#samira: i love manipulation !

[spinchip]

NEVER THE DARK

Chapter 10

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Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9

WARNINGS for his chapter: Kai feels minor effects of alcohol withdrawal. Kai and Samira drink together, feeding Kais alcoholism. discussions of blood and passing mention of needles. Discussions of death and murder. Chapter art includes depictions of body horror focusing on multiple eyes

WE DANCE ROUND IN A RING AND SUPPOSE// BUT THE SECRET SITS IN THE MIDDLE AND KNOWS

They don’t leave immediately. In fact, Samira insists on dessert- which ends up being the petals off a sweet flower grilled and served hot that she doesn’t stay to eat. 

“I have other things to attend to,” she says pointedly, “I’m the one that keeps this place running. I can’t shirk my duties to hang out with you every time you show your face, Birds. Even if we are best friends.” She grins teasingly at that before her face turns serious again.

“I’ll arrange supplies for your trip and have a room prepared for the rest of you.” She announces, standing with a clap. “You do not need to check in before you leave. Come back in one piece, Birdy.” She says the last part directly to him, pinning him with a stern look that’s soft on the edges.

Kai can’t help the creeping dread that blooms from the center of his chest, a malignant tumor of suspicion and worry that increases each time Samira smiles at Birdy. They were awfully chummy. Didn’t Birdy say Samira was bad news? Then why did they seem so close? The whole situation makes his skull throb. Or maybe that’s just his persistent headache.

“I will return with three funeral flowers.” He promises with a nod.

And now Lloyd is going off alone with the possible double agent. Kai’s only solace is that Samira hadn’t had the chance to speak to Birdy alone, so if he was planning on double crossing them she had no way to know who they were or what they were capable of. If it comes down to it, their elemental abilities might be the card up their sleeve that saves them.

“Wox will return to escort you to your room. For now- sit, eat, talk about me behind my back, I don’t care.” She sweeps out of the room, the click of her black heels fading as she retreats.

Kai rounds on Birdy, pinning him with a sour look he says, “So how dangerous is this mission you two are going on?” At the same time Nya asks, “What else can you tell us about the gauntlet?”

Birdy chooses to engage Nyas question first, “Nothing.” He says, angling his mask towards her, “I did not know the true origins of the armor. I was bluffing.”

“What?” Jay squawks.

Up on the Dias, Barath throws his head back and laughs. It’s a hearty guffaw, one that makes the Ninja jump since they’d completely forgotten the man's presence. He pushes his chair back and trots down the stairs, “Oh, that’s rich! She would be so mad!” He giggles, “Only you could pull off something like that. How’d you know she’d cut in?” He pulls out his chair and throws himself into it, forgoing a spoon to drink his cold soup directly out of the bowl.

“She is from Cloud Kingdom,” Birdy explains, “She cannot allow a story to be told poorly, not one that she knows well.”

“That’s quick thinking.” Nya praises.

Kai crosses his arms, “Can we get back to the matter at hand? Super dangerous mission, remember?”

“Yeah,” Uneasily, Lloyd laces his fingers together, “What exactly are we going up against?”

Barath speaks before Birdy can, “Poisonous gas!” He announces enthusiastically, “Caustic, acidic, deadly- it attacks living cells quickly, burns through skin and bone until you’re dead. Sad.” He takes a moment to make a sad face before snapping out of it, “Not immediately of course. There’s a time limit before it eats you to the point of no return. But it makes your head fuzzy, all disoriented until you can’t find your way out. It’s called the Graveyard, and for good reason! That’s where you’re headed.” He pokes Lloyd in the chest with his unused spoon.

Cole looks at Birdy, ”How are you and Lloyd supposed to go in there?”

“Lloyd will not be going in at all.” Birdy says firmly, “I will go in alone.”

“Birdy’s whole situation, whatever it is, makes him unusually resistant to the mist. Wish he’d let me put him under a microscope! Your mutation must be incredible.” Barath informs them with a dreamy sigh, “He can last longer than any other man brave enough to make the trip- hours, in fact. The mist will get to the point where it will start to eat at his clothes before Birdy here feels a tingle. Please let me dissect you?”

“No thank you.” Birdy lets him down gently.

“You’ve never seen his mutation either?” Nya jumps onto that piece of information curiously.

Birdy answers for him this time, “No.”

Barath leans forward to whisper slyly, “Only one person has seen his face and lived to tell the tale!” He sits back and lets a heartbeat pass, “That’s Samira.” He clarifies.

“We figured.” Kai comments dryly. “You look normal, what’s your mutation?”

“It’s rude to ask about others mutations.” Barath says blithely as he sets down his empty bowl, “Lucky for you I don’t care for manners!” He grabs the hem of his shirt and lifts it up to reveal a torso criss-crossed with scars upon scars, some fresh and pink and others old and faded. they’re big nasty looking things, as if his skin had been brutally flayed and torn.

He points right above his belly button where a teeny tiny protrusion is budding, just barely formed enough for them to be able to tell that it’s a little hand, “Extra limbs! Arms on arms, really. I grow them easy! And I lose them quickly, but it’s for my research so it’s worth it.” He puffs out his chest proudly, “I’ve pet some of the most ferocious animals the realm has to offer! Not without casualties of a few arms, but who cares about that when the pursuit of knowledge is a fine justification.”

He drops his shirt and goes for his dessert, chewing on the leaves absently.

An awkward pause passes, but before any of the ninja can break it the sound of clunky boots fades in. Wox thunders his way up to the cavern opening with a sour look on his face, “Oy, you lot ready to be shown to your chamber? It’s all nice and ready for ya.”

“Wox!” Barath greets pleasantly, “You’re overdue for a check up. Do let me look at your mutation sometime soon, yes yes!”

“Sure thing Doc. Maybe once I’m off duty as these trespassers babysitter.” He sneers the last word as the Ninja stand from the table and approach him.

Nya bristles, “We don’t need a babysitter.”

“No, you don’t, because you shouldn’t even be here. Samira should have thrown you in prison after she first laid eyes on you! But for some reason she likes you,” He swings his head around to pin Birdy with a yellow-eyed glare, targeting him with that last accusation, “Even after you-“

“If you want a rematch, Wox, all you have to do is ask.” Birdy says, but his voice is… off. Monotonous. Dead. It’s like Wox triggered a coldness in his demeanor that the Ninja hadn’t seen before, “Allow me to end this pettiness and stop wasting both of our times.”

The insult makes Wox’s lips curl to bare brutal white fangs, and he responds by crowding into Birdys space, “Oh you can bet this fight won’t be a waste, Butcher. You remember our first scrap, don’t ya? Not so cocky then, were you?”

Birdy takes a step back, and Kai can almost see him snap out of and shake off that chilling persona he’d just worn so easily. He knows for certain that Birdy doesn’t break eye contact with Wox out of fear. His mask tilts toward the ground in some deeper, more insidious shame or guilt, “I apologize for lashing out. We have made a deal with Samira. Please, escort us.”

Wox’s fur, which had stood up stiff and straight at Birdy's initial insult, lays flat again. He backs down too, stepping back out of his space “I spoke outta line too.” He says and even he seems surprised at his words, “Let me show you to your room.” He turns and marches out of the room. Birdy follows him and determinedly doesn't look back at the Ninja. When Kai glances at the others, he sees his own expression mirrored on their face. What was that?

Finally, they were feeling that same suspicion he was.

He leads them back down the hall to a fork in the pathway, taking them into the dark of the new tunnel without missing a step. He pauses briefly as they come upon another fork in the road. He motions to the left path and jerks his head at Birdy, “This is your stop. Down the hall to the left, you know the way. Ila is waiting for you two.” He glances back at the others, “The rest of you will follow me.”

Birdy looks at Lloyd for a moment before they both split off from the group. “Wait, Lloyd-'' Kai breaks away too, going to Lloyd's side. He pulls him into a hug, “Be safe. Don’t let your guard down.” He says it loud enough for everyone to hear, not hiding the dark look he shoots Birdy's way that promises swift and violent retribution if Lloyd comes back with a single hair out of place.

“I won’t.” Lloyd promises, “Don’t get too bored waiting on us to come back.” He gives him a pointed look that Kai knows means snoop around!

He waves to the rest of them as he and Birdy finally disappear into the darkness.

“I have a bad feeling about this.” Kai mutters, continuously glancing back at the path where they parted. Wox’s ear flicks like the words irritate him, but doesn’t comment.

“Birdy has been nothing but helpful.” Cole reassures him.

“I don’t trust Birdy.” Kai ignores Cole's words, running a hand through his Mohawk nervously.

Wox leads them through a series of elaborate interconnected tunnels going up and down and around so many times Kai’s not sure he knows his left from his right anymore. He leads them down another hallway filled with doors and stops at a random door, pushing it open with his foot. The room… is nicer than Kai was expecting. It’s huge and cavernous, with high vaulted ceilings and stone floor. This is no architectural craftsman ship to the walls, just smooth stone that rounds where it meets floor and ceiling. Several bed palettes are set up on the floor layered upon plush carpets and dry purple moss that insulates from the cold floor. There’s a low table on the other side of the room with pillows on the floor as seats, a pitcher filled with water and a stack of cups sitting on top for them. Thin fabrics are hung up around the walls to add a bit of warmth to the sterile walls.

As the Ninja file in, Wox starts on what sounds like a memorized speech, “As you are guests, you are permitted to leave your room at any time and use the amenities offered by the palace as follows: Restrooms, Public Bathhouse, Kitchen, and Library. At your request and with supervision, you are welcome to tour the rooftop garden or the Jelly farm. As your allowance to stay here depends on an agreement between another member of your party, you are not permitted to leave the premises until the deal has been completed. Caphishe?”

“We understand.” Nya nods with a tense smile, “Thank you.”

Wox ducks his head a bit, suddenly shy, “Ain’t nothing.” He says gruffly, looking away from Nya, “Boss asked me to make sure you all are settled, so call my name if you need anything.”

“Well, actually, I am interested in the Rooftop gardens or the jelly farm.” He’d already thrown himself down on a bed mat, but Cole sits up in curiosity at Wox’s words.

Tilting his head, Wox ruminates over the request, “Didn’t expect ya to want a tour so soon,” He admits, “I’ve a few things I’ve gotta tend to, but I can come back in an hour or two and escort you.”

“That’s… very kind.” Kai says slowly.

Wox seems to understand the implication of the words, “Samira appointed me as your lots handler. It’s my job, and I’ll do it well.” He crosses his arms but there’s no fire to the action, “We may be warlords, tyrants, and monsters but there are rules here we follow. It’s just how it is.”

He steps out of the door and does a casual salute, disappearing down the hall before they can ask any further questions. Nya makes sure the door is closed before turning back to the others.

“So this is bad.” She grimaces.

“That’s an understatement.” Kai crosses his arms, flopping back onto a random bedroll.

Cole lays back down himself, “We’ve trusted Birdy to get us this far,” he starts, “We just have to trust him to get us to the end.”

Nya busies herself by dumping the realm of madness water from the pitcher out in the corner and filling it with clean water they can freely drink. That done, she paces for a moment before rearranging the pillows on her own chosen bed. Kai stares up at the ceiling, thinking. He’d just let Lloyd walk away. It’s not like he could stop him- Lloyd was his own person, a whole grown man who could probably whip Kai’s butt in a fight if he wanted to (Damn chosen one special powers…) but the image of him disappearing into that dark hallway plays on repeat in his head. What if Lloyd didn’t come back? And Kai just let him go without a fight? With a stranger? He was being ridiculous, Lloyd could handle himself, especially against someone like Birdy. He would be fine. Kai worried anyway. FSM his head hurt, all he wanted was a drink.

A shadow passes over Kai's face and he opens one eye to Jay standing at the edge of his bedroll. He’s about to ask what he wants when Jay nudges him with his foot, “Scoot.” He orders, looking at Kai expectantly. When Kai stares at him too long he eloquently clarifies, “Scoot over.” with a firmer love tap.

Kai shuffles over and Jay collapses next to him, sighing as he melts into Kais warmth. It’s… nice. It’s been a long time. He puts his palm flat against Jay's back and tries not to think about Zane.

At some point, he falls asleep, because next thing he knows is Nyas hand on his shoulder shaking him awake. “Do you want to go with us to see the rest of this place? Wox is at the door.”

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Kai dislodges his arm from under Jay's head (waking up the man in the process if the sleepy ow! is any indication.) “I'm coming,” Kai shakes the remnants of sleep off as he stands up, stretching. He would be more snappy with her for waking him if he wasn’t instantly reminded of their predicament. That was the first substantial rest he’d managed to get the entire time he’d been in the Realm. These past few nights he’d felt so restless and off.

Cole lingers on the edge of the conversation. He waits a moment before saying, “You two looked cute.” Which he offers carefully.

“You should have joined us.” Kai says automatically.

Shrugging, Cole averts his eyes, “I didn’t want to ruin the moment.” He admits with a cough as Jay stands, finally dragging himself to the land of the living.

Frowning, Kai squints at him quizzically, “How would you have ruined it?”

Cole pins him with a bewildered expression, as if he can’t believe Kai would even ask. “Nevermind.” he says with a sigh, turning away.

“Hey,” Kai reaches out and takes Cole's elbow, “What’s up? I'm listening.”

“That’s a surprise.” Cole shoots back immediately.

Kai recoils at that, totally lost. Behind him, Jay is looking awkwardly between the two of them, just as lost.

“Let's just drop it.” Cole mumbles, “C’mon, Nya is waiting on us.”

They join Wox and Nya at the door, “Hey, you look nice.” Jay comments, “What's the occasion? Got a hot date?”

Wox, who’s fur has been freshly washed and combed, and who’s wearing a noticeably cleaner looking tunic and wraps, flattens his ears at Jay, “I always look like this. I appreciate hygiene and fashion.” He says with a scrunch to his eyebrows, as if attempting to read off a cue card in his head “And I have a sensitive soul.” He adds randomly, sneaking a glance at Nyas face.

Nya blanches, catching on, “RIGHT. Well! Why don’t we get this tour over with?” She guides Wox ahead of her, turning to shoot Kai a look that screams why me?

“Of course, my lady.” He snatches up the opportunity to link their arms, even if it’s awkward with his mutation, “I’ll start with the bathrooms-”

After a quick potty break and a snack in the kitchens, Wox motions to a large set of double doors, “The Library, but trust me, ya don’t want to go in there. The place doubles as Baraths study, and the good doctor is a bit… unhinged in his work. One second you’re stopping in to say hello and the next the fur on your face is burnt off as a result of one o his experiments.” He scratches at his chin fur irritably, “Let’s move on to the Garden.”

As they turn away, Nya shoots Kai a look over her shoulder before turning to Wox, “So, what do you like to do in your free time?” She asks sweetly, stepping in time with him.

Kai gets the hint as Wox’s attention is centered solely on Nya. He nudges Jay and motions back to the library and Jay connects the dots with a thumbs up. He slips away from the group to go poking around. The pattern repeats in the rooftop gardens, this time Cole gracefully bowing out to poke around the seed beds and strange plants. Kai is given the opportunity to snoop once they cross into the Jelly Farm.

The hallway they’re trekking down dramatically opens up to a massive cave, the ceiling vaulted hundreds of feet above their heads and the floor dropping away into deep black pits. Archways branch off the path they walk like intricate natural scaffolding, some natural but several more are manmade, all looping in on each other. Each pathway connects to others to make large round enclosures, and within each of these floats a massive sky jelly. They look even bigger than Kai first thought they were, the ghostly sheet-like bell nearly bouncing off the ceiling and the arms and tentacles glowing softly far beneath him. Railings made of steel and rope line each of the bridges other than certain access points, where workers covered in strange full body hazmat suits seem to be rappelling down the animals to collect the venom dripping from the tentacles.

Wox motions down a path towards the far wall, a little notch cut out, “That’s Samira's office. Off limits to anyone other than her.” He says warningly as Nya opens her mouth, apparently not smitten enough to bend the rules for her.

Which is Kais' cue to leave. As Nya prods Wox to tell her more about the Jellys, Kai splits off from the pair and expertly sneaks around the occasional worker or patrol before slipping into Samiras office. It’s a short hallway that leads to a heavy wooden door that he picks the lock open easily. Once he’s inside, he closes the door silently and gets to snooping.

Or he would have. He stalls once he turns around to face the room and there, sitting on her desk, is a nicely bottled dark liquor that calls his name. He swallows thickly before snatching up the bottle and immediately uncorking the top- it smells like some deep spice that doesn’t exist in Ninjago, tantalizing and exotic. He brings it to hover at his lips before his rational brain bonks him on the head. No! Now is really not the time, Kai! He scolds himself, setting it down with a thunk and rounding her desk to get a look at the paper stack there. He doesn't read a word of it, glancing back up at the drink.

A taste couldn’t hurt. All he’d wanted since entering this realm was a drink- it was all he could think about. He deserved it, didn’t he? For doing so much? For putting up with that stranger? He flips over the glass that was next to the decanter and pours himself a generous glass before he can think. He dilly dallies again, swirling the cup. He really shouldn’t. He stares at if for a long time, longer than he cares to admit.

He puts the glass down and shifts a stack of papers to the side- it looks like Samiras personal notes. He paws through the pages and grimaces as fresh ink streaks his fingers, lingering on each page until a specific word sticks out to him. The page was dated a handful of months ago.

Birdy scared me today. He lashed out after I confronted him about Farley, I thought he was going to hurt me-

Kai doesn’t process the words, his eyes skittering back over to that drink. He licks his lips. Fuck it.

As he picks up the glass to take a drink, the door opens.

Samira doesn’t look surprised to see him, but she does raise a brow at his actions. Nobody says anything for a long moment before Kai slowly sets the glass down, hand twitching towards the handle of his sword that he kind of can’t believe they let him keep, “Calm down.” Samira rolls her eyes, stepping over to a cabinet shoved against the wall and pulling out another glass from the top drawer, “I’m not upset.”

“You’re not?” He asks as he watches her pour herself a glass.

She sighs and it's a put upon thing, “You’re a ninja. It’s in your nature to snoop, and Wox is woefully easy to distract.” She tips back the drink and savors the taste, “Though I figured I'd find this room ransacked for information, not… used as a refreshment bar.”

He winces but picks up his cup again, “Yeah, well…” He doesn't have anything to say so he just swallows down a gulp of whisky-adjacent liquor.

“Hey,” She warns, “This is for sipping. Savor it.” She orders. When he obliges, she doesn’t quite smile but she does nod her head back towards the main room, “Take a walk with me.”

It is an exceptionally smooth drink, spiced and warm. It still burns going down, but it's a good burn. Kai feels like all his headache and lingering irritation melts away with each sip.

He falls into step beside her as they drink together. She swirls her drink in her cup as people call out hellos to her, “It was chaos when I first came here.” Samira runs her fingers lightly over the rope banister, “You may think my methods are harsh, but please remember who I am dealing with- these people have been exiled for grievous crimes. They cannot think I am soft. My strength as their leader is what makes this place run so smoothly.”

“...Okay.” Kai doesn’t know what to do with this conversation.

She motions him along another path, taking him down a hallway into a room filled with machinery. Vials of paralytic poison sit to one side with several people working around the humming contraption. Kai and Samira watch as bottles upon bottles of glowing pink liquid are fed into the assembly line. It chugs and churns until a measly five perfectly round pink marbles come rolling out on the conveyor belt at the end of the line. Samira picks one up, examining it, “There was no community, no society- just violence and lots of pain.”

“Mutations are hard on the body, Kai. uncomfortable at best, agony at worst.” She keeps the marble and leads him back out to the jellys. She walks up to one- this Jelly is older. Its bell lay flat and thin across its head with scars and tears along the edge, it’s missing a few tentacles and several lures, and it’s a few shades duller than the other animals that fill the room. It’s floating lower than all the rest too, the luminescent tentacles it has left drag across the floor so far beneath their feet. Samira leans against the rope confidently, “I saw Miss Emma here use her poison on a horse-“ She starts, patting the animal on the head where the poison doesn’t seep, “Paralyzed it and ate it right up, and it gave me an idea. She numbs you first, before she eats you. If I could use her poison, refine it just right, maybe I could take that numbness and use it to take away that pain.” She holds up the marble- the pill, “And with a bit of help from Barath, I did it, and I built Oasis around this thing right here. It’s amazing how easy it is to bring people together when pain is out of the equation.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” Kai asks with narrowed eyes.

She sobers up, sipping at her whisky, “After all I’ve been through, Red, I know pain. I can see it.” She takes a moment to really study him, “You’re in a lot of pain, Kai. Aren’t you?”

He looks away, down at the glass he’s suddenly gripping so tight his knuckles are turning pale.

“That’s why you chose to drink instead of looking for information, isn’t it?” She looks at him kindly, face the very picture of a supportive and worried mother.

Kai’s not sure why his hands are shaking or why he suddenly feels so exposed and vulnerable- maybe because he hasn’t been able to drink since they came here, and he’s been deprived of the usual escape into intoxication, but he finds himself talking before he can think, “His name was Zane. He died saving me and I… I was too helpless to do anything to help him.” he blinks down at his cup. He should stop drinking. He throws the rest of it back like a shot anyway.

“Here.” She says gently, handing him the pill, “It works just as well on emotional pain.”

He looks up at her suspiciously, “You don’t want anything in return? I just saw how hard it is to make these.”

“Oh Kai,” She smiles and pushes the pill into his hand, closing his fingers around it herself, “The first one is always free.”

Barath doesn’t blink from where he’s huddled at his desk, writing chicken scratch in a leather-bound notebook when Jay slips in. There’s no way he doesn’t notice him, not with how his large desk directly faces the door, or how Jay immediately side steps into a stack of books and sends them thumping to the ground. For a place Wox had called the Library, there’s not much library happening. There are a few shelves lined along the wall, sure, but most of the books are piled into sections on the floor while the actual shelves are filled with notebooks, files folders, and active experiments or samples. Jay carefully avoids looking at the clear front glass container packed with bags of blood.

That’s the first time Barath addresses him, “Squeamish, Jay?” He sounds more subdued than he had at dinner, the energy in his private lab more serious and careful than the looseness of Samiras grand hall. “It’s quite normal to feel that way. Not used to blood?”

Jay approaches the desk that Barath still hasn’t looked up from, “I’ve dealt with blood plenty, but it’s not something I can get used to.” He laughs awkwardly, “blood belongs in the body, not out of it.” He jokes.

“You would be surprised, perhaps, at how prevalent hemophobia is here. I’ve drawn blood from warlords, serial killers, and much worse who close their eyes as I prep the needle. Seems a bit backwards, doesn’t it? I suppose it's different when it’s their blood.” He finishes his entry in the book and flips it shut, finally looking up at Jay, “I’ve never been frightened of blood! It’s fascinating, really, especially the samples I've seen here. So unique. Would you like to see?” already he’s stood up and strode to the fridge, pulling out a drawer filled with blood cultures neatly labeled.

“Uh, I'm- it’s okay! Really. I mean it.” He laughs nervously, “Uh, shouldn’t you be more careful with those? Whoever organized them is probably gonna be ticked off.” He adds on, raising a brow.

Barath continues to paw through the samples, humming as he picks up a few possible candidates before casually tossing them back. The neat labels on top juxtapose his haphazard actions, “I organized them.” He says blithely, finally picking out a sample he liked and slotting the draw back into place with a slam, “I have never cared much for consistency, Jay. That's why I chose to come here.”

Jay feels his jaw drop, “You chose to come here?”

“Of course!” Some of that energy from dinner spills into his body language, a pep in his step as he approaches one of the large sheets in the room, “Look around you, Jay! This is a veritable garden of Eden- a buffet for the mind. This world is ever changing, ever growing! I’ve learned more here than I ever thought possible. What I thought I knew in my home realm has all been dashed away by this realm's chaos. What I thought I knew yesterday will be wrong today. How delightful!”

He pulls away the tarp to reveal a mechanical monstrosity, several tubes and knobs, cords that lead into a strange metal box. There’s blinking lights and baubles and it takes Jay too long to realize it was a microscope. “I am on the front line of an uncharted world, Jay. My books, my papers, my research is the first of its kind. How thrilling! What ecstasy!” He slots the blood sample into place.

Jay can’t help but be drawn to the machine like a moth to flame. It’s not exactly well put together- the welds are a bit ugly, the machine is over engineered and clunky, but it’s clearly far more advanced than the microscopes Jay had seen in Ninjago. “Did you build this?” He asks, ghosting fingers over mis-matched metal.

Barath grinned with all his teeth, “It took a while to figure it out. I admit, I took some of my old equipment for granted.” He had years here to try new things, and the cobbled together mishmash of it showed. “Are you sure you don’t want to look? The way the mutations affect the blood is quite a show.”

It’s tempting, but Jay felt a little queasy just thinking about it, “I… didn’t come here to talk about blood.”

With a shrug, Barath looks into the barrel himself. He takes a moment to adjust the knobs, “I know that.” He says, picking up a small trigger stick and holding the button. There's a series of several flashes and the box next to the microscope hums to life, printing off several sheets of paper, “You came to snoop.”

Jay blanches, “W-What! No way, I just wanted to- Wox led us on a tour, and the library is free for us to use so- so-”

Barath leans away from the instrument to smile at Jay, “I’m not angry, Jay! Come now, you really believe that Samira, Wox, and I don’t know your intentions sneaking off from the tour like you did? Do you really believe Wox, one of the more fearsome and brutal warlords of Chima, didn’t notice the party getting lighter? We are criminals, Jay. We expect this!” He grabs the stack of papers and scurries back to his desk, taking out a quill and ink so he can begin to carefully label and date each image he took of the blood.

“Oh.” Jay says simple. There’s a pause, “So you don’t mind if I poke around?”

Barath looks up from his work and sizes Jay up for a moment. He takes a break from labeling the papers to lace his fingers together on top of his desk, “I’ll do you one better: Any questions you have, you are free to ask. My mission is the pursuit of knowledge first and foremost, and I will share that knowledge whether Samira wants me to or not. I will tell you the truth!”

Well, that sounds a lot easier than flipping through books all night. He moves another stack of books off of the chair in front of Baraths desk and sits, twiddling his thumbs.

“Well?” Barath prompts.

“I uh… don’t know what to ask.” He admits.

That seems to baffle Barath, “You’re in a world where people grow multiple eyes and it rains acid, and you have no questions whatsoever? Where’s your whimsy?!”

“Okay, okay! Um… So, Samira, is she like- the original banished person? She was here first? Is that why everyone listens to her?”

“Oh, no!” Barath leans back in his far more comfortable looking chair, “Samira is far from the first! But you won’t run into any of those- we call them the Ancients. They are gone now. Dead, mostly, or lost to their mutations long, long ago other than- well.” He gets a sparkle in his eyes, “I have this theory on mutations- it’s physical of course, but I believe a great deal of how and why you mutate depends on the strength of your character and will! The stronger your constitution, the longer you keep your sanity.”

“The last of the Ancients was alive just a handful of years ago. It’s a name you know! Birdy.”

“Birdy…? But Birdy is still alive.”

Barath grins, “The Birdy you know is alive, yes, but he didn't just take that mask from her. He took her name as well- of course, that was not her true name, just the moniker she went by here. She had an iron will and never once bowed before anyone, even at her lowest.” He shifts back to Jay's original questions, “Samira is the leader of Oasis because she is good at bending people to her will, at figuring out exactly what people want, what they need, and how to use that to control them. Samira made these people rely on her, and how she has all the power.”

Jay picks at his nails, dread filling his stomach as he thinks over Baraths earlier words, “Did Birdy- current Birdy... kill the old one?” He asks, feeling a cold wash over him at the idea that Lloyd was out with a murderer.

Barath takes a long moment to think, “Perhaps I should tell you all I know about Birdy.” He says, suddenly solemn, “But you must be warned- this is not a conversation had lightly. Can you handle this truth?”

“I have to know.” Jay says firmly.

Barath begins to speak.

“Oh!” Ila says, startled.

Cole spins around to face her, feeling a hot flush of embarrassment that she’d caught him playing in the dirt in one of the garden's grow beds, “Uh, I wasn’t doing anything weird.”

She laughs a little, stepping into the greenhouse more. The garden sprawled up one half of the palace roof (mountain top?), stairs leading from one platform to the next. They were on the second platform out of three where several large greenhouses took up nearly every available inch of space other than walkways, “You just surprised me,” She says lightly, “I took longer than normal to clean up the kitchen, I thought I would have missed you.”

That seemed… weird. Did she know he would be there? Maybe Wox told her they were going on a tour..? “Were you trying to miss me?”

She pauses too long to be anything other than strange, “No.” She says finally, “Do you like the greenhouses?” She asks politely.

He drops it uneasily, “It’s cool in here, yeah. I’m not familiar with any of these plants, though.”

“I help tend to the garden, I could probably give you a quick rundown.” She offers, stepping up beside him to examine the plant he was in front of.

“No, that’s okay- but I was wondering… If these Funeral flowers are so important, why don’t you grow them here?” He gestures around, “Instead of making dangerous trips into the Graveyard?”

“Oh, well,” She turns around and sits on the edge of the wooden planter, “Funeral flowers don’t produce outside the graveyard, despite our efforts. We tried filling a greenhouse with the fog but it never lasts, and the plants never flower. In fact, come with me!” She stands again and beckons him to follow with one of her tentacles, leading him out one greenhouse and into the next. They weave between planters until they come upon an ordinary looking bundle of green grass. It looks like it would be right at home in a field on Ninjago, “Here they are. Funeral flowers.”

“These?” He squints at the plain green things.

“I told you, they won’t flower. Usually a flower stalk would be right in the middle of these with a white bud, but no matter what we try they just don’t grow outside the graveyard.” She sits down again, “They’re strange, delicate plants.”

“So now you have to trek into the mist for them.” He nods.

“We didn’t used to have to go so far,” She admits, stretching each of her tentacles out like she's working out a sore muscle, “They used to grow right on the edge of the mist- big patches of them. Barath was the one who discovered them. We didn’t know what we know now, and we picked them without thought- but Funeral plants don’t survive a rough harvest. We yanked the flowers, and the roots died, and now we have to travel deeper and deeper for them.”

“What’s so special about them?” He finally asks, sitting next to her.

She tips her head to the side, looking up through the glass ceiling at the swirling red sky, “It’s a cure.” She says seriously, “It reverses mutations, brings back fingers and skin as long as you're not too far gone. One plant is enough for thirty pills, each enough to significantly improve mutation symptoms. One pill can buy you nearly anything you could ever want here, that’s how valuable they are.”

Cole whistles low, “Wow.” He looks at Ila, considers how human she still looks, other than the tentacles, “You’ve had one?”

“Three total over the years.”

“Samiras had a lot more than that, I'm guessing.”

Ila shrugs at that, “I’m sure she has, but I don't know exactly. Samira has looked the same for a long, long time, so I think she uses her supply to regulate instead of cure.”

“Birdy?”

“Birdy has never accepted a cure pill.” She tells him, “He’s got some issues about that stuff.”

Cole quirks a brow, “What, does he not want to owe Samira anything?”

“More like he doesn’t think he deserves good things.”

There’s a pause as Cole chews on that. Birdy had been nothing but understanding and kind to them, even listening to Cole's input when he had it. He hadn’t seen a dark side to Birdy other than maybe his earlier interaction with Wox, but everyone was so certain he was this dangerous, unstable guy. Even Birdy himself.

“What can you tell me about Birdy?” He asks finally.

“He’s courteous and polite,” She starts, “He always offers to help me clean the kitchen, or even cook. He does favors without asking for anything in return.”

She stops, and Cole waits.

“And?”

“...And he’s hurt a lot of people.” She forces out, and then begins to talk.

Nya hangs off Wox’s arm and tries to keep him talking, both of them marching along random hallways as he tells her about the construction they did to reinforce the walls along this particular corridor, “This whole place was a nest, once. Like a termite mound, but for some other animal- we don’t know what. It was long abandoned when Samira laid claim to it.”

She hums along, prompting him to go on when they round a familiar hall. The hall with their room in the middle- Nya glances behind them and there are no Ninjas in sight, “Why don’t you show me the library again?” She asks, leaning against him with a bright smile.

He rumbles out a low laugh, “I like ya, Nya, so I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He leans in a bit, “I know your friends aren’t behind me anymore.”

She jumps away, fully expecting him to be angry at their trickery, but he doesn’t seem bothered at all. Nothing happens for a long moment, they just stare at each other, “...You’re cool with that?”

“We expected it.” He says simply.

“Oh. huh.” She runs a hand through her hair, “Well, thank you I guess. I’m just gonna…” She motions to her door awkwardly, stepping over to it and going for the handle.

“Nya, wait.” He takes a step towards her, “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Oh, Wox.. um, i’m flattered but I don’t…”

He snorts at her attempt at a gentle rejection, “Don’t worry, darling, that’s not what I was going to say.” He debates for a moment, “I was not lying before, I do like you, Nya. You remind me of someone I once had the privilege to love, but there is no room in my heart for anyone but my better half.” It occurs to her suddenly that all his earlier nerves around her had simply... vanished. He was... pretending? So that she would think she had the upper hand..?

She feels her confusion show on her face, “Then…?”

His face grows serious, “The people of this realm are not good people. I know that, I've seen many of them at their worst… But Birdy is by far one of the most dangerous people here. It is wise for you to cut your losses and leave him, for your own sake.”

“What are you saying?” She feels herself turn pale, sweat beading on her forehead.

“Banishment to this realm is rare now. It doesn’t happen anymore, the people here now are all that there will be. Ever. Yes, we all have our dark and violent pasts, but there is an honor code between us all now- we don’t kill. We fight, we hurt, we steal and we lie, but we do not kill. Those that do are exiled, made to live in the deserts and wastelands… But Samira likes Birdy, so she allows him to break some of our rules. He should not be here, Nya. He is a murderer.”

Kai pockets the pill, unsure about taking it. He wants another drink, But Samira seems less inclined to share her liquor. They walk together for a while longer in silence.

“Birdy and I are not friends,” She says suddenly.

Kai looks over at her, confused, “Huh?”

“He is a valuable asset to me, but we are not friends. I protect him because it is in my best interest to stay on his good side… but I see myself in you, Kai and I must be honest with you. I have to warn you.” She says seriously, coming to a dead stop in a dark corner between the scaffolding walkways.

“Warn me? About Birdy? I knew he was bad news!” He huddles closer to her, eager to uncover the truth.

“You have good instincts, Kai. Bad news is an understatement.” She motions him to follow her and she quickly leads him back to her office, pouring the both of them another glass of whisky to steel her nerves before she lays everything out on the table for him. “This is a place for the realms worst villains, Kai. You don’t know the kind of horrors I've listened to people brag about- but what little I’ve learned about Birdy has eclipsed those stories completely. He was the Emperor to the Never Realm, and while he was in power… he destroyed crops, leaving his people with nothing. His dungeons were always empty because he killed his prisoners before they ever stepped foot in a cell. Devastation, wanton destruction, massacres, genocide- he took part in it all. He didn’t even bat an eye. He decimated his land for power, Kai.”

Kai feels dizzy, sipping at his drink so the burn will center him. Sure, he wasn’t the most trusting, but even he wouldn’t have expected that type of laundry list for the soft spoken Birdy, “But he seems…”

Samira looks down at her cup, face pinching in sorrow, “Not too long ago, only a year and a half at most… he came into Oasis drenched in blood. He had a traveling companion, a fox from Chima…” She looks up at Kai, anguish in her eyes, “He wasn’t a threat to anyone, Kai. Farley wasn’t even supposed to be here. Birdy slaughtered him- we never found his body.”

Kai shook his head because that just… it couldn’t be. Not Birdy. It didn’t even sound plausible!

Samira reaches into her desk and pulls out a photo- it’s obviously old, not taken by a modern camera like the ones from Ninjago. It shows the market on the outskirts of town, filled with people. Ila is at the center of the photo smiling sweetly. Samira points behind her, at a figure in the crowd.

“Look.” She says urgently, “Really look.”

It’s a fox, slender and young, but everything else falls away. Kai’s vision tunnels. Strapped to the foxes hip is a unique copper dagger, blade curved and wickedly sharp, with an amber stone embedded in the hilt.

It’s the same dagger he’d seen Birdy use almost every day since they’d met.

The same dagger he’d used to prepare meals, to shred wood for kindling, to cut away stubborn vines so they could easily walk along the forest path. It’s the same dagger.

“That knife belongs to a dead man, the mask belongs to a dead woman. I know he killed Farley, he told me himself. He’s carrying around trophies, Kai…and I am scared to think that you or any of your friends might be next. I believe you're safe for now- he wants you alive for some reason, it’s important you are alive… but wherever he’s leading you… I don't know, Kai. I worry the next time I see him, he’ll be wearing red. Another trophy.”

Kai swallows down the rest of his cup and shakily pours another.

Birdy was a murderer. A monster.

And Lloyd was alone with him.

[nyctophiliq]

love, i am a disgusting human...but here's my request: stepsis samira fucking you because she's jealous of your new gf and proves she can do it better. 😳😳💓

love you gf, feel absolutely free to ignore it if it makes you uncomfy 😽

✮ —YOU RIGHT, SAMMY ; samira

minors dni. afab! reader, nsfw ! — lowercase writing intended, dub-con, manipulation, dry humping, thigh riding, fingering, finger riding, clothed sex, cheating (?), jealous samira

wc. 1,8k

moss’ notes; are you kidding estella? step-cest is the best dead dove do not eat content ever !!! this got more of a 'love-making' thing rather than 'fucking' :/ love you too gf, hope you enjoy 💗😳

“in a minute!” you answered after a few knocks disturbed the silence in your room. can’t a girl take underwear pictures for her girlfriend in peace? you had no privacy in this house, everyone always wanted you to do something and that was fine, until like seven pm, after that you wanted to have the same respected free time as everyone else.

you threw your pajama back on, tossed your phone on the bed, and hurried to the tall white door of your room. it was a mess on your floor after you flipped the whole place up on its head, trying to find the lingerie set that you bought for just the moment like this, to send your girlfriend.

“samira?” she stood at your door, anger and sadness riddling her face. “what happened, are you okay?” despite hating your stepmother you loved her daughter, your step-sister, samira. she was caring, she got you to stuff you only dreamed of getting because of how strict your father was. she took you out to eat whatever you wanted, drove you to school without having to ask, and always left some extra cash in your pocket if you wanted to buy something nice for yourself. samira wasn’t like all those step-sisters in the movies, she wasn’t mean or a bully, she cared for you deeply, and she wanted to keep you safe no matter if it got her in trouble.

“why did you replace me, like all the others? you don’t love me anymore, y/n?”

samira had her fair share of rejections and broken relationships even with how big her heart really was. you sat next to her as she talked about how bad it was, letting her hold you after spilling her guts out, letting her kiss your cheek because you just felt sorry for your older sister- the one that had so much love to give, so much love she gives to you. but when that happens other things happen too… you always convinced yourself it was alright for that to happen, it only happened a couple of times that she pulled you onto her lap, and kissed you sweetly on the lips before pushing you on your back and kissing you some more.

“sami- what are you, don’t…” you gasp, eyes still open in surprise at the sudden feeling of your step-sister’s lips against yours and she feels the way your fingers stiffen in her oversized shirt, unmoving while she kisses you, moving her mouth against yours all while you gawk and freeze in front of her.

but she’s heartbroken, right? she was rejected yet again and her step-sister wouldn’t hurt her feelings too, would you? so you let her even if there is a feeling in your stomach that’s telling you this is wrong, that you have a girlfriend and you are cheating her on, with your step-sister! but samira was always so sweet to you and you don’t want to upset her by being like all the rest.

“aren’t you gonna kiss me back, you love me, don’cha?” samira asks in earnest when she pulls away to frown at you, her voice slurred a bit as her hand grabs at the hem of your shirt, pulling on it like a needy child. “i d-do, i do…” you find the strength to respond, and it truly warms you from the inside out when she smiles at you softly and gives you another peck on the lips before taking your hand, dragging you towards the bed while kicking your door shut with her leg.

samira sat down on the bed, her hands now resting on your waist, staring up at you before they slip under the shirt to caress your stomach and hips. her fingers play with the cloth before pushing it slightly upwards, revealing the underside of your lacy bra. her fingers ball into a fist, creasing your shirt with it before both of her hands caught your pajama top and pulled it off of you, exposing the rest of your lewd underwear.

“you are wearing this for her, don’t you? were you lying to me when you said you love me?“ her anger takes the better of her, forcefully grabbing you by your bra straps and pulling you onto her lap. your knees rest on either side of her thighs, hands holding you up by her shoulder as you shake your head. “i do love you, sammy, i-i promise- it’s for you…” 

“i’m sorry for hurting you,” she says, her eyes fixed on your chest before her lips connect with the reddened skin, moving the strap aside to give her better access, sliding it down your arm and her hand reaching behind your back to undo the clasp of your bra.

“we should stop... sammy, i have a g-girlfriend.” your voice is small and you feel just as small. how can you say that to her? you wanna please her because there is no way you want to hurt her feelings when she’s already so fragile.

“but i love you and you love me… this is what you do when you love someone, y/n.” she grunts, chest heaving against yours as she breathes heavily against your skin and it’s almost too quick the way you’re replying, feeling as your bra loosens around your chest and then samira helps you out of it, hastily tossing it to the side.

“yeah, you are right, i-i’m sorry sammy…” samira sighs as she watches your breasts hang free on your body. she wants to take them into her mouth, lick your nipples until they perk up, tug on them so they become nice and puffy, pinch them to hear you say her name so prettily.

taking shaky breaths as she tries to pull herself together. something dangerous turns inside of her when she looks up at your teary eyes and nods softly, biting nervously at the inside of your cheek. “it’s okay, i would never be angry at you, baby.” she slurs, stroking the top of your head, pushing the scattered strands of hair out of your face with an eager smile on her face. she leans in, slurring some kind of praise before kissing you again, prying your lips open with her own as she licks eagerly into your mouth, drinking up your moans while your fingers twist and pull in her hair, her clothed thigh rubbing against your panties.

“it’s alright, sammy’s gonna make ya feel good, princess. so just… listen to your big sister, hm?” she asks, voice whispering directly into your ear causing a shiver to run down your spine. it was less of a question and more of a command, one you melted into, nodding briefly as you bit your lip, too nervous to talk. your reaction amused samira and she smiled sweetly as she pressed a kiss against your collarbone eliciting a pleased exhale from you.

“does it feel good, hm?” samira had thought about this before, thought about her lips against your skin, marking you as hers, hearing you say how much you liked it. she wanted to hear you say that you liked her delicate fingers running over your skin, the way you make yourself wet as she touches you. “y-yes!”

“does it feel better than her, your girlfriend, right? she knows nothing about how to touch you, i do… your big sister sammy does.” she says as she rubs gentle circles into the plush of your thigh, slightly pinching it whenever inchings closer to your aching core. your mind is almost too foggy with lust to respond, all you can think about is her, feeling more, more of her. “she k-knows nothing… you do s-sammy.” you choke on your words, head falling on her shoulder when her fingers touch your clothed entrance, poking the delicate fabric of your panties, toying with it for a second before pushing it aside.

samira grins at your answer, her chest blooming with pride, her fingers slowly pushing inside of you and she chuckles when you let a strained moan out. poor you must have been waiting for this for a while, you wouldn’t touch yourself in the dead of night, right? your parents always bother you so late and you can never satisfy yourself, that’s why you tried to find a girlfriend because you were too scared to ask for sammy’s help. “you feel amazing sissy, nice and warm… squishy.”

“s’good sammy… feels s’good.” you moan mindlessly as she starts to pump her fingers inside. you can hear the faintest slick from your soaked cunt and you almost want to hide it, burying your face deeper into the crook of her neck. her two slim fingers slide smoothly in and out of you, your soft moans buzzing on her skin as she starts picking her pace up.

her eyes roll back as she feels something tickling the thin skin of her collarbones, your saliva trickling down until it hides in her shirt. she curls her finger up and your hips lift to meet the feeling, drive it deeper, pleasure flourishing through your body in waves. her other hand comes up to palm one of your breasts, squeezing them until the fat oozes out between her fingers, moving to flick your nipple with her thumb when you bite into her skin.

“yeah? you wanna cum on my fingers pretty?” samira asks as she presses hot kisses against your cool, sweat-slicked neck.

you nod dumbly, words falling out of your mouth incoherently as you near your high. the heel of her palm presses against your clit, shooting electricity through your nerves, curling your toes, forcing your hips to roll faster, and all you can really focus on is how good it feels when she kisses your neck, leaving the lingering feeling of her lips behind. before you know it you are coming undone, cunt squeezing down on her fingers as you cream on them. you reach for the arm that is inside your panties, nails digging into her flesh as you ride out your high.

“sissy, what do we say when somebody makes us cum?” she hummed while pulling out of you, kindly petting your entrance with her soaked fingers. you take a few short breaths, each of them cutting off as you begin to sob, your arms sliding around samira’s shoulder to pull her closer, digging into her muscles as the last of your orgasm twitches through your body.

“tha-thank you… thank you sammy.” you bawl as you try to pull her body closer to yours, trying to claim the warmth that she is emitting. it was so cold in the room now, without her fingers warming your insides… samira really did know best.

[melmedarda]

this one is obvious but mel?

Hi you've activated me and I am now vibrating at a frequency previously unknown to mankind lets get into it

I feel like we know? But I would ride for her, die for her, do any and everything for her. Has she done wrong? Yes. Love her. That's my angel my emotionally stunted, mildly manipulated baby girl. love her alive

Jayce. The man who wormed his way into her heart, filled her with warmth with light with hope. Finn, and also Hwei (I wrote an entire fic for them idk what possessed me)

VIKTOR!!! obsessive codependent friends who are also enemies who understand each other, but cannot stand each other because they are equals. hope that helps. also, SAMIRA, her bestie (have their entire back story written down somewhere)!!!!!! Ambessa, kino, the entire Medarda family.

Mel did not sleep with Jayce to manipulate him.

I really just want her to be happy. Also, I want to see her past, see her use her Noxian training.

[devidancestudio-goddesslife]

Changing Lives One Shimmy At A Time

The Sensational Summer Hafla/ Shimmy Mob Louisville, KY 2024 has concluded. We had a blast on Saturday May 11th here in the Kentuckiana Valley. On World Bellydance Day we gathered together not only to have a good time and catch up, but to help raise money for our local action center, The Center for Woman and Families. 

During the day, Shimmy Mob Louisville gathered on the waterfront and performed while raising money on the Big 4 Walking bridge platform. Truthfully, I was very very tried from all the prep work, checking in to the AirBnB, and communicating with all the performers bout the lineup and any changes we had to make. But everyone showed there support by performing the main choreography and participating in the secondary one which involved audience participation.

This years crew consisted of many people whom had never danced any style before and a few whom had never danced bellydance. 

At the hafla, we had many local performers and supports from around the region as well fellowshipped to the beat of the tunes. Grateful for MarleyVon and Samira for headlining along with myself.  We had a few people not make the evening event, but sent love and shimmies their way. This is one of many gatherings for this year. Be sure to stay tuned to the Devi Dance Studio® website for updates and upcoming events. https://www.DeviDanceStudio.com

The VP of The Center's Marketing and Outside Outreach spent time in Jordan and Egypt. He said he was very impressed and happy to be apart of something like this as it reminded him of his time abroad. 

This made me super grateful. I am glad to have  made all of the food except for the baklava and the roasted veggies. (The veggies and baklava was made by one of the Shimmy Mob participants) I had a feeling there would be people from or spent time or was of the culture at the event. I didn't want them to try the hummus and it not be authentic. lol I noticed most store bought hummus was made with canola or soybean oil and not olive oil. 

Having something positive to do is important to the healing process. It can be one of the key elements in victims becoming survivors. Getting out of victim mode is not easy and looks differently for everyone. It is just as important to be gently with those going though recovery. 

I recently heard something that was very profound and possibly something I have always known, but didn't have the best phrasing. "The opposite of trauma is play." Which when you think about it, is very true. But sometimes allowing yourself to play can be hard as processing the trauma and going through it can be difficult. 

One of the many things abusers do is limit free thinking, play, happy moments, negate the curious nature, limit interactions, and create conditions/environment where brainwashing/or changing/manipulating the narrative as a way to control them or a situation. Some people and places use these tactics to keep people low and instill physiological phrases so later on in life it makes it hard for them as a person to be their authentic self, explore, live, and play. Often times without proper help and support, victims will subconsciously seek out similar emotional limits, people, places, and things thinking they are doing better, but they are not.

There is no shame in getting help, going to counseling/therapy, and belonging to authentic helpful support groups.  It is important to do things that are different, experience different cultures, and learn new things so you can not only reprogram your own thoughts, but to allow the healing process to thrive in your life. Mental and physical health is just as important as having a safe place to live, income, and quality of life.

One of the Goddess Life with Tahulla Setsena Principals is, "You are the only You you have!" Let that sink in. You are important, and have the right to existence just like anyone else. We are not meant to always be subservient, obedient, quite, or limited. Ask questions, have adventures, laugh, sing, dance, create, appreciate, write, think, study, love and live for yourself. It is honorable to do things for and with yourself. Remember you don't need permission from anyone to do the things that are healthy and happy for you in your life.  

Focusing on yourself can be hard to start, but when you do stick with it. It's just like dance. Many people don't even try because they are afraid of not being good at it, it being a waste of time, or what other people think. These limits can hinder your own growth and thoughts because you stop yourself before you even get started. We as a society need to stop focusing on being the most perfect prodigy at something, but should strive for the healthy ability to be motivated in the process of doing things. This can help lower jealous/envious and doubtful emotions which often stop the best outcome in most areas of life. 

Be inspired, but not envious. Allow good counsel, but not gaslighting. Forgiveness is for you and not anyone else. Be gentle with yourself. You are worthy of peace and happiness. Nice and kind are not the same thing. Also allow yourself to know the difference and how it feels to be held accountable, but not disrespected. Allow yourself to recognize those who are comfortable with hindering you, for they not your friends or family. There is no shame in leaving and saying no. You owe it to yourself to do better for you by you. 

Not everyday will be perfect and there may be times where you don't have the energy to go forth and prosper. That is okay. It's not really healthy to give 110% at everything you do all the time. Rest, existing, and fulfillment will be different for everyone. Celebrating and being safe with these difference could be the vibe your heart needs. 

To find out about Shimmy Mob (A world wide organization) go to: https://www.ShimmyMob.com

For more info about The Center for Woman and Families visit: https://www.thecenteronline.org and to donate on behalf of Shimmy Mob Louisville, KY/Kentuckiana use our unique link of: https://tinyurl.com/ShimmyMob

To donate to Devi Dance Studio® so we can help bring things like this and many others to the community visit: http://paypal.me/devidancestudious Feel free to follow Devi Dance Studio® on various social media outlets and on our website: https://www.DeviDanceStudio.com 

Hugs until the next article,

Tahulla Setsena <3 

[samirafms]

[ sahar luna, cis female , she/her ] have you seen SAMIRA  FARAS lately ? yeah, i heard they're 22 years old and a SOCIALITE now in charleston city. i mean, i don’t know if it’s their GEMINI vibes or that they’re -MANIPULATIVE and -SECRETIVE but also +FLEXIBLE and +CUNNING, but they remind me of MONEY by LISA. here’s to hoping they don’t cause too much trouble around here. (J, 21, she/her, gmt +3 )

hellooooo everyone it’s j yet again , coming in HOT with a new muse ( correction new mess ) but anways you know the drill so like this or message me on discord @ jules#6729  if you’d like to plot  

I - PINTEREST

you know me and my obsession for pinterest boards so click here to find it 

II - QUICK FACTS

before i start with all the talking here are some quick facts 

dob: june 6th 1999

lives with her mom only , father is unknown ( at least that’s what her mother says ) 

no other siblings aka shes an only child ( of her mother ofc ) 

moved to charleston at the age of 10 so she’s been around for about 12 years now 

nicknames: mira ,sami though she prefers to be called by her name instead of nicknames 

dyes her hair a lot like but prefers being a brunette 

is pansexual

III - BIO

before we get to samira’s birth , we have to go back to where it all starts with the young alia faras , a woman born in charleston with dreams of becoming a world-famous actress , and a drive so big as if there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do in order to achieve it . it was at the age of twenty-four when samira’s mother packed everything and her beloved charleston to achieve the hollywood dream. but things didn’t exactly start off as good as she hoped for , one audition after the other , the rejections kept coming and coming as if there was no end to it . but alia never stopped dreaming , she knew there was someone out there who would be willing to give her a chance and so here he was , a beautiful man by the name of REDACTED , whos promises were so big that she couldn’t say no to an offer like his. not only was he kind , but the missing ring on his finger could only mean that the man was single, and before you knew it , the man who was willing to help her become the star she is destined to be he also suddenly became her other half , her soulmate . this relationship was like no other , he cared about her so much , in a way no other man did before him . 

months go by but the mans promises never come to realization , she never got the roles she wanted , but hey at least they loved each other right , there’s still time for her to shine , she’s still young after all . and before you know it the young woman had not only fallen head over hills for this man , but was also bearing his child  , news that ware supposed to tighten her relationship with this man and maybe seal it forever , her fairy tale world suddenly crashed as the man revealed that he already had a wife and children of his own , and alia and her child had no place around him anymore . and here she was pregnant and alone , about to face a life she wasn’t prepared for . 

the first nine years of samira’s life weren’t too good . her mom was working two jobs so she can pay their bills , she was often left with one of her mom’s friends/neighbors since samira’s mom didn’t exactly have the time or money to be a mom . but it all changed suddenly when on her 10th birthday , when her mom rushed home and packed their bags , claiming they were going to a much better place and so charleston was introduced . suddenly their small apartment was gone  , instead the two lived in a big house filled with everything one could imagine . ever since then samira and her mom have been living a pretty lavish life , with neither of them having to work at all , but the question still remains , where does all their money come from 

SPOILER ALERT 

ok ok so you’ve guessed it probably but basically mommy went all girlboss and threatened samira’s dad for money or else’s she’ll ruin their picture perfect fam . and since the mystery dad is a pretty big deal he started paying an allowance of sorts where he pays them a huge amount of money so they keep everything under wraps  

 IV - PERSONALITY

girlie is very that bitch , shes obsessed with herself 

sis is secretive af like she doesn't share much about her home life even to her closest friends 

shes spoiled rotten by her mother 

get extremely mad when people ask where the money comes from like just dont 

is willing to do anything to achieve her goals 

can easily persuade people to do dumb shit with her 

V - CONNECTIONS

you know me always down for brainstorming but here’s a few quick ideas 

ride or dies ; exes on good / bad terms ; fwb , one-night stands / hook-ups ; enemies ; enemies to friends and vice versa ; childhood friends ; - aka the ones i had on romeo im sorry but my mind = blank 

[tigerkirby215]

5e Seraphine, the Starry-Eyed Songstress build (League of Legends)

(Artwork by Jennifer Wuestling. Made for Riot Games.)

I mean I’m going to have to build her eventually, right? Honestly Tasha’s Cauldron comes out tomorrow so I may as well take a bit of a cheat day and make a build for the new champ. I mean I still have to and pick out a bunch of spells so at least I’m doing that?

Samira build is going to come out sometime in the year 3587 lol.

GOALS

Lookin' for a song in everything I meet! - Seraphine is a stage performer, rallying the whole crowd into song to make it loud and proud!

You're all breathtaking! - Seraphine can unite everyone around her with shields and heals. COUGH SONA COUGH.

Sing it with me! - When the time comes Seraphine can bring the whole world closer together! Good thing she isn’t mute.

RACE

I would really love to do a funny joke and say that Seraphine is a Tiefling or an Orc or something but no: she’s a Human. I can’t even justify any of the Eberron races so we’ll just be going for good ol’ Variant Human.

As a human you can increase two ability scores of your choice: pump up your Charisma and Dexterity to keep fit and beautiful. You can also learn a skill of your choice and for hearing so strong you can hear the voices of a dying nation inside your special necklace take Perception proficiency. You can also take any language of your choice so I’d suggest one that fits with your group, or whichever one you think is Korean. Actually I think Seraphine sung in Chinese which also made people mad? Man Riot can’t stop making her controversial, huhn?

But of course the main appeal of Variant Human is the free feat at level 1. I think Alert is pretty good for mimicking super sensitive hearing. Along with a +5 bonus to initiative you can’t be surprised nor can you be snuck up on. Being able to hear everyone has its perks, huhn?

ABILITY SCORES

15; CHARISMA - If you’re gonna get the crowd to adore you you’ve gotta look the part.

14; CONSTITUTION - I don’t care if Seraphine is a squishy midlane mage we simply don’t need anything else more. Feel free to swap this out with a different stat if you want better roleplay but worse health.

13; DEXTERITY - You need to be able to keep your balance on a moving platform as well as be able to dance along with the K/DA crew.

12; WISDOM - Seraphine’s big thing is being able to hear the emotions of everyone. Knowing what makes people tick is Insight, which is a Wisdom skill.

10; INTELLIGENCE - Seraphine is just your average, everyday girl. Ditzy and a little clueless.

8; STRENGTH - Seraphine can best be described as “petite.” Muscles in the chest hurt your nice soprano.

BACKGROUND

Now you may not know this but Seraphine is a singer, which is a type of Entertainer. As an Entertainer you get proficiency in Performance (obviously) and Acrobatics as well as a music instrument of your choice (Indie Seraphine plays guitar so grab a Lute) and a Disguise Kit, so maybe you can disguise the fact that you’re a copy of So...

Being the premier superstar of Piltover means that you get to tour around a lot By Popular Demand. You can perform in exchange for a place to stay, and doing so will get people to notice you! "Music helps you keep your head up."

(Artist unknown. Blame LoL Wiki. Artwork made for Riot Games.)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - BARD 1

YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT SERAPHINE IS A BARD. As a Bard you get proficiency in three skills as well as three instruments! Choose whatever instruments you want (you mostly sing, and the majority of magical instruments are Lutes anyways which you’re already proficient in) (my secret advice? Pan Flutes and Horns have a few magic instruments) but for your skills take Insight to hear the crowd, Persuasion to rally the crowd, and Arcana to learn why your magic crystal is screaming.

You also get Bardic Inspiration! Seraphine talks about being inspired so she can inspire others, and you can inspire your allies with a d6 to add to Attack Rolls, Saving Throws, and Skill Checks!

But of course Bards are spellcasters with Spellcasting too! You can learn two cantrips from the Bard list: Prestidigitation will let you get some special effects on stage and Vicious Mockery doesn’t have to be mockery... It would just be a lot cooler if it was.

You also learn four spells from the Bard list: Comprehend Languages will let you understand everyone’s song, and Faerie Fire will let you light up their life. On the more unnerving end Dissonant Whispers will let folk listen to your crystal, and Detect Magic will let you tell exactly what kind of magic you’re hearing. That’s weird: why is the Hextech crystal radiating Necromancy?

LEVEL 2 - BARD 2

Second level Bards are Jack of All Trades, being able to add half their proficiency bonus to any skill check. Because you see the rhythm in everything! Additionally you get Song of Rest, helping your friends take a break and recover more health during short rests.

But most importantly you get another spell! Another way to cheer someone up is to give them a good laugh, and Tasha’s Hideous Laughter will make them do just that! Maybe they’re laughing about the fact that Riot keeps insisting your not a copy of Sona? Oh don’t worry the jabs at Seraphine as a character are just gonna keep coming.

LEVEL 3 - BARD 3

Third level Bards get Expertise in two skills: choose Insight to hear the souls of both cities, and Performance because... yeah duh. You don’t become famous in a day.

But much more importantly you get your choice of Bard College, and for the rich and fabulous the College of Glamour will make sure everyone loves you! You can now officially captivate the whole audience (up to your Charisma modifier) with your Enthralling Performance, charming them and making them idolize you and defend you on Twitter. To both shield your allies and speed them up with Surround Sound Mantle of Inspiration takes a Bonus Action to give them Temporary Hitpoints and let them take a reaction to move out of danger. Yeah this was pretty much on a silver platter for me so I figured I’d take it.

You can also learn another spell and for an effective Beat Drop take Hold Person, rooting them in place for long enough that your ADC can do their magic.

LEVEL 4 - BARD 4

4th level comes with your first Ability Score Improvement. Charisma is pretty much everything for us now so pumping that up would be helpful!

You can also learn another spell and another cantrip! For your cantrip Dancing Lights will let you light up your stage and also pulls double duty by letting your dumb human eyes see in the dark. As for leveled spells Suggestion is a more direct form of emotional manipulation, suggesting actions for the other person to take. These actions can’t be directly harmful or against what the character would normally do, but “you should buy my $30 release skin” is a fairly ordinary request, right?

(Picture from Seraphine’s Twitter. Yup Seraphine is definitely real.)

LEVEL 5 - BARD 5

5th level Bards get Font of Inspiration, allowing their Bardic Inspiration to come back on a Short rest instead of a Long rest. This is great because your Bardic Inspiration die also increases to a d8, increasing your Mantle of Inspiration Temp HP too!

You can also learn third level spells but the keyword here is can because I’m actually going to stick at second to take spells like Calm Emotions. Man you’ll never guess what this spell does.

While Calm Emotions is a nice spell feel free to deviate from my builds as you see fit. Like seriously a temporary ceasefire is nice but so is a huge Fear cone.

LEVEL 6 - BARD 6

6th level Glamour Bards can make people dance like they have a magical instrument from Ionia. Mantle of Majesty lets you Concentrate on a not-spell once per Long Rest and get the ability to cast the Command actual-spell as a Bonus Action for one minute. Command lets you make one word commands at your enemy as long as they can understand you and you aren’t asking them to do something harmful to themselves. So commands like “Dance!” “Sing!” and “Cheer!” are all viable (though perhaps not effective in a teamfight.)

You can also add another spell to your spell list but again the third level Bard spells aren’t too enticing to me, so take Enthrall to make sure they concentrate on you and you alone.

Oh and you get Countercharm, letting you use an action to give allies against Frightening and Charming effects. Or they could buy some Tenacity. Or you could get a Paladin.

LEVEL 7 - BARD 7

7th level Bards get 4th level spells and Confusion will get the crowd mixed up in the noise, resulting in a cacophony that would sound like unbearable noise to most. Because it is unbearable noise. But at least your friends can fight them in the madness.

LEVEL 8 - BARD 8

8th level Bards get another Ability Score Improvement. Do you know what’s helpful for a class based entirely on Charisma? Maxed out Charisma!

You know what else is helpful? Charm Monster, so you can talk to any crystal scorpions that might be looking for their family. I mean, assuming the Brackern speak human.

(Picture from Seraphine’s Twitter. Yup Seraphine is definitely real.)

LEVEL 9 - BARD 9

9th level sees your Song of Rest increase to a d8. Does this ability scale really poorly? Yeah kinda.

At least you get 5th level spells now. If you want some high notes that’ll dance around you Animate Objects will let you make a bunch of tiny objects to hit your foes! Honestly at this point all the Enchantment spells become uhhh... evil? So we have to go for a different school if we want “good” spells.

LEVEL 10 - BARD 10

10th level Bards get Expertise in two more skills: Persuasion will help you shift the hearts of a nation. Take whatever skill you want as your secondary one since it honestly doesn’t matter too much. (I personally opted for Perception.)

But more importantly it’s Magical Secrets time! This will let you get any spell from any class’ spell list and add it to your own! Most of the time when you get this feature you want to grab some stuff at the max level you can cast but I’m actually going to go down to third level for some support and buffs! For a healing aura around you take Aura of Vitality from the Paladin spell list. To quickly charm a crowd Incite Greed will force everyone to be charmed by you as they want to see your 50 dollar Brackern Corpse... I mean Hextech crystal.

Along with your two Magical Secrets you also get another cantrip. Message is always good to keep plans in team chat.

LEVEL 11 - BARD 11

11th level Bards get 6th level spells like Otto's Irresistible Dance, which forces everyone to get into the rhythm! It’s much harder to fight when you’re dancing: it’s like being stunned! Good thing only you can force a stunning dance on enemies.

LEVEL 12 - BARD 12

12th level Bards get an Ability Score Improvement but now that your Charisma is maxed you can grab Inspiring Leader to rally everyone together for an awesome performance!

(Artist unknown. Blame LoL Wiki. Artwork made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 13 - BARD 13

13th level Bards see their Song of Rest increase to a d10, and this is the point where I make a joke about Song of Rest scaling poorly.

You at least get 7th level spells, and because none of these really fit Seraphine I’m going to suggest Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion for a K/DA stage. But again I need to remind people that I’m picking options for RP and you’re welcome to build the character however you want. Take what you think will be useful and make your own song!

LEVEL 14 - BARD 14

14th level Eloquence Bards have Unbreakable Majesty! As a Bonus Action you can put on your Ultimate Skin to force enemies to make Charisma saves if they try to attack you. If they fail, they’ll target someone else! This is a great way to keep the damage off you since you don’t exactly have great HP or AC. Do remember that it only lasts for a minute though, but you can get it back at the end of a Short or Long rest.

Additionally you get two more Magical Secrets! If you want to sing to enemies far and long (but maybe not Wide) Gravity Fissure is a Dunamancy spell that forces everyone in a line to take a massive amount of damage and be pulled to the center of the spell.

Now that you got your ultimate the world is honestly your oyster. My recommendation to get a crowd to put their hands up would be Chain Lightning, but that’s more because the spell is good than because it fits Sera.

LEVEL 15 - BARD 15

15th levels get their maximum Bardic Inspiration die of a d12! This also means that your Mantle of Inspiration will now give everyone 15 temporary hitpoints! "Harmonize!"

LoL Wiki doesn’t let me link to voice lines anymore and that’s a true crime.

And hey; 8th level spells! If you want to make some Gamers™ mad about your “cash grab” Twitter account just inflict them with Feeblemind so they can spam pictures of Skarner like the marketing department gets to choose what the champion designers make. Because remember: even if Seraphine isn’t real the people pretending to be her are, so don’t be an ass please!

LEVEL 16 - BARD 16

Who likes ASIs? We haven’t used our hyper-sensitive hearing enough so take the Observant feat for a +1 to Wisdom and a +5 to passive Perception and Investigation. And the ability to pick up on lyrics by reading people’s lips!

Are there more useful feats? Yeah, but we build for character here. If you want a powerbuild check out Reddit.

(Picture from Seraphine’s Twitter. Yup Seraphine is definitely real.)

LEVEL 17 - BARD 17

17th level Bards get to pretend that Song of Rest is a good ability! It’s a d12 now so I’m sure it’s useful now that your party all have around 100 HP!

But you finally get access to your mythical 9th level spells! Honestly all the options are great for a girl who has everything, but I’m going to go for the fun Music Video option of True Polymorph. Turn Akali into a dragon! Turn Evelynn into a demon! Turn Skarner into a battery! The possibilities are endless! (Unlike the #BrackernRights memes.)

LEVEL 18 - BARD 18

18th level Bards get their last two Magical Secrets. This is also the last two spells you’ll be getting so better make them count! Of course the best way to make a spell count is to Wish for anything. With this you can finally unite Piltover and Zaun, as long as you believe enough! Or you can bring back Skarner’s family...

For something a little more in-character and a lot more immediately practical: Mass Heal is the perfect Catch-22 to negate any burst. A burst of 700 HP to everyone is never not useful for a bit of Redemption.

LEVEL 19 - BARD 19

19th level Bards get their last Ability Score Improvement: we have an uneven Wisdom score thanks to our last Feat so eh. May as well take Resilient Wisdom for better saving throws and even scores.

LEVEL 20 - BARD 20

20th level Bards have Superior Inspiration! When you roll initiative and have no uses of Bardic Inspiration left, you regain one use. That is literally how the ability is worded. I mean, okaaaaay? At least you can spam Mantle of Inspiration a little more?

FINAL BUILD

PROS

Whole world hears me now! - You’re a full caster with no multiclassing! 9th level spells: no strings attached! You’ve even got a nice spread between Concentration spells and Non-Concentration spells, as well as both utility and combat spells.

Everyone fights to be heard; I'll fight to listen - Being a Bard means you’re good at just about everything, and particularly good at a select few things. 29 Passive Perception? +17 to Persuasion?

We've only just met and I'm already inspired - Who would’ve guessed that a Support class built to support well would be a good support? You’ve got charms, heals, and CC a plenty along with Inspiring Leader to bolster everyone before a battle and Mantle of Inspiration to keep everyone moving with the music!

CONS

Stage fright? Never heard of it - A lot of your BADDEST™ toys are locked behind big spell slots. You’ve only got two 6th level slots, and just one 9th level slot despite having three different 9th level spells to choose from. Again feel free to build your spell list however you want as I just picked what fit in character.

Pretend it's a big rehearsal - Your DEX is meh, your CON is meh. 140 HP isn’t godawful but it isn’t great when you’ll likely have 14 AC at best with Studded Leather. You know what’s really hot right now? Tattoos. See if your DM’s a cool dude who’ll pass you a Rare Barrier Tattoo from Tasha’s to essentially get Medium Armor! Elven Chain is also nice and pretty.

Joy's too quiet without sorrow on the downbeat - I don’t want to make two points related to your stats but they’re the only thing that’s really hurting in this build. Your only good stat is Charisma: and everything else ranges from meh (+2 in DEX / WIS / CON) to bad (0 in INT, -1 in STR.) While you’ll still be able to roleplay with Jack of All Trades skills your Saving Throws hurt. Your concentration is bad and anything heavy will break your petite spine in two. Luckily INT saves aren’t common but anything Strength or Constitution based will quickly put an end to your performance.

Uniting the world in song isn’t easy, but if anyone can do it it’s you. Harmonize, move with the rhythm, and unite everyone through song. There’s nothing you can’t do, and no one can bring you down down down down down down. Well, except perhaps an angry crystal scorpion monster and his army of Twitter followers.

(Artist unknown. Blame LoL Wiki. Artwork made for Riot Games.)

[kendelias]

Anagapesis + Vi

Anagapesis - The feeling when one no longer loves someone they once did.

At a farmer’s market in Lima, Ohio, Virginia Avery is running late to work. She told her other instructors to handle it, but because Samira is sick, they’re short-staffed, and Vi needs to be there sooner rather than later. Right now, though, she finds herself in a battle with a stack of apples and a particularly nervous friend.

Vi nudges her earpiece with one hand while fidgeting with her basket in the other. “Yes,” she’s saying, again, for the fifth time in an hour, “She’ll love it.” The apples tilt precariously, and she scrambles to apply both hands to keep the tower from falling.

“You think so?” Rory’s accent, tinged with worry, is almost garbled where it comes across the phone. She’s lucky they’ve been friends for so long, or else she wouldn’t understand a word he said.

Vi nods, even though he can’t see her, and scoops the apples into the plastic bag. “Honey, I’ve known Izzy for a long time,” she reminds him. “You’re talking to someone who helped her plan her proposal to you. I think it’s a perfect anniversary gift.”

Rory sighs, relief palpable in his voice. “Okay, good, because--”

“You already bought the tickets?” she teases.

There’s a beat of silence. “Maybe.”

She laughs, then turns sharply to turn towards the carrots. With that, though, her bag bumps the apple cart, and the tower she’d been so valiantly protecting goes tumbling to the ground. “Oh, shit,” she mutters, then bends to the ground. Someone from the next stall over rushes to help her, and she sighs thankfully.

“Are you okay?” Rory asks. His voice spikes, panicked. “Vi? Can you hear me?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, just--” The stranger across from her looks up, and the movement catches her eye, making her look up to meet their eyes. She blinks. “Uh, I’m gonna have to call you back.” Despite Rory’s hurried and affronted squawks, she reaches up and yanks her earpiece out of her ear, then raises her sunglasses to the top of her head. “Jesse.”

The stranger, it turns out, is not a stranger at all. Even after all this time, she’d recognize that face anywhere - his eyes still sparkle like he’s eighteen, and his mouth is still sloped and crooked in all the places it used to fit against hers. Jesse St. James is a few years older, but still the same. “Hey, Superstar,” he says, and the old nickname hits her square in the chest, her balance just barely keeping her from falling over. “It’s been a while.”

Vi swallows and stands, hesitantly, and Jesse follows her up. “Hi,” she says dumbly. “Jesse. I, um - sorry, I’m just a little thrown off.” He chuckles at that (it was not a joke). “It has been a few years. What’re you doing in town?”

“Doing a little work with our old alma mater.” He frowns, and scratches his chin. “Well, my alma mater, I suppose. I’m supposed to take over coaching them while I’m in between projects.”

She nods politely, still finding the whole thing a little surreal. “That’s - that’s great, Jesse. I’m sure you’ll be... great.” Great? How many times can one say “great” in a conversation before being classified as illiterate? She clears her throat. “It’s just so strange seeing you here, of all places. Lima, I mean, not the supermarket.”

Jesse shrugs. “We all come home sometimes,” he says. “I’ve actually been meaning to call you, to get lunch, catch up.” He tosses the apple in his hand, smiles, and winks - a classic move, she recognizes from when they were kids. Nervously, she reaches up and adjusts her bag on her shoulder. His eyes follow the movement, and lead to a raised brow. “You’re married,” he blurts, suddenly.

It surprises her. She glances down at her hand, where the diamond ring glints back at her. “Oh. Yes, I am.” She smiles reflexively, then looks back up at Jesse. “A few years ago now.”

“Good for you, Vi,” he says, and it sounds hallow. “So you’re here for... the holidays, or something, then.”

It’s March, she wants to say, but she doesn’t. Instead, she purses her lips and shakes her head. “No, actually, Sam and I live here. He teaches at McKinley, and I have a studio in town.”

Jesse raises his eyebrows, then he snorts. “No way. Superstar Avery stuck around in a town like this - and married to Sam Evans?” He hurries to raise his hands defensively. “No offense, of course, I just... always thought you were on your way up and out. Never pictured you as a housewife for an... ex-stripper dropout.”

Vi thinks that she should be angry. Jesse has never liked Sam; he made that pretty clear last time they saw each other, and he’s clearly not pleased with him now. She should be infuriated, or at the very least offended, and some part of her is. But she’s had a very long time to be angry. She’s also had a very long time to be flattered by his backhanded compliments, and confused about how she was manipulated, and frustrated by her lost childhood. Now, though, she finds herself simply... unbothered. As if this isn’t worth her time. She had never formally considered herself as having gotten over Jesse St. James - he was her first love, her first everything. Now, though, she knows: she doesn’t feels a thing.

She simply smiles, reaching up and sliding her sunglasses down onto her nose. “Yes, well, we’re all full of surprises. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m already late for work.” With that, she turns on her heel and heads off to pay for her items. “Oh,” she calls over her shoulder, “be a doll and pick those up for me, would you? Bye bye, Jess.”

send me a word and a ship/oc

[sceptilemasterr]

Evan Plays THM: Chapter 9

How the heck is it Chapter 9 already??? Oh well, time to finally see Sonia! :D

Previous Liveblog: Link

Title In!

Fabien! You’ve been sorely missed!

Fabien: “I’ll never pass up a chance to look good.” wink wink

ERIS'S DRESS LOOKS INCREDIBLE!! 😍

“Damn... I’m speechless.”

Lmao Jones asking the real questions: “How are you gonna smuggle explosives under that dress?”

Rye’s looking super snazzy too! We’re the best looking crew in town, that’s for sure!

“Hell-o, Handsome.”

“Looking good!”

Miranda’s shiny gold mask is absolutely gorgeous. Love it!

Actually, I prefer the free option out of the two MC outfits; simple but great.

Mystery Man: Choose this look!

“The Hurt Train is pulling into the station!” Jones is awesome.

“All this security... should I be concerned?”

This doorman looks weirdly young by the way.

Hey, it’s the title theme!

Screw off, Carlisle.

You too, Ansel.

HANDS OFF SONIA, ASS-EL.

(I should... Move closer.)

Sounds like Sonia’s starting to realize what a creep Ansel is.

(I should... Move closer again.)

Yes, Sonia!! Give him a piece of your mind!

(And I’m happy to punch him if you want)

(I should... Keep moving closer.)

Oh. Crap. Derp.

Thanks, Miranda!

“Remind you? I only won by chance.”

Let’s try buttering him up.

Rye getting everyone to dance? Nice.

I’m feeling really bad for Sonia right now. She looks so sad :(

“Well, for a messy night, you clean up good.”

She really does look amazing!

Dance with Sonia? YES PLEASE!

Dance with Sonia? I’d love to.

Umm... because OF COURSE?

“I know a thing or two.”

Sonia, want me to punch Ansel? Because I’d be happy to punch Ansel.

“This person sounds unspeakably attractive.”

I see what she did there!

Aww, Sonia... I really love this “indirect flirting” thing going on. It’s cute.

“You deserve a kiss.”

WHAAAAAA?!?!?!?!?! YES! 😁😁😁

IT’S OFFICIAL! WE KISSED SONIA! *air horns*

Wait, what? Is this part of the plan?

Of course it was. Nice, Eris.

“I should stop him!”

Sybil, do your thing!

Boom! Nailed it!

Hahaha Samira is fantastic. All these characters are amazing actually, nice job to the writers!

Now I want to see a fic with Fabien working as a babysitter for Samira.

Well, if I can’t punch Ass-el, at least I can manipulate him?

“A drink, right now? Sounds like just what I need.”

Heist score, yes!

This doesn’t seem good...

Final Thoughts: Totally called the trap at the end. But more to the point, WE KISSED SONIA!!!! Celebrations all around! 😁🎉😁🎉😁

[nomadicdiva]

Love Island Opinions this week

Okay…this week was…so much fun to watch, let’s be real. This season has been okay but we watch Love Island for the mess and mess was delivered via the ladies. Onto my reads for this week, and some will definitely be unpopular opinion (I care not)

Laura vs Megan

It’s a draw for me. I agree with what Laura said in terms of Megan not handling the situation with Wes in the best fashion, but Laura knew better than to say that to Alex2. Laura has a quick temper and loose lips so she often gets herself into binds because of that. BUT she is also quick to apologize and own her behavior which I respect. She will need to figure out how to rein it in though or she’ll end up alienating most people in her life. Megan is still a person. You don’t have to like her decisions or agree with her morals, but she is still a human with actual feelings and has every right to feel upset or hurt like anyone else. This show is just a game but the people are real.

Laura vs Dani

This one’s short. Laura shouldn’t have called Dani a name, period. It was immature and uncalled for. But Dani didn’t have to pipe in on an issue that she wasn’t present for. Dani should have kept her opinions about not “ganging up” on Georgia and not even touched on the events of the date since she wasn’t there. I’m pretty sure this relationship is fractured now for no good reason

Ellie vs Georgia

Ellie had no business in that argument either and was in the wrong for using that word to describe Georgia. However, she spoke straight truth about Georgia’s hypocrisy and lying. I’m not gonna lie, I liked Ellie’s gangsta side and it was especially funny with her high-pitched voice.

Georgia vs New Jack

JACK WINS, 10000% unequivocally. Georgia is lying between her whitened teeth and she knows it, hence why she got so defensive when Laura asked her about the date. Jack handled himself so maturely and calmly in that situation and it’s driving Georgia mad that he not only doesn’t want her, but that he’s not falling for any of her bullshit. Georgia is a dangerous sort of girl; her manipulation and willingness to vilify an innocent man like that is TROUBLE men out there. Jack deserves a fine ting that will actually trust him & go to bat for him

That’s all I have to say about the fights…onto the relationships and people

Laura & New Jack

Whew, Laura, you fucked up girl. Plain and simple. Sorry. I feel for you girl; I get that you’re a insecure and a bit shaky right now, but you essentially dumped Jack for being honest with you after you barely gave him reason to believe you really liked him. And then you thought you’d just take it all back and smile and he’d come rushing back? Laura is too impulsive and hopefully she’ll learn to sit back and take a breath in the future before making snap decisions or calling people names. I don’t fault Jack for not going back; he’s put full effort in with Laura and was mugged off for it and he respects himself enough not to just go back out of convenience. Is it bad that I low-key kinda hope he likes Samira a bit?

Samira & Frankie

Thank GOD for the weekly hotlist otherwise most of us would never know how freaky Samira got with Frankie lol. Samira was always very stiff and awkward around Sam and it’s obvious now that it’s because she just wasn’t attracted to him sexually which is fine (and I don’t think Sam was feeling it either) It’s been night and day with her and Frankie and I wish we could see more of them together to gauge their relationship, or even hear how Frankie feels from his perspective. I really hope the show gives them some airtime this week. I think they’re cute and OMG my heart just ached when I heard her tell Frankie that she’d never had a dinner date before! It’s clear to me that Samira is a hard worker (getting onto the West End stage before 25 is no small feat) beautiful and charismatic but like all of us, she’s got her flaws/weaknesses and for her it’s in the romance department. It was really vulnerable for her to admit that she’s a novice at this to Frankie, and I really hope he’s sincere in his intentions with her, she really deserves it. Also, Frankie is clearly being influenced by hanging out with Josh, Wes & Jack. He’s getting more vocal by the day lol

Samira

All I gotta say is that I support my girl to the end of this mess. The unreasonable hate that this girl has gotten for LITERALLY nothing when there are girls in the house who’ve stolen other guys, flaunted new relationships in exes’ faces, lied about kisses/betraying someone and even taunted someone who was recently dumped is MADNESS! If you don’t like Samira because of her personality, fair enough, just be honest about it. But to judge her more harshly or all out hate her for minor things while excusing others for far worse is symptomatic of a deeper problem that us black folk know all about. She is an absolute gem and must be protected.

Georgia

I ain’t never trusted the heffa and I still don’t. Yeah, I said it. That girl is dangerous in the worst ways. But she makes for great TV.

Whew, that was a lot for this week. I’m hoping that they show the VAR clips of Kissgate to the villa this week just to continue the drama lol

[spinchip]

For the OC asks:

2 and 42 for Samsara,

8 and 38 for Dot

(Her name is Samira but im ngl Samsara goes hard as fuck)

2. How loosely or strictly do they use the word ‘friend’?

Oh, Samira is everyones friend. She'll call anyone friend... though usually its not said with good intentions. She likes to present herself as a friendly, personable leader in order to manipulate people. The only people she would legitimately call her friends are Ila and Birdy. Barath and Wox are close, but Barath doesn't actually care about samira and Wox would lead a coup if the chance ever arose.

42. If invited to a TED Talk, what topic would they present on? What would the title of their presentation be?

she would just complain for 20 minutes about how a predetermined destiny is bullshit and the title would be "Destiny is a bitch."

Dot my friend dottt

8. How loose is their use of the phrase ‘I love you’?

hmmm Dot is definitely someone who waits to say ILY until she really means it, but once she gets to that point she'll say it all the time. It's not strictly reserved for romantic partners either, she'll tell her friends she loves them too

38. What hobby are they good at in private, but bad at in front of others? Why?

oh this is a hard one. Math, maybe? She's pretty good at doing calculations in her head but when people are looking at her she gets nervous and makes mistakes lol

[spotlightsaga]

Kevin Cage of @spotlightsaga reviews... Orange is the New Black (S05E03) Pissters! Airdate: June 9, 2017 @oitnb Ratings: @netflix Streaming Only Score: 8.5/10 **********SPOILERS BELOW********** What's the worst thing YOU'VE ever done? Not an easy question... However, It's not really the answer that truly matters... It's how you feel about the answer, that's assuming the answer is even true. Because the ability to learn and grow and taking the chance to NOT be 'cruel to something helpless and weak' in the future is what really matters. It's a bit of human nature to block traumatic events out in some way or form, or just pretend they never happened, but there are many that fight that nature... Just like we fight our primal, animalistic urges and thoughts that randomly pop up in our heads on a daily basis, many many times! Believe it or not, there are many that even refuse to acknowledge that those urges or thoughts exist... But we are human, which means we are flawed... Animals pretending and doing the best they can to act in a civilized manner. What separates us from other animals, or even some people, is empathy. Empathy is powerful tool and it basically boils down to a trait that is truly learned. Some of us may be born with a massive empathetic radar, but it has to be honed, it has to be guided in the right direction from the time you are child, through your teens, to your 'oh, so fucking difficult' 20's (is anyone else who's survived their 20's with me on this one?)! Remorse and empathy go hand in hand... Cause, effect... And whether you truly are able to put your self in someone else's shoes and understand not only how they feel, but why they feel it, the weight of their emotional experiences... You can't just feel sorry for someone and their suffering (that's sympathy), you have to be able transcend, almost astral project from your body into another's and live in its space. That is empathy. After 4 entire seasons, and a few episodes into the 5th, there are many characters that we can easily identify as human beings who are truly remorseful for the things they've done and who is feeling sorry for themselves because they've gotten caught. This is what makes Linda Ferguson (Beth Dover) such a welcome and fascinating character to explore and watch adapt to her new environment. She's timid at first, but she's fitting in rather quickly... No one really seems to be questioning her, and the producers at Lucky 8 who create the AETV tv series '60 Days In' should really take notes 'cause THIS is a backstory... 'The Counterfeit Cunt of Connecticut!' The Connecticunt of Litchfield Prison! Looking over a lot of the 'per usual' ridiculous, uninspiring commenters who lack true perspective in psychology, sociology, or just real life street knowledge over at Internet Mags like 'AV Club'; lots of viewers had a problem with this Linda flashback. I loved it. Here is a woman, who has found herself in a fucked up predicament. She technically shouldn't be in Litchfield, let alone posing as inmate, but she's doing what she has to do to survive. Her backstory reveals that she really is the monster that we all thought her to be... The one who pulls out guns on concerned family members that have been locked away and forgotten in MAX, the one that was the epitome of a sorority stereotype, the one who is the direct result of the ALPHA of all ALPHAS, one that let a clearly overly intoxicated and alcohol poisoned 'sister' freeze out in the cold (as she furthered her social agenda)... TO DEATH. And did she show remorse, empathy, or even an ounce of sympathy? Oh no. Far from it, actually... She not only put on a show and manipulated an officer who should have been investigating a suspicious death, but she took the girls place as once again... The ALPHA of all ALPHAS! Linda might not be in Litchfield serving an actual sentence, but the 'worst thing she's ever done' is actually far worse than many of the stories of inmates we've seen that have come before, ones that are followed by conflicted feeling of guilt and real remorse. That's not something that lives inside Linda. That juxtaposition alone justifies the campy and familiar, almost 'Scream Queens' like way the her Sorority Flashback story was told. Rebecca Angelo & Lauren Schuker Blum meant what they wrote and Phil Abraham did an excellent job bringing their writing and Jenji Kohan's vision onto the screen for us in the directors chair. What's not to get? Sometimes the obvious route is the best route to take... Certainly still gets you where you need to go. Now, theres no denying there have been a fair share of liberties taken to move the core narrative along, but that's to be expected. Essentially OITNB5 is moving in real time, everything seems to be running in an almost 24-like style. This is a refreshing change for OITNB and ultimately opening up possibilities for a multitude of different styles of storytelling the likes the show has never seen before. There was a lot of talk about demands... And the women were able to work together to actually put a cohesive list of 'mostly' fair and sane demands up for the few outside to see... The most important being amnesty, although you can't trust anyone making promises to inmates to quell a literal prison takeover. Taystee (Danielle Brooks) has a particularly hard time with understanding her fellow inmates... She can't fathom why justice for Poussey (Samira Wiley) isn't at the top of the demands list, actually falling to Number 9, giving the show another way to explore human empathy and the lack thereof. Either way Red (Kate Mulgrew) and Blanca (Laura Gomez) are working hard to gain some sort of leverage over Piscatella (Brad William Henke). This will hopefully work out in the women's favor due to their hard work, frantically searching through file after file attempting to dig up dirt and connect a tattoo that Red noticed on Piscatella's wrist to his past. Did I mention there was speed involved? Ah yes, gotta have our humor mixed in with our heaviness in OITNB. We're still tumbling forward at the fastest pace we've ever seen OITNB charge ahead before. I'm like a kid in a candy store... The core narrative is already firmly established and subplots are literally peaking down on inmates from the ceiling like Coates (James McMenamin) watching Pensatucky (Taryn Manning) use a cellphone as a vibrator. Yeah, that's a lot to take in. If you thought Coates was creepy before, this is a whole new ballgame. Get it going, now... This is just episode 3 and we thankfully have 10 more glorious episodes that could literally take us anywhere, to go!

[tonsecure67-blog]

News from the I’m a Celebrity jungle: goodness thrives in strange places | Fiona Sturges

It is natural, in these testing times, that we should all seek moments of escape. Given the nonstop disaster movie that is the news, a bottle of wine and a bubble bath doesn’t cut it – and sometimes a full purging of the brain is in order. And so we turn to TV, specifically the wilfully shallow, disposable kind in which, say, celebrities are rolled in glitter and thrust on to a dancefloor in front of hatchet-faced judges; or catapulted to the Australian jungle to feast on meal worms; or in which unfeasibly beautiful people are required to lounge around in microscopic bikinis and engage in strange coupling rituals.

As coping mechanisms go, it is ridiculous – and ridiculously effective

As coping mechanisms go, it is ridiculous – and ridiculously effective. It’s also a format in which we get the opportunity to vote for people we admire and can perhaps even imagine having a pint with. Which, I think we can all agree, is something of a novelty.

Traditionally, reality TV is seen as the home of the terminally idiotic. It is, as the whingers have it, a debasing of the notion of entertainment, not to say the nation’s collective IQ. I am often one of these whingers, because part of my job requires me watch these shows (yes, I know: call that a job?) and I am frequently left slack-jawed by the shamelessness, the fatuousness, the sheer paucity of ideas on display. But it’s also true that a handful of these programmes shine a light on human behaviour and have something to tell us about the times we live in. They suggest that, as a species, we are perhaps not so awful after all.

This year’s I’m a Celebrity … was won by Harry Redknapp, a former football manager who distinguished himself by being endlessly kind to his fellow contestants and talking lovingly about his family. As lore would have it, reality TV is populated by the coldly ambitious and morally dubious, but Redknapp – who had never watched the show before appearing in it – is a far cry from the unscrupulous cads we have grown to expect. Indeed, the whole series, which has previously delighted in stirring up discord, was notable for the warmth, camaraderie, humility and humanity shown by its participants. Who, honestly, could have predicted the sheer soppy joy of watching Nick Knowles handing over his pillow for another contestant to sleep on, or of listening to Redknapp waxing lyrical about his wife Sandra’s jam roly-polys (not a euphemism)?

I’m a Celebrity … isn’t the only show to have brought out the best in people – or, in the public, a keen sense of fair play. Love Island, the sun-baked idyll allegedly populated by nincompoops and narcissists, not only yielded a heart-warming romance between winners Dani Dyer, big-hearted offspring of the actor-turned-Brexit analyst Danny, and Jack Fincham, an upstanding pen salesman from Kent; it also called out love rats, educated viewers on gaslighting and exposed racial prejudice – witness the fury at the repeated sidelining of one of the few black women, Samira Mighty, who eventually chose to leave the show.

Note also how the country heaved its bosom at the Strictly contestant Seann Walsh after he was filmed kissing his married dance partner, Katya Jones. Justice was served when the pair plummeted to the bottom of the leader board and were eventually voted off the show.

And of course we have Bake Off, a competition in which participants cheer each other on and in which this year’s winner, Rahul Mandal, was a shy research scientist who began baking to help him overcome loneliness. For all its brashness, reality TV can’t resist an underdog.

It’s significant too that this year brought the axing of Big Brother, a show that blazed a trail for the marquee reality shows of today and yet, over the years, has curdled into pantomime ghastliness. The X Factor’s dwindling ratings also suggest the public has little patience for shows characterised by ill-disguised manipulation and visibly bored judges.

It has long been acknowledged that reality TV has little in common with actual reality, moulded as it is by the interventions of producers, script editors and directors with an eye on the ratings. But no amount of meddling can anticipate how the public will react to individuals, or how they will choose to vote. This year’s crop of shows has revealed a warmth and wholesomeness among viewers, and the people they have chosen to champion.

It’s all rather heartening, and proof that goodness and decency can reside in the most unlikely cockroach-infested places. Reality TV is, ultimately, an alternative reality in which good deeds are rewarded and bad behaviour called out, all the while blotting out the white noise of everyday life. Despite the artifice, it is also, curiously, one of our more democratic institutions, one that is shaped and reshaped according to voter preferences. There must be a lesson in there somewhere, but I can’t imagine what it is.

• Fiona Sturges is a freelance arts writer

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/12/im-a-celebrity-jungle-love-island-strictly-bake-off

[le-amour-immortel]

LoveBug

It’s 3am and here i am on my tumblr writing about you. Why? Because this was the place where i once felt free and secured in to type my thoughts and feelings. Kind of like your arms, i once felt secured in them too. All i ever wanted was a proper goodbye. How can anyone go on life acting like 5 years was nothing? I no longer feel resentment towards you, i also don’t feel that hatred i built long ago to protect myself from feeling that ache in my heart. I want to say thank you for the moments that you gave me. Thank you for the laughs, the love, and the life you gave to me. When i moved to this town i became depressed and lonely. But then i met you and you made me feel alive, you brought a purpose to me and gave me something to look forward to. 5:30am alarm will go off shower would start and jams will come on. 6:15am a text will come “goodmorning, Peace pee’d in the hallway again my mom is pissed”. I’d respond with something along “shit i just woke up, i have to rush for the bus”. But I’ve actually been awake for a while now doing my hair and make up to try to impress you. Don’t worry i know you have a girlfriend, Danielle. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends right? Oh right Carina is in the picture again..wait a minute do i like carina’s Jordan’s? That’s definitely impossible i still love Anthony right? Or did your laughs, and sincerity make me forget about my own relationship? Fuck, I never loved Anthony and you..you made me realize that. Carina hates me because she thought i took you away from her, but i respected your problems and knew sooner or later the roller coaster for you two will start again. Fuck it’s August and you kissed me, and i let it happen. No big deal Carina wasn’t my friend either way and plus you made the move i happened to follow. September came and the giggles got louder our hangouts didn’t consist of just getting high and walking home alone. They now involve you walking me, involve your fingers wrapped around mine, your lips touching mine, my head on your chest, and my lips whispering “i think..no i know I’m in love with you.” November, it’s my best friends birthday party. We never talked about what we were? What the fuck are we? Definitely not friends with benefits because no one was getting any benefits other than sweet innocent kisses, oh god was that a benefit. “I love you, Cynthia.” November 16, 2013. I knew you were trouble i knew what i was getting into, i saw how dark you were yet you still had a light that drew me into you. Punch in the face that very next day, but the hit wasn’t hard enough to make me wake up from this fairytale of you and me that i was dreaming. I stayed, because you will always be worth it. March 3, 2014, i gave you a part of me that no other soul has ever had. God did it fucking hurt, but you loved it.. therefore i did too. Our bodies became one and i then felt complete too. First fight, walking home in the snow. Samira picks me up with her mom, what an awful fight over your headache. I should’ve had more patience but that punch did hurt. It’s okay Cyn, he just had a little headache. November 16,2014. Another punch. This one really hurt.. but it’s okay Cyn he had too much to drink. Who cares? I’m in a hotel In the middle of Times Square with the love of my life, i can’t believe my parents trust you enough to let me get away for a weekend with you. What a beautiful nightmare. Your eyes always wandered, flowers catch your attention quite often thank god i was able to stop you before you touched them. Why couldn’t i be your favorite flower at this point? I still felt this pull towards to you, and so i was convinced nothing in this world could ever make me want to leave you. What i did to you was quite awful too. I manipulated you into thinking i was strong enough to go through it all with you. I played games to get your attention, i played victim in scenarios to make you feel what you made me feel. I was never a victim and either were you. We both have been at fault one way or another. I left because Vegas was a repeat of the same look in your eyes you had the first time you laid your hands on me. No control, just blankness in your eyes. You’re a coward, just like your father. An alcoholic and an abuser. I’m coward too, just like my mother. An addict to fixing things and an abuser as well. The love we shared is a story that i would repeat over and over again. Would i walk away like i did? No. My biggest regret was not having enough courage to face you. I should’ve said what i felt i should’ve made you understand, but i failed. I love you to the moon and back, always will care for you and always will have you in my prayers/mind. I didn’t leave because i didn’t love you, i left because the toxicness had hurt us both in ways that weren’t fixable. I’m not in love with you anymore, i had an angel sent that has shown me so much light so much life so much pureness and so much love. He is my soulmate. But i would have never gotten to him if it weren’t for you Jordan. You taught me everything i know, you are my true best friend. I will always wish you for the best regardless of the terms we ended. I found my own peace from this, i hope you do too. I know you won’t ever see this but i hope deep in your heart you really know how much you meant to me. You may think i left you for someone else, but i left you to give us our chance of finding our soulmates. I didn’t lie to you, i never would. What hurts the most about our ending, is the hurt I’ve caused you. The insecurity and the thoughts you consumed thinking there was someone else all along... all along it was always you. I hoped that you would say the right thing before i moved on but you stayed quiet and I’m glad you did because i was able to fall in love. December 27,2018, i gave my heart to someone else. I am beyond happy building a life with him. I wish i could tell you all these things because i never imagined a life without my best friend but hey some day you’ll feel what I’m feeling and i hope you understand that letting go was for the best. We get to use our experiences as lessons; through everything we do there will always be a part of us. Memories i will forever cherish, lessons i will always be grateful to have learned through us. Goodbye, Love Bug.

[netunleashed-blog]

Love Island star Zara reveals Rosie's rant to Adam was SCRIPTED

http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=9553 Love Island star Zara reveals Rosie's rant to Adam was SCRIPTED - http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=9553 Adam Collard and Zara McDermott have explained the real reason Adam smirked during his row with Rosie Williams [OK! Magazine] Love Island's Adam Collard and Rosie Williams got the whole nation talking with their break-up chat earlier this season, with the viewing public slamming Adam for appearing to "smirk" during the conversation.  However, now Adam's new girlfriend Zara McDermott has exclusively revealed the real reason behind Adam's bemused expression, hinting the scenes weren't as real as they seemed. "What the viewers don't know is that Rosie had been planning that chat all day," Zara said.  Adam and Rosie's argument divided opinion [ITV2] "She'd written out the whole speech on her phone and had been rehearsing it.  "It wasn't a conversation, it was a speech and that's why Adam found it a bit funny".  Adam added: "Jack Fincham found her phone and showed me what she had written. It was more in depth than my A-level English exam!"  Samira Mighty and Frankie Foster are pictured outside the ITV studios  [Wenn ] Love Island after the villa: A look at what the islanders from the 2018 series of the ITV2 show are doing since leaving the Majorca villa Jack reportedly showed Adam the speech on Rosie's phone [ITV] Adam and Zara's claims come after the Geordie personal trainer was slammed for "gaslighting" – or manipulating – Rosie on the show.  Despite outrage from many Love Island fans, Rosie was quick to put an end to speculation, claiming that despite their differences, she never felt emotionally abused by him while on the show.  Speaking to OK! Online just hours after she exited the Love Island villa, Rosie explained: "I wouldn't label Adam emotionally abusive, Rosie denied Adam emotionally abused her [ITV] Adam said Zara made him a better person [ITV] "I mean we had an emotional rollercoaster together, yes, he handled the situation in the complete wrong way but I think people can forget he's 22 and he has a lot of growing up to do. "He hasn't had many serious relationships in his life and he just doesn't know how to deal." Addressing how he came off on the show, Adam added: "It's a shame. A lot of people saw a real change in me when I met Zara, she made me less selfish and brings out a better side of me."  window.fbAsyncInit = function () { FB.init({ appId: '543301995758445', xfbml: true, version: 'v2.8' }); }; (function (d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) { return; } js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "http://connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Source link