#judgement day polycule

[milesworld96]

YALLS KNOW I HAD TOO😭😭😭😭😭‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

[xxamorxexmortexx]

Damian: Subs are so fun to play with. All you have to do is hint at what you might do, back them into a corner with a look, or grab their wrist a certain way and they're a wide-eyed mess

JD: What the fuck kind of Subway are you going to?

Dominick: Substitute teachers deal with so much shit.

Finn: Guys...

[m0shpitpup]

dom if the family ever gets a fish:

[ucetheones]

Found Family (part 2.) | Jey Uso x The Judgement Day!Polycule

Solo was the first one to find out about Jey and The Judgement Day being together. 

It had been a mistake to be anywhere near The Bloodline's Enforcer, one Jey knew he was making when he agreed to accompany Finn, Damian and Dominik to Smackdown. 

Still, he couldn't say no.

Well, he could've, and his boyfriends would've left it at that, they would have understood Jey's reluctance and made sure he was nowhere near the arena when Friday rolled around. They expressed this countless times, even as recently as during the drive to the arena. They gave Jey endless outs, yet he declined each one.

Truth be told, Jey didn't want to disappoint them, especially not with their relationship being so new. So fresh. 

Since Rhea is in India, they'd already be down a member; not to mention the fans would be able to tell immediately just why Jey was absent. They'd call him afraid, they'd say he was too much of a coward to face his brothers, and cousin. It'd draw the wrong kind of attention to the faction. 

And maybe it's true, maybe Jey is a fucking pussy, who's chest seizes up, and tightens harshly when he so much as hears their names.

It's his right.

Because some days he can still feel the phantom ache in his throat, and a twinge in his back from the combination Samoan Spikes and Spears he's been on the receiving end of far too many times.

He can still feel Jimmy's hand wrapped around his ankle, forcibly tugging his body out of the ring and depositing him on the ground with a 'thud.' He can hear and feel the sickening kick to the side of his head.

Still, he chose to go.

Despite being careful, and only leaving the locker room when their music was set to hit, Jey still ended up on Solo's radar.

Halfway through the show, he'd made eye contact with his baby brother who was peeking through the small window of the door, his brows pinched when he caught sight of Damian who was in the middle of pulling Jey back into his lap. His hands were dangerous low on his hips.

Before he could react, Solo was gone.

Jey wondered if he imagined him.

As possible as it was, he knows he didn't because when he turns to face Dominik, the younger just nods gently in acknowledgement and presses a kiss to his lips. 

Neither say anything to Damian or Finn. They have a match coming up in a bit, they don't need the distraction.

Though Jey can sense Dom wants to tell them, he's biting his tongue for the sake of the Samoan.

The younger waits until they've left to say anything, Jey is grateful. 

"Baby…why didn't you tell them?"

Jey offers a shrug, his lips tugged into a frown. "They got enough to worry 'bout, man. They 'ont need my shit piled on top of that. I couldn't do that to 'em. I can handle myself, Dom Dom."

Dominik grows visibly upset at his words, leaving the Samoan with a heavy pit settling in his stomach.

"Stop talking about yourself like you're a burden, Jey!" The younger man huffs, his cheeks puffing up as he continues, "we've been together for months now, and you still don't come to us willingly. You think I don't know you sneak out of bed sometimes to have fucking panic attacks in the bathroom? Do you think so little of us that you assume we'd just leave you if you decide to show us weakness? We lo—care about you!"

Jey isn't sure how to reply, he wants to deny Dom's words, but he doesn't have the chance to, because the door to the locker room is swinging open and Solo is slipping inside; closing it behind himself. 

Ignoring the worry pooling in his belly, Jey rushes to his feet, his body placed directly in front of Dominik; shielding him from the view of the larger man.

Solo is silent as he stares down his older brother, his arms crossed over his chest as he purses his lips.

At some point during their impromptu staring contest Dom had joined Jey in standing, though he now stood beside him; instead of behind him.

It was unsurprisingly Dominik who had broken the silence, his tone similar to that of his ring persona; nothing like the soft spoken airy way he spoke to his partners;

"Get the fuck out of here! What gives you the right to barge in here?" 

To his credit, Solo raises an eyebrow curiously, before shaking his head and focusing his attention on his brother.

"Jey."

With his chin tilted upward, Jey prompts the younger Samoan, "whatchu' doing here, Uce?" He knows exactly why Solo is here, he knows his brother had been checking in on him, he knows the younger man saw the interaction between him and Damian and has more than likely come to his own conclusions. 

Knowing Solo, those assumptions were probably right on the money, as he was always more observant than his older counterparts. 

Solo takes a beat, his eyes softening just barely when he says, "I don't understand what y'all got going on, but if you're good, then…it's all good. We ain't on good terms, but you know my lips are sealed, Uce."

He and Solo share a look of understanding, before Jey is nodding his head, his jaw clenched.

"Hope RAW is treating you right, because the first sign Roman or Jimmy gets that things are turning south, you know they gon' butt in."

Jey knows without clarification that Solo isn't really referring to the Brand he was a now a member on, but the relationship and faction he's found himself in.

Dominik seems to catch it too, but thankfully remains silent aside from the scoff he lets out.

Jey can't blame him, the irony isn't at all lost on him. 

With quick, unsuspected movements, Solo is pulling Jey into a brief, but tight embrace, his voice only loud enough for the elder to catch. 

"I love you, Josh…Always gone look out for you…"

His words are shaky, laced with a longing that could only be remedied by Jey, his older brother. 

Jey's heart aches, because he knows he can't give Solo what he wants, even if he wanted to, he couldn't leave behind the four people who have been nothing but loving and respectful towards him. 

Still, he nods; his arms wrapping around his not-so-little brother, "I love you too, Lil' Uce. Always."

After Solo leaves, Jey feels unsettled. Even when Dominik is trailing his fingers up the length of his back, scratching softly over the fabric, something that usually helps, he still feels a bit nauseous and as if he'll cry at any moment. 

Jey doesn't say anything, but it stings a bit when Dominik halts his movements and begins to scroll on his phone, frantically typing at random intervals. 

That goes on for nearly fifteen minutes, before Jey's eyes are filled with tears and he's once again raising to his feet, his feet attempting to silently carry him out the locker room.

He doesn't even make it to the door, because Dominik is grabbing his wrist and pulling him back down onto the couch. Jey is gearing up to complain, his eyes squeezing shut; when suddenly Rhea's accent is flooding his ears, calming a part of him that had been frazzled all night; 

"Little Blue Jey, are you okay?"

The nickname has him chuckling, the sound watery and broken, but it still makes Dominik and Rhea smile, Dom's hand steady as he holds the phone in front of Jey.

When the younger taps him, his eyes flutter open and he's met by the sight of a sleepy, yet ethereal Rhea Ripley. 

Even with bags under her eyes, she still takes both Jey and Dominik's breaths away. 

With reddening cheeks, the elder shrugs his shoulders in response to her question, his lips tugging into a frown when he does speak, 

"M'good, babygirl. You know you don't have to worry about me."

Almost immediately Dominik is gasping, his tongue clicking angrily, 

"Mami, he's a liar! A pretty liar, but he fibs! Jey was literally about to cry forty seconds ago."

It's Jey's turn to gasp, this time in betrayal as he gently shoves his boyfriend's shoulder, "she ain't ask you, she asked me!"

Dominik sticks his tongue out at Jey, though they both turn their attention back to the screen when Rhea clears her throat, 

"Boys, settle down. Dom Dom told me everything that happened, so it's understandable you'd be upset, love. I know you weren't looking forward to seeing any of them, but I am glad it went off without an issue."

To this, both Jey and Dom agree easily. While seeing Solo at all was definitely upsetting for Jey, he was at least relieved things hadn't gone badly.

For the next ten minutes, Rhea and her boys spoke mindlessly, the call was mostly to calm Jey down before Damian and Finn would be needing Dominik at ringside. After the fourth time she yawned, Jey insisted she went back to sleep, she tried to fight it, but the allure of a few more hours of sleep and the promise of group cuddles when she returned proved to be enough to send the woman on her way.

The night ended with Jey and Dominik retelling all that occurred with Solo during Damian and Finn's match, which somehow translated into the two elders depositing AJ Styles at Jey's baby brother's feet; both parties ignoring Jimmy's presence in the ring.

Some kind of fucked way to show their gratitude, but it worked for Solo. It worked for everyone in The Judgement Day.

Despite not being the one to have a match, or any physically taxing jobs for the evening, by the time they reached the hotel; Jey was fighting to keep himself up right, his eyes wouldn't stay open for longer than a minute before they were shutting again. For some reason, Finn thought it was adorable and voiced this a number of times during the ten minute drive. He had the added benefit of being the person Jey leaned on, only adding to the Irishman's overall enjoyment. 

It hadn't taken much to wrangle Jey into bed that night, a slightly cramped three person shower and one of Rhea's band-tees was all he needed before he was settling against Damian and Dominik, giggling at Finn who pouted when he realized he wouldn't be sleeping beside the male tonight. 

To make up for the elder's trouble, Jey leaned over and made sure to kiss him sweetly, deepening the press of their lips only slightly when he felt his boyfriend smiling.

They only separated when Dominik cleared his throat loudly, playfully shoving Finn away from Jey, "enough of that! You're always all over my boyfriend."

This makes Finn laugh and claim Dom's lips with his own, whispering as he does, 

"Calm ya' horses! He's just as much my boyfriend as he is yours, Dirty Dom."

After Dom has had his fill of Jey as well, he smiles triumphantly and kisses him once more, one of his hands cupping the man's cheek.

"That conversation we were having earlier isn't over, as soon as Mami gets back we're all sitting down and having a serious discussion."

It's obvious Finn and Damian are confused by their partner's words, but they take them for what they are; knowing that true to Dom's words, they'd be talking about whatever it was the day their girlfriend returned home. Home being with them.

It isn't until Finn and Dominik have dozed off that Jey finds himself able to properly see Damian off to sleep. 

Burrowing against the large man's chest, Jey all but melts into the kiss. Damian's hands pull him impossibly closer, before trailing down his back to rest on the swell of his ass. He squeezes just barely, but it's enough to have Jey gasping into the kiss, the sound soon breaking off into a whimper when the other's tongue brushes against his. 

Much like every kiss Jey has shared with his partners, it's over far too soon, leaving Jey with the ghost of a pout on his lips and flushed cheeks. 

Things between the five of them haven't gone very far, but the build up has been nothing short of promising and delicious. 

It sucks, not having Rhea there to send off to bed with an embrace or kiss of her own, but Jey knows in a few short hours they'd all be together again. 

They'd all be together and happy, the way they always should be. 

Sure, their futures career wise were uncertain, the situation with Solo was tumtulous at best, but they had one another. They could weather any storm so long as they did it as a faction. As a family. 

[oddlyfamiliarstocksoundeffect]

They didn't even try to not have the thickest possible sexual tension between these fucking characters and I'm not talking about Rhea and Dom.

[babybatlover]

<<<< as in,,,puppy regressor, referring to the last ask. my bad lol

omfg YES it probs be done by late today or early tommarow

[c0rpsedemon]

as much as i love her, i never use saber as a support during fgo bc my starting members are muramasa and karna and i don't want to turn the latter into a third wheel

[wistfulcynic]

my friend, a casual ofmd enjoyer, displaying a level of media literacy to which the canyon could never ascend: it's too bad we didn't get more of zheng. She's awesome. Of course, she's not the main character

true, true. But of course zheng is awesome and deserves an appreciation post. so.

an incomplete list of reasons why zheng yi sao, ofmd edition, rules:

is all about the soup

negotiates a living wage for her crew

morning tai chi and eucalyptus towels

is soft for oluwande (demonstrates excellent taste and judgement)

is really very chill about the whole “escaped my prisoners and ran off with my ship’s wheel” thing when she sees the revenge crew again

only tries to kill stede once and only after he was really asking for it

“pirate queen who bent china to her will”

super generous with the soup actually

“girl, how are you”

walks her fleet across panama. given time she probably could have built the canal

“culturally this must be very difficult for you”

kills a guy with acupressure points (r.i.p. steak knife)

“this is a join me or die situation”

pigtails

her cover as soup-kiosk sue was so good not even jackie clocked her real identity

“guys! fuck!”

member of the (100% canon and non-negotiable) tealoranges extended polycule

kills men whether they are exceptional or just mediocre (r.i.p. exceptional men)

“i know. it’s been a day” (most quotable character fr)

the red flag seems like a great place to be a pirate actually. cute uniforms with a great fit, collaborative atmosphere, soup.

soup

[crimeronan]

I can’t help but think about this situation from everybody out of the loop’s POV but IN PARTICULAR I am enamored with whatever the hell Darius is doing. I imagine he finds out after the fact because Lilith is Losing Her Shit. Like,

Lilith, kicking down Darius’ door mid-spiral, manic enough to honestly be considering lunging at the next person who speaks to her uninvited even if it’s Belos back from the goddamn dead: MMMMY KID BURNED HER HER WHOLE BRAIN TRYING TO ERASE HER OWN MEMORIES AND IT IS ALL MY FAULT I’M A TERRIBLE INFLUENCE AND A WORSE MENTOR-

Darius, who has been Minding His Goddamn Business: …I’m sorry, Amity did- okay, actually, you know What. That is absolutely something she would do. I am shocked this didn’t happen earlier, honestly. did she get the memories back.

Lilith: I… YES?? Mostly?? To my knowledge?? I Think???

Darius: oh, wonderful. well. better learn her ticks for when she’s gonna death spiral again. was she doing the rambly-avoidant thing? I bet she was doing the rambly-avoidant thing.

Lilith: (That One Face. Horrified and taken aback. You know the one.)

Darius, going back to Minding His Goddamn Business: look. she’s Fine. in like 2 days she’ll be back to beating up the Golden Guard and they’ll be even more insufferable about it because he’s seen her brain. it’s FINE. she’s like you. she needs to have a good mental breakdown every now and again to keep functioning. enrichment or whatever.

Lilith: …I never said,

Darius: look me dead in the eyes Lilith and tell me Hunter wasn’t the one crawling around in her brain.

Lilith: Fair Enough.

Also enamored with him approaching Willow afterwords (no idea how he would have found out that she was also in there but. I’m sure someone would tell him Eventually) and just being like. Hey. Did u have fun crawling around in the terror dome. I would just like to mention that u are totally allowed to use whatever you saw in there against Amity if she’s being insane okay. I trust your judgement as one of like 3 people here I actually respect. Anyway, if you ever need a normal conversation my door is open but only in the afternoons cause I’m not getting up that early in the morning. Have fun getting entangled with my baby idiots forever. use protection. Cool talk I’m going to go push Terra off a balcony now

this is all Delightful. yeah this is about how it'd go. darius is like [looking up] do i have to be responsible or did you guys sort it already?? oh thank the titan. i didn't want to get up

darius approaching willow afterward to be like "i see you're in the polycule now. oh, you're not?? nah you will be. anyway bye" thank you darius. that's the least helpful anyone's ever done it....

i think darius and lilith being bitchy @ each other is peak content and ALSO that darius immediately clocking that hunter went into amity's mind is peak content. darius is like yeah hunter would never let amity fry her brain. where would he put all his terrorist energy without her.

[pseudonymphomania]

"Shout Your Heart Out", the narrative compulsion of unrequited yearning, and the things that stick with me

How to do DiaLuci correctly: in the NB "Creating Records" WW, Diavolo takes many pictures of Lucifer as keepsakes, to Lucifer's resignation, until Lucifer takes the phone from him. Diavolo is a very extra person. He does things to their furthest extent and is a very goofy character despite his propensity for sound judgement in other matters. Lucifer taking the phone from him reestablishes Lucifer's agency. After a heart-to-heart, the skit culminates in Lucifer taking a selfie with Diavolo of his own volition, not because he is forced to, but because he cares for Diavolo as a friend. Lucifer gives Diavolo his phone back and taps him on the chest over his heart. The scene is a balanced reflection of the care these two have for each other in their different ways. The denouement [the final part of a narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved] is delicious, heartwarming, interpretable, logically sound.

How to do DiaLuci incorrectly: in "Shout Your Heart Out", Diavolo practices for weeks yelling about all the things he likes about Lucifer. His words leave little to be interpreted. He gets MC involved for no narratively compelling reason and despite having that quality time together, there is nothing much that sells even a friendship with MC aside from circumstantial presence. When it comes time for the event, Diavolo tells the world how much Lucifer means to him and how attractive he is (this is a romantic trope). Then the brothers stand there awkwardly commenting on this, including the object of the prince's affections, Lucifer, who says, paraphrased, "I don't care". Then, finally, after Diavolo confesses his love for Lucifer, he pulls MC on the stage and confesses to them and kisses them. (Denouement: ???)

I already made comments on someone else's post about my feelings regarding the card and despite an entire day passing and a real life to live and bills to pay, I couldn't get this out of my head.

I think I know why.

As much as I play this game to get the DiaLuci crumbs, this card left me feeling really hollow and sad. Canonically, Diavolo and Lucifer are best friends. This is exemplified by their first meeting (OG "Glory Days" Lucifer UR), their continued meetings as representatives from their respective realms (NB: Seven Apples" Diavolo UR), Diavolo's support to aid fallen Lucifer who asked him for help (Story Canon both games), their mutual regard as Devildom leaders (Role of Prince and Whip respectively in respective chapters), their affection for each other in general (little things like Lucifer offering to take half of the consequences in the past Christmas event because he couldnt let Diavolo take it on himself). This is explicit and textual. In this card, having Lucifer not give even a little bit of a shit is anti-character development.

The implicit is where the fans live; an interpretation of a written text is subject to the whims and tastes and biases of the perceiver. It is my pleasure to interpret them as a romantic relationship, a beautiful friendship, among everything they are and could be for each other. But.

But... to explicitly, in no uncertain terms, have Diavolo stop just shy of saying I Love You to Lucifer ("Shout Your Heart Out") and have the reaction to that be status quo indifference, then have Diavolo get washed by the narrative to remember the MC exists is some astronomically bad storytelling. Lucifer is a major poster-boy. Metaphysically, it's not possible to have him reciprocate because its an otome and he's a big money-maker (This is where the fans ignore the meta of the game and run with the interpretation of the text because it doesnt matter if something is canon or not in the grand scheme of things; DiaMC fans exist, LuciMC fans exist, Dialuci-polycule-sandwich fans exist, DiaLuci fans exist, ANTI-all-of-the-above exists).

Now, this card makes it explicitly textual that Diavolo is in a constant state of yearning (sad). This card makes MC the rebound (in a dating sim??). This card doesnt even have Lucifer react to the DiaMC kiss when Lucifer is supposed to be into MC. He's just there (Asmo got more screen time!). This is tragic for everyone involved. In a game about "romance", this card is an absolute travesty, and because of that I spent all day thinking about it like it was something of consequence in my busy life.

By comparing the two scenarios above, there is a very strong lesson here about the strength of a beautifully crafted narrative, so I am amiss as to why this card exists if not to commit to the ideas as written. (This is rhetorical; I know why)

Note: this is not an either-or situation. The DiaLuci and DiaMC plots CAN be done at the same time in one card, but it takes skill and a commitment to the kind of storytelling that is very hard to do with corporate and stakeholder meddling, deadlines, interprofessional and jurisdictional impudence, misunderstandings of market demographics and consumer behaviors, funneled into what is essentially a 4-koma Devilgram.

Am I still a hardcore DiaLuci shipper? Yes. Obviously. My personal denouement [headcanon] is that the love is requited. But poison can still smell delicious to a mouse before it kills it. *sighhhhh... saves the screenshot of Diavolo admiring Lucifer's attractiveness reluctantly* I just care about the value of a good story a little bit more because both DiaLuci and DiaMC were done so dirty here. 😭

Conclusion: the real winners are the cherry pickers who are able to make do with what little exists for them. The portentous winds say that I will become one.

Thank you for reading this and I hope you all have a wonderful day! 🥰

Edit: My opinion has been slightly changed because of a comment on my Reddit post by user Clarasiir. I appreciate that and I'm happy to have experienced a real life Hegelian Dialectic.

Edit 2: A kind reprise. The aftermath of the Devilgram.

[three--rings]

So it turns out there were a lot of things from S2 I was waiting to pass judgement on until I saw how they played out and...I ended up not thrilled about. And it's all these little things that keep bothering me.

Things I'm not happy with in OFMD S2:

-Jim and Olu feel retconned into not being in love. Like I know we want to talk about happy polycule but it feels like they aren't even very close this season? They were even more of a secondary ship than Lucius and Pete in S1 but we got essentially no good Jim/Olu stuff in S2. Instead we got the Olu/Zheng Yi Sao romance which on paper sounds good, but lacked chemistry. Especially from Olu's side. I feel like they kept repeating that "break in your day" thing cause they didn't have anything else. IDK weird weird decisions were made. I don't mind the Jim/Archie stuff at all but that was also not given any real romance time. They kissed and then I guess that was that?

-While on the subject of Zhang Yi Sao...why was she there? Like, don't get me wrong, I love her character and her inclusion in the show, but while the build-up in the first few episodes was great, then...they did basically nothing with her. Her entire plan was foiled by a moron in a split second and then..IDK she's now just riding on the Revenge and not even in charge? She's come way down in the world and I don't like it.

-Izzy dying. I don't mind the death scene itself, (though i wanted Izzy's friends on the crew more involved) but I think having him die shifts the genre and is disappointing in a way that feels unlike this show. more to be said obviously but not in this post.

-Speaking of that scene I grow more and more annoyed with Izzy saying "they love you, Ed." Not because it's not a great sentiment that would be narratively meaningful, but because it's NOT DEMONSTRABLY TRUE. Who loves Ed on that crew? Maybe Fang? There was absolutely no moments between Ed and crew after ep 3. They tolerate him for Stede's sake is all I can say. They love Stede. They love Izzy. And then Ed just leaves them and they are probably relieved.

-the way the central problem the whole season with Ed and Stede was communication but they never actually do anything about that, just declare victory.

-the way there was no climax or resolution with any antagonist in the last episode, they just barely escape, swear revenge like they're gonna head into battle, and then retire. Which makes ZERO sense and it bothers me SO MUCH.

-The lack of Stede and Ed costuming. IDK if it's because I've been writing a fic for a year centered around the clothing but like the show feels incomplete if they're not getting to dress up. I was looking forward to Ed wearing more than his leathers and we got a rice sack. This is entirely a personal gripe and not important but, yeah.

-Zero focus on the crew and no new info about any of them. I was really, really looking forward to getting more backstory, more personal info on characters like Roach, Frenchie, Wee John, but no.

And yanno, the thing is that I'm not unhappy with what S2 GAVE us. I like most of it. I love eps 1-6. Though 6 is showing the pacing issues badly. But what I miss is what we DIDN'T get. None of the stuff on screen was bad per se or couldn't have fit into a very excellent, cohesive season of TV. But I feel like all the connective tissue, all the thematic resolution, all the stuff that would have made it shine was missing.

Like they had a bunch of notecards of great scenes and filmed them but forgot to write the parts to connect them in a meaningful way? IDK this season feels a little like a first draft?

Not eps 1-3 though. I feel like they were perfect, and then they ran out of time/energy to polish the rest. (4-5 were also great, but they could have fit in with the rest better ultimately.)

I feel like people who are happy with this season are like 'we got this moment and this scene!' and that's great and cool and I also love that moment but I'm still left unsatisfied by the whole, yanno. Sigh.

[milesworld96]

Thank you WWE for giving me what I wanted

[xxamorxexmortexx]

Damian saying he doesn't know why fans call him Bisexual Undertaker. Like, really?

He's pulling moves like this and doesn't see why people say it 🤣

[oldsargasso]

ficlet: should've atoned by now

what if Way faked his death and ran away and also he started getting morning sickness? and called Kenta for help? and I've been having a lot of pack-related thoughts thanks to @le-trash-prince? (I'm about to respond to your asks I just had to get this out of my brain)

and then I wrote 1k of it? what if that happened.

way-centric. implied pete/way. (background kenta/dean + polycule if I were to actually finish this) warning for pregnancy & pregnancy termination

The first morning he throws up, Way thinks it's due to the awful hangover he's woken up with. He's never drinking curaçao again. No matter how fun the cocktails had been, it's not worth this. There's not a lot in his new apartment, but at least he'd picked up some groceries the day before yesterday. Once he can get off the floor—the lovely, cool, quiet floor—he'll figure out what to eat to settle his stomach.

The next morning, he's forced to reassess. He's not drunk, or hungover. Maybe a stomach bug, he thinks, brushing his teeth twice to get rid of the taste of bile.

A week of mornings later, he's forced to reassess again. It's probably not a stomach bug or a virus that's making him puke his guts up every morning while leaving him with no other side effects.

Pulling out his phone, he searches up possible causes. One particular answer comes up repeatedly. But—no chance. It's out of the question. They hadn't—but they had, Way's memory helpfully informs him. The second time that night. He doesn't know if Pete knew because he knew or if Way was just far too easy to read with his walls down. But that second time, Pete had spooned up behind Way and pushed inside him bare, whispering things into his shoulders that Way had forced himself not to hear.

Then they'd gotten up, gotten dressed, and gone to confront their father, and Way had consciously not thought about it in the three weeks since.

Way slumps back down next to the sink.

"Fuck," he tells the bathroom, voice rough after days without speaking to anyone.

There's only one way to know for sure. Somehow, when Way had been making plans upon plans, he hadn't thought to include a fucking doctor for his new identity. A stupid oversight. He'd gotten sloppy, distracted, the past few months.

Digging a denim jacket out of the depths of his closet, Way shoves a cap on his head and a mask over his face, and heads for the biggest chemist in town.

---

It feels too conspicuous to just buy a single pregnancy test. Wandering the aisles for a little while, Way tosses various other items into his basket. He'll probably never need a lavender-scented heat pack but hey, why not? Maybe the teenager working the register will think he's buying all this for a girlfriend or something. It’s still hard to shove down the desire to reach out and make someone like her just forget they ever saw him—Way does it despite the effort required. Crams the urge into one of the many boxes in his mind labelled DON’T and leaves it there to remain untouched.

Not, as Way finds out a few minutes later, that the teenager cares even the slightest bit about what Way is purchasing, beyond telling him the total and sighing impatiently when it takes him more than a millisecond to fumble his card out of his wallet. Taking the proffered bag and receipt, Way escapes from her judgemental glare.

He makes it home without getting stuck talking to his overly-friendly neighbour, which is a minor miracle in itself. Way's fairly certain the guy doesn't work, or do anything other than sit and stare out the window, waiting to ambush anyone passing by. Even pretending to be on the phone doesn't dissuade him, Way has unhappily discovered.

Half a bottle of water later, Way takes the test.

Then he takes half an hour to work up the courage to check the results.

"Fuck," he says emphatically at the awful cheerful positive indicator. "Fuck." How the fuck is he—how is Ice, 36 year old beta who recently quit his job in admin at a car dealership and moved to his mother's hometown after her untimely death—supposed to terminate a pregnancy? Without anyone knowing?

Several deep breaths and a shot of whiskey later, Way lines up all his contingency plans and goes through them all, one by one. Four hours later, he makes a single phone call.

---

Contingency plan #53 turns up four uncomfortable mornings later with an extremely uninvited companion.

"You tried to kill Babe, " Way says, ignoring Kenta's polite greeting.

"Sure did," Dean answers, all false bravado and trembling fingers. "Tried to kill Charlie too."

Way couldn't hold back the eye roll. "Obviously I don't care about that." He sighs. It still kinda hurts to start talking these days. He refuses to be one of those people that talks to themselves out loud all the time though.

"He only did it all that because I convinced him to," Kenta adds in a mild tone.

"Fuck off," Dean scowls at him. "You aren't the boss of me. You can't make me do anything." Kenta looks back, face impassive as usual.

"Come inside, " Way orders them both. "My neighbours are so nosy." He steps back to wave them through the door. Dean moves past him, close enough for their arms to brush. He smells like himself: warm cotton and frangipani, and he also smells like pack. It hits Way visceral and deep. The urge to pull his pack member, his pup, close and safe is overwhelming; Way's moving before the thought is even fully formed.

Dean's lost weight. His shoulder blades are so fragile under Way's hands. He's torn between the desire to squeeze tighter: to crush Dean down to a fine powder, and an intense longing to shove him into the comfortable chair in front of the TV and feed him until he's overfull. He does neither. Just holds an increasingly trembling Dean with both arms tight, tight, breathing deep of his scent until it’s all Way can sense.

The whole time, Kenta stands and stares at them. Unsurprising, really. He's probably still learning that humans have emotions. Way frowns at him just for fun, just to make him flinch, then goes back to burying his nose in Dean's hair.

"Welcome home," Way whispers and doesn't even complain when Dean gets the front of his shirt all wet.

[ucetheones]

Jey Uso X The Judgement Day!Polycule. | Found Family.

as you can tell, that segment really got my brain WORKING. because jey w tjd?? y'all know that's right up my mf alley!! ive only written jey x dom and like,, barely; but w.e!! eat ur fucking food <3

unedited cos yeah.

Joining The Judgement Day could've been the biggest mistake of Jey's life, it could've easily been the worst choice he's made. Turning heel again after such a short time being a baby face was by far the oddest part for the Samoan.

But, despite all the people telling him he was wrong for agreeing, despite all the ways it could've gone badly, Jey stood alongside them only weeks following Dominik's proposal. It was so far an amazing choice. 

Of course it wasn't truly as easy as just agreeing, they wanted to set boundaries from the jump. Jey did too.

He needed to know he wasn't trapping himself, he couldn't handle another situation like that of The Bloodline. He voiced this.

In turn, they made it clear should Jey want out, he was free to do so, they weren't taking prisoners. They were family. They also made it clear that they'd always fight with him, and never against him, no matter what issues they may be having in the back. 

For their unwavering protection and devotion, the faction demanded one thing. That one thing being Jey keeps the true nature of The Judgement Day's relationship to himself. It wasn't uncommon for co-workers to date, but it was uncommon for entire factions to find themselves together. 

Jey agreed. He had no issues with what they got up to. 

Unsurprisingly, bonding with Dominik was the easiest of the group, the younger man was much different than his on-screen persona. He was gentle, sweet, and incredibly tactile. On numerous occasions, Jey has woken up to find Dom wrapped around him, knocked out and drooling onto the spare hotel pillow.

The first time, Jey startled, jostling the sleeping male in the process, who merely pouted and shuffled closer. When Priest had returned to the room, Jey scrambled for an explanation, only to be met with a low laugh, and a quick, "Get used to it," before he was passing Jey a cup of still hot coffee.

After that, Jey found himself in that position at least twice a week while traveling with the faction. 

Slowly, Jey got closer with the rest of the group, he and Finn found an easy rhythm training together, while he and Damian worked out strategy. 

Rhea was harder to find an entry with, both tried countless times at conversation, and building a connection; but to little avail. It was starting to grate on Jey's nerves, but he knew it wasn't the woman's fault. It wasn't his either. Or maybe it was, he couldn't say for sure.

Still, it frustrated him to no end.

He and Rhea went on that way for nearly three months. Three fucking months. Until the first time he'd seen Jimmy outside of promotion. He hardly remembers locking eyes with his twin before the elder is pushing his way through the small crowd to try and talk to him.

Jey hasn't spoken to Jimmy seriously, since before he joined The Judgement Day. He doesn't want to talk to him, or anyone from his family for that matter, but Jimmy is determined.

"Aye, Uce! You don't answer the phone no more? What's up wit' you?"

Jey wants to tell him he got a new phone and number, wants to tell him he only kept the other phone for the day he felt ready to face his family again. 

He says none of this, because his breathing is picking up, and his hands are starting to shake.

Jimmy doesn't quit, to the shock of no one. 

"You join The Judgement Day and now you too good fo' yo' own twin? You know, bein' on RAW just temporary, baby bro. I'ma get you back." 

Before Jey can shake his head, and force out a reply, he feels Rhea's hand slipping into his; offering him both a lifeline and relief. 

"You think cornering Jey in a place where every member of his family is, was a bright idea?" Rhea's voice is firm, fierce in the way she only gets when one of her boy's is in potential danger. 

Meaning she sees Jey as such. She sees him as family. He doesn't show it, but he is slightly surprised. But he knows he probably shouldn't be, he wouldn't have lasted as long as he did with the group if she hadn't. 

Moreover, without looking, Jey knows exactly where Dominik, Finn and Damian are. He knows they're currently surrounding all exits should Jimmy try something. He feels comforted by the knowledge. 

Jimmy sucks his teeth, his tone clipped as he speaks, "you ain't his family, Rhea. Don't start tripping. Y'all can pump that family bullshit on RAW and have the fans eat it up, but you don't know Jey. You don't know shit 'bout him. You don't know how to comfort him after a bad day, you don't know shit 'bout what my twin been through!"

In reply, all Rhea does is tilt her head and hum once. 

"I know him well enough to know what he looks like when he's had a nightmare about the day you kicked him in the face. We know him well enough to know why Jey can't sleep with his back to the door anymore. We know what he looks like when he's feeling safe, and carefree."

Jimmy grows visibly upset at her words, a soft growl bubbling from his chest. The implications of what she said rang loud and clear.

All Jey can do is inch closer to the woman, his lips pursed as he gives her hand a gentle tug. A silent plea for something Jey isn't even sure of. 

Still, she seems to understand if the way she smirks is anything to go off of, "You might not have a Mami, but Jey does. And Mami? She takes care of her boys, unlike your Tribal Chief. Remember that next time you think you can just step to Jey when he clearly wants nothing to do with you."

They don't give Jimmy the chance to respond before Rhea is ushering him away. 

It should embarrass Jey that Rhea is younger than him, and had essentially taken on the role of protecting him, but it doesn't. 

It makes him feel warm inside, valued in a way he never felt amongst his own blood. She cared enough to stick her neck out for him, to show she wasn't going to leave him high and dry outside of matters of the business. 

Hell, he wasn't even aware Rhea knew anything about him, let alone such intimate things.

When they meet up with the rest of the group, Dominik latches onto Jey like he's afraid he'll vanish; effectively burying his nose into the Samoan's neck as he mumbles, "He's lucky Mami went over there and not me, he'd be meeting my foot up his ass, Amor."

Jey can't help but flush red before bursting into laughter alongside the others, the absurdity of Dom's words hitting them all at once, they all ignore the way the younger man sputters his defenses. Finn is the only one to offer him any apologies, ruffling his hair in the process.

Back at the hotel, Rhea pulls him aside. She's silent as she stares at him, before she's tugging him into a hug, her accent thick with emotion, "we've got you now, Jey. You can exhale, you know?"

His knee-jerk reaction is to question what she means, but she continues before he can, "you've been wound up so tight for so many years…you can let us carry some of that burden. You're not some tag-along. We sought you out, we saw you. You don't have anything to prove to us, or anyone else…"

At that moment, it dawns on Jey that in getting close with the others, he might've unintentionally been steering away from Rhea, trying to prove himself as an asset to her by working well with the others. As the only woman in their faction, her opinion was highly favored, one declaration of Jey being unneeded and he'd be gone. 

But here she was, telling him without fear that the opposite was true.

With a shaky nod, Jey wraps his arms around her frame, exhaling softly when he feels her fingers begin to card through his curls. An action he's seen her perform on Dominik to bring him back down to reality when things get too loud in his head.

Jey can see why it works for Dom, because it definitely is for him.

He's relaxing against the Australian woman, finding warmth in the gentle vibration coming from her chest as she begins to sway their embraced frames.

The first person to kiss Jey is coincidentally Rhea. They were all drunk, and incredibly touchy. Which was fine for the original members of The Judgement Day as they were all dating, but it should've been weird for them when Dominik demanded to sit in Jey's lap. It should've been weirder for everyone when Rhea leaned down and pressed a messy, albeit passionate kiss to his lips after doing so to Dom first. 

It wasn't at all weird that Jey didn't hesitate to return the kiss, earning a breathy moan from the Australian.

Instead Finn gasped loudly and began frowning, "Rhea! You skipped tha' line! Ya'know I wanted ta' be first! I was gonna ask Jey in tha' morning."

Rhea merely laughs, the sound slightly mischievous but excited, "Ya' snooze ya' lose, baby!"

Jey is quick to voice his confusion, along with his approval, "I ain't sure what's goin' on righ' now, but if one of ya' don't kiss me again, I'm leavin'."

In turn, Damian doesn't waste any time scooping Dom out of Jey's lap, passing him off to Rhea; before he's claiming Jey's lips in a kiss. The room fills with whoops and laughter.

It was undoubtedly different from kissing Rhea, if for no other reason than because he was leading the kiss with an ease Jey couldn't keep up with in his drunken haze, but he was hellbent on trying his best.

Before he can fully lose himself in the kiss, Finn is huffing and easily replacing Damian, quickly spurred on by the small whimper Jey can't hold back when their lips meet.

Much like with the others, the kiss is over far too soon for Jey's liking, but he's unable to express his disdain before Dominik is pushing his way past Finn and Damian to reclaim his place in Jey's lap. 

"Ah, the best for last! Unlike these animals, I'm a gentleman, with manners. So, Jey, may I have the honor of kiss—" the elder silences Dom by capturing his lips in a heated kiss, ripping a wanton whine from the male as his arms wrap around Jey's neck.

The rest of the night goes by in a blur of random kissing, ending in everyone passing out on Jey's bed; a mess of tangled limbs greeting them the following morning. 

From then on, things between Jey and the faction only grew stronger. They'd made things official a few days after that fateful night, Jey easily falling into the fold, completing their relationship in ways none knew they'd needed until the Samoan was taking his rightful place alongside them. 

The night Jey won the Intercontinental Championship, Damian and Finn were at ringside, cheering him on and keeping the members of Imperium at bay. 

Rhea and Dominik were noticeably absent, but Jey knew beforehand they'd be recovering from their own matches that night. 

He was pleasantly surprised when his girlfriend had slid into the ring, shadowed by Dominik who was beaming and gathering him in a tight hug.

Rhea gave a speech, declaring this only the beginning of their dominant reign on Monday Night Raw, with every member of their faction holding gold, it was only a matter of time before one of her boys would be plucking that title from Seth Rollins. 

Breathing heavily, his arm and title raised above his head whilst the rest of his family celebrates his win, Jey can't help but feel reaffirmed that he made the right choice in joining their mismatched family.

It worked in ways no one aside from the five of them would ever understand, and Jey was more than okay with that. He didn't need to explain himself to anyone. Not with his three boyfriends and spitfire of a girlfriend in his corner. 

[linka-from-captain-planet]

The L Word: Faerûn, Part 3: The Chart, Pre-Canon

Previous part.

Having explained the overall premise and basically who "Alekto" is, it's time for the real meat of The L Word: Faerûn which is who's fucking who and when and why.

Thus, in more or less chronolgoical order, the pre-canon (pink lines) relationships/hookups/drama is as follows...

(over 100 years ago) Isobel and Aylin meet, piss off Isobels' dad, and lose each other, exactly as occurs in canon. Similarly, Jaheira lost Khalid as in canon.

(? years ago because these are just for seasoning and timing doesn't really matter) Helsik and her #1 rival/frenemy/LOHL Korilla have been on and off forever. They don't know they're desperately in love. Helsik has definitely also ~encountered~ Harleep and Mizora is too nosy and obnoxious to have never crossed paths with Harleep, and crossing paths with Harleep seems to mainly mean one (1) thing.

(c. ~30 years ago to ongoing) The long, rocky relationship between Alekto and Florrick was laid out already in the previous segment, since it explains much of the backstory for the entire TLW:F concept.

Alekto, Florrick, and Naoise Nallinto are also connected as part of a polycule. Alekto is more or less monogamous, but flexible enough for a well-definied poly relationship if desired by her partner. Florrick is definitively poly, and she and Naoise have been involved consistently for quite some time, including during Florrick and Alekto's relationship. Driven by their connection as city-dwelling wood elves, they find each other grounding and enjoy spending time together, but aren't compatible enough to be very serious. Florrick and Naoise remain involved with one another, even though Alekto split away some 10 years pre-canon. Alekto and Naoise had little in common, so they rarely spent time together without Florrick, but consider each other acquaintances up to the present day.

(c. ~30years ago to just before canon). Shadowheart and Nocturne were long-term sweethearts, each other's rock in the harrowing environment of the cloister, although if asked, either would downplay their feelings for each other in accordance with their lady's teachings. They never really broke up, but rather were on-and-off due to Shadowheart's sessions with the Mirror of Loss and having to often rebuild their not-a-relationship from scratch. Due to this, the eternal denial of their true feelings for each other, and the overall culture of sexuality in the cloister, they both often were involved with other members of the cloister (represented as Mirie on the chart but could be really anyone/multiple people) both individually and also there were definitely orgies.

(~20 years-5 years ago) Florrick and Nine-Fingers Keene also had a rivals-and-lovers situationship going, as a gung-ho younger Florrick hoped to make a name for herself in the Flaming Fist by taking down the rising star of the criminal guild, but things got sexy and dramatic fast. It has been several years since they last slept together, but the sexual tension endures. (For what it's worth, I think Nine-Fingers is in her mid-forties as of 1492.)

(~13 or so years ago). Teenage Hoodlums Karlach and Skoona were a casual, infrequent thing before Karlach went under Gortash's wing.

(~10 to 1ish years ago) After Gortash betrayed Karlach, she found some kind of fun, comfort, companionship (against her better judgement) in Flo the Garotter. Karlach would never admit they were ~together~ at all let alone for that long, but if you look at the facts, they don't lie.

Now look at Allandra Grey and tell me that woman is not running some kind of racket out of that temple!! Obviously Nine-Fingers would have a finger in that pie, and a finger in other things if you know what I mean. The city could NOT handle them together, it's like how the horses in Macbeth start eating each other to signify a rift in the natural order. Umberlee probably drowned a lot of people over it. Of course (not pictured) the Polycule From Hell that is Nine-Fingers' Ladies and the Umberlee cultists is alive and (not) well.

Now in the peri-canon realm (within the 1 year prior to), we got a lot going on in the Harper Corner:

Jaheira and Nine-Fingers have had a little casual thing going on for several years, nothing serious; Jaheira doesn't want a new one and only because she already had her one and only. They have some fun, they share information, they pick this thing back up in a couple months.

Now with the Harpers, Jaheira isn't out looking for anything, but you know when you're working so closely with people, and the stakes are so high, and the nights are so cold... shit just kinda starts happening. So Talli and Jaheira developed a bit of a thing while working together to mobilize the Harpers to go to the shadow-cursed land and take on Ketheric. Talli's a good gal, salt of the earth, humble, hard-working; she's ready to settle down but Jaheira is so far beyond settling down that it's just... not a good situation for either of them. Feelings hurt, Talli rebounds with Lassandra and that's really fine, but they just didn't have enough in common to build the kind of relationship either of them want, but they made for good bedfellows while it lasted.

Meanwhile, at one point Jaheira and Isobel get drunk, start reminiscing about their lost loves, and have sex. It WOULD be a secret they both take to their grave if literally everyone didn't know about it.

In the tiefling region, sorry but Lakrissa has bag-fumbler written all over her!! Of course she and Alfira flirt, but Lakrissa fails repeatedly to seal the deal and you know Alfira doesn't make the first move (hence why they have no pre-canon connection). (Also Alfira was desperately in love with Lihala in the most hopeless, idol worship crush way, but this was 100% one-sided so not on the chart). It also doesn't help that Lakrissa's ex-teenage-sweetheart from Elturel, Xeph, is also in their caravan. Xeph dumped Lakrissa because Lakrissa wouldn't get serious about her, a mistake Lakrissa claims she will never make again, but... bag-fumbler. Lakrissa also has some bouts of low self-esteem and since her post in the grove overlooks Aradin's crew camp, I imagine she got into a little something with Remira even though Remira, like Aradin, is a piece of shit (but she is also hot, so).

Lastly, we of course have the Minthara-Orin thing which is honestly not my cup of tea whatsoever, but exists and is thus on the chart. Just because I wanted her on the chart, I feel like Minthara and Roah Moonglow have banged at least once in the goblin camp since Minthra would need to blow off some steam with someone hot and also clean.

And of course Z'rell needed to be on the chart, so the question was, who could handle her? The answer was obviously Araj, whose unflinching craziness yet delusional serenity would be a fun and equal match to Z'rell's intensity. They smashed like 2-3 times in Moonrise.

Next: The Chart, Act 1