#this is me at nineteen tho who am I kidding

[kavehater]

An almost 30 year old man goes waaah btw

[kiivg]

Your Rook is ridiculously good looking. Like, I’m actually blushing and it’s all your fault

.The initial idea for him was Grave Robbing Pirate and honestly the beard options came through for me like nothing else. Guaranteed I was going to go for muttonchops/sideburns before I even knew what the CC looked like, but idk they looked a little patchy sometimes and that is NOT what Farid is about 👏 The whatever it is he has now is iconic for him, I tried making him as an elf but it was Cursed and Never-to-Be-Seen-Again. Also the balding ponytail? I saw it, and I was like yeah that’s it, that’s him, that’s exactly what I’m about.

.Also it is absolutely insane to me that he’s the first draft, I got him in one go with a little fine tuning once I figured out how the CC works. Especially considering how ugly Goddard turned out as the Inquisitor 😭😭 but now I HC he just sends somebody over in his place to act as a go between, ain’t no way he’s traipsing around with Morrigan lmao. I did make a crummy Blackwall Inq so I could get Dorian to call him Amatus 👹 Pavwall Canon UNLOCKED. (I wonder if you could make the Iron Bull tho?? Sans wide horns ofc.)

.Also, girlie, tysm!!!!!! I am ALSO very 👀😳🥴🤫🫡 about him, I’ve just started my third playthrough of him, I’m still tweaking little bits here and there as I go along. Which means ofc I’m going to be screenshotting him in every cutscene 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️.

.Edit tho I’ve changed his name to Farid now 😘.

.Some facts about my Rook, Farid Thorne, and his story below 💕🫡.

.His mother is Therasia Thorne, a Rivaini Dalish elf who left her clan for the calling of the sea, and he is an absolute mama’s boy. Will do absolutely anything she asks with very little, if any, questioning. He doesn’t know (and most likely never will) who his father is, as the man bought Therasia’s silence over their affair with two galleons and a frigate. On a side note, Therasia was known for seducing very rich men and getting pregnant in order to blackmail them. Most of the time the fathers would pay up, and there has only been one instance of the father agreeing to take the baby off her hands, her bluff was called and she regretfully left her son behind.

.He adores expensive textures, silk, dragon scales, gold, fine lace, alamarri sheep wool, phoenix feathers. If he wasn’t a career criminal turned conscript he would have been a tailor. He owns (or used to own) several dresses/robes that he would just lounge about in naked to feel the fabric against his skin. Doesn’t really think too much of leather though, it can be stiff and often chafes the skin, which is strange because he’s very much a rope man.

.He waxes most of his body hair off, and keeps everything nice and tidy. He also puts coloured powder in his open wounds to preserve the shape of them as they heal, true to his mother’s traditions.

.Has kept his face completely bare of tattoos (apart from the fish he got when he was fourteen) in an honour to his Dalish heritage; he knows he won’t ever get valaslin because he’s only a half-elf, but the prospect of it keeps his face bare.

.Is fascinated by machinery and spent a great deal of time perfecting his own tools. His own frigate was equipped with self made trident ballistas, each one would fire three harpoons (individually or all at once) secured with thick chains, crafted to hunt and bring down large game, dragons, and smaller fleeing ships.

.In tune with his love for crafting, he follows June, and not the Maker. Though he does keep this to himself and those he considers family. If asked he just says he doesn’t believe in the Maker, and refuses to elaborate.

.Absolutely fucks, big family kind of guy. He is one of nineteen children, and has nine of his own by five different women, though he assumes there’s more because he was very much a leave before the sunrise kind of guy. Now he’s matured with being in the Wardens and has been less of a dick about it all. Whether or not he’s got any chance of knowing those kids who knows 🤷‍♂️.

.Never told anyone about his past when he became a Warden, the only people who know are those who were privy to his conscription, and the higher up Wardens upon receiving his arrest and conscription reports. Most people know he’s a conscript however, he doesn’t shy away from that, and he’s had a dozen or more rumours spread about him within the order. Evka was the first person to say he was a good Warden and back him up, and I think that solidified him as a third wheel to her and Antoine.

.He was actually conscripted by order of my HoF Andrastopher Cousland, as a favour returned. Andrastopher wanted aboard his ship when the Inquisition was seeking out a new leader,(there was no way he was becoming a religious figurehead lmao) and he stayed there for a good six months or so before Zevran joined them, and another two months before returning back to Thedas. They… uh… yeah 🥴🤫.

.If he was a companion his questline would probably follow trying to kill his older brother Galo after receiving a plea for help from his sister in law Aadiyah. Turns out Galo is either a) helping the Antaam navigate the seas uncontested or b) capturing and selling slaves to the Venatori. The big question at the end would be whether to tell their daughter that he’s her dad or to let her believe Galo was her father considering he HAS just murdered him, and she has several siblings that Galo fathered too.

.His gift would be an ornamental smoking pipe or a hookah, his room would be an observatory, full of navigational maps and constellations, there would be a small tailors work bench on one side of the room complete with mannequin and a sewn outfit that would slowly complete over his personal questline. His bed would be a row boat full of pillows.

.His almost kiss scene would be him explaining that he’s no good, his past actions are very much coming to bite him in the ass, and that you should really stop flirting with him. Does he want you to stop? No. Is he going to lean in to try and kiss you? Yes. Is he going to remember that everything is playing out as it does before and pull away because he knows he’s not good enough for you? Yes.

.His romance lock in scene would be stargazing on the beach in Rivain, he’d point out a couple constellations, talk about his time seafaring (minus all the murdering and pillaging). You’d get the option to ask about a few different ones (leading to locking out of the romance) or a secret fourth one and he’d absolutely bullshit some made up romantic story that parallels him and you, and you’d call bullshit because YES it is bullshit, and he’d say something awfully sappy about making it “our constellation” and then 💋💋💋.

.The actual romance scene would be that he turns up completely naked in your room, he’ll ask if you want the Captain or the Warden, and you uh choose and uh ye a hh haha ahaaaaa 😳🥴.

[readingwiththestars]

₊˚⊹♡ IF ONLY I HAD TOLD HER

["whatever our souls are made of hers and mine are the same"]

| ✮ 3.5 stars |

THOUGHTS ° ᡣ𐭩 . ° . [spoilers for ihhbwm + some spoliers for ioihth]

ok so lemme tell you i had the BIGGEST reading slump ever just as i started to read this. so this review may be a little choppy at some points because i've just pointblank forgotten some parts and don't wanna go back and re-read finny's pov just yet.

i was so on the fence about reading this because on one hand i really wanted to read finny's pov and on the other, complete and utter heartbreak.... yeah....... so anyway i read it.

when i tell you that this book had me ugly crying in the middle of the night. like seriously finny's pov?? fucking broke me. are you kidding me? the way he speaks about autumn? ugh when am i gonna find a guy like finny fr? but seriously this book had me on a rollercoaster of emotions just from the heartbreak knowing whats already gonna happen to finny as he describes how happy he is and how he can't believe autumn loves him back, to the smile i had on my face reading about 'the moms' bickering over baby stuff for autumn.

i will say this now i did expect a little more (hence the rating). i wanted idk more closure at the end there. idk rlly know how to describe it better since its 10 o'clock at night and ive had zero sleep for the past four nights in a row. but yeah i wanted something more. (bitch u wanted finny to be alive)

CHARACTERS ° ᡣ𐭩 . ° .

finny -

*sobbing noises* i could go on a damn rant abt this boy. holy shit. he's just perfect. if i see one person ONE PERSON coming after him istg- he was such a caring sweet person like the pencil??? and always going to the sketchy gas station (i nearly called it a servo then lmao) to get the candy autumn likes?? and always making sure people were safe when he drives?? *cough* apparently not you though sylvie *cough* just ahhh laura when i get you. cause like why'd you have to make him get out of the car, hmmm? lets just compromise and you give me an alternate universe where finny misses the puddle or better yet where sylvie kept her damn seatbelt on.

jack -

tbh i wasn't all that excited to read about jack. (also to be fair i was still sobbing from finny's pov so that probably didn't help) like i seriously just thought it'd be some jock trying to process finny's death by hooking up with alexis (who by the way can go jump up her own ass and die) but we got the whole other side of him where he was genuinely affected by finny's death and really was his best friend. but the way he didn't like autumn way just- yeah. also i saw him and sylvie coming from a mile away like seriously it wasn't very subtle.

autumn -

*sobbing noises increase* autumn my baby girl. i just wanted to jump through the pages and give her a hug. seriously i feel robbed that we didn't get to see a happy autumn. angie and her's friend ship was so precious tho. and i love love LOVE that they bonded over being moms/soon-to-be-moms. im also just gonna say the way we didn't see an ounce of jamie or sasha this entire book made me so happy! i also lowkey wanted to see more of when she was an actual mom? like what would she name the baby? i wanted to see domestic autumn a little more. but i still love her so much and it was so lovely to see her heal <3

QUOTES ° ᡣ𐭩 . ° . [spoilers]

"my love for her is the closest thing i have to religion. but it's okay that she doesn't feel the same. i'm fine. i can handle it" - finny

"my devotion to autumn is engraved on my very being. i am in awe of her. i will sit in the stands and cheer her on in life as her most ardent admirer. i know i'll always love her in the same way i know i'll always need oxygen" - finny

"it's all done. finn's story is over. his whole life. that was it. not even nineteen years, and he'll never, ever do anything else ever again. finn won't go off to college or celebrate his birthday. he won't get another hair cut or get the oiled changed in his car. he won't bite a hangnail on his thumb or buy another CD. finn smith has done everything he will ever do. he won't get to be with autumn." - jack

“this baby isn't what's left over from our love story. this baby is our story's continuation.” - autumn

"if only i'd told her that i loved her years ago, i wouldn't be here now." - finny

all in all laura you can pay for my therapy mkay?

[navree]

I genuinely think Slade is only in Task Force X because he wants to be paid for killing people, and hasn't yet figured out he can go freelance

I'm assuming, based on the emphasis put on Lex gaining power in Task Force X in combination with Waller dismissing Slade at the end of the last episode, that they might be gearing up for him to eventually leave and embark on his independent mercenary career. I'm a bit iffy on it, if only because I think that only works if they do a shared universe kind of thing, since Deathstroke isn't really a Superman villain. He's a Teen Titans villain, his most famous and most emotionally impactful stories involve his beef with these fucking kids (tho he can also show up sometimes in Batman stuff, not even Nightwing related Batman stuff, considering he literally pops up out of fucking nowhere during the Under the Red Hood arc to offer Black Mask a hit squad to take out Jason, tf did Jason ever do to him why did he just decide to send a goon squad after a literal nineteen year old for no reason whatsoever????).

I'm also not entirely sure if that can be his entire motivation for Task Force X specifically, for two reasons. One, if Leslie clocked him correctly and he is former military, then he didn't need to join a super secret black ops division to be paid to kill people, that's what the military is for. I don't even mean that in a "the evils of the army" kind of way, I mean that if Slade wants an opportunity to commit homicide in a situation where this wouldn't land him in jail and he could amorally use some flimsy justifications to allow himself to go further than most would approve, he already has it by being in the armed forces. Two, Task Force X doesn't really kill people. I think part of that is just that this is meant to be a somewhat family friendly show (I don't think it's a kid's show, but they are erring strongly oln the side of caution rather than giving us something like Invincible), but the brutality of Task Force X and Waller's (and previously Lane's) whole enterprise is in what it does to the people it apprehends. Task Force X seems to specialize in weapons manufacturing to fight Superman/Kryptonians, and in human experimentation. And while Waller's the one who ratcheted it up by taking random civilians from the prison system, this is something that's been at work for a while, apprehending people deemed disposable and experimenting on them or otherwise torturing them into compliance to fit their agendas. It's something Slade is involved in, and probably an outlet for some sadism, considering how goddamn cheerful he was when administering electro-shock to Leslie (does it say something about me that this is what cemented him as "new favorite guy" in my head?), but it doesn't seem like he has a lot of opportunities to kill people, since killing people other than Kryptonians during the eventual invasion isn't really the goal.

Am I aware I'm reading way too much into a side character? Yes, but this is a side character who has been consistently present since the premiere and is literally the first antagonist we ever really met, and I have thoughts about him and the hints of backstory and characterization that get dropped seemingly at random.

[autisticlancemcclain]

please do tell about these childhood shenanigans /nf

why yes of course. for reference i am the oldest (20) then giosi (18) then hannah (16) then maria (12) then tony (10). most of these are about me and giosi and hannah tho lol bc we were all kids at the same time.

1. when me and giosi and hannah were all very young, our aunt went to disney world. she sent us back postcards. my postcard has princess aurora on it, who was giosi’s favourite, and when i did not give her MY postcard that was addressed to ME when she demanded, she grabbed one of my pigtails and yanked so hard i smacked my head on the floor. i still bring this up and she is still unapologetic (how dare i steal her fave princess)

2. my nonno and nonna were both seamstresses. they had a sewing room in their basement so they could work. we were forbidden to go in alone but as children we would frequently sneak and and play a game called needles, wherein we would see who could slide the most amount of needles through the first layer of skin on our fingers until someone fucked up and made themselves bleed. then we would chase another relative (usually younger) around the house and convince them that we were magnetic aliens who would come for them next

3. all of us were obsessed with making potions. this would frequently be done either outside with leaves and dirt and worms and shit or inside with slime materials. often we would dare each other to taste the potions.

4. hannah used to eat paper as a toddler. none of us know why. she would literally like devour any paper in her vicinity so she couldn’t be left alone with craft supplies. once she ate like nineteen napkins when my mom looked away (giosi and i counted)

5. follow up on the paper thing. this last easter maria very carefully made paper name tags for everyone at the dinner table and arranged them so she wouldn’t have to sit near giosi’s boyfriend (whom she despises), and hannah decided to eat them just to make maria go ballistic. it worked. maria made more name tags in a rage. hannah waited until she turned away to eat them again. hannah’s boyfriend watched this whole thing and is still in love with her somehow. she was sixteen at the time

6. maria and i used to share a room. we had this weird bunk bed that my dad made where my bed was vertical and hers was horizontal. maria used to wake me up by jumping from her bunk onto my poor unsuspecting body. we don’t share a room anymore but occasionally she ventures into my room in the early hours of the morning just to do this

7. when my sisters discovered i was being teased and name-called at school they decided that they would help me by calling me worse names so the names at school hurt my feelings less. they called me jack-e-coli for years. this worked

8. hannah was once angry with me so she stole and hid my favourite book at the time (the hunger games). she denied it when i threw a fit about it. i could never prove it so i gave up. one year later i was messing around in her room and i found my boom THAT SHE FORGOT ABOUT. she laughed herself to tears and i was so mad that i threw her pillow out the window

9. when i was in grade seven and maria was in kindergarten, there was this asshole in my class and on our bus who loved to terrorize us. i beat him up a couple times but it didn’t do much to stop him. once, he got out of class before me, and ran to the kindergarten cage to get to maria before i could. he stole her backpack and taunted her with it. maria, five years old and like three feet tall, simply glared at him, reared back as hard as she could and kicked him in the shins. he collapsed immediately. she yanked her backpack out of his hands and spat on him before running over to me lmfao

10. at our nonno’s funeral me and all four of my siblings gathered away from everyone else (bored) and played poker incorrectly. if you lost you had to take a shot of black coffee or toss back a packet of salt. it was disgusting. it was also funny and to this day i know my nonno would have laughed

11. giosi and hannah used to have this giant chain of elastic bands that they called their ‘bungee chord’. sometimes they would tie their monster high dolls to it and have them bungee jump over the railing. other times they would hang the dolls by execution

12. once they beheaded a doll and decided to hang that doll from my ceiling fan like the little freaks they were and are

13. bonus weirdo story involving my mom. for maria’s sixth birthday she had a dora piñata. i was the last to get a turn wackiness it because i’m a) significantly stronger than anyone else bar my father and b) hugely uncoordinated. the piñata was stubborn as hell and was not bursting open so my mom finally gave me the broomstick and put on my blindfold. i swim full force and felt my stick hit something and felt that something give, but no one made any noise, so i took off my blindfold to see that i had cleanly beheaded poor dora in front of a group of horrified six year olds. my mom laughed herself hoarse and told them to get the candy already. in the middle of the night she snuck into my room and hung the dora head on my closet, which scared the shit out of me when i woke up, but i since i’m autistic i deadass developed an attachment to the head and it stayed on my closet for two years

14. once at a hotel, me and hannah and giosi were awake playing cards while the youngest two were asleep, and then out of nowhere maria shoots straight up out of bed, completely dead asleep, faced us, sighed, and then said “hannah hannah hannah hannah.” then she giggled (STILL DEAD ASLEEP) and then fell back asleep. this was a couple months after the incident at home where she sat straight up in bed, pointed to the dark corner of our room and sighed “nice man over there.” i left her there and slept in the bathtub

15. i only had friends over like one time in grade ten to make gingerbread. halfway through my friends all looked at each other and went upstairs as i was taking stuff out of the oven, u followed them only to see them all losing their entire shit laughing because my seven year old brother was in his room, on his mini drum set, banging the hell out of them with zero rhythm and screaming at the top of his lungs

[stellarsalad]

This thing on?

Hello! Uh... this is a test post.

I'd like to say that I'm not a robot. And while I can't prove this, here's some statements I don't think a robot could come up with:

While Steely Dan may not have a best album, they have likely never made a bad album. Can't Buy A Thrill did nothing for me when I listened to it all, though. (However, Reelin' In The Years is great, and Do It Again is a thoroughly impeccable song. It's a song I knew for years, but it's the one that finally got me into the band.)

Countdown To Ecstasy is very, very good, and while I wouldn't call it a no-skip, no songs on it are ones I dislike. My Old School is awesome and the Dan's most accessible song, and unless you're like me (your parents played them a lot as a kid so they grew on you hereditarily) it's the song I would share with you as an introduction to them. (Unless you're my composer friend, in which case I would play you the title track of Aja first.) Other highlights I love are Bodhisattva and Show Biz Kids. (I don't know if Rent would exist if Jonathan Larson had listened to Show Biz Kids.)

I have barely listened to Pretzel Logic at all. I've never really liked Rikki Don't Lose That Number, but Any Major Dude Will Tell You is pretty great and maybe their sweetest song. Which is very valuable from a band that by and large revels in cynicism and seediness.

I also have barely listened to Katy Lied, probably because Everyone's Gone To The Movies is scaring me away from it. But Black Friday slaps, and I discovered Doctor Wu a couple days ago and liked it immediately.

The Royal Scam is pretty guitar-heavy. Kid Charlemagne and the title track feel like siblings musically and both are excellent. The Caves Of Altamira and Don't Take Me Alive are both great too - but I think my favorite from it is Everything You Did. It's a surprisingly strong earworm, and "turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening" is just too funny for me. (I also have Eagles thoughts! Hotel California sucks but otherwise they are a good band.)

Aja... yeah, this kind of is their masterpiece, I gotta admit. I still haven't gotten into I Got The News and I still don't like Josie much, but the rest of the album is so, so great. I got into the title track most recently, and the instrumentation of it just feels so epic. But Deacon Blues... is the song that, when I first heard it, turned me from a Do It Again enjoyer into someone who wanted to listen to more Steely Dan. And yet, Home At Last is probably my favorite song from Aja. Aja is an album that still has some of the Dan's cynicism, but Aja and Home At Last are both very earnest songs that make me feel things.

But Gaucho... aw yeah. Gaucho is just as good as Aja if not better. I don't understand how such a chill album can absolutely go so hard. Yacht rock is a term I enjoy using derisively (like 'butt rock', but not like nu metal, a genre I do have legit admiration for)

Babylon Sisters: my dad loves this song. I hated it until I was twenty. And then once I got into the title track I finally had to admit that Babylon Sisters was good. Because I finally appreciated it. Especially the coda.

I am getting closer and closer to giving Hey Nineteen another chance, but right now it just feels TOO seedy and sleazy for me. Yes, I understand that the Dan's stories are almost never aspirational narratives. Still, tho. I need a little bit longer to get used to it.

Glamour Profession: speaking of narratives that are not aspirational, I heard the joke once of "the moral of Gaucho is that drugs and adultery are awesome" and Glamour Profession is very high on the drugs axis. To quote Layer Cake, "I'm not a gangster. I'm a businessman whose commodity happens to be cocaine." Anyway this song rules. Hoops McCann is an awesome name.

Gaucho: This is definitely the last straw that got me into Steely Dan for good. This song is so good it convinced my dad Donald Fagen was gay. The lyrics are awesome. All I know about the gaucho in this song is that he's sexy as hell, so why wouldn't your husband want to cheat on you with him? Would you like to do the same? Also, have a thoroughly beautiful instrumental bridge that shows you the beautiful world and brings you crashing back down to reality.

Time Out Of Mind: how is a song both relaxing and exciting. this whole album is yacht rock done to perfection. no other album-length example of the genre will ever be this good, sorry Christopher Cross. oh yeah, the lyrics are about drugs again lol. ft. Mark Knopfler!... for like 40 seconds? eh well, glad to have him here

My Rival: This song is confusing to me lyrically about what it's about but it's still great. I think this is the other song on Gaucho that could have convinced my dad that Donald Fagen (or Walter Becker) was gay

Third World Man: haven't listened much, too mellow for me so far.

The Second Arrangement: yeah, that's right. This song slaps and would have fit flawlessly on Gaucho as another track on the adultery axis. gosh, if Gaucho was a double album... if only, if only.

I have barely heard Two Against Nature (I'd have chosen Midnite Vultures to win AOTY instead and The Marshall Mathers LP should probably have won out of the nominees for cultural impact, and Cousin Dupree is a bit much for me to listen to it yet) or Everything Must Go (Godwhacker is pretty good tho).

anyway, Steely Dan is a great band. Thank you for reading! This was fun to write, maybe I'll do this more.

[bisexual-yuri]

“Language Discrim”

Decriminalize my mind

Fine 

Kill the cop in your head

Mine

Don’t shoot from behind

Mine

Chris ain’t commit crimes

Mine

He invented a slime in his time 

Fine

Struck bells, summer shells

Mine

Video game chimes

Fine

He knows he has no standing 

They’re why stability has died 

My brain has fried

Logan, you lied

Mother, you laughed while I cried 

She’s gotta learn her hard lessons

Why, who’s the bride?

Never married, not really

Lived together throughout the panini 

Depression recession 

COVID nineteen

Shit was mad scary

I remember holding you in the night

Terrified you might die on me baby

I hate that I still love thee

I don’t write for free

I need to bleed 

Rafael, love in hell

Kisses eternity

Car crash kids

Skid & kiss the pave

Early to her grave 

Ali’s saved herself

Did her lover know any better?

Does Logan even want her?

Jared almost killed her

Lemmon Rizzo

Standup Randazzo 

Open Mike Eagle

Lawsuits against Lizzo 

OME and that new show about Negroes

Can a white girl say that tho?

Publish the grift, talk to me, no!

Beat the clock, bite off more than you can chew

She wrote in search of life anew

Good Goddamn

Con man

Hot pan to hot pan 

You’re not a real man 

The man brain rebuke the name 

Hocus pocus poof, photo booth 

Energy expanding with homeless underhanding 

Dumb enough, thief 

Smoke with kief 

Leaning tower of keys 

Who am I if I don’t burn the piece

[celestiababie]

FIC RECS

I've been wanting to make one of these for a while since I've REALLY gotten back into reading.

(M) stands for MATURE

💫 stands for FAVORITE

Credit goes to all of these wonderful writers who have made my days better because of their amazing writing! Please show these guys your support if you loved their fic(s) as much as I did.

Jung Jaehyun

1) Sleep Well, Princess by @anashins (M)

When you were six, you developed a crush on your older brother's best friend. When you were thirteen, you fell head over heels in love with him. When you were sixteen, you decided to wait for when the time was right. When you were nineteen, he rejected you.

2) Out Kids Talk about Us/Let's Talk about Our Kids by @anashins (M)

After his beloved wife's death, Jaehyun still wears his wedding ring to keep women away from him. When your kids become friends and his daughter starts to move on, he suddenly finds himself being the one stuck in the past.

Jaehyun has vowed to never marry again after his wife's death while you don't want to be tied down to someone who cannot fully commit to you. Yet, you can't seem to move on from each other.

My notes: This was sad but really cute. I might just be anashins trash tho.... Jaehyun's character in this was really interesting to experience and the way things unraveled was SO COMPELLING TO READ.

3) Under your skin by @neoculturetravesty (M)💫

Isn't it really complicated when one fuck buddy starts catching feels and wanting more? But is it you or Jaehyun?

My notes: One of my all-time favorites because I am a sucker for pining. The sexual chemistry was also really hot and the angst did hit hard which is what I love out of my angst.

4) Lie to me by @neoculturetravesty (M)💫

Jaehyun knows he's playing with fire when he keeps booking the most beautiful girl that the high end mafia-owned escort service has to offer.

My notes: This has got to be my favorite Jaehyun fic ever- It's so intense and I've found myself coming back to reread it over and over. It might be a bit too intense for some people and I totally get that. But the breaking of Jaehyun's character is amazing to read.

5) Every Lie You Type (on-going social media au!) by @duhnova 💫

Y/n is a first year psychology student who is a helpless romantic, Johnny is a second year photography student who has a messed up view on love after a toxic relationship and nasty breakup with his ex. When the two meet they instantly click and their future together is looking bright until someone from the past comes back and tears them apart. Now everything is messed up and Johnny has to work to fix his mistakes before it becomes too late.

My notes: I know the summary is all about Johnny but just trust me okay? JOIN TEAM JAEHYUN.

Johnny Seo

1) Every Lie You Type (on-going social media au!) by @duhnova 💫

Y/n is a first year psychology student who is a helpless romantic, Johnny is a second year photography student who has a messed up view on love after a toxic relationship and nasty breakup with his ex. When the two meet they instantly click and their future together is looking bright until someone from the past comes back and tears them apart. Now everything is messed up and Johnny has to work to fix his mistakes before it becomes too late.

My notes: Fuck Johnny. But you guys should seriously check this smau out! I love how detailed the back stories of the characters are, and I'd recommend looking at the asks on their account for even MORE story.

2) Off the record by @tyonfs (M)

When you get the biggest scoop on one of the sports teams, you're determined to get in on the front page of the school newspaper. Unfortunately, your only lead is the basketball team's captain, Johnny Suh, and not only is he a tough nut to crack, but he's also a little too good at distracting you.

3) Claim: Alpha!Johnny by @smileysuh (M)

When a pack offers up you, an omega, to Johnny as a show of 'good faith', he knows he needs to get you out of there. The tricky part is introducing you to his all alpha pack and making it clear that he doesn't have a claim on you and that you're free to choose any mate you'd like. As your first hear living with Johnny looms, tensions rise.

Nakamoto Yuta

1) On a Night Call by @anashins (M)

Since you're still not over your past relationship, your friend recommends a guy to you who should help you feel a bit less lonely. You expect a therapist or a fortune teller when that night, an escort boy stands in front of you. And he's determined to do his job right.

Choi Soobin

1) First love (masterlist) by @softhoures (M) 💫

Your boyfriend, Soobin, has trouble confessing to you that he's a virgin. After a loss of communication, some insecurity, and lots of research, he wants you to be his fist time as well as his first love.

Now that Soobin's got a taste of you, he wants even more. He has so much he wants to try! Good thing his roommate, Yeonjun, is out of town from another couple days ;)

Soobin takes you to meet his family for the first time for Christmas! Things take a turn when Soobin gets jealous and needs a reminder of just who you're in love with.

My notes: I FUCKING LOVE EVERY BIT OF THIS. SO SO SO SO GOOD.

2) Bunny hybrid!Soobin by @crowhyun (M)

As a bunny hybrid, Soobin is having the hardest time controlling his natural instincts and needs. He goes as far as working with and befriending humans in order to keep his hybrid side in check. Then, he gets evicted from his small apartment, and his forced to move back on campus in the bunny dorm. Because he's not used to living with other bunnies, he gets overwhelmed. Once a certain embarrassing accident happens, he suddenly becomes attached to someone.

Kim Mingyu

1) I can't runaway by @gyukult (M) 💫

Everyone expresses love in different ways. That doesn't exclude you.

My notes: PINING MINGYU IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS EVER.

2) Though you weren't mine by @dropsofletters

New in town, with judgement following after every step she takes in life, the least she expects is to find a box filled with cd's that reads 'throw away' written in messy handwriting on its cardboard surface. When looking at the videos, she realizes there is a highlight to her day-as if he was part of a sitcom, and his name is Kim Mingyu. The downside? She doesn't know where to find him. Once existing in the same house as hers, no one knows where he went, but his smile remains petrified inside her head.

3) Sugar and you by @97-liners

In which Mingyu is an idealistic pastry chef, and you're a cynical wedding planner who doesn't believe in love.

Yoon Jeonghan

1) Cigarettes & coffee by @gyukult (M)

My notes: There was no summary but it was a fun read!

[hirokiyuu]

actually i changed my mind i'm doing liner notes while fic is stlil fresh in my brain

i wanted so so badly to title this "how could i ever be so dumb to believe i'd be the one you would adore" but it was too long. heartbreaking. this would still have been such a baller title. i did consider "the one you would adore" but i think the title i settled on was better lol

i also wanted to use smth from no love in february which is also pretty dyssol for this exact scenario u kno. wnating sol to have reached out to him and hten not getting it <3 "where were you when i needed to hear you say / turn around i'm right behind you!" all that shit its soooo good for htem tbh

originally sym emerged "from the shadows of the forest" and my beta was like "there's no forest this is the ridges, the whole point is there's no forest" and i had to pull up the literal in-game text that has him emerging, quote, "from the shadows of the forest." they were so angry it was immesnely funny. i did cut it tho bc it's technically inconsistent w/worldbuilding LMFAO

i kind of wish it'd come up more but part of this sol is characterized by being unaugmented. real fucked up that people just give u extra kudos for not being augmented lmfao i do think abt that as the perk a lot

this sol's also super poly. i wanna go into this in another ficlet maybe but she was genuinely really vibing with dys's crush on sym from the start (which is part of the reason he was confused abt whether or not she liked him, lol)

originally this run was gonna be ot3 but i fucked up the timing of sym's last event but honestly? ive mentioned this before but hinge poly sol/dys/sym? does vibe. tfw ur boyfriend is clearly in love w/ur girlfriend who shes not dating also and u jsut ahve to deal w/that

a lot of the convo ended up rearranged from canon to better flow, and some stuff got cut. im still SO sad i couldnt work in dys droppign his entire dinner in the fire thats like one of my favorite parts. dyssol is best when they are both STupid <3

also sad in retrospect i had to cut the whole "where were you" but again it did not fit. i just wanted them yelling stupidly at each other tbh LAKHSGLKAHSLDKG

so i wrote this entire fic out of order starting with "you absolute spacehead, i am in love with you" which means when i wrote the part where sym cuts in my beta, who never got this scene, went SYM WAS JUST THERE? and i was like. yeah. thats canon btw thats part of the canon scene. and they lost it

"i am so stupid into you, i love you more than anything or anyone in this whole dumb universe" as a dramatic love confession is fun i think. simultaneously very like...... desperate and aching and also kind of stupid u kno. very nineteen of her. one of my fave lines from this in general tbh

the funniest possible note from my beta on the middle of the kiss

"i want all those kids tammy and i picked out dumb names for when we were nine" is another personal fave lmfao. again. dumb teens trying to talk abt the future and what they want

it was really important to me that sol didn't look pretty while she was crying. snotty + wet-faced and kind of ugly about it u kno. dyssol are a little gross and they love each other about it! it's aprt of the love

ive always thought abt dys not having anyone to find him on the spaceship (if hes not sols childhood friend) and connecting that to him disappearing on the ridges. the vibes. impeccable. of course he goes home with sol then if they ask, it's the first time anyones come looking. god. (thinking abt dyssol) GOD

dys: hey does anyone think its weird youer both just dating me now. no? just me? okay

i mean obviously the polyam negotiations DO come but again. this sol+sym in general are both just like. sweet more people to love dys

i didnt tag this as marz+dys or utopia+dys but it is immensely importnat to me that he has multiple people who love and worry and care for him. marz fucks up a lot as kids but i like how if u try to bully dys in her 10 shes like :/ no you moron im trying to KEEP him from dying :////

"clinging like he's five years old" This One Was On Purpose

originally at the end there was a joke sol made abt jumping him but it didn't fit tonally. i do think its immensely funny conceptually still tho

WOW THESE GOT LONG LMFAO anyways i lvoe ridgefic the whole ridge confession really did smth to my brain. enjoy the fruits of my disease

[bestworstcase]

I like your thoughts on how Rapunzel was handling things wrong in “Rapunzel: Day One.” The episode tries to imply that Cassandra is wrong for not sharing her feelings with Rapunzel, but is a Rapunzel really the person Cassandra should be opening up to? Rapunzel never respects Cassandra’s boundaries. Cassandra’s a private person. Rapunzel doesn’t respect that. And just because Cassandra doesn’t want to open up to everyone doesn’t mean that she’s bottling things up.

ok so this is gonna be a long one bc tbh i like. fundamentally disagree that RDO, the narrative of RDO, in any way positions cassandra as the one at fault for the emotional conflict between her and raps.

to digress a bit - while tts is not immune to Aesop Episodes (e.g. rapunzel's enemy or you're kidding me) wherein the characters close out the story by talking about What They've Learned, ultimately i don't think tts can or should be read as a morality play. it's a story where sometimes characters just... fuck up and the narrative doesn't waste its time on hand-holding or spoon-feeding us the moral.

anyway, i submit that RDO is what i'll call a False Aesop Episode. it follows the basic structure of an Aesop Episode (protagonist acts badly -> protagonist learns a lesson) but the lesson rapunzel learns is a bad one. it's like if you took... say, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" as an aesop, the False Aesop here is rapunzel confidently eating a rotten apple and then being blindsided a few months later when the doctor who kept begging her not to eat food with maggots in it steals the moonstone from under her nose and runs off into the night with her new demon pal--

and that metaphor got away from me a little bit but you get the idea.

#1: constructing the conflict

the episode opens with cassandra. she's training; we see the sword fly out of her injured hand; lance suggests she take a break, and she answers, "thanks to rapunzel's little trick at the great tree, i have to relearn everything using this hand, so breaks aren't really an option."

she isn't harsh about it. her demeanor isn't all that different from her normal self—she even segues into a very typical concern (that the woods are dangerous and they should all be on their guard) and banters with lance a bit.

what this communicates, immediately and succinctly, is that:

1. cassandra's injury is severe. it's disabling. she's either in immense pain or she's lost all the strength in that hand or both.

2. cass is really upset about this, and not happy with rapunzel.

3. nevertheless cass is keeping her feelings more or less in check; the worst anyone could say about her is she's being a bit more curt than normal.

which is to say, she's acting quite reasonable. she's not taking out her hurt feelings on anyone else or being mean or lashing out, and she's not hiding her injury either. the most concerning thing about her behavior here is actually that she's focused on training so she can do her job instead of on healing or resting or taking care of herself.

then there's a pan over to rapunzel, who is angrily watching this play out while venting to pascal. "i get why cass is mad at me," she says. "she told me—" huge disdainful rolling of eyes here "—not to use the decay spell back and the tree, and i did, and she hurt her hand. but if she had just listened to me and stayed out of it, this all could have been avoided! and i feel like we could work things out, but she refuses to talk about it!!"

line this up against cassandra's behavior and spot the differences.

cass is focused on her injured hand. cass is upset because rapunzel accidentally mutilated her in the great tree. that's what this conflict is about for cass; her injury, and how she feels about being injured.

by contrast, rapunzel thinks the conflict is about them not listening to each other. she does acknowledge that cass was injured, but 1. she puts the blame on cass, and 2. has shoved the fact of the injury to the periphery of the conflict. it's not important, it's just a natural consequence of the real conflict, which is cass being mad and petty and refusing to talk to her about how she's unfairly blaming rapunzel for something that wasn't rapunzel's fault.

[i will add here that this behavior from rapunzel is 100% not knowing how to handle guilt and externalizing it as anger, and this thread of rapunzel burying her guilt gets picked up again in rapunzeltopia; it isn't that rapunzel doesn't care that cass is hurt, so much as she's just not emotionally equipped to process these feelings in a healthy way so it mutates into...this.]

and where cass handles her feelings in a pretty reasonable way, rapunzel rants and raves and draws cass as a literal monster with fangs and claws—she's stewing in her out of control emotions and concludes that she just has to find a way to force cass talk to her, which she does shortly thereafter by ordering—not asking—cass to come with her to search for parts to fix the caravan.

#2: the breakdown of communication

i've said it before but it bears repeating: cassandra might not be perfect, but she's a good communicator. in s1 and the front half of s2, she shares her feelings with rapunzel readily and frequently. when she tries to set boundaries with rapunzel, she's able to be clear and specific about what she needs. when she expresses frustration with eugene or her dad or rapunzel, she's very articulate about exactly what she's frustrated about. she can recognize when politer, softer refusals are being ignored and become blunter and more specific to ensure the message is getting across.

the moments when cass struggles to communicate are noteworthy because they're not normal. they signal that she's in acute crisis. think of how her unhinged rant about adira in RATGT heralded a complete emotional breakdown. she clams up in RDO because it's the only thing she can do to protect herself. because rapunzel is an inexperienced nineteen year old who learned all her social "skills" from a manipulative, egotistical abuser and nowhere in the series does that show more than in RDO.

rapunzel knows cass doesn't want to talk about the great tree, so she isolates cass from the rest of the group with the intention of forcing her to talk about it anyway. she's passive aggressive at first: chattering about inanities and trying to bait cass into 'opening up,' and acting vexed and guilt-trippy when she finds out cass brought owl along. she broaches the subject by going "too bad there's not an open-up-to-your-best-friend-about-the-thing-you-guys-are-fighting-about wand, huh?"

then she leads with "i know you're mad at me, but i did the right thing. i didn't have a choice," which... what can cass even say to that? she acknowledged cassandra's anger in one breath and followed up with "but you're wrong tho" in the next. that statement makes cassandra's feelings about her debilitating injury into an argument about Who Was Right.

this is a game that cass tries very hard not to play. "look, if you feel that way, then it's fine. we're good," she says, which is a statement that is not true at all on its face but - what it means is that if rapunzel wants to turn this into a debate about Who Was Right, cass will concede because that's not an argument she's invested in. cass does not want to put her feelings on trial so rapunzel can pick them apart and decide whether she deserves to have them or not.

so she disengages. the sun sets. they camp. rapunzel pokes her again, this time with a more direct approach: "cass, i need to talk about what we both know is going on between us."

and that's when cass throws up a WALL. prior to RDO, when cass is pressed on her feelings, she either: 1. opens up and explains to the extent that she's able (e.g. under raps or RATGT), or 2. flatly shuts the conversation down (e.g. cassandra vs eugene). but in RDO?

"there's nothing to talk about."

"i never said i was upset."

"what makes you so sure that you know how i'm feeling?"

this is cass falling off the end of her rope. this is a cass who spent the last year and a half with rapunzel running roughshod over every boundary cass exhausted herself trying to set. this is cass maybe a few weeks out from rapunzel screaming at her in front of all their mutual friends and then telling her "i am going to make decisions you don't agree with and i need you to be okay with that" when cass tried to open up about her deepest insecurities. this is cass spiraling into despair because she's seen that her best friend cares more about assuaging her own guilt and exerting her authority as a princess than she does about cassandra's feelings.

this is the moment when the friendship dies.

#3: the memory wipe, cassandra's apology, and the false aesop

the details of the tangled-but-cass shenanigans are not super important for the purposes of this discussion. suffice it to say that cassandra lashes out in the heat of the moment, seriously harms rapunzel by mistake, and spends the rest of the episode trying to repair the damage, then apologizes to rapunzel for hurting her. this is, obviously, the correct thing to do when you hurt someone, even if it was an accident.

you see the parallel here, yeah?

rapunzel hurt cass with magic by accident, and then made cass's hurt feelings all about her, blamed cass for the injury, twisted the facts to justify her own indignation, picked a fight about Who Was Right and invalidated cassandra's feelings, and pushed and pushed and pushed until cass blew up and lashed out at her.

cassandra also hurt rapunzel with magic by accident, and then she set aside her own hurt feelings from the argument they were having before to focus one hundred percent of her energy on brewing a cure and keeping amnesiac rapunzel safe, readily admitted her fault, and offered an earnest apology for losing her temper as soon as she could reasonably do so.

if RDO were a true Aesop Episode, this would be the lesson, and rapunzel would of course learn from cassandra's good example and reciprocate by apologizing for the accident in the great tree and her abysmal behavior afterwards—and in a reflection of how cass shared how bottling up her anger allowed it to erupt in a catastrophic way, rapunzel would probably confess that her demanding, selfish behavior came from a place of feeling awful about what happened and terrified that it would ruin their friendship.

but RDO is a False Aesop Episode. rapunzel isn't emotionally equipped to handle the intensity of her guilt, and she lacks the social insight and empathy to draw comparisons between what she did to cass and what cass did to her, so she can't connect the two situations in her head to understand what she's doing wrong. the true aesop flies right over her head, and instead what she learns is this:

1. she was right about cass being upset

2. backing cass into a corner fixed the problem

3. friends really do "just know"

4. being pushy and forceful was the right thing to do.

because the thing is, when cass apologizes for the accidental memory wipe, she truthfully explains why she acted the way she did—she's furious and she didn't want to talk about it, so she held it in as long as she could and then exploded when the pressure became too much—and for rapunzel, i think the explanation and the actual apology get conflated. meaning, cass says "i'm sorry for what i did out of anger" and what rapunzel hears is "i'm sorry for being angry."

and because of that misunderstanding, from rapunzel's perspective her own indignation has been validated and her behavior justified, because she was right all along and cass shouldn't have been angry with her in the first place and now everything is fine--

but it's not fine.

we're not supposed to share rapunzel's perspective here, because she's flat out wrong. nothing is really better and nothing has really changed, except that rapunzel got the talk she wanted and stops putting this intense pressure on cass. so as we enter the house of yesterday's tomorrow, rapunzel is taking it for granted that things are fine with cass, and meanwhile cass is still injured, still angry, still as aloof as she can be without getting rapunzel breathing down her neck again... and then she meets zhan tiri, who gives her everything she needed and couldn't get from rapunzel.

like, to my mind, this is the entire point of RDO, that rapunzel makes this catastrophic mess of trying to patch things up after RATGT and comes out of that mess wrongly thinking she succeeded. the episode is presented through the lens of rapunzel's perspective, but the lines are very wide and i absolutely think the intention is for the audience to read between them and understand the reality that rapunzel has sort of blinded herself to.

[is-there-an-echo-in-here]

Part 6 of my Kenobi Breakdown - Spoilers under the cut!

I genuinely think this episode is a masterpiece. This show is the a fantastic mix of the original and prequel trilogies, and the darker, modern Star Wars TV shows we have come to love.

God I never talk about the title screen but it invokes some serious emotion in me

Fuck HIM UP REVA

Don’t fuck HIM up Reva

The swishy cape I’ll never shut up about the swishy cape

General brain is kicking in yet again - I missed General Kenobi so much

Leia is so wonderful as always, always looking out for people

LUKE!!!

I love Obi-Wan so so much I don’t talk about him enough in his own show. He is everything the Jedi should be

Oho Beru is not taking shit what a woman

THEYRE GONNA FIGHT OHMY GOD

Haja my love

Responsible Uncle Obi-Wan followed instantly by Realistic Uncle Obi-Wan. We love to see it

Ewan McGregor stop that right now (I’m kidding, don’t ever stop, you’re a damn treasure)

“It’s about you and him” isn’t it always

Shut your bitch ass up inquisitor egghead

“I’m not afraid” okay bby but I am

Aww man he has Lola - and his smile… gets me every time

Ohoho the mist, the breathing, the wind, THE WIDE SHOTS

He will do what he must, fucking… FUCK WHAT “THEN YOU WILL DIE” THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEYRE DOING TO US

God the sound the of the lightsaber growing more intense as the camera moves forward god that’s… there are literal pieces of art in this show

And then there’s this chaos

Owen has cat energy, no I don’t take criticism

The blue and red lighting on his helmet my god

OH NO HE HAS THE HIGH GROUND

Well fuck

God everything he says is so Anakin I’m

He doesn’t want to kill him why wouldn’t he check to see if he’s really dead he doesn’t really want this

“HE IS MY OWN” OWEN LARS WHAT A MAN

BERU

God bby Luke and Leia go through some shit

Not the memories again no thank you!!

LEIA AND LUKE ARE HIS STRENGTH OH

There goes the SCORE

Obi-Wan going BEAST MODE OKAY I DIG IT

Oh no THERE goes the score

Fuck it’s so tragic oh my god

OH NOOO NOT THE AHSOKA HELMET SLASH OBIWAN YOU DONT WANT TO SEE THIS

Told ya

“Anakin…”

Oh

Oh no

Fuck this

God the transition from blue lighting to red over their faces oh man

You can’t do the kenobi maul scream man don’t try it

God he gave it a good shot tho damn

She won’t do it man she can’t become everything she’s been fighting against

Once again Star Wars shows us that revenge is not worth all you lose in pursuit of it

Yes give Reva the redemption arc she deserves please and thank you

Again I will be singing Moses Ingrams praises

I love how Star Wars puts such weight on the importance of choices - we decide who we become, we don’t have to be ruled by our past

Shit man we’re back in it okay

Does he just have like… a bunch of spare helmets lying around?

Oh wow palps looks weird

OOH THE VADER THEME HELLO

Alderaan, my love

The blaster holster oh

The LEIA OUTFIT

SUPPORTIVE MUM YES WE LOVE TO SEE IT

BAIL ILY

Ahah she goes straight for Lola

BAIL AND OBI-WAN HUG YES BEST BROS

His LAUGH god yes please go to bed you’ve earned it

The way he speaks about Anakin and Padmé

Yes you will see him again… briefly

No one knows how to respond to “may the force be with you” what do you even say to that man

Give him the toy dude Owen’s chilled out a bit now

Where’s he going though why’s he packing up like that

LUKE come meet your other uncle!!

Yeah he gets to be a boy ‘til he’s nineteen and then it all goes to shit

YES HE WANTS TO MEET HIM LOOK AT HOS SOFT LIL FACE

“HELLO THERE” IM DEAD

God look at him on his space camel wheres he off to huh

UH HI QUIGON YOU TOOK YOUR TIME

it took YOU long enough man

So he’s just… gonna be vibing around obi-wan forever??

Wait is this the finale

[slowly-writing]

Break a Leg

Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Word count: 1.2K

Part two

Requested by anon: Hey could I request a Wanda maximoff dating a famous actress x fem reader who's her girlfriend for three years and Wanda watches her movies and shows and absolutely loves it even tho at first she didn't get her love for acting but now she does as she sees how happy you are with it? And maybe y/n is in an interview and the entire avengers are watching and they ask abt Wanda and what's it like being her girlfriend and if she misses her when she's on missions and y/n is flustered a lot,just fluff!

“Tony did what?” you’re gasping for breath, trying to contain your laughter as Wanda tells you about her day.

“He lit his sleeve on fire. He didn’t even notice until one of his robots was spraying him with a fire extinguisher.” You’re wiping tears from your eyes as someone knocks on the door, entering before you can respond.

“Miss y/l/n, we’re ready for you in makeup,” a young guy with a clipboard tells you and you nod.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” you wait for him to leave before picking up your phone from the couch next to you and taking it off speaker. “Alright my love, I gotta go.”

“Noooooo, I don’t want you to go yet,” Wanda whines and you can’t help but share her feelings.

“I know. I miss you too, but I just have a few more interviews to finish up and then I’m flying home tomorrow night,” you promise and she sighs.

“Fine. I really can’t wait until you come home. The team is having a viewing party for your interview tonight,” you laugh at the thought of the avengers taking time out of their day to watch you talk about a movie they’ve all heard you talking about since you auditioned.

“Way to make me nervous,” she laughs and you can almost hear her eye roll through the phone. “Okay, I really have to go now. I love you so much, I’ll call you in the morning.”

“I love you too. Break a leg tonight.”

xxxxx

“For my next guest I have two time Oscar nominee and leading lady of the upcoming movie, Phantom Zone. Please welcome, y/n y/l/n!” you hear the crowd applauding and you take a deep breath before walking out onto the stage. The lights are bright and the only thing going through your head as you wave to the audience is “Please don’t trip. Please don’t trip. Please don’t trip.” You really don’t need to take Wanda’s wish of good luck literally and end up on crutches. Luckily you make it across the floor in one piece and greet the host before sitting down.

“So y/n, you’ve come a long way for such a young actress. Why don’t you tell us a bit about your new movie,” the host starts and you go back and forth with the normal questions. With this being the second to last day of your press tour you’ve lost count of how many interviews you’ve had. You could answer these questions in your sleep, so you go through the motions until the host throws you for a loop with a more personal question.

“So y/n, you’ve been seen spending quite a bit of time in New York with a certain witch. Care to comment on that?” the host asks and you chuckle. You can feel your cheeks heating up and the knowledge that your face is bright red on live television only makes you blush more.

“What do you want to know?” you shoot back and he laughs, glad that you didn’t refuse to answer.

“Why don’t we start with how you two met,” he suggests and you nod. You’ve never commented much on your relationship but after three years you and Wanda decided you’re alright with the world knowing a bit more about you.

“It was a bit over three years ago now, I was staying in New York between filming seasons of Walking Dead. I was in central park enjoying the weather and Wanda just walked right up to me, I freaked out a bit. I was meeting my favorite superhero, it was quite a shock. She had no idea who I was at that time which was a nice change of pace. She was beyond lost so I helped her find her way out of the park and the rest is history.”

“She didn’t know who you were? You’re kidding, right?” he asks and you laugh with him before responding.

“Trust me, I was a little shocked too. I try to stay humble, but I was also a cocky nineteen year old. It was a week before the Oscars and I was nominated for best supporting actress. I thought everyone knew who I was. Don’t tell her I told you this, but her having never heard of any of my movies was probably a really good ego check for me,” you lean in as if it's a secret and he pretends to zip his lips.

“Your secret is safe with me. Though if she’s watching this, I am not responsible.”

“Oh she definitely is. I talked to her earlier, they’re having a viewing party at the Avenger’s compound,” you say and his eyes widen.

“The avengers are watching my show,” you can’t tell if his shock is real or not, so you try to hold back your laughter as you nod. “Does that not intimidate you even a little?”

“I mean no, not really. Trust me, when Wanda introduced me to the team I thought I was gonna pass out, but after you’ve seen them scream at each other over a 2am monopoly game in their pajamas the intimidation wears off,” you say with a smile.

“That would definitely make them seem less scary. Has Wanda seen your movies now?” he asks and you groan.

“Yes. She made me watch them all with her. Don’t get me wrong, I love the stuff I was in. If I wasn’t in them I’d probably binge them on repeat, but something about sitting in a living room watching yourself on a screen is just awkward. I love premiers even watching it in theaters can be fun, but I don’t enjoy watching them alone. That one scene in walking dead made her cry though. I was pretty proud of that acting, plus the zombie makeup was fun,” you’re referring to when your character was killed off a few seasons back. The fact that you were able to make her cry over “your” death while sitting right next to her was pretty cool. “She goes to all the premieres and viewing parties with me now, so she sees it all.”

“I can see how that could be uncomfortable, but I’m glad you made it through. Now you better not break her heart, that team of her’s will come after you,” he says and you roll your eyes.

“Oh please, I would never. I’m gonna marry that girl one day,” you say and the audience  let’s out a collective “awwwwww.”

“On that note we are unfortunately out of time. Thank you so much for being here tonight, Phantom Zone is in theaters October 18th!” The host calls. You wave at the camera until a crew member yells clear, then you say goodbye to the host and make your way back to your dressing room. Little do you know as that’s happening Wanda is sitting on the couch back in New York, cheeks bright red and a smile on her face. At your final words she makes a decision. It’s time for the ring in her nightstand to leave the drawer and go onto your finger.

tag list: @rvgrsbrns @rororo06 @prizmix-and-friends @worlds-in-words @im-salt-but-not-salty @5aftermidnight @riotmaximoff

[faintblueivy]

Hi Adi, love your work!!! I was just wondering if it’s possible you could do a continuation of the story where Bruce died in the alley as a child and Thomas and Martha still raise the kids. Like when Talia pulled up from he separate universe, maybe from the comic where Bruce got stuck back in time, he instead gets put into that Universe because of Martha’s wish. And they see him as Batman and he sees that his family loves his children even tho he’s not there ? Sorry idk if this makes sense

Oh gosh, it absolutely makes sense! And thank you so much that you enjoy my work!

I'm really sorry it took me so much time to reply but here's a snippet for you!

...

When Batman Bruce travels to the So Imagine Universe

When Bruce wakes up, his body feels heavy but does not hurt. It takes him a second to realise that he is in his batsuit and lying on the floor in one of the hallways of the manor. Oh, that's why the ceiling seemed familiar.

Alfred was going to have his skin for coming up stairs in his night uniform. He stood up with a groan and walked down the hallways to the his study quickly.

That's when his sharp ears picked up another set of footsteps nearby. Foot steps that were nostalgically familiar but he could not put a finger on. But certainly not Alfred's or any of his children. Not even Jason's. They were too loud to belong to any member of his family.

There was an intruder in his home. He followed the footsteps carefully and peeked over one of the turns.

It seemed to be an older woman. She had her back turned to him and had streaks of gray hair tucked into her immaculate bun. Dressed in comfortable but clearly expensive clothes, she was walking towards the family wing.

Now that made Bruce squirm. He didn't like unknown people near his children. Nevermind, his children who are some of the most capable warriors on this planet. So, of course he didn't like this woman walking towards his children's bedroom.

He had seen some of the manic villains dressed as vulnerable old ladies and oh god, remembering Granny Goodness made a shiver run down his spine.

He followed after her, this time not bothering to hide his presence but she seemed oblivious to it. Everything was acceptable till she stood infront of Jason's room about to knock his door.

"What do you think you are doing?" Bruce thundered, livid.

She whirled around instantly, shock colouring her features but Bruce had already lost his breath.

The woman was...Martha Wayne?

His mother?

Older than he ever had the fortune of seeing, the woman with gray streaks in hair and sharp blue eyes that he had inherited was undoubted an older version of Martha Wayne.

She looked gobsmacked for a second before letting out a blood curling scream that made Bruce flinch.

"What do you think you are doing?! Who the hell are you?!"

He was still tongue tied when she grabbed an antique Chinese Vase and waved it around like a sword. If things would have been different, he would have a gaggle of cackling children by his side.

The tense silence that followed was by the click of Jason's door as a sleepy teenager poked his head out. He was probably in his late teens, messed hair, a strong jaw and sleep laced aquamarine eyes. Somewhere between the small fifteen years old he had lost and the nineteen years old young adult who had returned back. The years that he had missed.

"Gram'ma is it a spider again?"

It took Bruce a second to process the way this teenage Jason had addressed his mother.

"Jason, get inside!" His mother ordered the boy in the same panicky voice she used to get him to listen to her when he did something she deemed was dangerous.

The boy blinked sleepily again but Bruce could see the exact moment she was able to make sense of the picture. He quietly went back inside.

And his mother was still threatening him with the vase.

Bruce was sure, if this Jason was anything like his then there is no way he was going to abandon an old lady with some bat dressed freak he had never seen before.

He was proven right when the boy returned with a battlecry and a large baseball bat clutched tightly in his hands, glaring at Bruce venomously.

"Who the fuck are you?!"

Bruce almost took a non threatening step back when he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand. Someone was watching him. He subtly looked around and found a young Cassandra on the ceiling staring at him with furrowed brows.

He deliberately loosened his stance so that she can understand he meant no harm to her and her...family.

His mother still had the vase and Jason still had the bat.

And of course, he sensed another set of footsteps in the hallway and they were familiar with the little lilt.

"Rise and Shine my dear-" Dick started in full volume which lowered till it stopped completely by the time he processed the scene.

"What's... going on here?"

"This freak was following Gram'ma around in her own fucking house!"

"Jason, language." Martha warned.

"Yeah? You can disapprove my language but not his dress? What the fu-fudge is he even wearing? A bat? Really?" Jason waved his bat around and Bruce realised he did not see the almost asleep Tim stepping beside.

Not wanting his younger son to have a rude awakening, he took half a step to pull the boy out of the way. It was a mistake.

An almost surprised yelp escaped his mouth when he was rammed down to the ground from behind where Dick was. The weight was definitely of a young adult male and Bruce turned his head slightly to see the familiar ocean blue eyes he adored to death, furiously glaring at him.

"I don't care who you are but if you lay a hand on any of the people here I'll break your arms and throw you down the stairs and do it again and again till you're half dead because my grandpa is a doctor and he can patch you up and save you from the brink of death. But it'll hurt. A lot. You understand?"

And people who say Dick is only sunshine and rainbows are beyond stupid if they don't see the hurricane lurking beneath the surface. And god, if Bruce was not the man who had raised him, then he would have been terrified.

"He does not want to hurt." Cassandra was now in front of him, all seeing eyes trained at him. He noticed that she had clearly placed herself between him and Tim, Jason and his mother on the other side.

"...He loves you? I see?"

Cassandra said again, tilting her head to a side, this time clearly confused and he felt Dick flinch on his back.

"What? great! We have another one of Dickie's crazy admirers breaking into the house!" Jason raised his hands in mock surrender and huffed.

"That happened only three times, Jason!" Dick complained, still atop him.

"Oh my god, is that not enough?!"

"Boys!" His mother admonished to stop the boys and Bruce had been staring at Martha and the kids so intently that he had completely missed the situational awareness till he had the muzzle of a gun trained on him by Alfred who had appeared from God knows where.

"Thank you for your assistance, Master Dick. But you may get up now." He nodded his at head at Dick and then turned to him. "and costumed Sir, I suggest you make no sudden movements lest I am forced to take measures that might harm you. Stay on the ground."

Somewhere from a distant room, he heard the cry of a child and he wondered if he imagined someone mutter - 'and Damian's awake now'.

"Dick." He stopped the young man pulling away from him and at the sound of his voice every head in the vicinity snapped towards him.

"Remove my cowl." He ordered, but then added a "Please" as an afterthought.

Everyone was still sceptical of him but Dick carefully stepped closer and pulled his cowl off. Everyone let out gasps of shock but all Bruce could see was the the widening of his mother's eyes.

"Why is Gramps dressed like this?" Jason snorted.

"Did grandpa

dye his hair or something?" Dick questioned, clearly confused.

"No, it's not just dye. He looks younger." Tim observed.

Bruce ignored all of that and could only see his mother's lips part as she blinked twice to make sure he was still here.

"...Bruce?"

[clvmtines]

welcome aboard, clementine martinez, student #2. we are excited to set sail with you !  has anyone told you that you look like alexa demie? according to our records, you hail from florida, usa, prefer she / her pronouns, are a cis woman, and are here to study creative writing. we also see you received a spot on the ss university because of your online lottery win — we won’t tell anyone. during your first few weeks here, other students said you were + charming, + free-spirited, but also - restive. it sounds like you spend most of your time at the billiards room. upon checking your luggage, we noticed you packed a casino chip carried around for luck from home. hopefully your roommates don’t steal it!

hi friends! i’m very excited to be here. i’m jay (est, she/her) n i used to play astrid nyland a few months ago if anyone remembers bt i had to leave for personal reasons. i’m so glad to be back now that i hve life sorted and some free time for summer break <3 read on for some details abt this new muse of mine, clementine. 

01. biography !

so ! clementine was born in florida. & yes, her real name is clementine. her mom thot it was the cutest name idea ever. clementine mostly goes by clem. she comes from the town [redacted] in florida bcoz i am too lazy to look up a specific town <3 but alas ! it was swampy and humid and she lived in a trailer park. 

her parents got knocked up at nineteen. clem was born nine months after a particularly wild 1999 fourth of july. her birthday is march 26th and she’s an aries. 

(TW: addiction, child injury) clem’s dad was a gambling addict and petty criminal—he wld steal credit cards n whatnot. he wld gamble away diaper money n it would cause constant fighting until her dad finally left. her mom took this very hard n began drinking a bit too often, leaving clem to to make cereal for dinner n fend for herself. once clem tried to make hot dogs on the stove and spilled boiling water on herself. got a p bad burn on her arm/shoulder and still has a big scar.

the soundtrack of her childhood was cicadas buzzing and stray dogs barking. the sizzle and pop of natty light cans. turning up her ipod to max volume to drown out the sounds of her mother fighting with her new boyfriend.

throughout her upbringing, clem’s dad was always in and out of the picture. he’d blow into town when he hit it big. he’d take her on these little “adventures” like staying in a motel 6 n renting movies at block buster n ordering good pizza nt the dominos shit she ate with her mom lol. ofc he was charging it all to someone’s stolen credit card. he’d always promise to, like, take clem away. n clem was a daddy’s girl so she believed him. the last time it happened was her h.s. graduation. her mom didn’t show ( "overslept” after a bender ) but her dad did and surprised her n said everything wld be different. bt then he bailed on their plans for the next day n when she called his cell, the number was disconnected. tht was the defining “i’m done” moment. clem promised to never be disappointed by her father again.

(TW: racism) her mother has mexican ancestry and clem’s always been called her twin. but clem was raised in a predominately white area and honestly ?? it was really hard without her even realizing it. she’s still unpacking a lot of things today abt her youth that jst weren’t okay bt she thought were normal. like microaggressions, stereotypes, being fetishized by boys in high school. gross shit.

as a kid, clem was rumored to be really poor bc she wore tattered clothes n got free lunch at school. once she invited a friend to her house & the next day they told everyone it’s in a trailer park. that reputation—the “trailer park girl”—was really hard to shake. and clem got almost desperate to shake it. she was endlessly trying to set her old self on fire and emerge from the ashes like a phoenix.

eventually clem became more “popular”. in school she was, like, a straight b student. very average although super creative and quick-thinking. she always had street smarts. problem solving skills. independence. more of, like, practical intelligence as opposed to book smarts because academia bores her tbh. she was like why am i reading these overrated boring books by dead white men or learning abt polynomials when i know nothing abt how to pay a mortage or do taxes. like...she saw the american education system as bullshit and put in modest effort because she didn’t believe it deserved her sweat and tears. 

however, she entered the online lottery for the seas program on a whim and got in. so she’s studying creative writing now.

02. personality !

first thing you shld know abt clem is that she’s a compulsive liar essentially—she tells various stories to make her life seem better than what it was. to one person, she’s an heiress to a real estate company and grew up wealthy. to the next she was raised by nomadic hippies. some of her lies are small fibs while others are grandiose tales. she rarely talks about her actual upbringing. she hates talking abt her family or the v real trauma of growing up in a household where both parents struggled w/ addiction; the uncertainty, the broken promises, the fact that she had to grow up so soon and deal w/ so much. it wasn’t fair, and if she thinks about it too much, she feels this anger. anger at the universe. anger at her circumstances. she doesn’t know where to put this anger. she doesn’t know how to shrink it. so she avoids it.

despite her rough upbringing, though, clem is actually really sweet and kind. she’s adventurous, fun-loving, free-spirited, and bold. 

bt ! she can also be closed-off, competitive and restive. 

she’s seemingly tight with everyone? like she’s jst that girl who can get along with anyone tbh. 

in her spare time you can catch her tanning by the pool, hanging at the bar, playing pool ( which she learned from her dad ), and socializing. she’ll never say no to hanging out with people. 

she learned a lot from her little “adventures” with her dad, who was very good at conning others and often involved her in his dumb little scams. clem is suuuper good at pulling the ‘im baby 🥺’ card to get what she wants.

she can be a little selfish, because she grew up looking out for herself. 

stubborn and dogmatic as hell !!!

she doesn’t do too many relationships but when she does fall, i imagine she falls hard and fast. she refuses to be made a fool of, tho. when she gets vulnerable she flashes back to being a kid, waiting all day for her dad to show up only to have him bail on her. again. she hates that feeling. so if she, like, senses a shift in someone’s energy she’ll b like, “i’ll break up with u before u can do it to me” and the person wasn’t even tryna dump her lmao.

has a lot of sex. too much ?? sex?? mayb. but she’s v sex positive.

her personal style is v late 90s. hair clips, big scrunchies, neon, fur trim, crop and tube tops, hoop earrings, chokers, patterns, platform shoes, biodegradable glitter cuz it’s good fr the earth *winks*. clothes from o-mighty.......actually jst google o mighty, pull up the images and That is clem. she dresses like a bratz doll. she’s dedicated to the aesthetic.

03. headcanons !

her item brought from home is a hot pink poker chip from a casino. her dad gave it to her. he said it reminded him of her because of the color; he got it during one of his winning streaks and said it was lucky. she has a complicated relationship w/ her dad n doesn’t even speak to him anymore, bt she will never go anywhere without it.

she’s a smol bean—only 5′4

an astrology girl and she reads palms ! she absolutely makes astrology tik toks that people only watch because she’s hot. her flirting technique is to ask you to read your palm.

she doesn’t typically drink to get drunk. but she does love a good sugary cocktail. to her, a drink is like an accessory. a blue fishbowl by the pool, a jack and coke as she stands around a bar. usually she'll nurse the same beverage for a while. if you see her wasted it usually means she’s going thru it emotionally lol. the one thing she does do is drugs tho 

pretty much listens to exclusively female artists.

a bit of an activist. environmentalism, feminism and the like, she’s v outspoken. vegan for ethical reasons (TW: drugs) bt still does cocaine. she wears shirts with ‘my pussy my choice’ bedazzled on the front.

loves to rollerblade ! back home she didn’t have a car so she’d bike or rollerblade. now she still has her blades and she’ll use them when the ship docks. 

03. wanted connections !

Friends, bffs, ride or dies, friends who are like siblings to her, maybe a friend with an unrequited crush on either side ??

an ex she dumped/cheated on/otherwise self sabotaged their relationship because she was afraid of vulnerability.

an ex friend who realized she lies a lot abt herself n felt betrayed. OH ! ESP if they opened up to her on many occasions abt intimate, personal stuff. imagine the betrayal they felt when they found that everything they thought they knew abt clem is a lie.

someone who she actually opens up to. a confidant. or, maybe, like, a stranger she drunkenly spilled her soul to and now she avoids them like the plague.

a rival. clem can be competitive.

her drug dealer 

someone she knows she shouldn’t hook up with and… does it anyways. like a friend’s ex or smthing. spicy <3

i welcome anything !

[filmbefore]

well , well , well ... look who finally decided to bite the bullet nd bring a second muse ... ok so hopefully you all know me at this point but if you need a refresher ,, im moe !! i am twenty one , i live in the est , and my pronouns are she / they . i have been playing violet for the past month - ish now n i just thought it would be fun to bring this annoyance . woop woop ! anyway lets get into it <33

MAX MOON , a MEMBER of the yale's elite , they're TWENTY and a SOPHOMORE UNDERGRAD student majoring in BUSINESS . they are as JOCULAR as they are VOLATILE . ( hwang hyunjin / he/him / cis male )

STATISTICS .

FULL NAME: maximilian river moon AGE: twenty GENDER + PRONOUNS: cis male + he / him SEXUALITY: a bi king HOMETOWN: new york , new york ASTRO: sagittarius sun , leo moon , aquarius rising HEIGHT: five foot eleven HAIR COLOR: black EYE COLOR: brown

FAMILY .

okay this is going to be a lot shorter than violet’s family shit bc quite frankly max’s family is boring so look away

so max was born to a couple of ,, Disappointing parents like they had max really really young and him being around kind of made them lose track of their own lives

his mom did beauty pageants but never won, his dad ran for local offices and lost every time, his dad would try to get into photography and end up working at the photoshoot places at the mall, his mom tried to go back to school and flunked all of her community college courses, yadda yadda ... you get the drill

and you guessed it ,, they pretty much blamed all of their own failures on this crazy little kid that they brought into the world by accident

and yeah max was basically mf NUTS from day one. he was never really mean or anything he just had attention issues and wanted to be yelling or throwing things all the time ( and stayed that way from birth to now pretty much )

it p much always seemed like max got all the luck in the family when it came to anything ( making his parents despise him even more ) so when the boy managed to make his way through school and stumble into the yale application process ,,, nobody really questioned it

and when max started gaining a following on social media ,, no one really questioned that either . however someone SHOULD have questioned it when a nineteen year old boy kick started his own self care company and marketing it towards his fanbase of pre-teen and teenage girls

no one did tho !! in fact .... the elites were interested in the kid’s business and people skills and recruited him for the exclusive squad at yale . lucky him ig ????? time will tell . he’s new here and still has a lot to learn 

BLACKMAIL .

DRUGS + PHYSICAL ASSAULT TW 

max’s dad actually bought his son a bunch of followers at the start but never told his son bc he didnt want to deflate max’s ego ( even tho he should have ) so yeah maybe maxie boy isn’t as lucky as he thinks !

max actually hates his mf self care company ok like the boy rarely shows up for work or any of his meetings and talks shit about the company and its content frequently . unfortunately the investors and a bunch of contracts are keeping his ass there

and finally ,,, max paid to cover up an assault charge from when he attacked some guy who he thought was stalking him at the start of his rise to fame . the guy wasn’t even really stalking him ,, max was just on drugs at the time and was extremely paranoid 

PERSONALITY / FUN FACTS .

ALCOHOL + DRUGS TW

yeah as you can maybe tell thus far ... maxie boy is a mess !!! he’s a spoiled only child and grew up with so much of the attention on him , even if the attention was negative . basically everyone has always protected his ego his whole life , which really did him a disservice and now he has a huge head for no real reason . he has an escapist kind of mindset and will do just about anything to get out of something he doesn’t want to do . but yeah he lowkey has a drug n alcohol problem but that will be something to figure out later lmao i swear he’s not ,, like intentionally mean . he was just never taught how to act different bc he was kind of being raised by kids himself but yeah im sorry in advance for him :P have fun dealing with the nightmare OIWJEOJRIOJEROIJWER 

[sneyrwrites]

|2| |Ace| Levi Ackerman x Reader

✘Ace : BloodSport ✘

|Wordcount: 6081 | Previous: ✘

Inspiration Song : You’re gonna go far kid -The Offsprings 

Even tho Annton didn’t lie when he took me to the abandoned  house, he wasn’t completely honest.

Yes, it was true that the people who went to the fights as spectators placed bets on the fighters, but he failed to mention that the betters were nobles, from the high society, escorted by a few members of the Military Police and the Garrison. An enormous part of them even took their lovers along, girls way too young to be their wives, barely above 17 years old, wearing tight and colorful dresses, looking like they were about to assist to a big gala or something.

Eventually there was the middle class man in the crowd too, but The Basement was majority concurred by some of the most wealthy people inside the walls. Hypocrites that assisted with the sole purpose of satiating their thirst for depravation and violence . The basement was a place where everything was permitted, a law free zone where one could take the decency mask off, and just succumb to their most primal state of violence.

It was pretty obvious to anyone with more than two brain cells that the Basement wasn’t a proper place for a thirteen-year-old girl. The first time I stepped a foot in the dark room I almost peed my pants. Everything from my posture to my shaking hands screamed that I didn’t belong there, but the firm grip of Annton’s hand on my wrist impeded me to leave. I don’t even remember the wrestlers’s names, too focused on the stench circulating in the humid air to care about what was going on inside the circle. With thirteen years I didn’t recognize the smell, but at nineteen and with six years of experienced i was an expert pinpointing the metallic smell of blood mixed with the sweet touch of ale.

Men with expensive looking suits and their escorts filled the subterranean floor, their clothing contrasting with the dirt floors and the blackened walls because of the torches smoke, that gave what little ilummitation they could in the chamber. The spectators crowded around a white circle that was painted on the floor, elbowing one another to get to the front row, where the most sadistic hoped to get sprayed by the loser’s blood. Up and against the walls there were a few rows of bleachers, reserved to those who could afford it, they were a sign of wealth and status.

My first fight took place two weeks after Annton showed me the basement for the first time. When we were there they settled the date. One soldier from the military police had found another brat my age to face down. Apparently when two kids fought, it was a special treat, The basement hosting the double amount of people it usually would.

The last Saturday of September got earlier than expected. I had used my time to fiscally prepare, running laps and lifting heavy things I found around the house, doing sit-ups and pushups and all the exercises you could imagine. I hanged a pillowcase filled with heavy stuff to make it contendent and used it to practice my punches, trying to dodge the bag when it came back full force towards my nose. Keyword being ‘try’.

I tried to mimic the progression of hits my father had taught me in front of the mirror in the living room. My movements were sloppy, and my technic was nonexistent. There was no chance in hell I would win the fight. The fear was consuming me. If I came home with a black eye or a few teeth missing my father would notice just how fucked up i was, if I made it home after, Annton was prone to throw my sorry and beaten ass inside a prison cell as soon as i were conscious again. But the other option wasn’t good either, If I won the fight it implied beating another kid unconscious, another boy in the same predicament i was in.

An hour after my father left to the wall to keep guard i sneaked through the door, an old black cape that Mrs. Argón had given it to me a last winter draped around my shoulders, protecting me from the chilling wind. Annton had instructed me to take some spare clothes to fight with in a bag, so i packed the most basic things i had, a white tank top and some old black cotton pants that had a few holes on the lower end, so i ended up cutting them up at the knee.I also packed a pair of handwraps, the more injury’s i could avoid the better, that way it was easier to keep the fights a secret from dad.

The streets were silent and a layer of frost was forming in the windows I passed by. I would be lying if I said I didn’t have another way out. Annton was extorting me with prison time, but realistically I could run away and he would never find me, he didn’t have my address or my actual name, if I disappear it was game over.

Then why was I on my way to the lion’s den willingly? The idea of finally being able to stop begging on the streets for food was appealing. If I won I would get paid, besides for once in my life I was having the control over something, it didn’t matter that it could potentially get my nose rearranged. The fear was undeniable, it was there, lurking in the back on the back of my mind, but at thirteen years old I could be tempted by the idea of a better life.

At the end of the street, almost in front of Wall Rose I could distinguish Annton’s figure, leaning against a cart attached to two horses. The diver’s back was facing me, him not paying attention to us at all. The sound of my foots steps alerted Annton, who lifted his gaze from the ground and smiled at me.

“I thought you had backed down in the last minute.” He joked, I didn’t answer, the silence stretching between us. “Anyway, get in, it’s a long ride, the guards on the door knows about the event, so there’s no need to worry”

Without emitting a word I got in, Annton following right after. The sudden jerk of the cart because of the horses starting to run made me fall face first onto the wood planks. Heat crawled up my neck as Annton bursted out laughing. if the driver had reacted the same way, I would head dived out of the cart.

I got up and Annton grabbed me by the arm, trying to stabilize me.

“Thanks” I scoffed once I could finally sit on one of the apple crates that functioned as stools.

“You’re welcome kid” He said, looking at the narrow street we were traveling, leaving wall Rose behind.

The road seemed remotely familiar, the only other time I transited it I almost fainted from the panic, so i couldn’t recall much, a few buildings were familiar, but come on, every building was a copy of the one next to it.

The ride was lengthy, grazing the two hours of travel. Half of the time I spend it snoozing off, the constant rocking of the cart lulling me. Every now and then a rock on the wheel would shock me awake. Resigning my slumber, knowing full well I would not rest, i opted for talking to Annton. I could barely make out his face in the darkness, the moon nowhere to be found, only a few stars illuminating us.

“Annton...” I started, a grumble from him told me he was paying attention, so i continued “Who am I going against?”

Curiosity was one of my flaws. Ever since the date was settled I couldn’t stop imagining the fight.

“From what I’ve been told, you’re going against a kid from the underground city. “Annton turned to me " I think they found him fighting for food down there, the guard offered him money if he assisted the fight, and I heard there’s even the citizenship on the table.”

His words took the air out of my lungs. That kid had it ten times worse than me. A sudden wave of guilt hit me. Annton noticed my change of demeanour and he let out an exhausted sigh, rubbing his forehead.

“Why did I even opened my mouth…” The muttered words left his mouth" Listen kid, I choose you because I thought you were desperate enough, you are a decent fighter, you could handle yourself against a man almost the double of your age.” He said matter-of-factly. “If you feel even a little of remorse for that kid, he will break your nose. You two are not enemies, but he will not hesitate. He wouldn’t mind killing you if it meant he could take off from that shithole. Do you want to die? "  I shook my head, stunned by his logic " Good, then you must fight. If you don’t fight you don’t win, and if you don’t win you won’t survive ¿Understood?

“What if I lose? " I asked, my voice low, almost imperceptible. Everything had been an awful idea. The whole “doing something for myself and taking the reins of my life” thing was going south.

“It all depends on how you loose. If it’s for you not trying, then I’ll find out the coward you really are and I’ll throw you in a cell to rot myself.” The harshness of his words slapped me across the face. “ However, if you lose from lack of experience, you’ll do better next time, and you’ll keep fighting until you can pay you debt.”

I nodded, understanding his words.

“I trust on you Ace, there’s a reason I chose you… Don’t let me down”

His words did something in my interior. Maybe it was because it was the first time someone had said anything like that to me. No one had had faith in me before. My resolution to fight came back ten times stronger.

I could do it, I was going to give my all into this fight, no matter what.

The remaining of the trip we spend it on silence, only stopping twice to switch horses. Before I even knew we were right in front of Sina.

We both got down from the cart and he dismissed the driver, setting the meeting point for the way back. Once the sound of the hooves dissipated in the distance Annton walked up to the concrete wall. He looked up and whistled like a bird. My eyebrows went up. What an amazing dumb skill to have. Another identical whistling responded, and an elevator started to descend, I could distinguish another person on it.

Once it got to the floor, a woman got out of it and throw herself into Annton’s arms, smashing their lips together. I could feel a blush invading my face, I wasn't used to those kinds of affection, and the level of intimacy they shared made me really uncomfortable. I adverted my eyes, trying to give them some privacy.

Once they separated Annton called me over, I walked over to them and he gestured towards the girl with his arm.

“Ace this is Hale, my… Friend” I couldn’t stop my sceptic look. Friends didn’t kiss that way from my understanding. Apparently she agreed with me because she slapped the back of his head, annoyed.

“Charming as ever Ann.” Her frown dissolved into a smile when her eyes found my own. “Oh god! You’re so pretty!” Her big blue eyes shone with enthusiasm. She grabbed my hand, leading me to the wooden lift. “Try to keep your face intact tonight. Let’s go”

With a pull on my arm, she got me inside. Annton following behind and closing the door.

“So… how’s Wall Rose doing Ann” Hale Aked, her black hair slapping me in the face because of the wind. I took her in, the patch on her jacket displaying a green unicorn. Military Police.

“Meh, same as always. There’s nothing interesting” Annton placed his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to him. “My last two weeks consisted on waiting for Ace’s first match” The excitement on his voice sounded authentic.

“First match? Oh honey,  you must be so nervous.” One of her hands patted the top of my head “Don’t worry, we won’t leave you on your own. I’ll even bet on your favor.”

That didn’t help at all.

They kept talking and I shut them off. Once we were on the top of the wall another guy received us, greeting Annton with a friendly hug. He looked me up and down.

“So… this is the renowned Ace huh?” He said with a deep voice. “She’s smaller than what I pictured. How old are you, girl?”

“I’m thirteen…” I said, Annton looking at me with a shocked expression.

“Shit Ace! Why didn’t you said anything!? You’re still a kid, i woul’ve thought twife before offering the deal.” Since when was he considerate " I thouth you were at least fifteen.”

“Dean is fifteen” Said the other guy " Though luck Ann, seems like you made a poor decision” He chuckled, palming Annton’s back.

Annton rubbed his face with his hands a few times and he sent a confident smile my way .

" As if.  Ace is going to kick his ass. Right, kid?”  I didn’t answer, this asshole was sending me to my doom.

“That’s Enogh Ivo. Don’t try scare her. Cant you see she’s already nervous? " Hale intervined, tying to defend me.

Ivo got down to my level. He was big, enormous,  around 6’2. His hand found a place in the top of my head, petting it as if I was a dog. With him in that position I could appreciate his features. His green eyes studying me with the same intensity as I was. He couldn't be older than nineteen, his face was young, without a beard or wrinkles, only smooth and healthy looking skin.

" I’m sorry kid, I know you will be just fine” He  pissed me off. He was underestimating me, and with a reason, but still, it was annoying.

I slapped his hand away.

“Thanks.” I said dryly. Annton and Hale laughing at Ivo’s flabbergasted expression.

“Huh… she’s got an attitude, I like it. She’s definitely going to be okay.” He said, getting up. He turned to the couple. “I wouldn’t be too worried about her.”

The four of us descended to the other side of the wall. I limited myself to observing them. Anyone could see they got along just fine, as they were comfortable with each other, joking around and pushing one another. A longing feeling made its way into my chest. I never had the chance to make friends, with my father often away and my constant begging on the street’s there wasn’t much time left to socialize.

Hale turned my way and smiled at me. Almost on instinct I smiled back, and hers grew bigger. She was young too, around the same age as Ivo. The doubt on  how these three soldiers ended up on the illegal world of  The Basement  was eating me away, but i tried to ignore it.

As I was walking down the streets of the wealthy town I realize just how much of an outcast I was. The children with lucky enogh to have been born inside wall Sina would never have to go through what I had. The exasperating need, and the dependence on other people’s goodwill to survive.

Annton was guiding the group, leading the way in the dark as if he knew it like the back of his hand. We made it to the entrance of a tunnel and without missing a beat he got in, descending the steps.

A long and dark hallway stretched out in front of us, seemingly going on forever. We made our way in silence, the only sound was the tapping of our footsteps on the stone floor.

“This tunnel connects with the ones leading to the underground city. “ Hale’s voice broke the quiet " The basement is right in the middle. You’ll know when we get there” Her hand found my shoulder in the dark and she squeezed it, comforting me.

Hale was right. After fifteen minutes i could hear the commotion. Lug voices and laughs, people stomping their feet in sync, almost like a heartbeat.

“Seems like they already started” Said Annton, quickening his pace.

“Come on Honey, you need to get ready. We better hurry” Hale took my hand and made me follow her lead, mi shorter legs trying to keep up.

I could see a few feet away the light of a torch slicing through the darkness. As we got closer, the fuss grew louder. 

Once we got there I noticed a hole in the wall, almost as if someone knocked the tunnel wall with a hammer. Next to the jagged edges of the entrance there were two metal rings that supported the torches.

Annton got inside, with Ivo following behind him with a spring in his steps.

I hesitated for a moment. Hale clenched my hand, giving me a little of security.

“Be careful, there’s a step.” She said, smiling at me.” Don’t worry Ace, I’ll be right behind you.”

I took a deep breath in and I felt around with my foot until I found the step she mentioned. A few steps in and a heavy curtain stopped me in my tracks, the deep red colour out of tune with the gray of the walls. A man was in front of it.

“Hey Mick” Greeted Hale

He nodded in acknowledgement.

“Who’s the brat?” He asked, a thick finger pointing at me. “Spectator or Youngblood?”

“This is Ace.” She said. It only took my fake name for him to let us trough, stepping away from the opening on the curtains. I looked perplexed at her and she just winked an eye at me. I thanked the wardrobe of a man, and he nodded once again. A man of few words it seemed. " The perks of being a competitor”

“How did he knew my name?” It was the first time I saw the man. The first time i assisted we entered trough another set of tunnels on the other side of the city, the ones the nobles used.

“Annton putted you on the list, the guards memorize the names to make sure no one who shouldnt be here get’s in, otherwise the business could be ruined.” Hale had to raise her voice above the cheering of the swarm of nobles. 

The place was packed, everyone crowded around the circle where two girls were sparring. A knot formed in my stomach with only watching them, and I tear my gaze from them quickly. Swallowing was hard, the nerves getting the best of me. Hale noticed my anxiety, and taking my hand she dragged me to a less transited area.

“Let’s go to the backrooms so you can get ready. Okay?” She didn’t wait for my anser and she dragged me straight to the opposite end of the place.

The backrooms where only a few small compartments with the same heavy fabric as the entrance separating them from the rest of The Basement. I touched the curtains with the tip of my finger, and my eyes opened like saucers. It was velvet. Someone had to sell their kidneys to afford them. Velvet was expensive as hell, a luxury only a few could pay for.

 Throwing my embarrassment out of the window, I took the fabric to my face, petting my cheek with the soft material. It was almost like touching a cloud. My pillow back at home seemed filled with nails in comparison.

Hale noticed my amazement and giggled.

“Those were donated by Lord Reiss. He comes around quite often” She said  ”You better get changed, there are only two fights left  before yours, and for what I could tell, this one is about to end.” As soon as the word left her lips, the sound of a gong filled the air, which I supposed it meant the end of the match.

Once I was in my comfortable clothes, I took the handwraps and tried to wrap my joints, but they came undone each time I tried. The injuries on my knuckles had healed, a fresh layer of slightly pink skin covering them. The scars would stay there for sure, but oh well, what could you do?

When she saw me struggling with the wraps Hale took them from my hands and proceeded to do it herself. Her fingers worked expertly on my hands, tightening the fabric just the right amount, trying not to constrict the blood flow too much. When she finished with both of my hands, she gave me a friendly squeeze.

“Your hands are freezing.” Hale stated, rubbing my fingers i between her hands, trying to warm them up. “It must be the nerves”

I nodded.

“You know you can talk to me if you want to, right?” Her eyes were gentle.

“Yes, it’s just that I’m a little anxious, I don’t want Annton to regret his decision” I expressed my fear out loud for the first time. Hale’s grip on my hands tightened up.

“I know it seems like Annton is only getting advantage from you. But ever since he found you he wouldn’t shut up about how excited he was for your fight“  She said. “I don’t want you to think I’m only defending him because we’re together. But Annton knows what is like to live on the streets, and when he saw you I think you reminded him of his past. It’s not my story to tell, but by bringing you here he is, on his own twisted way, trying to help you. If you win you get paid, and that’s better than not knowing when you’re going to eat tomorrow or not.”

Shit. So Annton wasn’t only interested in the money. A new flame of determination ignited in my chest. I was not only going to win for myself, i would do it for Annton and his younger self too. I didn’t understand how a young and beautiful girl could be interested in someone much older than her.

“Come here, let me braid your hair, if it’s loose like that someone could grab it, and trust me, it’s not a nice feeling.”  Her hands digged into my hair, braiding it with an amazing level of skill.

I couldn't hold back my curiosity any longer.

“Hale, How old are you guys?… Isn’t Annton a little too old,” I asked. “Not like there’s anything wrong with that… it’s just that i found it a little odd… not that it’s odd.” I was just rambling, too embarrassed to think straight.

She bursted out laughing. The shame intensified.

“You’re funny, Ace.” She said, finishing the braid, letting it fall over my shoulder, a simple ribbon holding it together. The intricate pattern that she twisted the hairlocks in brought a smile to my lips.

I had never learnt how to braid my hair. With a decease mother and living with a grown up man who barely knew how to wash his own socks I never had the chance to. 

I turned to face her, and she had moved to the wall, leaning against it, watching me, amused from my previous nonsense.

“Annton is twenty-one”  My eyes opened with surprise, damn he was rough on the edges. Hale laughed at my expression. “I know what you’re thinking, but try not to mention it, he’s sensitive about his looks. Ivo and I both are twenty years old. The three of us had been together since we joined the military, and we’re as close as we were back then.” I nodded in understanding.

Hale opened her mouth, about to sai something only to be interrupted by the gong.

The fear rushed through my body, chilling my core. It was my turn, the time had come. I was supposed to go out there and beat some other kid, and I thought I was ready, but my feet were nailed to the ground for some reason. I was unable to move.

Hale’s arm circled me.

“Hey Ace, don’t worry. Annton Ivo and I are going to be on the crowd, and if things get ugly, Hitch will stop the fight.” She shook me a little, almost like she was trying to get the anxiety out of my body, and snapped me out of my trance. “You’re going to do just fine. And if not then it’s all right, you get up and you try again. If you don’t fight, you can’t win.”

Her last sentence brought me back to my conversation with Annton in the cart, and the deep desire to make him proud gave me the strength I needed.

I felt like I could understand Annton a little better  he wasn’t mean only for the sake of it, it was his way of helping me out. He was projecting his younger self on me, he wanted to be for me the person he needed so desperately and didn’t have.

With a leveling breath I stepped out of the backroom. I wasn’t sure of what i had to do, but Hale didn’t leave my side. Holding my hand, she pushed her way through the sea of bodies, until we reached the front row, almost inside the circle. In the middle of it there was a man with the Military Police uniform on.

His presence was imposing. Standing taller than Ivo, around the six foot five inches, he smiled at the roaring crows, mischief shining in his eyes. He took his hands to his face and shouted.

“Are you ready!?” The response from the mob was deafening.

Shoulders collided with mine, making me lose my balance. My eyes searched the rows of heads. Right in front of us Ivo and Annton were making their way trough, pushing and insulting the guards that tried to resist them. Once his eyes found us, Annton Smiles at me and nodded one time, Ivo on the other hand screamed my name at the top of his lungs, clapping along.

A chuckle slipped trough my lips. For once in my life I had someone cheering for me, instead of pitying me. A warm feeling made its way through my chest. I was not about to spoil the start of something good. 

The guard on the circle opened his mouth once more

“I said… Are you ready!?” This time my cheers joined the rest, my hands up in the air. 

The warm laugh of Hale resonated by my side,  and my eyes were on the other two dorks, my smile widening when I saw them laugh too.

“Tonight we have a little treat for all of you.” The crowd went wild again, and Hitch tried to calm them down with a finger on his lips, his other hand signaling them to quiet down.” I know, I know. You must be wondering Hitch? What are you talking about? " The smile on his voice was obvious " We have two youngbloods in here tonight, and they’re going to fight for the first time in The Basement”  If I thought the spectators were nuts before now they reached a new level, jumping around, and pushing one another. y eyes went to the bleachers, where a few nobles were nodding their heads, leaning forward with interest.

“Is Dean anywhere around?” Hitch asked.

From the far end of the crowd a figure was coming trough as the people kept screaming. He shoved Ivo and Ann away with his hands and he got into the circle.

Dean was fifteen, but he could easily pass by as a thirteen year old. I knew about the rumors of the habitants of the underground city. Because of the lack of sunlight they didn’t grow that much, Dean was barely half an inch taller than me, his body build almost the same as mine, the only thing that told us apart was his eyes. There was no doubt on them, he had his eyes on the prize ad he was going for it.

The people chanted his name as Hitched grabbed him by the wrist and parade him around the circle. When he passed by me he winked an eye at me and he sent a crooked smile my way.

“Oh honey, I think he is underestimating you, so you better go out there and kick his butt.” Hale shook my shoulders.

A fraction of my stress dissipated with her light tone.

“Alright alright.” Hitch returned to the middle, Dean right behind him. “Is Ace in here with us tonight?”

When i heard my name i didn’t even had the chance to react, Hale’s hand shoving me forward, almost making me fall face first. I thought I heard a ‘Sorry’ from her, but I couldn’t be sure, the roaring crowd drowning her voice.

Hitch repeated the same process of circling me around, some people clapped and cheered me on, others looked at me from head to toe, their eyes screaming what their mouth didn't. They thought I was going to be crushed by Dean.

When I passed by them Ann and Ivo extended their hands, and I gave them a high-five.

Once we were done Hitch placed me in front of Dean. His green eyes analyzed me, sizing me up. The thought of how many times had he found himself in the same position, jus about to fight in the crime-ridden underground city? His black hair fell on his forehead, a few loose curls brushing his brow. I trailed down my eyes and i noticed his shirt was nowhere to be found, I tried not to let it affect me, but i couldn’t help my lingering gaze on the pale skin of his chest. Dean noticed it and he smiled brighter, a set of dimples on his face.

“You like what you see Girl?” He asked, getting inside my personal space, his voice barely above a whisper, only for me to hear. Hitched grabbed his face with a hand and pushed him away.

“Leave the teasing for later Boy” Hitched laughed “Rules are simple kids. No biting, unless you want to sweetheart” he winked “No low blows, no spitting, and leave the claws for another occasion. The fight stops when one of you can't keep up or gives up. Fists up, and clash them.” He took a few steps back.

Dean’s wrapped up hands collided with mines with a little more force than necessary. it was his way of intimidating me. And it was working.

Without another word, Hitch signaled the start of the match with a gesture of his hand.

I raised my guard up as Dean got closer to me, the nerves bubbling up in my tummy. Three blows made their way to my face, but I avoided them, messily and with no technique whatsoever, but they hadn't strike my head, so i was satisfied.

People’s screams were loud, spitting loose words like “Come on” And “Hit him” into the air.

I tried to throw a punch to Dean’s face, but he took my arm and swiped my feet from under me. My back collided with the ground and my spine reverberated from the impact. He lifted his fist and directed it to my head, trying to knock me out, but I rolled away and jumped to my feet. The crowd was roaring his name and he took a step back, spreading his arms, as saying ‘What are you waiting for?’

“Come on cutie, we don’t have all night.” he said, his guard up once again.

I din’t respond, too busy searching for an opening. With two steps he was infront of me, winging a punch to my face, i dodge it, but the moment i did his hands grabbed me by the soulders, and he brought his knee up, smashing it against my abdomen, the pain exploded. I thought he woul let me go after one punch, but he kept going. i needed to get him off of me and fast.

I resisted on last knee and when he retreated his leg to throw another i traped his elbow against his chest, linking my free arm around his other arm i twisted my hips and bended my legs, sending him to the floor with a heavy thud. Ivo’s cheer made it’s way to my ears, but i didn’t have much time to rejoice on my little victory.

My stomach was aching from the blows and i could feel a bruise forming. Dean got up and started to throw one fist after the other, all to my head. I waked back, trying to avoid them, until the hands from the spentators stopped me.

“Don’t go out of the circle, sweetheart. First warning.” Hitch’s voice sounded, but I barely registered what he said.

A fist punished my cheek and I felt the skin tearing, the warm and slow trickle of my blood going down the side of my face. It was going to hurt in the morning, but at the moment the adrenaline rush subdued the pain.

His merciless blows came fast and steady. I would like to say I dodge them all, but I would be lying.

Dean was repetitive and predictable, so taking my chance when he retracted his fist I took a step forward, going under his arms and flooring him.

Once we both were on the floor, I immobilized him with my weight and threw punches at his face. A few of them impacted, but the big majority didn’t get through, his arms covering his head. I made the mistake of letting my arms too far away from my face, and Dean shot his arm up, hitting me straight in the chin. I fell sideways, and the taste of blood was in my mouth.

Shaking my head I got up and lifted my arms, covering my bruised face, Dean rushed to me and threw a right hook, trying to hit my temple, but I blocked it with my elbow, grabbing the back of my neck. The impulse of his blow made him end up in my personal space, so I smashed my opposite elbow straight into his nose. The crunch raised the hairs on the back of my neck, and the blood started to gush out.

Screaming with pain Dean grabbed his face, and at the moment he took a step back I kicked him in the middle of his chest, sending him on his back to the floor, his head hitting hard against the floor, disorienting him. With a conviction I didn’t know I had I threw my body into his, my hips holding him still, and as if he was the same drunken bastard from the alleyway,  my fists unloaded all of my weight into his face.

The whines of pain that came out of his mouth made my heart coil with guilt, but it was a fight, we both had agreed to it and he had no problem on beating me senseless. I closed my eyes and kept going, waiting for Hitch to put a stop to the fight, Dean wasn’t even defending himself anymore.

A heavy hand on my shoulder halted my movements. The gong sounded and the screaming from the crowd erupted.

Once I was on my feet Hitch grabbed my wrist and lifted my arm in signal of victory, a dull ache traveling through my limb.

The spectators got into the circle surrounding me. Congratulations and praises were said by unknown faces, the shiny jewelry on their necks blinding me slightly. Slaps on my back and shoulders were delivered my way as well as a few jars with ale. I felt lost, Hale and the others were nowhere to be found. With a shot stature I felt like I was drowning, the high from the fight retreating, causing the pulsating pain on my face and torso to surface.

Out of the blue a pair of hands grabbed me from under my arms, lifting me up in the air, and putting me down on someone’s shoulders. When I looked down, I recognized Ivo’s dark hair. From my new perspective I founded Hale and Ann out of the crowd.

With a few long strides Ivo made his way to them, leaving the exited mob behind.

Annton had an arm around Hale’s waist, and a smile on his face. Hale was the first to speak.

“Ace! You listened to me and kicked his butt!” She clapped, like a little girl high on sugar “I told you it would be fine” 

“Thank you” I said, still on Ivo’s shoulders, he was not putting me down.

He patted my calf, calling my attention.

“Now let’s go get the prize!” He exclaimed, rubbing his hands together, almost tasting the money.

Before the giant i was on could turn around Annton called me.

“Hey Ace!” My eyes took in his gentle expression " Nice work you did…You’re gonna go far Kid”

I smiled at him, grateful.  Ivo turned around, taking me to the women who recollected the bets.

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