#rpdr au

[grinder-lector-art]

“Let’s go home, make milkshakes and listen to Lofi hip-hop.”

OK, so maybe I’m not the best at doing straight lines, but I’m pretty proud of how Trixya themselves turned out :3 

I dunno, I guess I wanna start a series of drag queen fanart that give me Lofi hip hop vibes.

[artificialgrinder]

DRAG OR DIE: Sneak Peek #3

Book 1 Chapter 5: In which Raja finds Manila hanging out alone on the roof of their hideout. And things get flirty very fast. ‘Cause when it feels like the world is ending, sometimes you need a little love.

“I'm kidding.” Raja finished laughing, waving her hands. “Listen, this is so upfront. But how about we go to my room?”

“Y-Your room?” Manila's eyes were wide.

“My room. Your room. The staff room. In the tank with the sharks.” Raja babbled. “Wherever you wanna do it.”

“Wait.” Manila felt the need to slap herself. “Are you asking me if I want to have sex with you right now?”

“Manila, I'm high as fuck. I haven't fucked in so sooo long. And you're really cute. I say let's get up and go. And besides, our people are dying. You're not getting any younger. And neither am I. It's about time one of us reproduces.”

“...”

“A joke. A joke. That was a joke.”

Manila shook her head, still not convinced the situation was real. “I don't know. I'm not opposed to the idea. But…um…I'm not in the mood right now, if you know what I mean.”

“Try some of this.” Raja offered the joint to the queen.

“I told you. I don't smoke.” Manila declined.

“Trust me.”

“Raja, for fuck sake.”

“Last chance.”

“Okay. FINE!”

And Manila took the joint from the God-like queen, feeling some kind of magic about the drug. Like some sort of power was being passed on to her. She put it to her lips and inhaled. Holding the fumes in her throat for a second, she exhaled, followed by a coughing fit. She held her chest as she choked up her lungs.

Raja looked astonished.“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I'm fine.” Manila glared, passing the joint back. “Thanks for the help.”

“Here. Try this way.” Raja instructed, sitting directly in front of the queen now. She took a long toke of the smoke and slowly leaned forward, beckoning for Manila to do the same. Their foreheads joined, their lips dangerously close to touching. "When I breathe out, inhale long and slow.”

And Raja slowly exhaled. Manila let the smoke gently pass through her lips from Raja's, inhaling easier this time. 

Manila never got to exhale. Raja moved forward, their lips finally connecting.

Manila felt her stomach do a somersault, staring at the queen with wide eyes. But the smoke fell to her lungs. And her eyes closed…Her body relaxed, letting her sink into Raja's kiss. Her head was spinning…her heart was melting…a heat pooling in her stomach.

But it was over as soon as it started. Raja pulled away, still letting her lips hover over Manila's, letting her feel the warm breath of her words.

“You okay?” Raja asked, stroking Manila's cheek with her free hand.

“Yeah, girl.” Manila answered, eyes still closed and gently swaying.

“How do you feel?” Raja smirked.

“Like fucking.”

[sexynetra]

I know these are old but how have I never seen them before they’re so cute 🥺

[eyeslikewatercoolers]

I think a fic where Anetra has to take care of Sasha or their kids (in wedding planner au) could be fun

Oooh, that's so precious!! (Also spot the hidden easter egg in this!)

In which Anetra has to be a nurse to a clingy toddler, a grouchy teenager, and her wife who won’t stop getting out of bed and get some fucking rest

(aka they all have the flu except for Anetra)

“Mommy, don’t go yet.”

“I’m just going to check on your sister for a minute, I’ll be right back.”

Instead of hearing an answer, Anetra felt a small, clammy hand grab onto her arm. She saw her daughter’s lip quivering and her green eyes filled with tears.

“Okay, after this episode of Bluey, and then I have to go. But just for a little bit.”

Just as Anetra laid back against the headboard in the toddler bed, she heard a voice from across the hall.

“Mom, can I have another Gatorade?”

“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” Anetra answered as she stood up and walked to the bedroom door. “Do you want anything from the kitchen, Dee? More juice or something?” She asked her toddler.

She shook her head in response, “You are coming back, Mommy?” Delia asked instead.

Anetra nodded tiredly, “Yes, I’ll be back soon.” She said as she walked backward a few steps into the hall. Just as she was turning around, she bumped into something in the hall.

Actually, it was someone.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Anetra crossed her arms as she tried blocking the rest of the hall from Sasha leaving.

Sasha coughed a few times before answering, “Kerri wanted a Gatorade so I-” she was interrupted by another coughing fit.

“Uh-huh,” Anetra answered in a bored tone. “Nice try, go back to bed and get some rest.”

“But you shouldn’t have to take care of the kids and me by yourself. Let me help you.” Sasha offered, tightening her plush robe. Her hair had been in a messy bun for two days and her nose was red and sore from all the used tissues in their bed.

“The best way to help me is to just stay in the bedroom,” Anetra said as she turned Sasha around by the shoulders.

Sasha coughed a few more times before answering, “Fine. Be sure to get the blue kind for Kerri.” before she slumped off back to the master bedroom.

Anetra found the fridge empty of any of the blue Gatorade that they bought two days ago. She settled for the cherry flavor instead and grabbed a blue raspberry-flavored popsicle from the freezer as a consultation.

She knocked on the door to Kerri's room before letting herself in. Anetra found the teenager lying under her covers, with her laptop in front of her, paused on an episode of The Real Housewives of New York.

Kerri looked at her as she walked into the bedroom, "But I wanted the blue kind." she whined before coughing,

"We're out of the blue, but here's a blue popsicle if you want it," Anetra said as she placed the bottle and the popsicle on the bedside table, but noticed a cup from 7-Eleven on it.

Anetra took a moment to look at the cup, noticing it was a Slurpee cup, "Where did you get this from?" she asked, hoping Sasha didn't sneak out without her noticing.

She already had to wrestle Sasha's work laptop bag out of her hands that morning.

"Jasmine brought it over," Kerri shrugged as she tore open the popsicle with her teeth. Anetra noticed the window next to the bed was open, and saw a folding lawn chair sitting outside with another 7-Eleven cup in the cup holder.

Anetra looked at her in shock, "Why is she here? You know you can't have friends over when you're sick." she said in her well-practiced mom voice.

"Mama said it was fine when I asked her last night," Kerri said as a counter-argument.

"Did you ask her before or after she took the Nyquil?"

"...After."

"That makes sense." Anetra sighed as she started to leave the room. "And tell Jasmine you'll see her at school after you get better," she said as she left the room without hearing a word from Kerri.

Besides coughing, she's been hearing that all day.

Anetra walked across the hallway into the other bedroom, "Okay, I'm back-" she stopped when she saw Sasha sitting next to Delia in bed. "What are you doing in here?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Both of them looked at Anetra with their matching green eyes, "She wanted to watch Moana," Sasha said with the TV remote in her hands.

"I meant that you needed to go back to your bed, not Delia's," Anetra said as she settled at the foot of the bed. She noticed Delia was leaning on Sasha, clinging onto her upper arm.

Then she got a brilliant idea to handle her clingy toddler and her restless wife.

"There, all settled," Anetra said as she laid the duvet over the king-sized bed. "Make sure Mama doesn't get out of bed, okay?" She said to Delia, who looked tiny in the middle of the large bed. She held her German Shepard plushie in one arm and clinging to Sasha in the other.

"You really got our toddler to make sure I stay in this bed?" Sasha asked in disbelief. Anetra nodded, and Sasha sighed, "Fine, it's a smart move. I'll give you that." she said in a slight mumble.

"Let me know if you need anything," Anetra said as she leaned over and kissed both of them on the forehead lightly. She heard the movie start to play on the TV as she started to think of what needed to be cleaned in the kitchen.

Just as she turned the doorknob, she heard a small voice come from the bed behind her.

"Mommy?"

Anetra turned around, "Yes, baby?"

"Can you come watch Moana with us?"

Anetra felt herself smile slightly as she saw an empty spot in the bed, "Of course I can."

[fuckyeah-dragrace]

wip wednesday!

hey so it's been a long while since i've done anything and i think it's time to throw my hat back into the ring

Mirage groaned, her head pound and eye unfocused as she blinked. She rubbed her eyes, where was she? This isn't the club. Giant halls with tall pillars of white stone, velvet curtains and candelabras lit up the room. A chill ran through Mirage's spine, something felt off about this place. Sure it was pretty, but it was cold and dark, not a drip of warmth in the place. "What the hell?"

"Good. You're awake." She turned her head and there stood a tall woman, long black hair flowing down her back and grinning. "I thought you would sleep forever at this rate."

Mirage tensed, squinting her eyes and sat up more. "You're.. you're the girl in the bathroom. At the club who helped me."

The woman laughed. "I am. You can call me Xunami. Welcome to the house of Muse."

"How did I get here? Let me go!"

"Not going to happen, amiga." She purred. "Remember you agreed to come home with me tonight."

"I change my mind. I want to leave."

"Oh preciosa," Xunami chuckled, walking closer to her and hooking a finger under Mirage's chin. She forced her head up, making her look into her glowing red eyes. Those are definitely different than what she saw at the club. "You're not going anywhere. You're stuck here with me." She grinned and Mirage gasped, catching sight of her white teeth, fangs sticking out and looking sharper than any knife she's seen.

Fuck.

[orionsstory]

wip wednesday :)

sneak peek for the grandekofi assassins au hehe, wrote this instead of studying for my exam WHOOPS --

Another hour had passed, and Tia had forgotten how boring assassin work could be. She could be at home watching Doctor Who right now, but instead she had to wait for the couple to leave. Veronica would chide her and remind her "Patience is key, Tia!" Tia chuckled at the thought, at least Veronica didn't have to wait around.

"What's so funny, mon cher?"

Tia was shaken out of her thoughts as a presence settled in next to her. She turned to look at the woman- she was just a bit taller than Tia, with long platinum blonde hair decorated with ornate flowers. She also had on a wedding dress, hugging her body perfectly. She looked like a supermodel.

"Sorry, it's nothing...uhm, you look gorgeous by the way. Great party."

Tia cringed, despite all her training she always felt awkward talking to others undercover. Luckily, the bride didn't seem to mind as she smiled at Tia.

"I wouldn't know. These are all my husband's friends...how do you know him?"

"Well, I don't really. I'm just here as a plus one."

The bride nodded, "Well then, hopefully I can at least make a new friend." She winked at Tia, "How rude, I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Danielle, but most just call me Dada."

Tia extended her hand, "Tamera. Nice to formally meet you."

[adoordelano]

So uh…updated the Vandergerd superhero AU

This would not have happened without the wonderful lobbying skills of @bowlcutlegacy and @pathetiic-fallacy so if you like this fic go thank them for making it happen

[artificialqueens]

Okay so Lita sent these to me and said I could say whatever I wanted in the post. (Sort of. I'm interpreting it that way...)

The Ladies of Femme Fatale Wrestling...AKA My daughter is an artistic genius with unparalleled vision, and you should all praise her for her brilliance. -Veronica

CC: @artificiallita

[winderlylandchime]

inspiration weekend

tagged by @bigassbowlingballhead and @eusuntgratie - tysm to both of you

I have been doing “lots” of “research” for my fic (watching this week’s episode of RPDR and starting a rewatch of All Stars 7. Which. It’s a comfort season and I am making end-of-life decisions for my cat.)

Ahem. Some visual inspiration.

Some music inspiration.

(Not my favorite of Mother’s music. But there is a reason for it. And I’m excited.)

no pressure tagging: anyone who is writing and needs an open tag. also @getmehighonmagic @magicandarchery @lostcol @sheisraging @bartbarthelme @kiranerysed @thissugarcane @wildlydone but only if you’re writing and if you want 🩵

[moonshotsx]

marcia in lilac >>>

[ladybot666]

sashnetra AU where sasha is anetra’s gay awakening 

[artificialgrinder]

DRAG OR DIE: Sneak Peek #1

Book 1 Chapter 3: Brian Firkus meets the mysterious Katya at the travelling fair - at first having no idea it’s her what with the fact she’s now out of drag. Katya invites him to ride the ferris wheel, and how can he say no?

Brian leaned closer, speaking more in a whispered tone. "I was supposed to come here with my boyfriend. But he couldn't handle being gay anymore. You know the story."

"Son of a gun." Katya shook his head. "You wanna go on the Ferris wheel? I've been itching to get on it all day. But the line has been like that," he pointed, "for like…hours."

Brian turned to look at the queue and then to the wheel itself. "Well, I did. But…" he paused, maybe it wouldn't be such a good idea to bring up the ex again, "the line, yeah, it's never-ending. If we lined up now, the place would be closed by the time we got to the front."

"Hmmm," Katya put a finger to his mouth, "No, not on my watch." 

He started towards the queue.

"Wait." Brian followed. 

Katya began to push his way through the line. Why the fuck wasn't anyone fighting him? The undragged drag queen looked over his shoulder. "You coming?"

Brian could have just said no. This was a recipe for disaster. But here he found himself moving, a sigh passing his lips. Each person he skipped he received a dirty look. He apologized with a sheepish smile.

Katya made it to the front of the line, and as if sensing his presence, a free pod loaded. Brian noted the look of frustration from the teenage boy, standing there in his sweaty work polo, chewing gum like a camel.

"Sir, you have to wait in line like everybody else." The teen spoke through a monotonous drawl.

"Hello to you too, adolescent. Look, kid, what's your name?" Katya asked.

"Brody," Brody spoke through chews.

Katya went wide-eyed. "No fucking way. That's my name too!"

"Whatever, bro." The teen looked down at his shoes, Brian’s gaze following. They seemed to be some fake Gucci's, the reason the kid even looked down was to draw attention to them. As if they gave him some superiority over Katya.

"Okay, so look. From one Brody to another," Katya put a hand on Brody's shoulder, speaking in a hushed tone, "My friend and I are here for business reasons. This guy," Katya pulled away, putting a large hand over Brian's bald head, "is kind of notorious in the acting world. You wouldn't want to keep a celebrity waiting, now would you?"

Brody scoffed, looking Brian up and down. "Oh, yeah? Gimme a name, and five minutes to search your IMDB page, my dude."

Brian was silent, and the kid was starting to get cocky. He needed to think of an answer fast.

"It's Brian." Fuck.

Brody raised his brows, waiting for the rest of the answer.

"Cranston," Katya added. "He's Brian Cranston."

"Bro, the greatest TV show of all time is Breaking Bad, everyone knows who Bryan fucking Cranston is, and that," Brody sized Brian up once more, "is not Bryan Cranston."

Katya laughed hysterically. For a good long moment. Brian wasn't sure what his partner in crime would pull out next, but he hoped it would get them out of the hole they had dug themselves.

"You," Katya, through his fake laugh act, gasped for air, "You actually thought I meant that Bryan Cranston? No, oh my god."

Brian looked behind him, seeing all the eyes staring daggers at them.

"No, this is Brian Cranston with an 'i'. He was on an episode of General Hospital." Katya explained. He started digging around in his pocket, and before Brody could tell the two to get lost, out came the sheet of paper. Katya unfolded it, "And, as for myself, I am a journalist for The Boston Globe, and I'm here writing a color piece on the fair. And the Ferris wheel is to be the main point of the story."

Brody looked the sheet of paper over. Brian was now curious as to what it actually said. The teen handed it back. "Okay, but still, who's this guy?" He gestured to Brian.

"Oh my God, again? He's Brian Cranston with an 'i' and... I'm also interviewing him...on the Ferris wheel." Katya explained. "Gotta get the celebrities experience too? Think about how many customers you'll get from this."

Brody blinked a few times; the gum in his mouth probably long lost its flavor. He looked at Brian once again. And Brian gave him a face that said, 'do what he says, kid.' 

"Okay, fine." Brody sighed.

Katya's eyes widened. How the fuck had that all worked? "We get to go next?"

"Yeah, sure, bro." Brody pulled out his phone, no longer interested.

A woman behind Katya and Brian piped up, "Yeah, just hurry the fuck up. We've been waiting for hours."

Brian held back a laugh, trying to uphold the fake celebrity image, walking into the pod like he was someone.

Before Katya got in, he turned and pointed at Brody. "Also, the greatest TV Show of all time is actually The Sopranos."

And with that, Katya took his seat, Brody secured the door, and the wheel began moving again.

[sexynetra]

WIP WEDNESDAY

I am on vacation so you will not see much of me until next week, I hope this little excerpt tides you over <3

~~~~~~

Dame chuckled softly. “You’re so lucky you’re pretty, chérie.”

Tia’s flush deepened. “You can’t just say things like that to me,” she chided, willing her cheeks to go back to their normal color.

“Why can’t I? It’s true and I like saying it,” Dame said decidedly, looking at Tia with such a soft expression that Tia was a bit worried that her own blushing was going to become a permanent feature of her face.

“Shut up,” she grumbled, hiding her face in the crook of Dame’s neck. Dame laughed, throaty and warm. Tia was so in love with her.

“My pretty girl.” Tia felt Dame’s lips ghosting against the crown of her head, barely enough pressure to be a kiss – and yet somehow it was infinitely more intimate.

[eyeslikewatercoolers]

mirage in wedding planner au 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

Hey, that reminds me... Please enjoy :)

“Are you sure this is safe?” 

Mirage looked up at the Ferris wheel as she stood in the line to ride it. She watched the bench seats swing as the wheel slowly went around. 

She glanced over to her friends. She’s only known them for a few months, after moving to Los Angeles as soon as she saved enough money. 

“Probably not,” Morphine said in front of her. 

“But nobody’s died on a Ferris Wheel here, so we’ll be fine.” Xunami shrugged her shoulders as she counted the rest of their tickets. “Or at least we should be fine.” 

Mirage swallowed as the group stepped closer as the line moved. She shouldn’t be this nervous for a county fair. She’s been through worse things in life, she reminded herself. 

Like leaving her toxic family and moving to a whole new city. Her mother still sent texts that reminded her that she “was no better than her whore of an older sister”, Xunami kept reminding her to block her mother’s phone number, but Mirage wasn’t ready yet.

Her family never said her estranged older sister’s name, but they often gossiped about her. She smiled and nodded as she listened to the outrageous rumors, but deep in her heart, she missed Anetra. 

“Have you not been to a fair before?” Nymphia asked her quietly. Mirage liked having Nymphia as a friend. They met soon after they moved to Los Angeles, as Nymphia moved to America from Taiwan. They were both little fish in a brand-new pond. 

Mirage shook her head, “No, my mom said there were too many temptations at fairs like this.” she explained. 

Next to Nymphia, Megami looked at her in shock, “You mean this is your first fair ever?” she asked. 

Mirage was slightly embarrassed, “Well, my family went to this theme park in Missouri once.” 

Then, all of her friends looked at her with dumbfounded looks. 

“Why Missouri?” Morphine asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“It’s a big Mormon thing to go out there,” she said simply. 

She remembered the year after Anetra left, her mom made a summer family vacation to Branson, Missouri. They spent time at the theme park and saw the Dixie Stampede. Mirage only thought about what Anetra would have liked during the whole trip.

She hadn’t heard from her sister in almost ten years. She heard from her cousins that she worked as a food delivery driver. Her aunts said that she had four kids and no husband. 

Mirage just hoped her sister was okay, wherever she was. 

The line moved closer, and Mirage looked to the other side where the carnival games were. She noticed a young girl, no older than three years old, with tears in her eyes and looking around frantically. 

“There’s a little girl over there, she looks lost,” Mirage told her friends. 

“Be careful, it might be a scam,” Morphine said. “I know you’re still new to, well, the real world,  but she might try to take your wallet and run off,” 

Mirage looked at the girl again, as she had tears in her eyes now. 

She couldn’t just leave this lost little girl alone. The fairgrounds were huge, who knew how long it would take her to find her family?

“Wait, where are you going?” she heard her friends call behind her as she ran out of the line.

Mirage tried to keep an eye on where the girl was going as she turned her head, “I’ll catch up later!” 

The little girl was sitting on the ground between two of the carnival games. She held her knees to her chest, wiping the tears from her eyes. 

Mirage calmly kneeled in front of the girl, “Hey, are you lost? Do you need help?” she asked in a low but gentle voice. 

The little girl looked at her, her long, dark hair falling over her face. She had bright green eyes, that were still filling with tears. The girl nodded with a quivering lip, “I lost my mommies. I wanted to ride the spinny apples, but then they were both gone.” 

“Okay, I can help you find your parents.” Mirage offered. “What do they look like?” she hoped the girl could provide a good description. 

The girl took a deep breath to calm herself down, “Mama always has her hair in a ponytail. She wears black clothes, she says it makes the brides at her store look extra pretty.”

Mirage nodded as the girl continued, “Mommy is taller than Mama. She has red hair, like Princess Ariel. She has drawings all over her body, too.” she explained.

It wasn’t the best description of two adults, but it was something Mirage would have to work with. She stood up and held out her hand to the little girl. 

“I’ll help you look. What’s your name?” she asked. “My name is Mirage.” she introduced herself.

“I’m Delia.” the girl said. “It’s Cordelia, but I only get called that when my mommies take me to the doctor and stuff,” she said. “Or if I don’t pick up my toys,” she added. 

“Okay, Delia.” Mirage joined the girl by the hand, “Let’s try to find your moms.” 

The two walked around the fairgrounds twice, looking at every ride and game available. They had no luck in finding Delia’s moms, and Mirage led her to sit on a bench together near the entrance gate. 

Mirage didn’t know what else to do besides point at random women who even vaguely fit Delia’s description. 

“That lady, what about her?” 

“Nope, Mama has longer hair than that.”

“Okay, what about her?

“Nuh-uh. Mommy has different tattoos.”

“How about her?” Mirage asked, but Delia stood off the bench, seeming excited. 

“Jazzy!” she happily cheered as she ran up to blonde in her older teens. The girl didn’t fit either of the descriptions and wore the same blue and pink pin that her friend Amanda had. This girl was not likely to be Delia’s mom. 

“What are you doing here?” the blonde asked in a light voice to Delia and glanced at Mirage standing nearby. “Do you know this lady? Because strangers can be scary, you know,” she warned. 

Delia nodded, “She’s okay, that’s Mirage.” she explained like the teenager would understand.

Mirage stepped closer to the girl and Delia, “She got lost from her parents, do you happen to know where they are?” she asked. 

The blonde shook her head, “No, I haven’t seen them. But I do know where her sister is.” she smiled and led them to the lemonade stand. 

To Mirage’s surprise, the teenager walked up to a girl about her age holding two cups of lemonade. She didn’t look anything like Delia, instead had long brown hair and warm eyes. 

“They were out of the blue raspberry, Jas.” the girl handed Jasmine a cup before noticing Delia was there as well. She kneeled to get to Delia’s height. “What are you doing here?” she asked, seeming concerned.

“I lost moms,” Delia said with a frown. “Me and Mirage tried to look for them, but we didn’t see them anywhere,” she explained. 

The girl looked at Mirage, and then back to her sister, “How about I call them, and we can see where they are? They’re probably worried sick about you.” 

Delia nodded as the teenager walked closer to Mirage, “Thank you for keeping her safe. I’m Kerri, her sister.” she introduced herself before typing on her phone.

After Kerri got off the phone with a frantic woman, she held Delia’s hand. “Okay, Mama said they’re by the petting zoo. They thought that you would have been over there.” She said as she started walking in the other direction, but Delia wouldn’t budge. 

“Can Mirage come with us?” she asked, pointing behind them where Mirage stood alone. 

“Oh, sure,” Kerri said with a shrug. “I’m sure our moms would want to thank you for finding her.” 

As they walked through the crowd, Mirage watched how gentle Kerri was with Delia. She spoke in a kind but protective way to her younger sister. It reminded her of growing up with Anetra, whenever her older sister prepared her before their mom got upset with them and screamed on the way home.

Mirage hoped that this mother wasn’t anything like her own mom. 

Kerri led them to a woman who waited by the small petting zoo, ignoring the black sheep that was trying to eat her shirt through the fence. The woman had her hair slicked back in a high ponytail and stood slightly shorter than Kerri. 

Delia ran up to the woman and embraced her in a big hug, which the woman happily returned. The woman kneeled on the ground and spoke to her daughter in a calm and even voice. 

“Mommy and I were so worried about you. I’m so glad you’re okay, sweetie,” she said as she ran a hand through Delia’s hair. She turned to Kerri, “Where was she?” 

“This lady found her.” Kerri gestured to Mirage, as she stood quietly and watched. She felt like an awkward bystander, watching this moment in this family.

The woman smiled at her, “Thank you, for keeping her safe. My wife should be back soon, she just went to tell security that Dee is safe with us.” 

“You’re welcome, I just saw her lost and scared, and I wanted to help her,” Mirage explained. At the ride next door, she saw her friends waiting in line. She remembered she was supposed to catch up with them after she located Delia’s parents. 

The woman noticed Mirage glancing at her friends and added, “You probably want to go back to your friends.” she suggested and Mirage nodded. “Go ahead, it’s okay. Thank you again for finding our baby.” 

Mirage smiled and told the family to have a good evening, before turning around to find her way back to her friends. A flash of dyed red hair was spotted in the corner of her eye, but Mirage didn’t think much of it until she heard another voice. 

“Miri?”

Mirage felt like her entire ribcage dropped to the ground underneath her. Nobody except her family called her that, and she knew her family was back home in Las Vegas, probably gossiping about her right now for leaving. 

But that did leave one person who knew her by that nickname. 

Mirage turned back around, seeing her estranged older sister. Anetra had bright red hair, and her dark roots started to show. Mirage was taller than her by a couple of inches. Anetra still had a faint scar over her left eye, as one of the last memories Mirage had of her. 

“Netra? Is that you?” Mirage asked in disbelief. 

Anetra nodded as she stepped closer to Mirage, “You look so grown up,” she said as she tried to blink back tears. 

Anetra still had the same warm brown eyes and athletic build that Mirage remembered. Her exposed arms were covered in tattoos and even her chest had a butterfly tattoo proudly shown off. 

Mirage looked at the woman behind Anetra, as she handed a twenty-dollar bill to her oldest daughter. 

“Go get us a funnel cake, and take your sister with you.” She heard her say before Delia could ask why her mother was crying at a stranger. 

Mirage wasn’t sure what to say to Anetra. It had been so long, she didn’t know where to start. 

“You live in LA now?” was all she could think of asking. 

Anetra nodded, “Yeah, I’ve lived here for years.” She looked like she suddenly remembered the family she wanted to introduce to Mirage. Anetra put a gentle hand on Mirage’s back, and Mirage wanted to embrace her sister in a big hug. 

She led her back to the woman with the long ponytail, “This is my wife, Sasha.” she introduced her. Mirage didn’t notice the matching wedding rings on their hands until then. 

“So how do you know each other?” Sasha asked with a raised eyebrow. 

Anetra smiled as she put two arms around Mirage’s shoulders like she could read Mirage’s mind, “This is my baby sister,” 

“I just moved to LA a few months ago,” Mirage said. 

Anetra loosened her arms slightly, “Do you still talk to Mom?” she asked in a quieter voice. 

Mirage quickly shook her head, “No, I don’t talk to anyone in our family anymore.” she said with a sad smile. She knew cutting everyone out would be healthy for her, but it still hurt.

“Well, you have us now,” Sasha added with a warm smile. “And Delia seems to already love you.” 

Mirage realized that she had nieces and a sister-in-law. Although one niece was a couple of years younger than herself, she had a kid in her life that she could spoil rotten. 

She and Anetra exchanged phone numbers and promised each other that they would find time to catch up with each other. 

Mirage walked back to her friends, who were at the front of the line of the ride. Xunami turned to look at her friend as the sun was setting behind them, “Did you find that girl’s family?” she asked. 

She looked at the picnic table nearby, seeing Kerri and Delia bringing a large funnel cake over to their parents. They all dug in with plastic forks, happily chatting with each other. 

“Yeah, we did find them,” She said before the line started moving again.

And Mirage found her family, too. 

[fuckyeah-dragrace]

Valentines day drabble <3

hey guys!! happy valentines day and have a little valentines day drabble for our lovely girlies. i love you all so so much and im so lucky to share my writing with you guys <33

"Sapphira? Sapphira!"

"You don't need to shout, Amanda. My hearing is perfectly fine." The woman didn't look at Amanda, keeping her back turned as she flipped through a large book. Vials and bottles were lined up on the counter as a subtly smoking liquid was being stirred in a bowl.

"Well it's important so I'm going to shout." The blonde swallowed, picking her fingers nervously. "So do you remember that potion you gave me a while back?"

"The one I gave you to study. Yes, I remember."

"So," she laughed nervously, playing with the ends of her hair which only made her more nervous. "Funny story."

Sapphira sighed and turned around to her, giving her a deadpan expression. "What did you do?"

"Someone drank it." Amanda said quietly. "And now I don't know what to do." Sapphira blinked twice before rubbing the bridge of her eyebrow. "I was going to get around to it but then I had Dawn over and it was pink and it looked like the lemonade we were having and i turned my back and then it was gone!"

"Amanda." The dark skinned woman said, holding the girls shoulders and keeping her from totally spiraling. "Relax. It's not going to kill Dawn so breathe." The blonde nodded, her hair bouncing a little as she swallowed again. "But we do have a problem because that was a love potion."

"A love potion?" Her eyes widened. "So then how can you fix it."

"Oh no honey," Sapphira chuckled. "You got yourself into this mess so it's your job to fix it." Amanda paled and swallowed again, Sapphira rubbing her shoulder gently. "Don't worry, I'll help but it'll be your first big test."

"So I'm not in trouble?"

"Oh no, you still are in heaps of trouble but we have to put this fire out first before we deal with that."

[orionsstory]

that kind of devotion can't be ignored | Anarcia (4)

A/N: happy birthday to me !! it's also my hundredth post, so it felt fitting for it to be a new chapter lol trigger warning for implied murder in a dream !! just in case -

It had been three days since Anetra had started to hunt down the person who broke into the store, however, it seemed she was no closer to finding the perpetrator than when she started. She sighed, dangling her feet off the side of a building, gazing up at the stars above her. She was frustrated, this was the first case she had been asked to help with and everything seemed to lead to dead end after dead end. The police were being as helpful as ever, which was not very, and she was just about ready to give up on assisting the case if she didn't hear about it soon. She shook the thoughts from her head and focused her attention on the street below, watching the people as they passed by, all but simple dots from how high up she was. 

From the street, a particular pink-clad dot stuck out. Maybe she was wrong, but she knew it was Marcia. It had to be. Anetra noticed the blonde while she was on her patrols, wherever she went Marcia would always seem to appear. It was like clockwork. Part of her found it cute, but another part of her was a bit scared by it. She couldn't exactly place her finger on why, so she pushed the feeling in her stomach deeper, yet it persisted time and time again. She watched Marcia, a small smile finding its way onto her face. She yawned, deciding it was time for her to head back. Before she left, she threw Marcia a wink- she wouldn't be able to see it, but that wasn't the point.

-

She entered the apartment half an hour later to find Sasha in the kitchen, cracking eggs into a bowl full of batter. "What're you making? And why, it's like...3 in the morning." Anetra asked her, slinging her hoodie onto the coat rack and leaning on the kitchen counter. Sasha motioned her head toward her phone where a recipe was pulled up, "Lemon cookies, it's our boss' birthday tomorrow and I've been so busy I forgot I promised to bring them! So I'm trying to make 50 tonight." She sighed, playfully glaring at Anetra as she laughed at her.

"The apartment is going to smell like lemon for weeks! Like you doused the place with Lysol." Sasha chuckled as she mixed the batter, "Could be worse. Could be like when you burnt that pizza." Anetra huffed, rolling her eyes as she tried to swipe a lick of the batter. Sasha swatted her hand away, "No tasting until I'm done, you forget I have to make 50 of these."

Anetra pouted, her big brown eyes pleading with the other girl.

Sasha sighed in defeat, "Fine, I'll make 51."

Anetra laughed, cheering for her victory. "So, how was patrol? Anything interesting? Kick anyone's ass?" Sasha hummed as she added another ingredient to the bowl. Anetra drummed her fingers on the counter as she recounted her night, getting a cat out of a tree, and helping a woman carry in her groceries, the usual. Sasha nodded along attentively as she portioned out the cookies on the tray.

"Did you see Marcia again?"

Anetra froze for a moment, the pit feeling in her stomach returning at the mention of her name. She tried to recover, stuttering out a yes, but Sasha had caught on. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Anetra sighed, "No...nothing out of the ordinary, at least." She retreated back to her thoughts for a moment before continuing. "Sash...I feel...I feel weird about her, and I don't know why." She looked up, Sasha's careful eyes seemed to be examining every part of her. "In what kind of way?" She finally spoke, "Like do you like her? Or is it something else?"

Anetra paused, mulling over the question in her head. Sure, she thought Marcia was cute and intriguing, but like her? Anetra had only known her for about a week or two, and while the flirting was fun- a real relationship with real feelings? Anetra didn't think she was ready for that. Besides, Marcia knows Lotus, not Anetra. She might not even like Anetra.

Sasha interrupted her thoughts, "I know what you're doing. You're overthinking, aren't you? What's on your mind?" Anetra sighed, sitting at the counter stool. "I don't know Sash...Marcia's sweet and all but...I don't think a real relationship would work out. It's just for fun."

"Then why do you feel worried every time you see her? It's because you care about her, right? That's more than any other girl you've saved." Sasha cut right to the point, causing Anetra to groan.

"Maybe. I don't know. But, she doesn't even know me- she knows Lotus. It wouldn't work out..."

"Why do you say that?" Sasha pressed on.

"Well- Lotus is flirty, confident, and strong. I'm not. I'm- I'm awkward, I have trust issues, and I constantly doubt myself. I'm practically the opposite of what she knows."

Sasha sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. "Neech, you know that's not true. She's there within you, all those great things about Lotus have to come from somewhere. And I don't think Marcia would be the kind of person to judge you because of those things. You and Lotus are one and the same, even if you don't think so."

Anetra averted her eyes, nodding as she took in Sasha's words. Deep down, that's what scared her the most. Mixing her two lives together scared Anetra more than any villain. Keeping them separate felt like the best way to prevent anyone from getting hurt...but Marcia was proving to make that very difficult. Hell, she had only told Sasha after they had lived together for a month and known each other for more than a year- she had only known Marcia for a week.

Sasha kissed the side of her hair and ruffled her hair, "Why don't you go take a shower?" she suggested, "The cookies should be done by then, gives you a chance to relax." Anetra smiled, "That sounds great, thanks Sash...I really appreciate you, y'know?"

Sasha smiled, "I know."

-

The hot water ran through Anetra's hair and down her body, pooling on the white tile below her. She ran her hands through her hair, carefully washing it as she thought back on Sasha's words. Sasha was right, of course, but Anetra still couldn't accept that- Lotus still felt a world away from her. She groaned, trying to shake the thoughts from her head and focus on what Sasha said. She and Lotus were the same, she just had to convince herself of that.

She changed her focus to the music, the soft songs from her playlist echoing through the bathroom, drowned out by the sound of water. She lightly hummed along to the words, the soap suds from her shampoo dripping down her body. The scent of green apple filled the room, the elements around her all working to soothe her mind. After another half-hour, she finally stepped out of the shower, toweling off her body.

Just as she finishes drying her hair, she hears a quiet buzzing coming from her hero costume. She recognizes it as the communicator inside her mask, rooting through her costume to find it. She places it on her face, answering the call with a wary "Hello?". This was more than odd, to say the least, HQ knew she was off duty at the moment, and she wasn't a popular enough hero that they would call her for emergencies.

"Hello, am I talking to Lotus right now?" The voice on the other end spoke, Anetra's brows furrowed- this wasn't the voice of one of the regular dispatch officers. "This is, yes," she replied, "is everything alright?"

"I'm Detective Barnes. I'm sorry for the late interruption, but we really need you down at the station. It's in regards to the jewelry store break-in."

Anetra perked up at that, "Did you catch them?"

The voice on the other line hesitated, "I-it's complicated. If you can come on down, we can give you the rundown. Best to do it in person."

Anetra agreed, promising she'd be at the station in fifteen minutes or less. She practically raced to put her suit back on, spitting out a flimsy "I'll tell you later!" to Sasha as she flew out the door. She soared through the night sky, arriving at the station in a record eleven minutes. Detective Barnes greeted her at the door, leading her back to the evidence room.

"As you know, we found a note at the original crime scene- we didn't think the contents of it were too important at the time, but...while we were sorting through it again, we noticed something on the back." He passed an evidence bag to her.

Anetra examined the writing on the note, written in perfect cursive on the lined piece of notebook paper were the words 'I will make you pay.' She furrowed her brow at the note...certainly ominous, but what did this have to do with her? She flipped the note over, and it suddenly caught her eye- on the back, neatly drawn was a lotus.

Chills ran down her spine as her hands shook- someone was after her? "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She eventually managed to respond, setting the evidence bag back down. Detective Barnes picked it back up, putting it back where it belonged as he struggled to answer her. "We...we didn't think it was important at the time...that it was just a doodle." Anetra grew frustrated, cursing out the police in her mind- but choosing to keep her composure. She didn't speak, simply nodding. Her eyes seemed to be blank as her mind raced.

She returned to the apartment dejected and silent, lost in her thoughts. She gave Sasha a lame excuse about being tired before she locked herself in her bedroom, curled up under her blankets with her oversized hoodie and emotional support stuffed animal, a duck she creatively named 'Quack'. She squeezed Quack tightly against her, burying her face into his soft body. Her mind raced with the words from the note- racking her mind to think of who she could have made an enemy of.

She wasn't a big hero, she wasn't supposed to have enemies. She's tackled low-level thugs and petty criminals, but those weren't the kinds of people to seek revenge. At least she didn't think they were, but clearly, she was wrong. To say she was now even more paranoid was an understatement. Her mind kept racing with thoughts of her family, friends, and Sasha being targeted because of her, and it made her feel sick.

She tossed and turned in her bed as she struggled to fall asleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the words from the note scrawled into the back of her eyes. She eventually passed out from pure exhaustion, her body unable to keep up anymore.

-

Anetra found herself in a dream, she frantically looked around- she seemed to be in a destroyed section of New York, smoke surrounding the area. A scream suddenly erupted from somewhere nearby- a scream Anetra immediately realized was Sasha's. "SASHA!" She called out, desperately trying to move, yet tied down by an unknown force. She looked around, stricken with panic. She glanced down, her eyes widening in horror with the sight that greeted her.

Marcia lay cradled in her arms, blood pouring from her head and her chest. Her soft blonde hair was stained with red blood, soaking into her pastel pink sweater. Anetra desperately shook her, the blood from Marcia spilling onto her arms, soaking into her costume. Onto her hands. "No...no, no...Marcia...please-" She pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes. She choked back a sob as the blonde remained limp, tears fell from her face onto Marcia's delicate face, now ruined with the deep red.

Suddenly, a loud cackle echoed all around her. She looked around, her eyes desperately searching for the source as the laugh became louder and louder. She held onto Marcia tighter, her heart rate now increasing in leaps and bounds. "WHO ARE YOU?" She screamed out, her question swallowed up by the laughter growing louder and louder. It overwhelmed her senses, Anetra desperately tried to cover her ears, but the laughter continued to grow louder until she thought she might go deaf. She bent over Marcia's body, her hands clamped over her ears as hot tears streamed down her face. She was convinced this was it, until-

-

She awoke with a start, shooting up in her bed as her alarm blared on her bedside table. She panted, brushing her hair from her face as she tried to get her breathing under control. The whole thing was just a dream, thank god, but it felt too real for her liking. Her hand fumbled around as it sought her phone, finally turning off the alarm.

She groaned, rubbing her face with her hands. She forced herself to leave the bed, leaving Quack carefully tucked under the sheets. She gazed at herself in the mirror as she braided her hair for work, an empty husk staring back at her. She looked a mess- dark circles under her eyes,  her skin seemed paler, and her stomach fumbled loudly. She sighed, reaching for some concealer to try and appear normal.

She emerged from her bedroom several minutes later, the smell of eggs and bacon wafting through the air. She felt a pit in her stomach as her eyes landed on Sasha, the scream from her nightmare barging to the front of her mind. She winced.

Sasha smiled, brightly as ever, as she laid a plate on the counter for Anetra. "Morning! I saved you a cookie from last night." Anetra mumbled a 'thanks', picking at the egg in front of her. She could see Sasha looking at her, her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to decipher the girl in front of her.

"Neech, what's wrong? You've been upset ever since you came home last night. Did something happen?" She finally spoke up.

Anetra sighed, her thoughts going back on forth on whether or not she should tell Sasha. On one hand, she didn't want to worry her- but on the other, it was practically impossible to lie to Sasha.

"Yeah...uh, last night the police showed me this note from that break-in...it was threatening me specifically." She took a shaky breath, feeling Sasha's hand comfortingly rubbing circles on her back, "And then last night, I had this dream...I heard you scream, and then I looked down and...and I saw Marcia, she wasn't moving and was covered in blood."

Sasha enveloped her in a tight hug, her head resting on top of Anetra's. "Neech, baby, I'm so sorry. That sounds horrible. I take it you didn't sleep well?" Anetra nodded. "Well, make sure to take it easy today. And hey, I know the note seems scary, but promise me you won't worry about it too much. It's probably just some asshole messing with you." Anetra tried to speak up, but Sasha beat her to the punch. "And Marcia and I will be fine, I promise. Look, I'll be extra careful today if it will make you feel better. You already have my location at all times."

Anetra sighed, calmed by Sasha's words. She nodded, "Okay. Thank you Sash, I really appreciate it, you know. I feel like I've been saying that a lot lately." Sasha released her, smiling. "Good, I'm meant to be appreciated. Now hurry up and eat, you need some fuel in you."

-

After breakfast, Anetra was back on the subway and headed to work. Doja Cat's 'Boss Bitch' blasted in her ears as she waited for her stop, going over today's schedule in her head. Despite Sasha's words, she was still on edge- constantly checking Sasha's location and looking around at the people around her, looking for any sign of a disturbance. 

She entered the gym, waving to the secretary as she made her way to her room for today's sessions. Once she got into her work, the day seemed to pass by in a blur. The training sessions were intense, leaving Anetra exhausted by the time lunch rolled around. She slumped down in the seat next to her coworker, Aura, and pulled out her lunchbox. Aura was the resident bodybuilder of the gym, who worked with a lot of Anetra's clients as well.

"You look rough. Tough sessions?" Aura asked. Anetra nodded, "It's like everyone's suddenly been booked for some action movie lately...my body is so sore." She groaned.

"Tell me about it, my clients have practically doubled. Guess it's superhero season." Aura nodded, and Anetra laughed. "My favorite time of the year."

Aura chuckled and rooted around in her lunchbox for a moment, pulling out a vanilla cupcake. "Here, take this. To celebrate the busiest season of the year!" Anetra smiled, taking the sweet from her, "I didn't know you baked- didn't you almost burn down your house when you tried to make cookies for the Christmas party?"

Aura flushed a bright red, faking offense. "It wasn't that bad! But no, I didn't make these, so don't worry- they're edible. My, uh...friend, Robin, made some for me. I've got a bunch more at home. Too many, actually. I need to start, like, giving them away."

Anetra laughed, taking a bite out of the cupcake. She had to hand it to Aura's friend- the thing was damn near perfect. "Well, it's really good. Send my compliments to her, seriously, this is amazing." Aura beamed proudly, promising she would pass the message along.

-

In between her patrols that night, Anetra sat on the top of a building, looking down on the people below as she often did. After she returned home from work, the police alerted her that they were analyzing the note for any DNA remnants, but reassured her they were certain it was an empty threat. That helped to reassure her, and her current patrol was running as smoothly as ever, which greatly calmed her nerves.

From the corner of her eye, right on time, she spotted the blonde who had been invading her thoughts. She felt the pit in her stomach return- her nightmare coming to the front of her mind. She shook her head, pushing the thoughts back down. Even if the threat may not be real, Marcia was still putting herself in danger to talk to her, which she needed to fix.

She flew towards the girl, careful as to not be spotted by her. She quietly descended behind her, trying her best to hold in her laughter. "I just saw her! Ugh, where'd she go?" Marcia whined, scanning the nearby buildings in the area she was just in.

"Looking for someone?"

Marcia let out a gasp and slightly jumped, whipping around as Anetra fell into a fit of laughter.

"That's not funny! You scared me!"

Anetra tried to calm down, trying to stifle her laugh (however she was failing miserably).

"Sorry, sorry, I-I didn't mean to scare you." She eventually spoke, "But you've been following me around like a lost puppy, I figured you'd be happy to see me!"

Marcia suddenly flushed bright red, "You...you saw that?" She squeaked out, anxiously playing with a strand of her hair.

"Baby, it's my job to notice everything in this city. But don't worry, I think it's cute." She winked, making Marcia flush even harder. She stepped closer to the girl, "You know, if you're that desperate to see me, you can always just message Sasha. It's better than putting yourself in the middle of a crime scene."

"I, uh, I didn't want to bother her, she seems like a busy woman."

"I'm sure Sasha would prefer you text her instead of putting yourself in danger too, I promise you won't bother her." Anetra reassured her, giving the girl a soft smile. Before she could say anything else, she was interrupted by a buzz from her communicator asking for backup. She sighed.

"Listen, I've gotta go, but we should hang out soon. Just promise me you'll test Sasha this time, okay princess?"

Marcia blushed again, and a small "okay" left her lips. Satisfied, Anetra threw her a wink before soaring through the air, off towards the action.