Caitlyn clasped it, sealing the deal. When she did so, Jinx pulled her close, leaning up to whisper in her ear, “Make sure they win.”

The lights went out. By the time Caitlyn switched them back on, Jinx was gone.

                                                           ☆ ☆ ☆                                                   

Even in the dark night, Lux’s room seemed to glow. A moonbeam hit the sterile white carpet and reflected off Lux’s gold hair, which was draped over her back as she slept soundly on her stomach. Jinx admired her from the shadows. It seemed a shame to wake her up, especially when she herself was a creature of darkness, fawning over a being of light.

But Jinx didn’t have to wake her up. As if sensing her, Lux stirred, blinking at her. “Powder? Is that you?”

“Yeah.”

Lux smiled, sleepy, and lifted the covers, welcoming her into the bed.

But Jinx was still too raw from betrayal. She needed to make sure of something first. “Did you know? About Viktor?”

“Know what?” Lux asked, confused.

“That he was a spy.”

“Oh! Oh… Ohhhh. That actually makes a lot of sense.” Her voice was groggy with sleep, but she stretched and was soon back on her roll. “I mean, I don’t know him other than what I’ve heard from you and the rest of the band, but I did think it was weird that Jayce never talked about him with any animosity, like they had actually fallen out. He would just sound kind of wistful, like Viktor was on a business trip. Well, I guess in a way, he was.” She gasped. “Wait, he was spying on you?”

“He said he was just spying on Silco.”

“... Do you believe him?”

Jinx sighed. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

Lux gazed up at her forlornly, eyes melting in the moonlight. “I’m so sorry, Powder.”

“It’s fine.” It wasn’t.

“Come here.” Lux lifted the comforter again, welcoming her into the warm bed.

“I shouldn’t,” said Jinx.

“Fuck you and come here.”

A shiver traveled down her spine: she was all too happy to obey.

Lux hummed into Jinx’s shoulder. “You smell like guns.”

“Yeah, I was um…” There was no reason to explain. She should cut to the chase. Especially when she didn’t know how much time they had together. “Hey, I saw everything online. Kind of been a shitstorm.”

“... yeah.” Her voice was soft.

“I-I just want you to know that I never meant for any of that to happen,” Jinx said. “I shouldn’t have been so careless. I mean, my reputation’s been shot to hell for years, but I didn’t even think about yours, Lux, and I’m… I’m sorry.”

Lux snuggled in closer. “You know… as a wise and drop dead gorgeous girl once said to me: fuck them.”

Jinx stifled a laugh.

“Besides,” Lux said. “I think everyone else cares more than I do.”

Jinx had been prepared for her to cry, or push her away, but that was it. That was all that needed to be said. And she was delirious with relief.

Lux whispered, “I’ve heard… rumors that Margot resigned. And Finn’s been declared missing. Is that true?”

“Yeah.”

She shivered. “If they’re jumping ship, Powder, maybe you should get out, too.”

“I can’t. I have a contract with Silco. If I dip, then I’ll never be able to release songs again. And it’s not just that, I… I know this sounds weird, and hard to understand, but Silco… he saw me for who I was when no one else did. And he offered me the world. Me. When he could have offered it to anyone else. Even though he lied, he still cares about me, and… I still care about him, too.”

Lux let out a humorless chuckle. “They’re two sides of the same coin.”

“Who are?”

“Silco and Vi. He wants Jinx, not Powder, and she wants Powder, not Jinx.”

Jinx gazed at her with sorrowful eyes. “Who do you want?”

“You.” Lux kissed her nose. “All of you. Powder, Jinx, I’ll take it all.”

Tears pricked at Jinx’s eyes. Her breath caught in a sniffle.

“Powder? You okay?”

“Yeah,” but her voice cracked.

Lux pulled her closer, letting her rest her head on her chest. She ran her fingers through her hair, murmuring, “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Jinx clung as if Lux were a life preserver, and she had never felt more lost at sea. She was safe in her arms, and everything Jinx had been hiding came flooding out. “I’m scared, Lux. I’m so fucking scared. This whole thing was supposed to be a game, and it feels like my entire life is riding on this stupid contest. I’m scared to win, I’m scared to lose.”

Her lips pressed to Jinx’s temple, Lux listened, ever patient,. “It’s okay, Powder,” she repeated. “It’s gonna be okay.”

“There’s so many things I want and they’re all swirling around in my brain. I want to come home, I want to see Vi again, and Vander: I want them to love me for who I am. I want Ekko, and Caitlyn, and even fucking Jayce. I want to go to work with Viktor and spend our days in labs and our nights in sound studios.

“But… and I know this sounds bad, but I also want to rule Zaun. I want to be the empress, and do whatever I want. Maybe… I could do some good that way. Viktor could work with me on new technology or energy sources.” She traced her fingers along Lux’s hand. “And if you want… you could come with me. You could be my queen. And nothing would ever come between us again.”

But Lux said nothing. She just pressed her lips together.

“Would you?” Jinx asked, seized by fear. “If my side wins the contest?”

“... I don’t know, Powder. I really don’t. I don’t even know what will happen if my side wins. When my mom talked to me - well, she didn’t talk so much as yell - she said she wants me to come home afterwards, no matter what. Even with Caitlyn and her mom reassuring them, my parents and Garen will probably need at least a few weeks to cool off. And… if I did run away with you, I could never see them again.”

It was true. It fucking hurt, but Lux was right. And Jinx knew she shouldn’t ask that of her. Which meant that if Fissurefolk won, she would strike that from her deal with Caitlyn. Or work something else out.

Jinx exhaled, a shaky sound.

Lux murmured, “Believe me, Powder, I’m scared too, but you give me hope. You make me feel brave.” She laced their fingers together. “Because even if everything goes to shit, I know we still have this. You still have me, I’m still yours. And I’m so grateful to you for just… letting me be part of your life, even if it turns out to just be this brief time. You inspired me to be truer to myself. In becoming yours, I became my own.” She rested her forehead against Powder’s, whispering, “Thank you. Thank you, Powder.”

They kissed. The salt of Powder’s tears, the gunpowder, and Lux’s vanilla chapstick mingled together to create a taste all their own.

Powder stayed until she felt Lux’s breath steady, felt her fall back asleep. Then Jinx slipped out the window, allowing herself one last look.

And hoped, desperately, that she would be able to see her again.

[neurodivenport]

what the fuck is up with that one kickin it star wars episode

[woolieshubris]

tumblr simulator

[nyancrimew]

he's back at it, yet another serious death threat has hit car hammer explosion man

[yeah-yeah-beebiss-1]

in case you were wondering how things went down at the pokemon world championships this weekend:

-during the top 8 of the TCG masters division, chilean player fernando cifuentes was running a gimmick deck that consisted exclusively of four iron thorns ex and a whole ton of control-focused trainer cards in a strategy that either completely shuts down opponents or shits the bed entirely

-through skillful play and some good luck, fernando made it through 2 days in a tournament with over 1100 players to get to the quarterfinals

-fernando lost 2-0 to ian robb, who was running regidrago vstar (widely considered one of the best decks in the current format)

-in an overexuberant victory celebration, ian did what can only be described as a jacking-off gesture, on a stream with tens of thousands of viewers run by a company with very firm player conduct expectations

-the judges determined that this warranted a penalty of game loss, but for some reason, rather than applying it to ian’s next game in the semifinals, they applied it to the one he had just won in the top 8

-(it should be noted that the prize money for making top 8 is $15k while top 4 is $20k, so this jerking gesture cost ian robb $5,000)

-nearly an hour after fernando came to terms with his loss and the end of an impressive run, he was told that he was to get back on stream because he’s now playing in the semifinals due to winning by default

-the player he was up against in the semifinals was playing a deck (miraidon) that happens to get shut down hard by iron thorns’s gimmick, so fernando wins the semifinals

-said player, jesse parker, had notably had an undefeated run throughout the whole tournament up to this point, and likely would have continued that streak had his intended semifinal opponent not gotten a game loss penalty for miming a lewd act on stream

-meanwhile, the other semifinal winner is japan’s seinosuke shiokawa, running a deck (roaring moon) that players had largely written off as underwhelming months ago

-the grand finals are on the following day, so saturday evening was abuzz with a lot of people baffled by the absurdity of the situation

-come sunday afternoon, the grand finals are set to begin, with fernando cifuentes running iron thorns and seinosuke shiokawa running roaring moon

-it should be noted here that the roaring moon deck doesn’t rely very much on abilities, so iron thorns’s gimmick has very little effect - this is basically an even matchup

-fernando wins the first game of the set, and seinosuke wins the second

-the third and final game of the set is a bonafide cheek-clencher, with both players reaching a state where a single KO will win the game, but fernando manages to clinch it at the last minute

-and that’s the story of how a guy pretending to jork it led to the first instance of a pokemon world champion who also lost the quarterfinals

[loverboybrightsideghost]

i'm a big fan of tv shows where they do an episode from the POV of a side character and they're living in a completely different genre than the main character

[junglejim4322]

The thing that is interesting is if you have any semblance of personality you will definitely encounter people who viscerally hate you and obsess over you for years and you will not even remember their name

[haroldhighballjordan]

sometimes I randomly think about the time a girl posted in this girls only Facebook group I’m in telling everyone how she broke up with her boyfriend and he lied saying that he lost the spare key she gave him, only to then break into her apartment when she wasn’t home and steal the cat they’d adopted while they were together, but then he denied having done this and she didn’t really have proof that he took the cat since he wouldn’t let her come into his place and look for it. And then another girl saw this post and knew her ex-boyfriend, and she was like “girl. I used to hook up with your mans back in xxxx and I still have his number. If you want, I’ll hit him up and get him to invite me back to his place and see if your cat’s there.” And the OP was like “bet.”

So this woman hit up homie dog, asked him out for drinks, went home with him, slept with him, and then woke up in the middle of the night and TOOK THE CAT. Like she had only said that she would confirm if the cat was there but then she took it upon herself to steal this woman’s cat back. Like she full on Trojan horsed this man and then hit up homegirl like “I got the goods. Where you wanna meet.” And then the two of them posted a photo of them together with the cat to the group.

And I just think women supporting women is so beautiful.

[book--wyrm]

do i really need to explain what this is about.

[cherrifire]

Day one and there's already drama

[arwen-evenstar]

Excalibur (1981) dir.: John Boorman

[cheeseanonioncrisps]

A murder mystery film set in a medieval village. After an outbreak of plague, the villagers make the decision to shut their borders so as to protect the disease from spreading (see the real life case of the village of Eyam). As the disease decimates the population, however, some bodies start showing up that very obviously were not killed by plague.

Since nobody has been in or out since the outbreak began, the killer has to be somebody in the local community.

The village constable (who is essentially just Some Guy, because being a medieval constable was a bit like getting jury duty, if jury duty gave you the power to arrest people) struggles to investigate the crime without exposing himself to the disease, and to maintain order as the plague-stricken villagers begin to turn on each other.

The killer strikes repeatedly, seemingly taking advantage of the empty streets and forced isolation to strike without witnesses. As with any other murder mystery, the audience is given exactly the same information to solve the crime as the detective.

Except, that is, whenever another character is killed, at which point we cut to the present day where said character's remains are being carefully examined by a team of modern archaeologists and historians who are also trying to figure out why so many of the people in this plague-pit died from blunt force trauma.

The archaeologists and historians, btw, are real experts who haven't been allowed to read the script. The filmmakers just give them a model of the victim's remains, along with some artefacts, and they have to treat it like a real case and give their real opinion on how they think this person died.

We then cut back to the past, where the constable is trying to do the same thing. Unlike the archaeologists, he doesn't have the advantage of modern tech and medical knowledge to examine the body, but he does have a more complete crime scene (since certain clues obviously wouldn't survive to be dug up in the modern day) and personal knowledge from having probably known the victim.

The audience then gets a more complete picture than either group, and an insight into both the strengths and limits of modern archaeology, explaining what we can and can't learn from studying a person's remains.

At the end of the film, after the killer is revealed and the main plot is resolved, we then get to see the archaeologists get shown the actual scenes where their 'victims' were killed, so they can see how well their conclusions match up with what 'really' happened.

[dailyflicks]

#you know it's serious when they pull that face