#im biting the bars of my enclosure right now

[luminlunii]

I'm going to assault some of you with a chalupa.

[archangeldyke-all]

idk why but i feel like sev has a mommy kink in the sense of like...calling her sub mommy. i just imagine reader like comes home from a stressful day at work and sev is just doting and rubbing on them like "lemme take care of you, mommy, i got you..."

and then later when she's balls deep in you with her strap and she's got that FUCKING VOICE in your ear like "yeah? feels good? talk to me, mommy, tell me more about your day so i can make it better" ahshajshjamsnmnasbhnnggggg im foaming at the mouth and biting at the bars of my enclosure rn~

ANON ANPasdjfs;ljANPN I'asdl;kf;ajsd fqpwoijefpoiqhwer; ofijq;lkdsjf;lsqkdjf ANON.

do you have an IQ of a million maybe? becaue i think you mihgt. holy shit. holy shit. holy shit. you've unlocked something in me and i'll never be the same...

men and minors dni

it starts as a joke! or at least, that's what you think.

a few months into your relationship, sevika starts teasingly calling you 'mommy.'

it starts casually.

she'll show up at your door to pick you up for a date and whistle as she takes in your outfit. "damn, mommy, you look good enough to eat." she'll say. you just roll your eyes and kiss her hello.

or sometimes when she's annoying you and you're pouting at her, fishing for an apology, she'll grin at you and swoop in to kiss you. "'m sorry, mommy." she whispers against your lips. "you're just so cute when you're angry."

the first time it slips out in the bedroom, sevika's got you face down, ass up, pounding into you with loud, sticky, wet, smacks, as you moan into the mattress beneath you.

"'y take me so fuckin' well, honey, you're fucking dripping. shit, mommy, 's it feel good?" she grunts.

there's a moment of awkward silence where sevika's thrusts stutter as her mind catches up to her mouth and your breath leaves your lungs, but then you whine so sweetly and so prettily that sevika mentally puts 'mommy' at the top of her pet name list, right underneath 'baby' and 'honey.'

you know you're in for the dicking of your life when sevika starts sweetly calling you mommy.

she usually reserves it for when you need some extra loving, when she's trying to take care of you.

if you wake up with a stuffy nose and sore throat, sevika's cooing at you as she hand feeds you soup.

"lemme take care of you, mommy." she whispers. "all you gotta do is lay there and look pretty, i'll take care of everything else." she says as she puts the bowl down on the night stand and starts kissing down your body. "i heard orgasms help clear the sinuses, or something." she mumbles as she helps you out of your jammies.

she'll fuck you until you pass out, and when you wake up, she'll feed you more soup and tea and medicine, before fucking you back to sleep again.

or if you're having a rough week at work, sevika will draw you a bath and let you relax while she pours you a big glass of wine. she sits on the toilet and watches you soak, listening to you bitch about your boss.

"'m sorry." you grunt out at one point. "i'm being a spiteful bitch."

sevika chuckles and presses a kiss to your head.

"you're a saint. i'd have killed him by now if he was my boss. plus, i like seeing you all worked up and angry, mommy. kinda gets me goin'." she says with a cheeky smile.

an hour later, she's got you in a mating press, shoving her tongue down her throat when she's not busy talking to you.

"there you go, mommy, imma fuck all the stress outta you. you're so fuckin' perfect. so good." she grunts.

you whimper underneath her.

"yeah? 's feel good?" she asks with a grin. you gasp and nod, your nails scratching your nails down her back as you start to spasm beneath her. she leans down to peck your lips before speaking in your ear, her raspy, sexy voice practically a growl as she speaks, "cum on this cock, mommy. 's all yours."

you do.

(and then you do again, when she flips you over to fuck you doggy, and then one more time when she cleans up her mess with her mouth.)

taglist!

@lesbeaniegreenie @fyeahnix @sapphicsgirl @half-of-a-gay @ellabslut @thesevi0lentdelights @sexysapphicshopowner @shimtarofstupidity

[riality-check]

*bites and shakes the bars of my enclosure* APPALACHIAN EDDIE!!!!! I LOVE HIM SO MUCH ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING YOU GOT INJECT IT STRAIGHT INTO MY VEINS IM SO PBSESSED

Thank you so much!! I'm currently trudging my way through chapter 2 of Born to Run, but before that's done, here's some stuff I wrote up from a while ago related to the Munson Lore post.

Basically, if you're interested in Wayne feels, keep scrolling!

Wayne enlists the second he turns eighteen, the last months of high school be damned. It was his plan all along, the only way to get the hell out West Virginia or at least the holler. The war in Korea breaks out around that time, but he still enlists.

If he's gonna die, it ain't gonna be in a mine. He's seen what happens to men down there, sees them come home with coal-stained faces and crooked backs, watches them drown themselves in bottles.

That last one might just have been his pa, though.

Wayne feels bad leaving his mama, but especially his brother. He's only six, and he's already a little too wild for their mama to watch on her own. Over the course of Johnny's short life, Wayne has spent a lot of time makin' sure he stays outta trouble. He's a rambunctious, bright kid. Wayne doesn't know what he'll get into while he's gone.

But it makes him feel better that their old man's been in the ground a year now. It's one less thing for Wayne to worry about, for Johnny's sake.

Wayne goes to Korea, and he doesn't come back the same. He doesn't come back right, and until he can, he decides not to. Christmas cards and a visit once every few months will have to do because Wayne can't do anything more than that right now. He just can't.

It wouldn't be fair for Mama to have to take care of him, now that he's grown. It wouldn't be fair for Johnny to see his brother shaking and crying because of bad dreams, something he's surely grown out of by now.

So, he takes jobs driving trucks all over the country. The hours are long and it don't pay much, but if he's got music on, he doesn't have to think. He gets a pretty good collection of hats going, too. One from every state he's been to. He wants to go to Hawai'i to complete the collection.

It takes ten years for Wayne to piece himself back together. He ain't the same, but he's enough of a person by the time he's twenty-eight that he thinks he can go back for good.

So, he does. He drives back up to West Virginia and sees his mama and doesn't see his brother, who's sixteen now. When he asks Mama where he went, she shrugged and said, "Out."

Wayne does see his wife. Or, well, they're not married yet. They decided to wait until she has the baby so she can fit in her mama's wedding dress.

Rebecca is sweet and pretty and a high school dropout, just like Wayne, just like his brother is, now, apparently. She and Wayne talk for hours, and he really likes her. She's funny and grounded in a way that his brother definitely needs.

They talk until his brother comes back, stumbling in, face bloody. Johnny - no, John - smiles when he sees Wayne, and things are okay for a little while. They all stay at Mama's house. Wayne picks up some odd handyman jobs, Rebecca works as a cashier at the grocery store a mile down the road, and John-

Well, Wayne doesn't know what John is doing. All he knows is that he works odd hours and seems to be gettin' skinnier, but he's putting supper on the table, so things are okay. They're okay.

They're okay until The Fight to End All Fights.

They're okay until he and his brother are screaming, and throwing things, but they didn't hit each other. John swung once, exactly once, and Wayne stepped out of the way. He doesn't swing back, not like Pa would have.

Wayne leaves. His brother does, too. Wayne doesn't see him for years, but his wife calls and sends pictures of their little family.

Wayne isn't sure how she keeps getting his number, even after he's moved a few times. But Rebecca calls at least twice a year, some years more than others. Sometimes, it's a whispered rush of words; others, it's a nice, long, chat, even if her words sound slurred together.

She sends Wayne cards for his birthday and Christmas. She includes pictures of herself and Johnny. Wayne tries not to look at those too hard, not when it's clear that both of them are getting worse.

He does look at the pictures of their kid, though. "Eddie" is the name Becca writes on all the pictures. He's a skinny kid with eyes like John and hair like Rebecca. He's a smiley kid, too, and he always seems to be holding a book.

Wayne wishes he could meet him. But even if The Fight didn't happen, that's just not possible.

Rebecca never gives him a return address.

[hier--soir]

*proceed with caution yelling screaming gremlin ahead*

IM BITING THE BARS OF MY ENCLOSURE

I have an honest to God terrifying af exam in 2 days and im LOSING MY MIND because ive been procrastinating on your prof joel because i want to SAVOUR IT and you went and dropped John Price on me??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW???? there's literal war crimes happening inside my head the way im screaming and holding myself back from DEVOURING your entire masterlist

*hades voice* its cool its cool im cool

I will be back tho. Be ready.

hahahaha GOOD LUCK FOR YOUR EXAM PROF JOEL WOULD WANT YOU TO DO WELL AT UNI

he and john price will both be waiting to tell u how proud they are when you finish up🕺🏼

[thenickgirl]

https://www.tumblr.com/thenickgirl/748489171740606464/okay-so-you-lit-have-the-best-nick-pics-ever-i?source=share

TYSM

IM LIT DOUNG IT RN AND OH LORD THAT MAN IS SO FINEEEE LIKE IM A HOMOSEXUAL MAN AND LIT AHHHHH GIRL IM DYING RIGHT NOW LIKE AHHHHH GOD I WANNA DO THINGS TO THIS MAN

(Im cawing at my walls and barking)

that’s the realist shit 😭😭😭

every time i go on there i have to take moment bc i see something that has me biting the bars of my enclosure like a rabid dog

[dr4yc0nic]

Figured it's about time I make an intro post!

Hi!! My name's Obsidion and I am an artist and general nerd

My current interests are:

-Madness Combat

-Regretevator

-Splatoon

-Fnaf

I'm Dr4yc0nic on basically everything, including

-Twitter (IM ON HERE MOST OF THE TIME)

-Tumblr (duh)

-Instagram (inactive)

-Discord (Formerly Obsidion#4390)

My Splatoon tag as of now is 2bdamned

My Nintendo friend code is SW-5214-4453-1239

PLEASE stick your fingers in the bars of my enclosure I won't bite PLEEEASASSEEEE

My random talking tag is #Obsidion's insane ramblings

I repost a bunch of shit whenever I remember Tumblr exists

My asks are always open!! So is my inbox!!!! Please talk to me!!

That's all I can think of right now, but message me if you ever want someone to talk to

[you-cant-spell-subtext-without]

so get this. I was gonna roll around in Tombstone related fluff today - but no, no - this post came across my dash so Now We Are Gonna Discuss the Carnal Consumption of Meat as it appears on That Show Supernatural.  YEAH BUDDIES!

(also my sincere apologies to OP of the inspiration post who innocently tagged it with “lunch date!”  because I am about to go Elsewhere, cursedly).

Let’s all go meat man, after the cut!

This analysis centers primarily on 5x14 Bloody Valentine.  The title of course is a semi-homage to a 3D Slasher Film Jensen starred in circa 2009. 

Which I will be renting soon I guess.  ,[<- parasocial panda GET BACK IN YOUR ENCLOSURE]

Also Its Really Fun that the trailer for Said Cinema ends with “nothing says date movie like a 3-D ride to hell” [are you also thinking of Cas pulling Dean out of hell, or are you normal?]  ***unironically the teaser for 5x14 is -

EXT. SIDEWALK - IN FRONT OF ALICE'S APARTMENT BUILDING

RUSSEL 

First date.

They then eat each other.  Literally they eat each others flesh.  They also do it while dirty talking about it.  SPN IS A SHOW 

ALICE Ugh! I've been so alone. So empty...

RUSSEL I know. Me too.

ALICE I want you, Russel---All of you... inside me...

[they both take bites out of each other, Alice chewing on a piece of Russel's flesh]

****Remember this detail, as it is important.

ANYWAY, it’s truly Cursed that not only are we doing an homage to this 3-D Jensen Horror Date Flick but also this episode is specifically centered on Valentine’s Day.  The day honoring romance and love Now Coopted by Hallmark, everyone, that is the day spn writers chose to introduce us to 

Sir Horseman of THE Biblical Apocalypse Famine. 

Canonically, we are aware that the show is drawing from the book of Revelations in its depiction of the Four Horsemen.  Here’s what it says about Famine -

"When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.”

-Revelations 6:5

Famine holds scales (used to weigh out grain in times of food scarcity).  Spn’s depiction is represented as hunger, a bottomless pit of need.  It consumes souls (demon and human alike).  

Cas describes Famine a little more poetically:

CASTIEL 

"And then will come Famine riding on a black steed. He will ride into the land of plenty... "

"... and great will be the Horseman's hunger, for he is hunger. "

"His hunger will seep out and poison the air. "

***Consider a prior season in which we are introduced to the Seven Deadly Sins.  Which are the sins associated with hunger?

Gluttony

and Lust.

***this is also important

Back to the episode.  Case cold open, and we find out that Alice was a Nice Girl.  In that she didnt drink, smoke or

have premarital sex.

***So Alice’s hunger for the sin of Lust caused her to succumb to it; and her demise was presented as Gluttony (literally eating her partner’s flesh). HMM

Famine’s presence is affecting the town, and Cas is not immune.

DEAN 

And when did you start eating?

CASTIEL 

Exactly. My hunger-- it's a clue, actually.

***They lay it out a little more in case you missed it ->

SAM 

I thought famine meant starvation, like as in, you know, food.

CASTIEL 

Yes. Absolutely. But not just food. I mean, everyone seems to be starving for something--Sex, attention, drugs, love...

***this is so important.  but of course because its spn and our textual narrators are generally unreliable (even in a Ben Edlund episode, yes I know)

we get a red herring

CASTIEL 

Right. The cherub made them crave love, and then Famine came, and made them rabid for it.

***but that’s not accurate.  they didn’t get married or become obsessed with each other (remember the cursed coin in 4x08 Wishful Thinking and the unconditional love wish? not what happened here). they had premarital sex.  they did the thing Alice considers wrong, and dark, and sinful.  and then they ate each others’ flesh.

DEAN 

Okay, but what about you? I mean, since when do angels secretly hunger for White Castle?

CASTIEL 

It's my vessel-- Jimmy. His, uh, appetite for red meat has been touched by Famine's effect

***mad lad Jimmy Novak’s hunger is for...red meat?  He is starving for red meat?  You are telling me that the Novaks, red blooded conservative religious midwestern Novaks, ate RED MEAT SO SPARINGLY that Jimmy Novak was LITERALLY starving for it?!?!  No way.  Absolutely no way.  This is a man who was such a religious zealot he STUCK HIS HAND IN BOILING WATER and accepted an angel of the lord into his own body but his secret hunger was for fucking ground beef?

give me a damn break.

to me this is an absolute coverup.  Because Cas’s burger consumption is not related one iota to his vessel Jimmy Novak.

it is a representation of Cas falling.  Cas’s cravings for meat represent his growing (and very much prohibited) feelings for...humanity (Dean Winchester), and they are presenting as Gluttony in the form of his downing more and more copious amounts of red meat.  

SERIOUSLY, consider this - at one point the depiction is so desperately carnal that he is eating raw ground beef with his bare hands. It is fucking uncomfortable.  and it is SUPPOSED to be.  Famine stirs up hunger for the prohibited.  For the sinful. That which we are starving for but do not believe we can ever have, so we lust and we lust and we LUST after it, but should we allow ourselves even just a taste of what we have been ravenously craving, we binge it until we ourselves disappear into the oblivion of our own sinful, dark desires.

Since You Want More Examples of why this cant possibly be hunger for Cheeseburgers and Cheeseburgers alone, Consider Famine’s effect on Dean.  Remember his doctor kink?

**when its revealed that Doctor Corman has succumbed to Famine’s poison by drinking himself to death, Dean - very uncharacteristically by the way - reacts by saying out loud

DEAN Thanks. Crap! I really kind of liked this guy.

***please note that Doctor Corman says the following to Dean in the prior scene they have together -

DR. CORMAN [to Dean]

Agent Marley, you just can't stay away.

****was that a flirtation?

***Also, Dean doesn’t want to go out and chase tail for Valentines Day.   

SAM

I mean, what do you always call it-- Uh, unattached drifter Christmas?

DEAN 

Oh, yeah. Well... be that as it may...I don't know. Guess I'm not feeling it this year.

SAM 

So you're not into bars full of lonely women?

DEAN 

Nah, I guess not. [takes a sip of his beer] Ahh. What?

SAM 

That's when a dog doesn't eat-- That's when you know something's really wrong.

***oh look we are relating things to eating again.  sex/lust to gluttony.  hmmm hmmm hmmm

ANYHOW -  *takes deep breath*

 this is also the Episode Where This Scene Lives

****JACKTING JOICES

oh and speaking of jacting joices, this is also the Dean Notices Cupids Crotch Episode.

frAckles, I am once again asking why you only permit celestial beings to hug you from behi-[gunshots]

but Dean isn’t hungry.  Why? Famine has the explanation, and we get it after Dean immediately runs inside after Cas heads in to complete his portion of their plan barely giving him any time to do so because he misses him that much.

FAMINE 

I disagree. [Famine moves closer to Dean and touches him] Yes. I see. That's one deep, dark nothing you got there, Dean. Can't fill it, can you? Not with food or drink. Not even with sex.

DEAN 

Oh, you're so full of crap.

FAMINE 

Oh, you can smirk and joke and lie to your brother, lie to yourself, but not to me! 

***not Dean making all of those homophobic/homoerotic jokes every time he’s in danger or feeing uncomfortable; not that, that can’t possibly be what Famine is referencing, right?

I can see inside you, Dean. I can see how broken you are, how defeated. 

***not THIS parallel:

AMARA:

You're a mystery. I can see inside your heart. Feel the love you feel, except… It's cloaked in shame

You can't win, and you know it. But you just keep fighting. Just... keep going through the motions. 

***not the motions of performative heterosexuality!!

***Dean’s not hungry because in his heart he truly believes that he can’t actually have what he hungers for.  That Thing Which This Episode Overtly but Also Very Clearly Made Obvious.  It’s an angel riding shotgun [I did Do That and I am Not Sorry], eating a burger in the front seat of the impala.  But, I’ve deviated from the meat of this essay [gunshots] [this time just for the bad joke].

BONUS

there’s Exists another episode in which a man ravenously consumes red meat; eventually succumbing to eating raw beef with his bare hands in the season prior to this one.  

Yes Supernatural the Show That Brought Us Not One But Two Scenes of Persons Carnally Consuming Red Meat With Their Bare Hands.  

This episode is a MOTW - the man in question is a rougaru - a monster that starts out as human but due to some specific genetic disorder (hmmm hmmm hmm crack in THE chassis hmmm hmmm) soon begins to be extremely hungry - “for everything, but eventually long pig.” AKA human flesh. 

Wanna know the kicker?  

Episode’s called Metamorphosis.

(GIF by jackttwist)

I’ll see myself out.

[DOUBLE BONUS for extra credit:

if you really wanna wild out, go watch the scene of Jack the rougaru looking at himself in the mirror in 4x04 - and then meander on over to 7x01 and check out God!stiel looking in the mirror as the leviathans writhe inside him over there. It’s worth the walk.]

***oh and @lilac-void​ im tagging you in this one because in exchange for your KIND creator content nomination I guess I will respond by cursing you with an Honorary tag in this, a Meat Meta.  you’re welcome slash I'm sorry XO [but seriously thank you again for your kindness and appreciation; it really motivated me to sit down and get moving on making more content <3]

[mythiica]

Myth congrats on all of your new followers!! ❤️❤️❤️ May I get a Modern!AU slow burn fic ending in fluff for either Ieyasu, Mitsuhide, or Shingen? Tbh, I'm having a hard time choosing who, please choose whichever one inspires you! I trust your decision hehe 😊

Title: Modern AU! Slow Burn

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku

Character: Ieyasu Tokugawa, Mitsuhide Akechi, Shingen Takeda

Genre: mini fics

Warnings: none

Intended Gender Audience: Female Audience

Word Count: each is about 700 words x 3 = 2100 words

POV: second person w/ (Y/n)

Other comments: im insane so im doing them all as mini scenarios; i decided to use the official art of what jobs they would have in an AU setting, hope you like!- 

Ieyasu - Animal Kisses

“Hold her, will you?”

          You do as you are told, allowing Ieyasu to wrap the fawn’s leg with a bandage. It squirms in your grip, but you keep the animal in place the best you can. Once he smooths down the edge of the wrap, Ieyasu gives you a short nod, letting you know he has finished. The fawn stands up and takes a few steps with her newly bandaged leg before licking Ieyasu’s cheeks.

         He stands there, rather unamused, but accepts the creature’s kisses without saying anything. The deer also nuzzles its head against Ieyasu, but then he promptly picks her up to return her to the enclosure.

         “Aww! She likes you~” you tease as you follow behind him. “Thank you for helping her. I was really worried when I saw the blood this morning. I thought that something had broken into the conservatory, but she just fell over a broken branch.”

         “Don’t thank me. It’s my job.”

         “Still though… all the animals here like you. You have a special connection with them.”

         Ieyasu presses the button for the intercom. “Can someone come get Twyla? She’s ready to go back. Make sure she gets antibiotics in her food for the next six meals. If she comes back looking worse, I’m blaming you lot.”

         Your pager pings, so you pull it from your pocket. “Oh…” you mumble dejectedly.

         “Something wrong?”

         “No…” you reply, “I have to go to the other side of the facility to help one of the bush babies. It seems like one of them got stuck in a tree hole and is a bit too pudgy to get out.”

         Ieyasu chuckles slightly at this. “They have been putting on more weight than usual. Perhaps they are trying to bulk up for mating season?”

         Of course he has a reasonable answer for this. Ieyasu always knows everything about every animal in the rescue center. He also is always so kind to any creature that comes into his room.

         “I’ll see you around, then,” you say with a wave. “Bush babies to save...” You bite your lip and fumble with your fingers. An awkward silence passes between the two of you before you escape from the lab.

         Ieyasu lingers in his spot, leaning against the metal table, and thinks for a moment. He brushes off the notion and turns around to tend to some files for incoming animals.

         An hour later, a knock at the door coaxes him from his work. “You again?”

         You laugh. “This time, I am the patient.”

         He raises an eyebrow, to which you raise your finger and show him the smallest trickle of blood going down your finger. “Mating season indeed. The male attacked me when he heard the female squeal as I tried to remove her.”

         “That stupid saucer-eyed cotton ball,” he curses. “Come here.”

         Your heels click against the tiled floor as you walk over, and Ieyasu grabs your hand to inspect the puncture wound. “I washed it before coming here, but I didn’t know where we keep the medical supplies that are… well… for humans. I guess I’m too new here!”

         Ieyasu rips open a small alcoholic wipe and cleans your finger before applying a bit of cream to it and wrapping a band aid around it.

         “What’s my prognosis?”

         “You’ll live,” he replies. “Just make sure you wash it when you get home and keep it covered while you work.”

         “Thank you, Dr. Tokugawa.”

         “Don’t call me that. It makes me sound old.”

         You cover your mouth and laugh. Placing your hands back in your lap, you look around at his lab to avoid sparking up further conversation. But the, Ieyasu clears his throat, and you immediately worry that you intruded on something.

         “Oh! Sorry. I should… be getting to lunch. Thank you again.”

         This time, when you turn to leave, Ieyasu is not so quick to let you leave.  “Would you like to stay here and eat?”

         “I thought we were not allowed to bring food into the labs.”

         Ieyasu points at the tables. “I sanitize these at least forty times an hour. My floors are cleaner than the cafeteria tables.”

         You can’t hold your smile back and nod your head enthusiastically.

Mitsuhide Akechi - Late Nights at the Precinct

You turn the lights out and close your office door behind you. The lock clicks shut, and you begin to walk to the front doors to leave the precinct. With your hands on the door bars, you catch a glimspe of Mitsuhide in his own office. He is hunched over his desk, reviewing papers for a recent case he took on.

          Up to now, you have only heard whispers of the famous Mitsuhide Akechi –  he was a legend in Japan for solving the most difficult of cases. People said that it took him three days to find an illusive serial killer that had evaded the police for nearly a year. You wonder if he is really as ruthless as they say. Not only was he extremely good at his job, but people claimed that he had more connections to mafias and gangs than anyone in the country. This earned him the nickname ‘kitsune’, as he could shape shift to fit his needs for the case.

         You knock on his open door and lean against the doorframe. “Burning the midnight oil?” you inquire, trying to sound cool.

         He looks up, his golden eyes seemingly piercing through you. Mitsuhide takes his glasses off and leans back in his chair. His hand shifts, moving the case file over the papers so that you cannot see them. Of course he is guarded. He transferred to the Tokyo division only recently.

         “Is it really that late? I hadn’t noticed.” Mitsuhide proceeds to stand up and stretch before sauntering over to you. “And what is a little mouse as yourself doing here at a time like this?”

         “I had to finish a report for a case I just closed.”

         “Oh?”

         “Kidnapping,” you explain.

         Mitsuhide’s eyes shine. “I don’t think we’ve properly met, Detective…?”

         “(Y/n) (L/n).”

         “Ah, of course. You helped with the Yandere Killings last year, didn’t you?” Mitushide refers to a string of murders that happened over the course of a week early last spring. They were strangely consistent with murders that happen in the game Yandere Simulator, hence the name ‘Yandere Killings’ was coined for the case.

         “Yes, but I didn’t do as much as you did, Detective Akechi. After all, you caught the person who was doing it.”

         Mitsuhide smiles, accepting your praise happily.

         “Sorry to bother you, I just saw your light and…” you trail off, not really knowing how to explain why you stopped by.

         “It’s no problem.”

         Indeed, Mitsuhide was keeping his answers short as to avoid complicating the conversation further. You wonder if he ever let anyone in. Shaking the thought from your mind, you bow your head. “Best of luck on the case you are working on now. I will take my leave now. Goodnight, Detective Akechi.”

         “Goodnight, little mouse.” He stays in his spot as you leave, only moving from the doorframe until after you have exited the building.

         The next morning, when you enter the precinct, you can see Mitsuhide sitting in your chair from the main hall. “Hello Detective Akechi. What brings you here?”

         He brings his feet down from your desk and looks at you. “I came to ask you a question.”

         “Okay. Shoot.”

         Mitsuhide clicks his tongue. “Do you suppose it is possible that the murders from the Back alley case were moved there?”

         You tap your finger against your chin, pondering this idea. “I haven’t reviewed the case file in detail, but there wasn’t any evidence that they had been killed on the spot, right?”

         He nods. “Smart mouse.” Mitsuhide seems to really like this nickname. “Does that not make it kidnapping, technically?”

         “Well…” you think back to your years of training, “Not always. Kidnappers are not always motivated by a murderous intent. Unless the victims were held captive and then killed, I don’t know that… wait…” Something seems off. Why is he asking you this? Mitsuhide is smart enough to know the answer himself. He could just as easily look it up. Why bother to com ask you directly?

         Mitsuhide tips his head and looks at you as if he is analyzing you.

         “Are you asking me to work this case with you?”

         The corners of his mouth curl upwards into a sly smile. “How perceptive.”

         You laugh. “You could have asked me or put in a request with–”

         He stands up and pats your head, ruffling up your hair. “Yes. I could have. But I wanted to test you. And you passed, little mouse. Congratulations and welcome to the homicide division.”

Shingen - Etude in G# minor, Op.25; No.6

He plays with the grace of a swan gliding through crystal clear water. His fingers glide across the keys, creating beautiful harmonies that echo throughout the concert hall. The rest of the symphony has stopped playing, allowing him to continue with a piano solo.

          You find it strange – you have heard this particular piece, Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2, but the way Shingen Takeda plays it… he transforms the piece and brings the audience along for a mystical ride along with him. You would not be surprised if there were people moved to tears. In fact, when you inhale, your chest rattles with a surpassed cry.

         Shingen ends the song, keeping his finger held down on the key for a bit longer than was supposed to, but no one notices because the hall erupts into applause. You have been attending concerts for many years, but this is the first time that people throw roses onto the stage.

         He picks one up, and when he smells it, his gaze locks with yours. You are not too far in the back, and nor are you very close to the front, so this catches you off guard. Your stomach does flips in your abdomen when he winks. If Shingen Takeda was anything in addition to one of the best pianists in the world, he was the biggest flirt in the world as well.

         The concert dismisses, and crowds run to the exits in an attempt to catch him before he leaves. When you enter the main hall, you hear screams from behind you. A mob of young women runs straight for you, but before they make impact, a strong hand wraps around your waist and pulls you out of the way.

         When you look up, you nearly lose your breath – Shingen smiles at you with that charming smile of his. It melts your bones and steals any words you could have said in the moment.

         “Careful there,” he purrs, dipping his head closer to you, “an angel like you should watch her step.”

         Your heart thunders in your chest, and you pull to get away. The crowd of girls has circled around you, trying to get a piece of the action. Shingen pays them little attention, and actually seems saddened that you have moved away from him. “You played beautifully tonight, Mr. Takeda.”

         “Hearing that, from you, is a gift in itself.” The women all swoon simultaneously, but Shingen tips his head slightly when you do not fall for the same sweet talk.

         “Thank you,” you say quickly before escaping the crowd.

         The next day, you return to reality and your job as a hostess at a high-end restaurant. You arrive a bit earlier than usual so you can help set up the tables for dinner. The restaurant sits on the top of a skyscraper-hotel. As soon as you come out of the elevator, you nearly drop your phone because you see Shingen Takeda sitting at the piano in the middle of the dining hall.

         He plays as beautifully as he did last night, putting you in a trance that nearly makes you miss getting out of the elevator. Skittering out from the elevator, you try to find one of your coworkers and ask them to explain why Shingen is there.

         “Oh, the boss asked him to make an appearance tonight and play for the guests. Did you not get my text?”

         You look down and realize that you have gotten a message from her, but you were busy ogling Shingen to notice. Inhaling, you shake the nerves off and collect some table cloths to go cover the tables. Deep down, you pray that he doesn’t notice you, but when you hear him whistle, you know you’ve been found.

         He waves at you, and you know that he won’t stop until you visit him. “Hello again,” he greets, “it must be fate that allows me to see you again today, my angel.”

         “I’m not your angel. I work here.”

         Shingen runs his hand through his hair. “Tonight, I will play whatever song you wish. Tell me, what do you desire?”

         Rolling your eyes, you smirk. “Chopin's “Etude in G# minor, Op.25; No.6.” It was one of the most difficult pieces you knew, so you threw it at Shingen in an attempt to deter him.

         Instead of being discouraged, he smirks and nods. “A fine choice. I will make you proud, my goddess.”

         You pause. “Uh.. angel… is better than goddess.” A blush spreads across your cheeks as you say this, but it only makes Shingen laugh.

         When guests begin to arrive, Shingen finally starts to play the song you asked for. As he plays the first few notes, you stop and turn to look at him. The spotlight is focused directly above him, catching everyone’s attention. Your heart shatters as the minor undertones take over because he is that good.

         Snapping back into reality, you take a group to their table. On the way back to the front, you stop by the piano and place a flower on the music stand. He smiles at you, but continues to play.

         The music wraps around you, enveloping you in the strong emotion he pours into the piece. Of course he does. He is Shingen Takeda after all – the world’s best flirter and pianist.

[josephstoontown]

A Rainbow of Emotions, Ch. I

Chapter I of A Rainbow of Emotions, a Joseph's ToonTown story.

So, alright.  I wrote things the way I did, in this story, for a reason. Just, keep in mind, my interpretation of certain characters may not accurately reflect either the actual characters themselves or how I actually feel about them.

Word count: 5,712 – Character count: 32,116 Originally written: December 27th, 2016 Revised on: Auguast 13th, 2017

After seeing something she shouldn't have, Lola seeks shelter the storm-clouds of her mind… as well as the ones overhead.

Lola Bunny, Walter Bunny, The Looney Tunes Show, and related characters and properties created by and © Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Pops, Pop's Moon Palace, Johnny Bravo, and related characters and properties created by Van Partible and © Turner Broadcasting System

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    Deep in the heart of the Warner District of ToonTown sat a small place off the beaten path.  A colorful sign on a large column sat behind the main building, the name of “Pop’s Moon Palace” clearly visible on the vaguely spherical display.  The building itself had a somewhat unusual design and didn't look much like an eatery.  If anything, it almost looked like a motor lodge.  Still, the smell of hot-cooked meals could be smelled by nearby potential patrons and passersby alike.  The building was more than just a diner, however…

    “Another Tipsy Carrot, please…”

    A somewhat large, balding man in a spotted bow-tie stood behind a bar, casually rubbing a glass clean with his apron.  He’d looked toward the speaking patron with a sneer.     “I’m not really sure I should do that.  You look like you’ve had plenty!”     The customer looked up from her half-collapsed position on the bar, red cracks showing in her eyes.  She had one hand on a near-empty glass with a carrot top in it.  Sat nearby were about three more glasses like that one in varying states of emptiness.

    “Just… one more, okay, Pops?” she quietly requested.  “You know I can afford it…”     “Eeh, that’s not the problem…”  The man, whose name was apparently Pops, sat the cleaned glass down and crossed his large forearms over his chest.  “The problem is… you’re drunk.  Really drunk.  I bet you can’t even sit up, can you?”     The patron rubbed her cheek against the bar, giving a grumble before responding.     “I like the bar better…  It makes my head hurt less than sitting up.”     “Geez…  I haven’t seen you like this since that Bugs fiasco.”  Pops gave a frown of genuine concern.  “How’d you even get like this, Lola?”     “It’s a long story, Pops…” the rabbit replied.     “Eeh, I’ve got nothin’ but time…  Most people seem like they wanna go to one’a those fancy chain restaurants they keep buildin’ than come here.  But, enough about me!”     The balding man lowered himself to eye-level, resting his arms on the bar.     “What’s got you feelin’ so low, kiddo?”     The orangey rabbit gave a long, labored sigh…

    “Alright, so there’s this guy I like,” she said, sitting up and sounding perfectly sober.  “I met him at the library and–”     “Hold on a second now…” Pops said as he straightened up.  “It’s not Bugs again, is it?”     “What?”  Lola gave a blink of her bloodshot eyes.  “No.  But, I like him, too!”     “Hmm…  Alright.”     “Anyway…” she continued, “he’s super-nice and really cute.  He’s also a really good kisser…”     “Eh, aren’t they all?  Heh!”     “What?”  She blinked at that statement.  “No.  I’ve dated a few people who were pretty bad at kissing.”     “Sorry,” Pops said as he took a rag and started wiping the bar.  “Just thinkin’ out loud.”

    “Well, anyway… I like this guy a lot!  He’s not like some of the guys I’ve dated.  And, just between you and me…?”     Lola leaned over the bar, whispering to Pops with her hand to the side of her mouth.     “He’s an alien from outer space!”     “An E.T, eh?”  The man gave Lola a suspicious look.  “Ya sure he’s not just pullin’ the wool over your eyes, cottontail?”     “Well, I mean, he had a really big backstory when he told me…”     “People can make a lot of stuff up, kiddo.  Why, just the other day, I had a guy come in here claiming he was th’ real Mickey Mouse an’ that Disney’s usin’ a puppet at th’ House of Mouse!  Gotta admit… if it wasn’t fer th’ high heels an’ beat-up face, he did look and even sound a lot like good ol’ Mick!  But, eh, he was just some down-on-his-luck hobo lookin’ t’ make a quick buck.  Gave me my money’s worth, too…  Heh heh heh.”     Lola gave another blink.  Pops had a fairly unsettling grin on his face…

    “Well…” she continued again, “we really hit-it-off during the April Fool’s fair and just kinda kept hanging out from then on!”     “He kiss ya on the Ferris wheel?” Pops asked.     “What?  No.  He kissed me in his bed.”     “Oh-ho-ho-ho!!  Maybe we ought’a save this story fer after-hours!”     The rabbit gave a confused blink.  Pops had that grin on his face, again…     “My point is that he’s super-nice and super-sweet and I was pretty sure he liked me!  At least… until today.”     “Oh?’” Pops prompted.     “Something happened…”     “Did he make a move on ya you weren’t expectin’?”     The rabbit tilted her head.  “You could say that…  But, it wasn’t on me.”     “Oh yeah?”     “Yeah, it was on another friend of his.”     “I think I see where this is headed…”     Pops’ grin returned… though, it wasn’t quite as creepy as the last two.  He crossed his arms over his chest again before leaning on the bar and giving the rabbit girl a friendly look.

    “I bet you caught him cheatin’ on ya with this ‘friend,’ right?”     “We’re not together,” was Lola’s immediate response.     “Yer not?”     She shook her head, giving an audible denial.     “Well then, what’s th’ problem?”     “Problem?”  She gave a blink.     “Yeah!”     Pops turned to face her directly.     “You came in here an’ started orderin’ drinks like th’ world was comin’ to an end tomorrow!  You even settled down on th’ bar all quiet-like.  I just figured somethin’ was wrong!”     “Oh, that?”  She gave a bright smile.  “I just like Tipsy Carrots.  They’re really good!  But, they make me kinda sleepy…”     Pops gave a blink of his beady, black eyes as Lola yawned, stretching on the stool.

    “So wait a minute…” the man said a moment later.  “If yer not datin’ this guy… an’ he doesn’t have ya down… then, why’d’ja bring ‘im up in th’ first place?”     “Oh!”  The rabbit perked, then smiled.  “Because, I like talking about my friends with you!  You’re a really good listener.”     “I see…”     “Plus, I’m really not sure if I should like him or not!”     “Well?  What’s the problem?”     “I think he’s dating his roommate’s girlfriend,” she said like it wasn’t a big deal.     “How d’ya figure?”     “Because I saw them together.”     “And?”     “In bed.”     “Oh?”  Pops gave a blink… then his eyes opened wide.  “Oh…!  I see!”     “Yeah… so did I,” she replied.  “I could see just about everything…  I could hear everything, too!  They really should have locked that window if they were gonna do that.  I think she really liked what he was doing, too…”     The man gave a blink, noticing a change in her disposition.  Her eyelids were starting to lower and her neutral face had become just a little upset.  She also started fidgeting with the collar and chest of her turquoise dress.  It didn’t take much guesswork to tell that what she’d seen bothered her…

    “Ya snooze, ya lose, I guess!” he said with a laugh that snapped Lola out of her funk.     “What?”     “Seems t’me that you waited too long and got this handsome fella stolen right out from under yer cute little nose, kiddo!”  He laughed again, returning to wiping the counter as he continued.  “Wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened and sure won’t be th’ last!”     “I don’t follow,” the rabbit honestly responded.  “What do you mean?”     “Isn’t it obvious?”  Pops paused to grin at her.  “You’re in love, cottontail!”     “What?  I’m not in love…” was her reply… before she asked, “am I?”     “You don’t sound too sure!  But, in this ol’ greasy-spooner’s opinion, it does sound like a classic case of watchin’ ‘n waitin’ fer too long.  I mean, if ya saw your beau in bed with some other babe… well, ya know.”     Lola gave a visible wince at that, fidgeting with her dress a little more.  After a moment of listening to Pops laugh, however, her expression turned strangely indifferent.

    “He can do what he wants,” she told Pops with quick words.  “I’m not his keeper.  If he wants to fool around with someone else’s girlfriend, that’s his problem.”     Her eyes narrowed…     “And, I hope it comes back to bite him in the tail.”     “Hey now,” Pops said with a look of concern.  “Is that the Tipsy Carrots talking, or…?”     “Doesn’t matter,” she coolly said as she reached for her miniature purse.  “How much do I owe you, Pops?”     “Well, with your current tab, about a hundred bucks plus change!”  He gave a scowl.  “I know yer good fer it, Lola, but–”     He found himself interrupted as the girl slammed a handful of cash on to the bar.     “Keep the change,” she muttered before standing up.  “I’ll see ya…”

    All Pops could do was stare, baffled and somewhat concerned, as Lola casually walked out the door of his diner.  That is… until he started counting the money she’d left behind.     “A hundred-fifty plus…  I should give some’a this back.  But on the other hand, she did say ‘keep the change…’”  He grinned to himself.  “Wonder if that Mickey look-alike’s still in the neighborhood…  I feel like bein’… ‘charitable.’  Heh heh heh…” –––––

    Lola patiently stood at the bus terminal down the road, waiting… and thinking…     That was a bad idea, she thought, handing Pops all my money like that.  I don’t think I have enough to get a room tonight… but, I don’t want to sleep out in the park.  I might be crazy… but, I’m not stupid!     Her head turned as she saw bus number 45 coming her way in the distance.     The 45…  That bus runs right by… there…  I could stay there tonight, without paying a dime…  But… do I really want to go back… there?     The rabbit gave a blink.  Something had struck one of her ears.  She looked up just in time to get sprayed in the face by a storm-front that had slipped in under her radar.     Well… I guess that answers that…     With a mutter, she took shelter from the rain under the bus stop’s meager enclosure.  Thankfully, the 45 pulled up not too long after.

    I can’t believe I’m this desperate, she thought as she popped a bus token into the transport’s cash box.  It’s been such a long time since I’ve been back there…     The lightly moistened rabbit made her way to the back of the bus as she thought.     I wonder if they even remember me…     She paused… then, she scowled at herself.     I wonder what about me they remember…     The bus took off a moment later, heading to its next stop.

    Lola couldn’t help but wonder if there were any alternatives to where she was heading as the bus drove around the Warner district.  She racked her brain trying to come up with one… but, to no avail.  She didn’t really have that many friends willing to put her up for a night and she knew she didn’t have enough money to pay for a room even at the worst hotel…  Sleeping out in the open was well out-of-the-question and going back to Joseph’s after what she saw… didn’t seem ideal.  In the end… it seemed like she was completely out of options.     I just hope they’ll let me stay the night… she thought with a sigh.

    The ride to her stop took longer than she’d expected.  They’d made several stops in-between, causing the bus to fall slightly behind schedule.  It also didn’t help that the weather had gotten almost impossible to navigate.  It had started raining cats-and-dogs – literally – which made the bus driver especially cautious.  Lola was very thankful by the time it stopped.  It also seemed like it couldn’t have picked a better time…

    “Blanc Drive!” the bus driver announced.  Lola reached up and gave the signal cord a pull in response.  A moment later, the bus came to a stop and the rabbit made her way out.     “Get somewhere warm quick, alright, miss?  It’s nasty out there!”     “I will,” she told the driver.  “Thanks.”

    Lola gave a sigh as she used her purse like a makeshift umbrella.  It wasn’t terribly effective… but, at least it gave her some protection from the rain.     What a great night to be doing this… she mentally muttered to herself.  Well… I’d better get going.  No sense in catching a cold out here.     With that thought in her head, she began walking to the west from the bus stop.  She knew she had a long walk ahead of her, since the closest bus stop to her desired location was a good mile away… but, given her options, it was the one that made the most sense to her.

    Blanc Drive seemed like a nice enough stretch of road.  The block she’d started from – a section nestled between Messick Road and Welker Avenue – was a small place which housed a mix of residential and business property.  There was one market on the corner closest to Welker Avenue that she liked, in particular – a small, strangely nameless store run by a small, Chinese-looking ‘toon she didn’t know the name of.  She could always count on him for decent prices on common goods if she were in the neighborhood.  However, she wasn’t going there, that night, and continued walking on by.

    After trekking for a good fifteen minutes through the rain and occasional mud, Lola eventually found herself standing outside of a large, two-story house sitting a good distance away from any main roads.  Even in the rain, the place looked remarkably good for being an older, wood-crafted building.     The outside of the house was surrounded by a white, picket fence, set back several yards around the perimeter.  The house itself seemed made of solid, white planks of wood while the roof rose up at an angle, sloping toward the back of the acreage.  She could see a familiar-looking rose garden in one area of the yard as well as a nice, hearty carrot patch stretching out from behind the garage to the right.  It didn’t seem like much had changed since her last visit…

    Well… she thought, here it is.  But, do I really want to–     A sudden crack of lightning made her jump.     “I’m going, Mr. Storm, I’m going!” she shouted at the sky, hopping the fence and running to the porch.  Though, all things considered, she was glad to finally be out of the rain.     For a moment, she considered just camping-out on the porch itself.  Surely, the people inside wouldn’t notice her if she just spent the night there…     “Ha-choo!”     Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me… she mentally muttered.  The shiver that followed her sneeze seemed to confirm her thought.  She was going to catch a cold if she stayed out there… or, maybe even something worse!  As much as she hated the idea of staying in that cozy little house… it seemed like she really didn’t have any other choice.  Plus, she’d made it that far, already… and so, she took a deep breath, raised a finger to the doorbell… and gave it a ring.

    The seconds passed slowly as Lola waited, her clothes and fur dripping and her body shaking.  Was it from the cold, horrible weather, though?  She wasn’t sure…  All she knew was that, in a matter of moments, she’d be greeted by the main reason she’d hated that place… and, with her lack of options, she would just have to grin and bear it.

    After a long while, her ears caught the sound of a latch, followed by a lock, being undone.  She took a step back and watched as the door opened just wide enough to reveal…     “Hi, daddy…” she said with an awkward grin.  “Can I come in?  It’s kinda wet out here…”     A single eye narrowed from between the door and the jamb.  The door closed a moment later, leaving Lola to stare in confusion as nothing happened for several moments more…  Eventually, though, she heard the chain of the door become unlatched… and, she watched the door open all the way.     “Come in, come in,” said a masculine figure standing much taller than Lola.  “Don’t drip on the carpet, dear.  Here’s a towel.”     “Thanks, dad…” the rabbit said, accepting the towel with a skittish smile.     The strong-looking rabbit-man closed the door as Lola began to dry herself.

    “So, what brings you back here at this hour, Lola?” he said as he started to rummage through a small cabinet set against a nearby wall.     “Oh, you know…” Lola began as she toweled off, “I was just in the neighborhood… thought I’d drop by, unannounced… say ‘Hi’ to you and Mom…  Is Mom here?”     “She went to spend some time with a friend who lives in Georgia,” her father said.     “Oh…”  She draped the towel over her shoulders with a frown.  “That’s… that’s too bad.”     “But I’ll make sure to let her know you dropped by.  Unless, of course…” he said, turning toward her with a small glass of amber-colored liquid in his hand, “you’d prefer we keep this visit between you and I.”     The female rabbit’s eyes lowered and she looked away.  She knew what that tone meant…

    “What’s the real reason you’re here, Lola?” he asked in an accusatory tone.  “Did you get caught stalking another, more successful actor?”     “I’m successful…” she quietly defended.  “And, no.  I just… um…”     “Let me guess,” continued before taking a sip of his drink.  “You’ve run out of money?”     “I have money…”     “Then, what brings you here?  If you have money, why not head to a motel?  Or, better yet,” he continued, his tone turning more hostile, “why not save your money and get a nice apartment?  I’m sure with your line of work, you can afford a fairly good one.”     “Wh… what’s that supposed to mean?” she nervously asked.     “Nothing, nothing…”  The male took another sip of his beverage.  “I only assumed you made some good money doing whatever it is you do.  What are you up to these days?  I would hate to think my little girl was doing something her own parents would be ashamed of...”     Although he’d said that, Lola knew better…

    “Why do you always assume I’m doing something bad to get money?” she asked.  “For all you know, I could have a nice job at a place like Tiana’s.  But, even when you ask, you’d rather just assume.  Like always.”     “Well, you’ve never given your mother or I any reason to assume you’re anything more than a filthy street urchin, dear.  That is, after all, the life you’ve chosen…”     Lola narrowed her eyes, her face turning as stormy as the weather outside.

    “See, this is why I don’t come by very often,” she said, gesturing one hand toward her father.  “You always do this!”     The taller rabbit finished his drink before turning to pour another.     “Do what, exactly?” he casually asked.  “Think about all the poor choices my baby girl made in her life?”     “If only!” she said in a raised voice, finally walking into the room proper.  “No, every time I come over, it’s always ‘disrespectful’ this and ‘shameful’ that…  You act like you’ve never made a bad choice in your life!”     “I haven’t.”     The smug look on her father’s face as he turned her way made her blood boil…

    “Even before Warner terminated our contracts, I invested the money your mother and I had made in proper stocks… diversified our funds, paid close attention to the market… and, here we are.  Living comfortably with more-than-enough money to pay for our expenses.  Granted, it’s still a far cry from the Country Club lifestyle we portrayed on our show…”     The rabbit lowered his head, giving his daughter a snide sort of grin.     “But, at least we’re not forced to perform unscrupulous acts just to get-by.”     Lola’s face curled into a horrible, ugly scowl, her eyes starting to water.  Even though she knew what to expect from her judgmental father… it still hurt to hear him say such things.

    “Why do you always say things like that…?!” she squeaked, barely able to keep from yelling at him.     “Because…” he said, still wearing that grin as he walked toward her, “I know you.  You haven’t got two pennies to rub together nor the skill with which to earn them.  Now, you may not be the prettiest thing out there… but, I’m sure there are some depraved lowlifes out there would be perfectly happy to… help… a girl-in-need, such as yourself.”     The paternal rabbit took a long sip of his drink, walking around his tensed daughter.  She seemed like she was somewhere between bursting into tears… and laying him out with a right hook to his smug, superior face.     “It really is a shame,” he said with a chuckle.  “Your mother and I were hoping for so much more than some no-class vagrant girl…  But, with the way you went through your savings, I suppose it was inevitable!  If only you’d bothered to listen to us instead of spending all your time stalking that rabbit boy and partying…”     He reached over, trying to nudge her head up.  She immediately pulled away, keeping her eyes clenched and biting down on her bottom lip.     “Then, you wouldn’t be the blemish you are on our good family name…”     The rabbit walked into the living room, walking behind a couch and giving a sigh.     “If it wasn’t for you, maybe your mother and I would be more well-to-do.  If it wasn’t for you, we might have connections… powerful ones…  If it wasn’t for you–”     “You’re the blemish…”

    The tall, grey-haired rabbit jolted, staring at his daughter as she spoke up.     “I beg your par–”     “I said, you’re the blemish!!” she shouted, giving him a hate-filled look.     “Don’t you dare raise your voice to me, young lady!”     He stomped back over to his daughter with a threatening look on his own face.     “I helped bring you into this world and I can certainly help remove you from it!”     “You didn’t do anything, Walter!”     Once again, the taller figure was taken aback.     “Excuse you, Lola?!  What did you call me?!”     “Walter!” she spat, the anger in her face continuing to grow.  She was scowling at him, stood hunched-over with her fists clenched and tears rolling down her face.     “Don’t you dare talk to your father that way!”     Walter brought his dominant hand back, swinging at his daughter’s face.  However…     “You’re no father of mine…”     Lola wasn’t having any of that.

    “Let… go of me!” the taller figure said, tugging on his arm.  “Let go of me this instant!”     Lola had a vice-like grip on his wrist… and, it didn’t seem like she was going to let go anytime soon.     “No.”     “No…?”  Walter narrowed his eyes.  “What do you mean, ‘no?!’”     “I’m done here.  I’m done with this place… done with you!  I’m sick of your abuse!”     He gave a sneer, glaring down at his daughter.  She wasn’t even bothering to look at him, anymore…  He didn’t deserve her full attention, as far as she was concerned.

    “You think you’re so high-and-mighty just because you know how to play the stock market, don’t you, Walter?”     Hearing his name come from his own daughter made his temper flare.  Once again, he tried to yank himself free… and, he succeeded!  He gave his sore wrist a rub as he watched Lola slowly walk away from him, her back turned and her voice unsettlingly calm.     “You kept an eye on how things went…  Invested low, sold high…  Good for you.  I’m proud – I really am.  Want to know what I’ve been doing since my last job?”     He didn’t really care… but, for some reason, he just let her keep talking.     “I’ve been living out on the streets of ToonTown, making money by playing people at games.  I’ve held up in this motel room when I had the money or that flop-house if I thought I was going to have the money for it… or, sometimes, I just curled up under a park bench, cold, alone, and scared.  Yes, scared, Walter.  I live every day scared that I won’t have enough money for the next day.  Yeah, I might put on a smile and make jokes… but, Walter…  Inside, I’m just a scared little girl who’s afraid of what will happen when her luck finally runs out.”

    Lola turned back, tears still falling from her black eyes as she looked at him.  She didn’t seem quite as angry as she had been earlier… but, Walter could tell she was still angry enough.  With that in mind, he decided to let her keep talking…

    “You don’t know what it’s like, do you, Walter?” she calmly asked, not looking for a response.  “You don’t know what it’s like, always being afraid that someone’s going to hurt you… take your money… or do something far worse…  And, why should you?”     She gave a hollow chuckle and a shrug.     “You and mom have it made!  A nice, cozy house in the suburbs… plenty of things to keep you distracted… and, of course, a nice, steady income from gambling with your stocks.”     She gave another chuckle, crossing her arms and smiling.     “You don’t know a thing about what it’s been like for me.  You didn’t make the same mistakes I did with your money… and, even now, I really hope you never do.  But, Walter?”     Lola closed her eyes, slowly shaking her head before continuing.     “Just because you don’t understand the life I live… just because I made some mistakes that lead me down this one-way street… doesn’t give you the right to judge me the way you always do – especially when mom’s not around.”     She turned her back to the taller figure again, taking those few extra steps toward the door.  It seemed like she was just about to leave when she paused…

    “I meant what I said, by the way…”     Slowly, she looked over her shoulder.  The disdain for him had returned to her face…     “You’re didn’t do anything.  At least, you didn’t bring me into this world.”     Walter’s brow furrowed in anger.     “What is that supposed to mean…?”     Lola gave another hollow chuckle… then sighed.     “I’m a ‘toon, Walter.  I wasn’t born… I was designed.  I was designed by the same people who made you.  Difference being… I was my own character.  You, on the other hand…”     His brow furrowed again… as if processing her words.     “You and… yes, mom, as well…  You were made to give Bugs someone to be funny with.  The whole ‘over-protective father’ thing is sooo cliché… but, it still works for both kids and adults to this day.  Sure, you and mom had your own personalities… but, at the end of the day?    You guys were just comic foils.”     The taller figure’s brow shifted a third time.     “Still, though… they made me for a specific purpose, too – to play opposite the real star: Bugs Bunny.  Once the series was done and our contacts expired… I was nothing to Warner.”     She offered a wicked grin to the male.     “But, if I was nothing… then, I guess that makes you less than nothing.  Huh… ‘dad?’”

    With that weight finally lifted off her chest, she gave a long sigh and turned the doorknob.     “Tell mom I said ‘Hi,’ Walter,” she commented as she took a step toward the raging storm.  “Or, maybe… just do like you said and ‘keep this between us.’  I still like her… but, you?”     Lightning flashed as Lola took one last look back.     “You’re no father of mine.  You’re just a mean, cruel, judgmental man who’s great with the stock market but is too wrapped-up in his own perfect little world to realize when to be a parent… much less what it means to be one.  And, with that, I say…”     She gave him one last, teary-eyed scowl…     “Goodbye… Walter.”     And then, she was gone. –––––

    I still can’t believe that happened…!

    Joseph was all grins as he reclined on the couch of his apartment.  Even though he had work the next morning, he was far too excited to sleep, thoughts of the day’s events still playing on-repeat in his head.

    And, what I really can’t believe, he continued to think, was that Woody… didn’t kill me.  He wasn’t mad… heck, he wasn’t even surprised!  In fact, if I didn’t know better, I’d almost say he knew what was going on between Winnie and I the whole time… which… may be the case, now that I think about it.  Winnie had no reason to hide it from him.  They’re in a… eh… ‘semi-open’ relationship?  I’m just lucky Woody likes me, though.  I’m sure if I’d been someone stranger… or, someone he didn’t like… he probably wouldn’t have been so jokey about it.     Still though… the fox thought with a shiver…  When Winnie started telling him about our day after he came home, I just about jumped out of my skin!  It hadn’t even dawned on me that she’d tell him outright the first chance she got!  I mean… she was kinda subtle about telling him… but, she did tell him!  Right in front of me, no less!

    His thoughts turned back to a few hours prior.  Woody had just eaten the dinner Winnie made and was feeling pretty good.  Joseph remembered being on the far end of the couch when his lady friend sat on the coffee table and told Woody she’d wanted to talk.  He remembered feeling like his fur was going to pop right off in fright as she ran familiar “what-if” scenarios by her boyfriend… most of which, they actually had done, that day!  He then recalled his heart almost leave his chest when she asked, “What would you say if those ‘what-ifs…’ weren’t…?”

    I almost can’t believe Woody actually congratulated me! he thought with an odd sort of smirk.  I mean… he said he wants to watch next time… what a perv!  Still, though… he was fine with it!  Really, truly fine!     The fox gave a happy sigh.     That woodpecker…  Both of those woodpeckers…  They’re crazy…  Crazy-awesome…

    After a moment, Joseph reached over to the coffee table, setting his glasses down and retrieving the TV remote.  He decided he’d spent enough time reminiscing and should get some sleep.  He had a long day of dish-washing ahead of him, after all…     Oh, geez…! he thought as a crack of thunder caught his ears.  I really hope it doesn’t keep raining like this, tomorrow…  I could have Woody drive me… but, I really don’t want to ride in his little car again.  I mean… it does beat walking… especially in this… but, man is it cramped.     He murmured, shuffling down against the couch and pulling a blanket over his body.     Well, I guess I’ll worry about that, tomorrow.  No sense giving it any thought, now…     He murmured again, his eyes drifting shut.     I feel bad for anyone that does have to be out in that weather, though…

    Suddenly, his ears picked up on a different sound.  A slight rapping on wood?  It was soft… but, certainly audible.  When he’d heard it a second time, though…     I really doubt someone is here at this hour… he thought.  But, I’d better make sure…

    After putting on some pants and his glasses, the fox undid the deadbolt lock on the apartment door, keeping the chain attached just-in-case.  There was no sense in being reckless, after all…  Slowly, he pulled the door open… only to jolt at what he saw.     “L… Lola?!”     Standing on the other side of the door was the waterlogged form of one Lola Bunny.  Her fur was drooping and dripping, making a mess on the hardwood floor of the hallway, her damp, platinum hair was covering her eyes, and even her normally-springy dress seemed to sag on her thin frame.  Yet, despite all of that… she wore her usual cheerful smile.

    “What in the Void are you doing here at this hour, Lola…?” Joseph asked.  “And… why are you so wet?  What’d you do?  Walk here?”     “I may have…” she said with a grin.  “Can I come in?”     “I… yeah,” he answered before withdrawing.  A moment later, he brought the soggy bunny a large towel.  “Just, ya know… keep it quiet.  Woody’s trying to sleep.”     “Caaan do!” she happily exclaimed.  “Oop– I mean… can do…”     Joseph shook his head before finally letting her in.

    “Seriously, Lola…” he said as he watched her dry herself, “what are you doing here?  It’s like… almost 1 AM!  Who visits at 1 AM…?”     “I do, obviously!” she quietly giggled.     “Well, at least you came in through the door, for once…”     The fox gave a blink, ears perking as he realized…     “Wait.  You came in through the door.”     “Yeah?  So?” Lola politely asked as she worked on her hair.     “You… never come in through the door.  You said you like climbing the ladder up to the fire escape scaffolding, which is kind of odd for most being… but, regardless–”     “Can I stay here tonight, Joseph?” she suddenly asked.     Once again, the fox was caught off-guard.     “What… what did you call me?” he suddenly asked.     “‘Joseph?’” she replied, a confused look on her face.  “That’s your name, isn’t it?”     “Well, yeah, but…”  His ears fell back.  “I… don’t think I’ve ever heard you call me that before…  It sounds kinda… weird… after all the ‘Jojos’ and ‘Mr. Foxes’, really…”     He was chuckling… but, all she could offer with a slight, amused murmur.     “Lola…?” he asked, growing more concerned.  “Is everything alright?”     “I’m just… really tired,” she reassured.  “And, maybe a little drunk off Tipsy Carrots.  Busy night!  I’m gonna go sleep in the tub… ‘kay?”     “I… sure…?”     The fox gave a frown as she walked by him.  He’d thought about offering her the couch… but, given how distant she was being so suddenly, he decided not to argue, figuring that maybe, after a night’s rest, she’d be more talkative.  If only he’d know what she’d been through…

    Lola’s eyes closed as she thought about the night, making herself comfortable.  Removing her soaked garments or dying her fur seemed so very distant from her mind…  She didn’t want to come back to that place… but, in her mind… Joseph was still the only one she could count on.

    Even if he didn’t care for her… like she did for him.