One of the things I love about Glass Onion is the way that the camera and music work together to tell nonverbal jokes.

Like when Benoit basically has to hold Miles' hand to get him to the conclusion that someone reset the puzzle box Benoit lies about receiving:

Benoit asks if it's possible that someone reset the box, and Miles then declares that someone must have reset the box like it is this huge reveal - and the camera zooms out while the music subtly swells as though he really has figured out something smart, when actually he literally restated what Benoit just said.

6/20/23

Caution:

Welcome to the Phoenix Mosheh Blog. If you come across any accounts asking for money or donations of any kind using the Phoenix Mosheh name. You are being scammed and hustled out of your doe (money). Phoenix Mosheh does not ask for money or sell any products.

Phoenix Mosheh provides FREE CONTENT ONLY...

This goes for any affiliates working in cohesion with Phoenix Mosheh such as ...

1. The Brand Enchantress

Or

2. Eden's Nightgarden.

If you get scammed...this is your own fault.. because you believed in a lie without doing your own research and without any evidence.

Stop being a follower and use your own brain.

...with that said

Enjoy the Blog (show). If you are 18 or older you have the option to turn on your mature tumblr settings... so that you can view "mature audience themes" because Phoenix Mosheh has a bunch of copycat haters who got their feelings hurt when Phoenix Mosheh threatened to expose their sorry fake personas, crimes, work ethic and moral to the public, even though this blog has no followers (dummies) ...which resulted in these "we have money but no brains idiots" peeing on themselves over how to hide certain blog post. Instead of these idiots apologizing for all the dumb and selfish chess moves they have made in life... they reported certain post to tumblr in fear of exposure and becoming a hit tv show.

You will not see all of these exposures without turning your tumblr settings to mature audiences...(again switch on all the mature audience settings...like you do lightbulbs.

https://youtu.be/0z0J_t33-b4 - YouTube Fifth Amendment Miss Sloane Scene

(This Katy Perry video reminds me of that time they made up "Eve eating the forbidden fruit" great myth. The subconscious is a beautiful thing.)

The Goal: I want to recreate this scene of Jennifer Lawrence...only I want to see if you can do a better job than an actor after realizing your subconscious has been asleep. (Like a science experiment).

Who am kidding...I have this bet with God that you won't survive this blog or be able to comprehend the underlying patterns within the entertainment content posted (recreated by the actors, musicians & everyday souls you love) which are most certainly based on biblical characters and predicted prophecy hidden within your entertainment (your welcome again). God seems to think differently. \

Fun Fact: Muslims.

Did you know the hijab was originally used in the bible to hide a Melchizedek's womans beauty in order for her to flee...it was a whole movement of women...Don't get me started on the Burqa...poor Sarai those eyes would have given her away...please don't cut my head off. (you all have made it look sexy asf though ...great work)! Stay safe.

Luckily, I'm not here to force you to read the blog...I am just here to put the information on the blog ...so when sh*t hits the fan ..you as an individual cannot say "why didn't God send someone to help us." This is most certainly on purpose... So, I can sleep peacefully at night knowing I tried.

Are You Still Awake?

...every now and then Phoenix Mosheh throws in what many would call gangster...ghetto music... God calls it "Its time to hurt somebodies feelings music"...don't be so sensitive betch... we have a gangster theme going on ... its like putting hands on someone audibly. It would not have the same effect if acoustics were playing...this does not mean we don't like classical. It means the message we are delivering would most likely fail otherwise. Do you shag (have sex) to the ABC's betch...the Phoenicians did check them out... hit that g note!

You may also notice Phoenix Mosheh uses your everyday entertainment like scenes from movies, scenes from tv shows and tarot readers to get our message and points across in order to awaken two of your spiritual senses...sight and sound. Which will eventually awaken your natural spiritual intuition (subconsciousness)...everybody has it.

Fun Fact: Tarot Readers...What if I told you that when slave masters outlawed reading...they meant tarot (your real connection to God...couldn't allow you to find out that bible was not real copy).

This blog will expose this real story (many of the tarot readers on YouTube can verify this story...if they take the time to use their intuitive prowess together (take the time to study other videos besides your own without thinking its a competition).

Example 2: For Elias 6/25/2023

https://youtu.be/Lj4adAAHa68 - Training Day King Kong

https://youtu.be/yWYw - The Mistake You Made - The Equalizer

Why do Melchizedek Trust Angels to fight their battles (wars) Instead of Humans?

Lets take a look back in time....for starters It never works. Humans wimp out too easily, decide to switch sides (become Judas's) when Melchizedek start becoming too powerful and resort to ruthless acts in order to eradicate bloodlines who would eradicate you all if they could...and what leader would want to subjugate the fragile human brain, prone to ptsd and other mental health disorders in order to fight for causes that could possibly sacrifice their own families (with no benefits after war).

Who would want to follow leaders of nations who never set one foot in battle, while you uplift their children, who watch yours go to war, only for their nepotism babies to lead you into a new one (even nepo babies have to earn their stripes...oh wait...are you all fighting battles and supporting people (Kings and Queens & Presidents & Celebrities etc... who have sacrificed nothing in return?). Did Caeser teach you nothing?

Example Videos Below: Why do Melchizedek Trust Angels to fight their battles Instead of Humans ?

https://youtu.be/SaGI4tX9FVw - Ex 1: (Imagine the Michael they are referring to in this clip is Archangel Michael)

https://youtu.be/eOoRqesH0sk - Ex 2: Jon Snow Kills Danny

Why Melchizedek prefer Angels (Guardians) to fight wars...no fingerprints!

https:/youtub.be/T9sKhnO9osM - Final Destination (There is no Hell after Earth people...its Earth than Heaven) Anyone Remember what angel plans out death...the answer was given on this blog previously no its not archangel Michael..

Thank you Elias, for playing decoy with me. I couldn't have done it without you. You were the operative (secret detective/spy) ...way to form an "alliance."

(Don't be mad at me blame God... I didnt know ...but I do know, I don't heal as fast as you, so I would have died...thank you for your sacrifice (service)

Did you know in The Book of Eli when they took Noah's wife and killed her he became an alcoholic?

Elias, Abba told me to place this message for you, its from your gaurdian Raphael. (I didn't finish watching it yet...but I am just trusting God (Abba) that it resonates).

I still have trouble determining when it's my Angel (gaurdian) or God responding to me.. gaurdians act as personal assistants depending on their giftings. They like to show you signs (think of a brother who likes to play with a younger sibling or protect them by teaching them what they know) while God is more affirmative, reaffirming, no nonsense, Fatherly. For instance if You ask God a question the response is straight to the point: "I said this" "Do it like this" "Don't be afriad" "You can do it"...

The angel (gaurdian) is going to show you signs based on what God has affirmed... "God said this...here's the dream..." Do it like this... here are the resources , the plan" "Don't be afraid (your gaurdians will get it done but eventually you'll be able to do it yourself) "You can do it (I told you so)." Eventually, you will be a le to see your gaurdian...you have more coming by the way.

If you think the Melchizedek woman is mean/bad....you haven't met the real Melchizedek man (Elias). His wife is "nice" compared to him.

If you (humans) don't have this gift (intuitive energy reading/tarot) from God...you most likely have another...

-empath intuitive (trait/gift knowing the contents of someone's heart...not to put therapist out of business because God is my only therapist but...if you get a therapist get one that is an empath...so they don't break HIPPA law and make fun of your poor choices amongst other medical personal when you leave...)

https://youtu.be/hWTBvWfsU34 - An example of empath intuitive tarot reader based on how Elias may have been feeling during this ordeal (this breaks my heart 😢)

Every time, I see that scene from Avengers Endgame, where black widow dies. I low key think of Elias and his wife intuitively telling one another "you are not leaving me here with these crazy humans...I'm throwing myself off of a cliff...we are going thave to fight for this suicide my love?...lol

https://youtu.be/DG_IhmVKbxU - Black Widow Dies

An Empath intuitive is similar to an energy reader. You may notice that in tarot a normal energy reader will read the energy of a person and judge the whole energy based on a piece of information they are currently reading about a person. So, if the person (masculine or feminine) has done something wrong, like committing a crime (i.e stealing) they will judge the person solely off of that crime without actually looking into why this person was stealing...were they stealing because they were under a spell, were they stealing medication because their child was sick and prescription prices are through the roof or are they just a pathological liar and thief? This is often what people forget to look into when judging people and whether they deserve forgiveness or a slap on the wrist or a death sentence. This gift is important because people often judge others for what they have heard about other people instead of trying to clarify or go deeper...people fail to empathize because they don't know the full story and do not take the time to see if what they have been told about others is actually true or just a rumor. People also fail to try and relate to choices people make and often can't see why someone chose a certain route that maybe they wouldn't have chose. Not everyone has the same weaknesses, dysfunctions, childhood wounds or habits...but it doesn't mean you don't have any...different weaknesses can cause you to fall prey to different entrapment, tricks, spellwork, vicious cycles. Etc. (you may not be an alcoholic it taste bad so why would you use it to drown your emotions ...but you are an emotional eater yes?) One sounds better and maybe is more socially acceptable both are still unhealthy coping strategies.

-art intuitive - some people create messages from God using art (the guy I'm staying with drew this it's almost time to meet up again Elias (like Isaac and Rebekah 😉) Get some rest and smile more.

https://youtu.be/KiKD6i_QRJI - Matrix Resurrections Coffee Shop Fight Scene

When you get invited to a motorcycle party by the guy, you are staying with that is not Elias and Gabriel reminds you "aren't you pregnant, don't you have a husband?" ... (Elias' Wife: where he at though jk jk)?

-creative intuitive - ever have a random dream or an idea and it becomes an invention, book or a movie

-reiki healing - if you're a nurse or medical personal who went to nursing school because you actually had a desire to help heal people without beating them in the head or just for the mula. (Be careful who you let "lay hands" on you...you could end up sick or dead).

(Also, things like sage, salt around your house, wolf's Bain, silver bullets(werewolves), rocks (healing stones) for protection, these trinkets and gemstones will not protect you supernaturally. The universe? The universe listens to its Creator...its best to know which god (spirit) you are talking to because some of them are thirsty and looking for vessels stupid enough to be used. A soul is not a spirit.

Intuitively God knows your heart ...so whether you believe in the universe or Sun God Ra ( EviRAh an original) or Allah etc....The original God who crested these spirits (gods) will know, so don't worry about your religion. However, if you call on the universe its a lot more vague than calling on Allah or Jesus...but it goes back to God knowing your heart because even people who can pronounce the name of God with their hand on a bible can be fake believers.

The law of attraction is true in that you can attract a specific god based on what's in your heart (your mentality, your desires, and moral). You can ask the universe for something you want and get it...but you always want to know which god is giving it to you (who is behind your universe, whos power are you borrowing to get what you want, and does it want something in return?) Basically, be careful who you pray to ...you might want to be more specific.

Oh and Samjaza doesn't like humans at all...he think their messy and dumb and easily controlled. Honestly, if he could get back into heaven by sacrificing you all he would. Samjaza (Satan): "How many times do I have to tell Adam I'm sorry for raping his wife forbidden fruit style?" (In case someone was wondering...Samjaza also has a thing for black women...right Evirah? Samjaza has narcissistic traits... do you know what happens when you reject a narcissist? (Why do they hate black people so much, and treat black women like dirt...? Please don't tell me it's a skin color thing?...doesn't your food grow from dirt something that is black and brown and you eat it! Lets not forget the sh*t that falls out of your booty hole comes in many shades of healthy browns/blacks... when it comes out a different color you get scared and run to a doctor...and beg them to make it brown again! Lol I Crack myself up)... This is an observation people chill... the sight of black/brown people thriving and remembering their culture and how to grow out their own hair... reminds Samjaza of what he did to his beloved Eve. God forbid they look like his original Queen and haunt him. You're welcome black people, let racial slurs bother you no more and let's move on.

The Original Harriet Tubman was White.

Angels only answer to Melchizedek...so don't waste your money on things like spellwork to try and conjure them...its a deaf ears kind of thing. They can however interact with humans and show them signs as well.

etc etc...

Phoenix Mosheh is Ethnicity Neutral aka not racist ...but sorry if we offend you in some way shape or form...you all are very sensitive, especially when it comes to Cultural Appropriation and Gender...he she they them it...who you currently think you are...does not affect my life... just don't try and steal someone's identity out of jealousy, like the basic betch that gets dragged on this blog. Otherwise...Phoenix Mosheh prefers to mind our own businesses..

...although we may suggest some things within this blog regarding gender or race at the end of the day ...you don't have to believe in what others believe in...in order to listen to someone's point of view...not hate them...and move on with your life unbothered...

You will find that Phoenix Mosheh also uses a variety of ethnicities and cultures and curse words (not curses...curse words) ...this is to debunk untruths about God and who He can and will use to get a message across... it also makes our enemies who can't stand watching certain ethnicities "angry, irate and sick to their stomachs." We love making our enemies sit and suffer...and if they don't sit through it and suffer... they are still going to suffer because this is information whether they define it as ghetto or not. The truth is the truth no matter who it comes from.

Besides... How do you defeat an opponent without information about them? Phoenix Mosheh suggests even if you don't agree with what Phoenix Mosheh has to say... as an intellectual... Phoenix Mosheh believes it's important to study things you don't believe in...like witches or magic...because you don't want to be caught blind from an attack you don't believe in...(at least with some information on the topic... your brain could at least form the concept that maybe...the attack is coming from something you probably didn't believe in. Phoenix Mosheh studies all of you and honestly, we see a lot of stupid things people believe in and we just keep it in the "perhaps this information will be necessary one day to win wars."

(by the way it's not just white people who are racist...you have black and brown shades from all cultures/and ethnic backgrounds who have colorism brainwashing and they can do this delusional trick where... they look in the mirror and think certain racist commentary wouldn't apply to them... (recommendation for those who are sadly mistaken: replace your mirror).

We also like to reveal encrypted messages from Heaven...like this.. you kind of have to seek and you will find on this blog people...stop being lazy...this is a group project and you all are sleeping like you don't have technology. Moses and the tribes back then had it wayyyyy worse than you all...like what are you doing?

Don't tell me you all are somehow slower than people who took gold from their ears and made a cow to worship it...no offense India...(i'm going to throw a Band-aid in the air because I know that hurt somebody) ... On the bright side...Phoenix Mosheh prefers Bollywood over Hollywood! And India thank you for keeping Rebekahs fashion alive ...those nose rings are still in style. Oh...and Rachel. Jacob's wife would also like you all to know her name is pronounced Raquel.

Why didn't Phoenix Mosheh use more religious music artist throughout this blog (like Lecrae or Kari Jobe) we appreciate it truly, but Phoenix Mosheh is trying to prove a point; God can use anyone...even those that don't believe or preach the word of God. So be careful who you are following...if it could happen to a Melchizedek, it can happen to you. (Phoenix Mosheh is not asking anyone to commit violent acts in anyway unless provoked and your laws permit it. Phoenix Mosheh's' first line of defense is to fight in the spirit... (so you don't leave fingerprints) this is just a blog to inform and educate.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Happy Rude Awakening!

If only you were here; Hwang Yeji (ITZY)

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Summary: Yeji was the leader, she couldn't afford to be seen being anything less than perfect for the role. No crying, being sad, or feeling any kind of negativity. But she's only human, and being human means letting your emotions run through you.

Requested? ☒

"Miles away from seeing you."

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She was exhausted. Today's schedule was nothing but hectic, from interviews to filming for music videos. All Yeji had wanted to do was be with her girlfriend, to have her take away the stress, to run her fingers through her hair, to hold her like doing so was the only thing keeping her together. But with Y/N visiting her hometown? The best she could do was a facetime.

She loved her job, her members, and their MIDZYs. She really does. But sometimes the high life takes more from you than it gives. Lately her girls have been facing prejudiced hate from a bunch of ruthless people online. Lia was being branded as "Lazy" and it made the leader's blood boil, among all five of them Lia was the one who spends the most time in the practice room, especially when she has trouble with some of the choreography. She remembers a memory of theirs that included Lia almost passing out of exhaustion in the practice room, Yeji herself wasn't enough to pull the pale and sluggish girl out of there. If Yuna's maturity and hidden stern-ness hadn't reared their heads then she has no doubt that Lia would've ended up in a hospital bed.

Chaeryeong is under fire for "Being Ugly" and all Yeji could do was scoff at the stupidity of the false accusation. Despite Yeji being Y/N's girlfriend, Chaeryeong was the latter's bias. This information had her shocked, Chaeryeong smug, and worst of all: It gave Ryujin a field day. Which resulted in getting the other three members in on teasing her. "Anyone who catches Y/N's eye is fucking beautiful" she mutters to herself. Not to toot her own horn but Y/N has an eye not only for gorgeous looking people, most times those she ends up liking are great people with great personalities. Your ex, Ahn Hyejin of Mamamoo is a damn great example of that.

Another one of her members under fire is Yuna, the baby of their new little family. Knets had a field day when it was found out that the Maknae wasn't originally planned to become a part of ITZY. Jumping on the chance to poke at the youngest's insecurity, thry took to saying that she wasn't good enough to be with them, much less have debuted at all. That's bullshit, and she won't leave room for argument. Yuna is the glue that holds them together, the friend that they can't imagine not having even when they've been a group for less than a year. She stands up to Yeji without being disrespectful when the leader is being too strict or controlling. She pulls Lia out of her workaholic state whenever it starts to become detrimental instead of beneficial. She is the one carrying Ryujin's ass whenever the latter thinks her dad jokes are funny. She's the one to calm Chaeryeong down backstage whenever the latter is feeling nervous, anxious or on the verge of a breakdown.

Ryujin's a reliable friend through and through, but if the fate of the world was decided by the rapper's ability to tell a funny joke? Yeji bets that they all would've died ages ago, she's better at joking around with actions than she is with words. Which leads to some people labeling some of Ryujin's actions as "Bullying". Yeji admits to herself that, yes. To the untrained eye it does seem as if Ryujin's the type, she has the face of a villain when she wants to look intimidating after all. But the rapper is also the softest person she has ever known in her life, testified by the one time they had a pillow fight in the dorm. In the heat of the moment, Ryujin's slipper got thrown and it knocked a Lizard dead off their wall. The pillow fight abruptly ended with four members trying to make her feel less guilty over the critter's untimely death.

Lia interjected that had the moment been captured on camera, some MIDZYs would be making a meme of how they'd like to be that "Lucky" lizard. Ryujin cried harder, because the lizard was not at all "Lucky" in her opinion.

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Yeji was so lost in her own thoughts and so fatigued that she didn't even realize that she had finished changing from her performance outfit to the clothes she wore before clocking in for work. It was only when she had closed the door to her dorm room did she realize how tired she actually was. She was thankful she had been given her own room instead of bunking with someone else again, she's not too sure she could make it up in a bunk bed if she was still roommates with someone.

She crashes onto the bed and pulls out her phone. Most days she would get some shut eye and just facetime her girlfriend in the morning, but at the moment she thinks she'll end up in a mental ward if she goes another second without hearing her Y/N speak. So despite the fact that she can't feel her legs anymore and that her eyelids are growing heavier by the second, she calls.

Ring

Ring

Ring

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Ring

Ring

Ring

You're pulled from the coziest and most comfortable sleep you've fallen into for the night by a constant ringing. You rub your eyes and turn towards your nightstand where your phone is located. "Who in their right fucking mind would be calling at this hour?" You grab your phone and the caller photo snaps you out of your mood before you even see the caller's name.

You hurriedly turn on your lamp on the nightstand and then proceeded to hit answer. "YEJ- whoa, not that I'm unhappy to see you but you look like you should be asleep instead. You look tired as hell Yej. Did you eat yet? How about water? Please stay away from dehydration and be sure to drink regularly." Yeji smiles at you, with her eyes drooping every now and then. "Yeah, I should be asleep but I just missed you so much I couldn't sleep without seeing you first."

You sit up and lean against the head board instead of laying down, your worry increasing tenfold. "What's wrong?" Yeji knows how to prioritize her health first and she never calls you half asleep because she had always claimed that you deserved nothing less than her full attention. She never calls you half asleep unless she's alarmingly close to losing her composure. Her eyes widen as soon as the question leaves your mouth, and a sniffle makes its way through the line. She burried her face in her arm and struggles with wanting to tell you and wanting to fake being strong with you.

You sense the dilemma within your girl and you refuse to let her carry this alone. "Hey, I'd never force you to spill. But I am always gonna be here to listen to your troubles. I already know how strong you are, you've got nothing more to prove. Let it out and I'll be here to support you." Yeji's resolve crumbles and she cries as she tells you everything that's been weighing her down today. She cries because of the unfairness of it all, she cries about how she can't protect her girls, she cries about how she wants nothing more than to wrap them up in a hug and not let go until they're all better but the girls just like their leader want to seem strong and untouchable for each other.

Yeji cries about how she wishes she was with you instead of working, she cries about how guilty she feels for sometimes wishing that they never had to go through the unfairness that the idol life had to offer, she cries about how she feels like she's disappointing the MIDZYs for feeling as she feels. She cries because it's just the start of their journey and she's already so tired. She cries because it's the only way she knows how to get rid of the stress, even if it's just a temporary solution.

What hurts you the most is that she doesn't look at you as she says this. You're a MIDZY after being Yeji's girlfriend and it you don't miss the way she chokes up even more when she said she feels like she's disappointing the fandom. You let your girlfriend let it all out before taking a moment to pull yourself together, and then you speak.

"I can't and I won't tell you that I understand how you feel as an Idol because I'm not one. But as a MIDZY, I can and I will tell you that you were born to be the leader of ITZY, no one else could step up to that role as well as you do even if they tried. Tell the girls I told you to let the haters run their mouths, because we MIDZYs know that each and every one of you brings something special to the table. ITZY isn't ITZY if it doesn't have Hwang Yeji, Choi Jisu, Shin Ryujin, Lee Chaeryeong and Shin Yuna as the members. You girls are a fucking unit and you are all strong enough to knock those bitches speechless."

You stare at Yeji the whole time and notice that although her body has stopped shaking, her tears are still making their way down her cheeks. You take in every detail of her face and wish with everything within you that you were there with her to wipe her tears and hold her close. In your opinion, words aren't enough but you suppose due to the distance between you two that you've gotta work with what you have at the moment. Right now all you have are feelings and words.

"Now as your girlfriend." Yeji's head adjusts enough that you could see half of her face, but the other half still remains buried in her arm. "I'm telling you that you can never disappoint me." She chuckles in humor before turning her gaze away from her phone. "You don't know that, I'm not perfect-"

"I never said you were."

Silence sits between the two of you. Not once in your whole relationship had you intentionally interrupted Yeji when she was speaking, you strongly believed that everyone deserved a chance to speak their piece. But that had exceptions. Such as now. "I never said you were perfect, because you're not. You're human and you have your flaws but believe me when I say that you could never disappoint me, despite the fact that humans weren't designed to be perfect you still work on yourself everyday trying to polish all the rough edges, trying to better yourself not for anyone or anything but yourself because you really want to be better than you were in the past. How could I be disappointed in someone as noble as that?"

You notice that she's now actively fighting to keep her eyes open and you smile. "You okay for now?" She nods and you continue. "Then go to sleep, God knows you both need and deserve a good night's rest. I'll call you back tomorrow when you wake up, so you can tell me about everything else your sleep addled brain forgot to tell me tonight."

Yeji uncovers the other half of her face and eyes stare at her screen that shows your face, now more than ever she wishes she was there with you, to thank you and hold you for everything you've said and for the way you've calmed her down. She promises herself that once you meet back up in person, she'll make it up to you. But for now words will have to do.

"Thank you Y/N. I love you."

Your smile grows wider and Yeji swears she's ready to make a fool out of herself just to ensure that that smile never fades away from your face. You take your a moment to memorize the candid details of Yeji's face before replying. "I love you too Yeji. Good night." Both of you wave goodbye and as heavy of an action it was, you take the initiative to end the call because you know that if you left it up to your girlfriend she would never hit that End Call button.

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Yeji places her phone on the nightstand by her bed.

Y/N lies back down properly on the bed.

The two stare straight ahead of them, eyes unfocused.

They take a deep breath before closing their eyes, ignoring the need that courses through their hearts.

"I'll be with her soon enough."

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A/N: I think this is the longest fic I've written on this app? Why the hell is there too little ITZY content on this app? it feels like drought istg 😭😭

The Understudy

Hiya, folks! So, as previously announced, the wlw writing project continues after a break with a miniseries set back in Vienna, one of the iconic capitals of opera at the time of Mozart. An emerging singer gets the chance to be an understudy in the latest Mozart’s discussed opera Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), that  premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna on 1 May 1786, w and play the pants role of the page Cherubino. Preparing for the role doesn’t quite go as planned… .

I took the liberty to add a few Italian words every now and there so here are all the useful translations that might come in handy as you read: cara (dear, female adjective), una meraviglia (a true wonder).

Tagging: @scottishqueer​

Previous wlw miniseries: Ancient Greece, Italian Renaissence, Belle Epoque Paris, Sixties.

Hope you enjoy it: if you do, please consider spreading the word!

____________________________

"So...will you do it?" The voice is calm just like the honeyed smile on her lips, but the look in the primadonna's eyes is unmistakable: the great Adriana Ferrarese can't wait to see me out of the door. She's a seasoned professional, she knows how to conceal her displease but I'm not dumb: a jewelled hand rested over Da Ponte's tight and eyes following every single move I make, every single breath I take, she's clearly conveying that my presence is no longer welcome here. It never was, I think: it surely wasn't her idea to invite me here today! Has she tried to dissuade the Maestro from summoning me, I wonder? I'm surprised she failed: you know what they say, feminine wiles can work miracles on men, make them change their minds like a vain girl changes clothes yet...here I am. And she's fuming underneath her well practiced poise. Poor Ferrarese, my blonde curls, my youth must be a threat to her especially in front of him. Ah, I knew that the rumours were true: she's the Italian operatic librettist's mistress! Cunning little devil...of course she gets all the best roles now. Before everyone else.

I join her game and pretend not to notice the subliminal messages she keeps throwing me. I fan myself nonchalantly, pondering the offer I've just received. I am a bit confused: I really don't know what to think of it or how to take it. "Let me get this straight, Maestro" I say, ignoring her and addressing Da Ponte. "You beg me to come here with great haste and ask me to be a last minute understudy for a...page role?" I may not be as famous as his mistress but it's an insult! True, my career hasn't reached its peak yet but I'm not the new girl desperate to get a role: I have adoring admirers throwing flowers and screaming my name whenever I walk into the stage after the grand finale. Who does he think he's talking to? He must understand my disappointment because he's quick to reassure me. "Miss Constanze, Cherubino is not a simple page" he smiles apologetically. "The whole opera revolves around the world of counts and servants, you know Herr Mozart is an innovator, an unconventional spirit...if I remember correctly, you have already worked with him" "Correct" I concede. I'm curious to see where this is going, how he will convince me to accept this. "Well, this new opera has already been a success and trust me: the people of Vienna won't tire of it anytime soon! And the role we kindly asked you to be an understudy for is the most loved by our audience, I assure you. Ask around if you don't believe me: those who attended the opera are head over heels for the Count's page, they recall his scenes, sing his arias underneath their breath...the audience is crazy for him! That's why we couldn't ask just anyone to replace the original singer, but only a refined, talented woman like you, Miss Konstanze" There's a note of pride in his voice. I must give him, it's not surprising that there servant or unconventional roles in Mozart's operas - in The Abduction from the Seraglio I played one of the harem girls - but by the brief description he gave me of the plot I cannot bring myself to understand how the audience can fall in love with a page who doesn't even have an aria for the whole third act and is constantly sidelined. It doesn't make sense: it's a recipe for oblivion to my ears. But he's right: the Wedding is the talk of the town so I should probably say yes anyway, even if no, I don't enjoy the idea of being sidelined. I mean, we all want to glow on stage and bask in the light and audience's adoration. We want their applauses meant for us alone, ringing in our ears when the curtains raise for one last blessed time, we want flowers thrown at us, we want glory. And I am not sure this Cherubino will be my ally on that front if there are two major romances in the main plot already. And even if the audience showed a liking for the page, well I must remember I am not the first singer so my performance will not avoid comparisons. The Maestro speaks again, derailing my line of thoughts. "You see, dear Miss Constanze, Cherubino is not a main character yet he is essential to the plot: without him the whole story wouldn't make sense! One could say that he bears the comedic side of the opera over his young shoulders and even if he doesn't get as many arias as other characters, oh, his are as sweet as cherries, una meraviglia! No wonder the audience loves him...and the restricted number of arias to study might help you prepare properly within such a short notice if you kindly offer your help-" "I would have prepared properly even if I had the double amount of arias within such a short notice, caro Maestro" I interrupt him, just in case he forgot who he is talking to, again. He bows his head, dramatically placing a hand on his heart in display of apology. "But of course, your outstanding professionalism is not questioned here, Miss. To prove it, let me tell you that Herr Mozart was particularly happy when I suggested your name for poor Dorotea's understudy". His mistress' smile is now so tight I have to summon every ounce of professionalism to refrain myself from bursting into a loud insolent laughter. "That's incredibly kind of you, Maestro: I really don't know how to thank you" I purr instead, unable to resist: how could I miss a chance to tease - and piss off! - the primadonna? La Ferrarese throws me a side look I will never forget: I wonder if she has a dagger hidden underneath her skirt and will chase me in the streets in the heat of jealousy when I turn my back at her. Sounds like a scene out of one of those Italian operas, I consider, amused. Do Italians do that offstage too? She only has to dare though: I am younger than her and I have claws too. "Say yes then, Miss" he proposes, radiant. "If you ask me, Herr Mozart thinks you are the best choice and the perfect Cherubino. Say yes, cara Constanze". His face is an expectant plea and I have a feeling that if his mistress wasn't here, he would be begging me on his knees to accept this role. Honestly, I don't know what to make of Herr Mozart's comment about me being just "perfect" to pass for a boy...am I not feminine enough for him in my skirts, tight corset and jewellery a wealthy admirer keeps giving? Whatever. That man is a genius maybe but he's certainly a weirdo. But I think I should accept: it's not the most flattering offer but no one reached the top without taking an understudy role at least once. And so here I am, a week later, in the room of one of Da Ponte's personal friends and composer to help me prepare for the new performance. I don't have much time, not even a month, but his flattery won me. I can do this. I must admit that I'm secretly happy to know that Herr Mozart won't direct the new revivals: he's a brilliant composer and musician but I still remember his wandering hands. I don't think any woman who worked with him - or simply has been around him for more than a bunch of minutes, I wager - got away without a pinch or a breast squeeze. I fail to understand why so many girls fall madly in love with him or at least confess they can't resist his charm. Even his wife still giggle like a child and melt in front of his "Wolfie", despite his endless and well known - and rather squalid, if you ask me - affairs! I mean, not that this Melchiorri is any different: by the so very discreet looks he keeps throwing at my décolleté or by the way his hands linger a bit too much on my hips when he insists to fix my posture, I bet he wouldn't mind me as his mistress. Another lecherous wop, excellent. I've been around so many by now that I know them by heart: honeyed words, usually blabs a lot in a dreamy voice of how they miss Venice or whatever dear hometown they come from and how much you remind them of this or that flower or woman of their childhood. Too many compliments, strong accent hoping you would fall for their exoticism, fine clothing. Just like Mr. Melchiorri. He's from Milan and is a close friend of Salieri. Sometimes I cannot help but wonder if we let too many Italians here in Vienna: sadly, so far they rule the world of the opera and our Emperor is head over heels for them. Ah, better not tell the Empress> she might throw ond hell of a jealousy tantrum! Melchiorri is very gallant, almost regal even if he loses his composure when he speaks of music. He often asks to excuse his passionate temperament with an apologetic smile but I can't shake my mind that this is just a subtle hint to another passionate temperament he would die to show me if the lingering stares he gives me, mesmerised, as I bite the Italian delights he has ready for me - "delivered directly for you, mia cara, from Italy" - every time I visit him for our private sessions are any indication. They're chestnut chocolate truffles with a pinch of brandy, I wager, covered in withe chocolate with a ruby cherry on top. They're called "capezzoli di Venere", that is nipples of Venus, he revealed one day, a mischievous smile on his face: he was probably hoping to shock me or see me blush profusely. Instead, I barked out a laughter and took a generous bite. I regretted it when he bit his lip clearly refraining himself for making another move. But at least he's a good teacher, I make progresses fast. I've been around too many Melchiorris and Herr Mozarts to be bothered. I mean, obviously I'm bothered that most men thinks we opera singers are just harlots in fancier dresses when we broke our backs studying languages, music and singing hard since a very early age. We didn't sacrifice the best years of our lives only to be mistaken for mannequins with a melodious voice when we sing the arias they wrote. But that's what it is and I must focus now. And it's so difficult at times with men like these. Just like when one day the door of his studio slams open out of the blue while I'm rehearsing an aria and a little boy of three, four years maybe runs inside laughing. He's visibly proud of evading whoever was asked to look after him. True to his "passionate temperament", Melchiorri is suddenly furious. He barely looks at the child and shouts out the name of the unfortunate servant before profusely apologise to me. A terrified young maid comes running and soon chaos takes hold of the room: Melchiorri alternates between tight apologetic smiles in my direction and not so gallant curses he thinks I do not understand to the the poor maid who chases the cheeky little boy with great effort but little success. I must admit it's rather amusing even if I'm wasting my time. Suddenly I have an idea. When finally the maestro shuts up to catch breath, I sing an impromptu elaborate thrill at full voice. The little boy freezes and turns towards in awe while the maid wraps her arms around him: caught! Melchiorri needs a moment to process what happened while the girl flashes me a quick, grateful smile. "There, emergency solved" I announce, beaming. "Can we proceed now, Maestro?"

Conversations: 8

[Finally had an idea for another one. Cheesy and cliche at the end but you know what, I’m weak for them, alright. All I can say is it’s about damn time.]

Vegeta touched down just outside the area the Gerudo set aside in the middle of the desert for their festival. When Nabooru had extended the invitation to him and promised plenty of sparring, food, and drink, the chosen location confused him as he figured they had plenty of room to hold it in their community’s square. However, once he took flight, he understood; he could see the flames of a sizable bonfire stretching toward the stars from his home miles away. 

The scent of food wafted on the light breeze toward him and made his stomach rumble. He could hear music, chatter, and laughter coming from the flame-illuminated figures milling and dancing around the area, as well as the distinct sounds of battle in the distance. Ki flared in a multicolored spectrum against the black sky, clashing together with planet-quaking force.

He had doubted Nabooru’s description of their festival, assuming she exaggerated or supplied him with a palatable description to lure him there. Yet another knee-jerk expectation due to his past dealings with others, even though she had yet to lead him astray in such an underhanded manner just to get him to attend some function or another.

No sooner had he stepped into the halo of firelight was he accosted by three Gerudo in their upper teens if not barely out of them. The triplets. Nabooru had mentioned them and he had spotted them once or twice at her tournament helping out with this or that. Though children when they migrated to Earth, she said they had been the best in the tribe with a bow, and their deadly accuracy followed into their ki training. 

"I told you he'd come," one of them bragged, hands on her hips. "I bet he wanted to see how strong the rest of us are since only Nabooru, Valis, and Avira got to enter the Warrior Games."

"Or he really does have a thing for Nabooru," the middle one chimed in, ogling him with that slack smile and gleam in her eyes of a hopeless romantic. "Everyone can see they--"

Vegeta felt his cheeks burn, and a growl rumbled in his throat, impatience beginning to get the better of him. "How about the two of you stop blathering on like he's not standing right there?" The third shot her sisters a glare, obviously noticing the Saiyan's agitation. "Sorry about them."

"At least one of you isn't hopeless," he said, folding his arms. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood. What do you want? Make it quick before that changes."

"We were hoping you would spar with us," the third answered. Vadya, maybe. That or Nadya or Zadya. This was the first time he had met them for more than a passing moment; he was surprised he remembered their names even if he couldn't attach them to the proper Gerudo. "As the eldest, I was thinking I could go first but--"

"No way, Vadya! I beat you earlier fair and square! I'm going first!"

The fire in the two sisters' eyes when they squared off to face each other, their obstinate expressions, Vadya opening her mouth to prepare another retort...Vegeta could see the annoying route this conversation was headed. He was not about to listen to a trio of Gerudo siblings bicker over who got the honor of fighting him first.

"All three of you. At once." Three pairs of yellow eyes snapped to him, mild surprise etched in their expression. "Nabooru says you fight best together. I don't need you wasting my time three times over."

They exchanged glances and slow smiles lit their features one by one. The first pumped her fists in the air and whooped, feet leaving the sand to levitate a foot above it. "I knew you were cool! Vadya, Nadya, let's go!" The other two joined their sister. "Catch us if you can!"

The prince watched them take off into the night, a triad of white-pink auras darting toward a space between the other battling Gerudo. He waited a few seconds more before speeding off after them. 

--------

Nabooru returned to the festival with a grin on her painted lips, basking in her victory over Avira, whom she left to lick her wounds before she, too, would rejoin the festivities. No sooner had Valis read off the last name of the Gerudo who had fallen when Hyrule ambushed them, the Soldier's Bane had challenged her to a spar, wasting no time. Nabooru was simply grateful this and other requests were made for the betterment of their skills rather than to unseat her as leader of the Gerudo and question her ability to lead them. She could enjoy them far better without the weight of either hers or her fellow Gerudo's impending death hanging over her. And Avira's own skill and growth always impressed the former leader...she just typically kept it to herself to keep it from going to the other's head.

Aveil found her and shoved a drink in her hand. "Welcome back. That was longer than expected."

"I fought on her level longer than usual. You know, let her think she had me beat a few times, enjoyed the work out." She took a sip of the citrus cocktail, it's strength hidden behind the sweet flavor and sunny coloration. "She wasn't quite as mad about me toying with her. Had she been drinking while Valis recited?"

Aveil snorted. "Couldn't say. I was nodding off."

"Disrespectful."

"I spent all day setting this up. You do that and try to stay awake while someone reads a bunch of names.” Aveil took a generous gulp of her own drinks. “Some of us didn’t spend the better part of the day cavorting with our boyfriend.”

Nabooru rolled her eyes. Her former second in command had always teased her about her arrangement with the Saiyan prince since their sparring began. While it used to be once in a while, she had dug her heels in on the insistence on their relationship status. “I was training with Vegeta who isn’t my boyfriend.”

“Mm, you know I won’t argue with you. The guy lived with you and you didn’t even make a move. Have you even kissed him? Held his hand? Touched knees sitting next to him?”

“Ever think that I don’t want to do any of those things?”

“No, because you’re the one that lies to herself. Everyone knows you at least want to sleep with him. And you should just do it because it will do you both a world of good.”

Nabooru drained her drink and circled around Aveil for another. She snatched it off the table and took a sip. If she knew Aveil was going to grill her all night, she would have chugged down several drinks instead of sparring with Avira. “Okay, say you were right about me. Whose to say he wants to sleep with me?”

“Seriously?” Aveil laughed and bent over double. When she stood again, she wiped fake tears from her eyes. “I can maybe believe that you don’t but I’ve never seen anyone check you out as much as he does. I can’t count how many times I’ve caught him staring at your chest.”

“That’s because they’re at eye level for him and...you know what? I’m done with this conversation,” huffed Nabooru, considering challenging Aveil to a spar just to get some semblance of revenge. She turned her attention to the distance, pinpointing Vegeta’s energy among the triplets’. “He would take on all three of them.”

“They bombarded him as soon as he got here. I’m surprised he agreed since they’re not you. Guess they wanted a chance before he spotted you and you both disappeared somewhere.” Aveil grinned in the face of Nabooru’s withering glance. The three energies in question lowered to near nothing before heading back toward the festival. 

The triplets veered off toward another group of Gerudo that included Zana she noted with some humor and Vegeta landed in front of the pair of them. Aveil greeted him with a waggle of her fingers. “Hey, Vegeta. We were just talking about you.” She patted Nabooru’s shoulder with her free hand and winked. “I’ll leave the two of you alone.”

Nabooru watched her leave, glad she spared them both any more of her perverted goading. “How was your spar with the triplets?” Grabbing a bottle of liquor, she poured it into the glass and handed it over, knowing the sweet cocktails wouldn’t suit his tastes. “I’m a little disappointed they couldn’t even get you to break a sweat.”

“It was a decent warm up.” He took the drink from her and used the moment to observe the change in her clothing choice. Like the others, she swapped out the Earth style of clothing she typically donned for her people’s traditional wear. The same outfit she wore to her tournament only this time fully adorned with the jewelry he noticed she had paired with it on the mannequin in her closet. Overly showy, but he could not deny the regal effect the outfit offered her. He had opted on the simple dark blue outfit he had also worn at her tournament, but he idly wondered if he should have gone with his armor instead. “Who got you to break one? Avira?”

“Only because I wanted it to last longer than a few minutes.” She headed toward the outskirts of the boundary the rest of the Gerudo had set around the bonfire at the center, knowing Vegeta would follow. Selecting a spot still within range of the fire’s heat, she sat down, one knee bent toward the sky. 

He took a seat next to her. "I guess we're both guilty of toying with our opponents tonight." For good reason; he wanted to see what his opponents could do rather than thrash them immediately as he could have. He watched as a group of Gerudo struck up a dance of sorts. Another pair sparred without ki or weapons. He found Aveil chatting with the triplets as Zana checked their injuries, minor as they were. "Is there a special reason for all this?"

"Hm?" She had zoned out in the silence, a sideways glance locked on the male beside her. The sharp angles and lines that formed his face, the calm that worked its way into his constant resting scowl. The way the fire’s light and shadow played over it. The musculature of his bare arms and toned legs, still apparent in his usual skin tight pants. Damn Aveil putting thoughts in her head…

"You mean the festival?" Nabooru chuckled. "Guess it depends who you ask at this point. We try to hold this one at least once a year to honor those that fell back on Hyrule and celebrate their lives. Someone more religious like Valis would tell you it was also to honor our goddesses. Then Aveil would tell you it's just an excuse to drink, dance, and fight." She conveniently left off the additional answer her former second would give; her mind was already out to betray her.

"If all your festivals are this way, the fighting already makes them better than what Earthlings define as a party, a real reason for it or not." He lifted the glass to his lips and took a swig. "From what I remember, what few celebrations we were still allowed when I was a child were similar. Nappa said they were toned down because Frieza found them barbaric, so they compromised with the ones the bastard didn't completely outlaw."

"Sounds like Frieza didn't know how to have fun. But I'm sure he had decided everything Saiyans did was barbaric. At least from what you've told me." She leaned back on one arm. "Hyrule was about the same. They didn't like that we worshipped differently, that our entire culture was different than theirs. They probably feared our potential influence, especially on their women, but they couldn't do much about it besides hiss and bemoan our sinful and 'backwards' ways."

Vegeta grunted. "You wouldn't be wrong. He didn't even like Saiyans letting their tails loose." He remembered the teachings from his childhood, the warnings to always keep it tucked tightly around one's waist. They framed it as protecting the typically sensitive appendage from opponents, since if pulled or squeezed hard enough, it could paralyze a soldier. A fair enough explanation. But by the time his tutors taught him this particularly strange rule of decorum, only fools didn't train their tails to not be a weakness for them. His mother had been the one to tell him the truth of the matter before a visit from Frieza to the palace. He remembered her warnings about being on his best behavior and making doubly sure his tail remained around his waist. The young prince had belligerently asked her why, the effort of maintaining it in one place and the mental discipline it took at that age an annoyance, astutely pointing out that he wouldn't be fighting and his tail posed no threat to him. She had responded bluntly: it offended our overlord to see them freed. He preferred them tucked away and passing for a fuzzy belt.

He relayed this story to Nabooru. "Of course, I had to test her warning. While my father, Nappa, and Frieza were discussing the most recent successes and failures of the army, I used my tail to grab a fruit from the bowl on the table and ate it." He chuckled. "Frieza stopped mid sentence and cleared his throat, nodding toward me. The disgusted look on his face was priceless and worth the lecture afterward.”

“Who knew little baby Vegeta was such a rebel,” said Nabooru, laughing. 

The hint of a smirk curled his lips. “It was reckless. Frieza killed for less and he didn’t discriminate based on age. But it sounded so ridiculous to me I had to know for sure.”

“Either way, I like it. Sounds like something I would have done as a kid. Maybe even now.” She stretched her other leg out to join the other. “That’s the first time you’ve really talked about your mother, though. Do you remember her?”

“Bits and pieces of memories like that one.” He swirled the alcohol in his glass. "She served as a general in the army with Nappa before she married my father. From what I understand, she maintained those duties while serving as queen. Demanded it because she refused to be just a figurehead, according to Nappa. She even refused my father's proposal unless he bested her in combat. I remember watching her fight on a few occasions--spectacularly I might add--and she oversaw a few of my training sessions when she could. She taught me about our history and legends, and the beginnings of war strategy."

"She sounds incredible," Nabooru mused, silently wishing she could have met her. She sounded like the kind of woman and warrior she would respect and look up to, followed by the juvenile, guilty wish that her mother had been similar. A consideration she despised herself for now more than ever. 

“You’ve never talked about your mother, either. Or your father.”

Nabooru could feel Vegeta watching her, but she avoided his gaze to hide her remorse, her sadness. Her thumb traced patterns in the condensation of her glass. “I never knew my father. All I know is he was a merchant, possibly from another country. I’m ashamed to say I wasn’t so proud of my mother for a long time for mostly petty reasons,” she said at last. “She was the tribe’s master seamstress and incredibly talented in her craft. Lanu was actually her apprentice. She raised me the first few years of my life until I was old enough to begin my training and education. She was still a part of my life, but my people took a more ‘it takes a village’ approach to child rearing. For too long, I wished that some other Gerudo was my mother, a warrior like I wanted to be. She could fight, of course, combat training was required of all Gerudo, but she had chosen a different path when she was allowed. It didn’t help that we didn’t see eye to eye on my decisions in life: the dangers of being a warrior in our army, the stress of joining the Elite, my decisions concerning having children of my own. It wasn’t until the last few years before we left Hyrule that I really started trying to fix our relationship.”

Efforts that no longer mattered outside of a temporary alleviation of regret when she dwelled on her mother and her fate for too long. “The last time I saw her was during the attack. We had been forced back into the fortress, the labyrinthine nature of it all that bought us time. She was actually the one to come up with the idea that saved us.” Nabooru nodded to the other Gerudo. Laughing. Dancing. Sparring. Happy, or so she hoped. “She volunteered to lead a group of mostly elder Gerudo toward the enemies encroaching on the room we had holed up in. I tried to argue, but she and a few others pointed out that a smaller group would have a better chance at escaping to the desert, and if anyone should survive, it should be the younger women. They would stage a final assault to give us a chance to escape out the room’s other exit since the Hylians knew the last of us had hidden away together. While a risk, it banked on their perceived victory blinding them to the rest of us escaping. It worked.”

At the cost of her mother and many great Gerudo women, all of which she knew personally in some regard or another. She bit her lip hard and swallowed to keep her tears at bay as their faces surged to the forefront of her memory. For years she wondered how many of their attackers they took down with them before succumbing to their overwhelming numbers. What her mother’s last moments looked like, her last thoughts. Had her daughter made her as proud as Nabooru was of her and a courage she didn’t know the seamstress possessed?

Vegeta allowed the silence between them to stretch onward, both to respect the woman’s old wounds and to consider if he had anything verbal or otherwise to offer her. He struggled to process and maintain his own grief, and simply witnessing others’ despair if not directly caused by him was a new avenue for him entirely. Hers at least felt familiar, relatable to him.

“That’s something the two of you share,” he said at last. Her questioning gaze met his, one eyebrow lifted. “You both are passionate about your people and would sacrifice everything to keep them alive. Perhaps you’re not as different from her as you thought.”

The fact that Vegeta spoke at all surprised her. She had shared the tale with him because he asked and perhaps to simply verbalize it for the first time since it happened and her own benefit. The response was insightful over sympathy she didn’t want from him, one she could appreciate and a consideration that did make her feel better and coaxed the easy smile back to her painted lips.

“I hadn’t thought of it that way.” Her smile widened to a cheeky grin. “Who knew you could be so thoughtful. Guess you are a really good listener.”

“Oh, shut up. I was pointing out the obvious,” he groused, though he could not deny the warmth in his chest upon seeing her face light up once more, the fire in her eyes and her smile returning. A novelty of emotion for him, but he reveled in the pride of the fact that he revived them. 

He finished his liquor in a single gulp and rose to his feet. “Let’s go. I was promised fighting, and a single spar isn’t going to cut it.” He tossed the glass in the air and blasted it, the dust sparkling in the firelight on its descent to the sand. “Or did you think you were off the hook because we already trained together today?”

Nabooru followed his lead and dusted the sand from the seat of her pants. “I was just waiting for you to ask me like a proper gentleman.” Another swig of her own drink emptied the glass, and she disposed of it in similar fashion. “Lead the way, your highness.”

With a roll of his eyes, Vegeta took to the sky once more and flew away from the festivities. He chose a spot far enough away from the bonfire and revelers as well as the other fights to allow them plenty of space. He descended and landed, Nabooru touching down feet from him. “Are you ready? Or do I need to wait for you to warm up or something?”

“I just need to do one thing.” Once more, she was at a loss on who or what to blame for her actions. Alcohol. Aveil. The Saiyan standing before her. The urge had hit her before they took to the sky with more potency, more determination, than before as a mere passing thought. Out here they had privacy, something she assumed he would appreciate (and that she might, too, if the gesture took a wrong turn). A risk she had considered, and one she finally decided she was ready to take. Waiting for him to make the first move had become too agonizing, so against her nature.

Nabooru rested a hand on his cheek and the other on his shoulder, noting only a habitual tense of muscles over a full drawing back from her touch. Bolstered by the lack of spurning and the notion she had come too far not to see it through, she dipped down and pressed her lips to his, her hand on his shoulder gliding to the back of his neck. It was hard, near painful, to hold back once the connection was made. To maintain the slight space between their bodies and keep her fingers from threading into his hair. To not let her passion consume her and convince her to deepen the kiss beyond one meant to test the boundaries and risk pushing him away rather than drawing him closer. 

Such care in mind, she pulled away after a few moments, her reluctance displayed in how her lips lingered a breath away from his, biting her lower lip. Through half-lidded eyes, she observed his face, heart racing in her chest in an anxiety she hadn’t felt in decades. However, the corner of her mouth twitched up in a slight smirk at the sight of his reddened cheeks and hooded eyes, the expression caught between surprise and desire.

Just as she shifted to straighten back up, Vegeta growled and his expression flashed to a frustrated glower. Gloved hand shot out and seized the oversized ruby resting against her chest, and he yanked her back down to his level, crashing their lips back together. He cupped her face with one hand while the other gripped her hip, felt her arms drape over his shoulders and her hands cling to his shoulder blades. He greedily relished her taste, the sweetness of her drink that still clung to her lips and her natural flavor. Her warmth. The delighted moan that caught in her throat when he forced their bodies closer. 

He had never cared much for kissing. A formality at best or a natural occupation for the lips during sex. But when they were forced to separate, to breathe, he found for the first time (as far as he could remember) he hadn’t wanted that one to end.

If her mind hadn’t clouded over in bliss and muddled her thoughts, she would have come up with a clever quip about their height difference or a teasing remark about how desperately he pulled her back to him or an inquiry about how long he had been waiting to do that. But all she could focus on in that moment was his touch at her hip and how his thumb traced the boundary between flesh and fabric. How he tasted and the delightful tingle left behind on her lips from the force of the kiss. The places where their bodies connected. The rise and fall of his chest beneath her shifted hand and the feel of the hard muscle beneath. Maybe she shouldn’t have put this off so long…

Finally, Nabooru stepped back, fingers trailing over his arms for that last bit of contact. “I think I’m ready now.”

Vegeta shifted into a fighting stance, a smirk on his lips. “Very well. Come at me, then.”

Chapter 1

She was perched on the rooftop like a bird would perch if birds perched on this particular rooftop. Except they didn`t. Birds avoided this particular rooftop because they knew she perched there. It was almost out of respect for her two leggedness of perching.

She stared into the street before a crowd of people had begun to form. Soon there would be too many. And so, she betook herself off from perching to sliding down the roof and then to the gutter and then to falling off. She had to fall just right and so she waited.

Two nights previously the Abegaineo Family had sat down to have a conference. It was to discuss who, if anyone wanted the job would become head of the family.

 It was an annual discussion, that generally ended up with a vacant chair. 

Mostly it was an opportunity to come together to discuss what had happend during the past year and have a rather nice party. Introductions for marriage were also discussed where necessary for family continuity was paramount. Each branch carefully chosen. But bloodlines always from outside the family. No one who was not family could attend. And this meant no one who was not family usually had no clue they were under discussion.

If rejected then the rejected one would never see or hear from his or her potential mate every again. There were rules in place for a reason. 

Everyone took the name Abegaineo once chosen. No one ever left the family. Death was the only exit, but at this point even Death knew better than to take any within their ranks. 

They all just took up positions “Elsewhere” it was just how it worked. 

Those who had known when the chair had been filled had long since gone “elsewhere”. No one was here who remembered at this particular gathering. 

There was light music coming from the ballroom. It had a slightly eerie edge as though something was a little off kilter. Listen too long and it could set your teeth on edge. Listen longer and the need to start a fight grew. After that it was too late and usually involved rubber rooms. 

Chapter 2 

Two days later and outside, the percher was close to falling. And so she did. The person who caught her however, was not who she was expecting to catch her.

One step back and two streets over the intended catcher walked on oblivious. She had been redirected by a series of events that did not seem contrived, but in fact were. 

The recipient of the falling girl was surprised and not delighted. He had been carrying a painting at arms length so as not to bend or break it. So his arms had been extended in the correct position for falling into.  The girl did not yet know it was the wrong person. 

The painting fell out of his hands at the exact moment she hit. And a bunch of expletives followed after. The girls pride was a little hurt. The mans anger and concern for the painting over the person, put her back up. She stood up quickly enough and was about to lay into him when she really noticed his eyes, and then his hands which once again were holding the painting. 

“She apologised. She actually apologised” 

Across the street hidden in shadow Hecate stood talking to her companion, a sparrow. The bird perched on Hecate`s shoulder. “But it was the wrong one” he shrilled. “Where has Nona got to?Nona was supposed to catch her! This took bloody weeks to set up  and it`s all but banjaxed, I`m going to check up on Nona” and the sparrow flew off. 

Nona had wandered into a Cafe she sat looking out at the people walking past as she sipped her coffee. they all had the same bored expression. “Ruddy Robots”. She sighed and got up after finishing and continued down the street. 

A sparrow flew past her head and hit a window, it fell to the ground. 

Nona had not seen it. She was walking without really paying attention the projects in her head were outweighing the noises surround her, the people were a blur. 

A sparrow flew right past her and it a window, it fell to the ground.

She did not see it. 

The third time it happened and Nona ignored it the sparrow flew off muttering.

“Did you just say `for fucks sake?`” 

The sparrow came back round and hit a window right in front of her face, and landed on the ground at her feet. She nearly trod on it but instead bent down to pick it up. “Bloody suicidal birds.” she placed it gently on a table. It fluttered its wings pathetically. “Good God you want me to take you home?” Flutter “Ah what the heck. People think I`m nuts anyway” and she picked the sparrow up. “Better find you a box or something.” 

She rooted around in an recycling bin and found an empty box and put the sparrow inside. She continued to root around inside the bin. She found a bit of wood, some bubble wrap and an orange that was close to going mouldy and there was a painting just thrown to one side. The picture intrigued her and the rest she could find a use for.  She carried it all along till she found a spare poly bag floating down the street, then placed most of the items into the bag. 

The box with the sparrow in contained it and the bubble wrap, but no air holes. The sparrow was comfy but pissed off at the lack of air. 

Nona finally made it back to her flat/studio. she opened the box. The sparrow fluttered weakly. “I bet you need water” she said. The sparrow was thinking it could do with a gin sling right about now.

Nona found a pipette. The sparrow was really hopeful when it saw the clear liquid and nearly choked when water went past its beak. 

Chapter 3

Meanwhile Hecate was watching her main charge walk along with the man with the painting still held at arms length. 

Arabat-Lile,better known as Lily, kept pace with the man and his painting. Still apologising, it fell on deaf ears. This man was a nightmare. He tripped over stuff and nearly fell, he bumped into people and got banged a lot. It was only because Lily steered him, that he made it to his destination. A museum. He almost tripped up the stairs but made it inside and down to the store room where he gingerly placed the painting on the floor against a wall. 

He looked around and finally noticed Lily, and almost jumped out of his skin, falling backward. He might at that point, have crushed the painting, but Lily grabbed his arm and pulled him forward, so he fell into her. Once again their eyes met. She saw a flash of light, literally a flash, then it vanished. He saw her face and realised it was symmetrical. Both said “Wow” 

Hecate still hiding in the shadows just said “shit” it was very deep. 

Hecate needed information and quickly. Everything that could have gone wrong “had” gone wrong and she knew nothing about `Calamity` as she had begun to call him. Not his name, nor his purpose, not a damn thing except he couldn't function well at all. As human males went he was ... well ... clumsy.

Lily had managed to get them out of the storeroom and into a cafe on site at the museum. 

“You mean you had no idea you were coming here?” Lily asked

“No, none at all. One minute I was rooting around in an antique shop and the next I found that painting and I knew I had to take it here directly. 

Lily stared at him “It`s a Blue you know.” Calamity raised an eyebrow.

 “Blue as in Ambrose Blue?. There were no known Ambrose Blue paintings left to be discovered unless perhaps it was in a private collection.” Lily said echoing what the curator had said.

The curator who had been passed the painting had been sceptical about its origin. “There are NO Ambrose Blue paintings left around” he snorted at the idea.  And then on closer inspection he had nearly choked and having left a photograph and a paper of ownership with Calamity had whisked it off to be authenticated. 

“if it is a Blue” Lily continued “then it would appear you may be quite well off”

Calamity sipped his coffee carefully “You think?” he asked. “You knew it could be a Blue but to be honest I know very little about art as a rule, I`m more a collector of old Games and consoles. I was rummaging around for an old Nintendo when I found the painting.”

“Games?” Lily asked. The blank look on her face spoke volumes

“You know PS4, Xbox, Nintendo, Game Cube.” He searched her face for signs of her taking the mickey. 

“I`ve played Poker before does that count? Only I wasn`t very good at it and lost to be honest” 

“Where have you been hiding all these years?” Calamity was thunderstruck. “The Moon?”

"wind chimes" + dealer's choice!

Dealer’s choice said that this would relate to Hypatia’s story just from a different perspective. I wanted to write a little more Conner I’m sorry. I hope you enjoy!

The elevator doors open before him, eyes scanning for the placement of the cameras in the building. Blind spot still where it always is, first corner on the left wall and Conner makes a brief stop looking down to the simple cord bracelet it's only embellishments four small periwinkle blue stones, angelite. The magic still reads strong but he’ll have to find the materials to strengthen it soon, I should ask Abe to send what I need on a subscription, he thinks letting out a breath, continuing down the hall. He hated playing babysitter to Tia despite it being the best thing for his mission, hated having to keep everything hidden away, how much easier it would be if he could just tell her. Mostly he hated being this close to people that would sooner see him and those like him gone from the world. They’d never do it themselves though, but they wouldn’t be first in line to help if you were in trouble. A debt was a debt though and Conner would pay it. Zmey only sent Conner here because he was so good at following the rules and keeping his head down. Pristine Alchemist behavior.

Fifth door on the right, glass panel in the off white door, a doorstop keeping it open two inches exactly. He saw her, dark hair with the fading purple and green highlights pulled up into a ponytail, hunched over the table mumbling what he knew to be Greek, the power radiating off of her. Of course Conner would find Tia here, right in what she dubbed the “witchatorium”, avoiding the combat training. Conner slipped in quietly as to not break her concentration, looking over the ingredients and book in front of her, Impressive, she’s making her way up in difficulty. He gave a small smile, crossing his arms and clearing his throat. She didn’t look up at him, but the chanting was coming to an end, “I told you already I’m not making you a potion to get a date, Conner.”

Conner rolled his eyes, “I get plenty of dates, Caro,” he lied, “Just went on one the other day.”

“Spending an extra five minutes ordering at the coffee shop doesn’t count as a date,” she smirked, amused eyes glancing up to him briefly, “Was she cute at least?”

“Who?” Conner walked closer to the table, looking over at what she was channeling her energy into, Spell needs two people ideally, bold of you to try it on your own, he thought having seen his mother perform it once before. 

“You’re date dummy,” Tia couldn’t roll her eyes but Conner could tell it was there, “Was she cute?”

Conner gave a shrug, “She was,” he saw her eyebrow raise in a small nod of acknowledgement, “Not that it should matter to you.” Tia started to repeat the Greek incantation louder this time around, Conner mumbling behind her the magic flowing easily and weaving nondescript with hers. He nudged the next item she needed, a piece of petrified wood from Lesbos, within reach of her. Her eyes focused intently on the gold ring bringing the wood next to it along with a small piece of white quartz, Conner looking for the chimes she would be hitting soon. He let out a breath through his nose seeing it on a shelf just to the right of him, This is why we read through all the instructions Tia. He glanced once more seeing her gaze fixated on the items in front of her, his hand reached up to the small wind chime waiting to hear the right words. 

She started on the fifth line of the incantation, Conner letting his fingers drift through the chimes, their music filling his ears as the melody matched the beat of Tia’s spoken words. The spell was used for protection against curses and hexes, the music of the chimes meant to be uplifting to aid in dispelling the negativity that was brought along. Two people were meant to cast it as one was to help in fending off the gods, the original bringers of curses. Each little component tied to a meaning dating back thousands of years….and looking at the chime he just played it wasn’t the right kind with the right notes. It would work in a pinch sure but the spell wasn’t going to be at full power once all was said and done. 

He suppressed a groan as he grabbed hold of the chimes, the melody stopping abruptly. Conner flinched at the sudden silence, the spell was already screwed up and he just finalized it. He shut his eyes tightly waiting for the tilting feeling that came from a complex spell going wrong, the one Tia didn’t notice as she continued. The feeling never came though, met with just the fading and faint sounds of a wind chime blowing in a summer breeze. Conner slowly opened his eyes, seeing the soft golden light surrounding her. He’d never seen anything like it around another magic user, as he took a step closer the chimes got louder, their sounds muffled and feeling like a softly blurred memory. He listened closer, tuning out her words, the notes playing correctly, but unable to focus on the shape of the wind chime, just a feeling, like it was the right one, the one that was needed for this ritual. 

His breath caught as he admired her, the golden ring around her emphasizing her facial features, soft and full of laughter. The way her eyes turned to a bronze in the sunlight, how her smile brightened in its harshness, dark hair flowing behind her, the laughter….oh the laughter that harmonized with the world and echoed in the vast emptiness of the desert. It was her world and her memories that brought about the music, her happiness personified. He wanted to join her, partake in what she was showing him, his hand reaching out to touch her, falling short as he felt the magic start to dim and recede. Tia finished off the last few steps, her breathing slightly labored as she looked up giving a smile before collapsing to the ground. 

He moved to grab her, stopping her head from making contact with the ground. Her skin glistening with sweat, face having gone pale, Conner reached into the small fridge just below the work station. He pulled out the bottle of fruit punch, she hated the taste of orange juice, moving her to sit up more, the open bottle brought to her lips. Tia took a few sips on instinct before she took hold of the bottle, the contents gone in seconds. The color returned to her face as she moved to grab another bottle, this one disappearing slower. She beamed looking at Conner, “How did it feel getting to second base with a scary and evil witch?” She held her fingers up as if they were claws, Conner rolling his eyes. 

“Glad to see you’re back to normal,” he stood half heartedly making the Alchemist sign against evil on his arm, “Were you successful in your endeavors?”

Tia’s eyes lit up as she stood quickly grabbing the gold ring, smile turning to a frown as she studied the ring. “Sort of I guess,” she sighed, “It’s not as powerful as it could be,” Surprised there’s any power in it at all. She looked back over the instructions, “I wonder where I went wrong.” Conner made a show of reading over her shoulder, her eyes catching him, “You know Greek better than me, right Khaki Pants?”

He opened to protest the nickname, looking down at the wardrobe choice for the day, khakis. “I may,” he leaned back crossing his arms, catching the small camera in the upper right corner, In their line of sight now, “Don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be translating spells that are for frivolous purposes though.”

“Oh come on,” she pleaded, her eyes sparkling, “It’s just one little spell. What’s the harm in that?”

“A lot,” he stated, “It’s bad enough we talk the way we do Caro.”

She rolled her eyes, “Ugh what is with you people?! Nothing more than a bunch of stiffs with backwards beliefs.”

“You’re the one that has something wrong with them,” he spat, the role he played coming back up. The rhetoric he repeated came out with such ease, Conner no longer flinched or gave much thought to it all anymore, “You’ve tainted your soul with this darkness. Might as well have joined the undead.”

Tia’s eyes narrowed, “I know you know that’s not true,” she stepped closer to him, finger soon touching his chest, “that you don’t even believe what they say.” His heart picked up its pace as he backed up out of sight of the camera, “You’re friendlier than the others Conner no matter how much you try to keep up the facade of not caring. Of hating me.”

He stumbled on his words for a second as he looked for the best way to change the subject. “We have to focus on the task at hand,” Conner finally said as she pressed him against a shelf the glass jars clinking, “Working with you and your dark magic is just a necessary evil, much like working with those evil creatures of the night.”

Her eyes, green under the fluorescents, flashed with her pain from his words, Conner’s heart falling, Please don’t cry Tia. I wish I could tell you how much I hate hurting you, “So that’s how it is,” she nodded her jaw tightening, sucking her teeth and stepping back, “Cool. Nice to know.”

“Caro,” he whispered, shaking his head, “it’s-. It’s just how it is. It’s the rules.”

Tia gave a snort, “Always the rules with you.” She looked down shaking her head, “So it’s the rules that say you have to just be an asshole then.” Conner swallowed, straightening himself out, shoulders rolling back, Tia flipped her hair back behind her shoulder, “So what did you come down here for if not to fraternize with the tainted.”

“You missed training,” he said flatly, “I was sent to bring you.”

She bit the inside of her lip, picking up the ring, “Bet they’re still waiting then.” 

Tia made her way to the door, Conner close behind, “You’ll need to change.”

“No thank you,” she grumbled, pushing on the button of the elevator, “They want to train me to fight, I’m gonna do it in the clothing I’d be wearing in a real life situation.” 

“It’s regulation to wear the clothing they’ve provided,” he argued, the door opening, “Besides your clothing is impractical as it is.” They both looked down to her cutoff jean shorts, dark purple tank top, and black Doc Martens, “You wouldn’t be wearing that once you’re in the field.”

“I’m not wearing khaki,” she retorted leaning against the wall, arms crossed, “Doesn’t work with my complexion.” He looked straight ahead giving a quick smirk, “Doesn’t work really well with yours either.”

“Thankfully this is just work wear, Caro,” the elevator dinged, doors opening once more, “I have more colors at home.”

Her eyes went wide, “Bullshit,” she laughed, “I don’t believe you for one second.”

“It’s true,” he shrugged, holding the door open for Tia, “Just never saw me outside of here.”

“See now you gotta take me out so I can,” her smile returned in full force, dimming once seeing Conner’s face, “Let me guess, it’s against the rules.” He nodded, Tia letting out a small groan, “Well guess I gotta find paint swatches and hold them up until I find the colors that work best for you.” He rolled his eyes, half listening to her ramblings as they made their way down to the training center, Tia stopping just outside the door, “Is it sunny outside today?” He nodded, giving a slight tilt to his head, “You think they’ll let me train outside today if I ask nicely?” 

No, they would all claim it was too dangerous, too much of a risk. They couldn’t risk you running away on them. You’re too valuable to them, “Since when do you ask nicely?”

She gave a light punch to his arm, “I can be nice.” Tia looked up to the ceiling, “I just miss the feeling of the sun on my skin is all,” her eyes met Conner’s giving a small smile, “Rules are rules though right?” With that she gave a shrug leaving Conner standing alone in the hallway. He looked around the basement level frowning. I can think of one excuse that might work, he thought, making his way back to the elevator, Could make up for today if I can pull it off.

Okay so, back when I asked for asks for my Ego DnD AU, @lace-maze sent a really good ask a while back asking about why each of the egos chose the characters they did and their playing styles- and I can’t for the LIFE of me find the original anywhere on my blog. ;3;

But! I finished it and I bet it reads horribly but whatever who cares I’m tired- enjoy!

So to FINALLY answer your question, the way I went about choosing what each of the egos would play more or less boiled down to a combo of trying to pick what I think THEY would want to play, and what I figured they would be in the Dungeons and Dragons universe. (wink wonk)

Marvin- Dragonborn Sorcerer

One of the top veterans of the game, he likes to play something with more of a challenge and a lot more mechanics. And since he’s a magician it’s definitely has to deal with magic of some kind (I mean c’mon, he’s already got the aesthetic wardrobe irl for it so why not?). So he’s currently playing a Sorcerer- a magic caster who has the power naturally within him (which ties in his Race for it’s from his draconic bloodline:)

He could have easily chosen his race to be a Tabaxi (a human-cat like hybrid), but he already got enough shit of being the “furry” of the group as it was so instead he decided to go for a Dragonborn. In the game there are different types of Dragonborn, so specifically he’s Brass- which both deals fire damage breath, and is also resistant to fire.

Being one of the older players, his play style depends on the day. For the most part he is the cool, collected member of the party who doesn’t rush in and thinks things through... Until it’s later in the evening with a few drink in ‘em and then they just say, “Yeah, this might as well happen.” Before taking another shot and round-housing someone poor guy’s ass for mocking his scaly features.

Jackie- Half-Orc Fighter

Always wanting to be the hero, Jackie wants to fight and protect his fellow party members. He only has a few sessions under his belt, but he’s confident in saying that he's comfortable with playing more tanky characters and dealing heavy damage.

Jackie doesn’t have a lot of reasoning for his Race other than Orcs Are Cool so he just rolls with that.

As for his Class he likes having a bunch of different fighting styles to choose from while in combat so he can pick and choose which would work best for the situation (they also get more of a range in picking which Armor Class they want-).

His play style is Protect the Party, but also Rush In Head First Into Danger. He’s always in the front lines of a fight to tank the most damage and provide cover for the more squishy characters. It can get quite frustrating for the healer at times when he runs battleaxe-first into battle, leaving his head behind.

Speaking of healers-

Henrik- High Elf Alchemist

A lot like Anti, Henrik found the idea of playing to be quite silly. But once he got into it, the doctor found it quite enjoyable to get into a fantasy character and forget about the real world for a couple of hours. But wanting to retain some kind of dignity, he decided to play as a High Elf. He was drawn to their grace, wonderlust for adventure, and near perfectionism. To say the least, it's easy for him to slip into character.

Strictly speaking, Alchemist is not the the 5E DnD Handbook, but Jack allowed it and made some homebrew additions to the character so their party would actually have a fucking healer. So in addition to the damage-dealing bombs Henrik’s character uses, he also has a special healing bomb he can yeet at the other players when needed.

Henrik’s play style is serious, but curious. He’s always wanting to explore the world Jack created for them and peacefully interact with the NPCs, enjoying events that unfold naturally. However when it’s time for a proper fight he does not beat around the bush, staying in the back for more long-ranged attacks rather than right on the front lines.

Chase- Human Ranger

The recently-single father needed an outlet other than drinking to try and cope with the loss of his family. So like any good friend, Jack offered Chase a spot in his campaign that he was putting together! He wasn’t too sure at first, Chase said that the game seemed really complex and hard to get into. But Jack waves it off and told his friend, “You honestly have to fully jump into it if you’re gonna get anywhere. There’s not really a small way to start. It’s pretty much all or nothing. But trust me, it’s gonna be great!” And ever since his first session, Chase always looked forward to next week’s game.

Being one of the newer players, Chase doesn’t really play anything too crazy, so he sticks to his guns and runs a Human pc. And he may or may not have based the character on his old life to some degree. Giving himself a stable home, a fulfilling job, and a big loving family and at least 3 dogs. Ya’know, real heavy fantasy stuff.

Jack offered him the newer class/ homebrew of a Gunslinger, but he politely declined ‘cause he didn’t want to have to deal with new rules. So he decided to go with a Ranger for his class, figuring it would make for a cool character to play.

Chase’s play style is pretty average (no pun intended), and not all that spectacular. He gets a few good one-liners in here and there, but for the most part he plays passively. Fights when there’s a fight, and interacts almost only when others interact with him directly. (He’s been trying to get better at being more engaging, but he tends to zone out.)

Jameson- Halfling Bard

This session being JJ’s (and Robbie’s) first ever game, JJ pleasantly surprised Jack when he decided to be a Bard. When asked why, the silent man replied simply, “There’s nothing in the rules saying bards HAVE to sing. At the core of them, they are performers.” Jack beams and asks what’s their instrument of choice then? Jameson smiles and shows him this video, saying he thinks it would be interesting to have this as his musical item. (Also gotta love that good The Bard Seduces Everything trope. He’s keeping that in his back pocket for the right moment.)

As for being a Halfling, Jameson figured it would be fun to play a smaller character. And nobody ever suspects the small man to pack such a whaloop. But really, his love for the hobbits in the Tolkin books had captured his heart and really wanted to try and emulate that in the game! Maybe leaning more towards being a little prankster, but still at the core- in short- Soft Cottage Aesthetic™

Jameson’s play style is bouncy and go-gettem. He’s eager to explore the world and have fun with the NPCs. In battles he’s more comedic relief in the back inspiring the other players (and intimidating enemies by aggressively cranking his music box rapidly). And AT LEAST ONCE he has had Jackie’s character YEET his at the enemy to get the final blow to slay the beast. That was a fun session.

Anti- Changeling Rouge 

Do I really gotta explain this one? 

Naturally Anti always tries to play the edgiest characters he can. Giving them dark, moody personalities but with a slight crazed tick. (Chase naturally calls hypocrisy when Anti says his character is a self-insert to the game.)

I’m almost out of steam here so in short-

Anti loves the idea of having puppets to mess around with irl- so in the game he can somewhat do the same- by changing his figure/ features to mimic those of somebody to manipulate another. He doesn’t care much for the society around him and does his own thing, but can easily blend in and slip into other’s traditions if he needs to. His character has a tendency to pick fights pretending to be someone else before ducking out and watch the fight take place with a smirk on his hidden features. None of the party has ever seen his real face/ form, always changing it subtly so every time someone tries to take a second look something seems different or off.

Rouge: Quick and Stabby. Like the bitch himself.

Robbie- Undead Druid

Jack had to make a special homebrew character for Robbie ‘cause he was set on being an Undead. Apparently Robbie and Marvin talked about character ideas before hand and Robbie got a little overwhelmed with all the options that they had, so Marv suggested something Rob could relate to easier. So after an afternoon of crafting a special stat sheet, Jack allowed their favorite zombie ego to play.. Well, a zombie. (I’m sure someone else has made something similar out there but I might try and make a sheet later.. That could be fun lmao)

As for Druid, I like to see Robbie as being a little more connected to nature than the rest of the egos. Since he.. Yaknow, crawled out of the dirt at one point. (Side story- before the others found him in an old cemetery, he liked to just hang out around the area that was slowly being reclaimed by nature and liked watched the birds and animals). So he was pretty drawn to choosing this class. It’s a little complicated at points, but that’s why Marvin sits between him and JJ, so he can help them out through the whole process. Robbie gets really excited when one of his spells works in combat or just having fun interacting with the NPCs by growing them some flowers to be nice. 

As a whole Robbie’s play style is pretty passive. He gets distracted pretty easily and unless Jack is waving his arms around or using miniatures/ figurines to keep a visual, the zombie will sometimes lose focus and stare off into space for a minute before coming back to the game and raising his hand for something to be repeated.

It’s one big mixing pot of different people and play styles, but at the end of the day, Jack has a lot of fun trying to bounce around and keep up with everyone’s antics and storylines. It’s hard as hell at times and it gets a little frustrating when things get out of hand, but they all try to check each other and keep things rolling. And at the end of the day, all the boys enjoy the game and what Jack has to offer and really fucking enjoy themselves. DnD is a good destresser for most of them and all around a grand fun time!

Starks Bug

Tony Stark x son!reader (this chapter more Rhodey x nephew!reader ;) )

Words: 2150

I'm sorry this took so long as an apology I'll post chapter 5 tommorow after that it should be once a week again :) enjoy!

Chapter 4

Today was a Rhodey and you kinda day.

Your dad had some business trip to attend to where he couldn't take you with him. So instead of being quiet and polite with a bunch of strangers, you were loud and polite with Rhodey.

You had stayed over at Rhodeys several times with Tony but never alone. So both men were anxious to see how you'd manage.

It's only been two hours since Tony had dropped you off and you had been greatly entertained by your uncle the whole time. Playing with toys and building blocks. He even told you a funny story about your dad getting his head stuck somewhere while they were in college together. There really wasn't anything funnier than that story and the pictures to go along with it in your 3 and a half year old mind.

Rhodey looked up at the clock on the wall before turning back to you.

"Let's stop playing." He said standing up. "We need to buy some groceries before we get hungry,"

You, although reluctantly, began to put your toys away. You had brought all your favourite toys with you so you wouldn't get bored while staying over. Though Rhodey would never let that happen. Within a few minutes you were dressed and strapped into the car seat in Rhodeys pretty little vehicle.

It wasn't really what you were used to. Your father had either really well maintained old cars or rather new high tech expensive cars. So sitting in a well aged small car that isnt extremely uncommon to see driving around town was different but not at all in a bad way.

Rhodey threw a big shopping bag in the back and started the car up. Pulling out of his driveway for the short trip down to the nearby supermarket.

You were more interested in the scenery you passed than talking so Rhodey put on some music and strummed along to the beat on his steering wheel. You started listening to the quieter tunes that you're used to. Your dad had a slightly different taste in music than the songs that were playing.

"So, what do you wanna eat?" Rhodey asked driving around a corner.

"I'm not hungry." You turned to him a slightly confused look on your face. Rhodey chuckled.

"I mean when you're hungry, buddy. What would you like to eat then," he clarified.

You thought for a moment. "Pizza! I want pizza,"

"What kind?" He asked pulling into the parking lot.

"The one I always eat." You pulled at your seat straps still not fully knowing how to unclasp them on your own. Rhodey reached over and opened them for you.

You jumped out the car, with a lot of effort, before he could stop you. "I can show you!"

Rhodey just nodded and followed you out.

You tried to pull out the cart yourself but it was still connected to the other one with those little seatbelt like clips. You took the coin your uncle was holding out and put it in the thing that let's the cart go from the other one. Once the cart was out you were placed in the seat and your store adventure could begin.

You kicked your legs about and looked in every direction as you were pushed through the store. As you were passing the candy isle you looked long at a bag of gummy worms. They were one of the few candies you had been allowed to get and your absolute favourite.

"Uncle Rhodey I want gummy worms." You said pointing at the colourful bag of artificial worms.

"I don't know sweetie. I don't think you asked all that nicely for them." Rhodey replied to your plea. Scratching his chin like he was deep in thought.

"Can I pweeeease have gummy worms?" You tried again drawing out the please and using your "I am a cute and innocent child which only desire in this cold cruel world is this small cheap bag of precious gummy worms"-voice.

Rhodey chuckled and handed you the bag with an "Alright alright".

You didn't go to stores a lot so everything was very fascinating. And needed to be explored and asked about.

"What's that?" You asked now pointing at a big display of raw meat.

"That's meat," Rhodey answered "We actually need some." He reached in and grabbed a big piece of meat indistinguishable from the other meats to your young eyes.

"For what?"

"Dinner tommorow."

You nodded and moved on to ask another question about another thing.

Everything went smoothly from then on out. You showed him which of the pizza's you liked the most and answered whether or not you wanted some apples. All was well until you passed a big tank of lobsters.

You let out a big gasp as you saw the both big and small animals sitting together in the bare tank.

"Look uncle Rhodey! Crabs!"

"Those are Lobsters. They're really big arent they?"

"Yes! Can I have one?" You asked without looking away from the tank. Rhodey frowned.

"Since when do you eat lobster?" Your head snapped back in Rhodeys direction at the speed of light.

"NO not for eating! It's for pets!"

"You want to pet a lobster?"

"Yes! And keep it!"

Rhodey was stunned silent for a moment.

"Y/n, you can't have a pet lobster. They're sold here for people to buy and eat them."

Not even a few seconds later after Rhodey had said those words he regretted them. Your eyes first grew big and then your lower lip started to quiver. And that was when Rhodey knew he fucked up big time.

Within a second you were crying loudly about how people can't eat the lobsters because you love them while Rhodey was desperately trying to calm you down. People were starting to stare and Rhodey could feel every single gaze on him.

He then suggested something he would have to thoroughly explain to your father later.

"Y/n, kid, listen. I need you to calm down. I promise you that none of there lobsters will be eaten okay? I'll talk to your dad about getting you one of them. But you have to behave," he explained having placed his hands on your much smaller shoulders. Without much fuss you stopped crying. It made sense to you that your dad would save the lobsters. He is a great person after all.

You were okay with that and even helped your uncle place the items on the conveyor belt and back into the cart once you were done shopping.

With a sweet smile you handed the nice cashier lady the money and she gave you a piece of her chocolate.

You thanked her and waved her goodbye as you left the store.

All the way back to Rhodeys house you were in a happy mood thinking about how you'll soon get a pet lobster if you behave. Oh and you'll behave. You'll behave so good that no one will think that you were even capable of misbehaving. As least until you had your lobster.

On the drive home Rhodey made a call to a very confused Tony Stark about the possibility of getting Stark Jr. a pet Lobster.

Later around the same time as you were helping Rhodey unpack the groceries your dad was frantically researching on how to care for a lobster and how long they lived the same with how much space they need and more. He even called a zoo and a lobster farm.

He'd organize the build of a tank for a crayfish, a big one. You won't be able to tell the difference until you were much older and did some research yourself.

But you'll never eat a lobster, or any crustacean for that matter, until your eventual demise.

The rest of the day went by without a problem. You helped your uncle with everything you could, cooking, cleaning, washing dishes and doing the bed were all completed with the clumsy help of a 3 year old.

You crawled under the covers next to Rhodey, insisting on sleeping in the same bed. During the night you kicked him several times and somehow ended up with your feet on the pillow while the rest of your body was hidden beneath the covers.

The second day of your week long vacation was not all that different than the first. You played together inside and outside, cooked, ate and then sat down to watch some DvDs before your afternoon nap. A mistake as the series Rhodey turned on hyped you up incredibly. It was the first episode of "The Incredible Adventures of Captain Magic". You had never before watched this series but your young mind was hooked in an instant.

The episode was all about how she became a super hero, introducing herself and her friends. Your mouth couldn't have hung open any wider. The second the episode was over you started jumping around in excitement. Holy heck that was too cool for your young mind to comprehend. You started fighting villains no one could see and Rhodey couldn't get you to fall asleep for another hour. He himself was incredibly tired at that point.

The next two days you wouldn't shut up about how cool and strong Captain Magic is. Rhodey didn't say anything discouraging about it. Though it was clear to him that the hero was obviously heavily leaned on Captain America. Not that you'd know who that was.

Friday, Rhodey suggested a trip to get you off your Captain Magic high.

"Where are we going?" You asked kicking your legs and clutching the tiny backpack you had taken with you.

"Its a surprise. But you'll like it I promise,"

You nodded and turned back to look out the window.

"Look look a puppy!" You excitedly pointed out a few minutes later.

As Rhodeys car pulled to a stop you looked around with squinted eyes having almost fallen asleep.

"We've arrived."

"I know this?" You mumbled a bit dissapointed. You had visited Rhodey while he was working numerous times in the past. This wasn't anything exciting.

"Yeah you do, but I bet you've never sat in a jet before!"

"What!" You screeched and jumped around happily in your seat waiting on your restraints to be opened.

Rhodey greeted a few people on your way to the hanger. Some people seemed surprised while others knew about his plans.

The hanger was empty of any people but stored several huuuuge jets. You shouted "Hello!" and "AAAAH" Into the hall to hear it echo back.

"Is this cool or what?!" Rhodey said marching towards one of the planes which had a staircase ladder thing next to it.

"SO COOL!" you screeched running around and under the planes. Rhodey called you over and threw you on his shoulder while he carried you up to the now opened jet and place you inside. It was like sitting in the driver seat of a parked car, just ten times cooler.

You asked a thousand questions about the planes and Rhodey was happy to answer all of them.

"What's that?" You said pointing at another switch over your head.

"Uhh it's," Rhodey leaned closer to get a better look at what you're pointing, "it's switches all the communication on an-"

"And that?" You said pointing at another thing not letting him finish.

This went on like that for about 10 minutes before you started your fake flight. Even getting to wear the headset which was a few numbers to big for you. Your uncle took a few pictures while you were playing which he'd later send to Tony.

You didn't get bored for a full hour, you were so enthralled with making little noises and flicking on and off switches (which all did nothing) that you didnt even notice that Rhodey got himself a cup of coffee and was talking with some strangers now instead of standing on the rolling staircase next to you.

The rest of the trip you got shown around by Rhodey and introduced to a few of his colleagues.

You tired fast and fell asleep a few minutes into the drive back. You woke up later on the couch with Rhodey cooking in the kitchen. The nice smell of something tasty that you couldn't quite place wafting through the air into your nostrils.

On your last day in Rhodeys pretty house you helped him pack some of your stuff up and just generally did stuff together. Like having a water pistol fight, playing super heroes, and watching Captain Magic and whatever else was on TV. It was a laid back Saturday which was only laid back because you didn't run around the house screeching while you played with your toys.

That evening you fell asleep on the couch next to Rhodey, sort of clinging onto his clothes while your breath evened out and the soft strokes over your little head of hair gave you a deep sense of security.

You woke up later at night while being carried by a tired looking Rhodey.

"Go back to sleep, sweetpea." He whispered as he placed you inside your car seat. You nodded slightly and  said with your voice barely above a whisper.

"Okay, love you."

"Love you too." You faintly heard before falling back asleep after the car door shut.

You woke up the next day in your fathers bed next to his snoring form. Very confused on how you got there. But very glad that he was back.

Tags: @shannonr2003 @art-estrange @nicholasbich @tater-thottie @tonystanktheirondad @gaylemonshark

Negan Imagine ~ Seven Minutes in Heaven

Halloween Special & entry for @underatedcharactersunite “7 Minutes in Heaven” writing challenge! I had so much fun writing this so hopefully you’ll enjoy it too and check out the other works of the participating authors!🎃🖤 Summary: When the reader finally decided to follow Negan’s invitation to a halloween party, little did she know that an unexpected game would reveal more than just a surprising confession. My prompt: “Bottle of Whiskey”

Music was echoing through the hallways, bouncing off the cold stone as it streamed through the air and filled up your way.  You got closer to its source with each step you took as you fumbled nervously on the sleeves of the dress that was swinging around your body, soft, dark red fabric that felt blissfully on your skin. A shivering breath left your lips as you reached up, readjusting the hood of the dress a little bit and gulped quietly as you entered the next and last hallway before getting to your destination, the halloween party whose host had gifted you the exact dress that was engulfing your body in these moments. Its hood and the deep red color gave away the intended costume pretty fast, even though you could tell by the sumptuous fabric and its subtle style that it definitely hadn’t been just some costume you could buy in some shop before shit hit the fan, but rather a piece you could find in a pretty little boutique. You could still see Negan’s roguish grin when he had gifted it to you just days ago, telling you with a wink that you could take the dress as a personal way of his to invite you to the party. He had been gone as fast as he had come, giving you no chance to protest the luxurious gift or even give him an answer to the invitation. And till an hour ago, you hadn’t even known the answer yourself. You’d wanted to see him, if you were honest there was nothing else you wanted as much but you had your reasons for your doubts. You actually liked him, not directly because of his position as the strong leader but rather because of the things he said and did when he was around you. The visits on your work. The times he ate alone with you in the kitchen. The moments he spent with you during your breaks. And hell, so much more. And all of them filled with his odd but entertaining sense of humor, his charm, his roguish grin that kept dancing over his lips but also, and that was something that seemed to stay hidden from most people, his other, if you even dared to say so, softer sides. So his invite had for sure elicited an excited warmth within you and had kept a large smile on your face for the rest of the evening until you had fallen into your bed and old fears began to sneak up as soon as the light was shut down and darkness began to surround you. What if this all was just one sided and you were actually misinterpreting all of it? Negan was a charmer, a big one, and even though the feeling liked to sneak up in you to tell you that he might see something in you, there still was this little devil on your shoulder telling that you were just a nice time killer. Just as it told you that the dress you were wearing was no evidence for anything, he had six wives who were getting tons of those black dresses, one red one didn’t show anything. And those wives were just adding onto this, if you were honest, they were probably the main reason you doubted to come. Only the thought of him with them made you feel sick to the stomach, let alone the chance that you might have to see them swirling around him tonight. Your stomach tightened again in response to your train of thought, keeping the uneasiness in you alive as you felt the cold metal of the final door pressing into your palm. You could still always leave, right? With this last thought you breathed out and pushed the handle down, let the music hit you as the darkened room that was filled here and there with some colorful lights took you in. The door shut fell into its lock behind you as your eyes roamed through the room, along the people wearing provisory costumes and whose attention laid mostly on the drinks in their hands and the people around them that gave each of them a break from the cruel world outside. Your gaze wandered around the room, caught a strongly buzzed Simon rushing through groups of people as fast as his state let him while a loud laughter left his lips each time he tried to start a conversation with anyone in his way. Your eyes caught caught all this but no bunch of black dresses. A first bit of relief began to wash into you as your eyes began to double check, wandering over the faces of all the guests you could see but still, they weren’t here. And just as you allowed yourself to breath with a little more ease, your eyes caught the reason you were actually standing in this room. He sat alone at the bar, a glass of whiskey in his hand, the large, fancy looking bottle standing right next to him as he took another gulp of the amber liquid. He looked as breathtakingly handsome as ever, no doubt, even though his appearance was slightly changed for this night. He was all in black, his usual leatherjacket clinging to his broad shoulders, a black shirt underneath that was as dark as his pants and the boots that were free from any dried mud the days around the Sanctuary’s compound usually left on them. A pair of dark gray wolf ears was finishing his outfit, sticking right out of his black hair and letting him match more than ever the look of the big bad wolf. Much to your surprise he didn’t seem to enjoy the party as much as you had expected, his jaw was clenched beneath the salt and pepper beard that peppered his face as he swallowed the whiskey and stared over the edge of the glass into emptiness. Should you walk up to him? Or should you just wait until he noticed you? Just as this debate began to form in your head it got taken away from you as a pair of hazel eyes meet yours, glancing at you as they slightly widened and the frown that had pressed over his face got replaced by an excited grin. “There she is!”, you could hear him say, loud enough for you to hear it on the other side of the room while the glance in his eyes and the gravel of his deep voice elicited a whole other kind of warmth to wash into your body and let your cheeks light up.

You were thanking the dimmed light over and over again in those moments as you saw him pushing his tall frame away from the bar, grabbing the glass, the bottle of whiskey and his bat that was resting beside him before strutting over to you. You could tell by his walk that he’s had a good bit of the whiskey already, a little tipsy if you looked close enough even though the sound of his voice had still been steady, not a hint of slurring, differently to his second hand man who was still rushing through the room. “Hey there, doll”, Negan chuckled, the smirk spreading wider over his face as he let his tongue run over his lower lip as his eyes ran over your body and brought the heat in you to rise with each passing second, “Shit, you look hot as hell. Fuckin’ beautiful...knew it would look great on ya.” “Thanks”, you said, feeling a smile on your face growing as he nodded over to a nearby bar table, hinting at you to move over to its place in the corner of the room.

“Almost thought you wouldn’t come anymore”,you heard him mumble as soon as he had placed the bottle and the glass on the wooded surface and leaned back over to you. His voice wasn’t filled with any kind of accusation, rather a mix of relief and a bit disappointment sounding through its deepness before he lightened up again and rose his voice with another chuckle, “Whatever, doesn’t matter, you’re here now!” “You want something to drink? Can get ya anything you want. Hell, we can share this nice ass whiskey or I’ll get you some other shit...just think tequila and gin will be hard to get a damn grasp on, Simon’s watching like some fuckin’ broody hen over that crap”, he said, laughing quietly as he glanced over to Simon before looking back at you, his eyes nearly analyzing your face before he let out another throaty chuckle ,”But if you want hell, I’ll throw myself in a fight with him. Lucille’s thirsty too.” He grinned down to his bat as you let out a small laugh, feeling how you grew more and more comfortable, just like the tingling in your stomach did. “Oh, I bet she i-” “Aaaand our first pair is-”, you suddenly heard Simon slur loudly, darting your attention to his figure within a group of people, gesturing even more excessively than he usually did as he looked into the faces of his bystanders ,”Can I get some drum roll!” He laughed out, shoving up the sleeves of his shirt before he swung his arms around, until his fingertip ended up pointing right into your direction. “The big man and his-”, he grumbled, circling his finger as long as his drunk mind was searching for the right words before they blustered out of him,”His little red ridin’ hood” “What the hell’s that?”, Negan scoffed, turning around to his second hand man, the frown from before spreading over his features again in response to the sudden interruption. “Seven minutes in heaven”, Simon blurted out, grinning satisfied about his glorious drunk idea. “Come on Simon, we’re not in fuckin’ high school anymore”, Negan scoffed, running a palm over his salt and pepper beard as a growl left his lips. “You can play the advanced version too...if y’know what I mean, boss”, Simon drunkenly grinned, stepping a little closer as he suggestively raised his thick brows and nodded towards the door on the other side of the room, “Big bad wolf devours the red rid-” “Shut up”, Negan cut him growling off, shooting him a warning glare that Simon’s boozed brain didn’t seem to quiet get. “Come on, Boss man”, he grumbled, his curled fist nudging Negan’s leather call arms as you began to realize that Simon wouldn’t let it be. Another annoyed and helpless huff left Negan’s lips as he was looking at his second hand man who allowed himself way more than he’d ever do in a sober state. You grew more restless before you let out a sigh and reached out to Negan’s arm, letting your fingers grasp his sleeve to get his attention. “We can just go over, he’s drunk as fuck...I don’t think he’ll stop otherwise”, you mumbled as soon as his hazel eyes met yours in the dimmed light, raising his brows questionably. His glance wandered over you, not in the hungry, suggestive way you would usually expect, but rather testing, maybe even a little concerned: “That okay for you?” You nodded, even though the suggestive glances of the people surrounding Simon would be enough to give anyone doubt, no matter the fact  that you knew Negan wouldn’t push you to anything if you agreed to go. Still, there was this odd tingling in your stomach that seemed to grow with each passing second before you caught Simon grinning at you. “Oh someone wanna gets fuc-” “Shut up, Simon or I swear I’ll rip that stupid mustache off your damn face”, Negan growled, his eyes piercing through the shorter man in front of him before he clenched his jaw and glanced back at you, “Lets get away from that drunk asshole.” “Some damn crap...”, Negan mumbled as he walked after you into the faintly lighted room, his hands carrying the whiskey and his bat before he placed the bottle on the table in the middle of the room and leaned Lucille against its edge. “They probably expect me to fuck your brains out now”, a small snort left his lips before he looked at you, stopping abruptly as he got a little closer and and ran a palm over his jaw, noticing the way you looked at him.“We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to...no fuckin’ pressure here. We can just sit down and sip that delicious whiskey.” You wanted to be close to him, of course you did, in one way or another, but not with this dumb game. There was a temptation lingering in its depths, the chance to at least feel his lips on yours, feel his hands running over your body but there was still something else holding you back, telling you that this wasn’t the way to go. Noticing your first hesitation he plopped down on the chair, taking the further decision from you as he nodded at the chair diagonally from his, only the table’s edge parting you. Sitting down you could see him reaching out to another clean glass on the table before he nudged it towards you and began to pour some whiskey into both of your glasses, sipping on its amber liquid as soon as he could get a grasp on it. “Why did you come so late?”, he asked after a short moment of silence, licking the liquor from his lips before his hazel eyes met yours again, “That’s no fuckin’ accusation...just wondering.” Didn’t want to take the chance to see your tarted up wives wiggling around you and risk throwing up if I had to see you leaving with them. That’s what was rushing through your head, but it wasn’t leaving your mouth, in no way you were gonna just give that away and make yourself look like some desperate little fool in front of him. So instead you cupped the fancy glass in your hands, played nervously around its sharp cut edges and decided to tell the best fitting alternative you could bring up that was still filled with truth, even though not so specific. “Wasn’t sure if that was my place to be.” “Didn’t give you that great ass dress for nothing”, he said back as soon as your voice had hushed, sipping on the whiskey with a small grin as he gestured swiftly at the red fabric engulfing your body. “Hmm?”, he mumbled, taking another thick gulp of his whiskey as you gulped, unsure if you should tell the truth this time. You glanced up at him, giving him a little helpless smile as you knew that by the moments that had passed by now you had to tell before you raised your voice, more bittersweetness mixing into it than you liked. “You got six wives you give tons of dresses to. It’s nothing someone can be smug about...that’s nothing special.” “Well, you are”, he startled you with his quick answer as he suddenly began to glance down at his glass and the bottle beside it, turning quieter and more hesitant while a wave of surprise and warmth rushed through your veins,”They’re not here for a reason. Didn’t want them here...with you.” You could feel your mouth beginning to gap softly open in surprise as you stared at him, still not sure if that what had just left his lips was real or just a ridiculous mirage, meant to trick you and show you what you longed for only to turn out to vanish into thin air. “Now who do you think did I throw this party for?”, Negan said, raising his brows as if he was astounded by your astonishment. “But why-?”, just left your lips, your voice soft and still filled with surprise as you glanced at him and caught the way his eyes began to slowly burn into yours. “Heard you talking ‘bout it to that guy on a run...just wanted to give you a lil’ treat”, he mumbled, glancing down as the big bad wolf suddenly seemed not as pumped up with confidence as usual, but rather unsure of what was to come next. For a moment, you put your surprise and the warmth his words had elicited back, remembering the conversation with the younger Savior. You could still hear him pointing out that the 31th was coming soon, how you had told each other what you had done on Halloween with friends or even family, swinging for a moment in nostalgia, even if it was just short and briefly. All that but you had never thought Negan had noticed. “Know how important those fucking memories can be...or at least that what we can carry with us into this shithole of a world”, he interrupted your train of thought as you caught him glancing for the split of a second down to his bat before a small bittersweet chuckle left his lips, “Wasn’t even the answer to your question, huh?” You said nothing, not because of his question, but because you were still astounded by him, by what he had done for you. That wasn’t just some dirty remark or compliment he was whispering in your ear  to charm you or show you his interest, that man had organized all this in the room next door just because he thought you would like it. That wasn’t just something flirty, that was a big heartfelt gesture you had never expected to experience again. And you dumbass had almost not come. Hell, now you could understand his questions, the small remark about thinking you wouldn’t show up anymore, and you began to feel terrible about it. “Fuck, you make me nervous like some fuckin’ teenage boy”, he suddenly chuckled, the things the whiskey was doing to him slightly showing in his glance and the way his laugh rumbled through his broad chest ,”Now that’s something you can be fucking smug about.” “Fuck...I’m talking too much...fuckin’ whiskey”, he said the next moment, shaking his head as he ran his palm over his beard and stared down at the liquid in his glass. “No...it’s fine”, you softly mumbled before you gulped slightly,“I didn’t tell you the whole answer to your question either.” Negan’s brows perked up, curiosity and a little surprise twinkling in his eyes as you gave yourself another push. “I didn’t want to see them with you”, you grumbled, leaving his glance to nervously switch to the large bottle of whiskey that was  ,”That’s why.” “Really?”, you heard him say, the slight astonishment in his voice letting you glance back a him while his signature grin began to finally spread back over his lips. “Don’t even think about teasing me ‘bout it”, you mumbled, loosing up as you chuckled quietly and nudging his knee slightly beneath the table while you caught his grin growing wider. “Don’t worry”, he grumbled, chuckling throatily as his large hand reached out to yours and gave it a soft but teasing squeeze, before he took another gulp of his whiskey and nodded toward you,“You can tease me back too. Gave you the best fucking content for that crap.” “Hmm”, you mumbled in approval, grinning and softly chuckling as a pleasant and excited cocktail of emotions rushed through your veins that just got intensified as Negan’s hand kept cupping yours, his thumb slowly brushing over the hand of your back. “But thank you...for this all”, you mumbled  as you slowly glanced up into his eyes,”And sorry for coming so late, I just-” “No need to thank me and don’t you be sorry, you couldn’t know.  Planning was a little fucking off...my ass just had to get fuckin’ used to doing that kinda stuff again...for someone”, he mumbled stopping for a moment before he glanced back at you,”And like I said, you’re here, that’s fucking all that matters.” A smile mixed into the grin on your lips as the genuineness in his voice just let the warmth flowing through your body grow and made you feel how your cheeks began to glow. To your surprise, instead of making another remark he just let out another chuckle, glanced for a moment at your intertwined hands before his eyes captured yours again, keeping them locked to his while it suddenly became completely quiet in the room, only the music and voices of the people next door sounding softly through to you. You could feel the tension growing in the air, spanning in between you as his touch and his glance let the growing warmth seep into every of your cells, only letting your longing for him become larger. “Two minutes left...”, Simon suddenly yelled drunkenly through the door, eliciting a growl to fall from Negan’s lips as he atmosphere in the room got suddenly broken off by his second hand man. “You’re not answering ‘cause you’re balls deep i-” “Oh shut the fuck up, Simon”, Negan angrily growled, glaring at the door as he stood up, grabbing his bat just to swing it against the door’s wood, successfully silencing and chasing Simon away. As you turned around, trying to get a better look at the door your eyes caught Negan’s hand reaching out to you, offering you a help to get back on your feet. Sliding your hand into his, the warmth was back there, the longing was flaring up once more as he lifted you with ease on your feet, letting you land right in front of him, only a few inches parting you. The sudden movement let the hood of your dress fall back, landing softly on your back as your eyes first met Negan’s again, catching his glance burning into you as he quietly chuckled. “Shit, let me get that for ya”, he grumbled, reaching up and around your neck to grasp the hood and place it over the back of your head once more. “Damn...”, he grumbled, leaving his hands at the side of your face, his eyes nearly analyzing it as the ran over your features. “Alright, two more minutes till we’re out...”, he mumbled, his glance still as intense as before until they landed back to lock with yours, “Hell, we can just wait it out, unless you-” He stopped, the hunger spreading further over his face as it elicited the heat to rise in your body, unlocking more of the yearning you were feeling for him and the urge to finally feel his lips on yours. “We can try, right?”, you suddenly softly mumbled, surprised by yourself as your emotions were taking charge, overpowering any doubtful thoughts and talked for you, creating a flickering in Negan’s eyes that let the butterflies in your stomach go wild. “Yeah, we can fuckin’ try”, he grumbled back, his hands finally cupping your face as he leaned down, his hot breath brushing over your skin until his lips finally captured yours. The tingling warmth and smokiness the whiskey was leaving on his lips mixed pleasantly with his own taste as his lips caressed over yours, testing at first, as if a small part of him expected you to still pull away. But instead you sunk into him, felt yourself melting into his touch while deep growls rumbled through his chest as you carefully placed your hands over his leather jacket, its smooth surface brushing against his fingertips. Negan’s careful caresses turned quickly stronger, their growing intensity elicited a content hum to travel up your throat as his large and warm hands slowly left your cheeks and wandered down until his arms could wrap around your waist and pull you flush against his tall frame. You ran your fingers up until they tangled into his dark hair, brushing past the thin headband that was holding his wolf ears up while you took in every little piece he gave you, every little caress, growl and touch. His beard stubble softly tickled your skin as he sunk further into the kiss, taking you right along with him into a trance that made you after all slowly realize that this all was actually happening, this all was real. Eventually, your lips slowly parted, urged away from each other by the growing need for oxygen even though you still remained close, his lips hovering over yours as his hot breath brushed over your skin. “Hot damn...”, his deep voice lowly grumbled, letting your cheeks glow some more up before a certain drunk voice boomed through the door again. “You done, boss man? Seven minutes are over...prob’ly by far already...can’t tell anymore”, Simon slurred with a quiet laugh eliciting a growl to fall from Negan’s lips, his face turning slightly as if he was preparing for another snapping remark until your voice made him halt. “Just let him talk”, you mumbled, the smile he had put on your lips becoming everlasting as you caught how the grin that began to replace the frown and his eyes captured yours once more as his tongue ran slowly over his lower lip. “Now how ‘bout we grab that nice ass whiskey, some of those corny ass halloween muffins and get our asses outta here...can think of a better place to continue”, he mumbled as he leaned in, pecking your lips as the longing in you let you hum in approval against his lips. “That a fuckin’ yes?”, he chuckled as he backed just a little away, enough for you to look into his eyes and see the playful way his brows perked up, close enough to still feel his hot breath on your skin. Feeling how he pulled you closer, the warmth and the realization that your wished were finally on their way to come true spread out in your body before you slowly began to nod. “Yes.”

(The gif isn’t mine/ I found it on google so credits to the original owner)

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Tiling the Plane

The parade had been cool; riding on the float was fun, and she liked throwing candy to the kids. The medal award ceremony was ok, just too long, and too many speeches, but still ok. They had worn their Paladin armor, which was comfortable and familiar. But this? Who thought a formal dinner and dance needed to be added to the events celebrating the Galaxy Garrison’s defeat of the Galra?

Pidge fidgeted umcomfortably in her sea foam green formal dress; her panty hose were heading south, and she was uncomfortable with the voluminous skirts. She felt awkward and out of place, all pointy elbows and unruly hair. Making conversation with her dinner partners had been difficult; she had been seated with a bunch of local politicians and minor celebrities, none of whom seemed to have any interest in the math or science that comprised a large part of her interests. They had all left the table already and were now dancing or chatting with other people.

She pushed her food around on the plate in front of her. The dinner was unappealing; dry, skinless, boneless chicken breast with a yellow hued sauce of some sort, and an over cooked broccoli head the size of a small shrubbery. She reached for yet another dinner roll.

“Hey.” Hunk pulled out the chair next to hers and sat down. He had loosened his yellow silk bow tie and it was hanging loose from his collar. The matching yellow cummerbund had shifted and was scrunched up beneath his black tux jacket. Pidge noticed that his socks were the same color as the tie and cummerbund.

“You look nice,” she said.

“I look like a confused bumblebee,” Hunk snorted. He looked at her plate. “Not hungry?”

“Not really,” she answered. “I’m full of bread.” Hunk chuckled. Dinner had been terrible.

“I’ve got some cookies in my room,” he offered. “If you want something else to eat.”

Pidge finished chewing, then drank some of the watery iced tea from her goblet. “I’m good,” she said. “Just waiting for this to be over.”

Hunk nodded, then blurted out, “Would you like to dance?”

Pidge looked at the crowd in the center of the room. “I don’t really dance,” she said.

“Neither does Coran,” Hunk said, indicating the red haired Altean bouncing around the dance floor with Allura as his partner. “But look at him go!”

Pidge grinned.; Coran was a sight to behold. The other Paladins were dancing as well, some with partners she didn’t recognize. They did seem to be having fun, but they weren’t wearing an enormous dress that looked like cake frosting. Pidge was willing to bet that Allura’s panty hose were staying put under the breathtaking pink and white gown she was wearing.

“There’s a nice garden here “ Hunk tried again. “You wanna go check it out, maybe get some air.”

“That’s a great idea “ Pidge said. “It’s getting stuffy in here.” As she stood up, she felt her hose making a bid for freedom, but she took Hunk’s arm and walked with him out of the building onto the patio. There were very few people out in the dimly lit area, and Pidge decided to seize the opportunity this afforded her. “Turn around “ she told Hunk. He looked confused, but did as she instructed. Once his eyes were averted, Pidge checked to see that they were alone, then lifted her skirts and adjusted her undergarments, pulling the waistband of her hose as high as she could. “Ok,” she told Hunk. “I’m done. Just a wardrobe malfunction,” she said in response to his quizzical expression.

Hunk smiled, and adjusted his cummerbund. “Yeah,” he said. “Dress up clothes are not very user friendly. And this shirt collar is really snug.”

He looked at Pidge for a moment, seemed to be weighing something in his head. She was adorable in that fluffy pale green dress, her hair fluffy and gleaming chestnut in the moonlight. Everything about her was fluffy tonight. He reached for her hand, missed and poked her in the hip. He looked chagrined, then held his hand out for her to take.

Pidge was surprised, but willingly held his hand as they began to walk around the garden. It felt comfortable, holding hands with the young man that had become her best friend. They were friends, and friends could hold hands, she assumed. She had never held hands with any other of her friends, but why else would Hunk be holding her hand? Friends. They were friends. Friends could think the other one was really handsome, right?

“Crazy couple of days,” Hunk was saying, jolting her from her reverie.

“Yes “ she agreed. “But it was ok until tonight.” There was a small bench along the pathway, and they decided to sit.

“You didn’t like the party?” Hunk asked.

“It’s ok,” she answered, “But I just feel so awkward and kind of out of place. This dress, having to talk to all those people at dinner. I just don’t think I fit in well here, in this environment.” Pidge stared at her shoes, high top trainers she had hidden under her dress despite her mother’s strenuous objection.

Hunk smiled at her shoes. He thought they were adorable too. Everything about her was adorable to him. “I felt a little out of place as well,” he said. “And I wish I could have sat with you.”

Pidge glanced at him then, color flooding to her cheeks. Did he mean because they were friends, or was he having the same sort of feelings she had been keeping secret from everyone?

“That would have been nice,” she agreed quietly. He was awfully close to her right now. How had they gotten so close to each other? Hunk took her hands in his again, a look of determination on his face, his really handsome face. When had he gotten so good looking?

“Pidge.” His voice cracked. “Pidge, I was wondering...”

She cut him off, leaning forward and pressing her lips to his. There. She had done it. She had done the thing she had been imagining for months, she had kissed her best friend. And, thank the stars, he kissed her back! His lips were soft on hers, then she felt his tongue, gentle and questioning, against her lips. She pressed forward, kissing him deeply.

They separated, both suddenly shy. “You have no idea,” she began, at the same time he was saying, “I’ve wanted to do that.”

“You first,” she said.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you since that weird game show,” he said. “We’ve been friends for a long time, but right then I knew that I wanted to be more than friends.”

“Me too,” agreed Pidge. “I thought about how it would be to spend eternity without you, and I knew I didn’t want to.” She was staring at her hands as she said this, still a little shy expressing unfamiliar sentiments. Hunk placed a finger under her chin, tilted her head up, gazed into her clear brown eyes. He claimed another kiss, as sweet and gentle as their first. Then he pulled her close, held her tiny body in his large, warm arms, against his broad chest.

“You and I are like a pair of imperfect polygons, tiling the plane,” he murmured against her hair, knowing that she would understand the reference. She was so smart, smarter than he was even. It was one of the things he loved about her. Her big brain, her spirit, her unusual edges that fit perfectly with his, all things he loved about her. He did, he realized. He loved her. He told her.

Pidge cuddled closer within the circle of his embrace. Imperfect polygons with edges that would meet and leave no space between them, capable of tiling the plane. She loved that he saw them that way, loved his sweetness, his honesty. “I love you, too,” she said into his shirt. They sat like this for several minutes, basking in the newness of it all. From the building, the sounds of slow, sweet music reached their ears, and Hunk again asked her to dance. This time there was no demur, and she pressed herself to him as they swayed together in the moonlight, away from the crowd. For the first time that evening, neither of them felt awkward or out of place.

Notes:

1. The title of this work comes from an article I read about the discovery of a new irregular polygon capable of “tiling the plane”, filling a flat surface without empty spaces or overlap. It’s a big deal in the world of mathematics because only 14 such irregular polygons were thought to exist prior to this discovery.

2. Thank you for reading this. I hope you enjoyed it.

3. It’s also posted on AO3, but I can’t get the link to work.

BAILEY’S CHOICE

Youngblood Supercult guitarist Bailey Gonzales shares her 10 favorite albums of Autumn.

Photo by Johnny Hubbard at Doomed & Stoned Fest

First off, let me preface by saying that this list is just a fraction of what I would include on a good, solid Autumn playlist, but everything must end at some point. Most of these you’ve probably heard, some you may not be familiar with, and others perhaps long forgotten and thus need a good revisiting. So here goes:

1. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young – Déjà vu

This has been in my catalog since I first started smoking weed in the fall of my freshman year of high school and learned to enjoy the hazy, beautiful strains of intricate harmonies that permeate CSNY’s iconic brand of folk-blues rock. Their albums were always on rotation in my house when I was growing up, but until I started to fully understand its cosmic, layered beauty, Déjà vu fell more or less into the “lame music my parents listen to” category for me. Now it’s a staple, especially as the weather starts to cool and the leaves start to turn, and I’m thrown into some kind of sepia-tinged yearning for the past. Funny how things change. This album holds some of the group’s most acclaimed work; I can’t point out a single track I’d skip over.

2. Graveyard – Graveyard

Graveyard by Graveyard

Speaking of high school—I grew up in a very small town in Southeast Kansas, and when MySpace made its debut (yes, MySpace), I found a page for this indie label called Tee Pee Records that absolutely dictated what I would listen to take the edge of my Black Sabbath cravings—this is where I was ultimately introduced to stoner rock and all of the branches of the retro heavy metal genre—and one of them that always stuck with me as I worshipped this label’s releases thereafter was Graveyard’s self-titled album. There are so many great tracks on this album, with “Thin Line” being an absolute favorite and even an echoing of one of my darkest autumn remembrances (won’t delve into it, but the subject matter will lead you where you need to go). Fantastic, timeless album.

3. Jonathan Snipes & William Hutson – Room 237

Room 237 (2012) is a funny little documentary. I love it, despite the fact that this film lays out conspiracies about Stanley Kubrick’s version of The Shining that range from absolutely Kubrickesque crazy-but-plausible to totally ludicrous, leaping-to-judgement scenarios and breakdowns related to the hidden puzzles within the original adaptation. But, we are talking about music here: this album plays like Stranger Things meets Goblin meets John Carpenter. There is nothing necessarily special about it, but in trying to find an OST that would fit neatly within this list, this fella kind of jumped out to me. Not everybody enjoys soundtracks, and while I could listen to creepy, ambient synth all day long, every day, Room 237 seems like it could entrance any listener, especially with standout tracks like “To Keep From Falling Off” to “Universal Weak Male” and even with the closing track, “Dies Irae” which plays off the original theme from The Shining.

4. Trouble – Trouble

It blows my mind that this album was released in 1990. Everything about it screams, “I WANT TO MAKE YOUR EARS BLEED: ‘70s METAL STLYE.” It’s like a lost and very angry Sir Lord Baltimore album was found in someone’s murky basement and sold in a musty, long forgotten record shop. The kind of place where you might hear whispers of dark legends. Somewhere that may be evocative, in legend, of the kind of place that Mayhem’s late singer, Dead, slit his wrists, throat, and blew his brains out and everyone commenced for this orgiastic blood feast of mourning to say, uh, “let’s take a photo of his dead body and slap it on a bootleg album cover and make necklaces out of his skull...” It’s not that harsh, but there’s definitely something spooky, dark, and forbidden about it. You may ask yourself, if you’re just hearing this album for the first time: “Why don’t they play some of these tracks on the radio?” Well, my child...do you really want to know?

5. The Steepwater Band – Revelation Sunday

This collection of hot tunes from The Steepwater Band is, apart from 2011’s Clava, one of our band’s road staples. We often don’t agree on much when that road cagey feeling hits or when disagreements happen, which incidentally is why things tend to work well with us, but The Steepwater Band, Mount Carmel, and Gary Clark Junior are all things we can come to terms with through the van’s trebly stock speakers. Maybe it’s the bluesiness. Very moody folk-blues rock tunes, with a touch of whiskey-fueled country, is what these guys exhibit in songs like “Slow Train Drag,” “Dance Me A Number,” and “Steel Sky.” A plus material, in my book, and good for the road on a cold night’s ramble.

6. Black Sabbath – Never Say Die!

Can people stop it with the “I’m tired of Black Sabbath” comments??? You know they are the reason we’re all here, and whether you like to admit it or not, you dig a good Sabbath tune either once in a while or every day. Doctor’s orders. Now I don’t think that a playlist is complete without a Black Sabbath album, but autumn seems the appropriate time for their fumbling, but strong conclusion — 1978’s Never Say Die!   And I really don’t care that I know I’m in the minority for loving this album. To me, while it’s their most strained Ozzy-era album (I won’t even touch 13, so don’t ask), it’s full of premonitions of things to come, including a full out jazz brawl in “Breakout” that reminds me of the mean streets in Dirty Harry, and songs that might make the bravest of our genre cry, like “Junior’s Eyes.” “Shock Wave” goes through the typical rough and tumble changes that Black Sabbath fans learn to embrace, but it comes in wave after wave after wave. Hell, even the title track is nearly full-out punk rock. If you’ve avoided this album, please—give it a spin. Even if it’s only to hear Bill Ward sing. It’s the album I fell into when I joined my first band in the fall of 2008 and what pushed me into the direction of branching out to things I’d long avoided. I literally shit my pants every time the first synth breakdown in “Johnny Blade” comes over the speakers, and I think you should, too.

7. Madonna – Madonna

Speaking of shit you probably don’t wanna read…who out of us has given Madonna’s 1983 debut a spin? Anyone? Bueller? Yeah, I didn’t think so. For you folks who can appreciate this one, I applaud you for admitting it. It’s not a sin to listen to Madonna (tell that one to the Vatican), but unless she’s been covertly transformed into Lana Del Rey or someone else on the darker and more modern side of the pop spectrum, you’d be hard pressed to find an admitted fan in our heavy underground group. And you know what? I don’t give a single fuck (yes, I learned that language from M herself). She’s a goddess, an icon, a killer songwriter—if you don’t believe me, tell that to the $400 million she has neatly tucked away—and dammit, she taught me to give a little less of a fuck in times where I don’t have too many to spare. This is another reason my parents are badass. Who in the world would buy their kid the “Like A Virgin” album only if their 11-year-old can ask for it by name without getting too embarrassed at the thought of saying “virgin” out loud to the Camelot Music clerk? Yeah, that’s right. Anyway, listen to this. Just do it...Madonna would.

8. The Midnight Ghost Train – Buffalo

Buffalo by The Midnight Ghost Train

I met Steve Moss at a show in Topeka in late 2009 at a dive bar where the drummer from my first band was singing in his new group. We did the obligatory thing and then, holy shit—this band starts playing and glasses start clinking and I swear to god I thought the whole damn place was going to cave in. They play a bunch of tunes and I’m so fully entranced it’s stupid. After the show, I went up to their singer/guitarist and said, “Um, that was really fucking awesome. I loved how you slipped “Hand of Doom into the middle of one of your songs.” Bam. We were instant buds. I couldn’t believe that they had come out of Topeka, Kansas. Later, while they were prepping to record 2012’s Buffalo, we had a very memorable fall jam session and some shows together, and EVERY. DAMNED. TIME. I felt like there was just something insanely special happening. Buffalo proved to be an instant classic, and even though The Midnight Ghost Train boys seem to always be on tour, I visit with my old pal Steve from time to time when he’s around, and nothing can erase those crazy, almost LSD-like imprinted memories of our house shows together. Hell, we reunited again just last month in another Topeka dive bar. I still have almost 3 hours’ worth of an interview I need to write that documents Steve’s early life up until the recording of Cold Was The Ground. The circle goes round and round. And I sure as hell can’t shake that sound.

9. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Green River

I don’t know what everyone else thinks about when they hear the track “Green River” from Creedence Clearwater Revival, but I think of Gary Ridgeway. I know that’s way far off, but I can’t help it. I also think about the album cover, and how many people still try to copy it, unintentionally. And I think about Stephen King. If you’ve read a few of his novels, you know from some of his passages, he’s a total CCR freak. I’ll give him a pass for mentioning Springsteen so much just because he’s a damn genius. But I bet the casual listener has never heard the song “Sinister Purpose” on the radio airwaves. It sounds like it belongs on a damn Leaf Hound album or something. Thank god for small favors. This is the epitome of southern blues rock. All you Lynyrd Skynyrd fans can fight me (although I won’t knock them), but CCR has earned their grimy, yet rightful spot as the Bayou’s most raw and creepy rock group. And way down in the fall, there’s always a bad moon rising.

10. Buffalo – Dead Forever...

Man, I was going to write up a few more albums, but this is the end of the line, folks. Australia’s Buffalo caps it off with their 1972 album, Dead Forever...   I can see this piece being released today, and that’s why I’m so glad everyone in this community puts out music that can rival little-known bands like Buffalo. I have a sweet spot for this group. Nobody will ever be able to answer why this killer band could never receive any airplay, and that question still lingers as absolute over processed shit continues to infiltrate the airwaves and real emotion can’t shine through. One of the promotional stickers for this record was, “Play this album LOUD.” Seen that before? Is history repeating itself in belittling our efforts to get out there and WARP THE FUCK out of people’s minds? I guess so. But we can fix that. Put the needle on some Buffalo, don your battle jacket, and work on getting some fuzz into some onlooker’s ears. Listen carefully, and don’t let the Buffalo situation happen to us all.

Hear Bailey's 'Autumn Vibes' Playlist on Spotify

Photo by Johnny Hubbard

The Great American Death Rattle by Youngblood Supercult

GOSPEL OF MY LIFE (2008)

GOSPEL OF MY LIFE

Life is like a book

Everyday has a new page,

With adventures to tell

Lessons to learn

And tales of good deeds to remember

My friends, as I am about to leave this Earth, may this gift I am leaving you behind serve as a memoir for you to remember and keep me within your hearts forever. May you treasure this gift and hope you will also learn from them as I have.

CHAPTER 1 These things I have Lived For…

“What’s my purpose in life?” This question has always been hunting me since I have come to think about my future. Why, indeed am I here?

Now I can only give you five of these things I have lived for.

First is God. My life is my offering to Him that is why I have lived it as purely as I could to be acceptable for him and be called His daughter.

Second, I have lived for my purpose, whatever it could be, I wanted to live for me to discover why I am really here in this earth and I probably did discover it. ;-)

Third, I wanted to live until I reach my shining star, until I reach my goal in life, until I could take hold of my ultimate dream.

Fourth, I have lived for my family and my loved ones for they are my foundation to whom I can always depend on.

Fifth, I have lived for my life. I have lived enjoying my life fully so I may be able to satisfy myself of the love of God for me as His child, as a member of his family. And perhaps I had.

CHAPTER 2 These Things I have Loved in Life…

There are lots of things I have loved in my in my whole life. I love life so much and all the things that goes with it whether good or bad. They are so many to mention but I will tell you some of my favorites.

I loved reading, watching TV, and sleeping. If you did not find me doing the other, I was certainly doing the other. But I am more seen propped with pillows, sitting beside the window, reading. I like Dr. Robin Cook’s science-fiction books. I love Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt adventures. I also enjoy reading inspirational books and leadership books by Max Lucado. Worth mentioning as well my number one book, my Bible. :) 

With regards to food, any was fine just as long as it will not cause me stomachache, allergies and asthma. The list is quite a lot but we can just settle on veggies and fruits.

I loved watching action movies as well as inspirational ones. I specially liked The Matrix Trilogy (Keanu Reeves), Avatar (Sam Worthington & Zoe Saldana), Titanic (Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet), Tears of the Sun (Bruce Willis), Artificial Intelligence: AI (Haley Joel Osmont), Pay it Forward (Haley Joel Osmont & Helen Hunt), Notting Hill (Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant), Fireproof (Kirk Cameron & Erin Bethea) and a lot more!

Sometimes, when I preferred something serene, I just watched the once-azure sky slowly turning into grey and darker as the evening sky approaches and perhaps listen to the small night sounds drifting from afar or simply listen to music.

I loved silence, too. Believe you me. Aside from the fact that I usually study when everyone had already dozed off to sleep, this is also the time when I had my quite times with God.

There are also times when I preferred to do nothing. Just sit and listen to the night sounds. I loved it when I hear the whooping sound o f the wind and the musical tone of the falling rain. Moreover, I sometimes wonder how life would be without them. So, so…boring. Don't you think so, too?

So there you have it, you now know some of my favorites but there is still one thing more. One should also treasure and love his/her life for it is the greatest gift one could ever give and also receive.

CHAPTER 3 These are My Life’s Achievements…

As young as I am, I wouldn’t probably say that I have achieved much in my life for there are still so many things I long to do. But for the 19 years, I could say that I have achieved more than I expected.

As a daughter, I hope I did all my best for my parents to be happy for I believed that being one of the sources of other people’s happiness is already a great achievement.

Being committed as a student, was also an achievement. Being able to bring glory to one’s school, division and even region is another one. Being a volunteer of Silliman Pathways Youth Group which supports fellow scholars, I can say, was one of my greatest achievement as of now and that being able to lend a helping hand is very satisfying.

Indeed, what an achievement it was to be a blessing to someone else’s life.

CHAPTER 4 These Experiences I have Cherished…

All of life’s experiences, for me, were really worth cherishing (whether they may be good or bad) for both are still essential to each and every being’s existence. I bet these pages will not suffice for the space needed to tell you the experiences I cherished. So please allow me to share only so few of them.

One of those was when I was in grade 6 and won, among all other elementary schools in Dumaguete City, the 5th place in Editorial Writing. The sad part though was I was not able to join the regional due to lack of funds. I felt quite sad about it but it was as if a whole bunch of me was happy to discover my writing skill. And so, I decided to develop it with the aim that, someday, I will reach the national level. It was quite an absurd idea though for a 6th grader.

When I was in high school, I joined  journalism workshops and eventually became a staff of our official school paper - THE HORN. And so it was during my 4th year when I became one of Region 7’s three Feature Writers to represent the region to the national level press conference. Truly, I really could not quite imagine how a young mind’s wish was realized. I knew then that if one really aims for something and focuses him/herself to it, and no matter what the obstacles were, are, and will be along the way, he/she will always be able to reach them with God’s abiding grace.

Another one of my experiences was when I was still in high school. I was then a Math Club member and we did an outreach program at one of the Municipality of Valencia’s (a neighboring town southwest of Dumaguete) orphanages. We brought food, clothing and other gifts for the kids.

Upon reaching the place manned by Nuns, the children were also their welcoming us with their innocent smiles. They were jumping, laughing and running around as if it was their first time to be visited. What I saw on my part though was the exact opposite. Hidden behind my smile was my sympathy for the children who were up to 10 years of age and there were also babies! My heart wholly went out for them. My heart was breaking.

There, we had a program and the children also presented their talents. We prayed, we ate, and then we chatted for hours. Upon hearing their stories, I felt a sudden rush of pain, fear and guilt. Pain because of what the children were going through. Fear of what they might become in the future. Guilt because instead of thinking that I am lucky, I sometimes am attacked with discontentment of what I had.

What I learned then was to be content with whatever I had while also working with what I do not have, be happy with it and thank God all the time.

CHAPTER 5 These Sufferings Have Seasoned Me…

Why me? Why do we have to suffer?  Why are we experiencing all these hurts and aches?  Haven’t you asked the same question yourself?  I had. Loads of times. But as I grew up, I came to realize that what I thought about and experienced as a “suffering” was no more than an inch to what others are struggling with.

Let me tell you one that had caused me and my family so much pain- a story from our past. 

Before, even when I was still young, I always ( I bet my siblings, too) notice this on-and-off strife of my parents against my father’s siblings.  I did not exactly know the reason, perhaps I was too young then. Then came the years of peacefulness.  But it was when my Grandma (father’s mother) died on the Christmas day of 2002.  I thought, with the loss of our beloved, we will become closer but it did not happen.  The next year, Eldest Uncle (Father’s eldest brother) passed away but instead of helping one another, this created a greater distance between his family and ours.  Then during the next year, next eldest uncle died.

Those three successive years was such a traumatizing one for our family.  Those three years took the biggest chunk of our ties as a family.  Those three years triggered our family ties with our father’s side to loosen up fully.  I was confused why, during that time of crisis, we happened to become like that—broken apart.

Now, our family has been living with ourselves alone. Though we had no one but each other, we go through each obstacle in life together.  Through these hurdles in life, we became stronger and prepared, ready for whatever might lay ahead of us.

So why do we have to suffer? I, with all my heart, believe that God wants us to have stronger faith, to become better and stronger individuals.  He wants us to know that He’s always there, that He’s waiting for us to call Him and that His strength is ours to lean on.  He wants us to realize that His compassion is ours to receive and even in times of our stability, He is always there. He is preparing our character to receive that gift we have long been waiting to have.

CHAPTER 5 These Lessons Have Taught Me…

In  my young and human  mind, I just could not quite comprehend why we, humans, were so vulnerable to mistakes and why we could not simply avoid and prevent ourselves from doing so. I will be sharing some of the lessons I have learned through the course of my 19 years of existence in this world.

Before, when I was still a child, I was really such a “kapayason” child meaning I was such a “crybaby” that whenever I was scolded, I cried. Whenever I had a problem that seemed to be out of control, I cried.  I sought out everything to crying.  But it was one day when my brother asked me what’s the use of my crying when everything’s already been done and could not be changed anymore. He opened my eyes then.  “ No use to crying over spilled milk.”  Why cry with such simple things?  Why cry when you could choose to pray instead?

Crying is neither bad nor is it wrong. Furthermore, I even read somewhere that crying is a gift from God. He gave it for us to have company whenever we are alone, it also cleanses the soul that full recovery and healing may do their part afterwards.

And I guess instead of relying only to crying, why not pray.  There, one will have every opportunity to communicate with God.

Another one of my very bad habit was what we call the “manana” habit. In Filipino, the “mamaya na” habit. I always did things at the brink of time.  And so it was in my 3rd year high school, we had a project making the basics of cross stitching.  Thinking that the deadline’s still hidden behind the pages of the calendar, I dillydallied.  Then all of a sudden, here comes the deadline! Cut the long story short, I made the project overnight and was not able to sleep just to finish the project and worse, my father would not allow me to go to school that morning because I had no sleep at all.

So that was it.  But God really is good because I was able to finish my project. I learned my lesson.  “Do what we have to do now before ‘now’ could be too late.”

Upon reminiscing, I remembered the day I was till about 5 when our Aunt scolded us for playing with her karaoke.  Feeling sad and ashamed about it as young as I was, I did not accompany her to church that Sunday as I used to.  My mother asked me why and she then told me that carrying a grudge within us is not good and that who’s affected is ourselves alone. I then apologized to my Aunt the next day. Truly what a great feeling knowing we have no hatred within us.  Always remember that sulking will cause no good but anxiety and paranoia. Looking back, I realized that though they may be simple, the above are very nice and foundational lessons for a youngster.

CHAPTER 6 These Ideas Have Liberated Me…

What I had noticed is the people’s misconception of the word “liberated”.  This word comes from the root word “liberate” which literally means “to set free”.  But people, especially teenagers usually associate this term with something we-know-what.

If we are going to take it figuratively, liberate means “to take us out from the dark cave of ignorance” for it’s through these ideas that we are able to see through the dark, see through our close-mindedness, see through our hard-headedness.

Let us take for example our “going to school”.  This is a means of liberating and preparing us to the world beyond.  The lessons in school are the ideas we need in order to be liberated, to be free from ignorance, innocence, and to, perhaps, help prevent us from sinning.

Our ideas from our values class about good and bad, our principles and formulas in Mathematics and Physics, our knowing about the what’s, why’s, how’s in Science and others are the ideas which sets us free from the grasp of naiveté. 

CHAPTER 7 These Convictions I have Lived by…

I had always believed that no matter how big the waves that pushes us back ashore, we should not stop rowing our boat.

One should not get discouraged when things go beyond his/her expectations.  But let us remember instead that the greatest glory is net life’s never falling but rising every time we fall.

A smile, too, does help.  Welcoming a new day with a smile on our face, love in our hearts and fine thoughts in our minds will surely usher a great day ahead of us.  Smile also means happiness but it isn’t found when we seek it ourselves.  However, when we give it to others, it will definitely find its way back to whoever gave it.

God never promised us an easy journey in life.  He sometimes delays His help to test our faith and energize our prayers.  He is always with us though.  All we have to do is to hold His hand tightly and He will lead us safely.

So why not focus our minds on things that are beautiful?  Life’s too short to waste on worries.  Let us think of solutions instead, and not of problems.

Lastly, let us forever engrave in our minds and in our hearts that “Life is a gift from God. What we do with our lives is our gift and offering to Him.”

CHAPTER 8 These Beliefs I have Outgrown…

My friends, why is it that we should not cut our nails or comb our hair at night? Why should we not sweep our house at night? Why should we wear polka dots on New Year’s Day? Why should we step on ashes before entering the house from attending a burial? I still have quite a list of questions in my mind but I might not have enough space. These are just few of the beliefs our folks have passed from one generation to another. I respect our elders. But, with all due respect, for me, they are all but superstitious beliefs with no scientific basis or explanations. Furthermore,  as I took a closer look to each one of the above questions I came to ask myself, “Why do we allow our lives to be run by such beliefs?” We should not, for though the future is unknown, we have a Known and an All-Knowing God.

CHAPTER 9 These Insights Have Arrived Through the Course of My Life…

Through the years, I came to realize the truth that God is the Best Lover of all time and of course, the also the Best Disciplinarian of all. He loves us so much that He gave us freewill to do whatever we want to do be it good or bad. He is the best disciplinarian because He allows us to reap the consequences of our actions whether they are good or bad.

Indeed, the world is God’s manifestation of that love. It is a place where He expresses His Love for us and as well as the place where we can do the same. Moreover, man’s nature of being vulnerable to sin should not be a license to doing mistakes. Why not prevent it from happening instead? That way, we would not be able to sin and blame ourselves in the end. Yes, there are circumstances where we are caught in sin’s spell-binding web making things out of control. I had been praying than we always ask God to lead us to the right path.

What is love, by the way? Love is described in so many different ways by so many authors but don’t you know that the shortest definition of love is just found in the Bible? God is Love (1 John 4:8). He is the Greatest Lover of all time.

Another insight I want to share is about prayer. Is it not that it is through prayer that we are able to communicate with God? It is the one and only channel by which we can talk to Him. Prayer, when done sincerely and wholeheartedly, can be so powerful for through prayers, He hears more than we say, He answers more than we ask and gives more than we desire. All He needs is our time.

Last but definitely not the least insight I learned is the truth that Jesus Christ is our only Salvation. He died in the cross and shed His blood so that our sins may be forgiven. The best Rabbi of all time,  He’s the bridge that connects us to the Heavenly Father.

CHAPTER 10 These Influences Have Shaped My Life…

My parents had always been the main factor of the development of my well-being. They were the ones who nourished, nurtured and protected me. They were my first teachers and I will never forget the lessons they taught me. That is also why I love them so much that I did everything for them to be happy.

Second in line are my siblings who were my supporters, fans and advisers. They are my collaborators, my mentors and of course, my tormentors. :) 

Next are my teachers who greatly added more to what I learned from home. They helped in broadening my knowledge and opening my eyes wide to see the real meaning of life and life beyond school and to live up to it.

In addition, all the people around me most especially my friends, also played a very huge role to my growth as a person and as to who I am now.

Being a wide-reader, books also influenced my life. I read different books with different genres. My number one book is my Bible for it is through it that my life slowly found its meaning. I also love my dictionary for it taught me lots of things I could not imagine. When I read, I always see to it that my dictionary is right beside me for whatever things that need clarifications especially words I hadn’t came across yet.

Truly, reading is a very wonderful habit and I suggest that you start doing it, too. The next time you do, you will be soaring to places you have never been, meeting people you have never met, and watching sceneries you have never seen. I can vouch for this!

CHAPTER 11 These Persons are Enshrined in My Life…

“No man is an island.” Exactly. Humans as we are, we are sociable beings always inclined to be in constant contact with other people. Well, who are these people from whom we learned about such? Yes, the people nearest us. As for me, they are my parents, siblings, friends, teachers and mentors.

But there is still someone who wants to have a relationship and fellowship with us. Jesus Christ. With Him as the center of our lives, everything will always be at bay. With our parents, we will be always assured with their love; with our family, we will always be secured with their protective embrace; with our friends, we will be assured that life is worth living with their caring smiles, with our teachers and mentors, we will always be lead to the right path.

Yes, believe me, get out of your shell and go out to the world that excitedly awaits you.

CHAPTER 12 The End…The Beginning…The Reality…

As a teenager, I still had plans to do, lots of things to accomplish, lots of things I wanted to have, etc. etc.

Yes, I did say that one should be content. Contentment is all about having Jesus Christ in our lives. His SHALOM in our loves. And Jesus also wants us to enjoy live and continue working and offer our everything to Him. 

Dream big. Dream for your family, for the orphans, for the street children, for yourself. I had lots of dreams. Yes, I knew, my dreams are still too far beyond for me to reach. I still felt like I am inside my small boat constantly rowing, not knowing where to go with this vast ocean of life. Though I may not know where this life’s current leads me, though I am unaware where this wind will toss me, thought the fog of insufficiency blurs my vision with uncertainty, I believed I did continue on rowing for I knew that God was (for me) and will (for your all) always be here, guiding.

These are just few of the marvelous things, which you can explore upon voyaging through this vast sea we call life. 

Bon voyage!

Adios, my friends,

Daylinda C. Barba

[REVIEW] Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side: 3rd Story

Just look at the cute logo–it practically summarizes the whole game.

First thing first, it’s my first time conducting a review so maybe I’ll just skip all the mincing and playing with the words. And secondly, well, I know it’s a pretty old game, but since I just got my hands on it recently then excuse me for treating it as brand new.

Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side: 3rd Story is currently the latest installment of the Tokimeki Memorial series (excluding the ‘Battery Widget’). It’s an otome game; basically a game in which girls are making boys falling for her, for those who don’t know what it means. There are bunch of otome games out there and more often than not I’m disgusted at them (especially when some of them include BDSM, rape, or worse–gang rape). All that aside, that’s why I’m often sticking with school-life otome games, to minimize the chances of any of those horrid scenes popping in my game consoles and to keep my mind and eyes clean from any harmful influences. blah.

Right, time to go back to the right path.

Like I said, I found TMGS3 just recently and seeing that it’s pretty innocent-looking with that cute, pinky font–I tried it on my old PSP. I was pretty surprised to find that it’s so fun. You can go shopping every Sunday with a discount card, the clothes you wear will have to be matching with the season you’re in or else the guys you’re seducing will pretty much scold you for going with unfitting outfits (I’ve tried it, wearing a tank top in winter). You have to raise some stats up to make guys fall for you (but every guy has their own tastes so you can’t always get all of the guys’ confession in one playthrough) just like in real life.

When you want something, you have to really work for it–that’s one point I learn the hard way in my life and I love that this game teaches that.

Now, let us get to the main part of this review.

System

To put it simply, the system is as equally cute as it’s fun. It’s easy to navigate too. You can just choose what activity you want to do for the week right here. Choosing certain activities can both increase and decrease some of the stats so it can be tough when you have to maintain some stats which happen to be increased and decreased by activities that you also have to do. In the beginning of the game, you’re inquired to choose a room and depending on which you choose, your beginning stats will vary, though the beginning money will remain the same.

Background Music

One of the plus points for this game is absolutely it’s BGM, without it then maybe the worth of this game will drop about 50%, for me, at least. One most primary factor I think has to be in a game (especially the otome ones) is the BGM. To me, music is partially everything. Without it then the feeling you get won’t come off as great as it will be. Even bad BGMs which grate ears in some action games just make the feeling of smashing the villain even better. In short, I’m so glad that this game executes the choices of music and soundtrack so well. The confession theme music and the ending song, ‘flower or love’, are so great that it made me shed a tear.

Story

Like most games of this kind, the heroine here has no clear personality. The players are the ones who can define her through the choices and actions. While I hoped that the heroine would have more defining personality than the default, innocent and seemingly gullible personality and was let down, fortunately the whole plot of this story is "passable” to make up the fault.

There’s a legend of a church when the heroine was still a child, which is also the vocal point of this game and where the confessions always take place. The heroine also befriends the two poster boys Ruka and Koichi in her childhood, the three of them often played at the grounds of that church. One day, the heroine has to leave the city, leaving both boys and like most stories, she is back about ten years or so later only to meet up with both of her childhood friends.

It’s an overused plot story (with the previous TMGS games having childhood friends as well) but I think TMGS3 does it well and puts the scenes in a decent order. I won’t say that I particularly fond of this part since I have enough of my fill with cliche and happily-ever-after bunch of unreal tales. Like I said, the plot is passable. It’s neither really good or bad–it’s just enough to make the game look likable. At least there’s no scenes of promising the heroine that the boys will marry her someday or something even more worse than that. I’ll think of this game less than how I think of it now.

I love fairy tales and sweet nothings but sometimes we just have to face the reality and know that there’s a fine line between it and fiction. I mean let’s be real–will you still be that friendly with you childhood friends after you meet them ten years later? Don’t even start. I bet you won’t even remember what you did when you were 7 or 8 years old.

The Guys

And here we are, at the most vital part of what makes it a worthy game besides the BGM. There are a wide variety of bachelors in this game, like 6 enigmatic boys you can vividly see, 4 secret (in other words, hidden) characters which I deem not that important and a teacher which can only become your love interest when you go through a specific path and have the valid stats. Stats are the oyster in this world and you can only advance with fulfilling a certain amount of them.

The first general 6 boys are alright. I found each of their characteristics amusing especially Shitara Seiji (above), who is basically a rich brat who doesn’t know how to send a text message. There are also events for each of them you can unlock by choosing certain activities too. Some of them are hilarious and pretty interesting, though there are also some which are overly exaggerated and blown out of proportion, like Niina Junpei’s route. The best events trophy shall go to the poster boys Sakurai Ruka and Koichi–funny, interesting and emotional are packed in one boy.

I have to say that the best of this game probably lies within the events and story of the first 6 boys. The next 4 secret characters are written and executed weirdly and pretty half-assed, almost not making sense. Though it’s not really all four of them bad, at least two of them are. Let’s just be real, a chance encounter won’t happen that many times! (except when you’re obsessed with that person and you keep stalking them to make the ‘chance encounter’) But the writer seemed to love it and overused the idea a few times.

Character Graphics

And here’s another deciding factor which defines the main worth of the game itself. And thankfully I don’t think myself and anyone else in the fandom have any complaints about the graphics. The CGs are beautifully drawn and the sprites have no actual problems. I mean look at this:

The only thing I despise is Konno Tamao’s hair–like, green? It’s not that I’m not fond of the color green but to see it as hair color is just... weird. Yeah, weird. And I’m not really agree with Junpei’s hairstyle either. If only they would make his hair styled above and put aside the makeover, then it’d be perfect.

Mini Games

IT’S HELLA FUN! The pillow-throwing one, I mean. I don’t think the making-valentine-choco counts as a game actually since it’s just about decorating chocolates the way you want them to be. The ball-throwing game in sport festival is pretty fun even when sometimes I’m infuriated when the opposite team hit me with the ball instead. But most of all, the ball-rolling game is really getting on my nerves since I can’t seem to win it. All in all, aside from the making the choco thing, the mini games are pretty worthwhile.

Final Judgement

Personal Rating: 7/10

For an otome game, it’s pretty decent and possibly one of some great ones there. The story and events are well-executed and left quite an impression. Flaws are just inevitable but still tolerable. It’s worth your time and money.

Only a fool would predict what'll be on the LSAT. So here are our predictions ...

All right, the time is upon us. We are T-minus 2 days until the September 2017 LSAT is unveiled to a nation of law school hopefuls and, in the case of the fine people who contribute to this blog, LSAT instructors.

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably been studying for this moment for months on end. You’ve used past exams to guide your study. You’ve seen that, while there are only a few different kinds of Logical Reasoning questions, Logic Games, and Reading Comprehension passages that the LSAT returns to again and again, you never quite know which combination of those you’re going get on a given exam. The malevolent sorcerers who write this test can be quite unpredictable in that way.

So I’m going to put my LSAT knowledge and experience to the test and try to make some predictions about this upcoming exam. To try to divine, by means of reason and experience, what the logicians-who-use-their-powers-for-evil will include on the test this Saturday.

A major caveat before we begin: I’m wrong all the time. I thought this forgotten single would be Beyoncé’s biggest, most beloved song. I root for the San Diego Los Angeles Chargers, and before most seasons sincerely believe they will win the AFC West. For years, I thought the lyrics to Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping” were, “He drinks a whiskey drink, he drinks a vodka drink. He drinks a vodka drink, he drinks a vodka drink.” I use it a bunch, but I still don’t know how to pronounce “eschew.” I know a lot about the LSAT, but maybe take what I say with a grain of salt.

With that said, let’s get to speculating!

Logical Reasoning

The typical Logical Reasoning section always goes the same way. You start out with some easy to mild questions. Then, by question 14 or 15, you start to get some more difficult and time-consuming questions and, then by the question 18 or 19, you’re given tough after tough question.

What does vary from section to section is what kind of questions you’re going to get. So let’s make some semi-educated guesses about that.

The first question on the first Logical Reasoning section of the last three exams has been a Resolve or Explain question. In fact, on most recent sections, you get a lot of these two question types at the beginning of the section. I’d expect this trend to continue on this exam. So get ready to start with the ‘splaining, and ease into the section with some of the easier types of question types on the LSAT.

I wouldn’t expect to see many Soft Must Be True questions on this exam. There are usually about five of these in a given exam, but on the June 2017 exam, there were ten. I’d be willing to wager that LSAC Soft Must Be Blew through its reserve of these questions on the last exam and won’t have many to use for this one.

I do predict that there will be a lot of Strengthen questions on this exam though. There are an average of eight of those on a given exam. But on the last one, there were a grand total of three. Expect this question type to reassert its dominance in a big way. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were as many as ten on this exam.

Finally, a trend I’ve noticed on recent exams is “hidden” conditional language. Most questions that involve diagramming haven’t used the super obvious “If A, then B; but only Cs are Bs” conditional language from tests of yore. Rather, there have been a lot of instances of less overt conditional statements. Statements like “Birthday clowns are alcoholics” and “Alcoholics cannot be trusted with children.” These can be diagrammed to “Birthday Clown → Alcoholic” and “Alcoholic → Not Trusted with Children,” allowing you to conclude that “Birthday Clowns → Not Trusted with Children.” Be on the lookout for these — identifying and diagramming them will make your job a lot easier on many Must Be True, Flaw, Parallel, Parallel Flaw, Sufficient, and Necessary questions you get.

But remember, some things never change on Logical Reasoning. You’ll get somewhere between four and eight Flaw questions. You will get exactly two Parallel questions and exactly two Parallel Flaw questions. You’ll get a handful of questions that involve understanding the structure of an argument — these being a few Main Point, a few Describe, and a few Role questions strewn about the exam. Be ready for these too.

Reading Comprehension

One prediction I can make with confidence — and I say this with proverbial hat in hand — is that Reading Comp is going to be tough. As an LSAT instructor, I sometimes feel like a parent forcing a recalcitrant child to eat his vegetables when reviewing Reading Comp with my students. Everyone hates reading these dry passages on obscure topics, but doing so is ultimately very healthful. Because it makes you a better reader — which is obviously an important skill for law school — but also because it helps prepare you for the section that has only gotten harder over the years. It’s also the longest section, based on the number of questions, so you have the most opportunity to earn (or fail to earn, if you didn’t have a diet of vegetables during your studies) points.

For Reading Comp, there’s really no such thing as an “easy” passage anymore. Our company has a rating system, from 1 (easy) to 5 (brutal), that we use to rate every LR question, RC passage, and logic game. And over the past six published LSATs, there have been zero passages we’ve classified as a “1” and only two passages we’ve classified as a “2” (or “mild”). Compare that to the five passages we’ve classified as a “4” (tough) and the six passages we’ve classified as a “5” (brutal), and you start to get the picture of the horrors LSAC is putting students through on this section.

My guess is that you’ll get one or two passages of “medium” difficulty to start it off. Then the third and fourth passages will be tough and brutal. The comparative passage is usually either among the easier passages of the section or the most difficult of the bunch. On most of the recent exams, it’s been among the easier — and in the last LSAT, it was one of the toughest — so I’m going to guess the comparative passage will be one of the easier passages in this section, and will probably be first or second.

As far as the topics, the LSAT is pretty much always good for one on the law and one on science. The other two cycle through topics like the arts (almost always an obscure artist doing something unconventional), history (often having to do with indigenous people in the pre-Columbus Americas), philosophy (which is when things get really weird — think the weird passage about meta-thoughts from the last LSAT), and the social sciences. My best guess is that you’re going to get a passage on arts — they’ve done music and interior design recently, so let’s say it’s going to be on literature — and a social sciences passage on some protest movement that seems somewhat similar to the current resistance movement — the LSAT loves to be somewhat topical.

Logic Games

A little recent history on the Logic Games section: In late 2014, after many years of really only including games that involved ordering and games that involved grouping, the test writers decided to start getting weird. On tests between 2014 and 2016, they started including super weird games that didn’t quite fit within the paradigms of ordering and grouping games. Think the worksite trading game of June 2014. Or the computer virus game of September 2016. Or the trading building game of December 2016. And let me just say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for this, LSAC. It’s been a real pleasure to, days before the big test day, console the nerves of hundreds of anxious law school hopefuls about the possibility of getting an unconventional game on their exam.

BUT … then the test writers sort of stopped doing that. On the last two exams, the games sections have been straightforward. Everything’s been an ordering game or a grouping game. Nothing has been especially difficult, provided you have the basics of logic games down.

I would expect this to continue on the recent exam. And — this is probably the point at which my conjecture becomes irresponsible, but hear me out — I think this has more to do with external pressures facing LSAC than anything else. It’s no secret that the LSAT is losing ground to the GRE, as big-name schools like Harvard, Georgetown, and Northwestern have started to accept the GRE in lieu of the LSAT. For years, LSAC had a monopoly on the test people had to take to get into law school. When LSAC lacked competition, it could do annoying things that would anger a bunch of test takers. “Who cares what the students think? They have to take our exam and pay us a hefty application fee to do so!” these fat cats would scoff. Now that they have competition, my guess is they’re less inclined to do stuff that will sour large swaths of test takers on the exam. And — take it from me — nothing sours a bunch of people on the LSAT like a logic game that people view as unfair or overly difficult.

The LSAT is already doing things to try to make the test seem more ~chill~ than it used to. You can take it as many times as you want now. It’ll be offered more times throughout the year. It’s going digital. And I don’t see any reason why this trend wouldn’t manifest in the types of games that appear on the exam ether.

As far as the types of games, I think we’re going to see one basic, or 1:1, ordering game, since there’s almost always at least one of those. There hasn’t been an In & Out game in a few exams, so I imagine they’re going to dust off one of those for this exam. Unstable grouping games are another very common game, so I bet we’ll see one of those. And I think the hardest game of the lot will likely be a tiered ordering game. But, in all, I wouldn’t expect anything too tough or crazy on this one.

That said …

Finally, with all that said … don’t take these predictions too seriously. There’s a reason why we’re making them at the last possible moment, at a point at which you should no longer be studying and instead just relaxing and recharging before the big day.

Honestly, no matter what they put on this test, you’ll have the skills and strategies to answer it. There are fundamental concepts that translate across question types and sections of the LSAT, and if you’ve mastered those, you’ll be fine, no matter what they put on the exam. Do you know how to diagram conditional statements and use them to make transitive deductions? Do you have the common fallacies down pat? Are you able to recognize causal statements, and do you know how to strengthen and weaken them? Do you know how to identify the author’s role in a Reading Comprehension passage? Can you set up both ordering and grouping games, and do you know when to make scenarios in each of those?

If so, I will make one last prediction, one I can make with absolute confidence: You’re going to do great.

Only a fool would predict what’ll be on the LSAT. So here are our predictions … was originally published on LSAT Blog

1-102 for the ask thing

1.) what’s a song you depict with your childhood? doesn't remind me- audioslave
2.) did you have a memorable childhood pet? Ophelia!!! She was a beautiful and amazing cat
3.) have you ever been drunk? Ya
4.) have you ever tried drugs? U bet
5.) have you ever completely regretted what you’ve said? Yep
6.) have you ever made someone cry? Yeah
7.) has someone ever made you cry? Yep!
8.) have you ever been in love? if so, describe the moment you knew it. Yeah, the first time I fell in love I knew because she just gave me this feeling like I only wanted the best for her regardless of if she was with me or not (but it was awful to see her with anyone else)
9.) which came first the chicken or the egg? Chicken
10.) are you part of the lgbtq+ community? do you support them? I'm queer af
11.) how many siblings do you have? 4
12.) have you ever been in love with someone you couldn’t love? This is gay culture/ yes
13.) are you a good cook? Eh
14.) what is your favorite tv show? the Gay and Wonderous Life of Caleb Gallo!
15.) what is the last movie you cried during? Tbh that one with Robert pattinson where he dies
16.) what are songs you’ve cried to when you first heard them? (if any) Space Oddity- David Bowie
17.) do you have a middle name? Elaina Dorothy
18.) have you been out of your country? Yeah I've been to the US, France, and Spain!
19.) are you a chocolate fan or not? Yaaa
20.) how many people have you kissed? Not counting truth or dare kisses with friends- 11? At least
21.) what is your favorite album? Rn probably Digital Druglord or Nothing Above Nothing Below
22.) what is your dream car? Something old and aesthetic
23.) what is your lucky/favorite number? 9
24.) what is your favorite flower? Baby's breath?
25.) books or movies, why? Books bc they've always been there for me
26.) have you ever been on a blind date? No
27.) has one of your friends ever backstabbed you? High school in a nutshell
28.) have you ever backstabbed one of your friends? Probably
29.) what thing do you symbolize love with? Making people watch heathers
30.) do you have neat handwriting? Noooo
31.) do you have a friend with benefits? Sorta
32.) do you want a friend with benefits? Depends on the alternative 
33.) if you could be anything in the world, what would you be? Not mentally ill
34.) have you ever been blackout drunk? Far too many times, far too often
35.) have you ever met someone famous? A couple musicians ?
36.) how many concerts have you been to? A bunch
37.) which concerts have you been to? I can't remember things rn
38.) do you have a hidden talent? ;)
39.) what do you do when you’re stressed? Masturbate/smoke/cry/run repeat
40.) do you think money can buy love? Not real love
41.) how old would you date? 20
42.) have you ever done something illegal? Shoplifting+ tresspassing
43.) what is your biggest fear? Being alone and unloved
44.) what is an unusual fear you have? Idk
45.) can you drive? Less can you, more should you
46.) do you believe in supernatural creatures? Sorta
47.) do you believe in karma? Yes
48.) what is one quality you need in your partner? Independence 
49.) do looks matter? Yes (not conventional beauty tho)
50.) does size matter? Nah
51.) who is the last person you forgave? I'm more of the one to be forgiven 
52.) what is your favorite ice cream flavor? Coffee or caramel or chocolate 
53.) what languages can you speak besides english? French-ish
54.) ever been on a plane? Ya
55.) ever been on a boat? Ya
56.) is there anyone you’ve lost touch with that you wish you hadn’t? Yep
57.) are there any friendships you regret? Yes
58.) are there any friendships you wish you could make? Yeah
59.) have you ever stayed awake for 24 (+) hours? Yep
60.) have you ever walked outside after 12 am? Yes it's my favourite thing
61.) have you ever seen a sunrise completely through? Yeah!
62.) are you scared of rollercoasters? Yes
63.) on a scale of 1-10 how stressed are you usually? 6
64.) do you have any plans this weekend? Take a bath, call Addison, see my friends! And work :-(
65.) do you miss anyone right now? Yeah
66.) who do you wish you were talking to right now? Jade or Simon or Addison or Avery I miss Avery sm tbh
67.) if you could have any superpower, what would it be? Super good memory
68.) who is your favorite superhero? Spider-Man tbh
69.) are you dirty minded? Ya
70.) what is your favorite song from every decade starting at that 80’s? Can't pick just one
71.) how many kids, if any, do you want? MAYBE one
72.) who is your biggest OTP? Me n mental stability 
73.) what is your favorite food? Is latte foam food 
74.) do you want to be married one day? Fuck that but also yes ya feel 
75.) dogs or cats? Both 
76.) do you drink enough water daily? So much
77.) have you ever seen a shooting star? I think
78.) if you had the opportunity to go to the moon, would you? Nah
79.) how many best friends do you have? 1 soulmate, 4 best friends
80.) when was the last time you cried? Yesterday
81.) have you ever laughed so hard you peed yourself? I think so
82.) have you ever made anyone laugh so hard they peed? Maybe?
83.) if you could travel any where in the world, where would you go? California 
84.) what are 3 words you would use to describe yourself? Gay, anxious, loser
85.) do you consider yourself a loyal person? Yep
86.) what is your favorite season and why? Fall! Perfect weather for my fav clothes+ halloween
87.) have you ever told anyone you loved them, and didn’t mean it? All the time my dude
88.) do you know how to play any instruments? Yeah! Cello guitar bass uke and piano
89.) do like like falling asleep to music or not? Yep
90.) what are you allergic to? Healthy stable relationships
91.) have you ever wanted to be someone else for a day just so you could see what there life is like? Yeah
92.) if you could be any character from your favorite tv show would you, and if so, who would you be? I'd be Jon snow bc he pretty
93.) if you could be best friends with any celebrity who would it be and why? He's not really a celebrity but I wanna hang out w Matt toka 
94.) are you outgoing? Trying 2 b
95.) have you ever wanted to kiss someone, but weren’t brave enough to? Story of my life
96.) are you a good flirt? Good? Debatable. Flirt? Yes.
97.) have you ever been turned down, or have you ever turned anyone down? Ya and ya!
98.) which planet is your favorite? This one
99.) are you superstitious? A bit
100.) are you a good listener? I think so
101.) are you a good kisser? Apparently! I've been told that quite a bit
102.) would you kiss any of your friends? I think I have kissed all my friends (who live within kissing distance)