#and don’t you dare say AP World

[bifr0oo0g]

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[azzibuckets]

For the Love of the Game [Pazzi | Part 10/10]

paige bueckers x azzi fudd

summary: the end 🙏

a/n: decided to combine the last two chapters into one! don’t mind the abrupt ending

word count: 2.1k

masterlist w/ all parts

“You and Paige played together on the U16 and U17 USA Basketball teams, where you guys won a championship at the 2018 FIBA World Cup. Has there been a noticeable difference in your on-court chemistry from USA Baskerball to UConn after the development of your more personal relationship?”

Azzi stared at Leo blankly. “With Paige’s ACL, we haven’t gotten many opportunities to play together yet, so I wouldn’t know.”

Leo raised her eyebrows expectantly. When Azzi crossed her arms and looked away, refusing to speak anymore, she sighed in frustration and clicked her pen. “Okay…” she drawled out. Her eyes scanned her notes for the next question. “Paige was the first freshman to win the AP and Naismith Player of the Year. Although she’s still an underclassman, it would be fair to say she has a lot of valuable experience and natural leadership. What have you personally learned from Paige?”

“That she’s a fuck ass bitch,” Azzi whispered under her breath.

Leo leaned forward. “What was that?”

“Nothing.” Azzi smiled charmingly at the blinking red dot on the camera. “Paige definitely makes her presence known on the court.“ She paused, gathering her thoughts. Leo sent her an encouraging smile, her pen finally scribbling for the first time in the entire interview.

Azzi thought back to the way Paige had used to speak to her, both in their time playing together at USA Basketball and in the months leading up to their agreement. “It’s the fact that you can’t shoot a mid ranger without getting the ball turned over. These are basic foundations of basketball, Fudd. You’re playing college ball now. It’s time to grow up.” Paige had spat, months earlier. Azzi pursed her lips, her anger further fueled from the words they’d thrown at each other in the hospital bathroom the week before. “If she sees a weakness or a flaw in your play, she won’t hesitate to point it out. She likes having her way with things.” Leo’s smile slowly faded. “She has a whole system set up at UConn, and if you dare challenge it, she’ll make you regret it.” By the end of her rant, Azzi was rigid in her seat, the tips of her ears on fire as she riled herself up.

Leo’s pen slowly started moving. She aggressively slammed down her pen and paused the camera. “We can’t use that!”

Azzi looked innocently at her. “Why not?”

“No one is gonna watch this film and think you guys are dating with the way you’re speaking about her,” Leo scowled.

Azzi rolled her eyes. “I doubt Paige said anything positive about me either. Why can’t you just bin the interviews and work with the segments you already have?”

“No, she didn’t,” Leo answered roughly. “Paige gave great answers. You’re the one that’s hard to work with.”

Azzi’s leg stopped jittering. “What do you mean great answers?”

Leo clicked away on her laptop before swiveling it around to face the dark haired girl. “Watch,” she demanded, pressing play.

The video was dark and muted at first, until someone adjusted the camera and it showed Paige, sitting in one of those director’s cameras. A mic was attached to the collar of her jersey, and her hair was pinned up in her signature two braids and ponytail. Azzi’s heart ached. This was her first time seeing Paige since their incident in the bathroom, and she looked good. Better than good. She’d obviously recovered well from her surgery; her skin was glowing and the bags under her eyes were lighter than normal. Her deep blue eyes were sparkling, and she looked in a good mood.

Leo’s voice filtered in from off camera. “What do you like about Azzi?”

Paige smiled uneasily. “Basketball wise or uh,” she shifted in her seat, “girlfriend wise?”

“Both.”

“Well, in terms of basketball, I don’t really have to speak for her,” Paige laughed all nervous, and Azzi could feel her blood pumping faster through her veins. “I mean, everyone knows how good she is. She has a killer pull-up and unlimited range. Her jump shot is perfect, and she’s lethal with her catch and shoot threes.”

At that moment, Leo cut in. “Many people have been saying that with you out, UConn suffers a major drawback. Are you worried about the position of your team without your guidance on the court?”

Paige’s expression changed. “I hear that, and I understand that, but honestly, I’m not as worried as people think I am. Each player on the team is a valuable asset. If we’re talking about Azzi, she’s been putting in extra work to expand her offensive role ever since my injury. I’ve been watching her at practice, and let’s just say, I think that other teams should be even more scared of UConn this upcoming season.”

Azzi felt like someone had just dumped an entire bucket of ice water on her head. What was Paige saying? She’d expected Paige to be condescending, that of course the team was going to suffer badly without her, to laugh at the idea that Azzi would be able to compensate for her loss. But here Paige was, talking about Azzi like she’d hung the damn moon.

Leo’s voice on the video brought her back to attention. “Now, what about personally? You and Azzi have been recently named the ‘it couple’ of women’s baseball, even despite your…” Leo hesitated as she searched for the right word, “tumultuous history. We’d love to learn about what you appreciate about who fans have dubbed as the people’s princess.”

Paige smiled tightly. Azzi noticed her tapping her finger against the side of her leg, a nervous tic that not many people knew she had. “Azzi is a really good person.”

“Can you expand on that?”

Paige’s eyes focused on her lap. “She’s very selfless. Especially in the beginning, I struggled a lot mentally with my injury. Basketball means the world to me, and not being able to play it is devastating. But Azzi, you know, she’s torn her ACL before. She was there for me in the whole process, driving me to rehab sessions and making sure I always ate and doing stupid things with me to get my mind off my knee.” A faint smile flickered on the blonde’s lips as she thought to herself. “I probably wouldn’t have survived it without her.”

Azzi swallowed, trying to dissipate the knot forming in her throat. She’d been so furious at Paige just moments before - for minimizing her struggle to find her sexual identity, for trying to make their situation and her feelings so black and white when everything was a muddled grey for her. And now, Azzi was positively vibrating, like she was a little schoolgirl whose crush had just complimented her.

“You see?” Leo shut her laptop, giving Azzi a pointed look. “This is what we’re aiming for.”

Azzi rubbed her palms together, thinking. Paige had callen her confusing, but right now, Paige was the confusing one. She’d essentially told Azzi to go away and never speak to her again, and then pulled shit like this. How could Azzi stay away from her when Paige was putting her name on a banner and waving it for everyone to see?

———————

Paige studied the notepad of plays in front of her. When the circles and xs and lines started blurring together on the paper from her staring at it so hard, she exhaled, letting her eyes shut for a moment.

“Hey,” Geno said gently from besides her. “Stop stressing. The girls got it.”

Paige nodded, looking up to watch her team as they warmed up for the season opener. Every bone in her body itched to be out there, stretching and warming up her shots with her girls. But she couldn’t, and right now she had to trust her team. Besides, she had an important job out here too. She’d helped draw up half of these plays, going over the strategy and who to place where in order to maximize each player’s individual talents and get as many points as possible.

Her eyes fell on Azzi. She looked nervous for her first official debut of her college career, and Paige wanted to mentally send her a message - to tell her to keep her chin up, to play as hard as possible and show everyone why she was the #1 high school recruit of her class. But Paige knew that talking to Azzi now for the first time in a month would probably heighten the girl’s nerves even more, so she kept her mouth shut, forcing herself to look away.

At half time of the game, Azzi had already scored 10 points, but Paige could tell that she was off. The crowds in the stands were large and loud, even for a season opener, and she could tell it was getting to the younger girl’s head by the way she kept missing shots she normally would’ve aced.

Someone tapped Paige’s shoulder from behind her. She turned around and saw a few guys sitting together who looked like they attended UConn. “Hey,” one of them nodded. “You miss being part of the action?”

Paige liked talking to fans, but right now she wanted to focus on the game, so she only gave a quick nod in response before turning around.

Soon, another tap came. Trying not to roll her eyes, she turned around again. “Yes?”

“It looks like your team needs you,” one of the guys chuckled, his eyes fixed on the court. Paige followed his gaze to the girls playing, and right on cue, Azzi sailed another shot. Paige’s heart lurched as the younger girl bit her lip and sprinted back to defense, a hollow look in her eyes.

“You carry the team, bro. Number 35 just missed again. You might need to give her some pointers.” The guy grinned at her, as if what he’d said was a compliment. Then, as if he couldn’t get any more audacity, he whipped out a Sharpie and dropped it on her lap. “By the way, can you sign my jersey?”

Paige stared in disbelief at the Sharpie before she picked it up and threw it at his face. She felt a sadistic sense of satisfaction as the Sharpie hit the guy right in the eye and he howled, hands going to up to massage the area.

“I’m not signing any of your shit,” she growled. “Number 35 has a name, and Azzi Fudd would drop 20 on your sorry ass any day.” With that, she turned around, fury pulsing through her veins and enlivening her senses. She secretly applauded herself for having the self control not to punch the living daylights out of that guy right then and there.

Thankfully, Azzi seemed to get ahold of her nerves after Geno’s inspiring speech at half, going on to score 10 additional points while barely missing any more shots, an impressive performance for a freshman debut. The game ended with Aaliyah pulling through to hit the game-winning buzzer beater.

Deciding that was cause for celebration, the team decided to go to Tim’s for drinks together after. Paige went straight to the bar as soon as they arrived, ordering a Shirley Temple. When she turned around, she came face to face with the guys from the game earlier.

“Hey,” one of them smirked. “Go tell your lesbo girlfriend good job for me. She looked a little rusty tonight but if you give her my number I can help her with that.” Laughing, he threw a crumpled up piece of paper at Paige, hitting her in the chest, and that’s when everything went red.

Flinging her crutches to the side, Paige moved towards him with a ferocity she’d never felt, grabbing the collar of his shirt. “Listen here, motherfucker,” she hissed. “Clearly your mother didn’t teach you any manners so I guess it’s up to me.” She let go, and the guy stumbled back, fear in his eyes. Then she reared her first back and punched him.

The guy cried out in pain, blood gushing from his nose. Incensed, his friends turned on Paige. “Come on,” she becked her hands at them. “Give me all you’ve got.” The guy she’d hit with the Sharpie earlier lunged towards her, but before he could reach her, hands grabbed Paige’s hips and pulled her back.

“What the fuck are you doing?” A familiar voice growled into her ear, restraining Paige as her other teammates rushed to intervene.

“I was giving them what they deserved,” Paige said bitterly, turning away from the scene. She shook out her hand, her knuckles aching.

“In case you haven’t noticed, there’s three of them and one of you.” Azzi forcefully moved Paige’s hips so that they were facing each other now. “What the hell has gotten into you?”

“Azzi! Take Paige away before she does any more damage,” Nika demanded as one of the guys she was pushing away started spitting curses at Paige.

Azzi grabbed Paige’s crutches, marching her off to the bathroom. She slammed the door behind them, anger evident in the slanting of her eyebrows and flattening of her mouth. “Are you serious, Paige? Getting into fights at the bar? You could get a suspension for this!”

“It doesn’t matter.” Paige fixed her eyes on the peeling paint on the wall. “I can’t even play anyways.”

“You said you don’t need my help.” Azzi paced back and forth angrily. “But here you are, throwing yourself at the hands of three grown men.”

“I didn’t need your help. I had the situation under control,” Paige said coldly.

Azzi grabbed Paige’s shoulders, shaking them. “You’re in crutches, Paige. You can barely even move. I get that you’re frustrated with your injury but you can’t just ignore it!” Azzi slumped against the sink, her head in her hands. “Why’d you even start attacking them anyways? Nothing is worth putting yourself in danger like that.”

You’re worth it, Paige thought. But she stayed quiet, hoping Azzi’s anger would blow over.

“Are you serious? You’re not even gonna tell me what started this whole thing?” Azzi threw up her hands in exasperation. “Is this what you’re like now? Being all moody and mysterious and hitting people whenever you feel like it? I don’t even know you anymore.”

Paige clenched and unclenched her fist. The soreness was starting to get her. Azzi must’ve noticed, because she took her hand and examined it.

“It’s gonna bruise,” Azzi said, her voice now soft.

Paige shrugged.

Sighing, Azzi gently led Paige’s hand under the faucet. She gently washed away the blood on her knuckles. Paige flinched - not at the pain, but from the all too familiar feeling of Azzi’s fingers touching her.

Azzi managed to find some bandages after rummaging through the cabinets. She slowly wrapped the gauze around Paige’s knuckles, her touch sending electric sparks through Paige’s hand. Neither of them spoke as Azzi patched her up, the tension in the air thick.

Paige swallowed, the silence becoming overbearing. “They were saying things about you.”

Azzi’s eyes shot up, her hand stilling. “What?”

Paige ducked her head, avoiding her stare. “The guys. They were at the game and making stupid comments the entire time, and I mostly ignored them.” She huffed. “But then they came here, and when they said something else, I just lost it.”

Azzi’s jaw clenched. She finished wounding the bandage, but she didn’t let go of Paige’s hand, and Paige didn’t move either. “I don’t need you defending my honor,” Azzi said quietly. Her thumb brushed once against Paige’s knuckles. “People like those guys are always gonna talk. It’s better to just ignore them and not give them what they want.”

Paige grunted, clearly not heeding Azzi’s words.

Azzi’s lips parted. “I miss you.”

Paige grinded her teeth.

“And I know you miss me too.” Azzi put her finger under Paige’s chin, forcing her to make eye contact. “I watched your interview with Leo.”

Paige cursed. “I told her not to show you that.”

“I would’ve seen it eventually, once she published her film.” Azzi studied the blonde’s face, memorizing the features she’d missed so much. Her long eyelashes, the way they fluttered. The wrinkle in the corner of her eyebrow. The turn of her pretty pink lips.

“I know you’re angry that I couldn’t tell you what I wanted. I was still figuring myself out. And these past few weeks, I’ve been working at it. Trying to come to terms with my sexuality.” Azzi took a deep breath, stepping closer. Paige’s hands instinctively went down, brushing the younger girl’s waist as the distance between them grew closer.

“I think I’m bi,” Azzi breathed out. “And if you can’t respect that, then I don’t think we can be together. But I don’t think my sexuality was the issue. I think that you were hurting, and you were impatient, and you wanted an immediate answer, and when I couldn’t give that to you, you ran away.”

Paige’s eyebrows furrowed.

“We’re killing each other, P,” Azzi whispered. “It’s torture not being able to see you and kiss you every day. And you’re obviously not coping with it any better than I am.” She brought her hands to cup Paige’s face, pressing their foreheads together. Paige relaxed, leaning into her touch.

“I need you, Paige,” Azzi begged. “I need us.”

Paige’s heart erupted, and she closed the gap between them, bringing her lips to Azzi’s and pulling her in for a bruising kiss. Azzi gasped, but recovered quickly, tangling her hands into Paige’s hair.

“‘M sorry,” Paige breathed as soon as they broke apart. “I was so awful. I should’ve never made you feel stupid for trying to figure out your sexuality.” She bit her lip, anguish in her eyes. “It’s just always been so easy for me. I’ve always known I liked girls. I was being hot-headed and I didn’t consider how you were feeling.”

Azzi laughed. “Yeah, that was pretty shitty of you. But I did some selfish shit too.” She nudged her nose with Paige’s. “And I think it’d be fair to call us even.”

Paige trailed her hands up Azzi’s sides. “What I told you at my surgery was complete bullshit. You’re always on my mind, driving me fuckin’ insane. I’ve missed you so much.”

“I know. Getting into fights and everything. A little part of me is flattered,” Azzi joked. Paige groaned in embarrassment, hiding her face in the crease of Azzi’s neck. Azzi brought her hands up to rub her back in calming circles. “Everything’s over. We went on the Europe trip, where you ignored me the whole time,” she laughed at that. “And Leo’s done with her film. She’s set to submit it tomorrow.”

Paige nodded, drawing back to look Azzi in the eye. “No more of this fake dating shit. I want you to be my girl for real.” She tenderly caressed Azzi’s cheek, not believing how someone as beautiful and kind as Azzi could want someone like her. “I meant everything I said in the interview, ya know? About how talented you are at basketball and how selfless you are in real life.”

“I know,” Azzi whispered, “I know.”

“I’m gonna take you on a date,” Paige rambled. “A good fucking date. The best date you’ve ever had. Gonna make you forget about all the other girls you’ve ever been with.”

“That sounds great, baby,” Azzi giggled softly, her hand playing with the wisps of hair at the base of Pige’s neck.

“Gonna make you fall in love with me,” Paige mumbled, her head dropping on Azzi’s shoulder. Azzi smiled. You already have, she thought silently.

[seeyounexttime]

play us out Roundabout!  💃 🕺

of course I had to make a JoJo reference -- Dante’s English VA is Dio’s!!

.

So like, real shit, pretty much nothing of what we see of Dante's thoughts, words or actions is congruent with Lucius's plans...

Lucius calls himself "savior of the world."

Dante says "If you're calling me evil though, I take that as a compliment"

Dante straight-up laughs and says that Yami is "going to open up a world that's far more magnificent!!" which is "A world crawling with devils. A place that will brim over with every sort of malice." – and Dante is "really looking forward to this!!"

Lucius's mission "For the sake of true peace, a peace without sadness or hatred, war or discrimination." Where he'll "repair all humans" and "make them into fortunate people who are equal in every respect."

Dante meanwhile "Animals have no malice. It's the supreme emotion, one that only humans developed! You must have felt it yourself. Anger. Hatred. Revenge. Destruction! The power of malice!! When you unleash your darkest emotions... that's when you're most human. Evil is the true shape of humanity."

and he repeatedly thanks and compliments Yami for making him feel new malice and jealousy

When Lucius grabs Sister Lily he says "Let me show you a human who is truly happy." Which apparently to him means brainwashing and paladinizing them.

Lucius calls Asta a flaw and wants to eliminate him.

Dante is apparently amused by Asta and says:

"Even if our ranks are different, we're both possessed by devils. We should be able to see eye to eye."

When Asta rejects Dante's ideas, Dante goes "I guess there's no choice. I'll wake up your true feelings for you" and stabs Gauche. In Dante's undeniably fucked-up view, he's doing Asta a favor

He's happy when Asta goes berserk, even saying "Now that's what makes you human!!!"

And as Asta is losing it, he says "I wanted to get your story... but you're out of control, and I guess now isn't the time."

He apparently genuinely wanted to have a chat with Asta. It's true that Dante beats Asta up, but as we see later, Dante could've done so much worse to him. He could've ripped him apart if he actually felt like it. Arguably, that beating was Dante going easy on Asta. Not only that, when Dante is asking Yami how he acquired "so many people with such unique magic" the panel shows Vanessa, Grey and berserk Asta.

I guess he was going to take all of them with him? I don't think Dante is as...interested in Asta the way he is with Yami but he does seem keen on bringing Asta to the dark side [insert "don't you want to go ape shit" meme here]

(also I've actually seen quite a bit of art where Dante adopts Asta 😁)

And then to top it off, Dante's moment of... dare I say... vulnerability with Yami. "I was bored. Tired of everything. Nothing... satisfied my malice." If you look at the page...

–this apparently includes the freaking coup and killing the king. Dante already had devil power at that time, but he still wasn't happy...

Either there's an actual rift between Dante and Lucius, or one of them came along later than some of you would like to believe.

[welcometojackass2022]

Get A Life! (Johnny Knoxville x Bam Margera’s Sister! Reader) [Smut]

Thank you to the anon who requested this! The one where the reader is Bam’s sister who hooks up with Steve-O will probably be after this one and I’ll try to make that one way different than this one despite having a similar concept. This takes place sometime around 2002, when the first movie was being filmed.

Description: You’re Bam’s sister, and you end up hooking up with Johnny Knoxville one night after finally meeting everyone in the Jackass crew. Bam finds out and gets pissed off right away, but you quickly call him out for being a dick.

Warnings: Cursing, Smut, Hooking Up/One Night Stand, Bam being a dick

Note: I’m a little tired out of writing Johnny smut, so the smut here is a little short. There’s a lot more emphasis on plot here than on the sex.

“You know, Bam, you’d think that you would have introduced me to your friends by now, seeing as how you’ve been filming a hit TV show with them for five fucking years now.” You leaned your head back against the headrest of your car seat and stared at your brother, who was currently driving down the highway going at least twenty miles over the speed limit. Bam rolled his eyes and kept his gaze on the road, clearly not understanding what the big deal was. “The show ended two years ago, dumbass. And anyway, why would I want to introduce my friends to my sister? What are they gonna get out of meeting your lame ass anyway?” You flipped him off. “Screw you, dick. You’re literally filming a movie with them right now, don’t act like you haven’t seen them since the show ended. And why wouldn’t you introduce me to them?? They’ve met Jess and our parents, why shouldn’t they meet me too?” Bam shook his head. “Jess is cool, and Ape and Phil are fun to pick on. You’re just my annoying little sister.”

You scoffed, turning to stare out the window. “We’re barely a year apart, dipshit, you act like I’m twelve.” The two of you were currently heading to the set of the movie that Bam and the Jackass crew were in the middle of filming. Bam had been working with all of them for several years at this point, and yet he’d never once introduced you to any of them, which was why you’d finally bugged him into letting you tag along for the day. You could never understand why he was so insistent on you not meeting any of them, especially since he didn’t seem to have an issue with you knowing any of his CKY friends—then again, he’d known all of them for years, so you’d basically grown up with all of them. The Jackass boys were total strangers. “I don’t know why you’re so worried about me meeting them. It’s not like they’re too cool to meet me, you’ve always described them like they’re total losers. You said Dave shits himself, and Ehren gets picked on all the time, and Steve-O does nasty stuff just for dares. The only one who sounds even remotely cool is Johnny, and you barely talk about him.”

Bam looked out the car window and mumbled to himself. “Johnny’s the one I’m worried about.” You stared at him. “Huh?” Bam shook his head and looked back at the road again. “I didn’t say anything, fuckface. Listen, they’re not the most cool guys in the world, but they’re still my friends, and I don’t need you to be embarrassing in front of them. Don’t ask them stupid questions, don’t try to get autographs for your dumb friends, and don’t try to hook up with any of them.” You rolled your eyes. “I wasn’t planning on doing any of that, but if I want to then I will. I’m an adult, Bam, you’re not the boss of me.” Bam made a face, but didn’t reply, and you looked out the window again. Not once had he ever felt the need to tell you to act cool in front of his CKY friends or to tell you not to hook up with any of them, so his insistence on doing so for his Jackass friends only confused you. He acted like you were an annoying little girl and not a grown woman, like he was your parent instead of just your slightly older brother.

Bam pulled his car into the parking lot of the filming site and grumpily unbuckled his seat belt, getting out and slamming the door. You followed his lead, shaking your head at his toddler-like behavior and adjusting your outfit as he led you into the building. The two of you wandered around for a moment as Bam looked for the guys, and then you heard the sound of laughter from one of the rooms and sure enough, a large group of men were standing around one of the rooms, drinking beer and talking about god knows what. Bam grinned and pushed you inside, closing the door behind him. “Guys! Look who I brought.” All of the men stared at you, and you shuffled around awkwardly as you waited for a reaction. After a moment, a man wearing sunglasses and floppy converse shoes, who you immediately identified as Johnny Knoxville, tipped his beer at you and smiled. “You must be the famous Margera sister we’ve heard so much about!” You laughed. “That would be me! I’m sure Bam’s said some lovely things.” Johnny laughed. “No comment.”

He reached out to shake your hand, and you eagerly returned it. “I’ll say this, he certainly left out a few details about you.” You grimaced. “Did he? I’m sure I can guess which ones.” Johnny grinned at you. “Yeah, from the way he talked about you, I assumed you were at least ten years younger and at least five times less attractive, so imagine how surprised I am that you’re actually a super cute adult woman.” You looked away, trying to hide how flustered you were, and Bam made an annoyed sound from behind you. “Don’t inflate her ego, Knoxville, she’s already a spoiled brat. Stop bothering Johnny and say hi to everyone else, (Y/n).” You considered pointing out that Johnny was the one who spoke to you first, but you decided against it. Bam was impossible to argue with. You introduced yourself to everyone else, which was easy enough considering how recognizable all of their faces were. Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Dave England, Danger Ehren, Wee Man, and Preston Lacy, all men you’d seen so many times on TV before. Ryan, who you’d already known for years, merely nodded at you from the corner of the room. “Hey, (Y/n).”

You smiled. “Hey, Dunn.” The rest of the guys seemed incredibly friendly, and you were quickly accepted into their little group as if you’d always been there, everyone taking turns asking you questions about what it was like growing up with Bam. They were all nice, but you quickly found yourself being drawn to Johnny the most. He was incredibly funny and sweet, and also the hottest man you’d ever met in your entire life. Throughout the conversation, the two of you seemed to make eye contact every few minutes, and you could tell he really wanted to talk to you without having all of the other guys around. Eventually, everyone decided it was time to head outside and start filming, and they slowly poured out of the room towards the lot. You started to follow them, but Bam grabbed your arm and gave you a look. “No chance are you coming out there with us.” Your mouth fell open in protest. “What? Why did you even invite me if I can’t come outside and watch you guys?” Johnny, who had lingered by the door when everyone left, chimed in to defend you.

“Let her come out and watch, Bam, she’s not gonna hurt anything. She can handle it, can’t you (Y/n)?” You smiled, and Bam rolled his eyes and released your arm. “Fine, just don’t be fucking annoying.” He looked between you and Johnny with an unreadable expression and then slowly walked out. You watched him go, wondering what his problem was, and then turned to Johnny. “Thanks for that, he’s such an asshole sometimes for no reason. I literally haven’t done anything and yet he acts like I’m gonna burn the set down on accident.” Johnny laughed. “Aw, I think he’s just protective of you, even if he tries to act like he isn’t.” You shrugged. “Maybe. He’s such a dick about it, though. Earlier he told me I’m not allowed to hook up with any of you guys, as if that’s up to him. I hadn’t even said anything about trying to do that, so I don’t know why he brought it up in the first place.” Johnny glanced towards the door to make sure no one was there, and then he took his sunglasses off and looked at you, wiping them on his shirt to seem casual.

“Are you gonna try and do that? Hook up with any of us, I mean.” You stared at him for a second, slowly realizing what he was implying, and then your face lit up. “Oh, I mean…I might, if someone happens to ask me.” You looked up at him and smiled, hoping your intentions were clear, and a massive grin spread across his face, his shoulders relaxing as he realized you were on the same page. “Is that so? Well, I have a very strong feeling that someone is going to ask you, so try and keep your plans open for tonight. Oh! That reminds me, we’re all going to hang out at this one bar in town later, you should come with us.” You tilted your head in thought. “Hmm, that sounds fun. I don’t know if Bam would want me to tag along, though, he seems pretty annoyed with me already.” Johnny patted you on the back, walking with you towards the door. “Bam’s not in charge, sugar, you can come whether he likes it or not.” You smiled. “Yeah, that’s true. Alright, I’ll go then!” Johnny grinned and clapped his hands together. “Great! Come on sugar, let’s go on outside.”

You spent the rest of the afternoon watching the Jackass guys film stunts for the movie. The guys were all exactly as Bam had described them to you; Dave could shit on command, Ehren seemed to get picked for the worst tasks, Preston got made fun of a lot, Chris was sweet and fun loving, and Johnny was cool as fuck. The rest of the guys were all nice to you, and you tried your best to pay attention throughout the various stunts, but you found yourself staring at Johnny for nearly the entire day. He’d taken his shirt off because of the heat, and was walking around in nothing but his tight jeans and sunglasses, his body slightly shiny with sweat. You’d been instructed to stay at least a few hundred feet back so you didn’t get hurt, and every now and then, Johnny would glance back at you and flash you a grin or a wink. Bam had noticed the flirty behavior by this point, and he purposefully tried to stand in a spot that would block you and Johnny from making eye contact. You rolled your eyes at his immature behavior.

When the sun started to set, everyone started packing up to leave, and Johnny motioned you over. “We’re gonna head to that bar now if you still wanna come, sugar.” Bam shook his head. “She’s not going.” You frowned. “You don’t make the rules, Bam, I’ll go if I want to. And I do want to go, Johnny.” Bam challengingly crossed his arms and stared back at you. “I don’t think so, (Y/n). I’m your ride, and I’m not going, so you’re not going either.” Your shoulders slumped, and you turned to give Johnny a disappointed look. “Guess that’s not happening.” Johnny laughed. “Don’t be so sure about that. My car has more than one seat, sugar, I can just give you a ride to the bar.” Your face lit up. “Really? Holy shit, that would be so awesome, thank you!” Bam looked pissed, but he knew there was nothing he could say to stop you from going with Johnny, so he simply stormed off to get in his Lamborghini. You shook your head as you watched him go. “What a fucking dick.”

Johnny led you to his car, turning back to tell the rest of the guys he’d see them at the bar in a few minutes. “Like I said, I’m sure he’s just protecting you. Probably just wants to make sure you get home safely tonight. Don’t worry, I’ll drive you home as soon as you’re ready to leave, alright?” You nodded, smiling. “Thanks, Johnny.” As he drove you to the bar, he made small talk with you, mostly about you and Bam’s childhoods. “So you’ve known Ryan for a pretty long time then, right? And Dico and Raab Himself and Novak and Rake?” You nodded, smiling as you thought about how long you’d known them. “Yeah, I mean, me and Bam are so close in age that I pretty much got to tag along with him and his friends any time they went somewhere. I’ve known them for as long as Bam’s known them.” Johnny raised his eyebrows. “That’s what I figured, but I’m kinda curious to know—why aren’t you in any of the CKY videos if you hung out with them so much?”

You frowned, leaning back in your seat as you sighed. “Bam.” Johnny winced sympathetically. “He wouldn’t let you be in any of them?” You nodded. “Actually, I was there for a lot of the stunts and pranks and shit that they filmed, but Bam always edited me out of all the clips and wouldn’t let me do anything. I had to stand off to the side and watch. Dico even asked Bam to let me be in the videos a little bit cuz he thinks I’m funny, but Bam doesn’t agree. But at least he let me hang around them, I guess. With you guys he’s never even suggested letting me meet any of you. I had to literally beg him to let me come with him to set today, and he only agreed cuz I’m staying at his house for the weekend and he doesn’t wanna leave me there while he goes to work cuz he thinks I’ll mess with his stuff.” Johnny grimaced. “Yeah, I wondered why we’d never met you until now. Seemed odd that he’d let us meet his brother and his parents but not you.” You nodded, eyes widening. “I know, right!”

Johnny pulled into the parking lot of the bar, the rest of the guys pulling in around the same time, and you shook your head as you got out of the car. “I haven’t seen him act as immature as he did today since that time he thought Dico and I had a crush on each other.” Johnny chuckled. “Aw, did you?” You playfully rolled your eyes and followed him to the door of the bar. “Nah, Dico’s too weird to date. Bam just saw us laughing and talking to each other during a house party and for some reason he immediately assumed we were gonna jump each others bones or something. You should have seen him that night, I thought he was gonna rip Dico’s head off.” Johnny opened the door for you, and the two of you walked inside to sit at a table with the rest of the guys. “Damn, was he that mad?” You nodded. “Yeah, he was pretty pissed. Told Dico to keep his dirty paws off of me and then made me go home, it was incredibly embarrassing.” Johnny tried to hide his laugh, and you shot him a look. “Is my pain funny to you, Knoxville?” He grinned. “Just a little bit, sugar.”

You sat down between Johnny and Chris Pontius, watching in amazement as Steve-O drank a shot without using his hands; Chris ordered a bunch of plates of appetizers for the table, and everyone started talking about what the plans were for the next day of filming. After a moment, the focus shifted to you, and suddenly everyone was staring at you just as they had earlier. Dave spoke first. “So, now that Bam’s gone…tell us all the shit you have on him, (Y/n).” You snorted with laughter. “Shit? I hate to break it to you, but Bam’s pretty open about his issues. Trust me, there’s nothing about him that you don’t already know. Not a whole lot of depth there.” Ryan took a sip from his beer and smirked. “About time he introduced you to the group.” You nodded. “Yeah, I know, he really took his time letting me meet his friends.” Ryan shrugged. “Maybe he thought everyone would like you better and we’d all kick him out and replace him with you for the movie.” You laughed. “Maybe. I wouldn’t mind that, honestly.”

Chris nearly choked on his drink from laughing, and Dave cracked a joke about how they needed Bam because without him there wouldn’t be anyone to whine about stuff the way he did. You smiled. “Yeah, Bam’s always been a little whiny. I remember one time where I woke him up with an airhorn to get back at him for dumping the liquid out of my perfume bottle and replacing it with his piss. You would have thought I killed someone in front of him, he loves pranking people but can’t handle it when they retaliate.” Chris made a face and spit the sip of beer he’d just taken back into the bottle. “He replaced your perfume with piss? He’s lucky all you did was use an airhorn on him, I would have pissed on his face while he was asleep or something.” You shook your head. “He would have flipped his shit. I would have woken up the next morning with my hair completely chopped off and a mustache tattooed on my face.” Ehren started going off on a tangent about a time where someone had shaved off some of his hair when he was turned around, and you took the opportunity to start up another conversation with Johnny.

“How’s your beer? You’re not ready to go home yet, are you?” Johnny grinned and shook his head as he sipped from his beer bottle. “Nah, not yet. Are you?” You shook your head. “No way. I’m sure Bam’s sitting at his house right now waiting for me to come home so he can yell at me for going with you guys.” Johnny gave you a sympathetic look and offered you his beer. “Well in that case, I guess we better keep you away from home as long as possible.” You nodded. “Definitely. If you want to go anywhere else after this, I’m totally down.” Johnny thought about it, pushing his sunglasses up onto the top of his head. “We could always go back to my place and order a pizza, I’ve got some good movies on DVD.” You smiled. “That sounds fun. I don’t wanna hurt the other guys feelings by just ditching them, though.” Johnny shrugged. “They’re too drunk to care, believe me. Preston and Dave are probably gonna start arm wrestling here in a minute, so I say we get out now before that happens.” He stood up, and you followed his lead, picking up your purse.

You said goodbye to the other guys, who were definitely too out of it to fully comprehend that you and Johnny were leaving together—all of them except Ryan, who gave you a suggestive look and a thumbs up. You playfully rolled your eyes and followed Johnny out the door to his car, immediately turning the radio on when you got in. “Man, this station sucks. You got any CDs?” He leaned over and tapped the glove box as he backed out of the parking lot. “I’ve got some really good ones in here.” You shuffled through them, selecting a Ramones album and popping it into the CD player, and Johnny smiled. “Good choice.” He turned it up, and the two of you sat in comfortable silence for most of the drive as the album played. After about twenty minutes, Johnny turned it down just a little bit to talk to you. “Should we tell Bam you’re going to my house for a little bit?” You shook your head, making face. “He’s not my babysitter, he’ll be fine. I’ll tell him after you drop me off at home tonight.”

Johnny nodded, pulling into the driveway of his house. The two of you walked up to his front door, and he opened it for you, gesturing inside with a goofy grin on his face. “Nice place! I was kind of expecting you to have one of those overkill rich people mansions with obnoxious fountains in the driveway, but this is pretty normal.” Johnny chuckled, tossing his keys aside and taking off his coat. “Glad you like it. I’d rather not blow all my Jackass money on a fountain for the driveway, but maybe you can get me one as a birthday gift.” You laughed, setting your stuff down and sitting down on the couch. “Yeah, right, totally. Maybe I’ll get you a solid gold toilet seat, too.” Johnny grinned and flopped down beside you, reaching over to grab the TV remote and lazily flipping through the channels on the TV. “How generous of you, sugar.” He leaned over, picking up a stack of DVDs from the coffee table. “I’ve got a few good movies, pick whichever one you want.”

You glanced at them, not particularly interested in picking a good movie (you were more interested in seeing if Johnny was gonna make a move on you), so you pointed at the first one that looked decent. Luckily, Johnny seemed pleased with your pick, and he popped it into the DVD player and sat back down beside you, keeping a little space between the two of you so as to not seem too eager. You were able to pay attention for a little bit, but eventually you found yourself looking over at Johnny every few seconds, just to stare at his face. He was concentrated on the movie, his lips slightly parted and his head tilted back against the couch. He glanced over at you, raising his eyebrows when he realized you weren’t paying attention to the movie. “Not in much of a movie mood, are you?” You smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I’m not trying to distract you from the movie.” Johnny laughed. “Don’t apologize, you’re way more interesting than a movie. Here, we can just talk for a while and maybe I’ll order a pizza.”

He muted the TV and moved a little closer to you, leaning his head against his fist and smiling at you. “So, do you actually watch Jackass? Or is it uncool cuz your brother’s in it? I don’t know how I’d feel if my brother was on a famous TV show.” You smiled. “I’ve seen it. Bam’s a dick, but the rest of the CKY guys are cool and I knew they were in most of the episodes, so I watched it. Also Bam wouldn’t shut up about how cool you and the others were, so I figured I’d see if that was true or not.” Johnny raised an eyebrow. “Was it?” You grinned. “For a few of you.” Johnny leaned closer, a smirk playing on his lips. “Anyone in particular?” You didn’t respond, your eyes locked on his lips; there was barely a couple inches of space between the two of you at this point, and you closed the gap, pressing your lips against his in a gentle kiss that quickly turned into a rougher, more passionate kiss as he pulled you into his lap.

You threw your arms around his neck, pulling him as close to you as he could get as his hands grabbed hungrily at your ass and thighs. When he pulled away for air, you leaned your forehead against his, breathing heavily as you thought over what you were about to do. “You meant what you said earlier, right? You might hook up with one of us if someone asks you to?” You nodded eagerly, rubbing your hands up his back reassuringly. “Absolutely.” Johnny smiled, leaning forward again. “In that case, let me be the one to ask. Will you hook up with me tonight, (Y/n)?” You rolled your eyes playfully and cupped his face. “Of course I will, Johnny.” You smashed your lips against his again, grabbing handfuls of his shirt to steady yourself as you pressed yourself up against him. You could feel his cock starting to harden in his tight jeans, and you gently rubbed your knee against his crotch, smiling against his lips when you heard him stifle a moan.

You fumbled around for the button of his jeans, unbuttoning and unzipping them and then pulling away from the kiss long enough to help him pull them halfway down his long, lanky legs. You grabbed at his bulge through his boxers, feeling his hips move up slightly at the contact, and you smiled. “Let’s get these off.” You gently pulled his boxers down, his cock springing up hard and red against his flat tummy. It wasn’t incredibly long or anything like that, but it had a nice girth and was nice to look at; you ran your thumb over his slit, and he groaned softly, gently pushing your hand away as he leaned in to kiss you again. “Don’t focus too much on it yet, sugar, I don’t wanna cum before I get to feel your tight, wet little pussy around my cock.” He helped you pull your jeans and your panties off, pulling you into his lap again and keeping his left hand steady on the small of your back as his right hand gently teased your entrance with the tip of his middle finger.

He pushed his finger inside you, rubbing circles over your clit, and you moaned softly. “Come on, Johnny, fuck me already.” He clicked his tongue in fake disappointment. “So demanding, jeez. Come here, princess, let’s get that shirt off before I do anything else.” He helped you pull your shirt and bra off, gently squeezing your breasts and rubbing his fingers over your nipples, and then he motioned for you to move closer, holding his cock steady with his hand wrapped around the base as he pressed his other hand against the small of your back, helping lower yourself onto his cock. The tip of his cock pressed against your entrance, and you rubbed your pussy against it teasingly, trying to goad him into fucking you faster. It worked; Johnny grabbed your hips and slowly pushed you down on his cock, groaning softly as you sank down on his shaft. He grabbed at your ass and thighs again, and you tangled your fingers in his hair, pulling him down to kiss you.

He roughly kissed back, pulling you up on his cock by your hips again and then quickly pushing you back down on it. You clenched up around him, fingernails scratching lightly down his back as the tip of his cock pressed against your g-spot. Johnny pressed his face into the curve of your neck, kissing the underside of your jaw as he thrust his hips against yours. “You feel so fucking good around my cock, sweetie, keep tightening up like that and I’m gonna cum soon.” He moved his left hand down to finger you, rubbing circles over your clit again in order to get you closer to orgasm. You moaned softly at the contact, throwing your head back as you continued sliding off and on his cock. “Fuck, Johnny, I’m close.” He nodded, leaning his face against your neck again and gently biting down. “Cum for me, sugar, I wanna feel you cumming all over my cock.” He rubbed against your g-spot one more time, and you came, digging your nails into his back as you rode out your orgasm. Johnny came right after, pulling you flush up against his body as he shot his load inside you, kissing the nape of your neck.

The two of you laid there for a moment on the couch, Johnny gently cupping the back of your head and stroking your hair as you laid your head on his chest. The sounds of his soft breathing were enough to make your eyelids droop from exhaustion, and Johnny rubbed your back with his free hand. “Tired?” You nodded. “Me too. I can still drive you back to Bam’s house for the night, if you want.” You laughed tiredly. “Talk about a pump and dump.” A panicked look spread across his face, and he looked down at you. “I wasn’t trying to get you out of the house, if anything I’d rather you sleep here for the night, I just didn’t want you to think I was forcing you to stay here–” You pressed your finger against his lips to shush him. “I was joking, baby, I know you didn’t mean anything by it. I’d rather not go home tonight, Bam will interrogate me for hours and I’m too tired to deal with that right now. I’ll sleep on the couch if you want me to.” Johnny scoffed. “The couch? What kind of dirtbag do you think I am?”

He gently pulled you off of him and got off the couch, walking off to the bathroom to get a towel. When he came back, he helped clean you off, and then he scooped you up in his arms, laughing at your shocked look. “My clothes are still on your living room floor, Johnny.” Johnny shrugged. “You can get them tomorrow. I’ve got some boxers and a t shirt you can wear for the night, unless you’d like to sleep naked. I won’t complain either way.” He walked into his bedroom, using his elbow to close the door behind him and then carefully setting you down on his bed. You crawled under the covers, settling in and smiling when he lifted up the comforter and laid down beside you. He immediately pulled you into his arms, cuddling you against him to feel your body heat, and you laid your head on his chest. “This was nice.” Johnny kissed your forehead. “It was. Bam’s a selfish bastard for not introducing us to you sooner.” You grimaced. “He won’t be happy.”

Johnny looked at you. “About what?” You shot him a look, gesturing to the fact that the two of you were naked and cuddling. “This. Even if we don’t tell him we fucked, the fact that I’m staying the night will tick him off.” You gasped. “Oh shit, we should probably tell him I’m here so he doesn’t think something happened.” Johnny nodded, looking slightly worried. “That’s a good idea, hold on.” He got up, walking out the bedroom door to presumably go downstairs. He came back about five minutes later, looking much more worried but also a little amused. “Bam’s a little pissed.” You sat up. “You didn’t tell him we fucked, did you?” Johnny laughed, shaking his head. “No, sugar, I care about my safety too much to risk telling him that, he’d kill me. I just told him we stayed out late and you’re staying here for the night. I told him I took the couch and you’re in my bed for the night. He’s mad that we stayed out late, but he doesn’t seem suspicious.”

You nodded, relaxing against the pillows. “Yeah, he’s like that. I’m sure I’ll get an earful tomorrow about how irresponsible I am, but at least he’s not threatening to come down here and get me or anything like that.” Johnny crawled back into bed, pulling you into his arms again, and you felt your eyelids grow heavy again. “Man, I’m sleepy.” Johnny yawned. “Same here, sugar. Your pussy’s so good it practically knocked me out.” You rolled your eyes, smiling. “Weirdo.” He kissed the top of your head again, and you closed your eyes. “Night, Johnny.” He turned his lamp off. “Night, (Y/n).” You fell asleep; it was just about the best sleep of your life, and when you woke up the next morning, Johnny was still holding you against his chest, a peaceful look on his face as he slept. You watched him sleep, feeling a sense of warmth in your chest. He sure was pretty, one night stand or not. You laid there for another moment, soaking in the moment, and then his eyes fluttered open, and he smiled at you. “Morning, sugar.”

His morning voice was a little deeper than usual, and it made you swoon internally. “Morning.” He leaned over to kiss you, and then you both sat up. He looked slightly disappointed. “I guess I’ll have to take you back to Bam’s house now.” You sighed and pushed the covers back, shivering as the cold air hit your naked body. “Yeah, I guess so. Man, it was nice to not have to hear him bitch and moan and complain for a bit.” You leaned against Johnny’s shoulder, and he rubbed your back, resting his cheek against the top of your head. “Promise you’ll call me even after you leave? It doesn’t have to be often, just enough that we keep in touch. And you’ll tell me if you move down here?” You were a little surprised that he actually wanted to keep in touch, but you nodded happily. “Of course I will, you’re the coolest guy I’ve ever met.” He smiled at the compliment, and then he begrudgingly pulled himself up out of the bed.

“Let me get some clothes on and we’ll head back down.” He lazily threw on a t shirt and some jeans and then slipped on his tennis shoes and helped you up from the bed, grinning at your bare breasts. You rolled your eyes, trying to hide your smile. “Don’t make it so obvious that you’re staring.” Johnny fished around in his closet and pulled out a comfortable looking t shirt with the Ramones logo on it and a pair of clean boxers, handing them to you. “Here, you can keep these so you don’t have to wear your shirt and panties from yesterday.” You smiled appreciatively. “Wow, really? Thank you, Johnny, that’s so sweet.” You threw the shirt on, figuring you’d skip the bra, and stepped into the boxers, and then you followed him downstairs, putting on your jeans from the day before and scooping up your shirt and bra. You followed Johnny out to his car, grinning when he dramatically opened the car door for you like a chauffeur, and immediately turned on the radio.

The Ramones CD from the previous night was still playing, and you smiled. As he drove you home, Johnny asked you more questions, mainly about what Bam was like as a kid. “So when did he start beating Phil up for fun?” You shook your head in disapproval. “He’s so fucking mean to our dad for no reason, and it honestly kinda started out of nowhere. He’s got this weird vendetta against fat people, so of course that’s his excuse for it. I’d like to punch his teeth in one good time to teach him a lesson, but our mom says I need to be the bigger person and ignore him.” Johnny laughed. “Good old Ape. You seem pretty close with your parents, they both talk about you a lot whenever I see them. They’re very proud of you.” You smiled, looking out the window. “Good to hear I’m not the disappointment of the family.” Johnny raised his eyebrows, grinning as he leaned his head back against the seat. “Beautiful, funny, smart, good taste in music…how could you ever be the disappointment of any family?”

You laughed. “Aw, shut up. You know, I’m starting to think you’re actually being genuine and not just saying nice things to get into my pants. I mean, you already got into my pants, so I guess there’d be no reason for you to keep being nice if that was the goal.” Johnny looked at you seriously. “If I just wanted to get into your pants, you wouldn’t be wearing that Ramones shirt. That’s my favorite shirt, so me giving it to you is a big deal.” You looked down at the shirt, pinching the soft material between your fingers and smiling. “I’ll remember that.” As you neared Bam’s house, you felt a pit of nervousness in your stomach. You knew Bam would want to know why you ended up sleeping at Johnny’s house. Johnny telling him that you stayed out late wouldn’t be enough of an explanation for him. He’d want details. “Would you be mad if he found out?” Johnny looked over at you. “That we slept together? No, but I don’t want him to get mad at you because of it.”

You pursed your lips and stared up at the ceiling of the car. “I’m sure he will, but I don’t know what else to do. I spent the night at your house. You’re hot, he knows I think you’re hot, and he saw us flirting yesterday. I think he’ll figure it out pretty quick, especially since I’m wearing one of your shirts and a pair of your underwear now.” Johnny winced. “I didn’t even think about that, I’m sorry.” You smiled. “Don’t apologize, it’s not your fault Bam’s an overprotective dick. I just don’t know how much longer I can deal with all of his mean overprotective bullshit before I snap.” Johnny pulled into the driveway of the place Bam had been staying at throughout filming, and you immediately noticed Bam standing on the porch with his arms crossed, looking more pissed off than usual. You groaned. “Great, he’s been waiting for me like an angry mom waiting for her teenager to get home from a fucking party.”

Johnny got out of the car, grinning at Bam like he had no clue that Bam was mad. “Hey, Bam Bam! You should have come with us last night, it was a great time.” Bam didn’t respond, looking past Johnny to make eye contact with you through the windshield of Johnny’s car. “Get out of the car, (Y/n), we need to talk.” You rolled your eyes, slowly getting out of the car and making your way up the driveway towards Bam. “What’s your deal, Bam? Johnny called you last night and told you what was going on, there’s no reason for you to be so pissed off.” Bam shot you a look. “No reason? No fucking reason? What the fuck were you two doing that made you stay out so late last night?” You made a face. “Why do you need to know? We’re grown adults, Bam, we don’t need to tell you what we’re doing. We hung out at his house and watched a movie, okay? Why do you give a shit?” Bam shook his head, acting like you were an absolute moron for not understanding.

“Because you’re my fucking sister, (Y/n), and you’re staying in my house. Ape and Phil would fucking freak out on me if you went somewhere and didn’t tell me and something bad ended up happening. Hell, they’d probably freak out right now if they knew you stayed at fucking Johnny Knoxville’s house for an entire night after going to a bar.” He glanced down at the shirt you were wearing, and his eyes widened. “Are you wearing one of his shirts?” You flashed Johnny a nervous look, and he shrugged apologetically. “Yeah, so? He gave it to me so I wouldn’t have to wear my shirt from yesterday, it’s not a huge deal.” Bam didn’t respond; he was too busy staring Johnny down with the worst death glare you’d ever seen from him. “Knoxville, I swear to god, if you actually fucked my sister, I’m gonna–” You slapped him across the face, cutting him off before he could continue his supposed threat.

Bam stared at you, obviously shocked, but you were too angry to feel bad. “I am so fucking sick of this, Bam. I’m sick of you being a dick, and I’m sick of you bossing me around, and I am so, so sick of you trying to act like you get any say in my personal life. You got pissed off at Dico just for talking to me, you acted like it was a crime for me to want to meet the Jackass guys, and now you’re flipping out at me for spending the night with Johnny? What do you want me to say? Yes, Johnny and I hooked up. Yes, I’m wearing his shirt. Yes, I spent the night at his house. What are you gonna do now? Beat him up? Yell at me? Tell our parents on me so they can ground me? I’m a grown fucking woman, Bam, I’ll do whatever the hell I want. Do you want me to just never speak to you again? To just fly back to my house and never call you or come visit you again? If that’s your goal, then you’ve succeeded. I’ll fly home early. I’m not gonna sit here and get lectured by my fucking brother for something this ridiculous.”

You turned away from your stunned brother and grabbed Johnny’s hand, leading him along behind you as you stormed into Bam’s house and up to the room you’d been staying in. You threw your stuff down on the bed, still fuming, and looked up to see Johnny staring at you with a look of awe. “What?” He grinned. “Sugar, that was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.” A small smile played at the corners of your lips, and you shrugged. “I can be pretty badass when I want to be.” He nodded, leaning over to kiss you on the forehead. “Yes, you certainly can. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone put Bam in his place like that before, he looked like he was gonna shit his pants.” You picked up your suitcase from the floor and plopped it onto the bed, picking up your clothes from the floor and stuffing them in the suitcase, and Johnny’s grin faded. “Are you really gonna leave early, sweetie?” You sighed, putting your head in your hands and shaking your head.

“I don’t know. I really don’t want to. I had a great time with you and the guys last night, I wanted to get a few more nights like that before I had to go back home. But I can’t stay here with Bam and listen to his bitching anymore. I’ve put up with him being a dick for way too long, I’m not gonna do it anymore.” Johnny nodded understandingly, helping you pack your stuff. “I get it. What if you didn’t have to stay with Bam?” You frowned, looking up at him. “I’m not gonna pay for a hotel room, Johnny, that’s just impractical.” Johnny laughed, patting you on the back. “I’m not talking about a hotel room, sugar, I’m talking about my place. You could come stay with me for the next few nights until it’s time for you to go home.” Your eyes widened, and you dropped the shirt you’d been holding. “Do you actually mean that?” Johnny nodded, pulling you in for a hug. “Of course I do. Last night was incredible. Not just the sex, I mean spending time with you and getting to fall asleep with you. I like being around you, sugar, you’re always welcome in my house.”

You buried your face in his neck, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief. “Johnny, that’s so fucking sweet, thank you so much. You have no idea how grateful I am.” The two of you stood there for a moment, appreciating the warmth of the hug, and then Johnny looked towards the doorway and stiffened. “Hey, Bam.” You instantly pulled away from Johnny and whipped around to face Bam, who was standing in the doorway, his left cheek still red from your slap. He didn’t look angry anymore, just slightly upset. “You’re gonna go stay with Johnny?” You crossed your arms defensively. “Better than here.” Johnny looked between the two of you, clearly not sure what to do, and he picked up your suitcase and nodded at you. “I’m gonna go put your stuff in my car, sugar, I’ll be back up in a minute.” You nodded once, eyes still on your brother, and Johnny quickly left.

“You don’t have to go stay with him.” You rolled your eyes. “I wouldn’t have to if you didn’t freak out on me, Bam. I can’t handle this overly protective bullshit from you anymore. I didn’t need it back in high school, and I certainly don’t need it now.” Bam stood there for a moment, uncharacteristically quiet, and then he spoke again. “I wasn’t trying to make you mad, (Y/n), I just freaked out because my little sister went to a bar and spent the night with one of my coworkers and I had no clue what the two of you did all night, that’s all.” You shook your head in disbelief. “Bam, that’s the issue right there. Why does it matter what me and Johnny did last night? You knew where I was, you knew I was safe, that should have been all that mattered. It’s not your job to know what I’m doing all the time.” Bam awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, stepping farther into the room. “I know, I know.”

“If you know, then why do you keep freaking out on me for not telling you what I’m doing? Why does it matter to you if I flirt with any of your guy friends? I don’t understand your obsession with keeping me from having any sort of interaction with your friends, you didn’t even want me to meet any of the Jackass guys until I literally begged you to. I guarantee you if Dico and Raab and Ryan hadn’t become friends with you until later on, you probably wouldn’t have let me talk to them, either. Hell, Dico’s just as much my friend as he is yours and you still got pissed at him just for talking to me at that party a few years ago.” Bam looked away guiltily. “I told Dico I was sorry about that.” You shot him a look. “That doesn’t change the fact that you still yelled at him! Bam, what happened for you to get so fucking protective of me? I don’t understand you, you treat me like shit but still expect me to tell you everything anyway.” Bam looked down at the floor, and you scoffed. “That’s what I thought.”

You started to go, but Bam stopped you. “Do you remember those guys we used to hang out with in high school? Not Dico and Raab and Dunn, the other ones?” You frowned, nodding. He was talking about a group of guys that you and him had briefly befriended for the first couple of years of high school, who Bam had suddenly stopped inviting over sometime in tenth grade. “They’re the reason I’m so protective.” You knit your eyebrows in confusion. “What the fuck do those guys have to do with anything?” Bam leaned back against the doorway, shaking his head. “There was one night where I was hanging out with them while you were gone, and one of them mentioned that he thought you were cute. The rest of them started talking about it too, and then one of them said that he’d fuck you if he could, and then he said a lot of really bad shit that I don’t even want to repeat. I kicked them all out right then and there. I guess after that, I just got kind of worried that the rest of the guys we were hanging out with felt the same way, and it made me nervous.”

You stared at him in silence, taking in what he’d just admitted to you. It had never occurred to you to ask Bam why those guys never seemed to come around anymore, and you never would have guessed that Bam had stood up to them on your behalf, or that it had anything to do with Bam being so protective. “Obviously Dico would never say or do anything like that, and I know that now, but at the time I wasn’t so sure, and I didn’t want to risk it, so I flipped out a little bit. And with the Jackass guys, it just seemed even more likely that something bad would happen. I mean, they’re all famous, they’re all fucking wild, it just seemed obvious that something was gonna happen. And I guess something did.” He glanced down at the shirt Johnny had given you again, and you softened up a little bit. “Bam…” Bam shook his head again. “Look, if you want to go stay with Johnny, it’s fine. I’m not gonna act like I didn’t do anything wrong, I just wanted you to know why.”

He started to go, and you grabbed his arm. “Bam.” He looked at you, and you sighed. “Thank you for standing up to those guys for me. I didn’t know you did that. And I’m sorry you felt like you had to be protective of me with your friends. But that doesn’t change the fact that you’ve gone a little too far with it. You can care about my well-being without getting pissed off at me and yelling at me and trying to control everything I do. You could have just told me all of this before, it would have made things a lot easier. I’d be a lot more willing to call you and tell you things if you were nice about it.” Bam nodded, looking down at the floor like a scolded child. “I know.” He looked like he was waiting for you to continue yelling, and you felt a little pity for him. He was a dick, but he seemed genuinely worried for your safety, more so than you had previously thought. After a moment, you leaned over and pulled him in for an impromptu hug, which he accepted with equal parts confusion and reluctance. “It’s okay, Bam.”

That was all you needed to say. He knew what you meant. You knew he wasn’t going to outright apologize for his behavior, but Bam had never apologized for anything in his life, so that was no shock. If anything, him saying “I know” was basically as close to an apology as you could get with Bam. You awkwardly patted him on the back and quickly pulled away—sibling hugs were the worst kind. “That was adorable.” Johnny grinned at you from the doorway, where he’d presumably been watching for the last few moments now. Bam rolled his eyes, face going red, and you laughed. “Shut up, Johnny, you’re embarrassing him. Go back to the car, I’ll be there in a minute.” Johnny nodded, walking away, and Bam looked at you in disappointment. “You’re still going with Johnny?” You nodded. “For a few nights, at least. I appreciate you telling me everything, Bam, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’ve still been flipping out on me for years now. I need some time to myself, okay? But I’ll see you tomorrow at the Jackass set, and I’ll call you tonight and let you know what Johnny and I are doing. Deal?”

Bam nodded. “Deal. Don’t hug me again.” You smirked. “Aw, don’t act like you didn’t appreciate the hug. You’re lucky our mom wasn’t here, she’d have a field day taking pictures of us hugging.” Bam laughed, shaking his head. “Ape and her stupid fucking Polaroid camera. I’ll let her know you’re with Johnny, she’ll freak out.” You grimaced. “In a good way or a bad way?” Bam raised his eyebrows. “A good way. She’s obsessed with Johnny, it’s actually kind of weird. Just a heads up, don’t be shocked if she calls you later to tell you about how cute you and Johnny’s kids would be.” Your eyes widened in horror. “Oh god, I’ve created a monster.” Bam laughed, walking you to the front door. “Listen, Bam, I’m glad we talked this out, but I need you to understand something. Your intentions may have been good here, but that doesn’t mean it was okay for you to freak out at me and Johnny. You need to learn to communicate without getting angry at people and yelling at them over stuff.”

Bam nodded apologetically. “Yeah, yeah, I know.” You raised your eyebrows. “I mean it, Bam. Not just with me, either. You’re a total dick to our parents sometimes. That needs to stop. They’re nice people, you don’t need to torment them constantly just for content. Be nicer to them.” Bam looked like he was gonna protest, and you shot him a look. “I’m serious, Bam. You prank people constantly and then get upset when you get a taste of your own medicine. You need to learn when you’ve crossed the line.” Bam didn’t respond, but you could tell he was listening, and that was enough for you. “You’re a good brother, Bam, and a decent guy, even if you act like a dick sometimes. I love you, okay? You’re an asshole and I hate your guts sometimes, but still. I do love you. Give Ape and Phil the number to Johnny’s house so they can call me, okay?” Bam nodded, and you started to leave, but then you stopped again. “Can I ask you something?” Bam looked up. “What?” You smirked. “Do you think Johnny and I would actually have cute kids?”

[lovedianagrey]

some cool observations I figured out after asking myself what makes a good fanfic

I wanted to randomly talk about how wonderful fanfiction is. Like really. It’s genuinely one of the most wonderful experiences being here has to offer. I’ve been having a really tough time these past few weeks, and the only thing that keeps getting me through a day has been to sit down and read a couple long fics. I’m an avid AO3 reader (don’t you dare suggest any other platform for me for reading, I like the organization okay), which yeah means I don’t read as carefully as the next person but I do read like 90% of the fic so that means something right? Reading a whole 300,000 words a day, while still having time to cook three meals separately, have a two hour tutoring session, and some space to freak out over my AP scores has got to be a superpower.

Anyways, my point is this: fanfiction is fucking amazing. How many ways worlds can come together, how many times characters can fall in love and it doesn’t get boring is just that, fucking amazing. The amount of great material I’ve found has been stellar. And since I’ve had so many hours to waste the past two weeks, my urge for fanfic reading has been consistently there. Which is strange to me because I’ve barely wanted to read, period. Academic, casual, printed, or online for months. But fanfiction is perfectly centered in what I love.

Yet I was thinking how do you make a good fanfic? After all, there’s so much, some of it is just better than the rest. And I figured I’d explore that.

Firstly, there’s the whole charm of fanfiction, since there’s something powerful in having characters you know. I’d like to highlight that it’s entirely possible and true that people can have completely different experiences in the fanfiction world. There’s Y/N and its whole self insert genre, and there’s the whole original characters' situation in universes that are explored within the OG material. Of course there’s a whole sub division of fanfic readers that love it, adore it, write it, and consume it, and who am I to judge? I guess when I say good fanfiction in this post, it’s about how good character based fanfiction works out. Because in my eyes, good fanfiction challenges the framing of a character, and works to develop a tangible change in both internal and external measures. For example, I was reading this two part (not-yet-fully-completed-but-doesn’t-really-end-in-a-cliffhanger-so-it’s-okay-as-someone-that-doesn’t-like-reading-uncomplete-stuff-I-give-the-green-light) Spideypool fic where the ship mainly worked as an empowering device for the story of Peter Parker (spoilers guys, he’s Spider-Man) finding connection, with his boss (it’s Harry Osborn :o), with his fellow superheroes, with his dying aunt, with his new boyfriend, and finally, with himself. The fic works with multiple characters to develop the plot. Good character based fanfiction in this case revolves about the multiple relationships developed between said explored characters. Because characters are fundamentally different from the source material, writing them and giving them needs and actions that feel indebted to the original want of the characters and balancing their choice from said wants is hard. It’s a fine line, tying it all up. Developing something independent from the original material to some extent, from a possibly canon compliant conversation to a whole different universe, and using that independence to further an enrichment of a world or character is necessary. Otherwise, stories bring themselves to a stalemate. Otherwise, stories bring themselves to lack character and connection to the reader. 

Meanwhile, in I Was Screaming Your Name Through The Radio (a musician!au Soukoku fic) works with incredible storytelling design, using a past and present narrative as well as work with the characters' feelings and journeys with the description of music and their lyrics. Good fanfiction, here, uses positively impacting narrative tools to develop a good, tightly done story. In the fic, the development of falling in love, betrayal, heartbreak, and healing are explored. The way the characters connect, disconnect, and reconnect is just amazing. And the way that connection or lack thereof is explored works well with the narrative style of story. Two POVs, each having two time spaces. These POVs worked around the release date of Corruption, the fictional song the two main characters created together in the fic. The interaction between time settings allowed to further explore the characters’ memories and experiences wholly. It was a better choice than to write linearly. Much more entertaining as well. This is good fanfiction, using the narrative to explore and enrich once again the story. 

Finally, there’s the greatest, most important aspect for a good fic. A great story. I wanted to highlight my first auditive fanfic in my life, and the only author I’ve been so unquestionably loyal to since I first heard her story: Mira Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction on YouTube has forever been feeding me with rich stories, great jokes, and heartbreaking tears. What A Catch works as a creative outlet of all the powerful characters and their archetypes, and applies both a challenging reframe of a character and great narrative control. The story begins with all the main characters of the series as adults, in a wedding, unaware of the twisted memories that Hawkmoth has influenced. The story develops and explores something further than the previous two discussed factors. Before getting to that though, I want to clear up, I love romance fanfiction. It’s what I read 99.9% of the time. But I also enjoy stories that further the relationship not just with internal plot devices. The story of Marinette and Adrien is a long one, especially in the real world when the show’s been airing since 2015. However, there’s a magic in exploring something outside situations while adapting the narrative to continue the story already explored. Developing mayhem, confusion, stakes, as well as creating character growth within the flaws and victories that come with the challenges set in a fanfiction is important. Essential. Otherwise, fanfics turn into retellings, lightly chipping away the power of a story and beginning to re-make something already done. Archetypes are tools to work on choices, wants, and needs of a plot device. Characters breathe and feel with their own choices, wants, and needs along said plot. And stories? They make characters and feelings and experiences simply real.

In conclusion, what makes good fanfiction? In my humble opinion, it brings the following things. As expressed previously, first of all comes the challenging reframing of a character where depth is furthered or a new role is given. Consequently, the character keeps its original charm and familiarity while still developing a growth within the story and itself. Secondly, there’s the usage of palpable narrative control. Using narrative and literary devices to explore a story creates a better execution to the plot and the whole experience of the tale being told. Additionally, I’d like to plug in here that this requires good grammar and developed vocabulary (this doesn’t mean you need to be wordy or overwhelmingly poetic, just enjoyably readable). Thirdly, there’s the banger. The true reason stories can be done over and over again: they’re not being done over and over again. A good fanfic tells something new, explores something better, explains something different. A good fanfic has originality in its fundamental magic. For something to genuinely work as a banger in my book, you have to tell something I haven’t heard before. Something that will capture the reader. You can read a hundred coffee shop AUs, but did all of them make you feel the same, did all of them make you taste the need for more? Probably not. Because some of them will have something more than the fundamental establishment of the AU. Because there’s something new under the surface of the plot. I’ve listed three very different fanfics. One was clearly driven in canon spaces, another in a completely alternative universe, and the final one works after the culmination of the work explored in the original material. Fanfiction is endless, and it’s powerful. People may spit on its masterpieces, but we know its beauty. And it is as dashing as the sun, it is as changing as the ocean, and it is perfectly fitting of the puzzle that we’ve created for our comfort, our mind, and our heart.

Thank you for reading this far! 

Happy reading <3 PS: This was the Spideypool fanfic in case anyone was interested

[bex23ckwolf]

okok so like consider

der monster klub sleepover right? y/n is invited (bc of course they’re a part of the klub) and all is good and well until julian has a nightmare and requests y/n to comfort him

i’m trying to make it vague so you can fill in the gaps and go crazy >:3 - very cool anon 👍: 2 electric boogaloo

Ok I got you and I’m gonna be making y/n gender neutral in this story if you don’t mind 😊

———————————————————————

It’s the end of class and you’re packing up your stuff to head home, the halls were very crowded today because of all the damages the ninja and robo-ape’s have done. You spot Theresa outside and run up to her.

Theresa noticed you running towards her and waved at you. You came to a halt and tried catching your breath, “Ok, so who’s house are we going to for the sleepover”? You asked Theresa, “I think it’s Juggos turn today”.

We waited for the bus to finally leave and once it did we discussed what we would do once we get to Juggos house. You got off the bus at your stop, you ran up to your front door and took out your key to open it.

Once inside you dropped your stuff in your room and hurried on packing stuff that you would bring, your pjs, sleeping bag and pillow. You got a message from your mom saying that she would be there soon. So you put on your shoes and decided to just be in your phone while you waited for your mom.

You were scrolling through social media for a bit when you came across a post Julian did. It was a pic of you so concentrated on a project you and him were doing in your English class. It was were you and him were assigned on creating a story. You both decided to do a backstory on a monster you two have created during a der monster klub meeting.

You smiled a little at the post then decided to comment on the post saying “m/n (monsters name) shall rule the world as his!!!”, once you posted it you laughed at yourself. You heard the honk from your moms car and quickly got up and grabbed your bag then headed out the door towards the car.

Once you got to Juggos house you waved your mom bye while she drives away. You felt excited because of the amount of fun stuff that Juggo has in his room. You knocked on the door to be greeted with Julian, “Y/N! Oh I’m so glad you were able to make it”. Julian gave you a big hug which you returned back to him.

Once Julian let go of you he let you inside where you greeted everyone else. You all were thinking on either creating more monsters or playing games that you guys brought. You said that you have smash bros, omori and undertale including your switch of course. Also uno, you knew that once the game of uno started it would be a disaster.

You all decided to play just dance that Dave brought for Juggos old WII. You have played this game on your brothers old WII a lot so you are very skilled on this game. You have won every round so far and you are very proud of yourself, “Haha, there is no one to be able to defeat me”, you said to yourself in a very dramatic way.

Just then Julian stepped up “Oh what’s this? Someone dare challenge me? Well go ahead then challenger”, you handed Julian a controller and you let him pick the song and he chose ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead’ by set it off. The dance started alright then started to get more intense with the music.

You had it alright for a while in the song but you just now are starting to get tired but you refused to give up. You gave a quick glance at Julian to see how he’s doing and he seems to be getting a little bit tired but still had enough energy to keep going. You of course wouldn’t let that happen. So you kept going until the song finished.

Sadly you lost because your foot slipped on the floor causing you to loose a point you were close on getting. Causing Julian to have it instead. Julian helped you get back up. Once you all finished playing games you decided to have dinner. A reason why you liked coming over to Juggos house was because his mom made amazing food dishes.

You all discussed about your monsters and who would be the next to host the meeting. Once you all finished you all headed to Juggo room to set up your sleeping bags and brush your teeth. Dave and Julian went to sleep because they were tired while you, Theresa and Juggo were talking a bit until you decided to go to sleep.

Time passed a bit and you couldn’t sleep. Just as you closed your eyes again to try and sleep you felt someone give you a little nudge as if wondering if you were awake. You turned to see that it was Julian that was doing it. You sat up a bit, “Julian what are you doing awake?”, you asked him, “Sorry to awake you Y/N, but it’s that I had a nightmare and I didn’t like this one in particularly”.

You felt sympathy for him so you told him, “I can lay next to you if you want to help you be able to sleep if you want”. You gave him a little smile and he nodded back liking the idea. So you scooted your sleeping bag a bit so it could be next to his. You both laid down you extended your hand towards Julian to see if it would help him. Julian accepted the hand.

You gave Julian a tired smile and wished him sweet creepy dreams. He accepted the saying and wished the same for you and like that you both fell asleep with Julian knowing you were next to him if anything happened he knew you would keep him comfort.

———————————————————————

I hope this was alright as my first Julian fanfic💜

Also sorry if it’s too short and if anyone did read it could it be alright if you send in more requests that would be great. ☺️

[houseofbrat]

WHAT is going on?

This is the best PR disaster I’ve seen in years 🍿

Photos are manipulated (aka edited) all the time - for this one to have been manipulated in ways that are concerning enough for 3 of the biggest photo agencies in the world to order a kill notice on it is significant.

The thing that I keep coming back to is that if everything is fine, why are they messing things up so monumentally? It feels like every pr attempt has been made in crisis conditions by a bunch of people with no pr skills running on zero sleep. Why did no one check the photo before posting it through official channels to make sure that it didn’t have any glaring errors given the fact that they know they have eyes on them?

That’s what I mean. I normally don’t follow the royal family at all and I personally don’t feel entitled to know what Kate’s medical issues are but I’m absolutely invested in this BECAUSE of how badly the PR is being handled. They are literally making it seem like something weird is actually going on when it may not be. It’s almost like they are doing it on purpose to see the public’s reaction 😂

What’s wild to me in this thread are the people defending this and pretending it’s no big deal. If you care about the monarchy at all, the handling of this situation by their own people is now a five alarm fire. They’ve lied and been purposefully deceitful since the original announcement of Kate’s illness and it’s only gotten worse since then. Having a photo pulled down for manipulation by multiple huge organizations is a huge deal and they no longer have the queen to smooth everything over, they are up the creek.

Another kick in the teeth for KP. Another round of cope for their defenders. Can anyone honestly say they’re surprised at this point? I kind of doubt cosmetic editing is the only issue, because Lord knows that Kate — and other public figures, ofc — have been shopped & filtered into oblivion over the years. Makes me wonder what AP & Reuters think is happening here. And this just makes me even more curious why Kate didn’t wear her engagement ring in the photo. If they’re editing the pictures anyways, there’s literally no reason not to plonk Big Blue on there. This is top notch royal drama right here, please keep it coming.

What do you mean another round of cope?

It’s referring to the excuses that some royal fans keep clinging to. It’s been so fun watching the stans say that all of this is totally normal, and how dare the conspiracy theorists, and won’t you think of the privacy — and then it all blows up in their faces AGAIN. It’s like Lucy with the football!

I genuinely think we could be seeing the beginning of the end of the Royal Family here. People will say it’s a stretch and that I’m a conspiracy theorist or whatever but I honestly don’t see how, given the way this whole shit show has been handled, the public are meant to trust anything put out by the Palaces in future. We’re yet to see how this one ends but my god, it has been a rollercoaster and with every passing day there are more questions. Even people like me who don’t generally care about anything royal are wondering what on earth is going on. If, and when, it turns out that there has been some kind of cover up, even if it’s relatively minor, the people who never cared for the Royal Family will be able to (rightly) argue that they’re duplicitous and sleazy, and those who believed every word of it and leapt to their defence time after time will (and should) feel utterly betrayed.

As a publicist I’m just going to say I continue to be astonished by how terrible KP is at PR.

What do you think is going on?

I’m obviously not going to speculate on her actual condition but suspect the PR team knows little and the Wales’ - likely William - only listen to yes people. So they are holding close to the vest the truth and this means the PR team is spinning its wheels working from behind in a reactive stance as opposed to proactively being able to get ahead of a story or message accurately against it.

The constant messy drip drip of info and KP being so inconsistent with BP to me suggests they are kept in the dark and have to scramble every time something else comes out.

It’s really hard to advise clients/principals who won’t listen to reason, who won’t take good advice, who say they will comply but then in the moment do the opposite. I get all of those vibes from William in particular.

Being the Heir he got away with murder and now I suspect it’s hard/near impossible to get him to see reason.

They should have just been honest, messaged it as a teachable moment kinda like KC did with his cancer and stayed transparent, but my guess is William thinks whatever the truth is will make them look bad, so gestures at all of this

What in the world is going on? I’ve definitely raised my eyebrows at the goings-on at KP over the last few weeks, but the editing errors he highlighted in his Tweet don’t seem all that uncommon to me, especially the warping around Louis’s legs… though I’m no expert. I think something is up, but also was leaning towards the pic being taken recently. I consider AP and Reuters fairly trustworthy though, so seems odd they would pull it for shoddy photoshop work alone. Idk anymore.

the Associated Press and Reuters (and others who have killed this photo) are journalism organizations with strict guidelines about photography ethics, which forbids anything other than minimal photo editing. a shoddy photoshopping would be exactly the kind of thing they would object to when it comes to photos they distribute/endorse through their service. they explain more here: https://www.ap.org/about/news-values-and-principles/telling-the-story/visuals

I'm old. Like, remember when Charles was considered the Most Eligible Bachelor old, watched the Royal Wedding and was surprised by the separation old, was up watching Saturday Night Live when the news broke about Princess Diana's crash old.

The last time I remember a PR crisis this bad was when Diana died and the public was clamoring for some word from the Queen. KP needs to work to right this, but so far, everything they do adds gasoline to the bonfire.

Declining to comment just seem really daft. You can ignore tabloids, but when its the AP and Reuters you should calm things down.

I'm still of the opinion that they were messy, but ultimately harmless edits made to the photo

Just say that. Fess up, you haven't committed a huge crime. You used the clone stamp tool or whatever to make the image look cleaner but the job was not up to par.

I guess setting the precedent that future images could be accused of being digitally altered is why they don't want to? Either that or the photos really is extremely faked

At this point you need a picture of Kate holding a newspaper with today's date otherwise no one is believing anything. And this isn't normal, this is unforced error, and we are all dealing with KP media strategy catastrophic errors and frankly William messing this up for weeks.

For them to put out a kill notice goes beyond a little Photoshop or filtering. There are so many odd things about the photo. The unseasonable greenery (yes, I'm saying it again though I got deleted for saying it before), the placement of the hands over, esp. Kate's. The obv. photoshop of Charlotte's hand is what they called out as proof but the photo just looks off.

The greenery is the least problematic thing. My garden faces north (and is further north) and the grass looks green but needs a trim. They probably have a lovely well maintained south facing garden.

It’s amur honeysuckle or winter honeysuckle hybrid. They are semi-evergreen like what’s seen here. Some leaves on & older looking, some leaves gone. If you look at the KP bird site, there’s a pic of PW on grass that green the day before or so. I’m confident about the shrub, can’t say about the grass.

Omg. What a DISASTER! I have never seen so many PR missteps in such a short period of time. This whole situation will have lasting damage on the British monarchy. Whatever trust people had is broken.

They said the photo was SEVERELY MANIPULATED to the point where it doesn't meet the AP's publishing guidelines.

That would possibly point to “there’s no image at all.” I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but this is beginning to feel a little alarming.

[wolfishcrossing]

-Entombed- !Yandere Freya x Reader

On one bright, sunny day on your island, you were called to assist one of the townsfolk there. None other than Ankha has requested your services into helping her with rearranging her backyard. She wants you to dig up a hole in her yard and place one of her sarcophaguses she has displayed on stone-tablet tables, into the hole to bury. Really to just say she has one buried and to also make room for more Egyptian-themed furniture. 

You accept her favor not because of an incentive reason but just out of the kindness of your heart. You were always willing to help out with whatever you can with your neighbors. Even with people like Ankha who can be quite rude to you at times, given her snooty personality. You bare it, though. Hoping to eventually see a soft side of her underneath her outwardly, cold, blunt shell.  

So, there you are as you just finished digging up the hole she needed. Now time to transfer the tomb to its new home. You pick it up a little and start to slide it off the stone table. As soon as you slid it enough over the edge to let gravity take over, you realized that it was a little bit heavier than you expected. No biggie, though, you can handle it. You may not have as much strength like a jock villager but you were willing to try your hardest. You carefully guide the tomb off the table to place onto the ground. Challenging, given the material it’s made out of but you eventually and successfully place the gold, stony coffin safely on the ground. Now all that’s left is to get it in the hole. However, there was one little problem though... 

“What did you do?” 

“Hm?” You respond, wondering what the cat was talking about. 

“It’s ruined!” 

The pharaoh cat kneeled down to see that a piece of the marble trim at the foot end of the sarcophagus has been chipped off. Most likely due from letting that end fall onto the ground when you were trying to stand it up off from the table.  

Ankha fiddled with the broken piece for a minute, then looked up at you, giving a hostile glare.  

“YOU CHIPPED IT OFF!” She hollered. “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! DO YOU KNOW HOW EXPENSIVE THESE THINGS ARE, ME MEOW?! UGH!”  

You were stunned and taken aback by her sudden outburst. You start to take a few steps back from the raging cat. You felt sorry for what you did but at the same time, a little confused on why she’s making such a fuss over a small piece. It’s not like it was the end of the world!   

“Ankha, I’m sor-” 

“No, SHUT UP you idiot peasant! You were not careful and you clearly don’t know how to handle other people’s belongings! Don’t you have a brain?!” 

You couldn’t help but feel a little bit insulted. You didn’t mean to break it; you were just trying to help. She was the one overreacting. You try to remain calm and mature in the heat of the moment though. 

“I-I didn’t mean to! It was an accident!” 

“I DON’T CARE!” She yelled back. “All I asked of you was to dig and bury this tomb but you couldn’t even do something as simple as THAT right. You just HAD to screw it up! It was in perfect, pristine condition until you manhandled it like an ape. Honestly, me meow, I shouldn’t have entrusted someone as stupid as you to do this... it was perfectly fine and now it’s RUINED!” 

The cat screamed as she angrily threw the piece of chipped marble at you. Hitting your chest, it didn’t really hurt but the fact that she threw it at you like a child throwing a temper-tantrum was REALLY testing your patience. You start raise your tone by just a tad as you try to reason with her. 

“But it’s gonna be buried anyway! Who’s gonna see it and who’s gonna care seeing a little piece broken off?”  

Ankha, without any hesitation, slaps you across your face.  

“DON’T YOU DARE TALK BACK TO ME LIKE THAT!” She hollered, disliking how you tried to stand your ground against her. She was never really one to settle losing an argument no matter how much of the wrong she was in. Most people despised her attitude and always tried to avoid as much confrontation with her as they can. And when they do find themselves at the end of her wrath, they would always back down. Giving up and just telling her she’s right no matter what the situation was. She got used to being told she was right, obviously. Used to getting her way without a challenge. But on the rare occasions her arguments were challenged; she was prone to resorting to a little violence to get her opponent back in line. Much like here... 

The slap from the rage-induced feline stung like hell and lingered on like a burn. You were shocked. Flabbergasted. Unable to even utter another word out of your mouth before the cat pointed outwards behind her.  

“Get out of here you peasant before you ruin any more of my precious belongings!”  

You remained silent as you reluctantly strolled out of her yard. You could hear her ranting to herself about you. About how much of an “idiot peasant” you are. As you walk away from her house, you cannot help but feel guilty about the whole thing. Even though you know it was just an honest mistake, you also knew that Ankha was a major drama queen. Always looking to make any small matter a big deal. You still were saddened that your recent interaction with her was quite sour and now will be an unwanted memory you were stuck with.  

You strolled around a bit. Head dangling in shame as you sat on a bench to think about what you have done. Not even two minutes alone with your thoughts, you hear a rather familiar voice calling you out of the blue.  

“Why, hello there, (Y/N).”   

Barely lifting your head up, you eyed to your left to see your new conversation partner. It, of course, was none other than Freya. The tall, pink wolfess who was always so delighted to see you. Anytime she caught a glimpse of you out in the world, she could not help but run up to you, hug you, and have a nice, little chat. She was someone you grew quite fondly of from your time on the island. Even though you could not help but be a little shy around her as she towered over your small body.  

Unfortunately, you were obviously not in the best of moods at that moment. You simply and sheepishly let out a small “Hello” before going back to self-loathing. 

Freya was quick to pick up on your current mood and sat down next to you. 

“Uff da, what’s wrong?” 

You steer your head away from her, not exactly wanting to speak of the recent and unpleasant experience you just had. But you knew you had to, especially with people like Freya. She was someone who liked looking out for you. Always wanting to know how you’re doing and feeling and if you had a problem, she would not leave you alone until you opened up. Of course, you appreciated her gesture of being someone you could confide with. Though, on occasions, the wolf can come across as overbearing and even a tad invasive.  

“I-it’s nothing...” 

Freya tutted. 

“No, no, it’s something, dear... tell me.” 

You sighed, feeling a little annoyed of being pestered to speak. You just wished to be alone right now but you knew full well that the wolfess would not let up.  

“Ankha yelled at me...” You began. “Because I accidently broke a small piece off from her sarcophagus that I was trying to move...” 

Freya was immediately struck with what she just heard. An audible but soft gasp escaped her mouth as you continued on.  

“She screamed at me... calling me ‘stupid’ and hitting me with that broken piece and slapping me.” 

“She did not!” Freya exclaimed, not wanting to believe what she’s being told. You turned your head towards her but still looked down to avoid eye contact while feebly nodding.  

“Aww...” Uttered the wolf as she wrapped her arm around your shoulder and held you close for comfort. You continue to explain the ordeal to her.  

“I was only trying to help...” 

“I know, uff da... I know...” Freya was gently caressing your cheek, the very one that has been assaulted by the Egyptian cat. “You didn’t do anything wrong, dear. Accidents happen. It’s okay...” 

“I know...” You respond, feeling a little comforted by the wolfess and her nourishing, Nordic voice. It was always good to have a shoulder to lean on. 

Freya continued. 

“You have to remember to not listen what Ankha says. You know she grew up being spoiled and materialistic. That’s why she’s always so rude and pretentious.” 

“Mhm...” Was the only reply you could respond with. It was not like Freya was entirely wrong. 

“And even so, uff da... she still has no right to talk to you like that. And if she’s going to treat you poorly for a little accident, then I suggest you just stay away from her. She’s not worth your time or energy. You are way too good for her. And if she keeps giving you problems, don’t hesitate to let me know because I’ll have a few things to say to that little witch...” 

You looked up at the wolfess with a faint smile. You genuinely started to feel better and became thankful for Freya always being there for you. 

“Thanks, Freya...”  

The wolf gave you a big embrace. 

“Anytime, uff da.”  

It was the best feeling for the wolf to make you feel better. There was always something about you that she could not help but to be drawn to. She liked you. A lot. And after befriending you and getting to know you, making sure that you were safe and happy were gradually becoming her main priorities as the days went by. And while she felt elated that she was able to make you smile after what you went through, on the inside, her blood was boiling. Seething with anger and disdain towards the cat. She never really cared for Ankha that much and, like most other folks, were turned off by her demeanor.  

Throughout the rest of the day, after you two had parted ways, the pink wolfess became more and more enraged. How could she talk to you like that? Was all that was running through her mind. Normally, Freya was rather stoic. Never letting her emotions get the best of her and always tried to maintain a level-head. Even when she would get upset, she would not lash out on others and instead would opt for healthier remedies like breathing exercise, writing down her thoughts, or picking up a book.   

However, this time was different. No amount of breathing or reading would settle the rage building up inside of her. The thought of her precious little friend being abused by such an unpleasant little cat was driving her over the edge. Freya could not help but feel extremely protective over you. Like a mother with her children. She could not stand the thought of someone who was always so nice and kind-hearted towards her and everyone else, being treated like dirt. You did not deserve it. You were so caring and thoughtful and most people knew that you did not have a single mean bone in your body. 

As the night fell and the wolfess was sat in her home, her thoughts would start to spiral out of control. She started talking out loud to herself. 

“How dare that little... she needs to be taught. She needs to learn. She needs to never bother them again... and I am going to make sure of that.” 

The following day came and went but Freya did not partake in it. Most of the villagers did not notice however, as Freya usually hangs out in solitude. She spent that day in her house... plotting. 

Night came. All the residents of the island have turned in. Not a peep was to be heard from anyone. It was peaceful just like any other night. Except one was still wide awake. Freya.  

After spending the whole day inside the wolf finally left her humble abode. Albeit at an ungodly hour in the night. She ventured off in the dark, sporting a rather unusual outfit. Instead of her normal green sweater, she wore a black, leather jacket with a black tank-top underneath and some black skinny jeans. She also had the jackets hood up, making it hard for any bystanders to recognize her from a distance. 

The wolf quietly went to another villager’s house and started knocking. As she stood outside, she would take a few glances at her surroundings. The resident of the home finally came and opened up. It was Ankha. She wore a simple black night gown and looked as though she she could barely keep her balance.  

“Ugh, Freya, what do you want?” The cat groaned. Irritated that her sleep was being interrupted for seemingly no reason. She almost just wanted to slam the door shut in the wolf’s face.   

“Don’t you know it’s three in the morning, me meow?” 

“My apologies but I’m here by request, uff da.” 

“Request? Request of what?” 

The wolfess grabbed for what seemed like a folded piece of paper from inside the jackets pocket. She remained silent and made a notion for Ankha to grab it. 

“What’s this?” The feline asked as she unfolded it to see it was some kind of hand-written letter. 

“An apology letter to you from (Y/N), for what they did the other day to your tomb. They felt awful about it and wanted to properly express their remorse. They sent me to deliver and they want you to read and sign it, accepting the apology.” 

Ankha rolled her eyes back at the mention of your name. 

“Couldn’t that idiot peasant do this during the day? Don’t they know that I have to get my much-needed beauty sleep at this time?” 

“They just ask for a signature; it’s not like you have to get dressed or anything.” 

She sighed and rolled her eyes again. “Let me go grab a pen...” She turned and strolled off in the darkness of her house for the utensil. Freya followed along, lowering her hood as she entered. 

The cat glanced back at her, annoyed that she’s entering in uninvited and had left her front door wide open. However, she was too tired to comment and just wanted to sign the letter, hand it back to her, and then go back to bed. 

“Oh, yeah, speaking of getting dressed, that is the trashiest outfit I’ve ever seen you wear.” 

Freya made no comment to Ankha’s snarky remark. She could not care less on how the cat viewed her fashion sense. 

“Good thing no one’s out to see you in that rugged get-up but don’t worry, me meow, I won’t tell anyone~”  

The pink canine smirked a little at her statement. No one was out to see her. No one was out to see both of them. They were completely alone and unbothered.  

Ankha acquired a pen that had been stashed away in a drawer beneath her counter. She then turned on a single lamp nearby to dimly light the room up, making her actually see what she was going to read. 

The feline skimmed the letter silently, gaining a malicious little smirk towards the end. 

“Well look at that...” She started. “Not only are they sorry but they’re willing to pay for the damages, too. That’s something I could get used to...” 

Freya had to hold herself back with every ounce of her being from clawing the cat’s face off. She felt disgusted that Ankha was immediately thinking of ways to exploit your kindness. That greedy little... 

The cat wrote down her signature and gave it back out to Freya.  

“There. Signed and apology accepted.” 

Freya smiled but her eyes narrowed in on the feline. 

“Thank you.” She responded. Grabbing the letter back while her other hand was busy rummaging around in the other pocket of her jacket. 

“Now, would you please leave-ACK!” 

The cat suddenly felt her entire upper body jolting and leaning forward. Her mind went blank, not being able to register on what had just transpired. Her right hand suddenly had to cover a spot near her stomach. Though, she was unable to. She looked down to see that the wolf had lodged a pocket knife right into her right abdomen. Ankha’s breath and body simultaneously went cold as she looked up at the towering wolfess who seemed to not be showing any signs of remorse on what she had just done. The cat’s eyes were fixated on her piercing, cold demeanor as her breath started to pick up in pacing. 

“Oh, I’ll leave, uff da... just as soon as I’m finished with this...” She growled in her tone as she tugged the knife in deeper. 

The feline shrieked at the motion and instinctively stumbled back a few feet the second Freya pulled the knife out. Her hand was now covering the wound that was just created, with blood leaking out between her yellow, furry fingers.  

“What...” Ankha huffed, finding it difficult to focus on speaking. “...what are you doing...?” 

Freya did not give a response and simply started to approach the now wounded feline. The murderous glare from her yellow eyes gave a fright in the cat as she backed up once more, holding out her left arm to keep the distance between her and the ferocious, furry wolfess.  

“Wait, wait, WAIT! Just wait-” 

Another shank to the cat, right above her previous gash. This one was far swifter than the last two, with the knife already pulled out before Ankha could process it.  

But as soon as reality caught up with her, the cat’s immediate decision was flight. She made a break for the wide-open front door. If she could just run outside and try to hide in the dark of night, or make a big enough commotion, she could wake someone else up and have them help her fend off the wolf.  

Not much more thought was put into whatever plan she wanted to execute before she bolted for the doorway. Freya, however, caught on in an instant and hastily pursued her. Unfortunately for Ankha, Freya was faster. Only a few feet from the outside world before the wolf caught up to her, pushed her to the floor, and slammed the front door shut and locked it. She then proceeded to take a key that was hanging from the wall right beside it, trapping the cat inside her own home. 

Even though the fall was on Ankha’s left side, the impact made the pain from her injured right-half shoot up. She still clung onto her wounds, with the blood now getting all over her egyptian-themed floor. Looking up, she could see her aggressor looming over with a taunting smirk on her face as she jangled her house keys.  

“Going somewhere?” Freya said mockingly before placing the key in her pocket. 

Ankha laid still frozen in fear.  

“W-why...?” She could feel how cold her breath got with every word she uttered. 

“Why a-are you doing thi-” 

The wolf kicked the pharaoh cat right in the stomach, not even letting her finish her question. Ankha fell on her front, having both of her arms wrapped around herself from the painful kick that she received. For a moment there, it numbed the pain from her stab wounds. Though, now she felt like she was ready throw up. 

“Because you’re a pest but before I go on... please excuse me for a moment.” 

Freya halted her aggression and walked over to the kitchen. She started rummaging through cabinets before finding a clean glass cup. Ankha looked up to see what her assailant was doing. A little confused on her current actions, another idea went off in her head that she needed to execute immediately as she now found herself caught in a “now or never” situation. Survival mode has kicked in. 

She painfully got up on her feet, feeling weak in the legs. She found her balance to be off a little, swaying back and forth before stabilizing.  She hastily retreated to her room while Freya was busy filling up the glass with water from her sink. Ankha remembered that her phone was on her bedside table and she needed it to call the police.   

The cat’s mind was racing at a million miles per hour. Part of her wanted to believe that this was just a dream and that she was still peacefully asleep in her bed. Though, her rational side suggested that it was mere wishful thinking.  

Ankha quickly snatched up her phone, not caring that she was getting it covered in her own blood. Her hands and her brain felt like they were having their own little seizure as it seemed like she was having a hard time navigating through her own device.  

Freya was chugging down her glass of water as Ankha finally got onto her keypad. The second she dialed “9”, a loud smash could be heard from the kitchen. This startled the cat, making her mess up on her next input on her phone. Her head spun around, not yet noticing her mistake as she stood frozen, knowing that Freya was the cause of that. Presumably breaking her glass and now she might be on her way to resume the assault.  

Ankha forced herself to snap out of her fear-based paralysis to continue dialing the rest of the number. Now seeing her error, she was losing precious seconds by deleting the unwanted number and replacing it with “1”.  

The cat finally managed to start an emergency call but not before hearing footsteps coming her way. Her phone rang twice and wished it had just picked up right away.  

Before the third ring, the cat felt a sharp pain penetrating the back of her shoulder. She howled as she bent forward a little. Her grip on her phone loosened and was swiftly snatched up by the wolf, who had now continued on her assault by stabbing once again. Ankha did not know if someone had now received her call since Freya hung it up and threw the device against the wall, breaking it.  

Ankha held her bloodied shoulder, knife still lodged in it. Seeing how all of her pacifistic attempts at escaping failed, she knew she was left with no choice but to try to fight back.  

Adrenaline fueled up in the felines body as she flung herself towards the wolf. She uttered an intense, harsh hiss as she started throwing her now claw-exposed hands at the wolf’s face. Successfully striking both of her cheeks, leaving behind bloodied claw marks.  

Freya, while a little stunned to see her victim fighting back so fiercely, quickly and stoically took back control. Catching both of her arms with her hands and tightening her grip. The cat shouted at her, struggling with all of her might but to no avail.  

Freya swiftly kneed her in the stomach before letting go of her wrists to deliver a single, south-pawed smack to the cat’s face, making her fall to the floor once again. Groaning from the blows she received; the cat once again admitted a howl from the knife getting violently pulled out of her shoulder-blade. She gripped her wound tightly, looking back she found that Freya is now pressing down on one of her legs with her foot. Preventing the feline from going anywhere at the moment.  

“Please... j-just tell me why...” 

“What’s happening is the consequences you’re getting from abusing someone’s precious little darling.” 

“Wha...what?” 

Ankha was genuinely confused at her statement. What on earth was Freya talking about? Darling? Was she on something or- 

Freya got off her leg and kneeled in front of the cat’s face. 

“You know...(Y/N)? The one you hollered, insulted, and hit, just because they broke a teeny-tiny piece off of a stupid tomb that’s, let’s face it, probably not even authentic. You’re a spoiled little brat who is a threat to what is mine. (Y/N) is mine and it’s my job to protect them from people like you.”  

She stood up and walked out of Ankha’s line of sight. 

“That’s why you’re gonna die tonight...” 

“Wait! No, no, NO, PLEASE!” 

Ankha lifted herself up a little in fright about her demise. Hearing those words, she could feel her heart ready to explode outside her chest. She almost felt like she as choking on air. Now she felt desperate. Ready to do whatever it takes to not get herself killed. 

“J-just... just...i-it’s okay... you don’t need to do this...” 

Freya narrowed her wolfy eyes, annoyed by the constant voice of wailing from the cat. It was becoming like a nails-on-chalkboard type of sound to her. 

“I’ll leave them alone! I won’t bother them, or-or ask them for anything... I won’t even look at them if you want!” 

“I’m afraid it’s too late for that, uff da.” 

“N-no, no, please, I’ll leave! Look, I-I'll pack my things and move away, never to be seen again! Just, don’t kill me, please! I don’t wanna die!” 

Freya kept her disappointed glare down at the now sobbing cat.  

“Pitiful. Especially right before, you were so eager to exploit them for money.” 

“I was just joking! I just talk, okay? Y-you know me, I just talk and put on an act...” 

The wolf once again kneeled down in her face. 

“Yeah... I know, Ankha... you just talk and lie your way through life. Making everyone else do the work for you like some kind of slave-driver. Now, I’m gonna make sure that you won’t talk anymore...” 

Ignoring the feline’s plea’s to not go through with this, Freya stood herself up and got herself into a position to easily and repeatedly stab the cat’s backside.  

With the constant overstimulation of jabs, Ankha could not even bring herself to scream out in pain. She was only able to let out soft yelping sounds that only grew softer with each jab, signaling that her lifeforce was draining. 

It wasn’t long when Freya switched to those yellow and blue, twitchy legs of hers. She punctured half-a-dozen holes in each leg, making sure there was absolutely no way for the cat to have any capability of getting up and running. Though, Ankha could not even stand up if she tried. She laid there, helplessly. Coughing up her own blood while she let her tears run down her now half-red face. She could not even let out any kind of shrill scream or yelp that could be heard in the next room over. This is it... she thought to herself. She could not believe that this is how it ends, that it’s all because of something so miniscule. She was, whole-heartedly now, regretting her previous actions towards you. If she could just rewind, knowing the events that would transpire, she would have just acted like it was no big deal. 

Freya finished, standing up and huffing as she looked down and admired her work. Though, she was a little frustrated that the cat was still alive, however. Nevertheless, the wolf knew she had practically accomplished her goal. Even if she had just left right then and there, Ankha would still die from her injuries not long after. Freya was debating to herself to either go for the head and end it or just watch her bleed to death. While she stood there for a moment, contemplating, something caught her attention in her peripheral.  

Sat on the dresser across for the bed, there were a couple rolls of gauze bandages. Most likely used and practiced as mummy wrap by the pharaoh cat. A lightbulb went off in the wolf’s head as she made her way over the dresser to inspect it. Picking up a roll and stretching it out, the wolf liked how adhesive they felt. She turned her attention back to the almost-dead cat, still silently crying to herself. 

Freya went back to her, kneeling down as she lifted up her the cat’s feet and started to wrap them. 

“The least I can do for you is give you a burial that’s appropriate for you.” 

It did not take Ankha long to feel what was happening to her and what it. Her heart sank like a boulder as her blood ran cold. Her “burial” was clear as day and she was not about to be fond of it at all.  

With the tiny ounce of strength she had left, the cat squirmed her legs all around, trying her best to wiggle the wraps off or at least loosen them. She whined and pleaded and spoke about how against it she was to have this be done to her. 

Freya was not bothered by Ankha’s feeble resistance and merely held down her legs without much effort. 

“So fussy...” The wolf remarked.  

As the minutes went by which felt like hours to the feline, Freya had completely wrapped Ankha from the waist under. Now she was moving up to her torso. The cat could feel the bandages slowly moving up her body as she kept trying to resist.  

Soon after, the Scandinavian wolfess yanked both of Ankha’s arms down to her sides so that she could restrain them in the wraps. And the second that Ankha would resist that notion, Freya would yank them back to her sides again, each time more violently then the other, to the point where she almost pulled them out of her socket.  

The cat was more compliant to keep her arms down after that. Though, reluctantly.  

The wolfess soon managed to wrap her arms to the point where she did not even need to hold them down anymore. But of course, she was not stopping there. She continued on, mummifying the feline’s body and ignoring her pleas for resignation.  

When Freya moved onto her head, from the neck up, Ankha realized that in the next minute or so, her ability to speak might be taken away for good. If she was going to go then at least speak her mind. 

“You’re... y-you're going to Hell for this...!” 

Freya made no comment and simply kept wrapping. Only a couple layers away until it reaches her mouth. 

“I hope you suffer! I hope they arrest you and lock you away in the dark for the rest of your life! A-and if (Y/N) ever finds out about this, then you can be sure they’ll turn you in, in a heartbeat! They won’t ‘love’ you, anymore, me meow. They’ll want you dead, just like you with m- MMPPHHF!” 

“That’s a cute story, uff da. But now it’s time to lay you to rest.” 

Ankha kept uttering furious, muffled sounds at her while all of her head, say for one eye, was wrapped and mummified completely.  

Ankha was now fully trapped, unable to move any limbs. Freya lifted her up and slung her over her shoulder. She strolled out of the room and to the front door with the cat in tow. The wolf took the key out that she stole earlier to unlock it, peering her eyes out to see if any soul was out and about.  

Luckily for her, no sign of movement anywhere.  

The wolfess stepped outside in the darkness, closing the door and locking it again. She ventured into the squirming, softly sobbing cat’s backyard where she found the hole that you had dug up, still wide open and empty.  

“Looks like I’ll have to finish this project for you. Not surprised. You never worked a day in your life, I bet.” 

Ankha, while deafened a little from the bandage wraps, was caught a little baffled by what the wolf had said. Why would Freya care about that stuff now?  

Then, after a few seconds, realization hit her like a train. Again, the cat’s heart sank even deeper than before and she could swear that time had stopped for a brief moment in the midst of her conclusion. She was about to be buried alive!  

Adrenaline ran through her body once more as her struggles and muffled whining instantly became more desperate. Though, of course, no matter how much she fought, the wolf was stronger.  

Freya kept ahold her tightly as she flipped open the sarcophagus, the very one that had been chipped off, and promptly placed the frightened-to-death cat inside.  

Ankha’s breathing was short and shallow. Already having a hard time breathing as it is with her nose and mouth being covered. It was only made worse when she eyed her surroundings, knowing exactly where she is at and what was about to happen next. 

She looked up at the looming, menacing wolfess. So many feelings ran rampant towards her. Frighten, obviously. But also disappointed and a bit saddened at who she thought she was. Initially thought to be just a quiet, classy, and rational wolf lady who never bothered anyone, who is now turning out to be an unhinged, murderous werewolf who did not seem the slightest bit remorseful at taking the lives of others. 

There was shock, too, towards the wolf. And, of course, anger. Hatred. Disgust. Anything negative-feeling you could think of is what Ankha felt at this moment. If she had her strength back and was not trapped in the bindings of her own mummy wraps, she would be the one burying the pretty, pink wolf in the ground. 

Though, in reality with any situation, Freya would always overpower her small, feline body. 

Freya went and wrapped one final bandage around her exposed eye, covering it up and leaving the cat blind. She winced at the darkness forced upon her and her body writhed with fright before hearing the creaking and snapping of the tomb closing. 

Freya, annoying could still hear the faint but audible cries from within the tomb. She promptly started to slide the tomb over to the hole where she let it fall. 

The pain from all the stab wounds that the cat received resurfaced sharply the moment the impact was made from the sarcophagus.  

Without missing a beat, Freya got to work with a shovel at filling up the hole. She quietly started taking dirt from the mound that had built up and placed it back in the hole, stopping to look around for any spectators from time to time.  

Ahkha could barely hear the crumbles of dirt, hitting the stone marble material that she found herself trapped in. Every time she heard the dirt hitting the tomb, the more fear built up within in. Blind, restrained, and trapped beneath the surface, she knew full-well that this is where she’s going to rest for eternity. She wondered if anyone is going to find her body. Days? Months? Years? At all? She might turn to bones before that happens. Was her body ever going to see the light of day again? Is there anything after her soon-to-be-experienced death?  

While her mind was busy in its final moments, running at a million miles-per-hour, Freya had finished filling up the hole and smoothing out the surface. She huffed and wiped the sweat off her face. Glad that not only does she finally have some peace and quiet but now felt like she successfully removed a threatening thorn from your body.  

Freya tossed the shovel aside, putting her hands on her hips as she looked down and smirked maliciously at the now covered grave. Not caring anymore if Ankha was even still alive or not.  

“She’s gone, (Y/N) …" She whispered to herself.  

“You’re safe now... that Ankha is never going to be a bother again.” 

The wolfess turned around and walked out her backyard and towards her own house now. Now sprinkled with speckles of the late cat’s blood all over her. 

“Now I would do well with some laundry and a much-needed shower.”  

END

[aspiringhorrorauthor]

GX Month- You And Me

The Crystal Protector, keeper of the Light of Healing, has ventured to a different dimension in hopes of meeting his counter part, the Prince with the power of the Gentle Darkness. When people seek to keep them apart, however, he finds his own way creating a meeting.

For being in the Dark World, this place is really quite bright, Marmoru thought to himself, walking along the pathways leading away from the castle and towards the farmed lands. When the Guardian had explained to him that they needed to travel to the Dark World to find his counterpart, he’d expected something more dreary. True, it wasn’t as bright as the Light World, and the moat made of lava surrounding the castle was a truly inspired touch, but so far it was, dare he say it, pleasant. Beyond the King’s reluctance to have them as guests, that is.

“I still cannot believe the Guardian managed to convince him I was a knight,” Marmoru mentioned to Ruby Carbuncle, currently sat astride his shoulder as they travelled. She mewled back a response. “True, but anyone could dress the part. I hardly look like a knight, do I?” Ruby gave a non-commital reply.

He’d somehow managed to give the Guardian the slip for the morning, borrowing back his sword from the armoury that the King had insisted he shouldn’t be allowed to carry while he was a guest, all under the guise of wanting to explore the surrounding lands. It wasn’t a complete lie, truly, he was always interested to explore new places, but there might have been an ulterior motive.

They’d been here for days now, and still he hadn’t met him. His counterpart, the person with the Power of Gentle Darkness. It was an exhilarating and terrifying thought, to be so close to him, so close to finally meeting him, and yet as travelling visitors he and the Guardian had been kept away from any of the royals thus far. But that was about to change.

The farmed lands gave away to wild forest, gnarled roots strangling the undergrowth while lucious trees gave wonderful shade. The leaves were so much livelier than the sun-bleached leaves of Light World, they felt wonderful to roll through his fingers. He’d happened to overhear some of the servants mentioning how the Prince would occasionally sneak away with a friend to the forest, to spend precious time away from his duties, and when he heard the same servants trying to explain away his absence to senior staff this morning, he knew where he’d find him. The sound of laughter from deeper in the forest confirmed his suspicions. He turned to Ruby.

“Well? Are you ready to meet him?” He asked. Ruby mewled in agreement. He took a deep breath and walked towards the noise.

Stood below a tree, covering their mouth with one hand and the other reaching up into the tree, was one of the young servants he’d seen around the castle, speaking to someone up in the tree. “Come on, Haou, you said you could get the apples easily!”

“I’m nearly there, Yubel,” Haou replied, the leaves in the tree shaking as he moved among them. “Just a little. Bit. Further…”

“You know, if you fall, that will be difficult to explain to your father,” Marmoru pointed out and was replied by a loud yelp of surprise coming from the tree and Yubel leaping back from it as if it was suddenly on fire. “What are you doing up there?”

“I told you it was a dangerous idea, Haou,” Yubel’s tone had changed quickly, trying to usher him down from the tree. Haou’s face poked out from among the leaves, but he didn’t look like he was considering climbing down.

“I saw some ripe apples on the higher branches the other day, and Yubel said I wouldn’t be able to get them. I told them I could, and I will,” the branches shook again, and even from down here Marmoru could see there was no way he was going to get high enough to grab the ripe apples. Not without help.

“Why don’t you let my friend Ruby here help you out?” Marmoru offered, grabbing hold of the branch Haou was stood on, forming a bridge for Ruby to climb along. “She’s quite nimble, just show her the apples you want.” A quiet grumble came down from the trees. “You’re allowed to rely on friends for help, you know,” Marmoru reminded him as Ruby came up to the young prince’s heels. She gently cuffed at them until Haou picked her up, and held her closer to the apples, where she climbed out of his hands and made short work knocking down a few of the ripest, easily caught by Yubel and Marmoru below. Haou caught her again, handing her back down to Marmoru before slowly climbing back down.

“I could’ve gotten them, I really could have,” Haou insisted, pouting slightly. Yubel handed him one of their apples, both of them taking a bite as Marmoru held up his to Ruby for her to eat. “You’re a knight, right? Has my father sent you to find me and bring me back?”

The regret in Haou’s voice made Marmoru’s heart sink. “Of course not. I am just visiting, I do not run errands for the king. I was simply passing by on my walk and wanted to see who was having so much fun.”

Yubel still seemed apprehensive, but Haou seemed to accept his answer. “Okay, you can stay if you want, but you cannot tell my father where you found us.”

“Oh? Are you breaking a rule, then?”

Haou’s face scrunched up. “We wouldn’t have to if his rules made sense.”

“The king is a little overprotective, since the queen died,” Yubel explained, placing a hand on Haou as if expecting a reaction from him, but he gave none.

“I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of introducing ourselves properly, Prince Haou,” Marmoru quickly changed the subject. “I am Marmoru, of the Light World. And this is Ruby Carbuncle, a Crystal Beast.” Marmoru held his hand out to shake it, only realising after it was already held out that it was covered in apple juice from Ruby’s messy eating. Haou didn’t seem to mind.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Marmoru of Light World. I am Prince Haou of Dark World, and this is my friend, Yubel,” Haou introduced the two of them, pausing over the word ‘friend’ as if trying to consider if it was the right word to use. He too held out his hand, also covered by apple juice and shook Marmoru’s hand, the juice making their hands stick to each other with a gammy, tacky feeling, but there was something more beyond that. A feeling like this wasn’t the first, or last, time they’d ever held hands like this, the ghost of handshakes past and yet to come dancing around it. The look of confusion on Haou’s face said that he felt it too.

“Have we met before?” Haou asked, taking his hand back. “There is something about your face that seems familiar.”

Marmoru could feel it too, the weight of a thousand lifetimes lived and yet to come shared between their eyes, and yet, he had his instructions. Do not tell the boy yet, the time will come. You’ll know when it will be, The Guardian’s voice echoed in his mind.

“I’m not sure, I daresay I share the feeling,” Marmoru stated, pulling back his hand towards his chest. There was a warmth there that felt like it had been missing his whole life, returned to its place by Haou. Ruby mewled her own greeting, which Marmoru quickly translated. Haou seemed to be kept in place a moment longer, mesmerised by the feeling in his own hand and the strange ‘knight’ before him, but when Yubel called his name, he seemed to snap out of it.

“Are you any good at climbing trees, Marmoru?” Haou asked, pointing deeper into the forest. “There’s a nice one over there Yubel and I often climb.”

“I haven’t very much experience, but I would happily give it a try,” Marmoru agreed, giving Haou a smile. He was a few years older than Haou, and his height and maturity gave that away, but for one day, for a new friend, it could easily be forgotten.

“Wonderful! It’s a marvelous place to sit and talk, and you simply have to tell us all about the Light World,” Haou insisted, his eyes sparkling with excitement and wonder, and Marmoru couldn’t help but feel energised by it too. Whatever happened with the Gentle Darkness, there was no doubt Haou would bring joy to any around him, Marmoru could see that now.

[greywindys]

Concert thoughts

Seeing Gorillaz live in 2022 (Merriweather Post Pavilion)

Okay, to preface, no matter what I say in this reflection, I had a great time. I love live music, and Gorillaz has been a part of my life for a significant amount of time. Even if I’m not as obsessed as I was in 2017, I’ll always enjoy going to the shows. But that being said, there were definitely some I noticed, that I now know other people noticed, too, and I want to talk about that.

But let’s start with the positives:

Neither of them use Tumblr much, but I’m really happy that I got to catch up with a few friends I’ve gotten to know over the years. You know who you are lmao. If you don’t see this, we’ll probably talk about this more in the future anyways. This was really fun for me!

The setlist! I liked this setlist a lot more than the one they used in 2017. It was very Demon Days and Self-titled heavy, which, as many of you know, contain more of my favorite Gorillaz songs. I was worried they might take one of my personal favorites, “New Genius,” off the list before they got MD, but thankfully, that didn’t happen! Woohoo! I love the new arrangement for “O Green World,” too. The only song missing was EPWRID, but I wasn’t expecting it. Still, it’s another favorite of mine, and I hope I get to hear it live sometime in the future.

I enjoyed the new music. I haven’t listened to the newer Cracker Island songs in depth, but the three they played - “Cracker Island,” “New Gold,” and “Skinny Ape” are all bops...at least when they’re live. We’ll see how “Skinny Ape” translates to recording...next year lmao. 

The guests brought great energy! The shift that would occur when they started performing was palpable.

The neutral:

I started feeling a little...idk how to describe it without sounding cliché, and it may be that it simply is cliché. Oh well. You know when Stevie Nicks went, “But time makes you bolder, even children get older, and I'm getting older too”? That’s how I started feeling about midway through that concert, watching the people in the pit reaching up at Damon in awe and excitement. It made think of myself in 2017, how thrilled I was to be there, to see Murdoc on the big screen, surrounded by people who also loved Gorillaz. I’ve grown and changed a lot since then, both in my perspective of the band, and my focus in life in general. There’s more distance between us. However, I’m not sad about where I am now, I’d say I’m pretty happy. But idk, the feeling that I was watching the beginning of someone else’s Gorillaz journey, at the same (or similar) point I was in in 2017, made me a teeny tiny bit emotional. We grow up, but other people come in to continue carrying the mantle.

The negative-ish:

So, like I said, I had a lot of fun! But I also definitely felt like this show had a different atmosphere than the show I went to in 2017. Initially, I figured this was just me. After all, I’m not as obsessed with the band and characters as I used to be. I was in a seat rather than the pit this time (I actually didn’t mind this, ngl djsaldf). Obviously, I was projecting my own personal headspace onto the concert! But was I??

Out of curiosity, I skimmed through the reddit thread on this concert. There, I noticed a few other people pointing out that same thing. “The vibes were off,” “The crowd was dead,” “The cartoons were hardly there.” So it wasn’t just me?

To be fair, I haven’t watched any of the other tour videos this time around, so I can’t speak for those shows. I can’t even speak for other sections, though I’d agree that from where I was, the energy seemed more subdued/detached. I have a few theories as to why this could be. For one, Damon seemed to have a different energy this show versus the one I saw in 2017. For reference, here’s the opening in 2017 vs the opening in 2022. Even if he didn’t move around the stage as much, he still seemed more...present for the song in 2017 than 2022. In general, he interacted with the crowd a lot less this time (he jumped into the pit for “Dare” in 2017, talked to us a little bit about DC/Trump vs 2022 where he mostly just went from song to song). I remember joking in my head that he was speed-running through the set so they could end in time for the venue’s 11pm curfew. He did run around the pit and up the steps a few times...he didn’t make it very far because he reached the end of his mic cable RIP. Or maybe the live band is tired/on edge overall (he made a point to mention how many shows they’ve played, which made me think he’s aware that they’re working very hard with very little breaks). People have speculated other things as well, but I’ll hold off on doing that here for now.

It was also cold! And a little squished in the seats. The person to my left kept moving into my space unintentionally, so even if I wanted to jump and dance, I’d be banging into everyone lmao. I’m not much of a dancer/jumper in general though. I prefer to listen closely to shows, and absorb the whole experience.

Usually, other people can pick up my “slack” (I don’t consider it slack, personally, but I know a lot of complaints I’ve seen call out the lack of people jumping and raving etc.), but oddly enough, people of all ages around me were kinda just chilling too. I assume part of it’s because Gorillaz is in a fan transition phase. You have older fans who have likely seen them before, and therefore less hype. You have new fans who mostly know Cracker Island singles, but maybe aren’t familiar with Self-titled just yet. It didn’t seem like people knew the songs that well is what I’m getting at. This goes for me, too! At one point, they tried to get us to sing along to “New Gold,” and I realized that...I didn’t know the words to “New Gold.” 😯

Distance from the characters. Like, I feel like I barely saw Murdoc anywhere - not even in the visuals. This might sound dumb, but it’s how I felt! I missed him! This one might just be me though.

Overall, it was still a memorable time! I’m not mad about the “negatives,” but I thought I’d still reflect and share because they’re what’s given me the most thoughts post show.

[rafor]

Chapter 30 - Queen Freya - The Glitch

From the prison, we flew straight to the palace. I summoned my wings back, fearing they might vanish again. I confided this fear in Ferox, but I dared not ask him anything else. I wanted to know why he was in the forbidden city, in the fallen kingdom, and why he had attacked me. But I kept silent as we approached the palace, the most heavily guarded place I had ever seen. It was guarded by wind dragons only. They let me in when they heard I was expected by the queen, and Ferox followed me closely.

We entered a grand hall where the queen sat on a throne, surrounded by a few servants and guards. Before I could say anything, a voice shouted “Intruder!” and a young wind dragon, about my size, slammed into me. He pinned me to the ground as if I was a mortal threat. I did not resist, knowing it would only make things worse. But I felt humiliated and angry.

“Get off me. I’m not an intruder,” I said.

“I got him. What now?” the dragon said, digging his claws into my neck.

The queen chuckled and said, “Oh, Vesper, it’s just an ape. Let it go.”

“Exactly, an ape, an enemy,” he said.

“Sorry to correct you, your majesty, but I’m not an ape! I’m a human,” I said.

“Let go of the explorer, son,” the queen said.

“I’d listen to your mother if I were you,” I muttered.

“Fine, human,” he said, releasing me. He glared at me with contempt. I glared back. I did not like him at all. He had no reason to act like that.

The queen looked at me with curiosity and asked, “So, I’ve never seen a creature like you. What brings you here, and who are you?”

“I’m Raphael, and my apologies, but I’m not entirely sure how I got here. I was in another city far away, and then suddenly I found myself in your land. I come in peace,” I said.

“What city?” she asked.

“The Kingdom of Aura Aetherius,” I said.

“Oh, I know that city. It’s quite far indeed,” she said.

I thought sarcastically, “Oh, don’t you say, I saw a map and it’s on the opposite side of the world.” But I did not say that out loud. Instead, I said politely, “Yeah, I should get back, but I’m not sure where to go.”

“It’s not worth the risk. We just sent a messenger there for you. We’ll get a reply in a few days. We can’t just let you go. I’m sorry,” she said casually.

“It’s fine. I’ll wait, thanks,” I said resignedly.

“Not that you have any other choice, anyway. Do you have any skills or talents?” she asked.

I wondered why she wanted to know that or what skills or talents she expected from me. Anyway, I answered truthfully, “I can read, write, do math, and things like that. I also know how to use some elements and turn elementless crystals into elemental crystals. That’s about it. I’m sorry.”

She seemed interested in the elements and asked, “What elements?”

“I learned some ice, wind, and fire magic, but I still have a lot to learn. It’s nothing special,” I said modestly.

“The fact that you can control more than one element is already special. What are you?” she asked suspiciously.

“I’m a human. Like I said,” I repeated.

“Do all humans have such abilities?” she asked.

“No, and I don’t think you’ll ever see other humans besides me in this world. Don’t ask me why. I’m sorry, but I don’t know why I even exist, to be honest,” I said sadly.

She called for Ferox then and said, “Good. Ahem, Ferox, could you please fetch the crystal expert? I want to see something.”

“Yes, my queen,” he said, leaving to find this crystal expert.

Meanwhile, I was still standing there awkwardly, and she said, “Oh, sorry, I forgot your name. You are?”

“The name’s Raphael. Queen Freya,” I said.

“Alright then, Raphael, could you show me some of your elemental magic?” she asked.

“Here? It’s ice, wind, and fire magic. Are you sure?” I asked hesitantly.

A servant snapped at me, “Queen’s request! Don’t question it!”

I felt offended by his tone but did not reply. So I summoned an ice shard, made it float in midair with wind magic, and melted it with fire.

I heard the queen mutter under her breath, “Shit, it’s real.” I pretended not to notice and waited for her response. Meanwhile, I healed my hand that I had sliced with my own ice shard. Vesper’s voice rang out from afar: “No way! That’s so cool! Can I do it too?” Freya shot him down, saying, “No, you are a wind dragon. You can’t.” He pouted, “Oh, too bad.”. Ferox returned with the Crystal Expert, another wind dragon, who bowed to the queen and then looked at me expectantly. Freya asked him, “Are we running low on elemental crystals? We may have found an elemental source,” he answered. “It depends on the element. We have plenty of wind crystals, but the others are scarce.” Freya turned to me and said, “Good. Raphael, what kind of crystals can you produce?” I replied, “Ice, fire, wind, and health crystals.” The crystal expert gasped, “Health crystals? Really? That’s amazing! Queen Freya, may I take this guy to my workshop?” The queen nodded and said, “That’s why I summoned you. Take him to your workshop and provide him with a place to stay for the next week or two. And replenish our crystal supply.” He saluted, “It will be done, my queen.”. Freya addressed me again: “Very well, then. Raphael, you’ll be assigned to assist Kari with the production of elemental crystals. In exchange, you’ll get a roof over your head while we wait for news from our messengers. You’re not allowed to leave the city unless I give you explicit permission. Understood?” I replied, “Yes, your majesty.” I felt like I had traveled back in time. Your majesty, queen, and king were not terms that were common in my society.

Anyway, we left the palace and entered a workshop filled with crystals. Most of them were wind and elementless ones, and only a few had other elements. Kari was eager to start working. He asked me, “So, how do you usually transform an elementless crystal into an elemental one?” I replied, “I just hold it and change its element.” He requested that I make a health crystal for him, so I did. Then he deliberately cut himself with a sharp edge. A minor cut. Then he broke off a piece of the crystal and tossed it away. The crystal healed his wound. He exclaimed, “Wow, this is the first time I see someone who can make health crystals that actually work. We don’t have a minute to waste. Make as many health crystals as you can. We’ll need them.” I asked, “How long have you been short on health crystals?” He replied, "Not exactly short, just very limited. But now, thanks to you, we can fix that.”. So I got to work. I turned one crystal after another into health crystals. It was effortless for me. I just had to be careful not to injure myself with some of them since they were pointy, or drop one by accident because it would be wasted. I did that for more than an hour. It was monotonous, but I knew that those crystals were very valuable and could save lives, so I didn’t mind. I tried to chat with the crystal expert, but we didn’t have much in common. He only cared about the crystals and giving me tasks to do. After making many crystals, I accidentally turned one into an element I had never seen before. It became dark, like Erebus’ color. I asked Kari, "Sorry, could you check this out? I don’t know how, but I made it.” He inspected it for a moment and said, “Just a shadow crystal. It’s useless here, but I don’t have one in my collection. Hmm... can you make another one?” I tried, but failed. It just appeared randomly while I was making the others. He tried to help me: “Did you think about the shadow element by mistake?” I replied, "No, I don’t even know that element yet.” He said, “Strange, usually that’s how you make crystals, focusing on the element, right?” I replied, "Yeah, but... I don’t know how I made this one. It’s an exception.” He shrugged and didn’t say anything helpful. This crystal expert could identify crystals but not create them, or if he knew something, he didn’t want to share it with me. I was about to grab another batch of crystals when he told me, “I think that’s enough for today. Why don’t you take a break and go outside for a walk? Maybe explore the city. It’s quite nice.” I replied, “I think I’ll do that another day, thanks anyway. I’ll just go outside.”.

As I stepped outside, I breathed in the fresh air and gazed at the sinking sun. The sky was ablaze with orange and purple hues, but I felt a chill of uncertainty. Where would I sleep tonight? I turned to Kari, hoping he had some idea.

He smiled and said he owned several properties around the city, some of which were vacant. He pulled out a map and pointed to a few buildings that he had marked with ink. “If you have a preference, pick one that’s between the palace and the workshop,” he suggested. “The closer you are to the palace, the safer you’ll be.”

I nodded and scanned the map. I didn’t want to impose on him, but I also didn’t want to wander around in the dark. “Fine, I’ll take this one,” I said, pointing to a house that seemed close enough to both locations. “Thank you for your generosity.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “It’s no trouble at all. I’ll soon guide you there. For now, please wait here.” He gestured to the workshop, where we had spent most of the day. He left me there and went to fetch the keys.

I looked around the workshop, feeling a bit uneasy. It was nightfall, and the streets were deserted. The workshop was full of valuable tools and materials that could tempt any thief. I clenched my fists, ready to defend myself if anyone dared to break in. I remembered how I had fought in the arena, using my skills and speed to defeat my opponents. I hoped I wouldn’t have to use them again.

Kari returned soon enough, holding a set of keys in his hand. He handed them to me and said, “Let’s go. I’ll show you the way.” We locked up the workshop and headed to the house.

I gasped when I saw it. It was a beautiful building, with a garden and multiple floors. It looked spacious and elegant. Far too luxurious for someone like me. “Are you sure this is okay?” I asked him, feeling awed.

He nodded and explained, “It’s fine. The previous owner sold it to me less than a month ago. I was planning to move in here myself, but I haven’t had the time yet. I also renovated it recently, so everything is new and clean. You’ll be the first one to use it.”

I thanked him profusely, feeling grateful and guilty at the same time. “I don’t know how to repay you,” I said. “Especially since I don't really own anything.”

He chuckled and said, “Don’t worry about it. It’s not a problem at all. Besides, you did a great job today at the workshop. You have a lot of talent and potential.” He smiled warmly and added, “We’ll see you tomorrow morning, alright? Have a good night.”

I smiled back and said, “Sure, thank you again.” He waved goodbye and left me alone.

I entered the house and marveled at its interior. Everything looked new and shiny. Almost too empty and sterile for my taste. But it was better than nothing. There were many rooms that were unfurnished, but there was also a cozy bedroom and a small workshop that resembled the one we had worked in today.

As I settled in, I suddenly remembered something that was missing. My backpack! Where had I left it? Oh no! I ran outside, hoping it was still somewhere.

I sprinted to the spot where I had met the other wyverns who knew Ferox. They were still there, guarding their territory like loyal soldiers. They glared at me as I approached them.

I caught the eye of one of the wyverns, who greeted me with a smirk. “Oh, it’s you again. What do you want now? Didn’t you find a place to stay for the night?” He teased me, and I smiled back. “Hi, I found a place to stay, and it’s great, so don’t worry. Anyway, I’m looking for Ferox. Do you know where he is?” He shrugged and turned to his companion, a light blue wyvern, while he was a red one. The other one spoke up. “He’s out somewhere. He’ll be back by midnight.” I checked my wristwatch as if I had one, but of course I didn't. I asked them, “Sorry, I don’t know the time. What hour is it now?” The light blue wyvern said, “Hold on a second.” He summoned a cold wind, then nodded, as if the wind had whispered something to him. “Almost midnight. He should be here any minute.” I was curious. “How did you know the time?” He winked at me. “Secret. I can’t explain it to you.” I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Cool anyway.”

I waited with them until Ferox finally showed up. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Hello, is something wrong?” I got straight to the point. “Do you know where my backpack is? I had one before,” he said, nodding. “The backpack with the diary? Yeah, I have it. But I can’t give you the diary back. It belongs to its original owner.” I tried to remember who the owner was. I had read a name, but it had slipped my mind. I asked him, “So the owner is still alive?” He smiled and pointed at himself. “Yes, right here in front of you.” I gasped. “No way, so... are you sure you want to talk about this here?” He looked proud. “Did you read the diary?” I decided to be honest: “Some parts, yes. I’m sorry, I was just too intrigued by it.” He waved his hand dismissively. “It’s fine. I don’t mind. There wasn’t anything too important in it.” I couldn’t help but ask, “Not even the... do they know?” He nodded. “The insults to the royal family? Yeah, they know. They went through that too. Didn’t you guys?” The red wyvern said, “Yeah, we’ve been through a lot of shit.” The other one agreed. “I hear you. I’m glad that’s over.” I asked them: “So you were all against the royal family and joined the war against the kingdom?” Ferox shook his head. “We didn’t join the war. We just left the city and warned everyone to do the same, but hardly anyone listened, so when the war broke out, we didn’t care.” I pressed on: “And you left the city to come here? Weren’t you enemies with the wind dragons?” He explained: “The royal family hated them, but we didn’t. We were still allowed in the city, just like you.” He added: “But we weren’t part of the royal family, so we had more freedom to leave the kingdom. The only risk was getting caught and executed.” I said, “That sounds terrible. I’m glad you made it then.” He shrugged: “It’s fine. Anyway, let me get your backpack for you. I don’t need it, but I’m keeping the diary. Thanks for finding it for me.” He flew away and came back with my backpack in his claws. He handed it to me and asked, “Where did you find the diary anyway?” I told him, “I stumbled upon it near a window in a ruined building, and I just picked it up.” We chatted a bit more about the building, which was charred and crumbling from a fire. There wasn’t much else to say about it. When we were done, I headed back home, happy to have a backpack that I actually didn’t need anymore. But I was still curious about the diary.

[monstermaster13]

What’s Yours Is Now Mine

There is a very old saying here in the Monster World, don’t take things which belong to other people and that includes ideas, now Nathan created some werecreature parody personas for his stories but there were people that tried to make fun of him and rip off his creations, one such person thought it was a clever idea to rip off his photomanips and claim they as her own original ideas, of course these so called original ideas consisted of taking a vehicle or animal and giving them freakish cartoon eyes and painting them green, all of them would make some of the stupider monsters on Power Rangers seem legitimately scary by comparison. Nathan’s thoughts on this person were as follows…’Oh boy, another fail troll wannabe from the daloli-verse who thinks they’re edgy, clever and funny. Quit while you’re ahead.’ ‘You do realize you need to shut up, right?’ ‘Don’t tell me what to do, as someone who does actual werecreature related work and is friends with an actual werecreature, I find this portrayal offensive.’ ‘If I was a failtroll you’d ignore me.’ ‘Which is the point of people like you to be honest, like if you want to be ignored, fine but don’t act like i’m not doing it to you, since you asked for it.’

“Whatever, my work is original and clever.”

“Oh yes…because ripping off Turbo Teen and Christine is totally original”.

“I am afraid I don’t get it.”

“And really, a were-ape? The creator of Dragon Ball just called, he wants his Oozaru back.”

‘Well…at least I don’t claim i’m a werecreature…’ ‘I don’t claim to be a werecreature but I know one, a Werebelushi to be exact who is more than just annoyed by this sort of thing but once I tell him, he will be beyond super pissed and he will bring you to justice.’ ‘You don’t scare me.’ ‘Oh but you will be scared.’ ‘What are you going to do, block me?’ ‘I will do more than that, just you wait.’ Of course this stubborn blowhard did not believe he was capable of supernatural vengeance but that was her achilles heel so to speak, so he was so arrogant and stubborn she often underestimated her foes, the so called QueenWere-Bitch (real name: Quweesha as she called herself was nothing more than a petty fool.

An hour later Matthias/Werebelushi In The Shades arrived and boy was he pissed. ‘You stole Nathan’s ideas? You made a mockery out of werecreatures? Well then you shall be in for a world of pain. Not from me of course but from my friend.’ ‘Your friend?’ ‘Oh yes, the Were-Aykroyd. He is a twisted genius who knows what to do with people like you, he knows how to bend you and break you.’

Of course Quweesha as she was called didn’t believe it but later that night, she was about to post another hateful photomanip when she was visited by said Were-Aykroyd, but in spirit form…’Looks like i’ve caught the culprit. Quwueesha, you are under arrest.’ ‘What for? Being an awesome troll?’ ‘Oh no, for stealing other people’s characters, you took the werecreatures of Nathan’s and did poorly made rip-offs of them and for that you shall be arrested.’ ‘Whatever, that were-freak deserves it.’ ‘Sounds like you’re the one who needs to learn a lesson, you are the one who deserves it.’ ‘This has to be a joke, right?”

“I don’t joke around, pretending to be someone else’s original creation is a serious offense.”

‘Says the comedian.’ ‘I take myself extremely seriously, thank you very much, the problem is…you’re not contemptuous of yourself so you have to steal someone else's characters and make them into unoriginal knockoffs, you might as well just call them NFTs.’ ‘They aren’t NFTs.’ ‘You literally have a green ape and a green car with teeth, those are NFTs.’

“How dare you.,”

‘Well if you are not going to do good things with this ability of yours, I might as well abruptly take something from you.’ ‘What would that be?’ ‘Your body of course.’ He took on a transparent form as he entered her body, diving into her mouth and down her throat, causing her stomach to gurgle as it pushed against her trashy looking top.

Her top which had what appeared to be an NFT version of Pinkie Pie but with green hair slowly began to tear as her stomach bulked up and broadened, developing brownish hairs on it as her breasts retracted into her chest, brown hairs slowly developed on her chest and torso as her sleeves tore up due to her arms which bulked up, her gloves tore apart too as her hands enlarged. ‘What are you doing to me?’ ‘Well since you won’t be needing this body of yours for a while I am going to borrow it, and by that I mean use it to my advantage.’

She groaned a little as her back broadened and her hips retracted in size and her privates altered to the more manish variant as she slowly shot up in height to 6’2 as her shoulders broadened and her hair darkened, her DNA also altered a bit. ‘Demons are always fun to toy with.’ The Were-Aykroyd quipped. ‘They have the power to mess with people in all sorts of ways and so do I. I am going to enjoy messing with you, and making you mine, since you don’t care about keeping what is yours.’

“This hardly seems fair.”

“Luckily for me, it is fair that you get what you deserve.”

At this point she was deeply regretting everything she had said, she realized that now she was the one having something taken from her…as her hairline altered and her brow altered, her feet had also grown larger as they burst out of her shoes and she looked behind to see her rear had plumped up. ‘You made me overweight.’ ‘No, the term you are looking for is thicc.’

She groaned as she saw two of the toes on her feet sticking together, giving her the appearance of having webbed toes as her eyebrows thickened and one of her eyes turned from icy blue/whitish to green while the other turned brown, her nose broadened, and developed a cleft down the middle as her features altered to resemble his. ‘I look like you!’ ‘Why yes, you do and you look quite dashing. Of course I am going to have to do something about your damaged clothes. Yeah, it happens all the time with Nathan too, don’t worry, having my powers isn’t so bad. You do get enhanced intelligence and superhuman strength after all, two in one, smart, and able to be badass at the same time.’ ‘I hope you are going to do something about the clothing damage.’ ‘It happens all the time with most Were-Aykroyd transformations, unfortunately, but you’ll get used to it.’

She coughed as her voice contorted and warped, making her sound like Dan Aykroyd as her transformation completed, her mind didn’t change completely but she felt like apologizing. ‘I am sorry I did this to Nathan and that I insulted your Werebelushi friend.’ ‘I should hope so, anyhow..apology accepted. However, you are now permanently a Were-Aykroyd, don’t worry, you’re not going to be stuck like this forever.’

“I’m not?”

“Oh no…you’re probably thinking it’s going to be the full moon ordeal but it’s not.”

‘It’s not a full moon ordeal?’ ‘Oh no, basically a Were-Aykroyd does turn at night but also when it gets dark and sometimes it’s into a different Aykroyd character, oh and don’t worry, we don’t eat people or anything and aren’t hive-minded. We are not akin to zombies or anything.’ ‘So I won’t have to eat brains or anything?’ ‘Oh lord no, why would I eat brains? Unless it wasn’t actual brains of course.’

“So do I have to look out for Buffy or Van Helsing or anything?”

“Only one enemy you have to look out for, Frohmeyer…”

“Vic Frohmeyer?”

‘Yes, him…he’s got his eyes on that cursed screenplay that connects all Dan Aykroyd characters together.’ ‘That sounds dangerous.’ ‘In his hands, it will be. I cannot even begin to imagine what will happen if he gets his hands on it.’

“So I have to keep it safe?”

‘Yes, you can start by joining the family of a certain fellow Were-Aykroyd, look for Dan, he hangs out in the Spirit Halloween store that isn’t too far from Greasey Jake’s.’ ‘I shall look for him there, then.’ ‘Good, tell him you want to be a member of his family.’ ‘Yes sir!’

And thus with that, the new ‘Were-Aykroyd’ who was still the person she used to be only reformed, went out to seek Dan the King Were-Aykroyd in hopes of joining his family, eventually she did join the family as a new member and got used to her new powers, of course she had to keep it a secret from her friends.

[alsjeblieft-zeg]

170 of 2023

Created by riseagainst328

You're turning 16 soon: You're in driver's ed: You're a bit of a Tumblr addict: People think you and your best friend like each other: You do like your best friend but would never admit it: You have no idea what stereotype you would be considered: But you're perfectly fine with that: You're obsessed with your Doc Martins: You will always be a Converse kid at heart: Warped Tour is the best day of the year: People think you're kind of strange: You didn't have real friend until high school: You want to move to Washington state: Your dream is to be in a band: You idolize your favorite musicians: You're stoked for Halloween: People think your halloween costume is lame: You dye your hair unatural colors: Your school is full of peasants: You've hurt yourself on purpose before: You aren't ashamed of who you are: The thought of being told you need therapy scares you: You think the female body is more impressive than the male: You want to be in a relationship: But having sex doesn't really interest you at this point: You've kissed more than one of your friends: You're in all honors/ap classes at school: Tu parles francais: (you spelled it wrong) You think your best friend is perfection incarnate: You would bang Taylor Jardine if given the chance: Alex Gaskarth is perfect: You should be doing homework right now: You don't really know who you are: Psychology interests you: You don't have a religion: You love drinking tea: Starbucks is love: You think iPhones are overrated: Even though you love yours: Most of your wardrobe is dark colors: You own 15 or more band shirs: Flannels are awesome: You love them boys who wear beanies: You don't like talking about 7th grade: You had somewhat of a 'scene' phase: Music is one of the only things with the power to make you cry: Your dad is one of the only reasons you're still alive: Friends mean more to you than family: Love never seems to work out in your favor: Someone has written a song or poem for/about you: You don't think anyone is proud of you: You smoke cigarettes: You tend not to drink alcohol: You get really reckless at times: You change your mind constantly: Dances aren't your scene: You've been to 5 concerts just this year: You don't trust most of the people you know: Studio Ghibli movies are amazing: The person you were in love with has attemtped suicide: No one has capture your heart quite like they did: You think life is absolutely beautiful: But you have trouble seeing it sometimes: You've lost someone who meant the world to you: You're considering becoming a vegetarian: You miss someone so bad it hurts: You don't cry very often anymore: You get complimented on your eyes a lot: You're short: You love to read: You're protective over the people you love: You need a hug right now: You don't like your name: There's something you need to say to someone: You don't have many regrets: You want to get your tounge pierced: You know a lot of random facts: You have a lot of secrets: You think you're unattractive: Your friends have voted you the 'pretty friend': You love being alone: You aren't afraid of many things: Christmas is overrated and commercialized: Freshman year was the best and worst at the same time: Sophmore year has been relatively uneventful: You REALLY need a hug now...: You defend pop punk: You're a good liar: Last night was a good night: You wish you could be friends with your ex: You sing while you pee when you're home alone: You don't understand why people like you: You've made someone cry: You've been kissed on a dare: You're a girl, but would love to make out with a girl you know: You don't know how to label your sexuality; So you don't: Boobs are awesome: You're thinking of taking a year off before college: You have no idea what you're doing to your life: You have a song on repeat right now: You're a virgin: You want to ask someone out, but you're scared: You look like your dad: You aren't really like your parents: You often feel out of place: Writing is one of your passions: One of your friends insists that she's a hipster: She is far from being one: Memories haunt you: Only one person has ever made you feel truly beautiful: You should be sleeping right now: Facebook is annoying: You have a Twitter just to follow celebrities: Autumn is the best season: You have an accent:

[geralehane]

Sapphic Snapshots: On Inescapable People

Alaina is tall and blonde and beautiful, and Miles is just a scrawny invisible kid. In high school terms, they are worlds apart. 

Miles, whose real name is Margaret - a fact she resents - transfers to Woodside High a little later in the year, and is immediately invisible. She considers that a good thing. Prefers it that way, really. There’s no stereotypical hierarchy and hardcore bullying, but there’s still the popular crowd that gets occasionally mean. And as a half-Arab nerd with a curly nest for hair and glasses too big for her face, she’d much rather spend her Friday nights holed up in her room than dealing with the aftermath of whatever prank goes sideways.

And it’s alright, really. She likes studying and she likes the quiet, and in a couple of weeks she even gets her own social circle of other quiet kids sticking together. 

She doesn’t know Alaina, at first. She doesn’t even really know of Alaina. Her new friends, of course, tell her everything. 

“Oh, and of course, the Queen B,” Corey, her math buddy, nods as the blonde girl passes by their table. “Alaina Harris, head cheerleader, dating the quarterback, yadda yadda yadda. Customary you don’t wanna cross her warning.” 

“Is she really that mean?” Miles glances at Alaina standing in line for coffee. The girl in question doesn’t seem the typical cheerleader type. She looks athletic, sure, but also… calm. Nonchalant. 

She is insanely pretty, though.

“It’s not that she’s mean,” Corey tries to explain as he stares off into the distance. “She’s just… she’s got this thing where she’ll talk in this cold voice and you feel like you’re nothing. Plus, her boyfriend’s got the entire football team backing her up. I heard last summer she crashed into someone’s car and they ended up paying to get her car fixed because they were threatened. Or something.” 

Alaina’s eyes meet hers, and she quickly looks away. Right then and there, she decides that she doesn’t need any trouble. 

***

During sophomore year, Alaina is seated next to her in AP English. Miles is not sure how she feels about that. 

At least she’s a touch taller than the cheerleader now. 

“Hey,” Alaina says as she sits down. The hem of her summer dress falls just above her knee, attractively, and Miles quickly looks up. 

At the ceiling. 

“Hey back,” she says, a little louder than necessary, and immediately cringes. 

Alaina doesn’t reply, but when Miles chances a look at her, she sees a small smile at the corners of her lips, and it doesn’t look mocking. 

***

“I’m Alaina,” Alaina says next time they meet in class.

She gives her a puzzled look. “I know.” 

That’s when Alaina decides to give her a heart attack. “You’re Miles, right?” 

“H--” A paper ball hitting her in the face and almost knocking her glasses off doesn’t let her finish. Brody, Alaina’s star quarterback boyfriend of two years, winces at her from the doorway. 

“Sorry, Glasses, that was for my girl!” 

Alaina ignores him. “Are you okay?” She asks, perfect brows furrowed with concern. Miles sees her hand twitch - as if she wants to do something silly like reach out and place it on her arm, or something. So she shakes her head and inches further away in her chair. 

“Yeah, I mean - yeah, it was just paper.” Brody’s hulking presence is still hovering in the doorway, and Miles nods at it. “You should get to that.”

“Right,” Alaina sighs, and stands up. Miles successfully tunes out their conversation and tries not to dwell on the fact that the blonde doesn’t look pleased. 

Alaina tries talking to her during class once after that, but she politely tells her she’s trying to listen to the teacher. 

“Right,” she hears in response. “Sorry.” 

She doesn’t try to talk to her after that.

Miles tries really, really hard not to feel disappointed.

***

Brody once kisses Miles on a dare. Right in the hallway, laughing, self-satisfied, yelling things like charity and community service once he’s done. She hates every second of it. And, judging by the look on Alaina’s face, she will hate every second after this so much more. The cheer captain’s glare burns her with cold rage, and she’s having a full-blown panic attack by the time she reaches the bathroom to hide in.

She’s so terrified of possible repercussions she feigns a cold for several days. 

When she inevitably comes back to school, she learns Alaina’s single and Brody’s been kicked off the football team for inappropriate conduct. 

Nobody crucifies her for what happened. Nobody asks any questions either. 

***

At the end of their sophomore year, Miles’s essay wins a national competition. It gets posted online, and she just about dies inside at the thought of someone from school reading her thoughts. She quickly recovers, though, when she realizes no one is interested enough to bother. 

Until. 

“Hey.” 

She blinks at Alaina towering over her at the library table. “Hey back,” she says, unable to hide her surprise. 

A lock of blonde hair falls out of a messy bun, and Miles just watches. 

“I really liked your essay. Great job.”

“Oh. Oh - I, thanks?”

Alaina’s smile is gentle, and knowing, and a little sad. “You’re welcome.” For a second, no one speaks, and then Alaina nods and leaves. 

There are a lot of things on the tip of her tongue as she watches her walk away. Things like wait, and you read my essay, and why?, and I’ve never been to a football game because I’m afraid to watch you perform but I really want to even though I really shouldn’t. 

And how could she forget about you’re so beautiful sometimes it hurts to even look at you. 

Miles sits, and stares, and says neither of those.

***

After that, they don’t really speak until graduation. 

She gets pranked only once in all of her high school years, and it’s relatively harmless. She tries not to think about it. 

***

The first time they meet after graduation, Miles is wearing a Starbucks uniform and Alaina’s awkwardly waving at her as she stands in line. At first, Miles thinks her day can’t possibly get worse. 

She makes herself smile once it’s Alaina’s turn. “Hey. What can I get for you today?” 

“Hey back.” Now that she thinks about it, Alaina’s always spoken softly and calmly. And a little husky, but that’s one of the things she’s forced herself not to notice about her. “It’s good to see you.” 

Miles’ brows rise at that, because - why? And also - it’s not like they exactly have time for this, if a man pointedly clearing his throat behind Alaina is any indication. 

Alaina does her famous eye roll, but surprisingly doesn’t comment. “Sorry,” she says to Miles instead. “Tall black coffee, please.” 

“Oh,” Miles squeaks, and her former classmate suddenly gives her a smile. An actual one, and it feels warm and friendly. 

“Were you mentally preparing yourself for something outrageous?” When Miles only chuckles awkwardly and busies herself with writing on Alaina’s cup, she hears a light laugh. And almost has an aneurysm. “I guess I do seem like the kind of person who’s got double whip in their everyday vocabulary.” 

And now Miles is choking on air for a different reason entirely. “That’s, I mean,” she tries. Doesn’t work. She clears her throat and tries again, with a bit more success. “I’m sorry, I didn’t - I don't usually assume. Not that I did. I mean, I didn’t expect anything too complicated. Maybe a latte.” 

“Maybe I’ll get one next time if you make it,” Alaina shrugs, and it sounds too much like actual conversation now, and Miles is not an expert on flirting at all, but-- 

“Sorry, is that all?” The man next in line pipes up, annoyed. “I don’t mean to be rude, but you’re holding up the line.” 

Miles is not looking forward to the chewing out he’s about to get. Especially not on her shift. Because in the end, she’ll end up getting blamed somehow, and she really needs the extra money for college, scholarship or not. 

“Right,” Alaina mutters to herself, and gives the man a cold, slow glare. Sort of triggers MIles’ fight or flight response in the process. And -- turns away to face Miles. “Sorry again. How much for this?” 

That’s it? Miles almost asks, but thankfully she still has some filter. So she blinks, and processes Alaina’s payment, and accepts her friendly smile easily enough. 

***

She, of course, bumps into Alaina on her first Christmas back home. 

“You never came back for that latte,” is the thing she chooses to say after a bumbling greeting, because how else would she communicate her apparent unhealthy obsession? 

Before her wince deepens, Alaina laughs. “I did, actually. You already left. How’s New York?” 

“Oh, it’s great. Thank you.” It is. It’s full of new beginnings and promises and endless possibilities of everything, and Miles still can’t quite believe she’s done it, if she’s honest. “How’s…” It’s in that moment, then, that she realizes she has no idea what Alaina’s doing, and where. “Um.” 

“A way with words, that’s for sure,” Alaina remarks with zero bite to her tone. If anything, hazel eyes twinkle with barely hidden mirth. “Aren’t you an English major?” 

Well. That just makes her not knowing anything about her former classmate so much worse. “Yeah. I’m sorry - I don’t remember where you went after high school.”

“It’s okay. We weren’t really close.” A brief flash of a smile somehow lets MIles know it’s not okay, not really. It tastes like a missed opportunity, the air around them - bitter and smokey and crisp like late autumn. But then, “We do share a city now, apparently. So - we could hang out sometime. If you want.” 

“Sure,” Miles says, and swiftly changes the topic so Alaina doesn’t do something bizzare like offer her phone number. 

She still tells Miles to find her on instagram, so there’s that.

***

Miles doesn’t search for her.

***

What are the chances of stumbling into your high school almost-friend at some wildly unpopular indie rock band’s performance in a New York dive bar? 

Low, but never zero, it turns out. 

“Hey,” she stammers out. Alaina is - different. Her hair is shorter. She’s wearing a leather jacket. She’s got a darker shade of lipstick. It might be just for the concert, but Miles won’t deny it all looks great on her. 

“Hey.” Alaina’s smile is almost lazy. “You never found me.” There’s something between the words, like it’s about something more than an instagram follow, but Miles is used to her own wistful thinking. 

“Right. I - sorry. I’ve just been…” 

“Busy?” Alaina helpfully supplies. “Sure. Are you busy right now?” That’s more comfortable, familiar - the bluntness of Alaina’s approach, the almost-commanding tone leaving no room for argument. Miles thinks she’s just a little messed up when that makes her relax. 

“No. Not at all.” 

“Good,” Alaina says. “Let’s go.” 

She leads them to the bar, where a bunch of young, attractive people are seemingly waiting for Alaina, if their uproar at her appearance is any indication. 

“Bottoms up, y’all,” a tall guy yells as he thrusts two shots at them. Miles stares at it for a brief second. It’s clear liquid, which is never good news. She glances at Alaina next. Alaina only gives her another lazy smile, and then - then it’s the arch of that perfect eyebrow, raised in challenge, and Miles doesn’t need this trip down the memory lane. 

So she takes the shot, and the next one after that, and so does Alaina. 

***

She doesn’t remember getting home. Mostly because she never does get home, instead waking up in an unfamiliar living room with a splitting headache and one shoe still on. 

Alaina’s still passed out on her bed, fully clothed, when Miles sneaks out, leaving behind a thank-you note and, in a brief moment of insanity, her phone number scribbled at the bottom of it. 

She gets the call that same day. Alaina charmingly opens with a guttural groan of someone clearly dying from a hangover, and Miles laughs despite her own headache and asks if she needs anything. The polite thing to do after someone lets you crash on their couch, but not usually the thing most people take you up on. 

Alaina, of course, isn’t most people. “Ramen,” she immediately replies, sounding a touch more alive. 

“Ramen?” 

“My hangover food,” Alaina clarifies. Miles hears some shuffling - she’s probably getting up, or laying down. She tries not to think of Alaina and laying down, and then briefly wonders why, exactly, she does that. “What’s yours?”

“Oh. Um. I don’t think I have one. I mean, I don’t know.” 

The gasp Alaina replies with is almost offended. “I’m a woman with a mission now. We try ramen first, because I’m selfish like that.” 

It does work wonders, Miles has to admit. But she’s not sure if it’s the food or the quiet murmur of the TV in a small living room with Alaina perched right next to her, a throw blanket over their legs. 

“You should come over this Saturday,” Alaina speaks suddenly, during a commercial break. “It’s game night. Everyone loved you last night. They kept texting me asking if you got home okay.” 

Miles can’t help a smirk. “Did you tell them I didn’t?” It’s a little too suggestive for her taste, but this whole thing is bizzare to the point of funny. 

“God no,” Alaina laughs. “They’d think I corrupted you.” 

In what way? Miles thinks, but decides not to ask. She doesn’t think they need to -- she doesn’t think they should discuss this further. She doesn’t want to make Alaina uncomfortable. 

She, of course, completely ignores the fact that it’s Alaina’s friends who’d think that, and they know her much better than Miles at this point, and so - that would mean Alaina would do that, does that, did that with other girls.

But they don’t need to discuss that.

***

In hindsight, twenty-somethings playing Truth Or Dare rarely ends well. But Alaina’s friends are loud and happy and just immature enough to be charming but not to the point of annoying, and the two gin and tonics she’s downed earlier prompt her to agree with only mild protesting. 

It’s perfectly chaotic right from the start. Jess, Alaina’s roommate, does a handstand and almost kills her step-brother in the process, a girl whose name Miles doesn’t remember confesses to eating The Cheesecake which proves to be an Immensely Big Deal as everyone starts shouting at once, and then Alaina is asked if she has a crush on someone in this room. 

Hazel eyes clearly struggle not to roll. “Yes,” she says calmly. Once again, the room erupts in chaos of sound. Some boy pretends to faint. Miles has no idea how to react to any of it. 

“Don’t mind them,” Alaina tells her while her friends do a toast in honor of her mysterious crush that feels only partially mocking. “I’m… I’ve been pretty private when it comes to my personal life. As is my right,” she says the last part much louder, addressing everyone in the room. 

“Yeah, private,” Jess snorts, plopping next to Alaina and squeezing her in a hug equally adoring and life-threatening. “Private Ice Queen, at your service. In two years of living together I’ve never seen you with anyone.” She nudges Miles, then. “Guess that’s about to change, huh?” 

“What?” Miles barely has the chance to say, before Alaina springs to her feet, claps and states it’s time for shots. The proposal is met with cheerful enthusiasm, and Miles doesn’t have time to wonder if they are all becoming functioning alcoholics because Jess tugs her to her feet as well and everyone hurries to the kitchen space. 

The group demands to play twenty one questions after, which is basically an excuse to interrogate Miles, who they all seem to take a disturbing amount of interest in. 

“I love your hair,” the girl who ate The Cheesecake tells her. Miles struggles not to blush. 

“Thank you,” she replies. “I really like your glasses.”

The girl gasps. “They are cool, aren’t they? Alaina, darling,” she yells, then. “Let’s keep this one, please!” 

Jamal, the guy who pretended to faint during the Truth or Dare, plops down next to Miles. “Nice hair indeed, ukhti,” he grinned, pushing his own thick curls back.

The familiar word makes her relax even more than the alcohol. “Right back at you, akhi.”

He sat up, excited. “You speak Arabic?” 

“Not really,” she shook her head, feeling kind of guilty for getting his hopes up. “Grandpa taught me some words when I was little, but that’s it.”

“Oh! We could practice, if you want. I love teaching. My grandma and I talk in Arabic all the time.”

“That’s awesome,” Miles tells him, sincerely.  

“Are they bothering you?” Alaina appears next to Miles out of thin air. Or Miles is just getting tipsy. She watches the former cheer captain give her friends a warning glare that’s so familiar it hurts. 

“No, no. We’re fine. I’m fine.” 

Alaina relaxes, then, but not without another glance. “Alright. I know they can be a bit… much.” She sits on the corner of the couch, and looks at Miles. “You can tell me when they cross a line, okay?”

She doesn’t leave her side for the rest of the evening. Miles is terrified to find she likes it.

***

It’s a couple of months into this steadily growing friendship that Alaina brings up the topic of regrets. 

“High school,” she tells Miles. “There’s a lot of things I’d take back if I could. I wasn’t great at… I don’t know. I didn’t treat people the way I should’ve.” Miles can tell by Alaina’s heavy swallow that the next words don’t come easily. “Present company included.”

“What? You haven’t really done much to me,” Miles points out. And she’s honest when she says that. Nothing Alaina’s ever did to anyone has warranted a counseling session. Or even, like, a good cry in a pillow. “Like, back in high school, we barely even interacted. When we did, it was…” weird. Tense. Exhilarating. “...brief.” 

“Yeah, well.” Full lips curl in a self-deprecating smile. “I haven’t exactly done anything to make your experience better, either.” 

“You kicked Brody off the team.” The statement - the confession and the revelation, really - take both of them by surprise. But Miles presses on. “I - I always had a hunch that it was you. I don’t know for sure, but - you did, right? Because of that kiss?”

“Trust me, I wanted to do so much worse than get him kicked off that stupid team.” Hazel eyes are stormy with anger and something else, making them almost green. “He would’ve deserved it.” 

“Why did you ever go out with him?” Miles blurts out, and wonders if Alaina could hear the bitterness she tastes on her tongue. She hurries to rectify her outburst, adding: “I mean, he was such a dumbass. I never understood what you saw in him.” 

She watches the girl next to her shrug. “Social blanket. Nothing more, nothing less.” 

You didn’t need him, Miles wants to say. You didn’t need anyone. You could’ve had anyone you wanted. 

She doesn’t say it. 

***

Alaina is, for the lack of a better word, weird. 

She’s always there for Miles, yet her presence is never suffocating. Her texts are frequent, but so casual and effortless Miles finds it easy to get lost in an almost-daily back and forth with her most nights. And for the life of her she can’t remember a weekend spent without Alaina taking her to a coffee shop, an ice cream stand, a farmer’s market. Always armed with easy smiles and witty quips and a seemingly never-ending collection of adorable hats. 

(Miles has never expected to find a cloche hat sexy, but there they are.)

She’s got very limited experience with dating. Practically zero, truth be told. Miles had exactly one girlfriend and they broke up after a very awkward month of sweaty hand holding and mostly silent coffee dates. It was excruciating. She’s always expected dating to be much easier. Aren’t you supposed to feel at ease and most like yourself with the person you choose to spend most of your time with? 

By that logic, though, Alaina and her are dating. 

They aren’t, though. Neither she nor Alaina have breached that topic, mostly because there isn’t anything to breach. 

She has to appreciate the irony of it all. Somehow, she’s ended up doing everything she’s feared. Best friend to the girl who’ll never have her as something more. Graduating and moving away from Alaina was supposed to save her from this worst case scenario, but here they are. 

Miles wonders if it’s possible to feel pain from heartbreak that hasn’t happened yet.

***

Help truly does come from unexpected places. 

The solution starts with this - Miles gets asked out on a date. 

“A date.” 

Telling her feels weird. She’s never cheated on anyone, but it feels like it. Alaina certainly looks it, too. Looks a cross between betrayed and having been slapped, and Miles has no idea how to navigate this.

So she clears her throat and replies. “I think so.” She’s not sure if it’s a date date she got asked out on, but the girl from her Macroeconomics class is nice and funny and she won’t be too upset if it’s just a budding friendship.

“Oh.” She watches as Alaina briefly bites the inside of her cheek. “How nice. Do you, I mean - are you gonna go?” 

“I think so, yes. I mean, that’s what you’re supposed to do, right?” 

Alaina doesn’t reply. 

“Right,” Miles says. “So, uh. It’s tonight. I’m gonna go prepare, or - something. Sorry I can’t make it to our movie night.” She stands up to leave. 

Alaina is still quiet. 

She watches Alaina’s hands. Those slender, delicate fingers wrangling themselves in nervous knots. 

The silence is bordering on uncomfortable, which unnerves Miles to no end. She’s not used to feeling uncomfortable around Alaina. 

She starts to speak. “So, uh-” 

“Don’t go on that date?” 

It’s an inquiry more than it’s a command. Miles realizes, in that moment, that Alaina very seldom used her infamous commanding tone with her. 

There are a lot of things there, on the tip of her tongue, acidic and biting and shy and scared, but she only barely manages a why? and that’s when hazel eyes meet hers in a moment of startling clarity. 

“Because - I’m… here. I’m right here.” 

That’s not enough. Oh, how Miles wants it to be, but she needs more. Even when her legs, the traitors, carry her closer. “And?” She prompts. Alaina just looks at the ground. “We’re both right here. You… you have to tell me. Actually tell me, because--” Because it’s something she’s never allowed herself to even dream of, and when it’s right there, itching at her fingertips - well, she needs something she can grasp at. 

And Alaina finally, finally gets it. 

“You shouldn’t go on that date, Miles,” she whispers, “because I should be the one to take you on it.” 

It barely makes sense. But it makes sense enough. Enough for Miles to see all the golden specs across the hazel.

And then they are kissing, just like that. Miles has no idea who leans in first. Maybe it’s because they lean in at the same time. She’s not sure, and she doesn’t care. All that matters, in this moment, is the softness of Alaina’s lips and sighs against her mouth. 

“You have no idea,” Alaina breathes, desperate and delirious and absolutely delicious, once they break apart for a moment. “No idea -- I’ve wanted this since high school.” 

“I’ve wanted this forever,” Miles tells her, and it doesn’t matter how cheesy she sounds because it’s true. 

***

Their rowdy, obnoxious, wonderful friends show up at Alaina’s door yelling to be let in at nine in the afternoon. In their defense, Alaina did plan a hiking trip and was terribly late. 

Jess leads with “I thought you were dead!” as she brushes past an annoyed Alaina into the living room. “One night I leave you alone, and you get murdered - do you realize how terrible that would look on my record?” 

“I doubt something like that goes on your record,” Miles points out as she exits Alaina’s bedroom. 

Jaws drop. Bags do, too. So does Jamal, but everyone’s used to that by now. 

“So,” Jess starts, conversationally. “How was your date, Miles?” 

“It was great,” she shrugs as she plops down onto the couch and tugs her beautifully blushing girlfriend with her. “Ended up going to her place.” 

Among the excited yells and thuds and what she’s pretty sure is the sound of Terry breaking a mug, they smile. 

[kaeyasaki]

📹 — :; “face-to-face” GQ interview

-> inspired by the “face-to-face, A$AP rocky answers 18 from rihanna | GQ interview”, except i make the questions a little more personal because i don’t think anyone cares what gojo’s ‘fav curse word is’

-> ft :; gojo satoru

-> interview writing layout heavily inspired by @rintaroll

y/n: hey GQ! i’m here to do face-to-face with my co worker, gojo!

gojo: coworker? is that all i am to you?

y/n: be grateful i even acknowledged you.

gojo: you wound me.

y/n: yet you’re still smiling.

gojo flashes a playful frown to the camera as y/n roll their eyes before pulling out a stack on cards.

y/n: so first question, what’s the hardest part about working with me?

gojo: everything.

y/n: i’m serious.

gojo: and so am i, you make it hard for me to work with you because we never get anything done.

y/n: don’t make it sound like it’s my fault! we never get anything done because you get too distracted and drag me into it!

gojo: maybe you should discipline me more...

he teases and sends you a wink to which you dismiss quickly.

y/n: you’re a grown man, you shouldn’t need me to discipline you.

gojo: what if i want you to?

y/n: would you just answer the question seriously or i’ll really start to think you don’t think we work well together!

gojo: okay, i was kidding... you’re actually a pretty good teammate when we’re sent on missions together, i have fun with you... maybe a little too much fun...

y/n: don’t give them the wrong idea we’re nothing like that!

you cringe at him as he laughs before the camera cuts moving onto the next question

y/n: okay, second question, answer seriously from now on, got it?

gojo: anything for you~

y/n: you disgust me... anyway, how well would you say you take care of yourself?

gojo: you mean like... self care wise?

y/n: yeah, like self care!

gojo: hmm well, i’d say i take care of myself pretty well, after all, pampered men are attractive men right?

y/n: i mean sure, i think it’s attractive when a man takes care of himself but if that mans you... maybe not so much.

gojo: you don’t mean that! you must be somewhat attracted to me.

y/n: can’t say i am no.

gojo: lying is a sin you know.

y/n: you’re totally straying away from my initial question.

you groan and face the camera and gojo tilts his head and laughs.

gojo: sorry, well, i’d say i clearly look after myself very well which should be to your liking.

y/n: you’ll never be to my liking, but it’s nice to hear you take care of yourself well and that you’re not just an annoying man, but rather an annoying but hygienic man.

gojo: you’re so horrible to m-

the camera cuts as you start laughing and gojo starts whining.

y/n: we’re getting through these quickly now let’s keep it that way.

gojo: you know, we’d be half done by now if you stopped insulting me every chance you get.

y/n: i’m the quizzer, you’re the answerer, you answer when spoken to.

gojo turns to face the grinning camera crew behind the cameras on set.

gojo: now do you see what i have to put up with! i’m a victim i’m telling you!

camera man: no no, keep it up, you guys have nice chemistry

y/n: chemistry? not to be rude but you must’ve failed science, the only clear dialogue between us is practically conversation between an adult and child.

the camera crew laugh and gojo feigns offence before you clear your throat and look at the next card.

y/n: anyways, when was the first time you were majorly recognised as ‘famous’?

gojo: ah, a long time ago i need to think, give me a sec.

you pretend to yawn as gojo thinks about his answer before smiling at you.

gojo: my second year i think. that’s when i really started getting noticed for my talent.

y/n: practically a star since birth i see, how do you do it?

gojo laughs at your sarcasm as you grin back, evenly matched banter between the two of you flowing on set.

gojo: i’m handsome and gifted, i was made for this kinda life, it all comes naturally to me.

y/n: you know what doesn’t come naturally to you though?

gojo: hm?

y/n: that dress sense.

gojo: what’s wrong with my outfit?

y/n: bland, basic, and the way you chose itadori’s uniform was just straight up ugly!

gojo: he liked it!

y/n: the poor boy probably didn’t have the heart to express his disgust to your face.

gojo: well, until he does i’m gonna believe he likes it and my dress sense is more than up to standard.

y/n: if that’s what helps you sleep at night i guess...

the camera cuts with the two of you playfully bickering with each other, any previous speculation of hostility now gone as it’s clear for watchers to see just how your dynamic together works.

y/n: question four! what’s the first thing you notice in a person?

gojo: in general or when analysing to an extent?

y/n: in generals fine.

gojo: hm i would say looks, but i don’t wanna look too shallow on camera.

y/n: they would’ve just recorded you saying that. don’t be shocked if you’re trending on twitter later for it.

gojo: it’s fine, as long as i’m trending who cares what it’s about.

y/n: i can see the headlines already... ‘gojo satoru, top sorcerer, favoured teacher at jujutsu high and big narcissist’

you smile smugly at the man as he laughs along with you with the camera crew from behind.

gojo: yeah yeah whatever you say, but if i had to answer honestly, i’d say what energy they give off. i don’t let it bother me too much, but i’d say i’m pretty good at judging what someone’s like based off of what energy they’re giving out.

y/n: i’m shocked, that’s a pretty good answer... for you anyway.

gojo: i try my best for you.

y/n: mhm sure, keep that attitude next time we’re working together and maybe we’ll finish jobs quicker.

gojo snickers and smiles gently at you, his direction is no longer faced towards the camera, but rather solely directed at you as you clear your throat.

y/n: yeah anyway, good answer. that might just get you uncancelled.

gojo: i haven’t even been cancelled yet don’t speak it into existence!

y/n: i’ll ‘try my best for you’

you’re both smiling softly at each other after you mock one of gojo’s previous replies, there’s no speech cut off as a comfortable silence rests for a moment as the scene cuts.

y/n: okay, i want genuine answers only.

gojo: that’s what i’ve been giving you from the start!

you jokingly narrow your eyes at him before looking down at the next card.

y/n: well okay then, so, what was the first thing you noticed about me when we first met?

gojo: unusually bold question from you.

y/n: just shut up and answer, i was recommended to ask this.

gojo: sure, sure.

y/n: would you please just answer so we can get this over with?

gojo sighs dramatically and sits up properly and nods.

gojo: naturally, for anyone else i would say energy but for you, ah, i think it was your pretty face.

y/n: shut up, i said genuine answers only.

gojo: i am being genuine! aren’t i allowed to call you pretty?

y/n: you aren’t allowed to answer falsely, serious answers please.

gojo: you make me sound like i’m down bad, honestly, you’re very attractive to me, your energy was just a bonus, i’m serious, stop doubting yourself so much.

he smiles your way, not playfully nor forced, it’s a soft and genuine smile to calm your nerves, it’s a sign of truthfulness on his end. before you answer he clears his throat, slight hurry in his voice.

gojo: -of course, we were younger back then, since then you’ve gotten wrinkles and is that a few grey hairs i see? you also slouch-

y/n: -okay okay you can stop!

the two of you laugh as you gently kick his chair, the fact you’re being recorded and being watched by a whole camera crew totally forgotten about.

y/n: okay, last question finally!

gojo: admit you had fun with me.

y/n: i see you everyday, today was nothing special.

gojo: you wouldn’t say we’ve bonded more over this interview?

y/n: you’re still as irritating as before this interview so no.

you grin and gojo scoffs before shuffling in his chair a little before a sly smile draws across his face.

gojo: go on then, last question.

y/n: would you sl-

gojo: go on, ask it, we’re waiting.

gojo is leaning on the palm of his hand, teasing smile playing on his lips and y/n stares at the card in disbelief.

y/n: you definitely wrote this! i would never ask this! there’s been a mistake with the cards or something

camera man: ah no, they’re all the questions that were on your form you sent in prior to the interview, these are the questions you apparently wanted to be asked. sorry, you’ll have to make do.

y/n: i’m not asking that.

gojo: come on now, don’t upset your supportive fans.

y/n: i know you wrote this, you’re so infuriating!

you glare at him but not with complete hostility, the situation slightly humorous to you despite your protests.

gojo: i mean well.

gojo shrugs as you sigh and stare at the card before speaking.

y/n: fine then have it your way. would you... would you sleep with me?

gojo: how brave! asking me on camera in the middle of an interview! how could i dare say no!

gojo is laughing along with the camera crew as you fight back a smile, refusing to admit his interference was entertaining.

y/n: at least take me out for dinner first.

gojo: now you’re asking me to take you out? you’re really bold today aren’t you!

y/n: oh shut up! i didn’t mean it like that! this is totally your fault it’s awkward now.

you’re grinning at this point not caring that your flirtatious banter with gojo is being recorded and is soon to be edited and posted for the world to see.

gojo: i mean, i’m free tomorrow if that’s good with you?

y/n: what? no, i- this wasn’t even a serious question shut up!

gojo: i’ll shut up if you let me take you out... and maybe then i’ll sleep with you after if that’s your request.

y/n: i can’t stand you!

gojo: but you do everyday, that must count for something right?

y/n: i hate you.

gojo: quite the contrary, i’m sure i’ll get you to admit that by tomorrow though.

y/n: ...i’ll be waiting on it then.

the two of you are smiling at each other, laughter dying down as you once again softly kick gojo’s chair. he pays no mind to it as a moment of fondness occurs, viewers clearly able to see the evident bond between the two of you.

y/n: okay well... that concludes our face-to-face, GQ interview, thanks for watching and putting up with him!

gojo: maybe we’ll come back to do an interview about our date after i take you out, who knows, maybe i’ll get to ask you to rate me in bed!

y/n: gross. you sound like a fifteen year old boy.

gojo: am i at least a hot one?

y/n: i refuse to catch a case.

gojo cackles as you laugh too, the camera fades out with the scene of the two of you softly smiling at each other as the interview concludes.

[signor-signor]

So… here’s a confession.

It’s become apparent to me that I’ve taken the idea of asking Disney to give WOY a proper conclusion as soon as Netflix is finished with Kid Cosmic waaaaaaaay too far. I even found there are some people who have gotten sick of it, and to be honest, I don’t blame them. It’s even more hurtful when some say the show “ran its course” or “had its run” regardless of the telltale signs indicating that one more season was planned. I realize there were a few times when I used KC to encourage viewers to support WOY, but I know when to step off before I get stepped on. I was a fool.

To all of you pessimists who dare to insult me and deride me for giving my all to talk some sense into Disney: I’m sorry.

The thing is, the popularity of SDO (so darn overrated) shows almost always pushed me beyond the limit (including GF, SvtFoE, ‘Phibia, and TOH). I thought that if I show enough interest in something, I’d get to see more of what was planned. Obviously, it hasn’t always been the case. Part of me thinks SaveWOY will work, but another thinks otherwise because the fans of those SDO shows and the higher ups just don’t seem to give a care. Because of their actions, the rest of the world has no idea of what might happen to the space ape, what Star Force Enforcement Force look like, what became of the other villains, or some other query any dedicated fan might have.

Remember, though, professional fans of SatAM Sonic have been working on how its third season might play out because it was also left on a cliffhanger. We don’t really need Disney’s approval to find out what S3 is about. Maybe in time, we’ll finally get the answers without getting the crew back together or having Disney pay for it or give the rights to Netflix. Anything can happen as long as we’re not too optimistic and not too pessimistic.

That being said, I’m looking forward to Kid Cosmic’s final season.