#and as disappointing as it is I can't help but give the man props

[problemswithbooks]

BNHA 423

So, I can't say I feel much of anything reading this weeks leaks.

I'm not shocked that Shigaraki died, nor would I be surprised if his death is taken back next chapter and he gets brought back to life in some way.

The thing is despite people saying Shigaraki dying messes with the themes of the story the themes have always been more then a little shaky. IDK if it's just a difference in culture, but Hori has a way of setting something up as being a big deal/theme and then doing something that completely contradicts it.

It's really no surprise he might have killed off most of the villains including Shigaraki despite setting the story up in a way where saving villains seemed to be a theme. He did the same thing with self-sacrifice being portrayed as bad, but later showing it as good.

I will say I don't necessarily agree with how some people are framing Shigaraki's death as throwing abuse victims under the bus. I do get the frustration because Hori did focus a lot of how Shigaraki was used by AfO and in a lot of stories that would be used to absolve him of guilt for all the destruction he caused. But Hori never had Shigaraki change his mind. His last words are him continuing to wish he could have destroyed more and wanting Izuku to relay to Spinner he never stopped fighting for destruction.

I think if this had been a more thought out and focused story you really could make it a great tragedy. It feels unfair that he couldn't be saved, that despite Izuku's effort, at the end of the day Shigaraki wasn't able to break away from the destruction he was manipulated and groomed into believing.

In that way I can understand the anger of some fans, because the story is essentially a tragedy framed as a simply triumphant narrative. It always felt like it wanted to have some deep meaning, and always seemed on the verge of it, but never stuck the landing. The one thing I've always been left wondering is: what is Hori trying to say with this story?, and IDK if the ending, given what's on the page right now will really give me an answer.

If anything I think perhaps Hori was trying to say to much at once. I'm sure a lot of it gets lost in translation and cultural differences, still part of me thinks he bit off more then he could reasonably flesh out. Thinking back many writing choices feel like he had an idea or passing thought and added it because it was cool or thought he'd have time to do more with it latter but due to shitty writing conditions couldn't implement properly.

[ozarkthedog]

𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬

summary: dbf!joel video calls you during a meal with your parents.

warnings: 18+ mdni. toxic dbf!joel miller x afab!reader. unspecified age gap. daddy kink. tit play. dirty talk. male masturbation. no beta. w.c: 641

author's note: spawned from the "who's your daddy?" clip and @mrsmando mentioning toxic dbf!joel. 😘

𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭 ⋅ 𝐅𝐢𝐜 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐬 ⋅ 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭

"Doin' the right thing pickin' up," Joel praises with a velvety tone as he moves his phone to rest in front of his chest.

The video screen displays his tan, aging face, slicked-back gray hair, and trimmed silver whiskers. He's reclined in a chair wearing a white t-shirt under a gray flannel button-up like he just got home from a job. "Be a good girl 'n show me those pretty tits."

Your eyes bug at his command. Thank god you stepped out onto the deck and shut the slider.

"Joel, not now. Please." You'd been eating dinner with your parents, and now you're on a video call with your dad's best friend, who's asking to see your tits.  

Not that he hasn't already seen them and every other inch of you.

"C'mon now, show me wha's mine," he pesters with a clipped, unwavering command.

You nervously peer through the glass slider and into the kitchen, praying your parents don't come outside before lifting your top and showing the older man your bare breasts.

"Thatta girl." A deep, tinny groan spills from the tiny speakers and nestles in your lower belly. Your cunt throbs at the sound. Sticky arousal leaks into the gusset of your panties as you squeeze your breasts together between your arms, propping them up for him.

"Jus' what I needed," he praises with ravenous eyes locked on the lower part of the screen, shamelessly drinking in the image of your naked chest. "Wanna get my hands on those fuckin' pretty tits. Suck 'n bite 'em until you're cryin'."

A chilly gust blows through the trees and races up your spine, making your skin prickle under Joel's heated stare. He darkly hums as your nips pucker and stands at attention for him. "Looks like someone likes bein' a slut."

Your chest heaves, breasts lightly bouncing as an intense wave of lust sends shocks rippling through your system. His body shifts, and you hear the click of his belt before his left, flannel-clad arm begins moving up and down out of frame. A gravelly moan pours from his pouty lips and drips through the speakers straight into your quivering cunt.

"Go on, give 'em a pinch."

You acquiesce, giving into his demand and your own greedy perversion, and palm one of your breasts. Your flesh prickles as you playfully circle a pert bud and lightly pinch it, letting a soft mewl tumble into the night.

"Who's your Daddy?" He asks with a throaty groan; the muscles in his neck pulse under his freckled, tan skin as he jerks his cock.

Your cheeks flame at his words, and you can't help but pathetically whimper.

"C'mon, say it, or else I'm comin' over," he states, cocking his head with a deadly smirk that tugs at the corners of his lips. "'N we both know it'd kill him to see what a lil' whore his daughter turned into."

A gasp tears from your parted lips. He wouldn't-

"Best do as you're told, pretty girl. Don' wanna disappoint me now, do ya?"

Your eyes flutter, and you nervously lick your bottom lip, making it shine under the deck light.

"Daddy."

Syrupy slick flows freely from your cunt, drenching your panties as you softly chant the word "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy" over and over to the older man. Your cunt pulses in time with his movements, wishing he was fucking his cock into you instead of his fist.

He jerks his length greedily, faster and faster, until his neck flushes like a golden sunset, his eyes pinch tight, and he comes with a hoarse growl between gritted teeth.

Ropes of white land on his heaving chest, staining his button-up. The sight makes you lightheaded, and you fall back against the side of the house, breathless.

"Next time, I'm leavin' my mark on 'em," he gruffly declares before abruptly ending the call, leaving you to stare at your pathetic, wanton reflection in the murky black screen.

feel free to scream at me -> 💌

reblogs & comments are extremely appreciated! follow @ozzieslibrary for new fic updates!

[writingoddess1125]

'Unique' Kinks

Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Buggy, Shanks, Mihawk X GNReader

⚠️ Warnings ⚠️ Sex- All types. Yeah-

MUST 18+ TO READ! 🚫

Support me on Ko-Fi! ;3

Luffy-

Biting {aka Odaxelagnia}/Food Play

• Everyone knows Luffy loves to eat, It's one of the pillars of his personality afterall

• However the extent of this is also in the bedroom. He loves to bite his significant other

- You couldn't help but blush as Luffy looked over your naked form. His eyes gleaming in a primal joy youd never seen in his gaze before. Smiling brightly and grabbing the chocolate sauce he had snagged from the kitchen he began to pour it over you.

"C-Cold!" You whimper out, But Luffy giggled at this. Leaning down were he had placed the syrup, aka your thighs and began to livk the gentle skin. Earning a embarrassed moan from you as the man continued to livk the chocolate syrup from your skin- His eyes gleamed at this as he smirked.

Giving a surprised yelp and jump suddently as Luffy bit down on the tender flesh slowly but deeply, pulling away to give a delicate kiss over the bruised skin.

"Delicious~"

• You leave every morning with new bites and bruises on your body- Especially on your thighs and throat.

• Don't dare cover then either! He wants everyone to see them and if you do will put them in places were you can't cover them.

Sanji-

Orgasm control/Begging

• This man- While he seems like a gentleman is a bastard in bed.

• He loves to tease you and make you a sobbing mess for him- Getting off by simply watching you and hearing your cries.

- It had been hours already- His fingers carefully between your legs as he forced another near orgasm from you. Tears rolling down your cheeks as you gasp in total desperation.

"P-Please Sanji!" You all but sob out, your hips bucking up to his as your legs shake from the rising build of your orgasm. Shallow gasp leaving you as you were seconds away from cumming- Before the evil man pulled his fingers away.

"Please! No no!!" You beg loudly in need.

"Aww~" He purred out, earning a desperate whimper from you as he licked his fingers clean.

"Not Yet~"

• Will let you cum- Sometimes. Depending on his mood that day.. or week

• Sometimes will make sure you don't cum for days before randomly giving you the biggest orgasm you can imagine- Savoring every moment of your blissed out state

Zoro-

Impact play/DomSub

• Zoro had a fascination when it came to you- mainly the way your skin would bounce and move when his hands slapped it.

• Your thighs being his favorite part about you.

- You grip onto the edge of the bed tightly, panting hard as the toy deep inside of you kept you from thinking straight.

"What number was that (Y/N)?" You heard Zoros voice, the feeling of his hand rubbing against the sore skin of your thighs as he inspected the reddness- His fingers working to nestle the toy back aa deeply into as possible.

"I-I lost count" You admit, your voice shaking as you hear Zoros sigh in disappointment- the thin leather of the belt rubbing across your skin.

"Guess we will have to start over" He hummed, before a quick snap of the leather across your skin drew a yelp from you- The sting paired with the arousal making you burn, a whimpering 'o-one' leaving your voice making Zoro chuckle.

"Count them out Clearly Pet~"

• Will soothe you afterwards with soft words and gentle rubs- His massive hands massaging away at the red skin

• You have to play off why it hurts to much to sit the next morning- Zoro just smirking into his drink

Buggy-

Exhibitionism/Humiliation

• This shouldn't be a surprise- Buggy loves the spotlight afterall.

• As his favorite toy he brings you everywhere with him naked as the day you were born.

- "I want the prop more to the left-" Buggy called out, Waving his hand at some crew members as they moved the massive painted prop. You however holding onto the Captian for dear life-

He'd had you seated on his cock for well over an hour now on his lap and facing him, your face delicately tucked into his shoulder- he was hitting every bundle of nerves inside you and just not moving. His fingers rubbing invisible patterns on your naked back.

You rock your hips for a second, but feel him grab your hips suddently.

"Don't be a total slut, did I tell you to move?" He growled in your ear, clearly amused by your attempt as you whimper into his shoulder.

"So Dirty~"

• Will of course fuck your brains out once you've cum a few times from just sitting on his lap or his fingers working their way between your legs lazily.

Shanks-

Wax play/Sensory Dep

• Most would expect Shanks to use something with his Haki- But no. He loves the warmth and Intimacy of wax play, for himself or his partners.

• Having a warm light basking over the both of your forms as gentle wax washes over his form

- Darkness and warmth- That's all you felt. You had been blindfolded by your partner earlier in the night. Deprived of sight and laying on your stomach in bed, feeling his hand rub oil on your skin as he said he had a special surprise. You waited in anticipation as you heard him shuffle around you-

'Drip'

A surprised gasp left you as the first few drops fell onto your skin, Warmth beading on your sensitive skin as more drops fell over your body and eventually hardening on the tender flesh.

Wax-

Feeling Shanks paint your skin in a erotic artwork of wax, how each splash and drop lit you up like fireworks. Especially since you couldn't feel were they were coming from-

"F-Fuck~"

You moan out as you feel the hot wax run down your back, pooling at the base of your back as the sensation of warmth coated your skin. Shanks chuckling at this as you felt him kiss your shoulder softly-

"A Masterpiece~"

• The best however is afterwards- He loves the sweet Intimacy of working his oiled hand over your body and taking off the wax which often tickles-

• Raveshes you in sweet embraces as you giggled from the cooled wax leaving your body.

Mihawk-

Shibari

• Mihawk likes careful control- That applies with sex as well.

• He will buy the most expensive rope he can to decorate your skin, maybe some toys also to add to his design.

- "Don't Move Little One" Mihawk purred out in your ear, His hands running over your body with firmness and confidence. The soft purple rope he had purchased in his hands as he carefully tightened it over your wrist- Warmth flooding your face as you can give only a pathetic noise.

Clearly pleased with this he tightened it further. Securing your wrist behind your head with your elbows pointed at the ceiling leaving you open and vulnerable.

"That's it~ Very good" He praised, Securing the rope around your torso and decorating it with a series of knots that made you unable to move or fuss- Long fingers working over your ass as he knotted tour legs in a bent state, forcing you to remain spread open for him to enjoy and watch.

"Last step" He hummed, His fingers brushing teasingly at your arousal- chuckling at hearing you wimper. With ease he hooked the excess rope up to the pull above and began to pull you up suspending you perfectly in the air as he walked around you- admiring your form.

"Beautiful"

• Will admire his work and take a sip of wine as he stares at your suspended form, Walking around you like you're a fine peice of art work for his gaze only.

• Will tease your body as you're left at his mercy to enjoy.

Bonus!!

Crocodile-

Voyeurism/BDSM

• To put it simply- He likes to watch..

• You are his favorite toy, his favorite thing to gaze upon like a sunset on the sea-

- You blush and whimper out a moan as you bounce on the rather large dildo under you, you'd already cum twice in 30 minutes but you couldn't let up now- especially with how excited he looked..

Crocodile Sat in a chair a few feet infront of you, a cigar to his lips as he watched your closely- The way your body jiggled and moved with each bounce of the toy, the redness of your skin- and especially the chain clasp tightned around your abused nipples. It was perfect.

"S-Sir" You whimper out, he smirks at your choice of word. Sitting forward as his fingers reached out and grabbed the chains on your chest, tugging on them.

"Faster" He commanded, a broken moan leaving you at his grasp on the clasp as you begin to bounce faster. Your cries getting louder before you sink down fully and cum- Shivering in pleasure as you look up at him teary eyed and too sensitive-

"One more go around~"

• Crocodile won't touch you, Not for a while anyway- Maybe using his sand to caress parts of your exposed form

• But eventually it will get too much for him and he will sleep with you. Rough and hard- Often breaking whatever furniture you happen to be lying on.

[goodnessgraves]

omg your answer to my last request was amazing! However I can't help but think about teasing Graves since he's such a meanie! He did say he has cameras everywhere so maybe his little wife will decide to play with herself all over the house ignoring his calls and his texts telling her to stop~ he even comes home a day early because he's so hard and mad at his little brat 💕

nnnghhhh

Imagine this;

Lighting the fireplace and getting a nice blanket, throwing on some music and propping your legs up, there’s a camera up on the mantle so you get yourself set up, propping your legs up and slipping your fingers between your thighs. soft squelching and moaning echos through the room and calls and texts shortly start blowing up your phone. You decline them all, ignoring your husband as you get off on the couch, eyes glued to the cameras he installed for ‘security purposes’. (He wanted to jack off to you while he was deployed)

About 15 hours later a very disgruntled and horny Phillip storms into the house, he’s covered in dirt, grime, and blood and nearly jumps your bones when he sees you in the kitchen, dragging you by your hair onto your knees, eye level with his hard-on.

“Fuckin’ brat, don’t even listen to a word I say. You’re lucky I don’t bend’ya over the counter and spank you until you’re crying.” He growls, shoving your face against his clothed cock, rubbing it against your face.

“Stupid fuckin’ girl, I ask so little of you and you’re still going against me, hm? I should punish you, you know that? Can’t have my little princess actin’ like a fuckin’ brat.” He hisses out, rutting against your face.

“Welcome home, daddy.” You say quietly, letting him do what he wants.

“That’s how you should greet your man, sugar. You got nothin’ in that lil head o’ yours.” He coos, patronizing. “If you did, y’wouldnt be in this situation, now would you?” He looks down at you with raised brows and crossed arms, giving you a disappointed look.

“Get to work.” He pulls your face away from his bulge.

[restlesswritings]

ATEEZ REACTIONS:

Reaction to finding out your bias

A/N: Requests are open; Pairing: Ateez Members x Fem Reader Genre: Fluff, Crack Warnings: Suggestive, Cursing Masterlists : JPOP & KPOP

Hongjoong

“Wait, wait, wait.. your bias is Mingi?!” Hongjoong asks, his hand flying to his chest dramatically, causing you to burst out laughing. “Hahaha yes! What’s so weird about that?” You ask in return, staring at your boyfriend, who is currently laying his head in your lap. “Wh-what do you mean, how is it weird?? MY girlfriend biases Song Mingi..” He exclaims in fake disgust, propping himself up on his elbow. “Don’t you want all this?” He asks with an exaggerated wink, trying to be sexy. “Tell me you did not just do that..” You say with a loud laugh as you push his chest playfully, causing your boyfriend’s laughter. “Come on jagi, I know you like all this!” He says, making kissing faces towards you, causing you to lean forward and kiss his cheek with a big smile. “I do as of matter of fact, that’s why I’m your girlfriend!” You say, causing him to roll his eyes at you with a smile on his face. "I'm so lucky" Hongjoong says, a laugh escaping your throat as you roll on top of him.

Seonghwa

After confessing that Wooyoung was your bias before you two met, you were waiting for your boyfriend's reaction but are only met with Seonghwa's silence, causing you to bite your bottom lip nervously. “So, you like Wooyoung?” He asks, confusion clear on his features. “What bahaha! No! He WAS my bias..” You say with a loud laugh, immediately causing your boyfriend to let out a sigh of relief before a look of disgust crosses his features. “He was your bias?!” He exclaims, looking down at you, with judgement. “Hey! In my defense, it was ‘Answer’ that got me!” You say with your hands up, looking at your boyfriend. “Besides, I’m yours now..” You says, wrapping your arms around his waist, causing him to smile at you. “Always” He says as he kisses your forehead before pulling back and looking at you with a smirk. "You know I'm never letting you forget that right?" He asks, causing you to laugh as you playfully smack his chest.

Yunho

"My bias is San.." You say as you looked over to Yunho as you are met with his adorably loud laughter. "Wha-" Your words are interrupted by him pulling you into his arms. "You know.. San is attractive and all but he can't make you smile like I can" He says, while shooting you a smirk, causing you to roll your eyes at your boyfriend. "Yeah.. whatever helps you sleep at night.." You say with a loud laugh, causing a look of shock from him. "Yah!" He yells and pulls you over to the couch, tackling you before his hands start tickling your sides. "I-I can't b-breathe!" You struggle to get out in between laughter. "Say 'Yunho is the only man who makes me smile'!" He says through laughter at your current position. "O-okay! F-Fine! 'Yunho is t-the only man who m-makes me sm-smile!" You say, in between laughter as tears roll down your face. "Thank you." Yunho says before pulling you onto his lap and placing a kiss on your cheek, causing you to smile at your him.

Yeosang

Breaking the long silence, Yeosang gives you a disapproving look. "Damn.. I am kind of disappointed but at least it's Yunho and not Wooyoung.." He says with his arms crossed, as he takes a dramatic breath. "I mean.." You start, causing his eyes to go wide as his jaw falls open. "Don't even.." He says as you let out a loud laugh, while wrapping your arms around his waist. "He may or may not be my wrecker.." You add quietly with a smirk on your face as you glance up at him. "Yeah, I'm disappointed jagi.. " He says, looking down at you. "Wooyoung out of everyone? I just don't get it.." He says with a look of disgust, causing more laughter from you. "Hey! He is only my wrecker... besides you're my boyfriend." You reassure, giving him a hug as he let out a small laugh, rolling his eyes. "I guess you're right, but don't tell him this information because then I won't ever hear the end of it.." Yeosang grumbles as he shakes his head, kissing the top of your head, causing you to laugh.

San

As you are going through old photos, San’s humming comes to a halt as he holds up a small piece of paper. “Jagi.. what is this?” San asks, your Jongho photo card in his hands, giving you a confused look. “Oh.. heh that’s my old bias photo card..” You state as a matter of face, going to grab the card out of his hands just as a frown overtakes his features. He raises the card above his head, causing you to jump up, trying to grab it. “Jongho is your bias???” San asks, looking like a wounded puppy, causing you to shake your head. “Awh baby, he WAS my bias.. You are now..” You say, wrapping your arms around his frame, looking up at him. After a minute of pondering, his eyes light up as he looks down at you. “Okay!” He says with an immediate smile, eyes creasing, causing you to smile at your boyfriend. “You’re so cute Sannie!” You gush as you place a quick kiss on his cheek, his face flushing, causing you to smile.

Mingi

Mingi confused you as his only reaction to Yeosang being your bias was to clap with a huge smile on his face. "Why are you so happy??" You ask, shooting your boyfriend a look of confusion, causing him to let out a deep laugh. "I can't even be mad.. I mean like I would have chosen him as my bias too!" He says, causing you to burst out laughing, as you shake your head. "That was so NOT the response I was expecting Ming!" You say, wrapping your arms around his neck, looking up at him with a big smile on your face. "How about we share him as a bias?" He asks in a serious tone, causing even more laughter to spill from your lips. "Bahahaha, yes we should!" You say through laughter, kissing his cheek, causing him to blush. "Let's go tell Yeosang, I'm sure he'd get a kick out of this!" He yells excitedly as he grabs your hand and pulls you out of the room before you even have time to protest.

Wooyoung

"Come on Woo!" You say in a whiny voice, trying to get your boyfriend to play a board game with you. "No..” Wooyoung replies with furrowed eyebrows. “Go get Seonghwa to play with you.." He continues as he takes a dramatic sip of his drink, causing you to roll your eyes at his childish behavior. "Okay I'll go see if he wants to.. play with me.." You say with a knowing smirk before you stand up and walk over to the door. As your fingers graze the doorknob you are pulled back by strong arms belonging to your boyfriend. "Oh I don't think so!" Wooyoung whines with a laugh, causing you to smile at him. "My plan worked, you're so easy to trick!" You tease with a loud laugh, wrapping your arms around his neck. "Yeah, yeah.. I guess I can get over him being your bias... only because I'm hotter though." He says causing you to roll your eyes with a laugh as you two begin setting up the board game.

Jongho

"It was you of course!" You say causing Jongho to let out a sigh of relief. "Wow.. I am really surprised jagi.." Jongho replies as his hand flies to his chest, dramatically, causing you to let out a laugh. "Really? Who would it even had been??" You ask while snuggling close to him as you two sit on the couch. "I don't know but I'm pretty relieved that you didn't bias anyone else!" He says through his gummy smile, pulling you into his strong arms, causing you to smile up at him. "You're the only one I have eyes for baby.." You say before continuing with a smirk. ".. although sometimes Hongjoong does catch my attent-" You start saying before being interrupted by a pillow softly smacking your head. "Hey!" You exclaim, looking at your boyfriend with wide eyes. "Oh sorry, I don't know why I did that!" He says with a giggle, pulling you into his arms once again, causing you to roll your eyes with a smile on your face.

A/N : They are so CUTE help! Requests are open! Feel free to request anything! <3

[random-thot-generator]

Love Thy Frenemy + Ch. 7

(Frenemies/Tenderness AU)

SEVEN: Can't Let Go

SIMON GHOST RILEY x FRENEMY FEM READER

Summary: A week has passed since the argument in the alley, and Reader's hurt has been replaced with a seething anger that leads her to make a spur-of-the-moment decision out of spite. However, her poor choices lead to a potentially dangerous situation.

(PLEASE MIND THE TAGS. This chapter could be triggering for some readers.)

Warnings/Tags: Profanity, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Bad Coping Mechanisms, Allusions to sex, Threat of dub/non-con sexual situation, Brief Violence - Reader's a scrapper, Threat of violence though not acted upon... yet, No use of Y/N

(Notes: Ngl, this was a bitch to write. I had no less than three other alternative versions of this chapter, before choosing this one, but thankfully had some help along the way. Massive props to @glitterypirateduck for the much-needed advice and input. I ended up leaving the badger out, babe, but I hope you like the chapter, regardless. 😉👍)

[Image via TENOR]

Word Count: 5020

Chapter 7

-

...I ain't tryna find fate, it's too late to save face I can't get away, maybe there's no mistakes

You break me, then I break my rules Last time was the last time too It's fucked up, I know, but I'm still

Outside of the party, smokin' in the car with you Seven Nation Army, fightin' at the bar with you Tell you that I'm sorry, tell me what I gotta do 'Cause I can't let go...

—Post Malone, 'Chemical'

-

The walk to work is nice.

Blue skies and tattered clouds arch overhead, the remnants of puddles from an early morning shower reflecting the first sun you've seen in days. The world smells fresh and green and new, the signs of spring brightening your mood. It makes you feel light, the first time in a week you've felt like lifting your head to look around.

The first time since your fight with Riley.

You push the thought away. You're not going there today. Not again. You worked through the worst of the hurt and disappointment, and now you've settled into a comfortable, quiet fury that you keep wrapped around you like a warm blanket when the chill of loneliness creeps into your bed at night. You don't miss him, you don't want him, and you sure as hell don't need him. He's just one more bitter lesson you've had to learn the hard way. You won't make the same mistake, again.

Well... not again, anyway.

A car beeps its horn behind you, and you glance back to see Jerry Finch, the lorry driver who delivers the kegs to the pub, waving at you from a black sports car. You give a half-hearted smile and wave back, your steps slowing when he steers his car to the curb.

His window rolls down, rap music thumping before he turns it down. Leaning on his arm in the open window, Jerry tips his chin down to look over his aviator sunglasses at you, a smooth half-smile on his lips. "How ya doin', Dee? Headin' to work?"

You nod, stepping closer to his car, trying to ignore the way he looks you up and down before meeting your gaze. He gives you an appreciative smile and ticks his eyebrows up, ever the flirt. You sniff in amusement and squint against the sun to see him better. "Morning, Jer." You nod at his car. "No lorry today. This your day off?"

He gives you a charming, almost boyish smile and nods. "Yeah. Had some business here in the village, though." He glances down towards the pub, then slants his gaze back to you, thumbing at his bottom lip. "I can give ya a lift, if ya like. Goin' that way, anyhow."

You hesitate but then nod in acceptance. It's just an acquaintance from work offering you a ride, nothing wrong with that. He smiles and motions for you to get in, once more letting his eyes wander over your figure while you settle yourself into the passenger seat and put on your seatbelt.

"Thank you," you murmur, glancing up at him, then away. Jerry's never been one to hide his interest, taking every opportunity to flirt with you when given half a chance. Of course, it makes you feel good to have a handsome man flirt with you, but it also makes you a little leery, too. You try to be nice, but you don't want to encourage him, something that Fiona fusses about every chance she gets.

"Bloody hell, Dee, give the bloke a chance. He's got a good job, he's good lookin', fit as fuck, an' he's gaggin' t'get with ya. What can it hurt?"

Rationally, you know Fi is right, but you can't help yourself. There's just something about him. You can't put your finger on it but being near him just feels... off. You clear your throat and look out the window, your eyes catching on a dark gray Gladiator parked in front of the Tea Room.

Riley.

You can see him standing inside through the tall Georgian windows, chatting with Margie, the owner. She's handing him a bag and a to-go cup that you know will be filled with English breakfast tea brewed strong, with a splash of milk and two sugars, the way he likes. Your heart squeezes in your chest as you watch him exit the building and get in his truck.

Riley's been avoiding the pub when you're on shift. Fiona says he's been showing up in the evening, sitting in his usual spot while nursing his Dewar's. She also doesn't fail to mention Tessa Harker has been chatting him up quite a bit lately, too. It hurts to hear it, but you only give a tight smile and mutter, "Good for him," much to your friend's irritation.

Fiona and Ollie have both noticed the way you and Riley have been avoiding each other, but apparently Riley has kept mum about the argument, as have you. You had wondered if he would spread word about your other job at the Grind out of spite, but no one has mentioned it so far, and for that you're relieved, but you're still wary of what he might do with the information.

"So, what time ya gettin' off work?"

The question draws your attention back to the big man sitting beside you. Did he notice you staring, you wonder. "Um, I get off work at five."

"Then what?" he persists, and you know where this is going.

You shrug, keeping your eyes focused straight ahead. "Then back home, I suppose."

"Come out with me, instead," he suggests, shooting another one of his charming smiles your way. "There's a nice Italian bistro in Blackheath. I deliver to 'em. Nice place, good food."

"Oh, um, well..."

He chuckles and reaches over to pat your knee. "No rush, sweetheart. Got all day t'think it over, yeah?"

Again, the feeling that something is off with him comes to the fore of your brain, but you smile, regardless. "Yeah, sure. I'll... think about it," you reply, knowing your mind is already made up. You just have to think of a nice way to let him down. Again.

Jerry gives your knee another pat, which turns into a sly caress that has you flinching away. He huffs a laugh at your reaction, giving you a playful 'just-kidding' grin, before he lifts his hand and places it back on the wheel. He has big, beefy hands, thick fingers with blunt tips, a working man's hands. You usually find that attractive, have often admired Riley's large hands and long, supple fingers, but for some reason, the sight of Jerry's ham fists curled around the steering wheel makes you feel uncomfortable.

The car comes to a stop in front of the pub, and you're quick to unbuckle your seatbelt and open the door. "Thanks for the ride, Jer," you say, one foot already resting on the pavement.

"Think nothin' of it, love. Glad t'give you a ride anytime," he murmurs, suggestion heavy in his tone. He flashes another smile at you, winking again. He does that a lot, and you find it annoying. "I'll stop by later, see if ya want to go out for dinner, yeah?"

"Y-Yeah, sure. Okay."

You get out of his car and sketch a little wave as he pulls away, then turn to head inside the pub, only to come up short. Riley's standing right in front of the entrance, arms crossed over his chest, dark eyes fixed on Jerry's car, which is now rounding the green.

"Friend o' yers?"

It's the first words he's said to you since last Sunday in the alley, and the way he says it instantly gets your hackles up. You square off with him, casting a disparaging look over him. The proper thing would have been to offer you an apology, but you know better than to expect anything like that from him. Instead, he leads with a question that sounds both accusatory and insulting, all at the same time.

Typical.

"Shouldn't you already know? That's what you're good at, isn't it? Keeping tabs on me?" you snap, glaring at him.

You make a point to bump his shoulder as you pass by him and enter the pub. He's on your heels in an instant, following you through the door, obviously irritated by your response. You ignore him as you round the bar, pulling the strap of your bag over your head before placing it on top of the bar to take out your phone and a paperback.

"Wot? Ya got nothin' else t'say, doll? Tha's not like ya."

Your eyes snap up to glare at him. "Thought we said all that needed to be said last Sunday," you hissed at him, trying to keep your voice down, knowing Ollie would be back in his office.

Simon plants both hands on the bar and leans in, his dark eyes scathing as they pin you to the spot. "I wasn't finished talkin'. It was you that fuckin' ran off," he growls in return, but manages to keep his voice to a low rumble.

Your brows shoot up in mock surprise. "Oh! How terribly rude of me. I suppose I should have stood there until you were finished insulting me." Your eyes narrowed as you sneered at him. "Fuck you for that, by the way."

He's wearing his black surgical mask today, so his angry scowl is more evident than usual. He shoves off the bar in a fit of temper, hand coming up to jab a finger at you. "Like I told ya last Sunday, me an' you need t'talk, an' this time yer goin' t'bloody listen to wha—"

Your snort cuts him off. "We have nothing left to discuss. You made your opinion of me quite clear. But hey! At least I know where I stand with you now. Don't worry, though. I'll keep my distance. Wouldn't want to embarrass you by being seen associating with a slag, right?"

"Dammit t'hell, Dee! I never fuckin' called ya that. I never thought that. Would ya just bloody lis—"

"Riley, lad!"

You both turn to see Ollie heading your way, a pleased smile on his face. Shooting Riley one last venomous glare, you turn your back on him and make for the swinging door leading into the kitchen, his frustrated growl giving you a sense of grim satisfaction as you slip through the door. Fuck him. You hope he stays pissed off for the rest of the day.

You can hear the two men talking as you go back to hang up your jacket, eyes wandering over the unused kitchen as you pass through. What you wouldn't give for a kitchen this size, and here this one sits, unused and abandoned. You had mentioned a time or two that adding a small menu would bring in more business, but since the last cook quit, Ollie hasn't been too keen to fire up the kitchen again. It's a pity, really.

"Dee, love."

You glance over your shoulder to see Ollie standing at the service window. "What'cha need, Ol?"

Mind makin' me an' Riley a cuppa an' bringin' 'em to the office?"

You frown, wondering what happened to the tea you had seen Riley with before. You shrug it off and nod. "Sure thing, Ol. Be right out with 'em."

"Thanks, love," he says, rapping his knuckles before disappearing from sight.

You rinse out the electric kettle and fill it with water, then plug it in and switch it on before grabbing three mugs and the tea tin. You consider making Riley's tea wrong, just for spite, but that would be petty, even for you, or as Riley would call it, bratty. You sniff. He's a fuckin' brat. A bratty arsehole.

You scoop instant coffee into your own mug then add the tea bags to the other two cups, before going to the fridge to take out the milk. It's become routine for you to make both men's tea, your hands going through the motions while your thoughts wander back to Jerry and his dinner invitation.

Your first instinct is to turn him down, as you have all his other invitations, but the memory of how pissed Riley looked as he watched the other man drive away gives you pause. He always did eye Jerry with open suspicion, his instant dislike of the other man never something he tried to hide. He's never said why he doesn't like Jerry, but it didn't change the fact that it would probably piss Riley off to learn you were going out to dinner with him.

Maybe you are petty after all, because now your mind has changed. You are going on a dinner date this evening after work.

Setting your mug of coffee in the window to retrieve later, you take the other two mugs with you out of the kitchen. Rounding the bar, you head towards the narrow hallway that leads to the bathrooms and Ollie's office, walking slower to not spill any of their tea. You can hear their voices through the door as you stop to announce your presence. It's Riley who opens the door for you, not bothering to move out of your way as you slide past him with an irritated expression.

"Move, ya big lump," you grumble lowly, which gets a soft sniff of amusement from him. Arsehole.

"Ah, thanks, love," Ollie says, reaching out to take his mug. You set Riley's on the edge of his desk near the old club chair where he always sits. "Mind closin' the door on yer way out?" Ollie asks.

You give a nod, turning around to see that Riley is still standing in your way. You go to step around him, and he steps in your way again. You blow out an aggravated breath and raise your eyes to his, the urge to shove him again making your hands twitch. When he quirks a brow up at you, you grit your teeth and glare at him. Then an idea sparks in your brain. You look back over your shoulder at your boss.

"Say, Ol. Ya mind if I cut out a little early this evening? I've got a dinner date with Jerry the lorry driver."

Ollie nearly chokes on his tea before he manages to get his cup set down on his desk. His sharp eyes dart between you and Riley, an odd expression on his face as he tries to make sense of what's going on. He finally clears his throat and gives a curt nod. "Yeah. Sure, love. No problem."

You give him a sweet smile that turns spiteful when you turn your head back to the man in front of you. "Thanks, Ol," you reply, meeting Riley's furious glare. "Excuse me. Need to get back to work."

You can see his hands balling into fists, and it sends a thrill of sadistic glee through you. You'd rather die than look away from him right now, a smirk appearing when he has to hold his tongue and step aside for you. By the time you reach the hallway and close the door behind you, you're damn near giddy. The smirk on your face grows to a full-on wicked grin by the time you reach the bar again.

Satisfied with the good, hard poke you've just given the proverbial bear, you begin your prep work, humming a catchy pop song under your breath.

-

You manage to avoid any more close interactions with Riley, though he hangs around the bar your entire shift, giving you a baleful glare every time you draw near. You make it a point to ignore him, chatting with the other customers, talking and laughing like you weren't bothered at all by his brooding presence. You see him visibly stiffen when Jerry comes swaggering in, his signature charming smile already in place.

Before he can speak, you step to the bar and offer him a sweet smile. "Hi, Jer. Ollie said I can leave early, so we can go whenever you like."

Jerry can't hide the surprise on his face, but he swiftly recovers as he leans an elbow on the bar to bring his eyes level with yours. "Good. Been thinkin' 'bout it all day," he murmurs, his eyes drifting down to your lips.

You stiffen, discomfited by the look in his eye, but try to hide it by ducking to grab your bag from beneath the bar. When you raise up again, a pleasant smile is plastered on your face. "I just need to grab my jacket and tell Ollie I'm leaving, then we can go."

"'Course, sweetheart," Jer replies, watching you as you round the bar and head for the hallway. He catches Riley staring at him and lifts his brows, giving him a smug little smirk, which you honestly think is stupid of him. Despite Jerry's size, you have no doubt Riley would mop the fucking floor with him. You roll your eyes. Men and their stupid bloody posturing.

The sooner you get this over with, the better. This game is quickly losing its appeal.

-

Jerry offers to take you home to change if you want, but you decline, honestly not comfortable with the idea of bringing him up to your flat. He seems a little perturbed when you turn down his offer but then shrugs and drives to Blackheath, instead.

As he said, the little bistro is nice, the food delicious. The conversation is lackluster, though, but you weren't really expecting much. Beyond talking about himself, Jerry doesn't seem to hold much interest in other topics. Big surprise.

Once you're back in the car, he drapes his arm over your seat and leans in, a sexy smirk on his face. "So, where to next, sweetheart? Your place or mine?"

Your brows shoot up in mild surprise. "I thought this was just dinner," you reply, crossing your arms over your chest. "Moving a little fast, don't you think?"

He tips his chin down, giving you a knowing look. "C'mon, Dee. We're both adults here. I've seen how you an' that other barmaid check me out. Not that I'm complainin'." He gives you one of his smarmy winks, and you fight the urge to wrinkle your nose in disdain.

You sniff and give your head a small shake. The audacity of this bloke. Did he honestly think you were just going to drop your knickers because he bought you dinner? "Yeah, I think I'd rather go home by myself. I have work in the morning."

Jerry draws back, blinking. "Are you serious?" When you roll your eyes, he scoffs and tilts his nose up, as if he can't believe you are turning him down. "Whatever. Your loss, sweetheart," he mutters with a slight sneer and starts the car.

The drive back to Banfield is tense and awkward, but you honestly prefer the silence. When Jer finally speaks up, you startle out of your thoughts. "Mind if I take a shortcut?" he asks, his tone off-hand.

You shrug. "Fine with me." If it gets you home quicker, you're all for it.

Yet when he veers off the main road onto a country lane, you frown. You aren't familiar with this particular backroad, but from the direction you're going it doesn't look like you're heading towards home.

"Are you sure this goes to Banfield?"

Jer slants a condescending look at you, a shitty little smirk pulling up a corner of his mouth. "I drive for a livin', sweetheart. Ya really think I'm goin' t'get lost on the way to bloody Banfield?"

Your eyes roll up, but you hold your tongue, yet after another five minutes with nothing even closely resembling civilization in sight, you can't keep quiet. "We should be in Banfield by now. It's just a ten-minute drive from Blackheath. Are you sure you took the right road?" You glance around at the dark, unfamiliar landscape. "I don't even know where the hell we are right now."

"I took the scenic route," Jer drawls, waving a hand. He then drops it on your knee and gives it a squeeze. "Chill out, sweetheart. We'll get there. Eventually."

Apprehension creeps up your spine like the drag of an icy finger. You don't like this. This man, who you really know nothing about, you now realize, is driving you out to the middle of nowhere. "Maybe you should turn around."

Jerry glances over at you again, and this time the look in his eye makes the small hairs on the nape of your neck stand on end. "Maybe you should try to relax." His hand slides up your leg to grip your thigh. "I'd be happy t'pull over an' help ya with that, sweetheart."

And there it is. The reason for getting you out here alone. You aren't even really surprised, always knowing in the back of your mind that there was something off with him, though you chose to ignore it this time, just to spite Riley.

Hindsight really is a bitch sometimes.

"Jer, I told you I wanted to go home," you murmur, trying to keep your voice low and even.

He huffs, a smug expression on his face. "C'mon, Dee. Stop playin' hard t'get. It's jus' me an' you now. Your boyfriend doesn't have t'know. I can keep my mouth shut. It'll be our little secret, yeah?"

"My boyfriend?" you blurt out, confused.

He rolls his eyes. "Oh, right. Sorry. Your friend," he sneers and then scoffs. "Don't act like ya don't know who I'm talkin' 'bout. That scarred up freak with the mask who's always up yer arse."

"What the fuck did you just say?" you choke out, fury strangling your voice. You're ready to claw out his eyes for what he said about Riley.

Jerry waves a dismissive hand at you. "Enough with the games, Dee. I know ya only went out with me t'make him jealous, an' I'm fine with that, really, but don't ya think I deserve some sort of... ya know, compensation for playin' along?"

Rage consumes you, hot and prickling beneath your skin. "Take me home. Now!"

The cold, flat look in his eye chills you to the bone. "Not 'til I get what ya owe me, sweetheart. Don't look so offended. I doubt this is the first time you've paid up for somethin' by lyin' on your back."

The hard slap you deliver to his smug face has him swerving across the narrow road before he slams on the brakes, sluing the car around in the loose gravel. You only manage to free your seatbelt before he grabs you.

"Are ya fuckin' crazy, ya bitch?" he yells in your face, shaking you hard as he shoves you back against your door. "Ya could'a killed us!"

You jab your thumb in his eye for his trouble. He bellows in pain, releasing you to clutch at his face, freeing you to reach behind your back to paw at the latch. The door flies open under your weight and dumps you out backwards onto the gravel. When his hand seizes your ankle in a crushing grip, you frantically kick out with your other foot. Though you're unable to see from your position on the ground, you revel in a brief moment of satisfaction when you feel it make solid contact with his head, and he yells in pain again. Yanking your legs free of the car, you scramble to your feet, snatching your bag from the ground as you sprint for the woods.

Too terrified to look back, you run headlong into the tree line. You stumble through the undergrowth, feeling the spindly branches and thorns tear at your clothes and snag in your hair as it rakes bloody scratches into your exposed skin. You trip over tree roots and stub your toes on stones hidden beneath the moldering ground cover of dead leaves. All the while, Jerry is bellowing like an enraged bull as he thrashes through the foliage somewhere behind you, shouting threats and curses at you the whole time.

When you inevitably fall flat on your face, you skid across the forest floor to hitch up at the base of a huge oak. You have just enough time to crawl behind its massive trunk before Jerry comes crashing through. When you hear him approach, you clap your hand over your nose and mouth to muffle the sound of your gasping breaths, terrified he will hear you. Your eyes go wide when you see him pass by your hiding spot close enough that you could reach out and touch him, if you wanted. Scared beyond reason, you press your back against the rough bark of the oak and pray he doesn't see you when he pans the flashlight on his cell phone around.

A strangled noise issues from his throat before he growls out a frustrated, "Fuuuck!" You can see him pacing back and forth as he rakes his hands through his hair. If you didn't know any better, you would think he was panicking. "Crazy fuckin' bitch," you hear him seethe under his heaving breath, growling again. "Fine, ya stupid cunt!" he shouts at the dark woods, throwing his arms up in the air. "Find yer own way home, then!" He then turns around and stomps back the way he came, still uttering curses.

You don't dare move, not even when the sound of his heavy footfalls fades away. You don't dare move, not even when the only thing you can hear is the wind rattling the tree branches overhead. You don't dare move, not until you at last hear the distant sound of a car motor rev to life, the sound gradually diminishing until you can't hear it any longer. It is only then that you are brave enough to slowly stand up on your shaking legs, only to lean once more on the trunk for support as a sob finally tears free from your chest.

You remain that way for several minutes, trying desperately to regain your composure, even as your brain keeps circling around the notion that Jerry's departure is some sort of ruse to lure you back out into the open. It's the idea of spending a cold night alone in the woods that finally has you lifting your head to take in your surroundings and evaluate your situation.

At first glance, it seems pretty dire. You have no idea where you are, you're too scared to venture back onto road for fear of Jerry lying in wait somewhere, and it's pitch dark out tonight, not even the wan light of the moon visible in the overcast sky to help guide you through the woods.

Your only real option is to call for help.

Reaching into your bag, you take out your phone, cursing under your breath when you drop it due to your trembling hands. The glow of the screen is a small comfort as you unlock your phone and open your contacts list. You stare at the emergency number, finger hovering.

If you call the police, there will have to be a report filed, and then there will be an inquiry to investigate your claims. You already know it will be your word against Jerry's. His solicitors will no doubt drag your name through the mud to discredit you, and he will probably still get off with nothing more than a light slap on the wrist, if he even gets that, because he actually didn't do anything to you, at least not physically. Hell, you had done more damage to him than he had to you. He could claim you attacked him, and he wouldn't even be lying.

You look back down at your phone, one name standing out like a beacon in the dark. When you see that name, you think of home, of safety, the two things you want most right now. You select it and hit the call button, holding the phone up to your ear and praying there will be an answer. Your breath catches in your throat when you hear the line connect.

"Whad'ya want, Dee?" a gravelly, annoyed voice growls into your ear, and a sob escapes your throat, you are so relieved to hear him.

"Ruh... Riley? P-Please, Ri... please. I n-need you..."

-

No one in the White Dog knew what to think when the usually quiet giant that sat at the end of the bar suddenly erupted out of his seat, the bar chair toppling over. "Doll! What's wrong? Where are ya?" he barks into his phone.

He apparently doesn't like what he hears.

"He fuckin' did what?! " he growls, a look of pure murderous rage igniting in his dark eyes. As he listens to you, however, his rage is tempered by his troubled concern. "Are ya hurt, love? I swear t'God if he―" His hand clenches into a trembling fist, even though his voice is now a low rumble. "Please don't cry, love. I know, I know, but I'll find ya. Ya know I will. I'm on my way right now. Just... keep yer phone on for me, yeah?"

He's already making for the entrance as he says this, the murderous look returning as he mutters, "I'll kill that bastard," before he barges through the door. He hits it with such force, it slams into the outside wall hard enough to shatter the frosted safety glass. He doesn't even acknowledge it as he runs to his truck and tears off down the street with a bark of tires the next instant, leaving a silent pub full of stunned onlookers in his wake.

-

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[sansxfuckyou]

sugar and spice, but not so nice

Summary: Riff's definitely not hurting for a Pop Troll, regardless, Barb offers to lend him a hand in getting Floyd's attention

Warnings: swear words censored when spoken by Pop Trolls cause its funny, there is tension and its almost sexual

Authors Note: the fliff brainworms got to me guys, I couldn't stop myself the second I got a keyboard in hand, it just happened. hope ya'll enjoy, and if you do consider dropping a reblog or checkin' the ao3 port

"Really, Riff? That Pop freak is the Troll you're jonesing for?" Barb asked.

Riff just nodded and Barb had the audacity to laugh, "What's so funny about it?"

"Oh nothing, it's just that he's the epitome of sugar, spice, and everything nice," Barb stated boldly, almost abrasively at that. She looks so very, very disappointed in Riff, "C'mon man! There's so many rockers and you choose a Pop troll! We got Death, we got Punk, we got Thrash- and you choose someone who clearly isn't any of the above."

"He's sort of like, Pop Punk," Riff said, "But he could totally pull a death scream if he wanted too."

Barb scoffed, "He's pink, he's so pink it makes me want to vomit."

"Magenta," Riff corrected sharply, "His hair is magenta and white, we could introduce him to hair dye."

"That's illegal in Pop," Barb said, "He'd be staked if you dyed his hair."

"Then he could stay in Rock, until it faded out, just for a little bit," Riff said.

Barb gave a faux gag and the tuft of her tail puffed up, "You're gross."

Riff props the rim of his toque up with the blunt end of his drumstick, "How about Viva? Isn't she also a Pop troll?" He's pushing his luck, he's pushing it harder than he thought he ever would.

"Let's move onto the next subject," Barb swiftly answered with, quick to defend her own sanctity of being a Rock Troll who definitely isn't out for a Pop Troll. A Pop Troll without any Rock tendencies, because she'll admit it, Floyd has some Rock potential despite everything. "Hair dye. You want to dye his hair for a date?"

"To help him blend in more," Riff answered with, tail flipping back and forth, "I'd really like to perform some music with him."

"I'll pull some strings for you, my shockingly smart friend," Barb answered with.

-/-/-/-

Floyd is the one who chose the song, he's the one who chose the list of songs he wanted to perform. And all of them were shockingly raunchy, shockingly explicit, very unbecoming of a Troll whose origin is Pop. It shocks Barb more than it does Riff, she just stares at the list and reads over them while Floyd looks at her like a puppy.

"Lemme just," She pauses, then speaks, "Nine Inch Nails?"

"If you don't mind," Floyd tacked on before she could further question.

Barb laughed a bit, "Please, I love them, woulda been a fan since day one but I wasn't quite born yet. But the songs?"

Floyd can't quite form a verbal answer, just give this sheepish grin. Barb swears his fringe falls a little further over his eyes and she's bold enough to reach out a paw and bat it away. The bleached section is frail, it feels like hay compared to what still retained that magenta hue she mocked. He almost lurches back, his fur just stands on end, and Barb pulls back her hand.

"Personally, I like them. But singing about fucking someone to feel alive doesn't seem your speed, isn't there a weird Pop language barrier?" Barb asked, "Or that one line from a different song, 'I am a good boy and I will swallow it all,' Floyd, that's an amazing song but jeez."

"I thought it'd be funny, cause whenever I try and swear it just," He pauses, trying to find out how to describe it before settling on just swearing, "F*ck, a$$."

Barb laughs until her stomach hurts at the garbled intentions of swearing that Floyd manages to provide. The Pop swear barrier has never been funnier in her entire life, but the fact he can enunciate enough to get the idea of an expletive across is impressive. Trolls like Poppy can barely say 'frick' without a large censor forcing itself in place, but Floyd? He's almost broken it.

"Alright kid-"

"I'm older than you,"

"Same difference; I'll cue up the songs for you and Riff,"

"You aren't joining?"

"Not unless you want me too, might hog the spotlight, sorry if I do," A small giggle snort, "It would be fun to try and go at it with a Pop Troll."

-/-/-/-

Riff stares.

He stares the entire fucking show.

He can't help it really, eyes stuck on a Troll like Floyd as he just drums out the beats and Barb strums out the additional bass lines. It's a comfort really, having someone in the back man the soundboard for the industrious instruments they can't quite do as a trio.

He holds on tight to whatever sense of sanity he can grasp whenever he gets gifted a glance at Floyd's face. He really is head over heels, he really is deep in this pit, for a Pop Troll of all genres. Albeit, a Pop Troll that's belting out songs of the industrial rock genre with an uncanny amount of ease. But still a Pop Troll, still something he'll be disowned over at the dinner table even if Barb goes public with Viva.

He'll just take this if he can't get anything else.

He'll take performing songs with his two favorite Trolls over nothing any day of the week.

-/-/-/-

Post show jitters reside comfortably on Floyd's fur, splayed atop an amp larger than he is with his tail lazily thumping on the material. His chest is heaving and he's curling and uncurling the mic cord around a finger, painted nail scratching at the plastic so rarely.

"Good show," He manages, voice cracking just a bit with how much he stressed it trying to break the Pop swear barrier for one song. He failed to do so, but he still tried until he felt like he was passing out, vision nearly going spotty. It was more fun than he'd ever had performing with his brothers.

Riff takes a heavy breath, "Great show," He's giving this long exhale that's almost a laugh as he speaks.

"Amazing show, I should go work an after party," Barb mused.

"Aw, is your girlfriend rubbing off on you?" Riff teased, rolling onto his stomach where he lay on the cold, hard, concrete ground. It eased his nerves, they were still on fire, the layers of denim and torn fabric probably didn't help much.

"Girlfriend? Tell me more, Riffy," Floyd said before he could stop himself, glancing down at the navy Troll from where he lay.

"Barb has a crush on Viva," Riff drawled as he pulled himself into a criss crossed position, one leg over the other. Floyd nearly laughs.

"Hey man! We agreed not to talk about her," Barb snapped as she stood up from her chair. She stretched her arms over her head and her tail snapped to punctuate her sentence, "Not like you can talk either."

Floyd raises a brow, "Tell me all about it, Barb," he lets his legs sway over the edge of the amp.

Riff sends Barb a pleading look, a begging look, desperation impossibly clear on his partially obscured face.

She just grins, "Well, our friend here has a crush on a Pop Troll. A fella trying to change genres when no one's looking," She winks at Floyd and watches as Riff tries not to respond to the words viscerally, that would give it away and he's highly aware that Barb is trying to play him like the cheap kazoo he is.

"Controversial," Floyd managed to supply, "But fun, inter-genre relations are still kind of, ya know."

"Yeah, kind of," Riff answered with, "Rock Trolls are wide open to the idea in my experience. We legalized polyamory a hundred some odd years ago. We're working on the papers for inter-genre stuff as we speak."

Floyd laughed, "I should just, live here as a Rock Troll. Pop Rock, Pop Punk, Pop Thrash- I could make it work."

"That you could," Barb said, there's this twisted grin on her face, showing off all of her fangs, "But really, I gotta catch that after party, you two can chat."

It's a segue into a conversation really, a shoe in for them to continue speaking as she leaves. She wants this as much as Riff does, maybe if she gets him with Floyd he'll let her fawn over Viva in peace.

Riff just taps his drumstick on the ground, balanced between fingers and tapping back and forth. Floyd just stares at Riff from the amp comfortably, sort of like a cat on a high perch.

"So this mystery Troll, tell me more," Floyd prompts as he slides off of the amp, "If you want too."

And Riff does want too, he wants to tell Floyd everything, but he bites his tongue. He just shrugs, "Nice guy really, probably heading back to Pop sooner than later."

"Pop? Are you crushing on JD?"

Riff shudders, "No offense, but he's too Country coded."

"Did you just call my brother Country coded?" Floyd asked with this devilish smirk, slowly stepping closer to Riff as he goes.

"Am I wrong?" Riff countered with a nervous chuckle.

"Never said you were, but continue about this Troll," Floyd urged, if he just reached out he could trace his hands across Riff's face. Learn every contour, twirl a finger through his hair, that would be nice, that could also be the adrenaline talking.

"Right, right," Riff stalled, what else he could say that isn't virtually outright saying that it's Floyd? Not a whole lot, "Got a great voice, an amazing voice with even greater range. It's scary really, he just hops on stage and gets into it, like he's a different person."

Floyd's tail flicks just a bit, Riff doesn't notice the tell that the Pop Troll is onto him.

"And then he starts to sing, most Rockers have deep voices naturally, but this breath of fresh air, a blend of Pop and Punk? It's amazing," Riff overexplained, just going off, "I'm talking too much, aren't I?" He looks up to find Floyd much, much closer than before. Red instantly rises to the Rocker's face, a stark contrast to his usual hue.

"No," Floyd said quietly, the flow of words pausing just enough to make Riff worry. He comes to a complete halt when the gap is small enough their knees are almost knocked against each other, "Keep going."

"I would," Riff begins, drawing out the syllables as he stares at Floyd through the blur of black hair and fabric alike. He brings a paw to run through his hair and it knocks back the toque just a bit, "But, I don't know what else there is to say without totally blowing the covers," He pauses, "He's really pretty."

"It's me," Floyd declares.

"It is," Riff confirms.

The Pop troll places a gentle kiss to Riff's forehead, one of the few spots where frizzy black hair isn't splayed over his fur. He rears back just a bit, "That's pretty fuckin' sweet," He doesn't even realize the Pop swear barrier dissolved entirely for a brief moment.

"Pretty fuckin' sweet," Riff echoes back before pushing aside a chunk of Floyd's fringe to return the motion. He almost flinches back from it, expecting the contact to sting or ache with how frail that performance left him, but it doesn't. It just feels nice, a warmth sprouting all over his body, it tingles and he loves the sensation.

"You should go tell Barb, we could pressure her into telling Viva," Floyd proposed, "That'd be fun, no?"

Riff is reeling, it took a moment for it to catch up but he is fucking reeling when it finally does. His eyes widen just a bit, there goes the boldness of adrenaline, "That actually happened," He tentatively places his paw on Floyd's, it isn't shoved off, "Oh my god it actually, it happened."

"Yeah man," Floyd said, pressing another chaste kiss to Riff's face, this time his cheek, "It did, and I'll do it again."

Before he freaks out he manages to collect himself enough to breath, "Let's go find Barb, she's been listening to me talk about you for a while now."

"Oh? So this crush isn't a new development?" Floyd teased gently.

"Not at all. But her thing for Viva? That's new," Riff countered with a laugh, it's nervous, just to fill the silence, "But us, we're a thing, those kisses?"

"Those kisses made us a thing," It's a calm reaffirmation, a promise with the squeeze of a paw.

"See, that's new, newer than Barb's crush on Viva," Riff explained, "Which is why we need to find her and tell her."

"You're freaking out,"

"Oh absolutely, you just kissed me, why wouldn't I be freaking out?"

[yanderepuck]

"he looks so peggable here" -@lulu-the-smol-floof

You should all thank Lulu for having horny thoughts at 1:30 in the morning to make this possible. She wants to femdom the shit out of him. Whatever the fuck that means. Femdom + biting is all she wants so here it is.

Thing is.. I suck at femdom so this toOK FOREVER

He kisses the inside of your thigh. With each kiss going further up. Right before he could get to the sweet spot you grab his hair, pulling it back to make him look up at you. He whines softly, looking up at you with his desperate purple eyes.

They're such a beautiful color. You could look into them all day. Especially when he's giving you that look. The look that's telling you that he just wants to touch you, to please you.

You sit on the chair in his office, looking down at the man on the floor. In a room where he should be in control, you have him wrapped around your finger.

"I thought you said your class was going to be short today," you keep his head held up, and with your other hand tap a pen against his desk. "You kept me waiting for an awfully long time," you give him a teasing pout.

"I finished the lecture as quickly as I could but there were- ungh!"

You cut him off with a quick tug of his hair. "I don't want to hear excuses. I want to know how you're going to make it up to me."

You let his hair go. With an elbow against his desk, you prop your head up on your hand.

"I've never disappointed you before, have I?"

He pushes your skirt up more, kissing your inner thigh again. This time you let him get to the center. He moves your underwear out of the way and licks you before sliding his tongue into you. You let out a soft moan before moving closer to the edge of the chair to make it easier.

His tongue gets deeper, curling inside you, licking at every inch of your walls.

You comb his hair out of his face so you can see him better. His violet eyes look up at you, pleading for some sort of satisfaction.

"Keep your hands where I can see them. I don't want you touching yourself."

He seems to whine at this, but puts his hand up on your thighs, squeezing them as he forces his face further into you.

You moan and rock your hips. Nearly fucking yourself in his tongue.

"Get me to cum with that tongue of yours and maybe I'll finally touch you."

His eyes seem to light up. You've teased him and have edged him on for days. He will do anything to finally get a sweet release.

His tongue curls inside you. One of his hands glides up your thigh. Squeezing a finger between you and his face he starts rubbing your clit.

You can't help but gasp, your body jerking. He smirks knowing he hit a good spot. He rubs you harder, getting your toes to curl.

Gripping his hair harder you push his face closer to you. You really didn't think he would get you so close, you must have been more desperate than you thought.

In a few moments he got the sweet taste of your cum on his tongue. Knowing you were going to hold up your end of the deal he sits back, trying to catch his breath.

His hair is a mess, his chest is heaving, he still looks hungry for you. You're giving him the same look.

When you stand up you grab the collar of his shirt, pulling him up with you. Once he's standing you get closer to him, both of you still trying to catch your breath.

Your fingers begin undoing his pants painfully slow. He just wants to shove you off and do it himself but he wouldn't do that to you.

"Get on the couch," you are stern, but something about your voice turned him on.

He kicked his pants off before sitting down. You were immediately straddling his lap. No skirt on, and you were unbuttoning his shirt.

He didn't think it was fair. You get to look at him but he can't look at you.

Before her could even touch you, you grabbed his hands, and draped your arms over his shoulders. "I didn't say you could touch."

You kiss his neck as you lower yourself down. His moan is so loud you would think he hasn't been touched in months.

You move at a pace that is comfortable for you, wanting to drag out his denial even longer.

He tries to buck his hips up but he immediately stops with a gasp. You bit him.

The spot you had been kissing now has your teeth marks. "What have I told you before?"

He says nothing, concentrating on not bucking his hips again.

"You sit here all pretty like, while I use your cock like a toy. Got it?"

"Y-yes."

"Good," smirking, you bit him again, this time to create a mark on him. You may not be a vampire but you can still mark him, even if it won't last long.

Galileo squeezed your hands. He could easily over power you. But something about being treated like nothing sent ecstasy through his body.

His breathing got heavier as he got closer. He was on edge. "P-please... Just a little more."

You sigh and let go of his hands, grabbing the hair at the make of his neck, pulling his hair back. The moan he let out was almost feral.

"I didn't say you could cum. I just said I would touch you," you smirk at the look on his face when he realizes he misunderstood. "I was going to let you. But then you showed up late," you let his hair go.

You rock your hips as slow as you can with still getting pleasure. His eyes become more visible when you push his hair back.

"Oh don't give me that look. You could overpower me at any time and yet you don't~"

You glide your hands down past his shoulders, groping his chest.

"But you won't~ You're in charge all day so you like when I treat you like a dumb little toy."

Galileo says nothing. He has nothing to say that goes against anything you said. That may or may not be the reason, but her eyes in fact like having you on top of him.

"That's what I thought. You still have an hour before your next class and I'm going to make sure your cock is covered in my cum when you have to go."

~~

Writers note: this is written before his route release in JP... And is sort of meant to be out of character... Because lulu committed to the bit a little too hard so I also had to commit to the bit.

[captain-amadeus]

You have some of the literal best takes ever about Stf characters. Chief ones among them being you get the point of the show!!! which is to give people the opportunity to change, and you don't hate them obnoxiously to prop up cedric (who doesn't need that to begin with anyways)

Basically I'm just so happy there's people out here who like Roland and Chrysta and all the other good characters the fandom demonizes

GAHHHHHH

/pos this is so nice man

I do not understand why people are so adamant to point out every other character's flaws, and yet they make Cedric out to be correct in so many situations that have so much grey area to them. Cedric was NOT always the best person because he was not treated the best. The thing is people sometimes do bad things if they are treated badly, but when treated with kindness, can change for the better. That is literally the whole thing about Cedric and Sofia's dynamic: Sofia is good towards Cedric, which makes Cedric want to be good, despite how people treated him in the pass. It's even thanks to Sofia convincing others to treat Cedric better and give him a chance to show what he's capable of that overall allows Cedric to be better off in his life.

While Cedric does change for the better, he still does some things that aren't justifiable. It depends on how much other characters are willing to forgive him, but the ending of Day of the Sorcerers shows how despite people like Roland not completely forgiving his actions right away are willing to give him another chance because Roland realizes there was a REASON why he did all of this, and that there could be something done to get to the root of the problem.

There's also this thing called "people aren’t perfect and they will make mistakes, but that doesn't make them completely evil," and I feel like the fandom forgets that a lot. Especially with Roland.

Oh my god, Roland is hung up on a crucifix for breathing. I can't fathom how people come to the conclusion that Roland is the worst father to Sofia, when he's actually one of the sweetest dads I've seen in fiction.

I feel there's a lot of reasons why people mischaracterize him so much like:

1) He treats Cedric a bit poorly (and yes, the things Roland said about Cedric were bad, but Roland doesn't come from hating Cedric. It's more of a pity he has towards him, which is still disappointing because Roland should've supported Cedric more, but because he grew up with the notion that Cedric isn't as capable as his father, doubts Cedric's abilities like everyone else. He still has good intentions and doesn't mean to hurt his feelings, could talk about Cedric's Apprentice but we'd be here all day, but he still does because he doesn't quite recognize how his words impact his confidence)

2) People watch and focus on the Cedric centric episodes and think that Roland isn't doing his job as a father, when there's so many reasons why he can't always be on screen.

Personally reason two sort of icks me out, because people don't recognize how the small moments with Sofia and Roland have as much value as with Sofia and Cedric, but also kind of strange why people make Sofia and Cedric have this extremely close relationship where Sofia only goes to Cedric for literally everything. There is little balance when it comes to who Sofia interacts with in fan stuff, and I can see why their bond is father-daughter coded. Just, man, it's like she doesn't have an entire family she can turn to for help, who've shown nothing but support for her, where Cedric is the only person that exists for her in this stuff that it's, man at least let her talk with Miranda who is the best character in the show and the best mother ever when she needs help like she does in the show. Or maybe have her figure things out with Amber and/or James, hell, even Clover could offer a few words, the worst thing that could happen is the advice doesn't help and everyone learns a lesson in the end like in the SHOW.

Anyways I'll just stop here and say I will always love the royal family as a whole and as individuals, despite how most of them are ignored or demonized. You are very swag HEHSHSISJHDUEJSBEIJD

[ficreadergirl]

Welcome to my Sweetheart

Ep2

"What's wrong with this computer?" you asked in frustration, holding up the screen for Dick to look at.

"Sorry, Y/n." Dick said. "There seems to be some trouble." he explained while trying to fix the problem on the screen.

"So, why don't you bring coffee for both of us while I try to solve this problem?" he suggested.

"That sounds great, Dick. Thanks." you replied as you left the room. While waiting for the coffee to brew, you wondered if Dick still remember what happened between you and him a month ago. A blush crept across your cheeks when you thought about that memory. You shook your head, trying to clear your thoughts, and focused on your task.

When you returned ten minutes later with two cups of coffee, Dick was still trying to fix the computer. He didn't look up as you set the cups down on the desk. "This isn't working, Y/n." he complained as he stood up. "We need to buy a new laptop or something." he said with a frown. You sighed heavily and rolled your eyes.

"Like bossy was dying to buy us new machines." you snorted sarcastically.

"Why can't this man let us do our job with actually working machines?" he asked exasperatedly.

"I'm not sure." you responded with a shrug. "Let me give him a call." you added after a few seconds.

"Sure." Dick answered, smiling slightly.

You picked up the phone and dialled your chief's number. You waited for a couple of moments before someone answered. "Hello?" he asked.

"Chief! Hi, it's me, Y/n. We are having some problems here. Our computers are not working prop-"

"Can it wait? Can it wait till tomorrow? I'm kinda busy right now."

"Right, yeah, sorry." you said awkwardly. "Just wondering if we could order another set of laptops tomorrow. I think it will take-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll see if I can get you guys something tomorrow. Now go do whatever it is that you need to do. Bye." he hung up on you before you could finish speaking. You frowned in annoyance. That guy. What kind of job is he even doing? you thought angrily. You turned around to face him, raising your brows questioningly.

"Well? How was he?" he smirked.

"Ugh!" you growled, rolling your eyes. "He wasn't very helpful." you said as you sat down in front of his desk. "What does he think we are doing in here everyday? I have work to do!" You started ruffling through the papers on his desk, looking for some paperwork.

"Y/n, relax." he chuckled softly. "Calm down." He walked over and sat next to you.

"Why is he even our chief? He does what exactly?" you grumbled. "I hate him."

"Come on, Y/n," he laughed. "Calm down."

"I hate this city sometimes Dick. When you're involved with some bastards you can be even a king." you scoffed.

"Gotham wasn't so different actually." he stated.

"If you expect me to feel surprised then you're gonna be disappointed." you replied sarcastically.

"But still you hate it when stuff like this happen in your city. The city of your childhood." he said quietly. You looked at him sadly. He wasn't looking at you. He was staring off into space, lost in his thoughts. You placed your hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Dick." you murmured.

"Me too." he replied and finally turned to you, placing his hand over yours on his shoulder. You gazed deep into his eyes. You could tell that he was thinking about something else. Something really important to him. He seemed to be struggling with something. You gently moved your hand from his shoulder and rested your hand on top of his.

"What's wrong?" you asked softly.

"Don't you feel hungry too? What should we eat?" he replied, changing the subject. You raised your eyebrows at him. "What?"

"Should we eat burgers? What do you think?" he asked with a small smile. You grinned back. Obviously he didn't wanna tell you about what bothers him.

"How about Mexican?" you suggested.

"Sounds good." he replied enthusiastically. Both of you got up off his desk and headed towards the door.

Other eps

[virtualcarrot]

[DE] A mouth of smoke

(obligatory homo-erotic smoking fic)

[edit : 2022/12/04]

_

"Hey Kim, can I have a puff?"

The words give you a brief pause before your hand finishes the trip to your mouth. After, you pocket your lighter then pick the cigarette again the time of an exhale. ''Get your own, Harry.''

''Pleaaase,'' he says, petulant like a child. A child asking for nicotine, and a child that he is not. This is a grown ass man a head taller than you whining for a smoke.

Harry's eyes are shrewd and sharp, his lower lids slanted in humour.

''No,'' you say, because it's easy and because you're curious what this all is about. He makes it so easy to indulge.

As well as a smoke, you've been denying him your full attention. The brick wall across the lot holds little of interest but it's a perfect prop for your empty stare as you puff out your daily vexations.

Harry leans close, head bent towards you, trying to catch your eyes. He's a lumbering shape over you and yet finds a way to hover non-invasively, mindful of your space.

You reward it with a side glance.

''What is it, detective?"

''I've noticed something.''

You say nothing, busy yourself with a drag that turns the ember blood red in the night. Harry watches it flare distractedly. You wait him out. He swallows before meeting your eyes again.

''The coolest people I've met are smokers.''

''Hm... And who might those be?"

"You. Tommy Le Homme. Martin Martinaise. Klaasje. Mostly you.''

His voice is breathless. You abstain from commentary on another common trait between the people he's listed.

He gathers himself back to the present and shakes his head sadly. ''But when I try smoking, I never get the same effect, you know? Can't quite get the cool factor."

''Hm hm.''

''So I've deduced that I'm not smoking the right stuff.''

''Oh, you have deduced, have you?"

You know he can hear your amusement. He puffs out his chest and plays it up for the both of you.

''I am a detective.''

And yes, you're smiling. It's small, but it's enough. He greets the sight like a wonder.

And fine. All things considered, you've had a reasonable work day today. Torso and McLaine have kept the macho posturing at a surprising low and what jokes they did were at their own expense. It's also the first time you've been able to actually appreciate the taste of a coffee break since you transferred three months ago, after Jean lost his entire cool at the break room's coffee machine and set to the task of furiously cleaning it.

You're loose and at ease. You're feeling fond. You hold out your cig.

Harry doesn't take it.

Harry doesn't take it?!

His eyes bore into yours.

"I think I should get it from the source. Just to make sure. Get maximum access to the coolness."

Your whole body clenches in want, sharp like thunder. It's a thrill, that thought. Low in your belly, desire tugs and a shudder shoots down your spine. You hide it best you can, and your best is intractable on such matters.

But you're too busy overseeing your body, and your words come in a slight stutter.

''That was... what?"

Your chipped composure appears contagious. Harry's face sags in discomfiture.

''Oh no, did I say it wrong? I thought it sounded smooth, didn't it sound smooth?''

What he sounds is deeply, painfully disappointed in himself. All the more reason to steer him back to focus.

''Detective... Harry...'' you add, because at this point whyever not. ''What is this about ?"

''I'm... I just... Kim."

There's a plea for help there. He's floundering. He needs you. You think you get it. You didn't think that he would.

You mount a rescue. That's what partners are for, after all.

''Is it shotgunning that you're looking for?" You turn towards him, smoke warm in your chest. You let it out in the space between you. The breeze pushes it vaguely in Harry 's face, whose eyes flutter briefly, and not just from the sting. ''Or is it more?''

You smudge the boundary he has so carefully respected for you. You're way too old to hold this kind of power over another, or so you had told yourself, but he sways towards you and the heat of your body as if under an invisible pull. His eyes search yours again, disbelieving, hopeful, oh so vulnerable. His voice cracks when he speaks.

''Anything. Kim, anything you want.''

It's raw. He's not playing anymore. His face has the sort of earnestness you want to squeeze. You take a puff. You could do anything. You feel powerful.

You take that power and kiss him with it.

-

[on AO3]

[kmze]

Hey.How much do you think actor's race played into the writing for Tyler Lockwood, him getting sidelined and eventually killed off so unceremoniously? I have heard Trevino is Hispanic but I'm not sure about Tyler.His mom was caucasian as far as I remember.Also, do you think Joseph Morgan's popularity as Klaus and of course 'Klaroline' factored into Tyler's disappointing arc?

Oh I definitely think it played into it and shows you how deep the showrunners' racism is because the character is white but the actor is not (Trevino is Mexican). I think what happened is JP and Dries (I'll omit KW since he was gone before Tyler's SL picked up a lot) lost their enthusiasm for Tyler once he had served the purpose of being Caroline's LI and his storyline really started to suffer. I think the death blow was when they de-powered him back into a human with an un-triggered werewolf curse at the end of S5. Getting de-powered in this 'verse as a man is a death sentence for how much the writers are gonna care about you, look at Stefan in S8. Even Tyler's writing in S6 went against a lot of his character traits from earlier season like him willing to let Bonnie die in the prison world for Liv.

As for Klaroline/Klaus affecting Tyler my feelings are a bit complicated. I think it played a part for sure but I think it was more KC/Klaus elevated Caroline into a higher tier because the way women survive and thrive on this show depends on how many high tier (usually white powerful vampire/hybrid) men love them. The problem for Tyler was Klaus moving Caroline into "it girl" status meant the writers wanted to give her more high tier men, so their attention turned back to Stefan for her. If Tyler was white he probably would have been used in a love triangle with Stefan in S5/6 (which would have been so easy because there's pre-established animosity sigh). Instead the writers used Enzo as a Klaus-lite until S7. And Tyler had even less of a shot in S6 because he was human again and that's probably the reason Trevino didn't sign on after that season (he could feel the lack of enthusiasm in the scripts I bet). Then he shows up for like random plot stuff until he was UNCEREMONIOUSLY MURDERED FOR NO REASON and basically no one cared! As opposed to when Enzo died and it was the most awful thing ever even though he was the biggest NPC ever on this show (no I'm not bitter or anything).

So for me it's more Klaus' popularity helped Caroline and that hurt Tyler more indirectly. Without Klaus I think Tyler and Caroline still would have broken up eventually but it would have taken longer. I also think Caroline would have been used as a prop for SE instead of Stefan being Caroline's love interest (and LBR a prop to her story in the end lol). It's possible that Tyler and Caroline would have gotten back together after Caroline was used to bring SE back together but IDK because that storyline could have really hurt her, like I can't guarantee she wouldn't have just been killed off. If you watched Arrow I have a bad feeling it would have been like when Laurel was killed off and she told Oliver he was the love of her life but she knew she wasn't his with her dying breath. Tyler was probably screwed either way, but yeah I definitely think the direction his storyline ended up going in had to do with the showrunners' not being enthusiastic enough about him. Because he's not white and they have severe internalized racism.

[loveoversense]

OKAY. OKAY OKAY OKAY. FIRST THOUGHTS IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER. BEWARE SPOILERS!

Just some bullet points. Will get back to this tonight probably when my phone isn't dying. These points follow no distinct chronological order because that's for the neurotypicals and I haven't taken my meds today.

1- MEREDITH. YOU'RE RIGHT AND YOU SHOULD SAY IT. MY WLW QUEEN.

2- in addition to that, Mia, oh my darling you broke my heart.

3- I know people wanted a book adaptation and some are disappointed that that isn't what this show is. It's based on teh books, but it's not a direct adaptation. And I get that this goes against what some people wanted, but I actually quite enjoy it. I think it makes it easier to enjoy the show for me. I'm not an adaptation purist to begin with but I'm just kinda experiencing this show as an AU of the books and in and of itself, that makes the story actually pretty good!

4- that was the lead in for this point, I love more self-actualized Rose! In the books we never dive as deeply into the fact just how deeply disturbing the premise of the word building is with the roles of Dhampirs and Moroi. Rose was supposed to be a rebel in the books even, questioning and standing up to authority, but this only ever happened within the confines of the society. I feel like her actions in the series are actually more true to the way her character was described in he books. If you are questioning authority, you would eventually come to the conclusion that you don't have a place in this society as is, and therefore need to leave.

5- Mason, you're adorable. You're so sweet.. I already feel bad for you because I get it, but also, see point 1.

6- Romitri my heart. I love this, because it shows their relationship is deeper than just romantic attraction. They communicate without words, they know each other on such a deeply intimate way, how the other thinks, feels. Just, so much props again for the actors here.

7- Rose wants to say goodbye, only if she told Dimitri he'd be even more culpable so instead she says 'see you 'round' and the little slip up of 'Roza' nearly made me keel over

8- Seeing his room gives her a whole new appreciation for how much she was asking him to give up from his worldview in the course of a day or two (my man has an ALTAR in his room ffs) immediately followed by a semi Realisation that he has in fact given up a lot of that for her. He chose her, after all. He didn't fight back. He's keeping mum about Sasha. Truly OTP goals.

9- Mason didn't just go to Dimitri and tell him about Rose and him from the good of his heart. He's a sweet guy, but he needed to prove to himself that he had 'won'. Rose chose him. Right. Right? And here's our comrade. The ever honorable Guardian Belikov, ready to face down his fate in the dungeons and who knows what after, because he chose to lie to protect Rose. He will never back down from that decision. But when this novice comes by, novice in more ways than one, looking for reassurance from Dimitri that he'd won this silent competition for this incredible woman, Dimitri can't help himself. I believe he meant it when he said he never wanted Rose to know what was happening to him. He knows that she would feel guilty or try to get him out by taking the blame, but he is genuinely of the opinion that he is the only one responsible for his situation. But telling Mason that, spelling out for him that if put to the test, Rose would always choose Dimitri? That was a little mean Comrade. That 'fuck you' was earned.

10- Doesn't mean it wasn't true though Mason. Which I'm afraid you're gonna find out the hard way.

11- Dimitri is already walking away, leaving Mason with his defeat when he gets the insult slung at his back and it makes him stop for half a second. I wonder what Kieron's face did as Dimitri in that moment. He's so good at acting out a character who doesn't speak much like Dimitri. I wonder if it was a grim smile of this final victory over the man running off with the love of his life or whether it was more a sigh of acquiescence, admitting to both himself and Mason that yeah, he's fucked. But he's okay with his choices here.

12- more thoughts to come! Sometime later today lol

[electrasev5nwrites]

Ninja Daily: Vapors 18

"I can't believe you," Sasuke hissed, disgust coloring his words. He valiantly resisted the urge to throttle his teammate. "I left you for two hours- two hours, and when I come back you're calling that woman 'Grandma' and have agreed to learn an S class jutsu in a week. I don't know if I think that you'll fail by blowing yourself up or that she will snap and kill you, but either way you're dead meat."

Naruto sniggered. "Wanna know something?" He ignored his teammate's eye-roll. "The technique she bet I couldn't learn… it's the one the old man started me on. I have a week head start on it." He grinned mischievously. "She's going to have to come back with us and admit that I was right about being Hokage." Sasuke looked spectacularly unimpressed.

"All I've seen you do is make a mess with water balloons," he said shortly. He smirked at his now-fuming teammate. He set down his chopsticks, more interested in baiting his teammate than choking down whatever the hell he'd been served. "The jutsu he's teaching me is much better." That arch tone always pissed his teammate off, even if he wasn't actually sure he believed his lightning technique was better than the Rasengan. 'Lightning is a better element than wind anyway.'

The blonde shoved his teammate, cheeks flushed red with anger. "Nuh-uh! Wind is way better than some stupid lightning bolt."

"You don't have to pretend you're not jealous. I know I'd be depressed if our places were switched." The brunette was back in his element, taunting Naruto. The blonde really needed to work on how easily he was provoked. He was helping the idiot. Really.

"Me too," Naruto snapped back. "Your hair is stupid!"

"Are they always like this?" Shizune sighed, chin propped up in her palm, half-heartedly watching the back-and-forth interaction. Jiraiya shrugged distractedly, one hand inching towards her rear end.

'Just… a little closer'.

Jiraiya yelped in sudden pain, falling off his stool at the bar where they had stopped for lunch. Shizune gasped, big dark eyes communicating disappointment with her mentor. "Tsunade-sama!" She really needed to reign in her impulsive violence. It was frightening the civilians, for one thing.

She stopped and wondered if scaring them just a little might get them some real food.

"Oh, lighten up." The older blonde scanned the menu, giving a lopsided smirk to the short blonde when he noticed her and scowled. The boy pushed away his empty dish and stalked off, leaving his fellow genin sitting awkwardly by himself. 'What an idiot. There's no way he'll master Minato's technique. Then I can be free and clear, and it won't even look like my fault. Shouldn't have made a bet with me, brat.' Tsunade accepted a glass of ice water and took a sip. "Where's the idiot going?"

Her old teammate gave the boy's back a distracted glance. "Who, the brat? He's doing his training outside of town. Hey, shortstuff," he barked. The Uchiha who had been staring into his soup as though it held all the answers to the universe bristled like an offended cat. "Go work with your teammate. Make sure he doesn't get carried away by wolves or something."

The other boy gave him a positively scathing look and stalked off with a prissy little hip movement. Tsunade didn't hide her snicker.

"Are you really worried about Naruto-kun?" Shizune asked, poking at her food with her chopsticks. She had thought she was used to cheap roadside food stands, but the place Jiraiya had led them to was in a league of its own. The older man shook his head, sending his ridiculous hair flying.

"Nah, he'll be fine. I just can't eat with that little stormcloud hanging around." He made a face. "I'd forgotten what a bummer Uchiha are."

Shizune sighed, pushing her food away mostly uneaten. 'I didn't think the kid was so bad. At least he has the excuse of acting his age when he picks a fight.' She eyed her two companions, who were already on the verge of coming to blows again.

The hospital room was cold, clinical, and smelled far too strongly of the bouquet that blonde Ino girl had dropped off, arranging blossoms into apparent perfection in between trading insults. Karin had no idea what the hell a 'hibiscus' was, but it sounded like fighting words to her. "This sucks." Karin gave in to her urge and threw her book across the room, letting it collide with the wall. It flopped over accusingly.

"I can't take it anymore!" she outright yelled. "That's it." She clenched a fist. "If you're too stupid to wake up when you should, I'm going to go home where I'm comfortable!"

That wasn't entirely true. With both of her cousins unavailable, she felt a little out of place. The Hokage had welcomed her, but he was dying. Karin's position in the village was precarious—whoever ended up in charge might not be so lenient and right now she was totally without friendly support. Maybe it was time to seek out some of the people her cousin had introduced her to, like the weird couple in the green spandex. Karin had seen enough to know that politically inconvenient people could disappear without a trace. If no one was looking out for her, she might be better off out of the village if nothing changed soon. She felt a shiver up her spine, but she ignored the fear. Her cousin was going to wake up soon.

"Karin-san," one of the attending nurses sighed, poking his head into the room. "What have we told you about volume in the hospital?"

Karin gave him a disparaging look. "She's in a coma," she said flatly. "So is her sensei in the room to the left, and the room to the right is empty."

"Yes, but I'd have to be in a coma not to hear you from the station," he mumbled sotto voice. When she frowned, he hastily added, "Please control your volume. I'm afraid you've been disturbing other patients."

"I was leaving anyway." She pretended not to see his relief, packing up, grudgingly taking even that stupid book she was starting to hate. The introductory section on poisons in her apprenticeship was boring her to tears. What was the point of memorizing the parts of hundreds of plants and their effects? She'd just have the injured party bite her. That'd solve the problem, right? When Karin had suggested that to Mito-sensei, the older woman had actually gotten a bit upset and sent her to work reading case studies. Apparently she shouldn't be letting strange people get their bodily fluids in her blood, especially if they were poisoned. Who knew, right?

"Oh! I am sorry!"

"Don't worry about it," Karin waived off the girl who had been outside the room when she opened the door. Then red eyes narrowed in recognition. "Hey, I know you."

The girl blushed, looking like a porcelain doll with those huge, unnatural looking eyes. "Ah, yes. Uzumaki-san, right? I was going to…" She trailed off, awkwardly holding up her bandaged arms as if to put up a barrier between the two. She cleared her throat. "I wanted to see how Aiko-san is doing," the girl finally managed to squeak.

'What is with this kid? I didn't think she was this much of a mouse when she was kicking the stuffing out of enemy genin.'

Actually, Karin had enjoyed a riot of a good time fending off the weak losers sent to retrieve samples of Konoha's bloodlines. Weeks of training under her cousin's supervision had paid off more than she'd realized. Plus, there was something really awesome about reminding herself that she wasn't just a useless little med nin. The little brunette girl had been cool too- at one point, she had knocked a boy out by kicking him in the throat, apologizing all the while. It was pretty amazing. Of course, the shrinking violet in front of her didn't have much resemblance to the girl in business mode.

Karin sighed, closing the door behind her. "She's still in a coma. We have no idea when she'll be up, although apparently some specialist is supposed to be coming here. Mito-sensei says that if this woman can't fix her, no one can." At the way the other girl fidgeted, something about her incredibly long convalescence finally made sense. "You too? Your hands must be bad if no one here can fix them. You busy?"

The girl looked up, surprised. "Ah, no. Not really."

"Alright then. You're coming home with me. I need someone to eat ice cream with and commiserate, and I bet you have as much to vent as I do." She started off down the hall. "Well?"

The little brunette hurried behind her, looking uncertain but reluctant to tell her no. "I don't think I'm supposed to leave the hospital, Uzumaki-san!"

"Pft." She waved a hand dismissively. "Why not? If Aiko wake up or if the specialist shows up, someone will get us. There's no reason to be miserable until then. I'll be sad if you don't come with," she threatened idly. This girl seemed like a bleeding heart. Her acquiescence implied that either Karin was right or that the girl had actually wanted to come with anyway. They traveled most of the way in silence, just enjoying the nice weather. The sunshine and healthy breeze were a marked change from the stuffy hospital.

They paused for a moment at the door, Karin struggling to pick out her key from inside her shorts pocket. The other girl seemed to be looking around, something strange in her expression. "You have a lovely home."

Karin took a second to examine Uzumaki Manor (Naruto's insistence) from an outsider's perspective. The garden out front was riotous, ignoring pretty much all conventions about tasteful decorating despite Ino's best efforts. It had been made with a little too much youth and orange in mind. The house itself looked fine, though. Relatively nondescript and clean. "Thank you. Uh, by the way." She glanced at her companion. "What's your name again?"

The girl smiled shyly up at her, slipping off her shoes in the entryway. "Hyuuga Hinata. Please, call me Hinata, Uzumaki-san."

Karin grinned in response, flipping on the lights and stuffing her feet into fluffy houseslippers. "Then you should call me Karin, Hinata-chan. Chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla? Naruto made something really terrible with vanilla and packets of ramen seasoning if you feel adventurous."

Pain.

Pain to the point where the questions had long since become white noise. She had enough sense to be grateful for that. If she remembered what he wanted, she probably would have told him, even though she knew she had thought it was important not to tell.

Important even though it didn't make sense. He was gone, right? He didn't know what was going on in her genjutsu couldn't wouldn't know. Not the way genjutsu work.

Never even heard of such a thing. Ridiculous.

Then again, everything is ridiculous. And why would he do this if he couldn't find out? He must. Mustmustmust. Shush. Shhhhhh.

It's so light. Never gets dark, the only shadows come from the moon. Want to just sleep or die. It wouldn't make much difference at this point. Can't die in here. Everything is backwards, only black and white and redredred, killing doesn't make you die. Does living make you dead? No, that's not the parallel. Thinking is hard but I know this. Yes. Does giving life make dead? Healing.

I should ask.

Aiko coughed up blood in the illusory world (I know it's not real, not real, but just one quick question, yes) and casually asked something she didn't hear. Maybe he didn't either. "Pretty eyes," she tried, placatingly.

And then it changed.

The moon flickered, then was white. Ridiculous, the moon is made of cheese should be yellow. It painted pale light instead of dark. The ground became pockmarked with shadow instead of smothered in a thick coat. She became aware of a whimpering sound.

Itachi left in clinical light. She didn't have time to say byebye before he was replaced with the top half of a blonde woman, frowning.

The moon was gone.

Aiko frowned, not even trying to move a muscle in her hospital bed. Something was wrong. She had just been upright.

"Where did the moon go?" is that my voice? Raspy like a smoker.

"Hush," the woman snapped, doing something she couldn't see. "Get out of here, you idiots. If I want a circus I will personally come and find you clowns." She shone a light down, and Aiko yelped, moving for the first time to escape it. "Stop that. Follow the light. Are you with me? Good."

Bewildered but willing to accept this change in the situation, Aiko obediently followed orders. Orders were good. She was used to orders.

"How are you feeling? Any unusual pains?"

That was a harder question. "Unusual?"

"Oh, never mind." The woman gave a heavy sigh. "Do you remember what happened?"

"…What happened?"

"I will take that as a no." Blonde lady picked up a clipboard and wrote something on it, a tiny crease between her eyebrows. "Ask your sensei about it later, then. I don't know what the hell happened either. I'm going to go wake him up now. Any questions?"

Aiko shook her head. "You're really pretty."

Pretty lady barked a laugh. "You've got better taste than your brother." The woman left the room without another word, which stymied Aiko for a moment. She frowned—at the light outside the window, at the door that led to the hallway, and then down at her bare feet when she swung them over the edge of the bed and tottered across the cold tile to follow the older woman like an errant puppy. She was taking orders and hadn't been told stay.

Naruto and Sasuke didn't seem to understand that, though. The old man with them tried to stop her, putting an arm in front of the door the pretty lady had gone through.

"Hey now, miss. Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Well, that wasn't right. "Shouldn't you, old guy? I'm following." Then she stopped to frown, registering his face. "You're familiar. Good job." She patted his head, and then ducked under his surprised arm and into the room.

Hey, sensei's here. Sensei was taking a nap, but the pretty lady was waking him up. Like Sleeping Beauty.

She stopped in the middle of the room. That wasn't quite right, was it? That would make Kakashi the princess. Aiko toddled over to investigate, wondering if her sensei's face was uncovered. Nope. Still. "I bet you're a pretty princess," she said loyally, watching as he blearily turned his one open eye to her instead of at the little light. Then she turned to investigate the sound of choking behind her. It was the old man. Aiko felt concerned. "Pretty lady? The old man sounds bad."

"That sounds about right," the blonde lady said distractedly, going through the same questions she had with Aiko. Then she jumped a little, turning to glare. "You should be in bed."

Aiko looked around the room. There was only one bed, but orders. " 'kay." She clambered beside her sensei, who looked downright alarmed. Then she went the fuck to sleep.

The next time she awoke was a good nine hours later, and she felt much more rational, despite the ache in her head. Her groan must have alerted someone, because the light flicked on and she discovered Karin's face uncomfortably close to hers.

"Ugh, haven't you ever heard of the Geneva convention?"

Karin frowned, sharing more of her morning breath when she asked "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, nothing." She blinked blearily, drawing one hand up to wipe at her eyes and using the other to prop herself up to survey the room. It was relatively late in the evening—at least eight. She frowned. 'Definitely past visiting hourse.' She could understand Karin being here, but her sensei? It seemed just as strange that Naruto wasn't. Was he hurt?

"What's going on?" She flexed her muscles, feeling unusually weak. Aiko transitioned into a stretch, getting a feel for her body's deterioration. "How long was I out?"

Karin backed up to give her some space, stealing a glance at the other person in the room who had yet to speak. "Uh, a little over two weeks total. More recently, about nine hours since you first woke up."

Surprised, Aiko furrowed her brow. "I woke up before?"

"You were slightly more incoherent than usual," Sasuke drawled as he pushed open the door, closely followed by Naruto. "You helpfully informed us that Kakashi was a pretty princess."

"Neechan!" Naruto practically leapt onto the bed beside her, throwing his arms around her middle. "Are you okay? You won't believe what happened while you were out."

She absentmindedly patted his arm, snaking one of her own around his shoulders and squeezing reassuringly. "I'm fine."

"Don't tease, Sasuke," her teacher reprimanded lightly. Something about his posture seemed very serious. "Essentially, she went almost three weeks without sleep. I think she can be forgiven a little delirium."

"And you still haven't slept," a new voice said dryly. The figure it belonged to was ringed in light from the doorway, but easily identifiable as a woman. "Well boys, you did it. You dragged me back here and into four surgeries, three of which were brain operations. I hope you're happy." She sauntered in closer, revealing long blonde hair tied back in twin ponytails.

"Is Hinata-chan going to be alright, then?" Karin asked curiously, surprisingly Aiko. 'I didn't even know she knew Hinata.'

The reply was a withering glare. "Of course she is. Physical therapy is going to be a pain, but she seems to think it's a fair trade for the use of her hands."

Something connected in Aiko's brain, and she hastily sat the rest of the way up. "Tsunade-sama?"

"Yepp." Tsunade smirked at her, an expression that was all feline grace and trouble personified. "Although the last time we spoke, you called me 'Pretty Lady.' "

Instead of blushing, Aiko faked confusion, turning to Sasuke. "I thought you said I wasn't making sense when I first woke up, Sasuke-kun?"

"Don't flatter." The woman lightly hit her upside the back of the head, then took the opportunity to run a scan with fingers that glowed green. The reprimand didn't sting, light as it was. "You seem much better now. How do you feel?"

"Perfectly fine, but with a bit of a headache," she said honestly.

"Mmm." The light flickered into something a shade lighter. "This better?"

Aiko sighed contentedly. "Yes, thank you."

"Good." Then she hit her upside the back of the head, with some force this time. "That was for trying to fight an S-class criminal within village borders. Idiot. That's the most sickeningly Uzumaki thing I've ever heard of. We have plenty of Jounin and ANBU." She ignored the grumbling from Naruto and Karin's confused "Eh?" at the slur against their last name. "As your new Hokage, you are now forbidden to do anything so stupid. Clear?"

"Clear as crystal," she mumbled, feeling a little wronged. She hadn't had much of a choice.

"As for the rest of you morons… Naruto, Jiraiya was right. It's unsafe for you to be in the village. You're going to be leaving with him tomorrow, so say your goodbyes."

He stood up so abruptly that the bed moved back with a screech against the floor. "What? That's unfair!"

She grabbed him by the front of the jacket and practically snarled into his face. "Fair doesn't factor into it. Those men were looking for you, idiot! You want to lead them to your friends?" With that thoroughly unfair emotional manipulation out of the way, she added, "Besides, I'm your Hokage. Don't question my orders."

"Not Hokage yet," he mumbled a little bitterly, jerking out of her grip.

Tsunade turned her attention to her next victim. Sensing that this situation wasn't going to get any prettier, Karin gave a hasty wave, mumbled something about Hinata, and started edging towards the door. "And you, brat. What the hell were you doing, running off into ANBU the moment something went wrong? You had three students left. Clearly you aren't in your right mind. I'm putting you on light duty- no ANBU, no genin team, and no missions over B-class until you straighten out your head." Her tone changed to something more sympathetic. "You'll be meeting with Shizune to sort out the genjutsu aftereffects twice next week. If you try to skip, I'll assume you're trying to say that you don't think they're necessary for your little apprentice either."

Aiko cringed. 'Low blows,' she thought miserably while Tsunade tore her teacher apart.

"Hold on," Sasuke interrupted, looking pissed. "If Naruto is leaving with the old pervert and Kakashi can't teach genin, what am I supposed to do?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "That's not my problem right now. I'll figure it out. Surely there's some genin team out there who can take an extra."

"That's not good enough!" he snapped. He gave her his highest level bitch-face, the one that actually made Chuunin uncomfortable back in the Academy. Aiko had always suspected it reminded people of his father. "Weird or not, Kakashi's one of the best Jounin in the village. I won't be dumped on some idiot when I need to get stronger. You teach me."

"Like you could keep up with me," she scoffed, turning away and making for the door.

"Coward. Do you always avoid responsibility?"

Tsunade slowwwwly turned around, a shit-your-pants-terrifying smile on her face. "Fine. You can try my training for a week." She left. Sasuke smirked, and then seemed to realize what had happened. She could practically see the moment he wondered if he really had won or not. In the silence that followed, Aiko moved to squeeze her sensei's hand.

"You should get to bed. Training in the morning, sensei?" She gave him a hug around the waist. Mechanically, he fluffed her hair, already messy and floofed up in the back with bedhead.

"Well, that was pleasant." He backed away from his students and uncomfortably put his hands in his pocket. "I suppose this is goodbye for a while, Naruto."

"Yeah." The blonde hung his head and swallowed hard. When he looked up again, his expression was steel. "I'll get strong enough that it won't matter if those jackasses come around again."

"I believe it," their teacher said quietly, fondly. He didn't quite manage to look at any of them. "Well, look at the time! I should take my cat for a walk." None of them was really surprised by the shunshin that followed.

"Turns out she may have earned that title," Sasuke groaned, lethargically picking at his vegetables from the hot pot.

Aiko tried her best not to snicker, pulling out another piece of meat with her chopsticks. At her side, Karin actually managed a sympathetic look. "Medical stuff is way harder than it looks," she commiserated, looking irritatingly pristine next to her filthy and battered dining partners. They exchanged dirty looks. Karin obliviously tapped her fingers on the tabletop.

"I haven't learned a single jutsu," Sasuke said flatly, staring at the table as if he hoped it would leap up and kill him. "She beats me around for about an hour, gives me a list of exercises and then hits me with a book to read before the end of the day. Then she saunters away to drink. (Tsunade was enjoying her last days of freedom before the hat was officially hers.) The best part is that she occasionally sends a minion to attack me while I study."

'He really should have expected she would make his life hell,' Aiko thought fondly. She was cranky like that. Of course, she had been ridiculously full of herself since she had re-entered Konoha… but not without reason.

Tsunade had reason to be smug. She had managed to bring the third Hokage out of his coma the day before she had tried to help Hinata, Kakashi and Aiko. He was infirm and would likely never be able to so much as take the stairs at a decent clip again, but it was a small price to pay for his life. Granted, he was elderly and probably didn't have that much time left anyway, but better to die on his own terms than due to a former student's treachery. Once he caught up on the situation, he was actually happy enough to cry, Naruto had related solemnly. And why not? His village was saved, two of his wayward students had returned (if only for a while in Jiraiya's case), and he finally had a successor he could trust the village to. It was almost an unnecessary bonus that the near-death shock had thawed the worst of the hostilities between him and his only living family.

Omake

"What are you doing?" Ino screeched, rushing across the field of wildflowers to stop the travesty against nature she had barely caught in time. Lee blinked, confused, switching his gaze between her and the bouquet he had assembled himself.

"What do you mean, Ino-san? You told me to pick out flowers. These are the most youthful!" He gave her a thumbs-up. "I thought the colors were lovely, and I have a certain fondness for lotuses!"

"Lee… That bouquet…" She shook her head, struggling for words. When she started again, her tone was clinical. "Lotuses mean 'Love from afar', orange lilies mean 'hatred' and 'revenge'; and white carnations are for engagements," she hissed, not nearly as calm as she had been when they started. "What message, exactly, are you trying to convey? Because right now, you will terrify the person you inform that you love and hate them even though they don't know you because they wronged you, possibly by being engaged. Or possibly that you are now engaged, which may surprise them just a bit."

He examined his pretty pink, orange and white bouquet uncertainly. "Ano, Ino-san… do you think Gai-sensei's rival is familiar with flower language?"

She took a moment to process the implications of that statement, remembered how Naruto had loudly complained that the man seemed to know everything, imagined how said man would react, and gave an enormous, fake smile. "I bet you're right! When we're done here, I'll get you the perfect vase before we go over to the hospital."

'I have to remember to tell Asuma-sensei. He'll enjoy this.'

"Come on, Lee. Art and Crafts time isn't over. I still need hibiscus and spider lily. Then we can go to my house and I'll teach you how to arrange them."

[crescentblossom66]

A hat in time writing prompts: Prompt 25 Crate

The owls shivered with anxiety, the harsh words of their boss still lingering in their minds. Why did he always have to yell at them? Couldn't he just ask them nicely. 'Please go down to the basement and get the crate with the revolver props.', would have been way better for their mental state and condition than the harsh 'Go to the basement and get the revolver props, ye peck necks! And don't ye dare come back empty-handed!', that they got instead.

“Oh man, what if we don't find them?” One of them spoke while his eyes widened as he pictured the horrible scenarios in his head that ranged from getting screamed at, to the yellow owl plucking out his feathers one by one.

“Calm down, let's not overreact. At least the crates are labeled so we should find the one easily enough.” The calmest of them said, he was still trembling a little, but if he panicked now, he most certainly would screw up and that would probably result with him having to deal with the rage of the Conductor, and that...yeah, he wanted to avoid that at all costs.

When they arrived at the storage floor, they stepped out of the elevator nervously, looking around to find the crate with the props. As they searched the brown birds heard voices from a couple of stacks away.

“I can't reach it like this!”

“Come on, dude! We gotta get those UFOs, we can't film the scene without them.”

“Yeah, we can't disappoint the boss!” They recognized the voices as those of the moon penguins. The express owls usually kept their distance from the black and white birds, their overprotective nature regarding their boss, and their synchronized snapping were very intimidating to them. It was just better for the owls to not get involved with them, especially because they technically were their enemies.

“I found them!” The owl pointed through a tiny hole in the stack toward a small box with revolver props. The problem was, that there was no way for them to reach them, due to them basically being encased by other, far bigger crates. The only way was through a small gap at the bottom, but none of the owl could make themselves small enough to fit through it.

“Now what do we do? My wife is going to kill me, if I get killed by the Conductor!” The poor, anxious owl crumbled to the ground and started to shake violently.

“W-We j-just have to k-keep looking. There has t-to be a w-way.” Just as even the calmest of the express owls was going to give into despair, they heard a loud crash, accompanied by a scream. Out of curiosity they ran over to check what happened and found a moon penguin surrounded by two of his colleagues.

“Are you okay, bro?” The fallen penguin shook away the daze and sat up slowly.

“I hate gravity!” The penguins now noticed the owls cowering behind a stack of crates, just peeking around, observing them. One of the penguins turned toward the owls and motioned for them to leave.

“Hey! What do you want, get lost!” The penguin on the ground got up and whispered to his friend.

“Maybe they can help us, those owls can fly.” Right, that could solve the problem. The express owls were already running back, contemplating what was worse; An angry mob of moon penguins, or a pissed off Conductor.

“Wait! Sorry, I didn't mean it, I was just frustrated.” The penguins followed the owls who stopped, still a bit shaken. “We need your help! We need to reach the top of the stack over there to get our UFO props, but it's to high up and we can't reach it.”

“Sorry, but we have our own problem to deal with. The revolver props we need are behind this wall of boxes, and the only way is through the small gap down there.” One of the owls pointed at the gap with a quivering wing.

“That's easy, I got this.” A moon penguin broke away from the group and just slid under the gap, grabbed the items and brought them to the owls. “There you go, would ya help us with the UFOs now?” The brown birds looked at each other, never would they have thought that a moon penguin would help them.

“Sure.” The owls flew up and carefully passed the box the penguins need to them, after the moon penguins showed them the huge stack.

In the end, the penguins were able to make DJ Grooves happy, while the owls avoided the rage of their impulsive boss.

[hakonpencari-cintasejati]

After playing Dying Light 2 for a month, here are my complaints for the game :

-The lack of triggering scenarions and face expressions from the NPCs, yes this including Hakon. I remember this scene where Aiden felt nausea while talking to Frank about them would go to meet the Colonel. He turned back and happened to pass Hakon who was standing with his arms rested on his chest the left side of the room (you know which). He indeed looked at you (Aiden) but he didn't say anything and his expression was blatantly blank, didn't affect him at all. He should react and ask "Aiden, kid, you look pale! You alright?" etc. I was disappointed when it didn't happen at all. I think there was Juan there. AND NICHOLAS! He should have commented too. I observe he is also the survivor who is concerned about Aiden's well being.

-The Fish Eye, after the first missile strike (the SURVIVING one), nothing significant changed with the view, ambience of the place. There should be some people rushed to aid and save their asses. Preparing medic, food, no drunkwards... same with Central City. It will be possible to spot one or two ambulances to pick up the civilians in need. Nothing the motherfucker Peacekeepers did in this scene. Ain't no way some soldiers no hearing through the radio that Frank warned the survivors about the missile attack. Thus, Peacekeepers should be busy helping civilians whether get into action or helping in the logistics part. Then, (the NOT SURVIVING one) could be improved except good job for already making the Fish Eye a mess. This is mandatory, but improvement could fill the emptiness.

-I like the activity of healing in Dying Light 1 and Following and it is much better. I love scavanging food to eat and it will add Kyle's health bar. Unlike in 2, it is very.... boring. However, props for the dev who recommended to add night time cuz i say!! I say it is challenging.

-The zombies were GONE in the cutscenes where Steve and that bald man drove Aiden to their destinations. Where are the zombies, man??!? They don't want to watch the drama between and involving those living human beings??!?

-No guns, yeah. This is why many people, including me, favored the bows and that gift from Peacekeepers if the player gives the fourth faction to them. Don't count the gun you have to craft from scraps. That shit never last longs.

-This is an INDIVIDUAL preference (i see you), but it would be nice if Hakon amused Aiden through the walky-talky like Pagan Min did to Ajay Ghale. Their interactions in the game what made me feel less lonely and it would be nice if Hakon did the same to Aiden. He likes rambling nonsense, like Pagan Min, right? That will work! (and it will ends after that cutscene of Hakon got shot by an arrow) For example :

Hakon : "What should i eat today? Canned sweet corns🌽 or red beans🥣?"

Aiden : "Sweet corns are much better."

.

.

Hakon : *some time later in the evening* "Bet the sky above you is uglier than mine here."

Aiden : *in the Old Villedor running errand* "Hakon, we are looking up to the same view of the sky!!! Jesus!!"

Hakon : "Really?"

This applies with Lawan with Aiden after they enter Central City. But, knowing Lawan's characteristics i can't say much. This is why i find it nice in the side mission called Aitor Aiden called Lawan for advice and such.

-Frozen screens💀 But, luckily i only encountered.... five? Yeah, not much. Still, looking forward of this being gone.

I say it again one more time, where did these motherfucking Peacekeepers when we are in need?!?! Especially after the first missile attack?! And yet they have the audacity to claim the whole Villedor under their rule if we pretty mucb side with them? Developers, you missed this important detail.