#aleister losing his mind again
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Guys I did some home improvement
#this is so bamcore#2000s#goth#heartagram#ville valo#him band#emo#gothic#bam margera#his infernal majesty#aleister losing his mind again#aleisters bs#home improvement#painting#furniture
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Dire Crowley and The Magician Tarot
🧎Someone connected the countdown art to the tarot cards, and I feel like this had to be purposeful because all the characters match up so well!!!! Please check out this awesome thread for the other characters BUT IM LOSING MY MIND WITH CROWLEY BEING THE MAGICIAN AHCCHHXDHHD YANAAAAAAA
Also if anyone is interested in me making this an series of analyzing the TWST characters with their hypothesized tarot card, let me know! \(//∇//)\
The Magician was first conceived as a swindler or a “sleight of hand” artist. He was all about stage magic and putting up performances and false appearances before becoming the Magician well known today. The Magician heavily represents the concepts of unlimited power and potential and the “unification of the physical and spiritual worlds.”
The Magician is a fascinating tarot card, particularly with its imagery in the Rider-Waite series. Tarot cards have been interpreted many ways throughout history- I’d like to point out that Aleister Crowley, who is believed to be the name inspiration behind Dire Crowley, made his own tarot deck: the “Thoth Tarot.” I’d like to analyze Aleister Crowley and his potential relation to Dire Crowley someday too. But Rider-Waite continues to be the most popular tarot deck in regards to its art. And I find the Magician’s imagery to be VERY foreboding if it really does match up to Crowley.
In the card, The Magician has a cup, a sword, a wand, and pentacle, representing all four suits of the Minor Arcana. In the French suit, these four suits are represented by the clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades. Interesting considering Heartslabyul exists…these four objects are also reprentative of fire, air, water, and earth. Essentially, the Magician having these four items is representative of his power and his ability to do anything. Again, the implications of the Magician “wielding” all the suits is fascinating for Crowley.
Yes, anything! This is further symbolized by the infinity sign over his head, as the Magician heavily relates to the idea of “eternity” and “infinite possibilities.” Whatever the Magician IMAGINES, it can become real. See how one hand points to the sky and the other points to the ground? It is believed to be a reference to the phrase of “as above, so below,” which is an entire rabbit hole in itself to explain haha. In the Magician card, his pointing essentially means HE is the connection between the Universe above and the earth below. He connects imagination with reality, essentially a conduit. Like the card says, he is capable of anything as long as he can imagine it. Considering how we have different realms in TWST, particularly with Mickey in the mirror and Malleus’ dream world, the Magician being a connector between two worlds is. Interesting 👀 I also think CROWLEY being the one in charge of the Gates/Coffins in the prologue is significant- he may have been the one to summon Yuu into this world. He even says himself that the gates are a representation of your “former” and “new” world.
The eternity symbolism increased with the “belt” around his waist that’s actually a snake eating its own tail. I’ve made an analysis post long ago about NRC’s logo and it’s relation to the ourobous and the caduceus…which Hermes seems to relate to Levan and Meleanor as well.
Speaking of Hermes, the Magician card is related to the planet Mercury, which is the Roman form of the Greek God Hermes. Mercury/Hermes is the god of thieves, travelers, and diplomats. His staff has become a popular iconography for the idea of “health.” And under Mercury, it’s star signs are Virgo and Gemini. If any “Crowley and Levan are twins” theorists out there, there you go with Gemini 🤪 The star signs seem to further reference to “as above, so below,” as Gemini is an air sign while Virgo is an earth sign.
The garden of roses and lily of the valleys around the Magician is believed to be a reference to the Song of Solomon, a biblical song related to lovers. But the garden itself represents how the Magician “cultivates” his power. The Anthology cover depicts roses and thorns around Crowley…hmm. I’d like to add that Crowley is very particular about the apple trees in NRCs courtyard- he takes great pride in them and they are in honor of the Fairest Queen.
Edit: I’d like to add he also refers to the students as “eggs” or “chicks,” and even says himself that he “raised” Malleus into the powerful mage he is today- LIKE HES LITERALLY CULTIVATING THEM. And if he’s behind the Overblots, he’s also cultivating the Overblot stones
The Magician’s white outfit is commonly believed to represent the Magician’s purity, while the red cape represents knowledge, egotism, and revenge- a mixture of the upright and reverse symbolism for the Magician.
And with a quick look at numerology, the number one has always been an iconic symbol for new beginnings. However, the Magician is also connected to the number eight, due to the infinity sign above his head. Again, this is a symbol of eternity- some religious scholars have connected the Magician to the Holy Spirit, which intrigued me because I’ve been on a quest to analyze TWSTs religious symbolism haha.
But I’m sure most of you are more interested in what the Magician actually MEANS in terms of divination, aka the Upright and Reversed meanings. After covering the imagery of this card, you can see how the meanings of this cards is heavily reflected in its art.
When the Magician is upright, it represents desire, willpower, manifestation, and resourcefulness. It is heavily connected with the Fool card (in TWST tarot, the Fool aka 0 would represent MC/Yuu) because while the Fool is a blank slate with potential, the Magician takes that potential and “manifests” it into reality. INTERESTING 👀
However, when reversed, the Magician represents manipulation, cunning, trickery, illusion, and deceptions. The Magician wields his unlimited power to become a trickster for his own selfish means, pretending to have your interests at heart. It feels like a bit of a callback to the Magician originated as the Swindler, who was all about false appearances to trick people. In case y’all haven’t noticed, that’s kinda Crowley’s entire shtick 🤪🤪 He (poorly) pretends to have Yuu’s interests in heart, especially about finding them a way home or getting them food or shelter.
Many diviners have interpreted this card as an obsession with power that will lead to your downfall.
What’s interesting about Crowley’s countdown art is that he’s the only character to be in black and white- everyone else has a pop of color. Additionally, he has a shining white background instead of a matte black. Is this meant to represent that this Crowley art represents him as Reversed? His color scheme and background is quite literally “reversed” from the other characters, so perhaps this countdown art is foreshadowing Crowley’s role in the main story.
The sheer amount of symbolism of power in both the card art and its Upright and Reversed meaning is interesting. Because right now in the main story, Crowley is in this weird position where he DOES have this “unlimited potential.” He can potentially be the most powerful villain Twisted Wonderland has ever seen- and even if he isn’t, the Magician overall has a lot of control and connection between “two worlds.”
Additionally, the emphasis on the Magician’s potential and imagination is really fascinating because CROWLEY himself is the one who speaks about imagination being the source of magic. And if this is something he can apply himself, he would quite literally be like the Magician who can manifest things into reality.
The other TWST boys connect a lot more directly with their tarot card number, but Crowley’s feels like speculation at best. However, as a Crowley theorist, I genuinely feel like this is purposeful foreshadowing, especially considering how Crowley’s art differs from everybody else….
#‘interesting’ was basically my favorite word for this post LMAOO#twisted wonderland#twst#twst theory#twst dire Crowley#twst Crowley#dire Crowley#twst analysis#kallistopost
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A one-sided awkward moment 🤣🐺
Aleister (papa Gaunt) and Rowan.
Rowan: *wanders out of Ominis's room, naked, covering his junk with his hand, as he strolls down the hallway in The Manor on his way to the main bathroom to shower*
Aleister: *wanders out of his own room, seeing Rowan. His eyes widen as he looks confused and horrified*
Rowan: *nods casually and smiles at him* Mornin' *enters the bathroom*
Aleister: *storms down the hall to Ominis's room and bursts through the door* Ominis! *frowns*
Ominis: (?!) Goodness me, Father?! *frowns* Knock much?
Aleister: If I have to see your boyfriend wandering these halls naked, ONE more time, I swear on our ancestors, I. Will. Lose. my. Fucking mind...
Ominis: *sigh* Was he not wearing clothes again? ...Apologies..I'll have a word.
Aleister: GOOD! *leaves and slams the door*
~
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thinking about my mage insert again tbh. Some thoughts about seth and his tragic canon-bending widderslainte backstory
he’s got DID as ive mentioned before and i have no real desire to go into specifics about any of the childhood abuse aspect (like as in i havent come up with it and don’t super plan to) beyond that it was bad, he had some sort of near-death experience that served as an Awakening (mage term) as a teenager, like 18-19 maybe, and that after that he was taken in by his Mysterious Euthanatos Mage Mentor (actually a relative). seth has amnesia about big portions of this and does not really question it bc, yknow, DID.
when his mentor finds out he’s got an inverted avatar he very nearly kills him, but seth manages to convince him that maybe he was reincarnated for a purpose, like to redeem himself. normally his mentor would call BS on a widderslainte saying this but admittedly seth is a little pitiable, and also there’s the added context of them being family and seth’s whole abuse backstory. so he lets him go, and justifies this to whatever other mages are involved with him (unclear) that seth will lead them RIGHT TO the nephandi actually and it’s a GENIUS PLOY and he’s TOTALLY not just being soft (lie)
seth immediately goes to join a group of hollow ones in LA bc i like setting everything in LA bc im crazy and also it’s where my groups vtm RP is so im attached emotionally. anyway the hollow ones he hangs out with are all painfully stupid and sort of theatrically edgy bc i think that’s the funniest outcome here. not necessarily POSERS but like, kind of the way jhonen vasquez satirizes 90s goths. he doesn’t really do magic actively bc he’s concerned about the whole “everything i touch is subject to my disgusting vibes” aspect of magic with an inverted avatar so he mostly does a lot of research and tome sourcing for these guys, except he’s much better educated, and kind of losing his mind bc they keep asking him for stupid shit like books by aleister crowley. sort of the vibe of like a theoretical physicist attending an event where everyone present has sourced their understanding of alternate universes as a concept from comics or marvel films. it’s sort of unbearable.
aidoneus ropes him in by being Not Stupid. they genuinely get along as colleagues and despite aidoneus’ sort of romantic involvement with Seth 1: Victorian Dandy Serial Killer, the whole thing they have going is more friendly in nature. when aidoneus finally reveals he’s a vampire and wants to embrace seth, Seth is like WHAT ABOUT MY MAGE APOTHEOSIS AND SPIRITUAL JOURNEY AND UNFUCKENING OF MY SOUL 🥺, and aidoneus is like “that’s impossible, but fine, i’ll give you a hand with it and if in a couple years we hit a dead end im making you a tremere whether you like it or not, mister.”
as for the whole Victorian serial killer thing...his past life was not a nice guy once he went nephandus LOL. i still am thinking about who he was and what precisely pushed him over the edge but after that he did do a whole lot of serial killing. and he WAS a dandy and he WAS very twinkish. also super blond. his name was edwin.
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I have an English Essay to write, but I don't wanna, so I am going to try and match the word limit by talking about wrestling.
Last year all my English work was based on tragedy so that shall be the theme for this whole post and when I think 'tragedy' and 'wrestling', "This is my moment."
The feud between Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano exhibits tragedy in many ways (not just thinking about both men's main roster runs), lots of stories in wrestling can be seen as 'tragic' MJF/Punk, Raven/Dreamer, The Tribal Chief but it is this story that I believe exhibits tragedy the most. This is due to a wealth of tragic moments and aspects that I aim to outline in this essay.
One way in which The Ciampa/Gargano feud exhibits tragedy is in the moment pictured. The plot twist of Ciampa's heel turn. This moment is built off of misdirection and executed perfected. Ciampa had teased turning heel during the cruiserweight classic but their friendship carried them forward and had an incredible tag run before falling upon a string of losses ending in their Takeover: Chicago ladder match loss to the Authors of Pain in a ladder match. Even here they work well as a team despite Ciampa picking up an injury and Gargano even takes a ladder shot to the face for Ciampa because of how strong their bond is. Then after they lose they walk up the ramp holding each other up, getting a standing ovation from the crowd with pained emotional looks on their faces. The WWE/NXT copyright logo pops onto the screen which usually only happens a few seconds before they go off the air. And then Ciampa whispers "This is my moment" his face hardening into a scowl and he unleashes a brutal attack on his tag team partner. There is something I find tragic about suspecting the break up, then being convinced it won't happen and then it catching you completely off guard.
I believe that there are also some very tragic moments in their first match after Ciampa's turn as well. Chief among them is the echo of the AOP ladder match where Ciampa stands before Johnny holding a crutch that he has repeatedly used as a weapon, Johnny on his kneed like he was in the AOP match when saved Ciampa by taking the hit for him and Ciampa sees this and falters for a bit. The audience thinking their may be a chance he has a heart but then he hits Gargano and we see how far gone Tommaso Ciampa truly is.
And there is also Tragedy in the finish to this match (which I personally believe to be the single best finish to a professional wrestling match) and you might expect me to cite the moment where Johnny can't bring himself to hit Ciampa with the knee brace, sitting next to him echoing the cruiserweight classic before the ever dastardly Ciampa tries to get an unexpected attack on Johnny who dodges and submits Ciampa with the knee brace. And I will, of course in tragedy in Gargano giving Ciampa another chance and Ciampa using it to try and hurt him but what really gets me is that Johnny knew it wouldn't work that's why he's able to dodge the attack because he saw it coming he knew Ciampa would betray him again but wanted to give give his friend one last chance.
Their third match, a Last Man Standing, match is similarly tragic because of the arc Johnny goes on leading up to it. Many heroes in tragic literature are corrupted by outside influence starting their tales noble and ending them changed. This precisely happens to Gargano. Their second match took place because Johnny, despite holding a win over Ciampa, became obsessed with fighting him. That match ended with Ciampa winning because Johnny went to far and was more focused on inflicting pain than winning. Then Ciampa uses the momentum from that win to secure a match against Aleister Black for the NXT Championship, and in Johnny Gargano's mind it is his sole duty to ensure that Tommaso Ciampa doesn't become champion. However in trying to do this he accidently costs Aleister the match, coming to the terrifying realisation that Tommaso Ciampa is champion because of him.
Because of this Johnny continues his decent into madness attacking Aleister Black in a parking lot to take him out of a proposed Black/Gargano/Ciampa Triple Threat match. He believes that he has to take Aleister out of the match because it was his mistake that led to Ciampa being champion in the first. Over the next few months Johnny becomes more and more of a villain including a short reunion of their team 'DIY' that ends with Johnny giving Ciampa a cathartic beatdown.
The place where I believe the tragedy truly sets in however is in the stories conclusion in their final encounter, Johnny Gargano Vs Tommaso Ciampa 'One Final Beat'. This match's finish is genuinely Shakespearian both in the fact that it contains similarities to the playwrights works and that, much like the endings of Shakespeare's' plays, I didn't like it. But I can't say that it doesn't enhance the tragedy the major characters all ending this story worse off is a devastating way to end it. Most tragic of all NXT's 'Heart and Soul' corrupted and hurt till he became the biggest villain in NXT.
In conclusion, I didn't match the word count. but this was fun genuinely if you take the story to end at Johnny winning the title at Takeover: New York it's my favourite story in wrestling. But I'm not the biggest fan of the stuff that happens after. I hope you enjoyed my procrastination.
This has been Undisputed Queer-a.
Slay The System, certainly Shock The Cis-tem, sorry I'm a day late, I will see you next Monday (probably, hopefully, should be)
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Chapter 39
Chapter 39
David, Rufus, Karen, Jack, Corey, Lazarus, Jonah, Nook, Emma and Ariadne sat cross-legged in a circle; in a circular room. Nook's eyes were intently closed. An atmosphere of tension permeated the room. A pair of large black dogs circled the room aimlessly. Rufus huffed.
"The house has been destroyed. They took out an entire city block just to get it. I don't know what else to look for," Nook told the others. Her body convulsed for a brief moment, and then her eyes opened. "I'm sorry."
Tears welled in Karen's eyes. Rufus put his hand over hers on the floor. "We don't know what happened," he told her. "Maybe some of them got out alive." Jack snarled.
"Damn it! We should've taken them with us. By Hel, that's it. The Fort was hit by a wedding crasher."
Lazarus' low voice rose. "Ain't no way they missed."
Emma said, "Rufus is right, we can't be sure what happened. We were too late to find out. Your friends could still be alive, but the use of a wedding crasher raises a question. Has the Court given up on order?" Corey watched closely as Emma spoke.
Karen buried her face in her hands. She cried. "I knew this was going to happen. I knew I was supposed to – "
"Hey," Rufus cut in, "We don't know what happened. Maybe they bombed the place because, because they knew that someone was escaping. Maybe . . . "
"Sorry, Rufus," said Jack. "It seems likely that they got everyone just now. Aleister, Gwyneth, Xander, everyone."
Rufus' pointed eyebrow spiked up. "Dude, that's not helping. Let me put it to you this way, why don't we keep my little sister, who has telekinesis, as calm as possible?"
"What do you mean?," snapped Karen. "Are you saying I'm dangerous?"
Rufus held up his hands in a calming gesture, trying to diffuse the tension. "Hey, Karen, that's not what I meant. You know I trust you. But with everything that's going on, it's natural for emotions to run high. We need to stick together, right? I'm really fucking sorry."
Karen wiped her tears, trying to regain her composure. "You're right. I'm sorry too. It's just so hard to accept that they might be gone."
Corey spoke up. "We can't lose hope just yet. We need to find out what happened for sure. Nook, is there any way you can use your powers to gather more information?"
Nook nodded, her face a mix of determination and exhaustion. "I'll try my best. It takes a lot out of me, but I'll do whatever I can."
Emma chimed in, her verve evident in her voice. "And while Nook does that, the rest of us can start gathering whatever resources we have left. We can't let the Court destroy us like this. We need to fight back."
Ariadne, always ready for a challenge, grinned. "Hel yeah, let's show 'em we're not pushovers."
Lazarus spoke up in his signature slang, "I got your back, fam. We gon' take 'em down one way or another."
Jack cracked his knuckles, a determined glint in his eye. "Count me in too. I've had enough of their games."
David nodded with a serious expression. "Alright, then it's settled. We stick together, we gather our strength, and we hit back harder. But first, Nook, do your thing."
Nook closed her eyes once again, focusing her energy. Her body trembled slightly as she reached out with her mind, trying to connect to a source of information. Slowly, images and snippets of conversations began to flood her mind. She saw an SCET Bunker model, black paint, driving down the highway. Inside were five people.
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Orpheus | Alphard | Act 3 No. 4 | bong.png
Alphard feels like he got hit by a truck with reveal after reveal. Something is off about "Tala's" confession. And Ghostheart's grilling of them made too much sense. They were going to speak up when...
That happened.
A few things run through Alphard's mind. First, the elation mixed with a pain in their chest when he realizes Fantasia is alive. Then an immediate plummeting dread, when they realize the full implications of the fact Fantasia is alive. With all odds, Alphard would have just gotten Fantasia back, only to be about to lose him again. Well, as much as he could lose someone in a place like this. Aleister wasn't completely wrong about that. Just an asshole.
But then, as tears well up behind his mask, hidden to all, Alphard has a growing dread as he realizes one more thing. His loss of composure at seeing "Fantasia's" body. Holding their cold dead hand. Mourning them. That hand he swore he could recognize anywhere. He clearly couldn't, because that was Tala. And they were alive.
Looking towards Sade Salazar, then down at their own hand, then back at Sade, their jaw drops and Alphard is at a complete loss for words.
"You... I..."
He fidgets and fixes his tie, and closes his mouth. He takes a deep breath, and tries to make the burning agony in his heart silence for just long enough. He was a professional, and as he said before, Fantasia deserved nothing less than his best. He looks back at "Tala".
"We should... start from the top then. Both of you. Tell us what happened. This... has been harrowing."
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🩸finished van helsing’s route!
thoughts under the cut bc it became a bit long than i thought it would be
one thing id like to say first is that wow! playing through the routes is going much quicker ever since ive finished the common route lmao felt like i was playing it for a week, while each route is taking me a day or two (thanks to binge playing now). didnt mind though tbh, i loved the common route. this game has become one where i can smile stupidly at my screen while looking at my fav 2d characters <3
so onto my thoughts about van helsing’s route, yay! i loved the angst and the drama that was going on in it. it was great (and extremely heavy and dark) to hear about van’s past AND LITERALLY how aleister was just. controlling him. i had my suspicious of him after seeing some of the bad endings, and how cardia or someone else would be like, “why are you doing this/why are you here…?” etc. but never expected him to be conditioning van wtf. also was interesting to see more abt finis, im wondering more on what his secret really is!
a little note: ive always been a fan of the more “colder” charas in otome games. cue my username, though now that im thinking abt it, my favs arent always like that lmao. okay ignore this ramble
but that aside, wow. the romance had me mad. not that pressed lmao but there are times where i wanted to shake my screen and yell at van for always pushing away cardia and being so mean TT i think i get it tho, man is completely afraid of losing another person he cares about. trauma! so i was finally so happy when he was like, okay fine i do love you cardia. but then he knocked her out oml. so glad that cardia came in and honestly i want to date cardia i have a fat crush on her. she cared so much about van and was willing to sacrifice herself (which is kinda a reoccurring thing, i noticed. makes me kinda sad bc i want her to value herself more too <3 which makes me happy when she says she and her LI will survive together no matter what. cardia is a fighter and she wont go down!!! love to see how she realizes that she’s capable of love, and that she isnt a monster <3 getting validated by others and starting to realize her emotions!) okay let me shut up now before i write a whole essay about cardia bc this is a van post ???
what was i talking abt again. oh right, anyways! stop it game the amount of angst in this route… im in pain. so i was happy when these two got their happy ending. it actually feels kinda weird now to see van kinda being in love now lmao bc he’s always been so cold and hid his emotions. we get blushing sprite of him and him being more romantic and flirting with cardia and im like. whoa who is this guy HAHA but im not complaining. his extra was great too, cardia was so cute and i felt embarrassed for her as well lol.
and i think that is pretty much what i have to say about this route! played the last couple chaps when i first woke up and am writing this immediately after i finished them so yeah! and one last note… i cannot believe they were robbed of a kiss LIKE ???? pls dont tell me everyone else is missing a kiss too 😭😭 im sad. i want them to hold hands and kiss too okay. that is all!
small update: omg i forgot to mention delly 😭 im so glad that van helsing’s route talked more about delly, his feelings, and how much he’s really been suffering :(((
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Grace and Country 2/5
Rating: M
Pairing: 'Hangman' Adam Page/F!OC, One-Sided Kenny Omega/F!OC
Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence, Harrassment.
Co-Written with @lilmissriottbliss
Taglist - @moxleyunstable, @axelwolf8109
Summary: Ava and Adam go on that date, it goes about you'd expect with the Dark Order involved, Things with Kenny come to a head.
"Violet!"
"Ava? Mon Cher Smackdown is about to start why are you screaming?"
Violet gave Finn a look before putting her friend on speaker "Mon Roi is here too, what has you so excited?"
"ADAM ASKED ME OUT ON A DATE!" The younger woman yelled
Ava could hear Violet cursing in French from a small distance. “Really? That’s amazing! Give me details now!”
“I lost my phone and he found it near your adopted brother and then Kenny was annoying me again so he covered for me by saying we were going on a date so we’re actually going on one!”
“I’m so happy for you!”
“Could you do me a solid?” Ava asked
Of course darling," Violet agreed
"Could you guys not tell the big boss?" Ava begged "You know I love Seth to death, he's my dad shaped person but he wasn't happy about this whole AEW deal and he'll be even less happy to know I'm going out with one of their biggest stars"
Violet and Finn silently looked at each other before agreeing to the younger woman's request
"We have you covered darlin" Finn said
"What are you going to do about Omega?I'm starting to worry. He's really not taking no for an answer"
“I honestly don’t know” Violet handed Finn her phone, taking out the one meant to contact family. “I think she’s going to threaten Malachi into watching over you” Finn laughed.
Ava sighed in relief. While Malachi Black, formerly Aleister to Violet, was dark and broody, he did scare Kenny with a simple stare.
“So how’s Mox doing?” Violet asked
"Good, he got Omega off my back last night at Dynamite, threatened him with Ruby." Ava said "He said something about promising Seth to look out for me?"
"Seth called him and Miro when you decided to go to AEW." Finn explained
"Called in a couple of favors. You are the baby."
Ava rolled her eyes even though the couple couldn't see her "You've got to be kidding. I can take care of myself"
“We know you can take care of yourself, Seth has a overprotective complex”
Ava sighed but didn’t disagree. “We got to go now, see you tomorrow!” Violet hung up.
Ava turned off her phone, seeing a text from Kenny. Rolling her eyes she deleted it. “Is he ever gonna get the point?” she asked herself before flopping on her hotel bed with a sigh. He thoughts turning to the next day and the date she'd been dreaming of for years.
-Next Day-
She met Adam outside a café, the cowboy looking handsome in normal street clothes and without a certain purple and black group shadowing him.
“Wow, you look great” He said. As she grinned and twirled once, showing off the chic black suit she'd chosen for their date.
“Hope you don’t mind but I invited Violet and Finn just in case your friends crash this”
Adam laughed. “They probably will ”
Inside the cafe, Finn and Violet were waiting at a four person table, surprisingly without their daughter in tow.
"Where's my honey bunches?" Ava said with a pout, that Adam found adorable
"Becky and Seth have her" Finn explained "Shes having a playdate"
“Next time you bring her” Ava pointed. Finn raised his hands and laughed. Violet slid over a black coffee to Adam.
He accepted it with a smile. “So you’re both going after the top titles in Smackdown” he grinned.
“Yup!” Finn grinned. “It was fun in NXT but I wasn’t spending another week without my husband there” Ava sighed.
“It’s harder to get a title shot in AEW, I have no idea how to get to Britt”
“I lost the chance to be the inaugural champ because someone thought an ass deserved it” Adam muttered.
“Adam I think your shadows are here” Violet pointed to a booth in the corner
Sure enough, the purple and black clad Dark Order filled 2 corner booths, trying and failing to be inconspicuous.
"Oh god" Adam murmured "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have told them where we were going"
"They really care about you" Ava smiled at Adam causing that feeling to flutter in his chest again.
"You may not, have been the first AEW champion but you've got a shot at Kenny at All Out" Finn says
"Sure do" Adam says "I can't wait, I've owed Kenny an ass whipping for a while now"
“Fucking creep” Ava rolled her eyes. “How’s Paige?”
“You don’t know that from Mox?” Violet raised an eyebrow. Ava shook her head
“She’s ok, doing wonders with her makeup. Her and Sonya are planning a wedding”
Ava nodded. “Sorry about the Kingdom disbanding”
Finn rolled his eyes. “Of course Vince brings up Shotzi and us but doesn’t want Kyle, Millie, Priscilla or Jordan”
Adam and Ava share a smile knowing while AEW wasn't a paradise by any means…it wasn't run by Vince.
A loud bang sounded from the back of the restaurant and every turned to see one of the corner tables flipped on its side as John Silver looked around sheepishly.
Adam dropped his head in his hands as Ava giggled "I'm sorry, I'm gonna go uh…handle this" he said rising from his seat and heading toward the back.
"They are quite the band of misfits aren't they?" Violet said as she tried not to laugh as they watched Adam easily lift the table back in place and start seemingly scolding them for crashing their double date.
"They love him, and with the entire….mess with the Elite…their very overprotective." Ava explained
“Reminds me of Seth” Violet said. Ava’s eyes widened.
“It totally is!” Finn laughed as Adam came back and sat down.
“They swear it’s just a coincidence they all wanted to come here on the same day and time as my date”
Violet flipped her hair and put on her flirty voice. “So this a date?
Adam blushed hard. “Um…well, it’s definitely not a…friend thing…we’re not friends. I mean we are friends!, but I want to be more then friends!"
Ava blushed as she watched Adam flounder under Violet's question
"Leave him alone, mo chroi" Finn finally rescued the younger man from his wife.
“I was just being a good friend” Violet smirked.
Adam took a breath. “I don’t know why but I have a thing for goth people”
Ava looked at Violet.
“Really? Is that why you went to the Dark Order?”
“Honestly? Kenny ruined tag teams for me. The Bullet Club went to shit after you were kicked out”
Finn’s eye twitched, remembering how the Young Bucks fucked him over.
“The Bullet Club is nothing to me now. They ruined it!”
“The Elite’s worse, nothing but kissing Kenny’s ass, apparently he was looking to go to Impact and take their top title”
“Thank god the old man bought them, Impact might have been the worse part of my career but AEW would have ruined them” Violet sipped her ice coffee.
Adam sighed.
“I don’t know what happened. One minute he was my brother, now he’s a stranger” Adam said quietly as Ava rubbed his back
"Its okay, your going to take the AEW title from him at All Out." Ava consoled him.
The 2 couples finished their meal and left the restuarant, Finn and Violet heading to the arena to get ready for Smackdown, and Ava and Adam walking though the city streets enjoying each other's company.
"This has been great" Ava says as they finally end up back at the hotel
"We'll have to do it again sometime" Adam replied causing Ava to blush again.
"Maybe next time….just the two of us?" He asked softly
“No demon and vampires. No Dark Order” Ava agreed. Adam hugged her.
“Adam!” Evil Uno yelled. The pair looked at the stable. Anna walked over. “Well, the date was a success so Alex made you this” She handed a black jacket to Ava. It had a purple rose stitched in the back.
“Wow, Alex’s a suckup” Adam joked. “I’m totally wearing this next week” Anna smiled.
“C’mon Adam, before the idiots start screaming”
He rolled his eyes but hugged Ava goodbye, kissing her hair before walking away.
The Next Week
After spending the weekend and into the next week bouncing between elation over her successful date with Adam (including spending a hefty amount of time texting back and forth with the cowboy) and annoyance that Kenny just would not stop texting and calling, it was finally Wednesday and time for that weeks episode of Dynamite, at which Ava had a match against Nyla Rose.
Over the past few days she had gone hunting for more appropriate gear to compliment her new jacket and was now wearing black leather shorts with purple accents and a purple and black corset top.
"Don't you look like a full fledged member of the misfit society, I really thought you'd have better taste Sweetheart" Kenny said walking up to her, the Young Bucks flanking him
“I’ve liked purple and black before the Dark Order existed” Ava snapped.
Kenny grabbed her arm. “Let go!”
“I just want what’s best for you” Kenny said fiercely
“HEY!” Darby Allin hit Kenny with a skateboard.
“She’s said no to you for weeks now, get lost!” He roared, Ava seeing why Mox had pretty much adopted him.
Kenny looked panicked and all but ran. The Bucks, glaring at her as the followed
“Thanks” Ava said to Darby. “I hate that fucker”
"Join the club" Darby replied
Later that night after beating Nyla Rose, Ava was celebrating in the ring when Kenny's music hit and The Elite surrounded the ring.
"I really tried to do this in private Ava, baby but you just won't listen to me, you'd rather hang out with those losers instead of being part of The Elite"
“I. Am. Not. Your. Baby!” Ava screamed,.
Kenny stepped in, smirking. “Just accept the date”
The crowd began chanting variations of yes and no.
Then the music of the Dark Order hit, Adam leading the stable to a beat down. Colt tackled Kenny, Adam waving sarcastically at him before going over to Ava, "You okay Darlin?"
"Yeah, fucking asshole. Why won't he leave me alone"
"Ava, Ava!" Kenny panted, "I have a deal for you, since you and the drunk, seem so close lately, Next week….you and Adam against me and Britt Baker. You win, you get a title shot at All Out. You two lose, Cowboy loses his shot, and you go out with me"
Ava looked at Adam, who was clenching his jaw. Anna and Evil Uno nodded their heads.
Ava grabbed a mic. “We accept! And let’s raise the stakes!!! If we win and move on to kick you asses at All Out, you leave me the fuck alone!”
Kenny gulped "Done!"
“I’ll add to that!” Adam yelled. “When I kick your ass, you don’t get to have a rematch as long as I’m champion. Let someone else get an opportunity”
"Deal!" Kenny said cockily "It doesn't matter anyway "You two are gonna lose and when you do...not only will Adam never get a shot at the AEW Championship, Ava...baby...your all mine"
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[TRR x ES] Viewing Party
Book: The Royal Romance & Endless Summer
Pairings: Liam x MC (Katrina Bailey), Drake x OC (Alyssa Devereaux), Jake x MC (Laurel)
Rating/Warnings: G; mild innuendo
Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * Katrina Bailey & Laurel are the MCs I use when writing fanfic for TRR and ES, respectively; Alyssa Devereaux belongs to birthday girl @burnsoslow * This is my submission for @wackydrabbles Prompt 80: Stop looking at me like that. *
Author’s Note 2: * This is a birthday gift for my cheesy, potato loving homegirl Burnsie, who requested her very first Endless Summer/Jake fic, despite having never read any ES fic until now 🙈 for the sole reason being that she and Jake McKenzie are almost birthday twins, and my favorite pilot turns 30 this year. If you’re unfamiliar with canon ES trivia, Jake can hold his breath for 9 minutes, and Estela can hold her breath for an astonishing 14. This isn’t entirely what I had in mind when I set out to write an ES/Jake birthday fic, but I wasn’t about to miss your day because I’ve hit a whole ass writer’s wall, Burnsie! I hope you have an AMAZING day and I’m sending you so many hugs! You’re one of the sweetest ladies here, and I am so very thankful that I can call you a friend 🥰 also my real, real gift to you is coming at a later date, as I still have to work on it 😬 * and yes, that’s DDT in the moodboard - just for Burnsie, again - since I use Barnes as Drake’s FC in my TRR fics, lol *
Word Count: 2000 on the dot!
It was nearly 10:00 PM on Friday evening, when Burns arranged things around the comfiest chair in her living room. The rest of her family already retired for the evening, after a small but wonderful birthday celebration in her honor at home. Within easy reach, she’d arranged drinks and snacks next to her laptop - a glass of water, a hot mug of tea, a slice of homemade birthday cake to take care of any sugar cravings, and a small platter of cheese and crackers for something more savory. She grinned softly at the newest addition to her mug collection, watching the steam rise from the contents within.
The lavender mug arrived in the mail earlier that day from one of her friends, emblazoned with a quote from David Rose. Burns took a sip of the warm beverage before setting it down on the small side table and situated herself in the chair. She flipped open the laptop and pulled up a browser window, smiling at a gift from another friend - there was a sticker next to the trackpad with a drawing of a wedge of Swiss, quoting another memorable line from Schitt’s Creek, reminding her to “fold in the cheese.” Burns glanced to the time on the screen and logged in to her Netflix account, clicking until she arrived at the viewing party, and began typing to join the group chat.
She was greeted with jubilant messages from Donna, Ella, Brandy, Anitah, and half a dozen other friends, wishing her a happy birthday before the show started. They’d formed an ever-growing viewing party for a new series titled Stranded in the Orchard, which was an odd amalgamation of Survivor and Gilligan’s Island. Taking a cue from reality tv competitions, there were hidden cameras all over the island to monitor everyone and reduce production crew intervention, and in a nod to Hunger Games, there was an omnipresent host that would drop messages to signal when challenges were about to take place. After four episodes, the ladies in the watching party started picking their favorites from the two teams.
Team Ruby consisted of a group that appeared to have been shipwrecked onto the island. Leo was dubbed The Rogue; his brother Liam was The CEO; Katrina was The Attorney; Alyssa was The Teacher; Drake was The Cowboy; Olivia was The Weapons Expert; Bertrand was The Grump; Madeleine was The Whiner; Maxwell was Bertrand’s brother and The Jester; Hana was The Jill of All Trades. Bertrand and Madeleine had already been voted off when Ruby lost two events.
Team Catalyst consisted of a group of mostly college students. Jake was The Pilot; Laurel was The Mystery Girl; Sean was The Coach; Michelle was The Doctor, even though she was only pre-med; Craig was The Muscle; Zahra was The Engineer; Aleister was The Slick One; Grace was The Brain; Diego was The Entertainer; Estela was The Huntress. Catalyst lost the last two events, which sent Aleister and Grace packing.
Everyone settled in to watch the opening credits as they recapped last week’s episode, where Ruby won the immunity challenge and fishing gear by building a makeshift stretcher to rescue and carry Katrina from a jungle crash site to a first aid station on the beach; Catalyst voted Grace out. Burns popped a cheese cube into her mouth as she and her friends watched the two groups deal with day-to-day chores in their respective camps on Day 14 of the show. They chatted about the team members and how much Burns wanted to see Drake take off his shirt to go in the water, despite the knowledge that there were clips of him cuddling with Alyssa; Donna, Ella, and Anitah would keysmash in the group chat any time Liam appeared on the screen, even though he and Katrina were clearly sweet on each other, while Brandy and Alyssa Lauren would ask what was happening or who someone was from the Catalyst team.
—
“Pillows and blankets are nice, but what we could really use is food,” Maxwell said, drawing an octopus in the sand with a piece of driftwood. “I don’t know how much longer I can last on coconuts and rice.”
“Liam and Drake took the raft out this morning to try fishing with the gear, maybe they’ll get lucky,” Katrina suggested, stirring the pot of rice in the fire. She set the lid on top and stood up from her kimchi squat position, dusting some errant sand off her leg. They both looked out towards the water, as dawn stretched out across the ocean, making out shadowy forms of their friends as they bobbed in the water, just before one of them went under the surface. Behind them, the rest of their friends began to stir awake from the scent of rice cooking.
Back at the Catalyst camp, Jake sat by the campfire with Estela; they were working on making their own fishing gear from bamboo and camp supplies after losing the previous challenge. Jake fed a length of twine through a handmade fishing pole while Estela sharpened tips on one end of a pile of branches she’d gathered. “Whatcha whittlin’, Katniss?”
Estela glanced at Jake sideways. “Stakes. Hand over some of that twine, I need it to bind these to make spears.” With a begrudging huff, Jake unfurled the twine and ran it against the edge of the makeshift bench he was sitting on to cut it, before tossing the rest at Estela.
“How fast can you tie those off? We’re losin’ daylight for a morning catch, if you wanna ride on the raft with me.”
“Five minutes,” she answered, already working nimbly around a branch to secure the whittled spikes.
The screen cut back to Ruby’s camp, where Liam and Drake stepped ashore, smiles brighter than the sunrise as Drake held up a fish trap with small rays flapping against one another.
—
“kjsdhfksjhfksjhfks,” Burns smashed into her keyboard. “Look at my man! With the sea bounty!”
“mevmnbvmnxb,” Ella smashed back.
“How do you know Drake did all the work? Liam’s just as wet, hahaha,” Donna chortled in response.
—
After killing their catch as humanely as possible - with Alyssa turning her face to Drake’s chest to avoid witnessing it - Leo and Olivia gutted and cleaned the rays before setting them on top of their makeshift grill to cook. Liam and Drake regaled the group with their morning under the water, as they took turns fishing.
While Team Ruby enjoyed some protein with their rice that morning, members of the Catalyst team glumly spooned rice into their mouths as they sat around the campfire while Jake and Estela dried off; their morning fishing trip had been unsuccessful.
Later that day, both teams received messages from the host to gather for a reward challenge. Each team made their way to a small lagoon, where they saw a structure floating in the water. A booming voice overhead instructed them to swim out to the structure and await further instructions. Once everyone from both teams had done so, a blue holographic image of the host appeared in the center to explain the rules. “The challenge is simple,” she narrated. “We want to see who can hold their breath the longest. There’s a bar you can use to keep yourself from floating up if you need it. Last one standing earns the prize for the whole team — an overnight trip at the Celestial Hotel, where our rotating film crew goes to rest. You’ll be treated to clean sheets and towels, hot showers, along with a decadent dinner and breakfast menu the next morning, before having to return to your camp.”
Everyone’s eyes lit up at the incentive of a night away from sleeping on the beach, away from mosquitos, rodents, and the threat of being waterlogged by passing storms. Stomachs gurgled at the thought of hot meals that didn’t consist of rice, and the possibility of cocktails or wine. “Oh, we got this,” Jake murmured quietly to Laurel. “Bet I can hold my breath longer’n any of those Ruby kids.”
“Is that so?” Leo taunted, overhearing Jake’s comment.
“Just call me Poseidon,” Jake smirked.
“We’ll see about that,” Leo replied. “You know most of us are from an island, right? We’re basically merpeople.”
—
“Bets! Bets on who wins this!” Brandy typed into the chat window.
“Sticking with Drake,” Burns typed. “Maybe Hana. She could have another random talent up her sleeve.”
“My money’s on Liam. Look how broad his chest is,” Anya replied. “He’s got to have massive lungs to match.”
“That makes no sense,” Ella typed, adding a laughing emoji. “But I’m Team Liam anyway.”
“Don’t hate me,” Donna began. “Something tells me Jake isn’t boasting right now.”
From her screen at home, Alyssa Lauren used Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe to choose Zahra. The rest of the group picked their favorites as the castaways donned goggles and got into the water.
—
“Ready? Set! Go!”
Sixteen heads dipped under the water’s surface, with contestants pinching their noses and puffing out their cheeks as an underwater camera filmed them. A handful of them - Olivia, Alyssa, Maxwell, Diego, and Michelle - tapped out under a minute. As the sand settled, thirty seconds passed before Katrina, Laurel, Sean, and Drake headed to the surface. Just after the two minute mark, Hana, Craig, and Zahra gave up, leaving Jake, Liam, Estela, and Leo under the water.
Jake looked positively peaceful, sandy brown hair swaying with ease in the water. Estela tapped her fingers lightly across the bamboo rod, counting each second as it passed. Liam glanced over to his brother, who’d begun to turn pink. Half a minute later, Leo popped up to the surface, muttering to himself out of frustration.
Three minutes in, Liam surfaced, gasping for air, leaving Jake and Estela to battle it out between themselves. Even though the hologram host blasted a horn to signal the end of the challenge, neither Catalyst member surfaced. Liam ducked down to check on them, and Jake and Estela both signaled that they were fine. Everyone continued to wait as the pair spent minute after minute under the water.
—
“Seriously? They’re on the same team!” Anitah typed. “They won already!”
“They’ve been underwater for a scary length of time,” Brandy added. “What are they, Navy SEALs or something?”
“I think Jake mentioned he was actually in the Navy before,” Alyssa Lauren replied.
—
A digital clock appeared in the corner of the screen as the two Catalyst members continued to hold their breath underwater. With each passing minute, members from both groups began to worry. After eight minutes passed, the host’s voice rang out, advising them to pull Jake and Estela up from the water to end the challenge. Laurel and Craig ducked down, eventually pulling their teammates up. “Congratulations to The Catalysts!” the host exclaimed. “A boat will be waiting at your camp to take you to the hotel.”
Laurel swatted Jake’s arm as they made their way to the shore. “What’s wrong with you!? You were underwater for nearly ten minutes! Who does that!?”
Jake looked over his shoulder to her with a grin, mischievous sparkle in his bright blue eyes. “Ten would be a new record, my best is nine.” He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Imagine nine uninterrupted minutes of me holding my breath, Princess. My birthday is tomorrow, and I know exactly how I wanna celebrate,” he winked.
Laurel’s cheeks flushed at the suggestion. “Stop looking at me like that, Top Gun.”
—
That evening at the hotel, after a sumptuous feast of lobster, crab, and an endless supply of beer and wine, the Catalyst members eventually went to bed. Much later into the night, Jake was seen sneaking into Laurel’s room.
—
“I KNEW IT!” Burns typed. She laughed as her friends typed in responses full of lemon, fire, pepper, and eggplant emojis. She popped another cheese cube into her mouth and smiled, watching the rest of the episode play out.
#the royal romance fanfic#endless summer fanfic#choices the royal romance#choices endless summer#liam x mc#liam x trina#drake x alyssa#jake x mc#choices crossover fanfic#wacky drabbles#survivor au#happy birthday Burnsie#birthday fanfic#zaffrenotes writes#there was an attempt#this is not what I planned#lol but I am out of time and don't have it in me to scrap what I've written#🙈 I watched an entire season of Survivor for like...3 scenes to add to the fic
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Happier Times
During my Christmas break, I binge read Endless Summer. Just as I expected, I fell in love with my two favorite characters all over again. And since I probably had too many marshmallows last night (hey, it’s been 2020, we all deserve a treat, right?), I came up with this fic idea. It’s sickly sweet and fluffy and cheesy and everything in between. Also, probability? Never heard of her.
Be warned and enjoy :-)
Here’s to happier times: stay healthy and safe! May 2021 be everything 2020 wasn’t.
Book: Endless Summer
Pairing: Jake x MC
Warnings: none, just sweetness and fluff (get some toothpaste ready)
Word count: ~2600 (10 minutes reading time)
The house was haunted.
Well, it was either that, or Taylor was losing her mind.
Between the two, she would rather have a ghost.
It all started innocently, with a missing laundry basket. At first, Taylor thought she left it in the garden, but it wasn’t there. She searched the house from top to bottom, but it wasn’t there either. “It couldn’t just get up and walk away! Have you taken it?” She asked her husband, but Jake shrugged and turned away, murmuring something she’d rather not hear.
It was a long shot, anyway. Jake never did laundry, not unless he really had to. He’d rather scrub the floors or wash windows. If she had to guess, it was because you didn’t have to do it as often, but she chose not to complain. She wasn’t a big fan of the household chores, either.
Next was her favorite coffee cup.
Taylor bought a set of six identical cups when they moved in, but this one was special. A little chipped and faded from years of washing, and still her favorite. Every afternoon, she would sit in her spot by the window and have a coffee in it. It was her “me time,” as sacred as it was short.
Gritting her teeth, she opened the fridge to grab a snack, but to her surprise, the food was also gone. Well, most of it. It was easier to explain——she didn’t know what it was with men and food, but she already got used to the sight of empty shelves. She only hoped he had the decency to restock it.
“Do you need anything? I’m going to the store.” Jake peeked through the door as if reading her mind, and she gestured hopelessly at the fridge. “Yeah, sorry about that.” He shot her a dazzling smile and left before she had a chance to say anything.
“Wait! Have you seen...” She uttered finally, but the loud click of the front door told her it was too late. With a sigh, she plopped in her chair. Coffeeless. It certainly didn’t help brighten her mood.
“At least the weather is great,” she whispered to herself. That much was true. The rains finally stopped, leaving fresh, crisp air behind. The sun was already hanging low, but she could still see stray rays fighting their way through lush greenery, and the blue sky matched the color of her husband’s eyes.
She smiled at her thoughts. So many things have changed throughout the years, but the way Jake looked at her didn’t. The warmth she felt inside when she thought of him didn’t, either.
And if she had a say in the matter, it wasn’t going anywhere. Ever.
Speaking of going anywhere, though—they could take a break and go to the beach. Sand would probably be still damp, and ocean waters cold, but it wouldn’t matter. They had a soft spot for the beaches from the very beginning. It was time to add another happy memory to their collection. Tomorrow, she decided, checking the weather forecast.
When she climbed to the top shelf, she wasn’t even surprised her bag and blanket were no longer among the other beach items. It was just her luck today. Cursing under her breath, she slammed the door a little too hard, summoning a cloud of ancient dust sleeping on the wardrobe.
This day just kept getting better and better.
Huffing and sneezing, Taylor reached the bathroom and stared in disbelief. The laundry basket she looked for the entire morning was back where it’s always been. Adding insult to injury, it looked like it was laughing at her anguish, mocking her with hundreds of its tiny eye-shaped holes. She ignored the insolent box and turned on her heel, trying to ignore the trembling hands.
“It’s fine,” she whispered. “Nothing’s happening. I’m just tired. I need to go to bed earlier. Or maybe have a drink. Yes, that’s a good start.” Mumbling under her breath, she went back to the kitchen and opened the cabinet. Then closed it and opened it again. And again. And again.
The more she looked inside, the more the wine bottle wasn’t there.
It was the last straw.
A sudden cry startled Jake. What on Earth happened? It didn’t sound entirely human. Without hesitation, he ran to the kitchen only to see his wife, as human as she ever was, waving an angry (and a little... dusty?) fist at the furniture. He tried to retreat silently, but she turned and pointed an accusing finger at him.
“You! Do you think I’m crazy?”
“Huh?” He looked her up and down. “You mean, more than usual?” He tried to joke, but under her death glare, the words got stuck in his throat.
“I keep losing things,” Taylor sniffled. “First the laundry basket, then my favorite cup—”
He wrapped his hands around her and whispered so low she couldn’t hear him, “Good riddance.”
“—and now even the wine is gone!”
“I’m sure we’ll find it,” he tried to cheer her up. “Just maybe not right now?”
“Why not?”
“You deserve a break.” He stroked her back. “And, uh, a shower. What were you doing, anyway?”
“Don’t ask. I think the universe hates me. At least today.”
“Well, I know exactly how to cheer you up.” Jake beamed. “I’m taking you on a date. I already asked our neighbors, they don’t mind having more kids tonight, so we’re free. You know, just you and me, like in ancient times?”
“Come on, we’re definitely not ancient!” She laughed in protest. “But you’re right, it’s been a while. Give me five minutes. Where are we going?”
“A gentleman never tells.”
***
Thirty minutes later, Taylor felt the car coming to a stop. She still had no idea where they were going—just before they left, Jake asked her to close her eyes and stop peeking, and to her own surprise, she obliged. Now that he held her hand and helped her out, she didn’t even need to open them to know. There was only one place with that smell and salty breeze.
“Just in time to watch the sunset, eh?” She turned to Jake with a smile that quickly turned into a scowl when she noticed the bag he was holding. And all the missing items sticking out of it, her favorite mug and wine bottle included. “Don’t tell me it was you.”
“I’m sorry. Please, don’t be mad.”
She shook her head. “You could have told me.”
“That would spoil the surprise,” he murmured apologetically.
“But why my mug?”
“It was on the front. My bad.”
“And the laundry basket?”
“I forgot where you put this thing,” he swung the bag.
Taylor looked at her husband, trying to keep her dignity, but the laugh she kept inside finally broke free. It started small, with shaking shoulders, but before she knew it, she lost control entirely and doubled over, grabbing on to Jake for support.
“That was... something else,” she wheezed, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Sorry. Thank you. It definitely was a surprise.”
“Mm-hmm.” He grinned and nodded at the blazing sky. “What do you think?”
“Ten out of ten. Just look at the colors,” Taylor sighed in admiration, draping the blanket over their shoulders and snuggling to his side. “Also, great company. And food” —she curiously eyed a flattened sandwich before taking a small bite— “probably not poisonous. Overall, would recommend.”
Jake looked at her with his signature half-smile, and she felt the familiar warmth spreading throughout her body. She raised her hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind his ear, then pulled him in for a kiss and nestled her head on his shoulder with a happy little sigh.
Just as she was drifting off into sleep, she heard his low voice.
“I got a letter today.”
“Oh?”
“From the court.”
“Oh.” She gasped, any remnants of drowsiness gone in an instant. A while ago—a really, really, really long while ago—they decided to try and free Jake from his charges. Their friends helped—actually, they did most of the work, from Aleister hiring lawyers to Zahra unearthing real evidence—but they never got any response.
Not until now.
“What does it say?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t bring myself to read it.” Jake admitted, smiling bleakly at the thick letter he fished out of his pocket. “I’m feeling like the Schrödinger’s cat right now. Both guilty and innocent until we open it. It’s funny how I couldn’t wait for it, and now I’m not even sure if I want to know.”
“Are-are you—” She stuttered, trailing a finger over the envelope. “Are you afraid you won’t be able to come home?”
“No,” he sighed. “It’s not that. The truth is, it’s not my home. Not anymore. My home is here. With you. No matter what they say, I am home.”
“Oh, Jake,” She wrapped her hands around his waist. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Princess.” He ran his fingers along her cheek and tipped her chin up for a kiss.
Taylor hesitantly pulled out of the embrace. “Well then, if you don’t read it, I will. Worst case scenario, everything stays as it is, right?”
She tore the envelope and unfolded the letter. Despite her apparent bravado, Jake could see her hands were trembling. She turned page after page, and when she finally raised her head, he couldn’t read her face. It was completely blank. Nothing, nil, nada.
“Well?” He blurted out. Deep inside, he felt his heart drop. It wasn’t right. His wife wasn’t good at hiding her emotions. She would smile, her starry eyes would twinkle with joy, she would never stare at him like that if the letter brought good news. His shoulders slumped, and he stared into the distance, blinking away tears. He could feel Taylor’s arms wrapped around him, her shaking shoulders and hot tears soaking through his shirt, but he dared not look.
It wasn’t that he didn’t know it was a possibility. Only now, when his luck took a turn for the better, he wasn’t seriously considering it.
He would get over it. He had mastered “getting over it.”
Just not now.
“Jake? Do you hear me?”
He looked at his wife, dumbfounded. Her whole face lit up. It didn’t make any sense, but she was beaming.
“You’re free,” she whispered. “You’re free.”
“What?!” He grabbed the papers from her hand and scanned line after line, not understanding half of the jargon. Still, the crucial sentence, written in bold, was not open to interpretations. All charges were dropped.
He was no longer a wanted man.
He wanted to shout, sing, dance, everything at once—but all he could do was stare at the letter.
“I can’t believe it,” he whispered. “I thought—You looked so—”
“I was shocked,” Taylor smiled apologetically. “I couldn’t believe it either. I shouldn’t be surprised, I knew you didn’t do anything, but—oh, you have no idea how happy for you I am right now!”
She jumped into Jake’s arms, throwing him off balance, and they both tumbled into the sand, giggling like a pair of teenagers.
“I just... can’t... believe... it,” he muttered, stopping to place a kiss on her lips after each word. “I was sure we lost.”
“But we won.”
“Yeah.” He helper her rise to her feet. “We should head back home, then. Pack our bags. I’ll get the plane ready, so we can start tomorrow morning.”
“So much for ‘my home is wherever you are,’” she let out an exaggerated sigh followed by a giggle.
“I mean, I don’t want to go back there forever. For a few days, a week.”
“For as long as you need.”
They stared into each others’ eyes for what felt like an eternity, even if only a few seconds passed.
“Can you pack my suit?” Jake finally broke the silence. “And a nice dress, and... you know, fancy things?” He waved his hand hopelessly, and Taylor only raised her brows in response. He whispered something into her ear, and her eyes grew wide.
“Of course! I wouldn’t miss it for the world. But I swear, Jacob Lucas McKenzie, if you keep anything, and I mean literally anything, from me ever again...!”
***
Jake fixed his tie for the millionth time. There was no point in denying it—he was nervous. And it wasn’t even his wedding.
It’s just been too long, and—
“Ah, to hell with it,” he muttered and raised his hand to knock, only the door swung open before he had a chance to do it.
“There you are!” A tall brunette in a frilly bridesmaid gown pulled him inside, clearly relieved. “You’re late.”
“Sorry,” he muttered under his breath, stealing a look at the bride, who unsuccessfully tried to tame a stray lock.
She’s all grown up now, he realized with surprise. He half-expected to see a scrawny redheaded teenager, always at odds with the world. That’s how he still remembered and imagined her—except it was well over a decade ago. The young woman he saw right now looked happy and self-assured, and, well, beautiful. He couldn’t not admit otherwise without taking a dig at his own looks, and he was rather proud of it.
“What took you so long?” The bride finally gave up on her hair and extended her arm without as much as looking at him.
“Er, it’s a long story. I don’t think we have time for that.”
Rebecca turned with a gasp of surprise. She expected her cousin, and not her prodigal older brother. Nobody expected him to show up at her wedding, not after he disappeared without a word all those years ago. To be honest, most people probably even forgot she had a brother, the black sheep of the family.
She didn't.
Jake could see all the conflicting emotions on her face. He was glad when she finally settled on a smile and flung her hands around his neck, hugging him really tight like she tried to make up for the lost years.
“This was for everything,” she said with a smile, pulling back. “And this” —Jake staggered back when she slapped him across the face—“is for everything else.”
“I guess I deserved it,” he agreed, massaging his jaw. “Don’t worry, that’s how we show love in our family. You may go!” He shooed away the flock of bridesmaids.
“It’s been a while, Becks.” He smiled softly at his sister, and she snorted in return.
“You tell me!”
“I’m sorry. Really sorry.” He squeezed her hand and stared into her face, not unlike his own. “I never meant for any of this to happen. But it did, and I’m sorry. Will you ever forgive me?”
“I already did. But tell me one thing. Is it safe for you to come here?” Rebecca beamed at his nod and looped her arm through his. “We have to talk. But please, not now. I don’t want them to think I changed my mind.”
“If you want to run, just give me a word. I have some experience, you know.”
“God, no.” She laughed. “No running today, I promise.”
As they walked down the aisle, he kept glancing at his sister and ignoring the guests’ gasps and murmurs. Her gaze was fixed on her fiancee, who in turn was grinning sheepishly at the altar. Funny, how he never took her for the marrying kind. But then nobody took him, either, and there he was.
Maybe you just needed the right person. At the right time.
Because he was sure you didn’t need the gossiping aunts, no matter what customs said.
“Thank you,” she said when they stopped. “I’m happy you’re back.”
Jake smiled at his sister and her fiancee.
“So am I. Good luck, you two.”
He resisted the urge to wave to the crowd and instead darted to where he noticed his own right person. And as he held her warm hand, for the first time ever, he finally felt all the puzzle pieces were in place.
He was, after all, a lucky man.
***
@choicesficwriterscreations :)
#endless summer#choices endless summer#jake x mc#jake x f!mc#Jake McKenzie#fanfiction#choices fanfiction#choices es#long post#fluff#choices fic writers creations#fics of the week
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The one time
The one fucking time the record store has ministry stuff in
Someone else gets it before me.
I am going to commit a robbery.
#angry#i need that fucking vinyl#they had the mind is a terrible thing to taste on vinyl#and someone got it before me#im going to stab a bitch#this is the dumbest thing to get angry over but i do not care#i love that album so much#i would sell my kidney for it#THE GUY WHO GOT IT FOLLOWED ME ON INATAGRAM#LIKE BRUH#I NEED TO FIND THIS MF AND ASK IF HES WILLING TO TRADE FOR IT I WILL TRADE MY SOUL FOR THAT GODDAMN THING#aleister losing his mind again
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Home Front, Mission 30: Daddy Lessons
Necromancy
~
SAM YAO: Okay Five, you're outside Thurman's bunker. There's a... there's a lovely occult sigil of uh... a bleeding eye on the door. And we don't know what's inside, so warm up just in case. Stretch, jog on the spot, whatever you need. I want you ready for anything. [sighs] I wish I could say I'm not scared, but I know we're both scared. It doesn't feel like three days since you got out of the underground village, does it? It-it sort of like feels like-like a couple of hours and also about two years.
Okay, briefing Janine-style always seems to help me focus. I have carefully checked every single camera in Spectrum Mall, but there's been no sign of Thurman since he left you in the dumbwaiter. Zombies don't notice him, so maybe he went out into the horde? The point is this might be our only chance to find out more about him. Specifically, how he can be in two places at once. Oh, and oh yeah, the bunker's locked with a code. The tape you took from the longevity research lab says where it is. Give it another play.
DR. MCBRIDE: April 9th, 1991. Dr. McBride. I've heard keeping a diary can help one make sense of things, and I refuse to lose my mind. Seven months ago, Artemus Thurman fired me for excessive altruism. Weeks later, I watched on my sofa as he attempted the highest ski jump ever built. I was willing him to fail, but only so he'd embarrass himself. I still see his neck snap when I close my eyes. I saw his funeral on the BBC News. It felt like I’d killed him, somehow.
Except two weeks ago, Thurman turned up at my door in the middle of the night and forced me at gunpoint to come with him back to my old lab. It's deserted. He won't explain how he survived, only says, “Prepare the bunker for my son. He'll be here once the dust's cleared, and there are things inside that explain everything.” The gossip pages say his son hates him. He wasn't at the funeral. Maybe he knew it was fake, but I can't say that to Thurman. If I disagree with him on anything, it's like he doesn't even hear me. I'm too afraid to argue.
He's different now to how he was before, some sort of monomania, and he keeps talking about the occult, secret knowledge that will help the chosen to survive. He asked me more than once if I would participate in the ritual with him, and I'm too afraid to answer. There's something else I'm afraid of. Thurman left tins of food, but they're running low. If he doesn't bring some more soon, I'm opening the bunker myself. He told me often enough the code for the bunker is engraved on the frame of Brandon's portrait in the Thurmanville labs.
SAM YAO: Stop the tape, Five. It gets a bit grim once McBride realizes Thurman's locked her in the lab and all he's sending her is plastic fruit. Okay, I'm looking for a portrait. Mmm... Ah! Yeah, I can see it. Boy in a suit, but uh, the actual face has been cut out. That's creepy. Still, I've got the bunker code on cams. It's um, 1875. Oh, that didn't work. I'm missing something. Keep warming up, and I'll figure out how to get you in.
~
SAM YAO: Okay Five, I've worked it out. The bunker lock’s electronic and the power's down, but the door's hooked up to the generator, so you just need to crank it up with some bicep curls. So press your elbows into your sides, forearms down, palms facing forwards. Grab the bar with both hands. Now it looks heavy, about the weight of a couple of tin cans? Now bend your elbows to lift the crank to your shoulders, then lower it back down. Careful, don't hurt yourself. It should take a minute.
Janine's been looking into some occult stuff since McBride mentioned it. She says Thurman was probably using fear of the supernatural as a way to control and manipulate his employees. She also says 1875 is the year that occultist Aleister Crowley was born. The occult sigil on the door, I wonder if it was from one of Crowley's books. Apparently, Crowley wrote about being in two places at once via astral travel, but the occult isn't real. Janine says, "There will be a rational explanation, Mr. Yao," and she's right, obviously. But there's something seriously weird going on.
Okay, you've got the generator working, Five. Try the code again. 1875. Yes, the bunker's open, but you might want to crank the generator a little longer. Don't want the power going out while you're inside.
~
SAM YAO: All right, Five, time to enter Thurman's bunker.
ARTEMUS THURMAN: Brandon! Here at last.
SAM YAO: That's a recording, Five. Brandon was Thurman's son. He obviously thought only Brandon would make it in here.
ARTEMUS THURMAN: I trust your journey to post-apocalyptic England wasn't too arduous. I'm serious. If it's still a nuclear wasteland, go to the decontamination suite for three weeks and reread my autobiography. You've got a lot to live up to. You can't just rely on your Thurman genes. They're diluted by your mother’s. Penelope raised you to be a sissy, mommy's boy.
You were almost six when I last saw you, and you didn't even know how to box. I hope that black eye taught you a lesson, and the wasteland has hardened you. Regardless, I've prepared tests so you can prove you're worthy of meeting me. If you fail, you'll die, and good riddance. I'd rather have a dead son than a weak one.
SAM YAO: Five, a dart just flew past your face! Another by your knees! Uh, quick, do some jumping jacks to avoid them. Uh, feet together, arms by your sides. Now jump, spreading your arms and legs in the air so you land in a star shape. That dart almost clipped your ear! Jump back to the starting position. Keep doing those and the darts will miss you.
ARTEMUS THURMAN: Still alive, Brandon? These darts are tipped with poison, you know. Ever see The Running Man? Contestants fighting to the death on television, a marvelous idea! The weak are punished and their deaths set an example. Televised combat is just what this country needs. Gladiatorial battles for children, now that's an idea! Get rid of the weak early and stop them growing into giant wastes of resources.
SAM YAO: [sighs] It's over. What was wrong with Thurman? He's treating this like some kind of joke! I mean, it's one thing to prepare for the future, but this... ! [sighs] I hope wherever he is, Brandon never gives his dad a moment's thought. Head to the next chamber, Five. If any more darts fly at you, just keep jumping.
~
SAM YAO: There's an arcade cabinet in this chamber. Must be another test from Thurman for his son.
ARTEMUS THURMAN: With discipline, strength of mind, and secret knowledge, one can live forever. If you prove worthy, Brandon, I'll tell you about it.
SAM YAO: Oh, I hate to send you further into that... that bastard's lair, but we have to know what he knows, Five. He's too dangerous, and he's fixated on you. We've got to find out how to stop him.
ARTEMUS THURMAN: Ever heard of The Grimoire of the Empyrean Oracle, Crowley's lost manuscript? Explains how to harness occult forces to make reality bend to your will. I bought it for millions, memorized it, then burned it. Couldn't have anyone else reading it. Sharing is for commies. Besides, they say the book is cursed. Everyone who owned it before me died horribly. Starving, thirsty, trapped and alone. You know why? Because they were unworthy!
You must prove you have the right values. Approach the arcade cabinets. Behold, a computer rendering of Karl Marx. Before you are two buttons, Hero and Parasite. Press the one you think describes Marx. Get it wrong, and the room fills with poison gas.
SAM YAO: [laughs] I'm pretty sure Thurman thinks Marx is a parasite, Five, but the buttons have corroded. The levers on the floor are all that's left. You can't stop looking at the screen, I need your head cam, so um... Okay, yep. Lunge and hit the lever with your knee instead. Stand with your feet together. Now step forward with your right leg and lower your back knee so that it almost touches the ground. And raise back up.
ARTEMUS THURMAN: That's right, Marx was a parasite, and you've exterminated him! Here's Ayn Rand.
SAM YAO: Ugh! Um, yeah, I think Rand wrote a book called The Virtue of Selfishness. Hit the hero button. Lunge with your left foot this time.
ARTEMUS THURMAN Keep going, Brandon! Here's Robin Hood.
SAM YAO: Looks like Thurman's alternating heroes and parasites, so keep lunging with alternate feet. Go!
ARTEMUS THURMAN: Ah, Henry Ford. Tore down 5,000 square miles of rainforest to build a private rubber production colony. Excellent man. Yes, Brandon, exterminate those parasites! Halfway there. Oh, Dickens. Reagan. If you become half the man he is, you'll almost be worth the time I've spent on you. You've done it, Brandon! If you'd made a single mistake, I'd have gassed you like a rodent.
SAM YAO: A door just opened, Five! If anyone else pops up on that screen, keep lunging. Otherwise, press on.
~
SAM YAO: Oh, there's an altar in this chamber, Five. I wonder what that's for.
ARTEMUS THURMAN: The Grimoire of the Empyrean Oracle explains how to harness animal spirits through ritual sacrifice.
SAM YAO: Of course. Yeah.
ARTEMUS THURMAN: Your mother disapproved, Brandon. Called it torture. Well, now's your chance to prove you don't hold with the stupid ideas about animal rights. Release the hounds!
SAM YAO: Oh, well surely there aren’t live dogs here. Oh crap, Five, robotic dog heading right for you, glowing red eyes and razor blade teeth! Quick, punch it! Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, left foot back, fists up. Now punch with your right fist. Nice shot, Five! Keep hitting it with your right fist.
ARTEMUS THURMAN: "Save the whales!" Penelope used to say. Hogwash. What have the whales ever done for us? Ever wondered what happened to your gerbil? Rat poison. Taught you a lesson about wasting resources on useless creatures.
SAM YAO: You've taken down that robo-dog, Five, but there's another one! Right, switch stance so your right leg is behind and punch with your left fist. Go!
ARTEMUS THURMAN: Prove you have the stomach to continue Crowley's work. Show no mercy, Brandon!
SAM YAO: Five, I hope your knuckles are okay after that. Keep going, we've got to know what this grimoire actually did. And if you see any more robo-dogs, you know what to do.
~
SAM YAO: Right, I just searched for Brandon Thurman on ROFFLEnet, but nothing came up, not even gossip like McBride mentioned. It's like he never existed. Everything about this family is so... just twisted and wrong.
ARTEMUS THURMAN: Getting my hands on that grimoire was no picnic, Brandon. Had to hold my nose and venture east of the Iron Curtain, spend a week in a basement in Bucharest getting a man who refused to eat or drink to tell me what he knew. There wasn't much I could threaten him with, but I found his weak spot in the end. [laughs] After he told me what he knew, I followed Crowley's trail to India. There are carvings under a temple in Hyderabad, tied all my research together.
Immortality is there for the taking, Brandon, you just have to work for it. You can exist in two places at once. Think about it, working twice as hard, making twice the money! I bulldozed the temple, of course. Full of stupid warnings. The grimoire states that to conquer death, you must overcome an attempt on your life, value strength over weakness, and sacrifice those less valuable than yourself. And at last, you have to be willing to kill.
You're nearly there, Brandon. I'm almost proud of you. I've been testing you all your life. Never sent your mother a penny. Wanted to see if you'd grow up self-reliant. And when I saw that article about you in the FT, “Teenager establishes paper route pyramid scheme,” I knew I'd been successful. There's only one thing left, Brandon.
The staircase ahead bears blood sigils. It is a shrine to the god Moloch. He demands the sacrifice of love, so as you ascend, you must renounce all that you love, as I have renounced you. Only then will you be granted power over death. Speak the words carved on the stairs as you ascend.
SAM YAO: “I vow to sacrifice to Moloch that which I love. To starve, kill and...” What the...? Don't say any of that stuff, Five. Don't even look at it. Just climb the stairs.
~
SAM YAO: Okay, you're outside the last chamber, Five. Almost there. And yeah, your way back is clear. You can get away if anything's... bad. There's a glass coffin inside.
ARTEMUS THURMAN: Well, Brandon, you've found me. I'll be taken here after my death. Of course, since I followed the grimoire's instructions, I won't really be dead, just sleeping.
SAM YAO: The coffin’s bristling with tubes leading to the machines beside it. Dr. McBride worked in longevity research. Maybe this equipment has been keeping Thurman alive all this time. Yeah, maybe he's um... uh, you know, zombie immune because he died, or-or something. Take a closer look.
There's a desiccated body in the coffin. It's uh... Yeah, I'm not imagining it, am I, Five? It's Thurman, but dead. Really, really dead. Oh Five, look at the machine. Every switch has been flipped to off. And is that a note? “See you in hell, dad. B.” Did Brandon come here to turn his dad off? Not that I... [sighs] not that I blame him, really, but... ugh. For his sake, I wish he hadn't cared this much.
Nothing makes sense, Five! If Thurman's really dead, then who's been chasing you? What was that noise? The whole bunker’s shaking!
ARTEMUS THURMAN: Oh Brandon, I've installed monitoring systems. If my state deteriorates too far for me to be revived, I have a contingency plan. See you soon, boy.
~
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Before TikTok, Witches Traded Their Spells on This Ancient Internet Forum
Long before the witches of Gen-Z claimed TikTok as their digital coven, and even before the Geocities-scattered digital landscapes of Web 1.0, a thousands-strong community once formed via the world’s phone lines to trade spells, advise on sigils, and correspond on spiritual guidance. It was called the Pagan And Occult Distribution Network, or PODSnet: a slice of occult internet history that helped pioneer mass online collaboration.
Today, it’s easy to take for granted that online communities are only a few taps away, but in the 1980s and early 1990s, finding like-minded individuals in niche subject areas was practically revolutionary. And in the case of PODSnet, it provided an unusually free space to discuss the esoteric arts—for many of its members, for the first time ever.
"In the 1990s and 1990s, accessing the social media of the day was very different than it is today,” Farrell McGovern, a PODSnet cofounder who came to Paganism through books about quantum physics such as The Dancing Wu Li Masters, told Motherboard. “It was louder, slower, and connectivity was perilous.”
In the early 1980s, computing enthusiasts began using Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) to communicate with each other. These systems were a precursor to the World Wide Web, and although relatively primitive, paved the way for the always-on communication of today.
Because BBS ran on phone lines, discussions were asynchronous and often confined to local groups due to the dramatic costs of dialing farther afield than your own state. What’s more, the boards were isolated from one another: an analogy might be if every single subreddit needed its own website, and you could only speak to users in your immediate area.
But in 1984, artist and technician Tom Jennings created FidoNet, a network that could connect all of these BBS systems. With the advent of cheaper modems, FidoNet’s popularity exploded into a huge 20,000-node network that connected users all around the world. Eventually, something called Echomail was introduced by a system operator, or sysop, called Jeff Rush, allowing for the support of public forums.
Instead of simply picking up your smartphone, BBS users would have to connect their computer to a modem, which was linked to a phone line—translating digital 1s and 0s into audio information and back again to the modem and terminal operating the BBS.
Popular BBSes would frequently return a busy signal: unlike today, actually logging off was necessary because only one connection was allowed at a time. A successful login returned a screen of text and a list of messages grouped into categories, with the software tracking the ones you had read. Here, users would respond to text, download what they could, and hang up.
Here, a BBS called "Magicknet" flourished, but one problem in particular spurred its users to found their own splinter network: Christian fundamentalists had infiltrated the group to spy on members.
This infiltration led to a number of incidents, including McGovern being written up in the magazine of infamous cult figure Lyndon Larouche as a “well-known witch from Toronto”. Given the various tabloid-led "Satanic panics" at the time, founding an independent BBS was not only right for promoting lively metaphysical discourse, it was a matter of safety too.
“People were losing their jobs, child custody, etc,” McGovern told Motherboard. “People had to move to escape persecution in some areas: very much so in the Bible Belt, but in other places, too. Unless you were in a major metropolitan area, and even then, you ran some degree of risk if you were outed.”
McGovern was first involved in his local BBS scene around Ottawa in the mid-1980s. Working at a local computer store that sold Apple and IBM PC clones, McGovern set up the Data/Sfnet BBS to advertise the business. In doing so, he became a SysOp—a system operator who ran, maintained, and in many cases built a network—granting him honorary entry to the computing elite at the time.
Being based in Canada, McGovern was the first to help Magicknet go international before it split into PODSnet, which would swell to 10,000 members who accessed the BBS by dialling into the 93 "zone number"—a reference to Thelema, the spiritual movement developed by Aleister Crowley.
The logo of the PODSnet bulletin board system.
For author and occult store supplier Dorothy Morrison, who was raised Catholic but eventually joined a coven of practicing witches in California before forming one of her own, discovering PODSnet was an “incredible way to find so many people of like mind at one place”.
“It was a place where I could be myself, regardless of the fact I really was living in a very conservative, buttoned-down state,” Morrison told Motherboard. “It wasn’t just a safe haven for me, it was an escape from having to appear to be someone I wasn’t for safety reasons."
“When someone wants to burn you at the stake—at that time Missouri was not a place that would’ve taken kindly to Witches—you certainly don’t tell them where you keep the gas can,” she said.
The atmosphere on PODSnet was typically collaborative and friendly, said Morrison, and the most arresting dramas on the board she was aware of usually related to the enormous phone bills that came from connecting to the network. (Although once or twice these charges “damned near landed some folks in divorce court.")
But, like the internet today, there were hints of gossip, rumours, and fake news. One popular cause for the community was the supposed persecution of 9 million witches by Christians (The whole idea was based on bad scholarship, according to McGovern). At one point, there was a six-year-long debate on whether or not Kate Bush is Wiccan—perhaps one of the most heated internet disputes of its time.
Whatever the topic, much of these PODSnet discussions would have been lost to time were it not for a community effort to archive the cherished message board. Still accessible in its archived ASCII form today, PODSnetters worked together to produce what was perhaps the first mass collaborative online project of its type: a massive, crowdsourced digital grimoire called the Internet Book of Shadows.
The name of the enormous seven-volume text references the catch-all "Book of Shadows," a name commonly used for tomes of spells and rituals, and the text covers the A-Zs of alternative spirituality from "Asatru to Zen Buddhism." Chapter one alone is 70,000 words long, and there’s a varied store of stuff available within, including an essay about bashing fluffy bunnies (the tendency among some well-seasoned practitioners to troll newbies, as opposed to bashing actual rabbits), a guide to cleansing rituals called "smudging," and an introduction to the suppressed traditions of Gnosticism.
Plenty of contributors to the Book of Shadows remain involved in esoteric spiritual communities today, and some, like Morrison, became authors in their own right.
One of Dorothy Morrison’s favorite contributions to the Internet Book of Shadows.
Morrison says the book of rituals, spells, stories, legends, and “other magic-related miscellany” took seven 5-inch loose-leaf binders to contain it when she once decided to print out the information the community had amassed. The community then began compiling the grimoire into downloadable digital files.
Once it was finished, PODSnet users agreed to offer the Book of Shadows as a gift, free of charge, to the community. While they were copyrighted, they were free to use and copy under the proviso that there was no charge for their acquisition—leading to later frustrations about unauthorized reproductions of the manuscript for profit.
“It’s probably the largest collection of pagan thought that was freely available to copy for non-commercial use,” McGovern added.
According to Dan Harms, an author and librarian at SUNY Cortland, magick practice has thrived on community-produced documents throughout history. Even during the print era, there was a “tremendous sort of traffic in books, manuscripts being passed back and forth between people,” chopping and changing aspects of the manuscripts they liked before copying them out.
“What was really different here, is that when the material was copied or created, it’s put up online for everybody to see,” Harms said. “It becomes a collective memory. It’s not something that’s stuck on somebody’s shelf, it’s something everybody can get into.”
Harms told Motherboard that communities like PODSnet were of enormous importance for establishing networks of occult practitioners and helped lay the groundwork for driving a boom in occult publishing.
“I was growing up in rural Kentucky with an interest in these kinds of arcane topics,” said Harms, who wasn't involved in the occult internet at the time of PODSnet but was an active Usenet user. “It was just so hard to find any sort of information – you would have to rely on the local library. But the local library in rural Kentucky is probably not looking to fill up its shelves with books about magic and paganism and things like that.”
Today, what was once a recondite pocket of the primordial internet has hit the mainstream, with even the Financial Times covering the "WitchTok" phenomenon. Speaking with PODSnetters, there’s a sense that in today's online spaces, community and information exchange can often take a backseat to clout and hostility. “[But] how much of that is getting older and yelling ‘get off my grass’,” asks McGovern, “or true insight – only time will say.”
Whatever the case, PODSnet—which closed around the turn of the millennium before hopping to Yahoo Groups, LiveJournal, and now with its remnants on Facebook—proved that digital technologies can bring disparate people together in a meaningful way, where they are happy to create and produce for the good of their communities.
“I remember those I met along that journey, what they taught me—not only about the Craft, but about myself—and the connections I made," said Morrison.“I remember how fortunate I was that PODSnet was there for me. To a large degree, that experience formed the person I am today, and I'll be forever grateful.”
Before TikTok, Witches Traded Their Spells on This Ancient Internet Forum syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/
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Livita: Part Two
Book/Series: Endless Summer
Main Pairings: Estela x MC/Taylor (f)
Summary: Post-ending. Freed from Vaanu, Taylor has been building a life with her soulmate… but their family remains not quite complete. Read PART ONE and PART THREE.
Word Count: 3545
Reviews and reblogs are hugely appreciated!
Tagging: @sceptilemasterr @saivilo @greengroove
San Trobida, March 2023
The months initially dragged by; the nervous wait for those vital early milestones agonising. Life had taught Estela that nothing good ever came easily; at any moment this could all turn to tragedy-- she woke up each morning with no expectation that she wouldn’t have lost the baby by the next. Taylor was far more secure in her optimism, though at times it did threaten to crumble. Some five weeks in, the pair were married, officially, in the grounds of Catalyst International’s new San Trobidan resort, surrounded, of course, by their extended family. At the end of the night, Estela had said ‘screw you’ to fate, and confided her condition to her tio, who had wept with joy. His belief in her, the support unyielding as always, did wonders to help her through those most vulnerable days.
After the twelve week scan, there was a joint exhale of relief, and the reality that this was happening at last began to set in. Through those early months, home was San Trobida with Tio Nicolas. In time, Estela and Taylor would return to La Huerta, where they had always planned to raise their child, close to Aleister and Grace’s own little family, and to Diego and Varyyn. Estela would not be fit to travel for a whole lot longer, though, so the time spent with her uncle was precious. While in San Trobida, Taylor was faced with a rush to establish her youth programmes during the brief window in which she’d be available with her full attention. The country was in the midst of a great rebirth, its people boldly stepping out from the shadows left by the cruel dictatorship that the revolutionaries had brought to its knees. To be able to play her own part in that story was, to Taylor, an immense honour, and a responsibility she took very seriously. Those fleeting months were intense, with meetings on top of meetings and enough networking to test even her people skills. Once the baby arrived, everything else would take a back seat, and her role would be as a part-time counsellor specialising in LGBTQ+ youth, and a mentor to students-- all of which she could carry out from their La Huerta home.
Estela had slowly dialed back her role with Catalyst International-- with both herself and Aleister on parental duties, delegation had become increasingly necessary. She kept up with the few bits and pieces that interested her, primarily assistance and scholarships for San Trobidan students, which allowed her to work nicely in tandem with Taylor, but anything else could be someone else’s problem. Staying with her uncle, a sense of peace had descended upon Estela. Her body gradually changed-- and morning sickness had plagued her-- but she took it in her stride.
The front door creaked as Taylor strode through. “Honey, I’m home!” She found Estela sitting cross-legged on the couch, leafing through a collection of baby sewing patterns. “Hey, are you feeling better?”
“Better. You didn’t have to come home….”
“As if I need an excuse to be with you.” Taylor crossed the room, and sat herself beside her wife. “I finished what I needed to get done. So, I got myself back to where I needed to be.”
Estela huffed happily. “I won’t complain. Maybe we could work on that blanket some more. You know how much of a kick Tio gets out of the sight of me knitting.”
“Yeah,” Taylor giggled. “He laughs, but I’m pretty sure he knows you are more than capable of disemboweling someone with those needles if a threat came up.”
“Of course. A spear could never be so subtle.”
They laughed together, then Estela took Taylor’s hands. “Actually, I wanted to share something with you, in my room. We can knit at the same time.”
Estela’s old room had changed little since she was a teenager; it was a cramped but cosy space, decked out with just a few shelves of childhood possessions and faded photographs upon a narrow dresser. Nowadays, alongside the charred-edged photo of a young Estela on the beach with her mother and uncle, was another of Estela-- now older, far more battle-scarred and world-weary-- on the very same beach, her arms around a smiling Taylor. Sat on that worn single bed, Estela could enjoy the comfort of familiarity as she carried on her journey toward a great unknown… and with her wife beside her, she found the courage to face the shadows that crept in along with those memories.
“Gordita, I made you up some of your horrible patacones,” Nicolas announced, pushing open the bedroom door with a shoulder as he presented a large plate. Since the pregnancy had been announced, Estela had been his gorda, with no care paid to how small her bump might actually be. At six months along, though, the belly was living up to that new nickname. “I despair. You get rid of one dictator, and suddenly we have jumped-up young people thinking they can eat peanut butter and jelly with their patacones. Is this the terrible price of freedom? Have I made a grave error?”
Estela snorted with laughter, taking the plate as her uncle kissed her forehead. “And yet you made these up for me; I must be very loved.”
“Always, mija. But you should notice there are some with mango salsa for your poor wife. I won’t have her suffer for your insanity.”
Taylor smiled, gratefully taking a patacone.Nicolas has been doting on the both of them relentlessly since the news had been broken-- Taylor didn’t think she’d ever seen him quite so happy. When the time finally came for them to leave for La Huerta, it would be a great wrench. “Cheers! You’re the best.”
“I’ll have that in writing, Taylita.” Nicolas’ eyes twinkled as he looked over his nieces. The time was fast approaching that they would be on their way again, ready to start the greatest of adventures. He would miss them so. La Huerta had never been a draw to him-- he’d not visited once-- but there was no doubt in his mind that even his stubbornness would have to concede once Estela had that baby in her arms. There was not a force on heaven or earth that could keep him away. “Okay, gorda. I will leave you to it. I’m sure you’ll let me know if you have any other culinary abominations you want me to whip up.”
“Thanks, Tio.”
Alone together in their small sanctuary, Estela and Taylor cuddled close. Taylor braved a nibble of one of Estela’s controversial patacones and admitted that Nicolas had a point. Those things just weren’t right.
“I’m with Tio,” she said. “Our little nene has played havoc on your taste buds.”
Estela chuckled, more forced than she’d have liked. There was something else on her mind. And it hadn’t gone unnoticed.
“Hey. Are you okay? You had something you wanted to show me?”
For a moment, Estela considered changing her mind. It had been over a decade that she’d avoided this, what was to say that now was suddenly the right time? The bump of a little foot up against her ribs gave her clarity. She wanted to show this to her baby someday; that meant she had to brave it. She pulled up her laptop and placed it on the bedside table, then rummaged in a drawer, taking out a disc.
“It’s… it’s our old home videos.” She took a deep breath. “Tio put it on a DVD ages back to make sure we didn’t lose it, and he had an extra copy made for me. You know, just in case I ever….” Her cheeks became pink. “I… I haven’t watched this for a long time.” How long, she didn’t say, but she didn’t doubt that Taylor would know, understand.
Taylor squeezed her wife, her own pulse quickening. She knew this was huge. “I would love to watch with you. So much. But only if you’re really ready.”
“I think sometimes, the closest thing you’re ever going to get to being ready is wanting to be.” Estela offered a wobbly smile as she picked up on Taylor’s concern. “Mi amor, I’m okay. I’m doing this with you.”
She leaned into Taylor as the DVD began to play. Then came a voice that made her heartbeat quicken.
“Hola Nicolas!” Olivia said, waving with one hand, while she supported the small infant Estela with the other. “Here she is! This is your niece. This is Estela.”
Taylor felt Estela’s hand clench around the bottom of her shirt, clinging on for comfort. She placed her own hand on top and gently squeezed. I’m here.
They watched as Olivia placed the infant in a bassinet, then picked up the camera to give a tour of her home.
“So, this is the first place I lived; my mom’s apartment in Colombia,” Estela explained, her voice shaking at first, then steadying. This… didn’t hurt as much as she’d anticipated. If anything, it was a comfort. The last pieces of film she’d seen of her mother had been that horrifying footage in the Elysian, and the VR warning message from Olivia’s office in the MASADA complex. This was Estela’s mother as she knew her, the person she’d been missing so painfully. There was the inevitable pang of longing as she looked at that face, but the wash of memories made her seem closer than she’d been for so many years. “It was a few months before she had everything sorted so we could move to Tio Nicolas’ place, so Mom made a videotape to send him. A friend at the lab she worked at gave her the camera; it was so Tio could see the new baby, but we used it a long time after that.”
With the apartment tour complete, the camera was placed down on some unseen table or stand, and Olivia came back into the frame, picking up baby Estela and cradling her in her arms.
“If you’re lucky, you might get a smile out of her,” Olivia said, grinning as she gently tickled Estela under her chin. “The twentieth of July was her first real smile. You’re going to laugh at me, but I cried. Maybe you’ll get it when you meet her. She’s just so, so beautiful. I swear I’m addicted to this girl.”
Taylor snuggled under Estela’s arm, and watched, entranced, as the baby on the screen grew and changed under the loving care of her mother, and then uncle as well.
“Wow, Tio Nicolas looks different!” she commented, to Estela’s chuckle. Time, unimaginable stress, and facial hair could do that to a person. It was impossible not to smile as she watched the young Nicolas bouncing his little niece on his foot. That he’d be utterly, totally smitten with Estela’s own child had to be the surest thing in the world. Taylor saw on that screen an image of a dream come true, a future that now lay before her and Estela. God, could I be any more clucky right now?
“That’s going to be us, Taylor. Our own little family.”
Instinctively, Taylor put her hand to Estela’s bump, stroking it. Her family with her soulmate; it wasn’t what she’d been made for, but she was certain it was what she was meant for.
“I’m going to be someone’s mom. When I think about it, it’s just… incredible.” She cuddled in close, and gently kissed Estela’s cheek and forehead. “It means so much that you shared this with me.” She gestured to the screen. That had taken a whole lot of bravery. “Watching this… I see so much of you when I see your mom.”
“She would have been an amazing abuelita,” Estela said softly. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply. Her mother’s sacrifice had brought her to Taylor. This new family would carry a great deal of Olivia Montoya’s influence, though she’d never know. “Thank you. I know it’s silly for me to say this, but I really appreciate you saying that. I’m gonna do her proud.”
The child on the screen was older now, toddling around the so-familiar house on stumpy legs. She held in her arms a soft doll.
“Oh-- that’s Babydoll. I was… creative at naming things when I was two. Mami gave him to me on my birthday, and I just took him everywhere. It always made sense to me; there was no way in hell Mami would ever leave me it home, so how could I ever leave my baby?”
“So, when you say you always wanted to be a mom?”
“Yeah, it goes back a long way.” Estela stroked her belly, meeting Taylor’s hand there. “I’m glad I had no idea just how rough the path would be… how that dream just burned and died. But we’re going to get there.”
She could see it. A lot of what had made her childhood had been lost in a wash of pain and trauma, but it couldn’t be taken away completely. Those memories, there before her, they were still a part of her. Those warm family moments were hers to pass on to her own child.
“Actually, I think Mom kept Babydoll. Maybe as a souvenir of my brief period of childhood innocence. I should dig him out--” She faltered, and her cheeks flushed. This shouldn’t still be a problem….
Catching on in an instant, Taylor squeezed Estela’s knee, and met her eye with a warm and loving gaze. “We have time. And if we need to enlist Tio Nicolas to do most of the necessary rummaging, that’s fine too. It would be really nice for nene to have something of yours.” Memories were powerful. They made up so much of who each person was. Lacking her own childhood, Taylor had found herself gain a great deal from Estela’s, something that had always been generously shared with no hesitation, in spite of the pain that came with those memories. That family history was important, and it bonded them together.
With a small, appreciative smile, Estela nodded. “Yes… we have time.”
La Huerta, May 2023
“Right; tell me. Which end am I kissing?” Taylor scooched forward in the sand, reveling in the gentle heat of the lowering sun upon her back and shoulders.
“That’ll be nene’s back.” Estela gestured to her lower belly, then the top. “Head. Butt. Right where they should be.”
Taylor smiled warmly, and went back to lay another kiss against her wife’s swollen abdomen. “Bub’s got it all worked out. Ready to high-tail it outta there and start lapping up the cuddles.”
“It’s come around fast,” Estela stated. It had. Almost too fast. Pregnancy had been an adjustment for sure, but she’d become comfortable with sharing her body with the small passenger. She could take care of herself, and that meant that baby’s needs were met too. What came next was a great unknown. Estela knew better than most how good intentions of keeping a beloved child out of harm’s way could go up in flames. What her life had been… grateful though she was for the person it had made her, she didn’t want a life like that for her baby. She could tell herself that it would be different, that the fight was over, but she’d seen too much to not be protective. The person she might have gone to for reassurance, the person who’d truly have understood, was long lost to her. Rarely had Estela missed her own mother more than in these days leading up to the big event. It made her all the more grateful for Taylor; already completely besotted with the tiny person they were waiting to meet. In Taylor, her loving hero, she had all the faith in the world.
“Yeah...” Taylor put on a forlorn gaze as she looked up into Estela’s shining eyes. “Just a few more days, and I won’t be able to outrun you anymore. I’m pretty devastated.”
“You’re a beautiful dork, Taylor. But don’t worry. You’ll be able to keep ahead of nene for a few years, if you’re lucky.”
Taylor snuggled into Estela’s lap, and together, they watched the sun journey towards the horizon. The rising tide licked at their bodies. All was peaceful, tranquil; the only sounds were the rolling of the waves, the calls of tropical birds, and the distant laughter of children in Elyys’tel, voices carried upon the wind. Taylor quietly studied Estela from head to toes, taking in everything. The pregnancy had added further lines to Estela’s scar-painted body; marks of something happy at last. Her carriage gave off a quiet confidence; the baby was safe in its strong, resilient vessel. And in Estela’s face, once the vision of heavy burdens, so great that it might might have been those of the whole world… quiet, happy serenity. Taylor felt a wave of affection wash over her. It happened to her a lot. Goodness knew how she’d ever get anything done when she had Estela and the baby to love on all day.
“Estela?”
“Mi amor?”
“You know, I think a part of me is going to miss this. Being able to put my arms around you and hold the two people I love most in the world at the same time.”
Estela’s lips quirked into a smile. “You’ll still be able to do that. Soon enough, baby will be hugging you back.”
“It’s… got to be normal to be a little scared, right? I’ve got nothing, nothing at all to look back and remember as a reference for how the hell to raise a kid. What if I--”
“Taylor.” Estela took Taylor’s face in her hands; gentle but firm. God, Taylor… no one could ask for more than to be loved by you. “I’m scared too. But I’d be a hundred times more scared if I wasn’t doing this with you. It’s a whole actual person depending on us. A whole person we could screw up in a million different ways. But we won’t. Taylor, look at me. You won’t. Just… be scared with me. And all of us… we’ll be okay.”
Taylor pulled herself up and put both arms around Estela. Holding the two people she loved most at the same time. To be scared with Estela was almost to not be afraid at all. “You’re right. Wise Mama Estela.”
“Because of you. Don’t forget that.” And Estela kissed the tip of her beloved’s nose, growing cold with the retreat of the sun. She gave a little wink. “Mama Taylor.”
Her eyes glazing dreamily as she stared out to the sunset over the sparkling sea, Taylor felt a little kick against the arm that she had around Estela’s middle. She didn’t even need to look to know that there would be the most beautiful of smiles across her wife’s face. Pure elation. Mama Taylor? She could get used to that.
#endless summer#estela montoya#estela x mc#playchoices#taylor montoya#nicolas montoya#choices fanfiction
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Text
Torn Between Two
Starring: Angel Garza, Kenny Omega, Hangman Adam Page
Genre: Romance
Rating: 18+ (NSFW)
Summary: A young journalist trapped in a heavy decision between two. Will he choose or lose out?
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in this. Just the story. Only a fanfiction.
Chapter 1: The Beginning
Bzzz....Bzzz....Bzzz!
The phone alarm echoed through out the bedroom. The radio also could be heard from the nightstand.
"GOOOOOOD MORNING L.A. It's your favorite radio host broadcasting during this nice seventy-five degrees seven A.M. morning..."
A hand reached over to turn off the small radio. A slight sigh came out the young man's mouth as he slowly opened his eyes with a slight yawn. He grabbed his phone and looked at the time.
7:08
"¿Las siete en punto? Llegó demasiado rápido...(Seven O'eight? It came too fast)" The younger man sat up and rubbed his face to wake him out of his sleep. He took a minute to adjust to the barely risen sunlight shining in his room. Doing a little stretching before climbing out his bed and headed to the bathroom to get his day started. After a morning brisk in the shower, the young man made up his bed and got ready for the day.
Seven thirty hit the clock and the young man grabbed his backpack, skateboard, keys, shades, wallet and headed out the door. Before he could leave, he heard a older voice.
"Oh, good morning Angel"
Angel stopped and turned towards a older woman who was alread watering some plants. Angel gave her a warm smile. "Buenos Dias, Mrs. Miller! Already getting to work I see."
The older woman chuckled. "You know the early, the better."
"I can agree with that." Angel said as he walked out the gate.
"Oh..Angel. If you're not busy later, I may need your help with some rearranging."
Angel nods. "You know I don't mind. Plus, if it's ok, this week will be my last time being late for rent. After I turn in this story, I can get that bonus."
The woman waved her hand to deflect the excuse. "Now you know Angel that I do not have any issues with you. You're a good, hard working kid. You have a good soul. I wouldn't dare destroy something so precious."
Angel smiled. "You're an amazing, Mrs. Miller." Angel stops and looks at his watch. "I gotta go, Mrs. Miller. I'll see you later."
"You be careful, Angel especially on that skateboard. And good luck on your story." Mrs. Miller waved at Angel.
Angel tossed down his skateboard and chuckled. "I'm as graceful as an swan on this board." Angel chuckled as he saw the older woman shook her head sarcastically. He put on his shades and rides his skateboard.
The good thing about being a on field journalist that Angel loved about is that he doesn't have to be cooped up in a building. The world us his office. As long as he had his laptop, anywhere can be his office. Plus, he loved riding his skateboard because not only he only a few blocks from the city, he doesn't have to worry about a car much. He has a car, but what is the fun in that? Angel smiles as he loved greeting people on his way to his favorite cafe to get his breakfast from and his favorite spot meeting up with his friends. It takes him at least ten minutes to reach the cafe if he doesn't stop at a random place. Angel stops at the bottom of some stairs. He steps off his board and picked it up before walking up the stairs. He looks around once ge reached the top and smiled at the group at the usual table he sits. He walks towards the table just to hear a on going conversation.
".....And then, she told me that I needed to gain more weight! Me need to grow weight? Just..just look at these guns!" The man flexed his arms.
The young woman sighed. "I swear Austin. I think you just saying this just to give you an excuse to lift more weights. I refuse to believe a woman telling you to gain more weight."
Austin mouth drops in shock. "You really think I would make this up?!" Austin watched the whole table giving him the Really? look. Austin crossed his arms and glared. "Well fuck you too, guys."
The others laughed as Angel walked up. "Austin telling one of his stories again, Zelina?" Angel sat down at looked at his friends Austin Theory, Andrade Cien Almas, Zelina Vega, Aleister Black and his cousin Humberto Carrillo.
Zelina rolled her eyes and looked at Angel. "Of course. But then, what's new?"
Austin shot dagger looks at Zelina. Humberto passed a coffee cup and a wrapped sandwich towards Angel. "Buenos días, primo. El desayuno esta servido. (Good Morning, cousin. Breakfast is served)"
Angel took his breakfast and nods towards Humberto. "Muchas gracias, primo. (Thank you so much, cousin)" Angel unwrapped his sandwich and started eating.
"So, today is the big day. When you turn in your story-"
"And get that big well earned bonus that they should've been gave to you" Andrade said to follow up Humberto.
Angel took a sip of his coffee and shrugs. "Well, it's better late then never for them to finally see the hard work I put into those stories. I rather have it this way then throwing a fit and have them pulling my stories to the side." Angel said as he pulled out his laptop and booting it up.
"Well you're doing the smart way, love" Zelina said as she sipped ger coffee. "Destroy them with your best work."
Aleister turned towards his wife and raised an eyebrow. "Destroy them?"
Zelina looked at Aleister. "I've said what I said."
Angel laughed and Austin looked over to Angel's laptop. "What's your story anyways?"
"It's an interview and a story about local athlete who is the only athlete from his family and became a local hero."
"Oh well if you wanted to interview a pure breed athlete, you should had asked to interview me!" Austin said with a proud smile.
The rest if the table looked towards Austin with silence. "The fact that he actually believes his own words, baffles me." Zelina said. "Austin, just because you competed in two bodybuilding competitions doesn't make you a local hero. Tell me what have you done after that? Opened a gym? Wow, you're doing so much for the people." Zelina said with heavy sarcasm.
"Hey without me opening the gym, who else could get people to get fit?" Austin asked.
Zelina facepalms as Humberto and Andrade drunk their coffees awkwardly. Aleister pats Austin's shoulder. "Dude, just never change."
Angel chuckled as Austin's face showed his confusion. Angel typed in a few things and nods. "Done! All I have to do is print and turn it in." Angel downloaded his work on his USB.
Zelina looked at her watch. "Oh...it's time to head out." Zelina stood up. The others also stood up. Zelina smiled at Angel. "Ok sweetie. Wishing you all the luck with your story."
"Oh, I know for sure my cousin is going to bring it home." Humberto said.
"Do we have any doubt about this?" Andrade said. "They won't have any other choice but to love it."
Angel smiled. "Thank you. I need the hype."
"It's not a hype if it's true!" Austin said. "But, if things are different, you can always interview me. I'm free-"
Aleister cuts Austin off by pushing him away. "Give it up, Austin." Aleister turned to Angel. "You got this. Good luck."
Zelina bends down to give Angel a quick hug. "Good luck."
Angel returned the hug and watch his friends leave. He took a huge inhale and did a quick proofread before getting it printed. Good thing there is a library that us close to him. Getting his work printed out, Angel headed to his office building. It wasn't too far from he was, so he decided to take his time. He walked past a newsstand and caught a magazine with one if his work mentioned. Angel took the time to bask in his hard work and enjoyed the moment. He nods and turned to walk right into a solid body.
"OOF!"
Angel gasped as he quickly went to check on the person he bumped into. "Oh god! I'm so sorry about that! I didn't look...my mistake."
"No..it's ok." The man looked at Angel. He took off his shades to get a real good look at Angel. He smiled at the younger man. "It's more than ok."
Angel looked up at the blue eyed blonde man. He was nicely well built and tall. Angel nods softly. "I really didn't mean it."
The man shook his head. "No need to apologize. I'm glad you did bumped into me."
Angel raised his eyebrow and laughed. "Oh? Then well I'm glad to had bumped into you."
The man smiled. "You're in a hurry?"
"Oh uh yeah. Got to get to my work building. Gotta drop something off." Angel smiled
"Well, don't let me hold you up." The man stepped aside.
Angel watched the man step to the side. Angel smiled and started walking. "Thank you. Sorry again."
The man watched Angel walked and said "I hope we bump into each other again soon."
Angel stops and smiled as he turned to the man. "Maybe, maybe not."
"Well if not...my name us Kenny Omega. I really hope I do see you again."
Angel nods. "Nice to meet you Kenny. I'm Angel Garza." Angel turned back around to walk away with a small smile on his face.
Kenny kept watching Angel walk away, until a dawn of realization hits Kenny. He turned to the magazine that Angel was looking at. Kenny saw Angel's name on the cover as the author. Kenny looked up towards where Angel walked and smiled.
Angel reached his designation and dropped off his work and went home.
The next morning.
Angel was at the table with his normal morning crew. Zelina looked towards Angel with a smile. "Well?"
Angel bit his bagel and looked at Zelina and shrugs. He swallowed before answering. "I won't know until this afternoon."
Andrade nods. "I got a good feeling here."
Aleister nods in agreement. "Same here."
The rest of the table agreed. "Same three?" Austin said. Everybody laughed at Austin and didn't hear the door opening. Kenny walked out with his coffee and stops as he sees Angel. He smiled as he walked up to the table.
"We really need to stop meeting up like this."
Angel stopped laughing and looked up to Kenny. He smiled back at him. "I mean, you wanted it like this anyways."
Kenny chuckled. "Yeah. I did."
Kenny and Angel shared a quiet smile together as the others looked on. Zelina eyed both Angel and Kenny with a smirk before clearing her throat. "And who is this we're honored to meet?"
Angel snapped out of his moment and chuckled. "Sorry. Kenny meet my peoples. My good friends Zelina, her husband Aleister, Andrade, Austin and my cousin Humberto. Guys, this is Kenny."
Kenny smiles and nods at the group. "Nice to meet you all."
Everybody waved but Austin who just stared at Kenny. "Damn, you're hot!"
"Uh excuse me?"
Zelina stomps on Austin's foot under the table. She smiled after she heard a satisfying yelp from Austin. "Don't mind him. Too much caffeine in the morning." She said to Kenny.
Kenny nods. "Understandable." He turns to Angel. "So, since I bumped into you again, I was wondering if you're free for lunch if you're nit too busy. My treat of course."
Before Angel could respond. "Of course he's free! And so am--OW!" Austin felt Zelina's boot hit against his shin.
Angel shook his head in embarrassment then looked at Kenny with a smile. "Um..yeah. I'm free."
Kenny smiled. "Great. I'll meet you at Rose's Bistro say around two pm?"
"Perfect."
Kenny slip on his shades and smiled. "See you then, Angel." He waved at everybody else. "Nice to meet you all."
"You too!" The whole table said as they watched Kenny leave.
"See ya." Angel watched Kenny leave.
"And where did this happened?!"
Angel heard as ge turned to his friends. They all talked at once about who was Kenny and how they met. Angel sighed with a smile and got himself ready to explain. Two pm rolled around not as fast as Angel wanted. Not after Kenny left, Zelina and Austin kept asking Angel questions while Humberto kept threatening to hurt Kenny if Kenny harms Angel. Angel had to get away, so he arrived at Rose's Bistro. It was a nice little bistro for people come for lunch. Angel grabbed his skateboard and walked in. He looked around and saw Kenny sitting at a table by the window. Angel walked over with a smile.
"Sorry if I'm late." Angel said as he sat down.
Kenny smiled and shook his head. "Right on time actually. I just got in myself. I had a meeting that took a little extra time."
"And I want to apologize earlier about my friend. He doesn't think before he speaks apparently." Angel said with a hint if embarrassment.
Kenny shook his head. "No worries. I used to have a friend like that. So, I understand. Besides, he's not the one I'm interested in anyways."
Angel blushed and Kenny smiled at Angel's blushing.
Kenny said as he eyed Angel's skateboard. "Sweet skateboard. You go around with that?"
Angel looked at his board. "Uh, yeah I do."
Kenny frowned in confusion. "Don't you have a car?"
"Actually, I do. But, I rather take my skateboard. I don't live too far from the city. So, I rather not waste gas and pollute the air just for a few blocks. Plus, I feel more free while feeling the wind riding." Angel looked at Kenny. "Is that an issue?"
Kenny shook his head. "Nah. I more impressed. I used to skateboard in my teens. I'm more of a biker now."
Angel smiled. "Motor or a cyclist?"
"Both." Kenny smiled.
The waitress brought two glasses of waters and introduced herself. Kenny asked for more time as he looked at Angel.
Angel looked back at Kenny and smiled. "So, you said your meeting took too long?"
Kenny smiled. "Yeah. Pretty much."
"So what do you do anyways?"
Kenny smiled. "I work at a law firm. A lawyer."
"Oh? You don't strike me as one." Angel looked at Kenny's outfit. T-shirt and jeans. He doesn't look like a lawyer.
"Maybe or maybe not I like to be comfortable." Kenny joked.
"Alright. I get that." Angel said. "What law firm you work at?"
"Some law firm called Omega Law Offices"
"Omega Law...wait.." It dawned on Angel. He is sitting with the owner. "You're thee Kenny Omega. The owner!" Angel said as his mouth opened in shock.
Kenny raised his hands in defense. "Oops. I'm busted." Kenny laughed.
"No way! You won that Cody Runnels case. Your reputation is well known around here. Everybody says you're the best to go for a lawsuit."
Kenny chuckled. "They're overrating. I'm just doing my job."
"And very well you do at it." Angel said.
Kenny smiled at the compliment. He cleared his throat. "So, did you get whatever you dropped of yesterday to your job on time?"
Angel nods. "Ah, I did. Thanks for asking."
Kenny grinned. "I bet it was another groundbreaking story."
Angel looked puzzled. "Huh?"
Kenny reached into his bag and pulled out the magazine that Angel was looking at yesterday and sat it on the table. Angel looked at it and laughed.
"So you're saying my reputation is well known. You, your reputation proceeds you. I was captivating by your work. So inspiring and excels."
Angel blushed again. "You're just saying that..."
Kenny smiled softly. "Am I?"
Angel looked at Kenny and got speechless. Kenny smiled again. "So, was that another award winning article?"
"I hope so. If not then..it is what it is."
Kenny sighed. "You should have better hope than that. I'm sure it was another front cover masterpiece."
Angel was about to respond until his phone rings. Angel quickly answered. "Hello?"
"Hey Angel, it's Travis!"
"Hey Travis. What's up?"
"You know what's up. This article."
Angel looked at Kenny who was watching Angel. "Uh yeah. What is it?"
"Angel, once again my man. You. Brought. It! Best read I ever read since your last work. How do you ever do it?"
Angel smiled. "You know. Hard work and dedication. My bread and butter."
"Well, if you keep this up, I maybe trying to find some room in this chief office real soon."
"Yeah, but I enjoy the on field work. More peaceful no offense."
Travis laughs. "None taken. Just letting you know that once again, your story will be front page and I know you'll enjoy your sweet, sweet bonus too!"
Angel laughed. "I just might."
"Anyways, congratulations! I can't wait for your next project!"
"Thanks Travis. See ya!" Angel hung up the phone.
Kenny, who was in suspense, looking at Angel. "Well?"
Angel smiled at Kenny. "You were right. I got it."
Kenny slammed onto the table and clapped. "See! I knew you would land it! Congrats, Angel."
Angel laughed. "Thank you Kenny!"
Kenny raised his water glass. "To Angel. And to his hard work and...a start of a beautiful relationship."
Angel raised his glass and taps Kenny's glass. "Cheers!"
Kenny and Angel sipped sone water and laughed as they enjoyed their lunch.
#angel garza#zelina vega#kenny omega#aleister black#andrade cien almas#kenny x angel#humberto carrillo#austin theory#fanfic#wwe/aew crossover
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