#what a true pharaoh

[regulusrules]

how is the world not collectively going insane about the Egyptian pentathlete Ahmed Elgendy who literally just broke olympic and world record in modern pentathlon and got the first gold medal this year for his country looking like this

[cresentmoonprincess]

No comment

[attila-werther]

oh shit it's atem

[ellswritings]

Tricky Situations

Cody Rhodes/Runnels x Reader

TW: Lots of fluff, bad language, no smut but mentions of sexual actions, sexual tension, idiots in love. This is based on a request made my the wonderful and amazing @reebs-luvs-rhodes-and-wrestling, so I hope you all love it <3

Word Count: 12.02K

Tags: @reebs-luvs-rhodes-and-wrestling

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Cody Rhodes and Y/N L/N were the definition of platonic soulmates. They were the perfect mold for anyone to model their friendship after. Their camaraderie was the stuff of legend, both on and off the screen. Fans adored their playful banter during interviews, their synchronized moves in the ring, and the genuine affection that radiated between them. They were the dynamic duo, the unbeatable team, the best friends who had each other's backs no matter what.

Backstage it was no different, they were inseparable. Whether it was grabbing coffee before a show, rehearsing promos, hanging out in the locker room, or watching movies all night in their shared hotel room. Y/N and Cody were always together. It was rare that anyone would ever catch one without the other.

In the beginning, they raised a lot of eyebrows. There was a lot of speculation of them being in a relationship due to how often they were seen together, but those rumors were quickly put to rest. While many fans still “shipped” the together, everyone knew their relationship would remain friendly as it always had been.

In interviews there were always questions about certain moments in Kayfabe or even about photos taken of them outside of the ring that questioned their friendship. But their answers were always the same.

“Ew, he’s like my brother.”

“Absolutely not. She’s my best friend.”

“I’d probably throw up if he tried to kiss me, honestly.”

“She snores when she sleeps, I don’t think I could spend the rest of my life living with that torture.”

The responses were always playful, filled with banter like every conversation they had. They would slap each other or shove each other if they chose to be a little extra sensitive, but it was all in good nature.

Still though, no matter how many times they said things between them were completely platonic, the edits, memes, conspiracy theories, and social media posts never faded.

It didn’t bother them though. The only people who needed to know the true nature of their relationship was them, and they were content with that. They still went about their life as usual. Traveling to venues together, doing interviews, grabbing dinner, walking Pharaoh, even training new students at the Nightmare Factory.

Everything was great. Until Paul Levesque decided he wanted Cody and Y/S/N to do a promo with Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio. Rhea and Y/S/N had a rivalry going on and it was good for the storyline to have Cody and Dom by their sides as support, which would eventually lead to a mixed tag match.

It was always hard to keep a straight face when arguing on screen with Rhea as Y/N and Demi actually had a really strong friendship backstage. So they had to constantly think of negative things to remain in character. It helped having Cody out there as seeing him be “The American Nightmare” rather than Cody Runnels kept her in check.

The promo itself was going well. The audience was completely entranced by the words and shots being taken. Dominik didn’t get much out before being booed which lead perfectly to Cody chiming in sarcastically before Rhea jumped in to defend her man. They played off each other nicely. The difference in their dynamics kept everyone hooked.

Then came the portion where Rhea had to take a cheap shot at Y/S/N. She was ready to take her bump, Cody shifting slightly so he wouldn’t be in the way. But Y/N felt something was wrong as Rhea went to give her a big boot. Y/N went to sell the hell out of it, the bottom of her boot connecting to the side of her face. She throws herself backwards, but instead of meeting the mat below her, she collides with a broad chest that definitely was not supposed to be there.

Y/N groans as she hears Cody cough beneath her. They landed in a heap of tangled limbs. Both of them try to get to their feet as fast as possible, knowing this fall wasn’t scripted, but things only worsened as they moved.

Y/N tries to stand the same time Cody tries to roll over which somehow ends with Y/N straddling Cody, his hands on her waist in the middle of the ring.

Her face flushes as whistles erupt throughout the audience. She glances down at Cody who looks stoic on the outside but she can see the panic behind his ice blue eyes.

“You gonna get up, Y/N/N?” He whispers through tight-lips so only she can hear.

Y/N snaps out of her daze, “Right, sorry.”

Y/N scrambles back up to her feet, doing her best to remain in character as she helps Cody up. Unfortunately the damage was already done. The arena was buzzing with giggling fans, future rumors, and the snapping of cameras.

Michael Cole and Pat McAfee let out the most natural laughs they could, making some sort of joke to try and distract everyone from the scene, and while it was appreciated, it definitely didn’t work. Y/N and Cody went to walk backstage and out of muscle memory, he went to put his hand on her lower back to guide her, but as soon as they heard the whistles from the crowd he retracted his touch. They both share the same anxious look before completely disappearing into the back.

Turns out their coworkers are even more immature than the fans. Everyone they walked past made a comment about it, whether it was subtle or not depended on the person. Y/N rolled her eyes particularly hard when walking by Logan Paul who let out an obnoxious whistle.

“Damn, Cody! You are one lucky S.O.B.” He pats his back before looking Y/N up and down and continuing on his way.

Y/N clenches her fist in anger and she turns to give the Maverick a piece of her mind. Just as she’s about to pounce, Cody places his hands on her waist gently. She turns to him, an incredulous look on her face as she can’t believe he’s stopping her.

He shakes his head, “He’s not worth whatever witty thing you’re about to say,” he tells her with his signature half smile. It doesn’t quite reach his eyes as he’s no doubt feeling the same embarrassment she is. “Don’t waste it on him. C’mon…” he pulls her along with him, “Let’s go get you some fruit from catering.”

Just hearing him speak managed to cool her rising anger. She melted into his touch, allowing him to guide her back to catering. He somehow always knows exactly what to say to fix everything. It only made it better when he grabbed them a plate to share, managing to remember every single one of her favorite fruits. Thankfully, no one else said anything along the way about the incident in the ring. It’s times like this where Y/N is so grateful to have a best friend like Cody.

But things felt a bit off once they sat down. Anytime they made eye contact, both of them would immediately look away, like they had been caught doing something bad. Or their faces would heat up from the prolonged glances. They both chalked it up to being embarrassed by what happened, but something definitely changed in the air that surrounded their friendship.

They just didn’t know what yet.

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From that day on, Cody and Y/N found themselves getting into very similar situations. No matter where they went, the tension between them seemed to grow. Their conversations seemed much more charged than usual, the glances they shared seemed to last a bit longer, touches linger for longer than they should, even something as simple as watching movies together in the hotel room suddenly became a bit more intense than usual.

Y/N groaned irritatedly as the pen she was using to sign autographed pictures of herself ran out of ink. She managed to get ready quicker than usual so she scrambled over to get these signatures done. She had been slacking in doing them recently and she felt terrible. She would be nowhere without her fans so the least she could do is get these autographs done.

However, it becomes a slight challenge as she chucks the dead pen in the garbage can in the corner of the room before walking out. She remembers one of the grips told her that there was a supply closet around the corner if she needed anything so she headed that way.

Well, she tried to.

A small ‘umph’ leaves her as she collides into a solid chest. Her eyes travel upwards, apology locked and loaded for not watching where she was going, until her irises locked with a familiar pair of icy blue ones.

“Hey, Y/N/N…” Cody greets with a smile. “What are you doing? Don’t you have a match?”

Y/N visibly relaxes, glad she doesn’t have to profusely apologize for being a klutz as Cody is already well aware of the fact. She quirks a playful brow, “Yeah, in like an hour,” she laughs. “Damn with the way you said that you’d think I was a slacker or something.”

Cody’s eyes widen, “No– No, that’s not what I meant. I just didn’t know if you needed to go and run over some bumps or–”

Y/N pokes his chest playfully, “Relax. I’m kidding,” she gestures for him to follow after her as she continues down the hallway. “But no, Gionna and I are good. We were at it for like six hours yesterday. I’m just signing autographs right now since I got the time, but my pen died, so I’m just grabbing a new one.”

“Always working, aren’t you?” He nudges her shoulder with his, making her stumble into the wall.

She sends a teasing glare, “Well one of us has to,” she fires sassily before opening the door to the supply closet and walking in, Cody following closely behind.

“Are you implying I don’t work?” He crosses his arms over his chest as he starts helping her go through the plethora of boxes to find one with pens.

“What? No,” she scoffs teasingly. “I would never say such a thing.”

“And this is why you could never play a convincing heel,” he smirks back at her, grabbing a box from a higher shelf. “You can’t lie for shit.”

Y/N’s scoffs loudly, whipping her head around, “For your information–”

She’s suddenly cut off by one of the many boxes filled with heavy items start falling from high above. Cody notices, grabbing Y/N’s shoulders protectively before pulling her into his chest. The two of them collide with the door they left slightly ajar. The door slams shut with a small click as the box hits the floor with a loud thud.

Cody and Y/N stand there breathlessly, Y/N leaning onto Cody’s chest as he keeps his hands firm on her hips. The two of them look down at the spilled contents all over the floor and begin laughing.

“Well… found your pens,” he says cheekily.

Y/N rolls her eyes, but nonetheless bends over to pick one up. “Would’ve been more helpful if I didn’t have to almost die to get them.”

“Luckily for both of us you didn’t,” he says endearingly. He’s always loved how overdramatic she can get. He turns to grab the door handle, “Now let’s get outta here so you can finish signing–”

The door handle won’t budge.

Y/N lifts an eyebrow, “Need a hand, Runnels?”

He jiggles the handle roughly, “It won’t open.”

“What?”

“The door,” Cody pulls a bit harder, “It won’t open.”

Y/N tries to move around his large frame, but with the space being so crammed it’s a tight fit. She manages to wiggle in front of him, looking down at the door handle. She tries to open it herself which makes Cody exhale rather loudly.

“Wow, wish I would’ve thought of that,” he quips sassily.

Y/N looks over her shoulder, sending a glare his way. “I was just trying to see.”

“I said it won’t open, how is you doing the exact same thing I did gonna help?”

“I don’t know!” Y/N exclaims, growing more frustrated with their situation. “I’m just trying to help.”

“Is there a lock on it or something?” He asks, trying to see through the darkness.

Y/N bends down a little bit, not aware of how hard she’s pressing into Cody. Not that they can go anywhere or put much distance between them. So the man simply inhales sharply but says nothing. “It looks like it’s manually locked by a key,” she reveals, running a hand over her face. “Which means we’re stuck until one of the maintenance workers can come open it.”

“You don’t have your phone on you to call someone?” Cody asks her, noticing the growing heat in the small closet. When the door was open it seemed much bigger, enough to fit both of them. But now it feels if either of them were to take a breath that it might make them suffocate.

“No,” Y/N sighs frustratedly. “I left it in the other room.” She turns, narrowing her eyes at him, “Where’s your phone?” She asks in an almost accusatory tone.

Cody shrugs, “In my locker. I was going over my promo in hair and makeup so I put it away, that way I wouldn’t get distracted.”

“Convenient…” she mumbles, glancing around to try and find something to open the door.

“Why are you mad at me?” Cody furrows his eyebrows. “It’s not my fault.”

Y/N huffs, realizing her snippiness shouldn’t be directed at him. She turns around without thinking, her face suddenly impossibly close to his. Her chest presses against his mid-section, his ice blue eyes boring into hers. Her breath hitches when she realizes that their noses are practically touching. She swallows the butterflies that appeared out of nowhere. Her mind feels overly fuzzy. She doesn’t understand what brought on the rush of nerves, but she doesn’t want to know.

“I’m not mad at you,” she finally utters, much quieter than she thought she was going to. “I’m just… trying to find a way out.”

Cody stares at her, feeling her chest rise and fall with each breath. His hand twitches at his side as the impulsive urge to place his hand on her waist fills his mind. He notices how her eyes flicker across his face, never travelling below his neck. It makes him wonder if it’s on purpose or if she naturally just possesses that high level of respect that forces her to maintain eye contact.

“Well, I’m not working against you Y/N/N,” Cody smiles softly at her. “I’m trying to help too, y’know…” he says teasingly.

Y/N rolls her eyes, but she can’t help smiling at him. “I know… ’m sorry for snapping at you,” she mumbles. “Just don’t wanna be stuck in here for longer than we have to.”

“Hasn’t anyone ever told you two heads are better than one?”

“It shouldn’t take two heads to unlock a door,” Y/N fires back sassily.

“Then I guess that makes us special, huh?” He grins goofily and Y/N wishes she could pretend to be annoyed, but she can’t help herself when a soft chuckle escapes her lips.

“Just shut up and help me,” Y/N grumbles, forcing herself to look serious.

Cody throws his hands up in mock defense, “Okay, okay… so angry.”

The two of them glance around the small space, trying to find anything that might serve as some sort of assistance. Unfortunately, everything in the small storage closet doesn’t fit the criteria for their circumstances.

“There’s seriously no safety pins in here?” Y/N asks aloud, squinting her eyes to read some of the labels on the cardboard.

Cody’s brows furrow “What would you do with a safety pin?”

Y/N doesn’t look back at him, answering matter-of-factly, “Pick the lock, obviously.”

“How do you know how to pick a lock?” He stares at his best friend with an expression that definitely surpasses shock.

Y/N pauses, finally looking back at him, his body still behind hers. “Do you really want to know the answer to that question?” She asks.

“Yeah, kinda,” Cody nods with a scoff, his face still scrunched with confusion.

Y/N remains silent for a moment, “Before Good left for AEW, we had a couple of… interesting experiences together.”

“What does that even mean?” Cody interrogates. He shifts slightly, accidentally brushing Y/N’s backside with the movement. If she noticed, she doesn’t say anything, still messing with the door handle in front of her.

Y/N sighs, yanking the handle with a bit more force than necessary. “We were drunk at an after party for one of the PLE’s like five years ago and we got locked out on the roof. Neither of us could call anyone so he asked me if I had a safety pin. I had one on my skirt ‘cause it was too big and long story short, he showed me how to pick a lock.”

“Why have I never heard this story?” He asks with a frown. He knows he shouldn’t be jealous. Y/N’s always been friendly, she’s got a good rapport with pretty much everyone in the locker room. Plus, she worked closely with The Shield during their prime, so it only makes sense that she had a good relationship with Jonathan Good. The logic didn’t help soothe the uncomfortable burning in his chest at the thought of her being close like this with someone else.

She shrugs, “Never came up. Well… until now at least.”

Cody forced his mind to stay on the situation at hand. He reaches around her, trying to grab the door handle, “Here, let me try something.”

Y/N unintentionally stiffens as Cody’s arms wrap around her. She can feel his chin practically resting on her shoulder, his breath fanning her neck lightly. Her pulse quickens as his body heat becomes almost unbearable. It’s not like he hasn’t had his arms around her before, but this feels different. Maybe it’s just her who feels it, but she can’t ignore the surge of pure electricity coursing through her just by his presence. Ever since that day when she took the botched bump, small moments like this have become harder to view as friendly.

Her hands are pressed against the door in front of her to keep her upright as Cody methodically fiddles with the handle. She doesn’t know if he’s aware of how hard he’s pushing her forward, but it’s not of importance.

“You all right?” Cody asks worriedly, much too close to her ear. Chills run down her spine as she tries to come up with a coherent sentence. He felt her tense up the moment he moved closer to her so he wanted to check in. He didn’t realize the reason she’s unable to speak or even think properly is because of him.

“Uh– yeah, yeah I’m good. It’s just getting kinda warm in here,” Y/N replies, her throat bobbing as she swallows harshly.

Cody glances at her arms, “You sure you’re warm? You’ve got goosebumps.”

The way he meant it was completely innocent but the tone in his voice made Y/N inhale sharply, eyes closing as she repeatedly reminds herself that this man is like a brother to her. Though it seems the more she says it the less convinced she actually is.

“Nope,” she says stiffly. “Definitely hot. Super warm.”

Cody uses one of his hands, curling his arm to place it on her cheek in a delicate manner. It’s something he had done millions of times when she was feeling ill as a way to check her temperature. Feeling his hand on her skin simply makes her burn up even more. Her heart rate is beating so loud she’s more than ninety percent sure he could hear it. Yet his face remains unaffected, the emotion of concern being the only thing he’s letting show. Y/N finds herself leaning into him, their bodies pushed even closer together. His lips are still impossibly close to her neck due to their awkward stance. One slight shift in footing and he’d kissing the sensitive area.

“You do feel a little warm,” Cody voices, his bright blue eyes scanning over her. He notices the irregular way her chest rises and falls with every breath. Her eyes seem unnaturally hooded and her lips are parted slightly. He wonders what could possibly be going on with her to warrant this shift in behavior. She was her normal self just mere moments ago. “Have you been feeling sick?”

Sick isn’t the word to currently describe how she’s feeling.

“No,” Y/N tells him, trying to muster up her most unbothered smile, but judging by the skeptical look on Cody’s face, she didn’t do a very good job. “I’m feeling okay. Maybe I’m just getting claustrophobic or something.”

That’s when his focus is completely taken away from the door. The hand that was on her cheek drifts down to her neck to see if her raised temperature is even everywhere while his other hand grips onto her hip. Y/N exhales, her eyes fully closing as the sensations become much too overwhelming. She doesn’t understand why she’s feeling this way. Cody pauses for a second too long, silently hoping Y/N doesn’t notice. He feels the way her body relaxes into him. He fights the urge to squeeze the fat of her hip, reminding himself that this is Y/N. His best friend Y/N. But the tantalizing smell of coconut, eucalyptus, and oak fogs his mind for a brief moment. But that brief moment is all it takes. He finds himself leaning forward, his lips just barely hovering above the sweet spot behind her ear. He swears he can hear a small whimper leave her, but ultimately chalks it up to his imagination.

Just as it seems they’re about to forgo any personal boundaries, the two of them are launched forward and tumble to the floor with a loud thud. The two of them groan in different pitches as they realize someone had finally opened the door from the outside. “I told you I heard someone in there,” the familiar voice of Kevin Steen catches their attention.

Y/N forces herself to hide her flustered state by avoiding any and all eye contact with Cody. However, it’s very difficult as the man can’t seem to stop staring at her, despite the fact they had just been caught in a closet together, a bit too close for a reasonable explanation.

“I never said you were wrong,” Randy Orton shrugs. “Just said I didn’t hear anything and would laugh if we opened it and it was empty.”

“Well, it wasn’t,” Kevin says triumphantly. “And we just saved their lives,” he glances at the two best friends who are now slowly getting up from the floor. “You’re welcome by the way.”

“Yeah, thanks…” Y/N says gratefully, still trying to avoid staring at Cody so it comes off a bit more awkward than she intended.

“What were you guys even doing in there anyway?” Randy questions, arms folded over his chest somehow making him appear even bigger than he already is.

That’s when it happens. Y/N and Cody look at each other, both of their mouths open slightly as they try to find something to say. They didn’t do anything wrong, yet it felt like they were being caught doing something inappropriate by one of their parents. It didn’t make sense. Why did it feel like a lie if they were to say their original plan was to look for pens and they ended up getting locked in there? That truly was what happened, but by the way she can still feel a buzz on her cheek where his hand used to be, it felt dishonest to minimize the impact that tiny closet had.

“She was signing autographs and her pen died,” Cody finally answered for the both of them. But even though he was answering Randy, his eyes continuously flickered over to the woman next to him. “So we tried to find one and ended up getting locked in.”

Y/N was grateful he was able to say that and appear as though he believed it. She isn’t sure she could’ve gotten through it without looking absolutely guilty of something she didn’t even do.

“And neither of you bothered to call for help?” Kevin asks with a small chuckle. “You guys do know cellphones are a thing now, right?”

“Neither of us had ours,” Y/N speaks up, the steadiness in her voice surprising her. “I left mine in the signing room and Cody’s is in his locker.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Randy shakes his head before patting Y/N’s back with a fond grin. “You two always seem to be the ones getting stuck in situations like this.”

“Believe me, we’re not purposefully going out of our way to get stuck in closets,” Y/N replies with a lighthearted laugh, the tension from Cody’s touch slowly easing out of her shoulders. “I guess it’s just a best friend curse or something,” she glances over at Cody.

“I don’t know about that,” Kevin teases, bumping Cody’s shoulder as the five of them begin heading down the hallway to finish prepping for their long night. “Randy and I have never been caught in a closet like that. You two looked pretty snug.”

“Shut up,” Y/N scoffs with an eye roll. “Where else could we have gone? Up on the shelves? Wasn’t exactly a lot of room in there.”

Cody remains silent as the three people next to him continue to joke around. He doesn’t know why he can’t bring himself to chime in, but every time he looks at Y/N he can feel his hands become clammy and a feverous chill pass through him. The way she’s smiling as Randy keeps his arm securely around her shoulders, and the way she playfully pushes Kevin away as he continues to berate them for the questionable circumstances she cand Cody continue to end up in. It makes him furrow his brows as he tries to figure out where these sudden changes in his feelings are coming from. All he can decipher is that he may have enjoyed being pressed up against her a bit too much when they were stuck in that closet.

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Things had seemed to calm down slightly over the next week or so. While memes and rumors still circulated about the nature of Cody and Y/N’s friendship, they hadn’t done anything more to incriminate themselves. The supply closet incident thankfully stayed between them, Randy, and Kevin, so there was no more ammunition for people to continue using.

… Until now.

One early morning in Cody’s hometown of Atlanta Georgia, he had invited Y/N to stay with him for the week so he could show her around. SmackDown was going to be there that Friday so he figured they could spend a few days before just hanging out before the show. It wasn’t the first time she had stayed with him, but it had definitely been a while. He had gotten her up early Thursday morning and forced her to go to the gym at the Nightmare Factory. She protested, wanting to sleep in, but he wouldn’t allow it. Said she’d feel better if they got their workout out of the way first so they could have the rest of the day to themselves.

She hated it, but she knew he was right. She’d despise herself more if they waited until later. So she begrudgingly forced herself out of the comfortable bed in his spare bedroom and went with him to the gym.

Y/N enjoyed working out at the private gym at Cody’s training facility. It once belonged to his dad, but it was passed down to him after Dusty passed. That was a hard time for everyone, especially considering the amount of time Y/N spent with the Runnels family.

Things had been going well. It was a chest and shoulders day, so they went through their usual workouts, doing their separate weights and stretches until they met up to spot each other at the bench press. Cody went first, smirking as he slid more plates on the bar. Y/N rolled her eyes at his cockiness but nonetheless kept herself ready just in case his muscles weren’t strong enough for his ego.

Then it was her turn. She got into position, adding more weight than she normally does. It’s that time of the year where she bulks before doing a huge cut so she’s pushing herself to lift more than usual. Cody raises an eyebrow but says nothing, knowing better than to question the strength of his best friend.

But he quickly realizes that maybe he should have. Y/N is fine for the first three reps, until he notices the smallest quiver in her arms as she goes to press up for the fourth time. He watches as her back begins to lift off the bench and he moves to help her rack the bar before she hurts herself.

Unfortunately, right as he goes to grab the bar, she pushes up at the exact same time which makes him lose his balance.

“Shit,” Cody yelps as he uses his unnatural reflexes to toss the bar to the floor before it could crush Y/N. Unfortunately it wasn’t fast enough to stop his frame from toppling forward with the momentum and crashing on top of her on the bench.

Y/N lets out a loud grunt as she’s crushed by her best friend. It takes her a moment to realize the precarious position they now find themselves in. She freezes as her eyes settle directly on Cody’s crotch which is definitely too close to her face for comfort. She can feel him tense on top of her as he comes to terms with how close his own mouth is to her lower extremities.

Neither of them move. If anyone were to walk in or look on from the many windows, all of the times they denied being just friends would no longer matter. No one would believe them if they were caught like this. But for some reason they stay like that. Breathing heavily as they sit in the electrified silence.

If Y/N were to listen to her intrusive thoughts, she would have leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the slight bulge in his sweatpants, but thankfully she has some sense of self control.

Cody swallows roughly, not able to look away from where his eyeline is currently lined up. He could easily slide his fingers up through her spandex. He mentally scolds himself for thinking that about her, but the thought in itself is enough to make his face flush red.

He finally snaps out of his trance, rolling off of her and onto the floor. Y/N keeps her eyes on the ceiling for a split second longer before finally sitting up and looking at Cody. They both were at a loss for words as they tried to figure out what to say to each other after what just happened.

Cody’s the first one to finally speak up, “Are you okay?”

Y/N nods slowly, “Yeah… Are you?”

“Yeah,” he replies.

Y/N can feel her neck heating up as her mind continues replaying the incident that just unfolded. Her eyes flicker down to his lips, biting the inside of her cheek trying to find a way to control herself. She finally finds the right words to say to try and move them forward. “Wanna go get breakfast?”

Cody stares at her blankly until an amused laugh leaves his lips. He shakes his head, pushing himself up off the floor before sticking his hand out to her. “Yeah, let’s get out of here before you try to kill me again.”

“You fell on top of me!” She exclaims playfully, taking his palm in hers as they walk out of the gym and to his car.

The two of them playfully bicker, things falling back into a natural rhythm as they try to forget the heated exchange that happened at the gym. Cody brought her to his favorite bagel place, the two of them enjoying their protein bagels in peace. Until Y/N’s phone begins blowing up. Her brows furrow as she sees Savelina’s name pop up. Cody takes a bite of his food before nodding his head, silently telling her to take the call.

Y/N does, “Hey, Lina. What’s up?”

“Please tell me you’ve checked at least one of your social media accounts in the last thirty minutes,” the woman rushes out, her voice containing an edge of panic.

“No…” Y/N trails off, sharing a worried look with Cody. “Why, what’s going on?”

“Is Cody with you?”

“Yeah…” Y/N trails off with a nervous chuckle. “You’re scaring me, Lina. What’s going on?”

“Here, I’ll send it to you,” she answers.

Y/N takes her phone away from her ear to check her text messages. When she opens their thread, her eyes practically pop out of her head. “Holy shit!”

Cody jumps from the sudden raise in her voice. There’s a tad bit of cream cheese on the corner of his mouth which makes her want to giggle but her mind is still focused on the photo Savelina just sent her. Y/N puts her on speaker so Cody can hear. “That wasn’t even an hour ago,” Y/N says exasperatedly.

“Yeah, I guess a fan was walking past at the wrong time and snapped the photo.”

Cody looks at his best friend, “What photo?”

Y/n sighs before pulling up the picture again and shows it to Cody’s who’s face mimicked her own expression from moments ago. “Shit…” he mumbles.

“You guys are trending number one on X right now,” Sav warns them. “So I would lay low for the next few days if I were you. I’m sure one of you will be getting a call from someone soon.”

Y/N exhales frustratedly, running a hand over her face. Not even three seconds later, Cody’s phone begins to buzz. Both of them tense as they watch Paul Levesque’s name pop up. Y/N hits her head on the dash compartment before speaking again, “Thanks for the warning, Lina.”

“Yeah, good luck guys.” The woman says sympathetically before hanging up.

Cody begrudgingly answers Paul’s call, putting him on speaker. Both of the best friends prepare themselves to get yelled at by their boss. “Hey Paul,” Cody says with a sigh.

“I’m assuming you’ve seen the photo,” Paul says, not angry or disappointed, maybe even slightly amused.

“Just now, yeah,” Cody answers, his hand running over his jaw.

“Is Y/N still with you?”

“Hey Paul…” Y/N greets awkwardly.

“Yeah, I figured,” he says. They hear papers shuffling on his end of the line which indicates that he’s probably already at the arena. “I need you guys to come in a bit earlier so we can do some… damage control on this whole situation before it gets blown out of proportion.”

“All right,” Cody agrees. “We’ll be there.”

“Perfect. See you in a few.”

As soon as Paul hung up the phone, the first thing that came out of either of them was one simple statement.

“We’re fucked.”

By the time they showered, got dressed, and drove over to the arena, an hour had passed. No other talent was there yet and they were specifically instructed by the execs to avoid getting on social media today at all costs so they’ve been actively avoiding their phones.

They had gotten calls from pretty much everyone on the roster and from their families asking what is actually going on. After the fifth or sixth time of telling the story, they both wanted to just send a massive group text to everyone in order to prevent themselves from going insane.

Cody could feel Y/N’s nerves as they walked through the halls to go find Paul. She wrings her hands together, not even realizing she’s doing it. He noticed it was a habit she had when she was anxious. Without putting much thought into it, he reaches over and grabs her left hand with his right. They both flinch from the sudden shock wave that’s sent through them. Y/N’s arm buzzes from the sensation, but she can’t help lacing her fingers through his.

They fit together like a puzzle piece.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he tells her with a nod. She looks in his eyes and he really isn’t just saying that to make her feel better. He actually believes it, and his confidence is enough to make her believe it too. “Nothing bad’s gonna happen. We’ve been through worse.”

Y/N laughs but it lacks the humor it usually has, “I don’t know about that,” she says.

“We have,” Cody insists as they continue walking. “Remember two years ago when you broke your collarbone and we didn’t know how long it would be til you could come back?” He brings up the incident, a brief flash of pain crossing his face as he remembers the tumultuous time. “That to me was definitely worse than this.”

Y/N huffs, “Okay, maybe I am being a bit dramatic, but this is serious. I don’t want this to affect our careers and the business. And I really don’t want people thinking we’ve been dating this whole time and lying about it.”

“Would it really be so bad if we were?” He says out of nowhere, almost like it was an afterthought.

Y/N stops just outside of Paul’s office, her head snapping towards Cody. “What?” She asks incredulously.

“I’m just saying it wouldn’t be that bad if people assumed we had been dating this whole time,” he defends. “We do spend a lot of time together. It’s not completely out of the blue.” He takes note of the shock on Y/N’s face. “Unless you’d be embarrassed to say you were with me.”

Y/N blinks, “I never said that,” she scoffs. “I wouldn’t be embarrassed, I’m just saying I don’t want either of our careers to be focused on a relationship,” she explains. “We’ve both seen what happens when two superstars start dating. They get linked to each other and it’s almost impossible to be separated afterwards. And I don’t wanna make it a gender thing, but it’s a lot easier for the guy in the situation to not be reduced to a piece of eye candy.”

Cody sighs knowing she’s right. Y/N has put her heart and soul into her career and he would hate himself if she became tethered to him over this rumor. He didn’t know why he brought up the fact they could pretend they’d been together, but the more time that goes on, the more he realizes he wouldn’t mind calling her more than his best friend.

“I don’t want you to think I’d ever be ashamed or embarrassed to say that I was with you,” Y/N says softly, almost like she read his mind. “You’re my best friend and a great guy. I just don’t want to be a show girl that accompanies you out to your matches and then I get none of my own.”

Cody’s half grin finally shows, his dimple poking out, “You’re too badass for that. They couldn’t make you just a show girl even if they tried.” He rubs his thumb on the back of her hand, “If anything I’d be out there as your piece of ass.”

Y/N and him both share an intimate chuckle, “Okay mister quarterback of the company,” she teases as their eyes meet at the same time.

“A quarterback is nothing without their left tackle,” he says, his voice lowering as his eyes flicker to her lips briefly. Y/N feels her heart begin to race, wondering if she imagined his quick glance.

Suddenly his head ducks down closer to her face, their noses only inches apart. Y/N does her best to try and diffuse whatever tension is bubbling between them, “I don’t know anything about football…” she mumbles humorously, “so I’m starting to regret my reference.”

Cody laughs, the sound rumbling deep in his chest, “It just means I wouldn’t be successful without you,” he explains.

Y/N is no longer in control of what her body does. She finds herself leaning forward towards him as well. If either of them budged even the slightest, that photo would make them look even more incriminating. Now they would actually be guilty of lying about their relationship.

“You’d be fine without me…” she mumbles, her breath fanning his face.

“I wouldn’t want to be.”

Just as he says that, Y/N reaches up to loop her arms around his neck. Both of them are clearly running on autopilot as the heat of the moment seems to fog their brains and distract them from why they’re even at the stadium this early.

That is until they’re reminded.

“There you two are,” Paul’s voice rings out as he opens up the door to his office. Cody and Y/N jump apart, thanking their lucky stars that Paul’s face is buried in a folder with papers in complete disarray. It gives them enough time to look like they weren’t about to make out in the middle of the hallway. Cody and Y/N share a look, both of their faces burning up from whatever just occurred between them. Paul glances between them when neither of them make a move, “You guys gonna come in?”

Y/N’s the first to snap out of her trance, “Uh, yeah. Sorry,” she apologizes before following Paul into his office, Cody trailing in closely behind. “Just a little thrown off by everything going on,” she explains.

“Yeah, that’s why we wanted you guys to stay away from the internet for right now,” Paul rattles off, gesturing for them to sit down as he puts away whatever paperwork he was working on. “Things get crazy when stuff like this happens.” He finally takes a seat behind his desk, putting his whole attention on the two adults across from him. They might be considered adults by age, but by the way Paul is looking at them, anyone would think they were getting called to the principal's office.

“Listen, I’m not gonna beat around the bush, I respect you both too much to do that. I need you both to understand the severity of the situation. This incident alone might just break the internet,” Paul reveals, folding his hands together. “People are speculating that you two have been together this whole time and have been lying about it. Normally it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but with both of you being the top two babyfaces in the company, lying doesn’t look good on you guys.”

Y/N sighs, running a hand over her face once again, “Yeah, we figured that’s what was gonna happen.”

“Long story short, we don’t want it to affect how fans look at you guys,” Paul explains. “If we have people booing you for lying then it throws off the balance of all the stories we’re trying to create for you now and in the future.” He leans forward, “So I talked to a couple of the execs and writers and we think we’ve come up with a solution.”

Cody and Y/N remain silent but nod their heads, telling their boss they’re interested in what he’s come up with. If there’s any way Paul can fix this, they’re all ears. “We want you two to come out as a couple in Kayfabe.”

Silence.

Y/N’s mind buzzes with white noise. She should have expected this. It was a logical solution to their problem. But it doesn’t change the sudden wave of nerves that takes over her at the thought of being Cody’s girlfriend, even if it is just for storyline purposes. She voiced her concerns to him in the hallway about this exact situation. She didn’t want to become his sidekick that just supported him whenever he had a match.

“I can see a look of apprehension on your face,” Paul looks at Y/N with a fond smile. “What’s up?”

She looks at Cody for a moment before turning back to Paul, “I just don’t want us to be stuck in a romance trope for the next ten years,” she voices a little too bluntly. “No offense to them, but I don’t want this to turn into a Scarlett and Karrion situation where she’s only out there to support him. I want to continue fighting the same way I’ve been doing. I won’t be benched.”

Paul tilts his head endearingly, “I wouldn’t dream of benching you, Y/N. I wouldn’t do that to either of you. This whole thing will just be a subplot to everything you both have going on,” he clarifies. “You both are frequently seen together in the ring anyway, so this just makes it a bit easier to explain. We can easily say that the photo and gym session was going to be exposed anyway to reveal your relationship in the storyline. It’ll line up perfectly for the business and won’t affect your lives outside of it.”

Cody couldn’t help but stare at her. She seems relieved at the situation being presented. He will admit that it is the best case scenario. Neither of them are in trouble and they found a solution to their problem. It’s panning out wonderfully. He just gets to spend more time with the woman he’s considered his best friend since the day they met.

But it doesn’t change the fact that he’s become much more attune to the small things that make Y/N, Y/N. Like the little dimple on her right cheek that is much deeper than the one on her left side. Or the little mischievous smirk she sports when she knows something someone else doesn’t. Or the way her voice speeds up when she’s excited to talk about something she loves. Even the little divot in between her eyebrows that appears when she’s angry or anxious about something.

Are these all things best friends take note of? Is this normal? To suddenly become obsessed with the way she tilts her head when mocking someone, leaning in close when he catches a whiff of her signature perfume. He doesn’t know when she managed to set up camp in his mind, but she’s been a resident there for the past few weeks, and he’s not sure if he’ll ever be able to get her out.

Paul notices Cody’s eyes focused on the woman next to him and he can’t help but let a small smile show. He recognizes that look. It’s the same one he remembers sporting when he first realized he was in love with his boss's daughter. It’s clear they’re both not completely ready to admit how they feel, but maybe this storyline angle will push them in the right direction.

Paul clears his throat, swallowing any teasing remark he had locked and loaded to fire at Cody. The blonde man snaps out of his thoughts and turns back to Paul with a stiff nod. “Yeah, if you think it’s best for business, I don’t see why it would be a problem.”

Y/N agrees, “We can make it work. Whatever you give us, we’ll run with it and make sure even the people who know it’s fake believe it.”

Paul’s eyes flicker over to Cody with a smirk, pushing up his reading glasses as he goes to grab another stack of paper. “I’m sure you will… Now both of you get out of here. One of the on scene writers will bring you the new scripts for tonight.”

Y/N and Cody both thank their boss profusely before walking out of his office. It’s obvious Y/N is in much higher spirits walking out than she was walking in. “Well, that went better than I expected,” she says happily.

“Yeah, yeah it did.” Cody tries to reciprocate her excitement, but part of him feels like somewhere along this road something is going to happen that’s going to throw them all for a loop.

═══════•°• ⚠ •°•═══════

The reveal went better than they could have imagined. Fans were thrilled to see two of their favorite wrestlers admit their feelings for each other on screen. The writers did an incredible job building the story and telling them why they kept it a secret for as long as they did. It was received very well.

It’s been about a month since the big reveal and things couldn’t have been better for Cody and Y/N. They’ve been spending much more time together, most of their promos and matches involving the other as moral support. They’ve even started a storyline with Seth trying to poach Y/N from Cody, wanting her talent to be used to support him.

Tonight is one of the many charity galas that they get the pleasure to attend. Cody and Y/N were put in coordinating outfits, making them seem even more cohesive as an on screen couple than they already were.

The event was in full swing, everyone mingling and sharing lovely conversations. The two of them never drift very far from the other and whenever they’re together, one of them is always touching the other. Whether it’s Y/N having a hand on his chest or Cody keeping his hand leisurely on her waist or the small of her back.

Sometimes it got hard to tell the difference between the storyline and reality. Some days it really felt like they were an actual couple. Y/N didn’t realize how much she’d actually enjoy pretending to be in a relationship with him. There wasn’t a huge change from their usual dynamic besides the extra touches and kisses shared on screen. But the air between them had definitely shifted and neither of them knew what to do with it just yet. So they kept pretending it wasn’t there.

“Dang they really got you guys out here doing the most,” Phil Brooks walks up to them with a small smirk on his lips as he looks between the two younger wrestlers. “Matching outfits and everything.”

Cody laughs, his arm still comfortably around Y/N’s waist, “Gotta keep the fans happy, y’know?”

He looks in between them, a mischievous glint in his eyes, “I don’t know… you guys don’t seem too torn up about being attached at the hip,” he says teasingly.

Y/N chuckles, patting Cody’s chest with her freshly manicured nails, “It doesn’t feel much different than before,” she admits. “I’m sure he’ll piss me off eventually though.”

Cody smiles at her, “I’m sure I will too.”

Phil simply shakes his head with a knowing expression, “Careful,” he warns. “You guys keep looking at each other like that and people might start thinking this is more than just a storyline.”

And with that he walks away, leaving Cody and Y/N feeling slightly flustered though they don’t show it on the outside. They continue walking around the venue, trying the small treats here and there. Y/N grabs a mini cupcake she had noticed were Reese’s flavored before turning to Cody with a small grin. She holds the cupcake to his lips, knowing that Reese’s is his favorite candy.

Cody smiles, “Really?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Just eat it,” she huffs playfully.

Cody shakes his head but does as he’s told. He leans forward, eating the small delicacy from her hand. While he wishes he could focus on the explosion of flavor in his mouth, his focus only seems to be on her. How she’s staring at him like he’s the only other person in the room.

Her teeth sparkle underneath the lighting, “Was it good?”

“Yeah,” he replies, his mind in an otherworldly place. “Really good.”

Y/N notices the tiny bit of frosting that didn’t make it to his mouth, “Oh, you got a little something–” she reaches out, swiping it gently with her finger. Cody feels his body ignite with chills, their eyes meeting in such an intense way it makes him forget how to breathe.

Y/N pauses for a moment, her hand lingering near his face as they sit in the moment for a bit longer than necessary. Butterflies erupt in her stomach as Cody’s blue eyes bore into hers. He truly is the most handsome man she’s ever seen. Her mind runs on autopilot as she raises her finger to her mouth, sucking off the sugary icing. His eyes narrow as she does so, his pupils dilating. She smiles at him as if she wasn’t aware of the effect she just had.

“There,” Y/N says, her voice much quieter than before. “All better.”

Cody’s chest rises and falls with every bated breath as he tries to regain full control of his mind and mouth, “Thanks…”

“Of course,” she tilts her head, fixing his tie and smoothing over his suit. Her hands rest on his broad chest, loving the feeling of his muscles under her fingertips. “Can’t have my man walking around lookin’ like a mess, now can I?”

Her man.

That felt way too good and slipped off her tongue far too easily. He could get used to hearing that come from her. He’s tired of pretending like this little gimmick they have going on isn’t affecting their real relationship. It’s clear to anyone the different way they look at each other now. He would love to have her on his arm like this from here on out, but he has no idea how to approach that conversation.

“C’mon,” she nods over to a couple reporters who are asking questions to the talent. “We need to go do our interview.”

Before he has a chance to respond, her fingers are laced through his as she walks him over to one of the reporters. He’s not even sure he understood one word that came out of the journalist's mouth. The only time his hearing came back into focus was when Y/N was speaking. She would laugh, answer their question, and glance at Cody to see if he wanted to answer. They were on the fourth or fifth question by now, the American Nightmare not having uttered a word the entire time.

Y/N squeezes his bicep, “You okay?” She asks tentatively, knowing how overwhelmed he can get with press interviews at events like this. Her eyes shine with concern, silently telling him he can leave if he needs to take a breather.

It’s touching how well she knows him. He smiles, simply pulling her closer into him as he looks back at the interviewer. “Sorry, I swear, sometimes she walks into a room and I forget every word in the English language.” His compliment makes the woman questioning them coo. But there’s a deeper level under Cody’s words that steals the breath from Y/N’s lungs. It’s more than just for Kayfabe, but they can’t let anyone, including their colleagues know that. He glances back down at her, “She doesn’t even try, and somehow I’m standing here like I’ve never seen a beautiful woman before."

“Totally understandable,” the woman smiles. “She is definitely one of the most gorgeous women in the world. No one can blame you for getting caught up in that.”

Y/N feels herself becoming shy due to all the compliments being thrown her way, “Guys, you’re gonna inflate my ego…” she says, trying to make a joke out of it.

“Well, I only have one more question for you guys and you can go back to being WWE’s power couple for the night,” she looks down at her notepad. The interviewer leans forward, a knowing smile tugging at their lips. "So, you two have insane chemistry on screen — and let’s be honest, off screen too. Is there ever a moment you catch yourselves forgetting where the characters end and real life begins?"

Y/N lets out a soft laugh, playing it cool as she leans back in her chair. “I mean… that’s kind of the job, right? Sell the story, make people believe it.” She shoots Cody a quick sideways glance, teasing but guarded. “We’re just really good at our jobs.”

Cody’s smile twitches, like he’s holding back a laugh — or maybe something else. “Yeah,” he says slowly, thoughtful. “It’s… kind of funny, actually. Sometimes the line gets blurry. Not because we forget, but because it doesn’t always feel like we’re acting.”

Y/N blinks, her smirk faltering just for a second. The air between them tightens — barely noticeable to the camera, but tangible to anyone watching closely.

Cody doesn’t break eye contact. “We’ve known each other for years. That kind of bond doesn’t turn off just because the cameras are rolling. If anything, it makes the performances more honest.”

Y/N’s voice is quieter when she speaks next. “I guess when you trust someone that much, the feelings start to feel… real. Even if they’re not supposed to be.”

The interviewer raises a brow, sensing something. “So are you saying there are real feelings?”

Cody chuckles, looking down briefly, but his thumb taps anxiously against his knee. “I’m saying… there are moments where I look at her, and I forget the difference.”

Y/N’s breath catches, just for a second. Her smile returns, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes this time.

“Well, thank you both for your time,” the woman smiles at them. “I’m looking forward to hopefully interviewing you both in the near future.”

“Us too,” Cody nods respectfully before moving to guide Y/N away by her waist. “Thank you.”

The two of them slip away and travel back to the heat of the party. They smile at their friends, sending polite nods to the people they aren’t as close with. Cody leans down to whisper in her ear, his gorgeous smile still plastered on his face. “You really threw me under the bus with that ‘real feelings’ bit,” he says playfully.

Y/N shrugged, cocking a brow. “What can I say? The fans love blurred lines.”

“Blurred, huh?” He looked at her then, head slightly tilted, the corner of his mouth twitching like he knew something she didn’t.

She rolled her eyes, pretending she wasn’t already hyper-aware of the heat rolling off him in waves. “Relax, Runnels. I didn’t tell them about that time you cried during The Notebook.”

He scoffed, grabbing the door and holding it open. “Once. I cried once. And Rachel McAdams was very convincing.”

The room was still buzzing but much more lowkey than before — the usual mix of tired talent, sparkling water, and event food passed off as fine dining. Y/N weaved her way to the snack table and grabbed a chocolate-covered strawberry, eyeing Cody from over her shoulder as he joined her with two drinks in hand.

“What?” she asked around a mouthful of strawberry, juice slipping unexpectedly onto her chest just as she bit into it.

Cody blinked, his gaze shifting downward. “You, uh—” He pointed vaguely. “You got a little… right there.”

Y/N looked down, groaning when she spotted the spot of red on the silky material just above her neckline. “Ugh. Of course I did.”

Without thinking, Cody reached for a napkin and stepped closer. “Here, I got it.”

She froze when his hand gently dabbed the spot, the fabric dipping slightly under the weight of his touch. Her breath caught. So did his.

Neither of them spoke.

The space between them thinned to something taut, like a rope pulled too tight.

His hand hovered a beat too long before they were interrupted.

“Well damn,” came a drawl behind them. “This still a PG show?”

They turned sharply to see Demi Bennett sauntering toward them with a knowing smirk. Matthew Adams stood beside her, brow raised in amusement.

Cody took a sharp step back, napkin still in hand. “It’s not what it looked like.”

“Oh, no,” Rhea teased, eyes flicking between them. “It looked exactly like what it looked like.”

“It was strawberry juice,” Y/N added quickly, wiping at her dress herself now. “He was just helping.”

Buddy snorted. “Helping, huh? That what we’re calling second base now?”

Y/N’s mouth opened in protest, but Cody beat her to it.

“Alright,” he said, half-laughing, half-grimacing. “Noted. No touching near fruit.”

Rhea just winked. “Next time, try grapes. Less messy.”

As the couple walked off, Y/N avoided Cody’s eyes and instead fixed her gaze on her dress. “Well. That wasn’t mortifying at all.”

Cody rubbed the back of his neck. “Nope. Totally normal. Just a guy helping a friend clean juice off her—chest.”

The air crackled with everything neither of them said.

Y/N looked up at him, a teasing spark in her eyes. “So, uh… you always that hands-on when it comes to helping friends?”

Cody smirked, but his voice was quieter now. “Only the ones I don’t wanna just be friends with.”

Her heart skipped. “What?”

But he was already walking away, tossing his cup in the trash without looking back. “C’mon. Let’s head back before someone else tries to bet on us.”

She stood frozen for a beat longer than she should’ve, chest tight and lips twitching with something she wasn’t ready to name. But her feet followed him anyway — straight into the night, straight toward the conversation neither of them could avoid any longer.

═══════•°• ⚠ •°•═══════

Once the party was over, everyone headed back to the hotel where they were staying for the weekend. Cody and Y/N bid their goodnights to their friends before traveling up to their shared room. They always shared rooms even before the whole dating fiasco, so that was nothing new.

What was slightly different was the way their hands never disconnected as they traveled back.

Cody slides his key into the mechanism of the door, a small click indicating it is now open. The two of them shuffle into the room, both letting out a relieved exhale at finally being able to lay down in a quiet space. The two full sized beds in the room are like heaven on earth for the two best friends.

Y/N falls face first into the mattress, not even bothering to try and take off her dress or shoes. Cody laughs at her dramatic behavior, loosening his tie before taking off his vest. “Yeah?”

Y/N simply grunts in response, the noise coming out muffled as her face is still buried in the comforter. Cody shakes his head, the smile never disappearing from his face. “Didn’t know spending an evening with me was so exhausting,” he teases, removing his long sleeve shirt, leaving his upper body and torso completely bare as he searches for his pajamas.

Y/N rolls her and body simultaneously. She sits up, looking at Cody but her breath gets caught in her throat. She’s used to seeing him shirtless due to the nature of their work, but it’s never been in an intimate environment like this. She also wasn’t expecting to flip over and come face to face with his god-like body.

She manages to find her voice, “I never said you were exhausting,” she corrects. “I just need like ten hours to myself to recover. I hate people.”

“You don’t hate people,” Cody laughs, throwing his shirt on. “You just hate being around them. Key difference.”

“Tomato, potato,” Y/N chucks her pillow at him as he collapses onto his own mattress.

Cody caught it midair with an exaggerated grunt. “Ah! Deadly.”

Y/N smirked, rolling onto her side, propping her head up on her hand. “You’re lucky I’m too tired to actually fight you.”

He gave her a sly grin, tossing the pillow back. “Oh, I’d win.”

“Ha!” she snorted, half-laughing. “Yeah, okay, Nightmare. I literally know all your moves.”

Cody stretched out on his back, arms folded under his head. “Nah. You don’t know all of them,” he said casually, a little too casually.

Y/N narrowed her eyes, tossing the pillow aside. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He smirked without looking at her, like he knew exactly what he was doing. “Just sayin’… I got a few tricks you haven’t seen yet.”

The room felt warmer suddenly. Y/N swallowed, her face heating up before she could stop it.

She sat up a little too quickly. “Anyway,” she cleared her throat, running a hand through her hair, “I should probably change or something.”

But Cody’s voice stayed soft, less teasing now. “Hey, Y/N.”

She paused, halfway off the bed. “Yeah?”

He pushed up on his elbows, watching her with an expression that made her stomach knot. “You okay?”

She blinked. “What? Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’ve been…” He exhaled, scratching the back of his head. “I dunno. Since the day we got locked in that supply closet — you’ve kinda been pulling back a little.”

Y/N inhales, closing her eyes briefly as she thinks. It’s not that she’s been pulling back, it’s more along the lines of not knowing how to control herself and the growing feelings she was obtaining for her best friend. She sat down on the edge of her bed, chewing her lip. “I’ve just been trying to adjust to the new things that have been handed to us and our relationship,” she tells him, her eyes flickering in his direction. I guess I just feel like I don’t know how to act around you anymore,” she admitted quietly.

Cody’s brow softened. “Yeah.” He shifted, resting his arms on his knees, elbows propped forward. “Me neither.”

They both sat there for a beat, staring at the floor like it might explain what the hell was happening between them.

Y/N laughed under her breath, shaking her head. “This was supposed to be easy, you know? We’ve always been easy.”

Cody gave a small smile. “Yeah. Best friends, right?”

She glanced over at him, heart stuttering. “Right.”

His gaze met hers, and suddenly the air shifted — thick, humming, like neither of them wanted to say the next thing but both needed to.

Cody stood slowly, running a hand through his hair. “I keep thinking,” he began, voice low, “about how weird it is that it took some stupid accidental moments to make me realize how much I… care about you.”

Y/N’s breath caught. She turned fully, legs swinging off the bed, hands clenched nervously in her lap. “Cody…”

He stepped closer, almost hesitant, like he didn’t want to spook her. “I keep waiting for this to go back to normal. For us to laugh it off and move on. But I don’t want it to go back.”

Her throat felt tight. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

He gave a soft, almost helpless laugh. “Because I didn’t wanna mess this up.” His voice dropped to a near whisper. “You mean everything to me, Y/N.”

She stood slowly, heart pounding so loud she was sure he could hear it. “Cody, I—”

Before she could finish, he was there, right in front of her, one hand gently cupping her jaw, the other hovering like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to touch her waist. His eyes searched hers, hesitant and vulnerable in a way few people ever saw from Cody Rhodes.

“I don’t wanna be just your friend anymore,” he murmured.

Y/N let out a shaky breath. “I don’t either.”

That was all it took.

His mouth met hers in a kiss that was slow, careful — like he was memorizing every second — but it didn’t take long before her hands tangled in his hair, pulling him closer, kissing him like she’d wanted to for weeks.

When they finally broke apart, Cody leaned his forehead against hers, smiling, breathless. “Well,” he said softly, “guess we’re not just platonic soulmates after all, huh?”

Y/N laughed, her heart full and wild. “Guess not.”

Cody chuckled low in his throat. “So… can I stay over here tonight, or do I still get my own bed?”

She raised a brow, playful now. “We’ll see.”

═══════•°• ⚠ •°•═══════

Backstage was buzzing — crew members running cables, wrestlers milling around in sweats and ring gear, trainers moving between rooms. Cody stood near one of the black crates, absentmindedly rolling his wrists, waiting for his cue.

Y/N appeared at his side, slightly breathless from her segment, her hair still pinned up from earlier. “They ran me long,” she murmured, exhaling as she tugged lightly at the uncomfortable neckline of her top. “I swear, I’m two seconds from ripping this thing off.”

Cody gave her a quick once-over, a small amused smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Don’t tempt me….”

Y/N snorted, elbowing him lightly. “Shut up.”

He just chuckled, watching her fiddle with a bobby pin. There was something easy between them — always had been — but lately, it sparked under the surface in ways neither of them could fully ignore anymore.

Without really thinking, Cody reached over and brushed a stray hair off her face, his fingers lingering just a little too long against her cheek.

Y/N froze slightly, her eyes lifting to his.

Cody shifted his weight, his voice dropping a little. “Y’know,” he said quietly, “we don’t gotta keep pretending we’re just best friends.”

She gave a small, nervous laugh. “I mean… we are best friends.”

“Yeah,” Cody murmured, his thumb grazing her jaw lightly. “But I’d say we’re a little more now too.”

Y/N’s breath caught, eyes flicking briefly to his mouth before darting away. Cody saw it — of course he saw it.

Screw it.

He slid a hand to the small of her back, gently pulling her closer, and pressed a kiss to her lips — soft, sure, no hesitation.

For a second, it was just them — quiet in the middle of the noise.

But then they heard the unmistakable throat-clear from behind.

“About damn time.”

Cody turned, arm still draped loosely around Y/N, to see Randy Orton leaning against a crate with an infuriating smirk on his face. Behind him, Kevin Steen and Rami Sebei pretended to be very engrossed in their phones, though the poorly hidden grins gave them away.

Y/N huffs a laugh, shaking her head. “Y’all are unreal.”

Randy shrugs, pushing off the crate. “What, you thought nobody noticed the way you two look at each other?”

Cody leans forward to kiss Y/N’s forehead, half laughing, half mortified.

“Hey,” Randy sticks his hand out to Kevin and Rami. “Pay up.”

Y/N gapes, laughing. “You bet on us?!”

Kevin gave a non apologetic shrug. “You weren’t exactly subtle.”

“We saw the way you two were looking at each other months ago,” Rami tells them.

“Congrats lovebirds,” Randy tells them as he and the guys start to walk off. “Just don’t get anymore sappy than you already are in the ring, yeah?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Cody replies, fist bumping the Viper.

Y/N watches them go before looking up at Cody, still tucked against him, her cheeks warm. “I still can’t believe they bet on us.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Cody drawled, brushing his thumb along her back, “I’m pretty sure half this locker room’s been waiting longer than we have.”

She smiled softly, resting her forehead lightly against his chest.

And just like that, there was no big announcement, no stage lights, no performative gesture — just two people standing backstage, in a stolen quiet moment, grinning like idiots because they were finally exactly where they wanted to be.

[mrstsugikunik]

KOKUSHIBO HEADCANONS

Pairings...Kokushibo x Reader

I see him as being really mean with his partner at first. Like stand-offish, doesn’t really talk as much, and no physical touch. Like NOTHING at all. 

The only type of ‘love’ you’ll be getting from him is when you’re around him. He’ll only acknowledge that you’re there and that’s it. Like you’ll just be like: 😐🧍‍♀️Then he’s like: 😐👍

Another example of him avoiding it would be if y’all’s hand would brush against each other he’ll pull away hastily and walk away. And it’s weird too because he doesn’t make any noise when he walks…

So many stares…it’s so unsettling how he will stand or sit in place with all SIX of his eyes staring intently at you. He could almost burn a hole right through you if he could…AND what makes it worse is that he never BLINKS! When he does he frog blinks 🐸 . No one can’t convince me he doesn’t- It adds to the demon characteristics. 

He has long, sharp claws. Period. The anime nor manga depicts him having them but I will. All demons in my head do.

Whenever Kokushibo speaks (which is almost rare in itself — You almost thought he was mute upon meeting him) it lowkey shifts all your organs because it’s SO DEEP. Like why the HELL is your voice that deep, it doesn’t make sense! Sometimes, it scares the life out of you when you think you're alone when you're not. You’ll just be doing your own thing and BOOM 💥 The most intense, heavy, heart shaking voice is suddenly filling the space.

Even when you and Kokushibo eventually become a couple, he will still refer to you by your name. The only time you're addressed as something else is when he’s addressing you as his wife. 

No joke, but I see Kokushibo taking really good care of his hair. He combs thoroughly, washes at least 2 times and conditions his hair and lets it sit for 30 minutes. In conclusion, he has soft, fine hair.

Kokushibo likes complete silence. He likes to meditate and in order to do that silence is key. If you were to make too much noise around him he would open all 6 of his eyes from his meditative state and stare you down until you get the idea. 

👁️👁️

👁️👁️ ⇦Him

👁️👁️

—

You: ....Sorry....😓

He will not show physical affection for a long while. It is not in demons to love especially when it’s their prey of all things. It sometimes bums you out but you understand. When he’s past that barrier it’s awkward at first. Kokushibo did not know how to give a proper hug. He was so stiff, and what made it worse was when he patted you on the back 2 times which were kinda rough. He doesn't mean no harm by it, it's just weird having someone show him affection. 

And don’t get me started on y’all’s first kiss…mans cheeks are literally covered by eyes and you're just looking like: 🤔 Like how does that work? Kokushibo just closes his bottom eyelids and lets you do your thing. 

Random but if you’re lying to Kokushibo about whatever his top eyes will squint in judgement

We know this man is for the most part emotionally unavailable but I think his eyes will give him away before he speaks out his true emotions. Even being with him for quite a while you will learn to pick up on this. From the occasional slight eye twitch when he’s annoyed, to his eyes narrowing in question or irritation, or when he closes a pair or two of his eyes to not get sensory overload.

Please don't ignore him, he takes it to the extreme to where you won't see him for weeks or if he's petty enough MONTHS. He rather you talk it out instead of creating unnecessary drama and tension.

Demons do not need to sleep, like at all. It's really a choice whether or not they do or not. Kokushibo will sometimes indulge on this...One night you had woke up because the heat was getting to you and when you turn towards Kokushibo you had paused to look over him, it looked as if he wasn't even breathing. And to make it even more perplexing is that he sleeps like a mummified Pharaoh. Unmoving, stiff, and very quiet. You of course knew that humans and demons were not the same but seeing them act upon their unnatural ways always was very interesting.

The eyes on his sword do indeed give him secondary vision. It's never confirmed whether they do or not but I think they do. Its canon in my world 🙂‍↕️ If he's in battle and there's a lot going on he will use his sword to his advantage in exterminating the threat faster. He also uses his sword as a means to look over you if he's not there. Its kinda creepy...

If he meditates outside, he would not mind if some birds land on his head.

You had feared when your cycle would come by because you just KNEW he could smell it. And the most EMBARRASSING thing of it all is that he would never mention it at all or give any hints. You: "You're aware of it, aren't you?😣😅 Him:....Yes....😐 Then you'll just stare at him a second or two longer and he ever so slowly turns his head to look at you...

A/N: Might do part 2 sometime in the future...these are hard

[ckret2]

I saw a theory that the journal pages Bill shares in tbob are fake. Thoughts?

Don't buy it, not interested.

When Bill lies, the story finds ways to show us that he lies. The show doesn't let him get away with claiming he liberated his dimension without outing him as a liar by letting us hear the Euclideans' screams; the book doesn't let him get away with claiming the pharaoh was his bestie without outing him as a liar by including a quote from the pharaoh about how annoyed he was by Bill. Whenever Bill lies, it's not subtle, it's not secret, and the story around him makes a point of exposing his lies as blatantly as possible. He's not allowed to get away with it.

The idea that the journal pages are fake comes from readers going "but hold on, didn't we already see the fully repaired Journal 3?" "isn't Ford's hair slightly wrong here?" "doesn't this contradict the timeline in some places?" etc. Details you wouldn't know or notice unless you're armpit deep in Gravity Falls lore. If you have to think real hard to realize Bill might be lying about something... it's probably not intended to be a lie.

If it was meant to be a lie, the book would have showed us somehow. One of the letters from Ford would have blatantly contradicted the information we get in the journal pages; or, Bill would have provided fake pages saying such outrageous things that we'd KNOW Ford couldn't have possibly written them ("my muse is so wonderful and perfect and brilliant and I regret not joining him to conquer the world sooo much, if only my stubborn short-sighted human pride and dumb family loyalty weren't stopping me from making the right decision" etc).

My theory is that the guy who hasn't worked on the show for the better part of a decade, with a proven track record of accidentally making the main characters the product of two generations of teen pregnancies and sending the cast on a road trip the episode after building a magical barrier that will protect them only if they're inside the shack, decided to prioritize an interesting narrative over rigid adherence to timelines and 100% internally-consistent lore.

A theory is something you think might actually could be what's REALLY HAPPENING in canon; a headcanon is what you've privately decided is true solely for the version of the story that exists inside your own head. "The journal pages in TBOB are fake" is a perfectly workable headcanon, nothing wrong with it, you can fit it in and justify it with no trouble—but as a theory it holds no water.

[goldenspringflower]

One ofDarkside of Dimensions themes is that history will always repeat itself. And Kaiba is living proof that that is true. Him being the priest who is forever tied to Atems fate.

Diva takes Bakura's place in the story. They both go to the current ruler and criticize them. Bakura criticizes the past pharaoh and the court. In Divas case, he literally calls Kaiba a Dictator for his extreme behavior and actions in Domino. And both of them have a point. One interesting difference is Diva getting Kaiba to duel him by saying that Kaiba defiled a sacred tomb. Something Priest Seto and, by extension, modern Seto actually care about deeply. In Bakuras case, he was the one who defiled a tomb. Diva directly calls out Kaiba's blasphemous behavior. Priest Seto would never actually want to be disrespectful towards what he believes to be the God King. That was his job as a priest and is still now. To protect the King. He believes that the puzzle still contains Atem's soul, and was just carelessly thrown into a hole, so he protects the puzzle. And his language is extremely respectful towards Atem outside the duel with the hologram. Which is not the real guy.

Diva, similar to Bakura attacks the ruler, resulting in them calling obelisk to get out of that situation. In Kaibas case, he does it with the help of Atem. Both times it ends in a situation where both sides come out alive. The interesting thing here is that Kaiba sacrifices all of his blue eyes dragons to summon Obelisk. Might symbolically represent his current state of mind. Where his faith in Atem is growing to the point where he would sacrifice his blue eyes, his most treasured creature, for him. And it is in direct contrast where he sacrificed Obelisk for Blue Eyes during battle city.

Bakura and Diva fall into the hands of Zorc leading to the resurrection of the dark god.

Kaiba similar to Atem sacrifices himself to save the world. We never get to see Atems death in the manga. However, there is this moment in the manga. Where Bakura criticizes Atem. Which directly mirrors some of the actions of Kaiba in DSoD. Kaiba has separated himself so much from humanity in his quest to bring Atem back. And his journey is about letting go of his hatred. During the duel with Zorc/Diva he literally has to be open about his actual emotions for the first time in the entire movie (the "for him" moment). And admit that, like the Priest from long ago, he considers Atem a friend.

The one BIG difference is that Atem is free now and a god and can return, taking the place of Horakthy and destroys Zorc. The implication that Atem might be "the God" now is a interesting one. Especially considering the way Kaiba has been behaving throughout the movie. Where his obsession with Atem has a religious subtext as well. And I think it’s done on purpose that both Kaiba and Yugi fall to their knees before Atem returns. The religious aspects of DSoD deserve their own post. Which I will get to in the future.

We get to see Diva living happily, something we never got to see with Bakura probably because Takahashi rushed the ending thinking that he was going to die. I think this might be the ending he had in mind for Bakura. He is not punished for his actions, as they were born from fear, loneliness, and trauma. He will have to go on the same journey Kaiba went on ever since Atem broke his heart into a puzzle. And perhaps this also symbolizes the beginning of a new cycle. Of history beginning to repeat itself once again.

The movie continues, and Seto similar to Atem entrusts the future to someone he can trust (In Setos case, it’s Mokuba). And I think that scene has some very interesting implications. Perhaps the cycle is broken (for now). Because Mokuba is someone who doesn’t have a deep and long history with past lives and magic. I think this is supposed to be an optimistic choice. To have a regular person, somebody young in charge of the future who is not tied to expectations of gods, destiny or magic.

He enters the afterlife, and a rearranged version of Priest Seto plays in the background perfecly symbolizing his new role and his new mindset. Completely accepting of his fate and his ties to Atem. He does not enter that palace as a rival but as a friend. Fulfilling the prayer on the tablet of destiny. He finally returns to where he belongs. Also showing us that death is not the end of existence in the Yugioh universe. It is not something that separates people from their loved ones forever. And his faith in his best friend (and perhaps god) has paid off.

And the smile he has is in direct contrast to the pained face he has throughout the entire movie. Finally fulfilling Mokuba's wish, he can smile the way he used to before Gozaburo adopted him.

And Atem smiles back.

[talonabraxas]

“He, He is the God too great to have a name ! He is the inapparent and He is the very apparent. He who the intellect contemplates ! He is also the one seen by the eyes. He is the incorporeal, the multiform, better still, the omniform. Nothing exists which He is not, for everything that exist, everything is Him. From that comes that He has all names, for all things come forth from this unique father. From that comes that He has no name at all, for He is the father of all things.” (ibid)

Amun – An Aurora Filled Sky Talon Abraxas

Amun (Amen, Amon) was the king of the gods. The name means ‘The Hidden One’.

Amun is most commonly shown entirely in human form. Often he is standing or sitting on a throne wearing a red, flat-topped crown with two tall plumes and holding a sceptre in his hand. Amun can also assume the appearance of a ram, his sacred animal. His sacred colours were blue, red, yellow and green and his images are to be found throughout the Nile Valley.

The enormous temple complex of Karnak was the principal home of Amun where he was worshiped as the prominent divine entity. During the New Kingdom, his popularity eclipsed that of other major deities; he was the ‘king of the gods’. The warrior-god Montu was believed to be a manifestation of Amun. A Theban triad consisted of Amun, his wife Mut, and their offspring Khonsu, the moon god. All three had temples at Karnak.

Amun is a god whose attributes are so extensive it lacks the personality of other deities. His role as creator is emphasised in many hymns. He was believed to be self-generated. As a fertility god, he impregnated his mother, the Celestial Cow, to ensure the fecundity of animals and plants. He was closely involved with kingship, and many pharaohs regarded themselves as one of his incarnations and incorporated his name into their own (Tut-ankh-amun).

Amun was also seen as the divine consort of Egyptian queens (‘god’s wife of Amun‘). Queen Hatshepsut (right) presented herself as an offspring of the god during a visit to her mother. His virile strength made him an appropriate deity for ensuring military victory for the pharaoh. Amun was invoked for healing from the bites of dangerous animals and other illnesses. During the New Kingdom, he was a personal-saviour god of ordinary working people, as numerous devotional stele testify. Amun later became synchronised with Re to become Amun-Re.

Many catastrophist writers have attempted to give physical identity to Amun by placing him in the world of chaos. One of the most widespread identifications is the linking of Amun with Jupiter. This is because Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and, since Amun was referred to as the ‘king of the gods’, Amun must therefore be Jupiter. This is an unsatisfactory explanation and exhibits a lack of knowledge about the ancient world. How could ancient people possibly know that Jupiter was the largest planet? From Earth it is a mere speck of light in the night sky. It is not even the brightest ‘star’. Excluding the Sun and Moon, the brightest light in the sky is Venus – why wasn’t Venus deemed king of the gods? What of the bright star Saturn or even Mars? If Amun was Jupiter, how do we explain Amun’s tall feathery plumes, his sacred colours, his syncretism with Re (Amun-Re) and epithets such as ‘one whose true form could never be known’? How can any of these apply to Jupiter?

Egyptologists fair no better. They understand Amun’s role in connection with the monarchy, but what is the meaning behind his strange plumes and curious epithets? Their best explanation is to present him as a solar deity – once again they point to the Sun.

The key to physically identifying and understanding Amun lies with his unusual, tall plumes and the colours contained within. They were direct representations of magical celestial lights that were observed the world over in ancient times – a phenomenon we call the Aurora.

The Aurora

The auroras are the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and the Aurora Australis (Southern Lights).

Auroras are striking displays of coloured lights that are often seen over the Earth’s magnetic poles. They occur when the solar wind particles are trapped by the Earth’s magnetic field so they collide with molecules of air in the upper atmosphere (ionosphere). They are a spectacular sight and take the form of rapidly shifting patches of colour and dancing columns of light of various hues. The colours observed depend on several factors such as atmospheric conditions, intensity of the solar wind, temperature and location. The Aurora is always present in almost every area of the sky, but it is usually too faint to be seen except near the North and South Poles. The main colours of the Aurora are blue, yellow, red and green, the very same colours attributed to Amun.

The intensity of the Aurora is dictated by the solar wind, a stream of electrically charged particles from the Sun. When the solar wind blows exceptionally strong, the Aurora increases. The periods of maximum and minimum intensity of the Aurora coincide almost exactly with those of the sunspot cycle, which is an 11-year cycle. When the Sun is in the active phase it can unleash powerful magnetic storms that disable satellites, threaten astronaut safety, and even disrupt communication systems on Earth.

In March 1989, the Sun unleashed a tempest that knocked out power to all of Quebec, Canada, leaving six million people without electricity. Such intense magnetic storms cause spectacular, widespread auroras, even at latitudes as low as Mexico, which is 23 degrees north (similar latitude to Egypt).

As mentioned above 3,000 years ago, at the height of planetary chaos solar activity was far more intense than anything experienced today. Cosmic catastrophe gave way to intense geomagnetic storms and global auroras – seen at all latitudes day and night. They were observed during the day courtesy of the red Sun which gave rise to a twilight world. These shimmering magical lights were personified in the great god Amun.

Hymn to Amun

“Amun, who developed in the beginning, whose origin is unknown. No god came into being prior to Him. No other god was with Him who could say what He looked like. He had no mother who created His name. He had no father to beget Him or to sa: “This belongs to me.” Who formed His own egg. Power of secret birth, who created His (own) beauty. Most Divine God, who came into being alone. Every god came into being since He began Himself. Every being came into being when His being began being. There is nothing outside Him.” (Praise of Amun in the Decree for Nesikhonsu) “None of the gods knows His true form, His image is not unfolded in the papyrus rolls, nothing certain is testified about Him.”

Hymns to Amun, Papyrus Leiden I 350, chapter 200, lines 22- 24.

[sarafangirlart]

Andromeda’s race/ethnicity and why it’s not inaccurate to interpret her as black/African

Now you’ve seen how I draw my babygirl as Afro Palestinian Egyptian so you know where I personally stand on the subject. However, my interpretation isn’t the only one, ancient authors, from mythographers to historians to poets to playwrights, have proposed various different locations for Andromeda’s homeland, often times contradicting each other, what I’m trying to do here is correct some misinformation as well as argue that even if Andromeda isn’t black/ethiopian, she still wouldn’t be considered white or ethnically European.

I would like to reiterate like I did with my Hephaestus/Aphrodite post that I’m not a mythology or history expert, I just read a lot. So do your own research and come up with your own conclusions.

Let’s go.

The etymology of “Aethiopia”

Aethiopia means "of burned face" which yes is pretty racist be modern standards but basically means that its inhabitants are dark skinned, so even if you go by sources that it isn’t in Africa, the inhabitants still wouldn’t be white or Greek.

Location of the Kingdom

You’d hear the statement that the Aethiopia in mythology is not the same as Ethiopia the modern country, which is true. You’d also hear that it’s a completely fictitious location, that’s only partially true, while Aethiopia existed mainly as a mythological location (mentioned as early as the Iliad) that didn’t stop ancient historians, mythographers and poets from placing it in real locations or calling pre-existing nations Aethiopia. It’s hard to pick which one is more “accurate” bc they all contradict each other, not only that, but these writers didn’t actually visit these locations and ancient ppl weren’t as well versed in geography as we are today so they’d be weirdly vague or confusing about these locations, I mean just look at an ancient map and you’d see what I mean.

So personally, I think you can go with any version you personally prefer, the options are quite limitless, she could be from the Arab peninsula, the Levant, North Africa, Persia, hell maybe even India if you are like Ovid.

Andromeda’s genealogy

(I just realized that these are the Waterson kids color palette while writing this lmaooooooooo)

Yes Andromeda is descended from Zeus (no family tree can escape that man lol) and she’s also the great granddaughter of Poseidon, which adds a whole new layer to the fact he tried to kill her.

Now for a bit of history: The Trojan war (which didn’t happen irl obviously) was dated as taking place in the 12th or 13th century BCE by some ancient writers, that war happens a few generations after Perseus’s story, which means that Egypt was in the New Kingdom era, also called the Egyptian Empire, when Nubians (who would be considered black by today’s standards) were a very important part of society, even becoming Pharaohs. Ancient Egypt was a lot more diverse than modern ppl give it credit for, there were multiple ethnic groups living there. Not to mention that you can’t get more Egyptian than being descended from the god of the Nile River lol

Libya is (obviously) the personification of the region of Libya, not the modern country Libya, but the general area in North Africa west of Egypt. The name Libya comes from the Libu, a berber tribe. So once again, even if Andromeda wasn’t black, even if you interpreted that her kingdom is placed in Asia, she’d still be of African decent.

Cassiopeia is a tricky one, her origins are obscure, she’s called a nymph by Nonnus, while Stephanus of Byzantium (a very late source) states she’s from Ioppa and that the city takes its name from her. However, Ioppa/Jaffa was identified as Andromeda’s home much earlier in Periplus attributed to Scylax, which was composed in the late fourth century bc.

Conclusion

You can make Andromeda black it’s ok. Ancient writers couldn’t agree on her country’s location but we can still speculate. Anyways ummm… I think that’s it? Maybe I’ll add to this if I find or remember more interesting information.

Have a great day.

[aestheticpebbles]

Saturday October 19th,2024 New York Comic Con

So I took a solo trip to NYCC and attended, let alone dressed up for such an event, for the first time. (I literally assembled my cosplay within a week bc I got my hair dyed the previous Friday, and my best friend pushed me off the ledge out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to dress up!).

Somehow, one of the absolute WORST weeks of my life due to major personal life issues between my car engine exploding in the middle of the woods in north carolina, being forced to stay in georgia until literally 5:30pm THE NIGHT BEFORE (FLEW up I-85N to the closest airport when I could finally leave. delta literally saved my life when I managed to catch a flight leaving at 7pm to go back home where ALL of my cosplay outfit pieces)straight up $🔥🔥🔥 hurt so bad but I was NOT missing this event for anything)) landed at 11:30pm and ended up just pulling an all-nighter to get ready and drive 3 hours back to nyc. my layover was in laguardia and it hurt so bad to know I had to turn around and drive right back past it LOL. however, the week I was PRAYING for to end, still ended off to be an incredible first-time experience thanks to these two, and everyone else I met who attended!

Someone sedate me. How am I supposed to sleep at night knowing the very first words he said were “wow, look at you”, and then “I’ll sign whatever you want” at the table? talk about giving me a free lobotomy on the spot bc I couldn’t formulate a single sentence. Matt was so nice too!! I wish I was able to interact w him more but im so thankful that I was able to get a duo picture.

tom autographed a copy of our solo pic together, and I didn’t even make it out of nyc on saturday night before running to the first target I saw to grab 4 8x10 photo frames.

I circled back around the line after realizing he was willing to sign my crown too and he had his white pen out and ready!! 😭😭 I was so excited and awkwardly laughing bc I was flustered as hell that I walked right by the swau booth. completely forgot that I added the up charge to have them authenticate it, but I guess it doesn’t matter all that much because this crown will only be pried from my cold, dead hands.

Jokingly told my mom to bury the crown with me and a few other trinkets like a pharaoh’s tomb if you will. I got an odd side glance from her. Reminded me of Penguins of Madagascar’s “smile and wave boys… smile and wave….😬😀”

I didn’t even realize Tom wasn’t feeling well and had to leave early because of how bright his smile was, and how responsive he was both when taking pictures and signing autographs.

Dream come true! 💚💚 blushing, giggling, swinging and kicking my feet.

gotta lock it in, im literally yapping right now… not done yet though :)

spay me for saying this— i cant tell what i enjoyed more about meeting him: seeing his toothy smile, or smelling his cologne, or learning what the IRL height difference is? 🤤🫠

okay yall imma shut up now but OMG!!! im obsessed with how good these pictures came out! im so excited to receive more. I hope everyone who attended had an amazing time!!

[teamfreewill58]

As much as I love the Millennium World Arc it’s also incredibly heartbreaking to watch Atem go through that. He finally has all the pieces needed to open the tablet of memories and they were all sure that he would remember who he was and then he DIDN’T. Instead he goes through a repeat of what he did when he woke up in the Millennium Puzzle where he doesn’t know what’s going on or anything at all but instead of getting to try to piece things together he’s dropped right into the middle of huge dire events. And he does gradually start to get things back but for a huge chunk of it he’s completely in the dark AGAIN. He didn’t actually start remembering things until around where TKB dropped him in the river and his friends gave him his name. And it’s heartbreaking. It’s heart breaking how for the majority of the arc he had to just take people’s word for shit and just blindly trust that they were being honest and that what they were informing him was true. The fact that he spent a year and a half getting used to being with Yugi in his time period and then within two seconds of entering the Millennium World he’s barraged by his past at a million miles an hour, and its not even an everyday kind of day its his friggin -coronation-. So of course he can’t excuse himself. Like thank goodness for royal attendants so he could try and get information from Shimon who was more than willing to explain things to him and didn’t get mad or confused by him not knowing what was going on, he just was like “okay I dunno why the Pharaoh needs an explanation but I’ll explain.” And just look at him.

Like he’s so overwhelmed and its so sad because yeah he’s finally getting answers about his past but like at the same time he’s not. Just as he was a stranger in Yugi’s body and life now he’s a stranger in his own body and his own life. Unlike the people in his memories he feels out of place and he IS out of place sitting here where everyone knows him and he SHOULD know these people and he DOESN’T.

The scene on the balcony where Yugi can feel his loneliness and Atem is thinking about all of these new but familiar faces he goes, “Everyone here knows who I am. But I don’t know anyone. As a Pharaoh, did I truly understand them? And did they know the real me?” ( Ep 203 11:38) And yet in spite of that he still tried his absolute best to properly navigate being a Pharaoh and he nails it. He steps in himself to deal with Yami Bakura each time, and even though he hasn’t touched a sword in over 3,000 years we see he still knows how to use one just like he still knows how to ride a horse. Any time there is a battle in this arc Atem is front and center being a leader and protecting people or on his way to the battle.

Even though Mahad isn’t there for long (I mean I guess he kind of is because he becomes a card) the scene of him and Atem running into Mana is one of my favorites because that moment Atem realizes that these two were his friends and he did have friends he relaxes and starts flourishing as a pharaoh.

[alwaysrememberjesus]

Put Away The Measuring Stick

“Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’” John 21v15 NIV

It always starts with a piercing question. Not about your resume, not your reputation, not about how many Scriptures you can quote or how well you perform. Just one question: “Do you love Me?”

Peter had failed, denying Jesus three times. And now he is face to face with the One he betrayed. But Jesus didn’t ask for an apology, He asked for love. He didn’t say, “prove yourself,” He said, “feed my sheep.” In other words, put down the measuring stick.

We live in a world obsessed with comparison. We measure ourselves against what they have, what they post, how they look and how gifted they seem. We measure our calling against another’s success, our worth by applause, our anointing by numbers and our faith by how few times we cry. But God has never been impressed by human metrics. He chooses based on love and surrender, not likes or stats.

Moses asked, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh?” (Exodus 3v11) David said, “I am a worm and not a man.” (Psalm 22:6 NIV) He later cried, “I am forgotten as though I were dead.” (Psalm 31:12 NIV) Elijah sat under a tree and begged, “I have had enough Lord. Take my life.” (1 Kings 19:4 NIV) And Job, righteous Job, the one God Himself bragged about, still lost it all. “This man was blameless and upright. He feared God and shunned evil.” (Job 1:1 NIV) But life still hit him hard. If these spiritual giants felt disqualified, forgotten, unworthy, how much more will we? But hear this… God never asked them to measure up; He simply asked them to trust, to love and to follow.

Jesus asked Peter three times, not because He was unsure, but because He was reinstating the call. Each “yes” undid a denial, and each moment of love pushed shame further back. That same grace meets you today. So stop measuring your obedience by results, your identity by your lowest moment and your faith by your feelings. God isn’t checking your height, your hustle, or your highlights… He is after your heart.

The question still stands… “Do you love Me?” And if the answer is yes, then the call is still alive, the assignment is still active, the grace is still sufficient, and the Savior is still calling you forward. Let this be your freedom cry today. Put away the measuring stick. Stop comparing, competing and stop trying to prove what grace has already made available and true… you are loved and chosen. Now get back to feeding sheep.

[aboardthescheherazade]

is it true that they removed mentions of tintin journaling/actually mentioning his job/etc when they redrew some of the older tintin comics? i swear i remember seeing examples of that once but i have no clue where to find them again

I definitely know which post you're talking about, but I can't find it either. I'll try to compile what I remember and/or know about offhand...

For the most part, the most references to Tintin being a reporter come early on in what are considered the "newsprint editions" of the comics. The first nine albums were serialized in Le Petit Vingtieme and Le Soir Jeunesse, and these pages were later re-collected and coloured (and occasionally cut down/rewritten) for what are now known as the "Casterman editions".

Tintin being a reporter is all over Land of the Soviets, and it's introduced as early as page 1. It's the silliest album, but it's also the only album thoroughly revolving around Tintin going on a reporting assignment.

(Soviets pg. 4. By God, look at that guard in the upper right. He looks like the RESPECT! butler)

Tintin is still a reporter in Congo, but it's scaled far back in the redrawn Casterman edition. In the latter, it's kept to one mention in the very first panel, which was also turned into the first appearance of Dupont and Dupond:

(Congo pgs. 1)

Meanwhile, the newsprint edition has a scene where newspaper agents try to scout Tintin as a reporter, I guess because his stories are just that good. He ultimately declines, claiming Petit Vingtieme is paying him way more than what they offer.

(Congo pg. 17)

Now, I'd had a theory that the series just became too plot-focused to keep pausing for references to Tintin's writing, but Reddit user XenophonOfAthens made a good point about Herge being forced to pause discussion of the press and current events after the nazis shut down Le Vingtieme, thus moving Hergé and many of the same staff to the nazi-overseen Le Soir and Le Soir Jeunesse. Tintin had been introduced as Le Petit Vingtieme's boy reporter who child readers could follow along with, but now with a new (heavily monitored) publication, mentions of the "boy reporter" slowly phased out.

One of the more significant edits to Tintin's reporting comes in Cigars of the Pharaoh. Sheik Patrash Pasha originally says he's followed Tintin's adventures for "several years" and presents a then-new Vingtieme publishing of Tintin in America.

In the colour edition, he instead presents Destination Moon. This album was in production at the time of the redraws, and it was one of the first albums to be published outside of Europe...but now Tintin's reaction is especially visceral, since that album involves him going to the moon with two people he hasn't met yet.

(Cigars B&W pg. 39, Casterman pg. 15. I also gave the Sheik's servant in the latter a quick edit because it was somehow worse than the 1933 version)

The last reference to Tintin's reporting for a long while was in The Broken Ear. We are now in the Soir era:

(Broken Ear pgs. 2)

This line never made it past the newsprint version. Tintin hears the news about the museum theft, and originally, he remarks that it'll make for a nice report...but in the reprint, he's just declaring that he'll go to the museum. I feel like the wording in the original could have referred to something specific about the comic's run in Le Soir Jeunesse, but it also could have been removed under the assumption that the reader would be going into this book knowing Tintin is a reporter. He does have a notepad with him through the rest of the page, but without that context, he just seems like a busybody.

I feel like there were a lot more references to his reporting in Le Journal Tintin, which is where the comic moved its publication to. This adds credence to the possibility that readers would be picking up these books knowing Tintin was a reporter, thus it being less of a focus within each album's plot. There do seem to be little hints throughout the albums about Tintin being a reporter...one of these is a moment in Explorers on the Moon where Tintin describes the moon's surface to ground control, and as a writer myself, this to me feels like him gathering his words for a future story:

(Explorers pg. 24)

However, Tintin's reporting is brought up in an album one more time, decades later, in Picaros. Tintin is referred to as a reporter on televised news, so this is at least some confirmation that he does submit journalist work, at least off-camera or between albums:

(pg. 47)

In short, Tintin's reporting started to fade off suspiciously during an era where nazis were breathing down Hergé's neck, then got a little lost in translation, and then ultimately came back.

My theory for Tintin's reporting slowly becoming less important in the albums happened either due to 1. Hergé and co. becoming more interested in writing about other things, 2. the series being moved to a vanity publication that discussed Tintin being a reporter outside of the canon comics, or 3. it got phased out during the Le Soir era because Hergé's supervisors didn't want to promote a gonzo journalist as a hero during a time with heavy political censorship and turmoil. It's completely up in the air.

[astoldbyaja]

Imprint: When the Moon loved the Sun - Ch. 1 (Twilight)

Summary: When a new family moves into La Push and onto the reservation, hostility begins to form between the two families. But when a Paul Lahote imprints on the princess of the enemy pride, the drama grows, but so does the love between she and him. What could be worse? Oh yeah the Volturi stepping in to cause more trouble.

"Mama tell me the story again of Maverick and Andromache." I asked, and my mother smiled a soft smile. She was the most beautiful woman in the world to me. She came from a line of great beauty.

"Alright my little cub." she replied curling into the bed. I emitted a gentle purr as I curled up beneath her breast. "There was once a pride of lions, protected by a strong lion male who was a descendent of a pharaoh. Even though his wife was the true matriarch of the pride, this male protected her and her sisters and cousins and cubs and together the pride ruled a thousand years ago in ancient Egypt. On a beautiful night such as this, the queen gave birth to her first daughter, a beautiful daughter named Andromache named after the Greek wife of Hector. Now Andromache had numerous brothers, all that she knew were her siblings by scent alone. They all smelled the same. They were her army, her medjay.

One day, travelers came to Egypt from Europe to trade goods and spices to the pharaoh. The lion people had never seen such pale skin untouched by the sun, so the pharaoh allowed them safe passage. But when they entered the pharaoh's temple, they were immediately seized, for their scent smelled like something other than human flesh."

"They smelled like animals!" I said happily, and my mother laughed and held me tight licking over my forehead.

"Yes, my cub, they smelled like animals. The pharaoh knew that there were other humans touched by the great animal gods and given the ability to change their human forms to match their animal spirits. So, the king imprisoned the European settlers until he figured out if they were trustworthy or not. He spoke with his queen to gain more wisdom on the subject at hand. The queen thought these men were nothing, weak because they were so few in numbers, and so she advised her husband to let the traders go and offered a feast to rebuild their trust yet again. After numerous conversations, the pharaoh and queen found out the traders were shifters of the wolf!" I scrunched my nose.

"Dogs! Yuck!" I scowled, and my mother nodded in agreement.

"Yes, my cub. Despite this however, the two groups continued their trading. Andromache was very curious of the travelers, and as the only daughter of the pharaoh was invited to the banquet, and there she met Maverick, the wolf prince of the pack. It was in that moment that the two locked eyes and immediately fell in love. Now Andromache's mother would never allow the two to marry, and so over time they would meet in secret and love beneath the stars and moon. Some say his love was so deep for her, that he was willing to die a thousand times over than see her in the arms of another lion…"

"What happened to Maverick and Andromache Mama?" I asked. She smiled almost sadly.

"They parted ways, forced by time and space to forget about each other. Andromache married a lion worthy of her and had numerous cubs and created a strong bloodline of which we are directly born of." she said and slowly slid from my bed and tucked me in beneath the blankets.

"But Mama, how can a lion love a wolf?" I asked.

"Maybe it was a disease that poisoned their minds and made them love each other… or maybe it was something in their spirits." she replied.

"I could never love a wolf. They're smelly and gross." I spouted, and she chuckled lovingly.

"You have been taught well. Rest my darling for tomorrow a new journey begins for you." I looked up at my giant bed that could fit many of my brothers and cousins. Yet I had it all to myself. I blinked and looked at my mother as she moved toward the doorway.

"Wait, Mama, whatever happened to Maverick?" I asked. She paused in the doorway and looked at me with kind eyes.

"Maverick grew up and had a family of his own and died when it was his time….”

There is nothing more sacred or important than family. My family was everything to me. You did what you had to do to protect your pride even during a migration such as this. My father, Leon King, was the protector of our pride. He was strong and powerful. He along with his cousin, Emery, were the only two males not born into our pride but instead accepted into our pride. My mother, Zena, was ruthless, but it was hidden by her innocent like beauty. Raised by a strong mother and aunts, she would do anything to keep power as matriarch. Then there were my older brothers, twins Micah and Leonardo. They were strong too, ready to kill and protect our family. My mother decided it was time to move and find a place to hide ourselves and lay low in. She wanted Florida because it was hot and we loved the heat, but instead she took a major turn, at least in my opinion.

She wanted a place in Washington. Specifically, she wanted La Push and what she wanted, my dad was willing to give. He is a wealthy businessman who bought a large chunk of the land, much to the dismay of the natives who owned the land first. But that meant nothing to my mother, what she cared for was the survival of her pride, and sometimes you must conquer to protect your own. I stared at the moving van from the window of our car while mother sat in the front passenger's seat. She was watching father direct the men as they carried our furniture inside our new home. It was made of wood; something I was not used to.

"You might as well have moved us into a log cabin." I teased.

"The trees will provide perfect shade as there are large fields for grazing. We can hunt if we want or buy food in town. Give it time this entire land will be ours soon." she replied. Her hair was in a long French braid that disappeared down her back. She was in a white crop top and matching long skirt. Her golden sun tattoo that shaped around her naval had a sparkling glow to it. Everyone in our pride had them even the male cubs and my father and uncle were marked with the tattoo. I watched as my brothers helped carry a heavy block of marble inside. It should have taken more men, but with my brothers' strength they did not need the help. It was warm today, so they were shirtless. Micah's caramel-colored locks were pulled up into a messy bun while Leo's locks were braided back.

"You think the natives will try and talk to us?" I asked. Mother gave a light scoff.

"They can bark or howl or talk as much as they want… as long as they do not try and start anything." she replied with little to no interest. I had mixed feelings about just butting in on their land, but I kept said feelings to myself.

"Should we not ask to see if Aunt Ma'at and the others need our help?" I asked, and Mother exhaled leaning back into her seat. Her orange, brown eyes were still watching my father. She was so in love.

"Your aunts and cousins and have their own homes to decorate. Let's give them space to settle in." she said. I only nodded and looked back out watching as the men continued to move our things into the house.

"Can I at least go out and look around?" I asked. Her nose scrunched up at the thought and she looked back at me. Her cocoa skin was flawless, no blemishes marked her.

"If you truly wish to then fine. But stay in the parameter." she said. I bit my lip.

"But there's a beach a couple of minutes away." I added. She inhaled softly and nodded.

"Alright my cub, go, but do not be out long. Once everyone is settled, we have much to discuss with the rest of the pride. If we are going to raise our cubs here, we must be sure everyone is on the same page." she said. I gave a soft hiss of happiness before leaning forward and nuzzling my head against her. She licked the top of my forehead quickly before I got out. I closed the door and began to move toward the street.

"Vitanja." Father called our warningly, and I paused and turned to look at him. He just gave me a familiar look as if telling me to mind my mother's words. I gave a soft hiss in understanding, and he nodded as if giving me permission to continue. I smiled and turned and took off down the road. I wore the same outfit my mother wore and so it flowed behind me as I ran. I loved feeling the wind against my flesh. I could taste it and the water of the beach and its sand. La Push is my home now, and I couldn't wait to experience everything it had to offer.

Author's Notes

63 chapters… buckle up lovelies! Comment if you want to be in the Taglist!!

[ckret2]

I've seen some people theorise that Bill is lying about what actually happened to his home dimension. But I can't find any evidence that supports this. Because he told Ford in weirdmageddon that he liberated his home dimension because it was boring and flat. So, since he knows he broke the 4th wall with tbob, he probably knows that he's a cartoon character and that we've—obviously, since we bought the book—watched the show. So why would he lie to us and make up some huge ass sob story? I want to hear your thoughts about this theory because you're the gravity falls nerd here (Compliment intended). But on another note, I've seen people theorise that he lied (for some reason specifically) about the younger Pine twins only surviving in one, aka this universe. Do you think he might actually be lying about that? Or something else, too?

P.S. Now I'm starting to question if theres a source that confirms that everything in tbob is true, or if this is all logical, and I'm just blind asf, but I'm gonna try and stay away from anonymous to face my fears. 😎

First off—Bill didn't tell the readers a sob story. Bill told us that he liberated his dimension and everyone loved him for it. That is the story he ultimately settled on as the truth.

Two things I think are important:

Bill is a liar; he's not an actor

Bill is not a person; he's a character.

Bill will TELL lies but he can't put on a convincing act. He told Ford he liberated his dimension, but we saw the burning and flames. He told THE READERS he liberated his dimension, but trying to talk about it made him swing into a dissociative state where another story poured out.

I do not think Bill would think to fake dissociating over a horror story, and even if he did try I don't think he could pull it off. Because he sucks at acting, and when he's telling a lie the only emotion he's capable of emoting is =]

Bill is a fictional character in a show where whenever the audience is told a lie, they're told the truth by the end of the episode, and usually within minutes (with the sole exception of Stanley's big secret, but we ARE told he's up to something shady from episode 1 and Stan & Ford's relationship was the one biggest ongoing mystery of the show). Ultimately, whether or not Bill as a person would try to fool us into thinking there's a non-existent sob story is irrelevant. The real question is: would Alex Hirsch?

And no. That's not how he writes. When he has Bill tell a lie, either he quickly unveils the lie or he leaves blatantly obvious clues in the area to reveal the truth.

Bill lies "I don't miss Ford," the blatantly obvious clue is his wild bender. Bill lies "the pharaoh loved me," the blatantly obvious clue is a quote from the pharaoh about how much he hates Bill. Bill lies "I liberated my dimension and everyone loved me," the blatantly obvious clue is his redacted story about the day.

There are no clues to suggest he's lying about his sob story. He tried to hide his sob story, and Bill's not subtle enough for the reverse psychology of hiding a sob story to make it look more true.

I figure the "they only survive in one timeline" thing is simply Alex going for something dramatic while not thinking too hard about how mathematically improbable it is.

[malfiora]

The Sacred Bargain

What Ryou promises Yami Bakura in on Duelist Island.

When Ryou is introduced in the original Yu-Gi-Oh manga (in the Millennium Enemy arc), he is shown to be meek and hungry for, though wary of making, friends. This is because all his previous friends had landed in comas after playing his favorite game, Monster World, with him. When Yugi and gang offer to play with him, he discloses this fear to them. The gang decides to play with him anyway to help him get over his fear.

Of course, the Spirit of the Millennium Ring takes over Ryou and pretends to be him so that they can play together and he can steal the Millennium Puzzle. He traps the kids' souls in their player character dolls. And this plan might have worked if not for two things: (1) Yami Yugi inhabiting Yugi's body and thus free to continue the game, and (2) Ryou's autonomy and love for his new friends. He helps the gang defeat mini Zorc, though it costs him his soul at first. (Yami Yugi is able to restore it because a part of his soul was trapped in his own player piece.)

This demonstrates Ryou's selflessness when it comes to protecting his loved ones. He doesn't mind sacrificing himself if he knows they will be safe. So fast forward to Duelist Kingdom:

Ryou isn't wearing the Ring, preventing the Spirit from taking over his body again. But it can still talk to him. And when Yugi and friends seem trapped in the Maze Brothers'...maze, the Spirit offers to help, if only Ryou will wear the Ring again. Of course, Ryou declines at first, but as the situation grows more dire, Ryou finally agrees, but if and only if the Spirit helps his friends escape. And the Spirit does help! He distracts the Maze Brothers, allowing Yami Yugi to choose the correct door that the gang then escapes through.

Important to note: from this point onwards, the audience is locked out of Ryou's head and can no longer hear his conversations with the Spirit.

Yami Bakura continues being helpful, aiding Yugi in getting his puzzle back from Otogi. (Obviously, this doesn't quite last, since the Spirit teams up with Marik to try and get the Puzzle and other Items. However – the Spirit does not target Ryou's friends. This is important.)

Right after Battle City, a recently freed Ryou helps the others search for the Kaiba Brothers before the island blows up. He passes by Yugi's room and sees the Millennium Ring. Without hesitation he enters the room, grabs the Ring, and puts it back on.

Why is this important?

Well, the only time previous to this that we see Ryou willingly put the Ring back on is in Duelist Kingdom, which was preceded by him and the Spirit striking a bargain. This suggests that Ryou had struck another, more encompassing deal, to continue wearing the Ring in exchange for something. Given his character, it probably is the continued protection of his friends. Essentially: Ryou will continue helping the Spirit if in turn he agrees not to harm Ryou's friends.

Two things corroborate this:

(1) The Spirit generally leaves Ryou and his friends alone until plot happens, and even then he doesn't really put the gang in harm's way; often they're just there. He even helps Yugi get the Items back after someone tries to steal them. From Duelist Kingdom onward, he only targets the Pharaoh.

(2) Ryou helps the Spirit build the ancient Egypt diorama. This is said in a throwaway line by the Spirit to the Pharaoh, one that is most likely true since there is no benefit to lying in this moment (and we don't usually see the Spirit outright lie).

So, in exchange for Ryou's compliance and participation in his plans, Yami Bakura agrees to keep Ryou's friends out of the way of said plans. What I love about this interpretation is that it underscores the transactional relationship these two have had from the beginning. The Spirit sees Ryou as his landlord whom he must repay somehow. And the moment he is overpowered by Ryou, his only way of regaining any leverage is to bargain with Ryou. And if it worked once, why not continue using that method?

Instead of a Faustian bargain, in which someone gives up something precious for something material, Ryou makes a sacred bargain, using his autonomy to buy his friends' protection. That Ryou could even engage with the Spirit in this way successfully proves that he really is the Spirit's perfect vessel.

(I'll add manga screenshots later if I feel like it.)