#SIGHS......... MY COMPLETIONIST ASS.............

[hirokiyuu]

anyways my various sols roundup

1) first playthru, high mind focus sol, never once helped out during colony attack LOL. fucking everyone died. she/her leaning demigirl who was in love w/tang from ages 10 to 100 and died forty years after her still madly in love. worlds most dysfunctional lesbian! governor marz/lawyer/neutral end

which led intoooooo

2) exploration focused he/him tguy sol, emphasis on saving people but still lost both his parents even after saving tammy+hal+tonin, which created an odd sense of distance btwn him and others esp bc his delusions were somewhat well-known. avoided tang for no reason he could explain + followed dys bc he wanted to know what was up. fell in love w/him, took over the colony instead of marz, codependent w/dys until they both died. negotiated peace w/the gardeners. governor end

which i then pushed into

3) manic I Can Do Anything! nb sol, saved literally everyone and was extremely cheerful about it. felt like the world was their oyster, everythign happened just as they wanted it to up until dys ran away + they found out he was dating sym which led to a desperate attempt at getting both of them back that culminated in them becoming a gardener bc that’s what happens sometimes! gardener end

and has now led me to

4) human centrist cisguy sol who is half in love w/everyone in the colony and has the biggest head known to man. flirting with vace AND rex AND dys AND nem bc hes fucking stupid. im still halfway thru this playthru but unfortunately i will be going full scorched earth on vertumna minus virus so. uh. good luck to them

[doodlboy]

*dies*

[mrsharringtonskywalkersnow]

No Cure For Us (Ch.1)

Ch. 2 // Ch. 3

Chapter Warnings: Implied violence. Mentions of human/species trafficking, sex work, and slavery.

Pairing: Anakin Skywalker x Fem!OC

Summary: A sharp increase in the slave trade creates a unique mission for a young padawan Skywalker to explore in the Coruscant night life.

Word Count: 3.3k

A/N: gotta be perfectly honest guys, haven't written fanfic in well over 10 years (im old af don't start) but I'm just going to go for it. I've had this idea for an Anakin Skywalker X Fem!OC fic since HaydenmothafuckinChristensen graced my screen last year and reignited my BURNING childhood crush.

Is this blatant self insert writing? Probably.

Is the plan for this fic a long ass haul? Bet your ass.

Will I ever finish it? Who the hell knows.

All I know is, I've got 5 more days left of sick leave post ✨️brain surgery✨️ and ima just gonna go for it.

Honestly, idgaf if anyone reads this. I have like no followers tbf. It's honestly something I just wanted to do and say I did it. I have another half baked fic in the back of my mind but I'm such a completionist, idk if I can multi tasks fics.

—-------------------------------------------------

The low hum of the council walls haunted Anakin’s bones as voices echoed back and forth between Obi-wan and the other masters. Something about the last mission. Something important. Something about following directions. Anakin huffed a small laugh to himself as he felt front of his boot hook into the well worn-out spot of paint of the council floor’s intricate design. How easy it would be to lift the lines of the design up from the floorboards –

“Ehem.” Obi-wan’s throat cleared and it didn’t take the knowledge of the Force for Anakin to feel his eyes. The apprentice looked sideways at his master, expecting to be berated, instead to find equally frustrated disinterest in his eyes. Mace Windu and Plo Koon were murmuring amongst each other as Kid-Adi-Mundi seemed agitated to get a word in. The room was buzzing with far too many whispers for a successful mission.

“It would seem our efforts on Rentor were – too effective.” Obi-wan sighed quietly while smoothing out the creases in his robes. “Although it would be helpful to receive less criticism from the council if you would simply follow the outer rim protocols.”

Anakin rolled his eyes. There was always something that wasn’t perfect enough. He was the very best swordsman and bested every opponent in duels, however, he must not use THAT form. He had an in-depth knowledge of each assigned mission to a needle-point, yet, he must not become fascinated with the cultures. He could fly circles around any pilot, royally trained or smuggler, but, he must caution against enjoyment of out-matching their skills. And there was Obi-wan, ever the faithful gentle reminder, to nudge him into a straightened back.

“It is extremely worrisome that you did not consult the Chiss Ascendancy prior to your excursions on Rentor.” Kid-Adi-Mundi warned in Anakin’s direction.

“Forgive me, Masters, I wasn’t aware I required permission for the search and seizure of a hostile gangster with Jedi temple files in non-Republic spaces.” Anakin bit back at the put-off Master. “I’ll make sure to consult the Hutts the next time we ‘happen’ to intercept a spice run.”

“Anakin.”

There it was. The nudge. Anakin gathered his robes tighter around himself, looking for anything in this forsaken room that could distract him.

“What my padawan means to say is, there was really no other recourse once the target was identified. There is hardly any space for Republic Jedi to operate in the Outer Rim and we brought him back, as instructed.” Obi-wan’s voice lilted at his last two words.

Yoda hummed. “Brought back three broken ribs and nose with, the instructions were not.”

A feeling like molten lava simmered within Anakin as he recalled finding the Zygerrian gangster. “He brutalized–”

“Nonetheless, brought back with the temple files intact and suitable for questioning.” Obi-wan interrupted. “If the approach of apprehension is the issue, then forgive me, I do not see how this requires a council audience? Unless there is another role we have to play in this.”

Whispers and murmurs again. The words slithered around the room like a Vexis sizing up her prey. Mace’s throat cleared and before he pressed his crossed fingers over his lips. "There had been an unsettling amount of slave trade activity in the Outer Rim. So much so that it has extended to the Inner Rim. The increase parallels the rate of incidence before the Jedi Order enforcement."

Plo Koon turned to face the pair. “Obi-wan, how prepared is your padawan for the trials?”

Anakin looked with wide eyes at his Master, filled with hope for validation. As Obi-wan’s hands came to his beard, Anakin’s stomach became a gaping pit. “I would say it would depend.”

“Depend on what?” Anakin interjected incredulously.

“Alone, you have not been. Successful without assistance, you were not.” Yoda began.

“Anakin, you have failed to show true restraint and discipline with the skills that you have been taught.” came Plo’s even measured tone over Anakin's simmering anger. “You have demonstrated an innate affinity for skill mastery yet it is squandered on your recklessness.”

Images of the mission are blurred behind his eyelids. The ice cold moon. That dark cold warehouse. That fucking cat-faced Zygerrian. That poor sweet girl. “The files were retrieved,” he muttered robotically.

A thoughtful grunt came from Yoda. “New threat, uncovered this has. Alone, you must go.”

“Anakin, we are tasking you with the sole mission of tracing back the steps of the Zygerrian.” Mace continued. “From our interrogation, he was not acting alone and is associated with the Zygerrian Slave Empire. The uptick of slave trafficking from the Outer Rim appears to be leading towards Coruscant.”

“How they were able to get a hold of secure Jedi temple files, is concerning in and of itself.” Obi-wan added. “Coursant is a long way for a trinket.”

Anakin’s eye’s cleared from it’s smog of anger. “What is the relationship between the growing trafficking and the missing file?”

Plo nodded in agreement. “An excellent question, padawan. I belive—”

“One we cannot yet answer.” Kid-Adi-Mundi interrupted. Anakin's attention shifted to the Cerean in confusion, who looked rightfully irritated. 

“There was a contact we had on the lower levels of Coruscant who, in the past, had provided us with information regarding mass trafficking to and from the planet for a price. Although, it's been…difficult to make contact as of late.” Mace revealed, cautiously. “The Buyer.”

The anger built deeper within him. Slavers. Buyers. What kind of person bargains the lives of others for a price?

“Find him. Determine his price for information on who is infiltrating the temple files. And do it while separating yourself from the emotions you attach yourself to.” Mace commanded.

Obi-Wan patted his apprentice’s arm gently. “Remember what this new mission means, Anakin.”

Anakin took a deep breath. His shoulders sagged.

He nodded. “Understood.”

Plo took a step forward. “If you are unable to complete this mission by yourself, we will consider you unfit for the trials.”

Anakin bowed his head submissively as white knuckles formed over his clenched fists. “Understood, Masters.”

—-------------------------------------------------

Once they had left the meeting hall, Anakin made his way down to the detention level. He paused just outside the door. Control the anger.

Inside the detention area, an anxious air hung heavily in the atmosphere. The Zygerrian had draped himself dramatically over his cot and was coddling his still bloody nose. Anakin tried to contain his disgust. Had he known this was also a slaver when he beat him within an inch of his life, he would've broken his hand as well.

"You." The wounded cat seethed. "You broke my fucking face."

Reaching out, Anakin let the Force carry the nearby chair towards himself, making sure to hover momentarily by the prisoner before setting it upright beside him. "Trust me, it's an improvement. Please, take a seat."

With a snarl, the alien dropped himself into the seat and glared up at Anakin.

"You Jedi are all cowards. Leave me in here but you will never finish the job." Blood stained spit spewed out of his fanged mouth over the edges of Anakin's robes. Teeth gnashed against teeth and Anakin honed his composure. The Zygerrian snickered. "You want to kill me, ah?"

Anakin looked down at the cold metal floor and felt how malleable the Force would be able to make it before looking back up at the wounded cat. "What do you know about The Buyer?"

The shit-eating grin fell off his face as he leaned back into the chair. "We don't speak of The Buyer."

"So you work for him?"

A laugh burst from the whispered face and the smile returned. "Work for --?! The Buyer is trouble for all of us. Especially you, young Jedi."

Anakin tapped impatiently on the hilt of his lightsaber. His impatience was going to prove fatal to both of them. Without another word, he pulled it free and ignited the blue blade. A waft of cool energy shimmered around it before disappearing altogether. The blue blade reverberated in front of the snickering cat as Anakin grabbed him by the collar, bringing the prisoner closer to his face.

"My, my, what a big blade for a little boy." The Zygerrian jeered, laughing becoming painful as he braced his broken ribs. "Too bad you'll never really know how to use it."

"Just give me some information on the Buyer and I'll leave you to your worthless existence." Anakin spoke through gritted teeth, pulling the cat closer. "Where do I find him, slaverscum!?"

"The Violet Kibo, if you're smart, that's where you'll start." He growled between pain filled breaths. “Lower level night club.”

Releasing the Zygerrian, Anakin sheathed his saber and made for the detention doors.

"Word of advice, pretty boy." The Zygerrian's strained voice called. Anakin stopped at the steps. "Lose the robes. The Dolls are much too smart to loose their lips over a little warlock."

—-------------------------------------------------

The Violet Kibo was truly no Outlander.

Settled at a busy corner between what could only be an adult holofilm shop and the most over-stocked market store, the purple lights framed the darkened doorway where patrons shuffled leisurely in and out. A heavy beat of the bass line echoed from within the club like a heartbeat that beckoned. Scheduled rain hazed the streets and beaded over the hooded coat Anakin had acquired from the Temple Archives. Leaning against a nearby data box, he glared through the drooping neon flower stamped over the doorway to the floors above it. Eight total. There must be a way to covertly enter. I could easily break into the third window on the fourth floor. Jump up and smash the window in with the hilt of – Anakin’s mind came to a halt. Obi-wan had advised him against using brute force tonight. He was advised of much tonight. “I am unsure that there has been enough preparation for you to approach the club tonight,” Obi-wan warned as Anakin sought to leave for the evening. Anakin sighed in relief, remembering he had no one on coms in his ear constantly reminding him. No one to guide me either…

With a sigh, he shrugged the rain off his coat and abandoned heavy handed strategy. Anakin approached the Violet Kibo, the pulsating music resonating through the air like a siren's call as he entered the purple-hued darkness. Drunken men and giggling women glided closely past Anakin down the hall until they came to the heart of the club.

A row of two seats faced each other on either side of a small dance floor in the center of the room. Like a wave pool, tables extended outward around it, leaving a large clearing on either side. The ceiling stretched to what Anakin had previously believed was the third level of the building, with each “floor” serving as viewing balconies to the fun below and entrances to privacy rooms. The sparse lighting gave off a pale violet hue to every surface in the club except the small stage behind the bar and its tender. Similar platforms were littered throughout the club, however sensually dressed girls of all species were making quick use of them as either platforms to lie on provactively or expertly contort themselves around a silver pole – all with eager viewing and paying customers. The Dolls, Anakin thought to himself making his way toward the bar instead. Best not to get made so early in the night.

“Stars, the Eyeblaster is phenomenal!” a Mon Cala girl gushed as she pushed past the young jedi towards towards her group who no doubt were on a girl's night. “You think I could get on the platform too?!”

“Not if she wants to loose an eye.” came a velvety voice from behind the bar. 

Anakin's eyes fell on the Kiffar bartender who had now angled her hip against the bar to rest. Her golden eyes peered into his and the echoing heartbeat of the nightclub returned to his chest. Her face, which had started stern, morphed quickly into a soft smile – the black lines of her qukuuf now curving over her cheeks. “What can I get started for you, Flyboy?”

“One Eyeblaster, please.” Anakin ordered confidently as he removed his hood. 

The Kiffar woman's eyebrow raised before huffing out a small laugh, leaving Anakin in panicked confusion. “One Eyeblaster coming right up, darling.” She shrugged and turned to the bottles lining the shelves behind her. 

Flyboy, she had called him. “How did you know I'm a pilot?”

“I didn't. You just told me.” 

Anakin winced. Hadn't even been here for an hour and already blowing his own cover. 

“Don't get so ruffled.” she chided over her shoulder, long brown tresses cascading down her back with one thick braid down the middle, hands in constant motion to pour, mix, shake, and clean. “Your hands are dirty. Too dirty to be a stuffy politician or businessman but not dirty enough like the ground level mechanics who come through here on their paydays.”

Anakin brought his hands out from under his coat and saw the oil that stained his nails from earlier this morning while fiddling with the temple speeder. The bartender turned to face  him to reveal a sickly yellow drink in a dainty class with an equally dainty solarshade nestled atop it. Anakin grimaced, unable to hide his disgust. “That's the Eyeblaster?”

The tender nodded and slid the drink across the bar. Anakin groaned. Obi-wan often said undercover missions were a pain because he loathed the drinking but this seemed a cruel start.

“Don't be shy.” Her velvet voice startled him at first, then agitated him. She'd known his order was foul, and yet he'd let her distract him. He had a job tonight.

He grasped the foot of the glass as he brought the edge to his lips and tipped the drink back, eyes locked on her amused face. The liquid burned down his throat and left a sour pinch in his cheeks. He slammed the glass back down, hoping by Force the urge to gag would pass.

It didn't. The gag came as audibly as her laugh. "Damn, that's TERRIBLE!" He burst out over coughs.

"Aw, there, there, darling." She coaxed mockingly. "I'm sure I can find something more suitable for such a mighty pilot like yourself."

Anakin stifled the embarrassment as he watched her pick up a stout glass and an amber bottle. "So you must see all types coming in and out of this place?"

She nodded nonchalantly — never stopping, pouring here, a lit flame there, and drop of something blue there. "Much less than you, I'm sure."

"I'm sorry?"

"You're a freight pilot, right?" She looked up from scooping ice cubes. Anakin gruffed something like "Oh, yeah, of course. But they don't talk to me much."

That smile again, the one that pulled against those tattooed lines. "Ah yes, I often get the talkers."

Right hand rested on her hip, the other held his amber drink as her wrist twisted to swivel the drink within the glass. He saw how the black top she wore clung tightly to her chest and fully covered her right arm and hand, leaving bare and her left shoulder down. Anakin could feel his courage rebuilding, the Eyeblaster now officially in his veins. "Yeah, some of our passengers are just the worst. There was one scrawny guy going on about some 'Buyer person' who cheated him out of a game of Sabacc. So he pushed and shoved his way into the front of the craft like he owned the place! As if they don't get enough free public transport!"

There was a firm clink of the glass hitting the bar counter. The curvy Kiffar woman had both her shoulders pointed squarely towards Anakin now. "Which port did you say you docked at, Captain...?"

"Anik-Ani." choked out the padawan. Fuck. "Captain Ani. Sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

"You didn't." She smiled again, left hand firmly planted on the rim on the glass. Anakin noticed how her right hand had now drifted beneath the edge of the bar. She held the glass out to him now, offering it. "Moogan Tea, darling."

Anakin could sense the way the Force seemed to shift around him, like uneven steps. Whatever he did next would be wrong. And she didn't look like someone who'd just let him leave.

He grabbed the drink with her fingers still grasped around it. A simple graze but it was enough — Anakin could feel like pieces of the Force were being unraveled within him like string and then violently shoved back in. 

"Jedi!" She hissed. A crisp line of icy blue light rounds his periphery. A simple breath and release is enough for Anakin to call his lightsaber from his hip and intercept the vibro ax barreling to his left ear. The short weapon's hilt is connected to the sure grip of a now seething bartender, her amber eyes burning into him. "If you know what's good for you, you and your religious vampires will keep that shit away from me and leave."

Her weight shifted so her entire body faced Anakin and an angry energy current rushed between them. She brought the glass forward, palm facing the front of his chest. His vision shifted sideways to see her hand a hairsbreadth from touching his skin.

"Clearly, I'm not leaving." Anakin taunts as several patrons begin to leave the bar. "But I'm not sure if you can afford to loose more this early in the night."

Frustratedly, she chucked the drink at him which he waved of with the Force and it crashed to the ground ceremoniously.

Around them the crowd remains startled, however only enough to move their leisure to the periphery of the club. "Classy place." Anakin chides. "I just need an audience with the Buyer and I'll be out of your very long hair. I came with compensation."

The bartender doesn't acknowledge the comment and sets down her vibroaxe at her side. A dulled buzz begins to fill the room as customers return to their conversations but Anakin sees how she still counts the empty tables.

With his weapons secure Anakin stands slowly and gathers himself before leaning over the bar. "I'm pretty persistent as far as Jedi's go so you either can try to kill me now in your very nice night club or hook me up with The Buyer so you can be rid of me."

"Pretty boy like you, would be such a tragedy to kill." The woman thought for a moment and sighed before activating her comlink. "GiGi, prepare a suite for a night companion."

"Certainly, doll."

"This way." Anakin swallowed thickly as he followed behind the woman who had only moments ago attempted to chop his head clean off and now began to lead him past thoroughly pleased patrons towards a passage leading to a door covered in kibo flowers. Anakin noted how the male patrons watched him with jealousy and longing as he and the bartender neared the doorway.

"So The Buyer is a Doll? One of the dancers?" Anakin surmised.

"You could say that. You just have to pay for all the bells and whistles." She opened the door to reveal a large room cushioned with couches and benches of odd shapes and seat arrangements (Anakin couldn't begin to fathom how one would sit comfortably there) surrounding a large bed. No sooner than Anakin's eyes could register the furnishings a servant droid bounced into his vision.

"Oh, please do make yourself comfortable in any seat of your choosing." The droid offered, lifting a tray. "Do you anticipate requiring more than one towelette?"

"I'm sorry —"

"GiGi, he's not here for services. You can go back to the other girls." The bartender urged the droid. "Unless you need anything else?"

"No thanks, we're fine." A confused Anakin replied, forcing himself to relax his posture and expression. GiGi scurried off to resume serving the other clients.

"Now," she started, seating herself on the edge of the bed. "We have exactly one hour of uninterrupted and unmonitored conversation — well, 35 minutes actually until you have to assist with ensuring my patrons believe I'm worth what I charge — so let's not waste each other's time.

"My name is Myyra — The Buyer. Now, what is the Jedi Council so desperate to know?"

[dgcatanisiri]

*sigh*

Took some of the books scavenged from my bedroom at my mother's house during the move to the used bookstore today. Honestly, would have liked to have kept them, but I know me about these kinds of books - these were books that numbered as part of a series, so my completionist ass would say "if we have one, we should have the rest of the series."

And these were books published in the late nineties, so they're way out of print now. IF I could find the rest of them on Amazon, being able to find them at a reasonable price is questionable at best.

So nope. Selling them off is the solution. At least it gets me some extra money to go over and pick at the pull list from my comic store.

In fantasy land library, of course, yes, I absolutely have the complete collections of these books and include them in the rotation of reading. But, sadly, I do not have access to fantasy land library.

[lok-thuum]

if chrollo played animal crossing, some headcanons:

— probably has one of the cool exclusive switch models because shalnark saw it at gamestop and the troupe pitched in to buy (steal) it for him for his birthday

— chrollo plays animal crossing simply because other games confuse him too much. for someone who's so quick-witted and intuitive, he sure does struggle with figuring out the controls. he tried minecraft once. once.

— something he doesn't understand at first is that things reset daily and that you have to sell things to earn money; "what do you mean i can't steal this from nook's cranny? absurd." he will continue to smack rocks with his shovel until it breaks, convinced he can get more stones out of it... somehow.

— that being said, he definitely cheats. you would catch him with his nose buried in the game in the middle of winter, but it's clearly autumn in the game. you would look at him with an eyebrow raised, and he'd say the snow made his island look ugly and he refused to deal with it any longer. understandable!

— probably spends real life money on deepweb animal crossing websites, making shady ass trades with randos on the internet to earn an absurd amount of bells and rare furniture

— if you asked him who his favorite villager was, he'd give you a pensive look before bit of panic set into his eyes. he hadn't thought about that. what was the point in choosing a favorite? there were far too many to pick from, he thought.

"does tom nook count?"

you knew he simply chose tom, because not only is Tom a tanuki (just like him) but he's probably the only character who's name he ever remembers. "sure, chrollo," you chuckle, "that counts"

— his island's native fruit is apples or cherries :) but he tries really hard to collect all of them !! definitely has a bamboo forest going that he's very proud of.

— surprisingly good at decorating the homes. happy home academy loves him

— his video game interests are slim, but when he's into it, he's a completionist. dedicated to collecting every fossil, bug, creature, artwork, and recipe. especially the artwork. when redd comes to visit, chrollo doesn't realize that he sometimes sells forgeries. upon realization that he spent his hard earned bells on fake art, he nearly throws his switch across the room. his google search history then looks something like :

"how to kill in animal crossing"

"acnh murder in game"

"how to steal from redd anch"

"using nen on acnh", and

"how to kidnap and hold animal crossing villagers for ransom"

— he's a fairly brave man, but few things scare him more than, ironically, the in-game spiders. he tried to catch a tarantula once, but when it jumped him and knocked his character out, he decided then and there he'd never go near one of those things again.

"chrollo, those things sell for like 8,000 bells. it's worth it to try and catch them..."

"and put myself and my island residents at risk?" he would retort, entirely serious. he genuinely believes that you can die in the game and lose all of your save data, because phinks told him so, and it's funnier this way. no one on the troupe wants to break it to him.

"this isn't greed island, dear.... it's.... animal crossing....."

"precisely. this is much higher of a risk."

— his eyes genuinely teared up when he got knocked by wasps. you thought you saw a tear slide down his cheek. but the sigh of relief he emitted when his character woke up again was rather cute

— when he figured out you could do face paint, he immediately made his little tattoo as a design. he needed your help, a lot of help, but it turned out pretty nice. the frustration of navigating his boomer technology knowledge washed away when you saw the smile on his face once it was accomplished. worth it.

in conclusion, i just think it would be neat. :)

[jasperswh0re]

Savior [Raylan Givens x reader]

aaand yes i went ahead and made a part two for this. will this be a series? no clue :) hope you all enjoy nonetheless

Summary: You see Raylan Givens again at a bar

Warnings: Physical fights, drinking, creepy guy

Word count: 1,702

part one

---

The cold countertop felt fresh against your burning cheek. You paid no mind to the clinking sound near you, along with the loud voices from the back of the bar. It had been a long day at work. You needed a drink.

"You doing alright there, hon?" The bartender asked. She was sweet. You always enjoyed her company. "Are you actually going to order something tonight?"

You lifted your heavy skull and sighed. "Long Island iced tea, please."

The drink was sat in front of you in a matter of seconds. You took your time sipping on it, watching the bustling bar crowd around you. Well, as bustling as a bar was in this state.

You found that people in Kentucky drank differently. They were quiet. Came for peace after a long shift, similar to you. Of course, there were always the assholes creeping on women or the loud young women who were celebrating their 21st. Every bar had them.

But for the most part, they were quiet. Calm. You preferred it over the bars in Oregon.

Cool glass now empty, you left the barstool behind to play some pool. You weren't terrible at the game, it was fun for a completionist like you. A part of you hoped you had someone to play with. Hell, even someone to spend time with outside of work. But moving down to Kentucky had you entirely cut off from your Oregon life. No friends.

Just a family you were not determined to see anytime soon. You were thankful they had no idea of your presence. You intended to keep it that way.

"Don't I know you?" Someone said behind you. You didn't recognize it immediately, assuming they were talking to someone else, but you rolled your eyes at the male that was attempting to hit on you.

"Probably not..." You said in an annoyed tone. You leaned on the cue and turned to see a very familiar man wearing an even more familiar cowboy hat.

"Oh that's a shame," Raylan said sarcastically, but a smile sat on his face. "I was trying to find the owner of this-" He held up your silver bracelet. The one stolen from you weeks ago.

"Marshall!" Your eyes widened. "What in the world... You were trying to find me?"

"Not inherently," Raylan placed the bracelet in your palm and leaned against the pool table. "I did get it back from that asshole after the whole... ordeal."

Raylan paused. A part of him wanted to admit that yes, he was trying to find you. Something about you had his mind running a mile a minute. Tim took notice of his distractedness during work, so he figured, why not find you? It took a while but he stumbled upon you on accident. The one time he wasn’t actively searching for you.

"I figured you wanted it back... for uh... sentimental value."

"That's too kind," You smiled down at the jewelry. "Thank you, Raylan."

You guys stared at each other happily. Somehow, the distance between you had nearly vanished. A sense of wanting washed over you both. You wanted more. He wanted more. Though, you guys weren’t sure what you wanted more of.

And more you each received.

The coming weeks were full of Raylan running into you (or meeting you, on purpose) at the same bar. Sometimes he would arrive all scuffed up from a day at work and others you could see regret in his eyes.

Raylan didn't bring up his days at the Marshall Service very often. You were the first person he knew outside of law enforcement and Harlan. You weren't a criminal, either. So he figured he would bring it up as little as possible. It made everything easier.

He found you mildly interesting to say at the least. You were a small-town person, he was too but his definition certainly didn't match yours, and you grew up a simple life. You didn't talk much of your family but rather ambitions, goals, and everything in between.

You're a calm person, he realized. Way more collected than any person he's met. You aren't wild. You go with the flow. You don't step out of line. You were no goody-two-shoes and definitely not a criminal, he could spot someone shady about a mile away.

You were just... laidback. Even when he showed up with a swelling face and a bloody nose, you wouldn't scold him or make a fuss. If he didn't want to talk about it, you would know.

Instead, you’d take care of him. He never had a say in, either. It didn't matter if you had to take him to the men's restroom to wipe away the blood and sweat. You were there for him that night, no questions asked.

Raylan found peace in this. Any night that he saw you, calm flooded his body. It was like you were an escape from his day-to-day life. It was like you knew exactly what he was thinking.

Slowly but surely, this was how he began to fall for you. More time passed and he was in deep. Your meetups at the bar became a consistent thing. Every Friday night. And every Friday he got to know you a little more.

"So you haven't told me this yet," Raylan set his whiskey on the counter. "Why did you move to Kentucky... of all places? You're from Oregon. I think it's neat... so why here?"

Your calm exterior faltered for a moment. Raylan was quick to pick up on it.

"Just..." You looked to the side, avoiding his eyes. A hard mask replaced your previous expression. "No reason in particular."

"That's a little hard to believe..." Raylan's eyebrows furrowed. 

“Trust me,” You flashed an unconvincing smile. “I’ve read up on you cowboy. I saw an article about your little-” You made a motion of a gun shooting with your fingers- “Down in Florida. Is that why I’ve never seen you ‘round here before?”

Raylan’s concerned face didn’t drop, but he slowly answered you, “Yeah. That’s why I’m down here. Why won’t you answer my question?”

You slammed your drink on the counter and snapped, “I never ask you questions, Raylan.”

He lifted his brows and held up his hands defensively. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could get a word out, a taller man blocked his vision of you. 

“Is he bothering you, cutie?” The man said. He was drunk as hell. “Let me take you out of here. No problem, no stress.”

Raylan glared at the figure in front of him. More than anything, he wanted to yank on the dusty flannel and shove him into the row of drinks behind the counter. He restrained himself. 

“No thanks, we’re okay,” You pursed your lips into a thin line.

“Come on...” He drawled and reached out a hand to touch your shoulder, but a hand yanked it away.

“Don’t touch,” Raylan warned. 

“Oh? What... are you their boyfriend?”

“Raylan,” You glared at him. “Don’t be stupid.”

“Yeah, Raylan,” The man teased. 

“Personal space is of the essence,” Raylan trained his eyes on the man. “Touch them again...” He breathed through his teeth. “You don’t want to find out.”

“Did you just threaten me?” The man leaned towards Raylan, their faces inches apart. Raylan didn’t answer him. “That’s what I thought...” The man turned around again, grazing his fingers across your bare knee. 

Raylan took that as an invitation to swing a fist into his head. He warned him. You leaned backward in surprise when the man stumbled, hitting his head on the counter. You could only watch, sipping on your whiskey, as the man tackled Raylan to the ground. You warned him.

The bartender forced the two men outside to fight and you didn’t follow right away. You finished your drink, eyeing the bartender who was staring back at you as if to say, “Aren’t you going to follow him?” 

Realizing that it wouldn’t go well, you dropped your head in defeat. Damn it Raylan, you thought. You gulped the rest of the alcohol and slowly walked out of the bar. You took your time, not exactly eager to see the rest of this fight. 

The cool breeze hit your skin. You loved the Kentucky breeze. Tobacco scent filled your lungs as you stared up at the golden sky. The only thing interrupting this peaceful moment was the sound of grunting and punches being thrown. 

You looked down to see Raylan getting his ass kicked. He shielded his face from the punches, his hat was a few feet away from his head. Your eyes flickered between him and the hat for a few seconds. Eventually, you walked past the fighting boys and grabbed the hat from the brim. How it managed to stay on while he was tackled... You hadn’t a clue. Every time you saw him this was glued to his scalp. 

Your fingers traced the tan object. You liked how it fit him. Somehow, he pulled it off well. But Raylan could pull anything off. Even getting the starlights beat out of him. You drew a sigh and placed the hat on a nearby bench, then approached the large man on top of your friend.

“Hey!” You yelled, kicking the side of the man. He groaned, barely pausing. “Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

The man didn’t answer. You glared daggers, which seemed to have done enough. “Go on home... Go on!”

He let out a huff of frustration and left. You stared down at Raylan’s beaten body. 

“You’re an idiot.”

“I was drinking,” he groaned, pressing his palm to his temple. 

You grabbed his hat and sat next to him on the pavement. Some blood from his forehead spilled onto his hair, so you squeezed a strand between your thumb and your index finger, ridding it of the hot blood. It was a gentle gesture. All Raylan could do was stare at you. 

“So dumb...” You muttered. “Do you ever think with that head of yours?”

He didn’t answer.

“Always trying to save me...” You stared at him disappointedly. 

“Anything... for you,” The words slipped out. He froze, wondering if his words would scare you away, but you laughed. 

“Let’s go get you cleaned up, Marshall.”

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again

new month, new problems

listening Limbs by Bones UK, a song that goes hard and is for disabled girls who are only tangentially aware of the brain/body connection at any given moment. i heard this song an hour after i posted last week’s edition and i’ve had it on loop since then

My ears have been the same since I was born They are connected to my head That is connected to two lobes Where I punch holes and dangle gold

reading i’ve been bouncing off a lot of things this week so we’ll just go with the last one. Sci Spy (2002), a one-volume trade paperback i got when the local comics store went out of business. the back proclaims it as Star Wars meets James Bond but it’s more of a dark Superman AU imo?

when you read scifi, you brace yourself for a certain amount of bullshit, including misogyny. there is not a panel with the female lead that doesn’t prominently feature her ass or tits, so in that way yes it really does live up to the spirit of james bond. interior art is wildly variable in quality. plot was “what if we save the world but THIRTY SEVEN TIMES!!!” with the dumbest literal ex machina possible. the last page where our two intrepid heroes fuck made me heave a deep sigh and go lie down. really all you need to know you can get from the cover, i’m glad this died a quick death as a six-issue run

watching DECA-DENCE - the first ep is a sheer delight. i YELLED out loud at a certain bit. this is candy to me, thank you. love postapoc bio-dieselpunk, love cool prosthetics, love unlikely personal flight devices, love BIG COOL WHALE MONSTERS??? whalefall but on land send tweet

i have only watched one ep nobody tell me if the rest of it is garbage

playing the outer worlds

main game- i want to write a longer post at some point contrasting it with new vegas’ ideas of political change- you sort of have to talk about this and fnv in the same breath, not only bc they are made by some of the same people. parvati got the good ending and that’s all i really care about. don’t really understand why ppl are into vicar max but go grandpa i guess.

did the procrastination thing of running around and completing all the sidequests before doing the final boss fight, i do not think i could do a no-fast-travel run of this game. even tho the individual worlds aren’t all that large, it’s just. a lot of backtracking if ur a completionist. i don’t think i got all the named weapons or ship collectibles but whatever.

now that’s what i call a fuckin telescope. LOOK at that counterweight. but how the fuck do you conduct astronomy on a rapidly spinning asteroid??? in a valley??? how the fuck does that work??? please explain??? also you can’t like. do a german flip on that. is it only pointed the one way forever bc of the giant building behind it or what.

peril on gorgon dlc: i am finding it a deeply and profoundly upsetting detective story. i’ve spent the whole game fighting against the corporations and seeing evidence of how they don’t care about anything but profit, i don’t need to be convinced any more. i do not know if we needed to really go into that much detail and body horror and dehumanization. extremely difficult to play in one sitting, not just lengthwise but also the emotional toll. i can’t quite tell what it’s trying to say that’s different or more nuanced that the rest of the base game? maybe it’s different if you dip in and out of the DLC as you play the main game, which is not what i did.

making hardcorestitchcorps’ Wretched Hive sampler. i made one of these last year as a housewarming present for two dear friends. my sister also demanded on even though she’s been living in her current apartment for a year and a half. no real idea of how i’m going to ship this to her but that’s a problem for future kay. the backstitching around all the buildings was tedious as fuck last time and i’m not looking forward to it a second time- i’m backstitching around the letters in 20-min chunks while i listen to a podcast that takes up most of my brain.

[bioticsandheadshots]

* Varric talks a lot of shit about Sebastian. Lol

Blackwall: Sera and I were just talking about you. We need you to settle a question for us.

Solas: (Sighs.) Sera's involved? So this question will be offensive.

Blackwall: Yes, probably. Sorry.

Blackwall: You make friends with spirits in the Fade. So... um, are there any that are more than just friends?

Blackwall: If you know what I mean.

Solas: Oh, for... really?!

Blackwall: Look, it's a natural thing to be curious about!

Solas: For a twelve-year-old!

Blackwall: It's a simple yes or no question!

Solas: Nothing about the Fade or spirits is simple, especially not that.

Blackwall: Aha! So you do have experience in these matters!

Solas: I did not say that.

Blackwall: Don't panic. It'll be our little secret.

Solas: Ass.

Blackwall: Now who's twelve?

* omg, did I find an Anders hideout? On second thought, no, definitely not Anders.

* Man, Bull is getting it. I've got some ladies discussing "thanking him" multiple times and walking funny. /dies

* I’ve had no trouble with any of the astariums so far, except that stupid cross one in Storm Watch - Bellitanus. 

* Okay, so I’ve played about 30 hours so far (I am slow and a completionist, don’t judge) and I just...it’s missing the oomph that made the others so good. If I wanted to play an open-world exploration game, I’d play a title by Bethesda. I come to Bioware for strong story with impact and loads of feels and, so far, DA:I is missing that.

* Note to self: never get lost in a canyon. I got so turned around and ran in so many circles in the Forbidden Wastes.

* Fergus Cousland is the teryn of Highever! It made me so happy to see his name there! (Will forever be emotionally attached most to my warden)

* Cullen’s choice of solutions for war table missions range from quite reasonable (trampling the noble’s fields to help refuges because said noble is an ass) to very amusing. 

“We can’t prove the Divine is dead, but we could escort people to the crater to see it for themselves.” - I could not stop laughing. 

* Crafting is so fucking confusing. I have an upgrade (Shrewd Limbs) but it doesn't say what it's for (unlike ones that say heavy armor only, for example) and I have checked all 3 types of armor and it doesn't show up anywhere. The interface/mechanics of crafting is just super obnoxious (and I normally like crafting, I have a master crafter in ESO)

* Ooh, found some Warden Battlemage Armor and so far, it's my favorite.

[pearlcrysta]

Blade and Soul - Reason #xyz why i choose f2p in online gaming

Blade and Soul

If I can describe the feeling you get while playing this game... without bothering anybody, would be impossible. It would be akin to a naive person hanging around an abusive relationship that keeps pummeling you down, over and over, with each major maintenance/update... and you still god-forsakenly hope things might get better in the future.

But they never do.

NEVER.

Because today, 17/10/2017, they have done it! The company running Blade and Soul has managed to piss off nearly their entire player base, whale and non-whale. *slow clap*

Achievement is too great to surpass!!!

(You can skip italics to get to my actual rant)

I know a lot of people are confused what blade and soul is --- an RPG game, with a dungeon system, cliche plot and all-too-familiar online RPG mechanics. If you’re playing the NA and EU variations, the first thing you’ll notice is the LACK OF INVENTORY SPACE that makes a completionist’s life... HELL. If you playing NA and EU variations --- you need to pay real $ to unlock the wardrobe function. 

Let me tell you - half my f-ing inventory is clothing that i could have stored in a wardrobe if i paid cash. But i refuse to pay a company that constantly treats its player-base like a money-bank and does not improve or is willing to improve its game quality. 

Plus, I’m a cheap ass gal, I’d rather buy full PC-games since I know that for a certain amount of cash, I get x amount of carefully crafted content. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing in addition.Thing is with paying $ in online games, it can cause major addictions - after the company’s fuckery of today, i’m nearly livid at how much money some people are willing to spend on this game - more than hundreds, that’s for sure. 

Anyway. 

Never have i seen such a shitty company, promising things in a future update, then literally dumbing down changes less than 24 hours before patch release. But dumbing down changes to the point that the people who thought these changes were going to happen and prepared for it are now losing SERIOUS in-game currency, some even actual cash.

ACTUAL CASH.

Radiant Energy - it’s an in-game item that will be replaced in the upcoming patch. It costs around 12G in the game’s marketplace, sometimes going up to 17G after the news of the patch release changes. The item was told it’s going to be exchanged with another  - sort of like a conversion, if I may say so. People were cool with the idea. The new converted items that will replace radiant energy would need a certain amount to create/enhance gems that are super helpful in powering up your character. People - evidently - tried stocking up before the maintenance with Radiant Energy.

* Today, in-game gold currency that can be changed into “paid” currency was renewed. The minimum ratio today is of 1:2, when it’s been 1:3 for many months. Basically, for 10G gold one could exchange the amount to minimum 30 HC (-3 HC fees) -> resulting in a nifty 27 HC for every 10 gold exchanged. Today, 10G -> 20 HC (-2 for fees) = 18HC minimum. ((Luckily, people buy gold ass like crazy, so the ratio can sometimes drop back to 1:2.80 or 1:2.90 -- lol, luckily))

Hongmoon Store --- Radiant Energy is sold for 30 HC each, that is over 10G converted amount of gold with the newest in-game currency. 

* Today, announcement on forums. For every Radiant Energy you have, you will be able to exchange it for 10G after the newest patches/update happening tomorrow.

* 1 Radiant Energy = 10G exchange after update.

* Today: Radiant Energy in Hongmoon Store = 30 HC -> More than 10G exchanged with the new currency at 1:2 ratio.

* Today: Radiant Energy in marketplace -> minimum was 12G-13G before new announcement. (some paid 17G or more for each items)

All these changes were confirmed by twitter/ twitch stream/ forum and website many days ago. 

All these changes were confirmed by people in the company, legit ones representing it many days ago.

It wasn’t rumored - it wasn’t players making up rumors of changes in this patch.

Hour before new update comes, these changes were modified

1 Radiant Energy = 10G conversion after update.

In conclusion: players who wanted to trust a company’s words that the future update they handle will contain all that they advertised and presented for a fucking week have been duped and lied to. 

It’s like those online clothing shops where you see a dress that looks amazing and pink, then you get delivered a blue dress that’s the wrong model and cost less on the market than the value initially admitted.

THAT’S how shitty the situation is.

And that’s why i am so happy that I don’t support this shitty-ass company. Even though... my god, Act 4 in this game happens to be my favorite. T-T Damn, the graphics can be so nice and lovely. And the skills.

For warlocks, they look super nice and it’s interesting to hang with people in guilds. But... MAN.

The company is the worst.

It’s literally the opposite of Cheritz, the Mystic Messenger otome game company. Think of BnS company as the total opposite of Cheritz. If there was a spectrum of comparison, the lowest bar would be BnS company (worst than Nexon at this point) and the highest would be Cheritz.

Gosh, I recommend this game to play casually, but to actually invest time, money, effort in it is... sometimes feels like a rip-off and a bad relationship u should get out of. 

Game is glitching hard.

Game lags. I have friends with high PING usually that complain of the lag since a few updates ago. I always lag so this news to me makes me LAWL. Lag is my life in BnS.

Game can’t do a proper maintenance, time always extending sometimes in hours.

Sometimes, they fuck up the updates on maintenance. (remember the fee to pay for every dungeon run reward mistake? The lvl 55 boss monsters when ur char is just 50? The event items that were glitched into another event item and people sold it, just to learn they could have kept the faulty item and convert it after another unplanned maintenance?)

Or right, sometimes the game has “emergency maintenances”. Right after finishing 5+ hours maintenances. Cause they fucked up a lot.

Sigh...

Only thing keeping me in BnS is NPC Yu Chun and my buddies in guild. =.=

I’m lucky that I’m too gold poor to be majorly affected by the company’s screw up, but i feel bad for other players who trusted the wrong people and their shifty announcements. 

[prussianvenom]

Ehoge

Alfred walks in on Kiku during her quality alone time, things escalate

Nothing had been happening all day. Absolutely nothing. It was a boring, bullshitty kind of day. Alfred sighed and tossed on his couch some more. All his other friends were busy doing something, too busy to spend any time with their good friend Alfred. The blonde attempted to entertain himself throughout the day but it was pointless.

Movies, comics, porn. It was all just bleh.

So he figured to waste the rest of his day numbing his mind with computer-generated fun times. What should it be today? Mass Effect? World of Warcraft? He was feeling particularly lonesome so he figured an MMO or something should do fine. So the chubby American sits down and boots up some good ol Overwatch.

He was feeling good. Had some good games, good matches, managed to keep his main for most of the matches. But...And there's always a but when it came to this game. It started with someone bagging his main. No big deal, he was pretty alright with Reaper and D.va, he could deal fine. BUT. Then everyone refused to be a healer, causing everyone else to get more aggravated as the match went on. To top it off the person who stole his main couldn't play him worth a shit!

He had enough. He needed his ace in the hole, the Zenyatta master of disaster, Kiku. He did a quick check to see if she was online. She was, of course, and quickly sent her an invite.

‘Hey, Kitty Kik!!! You wanna help me with some OW matches? Ppl are taking 76 and taking the piss, I need to level up ykno???? And I know you need to level up too! Get them loot boxes!! Get that new bitchin Dva skin right??? If you help me out I'll buy it for ya ;))))’

That should do it. He knew Kiku was dying to get all the skins, being the completionist she was. She was itching to get one of those shiny bug ones for Dva, being the last that she needed.

Alfred went back to his game and waited for Kiku to reply. A good half hour passed before he went to check his messages. Maybe she was having computer troubles. It didn't say what she was playing. She could also be working of course. What other reason was there? She would never leave him hanging like this, especially when it came to gaming and the promise of skins.

He should help her out! What kind of friend would he be if he let his best friend and her computer suffer? So he jumped in his super sweet ass and car and sped off to the rescue.

When he got to Kikus apartment flat it was….unusual. There was…an aura surrounding the door. Alfred began to feel nervous. No, no way, we’re talking about the great Al of the amazing US of A. He's not nervous. Just... Increasingly concerned for his friend. He knocked and got no answer. He knocked louder and got no answer again.

Okkkk, he was nervous. This was even less like Kiku. He knew she was home, her bike was out front. What's wrong? Was she in the shower? Did she leave her laptop open? No, someone as meticulous as Kiku wouldn't let her computer on and out like that. What if….What if there was some sort of crazy ax murderer in there right now holding sweet precious Kiku captive?!?!?!

Alfred ready to barge through was about to shoulder through the door, but when he grabbed the handle it was unlocked.

Well

Hmm

An ax murderer would have locked the doors right?

Kiku would too though….

The plot thickens.

Alfred peered in and tiptoed into the small living space. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary. He snuck around some more, on the off chance there was some sort of ax murderer just chilling. Shit! What would he do if there was some sort of psycho in here?!

A sound.

A soft groan came from the direction of Kikus room.

Alfred froze. It came again louder this time. It didn't sound like a big ax-wielding murdering man. It was too soft to really discern what it was. It did sound like one of distress. Alfred willed himself, sure that he would be able to take on whatever foe there may be. Alfred sprung into action and busted through the bedroom door like a bat out of hell.

At this moment Alfred realized a couple of things. She could be busy, didn't notice the message, could have been on a walk. Could've been home this entire time and didn't have to answer him. Also, this had to be some form of breaking and entering. It was at this moment Alfred realized why she was not paying attention to his messages.

She was indeed busy with other things… at the… moment….

There, disheveled on the floor, loosely covered in a blanket, pink and sweating in front of her laptop was Kiku. The laptop displaying very...detailed...intimate...actions.

The two froze, mouths gaping and staring blankly at each other with large owlish eyes.

Kiku squeaks and pulls the blanket to cover her body before choking out high pitch explanations and apologies. Alfred listens for a split second before the sounds started buzzing out into white noise.

It was a Kiku he had never seen before. Her black hair was matted to her sweaty red face. The red traveled from her face down her neck to the pale skin of her collarbone that she neglected to hide with her blanket. Als eyes continue to wander to laptop she was previously staring at. On the screen was a sex scene from the perspective of a girl riding a man that looked to be a classmate of hers. The classmate kind of looked like-

Kiku noticed his line of sight and slammed the laptop with such force he was sure Kiku had broken it.

Kiku stopped rambling. Her fingers clutched the blanket tightly while the other stayed shaking on top of the laptop. Her face was drawn tight and she looked like she might self ignite if she was left a second longer. It was almost cute.

Wait, no. Alfred quickly corrected himself.

Kiku was his friend.

One of his only chick friends at that. She was a good friend too. He couldn't ruin that friendship, not with those kinds of thoughts. This was a tricky situation. She was small and vulnerable in front of him. He had to handle this situation with care.

Kikus face was flushed and scrunched, her black eyes looked starry with unshed tears. Alfred could hear her soft breaths coming through her pink, teeth worried lips. He noticed the blanket was small and did not cover up all of her. A pale calf was stretched out from under the blue comforter.

Alfred's eyes unwillingly followed up the patch of skin- There's a pillow. There's a pillow? Why would she have a pillow in between her legs instead o- OH!

OHHHH!

The last of the light bulbs lit up in Al's head. His face flushed darker when he grasped the situation. Oh god. Oh GOD! Al couldn't stop the flood of images and scenarios of the lithe girl in debauched and lewd ways. Damn him, damn his imaginations. It escalated to the point of him imagining himself in place of the pillow.

Fuck.

Fuck!

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK

Kikus face shifted from quiet panic to astonished embarrassment.

He was hard.

He was fucking hard.

As if this situation could be any worse. Way to go dick. Way to fucking go, you ruin everything.

He wanted to bury himself under a rock, as he imagined she probably did too.

“Umm,” Al floundered, finally breaking the silence. “So uh, you...You weren't answering my messages. So I, uh, I got worried. Th..Thought something happened.”

Alfred felt so stupid. It sounded so dumb when he said it out loud.

Kiku blinks before opening the laptop to check. There on the steam page was a slew of messages from her blonde friend in varying degrees of concern. She chuckles quietly and holds her face in hands.

“I...Was too distracted to notice I guess.” Kiku answers jokingly.

“So..What uh, what were you playing?” Kiku slapped her laptop close in a knee jerk reaction and looked off to the side.

“I'm not going to make fun of ya, if that's what you think.” Alfred fiddled with his fingers. He looked a bit like a kid Kiku thought.

“It...It's a dating sim.” Kiku admitted.

“That didn't look like dating.” Kiku huffed out a breathy laugh.

“That's what people do when they date, don't they?” Al bit his tongue.

“W-were you, um, I mean. Was I…Did I walk in on you, y'know...having a good time?” Alfred was going for nonchalant when he asked. Tried to keep it cool and friendly as they both were trying to avoid the staggering amounts of elephants in the room.

Kiku groaned and pulled the blanket over her face.

“You came to check on me right?! Y-you did, I'm fine! Now you, you can go home!”

Alfred was sure she was trying to sound angry but to Alfred it almost sounded like she was embarrassed and even...pleading?

No. Al needed to stop. He needed to leave now..but...he needed to confirm one thing before he left.

“Ok, ok, but hey...It might be my imagination...but...that uh, character, was it meant to look like me?”

Kikus head shot out of the blanket

“Is it a coincidence? Or?”

“W-what?!” Kiku looked horrified. “N-no, I, I.” Kikus face had millions of emotions breaking across it. Her face somehow managed to get redder.

“Merely a c-coincidence. I assure you.” Kiku meekly answered. She was lying. She never had a good poker face. It only made it harder for her to maintain good face when it came to embarrassing things like this.

“Kiku? Its, ok, yknow if it was.” Alfred offered soothingly. Kiku looked down at her fiddling hands. Guilt was struck in her features. It hurt to see her upset.

Alfred got on his knees to level with the small Japanese woman. Emotions he shoved down, dormant, began to swell again in his chest.

“Were you imagining me? With you?” Alfred felt like he was reaching.

His chest was tight. She was his friend, she would never be interested. That's what he kept telling himself. That was the only reason she was special. That she stood out.

That all went to hell when she looked up at him with honest, glassy black eyes.

He had a crush on her. He probably always did.

He inched a little closer when Kiku said nothing. She leaned forward to reach him.

“Well...You, you are an attractive, outgoing man. Or at least I think so, a lot of women, would, would…”

“Kiku?”

Alfred jumped out of his skin when Kiku gently pushed her lips against his. As soon as the connection was made it ended.

“Kik-?”

“I love you,” Kiku confessed abruptly. A beat passed.

Kikus face showed a spectacle of emotions as her brain caught up with her words. Before she could duck away into the blankets in embarassment Alfred grabbed her excitedly by the shoulders.

“Holy shit Kiku!!!” Alfred exclaimed, face lighting up in pure joy. “Dude! I love you too!” He pulled the now laughing woman into a warm embrace. Kiku was still laughing when he pulled back and kissed her again.

When they pulled back the awkwardness was beginning to worm its way back into the situation.

“I guess that answers my question huh?”

“Oh..” Kiku laughed bashfully and nodded.

“So…” Alfred inched closer, their knees bumping together, “Were you thinking about having sex with me?” Al winked.

Kiku giggled and slots her knee in between his. “Perhaps.”

“Perhaps? I doubt that pillow will say the same.” Al stared pointedly at the abuse pillow still squeezed between Kikus pale thighs.

“I-”

“Kiku~ Do you want to ride me like that?” Al pointed to the laptop.

“I, no, I mean-”

“Kiku, Kiku,” Al stroked her neck gently. She jumped at the touch. He could feel her heartbeat hammering in her veins. “All you have to do is ask.”

Kiku smiled weakly at the others playful attempt to ‘woo’ her. Kiku leaned into the palm at her neck. It was surprisingly cold compared to her heated skin. She moved off the pillow to be slotted at the knees with the other. She mimicked the movements of the other. Moving to caress the blondes cheek and neck.

“You did not give me the impression that I could until now.” Kiku attempted to copy the sly smirk. Alfred in turned blushed. Kiku felt goosebumps rise under her fingers.

“Well, the answer is yes if you are asking.”

“I...I am asking.” Alfred's hand began to quiver against her nape.

“Fuck Kiku.”

Feeling emboldened and dumb from the blood rush, Kiku surged against the man. Their mouths clashed together. Years of repressed feelings and tension between them flooded forth. Al felt light headed. He would never tell the small beauty this, but he imagined this sort of moment so many times in his lonesome.

God, she was so much softer than he imagined. He felt her fingers curl into his t-shirt and christ almighty he was barely able to restrain a moan...Barely. The hands curled and pushed the shirt up incessantly. She pulled away, a string of saliva still connecting him and her wet lips.

“Can I?” Kiku asked quietly while tugging at Al's shirt.

Al nodded dumbly and lifted his arms to allow the girl to pull off the offending article. Kiku sat back for a moment and stared. She wasn't sure what she was expecting. The last time she saw him shirtless he was chubby and well, looked like what you'd expect for someone who gamed and snacked all the time. She wasn't expecting lean muscle and sun-kissed skin.

��When did, I mean,...wow.” Al looked confused before looking at himself in understanding.

“Oh, yeah, I uh, got a little self-conscious towards the end of high school. Wanted to do better for myself, impress the ladies and stuff y'know. Did, did it work?”

Kiku smiled and held the blondes face in her hands . He was a prideful guy. Always was. Boastful and cocksure for as long as she knew him. She never thought that he'd ever take someone's words so serious. Kiku kissed him gently.

“I am indeed impressed...I always was impressed. You changed yourself for your health and that's amazing, but...I've had a crush on you since we were sophomores Alfred. I don't need to be impressed by anything, I'm attracted to you in any form.”

Al looked heart-stuck. He was playing with her but her unbidden praise caught him off track.

“Woah, Kiku, I-” Kiku pressed a finger to his lips.

“I...I've been wanting this for years, Al, please.”

Kiku raised her arms. Al caught on quickly and lifted the crumpled tank top off. Fuck, oh fuccckkk, Al felt like he got the wind knocked out of him. She had nothing underneath the shirt. She was sitting there in all her glory. Pale, glowing and untouched. She was perfect. Soft around the edges. Airbrushed and pink.

“Holy shit.”

Kiku giggled and kind of covered herself awkwardly with her arm. Al frowned and tried to soother her arms down. The did and she pushed out her chest slightly as she did so. Alfred wanted to believe she was doing it on purpose. She leaned back on her hands, back curving forward towards Alfred's hands. Alfred locked eyes with her to get some sort of permission. Kiku smiled . Al tentatively reached out and barely touched the soft swell of her breast. She shuddered slightly but said nothing. Al took it up a notch and cupped both of her breasts. She wasn't bursting at the shirt seams by no means like a lot of the other girls they knew, but it was her. She might've had a smaller cup size, but, Alfred was enjoying himself. Boobs are boobs. And hers, hers were so so soft. They were soft and warm and Kiku began to react so nicely to him. She began to moan softly and move into the hands as they kneaded into her flesh. Playing with her nipples teasingly through his fingers. He pinched and twisted the hard pink nubs between his thumbs and forefingers. Kiku gasped and groaned.

Alfred moaned quietly. He was feeding off all her delicious reactions. Kiku grasped one of Als hands and bucked her hips. Without the pillow she had nothing to find purchase on as he assaulted her chest. Every reaction set him further on fire. Each gasp and cut off whine pushed him farther up the wall. Her pale porcelain skin was worked to a deep blush by his hands.

It wasn't enough

He leaned forward and took one of the dusky pink nipples into his mouth. Kiku squeaked in surprise. He swirled his tongue around the nub, occasionally teasing it in between his teeth. Kiku whined and threaded her long fingers into Alfred's hair, gripping it tightly when he began to really bite. He bit into the plush soft skin of her breast. He bit her collar bones and sucked. He bit her neck, working her into a frenzy. He didn't stop until she was covered in spots and she was limp and spazzing in his arms.

“Al, Alfred.”

“A-Ah? Sorry I got carried away Ki-” Kiku pressed her finger back to his lips. It lingers this time though, tracing his puffy wet lips, and teased the seam of his mouth.

“I, I would be embarrassing for me, if I was done in by just this.” Al looked lost once more before he laughed in realization and crashed down on the woman in a crushing hug.

Kiku squealed and laughed. They held each other in a sweet embrace. Their hands mirroring each other as they traced the segments of each other's spines, feeling every indent and groove. She could feel his heartbeat against her breast, could feel how hot his skin was, could feel his arousal a breath away from her own.

“Kiku, if that wasn't an invite, holy shit, I don't know what is. Did you mean that? Could I make you…? Just by kissing and biting you?”

Kiku nodded and Alfred groaned against her throat.

“Alfred,” Kiku breathed against the shell of his ear. “Aren't there other ‘parts’ you'd rather pay attention to?” Kiku pulled herself away.

She guided the hand from her back around her chest and lead it down her stomach and back up to the inside of her thighs. Stopping inches away from her heat. She looked up at Al from under her eyelashes and let go, hoping Al caught on. A noiseless ‘oh’ passed through Alfred's lips. He bit his bottom lip and continued up the inside of the brunettes warm thigh. Kiku shook gently as she opened her thighs to accommodate Al's body mass as he moved closer. Al choked on a held breath as he brushed his fingers against the lips of Kikus sex. Her hips lurched up toward the fleeting touch.

“Holy shit Kiku. Your-You’re so hot, “ Alfred crawled a little bit closer and pressed his thumb against Kikus clit. Kiku hips bucked up and she choked out a moan. “So, so fucking hot.” Al whispered.

His breath was hot against Kikus ear. Al pressed his thumb down more and moved it in a circular motion. Kiku fell back onto her hands and threw her head back. Alfred had to hold back a groan as he saw one of his best friends rock up against his hand.

Hundreds of emotions gushed to the surface. He wanted to, had to give this woman every bit of pleasure she deserved.

He removed his thumb. Kiku mewled for a moment before Alfred slid a finger inside her. Both moaned at the sensation. His fingers were thicker than hers and she was tight. Tight, soft, and so much hotter than he'd ever imagined.

“Oh, oh fuck, Kiku. You're so tight.”

Alfred pushed his finger deeper and wiggled it slightly. Kiku moaned out a gasp and wrapped her arm vice-like around his shoulder. She used or tried to use, the position to rut down against his hand. Alfred was enthralled, so enthralled in fact that up until this point he had neglected his own arousal. It was brought back to his attention when Kiku bumped his crotch with her knee while she was moving about. Alfred hissed and was now violently aware of his erection, as was Kiku now. Purposely this time she slid her knee against his groin. This position had her straddling his knee while awkwardly trying to keep his fingers inside of her. Alfred found it endearing as well as extremely hot. Even if it was awkward and unsatisfying.

The blonde pushed his index finger along his middle finger. Kiku grunted, voice pitching into a quiet scream when Alfred scissored his fingers apart.

“A-al~.” Kiku moaned breathlessly and clutched helplessly at the blonde's shoulders.

Al's erection was borderline painful as it strained against the clothes he still had on.

Kiku was shuddering and thrusting her hips wildly, keen on fucking herself open on his hand. Her back arched and she gripped Al's wrist in an attempt to ground herself. The action stopped Alfred From moving his anymore and slowed her hips to a near halt.

“What? Did I do something wrong?: Al quickly tried to withdraw his hand. Kiku laughed and smiled.

“No, no, not the case at all Alfred.” Kiku smiled bashfully. Her eyes wandered downwards before shooting to somewhere else.

“Hm?” Al tilted his head, “Ohhhhh,” He laughed and leaned back. “Ready for the beast I see?” He proclaimed in flagrant mock boistery.

Kiku tried and failed to suppress the surge of laughter that bubbled out of her chest. Al laughed along with her. It felt natural. Laughing naked and breaths apart. When the laughter stopped and silence fell over them again a much more comfortable air surrounded them.

Kiku wrapped her arms back around Alfred's neck and pecked the blond's cheek.

“Yes, I am,” Kiku giggled. “I am ready for the ‘beast’.”

Alfred was bursting at the seams with joy. She was perfect. She was perfect in every way. He kissed her. He kissed her with every ounce of passion he had to show. Kiku keened and reciprocated as such. With one hand holding him up he pulled down the last remaining piece of clothes between them. He sighed against Kikus lips as his erection was finally released. The girl returned the pleasant sigh when she felt his sex slide against hers.

“P, Please Al.”

Alfred held his composure the best he could as he breached Kikus insides. Her arms back were drawn taut and her fingers dug into his back like vulture claws. Alfred was a restrained pent up mess. Kiku was purring, her body humming and tight with excitement as he pressed all the way in. Alfred was losing his mind. He had to wait. He had to give her the time to adjust. The heat, the heat and the tightness, almost like a vice, was driving him quickly insane.

Kiku, sweet Kiku was so beautiful and enrapturing. She was barely recognizable. A whole new person unfolding themselves to him. He ran his hands across her back and kissed her throat until he felt her arms fall slack.

“Are, are you-?” Alfred began to ask tentatively, choking on each word that passed his lips.

“Yes!” Kiku shouted, momentarily scaring Al. “Yes, yes,” She repeated, hurried and quietly into the skin of his neck.

Heat rushed to the blondes head. He felt light headed. He, maybe too eagerly, pulled near all the way out before quickly thrusting back in. Kiku squealed and Alfred mumbled apologies under his breath. She felt so good, too good. He paused, fearing he was close to losing his composure and then again pulled back to start a steady and slow pace. Kiku made quiet noises and arched into Alfred's chest like a cat.

He could feel her heartbeat against his chest. Beating wildly like a hummingbird's wings. She moaned softly, quietly, breathlessly into the junction of his neck and shoulder. Her breath was hot and uneven. She was warm putty molding against his body, she fit him like a puzzle piece. He had never felt so complete. He leaned back so she could control the speed and tempo, he couldn't be trusted not to lose himself in her. Also, this way he could focus on touching her without the worry of dropping or misplacing her. Kiku took the freedom immediately and found that the new angle allowed her to take the blonde even deeper than before.

“Fuck! Kiku,” Alfred groaned. Kiku was picking up the pace. Her voice got louder the faster she went. Alfred grabbed handfuls of her ass to help her keep up the pace. “God, Kiku, Kiku, you're so hot. So fucking hot.” Alfred rambled

Kiku threw her head back again and Alfred followed. He bit and licked, in varying degrees to gauge her reactions. Anything that was able to leave a mark drove the brunette crazy.

“So, so fucking beautiful.”

Alfred off balanced Kikus pace with his own. Kiku didn't seem to pay it much mind thought. She was more focused on losing herself in his embrace. He wrapped one arm back around her to pull her back against his chest.

“I always thought so. Ffuucckk.” He cried out. “ you're so tight, so wet,” He paused to hastily and sloppily shove his tongue into Kikus mouth. “I love you Kiku, love you so much.”

Kiku moans and laughs, giddy, between breaths.

“I love you, I l-love you too Alfred,” Kiku attempted a more refined kiss, with fail. “You, y-you feel,” Kiku bit her lip on particularly sharp thrust. “You feel s-so good.” Kiku whimpered breathlessly.

It was said so cutely, almost shyly and full of such pure raw emotion.

Alfred felt his dick throb, positive that Kiku felt it too. Kiku ran her fingers through Alfred's blond hair, pulling softly as she did so. Alfred hisses and bucks up harshly. When she accidentally pulls too hard both moan loudly. They shared a knowing look, asking each other what they already knew. Kiku tested the waters and pulled his hair harder. In return Alfred tilted his head back with her hands, eyes closed an mouth open and agape. She continues pulling, spurred on by the rough moans coming from deep in Alfred's chest. He grapples at Kikus back as his thrust grow progressively wilder.

“I'm, I'm, cl-close Kiku. I, I-” Alfred cried out, frantic.

“O-on me.” it was barely audible.

“W-what?” Alfred slowed in confusion.

“On me, c-come on me.” Kiku repeated louder. She dug her fingers deeper into his scalp and slapped her ass against his hips brutally.

“Fuck!” Alfred nearly screamed.

He pulled the woman up and off him as quickly as his orgasm ripped through his body. The line of white hit Kikus stomach. Kiku didn't have a chance to recuperate as she was toppled by the large body man.

She was about to question what he was doing but when her mouth opened all that came out was a high pitch squeal. Alfred had three fingers immediately insider her, pistoning as fast as he could go. The other hand was spreading cum across her torso lewdly. Kiku gasps and hides her face in her hands. She feels Alfred's breath ghost over her breast before wet warmth envelopes it.

“A-Alfred, slow down.”

“No, I want to see you, want to see you come Kiku. I want to see you come on my hand. Come on Kiku, don't you hear how wet you are? Come, please.”

To emphasize his point he speeds up. The obscene noises coming from her own body made her head swirl. Kiku screams as a jizz covered hand strokes her clit in tempo with the fingers inside her. Her body runs tight as her orgasm brutally overtakes her. Her body is rod straight and jittery when it finally passes.

A moment passes. Nothing but the sound of their panting and deep breathing. Both of them were breathing sporadically, dazed, shuddering and sated. Kiku finally moves her hands and lets her body down to the floor. She caught the blonde gazing down at her pointedly. She became very aware of how she must look and felt very self-conscious about being naked and trashed in front of her crush. Boyfriend? It was hard to say. Things had moved in very rapid succession in the last hour.

“Alfred, you're staring.” Kiku mumbled. Alfred snapped out of his reverie and looked up at the ceiling. His face and neck broke out in a red flush.

“Ah, sorry, you just uh,” Alfred glanced down. “Oh shit, you're just uh,” He runs a hand through his sweat-drenched hair. “You just look, so freaking hot. I'm trying not to uh, to get hard again.” Alfred laughed awkwardly.

Kiku looked down at herself again and kind of laughed. She supposed she did indeed look a little provocative. She crossed her ankles and leaned back on her elbows to gaze up at the blonde.

“I get that same feeling when you look at me like that.” Alfred blushed and covered his face.

He laughed and sat down on the hardwood floor.

“Gosh, how are you a real person.”

Kiku laughed and picked herself up into a sitting position. She grabbed the nearby forgotten comforter and wrapped it around herself.

“Better?”

“Nah, cuz I know what's under there now. Know what all the good stuff looks and feels like and what not.” Alfred joked and winked.

Kiku smiled and pulled the blonde into the cocoon of the comforter.

“We have a lot of time to catch up on these things,” Kiku got up and pulled the other to the bed, laying down and taking the other with her. “But you need a moment yes?” Al smiles.

“Just me?”

“Ah, yes, I could use a minute or two. My legs are still shaking.” Kiku giggled.

The two laid next to each other, wrapped around themselves, silently drinking in each others warmth. It was like that until Kiku couldn't take it any longer. A question pressed to the forefront of her mind, insistent to make itself known.

“What….what are we now?” Alfred's face fell a bit.

“What..do you want us to be.”

“I love you, Alfred, I meant that. I would like to be with you.” Alfred let out a comic sigh

“Oh thank god,” He laughed loudly. “ I thought you were asking that because you might be having second thoughts or something.”

“Of course not.”

“Much better than those 2D guys right?” Kiku busted out in a loud laugh, before turning red and giggling to herself.

“Ahh, yes, of course, by a mile.” She leaned in to kiss him. No longer heated, shy, but filled with docile affection. Alfred's heart swelled. He kissed her forehead and held her tight. A 2nd round didn't happen, didn't need to. The two lulled off to sleep. Content, happy, and peaceful.