You said you were gonna grow up Then you were gonna come find me Words from the mouths of babes Promises, oceans deep But never to keep
@andreagalan

blake kathryn
One Nice Bug Per Day
YOU ARE THE REASON
wallacepolsom
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
we're not kids anymore.
Three Goblin Art
occasionally subtle
Sade Olutola
Monterey Bay Aquarium

Andulka
Xuebing Du
i don't do bad sauce passes

tannertan36
No title available
AnasAbdin

@theartofmadeline

Love Begins

Janaina Medeiros
Mike Driver

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@jjbaptiste
You said you were gonna grow up Then you were gonna come find me Words from the mouths of babes Promises, oceans deep But never to keep
@andreagalan
❤ - Kamilah
I would kill for you. • I would make love to you. • I would fuck you. • I would protect you. • I would hurt you for a selfish cause. • I wish we had more in common. • I want nothing to do with you. • I want to see you cry. • I want a future with you. • I want to destroy your future. • I do not care what you do. • I am indifferent towards you. • I want children with you. • I love you ( platonically ) • I love you ( romantically ) • I love you life family. • You are my family. • I could fall in love with you. • I would lie for you. • I would fight by your side. • I will never let you go. • I would hold you while you cried. • I would hug you. • I want to kiss you. • I would stay by your bedside if you were ill. • I want to fall asleep with you in my arms. • I want to forget you. • I will never forget you. • I only want to make you proud. • I wish I could make you happy. • You deserve nothing. • I will never forgive you. • You confuse me.
send me ❤ and I will bold all that applies to your muse — RAHI | HANS | LOLA | JULIAN | LEE | JJ | ANAÏS
Smash or Pass Asa
"I don't play that team, brother."
“Smash or Pass” — RAHI | HANS | LOLA | JULIAN | LEE | JJ | ANAÏS
@rippedstitch-s
△ - If Kamilah was not part of the Cartel, would he date her?
"Woulda, coulda, shoulda. She Cartel. An' I don't view Cartelians as people."
Send me a △ and ask a really invasive question aimed at my character — RAHI | HANS | LOLA | JULIAN | LEE | JJ | ANAÏS
Where: Faux Folie Who: @jjbaptiste
He was the last person she was expecting to hear from, but the way his tone carried through his words, it felt an air of intrigue; considering it had to do with someone from the Cartel.
Kamilah agreed to meet at the club, only to having two of her bodyguards with her. She didn't trust Jacques, nor would she put herself in a position that would leave her vulnerable.
The woman was let in before opening hours, making her way over to the table he sat at.
"Bonjour Jacques." The woman instantly takes the seat across from him, not waiting for him to offer. "What business do you have to share?" A leg across over the other, leaning back in the chair.
Even to himself, it isn’t quite clear why he’s sat here, waiting for the enemy to walk through the door.
The Cartel deserves no help or sympathy. No clues, about which of their own would stab their kin in the back. And yet, Jacques will offer just that.
Call it stupidity, if you may. He chooses honor.
“Bonjour,” he offers back, streaming his fingers across the tabletop. No use beating around the bush; the less time spent with her, the better. “The night you became leader, I found a rat of yours gettin’ personal with one of mine. He was helping with her injuries and— doin’ them other things, too. I understand they are in a relationship. He had an attitude and about no sense of loyalty or danger.”
He’d seen traitors before. Lived closely with the greatest one of all, before she became it. Alas, even Andrea Galan owned up to her mistakes.
“I ain’t touched the guy, though if I had, he would’a deserved it.” That same night, Jacques had made a point about work ethic. So long as she didn’t mess around into his business, then he wouldn’t meddle with hers. “Name’s Syd. The laundromat boy.”
🔎 Kamilah
Communication: Please Don't Talk To Me | Talking To You Is Okay | You Talk Too Much | I Wish We'd Talk More | Our Convos Are Balanced | I Love Talking To You | Never Stop Talking To Me
Friendship: Strangers | Awkward | Just Met | Working On It | Good Friends | Best Friends | A Little More Than Friends
Datability: No | Not Sure | Never Gave It Any Thought | Probably Wouldn't Work | Maybe | Let's Give It A Shot | Absolutely | Marry Me
Attractiveness: Ugly | Just Not My Type | Undecided |Cute | Very Attractive | Drop Dead Gorgeous | Nosebleed
Send 🔎 to see what my muse thinks of yours in these 4 categories — RAHI | HANS | LOLA | JULIAN | LEE | JJ | ANAÏS
@kamilahxmarques
Smash or Pass Kamilah
"A Cartel girl?" They gotta be joking. "Pass."
“Smash or Pass” — RAHI | HANS | LOLA | JULIAN | LEE | JJ | ANAÏS
@kamilahxmarques
Smash or Pass Lev
"Hard pass."
“Smash or Pass” — RAHI | HANS | LOLA | JULIAN | LEE | JJ | ANAÏS @levmovska
" i was drunk. " not said as an excuse nor an explanation, moreso a factual comment. the more sevyn thinks about her behavior toward jacques, the more embarrassed she gets— not that her embarrassment makes any difference to the situation. " i stand by what i said, though. you don't gotta worry about me. "
maybe it's narcissistic to believe that everything would turn out all right for her. maybe she needs to stop relying on dumb luck, on blaming everything that goes wrong on other people. maybe this is a good place to start.
a frown graces her features as jacques kneels down in front of her, calloused hand holding on to hers as he speaks. had it not been for the subject matter, maybe she would have considering it an attempt at romance. break it off, break his heart. it sounds simple enough. sevyn should be able to do so no problem— yet she hesitates, before nodding in agreement.
" yeah. " she leans forward just enough to rest her forehead against jacques' for a second longer than initially planned, hands grasping at the man's. " i can do that. "
eyes flicker to the ground, & sevyn clears her throat. " 'm sorry, baby. "
I was drunk, she says, and it's something he's heard over and over. Owning a club, it's as familiar as the setting makes it. Jacques isn't a drinker. Every person that is, further proves his point on that.
Sevyn rests her forehead upon his, and there they stay for a moment prolonged in time. "D'accord."
He's the one to break contact then, rising to his feet, and taking a few steps toward the bedroom door. "You should, rest. Think about how to murder le rosbif tomorrow."
all that's left of sevyn's anger slowly begins to dissipate as jacques continues to speak. he's always got a way with words— that she can admit. he can make the worst scenario seem poetic, make the best seem anarchic. whatever it is, he's managed to turn sevyn's anger on its head. that external anger toward him is gone, & the internal anger towards herself— loud, biting, violent anger she's suppressed for so long— replaces it.
" i went lookin' for you after that fight, y'know. " she's quiet, voice barely audible this time. another hit from the vape, another cloud of flavored vapor swirling above their heads. " thought you'd be able t' calm me down or patch me up, i guess. "
sev takes a seat on the edge of jacques' bed, more comfortable than her own, in a room bigger than her entire apartment. she feels out of place here— more out of place than anywhere else, including her own life. why she decides to open up to him now is unknown, even to her. she just figures she owes him that much. " i was gonna try n' kill that bastard again. i dunno how, but i thought that maybe, if i caught him by surprise, i could take him out. get that stupid ass look off his face, bite him back. i guess the sensible part of my brain figured you could stop me doin' somethin' stupid. "
there's a pause, in which sevyn reaches a hand up to trace the back of jacques' palm, brows furrowed together. she still can't bring herself to meet his gaze. " guess i was right in the long run, huh? "
"Your lil' boy mocked me and you took his side," Jacques says plainly. "He is lucky, that unlike his folk, I don't deal with business that ain't my own." As it stands, Syd's mess is left there for the Cartel to clean. "But if he so much as steps foot in my land again, he ain't leavin' alive."
Hard as his exterior may be, Jacques is a good listener. Too good, even, which makes him a conductor for the city's ugliest secrets. Calm me down, patch me up, stop me from doin' something stupid. He hears her expectations, and can only conclude that those are vastly different from what all other women — or, people — expect from him. Jacques stores it for later, to contemplate about before his sleep.
Jacques turns his hand so he can actually take hers, small and lean under his touch. He's holding it as though he might kiss the back of it, but he doesn't. Instead, he kneels in front on her place on the bed, making eye contact inevitable now.
"I am king of New York City, and you could be Queen, if you were not busy with traitors and rats." What's the laundromat boy gonna do, when she needs food on the table or heat in the winter?
There is greed in the things he's acquired for himself, he won't deny it, but he shares with no discomfort. His pantry is filled and so is the fridge; the shower hot and his bed cloud-like. Sevyn's for the night.
From his place knelt on the ground, and still holding her hand, Jacques's eyes find hers. "I don't know, if I believe you that you 'didn't know'." The benefit of the doubt — his last kind act for the night. "But you do now. And you won't see the boy again, and if you do, it will only be to break things off and to break his heart."
with his permission, sevyn approaches the closet & pulls out a shirt long enough to cover everything she doesn't want him to see, slips it on over the towel, & takes said towel off afterward. " that ain't right, " she echoes, buttoning up the shirt & glancing back toward jacques. " relax, baby. i was just havin' fun. nothing in your rulebook that says that ain't allowed, right? "
there's not a lot of space between the two of them— that is, until sevyn takes initiative & steps back, unable to meet jj's gaze for an extended amount of time. what he's saying makes sense, & she holds back the biting remark that sits on the tip of her tongue.
" i'm sorry. really. i didn't know he was— y'know, one of them when i met him. maybe i should've been more careful or somethin'. but he was there after. " breath catches in her throat, & she reaches for her coat tossed over a chair nearby, fishing her vape from her pocket. she takes a hit, then speaks once more, vapor spilling from her lips. " he was there after that bitch kicked my ass. he almost killed me, jj. where were you, huh? "
the admission does make her voice break. a club full of people, of " family ", & none of them were there after she got her ass handed to her by a nearly-seven-foot-tall maniac. nobody except syd.
"Vultures always come flyin' when they smell death, chérie," he says. "That don't mean they're there to help."
"You don't know them, even if you think you do. They aren't, like us. It is the one thing, where they are better than us. We are not, very good fakers." Hearts and rage worn on their sleeve — a Brotherhood staple.
Where were you, huh?
His sigh is deep and trapped in his chest, all the weight of tonight rippling through him like the world's cruelest game of marbles. Jacques crosses his arms, gaze briefly traveling to the Basquiat above his bed.
"I was controlling an uncontrollable crowd, drawing blood under my roof. It was your day off, but not, mine. I have responsibilities, bein' host. It is my underground, and folk look to me to command it."
And command it he had. It's perhaps then a proven truth, that heavy indeed is the head which wears the crown. Jacques's is made of bones and dust, though in the warm lights of the Arène, it always shone gold.
"While I'm here, with you, there is a cadaver in my property. None of you have to worry about that. I do." Beat. "...By the time I found you, you weren't alone." He swallows. "Nous y voilà."
status: closed! ( @jjbaptiste ) location: jj's place
" thanks for lettin' me use your shower. " blood washed off, the only evidence of her altercation with lee is the various bruising & broken nails & the damn bite mark on her cheek. looking relatively okay does little to ease the nauseous feeling in her stomach— whether that's from the large amount of alcohol in her system, or the anxiety that's started forming given the conversation she knows is about to happen doesn't matter.
all that matters is that sevyn thinks she might throw up before the conversation even starts.
pushing a hand through her hair, sev fixes the towel around her frame & finally meets jj's gaze for the first time since they arrived, brows knitted together. " look, 'm sorry. for, uh... y'know. what happened back there. "
The house is big enough that they both could have their showers, separate, at opposite ends of the place. Jacques was quick with his, though perhaps he shouldn't have been. The hot cascade of water would have helped him think.
The night had begun with Sevyn, and it ended with Andrea's end. Almost ironic, if it weren't infuriating.
"She was the first one that did it, ya know." Betray them. "Back then, there were no rules 'bout that. Which is why she got away with it for so long. Since then, err'one who steps outta line ends the same way she did tonight."
In his bedroom, he finds a wall to lean against. At the view of Sevyn in all but a towel, he nods to the way of his closet. Take what you want.
"The other gangs, they are business. We are family. We help each other, and we don't make no money out of it." His voice is calm, a reflection of exhaustion and words so familiar, he barely needs to think of them. "We help our brothers who can't help themselves." It's in the name. "We put a roof over people's heads, we pay their debts, we give work to people who have none. And this is how it's repaid?"
Across the small gap between them, he meets Sevyn's gaze. "That ain't right, chérie."
" oh, my god. " wide-eyed, sevyn glares half-heartedly at the man in front of her & shakes her head in an attempt to get him to shut up. this is bad. this is very, very bad, & syd's attempts to lighten the mood with humor are not helping.
maybe they should have gone somewhere else not in jacques' club.
clearing her throat, sev shifts her weight & turns to jacques, manicured brows down-turned in irritation. " don't tell him what t' do, " comes her huff, pushing her hands through dark coils & standing up straighter. is it smart to say anything like that? it doesn't feel smart. " whatever you wanna say to me, i don't care. sorry. "
@knuckleddown
He looks stupid? How is that even possible? "Wow. Thanks man." Syd's brow furrows as the taller man and he crosses broad arms over his chest, leaning back against the counter for a moment.
"I'm not going anywhere." He says simply. Syd's not about to leave this threatening presence around Sev - not when he's coming in with that energy. Plus, he just got here. Just started cleaning Sev up.
Syd just picks up the wet paper towel he'd been using, pointedly leaning to wipe Sev's chin with it and continue what he'd already been doing before they were interrupted. "You gonna kick me out of the club for... what, taking care of Sev? Being nice?"
@jjbaptiste
"Pardon?" A slip-up is one bad thing. Defending the enemy, is another, far less forgivable thing.
Looks stupid, acts stupid, talks stupid. "I am kicking you out because you are Cartel, crétin. I do not think, that I must remind you what that means. Or what the consequences are, for what you are doing." Deadly. "I am kicking you out because your lack of loyalty is the Cartel's problem, not ours."
"By being around Sevyn, you are putting her in danger." As the night would come to prove true, not all gang members ask questions — before they shoot. "You call that, being 'nice'?" Americans. "An' you ain't even keeping her satisfied, are ya, little guy?" Tsk. "Or she wouldn't'a been all up on me until an hour ago."
He eyes Sevyn now, something like disappointment there. To think it had crossed his mind, to pursue her. To Syd, one last chance: "Leave."
How does he not see — That this is mercy? That this is benevolence? He'd offered rope to pull Syd out of a hole, and he's chosen to hang himself with it. "...I won't offer it again."
@7evyns
YAHYA ABDUL-MATEEN II in Candyman (2021)
Kamilah glances over JJ, knowing that the man prided himself on respect and his ego.
"Let's start over." This was now Cartel business, and the last thing she needed was him standing in the way. She hated this moment, the fact that she lost a friend, but this was what they signed up for. Life was not guaranteed.
"This isn't barbaric. You know that." Pause, her voice dropping. "I hate this more than you think. It's business." There was a tinge of hurt laced in her words, but her chocolate gaze hardens, knowing the position she was now stepping into.
"I would hate for a time to come, where you might need something, and I'll have to remember this." Her head slants. "Unless you really want my company. Why you want to make me wait, papi."
This isn't barbaric, she says, and Jacques shakes his head, lifting a finger in correction. "To you."
Then—
"I don't know, what I think." One thing Jacques does know, however, is that he would sooner be dead than ask for the Cartel's help. The going in circles is what you get, for trying to move something as malleable as a mountain.
Beyond Kamilah, there's a sea of people who he hasn't begun to approach yet. "They will tell you, when you can come in." His henchmen, alert in the back. "I have business to take care of."
The very stoic man that stood in front of her was once her lover between the sheets. A friendship was more palatable for both of them, so she jabbed at him when she could. Despite the situation being quite serious. "It's done." She said, tapping those fingernails on the desk. "Mars wants to interrogate the one who did it." Her eyes darkened as she looked to him. "Thoughts?"
"Interrogate?" He asks, as though trying to break an invisible language barrier. It's not the case. Jacques knows the word, understands its meaning. "What for?"
Jacques shakes his head, moving on swiftly. "How you holdin' up?" Though, in hindsight, Tiana likely hadn't witnessed it at all. "—Why weren't you there?"
sev laughs. it's the first genuine laugh she's let out all night, so it makes sense syd is the one to drag it out of her. she leans in again to catch his lips with her own, but—
" fuckin' hell! " gasped out in surprise, sevyn immediately turns to face the newcomer in shock, hands clutching the ridge of the counter so tight her knuckles pale in strain. is she still leaning in? fuck.
clearing her throat, she pulls back & looks away. " what the fuck? you just— just love walkin' into rooms without knockin', huh? "
Syd remains seated on the counter, Sevyn's bruised face in his broad hands. Cradled, safe. He groans in annoyance when JJ opens the door and interrupts their moment.
"Ménage à trois? I barely finished high school but even I know what that means. You gettin' in on this?" Syd leans back on his arms, eyeing him up with a small smirk. He should probably be more concerned, but. He really doesn't give enough of a shit.
"Or did you want us to leave so you can use the facilities? I get pee-shy too man, I get it." He hops down from the counter though, regardless.
@jjbaptiste
Syd laughs, and Jacques laughs along. That paused, single-syllable cackle over and over again.
So he thinks treason sounds funny. Tonight of all nights, this hadn't at all made it into this Frenchman's bingo card.
"Can't tell if you brave, or stupid, eh." Beat. "You look, the latter."
Something about a kiss, and a riot. He has to wonder what road led them here, but it wouldn't matter in the end.
"Hit it, couillon," he says to the guy. Irrelevant. Not his problem. Then, he points to Sevyn. "You stay."
@7evyns