#their name will be immediately removed from the roster

[typewritingyip]

Arcturus Two

Masterlist

—

Logs: Pilot 2672

Name: Clifford Rothschild

Callsign: Cliffjumper

Cliffjumper was originally from New York state, a graduate of Cornell, and spent most of his life among the vastly intelligent and wealthy. When the pilot program was first announced he and several friends of his applied as a joke, not anticipating selection or later compatibility. Out of the twelve of them who applied, three were found compatible and one died within a year of being a pilot. He went to work for Mecha as a favor to an old friend, knowing several of the scientists and engineers on staff. Fairly young in the program, but always wanting to know and learn more he volunteered for the Arcturus Program. Pilot 2672; single, no children, mother and father reside in upstate New York, fourth son of eight children, applicable for Arcturus mission.

One Year Till Arcturus Two Launch

Pilot 2672 was sent to intermediate training for his solo mission to collect data and information on the enemy past our atmosphere, he will spend the next year preparing for the mission and the last six months working with NASA as well as other space agencies to prepare for the trip. He enters isolation three months from today to prepare him for his extended isolation. As of the moment, he states he’s enthusiastic about the venture and quotes, “looks forward to seeing space.” Logs will be filled at specific intervals to keep files updated on pilot and mech suits condition, limited classified information will be added and later redacted at time of release. Each log will end with a status of information and condition.

Two Weeks Post Arcturus One Launch

Pilot 2672’s timeline has been expedited in the recent loss of contact with Arcturus One, them being unable to launch the relay satellite before going offline. Their control is <REDACTED>. He is to enter isolation immediately, to enter training with NASA along with the various other agencies immediately, all contact with the pilot will be remote from this moment on in preparation for his departure. His mech has been moved into R&D and taken off the duty roster. Pilot 12437, name Stacey Rivers, callsign Slipstream is re-assigned to 2672’s coastal region, moved off suspension. Launch date remains the same temporarily. Loss of Arcturus One remains in Mecha’s systems, do not release to the public. Information expected, condition atypical.

Nine Months Till Launch

Pilot 2672 is displaying mild signs of distress, attempting more conversation than permitted with <REACTED> who is unauthorized staff. Mech upgrade is 27% complete, exterior plating upgraded for sub-zero temperatures with the average temperature for space calibrated and oxygen tanks installed. Multiple staff are being authorized for a mental health check of pilot, clearances required. Pilot of Arcturus Two continues to ask about pilots of Arcturus One, maintaining public response and clarifying classification status. If his condition continues to worsen, Pilot 3535 is on standby for reassignment. Information expected, condition typical.

Six Months Till Launch

Pilot 2672 is no longer displaying concerning behavior, maintaining communication with authorized specialists and unauthorized communications have ceased. Pilot 3525 deceased, removed from standby, updated Pilot 4807. Suit testing begins in one week's time, 48% complete. Preparation testing was successful and pilot is preparing for next stage, once his mech is fully upgraded he will have access to the cockpit for further needed testing. Flight simulations start in twenty four hours. Movement to location <REDACTED> necessary. Pilot still has frequent questions of Arcturus One, further limiting his status and classification. Information expected, condition typical.

Three Months Till Launch

Cliffjumper, requesting to be labeled as such in further documentation, is displaying concerning behavior and negative attitude towards authorized specialists. Time in isolation has been terminated based on medical professional guidence, still deemed safe enough to participate in the mission. Pilot 4807 removed from standby, sent back to typical assignment. Questioning of Arcturus One status remains frequent and answers remain to public information through NASA, the entire Arcturus One mission is now classified aside from limited NASA false releases. Maintains limited contact with not sanctioned personnel. Mech upgrades 76% complete, cockpit viable for further testing. Pilot undergoing updates to installed tech, projected integration time; five days, sixteen hours, and thirty-seven minutes. Information expected, condition typical.

One Month Till Launch

Cliffjumper seemingly has returned to typical status, no longer acting out nor asking about Arcturus One mission. Integration procedures were successful, limited information in file on request of Dr. Shockwave citing potential copyright claims upon declassification of documents, procedure <REDACTED> was successful. Medical records sealed until pilots’ return to Earth. Pilot no longer seems hostile after an attempted assault on staff and unsanctioned personnel. Updates made to both drift compatibility technology and integrated software. Mech upgrade 97.6% complete, projected to be completed before launch date. Repaint complete with heat resistant paneling installed. Information expected, condition typical.

Launch Day

Pilot refused to speak with anyone on the day of launch, including close friends and family who he had not had recent contact with, and has limited his contact with sanctioned personnel. Did not pass drug screening for blood alcohol content night before flight, passed in morning. Negative for any narcotics. Cleared for flight day of launch by medical personnel. Mech upgrade 100% complete before launch.

Any concerns held by personnel at Mecha were not voiced nor were any formal reports written on Cliffjumper’s current status. <REDACTED> maintains, pilot prepared for launch with no further updates. Information expected, condition typical.

Two Weeks Post Launch

Nominal readings, data remains consistent, anticipation of loss of contact remained till several hours after typical loss. Pilot regained optimism after that point, remaining in contact for an extended period and requested communication with sanctioned personnel. Mech suit remaining stable and data flow continues to what is supposed to be a typical level. Communications remain stable and pilot seems enthusiastic, speaking of <REDACTED> over the comms. Information unexpected, condition atypical. Status: Active

Three Months Post Launch

Pilot vitals, typical. Mech suit data, typical. Communications, stable. Information expected, condition typical. Status: Active

Six Months Post Launch

Communication with Pilot 2672, Cliffjumper, has been lost. Last known location, <REDACTED>. Information released by NASA to the public before Mecha could alter information. Public remain unaware of loss of Arcturus One, family received stipend to remain silent on loss of pilot. Public funeral will be broadcast at six pm local time. Cliffjumper logged as MIA, last known coordinated logged and data being received remains under review. Status: Unknown.

Logged data of Arcturus Two archived and closed, remarked to classified status and further redactions needed. Government assistance requested and awaiting approval. Signed off on by coordinator, Pilot 2162 of South East Coastal Region. Confirmed by department lead, <REDACTED>.

—

New File: Arcturus Three

Logs: Pilots 3141, 6986, and 17741; Medical Advisor Requested

Name(s): <REDACTED>

Callsign(s): <REDACTED>

Two and a half years away from the launch of Arcturus Three, pilots maintain current statuses and are unaware of results of Arcturus One.

———

A/N:

I don’t think I can actually begin to describe how much of a pain writing this was. I don’t know why, I loved the idea when I first thought about it but man, I will not write another one like this for a while.

Part Eleven will be out in the next few days hopefully, I haven’t had much time to work on it.

I’m so thankful for all the support I’ve been getting on the Arcturus missions, it means so much to me.

Tags!

@lunarlei68 @whirlywhirlygig @loop-hole-319 @pixillandjester @alek-the-witch @not-a-moose-in-disguise @goddessofwind8water @neurologicalglitch @dersereblogger @pixel-transformers @mrcrayonofdoom @wireplaces @twilightfreefaller @original-blog-name-2 @devilangel657 @robbin-u @childofprimus @miniartistme @starwold @tea-enthusiasm @valeexpris606 @celticdoggo @bird599

And once again thank you to @keferon for this amazing AU

[hearts4hughes]

sweet nothing | luke hughes

nora’s birthday celly | luke hughes x fem! reader

a/n: this is the first official writing for my birthday celly! it took me forever to write because i suffered from a lot of writers block 😔. but here it is (finally)!! sweet nothing is my favorite song from midnights. it holds such a special place in my heart. it’s so effortlessly beautiful and breathtaking at the same time, so i hope this lived up to the expectations 🫶🏻🫶🏻

luke couldn’t escape the headlines. everywhere he looked he was being blamed for the devils’ playoff performance. he didn’t understand it. everyone on the team reassured him- including you- that he did great considering he’s straight out of college. luke, himself, thought he did good; however, the lingering feeling of doubt and guilt stained his mind like permanent marker.

he sighed, shoving his phone into his pocket and exiting his car.

when he entered the shared apartment, he was met with the sight of you in the kitchen. you were swaying back and forth, humming to the taylor swift song that played quietly in the background. a wave of comfort immediately washed over the boy.

luke didn’t believe in love at first sight until he met you. the second you wandered over to the bar counter, asking for a shirley temple with extra cherries, he knew he had to get your number. you were skeptical at first. of course you knew who he was- every sane person in new jersey knew the devils’ roster by heart- however, the heavy feeling that you were just going to be another notch on his belt, held you back. after getting swept up in conversation with the hockey player, you caved in and gave him your number, sending him a text to confirm everything. he texted you all week and you soon fell victim to his infectious charm.

“hi, baby!” you beamed as your boyfriend removed his shoes and hung his keys on the key rack. he smiled, already feeling calmer in your presence.

“hi, my love.” his voice was soft as velvet while he walked up behind you, snaking his arms around your waist and hugging you. with your back pressed against his chest and your scent filling his senses, all his problems ceased to exist.

you giggled as his head fell into the crook of your neck, placing soft kissing on your sensitive spots. “how was work, babe?”

he paused, pulling away from you and leaning back against the marble counter, “hm, fine.” his eyes glued to the floor, a telltale sign that he was bottling up his emotions, tucking it away into the back of his mind, and hoping you don’t notice. except you did notice. you saw right through luke.

it’s not that he didn’t trust you. god, you were one of the only people he trusted. it’s just that he didn’t want to burden you, knowing you, as well, shared a stressful career.

“did something happen?” you asked, your hand reaching up to rub up and down his arm. he continued to stare at the floor, his words getting caught in his throat.

“nothing happen, i just said it was fine.” he snapped, pushing himself off the counter and walking into the living room.

sensing his turmoil, you gently followed him into the living room. you placed a reassuring hand on his arm, turning him to face you. “baby,” you cooed, tears of frustration brimming in his eyes.

“you want to know what’s making me so fucking upset?” he spat, tossing his phone at you. catching the device, your heart sank into your stomach. the screen illuminated an article with the title, ‘luke hughes - the real cause of the devils’ demise’. “oh and if that one doesn’t do it for you, you can just search my name on twitter. there’s plenty more.”

instead of responding, you placed his phone down and brought him into a comforting hug. “it’s ok, lu. i’m here for you.” your voice was soft and soothing. he clung to you, his grip tight.

as he nestled against you, the weight of his frustrations spilled out in quiet sobs. you held him, your fingers tracing soothing patterns on his back.

"i know it's hard," you murmured, your lips brushing against his forehead. "but it wasn’t your fault. the team does everything together, including loosing. those comments and headlines are just words, they don’t define you.”

he sniffled, his arms loosening their hold slightly. “i just wanted to prove myself, you know? i wanted to show everyone that i belong on that ice."

"and you will," you affirmed. "lukey, you've already shown your talent and dedication. you’ve got an entire team behind you, including me, who believe in you."

he pulled back slightly, his teary eyes meeting yours. the vulnerability in his gaze was heartbreaking. "i don't know what i’d do without you," he admitted, his voice raw with emotion.

you smiled gently, cupping his cheek. "you don't have to go through this alone. we’re a team, baby."

he leaned into your touch, his lips pressing softly against your palm. "i’m sorry for snapping earlier," he whispered, his voice laced with regret.

"it’s okay," you assured him, your thumb brushing away a stray tear from his cheek. "you don't have to apologize for feeling frustrated. just promise me you'll always come to me, even when it's tough."

he nodded, his expression a mix of gratitude and relief. "i promise."

[sansloii]

Hello hello! It's been a hot minute ( mainly because I'm kicking around on my new blog ) but I've finally decided how I'm going to handle what i owe here

I will be dropping anything i can't formulate a near immediate response to. That includes drafts and asks. Part of my reluctance to be on here is due to what I owe and the lack of inspiration for these replies. If i can't think of any way to outline them or full out write them over the weekend, it's getting booted.

Additionally, I will be going through my followers and sb'ing people i either haven't interacted with at this point ( and they arent new mutuals ) and/or they've been inactive for... however long. I don't usually announce things like this and just use my own discretion but I don't want there to be any question about whether or not I've sb'ed someone ( though anyone is welcome to ask why if they feel the need to ). If you want to use this opportunity to break mutuals, feel free to. I'm not gonna stop you. Doesn't mean I hate you or anything, as stated in my rules, so I ask that no one takes it that way.

I'm also going to be removing 2 muses from the available roster. They'll be available as npcs and only upon request if we already have something going with them or pertaining to them

I'll also be assigning a limited status to 2 others, as I feel like while I have muse for them, I will no longer be offering them out for interactions unless--again--we already have something going already. These muses can be requested but I reserve the right to say no.

One muse will removed entirely and will likely be available for discord interactions only.

Please see the list below the cut. I'll be changing it on the blog later on and adding it to my rules as well.

If anyone wants or needs my discord,it is princemorsh. If you see the display name fat yoshi, that is me. You can also find me @ @frznwarmth or @parabelllvm. Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Mikah (Unchanged)

Penelope (Npc)

Evan (Unchanged)

Wynn (Limited -Request only)

Dakota (Unchanged)

Joseph (Npc)

Andris (Limited - Request only)

Roderick (Unchanged - Request only )

Lawali (Unchanged - Request only)

Vega (Removed - Discord only )

[claireelle18]

Let Me - Vince Dunn

Thank you for all the love on my Gem post! Another idea came to me for him…I hope you enjoy this one just as much!

It wasn’t a purposeful keeping the marriage unknown. All records are open to the public. She had her last name changed as well. Neither her nor Vince just announced the marriage. It was only three weeks since eloping. A beautiful day, some stunning scenery out in Toronto. Just the two of them, their photographer, and the officiant. The ring glittering under the arena lights. She was surprised she still showed up to the arena that night after the wicked nasty fight that occurred right before he was supposed to be at the arena for pregame. She had asked him about just continuing to keep their new status a little more private, but he said he was wanting to tell the guys on the team before playoffs started. They all knew her, but no one knew of the change in status for the couple. That was the reason they fought this afternoon.

She groaned, “Vince, did you even think about that this could take away the focus on the playoff games?”

He scoffed. “No, I figured it would let them know another reason why I am so determined to bring home the Stanley Cup.”

If she was being honest, she was more worried about him being spotted with his ring on and fans speculating. Most fans were so sweet to her, but she did get the rude remarks and glares. He had always told her it didn’t matter what they said because he was her’s, but she still struggled dealing with that while he was on the ice. “Think about it Vin! People catch you with the ring and they will want to know so much more about that than how the game goes!”

“It’s been a few weeks already and no one has caught on! I think we will be fine!”

“I’m not sure if I’m ready to let more people know about our marriage! Do you not respect that wish of mine?” Some of the girls had not been very kind in the past to her after Vince once slipped up about their relationship. Vile to her about how she loved him for his money. Vile with comments about how he liked to flirt with other girls and cheat on her.

“What do you mean? Of course I do! No one will catch the fact I wear a ring.” He looks at the clock. “I better go before I am late. Will I see you there?” He asks, looking at her. He can see the tears rimming her eyes, threatening to pour down her face. It doesn’t sit well with him that they just fought before the playoff game, darkening his already anxious mood.

Game time rolls around, and every little chance he has to berate the opposing team’s players, he does. Before long, he keeps landing himself in the penalty box, every chance he gets too. His mind clouded with how she looked before her left for the arena. How she looked a little cracked, how she seemed so small for herself. After this next round in the penalty box, she hears the announcers comment. “I don’t know what is up with Vince Dunn tonight, but for someone who’s loud through the regular season, he sure has it out tonight to be in that penalty box more than on the ice.”

“You’re right there. If I didn’t know better, I may say that coach will be looking to remove him for the playoff roster.” Her heart plummeted into her feet. Removing him from the playoff roster? He played such an intricate part of the core defense that removing him could be an awful outcome. She yanked her phone out, dialing that contact she’s never used before. “Who is this?” The man’s voice questioned across the line. She explained to him that she just needs to see Vince immediately. “I’m sorry but this isn’t a way to see him. You have a better chance at going to the games or one of their open practices.”

“I’m not a fan. I need to see Vince Dunn now. You have to get me down to the locker room before the start of the next period.”

He laughed. “Why would I get you in to see him?” “Because I’m his wife.” She identified herself to him.

Commotion happening across the phone line. “Meet me next to the shop. I’ll see you in three minutes.”

She followed the man down the back halls to get towards the locker room. The sound spilling out of the locker room could be heard down the hallway. His manager talking with the defense coach. Coach motioned some number at her, she could care less how much time, she just needed the time, then let her slip past into the room. A defeated Vince sat in his gear cubby, eyes casted towards the floor. “You’re going to burn a hole into the floor, mister,” she teased as she crouched down in from of him. The whispers could be heard of ‘why is she down here’ and a few ‘who is she’ sprinkled in.

She knelt between his knees, putting her hand on his cheek. “Vin…Vin…Vince…,” she cooed. He broke out of his trance. “Breathe babe. It will be okay. You know fights happen, but do not get your ass kicked off this roster. Do not throw this chance for a second Cup for you out because you’re upset.” He melted into her her hand, taking a few breaths. “I’m sorry we fought. I just felt caught off guard. I get where you came from, wanting to share the news with the team.”

“Time is up Mrs. Dunn,” Coach called out. She went to stand, and Vince pulled her into a quick kiss. The room cheered, noise dying down as they made their way back to the bench.

After the game, she was brought back into the locker room to announce their marriage officially to the team, together.

[patchdotexe]

doip. / 7.7.23:

welcome back to dragon of icespire peak! now on the roster: jason! our party has now effectively doubled. we did it kids

the twitch chat in jorb's brain is green's tv

LAST TIME, ON DRAGON OF ICESPIRE PEAK: You guys fought a really big pig! [dead silence for the rest of the DBZ intro] IT JUST KEEPS GOING

one minute of silence as the dbz music plays. absolutely fantastic. my face already hurts

I AM GOING TO THROW JORB . oh my god. we start RIGHT OFF with a nightmare of alidaar back in the arena trying to take down his like - oh my god i havent written down any of this in my notes yet huh. alidaar is a runaway gladiator slave! and his owner/the arena master is a huge dick that alidaar spent most of his childhood trying to take down to win his freedom and failed every time. so alidaar starts off with a nightmare of trying that again and again, and then zasan the fuckhead turns into a cryovain hybrid, clones himself, and blasts alidaar with lightning. and then he wakes up! and i am not doing this scene justice! holy hell!

alidaar wakes up In An Actual Bed Holy Shit. also nameless is sleeping on him! adorable

alidaar is in the fancy guest bedroom! time to find kepesk

Alidaar Is Trying To Search For Kepesk With His Soul . he rolled a 16 and now believes he can find kepesk if he tries hard enough

kepesk located! the courtyard is being cleaned up, not much time has passed since Boar Problems

CORWIN IS BUTCHERING THE THUNDERBOAR . BY HIMSELF . LMAO

time to head out to see where the boar came from!

green: we're coming back, right? leo: we gotta, we gotta eat the pig! falcon: there'll be some pork for you. at least.. i think it's pork. i'm not sure it's a real boar. alidaar: meat is meat!

kepesk leads the way! big clearing with a burnt-out pine tree that has 10 little dolls at the base of it. normal. this is fine. hey wait

leo: …did we leave twigbias at the hunting lodge? jorb: did you? nyx: did we? green: i forgot we have a guy in a box.

OH GOD THE DOLLS HAVE HEARTS IN THEM. GROSS . OH GOD THE HEARTS ARE STILL BEATING, GROSS!!!!!!!!!

alidaar: should we start disposing of these - do we have fire? nameless: :| alidaar: ..oh right you do fire shit now. um, can you do fire shit to these? ………….please?

nyx: can i do an arcana check? jorb: for what purpose? nyx: to see if i can find the fucking purpose of this shit???

oh ew the hearts are Linked to something. i am still voting for fire

Nameless Is Being Gross (removed a heart and crushed it) AH OH NO WE ARE UNDER ATTACK FROM TREE

ZODIARK THE HORSE ROLLED A NAT20 TO DODGE THE OPENING SALVO. LOVE THIS HORSE

kepesk: do trees normally do that? alidaar: uhhh i've seen a couple trees and this is new, so nameless: only a couple??? [..] jorb: -first time seeing a tree with 10 hearts! green: or, 9 hearts now. jason: one more and it can pull the master sword from the stone.

green: maybe it's a nice tree! leo: HOW DO WE TALK TO A TREE, BESIDES THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE OF VIOLENCE

nyx: what are we supposed to do?! jorb: you could leave! nyx: is this where the trail ends??? jorb: the trail keeps going past this. nyx: WHAT ARE WE DOING leo: fuck this shit im out~

green: maybe it's like a pokemon team and it's team pig and team no-pig. jason: electric pig is the name of my philip k dick podcast.

jorb: you could use the necklace of fireballs! green: there's like 8, isn't there? jorb: you didn't use any on gorthok! green: the boar was weak. >:) nyx: like this tree!

we have stacked all the dolls and let kepesk smack em all at once . TIME FOR TREE

alidaar: [rolls 19] i'm gonna do the coolest backflip. kepesk: [rolls 9] i try to also do the coolest backflip and land on my face.

uh oh . there appears to be a problem (tree has grabbed people)! except then everybody immediately got free. including the horse. and now we don't know what else to do.

nyx: …why did we do this? leo: i dunno! [..] green: "i could've told you my whole life story, but you killed me!" jason: that would be a pretty good epitaph.

jason: take only photographs, leave only sociopathic violence? nyx: i can only imagine in toblerone's mind right now- leo: TOBLERONE?

alidaar: let's just leave, we did it. nyx: we did it! jorb: you did it! you solved my tree puzzle! your reward is nothing. leo: yaaay! green: let's never talk of that again. jorb: that filler episode was weird!

we have found a large ditch! aaaand on the other side of the ditch are some followers of talos! TIME FOR INITIATIVE

oh hey targor has a longbow! that's handy. i wonder if my crossbow still sucks

IT STILL SUCKS.

nyx is ALSO struggling to nail the guy with sacred flame so like at least we're in this together

TIME FOR KEPESK TO THROW A FIREBALL. BWOOSH

Jorb Now Has To Roll Like 9 Saving Throws

kepesk: i look at the rest of the team, "does this remind you of any trees we've seen recently?" :D jorb: the orc on the other side's eye twitches, like "really?" jorb: is zodiark still standing back? green: yeah-- he high-fives me because i'm so awesome.

Kepesk Gets Hit With Lightning green: i just stare at him unblinking the entire time while he's casting it and then i get bzbzbzbzbztztzt

ONE OF THEM IS RUNNING AWAY LMAO. GOOSDBYE . HE HAS 1 HP AND HE IS OUT OF HERE

taken two down, now it's just the spellcaster (and the running guy!) time for crossbow leo: i'm gonna use my crossbow again..

leo: [voice cracks] I'M GONNA BREAK THIS THING IN HALF jorb: you might've already broken something, that'd explain the rolls!

green considers Compelled Duel-ing the spellcaster into the ravine and chucking another fireball orb. it would be SO funny (but also a waste of an orb)

however she IS gonna compelled duel him! let's go!

jorb: how do you compell a duel with him? kepesk: you're so good at throwing stuff at us, i bet you can't come over here and throw stuff at us! bet you can't do that in the ravine!

WAIT NOOO IT HAS A RANGE OF 30 FEET AND HE'S 60 FEET AWAY…. MAN

jorb: you just insult him.

KEPESK IS NOW WITHIN 30 FEET OF HIM. COMPELLED DUEL

kepesk: I BET YOU WON'T FIGHT ME IN THE PIT!

god damn alidaar really does just wreck shop when he's in close quarters huh. got the kill and threw the spellcaster back up the ditch! also one guy ran away but he is On 1 HP and literally ran to the hills so i think he gets to live

ooh, stormclouds over stonehenge! The Circle Of Thunder! two people are having a dance party with More Twigblights

jorb: everyone make stealth checks! leo: [rolls a 6] oh. nyx: [rolls a 4] um. green: [rolls a nat 1] WHOO!

We Have Been Caught.

jason: GOD DAMNIT MARIO IF NOT FOR YOU WE WOULD'VE KEPT OUR COVER [..] nyx: mario you've fucked it up for all of us. what have you got to say for yourself you goddamn italian. i don't know if there's any italian slurs but i'm gonna-- jason: oh there are SO many.

jorb: they know you're here and they look hostile. kepesk: HEYYYY CMON GUYS! AHEH! AAYYYYYyyy i can come up with something better, hold on-- jorb: …roll a persuasion with disadvantage.

(We Are Now In Combat)

i'm rolling poorly for everything except my sword.

oh right the pcs have new tokens!

or well nameless had a new token but alidaar and kepesk have new tokens :D

(i actually. need to redo ali's because the contrast sucks. whoops)

oh? you're a chime?

[distant WAHOO]

jorb: well it's a high dc but they're rolling well. nyx: have they considered not??? jorb: …ill let them know.

jorb: targor's turn! he's gonna tar and he's gonna gor

genasi: we've had intruders here before… let me show you how we deal with them. [HITS KEPESK AND NAMELESS WITH LIGHTNING]

leo: [spaces out thinking abt alidaar's nightmare sequence] leo: --hey why did they clone?? jorb: huh?? [notices one of the tokens got duplicated] oh. nyx: ALIDAAR, IT'S JUST LIKE YOUR DREAM! IT'S COMING TRUE! leo: AH NOOO

jorb: and he's.. gonna use his action.. to turn into a pig! why is there two of him also.

SURE. ONE OF THE GUYS WE'RE FIGHTING IS A PIG. boar time

jorb, struggling with movement: where's the ruler. nyx: he's just teleporting. jorb: he moves THERE. [token zips across screen] nyx: every time somebody moves like that i want to put in a slide whistle noise

Kepesk Takes A Moment To Heal green: i sit down and drink. nyx: chug chug chug chug jorb: it tastes like health. nyx: tastes like prion disease! jorb: tastes like prion disease! no, it tastes a bit.. cinnamon-y?

nyx: i'm going to explode [the boar] with my mind. jorb: you're going to cast prion disease.

i appear to have become a primary target.

the genasi cast Bless on themself, their friend… and then needed to do one more person, so they picked a twigblight. hey what makes this twigblight so special

Steven The Twigblight

genasi: this is my special boy! his name's steven! nyx: do the other ones have names? genasi: no! that's why he's special!

GOODBYE STEVEN.

leo: steven is gone. jorb: [steven universe voice] HE'S.. GONE! green: special boy was kinda asking for it.

yeah alidaar is continuing to be the anti-twigblight weapon of mass destruction as long as i have a breath weapon charge. rip steven 2023 - 2023

green: [cutting out] nyx: …are you barking??

kepesk is doing lightning stuff also! get fucked, our lizard is also storms

leo: h . hey guys.

leo: it's steven. [..] jorb, switching back into narration mode: seeing this-- not steven--

nyx: that's what you get for attacking my lizard!

genasi downed the boar and sent nameless tumbling away with a thunderwave but uh. nothing stops the kepesk and alidaar train!

kepesk: YOU GUYS FUCKING SUCK! Hey. [venomshocks the genasi to death]

alidaar, looking down at the bodies: hm. we probably shoulda tried to ask em what was goin on here before startin the violence.

DID WE EVEN GET THEIR NAMES? I DON'T THINK WE GOT THEIR NAMES. the genasi said the boar's name but i didn't write it down. the only one with a name is Steven now and forever

hmm. killing the talosers took out the storm, and this was definitely where the boar was summoned, but there doesn't seem to be anything here besides that? OH WAIT THERE'S TUNNELS

THERE ARE NO TRUCKS IN WORLD OF WARCRAFt

zodiark found a potion of greater healing we all forgot about. also kepesk found some ashes and a lame axe and is very disappointed

INTO THE PIT! I HAVE FOUND JASON

[STUDIO AUDIENCE APPLAUDS]

jason's guy is playing solitaire. alidaar is So confused. time to cut him free with fancy sword!

alidaar: I FOUND A MAN! kepesk: is that a treasure?

kepesk: do you need help fighting a man? alidaar: hopefully not! jorb: he is unarmored and unarmed leo: and kind of a dweeb. jason: that's what my mother calls me.

jason's guy: [..] one of my colleagues got incinerated [..] alidaar: did he uh- kepesk: did one of those guys have a lame axe?

OH MY GOD HIS NAME IS AREPO. (Arepo H. Legomenon!) AND HE'S DOING SOMETHING FOR A LONG NAME THAT SHORTENS TO WIKIPEDIA. (Wholly Inclusive Knowledge Index Project for Ensuring Dependable Information Access)

(also i missed the context and forgot to write it down at the time but there was a joke about us messing with the tree trap and arepo hearing the zelda dungeon unlock noise)

our party rules.

OH MY GOD NAMELESS HAS A NAME

DAUBLE

kepesk: this is zodiark, he's my horse :D alidaar: kepesk, buddy, bit hard to miss your horse. kepesk: and who would want to? :D

[jason googling what the outer layer of a bone is called]

Alidaar Finally Realizes How Fucking Cool His Sword Looks (i didn't realize dragon slayer has artwork! it looks cool as hell! oh my god!)

JASON'S FIRST NAT20! whoops arepo was intended to be a sacrifice. good thing we killed everybody!

finding trapdoors! [zelda dungeon appearing noise] arepo: that noise again..!

Always Split The Party! [citation needed]

second nat20! arepo drinks a weird potion! (it's a potion of invulnerability. he is not dead) jorb: 29, because your proficiencies are insane-- arepo: i went to college!

time for kepesk and alidaar to look around! there is not much in here. jorb: [scene description of a boring storage room with niches] nyx: i thought you were gonna say there's a bunch of talos guys in the niches

"oh, i didn't tell you about the second one?" "the summoning spell summons two!" "gorthok the thunder boar is my father"

GORTHOK JR

prison of gorthok (waterdeep night club)

arepo running full-tilt to tell kepesk and alidaar about a hidden compartment

arepo: SPEAKING OF FLOORS-- alidaar: we were talking about floors??? kepesk: floors! alidaar: FLOORS? I HARDLY KNOW ER--

leo: okay! i am become knowledge of floors! ………it's getting late

ali's found a cool shield with lightning designs! and immediately threw it at kepesk. it's very on-brand for him

The Entire Squad Stares At A Deer arepo: we have bacon at home, we don't need to kill the deer GOKTHOR THE THUNDER DEER! we have released a deer! it has run away

alidaar: we have affected the ecosystem. [long pause]

THE DEER WILL REMEMBER THAT. TOBIAS WILL REMEMBER THAT. DONJON RASKIN WILL REMEMBER THAT.

time to head on back!

FALCON

FALCON HAS GIVEN US JERKY!! YIPPEEEEEE

THUNDER JERKY

We Are Eating The Boar. It Is Tingly

jason: "i go for seconds" "alright take 2d6 thunder damamge!"

a new day dawns! targor leaves for neverwinter, but we have successfully bribed arepo with jerky.

WE STILL DON'T HAVE A PARTY NAME! :D

BUT IT'S OK BC DAUBLE DOES

jason: something something last name either ganger or lereffect

[gaenarirp]

hey, everyone ♡ some more housekeeping and important updates!

first off, we have a new skeletons page! you can use the filters on the left to see which are available, though i have also crossed out the names of taken skeletons to make it easier to navigate. on a related note, as we have over 75% of our skeletons taken, more are to be added this week!

our guidelines have also been updated to reflect some major changes.

the first one is in regards to our new activity requirements. it now goes as follows:

activity checks are conducted only on the first thursday of every month at 9pm est. to pass an activity check, you are required to have posted at least four in-character replies in the 30-day period prior to the activity check, or your muse will receive a warning. after receiving a warning, you have one week (until the second thursday of the month at 9pm est) to inform the main of your interest in keeping your character active or the muse will be removed from the roster. SNS posts, short meme replies, visual edits or any sort of reblog that isn’t a piece of writing with enough character depth will not count towards activity.

this better reflects the pace of our roleplay and my intentions to foster a safe space for writers to develop their characters. rather than writing short replies once a week just to pass an activity check, i much prefer my muns focusing on the plot and their own ideas for our little town's development. this change is effective immediately. as such, our next activity check will be on december 7 at 9pm est, and the activity check following that will be on january 4 2024 at 9pm est.

additionally, we now have acceptances on a rolling basis!

acceptances happen on a rolling basis: once accepted, you will be informed of when your muse is scheduled to be added to the roleplay, usually on the following day at 9pm est and subject to change according to the admin's availability.

i have also loosened up the rules on additional muses:

you can apply for up to two muses at the start, and you can have unlimited additional muses provided you have at least one active ongoing thread on all previous accounts.

and finally, i have added a note to the literacy requirements as a reminder that longer script threads do count as activity if you're looking for dynamic, quick fire threads:

proper literacy is not only encouraged but also required - gif icons, sns posts and special formatting are allowed, while one-line replies and gif wars are forbidden. that said, script-type replies with 50+ words are also allowed.

please let me know if you have any questions, concerns or feedback to share about these changes.

on a more personal note, i just wanted to share that i am going to make use of this quieter holiday period to plan ahead for our 2024 together.

gaenari is here to stay, lovely golden bells. steady and evergrowing. ❀

[aetherbladedstick]

Oh BTW. Hot take actually under the cut (in case ur sick of hearing about 4th liners/trouba trade etc)

Ok so

1) STEVE YZERMAN, GM WITH FUCKING MORALS BEING THE REASON TROUBA ISNT IN DTW that's just very!!! Like I just want to point out Yzerman could have done what Drury did to trouba and forced his guy out and onto the rangers to get trouba. He didn't because HE HAS MORALS.

Ok 2) i think the fact that recent roster movement has caused uh disquiet in the locker room is actually really valid like? If drury/management are willing to just eliminate whomever they like and nobody is really protected like... bro, that's scary af? Also that people are still gonna be willing to deal with them just bc it's nyr feels so shitty too like if this were idk Utah or something they'd never get a big name again but they're protected from trash behavior and consequences just because they're "the rangers" which is awful

And finally 3) this didn't come out of nowhere either. There were 100% canaries in the coal mine about the way that Drury and management did not give a FUCK about the players and people working for them and I really really feel they became very evident w the vitali kravtsov trade last year. Not to make everything about my little guy but SO seriously actually. Because that trade took forever when kravy had asked for it: Drury was holding onto him for no reason for MONTHS. And!! The other kravy-canary is that when Drury became gm he cleared house from almost all the old staff - not immediately either, but after a short-ish time? Which based on the way the hockey writers were talking about it was not fucking normal gm behavior to just remove all the dev people & the euro scouts not to replace them with his buddies but seemingly just because he ... didn't like any of them? Just like. Bad vibes. Why did you need to clear house. (The reason this is related to kravy is when he fired all those people he also fired the entire team that drafted kravy & believed in him and so then for 2 years basically there wasn't anyone in the rangers system who actually thought kravy was worth anything to the team)

[yessadirichards]

Songs by Taylor Swift, Drake and more starting to disappear from TikTok

NEW YORK

TikTok may look (or sound) a little different when you scroll through the app going forward.

Earlier this week, Universal Music Group — which represents big-name artists like Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny and Drake — said that it would no longer allow its music on TikTok following the Wednesday expiration of a licensing deal between the two companies.

Now, the takedown of UMG-related music has begun, ByteDance-owned TikTok confirmed to The Associated Press. As of early Thursday, a vast roster of popular songs had disappeared from the social media platform's library.

The complete removal of UMG-licensed music might not be immediate — but chances are, avid TikTokers are already seeing the effects. Here's a rundown of where things stand.

The songs getting pulled from TikTok are those that are licensed by UMG — which carries an enormous reach across the music industry and, consequently, our digital diet today.

“Universal Music Group is literally the largest record label... in the history of the music industry,” said Andrew Mall, an associate professor of music at Northeastern University. An “uncountable number of tracks and sounds” would be impacted on TikTok, he added, significantly limiting options for creators.

TikTok users signing on Thursday will see that they are no longer able to search for many popular songs — including music from Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo and more — under the “sounds” tab.

In addition to users no longer having the option of adding these songs to next dance craze and other trending content, past videos featuring UMG-licensed music will also be scrubbed. According to a UMG spokesperson, whether these existing videos are muted or taken down entirely will be up to TikTok.

Artists will also not be able to post the audio of their UMG-licensed songs on TikTok. If the music has a UMG license, it should be muted, the spokesperson said — noting the company will protect its copyrights.

Tour clips of artists could also be affected, if those songs are represented by UMG, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. This can become tricky if there are multiple songwriters, as recordings from other labels could also be affected, the person added.

Complete removal will likely be a process, so it may take a few days for TikTokers see the full effects. It's also important to note that music licensing is a complicated business and artists often have different songs that move through different labels. While a singer's UGM tracks will be removed, songs licensed exclusively with other music giants (like Warner and Sony-owned labels, for example) shouldn't be impacted.

The expiration of licensing between UMG and TikTok arrived after the two companies were unable to reach a new agreement — and soon shared heated exchanges.

In a Tuesday letter addressed to artists and songwriters, UMG said that it had been pressing TikTok on three issues: “appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users.”

UMG said that TikTok proposed paying its artists and songwriters at a rate that’s a fraction of the rate that other major social platforms pay, adding that TikTok makes up only about 1% of its total revenue. The music giant also took issue with TikTok's promotion of AI music creation — which UMG says poses risks to human artists — and the platform's record with what it says is hate speech, bigotry, bullying and harassment.

TikTok pushed back against claims by UMG, saying that it has reached “artist-first” agreements with every other label and publisher.

“It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters,” TikTok said.

Despite the licensing deal's expiration, experts note that we're still a moment of negotiation between UMG and TikTok — and it probably won't last forever.

“We’ve seen this movie before. It’s a wonderful, theatrical stand-off between two very major corporations... who are wanting to assert their authority on the landscape,” said former president of UMG's Virgin EMI Records Ted Cockle, who now runs music advisory company called Mussel Music Management.

Users will likely find ways to adjust in the meantime, Cockle added, but he and others doubt that such a standoff will last long — noting that a partnership between UMG and TikTok is significantly beneficial to both parties. Historically speaking, Mall said, gaps for other licensing agreements in the 21st century's digital era have typically lasted just a day to up to a few months.

There will also likely be added pressure from TikTok creators, artists and their fans.

“This is a platform that’s really important for artists,” said Alexandra J. Roberts, a professor of law and media at Northeastern University. “It might not affect established artists as much, but some of them are going to lose revenue streams. And I think we’re going to see frustrated fans, right? Users who don’t understand or are angry about the fact that they can’t use or access or engage with some artists' work.”

Representatives for several artists with UMG-licensed music — including Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, SZA, Drake, Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish — did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ requests for comment.

Mall stressed the overall consequences of pulling music from social media platforms like TikTok — particularly for younger developing artists. In this situation, UMG’s revenue mostly comes from well-known artists who will probably be “just fine” if their music is no longer on TikTok, he said, but “smaller labels, smaller artists (couldn’t) afford to do something like this.”

Content creators and marketing experts are already preparing to pivot as needed. Jessica Henig, founder and CEO of music marketing firm Unlocked Branding who is works on campaigns involving UMG-licensed music, said it's not ideal, but that her team has grown accustom to working through delays across the social media landscape.

Still, Henig, who previously headed influencer marketing at Virgin EMI, said time will tell.

“If this is going to be a longevity thing, then we might have a different conversation," she said.

TikTok’s standoff with Universal isn’t the first time a recording label has gone head-to-head with a social media company over licensing terms. In late 2008, Warner Music Group pulled all of its music from YouTube, saying the payments it received from the video-sharing site did not fairly compensate the label, its artists or songwriters. Warner agreed to return songs and music videos months later after reaching a new deal with YouTube.

[endless-summer-soldier]

ice ice baby - chapter nine

pairing: CollegeHockeyPlayer!Bucky x CollegeFigureSkater!Reader

summary: Bucky is a college hockey player, Y/N is a figure skater without a partner. What's happens when these two opposites start sharing the ice...

warnings: enemies to lovers trope, some alcohol use

word count: 1.3k

taglist: @sebsgirl71479 @whiskeyrosepoetry

series playlist

series masterlist

Y/N was pacing around her apartment. The press conference was scheduled to start in five minutes and she couldn’t sit still. A heavy knock on the door startled her and pulled her from her frenzy. She opened the door and found Bucky on her doorstep with two cups of coffee in his hands.

“I thought you could use some company,” he smiled. She gave him a small smile and let him inside. He handed her the coffee and they sat on the couch, waiting for the broadcast to begin. Her knee was bouncing up and down as she took a long sip of her java.

Bucky placed his hand on her knee to settle her down, “Maybe the caffeine was a bad idea.”

She shook her head, “No it was sweet, I’m just nervous.”

“Don’t be nervous about this. We have no control over the situation, so there’s no point in stressing.”

“I know, you’re right. I just don’t like all this anticipation.”

“Just take a deep breath and relax,” he said, rubbing her leg. The snapping of cameras drew their attention to the TV as the USFS president approached a microphone.

“Hello, we are here today to address some concerns over the scoring of the US National Figure Skating competition that took place recently in Chicago. After a thorough investigation it has been discovered that three of the judges at the competition accepted bribes from a competitor. The judges have been removed from the organization effective immediately. The competitor responsible for the bribes has been banned from all future competitions. As a result of this investigation, we have reviewed all scores from the competition. There are score changes for multiple skaters and the updated scores will be posted on the US Figure Skating website within the next hour. We apologize that this situation transpired. We will be reviewing our internal processes to ensure a situation like this does not occur again in the future. Thank you, no questions at this time.”

Cameras continued going off and they could hear reporters asking questions and trying to get more information. The statement was vague, as she knew it would be, and there were still some unanswered questions. But the figure skating community was small, and the real story would get out at some point.

“So what now?” Bucky asked. 

“We open up the website and we refresh until the new scores are posted.” And that was exactly what they did. They sat there and hit refresh until there was finally a change to the webpage.

Y/N let out an audible gasp and Bucky immediately focused his attention to her phone screen. And there were their names, at the top of the board. In the gold medal spot. Before Y/N could say anything, Bucky had picked her up and was spinning her in the air. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck and couldn’t stop smiling. He planted quick kisses all over her neck and cheek as she giggled.

“You’re going to the Olympics,” he whispered into her hair. 

“We’re going to the Olympics!” she corrected.

“Well I gotta make the hockey team first.” With that simple comment, she fell through the cloud nine she was briefly camped on. She knew it wasn’t rational for her to think he would accompany her to Seoul, but she was secretly hoping he wanted to go with her. 

“Oh, duh.” She attempted to hide her confusion, but it was evident in her voice. He gently put her down and looked at her, trying to read her expression.

“Don’t worry, Ace. I fully plan to be on that roster.”

She gave him a fake smile and desperately wanted to change the subject when a text came through from Natasha.

FUCKING SHARON! 

It took her a moment to figure out the context. And once the light bulb went off, she couldn’t hide the shock on her face.

“What is it?” Bucky asked. Y/N flipped back to the scores and realized Sharon and her partner weren’t listed.

“It was Sharon! She paid off the judges.”

“No fucking way. How do you know?”

“She’s not on the list at all. And they blackballed the skater responsible so it has to be her. Or her partner.”

“Damn, I mean I’m not exactly surprised. She’d do anything to get ahead.”

“Yeah she even sunk so low to flirt with you,” she joked.

“Woooooooow,” he replied, smiling and shaking his head.

“Like who in their right mind would flirt with you?” she layered on, teasing him.

“Oh you’re gonna pay for that one,” he said, giving her the mischievous smile she’d grown to love. He lunged towards her and she ran off into the kitchen, attempting to escape his advances. Her efforts were futile, as he easily caught her and trapped her in a bear hug. As he squeezed her, he planted a kiss on the top of her head. She looked up at him and he leaned in to give her another kiss, this time on her soft lips.

He eased his grip on her and placed his strong hands on her shoulders. He looked her in the eyes and seriously asked, “Are you excited for the Olympics?”

She nodded, “Yeah, I am.”

“It’s funny because you don’t seem excited.”

“I’m excited!”

“...What aren’t you telling me?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Tell me.”

She let out a deep breath, knowing she couldn’t escape his steely eyes. “This is going to sound stupid, I just…I had this vision in my head of skating at the Olympics with you. And I didn’t really think much more about it until today when I realized it won’t be you because, of course, hockey is your first love. This was always just a temporary arrangement.”

He looked at her with the sweetest eyes, “If it makes you feel better, you were never temporary to me. Just imagine how great you’ll be when you have someone who knows what they’re doing out there. And this is only going to motivate me even more to make the US team because there is no way I’m going to miss seeing you kick ass at the Olympics.”

She smiled up at him, “You always know the right thing to say.”

“What is this, you’re being nice to me now? What happened to the cute yet cheeky woman I fell in love with?”

That was not what she expected to hear. Her eyes went wide and her jaw nearly hit the floor. 

All the color drained from Bucky’s face as he realized what he had just said.

“Shit,” he murmured under his breath. He let go of her and put his head in his hands as he took a step back from her. “I’m sorry, I-”

“No, it's fine.”

Bucky was the one pacing now, his mind moving a mile a minute. “I’m gonna go,” he finally said.

“Okay. Yeah, I’ll text you,” she added. He nodded at her, gave her an uneasy smile and then walked out of her apartment.

“What just happened,” she whispered to herself once he was out the door.

The rational side of her took over and told her it was far too soon for love. They’d only known each other a few months. They didn’t even like each other until recently. They’d been on one date. They’d kissed a handful of times and everything was still so…new. 

Yet despite all those thoughts, things with Bucky just felt…right. She had very little experience with romantic relationships, but he was the one person she always wanted around. She felt butterflies in her stomach whenever he would brush his hand against hers. And that smile. It was infectious. Even thinking about it now, the corners of her mouth twisted upwards.

She was kicking herself for letting him walk out the door. She needed a minute to process what he had said but now her head was as clear as ever. 

She picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts, looking for one name in particular. The phone rang briefly and the voice on the other line greeted her.

“Hey, I could use your help with something…” she started.

[imaginexwwe]

WRONG NAME 1|3 - Seth ROLLINS

Seth Rollins x Reader

Guest appearance by Cody Rhodes

•

Fun (random) fact : I'VE ALWAYS HAD THE BIGGEST CRUSH ON CODY RHODES 🥰

•

Reader's backstage watching her boyfriend, (Colby Lopez) Seth Rollins' HIAC match against his current rival Cody Rhodes

•

I winced, along with I'm sure, every one else that sat in the crowd, and maybe the rest of the roster that was watching as crowd favorite, Cody Rhodes slowly removed his jacket.

He had just returned a few months ago, and was set to face off against my boyfriend of almost three years Seth Rollins, yet again.

But unlike the many matches I've watched the two of them face off against, and I do mean the many times, considering that since Cody made his re-debut it was Seth vs. Cody, or Cody vs. Seth.

There was always some sort of interaction between the two men, every week, even in the last few pay per views of the last months, that followed this year's Wrestlemania.

Mostly because of Seth's unwillingness to take his L and admit defeat.

I mean, sure giving up has never been in his vocabulary but, c'mon, it's already Cody two and Seth zero.

But this one...

This was different.

Cody was going into this match already injured.

How is he going to get through this match as banged up as he is, when Seth hasn't even gotten his hands on him yet..?

Seth just may be able to pull out a win, I thought to myself in silence, as I tore my eyes from Cody Rhodes to focus of Seth Freakin' Rollins.

It's not like I doubted that my man couldn't win if Cody was a hundred percent, it's just maybe now that he's not, Seth could get his win, finally.

"He needs this," I mumbled, rolling my eyes, as I watched him parade around the ring that was being surrounded by a twenty feet cell, dressed in his new ring gear that was all too similar to the gear that Cody's dad, Dusty Rhodes wore during his legendary career in this very business. "He really needs this..."

•

After almost thirty minutes, I stood a short distance from the entrance of the ring, playing with my fingers, as I awaited my boyfriend's return backstage.

He lost.

He really lost.

Again.

Cody basically had one good arm, wasn't even able to give his full strength and still, my boyfriend lost.

This is gonna be a long ass night, I groaned to myself, jumping up seconds later after I heard footsteps getting closer from the other side.

"Baby." I forced out a squeal, ready to throw myself onto him the second he was in my reach.

Knowing how my boyfriend is when he loses, especially to the same person repeatedly, he was gonna need a lot of love and ego stroking.

Except the man who was now in my arms wasn't the man I had anxiously been waiting for.

And I didn't realize that until after my lips were on his.

I pulled back with a groan, running the palm of my hands across my eyes. "Look," I know you're pissed about losing to him again, but you could at least kiss me back."

"I know, and normally I would," I heard a man's deep voice respond, causing me to gasp as I immediately realized it wasn't the voice that belonged to my boyfriend. "I was just caught by surprise." I heard the man add, with a chuckle.

I can't believe I just fucking kissed him

How could I be so stupid?

Who runs up and kisses a man without even realizing its not THEIR MAN?

BETTER YET WHAT MAN JUST LETS A WOMAN RUN UP TO THEM WITHOUT STOPPING HER?

"Why didn't you stop me, Cody?" I questioned, slapping at his shoulder, forgetting just that quick about the scary looking bruise that covered most of that side of his chest, all the while, raising my voice but at the same time, tried my best to make sure the now wondering superstars and backstage workers couldn't hear the conversation I was having with my boyfriend's rival, I especially didn't want the ones that were friends with Colby to hear.

Cody sucked in a sharp breath, glancing down at his injury, then back at me. "First, ouch, Y|N," he mumbled, making me look down in shame for hitting him. "Secondly, I kinda did," Cody continued, before adding, "I didn't kiss back, remember."

"You don't have to mock me..." I huffed, slowly looking back up and him, taking in the beautiful features of his face. "And I'm sorry for hitting you."

"Really?" Cody questioned, his eyes playfully narrow. "Are you really sorry for hitting me?" He questioned. "Or just sorry for hitting my banged up shoulder?"

I shrugged, unable to hold in a giggle. "Sorry that I hit the banged up shoulder." I answered, causing Cody to laugh.

For someone who's I'm sure in a lot of pain, after going through a match like that, being hit with whatever my boyfriend could get his hands on, thrown into steel steps, and a cell, he's in a pretty good mood.

"That's what I thought." He replied, his laughter slowing dying down, right before my boyfriend became visible backstage.

"What's so funny?" I heard Colby say as he took his place right beside me, wasting no time to pull me closer.

"Oh, nothing." I quickly spoke up, shrugging. "I was just apologizing for my embarrassing moment with Cody." I added, turning to face my boyfriend. "It was nothing."

Colby shook his head, looking from me to the man he just finished up a match with, less than five minutes ago. "You were laughing so it must've been something." He responded, forcing a laugh of his own.

But like I said, I knew him, and this annoying laugh of his wasn't out of amusement, and all though they both sound the same.

I knew this one was of jealousy.

The look in his eyes helped give it away.

But what was he jealous for?

He didn't have any reason to be.

If he had saw what happened a few minutes earlier sure he'd have a reason, but he was still out in the ring or taunting some fan in the audience, so clearly he didn't

Ugh, you know how he is, Y|N

And judging by the look Cody's giving, he must've already picked up on what my boyfriend is giving off. "I was just trying to laugh off an embarrassing fan girl moment from your girl." He spoke up, trying to save me from Colby's questions, throwing a wink at me.

"Oh..." My boyfriend replied, nodding his head. "I never knew she was a fan." He said, before adding. "I've never saw her watch anything AEW related. Let alone, mention anyone from there, and she's never even wat-"

"Um, I know Jon." I interrupted, crossing my arms as I fought the urge to roll my eyes at how ridiculous Colby was being.

Colby shrugged, quickly telling me Jon doesn't count because I know Jon from being with Colby.

I shook my head. "No, I didn't just know him from being your friend, I knew of Jon from being a fan of WWE, which just so happens to be where Cody worked before leaving and coming back." I responded, correcting my boyfriend of his ignorance.

I hate when he gets so worked up like this

"Why are you acting like this?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest, not really giving the man in front of me a chance to speak.

Colby huffed, his chest rising and falling from his heavy breathing.

Was it from the match he just had?

Or just him letting his jealous ways get the best of him again?

Probably both

"I don't..." My boyfriend, mumbled, his words trailing off. "Babe, you know me," He began speaking up again, running a hand through his half frizzy, half damp hair. "I'm not a good loser, for one, then after I do, I see my girlfriend," Colby paused for a second, reaching his hand out to grab at mines, "the love of my life being friendly with the guy I just loss to and it just struck a nerve with me I guess."

I sighed, my eyes making contact with Colby's.

Basically searching his.

"You're right," I nodded, agreeing with everything that my boyfriend had just said. "I do know you," I added, before shrugging slightly, a half smile forming on my lips. "And I knew exactly why you're acting the way you are, even before I asked. I just wanted you to admit it out loud so I could tell you how stupid you are acting."

"I am pretty stupid, huh?" Colby asked, with a grin.

"Very stupid." I corrected, grabbing and pulling Colby's face closer to mines. "And you don't have to be, because you are the love of my life too, baby. And no matter how angry you sometimes make me," I paused just long enough to plant a soft kiss on his lips. "Nothing will ever make not love you, Cody. I will always love you."

As I leaned in for another, this time, longer kiss.

"What the hell did you just call me?"

I frowned confused as to why all of a sudden it felt like I was back at square one with Colby.

"What do you mean? I called you Cody." I said as a matter of fact, not realizing that I had did it again.

Oh shit.

Shit.

Shit.

Shit...

"Cod-" I huffed, wanting to slap myself. "Colby, I didn't mean to say his name, I swear. It's just bot-"

Colby shook his head, pointing a finger in my direction. "Drop it." He said, those two words filled with pure anger as they left his lips.

I swallowed hard, biting my lip as I fought back tears.

"It was a mistake, Colby." I half yelled as I slowly followed behind my boyfriend as he started walking away from me, heading in the direction of the locker rooms, I assuming. "Colby and Cody is just so similar, like that's the only reason I got mixed up and I know I shouldn't ha-"

"You're damn right, it shouldn't have happened Y|N." Colby replied, his teeth clenched as he abruptly stopped, making me almost bump into his chest. "You don't mix up your boyfriend's name with someone else." He spoke again, adding. "I've never done that to you."

I nodded, childishly pouting. "That's because you've probably never met someone with a name that sounds so much like mines, and if you have, you've probably never been in the same room with them while you were in the same room as me and so you've never had this problem." I rambled, before quietly adding in almost a whisper. "But if you did, I'd forgive you because I know you love me and you didn't mean it."

"Are you done?" Colby asked, and I simply nodded in response waiting in silence for him to say something.

Anything.

But instead he just stared me down once again before silently turning his back to me and walking away.

I fucked up.

Big time.

"That was quiet the show." I heard from behind me.

I rolled my eyes, fighting the urge to turn to face the man whose name I had mixed up with the name of my boyfriend. "Shouldn't you be getting checked on?" I questioned, trying to make my words as bitchy as possible.

"Yeah," Cody answered, his touch sending shivers down my spine as he let his hand run down my back. "I was actually on my way to the medic while you were talking with your boyfriend but then before I got too far down the hall, I heard you confess your love to me."

"Confess my love? For you?" I scoffed. "I don't love you Cody." I spat out of anger from what just went down between me and Colby.

It's like I wanted to blame Cody.

For what thought?

Having a name that's similar enough to my boyfriend's to where I was dumb enough to get them mixed up?

"That's a shame." I heard Cody sigh, finally removing his hand from off me. "Cause I still love you, Y|N." He resumed speaking, before leaning closer to me, his lips so close to me that if I turned we would practically be kissing one another again. "And when we kissed, it reminded me of the good times. And I'm not afraid to admit it." Cody confessed, before he too, left me in the hallway alone with my thoughts.

•

This is just a random love triangle (ish) one shot ☺

[insertpoetryhere]

If it's alright with you may I ask for Akito for the headcanon thing? Your hcs are SO fucking good 🙏🙏

I’ve almost collected all the Ootoris. Time to show some love to my favorite middle child.

1.) Fuyumi and Akito are twins, and refer to themselves as a “buy one get one free” deal since Yoshio very transparently wanted two sons and Fuyumi is just along for the ride.

2.) In school, Akito was the one who got in trouble most often. Or rather, he’s the one who stayed in trouble the most often.

3.) Akito was a complete stoner in high school, but he made good grades so very few people noticed and just assumed that was his personality.

4.) He’s harder on Kyoya than the others are because he remembers using things like “I’m going to study” and “I have club stuff” as code for doing something stupid and assumes all teenage boys think the same. He was a little terror, so clearly Kyoya must be the same.

5.) He can and will snitch on everyone except Fuyumi. It’s the Twin Code of Conduct.

6.) He has always looked up to Yuichi and spends most of his time trying to get his attention.

7.) Akito is queer, and when he was in late middle school he fell in love with the president of class 3-B. The two of them had a friendly rivalry as the presidents of their respective classes. This boy was the one who taught him how to bend the rules a little and how to use your reputation to get away with things. They “dated” until their third year of high school when Yoshio threatened to remove Akito from the line of succession and give his spot to Kyoya if he didn’t start taking the family image more seriously. Deciding that Class 3-B’s president was too much of a distraction, Akito called it off.

8.) Akito claims to be a tea person to seem more mature, but he usually chugs an energy drink before going into work since he developed a far-too-high caffeine tolerance in College for tea or coffee to wake him up anymore.

9.) Akito doesn’t want to get married, but feels he has to since Yuichi still isn’t married and is showing no signs of ever finding a wife.

10.) Akito has been described as the least charming Ootori, not even bothering to try wit most pleasantries. His demeanor is why Yoshio is pretty insistent on dividing his assets between two of his sons instead of giving the entire company to one. The idea is that Yuichi is pleasant but lacks a cutthroat nature, and Akito is vicious but can’t hold a decent conversation. He’s hoping they will balance each other out (assuming they both stay in his favor).

11.) Akito is great at braiding hair, since Fuyumi never trusted anyone else to do it.

12.) Akito and Fuyumi are the reasons why some of the teachers at Ouran saw Kyoya’s family name on the roster and immediately moved him to the front of the class.

13.) Akito feels a mix of pride and resentment when it comes to Kyoya that makes it hard for him to interact with him. On one hand, he’s really proud of Kyoya’s accomplishments (including the ones he shittalks) but on the other, he also resents how Kyoya has always been his fathers replacement for him if he screws up. It’s complicated.

14.) Akito organizes his favorite siblings into categories: the one he admires the most is Yuichi, the one he connects with the most is Fuyumi, and the one he worries about the most is Kyoya. And if any of them were to ask him who his favorite sibling was, he would answer that it was himself so he wouldn’t have to say “all of them”.

15.) Akito is a spreadsheet bitch. He makes spreadsheets for everything in his day to day life and spends chunks of time editing them.

16.) Akito is a very gifted soccer player, but doesn’t get many opportunities to play ever since he graduated school.

17.) Akito is the only sibling with any domestic skills, mostly because of his distrust in anyone organizing his stuff except for him since they don’t “do it right”.

18.) Akito has diagnosed autism, but Yoshio didn’t see it affecting his school work at all so he decided to leave well enough alone.

19.) Akito is very interested in science, but not in a “getting your hands dirty” kind of way. More in the academic, observed from afar kind of way. He likes knowing how things work.

20.) In the future, Akito is the one to suggest partnering with Kyoya’s business to Yuichi, almost like extending an olive branch after a pretty messed up childhood. He’s also really proud when Kyoya decides to decline the offer.

[jace-the-writer-guy]

You're given immediate control over the WWE. What do you do in order to make it better in your eyes?

After answering this, send this question to another wrestling fan you know.

Probably a lot more I could think of if I gave it more thought, but here are a few things (40 points) I thought of.

Book believable heels and faces to the best of my ability

Give Big E the push he deserves without it being cut short because of Vince's love for a part timer

Give Lashley a long, dominant reign as champion that isn't cut short because of Vince's love for a part timer

Let Roman be more of a dominant champion rather than being one that has to be helped by his family in most cases

Have Roman go against more than just part timers

Book a believable face (maybe Sami) to go against the Bloodline and let it go for a year, have him win the Rumble, and finally dethrone Roman at WrestleMania

Give Sami his old entrance music back

Give people memorable entrance music again.

PUSH CESARO

Give Ricochet a good push with a midcard title for a while

Turn Sami Zayn face and give him a good push

Give Kevin Owens a push he desperately deserves

Let Shinsuke Nakamura just vibe

Return NXT to Triple H's control

Stop trying to fight AEW, just try to improve the product given to me

Stop bringing in part timers that take away the spotlight from younger talent deserving of opportunities

Stop giving championships to part timers

Give people a basis for promos, and let them speak as themselves and not by script

Stop giving Charlotte every opportunity in the world just because she's Ric Flair's kid

Let Becky be the face that fans want to see rather than force her to be heel

Give Shayna Baszler her old entrance music back and book her to be a killing machine again

Book Rhea Ripley to be the dominant bad-bitch she should be, rather than someone who cries after losing to Charlotte

Stop with the super hero shit for Nikki Cross

Give a certain amount of creative control to the roster

Healthcare

Rotate who are active and who can go home to their families for a while instead of everyone being on the road all the time

Stop 50/50 bullshit booking all the time

Stop splitting up tag teams

Stop shortening names

Stop with DQ finishes all the time

Stop with "surprise roll-up" finishes all the time

Remove a bunch of PPV's and return to calling them that instead of "Premium Live Events"

Stop using Hell in a Cell for a long time so it could hopefully return to it's status as a feud ender instead of just a match

Listen to the fans (not do everything the fans want)

Let wrestlers have their Twitch accounts or other side things they do

Remove the no-compete clause for released wrestlers

Release those who request to be released

Forge bonds with other companies rather than try to poach talent from them

Knock on the Forbidden Door

End Saudi shows

[bog-o-bones]

Who the hell is CM Punk and why is he “All Elite”?

If you’re reading this post, you’re most likely somebody who’s heard the latest buzz around the wrestling world: CM Punk is back! But who exactly is CM Punk? You’ve probably heard the name before, either in the context of pro wrestling or as part of his time in UFC, and have always wondered what the big deal is about the guy. You’ve also probably seen or heard about All Elite Wrestling, up-and-coming wrestling promotion airing live Wednesday and Friday nights on TNT. But what exactly is AEW as well? That’s where this post comes in. In this long-ass post on Tumblr, you’ll be given a crash course on the history of one of pro wrestling’s most iconic superstars as well as the abridged history of AEW, the premier wrestling promotion in North America, allowing you to (hopefully) understand the significance of Punk’s return to the squared circle as well as give yourself significant knowledge of AEW enough that you can begin to enjoy the weekly shows they put out!

Okay, so who the heck is this CM Punk guy anyway?

To put it simply, CM Punk is one of the most significant pro wrestlers of the 21st century as well as the history of the industry itself. While he’s not on the level of mainstream recognition as Hulk Hogan or Stone Cold Steve Austin, Punk’s contributions to pro wrestling are arguably as important to the industry. To understand Punk’s significance, you need to have a little history lesson about the industry in the early-to-mid 2000′s.

When you think of professional wrestling, you probably think of one name above all: WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment. WWE was, and still is, the most mainstream wrestling promotion ever. People associate all wrestling with WWE, no matter what. But what about what’s below WWE in terms of recognition? The Minor League Baseball to its MLB? To that, we have to look at the independent scene.

The independent scene is, simply put, the underground punk rock of pro wrestling. It’s where the stars make the names for themselves to rise to the success. Indie wrestling is important because it’s where Punk began. CM (the initials jokingly standing for whatever is on his mind at the moment, ranging from “Cookie Monster” to “Charles Montgomery” or “Chicago Made”) Punk began his career in the independent scene around the turn of the millennium. He rose to significant prominence in the promotion Ring of Honor, one of the most premiere indie leagues in the United States. This prominence was brought on by Punk’s oozing charisma and wrestling talent, making him one of the best known “underground wrestlers” at the time. Then, in 2005, Punk signed a contract with the major league: he was WWE bound.

To regale you with Punk’s career in WWE would require an entirely separate post, so I’ll spare you the specifics and get to the good stuff: Punk was over in WWE. “Over” of course meaning the fans loved him. And why shouldn’t they? Big time wrestling fans knew Punk from his days in ROH and to see him rise to be on national television broadcasts and pay-per-view was rewarding. To those who were introduced to him, he was a fantastic talent and provided immense entertainment because of his talent in the ring and outside it.

Later on in his career at WWE, Punk provided one of the most scathing promos of all time, criticizing the company for its horrific decision-making and idiotic management. The promo was a “worked shoot”, wrestling lingo for a promo that seems like it’s breaking character but is all planned out (Punk was allowed to say anything he wanted, no matter if it was in character or not) but it was still extremely satisfying for the fans who agreed wholeheartedly with Punk about the state of WWE at the time. This promo (now known as the “pipebomb promo”) is just one of the many reasons why CM Punk has remained an immense fan favorite. The idea of a wrestler taking the mic, airing their grievances, and showcasing how a major corporation treated their employees with disdain and damnation is utterly unlike anything seen since Stone Cold Steve Austin back in the late 90′s. Punk, to many people, was one of the first of many “indie stars” that WWE had “poached” from the independent scene, turning them into corporate icons, stripping away their unique qualities as a person and transforming them into recognizable brands to sell merchandise with. To see Punk spit back at the WWE made a lot of people realize that enough was enough for them. Punk was the voice of the voiceless, a wrestler echoing throughout the halls that he wasn’t just a brand to slap onto a cheap mass-produced product, that he was a wrestler (in the mid-2000s at WWE, the term “wrestler” was seen as an irrelevant term, the terms “sports entertainer” and “superstar” preferred by management) in this business to prove himself as the Best in the World. And like clockwork, on July 15th, 2014, Punk was removed from WWE’s active roster after he had effectively walked out of the company weeks prior.

One of the most significant events post-WWE with Punk was his appearance on close friend Colt Cabana’s Art of Wrestling podcast. Colt’s podcast was known for featuring “shoot interviews”, basically interviews with wrestlers out of character detailing backstage information and telling stories. Punk’s episode of the podcast is significant as it eventually led to a total legal dispute with one of WWE’s doctors whose misdiagnosis of a staph infection was one of the reasons for Punk’s departure from WWE. Along with that, Punk’s general dissatisfaction with the “WWE Machine” as it’s been coined was another reason, with him even mentioning at times post-retirement that WWE was responsible for him never wanting to wrestle again. And so it seemed, as Punk later on signed with UFC in an attempt to get a MMA career off the ground, that the legacy of CM Punk ended with his tenure at WWE.

Until, that is, the wrestling world got a little...elite...

Okay, so I get who CM Punk is now, but what’s this All Elite Wrestling business?

AEW, All Elite Wrestling and the sole reason you’re reading this post right now, is the second biggest wrestling promotion in North America and quite possibly the world. Its inception begins with a group of wrestlers signed to the aforementioned Ring of Honor and a little bet made with wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer on Twitter.

Meltzer had proclaimed on Twitter that ROH did not have the capability to sell 10,000 tickets to an arena-run wrestling event. ROH-signed wrestlers Cody Rhodes (son of Dusty Rhodes and brother of Dustin Rhodes f.k.a. “Goldust”) and tag team brothers Matt and Nick Jackson (known as “The Young Bucks”) took Meltzer up on the bet and immediately scouted an arena for such an event. Partnering with Ring of Honor along with other wrestling promotions around the world such as Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, Impact Wrestling, and New Japan Pro Wrestling, the trio promoted the event as All In and managed to sell out the arena in less than 30 minutes, even exceeding the goal by an extra thousand or so, becoming the largest attended wrestling event not held by industry leader WWE since 1993.

Naturally, the success of such an event caught the attention of many leaders in many industries. The idea that an independent wrestling event could create such a huge success in a time where WWE was kingpin of the industry was unprecedented. It was clear that the wrestling world was ready for a change and the numbers didn’t lie.

On the 1st of January 2019, All Elite Wrestling was announced with the running of All In’s sequel event Double or Nothing which would also be the inaugural pay-per-view event for AEW itself. Backing the company financially was Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan along with his son and co-owner of the Jaguars Tony Khan, who would lead the company as president, CEO and head of creative. The announcement of the company was peppered with signings of some of independent wrestling’s hottest stars such as “Hangman” Adam Page, Joey Janela, Britt Baker, and Kenny Omega, often cited as the greatest wrestler in the world with multiple 5 star+ matches under his belt. Also announced were some of the most interesting inclusions: former WWE stars Chris Jericho and PAC (f.k.a. Neville) had joined as well. At the premiere event of Double Or Nothing, the most shocking addition to the roster made his debut as well: Jon Moxley, formerly known in WWE as Dean Ambrose, one of the highest-profile stars in recent history had jumped ship from top of the card in WWE to the newest promotion. Ripples in the wrestling world had turned into immense shock waves.

Alright, I kinda know the history now but why is AEW so important?

AEW’s significance today cannot be understated. Before its inception, the world of professional wrestling consisted of two pillars: WWE and the independent scene, and the two could not be less equal. WWE was seen by many as the top of the line, the area where a wrestler could be seen by the most eyes and where they could be paid top dollar moreso than any indie promotion. But it was also seen, as detailed earlier by CM Punk, as a place of dull, corporatized profiteering. WWE does not treat its wrestlers as characters in engaging, eventful stories. To the WWE, the wrestlers are no more than brands, recognizable faces and repetitive phrases that they can slap onto t-shirts and other merchandise to sell for a quick buck. WWE as a company does not care about the world of professional wrestling, even recently going so far as to call themselves not a “wrestling company” but an “entertainment” company. Wrestlers in WWE are not given the opportunity to come up with material they think will best suit the story of the match and appease the fans, they are given pre-written scripts of dialogue to act out as if they were in a movie and storylines meant to tell the story the writers want to tell rather than what the fans want to see.

For many wrestlers, the art of wrestling is a finely tuned craft. WWE’s corporate micromanagement of the whole process is utterly disrespectful and soul-crushing. At AEW, the story is different.

AEW’s creative team allows its wrestlers to do whatever they think the fans will like. While not necessarily allowing the wrestlers full creative control (Tony Khan, after all, has the final say on things), AEW at least allows the wrestlers flexibility to try new things without being railroaded by storylines. This results in characters like Orange Cassidy (see above) a wrestler whose entire gimmick is that he just doesn’t care. In his matches, he’ll lazily loaf about the ring, putting in the bare minimum effort at attacking his opponents except when the opponents REALLY strike back at which Cassidy explodes into an array of athletic fury while simultaneously never losing his cool. And it works! The gimmick worked insanely well on the independent scene, away from the strict guidelines of a major corporation who probably would not understand it, and fans adored Cassidy’s laidback, lazy attitude. And in AEW, Cassidy’s gimmick transfers flawlessly due to the company’s trust in Cassidy to make it work. And so, AEW remains a place where wrestlers can succeed not at the whims of an out-of-touch old man playing with his action figures in a way that satisfies only himself, but at the whims of creative people who believe in the equally creative minds out in the squared circle who themselves believe in the hearts of the audience, understanding full well what it is they want to see when they come to or tune into a wrestling program.

There are a multitude of other reasons AEW is probably the best wrestling promotion on the planet (ease of access, LGBT diversity among the roster) but the creative freedom it allows its wrestlers remains one of the greatest.

Okay, now I kinda get the appeal. So where does CM Punk tie into this?

As with any new promotion heavily allowing for greater creative opportunity for its wrestlers, fans are gonna want to see their big favorites join the roster. Names like Daniel Bryan, Aleister Black, Adam Cole etc. known from their time on both the independent scene and at WWE have been tossed around a lot during discussions in the past as far as who should jump ship to the promotion that will best suit them. But one person has always been the biggest “what-if” when it comes to joining AEW: CM Punk. As laid out earlier, CM Punk’s dissatisfaction with WWE was wholly responsible for his greater retirement from the pro wrestling scene. And when there’s only one really significant promotion on the market, why bother? Punk has been vocal in the past on Twitter, in interviews and many other places that his love for the business of pro wrestling was soured and that something truly significant would be required for him to return. It seemed natural to fans that, should AEW prove to be a significant competitor to WWE that, somehow, some way, it could lead to the in-ring return of one of the best to ever step foot in it. And when AEW announced it would be running the second episode of its brand-new show Rampage at the United Center in Chicago, Punk’s hometown, the rumors began to fly.

Punk himself is known for joking about and debunking rumors, hearsay and other lies about his potential signing with any wrestling-related outlets. So when the rumors began to fly that Punk was signing with AEW...the man himself stayed uncharacteristically quiet. And the wrestling world began to gasp...was it true, then? Teasers were thrown about here and there on AEW programming, small things that could go either way but to hardcore fans seemed to understand were plain as day. Punk himself even got in on the action, posting cryptic videos on his Instagram that fans eventually linked to the United Center and a return for the Best in the World. It’s been known as wrestling’s “worst-kept secret” and today, it was revealed in all its glory.

CM Punk, one of the original independent wrestling superstars, one of the few men responsible for changing the culture of professional wrestling in the 21st century, had finally returned home.

Okay, that was pretty explanatory. So now, where the heck can I watch all this?

Excellent question! AEW currently has three methods of airing content:

- Through their network TV shows aired on TNT

- Through their YouTube channel

- Through pay-per-view events

AEW Dynamite is the company’s flagship show airing Wednesdays at 8:00 EST/7:00 CST on TNT. All the company’s major storylines are told on Dynamite and the show usually runs for ~2 hours. There are over 90+ episodes of Dynamite and its not really required that you see every single one though there are many episodes that have aired in the past that feature matches, promos, and other segments worth checking out.

AEW Rampage is the company’s second show and currently only has two episodes aired. It also airs on TNT, Fridays at 10:00 EST/9:00 CST. Rampage has been given the description of being a little more “action-packed” than Dynamite, with shows only lasting for a single hour and featuring little promo time instead focusing primarily on matches themselves.

The company’s biggest stories tend to culminate in one of its four annual pay-per-view events. AEW pay-per-views are available via WarnerMedia's B/R Live service in the United States and Canada, and on FITE TV internationally. Additionally, AEW PPVs are also available via traditional PPV outlets in the United States and Canada and are carried by all major satellite providers. AEW PPVs generally cost around $50-60 and run for about four hours or so.

In addition to the two TNT shows and pay-per-views, AEW also runs two weekly shows on its YouTube channel, AEW: Dark and AEW: Dark Elevation. Both shows are generally referred to as AEW’s “developmental” shows, created mostly for unsigned or up-and-coming talent to showcase themselves in a taped format that forgoes the traditional network TV deals for easier access online. Dark and Dark Elevation’s differences are negligible but both tend not to crossover too much with the main shows, although some stories definitely do. Both shows run for ~an hour and a half on Monday nights at 7:00 EST/6:00 CST (Dark Elevation) and Tuesdays at 7 EST/6 CST (Dark).

AEW talent also provide a few extra sources of entertainment through their own YouTube outlets as well. The Elite, a popular stable in AEW consisting of current champion Kenny Omega and current tag team champions the Young Bucks, feature themselves in their own weekly travel vlog/comedy sketch series Being the Elite while other individual wrestlers like Sammy Guevara, Allie “The Bunny”, and Ethan Page provide more individualized backstage looks at the company through their own vlogs. These aren’t necessary to enjoy regular AEW programming but they definitely add to the atmosphere and you can tell through each how much the locker room loves and respects each other.

Wow, this was really in-depth and definitely not a small task at all. Thanks for the help!

No problem! If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message, though its doubtful I’ll receive it since I barely check Tumblr anymore! If you know me on any other platforms, the message still applies! Thanks so much for reading! I really do hope this helped you understand the situation a little better. Enjoy wrestling!

[mackeydoodledoo]

I Only Swim Free: Chapter 5

Pairing: Bela Dimitrescu x (Fem!)Reader

Summary: You’ve done swimming all your life. You’ve gotten to your dream college on a scholarship for your outstanding freestyle technique back in high school. Relationships never crossed your mind however, that was before you met your swim team captain: Bela Dimitrescu.

Warning: Broken Heart, Depression, But it gets fluffier when you read more into this chapter, ends in SMUT

A/N: This chapter about to get SPICY

“Busted and Blue” - Gorillaz

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Word got out [rather quickly] that Bela’s now ex-boyfriend had been cheating on her. Since Bela went to look for you during the fraternity house party.. It was also because of how he was seeing you and her always so in close proximity to each other. Although he feels guilty for what he’s done, he’s been trying to reach back out to Bela to tell her how sorry he is and that he’ll be a better guy for her.

Lousy excuse really.. 

“To be honest I’ve heard lousier excuses from my own past exes,” You sigh, looking down at your textbook, writing down some notes for a class you missed because Bela didn’t want to be left alone, even if it was in your own apartment

“I was right about him,” Daniela called it

“What do you want a cookie?” Cassandra jokingly asks

“Yes,” Daniela says, giving her sister the ‘puppy dog eyes’ 

“Go nuts,” You say, pulling out a cookie you bought from the student center

Daniela happily takes the cookie and immediately bites into it.

“You have to unwrap the plastic first dumbass,” Cassandra sighs, deciding to go up into her room

You took Bela back to her house however, she immediately locks herself in her room. Her mother or her sisters check on her, despite her wanting your company the most. You had been trying to focus on your school work but at the same time trying to be there for Bela as much as you could was already a clashing combo to work with. Luckily, your teammates and her two sisters had been there for her too when you weren’t able to.

“Hey thanks Dani for offering to look after her tonight, I owe you one,” You sigh

“No worries, I knew her boyfriend was nothing but trouble,” She sighs, “But-but you- she’s taken a real liking to you though.”

Well, we did kiss in her car after that one fraternity house party she dragged me to, she continuously stays at my place. Not that I’m complaining though..

“Really?” You ask, slightly blushing, “Well, I wouldn’t want that on our minds right now. Thanks again!”

You heard that Dean Dimitrescu had been close to going at his throat for hurting her daughter. However, she also knew it would look bad on her part; taking her personal anger out on a student was not the best idea. 

“I’m angered just as you are Dean,” You sigh, scribbling into your notebook, breaking the lead in the mechanical pencil

Scribbling into your notebook was one way you were able to take out your frustrations.

“We trusted him,” She growls, pacing in her kitchen, “But, I do highly appreciate you being there for my daughter, is there anything I can do to repay you my dear?”

“Nope,” You sigh, “I don’t want to be given one of those special treatments, even if I am helping one of your daughters.”

I would want you to accept me as Bela’s new Lover. Please and Thank you Dean...

“Well, you’re welcome here,” She slightly smiles, “And please, when it’s after classes, you may refer to me as Ma’am, My Lady or Alcina. Alcina is my first name.”

Very fitting for an elegant lady such as yourself Ma’am.

“Yes Ma’am,” You say, “I’m going to get dinner, Do you and your daughters want anything?”

“I’m sure my girls will text you, I will make due with what we have in this fridge my dear. Thank you for the offer,” Alcina smiles

She tips her hat as you make her leave. You casually salute three fingers to her as you were about to do the same hat tip, just minus the hat. You send out a text in the Dimi-Daughters groupchat Daniela had made for the four of you. Almost immediately Bela and Daniela text you with whatever food they wanted, Cassandra being the last one. 

As soon as you and Bela show up to practice the next day, you were excused from classes as Donna had given the email out to all professors regarding State Finals, Donna has you all gathered at the poolside.

“I have the results of the semi finals roster,” She announces, “And... We are going to the State Final championship!”

You and your team cheer and congratulate each other.

“Okay okay girls calm down,” Donna calms her children, “This doesn’t mean we won’t win, so tonight we will prepare for it, this Saturday.”

In an instant all of the girls began giving their all into swim practice. You on the other hand, were just going through the motions. Not sure how to handle the sudden pressure.

“Didn’t I tell you that we all pull through this together or we lose?” Donna asks, coming up to you

“Yes coach,” You say, sighing

“You’re going to do fine, an excellent rookie like yourself should be proud you get to do this your first year,” She smiles

“True,” You sigh, beginning to shake off your nerves

“Now get your ass into the water y/l/n!” Donna yells encouragingly

After coach’s announcement you finally took a shower after skipping them to beeline it to your apartment for Bela. You turn around once you hear the shower curtain open behind you. you wipe your eyes and see Bela stepping into the shower with you. 

“Hey you,” You smile, giving her a hug

“Hey yourself,” She smiles, putting her arms on your shoulders, “Quite the show at practice today..”

“Says you, even after what happened you still managed to get your shit together and nail practice,” You smile

You snake your hands on her hips as the both of you begin washing each other from the chlorine gathered from today’s practice. Even after giving each other a shower, the both of you just settled in each others’ embrace as the hot shower began wasting away. 

“You remember when we first met in the locker room?” Bela asks, slipping on the hoodie you gave her

“How could I forget?” You smile, slipping on some shorts

“You were looking at my ass through the mirror weren’t you?” Bela asks, smirking

You almost drop your brush as your chees go red and begin heating up. You slightly look up from the mirror and see her slowly walking towards you. Like a predator stalking its prey.

“Did you... Enjoy it?” Bela flirts, turning you around and pushing you against the sink

“Well-I-uhmmm-ummm,” You stutter, trying to find the words

“You did didn’t you?” She smirks, putting her hands on your stomach

You felt yourself tense up when her palms touched your bare skin. You could feel them slowly running up your stomach and begin feeling the tips of her fingers go under your sports bra. 

“Bela! Y/n! Hurry it up I’m going to lock the swimming area soon!” Calls Donna from the entrance to the locker room

The both of you snicker as Bela drags her fingers away from your bare skin; you almost growl when her hands moved away from your skin. Bela practically moved into your place when she got the news. Thankfully her exes fraternity brothers kicked removed him from the fraternity house and helped her with her things when she decided to live with you. 

You and Bela had finally settled a day where you’d take her out to her favorite restaurant, as a make-up for not being able to see her very often. 

“Yeah, midterms are such a pain,” You sigh into your phone, “But, I’ll make sure you get tomorrow night with me okay?”

Bela decided to stay with her family for the next couple days as she’s been cooped up in your place for so long, not that she was complaining, she missed being around her family.

“Thanks for the ride y/n,” Bela sighs in relief, “I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” You blush, “Hey, we’ll see each other at practice later okay?”

“Yeah,” She sighs, “I gotta go, mother is calling for me. I love you.”

“Love you too,” You smile through the phone

Wait... She added I into the “love you”.... 

You didn’t say it back, no matter, you’d tell her how you’d feel about her tomorrow night. Even though you haven’t been able to see her, the both of you were able to be on the phone with each other every night before the both of you would go to bed before your classes in the morning. State finals were upon the swim team before finals. So you’ve also been working your butt off for the missed time you’ve had to sit out because of your calf injury from the first meet. 

“Hey you,” Bela smiles as she picks up the phone

“Hey,” you smile, “How you been?”

“Doing a lot better,” Bela smiles, “If you hadn’t hooked me up for that one therapy session, I would have still been sulking.”

“I wouldn’t want that happening to you,” You sigh, “Hey, it’d be better off if you stay at home for tonight. Have an exam tomorrow morning and I have. To. Study!”

“Okay,” Bela sighs, slightly pouting

“Hey,” You say, gently, “We still have dinner tomorrow night. No pouting until before then. Okay?”

She sighs, but shakes it off, “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The next evening, You and Bela settled that you would be driving. Once you reach the Dimitrescu estate, you decide to get out of your car and walk up to the front door and knock on it. Cassandra is the one to greet you. 

“Bela’s finishing up y/n,” She says, “Nice getup by the way.”

“Thanks Cass,” You sigh, adjusting your shirt

You wait around awkwardly but you see Dean Dimitrescu sipping on wine in the kitchen.

“Will you do me one big favor y/n?” She calls from the kitchen

“Of course My lady,” You say, turning to her 

“Prove to me on why you’re worthy of my daughter,” She says calmly

“Yes ma’am,” You smile

“Mother I’ll be fine,” Bela calls from the stairs 

You look up and your eyes widen. Bela is wearing a wine red lace dress; the lace drapes behind her legs. You were a sucker for lace. You were a sucker for Bela Dimitrescu. Seeing Bela Dimitrescu IN lace is a whole show.

“Wow...” you say breathlessly as she takes your hand in hers

“Don’t have too much fun now lovebirds,” Daniela teases the both of you

“Shut your mouth Dani,” Bela sighs as she drags you out the door

“Your family is something Bels,” You smile

You open the passenger seat for Bela and she smiles at you as she gets in. Just as you shut her door, you were going to open yours when you see Bela reaching over to open the door for you as best as she could.

“Why thank you my lady,” You smile, getting into your driver’s seat

As you pull into the restaurant that Bela had made reservations for, you’re again in awe. 

“Are you sure you’re fine with paying?” You ask

“You’ve done enough for me. Both taking care of me when I was heartbroken, setting me up for therapy, teaching me freestyle.. The lost goes on,” Bela smiles, “It’s my turn to treat you.”

You couldn’t argue with that. Bela takes your arm as the both of you walk into the restaurant and basically see class. Something you don’t have however, you managed to find your ‘go-to’ nice outfit and a suit jacket at a nearby thrift store. 

“Did I tell you how fine you look?” Bela whispers right into your ear

You felt a shiver crawl down your spine as she asks you.

“No,” You finally say, “Did I tell you though that you look absolutely beautiful?”

Bela blushes as she leads you to a two-person table away from the rest of the patrons.

“Mother made arrangements for us so no need to worry about money,” Bela smirks as she sips water from a fancy glass, “I can easily tell you’ve never been in a fancy restaurant before.”

“Parents could never afford it,” You say, “So, it was the cheap diners. But hey, nothing wrong with diner food every now and then.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Bela adds

After the restaurant date, the both of you reach your apartment by midnight and you allow Bela to enter your apartment first. However, just as you closed the door, she turns to you.

“What is it?” You ask her

She says nothing as she walks up to you and cups your face in her hands. She doesn’t crash her lips onto yours, giving you the chance to pull away if you so chose to. However, your lips gently mold right onto Bela’s. She lets out a high-pitched gasp as you bring her body closer to your, both of your forms fitting perfectly against each other like puzzle pieces. Your hands trail upward to find the zipper to her dress and slowly remove it, teasing her. She helps you slip her out of the dress. She turns her body towards you, revealing a black lace lingerie set.

“Oh? So you’re wearing these for me? Was this all apart of your little plan Bela Dimitrescu?” You ask, slowly walking towards her

“Whatever do you mean,” She bites back

“You know what I mean,” You coil your arm around her waist, “Any pretty kitty like yourself should be punished for tempting me.”

In one quick motion you pick her up into your arms and place her onto your bed as you settle your hips between her thighs. You dip your head down and begin kissing her along the crook of her neck. You smirk in her neck when you hear her let out a small whimper as the tip of your tongue ran gently along her neckline.

“Hmmm sweet music,” You whisper

You lift her up for her to straddle her in your lap. You give her another kiss on the lips before laying gentle kisses along her breasts. Bela guides one of your hands to cup one of her breasts and you oblige. However, your thumb rolls over her nipple, making it hard. You hear Bela let out a strangled moan. Strangled; your mouth was latched onto her throat.

“More,” Bela breathes out

You reach around her back and with a flick of your fingers, her bra unlatches. She lets it fall off her arms and she discards it somewhere onto the floor. 

“What-what do you think?” She asks, blushing

She tries to hide her flushes cheeks and turns her head away from you. You gently run your fingers along her cheek to have her look at you.

“I think, you are so fucking beautiful my love,” You say

Bela sees the moonlight reflection coming off your eyes and she drops her head down for her lips to meet yours. The kiss was at first soft and gentle however, once you gained yourself, you began losing your self control and turned the kiss to be more intense. Bela lets out a muffled gasp as she felt the pillow at the back of her head. You pull yourself away for a moment to strip off your shirt. Bela knew you were fit because of swimming. She never thought she’d be getting up close and personal with you.

“You’re beautiful,” You whisper against her ear

You kiss and lick your way down until you stopped above her bare chest. You look up at her with pleading eyes. 

‘let me’ your eyes pleaded

She runs her fingers through your hair and pushes your face into her breast. You leech onto her nipple and gently make circles around it. She arches her back, forcing your tongue to gently lick the tip of her nipple.

“Y/n!” She gasps

While you run the flat surface of your tongue along the surface of her nipple. Your hand snakes up to her other breast and you squeeze it. Then, gently squeeze her nipple. 

“Ah!” She screams

Your mouth switches onto the other breast to give the same gentle treatment. 

“Y/n...” She says breathlessly

Your fingers trace her curves as you continue your exploration of her body down to her dripping hot center.

“Are you already wet for me?” You ask, once you arrive to her panties

She nods, “You already made me excited...”

You lowly chuckle as your fingers hook around the thin lining of her panties, lifting them. She lifts her hips to help you fully remove them from her body. You, again discard them somewhere onto the floor. Your hands gently run along her thighs to hoist them over your shoulders.

“Hmm, so you were,” You smile

Bela felt you gently breathing against her wet, dripping center, making her squirm a little bit.

“If you’re just going to keep teasing me ju-”

You drag your tongue along her pulsating lips and you insert your tongue into her, making her let out many small whimpers. Her fingers run along into your hair and you feel her pulling against you. She bucks her hips to feel more of your tongue. Your arm reaches around her hip and you press your palm down, keeping her from moving her hips along with your tongue.

“Babyyyyy I need more,” She whines

You pull your tongue out from inside her and give a small kiss on her clit before crawling up to meet her face. You give her a long, lingering kiss for her to taste herself on you.

“You’ll get more kitten you need to be patient,” You chuckle, “But, damn you taste so good.”

“Give it to me now,” She growls

You hook her leg over your shoulder, so that your arm is under her thigh.

“What-what are you- AH!” Bela chokes

She felt your finger insert itself into her. 

“How does that feel baby?” You ask, looking down at her

“It feels so good,” Bela moans

“Good girl,” You coo

You slide your finger in and out of her slowly, hearing her let out little breathless whimpers was music to your ears. You stop for one moment to add another finger when you slid them back in. Bela again arches her back to feel more of your fingers. Your pace began going faster and faster.

“Y/n... I’m-I’m gonna-”

Before you let Bela climax, you force your fingers out of her and hook both of her legs around your hips. You jerk your hips forward to feel her wetness against yours. You let out a growl whilst she lets out a small whimper. You lean down towards her face as you continue grinding on her. 

“Oh god baby,” You growl, picking up your grinding pace

Bela swings her arm around your shoulder and the other around your hips and begins clawing at your back.

“I’m so close y/n,” She whispers in your ear, “Faster.”

You let out frustrated grunts as you stop for a moment.

“Why-why did you s-stop?” She asks, panting

“I want to look at you,” You smile

However, you don’t really give Bela time to process anything before you jerk your hips again, making her lean her head back into the pillow. 

“Together-together y/n,” Bela requests, “I want to cum with you..”

You smirks as you could feel yourself reaching your climax as well. You cup her face into your hands as you begin letting out pants and slight whimpers. 

“Bela...” You whisper her name into her ear, breathlessly

You could feel her nails sink deeper into your back. You didn’t really feel any pain towards her nails. You only felt her clit against yours.

“Bela... Bela... Bela!” You growl as you come undone

Bela holds onto you for dear life as the both of you slowly come down from your high. Everything was blurry in your vision however, Bela was clear as day. You smile as you lean down to kiss her. Once morning hit, you rub your eyes however, Bela’s arm drags your arm back down across her bare waist. 

“Morning baby,” You smile, kissing the back of her head

She stretches her arms as she turns her body so that she’s facing you, “Morning.”

She gives you a good morning kiss and lays in your embrace.

“Hmmm,” Bela hums

“What?” You ask

“Are you sure you haven’t had sex with a woman?” She asks, smiling

“I’m sure love,” You say, “Why?”

“Those fingers... That tongue of yours.. Worked.. Wonders.. On me,” She says, seductively

Your cheeks flush a faint red as she laughs with a low tone. You let go of her and pull the covers over your head in an attempt to prevent her from seeing you blushing however, she follows you under the covers.

“Oh? Is my girlfriend blushing now?” She smirks

“Enough already,” You groan, pulling the sheets to separate the both of you

Bela yanks on the covers and lets out an enticing giggle as she gets up to straddle you. You sit up to snake your arms around her bare midsection.

“Iubita mea,” Bela says

“Hmmm is that.. Romanian?” You ask, blushing while smiling at the same time

“Maybe,” She teases as she drops her head down to kiss you again

It was an early Saturday morning and you weren’t up for it. But, Bela agreed to drive the both of you there.

“You excited?” Bela asks

“As excited as I’ll ever be,” You sigh, “I just hope there’s no last minute events...”

“Coach gave us the whole events roster,” Bela explains, “Rest assured those are the events that are in there, we’ll be doing.”

You smile in relief, “Good, because I think I would permanently damage my calf if I ever did another 1500 meter freestyle event...”

“You’ll be fine,” Bela reassures you

The Arena was a little ways out of hometown but nothing surprising for State Finals. Your team gets there about the same time you do, and follow whomever your guide was for the day. She shows you to the locker rooms, where all of you get changed into your uniform swimsuits and make any last second preparations for the final meet of the season.

“Dimitresu University Women’s swim and dive, you ready?” Your guide comes back into the locker room

Chapter 6

[dossi-io]

An introduction to DeVita

Do you want to learn all about the AOMG artist DeVita? This article will cover everything you need to know about the third female member to join the labels roster.

The content of this article is also available in video format, embedded at the bottom of this article.

Prelude

In early April of 2020, the Korean hip-hop label AOMG ambiguously announced that a new artist was signing onto the label. This label was grounded by the Korean-American triple-threat; Jay Park, who’s also one of its executives. This is a label with a very organic feel and artist-oriented nature, which stands out compared to many other music labels.

On April 3rd, the label’s official Instagram account posted a video. It was titled, “Who’s The Next AOMG?” where fellow AOMG members talked about this upcoming recruit. They sprinkled small hints and details by sharing their thoughts on the artist without mentioning who.

Around the world, fans immediately began speculating on who this could be. The major consensus was that it had to be the solo artist Lee Hi, due to reporting like this: “AOMG responds ‘nothing is confirmed’ to reports of Lee Hi signing on with the label”

A few other names got thrown in fan speculations like Hanbin (B.I), previous member of IKON, Jvcki Wai, and MOON (문) aka Moon Sujin. This despite a few of these already being signed to other labels.

On April 6th, three days later, the account was updated with a part two. This time dropping more hints, which would exclude many names from fan speculations.

On the 7th of April, the label’s official Instagram account posted a short teaser. The video sported an 80’s retrofuturistic setting, with a woman turned from the camera, dressed in all black, rocking braids, and some glistening high-heels. As it seemed to be a female, some were now certain that it had to be Lee Hi. A small few actually guessed correctly that the one who would be joining AOMG would be Ms DeVita.

Finally on April 9th, it was official! She debuted with the music video, from which the teaser clips was taken from, EVITA!, which accompanied the release of her EP, CRÈME.

What does the name DeVita mean?

The name DeVita, draws inspiration and meaning from two things. Firstly, Eva Perón – also known as Evita – who was Argentina’s former First Lady. When Chloe was learning about Eva’s life, it inspired her to combine “Devil” and “Evita”, thus creating “DeVita”. The name signifies the duality of how both Eva Perón and DeVita could be perceived. Either being a devil, or an angel depending on the eye of the beholder. Secondly, Salvatore Di Vita, a character from Cinema Paradiso, was also a source of inspiration.

An introduction to DeVita

Chloe Cho – now known under the artist name DeVita – was born and raised in South Korea, until the age of eleven. In 2009, she moved to Chicago, where she would learn English.

In 2013, she went back to Korea and participated in the third season of the show; K-pop Star. A talent show, where the “big three” (the three largest music labels in Korea) hosts auditions to find the next big k-pop star. However she didn’t win, therefore neither got signed.

Later on, she returned to Chicago and graduated high school. After reflecting on what she wanted to do next, she decided to make music. In 2014, her pursuit to become an artist brought her to the talent show Kollaboration. On this show, she performed covers and actually ended up being a finalist. Despite her talents, she did not triumph as the winner of the show.

Not letting these losses stop her, she started releasing music on Soundcloud. The earliest release I could find, Halfway Love (Ruff), was from 2016. Her catalogue consisted of both covers and original music.

One day, Kirin, an artist and CEO of the music label 8balltown Records, was introduced to DeVita’s music. He liked what he heard and the two linked up. In May of 2018, WEKEYZ, one of 8balltown’s producer duos released a track titled Sugar. This track featured both DeVita, and the AOMG rapper Ugly Duck. This was the beginning of many collaborations to come.

On August 28th of 2018, just a few months later, AOMG released Sugar (Puff Daehee Mix).

This was a remix done by Puff Daehee, the alter ego of Kirin. Along with this track, it was accompanied by a music video starring Kirin, DeVita, and Ugly Duck. For most people, this was their first time seeing DeVita.

DeVita continued doing features on many songs by Korean artists while creating a little buzz for herself. There’s one notable feature, which could be seen as an important milestone in her career. That is her feature on the track Noise, from AOMG artist Woo Won Jae’s project, titled af.

In a tweet a few days after the release of CRÈME, she shared the significance of this moment.

“I was still making minimum wage working at a restaurant back when Noise dropped- I wrote my part during my shift on the back of this receipt paper. This was about a year and a half ago. A little bit after that I got a call from Pumpkin at 3am Chicago time. He said Jay wanted to meet in Philly in 4 hours. They put me on a plane and the rest is history.”

The phone call she mentioned in her tweet, about Jay wanting to meet, must have been made around September 2018. Jay was performing in Philadelphia at the time. The moment they met in Philadelphia was actually captured through a photo of the two. However, this picture ended up getting removed later on.

Fast forward a few months and Jay had just released his Ask About Me EP. The project focused on a western audience, so he went to the States on a promo run. During his visit, he also met up with DeVita once again, as can be seen here.

Finally, on April 9th, her being signed to AOMG was officially announced and she debuted with her EP titled CRÈME. Her joining AOMG, looked like something that happened pretty naturally. The vast majority of artists she had collaborated on tracks with happened to be AOMG members. Getting comfortable with the AOMG family, likely made the decision to join crystal clear.

Artistically

Just a quick look at her body of work thus far, a majority of it is in English. However, she has no issues singing in Korean, as proven by her feature on Code Kunst’s; Let u in. The tone in her voice has this sort of mixture of many singers, a melting pot of sorts. It reminds me of Audrey Nuna, SAAY, H.E.R, some vocal riffs from Dinah Jane, and at times, just a tiny bit of Ariana Grande.

As an artist, she’s still in the early stages of carving out her own unique sound and style. There’s incredible potential here, but her distinct identity is not completely there yet. I see before me a caterpillar that within a couple years, will transform into a butterfly, with its own identifiable pattern to spread its wings out on.

From what she’s shown so far, I would say she seems most comfortable doing R&B and soul music. However, beyond a quick description I prefer to refrain from categorizing her. Mostly because artists generally feel limited when categorized. More importantly, because we have no idea what she has in store for the future.

Debut EP: CRÈME

CRÈME is DeVita’s “crème de la crème”. She constantly modified the tracklist to present her debut project in a way that held her personal standard; essentially presenting us her best tracks. The result is CRÈME, which consists of five tracks, with a runtime of fourteen minutes altogether.

This EP showcases the fact that she is a competent songwriter, able to write some soulful, emotional ballads. It is completely in English and all the tracks are written by her, telling both life stories of her own and that of others. A majority of the production was handled by her “musical soulmate”; TE RIM, but other notable names, like Code Kunst show up as well.

Tracks:

Movies, introduces the project in a very gentle manner. In the track, DeVita paints a picture of a criminal couple, getting a rush, by committing crimes together. The lyrics feel inspired by movies like Bonnie and Clyde. My initial thoughts were that, for some ears, it could possibly be “too” calm as an opener. It doesn’t demand attention the way EVITA! does. Simply put, it’s not a bad track. I would just have put this track later on in the EP.

EVITA!, is something different compared to what I hear from others in the K-R&B lane. I love the 80’s aesthetic in both the track and music video. Sonically, the nostalgic saxophone riffs, warm lush synth pads, thumping bass line, results in a trip back to the 80s. With this recipe, topped with DeVita’s “current” contemporary soul and R&B voice makes for an interesting combination. The music video had that futuristic 80’s look with the neon colors, and I loved how the guns she played around with looked a lot like the “Needlers” from the Halo franchise.  The title is once again just like DeVita’s name, an ode to the controversial Eva Perón. The instrumental was originally used by TE RIM, the producer of the track in 2017. His version has the same title as DeVita’s version and I recommend giving that one a listen as well, as it has a different feel to it. This track was definitely one of the highlights of the EP.

All About You, is a simple yet beautiful piano love ballad. Originating from her own tales of love, her vocals effortlessly capture what she felt during these moments.

1974 Live, is yet another ballad, but this time, with a calm guitar backing, playing a poppier R&B chord progression. DeVita’s voice is given a lot of space to be in the center of the track. As soon as I heard this track I became curious. What was the significance of this year, which would have her title the track as such? My questions were left unanswered… until the EP had marinated a while, when she tweeted: “1974 Live is about Christine Chubbuck”. In case you’re unfamiliar, Christine Chubbuck was a television news reporter, who made history in 1974. She was the first person to commit suicide live on air. According to her mother Christine’s suicide would on paper be due to an unfullfilling personal life. All throughout her life, she had experienced unreciprocated love. With this information tying back to the track, it becomes a lot less ambiguous and reveals a more cohesive narrative.

Show Me, is the final track of the EP, featuring immaculate production from the talented CODE KUNST. The sound is very moody, which fits her voice like a glove. This is my favorite performance on the entire EP, both lyrically and vocally. The lyrics present someone who’s fed up dealing with men, who talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. Now she’s looking for love with someone who’s honest and “real”.

With the project being a year old now, it has already gotten her nominated for both Rookie of the Year along with EVITA being nominated for Best R&B & Soul Track in the 18th iteration of the Korean Music Awards.

A majority of listeners seemed to enjoy the project. Many seem to be in love with her voice judging by the endless amounts of praise she has received, often described as painfully addicting, soothing, smooth, and so on.

I also asked a friend who’s a huge fan of Korean music, especially the hiphop and r&b scene to share her thoughts on the project. Here’s what she said:

"This whole project is empowering, in particular the tracks Show Me and EVITA! DeVita being a new artist, managed to impress me and many more listeners through this EP. As mentioned earlier, empowering lyrics with unique melodies and beats. Especially with the track EVITA! The fact that 1974 Live and EVITA! was referring to, two historically important women, is something that I love. This is one of my favorite EP:s of 2020 and DeVita is now included in my list of favorite artists." @Haonsmom

From what I’ve seen, only a few have been vocal about not really being too fond of the project. Some were left a bit disappointed, as they were expecting more hip-hop and R&B from an AOMG artist. The lack of “danceable” tracks was also a concern to some. Despite these criticisms, one thing was always mentioned; the girl has a beautiful voice and is obviously talented.

After listening to this EP, I hear a lot of potential. Being an EP with just five tracks, it definitely avoids overstaying its welcome. It’s brief enough to allow a listen through the entire project, no matter what you’re doing. My favorite tracks would have to be Show Me and EVITA!, but I found the whole project to be enjoyable. This EP is sprinkled with lovely vocal performances and simple but captivating production. I do still stand by my opinion that Movies would have fit better later in the tracklist if you’re chasing that mainstream ear.

I think the way EVITA! kicks you in the face, demanding attention, would’ve been a better fit as the opening track. In contrast to the other tracks, the energy level is unique, making the placement feel odd as the rest of the tracks have a chill vibe. All in all, this project gave me a taste of the “crème” but left me with a curious yearning for what this chef will whip up for dessert.

Bright future ahead

The addition of more female artists to the AOMG roster was much needed. Hoody was the first and only female member for about four years. This was the case up until late 2019, where she was then joined by sogumm, who had just won AOMG’s audition program called SignHere. Now funnily enough after DeVita, Lee Hi actually did end up officially signing with AOMG on July 22, last year.

Based on what I’ve heard during Devita’s Kollaboration days, she has improved immensely. This topped with her leaving the impression of someone passionate about their craft, bodes well for what's to come. She seems to be someone who'll constantly evolve.

Following an artist, at the early stages of their career, is something that I always find exciting. With such a lovely debut, I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for DeVita.

To view the content of this article in video format simply play the video embedded below.

Thanks for reading, watching. If you enjoyed this content feel free to follow my socials to stay up to date on when new content is posted.

https://allmylinks.com/dossi-io

Credits:

The first image in article: Original photo, pre-edit from @jinveun

Gif from the Sugar Puff Daehee MV: @moxiepoints

[eretzyisrael]

Israelis will pay tribute to the country’s 23,928 fallen soldiers and terror victims starting on Tuesday evening, bowing their heads for a minute of silence as sirens will sound around the country to mark the start of Memorial Day.

The one-minute siren at 8 p.m. will immediately be followed by the state ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. On Tuesday night, additional public memorials will be held, including at Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park and in the Knesset in Jerusalem.

During the siren, traffic around the country comes to an abrupt halt, as Israelis stop driving and stand beside their cars and people at home stand in somber silence on their balconies or in their yards.

A second, two-minute, siren will go off at 11 a.m. Wednesday, which will be followed by the main Memorial Day ceremony at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, and smaller events at cemeteries across the country.

The Memorial Day events officially began at the Yad LaBanim center in Jerusalem on Tuesday afternoon, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin and Chief Justice Esther Hayut in attendance.

Speaking at the ceremony, Netanyahu said Israel will make “every effort” to return its captives, which include two civilians and the bodies of two IDF soldiers believed to be held by the Hamas terror group in Gaza.

“This is a sacred mission that we’re not letting go of,” he said.

Forty-three soldiers and civilians were killed since last Memorial Day and the total number of Israeli casualties of war stands at 23,928, according to figures released by the Defense Ministry on Friday.

Since last Memorial Day, 112 new names were added to the roster of those who died defending the country since 1860.

Forty-three were IDF soldiers, police officers, and civilians, and 69 were disabled veterans who passed away due to complications of injuries sustained during their service.

The figures include all soldiers and police who died during their service over the past year, including as a result of accidents, suicide, or illness.

In a stark reminder of the toll of Israel’s wars, a former soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder set himself on fire on Monday outside the Defense Ministry’s rehabilitation center, setting off a national reckoning. Itzik Saidyan, 26, remains in critical condition.

Unlike last year, when the pandemic saw all Memorial Day ceremonies held without audiences and smaller events planned for municipal cemeteries across the country were canceled, this year’s events will be held under few health restrictions.

On Wednesday, ministers approved removing some Memorial Day rules which included allowing relatives of the fallen who do not have the Green Pass to attend ceremonies.

The Green Pass is given to those who are fully vaccinated or have recovered from the coronavirus, granting them entry to public venues not open to others.The new measures, effective as of Thursday, include raising the number of people allowed to gather outdoors from 50 to 100.  The current limit of 20 people indoors remains in place.

Memorial Day is one of Israel’s few national, non-religious holidays, during which large swaths of the Israeli public typically visit the graves of loved ones and comrades.

The general public has been encouraged to visit the graves of fallen soldiers over the next few days to avoid crowding on Memorial Day itself when close relatives are expected to attend.

The commemoration day, established in 1951 by then-prime minister and defense minister David Ben-Gurion, was set for the 4th of Iyar on the Jewish calendar, the day before Independence Day, which begins immediately after Memorial Day.