Secret Dragon - Chapter 2: Ignite
I opened the book and skimmed through a few chapters, happy to finally see some true information, with substance. Although I had many books of my own, I had never brought any of them to class; I had no intention of being asked about them or pressing the issue.
By virtue of my existence, it and I would be scrutinized. I had neither the patience nor the desire for another microscope to be placed above me.
But Sasha had no such reservations even after I told him about the curriculum, although he relented and said he would figure out a way around that nonsense. It seemed as if he was determined to go against the grain.
We spoke deeply, about different subjects, our project, and his books. The more he talked the more at ease he became. I unknowingly got closer and closer to him as the time passed. I had to literally pull myself back a few times. I wondered if he noticed. It was confusing how I kept leaning into the heat coming off his breath.
We were both startled at the sound of chairs scraping. We looked around as our peers gathered their things.
“It seems that for the first time this class is actually worth my time. Usually I am the first to leave,” Sasha said, surprised.
“I know,” I revealed.
“Hmmm,” he vocalized deeply. I had no idea if it was “oh really” or “interesting” or any other answer. It was just a deep throat vibration. I just knew he would do that a lot. I could feel it.
As I was packing my things, I realized I was a little feverish. I put a hand to my cheek. Was it hot? Or was it that he was speaking heat in my direction? I couldn’t tell. I never ran hot.
He watched me touching my face and chuckled to himself, putting away his books. I really wanted to be annoyed—at anyone else I would have been—but his lighthearted laughter surprised me; so joyous after so many weeks of being a specter in the classroom.
I looked him in his eyes, though, and shook my head challengingly at him, as if to say “what?” That only made him laugh out loud. It was both quiet and bassy all at the same time. The kind of laugh that was bottomless, scratchy. The kind of laugh you could tell would boom and shake you if given the space.
I never thought I’d hear that coming from him, let alone directed at me. I refrained from expressing an iota of emotion beyond a small smile. I had to stay cool.
Pam walked over to our table swiftly, no doubt looking to be rid of Jonah. She smiled at Sasha, grinned really.
“So. We finally meet! Pam Swiftwater,” she chirped. Her hand shot out as fast as she walked. Sasha halted his movement. He extended his hand more slowly, gently, engulfing her delicate hands in his large ones.
“Of course. I am Sasha Emberscale,” Sasha said, pulling his hand back to pat his chest.
Pam gave me a knowing glance of drama. “Oh I know who you are,” she said.
“Likewise; you are in my open physical hour,” he reminded her. “You are on the track team.”
“That’s right! It’s nice to finally, officially, meet you.”
Sasha raised his brow at her. “My friend has spoken of you,” he said offhand.
“What friend?” Pam asked, taken aback.
“Seth Fairbreeze, dragon of the wind.”
“Oh?” Pam said, her interest piqued. I didn’t know whether she knew who that was. But it intrigued both of us nonetheless.
“I will introduce you, of course, now that we are properly acquainted.”
“I can’t wait.” I knew she couldn’t.
Pam glanced back at her table and groaned. “Let’s get out of here. If I have to talk to Jonah any longer, I swear Imma strangle him.”
Sasha laughed heartily. “Very well. Let us depart this place to avoid attempted murder,” he joked.
“Why don’t you stick with us? We’re in the same course after this,” I suggested, gathering my items. I didn’t even hesitate asking him that. I’d done enough hesitating.
Sasha’s laugh tapered off into a quiet chuckle. “Of course. I would desire nothing more.”
I couldn’t hide my elation this time. Pam snickered at me. Thankfully he didn’t notice. I assumed.
Sasha draped his jacket across his arm, opting not to put it back on. Admittedly I enjoyed the view. He gestured for us to exit the class before him.
Every once in a while he would look down at me as we walked through the halls. I noticed his eyes following me.
I would sneak a glance at him when he wasn’t looking. It was apparent just how large he was now that I was walking right next to him. He was one of the only people in school taller than me. His shoulders were broad, arms thick. I know I was staring at the way they flexed as he moved. Couldn’t help but to.
Everything in me wanted to take that arm of his for my own. The thought of it being mine just felt so natural. I had to check myself a few times walking beside him.
It would be mine in time. That I promised myself.
—
We entered our Dragontongue class where I took a seat on his right at a table. Pam sat at mine.
Class with Sasha was much more interesting than ever before. He spoke freely and pleasantly, a stark contrast to the silent dragon he had been before I sat at his table in Dragonology. It was like something that had weighed on him had vanished.
I wasn’t unaware that he was happier since we had talked. I was pleased that it was me that had pulled him out of whatever darkness was holding him.
Again a pang of irritation ran through me. Why had I not introduced myself before? Just hearing the depth of his voice and the eloquence of his speech had me feeling some type of way. I could have been hearing that in my ears for weeks, those words of his carried on desert sands.
As class droned on, I saw that Sasha was appraising the professor with a raised brow as if too polite to allow complete disdain across his face.
He began to tell us about different Dragontongue dialects quietly, I suppose to keep himself occupied or distracted. I had to lean all the way in to hear his voice. It reverberated in my ears.
“If you were to say that word in the southern regions of Lyfax, it would mean to place bricks or stones atop each other as if building something. If you said that in the northeastern region, it means much the same, but doubles as a slang word meaning to fu— I am sorry, to have relations with someone.”
Pam squealed and covered her mouth. I covered mine too. I had wanted to hear the word ‘fuck’ come out of his polite mouth.
“Are you serious?” I asked instead.
“Yes, I am,” he said, brow raised. “Take care in who you say it to and in what context.”
Sasha tapped another paragraph “This term here. If you were to say it in the Northernmost tip of the country, it is basically calling someone a piece of filth in the wrong context, while just a few regions down it simply means to clean something without any further colloquial use. Their origins most likely started off with the same meaning and deviated as the people left and settled elsewhere. Knowing different dialects of Dragontongue in Lyfax is important. Linguistics interests me, as you can probably surmise.”
“Do you speak a lot of languages?” Pam asked.
“I occasionally travel for my work and interact with different dignitaries. I must know many languages and dialects at least at a rudimentary level.”
“Oh wow…” I said, truly impressed. Now that I had listened to his voice, I couldn’t place his accent. Unless deep was one. It wasn’t as if I was familiar with Lyfaxians’ manner of speech or various accents anyway. “What do you speak?” I asked
“Hmmmm. Common Lyfaxian. Common Lizardtongue. Dragontongue, of course; several dialects: fire, moon and wind. Many people know these. Shelltongue. Salamandra…one other.”
“Goodness,” I said in awe. I stashed away that “one other.” I’d ask about it later. I couldn’t imagine why it would be a secret. Hypocritically.
“My speech is not perfect in Shelltongue or Salamandra yet. But I can hold a conversation. I would enjoy learning and speaking your dialect of Dragontongue, as you mentioned earlier,” he remarked to me. Of course, Pam regarded me in shock. She gave me a chiding look, rightfully so.
Sasha didn’t miss her reaction. “If it is trouble, do not worry about it,” he said, frowning.
“No, It’s okay,” I reassured him. “I don’t mind.”
He was still uncertain, looking at Pam’s concerned face. “If I am to converse with a new group of dragons, I would prefer to know their dialect,” he whispered. “But not if it is cause for alarm. For some reason.”
Pam sighed in relief upon hearing him refer to me as a dragon. “Oh okay.”
“It’s fine. Complicated. I’ll tell you later,” I said, waving it all away. Sasha nodded.
“So did you all decide on a topic for your assignment?” Pam asked.
“Of course. We spoke much of it. I look forward to working with Leila.” Sasha said. I liked the way he said my name, the way he swung the vowels upward to where they needed to go. As it should be. “It will be interesting,” he said.
Pam glanced over to me. “How so?”
I looked amused, I’m sure. “Let’s say our Dragonology topic is about to be spicy,” I hinted.
“Sasha you’re a horrible influence already,” she accused, raising her brows at him.
“Of course,” he confirmed, chuckling deeply. “One needs a little corruption in the right direction, every once in a while.”
“Corruption? Oh really?” I said, regarding him in what I intended to be mock surprise. But I was genuinely shocked that he said it. He hadn’t corrupted me yet. He could try, but only when I was through with him.
Sasha chuckled silently. Just a trembling of the shoulders. A soft billow of scalding heat wafting across my face. Mmm, maybe sooner then.
Pam’s eyes widened, but she was beyond amused. If she could manifest a snack to observe our rapidly forming dynamic, she would have in a heartbeat.
She sat back, twirling her pencil. I knew she was about to start something. The twitch in the corner of her mouth was working. She was about to instigate her heart out. I groaned quietly.
“You know, Leila speaks all the same languages you do. She’s fluent in Shelltongue even; one of her best friends is Turtlefolk. She works at a place where a lot of people from different places come through. She took it upon herself to learn their languages.”
I groaned more.
“Is that so?” Sasha inquired, angling his body toward me. He sounded impressed.
I just rubbed my brows. I did not advertise my language skills. He looked at me with interest. “That is admirable. Why do you not wish to speak of it?” he asked.
“I don’t like puffing myself up. Drawing attention. Not that you are doing that,” I clarified.
Sasha smiled. “I know what you meant,” he said, speaking Shelltongue. I grinned. “I have been somewhat successful at not drawing attention—past my appearance at least—for a few weeks now.”
“Except your grades of course,” I pointed out in Shelltongue as well. “Literally perfect grades except two, and that’s only because of inaccuracies.”
Sasha raised his brow. “Ah, right, you have been keeping tabs on my marks. Very well; I have been under the radar except for my marks.”
“See? Y’all can speak tongues to each other in every flavor,” Pam said casually.
My mouth dropped. To say my eyes widened would be an understand. I shielded the side of my face.
Sasha choked and laughed quietly, holding his chest.
Never had she been that brazen. And she had said some crazy ass things for as long as I’d know her.
She looked so proud of herself.
“Pam, you are trying to start something, are you not?” Sasha guessed—back in Lizardtongue—looking away in laughter.
“Of course not. I don’t know what you mean,” she said, smirking.
I rubbed my face. “What were we even talking about?”
Sasha spoke as quietly as he could. “Different languages. Dialects. Things of that nature. Tongues, apparently,” he said, leaning toward me.
Really Sasha? I thought. He was something else.
He leaned back again and looked ahead, his smile dimming. “Also, things your professor apparently will not teach,” he said, the scales of his brows beginning to furrow.
“Yeah. It’s frustrating,” I agreed, uncovering my face.
“This class is testing my endurance. To hear my language butchered and be told that the proper way is incorrect is vexing.”
Pam stared at the professor, then at Sasha. “I’m sorry. This class is far beneath how you—and we—speak.”Pam and the rest of the Swiftwater Clan spoke to my family in the True way, the way of Sun Dragons.
Sasha leaned back. “And yet I have no choice but to be here,” he remarked. “And, apparently, neither do you both.”
It was a painful requirement, but a mandatory one. I nodded.
Pam turned back to the front of class. “You must be bored here at this university,” she said.
Sasha rubbed his chin. “Hmmmm,” he rumbled deeply. The vibration of that inquisitive hum made my shoulders tingle. I had to close my eyes and put a hand to my chest to halt my heart’s pounding.
“I was, yes,” he said slowly, “but yesterday was my last day of boredom. Today, the season has changed.” He glanced at me as he said it.
My mouth twitched into a smile. I found his choice of words particularly appealing. Pam looked curiously at him, but said nothing.
Sasha angled his body back toward me. I don’t know if I imagined it, but it felt like his whole existence was radiating heat now. It sent rush through my body.
“Let us return to our ‘lesson’ and pretend to care,” he suggested.
“Sasha,” I laughed, nudging his arm. It was hot to the touch. I was not imagining it.
“What?” he said innocently.
I shook my head at him, incredulous. I had no idea he was so funny. Who would have thought that sullen dragon was full of humor. He relented.
“I will behave myself,” he lied through his fanged teeth, patting his chest.
“Doubtful,” I returned, amused. It was easy to talk to him. Like we were old friends. Sasha was right: Pam had started something.
—
Sasha continued pointing out more language dialect rules and vocabulary from Lyfax. Things we couldn’t have learned on our own.
There were so many regions to learn about. I listened intently as he described them, and asked questions about everything. It was as if he was taking me on a mental tour of those far away places…
Before that day we hadn’t said a word to each other. Hadn’t shaken hands or anything. Whenever we had met eyes, we would quickly look away. I didn’t understand why we had done that. Now here we were hunched over a text book with our heads damn near touching. The heat of his breath warmed my face. It was hotter than earlier that day. Much hotter. No one was close enough to be bothered by it but Pam, and she did not seem to react to it.
And still I kept on gravitating closer. Because of how he had angled his body toward me, my left arm eventually pressed against his right.
My breathing stuttered, being in such close proximity to him. And I knew he felt it. He had to have felt it. Because I felt him tremble.
And there it was again! That strange rumble emanating from him, from his throat, I could now tell. Now that I was touching him, it was amplified, coursing through me. I tried to pinpoint its essence. It was very much like a growl, the crackling of a fire. And a hum; it reminded me of the way he responded to things without words. Hmmm.
All of it together was a magnetic song. I couldn’t help but listen. Let it lull me into a dream.
I wandered from the lesson for a moment to imagine what it would be like to just feel all of it pressed up against my chest. To embrace him and the heat he radiated.
I wanted to feel his fire whipping around me, not just the heat off him. To embrace a cascade of his flames. washing over me, engulfing me fully.
What would kissing Sasha be like? By the Goddess, the thought of drinking his fire until the persistent ice inside me melted was too tantalizing. If only I could just taste his breath inside my mouth… I wanted to look into his throat where I knew a flickering flame lie in wait. To explore it. Mmm.
It was like some deep ancestral memory was awakening. My breathing grew heavier. I swear to the goddess I heard his breath do the same. Except his breathing was punctuated by the rumbling crackle right under it. I knew he was in the same place I was.
I had to close my eyes and turn my head away from the heat coming off the words from his mouth. Because if I didn’t I would do something about it in that classroom—
“Leila?”
I emerged from my other world, his voice having shaken me from my daydream. I looked back to him.
“Class is over,” he rumbled into my ear quietly, the hotness washing over my neck and face. I rubbed those intense thoughts from my brows but they lingered everywhere else. I inhaled deeply and set about gathering my stuff. My hands shook.
Something hot brushed down my arm as he got up to gather his things. I looked down to see his claw drifting away from it. I thought it was an accident until he glanced at me. He smiled faintly though his brows were intense.
“Let us go,” he said gently, nodding toward the door.
“Okay,” I said, my eyebrow raising in interest. I slipped my bag over my shoulder. When he turned toward the door, I touched the trail of burning scales where he’d run his finger. When I say I could not breathe… I covered my mouth, then just rubbed my face with both hands. I didn’t know what to do. Mercy.
Looking around, my peers were also preparing to leave, so I composed myself the best I could and followed Sasha through the doorway.
—-
Dragontongue had been our last class of the day—”wow, you want that Dragontongue real bad huh?”Pam said— and it was time for us to part ways.
She chatted with Sasha, and I examined him while he was distracted.
I followed his gestures and mannerisms, wondering how he could weave such a spell over me that day. My behavior and my carefully curated facade were usually well under my control, perfected to give nothing away but pleasantness. But this dragon…
What I thought had been a perfect program was utterly interrupted. And the funny thing was, I wasn’t even mad at it. It was a break from the rigidity and monotony of my endless time at school. A break from my own reluctance to invite unknowns to myself, even those I desired. Like him.
For the first time in my life I thought ‘this is what the Sun must feel like to everyone else.’
From the moment I knew myself, my body had been cold. It was a point of contention between me, my parents and my Clan, all the Sun Clans. My mother was literally the leader of the Sun Dragons. And we, Sunscales, were Prime. Named directly after the Goddess.
People thought I was sickly. Anemic they called me. Even worse, some thought I was cursed. Most thought I wasn’t fit to be a leader in the future.
I did not let it stop me. I aimed for absolute perfection to stave off any doubt. Even at the expense of my own happiness sometimes.
My cold scales did not bother me. Although, at times, I wondered if I would be that way forever.
But now, I had felt Sasha’s warmth. This dragon had actually apologized in our first class for giving me the heat I never felt outside of putting my whole hand in a woodfire. It lingered in my scales as if they had drank it. They had awakened from a cold slumber.
I couldn’t go back.
I touched my arm that had been pressed against his, where his claw had grazed. Still hot to the touch. In fact everywhere he had breathed on, been near or looked at blazed. He had touched other things, shook hands with peers, finally, spoken to Pam, and none reacted as if he was exuding endless fire. Just me. Just for me.
“It has been a good day. You two have been so welcoming,” he said graciously. I was broken from my musings, realizing he was leaving. “I hope we continue to be friends during my time here.”
“For sure,” I said without hesitation, a little breathlessly. I didn’t want him to leave. He smiled warmly at me, almost in relief.
Pam smiled too. “Same,” she said. She began to rummage in her bag.
“It was nice to finally meet you,” he said softly to me. He put his hand out. I took it in mine. It was even hotter than before, unless I imagined it. I again put my other hand on top of his as if taking the warmth from it, to hold till later.
I don’t know what possessed me, but I let my thumb slide over the scales on the back of his hand. I didn’t even realize at first. But then I looked up and noticed Sasha was staring at me with his brow raised.
Gods, I could have died right there. Melted right into the floor and fallen into the void.
I almost pulled my hand in embarrassment, but he did not seem startled or upset. Instead Sasha placed his other hand atop mine. His face became intense for a moment, then softened. It seemed that neither of us wanted to let go. We did, though. The moment was brief, but it held much.
Pam, who had glanced up at us, had a barely concealed grin spreading over her face. She broke the spell that had drifted over us.
“Thank you for teaching us all that extra stuff about different dialects. I especially like that ridiculous word with the bricks,” she said, breaking the tense air.
Sasha shook his head as if clearing it. “Of course. I thought you might find that one amusing,” he said. He glanced at his phone, which had vibrated.
“You can lay your bricks on me anytime,” I mumbled to myself, still feeling the heaviness of that moment in my chest. I couldn’t help myself, saying that. I knew good and well it was provocative. I knew he might hear me. My mouth simply didn’t care. It was going to get me in trouble, I just knew it. I stared at my hand in wonder. It felt like fire had spread over it. What was he doing to me? Did he even realize that he was doing something? It didn’t seem like it.
In that same vein, Sasha didn’t say anything; he hadn’t been paying attention, I thought. Probably for the best. But then I heard him say something under his breath.
“Wow,” he whispered, silently laughing. I looked up at him. He covered his eyes, his shoulders shaking.
“Oh shit,” I said, covering my eyes as well.
Pam looked up. “What?” she asked, startled.
Sasha tried his best to keep a straight face, but it was impossible. He just laughed aloud then, a laugh that shook me to the core.
“Shut up,” I said, also laughing. I shielded my face in my hand as if I could hide from the embarrassment.
“I have said nothing,” he pointed out, his hands up.
“Please, please, let’s pretend I didn’t just say that shit,” I pleaded with him.
Pam’s eyes widened. “Oh my gods, what?”
“I will not say, Pam, yet I will never forget it,” Sasha said, smiling widely.
“What?” I replied, shocked.
“I will never forget it,” he repeated.
“By the Goddess Sasha. Are you serious?”
Sasha rubbed his eyes, still chuckling occasionally. “I am. Would you, if you were in my position?”
“Oh my gods,” I said weakly, still covering the side of my face.
Sasha patted his hand on his chest. “Gods, truly I needed today, desperately. It is no trouble to me, that you have said this. Certainly not. Unfortunately, I have a meeting to attend to, but we will discuss this permanent memory later, Leila Sunscale,” he said.
“Yeah, I bet,” I groaned, my voice shakey. I covered my face more. I was out of my mind, surely.
I heard Sasha begin to walk away, but his footsteps slowed. He hesitated, I guessed.
“Leila, do you have plans today?" he asked.
I looked up. He was looking at me expectantly. I couldn’t even say anything. I was still reeling from my ridiculous blunder. Now he wanted to see me! “What? I… umm—“
“No she doesn’t have plans,” Pam spoke up. Bless her.
Sasha smiled. “Perhaps we can speak of our project. I will find you later this evening as long as you are outside. I apologize for my abrupt departure but I must go.”
“Okay, cool,” I said. I rubbed my forehead.
He walked to the exit and looked back at me. “Perhaps we can build something later; I am not a bad mason, Leila Sunscale,” he said, chin raised. My mouth dropped. This dragon…
He let out a deep laugh and left. I watched him disappear through the doors of the hall, then followed him out. I saw a flash of red turn a corner into another building, vanishing from my sight.
"No he didn’t," I said in disbelief. "Did you hear what he just said?" I asked incredulously, gesturing toward his exit.
“What the hells did you say Leila?”
“I may have said a little something about bricks under my breath but his ass heard me. My gods.”
“Are you serious? Girrrrl," Pam said, shaking her head. “The gall on you.”
"Why did I say that? I must be crazy." I placed my hand over my forehead. Hot.
"I mean, he liked it," Pam said. "He thought it was funny. See, no harm done. If anything it sounds like Sasha has some business with you Leila," she teased.
I rubbed my face. I couldn't believe that I had run my mouth like that. In the other hand, I was pleased to have been so reckless. It had led me down this path. My scales prickled despite my embarrassment. Why should I feel bad now? He took my accidental flirtations as an invitation. And wasn’t that what I wanted?
Pam’s demeanor softened.
“Hey, for weeks you’ve been talking about how attracted you are to him. He turned out to be super nice, and he has a sense of humor, too. I like him. Fate is smiling on you again.”
"You sound like my mother," I noted.
“That's 'cause she's always right, isn’t she?" Pam pointed out, brow raised.
“Fine… She is,” I conceded. She would have said those words. In truth I had heard her say them many times.
Resigned to my fate, I stepped into the quad with Pan. I walked into a shaft of sunlight and sat on the bench it spilled onto, the Sun’s rays warming me. I closed my eyes against them, basking.
“I may as well go study while I wait for him. I can’t believe this is happening,” I remarked.
“Well believe it. Your bricklayer is seeing you today,” Pam teased.
“Pam, for real?” I remarked, opening my eyes.
“What? Come on. We can both go study.” Pam hugged me. She looked puzzled though.
“Leila. You feel hot. You never run hot. You’re not having a stroke are you?” she asked, alarmed.
“No. That’s just because he sat next to me the whole day,” I revealed. And breathed on me, leaned on me… I shut my eyes, wishing I had lied.
Pam nodded, not noticing my apprehension. “Oh okay. That makes sense. We did just get out of class. I didn’t know fire dragons were like that just idly,” she mused. “Let’s get on out of here.”
I wanted to tell her what I really felt. But I was sure it would sound crazy. Maybe I would after I met him and spoke to him. Privately.

We walked together through the courtyard. I glanced through the windows of various buildings looking for red scales moving in the halls. I saw nothing, of course.
We ended up going to the library. The room was large and made of ironwood. Small nooks with tables were tucked away amongst large shelves full of tomes.
We chose a table with a window next to it.
I studied as attentively as I could, trying to occupy my mind. But I could not stop seeing Sasha in my vision. Pam gave up trying to get me to engage in conversations with her. Instead I studied for the assignment in Dragonology on my laptop, and daydreamed.
—
“It’s getting late. You don’t know when Sasha will be looking for you.” Pam said, shaking me from my focus.
The light from the windows had waned somewhat, giving way to the Sun readying for slumber.
“Oh, right. I was deep into this essay here. I wish I had borrowed his books and saved my eyes,” I said, rubbing them.
Pam yawned as we packed our things, hefting her bag up. “I’m going to head home. Tell me how everything goes. Tell me if y’all build a house!”
“Pam!” I gasped. “Oh my gods.”
“Love you! Bye!” Pam called, rushing off.
—
I strolled around the grounds reading a book, looking up at the Sun every once in a while. But I didn’t spot Sasha anywhere. I hoped that I had not missed him. I had studied a bit longer than I intended.
Eventually I sat on a bench to wait. I would wait until dusk settled. And if he didn’t show I would see him the following day. It was not as if we had exchanged our numbers.
I pulled out my notebook full of writings, poetry, doodles. It was just one volume from a collection of filled books over the duration of my life, where I pressed flowers of my heart through its pages.
Before I could put pen to paper, I paused.
I put away my old faithful journal and pulled out a new one in deep red. It was not a coincidence by any stretch. I had stared at it on the shelves of an art store until I gave in and bought it.
I hadn’t written one thing in it since. After all, I hadn’t known him, and didn’t want to write only about his appearance. I wanted to know what he was made of. Now, having met Sasha, the red book was begging for ink.
So I let myself fall into a rhythm. So many elements of Sasha had revealed themselves to me that day: this dragon’s voice, his heat, his mannerisms. The words he said, the way he said them, his sense of humor hidden under all that seriousness.
I searched my brain and gathered up all my own words, sifted through them. I wrote a few things here and there, but nothing like what I wanted.
I looked up toward the Sun for some bit of inspiration, and my breath caught. A red form flew in front of it, wings beating. Seeing Sasha framed in that circle of fire was more than I could have hoped for. I stared up at him flying until he stopped, scanning for something.
The moment of inspiration I had been searching for was right there. I spoke aloud what I had and wrote it as swiftly as my claws could move:
“A dragon in a Circle. An Inferno wrapped in the Sun A scarlet vision framed in fire A cloud of embers in the Goddess’s hands She Holds all of him out toward me The gift of a flame within a flame “
I dropped my pen and covered my mouth in embarrassment. “Oh my gods what am I writing?” I asked myself. I stared at the words.
I turned my head to read them as if a new perspective would make them less mortifying.
“Hmm,” I muttered. “Needs some work but…’A flame within a flame.’ That’s some good shit.”
I looked back up. Sasha’s gaze swept over me then away. I waved my arm up at him, bangles jangling, hoping he saw me so he wouldn’t be looking all around all day.
When Sasha looked back in my direction he stopped where he was. He descended slowly until he locked eyes with me. My heart pounded again. It was driving me up the wall, the anxiety. Or rather anticipation. I pressed my hand to my chest watching him grow closer. His wings were huge, blocking out the Sun.
I had been staring at Sasha from a distance since he had arrived, his very first day. He was imposing, the way he had entered my classes, but exceptionally polite. I had been silently competing with him since laying eyes on his grades.
Now the distance was finally closed after my nervousness had kept me away. I folded my notebook shut and stood as Sasha landed with a woosh of air.
I looked upon him not as a mysterious figure in the back of class but as a new friend. More. I couldn’t help but smile when he straightened his already straight clothes as he moved toward me.
He smiled right back at me, chin raised.
“Leila,” he said.
“Sasha. Hey,” I replied.
“So,” he said, “you spoke of bricks earlier,” he teased.
My mouth dropped again. This dragon…
“You aren’t letting that go are you?” I asked.
“Never. Even if nothing ever came of it, I would never forget.”
“By the gods,” I muttered.
“I am not complaining,” he clarified.
My eyes widened. Then it occurred to me that he had insinuated something would come of it. Goddess, I felt my own fire sweep across my cheeks. I was so flustered I covered my mouth with the heel of my palm letting my claws settle over my cheek. I couldn’t stop the motion fast enough.
Sasha laughed good naturedly. Sweetly, even. “I will stop teasing. For now,” he said.
“For now?” I repeated past my palm.
“For now.”
I lowered my hand. “You are a trip, do you know that?” I said, raising my eyebrow. Even though I had been nervous, actually talking to him made me feel like meeting all his words head on.
He gestured for me to walk beside him without answering. I did. I almost took his arm again, so I clutched my notebook to my chest to keep my hands in check. We didn’t say much as we walked along the quad together.
Some students were staring at us as we walked. I suppose we made quite the pair together.
“It appears we are a bit of a spectacle,” he muttered to himself curiously, agreeing with my thoughts.
I couldn’t help stealing glances at him every once in a while.
His posture was impecable. He held his left hand behind his back. The other lingered in front of his chest as if ready for something. I didn’t know how else to describe it. It was interesting, that pose; deliberate. I saw that he had rings on his fingers as well. I had not noticed them before. They were red like his scales, rough hewn. The overall pose made him seem so stately.
I couldn’t quite describe his expression. It was both intense and peaceful all at once.
He caught me staring one time, though. He was looking right at me when I peeked. I turned away and put a hand to my face. I hoisted up my bag.
“Here,” he said.
I turned back. “Here what?” I asked.
He put his hand out to me, gesturing toward my bag. I stopped walking.
“Oh. Okay. Such a gentleman,” I said, a smile playing on my face, impressed. He chuckled to himself, accepting my compliment.
I slipped my bag from my shoulder, and he took it to hold on his elbow. We started walking again. I didn’t care after that; I looked at him openly, a little bit enamored.
‘Ok Mr. Sasha Emberscale. I see you,’ I thought.
PART 2

To all guys and girls reading this and to the super Mom of 5 who lives near Selden who I once knew and saw intimately and dated for over a year. First out of respect, I wish your health and your wellbeing is good and all the best for your kids.
I mean this letter in whole heart, respect and honest of how I felt and I am man who admits when im wrong and I feel Im Right about all of this. I came across a nice facebook post real, where it showed a nice Love scene from the movie “The notebook. by angel alure. (Look it up)
Yeah, you are probably thinking im crazy for maybe writing about a woman I once knew. To the woman I once knew:
That fact is, I’m crazy about being in love with you.- I do miss you and im willing to “maybe” sit down with you , maybe and I consider it again. But not yet. your friend T******* was right when I saw her in april 2024 on a food delivery run, that “the heart wants what the heart wants”. After I surprisingly I delivered food for her. I guess that isn’t a sign right too? That we are not mean to be together and then hitting up your friend N**** in april 2024 who didn’t want to date me because she was friend with you. – Yeah both signs in my eyes that maybe we are meant to be together but I know you don’t believe in Love signs. – I do!
I wanted to let you know that our ultimate missed connection was not forgotten. This is the ultimate 21 year “missed connection”. I give you this story and a nice “song story” after this missed connection story to a woman I once knew and the “song story” is a song she once loved and grew up loving and she probably still does like the song below. I wanted to let you know from the facebook reel and the notebook that "This love does exist for a season or a year with a woman i once knew. I’m keeping her name private out of respect for me and her.
I dated a woman and was with her for off/on a year. Then she went back to her ex for the 4th time , in between me, and current fiancé per her FB post from 2017 lol ( i guess he was the whole time) like and you cheated on him. Like every girl i know and here does and plays commitment games with a guy. – Yeah I saw that old post you still make public for me and people to see , and way to rub it in to a guy who maybe still loves you.
For you and for everyone watch out for a woman like this. Sometimes, they use a guy to fill a void from the guy they hate, so she said, or the home life they are depressed from, used my good qualities for months to a year,, then go back to the guy she loved and has 3 kids with in the first place (and two others with a former exbf) after one little argument we had over edibles and nothing and trying to see you! She told me she loved me and then went to him "cause they worked it out for the kids" BS!.
The love existed for a season but when the love stress gets tough, women aren’t mature enough to find a solution to make it work! You say, you thought I was mentally ill or mentally retarted to not know your social boundaries, I knew your social boundaries and sometimes, I just didn’t care and maybe I would have respect you more if your life wasn’t an anxiety attack on me. I was sure as hell stable and good when we were dating from November to april 2023- oh well., - oh well , It didnt work out but we still have the future and its never too late to change :) She last told me she isn't interested in me anymore back in February 2024 after "calling me by mistake " according to her and just dialed me after i said goodbye to her in January 2024 to start a new chapter without you!. - I call bullshit and I’m right because according to dating experts, girls "will say they call a ex by mistake" to play games and see my reaction.
– Well this isn’t a game, it was true love and we messed up at it due to you not fighting for me. I guess everyone online that i read about is wrong and you are right? Pssh You just lied to me on how you really feel and you didn’t want the hard road and the transition to being with me over one argument we had back in april 2023 and December 2023. Ohh my god. Big deal. Guess what? people who love each other fight! and then they work it out! Good, I feel so much better now and not dealing with your toxic moments anymore.
By the way,- When we dated, even in June to august, then November to December 23rd 2024 while you were with your BF M***, I wasn’t mentally crazy was i? NOPE, Was i a mentally ill? NOPE i was not and you adored me when we dated. I was stable. - Maybe If you didn’t have your ex around, i wouldn’t have to feel anxious. Maybe I would not have texted you a lot and I would have felt comfortable dating you with him not around and I would have given you the space that you and I like. Yes, I liked my space too- Maybe if you didn’t hide me from your kids, If would have been special and stable for me to treated you stable. - Your actions created my instability and your home life affected both of us.
Simple You secreted dated me and him at the same time! - I’m not stupid! You made me crazy with your unstable life and not listening to my advice. I don’t control anyone but we could have been special and developed a possible long term relationship, leading to marriage. - I felt it and sorry you didn’t! You are just a user and woman who used men for your desperate time, and yes, I would have helped you watched your kids, in time, and changed my life for you and for the better. You just used me to get over your negative home life since Nov 2022 and lost the best guy that would love you until the end of time and your death, - I hope you are happy , Have fun being mentally happy with your award winning fiancé who you cheated on. Yup! (you know who you are) Life goes on! ""
To any woman that was with me and wants to be with me, in the future, they will get go with me to my 5 star Miami beach hotel getaway, like I did in march and share my beautiful 5 star new bathroom I have - Yup, I improved myself and will be better to improve my life.
Love will maybe exist one day again for me with a stable woman who knows how to commit to dating and not being shady! - I am so happy in my life , in at peace and back to being a cool confident person like I was in 2022.
So cheers to you and Im happy i let you go and so did you but only because i chose to walk away originally, - Don’t forget it, it was my idea to let you be in Janaury 2024 because of you choosing him over me. I knew it then and every time you left me. It was because of him and your kids driving you nuts.
– Admit it! I did everything I could as a good possible boyfriend to you. I cherished our memories but now I cherish my peace and maybe I will consider and be open to sitting down and having a positive conversation down the road with you when you are no longer with your ex or current boyfriend, whatever you two are, and no longer LIVING with him for good, not just sharing his bed for a month, and he moves back in like you did in NovembeDecember 2023.
Yeah I knew you were going to let him move back in after not allowing me over on weekends you had the apt to yourself and telling me you told him, Keep your bed here. Doesn’t matter right?. - If not, Im happy with or without you . Im not saying i will or will not ever date you and be with you again, but i "might" be down to having a nice catch up conversation with you one day when more times passes and maybe we both want that and maybe when I run into you again in life. Who knows? Small world as I connect with your two friends post breakup. - . Just "maybe" - like you always said to me and mess with my mind - Just one day....If not and .If we dont meet again for a open conversation IN PERSON like real adults doo. Not over the phone or social media., oh well, I guess you will never know what our love "could have been" and what i am and what i do on the side (That i never told you about) that would make you or any woman feel good about me and being with a husband who helps people and certain individuals you love, all over the country.
Too bad, I guess we will never know and you never got to see and date me in a healthy way, without your ex and fiancé "again" around you in your home. - Good luck until then or see you in the next life. Happy being happy with or without you! - At the end of the day, I truly do miss you and our time together but i dont miss our toxic times and it could have been positive if you wanted it to be. You wanted him over me, simple.
Admit and tell the truth. Honesty is the best policy as my grandma used to say, Just like your grandma used to tell you, "If someone doesn’t want you in your life, Leave them the F alone" – Well I did leave you alone 4 times and I was a fool in love with you and you came back to me as well. Four times over. Did you tell your dad and family you did continuing seeing me? Who cares what other people think and I only cared about seeing you and that’s it and trying to be with you. You just cared about how me or anyone helps our your situation because you were desperate and its all About you right??? . What do you expect me to do? With a woman I’ve known since 2002.
I guess you didn’t want your childhood crush and adult crush like I did.
You say, you cant force love? Well what do you call meeting you in 2002 at our legendary casino hotel?? What do you call talking to you over social media for decades? What do you call running into you again in 2012 at subway?
And chatting again on POF in 2014/2015 , which you never got back to me. yeah I remember “Ghost” - What do you call meeting you and reconnecting with you in 2017 at the very place we met in 2002? – what do you call re-connecting on tinder? Then we dated in 2022/2023 – Well I call it fate, you call it, taking advantage of a guy who YOU know always like you. You took advantage of my feelings. When we dated off and on - <- That why I hated you and miss you and was pissed at you in February 2024. – You used my feelings and energy to get back at your live in Ex boyfriend or finance now.
– Yeah, I still see your old post from 2017, I guess you always did love him while we dated. & you cheated on him from November to April 2023, June, July August 2023, Nov/Dec 2023. - Shame on you and you lied right to my freaking face. That you said “I hate him and I will never go back to my EX M*** in 2023 & end of 2022 - No, I cant get over you sometimes, because the heart wants, what the hearts wants.
Most of the time im good, but to be honest, whenever our songs come on, I have to let them turn off or I shed a tear and cry at work thinking of us. - However, I choose not to see you while you live with him and be with a unstable boyfriend and not go through what we went through again.
I choose my peace over us being toxic again. – IF you want it again, It could happen but it has to be healthy like IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SINCE NOV. 2022 AND IN FEBRUARY 2023 WHEN HE WAS SUPPOSED TO MOVE OUT? Did he really even move out by the way? Or was that another lie?
Now,. You said to me earlier this year, you don’t want to see me anymore, I call bullshit and I say you were confused. You wanted me in your life when you were with me, I just think you are confused and lost that loving feeling from you two exs or negative boyfriend. Im sorry you felt that way about me and you really lost out on a good and confident man! - Ohh well...and now I begin the process of becoming more confident and greater at loving myself and someone else then I ever did before! Have fun watching from a distance.
–P.S. I’m glad I didn’t date your so called friend N******A who you went to mall with in March. People like her need to give a guy like me a chance. Glad I avoided that train wreck and her thinking she is too good enough to date me because she is friends with you. – Who gives a fuck? Every girl and yes, I didn’t care about dating her either way, Tell her to stop showing her boobs if she wants a decent guy to respect her wishes lol. JK. See every girl has excuses to let love get in the way. .
Be well to you "super mama" Bella".. To give a happy ending, because I know you like one like a happy meal at McDonalds, and If you read this and got this far, I will now let you read a “song story” I wrote and tell you about a song that a woman I once knew grew up loving this song.
I will tell you a story about a little boy liking a girl he grew up with and fell in love with while he seen and was in love with her& did anything to just see her but with a twist……
.The song lyrics goes like this and maybe you know the song, not sure….but here goes…
“Once, I was seven years old, my mama told me "Go make yourself some friends, or you'll be lonely"
Once I was a seven years old and I started to learn about girls and wanted to make some friends.
“Once, I was 11 years old, my daddy told me "Go get yourself a wife, or you'll be lonely"
I was always dreamed when I was 11 years old of being and going down a wedding aisle with a beautiful brown skin girl and her kids but I couldn’t see her face after watching a lot of movies and love shows. – foundation of my love life 
Once I was 17 years old, and I met a beautiful brown skin Panamanian at a hotel party with friends who looked like Pocahontas and had the most beautiful face I have ever seen. – Ever! I wanted her like a hungry kid wanted McDonalds.
Once I was 18 years old and I heard she moved away from me. I asked a girl she grew up with me for her phone number but she didn’t give it to me or did not have it.I was sad and didn’t know how to contact her and wanted to be with her and going out on a date with her. I thought maybe we could be friends and maybe be in a relationship. I wanted love at that time and I loved her beautiful 1000 years and million dollar smile. – That move of her, was the start of the 21 year missed connection “Once, I was 20 years old, my story got told Before the morning sun, when life was lonely”
Once I was 20 years old & 21 years old and I thought about her in college and decided to write her on myspace or facebook. Don’t remember if she replied but I knew I wanted to see her millon dollar Panamanian smile. I missed seeing her in my college year. We chatted for years on social media or chatted through the years until my mid 20s and when I was 27 years old, Fated happen and we met again in October 2012
Once I was 27 years old and I met the beautiful brown skin Panamanian mom of two in front of and inside Medford subway sandwich restaurant, the same day I got out of the hospital in October 2012. I looked at her in surprise. She looked at me too but I don’t think she recognized me as she had her little girl and young son with her. I was too afraid to talk to her as I was feeling down that day. I watched her walk away from my life at that point and didn’t say a word. It just wasn’t met to be another “missed connection”
Once I was 29/30 years old and in 2015, I messaged her on a dating website called POF and I didn’t hear back from her for whatever reason, another internet “missed connection” we chatted for another 5 years until 2017.
“Soon, we'll be 30 years old, our songs have been sold We've traveled around the world, and we're still roaming Soon, we'll be 30 years old. Im still learning about life, my woman [I wanted a woman like her to bring] children for me [in marriage] So I can sing them all my songs, and I can tell them stories Most of my boys are with me, some are still out seeking glory And some I had to leave behind, my brother, I'm still sorry”
Once I was 32 years old and I met her again as a casino hotel where I shared a bed with her back in 2002. I had a talk with her and her boyfriend was somewhere there. She didn’t tell me that until after. I enjoyed reconnected and talking to her with her two woman friends, as she played the slots. – I certainly wanted her and I think she liked me then but didn’t wanted to say anything. We talked and then I left. We chatted all through the next 6 years until I met her again when I was 37 years old. – another missed connection or was it?
Once I was 37 years old, and I found out she “was single” through tinder. We dated in “sweet november 2022” and until april 2023. We broke up 2 times and then reconnected in July 2023 and then again in Sweet November 2023. I was so happy being with her off and on 4 times until the last day I saw her was in December 23rd 2024 to complete my Christmas wish. We also spend the days leading up to holidays together and I was so happy and in love with her.
Once I was 38 years old . I was unsure about her as I felt she used my feelings and she went back to her 4 times after she criticized my imperfections and made any excuse to just use my feelings since November 2022. I showed her good intent and her intent was to take advantage of me. throughout 2023, I was in love and hated our toxic times because of her home situation and her ex..
Once I was 38 years old and the beautiful brown skin woman saw me at night and slept over my place in November 2023 and December 2023. We had beautiful moments together and when we there for each other when times got tough for both of us. She saw me during the day when I was out of work and needed someone to talk to. I loved her as a friend , a possible dating girlfriend, a lover, a future girlfriend and maybe wife, but I think all she saw me was someone to make love to and use me for love and physical sex and love when it was convenient for her and she wasn’t getting it at home. I blame her and I don’t blame her. It was another truly good and bad missed connection at a shot at love that didn’t work due to whats written above this song story.
Once I was still 38 years old and once Im about to be 39 years old, I miss the woman I grew up with and miss the woman I want to maybe see one day over a conversation, when she doesn’t live with him or her boyfriend or ex finance anymore. If not, I will be happy and cherished our 21 year missed ultimate connection and cherish our times together. I will love you from afar, maybe, but only the good times.
Once I am 38 years old now, I am happy without you and maybe even happier if you find in your heart to realize how good I was to you, and how we had special times at C**** beach, Casino hotel, movies, restaurants, my place, your place a couple times. - I said goodbye to you in person on January 4th 2024, told you I love you . I was crying and looked at you as I was driving away. You then called me by mistake in February 2024 and we had our last argument. I wanted you so bad and to have another connection.
Once I was 38 years old and it now May/June 2024. – I haven’t seen you for real in over 6 months since 2 days xmas and for 5 mintues on January 4th, - I am really sorry, that me and you could not be together. It was not meant to be, because you didn’t want it to be and you didn’t see yourself with me. – I now realize you wanted him. So go be with you ultimate connection of your life with who you share 3 kids with. We had our time and I will cherish it..........
I am now happy without you but like I said, I “might” consider sitting down and talking to you in time If you would maybe want that after times, If that time comes and we run into each other again for another “connection” . – will it be a missed connection or a ultimate connection?
I last saw you on January 4th 2024, we average “running into each other” every 5 ot 6 years . so maybe see when Im 43 or 44 years old and I can say.
Once I was 44 years old…..To be continued Thank you for reading and Be Well to the super mama that lives near selden.
P.S. I do miss our times and our moments at the “selden post office” and our time together - Well see what the future holds for us and if we ever get to see what it would be like dating healthy and just us and no living with ex’s
Did you enjoy reading my story?
Do you see me and my story and what its like to be a boy being and wanting to be with a mom of 5? – do you see him?........
Now imagine it’s a girl chasing a boy she loved when was 17 and not 16 and now imagine it’s a woman chasing a guy of 5 kids when the guy was 37 years old and wanted it make it work What would you do B*******?
Would the girl continue to try and get that ultimate connection?
Time will tell and time heals all wounds. – Less is more right?
– How would you feel if the roles would be reversed. – Well See
To all : I hoped you enjoyed reading my “song story” – The real song is sang by Lukas Graham and it’s called 7 years. Feel free to listen to it. – I have to turn it off and aother songs that make me remind me of her. ..To everyone else and all of my single guys "this love doesn’t exist anymore, unless 2 people make it work and not make excuses! - simple as that. - Watch who you date and watch out for the narcissist two faced woman who I seen and dated. Love is sure interesting sometime in your life. Lesson learned. Good luck to all and thanks for reading.-
Would could have been B****? – Once I was XX year old and we will find out or we wont with us – Follow your heart and the rest we’ll figure out – I promise and I don’t break them. – simple 

Context: For this booking, I will be booking this storyline from the current day of writing this post (5/27) until the official break up of Judgment Day, which will take place at Summerslam
EDIT: This is a VERY wordy post admittedly and moving forward with long-term bookings like this, I’ll make multiple parts for it. Sorry in advance!
The Build to Clash at the Castle 2024:

• We begin our story on the first RAW of June, following the events of last week where Liv retained her Women's Championship and kissed Dominick Mysterio, along with other events that took place involving the Judgement Day. We have a backstage segment involving the members of the Judgement Day (Damian Priest, Finn Balor, and JD McDonagh) and Carlito. Dominick is notably absent and Damian wants to know where Dominick is so that they can figure out this whole Liv Morgan situation (he is not in a good mood at all). Nobody seems to know where Dom is and Finn even says that he reached out but Dominick hasn't returned any calls. Damian starts to turn his attention to JD, asking him if he knew anything about this and what is going on with Liv. JD says he has no idea and then Priest says it's very convenient that JD used his situation with Braun Strowman (that he couldn't finish the job) and led Braun to come down to ringside and cost Becky Lynch. Priest says that he wonders if JD and Dom are working together. Finn intervenes and tells Priest that pointing the finger at each other isn't going to solve anything and that they need to first talk to Dominick and have him explain himself. Carlito starts to make a joke about Dominick being able to pull both Liv Morgan and "Mami" and Damian gets in his face and snaps at him, telling him that he must address her as "Rhea" and if he ever hears him disrespect her again then he will drop him where he stands. Damian then tells Carlito to get out (to which Carlito will be like "what about the LWO?"), and then Carlito leaves when Damian looks like he's about to get violent. JD also leaves the locker room when Finn wants a moment alone with Damian to which he will ensure Damian that he will find Dominick and try to get some answers, meanwhile he wants Damian to cool off and focus on his World Title match with Drew for Clash at the Castle and for his match that night with Rey Mysterio. Damian and Finn exchange a fist bump and we move on to the next match/segment of the night (Damian Priest vs Rey Mysterio will main event). Later that night, we get an interview segment with Liv Morgan where she talks about how "dominant" her reign has been so far now beating "The Man", Becky Lynch twice and now it doesn't look like she will ever come back as Liv has embarrassed her. When questioned about kissing Dominick and if he is aligned with her or not, Liv just smiles and says something along the lines of "Let's just say, I understand now why Rhea calls him her Latino Heat" before winking and leaving. However, as she leaves her interview, she is attacked backstage by Lyra Valkaria, who is looking for revenge after what has happened with Becky. The two are separated and Adam Pearce tells Lyra to go out for her match tonight. Lyra goes out and defeats Dakota Kai and then is attacked by Iyo Sky after the match. Iyo hits her moonsault on Lyra and then walks out (leaving Damage CTRL in the ring). A match is made official for next week, Lyra Valkaria vs Iyo Sky with the winner challenging Liv Morgan at Clash at the Castle. There's a moment backstage where Finn is looking for Dominick but ends up finding JD McDonagh talking to Liv Morgan that gets interrupted immediately. Liv leaves (saying "bye JD" in a seemingly happy and maybe flirtatious way?) and Finn pushes JD against a corner and demands answers, JD says that he was asking where Dominick was and found out that he's not here. JD suggests that since Liv knows that he's not here that she must have had some contact with him again. Finn tells JD to be careful, him being seen with Liv looks bad and doesn't want him to get in trouble if he's not working with Liv. Carlito at one point runs into Dominick (who turns out to be there) backstage and wants Dominick to help put in a good word to the rest of Judgement Day to help protect him against the LWO. When Dominick doesn't guarantee this, Carlito says that he'll keep his secret if he does (Dominick looks at him, knowing he's being exploited now) and Carlito leaves. Later that night in the main event, Carlito nearly costs Priest the match (to which Priest is not happy about him coming out for this match) after he takes a bit from an apple and spits it out aiming for Rey but accidentally gets Priest. Rey goes for the 619 and connects with the first part, but after Rey dives for Priest, he counters with the South of Heaven chokeslam and gets the pin. Carlito starts to attack Rey after the match, but Priest is pissed and hits Carlito with the South of Heaven Chokeslam to Carlito, who at this point, has had enough of Carlito. Priest has snapped, putting a serious beating to Carlito to which Dominick (followed by the other members of Judgement Day) try to tell Priest to stop. Priest shoves Dominick away (who sells his arm as he's not cleared yet) and then hits another South of Heaven Chokeslam to Carlito through the announce table. After that attack, the members of Judgement Day help Dominick to the back (Finn looks back disapprovingly) and then Drew McIntyre comes out to lay out Priest with the Claymore and leaves through the crowd before the other members of Judgement Day can get to him. The next week, Dominick is back and tries to explain that he has no idea why Liv did what she did after the cage match and vows to make it right at Clash at the Castle. Priest interjects and says that Dominick is going to watch the match with them in the back, forbidding him to interfere in that match and if he sees either him or JD talk to Liv again, there will be serious consequences. From now on, they are keeping a close eye on both of them.
• To avoid this being too long of a post (and boring some people to tears with my wordy descriptions, the rest of Liv Morgan's side of the build is focused on the odds being against her and each woman wanting to prove a certain point. For Morgan, its about proving she's the best in the world and will represent RAW better than Rhea ever could, for Lyra, this is about proving that she's ready to be the best now and wanting to prove she can do on RAW what she did in NXT, and for Iyo this is about proving that she can replicate what she did on Smackdown over to RAW, but even better. The rest of the build on Priest's side is focused around Priest trying to stay focused for his match with Drew but there are a lot of distractions going on that is frustrating him more and more. On top of that, Drew is starting to get in Priest's head when he talks about how the Judgement Day is falling apart and how a real leader and real World Champion would get their group in order. McIntyre says that Priest doesn't have the respect of Judgment Day considering they continue to interfere on his behalf because "they know what I know, you can't do it on your own". McIntyre also makes comment about the pressure of being World Champion is starting to get to Priest and to not worry, because soon, McIntyre will strip that responsibility from Priest and will lead RAW, like a real leader can. Priest fires back saying that McIntyre can't talk to him about distractions when he is looking past him and focusing on Gunther and CM Punk (Punk's name gets McIntyre's attention). Priest says that McIntyre had his chance to be World Champion and the pressure of that mixed with his obsession with Punk made him crumble in just a little over 5 minutes. Priest finishes by saying that he will show McIntyre that he can do it on his own and will do it on his own. The segment finishes the two brawling and Drew getting the upper hand until Punk's music begins to play which gets McIntyre's attention (but there is no CM Punk), Priest then lays McIntyre out with a South of Heaven Chokeslam and stands tall.

Clash at the Castle 2024:

• WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Drew McIntyre def. Damian Priest (c)
  • While technically being a Heel vs Heel matchup, McIntyre is very much the babyface in this match, wrestling in front of his home country. They have a back and forth match with both men having their moments to shine. At one point, JD, Dominick, and Finn Balor make their way to ringside to assist Damien Priest and Priest is NOT happy about this. Priest yells at them to go back to the back and that he doesn't need or want their help (Finn is yelling at Priest to watch out from behind). Drew hits the Future Shock DDT after this and gets a close 2-count. At one point, after a distraction from Dominick, JD stops Drew from hitting a GTS by stunning him with a superkick, Priest hits his South of Heaven Chokeslam to Drew and gets a very close 2-count. Priest is frustrated, and targets his frustration out on the members of the Judgement Day. Priest gets in JD and Dom’s faces, screaming at both of them that he wanted to do this on his own. They start to argue back and Priest pushed JD’s face out of the way and then pushes Dom to the floor when he tries in intervene. Balor is not happy about this at all and tells Priest to calm down and win the match while Priest is furious and yells at Balor that he wanted to do this on his own, and says that Balor doesn't believe in him. The two have an argument that results in Balor stopping Priest from getting back in the ring and then Priest slaps Balor. The two get in each other's faces until McIntyre dives to the outside, taking out both Priest and Balor. Drew throws JD towards the barricade and hits Dominick with a headbutt. Drew rolls Priest back in the ring and hits a Claymore but Priest kicks out for a very close 2-count! McIntyre goes for another Claymore but accidentally hits the ref instead, Priest and McIntyre then take each other out with a clothesline. Dominick, JD, and Finn Balor get back to their feet and they look to be leaving towards the back but Balor is pissed and goes back towards the ring, he tries to lay out Drew with a shotgun dropkick in the corner but Drew moves and Balor hits Priest instead. Drew hits a Claymore to Balor and then tosses him out of the ring. McIntyre waits for Priest to get to his feet and hits a second Claymore and gets the pinfall victory. Drew McIntyre is the NEW World Heavyweight Champion!
• . Post-match: Drew McIntyre is celebrating in the ring as confetti begins to reign down and cover the ring. The crowd is going wild, cheering for their fellow countryman. However, all of the sudden, those cheers turn into loud boos. McIntyre looks confused and angry, yelling and screaming at the crowd. McIntyre begins to scream insults, saying that his own country has betrayed him... but it's not Drew that they're booing... You start to see the camera pan just slightly, until you see that someone has entered the ring, standing behind Drew. That man, just so happens to be CM Punk. Drew turns around and is tackled by Punk as Punk begins to reign down punches to Drew. They both get to their feet and Punk hits a kick to the head, stunning Drew. Punk lifts Drew up and hits the GTS, laying Drew out in the middle of the ring in front of his own country. Punk raises the World Heavyweight Championship up in the air, making it clear what he wants.
• WWE Women's World Championship: Liv Morgan (c) def. Lyra Vakaria and Iyo Sky
  • These three women have plenty of time to work with as each person has their time to shine (Becky being a fighting champion and bringing the fight to her opponents, Liv being a sneaky heel and waiting for her opportunities to get an advantage, and Lyra being the newcomer and showing why she is the real deal). There are plenty of near falls where each woman has a moment where they look like they’re going to win. In the end, Lyra and Iyo go back and forth and Lyra moves out of the way of Iyo's top rope moonsault finisher and connects with her Michinuku Driver finish. Before Lyra can get the 3 count, Liv kicks Lyra in the back of the head and throws her out out the ring and steals the pin fall victory! Liv Morgan is STILL Women’s World Champion.

The Build to Money in the Bank 2024

• We begin our build for Money in the Bank by advertising that there will be qualifying matches to determine our participants for both the men and women's Money in the Bank match. It is advertised that Finn Balor will go up against Rey Mysterio and Damian Priest will go up against Jey Uso. Finn Balor and Rey Mysterio open the show (Dominick and JD accompany Balor) and Finn Balor picks up the victory and will compete at Money in the Bank. Backstage after the match, Finn Balor is celebrating his win with JD McDonagh and Dominick Mysterio until Damian Priest shows up and the vibe immediately changes. Balor asks for JD and Dominick to give them the room but Damian interjects, telling them to stay because he has something that he wants to say to all of them. Damian tells them that he asked them ("no, I pleaded with you guys") to not interfere in his match with Drew because he wanted to prove to Drew, the roster, and most importantly, to them that he was as good as advertised and that he could beat Drew McIntyre on his own. Finn tries to interject but Damian snaps and tells him to let him finish. Damian continues by saying that he knows that he hasn't always been easy to work with and that he can lose his cool from time to time (as he also apologizes for putting his hands on them), but at the end of the day he loves and respects each of them, he just wishes they felt the same way (and also calls out Balor for hitting him with his shotgun dropkick). JD says that they do love and respect him and that he has it all wrong, they're sorry that they cost him the match against Drew. Priest says that he has a qualifying match tonight against Jey Uso and that when he beats him again, he will go on and be a two-time Money in the Bank briefcase holder, and then become World Champion again. Finn has something to say about this and says that maybe it will be him that goes on and does what Priest is planning. Priest just responds by saying "You couldn't do it then, you think you can do it now?". After a tense stare, Priest again, apologizes and then says that he's going to go prepare for his match. Dominick right after says he has some business to take care of and leaves too. Later that night, Priest takes on Jey Uso and looks to have the match won until JD and Finn come down to watch which causes Braun Strowman to chase after JD (Braun was attacked earlier in the night and he thinks it was JD and the rest of Judgement Day... but it wasn't). This distracts Priest to the point where he is hit with a spear and then a splash from the top rope to pick up the win. The next week, Damian is PISSED and gets in JD's face. Priest wants an explanation on why he is involved with Braun Strowman again, and why he didn't handle his business with him. JD says that he had nothing to do with Strowman getting attacked and doesn't want anything to do with Strowman anymore. Priest tells him that in fact, he should take care of Strowman once and for all, and actually went to Pearce to request the match (to which everyone is not a fan of) and then he starts to get to Dominick and asks why he should still be in Judgement Day considering he seems to be more concerned with Carlito and Liv Morgan these days. Dom says that he will always be with the Judgement Day, and if Carlito has to be out then he'll accept that decision, he then says that he has a plan to get the belt off of Liv Morgan and suggests his plan is to make Liv think that he has aligned with her until Rhea comes back and then when Rhea gets her match, Dom will double cross Liv. Priest says that in that case, until Liv doesn't have the belt anymore, then he should be seen less with them and tells Dominick to get out of the their locker room. Balor starts to get fed up with Priest and say something until Dominick tells Finn that it's okay and that that's the best coarse of action to take to convince Liv and then leaves. Balor is not pleased with this and leaves to focus on his match. Later that night, JD gets squashed by Braun Strowman who continues to add additional damage after the match, but right before he can send JD through the announce table, Strowman is attacked by Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt 6 faction (they begin their feud as they are also revealed to be the ones who attacked Strowman last week). For the rest of this part of the build, Balor picks up momentum, winning his matches leading up to the ppv while there continues to be tension and distrust within the Judgement Day.
• On Liv's side of this booking, she has a mini feud with a returning Raquel Gonzales (as she will not be defending at this ppv) and they'll face off for the Women's World Title at point on Monday Night RAW, to which Liv will retain (again, thanks to Dominick interference as now they are a pairing...for now). Lyra Valkaria will feud with Iyo Sky with the winner of their match being the number one contender for the Women's World title at Bash in Berlin. Lyra will win that match clean against Iyo (and there will be further cracks forming within Damage CTRL). That program build will begin after Money in the Bank. Throughout the build we see both Liv and Dominick build chemistry but it's not hitting at first, it's clear that Dom's chemistry with Liv is not the same as it is with Rhea but Dominick continues to go along with it. Liv continues to persist and uses Dominick to her advantage in matches and feuds. Meanwhile, during an in-ring interview segment with Lyra Valkaria, Dominick comes out to interrupt but Valkaria doesn't give him the opportunity to speak, saying that he is a snake for what he has done throughout his career but is showing his true colors now, aligning with Liv Morgan fully. Valkaria says that he will be a champion that RAW can be proud of and represent RAW proudly, not needing to manipulate others to do her dirty work. Liv comes out and says that the shame that Becky felt when losing to her will be nothing compared to the shame Lyra will bring to her own name, knowing that her best is not enough to beat the best in the world (Liv Morgan). They brawl and Lyra nearly hits her finish but Liv just narrowly escapes.

Money in the Bank 2024:

• Money in the Bank match: Jey Uso def. Logan Paul, LA Knight, Ilja Dragunov, Carmelo Hayes, Bron Breaker, and Finn Balor
  • Right before the match, Finn Balor and Damian Priest have a moment backstage where there is tension but Priest wishes Balor good luck and to bring the briefcase to the Judgment Day, Balor nods and makes his entrance. This match is just chaos as everyone gets their moment to shine. In the final stretch of the match, Bron Breaker spears Logan Paul, then he spears LA Knight, he spears Jey Uso out of the air, he rolls to the outside and spears Finn Balor through the barricade, he comes back into the ring after seeing Hayes climb the ladder and try to grab the briefcase and pushes the ladder, sending Hayes flying and going through a few tables to the outside (Carmelo is done for the match). Bron then goes for a spear to Ilja but its countered as Dragunov hits his Flying Moscow running headbutt. Desperate to take Bron out of the equation, Dragunov lays Bron over the announce table and hits H-Bomb off the ladder and through the table. Bron is out of the equation. Ilja slowly rolls back in the ring and on his last legs tries to start climbing a ladder but is laid out by a shot with the brass knucks by Logan Paul. Logan starts to climb the ladder but LA Knight follows as they go blow for blow, Logan stumbles and before LA Knight can grab the briefcase, Waller and Theory pull Knight off the ladder and hit him with a double team move. Jey Uso spears both Waller and Theory. Uso and Paul start to climb the ladder until Finn Balor slowly enters the ring again with a chair and cracks each of them once with the chair to the spine (this causes Uso to fall back to the ring while Paul remains on the ladder. Balor (who is also on his last legs) goes for another swing to Jey but Jey counters with a superkick to Finn, sending him to the floor. Jey begins to climb the ladder and brawl with Logan Paul at the top of the ladder. Jey Uso eventually is able to pull down the briefcase and win the match, last knocking Logan Paul off the ladder.

(It's not related to this booking, but the women's mitb includes: Tiffany Stratton, Bianca Belair, Iyo Sky, Dakota Kai, Zelina Vega, Chelsea Green, and Naomi. The winner of this match is Tiffany Stratton)
The Build to Bash in Berlin 2024:

• We begin our Bash in Berlin build with a segment where the Judgement Day have an open forum to air out any grievances against each other, and it goes from respectful to digs being taken against each other, especially between Priest and Balor. Balor talks about Priest tried to be a leader in a group that was designed to not have a leader and Priest has been self-centered. Priest admits that he has been self-centered and hasn't been the best teammate but only wanted to prove himself that he belongs on the top of the card and wanted to prove that to Judgement Day. Balor makes a dig that Priest proved that when it comes time to sink or swim, he sinks. Priest is annoyed by this and says that if he sank, then what has Balor done before what he did? Carlito comes out (after having lost to the LWO at this point) and threatens to reveal Dom's secret. Before he can, the Judgement Day finally show some unity and defend Dominick. Priest challenges Carlito to a match and it's official. After Priest destroys him, Carlito again, tries to speak into the mic. The Judgement Day (including Dominick Mysterio who hasn't been seen with Judgement Day for a while) come back in the ring until the lights go out, and when they come back on, they are all attacked by The Wyatt 6, who destroy them. Carlito and JD McDonagh get the worst of the beatdown and are written off TV for a bit. The next week, the Judgement Day are looking for members of the Wyatt 6 but during those searches we see QR Codes that lead you to personal conversations from each member of the Judgement Day bad mouthing a someone within the group. The next week, there is a segment in the ring where Damian Priest, Finn Balor, and Dominick Mysterio are in the ring and they call out Uncle Howdy and his group. Priest starts things off saying that he wants to actually thank Uncle Howdy for bringing the Judgement Day closer than they've been in months and that they will expose this "family" at Bash. Balor says that they have awoken something within him when they threatened him and the rest of Judgement Day, and he will make them pay for that. Dominick attempts to say something until all of the sudden, you see on the titantron (in classic Wyatt Family style) Uncle Howdy, who says that The Judgement Day pretending to be a family is a joke while they (Wyatt 6) are a true family that looks out for each other when the Judgement Day looks out for themselves. Howdy says that the Judgement Day's foundation is built on lies and manipulation while Howdy loves his family and will not only show that at Bash in Berlin, but right now. All of the sudden, you see a giant QR Code show up on the screen which will immediately transition into a video that begins to play of Liv Morgan and Dominick Mysterio backstage where Dominick is infatuated with Liv, saying that he will do everything he can to make sure she stays Women's World Champion. He then begins to talk trash about each member of the Judgement Day, and even says something bad about Rhea Ripley. Liv is delighted by this and calls him his Latino Heat while Dominick calls her "Mami". The video fades to black and Finn and Damian look FURIOUS with Dominick, who is trying to explain himself but before he can, all three men are attacked by Erick Rowan, Joe Gacy, and Dexter Lumis. Uncle Howdy slowly makes his way to the ring and picks up the pieces, hitting Sister Abigail to Damian (who is the last one standing and tries his best to fight back) and stands tall as Uncle Howdy, Dexter Lumis, Erick Rowan, and Joe Gacy stand tall. On the final show, we see Uncle Howdy specifically target Finn Balor, telling him (on a television monitor backstage) that he knows there is a Demon within him that has been building and feeding off of hate. Howdy says that he knows that demon wants to come out, and tells him to "Let the Demon out, Finn. I know you want to". Finn smashes the monitor and heads straight to the ring, demanding to see Uncle Howdy. Damian Priest comes out to try to calm Balor down but then they are jumped by Gacy, Lumis, and Rowan. Dominick eventually comes down with a chair (seemingly siding with the Judgement Day and still wanting to make up) and the Judgement Day are able to shortly get the upper hand until Lumis, Rowan, and Gacy are called back by Uncle Howdy. Balor is still furious and wants Howdy's head but when Priest again tries to calm Balor down, Balor turns around and decks Priest with a punch. Balor is stunned, thinking it was someone else as all three Judgement Day members stare at each other. Balor leaves. Mysterio tries to talk to them backstage but Priest tells him that he can be in the match to make it a 3-on-3 match but that they do not trust him.
• For Liv Morgan's build with Lyra Valkaria, Lyra focuses on getting payback on Liv for Becky and finally will get an opportunity to go 1-on-1 with her. Liv says that Lyra isn't ready to take on the mantle of world champion while Lyra says that she always has been, and won't need anyone else's help to do it. Also, during this build, we see the chemistry between Dominick and Liv build, now it seems like Dom is all for Liv Morgan and Liv is playing him like a fiddle. However, once Uncle Howdy reveals that conversation between the two, it halts what we see between the two for now as Dominick is spending more time trying to get under the good graces of Judgement Day. The rest of the build focuses on Liv trying to get the upper hand and attack Lyra, but Lyra is always ready for Liv and has a counter for all of her plans. Dominick is a wild card though as it is now a question how much involvement he will have with Liv for htis upcoming match. If he is involved, will Liv is able to take advantage and capitalize? If not, what will the strategy be for Liv? One segment, Liv targets the knee of Valkaria and injures her, putting her at a disadvantage leading up to the ppv. On the go-home show, they have a contract signing and Lyra puts Liv through the table after Liv tries to get the upper hand one last time before the ppv but it massively backfires.

Bash in Berlin 2024:

• Wyatt 6 (Uncle Howdy, Dexter Lumis, and Joe Gacy) def. The Judgement Day (Damien Priest, Finn Balor, and Dominick Mysterio) (Berlin Street Fight)
  • The biggest theme of this match is that Uncle Howdy's team works like a family, they have trust, and work together like a solid unit while The Judgement Day have a lot of mistrust, wrestling more as individuals rather than a team and not working together (I'd also have it to where Balor and Priest BARELY ever tag in Dominick. Storyline wise this can be because that they trust him the least but also this is to protect him in case he is still not able to compete because of his injury). There are moments where Judgement Day fight together and when they are on the same page, they start to get in control and put the team of Uncle Howdy in serious trouble. However, there is crucial error as after Damien Priest is destroying everyone, he gets poison misted by Uncle Howdy after he attempts Razor's Edge to Joe Gacy. Balor self tags in and hits a few slingblades to Gacy and then to Lumis followed by a shotgun dropkick to the corner that also knocks Howdy to the outside momentarily. Finn Balor attempts Coup De Grace but when Gacy moves out of the way, Balor accidentally runs into the blinded Priest who immediately grabs Balor around the throat and hits him with his South of Heaven Chokeslam (commentary puts over that Priest had no idea that was Balor since he is blinded). Uncle Howdy is tagged in and takes out Priest, leaving Balor all alone in the ring. Dominick Mysterio, who sees the writing on the wall as the whole Wyatt 6 is watching on the apron, runs away through the crowd, abandoning his partners to be picked apart. Uncle Howdy picks up the win for his team after hitting Balor with Sister Abigail and pinning him.
• WWE Women's World Championship: Liv Morgan (c) def. Lyra Valkaria
  • Liv Morgan is all alone for this match as Dominick Mysterio has seemingly fled the building following his 6-man tag match with the Wyatt 6 faction.These two have a back and forth match as this is designed to be a showcase for Lyra, who comes very close to winning and hits all of her best moves (except for her finisher, which Liv is trying to avoid at all costs). Liv at one point tries to leave the match and accept a count out loss to retain but Lyra stops her from doing so. At another point, Lyra again goes for her finish but Liv rakes the eyes and hits a codebreaker for a close 2-count. In the end, as Lyra goes for her finish, but her knee gives way, Liv Morgan is able to hit a codebreaker and then hits ObLIVion to pick up the win and retain her championship.
    • Post-Match: Liv holds her Women’s World Championship in the air in celebration and then all of the sudden you hear the theme song of Rhea Ripley play (“This is my brutality!”). Liv’s expression changes, going from happy in celebration to one of worry. Rhea Ripley RETURNS and comes out to head straight to the ring, looking to brawl with Liv but before she can get her hands on her, Liv exits the ring and leaves through the crowd. Rhea signals that she is coming for the title, looking fired up and looking for revenge against Liv.

The Build to Summerslam 2024:

• The night after Bash, we open the show with the returning Rhea Ripley, who comes out solo for this promo. Rhea starts off by saying "Mami's home". Rhea talks about how torturous the last few months have been because of her injury, seeing the Judgement Day falling apart, and seeing Liv Morgan try to snatch up her "Dom Dom" and claim her "Latino Heat" as her own. Rhea says that she'll deal with those final two points later but with Liv, she wants to focus on getting payback for putting her on the shelf and taking her World Championship. Rhea puts Liv on notice that no matter where she runs and hides, Mami is coming back for her gold. Liv Morgan comes out and tells Rhea Ripley that she has taken everything away from her, she's taken her man, destroyed her group from within, and has taken her Championship. Morgan continues by saying that if Rhea really wants to experience that heartbreak all over again, Liv has no problem taking her on. The match is made official for Summerslam. However, when Liv gets a little too confident and gets inside the ring, Rhea immediately starts to brawl with her and is beating the hell out of her. Rhea looks to hit Liv Morgan with the title, but Dominick comes out and gets in between them. This gives Liv enough time to get away. Rhea is furious with Dominick (who is very visibly conflicted about what he has done and whose side he's on) and decks him with a punch before leaving. Backstage, Rhea is screaming at Dominick, and wants an explanation to who's side is he on? Priest comes out and tries to calm down Rhea, and then tells Dominick that next week, they want answers. Balor tries to get an explanation from Priest on why he attacked him at Bash in Berlin. Priest quickly says that he didn't mean to and that he'll explain more later because they need to focus on this situation first. Balor doesn't look happy about this and leaves.
• The next week, we have an advertised segment that involves the Judgement Day that says something like "The trial of Dominick Mysterio or Dominick's Judgement Day" (or something much better than that). We have all members of the Judgement Day out in the ring and it looks as if Damien Priest and Rhea are leading this segment. When we get to the segment, Dominick Mysterio comes out first, separate from the rest of the Judgement Day (Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest, Finn Balor, and a returning JD McDonagh) who later get their own entrance. Damian leads this segment as he allows Balor, Rhea, and himself to present Dominick's crimes against the Judgement Day and will allow Dominick to defend himself in the end. Dominick tries to explain that he loves the Judgement Day, as they saved him from a horrible family and made him a bigger star than ever before. He says he would never betray them. Rhea and Damian point out all the actions that Dominick has done recently to prove otherwise. Before we can get a verdict, Balor finally speaks up and thinks Priest should be questioned too over all of the things he has done over the last few months. Priest tries to say that they can address this after but Balor is furious and lets all of his frustrations out. He tells Rhea that the Judgement Day is in the state that it is in right now because Damian is a failure, and while he does blame Dominick for a lot of things, Priest is the one that has actually damaged the Judgement Day. When Rhea and Damian fire up and seemingly shut Balor down, before they can continue on, Balor finally snaps and attacks Damian Priest! Balor is vicious with his assault and Priest tries to defend himself. They have to be separated by security. Meanwhile in the ring, as Rhea is distracted, yelling at Balor to stop, Liv Morgan comes out and attacks Rhea Ripley (Dominick is stunned and doing nothing but just watching). Liv has Rhea in a fujiwara armbar, targeting the previous injured shouder of Rhea Ripley. It looks as if Liv is going to injure Rhea again until security breaks them up too. Dominick is too stunned to speak
• To summarize the rest of the build, Balor cuts vignette promos explaining that Uncle Howdy was right about his demon wanting to come back out, and that he has had a lot of hate stored up. He shares that his hate is for Priest after everything that has happened and now, he will finally let those demons out and hurt Priest badly. Priest says that if Finn feels that he needs to fight him to let those frustrations out, then he will let Finn have the chance. Priest also warns him to not think of him as his own punching bag, and that Priest will bring the fight right back to Balor. Priest also emphasizes that he hopes after this, the Judgement Day can thrive together again. For Liv and Rhea, they are continuosuly at each other's throats and have to be separated every time they are together. On the go-home show, after attacking Rhea after her match, Liv tries to attack with a chair but Dominick steps in between her and Rhea! (He makes it appear that he has made his choice and that he sides with Rhea Ripley). Rhea lays Liv out with Riptide and her and Dominick embrace (but dominick looks at Liv, with unsure eyes. Not knowing if he made the right decision).

Summerslam 2024:

• Finn Balor def. Damian Priest (No Holds Barred)
  • Damian Priest looks like he is ready for war when he comes out. However, Balor enters in as "The Demon", who also looks to have the worst intentions in mind. After an absolute war, Balor pins Priest. Post-match, Damian gets back to his feet very slowly, looking into the eyes of "The Demon", holding onto Balor as he tries to get back to his feet. Before Priest can stand up fully, JD enters the ring from behind and hits the back of Priest's knee with a pipe. The two men beat Priest down putting the boots to him, stomping away. JD goes outside and brings a chair into the ring as Balor climbs to the top rope but Priest tries to fight back. Priest lays JD out but Balor targets the leg again and hits Priest in the back with the chair. JD traps Priest's leg in the chair and Balor hits the Coup De Grace onto the chair. Priest's leg is seriously injured and Balor still looks intense as JD yells at Priest, talking trash. The two men leave together as Priest is tended to by medical personnel. Backstage, Rhea is screaming at both JD and Balor, demanding an explanation. JD says something smart and gets punched in the face. She then gets in The Demon's face, as nothing is said between the two as it's a tense encounter. Balor just leaves. Dominick comes into frame and Rhea asks Dominick if he knew about this, to which he just says no. Rhea tells Dominick to stay behind during her match and check on Damian. Dom looks to protest but decides against it, and says "Okay Mami, whatever you say". Rhea storms out of frame and we see Damian being helped onto an ambulance, Dom goes in a different direction off-screen.
• WWE Women's World Championship: Liv Morgan (c) def. Rhea Ripley
  • The crowd LOVES Mami. Rhea is aggressive from the jump, trying to brawl with Liv from the get-go. Rhea takes the first chunk of the match, showing her dominance and showing why she was the champion. Liv uses dirty tricks to get ahead and take control back in the match. Liv starts to target the shoulder of Rhea, showing her vicious side. From that point on it's a back and forth match with both women having moments of nearly winning the match. Liv at one point, puts Rhea in the Fujiwara Armbar, and has it for a solid while, doing damage to Rhea as she screams in pain. Rhea is able to get to the ropes. At another point in the match, after raking her eyes behind the ref's back, Liv hits her finish, ObLIVion and goes for the pin. 1...2... Rhea kicks out at 2.9. Liv goes for the Fujiwara Armbar again but it's countered into the Riptide, but Rhea can't go for the cover right away as she grabs her arm, selling the damage that Liv has inflicted. Rhea goes for the pin, 1...2... Liv puts her foot on the bottom rope to break the pin attempt. As the two trade strikes as the get to their feet, Rhea goes for a big boot but hits the ref instead after Liv dodges out of the way, causing a ref bumb. Liv hits her codebreaker and as Rhea stumbles backwards, she rebounds off the ropes and hits Liv with a lariat and both are down on the mat. All of the sudden, Dominick comes down to the ring with a steel chair in hand, Rhea (who on one hand wanted Dominick to stay out of this) is happy to see him, and tells Dom to give her the steel chair. Dominic pauses for a moment, and then slides the chair into the ring... but not towards Rhea... but directly to Liv Morgan. Rhea looks heartbroken, almost in tears, knowing that this wasn't a mistake. Rhea asks Dom, "why?", as she starts to get to her feet. Dom just says "I'm sorry, Mami", and as Rhea gets to her feet and turns around, Liv throws the chair into Rhea's face and then hits obLIVion onto the chair. The ref is now conscious again, and slowly counts the pin, 1...2...3. Liv has retained the Women's World Championship. The final shot, is Dominick, leaving by Liv's side as she smiles and lifts her championship in the air and Dom smiles when she looks at her, but when she looks back at Rhea, he can't meet her gaze as Rhea looks absolutely crushed.

And I would have that Liv and Rhea match be the final nail in the coffin for the Judgement Day, as now they are all broken up and on separate paths (though of course for some, their story with each other will not quite end here).
The End.
What did you think? Did you like it? Did you dislike it? What did you like or dislike about it specifically? How would you do it? Let me know

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1. Selfies are a whopping 40% less likely to get “likes.” That number rockets up to 90% if it’s a bathroom selfie. Don’t go there.

2. Selfies are less attractive than non-selfies. A recent study compared two photos - a selfie, and a photo of that same person taken by someone else. The selfie version was perceived as less attractive and more narcissistic. Don’t cultivate that vibe on Hinge!

3. They don’t inspire comments. Which photo do you think will entice more comments and “likes”:

Dalmatians for the win!
Photos where you’re doing something are especially effective on Hinge, as it makes it easy for your match to start a conversation by asking about whatever is going on in the image.
Per their internal data, sports photos are the most popular when it comes to “likes,” and activity photos in general ranked highly.
Coming in dead last were pics where you’re posing with someone who could be an ex. A full 98% of singles said that was a turn off.
Hinge Profile Tip #4: Stay On The Bright Side
Now let’s talk about your profile text. The best Hinge prompts to answer let you highlight on an attractive trait or two in a positive way.
Remember, she’s looking for Boyfriend Material, so why waste space with negativity?
Take, for instance, the “Pet Peeves” prompt. It’s challenging to make your answer sound anything other than whiny, pessimistic, and overly bothered by the minutiae of daily life.
Plus, if it’s a shared pet peeve, chances are she’ll feel a flash of annoyance when she reads it - and guess who she’s going to associate that feeling with? (Spoiler alert: you).
You also want to avoid describing what she may perceive as a negative character trait or flaw:
With over 80 prompts to choose from and only 3 available slots, she’s going to wonder why you took up valuable space with what’s essentially a reason not to “like” you.
To decide which are the best Hinge profile questions for you to answer, take a minute and write down a list of things you bring to the table that you think your ideal woman would be looking for in a guy.
Stable career, physically fit, interesting hobbies, family oriented, able to afford vacations, responsible enough to care for a dog… things of that nature that illustrate why you’d be a particularly good catch.
Then compare that list to the available prompts, and choose the ones that best let you highlight a few of those traits. Simple!
Here are 4 great Hinge profile examples, plus insight into why they work:
If you’re still stuck on what to write in your Hinge profile, try using one of these creative Hinge answers that are general enough to fit anyone:
A blast-from-the-past fashion trend makes for a great conversation starter since most women can relate to it.
While these examples don’t necessarily highlight a desirable personality trait or hobby, they will bring a smile to her face.
Humor is a great strategy in a dating profile, if you can pull it off. Women can’t help but be drawn to funny guys - it’s the way her brain is wired.
Hinge Profile Tip #5: Make One Of The Prompts About Her
Marketing yourself in an appealing, intriguing way is the goal of your Hinge profile.
But including a tidbit about her is an effective strategy.
According to research, 70% of your dating profile should describe you, but 30% of it should describe what type of person you’re looking for. That’s the most attractive combination.
As you’ve already learned, keep your answer positive.
Describing what you don’t want could have the opposite effect, as you may end up sounding picky and judgemental. Or worse, bitter from your last relationship imploding.
Hinge don'ts
Instead, focus on hobbies you’d like to have in common with your perfect match, or attributes that are important to you in a relationship.
Here are 3 great ways to answer the Hinge profile questions:
Describing non-physical attributes implies you're looking for a non-superficial relationship, and mentioning a hobby you'd like to have in common gives her some insight into your personality.
These good prompt answers give her some insight into what dating you might be like, and also imply that keeping in shape is important to you (which is always an attractive quality).
Mentioning a great first date idea in your Hinge answer is a subtle way to make her envision what an hour or two with you might include.
In fact, it’s so effective that according to founder Justin McCleod, answering this prompt got the most dates for users in London:
What works in London will probably work wherever you are as well, making “I know the best spot in town for” one of the best Hinge prompts for guys to answer if it's one of the available options for you.
Hinge Profile Tip #6: Make Every Word Count
The shorter a dating app profile is, the more impact each individual word has. To create the best possible first impression, you want every word in your profile to evoke positive vibes.
Stay away from words that cause a strong negative reaction, like violence, swearing, drugs and weapons. Those can have a ripple effect that will diminish your overall attractiveness.
And since this is Hinge, not Tinder, you’ll definitely want to keep it classy.
don't do this on Hinge
Even if you’re on Hinge just to hook up, don’t advertise your intentions in your profile. And consider switching to another dating app - Hinge really isn’t the app for that.
Here a few more Hinge “Don’ts” to keep in mind:
Repeat yourself. She’s reading a max of 450 characters, which is even less than a Tinder bio. Repetition is really going to stand out. If you talk about how much you love hiking in every Hinge answer, she’s apt to think you’re a one note kind of guy.
Make grammapunctuation/spelling errors. There’s not a lot of written material feeding into that all-important first impression, so little mistakes can have a big effect. Plus, surveyed singles said bad sex was preferable to bad grammar (if they had to choose), so it’s important to get it right.
Give “non” answers. You may think it’s the height of wit to answer Hinge prompts with statements like “I’m looking for… a better answer to this question,” but that’s likely to backfire on you. If she thinks you’re not taking online dating seriously, she probably won’t invest any time in getting to know you.
Reference past relationships. If you’re in your late 20s or 30s, odds are high you’ve got at least one significant relationship in your past. Whether the breakup was good or bad, your Hinge profile is not the place to rehash it.
Hinge Profile Tip #7: Reconsider Your “Dealbreakers”
When you set up your Hinge profile, you have the option to designate match preferences as “dealbreakers.”
That's a great feature for singles seeking long-term relationships, as it eliminates the need to ask those personal questions during the first few dates.
When you specify something as a dealbreaker, you won’t see profiles of people who don’t fit that category, regardless of how many other categories they do fit. (If you don't specify something as a dealbreaker, you may see profiles of singles who fall slightly outside of your ideal preferences.)
Free members have the usual filters like age range, distance and height. If you’re a Hinge+ or HingeX member, you have access to additional filters like children, family plans, education, and politics.
Take a look at any categories you deemed a “Dealbreaker” and make sure they truly are.
For instance, if your match is 5’7” instead of 5’8” or taller, is that truly important in the grand scheme of things? Or if she’s 41 instead of under 40?
If you’re too exclusive with your filtering, you may miss out on a great match you would have really clicked with, despite a small divergence from your “ideal type.”

IP: PLAY.BADWOLFMC.COM

Experience BadWolfMC: An Adult Minecraft Server - a long-running, drama-free, and inclusive community for adults! Join one of the best online communities you'll ever be a part of, where members from around the world come together to forge friendships and share their Minecraft passion!

Highlights

• 🖧 Our network features 4 servers with 8 different game modes so you’ll never get bored! Enjoy Survival, Creative, SkyBlock, AcidIsland, OneBlock, Prison, Magic, & lots of minigames including Bed Wars, Hide & Seek, Paintball, Elytra Challenges, & Parkour!
• 🐉 Ever wanted to fight an actually challenging dragon? We have loads of custom mobs!
• 🗒️We’re greylisted! Guests are welcome to log in and explore, and build permissions will be granted once your application is approved.
• 💬 Connect and chat seamlessly via our integrated Discord server.
• 🔀 Enjoy Java-Bedrock Crossplay from any device!
• 🧰 State of the art hardware on Chicago's fiber optic backbone ensures superior stability and performance worldwide!
• 🎟️ Recurring, seasonal, and one-off events including weekly Bed Wars tournaments and Discord watch parties keep things fresh and fun!
• 🪶 Loads of things to do and amazing places to explore, including dungeons, quests, and vaults with unique and powerful prizes!
• 🏪 Balanced, diamond based economy with Player Shops & Jobs!
• 🍹 Up your game with custom potions for enhanced effects and fun with our permanent and seasonal recipes!
• 🗺️ Stalk your friends and view your builds from space with our dynamic live maps!
• 🛡️ Keep your builds safe with multiple protection options featuring granular customization that you control!
• 🌎 Lots of public farms and eco-friendly resource worlds to keep the main worlds pretty and prevent resets!
• ❓ Find answers to all your questions on our helpful wiki.
• ✨ Lots of little extras to enhance your experience both in game and out!
• 👥 Seriously the best online community you'll ever have the privilege of belonging to, with members from all walks of life.

Our Mission

Our goal is to be your oasis away from drama and screaming children, a place to unwind and have a little fun and get creative. Our philosophy is to always enhance the game, not take away from it. We are laid-back and won’t get on your case about language, but still request that everyone be respectful of the many cultures that find a home here. We have been directly reviewed and approved by Mojang for MUG/EULA compliance, and we encourage and welcome feedback from all of our users.

Membership Application Required

If you like the place and the rules fit your style, apply for permissions at BadWolfMC.com!

General Server Rules

(full rules here)

• All players must be 18 years of age or older - that's the whole "Adult Minecraft Server" bit.
  
• No Griefing - Breaking or placing blocks within another player's clearly defined area is strictly prohibited. This is true even in PvP and for seemingly abandoned builds - if it's not yours, don't touch it.
  
• No Client Mods/Exploits - Client modifications (other than Optifine) or exploits to the game are not allowed. (Including but not limited to: Badlion, Forge, Fabric, Lightloader, Lunar Client, flying, speed, x-ray, item duplication, glitching, etc.)
  
• No Advertising/Spam - No advertising servers/websites/mods in any chat or spamming messages.
  
• Common Sense/Maturity - This is a game. Be respectful, have fun, don't rage, don't participate in drama, don't harass people, mind the server conventions, etc. Absolutely no harassment, sexism, racism, or hate speech will be tolerated.
  

Come take a look around as our guest at IP: play.badwolfmc.com We hope you’ll be as excited about this place as we are!
We look forward to seeing you in game!

IP: PLAY.BADWOLFMC.COM

Experience BadWolfMC: An Adult Minecraft Server - a long-running, drama-free, and inclusive community for adults! Join one of the best online communities you'll ever be a part of, where members from around the world come together to forge friendships and share their Minecraft passion!

Highlights

• 🖧 Our network features 4 servers with 8 different game modes so you’ll never get bored! Enjoy Survival, Creative, SkyBlock, AcidIsland, OneBlock, Prison, Magic, & lots of minigames including Bed Wars, Hide & Seek, Paintball, Elytra Challenges, & Parkour!
• 🐉 Ever wanted to fight an actually challenging dragon? We have loads of custom mobs!
• 🗒️We’re greylisted! Guests are welcome to log in and explore, and build permissions will be granted once your application is approved.
• 💬 Connect and chat seamlessly via our integrated Discord server.
• 🔀 Enjoy Java-Bedrock Crossplay from any device!
• 🧰 State of the art hardware on Chicago's fiber optic backbone ensures superior stability and performance worldwide!
• 🎟️ Recurring, seasonal, and one-off events including weekly Bed Wars tournaments and Discord watch parties keep things fresh and fun!
• 🪶 Loads of things to do and amazing places to explore, including dungeons, quests, and vaults with unique and powerful prizes!
• 🏪 Balanced, diamond based economy with Player Shops & Jobs!
• 🍹 Up your game with custom potions for enhanced effects and fun with our permanent and seasonal recipes!
• 🗺️ Stalk your friends and view your builds from space with our dynamic live maps!
• 🛡️ Keep your builds safe with multiple protection options featuring granular customization that you control!
• 🌎 Lots of public farms and eco-friendly resource worlds to keep the main worlds pretty and prevent resets!
• ❓ Find answers to all your questions on our helpful wiki.
• ✨ Lots of little extras to enhance your experience both in game and out!
• 👥 Seriously the best online community you'll ever have the privilege of belonging to, with members from all walks of life.

Our Mission

Our goal is to be your oasis away from drama and screaming children, a place to unwind and have a little fun and get creative. Our philosophy is to always enhance the game, not take away from it. We are laid-back and won’t get on your case about language, but still request that everyone be respectful of the many cultures that find a home here. We have been directly reviewed and approved by Mojang for MUG/EULA compliance, and we encourage and welcome feedback from all of our users.

Membership Application Required

If you like the place and the rules fit your style, apply for permissions at BadWolfMC.com!

General Server Rules

(full rules here)

• All players must be 18 years of age or older - that's the whole "Adult Minecraft Server" bit.
  
• No Griefing - Breaking or placing blocks within another player's clearly defined area is strictly prohibited. This is true even in PvP and for seemingly abandoned builds - if it's not yours, don't touch it.
  
• No Client Mods/Exploits - Client modifications (other than Optifine) or exploits to the game are not allowed. (Including but not limited to: Badlion, Forge, Fabric, Lightloader, Lunar Client, flying, speed, x-ray, item duplication, glitching, etc.)
  
• No Advertising/Spam - No advertising servers/websites/mods in any chat or spamming messages.
  
• Common Sense/Maturity - This is a game. Be respectful, have fun, don't rage, don't participate in drama, don't harass people, mind the server conventions, etc. Absolutely no harassment, sexism, racism, or hate speech will be tolerated.
  

Come take a look around as our guest at IP: play.badwolfmc.com We hope you’ll be as excited about this place as we are!
We look forward to seeing you in game!

IP: PLAY.BADWOLFMC.COM

Experience BadWolfMC: An Adult Minecraft Server - a long-running, drama-free, and inclusive community for adults! Join one of the best online communities you'll ever be a part of, where members from around the world come together to forge friendships and share their Minecraft passion!

Highlights

• 🖧 Our network features 4 servers with 8 different game modes so you’ll never get bored! Enjoy Survival, Creative, SkyBlock, AcidIsland, OneBlock, Prison, Magic, & lots of minigames including Bed Wars, Hide & Seek, Paintball, Elytra Challenges, & Parkour!
• 🐉 Ever wanted to fight an actually challenging dragon? We have loads of custom mobs!
• 🗒️We’re greylisted! Guests are welcome to log in and explore, and build permissions will be granted once your application is approved.
• 💬 Connect and chat seamlessly via our integrated Discord server.
• 🔀 Enjoy Java-Bedrock Crossplay from any device!
• 🧰 State of the art hardware on Chicago's fiber optic backbone ensures superior stability and performance worldwide!
• 🎟️ Recurring, seasonal, and one-off events including weekly Bed Wars tournaments and Discord watch parties keep things fresh and fun!
• 🪶 Loads of things to do and amazing places to explore, including dungeons, quests, and vaults with unique and powerful prizes!
• 🏪 Balanced, diamond based economy with Player Shops & Jobs!
• 🍹 Up your game with custom potions for enhanced effects and fun with our permanent and seasonal recipes!
• 🗺️ Stalk your friends and view your builds from space with our dynamic live maps!
• 🛡️ Keep your builds safe with multiple protection options featuring granular customization that you control!
• 🌎 Lots of public farms and eco-friendly resource worlds to keep the main worlds pretty and prevent resets!
• ❓ Find answers to all your questions on our helpful wiki.
• ✨ Lots of little extras to enhance your experience both in game and out!
• 👥 Seriously the best online community you'll ever have the privilege of belonging to, with members from all walks of life.

Our Mission

Our goal is to be your oasis away from drama and screaming children, a place to unwind and have a little fun and get creative. Our philosophy is to always enhance the game, not take away from it. We are laid-back and won’t get on your case about language, but still request that everyone be respectful of the many cultures that find a home here. We have been directly reviewed and approved by Mojang for MUG/EULA compliance, and we encourage and welcome feedback from all of our users.

Membership Application Required

If you like the place and the rules fit your style, apply for permissions at BadWolfMC.com!

General Server Rules

(full rules here)

• All players must be 18 years of age or older - that's the whole "Adult Minecraft Server" bit.
  
• No Griefing - Breaking or placing blocks within another player's clearly defined area is strictly prohibited. This is true even in PvP and for seemingly abandoned builds - if it's not yours, don't touch it.
  
• No Client Mods/Exploits - Client modifications (other than Optifine) or exploits to the game are not allowed. (Including but not limited to: Badlion, Forge, Fabric, Lightloader, Lunar Client, flying, speed, x-ray, item duplication, glitching, etc.)
  
• No Advertising/Spam - No advertising servers/websites/mods in any chat or spamming messages.
  
• Common Sense/Maturity - This is a game. Be respectful, have fun, don't rage, don't participate in drama, don't harass people, mind the server conventions, etc. Absolutely no harassment, sexism, racism, or hate speech will be tolerated.
  

Come take a look around as our guest at IP: play.badwolfmc.com We hope you’ll be as excited about this place as we are!
We look forward to seeing you in game!

It is time, once again, for the napping of fics! Thanks to u/Ben_Elohim_2020 for writing The Nature of Family and all of its related works! I will try to remember to update this header with a link to whoever ficnapped me, but I do believe our group is the first to post, so I can't do that right now.
Shoutout to u/oobanooba- for organizing this event once again. He and u/TriBiscuit also helped with proofreading.
So, without further delay, here we go!
CW: Many violence
-
Memory transcription subject: The Du Slent, Venlil Owner of Duskwall Street Repair and For[ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ER]
Date [standardized human time]: October 13th, 2136
Ratchet.
Ratchet.
Ratchet.
One, two, three, and 5/37ths of a turn…and snug. Ah. No. Manufacturing error. 6/37ths is more apt. Wait. Too much. 6/74ths? Bah. Worthless nut. To the other rejects with you.
I untwisted the nut from the bolt, carried it over to the other workbench, and carefully slid the drawer open. Hearing the slightest rattling, I slowed my efforts. It took roughly [3 minutes and 34.72 seconds] to fully open without disturbing the contents. Housed within, there were 638 perfectly organized nuts that were deemed inadequate. I absolutely despised every single one of them, but I dared not throw them away. Nuts were nuts after all. Even trash had its uses.
I marked down the extent of my current defect on my spreadsheet, then placed it perfectly in line with the others. It was important to keep them in order, so I could track them.
639 rejects. Won’t be long before I’ll need to clear the drawer. Now that is an ordeal…
Ding!
The ringing of the front counter bell only served to grow my ire. My paw gripped the ratchet tightly. That incessant ringing…to have a customer arrive at such a trying time…
I raised the ratchet above my head, compelled to smash it right through the drawers, to reduce it all to nothing, to TEAR THE ENTIRE WORKSHOP-!
Ding!
I stopped. The ringer was still waiting, and, unfortunately, I had a business to run.
Sighing, I lowered my weapon ratchet and slowly began to close the drawer, making sure that no nuts rolled or slid out of place. The front bell rang a few more times, but I ignored it. With a light, yet satisfying click, it was done, and I made my way out to the lobby.
Passing between the workshop and the office, I was struck with another loathsome scene. The silver-suited scum was leaning over the front counter, peering behind for whatever it believed it might find, invading my space.
Has it any regard for decency, to enter my shop and spy behind my counter? Does this vermin know a thing about boundaries? It just walks in and starts its frivolous… SEARCHING. THERE IS NOTHING HERE FOR YOU, AND YET HERE YOU ARE.
I gripped the ratchet in my paws.
No. Calm. Can’t go back.
Slowly, I relented, letting the tool rest comfortably in my palm again. The exterminator looked up from its snooping, seemingly startled by my presence, as though it were caught smuggling a loaf of fresh strayu away from the kitchen. Quickly, it picked itself up and made itself look as presentable as it could.
It was still ugly.
“Ahem, Greetings, sir! I'm with the Twilight Valley Exterminators Guild. Would your name happen to be Slent?”
“That is what I am called, yes,” I replied. “I apologize for the wait. Can I help you?”
I knew, of course, that I could not. There was nothing in my possession, physical or otherwise, that this exterminator would benefit from. But, still, the trash was determined to waste its own time, as well as my own.
“I’m here to investigate predatory activity, primarily the, er, dubious happenings surrounding the Human refugees in the area. Nearby sources claim that a certain group of Humans came to this shop, a group with matching black pelts. Is that correct?”
The Humans had been here, yes, and it was bothersome for this very reason. I’d moved to Twilight Valley…no…this district specifically to avoid the watchful, prying eyes of the guild, yet here was an officer at my desk…in my store…asking worthless QUESTIONS.
“There were some Humans,” I replied through gritted teeth. “They had matching attire.”
“I see,” the exterminator’s demeanor shifted, muscles tensing. “What was it that they were looking for?”
I was very much aware of the change in atmosphere. Such sensitivities were a necessity all those cycles ago, and for a positively infuriating reason. This vermin, and those Humans that came before, believed that one tongue was not enough. They came to my shop speaking with two, where their words were layered with separate meanings.
I hate it.
I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT!!!
WHY SPEAK WITH TWO TONGUES?! YOU WERE BORN WITH ONLY ONE! The demons in the facility spoke the same way. They ShOcKeD me so MANY TIMES that I learned to understand it. Then, they found me fit for RELEASE! OH, THE IRONY! TO THINK THAT THEY HAD BECOME SO FLUENT THAT THEY BELIEVED IT TO BE NATURAL!
I loosened my grip on the ratchet again, realizing the officer was still awaiting my response.
“The Humans brought an offer,” I answered. “They advertised protection.”
“Protection? From what?” the vermin asked.
“From you. From those other than them.”
The exterminator scoffed, as though I’d just told it a bad joke. Yet, despite its laughter, its paw drifted closer to its belt, towards the cuffs and, moreover, the sidearm. I gripped my ratchet tightly again, this time in case it proved necessary.
“They were quite insistent,” I continued. “But I turned them away.”
That seemed to put the officer somewhat at ease.
“Protection from us…” it chuckled. “How strange that predators would offer protection from protectors.”
Protectors? Please…neither of you are true protectors. That’s a real joke. I’ve seen what you do to them.
Like that one Venlil in the black suit that came with the Humans. Quinlim, his name was? He had light in his eyes, but I could see it dying, being snuffed out by the surrounding darkness. Soon, he'd be just another vermin.
“And did they say anything else to you?” the scum continued. “Did you catch any names? Any locations of interest? Any packages or instructions?”
“I did not. Our conversation was brief.”
“I see. Anything else of note? Please, sir, we're only trying to keep the herd safe. Any information will be valuable.”
The frustration pounded in my brain again. What annoyance I was enduring. I had nothing more to say to this thing. Yet, I knew it would only return once it left because those black-pelted Humans would return as well with their rhetoric of family and protection. They’d speak of respect and honor while they lacked the honesty to come to me plainly. Then, just as well, these silver-suited goons would follow in tow, likely more than one next time. They’d speak of justice and the herd, but they would turn on each other with even the slightest modicum of doubt. They had no trust, and what each group had, the other rejected like nuts in a drawer that had manuFACTURING ERrors that cAUSed me ALL KINDS OF HEADACHES. S O ! M A N Y ! H E A D A C H E S ! ! !
I placed my ratchet down on the counter firmly enough to cause the vermin to wince. Then, I turned an eye directly towards it, and asked a simple question.
“May I regale you a tale, officer?”
Its ears tilted in curiosity.
“Does it pertain to my questions, to the predators?”
So selfish, to be hesitant to hear my parable after wasting my time. It believes that it has learned every lesson worth learning, but everyone has something to teach.
“Not directly,” I answered. “But I’ve been nothing but honest and cooperative with you. Perhaps you can spare me a moment as I offer you some sagely advice.”
The silver suit was clearly bothered by my request, but it sighed and leaned into the counter nonetheless.
“What do you mean to tell me, sir?”
I moved my paw along the countertop, outlining the ratchet.
“Once there was a farmer with a shadestalker problem. They prowled around his property and caused him such distress. But, lo, a savior! A sharpshooter came from town and rid him of the pests.”
“That's all then?” the officer mumbled, clearly just waiting for me to finish.
I stopped outlining the ratchet with my claw and slammed my palms on the countertop. The exterminator was startled, but quickly regained its composure.
“Hardly!” I exclaimed. “The farmer, in his gratitude, brought her into his home to stay. However, she remained past her time, and she attracted unwanted debt collectors and the like. Soon enough, he realized his error, and he tried to cast her out. But the diseased Venlil took the gun to him instead!”
“He should have called the exterminators for a woman so ill,” the exterminator huffed. “Or just called them to deal with the shadestalkers.”
“Ah, but he had crops growing,” I replied. “He didn't want them burned, and if the exterminators heard that he had harbored such a diseased woman, would they have thought him tainted too? It seems no matter what, he was destined to lose something.”
The officer waited for another continuation, but I remained silent.
“That's all, then?” it finally asked. “I’d hardly call that advice.”
“Not on its own, but I’m sure the meaning will present itself in time. For now, that is all I have for you, though I'm sure I'll be seeing you again.”
The scum looked at me quizzically, but didn't question me further. Instead, it turned tail and left my shop, and I returned to the back room.
Such foolishness that it doesn’t understand. Why, the story is unfolding in front of us, but it doesn't see. It comes here for information, but it doesn't listen when I give it away. So annoying that they listen to only what they waNT TO HEar.
I hated their two tongues. I hated their conniving ways. I hated the fact that they WOULDN’T LEAVE ME ALONE.
I could almost hear the shadestalkers’ growls, the beasts that had grown so hungry. They’d been poked and prodded and hunted and fed and kept and released and they were here, growing ever closer. Though I’d escaped them once, their numbers grew, and now the vermin had arrived to save me.
As if I needed to be saved. Shadestalkers could be killed. These scum, these…these…THESE…
Killed? They could be…
No…can’t…go back…
But they… won’t…
There’s too many…
Just one, however…
Just one…
Just…
Perhaps I’d told the wrong story. Or, rather, I’d told the wrong ending. I never was good with stories. The shadestalkers…were there even any on the property? How did they come to be there? Had the farmer not slain them long ago? Perhaps those growls were his own.
Argh! I told it all wrong! Such a poor way of framing it!
And, what’s more, the farmer hadn’t brought the sharpshooter into her home. She’d arrived of her own accord, drawing in the dreadful collectors.
Yes, that’s right. But perhaps I could keep her away, if only I made an example.
It was time to rewrite the parable with a new set of decisions. No longer would the farmer’s life end in tragedy, not like that. I had learned from the story in a way that the vermin had not. The shadestalker would hunt. The sharpshooter would run for the hills. Yes, this was a better turn of events.
I strode over to my chemical drawer, opening it carefully. Countless, brightly colored bottles stared at me from within, simple supplies for cleaning machine parts and the like. But chemistry cared not for intended uses. There was so much more to be done.
Ethanol, chlorine, catalyst…
Hydrogen…
Pour…
Oxygen…
Perhaps both at once…
Then, another…
-
[Fast forward transcription: 17 hours]
-
I turned the flask in my paws as I held it up to the light. The contents were not my concern, rather the reflection in the glass: a darkened, metallic mask covering my face. Then, down below, the lengthy cloak flowed over my body, hiding the color of my fur. Would it be enough to disguise me? Did it even matter?
The stirring to my side told me that I was far beyond the point of doubts.
So it goes…
“Mmmmm…wha-? Where…”
The silver suit, same from before, raised its head, taking in its surroundings. It wouldn’t recognize this place, of course. Its kind had never come here to this old, dilapidated warehouse. The same went for the black suit on my other side. This Human, too, was beginning to wake up, and I eyed the restraints I’d placed upon them both.
Secure. I need only wait.
Little by little, the exterminator became more cognizant. It looked up at me with fury in its eyes, but also something else.
“Hey! Who are you?! What’s with that mask?! Where are we?!”
I lowered the flask into my lap and sighed.
“You’re not good at introductions, are you?” the mask altered my voice. “It seems you've dropped the veil of professionalism. Already, you've asked three questions before I could even answer.”
“What?!” it hissed. “I don’t know who you are, or where this is, but you’re as good as fried! Once the guild finds me-!”
“They will not,” I interjected. “And you will not be returning to them.”
“Is that a fucking threat?” it growled.
“Not a threat,” I mumbled. “Just the truth.”
Finally, the Human began to wake up.
“Where…wuh…?”
The exterminator suddenly realized just what was restrained across from it. Its eyes grew wide.
“The black suit…What is this? Are you with them?”
“Shut up,” I replied.
“I am an exterminator of-!”
“Shut. Up.”
The silver suit stopped its rambling, but continued to struggle against the restraints, searching for any method to get free. There wasn't one, of course.
As it grumbled, I turned my attention solely to the waking Human.
“Where is this?” it mumbled. “The package…I…”
“Relax,” I cooed. “I only brought you here temporarily.”
“Who are you? Wh-what do you want?”
I could hear the bite of fear in the Human’s voice. He was one of the more recent inductees, still green and growing its second tongue. I could speak to this one plainly. It wasn’t yet lost to the cold game being played in this town.
“I just wanted to make you understand,” I explained. “Your group…your family has been poking its snout into a peace that I have worked very hard to maintain. It’s caused me some issues, but we need not be enemies. All I ask for is some…indifference to be practiced between us.”
“I d-don’t understand. Who are you?”
“You may call me The Duskwall Shadestalker, and you will understand very shortly.”
I stood from my seat slowly. Gripping the flask in my paw, I meandered towards the bound exterminator. It looked up at me like a cornered animal, but that was giving it too much credit, perhaps. Animals didn't go looking for trouble on purpose, not like this pest that came to my store to spy behind my counter and interrogate me.
“What do you want with me?” it growled. “You know capturing an exterminator is grounds for predator disease. The guild will find you, freak. I hope you're fine with living in a fucking facility.”
I held the flask up once more, taking in the reflection of my mask, as well as that of the black-pelted Human watching the interaction unfold from behind. Was he fully awake? I’d only get a good take of this scene once. This performance was about to take a rather intense departure from the original script.
“It wouldn't be the first time I saw those blank walls,” I sighed. “They taught me to speak your tongues. They taught me to be what I wasn't, what you should have feared…”
I raised the container over my head.
“Vermin, like you.”
I flung the flask’s contents into the silver suit’s face…
…and he screamed.
“AAAAAUUUUGGGHHH!!! AAAUUGH!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUGGGGHHHH!!!”
The Human recoiled as the acid began to eat into the exterminator’s face. Its skin blistered and boiled as the fur came off in patches. It brought its paws up to scrub the burning liquid away, but the sizzling only spread to its digits.
“NOW ISN’T THAT SOMETHING?!” I shouted over the screams. “WHAT A SATISFYING MELODY!”
“Wh-what the fuck?!” the Human shrunk even further, eyes wide with terror.
“SEE, THIS IS A MUCH BETTER TALE!” I motioned to the writhing silver suit. “THEY COME FOR THE SHARPSHOOTER, BUT THE REAL THREAT IS THE FARMER, BECAUSE THE FARMER IS REALLY THE SHADESTALKER IN A CUNNING DISGUISE! WHAT A TWIST! WHAT A TURN OF EVENTS! NO LONGER IS THIS A TRAGEDY! PERHAPS A TRAGEDY FOR THE EXTERMINATORS, BUT NOT THE FARMER! NEVER THE FARMER! NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER!”
I paused and took a deep breath.
Ah. [7.87 seconds] should be enough.
I drew another container from the lengthy pelts that draped over me. Opening the lid, I tossed its contents, a light dust, onto the vermin. The sizzling began to subside as the acid was neutralized, and his screams gradually reduced to sobs.
“P-please!” it sputtered, though its voice was ragged and its lips swollen. “I'm s-sorry! Whatever I've d-done to you, I'm s-so sorry! P-please, I w-won't do it again! Just d-don't kill me!”
“You seemed so much more confident before,” I mused. “Back when you had both your tongues. Funny how pathetic you become when I cut the extra one out. Let me tell you something, scum.”
I leaned down to its shivering, blistering form.
“I hate you. I hate the way you carry yourself. I hate the way you speak with two tongues. The trash at the facility used to speak with two tongues as well. They thought they could keep me there forever, but I grew four ears so I could hear what they were really saying.”
I glanced at the Human behind me. He had shrunk up against the opposite wall, searching for something to defend himself with.
“Relax, Human,” I instructed. “You do not hold my ire yet, though I imagine you soon will.”
“No, sir!” he replied. “I'm just trying to survive out here! I don't want any trouble!”
“They'll put you up to their game though,” I sighed. “Just like they did with this vermin, just like they did with me. The two-tongued bastards always find someone new to teach their language. I fear you're already in their clutches, but, for now, I'm only going to send a message with you back to your boss.”
“My b-boss,” he repeated. “God dammit, Don n-never mentioned it would get this b-bad. Oh fuck. I don't wanna die. I was just s-supposed to be running some contraband…”
“I'm afraid you were a tad unlucky,” I patted remnants of the neutralizer off my cloak. “You were just the easiest one for me to nab. Sorry, for what it's worth, but it had to be someone.”
I turned back to the silver suit.
“Just like this one here.”
I drove my foot into his side, then stomped his gut. I kicked him over and over, shattering bones and puncturing flesh with my claws. The vermin yelped and sobbed as I struck it, begging for me to relent.
I only kicked harder.
“YOU WALKED SO PROUDLY, SO CONFIDENTLY! YOU BELIEVE YOUR AUTHORITY MADE YOU UNTOUCHABLE, BUT NOTHING IS INVINCIBLE. ANYTHING CAN DIE, ESPECIALLY SCUM!”
I drew my ratchet from my cloak, turning it over in my paws. The silver suit looked up at me. With just one eye still working, it had to turn awkwardly to see.
“The story…the ratchet…” it wheezed. “I know you. You were-”
I slammed the ratchet into its singed face. I swung and smashed and crushed and broke and shattered and hurt until there was hardly anything left to recognize. Finally, out of breath, I tossed the ratchet to the floor.
“Oh god…urk…” the Human gagged. “Oh fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. You're a fucking psycho…”
I turned around and slumped back into my seat until the Human stopped whimpering.
“Now, for the message,” I mumbled. “Tell this Don of yours to leave Duskwall Street alone. Your protection offers are attracting unwanted attention that I tried to keep away for a long time. You can be in the pocketbooks of every business in every other part of this town, but you leave Duskwall Street untouched or we're going to have trouble.”
“Y-you’re threatening us?”
“Why does everyone think I'm threatening them?” I flicked my ears in irritation. “It's simply the truth. Stay out of my fur, and I'll stay out of yours. Easy.”
“I'll tell him,” the Human assured me. “I promise I will. Just…don't hurt me…”
“I won't,” I replied. “But I am going to have to conk you out again before I set you free. Can't have you coming back to this place. And, moreover, I'd suggest you try to cut ties with that family of yours if you can. I doubt you'll find the opportunity, but take it if you do, before they turn you into vermin.”
With that, I strode over to him, pressing a chloroform-soaked rag to his face until his mind drifted away. Then, I placed a sack over top and lugged him out the door.
Best make this fast. Still need to melt the rest of that body this paw.
-
Memory transcription subject: Quinlim, Suspected Capozzi Family Associate
Date [standardized human time]: October 14th, 2136
“This is…troubling,” Don sighed.
Many of us had huddled into the back of the Drunken Venlil, an abruptly called meeting to discuss a recent development. A newer face, Gary, had been tasked with moving a small package of contraband, but he'd disappeared, then turned up near the distillery, completely unconscious. When he came to, he was inconsolable. Not once had I seen a Human look so terrified, like the common prey we were often encouraged to be.
“It's just one man,” Trilvri huffed. “Could he truly be a threat?”
“He's not normal!” Gary all but shouted. “You don't understand! There's something wrong upstairs, you can hear it in his voice!”
“Easy, gentleman,” Don raised a hand. “We can handle this business calmly and with civility. Trilvri, certainly you, of all people, would know the capabilities of but a single man.”
The dark-coated Venlil turned his face to the floor.
“This is different. One man can't take on the world. That's why we organize.”
“That is true,” Don admitted. “But how many men do you want to throw to the angry bear? If it takes three of our own lives to kill it, was it smart to encroach upon its territory?”
“It's just one street,” Ivan grumbled. “We can assume this ‘Duskwall Street Shadestalker' works there, yes? How many stores turned us away? Certainly, we could determine his identity and strike first without casualty.”
“It’s…only one street!” I interjected, still somewhat spooked from Gary’s demeanor. “Can't we just…leave it be?”
Don raised his hand again.
“Quinlim, I recognize your inclination to grant this specter's wish, but you must also recognize that he kidnapped one of The Family, one of us. He could be a danger to this community, and it would simply not be right to let him do as he pleases without consequence. That is how the guild operates, without honor.”
He turned to Trilvri, then to Ivan before continuing.
“However, I believe we all need to consider the practicality of this situation. There is a reason that Gary was left unscathed. If this ‘Shadestalker’ only asks for our lack of involvement, that is a reasonable request on its own. The guild appears to be his primary enemy. Perhaps it would be best to give a wide berth for a time.”
“So we're just going to let him get away with that, with what he did to Gary?” Mac asked, bewildered. “One of our own was kidnapped!”
“God, just let him go,” Gary pleaded. “I don't even care at this point. I've already seen enough.”
“We cannot turn a blind eye to his transgression completely,” Don rubbed his hands together. “But, for the time being, we will simply observe. As of now, we will cease operations on Duskwall street. This situation may turn to favor us in time.”
Mac looked like he was about to protest, but a stern glare from Ivan shut him down before he could begin.
“And what if he comes after us anyway?” Trilvri asked. “I don't suppose we'll leave him alone then.”
Don gave a wide smile.
“If he acts first, we need only show him The Family's extensive skill set.”
-
The Nature of Family

An Analysis of Global Sex Trafficking
https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/40117819/OBrien_sex_trafficking_article-libre.pdf?1447801679=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DAn_Analysis_of_Global_Sex_Trafficking.pdf&Expires=1717037463&Signature=ZzQCsaResXGz0OZoNH69cLPKD7MFIDYFW1tDB1XzncCRmUggI~dcf4NnS-f3shVsSd0clCNc-Yd8GlSqjU~bv8~DY~IVWJoppNX71DIGXrVpWIzcpUXuOi1iH31INISiDg~DjNy~CmV5hH~susI~ENdImAxt2E-j6ApYG5nnvmtetC~6yUlUHJ-mzjPysQHLX2UamYjpHDyw-wXzYZkp8VJmxlGgwL0rDprUzpNdpVyl4VzIeLgBXIel-I3ShFhz0H9-zzTs5Xcewf7WnuY3iW0~cNHbYakOzWI2Yg4oAv55eKG7ZCN-YJvDBG86t6tUiPz5BiUng~ZmLakHeOh1jA__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA
Globalization has caused collective economic devastation that has stripped whole countries of their non-sexual assets forcing young women into prostitution, often on purpose.

1. Globalization’s neoliberal market economy, transnational movement, consumerist agenda, and feminization of poverty have created a breeding ground for sex trafficking. I posit that globalization’s effects on (particularly “developing”) economies, such as Thailand, and the environment has created a supply and easy movement of trafficked women and children; that Western-dominated and patriarchal approaches contribute to a feminization of poverty and gendered division of labor, which includes sexual services; and that the commodification of the female (and child) body through the mass media has increased a demand for sex trafficking.

Sweden’s approach targets the demand and refuses to victim blame having a strictly abolitionist approach.

1. Finally, I argue that Sweden’s approach represents the best practice toward ameliorating sex trafficking by targeting the demand.

Traffickers use violence, threats, coercion and murder to instill fear in victims. Globalization increases violence, threats, coercion and murder in areas that traffick in the most prostitutes globally. Washington state may be one such instance.

1. Sex trafficking victims suffer physical, psychological, and economic abuse in this modern-day slavery; traffickers use violence, threats, coercion, and murder to instill fear in victims. Why have an increasing number of women and children (mostly girls) fallen victims to sex trafficking? This article analyzes sex trafficking and its connections with globalization, and then considers what policy approach best serves to deter this gender-based crime.

The true problem lies with the buyers, the customers, and the 99% purchasers being men

1. “[W]e can see where the true problem lies—it lies with the buyers, the customers, the men” (Torrey, 2004; 74). In short, inclusion of controls on demand for the sex trade is the keystone to drafting improved legislation to combat sex trafficking.

Sex trafficking is a form of violence against women and girls.

1. Primarily victimizing females, sex trafficking is a form of violence against women, and feminist theory calls for an examination of all violence against women and girls

Sex industry has been kept invisible to allow for rationalization of its continuance clearly in the public eye

1. Why has demand for the sex industry been afforded a near invisibility in policy and research (Salter 2003; 4, 76)? Since heteropatriarchy “privileges heterosexual, promiscuous masculinity,” feminist theory can challenge the demand for sexual services of women and children (Kempadoo, 2004; 9).

Colonialization includes a superiority-inferiority narrative used to rationalize rape and human trafficking as something that “doesn’t count” or “is deserved”.

1. Socialist feminism can critique the commodification of the female body that supports this demand; Third World feminism can bring insight into sex trafficking as a continuance of colonial industry that exploits females on the basis of race, class, and nationality.

Women face an imbalance of power which increases as the demand for sexual services increases. This is usually hegemonized through horrific financial gaps.

1. I utilize an abolitionist feminist perspective toward the sex industry, which profits from a demand for sexual services supplied mostly by women, who face an imbalance of power within a patriarchal system. This demand for sexual services fuels sex trafficking

Globalization, through trying to source cheap labor, has fueled human trafficking and normalized it everywhere where labor trafficking and sex trafficking intersect for cheap services.

1. Globalization’s international trade with a neoliberal market economy, its transnational movement through outsourcing and processing zones, its consumerist agenda, and its feminization of poverty (especially in developing nations) and labor (particularly exploiting women of color) 3 have created a breeding ground for sex trafficking.

Traffickers benefit from corrupt authorities and may pay off investigators to keep trafficking. They may even install particularly corrupt investigators to not investigate obvious human trafficking

1. effects on (particularly “developing”) economies and the environment has created a supply of women and children to be trafficked, and an easy movement of people by traffickers, who benefit from corrupt authorities

Commodification of the woman has increased demand by men often fed by powerless exotic women with no capital and no access to schooling that will provide the defenses they need from this predation.

1. commodification of the female (and child) body through the mass media and the Internet has increased a “demand” by men for sexual commodities at the expense of “others,” especially “foreign, exotic” women.

Increasing economic inequality and disadvantaging the poorest of the poor purposefully takes away all money-created assets a person has to force them into selling their bodies.

1. While the feminization of poverty and gender-based violence exist worldwide, environmental injustice and unfair economic policies disproportionately harm poor women and girls in developing nations. A system favoring developed nations in the name of globalization, which promotes “free” trade, contributes to global sex trafficking by increasing economic inequality and disadvantaging the “poorest of the poor.”

Globalization devastated the local land so that Thai people could not rely on the land to survive and had to begin sex trafficking to survive.

1. One may examine Thailand’s environmental destruction to understand globalization’s increase in migration and urbanization, which contribute to sex trafficking. Transnational corporations in need of land for fast-growing trees (like rubber and eucalyptus) or industrial shrimp farms for their own harvesting have been displacing indigenous Thai people (who typically lack land titles) from their homelands, causing deforestation, flooding from soil erosion, and a lack of food and resources (such as mushrooms and fish) to sell for the local people’s income

Loan and debt creation was the primary entry red flag into being a target for human trafficking

1. One elder Thai woman explained how the market economy encroached upon villages, creating a consumer culture, luring the youth to the city, and creating a loan and debt cycle for people who wanted more market economy goods as propelled by the media (Usher, 1994; 16). After the military presence during the Vietnam War and the resulting sex tourism industry, more young women and girls left their villages to sell their bodies (all they had left to sell in the market economy) to support their poor families back home, because they could no longer produce sufficient food from the environmentally damaged lands and they were forcefully removed from other lands,

China trafficks Thai, Myanmar, Macau and Vietnamese peoples to Western nations as “exotic” luxuries. Up to two million people, including children, are being fed to this demand by Western nations

1. In addition to environmental injustice that disadvantages people within developing nations, such as Thailand, globalization’s “opening” of borders for goods and “products” includes people, thereby increasing opportunities for sex trafficking through lax controls and checks. Traffickers easily move victims across borders into and out of Thailand, a supplier and user of sex trafficking victims. In China, for instance, women and children are trafficked across regional borders into Thailand, Myanmar, Macau, and Vietnam, as well as from Thailand to Western nations for the sex trade. Statistics vary on Thailand’s sex industry, but they range from 86,000 to two million women and children prostituting in this global sex market (Usher, 2004; 18).

The Contagion in 1997 forced Thailand to devalue their currency which then couldn’t support their people. They then applied for an IMF loan that imposed policies and debt upon the Thai people that paved the way for human trafficking.

1. some, while harming the interests of many local people. In 1997, the Contagion (part of the Asian financial crisis) first struck Thailand, forcing the Thai government to devalue their currency, causing a rapid decline in salaries, job losses, and setting the scene for an IMF loan, which imposed policies and a debt upon the Thai government.5

IMF used this debt to control their policies

1. This neocolonialism destabilized their economies, made them poorer, devalued their currencies, forced them to borrow and become indebted, thereby allowing the IMF and other lenders to control their national policies. In December 1997, the Contagion reached Korea, which turned to the IMF when it neared default on Japanese and U.S. loans. Due to pressure, the banks rolled over their loans and Korea received the largest loan, $55 billion, in world history from the U.S.

There is definitely a pattern of causing financial crises in a country and then moving in to create a trafficking market there

1. “Countries as diverse as Vietnam, Cuba, and those in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union—all beset by acute financial crises while becoming market economies in varying degrees—are witnessing a tremendous increase in trafficking and prostitution”

Thailand attempts to pay off debts imposed through rigid ignorance of the differences between types of countries by prostituting women. Debt and debt servicing starts the machine of human sex trafficking.

1. By not fairly including developing nations in the global economy and essentially closing markets to them in the guise of IMF-World Bank-WTO policies, we fail to ameliorate an economic cause of global sex trafficking. Prostitution through sex tourism has become one of Thailand’s major financial resources as it helps the government pay off debts, which form a part of the cycle of economic abuse in globalization. Indeed, Saskia Sassen states, “Debt and debt servicing problems have become a systemic feature of the developing world since the 1980s” causing the creation of “shadow” or illicit economies of globalization (Saunders, 2004; 94). In order to combat sex trafficking, the global community should eliminate economic policies that create conditions ripe for an illicit sex trade.

Officials are bought off and are disturbing indifferent. In fact in Vietnam, 70% of people caught in sex acts are police. An Australian diplomat was another one.

1. 6 corruption among law enforcement officials and government agencies plays a key role in the successful operation of the criminal networks that traffic in human slave labor (King, 2004; 20). Officials can be bought off, laws against trafficking are weak in many countries, and attitudes7 toward violence against women are indifferent at best in many places. In Vietnam, “70% of those caught in brothels are reported to be state officials” (Enriquez, 2006; 4). Corruption exists within all nations, but rather than placing full blame on local officials, we must also hold non-locals colluding in sex trafficking accountable. For instance, “[f]ormer Australian diplomat Robert Michael Scoble was arrested March 2004 in Thailand in a joint operation conducted by the Royal Thai Police and Australian Federal Police…charged for promoting Thailand for sex tourism, child pornography, and trafficking of boys” (Cullen, 2004).

Young girls are “initiated” into prostitution by their pimp surprise raping them. Seeking help they are returned to their pimps and beat. The pimp convinced the girl of her worthlessness and tried to convince her she deserved her fate.

1. Sold at the age of fourteen to a brothel, Siri was “initiated” into the sex industry by a pimp raping her.8 She was now a prostitute—a sex slave. Though she escaped and sought help, a policeman returned Siri to the brothel owner, who beat her; brothel owners pay police to ignore sex trafficking. Physically enslaved and sexually servicing about three hundred men per month, Siri also suffered psychological abuse. “It did not take long for the pimp to convince Siri of her worthlessness, and for Siri to accept the view of herself as a mere female who deserved her fate” (King, 2004; 26). Like Siri, trafficked women and girls are victims of a modern slavery, aided by corrupt authorities, including government workers, and the new global economy’s circuits and movement of money and people.

Men in the military will try to attract women to their barracks; that failing they will actually kidnap them. That failing, they will sexually abuse their own female compatriots.

1. d a push for sex tourism to fulfill the demand of a hypermasculine and market-driven ideology that permeates globalization. Despite an increased supply of women drawn into the sex industry due to economic conditions under globalization, “this ‘supply’ would never be used for sex trafficking purposes without the creation of demand” (Nikolic-Ristanovic, no date; 1). In general, men in armed forces (whether “armies, militias, or groups of bandits”) either “attract commercial sex workers to their barracks, kidnap women [and girls] from villages to provide sexual services in their camps, or harass women serving in their own ranks” (Silliman, 1999; 96). The Balkans, for example, reveals a rise in sex trafficking due to the military presence during and after the ethnic conflicts, and calls attention to the corruption involved in the sex trade, as United Nations and NATO 9 forces committed sex trafficking crimes in the Balkans.

These behaviors lead to an increase in prostitution wherever these militaries are found.

1. The presence of a military base in a region, regardless of war, expands prostitution, thereby creating a larger demand for sex trafficking as evidenced in the Philippines and Korea.

During the Vietnam war this hid under the narrative of rest and relaxation.

1. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Department of Defense had a contract with the Thai government to provide "Recreation & Relaxation" [R&R or “rest and relaxation”] for U.S. soldiers. With money from the U.S. government, local Thai prostitution organized and expanded into a major industry

Here men are supposed to control others and act like pimps and acts like they are entitled to their bodies in a way they are not.

1. Hypermasculine denotes a sense of entitlement to women, the “Other” (Beauvoir, 1949), and a violent masculinity (like militaries) aimed at controlling others.10 Enriquez (2006) critiques the framework of globalization as masculinist based “on the gender division of labour, with women subsidizing reproductive work, and with neo-liberalism basing itself on the idea of competitiveness and domination” (Enriquez, 2006; 1). Heteropatriarchy encourages a viewpoint of masculinity that endorses men’s domination over and entitlement to women’s bodies, and certain groups of women fare worse due to race or other factors.

Women in both the North and South are purposefully disadvantage economically to make them vulnerable to human sex trafficking

1. While recognizing a greater impoverishment in the global South, Enriquez links patriarchy, capitalism, and economic inequality in the North and South, stressing that in both hemispheres women are disadvantaged economically and are harmed by globalization more than their male counterparts

Extremes of sexual receptivity are enforced on targets of sex trafficking, women and girls being groomed for sex trafficking, or actual human sex trafficking victims

1. “In Western industrialized societies, hegemonic masculinity is characterized by work in the paid labor market, the subordination of women and girls, heterosexism and the driven and uncontrollable sexuality of men” (NikolicRistanovic, no date; 4). Further connecting “hegemonic masculinity” to a demand for women’s sexual services, Robert Connell stresses that “emphasized femininity complements hegemonic masculinity,” which emphasizes the “sexual receptivity” of “younger women” (Nikolic-Ristanovic, no date; 4).

Governments profit from the pimping of women when male demand and economies in crisis coincide

1. Male demand, female inequality, and economies in crisis—among other factors—lie at the nexus of sex trafficking” (Hynes, 2002; 197). Governments, depending on the illicit economy of the sex trade, profit from the pimping of women (Saunders, 2004; 91).

Australia and Netherlands have legalized prostitution which ironically drives a huge market to bring in “exotic” new women whose homes and lives are destroyed to displace them to meet the demand

1. The increasing demand for the global sex industry. The governments of Australia and the Netherlands have benefited from the lucrative sex trafficking economy by legalizing prostitution, which creates a demand for the illegal recruitment of women from the global South.

Japan and Australia are loathe to investigate because their economies make so much money on it. This may lead to unconscionable representation.

1. In Australia, where prostitution has been legalized, the government seeks to maintain its new “taxpaying, profitable sex industry,” by denying sex trafficking and saying they have only a problem with illegal immigration (Torrey, 2004; 71). In 1999, a brothel owner in Australia profited “at least $1.2 million from the services of” 40 trafficked Thai women, and licensed brothels in Victoria, Australia, reportedly “earned around $1 million a week from the sex slave trade” (Cwikel, 2005; 315). Within “Japan, the world’s second largest economy, the sex trade brings in $400 million per year” (King, 2004; 21).

Criminal groups are turning to women as high-profit, low risk commodity. They literally refer to them as a commodity.

1. Yet, sex tourism is incredibly profitable for governments that unofficially accept or legalize prostitution, and “criminal groups are turning to women as a high-profit, low-risk ‘commodity’” (Weiss, 2002; 2).

A horrifying phenomenon has been witnessed where if a woman goes to the police or doesn’t want to be trafficked anymore they may try to make some final money on her in a snuff film.

1. Globalization’s commodification of the female (and child) body through the mass media, pornography, and the Internet has increased a demand for sexual commodities at the expense of the “Other,” especially “foreign, exotic” women. Within a market-driven, masculinist economy, sex trafficking thrives by treating women and girls as cold-cash commodities, which unlike drugs, can be sold for many years at a high profit to criminal networks. Yet, due to a large supply of poor women, trafficking victims are disposable products. If a woman complains too much, she is killed or sold to another brothel, and some women, particularly women of color, are raped and killed in “snuff” videos.

Pornography increased the commodification of women and callousness towards women.It increases the demand to levels that would not be so high without it.

1. “The more the subjects were exposed to pornography, the more they showed callousness towards women, the less they believed in the women’s liberation movement, and the less time they thought rapists should spend in jail” (Torrey, 2004; addendum 4). Some feminists argue that pornography objectifies women and increases the demand for the sex industry, which then uses sex trafficking to satisfy the increased demand (MacKinnon, 2005).

Auctions of men considering a woman and seeing if they want to buy her happen repeatedly and often, horrifyingly enough

1. In a photo by Kimberlee Acquaro for a sex trafficking article (Landesman, 2004; 24-35), a young girl stands outside a hotel in Mexico, surrounded by a circle of men of various occupations, deciding whether or not they want to purchase her body. Such a sex “auction” presents this girl as a commodity to fulfill a heteropatriarchal demand

Johns possess a neo--colonialist mentally that permits sexual violence that viewed women as products to satisfy them

1. Reflecting a sense of entitlement to women’s bodies, this neo-colonialist mentality of johns permits sexual violence similar to that perpetrated by colonial slave owners, who viewed purchased women as promiscuous products to sexually satisfy them (Eisenstein, 2004; 88).

99% of clients in the sex trade are male

1. “Ninety-nine per cent of clients in the sex trade are male. Boys are trained to be offenders and girls to be victims” (Seabrook, 2001; 168).

An article on prostitution saw weaponized fact checking that increased threefold when speaking on a store that included human sex trafficking, and false reasons for eliminating criticizing the demand side, showing extreme rationalization. Clearly trying to squash the story.

1. Many have participated in the sex industry at some point, so examining demand leads many to question their own involvement in or indifference to the sexual exploitation of women and children.12 The resistance to examining the demand side of the sex industry is evident in Peter Landesman’s testimony. At a human trafficking conference at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Landesman (2004) stated that his sex trafficking article (published in the The New York Times Magazine in 2004) was greatly criticized by men, including four prominent journalists “whose names most Americans would recognize.” It took three weeks of fact-checking his article rather than the regular one week maximum fact-check typically required. Lastly, he was told by the (male) editors that he could not research and write an article about the “demand side” for their magazine. Demand, of course, would focus on the men who demand sexual services from women and children (mostly girls). This refusal by editors to consider publishing the demand side of sex trafficking exemplifies the lack of questioning regarding the demand that contributes to a profitable, gender-based crime within a masculinist economy

Johns created demand by saying that was the girls’ only way of eating. They showed no intelligence in getting them schooling and jobs that could generate lifetime capital that was mutually healthy for everyone involved, especially the girls. They claim the girls would starve to death if they didn’t do this. Taking away food is a way to force them into sex trafficking.

1. The majority of global sex trafficking victims are from Third World countries, and Western johns create a demand for sex workers during business, military, or tourist trips. One U.S. john says of his trips to Thailand, “These girls gotta eat, don’t they? I’m putting bread on their plate…They’d starve to death unless they whored” (Torrey, 2004; 31).

Women are so disrespected by society that even when prostitutes, they need pimps to be respected whereas men who engage in the exact same prostitute behaviors do not run the same problems.

1. While poverty is certainly part of the supply side, poor men in Third World nations are not trafficked for sexual purposes as women are, and most men who prostitute do not have pimps as opposed to most women prostitutes.

Selling white women as Russian and white eastern European women garner the “highest profit” for traffickers showing that an influx of these types with no safety nets suggest an extremely illegal human trafficking “investment”

1. While Russian “Natashas” and white eastern European women garner the “highest profits” for traffickers, “[g]lobally, prostitution and sex trafficking victims are overwhelmingly female, overwhelmingly women of color, and overwhelmingly poor” (Torrey, 2004; 27). Racism and economic inequality exist between who supplies the majority of “sexual services” and who demands them (Kempadoo, 2007; 138-139). Many johns believe that “what you do to a foreign woman is different, it doesn’t count” (Seabrook, 2001; 89).

Photos of bare-breasted girls were illegally distributed to drive tourism to an area. Truly disgusting.

1. Globalization creates a growing competition within the sex industry that demands an “import” of “younger and younger women from more ‘exotic’ backgrounds, thus victimizing our indigenous or aboriginal girls” (Enriquez, no date; 4). While living and working in Ethiopia (2005), I learned that indigenous girls from a southern Ethiopian tribe had been abducted and found in brothels. Based on my observations, several tourism billboards and posters throughout the capital and large towns seem to sexualize these culturally bare-breasted girls, whose poses or looks at times could appear to men as sexually inviting—yet, I did not see posters of this tribe’s women or males, cultural icons in their own right.14

Slave owners tried to gain total access to slaves and rationalized it with inferiority narratives that were enforced by stripping them of their right to equal justice in the courts as an enforcement of the rationalizations that facilitated their sex trafficking.

1. In the colonization of the Caribbean, white slave owners had the “right to total sexual access to slaves…and concubinage and prostitution were institutionalized”; such sexual arrangements indicated an “inferiority” of “the conquered and colonized non-Western Others” (Kempadoo, 2004; 30-31). Similarly, prostitutes are the sex trade’s inferior “Other.”16

Sweden criminalizes pimps, brothel owners, recruiters and transporters as the ones who demand services.

1. Instead of criminalizing the prostitute, Sweden utilizes a “trafficking paradigm,” in which the johns, “pimps, brothel owners, recruiters, [and] transporters” are criminalized as “the ones who demand services, are enriched by the proceeds of commercial sex, and are the ones who control, and often even enslave, the women providers” (Schauer, 2006; 159).

Sweden has a successful democracy that full cooperates in ending human sex trafficking for the most part.

1. Seeking a “democratic society where full gender equality is the norm,” Sweden has a history of activism “against prostitution and trafficking” (Ekberg, 2004; 1188). Moreover, there is a history of collaboration between the public and private sectors: the government, including the Division for Gender Equality, public authorities, the women’s and shelter movements, and other NGOs (Ekberg, 2004; 1190).

Traffickers still hide in clandestine locations but it has successfully become unattractive to human traffickers, protecting and valuing its own

1. While traffickers may hide women in clandestine locations, “Sweden no longer is an attractive market for traffickers” due to its abolitionist policy against the demand for prostitution, which relies on the sex trade (Ekberg, 2004; 1200).

Neocolonialist policies imposed on developing nations have created debt

1. “Neocolonialist” policies imposed on developing nations have created debt and contributed to the feminization of poverty associated with global sex trafficking. U.S. media “accounts have generally lacked an analysis of the structures that account for women being trafficked into prostitution, namely, the global sex industry, the subordination of women, the gendered labor market, and the multiple economic crises and inequalities that underlie women’s lives” (Hynes, 2002; 200). Further, increased immigration controls in a global economy that demands migration will contribute to a reliance on “traffickers to cross the border,” thereby increasing women’s chances of becoming sexual slaves (Saunders, 2004; 99).

US doesn’t examine itself or other countries like Saudi Arabia for being part of creating demand

1. Western “powers” like the United States rank23 developing nations in a paternalistic, “unilateral” fashion regarding their efforts to reduce sex trafficking. Yet, the U.S. does not fairly rank certain (militarily or economically strategic) nations, such as Saudi Arabia, nor the U.S. itself, for their part in creating and continuing sex trafficking, and until 2005, the U.S. did not significantly address demand, such as whether or not a country “encourag[es] sex tourism” (Tiefenbrun, 2006-2007; 270-271).

Most women don’t have a chance, pimped and put up for sale the second they run away from childhood sex abuse

1. . Lastly, I acknowledge that some women may choose to enter sex work, but based on research, the majority of "consenting" sex workers do so for economic survival and/or based on past abuse (Cwikel, 2005; 307-308). Childhood sexual abuse is common for females in the sex industry. OJJDP (2003) reports that a large percentage of prostitutes ran away from sexual abuse. While many poor and/or abused women do not choose sex work, others may view it as their only or best choice given their circumstances/experiences that socially construct their identities and options within a patriarchal system.

Most prostitutes are extreme victims of DV, abused, threatened and killed if they try to leave. Strippers forced to have sex with their clients are common, and punished if they don’t act enthusiastic. They are broken in through rape and stripping.

1. Many assume that prostitutes choose to prostitute and can leave whenever they want. Based on my experience with Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive (H.I.P.S.) in Washington, D.C. (1996-1997) and other social work (domestic and international), I disagree with that assumption, because many prostitutes are trafficked from their hometowns, coerced/ forced to prostitute, abused, threatened, and killed if they try to leave. Domestic trafficking may include strippers who are forced to have sexual relations with customers/owners, or runaways who enter an abusive relationship with a recruiter, who first "breaks her in" for prostitution through rape and/or stripping. Moreover, since the sex industry is gendered in terms of supply and demand, it presents its exceptions of women who enjoy sex work

Forced slavery is at its greatest when there are weak economies and war in destabilized regions

1. King (2004; 9) writes, "The profit potential of forced slavery is at its greatest when there are weak economies and war in destabilized regions."

Initially, men try to evade new laws on prostitution citing they would be too difficult to enforce. However, when they spend time with the John school material, defending the atrocious becomes pretty much impossible and most of them want to walk back their original defenses of the situation.

1. improve enforcement of prostitution/ trafficking laws. In Sweden, police (mostly men) were "being asked to enforce a [new anti-prostitution] law that seriously threatens traditional male values" (Ekberg, 2004; 1196). Thus, police representatives were initially "critical of the law, suggesting that it would be difficult to enforce" (1196). Yet, after receiving education on prostitution and trafficking, including its violence, their attitudes changed and the "initial criticism of the law as being difficult to enforce has ceased" (1196). In contrast to the norms or attitudes promoted by Sweden's Law, "[i]n countries where prostitution is legalized or tolerated, the idea that women are objects for male sexual pleasure and, therefore, can be sold and bought, is normalized" (1197). Tiefenbrun (2006; 270) agrees that "cultural attitudes" are important and "can be changed."

Raping girls is seen to break the girls, and pimps often deliberately father children with the women not out of interest in a relationship but to have collateral to leverage with them. Initiation rapes are often videotaped to blackmail the girls into servitude and distributed, often under false and unrelated narratives, to keep the girl being groomed/trafficked in line. She is told not to “grow roots” so that she can’t get help in any given city. If she does stay, she is constantly removed to different residences or everyone she talks to is isolated and turned against her.

1. 8 Based on my experience with H.I.P.S., raping girls is a common initiation by pimps and traffickers to "break" the girls, and pimps often deliberately father children, so the children can be used to keep the prostituted mothers in line. Initiation rapes or forced sexual services are often videotaped to blackmail the girl into servitude. She must "work off' her debt through prostitution until the pimp/traffickers are finished with her body; she is often traded from city to city to ensure that she does not become familiar with her surroundings or people who may enable her escape.

NATO forces were seen engaging in prostitution as were UN peacekeepers, trying to keep it from coming to light that the women weren’t trafficked so that they could abide by vague and permissive laws that said they would allow it as long as it wasn’t clear or not whether the girls were being trafficked, incentivizing extremes of court corruption and evidence hiding.

1. UN peacekeepers have "engag[ed] in sexual misconduct while deployed" in Cambodia, East Timor, W. Africa, Bosnia-Herzegovina; NATO's Stabilization Force included soldiers involved in "actually ‘buying' trafficked women and actively participating in the trafficking of women into prostitution by forging documents, recruiting, and selling women to brothel owners" (Alfred, 2006; 6-7). Dismally, the UN "reportedly responded to Bosnian abuses of the late 1990s with something akin to denial... [I]nvestigators experienced an astonishing cover-up attempt...None of the peacekeepers involved in these offenses suffered any punishment greater than repatriation" (7). NATO has since implemented a weak policy that allows troops to buy "prostitutes as long as it is unclear that the prostitutes have been trafficked" (15). In May 2002, U.S. Forces Korea was accused of "protecting" "establishments that employed trafficked women" through "courtesy patrols" (12). Resultant U.S. military "off-limits" policy for sexual services "has been effective in dissuading businesses from engaging in these practices" due to the negative economic impact of policies that forbid soldiers from frequenting such places (13).

Prostituted in Germany are aggressively and horrifically victim blamed in stark contrast to the excellent Swedish model.

1. Prostituted women in Germany are "frequently subjected to immediate detention and deportation, denied health services, and are viewed as illegal immigrants who have committed a crime, rather than individuals in need of support" (1954). Here, legalized prostitution does not adequately provide health benefits to prostituted women.

The internet is a primary way for pimps to prostitute in the Philippines, with many buyers of trafficked Filipino girls from China and Japan only possible to sell them to through the internet

1. In the Philippines, "[t]he Internet is the main recruitment tool for the sex tourist industry to bring in rich western tourists to the impoverished South. It is the advertising arm of this sex industry" (Cullen, 2004).

Capitalism destroys natural resources on purpose so the women are forced to commodify themselves, this is similar to someone destroying someone’s career and taking all their property to try to force them into sex work.

1. Luxemburg argues that capitalism destroys natural resources, so people will become impoverished and will depend on capitalism as workers.

Streetwalker districts lower the price for all the girls favoring only the pimps and expose the women to extreme violence

1. The competition among women in streetwalker districts...leads to low prices for sex services, unprotected sex, violence from the side of the clients, and fights among women" (49)

Pimps will attack the worth of their victims when they are not sexually receptive to the culture or clients as a way to “punch” them and control them as well. They can be witnessed in an aggressive influx of extremely abusive behavior when they refuse to go to someone the person is trying to groom them to go to, disgustingly enough.

So I make videos on YouTube to advertise my massage business. I don't make ASMR videos. I have no desire to make ASMR videos. Honestly most of the ASMR massages I see on YouTube don't get a lot of views. But I'm constantly getting people who want ASMR videos on YouTube telling me to shut up because they don't want to hear me talk.
But there is no music on during my massage. So they could literally just watch my videos with the sound off if they don't want to hear me talk. But the constant rude comments honestly makes me definitely not want to do ASMR.
Just whining a bit. I normally just hide the users who rudely tell me to shut up, from my channel. It's just annoying having people who I don't even want as an audience, complaining that I'm not giving them what i have no desire to give them.

I'm a 400 hundred elo player in EU, i've encountered blatant cheaters both on my team and in the enemy team countless times in the past 3 weeks, usually in fresh accounts (though not always) and most of them use esp and push sites without checking any corners and they play with above 70 percent winrate and around 1.1-1.5 kd. i've reported around 20 blatant cheaters trying to play legit in the last week and no feedback so far, wtf riot? It feels like every game is a coinflip almost because of these guys, get them in your team and you win. I think i don't even need to talk about obvious cheat ads on tiktok with above 2 million views like and the worst part is, even though these guys advertise cheats on their accounts without even hiding their names on their videos, they don't get banned.

Autopilot.
Aware that you cannot move or think or breathe on your own. The words that spew from your lips are nothing more than senseless garbage to appease the masses watching your every move.
You can't scream or cry or beg for mercy.
All you can do is watch your body, your mouth, your thoughts, be puppeteered by thousands of greedy, impatient eyes.
It's like being dead, and aware I'm dead.
Dead, while my body dances, my mind is no longer mine.
I smile a perfect smile. I don't notice the stitches holding me together.
I'm not allowed to notice.
So many layers of skin, flesh over flesh that is patchwork and does not belong to me. I am not allowed to think. I am not allowed to scream or cry, or tear into layer upon layer of Brianna Timberman’s sculpting me into beauty.
Perfection.
No thoughts, except one.
That suffocates me, strangling my words from my throat.
And I am put into autopilot.
I am Brianna Timberman.
I am Brianna Timberman.
I am Brianna Timberman.
Felix was my latest three day fling.
I was using him to make Sam jealous, but a drunken night had turned into another night, and suddenly it was Wednesday, and I was yet to leave his place.
Fuck.
He was supposed to be someone I could kick to the curb, someone to take out my frustration on. Now, Felix was more than a rebound. But even tangled in his bed, I couldn't stop thinking about Sam.
Sam Thwaites rejected me at seventeen years old, and had waltzed back into my life. As teenagers, I told him I loved him, and Sam got all flustered and started shaking his head, like I was something he didn't believe in.
Sam said words like, “I didn't know you thought of me this way.” and “Wait, you liked me?” with this dumb fucking look on his face. He told me he needed space, and left me in the pouring rain.
Five years later, he was standing in my parent’s lounge.
I could still smell him on my skin, and I hated it. I hated him.
“Bree!” Mom’s smile was wide. She and Dad were obsessed with finding me a suitor.
“This is Samuel.”
Sam Thwaites took my hand, entwining his fingers with mine. He was so warm, and I hated that I wanted to fall into him. I hated that my heart was pounding through my chest. I had already seen him, bumping into him in the snow.
I had already shamelessly fucked him in a stall without truly looking at him, angry and frustrated, and really, really, fucking hot. I wanted to tell him whatever he wanted to happen was over. I told him I hated him, curled against him, the two of us out of breath, my head against his chest, his head tipped back, half lidded eyes skimming across the ceiling.
The two of us were sprawled out on ice cold tiles, his fingers stroking through my hair. I told him to leave.
But there he was, standing in my parent’s house. In the exposed light, Sam was maturer in the face, losing his baby fat for more curvier, handsome features. Thick brown curls hung in playful eyes that wanted a challenge.
The slight curve in his lips told me everything I needed to know. Sam remembered our stupid childhood pact.
I could hear it in his voice, the satisfaction dripping from his tone.
“Hello, Brianna.”
I pulled him outside, straight into a downpour.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
Sam shrugged with a smile. “We’re both adults, aren't we?”
I thought back to our childhood pact. If neither of us had found anyone by the age of twenty, we would marry each other.
“You left me.”
Sam stepped forward, grasping my hands. “I did.” He admitted, “But I was a stupid kid, Bree. I had no idea what I was talking about, and I was… scared.”
“Scared?”
He nodded, blinking rain out of his eyes.
“I was scared of losing you.”
I laughed incredulously. You did lose me, Sam! When you left me in the rain.”
“But I'm not scared anymore,” his voice was soft. He got closer. So close, I could see his breath. Sam kissed me tenderly, one hand cupping my cheek, the other sliding up my jacket. His mouth found my ear, something wet and warm oozing down my neck.
“Take… it.” Sam’s voice was different, suddenly.
”Please.”
Pulling away from the kiss, I shoved him back.
“How much is my father paying you?”
Sam swiped at his… bloody? lips, and a question sprung to mind.
Where did the blood come from?
“Well?” I demanded, my voice collapsing into a sob. “Is my dad paying you or not? Is that why you came back?”
Sam didn't answer, his face crumpling.
“Bree–”
“Save it!”
I left before he could fully open his mouth.
Halfway down the road, I realized I was freezing cold.
Before a shadow loomed, an umbrella shielding me.
“You look like a drowned rat.” My colleague was next to me, avoiding my gaze. “Take this.” he turned away from me, curling his lip. “Do whatever you want with it, I don't care.” He twisted around, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
The next day at work, I couldn't stop thinking about Sam.
Felix, the lead singer of a local band, and a law student, was the perfect distraction. I met him in a bar.
He was the Aussie trying to get a Dualingo streak, downing shots like soda. His accent was cute. It reminded me of water, or maybe that was just my drunken state. The cadence in his voice was like…trickling.
I told him this, and he laughed. His suggestive wink took us to his apartment, and we spent the night together after I drunkenly told him I thought he was hot. I expected it to be just a one-time thing, but then we were having sex on his kitchen counter.
I told him it wasn't serious. However, a one night stand had become more of a three day friends with benefits thing.
Now, we were sitting outside my work drinking coffee, and I was starting to reconsider my initial stand on Australian Felix.
There was something about the way he smiled with all of his teeth, nervously tapping his coffee cup and occasionally losing himself completely, falling into a daydream mid-conversation. I liked it though.
I liked watching his mind jet off into space. His longing gaze was adorable.
Felix was sitting awkwardly, chin resting on his fist, talking about his favourite band, and I was enraptured by caramel colored eyes and the dimples in his cheeks. The sun was shining, and we were sitting under cherry blossoms I didn't remember seeing before. I was supposed to be working, and he had come to see me, armed with cupcakes and my favourite coffee. Dreamer Felix.
Dimpled cheeks Felix.
Felix with the trickly accent and slight lisp, who stumbled over his words and had a milk moustache I desperately wanted to wipe away. I did, leaning over the table and lightly brushing the curve of my finger across his upper lip.
“You've got a little…”
Felix’s eyes widened. He swiped at his mouth, chuckling. “Ah. That's… kinda embarrassing.”
A loud and overly exaggerated clearing of the throat made me jump.
“Urgh. I think I just threw up in my mouth.”
Looming over me like a bad smell, was my colleague Jasper, scowling as usual. Standing with his arms crossed over his apron, he shot me a patronising smile, completely blanking Felix.
The boy dumped my latte down, spilling half of it across the table.
Behind him, a group of teenage girls were giggling. I wasn't surprised.
Jasper really could pull off any look, and, just like the girls squealing over him, I couldn't resist handsome features and a killer jawline. It just sucked that he was one of the rudest people I had ever met.
He was wearing the exact same shirt from yesterday, his apron flung over the top, cropped blonde hair in disarray. Running his hair through it, he groaned.
“You're supposed to be workiiiing, Bree,“ He said in a sing-song. Leaning across the table, Jasper’s patronising smile widened. “Are we done here?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Sorry, Jasper.”
“You should be.” Jasper’s gaze flicked to Felix. ”You're a student, right?”
“Uh…” Felix nodded slowly. “Yeah? I guess.”
My colleague shot him a sparkly grin. “Five percent off at the Crap ‘N Shack this weekend! Student discount! Alcohol served after 9pm will be free.”
“Woah, really?” Felix downed the rest of his drink, his eyes wide.
I glanced at his cup. I could have sworn he'd… finished it.
“What about parking?” Felix asked. “Will… I still get a ticket?”
“Nope!” Jasper shot him a grin, and a thumbs up. “Make sure to bring a student ID, and parking is free! It's all going down at the Crap ‘N Shack! This Saturday! With a Special guest, local music artist, Tiema Wright! Performing his new song, “I'm sorry I left you in the rain, but will you marry me?”
Both boys turned to me with matching smiles, speaking in sync. “Will you be there, Brianna?”
I nodded, with a grin. “You bet I will!” I saluted Felix with my drink. “Shouldn't you be heading to class?”
“I love you Jasper!” one of the girls squeaked from behind me.
My colleague rolled his eyes, not even turning around to look at her.
“I know you do.” Jasper sighed, pulling out his notepad and pen.
He side-stepped to the next table, serving the people next to us. He licked his finger with exaggerated slowness, flipping the page. “But you're embarrassing yourself, sweetheart.”
“I'm free after work,” I said, “Maybe you could come back to my place?”
“You're on the late shift tonight with me, so no you're not free.” Jasper said behind me. When I twisted around to shoot him a look, he was tapping his pen on his notepad, mid-eyeroll.
“No, sir, we don't do refills. Nope, I can't make an exception, and no, complaining about it will just make me laugh.”
“I'll text you.” I told Felix.
“Sounds good.” He jumped up, finishing his coffee and grabbing his backpack. The Pikachu keyring on his zipper made me smile. “I have class, but I'll reply when I'm out, all right?”
Felix lifted his hand in a wave, took two steps back, and was crushed by a falling sheet of glass.
I'm not sure when it was my mind stirred, and I regained consciousness for the fraction of a second. It was enough for my vision to clear, my senses coming back to the surface.
The never ending script of words programmed into my brain stopped abruptly, and I was left suffocating on my own breaths.
I was awake.
Awake, blinking at Felix’s body being peeled from concrete.
Awake.
Awake enough to notice my colleague visibly flinched behind his notepad when Felix died. Awake enough to be able to breathe again, coerce words in my mind.
I had zero idea of who I was before Brianna Timberman. Who was underneath flawless skin and manicures and sparkling teeth. My senses returned in waves. Taste.
I had drank the same fucking coffee four times, and I could taste coffee grounds on my tongue.
Smell.
There were sweat patches staining my blouse.
Touch.
I could feel my coffee cup, running my finger around the rim.
I am not Brianna Timberman.
The thought slammed into me, and I felt my hands twitch by my sides, the overwhelming urge to tear off my skin, layer after layer until I found myself.
When did I regain my free will?
Maybe it was when Felix’s blood was seeping across my shoes, his body an unrecognisable mess of stringy flesh and lumps under splinters of glass sparkling like diamonds across the sidewalk.
It took me half a second to realize a woman was screaming in my face.
“Oh my god, sweetie, are you okay?”
Autopilot.
I nodded shakily, words already tumbling out of my mouth.
“I'm fine.”
“Was he your boyfriend?”
Autopilot.
“No.”
For some reason, my eyes found Jasper still hiding behind his notebook.
“He wasn't.”
No matter how hard I tried to fight it, Brianna’s feelings were already swamping me. I felt my cheeks heat up, my stomach fluttering. Before autopilot thoughts could spring out of nowhere, I remembered my colleague’s reaction to Felix’s death, as well as him subtly trying to stop me from talking to Sam.
There was zero doubt in my mind that Jasper didn't know what was going on.
If the rest of us were recycled lumps of skin, what was he? He was a love interest, but he wasn't one of Bree’s exes.
Sam explained my colleague was a curveball.
The so-called bad-boy playing with Brianna Timberman feelings.
With little to no thoughts of my own, I stated the facts in my head.
My life wasn't real. I was nothing but recycled flesh sculpted and moulded into a dead prom queen with her memories. That thought still had not sunk in yet, and when I started to register it, all I wanted to do was peel my skin from my bones until I found myself.
Who I was, hiding under patchwork flesh.
So many Brianna’s stitched onto me. So many lost souls.
I had been on autopilot for days. All that I had left when I came to, was a vague memory of every other death.
Ben, Alex, and Esme.
Car crash.
Suicide.
Carbon monoxide poisoning.
Now Felix.
Crushed to death.
Each of their deaths had been voted m by the townspeople.
It was only a matter of time before Felix would be erased from existence too.
Sam, or the boy underneath him, had shown me who I really was, a lump of flesh sculpted into Brianna Timberman.
Sam had the same fate.
He showed me where he came from, a factory that had turned the town's teen populace into the exact same four faces.
Brianna Timberman’s exes.
Ben, Alex, Esme, and Sam.
First, he was an Alex, then a Ben, and then an extra, who tried to warn me, before being abruptly converted into Sam Thwaites, a brand new love interest, and Brianna’s childhood friend.
Sam told me Brianna’s exes deaths were a joke, her love life controlled by the town through a popularity poll.
Brianna had committed suicide years ago, but the town were obsessed.
They wanted to watch her life. They wanted to see which person she would choose, voting for their favourites while dooming the loser to a fate worse than death. The least popular love interest would die brutally, and the cycle would continue. In this case, it was Felix.
The boy suppressed under Sam had shown me the truth, only to be captured and turned into one of my parent’s suitors. The realization was like a kick in the face. I was alone. Awake and aware of too-bright lights on my face, and unable to cry out or scream.
Brianna Timberman was dead, but according to the town, the show must go on.
Staying very still, I was suddenly well aware of patrons on their phone.
I glanced at a teenage girl, who was rapidly swiping right on an image of my colleague, while a man holding a briefcase lazily swiped left on Sam.
“Your boyfriend should have been more careful.”
I blinked.
Jasper was in front of me, arms folded across his apron.
Sam talked about a Red Zone in the bathroom stalls a few days ago.
He said it was where they couldn't see us, and I would be fully conscious, severed from whatever was in my head.
Jasper waved his hand in front of my face, and it suddenly occurred to me that if I wanted answers, such as where the Red Zone was located, I needed my colleague’s help.
Whether he was awake or not.
Brianna Timberman was in full control of my mind, however, so regaining free will was getting progressively harder.
Two days later, after being stuck on autopilot, I was serving a woman trying to calm her screaming kid.
Felix didn't have a funeral, and his name was already forgotten. In my half awake state though, I remembered him.
I had since met two people.
Adrianna, who was a quick make out in a bathroom stall.
She smelled just like Esme. Roses and cheap perfume.
Ren. The older college professor who I drunkenly kissed in the back of an Uber.
I can't pinpoint the times when I was fully awake.
Fully in control.
I was perfecting a foam heart on a customer's latte, when I realized I really wanted to fuck my colleague. The thought was explosive, immediately setting my cheeks on fire. Trying to suppress it was fighting a losing battle.
“Hey.” Jasper sided in front of me, tearing me out of my thoughts. Or Brianna’s thoughts. I had spent the last hour dazedly staring at his wonderfully sculpted jawline, unable to look at anything else.
Brianna liked to fantasise, and her mind wasn't exactly PG13.
It's not like I had control of my mouth. Autopilot meant my body and mind worked for me. I was just lucky to be conscious– or at least semi-conscious.
I had a semblance of a plan, and the first part was finding Sam Thwaites. Or the boy sculpted into Sam. The last time I saw him before I went on autopilot, I had no idea if he was awake or just a really good fucking performer.
The Red Zone was all I could think of.
If I wanted out of this nightmare, I needed to find it.
However, thinking is kind of hard when all I can think about was my colleague’s biceps.
I couldn't take my eyes off of the way he swung a carton of milk, mid-conversation with our manager.
Jasper caught my eye, scowling.
“Bree. Get your fucking head out of the clouds.”
My colleague’s tone was so shamelessly unapologetic, a group of girls in the queue burst into giggles. The guy was like a circus attraction.
Now that I had a semblance of actual thought, I realized our only customers were women, with the odd man every blue moon. Jasper cleared his throat, setting the milk down.
“Okay, look, I’m sorry your boyfriend got flattened, or whatever, but you need to stop moping around like someone freakin’ died.”
Autopilot.
There was a bright light suddenly.
I shoved him. Hard.
“Why do you always have to be such a dick?”
Jasper was unfazed. He didn't even stumble. I felt it, a shiver creeping down my spine, an insatiable need clouding my thought process.
Brianna Timberman was hot. Very hot. Jasper’s attitude, his movement, everything about him and being so close to him, was making her flustered.
She was sweating under her apron, and all she could look at, all she could focus on, was her colleague. Who was, against all odds, still playing hard to get.
All around us, patrons went silent.
The girls in the queue started nudging each other. My colleague stepped forward, his breath tickling my face.
He was a little too close. “I should be asking you the same thing,” he murmured, lips twitching into a smirk.
“You've been staring at me all morning.” Jasper stepped closer, backing me into the counter. I could feel my cheeks getting hotter and hotter, my thoughts clouding.
Another step, and we were nose to nose.
Jasper cocked his head. “Do I…have something on my face, Bree?”
It took every morsel of self control to turn away from him, back to the queue.
I smiled widely at the customer, making lattes and coffees. But my stomach was dancing, my mind foggy and distant.
It didn't help that every time Jasper shoved past me, he made it intentional, and the friction of his body against mine, his hands brushing my waist, was driving me crazy. Sam mentioned aphrodisiacs being pumped through the vent in the bathroom stalls to influence intimacy between Brianna and her love interests.
I had a feeling that is what was happening. Still, though, when I peeked at the ceiling, I couldn't see a vent.
I couldn't stop my own wandering hands every time he passed me.
It was a game, in a way.
Who would crack first.
I was in the break room trying to cool myself off, when Jasper stepped in front of me.
“Vegan milk.” He said. Despite acting cool and collected, maintaining his asshole smirk, I glimpsed a noticeable red blush spreading across his cheeks.
His lips found my ear. “Can you… help me find it?”
Autopilot.
Autopilot had taken us into the dark. My body and emotions and feelings were no longer mine, choking, drowning, in fog that contorted me into exactly what these people wanted.
I'm not sure how I got from the break room to the storage closet, pinned against a shelf, half naked, my legs wrapped around my colleague. He started, of course, with his mouth latched to my ear, muttering about Mulberry Milk offers, before his lips found mine.
His breath was heavy, his hands finding my waist, and sliding up my shirt.
God, I pretended a lot of things weren't happening for the sake of not losing my fucking mind.
I pretended I couldn't hear the wolf whistles and squeals rumbling in the walls surrounding us, that the pleasure riding through me was mine, and not theirs. We had an audience.
Somehow, that was even worse than my body being used to satisfy others.
I pretended I wasn't fully exposed, and even worse, that I wanted it.
I wanted to get closer to him, pressing my mouth into his clammy neck and burying my face in his shoulder.
I wanted him to continue, his lips in my hair.
Tipping my head back, my vision was blurring.
But I could see it.
Right above our heads, there was the vent pumping us full of aphrodisiacs.
Sex drugs, I thought dizzily.
I laughed, and it was so out of character, Jasper pulled away for a moment, brows knotting in confusion.
“The Red Zone.” I managed to grit out through Brianna Timberman’s mouth. “Where is it?”
When he didn't respond, I grabbed the back of his head, forcing him to look at me. Under the dim light of a flickering bulb, my colleague’s eyes were half lidded, his pupils dilated pools of confusing black. I had no doubt he hadn't been heavily drugged.
Jasper kissed me deeply again, and when I managed to shove him away, he tightened his grip on my waist, pressing his face into my shoulder.
“The Red Zone.” I repeated, my thoughts reduced to soup.
I only had a certain amount of time, and that time was running out.
I shoved him again. This time, I felt filthy.
His clammy hands all over my skin was like poison.
I felt suffocated, every time he leaned in.
The worst part is that this man had zero choice either.
The thought struck, sending violent tremors through me.
How many times had my corpse of a body been used like this?
How many times had I been fucked, or fucked someone else for this town’s sickening satisfaction obsession with Brianna Timberman?
“Tell me where it is!” I said through a shriek.
Jasper slowly started to respond, blinking rapidly. “The… wha?”
He was a good performer, awake or not.
“You knew what was going on when your friends dragged Sam away.”
I kept my voice low, kissing him harder to keep the narrative going. Especially when I could hear the dull sound of pounding feet. These freaks wanted us to fuck.
I made sure to let my mouth linger on his, aware of every inch of the two of us being watched, analysed, probably photographed and posted to the town website. “I saw you flinch when Felix died. Which means you were awake.”
I pulled away, slowly, playing with the collar of his shirt. But at the same time, I was looking for every possible escape route. Sam was right. To my left, I could see a subtle red light dancing across Jasper’s jaw.
And to my right, another skimming across my neck.
So, I grabbed the boy, shoving him against the shelf, switching our positions.
“You tracked me down that day,” I spoke softly, pretending to bury my head in his chest. “You knew exactly where I was. And you took Sam away. So, you know exactly where the Red Zone is. You know where he was hiding.”
Jasper surprised me with a chuckle. When I lifted my gaze, my vision was fuzzy, my body hot and flustered, and yet I was shivering. His head was tipped back, lazy eyes tracking the ceiling. He was following the exact same red light.
“You're a funny girl, Bree.” He murmured. My colleague leaned forward, keeping up the facade for our unseen audience. He was doing exactly what they wanted, the curve of his back almost too perfectly lit up.
It was exactly what Brianna Timberman had fantasised.
Jasper’s panting breaths found my ear. “Keep talking, though? You're going to fuck both of us over.”
His words sent shivers trickling down my spine.
In the corner of my eye, the red light was visible. If the room was too dark, that meant they were tracking and filming our movements. I didn't think.
Grabbing my colleague’s shoulders, I yanked him to his knees, dropping with him. Risking a glance behind us, the light was gone. Which meant (or at least I hoped) that we were out of shot.
Jasper regarded me lazily, inclining his head. “What are you–”
I slammed my hand over his mouth, cutting him off.
“The Red Zone. You know exactly where it is.” I hissed, tightening my grip on his shoulder. When he played stupid, I dug my fingernails in. “You're not an ex,” I said, “So, what are you?”
“Jasper?” my colleague muffled under my hand, pointing to his name tag. When I removed my hand, his lips spread out into a grin. But I caught his eyes frantically searching for those red lights.
“I have no idea what you're talking about, Bree!” He raised his voice significantly, “But… did you know vegan milk is made with only the best pasteurised milk from Mulberry Farms?”
This guy wasn't going to sing, so I had to get creative.
Above us, three red lights were scanning the dark.
They were looking for us.
“Please.” I whispered, searching his eyes for a hint of a human being.
“You're as much of a victim as me, right? Don't you want out of here?!”
Jasper responded with his signature eyeroll, maintining that plastic fucking grin.
“I… have zero idea what you’re talking about! But do you know what I really want to talk about? Mulberry Farms milk!”
I couldn't stop myself. Maybe it was frustration, desperation, or a mix of both. I wasn't fully thinking straight when I grasped the back of his head, and slammed Jasper’s skull into the metal edge of the shelf. I regretted it immediately when the guy’s eyes rolled to pearly whites, his body going limp in my arms, head lolling onto his shoulder.
When a single rivulet of red slid from his nose, I realized he was like Sam.
Sam, who must have given himself a head injury to wake himself up.
A severing.
Under the influence of the narrative, as well as aphrodisiacs choking my thoughts into arousal, I never really saw my colleague’s body. I only saw what Brianna wanted to see. Lean muscles and a perfectly sculpted v-line.
But now, away from the cameras, and in the fading light of a dying bulb, I saw them, running my trembling fingers over rugged stitched and patchwork skin moulding this boy, and so many others, into the perfect man.
I could see where parts of him had been replaced and cut away, his entire face airbrushed into a viewer’s fantasy.
But looking closer, his real eyes were mismatched contortions of blue and brown.
I waited for the sarcastic eye roll and immediate plug-in advertisement.
Instead, though, the man's expression was… softer.
He looked dazed, confused, blinking rapidly.
But, as he slowly drank in his surroundings, his expression started to twist into fear. Pain. Anger.
Anger that was so vast, so overwhelming, that he dropped to his knees, scrubbing at his face. I didn't know what to say. Sorry didn't mean anything. Sam was gentle when he told me I was recycled skin, nothing but a flesh puppet for a psychotic town.
But I didn't give him a chance to take it in. I plunged him directly into this cruel, horrifying reality.
Jasper’s frenzied gaze went to his hands, and then his hands were in his hair, clawing down his face.
His lips parted like he was going to speak, but I don't think he could.
Jasper’s eyes filled with frustrated tears. Terror that was something I could relate to, an existential dread and confusion and pain that was tearing him apart. I knew the questions at the back of his head.
Why me? Why was this happening to me? How can I be alive? How can I be real when the rest of me is nothing?
I felt my own fingers trace the scars across my own stomach.
Scars that only I could feel, deeply indented into my skin.
Skin that I wanted to rip into, to tear away.
Because… I was somewhere, right?
Underneath all of this, my old self was there.
I fucking HAD to be because I can't just be THIS.
Jasper stumbled back, clumsy on his feet, embarrassed and confused, trying to hide himself. When blood started seeping freely from his nose and down his chin, I found my voice. “Hey.”
I spoke softly, and his eyes finally found mine, resembling a startled deer.
“Can you tell me who you are?”
I swallowed thick slime creeping into my mouth.
“Who you were?”
For a sobering moment, it was just the two of us.
Not Brianna and Jasper.
His eyes found mine, truly drinking me in.
And something sparked in his expression. Recognition, or familiarity.
His hands cupped my face, fingers running down my cheeks.
The man was mute, speechless, and yet somehow, he was crying.
Crying for me.
A stranger.
Somehow, though, my hands, or at least part of my hand, the stitched and rugged parts of me, responded to his touch.
“Bree? Jasper?”
When the door flew open, I jumped to my feet, pulling the boy with me.
They were paranoid, I thought, mirroring Sam’s earlier words.
The town was making sure we were still satisfying them.
To my surprise, Jasper’s eyes dilated back to brown.
“Uh,” His voice was choked up, more of a growl, “Give us a sec, all right?”
Autopilot.
I bent down and grabbed my shirt, throwing it on.
Jasper buttoned up his own, brushing himself down.
He stepped back, winking.
“Same time tomorrow?”
Autopilot.
Brianna didn't speak. Instead, she headed towards the door.
She wanted him to chase after her for more.
But not before Jasper came close, hissing in my ear.
“You want to go on a suicide mission? Fine.” I was already pulling away, or Brianna was pulling away, because my body was being forced forwards.
Still, he held me, tightening his grip. “The thrift store across the street. Stall three, in the bathroom.” He said. “Just, please,” Jasper’s tone softened.
“Please never fucking do that to me again.”
So, I had a location.
The problem was actually getting to it.
Autopilot.
It was stronger, forcing me onto the stage.
I spilled coffee over a customer, and of course, Jasper came to the rescue.
When I dropped a tray full of drinks, slipping on someone's mess, his arms were already wrapped around me, catching me before I could hit the ground.
When our eyes met, Brianna Timberman’s heart fluttered.
The people surrounding us were already swiping right on their phones.
Jasper helped me stand up. “You… should be more careful, you idiot.” He grumbled.
I nodded, straightening up.
Jasper leaned against the refrigerator. “Do you know Sam Thwaites?”
I didn't look up from making coffee. “Yeah. He was…”
I blinked away memories of the two of us as kids.
“Just a friend.”
“He's bad news.” Jasper said. “The guy is working for your dad.”
“That's not… that's not true.”
“Oh, really?” He stepped in front of me, head tiled to the side. “So, he just came back into your life for no reason?”
“I don't want to talk about Sam.”
“But… Did he leave you anything?” Jasper murmured. “Like a… I don't know, a parting gift, maybe?”
Before I could reply, my colleague blurted, “What were you wearing when we were… “ He looked around nervously. “Looking for vegan milk?”
“I… don't know?” I prodded at my apron. “This, I guess? Why?”
“Oh, no reason!” he winked at me. “Did you know my Aunt died recently?”
“No…”
“Well, her funeral was all sorted within a matter of days,” Jasper continued, speaking through that same grin.
“Callister Funeral Care really did give me the comfort me and my family needed while we were in mourning…”
Autopilot.
I woke up halfway through my shift the next day, in the middle of serving three boys.
Immediately, I dropped what I was doing, darting to the door.
“I'm going on my break!” I yelled, grabbing my jacket and pushing through a group of girls. The town thrift store was empty. I was pushing through the door when a girl pushed past me, hard enough to knock my jacket out of my hands. When I scooped it up, something dropped out of my pocket.
Inside was a single black disk-shaped thing. I stuck the plastic down my bra.
“Bree? What are you doing here?”
Lifting my head, my colleague was standing over me.
Jasper’s smile was a little too big.
When he helped me up, his voice was a sharp breath. “How exactly are you planning on getting in the men’s bathroom, genius?”
I had a way.
But neither of us were going to like it.
Autopilot, however, did my job for me. I was in a bathroom stall on my knees, when reality hit, and I shook my head of fog. Jasper was already pulling me to my feet. Pressing his index over his lips and motioning for me to be quiet, he pointed above our head. Instead of a window, there was a hatch. “Red Zone Two.” He mouthed. "Fucking go!
I nodded, climbing onto the toilet bowl, throwing myself through the hatch.
This time, I felt directly into a pile of still-wet and still warm bodies.
But these weren't Alex’s or Ben’s, or Sam’s.
My own face, my perfectly moulded and sculpted Barbie doll face stared back at me. Brianna Timberman was everywhere. Her glazed blue eyes and wide smile were suffocating me. It when I stood up, did I start to see patches. I saw skin and hair, torn and stained clothes with body parts still attached to them. Different faces.
Girls.
Beautiful girls with their heads severed, their bodies reduced to mutilated flesh.
Smiles stretched into skeletal grimaces, and eyes scooped from the sockets.
As if I felt connection with the doll pieces around me, I started to claw at my legs.
Like I could find my own skin, revel in it.
I stood up, at the sound of a mechanical whirring. In front of me was a blood stained conveyer belt that wasn't moving, that was frozen. Just like the room with Sam’s, Ben's, Alex's, and Esme’s. I felt my fingernails rip into my arms, and my face. My gaze was glued to the cutoffs, the human bodies scattering metal flooring. Is this what I was?
I ripped into the skin of my face until I felt the sting.
But there was no fucking blood. Nothing to remind me I was human.
“Bree. You need to get out of here. Now.”
I was barely aware Jasper had joined me. He fished up my jacket.
“What are you?” I asked him, my voice shuddering.
“Wrong.”
His response surprised me. “Which is why they're going to kill me off soon, and I'll die the way I was supposed to.”
Jasper’s words collapsed into white noise.
Instead, I was someplace else, a memory splintering into dozens of memories.
I was… Clara.
Jamie.
Lily.
Kiera.
Becca.
Elizabeth.
I was running.
Screaming.
A guy was in front of me, tugging my hand.
“The far gate is the exit!” The voice in front was female.
“If we reach it, we’ll get out of here. Just keep running.”
A sharp flash, and I was standing stiff. Upright.
I was moving, a long line of girls in front of me.
I felt them, writhing, entangled around my bones.
Every girl I was made out of.
The cruel needle plunging into the back of her neck, instantly killing her.
A second needle injecting a solution that kept the body alive.
Her thoughts and feelings and sensations.
All of it was kept alive.
Conscious.
The whirring blades coming down and skinning away her face, her eyes, her lips, her screams falling on deaf ears.
Her sculpted body, naked and raw, was shoved forwards.
The next metal arms made sure to stitch up loose skin, adding and removing and slicing away what was no longer needed, adding a metal exoskeleton to assure no damage. Then came clothes, a yellow summer dress, exactly what she was wearing on the day Sam Thwaites dumped her in the rain. The final metal arm was more of a brush, a thing scraping across the face to make sure Brianna was perfect.
When she tumbled off of the conveyor belt, smiling widely, I wasn't Clara, or Jamie, or Lily…
Fuck.
I was Brianna Timberman.
Standing at the end of the line, with his arms folded, was Brianna’s father.
His smile was proud, eyes glinting with madness.
He stroked my face, eyes filling with tears.
“She's perfect.”
The memory shattered, coming apart, when something pricked my neck. There was a blinding white light on me.
“We’ve got her, sir.”
A muffled cry, and I could just see Jasper being wrenched back.
“Hey! I did what you told me to do! The pocket is empty!” his voice deepened into a growl. “Let me go!”
The figure who grabbed him seemed to enjoy his discomfort. She had wandering hands. “Five more seasons, pretty boy.” The woman hummed. “Brianna may have forgiven you, but your debt is with Mr Timberman.”
“Wait! No, we had a fucking deal you piece of– mmppphmmh!”
I was forced onto my stomach. “AND the love interest who appears to be faulty. It's the tracer who was supposed to be following her.” The voice swam in and out, as my mind plunged. *“Yes. I'll get him remodelled immediately. Uh-huh. Brianna is A-okay, sir. Do you have my permission to proceed?”
Autopilot.
This time it was deep, dragging me to impossible depths.
“Brianna!”
Mom’s voice snapped me back to half-fruition.
I was standing in my parent’s hallway in front of Sam.
Sam, who had lowered himself to one knee, a ring pinched between his fingers..
“Say yes!” Mom stood behind me, standing with my brother.
Autopilot.
My lips spread into a smile.
Two bright lights on the two of us.
“Yes.” I whispered, when he wrapped his arms around me. “I'll marry you.”
The walls around us were ooh-ing and ahh-ing.
When the lights switched off, and Sam’s smile stayed plastic and taut, I realized the boy underneath was gone.
But it was when his head was in my chest, did I remember his earlier words.
“Please. Take it.”
Autopilot.
The day skipped forward.
I was only aware of my mother’s hands tangled in my hair.
She was dragging me down the hallway.
“Don't worry Brianna!” She said gleefully, tightening her hold.
“No daughter of mine is this much of a nuisance, and the show must go on!”
I was shoved into a room, on autopilot.
But, after regaining myself, I can break myself out of autopilot.
The medic came to see me.
According to her, I'm slightly severed.
They're going to fix me. Like what they did to Sam.
Look, it's been three hours and I've been thinking about a lot of things. I know you can't save me. I live in the blip of a town, a town you can't find on a Google search. I know I'm a prisoner.
But I think I know how to save myself and the others.
Mainly. I want to cut Brianna Timberman away, and look underneath.
But I'm terrified that under all of these layers? They're will be nothing left.
I've already done most of it. Right now, half of my face is caught under my nails.
But I'm not
Fuck
I can't find me???
Im not bleeding, I can't see anything that looks like ME and when they come back they're going to patch me back up.
They'll stick someone else's flesh over me, and call me Brianna.
But I'm not Brianna?????
I'm not any of those girls, so who am I?

This trend the past 5 or so years is really getting on my nerves and it's only getting worse as time goes on. Let me explain where I'm coming from -
My first experience with having to join random discord servers in order to solely access downloads started with Fallout modders, around one of the many times that some people got angry with nexusmods. These people decided that they no longer wanted their mods hosted on nexus, which is fully in their right to decide. However, many of these people did not move to an alternative mod hosting site (of which there are many), they instead moved solely to discord. I absolutely despise this decision.
Let me clarify that having a discord for your game or mod is not a bad thing inherently, being able to chat with the developers and receive very fast support through discord is game changing compared to how things used to be. But, forcing me to join your discord in order to download the mod is just stupid.
Instead of being able to google the mod, find it on a public site and download it and be done, I must now instead scour through forums and comments trying to find the discord in order to download it. This is really pointless. It is worse than making me sign up for a mailing list in order to download, in fact I'd rather sign up for a mailing list over joining a discord. Now since I want this mod, and the future updates, I must stay in the discord.
The reasons I hate this boils down to these points * The mods are no longer advertised on the public internet where people would logically look, ie nexusmods or moddb etc leading many to be unaware of their existence. * I'm getting constantly pinged by these servers, and while yes I can mute the audio I still cannot block the red ! icon that will pop up. * This server will count towards my server limit, which afaik for non nitro users is 100. * I've got these ugly server icons that I cannot hide outside of putting them in folders, it is simply pointless clutter.
Ok, so we talked mods, now to discuss a game. I recently was reminded about emuvr, I had followed this project 2 years ago and forgotten about it. I searched for it online, and clicked the website which was the first result. The site showed the most recent update being in 2022, leading me to believe that the app was dead. This was disappointing to hear, so I dug deeper.
Turns out, the app is not dead and is still in active development. They have just moved literally everything to discord. The releases are exclusive to discord, with absolutely no mention of this on their website. Even worse, they have locked invites to the discord so no one new can enjoy the software. This is possibly the best example of people improperly distributing their application that I have ever seen.
I am going to hit my server cap due to all these people choosing to make discord their download center, it is ridiculous.
Thanks for reading

Hello all,
I've thought about this for a little while now and I think that, unfortunately, I need to rehome my little guy. I really don't want to, but my mental health is not where I want it to be, and it's affecting how I take care of my gecko. I don't want to end up being one of those crappy owners that neglects their pet simply out of stubbornness. I really did the best I could and I had hoped that having a little critter to take care of might help me out, but it seems as though it's having the opposite affect.
The gecko is still very shy and timid, and he hides a lot. I've never been able to hold him, and I've hardly touched him. He's skittish as well. I don't think he would be good for kids, but an adult owner. I'm really hoping to find someone on the more experienced side to take him.
Along with the gecko, you'll get all of the stuff I've got for him - tank, hides and clutter, bug grub, shelving unit for the tank, lighting, etc. Literally all of it. I would ask for some money back since I have spent a lot, but I dunno, that seems kind of weird. We can talk about it though.
So, if you or anyone you know is in the Sacramento area and is looking for a new friend, please let me know! I'd be more than happy to talk. Also, if anyone has any good recommendations for other places to advertise rehoming my lil guy, that would be great.

Just a piece of advice. OR at least make sure the company isn’t from Hong Kong. They tend to hide that. Whether it be your actual wedding dress, a shower dress, rehearsal, etc.
I’m out $200 on a dress that should have cost $15 based on quality. This has been ongoing for nearly 4 months between me, the merchant, and the credit card company.
As evidence to support my case, I reverse google image searched the advertisement photo they used on their website. 800 results with the exact same image. I’m willing to bet a lot of those different websites are manufacturing dresses from the same place.